The Bobblehead
Corbin Carroll became the first Diamondback in franchise history to join the 30/30 club last season — 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases. That's the kind of milestone that earns a bobblehead, and the D-backs went bigger: a mystery bobblehead with two variants, one of him batting and one of him sliding. You don't know which you're getting until you open the box.
That mystery element is the move. It pulls families and collectors who want both, which means trading energy at the gates and on the concourse. Within ten minutes of stepping back out the reentry gate, my kids and I had peeked inside our four boxes, found four batting variants, and traded two of them with a family that had four sliders. Ten minutes, two trades, perfect set.
The first Diamondback to join an exclusive club. A free tradeable variant pulled out of a mystery box. This is exactly what a bobblehead night is supposed to be.
Bobblehead Score: 5 / 5
The Experience
Tickets via Vet Tix — free for veterans and first responders, which is the only reason the rest of this paragraph isn't a complete loss.
There was a Fan Fusion event at the convention center the same day, so the usual close lots were full. We parked further out and still paid $30. Headed to the gate at our normal time — about 2 hours and 15 minutes before the 1:10 PM first pitch — because gates open 2 hours early on weekend giveaway days.
That's where it started to fall apart. Gates were open on time, but they didn't actually start letting people in until 11:30. Either everyone working a Saturday morning slept in or nothing was ready to go. We grabbed our bobbleheads, hit the reentry gate, did the trades while we waited outside the reentry gate for friends and headed to Tom's Watch Bar for what my kids insist are the best chicken tenders in town.
Walked back to the stadium around 12:50. They were still passing out bobbleheads. From a distance the staffer looked like he had a few hundred left out of 25,000 total. On a Saturday afternoon. With arguably the best D-backs bobblehead of the year. Final announced attendance: 30,638, which puts the team at 33-31. The Diamondbacks have struggled to draw crowds this year, and this game was the proof.
The game was lackluster. D-backs lost 6-1 to the Nationals. One run, two hits, no momentum.
The one moment that saved the afternoon: a fan in the left-field bleachers caught a Nationals home run and threw it back onto the field. Security escorted him out. The boos that followed had the entire stadium watching. Half an inning later, security walked him back to his seat resulting in the loudest cheers of the game. For a team that's struggling to draw fans this year, do better.
That's a star.
Experience Score: 1 / 5
The Verdict
Overall Score: 6 / 10
A 5-star bobblehead is doing all the heavy lifting here. The Carroll 30/30 with the mystery variant is one of the best D-backs giveaways in years and the trading energy makes it more than a shelf piece. The afternoon around it was a slog — slow gates, sparse crowds, no offense, and one bright moment that the Diamondbacks themselves had nothing to do with. Worth the trip if you're a collector. The bobblehead earned its place on the shelf.
What's next on my schedule:
- Saturday, June 20 — Gabriel Moreno Soccer Jersey Giveaway. Skipping the Father's Day Polo
- Wednesday, July 8 — Padres @ Petco Park. Trevor Hoffman bobblehead, a name that needs no introduction.
- Saturday, July 11 — Dodgers @ Dodger Stadium. Son Heung-min crossover bobble. Tickets pending — if I can find something affordable, this is the one to chase.
If you're tracking the I-5 Dream from the road trip guide, the Padres-Dodgers swing is exactly that route.
Got a giveaway experience you want to share? Drop a line at mike@bobbleguide.com.