“Play Ball!” Closer than Ever in Loudoun (video)
Photo courtesy LivinginLoco.com
Can I just start by saying I love baseball? Possibly no one was more excited when they heard that Loudoun was getting its own team than me (yeah, right!). Things have taken some time to get to this point (nearly 10 years by all accounts), but we’re closer than ever. And if Sunday’s inaugural Loudoun Hounds FanFest is any indication, there is a great demand for baseball here in DC’s Wine Country.
FanFest was a celebration of our new baseball team, and it was a huge success. Over 9,800 fans turned out to welcome the team and its new mascot, Fetch, to their new home. I was so excited to attend. There was a really a lot of great energy at the event, and you can just tell that baseball in Loudoun is going to be awesome. Hats off to the staff at the Hounds for a great event! It was top dog (pardon the pun) in my book. (Hmmmm… will they serve hot dogs at the new park?)
In case you didn’t have the opportunity to attend FanFest, we’ve put together a video recap of the event below. Its a little rough in some parts (trying recording and holding your hand over your heart during the National Anthem at the same time, for instance). But it does give you a nice overview. It features:
- Loudoun Hounds CEO Bob Farren welcoming fans
- The ceremonial first pitch by MLB great Tommy John
- Lots of former MLB players including John, Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Tippy Martinez, Ron Hansen, Ryan Minor, Michael Young, and Scott McGregor. Other players that attended included Cecil Fielder, Chris Hoiles, , Otis Nixon, Mike Colangelo, Dick Such, Ellie Rodriguez and Bobby Richardson
- A stirring rendition of the National Anthem by Emma Rowley
- Video and pics of the proposed new ballpark, to be built in Sterling at the intersections of Route 28 and 7
- Merchandise sales and memorabilia auction
Check out the video recap!
For more information on the Loudoun Hounds, click here. Go HOUNDS!
I love following your blog and keeping up on everything that is happening in Loudoun County. Are the Loudoun Hounds a part of any particular franchise? I don’t know a lot about baseball but I was just wondering if it was a farm team?
Thanks! The Hounds are part of the independent Atlantic League, and are not affiliated with a MLB franchise. That said, they have a lot of up and coming MLB players that play in the league, as well as former MLB players, and a lot of the team managers also played in the MLB. The Atlantic League teams are found in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, including PA, NJ, CT, and MD. At the FanFest, they said the Atlantic League is between Triple-A and Double-A baseball, with Triple-A being just one step below the big leagues, so they’ll have good players. For more information, check out their website at http://www.atlanticleague.com. Hope that helps!