Bus Leagues Baseball

Over the weekend, I visited the Delmarva peninsula with my family. It’s called that because it contains parts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Smack in the middle is a town called Salisbury, and that town is the home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They were taking on the West Virginia Power (Brewers). So I made sure to catch the Sunday afternoon game with my son. Here are a few photos from the ballpark!

Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. Named for the patriarch of the Perdue chicken empire.

The third base line in Perdue Stadium.

The Shorebirds’ manager is the mysterious Ramon Sambo. Yes, I said Sambo.

A wider view from the third base line.

Sherman the Shorebird. Hangin’ out, watchin’ the game.

Sherman shakes my son’s hand.

I love how they left a gap in the outfield so the church is visible.

Not only are they growing new talent for the Orioles, they’re growing new baseballs, as well.

As I was looking at the website for the Shorebirds, I noticed the very tight locus of the affiliate clubs. Typical Peter Angelos - he’ll save a buck anywhere he can, and he must surely save a ton on this travel schedule for his callups:

Aberdeen IronBirds (Short A) - Aberdeen, MD
Delmarva Shorebirds (A) - Salisbury, MD
Frederick Keys (High A) - Frederick, MD
Bowie Baysox (AA) - Bowie, MD
Norfolk Tides (AAA) - Norfolk, VA

Every single O’s affiliate is within a few hours of Baltimore. Very cagey, Angelos!