When I was 12 years old my dad and I went to the Catskills.
In Upstate New York.
We spent a few days (and nights) at Grossingers.
The swingin resort.
For Jews.
50 and older.
To say I stood out like a pre-teenager at a Jewish resort.
Would be an understatement.
32 years later, I still remember a few details about our trip.
One.
We were there when Yankees Catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.
And two.
Grossingers served a lot of herring.
Pickled herring.
Creamed herring.
Smoked herring.
And we ate them all.
(I’m not sure I’ve had herring since.)
Last week my 12-year old son and I made our own trek to Upstate New York.
But there was no Scandinavian fish involved.
Just baseball.
100% baseball.
We were in Cooperstown, New York.
The home of baseball.
And we were there for a baseball tournament.
What else?
Actually this was not just “a” baseball tournament.
This was “THE” baseball tournament.
The most incredible week of baseball I have ever experienced.
And I didn’t even play.
For 12 weeks this summer, 104 “12 and Under” teams will make the trip to Cooperstown Dreams Park.
That’s 104 teams PER week.
For 12 weeks.
1,248 teams.
About 12 players per team.
14,976 players visiting a city with the population of 1,852.
To play baseball.
Add three or four coaches.
And a couple dozen parents.
Per team.
And we are approaching 50,000 visitors for the summer.
Do you think the Cooperstown Tourism Board is a fan of Dreams Park?
These teams are coming from all the country.
Alabama to Utah.
Houston to Hawaii.
To Florida.
25 teams from Florida.
1 from Delaware.
And that’s just last week.
It didn’t take us long to realize that we had no chance.
We come from a place where baseball is king.
From March through July.
The teams from Florida and Georgia and Texas and California play year round.
Or at least they could.
Our team entered this shindig with an 18-game winning streak.
That streak ended about six minutes into our first game.
Most of our boys are pretty good baseball players.
For 12 year old boys.
But compared to the man-childs we were facing.
We had no chance.
We faced a team from Tennessee where several of our players went up to the waist of several of their players.
No joke.
As long as you don’t turn 13 before May 1, you are eligible.
I’m sure most of the teams were on the up and up.
But we ran across several teams who brought in extra players just for this tournament.
I guess you could say there were more ringers than an AT&T store.
But this tournament is a big deal.
And the organizers definitely know what they are doing.
Every thing was first class.
23 baseball fields.
All with lights.
That work.
10 of those fields broadcast games live on the internet.
A couple dozen batting cages.
For teams to practice hitting.
Acres of perfectly manicured grass.
For teams to practice fielding.
Grounds crew at each stadium before EVERY game to re-chalk the field.
Concession stands where you didn’t need a gold card to buy a hot dog.
They have definitely found the formula.
And it works.
Which may explain why they just entered their 15th year.
So far, they’ve had 12,669 teams.
343,000 innings played.
210,000 home runs.
1.1 million runs scored.
One team in 2008 -- from Miami -- hit a record 73 homers in one week.
(We hit three.)
Several major league stars played here.
Before they were stars.
David Price of Tampa.
Matt Garza of the Cubs.
And Washington’s Bryce Harper, the #1 Overall Draft Pick last year.
Like the Olympics, the week starts with Opening Ceremonies.
Including skydivers.
Like the all-star game, we had a home run hitting contest.
And then the games begin.
Which was the worst part for us.
By far.
If you made me, I’m sure I could nitpick and find something wrong with the tournament.
No place to hang clothes in the barracks.
How’s that?
Yes, we lived in barracks for the week.
Ok, that’s a whole ‘nother blog.
But everything included, this was an incredible experience.
For everyone.
My best trip to Upstate New York.
By far.
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