San Joaquin Memorial grad Robin Lopez wins the Fresno Famous Bobblehead Tournament

FRESNO, Calif. - In a four-week online tournament unlike any other in the history of Minor League Baseball, San Joaquin Memorial grad and current Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez toppled Ickey Woods by over one-thousand votes to earn the title of Fresno Famous Bobblehead Champion. Over 430,000 total votes from 19 countries were cast at FresnoGrizzlies.com since the tournament began back on March 9^th, with 26,645 going to the seven-footer.

            Four hours out from victory, Lopez stated on Twitter, "I'm so close I can almost feel my head getting bigger."

            As the winner, Lopez will have his likeness crafted into a bobblehead that will be given away to the first 1,500 general public fans through the gates at the Fresno Grizzlies Saturday, August 22^nd home game against Round Rock. Tickets are available for the game now at the Chukchansi Park Box Office or online at FresnoGrizzlies.com.

            To capture the championship, Lopez defeated Grizzlies mascot Parker, CBS47/KSEE24 Sports Director Andrew Marden, MLB Network host Heidi Watney, former Olympic boxer Jenifer Alcorn, KMPH Great Day anchor Kopi Sotiropulos, and Ickey Woods throughout the six round tournament.

            Trailing by a thousand votes in the opening round, one little picture from the Grizzlies on social media generated an onslaught of fan support for Lopez. The picture had mascot Parker posterizing Lopez to signal the lead the iconic mascot had at the moment. However, Lopez fans from all over retaliated with a rush of votes that flipped the matchup his favor.

The Fresno Famous Bobblehead Tournament is presented by PG&E and The Fresno Bee

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ABOUT THE FRESNO GRIZZLIES

The Fresno Grizzlies are the Triple-A Baseball affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the 16-team Pacific Coast League. The club plays their home games in Downtown Fresno at Chukchansi Park between the months of April and September. Join them at the ballpark on Opening Day April 9^th to witness the beginning of the Bear Flag Rebellion of 2015 when Fresno faces the Las Vegas 51s (NYM) at 7:05 PM. Season tickets, mini plans, single-game tickets and group options are on sale now through the Chukchansi Park Box Office. Stay updated on everything related to the Grizzlies by following them on Twitter (@FresnoGrizzlies), Instagram (instagrizz_fg), and Facebook. Visit FresnoGrizzlies.com for more information, call 559.320.TIXS, or stop by administration office on the second floor of Chukchansi Park.

"Fresno Famous" is a federally registered trademark of The Fresno Bee