May 30, 2015
Harry Grove Stadium (Capacity: 5,400)
Frederick, MD
Frederick Keys vs Lynchburg Hillcats
Final Score: 8 – 12
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Northwest Maryland provides sports trippers a great opportunity to check out a pair of baseball teams and I did just that on a very warm late May weekend. I started out in the city of Frederick, the state’s second largest with a population of 65,000. Many Civil War buffs converge on this area that is deeply rooted in history and old conflict, specifically the turning points in the war that divided the United States. While history draws visitors, the renaissance achieved downtown has made Frederick trendy to young professionals looking to get away from the I-95 corridor (DC and Baltimore). On the sports end of the spectrum, Frederick went decades without a professional team. That changed when the Orioles moved their Single-A affiliate 30 minutes down the road into a new ballpark that was completed here in 1990. Since that time, the Keys have won four Carolina League championships, with their last coming in 2011. Harry Grove Stadium is an average facility quite similar to other Oriole affiliates in Maryland, however this is a place that set the standard for many new ballparks to come, specifically the concourse with an open view.
Prestige Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Location
Old-town architecture combined with Carroll Creek Park (a mini Riverwalk) makes for a very enjoyable downtown. Take a stroll along the creek, or up Market Street and then grab something to eat at one of the many great restaurants to check out. Be sure to see the inspiring Community Bridge. While tourist attractions outside of war-related stuff is lacking, the city is still worth visiting thanks to the work and efforts in the heart of it. About a mile away to the south is Loats Park, which houses Harry Grove Stadium. This is the commercialized area of Frederick, with plenty of big box shopping and strip malls around. The park itself houses a couple other ballfields, while the stadium sits across from a large cemetery (where one can find the headstone of Francis Scott Key).
Location Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
A confluence of major highways converge on the city as I-70 arrives from Baltimore, I-270 ends near DC and US-15 runs north-south. Stadium Drive is very close to the exits from these roads. The parking lot in front of the ballpark is elongated and odd, with the tight rows making for close calls between cars changing aisles. There nearly is not enough space as I saw cars parked at the very edge of the lot, a good distance from the front entrance. A secondary parking lot beyond right-field provides added spots and that extends to a grassy field.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Exterior
The ballpark has a smallish appearance from behind home plate and the general drab brown coloring for both the brick and roof don’t help matters. A center inset leads to the concourse, while to the right is the box office, which could use a few more windows (the will-call line was about a 10-15 minute wait for the game I attended). Sporadic advertising banners hang over the railing of the suite level, while the sides include the full ballpark name and a large Frederick city seal, a nice touch.
Exterior Ranking: 3.5 out of 10
Concourse
Framed by brick, the concourse features a mix of concessions and stand-alone stands and it is covered until the suite level ends. Back in 1990, the idea to open up the concourse with stands facing an open view of the field was a new and successful concept still copied today. With the lack of a team store, merchandise racks clutter things, as do people waiting in line in other areas. Going down the first-base side and past the food stands, a fun zone features a good amount of activities for the little ones. Included is a carousel, a staple of Baltimore Orioles affiliates. Concessions continue down the open third base side too, with a picnic pavilion at the end.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
The wait for food on this slow night I attended was more noteworthy than the actual items. I gave up waiting for an Angus Burger after 10 minutes, then at a separate stand, a lady asked for a refund after waiting a ridiculous amount of time for a menu item. As for the actual food, everything expected at a minor-league park was there including multi-item baskets and special wraps/sandwiches. A black bean veggie burger and a crab cake sandwich (remember we’re in Maryland) could be deemed a bit unique. Local flare was missing, except for the beer, where Frederick-based Flying Dog had four awesome beers on tap.
Food Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Interior
Seating is solely around the infield and the one-level bowl is sloped a bit shallow. An annoying middle walkway needlessly splits the 100 and 200 seating (odd and even section numbers are split in the middle as well, something I never understood). Wide, comfortable individual chairbacks include an eye-pleasing orange color in the lower area, with blue reserved for the higher seats. Unfortunately, blue bleachers fill the last few sections on each side of the 200 sections. Beyond the seating bowl, a couple of grassy berms are set up, but these are mainly used by kids rolling around. Twelve skyboxes are in the elevated area over the concourse, with a club section in the middle. The outfield wall consists of an ugly three-tiered stack of advertisements, circa 1980s. This blocks the blasé view beyond that includes I-70. Not only are the ads annoying, but it also is distracting as it is impossible to see a home run (the lack of a yellow line doesn’t help either).
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14
Scoreboard
Over the wall of ads in left field is a video screen that is relatively new and includes a picture that is adequate (I would steer clear of saying it was sharp though). Mostly pictures went on this board. Above right field is a box score with a linear video display at the bottom, providing batter and pitcher stats. The “Nymeo Field” portion of the ballpark name is certainly more visible above this scoreboard than the “Harry Grove Stadium” portion. Given the location of this information, it would be helpful if the game details also showed up on the board in left field, so those sitting on the first base side do not have to strain their necks.
Scoreboard Ranking: 1.5 out of 4
Displays
On the grounds and exterior walls are a few dedication plaques featuring Harry Grove, Francis Scott Key and John Loats. And….that would be it.
Displays Ranking: 1 out of 6
Cost
Tickets are nearly identical to the other two Carolina League teams that I have seen as a seat in Frederick’s stadium cost $9 – $12 with a $2 increase if bought on the day of the game. Food prices a bit high, but not brutal…Hot Dogs were $4, a regular soda cost $3.75 (yet it was $4 for an Aquafina bottle) and Fries went for $3.75. Parking and programs were free!
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
Lots of orange in the stands makes for a good visual as fans support both the Keys and Orioles with that color. The draw was pretty good as about 80% of the park was filled (disclaimer…it was a summer weekend fireworks night). I would say there was a solid 4,000 on hand for the game. While Frederick has led the Carolina League in attendance the last several years, the playoff run in 2011 averaged 1,456 fans, while their two home games in the championship series averaged 882. That’s not great compared to the regular season inflated numbers.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The crowd was a bit more involved than a standard minor-league audience and they recognized when plays should have been made. After each run, they move their arms up and down as they follow along with the mascot, Keyote. One cool tradition is in the middle of the 7th, when a cheesy, yet enjoyably catchy team song plays while fans “Shake their keys”. Lots of people join in as the jangling of keys reverberates around the park.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
The team is named after Francis Scott Key, the lawyer who wrote the poem: “Defense of Fort McHenry”, which became the Star Spangled Banner. Key was born in Frederick County and practiced law in the city…..Frederick is nicknamed the City of Clustered Spires, thanks to their numerous churches…..Before Harry Grove Stadium was completed, the Keys spent their first season in the amateur-like McCurdy Field…..A few months before my visit, Nymeo Federal Credit Union bought the naming rights. While they wanted to retain the initial tribute to Harry Grove (founder of an early Frederick baseball team), the official title became Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. It seems that the team is referring to the park mainly as Nymeo Field. I will do the opposite and refuse to bow to corporate sponsorship.
Game
Anyone arriving late missed the main story of the game as the visiting Hillcats scored 6 runs in the first inning, batting around the order. Frederick actually would finish with more runs (8), but another inning that saw the entire Lynchburg lineup come to bat meant the deficit was too much to overcome. The Keys ended up falling 12-8 as the Hillcats pounded out 17 hits. Clint Frazer hit a pair of home runs, while for the Keys, Tucker Nathans went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI. While this was a high-scoring affair, it still was longer than it should have been at 3 hours and 25 minutes. This season, AAA and AA have adopted game-speed rules and I hope all leagues utilize this soon.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
