Jeter To Make Second Rehab Trip To Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Starting Tonight

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOOSIC, PA – Maybe Derek Jeter liked his last excursion through Scranton/Wilkes-Barre so much, he couldn’t help taking another trip there.

More likely, that destination is becoming the place to be for rehabbing New York Yankee stars.

Whatever the reason, Jeter will make his second rehab appearance of the season with the Triple-A RailRiders starting with tonight’s 7:05 game with Pawtucket and is expected to hang around with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre possibly through Saturday.

And that’s encouraging news to a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team that missed out on drawing some prime Yankees players who were working their way back to the big leagues at other levels of the organization in the past.

Read more:  http://www.timesleader.com/article/20130822/NEWS/130829995

Fans Flock To Scranton, Pa., For ‘The Office’ Fete

Lackawanna County Courthouse, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SCRANTON (AP) — The actors who play Pam, Jim, Dwight and other beloved characters from the popular NBC show “The Office” bade farewell on Saturday to the northeastern Pennsylvania city of Scranton that served as the TV setting for their fictional paper company.

The NBC mockumentary about a clan of quirky cubicle-dwellers at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. wraps up May 16 after nine seasons, and a crowd estimated at 10,000 attended a “Wrap Party” in Scranton to show their appreciation.

Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson and other stars rode in classic convertibles and posed for hundreds of photos as fans thronged around them. The stars later took the stage in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse and played a concert with The Scrantones, the band that performed the show’s theme song.

Steve Carell, who played office boss buffoon Michael Scott, wasn’t expected to make an appearance but surprised fans at a celebration later outside the city at PNC Field, home of the New York Yankees’ Triple A affiliate, The (Scranton) Times-Tribune reported.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130505/ENTERTAINMENT01/130509628/fans-flock-to-scranton-pa–for-the-office-fete-#full_story

Scranton To Host ‘The Office’ Wrap Party

English: Logo of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin paper company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The paper-pushers of Dunder Mifflin will make one last stop in Scranton before closing their doors next month.

“The Office” Wrap Party will celebrate the upcoming conclusion of the Scranton-set television show with several activities throughout the city on Saturday, May 4.  The event was announced between the seventh and eight innings of Thursday’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders game.

A group of cast and crew members from the show – which ends its nine-year run on NBC on Thursday, May 16 – are expected to attend.  An official announcement about who will participate will come next Thursday, said Timothy L. Holmes, regional director of marketing & events for Times-Shamrock Communications.

“We do know there’s definitely a strong contingent of writers and cast members coming out,” he said.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-to-host-the-office-wrap-party-1.1468059

With No Sellout For Opener, Commissioners Pump Up RailRiders Debut

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With Opening Day for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders fast approaching, the Lackawanna County commissioners raved about the new PNC Field and plans for the baseball season at their meeting Wednesday.

They said fans will love the new $43.3 million stadium and its amenities, though plenty of tickets remain for the return of minor league baseball to the region on April 4.

Commissioner Jim Wan-sacz said club- and suite-level seats are sold out for the next three years, but conventional seating is still available.

“There’s probably about another 2,000 tickets available for opening day,” Mr. Wansacz said. The stadium seats 10,000.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/with-no-sellout-for-opener-commissioners-pump-up-railriders-debut-1.1464686

Fans Get Look At New RailRiders PNC Field Ballpark Stadium

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Joe Mielo has been attending ballgames at the minor league baseball stadium in Lackawanna County since it opened in 1989.

PNC Field, home to the new Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, closed last year for a $43 million rebuilding and will have its much-anticipated season opener April 4.  Mr. Mielo, who will be in his usual spot behind home plate, in Section 22, Row 5, Seat 7, was one of many fans who braved frigid temperatures Saturday to get a first glimpse of the stadium’s overhaul and new look during an open house.

“Oh, it’s going to be nice,” the 77-year-old West Scranton man said of the revamped ballpark.

Gone is the steep, hulking upper deck that had a roof line as high up as the stadium’s lighting towers.  The main gate is now a spacious, open-air corridor into the ballpark. Other new features include a wraparound concourse, a bar, bleachers and lawn seating and a kids’ area.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/fans-get-look-at-new-railriders-pnc-field-ballpark-stadium-1.1435534

Lackawanna County DA Putting Stadium Scrap Metal Thieves ‘On Notice’

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Book em, Danno!

Wide-eyed burglars planning to steal scrap metal from the stadium at PNC Field may want to reconsider now that Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola has vowed to throw the book at them.

“We want to put people on notice,” he said Tuesday.

Over the last several months, while crews have worked to partially demolish and now reconstruct the stadium, theft of metal hardware and scrap metal has been an ongoing problem.

The stadium has been vacant of its home team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, while they play the current season entirely on the road to accommodate the renovations.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/lackawanna-county-da-putting-stadium-scrap-metal-thieves-on-notice-1.1359085

Lackawanna County And Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Reach Tentative Agreement On New Stadium

Cap logo of the New York Yankees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lackawanna County and SWB Yankees LLC have reached a tentative agreement that officials believe will keep the New York Yankees Triple-A baseball team playing in Moosic for decades to come, the county announced Friday.

The two sides resolved the final outstanding issues late Thursday night and handed the deal over to lawyers to reduce to a formal, written contract, Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien said. Both sides are confident enough in expecting a final written agreement that they have invited contractors to move in equipment to start work on the up to $40 million new stadium, where the team would play starting next year.

“It’s a substantial step forward,” Mr. O’Brien said. “We still need a signed document.”

A county announcement said the two sides “are on the verge of an agreement,” but Mr. O’Brien and Commissioner Jim Wansacz agreed with the characterization of events as a tentative agreement

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/county-baseball-deal-close-enough-to-prep-for-demolition-1.1296307#ixzz1rMzp7p4f

Scranton Triple-A Baseball Park Grant – No Comment

An interesting article appeared in yesterday’s Morning Call about PNC Field in Moosic, a Scranton suburb.  The 22-year-old, 10,000 seat stadium is in need of repairs to its concrete and steel structure.  PNC Field is the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, a Triple A farm team for MLB’s New York Yankees.

So along comes Fast Eddie offering a $20,000,000.00 grant to help repair the aging stadium.  This would be the largest grant ever given during the Rendell administration’s tenure.  The money would come from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

It seems officials would like to see PNC Field become more like Coca Cola Park in Allentown, which is more family-friendly. 

Now the catch is, there must be matching funding for the project.  As of Monday, there was no definite answer where the other half of the money would come from.  The entire project is being kept a secret for some reason.  Rendell’s office is not commenting on what exactly the money will be used for.  At this juncture, one can only speculate what the project will entail.

The Rendell administration is braying about the economic impact of fixing the stadium.  That is all well and good but why all the secrecy?  The Yankees are making no comments either.  It is time for new leadership in this state who believe in transparency!