Durham Bulls to rebrand as Durham Lollygaggers for a game

If the early minor league promotional announcements are any indication, we’re seeing teams get creative with their single-game promotional brands this year—perhaps moving away from the food-based brands that have swept through the leagues in recent years.

From the “Where has this been all my life?” files, the Durham Bulls announced today that they will rebrand for one game this season as the Durham Lollygaggers. The one-off name is, of course, a reference to an iconic scene from the movie Bull Durham, in which the team’s coach Skip attempts to scare the underperforming players into doing better: “You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!” And of course, Larry responds, “Lollygaggers,” permanently entering the term into pop culture lore.

I know you’ve seen it, but watch it again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnIaqAsnSxU

A nice detail on the jerseys is that the uniform numbers will include dialogue from the scene.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that it’s impossible for me to be objective on this promotion, as I believe Bull Durham is the crowning achievement of American cinema, and this is me the one and only time I’ve made it to a game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park:

The Lollygaggers game will take place June 14, commemorating the 31st anniversary of Bull Durham’s release.

ADDENDUM, FEBRUARY 6:
One Robert Wuhl, who played Larry in Bull Durham, reacted to this article on Twitter after we posted it. He’s as excited about the promotion as I am: