America as an Indie Ballpark: Regency Furniture Stadium

Baseball is already one of the most American things I can think of. Independent baseball is somehow even more American, with its mix of hustling younger players trying to catch the eye of a big league club and former big league veterans for whom things have gone a little bit south. Add in hot dogs slathered in crab, a kiddie pool, a beer garden, a hand-operated scoreboard, and more corporate sponsorship than even the most dedicated shill could possible handle, all in a stadium named after a furniture store, and its basically the most American thing I could think of. Having already visited the Major Leagues and affiliated ball, I decided to complete the trifecta at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland, home to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League.

The Atlantic League has one of the highest levels of play of any “Indie” league in North America. It is referred to as Independent because the teams have no affiliations with any Major League team, but it is not uncommon for “affiliated ball” to sign players away midseason. The game I watched, featured the Sugar Land Skeeters as the away team. The Skeeters team included former MLB All-Star Derek Norris at Catcher for Sugar Land, along with about a dozen other players who had previously played in the Majors.

The Skeeters became nationally famous in 2012 when superstar pitcher Roger Clemens played for the team for a few months as part of his comeback to baseball. The Atlantic League consists of six teams based along the Eastern seaboard, the Texas-based Skeeters, and a team called the “Road Warriors” that doesn’t have a home stadium. Next year the Warriors will take up permanent residency in Cary, North Carolina.

The Park

Regency Furniture Stadium is a small modern park, having opened in 2008. There are 4,200 seats, all of which are very close to the action with great views. I sat on the first base side of home plate. Several people in our section ended up with foul balls. The left field foul line is dominated by a beer garden. Down the right field line is a kids play area that includes both a climbing wall and”Crabby Cove.” This is an artificial pond which kids can navigate with pedal boats. While there aren’t any official seats beyond the outfield fence, there is a grassy berm where fans can have picnics or just hang out. The architecture of the grandstand is a little bit unique, with white gables vaguely reminiscent of Churchill Downs. It is apparently meant to evoke the traditional tobacco barns of Southern Maryland.

Getting There

Waldorf is located out in Charles County, Maryland, in an area that these days has been absorbed by the outer reaches of the Washington, DC exurbs. Regency Furniture Stadium is completely surrounded by a large housing development of completely identical McMansions. They are even all painted the same color. It is definitely impossible to get there through any way other than by car. Fortunately, the parking lot is more than large enough for the stadium’s needs. DC traffic foiled my attempt to get to Waldorf for a 6:30 Friday evening first pitch. After crawling through traffic on the Beltway and Branch Avenue I ended up at least a half hour late.

Experience

Moreso than any other stadium I have ever visited, everything at Regency Furniture Stadium is sponsored. Whenever a ball is hit over the roof and into the parking lot, the PA plays the sound of breaking glass, followed by “I hope they were insured with Allstate!” The Box Office is named the “eTrepid Box Office”. The seventh inning stretch had a corporate sponsor. At one point we were all asked to stand, remove our hats, and observe a moment of silence while looking toward a chair kept empty in honor of POWs… courtesy of Chik-Fil-A.

There were also more mascots walking around than I’ve seen at any pro game. The menagerie included the the main team mascot, Pinch, at least four Chik-Fil-A cows, and Cookie Monster, for some reason. There was also a guy on top of the dugout trying to get the crowd to cheer while wearing a Tie Die shirt, helpfully identified as Tie Die Guy.

There were a few die hard fans very into the action. For hard-core baseball fans, it is a great opportunity to get very close-up looks at some surprisingly high-level players. My $13 seat was within easy conversation distance of the visiting on-deck circle, and the players did indeed exchange remarks with nearby fans several times.

Concessions

I was pretty disappointed in the concessions at Regency Furniture Stadium. Many of the options were inexplicably closed despite it being a fairly well-attended Friday night game. This meant that the two concession stands that were open had long lines the entire night. I eventually gave in and purchased a hot dog slathered in crab. Other options include crab nachos and crab cakes, so it’s on theme at least. As “modern” pro stadiums go, the beer selection was particularly uninspired. The “premium” options consisted of Blue Moon, Heineken, and Modelo. I spent about ten minutes in line after the woman in front of me ordered the generic “wine” option. The girl manning the cash register had obviously never before attempted to open a bottle of wine. Eventually the customer had to take the bottle and opener themselves in order to end the agony for everyone.

My Take

I actually had a great time watching a game at Regency Furniture Stadium. I’m glad that most stadiums pull back a little on the corporate shilling, and many have better concessions options. But the Atlantic League game is a lot of fun to watch and the there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. Just make sure to allow enough to get there, and maybe get dinner before you go.