Monthly Archives: December 2010

The team has announced their job fair for open positions for the 2011 season. From the Ironpig’s website:

The IronPigs are seeking game day employees for the upcoming season in a number of areas, including food/beverage vendors, concession stand attendants, warehouse workers, prep cooks, line cooks, dish washers, ushers/ticket takers and KidsZone.
The job fair will be held on the Club Level at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday, February 5 and begin promptly at 10 a.m.

Those seeking to be a part of the IronPigs Game Day staff must be available to work nights and weekends beginning in April thru early September. Most weekday and Saturday games are played at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday games vary between afternoon and evening. A complete schedule listing can be found by CLICKING HERE. Also, Game Day staff must be on hand two hours prior to scheduled first pitch.
Those interested in employment must be 16 and older and be able to provide working papers to be eligible. Compensation will vary depending on position.
Those attending the job fair are asked to fill out an employment application by CLICKING HERE and bring it with them to the job fair.
Available gameday positions include:

• Food/Beverage Vendors
• Concession Stand Attendants
• Warehouse Workers
• Prep Cooks
• Line Cooks
• Dishwashers
• Ushers/Ticket Takers
• KidsZone
Coca-Cola Park is located at 1050 IronPigs Way, Allentown, PA 18109. Detailed directions are available by CLICKING HERE.
For more information, please call (610) 841-PIGS.

An application can be found at the Pigs website here

OinK!

From Baseball America:

2nd Round:
Nationals take RHP Brian Broderick from Cardinals
Astros take RHP Lance Pendleton from Yankees {spit}
Mets take RHP Pedro Beato from Orioles
Yankees{spit} take RHP Daniel Turpen from Giants

Triple A Rule 5

FIRST ROUND
Pirates take OF Brad Chalk Padres
Diamondbacks take OF Jose Rivero Mariners
Orioles take 2B Dale Mollenhauer White Sox
Royals take RHP Heath Rollins Rays
Nationals take RHP Michael Allen Twins
Mets take RHP Ronny Morla Cubs
Marlins take INF Jaime Ortiz Dodgers
Angels take RHP Daniel Sattler Athletics
Athletics take RHP Jeiler Castillo Astros
Blue Jays take 2B Ivan Contreras Angels
Cardinals take LHP Jean Mijares Twins
Padres take 3B Jake Blackwood Giants
Rangers take C Jessie Mier Dodgers
Braves take RHP Eliecer Cardenas Twins
Giants take LHP Justin Dowdy Rays
Phillies take OF Chris Frey Rockies
SECOND ROUND

Pirates take C Travis Scott Angels
Orioles take LHP Casey Lambert Cubs
Mets take RHP Richard Brooks White Sox
Rangers take LHP Starling de la Rosa Royals
Braves take LHP Rowdy Hardy Royals
Giants take C Dashenko Ricardo Orioles
Phillies take RHP Justin Friend Athletics

THIRD ROUND

Giants take RHP Matthew Sartor Dodgers

So the Phillies get RHP Justin Friend and OF Chris Frey.

Per Tommy Viola, media director for the R-Phils, Quintin Berry was taken away.

As posted by MLB Trade Rumors website:

•Pirates take Josh Rodriguez from Indians.
•Mariners take Jose Flores from Indians.
•Diamondbacks take Joe Paterson from Giants.
•Orioles take Adrian Rosario from Brewers.
•Royals take Nathan Adcock from Pirates.
•Nationals take Elvin Ramirez from Mets.
•Cubs take Mason Tobin from Angels.
•Astros take Aneury Rodriguez from Rays.
•Brewers take Pat Egan from Royals.
•Mets take Brad Emaus from Blue Jays.
•Padres take George Kontos from Yankees.
•Twins take Scott Diamond from Braves.
•Yankees take Robert Fish from Angels.
•Rays take Cesar Cabral from Red Sox.
•Phillies take Michael Martinez from Nationals.

Martinez hit .272 between AA Harrisburg and AAA Syracuse last season. He appears to be a right handed utility player. In 5 minor league season he has played all three outfield spots, all infield positions (except C and 1B) and even pitched in 2 games.

Nice music video passed to me from Decal…

He just wants a baseball glove autographed by Roy Halladay for Christmas. Keep a close eye to the video, some subtle humor included. Enjoy!

120 things to do before Ironpig’s opening day.

