ABERDEEN IRONBIRDS: Stadium, Food, and More! (Oriole Phanatic Review)

Everything you need to know about Leidos Field!

Out in Aberdeen, Maryland, behind a lot of apartment complexes, you will find Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. The Ironbirds are home to a really nice stadium, especially for a High-A team. It’s one of those stadiums where almost all seats are exceptional. Since the stadium isn’t necessarily big, almost every seat will come with a great view.

For starters, the main thing that sets apart the Ironbirds from everyone else, in my opinion, are the Cal Bells. Since Cal Ripken Jr is the owner of the team, the team does a little promo where they’ll say “SHAKE YOUR CAL BELLS” on the jumbotron every so often. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s still something. Another small thing was that, like the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, Leidos Field is a turf field, besides the home plate circle.

Speaking of the jumbotron, in between almost every half-inning, there are games that the Ironbirds host. Some examples are the wallet shuffle, the Zorb Balls, and the Meatball and spoon race. The meatball race is the one that me and my friend did. It’s simple: They put a red beachball on a large spoon, and you had to run back and forth once. That’s it. These activities are so simple that they’re able to be done by a 5-year old, which some are. One thing that I’ve always admired about the Ironbirds are their ability to make the fan experience unforgettable.

As for the food, you can find places like Flash Point Grill and Good Hops around the stadium. The Ironbirds have a food challenge called the Porkinator. It’s (I think) a foot-long pork hot dog with diced onions, and other stuff. If you finish it within an hour, you get it (along with an hour-long bathroom visit) for free!Also, before the game, they serve Happy Hour, where hotdogs, pretzels, and beer are $3, which is convenient for people not trying to spend a lot of money on food.

We played the Jersey Shore Blue Claws, and the starting pitcher was Moises Chace. However, I feel as if this needs to be put out there: I understand that Moises’ collision ended up not being anything bad, since he was released from the hospital the next day. I’m hoping that Moises gets healthy quickly, and he will be able to pitch again soon.

So, overall, I think this team hosts a great stadium. I believe that this is a ballpark that, even if the Ironbirds move, will thrive for a century.