“You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.” That’s what Joe DiMaggio said about Opening Day. Thursday night in Lakewood is our Opening Day. The game starts at 6:35, but that’s almost secondary to whatever else will be going on that day.

Here are some of the pre-game festivities that we’ll have.

• Ceremonial Opening of the Gates: We open the season with an opening of the gates at 5:30. BlueClaws players will be there to greet and interact with fans prior to the start of the season’s first home game.
• Player Intros: We’ll have full introductions for both teams prior to the game. Players will be called out to line up along each line, reserves, coaches, and starters.
• National Anthem: Obviously this is not exclusive to Opening Day, but the great Evolution will be singing the anthem.
• Flyover: This is exclusive to Opening Day – a flyover thanks to the 108th Air Refueling Wing of the NJ Air National Guard out of McGuire Air Force Base, under the command of Wing Commander Colonel Kevin Keehn.
• Ceremonial First Pour: In the Coors Light WRAT Trap with representatives from Shore Point Distributing and 95.9 WRAT.

You never want to miss Opening Day. Tickets here.

Many of you will soon be receiving the BlueClaws 2012 ticket brochure in the mail. Many of you will get one here at the park or elsewhere. If you want to get a copy, you can certainly get one. But if you want to read one right from your home computer, you can do that too.

The BlueClaws 2012 Ticket & Group Brochure is available for you to view online by clicking here.

Note – we don’t have the same cool background music that we have for the media guide (click here).

This is also the debut of our new slogan – Sand, Sun, & Serious Fun.

The brochure includes information about ticket packages, group outings, using the ballpark, and much more. It’s a good read.

In 2009, we had Thirsty Friday during a playoff game. This year, we have Thirsty Saturday in August. That would be August 6th. Thirsty Thursday on a Saturday.

Thirsty Thursday rules mean $1 beer and soda plus 50-cent wings in the Coors Light WRAT Trap. Here are details of Irish Heritage Night, also that night which includes pipes and drums, green jerseys, and Irish music.

Click here to order your tickets online.

It’s 2010 BlueClaws manager Mark Parent!

On a day-off for Reading, where he is managing this year, Mark Parent, who led the 2010 BlueClaws to the SAL title, came down to Lakewood to enjoy last night’s game, and was named the Alan & Minisohn’s Sweetheart of the Game. Dave Schofield snapped this photo of Parent and Buster after he was presented with roses.

The BlueClaws, who have won five in a row and 11 of 12, have swept the Phillies Minor League Player of the Week honors, with Jim Murphy (Player) and Garett Claypool (Pitcher) having won.

Here is the weekly report from the great Larry Shenk.

Players of the Week

**Pitcher: RHP Garrett Claypool, Lakewood.  Made 1 start last week, a no decision in which he allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 7 innings.  He walked 1 and struck out a season-high 11 (7 looking).  For the season, he is 1-2 for 12 games (8 starts) with a 2.30 ERA, which ranks second in the South Atlantic League to teammate Dave Buchanan (1.97). Opponents are batting .188. The 22-year-old was selected in the 11^th round a year ago out of UCLA and signed by Shane Bowers.

– Noted on Claypool: His Monday start in which he threw seven shutout innings, didn’t even count for last week (it will for this week). He’s allowed 2 ER in his last 26 innings pitched.

**Player: 1B Jim Murphy, Lakewood. Batted .364 in 6 games with 5 runs scored, 8 hits, 3 doubles, 3 homers and 9 RBI.  He homered in three straight games starting Thursday night and ended the week riding a 7-game hitting streak.  For the season, he is hitting .264 with 13 homers (matching Reading’s Cody Overbeck for the most in the organization) and 36 RBI, which are tops in the organization.  His 13 homers also lead the SAL.  The 25-year-old was selected in the 17^th round in 2006 out of Washington State University and signed by Dave Ryles.

Rest below the fold:

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BlueClaws OF Domingo Santana was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday. He went 10-25 last week and hit his 5th home run of the season on Sunday at West Virginia. Here’s the full rundown from Larry Shenk:

**Pitcher: RHR Michael Schwimer, Lehigh Valley.  2 appearances, 1-0, 0.00, 1 save; 5.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts.  First save of the season came on Tuesday when IronPigs moved into first place.  Last 10 outings, 1-0, 1.84 ERA, opponents batting .137.  For the season, 2-0, 1.90 ERA, 33 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.  The 25-year-old, 6-foot-8 right-hander was the Phillies 14^th-round selection in 2008 out of the University of Virginia and signed by Paul Murphy.

**Player: RF Domingo Santana, Lakewood.  In 6 games, .400 with an organization-high 10 hits.  Ended the week 6-10 in last 2 games, 2 doubles, a triple, 5th home run and 4 RBI. Hitting .350 in his last 10 games.  The 18-year-old was signed by Sal Agostinelli and Bernardo Perez as an amateur free agent out of Santo Domingo, DR, 3/23/09.

