The Great American Mascot Hunt: Suburban Washington, D.C.

Sometimes, it takes a lot of work to find a solid entry for the Great American Mascot Hunt. Other times, it just falls in your lap.

On a bleary and hungover afternoon, we watched the Patriots of George Mason University pull off a series of improbable NCAA tournament wins to carry them into the Sweet 16. We hopped on the internet and staring us right in the face was this picture on your left here.

And immediately we fell in love.

You see, this sleepy college in suburban Washington D.C. does, in fact, have more to offer the world than a Cinderella basketball team and Marco's mortal enemy, Karl Rove. They also have the little fuzzy green bastard who stole our hearts.

This is Gunston, and he is glorious. The bastard son of Oscar the Grouch and Falkor the Luckdragon, this fuzzy green abomination of nature is the ass-kickingest Patriot we've ever seen, and would certainly give Patriot Pat a good wholloping, by Jove. And if you happen to catch a GMU game in the near future and find dear Gunston struggling for balance in his oversized sweat-soaking furnace of a suit and subsequently taking a header into a pyramid of cheerleaders, remember to join the crowd in their time-honored chant:

"Gunston's Drunk!"