MLB Mascot History

Baseball mascots have been a key part of entertainment in the baseball industry since 1964, when the New York Mets opened their stadium and introduced us to Mr. Met. The San Diego Chicken in 1977 sparked an increase in popularity in mascots, while only showing up sporadically throughout that 1977 season. The following 1978, saw the Philadelphia Phillies introduce to the world the Phillie Phanatic. Since then, all but three professional baseball teams have official mascots, the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels. Today, the MLB has five mascots in the Mascot Hall of Fame; Phillie Phanatic, Sluggerrr, the San Diego Chicken, Mr. Met, Slider, with several others that have been up for Hall of Fame contention.

The New York Yankees short lived mascot in the 1980s was quickly given up on, due to the mascot getting beaten up and the fans not wanting him. Since then, the Yankees have tried having baseballs ballpark food as mascots in the 1990s, but have not has an official baseball mascot since then.

The Los Angeles Angels baseball mascot was the Rally Monkey in the early 2000s. The Rally Monkey would dance to Jump Around by House of Pain and would hold a sign that said Rally Time!. The Rally Monkey is to believed to help the Angels win the World Series in 2002 when they were trailing 3-2 and facing elimination. The Rally Monkey has had an increase in popularity in 2009 when the team reached the playoffs once more.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have never had an official mascot, but they do borrow a mascot from the NHL team in Los Angeles, Bailey. Bailey is named after a scout that had died in the 9/11 terrorists attacks. As a substitute for not having a mascot, the Dodgers will have celebrities come in and support the team.

A classic baseball mascot. One of, if not, the best mascots in ANY league. Entertaining, funny, and great dancer.

2. Mr. and Mrs Met (New York Mets)

The best mascot couple in the game. Mrs. Met chose the original and one of the best mascots to be in a relationship with.

3. Gapper, Rosie Red, Mr. Redlegs, and Mr. Red (Cincinnati Reds)

A great bunch of mascots. Gapper is defiantly the one that steals the show from the others.

4. Wally the Green Monster (Boston Red Socks)

I do not know what Wally really is, but he is definitely a green monster. Goes well with the Green Monster wall at Fenway Park.

5. Dinger (Colorado Rockies)

A very cool mascot. A triceratops skull was found when building Coors Field, so the choice for the mascot seems obvious.

6. Mariner Moose (Seattle Mariners)

A well designed moose mascot that embraces the northern culture.

7. Pirates Parrot (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Clever. A parrot is definitely a pirates mascot. Who doesnt love green and fluffy?

8. The Oriole Bird (Baltimore Orioles)

Not bad. The name doesnt really stand out though. The Orioles could have though of something more clever for the bird.

9. Lou Seal (San Francisco Giants)

Lou is one cool cat (seal).

10. Billy the Marlin (Miami Marlins)

Little to much of a shine. Other than that Billy is friendly looking and resembles an actual marlin.

11. Paws (Detroit Tigers)

Looks like a tiger and represents the teams name. Paws is a mascot that I would approach and ask to hang out with.

12. Ace (Toronto Blue Jays)

One of the few mascots that look like what the team is named after. A few extra feathers and Ace will be looking fly.

13. Sluggerrr ( Kansas City Royals)

A nice looking mascot and a nice touch with the crown making him royalty, but when I think of a slugger, I think of a baseball bat and not a lion.

14. Stomper (Oakland Athletics)

Cute and good looking mascot do not understand the connection between an elephant and athletic.

15. Swinging Friar (San Diego Padres)

Looks like a friar and is modeled after someone who use to show up to the Padres games dressed as a friar. Definitely would intimidate the other team with the way he looks.

16. Clark (Chicago Cubs)

Looks like a bear kind of. The eyes dont do it for me.

17. Orbit (Houston Astros)

This mascot is truly out of this world. Needs a little bit of sprucing up with his fur though.

18. Bernie Brewer (Milwaukee Brewers)

Baseball mascots, and mascots in general, need a good design and Bernie is lacking that. Bernie also needs a bit of a trim.

19. Screech (Washington Nationals)

The Eagle is the U.S.A.s national bird. Screech gets the point across, but barely. Has the potential to be so much better than what it is.

