Nice music video passed to me from Decal…

He just wants a baseball glove autographed by Roy Halladay for Christmas. Keep a close eye to the video, some subtle humor included. Enjoy!

120 things to do before Ironpig’s opening day.

120. Get a McDonald’s McRib
119. Thank a Veteran for their service
118. Send a favorite recipe to the Noise Nation cook book
117. Have sushi for dinner
116. Take a walk in the park
115. Drive through the Lights in the Parkway
114. Listen to your favorite song over and over all day
113. Take an afternoon off and go bowling
112. Do a good deed
111. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

110. Clean out your car/vehicle
109. Eat a tray full of Philly Pretzels
108. Have lunch at the Black Forrest Deli
107. Get a mixed case of A-Treat soda
106. Eat a few Yacco dogs and wash down with chocolate milk
105. Quit smoking
104. Go Christmas shopping
103. Call Matt Provence and ask, “Is it April yet?”
102. Wonder if the Ironpigs will hit .500 in 2011
101. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

100. Watch the Twitter feed from the baseball winter meetings
99. Drive to Reading to check out their stadium renovations
98. Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame
97. Check out the Majestic outlet tent sale
96. Get a chili cheese foot long hot dog from Sonic
95. Try an afternoon of disc golf
94. Create a random Facebook petition and see how many join your cause
93. Email Andy Tracy asking if he’s coming back
92. Check out the pro shop at Coca Cola Park
91. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

90. Take in a trivia night at Applebees
89. Try wing night at the Pig Pen
88. Wonder why most of these ideas are food related
87. Join the Noise Nation’s weight loss challenge
86. Give up on weight loss challenge and have another McRib
85. Have a martini
84. Have a second martini
83. Drink ginger ale instead
82. Wash your bedding
81. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

80. Check out Todd Zolecki’s Phillies blog
79. Give up cell phone use while driving
78. Bleed the water lines in your home of air
77. Check the air in your car tires.
76. Change your car’s oil
75. Realize Dan is running thin on subject matter with all this car stuff.
74. Go through old clothes and donate to charity
73. Get a massage
72. Take another walk. After all this food you’ll need to
71. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

70. Clean the garage and / or basement
69. No comment
68. Clean all the windows in the house
67. Check your home for cold drafts
66. Go to Liberty St Tavern for colder drafts.. good pizza too
65. Make a big pot of chili to share with friends
64. Watch football?
63. Send a recipe to Dan so he stops nagging you for one
62. Make a scrapbook of your Ironpig memories
61. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

60. Reserve your seat for the Phillies Caravan event
59. Read the Horn and Bell blog daily, tell your friends
58. Clean out the rain gutters
57. Send Christmas cards
56. Watch every episode of the Office
55. Subscribe to Netflix (Be careful, it’s addictive)
54. Dress up like a Rhinoceros and run around Coca Cola Park
53. Keep a countdown until pitchers and catchers report
52. Try some Vietnamese Pho
51. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

50. Send flowers to someone you love
49. Write a letter. A real letter. On paper
48. Invite friends over for dinner
47. Tell a goofy joke
46. Give someone a hug
45. Stomp on a stink bug
44. Clean your bathroom
43. Paint a room in your home
42. Run a virus scan on your PC
41. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

40. Check out the Willow St Tavern for dinner
39. Buy Dan Christmas gifts
38. Renew your season tickets to the Ironpigs
37. Call Kurt Landes and thank him for a job well done
36. Wonder if the “real” Ferrous and FeFe will ever return
35. Smile, it’s worthwhile
34. Post “Where am I now?” photos on Facebook
33. Send recipe to Dan for Noise Nation Cookbook
32. Yes, I really want your recipes
31. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

30. Pat yourself on the back for continuing to read this post
29. Eat a salad
28. Wash down that salad with a cheesesteak
27. Shampoo the carpet
26. Shampoo your hair
25. Get a hair cut (Do 26 first)
24. Ponder new ways to make noise next season
23. Wonder who will wear the gorilla suit next year
22. Buy a new pair of shoes
21. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

20. Listen to Matt Metal on WXLV 90.3 Friday night
19. Send another email to Andy Tracy asking if he’s coming back in 2011
18. Block Dan’s email address so you he doesn’t ask for a recipe again
17. Post comments to the Horn and Bell blog
16. Wonder what day the Hackers & Homer golf tournament will be in 2011
15. Spend an afternoon snacking at Sam’s club
14. Wave to kids on a school bus
13. Watch the movie “Christmas Story” over and over
12. Buy someone lunch. (I am usually available after 2:00pm)
11. Visit Coca Cola Park and wish time went by faster.

10. Grow an off season beard
9. Ladies dancing
8. Eat something.. anything
7. Buy someone a drink (Again, available after 2:00pm on weekdays)
6. Stare at the wall and imagine it’s 60 degrees outside
5. Think that if it’s going to be this cold it could at least snow
4. Request a song on your favorite radio show
3. Check out the winter league results
2. Turtle doves
1. Write a list of 120 things to do because Bert wondered if you could..

Oink! 🙂

Andy Tracy hit his first HR with the Bravos de Margarita 2 days ago. He is hitting .296 in 27 at bats.

***

The Ironpigs have also announced their newest fan “club”… see notes from the Ironpig’s website:

Just in time for the holidays, the IronPigs have introduced a brand-new one-of-a-kind club for women 21 and older! Diamond Divas membership is just $30 and includes the following wonderful incentives:
■Limited-Edition Diamond Divas Tote Bag
■Exclusive Diamond Divas T-Shirt
■One ticket to Diamond Divas Group Night (IronPigs vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Wed., August 31, 2011)
■Invitation to Diamond Divas Ballpark Tour and IronPigs’ player Question & Answer session (Saturday, July 30, 2011)
■Invitation to Exclusive Diamond Divas Club Level Martini Social (Wednesday, August 24, 2011)
The Diamond Divas club is for women that are ages 21 and older. Due to ticketing for the IronPigs-Yankees game on August 31, membership will be limited. The tote bag and t-shirt will be available for pick-up at the Majestic Clubhouse Store starting February 26.

There are three ways to take advantage of this incredible offer for the holidays:
■Order Online
■Call (610) 841-PIGS (7447)
■Download Registration Form
Completed registration forms can be mailed to:

DIAMOND DIVAS
Coca-Cola Park
1050 IronPigs Way
Allentown, PA 18109

Become a member of the inaguaral Diamond Divas club today!

So now we have a club for kids (The Ironpiglets) a club for seniors (The Silver Pigs) and a club for women (The Diamond Divas)… where does everyone else fit in? That’s right.. still the Noise Nation Fan Club!!!

Heading into our 4th year and looking forward to a great 2011 season!

OinK!

I just saw that the Washington Nationals have sent an offer to Cliff Lee. 7 years, who knows how many millions…

My thought, and I believe many are with me on this.. where is Washington getting the cash to pay these guys?

They signed Stephen Strasburg to a $15.1 Million contract last summer. Although they lost him to a Tommy John surgery.. he won’t be back in the bigs for a little while.

They just inked Jayson Werth to a massive $127 million deal.

Where is the money coming from? Does anyone out there know?

Will hot dogs now cost $15 and beer $25 a cup?

Really? I know they want to be competative and give something back to their fans but really… Has George Steinbrenner’s spirit taken over the ownership of the Nationals?

Looking at our, being the Lehigh Valley Ironpig’s, ticket prices… we have it good.

Yesterday I was parusing around the International League website and noticed that the AAA All Star game in 2011 will be held in Salt Lake City, home of the Bees. The Bees are the AAA affiliate of the Anaheim Angels.

Ticket costs for 2011, per the Bee’s website are as follows:
Diamond Seats – $24
Home Plate Seats – $16
Box Seats – $15
Terrace Seats – $14
Reserved Seats – $12

Now those don’t sound too bad… comparitive to the Ironpigs ticket range of $6 to $14 they look like a lot. But then… that terrible “But then”

Added below ticket prices is this statement:

Additional $1.00 per ticket on Fireworks Nights. Additional $2.00 per ticket for 4th of July and 24th of July games. Ticket prices include a facility fee. Group prices not available on July 4th, and 24th. Additional $1 per ticket for 10-Game Fireworks Game Mini Plan

Fireworks night costs an extra dollar. We get them for free! Thank you to the sponsors!

July 4th and 24th the games cost an extra $2 per ticket and ALL tickets include a $1 facility fee. Interesting. Wonder why they don’t include that in the advertised price. Perhaps facility fee is a fancy way to say Tax.

For those who may still be griping about the cost to an Ironpig’s game.. know that we are very lucky.

Who to thank for that? Well that’s a good thought, but mainly we need to thank the owners for keeping it reasonable and also those great sponsors who, by purchasing advertising, give away days and sponsoring events and activities that keep our costs the same over 4 years. (There has been only one cost increase in tickets in that time. Sections 101 and 102 had been $7.50 a seat in 2008 and were raised to $9 in 2009)

Not bad considering the rising cost of everything else.

Maybe the Nationals have found the secret to success that the Ironpigs organization has been thriving on.

Thoughts / Comments?

OinK!

Brandon Duckworth signed with the Red Sox. Looks like no more duck pond..

Gustavo Chacin elected to be a free agent from the Astros.

Fabio Castro signed with the Mariners

That’s all we got so far. No word on Andy Tracy yet.

Reminder – still collecting recipes for our charity cook book. Send them over 🙂

OinK

Some notes from yesterday…

Phillies retained Kyle Kendrick and Ben Fransisco.

Ryne Sandberg and Charlie Manuel confirmed to be attending the Phillies Caravan event on January 27th. It’s a fun time, it really is.

A lot of good comments on recent posts. Appreciate you all reading and sending in good thoughts.

OinK!

Yeah, it’s not looking good for Jayson Werth to return to the Phillies in 2011.

I try to look at stuff from a less emotional point of view when it comes to money. Really, that’s all this is about.

Money.

Jayson Werth wants it. If he wanted us, meaning Phillies fans, he would have accepted a contract already.

Putting into that line of sight.. if Werth doesn’t want us, cares more about money than us… should we really want him?

Sure he was on our team since 2007 and had a breakout year in 2008 when the Phillies took the World Series title. He helped the Phillies to 4 straight post season appearances. But do we really, and I mean Really, want him back if he’s going to snub us for the glittery gold and attention received of a media fueled free agency?

Looking at his stats:
Prior to 2007 he hit over .250 just once, .262 in 2004 with the Dodgers.

He has not hit over 100 RBI in any season, his high being 99 in 2009. He drives in runs, but not big time.

He has never hit over .300. He hits well, but not great.

He has only a handful of triples and hasn’t gone beyond 20 stolen bases in any season. He has speed but not great speed.

He struck out 119 times in 2008, 156 in 2009 and 147 in 2010.

The only aspect of Jayson Werth that could be deemed as great is his fielding. Strong arm and solid instincts in the outfield.

Looking at what I just typed.. you could say Werth is a one tool player.

A Kindergarten grade scale consists of 3 grades. (At least it did when I was there)
O for Outstanding
S for Satisfactory
N for Not Satisfactory

My grades for him would be:
Fielding – O
Hitting for average – S
Hitting for power – S
Driving in runs – S
Speed – S
Strikeout ratio – N

Seems pretty average when you look at it. Slightly above the average MLB player but well below the superstar status that the media has given him.

A lesson I learned early in my Marine Corps career was that rewards are not based upon what you have done, they are based upon what your potential for the future is.

What is Jayson Werth’s potential? Could he be the level of Babe Ruth being sold to the Yankees or could he be another Dontrell Willis who gets paid and cut soon after.
Werth is 31 now.. of average age in the Major Leagues nowadays. A youngster by Jamie Moyer standards. How many years does he have left?

What I believe will happen is that Werth will get paid. He will get a multiyear multi million dollar contract from someone. He will have to adjust to a new team, new coworkers, a new manager and possibly a new league.

So to answer my own question.. “Do I want Jayson Werth?” My answer is no. If money is all that matters to him.. he can have it. I will keep my Phillie hat and jersey and root for whoever stands tall in right field at Citizen’s Bank Park.

OinK!

Per the GameOps.com website, The Ironpig’s front office has received a Best Team Operations award. The criteria for this award is:

Which team is doing the best job in their game operations and game presentation. Consider creativity, value to fans, overcoming sport and budget limitations, quality of presentation, and attention to detail. We level the playing field by considering budget constraints to minor league teams.

The award citation reads:

Leigh Valley Iron Pigs are top notch staff dedicated to providing their rabid fans with fresh entertainment every single game. The Triple-A All Star Game in Allentown this season showcased the organization’s commitment to an all-encompassing entertainment experience. It’s no wonder this team leads all of MiLB in attendance…they keep giving fans more and more reasons to make the trip to Coca-Cola Park.

Coming a close second were none other than the Richmond Flying Squirrels:

The Flying Squirrels returned to Richmond after a one-year absence prompted by the relocation of the former Richmond Braves. The Flying Squirrels rebranded and took the team to new heights with a great focus on game entertainment, clever use of the mascot in the community, well-rounded entertainment, an aggressive use of promotional nights and an impressive social media and web iniitivitves to engage their fan base.

Completing the top three was the UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship

Per the Gameops website their mission is:

Gameops.com is a resource web site designed to connect teams and event producers with ideas and tools that will enhance the entertainment value of their events. The site is produced and managed by Mark Out Productions, Inc.

Congrats to our friends over at Coca Cola Park!

OinK!