Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournaments

[Bainer]

Hey there-
Has anyone umpired at the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournaments?
One of the minor associations I help out with is sending a team, and has offered to send a few umpires as well.

The promotional material that they gave us looks fantastic, but doesn't really explain the day-to-day activities while there.

Can anyone tell me what the routine is like, or what the overall experience was?

Any insight would be great, Thanks.


Bainer.

[LMan]

Here we go!

[seioaump]

Bainer,

CDP is an excellent first-rate complex and an excellent tournament. I'm going back for my third year straight in 4 weeks. It is a wonderful experience, although you'll find there are numerous guys on here who say that you are only making the owner richer and why would you umpire for "free", but there is so much more to it than that.

You'll arrive on Friday or Saturday and get checked in. There are opening ceremonies on Sat night with a parade of teams into the park (96 Teams), then they break off and have several skills competitions.

Sunday starts game play. They just have teams randomly playing one another on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday AM. Then they go thru and seed all 96 teams for a single elimination tourney. The tourney wraps up on Thursday afternoon, with only two remaining. There is then a closing ceremony where the players and umpires receive the AYBHOF Ring.
Then at 9:15 on Thursday there are fireworks and the championship game.

They have expanded to 22 fields this year (all with lights and look the same)
There will be 5-6 games per day on each field. Last year, they assigned a "crew chief" to each field. Each crew chief had some umpires assigned to the field as well. That crew of guys worked all the games on that field that week.

In the evenings, we'd run up to the Pizza Hut or Steakhouse and tip a couple cold ones and hold "safety meetings".

As for the free items, you will receive two decent quality pull-over shirts, a nice pull-over jacket, hat & ball bag (poor quality), a Navy T-Shirt, and a water bottle. There are photographers at each game and they'll be more than happy to take an action shot of you working the game. You can then buy that from them and have something to keep.

I would agree that the place makes a ton of money. That is no doubt. But the owner has put a lot of time and effort into making CDP what it is today. Because they make money (lots of it) is no reason for guys to go around bashing the complex or those of that go there. I have plenty of weeks of vacation and have a team whose paying my travel there and then some. I'm not losing anything.

If you'd like more information or have additional questions, please feel free to PM me!

[mrm21711]

Originally Posted by seioaump

You'll arrive on Friday or Saturday and get checked in. There are opening ceremonies on Sat night with a parade of teams into the park (96 Teams), then they break off and have several skills competitions.

A parade! Maybe I should rethink going.

[seioaump]

mrm,

No please don't...

With that type of attitude, you'd spoil everyone else's trip...

As I've said before, if you haven't been, then you can't knock it.

Didn't your mom ever say, "how can you say you don't like it, when you never tried it"?

This is one of those instances!

[bellsjc]

I live about 35-40 minutes from cdp. I don't understand the whole concept of using free umpires. If the level of ball is so good, and I know that it costs a ton of $ for these teams to play, why in heavens name don't they pay for umpires? You know the old saying... you get what you pay for. My local little league B-level uses volunteer umpires. Get my drift?

[lmathews19]

You mean to tell me that CDP doesn't pay the umpires a penny? What a joke! The kind of money they make and the kind of tournament that is, they ought to pay above the going rate. I've been asked to umpire the Perfect Game national tournament in East Cobb and they pay $50 a game, about $10 more than what I get locally. If they don't pay, don't waste your time or money. I don't care if you get free crap or all expenses paid for, you'll end up losing money. I'm amazed they even get anybody to umpire that tournament, at least anybody of decent quality.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Just like the Little League World Series, which makes a boatload of money in TV revenues and merchandising, but the umpires have to volunteer their time. It is supposed to be a great honor to umpire these CDP games. They would have to honor me with some cash. Aside from the one or two scheduled scrimmages per year that our association tosses in for free to each High School, I have never worked a game for free, and it would take more than a couple of shirts and a jacket to get me to start now.

[3appleshigh]

How about ROOM AND BOARD?? PLUS THE MERCH.?? Don't forget that that is included as well.

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by 3appleshigh

How about ROOM AND BOARD?? PLUS THE MERCH.?? Don't forget that that is included as well.

2 shirts and a supposedly poor quality hat and poor quality ball bag?

[Gaff]

And don't forget the free ticket to the Hall of Fame.

[lmathews19]

It's still a waste if you ask me. Even if you did have to pay for room and board and all that crap, what would that amount up to...about $60 or $70 a day? Let's say you do 3-4 games a day and get $40 a game, that $120-$160, you'd still be coming out ahead. I don't care if it's the freakin MLB world series, if you don't pay me, I'm not umpiring...period. Time is money, and if I'm going to volunteer my time, then you better give me some freakin money. It's a 5 or 6 day tournament, so even if they paid for all expenses or whatever and gave me say $300 or $400, then I would do it. I'm not gonna work and not get paid, I have a marriage to prepare for and she wouldn't like it if I took a little vacation to Cooperstown and worked all week and didn't bring home any dough.

[seioaump]

When you attend clinics or camps, do you get paid to do that. No, you normally have to pay a fee to go, then your room and board and other expenses. In the past two years when I've gone, there were at least 3 guys who had attended a high level clinic or attend pro school. As we all know, most guys are willing to share their knowledge. I must say that I've learned a lot and developed because of my attendance at CDP.

Here is my deal this year...

I have a team paying me $300 for travel and such. Then our association is giving us money $175 on top of that. So, there is no way that I'll lose any money while there. I will buy a few items in town and go out for supper or drinks every night and not lose anything. I have vacation time here at my job, so I will still be making my normal money!

It is a free trip away from the stress of normal every day life!

[LMan]

You might be able to write it off your taxes as a week-long 'training clinic,' which would certainly help ease the pain.


Has/does anyone do that?

[voiceoflg]

Originally Posted by lmathews19

Time is money, and if I'm going to volunteer my time, then you better give me some freakin money.