My sense of timing has never been better…The ink on my previous blog post was barely dry when the Phillies revealed a preliminary list of 2015 promotions last week.

In case you missed it, in lieu of having actual SGAs to review I used 350 succinct words to predict what might be handed out at CBP next season. As a result, I had personal interest in seeing whether or not any of my predictions came to fruition. There were no direct hits, but with details on most promos in the ‘TBD’ category, I still hope I might claim a victory or two. Regardless, we now have actual giveaways on the calendar, so let me opine…

The general reaction I’ve seen online reflects my own: Meh. It’s not that the schedule is without bright spots – because it does have a few. But, it’s more a reflection of the fact that the general promotion themes haven’t changed for the past few years. Opening Day t-shirt – Check. Father’s Day Hat – Check. W.B. Mason Truck – Check. And not one person is asking whether or not the Phanatic’s best friend is writing another book. At a time when they’ll need SGAs to attract a crowd, the overall lack of ingenuity were both a little surprising and disappointing.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Keeping with tradition, the Phanatic’s Birthday seems like it will be one of the standout promos of the year. Whoever thought to give kids Phanatic socks gets a star from me. There is also promise in the 1960s retro bobble head. I would be happy if they went completely retro with an old-school, “boy” themed bobble – maybe with a variant face or something. Really the only way they could mess it up is by either making it in the likeness of Dom Brown or by tasking Forever Collectibles with the job.

I’m sure we’ll be treated to a few add-ons – perhaps via one of the scheduled “theme nights,” which produced some of the more memorable collectibles from the 2014 season (Stitch N Pitch Phanatic, Star Wars Baseball). I’d be interested to hear some of your impressions from the SGA list…

See the full list of promotions...