Monthly Archives: September 2011

Leave your funny caption suggestion in the comments of this post. Next week I will post a voting poll and the best will win a “Mystery Prize”

I forget where I got this photo, feel free to add credit if you know the photographer.

*This contest is for fun. I reserve the right to all decision making, rules, etc.

From the IronPig’s Media Dept.

Photo from @lindseyknupp on Twitter

IronPigs Day Proclamation
September 12, 2011
Coca-Cola Park

Lehigh County Executive Donald T. Cunningham, Jr., will deliver a proclamation to IronPigs officials today at 4 p.m. at Coca-Cola Park to encourage public support as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs open up the Best-of-Five Governors’ Cup Finals this week. The public will be encouraged to wear red, display IronPigs signs and support the team beginning on Thursday when the IronPigs host the Columbus Clippers in Game Three of the Governor’s Cup at Coca-Cola Park.

The winning caption is…

“…and then I woke up and was like ‘whoa Provence missed the bus’.”

The winning caption was submitted by Matt of Bacon & Biscuits! Matt, send me an email and I’ll get you your “Mystery Prize”

OinK!

After watching our IronPigs take a 2-0 lead in the best of 5 series against the Pawtucket Red Sox Friday night, four brave IronPig fans decided to make a spontaneous decision to road trip to Pawtucket for Game 3. While the trip was a series of obstacles, delays and heartbreaks along the way.. us fans made it to the game and saw the IronPigs win their way into the International League Championship series vs. Columbus.

The below is a true account of the trip:

10:00am – Dan’s house
Sara Haydt (Full name used), Jason DiPro and our driver Jay arrive.

All seemed well. While loading the car.. our official Road Trip mascot had a fatal fall onto the concrete and was left behind.

Hula Holly was placed on the Disabled List just prior to departure.

The next blow to the trip came early as well as the Mix-CD of crowd participation stadium music (that I spent an hour making the night before) would not work in the car’s player. We left with a resounding version of “Yakkety Yak” and got on our way at 10:30am.

Below is some footage of us enjoying the Noise Nation’s iPhone app (courtesy of Enter.Net) and Driver Jay mistaking our cheers for driving directions.

We had a slight snafu entering NYC… there was one ticket lane and 20 Easy pass lanes. Guess we’ll pay that toll by mail.

Then tragedy struck, or so we thought. While heading up 95 North, DiPro’s rear side window came down to a crashing end. The official prognosis was that the window came out of its slide but DiPro sat in the furious wind like a champ. Luckily we happened upon a Home Depot…

Stopped to fix the window

We found a tape measure in a nearby trash can

DiPro supervising the repair

Do not feed the DiPro!

So we were back on the road again with a slight delay. No worries at this point. We enjoyed a nice rest stop lunch of McDonalds.

We stopped for a nice view of the Mystic River.

We did not stop to try the pizza

We were cruising along 95 about an hour short of Pawtucket when this conversation happened:

Jay – “Uh guys, the battery light just went on”

Dan – “Keep driving”

DiPro – “Googling BMW Dealers in the area, found one calling now”

(5 minutes pass)

Jay – “Look the brake light came on… now the transmission light.. now the other lights are coming on”

(5 more minutes pass)

Jay – “Ummmmmm yeah I can’t shift the car”

DiPro – “I WILL GET TO THE GAME!”

Yes, we broke down.

Trying to signal other traveling Pig fans

Side of 95 north 1 hour short of Pawtucket

So we had some decisions to make. We were going to make it to the game no matter what. AAA (The auto version) was called and a truck dispatched.

Our plan:
1. Get towed to BMW dealer
2. Have rental car waiting there
3. Drive to Pawtucket
4. Watch Pigs win

What actually happened:

1. The tow truck driver arrives in 15 minutes. (Yes, impressive)
2. Driver informs us he can take only 2 people with him.
3. He will not leave the other 2 on the side of the road. Suggests 2 of us walk to a nearby road.
4. Sara Haydt (full name) and Jay head out with the driver
5. DiPro and myself begin the hike to the road where it was not illegal to be a pedestrian on.

