Monthly Archives: March 2013

March 19, 2013 · 5:59 pm

Coca Cola Park Ranks Next to Last in…

…Park factor rating.

Created by Baseball America (love those folks) to put comparison to Hits, Runs and Home Runs per game at Minor League ball parks. It gives an interesting analysis on Minor League Parks in each league.

An excerpt:

To use the park factors, take a batter’s runs created per game or a pitcher’s runs allowed per game (or whatever your metrics of choice might be) and divide by his park factor. This will give you a crude a park-adjusted rate of production for any minor league player.

Read the full article here. (I highly recommend it for any baseball fan)

International League Rates Per Park, from highest Park Factor Rating to lowest:

Columbus
Buffalo
Durham
Rochester
Louisville
Gwinnett
Indianapolis
Syracuse
Charlotte
Norfolk
Toledo
Pawtucket
Lehigh Valley
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Good ole SWB bringing up the rear… but they do have a new park this season… We will see and hopefully Baseball America revisits this after a couple more seasons.

I suppose the point they are aiming at is to 1. Disprove/Confirm myths about a “Hitter’s Park” or “Pitcher’s League” and 2. To look at how hits, runs and home runs add excitement to the game for fans.

Lucky for us in the Lehigh Valley that we don’t depend on barnburner games for our excitement.

Good times!

Tip of the hat to Jim Laubach for sharing!

OinK! Screech! Roll On!

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March 19, 2013 · 1:29 pm

IronPig Spring Training Results 3-18-2013

From the IronPigs Media Dept.

Behind the Major League arm of the Cliff Lee and three relievers with MLB experience, the Triple-A Phillies won their second straight game in shutout fashion, defeating the Pirates 4-0 Monday afternoon in Clearwater.

Lee, who pitched with the Triple-A team to keep on normal schedule, tossed six innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine without walking a batter. Justin De Fratus pitched the seventh, striking out one, Cesar Jimenez walked a batter in a scoreless eighth and Jake Diekman faced the minimum three batters in the ninth.

Offensively, INF Cody Asche and C Tommy Joseph collected two hits apiece, while INF Cesar Hernandez singled, scored and drove in two. OF Derrick Mitchell went 1-for-3, capping the Phillies six-hit attack while Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-2, but walked and scored as the team improved to 3-1-1.

The 22-year-old Asche had a breakout year in 2012, his second season in professional baseball. Starting the season at Advanced-A Clearwater, the corner infielder was named a Florida State League midseason All-Star, posting a line of .349-2-25 in 62 games. The Phillies number seven prospect according to Baseball America then earned a promotion to Double-A Reading, finishing at .300-10-47 in 68 games. In eight games in MLB Spring Training this year, the University of Nebraska product went 5-for-14 in eight games.

The Phillies and Pirates are back in action again today, this time traveling to Bradenton with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Teams R H E LOB

PIT 0 5 1 5

TEAM 4 6 0 5

Lineup AB R H RBI

1. CASTRO, LEANDRO-RF 4 0 0 1

2. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 4 1 1 2

3. ASCHE, CODY-3B 4 0 2 0

4. JOSEPH, TOMMY-C 3 0 2 0

5. FIELDS, JOSH-1B 1 0 0 0

6. MITCHELL, DERRICK-CF 3 0 1 0

7. MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-SS 3 0 0 0

ROLLINS, JIMMY-SS 2 1 0 0

8. HEWITT, ANTHONY-LF 3 1 0 0

SUSDORF, STEVEN-LF 1 0 0 0

9. KRATZ, ERIK-DH 3 0 0 0

GILLIES, TYSON-PH 0 1 0 0

RBI- HERNANDEZ 2 (2), CASTRO (3). SB-GILLIES (1).

Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO

1. LEE, CLIFF 6.0 4 0 0 0 9

2. DE FRATUS, JUSTIN 1.0 1 0 0 1 1

3. JIMENEZ, CESAR 1.0 0 0 0 1 0

4. DIEKMAN, JACOB 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

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March 19, 2013 · 12:30 am

SECTV2 To Televise 24 Reading Fightin’s Games

Great news for Phillies fans. In addition to 162 televised Philadelphia Phillies games on various networks and 72 Ironpigs home games on Service Electric Cable TV2, the 2013 baseball season will also give us 24 games of the Reading Fightin’ Phils courtesy of Service Electric TV2. That’s a total of 258 televised games of the Phillies and their top 2 farm teams on local television this year.

