Epi 4 – Kram209 and I talk some IronPigs and Philly Baseball stuff.
Recorded after the double-header on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
(stats are from up to and including the 1st game of the DH)
Category Archives: DiPro’s Dish
NoiseCast – Episode IV – A New Hope
IronPigs 2nd Consecutive Game Postponed – Excessive Wetness
Amid heightened security at Coca-Cola Park, Friday night’s game between the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Buffalo Bisons at Coca-Cola Park was postponed due to rain and impending weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, with an updated start time of 5:35 p.m.
I ran into IronPigs GM Kurt Landes and thanked him for the increased security at the entry gates – I noticed every bag being thoroughly checked. He replied “You’re welcome, it’s the right thing to do” and despite whatever your personal feelings may be on the tragedy in Boston, GM Landes is absolutely correct by simply saying it’s the right thing to do. First class are the words that come to mind and what keeps this season ticket holder and many others coming back for every game!
“Please note that all gates open at 4:30 p.m. for Saturday’s contest. Each of the doubleheader games are scheduled for seven innings and only one ticket is needed to attend both games. Tonight’s Friday Night Fireworks show presented by Giant will be rescheduled (date TBD).”
John Mayberry, Jr. commemorative pint glass, picture courtesy @porkcenter
Saturday is John Mayberry Commemorative Pint Glass Giveaway day presented by East Stroudsburg University for the first 3000 adults 18-and-over. It important to get there early if you don’t want to miss out on this giveaway as there were a number of people in line Friday night to exchange their tickets. The weather appears decent enough on Saturday to have a spillover of fans from Friday’s postponement.
(click to enlarge)
“The first 3,000 fans 18 and older will receive John Mayberry commemorative pint glasses presented by East Stroudsburg University as part of Saturday’s 5:35 p.m. twin bill. A fan favorite during his time in the Lehigh Valley, Mayberry trails only Andy Tracy as the IronPigs all-time home run king.
Saturday’s game also features an authentic road jersey auction, with proceeds benefitting IronPigs Charities. IronPigs fans can bid on their favorite player’s jerseys from anywhere with the easy-to-use Qtego service that allows fans to place bids, receive notifications when outbid and check the status of their item via text messages on their mobile phones. Fans without texting access can even call in their bid after registering their phone at Coca-Cola Park. Register your phone from anywhere in the U.S. by texting “Pigs” to 79230. Detailed instructions on how to place your bid will be made available at ironpigsbaseball.com.
Winning bidders will have the opportunity to go on the field immediately following the game to have their jersey autographed. Bidders not in attendance at Coca-Cola Park can either pick up their signed jersey at a later date or have it mailed directly to them.”
(all quoted sections from http://www.ironpigsbaseball.com)
Hopefully everyone made it home safely since the drive home was certainly treacherous at times and we’ll see you at the Park on Saturday!
Semi-Moist Dishing
Go Pigs
Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
NoiseCast – Episode 3 – LIVE – UNcut – UNcensored
Here’s Episode 3 finally!
Check out the intro for more info!
Enjoy!
[audio http://www.dccvoip.com/audio/NoiseCast_Episode_3.mp3]Game Results – April 10 (Video)
That is all…
(There was a little more but nothing worth reporting other than a couple hits with no runs and Steven Lerud throwing out a stealing Justin Henry.)
The game has been officially listed as suspended which according to:
Rule 4.12
(8) If a game is suspended before it becomes a regulation game, and is continued prior to another regularly scheduled game, the regularly scheduled game shall be seven innings in length.
So we’ll most likely see one of those dreaded 7 inning double-header games with the announcement sometime in the ‘near future’.
UPDATE: The suspended game will resume on Monday, July 8 at 6:05 pm followed by a 7-inning game. All gates open at 5:00 pm.
[there was some controversy on opening day regarding gate opening times – we’ll talk about it soon and hopefully all gates will actually open at 5:00 pm as Tweeted by @IronPigs]
Also, Due to the postponement, fans holding tickets to Wednesday’s game can exchange each ticket for a ticket of equal or lesser value to any remaining 2013 regular season game at Coca-Cola Park. All ticket exchanges must be made in-person at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office (no phone or internet exchanges). Ticket exchanges are subject to availability. Fans with additional questions are asked to call (610) 841-PIGS (7447).
Damp Dishing
Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Name That IronPig – Number 1
Can you name this former IronPig?
“…you have to go through 25 different hand shakes with all your teammates, mascots are running around with their hands waving in the air, and your throwing stuffed animals into the crowd.”
Email all guesses to jasondipro@lvnoisenation.com
🙂
Filed under DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
NoiseCast – Episode 2 – Fightin’s – Pigs – Previews
Episode 2 has been freshly “pressed” and would have been up sooner but RCN decided to take out the entire Lehigh Valley! Oy Vey!
Give a listen – Give a comment!
