The BlueClaws will host the Hope4Heroes charity baseball classic tonight at FirstEnergy Park and the event was previewed this morning on Fox News.

Steve Rogers, who won 158 games in a 13 year big league career, will be signing autographs at FirstEnergy Park on Saturday during the 4:05 game to promote the upcoming Hope4Heroes Charity Baseball Classic which comes to Lakewood on June 17th.

Rogers defeated Steve Carlton and the Phillies twice in the 1981 division series, helping the Expos advance to the NLCS.

His autograph signing will help promote this event, for which you can buy tickets on Saturday. Read info below:

The BlueClaws will host a Hope4Heroes charity baseball game at FirstEnergy Park on Friday, June 17th which will include Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.

Players, which will include members of the military and former Major Leaguers like Jay Johnstone and Bob Boone will put on an entertaining show and raise money for military families. Lakewood is one stop on a tour that also includes Tuscon, San Antonio, and Las Vegas.

Fans can get autographs from the players before and during the game.

Brian Kilmead of Fox News will also be at the game to throw out a ceremonial first pitch with retired two-star General Alfred Valenzuela.

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Fights Under the Lights, a new MMA event hosted by the BlueClaws and presented by 95.9 WRAT and Central Jersey Blood Center, is coming to FirstEnergy Park on Saturday, June 18th.

• 16 fights
• Floor seating
• The cage is going to be right on home plate!

Tickets will go on sale Monday at FirstEnergy Park, BlueClaws.com, or on the phone at 732-901-7000 option 2.

Hint: Listen this week to 95.9 WRAT for the chance to win tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Full details here.

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The SpringClaws lost today but LHP Mario Hollands threw 4.1 shutout innings with eight strikeouts. I’ll have the full write-up later on tonight.

The BlueClaws have partnered with the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, Active.com and ESPN as part of their annual 5K Race, to be held this year on April 10th at FirstEnergy Park.

Here’s information on the first “Jimmy V ‘Don’t Ever Give Up’ Run Series” from ESPN.com/RunForJimmyV:

Phillies first round pick Jesse Biddle will join BlueClaws manager Chris Truby, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, and general manager Ruben Amaro at the January 26th Phillies Winter Tour at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood.

Biddle, a Philadelphia native and the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft, will likely be with the BlueClaws in 2011 and would be the sixth Phillies first round pick to play with the BlueClaws (Gavin Floyd, Cole Hamels, Greg Golson, Kyle Drabek, and Anthony Hewitt).

Here is an article on Biddle from July by Frank Fitzpatrick in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“They say they like all four of my pitches – fastball, curve, slider, change-up,” Biddle said. “They want me to focus on fastball, slider, change-up, and mainly to throw fastballs for strikes. They want me to get ahead with it, and then I may have an opportunity to strike them out with the slider.

“But right now it’s not about striking people out. It’s about pitching to contact, learning how to pitch. . . . They’re going to take their time with me. As a first-round pick and a high school guy, they need to make sure they protect me and get me acclimated to the system. I’m a quick learner.”

Here is a Winter Tour order form, or call Amy at 732-901-7000 ext 172.

BlueClaws manager Chris Truby, who will take over the team this year, has been added to the lineup for the Phillies Wi

nter Tour.

He joins Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and general manager Ruben Amaro (aka his bosses’ boss) at the event, January 26th at Woodlake Country Club in Lakweood.

If you want to hear from Truby, click here. That’s a Q&A from November, when we announced his promotion to Lakewood.

What can fans expect to see from a Chris Truby managed team?
All I can guarantee and expect is that we are going to be prepared. The guys are going to come to the field every day ready to work. They’re going to get their work in and they’re going to play hard. We don’t know who’s coming, but the group I had last year all busted their butts and played hard. The group from 2009 was the same way. That’s all you can expect, be ready to work, come to the ballpark and prepare themselves and they’re ready to play.

Click here for more information on the Winter Tour. Click here for an order form.

You can read the full release here, but we announced the guest list for the annual Phillies Winter Tour stop in Lakewood coming up on January 26th.

Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. lead the way.

Manuel, who has managed the Phillies since 2005, has taken them to the playoffs each of the last four seasons and led the 2008 Phillies to their first World Series title since 1980. He previously managed the Indians from 2000 – 2002.

