Snoopy Bobblehead Night-Yankee vs Toronto Blue Jays 9/19/2012

Last Wednesday I was able to attend the Yankees/Blue Jays game at Yankee Stadium. It was Snoopy Bobblehead Night and I wanted to make sure I got one for my Yankees bobblehead collection, so I took the day off from work. I was the first one through the gates and I was thrilled when I was handed my Snoopy bobblehead. Yes! I had to take the day off from work, but I got the bobblehead.

I went straight to the right field seats for batting practice. The Yankees played the first game of a day/night doubleheader earlier, so I wasn't sure if there would be batting practice. The last time I attended batting practice, I caught a ball. The time before that, I got a ball. I wanted to see if I could make it 3 in a row.

I got to the right field seats and saw Derek Jeter taking hacks along with Alex Rodriguez. During Arod's turn, he launched a ball toward my section. I ran to the spot where I was sure the ball would land and sure enough, I felt the painful slap of rawhide meeting the skin of my hand, causing it to turn red. I did it, I caught ball #3 and from Arod no less. What a moment. What a.... the next thhing I knew, this older gentleman came over and slapped the ball out of my hand. I helplessly watched bounce 3 feet away and into the hands of another adult.

Ok, I realize it was just batting practice, but I will admit I lost it. I yelled I had that. The guy, smugly told me he didn't see my name on the ball. I held up my palm to show the redness so he could see it was in my hand when he smacked it out. He said I didn't close my fingers so it was fair game. I could see I wasn't going to win this arguement, so I walked away. Had that been a home run ball in an actual game, I might not have been so quiet.

It was close to game time and my buddy sent me a text message that he arrived. I wanted to see the look on his face when he saw how cool this bobblehead was and maybe he would think he should have taken a day off as well...until I saw him carrying the box as well. Oh well. Maybe I should have gone to work as well.

The game was a good one. Both the Yankees and Blue Jays scored a run each in their halves of the 2nd inning. That score held until Ichiro singled in Curtis Granderson with the go ahead run in the botom of the 8th. A half inning later, Raphael Soriano closed out the game and we all untucked our shirts for a 2-1 Yankee win.

Now, a look at the goodies

Snoopy looks great in Yankee blue, with pinstripe pants and Yankees cap. I realize it's the same bobblehead that was given out by the San Francisco Giants a year or 2 ago. As a huge Peanuts fan, I am hoping we get Charlie Brown and Lucy as well in the upcoming seasons.

 I think the only difference from the Giants give away, aside from the uniforms, was that Snoopy had a number, which I think was 07 on the back of his unifrom, while the Yankee one just has the MetLife logo. The 07 on the back of Snoopy's uniform was to signify the year the bobblehead was given out.

I also went to the Yankees Clubhouse store and picked up a Mickey Mouse figurine I have been eyeing for the last season or two. Yes, I am a fan of Disney and wanted this figurine to go with the Mickey Mouse All Star figurine I already owned.

Back of the box.

Here's Mickey decked out in the home pinstripes. Like the base he comes in with a small home plate with the Yankees logo on it.

Back of the statue has Mickey sporting 01 and his name on the top. Doesn't Mickey know there are no names on the back of the Yankee uni's? Shame on whoever issued that jersey to you. Now, I need to hunt down the Disney bobbleheads, which would make my Disney Yankee collection complete.

Would have been great to have bought home that Arod ball, but I think I did pretty well regardless. These new additions are going to look great in the Yankee bobblehead/figurine collection. No, they aren't players, but I love adding these to my collection as it diversifies the Yankee shelves and as a collector, I want my collection to differ from another Yankee collector's collection. I think one's collection is an extension of the personality of the collector and my love for cartoons is pretty well represented with Snoopy, Mickey and Woody before them. Now, if only they made Marvel or DC Yankee figurines/Bobbleheads....

Finally, A Yankee Bobblehead SGA

When I heard the Yankees were having a bobblehead give away this season, I was beside myself. As The Rock might say, "Finally, Boobleheads Have Come Back To Yankee Stadium!" I  started the bobblehead collecting only a year ago, long after the Yankees stopped giving them out. The Yankee Legends bobbles were given out at Columbus Clipper games while the Yankees just stuck with the current player.

