Last year I posted this image of how many countries in the world viewed The Horn & Bell blog:
Noise Nation around the World!
It’s been a year or so since then so wanted to share the current viewing map:
As you can see.. we are slowly reaching every country in the world.. Muah Ha Ha…
When we do accomplish touching every country in the world I’m going to make DiPro learn this song:
Filed under Noise Nation History
To continue on with Kram’s end of week review…
We were pretty busy this past week.
Kram led off with commentary on the Ryne Sandberg effect as a manager.
Phillies Fans Not Respecting the Ryne Sandberg Effect
We followed up with a Photo essay on where the 2013 IronPig roster is today.
Where are the 2013 IronPigs Now?
Dan went on to vent about his distaste for the Winter Olympics…
What if Baseball was Scored Like the Olympics…
Some promotions for That Baseball Team out in Reading..
A transaction note..
More promotions for That Baseball Team out in Reading..
Bunning & Bobbleheads – Reading Stepping Up!
A fun video…
Best Pig Video I’ve Seen in a While!
Another transaction note..
Strike One IronPig from the 2014 Roster
The entire Phillies Spring Training Roster..
Phillies’ 2014 Spring Season Roster
Even more promotions for That Baseball Team out in Reading..
A Closer Look at the @ReadingFightins Promo Schedule
Finally, Kram continued his survey on which IronPig wore each uniform number best. Make sure to vote!
Who Wore It Best? @IronPigs Number 9
Who Wore It Best? @IronPigs Number 8
RePost: @IronPigs Who Wore Number 7
Filed under Noise Nation History
It’s still early but the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks have jumped out with a commanding lead in the Noise Nation Free agency market.
Steelhawk’s 2014 game balls.
That’s right. The Noise Nation logo on their official game ball!
In other news…
That baseball team out in Reading took a move forward with the following:
“Baseballtown will once again blast off in 2014 when the Human Cannonball, David “The Bullet” Smith, returns to FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday, August 8th thanks to All Star Distributing. For nearly two decades, Smith has been electrifying crowds as a human cannonball. He has performed over 500 cannon shots around the globe. As part of his death-defying feat on August 8th, Smith will project himself over 150 feet out of his world-famous 35-foot-long cannon directly from centerfield to home plate.”
Human Cannonball! Oh yeah! That’s a good start Reading!
Reading also announced their rescheduled Winter Charity banquet:
The Reading Fightin Phils, Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, will kick off Fightin Phils Opening Week on Monday, March 31st when they hold the Meet the Fightins Banquet at the Reading Crowne Plaza. The banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
The season-debuting banquet will feature the introduction of the entire 2014 Fightins Opening Night roster, including manager Dusty Wathan and his coaching staff. Wathan, pitching coach David Lundquist, and hitting coach Rob Ducey will take part of a question-and-answer session during the dinner.
Fans will have the first opportunity to meet the team through an autograph session with the entire team and staff. There will also be a raffle and silent auction of various sports collectibles and memorabilia.
The kickoff event will also double as the King of Baseballtown Banquet, which was postponed from its original date in January.
2014 King of Baseballtown Charlie Flannery will also be crowned at the event. The legendary coach of the Gregg Post American Legion team and Reading Hot Stovers Banquet Chairman will be the 12th king crowned by Baseballtown Charities.
Tickets for the King of Baseballtown Banquet cost $65 for adults and $25 for kids and are available now online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, or by visiting the Fightins Ticket Office located at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Ticketholders from the postponed January event will be admitted with their original ticket.
The entire team available for autographs! Nice!
Also happening this week, the Noise Nation has entered negotiations to film promotional spots with an undisclosed Roller Derby team here in the Valley. Details are sketchy but could be the beginning of solidifying the 2014 season coverage.
A source also reported that the good folks up at Scranton Wilkes Barre have been in touch with the Noise Nation. Stay tuned for more details on this…
Filed under Noise Nation History
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BETHLEHEM, PA – Sources close to the NoiseNation fan group, authors of the award-winning Horn and Bell Blog, have revealed this morning that the group has elected free agency after being denied fan-arbitration by all of the Lehigh Valley Professional Sports Franchises. With six years experience, the group was eligible for fan-arbitration starting in 2014 but has elected to explore other fan opportunities.