NoiseCast – Episode 1 – Hawks & Hogs & Things
We are pleased to release our first NoiseCast episode of the 2013 with more to follow. Also, there just may be a few more (new) exciting things coming from The Horn & Bell in 2013 – Stay tuned!
Click below – give a listen – post a comment!
IronPigs Jon Schaeffer is a Whizz
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have created quite a firestorm of media attention with the recently announced Urinal Gaming System installed at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA.
The ticketing folks despite being quite busy were as always on top of their game and I appreciate the season ticket holder swag! Great job guys and gals!
What fortunate timing the day after the big announcement and the Park was chock full of people eager to talk Urinal Games. A few mentioned that it’s quite fun and surprisingly accurate.
According to the front office reaction to the announcement was for the most part quite positive. There were certainly a few that were downright displeased about the new addition and one who completely misunderstood what the Urinal Game was all about. Definitely a funny story – not really fit to print in this blog – but feel free to use your imagination.
The IronPigs’ Director of New Media and ‘radio guy’ Jon Schaeffer is the Whiz behind the reporting and responding to the myriad of media requests. “Schaeff” aka the Porcelain Prince is not taking this announcement Sitting Down and it’s likely his Number 1 priority at the moment as he’s clearly not Piddling Around with the constant Stream of inquiries.
Seriously though…
When asked his reaction to all the media and fan attention Jon said, “I think we realized that when we sent out the release it was going to receive a lot of fanfare. An overwhelming majority of the feedback has been positive, too. We are excited that it has raised awareness for men’s health and prostate screening. According to American Cancer Society, in 2013, about 240,000 cases of prostate cancer were expected with close to 30,000 fatalities. This is the message that Lehigh Valley Health Network will be communicating throughout the season.”
It’s important to note that despite all the media hype whether good or bad, there is an important message within all this. If the idea of Urinal Games can further foster prostate cancer awareness I’m not sure you can find fault in any of it.
Jon also mentioned, “The idea was actually tossed around by (GM) Kurt (Landes) and (former Director of Multimedia Design and Entertainment) Matt Zidik years ago, but never came into fruition because there wasn’t a supplier in the U.S. with the technology available. Kurt and Captive Media touched base and once it became apparent that it would be available in the U.S., our organization expressed interest.”
There you have it folks, the season hasn’t even started yet but in typical IronPigs’ fashion they have managed to create a buzz that probably hasn’t been seen since opening day 2008.
Only 1 week – 7 days – 168 hours or 10,800 minutes until first pitch. We’re certainly ready, the IronPigs are ready – Are you?
‘You’re In Trouble’ Dishing
DiPro
Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Happy Happy! More on IronPig Urinal Games!
Our very own DiPro’s Dish was hard at work tracking down more information on the IronPig’s urinal games. The topic has been widely covered over the Nation since announced yesterday. Major news outlets, radio stations, bloggers galore and everyone else seems to be talking about this!
Digging DiPro got in touch with Captive Media, the founders of the urinal games for a quick QA session. Cambridge grad Mark Melford ,one of the UK founders of Captive Media was kind enough to our questions and his excitement was quite evident.
When did you begin working with the IronPigs on this installation and what (if any) were some of the hurdles encountered?
Iron Pigs contacted us originally back in November last year. The hurdles we have faced have included redesigning our product to work in all countries outside the UK. Iron pigs have the second generation of the “X-stream” device, capable of functioning with US urinals with their larger dimensions.
What is Captive Media’s reaction to the firestorm brought on by this announcement and what may the future hold?
Photo courtesy of Captive Media Ltd.
We’re pleased at the interest, and pleased for IP. It underpins the huge buzz our product generates wherever it goes. Last week, we showcased the technology at the Nightclub and Bar Show in Las Vegas … where the reaction was amazing. To see a sample of the TV coverage which accompanied our initial launch, click here. Nonetheless, Iron Pigs is reaping the rewards for being first in its sector – and we congratulate them for that! As innovators ourselves we salute all those who dare to be different and try something before anyone else! The technology is brand new though, and we are very excited about its potential in the US. We already have enquiries from sectors ranging from bars to cruise lines. Last week, we showcased the technology at the Nightclub and Bar Show in Las Vegas… where the reaction was amazing.
Would you please say a few words on what it has been like to work with the IronPigs’ organization?
Photo courtesy of Captive Media Ltd.
A pleasure. For us, and with such an unusual product, its hugely valuable to work with clients who “get it” and share the same enthusiasm for the technology we do. That means both the pure boyish excitement about the fun nature of the games PLUS the more serious appreciation of their power for good – in this case raising awareness of Prostate health. That’s a central part out Captive Media’s mission as a company – to use fun and engagement to get messages across to a hard-to-reach audience (young males). In the UK we’ve developed quiz games for the responsible drinking foundation “Drinkaware”, and run campaigns for the MacMillan Cancer charity, who have seen 20-40% increases in awareness as a result. We’ve also promoted brands such as Asahi, Corona or Tiger beer, who have seen their share of market on site rise as a result. It really is a very powerful medium for engaging in this way, and there is stacks of research with stats on impact here.
