On Ditching Town
Thursday, May 22, 2025Harrisburg, PA
Outside the Game:
As is often the case, I had a long, stupid day at work, where I interspersed my historic cooking for the week as I slogged through the day.
I was finally able to head out at around 7:30 PM, but as I was making my hotel reservation for the evening, Hotels.com booked it twice, and I had to take an extra 15 minutes to sort it out. So I wasn't on the road until 7:45 PM. I stopped to get gas and then just drove the couple of hours to Harrisburg, calling my mom as I went.
I arrived at the hotel around 10:15 PM and checked in, parked, unpacked, and then just went to bed.
The Accommodations:
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| Baymont by Wyndham Harrisburg |
The over-named Baymont by Wyndham Harrisburg was a nice enough place to hold over for a night. The cavernous hallways that all looked the same were not a good navigation tool for my half-awake self at that hour of night, but we persevered.
I had to get a double queen room instead of a king, but that just meant more pillows for me. The little bathroom was just off the entrance to the room, and the two queen beds, nightstand, and easy chair were on one side of the room, and a desk, dresser, and TV were on the opposite wall, as I'd seen countless times before.
It did what it needed to.
On Right Sized
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| Meritus Park, 2025 |
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs vs. Hagerstown Flying Boxcars
Meritus Park
Atlantic League
Hagerstown, MD
6:30 PM
Outside the Game:
I was up early for breakfast at 6:30 AM. I ate my fill of the breakfast bar, before retreating upstairs to shower, pack, book my hotel for the night, and take a nap. I checked out and was on the road around 9:30 AM.
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| Well-defended visitor's center |
I drove straight to Antietam without hitting any sort of traffic. I had been here before on a trip to see the old Hagerstown team, but I had only seen parts of the battlefield during that visit. I started at the visitor's center with the movie and then drove the entire battlefield this time, stopping at all of the visitor points. I even took one of the trails in the Cornfield for a little excursion. There was a guy with his kid who were always leaving the stops as I got there, the same way a couple and their dog were just behind me. The only part that got me was the army observation tower at the Sunken Road. So... many... stairs...
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| Burnside Bridge |
After hitting the last tour stop at the National Cemetery, I took the short drive back up to Hagerstown and stopped at a Sonic next to the hotel for a well-earned lunch before going over to check in.
I went up to my rather nice room and unpacked and settled in before taking a dead-to-the-world nap before the game. I drove over to the stadium around 5 PM, parked in the new parking deck, and bought my ticket and took all my outside pictures (including the "Mural of Unusual Size" next door) before the gates opened.
After the game, I was in my car and back to the hotel before their fireworks started, which I watched from the hotel parking lot before heading up to my room to shower, pack up some, and go to bed.
The Stadium & Fans:
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| Home plate to center field, Meritus Park |
Outside of the soulless corporate name, Meritus Park was actually very nice. It felt the right size for Hagerstown, for one. A lot of cities start an indie league team and go nuts building a big ballpark that will never be filled up, while this one felt exactly simpatico for Hagerstown. If the park sold out, 1/10th of the city population would be here, and the Boxcars, despite being a disaster on the field, actually draw very well.
There are two bars in the outfield that were bustling with people, and it seems like Meritus Park is similar to Coors Field on a smaller canvas. It is the best club or bar in town, and a lot of socializing gets done here, which is fine and dandy because the team currently sucks.
As with so many of these parks, there is one promenade above the seating area that goes around the park. The main seats run from first to third, with a picnic area at the end in both outfields. The second level of press and luxury boxes runs above the main seating area, and the kids play area is nestled in center among the outfield bars. The main scoreboard is in left-center and a neon sculpture of the namesake plane sits in right. There is a Hall of Fame of players who came through town in their affiliated days, and behind home plate is a big dining area, with specialty kiosks and a grab-n-go concession.
The mascot Ace didn't show up as much as you'd expect, and the between-inning entertainment was some average events, with things like the donut race (each side of the park has to pass an inflatable donut the length of the park the fastest) and an alcohol race sponsored by a local liquor store that is a hold-over from the old park. They pulled a good crowd, but it seemed more about the socializing than the game.
But VIP of the park is Erin Shank. Ms Shank is an insurance agent who somehow managed to get a sponsorship of every... single... foul... ball... in the game. Every time a ball was fouled, the scoreboard would flash red with "Foul Ball, presented by Erin Shank, State Farm, erinshankinsurance.com, 76 East Main St. Waynesboro 717-762-7101." I did not have to look that up, because I had it memorized by the third inning. It was omnipresent. Whoever sold her this sponsorship should be knighted or beheaded.
At the Game with Oogie:
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| "Burnt Ends" Sausage |
I went in as the gates opened, and was greeted to the pre-game "Rock and Roll Night" concert from some local cover band. I did my regular circuit of walking around to get pictures, hitting the team store, and then grabbing food. They had a pretty good selection of food at the park, but I settled on a "burnt ends sausage," which was weird, but actually really good.
