Opening Day Partners (ODP) is a company that owns and operates independent baseball teams in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Since 1982, Opening Day Partners has owned and operated its own

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams, operated teams for other organizations, assisted in the sale and purchase of teams, and advised and consulted with international clients. The company has sought to standardize comfortable ballpark features such as hotel lobby-style box offices, more legroom for fans, padded seats, individual cupholders, 360-degree walkways, picnic areas able to accommodate large groups, and spacious playgrounds. The company was the first in minor league baseball to implement 20-horse

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

s and bumper boat attractions able to accommodate children and adults. Currently, the only minor league ballparks in the world that have the bumper boat attraction are

Clipper Magazine Stadium Penn Medicine Park (formerly known as "Clipper Magazine Stadium") is a baseball park located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood. It is the home of the Lancaster Stormers, the city's Atlantic League of Profession ...

and

Regency Furniture Stadium Regency Furniture Stadium is a 6,200-seat baseball park in Waldorf, Maryland that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 2, 2008, as the tenants of the facility, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers, ...

.OPD design features
/ref> ODP has placed an emphasis on philanthropy through various fundraisers, charity events, specialty jersey auctions, and children's reading programs. It also incorporates local fans, ranging from the occasional to the hardcore, with fan fests, name-the-team contests, the incorporation of local companies and their products, and homages to each team's baseball and socio-geographic history.

History

Opening Day Partners, formerly known as Keystone Baseball, has owned and/or operated several

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

-affiliated, professional baseball teams in the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

cities of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Bowie,

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

, Hagerstown, and

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. The company developed

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

clubs in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

Waldorf, Maryland Waldorf is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Located south-southeast of Washington, D.C., Waldorf is part of Southern Maryland. Its population was 81,410 at the 2020 census. Waldorf has experienced dramatic gr ...

and

Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...

before transitioning them to local interests. Baseball & Sports Associates, LLC is an Opening Day Partners-owned company that handles baseball operations, including player development for numerous Minor League Baseball teams.

Relationship with Major League Baseball

Opening Day Partners has a long-standing relationship with

, and many of its individual clubs. The assignments undertaken by Opening Day Partners and its affiliates include: * Providing the grounds crew for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

, under contract to the Commissioner's Office * Providing stadium refurbishment and grounds crew for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

historic exhibition game in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

* Advising several Major League Clubs on their Minor League operations * Operating the Maryland Fall League for minor league players

Stadium design and construction projects

Through its facility management division, Opening Day Partners has provided stadium design, construction, and operation services to numerous communities, in addition to providing such services on its own ballparks. Clients have included:

Food and beverage services

Through its food and beverage entities, Opening Day Partners has provided concession and catering services to minor league parks, arenas and universities nationwide including:

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.openingdaypartners.com American companies established in 1982 Camden Riversharks Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 1982 establishments in Pennsylvania