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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bill Chuck - (617) 566-2784 (bill@bobbleankle.com)

CURT’S PITCH FOR ALS, THE SHADE FOUNDATION, AND THE BROCKTON ROX present:
 “The Bobble Ankle Doll”

APRIL 27, 2005 (Fenway Park, Boston, MA) - Ever since the Boston Red Sox reversed “The Curse” last October, the Brockton Rox -- proud members of Red Sox Nation -- have been looking for a way to say thank you… thank you for the thrills, for the perseverance, for the inspiration.  Thank you to the team that brought unabashed joy to millions. Thus, in the spirit of their “Fun Is Good” philosophy which spawned the “Grady Little Bobble Arm” doll last season (with its bobbling arm), the Brockton Rox have created a “Bobble Ankle” doll (a Curt Schilling doll with a bobbling ankle).

“There is no greater representation of the never-say-die attitude of the Boston Red Sox than Curt Schilling’s post-season effort with an ankle and the season tenuously hanging in the balance” said Brockton Rox President Jim Lucas.

Being part of a community means helping those who are in need. With that in mind, the Rox approached the Schilling family regarding making a donation to their charities. As a result, $12.50 of the $25 retail price of the bobble ankle doll will go to Curt Schilling’s Curt’s Pitch for ALS and Shonda Schilling’s SHADE Foundation.

“Our goal is to contribute more to charity during the 2005 season than any other minor league team in the country,” said Lucas.  “We believe the bobble ankle will enable us to do that.”

Red Sox ace Curt Schilling said, “Shonda and I are extremely excited and appreciative to the Rox for what we anticipate will be a very generous contribution to Curt’s Pitch and to SHADE. This is a great doll and a fun way for fans to support our charities.”

“The Brockton Rox have created a wonderful way for fans to participate in the fight against ALS and help improve the lives of these special people struggling with Lou Gehrig’s disease,” said Rick Arrowood, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the ALS Association whose mission it is to help those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

 “The funds generated by this doll will go a long way in our efforts to educate parents and children as to how to guard against skin cancer,” said Shonda Schilling on behalf of the SHADE Foundation which educates to save future generations from skin cancer.

 “The Bobble Ankle doll is a great tribute to the magic of the 2004 season,” said Lucas. “We’re confident that Red Sox fans, Curt Schilling fans, and baseball fans in general will come through in the same championship fashion as the Sox and we’re very proud to be a part of this effort.”

For more information, or to order “The Ankle”, visit www.bobbleankle.com or call the Brockton Rox at 508-559-7005.

ABOUT THE DOLL:

  • The doll is approximately 5 ¾ inches from the bottom of the base to its highest point - the top of the cap.
  • Unlike other bobble head dolls which exaggerate physical characteristics, the bobble ankle doll was designed to look as much as possible like Curt Schilling.
  • The doll is more of a sculpture than a cartoon figure. The figurine’s uniform creases and pulls are such as would occur when a pitcher throws a 90 mph fastball. The face was done over numerous times to get the correct lines around the mouth and if you look carefully you can even see “crow’s feet” around the corners of the eyes.
  • The eyes (less than 1/16” in size) were redone numerous times to get the appropriate degree of concentration, focus, and determination.
  • Each stage of the design process was reviewed by the Schilling family.
  • The doll itself can swivel on its base giving owners the view they most prefer.
  • The bobbling ankle’s shoe has “K ALS” written on it; and the sock above, of course, has the famous blood stain. The ankle bobbles in every direction.
  • The uniform is home white with red pinstripes and a red number “38” on the back.
  • The cap is navy blue and has the Brockton Rox “B” in red.
  • The base represents a pitchers mound and has four sides, each with a different inscription: “2004 WORLD CHAMPS;” the ROX logo; “1918” enclosed in a circle with a line through it; and the logo and the name “BROCKTON HOSPITAL,” a leading private, not-for-profit community teaching hospital and a Rox partner in the community.
  • On the base is a placard with the name of this figurine, “THE ANKLE”. The tilted “A” is reflective of the ankle injury. Originally, the “broken A” was the result of a mishap by a factory worker in China where the doll is manufactured. The Rox decided to maintain the slip-up taking it as a sign of approval from the bobble-gods.

