NoiseNation staff tonight spread kinda thin: Kram and MPS in Reading for Biddle/Zambrano doubleheader starts, DiPro at the opening night for the cycling center, Dan (nope), Decal, and Cheryl at the IronPigs game.
We hope to have posts for you–with pictures–in the coming days. Stay tuned. Monitor Twitter this evening for ongoing updates.
See you at the parks,
@Kram209
Nope. I’m not referring to the rain which will likely prevent my evaluation of Carlos Zambrano tonight in Reading.
It’s a storm of Starting Pitchers. There are worse problems to have, to be sure. Let’s review a few things we know, and speculate about some possibilities. I won’t provide any answers–or even many guesses, though–because I have no concrete information and there are too many moving parts.
Part 1: John Lannan
I’ve never been a fan of John Lannan, but despite his inability to pitch effectively against the IronPigs last season (that’s ok with me!) he did do well for the Nationals down the stretch. He started the year rather well for the Phillies, too, allowing three ER over seven innings in his first start, and one ER over six innings in his second. He got rocked by the Reds just before he went on the DL. He was due to make a rehab start for Clearwater last evening in Jupiter, but that game was cancelled due to rain. He’s slated to start tonight for the Threshers in Dunedin. That would put his next start on Wednesday if all goes well. For reference, the IronPigs have an off day, and Reading is home for Bowie. I’m unsure how many rehab starts Lannan will require, but I’d guess it will be more than one. I suppose he could stay in Florida as Thresher’s games are usually pretty nearby if they’re not at home.
Part 2: Carlos Zambrano
I have to admit, I’ve never been a Carlos Zambrano fan, either. In fact, I was down on this signing even more than I was down on the Delmon Young and Yunesky Bettancourt signings by the Phillies earlier this season. However, he’s done well thus far, and reportedly has his mental game in order. The more the merrier I say right now; let’s see what he’s got.
He’s scheduled to start tonight for Reading, but the weather does not look good. Where and when would his next start be? It’s hard to say. Both Reading and the IronPigs are home for Saturday night. It does look like the ‘Pigs will get their double-header in this evening in Buffalo. Ethan Martin will get his turn to pitch tonight, with Greg Smith to start the nightcap. The extra innings tonight, though, could put the ‘Pigs in need of an arm for tomorrow. Hmmmm….
But I’m not going to predict it. I did that last week (several times) and it didn’t work out. I’m just saying. I’ll also point out that Zambrano isn’t an official “rehab.” He’s on a minor league contract right now and would need a roster spot. Also of note: Miguel Abreu was added to the “inactive” list for the IronPigs yesterday, freeing up a spot. I’m not predicting anything, I’m just saying…
Perhaps of minor concern, but still notable: Top prospect Jesse Biddle was pushed back from his start for the R-Fightins Friday to allow for the Zambrano spot. Would they push him back again to keep the Big Z in Reading, or would they rather he stay close to his regular schedule. I’m not predicting anything, I’m just saying…
If Zambrano starts tonight, his next turn would be Wednesday as well (see Lannan, above) but if he starts Saturday, it would be Thursday. The IronPigs will be home for the RailYankees on Thursday. Wild Twitter speculation also has Carlos Ruiz here on the same night for rehab. Want more conspiracy stuff: I recently tried to get extra tickets for the Thursday game for no other reason but to give them away. I was told they were in very, very short supply. Perhaps some were being held back. Perhaps I’ve had too much coffee this morning. I’m just saying…
Footnote: Carlos Zambrano has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Phillies. He can become a free agent again on July 1 if he’s not with the big club by then.
Part 3: The Bigs
All this minor league stuff is well and good. It’s my thing, actually; I want nothing more than 100% IronPigs wins. But we all know that what happens with the Phillies will ultimately determine what happens here. I certainly understand the Phillies’ desire to get some MLB-quality arms ready to go, but the fact is, Jon Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd have done alright for themselves. Pettibone has a 3-1 record with a 3.40 ERA over nine starts. He’s not allowed over four earned runs in any of those starts. Tyler Cloyd had done OK as well. He allowed 6ER in a start in Fenway, but every other start has been 2ER or less.
I’m not sure either of these guys deserve to get demoted just yet. It’s not like Lannan and Zambrano are immune to an occasional bad start. I’d certainly welcome either Jon or Tyler back to the IronPigs, but the Phillies are surging, so why rush it? Could we see Zambrano and Lannan for a few starts? At least until July 1?
It’s difficult to say. As we know, injuries and rain and other untold variables could come into play. Enjoy the ride!
