Since his first full Major League Baseball season in 2012—a campaign that yielded the Rookie of the Year Award, an All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger honor and a second-place Most Valuable Player finish, I have proudly ridden the Mike Trout bandwagon, hoping he would one day leave the Los Angeles Angels to mash taters for the Philadelphia Phillies. With his contract set to expire in three years, he certainly could prove the biggest fish ever to test free agency’s waters and could come to keep fans at Citizens Bank Park on the edge of their seats with each at-bat. If he never dons a uniform for the Fightins,’ however, citizens of the City of Brotherly Love could still admire not only his talent but also his taste, as he holds longstanding allegiance to the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Birds in Los Angeles to play the Rams, the two-time MVP winner gifted roster members with his own bobblehead.
Sunday’s showdown should make for a memorable clash, as the 10-2 guests are looking to secure supremacy in the National Football Conference standings and have the 9-3 hosts just below them in their quest to conquer the Minnesota Vikings. The stakes alone should inspire the visitors to fly off with a win, but if they need an extra boost of bravado, they can tout the support from Trout, arguably the game’s best player (there is no debating with this writer that he’s the biggest fish for foes to fry), as a bonus.
“We got a Mike Trout bobblehead,” offensive tackle Lane Johnson, himself quite the considerate soul, told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “That’s pretty nice. I’ll have to put that up in the house somewhere.”
Philadelphia news outlets have enjoyed chronicling the Millville Meteor’s admiration for the gridiron bunch, with philly.com dedicating a September piece to exploring how he “lives and dies with their highs and lows on Sunday afternoons.” Given their record, Trout has found himself particularly hooked this season, and the Eagles have reeled him in so consistently this summer and fall that he chose to spring into action in commemorating their connection.
The collectible, which each player had placed in his respective locker, acknowledges the superb year that Trout had in 2016—his second MVP-winning assault on record books—and depicts him performing a head-first slide. Coming off a road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles need a win to keep naysayers at bay, and though Trout cannot relieve friend Carson Wentz if the second-year quarterback struggles, perhaps thoughts of the 26-year-old’s gesture could compel him and his teammates to fight through any difficulties and push the Rams back as teams look to solidify postseason berths.
Promotional products serve many purposes, and, given his fandom and the desire of Phillies zealots everywhere to restore the club the contender status, perhaps a little bobblehead-inspired dose of motivation might help the Eagles somehow lure Trout to exchange his halo for a devilishly good time as a member of the hometown nine. Now THAT would definitely be an example of divine intervention.
