| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| DeadHead |
Posted - 10/06/2012 : 10:39:35
For those that have gone, where would you recommend staying and why? Also where would you try to avoid and why? Hotel, or rent a house? Team is going wk 1 (June 1-7). Any advantages/disadvantages to going this early? All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Critical Mass |
Posted - 10/17/2012 : 07:35:28
quote:
Originally posted by NGBSA-Suwanee
I recommend you stay in either PC Beach or in Myrtle Beach. Much better run tournament, more family oriented, food is 100x better, family time at beach and roller coasters. NY is over rated.
Sounds like you're looking for a vacation and not a baseball tournament. Cooperstown was an incredible experience for our 12U team and getting 4th out of 106 teams wasn't too shabby either. Add in the Hall of Fame and the ability to see and learn about the legends and history of the game and it's an absolute "no brainer", then again maybe you would rather visit the "Mullet Hall of Fame" in the "Redneck Riviera".
We stayed across from the grocery store in an apartment and had access to downtown via a short walk. Some friends stayed at a cabin at the lake and the kids fished one day on free day and it was a blast. |
| stanlewis |
Posted - 10/16/2012 : 16:02:11
Good idea. Will get to it as soon as I can.
Since it is a topic that is repeated, what does everyone think about having a separate forum for Cooperstown Suggestions. Not updates as games are being played, but things that will help coaches prepare. Or does the majority like it intermingled.
Reply with your opinion. I won't post them, but will be able to get reader input. |
| peashooter |
Posted - 10/16/2012 : 15:48:59
Stan, you should pull forward last year's cooperstown posts. There are some good nuggets in there (of course only mine were good). |
| peashooter |
Posted - 10/16/2012 : 15:47:57
Name your team to ZZ-Team so you can leave first on the get-away day. |
| momshell |
Posted - 10/16/2012 : 10:08:22
We went 3 years ago during the first week and it was a little cold. We stayed in a big house across the street from the ball park with some of the other team families and had a great time. Check out Doubleday Field. We stayed in town late on our check out day and watched a Hawkeyes game played there. It was great! My boys keep talking about going back and I'm sure we will. Great, Great place. |
| BuzzDad |
Posted - 10/12/2012 : 23:58:17
We went five times so obviously we really liked it up there. Sometimes I went alone and rented a small place. When family and extended family went we got house in Milford which we liked because you could walk around town and still not far from Cooperstown and CDP. |
| bigmcbb |
Posted - 10/12/2012 : 15:10:56
quote:
Originally posted by agent21
looking at 2013 dates, looks like CDP might have changed check in day from Friday to Saturday. a few years ago we checked in on friday. is the opening ceremony on the same day as check-in?
They have "early" check in on Friday evening. The main check in is still on Saturday mornings. |
| SSBuckeye |
Posted - 10/12/2012 : 14:01:04
We checked in Saturday morning this year, and it was fine. Opening ceremony is Saturday afternoon. |
| agent21 |
Posted - 10/12/2012 : 13:40:34
looking at 2013 dates, looks like CDP might have changed check in day from Friday to Saturday. a few years ago we checked in on friday. is the opening ceremony on the same day as check-in? |
| snappy |
Posted - 10/12/2012 : 00:55:19
DH,
If you can swing a lake house then that's the way to go. Our boys swam in the lake for a while and the view/surroundings were beautiful. Also, be prepared to feed your boy a good meal/meals if the game schedule works out that way. My boy and several other players informed me that the ball park food is not the bomb and I was actually fortunate enough to check my boy out and feed him ribs one night and steak the next on the grill. You would of thought that he hadn't of had anything to eat in weeks.
We flew in Thursday night and stayed by the airport and woke up Friday morning and made the trip to C'town. We landed in Albany and it took us a little over an hour to get to C'town from Albany. That worked well for us instead of traveling the entire way on Friday.
Take full advantage of this trip and enjoy everything.
Playing there is hard to top. I was originally not excited b/c I love going to PCB but I had a quick change of heart!! This was a trip that we will always remember. Just appreciate the opportunity that you will have with your son that most will never have the opportunity to experience. |
| RACGOFAR |
Posted - 10/11/2012 : 13:28:20
As a coach, it was a bit of a grind. As a dad, it was a blast. HOF outing with my two sons, and checking out Doubleday Field was a great baseball memory. Right up there with throwing a bullpen with them on the U.S. Capital Grounds in D.C.!
