They're back

Players and fans excited about Blue Crabs' second season

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Like the popular sing-along to "Sweet Caroline" at Regency Furniture Stadium last year during the middle of the eighth inning, the 2008 inaugural season of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was a hit mainly because of what the brand new franchise showcased on the diamond in becoming a proud staple of the community.

The Blue Crabs introduced themselves to the Atlantic League in emphatic fashion, becoming a viable playoff contender in each half of last season. They finished as the Liberty Division runners-up each time, narrowly missing the playoffs on both occasions while coming closest in the second half, just a game behind first-place Long Island.

Their body of work during last year's coming-out party was 74-66, matching league champion Somerset for the best overall record through both halves of the season.

And that first-year accomplishment occurred within a professional outfit that Blue Crabs minority owner Brooks Robinson calls the best independent minor league in the country.

But not all the history-making was confined to last year.

Right away in 2009, the Blue Crabs will experience a much-anticipated franchise first when they host the season's opening night slated for at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against rival Long Island.

"I get excited every year for opening day. It's always nice to open the season at home — it's a pretty special thing," Blue Crabs skipper and reigning league manager of the year Butch Hobson said. "I've really developed a genuine fondness for this ballpark and people here. It's a good place to live. Southern Maryland has become my summer home. Being in our second year, it's still a brand new thing. I'm probably a little more relaxed for this year's opening day, because I've already gotten my feet wet."

"[Southern Maryland] is an awesome place to play with good fans," said Blue Crabs pitcher Ryan Bicondoa, 13-8 a year ago, who started and won the team's first-ever game last April on the road. "It's a new team with a new stadium and a good area. I liked our underdog role [last year]. Our team clicked and felt like we fit in the La Plata-Waldorf area. A lot of guys wanted to come back and play for Butch."

The Phoenix resident added, "Hopefully, we'll win the whole thing this year. We had a great team last year with a lot of good guys that are excited to get back. It's going to be fun."

Knuckleballer Joe Gannon, the league's reigning pitcher of the year, has earned the Blue Crabs' starting nod for opening night following a 12-6 record and league-best 3.17 earned run average in 2008.

"We had a good season last season, but last year was last year," he said. "We had the best record overall, but at the same time, that didn't get us into the playoffs. The goal is to make the playoffs, and that has nothing to do with last year. It was fun with plenty of good memories as a first-year team, and we almost made the playoffs.

"We set a standard last year. But it's playoffs or bust [this season] because that's who we are, not because of last year."

Blue Crabs general manager Chris Allen added, "We love our chances this year. Butch has managed to bring a lot of those same guys back. We feel we had the best team in the league last year — for whatever reason it may be, we just couldn't manage to win one of those two halves. You put them together, and we had the best record in the league.

"So we feel real good about our chances."