Monthly Archives: August 2010

After the past month or so of terrible baseball.. the Pigs have a 3 game winning streak! Yikes!

Looking at the standings, the Pigs are now 4.5 games ahead of Rochester who is sitting in the International League Basement.

But when you look up you will see that Pawtucket has lost their past 3 games and hold only a 3 game lead on the Lehigh Valley for 4th place.

Can the Pigs set a goal to push into 4th and actually make it?

Is this one of those midnight blog posts where I try to see something positive out of this season?

With two more games against the Red Wings this series.. I would say yes to both questions.

Last year the team finished just under .500 and in 3rd place in their division. This year, they are worse than the team was in 2008. The difference is that Rochester has been worse. Let’s put Pawtucket into that category too!

I think they can do it.. especially with call ups about to happen.

What do you think?

OinK!

I, for one, am happy to see that Ryan Howard will not be making a rehab appearance with the Ironpigs tonight.

He’s healthy enough to return to the active lineup and that’s cool by me.

What, you say? You went out of your way to get tickets to tonight’s game JUST to see Ryan Howard? Well, that stinks for you.

While it would have been nice to see him play live, it is much better to know he is healthy.

So, as we all know… and have heard countless times over the past 3 years..

THE IRONPIGS ARE AT WHIMS OF THE PHILLIES!

The IRONPIGS are at the whims of the Phillies!

The Ironpigs are AT the whims of the Phillies!

The Ironpigs are at the whims of the PHILLIES!

My point being.. don’t be ignorant.

Don’t complain to the team because you came out to see Ryan Howard.

Don’t complain because that was the only reason you came.

Come out and enjoy a nice evening at the ballpark and have some fun.

Enjoy the food.

Enjoy the activities.

Enjoy the game.

Enjoy the people.

Enjoy the fireworks…… well, go ahead and complain about those.. everyone else these days has been.

Not sure who thinks living in a city is quiet but then again, I’ve lived in the Lehigh Valley most of my life and if people can’t find something to complain about.. they will find anything to complain about.

See you at the Pitcher’s pregame radio show at 5:00… then at the game.

OinK!

According to the St Petersburg Times website….

Tyson Gillies was arrested last night for felony possession of cocaine.

Gillies was aquired in the deal that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle this past offseason. He has been hampered by a hamstring injury this season. Guess that hamstring isn’t the worst of his worries…

It’s all over the place this week. Ryan Howard is set to begin a rehab assignment soon and the Ironpig’s begin a 5 game home stand on Saturday. Will we see him again at The Coke? We just might… The last time he was here was on a cold windy, yet clear, day in March 2008.

I do like to see the occasional rehabbing major league star.. but this season has put a damper to it. We’ve seen TOO many rehabbing stars and, more importantly, we’ve lost our key and best players on the Ironpig’s roster. Is seeing someone for one game worth a losing season? Is it a fair trade off as a fan?

We’ve seen Victorino…. Ruiz.. a few pitchers here and there. Maybe now the high priced Ryan Howard. Is it worth being the 2nd worst team in the league?

At least we aren’t Rochester…

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On another note, a lot of scuttlebutt about Joe Savery this week. Word on the street, and every blog and online column, is that the Phillies are going to try and convert him to a position player. Not sure what the Phillies are obligated to give Savery but they are giving him a lot of chances.

Savery seems like a cool guy. Last summer he helped orchestrate the great water battle at the last home game. He tries.. that’s all I ask.

We’ll see if this works…

****

One non-baseball note that was brought to my attention by Keith Groller’s blog (Link on the blogroll to the right) is that we might be seeing another indoor league football team here in the Lehigh Valley. The demise of the former team actually helped me make my decision not to purchase season tickets to the now defunct Philly Force softball franchise. With hockey coming one day.. some day.. this could add to our off season adventures.

Speaking of the National Pro Fastpitch season… the four team league is winding down the season soon and memories of the fun last year at Force games still pop up at times. Ironpig fans should be very thankful to the ownership of the Ironpigs who keep this team here and financially sound.

