Attain Sports and Entertainment recently announced that its new Atlantic League Professional Baseball (ALPB) club will be called the Spire City Ghost Hounds and will play at Nymeo Field in Frederick, Maryland.
The Spire City Ghost Hounds club name was selected using public input. Via a comprehensive submission and voting process, fans shared more than 1,500 potential team names and nearly 4,000 votes for the top five team name finalists.
The team has been wearing Question Mark jerseys in the colors of the State of Maryland flag since the beginning of the season, awaiting this week’s name reveal. During the Saturday, June 24 game, the second in a double header, the team made their spectacular entrance onto the field through fog, revealing the new Ghost Hounds logo and team colors to the fans.
“We are thrilled to unveil the new Spire City Ghost Hounds name and branding,” Greg Baroni, CEO and Managing General Partner of Attain Sports and Entertainment, said in a press release. “As I’ve shared before, community and a culture of teamwork are at the heart of all that we do, and we have truly enjoyed engaging our fans in the process of naming the team. The energy at the stadium for Saturday’s team name reveal was electric and we plan to carry that momentum with us.”
The name “Spire City” has become synonymous with the City of Frederick, referencing the cluster of spires in the downtown area. “Spires” was also a popular community submission during the “Name the Team” promotion.
The Ghost Hound legend is local to the Frederick, Maryland, area. Legend has it that in various parts of Frederick County, a phantom blue canine with fierce glowing eyes has haunted residents with its appearance—and just as quickly, its disappearance under the dimmed light of the moon’s glow.
All five team name finalists, together with City of Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, were on the field for the ceremony. Prior to the new name reveal, each finalist was presented with a Question Mark jersey and four tickets to an upcoming Ghost Hounds game. Following the announcement of the new team’s name, Travis Tomblin, who submitted the winning Ghost Hounds name, was also presented a jersey and hat with the new branding, as well as season tickets.
“The excitement continued after the name was unveiled as the Ghost Hounds came from behind and scored seven runs in the seventh inning to walk-off and record the first victory in Spire City Ghost Hounds history—shortly after midnight or the “witching” hour,” General Manager Andrew Klein said. “Our victory was capped off with post-game fireworks presented by Attain Sports and Entertainment—the perfect way to end a groundbreaking night for the Ghost Hounds!”
— Jerry Del Priore
NY NJ Sports World/Brooklyn Sports World 