Category Archives: Lehigh Valley IronPigs

In honor of National Pig Day, and with all due credit to Mr. Foxworthy…

You Might Be an IronPigs Fan if…

 …You’ve already taken a red Sharpie to your 2012 magnet schedule, to adjust for the SWB “road” games.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    …You’ve got a whole pile of hats, or,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   If your one IronPigs hat looks like this:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   …You’ve always got a Channel 69 koozie handy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         …You’ve imported the IronPigs home schedule into your calendar as “unavailable.”

…The IronPigs app is on the first page of your iPhone.  Right next to the Bypass app and the MiLB app.

…You can finish this sentence:  “Swing it like…”

…You DON’T refer to the 200 and 300-level at Coca Cola Park as “the upper deck.”

…You remember where you were when Michael Taylor hit for the cycle.

…You remember where you were when the IronPigs beat Pawtucket to clinch the first round of the Governor’s Cup playoffs in 2011.

…You remember what day it was when the IronPigs first posted a record above .500

…You remember when the mascots looked more like pigs and less like llamas.

…You can say “porking spaces” without laughing like Beavis.

…You’ve purchased an AM radio specifically to listen to 1230 or 1320.

…You remember oinKKKK.

…You’ve got IronPigs “art” hanging on the wall in your house.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          …You’ve got an IronPigs yard sign.  From last year.

…You’ve got an IronPigs media guide on your nightstand.  From 2010.

…You know who Bill Butler is.  And Jan Giejda.

…You’re always willing to help Tim Chorones sing a song…even if singing’s not your thing.

…You see Allied Personnel Services yard signs and instinctively stand up and remove your hat.

…You tell people that your bobblehead collection is “an investment.”  Then you laugh hysterically.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         …You know that National Pig Day is a real thing, and not just something the marketing department came up with.

…You’re pretty sure a strikeout ISN’T just like any other out.

…You know that, “HAMBONE IN THE LEAD” means he’s not going to win.

…You can name The Most Interesting Man in Baseball.

…You can’t watch fireworks without thinking about the hotel industry.

…You’re not sure how much education happens on “education day.”

…You know about the balloons and the bubbles.

…I say “Run, Richie, Run” and you know who I’m talking about.

…You’re pretty sure the name of the poem is “Tracy at the Bat.”  And that the ending is wrong.

…You know that all the pretzels aren’t the same—and you know where to find the good ones.

…You know that the bunt sign often comes in from section 108, rather than the dugout.

…You don’t count on the sign in right field at Coca Cola Park to know what the lottery prize really is.

 Can you think of more?  Add them in the comments!

Introduction:  Don’t misunderstand:  I want the IronPigs to make money.  I want them to be successful so that they will stay and so that new and exciting things can happen (see also: Tiki Bar).  However, some of us are at the park every night.  Or it feels like it.  Some of this stuff adds up, and while I’ll spare you the math, I wanted to share some ideas of mine as well as some that came through email discussions with Dan and DiPro and Decal.  Most ideas are geared toward season ticket holders, but the first one is more for the casual fan: 

Tickets

Tickets aren’t a big expense for minor league baseball, compared with a Phillies game or, goodness, NFL football.  In fact, I went to the movies the other day.  I noted that a night at the movies for 3D-IMAX, family of four, a couple snacks and sodas–we spent more than an evening at the IronPigs.  And, it only lasted an hour and a half and we had no conversation or interaction the whole time.  If you stop for dessert and a beer at Red Robin on the way home, you’re WAY over.

 But you can save some money on the tickets.  Here are some of the ways:

1. You can win ticket vouchers by listening to the radio broadcasts.  Brush up on your trivia (and change your entry name from time to time…).  There are other contests around which can yield free tickets as well.  I have a friend who’s been to many, many games and has never ever paid for a ticket.  Not once.  He’s always able to win them or get a giveaway or from friends with corporate connections or whatever.
2. Local businesses have tickets to give away.  Which ones?  Just look at the big advertisers, if you patronize those businesses or know someone who works there, ask if there are tickets available.  I can tell you that many of the corporate seats in the club level go empty on a nightly basis.
3. Come as part of a group:  the tickets might not be free, but they’ll have at least $2 of added concession value.  And, if you’re organizing a group yourself, you’ll get voucher to come back another night as well as free parking for the group night.  Communities (mine, Lower Macungie, has organized a group), churches, kid’s groups (I’ve done the Field of Dreams group three times, but Scouts and karate and other organizations do as well), alumni, and others, all have groups that come. 
4. Remember to use your credits.  If you have a rain check or an unused season ticket, you can exchange for equal or lesser Monday through Thursday.  If you don’t need them, think about cashing them in anyway and giving them to a friend.  Donating them is another way to use the excess tickets.
5. If you know a season ticket holder who can’t always go, offer to fill in even at a moment’s notice if the tickets become available.  I’ve got a couple friends “on call” to take my tickets (I never ask for money…but perhaps I should) if I can’t make it on any given night.  OK, etiquette requires that you offer to pay for the tickets, but you might be able to work something out barter-wise or at a discount.  Plus, these seats might be better than what you can buy at the ticket window.
6. Make a long-term commitment on your season tickets to save money on the price increase.  I wasn’t going to do this (the math or the commitment), initially, and then a little math got in the way.  I have four seats, times 72 games, times a dollar a game price increase, times three years.  That’s $864.  Or, 157 Bud Light bottles.