See you at the park, when it’s dry,
@Kram209
Not sure about riding my bicycle but I’m sure the folks at Trexlertown’s Valley Preferred Cycling Center do! However without rain tires opening night has been postponed until tomorrow evening.
OFFICIAL NEWS FROM VALLEY PREFERRED CYCLING CENTER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2013Due to inclement weather, tonight’s US Sprint Gran Prix at Valley Preferred Cycling Center has been postponed. The race is rescheduled for Saturday, June 8th at 7:30PM. Gates will open at 6:00PM. Sprint qualifying will begin at 5:00PM.
The First Drink on Us promotion will still be in place for Saturday’s race. All coupons for June 7th will be honored.
All First Niagara Masters and Rookies and Bear Creek Futures Stars events previously scheduled for Saturday have been canceled.
About Valley Preferred Cycling Center
Valley Preferred Cycling Center (formerly Lehigh Valley Velodrome) is managed by a non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation and is the most prestigious professional cycling track in North America. Valley Preferred Cycling Center has hosted a full spectrum of world-class events throughout its history, including numerous national championships, world cups, world championships, and the 1996 Olympic Trials.
From April through September, Valley Preferred Cycling Center hosts professional cycling events, amateur events, youth bicycle racing leagues, and developmental cycling courses for all ages. The Valley Preferred Cycling Center is committed to providing the community with cycling programs that promote education, fitness, and healthy competition.
Shane Baglini
Marketing/ Communications Assistant
Valley Preferred Cycling Center
The Bicycle Racing Capital of the World
After spending some time in Taiwan it is being reported that former IronPig Mike Cervenak has signed a minor league deal with Detroit.
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2013/06/detroit_tigers_sign_former_wol.html
He is currently listed (without a number) on the Toledo MudHen roster.
The MudHens begin a 4 game set vs. the IronPigs at CCP on June 29th, following a 4 game set with the Durham Bulls who feature IronPig legend Rich Thompson.
It will be a week of reunions for IronPig fans!
Filed under Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Early in my career–golly, almost 20 years ago–a senior colleague once told me, “No one ever remembers if there’s a problem. What they remember is how you handled it.” I still remember that to this day, and my own office staff is probably sick of hearing me repeat it.
Yesterday, the SWB RailRiders handled my ticket problem with aplomb. Yes, I threw a hissy-fit on Twitter. For that I am not proud. But let me start the story at the beginning:
On March 15 I ordered a block of eight single-game tickets for a SWB RailRiders game. It was the first day that tickets went on sale, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if they were available at the office or not–perhaps only online. But, I’ll get back to that in a minute. The game in question is Saturday, July 6. It’s the first time the IronPigs will visit the newly remodeled PNC Field in Moosic. That’s kind of unusual, you know, as we usually face our in-state rivals very early in the season; it makes for a quick road trip during a time when all franchises are anxious to get Opening Day under their belt and get the season started. Perhaps they’re saving something special for us. Who knows.
Within a couple weeks of the order, I received the physical tickets from Ticketmaster. They’ve been in my briefcase ever since. Yesterday, just before 5PM, I received an email telling me that my tickets had been “canceled” and that new ones would be issued and sent to me at “no additional shipping charge.” The new seat location was on the opposite side of the field from the original seats. Part of the reason I ordered the tickets so soon in the season was in order to insure that my seat/group location was on the IronPigs side of the field. I was not pleased that it was changed. The email came from Ticketmaster and the only contact information was to reply to the email. I did, but received no immediate response–not even an auto-reply.
As 5 o’clock approached, I did not know whether the RailRiders were home or away for the evening (turns out they were home) so I picked up the phone hoping to catch somebody there during business hours. A nice young lady tried to help me–even put me on hold to check–but ultimately I was directed back to Ticketmaster, because that is where I bought the tickets (online, via TicketMaster). She gave me a customer care number for Ticketmaster.
After an on-hold wait of about 10 minutes, a nice young man from Ticketmaster attempted to help. I had to provide him with my name and address, my credit card number, and my order number. He said that he could not help because there were no other seats available. I asked him to explain what happened. He said that the tickets had been “double sold” at the venue and online at the same time. I asked him why it took almost three months to contact me about such a problem, because the transaction occurred on March 15. He did not know.
My hissy-fit ensued. It’s not that the new seats were that bad, just that they were the complete opposite location of what I had planned for back in March. And it wasn’t just for me, but for seven others as well.
But, by the time I made my way to the back yard to get the grill started for dinner, I had a tweet-reply from Doug in the RailRiders’ ticket office. I sent him an email and he gave me a call. He apologized profusely for the mix-up. He promised he would fix the problem, and more. He gathered a bit of information, then promised to call or email back. Within a few minutes I had an email with an offer for new, better tickets on the IronPigs side, along with some goodies for my trouble.