Now this road wasn’t quite just a short jaunt from 95. We thought a nice nature walk would be wonderful. The 200 yards of thick brush and (according to DiPro) snake and bear infested woods led us to our safe haven. After some tripping, stumbling, branches flying into faces (I “really” didn’t do that on purpose:-) we found a small clearing near the road with some rocks to sit on.

Not happy with the path that Dan led him on 🙂

Looking back over the beaten path

Taking a break

Even I started to go native for a bit

Preparing our signal fire

Fashioning a help sign

This is what I heard every 2 minutes while stranded…

Meanwhile, while DiPro and I were having our own version of IronPig Survivor…

Jay and Sara arrived at the Dealership. They called the rental place to ask where their car was and were told they wouldn’t be delivered that they would have to pick it up at the airport. Sara swiftly got on the phone for a cab and (insert Sara’s not-so-family environment speech to the taxi agency) a cab soon arrived. Plagued by constant update requests from the Noise Nation tribal members, they literally sprinted through the airport and aquired a rental car and headed back to pick us up and it was none too soon…

The license plate on the rental car

We got back on the road and arrived mid-first inning!

Yes, we will get there... and we did!

The Pigs won! The folks in Pawtucket were great! We were particularly impressed with Pawtucket’s game program and scorecard. It did cost $3 but it is nice. The large pages, roughly 8×10 inches, were in full color and had a full page profile of each player that would be great for autographs. Also included was a large 2 page spread scoresheet with current rosters for both teams. If we pull anything back from our experience in Pawtucket to bring back as a suggestion to the IronPigs it would be this wonderful game day program.

Also ran into two of our favorite IronPig employees there to support the team!

After the game we went outside to congratulate our guys and waited with PawSox fans by the bus. Made some great new friends up there and many Pig players came by to talk and sign autographs for the folks waiting. Sandberg signed for a few, Mathieson for almost 20 minutes and we witnessed a very happy Zagurski trip and nearly faceplant coming out of the stadium doors. Daniel Nava of the PawSox also stayed and chatted with fans for close to an hour and Moss was happy to see some old friends from his days in Pawtucket.

Dweezy came by for a photo

Kratz stopped by too

We also noticed that Matt Provence hadn’t yet boarded the bus… it closed its doors and pulled away! We texted him and despair not, he had gotten a ride home from his good buddy Jon Schaeffer.

So the ride home began…

(Queezy readers, stop here)

Now, to flash back to earlier in the day, there was some contention that I was responsible for the window breaking. Granted I didn’t intend for the window to break (Jay had a similiar problem with the car this past summer) but the finger was pointed or should I say their noses were pointed away from my general direction. While we stopped to fill up with gas early in the trip there was no need for me to do the same… the sudden opening of all 4 windows was in direct correlation with an “event” that happened just moments before the window crashed into the door frame. I will leave it to your imagination to understand what happened….

So on the ride home we stopped at Wendy’s for a bathroom break and I had an idea for a prank. Jay and I were the only to go inside and I obtained a container of chili. Yes, chili. Jay set me up with a “You will not believe what he ordered!” comment and when I got to the car I held it up and announced.. “EXTRA CHEESE, EXTRA SOUR CREAM!!!”

DiPro looked like he was going to cry, Sara pleaded with me not to eat it.

The joke was on them though.. the chili bowl was empty.

It wouldn't have been a road trip without a prank

The windows remained up for the rest of the trip home.

We arrived safely home at 3:30 am and had nothing but smiles. I cannot overstate what a great time it was and how great Sara Haydt (full name), DiPro and Jay were during all of the above. We laughed, sometimes to the point of tears, and all took everything in stride.

I think I will hear DiPro screaming “I’m STUCK in the middle of the WOODS in RHODE ISLAND!” for many days ahead..

OinK!

It’s no secret that some IronPig Faithful made a trip to Pawtucket yesterday, stay tuned for the full story chocked full of video, photos and insanity later. I am still recovering so will wait until my head clears a bit to gather all the info together. (Trust me you don’t want to miss this)

So to keep this short, I want to say Congratulations to our IronPigs!

