A few days ago we found out that 2011 IronPig Brandon Moss signed with the Oakland A’s organization. Moss was the hero of the Pigs playoff run this past season. The only in IronPig’s history.
For the season Moss Hogg hit .275 with 23 HR and 80 RBI but in the playoffs he was .385 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. It seemed when the Pigs needed a big hit he was the one to be at bat and get it. While the Championship series went for bust… Moss was a big reason we got there and advanced.
(I know Dee-licious the stuffed pig might see this and I write this with the assumption she knows her impact as well)
Moss’ monster home run is by far the longest I’ve seen at Coca Cola Park. Watching Andy Tracy smash the Service Electric sign on top of the double layered profit makers posted in the outfield was a feat indeed. Moss Hogg’s HR cleared that SE sign by at least 10-15 feet.
The heroics aside, I personally will miss what Moss brought to the park outside of the game. Ever see the field of dream kids steal second base, the $960 Million lottery prize posted on the outfield wall after batting practice or those same kids trying to climb the center field wall? This outfielder had fun and made the game day experience more enjoyable for us fans. Not that he didn’t have help.. I saw some other faces out there as well.
It really brought back memories of Gary Majewski. The water war between the bullpen and tshirt launch team. The big screen embarassment of an unnamed IronPig employee who had the misfortune of losing their ID badge and having Majewski find it. The tshirt team’s revenge on Majewski by aquiring his own pickup truck to perform their duties.
A few nights ago I got a message from Scott Mathieson who will also be absent at The Coke next season. He asked that I pass on his appreciation for the fans and friends he made here in the Lehigh Valley. You could always get a smile out of Scott whether you had narrowly missed driving over him in the parking lot or seeing him and his dog seated on chairs next to each other in the bullpen on dog day.
So many memories at this park thanks to guys like Majewski, Mathieson and Moss.
Brandon and Scott, you will be missed. Come visit anytime and good luck! (Unless you’re playing against the Pigs/Phillies.. then we’ll cheer for a hard fought 1-0 victory for LV/Philly.)
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Those guys certainly brought character to this team. Who knows where the Pigs might have ended up without them. I think Moss Hogg’s HR ball is still orbiting the earth as we speak. Thanks for the memories Moss Hogg and Flamethrower. Best of Luck to the both of you, you’ll be missed!
When good players leave the ‘Pigs for opportunity elsewhere I always think of them as having “graduated.” Absolutely no hard feelings as minor league players need to pursue their careers as best they can. They certainly don’t owe us anything. We wish them good fortune and success (except as noted) and hope that they remember the time when they got to play in front of the best fans in minor league baseball.
There’s a good chance John Bowker ends up in the Ironpigs outfield for all or part of the 2012 season. I’d be satisfied with Bowker, Brown, Podsednik and Thompson in the outfield except for the fact that they’re all lefties. Who knows, maybe even Ben Francisco will end up in AAA instead of one of the above.
I remember getting home from a game quick enough one time to see a postgame interview with Brandon Moss. He was talking about a skunk being spotted outside the ballpark and he and Mathieson were going to get their bow and arrows and go hunting. He wondered out loud if skunk meat was good to eat. I’m sure he was joking.
With the Phillies signing LH outfielder Laynce Nix to a 2 year deal today, the odds of Bowker, Podsednik and Brown playing for the Ironpigs just went up.