As regular season tickets for the Cleveland Indians’ 2016 season go on sale on Monday morning, their promotional slate for their 81 home dates is once again packed with special giveaways and events all year long.
It will be a quiet April as the club has just three home series to start the first month of the year, but as the gates swing open more frequently at Progressive Field beginning in May, the options for fans increase nicely.
Fan favorite events – dollar dogs and fireworks nights – are both back in full force. The Indians will have 16 different fireworks nights during the season, including four in the peak June, July, and August summer months. The first one is set to hit the skies on May 27. There will also be Fourth of July fireworks as well as the annual Rock ‘n’ Blast event, scheduled for August 12 and 13. Eleven dollar dog nights are planned.
The club will also return many of its favorite promotional giveaways for another season. Player jerseys are back, with five player-specific jerseys (Carlos Carrasco’s home white, Corey Kluber’s midnight navy, Jason Kipnis’s road gray, Francisco Lindor’s home white, and a Carlos Baerga version), a 1976 navy blue Turn Back the Clock jersey, and a batting practice pullover.
Bobbleheads will also make an appearance, as the club announced both a Yan Gomes and a Jim Thome Indians Hall of Fame induction bobble for two July dates and a Bob Feller collectible in August.
Several additional items will be given out throughout the season, including a tote bag, a CLE Clothing Co. t-shirt, a duffle bag, perforated-lens sunglasses, a toy truck, tumbler cup, an ugly Christmas t-shirt, and a fedora.
The team will also host ten Kids Fun Day events as well as 18 block parties and nine “Pregame in the District” gatherings.
Tickets for all 81 home games go on sale Monday, February 29, at 10 AM. The full promotional schedule can be found here.
Down on the farm, the same is true as two of the Indians minor league affiliates have already released their promo schedules for their seasons.
The Akron RubberDucks have already gotten some national attention for their promotional schedule for the 2016 campaign.
Among the highlights of the schedule are seven different bobblehead giveaways. The list includes former MLB and Indians pitcher Jaret Wright in April, the character “Shooter McGavin” from the movie “Happy Gilmore” in May, “Willie Mays Hayes” from the movie “Major League” in June, Akron manager David Wallace in July, a Cleveland Browns version featuring either Kevin Mack or Earnest Byner and one featuring “Miss Lippy” from the movie “Billy Madison” in August, and one honoring the late Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center “Hot Rod” Williams in September.
Guest appearances include actor Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin) in May; Myron Noodleman, the current Clown Prince of Baseball, in June; and actress Dina Platias (best remembered for her role as Miss Lippy in Billy Madison) in August.
A total of 21 fireworks nights also dot the calendar, including tributes to David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, the Rat Pack, the Eagles, and Stevie Wonder. There are also eleven Family FUNdays throughout the season.
Last season’s nightly promotion, Tuesday’s “Cult Movie Classics”, returns in 2016 and will pay homage to “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Pretty in Pink”, “Fletch”, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, “Beetlejuice”, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, “Anchorman”, “Dumb and Dumber”, and “MacGruber”.
The team will also host the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 13.
The Akron RubberDucks’ full promotional list is available here.
The Lake County Captains will also follow suit with several giveaways of their own this season, including a knit beanie; athletic socks; a dri-fit t-shirt and military card set during Heroes Weekend on June 10 and 11; magnet schedules; and youth jerseys.
The team will also give away a bobblehead of President James A. Garfield and “A Captains Story” bobblehead, featuring mascot Skipper dressed as Ralphie from the movie “A Christmas Story” after he “shoots his eye out” on Christmas morning.
On four home dates during the season, the club will also wear special themed jerseys. They include a tribute to the Nickelodeon game show “Legends of the Hidden Temple”, a patriotic/Presidential election themed version, a vintage Cleveland Cavaliers-themed look, and a yellow and black zig-zag Peanuts themed variation.
Individual game tickets to the Lake County Captains games go on sale on Saturday, March 19, at 9 AM only at the Classic Park Box Office, with online sales at CaptainsBaseball.com beginning Monday, March 21, at 9 AM. Their full promotional schedule can be found here.
Promotional schedules had not been made available by the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, High-A Lynchburg Hillcats, or the Short-season Mahoning Valley Scrappers at the time of this story.
Photo: Bob Toth/DTTWLN
