Plus, your last opportunities to be a Designated Eater this year [Ben's Biz Beat]( [By Benjamin Hill]( August 31, 2023 Are you, or do you know, an Olympian archer? If so, youâre aware that the target is located 70 meters away from where one shoots. Itâs tough to hit the target from that distance, but with determination and maybe a little bit of luck, it can be done. The same goes for newsletter writing. This, the 70th edition of the Benâs Biz Beat Newsletter, aims to hit the bullseye. Letâs talk about Minor League Baseball. â ONE MORE TIME: A SEPTEMBER BALLPARK TRIP TO REMEMBER [Ben's September Sojourn]( As the Minor League Baseball season goes, so go I. This one is entering its final month, meaning that I am set to embark on my final road trip of the year. The itinerary is listed on the graphic above, but because I was on vacation last week and my fingers need exercise, Iâll type it out: 9/6: Nashville Sounds (First Horizon Park)
9/7: Bowling Green Hot Rods (Bowling Green Ballpark)
9/8: Louisville Bats (Louisville Slugger Field)
9/9: Indianapolis Indians (Victory Field)
9/10: Columbus Clippers (Huntington Park) It's been between eight and 10 years since Iâve been to any of the above locations, so I am once again overdue. The usual spiel applies: If you want to be a Designated Eater at any of the above locations, consuming the ballpark cuisine that my gluten-free diet prohibits, then email me (benjamin.hill@mlb.com) and explain why you want to do it. Also email me if you have any suggestions regarding things to see and people to talk to in any of the five locations listed above.  See you on the road, maybe! And speaking of being on the road⦠â MiLB: THE SOW (AN EVENING WITH THE LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS) [The exterior of Coca-Cola Park] The fourth and final stop of my August ballpark road trip was Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa., home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. This International League entity, Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, debuted in 2008 following a relocation from Ottawa, Ontario. Coca-Cola Park opened that same year.  The IronPigsâ moniker, which has led to a preponderance of pork-based puns over the past 15 years, is a reference to the Lehigh Valleyâs steel-producing past. Behold: Pig Iron [Pig iron: don't turn up your nose at it] The above picture, taken in the Coca-Cola Park lobby, explains that âpig iron is one of the main ingredients in steel. ⦠The name is derived from the time when iron ran into molds in sand beds fed from a common runner. The tow of molds was said to resemble a litter of suckling pigs.â  That hunk of pig iron bares no small resemblance to a hunk of scrapple, a locally revered meat product that the IronPigs were paying homage to on this pleasant Friday evening. This cap, featuring a crispy rectangle of feisty anthropomorphic scrapple, is one of many alternate identities within the IronPigs multiverse. [Lehigh Valley's Scrapple hat] (Related: While wandering the ballpark prior to the game, I had the most informative scrapple-related discussion of my life with a fan by the name of Paul Deebel. [Watch it]( and learn.)  For a small glimpse of other IronPigsâ identities, consider this picture I took pretty much at random within the Coca-Cola Park team store. It includes [Strawberry Pie]( [Mamajuana]( [Hoagies]( and [Space Savers](. Each one is a story unto itself, and there are many more where that came from. [The many hats of Lehigh Valley] I am once again getting ahead of myself. This was my first visit to Coca-Cola Field since 2018, so I spent a good amount of time in re-acclimation mode. This, the view from the press box, provides a nice overview of Coca-Cola Park: Spacious, bright and bold. [The press box view in Lehigh Valley] While in the press box I interviewed Cory Chryst, the IronPigs game stringer since day one. Curious as to what a stringer does, exactly, and how Cory came into the role? Well, then Iâve got just the article for you: [READ ABOUT LEHIGH VALLEY GAME STRINGER CORY CHRYST HERE]( [Meet Cory Chryst]( As the game was just about to get under way, I found myself on the outfield concourse. The fans in the bottom left-hand corner are sitting in the âBacon Stripâ section. [The anthem in Lehigh Valley] There are strings attached, but if youâre not the type to fret then this is another great spot from which to watch the game. (Martin Guitars is located in Nazareth, about 17 miles northeast of Allentown.) [Martin Guitars at the ballpark] The covered area of the concourse, extending into the shallow outfield at both ends, is generally a boisterous environment. [Lehigh Valley's outdoor concourse] It was here that I met my Designated Eater for the evening, one Jonathan Armstrong. Heâs from the great town of Lansdale, Pa., where he works as a CPA and, in his free time, tends to his 94 houseplants. Jonathan, who would be tasked with eating the ballpark cuisine that I cannot, attended this game with his daughter, Charity. [Meet Jonathan Armstrong and daughter Charity] The IronPigs have nearly as many concession items as they have alternate identities. So many that they have a standalone website -- [pigsfoodfinder.com]( -- dedicated to listing all of them and where they can be found.  