20. Raymond (Tampa Bay Rays)

Everyone (doesnt) love Raymond. Their logo has a manta ray on it, so why not use a manta ray as a mascot?

21. Homer the Brave (Atlanta Braves)

A simple baseball-head mascot. You cant go wrong with it and it doesnt look all that bad, but it just does not fit the name of the Braves.

22. T.C. Bear (Minnesota Twins)

Simple mascot. If this is the Twins, then why is there not a second mascot?

23. D. Baxter the Bobcat (Arizona Diamondbacks)

I thought that a diamondback was a snake? Bobcats are supposed to be intimidating and not a kind animal. Baxter covers the not kind part, at least to the eyes hes unkind.

24. Southpaw (Chicago White Sox)

When I think of Southpaw, I think of the fighting style, not Wally the Green Monsters ugly cousin.

25. Rangers Captain (Texas Rangers)

This looks like the horse that I drew in first grade. Just a bad design and creepy looking.

26. Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals)

I have seen many cardinals before and I can safely say that this is not what one looks like. A simple redesign will make Fredbird look so much better.

27. Slider (Cleveland Indians)

I thought that the Browns was the worst thing in Cleveland, but I was wrong. Its almost like Barney the Dinosaur caught a disease and never recovered.

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Baseball Mascots: Ranking the MLB Mascots - Through The Fence Baseball

WOW - look at these gorgeous Dorset gardens in full bloom this summer.

All of these stunning photos were submitted by members of the Echo Camera Club who are loving spending time in the great outdoors, despite the poor weather we have been having recently.

Bozena Gomolka recently visited Poole Park and snapped some pictures of the outdoor space's colourful gardens.

Blooming and beautiful Poole Park Gardens by Bozena Gomolka

Around every corner is a well-manicured lawn and vibrant, blooming flowers that you just can't peel your eyes away from.

Camera Club member Rich Langer shared some wonderful close-up shots of his lovely garden.

A robin soaking up the sun in Rich Langer's garden

We have been treated to a fantastic picture of a robin sunbathing, as well as a bee busy at work.

He also shared a picture of some beautiful poppies in his garden.

A busy bee in Rich Langer's garden

We are loving the pictures of the flowers, the birds and the bees our readers are sending us and we would love to have a peek over more garden fences.

If you want to showcase your garden or an local outdoor space you think deserves to be in the spotlight, click the link below or email: maya.george@bournemouthecho.co.uk

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Over the Garden Fence: Your garden in the spotlight - Bournemouth Echo

A mule deer buck faces an elk feedground fence near Pinedale, Wyoming. A Cody group has formed to help make fences more wildlife friendly in the region along important migration routes.

The toughest deer in the West are found wintering outside of Cody, Wyoming.

Thats the assertion of Tony Mong, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife biologist who has monitored mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep migrations in the region.

As evidence, he points to one collared mule deer doe that traveled from west of Cody near Sheep Mountain about 164 miles into Yellowstone National Park in three weeks one spring. Along the way, the deer gained and lost thousands of feet in elevation in the steep terrain of the Absaroka Mountains, all while avoiding an array of predators and carrying that years unborn fawn.

Im blown away how tough these animals are, Mong said.

In the fall, the mule deer doe crossed the same terrain to return to the Cody area in only a week. About 5,000 deer and 2,000 to 3,000 elk are using historical migration routes every year, twice a year, in the region.

AFI volunteers modify a fence to make it more wildlife friendly near Clark, Wyoming, last year.

Help

To ease these wildlife migrations, Mong has helped form a new coalition the Absaroka Fence Initiative. The AFI is a combination of local, state and federal groups, as well as ranchers and landowners. The groups goal is to remove fence obstructions along migration routes that WGFD, the Wyoming Migration Initiative and Montana State University have identified.

Its a true collaborative effort, Mong said. Theres not just one group driving this.

Similar groups in Jackson Hole and the Platte Valley improved wildlife migration corridors, but werent formed specifically to address fencing issues, Mong said. The Absaroka Fence Initiative took form in 2019 as Mong met with several of local agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

Everyone had fencing work and conversion on their radar, but they werent working all together, he said.

