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| Obligatory legal information: This site is copyright 1998-2008 Kevin Reichard/August Publications. All rights reserved. My wife is a lawyer, so she will come and chop off your hand in a legal fashion if you rip off this site in any form. All logos are the property of their respective owners. |
Regency Furniture
Stadium / Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
| Year Opened | 2008 |
| Capacity | 6,000 (4,00 individual seats, suites, berm seating) |
| Cost | $25.6 million |
| Owner | Charles County, Maryland |
| Architect | Tetra Tech (Wilmington) |
| Dimensions | 310L, 400C, 325R |
| Playing Surface | Grass |
| Last Visit | 2008 |
| League | Atlantic League |
| Ticket Prices (2008) | Box seats, $13 ($11 for kids, senior citizens and active military); berm seating, $6 ($4 for kids, senior citizens and active military) |
| Address/Directions | 11765 St. Linus Drive, Waldorf. The ballpark is in a relatively remote part of the area. From Hwy. 301, take Billingsley Road east and turn right at Piney Church Road; follow the signs to the ballpark. |
| Written by: | Kevin Reichard |
| Rating |  |
There is something irresistible about a ballpark with a huge pool featuring the water equivalent of bumper cars -- surely one of the most unique ballpark innovations we've seen in recent years. So despite a very remote location, Regency Furniture Stadium has already distinguished itself despite sharing a basic design with other ballparks owned by Peter Kirk in the independent Atlantic League. Add in a few great food items and you have a ballpark well worth the visit.
To say Regency Furniture Stadium is located in a remote location may be an understatement: there's literally nothing within walking distance of the ballpark, and you'll be passing through what feels like a lot of open territory to reach the home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. It will take a lot of growth before Waldorf grows out to the ballpark area, and although there are signs of development in the area, we're guessing it will be many, many years before you can walk across the street to have a snort after the game.
Still, we're not entirely sure the location really impacts attendance to a large extent. There was a great crowd on hand during the night of our visit (albeit for a Saturday night fireworks event), with the berm practically full and the bumper-car pool rocking with kids and parents. It's easy to see why: the Blue Crabs put on a pretty good show, with an emphasis on the family part of the equation. The outfield is the perfect spot for a family to set up camp: the berm goes from the right-field line to the center-field batters eye, and a very large kids' play area is adjacent.
The rest of the ballpark is given to specialty seating areas. Suites are located behind the plate and in a separate building down the left-field line, with two levels of suites behind home plate. (When in doubt, apparently the trend these days is to build up.) Those buying a suite on the main level of the ballpark certainly are getting their money's worth: the front level of the seating in the suite is basically the seventh row of the grandstand. That does two things: it puts suite seating amazingly close to the action, and it creates an intimate seating area right behind the plate.
There's not a bleacher in the place: all the seats are theater-style, with custom "Blue Crabs" chairs in the left-field picnic area.
Despite occupying a very large lot, the ballpark itself feels intimate. A wraparound concourse -- appropriately narrow in sports -- defined the space well, and we found most fans stuck to their immediate areas. The Blue Crabs branding pushes the notion of "Crustacean Nation," and there was an impressive array of Blue Crabs merchandise worn by fans.
The devil is always in the details, and for the most part the details are done correctly here. You get the best of both worlds when it comes to scoreboards: a huge videoboard hangs in right field, while a Green Monster-like wall is located in left. It features a Fenway-type manual scoreboard, complete with red lights indicating balls, strikes and outs. All that's missing is the Morse code a la the Yawkey initials at Fenway Park. While it does seem a little odd to walk in the main gates of a ballpark and not be confronted with a panoramic view of the playing field -- the suites arrangement prevents a dramatic entrance -- that's more than outweighed by the other design considerations in the ballpark. (The only thing we found to be jarring: the outfield fence in center field is only a chain-link fence, sans padding. We're guessing the Blue Crabs outfielders don't go full-bore when chasing down potential home runs.)
The water-pool bumper cars make so much sense it's amazing no one else has done it. The pool is located beyond the left-field outfield fence, with a walkway above it. The boats can also shoot water, giving kids (and some adults; smaller kids need a parent onboard) continued delight. Parents can watch the kids from the walkway above; it was a popular place to take photos of the kids in action.
Attendance at Blue Crabs game has steadily improved over the course of the season; by season end the team should be around 3,300 a game. The Blue Crabs front office does a pretty good job of entertaining fans once they show up; the trick to get them through the doors the first time, and they're bound to come back.
Concessions
The main concession areas are located in the
grandstand. Most offer the same things -- hot
dogs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, pop, beer --
but for something unique head to the third-base
side, where local delicacies are offered: a sea
dog (fish on a bun), fried rock fish, crab cakes
and crab balls. Go for the crab-filled pretzel:
it's amazingly good, topped with melted cheese.
Between the food stands are dedicated beer stands
and carveries. A pretty decent selection of beer
is available; try the Backfin Pale Ale, located
next to the fish stand.
Other concession stands offer Turkey Hill ice cream, popcorn and a variety of beers and malt beverages.
Parking
This season the Blue Crabs offered free
parking. Smart move: to charge for parking in such
a remote location would be an insult to fans.