The Brewers woke everyone from their offseason slumber last week when they announced the 2016 All-Fan Giveaway of a Bob Uecker Talking Alarm Clock, and on Monday they kept our attention by revealing the rest of next year's Miller Park promotional freebies.
Besides the much-buzzed-about Uecker clock, the team will hand out six new Bobbleheads, introduce three unique giveaways for children – plus Kids Eat Free Sundays – and continue "Free-Shirt Fridays."
Bobbleheads
The All-Fan Giveaways start with a nod to the past for the April 10 game against the Astros. This year’s "Vintage Brewers Bobblehead" features the classic 1980s pinstripe uniform with the team’s iconic ball-in-glove logo.
On May 1, all fans will receive a Ryan Braun Franchise HR Leader Bobblehead before the game against the Marlins. The figurine salutes the Brewers’ right-fielder who passed Robin Yount to become the team’s all-time home run king last year, finishing with 255.
Can’t get enough of Hank the Ballpark Pup? The Brewers certainly seem to think that’s still the feeling, as they will give the team’s unofficial mascot his third Bobblehead next season. The "Barking Bobble Hank" day is set for the June 12 game against the Mets.
Then on June 26, Milwaukee honors one of the few luminaries from its 1990s dark days, giving slugging former outfielder Greg Vaughn a Bobblehead. The 1986 first-round pick and two-time All-Star, who is eighth on the franchise’s home run list with 169 dingers, will be featured in his 90s uniform on the doll given out before the Nationals game.
For the July 31 game against the Pirates, current pitcher Jimmy Nelson, an up-and-coming starter who led the team in strikeouts last year with 148, will have his Bobblehead day.
And the final Bobblehead giveaway of 2016 will be on Aug. 14, when the Brewers play the Reds. All fans will receive a Craig Counsell Bobblehead, with half of the dolls depicting Counsell in his current role as Milwaukee manager and the other half showing him from his playing days with the Brewers. No word yet on whether the top-heavy doll version of the famously skinny Counsell will require extra foundational support to keep from tipping over.
Kids stuff
There will be two new promotions aimed at children. The Brewers are introducing three All-Kid giveaways, with ages 14 and under eligible. On May 15, youngsters in attendance will get a Jonathan Lucroy Replica Jersey; on May 29, they'll receive a "Paint-Your-Own Bernie Bobble"; and on Aug. 28, they can look the part with a Jonathan Lucroy Chest Protector Backpack.
Additionally, the Brewers announced Kids Eat Free Sundays for every Sunday home game next season. The promotion, for children 14 and under, includes a voucher for a hot dog, bottled water and an apple. Complaints about a soda not included.
More shirts
If you need some new T-shirts to get through the sweatiest stretch of summer, the Brewers are continuing "Free-Shirt Fridays" for the third year in a row. The promotion will give away seven different tees, one for each Friday home game during the months of June, July and August. Once again this season, fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite designs, with the top seven being selected for the giveaways. The T-shirt designs will be displayed on Brewers.com beginning in January.
For more information about All-Fan Giveaways and information on various ticket plans, fans are encouraged to visit Brewers.com/allfans.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