120. Get a McDonald’s McRib
119. Thank a Veteran for their service
118. Send a favorite recipe to the Noise Nation cook book
117. Have sushi for dinner
116. Take a walk in the park
115. Drive through the Lights in the Parkway
114. Listen to your favorite song over and over all day
113. Take an afternoon off and go bowling
112. Do a good deed
111. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

110. Clean out your car/vehicle
109. Eat a tray full of Philly Pretzels
108. Have lunch at the Black Forrest Deli
107. Get a mixed case of A-Treat soda
106. Eat a few Yacco dogs and wash down with chocolate milk
105. Quit smoking
104. Go Christmas shopping
103. Call Matt Provence and ask, “Is it April yet?”
102. Wonder if the Ironpigs will hit .500 in 2011
101. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

100. Watch the Twitter feed from the baseball winter meetings
99. Drive to Reading to check out their stadium renovations
98. Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame
97. Check out the Majestic outlet tent sale
96. Get a chili cheese foot long hot dog from Sonic
95. Try an afternoon of disc golf
94. Create a random Facebook petition and see how many join your cause
93. Email Andy Tracy asking if he’s coming back
92. Check out the pro shop at Coca Cola Park
91. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

90. Take in a trivia night at Applebees
89. Try wing night at the Pig Pen
88. Wonder why most of these ideas are food related
87. Join the Noise Nation’s weight loss challenge
86. Give up on weight loss challenge and have another McRib
85. Have a martini
84. Have a second martini
83. Drink ginger ale instead
82. Wash your bedding
81. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

80. Check out Todd Zolecki’s Phillies blog
79. Give up cell phone use while driving
78. Bleed the water lines in your home of air
77. Check the air in your car tires.
76. Change your car’s oil
75. Realize Dan is running thin on subject matter with all this car stuff.
74. Go through old clothes and donate to charity
73. Get a massage
72. Take another walk. After all this food you’ll need to
71. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

70. Clean the garage and / or basement
69. No comment
68. Clean all the windows in the house
67. Check your home for cold drafts
66. Go to Liberty St Tavern for colder drafts.. good pizza too
65. Make a big pot of chili to share with friends
64. Watch football?
63. Send a recipe to Dan so he stops nagging you for one
62. Make a scrapbook of your Ironpig memories
61. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

60. Reserve your seat for the Phillies Caravan event
59. Read the Horn and Bell blog daily, tell your friends
58. Clean out the rain gutters
57. Send Christmas cards
56. Watch every episode of the Office
55. Subscribe to Netflix (Be careful, it’s addictive)
54. Dress up like a Rhinoceros and run around Coca Cola Park
53. Keep a countdown until pitchers and catchers report
52. Try some Vietnamese Pho
51. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

50. Send flowers to someone you love
49. Write a letter. A real letter. On paper
48. Invite friends over for dinner
47. Tell a goofy joke
46. Give someone a hug
45. Stomp on a stink bug
44. Clean your bathroom
43. Paint a room in your home
42. Run a virus scan on your PC
41. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

40. Check out the Willow St Tavern for dinner
39. Buy Dan Christmas gifts
38. Renew your season tickets to the Ironpigs
37. Call Kurt Landes and thank him for a job well done
36. Wonder if the “real” Ferrous and FeFe will ever return
35. Smile, it’s worthwhile
34. Post “Where am I now?” photos on Facebook
33. Send recipe to Dan for Noise Nation Cookbook
32. Yes, I really want your recipes
31. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

30. Pat yourself on the back for continuing to read this post
29. Eat a salad
28. Wash down that salad with a cheesesteak
27. Shampoo the carpet
26. Shampoo your hair
25. Get a hair cut (Do 26 first)
24. Ponder new ways to make noise next season
23. Wonder who will wear the gorilla suit next year
22. Buy a new pair of shoes
21. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

20. Listen to Matt Metal on WXLV 90.3 Friday night
19. Send another email to Andy Tracy asking if he’s coming back in 2011
18. Block Dan’s email address so you he doesn’t ask for a recipe again
17. Post comments to the Horn and Bell blog
16. Wonder what day the Hackers & Homer golf tournament will be in 2011
15. Spend an afternoon snacking at Sam’s club
14. Wave to kids on a school bus
13. Watch the movie “Christmas Story” over and over
12. Buy someone lunch. (I am usually available after 2:00pm)
11. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

10. Grow an off season beard
9. Ladies dancing
8. Eat something.. anything
7. Buy someone a drink (Again, available after 2:00pm on weekdays)
6. Stare at the wall and imagine it’s 60 degrees outside
5. Think that if it’s going to be this cold it could at least snow
4. Request a song on your favorite radio show
3. Check out the winter league results
2. Turtle doves
1. Write a list of 120 things to do because Bert wondered if you could..

