quEEny Posted on Jan 01, 2008 at 05:05 AM 8,384 tokens, 2.96 weeks wasted
MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Sometimes a name can make you famous. That’s what Bob Leroy Head of Maquoketa is hoping for.
He’s a Bob L. Head. You know, bobblehead — if you say it fast.
That led to him becoming one of three finalists to be created into a collector bobblehead for the Portland (Ore.) Beavers, a semi-professional baseball team affiliated with the San Diego Padres.
The Portland Beavers are known for their creative bobblehead promotions over the past few years.
This year, the team decided to find a person in the United States named Bob L. Head and have his likeness cast in a bobblehead for a promotion in August.
The team is sponsoring the contest on its Web site www.portlandbeavers.com to see who will get the most votes. Voting started Wednesday and ends May 31, with the winner to be announced in June.
Head said he received some information from the team a couple of months ago and thought it was a joke at first. But the letter explained what they were looking for. The team sent letters to all the people they could find with the name Bob L. Head using telephone directories and other name searches.
“I thought it looked like a lot of fun,” Head said. “I have to prove it’s my real name. My middle name is Leroy. They’re making a big deal out of this. It was a shot in the dark when I applied, but then a friend in Portland looked on their Web site and saw I was a finalist.”
If he wins, Head and his wife, Joan, will be flown to Portland on Aug. 18. He will throw the first pitch and receive red carpet treatment in addition to having 2,000 bobbleheads cast in his likeness.
Chris Metz, assistant manager for the team, said they’re having “Bob L. Head hysteria” around the ballpark after kicking around the idea for a few years.
He said they made contact with about 20 Bob L. Head candidates around the country before choosing the finalists. The other two top contenders are Bob Lee Head from Evansville, Ind., and Bob Louis Head of Vallejo, Calif.
He said the top three “lofted themselves above the rest” because they were available, passionate about the promotion and had interesting stories and a good sense of humor.
“We’re not making fun of anybody here, but it’s interesting and it’s a play on words,” he said.
Head had to send in an essay about why he should be selected. He mentioned that he pitched “a lot of hay, as well as manure” in his younger days.
“I talked about being born and raised a farm boy. I told them I went to country school in Farmers Creek (near Maquoketa). I said we came in second in a baseball tournament and I pitched left-handed and that I still had my baseball glove.”
He gave his background of selling cars and raising his three children. He’s now the chaplain for Hospice of Jackson County.
“I told them life will throw you a curve now and then,” he said.
While he’s not taking all this too seriously, he would like to win and take his three children and six grandchildren along for a family vacation.
“I didn’t realize I was a bobblehead,” he said, with a laugh. “I know I’ll get teased about this, but it’s a lot of fun. I guess I should thank my mom for naming me. It would be a lot of fun to have a bobblehead with my face on it.
“You know, if I have to throw out the first pitch, I’d better start practicing.“
Consciousness: That annoying time between naps . . .
He’s a Bob L. Head. You know, bobblehead — if you say it fast.
That led to him becoming one of three finalists to be created into a collector bobblehead for the Portland (Ore.) Beavers, a semi-professional baseball team affiliated with the San Diego Padres.
The Portland Beavers are known for their creative bobblehead promotions over the past few years.
This year, the team decided to find a person in the United States named Bob L. Head and have his likeness cast in a bobblehead for a promotion in August.
The team is sponsoring the contest on its Web site www.portlandbeavers.com to see who will get the most votes. Voting started Wednesday and ends May 31, with the winner to be announced in June.
Head said he received some information from the team a couple of months ago and thought it was a joke at first. But the letter explained what they were looking for. The team sent letters to all the people they could find with the name Bob L. Head using telephone directories and other name searches.
“I thought it looked like a lot of fun,” Head said. “I have to prove it’s my real name. My middle name is Leroy. They’re making a big deal out of this. It was a shot in the dark when I applied, but then a friend in Portland looked on their Web site and saw I was a finalist.”
If he wins, Head and his wife, Joan, will be flown to Portland on Aug. 18. He will throw the first pitch and receive red carpet treatment in addition to having 2,000 bobbleheads cast in his likeness.
Chris Metz, assistant manager for the team, said they’re having “Bob L. Head hysteria” around the ballpark after kicking around the idea for a few years.
He said they made contact with about 20 Bob L. Head candidates around the country before choosing the finalists. The other two top contenders are Bob Lee Head from Evansville, Ind., and Bob Louis Head of Vallejo, Calif.
He said the top three “lofted themselves above the rest” because they were available, passionate about the promotion and had interesting stories and a good sense of humor.
“We’re not making fun of anybody here, but it’s interesting and it’s a play on words,” he said.
Head had to send in an essay about why he should be selected. He mentioned that he pitched “a lot of hay, as well as manure” in his younger days.
“I talked about being born and raised a farm boy. I told them I went to country school in Farmers Creek (near Maquoketa). I said we came in second in a baseball tournament and I pitched left-handed and that I still had my baseball glove.”
He gave his background of selling cars and raising his three children. He’s now the chaplain for Hospice of Jackson County.
“I told them life will throw you a curve now and then,” he said.
While he’s not taking all this too seriously, he would like to win and take his three children and six grandchildren along for a family vacation.
“I didn’t realize I was a bobblehead,” he said, with a laugh. “I know I’ll get teased about this, but it’s a lot of fun. I guess I should thank my mom for naming me. It would be a lot of fun to have a bobblehead with my face on it.
“You know, if I have to throw out the first pitch, I’d better start practicing.“