As a former minor league baseball employee, I always looked forward to coming up with interesting and new promotions or giveaways. I worked for teams that were very strict and rigid in their thoughts. It was their way or no way at all. I also worked for teams that told me, “give me your best shot”. Looking back at the 2010 minor league (affiliated) baseball promotions I have chosen the five that I like the most and have come up with The Big Orange Guy’s Top 5 Minor League baseball Promotions of 2010.
#1 – Lake Elsinore Storm, Nothing Night, July 5 – Tickets were free. There were no concessions that night, all the food you ate was your own. There was no music, no announcements, nothing. There was a game and fans watching, nothing else. There were no bathrooms open. There was nothing being sold.
#2 – Birmingham Barons, Rickwood Classic, June 2 – Rickwood Field was opened in Birmingham, Alabama and was the host to the Barons for over 80 years. This year was the 15th annual Rickwood Classic where the Barons play in throwback uniforms at their former home. With 2010 being the 100th anniversary of the opening of the stadium, Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew came to participate in the annual event. As the field is used every year, Rickwood Field remains the oldest active ballpark.
#3 – Lowell Spinners, Bubble Wrap Night, July 20 – Every fan attending the Lowell Spinner’s game that night received one square foot of bubble wrap. They were not too pop it until the third inning. The Spinners tallied 3,692 people popping bubble wrap at the same time. There was no previous record according to the Guinness Book of World Records so the Spinners feel that their night set a world record.
#4 Iowa Cubs, Player to be Named Later Bobblehead, September 5 – Knowing that the player traded most in the history of baseball is “TPTBNL”, the Iowa Cubs honored that player. They gave away 1,000 bobbleheads of an unknown player so that this player can finally be honored. So instead of honoring someone that no one has heard of, the Cubs honored….nobody.
#5 Oklahoma City Redhawks, Star Wars Night, May 1 – To honor Star Wars, the real life Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) appeared while Yoda and Darth Vader announced starting lineups. What is better than baseball and Star Wars? Nothing?
There is this week’s Top 5, have fun and enjoy it. As it goes, life is good. See you on the other side.