Reached at the home offices in Bethlehem, PA, the columnist known only as “Kram” stated, “We enjoy all that we do as fans and group members. But unfortunately, it’s a business. This isn’t our favorite part, but it is necessary. We love the Lehigh Valley and our fellow fans here, but we do have responsibilities to our families.” Asked if the fan group would consider the so-called “home town discount” Kram would say only, “We’ll see. We have to see what our options are and let the chips fall where they may.”
We caught up with The Artist Known As DiPro at the Black Forest Deli in Bethlehem. He refused comment, stating only, “I do what I do. We have people who handle this stuff. Stroganoff. ”
The NoiseNation Fan Group is represented by the so-called “Joe-Rob Corp.” An official statement from the agency this morning read: “The NoiseNation Fan Group has done so much for the Lehigh Valley Professional Sports scene. Considering the number of blog reports, NoiseNationTV including the Piggy Patrol, the NoiseCast Podcast, and the awards they’ve won, we’re not sure there’s anything more to be done for the Lehigh Valley. We’ll listen to all offers and we’re not ruling out a return, but we need to test the market in order to determine our client’s value. We were surprised not to receive a fan-arbitration ruling. We expect to have a decision in the coming weeks.”
The free-agency period ends July 1, so it is expected that the group would have an agreement in place by then. The editor and president of NoiseNation, Dan, was unavailable at press time. A recording from his office suggested that the Seahawks had won a football game and that he may be on his way to Disney World, but the details were not clear.
The NoiseNation Fan Group has supported and reported on all of the Lehigh Valley Professional Sports Franchises, including the IronPigs, Phantoms, SteelHawks, Velodrome, Rollergirls, and others since 2008. Sources suggest that with the high cost of travel including gasoline prices and hotel accommodations, that despite high ticket prices, the fan group would probably accept the so-called “home town discount.” However, the source did allow that a newly-refurbished stadium in Moosic could lure the group. Baseball is also available in nearby Reading as well as Trenton, NJ. There are hockey arenas in Reading, Wilkes-Barre, Binghamton, NY, and Hershey, PA. There are two new PIFL football teams in Trenton and Harrisburg this year.
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We’re playin’. But keep in mind, as fans, we’re all free agents. Always. Free to choose which teams to support with our time, money and hearts. There are no contractual obligations.
Filed under Noise Nation History
If you look at the top left of this page you will see a change we implemented today.
Hail and Welcome to Noise Nation TV!
Farewell to the Noise Nation Calendar. You served us well.
What exactly is Noise Nation TV? Well, first and foremost… it’s for fun!
Periodically we will be posting fun videos as we capture them, throw in some specials using Kram’s “Piggy Patrol” segment as well as the newly minuted “Dijon Dipro” and occasionally a “Vast Valley of Sports” feature.
To access Noise Nation TV simply click on the image on the left side of this page! Enjoy!
Kram’s Piggy Patrol
Episode 1 of Vast Valley of Sports – “Day of Dipro”
Filed under Noise Nation History, NoiseNation TV
We at the Noise Nation have been busy! They say pictures can be worth a 1,000 words and we wondered how many words a video would be worth…?
Enjoy!
We’ve been kind of quiet here on the Horn & Bell this week.
Someone once told me that I shouldn’t worry about chatty folks but to “Look out for the quiet ones, they are up to something.”
Well…
We’re up to something!
We’re up to something good!
Ebay has been involved. A seamstress has been involved. Many hours of silence bringing this together, just for you!
It won’t be done overnight and you’ll be the first to witness its debut so stay tuned!
****
Hats off to Ethan Martin for his first MLB win today as well as Cody Asche for his first MLB home run!
Oink! Screech! Roll on!
Last night we were invited to the Lehigh Valley Heritage Society by the Morning Call to honor Lehigh Valley bloggers. This is the third year for the Morning Call’s My Choice Voice blog awards and it was a really good time.