In a lot of ways, Cooperstown is the last time they get to just play the game as children. At 13U and High School age baseball the game changes dramatically: the competition on the team for playing time, the bigger field, the amount of time it takes to train and practice to continue to compete; cars, girls and other distractions. All that stuff seems to kind of grind the fun out of the game for a lot of players. |
| panther |
Posted - 10/11/2012 : 11:47:01
I went two years ago and was one of the people that did not think it would be worth the money. Boy was I wrong. The memories of ending youth baseball at such a great place was amazing. A buddy of mine went two weeks before we did and I think he said it best. The tournament is great the kids had an amazing time and as you leave and start back home the further away from cooperstown you get you realize just how special of a time it was. Two more years I get to go back with group that is 10u this year and can not wait. This time I am not on the fence if they still had 10u week would have considered going this year probably. |
| bigmcbb |
Posted - 10/11/2012 : 10:45:12
Just my son and I went together. I was a coach so I stayed in the barracks with the team. He and I wanted to make it a "dudes week". What a father/son bonding experience that was! I would have paid 10x for that experience alone. We hit DC, Baltimore, and Philly on the way up. The highlight of the trip for me was our visit to the Hall of Fame. My son stayed with me during the entire tour instead of taking off with his friends/team mates. He told me "Dad, I know you've waited your entire life to come here. Let's do this together." I had tears in my eyes every single time I heard "Hey Dad, look at this!" On the drive back to the park I got a "Dad, best day EVER!" As you can see from the other posts, this tournament offers so much more than just baseball games. |
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 10/10/2012 : 21:35:15
quote:
Originally posted by agent21
bbmom2 -- gotta love those "joy" teams! Does Lou still tell that story?
Oh yeah and we use that often! At least he did a couple of years ago and assume he still does! But you know - it's just part of the charm. Watching the kids walking in and then getting their rings at the end. So very cool.
As others suggested, we also did the NYC trip and Yankees game. We shared a house with another family and had a blast - the players had a blast. The other part that was great was no washing of uniforms, no getting there early and waiting around - walked in 10 minutes before the game and they were already there. Our son really grew and matured in that week - wouldn't trade it for the world...
|
| AllStar |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 10:48:00
quote:
Originally posted by bballman
The boys play 2 games a day and basically don't leave the campus for pretty much the whole week. There is a trip to the hall of fame, but rarely do the kids have time to go out and do stuff. I was a coach both times and stayed with the kids, but my wife and younger son went as well. They rented a house with 2 other families both times and from what I heard, they had a blast. They did cookouts, went to the lake, went rafting down a river and went out to eat together when they weren't cooking out. It was really a big family vacation for all of them along with heading over the the dreams park a couple times a day. I say bring the family, they will love it.
The other thing we did was plan a trip to NYC over the weekend after the tournament. This was a great experience for the family. We went to Times Square, Ground Zero, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, rode the subway, Central Park - all kinds of stuff. My kids still remember this with fond memories. I would suggest this as well. They may never get another chance to visit there and it is well worth the time and money.
In addition to this, we went up early via Ohio and Niagra Falls. Our other son went as well, he was 14 at the time, they stayed in a house right across from the park with 4 other families, cooked out every night and had a flat out blast. Until we went on a cruise last winter, the boys were still talking about this as the best family vacation we ever had.
We also went to a Yankees game, the last year of old Yankee stadium. The Yankees won. Outside of that it was a great vacation. :) |
| Bfan |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 10:21:04
Lou stills talks about former players. Tells the story of Matt Garza . He pitched a perfect game for the Tampa Rays. Asked after the game if this was his best moment in baseball. He said" no the best time I've had in baseball was the 11 home runs I hit at Cooperstown Dream Park". Take the whole family it will be memories that you and your kids will never forget. I personal would like to go back in 5 yrs to see CJ 10 inducted to the hall. |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 09:26:08
The boys play 2 games a day and basically don't leave the campus for pretty much the whole week. There is a trip to the hall of fame, but rarely do the kids have time to go out and do stuff. I was a coach both times and stayed with the kids, but my wife and younger son went as well. They rented a house with 2 other families both times and from what I heard, they had a blast. They did cookouts, went to the lake, went rafting down a river and went out to eat together when they weren't cooking out. It was really a big family vacation for all of them along with heading over the the dreams park a couple times a day. I say bring the family, they will love it.
