Cooperstown Tournaments
 

Has anyone ever worked the Cooperstown Tournaments? (I believe they run nearly every week.)

Bleech!
 

Just go to ABUA.com and they have an entire section dedicated to CD.

Don't waste band width here with those idiots.

T

Awesome.

:)

Can you PM me with any personal experiences with them?

Bandwidth was a relevant argument when we all had 300 baud modems.

Not sure that's always true... We've had some discussions here that were a waste of bandwidth even with the existence of infinite bandwidth! :)

I'm curious if anyone's gone, and what were their experiences - what to look for, what to expect, etc. I'll be going in June to help a friend's team from Dallas. But all my info is from someone who couldn't even tell me what ruleset is being used in their league or at this tourney. So I'm looking for umpire POV's on this.

The site Tim recommended had a grand total of 10 posts on it, all but one related to "I want to work, I need a team" or "I am a team, and need an umpire".

All second hand but the friends I have who have gone have enjoyed it.

You aren't paid, it's dorm room facilities, and it's OBR. They may have special ground rules.

Rita

Yes. Many people have.

Go to umpire.org and check the forums listing. There are currently 530 threads related to Cooperstown Dream Park. As you posted, There are many of the threads that are "I want to work, I need a team" or "I am a team, and need an umpire", but there are also many threads from umpires that have attended that pass on information to those that will go in the future.

I have not been, but if I had the chance to go, I would just for the experience. From what I have read in the posts, either you really like or you really don't.

Long way to go to live in an unconditioned barracks for a week, with vitually no place to grab a meal. No telling what you will have as partners. Six man crews on championship games with people that have trouble working two man.

I normally don't have an opinion on stuff like this, but I agree with you. From everything I've heard, I feel I would be incredibly uncomfortable in this environment. Even working LL tournaments (I've worked 2 regionals and a World Series), we were always put in hotel rooms. Non-air-conditioned dorm rooms and also how they run their tourneys doesn't do it for me at all.

For those that are OK with these kind of conditions, have fun. Go for it. Don't think I'll be running to do this, myself. I've been to Cooperstown and I enjoyed simply going as a tourist.

Yeah, at one time I thought I wanted to do it...but from what I've heard it's Smitty haven.

For me, no thanks.

The conditions aside, I'll never understand the motivation of those who donate their labor to someone else's for-profit enterprise.

There's an adage about them; something to do with a lollipop, childbirth, and 1/60 of an hour.

Donate? I'm getting paid. Not as much as I normally would, but then again, free food and I get to go to the HoF (never been). But I'm really going to support a team in our league that is going.

Hmmm,
 

So if you already are endorsing the place why even ask the original question.

As I noted WOBW.

T

1) I didn't endorse squat. I don't know anything about this place, other than that I've been asked to go by a local team.
2) I asked the original question to get feedback from people that had actually been there so that I know what to expect. All but 2 of the responses have helped me in that regard. The 2 that didn't? Yours. Sorry to waste your seemingly limited bandwidth, but this isn't Tim's forum - where only things Tim deems worthy of discussion may be discussed. It's an umpire forum - the thread was NOT a WOBW as I got from it exactly what I was hoping to get.

I think the main issue is that the organizer is making money on these tournaments with the expectation that the umpires will be working for free (unless individually compensated by their teams).

I took Mike's point to be that they're not working for free: they're receiving lodging and food.

From the "Umpires" section of their website: "As a guest of Cooperstown Dreams Park your stay will be expense free."

That's compensation (adequate or not) and, according to the IRS, could be taxable income. ;)

Well that is true and in the eyes of the IRS I'm sure cafeteria quality food and dorm conditions are "compensation". :D

I will amend my statement to "without monetary remuneration."

That said, Mike, go and have a good time. Share some pictures on Facebook if you would be so kind.

Well, now I'm confused. I'm getting paid a specific amount of money. Is this not normal?

It depends. Most tournaments hire and pay their umpires, using the fees the teams pay to compete.

CDP insists the teams to bring their own umpires. In fact, they state a team could be fined several hundred dollars for not bringing one with the reason stating CDP would have to hire a local umpire to work that week. In what I've read through message boards, this is an empty threat and no team has been charged for not bringing an umpire.

With that said, you getting paid by the team is not ususual. Most umpires are paid cash somehow to go; however, the pay is not usually the best, sometimes only enough to pay for the trip itself. I know some umpires that will go for two or more straight weeks, which makes every payment after the first week direct profit for the umpire.

Food and barracks are pennies on the dollar for what a game fee should be...but that's why I will never travel there to umpire via the CDP tournaments.

To each his own.

Taking a week off of my day job to go work many games a day for dorm room and hot dogs is not what I consider getting paid.

Go, if you want the experience. The few I know who have enjoyed the experience, and did it for the friends (team coaches) who asked them, and were folks who did not have to take off work to do it (teachers, in the summer time mostly).

And maybe I won't either after this one time. Who knows.

Thanks all for the help in squaring away my expectations.

to each his own....there are lots of guys who love going out there

MD...check your PM's.

Thank you!!!! Exactly what I was looking for. I appreciate it!

Glad it helped.

I enjoy working tournaments so I went last year simply for the experience. For me it was easy. I live 4 hours away so I drove and had access to my car.

I'm semi retired and only work a part time job so missing work was not an issue for me. The team paid me an amount which covered my travel expenses plus a little bit.

My biggest complaint was no AC in the bunkhouse, it was hot and it was difficult to sleep. The food was nothing to write home about but it was not bad.

The quality of the umpires ran from highly competent to those who would not survive in my association based on their appearance, mechanics, and rules knowledge. A bunch of older umpires who apparently didn't care about their appearance or performance who thought they were God's gifts to baseball really made me wary of ever working with these guys again. A true smitty haven.

Well, I enjoyed the experience, and I may go back in the future, but I haven't been able to tell my local associates that I "lowered" myself to do kiddie ball.

Since anyone can go.....what is the prestige in going.

If I am going to a place I am going to be losing money.....it will be a National Tournament.....not some LL wannabee championship.

Sorry.....JMHO......

Joel

Your associates need to lighten up. Kiddies deserve having good umpires at their games, too.

In fact, many organizations will simply tell umpires to not even put CDP on their umpire resume b/c anybody can go.

I agree kiddies deserve good umpires.

The "clique" I hang with in my association are all doing high level HS, American Legion, and summertime college level ball. To go to CDP is a huge step down in quality and the kind of games we are accustomed to.

And just try to tell some of the idiot umpires at CDP they are wrong about a rule. I was truly amazed at the lack of professionalism and knowledge by some of the "Big Dogs" there.

Its because it is not much of an honor to be selected to work at CDP that anyone can go so putting it on your resume does not equate to your highest accomplishments

LOL! As if that's something that solely exists in CDP... :p

I see what you did there. ;)

exactly

I can only imagine how crazy that piece is.