The statue was thrown into the river 24 years ago by rowdy fans of the Hanshin Tigers who were celebrating the team’s first Central League title in 21 years, according to The Mainichi Daily News (see pictures of the statue) .
Tigers fans apparently thought the statue looked a lot like the team’s slugger Randy Bass and ripped it out of the ground intending to give it a victory toss, but they threw it too far into the air and it went into the river.
The Tigers have not won the Japan World Series since 1985 and many believe it is because of the “Curse of Colonel Sanders.”