Here is the list of Reading games to be shown on Service Electric Cable:

Friday, April 12: Erie SeaWolves at 7:05 PM
Monday April 15: Harrisburg Senators at 6:35 PM
Tuesday April 16: Harrisburg Senators at 6:35 PM
Saturday April 27: New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 6:05 PM
Sunday April 28: New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 1:35 PM
Monday April 29: Portland Sea Dogs at 6:35 PM
Tuesday April 30: Portland Sea Dogs at 6:35 PM
Friday May 10: Akron Aeros at 7:05 PM
Saturday May 11: Akron Aeros at 6:35 PM
Sunday May 12: Akron Aeros at 1:35 PM
Wednesday June 19: Portland Sea Dogs at 7:05 PM
Thursday June 20: Portland Sea Dogs at 7:05 PM
Friday June 21: Richmond Flying Squirrels at 7:05 PM
Saturday June 22: Richmond Flying Squirrels at 6:35 PM
Saturday July 13: New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 6:35 PM
Sunday July 14: New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 1:35 PM
Monday July 15: Trenton Thunder at 7:05 PM
Tuesday July 16: Trenton Thunder at 6:05 PM
Friday July 26: New Britain Rock Cats at 7:05 PM
Saturday July 27: New Britain Rock Cats at 6:35 PM
Sunday July 28: New Britain Rock Cats at 6:05 PM
Monday July 29: Erie SeaWolves at 7:05 PM
Wednesday August 28: Richmond Flying Squirrels at 7:05 PM
Thursday August 29: Richmond Flying Squirrels at 7:05 PM

A great big thank you to our friends at Service Electric Cable for providing their subscribers with such great regional sports coverage. We’ll see y’all at the ballpark, but when we’re not there in person you can be sure we’ll be watching a ballgame on TV2.

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March 18, 2013 · 2:45 pm

IronPigs – New Jerseys – Nice!

OFFICIAL IRONPIGS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2013

IRONPIGS INTRODUCE NEW SUNDAY “RETRO” JERSEYS

(Allentown, PA) – The IronPigs will don a powder blue and burgundy retro mesh jersey during Sunday home games this season, paying homage to the Phillies’ tradition-rich teams of the 1970s and 1980s and marking the first significant uniform change since the IronPigs debuted in 2008. The new look replaces the previous Sunday top – a white, sleeveless jersey that wasaccompanied by a separate brick red athletic T-shirt underneath. The official Sunday Game Cap is unchanged and remains the only two-toned cap in the fleet, with a brick red crown and a furnace blue bill.

“This is an iconic color scheme and one that IronPigs fans and Phillies fans collectively adore,” remarked IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. “We think our fans are going to squeal over this fresh new look!”

This pullover jersey features the primary IronPigs logo emblazed on the left chest to modernize the classic powder blue and burgundy look. Its mesh composition promotes breathability and provides additional comfort for players and fans alike.

Some of the great figures in Phillies history have worn the “powder blues”, including the likes of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Tug McGraw and Larry Bowa. This color motif highlighted an era in which the Phillies went to the postseason in six of eight seasons beginning in 1976 and won their first World Championship in 1980.

The IronPigs are slated to wear the new pullover on ten occasions in 2013, including during the club’s first homestand of the year on Sunday, April 7, against the Syracuse Chiefs at Coca-Cola Park.

Pre-orders of the brand-new Sunday jersey replica by Majestic Athletic are now being accepted at the Majestic Clubhouse Store or online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com with an initial shipment scheduled by the end of next week (March 29).

Single-game tickets for the 2013 season presented by Capital BlueCross as well as the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game are available now by visiting ironpigsbaseball.com, by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447) or at the Coca-Cola Park ticket window during normal business hours.

