Dmitri Young Bobblehead Night
Hopefully ours is a bit pudgier.
The other day, good friend and Official Caps Beat Writer Tarik El-Bashir caused a major stir in the WaPo sports department by bringing his Caps toothless Potato Head and Rod Langway Bobblehead through the office. Seeing the frenzy, Tarik pointed out that were he a pro sports owner, he would have bobblehead night for every single home game, figuring he would thereby guarantee a league lead in attendance.
I don't know the expenses involved, but I can say for absolute certain that if there's one Nats game I will go to as a paying customer this year, it's on May 1, and I have no idea who the team is playing that night. (Note: It's the Pirates.) All I care about is that it's Dmitri Young Bobblehead Night, and I feel certain that no living sports fan would be able to look at my Dmitri Young Bobblehead with anything other than burning, rageful jealousy. Official Short-Time Beat Writer Svrluga and the Nats site both list the full range of promotions, but the only other thing that stands out is June 5 vs. the Cardinals, when 15,000 RZa bobbleheads will be distributed. Oh, and March 30 is Curly W Lanyard day. Show me another city that would run a lanyard promotion, and I'll show you another city that loves the jersey barrier.
A quick check of the local competition reveals that the Orioles will give away Nick Markakis bobbleheads (June 19 vs. the Astros), the Phillies will give away Jamie Moyer "bobble figurines" (April 30 vs. the Padres), Jimmy Rollins bobble figurines (June 4 vs. the Reds), and also Phanatic figurines, Jimmy Rollins tins, Chase Utley growth charts, Shane Victorino "Flyin Hawaiian" figurines and back-to-school lunch pails.
And, get this, the Pirates have nine bobblehead nights, many of them throwbacks (Al Oliver! Richie ZIsk!), plus collectible potato heads, plates, banners and beach towels, plus German Day, Polish Day and Slovak Day. Totally jealous. We have a shiny new stadium, and not even one Central-or-Eastern-European themed day, complete with Otto von Bismarck Bobblehead giveaway?
By Dan Steinberg |
February 13, 2008; 9:27 AM ET
| Category:
Nats
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Posted by: ScottVanPeltStyle.com | February 13, 2008 09:43 AM
what's a jersey barrier?
Posted by: mrlogical | February 13, 2008 10:16 AM
this is muckraking at its finest- if extra give aways are added we know exactly why.
@mrlogical- a jersey barrier is one of those "temporary" cement walls that are usually found on highways- except in washington where they are found everywhere, and to make the joke complete, you usually need a lanyard to cross one because it will have your ID on it.
Posted by: captainawesome | February 13, 2008 10:36 AM
The Otto Von Bismark bobblehead could be dangerous if he's one of those German helmets with the spike on top.
Posted by: odessasteps magazine | February 13, 2008 10:39 AM
Doesn't the fact that the Pirates have the most bobble-head nights and are among the worst in the league in attendance shoot Tarik's theory full of holes?
Posted by: Illegal Immigrant | February 13, 2008 11:30 AM
Opening Day at a new stadium -- and they're giving away lanyards? Can't wait.
Also -- on jersey barriers, I don't think they're meant to be temporary necessarily. They're actually meant to keep a car that's lost control from crossing the median into oncoming traffic. The angle of the barrier is design redirect the car back into traffic in the direction it was already traveling -- since these accidents are generally less dangerous than head-on collisions. You'll see skid marks on the barriers sometimes in a broad arc, presumably where a tire went up the barrier and then back down into the lane where the car came from.
Posted by: SSFSCoWA | February 13, 2008 12:46 PM
The Pirates have always had the best promo schedule in MLB. Bobblehead nights, pierogie eating contests, fireworks shows, another bobblehead night, mini statue giveaways, mini PNC Park model giveaways, and other various cool giveaways happen at every home game.
This is why I have been jealous of their fans for a long time, but only for THAT reason. The nightly freebies. Besides, they need all the help they can get for drawing attendence.
Posted by: Chris in SS | February 14, 2008 09:48 AM
Any word on if the promos will have big corporate splat all over them? (Ticketmaster, Bud Light, etc) That just ruins the stuff, doesn't it? I will admit, the best bobble choice is Dmitri. Should be a fun year!
Posted by: Spalding | February 14, 2008 12:55 PM
Who or what is Curly W Lanyard?
Posted by: Keith | March 8, 2008 08:11 AM
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This information would've worked well in the pursuit of Torii Hunter.