But on Wed, Sept 19th at 7:05pm, against the Blue Jays, The Yankees will be giving away a Snoopy Bobblehead, sponsored by MetLife. The Yankees just released a picture of it this past weekend. The booble looks like the one given away by the San Fransisco Giants, last year I think. The bat is magnetic, so it comes out of Snoopy's paw.

I do like the fact they painted him in the blue Yankee batting practice jersey, with home pinstripe pants and black shoes. He has the Joe Cool look with the sunglasses and Yankee cap. The past few years, The Yankees have been giving out plush Snoopy dolls, so this is a fantastic replacement to that.

I am definately looking forward to the give away and will be buying my ticket in advance and taking the day off work. You can bet there will be a lot of ebay'ers lining up early  as the bobblehead is limited to the first 18,000 fans in attendence. If the Snoopy bobbles given away by the Giants went for a lot on ebay, you can bet that this one might sell for as much, maybe more.

This bobblehead would look great in my collection alongside my custom Woody Yankee bobble and my Mickey Mouse Yankee All Star Statue. I hope the Yankees give away Charlie Brown and Lucy as well in the upcoming seasons to complete the collection.

5/26/2012-Rusty Staub Bobblehead Day

So, yeah. I went to Citi Field again for another Mets bobblehead. I just can't resist a bobblehead, especially if its free. I may not root for the team, but I will display the bobblehead with the other Mets bobbles I already have.

It was a beautiful day for baseball. 80 degrees and sunny. I got to the ballpark to meet my buddy at 10:45 am and got on line. I decided to wear my Jets Neil O'Donnell jersey. I was going to wear my Red Devils Marty Brodeur tshirt to celebrate my Devils making their 5th trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, but I was "advised" not to. When I saw the first 5 Devils tshirts at the game, I kind of regretted the decision. But I had a steady flow of Jets fans complement the jersey. Whenever I go to a Mets game, I always wear a Jets jersey or t shirt because I still remember going to my first Jets game as a kid at Shea and I wear Jets gear to celebrate that.

I had never been to the Pepsi Porch before, so I went to watch a bit of batting practice up there

No balls were hit up there this time, so after an hour, my friend and I went down to hang out a little. Former Met Art Shamsky was signing in the Verizon Area. I wasn't aware of the signing and left the Mets 50th anniversry 8x10 at home, so I didn't wait on line for the auto.

As for the game, Johan Santana pitched a complete game  4 hit shutout as the Mets beat the Padres 9-0 behind home runs by Scott Hairston, Vinny Rottino and a grand slam from Mike Nickeas. During whch, I ate a Tex Mex Burger, Ice Cream and drank a bud and 2 sodas. Yep, quite the fatty. I will be paying for this on the treadmill this week.

Now on to the bobblehead.

Up first is the box, with 2 vintage shots of Staub on the box.

Now the bobblehead. The paint job isn't the greatest, but it's still a pretty nice bobblehead. I think Rusty is wearing one of the Mets road uni's from the 70's/80's. I want to say late 70's because it would keep with the theme of picking Staub for the Met of the 70's bobblehead.

Again, I think it's a pretty nice bobblehead, sponsored by Geico. I just think there were other Mets they could have given this slot to like Tug McGraw or Jerry Koosman.

The next Mets bobblehead give away is of Keith Hernandez. Not sure I will make that one. But knowing me, I will try to make it, I might try to complete the set just for the heck of it. There is no pic of the bobble up on the Mets website just yet, but I'm sure it will be a nice one. I just hope it has Mex wearing the blue Mets road tops instead of the ugly Mets home unis that had the racing stripes going down the sides.

I do have an extra for trade. I found an extra that was left behind. People were also leaving these on the staircase bannisters, but without the bat, so I let my buddy grab those. If intrested, let me know in the comments section. I'm looking for Yankees, Jets, Devils, Knicks, Mascots and HOF player bobbleheads. Would consider a superhero figurine as well.

Lest We Forget....Bobbleheads!

As of late, I realize I have been blogging more about my love for all things pop culture, then my love for sports. But make no mistake, I am still a collector of all things Yankees, Jets, Devils and Knicks. I have been picking up cards here and there as well as autographs that I will show off in upcoming blogs. With baseball season soon to be here, I am very excited about the possibilty of a Yankee World Series.

