For one night, Bulls will be lollygagging around

One of Minor League Baseball’s most iconic franchises will be celebrating one of sports cinema’s most iconic movies with one of its most iconic scenes.

OK, you get the point. But many would agree that "Bull Durham" is one of the best sports films of all time, and the Triple-A Durham Bulls will celebrate the movie’s 35th anniversary by transforming into the Lollygaggers for one night only on Friday, June 16.

“Everyone is just so excited about this night coming back,” Durham assistant GM Chrystal Rowe said. “Our fans love the history. It’s just such a wonderful opportunity for our fans and our team alike. It’s one of those iconic sports movies that we all love.”

The nickname stems from one of the movie’s most quoted scenes. The Bulls' manager Joe Riggins (played by Trey Wilson) rips into his team’s lackadaisical habits, saying:

"You guys, you lollygag around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? … Lollygaggers."

The 1988 film resulted in a historic spike in popularity for Durham, then a High-A affiliate of the Braves. The success of the movie resulted in Durham Bulls Athletic Park being built in 1995, and three years later, the Bulls became an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and were promoted to the Triple-A International League.

It's been 4 years since we played as the Lollygaggers

Time to announce the return of their presence with authority for Bull Durham Night presented by Sahlen's on Friday, June 16!

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 8, 2023

Even with so many memorable moments in the movie, the club didn’t have a tough time choosing this specific scene to center its identity around. They last wore the Lollygaggers jersey in 2019, and the anticipation for a sequel in addition to a milestone date for the film’s anniversary made putting together this year’s Bull Durham Night an easy choice.

“That specific scene is one of the more iconic scenes and probably transcends into some pop culture today,” Rowe said. “When everybody thinks about [the movie], that’s one of [the scenes] they think about. It just really fit in as we got creative thinking about how to pay tribute to it.”

The strong fan reaction is one thing -- the club sold replicas of the famed blue satin jacket that sold out almost instantly -- but for the players, it’s extra special to be able to tout a beloved movie.

“They really like the fact that there’s an opportunity to really pay tribute to that moment,” Rowe said. “They really get into it and enjoy the night. We have fun with it.”

The modern-day Bulls are anything but lollygaggers in reality, sporting a 36-29 record and eight International League crowns since 2002, in addition to the most recent Triple-A National Championship title. Skip’s speech really did wonders, huh?