ABOUT THE BOX:

  • The doll is shipped in a box with specially carved Styrofoam to fit its two parts (the base and the figurine). Assembly requires no tools. Batteries are not included (nor required).
  • The front of the box has a photograph of the doll.
  • The back of the box has an explanation about “Curt’s Pitch for ALS” and a picture of the Schilling family.
  • One side of the box has an explanation of the SHADE Foundation and information about Brockton Hospital.
  • The other side of the box has a thank you letter from Jim Lucas, President of the Brockton Rox.

ABOUT THE ALS ASSOCIATION:

The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALSA covers all the bases - research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy - in providing help and hope to those facing the disease. The mission of the ALS Association (ALSA) is to find a cure for and improve living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For more information, please visit http://www.alsa.org.

ABOUT THE ALS MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER:

ALS Massachusettsis a multi-faceted, grass-roots organization that carries out ALSA's mission and strategic goals at the community level. The chapter - with supporting services from the National Office - actively pursues the Association's goals. Primarily, ALS MA Chapter exists to serve people with ALS, their families, and caregivers. For more information, please visit http://www.als-ma.org/.

ABOUT CURT’S PITCH FOR ALS:

Curt and Shonda Schilling founded the “Curt’s Pitch for ALS” program more than a decade ago, when Curt was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. Money raised through Curt's Pitch for ALS funds research and patient services for ALS patients in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. For more information, please visit http://www.curtspitch.org.

State Chapters participating in Curt's Pitch for ALS: Arizona:  www.alsaz.org; Connecticut:  www.alsact.org; Northern New England (NH, ME, VT):  www.alsanne.org; Massachusetts:  www.als-ma.org; Philadelphia:  www.alsphiladelphia.org; Rhode Island:  www.alsari.org

ABOUT THE SHADE FOUNDATION:

Shonda Schilling is a melanoma survivor. In 2002, Shonda founded the SHADE Foundation of America in order to educate and save future generations from skin cancer. This Patriot’s Day, Shonda ran the Boston Marathon to raise funds for programs in New England such as the SunWise poster contest expected to reach over 100,000 New England students under the age of 17. On the same day Arizona voted into law mandatory SunWise education for k-8 in all Arizona schools, a landmark bill. SHADE Foundation of American is a nonprofit based at the Arizona Cancer Center and Harvard Institute of Medicine Boston. For more information, log onto www.shadefoundation.org.

ABOUT THE BROCKTON ROX:

The Rox are owned by Van Schley. The Goldklang Group which is composed of Marv Goldklang, marketing and promotional guru Mike Veeck, and actor Bill Murray serve as consultants. In addition to consulting for the Rox, the Goldklang Group own and operate the Charleston (SC) RiverDogs, the Fort Myers (FL) Miracle, the Hudson Valley (NY) Renegades, the St. Paul (MN) Saints, and the Sioux Falls (SD) Canaries. For more information, log onto www.brocktonrox.com.   

ABOUT BROCKTON HOSPITAL:

Brockton Hospital is a private, not-for-profit community teaching hospital that serves nearly 400,000 residents of 20 communities in southeastern Massachusetts. Brockton Hospital is represented on the Bobble Ankle Doll to reinforce the relationship the Rox have with both the region's medical leader and the rest of the Brockton community.

An on-going project between the Hospital and the Rox is the Rox-a-Bye Baby Suite
at Campanelli Stadium solely for use by parents of babies and very young children, the only such amenity of its kind in the country.

The Rox-a-Bye Baby Suite is a place for parents to bring their babies and young children who need to be changed, fed, or otherwise taken care of, or just need a temporary break from the excitement or weather. Passes for the Rox-a-Bye Baby Suite are available at no extra charge.

For more information about Brockton Hospital, please visit, www.brocktonhospital.org.

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“The Ankle - Bobble Ankle Doll”