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Last night we got a rare treat at Coca Cola park, and I’m not talking about the All Star Sandwich (That should be available all season at the AT&T Plaza Grill). Three Ironpig home runs in one game doesn’t happen too often and to have it on such a beautiful night was the cherry on my pork sundae. Perhaps I shouldn’t say that too loud or concessions might give it a try…

Speaking of weather, tonight looks to be a little edgy with predictions of 40-50% chance of scattered thunderstorms. Thunderstorms don’t upset me as much as steady rain does. I came within about 50 feet of getting hit by lightning on a golf course when I was 15 and haven’t suffered any ill effects. I came within about 50 feet of getting hit by lightning on a golf course when I was 15 and haven’t suffered any ill effects. I came within about 50 feet of getting hit by lightning on a golf course when I was 15 and haven’t suffered any ill effects. I came within about 50 feet of getting hit by lightning on a golf course when I was 15 and haven’t suffered any ill effects. Anyways, those with my sense of humor will appreciate that. Be sure to bring your poncho (they can also be purchased in the clubhouse store, el cheapo style and even a higher quality poncho is available). I know they are allowed but I always felt umbrellas at a ball game were a little inconsiderate of those around you… especially those monster golf umbrellas. The best place to go during a storm is in the tunnel by the club gate entrance. Folks tend to collect at the ends of the grandstand by 1st and 3rd base and the middle is usually less crowded.

I am looking forward to the fireworks though. We got spoiled last year and towards the end of the season I tended to leave early to beat traffic.

Tonight’s matchup showcases two southpaws, Joe Savery for the Pigs and Glen Perkins for the Redwings. Savery hasn’t looked great so far this season and let’s hope Rod Nichols has some WD-40 with him to take that rust off of this Ironpig.

Wanted to send out a thanks to Keith Groller and the Morning Call for adding our link to his blog, Groller’s Corner. We appreciate your support!

OINK!

The Ironpigs got that all important first home win tonight defeating the Redwings 4-1 behind a solid start by Nate Bump and 2 innings from Scott Mathieson.

There could be a few theories to why the Ironpigs won tonight.

– The Pigs have won each time Cody Ransom has hit a home run.
– I was in line purchasing my first All Star sandwich when Wise and Mayberry hit back to back homeruns,
– The Ironpigs always have a big inning when there is a Tike on the Mike kid doing the player announcements.

Who knows.. who cares! THE PIGS WON!

Plus’s
Wise and Mayberry hit back to back Homeruns. That’s always exciting!

Scott Mathieson hit 97 and then the radar gun mysteriously stopped working. He was throwing some heat and I wonder if the Phillies want to keep the scouts guessing?

Andy Tracy went 2 for 4 and scored 1 of the Ironpigs runs!

Nate Bump pitched 7 solid innings scattering 6 hits for just one run!

That All Star sandwich was great! By far the best I’ve had at Coca Cola Park.. move over Philly Cheesesteak Fries.. there’s a new sherriff in town.

Nate Bump makes the list again with another “almost” great play. While fielding a swinging bunt, Bump jumped off the mound like a cat and threw to first while falling. Andy Tracy almost had the tag but the runners helmet hit the glove and the ball popped out.

Boo’s

Not really a boo, but a sad to see. Duffy’s 7 game hitting streak came to an end tonight.

Jaques Jones of the Redwings made two diving catches that most would have caught on the run. Maybe he’s got a dramatic flair but he made them more exciting than they had to be.

More plus’s than boo’s tonight! Good stuff people… good stuff!

I grew up loving baseball. At first, I was hesistant to play. I was shy and my first t-ball team was a leap for me to get into. I remember my first coach, who was also a member at my church, and his son, who was a classmate in both school and church school. He was so patient with us teaching us the basics of the game and encouraging us to try our best. Years later when I was the starting catcher for my high school team he mentioned that he first put me in as a catcher because I was afraid of the ball and he wanted me to be more comfortable in the game. I suppose the catching spot for me was destiny as I was a little shorter and a little chubbier than most of my teammates.

Those days spent at the Little League field in Topton, PA seem so long ago. Behind the field was a smaller, yet distinct field of play. Basepaths were worn in from countless games with a trash can for home plate, first base was whatever we could find and second and third were both fence posts. We didn’t play baseball on this field… that would have been forbidden to play outside of league activities. This was a cup ball field. We would dig out an old paper cup from the trash, crumble it up and we had a ball. If you were able to swat that pitched cup over the fence into Toad Creek you got a home run. If you fouled it off into the trash can.. you had to fish it out. We would get done with games and beg our parents to let us stay at the field to keep playing our cupball games that were occasionally interupted by having to play in league sanctioned baseball games. Now, growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s you will know the attitude adults took towards our game. If you don’t know this rent a copy of the original Bad News Bears movie and take note of the Yankee’s coach and how he treated the players. Baseball was supposed to be fun, but we had a better time playing on our own, by our own rules.

That was a long time ago. Nowadays kids are groomed to play baseball with camps and tutors and even acadamies for training youth to become pro baseball players. The book I’ve been reading about MLB players in the 1940’s has countless stories of children, born into the Great Depression, coming from backgrounds of farming, coal mining, blue collar communities that worked hard each and every day. Some of their families were grateful of the small amounts of money the players would make to play a game while others would scoff at the idea of being paid for such minimal work. When we look at players today, you might see a few that came from that kind of background but I would say we see more that have been catered and groomed into the career they now pursue. There are actual schools out there for teenagers that their entire curriculum is surrounded by baseball. They have professional coaches, trainers, facilities, cafeterias providing menus created by professional nutricianists. It makes me wonder how someone can come out of high school or college and refuse to sign a contract without a multi-million dollar guaranteed bonus before even playing one game professionally. I suppose this is what baseball has become, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t long for the past.

Those days when you hurried through the last few innings because it was dusk and soon would be dark.

Those days when a radio was kept near the dugout so you could listen to Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas call the Phillies game.

Those days when an opposing team would be short a player and a subsitute would be drafted from the playground. My rate at that time to sub for another team was one hot dog. Like I said, I was a chubby kid.

Yesterday I took a longer route to Coca Cola Park and drove through Allentown on Tighlman street. Traffic stopped me next to a ballfield and as I watched, I saw no uniforms, I saw no adults… I saw one wooden bat with some tape around it (remember when duct tape was all you needed to fix a broken bat?) a bunch of kids wearing what was probably their school clothes and a lot of smiles and cheers.

As Archie Bunker would have said… Those were the days…

The Phillies have moved Melvin Dorta from Reading to Lehigh Valley’s roster to replace Wilson Valdez who was promoted to Philadelphia to fill in for the injured Jimmy Rollins.

In 17 at bats in Reading this season, Dorta has had 3 hits, 3 runs and 1 stolen base.

The Ironpig’s fighting spirit showed through last night and the stadium staff did not disappoint. Last night was a good showing for the Lehigh Valley and although not a sellout… the crowd was enthusiastic and impressively supportive of the team.

In the Pork Races, hot dog “Diggity” came out of the gates early with a commanding lead leaving Hambone and Cris P. Bacon to fight it out for the number 2 spot. Diggity showed his true character at the finish line.. waiting arrogantly to cross until his opponents were within sight. Some things never change..

All put together it was a fun and enjoyable evening at the ballpark. The Lehigh Valleyians who came out must have been thinking about ballpark food as food lines were incredibly long and supplies ran low towards the end of the game. At one point my 6th inning trip for an Irongrille Brat was delayed due to the stand running out of buns. This is by no means a hit to the concessions as fans gobbled down every goodie to be found!

I did previously forget to mention the Army Black Knights Parachute team, braving high winds, jumping from a helicopter. This was not an easy ordeal. They could easily have called this off due to unsafe conditions but they came to perform and perform they did. 4 out of the five jumpers made it onto the field… turn that into a batting average and we have an MVP for the season! I personally have been deployed on a helicopter both inside and hanging from a rope below it and can say that must not have been an easy task.

Good times. Good stuff. Great season ahead!

Tonight’s game was a muffled effort by the Ironpig’s as they could only muster 2 runs off of 8 hits. They had a chance to break it open when they loaded the bases but a strikeout looking and a hard hit line drive to the left fielder ended the inning.

The Pigs seemed a little tense tonight. I got there early and was able to peer through the fence to watch warmups. The Pigs were all lined up stretching and warming up as if a Drill Instructor were leading the charge. When I looked over to the Redwings side of the field they were loose, soft tossing with each other and I even spotted a playfull game of Pepper going on in the outfield. I wonder if the players were worried about impressing us fans? They know we are there for them.. let’s make sure they know we support them through the good and the bad.

Plus’s
The Shock Top VW bug with mohawk was pretty cool.

Not much tonight. Noone hit the ball hard and the Redwings seemed to hit the hole each time.

Ran into the performer who sang the National Anthem tonight after the game. Spoke for a few minutes about how he felt the song should be sung and I couldn’t have been happier. Glad to see there’s someone with a little fame under his belt who respects the Star Spangled Banner and what it means. We need him back again.

Starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong showed some promise striking out 6 but also issued 4 walks and was the victim of the other team hitting where the fielders weren’t. I have to be honest and say I was worried how he would perform. If he can refine his location a bit he will do good for the Pigs this summer.

Got to say hi face to face with some frequent readers tonight. Always great to see everyone and I have to say I missed a good bit of the game catching up with folks I met last year.

Boo’s
The game attendance was announced as 9,811 which in my eyes is not a sell out. They might have sold every seat but this season’s opener had elbow room most likely because of it being a school night (remember those standardized tests are this week) and the cool windy weather. The weather was probably the nicest opening day the Pigs have had as the past two were much colder without sun.

I saw enough of the elementary school jumprope team to last me a lifetime.

Andy Tracy continues to struggle. Although he belted out a nice base hit early in the game, he struck out 3 times tonight. We’re rooting for you Andy!

There was no evidence of this mythical All Star sandwich seen in the Noise Nation.

Now to address those dozen or so folks who came out and ragged on me…

“Sold out this year?” “Gone corporate did you?” “Bet they paid you a lot for that one!”

I can assure you the Noise Nation did not receive any benefits from Wawa or the new sign that they have placed in right center field other than the sign itself. You have to remember, this is the Ironpig’s house (at least it is while they are renting it from us Lehigh County taxpayers) and they can do with it what they want.

If Phillies Shortstop Jimmy Rollins does indeed go on the Disabled list, there is a lot of talk that Lehigh Valley Ironpig Wilson Valdez will be called up. Valdez has been on fire with the bat and solid defensively and this would make sense to fill a hole in the Phillies roster if needed.

Frequent Reader “Decal” pointed out a couple days ago that while Valdez is the obvious choice, he is unlikely the chosen one. With Valdez out of options, once Rollins came back to the lineup, Valdez would need to clear waivers before a reassignment to the minor leagues. With his play of late the Phillies organization stands a good chance of losing Valdez on waivers after his assignment to the Big team was up.

Decal’s thoughts:
“If Rollins goes on the DL I seriously doubt Wilson Valdez would get called up to take his place. Valdez is out of options and would have to clear waivers in order to be sent back down to AAA. Brian Bocock is the logical choice to be called up since he is already on the 40 man roster and has options remaining. A Jimmy Rollins rehab assignment at CCP would be nice but that also seems unlikely if J-Roll needs only the minimum amount of time on the DL. That 2 week stint would put the Ironpigs in the middle of a roadtrip.”

I agree that Bocock would be the call. Coming up from Reading to fill the spot would be Pinkney.

Speaking of Rehab appearances, I am curious if we might see Brad Lidge this year. Anyone else think we will see him in an Ironpig uniform this season?