I also want to say thank you to the Pawtucket Red Sox and their fans. A very classy organization up there with awesome fans. They welcomed us with open arms and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful night for baseball. Also, very impressed with the game day programs.

Stay tuned… Oink!

The IronPigs took a thriller home tonight winning game 2 of this 5 game series in the 10th inning by a score of 3-2!

I will save the stats, I’m sure you’ve heard or looked at the box score but the 10th inning…

Galvis got it started with a single. Rich Thompson then went to sacrifice bunt but the ball was bobbled and he ended up on first. Posednik was successful with his sac bunt leaving the Pig’s two fastest runners on second and third with one out. Frandsen was intentionally walked and up came Brandon Moss Hogg. With the infield in he hit a dribbling ball up the middle that got through and the Pigs walked off with a victory pushing a 2-0 series into Pawtucket tomorrow!

Speaking of Moss.. he was Mr. IronPig tonight! He got the Pigs on the board early with a solo HR and narrowly missed a second HR for only an RBI double.

The crowd was into this game even more than last night! I love it! A comment was made to me that it was so loud that it was hard to hear the Noise Nation and that’s how I like it! The crowd really felt like the end of the movie Major League.. everyone on their feet, clapping and waving what ever they could.

In other news, Columbus completed their sweep of Durham tonight. They await the end of the Pig/Pawsox series.

OINKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!

Game 2 is nearly here… this just in from http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this-just-in/21138026/atchison-rejoins-red-sox-tampa-bay

Reliever Scott Atchison has joined the Red Sox in Tampa Bay and will be called up for the sixth time this year prior to the start of Friday’s game. The 35-year-old has a 4.42 ERA, 10 strikeouts and three walks in 18 1/3 innings spanning 10 big league appearances this year. Most recently, he was called up on Aug. 26, allowed one run in three innings of relief that night and then was sent back down to Triple-A Pawtucket the following day.

In 36 appearances with the PawSox, Atchison is 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA, 72 strikeouts and nine walks in 61 1/3 innings. The right-hander is in his second year in the Red Sox organization, but his last season with minor league options that would permit the Sox to shuttle him freely between the majors and minors without running the risk that another organization would grab him off waivers.

News of Atchison rejoining the Sox was first reported by Ian Browne of MLB.com (via twitter). For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox.

The crowd at The Coke tonight was announced at 5,088 but I would put a bet on it being louder than any capacity crowd I’ve seen there. If the crowd was in the game, the IronPigs were rolling as they took game one of this best of 5 series vs. Pawtucket by a score of 4-2.

The Pigs used some small ball tactics in the first combining a Rich Thompson single, stolen base, bunt and Frandsen ground out into a 1-0 lead.

They added another run in the 2nd inning on an Erik Kratz line drive over the left field wall. (Jimmy T called this one)

In the 4th inning Brandon Moss Hogg hit what I see as the longest home run in Coca Cola Park history. The former longest HR was hit by Andy Tracy smashing the lower neon lights on the Service Electric sign. Moss’ shot cleared that sign easily by 10 feet. Estimating the final distance of the HR, by my calculations, that ball was hit 463 feet. (Horizontal distance + (elevation * 1.2))

Freddy Galvis also hit his first AAA HR into the trough right in front of the Noise Nation to put the Pigs up 4-2.

Dave Bush made the start tonight, earning the win and the hearts of IronPigs fans. He lasted 6.2 innings and left to a standing ovation. Bush allowed 1 run on 5 hits (the run was a solo HR), struck out 6 and walked just 1.

Savery and Aumont earned holds and Justin DeFratus came on for the save.

***

While the crowd was one of the smallest at this park, the fans were unbelievable. Cheers all around to our fellow Pig fans! We earned a playoff win supporting this team for better or worse and that worse has become better!

Game 2 will be held tomorrow. Ryan Edell for the Pigs and Tony Pena Jr. for the Pawsox.

OinK!!!!!