By unifying the various groups, concentrating their funding and volunteer power, and by using data provided on migration routes, they could identify common projects to get work done more efficiently. In January 2020 the group was formed and by December they had finished their first project making about a mile of fence on public and private land wildlife friendly near the community of Clark, just south of the Montana border.

For deer and elk, which jump fences, a lower top wire can help prevent them from getting tangled and dying.

Project 1

Fifteen volunteers showed up in December to alter the fence on land owned by Kathy Lichtendahl and her husband.

Lichtendahl said she has long been aware of fencing-caused wildlife problems, prompting her family to modify most of their fences. Pronghorn go through her property on a daily basis to reach a spring, and elk winter in the area, as well. Mule deer numbers on her ranch have declined, she noted.

To me, its an invaluable resource to work on some of these projects around the Bighorn Basin to allow much easier movement of wildlife across the landscape, she said.

Landowners frequently dont have the time or money to alter their fences, Lichtendahl added, so having a group to help with the cost and work is a real godsend.

Making a fence wildlife friendly often means raising the bottom wire 18 inches above ground to allow pronghorns ease of access underneath, while dropping the top wire so deer and elk dont get snagged when leaping over the fence.

The coalition has another project scheduled for May in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. The group will focus its efforts from the Montana border south to near Meeteetse, Wyoming.

A group of collared pronghorn antelope in southwest Wyoming encountered fences an average of 248 times a year, about 40% of which changed the animal's behavior.

Data

The Absaroka Fence Initiatives work was finished not long before researchers at the University of California Berkley provided hard evidence of the difficulty fences cause for wildlife. In a recently published study, they used collared mule deer and pronghorn in western Wyomings Green River Basin to identify specific sections of fence that cause the animals problems. These species navigate through an estimated 3,728 miles of fencing enough to almost span the U.S.-Mexico border while walking to summer range near Grand Teton National Park.

The data is so specific it showed how the collared animal reacted when it reached a fence. Did it jump the obstacle, as mule deer do? The data can even show the animal pacing back and forth, looking for a way to cross, or walking away. Wenjing Xu, a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, was the lead author of the study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

Xu compared maps to GPS tracking data from 24 tagged mule deer does and 24 pronghorn. She found that each year mule deer encountered fences an average of 119 times. In comparison, pronghorn encountered fences about 248 times a year. About 40% of these fence encounters resulted in a change in the animals behavior, according to the study.

Anybody whos spent time in the West knows youll find a lot of fences, said Arthur Middleton, an assistant professor of wildlife management and policy at UC Berkeley and senior author of the paper. But seeing such frequent encounters, 40% of which result in a failure to cross, is kind of mind-blowing especially when you multiply those numbers across whole populations and landscapes.

Along with the study, the team is also publishing a software package that will help wildlife managers around the world analyze GPS tracking data to identify fences and other barriers to wildlife movement.

With so much fence on the landscape, identifying those key crossing points can save time, money and effort for groups like the Absaroka Fence Initiative.

We hope to use some of that data to drive decisions, Mong said. Thats all great information.

The other technology that has helped Mong monitor wildlife in his region are trail cameras. A network of 30 cameras have shown specific routes the animals take, what day and time of day they use the trails and in what weather conditions. Photos can also show the body condition of the deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep. Fifteen years ago, this technology wasnt available.

Alex Few carries her daughter, Kaia Cadwallader, as she works on a fence modification project in Clark, Wyoming, alongside other volunteers with the Absaroka Fence Initiative.

Why?

Wildlife migrate in the spring to find the most nutritious food. As they trek through the mountains, the animals are targeting new growth, which contains the most nutrients. This movement has been called surfing the green wave as they travel to continually find the newest vegetation to dine on.

Along the way, GPS collars have shown key spots where animals will linger, known as stopover sites. These sites account for 90% of the deers migration time in the Hoback region.

The animals return along much the same routes, often more quickly as they rush to avoid being trapped or hampered by heavy autumn snowfall.

