Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Duke Snider Bobblehead Night

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Tonight was the final bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium for 2011. Presented by State Farm, the Dodgers gave away Duke Snider bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. The Dodgers played the Philadelphia Phillies, and lost 2-1.  Cliff Lee was the winning pitcher and Ted Lilly took the loss.

When we arrived at the Stadium, we went straight to Autograph Alley, where Duke Snider's Hall of Fame plaque was on display. Fans were allowed to take picture with the plaque. Just to be in the presence of a Hall of Fame piece was an honor.

Dodgerbobble and the HOF plaque

Jon Soo Hoo was there

Tim Leary was signing autographs


Before we headed up to the Reserve section, we stopped by the signing table, where former Dodger Tim Leary was signing autographs. We got a couple of signatures, then went to get the bobbleheads.

When we got up to our section, we were surprised to see a short line of people. It was a huge drop off from the the last bobblehead giveaway, Fernandomania. It just goes to show how popular Fernando still is in Los Angeles. And you could see it in the stadium too. It wasn't as dead as the Don Mattingly bobblehead night, but it wasn't exactly a full house.

There was a nice presentation before the game. Duke Snider's wife, kids and grandchildren were all honored. His two sons and one of his daughters threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Don Mattingly, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, one of his granddaughters sang the national anthem, and there was beautiful tribute to him on the jumbotron.


I thought I'd try a Doyer Dog since it was probably my last Dodger game of the year. It was OK. 
The HOF plaque on the jumbotron

The Duke's #4 in mowed into the outfield grass
When we left in the sixth inning, there were still bobbleheads at the gates. I was shocked. Personally, I think this is the best bobblehead of the year. Yeah, the Fernando is nice, but it was the third Fernando bobblehead the Dodgers have given away. The Duke being a Hall of Famer, plus the classic look of the bobblehead is what makes this my favorite bobblehead of 2011.

Let's take a look at the Duke of Flatbush:













I'm a little sad that this is the last bobblehead of the year, but a bit relieved at the same time. Six bobblehead is a lot for one year. I am looking forward to next season's group of nodders though, and I will give my predictions of 2012's bobbleheads soon. I will also have my 2011 bobblehead review in the next few weeks as well.

Don't forget, dodgerbobble.com will be giving away a Duke Snider bobblehead away on Friday courtesy of Bobbles Galore. You can see the contest rules here.


12 comments:

  1. very cool DB!

    hey I remember Tim Leary. he had a great year for the Dodgers in 88. no wonder the stadium was empty for the Don Mattingly bobblehead night. I wonder how many fans would show for a Joe Torre bobblehead night ha ha

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  2. Very few. I think Torre was more popular than Mattingly though, but only because of his WOrld Championships in NY.

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  3. LOL I dont like either of them. I cant wait for the offseason so we can have a fresh start with a new team.

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  4. me too DB. I dislike Torre more than Mattingly, although both are nice guys im sure just not very good at managing baseball games.

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  5. Dude, great post! I like the Duke nodder. I hope to get it asap. Must have felt great to be so near the HoF plaque. Nice!

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  6. I love the bobblehead too and having the plaque there was a nice touch by the Dodgers as well as having a large number of Duke Snider's family. We could not get the bat to screw on my friend's bbh though. When she went to complain there were others having trouble with the bbh so check yours. My two are OK.

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  7. Dutch - Did you buy a Duke bobblehead yet? Yeah, it was nice to see that plaque in person.

    Emma - It was nice seeing you and Lore on Tuesday! Thanks for the heads up on the bat, mine are OK. Did they replace yours?

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  8. Emma - I'm sorry, diod they replace your friend's bobblehead?>

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  9. Anyone have a duke snider they want to trade for a Valenzuela or an Ethier bobbleheade.

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  10. Why is the Snider bobblehead hitting right-handed? Or am I missing half of my brain?

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  11. Does anyone know where I can get some extra baseball bats that screw into the bobblehead. One of my friends lost the bat, and I think it would be a great present to get him one.

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