Doug wouldn’t elaborate on the problem; he was too professional and courteous to point fingers. I would guess that the problem stemmed from a ticket package that was sold recently at the stadium, which over-lapped my original tickets–but that’s only a guess. I’d also guess that Doug would like his ticket staff to try to handle the problem directly or kick it up the ladder there in Moosic rather than referring folks back to Ticketmaster. But again, conjecture on my part as to the source of the problem. I did get the impression that this was an isolated incident and not an ongoing problem.
My lesson, though, and one I’ve learned before but not always heeded: When possible, purchase tickets directly from/at the facility. It often saves on fees and could prevent confusion. As we’ve seen recently with the IronPigs, there are sometimes additional seats available which may not show up in the online system. It never hurts to ask. When I went to a Reading Royals hockey game last season, the staff at will-call could not believe the amount of fees I had to pay. They were adamant that I call them directly in the future to purchase tickets.
But I digress; Doug really handled it well, and quickly. I’m certainly looking forward to the game, and will probably go to more than one up there this summer. Of course, I’ll remember how he handled the problem. Kudos to him and his staff for getting things done and doing it so quickly. Now, if Doug can just get me into the sold-out club level next time. 
Epilogue: I got an auto-response from Ticketmaster later in the evening–long after Doug had solved the problem.
See you at the park–one of them anyway…
@Kram209
When I was a kid in the 1980′s the best spot for baseball card shows was the Trexlertown mall. Before Walmart or Target moved in, this was the place to be. The mall has long since converted into a shopping area that barely resembles what I knew but I have some great memories of that place being packed with card vendors from Hess’ all the way to Laneco Department store.
I remember one instance where Hall of Famer Ernie Banks was signing autographs at the mall. It was about 3 days before my birthday and I was at Ralphean (Christmas Story/Red Ryder BB Gun reference) levels of excitement. I tried everything to hint, declare, just about shout it out at every moment that “All I want for my birthday is to meet Ernie Banks!”
Our weekly Friday night trip to the T-town mall, complete with a stop at Roy Rogers (who else remembers that?), had my hopes set high. We walked up and down that mall and few times and it became very clear my Ernie Banks autograph chances were not going to happen. I had dealt with disappointment before so I understood but I can’t say there wasn’t any sulking. Mom had one last stop to make at the Thrift Drug store where I held the door open for an older man dressed in a nice looking suit. He thanked me and patted me on the shoulder. I was struck with this man as how tall he was. (See where this is going?)
So the next day I opened my gifts and my brother presented me with an autographed Ernie Banks baseball! I was elated but said I was a little sad I didn’t get to see him. My brother looked surprised and said, “Who did you think that tall man at Thrift Drug was?!”
Yeah, I totally blew it. But this story gets better.
Flash forward to 2009. We’re out with some friends at the old OINK Sign K corner and this nicely dressed man stops by to chat. We joke around, talk baseball, talk IronPigs and he moves on. A few games later this same man stops out to say hello and I introduce myself and he says, with a laugh, “I’d tell you my name but I don’t want to be swarmed for autographs,” and walks away. We all thought, yeah.. that’s a good one.
Moving forward to last week when a friend says.. I was shopping today and this old guy says to me, “You see that guy over there… that’s (insert Hall of famer’s name here)” My pal had the same reaction I did years earlier and shrugged it off as old age or a joke. Why on earth would (insert Hall of famer’s name here) be shopping in my small town? So to be sure, we Googled an image of (insert Hall of famer’s name here) and sure enough it was the same guy who chatted with us at the OINK sign and who my friend had seen out shopping.
I’ve since found that (insert Hall of famer’s name here) really values his privacy, so I left his name off of here. I’m sure there are those out there who know (insert Hall of famer’s name here) lives in the area but I’d rather not be “That Guy” who reveals it and causes it to be a pain for him. Please refrain from commenting/speculating on who this might be.
Just a story for a rainy day in Buffalo. Pigs likely to play two tomorrow.
OinK!
Filed under Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Behind some key hitting Zach Miner threw 7 strong innings surrendering 3 hits, 1 run while giving up 1 walk and striking out 6. The hitting was led by (as Matt Provence called it SUPER Mart) Michael Martinez with a 4-4 effort and 2 RBIs via a 2 run homerun. Pete Orr went 3-5 with some clutch hitting by Steve Susdorf all while Josh ‘Okie’ Fields’ hit streak lives.
The ‘Mattcap’
Filed under DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs
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