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The Toledo Mud Hens Will Wear Dream Team Jerseys Over 4th of July Weekend

By BobMueller |
Jul 20, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; A view of practice balls on the field prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 20, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; A view of practice balls on the field prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to minor league promotions, the Toledo Mud Hens are having a great year.

Whoever is behind the Toledo Mud Hens promotional schedule this year deserves a raise. The Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate has some terrific promotions scheduled for the 2017 season. They already had a Bring Your Own Instrument Night in early May and a Star Wars Night at the end of May and the entertaining nights just keep on coming.

They have a Harry Potter Night scheduled for July 14 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of the first book of the series. Before the wizards arrive in July, Mud Hens fans can enjoy a Beatles Night with Sgt. Pepper themed jerseys on June 16 and a Legend of Wrestling Night on June 17. The Beatles Night will celebrate perhaps the greatest albums of all time, the Beatle’s 1967 classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Rolling Stone magazine named it the greatest album of all-time in 2012.

The Legend of Wrestling Night will feature one of the most popular wrestlers for the WWF (now WWE) in the 1980s, Jake the Snake Roberts. Jake would often bring his python, Damien, into the ring with him. His signature move was the DDT, which was named the “coolest” maneuver of all time, beating out Evan Bourne’s Air Bourne and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Stunner.

At the end of June, the Mud Hens will celebrate the 25th anniversary of what was considered at the time to be the “greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet,” according to the Basketball Hall of Fame. It will be Dream Team Night and players will wear jerseys modeled after those worn by the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team in the 1992 Olympics. The promotion will span the 4th of July weekend, with players wearing Dream Team-inspired jerseys from June 30 to July 3.

The Dream Team was a cultural phenomenon. Up until the 1992 Olympics, only amateur basketball players were allowed to play. The U.S. team finished third in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul with a team made up of college stars, including David Robinson, Danny Manning, Mitch Richmond, and Dan Majerle. When the rules were changed to allow professionals, it opened the doors to one of the most dominating performances in Olympics history.

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The first ten players selected for the Dream Team roster were Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, and Charles Barkley. Many of these players were at their peak in the early 90s, although Magic Johnson had recently retired from the Lakers after learning he had HIV.

The final professional spot came down to either Clyde Drexler or Isiah Thomas, with Clyde “The Glide” getting the nod. One spot was reserved for an amateur player and Christian Laettner beat out Shaquille O’Neal to be the last man added to the Dream Team. It might seem strange now that Laettner beat out Shaq for a spot on the team, but Laettner was coming off consecutive National Championships with Duke in 1991 and 1992. The success his teams had got him picked over Shaq.

When the Olympic tournament started, it was like grown men playing against high school kids. The Dream Team beat Angola by 68 points in their first game, then cruised right through their remaining opponents like a hot knife through butter. They won every game of the tournament by at least 32 points, with an average margin of victory of 44 points. Depending on your point of view, it was either glorious or kind of ridiculous how easy it was. Some of their games were like the Harlem Globetrotters toying with the Washington Generals.

In 2010, the Dream Team was elected to the Niasmith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but that didn’t stop Kobe Bryant and LeBron James from later saying their 2012 Olympic Team would have defeated the Dream Team. Charles Barkley just laughed at their claim and Michael Jordan said the Dream Team would have beat the 2012 team by double digits.

Along with the first day of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Dream Team, the Mud Hens will be giving out a James McCann Bobbleheads on June 30 and there will be a postgame fireworks show. Those festivities are secondary to the Dream Team, though. Select jerseys will be sold each night in a silent auction.

You have to hand it to the Mud Hens. They are coming up with some great promotions this year. That’s not the case with every minor league team out there. Just check out what the Ogden Raptors are up to if you want a counter-example.

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