Long Island Ducks SGA Bobbleheads

Long Island Ducks Bobblehead Giveaways

Major and Minor League baseball teams bring SGA Bobbleheads into their promotional schedule to attempt bring more fans through their turnstiles. Bobbleheads, which have become a subsect of collecting, really accomplish this task.  Here are some bobbleheads through the seasons of the Long Island Ducks. (Bottom Left to Right) Carlos Baerga (2002), Bud Harrelson (2002), Doug Jennings (2005), (Top Left ot Right) Gary Carter(2009), Ray Navarrete (2010).

Ross Peeples - "The Mayor" and Atlantic League Career Appearance Leader

Autographed 2006 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #4
Autographed 2009 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #15
Autographed 2011 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #15

Leading the Brooklyn Cyclones to a 2001 New York-Penn League co-championship with a league leading 1.34 ERA and Cyclone-franchise record of 9 wins, Georgia-native Ross Peoples was awarded the Doubleday Award as Brooklyn’s Most Valuable Player.

Peeples was signed as an inaugural member of the 2005 Barnstormers team (at the recommendation of Lancaster-executive Vince Bulik who knew Peeples from his time with the Cyclones) and Peeples stayed a while.

For the next 10 years (2005-14), the left-hander was a staple on the mound for the 'Stormers eventually setting the Atlantic League record for career pitching appearances (374) and Lancaster team records for innings pitched (602 2/3) and strikeouts (325). Peeples was a member of the 2006 and 2014 Championship Teams.

Nicknamed “The Mayor” for his tenure, popularity, service and entrenchment in the Lancaster community, Peeples stayed in the community upon his retirement in 2014, with a front office job with the team. 

2000 Aberdeen Arsenal Program and Tickets

Here is a nice piece of memorabilia from the early days of the Atlantic League. It is a 2000 program for the Aberdeen Arsenal, roster and general admission/youth tickets.

Playing for just the 2000 season in the Atlantic League, the Aberdeen Arsenal, based in Bel Air, MD, would play their home games at Thomas Run Park at Hartford Community College.  Aberdeen featured former DET/SF/ATL MLB All-Star Darrell Evans as its manager, no-hit MLB pitcher Rick Wise as pitching coach and Billy Ripken as its Director of Baseball Operations.

Ripken with his Hall of Fame brother would soon establish the short-season-A Aberdeen Ironbirds (2002) as a minor league team of the Baltimore Orioles. (…you're my…brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family) Hopes for the Arsenal to have their own home stadium dissipated when potential stadium funding for the area went to the Ripkens and the Arsenal was disbanded.

Playing against Aberdeen that day, were the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds (2000-01). The Black Diamonds were originally established as a founding team of the Atlantic League (the Newburgh (NY) Black Diamonds) prior to 2000, and then morphed into the Pennsylvania Road Warriors post 2001 – a ball club that would play exclusively on the road to balance out the number of teams in the Atlantic League.  Lehigh Valley would play their home games in Memorial Park in Quakertown, PA.

Wayne Krenchicki and Steve “Fookie” Foucault were on the field staff of Lehigh Valley. Each would go on to have extended careers within the Atlantic League.