The other thing we did was plan a trip to NYC over the weekend after the tournament. This was a great experience for the family. We went to Times Square, Ground Zero, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, rode the subway, Central Park - all kinds of stuff. My kids still remember this with fond memories. I would suggest this as well. They may never get another chance to visit there and it is well worth the time and money. |
| JDP12 |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 09:06:27
bballguy
You are already paying for a house to stay for the week. Take everyone that can fit in the car and enjoy. Our whole family had a blast although nothing compared to the players and coaches. We are already looking forward to going back in 3 years with my youngest son. |
| agent21 |
Posted - 10/09/2012 : 00:16:19
bbmom2 -- gotta love those "joy" teams! Does Lou still tell that story? |
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 20:59:17
quote:
Originally posted by NGBSA-Suwanee
I recommend you stay in either PC Beach or in Myrtle Beach. Much better run tournament, more family oriented, food is 100x better, family time at beach and roller coasters. NY is over rated.
So wrong... Cooperstown is worth every dime (and dollar.) We also still talk about it and are looking forward to the sometime in the next 25 years or so taking our 12 year old grandson to Cooperstown! For anyone involved in baseball - this is the trip for player and the families. We were there during the first week. It was cold and it rained and our team gave "lots of joy" to other teams but would do it again in a heartbeat. |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 18:34:40
My son is now 19 and playing college ball. He has played PCB, Myrtle Beach, Ripken, WWBA in Georgia and Florida, almost every tournament you can think of. I just texted him and asked him what his favorite tournament of all time was. His response? Cooperstown. And he went twice because of the age change back in 2006 or 2007. Absolutely a GREAT experience. If you have the chance, do it. |
| allaboutbaseball |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 17:58:26
NGBSA - not trying to pile on (well yes I am actually), I also could not disagree with you more. My family has been to Cooperstown, PCB, Myrtle Beach, and Gulf Shore.
While we went to Cooperstown week 1 - and there was alot of rain and very cold weather (2009), it was by FAR the most fantastic baseball experience compared to all of the others. While I will concede there may be more things to do for other siblings at the beaches - they still had a blast (10u girl and 8u boy). My daughter actually went back to Cooperstown with a girlfriend who had a brother playing. And she wanted to go back!
If you love youth baseball - you have to go to Cooperstown if at all possible. I cannot wait for my youngest (11u now) to go in 2014. If your son is not 12 - then absolutely go enjoy one of the many awesome beach tournaments (Gulf Shore is my favorite - best run. competitive, and balance between playing time and beach time). But at 12 - give me CDP!! |
| agent21 |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 15:27:52
Agree with AllStar. Worst umpire memory of our 5 year travel baseball journey. Plus rain made the fields unplayable for 2 days of our week. |
| SSBuckeye |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 13:25:08
Went to Cooperstown last year, and it was the best baseball experience of MY life. Oh, and the kids had fun, too! NY is NOT overrated, though if you have bad weather, then you may not have as much fun as we did. Half of our families stayed on the lake and had a blast! Little bit more of a drive, but who cares! The whole team went out and swam in the lake during one of our down periods. We went week 3 and temps were in the high 80's. Two weeks before it rained and was cold, so it can be a crapshoot. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 10/08/2012 : 12:27:41
quote:
Originally posted by NGBSA-Suwanee
I recommend you stay in either PC Beach or in Myrtle Beach. Much better run tournament, more family oriented, food is 100x better, family time at beach and roller coasters. NY is over rated.
Couldn't disagree more. Five years later we are still talking about it and the 4 nights after in NYC.
Plus everytime we went to PCB the umpiring was horrible. And not always against us. I was completely embarassed with the way that one of our wins ended. Even though we weren't really being threatened, it was obvious the umpires just wanted to be done. Total travesty.
|
