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I read the articles each year after the Ironpigs opened up single game ticket sales. The same thing was stated. “We are doing better than we anticipated.” or “We are ahead of where we were last year.”

This year, I’m not buying it and it seems the fans haven’t gotten around to it yet either. The Ironpig’s website had a banner this morning showing that there are still tickets available to the Opening night game tomorrow against the Redwings. Granted, the extremely beautiful weather leading up to the start of the Lehigh Valley’s 3rd season with the Pigs may have some cautioned about impending bad weather but I still find this odd.

Last year attendence was low in early April, as temperatures were consistantly low and those April showers made themselves known. That was last year and this year is this year. I just can’t see that Opening Day isn’t sold out. Heck, even Syracuse filled their stadium on Opening Day last week.

I’m thinking that a sell out will be announced but what type of sellout will it be? In following minor league baseball there are several types of sellout crowds.

Capacity crowd – where 10,000 people actually show up. This can be calculated by looking at tickets bought AND used.

Paid Attendance Sell out -where 10,000 tickets were purchased whether they showed up or not.

Seats Sold Sell out – where every “seat” is sold for a game. This does not include the Picnic area, the 1000+ General Admission lawn seats and luxary boxes. This also does not take into account if people actually show up.

As all stats are subject to manipulation and viewpoint this does not surprise me at all. The Reading Phillies are the only team I have personally encountered who announce a Paid Attendance and Actual Attendance.

Let’s hope people come out to support our team and to plug a frequent reader… if you can’t make it to a game, share that ticket with a friend!

UPDATE******
It was brought to my attention that this week is the week for standardized testing in schools. Being a school night and the kids having to take a test the next day could impact ticket sales.

The Ironpig’s were too little and too late in their comeback tonight against the Pawsox. They had the bases loaded with one out in the 9th down and couldn’t quite pull off the comeback. Perhaps tomorrow?

Plus’s
Ehren Wasserman pitched 2.2 innings allowing only 2 hits and 1 earned run. His control seems suspect as he hit two batters with a pitch.

John Mayberry hit the ball hard tonight including a triple and 2 RBI.

40 year old Pawsox reliever walked in a run for the Pigs in the 9th. Ok, not really a plus but I thought it was interesting.

Boo’s
Drew Carpenter lasted only 3.1 innings, his shortest AAA start in his career. He gave up 6 hits and 5 earned runs.

Rich Thompson was again relegated to a pinch role, being placed as a pinch runner in the 9th inning for Paul Hoover. I understand the outfield is stacked but I feel Thompson has earned his place in the Lehigh Valley outfield.

Luis Maza went down swinging to end the game with the tying run on second base. With the control problems Pawsox pitchers were experiencing I feel letting that meatball of a 3-0 pitch go by wasn’t the best option.

Looking at the start of Cleveland catching prospects, former Ironpig Lou Marson has a big shadow creeping up on him and that shadow’s name is Carlos Santana.

First 4 games of 2010

Marson with Cleveland
13 AB, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO

Santana with Columbus
16 AB, 7 H, 6 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI 21 TB, 2 BB

Looking at these numbers shows you Marson hasn’t warmed up yet this year and that Santana still hasn’t cooled off on a premier minor league career.

What are your thoughts on how soon Cleveland will give Santana the call?

..for the Ironpig’s home opener.

For your enjoyment, I found an edited video of last year’s 2009 AAA All Star Game Home Run Derby. Not only is Andy Tracy a participant but a local high school player makes it to the second round! Enjoy!

The Ironpigs have finished their first 4 game set of the season and did not get swept! That has a nice sound to it. They are also playing hard ball this year as the hits and runs are a plenty. Although the bullpen has some catching up to do, which I anticipate will happen shortly. Remember, these Pigs are made of Iron and it takes some oil to get off the rust….

Only 2 days away from the Home Opener here in the Lehigh Valley. We’ve waiting all winter for this day! I just checked their website and it appears tickets are still available for the game Wednesday. I’m sure it will sell out by gametime but it surprises me that it hasn’t already. A sign of the future or just an anomoly? Or could it be that the Reading Phillies announced a showdown of former Phillies prospect Kyle Drabek against Phillipe Aumont (aquired from Seattle in the Cliff Lee trade) on Wednesday in Reading. I have to say even I am tempted to go to that game instead. I won’t.. but I was tempted!

Good stuff ahead. The Pigs play their first evening game tonight in Pawtucket and you can only hope that in the colder weather no injuries will happen.

Looking forward to a heavy hitting, hard throwing and healthy 2010 Ironpig team’s arrival on Wednesday!

2 days…

I spent most of my day at a birthday party outside of Ironpig’s Radio Network and 3G range so I didn’t find out until a friend text messaged me that the Pigs finally won a game in a series of barn burners up in Syracuse.

Hopefully their luck, and hitting, continues as they proceed on to Pawtucket to take on the Paw Sox!

The Pigs burned another great opportunity to win a game today. Altogether they are playing hard and soon it will come together.

Plus’s
The team is continuing its ability to hit the ball and score runs. The Pig’s have hit double digit numbers today for the 3rd time in 3 games this season.

The middle of the lineup woke up and combined for 9 hits. (Valdez, Mayberry, Tracy, Sellers, Wise)

Andy Tracy hit the first HR for the Ironpigs this season for his 271st career minor league home run.