Oink! 🙂

Andy Tracy hit his first HR with the Bravos de Margarita 2 days ago. He is hitting .296 in 27 at bats.

***

The Ironpigs have also announced their newest fan “club”… see notes from the Ironpig’s website:

Just in time for the holidays, the IronPigs have introduced a brand-new one-of-a-kind club for women 21 and older! Diamond Divas membership is just $30 and includes the following wonderful incentives:
■Limited-Edition Diamond Divas Tote Bag
■Exclusive Diamond Divas T-Shirt
■One ticket to Diamond Divas Group Night (IronPigs vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Wed., August 31, 2011)
■Invitation to Diamond Divas Ballpark Tour and IronPigs’ player Question & Answer session (Saturday, July 30, 2011)
■Invitation to Exclusive Diamond Divas Club Level Martini Social (Wednesday, August 24, 2011)
The Diamond Divas club is for women that are ages 21 and older. Due to ticketing for the IronPigs-Yankees game on August 31, membership will be limited. The tote bag and t-shirt will be available for pick-up at the Majestic Clubhouse Store starting February 26.

There are three ways to take advantage of this incredible offer for the holidays:
■Order Online
■Call (610) 841-PIGS (7447)
■Download Registration Form
Completed registration forms can be mailed to:

DIAMOND DIVAS
Coca-Cola Park
1050 IronPigs Way
Allentown, PA 18109

Become a member of the inaguaral Diamond Divas club today!

So now we have a club for kids (The Ironpiglets) a club for seniors (The Silver Pigs) and a club for women (The Diamond Divas)… where does everyone else fit in? That’s right.. still the Noise Nation Fan Club!!!

Heading into our 4th year and looking forward to a great 2011 season!

OinK!

I just saw that the Washington Nationals have sent an offer to Cliff Lee. 7 years, who knows how many millions…

My thought, and I believe many are with me on this.. where is Washington getting the cash to pay these guys?

They signed Stephen Strasburg to a $15.1 Million contract last summer. Although they lost him to a Tommy John surgery.. he won’t be back in the bigs for a little while.

They just inked Jayson Werth to a massive $127 million deal.

Where is the money coming from? Does anyone out there know?

Will hot dogs now cost $15 and beer $25 a cup?

Really? I know they want to be competative and give something back to their fans but really… Has George Steinbrenner’s spirit taken over the ownership of the Nationals?

Looking at our, being the Lehigh Valley Ironpig’s, ticket prices… we have it good.

Yesterday I was parusing around the International League website and noticed that the AAA All Star game in 2011 will be held in Salt Lake City, home of the Bees. The Bees are the AAA affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.

Ticket costs for 2011, per the Bee’s website are as follows:
Diamond Seats – $24
Home Plate Seats – $16
Box Seats – $15
Terrace Seats – $14
Reserved Seats – $12

Now those don’t sound too bad… comparitive to the Ironpigs ticket range of $6 to $14 they look like a lot. But then… that terrible “But then”

Added below ticket prices is this statement:

Additional $1.00 per ticket on Fireworks Nights. Additional $2.00 per ticket for 4th of July and 24th of July games. Ticket prices include a facility fee. Group prices not available on July 4th, and 24th. Additional $1 per ticket for 10-Game Fireworks Game Mini Plan

Fireworks night costs an extra dollar. We get them for free! Thank you to the sponsors!

July 4th and 24th the games cost an extra $2 per ticket and ALL tickets include a $1 facility fee. Interesting. Wonder why they don’t include that in the advertised price. Perhaps facility fee is a fancy way to say Tax.

For those who may still be griping about the cost to an Ironpig’s game.. know that we are very lucky.

Who to thank for that? Well that’s a good thought, but mainly we need to thank the owners for keeping it reasonable and also those great sponsors who, by purchasing advertising, give away days and sponsoring events and activities that keep our costs the same over 4 years. (There has been only one cost increase in tickets in that time. Sections 101 and 102 had been $7.50 a seat in 2008 and were raised to $9 in 2009)

Not bad considering the rising cost of everything else.

Maybe the Nationals have found the secret to success that the Ironpigs organization has been thriving on.

Thoughts / Comments?

OinK!