IL1 Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Coca-Cola Park off to a Great Start

by Marc Viquez
Published on June 12, 2008 under International League (IL1)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs


I used to spend a lot of time in the Lehigh Valley when I was a kid. I grew up 75-miles east in New Jersey and would spend summer days at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, eating Little Caesar's Pizza (before they were in New Jersey) and listening to Q100 on the way back home until we lost the signal.

I am not sure why, but I always thought that a baseball team would be a perfect fit for the area. I even named the team the Lehigh Valley Express. Fast-forward twenty-years later and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs set to begin play at Coca-Cola Park in their inaugural season in the International League.

Iron PigsThe Philadelphia Phillies relocated their AAA franchise to the Lehigh Valley (after having their affiliate located in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the 18 of the last 19 seasons) just an hour's drive north from the City of Brotherly Love. The hype surrounding the Iron Pigs name (a local name derivate from the area's steel industry) has produced a flurry of mentions in news media outlets across the country, a variety of logos and four different baseball jerseys and caps. Also, you can spot many fans with plastic honkers adorned to their noses throughout the stadium.

"I come here from Clearwater, Florida," said one exuberated fan who was joined by seven other shirtless friends who each had a letter for the team painted on their chest. "They have many baseball teams in the area where I live, but this place and atmosphere far surpasses it"

Iron PigsCoca-Cola Park, located in Allentown, Pa., is a unique hybrid of an AAA-park. The 10,000-seat stadium was built for $48.4 million and feels a lot cozier than many other parks across the nation. There are an abundance of sponsorship ads smacked all over the outfield walls, especially the twenty crammed onto the seventeen foot wall in right field and the twenty that hang above the outfield concourse. I understand the need for sponsorship space in the minor leagues, but it felt almost like overkill to me.

There is a lot of standing room area, most notably above the seventeen-foot wall where you will find the Bud Light Trough. This was an unusual aspect to the ballpark design, but here is where you will find the sort of fans missing from many minor league games these days, the ones who enjoy having a good time with friends, enjoying a few drinks and heckling the opposing team's right fielder.

Iron Pigs"Just being from the Lehigh Valley and not have anything like this around here before gives me the opportunity to get out an enjoy baseball and beautiful weather," said Suzie Knepple of Northampton, Pa., who would rather be at a game enjoying her time than at a local bar.

The concourse was littered with places to eat and the food prices were very surprisingly affordable. The cost of a regular hot dog (which is served on warm potato bread) would set you back two dollars and if you wanted a jumbo dog it would be a seventy-five cents more. There was also the enticing smell of cinnamon laced cashews, almonds and pecans that drew a reasonable long line. All of the other food was common ballpark varieties. I wonder if the hamburgers were served with white American cheese?

The lawn seating area was of interest to me, since I live in a city with probably the greatest lawn seating in minor league baseball, Indianapolis's Victory Field. I am surprised more teams do not develop more lawn seating in the back of the outfield, but Coca-Cola Park does feature an ample section in centerfield. The area was crowded with people and a ticket will only cost you six bucks.

However, the highlight of the area was the scoreboard, hovering above, featuring a Coca-Cola bottle that opens up and shoots off fireworks every time an Iron Pig run scores.

"This is our fourth time here and it's great," said Mike Nesbetter. "We're from Bethlehem, so it's a lot closer and we get home in fifteen minutes. It's a heck of a lot closer to drive than it would to see a game at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia."

Iron PigsThe ambiance at the game was exciting and enthusiastic. A holiday crowd brought close to 10,000 out for the game that wound up being played a few extra innings. The team success on the field has gotten them to a horrendous start, but we all know by now that most folks do not particularly come out to the ballpark to see a winning team.

Perhaps Rich Lipinski, who travels an hour north from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., sums it up the best about the Coca-Cola Park experience.

"I love this place. We used to be Red Barons' fans and this is the nicest park we've been to. There isn't any comparison to Lackawanna County Stadium (now PNC Field). The food is much better, the operational people are greats, everybody's friendly and it's a really nice atmosphere."

I don't think there is anything else I can say, but perhaps bringing back Q100 on the FM dial.

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International League Stories from June 12, 2008


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