In the Cody area, wildlife is lucky because much of their migration takes place in wilderness areas, Grand Teton or Yellowstone national parks. So its along the eastern edge of those wild places that the Absaroka Fence Initiative will concentrate its efforts.

I foresee us being able to make a real difference on the landscape in a quick manner, Mong said.

The real power in this group is its collaborative nature. Were all in this together and that drives change and good conservation.

Absaroka Fence Initiative

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Group formed to make fences more wildlife friendly in Cody area - Billings Gazette

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) - Two Escondido women are hoping a dog they found abandoned at a dog park will soon be adopted into a safe home.

The dog was found tied up to a fence at Mayflower Dog Park in Escondido, reportedly left by two men.

Justine Hollins and Taylor Reynold saw a post about the dog late Sunday night. It was about 9:20 p.m. when they decided to drive over to the park to try and help.

The women say it was cold and that the dog was terrified, howling, and crying.

Animal Control showed up and was able to take the dog.

The women say the dog did not look abused. They say he looked clean, had a harness and a leash, but say if the owner could no longer care for him, they should have looked for a better way to re-home him.

Rescuing dogs is a passion for Hollins and Reynold, who frequently help rescue street dogs from Mexico, nursing them back to health and help them find forever homes. The women are now hoping the dog they found Sunday night will find a new home with loving owners.

Escondido Police referred questions about a possible animal abuse investigation to the San Diego Humane Society. The Humane Society said in a statement that officers are investigating and currently working to identify the owner.

There is a listing for the dog on the website, where it says dogs not claimed within the four-day holding period may be made available for adoption.

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Dog abandoned, left tied to fence in Escondido park - 10News

You can find aspects of Londons rich history dotted around the city in even the most simple and seemingly unremarkable of places.

Many walk past one particular piece of hidden history everyday, unaware that the simple objects that line some London streets have an incredible link to the past.

The black steel and mesh railings, mostly found in the estates of South London, are actually made out of old World War 2 stretchers.

These interesting fences can be found in Peckham, Brixton, Deptford, Oval and in parts of East London too.

The curved metal on the corners of the panels of the railings is not simply a design choice, but instead a reminder of their first life and initial purpose.

As London faced a barrage of bombings from German forces in WW2, hundreds of thousands of stretchers were produced to carry the wounded.

The emergency stretchers were used by Air Raid Protection officers who would bravely carry those injured during the Blitz to safety.

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When the war ended there was no longer such a demand for these items.

However, there was a need to replace metal fencing which had been lost during the war and manufactured into weaponry.

With a large amount of stretchers suddenly free, the London City Council decided to have the stretchers welded vertically together, fixed onto poles, and used to replace this missing fencing.

Now The Stretcher Railing Society works for the promotion, protection and preservation of London's stretcher railings.

Have you ever spotted the interesting railings around London? Let us know in the comment section here.

Original post:
Unusual history behind the fences on South London estates dating back to the war - My London

Certain events stay with us forever. Well never forget where we were on Sept. 11, 2001, when we first learned of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Nor will we ever forget where we were on Jan. 6, 2021, barely a month ago, when we first learned of the terrorist attack on the United States Capitol.

We all watched in horror as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, easily overran understaffed and unprepared Capitol Police, smashed doors and windows, pummeled police officers with the staffs of their MAGA flags, penetrated the sacred Rotunda and House and Senate chambers, forced the vice president and all members of Congress to flee for their lives and killed officer Brian Sicknick.

It was an unbelievable, gut-wrenching moment to witness the desecration of our revered shrine of democracy, the first occupation of the Capitol by an enemy force since the British seized the building in the War of 1812. But a profound relief four hours later to know that the Capitol Building was once again secure and Congress could resume its constitutional duty of certifying the results of the Nov. 3 election.

The mob was chased out of the Capitol. The insurrection was crushed. And the Proud Boys lost. Right? Wrong!

