It’s been a busy week for me so to catch up with a few things…

First off, hail and farewell to Cory Sullivan who was released to add Scott Posednik to the Ironpig’s roster. Posednik actually broke up today’s potential perfect game by Rochester’s highly touted prospect Kyle Gibson. Gibson tossed the first 6 innings like a finely tuned guitar and came out with the win as Ironpig’s starter Bump allowed his ERA to rise to 6.18 on the season allowing 6 runs in 5 innings.

It was a beautiful day at the Coke today. Saw a bunch of friends and was surprised at the low attendance for a Sunday 84 degree partly cloudy day game. 9,080 fans purchased tickets today and I would say it was close to that many in attendance. Also noticed a familiar face in the stands that I normally see behind a ticket window. It seems the office is giving employees a day at the game to enjoy. Awful nice of them. Get a perspective of the experience from our view point.

Seems the Ironpigs can’t quite pull out the brooms this year. Another 3 win 1 loss series. Not that I’m complaining as they have been playing far beyond the Pig teams of the past but it would be nice to pull out the broom and wave it proudly following a third out.

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Last night the Noise Nation also got to see the LV Steelhawks 3rd consecutive win! The Hawks took down the Richmond Revolution in their final home game of the 2011 season. Really great people in that organization and look forward to 2012! Ran into a reporter from the NY Times who was looking to learn more about arena football and smaller market sports fans. Nice guy and all had a great time!

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Saw a tweet earlier from our good friend Tommy V out in Reading.. Mike Spidale became the leader in all time hits for the Reading Phillies this afternoon. Good to see such an accomplishment by a good guy.

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That’s about I have today. I’ve been getting a lot of sun this week and finally installed my AC.

It’s time for a nap.

The Pigs took down the Rochester Redwings tonight by a final score of 10 to 2.

The bigger news is the possible return of 2008 Ironpigs Les Walrond! It’s been flying all over Twitter that the Phillies have signed the man who struck out a team record of 17 opposing batters in 2008 and have assigned him to Reading. Seeing the transaction train moving along it might not be long before we see Walrond back at CCP.

Walrond spent two seasons in Japan in 2009 and 2010, with Yokohama and Doosan. With a combined 12-19 record for those season, I hope Les can get back to the standard he set for the dismal Ironpigs so long ago.

I will be attending the Steelhawks final home game of their first season tomorrow at Stabler Arena. The Hawks are hoping to win their 3rd straight game and although playoffs don’t appear in the near future it will be a great way to end the season with a few wins.

See you tomorrow!

From the Steelhawks:

Bethlehem, PA: The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks welcome the Richmond Revolution to the Stabler Arena for their final home game of their inaugural season this Saturday at 7 p.m. The game marks the fourth time in 2011 the two teams will meet up. The Steelhawks hold the edge on the season, 2-1 but lost to the Rev’s in their Home Opener back on March 19th in an Overtime thriller. The team is fresh off a 37-28 victory over the 8-4 Fairbanks Grizzlies last weekend.

The Revolution head to Pennsylvania coming off a win themselves last weekend, as they defeated the La Crosse Spartans 40-37. With a 2-9 record, Richmond sits a game behind the Steelhawks in the Atlantic Division. Look for Revolution Quarterback Monte Purvis to target Wide Receiver Scorpio Brown early and often in this contest as the pair have been hot of late. The Steelhawks will also have to account for the Richmond running game which is among the best in the IFL.

The Steelhawks got wins back to back for the first time in their short existence with an exhilarating finish last Sunday against the Fairbanks Grizzlies who were riding an eight game winning streak. New comers Andre Higgins (4 catches for 34 yards, 1 TD) and Roshawn Marshall (2 INT return for TD’s) added the spark needed to raise some eyebrows league wide. In this contest, look for a heavy dose of Running backs Isaiah Grier and Ryan Leafey who have had plenty of success running against the Rev’s this season.

