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Saturday, June 17, 2017

Bobbleheads: the Steamy Underside


I love bobbleheads. I hate bobbleheads. I like going to games. I'm don't like breaking in line, or sneaking through the bobblehead line more than once, or sweet-talking an usher for free extras. Perhaps the bobblehead life is not for me.

I don't mind going early, and being the first in line, and all the waiting. The whole thing is kind of an adventure.

But for some people it's a racket. Most all of us could use extra money. Bobbleheads are a way to make money. Attending sporting events is expensive, and selling extra bobbleheads is a way to pay for attendance. Since I jumped in with both feet I have come out ahead financially.

I don't have a basement. I don't have a man cave. I don't have a place to display two hundred bobbleheads. I'm pushing sixty years old. It's high time I start getting rid of some of the stuff that I've accumulated over the years. Actually I've already started.

Still, going to games is fun. The bobblehead life has helped me make new friends - something I wouldn't have done previously. It's helped me get out of the house. It's been a good ride, but perhaps it's time to hop off. 

Bobbleheads are an addiction. Bobbleheads are like a cult: once you're in it's hard to get out. I could quit cold turkey, but then when would I ever go to a Braves game again?

SunTrust Park is a wonderful place. SunTrust Park is an expensive place. Being in the bobblehead world grants me access to Atlanta Braves games I wouldn't be able to attend otherwise. I can trade relatively inexpensive Gwinnett bubbleheads for tickets to Braves games at SunTrust Park.

For me going to a Braves game means leaving work at two in the afternoon, beating traffic to get to a free parking space. Walking a mile and a half to The Battery in 90 degree heat. Being first in line to get in. Going to a Braves game means my paycheck at work is a little less than usual.

By the time the game starts at 7:35 I have already invested five hours of my time. I see friends and experience the ballpark, but I'm ready to head out before the seventh inning stretch. At least I beat traffic going home. Going to bobblehead games is a lot of work. It's been a labor of love.

After getting the Dansby bobble last night, today I added yet another to the collection: this year's UGA men's baseball bobblehead: Jeff Keppinger (above). I could've left work early and driven over to Athens early one Friday afternoon and scoped out three or four Keppingers (and sold them) but I passed. It never ends.


The Warriors might boycott their visit to the White House. I don't blame them. I don't like to hang around people that share different viewpoints than I do either. But is that the best? Should we not expose ourselves to different opinions?

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