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The Hall Celebrates National Pickleball Day With Two New Bobbleheads

by | Aug 8, 2023 | Sniper Rants

This morning, to celebrate National Pickleball Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first Pickleball Bobbleheads. The first bobblehead features Kitchen the Pickleball Mascot while the second is a Pickleball Bobble which is the newest addition to the Sports Ball Bobble Series. The announcement of their release coincides with National Pickleball Day, which is celebrated on Tuesday, August 8th. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

Standing on a yellow pickleball-shaped base bearing his name, the smiling Kitchen bobblehead is holding a paddle featuring his picture. Wearing sunglasses on his pickleball-shaped head, Kitchen is also wearing a pair of shorts with a net design and a blue cap with his name and a pickleball paddle across the front. The bobblehead, which will be individually numbered to 2,023, is only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobblehead, which is expected to ship in November, costs $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

The Pickleball Bobble is the newest addition to the first-of-its-kind Sports Ball Bobble Series and joins previously released balls for baseball, basketball, football, golf, hockey, soccer, and tennis that all bobble. The Pickleball Bobble is on a base that is a replica of a pickleball court. “Pickleball” is featured prominently in big, block letters on the front of the base. Each bobble is individually numbered to 2,023 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbles are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Designed by Melvin LeBlanc, Kitchen made his debut appearance at the Association of Pickleball Players Casa Grande Pickleball Open in December 2021. He has become a staple on the APP Tour and has a growing fan following. As for his name, Kitchen, refers to the seven-foot zone on each side of the net. The non-volley zone is more commonly referred to as “the kitchen” of a pickleball court. Players are not permitted to volley while standing in it. The kitchen rule exists to prevent a player from standing at the net and smashing every hit.

Pickleball has grown rapidly in popularity since its invention in 1965 as a children’s backyard game at the summer home of Joel Pritchard on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Pritchard and two of his friends, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, are credited with devising the game and establishing the rules. In 2022, pickleball was adopted as the official state sport of Washington.

The fast-paced sport has many similarities to tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It is played on a level court with short-handed paddles and a hard plastic ball that has holes through it – like a Whiffle ball. The ball is volleyed over a low net by two players in singles competition or by two pairs of players in doubles. The sport can be played either outdoors or indoors. Fun for all ages and easy for beginners to learn, pickleball was named the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“We’re thrilled to be unveiling the first two Pickleball Bobbles on National Pickleball Day,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The bobblehead of Kitchen and the Pickleball Sports Ball Bobble will be must-haves for pickleball players everywhere!”

The Bobble Hall Celebrates The College Baseball World Series Champs

by | Jul 28, 2023 | Sniper Rants

This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition bobblehead commemorating the LSU Tigers’ 2023 Baseball National Championship. The bobblehead, which features LSU’s mascot, Mike the Tiger, celebrates the baseball team’s 2023 season which culminated with the Men’s College World Series title in Omaha, Nebraska on June 26th. The special edition bobblehead is being produced exclusively by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

Wearing a gold No. 1 baseball jersey with Tigers across the front and Mike across the back, the Mike the Tiger bobblehead is holding a bat on his right shoulder while standing on a baseball field base featuring the LSU and championship logos. Each bobblehead will be individually numbered to only 2,023 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in November, are $35 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

The LSU baseball team captured the seventh national title in program history, and the first since 2009, with a convincing 18-4 victory over Florida in Game 3 of the College World Series championship series on Monday, June 26th before a crowd of 24,878 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The second-seeded Gators took a 2-0 lead after one inning in the winner-take-all finale, but the fifth-seeded Tigers scored six runs in the second inning, four more in the fourth and continued to pour it on. Dylan Crews, Brayden Jobert and Tommy White collected four hits apiece to lead a record-setting 24-hit attack. Crews, who made two dazzling catches in the outfield, became the first player since 1995 to win a national title and the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the top amateur player in the country, in the same season. Crews was selected second in the 2023 MLB Draft, while teammate Paul Skenes, a right-handed pitcher who was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player and won the National Pitcher of the Year Award, was selected first.

