Phillies Go Ahead With Hunter Pence Bobblehead Night Despite Giants Trade
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Baseball fans will jam the ballpark Tuesday night to receive a Hunter Pence bobblehead, but it won't be at San Francisco's AT&T Park. It will be at Philadelphia's Citizen's Bank Park, where Pence played until the Phillies traded him to the Giants last month.
The giveaway of a bobble figurine of Pence in a Phillies uniform was planned for months, so when Pence was traded on July 31, Phillies' Director of Merchandising Scott Brandreth said the team had a decision to make.
"We kind of immediately talked with the sponsor, Liberty Mutual, and Hunter himself. We got him involved a little bit. And he was supportive — 'I'd still like this to be given away. It's a great honor.' And I think it was pretty unanimous by us that we should give it away."
Plus, Brandreth says the dolls were already in production.
"It's on our schedule. We've told people that we were going to give it out and a lot of people have bought tickets for the game to get the item. And you know what? It's a collector's item anyway even as it is. And now, maybe a little bit more of a collector's item."
Brandreth expects fans will still enjoy the long-planned bobblehead giveaway — even if Pence does wear a different uniform these days.
"He played here for, I guess a solid year, and he was a big part of the 102 wins a year ago. So, I think people still like him and they wish him well. So it's a little collector's piece of a small piece of Phillies history."
Before now, the Phils had never given out an item tied to a traded player, but there is precedent: the Indians gave away Victor Martinez bobbles in 2009, days after he was traded to the Red Sox.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
