Mr. Liberty, Alvin Greene, part of RiverDogs action figure promotion

CHARLESTON - The RiverDogs are going green: Alvin Greene that is.

With all the talk earlier this year of a "Mr. Liberty" statue at nearby Patriots Point, the RiverDogs already planned to give away miniature "Mr. Liberty" statues to the first 1,000 fans in attendance Saturday for their minor league baseball game against the Augusta GreenJackets.

In January, an Atlanta-based group proposed a male counterpart of the Statue of Liberty to stand guard over Charleston Harbor. The proposal was rejected by Patriots Point officials, and later by North Charleston officials.

Reacting to Greene's plans for economic development, the Charleston ballclub has decided to place Mr. Greene's face on these figurines.

"Who better epitomizes the American dream that anything is possible than Mr. Greene?" said RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols.

Greene, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, stated recently that in an effort to reduce the state's high unemployment rate, action figures in his likeness should be created and sold.

"Little dolls. Me. Like maybe little action dolls. Me in an Army uniform, Air Force uniform and me in my suit," Greene said last week.

Greene said Thursday the team didn't talk to him before creating the promotion, but he doesn't mind.

"As long as it looks good and is in good nature, I'm OK," Greene said by phone from his home near Manning.

Taking a cue from the Manning native, the RiverDogs will set up an economic stimulus station on the stadium's concourse. Special workers -- hired specifically for this game, according to the RiverDogs -- will be available at the station to place cutouts of Mr. Greene's face on fans' statues, completing the ultimate "Mr. Liberty" figurine.

The team also plans to have a press ready to make T-shirts modeled on the "Greene Family Reunion" shirt from 1993 the candidate was photographed in the day after his shocking primary win.

The RiverDogs are a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees known for wacky promotions, thanks in part to president Mike Veeck, whose father was famous major league baseball promoter Bill Veeck.

The team set a record for having no fans in the stands on Nobody Night. They tried to have Vasectomy Night on Father's Day 13 years ago, but canceled it when some fans complained it was too crass.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Riley Park. For more information on tickets visit riverdogs.com or call the box office at 843-577-DOGS (3647).