With seven CWS titles, LSU has the second most, behind only USC with 12. En route to their championship, the Tigers (54-17) defeated top-seeded Wake Forest in back-to-back games to move on to the championship series. Right-hander Thatcher Hurd, who notched the win in relief in the second game against Wake Forest also picked up the win after pitching five solid innings in the decisive game against Florida. “Probably more impressive than winning the national championship is that they were national champions every single day,” said second-year LSU coach Jay Johnson, who became the first coach to win a national title in his first two seasons. “These guys had massive expectations all season long, and they met them. They met them every day.”

“As evidenced by their dominant regular season and postseason run, the College World Series champion LSU Tigers were clearly the class of college baseball in 2023,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “This bobblehead celebrating the Tigers is a must-have for LSU fans who want to commemorate the Tigers’ historic season and seven-time champion baseball program.”

The Bobblehead Hall Goes Bananas Over The Savannah Bananas

by | Jul 14, 2023 | Sniper Rants

Today, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first Savannah Bananas Bobblehead. The officially licensed, limited-edition bobblehead features Split, the mascot of the Savannah Bananas. The special edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the Savannah Bananas.

Standing on a banana-shaped base bearing his name with the Savannah Bananas’ logo, the Split bobblehead, sporting his trademark sunglasses, has his arms outstretched and is wearing a yellow #0 jersey with a cape. The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered, are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. They are expected to ship in October and cost $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Founded in 2016, the Savannah Bananas have been heralded as the “World Famous Baseball Circus,” “The Greatest Show in Sports” and “the Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball”, have been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated because of their on-field antics and viral videos. According to the team website: “What makes us different? We are not your typical baseball team. We are different. We take chances. We toe the line. We test the rules. We challenge the way things are supposed to be.” The Bananas implemented some deviations from standard baseball rules, otherwise known as “Banana Ball” – the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball.

Until 2022, the Bananas competed in the Coastal Plain League’s West Division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships. The Bananas were named the league’s organization of the year in 2016 and 2017. The team, which plays its home games at Grayson Stadium, has sold out every game since the first game in Savannah and every city on the Banana Ball World Tour. An ESPN+ miniseries about the team called “Bananaland” was released in August 2022.

In early April of 2016, Split was announced as the name of the Savannah Bananas mascot after the team received 1,200 suggestions in a “Name the Mascot” contest. Jennifer Terry from Norman Park, Georgia, was the first fan to submit Split on the morning the contest was announced and was declared the winner. “Split was by far the most popular name suggested in our contest and we feel it is the perfect fit for our Bananas mascot,” team president Jared Orton said. Standing 7 feet tall, Split is the World’s Largest Banana and the most physically fit with six-pack abs and giant biceps. According to Orton, Split is the “King of Potassium.”

“We’re excited to be offering the first Savannah Bananas bobblehead for all of the Bananas’ fans across the country,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Bobblehead and baseball are a perfect combination, and we know fans of the Savannah Bananas are going to love this new bobblehead.”

“The first ever Bananas bobblehead will be our iconic mascot, Split, and I can’t think of a better way to introduce our King of Potassium to the world!” said Jared Orton.

The Bobblehead Hall Of Fame Takes It To The Rack As Chuck Swirsky Is Honored With A Bobblehead

by | May 19, 2023 | Sniper Rants

This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a Chuck Swirsky bobblehead. The limited-edition talking bobblehead features the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls who recently completed his 25th season as an NBA broadcaster. The special edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with Chuck Swirsky and AUTOGRAPH1.

Wearing a headset and dressed in a black sport coat with a red and black striped tie, the smiling Swirsky bobblehead is sitting at a courtside table bearing his name at the bottom of the base with CHICAGO across the front. With Swirsky being known for his enthusiastic catchphrases, the bobblehead will play the following clips at the touch of a button:

  • To the rack! Count it! And a foul!
  • Bam!
  • Onions! Baby onions!
  • Oh, baby! What a play!
  • Put him in the Hall! Put him in the Hall of Fame!
  • A corner snow cone three … Yes! Right down the pipe!
  • He rocked the rim with a two-handed power jam!