 Here are a couple of odds and ends that have been kicking around my desktop:

1. Last week, the IronPigs introduced a downloadable calendar in both Outlook and Google formats.  I use Google Calendar for my family’s comings and goings, so I copied it into our calendar and it worked great!  This is one of the things that I asked for in last year’s pre-season Suggestion Box series.  I’m very happy.  One suggestion, though:  I’d love to have a “home-only” option, as the away games don’t need to be on my personal calendar.  That’s a minor quibble, though.  It’s easy to just delete them.  Other tech stuff: an update is available for the iPhone app–updating the schedule and promos.  Also, it still appears that the Bypass App will have in-seat delivery for only the club level.
2. “Pig Day” for the IronPigs is Saturday, March 3.  It’s the day where single game tickets go on sale to the general public and all kinds of free and interesting stuff happens over at The Coke.  I’ve never been.  Again this year, I have work scheduled for that day. But, those who have gone in the past have said that it is a good time.  Also, if you’re not a season ticket or package holder, then it’s a great chance to go buy tickets for the games that you want to attend—in a sense, build your own plan for the summer.
3. I just got the email last night:  it was a ‘heads-up’ for the IronPigs single-game pre-sale opportunity for season ticket holders.  It will start Monday; a special link will be sent then.  I was critical of them for not giving me more notice about the Phillies “pre-sale” “opportunity,” so kudos here.  It’s a chance for me to get my ducks in a row if I want to pick up some extra tickets for this season.
4. Rumors abound on the interwebs that the Phillies could be in the running for 19-yo Cuban phenom OF Jorge Soler.  Of course, the other team mentioned is the Yankees.  And, as we know, usually some other unknown team swoops in at the last minute.  But it’s exciting news in Phillies prospect-land nonetheless.  Reports suggest that he’d start 2012 at either Lakewood or Clearwater, but could be with the Phillies by as soon as the end of 2013.
5. I’ve been thinking of starting a Twitter war with @realchrispbacon.  I think he’s been lying about his training.  Plus, with Diggity as a known cheater, that will leave me only Hambone and the new Barbie-Q to cheer for in the pork race.  I kind of like the story lines, you see.  Anyway, if you see weird posts from @Kram209, you’ll know why.  It’s all in fun.
6. Speaking of pork races, did you know that at Lakewood they have TWO races per game?  The first one is similar to our pork race, but the other one is three eyeballs.  As much as I enjoy our pork race from a soap-opera perspective, I think it would be cool to have three very similar characters and then have the staff find three random fans  around the park (start in the Biergarten, then check the trough and the tiki) to wear the costumes and run like heck.  I think that would be funny.  Anyway, here’s the link:

http://tinyurl.com/85ywrh2

 On the list of benefits for being a season-ticket holder for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs is the opportunity to purchase single-game Phillies tickets before they go on sale to the public.  The “opportunity” came to fruition today (Monday).  It started at 10AM and finished at 10PM.  The email notifying me of the “opportunity” was time-stamped 9:36AM.  It’s great that I got 24 minutes notice to get a jump on those seats.   <–Sarcasm

Here are the problems:

1. The seats that are available are horrible.  I know that this is because the Phils are winning and are popular, so in the past I’ve kind of let this slide a bit.  Many of the best seats go to the large number of season ticket holders.  I get that.
2. Three-packs of tickets have been available to twitter followers for a week now.  That’s me, too.  So I checked that out.  Sure enough, yucky seats as well.
3. It’s not really such an opportunity:  Single game tickets were available today to ALL Phillies Twitter followers.  And all the people who follow those people.  And all the people who had the link forwarded to them, and…  Well, the Phillies said THAT was exclusive, as well.  Not so much.

Assigning the blame:

OK, I know this isn’t an IronPigs problem.  If this were a real opportunity, it might allow the IronPigs to sell more season ticket packages, and why wouldn’t they want that?  Nope, this is a Phillies problem. 

Solutions (I’m not going to complain without providing ideas for solutions, so here goes):

1. IronPigs management should encourage the Phillies to make this more of an exclusive opportunity, and not have them running the same darn promotion at the same time from Twitter and Facebook.  And, not having it happen a full week after every baseball fan in the tri-state area snapped up 3-packs.
2. Another possible fix would be for the Phils to offer up a semi-prime “group block” in a slightly better seating location for several games, and have the tickets available to IronPigs, Reading, and Lakewood at the same time, first come, first served prior to the twitter sale.  Any extras could then be released to the social media; it’s not like they won’t sell.
3. If the Phillies are not amenable to improving this perk for season ticket holders of their minor league affiliates, perhaps IronPigs management should remove this from the list of benefits.  It’s hard for me to see how this is much of a “benefit” to anyone, so it feels more like we’re missing out on something.  Perhaps just spring it on us (s/t holders) as a surprise perk rather than an included “benefit.”

One more thing:

Pre-sale opportunity will happen soon for individual game IronPigs tickets in advance of Pig Day, March 3, when they go on sale to the general public.  I usually use this to buy groups of tickets in order to host a mini-group of friends and family at field level.  I have found in the past that the availability is pretty poor here, too.  I like to try to get decent seats for them, dugout to dugout 106-118.   I suspect that there are seats that are being “held back” either for the public sale or for later release or some other reason.  I hope this isn’t the case.  If there are season ticket holders who want to pony up for EVEN MORE seats before we even have “unused” credits to cash in, then we should be allowed to purchase anything that’s not already sold.