After Wednesday night's big 1-0 win over Indianapolis, the Lehigh Valley IronPig clubhouse had on all the television sets, not to the Phillies game to see their friends and teammates play, but to the Boston Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game.

All this was to see their former teammate, and last vestige of the 2008 IronPig inaugural season, get a chance to slip out of the dugout and get in the game.Wednesday, Rich Thompson, a fan favorite, was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Kyle Hudson.Since 2008, he delighted the faithful IronPig followers with his solid fielding an blazing speed on the base paths. Despite his hard work he never figured into the organizational plans in Philadelphia.In fact, Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro has made it clear that the Phillies have an issue with depth. He spoke to reporters in Chicago and was quoted as saying they got someone (Hudson) with more upside than Thompson, who is 33 and has 13 years as a professional.The comments were not meant in disrespect to Thompson but a refection on the state of the Phillies depleted minor league system. The action to change the system was a prime opportunity for Thompson.In 2004, the speedy centerfielder had a 'cup-of coffee' with Kansas City, where he singled and scored a run in six at-bats. After that he languished in the minors through ups and downs.The season started for Thompson with very little playing time. He would often be seen at his locker, staring at it, as he packed up after each game. Recently, his time in the field grew. Hits became more abundant and after a couple of game-winning hits in recent weeks he started to catch fire.Tuesday night, after going 3-for-4 in his last game as IronPig, I spoke to him about his recent surge at the plate that raised his batting average to .307."You just have to keep working hard," Thompson said with little knowledge of the trade. "You never know when that break will come so you just have to prepare yourself to do the best you can when your opportunities arise."Injuries are a part of every major league team and at this moment, the Rays have a few holes in their outfield. While Tampa inquired about Victorino and others, the one person they say that they liked was Thompson to replace the injured centerfielders.Just before 11a.m. Wednesday, manager Ryne Sandberg gave the call to Thompson. While he would not divulge how the conversation went he did say that Thompson shared 'tears of joy' at the news of the opportunity."It's really cool to see Rich, who was grinding it out as much as he was, get that shot," IronPig second baseman Kevin Frandsen said. "I don't mind missing him when he is in the big leagues."To top it off, Thompson resides a half hour away from Tropicana Park. The moment he got the news he cleared out his apartment in Allentown and headed home."I'm so happy for him today," Iron Pig starter Scott Elarton said. "He's been a grinder his whole career and to hear that he is going home and to the big leagues, its just unbelievable.In the eighth inning of the 2-1 game, Thompson stepped to the top of the dugout and trotted on to the field to replace DH Luke Scott. Thompson reached third, but he reached his dream.The next night Thompson drove in a run with an RBI single and stole a base in the Rays 5-3 win over Boston.It seems if Thompson is truly at home.Second Chance Part 2Last Saturday, Michael Spidale hit a homerun in Louisville. It was a solo shot that cut the Louisville down to 3-1 in a game the IronPigs would come back to win 5-3 in 10-innings.It's a special homer for Spidale who had not homered at the Triple-A level since 2005 when he was a member of the Charlotte Knights playing in Louisville.Quote of the week"I really enjoy this. I just love being a part of the clubhouse atmosphere. I just appreciate everything more than I did than I did the last time I did this," Elarton on his return to professional baseball.