We began with an item thatâs simple and delicious: Roasted Corn from Aw Shucks, which has two standalone ballpark locations. After being delicately brushed with just the right amount of butter and seasoning, it was handed off to Jonathan. He declared it to be âSweet, with a nice kick to it.â [It's corn!] Keeping with the handheld theme, we proceeded to the shack-like environs of the Jaindl Smoke House. Here, Jonathan ordered a formidable smoked turkey leg. Like the corn, he said that it was âsweet,â but also âchewier than expected. Not quite like beef jerky but getting there.â [It's Turkey!] Next up was a scrapple sandwich because, you know, it was Scrapple Night. Scrapple, which gets its name because itâs made of pork âscraps,â probably works best as a breakfast meat served alongside eggs and potatoes. But at the ballpark, a sandwich is the more sensible delivery option. [It's a scrapple sandwich!] Despite the fact that heâd lived in Pennsylvania his whole life, Jonathan said that heâd ânever got aroundâ to giving scrapple a try. His first reaction was to damn with faint praise: âI donât know why youâd hate it.â He later added that it reminded him of a McDonaldâs hash brown, as it was âcrispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.â  Perhaps more appetizing was the Candied Bacon on a Stick, which Charity can be seen wielding in the below photo. Jonathan and Charity both liked it, though both wished that the âcandyâ flavor was more front and center. [It's a bacon stick!] Jonathan and Charity also enjoyed the Pork Parfait, seen in the photo featuring the two of them together. But guess what? I did too! Late in the game, I visited the IronPigsâ standalone gluten-free cart, ordered this pulled pork and mashed potato concoction, and ate it while watching the game. What a rare treat, to eat food and watch baseball while at a baseball game! I should do that more often. [Ben's pork parfait]( Less rare for me, but always a treat, is to spend an inning in the broadcast booth. Sam Jellinek, in his first year with the IronPigs, grew up in the Philly area (beautiful Doylestown) and now gets to call games for the Philliesâ Triple-A affiliate. Living the dream! [Ben and Jellinek] As for the game itself, the IronPigs were stampeded by the visiting Buffalo Bisons, 7-6. That was a dispiriting result, but the 9,000 or so fans in attendance still seemed to enjoy themselves.  From front⦠[The view from behind home plate] â¦to back. [Lehigh Valley's outfield berm] Good night from Coca-Cola Park, where even the fireworks smell like bacon. [READ THE COCA-COLA PARK BALLPARK GUIDE HERE]( Thanks for reading another edition of the Benâs Biz Beat Newsletter. Stay tuned next week, when Iâll deliver a jaw-dropping account of-- Oh, wait. Hold on. It appears weâre not quite finished here. â JOSH JACKSON INTERRUPTS [Josh Jackson Interrupts]( This is Josh Jackson, and I've got a couple of ideas I'd like to leave you with. I host Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show]( podcast, in which I ask you to identify the real Minor League team from history hiding amidst a couple of fakes. Last time, we pepped up and took a shot with the Coffeyville Bricks. This week, I ask you which of these teams knew how to handle pests in the Minors of yesteryear? - The Vermillion Venom Men
- The Sweetwater Swatters
- The Duluth Trappers  For the answer, tune into the next Ghosts of the Minors on [The Show Before the Show]( â [IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER, TELL THEM TO SUBSCRIBE HERE]( â Contact [Benjamin Hill](mailto:benjamin.hill@mlb.com) [Twitter]( Online]( © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. [Visit MLB.com](. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Subscription required. Blackout and other restrictions may apply. Please review our [Privacy Policy](. You ({EMAIL}) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from [MiLB.com](. Please add info@mail.milblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from [MiLB.com]( please [unsubscribe]( or log in and [manage your email subscriptions](. Postal Address: [MiLB.com]( c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.