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Loyola Is Back In The NCAA Tournament And So Is Sister Jean

by | Mar 17, 2021 | Sniper Rants

MILWAUKEE – This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition bobblehead featuring Loyola University Chicago’s Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. The bobbleheads, which are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, are officially licensed by Loyola University Chicago and are being produced in conjunction with the Loyola University Chicago’s Athletic Department.

This marks the third bobblehead of Sister Jean, the 101-year-old chaplain for Loyola’s Men’s Basketball team. In 2018, Sister Jean was thrust into the national spotlight when the Ramblers advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. The 2018 bobblehead, which recently sold out, was the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s best seller of all time until it was surpassed in April 2020 by a bobblehead of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The bobblehead features Sister Jean in her wheelchair wearing a maroon and gold Loyola letter jacket.  Each bobblehead will be individually numbered and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order and are expected to ship in July. A portion of the sales of Sister Jean’s bobblehead benefit Sister Jean’s religious order, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as Loyola University’s Athletic Department.

“I am truly honored that the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is creating another Sister Jean bobblehead,” said Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. “This has been a unique and unforgettable season for Loyola’s Men’s Basketball, both on and off the court, and we are excited to go and dance at March Madness in Indianapolis. I am excited to watch my beloved Ramblers in-person in Indy on Friday, March 19. May this March Madness provide our country with great joy and may our Ramblers and other basketball athletes experience the thrill of the game during this tournament.”

On March 7, Loyola became the fourth team to punch its ticket to the 2021 NCAA Tournament with a 75-65 victory over Drake in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tourney in St. Louis. This marks Loyola’s first NCAA Tournament since its run to the Final Four in 2018 as a No. 11 seed. In a Cinderella performance in 2018, the Ramblers knocked off Miami (Fla.), 64-62, and Tennessee, 63-62, to advance to the Sweet 16. They then toppled Nevada, 69-68, and Kansas State, 78-62, to move on to the Final Four. In the national semifinals, Loyola’s magical run finally ended with a 69-57 loss to Michigan.

Sister Jean became an instant celebrity after Loyola’s first-round victory over Miami. Her fame continued to grow with each upset victory and the then-98-year-old nun became the star of the tournament as the Ramblers reached the Final Four for the first time since 1963. Due to her popularity, her original bobblehead sold for more than $300 on eBay leading to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum producing her second bobblehead which became available following Loyola’s two upset wins during the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament. Within 48 hours, that bobblehead became the Hall of Fame and Museum’s best-selling bobblehead ever.

After his team’s victory over Drake in the MVC tourney title game this year, Loyola coach Porter Moser said that Sister Jean had been calling the team with pre-game prayers. Unable to travel to the 2020-2021 games because of COVID-19 restrictions, she admitted it was difficult to be apart from the Ramblers during the regular season but she remained in contact with phone calls, emails and Zoom meetings.

“Once again, Sister Jean and Loyola University Chicago have returned to the public eye with another run to the NCAA Tournament,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “We are thrilled to be working with the University so that more fans across the country can have a Sister Jean bobblehead. Everyone needs some of Sister Jean’s positive attitude and great spirit in their lives, and this bobblehead will be a great way to have that!”

After Almost 20 Years, FOCO Unveils A Mini LA Dodgers Bobblehead Set

by | Mar 16, 2021 | Sniper Rants

It’s been a long 20 years since FOCO has released a mini bobblehead set to commemorate a World Series Champion but now us diehard collectors can breathe a sigh of relief. Considering the Dodgers won the most recent World Series, it’s only fitting that they receive the first mini bobblehead set to commemorate their historic championship. 

This exclusive mini set comes with 8 players in total and includes a commemorative all-black designer box because our friends at FOCO know how much this set means to us collectors. Each bobblehead has a height of 4 inches and comes secured in a sturdy shell casing. The following players are included in this series 1 set.

Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Julio Urias, Joe Kelly, Kike Hernandez, Mookie Betts, Dustin May and Kenley Jansen. Each mini bobblehead has the player in a different stance and the World Series trophy is included on top of the base.

Each commemorative World Series box set is currently on pre-order and holds a price tag of $90.00 with an expected delivery date on no longer than June of 2021. Only #520 sets will be manufactured so click link below to secure this elite collectible set. 

Collectibles

 

FOCO Welcomes Drew Brees Into Retirement With An Exclusive Farewell Bobblehead

by | Mar 15, 2021 | Sniper Rants

Drew Brees has called it a career after 20 seasons in the NFL, the last 15 of which he spent with the New Orleans Saints. A 13-time Pro Bowler, one-time Super Bowl champion and perennial record-holder, the 42-year-old quarterback announced on Sunday that he has played his down down of competitive football. Brees announced his retirement on the 15th anniversary of his signing with the Saints.

While many assumed the Saints’ loss to the Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs was the final game of his career, Brees waited two more months before officially announcing his retirement. Brees announced his retirement via a post on his Instagram account. 

Today, our good pals over at FOCO have released an exclusive Farewell bobblehead to commemorate Brees’ phenomenal career. 

This item is currently on pre-order with a price tag of $45.00 with an expected delivery date of no longer than June of 2021. Click link below as only #309 of these will be manufactured. 

Collectibles

 

FOCO Adds 3 More Elite Bobbleheads To the Slam Diego Padres Set

by | Mar 12, 2021 | Sniper Rants

The San Diego are already making major off-season noise with their dynamite roster. Less than 3 weeks ago, FOCO released 3 Slam Diego Padres players that included Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and and Eric Hosmer. This morning our friends at FOCO dropped the hammer and added 3 more game changing players to the set. Yu Darvish gets the nod to front line this pithing staff along with recent addition Blake Snell and Will Meyers. Each player is in an action pose ready to make a game changing play as the city skyline and palm trees sit perfectly on the back of the base. 

Each one of these exclusive bobbleheads are currently for pre-order and hold a price tag of $50.00 with an expected delivery date of no later than June of 2021. Make sure you click the link below as only #221 of these are being manufactured. 

Collectibles

Need Help With Your NCAA Bracket? The Bobble Hall Has You Covered With Joe Lunardi

by | Mar 12, 2021 | Sniper Rants

This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a limited edition bobblehead of college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi. This is the first bobblehead featuring the world’s best-known college basketball “Bracketologist” and is being released as March Madness gets set to tip off. The bobbleheads are being produced exclusively by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with Joe Lunardi.

Standing on a base bearing his name, the bobblehead features a smiling Lunardi holding a basketball in front of a replica TV monitor that has a bracket with the word “BRACKETOLOGY”.

Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,021 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are scheduled to ship in April, are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Lunardi is best known for creating Bracketology, which he calls the “art and science” of predicting the teams that will be selected in the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. In 2008, Lunardi correctly predicted all 65 teams to appear in the NCAA tourney. Lunardi has stated that his first bracket for ESPN received 250,000 hits in the first 90 minutes posted. His brackets sometimes receive millions of hits over the course of a season.

The Philadelphia native has been a fixture on ESPN’s Bracketology program and on SportsCenter, especially during the months of February and March in the run-up to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to his duties at ESPN, Lunardi also does color commentary for Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team. He previously served as the Assistant Vice President of Marketing Communications at his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s University.

After the 2020 NCAA tourney was canceled following the outbreak of the coronavirus, Lunardi released his version of the bracket. He also entertained college basketball-starved fans on Twitter by going through each game in real time with his personal results (#TwitterTourney2020).

“Thanks to the expertise and knowledge that he provides leading up to the NCAA Tournament ever year, Joe has become a familiar face to college basketball fans and anyone looking for some bracket advice,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “We’re excited to be teaming up with Joe on his first bobblehead.”