Batter, Batter, Oh NO

 July 3, 2025 - the Iron Pigs game for 7:05 has a rain delay.  That's ok with me.  I go for the food.  Every year we have a great time with a group that rents the Iron Pigs Suite.  I love going and I eat my weight in hot dogs and fried chicken wings and end with a cookie.  It is a tradition for Parke and I. 

I love being with my friends, I love watching Baseball and I love the food.

So, the game has a late start, 8:25. That's ok, I watched the first pitches, the dancers and talked with friends.  

Finally, the games starts and then it happened.  I think it was the 3rd inning.  I heard the crack of the bat, I saw the pop-up fly.  Then I saw John in front of me move, his hand going up and then the next thing I know Bing, bang, boom.  Bing, it hit my calf, my legs were cross, Bang, it hit my stomach, Boom my hand. and then it was gone.  In all that, I never saw the ball.

The usher came and the group said no one was hit, mainly because I could not say a word - the only pain was where it hit me stomach - but my leg was numb, and I couldn't move it.  

When I finally got feeling back,

I went into the suite and asked for ice and then all the commotion starts, seconds later ushers are there.  Then a few minutes later, an EMT. 

Everyone was so nice, and a lot of questions asked.

No, I didn't want an ambulance, nor did I want to go to the hospital to get checked out.  No, I didn't need a wheelchair.  

I kept asking is there anything on my belly, I kept pulling my shirt up, nope nothing there and amazingly that was the only thing that hurt without touching it.  My leg only hurt when the EMT touched it.

The bummer part was we went home - it was only the 4th inning.  I didn't get to sing the 7th inning stretch song or watch the pork race, and cheer on my fav - Ham Bone.

Maybe we can go back for a game one night this year and I can try to make it through the whole came without injury.  

Kudos to everyone that works at the iron pigs.  From the hostess in our suite, to the ushers and the EMT.  Everyone was so nice and caring.  

To the ball that hit me.  YOU SUCK

and that's another day in Catasauqua.

A Walk in the Park - Coca-Cola Park

 Yesterday was a special day, it was our Annual Iron Pigs Suite night at Coca-Cola Park.  Once a year a group of us from Salem UCC rent the Iron Pigs Suite, we each chip in to cover the costs and we have a night of FOOD, friendship, fun and baseball. 

I decided to take some pictures to share here in case you haven't had a chance to be in one of the suites yet. 

First we headed to the park with cloudy skies overhead, we knew that there was a chance that the game might be rained out.  But, whether the weather co-operates or not, you have to go for the food part of the night. 

We hopped into the elevator to the 2nd floor even though the suites are numbered in the 300's - tricky.  Off the elevator and pass the bar and food to the hallway leading to the suites. 

My plate

Besides being with friends the food is my  next favorite part.  This year it didn't let me down there was fried chicken, pulled pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked pasta dish, potato salad, a salad with dressings, condiments and fixings.  On another table was potato chips and the best cookies, the sugar cookies being my favorite!

The Buffet

I have it down to a science, I usually eat a hamburger, sometimes I just eat hot dogs, this is only because I love hot dogs, but Parke does not and the ball games are my time to get hot dogs.  We are 18 game plan holders so I usually get my share during the season, especially on Dollar Dog nights.  Last night, I ate to much, but it was so good.  I am of the mentality that I have to get my monies worth.  Thus why I am sipping peppermint tea as I write this!

A note to self - do not drink a beer after consuming a large quantity of food - I felt like I just poured vinegar in a stomach full of baking soda, can you say BLOAT.  My muffin top turned into a sheet cake over my jeans.  

John and Tammy

BFF Tammy was to throw out the first pitch for our group, and she was so excited to do so, but after she left to line up the rain started, the tarp came out and Tammy came back up, they were told to wait in the tunnel, but it was a good thing she didn't, the game eventually was rained out.

