Yes, he said, yes

Here's an irresistible story from today's "Minor League Notebook" column in the New York Times:

A KEROUAC BOBBLEHEAD

Jon Goode, the director of media relations for the Class A Lowell Spinners, a Boston Red Sox [baseball] farm team, wanted to honor the author Jack Kerouac, who was born in Lowell, Mass., but he was not sure about the way to do it.

He called representatives of James Irsay, the owner of the Baltimore Colts, who purchased the original manuscript of Kerouac's most famous book, On the Road, in 2001, to see about bringing the manuscript to the ballpark. He was told that the manuscript was too expensive to travel, but he was also told that Hillary Holladay, a member of the English department at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, had gone to them with a similar idea.

So Goode called Holladay, and they met to try to figure out a way to honor Kerouac. Of course, Goode, being involved with baseball promotions, had an immediate idea: Jack Kerouac bobblehead dolls.

"She looked at me like I had about 10 heads," he said of Holladay's reaction. "But I explained to her that not everybody gets a bobblehead doll and that it's a big honor, and she decided to go for it."

Jack Kerouac Night, which was held Aug. 22, was a huge success. Goode said that peoplle lined up as early as 11:30 p.m. -- the gates opened at 5:30 p.m. -- and that the crowd had a distinctly literary flavor.