A friend who coaches travel ball is planning on
taking a team to Cooperstown next year. He has
suggested I attend and call for a week next summer.
Has anyone ever attended, and if so, what were
your experiences? Also, did your family go with you?

Cooperstown is a nice cozy little tourist trap, but if you're into baseball it really is a must. The ballpark there is a 40's throwback which has a covered grandstand from first to third, but it's pretty nicely kept and heavily used in the summertime. Take your VISA card and leave lots of room in your trunk - you'll bring home lots of neat stuff (that's baseball lingo). You can wander the main drag and check out the baseball oriented shops while your wife browses the little bookstores or gets a massage near the ballpark. Oh, yes, there's that Hall of Fame thing. Despite what you may hear, you CAN see it in a day. The scenery is beautiful - the lake and the rolling hills - lots of winding roads. Lots of small family run motels along the lake - check with AAA (the travel folks, not the drinking folks) for good deals, because while it's nice to stay in town you can get a room for half if you want to drive 10 minutes. Say hi to Rich if you run into him. :)

I went for the first week in 2002 (10U). It is, quite honestly, the best baseball trip I've ever taken. You are treated well, and the baseball is top notch. The scenery is wonderful and the friends you make will last a lifetime. Cooperstown itself is pretty much what you'd expect - a very quaint little town with lots of hospitality.

Part of the umpire program is that you get a ticket to the HOF. I spent 5 hours there and I think I read every plaque. It was almost a religious experience for me and the completion of a dream I've had for a long time.

Basically, here's how it goes. Check in on Saturday and start calling games on Sunday. We only had 30 or so umpires that week, so I did about 5-6 games a day and a semi-final on Thursday. Now, there's so many that go (up to 60 a week) that I'm sure the most you'll do is 2 or 3 a day, so you'll have plenty of time to look around.

I think the best part is that there are 14 fields with NO stands from first around to third. Just a big, green wall, like a Fenway. All the parents sit in a area down the 1st and 3rd base lines, so the kids just get to play without any 'interference'.

They feed you, although the diner down the street is a great alternative. :)

If you need anymore info, just e-mail me.

BTW, go to the website and click on the week of June 14, 2002. I'm the tallest guy in the back of the umpire's picture.

"Also, did your family go with you?" No. There's no accomodation for them on the site. They'd have to stay at one of the few hotels in town. Besides, go there once and enjoy it. Then, later on, go back and share with your family.

Hey, came upon this post and got interested. I've been trying to plan a trip to Cooperstown to see HOF with a blue buddy.

We do softball but have done a little LL in the past. Are there clinics, tourneys and the like here?

It'd be nice to plan a trip and get the tax bennies and the benefit of a clinic or some games too.

Where can I find out more?

I attended CDP for the week of July 17. It was a good time!
They are very particular about the rules and such. You can't bring any food from the outside into the areas that you will stay. Not even a cup of ice from McDonalds!

A lot of good times will be shared in your bunk houses and on the field, but I recommend a trip to O'Hanlan's Steak House and Bar. We went every night. It was great!

Learned so much, I had three guys in my bunkhouse whom had attended the pro schools. Will return in 2006!

Sure you can. Unless you stayed with one of the teams, the umpires usually had no restrictions about this in their barracks....unless that's changed since 2002.

Apparently it changed between 2002 and 2004! It was like 11:00 or later at night, on a rainy night. We ran up the McDonalds to eat and on the way back the guys stopped us at the entrance to the village and wouldn't let us in with the cups of ice. We notified them that we were umps, but they didn't care!!

You must not have been riding with Scoot. ;)

Seriously, I can't see how you're calling games until 11:00 at night, don't get a break for dinner and miss the evening meal at the tent, and they're going to deny a volunteer umpire entry with a Big Mac and fries?

Did Terry initiate this? Surely not.

Hmmm.... do they search your trunk,too? What's next,
McDonald's sniffing dogs???