Phillies trio to appear at Lehigh Valley Mall

ALLENTOWN, Penn. -- The Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Philadelphia Phillies have announced that pitchers Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson and the Phillie Phanatic are scheduled to appear at the Lehigh Valley Mall on Saturday, Jan. 27, from noon until 1:30 P.M. The event will take place at the Rothrock Rotunda in the lower level of the mall.

Fans will have the opportunity to receive free autographs as well as purchase official Philadelphia Phillies merchandise. In addition, representatives from the IronPigs will be on hand to answer questions about Lehigh Valley's new Minor League baseball team and to exhibit artist renderings of their new stadium, which is currently under construction. WAEB 790's popular morning show host Bobby Gunther Walsh will also be attendance with a live remote.

Hamel, 23, is widely considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Major Leagues. As a rookie last season, the 6'4" southpaw went 9-8 with a 4.08 ERA in 23 starts. More impressively, Hamels went 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in his final 11 starts.

Madson, 26, was an 11-game winner for Philadelphia in 2006 -- logging a career-high 134 1/3 innings. During the 2005 season, the right-hander worked in relief and recorded 78 appearances -- placing him third on the Phillies' All-Time single-season list. In 2004, Madson posted the best ERA (2.34) by a Phillies rookie pitcher since Don Carman in 1985.