The Angels on Friday night unveiled a giant bobblehead doll in the likeness of CF Mike Trout, "the brainchild of Angels senior marketing manager John Rozak, who noted the popularity of bobblehead giveaways with the fans, as well as that of the Angels-themed Mickey Mouse statue outside the stadium, and decided to marry the two," according to Greg Hadley of the L.A. TIMES. The six-foot-six statue commemorates Trout's '14 AL MVP award, and "features Trout in a home uniform" holding the trophy. The bobblehead "will become a permanent feature on the concourse outside section 101 down the third base line near the foul pole, or 'The Trout Farm' as it is called." Rozak hopes that the Trout bobblehead will be "the first of a series, with several more to follow next season" (L.A. TIMES, 7/25). In California, Keith Sharon reports only a few key people "knew about the project." Rozak "marked all of his emails and files 'Big Fish,' with no overt mention of Trout." Rozak: "When he won the MVP award, I said let’s get moving on this." The statue "arrived at Angel Stadium last Thursday," when it was placed in a storage room and "viewed by Rozak and no one else; not team owner Arte Moreno, not team president John Carpino. Not even Mike Trout" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/25).
TRIBAL COUNCIL: In Cleveland, Zack Meisel noted the Indians on Saturday unveiled a statue of Baseball HOFer Larry Doby, who "broke the American League color barrier." The statue joins "those of Jim Thome and Bob Feller outside of Progressive Field" (CLEVELAND.com, 7/25).
