I know I was a bit negative recently when I talked about Scranton, Pennsylvania in this post about the minor league hockey player who was arrested for streaking. So I thought I'd share some good news about the town.
After the 2006 season the Phillies decided to move their triple-A affiliate, then known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, closer to Philadelphia. A brand-new ballpark was built in Allentown. The team spent a year in Canada as the Ottawa Lynx, and this season they began play as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. (The name is a reference to pig iron, used in steel manufacturing, which was a huge industry in the Lehigh Valley. The mascot's name is Ferrous.)
So why is losing a team good news for Scranton? Well, the Red Barons were a playoff team in 2006 but in 2007 the Ottawa Lynx had the worst record in the International League with a 55-87 record, and this year the IronPigs are off to a woeful 4-29 start. The IronPigs, at their current pace, would finish 18-127!
Meanwhile, the Yankees moved their triple-A team from Columbus to Scranton, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees won their division in 2007 and sit in first now.
The town of Scranton lost a very bad baseball team just in time. — Joe Guckin
I know I was a bit negative recently when I talked about Scranton, Pennsylvania in this post about the minor league hockey player who was arrested for streaking. So I thought I'd share some good news about the town.
After the 2006 season the Phillies decided to move their triple-A affiliate, then known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, closer to Philadelphia. A brand-new ballpark was built in Allentown. The team spent a year in Canada as the Ottawa Lynx, and this season they began play as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. (The name is a reference to pig iron, used in steel manufacturing, which was a huge industry in the Lehigh Valley. The mascot's name is Ferrous.)
So why is losing a team good news for Scranton? Well, the Red Barons were a playoff team in 2006 but in 2007 the Ottawa Lynx had the worst record in the International League with a 55-87 record, and this year the IronPigs are off to a woeful 4-29 start. The IronPigs, at their current pace, would finish 18-127!
Meanwhile, the Yankees moved their triple-A team from Columbus to Scranton, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees won their division in 2007 and sit in first now.
The town of Scranton lost a very bad baseball team just in time. — Joe Guckin
