Acquisition: Shelvin Mack Maine Red Claws Bobblehead

On March 31st, 2014, the Boston Celtics' D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, gave Shelvin Mack bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.  Had I been aware of this promotion before it took place, it is more than a certainty that I'd have made arrangements to attend.  I am not ashamed to admit that this is the sort of thing that excites me --- I've always wanted a free SGA bobblehead to add to my collection --- and I live just a couple of hours from Portland, Maine, where the Red Claws play their home games.  But by the time I learned of the Shelvin Mack bobblehead giveaway, it was too late; the event had come and gone. 

Turns out I'm not the only one who missed Shelvin Mack bobblehead night.  Shelvin himself couldn't make it because he was busy making his only shot attempt in 14 big league minutes, helping the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Philadelphia 76ers.  No one, I surmise, has ever been happier to miss his own bobblehead night, because not only are Hawks paychecks substantially larger than Red Claws paychecks, but the Red Claws almost certainly faced stiffer competition than the Hawks did that night.

I'm no Shelvin Mack superfan, nor was I following college basketball when he, Gordon Hayward, and the Butler Bulldogs contended for the national title.  I've seen Shelvin play only the role of NBA backup, and he isn't the type to wow an unwitting spectator such as myself with trampoline ups or Rucker Park handles.  Understand, however, how extremely rare it is that a ball player of any consequence sets foot in my native state.  Thus, a ceramic version of Shelvin Mack --- former Washington Wizard, current Atlanta Hawk, a rotation player on a playoff team --- donning a Maine jersey is a must (the first time the Red Claws latched onto an NBAer, former high school phenomenon/K-State standout/Celtic/Knickerbocker Bill Walker, I drove to the team office and demanded to purchase his authentic jersey.  The team office obliged).

Upon learning of the Shelvin Mack bobblehead, I added Mack's name to my mental list of EBay search terms.  The first few weeks of my online pursuit turned up nothing, and I wondered if anyone would even bother trying to sell such an item.  I probably would've given up had one not popped up in a listing that closed on Mothers Day.  Not surprisingly, I was the lone bidder.  Days later, from New Hampshire, buried in a box full with packing peanuts, arrived Shelvin Mack. I dug him out and cleared him a space next to Keon Clark, which actually isn't a bad thing, as bobblehead Keon Clark is neither an alcoholic nor a convict; rather, he is a smiling Sacramento King who occupies one end of the front row of bobbleheads atop my stereo.  The front row is, of course, prime real estate, and is otherwise reserved for the likes of Ricky Davis and Stromile Swift.

Riveting tale, I know.  I had hoped Shelvin's 20-point explosion in Atlanta's recent game five victory over the Pacers would lead to an 8-1 upset, but the Pacers took the series in seven, even as Mack managed to put together another double-figure outing in the deciding game.  A Hawks triumph would've given the bobblehead a lot of added intrigue.