Amaro was named General Manager in November of 2008 after serving as Assistant GM for the previous 10 years. A former Phillies batboy, Amaro played with the Phillies and two other teams over a seven-year Major League career. In just two seasons as General Manager, he has traded for All-Stars Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt.

“Being able to bring both the Phillies manager and general manager to Lakewood is very exciting for us,” said BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown. “The two have helped bring tremendous success to the Phillies organization over the last few years and it’s a real treat for our fans to meet them.”

Both Manuel and Amaro will sign autographs and answer fans questions at the sit-down banquet. The event will also include silent auctions and raffle prizes. In the past, the event has included autographed merchandise from Phillies players and former BlueClaws such as Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels.

Registration is $40 per person. To sign up, click here to download a registration form or call Amy DeMichele at 732-901-7000 ext 172.

This is always one of our favorite events and we hope to see as many people at Woodlake Country Club as possible.

How would you like to play Flag Football at FirstEnergy Park?

The BlueClaws will host a Flag Football Tournament on October 23rd at FirstEnergy Park with the winning team earning a 40-person party deck outing in 2011, a $1,400 value.

The games will be seven-on-seven but each team can have up to 10 players on their roster.

The tournament will be held on one day (October 23rd) and be a 16-team double-elimination tournament beginning at 7:30 am.

Each team must provide their own uniforms, though each player will receive two drink (beer or soda) vouchers.

Registration is $250 per team. For more information, call Steve Farago at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or email sfarago@blueclaws.com.

Click here to download a registration form that can be returned to the BlueClaws.

The Roof-man is back.

Central Jersey Blood Center COO Ryan Ragan will return to the roof at FirstEnergy Park before the BlueClaws and CJBC host a blood drive on August 21st.

“We’ll go up on the roof, set up the tent and have a little fun. I just hope it’s not windy,” said Ragan, who spent a week on the roof last year leading into the playoffs. “Ultimately, however, we’re trying to raise awareness about the need to donate blood, and raise the blood itself.

“There’s always a shortage, especially this time of year, when it’s the toughest to get donations and we have the highest demand of the year.”

Blood donated to Central Jersey Blood Center helps to treat premature babies, burn and trauma victims, patients suffering from leukemia and other cancers, cardiac disease, and many other conditions that depend on blood products for recovery.

Fans can now sign up for the blood drive by clicking here. The BlueClaws & CJBC encourage fans to sign up early.

In the last few days, we’ve put a bunch of new stuff on BlueClaws.com regarding upcoming games and promotions, clubs, deals and more. We’ve condensed all of them here and you can see the information below.

• August 12th: MAN Night, with a men’s expo and Madden Tourney. It will be packed and a lot of fun out at Thirsty Thursday. Details here (including how to register for the Madden Tourney).
• August 14th: Irish Heritage Night returns and includes pipes and drums, green jerseys, The Snakes in the WRAT Trap before the game, and much much more. Details here.
• August 15th: Before the game, we’ll host Nine Innings for Nature, with local companies helping you go green! We’ll have a post-game jersey auction to benefit the American Cancer Society. Details here.
• August 19th: It doesn’t get more packed than this…Miles Austin bobblehead dolls, Ladies Night (including a shoe fashion show), a post-game Diamond Dig, and an appearance by Antonella Barba. Details here.
• BlueClaws Running Club: Includes free entry into the BlueClaws 5K, Sunday runs at the ballpark, ticket and ClawsCove discounts, local running store discounts, and much more. Details here.
• New Promos for 9/4: Note that on September 4th you can now bring your dog to the game. Plus we’ll have Brobee and Foofa from Yo Gabba Gabba.

There. Enjoy.

Very excited to see this pass across my email earlier tonight…Cole Brothers has added a liger to the circus lineup. That’s half lion/half tiger.

The BlueClaws will host four days of circus at the park this week (Thursday – Sunday). Here are the details.

In addition to the liger, there will be tigers, elephants, zebras, ponies, and a globe of death. And of course…

The BlueClaws will host a Big Band Casino Show and Picnic Before the September 4th game. Essentially, we’ll open up the park at 4:30, with the show (featuring Monty Barry, opening act for many of the greatest entertainers in Las Vegas & resorts throughout Europe, and Jerry Zucker & the Monday Blues Jazz Orchestra) beginning at 5:00 pm.

Details here. Enjoy.

Below find a promo video produced by the ISPW for Sunday’s Pro Wrestling card at FirstEnergy Park, the Brawl at the Claws.

Info on the event here.