“We need to keep the pedal to the metal and finish this season off the right way,” stated Steelhawks Head Coach Rich Britt. “The pieces, and the plan are beginning to come together but we can not let up. Richmond has been extremely well of late and are looking for redemption against us so we will need to play another complete game from start to finish. ”

Kickoff for the game is slated for 7 p.m., Saturday, May 28th with doors opening at 6 p.m. The game is the first annual Heroes Night, as any military personnel, police officers, and first responders will receive 50% off the regular ticket pricing for the game. Fans coming to cheer on the Steelhawks are urged to wear their black and Vegas gold in support! Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling the Steelhawks front office at 610-282-3100, via the Steelhawks Website (www.lvsteelhawks.com), thru ticketmaster, or by visiting the Stabler Arena Box Office at 124 Goodman in Bethlehem. For further information on the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks please contact Executive Vice President Mike Clark at 610-282-3100.Season ticket flex packages, starting as low as $8 per game, are still available but great seats are limited so reserve your seats close to the action and call the team’s front office at 610-282-3100. Don’t miss out on the fun and exciting atmosphere that is Steelhawks Professional Indoor Football!

Great news in today! Our Cook book fundraiser for the National Brain Tumor Society is happy to announce that cook book will arrive on Wednesday, June 2nd and will be available for sale soon after!

The books are spiral bound and will cost $20 each. As our sponsors helped us to cover the print costs, 100% of sales will go directly to our chosen charity, the National Brain Tumor Society! I will announce here when the books are in hand and ready to be sold (It might take a day or two to make the finishing touches)

The finishing touches I am speaking of is inserting 5 coupons from local restaraunts! Don’t feel like cooking? Stop out and enjoy a meal at our sponsors!

Each of the first 200 books will include coupons for:
1 free appetizer at Applebees
1 free appetizer at Outback Steakhouse
$5 off any food or beverage purchase at Buca di Beppo (Over $20)
1 free appetizer or 1 free brunch entree or 1 complimentary kids meal at Bravo! Cucina Italiana!
1 Coupon from Carrabas!

So how do you get a cookbook? Easy, just let me know. I can be reached by email editor@LVnoisenation.com or find me out on the town. We are able to mail the books to you, there will be a shipping charge (about $5 flat rate USPS). We will also be setting up dates and times where you can buy cookbooks. Stay tuned to the blog for more details.

To sum up the book, there will be:
20 Appetizer & Drink Recipes!
11 Salads & Sauces!
12 Side Dishes!
23 Soups, Snacks & Sandwiches!
38 Main Dishes!
41 Desserts!

A whopping total of 145 favorite recipes of the Noise Nation’s family, friends and athletes!

I know you are wondering who these athletes are so…

Allison & Brandon Moss
Amber & Brian Mazone
Andy & Tiffany Tracy
April Slayden McKinney (Jeremy Slayden’s sister)
Bubba Bell
Carrie & Drew Carpenter
Cheryl & Nate Bump
Erik & Sarah Kratz
Jeff Larish
Jessica Williams (Of the National Pro Fastpitch Softball League)
Lauren & Mike Zagurski
Matt Rizzotti
Michael Schwimer
Natalie & Brian Bocock
Sarah & Ryan Feierabend
Scott Mathieson

Also an old family recipe from our favorite radio broadcaster Matt Provence!

Several recipes from these great businesses in the area!
Looper’s Bar & Grille
Black Forrest Deli

A special mention to the wonderful sponsors whose generosity made this project possible:
Applebees
Aw Shucks
BVD’ Rangs
Bravo!
Buca di Beppo
Cast group
Easton Women’s Softball League
Condoms galore
Diamondwear Apparel
Westgate Optical
Enternet
Fink Ink
Fossils Last Stand Pub & Grill
Frank Mitman Digital Imagine
Heather Mastropieri – My Thirty One
Hidden Mountain Coffee Traders
JC Sons Excavating
Kathy Frederici – Arbonne International
Martin’s chips
Nacci Printing
PA Commercial Action Network
Michael Schlossberg
Mike Welsh
Modern Design Salon
Outback
Philly Pretzel
Whitehall Turf Equipment
Scentsible by nature
Scott & Annemarie
Trexler Auto Sales
Tommy Burke Provisions

Thanks to all who helped bring this project together!

As Jose Contreras was recalled to the Phillies, they sent Herndon back to the Ironpigs.

Also, Niuman Romero was sent from LV to Reading.

Would you believe we didn’t win? We played in the Hackers and Homers golf tournament today. Had a great time. Sunburnt and dehydrated. I believe a 52 or 53 won.

Guess I have a whole year to practice for the next one.

Here I’m supposed to mention something about Steve and Tennessee and basketball.. but I forget the rest. 🙂

See you all tomorrow.

They looked like the Pigs of old during this double header today vs. Gwinnett. What could go wrong, did. They lost both games, won’t go into anymore detail. It happens now and then.

10,000 tickets were sold for this game, boosted mainly by school students who swarmed The Coke this morning and promptly left after the first game was complete. I would guess about 2-300 stayed making the place feel like any other ballpark. I did notice the “novelties” of the park struggling to perform with so little fan participation and cheers and it gave me a bad feeling about the future.

Looking at Clearwater’s 23 inning loss last night with a paid attendance of 330 fans, yes.. 330 fans it made me wonder how long the fanbase will stick around here in Allentown. Don’t get me wrong, the team is still pulling in great numbers, 8,656 fans a game on average.. which is good for 1st overall in AAA baseball. But I got that sinking feeling that one day we could end up like other teams in our league that, like us, once had thriving ballparks full of fans.

It also brought to mind the real reasons I go to the games. It’s not the pork race or the thrill of seeing AAA baseball. It’s the friends we have formed over the past 4 years. Seeing the kids quickly growing up, sharing stories of the early days and taking a walk around the concourse to visit folks you otherwise wouldn’t know without the opportunity to get together for a ball game. This team has really brought our community together and continues to do so.

I say this because it is not anything that goes on within the baseball themed pinball machine that minor league baseball has become that makes it fun. It’s the fans. Without fans there is no fun and there is no family. Let me take a moment to tip my hat to those who attend Ironpig games regularly and continue to make Coca Cola the best place to watch a baseball game!

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With the recent changes to Facebook, where our “Noise Nation” fan group roster is located, I am getting frustrated with the restrictions and resulting SPAM sent out by the group settings. What I’m looking for is ideas how we, as fans, can form a communications base where we can share information, news and interact while not at the field. I am adding a poll with a few of my suggestions and encourage you to add yours to the comments below.

Joe Savery had 2 shutout innings pitched for Clearwater tonight but don’t get your hopes up.. it was late in their 23 inning loss to Jupiter tonight.

They got all that baseball and we got a rain out.. bummer.

The weather tonight made the final decision for the postponement but unless you were there you wouldn’t have known it. It really only rained for about 30 minutes of the close to 2 hour rain delay. About 7:30 the clouds seemed to break and we thought it was clearing but then an ominous black cloud descended upon us. The cloud then slowly circled the park and even though the flags were hanging straight down, the darkness slowly circled the park. Around 8:30 the game was called and I breathed a sigh of relief. That could have turned ugly quick with a remaining 2,000 fans still at the park.

Tonight’s game will be made up tomorrow as the tail end of the scheduled education day double header.

The big question that came to mind is.. Does Coca Cola Park have an emergency evacuation plan in place to safeguard 10,000 people in case of an immediate weather threat? Think about it, if a tornado touches down and you have 10,000 folks standing out in the open what happens? It brings back memories of the airliner that flew over the park a season ago with an engine on fire (we heard the boom and saw the smoke trail).. It would make sense to have a plan, might even be required. Anyone out there know?