2011 SoCal Minor League Bobblehead Giveaways

Tonight I'm gonna take a look at some of the local minor league teams giving away bobbleheads in 2011. Five of the 6 Southern California minor league clubs are running at least one bobblehead promotion this season.

Picture via TMZ.com

I'll start with the Lake Elsinore Storm, Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Last month I mentioned the Storm would be holding a Charlie Sheen themed night on May 5.  They're calling it "Charlie Sheen-co De Mayo" night. The Storm will be giving away limited edition #99 Charlie Sheen bobbleheads. This is the only scheduled bobblehead night for the Storm in 2011. You can see the entire promotional schedule here.

Next up is the Inland Empire 66ers, Single-A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels. This is a team that gets it. The fans want bobbleheads, and the 66ers are giving away plenty of them, six to be exact. Here are the six: Ken Griffey Jr(April 23), Kendry Morales(May 28), Adrian Beltre Big Head(June 11), Dan Haren(July 9), Felix Hernandez(August 20), and Angels Gnome(September 4). You can see the entire promotional schedule here.

The High Desert Mavericks are the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The team out of Adelanto has one scheduled bobblehead night. They're giving away bobbles of  mascot Wooly Bully on Saturday, July 16. So if you're a Wooly Bully fan, that's the night to go. You can see the entire promotional schedule here.

Staying in the desert, the next team is the Lancaster JetHawks, Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The JetHawks have one scheduled bobblehead giveaway in 2011. On Saturday, August 13, they will be holding Aerospace Appreciation night, giving away a spaced themed bobble. They held the same promotion last year, a game I attended. Last year they gave away Robert "Hoot" Gibson bobbleheads. You can see the JetHawks entire 2011 promotional schedule here.

The last team is the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Quakes only have one bobblehead giveaway in 2011, Clayton Kershaw on Friday, May 20. I wrote about this promotion last month. If this bobblehead is different from the one the Dodgers are giving away, I'm gonna try to go. You can see the entire Quakes promotional schedule here.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Release 2011 Promotional Schedule

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Single-A affiliate of the Dodgers, released their 2011 promotional schedule today. Looks like they've got the usual minor league promotions on the list, fireworks, hat giveaways, social media nights. There will be only one bobblehead giveaway this season, Clayton Kershaw on Friday, May 20. You can check out the entire Quakes promotional schedule here.

I wonder if it will be the same Clayton Kershaw bobblehead the Dodgers are giving away on May 17, or will it be a new bobblehead altogether? We'll have to wait and see.

I want to thank Autumn Rose Saenz, Director of Promotions for the Quakes for all her help.

Dodgers And Quakes Announce Two-Year Deal

From the Dodgers' Press Release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes today announced the signing of a two-year player development contract that will make the Quakes the Dodgers' affiliate in the Single-A California League for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The two clubs will hold a public celebration featuring Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda and other Dodger personalities from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. one week from today, Tuesday, October 5, at the Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga.

"We feel like the move to Rancho not only brings our High A partner closer to Dodger Stadium, but is a strong fit for our organizational goals," said Dodger Assistant General Manager De Jon Watson. "We're excited to partner with Brett Sports and look forward to a long-lasting relationship."

The 2011 season will be the Quakes' 19th year playing in Rancho Cucamonga, which is located just 46 miles east of Dodger Stadium. Rancho Cucamonga has made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and won its only California League title in 1994. The franchise is owned by Brett Sports, which is led by Hall of Famer George Brett and his brothers Bobby and John, and had previously been affiliated with the Angels from 2001-2010.

"The Dodgers are one of the most prestigious teams in all of sports and we are excited to begin our partnership with them in Rancho Cucamonga," said Quakes Managing Partner Bobby Brett.

The Dodgers have enjoyed a California League affiliate for all but six years (2001-2006) since 1963 with teams in San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Lodi and Santa Barbara. Los Angeles' previous California League affiliate was the Inland Empire 66ers from 2007-10.

The agreement with Rancho Cucamonga finalizes the Dodgers' seven affiliates for the 2011 season to include Triple-A Albuquerque, Double-A Chattanooga, Single-A Great Lakes, Rookie-advanced Ogden and two Rookie-level clubs in Glendale, Arizona and Santo Domingo.

If it's a little closer, maybe I'll get to one or two Quakes games next year. I never attended a game in the IE, but I did get to see the 66er's play in Lancaster earlier this year against the JetHawks.

With the Dodgers moving to Rancho Cucamonga, it looks as though the Angels Single-A affiliate will move to the Inland Empire and the Reds Single-A affiliate will take over for the Rangers in Bakersfield.