The Noise Nation crew was on hand for the IronPig’s Smell the change announcement today at 1:00pm at Coca Cola Park.
New logos and new Uniforms..
Heather M and Brian G were correct!!
IronPigs tweeted this at 1:00pm. Looks like a new uniform!
Looks like there will be a brand new Pig logo, a new away cap design, new Friday night Fireworks uniform touted as the only all black uniform in the minor leagues and variation changes to the Saturday and Sunday uniforms. There will also be a new line of fan gear including bacon lined sweatpants and a scratch n sniff bacon scented tshirt. At least it’s not an ostrich…
This is just a short sniff of our coverage. The team is working up an immediate reaction Podcast and later we will have a complete analysis complete with photos, video and possibly some interviews!
Stay tuned!
Updated with two images provided by the IronPigs:
The kinda-long awaited release of what the IronPigs have planned for their #SmellTheChange promotion will be revealed at 1:00pm Eastern tomorrow 2/24/2014 and the Noise Nation Staff will be there!
We’ll begin coverage around 12:45pm and carry through the entire announcement followed up by a reaction piece from Noise Nation Podcast Radio and later in the day a thorough account of the day’s activities.
Kram will be there in his Piggy Patrol jacket, we’ll see tomorrow if DiPro can find his jacket and the great Cheryl Pursell will be there cameras in hand recording this event for posterity!
The live coverage will mainly be via our Twitter account, @NoiseNation but also make sure to follow and track @Kram209, @CherylPursell and @JasonDipro for timely updates and maybe even a surprise!
Remember – Coverage begins at 12:45pm tomorrow! Stay tuned!
That’s what our new friends the Section N Hecklers did. A group of about 30 from the Phantoms home in Glens Falls, NY made the trip down to support their team. They already go to all the games. They knew the Phantoms would have support from their nascent home in Philadelphia. The Phantoms provided the tickets as part of their plan, but they had to purchase the transportation. And, endure the bus ride. We were happy to meet up with Matt and Travis from the group, who joined us for some tailgate grub in the parking lot before the game.
Also joining us for the day was an old friend of mine from way back, Jeff. I’ve known him for 27 or so years. He and his wife were season ticket holders for the Phantoms in their first year in Philadelphia in 1996. Ultimately, real life, family, jobs, and a move further to the suburbs got in the way of their season tickets–and by the time they were ready to get back to it, the Spectrum was gone, and with it the Phantoms.
I thought we’d be the only ones crazy enough to tailgate for a minor league hockey game. But I forgot, this is Philadelphia. Soon after we arrived a guy parked across from us in a pickup truck and proceeded to unload a full-sized grill. He soon had a crowd bigger than ours. Yea Hockey!
I thought we’d have plenty of room in the parking lot. But again, Philadelphia. We broke up the party at about 6:45 to head to the arena for the 7:30 start. After the game, we found that the couple extra spaces we had used for our gathering had quickly filled. The parking lot was at capacity. Hockey Town.
Of the live minor-league hockey games I’ve seen over the past three years in Reading, Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia, this one was the chippiest. The Phantoms came in riding a 7-game losing streak and still suffering from the fight suspensions which cost them a few good players for last night. Perhaps they were feeling a bit frustrated. The visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers weren’t taking it. Several fights erupted during the game, much to the pleasure of the 17,585 rabid hockey fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center.
Ultimately, though, the Phantoms had difficulty generating any good offense. There were a couple nice power shots (slap shots, as it were) which I had noticed as lacking in minor league hockey overall; however, the ability to put the puck on someone’s stick in a position to score was lacking. The Phantoms had 10 power play opportunities–some extended given the fights–and were only successful with one. Add to that, they yielded a short-handed goal which was ultimately the winner. The Phantoms lost 3-2 to drop to 22-27 on the season, fourth place in the North East Division only one point ahead of last-place Hartford.
As for the NoiseNation contingent, we were happy to see some live hockey, and happy to hang with new friends and old. DiPro found himself sitting “on the glass” as it were. I think he may be hooked. We invited him to the club level to join us for the third period, and this is the text I got back: “I ain’t never leaving glass lol.”
There was a jersey auction, but like the old days at the IronPigs, it was clipboards. DiPro met up with some folks we know from the IronPigs games who were battling for position near the table. Prices seemed reasonable, by reports, but I just couldn’t get involved with that craziness. Love qtego auctions…
We enjoyed a quick post-game tailgate and headed back to the Lehigh Valley, arriving around Midnight. It was a long day.
Alas, the Section N Hecklers still had five hours or so left in their journey. The Glens Falls Civic Center has hosted AHL hockey for 35 years–though not continuous, it hosted the Adirondack Red Wings when it was built in 1979. It’s neither big nor new, but the fans there are passionate about hockey and deserve a new team when the Phantoms relocate to the Lehigh Valley in the fall. Matt and Travis already have their eye on a potential team. I wish them luck, and perhaps they’ll come visit us either to see the Phantoms play, or to cheer for their new team visiting us. I think the frustration of yet another losing season is getting to them, though. After the loss, “You guys can keep them” came over Twitter.
As for the Lehigh Valley, we’ve got some big shoes to fill as far as fan support, but I think we’re up to the task. Hockey regionally is has strong fan support, and hockey fans are passionate about seeing their sport played live. I often hear, “I don’t know how hockey’s going to work in Allentown.” Hockey fans will come. They’ll come out to see the sport and see potential Flyers at a reasonable price. Caveats about parking and traffic apply, of course.
As an update, here’s a copy of the seating chart for the PPL Arena, and a new video illustration of interior. Following, are photos taken by Kram Jr and DiPro. Enjoy, and get ready for some HOCKEY!
Sections and Pricing from the LV Phantoms web site
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DiPro on the Glass (a new column, perhaps?) – Photo Kram Jr.
Photo: Kram Jr.
Photo: Kram Jr.
Photo: Kram Jr
Wind One Up! Photo Kram Jr.
Chippy — Photo: Kram Jr.
Board Hit! – Photo: Kram Jr.
uh oh – Photo Kram Jr.
Photo Kram Jr.
Photo Kram Jr
Now, from the “On the Glass Experience” by DiPro:
Drop ‘Em Photo-DiPro
Get A Stick On It! Photo DiPro
Light ‘Em Mup Photo: DiPro
Fisticuffs Photo: DiPro
Number 44 You’re Outta Here: Game Misconduct. Photo: DiPro
Face Off Up Close Photo: DiPro
Photo DiPro
Dax the Beaver. Photo: DiPro
Traffic. Photo: DiPro
Well Hello There. Up Close on the Glass. Photo: DiPro
I’m still recovering from hockey day, but I’ve got a couple quick thoughts about the players in MLB camp now who may be IronPigs:
Darrin Ruf: He’s been getting no time with the outfielders and has been working strictly with the infielders as Ryan Howard’s backup. He’s been playing very well at first. But for now, it appears that he’ll have to make the Phillies as Howard’s back-up and RH bat off the bench rather than as a fourth or fifth outfielder. You’d think they would have him working on his outfield defense more if they expect him to come North with the Phillies 25. His perceived competition for a roster spot, John Mayberry, Jr., has been working strictly with the outfielders. Is there a scenario where Cody Overbeck gets squeezed out by Ruf and Jim Murphy? Probably not–and I hope not–but the thought does come to mind.
Cesar Hernandez: Also taking strictly infield, he’s listed on the Spring Training official roster as an infielder as well. The news is, though, he’s been taking reps at Shortstop and Third Base. We’ve heard all along that he doesn’t have the arm to play there, so this is indeed an interesting development.
Reid Brignac: Has been getting plenty of time at third base with Asche, Franco, and Frandsen. I’ve had Brignac pegged as our shortstop for some time, and that still may be the case. They do have a glut of SS guys: Rollins, Galvis, Cedeno, and Blanco–who all need reps.
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It’s easy to read too much into this. Once the minor leaguers report next weekend we may see things shift a bit. Or, it could be a sign that Ryne Sandberg wants excellent defense and is not willing to pound square pegs into round holes vis-a-vis positions.
Stay tuned for more news about IronPigs roster formation,
The Steelhawk’s will soon kickoff their 2014 season! Thankfully, snow does not impact arena football. A nice warm dry environment to enjoy some football. For those who are not still riding high from the Seahawk’s Superbowl win like I am… you won’t have to wait until September to root for a winning football team!
Below are the current Steelhawk roster details. Stay tuned for more as the team and staff work hard to put a great team on the field for the Lehigh Valley!
Barnard, Michael
K
6’2″ 215
Fairleigh Dickinson University/NFL
Notes:
Bednarik, Adam
QB
6’2″ 225
West Virginia University
Notes:
Borne, Daniel
WR/RB 5’10” 206
University Alabama Birmingham/CFL
Bradley, Jared
FB/LB
6’0″ 230
University of Delaware
Notes:
Brown, Arlando
LB/DE
6’3″ 245
Utah State
Notes:
Celian, Jonas
LB/DE
6’0″ 225
West Virginia Weslayen
Notes:
Darby, Cory
LB
6’4″ 230
Kutztown University
Notes:
Tupper, Zak
LB/FB
6’2″ 250
East Stroudsburg University
Notes:
Photo not available
Walton Jr., Jason
OL
6’3″ 310
West Virginia Weslayen/Penn State
Notes:
Photo not available
Wells, Justin
DL
6’3″ 300 University Alabama Birmingham
Notes:
Photo not available
White, Rich
FB
5’9″ 220
Southern Illinois/Kutztown University
Notes:
Whitehead, Stefaun
DB
5’11” 190
Bryant University/AFL
Notes:
Williams, Cameron
WR
6’1″ 195
Southern Virginia State University
Notes:
Woodhouse Michael
DE/LB
6’4″ 260
Montgomery JC
Notes:
Photo not available
*I did my best to locate photos of everyone. If you have any that are missing please send them over. Also, if any are incorrect also please let me know and I can correct. Thanks to Lauren at the Steelhawks for her assistance!
I suppose we can blame LeBron James for all this. Everyone wants to talk about Mount Rushmore now. Mount Rushmore for broadcasters? Really? OK.
So, Mt. PigMore
We have to chip in. It’s been six full seasons and I’m ready to make a Mt. Rushmore for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Mt PigMore: Tracy, Brown, Sandberg, and Thompson
Andy Tracy
Those early teams were dreadful. But people came to the park and the one player they loved to see was Andy Tracy. He was on first every night and was always a threat to hit a home run. He was always engaging with fans, whether it was easy autographs for the kiddos or tipping one back like a local. Great player. Great guy. And he still visits as the Phillies’ roving hitting instructor.
Domonic Brown
I know what you’re thinking, but we haven’t really developed a ton of talent here in the Lehigh Valley. There are many reasons for this, but Brown is the guy who spent a significant amount of time with the IronPigs and now has gone on to become a starter with the Phillies. I know he was boo’d. (And I still maintain it didn’t help him and made us as fans look bad, but I digress.) I know he made some dreadful plays in the field. But, ultimately, what he did here allowed him to become an integral part of the Phillies. And for that he gets a spot. From everything I’ve heard, he was always forthcoming with the fans and the media, locally, too.
Ryne Sandberg
And not because he is in the Hall of Fame as a player. In a way, in spite of that. He brought winning baseball to a franchise that had never been above .500 for even one day. And it was never about him. You want to sell his autograph on Ebay? Fine, but he signed them for free every single night at Coca Cola Park. He was often the first one signing and the last one done. He and his wife participated in whatever promotions or charity work the IronPigs organization asked. His teams played hard every single night with an attention to detail not previously seen in these parts. By the end of the 2014 season, I predict the Philadelphia Phaithful will be on board as well.
Rich Thompson
He bridged the gap from the early teams that struggled to the playoff threatening teams of the Sandberg era. No matter what he did, he could never earn the call from the Phillies. When he was traded to Tampa, not one person I know was sad to see him go–and that was because we all knew he was going back to the big leagues after so many years. He played hard every night–he wasn’t the home run hitter that Tracy was, but he stole bases and made plays in center every night. He seemed to get better when Mr. Sandberg arrived, as he was unleashed on the base paths. The only time I ever saw him miss a play in center was when the smoke machine malfunctioned. A man of faith, he was active in the community when he had the opportunity. I still miss him.
Other Considerations:
Mike Cervenak – He wasn’t here as long as Thompson. I didn’t want three 2008-9 guys. But, he was always one of my favorites in the early years.
JA Happ – Went on to be an MLB regular. He had the no-hit bid.
John Mayberry, Jr. – He spent a bunch of time here and still has a spot on the Phillies. But he’s never really been an MLB starter. His effort locally was in question at times.
Erik Kratz – I was really close to giving him Brown’s spot. He’s one of my favorites and was always cool with the fans. I love the All-Star story that happened when he was here with the IL team via Indy. Alas, I don’t think he’ll ever be an MLB regular.
Brandon Moss – He’s certainly had the MLB success, as well as the IronPigs performance. But he wasn’t developed here and the Phillies blew the chance to use him that year.
Kyle Kendrick – He was up and down for a while, and never really dominant either here or in Philly.
Freddy Galvis – He was, and is, a joy to watch. His bat started to come alive down the stretch in the 2011 playoff run. Time will tell, if he becomes an MLB regular.
A few years back I remember listing to Matt Provence call an IronPig’s away game. I forget when and where it was but the crowd microphone was clearly picking up a man explaining to his son the Balk rule but very badly and completely wrong. Matt had a lot of fun with this and we can hope the father and son eventually learned the correct rule. We hope this never happens to you so we decided to brush up a bit ourselves.
The Lehigh Valley will soon welcome the arrival of professional Ice Hockey in the form of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. There will be a definite transition period from baseball to hockey. Granted, I know there are die-hard hockey fans out there who are all schooled up on rules, teams, players, history, stats and all that but for the causal fan, (and those of us who couldn’t sit straight up on a Zamboni in ice skates), it may prove a challenge to understand all the rules.
I’d like to start with what most non-hockey fans complain about not understanding. Icing. That call that stops play and causes a faceoff.. sometimes it’s called, sometimes it isn’t. We’ll help you understand it but first…
You are a baseball fan, right? You know what a Balk is. You don’t? Yes, yes you do but just in case:
A pitcher is restricted to a certain set of motions and one of two basic pitching positions before and during a pitch; if these regulations are violated with one or more runners on base, an umpire may call a balk.
With a runner on base and the pitcher on or astride (with one leg on each side of) the rubber, under Official Baseball Rules, it is a balk when the pitcher switches his pitching position from the windup to the set (or vice versa) without properly disengaging the rubber
while on the rubber, makes a motion associated with his pitch and does not complete the delivery
when pitching from the set position, fails to make a complete stop with his hands together before beginning to pitch
throws from the mound to a base without stepping toward (gaining distance in the direction of) that base
throws or feints a throw from the rubber to an unoccupied base, unless a play is imminent
steps or feints from the rubber to first or third base without completing the throw (doing so to second base is legal)
delivers a quick return, a pitch thrown right after receiving the ball back, with intent to catch the batter off-guard
drops the ball while on the rubber, even if by accident, if the ball does not subsequently cross a foul line
while intentionally walking a batter, releases a pitch while the catcher is out of his box with one or both feet unnecessarily delays the game pitches while facing away from the batter
after bringing his hands together on the rubber, separates them except in making a pitch or a throw stands on or astride the rubber without the ball, or mimics a pitch without the ball throws to first when the first baseman, because of his distance from the base, is unable to make a play on the runner there.
delivers a pitch during a squeeze play or a steal of home, if the catcher or some other player steps on or in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or his bat. The ball is dead, the batter is awarded first base, the pitcher is charged with a balk, and the run scores.
Ok, enough about baseball for now. Let’s move onto hockey and that elusive understanding of Icing.
Icing is an infraction that occurs when a player shoots the puck across both the center red line and the opposing team’s goal line, and the puck remains untouched. When icing occurs, an official stops play. Play is resumed with a faceoff in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction.
For a puck shot towards the top of the diagram, example “A” is not icing. Example “B” is icing, provided that “B” is done by a team that is not short-handed. – Wikipedia
So when you are on your side of the field (ice) and you just hammer it to the other side and no one touches it. It’s a penalty. Got it.
Wait, it’s not that easy.
While an icing call is pending,(it hasn’t gotten there yet) the linesman raises an arm to indicate that a potential icing call may be made. If the icing is waved off, the official lowers his arm and gives the washout signal (similar to the “safe” sign in baseball).
So icing can be waved off? How does the official decide when to wave off the penalty?
Icing is always waved off in the following situations:
The team committing the icing is shorthanded, i.e. penalty killing.
The linesman believes a player on the opposing team (other than the goalkeeper) could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line.
The puck enters the goal.
The puck is iced directly from a player participating in a face-off.
The goalkeeper leaves his goal crease and moves in the direction of the puck.
So it’s looking clearer now. There seems to be a process to deciding if icing will be called. Kind of like the opposing team can stop the penalty if they want.. if they stop the puck before it gets to the goal line or the goal keeper goes for it.
Interesting stuff. Hope you learned something today and you’ll be able to school your friends and neighbors at the Phantoms soon!
noisenation.mlblogs.com 