****
The good folks from Captive Media confirmed that a representative will be in attendance for Opening Day next week and that they will hold a formal US launch in NYC later this summer. They also hinted that a major US restaraunt chain might be adding these in the near future as well. If it is as fun as it sounds, I’m sure you will find these games popping up around the country soon!
These games will certainly add to the Mystique of Coca Cola Park and the IronPigs as they continue to lead the way for Minor League Baseball promotions!
OinK!
Links to some fun stuff about the Urinal Games and Captive Media:
HD videos and photos of the product you can down load here.
Product brochures with more info on the product here.
Video clips of UK venue owners talking about their experiences of Captive media here and here.
Filed under DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
IronPigs Whiz Their Way to No. 1
We joked about this in a previous post (without leaking the information) but Coca-Cola Park is bringing a Urinal Gaming System to the stadium, where I’m sure the Urinals will receive a standing ovation!
Pee On!
OFFICIAL IRONPIGS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2013
WATCH DEMO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ4GexzPRtE&feature=player_embedded
COCA-COLA PARK TO FEATURE FIRST “URINAL GAMING SYSTEM” IN NORTH AMERICA
P-Controlled Video Games Added to Men’s Restrooms at Coca-Cola Park
(Allentown, PA) – Coca-Cola Park will be the first sports venue in the world to feature a brand new revolutionary “Urinal Gaming System”, allowing fans to interact with the world’s only truly hands-free urinal game controller, when the Lehigh Valley IronPigs open their 2013 season this April. The p-controlled video game systems will be featured within all men’s restrooms at Coca-Cola Park and are exclusively presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“These games are sure to make a huge splash,” exclaimed IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. “Our fans are always looking for the next big thing and these ‘X-Stream games’ are another example of our commitment to providing an unparalleled entertainment experience in all aspects of Coca-Cola Park, including our restrooms.”
When a user approaches the urinal, the video console flips into gaming mode, using patented technology that detects both his presence and stream. Algorithms then allow the user to engage with the screen by aiming in different directions to test their agility and knowledge. The games are 100% intuitive and custom-built to provide a unique user interface along with an easy and seamless experience. The Urinal Gaming System was created and developed by United Kingdom-based Captive Media. For more information on Captive Media, or to see a video of the p-controlled video games, visit www.captive-media.co.uk.
Upon completion (an average of over 55 seconds according to published research) users will receive their score and a code to enter. They can then view their position on the leader board or check the website to see how they stack up with the rest of that night’s competition. High scores will be displayed in real-time across various videoboard displays within Coca-Cola Park.
“Baseball fans know all about RBI, ERA and OBP,” said Angelo Baccala, MD, of Lehigh Valley Urology Specialty Care and chief of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s division of urology. “But when it comes to their own PSA, many men don’t have a clue. We see this game as a fun and unique opportunity to remind men about the importance of prostate health.”
Understanding what prostate-specific antigen (PSA) means is just a first step, Baccala said. He hopes the game will motivate more men to talk with their physician and, if appropriate, get screened. “Baseball, above all, is about team, and so is prostate health. Men should work together with their physician to devise a game plan that makes sense for them.”
There are a number of games planned for the 2013 season, including alpine skiing, which allows users to speed their way through snowy mountains on a snowmobile while attempting to hit cartoon penguins (seriously). The games will rotate throughout the season to provide users with a unique experience.
Captive Media’s technology was in development for four years prior to debuting in venues in the UK in 2012. Coca-Cola Park is their first Global and North American sports venue.
Coca-Cola Park has been among the most progressive venues in professional sports since its highly-acclaimed debut in 2008, receiving numerous honors and distinctions, including Ballpark Digest’s “Ballpark of the Year” award and “Best Game Operations and Presentation” award as chosen by gameops.com.
A record-setting 688,821 fans visited Coca-Cola Park during the 2012 season – making it the most frequented venue in Minor League Baseball for a third consecutive season. In fact, the IronPigs are the only Minor League franchise to eclipse 600,000 in attendance for each of the last five campaigns.
Lehigh Valley Health Network includes three hospital facilities – two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa.; nine health centers caring for communities in four counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. Children’s Hospital at Lehigh Valley Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the region, provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Health Network has beenrecognized by US News & World Report for 17 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals and is a national Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing. Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Cancer Center is one of only 21 sites nationwide that partners with the national Cancer Institute’s Community Cancer Centers Program. Additional information is available at lvhn.org and by following us on facebook.com/LVHealthNetwork and twitter.com/LVHN_MediaTeam.
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. Season tickets, mini plans and group tickets are also on sale now.
— pig out —
Jon Schaeffer
Director, New Media
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Triple-A Affiliate, Philadelphia Phillies
Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
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