KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- The Kannapolis Intimidators plan to file a missing gator report with local authorities after team mascot Tim E. Gator did not come home to CMC-NorthEast Stadium last week. The rowdy reptile has not been seen since taking a bath by the clubhouse last Thursday.

"At first we thought Tim E. Gator just went back to Lake Fisher for a few days to relax and unwind after a busy first half of the season, but this time he didn't come back," says director of media relations, Josh Feldman. "We realize that he is a wild animal and might just need a break from the heat, but ever since he came to us, he's become domesticated. The only exercise he gets is dancing on the dugout, and he can't catch his own food without first ordering it from a concession stand, so we don't think he would have wandered off on his own."

Tim E. Gator, the Intimidators mascot since 2009, came to the team from nearby Lake Fisher, and has been a staple at the ballpark ever since. There is currently no timetable for the mascot's return to action. Former mascot Dub has since retired, and Bo the Weevil has not been heard from since the team's name was changed from the Piedmont Boll Weevils after the 2000 season. Authorities say that Bo is currently a parasite of interest.

Anyone with knowledge of Tim E. Gator's whereabouts is asked to please contact the Intimidators front office at (704) 932-3267. The team hopes that he returns -- or is returned -- to CMC-NorthEast Stadium prior to next home game on July 19.

In the interim, the team is looking for a mascot to help raise the spirits of fans at CMC-NorthEast Stadium for the rest of the season in case Tim E. Gator does not return. If you or your organization has a mascot that would like to entertain and amuse fans at Intimidators games for the remainder of the season, please contact Darren Cozart at (704) 932-3267 or email him at dcozart@intimidatorsbaseball.com.