I arrived just as the event opened up and was greeted by a time traveler…
There is a great Abraham Lincoln display at the Museum currently and we ran into Honest Abe himself!
There were snacks and beverages set up (This was a high class event) and was soon joined by the Morning Call’s own Social Media guru Stephanie Sigafoos who gave me a tour of the museum. There are many high end local treasures on display at the museum. Allentown specific currency over 100 years old including the actual printing plates to print the cash, old farm implements and children’s toys from the earliest times of the Lehigh Valley. I encourage you to take a few hours and check out this gem. Details of hours/admission are on their website linked above.
I have to admit, I was limited to my phone for photography as the rest of the Noise Nation staff was out getting more material to share with our readers. DiPro and Kram took in an early game in Reading before getting together with Cheryl and heading over to Coca Cola Park early for some Noise Nation exclusives with the IronPigs. I’ll share a link to the Morning Call’s coverage later.
So the big news. I should really say BIG NEWS! The Noise Nation’s Horn & Bell Blog was honored for the third year as the “Best Sports Blog!” Not only that, we were recognized as the “Best Overall Blog!” Best Overall! Top Dog! I still have trouble believing that one with all the high quality blogs out there. Shane’s “Laughing at my Nightmare” blog, Wacker’s “Lehigh Valley With Love” blog and (although I still think she’s spelling it incorrectly) Jamie’s “Save the Kales” blog are among last night’s honorees and among my favorites. Along with being bloggers I see all these folks as friends and it was a great night for everyone involved.
All award winners by category:
Art: Arts@Lehigh Blog
Business and Technology: @JeremyLittau
Entertainment and Nightlife: The El Vee
Family: One Punky Mama
Fitness and Health: Kim’s Healthy Eats
Food: Save the Kales
Humor: Laughing At My Nightmare
Misfits Defying Categorization: Hello Home Shoppe
Music: Neck Pickup
Neighborhood: Mulroy Wondering and Wandering
News: Lehigh Valley with Love
Opinion: Molovinsky on Allentown
Personal: Hope Street
Photography: BarNone Weddings & Entertainment
Politics: Lehigh Valley Ramblings
Religion: Rik Potter: A Journal of Magickal Spirituality
Sports: The Noise Nation’s Horn & Bell
Style Scene: Lehigh Valley Transplant
Best Overall Blog: The Noise Nation’s Horn & Bell
Now to take a moment and send out my thanks. Many, many, many thanks to Decal, DiPro, Kram and Cheryl for all their hard work and effort to keep this blog, not only keeping it alive, but to keep it moving forward and to greater and more exciting places. It would be nowhere without your help and I stand and applaud for you!
Many thanks to all who voted for our blog and a special thanks to our friends at the LV Steelhawks, LV Rollergirls and LV IronPigs. We know you were voting and truly appreciate it!
A great big thank you to the Morning Call for holding this event for us each year and here’s to this event growing in the years to come!
One thank you and nod up to the Big Guy too.
So where do we go now?
I felt this is a perfect time to share with you new and exciting directions the Horn & Bell will be heading.
Look forward to seeing:
– More and more high quality podcasts from our dynamic duo DiPro & Kram. They will be getting the inside scoop, having special guests and providing you with stuff you might not hear about otherwise!
– More video. I love video, don’t you? Cheryl and Kram will be working towards interviews and some “On the spot” location reports. (There is also a very special uniform being procured as I type this) Stay Tuned!
– The continued Fan’s View of Lehigh Valley sports!
It’s going to be a great year!
Link to the Morning Call’s Photo gallery from the My Choice Voice Blog Awards.
Link to the Morning Call’s coverage of the My Choice Voice Blog Awards.
Filed under Noise Nation History
We made some new friends today, check out their Phillies news site at Phielder’s Choice!
Filed under Noise Nation History
This morning we learned of the passing of our dear friend and Noise Nation member George Kordalski.
So many great memories of George… his kindness and enthusiasm. His ability to make everyone smile and ever ready with a joke.
One of my favorite memories of George.
George was with the Noise Nation group even before we became the Noise Nation and will be greatly missed.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Filed under Noise Nation History
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