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Henry’s Random Thoughts
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Bobbleheads
Over the last few years, the popular Reds Hall of Fame
located next to the stadium has caught on to the value of the bobblehead as a
promotional tool. As one might guess, these bobbleheads are of a nostalgic
bent. To my knowledge, one of these bobbleheads has honored former owner Marge
Schott (with dog), while five others have honored the legendary Johnny Bench.
They don’t make nearly as many of these as they do the
stadium giveaways. I’m pretty sure they are limited to 5,000. The distribution
of them is a little more controlled, too. Customers are limited to one per
visit per day. You can’t run in circles for quantities like you do at the
stadium. Basically, you can get one per paid admission, but they have also had
deals where you could get several different ones in exchange for buying a
membership. They may or may not run such a promotion in the future. Pictured
are the ones I have. I’m not sure if I have them all. I bought a collection
from a guy that included them. I will probably get future ones straight from
the source, assuming I keep collecting them. (A person has only so much space.)
Since getting them in bulk isn’t easy, expect to pay
more for these on Ebay than you would for SGA’s of
the same vintage.
Marge Schott-2010
Unsurprisingly, the Hall didn’t have a sponsor for
this one, as Schott left the owner’s role in disgrace due to some racially
insensitive comments. But there was demand for it from those who remember all
the good things she did, such as keeping ticket prices low, being approachable
to the fans, and using her considerable fortune to support charities like the
local zoo. The team also won during her stint as principal owner, although it
is debatable as to whether it was she or her predecessors who built the
foundation for the winning.
Marge is pictured here in a period jumpsuit, with the
World Series trophy (from 1990) and her omnipresent dog, which created a fair
amount of scooping work for the grounds crew back in the day. Fortunately, they
chose to ignore her longtime smoking habit, unlike editorial cartoonists of the
time.
Marge’s signature transaction, done early in her run
as owner, was to bring Pete Rose back as player manager. It was marketing gold,
as Cincinnati absolutely adored Pete at the time, and is still fond of him now
in spite of all the trouble.
Johnny
Bench-2011
Also unsurprising is the fact that a prominent law
firm showed up as the sponsor of the next year’s effort, a series of Johnny
Bench bobble heads. Had the firm not stepped up, I’m sure there would have been
a line out the door of other sponsors willing to do so. Bench, along with Rose,
is among the biggest sports heroes in this town. And unlike Rose, he hasn’t
messed up his post-baseball life.
Even the boxes line up for a very impressive display. If they keep this methodology up, the Ted Kluszewski and Dave Concepcion runs should be pretty long
if they decide to do them.
The above one is a rookie-era pose, as he is in a
uniform with pinstripes.
Above is a pose showing off his well-publicized
ability to hold seven baseballs in one hand. The only
other Reds body part that might have been capable of holding seven baseballs
was Ernie Lombardi’s nose.
2018 Reds Hall of Fame Bobbleheads
2018 Reds Hall of Fame Bobbleheads
