Inthewoods
New Member
Anyone heard news about the minor league baseball team up the road in Waldorf? Last I heard in May was that they were starting in spring '07. But, no news since then.
Minor League Baseball
- Thread starter Inthewoods
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susiewomble
Member
info from Wikipedia
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs will be an Atlantic League team based in Waldorf, Maryland. Beginning in the 2008 season, they will play in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affilitated with Major League Baseball.
The stadium is currently in the planning stages and will be called Regency Furniture Stadium.
In 2006, Southern Maryland residents chose the name Blue Crabs in a name-the-team contest. [1]The name "Blue Crabs" is a reference to the official state crustacean of Maryland, as well as the prevalence of this species of crab in Chesapeake Bay.[2]The team will represent the counties of Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's.[3]
The Southern Maryland region has been trying to attract a minor league baseball team for about three years. Originally, the town of Hughesville was targeted by the Atlantic League to be the home of the team, but the town's residents voted against the measure to retain the area's rural nature. [4]After Hughesville denied the ballpark, all focus was shifted to Waldorf.[5] The Atlantic League's formally announced an expansion team for Waldorf on February 15, 2006, to begin play in the 2008 season.[6] The Blue Crabs were originally supposed to be an expansion team for the 2007 season, but the construction bids for Regency Furniture Stadium came in over budget. The team will now play in 2008.[7]
There has been some question as to whether the team will lower the attendance of the nearby Bowie Baysox, the Baltimore Orioles AA affiliate that plays about 25 miles away. The Baysox have stated that they may see a small attendance drop initially, but are not worried about the issue in the long term.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs will be an Atlantic League team based in Waldorf, Maryland. Beginning in the 2008 season, they will play in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affilitated with Major League Baseball.
The stadium is currently in the planning stages and will be called Regency Furniture Stadium.
In 2006, Southern Maryland residents chose the name Blue Crabs in a name-the-team contest. [1]The name "Blue Crabs" is a reference to the official state crustacean of Maryland, as well as the prevalence of this species of crab in Chesapeake Bay.[2]The team will represent the counties of Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's.[3]
The Southern Maryland region has been trying to attract a minor league baseball team for about three years. Originally, the town of Hughesville was targeted by the Atlantic League to be the home of the team, but the town's residents voted against the measure to retain the area's rural nature. [4]After Hughesville denied the ballpark, all focus was shifted to Waldorf.[5] The Atlantic League's formally announced an expansion team for Waldorf on February 15, 2006, to begin play in the 2008 season.[6] The Blue Crabs were originally supposed to be an expansion team for the 2007 season, but the construction bids for Regency Furniture Stadium came in over budget. The team will now play in 2008.[7]
There has been some question as to whether the team will lower the attendance of the nearby Bowie Baysox, the Baltimore Orioles AA affiliate that plays about 25 miles away. The Baysox have stated that they may see a small attendance drop initially, but are not worried about the issue in the long term.
Inthewoods
New Member
Awesome! Thanks for the info?
Inthewoods
New Member
Ignore that question mark.
Live very near there. LOVE baseball and have kids in it. Wondering if there are any thoughts about your property values when its built. Anyone know of any stats about areas around these and how they did when they got one. I didn't mind it cause I think its better than a bunch of stores and apartments.
Inthewoods
New Member
I don't know if it will help property values. But, it shouldn't hurt. Plus, the place will be empty half the year.
The Atlantic League is one of five independent professional minor leagues in the country. The other four include the Can-Am, Frontier, Golden and Northern Leagues.
The teams in these leagues do not have an affiliation with a major league team.
Way back when-late 1980's/early 1990s (?) when the subject of a minor league baseball stadium and team in Waldorf first came up, the team was to be in the Carolina League. IIRC, the name the "Chesapeake Voyagers" had been chosen and an affiliation with the Cleveland Indians was announced. Of course, that whole deal fell apart like an '84 Yugo.
You can read more about independent minor league baseball here.
The teams in these leagues do not have an affiliation with a major league team.
Way back when-late 1980's/early 1990s (?) when the subject of a minor league baseball stadium and team in Waldorf first came up, the team was to be in the Carolina League. IIRC, the name the "Chesapeake Voyagers" had been chosen and an affiliation with the Cleveland Indians was announced. Of course, that whole deal fell apart like an '84 Yugo.
You can read more about independent minor league baseball here.
Claff
New Member
I posted this to claffie.com way back in March:
Someone decided that southern Maryland needs to get into the baseball game. And that someone decided that whatever private enterprises are going to benefit from operating a baseball team in southern Maryland should be allowed to do so on the public dime.
We're not talking hundreds of millions here, thankfully. But the stadium's tab is expected to be $21 million, some of which is coming from the state and some of which is coming from the county.
Who stands to benefit most from this deal? Nobody. It's going to feature no-name independent baseball (Atlantic League of Professional Baseball), which claims at this link that scouts consider its level of play between double-A and triple-A minor league level. But players capable of playing at that level aren't playing in independent leagues, they're in the farm systems of Major League Baseball franchises.
