Sunday afternoon, I completed a very interesting project that I have yet to complete with any other baseball club, including my beloved Boston Red Sox. It is a project that I did not set out intentionally to complete.  As luck and geography and opportunity would have it, The Baltimore Orioles and their affiliate’s locales in small section of the East Coast were the easy target for this rather interesting set of events.  I have now officially visited the current homes of the entire Baltimore Orioles baseball organization from Single A to the Major Leagues.  In recent years, I have visited or attended games at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), Harbor Park (Norfolk Tides, AAA), Prince George’s Stadium (Bowie Bay Sox, AA), and Leidos Field, Ripken Stadium (Aberdeen Iron Birds, A).  Sunday, I visited Arthur Perdue Stadium, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, to complete what I am calling the Baltimore Baseball 5 until I can come up with something catchier.

Ok, let’s chat about the region known as Delmarva.  First, I have to mention Pete Michaud, the Norfolk Tides radio announcer.  I love listening to baseball games on the radio.  Pete does an expert job of announcing games for the Tides on my local VA Beach Tides station.  Michaud mentioned Delmarva the Orioles Single A affiliate one night during a Tides game, perhaps referencing a player who was recently promoted to Norfolk.  He made a point to mention that Delmarva or the Delmarva Peninsula is actually the first few letters of each of the states it encompasses – Delaware, Maryland, Virginia.  The Delmarva region can be accessed several ways, including Route 13.  Route 13 just so happens to be the common route I use to go up north to see family and friends in Rhode Island, and this week for work up in New Jersey for ABF Freight.  So, while driving through the Delmarva Region in the State of Maryland, I stopped in Salisbury (MD) to visit the home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, Arthur Perdue Stadium.

Sunday was game day for the Delmarva Shorebirds when I arrived just before 3pm. I parked in the main parking lot and found an open door to the administration office.  A very nice receptionist greeted me and nodded enthusiastically “yes” when I asked if I could take a photo or two of the field.  After entering the stadium, I was greeted by several other friend Shorebirds staffers who invited me to walk around the field, check out the boardwalk in the outfield area, and to come back again for a game.  Vendors were making their final inventory arrangements.  Players were stretching and doing pre-game exercises on the field and in the bullpens.  Staff were cleaning countertops and other fan locations.  It was a very warm and welcoming atmosphere from the receptionist to the game day staff, and I just loved that feeling.

As for the stadium, apart from the vendors and game day staff and players, it was empty.  So, I took the golden opportunity to walk around each and every section I could to snap a few photos and take in the amazing views around the ballpark.  It was a hot sunny day, and I was working up a pretty good sweat going up and down the stairs and into all the sections.  From the main section of seating, I headed out to the left field foul pole area and the aforementioned boardwalk.  I walked the entire boardwalk area, and thought – wow what an incredible view.  In all my years of going to professional baseball stadiums, I don’t think I have ever seen something like that structure.  It looked like a town dock, wooden planks just a few feet off the ground, stretching from left to right field.  There was a counter set up along the railing for your beverage, your meal, so you could enjoy your dinner and never miss a second of the game action.  A most unique view and experience there in Delmarva.

With the heat and humidity draining my energy a bit and a work schedule to stay focused on, I said goodbye to whomever staff I could find before leaving the stadium.  It was just an incredibly welcoming baseball experience in Salisbury at Arthur Perdue Stadium.  The stadium is very easy to get to, plenty of parking, great views throughout the park, including the impressive boardwalk section of the outfield area.  The Delmarva Shorebirds is a common stop for Baltimore Orioles organizational players and coaches as they make their way up to the big club in Baltimore.  And I have to be honest, I am very, very impressed with all 5 of the Baltimore Orioles organization homes and how they give baseball fans a ton of value for their ticket price.  I was so psyched to finally stop in and check out Arthur Perdue Stadium, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds.  It was an incredible Shorebirds experience, and I will definitely make every effort to get back to Salisbury to see a live game this summer.