Today is the day we’ve been waiting for since September of last year! Finally, the Ironpigs will have their first official game of 2010 in Coca Cola Park!

If you hadn’t seen the Morning Call this morning there is a nice article about Ironpig’s Director of Promotions Lindsey Knupp. Lindsey has been a strong supporter of the Noise Nation since its inception and continues to be one of our greatest friends within the organization. The Noise Nation doesn’t thank you enough for your assistance!

To read the complete article, click here.

Some things I look forward to include:
The first official Pork Race of the year. Hopefully Hambone has been training in the off season.

The “New Look” that Ferrous and FeFe have been rumored to have.

Those Sandwiches that Kram209 won’t stop talking about. Getting hungry just thinking about it now.

The great employees that fill Coca Cola Park each season. Looking forward to a high five from the Parking gang to the jokes of the food stands and even the dreaded launch-a-ball crew.

This season will certainly be a fun one and while most feel the highlight will be the All Star game in July.. I’d rather see a game with just the Ironpigs. Although voting is done by fans so.. can we do it Lehigh Valley? Can we vote in all Ironpigs for the All star game? Hmmm

While my 11 year old Weimaraner Wally will be attending his 4th Ironpig game I would like to take a moment to share what I’ve experienced in the past.

– If you cannot control your dog, leave them at home. We know you mean well but dogs can cause injuries to others and themselves. Having control of a dog means the dog does what you intend it to do, not vice versa.

– If you’re dog has EVER shown aggression to another person or another dog, leave them at home. How many times did I hear, “He’s never done that before! Well, he did bite the mailman, the neighbor kid and cousin Bill at the reunion..”

– Don’t feed your dog chili before the ball game. This goes for ballpark food as well. Those concrete pavements are grooved to provide traction and serve equally well to trap, well something that ought not to be trapped there. We had a dog relieve himself behind us last year and the smell took about 2 or 3 good rains to completely wash it away. Bring some dog treats and be sure to share!

– Dog days are extremely popular! Last game I believe close to 300 dogs showed up. Keep in mind that dogs are social and want to talk, sniff and play. You most likely won’t get a lot of time to watch the game.

And for your entertainment, I found this video of a dog day gone wrong.

The Ironpigs took on the Pawtucket Pawsox in the second game of a 2 game set in Pawtucket and we got a taste of what everyone in the Lehigh Valley has expected out of this experienced crew of veteran ballplayers. The Pigs used an 8 run 2nd inning to boost their lead and road those runs to the victory.

So far the Pigs have had some high scores and hard hitting games to open the season. Let’s hope this continues for us when they return to Coca Cola Park tomorrow to face the Rochester Redwings. Game time is 7:05pm and expect there to be a lot of other activities for the third opening day in Ironpigs history.

Plus’s
The Pig’s offense exploded in the second inning for a club record 8 runs with a mix of walks and solid hitting. The ability to have an explosive inning like this is an indicator of what we almost saw last night in coming back late in the game when behind by 2+ runs.

Wilson Valdez is ON FIRE! His average is in the high .400’s and could be looking at some time in Philly pending the results of Jimmy Rollins MRI. Rollins injured himself during warmups before yesterday’s game at CBP.

Brian Mazone gave up no runs and 4 hits with 1 BB and 4 K’s in 5 innings of work today. Most of the bad stuff happened in the first inning when he allowed the bases to load and then got out of a jam. Still not impressed as pitching with a 12 run lead tends to soften up the tension level and effort of the opposing team.

Pawtucket Boof Bonser has one of those old time cool nicknames that only baseball players can come up with. Apparently Boof legally changed his name to Boof a few years back.

The Ironpigs did not commit a single error in this game!

Jake Woods and Jason Anderson combined for 4 scoreless innings of relief allowing only 4 hits.

Boo’s
When your team is up by so many runs, it’s hard to find something to boo about. The only thing that comes close is Andy Tracy going 0 for 3 before being lifted for pinch hitter Rich Thompson. Even the great ones have a few off days… save those hits for CCP Andy!