Each bobblehead will be individually numbered to 2,023 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in August 2023, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Hired in May of 2008, Swirsky recently completed his 15th season handling the radio play-by-play duties on 670 The Score while sitting alongside color commentator and former NBA Champion Bill Wennington on the Bulls Radio Network. He called his 2,000th NBA game during the 2022-23 season. In addition to his in-game duties, Swirsky contributes regularly to Bulls.com. Swirsky spent ten years in Toronto Raptors games. On March 23, 2007, Swirsky was honored by the Raptors when they gave out 18,000 bobbleheads with his likeness.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, and raised in Bellevue, Washington, Swirsky started his broadcasting career in Chicago in 1979 at WCFL (AM 1000), hosting the city’s first nightly sports talk show. In 1980, Swirsky was named the public address announcer for the Bulls, serving until 1983. He later rose to prominence while serving as the sports director for WGN-AM in Chicago from 1982 to 1994.  In addition to hosting various sports talk shows, Swirsky also did play-by-play for DePaul University men’s basketball games and was the host of the Chicago Bears Radio Network for 10 years and held similar responsibilities for the Chicago Cubs Radio Network for 12 seasons. “Chuck is on the Mount Rushmore of Chicago sports talk radio,” said David Marran, better known at SoxNerd on Twitter. Swirsky’s broadcasting career also included stints with University of Michigan men’s basketball and WJR-AM in Detroit where he anchored the pregame and postgame shows for the Detroit Red Wings and University of Michigan football.

On September 7, 2016, Swirsky was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. In May 2018, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and the WGN Radio Walk of Fame. A three-time winner of the Best Sportscast Award for the state of Michigan, Swirsky was also awarded Best Play-by-Play announcer by The Associated Press in 1996. At the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, Swirsky announced the release of his memoir, “Always a Pleasure.”

When asked about being honored with the new bobblehead, Chuck said, “With a heart of gratitude and humility I’m honored to be included in the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. The passion I have in my heart for what sports has meant to me, first as a young boy in Seattle, then culminating with a career as an NBA play-by-play announcer, is a dream come true. Thank you to members of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & AUTOGRAPH1 for making this possible.”

AUTOGRAPH1 Co-Founders Mitch Dubinsky and Steve Gassman approached their newest client Chuck Swirsky as well as the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum with the concept to create a bobblehead for another broadcasting icon. AUTOGRAPH1 commented, “We are extremely proud to work with such a broadcasting legend as Chuck Swirsky.”

“We are honored to release this bobblehead of Chicago radio legend Chuck Swirsky in celebration of his illustrious broadcasting career,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “With his popular catchphrases, positivity and unbridled enthusiasm, Chuck has been a fan favorite for decades and we think fans will enjoy this new bobblehead.”

The Mad Hungarian Gets In The Ring With His Own WWE Bobblehead

by | May 16, 2023 | Sniper Rants

The St Louis Cardinals just announced that on Thursday, August 17th vs the New York Mets, fans will be treated to a Al Hrabosky WWE bobblehead. Hrabosky is positioned with his arms up wearing a black vest that reads Mad Hungarian on the side. His long brown hair flows from underneath his red Cardinals ball cap as he stands on the biggest stage in wrestling.

Nicked named the Mad Hungarian, Hrabosky played on the Cardinals for 7 seasons and gained attention for his colorful character on the mound. Fans who purchase a special theme ticket for the game will receive the Al Hrabosky WWE bobblehead at Busch Stadium.

As of 2022, the Mad Hungarian is the color commentator for the Cardinals regular season broadcast on Bally Sports Midwest.  Tickets can be purchased through the link below.

Special Theme Bobblehead Ticket