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The College Park Bombers are a team without a home for the 2009 Cal Ripken Senior Collegiate Baseball League season.
The team has played at Shipley Field on the University of Maryland campus since its inception 10 years ago. But prior to the start of this season in early June, the Bombers and the university couldn't agree on financial terms for use of the facility.
The Bombers will instead play many of their home games this season at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro. They also will play some afternoon home games at Montgomery College in Germantown. Rental fees for those facilities were not available, but team officials said it would cost the team less to play there than it would have to remain at Shipley Field.
Bombers' owner and founder Gene Bovello said the team should change its name to the "Road Bombers" since it doesn't have a home.
"It's been a tough year," he said. "They just wanted too much money up front and we aren't rich. It's tough on the team because now we are like gypsies."
Bovello said the Bombers paid $4,300 two years ago for the use of Shipley Field during the two-month Ripken League schedule. Last season the price nearly doubled to $7,700, while this season the cost went up again to $7,900, with the university asking for $2,300 as a down payment.
Bovello said the money paid to rent Shipley Field usually was offset by concession sales during the season. But with the price increase last season, the Bombers charged fans at the gate for the first time to make up the extra cost. Admission was $5, with senior citizens, military personnel and children under 12 admitted free.
When the university increased the price again this year and asked for money up front, it forced the College Park Bombers out of their home.
Joshua Kaplan, the director of facilities at the University of Maryland, said the university requested a down payment at the start of this season because the Bombers were late paying their invoice the past three years. He said the university waived the right to charge a facility rental fee up front in the past, but decided to do so this year because of the late payments.
He also said the rental fee was increased because the university realized it hadn't previously charged the Bombers for utilities on game days. The university instead was eating the cost of the utilities and staffing of the games. He said the Bombers were told in advance about the increase in prices.
"We understand their situation, but we can't give certain groups special treatment," Kaplan said. "They have been well informed about everything we were going to do. We even thought outside the box and gave them ideas on how they could save money like playing more day games and scheduling doubleheaders."
Bovello admits the Bombers were late paying the invoice last season, but said it was the only time they were late. He said three weeks after the Bombers paid the 2008 invoice the university asked for the $2,300 down payment for 2009.
Despite the setbacks, both sides said they are hopeful the team can return to Shipley Field in the future.
"It's unfortunate this happened because we have had a great relationship with the Bombers," Kaplan said. "We would love to have them back next year."
Bombers split
doubleheader with Redbirds
College Park split a doubleheader against the Maryland Redbirds on Monday night. West Virginia University sophomore Jon Jones tossed a no-hitter for the Redbirds as they won the first game, 1-0. The Bombers earned a 2-0 win in the nightcap.
Nick Cicio (Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville) pitched a complete game for the Bombers, but was tagged with the loss in the first game. The Redbirds scored their lone run in the fourth inning.
The Bombers took the second game behind another solid pitching performance from Kyle Judson (Salisbury University). He pitched a complete game and had his shot at a no-hitter broken up with one out in the seventh.
Pablo Rodriguez (Bryan College) doubled and scored on a triple by Matt Walker (University of Hartford) in the sixth. Walker scored when the throw to third got past the Redbirds' third baseman.
The Bombers faced Youse's Orioles on Wednesday after The Gazette went to press. They return to action against Silver Spring-Takoma at
7 p.m. tonight at Blair Stadium.
E-mail Joshua Hudson at
jhudson@gazette.net.
