You know I get chastised for it and I’m fine with that frankly but ‘dag gum’ the IronPigs keep coming up with fresh stuff that adds to the Coca-Cola Park experience. Who keeps thinking this stuff up?
While we certainly hope the Pigs Ride the Rails to the trophy, it makes me wonder if Lehigh Valley GM Kurt Landes has gone clothes shopping and has the lyrics to Purple Rain on his iPhone?!?
I can only imagine what they have planned for the Gildan AAA National Championship Game! (ticket link below)
(photo from ironpigsbaseball.com)
Here ’tis..
OFFICIAL IRONPIGS NEWS
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2013IRONPIGS AND RAILRIDERS ANNOUNCE “IRONRAIL” TROPHY SERIES
IronPigs-RailRiders Season Series Winner to be Receive Annual IronRail Series Trophy(Allentown, Pa.) – The winner of the annual 16-game series between the IronPigs and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders will capture the IronRail Trophy along with a number of other unique bragging rights and incentives, the two clubs announced today. The 2013 IronRail series kicks off tonight at 7:05 p.m. in the opening game of a four-game series between the rivals at Coca-Cola Park.
“There is no bigger rival to our ballclub than the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders,” remarked IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. “The IronRail trophy will come to symbolize the heritage and history of our respective communities and, over time, this rivalry.”
The winning team will capture the IronRail Trophy, currently being commissioned from a piece of reconditioned railroad track iron, along with the following “perks” from the losing club:
· The General Manager of the losing team will sing a stirring rendition of a song of the winning team’s choice while dressed in a fat lady suit (hence, the “Fat Lady has sung”) and be played for the opposing team’s fans on their videoboard after every home game victory between the two clubs in 2014 and beyond.· An extraordinary team feed provided for the winning team and field staff.
· Bragging rights for the next year as the IronRail trophy will be on display in the winning team’s ballpark throughout the 2014 season and so forth.
Added RailRiders General Manager Rob Crain: “We want IronPig blood and I can’t wait to hear Landes squeal a few bars dressed in a fat lady suit.”Scranton/Wilkes-Barre owns a 48-32 lead in the all-time series dating back to Lehigh Valley’s inaugural 2008 season although the two clubs split the season series in 2012. In the event of an 8-8 tie in future seasons, the club that wins the final regular season game will be deemed the IronRail Series Trophy winner.
Great seats are still available for all upcoming games, including the 2013 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game on September 17 at Coca-Cola Park, and can be purchased in-person at Coca-Cola Park (Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447) or online at ironpigsbaseball.com. Two brand-new seating areas, the “Hot Corner” and the “Bacon Strip” have been added to Coca-Cola Park this season, offering IronPigs fans the most unique and distinctive seating and hospitality areas in all of Minor League Baseball.
Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for all IronPigs home games presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at http://www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS.
— where pigs fly —
Jon Schaeffer
Director, New Media
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Triple-A Affiliate, Philadelphia Phillies
Trophy Dishing
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Call them whatever you want. They’re still damn Yankees to me!
I kinda remember this was an idea of ours, many moons ago. Someone here–I seriously can’t remember who. But kudos to them for putting into effect. Even if a team–or both–are not in contention for the Governor’s Cup, we can still battle it out for the IronRail trophy. After we win it this year, I wonder if they’ll let us parade it around their stadium when we go up for road trips. You know, I’m sure they’ll let us sign it out. Fans get to keep it for a day, each, right? 🙂
In 2008 there was a “bet” between GMs that ultimately led to IronPig’s GM becoming the bat boy for a night in SWB. There might have been some no thanks issued during the first few seasons from our side and then from the North when Sandberg arrived. 🙂
Ein echte Staatderbyspiel mit einer wunderbaren Trophaee? Wie schoen?! Herzliche Glueckwunsch!
Translation : I know someone who used to try and make a big deal out of the intra-state rivalry even before this blog existed, but whatever. Better late than never. Welcome to the party.
The bat boy bet was the best. Never should have stopped that. It should be an annual tradition …
Maybe it was you–the ironpigpen I believe. I cannot recall who came up with the original “challenge” cup idea. Perhaps I’ll dig through the archives and perhaps it was pre-NN. I remember thinking a lot about it and cross promotions and ticket agreements and all kinds of crazy stuff, back in the day, but I’m not sure it was my original idea, so I won’t claim it.
No matter. I’m glad they’re doing it. Anything for more fun, and anything that has to do with baseball rather than some crazy “mascot racing series” (TM Kram209). 😉
The radio guys (Provence, at least) went into a rant about series being decided by something other than additional games or play… what they forgot is that MiLB, much like MLB, avoids tiebreaking games in many cases at the ends of seasons.
Well it is decided by play: If it’s 8-7 one way or the other, headed into that last game, it’s “winner take all” for the one game. That’s pretty cool at a time when one or both teams could be eliminated from Governor’s Cup contention. When you win your eighth game in this series, it clinches nothing. Gotta win 9, or win the last one.