The IronPigs come up in conversation a lot when you’re around me. The conversation often goes something like this one I had last Friday:
Me: “I really like going to the IronPigs games.”
Guy: “Oh, yeah, me too; I have season tickets.”
Me: “Cool! I do too. What section are you in?”
Guy: “118; I have a 9-game plan. What plan do you have?”
Me: “72 games”
Guy: “Wow. That’s a lot of games. How many do you actually go to?”
Me: “It’s more and more all the time. With 80 games last year I probably got to 60 of them.”
Guy: “That’s a lot! How can you go to so many?”
Me: “Well, I find it relaxing…”
____________________________________
On Friday, February 13, 2004 I got a headache. How can I remember that? Well, because that same headache lasted until May 15 of that year. It never went away. I saw a slew of doctors and had a slew of tests. No relief. What happened on May 15, that made it go away? Well, it was the first day of my vacation…
…
…
For the past four weeks or so I’ve had the headache back. It’s not as bad or as constant as that first one was. Advil seems to help it. Also, whiskey. That’s how I got through that SteelHawks game the other day. I don’t have any vacations planned, and if I’m indeed stressed out to the point of constant headaches, then I probably need to chill. “Chillax,” as my son tells me. It reminded me of the above conversation and just why I go to so many baseball games every year. I decided to break it down further:
OK, so let me explain, starting with the smallest reasons:
6% Being Outside: It’s cool to hang out outdoors, you know? I’m in an office all day and inside all winter and I just want to get out. It’s not so cool in April (Sorry, it’s very cool. Perhaps too much so. Bring the sun, man!) or when it’s crazy hot sometimes, but it’s still a reason that I enjoy the park. I’ll still enjoy the new arena, but it won’t have quite the same appeal.
9% AAA Talent Level: Would I be so inclined to have season tickets if we traded teams with Lakewood? A little less. Like 9%. A lot of the other things would still be cool, but the overall quality of the game play is better, and I enjoy watching the talent one step from The Show. I could tell a difference with hockey, too, from ECHL Reading vs. AHL Wilkes-Barre last year. Also, when friends visit from Reading, they always say, “Wow, we can tell these guys are better.”
13% Phillies Connection: How would you feel if we got the AAA Brewers instead? Right. A little less. I’m not the biggest Phillies fan, either, but it is cool to have the home club just down the road in Philadelphia where we can go see our old friends like Domonic Brown continue on their careers–rather than watching via television. And, it’s cool for some of the local folk who love the Phillies to have that connection; it adds to the atmosphere even for someone like me who doesn’t live and die with the Phillies.
16% Beer: Don’t judge. It helps me relax. I did OK at the SteelHawks without it, but I would have been more relaxed with a nice cup of beer in my hand.
19% The People: Not just the friends, but also the ushers and parking guys and the nice lady at the concession and all that. It does keep me coming back, and it is more important than beer. By a little.
37% The Park: The beat writer from the Scranton newspaper wrote an article yesterday about the return of Minor League baseball to Northeastern Pennsylvania. In it he threw in the line, “PNC is arguably the nicest Minor League park in the country.”
Really? Really? It’s basically a copy of Coca Cola Park, with a smaller club level and no Tiki Bar and certainly no “Hot Corner” or seats on top of walls and less people and fewer suites and no dug-out suites and….
Well, you get the point. They have a nicer view and free parking. I bought tickets and I’ll go see for myself. But our park is a gem. I love going there. There’s a reason we’re the first to host both the AAA All-Star Game and the AAA National Championship. It’s not just the fan support (although that’s a part of it) or the organization (also a part), it’s the facility itself. We shouldn’t take it for granted.
___________________________
Now, if we can just get some nicer weather and some ball games, maybe I can get rid of this damn headache.
See you at the park,
@Kram209
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
I’d exchange “beer” for “food and drink” in general, drop back on the Phillies connection, and give more to outside, talent, and people.
I agree wholeheartedly It needs to be soon! that I need it to be soon – two weeks to go!
I always explain to people that for me it’s a sort of solace from the everyday grind.
Great break out and a pie chart? Who doesn’t like pie?
For me, my friends, their kids and the entire staff at CCP would garner my highest percentile – with Matt & John next – oh and the food – and the beer – and the baseball – and the fact that as many games as we attend they always seem to find a way to keep it fresh – and
LET’S GO BLANCO!!
You know, it’s been brought to my attention that I didn’t include “baseball” as a category above. I suppose I’m not a baseball purist, and I wouldn’t be quite as likely to come to the park–even under all the same circumstances–to watch quoits. So consider that “baseball” is part of the park, and part of the AAA talent, and obviously part of the Phillies, as well as part of being outside. Add those parts and you’re probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 18-20% Just one of the people.