The Mariners announced their promotional giveaways for the upcoming 2008 season. There are gems like J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night, the Adrian Beltre “Golden Boat” Hydro, and Stitch ‘n Pitch Night (sponsored by Pacific Fabrics!), but the most exciting promotion is on August 8th, when Yuniesky Betancourt will finally have his likeness rendered noddingly in bobblehead form. I just hope the Mariners don’t make a line of creepy life-sized bobbleheads again this year.
The scheduling of Yuni’s bobblehead giveaway is reassuring, because it’s a week after the July 31st trade deadline, so there’s no way general manager Bill Bavasi could trade him. Nope, the sales department would veto that trade in a heartbeat.

In other commercial news, Yuniesky will be a part of the Mariners’ TV commercials again this year. Will it surpass the glory of Double Play Twins? Hard to say.  It’ll be released next month.

In non-commercial news, Yuni and his teammates can’t hit R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball. Granted, it is February, but if Dickey knuckler really is “thrown harder than most knucklers and tends to have lots of unexpected movement just as it gets to the plate” as the P-I’s John Hickey says, then he’ll be fun to watch this season.  And Dickey is a Rule 5 player, so he’ll either be on the M’s roster on Opening Day (or the DL) or on his way back to the Twins.