If you think the Proud Boys lost on Jan. 6, try visiting the Capitol today. You cant even get close. The Proud Boys won beyond their wildest dreams. Theyve succeeded in shutting down the Capitol. The Hills an armed fortress. Not just the Capitol building, but the entire area is surrounded by a 7-foot wire fence topped with razor wire that surrounds the Capitol itself, the 58-acre Capitol grounds, the House and Senate office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Folger Library. The fence stretches from Independence Avenue on the South to Constitution Avenue on the north; from 3rd Street SE, to 1st Street NW, with heavily armed National Guard troops stationed inside its perimeter.

And now the Capitol Police have asked Congress to leave some version of the fence up forever. No way! That fence itself is an invasion: an ugly, god-awful, unnecessary wall that cuts against the spirit, history, and reality of democracy that the U.S. Capitol represents. Its a place where all Americans are welcome to visit the seat of their government, talk to their representatives and enjoy the magnificent landscape created by Frederick Law Olmsted.

Surely, Republicans and Democrats can agree on this: The most important action Congress could take to prove that this nation remains strong and free that we have not, in fact, been taken over by the Proud Boys, or any other right-wing extremist group is to take that fence down immediately.

After all, we know what happened on Jan. 6. An embittered president, unwilling to accept his defeat on Nov. 3, summoned a mob to Washington and unleashed them on the Capitol to take over Congress and overturn the election. All the while the Capitol Police ignored intelligence warnings and failed to adequately secure the Capitol and bring in reinforcements ahead of time. But neither Trumps act of sedition nor the Capitol Polices poor judgment justify locking the Capitol down forever.

Nobody wants a repeat of Jan. 6, but there are other ways to prevent it. The man who incited the insurrection must be convicted. His supporters who invaded the Capitol must be tracked down and prosecuted. The Capitol Police must get new leadership. The building itself must be better secured. But a permanent fence is not the answer.

Note: To join the ranks of Americans who want to free the U.S. Capitol, sign the petition to take down the fence at: https://dontfencethecapitol.com.

Press is host of The Bill Press Pod. He is author of From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.

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Bill Press: Tear down this fence! | TheHill - The Hill

KALAWAHINE, Hawaii (KHON2) The Department of Hawaiian Homelands removed unauthorized campers and is working to install a fence in the Kalawahine Subdivision of Honolulu on Thursday, Feb. 4.

[Hawaii news on the goLISTEN to KHON 2GO weekday mornings at 7:30 a.m.]

Four individuals were issued trespass warnings and three had been removed by the start of the fencing project, according to the DHHL. The fence approximately 6 feet tall and 200 feet long is designed to secure unencumbered lands that border Kalawahine.

We are thankful for the communitys cooperation in this effort.The Department heard concerns about unauthorized campers in this area and worked with the homestead community association to provide time to guide these individuals to available resources. This fence will secure undevelopable lands and provide the community with a sense of safety.

Staff had posted notifications along Kapahu Street ahead of the removal, according to the DHHL, and one of the three individuals that were removed accepted shelter services.

Partners in the effort included the Department of Public Safety Sheriff Division, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Governors Task Force on Homelessness and Kula No Na Poe Hawaii.

The DHHL is completing several fencing projects to secure unencumbered lands across Hawaii.

Continue reading here:
DHHL removes campers, installs fence in Kalawahine on Oahu - KHON2

A police pursuit of an assault with a deadly weapon suspect turned into a lengthy standoff after the driver tried to escape across an embankment and got stuck in Woodland Hills Thursday afternoon.

Officers initiated the pursuit of an assault with a deadly weapon suspect at about 5 p.m., said Officer Tony Im, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Sky5 arrived above the chase just before 5:30 p.m., as the black sedan was speeding across several lanes of traffic in the area of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Moments later, the driver reached a dead end in the form of a fenced-in cul-de-sac, but drove the vehicle straight through the fencing.

The car tried to continue forward through a soft dirt lot but became stuck in an embankment along Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, near the intersection with Royer Avenue.

The driver remained in the car and appeared to be attempting to communicate via phone.

At least eight police cars were stationed on Ventura Boulevard, with officers out of their vehicles and some aiming guns at the suspects car.

The standoff ensued for about three hours. Police eventually prodded the driver from his vehicle using some sort of long pole.

Speaking at the scene, LAPD Cmdr. Alan Hamilton said he was not going to get into the tactics used to force the suspect from his vehicle.

