Archive for September, 2009

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Seven Days, Two Concerts

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

fieldtoaldeanEver wonder how FirstEnergy Park gets transformed into and out of one concert and then into and out of another, all in a seven day period?

We wanted to take you inside the ropes, behind the scenes (and any other metaphor you might deem appropriate), and we did that with this podcast (click here to listen).

So we sat down with the three people who make it all happen: head groundskeeper Ryan Radcliffe and special events managers Steve Farago and Lisa Carone.

  • What’s the hardest part about setting up and taking everything down?
  • Just how much floor gets used?
  • What has to be done to the field?
  • The weather?

It’s all in here. Enjoy.

Posted in BlueClaws Concerts, BlueClaws Events, ClawCasts | No Comments »

Fun With Kids Eat Free

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

The final Kids Eat Free number in 2009 was 71,988, which translates into a cool 7.95 miles worth of hot dogs given out as part of the one-of-a-kind program. Let’s play around with numbers…

  • 7.95 miles is: 24 laps around the FirstEnergy Park concourse
  • 7.95 miles is: 3 laps of the Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia historic sites
  • 7.95 miles is: 4 trips across Midtown Manhattan
  • 7.95 miles is: 29 trips from bottom to top of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower)

A personal favorite…if Joey Chestnut, who won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest this year, ate hit dogs at the same rate he did that day (68 in 10 minutes), it would take him 7 days, 8 hours, and 26 minutes to reach 71,988.

Thanks to NJ 101.5 and ShopRite for their support with this program!

Posted in Kids Eat Free | 2 Comments »

Three Phils in BA’s NYPL Top 20

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Three Williamsport Crosscutters, and two players who spent part of 2009 with the BlueClaws, were ranked among the top 20 prospects in the New York Penn League by Baseball America (see the list here) in a list that came out today. This is the second of the league lists related to the Phillies (GCL here), and we’ll soon see the South Atlantic League, Florida State League, Eastern League, and International League.

4. Sebastian Valle, C: Split the year between Lakewood (.223) and Williamsport (.307-6-40) but really hit the ball well in the Penn League, where he placed from their season opener in June through September 2nd. Valle didn’t turn 19 until July, and when he struggled in Lakewood, he was an 18 year old against older players. Further, with the BlueClaws, he was only catching once or twice a week, not easy. Valle began catching just two years ago. He’ll likely be in Lakewood next year, catching and hitting clean-up on Opening Day.

11. Anthony Hewitt, 3B: The 24th overall pick in the 2008 draft hit .223-7-30 with Williamsport this year, an improvement over the .197 he hit as a rookie in the GCL. He was always considered a project with a ton of ability. We’ll probably see him in Lakewood in 2010. He’s from Brooklyn and played high school ball in Connecticut, so remember he didn’t get to play nearly as much (weather) growing up as a player from say, California. One scout said about Hewitt last year that if he could hit .250 in the big leagues he’d hit 30 home runs. Will be interesting next year.

16. Leandro Castro, OF: Hit .316-7-43 with Williamsport after hitting .155 with Lakewood (he was sent down on Memorial Day). Was 4th in the league in hitting and 2nd in RBIs. Castro is 20, and a solid defensive outfielder who goes gap-to-gap at the plate. Another who began to thrive when he played every day, which is quite significant. We’ll see him in Lakewood to open 2010 as well, one would think.

Posted in 2010 BlueClaws, Anthony Hewitt, Baseball America, Sebastian Valle | 1 Comment »

Wingstock: The Blog Post

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Contained in here is absolutely everything you need to know about the 4th Wingstock Festival on Saturday. First, listen to an audio preview here, thanks to 105.7 The Hawk.

The Bands: Foreigner and Blue Oyster Cult (see below)
When: Saturday, gates at 3 pm
Where: FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood (on the field)
When: Saturday
Why: Why not?
How: Tickets here, in person at the BlueClaws Box Office, or at 732-901-7000

Also includes:

  • Free chicken wings from local vendors, one of whom gets crowned King of the Wing
  • Classic Car Show
  • Hog Pit Bike Show

Now, just sit back and listen to the music:

Posted in BlueClaws Concerts, BlueClaws Events | No Comments »

THUNDERFEST Photos

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

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Here are a bunch more. Enjoy.

Posted in BlueClaws Concerts, BlueClaws Events | No Comments »

Hello Again…Hamels vs Bazardo

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Interesting note from tonight’s Phillies - Astros game:

Cole Hamels will start for the Phillies and will be opposed by Astros’ starter Yorman Bazardo, however, this is not the first time the two have faced off against each other.

The year was 2003, the setting, Greensboro, NC. BlueClaws and the then Greensboro Bats.

This would be Hamels final start for the BlueClaws in the 2003 season before being promoted and Bazardo was an up-and-coming prospect with the Florida Marlins.

Hamels went six innings, allowed one hit and struck out nine. Bazardo went six innings allowed one run and struck out six.

The BlueClaws lost 2-1 on a bases loaded, two-out, walk-off single. Revenge? No…Hamels just looks to make things one game closer to helping clinch the National League East for the third straight year.

Link to the game story from 7/25/2003.

Posted in BlueClaws Promo Nights, Cole Hamels, Phillies | No Comments »

One Down, One to Go

Monday, September 28th, 2009

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The first THUNDERFEST is in the books, and as they take the stage away and port-a-floor away, here’s a great picture that sums up the night (of Jason Aldean).

The plan is to sit down with a few of the people who make this happen (not Aldean, sorry).

We’ll talk with those in charge of setting up the stage and the floor, then taking it down, and then setting it back up again for Wingstock, which is on Saturday. We’ll post that all here for you in the coming days.

Posted in BlueClaws Concerts, BlueClaws Events | No Comments »

Happ a Factor, Front of Game, or Back

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

The Phillies will be in the playoffs, in fact they can clinch the NL East as soon as Monday. The bullpen is clearly the area that can bring down the season, so where can the Phillies fix that? 

JA Happ, a BlueClaws pitcher in 2005, has had a great year (11-4, 2.79), primarily as a starter. But he pitched well last year out of the pen and with four quality starting pitchers (Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Pedro Martinez), frankly it’s hard to see how Happ won’t be coming in at the end of games rather than the beginning.

Charlie Manuel in the Philadelphia Inquirer on whether or not Happ could actually be the closer.

“Yeah, probably. You know one of the big things about Happ is? He’s not afraid to throw his secondary pitches. He’s really improved a whole lot. He’s still got a little ways to go yet, but he has really improved as the season goes along.”

With JC Romero & Scott Eyre injured and even if they return, the Phillies ability to rely on them gets iffier by the day, Happ could slide in and be a late-inning lefty.

When the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez in July, Happ was talked about as a bullpen candidate (ultimately Jamie Moyer went) because most thought Pedro would be ineffective in the pen. Well that’s probably still the case. Further, Pedro has been excellent (5-1, 3.32, 35 Ks in 40 innings), so you’re not going to take out any of Hamels, Lee, or Blanton. Pedro will be in there. Have to imagine that means Happ to the pen for the playoffs.

 Remember though, Happ can pitch in either spot, and with all the offdays in the playoffs, can be used in multiple games in a series. Never underestimate the value of a quality reliever in a playoff series. And that might be especially true on the 2009 Phillies.

Posted in Cole Hamels, JA Happ, Past BlueClaws | No Comments »

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