I've got a bit of writers' block tonight, so let's do a little sign-gazing. (You may have to click the picture to enlarge it and play along.) One of the small-time, quirky charms of minor league baseball is the copious advertising on the outfield fence, and Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, Maryland is no exception. At top left I see "FCNB", which I assume is/was a bank in Frederick. There's a stylized "M" with the rest of the sign obscured by Mark Smith's bat; I believe that's a Miller beer sign. The Pepsi logo is easily visible. Above and to the right of that is a graphic featuring some vertebrae and the wordmark of Yalich Clinic, a local chiropractor. I remember seeing their commercials as a kid. At the far right, above the yellow sign, is an ad for Canon printers and copiers. The rest of our fine sponsors are indistinguishable to me; feel free to clarify any that I've missed in the comments.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Mark Smith, 1992 Upper Deck #66
I've got a bit of writers' block tonight, so let's do a little sign-gazing. (You may have to click the picture to enlarge it and play along.) One of the small-time, quirky charms of minor league baseball is the copious advertising on the outfield fence, and Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, Maryland is no exception. At top left I see "FCNB", which I assume is/was a bank in Frederick. There's a stylized "M" with the rest of the sign obscured by Mark Smith's bat; I believe that's a Miller beer sign. The Pepsi logo is easily visible. Above and to the right of that is a graphic featuring some vertebrae and the wordmark of Yalich Clinic, a local chiropractor. I remember seeing their commercials as a kid. At the far right, above the yellow sign, is an ad for Canon printers and copiers. The rest of our fine sponsors are indistinguishable to me; feel free to clarify any that I've missed in the comments.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteFCNB stands for Frederick County National Bank. As I grew up in Frederick, I used to go to the Keys games before I moved away from home. Thanks for taking me back to the fond memories of enjoying a fun night of minor league ball at Harry Grove Stadium.
The baseball card shop I used to frequent was just a short ways beyond the outfield fence about a mile away called Burtons Coins & Baseball Cards. A great shop run by a great guy.
This card ties in nicely with the Wally Moon post from your 1965 Project as Wally was the manager of the Keys about the time that I moved from Frederick in the early 1990s.
Mark Smith will live forever in the hearts of Pirate fans after he hit the walkoff homer in '97 that beat the Astros in the extra inning Cordova/Rincon combined no-hitter and put the Bucs into a first place tie for one night, the last evening the Pirates were in first after the All-Star break.
ReplyDeleteThis is odd. considering comment above, but the First Walk-Off Homer I ever saw was by Smith. June 22nd 1996
ReplyDeletehttp://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199606220.shtml
JC - Thanks for the clarification! As far as Wally Moon, it's kind of funny when my blogs synergize like that. I didn't even make the connection myself.
ReplyDeletedeal - Believe it or not, I remember that game and I was thinking about it when I wrote this entry! It was a Saturday FOX game of the week, and the Birds were wearing their black alternate jerseys if I recall correctly. That must have been exciting to see live!