I purchases a seat right behind the home dugout. There was an older couple behind me who were really into the game, but sadly realistic about their skills. ("This is like watching the O's!") There were two guys to my left who were there for a night out, and a family on the other side of me for the same.
The Game:
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| First pitch, Blue Crabs vs. Flying Boxcars |
This game features a battle of the Maryland indie teams in the Atlantic League between the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Besides featuring some truly ludicrous plays, it was an absolute blowout and some boring, boring baseball. Have I oversold it enough?
Southern Maryland started off with a leadoff walk and nothing else in the first. The Boxcars had back-to-back singles at the top of the inning to make it first and third with no outs, all erased on the most ridiculous double-play I've seen live. More on that below, but needless to say, they didn't score. The Blue Claws started the second with a leadoff double, who was put out trying to make it to third on the next hit. But a two-out homer put them on the board, 2-0, even though they stranded two more singles after the bomb. Hagerstown went in order after a leadoff walk got caught up in a double-play. Southern Maryland only had a reached on error to show for the third, while the Boxcars managed to strand back-to-back walks to start the inning, as well as a one-out single to load up the bases.
The Blue Crabs started the fourth with a single and another single and fielder's choice brought him in, and a homer to right cleared the bases for three more runs total, extending the lead to 5-0. Hagerstown went in order in their half. Southern Maryland kept the scoring going in the fifth, with a walk, a single, and a solo homer putting up two more to make it 7-0. The Boxcars finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning, with a two-out solo shot, closing it to 7-1. In the sixth, the Blue Crabs couldn't cash in a single and walk, and Hagerstown stranded two walks of their own.
Southern Maryland batted all the way around exactly in the seventh, with two singles, two walks, a sacrifice fly, and a two-base wild pitch turning into four more runs, to make it 11-1. The Boxcars went in order. The Blue Crabs only had a reached on error in the top of the eighth, while Hagerstown went in order again. Southern Maryland stranded a leadoff walk in the ninth, while--say it with me--the Boxcars went in order, leaving the final tally 11-1.
The Scorecard:
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| Southern Maryland Blue Crabs vs. Hagerstown Box Cars, 5/23/25. The Blue Carbs won, 11-1. |
There was a home scorecard to use this time around, but I didn't notice until I had started a scorecard in the BBWAA book. Because of rain the previous day, the liner on top of the dugout looked dry, but was actually soaked with water. I managed to get both scorecards wet on it, because I am attentive to detail.
The scorecard was the center foldout of the half-tabloid program, with nine lines for players and five for pitchers, curiously without cumulative total columns at the bottom of each inning (10 total). Each batter and pitcher had standard cumulative total stats. There were lines to record Umpires, temperature, weather, winning and losing pitchers, saves, time of game, and attendance. Each scoring square did not have a pre-printed diamond, and were of sufficient size for the task.
The play of the century was in the bottom of the first: 5-2-5-1-6t DP. With no outs and first and third, the next batter hit one sharply to the third baseman, who came home and got the runner at third in a rundown (5-2-5-1), and on the throw back to the shortstop covering third, he got the lead and tailing runner (6t DP). I would not want to be the going to face the manager after that one.
Just so the umps can get in on the action, in the top of the sixth, the ump rang up a batter with only two strike, who then went on to walk. And the K-Man did not strike out.
The Accommodations:
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| Hampton Inn, Hagerstown |
The Hampton Inn Hagerstown was very nice, even though it was undergoing renovations during my stay.
The larger-than-average bathroom was on the left as I entered the room, with tub and vanity. The bedroom had a king bed, nightstands, and dresses along one wall, a table with two chairs by the window, and a flat screen TV mounted on the far wall.
On No Complaints
Saturday, May 24, 2025Clifton, NJ
Outside the Game:
I was up early for a decidedly above-average hotel breakfast. The reason for the packed house soon became apparent, as the breakfast buffet was completely filled with young girls in softball uniforms who ate and then left quickly, no doubt for a tournament in the area.
I, however, went back up to my room for a nap, eventually getting myself together enough to leave around 10 AM. I stopped at a local antique shop and made a number of purchases, included a valet. Not a person in this case. There was a half-price tent sale on the lawn of the store, and in there was a perfectly good valet (piece of furniture), which once I determined it would fit in my trunk, was swiftly purchased, especially at that price.
I drove home on a straight shot, not even bothering to stop for lunch. I listened to the entirety of an episode of Narrative Declaration, which got me through the whole ride reasonably entertained.
I unloaded, threw everything in the laundry, and napped, and went about the rest of my Saturday as one does.
The Accommodations:
Sweet home, Clifton
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