Arizona Diamondbacks unveil Taijuan Walker Game of Thrones bobblehead
The Arizona Diamondbacks have unveiled one of the most clever bobbleheads that I can recall, and it will involve Taijuan Walker portrayed as a White Walker, one of the creatures from the hit HBO series (and for nerds, books by George R.R. Martin), Game of Thrones.
Taijuan Walker made his trek to Westeros, er, the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason via a trade with the those in the North. Acquiring Walker from Seattle will be celebrated (i.e. used as a marketing gimmick) this July by bringing winter to Arizona on Game of Thrones night.
Winter is coming … in July.
Get a Taijuan (White) Walker Bobblehead with the @GameOfThrones Night ticket pack: https://t.co/liur0IhZ9W pic.twitter.com/SThxPHiwAV
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 5, 2017
First off, as a fan of both the books and the HBO show, I love this bobblehead. The night itself may fall flat as a promotion for the entire night, but the bobblehead, and the Arizona Diamondbacks hanging around first place in the NL West could make for at least some entertainment value on July 7.
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Through six starts, Walker is 3-1 with a 4.19 ERA (3.12 FIP) and has seen his strikeouts per nine above one an inning for the first time in his career. Granted there is still plenty of time for that to change, but Walker appears to be on the right track, benefitting from a change in scenery, which is a bit of a surprise given the shift from a pitcher's park to a hitter's park.
For Walker, this is not the first time that his last name has been used in a punny way to help celebrate an evening's giveaway. Last August the Mariners used Walker to promote their Star Wars event, handing out Taijuan (Sky) Walker bobbleheads.
According to his MLB transaction page, Walker had been sent down to Tacoma just a couple of weeks before the event, and was brought up just two days after Star Wars night in Seattle. This time around Walker should be around to sign some of his likenesses.
The opponent on July 7 will the the Cincinnati Reds (wedding).