When he got out of the car, the man was armed with a knife and tried to run up hill, according to Hamilton.

Hamilton said the man appeared to be under the influence of some type of narcotic and was acting fairly irrational.

Officers were stationed at both the top and bottom of the hill. After a use of force by the officers atop the hill, the suspect was taken into custody near the bottom of the hill with the assistance of a K-9 unit, Hamilton said.

The suspect suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Northridge Hospital for treatment. Officials expected to verify his identity following his release later Thursday night.

He would be booked on suspicion various felony charges including assault with a deadly weapon and violating a restraining order, Hamilton said.

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Driver in custody after plowing through fence, ending pursuit with lengthy standoff in Woodland Hills - KTLA Los Angeles

2021 Washington Legislature, Day 26 of 105

Everett Herald political reporter Jerry Cornfield: jcornfield@heraldnet.com | @dospueblos

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OLYMPIA, Feb. 5, 2021 As another week concludes, the subject of reopening remains a hot topic.

Last Friday, three Democratic lawmakers declared publicly they had lost faith that Gov. Jay Inslee is on a course to safely open Washington and beat COVID-19.

They blistered the governors latest approach to reopening the state by regions. Only seven counties punched their ticket into the second stage. Since then others, including a Whatcom County public health officer, issued their own criticisms of the strategy.

On Thursday, Inslee pushed back, firmly but diplomatically noting, We always listen to these insights and critiques. But were not making changes at the moment.

He went on to say there are 10,000 legitimate criticisms of what theyve done. And, he said, be assured that any plan they put forth that did not fully open every last restaurant and gym would get criticized.

Early exit

A major criminal justice reform initiative of Democrats cleared the Senate on a party-line vote this week. Senate Bill 5121 broadens eligibility for a re-entry program allowing inmates to spend the last few months of their sentences in partial confinement on electronic home monitoring rather than behind bars.

Supporters, including the Department of Corrections, say the approach, over the past couple years, is saving state dollars without endangering public safety and that only a fraction of participants violate terms of the program while out.

Republicans arent convinced. They are worried about the public and tried to dial back some changes. A fiscal note estimates an additional 2,300 inmates could be eligible for this program in the next year if the bill becomes law.

Is it really worth the risk to our communities to take such a big, big leap? Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said in the floor debate.

Take it down

Also Wednesday, Braun asked Inslee to remove fencing erected around the Capitol last month as a safety measure unless there is a continuing security threat justifying its presence.

Respectfully, it is time to take down the fences which are separating the public from their elected officials in the Legislature, Braun wrote in a letter to the governor. Nearly one month after being banned, the people should at least be allowed to return to the traditional public forum on the steps of the Legislative Building.

Read the full letter here.

Tick Tock

Senate Bill 5061 delaying a massive spike in unemployment insurance taxes paid by businesses and increasing the size of benefit checks for jobless workers sailed through the Legislature with strong bipartisan backing Jan. 29. It carried such importance that House leaders bypassed committee hearings and moved it straight to the floor. Thats end-of-session kind of speed.

As of Thursday evening, the bill had not made its way to the governor, who is ready to sign it. I think its a win for everyone in Washington, he said Thursday.

This story by colleagues Rachel Riley and Janice Podsada is a reminder why business owners are going to be anxious until he does.

Pay freeze

Gov. Inslee wont be getting a raise this year. Neither will state lawmakers or Supreme Court justices.

Economic uncertainty wrought by the continuing pandemic led a citizen panel on Wednesday to freeze pay for the states executives, legislative and judicial branches in 2021. But a majority of the Washington Citizens Commission on Salaries felt confident enough about the future to give them a 1.75% wage increase on July 1, 2022.

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Reopening gripes, fence frustrations and a wage freeze | HeraldNet.com - The Daily Herald

As we prepare to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, we need to know where Australians stand. Our recent study shows that as the pandemic progresses, people we surveyed are becoming less certain about whether theyre willing to accept a vaccine.

While overall it seems most people are willing to be vaccinated, the maybe or fence-sitter group has grown.