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I would also like to apologize for the lack of timely posts lately. My health and personal life have been busy lately and the blog has taken the hit. Hopefully will get more up to date soon.

Thanks for reading!!

OinK!

The Pigs had yesterday off and today they start off a 4 game series in Pawtucket with a double header today at 5:35.

Not much going on.. getting a good break from losing baseball by following the Phillies this week.

Like I said.. not much going on in Ironpig land.

oink

There’s a stuntman out there who recently ran the bases while set on fire at a Savannah Sand Gnat’s game. One lucky fan was chosen to light him on fire and he finished the stunt with a headfirst dive into home plate. Best part of the below video is when he steps on third base and leaves a little fire behind.

This is one of those.. you gotta see it at our park!

Original Story can be seen at this link:
http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/08/16/savannah-sand-gnats-make-good-on-promise-to-light-a-man-on-fire/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fbackporch.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F08%2F16%2Fsavannah-sand-gnats-make-good-on-promise-to-light-a-man-on-fire%2F

The Ironpigs released the 2011 schedule today.. .opening night is April 7th. I have one thing to say…

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR COLD!

Some side notes for this week as I’m watching the Ironpigs take on Rochester on MLB Network this afternoon.

The two teams are fighting to stay out of the basement and ultimately a last place finish in the International League.

Some things to look forward to next week.

Thursday, August 26th
Coca Cola Park, or The Coke as I call it, will host a Season Ticket holder viewing of the game vs. Scranton that night on the big screen. The Coke will be opened up by invitation only (season ticket holder should have received an invite.. if you haven’t I would contact your ticket rep) and there will be free food and fun.

Keep in mind, free food means long lines and patience is required. Last year the lines were incredibly long and it took almost an hour to get a couple hot dogs.. I sat away from the lines for about an hour and then was able to get through in just a few minutes. Remember that this is a good thing for the organization to do (one of the few advantages that season ticket holders currently get) and we could easily lose it if people act without respect and understanding. Just saying…

Another event that we have all been longing for is Pigapalooza. Yay! That sounded worse than I thought it would as I typed it but it still should be fun. I haven’t seen an updated lineup for who, what, when and how the day will go. As soon as I hear it will be posted.

OinK

The Pawtucket Pawsox were having some fun at Coca Cola Park..

Photo’s thanks to Decal.

Per Wikipedia’s entry for the Aberdeen IronBirds:

The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The IronBirds play in the New York – Penn League and are based in Aberdeen, Maryland, which is in Harford County.

The team is currently owned by retired Oriole Cal Ripken, Jr. Ripken purchased the team, then known as the Utica Blue Sox, and moved them to his hometown of Aberdeen in time for the 2002 season. The IronBirds play their home games at Ripken Stadium, which is visible from I-95. On August 16, 2006, the IronBirds played host to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. Ripken Stadium was also used for the Cal Ripken World Series in 2003 and 2004, forcing the team to go on extended road trips, 20 or more games, during the youth competition. The Cal Ripken World Series moved across the street to Cal Sr.’s Yard in 2005.

The name “IronBirds” was chosen for two reasons: Cal Ripken’s “Ironman” streak of 2,632 consecutive baseball games played and the team’s affiliation with the Orioles (the Baltimore team is often referred to as “The Birds”). The team logo features a silver airplane marked with Ripken’s number 8, which also refers to the nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground U.S. Army installation.

The team mascots are gray birds named Ferrous and Ripcord.

Wait a second! Ferrous? Iron Birds? Really?

The IRON BIRDS…. !?!? A mascot named… FERROUS?!?!?!

Wow, sounds a lot like our beloved Ironpigs… But our Ironpigs didn’t come around until 2007.. the Ironbirds and Ferrous have been there since 2002. Oh um.. yeah.. cool names.

Anyway, just for your amusement…

http://ironbirds.milbstore.com/store_contents.cfm?store_id=71&dept_id=-1&product_id=3270

Thanks to our friend Decal for letting us know about this!