While most were still snug in their beds this morning, 20-year-old South Hill resident Payton Foutz was giving his all during today’s tryout for Tacoma Rainiers popular mascot Rhubarb the Reindeer.

Foutz seemed a bit nervous at first when he entered the conference room at the Rainiers Administration Offices in University Place. However, he quickly got over his jitters and pulled out a handful of Pez candy â€" his favorite sweet treat of all time â€" from the pocket of his windbreaker pants. “I never leave home without Pez,” he said tossing the miniaturized-packets of Pez to folks around the room, who included representatives from the Rainiers and Schlegel Sports and members of the local media.

Discover how Payton Foutz performed this morning on the Weekly Volcano Web site. â€" Jamie Forsythe