But today, this is not about the Yankees. This is about bobbleheads. More specific, new adds to my bobblehead collection.

I haven't added any new pieces in quite a long time. That changed recently with a gift and 2 ebay purchases, both of which were absolute steals. I mean, highway robbery. I paid a lot less than what I have seen these bobbles go for on ebay and I am quite happy to own them.

First, we get to the gift.

A buddy of mine in my baseball card team collectors group sent this to me. Me being the non-politcal guy I am, had no idea where this particular bobble came from. I knew it was George W. Bush, but wasnt sure which team gave this out and when. A quick google search told me it was a SGA from the Rochester Red Wings back on 7/22/2002. It's a nice bobble, but again, I am not a politcal guy, so I am not sure if it will be up for trade at some point or, being that it is a gift, I will hold on to it.

Next, we come to the first bobble I bought off of ebay for a whopping 5 bucks dlvd. 99 cents for the bobble, 4.99 shipping. It's a Kerry Jenkins New York Jets SGA Knucklehead Bobble. I'm not sure of the date on the actual give away. I ran a search on it and came up with nothing. All I know is the Jets give the fans in attendance a voucher to pick up the bobbles at participating P.C. Richards in New York and New Jersey and the race is on. I'm not sure if the bobbles were limited, but I have heard of fans getting shut out on these.

I've never really been a fan of Knucklehead bobbles. The likeness on these to the players are not the best and I really hate how they make the players look like they are wearing clown shoes. I have seen Yankee Knucklehead bobbles and have held off from picking any up, even though there are a few players I would like to have in my bobblehead collection. Ever see the Randy Johnson one? Scary.

So far, I have just these 2. The Sanchez was the first one I picked up. I will be going for the set eventually, since these are really the only Jets bobbles I see aside from the Forever bobbles and the few Alexander Global bobbles I see. This set will eventually be mine.

I will post once the 2nd bobble arrives. I'm expecting it within a few days.

2011 Trenton Thunder Bobbleheads Promotions

The Trenton Thunder has released their promotions schedule for 2011 and, yes Virginia, there are bobbleheads being given away:

Fri April 29th-Robinson Cano

Fri May 13th-Phil Hughes

Fri July 15th-Andy Pettitte Home uni

Fri July 29th-Andy Pettitte Road uni

Fri Aug 19th-Derek Jeter Thunder Home uni

Fri Aug 26th-TBA

I can only assume that the Cano and Hughes will be in Thunder uni's as well. I only have one Trenton Thunder bobble and it's a Hideki Matusi in a Yankees Cap and Thunder uni

I have never been to a Thunder game and have wanted to go to one. Trenton is about an hour and a half away from me by NJ Transit. I probably would have to take off work the days I do want to go. I'm sure the crowds are crazy for the bobbles and will be packed early.

As a season ticket holder with the Staten Island Yankees, I had wondered why they don't have give a ways like this. The Brooklyn Cyclones have tons of give a ways and sell out every game, promotion or not. I spoke with the head of Marketing for the SI Yanks and was told that they did want to give away a bobble head to the season ticket holders, but would have had to raise the prices of the plan in order to do so. That idea was vetoed by the ticket holders. What's baffling to me is, as a ticket holder, I was never asked. Now to keep costs, they eliminated the second gift they give out and kept the cap, which I never wear anyway because it's cheaply made.

I'm thinking I may be at some Thunder games this season. I love watching the young kids play anyways and the bobble heads are a plus. I'll be looking at the Robinson Cano give a way as my first potential game.

I'll post pics of the bobbles as they become available

Bobbles, Bobbles and More Bobbles

Well, since my last bobblehead update, I managed to add 7 new bobbleheads to the Growing collection. All, with the exception of one, were ebay purchases. I gotta tell you, I loved going to the post office and having the clerk behind the counter give me a box with my latest treasure securely inside amist the packing popcorn, bubble wrap and newspaper. Let's see what I got:

This is a Bernie Williams retail bobble head made by American Global. This was sold in 2001 and has him decked out in the Yankee home uni on a green base. The likeness was ok on this one. Not as good a likeness as on my next bobble.

