Thoughts on 2015 Phillies Promotions

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...

Making Guesses About 2015 SGAs

As teams across the Major Leagues have begun releasing tentative promotional schedules, the Phillies have sat idle.  After stating via their official Twitter account that details on 2015 promotions would be released in December, the team, which will undoubtedly need to use stadium giveaways and theme nights to attract fans to Citizens Bank Park, has gone radio silent.
 
Of course, a lot of things have changed since that November morning: Franchise icon Jimmy Rollins was traded to Los Angeles; their 2014 home run leader Marlon Byrd is now a Red; and, the future of roster staples Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard hang in the balance.  My guess is these situations have caused at least some delay in announcement – and there may have even been situations where planned SGAs were completely scrapped.  One day over the recent holiday season I caught myself daydreaming about how the promos may develop…

• Cole Hamels (100 Career Wins) Commemorative Ball (Replacing the Rollins Hit Record)
• Bobble Heads: I think this is the year we see a Domonic Brown bobble… I’ll bet on him and either Ben Revere or Ryne Sandberg serving as another.
• Cody Asche bat day
• Chase Utley t-shirt

With notable names scarce, I can also see the Phillies leaning heavily on both the Phanatic and their team logo in additional SGAs.  These could be logo beach towels and backpacks or a Phanatic cereal bowl/spoon set.  Another scenario may be the inclusion of an alumni giveaway.  Though infrequent over the past decade, a John Kruk figurine was handed out in 2013 and Roy Halladay was honored with a second Phillies SGA bobble last summer.  If they were to take this path, we could maybe pencil in a Darren Daulton figurine as a late-season promo.
 
It will be interesting to see how these predictions play out… Hopefully sooner than later, too!

Star Wars Theme Night... and, a Death Star

Last night was a big night down at the ol' ball yard: A Phillies win; fun theme night; and a Death Star giveaway!  

Death Star SGA (via eBay)

Over the years, I have been to several minor league versions of the "Star Wars Night" theme and honestly, I think it is better suited for that environment.  Typically my (now) six-year old son will lead me around the concourse - picking out the planted movie characters and posing for pictures.  Of course, the highlight is always interacting with Darth Vader.  There were high-expectations leading up to the night - and while there were some hits (the scoreboard videos and player photo edits and the "theme night gift", Death Star ball) but the overall experience has been better (for us) in the past.

The "Death Star" giveaway was on my radar since being announced earlier in the season. And judging by the sell-out of all one-thousand theme night tickets, I wasn't alone!  It's a fun crossover Phillies/Star Wars item, suitable for a collector of either (or both).  Though, the Phillies upped the ante by pulling out the old "hand-numbered" trick out of the bag, anything labeled "Limited Edition" is being marketed as an important collectible and rarely holds any real value.  It may have had more value if fewer people participated in the promotion, a la the first Stitch N Pitch night.  But, with the full order in circulation, I'm not planning retirement.  A few have already made their way online.  It will be interesting to see where prices settle.

Overall, the night was good with some solid father/son bonding time, and a few keepsakes.  But, we never did chase down Darth Vader...

Recent eBay Buys

2009 Clearwater Threshers SGA Bobbles

If you ask my wife, I've been very active on eBay recently... Maybe, it's true.  The stack of broken down boxes waiting for the trash pickup is a little larger than usual.  My excuse: There have just been too many good deals to pass up!  

Actually, though she doesn't understand the idea of "collecting", my wife is generally OK with my often obsessive eBay habits.  In fact, she even exclaimed, "Oh, cute!" when I unpackaged my latest purchases: Three Clearwater Threshers, 2008 World Series Champions SGA bobble heads - Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth and Pat Burrell.  

These bobble heads were originally scheduled to be handed out at Threshers games over a number of dates during the Summer of 2009.  The full promotion included nine players: Cole Hamels and the regular starting eight from the Phillies Championship team, concluding with a dual bobble of closer Brad Lidge with Carlos Ruiz.  However, the promotion was doomed!  After the first two dates had passed, the Tampa Bay Rays protested that the giveaways infringed on their "territorial rights" and forced its cancellation.  This all means that only the figurines for the first two games were actually handed out as intended (Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley).  

I have been aware of these since 2009, but haven't seen too many come up for a decent price.  It would be interesting to know how they ended up in circulation after the promotion was cancelled.  The three I bought at least get me started toward completing this unusual set.  Guess I have a reason to keep scrolling through the eBay listings now...

Update: I received a message from Brian Fauerbach  on Facebook letting me know that besides the Rollins and Utley that were handed out as planned, the Threshers only ended up ordering bobble heads of Werth, Burrell, Hamels, Victorino and Howard.  Unfortunately, they never produced the dual Ruiz/Lidge  bobble.

Phillies tease with new Utley bobble head

Chase Utley was back in town yesterday to complete the local media circuit.  The often seen-not-heard Second Baseman, was unusually talkative as he navigated T.V., radio and print interviews drumming up interest in his charity and his team's upcoming campaign.

The Phillies woes at the box office have been whispered about since play ended last October - with one Phillies employee I spoke to recently even speculating season ticket sales were down as much as 20% from 2013.  As a result of this slump, six-game partial plans (including Opening Day) went on sale earlier than normal.  And, Monday, three-game packs, usually reserved for March were opened for pre-sale.  

One of the packages made available this week is the "Bobble Head Pack" - which will give fans the opportunity to purchase tickets to one or both scheduled figurine handouts: Chase Utley on 6/10, and a still TBD player on 8/19.  Catching my eye was the low-resolution, partial picture of the Utley figurine.  

To my knowledge, this is the first time a photo of the bobble has been published.  It looks like he is in a fielding pose, wearing the road, gray uniform.  If anyone has a full image - let me know!

Interested in buying the bobble head three-pack?  Click here.

2003 Steve Carlton Bobble Heads

As part of the final season at Veterans Stadium the Phillies hosted several bobble head giveaway games, including June 22, 2003 - when a Steve Carlton figurine was handed out.  At this point most of us have either seen, or acquired one of the standard issued SGAs...but, would you be surprised if I told you it is not the only version that was produced?

Steve Carlton Bobble Head - signed variation

Though not as widely available as the SGA, a second version has popped up here and there on the secondary market over the years.  This variation looks much like the original, with the exception of a white pitching rubber - and a Steve Carlton autograph.  Speculation has been that this was either a random variant inserted into the standard SGAs at the gates, or sold in the Stadium team store - but, as far as I can tell, we've never received solid confirmation of either.

Steve Carlton Bobble Head - unsigned variation

In addition to these two known bobble heads, I recently uncovered the existence of a third variant!  The third version is a hybrid of the two earlier ones - same figurine, with an unsigned, white pitching rubber.

After exchanging emails with Lefty's merchandising company, Game Winner Sports, I came to find out that 3,000 of the two non-SGA variations were ordered by the Phillies specifically for Carlton. They have presumabley been selling this inventory on the Hall of Famer's official site: stevecarlton.com, for $39 (unsigned) and $79 (signed), ever since...