We are particularly interested in this group. Thats because researchers know that when it comes to vaccination policy, we should focus on reaching them.

For that, we need to understand why some people are becoming less certain about their intention to vaccinate, and tailor our approach to communicating with them.

Our initial survey in May 2020 was part of a larger project aimed at gauging peoples values on a range of topics.

Back then, some 65% of about 1,300 Australians surveyed said they would accept the COVID-19 vaccine, and 27% were uncertain.

When we revisited about half our sample in November, the number of people with a firm intention to vaccinate had dropped to 56% and the number of maybes had risen to 31%.

Read more: Australians' attitudes to vaccination are more complex than a simple 'pro' or 'anti' label

Understanding the attributes of the maybes, and what they think, is essential if we want to address their concerns. To do this, we compared the vaccine maybes to those who would accept or refuse.

Compared with committed vaccinators, the maybes were more likely to be female, to not perceive COVID-19 as a severe infection, were less trusting of science, and were less willing to vaccinate against the flu.

Compared with committed refusers, the maybes were more likely to see the disease as severe and not a hoax, to trust in science, and to vaccinate against the flu.

So attitudes towards disease severity, science, and flu vaccination point to peoples position along a spectrum between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and refusal.

The relationship works in the way youd imagine: worrying about COVID-19 infection, trusting science, and accepting flu vaccines orients you to accept or at least consider accepting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gender is an interesting wild card from our study. A recent poll commissioned by the Commonwealth found women in their 30s are most likely to be hesitant about COVID-19 vaccine safety.

Astute commentary said women who were uncertain might be concerned about the impact of a vaccine on their fertility, or concerned that most medical products are oriented towards male bodies and conditions.

However, our sample skewed towards older Australians. So it may not just be younger women who are more uncertain.

Read more: The government is spending almost A$24m to convince us to accept a COVID vaccine. But will its new campaign actually work?

We are not overly worried about the drop in firm support for vaccination between May and November.

Two other studies conducted shortly before and after ours (in April and June 2020) found 86% and 75% of Australians intended to accept the vaccine. So while, we report a rise in uncertainty, this is against a backdrop of high rates of vaccine acceptance overall.

The rollout of vaccine programs overseas, and Australias own on the brink of being launched, also appear to have also prompted generally high levels of intended acceptance in recent Australian polls. We take heart from this.

Why do different studies about intentions to vaccinate report different results? They are conducted in different population samples, ask different questions, and create different categories about peoples attitudes.

For example, another study conducted in August separated maybes into high and low likelihood of vaccination, finding that 36% of their sample fit into one of these categories.Other studies group the high likelihood people with the yes, showing how difficult it can be to compare. This also makes it difficult to account for changes over time.

Read more: 5 ways we can prepare the public to accept a COVID-19 vaccine (saying it will be 'mandatory' isn't one)

Even though our study registered a change within the same study population, we must interpret this change cautiously.

Many things have been in a state of flux since COVID-19 began, such as our knowledge of the disease, community outbreaks, scary new strains, and state lockdown policies. So peoples attitudes to vaccination will also be informed by this ever-changing scenario. If we polled people today, we might well get different results.

Our follow-up study found about half of those who no longer said yes were still saying maybe rather than a flat no. So reaching these folks will be important.

To do this, policy-makers need to consider the needs of women, especially those of childbearing age. This may help inform strategies to communicate with them, particularly about vaccine safety and the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.

But to truly understand how to reach those on the fence, we need to conduct in-depth interviews to unpack their beliefs and what factors might motivate them to vaccinate. Our Coronavax project is doing this in Western Australia.

In the meantime, we recommend empathetic communications with and about those who are hesitant. People who have ongoing reservations about vaccinating against COVID-19 are not anti-vaxxers and shouldnt be branded as such.

It is the job of governments, technical experts, health professionals and researchers to provide COVID-19 vaccine fence-sitters with the confidence and motivation to vaccinate.

Read more: A short history of vaccine objection, vaccine cults and conspiracy theories

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Yeh, nah, maybe. When it comes to accepting the COVID vaccine, it's Australia's fence-sitters we should pay attention to - The Conversation AU