With the month of August coming to an end, so to are the
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobblehead giveaways. The Reds Hall of
Fame gave out five bobbleheads this year. One bobblehead per month was given
out to everybody who bought a general admission ticket to the Reds Hall of Fame
on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April to August. Every month I went to
the Reds Hall of Fame and got the new bobblehead that they were giving out and
in my opinion, this was the best line of bobbles the Reds Hall of Fame has ever
produced.
The first bobblehead they gave out this baseball season was
of former Reds pitcher Jim Maloney. The nodder looks great and features Maloney
in the classic pinstripe uniform that the Redlegs used to wear. The stance is
of Maloney pitching, and the bobblehead has a great look overall.
The second nodder was of former Reds slugger Lee May. With
May being known as the “Big Bopper,” this bobblehead was molded to showcase his
slugging ability by having May hold a bat. It’s a simple bobblehead, but it
still looks nice and is a great piece of Reds memorabilia.
Third on the list of bobbles was a special Cincinnati Reds
Hall of Fame induction Pete Rose nodder. This bobble featured the legendary
“Hit King” in a red suit jacket standing in front of the Reds Hall of Fame and
Museum logo. This was given out in June, the month that Pete Rose was inducted
into the Reds Hall of Fame, and it was the only bobble that year that had to be
screwed into the base. This was the third bobblehead of Rose that the Reds have
given out in the past three years, but considering how this was a Reds Hall of
Fame induction bobble, I thought it was cool enough to get for my collection.
The fourth bobblehead of the year was of former Reds pitcher
Jack Billingham. Like Maloney, the bobblehead of Billingham features him in the
midst of his pitching motion, and the bobble pulls it off pretty well. Unlike
the Maloney bobblehead, the nodder of Billingham is meant to be viewed from the
side as that is where his name is on the base.
The fifth and final bobblehead the Reds Hall of Fame and
Museum gave away with the price of admission in 2016 was of Gary Nolan. Being
another pitcher, the Reds Hall of Fame could have had Nolan in the midst of his
pitching motion like Billingham and Maloney. Thankfully they decided to go with
a different pose and had Nolan simply standing on the base with his hand on the
ball in his glove. It is different enough to separate it from the other Reds
pitching bobbles yet similar enough to display that he is a pitcher.
In conclusion, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum 2016
bobblehead line is a great series of nodders that every Reds fan should have in
their collection. All but Rose had not yet been featured as bobbles, and the
quality of these nodders is top notch. Hopefully next year’s line of bobbles is
just as good!
