Home sweet home

Blue Crabs ready to play in front of their fans for the first time

Friday, May 2, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by STEPHEN DEMEDIS Blue Crabs shortstop George Sandel hops over the third base line after the first inning of the season opener at Somerset. The Blue Crabs play their home opener at 7:05 tonight at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The Blue Crabs, off to a 1-4 start heading into Thursday’s game against the York Revolution, which finished too late to be included in this edition, hope that a chance to open its new stadium helps put an end to early-season struggles.

‘‘Not every team gets to open the season at home, and we needed this time to make sure the stadium is finished,” said Blue Crabs manager Butch Hobson. ‘‘We haven’t gotten off to the best start out here, but we need to give these guys a chance. I think it will be good for us to play at home, and we are excited about the opener.”

Since dropping its first series to Somerset, Southern Maryland has been shut out in two games with the York Revolution. On Tuesday, the Revolution picked up their first win of the season in their home opener with a 9-0 win.

‘‘I think that the home team definitely feeds off of the crowd,” said left fielder Eric Crozier in a phone interview on Wednesday. ‘‘In last night’s game, York had that advantage. I was talking with one of their guys, and he said that they couldn’t hit in three games on the road, but they really turned it on when they got home.”

Since opening the season with a 3-1 win over the Somerset Patriots, the Blue Crabs have also struggled at the plate. Southern Maryland has been outscored 26-8 and shutout in three of five road games.

‘‘We have now played in two home openers, and you see how comfortable guys are in their home park and how they feed off of the crowd,” said right fielder Terrence McClain. ‘‘So I think that a lot of us are looking forward to Friday’s game. There is a lot of anticipation, and they have told us that we should we playing for a packed house.”

Southern Maryland will automatically enjoy some of the advantages to playing at home, such as the support of the crowd and batting as the home team.

‘‘When you play at home, you get that last at-bat, and that can really help,” Crozier said. ‘‘If you come into the bottom of ninth trailing by a run or two, you know that you still have that one last shot to make something happen.”

But the other facets that make playing at home advantageous will have to come with time, as the team has not yet seen the finished version of Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf. The Blue Crabs will need time to become familiar with their home field.

‘‘We have never even hit a ball in that park,” Hobson said. ‘‘We don’t know what it is like to play there. It is going to be great playing in front of the home fans on opening day, but it is going to take some time for guys to get a feel for the park.”

For many of the Blue Crabs, Southern Maryland also lacks the comforts of home. The team has had difficulty finding host families for players, and many will still be living in hotel rooms in the team’s first home stand.

Not having a place to stay has been a topic of concern for those players who are still homeless.

‘‘That’s a tough subject, and I have heard it come up in different conversations,” Crozier said. ‘‘I think that guys are worried about not having a place to stay, and that can be frustrating. I have always felt that comfort leads to better production on the field. But we are trying to stay focused.”

Players will continue to stay in hotels and live out of suitcases until enough housing is found.

‘‘I mean, it’s good when the guys are more comfortable, and they have their own place,” Hobson said. ‘‘But our guys are professionals and they have been through this before. They could be staying in a hotel room or in a tent, and I’d like to think they would still be focused on what they have to do.”

Southern Maryland will play two three-game series at home against the Lancaster Barnstormers, starting tonight through Sunday, and Newark Bears, starting Monday and going through Wednesday, before going back on the road.