Constellation Stadium in Sugarland, TX
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END OF THE SUMMER NEWS UPDATE 2016
Doubleday Fall Classic (Cooperstown)
New Venues
David Montgomery Jr.
Dear Players,
We hope you are enjoying the last days of summer and that you’ve had success in your local baseball league and your favorite team is in the hunt for a playoff spot. If you’re a Cubs fan I’m sure you’re happy!
Lots to talk about so here we go….
Two weeks from today PATP will be in Japan for the 3rd year in a row playing against baseball crazy adult Japanese teams which will feature a game inside The Tokyo Dome. It’s a wild place to play and we look forward to another great trip organized and run by my great friends John Baessler and Mitz Tokuda. Johnny had some severe health issues earlier this year and I know he is not at 100% even now, but he insisted on guiding us once again through the streets of Tokyo…I love him for his determination and devotion to show this beautiful country and people using baseball as the tool to bring 2 cultures together….Thanks Johnny Boy!!
Three days after we return from Japan (and nursing Jet Lag) we head up to Cooperstown for our annual trip to the quaint village on Lake Otsego and historic Doubleday Field. We have 6 teams right now and the registration page is open. But take this cutoff date seriously….Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5th at 6PM. I am closing the reggies down. I need to put the event together before I leave for Japan on the 11th. I can rattle off 15 names of guys who still have not registered…if you are one of them or you have been giving this great chance to play in this father/son event PLEASE REGISTER!!! I am not extending the deadline and I am not dealing with last minute additions etc. while I am in Japan. It will be the largest event we have held there and we are looking forward to the Dad’s playing with their children, a visit to the Hall of Fame, The Home Run Derby at Beaver Valley Campground and a chance to have the village to ourselves. You have till Monday…..
One of things that keeps PATP ahead of the other fine baseball event businesses is our willingness and especially yours to go to new premium places to play. We will always have Palm Beach, Rickwood and Cooperstown, but we have already added one new venue to the 2017 calendar and are looking at 3 or 4 more choices.
We are in talks now with the Chattanooga Lookouts, have gone to Atlantic City to check out “The Sandcastle Stadium” and will be approaching the Dayton Dragons and will re approach the Minnesota Twins. We are also considering moving the dates for Rickwood to later in the year….so the work never stops for us when it comes to bringing you to new venues to play ball at. So keep an eye in the upcoming weeks for news pertaining to these new spots.
But we do have an announcement now on a new venue…..We have agreed in principal with the Sugar Land Skeeters (Great logo btw) to play a 3 day, full rules tournament in Sugar Land, Texas February 24-26, 2017. We are looking for full teams but of course will take single players or groups. We are going to price this out on 2 tier levels…similar to Palm Beach, with all the bells and whistles….locker, lunch, laundry etc. Or just pull up and play ball….we think there will be a large number of local players who won’t need the extras…The deal was just struck yesterday and I will be working on the pricing in the next few days. We are very excited to be able to play at Constellation Stadium…it’s beautiful and the Facebook sniff we put out has been very well received. So keep an eye out for that official announcement next week….
We are also very happy to announce 2 new partnerships with direct linkage to our veterans. Hand Made by Heroes is a fabulous organization that makes beautiful bracelets, lanyards and other products with MLB loogs on them..click on their link here…but the most important thing about their product is they are made by disabled veterans. I bought a Cardinals braided rope bracelet…it’s awesome. I will have a sample of every team in Cooperstown…check them out.
The other new partner is Valor Bats which is run by my good friends Thomas Pack and Kevin Cosgriff-Hernandez. They spin their own wood and are just getting started in the business. I’ll have some of their product also in Coop…click here for a link to their site. Although they are not made by veterans they are made with the 5 branches of service in mind which explains their great logo of a large 5 above chevrons.
And finally as some of you may have heard via Facebook our great friend David Montgomery Jr. has had to go some very serious medical procedures the past 2 weeks. David collapsed one evening and it turned out he had a huge tumor on his brain. He endure a 12 hour operation and is steadily showing signs of recovery. He is already in physical therapy as we speak and all signs now point to a full recovery, but it will take tremendous effort on his part and good will, prayers and thoughts to him on our part. The Montgomery family has supported PATP since their inception. David Sr. always knew what I was trying to achieve with this business…play hard, make lifelong friends and respect the game. My heart, prayers and thoughts go to Jr., his mom Debbie, wife Kara and David Sr. I welcome the day that David Montgomery Jr. walks back onto the field…..that day will happen….
Well that’s it for now…thanks for reading…enjoy Labor Day, sign up for Coop and heads up for future announcements….be safe.
Greenie
Scott Green
Play at the Plate