More below

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Yes that is a lame title, but Bryce Harper, baseball’s top prospect and the #1 overall pick in the 2010 draft will be in Lakewood with Hagerstown for a four-game series beginning Friday night (yes, Friday the 13th).

It should be a very exciting weekend and the first chance for the Jersey Shore fans to see Harper, who is off to a scalding start, hitting .357 (10th in the league) with 7 HRs and 23 RBIs (both second).

He started the year 9-39 but is 21-45 since with six HRs and 16 RBIs in his last 13 games.

Also, earlier this week in West Virginia he was involved in a bench-clearing incident (not a brawl – no punches were thrown). You can watch video here, but Harper said something to the catcher after homering in his first AB and then someone said something after he struck out in his second AB.

Harper went 2-11 against Lakewood in Hagerstown on the first road trip of the season.

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Here’s the promo rundown for next week:

• Friday at 7:05: post-game fireworks thanks to Toyota/Scion World of Lakewood
• Saturday at 4:05: Bark in the Park thanks to Magic 100.1 and 95.9 WRAT…bring your dog to the game!
• Sunday at 1:05: Kids Eat Free / Kids Character Sunday
• Monday at 6:35: Kids Eat Free / Preakness preview

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Here’s your order tickets link (or call 732-901-7000) but note that tickets for this series are filling up fast.

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Where did the title of the post come from? Here are the shirts that the staffers wear at Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown.

While you can’t hear him, Larry Collmus, Monmouth Park announcer, called our Kentucky Derby re-enactment last year.

This year, he’ll call the real thing. Congrats to Larry! And enjoy our re-enactment below:

Is it a coincidence that he went from Lakewood to Louisville?

Yes. But feel free to believe otherwise.

The BlueClaws return home on Monday to open a nine-game homestand against Charleston (Yankees) and Savannah (Mets). Click here to order tickets to any of these games and below find the promo rundown. What Yankees/Mets prospects should you watch out for?

Monday: Kids Eat Free (thanks to ShopRite)-pick up your kids eat free voucher at the Kids Club tents at each entrance / Scout Night / Hockey Night

Tuesday: Seniors Eat Free / Baseball Bingo (thanks to TD Bank) / Lakewood Township Night with Lakewood Little League 1975 World Series Champions (more on this here)

Wednesday: 11:05 am game and an oversized baseball card giveaway (thanks to the Asbury Park Press) / Dollar Dogs (hot dogs)

Thursday: Thirsty Thursday (club info here) / Manasquan-Brielle Little League Night (thanks to T&T Coast Honda)

Friday: Post-game fireworks (thanks to Toyota/Scion World of Lakewood), first of the year since April 8th was rained out / Dance Team performance

Saturday: 4:05 game with Toms River Little League and Township Night plus Jackson and Jackson Liberty meet post-game

Sunday: 1:05 game with a championship banner giveaway (thanks to Accu-Image Design) / Boating & Fishing Expo (thanks to the Marine Trades Association / Kids Character Sunday / Kids Run the Bases

Monday: Kids Eat Free (thanks to ShopRite) / Post-game Twizzler’s giveaway thanks to Hershey’s

Tuesday: Monmouth Park’s Kentucky Derby Celebration (details forthcoming) / Seniors Eat Free / Baseball Bingo (thanks to TD Bank)

36 years ago, a team from Lakewood, NJ won the Little League World Series. This Tuesday is Lakewood Township Night at FirstEnergy Park and we’ll honor that team with one of their coaches, Dick Work.

You can order tickets to that game by clicking here. Work will be there to throw out a ceremonial first pitch with a few players and we’ll have some of that team’s memorabilia. It will be a great thing to see on Monday.

Work was the Co-Manager of the 1975 Lakewood Little League team that won the Little League World Series that year. He coached Little League, Youth Basketball, and Pop Warner Football for over 25 years, he was the Mayor of Lakewood for 4 years, worked 47 years for Jersey Central Power & Light, and was a Volunteer Firefighter for 26 years with Engine Company #1 in Lakewood.

Mr. Work is excited to be at the game on the 26th, and we had a chance to talk with him about that 1975 Lakewood Little League squad that won it all:

The most amazing moment of that entire season:

“Just the fact that we won 17 straight games to win it all was remarkable. Nowadays the tournament is double elimination, but back then we had to win every day, and it was really an amazing run we had.”

Single most memorable game:

“After we won Districts in Point Pleasant, we went to the State Finals in Hamilton. We were trailing by 2 runs going into the 6th inning, and our first 2 batters got out. I remember thinking to myself ‘Well, it has been a good run’. I don’t remember who the hitter was, but he swung and missed at 2 straight curveballs, and then for some reason the pitcher threw a fastball and he hit him with it. Then the next 3 guys up all got hits and we won. It was an unbelievable comeback.”