Super Ferrous

As usual Ferrous made a quick visit to our suite - it was Super Hero Night and he was dressed for the occasion.

Me with my cookie

I don't mind a rain out when we are in the suites, because you get tickets for another game and they will give them for the 2nd level which is called club level!  I like the club level because if it happens to be a bad weather night or if it is too hot out you can take shelter inside.  And to top it off this time they are giving us an additional $15.00 credit on each ticket to use for food - GO PIGS - hot dogs, here I come.

The suites are sweet, sofa and chair - high tables and stools - sorry Shayna for accidentally grabbing your boob to hike myself up on the stool.  But the night is about laughs, talking with friends and usually rooting on the Iron Pigs, well it was still good friends, laughter and food....maybe next year we can "root, root, root for the Iron Pigs, if they don't win it's a shame, cause it 1, 2, 3 strikes your out at the old ball game......and that another day in Catasauqua.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882^.   It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.  (Thank you Congress I love a three day weekend)  The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress' change of date within a few years. (whew)

Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day; Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, living or dead. 

Today I was at an Iron Pigs game and they were celebrating Memorial Day Weekend with the singing of God Bless America and the song Proud to be an American.  You know,  I have said it before in my blog, I love Patriotic Songs - I stood up, I cheered and I got a tear in my eye.  Take time this weekend to remember the men and woman who died and continue to die to make this country free. Fly the flag!  Don't be afraid to show your patriotism.  Memorial Day is not just picnics, hot dogs and corn on the cob.  Take time to remember, have a moment of silence, sing or hum a patriotic tune.

Thanks, now go party (I have to go make some smores)  and that's Another Day in Catasauqua.



 

Play Ball!

Well it's that time of year again - Baseball Season! - I don't recall every going  to a game so cold as it was Saturday night.  We got to the game around

5:30 PM.  I wanted to walk around once to see what was new at the park before sitting down.

My favorites- the Philly Pretzel Company and "Aw Shucks" Roasted Corn return in two locations.  Most of the times we eat at home before going to the game because it is so expensive to eat there, but occasionally we splurge and have dinner.

Two new places, both of which I look forward to trying are the "Sooeey'te Spot" Frozen Yogurt Bar and the "Boar-rito" Mexican stand.  Other brand-new offerings include the Dietz & Watson "Brew & Brats Platz" Grill featuring regular and jalapeno bratwurst served on a pretzel bun, a one-of-a-kind bacon-wrapped hot dog along with a smoothie stand providing healthy fresh fruit drinks in a variety of unique flavors.

But, I can tell you that on Saturday night I was not eating at the frozen yogurt bar, nor having my favorite, dipping dots, it was just too darn cold.  I wore - cuddle duds, jeans, socks, boots with fur inside, a thermal top under my Iron Pigs sweatshirt, a scarf, hat with ear flaps, jacket, and a pair of gloves, with a pair of mittens on top.    Parke and I covered with a blanket and were the last people left in our section at the top of the 10th inning.  This is when we left.  Parke wasn't dressed in as many layers as I and was getting cold. 

The Pigs won in the 11th inning;  bummer, that we didn't get to see it, but I got 17 more games to go.  Maybe more.  My next game is Wednesday, temps are suppose to be in the 80's in the afternoon and down to 59 at night, a little better than the 49 degrees we experienced Saturday night. 

I can't tell you anything about the new urinal game for men, but the ladies room had - what I thought was a media board that showed upcoming events, until I walked over to it and it turned into a mirror, thanks to the motion sensor, which I of course,  had to keep moving back and forth watching.

Also new is PorkCenter - Minor League Baseball's first and only fan-interactive social media command center, affording fans the unique opportunity to supplement their game day experience at Coca-Cola Park and beyond. Download the IronPigs brand-new app, available for iPhone and Android on Monday, April 1, for a chance to enter PorkCenter during each IronPigs home game.

I can't tell you anything about this yet, since currently I own a dumbphone.