Bernie Williams SGA bobble. This was given away in 2002 and it was sponsored by Land O'Lakes. The bat is held with his left hand, as opposed to his right on the retail version. Also, he's holding his batting helmet and his skin color is a more lighter tone. The facial features are more in line to what he actually looks like.

This Martin Brodeur bobble is also a giveaway. It was given out during the 2002/03 season at Continental Airlines Arena and was sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. The visor on the helmet flips up to show his face. I love that this bobble is in the classic pose and has Marty's old style helmet design, which I never thought he should have changed.

This was a SGA bobble of Reggie Jackson. It was given away in 2004 by the Columbus Clippers, who at that time was still the Yankees Triple A affiliate. I love the cheesy grin on Reggie's face here. The glasses are awesome as well. One of my new favorites.

Here's another of my new favorites. Lou Gehrig. No Yankee collection is complete without a Gehrig in it. This is actually one that I feel looks just like him. I seen a few Forever bobbles that didn't capture the facial features that this one does. It was also given out by the Clippers in 2004 and shows him in his classic swing, no doubt knocking in another run. If you haven't seen Pride of The Yankees, I strongly urge you to.

Another classic Yankee in from the 70's got a SGA bobble as well. Catfish Hunter is in his set pose decked in classic Yankee home uni. Another of the Legendary Yankees bobbles that was given away by the Clippers in 2004.

Finally, there's this little guy. This is Scooter, the Holy Cow. He is one of three mascots of the Yankees Single A short season affiliate Staten Island Yankees. This is a mini AGP bobble, which I believe was a SGA. I had wanted the full sized bobble ever since I saw it on display at the ball park. I asked my Ticket rep where I could get one and he showed up at one of the games I attend with Scooter. I have actually seen a diffrent verson of Scooter on ebay with his hands out streached. I placed a bid , but alas was outbided at the last minute. Don't you hate when that happens? I'll keep looking for the other mini, as well as the full sized Scooter.

I have another bobble coming in, as well as 2 possible pick ups within the next few days. I'll post pics when I get them.

Update On The Bobblehead Collection

I was looking over my growing collection this morning before heading out to work when I realized I hadn't posted my more recent adds to the collection. I still have three others to snap pics of and post here as well as three, possibly four on their way.

I really like this Joe Torre bobble. It's cartoony, yet it looks a lot like him. It's an Alexander Global bobble in the classic pose. It's a retail bobble that I was able to pic up off ebay for next to nothing.

This is the Jason Giambi All Star bobble from 2003 when the all star game was held in Chicago. It's made by Forever and it has him in the batting practice jersey. what I really like about this one is it has the chicago skyline behind him on the base. This was one was ridiculosly cheap and I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. I have seen the Alphonso Soriano bobble, so I need to grab that one as well. I'm wondering if Jeter, Rivera or any other Yankees were made in this set.

Sticking with Giambi, this one is a mini bobble from Post Cereal. It was found in specially marked boxes along with other players. It was from 2002, as you can see from the beard he's sporting. If you know the Yankees, you know any chin hair is a no no, so I'm guessing this was made before he played a game with the Yankees.

Here's another bobble I got off the bay for a great price. This one is of Jorge Posada and was a SGA back in 2001. Made by Alexander Global, it has him in the classic pose wearing his cathing gear. The likeness is ok, but the sure got the ears right. I really wish the Yankees would go back to giving away bobbles. I see other teams give away some very nice ones and I, for one, am very jealous.

One of the few baseball bobbles I own that is not a Yankee. This is a 2005 Atlanta Braves SGA bobble of Mark Teixeira. As you know, I collect Tex and when I saw this bobble, I knew I had to have it for the player collection. The giveaway was sponsered by Coke and has him in the Braves red alternate jersey. For now, he's crowded on the Yankees shelf, but when I get some room, I'll seperate him from there.

Last, but not least, is a bobble of the QB that almost took the Jets to the Super Bowl back in '98. Vinny Testeverde. This is one of my favorite bobbles as it has him in the classic pose while he has a football in one arm and his Jets helmet in the other. It was given away back in 2002 when you signed up for the Jets credit card. I really love the Alexander Global classic pose bobbles and wish there was more made today.