It’s that time of the year again- various Major League Ballclubs are releasing their lists of their promotions and giveaways for the upcoming season, and the New York Yankees are totally on point with theirs. Star Wars Night is back at Yankee Stadium for the fifth time this year, and the Yankees are getting in on the act with a Yoda Bobblehead giveaway on Fri., May 6. Because hey, “May the 4th Be With You.”
But the real headliner here is the Yankees’ first-ever bobblehead with sound — the John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman “Talking Bobblehead” on Fri., Aug. 19. The bobble of the Yanks’ radio team was the promotional item that everyone was chatting about on social media this past Friday, when the list was released.
In terms of Current Yankees stars, there are bobbleheads for Aaron Judge (Fri., June 3) and Gerrit Cole (Fri., Sept. 30), But my favorite, at least from what I’ve seen in photos, would be the limited-edition Scooby-Doo Bobblehead on Sun., Apr. 24. Looks pretty cool from the photo above.
Also, mark your calendar for Sun., Aug. 21, as that’s Paul O’Neill Day. The Yankee legend will see his number retired in a pregame ceremony with all fans in attendance receiving a commemorative ticket. It’s not every season that they add somebody new to Monument Park, so this will be a special one.
The Yanks open the season at home, on Thursday April 7 against the arch-rival Boston Red Sox.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.