It's Independence Day 2021, and what better way to celebrate the holiday than at the ballpark. It's the Aberdeen Ironbirds vs. the Brooklyn Cyclones in a High A matchup at Ripken Stadium's Leidos Field. This is another one of those ballparks that I've gone by so many times. Heading south on I-95 you can see the back of the scoreboard a short while after you cross the Susquehanna River at the head of Chesapeake Bay. Inside the stadium, you can hear the traffic rushing by and you can catch a glimpse or two of the cars and trucks through gaps in the trees beyond right field.
Cal Ripken Jr., born a stone's throw away in Havre de Grace, built the stadium, bought the Utica Blue Sox, moved the team to Aberdeen and changed their name to the Ironbirds in time to start play in the 2002 season. In last year's minor league reorganization, the Orioles invited the Ironbirds to be their High-A affiliate. I'm completing my personal Orioles cycle today, having been to the major league ballpark in Baltimore, their spring training stadium in Sarasota, the AAA Norforlk Tides, AA Bowie Baysox and Low A Delmarba Shorebirds.
In the process, I've acquired enough paraphernalia to look like a real Orioles fan. Today, I'm wearing a Delmarva t-shirt under my Bowie road jersey. I added the latest addition to my outfit when a random flashing scoreboard lottery landed on Section 203 and all of us got a free IRON8BIRDS baseball cap.
The number 8 instead of the letter B is only one of many references to Ripken, who was a fixture on the field at Camden Yards. Across the road from Ripken Field is the Ripken Experience, a complex of baseball fields for local youth leagues. The Ironbirds' team name itself is a reference to the Iron Man, who played in 2,632 consecutive games for the Orioles.
The Leidos Field fan guide has a funny entry about noisemakers. "For the comfort and enjoyment of our guests, noisemakers of any type (e.g., air horns, cowbells, etc.), with the exception of Cal Bells, are prohibited at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium."
The Hangar, the Ironbirds' team store, has plenty of Cal Bells, Ripken t-shirts, jerseys, and other memorabilia. My favorite was a baseball cap with Ripken's face embroidered on the front. The narrow road that leads to the sports complex and its free parking has a great name, Long Drive, of which Ripken hit many in his Hall of Fame career.
Fans were dressed in their patriotic best for today's game. The home teams' camouflage uniforms are a salute to our armed forces. The Star Spangled Banner was given a lively barbershop rendition by the Mainsail Quartet. You know you're at one of the Orioles' ballparks when the fans join in for a collective "O" at the beginning of the anthem's closing stanza.
The Orioles' John Means, on rehab with the Ironbirds, pitched the first two innings of the game. I felt bad for the Cyclone batters, even though he wasn’t throwing at full power. Then Luke Ritter popped a solo shot over the wall in dead center field in the second inning for the Cyclones and I stopped feeling sorry. The Ironbirds followed with a steady assault throughout the rest of the game and came up with the win. Final: Aberdeen Ironbirds 7, Brooklyn Cyclones 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment