MLB Alumni To Coach Doubleday Field Skills Clinic for Pathfinder Village

COOPERSTOWN—Next Tuesday, August 29, Major League Baseball player alumni will join Pathfinder Village residents at Cooperstown’s historic Doubleday Field for a third annual skills clinic starting at 1:30 p.m.

More than 60 players from Edmeston’s Pathfinder Village, a nationally recognized residential community and service provider for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities, will attend to refine their hitting, fielding, and throwing under the tutelage of past professional players. This year’s MLB Players Alumni Association members will include:

• Clint Hurdle, the former manager of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Tom Carroll, a retired pitcher with the 1974-75 “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds.
• Jonah Bayliss, a past relief pitcher for Kansas City and Pittsburgh.
• Gary Holle, a former first baseman and pinch hitter for the Texas Rangers.
• David Palmer, formerly with the Montreal Expos, who pitched five perfect innings against the Cardinals in 1984.
• Dickie Noles, a relief pitcher for the 1980 World Series-winning Phillies.
• C.J. Riefenhauser, the left-handed pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays; and
• Evan Scribner, the right-handed pitcher who played for San Diego, Oakland, and Seattle.

“Doubleday and Cooperstown are hallowed grounds for everyone who loves baseball,” said Hurdle. “At our past clinics, it was heartening to see the 100 percent effort and the recognition that the athletes have done something that they didn’t know they could do. It really hits home.”

“We all feel like a million bucks lining up on the baselines at Doubleday,” Hurdle added. “Our instructors get ‘infield dust’ in their eyes. Sharing baseball with adults with special needs—it re-ignites our passion for the game and shows that baseball really can celebrate the human spirit and unite all of us.”

The event is organized by MLB Player Association staff and volunteers, including Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky of Cooperstown, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Bassett Healthcare Network, who has spent his career creating opportunities for people with disabilities. Other volunteers include Dan and Cindy Codi of Marlboro, Dan Jason of Schenectady, Greg Aidala of Albany, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, Brandon Clark of Edmeston, and Carole and Michael Lachance, MD of Cooperstown.

Each player will receive a personalized jersey courtesy of Baseball Fantasy Camps for Kids, specially created by the NOVUS Clothing Company in Latham. The players will also receive autographed balls, trading cards, and have their own baseball cards created as mementos of their 2023 Doubleday experience.

Pathfinder Village is a non-profit, livable community devoted to supporting people who have Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through quality residential, educational, vocational, and enrichment programs, individuals grow toward fulfillment and independence while giving back to our local communities. Pathfinder offers many avenues for community inclusion through special events, adult day services, vocational services, a bakery and café, and Pathfinder Produce, the weekly fresh-produce market that is open to the public on Thursday afternoons. For more information, visit Pathfinder Village’s social media or its website, pathfindervillage.org.