And the biggest problem is that there is a double-A MLB farm team just twenty minutes up the road in Bowie that can rightly brag that it'll have future Baltimore Orioles on its field and they can be seen for relatively cheap money (the Bowie Baysox don't have individual game tickets on sale yet, but you can order six undated tickets for $44; any relatively professional baseball that can be seen for under ten bucks is an OK deal in my book). The Charles County team will only have proximity in its favor compared to the Baysox. Will that be enough to make the project worthwhile?
The independent league can pack up and split if things don't look good, it happens all the time in the unpredictable world of minor league ball having seen four or five teams set up shop and then leave Pittsfield, Mass. over the last twenty years. But the county and the state will still have to pay for the stadium regardless of the tenant's sticking around or bailing.
Call me risk-averse but there's already a fine place to watch MLB-affiliated minor league ball not far from southern Maryland. The county and state could take a chance that baseball fans in Charles County will pass up that to stay closer to home and watch baseball that's allegedly on the same level or lower, but they could also take that money and put it to much better use: infrastructure, roads, schools, police and fire squads, etc. And as someone who lives and works in Charles County I know where I want my civic leaders putting the most resources towards, and it ain't a ballfield for independent league no-namers.
But I digress.
Someone decided that southern Maryland needs to get into the baseball game. And that someone decided that whatever private enterprises are going to benefit from operating a baseball team in southern Maryland should be allowed to do so on the public dime.
We're not talking hundreds of millions here, thankfully. But the stadium's tab is expected to be $21 million, some of which is coming from the state and some of which is coming from the county.
Who stands to benefit most from this deal? Nobody. It's going to feature no-name independent baseball (Atlantic League of Professional Baseball), which claims at this link that scouts consider its level of play between double-A and triple-A minor league level. But players capable of playing at that level aren't playing in independent leagues, they're in the farm systems of Major League Baseball franchises.
And the biggest problem is that there is a double-A MLB farm team just twenty minutes up the road in Bowie that can rightly brag that it'll have future Baltimore Orioles on its field and they can be seen for relatively cheap money (the Bowie Baysox don't have individual game tickets on sale yet, but you can order six undated tickets for $44; any relatively professional baseball that can be seen for under ten bucks is an OK deal in my book). The Charles County team will only have proximity in its favor compared to the Baysox. Will that be enough to make the project worthwhile?
The independent league can pack up and split if things don't look good, it happens all the time in the unpredictable world of minor league ball having seen four or five teams set up shop and then leave Pittsfield, Mass. over the last twenty years. But the county and the state will still have to pay for the stadium regardless of the tenant's sticking around or bailing.
Call me risk-averse but there's already a fine place to watch MLB-affiliated minor league ball not far from southern Maryland. The county and state could take a chance that baseball fans in Charles County will pass up that to stay closer to home and watch baseball that's allegedly on the same level or lower, but they could also take that money and put it to much better use: infrastructure, roads, schools, police and fire squads, etc. And as someone who lives and works in Charles County I know where I want my civic leaders putting the most resources towards, and it ain't a ballfield for independent league no-namers.
But I digress.
I would like to see some additional responses to the last post on this topic. I have heard negative comments from a passionate few, but what do the majority of people think about a stadium in Charles County to be used as a multipurpose facility, not only for the Baseball team? Does Charles County need to improve its amenities to accommodate the growth of residents AND businesses?
Earlier this summer I was at Damons in Waldorf on a Friday night. A gentleman from Phoenix was attending an old car show at the Holiday Inn, and he asked a few of us at the bar what there was to do around here. Unfortunately I had to recommend that he go up to DC or VA for things to do. Hopefully some day in the near future we will have more amenities in the county like the stadium and hiker/biker trails so people from out of town will stay here for their entertainment.
Earlier this summer I was at Damons in Waldorf on a Friday night. A gentleman from Phoenix was attending an old car show at the Holiday Inn, and he asked a few of us at the bar what there was to do around here. Unfortunately I had to recommend that he go up to DC or VA for things to do. Hopefully some day in the near future we will have more amenities in the county like the stadium and hiker/biker trails so people from out of town will stay here for their entertainment.
awpitt
Main Streeter
Claff
New Member
I have no problem with the stadium or any other attractions to keep people amused while in town. I do have a problem with the state and/or county being coerced into paying for them if the primary beneficiary is going to be a private enterprise like Southern MD Baseball Inc.
paul
New Member
Washington, PA has a Frontier League team called the Washington Wild Things. The Frontier League is equivalent to the Atlantic League (Somewhere around A/AA with no affiliations). The kids who play in these leagues are there to try to get noticed. They play VERY hard and put a lot into the game. (Unfortunately, some of them just suck.) But some end up moving into affiliated ball. Check the Atlantic League player eligibility rules. I think there is a 3 year league limit... If you don't make it into affiliated ball, you have to pack up your locker and go find a job.
The Washington Wild Things are a real attraction in the area. They sell out consistently with tickets from $4 - $14. It's been a good move for Wash, PA and I look forward to checking out Blue Crab Baseball.
The Washington Wild Things are a real attraction in the area. They sell out consistently with tickets from $4 - $14. It's been a good move for Wash, PA and I look forward to checking out Blue Crab Baseball.
awpitt
Main Streeter
It would've been nice if they'd stuck with the origainl plan of locating the stadium in the Hughesville area. Thatwould've been more central for all of Southern Maryland.