A dad of two young baseball fans took to social media this week after witnessing what he described as “pathetic” behaviour during a Trey Yesavage bobblehead giveaway at a Vancouver Canadians game. Yesavage’s meteoric rise last year, from playing high-A ball at Nat Bailey field to dominating the Los Angeles Dodgers as a starter for the Blue Jays during the World series, captivated fans across Canada. And a spokesperson for the Vancouver Canadians said the enthusiasm translated to “more excitement” for Tuesday’s giveaway than for any other promotion the team has ever had. “The Trey Yesavage bobblehead giveaway was an overall success yesterday, though we did experience a few challenges...We understand the disappointment of those who didn’t receive one; the 500 promoted as available made this item even more highly coveted. The lineup began at 11a.m., seven hours before gates opened,” a statement provided to CTV News said. “We’ve taken stock of yesterday and have started to plan ways we can improve the logistics for future giveaways. The fan experience is our highest priority.” Guy Felicella, a Vancouver advocate with a significant social media following, said his kids had been looking forward to getting their hands on one of the bobble heads for months. And according to him, their long wait outside the stadium was just about to pay off when grown-ups started budding in and behaving badly. “My wife watched MVP ticket holders walk out with multiple bobbleheads, one woman had six in her bag and didn’t even stay for the game. Meanwhile, kids who actually waited were left empty-handed and disappointed,” Felicella wrote in a post that has racked up more than 170,000 view on X. “This could have been an incredible memory for young baseball fans. Instead, poor organization allowed adults to hoard a kids giveaway while children watched them walk away with multiples. Come on, Vancouver Canadians. You can do better than this. Pathetic.” A marketing executive for the Vancouver Canadians was among those who replied, saying the team “could do better,” also saying he personally intervened to have one person who cut the line removed by security. Felicella also predicted the bobbleheads would be sold on the secondary market, which turned out to be correct. On the morning after the game, several sellers—all of whom indicated they had more than one bobblehead on offer—were asking between $150 and $200 on eBay.
