The 2018 season has proven hellish for the Chicago White Sox, who, at 47-77, own Major League Baseball’s third-worst record and find themselves 25 games behind the Cleveland Indians in American League Central Division play. While their hopes for emerging as a contender have not escaped damnation, their campaign earned a sample of salvation on Saturday, when Marian Catholic High School’s Sister Mary Jo Sobieck tossed a divine ceremonial first pitch, causing a social media stir. Always prompt to pounce on sports-related micro-moments, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is blessing the religious figure with a commemorative that will likely ship in December.
The sudden superstar and enrollees at the Chicago high school ventured to Guaranteed Rate Field for their eponymous night at the ballpark, with Sister Mary Jo donning a No. 60 jersey to mark the school’s anniversary celebration. Perhaps hoping to endow the home team with some hallowed help, she looked skyward before performing a bicep bounce and throwing a breaking ball for a strike, giving the crowd of 19,018 spectators more hope that the night would turn out well.
Though they managed nine hits in the contest, the hosts dropped the matchup 3-1 against the Kansas City Royals, and while the loss will register as just another setback in a disappointing campaign, the feat by Sister Mary Jo figures to resonate for awhile. That seems likely since the museum is taking preorders for her figurine, which, given the expected ship date, will coincide nicely with the Christmas shopping season for the Marian Catholic community. That move represents a nice extension of the micro-moment concept, as not only Marian Catholic personnel but also Chicago White Sox fans will be able to reflect on her moment in the sun far beyond the pretty nondescript weekend action at a half-filled stadium.
It's official! Sister Mary Jo Sobieck is getting her own bobblehead! Thanks to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame, you can pre-order yours today! $5 from every Sister Mary Jo Bobblehead sold goes back to Marian Catholic! #GoSrMoJo https://t.co/vF92j2eZ3T pic.twitter.com/xCm6Z1ETTf
— Marian Catholic (@Marian_Catholic) August 20, 2018
Sister Mary Jo, who, according to Larry Brown Sports, played softball and volleyball in college, becomes the second nun this year to reach national attention. In the spring, as the men’s basketball team from Loyola University Chicago advanced to the Final Four, team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt gained acclaim in her honorary assistant coach role. Her pleasant personality inspired a line of merchandise that came to include, you guessed it, a bobblehead.
Sister Mary Jo has begun to receive television publicity, so that, along with the impending bobblehead release, could prove the impetus for perhaps the Chicago Cubs, who lead the National League Central Division by three games, to invite her to visit the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to try to duplicate her off-speed hurl. We know that lumping the White Sox and the Cubs together might sound sacrilegious to their devoted fan bases, but we are nothing if not disciples of unique promotional possibilities.
