06/01/2007

Associated Press

Voters selected Bob L. Head, the Iowa version, to become the model for a bobblehead that will be given to fans at PGE Park on Aug. 18.

The Portland Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, asked online voters to decide which of three Bob L. Heads should be the star of the unusual promotion: Bob Leroy Head of Maquoketa, Iowa; Bob Lee Head of Evansville, Ind.; or Bob Louis Head of Vallejo, Calif.

Bob Leroy Head won in a landslide, collecting 51 percent of the almost 30,000 votes cast, the Beavers announced after Thursday's voting deadline. Bob Lee Head had 34 percent and Bob Louis Head finished with 15 percent.

Bob Leroy Head worked hard to obtain the coveted prize, printing business cards detailing his quest and even garnering some online votes in Japan, Spain and Norway.

"I was really surprised at the support in Maquoketa and across Iowa and clear across the country," Head said. "I've had more people say they voted for me because I was the one who most looked like a bobblehead. It's still kind of dazzling."

The first 2,000 fans at the Aug. 18 game will receive a Bob Leroy Head bobblehead. He will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the two runners-up will be invited to join him.

"All three Bobs were great sports, and we are excited to have the three of them together in Portland so they can meet and have fun with the event," said Ripper Hatch, the Beavers' vice president of marketing and ticket sales.

Head conducted an international campaign that included support from friends, friends of friends and a former foreign exchange student from Spain that he hosted several years ago.

He said the business cards also bolstered his chances. The cards pictured a bobblehead wearing a Hawaiian shirt with his image superimposed on it. On the cards, Head gave the Web site and instructions on how to vote.

"I did the cards because at the beginning people said they didn't remember the Web site," he said. "Then the cards took a life of their own. ... My grandkids took them to school, so they went all over."