All Star Village
Cancels Week I
Of 2020 Season
Owner Marty Patton Vows: Nothing
Will Happen As Long As There’s Risk
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – Cooperstown All Star Village has cancelled its youth baseball tournament for the week of June 6, Week One of its 2020 season, proprietor Marty Patton said this morning.
A letter to the 70 teams scheduled for the first week will be going out later this week.
For now, he said, the idea is to continue to cancel a month in advance, week by week, in hopes of being able to hold at least some of the tournaments later in the summer, depending on how the coronavirus threat plays out.
“To the local community, I just say this: Brenda and I have lived here most of our lives. We would never risk our community or those wonderful people who are coming from all over to visit,” Patton said.
FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S FREEMAN’S, HOMETOWN
“Our reason behind this is, simply: we didn’t know enough back then to pull the plug,” he said.
With the Cooperstown Dreams Park in Hartwick Seminary cancelling its 2020 season on March 20, and the Baseball Hall of Fame last week delaying this year’s Induction of superstar Derek Jeter until 2021, Patton’s All Star Village is the baseball sector’s remaining hope that as least some of this summer’s business can be salvaged.
“I’m saddened that we probably aren’t going to play baseball,” he said. “Businesses in the community that depend on this would be taking a big hit.”
If you don’t want to risk lives, cancel the season!!!!
Just holding onto the money so he can keep collecting the interest
So you really think there will be NO risk of the virus still being around this Summer. Sad you are letting greed make your decisions for you. Do the right thing and cancel this Summer and give the teams back their hard earned money. You know there’s no way the kids will get the full experience under these uncertain times. With no practice for anybody in almost 2 months what type of competition will there be? If you truly concerned for everyone’s safety and health CANCEL NOW We feel the kids will get cheated under the situation we find our selves in.
I don’t see how this is going to work and how compromised the experience will be even if this was on. Players have to stay with their parents so barracks are closed ? No pin trading ? Leave straight after each game ? Minimal or cancelled opening and closing ceremony. No hanging around the complex. Hall of Fame closed and most of Cooperstown Main Street. So teams will be paying tens of thousands of dollars in flights, accommodation and entry fees for what now seems like just a regular in town tournament
Mr Patton spent most of the team monies received on park improvements and now cannot afford to return peoples monies not all of the monies mind you he did also buy a 2 million dollar house. Good luck trying to get your money back
How will this be safe to open? Even if New York opens their state, what about all of the kids coming from states that are still considered hot spots? I understand that your community is being hit hard but these are the lives of kids you are putting at risk! Do the right thing and cancel
I personally am happy there holding out for hope of getting some games in my son is 12 and he has been looking forward to this summer for the last 2 years and if they cancel his week he will be devastated because next year he will be too old to play here. Thank you all star village.