Catching a legend for Opening Day

Minor League teams are known for the creativity of their gameday promotions. On Tuesdays this season, we preview the most intriguing for the week ahead. If you'd like a particular promotion to be considered for this feature in the future, please send it to [email protected] with the subject line: "Promo Preview" or send a Tweet to @bensbiz, hashtag "#promopreview."

Nolan Ryan pitched 27 seasons in a career that spanned four decades, teaming up with more than three dozen catchers along the way. That's a fair number of backstops, but chances are good that you were not one of them.

On Thursday, one lucky Round Rock Express fan will get to join this elite club of esteemed catchers, as a result of the team's aptly named Catch Nolan contest. This fan will station himself behind home plate to catch a season-opening ceremonial first pitch from Ryan, thereby commencing the 15th season in Round Rock Express history.

So how did this promotion come to be? First things first, Ryan is part of the Express ownership group, meaning his participation was relatively easy to secure.

"The front office sat down [during the offseason], brainstorming about things we could do to generate more buzz. Things that were more in the guerilla marketing realm, as opposed to going the traditional advertising route," said Jill Cacic, director of communications for the Express. "Someone came up with 'Catch Nolan,' so we decided to run that idea up the ladder. ... Next thing you know, we had 'Catch Nolan' stamps, business cards and billboards. It was full speed ahead."

Going the "guerilla marketing" route, the Express launched a "Catch Nolan" website and social media campaign in February but didn't reveal the specifics of the contest or that they were the entity behind it. The goal was simply to build up anticipation and interest in advance of the early-March reveal.

"It was the first time we put so much effort into this sort of campaign, and it was really fun from this side, seeing how it grew and the attention around it," said Cacic. "We did stories leading up to it, talking with Nolan's wife, son and former catchers about their experiences catching Nolan."

As for choosing the winner, it was a simple process. Those interested in catching Nolan were able to register through the contest website, and the winner, one Billy Roberts, was chosen randomly from among the entrants. On Thursday, Roberts will live the dream of being able to catch a Hall of Fame pitcher, but he might want to invest in protective gear beforehand.

"Nolan's not going to want to be shown up," said Cacic of the 67-year-old flamethrower. "This could be interesting."

The best of the rest

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Midwest League)
Scooter Gennett Bobblehead, April 3
Felix Hernandez Bobblehead, April 5
Bobblehead giveaways tend to be infrequent in the month of April, but the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are the exceptions to this rule. The Class A Milwaukee affiliate is giving away two bobbleheads this week as part of a season-long 20th anniversary series during which they'll be honoring team alums who are plying their trade in the Major Leagues. It all starts Thursday, when an undulating miniature likeness of Scooter Gennett is bestowed upon each fan in attendance, and continues with Saturday's distribution of 1000 Felix Hernandez bobbleheads. This is the second time in four seasons that Gennett has been honored with an Opening Day bobblehead; please note that this time around he will not be depicted in the act of snowman decimation.

Syracuse Chiefs (International League)
Deport Justin Bieber Night, April 4
The 2014 Minor League Baseball season kicks off with a Thursday matinee in Syracuse, and after getting the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day out of the way, the Chiefs will turn their attention to what they have deemed to be a "pressing issue of national importance." Friday is Deport Justin Bieber Night, and the team will have petitions at each stadium entrance so that fans can add their support for this domestic security issue. The team will also conduct an in-game vote on the matter, and if the majority of fans so elect, the Chiefs will refrain from playing any of Bieber's music during the postgame fireworks show. This is what democracy looks like.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Carolina League)
Baseball Kit Giveaway, April 6
Discerning young baseball fans are no longer content with simply possessing a hat and a glove, as true national pastime engagement requires a dizzying array of necessary accoutrements. The Pelicans, cognizant of this new reality, are therefore giving away "Baseball Kits" to the first 1,000 kids in attendance at Sunday's game. This kit includes a team hat, titanium necklace, eye black, team-logo compression sleeves, trading pin and a free membership in MLB.com's Digital Academy (an online temple of youth baseball instruction). With these tools added to the arsenal, future Major League Baseball superstardom is pretty much a given.

Binghamton Mets (Eastern League)
Sorry, Charlie Night, April 8
Is your name Charlie, Charles, Chuck, Charlene, Charlotte or a variation thereof? If so, get thee to Binghamton so that you may enjoy free admission to that evening's Mets game. As part of this apropos-of-nothing promotion, all between-innings game contestants shall be referred to as Chuck or Charlie regardless of their actual name. Various items will be chucked into the crowd, and the famous "Charlie Bit Me" YouTube video (686 million views and counting) will be displayed on the videoboard. It's sure to be a fun night, but B-Mets community relations director Connor Gates hopes that fans will be able to control themselves. "Hopefully no one will upchuck," he wrote in an email.

Visalia Rawhide (California League)
$2.50 Tickets for 250th Alumni, April 8
From Bob Talbot of the 1953 Cubs to Adam Eaton of the 2012 Diamondbacks, 249 alumni of Visalia's Minor League Baseball team have gone on to play in the Major Leagues. In anticipation of an impending milestone, the Rawhide have decreed that all tickets to Tuesday's game will cost just $2.50 for fans who like the team on Facebook. Further festivities are planned in the form of $2.50 concession-stand specials and $2.50 retro team card sets, which fans can enjoy while debating just who the 250th alumnus will be.

Quick hits

Because it's so hard to say goodbye, here's a pithy yet vastly informative list of other notable promotions taking place this week:

April 3: The Lexington Legends, a team proud of its mustache logo, are giving away mustache-logo bottle openers. ... In Lynchburg, the Hillcats are celebrating April Fools' Day two days late (which, if you think about it, is in the spirit of the holiday). ... The Quad Cities River Bandits are like many teams in that they are giving away magnet schedules. However, they are also giving one lucky fan a new refrigerator on which to display the magnet schedule.

April 4: It's Salute to Facial Hair Night in Fort Wayne, allowing TinCaps fans to indulge in their love of scruff. ... The Toledo Mud Hens' unique Downtown Doubleheader allows fans to see the Mud Hens and hockey team Toledo Walleyes on the same day, for the price of one ticket.

April 5: The Bowie Baysox pay tribute to famous Marylanders, a list that should include doom metal legend Robert Scott "Wino" Weinrich. ... The Durham Bulls won the International League championship in 2013 and are recognizing this feat in myriad ways during tonight's Championship Saturday celebration. ... The first Star Wars Night of the season takes place at Roger Dean Stadium in Palm Beach. There will be many, many more.

April 6: A Candy Drop (as in, candy dropped from a helicopter) should satisfy the urges of young New Britain Rock Cats fans. ... The Tulsa Drillers stage Grow Your Own Bat Night, in which they give away tree saplings. This gives fans the chance to nurture a tree before killing it and turning it into a sporting good.

April 7: Not much is happening, so far as I can tell.

April 8: Tito Santana, as in legendary pro wrestler Tito Santana, visits the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.