Your chance to get a hot dog scented candle

Plus, other great Minor League promos coming in 2024 [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( March 21, 2024 Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99 is retired throughout the NHL, meaning that 98 is the highest jersey number available. No such restrictions apply to this, the 98th edition of the Ben’s Biz Beat Newsletter. Minor League Baseball is forever, and this is simply another marker on the road to infinity.   2024 MINOR LEAGUE PROMOTIONS, DOUBLE-A EDITION: PAUL SKENES AND OTHER DELIGHTS Last week, I provided a rollicking round-up of notable [2024 Triple-A promotions](. Today, we’ll gingerly take one step down the Minor League ladder to focus on our friends and acquaintances in Double-A. Here are six interesting promotions, one for every month of the season. [Skenes bobblehead] Great Mustaches of History Night featuring Paul Skenes Bobblestache (and head) giveaway Altoona Curve, April 13A lot of teams save their premier giveaway items for the summer months, but not the Curve. On April 13th – the penultimate game of their first homestand of the season – they’ll give away 1,000 Paul Skenes figurines that feature not one, but two, bobbling appendages. Skenes, selected by the Pirates with the first overall pick of the 2023 Draft, has impressive stuff and an even more impressive ‘stache. On this hirsute night at the ballpark, Skenes’ upper lip adornment will be celebrated along with other great mustaches from the annals of human history. [Sojourner Truth statue] Salute to Sojourner Truth with mini-statue giveaway Akron RubberDucks, May 18Minor League Baseball promos are a great way to learn more about America and its history. Case in point: The RubberDucks’ Salute to Sojourner Truth. At an Akron Unitarian church in 1851, the pioneering abolitionist and activist delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, in which she advocated in no uncertain terms for equal rights for all women. The RubberDucks’ “Salute to Sojourner Truth” is scheduled shortly before the planned opening of Akron’s Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza. [Binghamton Creatures] Binghamton Creatures Night Binghamton Rumble Ponies, June 14Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., and several episodes were shot there during the show’s run. The Rumble Ponies “Creatures” identity is a nod to the 1963 Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” in which protagonist Robert Wilson (played by William Shatner) spots a hideous gremlin (or creature) on the wing of a place. There’s no word yet on whether any actual creatures will be at the ballpark that night. And if you saw one, would anyone believe you? [Hot Dog Scented Candle] Hot Dog Scented Candle Richmond Flying Squirrels, July 10While some promotions require no small amount of backstory, others are self-explanatory. The Flying Squirrels’ giveaway on July 10 falls into the latter category, of course, and yet I keep writing. The Double-A affiliate of the Giants is breaking new ground by giving away hot dog scented candles, so that you can enjoy the musky, meaty aroma of the ballpark from the privacy of your home. The timing of this endeavor is not coincidental, as July 10 is -- you guessed it -- National Hot Dog Day. (National Scented Candle Day is Nov. 1.) [John Goodman Springfield] John Goodman Bobblehead Springfield Cardinals, Aug. 24Who doesn’t love John Goodman? The man who portrayed everyone from Dan Conner to Babe Ruth to Walter Sobchak is an American institution, and he’s a big fan of our American pastime. Specifically, the Missouri native (and Missouri State alum) is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and their Missouri-based Double-A affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals. Springfield returns the love on Aug. 24, as the first 2,000 fans in attendance will have a John Goodman bobblehead bestowed upon them. [Home of the Smokies, for now] ‘Last Game’ ball giveaway Tennessee Smokies, Sept. 15In 2025, the Smokies are moving to a new ballpark in Knoxville, the city the team called home through 1999. Their current home of Smokies Stadium is located some 21 miles to the east of Knoxville, in the town of Kodak (and in close proximity to the tourist mecca of Pigeon Forge). The final game of the final season at Smokies Stadium will take place on Sept. 15, with fans receiving a commemorative “Last Game” ball. Bring your camera if you’re in attendance. It’ll be a Kodak moment.   JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, and although I've got a lot going on here, I'm making a squeaky clean break with polite decorum to put a fresh face into the middle of this newsletter. You know me as host of Ghost of the Minors, the segment on [The Show Before the Show podcast]( in which I demand you identify the real historical Minor League Baseball team or player hiding among two phones. Last time, we got into the ring with the Mansfield Haymakers. This week, I ask you which of these players muscled up on the ball in the Minors of yesteryear:  A. Allan Virile B. Joe Brawny C. Ken Strong  For the answer, check out the next Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show](   [Subscribe to the MLB Prospects newsletter](   A FUN DIVERSION: EIGHT NEW IDENTITIES HIGHLIGHT 2024 COPA SLATE [Copa]( [Copa de la Diversión]( -- a Minor League Baseball initiative that engages with and celebrates a team’s Hispanic fan base -- is entering its seventh season in 2024. Ninety-eight teams are now participating, including eight with totally new identities. (Five of these teams have joined Copa for the first time, while three others have rebranded from a pre-existing identity.)  These new arrivals to the scene encompass fruit, vegetables, beverages, animals, clothing and electricity. I implore you to click the link below:  [READ ABOUT 2024’S NEW COPA DE LA DIVERSION TEAMS HERE](   ASK ME (JUST ABOUT) ANYTHING!  [Ask Ben's Biz](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com?subject=Ask%20Ben%27s%20Biz) A reader asks me a question and I answer it. It’s that simple. Today’s query comes courtesy of Larry Lefebvre. If you want to be the next Larry Lefebvre then email me: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.  If you could create just one Weird Al theme night at the MILB stadium of your choice, what team would it be and what would the day/evening consist of?  “Weird Al” Yankovic is one of my all-time heroes, and back in my Ben’s Biz Blog days (2007-18) I would often (unsuccessfully) lobby teams to stage theme nights in his honor. “Dare to be Stupid,” the title of his 1985 album featuring the song of the same name, became my Minor League Baseball rallying cry. While my fandom has waned somewhat (it’s been a decade since you released a new parody, Al), I still believe Weird Al’s oeuvre should be incorporated into every Minor League team’s nightly game presentation. Anyhow, as regard’s Larry’s question: I’d have the Albuquerque Isotopes play as the Weird Albuquerques. This is not just a play on words, as Al’s song “Albuquerque” (from 1999’s “Running With Scissors”) is an 11-minute opus full of ballpark promo material. Highlights would include a “big bowl of sauerkraut” eating contest; Shriners playing the ukulele; Biodome DVD giveaways; a starving, crazed weasel race and much more. Anyone named Nathaniel or Superfly gets in free. Sponsored by the Albuquerque Holiday Inn, where the towels are oh so fluffy.   WICHITA CELEBRATES TWO THINGS THAT ALLEGEDLY GO TOGETHER [Chili Buns]( What is a [Chili Bun]( The Wichita Wind Surge announced their new food-based alternate identity on social media with a cryptic “If you know, you know” and didn’t explain much at all in their [minimalistic press release]( but I have gathered that a chili bun is a cinnamon bun placed atop a bowl of chili. Further research is needed. I’ll return to this, hopefully before the Wind Surge take the field as the Chili Buns on April 19-20. God bless the Midwest.   THE MORE YOU KNOW Last month I wrote about the [Bowling Green Hot Rods’ “Cavemen” alternate identity]( which included a passage on how easy it is to confuse stalagmites and stalactites. This prompted Wisconsin Timber Rattlers broadcaster Chris Mehring, the dean of the Midwest League, to share a memory device he learned in his schoolboy days: Stalactites hold tight to the ceiling Stalagmites might reach the ceiling  Hope that helps! Have a great week, and get in touch anytime to ask a question, extrapolate upon your Minor League fandom or posit a philosophical conundrum: benjamin.hill@mlb.com.   [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE](   Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2024 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. Postal Address: [MiLB.com]( c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.