Open Question About Rays Bobbleheads

Over time I have acquired two Tampa Bay Rays bobbleheads (Garza and Longoria).  In both cases they turned out to be smaller than the usual pieces.  I am wondering if anyone out there knows whether all of the Rays bobbles are undersized?

WISH LIST ITEMS 21-25

So far....listed below: Boog Powell, Ernie Banks, Ernie Whitt, Jake Peavy NASCAR, Andre Dawson, Harold Baines, Tim Raines, Dennis Eckersley, Bill Freehan & Norm Cash, Stomper, Mookie Wilson, Ozzie Smith, Josh Willingham, Lefty O'Doul,  Ryan Zimmerman, Eric Davis, George Scott, Frank Thomas, Todd Helton and Dave Parker....and the final 5 are:

21.  Tino Martinez SGA 2001 (New York Yankees)

I am very light on Yankees, and have no SGA.  I always liked Tino, beginning when he was a member of Team USA in 1988.  That team had a number of guys who had great MLB careers.

 

22.  Lance Berkman SGA & Superhero (Houston Astros)

I have all of the Twins superheroes which are cool and unusual. I have started trying to see if I can pull together a list of all of them.  Will publish when its done.  I have always liked Berkman, in part because I drafted him in an APBA league as a rookie in the sixth round when mostly career backups were all that was left.  Berkman proved that I am a genius.

 

23.  Lou Whitaker SGA (Detroit Tigers)

When the Twins were awful in the early 1980s, Whitaker and Alan Trammel became two of my favorite players, especially because I was a middle infielder.  I have Trammell, although his bobble was when he was a manager...and I'd prefer to forget his managerial stint in Detroit.  I am still trying to determine whether there has been/will be a Whitaker in Detroit.  I thought I saw that, but now I am only seeing info on a minor league affiliate doing a Whitaker.  Would love some info on this.



24. Rickey Henderson SGA (Oakland Athletics)

I heard all the stories about when a prima donna he was as a player, but have since read some things that indicate that he is a much better person than we gave him credit for.  Either way, he's the greatest leadoff man ever and it was fun watching he steal bases, except against the Twins. 

(image from:  www.rickeyhendersoncollectibles.com)

25. Larry Walker SGA (Colorado Rockies)

Solid player from another team that I am light on.  The intensity in the eyes gives this one a very strong resemblance to Walker himself. 

 (image from:  baseballsnatcher.mlblogs.com )

Wish List Items 16-20

So far....listed below: Boog Powell, Ernie Banks, Ernie Whitt, Jake Peavy NASCAR, Andre Dawson, Harold Baines, Tim Raines, Dennis Eckersley, Bill Freehan & Norm Cash, Stomper, Mookie Wilson, Ozzie Smith, Josh Willingham, Lefty O'Doul, and Ryan Zimmerman.

My bobblehead wish list continues...

16.  Frank Thomas SGA (Chicago White Sox)

You have to love anyone with the nickname "The Big Hurt".  An amazingly dangerous offensive force and someone who always seemed to love being on the ball field.  Soon to be HOFer.

 (image from www.butterfunk.com)

17.  Eric Davis SGA 2002 (Cincinnati Reds)

Was a great talent in his day, and was largely underrated for his career.  As I was thinking about adding either Davis or Sabo from the early Reds issues.  Sabo is more unique with the goggles, but Davis was the better player.

18.  Dave Parker SGA Lumber Company (Pittsburgh Pirates)

A very inexpensive item, but Parker was a force when I was a kid. Had some solid HOF credentials, but never got a lot of support.  Despite some off the field issues, he was always a cool player.

19.  Todd Helton SGA (Colorado Rockies)

I have only one Colorado bobblehead and Helton is the face of that franchise up till now.  Piece itself is quite sharp.

 (image from www.gameuseduniverse.com)

 

20. George Scott SGA (Milwaukee Brewers)

I will always remember Boomer for the necklace, long before every guy had his titanium rope around the neck.  Big and powerful, but an excellent first baseman.  Since the Brewers moved to the NL I have always cheered for them because I went to college in Milwaukee and in honor of my late friend Steve Gorczany who was a huge Brewer fan.

(image from http://bobbleheaddolls51565.yuku.com)

Reds Bobblehead Information Source

While checking the details on a couple of pieces, I stumbled upon one of the best single team bobbleheads information sites that I have seen.  The link to "Henry's Random Thoughts" has excellent, detailed information about both the Reds' bobblehead issues and collecting in general.  This is a link I will hang on to, as it covers all of Reds modern bobblehead history from 2001-present. Nice work.

My Bobblehead Wish List - Volume 3

Items 11-15

Here are the next group that I am seeking to acquire.  Pretty soon, I will need to list my trading inventory on the off chance that someone out there is interested in making a deal.

11.  Josh Willingham 2013 SGA (Minnesota Twins)

Twins' (my team) mainstay looks very cool with the hammer in place of the bat.

12.  Ozzie Smith AGP Hall of Fame (San Diego Padres or St. Louis Cardinals)

I like the Padres uniform better, although the Cardinals version has him wearing the glove, which was his trademark.  Ozzie is another great player from my younger years who deserves a place on my shelf.  I also like the upcoming 2013 SGA which might suffice.

13.  Mookie Wilson 2001 SGA (New York Mets)

On the evening of June 22, 1978, Wilson married Rosa Gilbert at home plate of Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi. Wilson played in the outfield for the Class AA Jackson Mets at the time. The ceremony was conducted before a hometown crowd of 1200 and included an archway of bats held aloft by Wilson's Mets teammates for the bride and groom's procession. Bull Durham...ten years ahead of the movie.

14.  Ryan Zimmerman 2010 SGA (Washington Nationals)

I have always liked Zimmerman as a player.  I prefer the 2010 bobble to the 2008 because it has the Nationals' "W" uniform which is cooler than the "DC" version.  The silver bat and gold glove are also a nice touch.

15.  Dennis Eckersley SGA (Oakland Athletics)

I knew several garage mechanics in the 1980s and if you swapped the A's uniform for a Mr. Goodwrench one, this would look just as real.  That said, as a Twins fan I hated seeing Eck come into a ballgame.    The best closer I have ever seen pitch.

I have started looking at the Bobblehead Database located at bobblebums.com.  This is a very useful utility.  There are a solid number of items listed, although room for lots more.  I experienced some performance issues, although I am not sure that my internet connection was not to blame.  Overall, my only wish is that you could search by team.  It is a site well worth watching.  As this hobby goes from everyone who is willing to stand in an MLB stadium line to try and turn a $30 profit to those of us who are really interested, these types of sites and utilities will be the glue of the hobby,

One update to my post just published.  It was written late last night and I just realized that I should have switched one of the 6-10 list with the Jake Peavy car bobble from the first list. Then the 6-10 list could have been entitled "Raines, Baines and Automobiles".  Oh well, opportunity missed...