Funniest moment:

“After we won States in Hamilton, we went and played in Hagerstown, MD. We gave up 2 runs in the top of the first, and it just wasn’t looking good. We were facing a really good pitcher. But, we went out there and loaded the bases for Dion Lowe who was probably our best hitter. And I remember this just like it was yesterday. Some guy, he wasn’t a coach or anything, just a fan, ran out behind the fence in Centerfield and was screaming “WALK HIM! WALK HIM!” But, they didn’t. They pitched to him, and he hit a Grand Slam and we took the lead and never gave it up. We won that game and then headed to Williamsport, PA”

On what made that team so good:

“We had 5 good pitchers and a whole team full of kids that could hit, and that is really exactly what it takes. We also had 5 kids who turned 13 after the date where they are still allowed to play with the 12 year olds. You wouldn’t think that makes a difference, but it really does when you are talking about 12 and 13-year olds.”

Talks about the 14 kids that made up the team:

“The kids really were great the whole way. They never stopped playing hard the whole time. It was a crazy schedule, and it was quite the experience. I really do think they appreciated it. But when they had to play, they were always ready to go.”

We’re looking forward to next Tuesday at FirstEnergy Park when our buddy Andy Chase of 105.7 The Hawk serves as the guest PA announcer.

Andy’s a great guy who has been a guest judge of Wing Fling in the past and will do so again in 2011 (on July 7th).

He did a game as the PA announcer last year and will join us again next week.

Here are his favorite movies, a good list: Old School, Good Fellas, Back to The Future, Rocky, Reservoir Dogs, Dirty Dancing, Legend of Billie Jean, Breakfast Club, Theres Something About Mary, The Natural, Grease, Stand By Me

See you Monday.

We’re about a week away from camp breaking down in Florida. The northern teams (Lakewood, Reading, and Lehigh Valley) will fly up on Sunday, April 3rd with exhibition games on the 5th and the opener on the 7th. Let’s take a look around minor league spring training from action on Friday in Florida.

Lakewood (Loss 7-3)

• A very quiet game for Lakewood, picking up just four hits (one each from Zach Collier, Patrick Murray, Geancarlo Mendez, and Kelly Dugan).
• Colby Shreve started here and gave up five runs in three innings. Hector Neris gave up one hit in two scoreless innings and Matt Hutchison had a shutout inning as did Juary Gomez.
• OF watch: Kelly Dugan and Zach Collier in LF, Kyrell Hudson in CF, Domingo Santana in RF, and Aaron Altherr was the DH.

Clearwater (Loss 5-1)

• Herlis Rodriguez, who I am unfamiliar with, gave up two runs, one earned, in three innings for Dusty Wathan’s club.
• Chase Johnson, an ’09 draft pick from South Mountain CC, threw two scoreless innings of relief.
• Clearwater had just five hits: one each from Leandro Castro, Stephen Batts, Drew Rundle, Robert Stumpo, and Edgar Duran.

Reading (Tie 7-7)

• Mark Parent’s club is 6-3-2 this spring after their tie on Friday. Mike Cisco started and gave up just one run over four innings.
• Jordan Whatcott, a possible BlueClaw (undrafted FA last year from Utah) tossed two perfect innings of relief.
• Two hits and a double for both Cody Overbeck and Fidel Hernandez (2 RBIs). Torre Langley had a triple in his only at bat.

Lehigh Valley (Win 7-4)

• The only club to win on Friday, the IronPigs got 4.2 strong innings (two runs) from Eddie Bonine.
• Phillippe Aumont threw two shutout innings of relief while Justin De Fratus threw a shutout 9th.
• Rich Thompson, Mike Spidale, Jeff Larish, Carlos Rivero, Harold Garcia, Troy Hanzawa, and Carlos Ruiz all had a hit. Nobody had two.

If you missed FanFest on Saturday, don’t worry. You can lock in your individual game tickets for the 2011 BlueClaws season online (click here), on the phone (732-901-7000 opt 2) or in person at FirstEnergy Park.

Opening Day is April 7th, just 24 days away and then we have Dollar Weekend (8-9-10) right after that.

Click here for the promotional schedule.

We announced some plans earlier today for a new Champions Club mega-SkyBox on our second level which will open in 2011.

The decor will fall in the championship realm (as you could have figured by the title), with pictures and memorabilia from some of the great moments in BlueClaws history.

What could some of the memorabilia be? In our Wall of Fame at the first base gate, we had baseballs from the first game in team history, no-hitters, the 22 inning game in 2006, and Sebastian Valle’s home run to win the 2010 SAL title. Plus, there were signed jerseys, game-used cleats and much more, all from former players.

The Champions Club will hold 50 people and include an all you can eat buffet from an exclusive menu plus a great view. Call 732-901-7000 option 3 with any more questions.

Below, find out what it might look like (click here for an enlarged image).