Submitted by Noise Nation member Jason DiPro. Thanks Jason!!
The State of the Pigs Luncheon today was a fabulous event enjoyed by nearly 150 people in an intimate setting on the Club Level at Coca-Cola Park. Ryne Sandberg was the main speaker and he was joined by players Rich Thompson (CF), Michael Schwimer (P) and Scott Mathieson (P). The event was MC’d by the voice of the IronPigs Matt Provence.
Ryno spoke of the team as a whole, the players and how he enjoys helping them on their way to the bigs. He’s glad to be back with the Philly organization after starting his own career here. Sandberg believes the IronPigs are a class organization and thanked the fans for all of their support. He was most pleased with the progress of the team and the cohesiveness despite the tremendous amount of player transactions of late. Sadly, Ryno stated Jeff Larish was out for the year with his broken leg suffered at last night’s play at the plate. It is clear that Ryne Sandberg will coach in the big leagues. The real question is when and with whom. We can only hope…
Local product Rich Thompson mentioned stealing bases, playing quality defense in center-field and being led by an aggressive base-running manager like Sandberg. While Rich has had a taste of the majors with the Royals in 2004 he is still playing hard in order to make it back to the bigs. When the subject of home runs was mentioned Ryno joking said “I don’t give him the home run sign very often” whereas the steal sign is frequently issued.
Virginia’s Michael Schwimer touched on his All Star appearance and the fact that he would cherish it no matter where his baseball career may take him. He also elaborated on his choosing baseball over basketball despite being recruited by Duke among others. Michael chose baseball because he enjoys the mental aspect of the game more so than basketball. It was comical when Matt asked Michael to stand up and his “phearful phro” nearly touched the ceiling. He went on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being 6’8″. His advantage is the path of delivery he can place on the ball coming from such a high angle. A disadvantage is if one small mechanic is off it only gets magnified by his size.
Canadian born Scott Mathieson spoke of his multiple Tommy John surgeries and how it has affected his career and his approach to pitching. He’s happy to be back with the Pigs with a chance to possibly regain his stature as a starter.
A big thanks goes to the IronPIgs, Ryne Sandberg and the players who took their time to support the fans and the IronPigs Charities. They all thoroughly enjoyed “talkin’ baseball” with those in attendance. These gentlemen have a genuine love the game and it shone brightly today. I also had the pleasure to meet Mrs. Sandberg and Mrs. Thompson who are two of the most gracious and supportive baseball wives there are.
It was a well planned and executed event by the IronPigs Charities. They have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various local charities mostly through the Jersey Auctions. Support them whenever you get a chance. All in all it was a wonderfully informative and funny afternoon with some great food by Chef Jan Giejda.
See ya at the Park!
OinK On!
DiPro’s Dish
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