— pig out —

Jon Schaeffer
Director, New Media
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Triple-A Affiliate, Philadelphia Phillies

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Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 18, 2013 · 2:38 pm

That’s Right. Four Consecutive Posts

You saw it right. 4 consecutive posts. (Make that 5)

Has Dan lost his mind this afternoon? Nope, he lost that years ago.

What IS happening is that there is a LOT going on in the Lehigh Valley right now!

The Lehigh Valley Roller Girls season is getting a rolling start!

The IronPigs are getting ready to start full swing!

The Steelhawks have won their home opener and will follow up in Louisiana this weekend!

Wait, was yesterday something special…? Oh yeah, we tailgated. Nothing green here. Only Steelhawk Black and Gold, Rollergirl Pink and Black and IronPig colors here at the Horn & Bell!

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March 18, 2013 · 2:33 pm

Roller Derby Challenge!

The Lehigh Valley Rollergirls have issued a challenge!

That’s right! Can’t skate? No problem.. it’ll be like your mom’s freshly waxed kitchen floor. Have some derby fun Risky Business style!

For more details check out the LVRG Website!

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March 18, 2013 · 2:27 pm

IronPig Spring Training Results 3-17-13

From the IronPig’s Media Dept.

Triple-A Phillies Blank Toronto on Three-Hit Shutout

Four pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout as the Phillies’ Triple-A Spring Training team defeated the Blue Jays 2-0 Sunday afternoon in Dunedin.

Left-hander Adam Morgan tossed five innings and struck out six against just two hits, before a combination of Edgar Garcia (two innings), Joe Savery (one inning) and Tyler Knigge (one inning) threw four shutout frames out of the bullpen, surrendering just one hit. With the win, the team improved to 2-1-1 on the spring.

Offensively the team was led by INF Cesar Hernandez who was 2-for-3 with a triple, run scored and stolen base. INF Edgar Duran drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, while OF Leandro Castro launched a solo home run as the team mustered just three hits in the win.

Hernandez split 2012 between Double-A Reading and the IronPigs, earning a promotion to Lehigh Valley on August 1 after batting .304-2-51 in 103 games with Reading. In 30 games at the Triple-A level, the Valencia, Venezuela native posted a line of .248-0-6, but finished hitting safely in eight of his final nine games.

The Phillies’ Triple-A team is back in action Monday, hosting the Pirates at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Teams R H E LOB

TEAM 2 3 0 2

TOR 0 3 1 3

Lineup AB R H RBI

1. GILLIES, TYSON-CF 4 0 0 0

2. MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-LF 2 0 0 0

CASTRO, LEANDRO 2 1 1 1

3. JOSEPH, TOMMY-C 2 0 0 0

STUMPO, BOB-C 1 0 0 0

4. SUSDORF, STEPHEN-RF 3 0 0 0

5. OVERBECK, CODY-1B 3 0 0 0

6. SUOMI, JOHN-DH 3 0 0 0

7. TOLBERT, MATT-3B 3 0 0 0

8. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 3 1 2 0

HANZAWA, TROY 2 0 0 0

9. DURAN, EDGAR-SS 1 0 0 0

2B- HERNANDEZ (1). HR- CASTRO (1). RBI- DURAN (1), CASTRO (2). SB-HERNANDEZ (1), HANZAWA (1).

Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO

1. MORGAN, ADAM 5.0 2 0 0 2 6

2. GARCIA, EDGAR 2.0 1 0 0 2 1

3. SAVERY, JOE 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

4. KNIGGE, TYLER 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

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March 18, 2013 · 2:26 pm

Steelhawks Home Opener!

From the Steelhawks:

STEELHAWKS PUT ON SHOW IN HOME OPENER

Lehigh Valley Defeated Knoxville 63-45

Bethlehem, PA: The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks put on a show for all their amazing fans that came out to watch a great St. Patrick’s Day Game versus the Knoxville Nighthawks. The Steelhawks, now 1-1, led the entire game as they defeated the Nighthawks 63-45 in their home opener.