Anyway - so it begins - spring, baseball and soon time to start planting the garden, another year......another day in Catasauqua.

Oh Say Can You See, Part 2

Well, we did it! We Sing, North Catasauqua's Community Choir sang the Star Spangled Banner at the Iron Pig's game at Coca Cola Park on Friday, May 13. Pastor Bob told us today that he saw three of us, from Salem UCC, on the Jumbotron, Cathy Reiter, Karen Renn and me. It was a great moment in time for me and I am sure for my fellow chorus member as well. We came out from Section 105 and marched over to the 2nd base area to sing. I forgot that the baseball players are on the field at the same time. It was strange to see them up close.

Since this was also a night that I personally had tickets for with my 18 game package, the section that I have been sitting with was there. As soon as I got on the field I looked up and saw the ladies that sit behind us and I waved, and sure enough they knew it was me and stood up and waved, danced and cheered, ah God love them, I know I do.

Well, we sang, they cheered, I think we sounded okay, I know we were quick! And now I can chalk up another great memory. And with that.......it's another day in Catasauqua.

Oh Say Can You See!!!!

Maybe you live in North Catasauqua, and last night you thought you heard a song in the air. Well, you were right. The North Catasauqua WE SING Community Chorus was practicing the Star Spangled Banner, out on the lawn at the North Catasauqua Municipal building. Now, you might ask why? Well, let me tell you. WE SING IS SINGING FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE IRON PIGS GAME!!!! Yes, this Friday, May 13 at 7:05 PM our voices will fill the air. Am I so excited, OH YEAH!!! I have sat almost everywhere at Coca Cola Stadium and I have even thrown out a ceremonial first pitch but this is different, this is our National Anthem!!! I can't wait and this blogger will fill you in on the experience this weekend. Also I am going to try to take pictures along the way, should be fun.

Also while I am talking about We Sing. We Sing is sponsoring a Community Yard Sale/Flea Market on Saturday, June 11, 8am to 2pm. It will be held at the North Catasauqua Playground and we need vendors, so if you are interested in having a spot you can call the North Catty Borough Hall at 610-264-1504 or email: northcatawesing@aol.com for further information.

Also this weekend I saw a sign that the Masonic Temple is having a Spaghetti Dinner Saturday, this might finally be my opportunity to finally get in and sneak around, I will be the one with a big floppy hat and sunglasses and a camera, no one will suspect anything.

and that's another day in Catasauqua.

Take me out to the Ball Game

I have been wanting to write about the Iron Pigs for a while, but between work and this darn bronchitis it kept getting put off, so let me finally get started.

I feel that Coca Cola Park is in Catasauqua's backyard, mainly because it is.

Coca Cola Park is 3.5 miles from my house with an estimated driving time of 10 minutes according to google maps. I think I can do it in less time. I have a method as to what time we leave for the games, where to park and how to get home in about 6 minutes. Even though it is so close, when I am there I feel far from home.

If you haven't attended at least one game yet, I suggest you do. We use it as mini-vacations since we get the 18 game pack, we use to always eat there, but since money is a little tight we will be doing that less this year. (I bought our tickets last year before getting laid off, which was a good thing) But that doesn't mean that they don't have some good food. Two games ago I tried the Gyros, I highly recommend them. Their fries are pretty good and I see that they have added my favorite-- fries with bacon and cheese. I wonder what Ferrous thinks about all the bacon, ham and pork products being used. I hope they don't use anybody that Ferrous knows.

They have everything from sandwiches to a slawdog, which I think I might have to try next, grilled chicken, steak sandwiches, funnel cake, ice cream, dipping dots, and my favorites, twisty pretzels from the Pretzel Company (for a real treat try the pretzels with cinnamon and sugar, yum). Oh, I can't forget Aw Schucks Corn and Jaindl's. If you want a great hamburger skip the ones at the stands and go out to the carts, there is an order whatever you want on your hamburger stand that grills the hamburgers and serves them up with a lot of different choices on a pretzel roll, a little pricey but worth it in my opinion. I walked around at the last game and checked everything out, each stand has added more options so you really have a lot of choices.

Since we had an 18 game pack, we had the option to renew for the same seats, we decided we liked our section, even though they never throw any of the free stuff to us. The people around us are so much fun, and it was good to see everyone after a long winter. There are these 4 older ladies behind us, and boy, they know there baseball, they yell at the umpire, the catcher, the pitcher and the batter. They have a couple beers and a lot of laughs. I think my favorite comment was one evening it what getting a little cold so they put a sweater around the one ladies neck and shoulders and then said, "Oh Joyce, you look like your ready for the bus from the home to pick you up." I hope I I am like that when I get to be their age, carefree and just enjoying every minute of life. I love them.

Well, I told you about the food, the stadium and the people, now let me tell you about the team. Hmmm, maybe not, they haven't won a game that I attended yet. Most of the players I don't know yet, a lot of new names, some familiar ones, but I miss Andy Tracy. He was the guy you cheered for when he came out, he was the "star". I don't feel that there are any really stars yet this year, but I am sure someone will become the fan favorite, in the meantime we will cheer on Ferrous and FeFe.

Well, there you go, batter, batter swing and ....another day in Catasauqua.

What does a pig do when it rains?

From the picture on the left, the answer would be, wears a poncho and hits the bottle.

I didn't think I would get a chance to write, but the Iron Pigs Game got rained out. I still had a great time with my friends from Salem UCC. We had rented the Iron Pigs Suite. If you ever get to go to a game in one of the suites do so, it is a great time. I ate twice my weight in hot dogs and this wonderful steak that they have. They also had hamburgers, chicken, baked ziti, corn on the cob and potato salad. Along with chips, cookies and watermelon the night was well rounded out, like my tummy. And of course, an unlimited supply of Coca Cola (why couldn't it have been Pepsi Park).

I went on a walk to snoop around at the other suites when I ran into Ferrous, he was behind the bar carrying on, and I just snapped the picture at the right moment, when he tried to make a run for it with a bottle of Jack. Hey, what else are you going to do on a cold rainy night, can you blame him? My friend Tammy introduced me to Shocktop Raspberry, another good reason to go to baseball games, beer. Even though the game got called because of rain it was still a fun night, how could it not be with good food and good friends.....and beer.

and that's ....... another day in Catasauqua

Batter Batter Swing

It's that time of year again when I start yelling batter batter swing for no apparent reason when I see the Phillies play baseball on TV and tomorrow is the big day! Yes, tomorrow is Opening Day for the Phillies, at 1:05 PM vs. the Astros. But, will opening day be played during a snowstorm? Probably not, Philly may see a mix of rain and snow at the end but odds for accumulating snow in the city are pretty low. So why I am writing about Philadelphia when my blog is about Catty -because there are some big Phillies fans in Catty - a shout out to the Boyers and to the Reiters two Phillie Phan Phamilies (ha, did you like the way I did that). Since my good friend Rami wanted a mention in my blog, here it is - Rami are you a fan? I hope so, because if not, you're surrounded by them.

So how are the Phillies going to do this year? There's been alot of hype about the pitchers, will there be a lot of no hitters, but on the other hand there are a lot of injuries, including Brian Bocock and Dominic Brown. I saw both of them play last year with the Iron Pigs, so maybe we will be seeing them again at Coca Cola Park.

I must say I am starting to learn more about baseball since the opening of Coca Cola Park, which is practically in Catty's back yard, plus watching Daily News Live Comcast SportsNet with "P" everynight helps. Of course, most of the time I am looking at the guy's ties, they really wear some nice ties.

I will blog about the Iron Pigs next week, I have tickets for Friday and Saturday nights. But for now, Go Phillies, batter batter swing.... and that's another day in Catasauqua.