July 18, 2006

After stepping onto the grounds of Knights Field Tuesday afternoon to watch the Rockville Express host the Bethesda Big Train, my first reaction to the size of the field was, “Wow!” That is because the outfield fences at the stadium, which is located at Montgomery College in Rockville, are extremely deep. To hit a homerun over the centerfield fence, a batter has to crush the ball a mere 490 feet. It takes a 420 foot blast to hit a campus building in right-center field. These dimensions, along with grass base paths and plenty of foul territory make for a unique venue. Even the dirt area around home plate is shaped like a home plate.

The stadium is designed to give fans a close seat to the action and I took advantage by sitting right behind home plate. The Express organization is planning to install lights for next season in order to play night games and increase attendance.

I got the chance to meet Jimmy, an 11 year old who is not only a huge Express fan, but also their scoreboard operator. The Gaithersburg native claims he got the job through his “connections,” but I can attest to his professionalism, as he never took his eyes off the field while I interviewed him. He’s on a first name basis with all the players because he used to be the team batboy and he said that one day he would probably be playing for the Rockville Express. Jimmy’s job is definitely the coolest of any 11 year old I know. Way to go on landing the position!

Unfortunately it was too hot (temperature hovering around 100 degrees) to enjoy some of the Express’ famous O'Brien's Pit Barbeque but their food is certainly well-known. Maybe they can ship it to my house.

The Express win Tuesday afternoon brought them within 1.5 games of the first place Big Train. Can’t you just feel the excitement from the Express fans?

Andy Ireland is the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League's resident ''blog-man.'' This summer he is touring the ballparks of the CRSCBL and recording the coolest parts of the game, both on and off the field. Be sure to check back for the latest Base-Blog! E-mail Andy Ireland.