Which Cooperstown Tounament?

My son went to Cooperstown Dreams
Park when he was 12 and it was a trip we will never forget. It was the final week, the championship and the competition was unbelievable. It was an experience we will never forget.

Cooperstown Dreams Park is the hands down winner.

Bids should be easier to get this year as they are expanding yet again.

There is no doubt that Dreams park is great fun and that Cooperstown itself is a wonderful experience, but it is way overpriced and in many ways a forced march with many of the absurd rules imposed on players, coaches and spectators. The dollar rules in a big, big way.

My oldest (04) went to Baseball World in the summer of 2000 after 8th grade(14) and had a great time.

We had played 80 bases that season and that tournament was the first extended time on the 90 bases. I think we played 8 or 9 games that week. Great experience, stayed in the dorm, ate dorm food had a pro style evaluation....

..........mom and dad got to stay in a bed and breakfast and just showed up for games as parents were not allowed in the dorms. Son grew up alot that week.

Went 0-3 to start the tournament and then ran the table all the way to the championship game that was played in a minor league stadium in Oneta(sp?). Son is now a sophmore pitcher in college and we still talk about that week.

My 2010 will be finishing 8th grade this year and I am working on this set of parents and coaches to see if we can repeat the experience.

not sure if the other parks have 90 foot bases.

I don't know enough about the other ones, but I've taken 3 teams to Dreams Park and years later the kids still talk about it as the best time of their lives in baseball.

There were 60 to 80 teams in it every week at the time, ranging from town "all star" teams to heavy duty elite travel teams. I've taken both types. The schedules are mixed, you get to play some town teams, some travel teams. The town kids won a few, got smoked a few times, but they didn't seem to mind losing too much, they were having a great time regardless. Another town team near here went to one of the other tournaments in Cooperstown, not sure which, but there were only something like 15 teams in it and they didn't have the same experience, it was fun I guess, but they wished they went to Dreams Park.

My boy went to Dreams Park last summer session 5. Overall we had a great time and created memories to talk about for a long time to come. He played in 9 games against teams representing 8 different states and one from Canada. I imagine the generic uniforms CDP serve 2 purposes. Promotion of their business and trying to make the teams feel equal economically. The problem is with so many teams it is almost impossible to tell teams apart, find your own kid in the crowd or follow all the differnt teams you find yourself wanting to see. I think we would have had fun no matter which one we went to.

I highly recommend the Cooperstown Baseball World tournaments. We played there about 4 years ago, and it was very well run and good competition. Everyone stays in the college dorms at SUNY-Oneonta. Oneonta is a wonderful little town, and only about 20 minutes from Cooperstown. CBW does an excellent job.

If we weren't playing in older age groups these days, I'd love to take a team back there again.

Thanks for the replies, my sons going to the all star village and I was hoping to hear some opinions on that one too. I have a feeling they're all pretty good in one way or the other. Thanks again.

Which week are you going to the All-Star Village...We are going as well.

GnR

we have sent teams to the dreams park for about 6 years, the kids love it. i have heard of baseball world but not the all star village .is this new?

I can comment here from experience with all three. My younger son played at Dreams Park which was just outstanding and a great experience. It's run like a boot camp to protect the kids (something like 80 teams). The kids live in a village for the week and pestering parents are not allowed over the bridge. The movies, pin trading and interaction of kids from different parts of the country is what makes it great. It's also not true that teams don't stay in the village, they all do. And yes there are some LOADED Teams. The dollar does rule. Blue or red uniforms.

Cooperstown Baseball World at Oneonta caters to 13-15 year old teams although they do take some of the over flow for 12's. Well run, I took my team there as 13's and 14's. We played great compitition including 06catchersdad's team fro CA. The week we were there we faced 3 teams from CA. Plenty to do although the dorms were hot. Wear your own uniforms and be prepared to find laundry mats.

Cooperstown All-Star Village is in their 3rd year and I played a very small role consulting on this project. It is all new with new fields and dorms. Parents can stay at the complex if you reserve early. It actually has a day spa for the moms. Great rooms for the families while the players again stay in barracks but these have AC. They have a swimming pool shaped like a glove and are in a great area. Only a mile or so from the s****r Hall of Fame. What is best is the restaurant/bar (Dads). Very classy with great food and each and every game is carried on a television in the bar and family back home can watch over the internet. Like Dreams Park, uniforms are issued.

Thanks again, we're going next year as participants, my son just turned 11, but we're going in August to watch some friends at all star village the week aug 14-19.

I took the 12U team that I coach to Cooperstown Dreams Park this past summer and thought the whole thing was first rate.

Two things...
I like the idea of the Red/Blue jerseys as it takes away any mental advantage a team with frist class uniforms might have over a team who 'only' has t-shirt type jerseys.

Our parents saved a bunch of mone on accomodations by renting houses along the road going into cooperstown. They went 2 families to a house.

Cooperstown Dreams Park is a MUST for all players and family. It was by far the best and most RELAXING tournament we have ever attend. We have been playing select travel baseball since age 9 and it was a truly enjoyable trip for the whole family!!!!