Local QB Adam Bednarik, named Buca di Beppo and Countess Communications. Player of the Game at the conclusion of the game, led the way for the Steelhawks throwing for 225 yards, 4 touchdowns, and running for another 2 touchdowns. LB Terence Thomas started the excitement with an interception and 43 yard return that led to Bednarik and the Steelhawks’ first touchdown, a two yard run. He followed that by throwing two tds to WR Troy Pascley on the next two drives. The first quarter ended with the Steelhawks leading 21-7.

The second quarter saw Knoxville trying to make a comeback, but a RB Richard White (11 rushes for 75 yards) touchdown run held the Steelhawks lead going into halftime, 28-17.

The scoring picked back up in third quarter. Knoxville started the quarter off with a one point uno by K Armando Cuko. The scoring was back and forth for the rest of the quarter, White picked up another rushing touchdown, Pascley hauled in a third touchdown reception, and K George Pierson connected on a 20 yard field goal. At the end of the third, Lehigh Valley was up 45-38.

The Steelhawks dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Nighthawks 18-7. Pierson started the Steelhawks off with another field goal and then on the ensuing kick-off stopped the Nighthawks in their own end zone to pick up the one point rouge. After allowing the only Knoxville touchdown of the quarter, the Steelhawks answered with two touchdowns, a Bednarik run and a WR Jeff Willis (4 catches for 60 yards) catch.

The Steelhawks will be on the road in Louisiana on March 23rd and won’t return home again until April 20th for Team X Eastern Lehigh Valley Youth Sports Night against the Alabama Hammers. Fans are reminded that there will be a fan bus trip on April 13th to see the Steelhawks take on the Richmond Raiders but seats are filling up fast! Registration is available at the home opener on the 17th or by calling the Steelhawk office (610-282-3100).

The Steelhawks have been working hard, both on and off the field, filling their roster with a ton of talent and adding great partners to the Steelhawk family. The Steelhawks’ 2013 PIFL schedule is now available online and season tickets are available. Get yours now and you will get a FREE Steelhawk 9th Man jersey, and be entered to win a FREE vacation from Boscov’s Travel! For further information please call Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Clark at (610) 282-3100, or visit our website at http://www.LVSteelhawks.com for the latest Steelhawks news!

Fans are reminded that 2013 season ticket deposits are being accepted now to reserve your seats for the 2013 PIFL season. You can reserve your seats by calling the Steelhawks front office at 610-282-3100. Ticket packages start as low as $48!

##END##

The Steelhawks are a PROFESSIONAL Arena Football team that plays in The Professional Indoor Football League. The PIFL (www.proifl.com) is a seven team league with franchises in six states. The league holds a 12-game regular season schedule that runs March through June. The PIFL’s playoffs culminate in late June with the PIFL Championship Cup. Season ticket packages start as low as $8 per game (or $48 for the full season) and games are an exciting event for people of the Lehigh Valley to attend on weekend nights.

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Image

Piggy Nation 3/18/2013

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March 18, 2013 · 2:25 pm

March 17, 2013 · 12:24 am

Greetings From Clearwater

Frequent NoiseNation photographer extraordinaire Cheryl Pursell recently returned from a trip to Clearwater, Florida. She filed a report (and some photos) from Spring Training:

Cheryl reports that Galvis and Frandsen should make the Phillies as reserve infielders at the expense of Yunesky Betancourt, who has an opt-out on March 24: “I don’t see Betancourt making the Phillies, unless of course they do what they did last year, give the job to the guy who will walk (Pierre instead of Podsednik).”

Cheryl confirms what we’ve all seen of Domonic Brown: He’s been playing very well. She has him in Right Field to start the season, with Nix or Mayberry in Left, and Ruf on the IronPigs. She feels the IronPigs should have good pitching, both starters and relievers despite the fact that the Phillies’ starters didn’t always impress during her stay.

Cheryl also met up with one of our old friends, Rich Thompson. Here’s what she said: “I had Rich Thompson sign my jersey. I told him everyone from [NoiseNation] was asking about him & wanted to know how he was doing—he said to say “great” & that he doesn’t tweet much because he doesn’t have access to a computer, nor does he own a smart phone. I told him, I too have a “dumb” phone. He laughed & sends his regards.”