Cody Ransom’s patience at bat in a clutch situation to force an 8 pitch walk set up Chris Duffy’s go ahead HR in the top of the ninth.

The Chief’s attempt at a suicide squeeze in the bottom of the ninth was unsuccessful but always exciting.

Zagurski stood tall after giving up a tying run in the 9th by striking out the next two batters.

Boo’s
Ehren Wasserman pushed his ERA for the season to 81.00 after giving up 2 hits and one run, not getting any outs after allowing a HR in the 7th inning.

Valdez’s error helped Syracuse to get 3 runs on the board. The infield improved today by replacing Ransom with Sellers at 3rd base but still not looking brilliant.

The Ironpig’s have announced that the 3rd annual “Hackers & Homers” golf tournament will be held on May 26th at the Bethlehem Golf club. It’s a shotgun start at 8am and I believe it will be best ball. At least it was last year.

This is a great time. There are contests and complimentary food and beverages, (Last year Budweiser was a sponsor and there was no shortage of free beverages), and the banquet provided at the end was better than any golf outting I’ve ever attended.

I really encourage you all to come on out and enjoy this. Not only is it fun but Ironpig Charities does a lot to help local kids organizations.

More details can be found on the Ironpig’s website.

Anyone who has ever encountered a pesty server who is so proud of the pepper mill entrusted to them will know that there is a such thing as “too much” pepper. Saturday Night Live’s “Pepper Boy” skit with Adam Sandler exemplifies this but that doesn’t involve baseball so I will move on…

Growing up watching baseball, I always noticed, at every stadium, the signs forbidding Pepper Games at MLB ballparks. I loved playing pepper in little league. I wasn’t fast but being a catcher, I was quick with my hands and was above average at it to be modest.

I always wondered why they wouldn’t allow such a fun game to be played?

I believe I’ve found an answer in a book that I’ve slowly been reading over the past few months. It’s called “We Played the Game” by Danny Peary, published by Tess Press. The book takes recollections of players throughout the years 1946 to the 1960’s and although it is a slow read it has some great stories in it.

One of those stories I will share with you is from former Philadelphia Phillie Andy Seminick.

Andy Seminick was the Phillies catcher from 1943-1951 then again from 1955-1957. He ended his career in Philadelphia and became a roving minor league instructor in the organization. He coached Mike Schmidt, Fergusun Jenkins, Greg Luzinski and was instrumental in converting Bob Boone from a 3rd baseman into a catcher.

In this story, Seminick is describing Richie Ashburn.

“In Shibe Park, our pitcher would warm up in front of the dugout, and Richie would always walk up and eyeball him. He’d step in and try to hit the ball back lightly back to the pitcher. But he’d often overswing and miss the ball or have it just graze the bat. I’d get mad because I wasn’t wearing my mask. (One day – I’m not sure in what year – our coach Benny Bengough was warming up a pitcher and Ashburn swung too hard and hit the ball right into the stands and knocked a guy’s eye out. The guy sued and collected, probably from the ballclub)” – From “We Played the Game” – Page 68

The Wikipedia entry for “Pepper(Baseball)” states the following:

“Pepper is a common pre-game exercise in baseball, where one player hits brisk ground balls and line drives to a group of fielders who are standing close by. The fielders try to make a play on the ball, and throw it back as quickly as possible. The batter then attempts to hit the return throw, and so on.

Some ballparks have banned pepper games because of the danger of balls landing in the stands and injuring spectators, leading them to display “NO PEPPER” warnings behind or near home plate. Major League Baseball has also discouraged pepper because it damages the infield grass.”

That story about Richie Ashburn is not the only instance of him unintentionally injuring a fan..

“During an August 17, 1957 game, Ashburn hit a foul ball into the stands that struck spectator Alice Roth, wife of Philadelphia Bulletin sports editor Earl Roth, breaking her nose. When play resumed, Ashburn fouled off another ball that struck Roth while she was being carried off in a stretcher. Ashburn and Roth would maintain a friendship for many years and her son later served as a Phillies batboy.” Wikipedia

So I suppose a Phillie had a hand in ending Pepper fun in ballparks across the USA. I wonder if kids even still play this? I can only hope.

The Ironpigs lost their second game of the season and second game in two days with the last at bat. Jason Anderson walked Pete Orr, Balked him to second and Cody Ransom’s 2nd error of the day put Orr on 3rd base. Orr then scored on Chris Duncan’s sacrifice fly to end the game. I think Dave Huppert should start Ransom on situps for every groundball missed this season.

Plus’s
Leadoff hitter Chris Duffy had a single, double, triple …and a walk.

Brian Bocock went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Rich Thompson’s success as a pinch hitter is evident with another 9th inning single and stolen base.

Paul Hoover gunned down two baserunners trying to steal 2nd Base.

Scott Mathieson fireballed two scoreless innings in relief showing why Brad Lidge needs to update his resume.

Boo’s
Starting pitcher Vogelsong wasn’t singing about the strike zone today. He issued 5 walks in 4 innings, recording only 2 strikeouts and allowed 3 unearned runs.

The Pigs could have had a better showing if not for 3 errors; Bocock, Ransom (2)

Andy Tracy striking out with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th with two outs topped off the afternoon for the middle of the order who went a combined 0 for 18. (Mayberry, Tracy, Ransom, Wise)