A Run on Bobbleheads

Bobbleheads have become the top ballpark giveaway. It's been that way for a while. But the Minnesota Twins might have taken the dolls to a new level. The team offered a set of 25 of the collectibles representing the 1991 World Series winners.

The cost for was $391. One thousand sets were offered. They sold out quickly. That's nearly 400 grand in sales. The Twins say the net profits will go to its community fund. Of course, some of the buyers immediately put them for sale on eBay, looking for a profit.

I'm ambivalent about the bobbleheads. I have a shelf full of New York Mets lookalikes (well, some of them sort of look like their alter egos). The top giveaway when I was a kid was the common wood baseball bat. I used my Darrell Porter model till it the paint was worn off and the handle was chipped.

I understand they probably stopped giving out bats for fear of liability problems. And it's doubtful any kid today would be allowed to use a wood bat. I suppose the baseball giveaway was ended when one too many ended up being thrown onto the field during play.

It's interesting that almost none of the giveaways these days involve equipment that can be used to play the game. The only items that even come close are caps, wristbands and a water bottle. And the latter item is a stretch. We never had water bottles on the playground back in the day.

Added to my shelf this year have been Mr. Met (my wife, a lifelong Mets fan, calls it the evil Mr. Mets because of changes to his eyebrows) and Ike Davis, who was obtained last night. They join Johann Santana and Frankie Rodriguez, among others. Strangely, Most of the Mets honorees have been injured when their likeness was handed out. Although Mr. Met did appear at Opening Day this season on his special day.

I can't imagine any kid has as much fun with a bobblehead as I did with my bat, batting gloves and plastic helmet. But then there wouldn't be much a market on eBay for those items.