Promo Watch: Daytona's happy little bobblehead
What started as a happy little idea has morphed into one of the Daytona Tortugas' biggest promotions of the year.Saturday is "Bob Ross Night" at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, during which the Tortugas -- Class A Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds -- pay homage to one of Daytona Beach's most
What started as a happy little idea has morphed into one of the Daytona Tortugas' biggest promotions of the year.
Saturday is "Bob Ross Night" at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, during which the Tortugas -- Class A Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds -- pay homage to one of Daytona Beach's most beloved native sons. Bob Ross, of course, was the big-haired, benevolent, endlessly encouraging host of PBS's long-running Joy of Painting. Ross, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 52, hosted 403 episodes of the nature-landscape-themed show between 1983 and 1994.
On "Bob Ross Night," the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead featuring the iconic painter decked out in a Tortugas jersey. This marks the first time that the Tortugas have ever staged a bobblehead giveaway.
"It's been a whirlwind," said Tortugas president Ryan Keur. "We reached out to Bob Ross' foundation [Bob Ross Incorporated], and they were so excited. They gave us permission to use Bob Ross' name and do the bobblehead. They've played an integral role in all the little pieces, transforming this into a full day of Bob Ross activities."
Those "little pieces" include the "Bob Ross Happy Little 5K," which will take place Saturday morning. Keur noted that, throughout the run, there will be eight-foot canvases at which competitors can stop and paint. Fans can also sign up for a $35 ticket package that includes game tickets, a bobblehead and a pregame painting class taught by certified instructors wearing Bob Ross wigs.
"It just continues to take off," said Keur. "[Tuesday] we're introducing a ticket package with a Bob Ross T-shirt, and I think the Bob Ross Chia Head we have in our office will be making an appearance. We're also unveiling a tree planting on our [ballpark] riverwalk that will be dedicated to Bob Ross. We'll have lookalike contests throughout the game, and Bob Ross DVDs as prizes.
"Theme nights are cool, but you've really got to embrace them," he concluded. "This is one we've had circled for a long time, and we're happy it's only a few days away."
Coming Soon! We've only just begun, of course. What follows is a thorough, yet by no means exhaustive, list of other notable Minor League Baseball promotions taking place this week.
July 13: The Delmarva Shorebirds are giving away "Mystery Bobbleheads." According to the team, "mystery" in this case means "random bobbleheads from other sports teams, universities, companies, etc."
July 14: The Shorebirds are once again giving away bobbleheads, and this time there's no mystery. The first 1,000 fans through the gates receive "Vintage Manny Machado" undulating figurines.
The Hartford Yard Goats pay tribute to the NHL's late, lamented Hartford Whalers via their inaugural "Whalers Alumni Weekend." The Yard Goats, whose team colors reference the Whalers, will wear Whalers theme jerseys. And, of course, a bevy of alumni from the defunct NHL franchise will make appearances at the ballpark.
It's Christmas in July in Kane County, and the Cougars are celebrating by giving away Cousin Eddie bobbleheads to the first 1,500 fans in attendance. Cousin Eddie, of course, was an unforgettably crude character in the classic comedy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
During his 1999-2002 tenure as a Memphis Redbirds player, Stubby Clapp endeared himself to fans via his penchant for onfield back flips. Clapp's now the Redbirds manager, and the team is paying homage to his acrobatic ways with a "Stubby Clapp Backflip bobblehead."
The Richmond Flying Squirrels stage "Yacht Rock Night," a tribute to the light, breezy and impeccably produced music of luminaries such as Hall and Oates, Steely Dan and Toto. Yacht Rock tank tops will be distributed, and Yacht Rock tribute band Three Sheets to the Wind will take the stage prior to that evening's game.
July 15: The premier date on the Charlotte Knights' promo calendar has finally arrived. As part of a wide-ranging homage to Carolina barbecue, the team will suit up as the "Pitmasters."
There'll be plenty of bells and whistles during the Frisco RoughRiders' "Retro Game Show Night," which includes campy, bombastic theme jerseys mimicking the aesthetic of '70s game shows. Bob Eubanks, best known for hosting The Newlywed Game, will be the evening's guest of honor.
Jason Heyward's biggest contribution to the 2016 Chicago Cubs just may have been the inspirational speech he gave to his teammates during a rain delay in Game Seven of the World Series. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, proud Cubs affiliate that they are, are giving away a Jason Heyward "King of Rain Delays" talking bobblehead. It remains to be seen if this talking miniature version of Heyward can inspire the Pelicans -- or anyone -- to victory.
July 16: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' post-game fireworks are billed as a "Kosher Kaboom." What makes fireworks kosher? They are being shot off on a Sunday night and can therefore be enjoyed by Sabbath-observing Jewish fans.
July 17: The Lake Elsinore Storm stage "Nothing Night," a non-promotional idea that they originated and has since been copied by other teams. On "Nothing Night," there are no tickets, promotions, mascots, between-inning contests, music or PA announcements. Once these superfluous details are eliminated, all one is left with is baseball.
Andrew Benintendi bobbleheads will be distributed by the Portland Sea Dogs, representing the final piece in the team's interlocking "Win, Dance, Repeat" Red Sox outfield triumvirate.
July 18: It's "Track Night" with the Tri-City ValleyCats, highlighted by the distribution of Chad Brown bobbleheads. Brown, who has roots in the Tri-Cities (New York) area, is one of the most successful horse trainers of all time.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition: