One of the best blogs I've ever seen is actually relatively new - IronPigPen: The Pork Stops Here. Two brothers have teamed up to start this independent site, which in a few short weeks already has published over 100 stories. How much do minor league players make? Who will be playing for the Pigs next year? You'll get answers there . . . and more.These guys love baseball, and it's contagious.
These dudes hate to go to a game and see LV people root for the OTHER team. Allentown, in particular, has lost pride in its hometown teams. William Allen High School, for example, gets blasted by fifty or sixty points every week with nobody saying a word. These bloggers hope the IronPigs change that attitude, but are tired of going to 84 different web sites to learn something about the IronPigs' opponents that day. So they've created a one-stop IronPigs information shop.
Their goal is to create an overall fan website that will contain much more than stats and news. They also want to tie Pigs baseball to the community. Here are some examples.
Fan of the Week: snap a quick video during a game each week, ask the fan where she lives, and have her snort out a Pigs' cheer.
Merchant of the Week: Pick out an IronPigs sponsor, interview him and let him plug himself, and let him give a Pigs' shout out.
Little League Team of the Week: Put up a little league’s team photo each week, interview the coach (if he’s a small business owner point that out, if a company sponsors a team point that out) compliment the dude for the time he sacrifices for kids, and have the whole team roar for the Pigs.
Little League Community Bulletin Board: Thousand of kids play baseball every year as part of the rites of Spring. LL standings and schedules will be posted.
Go IronPigs!
23 comments:
Who Dat in picture?
Dat's for me to know and you to find out.
Allen's baseball team gets blasted by 50 or 60 points? I don't think so.
Why not mention Allen's field hockey team which was ranked as the number one team in the valley before an unfortunate loss in the second round of district playoffs.
How about the the Dieruff ROTC Step team winning the national championship?
There are plenty of lousy teams throughout the valley for a multitude of sports and activities. I guess you just prefer to form opinions about certain kids you don't like.
Bullshit!
I know many of those kids. No, I'm not talking about ROTC or field hockey or even baseball. I'm talking about the high school sport most people follow - football. They get blown out because of all the lack of support. Go to an Allen football game. Their side is like a ghost town. Listen to the band. No support again. It's a shame.
My grandson has lots of friend in A-town and we go to Dieruff and Allen games all the time - football, baseball and basketball. The kids are great, but could use more support.
The whole point is that the IronPigs can help teams, especially A-town teams, get back some of the pride they've lost. And no, I don't blame the kids or care for your implication. Instead of calling people bigots, go to a game. Go to the IronPigs for once instead of hauling your kid to see the Yankees. That's how you help instill community priode.
http://homerderby.com is a great baseball blog as well.
And here is a little story I did about the Iron Pigs rivials. The REAL PIGS of AAA baseball the Fake Yankees of Scranton!
http://spikerogan.blogspot.com/2009/01/yankees-aaa-team-closes-down-club-at.html
ok.... has Dat tried out his new bat yet? Or named it? Just wondering and wishing I was on a baseball team when I was his age.
and I am surprised that some people will bash these young kids for having fun doing what they love.
Dat is really itching to use his new bat. It cannot be used unless the temp is 60 degrees or higher or it will dent and ruin the bat. Practice balls cannot be used. I think we will try it out next week at the LV Baseball Academy, located off Union Boulevard. There are cages there where you can throw actual baseballs. if the indoor temp is warm enough, we will christen and name the beat. Right now, he is leaning toward "Blue meanie."
Got my seasons tickets on order! I am ready to go out to the ball game! Love them Iron Pigs !!!!
Waited all year and finally went to the next to the last game. Great baseball; close up. Great time. I'll be there early and often this season - and I'm a proud Yankees and baseball fan who'll always stop to watch a game - even Allen. Love the baseball item distractions, Bernie. It warms the heart on a cold winter's day. Have fun at BP.
Good thing your grandson dosn't live and play in the Poconos. He wouldn't be able to use the bat for 3/4s of the regular season.
As a kid the first half of the regular season it was very cold.
More than once we had games reschedule due to ice and snow.
But I used a wood bat mostly. I was the only player who used wood on one team.
Spike, Kids love the lumber, but LL won't let them use wooden bats.
Anon 2:51, I was there like a gazillion times last year. I tried to keep count but lost track. I sat everywhere, from the dugout suites to the lawn seats. Everywhere was great! Except for two times with my brother, every other time I had kids, and they just freaked out. It's lots of fun.
Not so casual,
I'm ready right now. Let's have an "illicit" date there this summer and get all those tongues wagging. Maybe the kiss cam will spot us. We can claim we're doing research or something.
I am the IRONPIGPEN and I am a proud graduate of William Allen (as is my brother, who was an All-American swimmer and won a PIAA state championship). You all will have to guess which sport I played (Jen Mann knows).
As for field hockey, Allen has ALWAYS been excellent. Always. My neighbor growing up, Becky Orr, was All-State for sure and All-American I believe at Allen. She definitely was All-American at Franklin & Marshall College.
As for the football team, when I was in school they weren't so slick, but we used to have 300 kids in the band every year no problem. And they were loud. It (an Allen football game) is a ghost town these days...
In my sport, we were an East Penn power as well. We always went to Districts. And it was like that before I got there. Nowadays, they are league nobodies.
Bethlehem does far better than Allentown in athletics. I don't get it...
At any rate, thank you very much Bernie for your kind words as usual. Go IronPigs. Go Allentown.
O'Hare was there at the Philles game. He was a guest of his buddy Stoffa in Payola Plaza, right behind Home Plate.
My brother and I were in the fancy dugout suites behind home plate on opening day and it was quite plush. We had special tickets that enabled us to go anywhere we wanted. We did not get our tickets from Stoffa. We got them from someone who could not be there that day and gave us his. He did not pay for those tickets. They were complimentary. As the season progressed, I got free tickets about seven or eight times from different people.
I do get free tix to sporting events from some of the people, usually lawyers, with whom I do business. I even get free Yankees tickets from time to time. This has been the case for years, long before I ever started blogging. Am I supposed to penalize myself, my grandson and the other kids I take now that I blog? I see nothing unethical in doing the same thing now that I've done before.
Good Article. IronPigPen is a great blog for LVIP news.
ANON 9:41 PM is a Mike Fleck sighting!
Bernie these guys are so swift too! I postd a comment they should pay tributee to the Ambassadors 9my first fav LV baseball team) and the next AM they did!
Two posts related to the Ams no less!
You and I could take lessons from them.
It's a great blog.
I like the "Point - Counter Point" with a Philly blogger. Two bloggers who disagree about a pitcher both post their essays and refer to each other with mutual respect instead of the usual personal taunts and smears that are som common among poliblogs.
The big difference between Bthlehem and Allentown sports is the fact Bethlehem has the townships.
When families in Bethlehem upgrade and move into bigger homes their kids still attend BASD. Lehigh County on the other hand is rather Balkanized.
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