January 2015 Newsletter
2014 Review
What’s New for 2015
Get well Billy and Jack
Hello Players,
We hope your celebration bringing in the New Year was fun, exciting and most of all, safe and uneventful.
We here at PATP look back at 2014 as a year of accomplishments with some disappointments along the way too.
2014 Review
We had 2 fabulous events in Florida to start the year off at St. Pete and then our signature event in Palm Beach. Both tournaments had great baseball played at them and looking back we didn’t lose any games to bad weather.
We moved onto one of my favorite places to play in late May, historic Rickwood Field, America’s oldest ballpark in Birmingham Alabama. Again great weather and ball in a setting second to none. We are of course returning to all 3 of these cities for 2015.
Then we took a large chunk of the summer off (which will never happen again) believing we had events lined up at Fulton County in Atlanta and Cyclones Park in Brooklyn New York. Both fell through which left us eventless until an extremely busy fall.
Our annual events in Cooperstown (largest turnout yet) and New Orleans plus the second of the now annual trip to Japan made for an extremely busy 6 week period. Throw in my trek by car around the Midwest to procure and look at future sites made for a much needed rest come November.
Our Major League Park series also took a hit this past year as we were unable to sell out both Miami and Fenway Park. It has shifted our thinking that the disposable baseball dollar might not be there for high end events anymore. We have an open end invite to Fenway which we will put out for sale again, but for the time being we will not be looking for another MLB Park actively. I’m not closing the door on this, just not going to spin my wheels for it.
But there is good news for 2015…..
We will be playing at 2 new venues this year. A dual field event in Toledo Ohio which will see us at both Ned Skeldon and 5/3 Field in late July and the yet to be announced (I guess this is it) 2 day event Sept. 12th and 13th in beautiful historic Newport Rhode Island which will see us playing at Cardines Field. That trip will include a sunset sailing adventure aboard a large sailboat around Narragansett Bay, a tour of the historical homes and mansions and maybe even a Clambake…we are busy finalizing the costs and will be putting this out for your approval in the next few weeks. It’s definitely a “bring the wife/significant other trip”.
We are also going to be approaching the city of New York for a return to Central Park in August. We will be working with Jack DeHeer and will be approaching NYPD for their participation with the proceeds going to their charity of choice. More on that very soon.
So along with our usual events….St. Pete, Palm Beach, Rickwood, New Orleans, Cooperstown, and Tokyo, plus my annual involvement with MLB at the All Star Game in Cincinnati it should make for a very busy year
Oh I almost forgot….we are looking at Pt. Loma California at The College of the Nazarene an unbelievable field that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Possible June or August.
Finally, get well wishes to two of PATP’s favorite people, Billy Eckstein and Jack DeHeer….see you guys in Palm Beach.
Happy New Year everyone and as always, thanks for supporting Play at the Plate.
Greenie
Scott Green
Play At The Plate