ST. PETERSBURG — When she bought the Chewbacca mask for way less than the reported $20 a few weeks ago, Candace Payne had no idea she would be an overnight Internet sensation, a guest on talk shows coast-to-coast and the next big thing, now known as “Chewbacca Mom.”
And Payne sure as heck didn’t know that she would throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s Rays-Astros game at Tropicana Field. It was Star Wars Day, after all.
So there she was, standing in front of the mound beside Chewbacca while Rays infielder Taylor Motter squatted behind home plate wearing, what else?