Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Things are coming together nicely at Coca-Cola Park, the nearly finished home
of the 'Pigs. The inaugural season is coming and there is plenty of excitement
and action surrounding the team.
The big league club will be in town to play an exhibition against the
IronPigs on Sunday March 30th. The exhibition will be the first time that the
Phillies and one of their affiliates will square off since May of 2000 when the
Phils made a trip to Double-A Reading. "We're very pleased that the big league
club will be the first to play in Coca-Cola Park," said Phillies President and
CEO David Montgomery. At a recent media event, manager Charlie Manuel joked that
he plans on being the first to take batting practice and guaranteed that he will
be the first to hit a ball out of the park. "I did the same thing in Jacobs
Field and I'm going to do it there," said Manuel.
Meanwhile, the Pigs will hit the road the two days later to play the Reading Phillies at FirstEnergy Park in Reading. It's possible that the game will become
an annual event to benefit Baseballtown Charities, the R-Phils charities.
The promotional team is fired up and ready, choosing a lucky couple to take
part in the first ever wedding at Coca-Cola Park, which will be in August.
Allentown natives Tiffany Rupp and Scott Kushner were chosen as the lucky couple
and will be married at CCP and also celebrate their reception at the park. This
weekend, the team will hold auditions for National Anthem performers.
Reading Phillies
Besides announcing the exhibition game with Lehigh Valley, the R-Phils are
planning some exciting events for fans. On Monday February 18, the team will
hold a special President's Day sale on tickets for the home opener. The home
portion of the schedule opens on April 11 against the Altoona Curve (Pirates)
and fans can purchase tickets for the game on Monday for the reduced price of
just $5 (a Lincoln) for reserved seats and $2 (two Washingtons) for general
admission. They'll also have tickets for the Fairgrounds Square Mall
All-You-Can-Eat Picnic Area for $20 (a Jackson). The home opener will allow kids
14 and under to get a special bobblehead celebrating back-to-back MVPs Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.
Williamsport CrossCutters
The team announced that Historic Bowman Field
will be getting a newfangled scoreboard. The LED scoreboard and display system
will be installed this Spring and will be ready for the 2008 season. The current
scoreboard saw 20 seasons of action in Williamsport after a long career in
Buffalo. The new Bowman Field scoreboard
features an LED baseball scoreboard and two LED video/message displays, one
measuring 8’ x 18’ and the other measuring 2’ x 18’.
The scoreboard, being purchased by
the City of Williamsport, is being partially
financed through a state grant, secured by Rep. Steve Cappelli. “As always the
Crosscutters strive to provide a comfortable and enjoyable night at the ballpark
while still trumpeting the uniqueness of our 82 year old stadium. We sincerely
feel this scoreboard will add to fans enjoyment without feeling out of place in
this truly historic setting,” said CrossCutters Vice President General Manager Doug Estes.
A look at the new Williamsport CrossCutters scoreboard.