Top 10 Game of Thrones promo nights across MLB
It's safe to say that Game of Thrones has become a full-fledged cultural phenomenon. It's all-encompassing reach has allowed it to rap its lengthy tendrils around every aspect of our lives, including and especially baseball. With the series making its triumphant return this Sunday, here are the top 10 Game of Thrones promotional nights in the MLB this season.
10. 'October Is Coming' T-Shirt, St. Louis Cardinals
As Winter rapidly approaches in Westeros, so too does the post-season in the MLB. While the Red Birds may be sitting at 3rd in their division, they're going up against an unusually weak NL Central, keeping their hopes for October baseball alive.
9. Tom Koehler/Jon Snow Bobblehead, Miami Marlins
Yes, this bobblehead of Marlins starter, Tom Koehler, dressed in the garb of the honorable bastard, Jon Snow, is cool, but it lacks in originality and doesn't make much sense. I don't see the link between the two, and quite honestly there are little to no similarities between the frigid temperatures of The Wall and the balmy climate of Miami.
8. Southpaw on the Iron Throne, Chicago White Sox
Many of the teams participating in this promotion have taken the route of simply seating their masot or star player upon the iron throne in bobblehead form. Some may consider this lazy practice, but no. It's a powerful metaphor for the constantly revolving seat of the throne and the dozens of claims that are made to the crown across the seven kingdoms. This iron throne bobblehead is particularly cool, considering it is consistent with the geography of Westeros. The throne rests at King's Landing in the south. Who's better to occupy it than Southpaw?
7. Hunter Pence on the Iron Throne Bobblehead, San Franscisco Giants
This one is definitely lazy, but Pence's beard SCREAMS Game of Thrones and the cape is bad ass. This is not the last iron throne bobblehead featured on this list.
6. Bernie on the Iron Throne Bobblehead, Milwaukee Brewers
This iron throne bobblehead isn't necessarily the coolest one, but the description on the Brewers website for their Game of Thrones night sold me: "Head down The Kingsroad and journey to Castle Miller Park for Game of Thrones® Night on the 15 of August 2017. The House Brewers of Milwaukee will send their regards to the wildling Pirates from beyond the wall of Pittsburgh, as Lord Counsell leads his team onto the battlefield in an epic struggle for the seven kingdoms. Additionally, it has been decreed that those who pay their debts shall be granted a Bernie Iron Throne Bobblehead". Yup. Love that.
5. Ser Andrew Benintendi Bobblehead, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox and Ser Andrew Benintendi of the Night's Watch look to Defend the Wall, but this wall just happens to be the massive green one in left field. And they're not defending it from the whitewalkers or wildings of the north, but rather the Blue Jays of the north.
4. Mug, Pittsburgh Pirates
A mug! Perfect for slopping back a tall glass of mead at the table with Robert Baratheon or Ned Stark (SPOILER ALERT: both dead). I wonder how many of these mugs made it out of the stadium without shattering on the ground at some point over the course of the game.
3. Dragon Bobblehead, Cincinatti Reds
I was hesitant to place the Reds so high on this list. With a name like the "Reds", I expected some sort of fun, original play on GoT's The Red Lady. It's staring them right in the face. Lack of creativity definitely hurts them, but it's hard to justify putting a dragon bobblehead perched atop a baseball much lower on a list that includes three different miscellaneous MLB characters seated on the same throne and "a mug". Dragon bobblehead wins that battle 10 times out of 10.
2. Taijuan Walker Whitewalker Bobblehead, Arizona Diamondbacks
As a kid, this is the exact type of thing that would scare the shit out of me. Points for that. In addition, this is the type of creativity that the Reds were capable of, but instead settled for a dragon bobblehead. Depicting the Arizona starter, Taijuan Walker, as a terrifying whitewalker in bobblehead form? That's a winner.
1. Chris "Dragon" Devinski Dragon Bobblehead, Houston Astros
The set up was there. The execution was beautiful. It doesn't get much better than this folks. If you have a star player that's nickname is "Dragon", you CANNOT squander opportunities like this. In fact, you should probably just hand out dragon bobbleheads every night to be honest. Brilliant job by the Astros.
