By P.J. Harmer
Staff Writer
It didn't take long for baseball to come back to Oneonta.
Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller announced Friday that the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League will move to Damaschke Field in time for the 2010 season, which will begin June 4.
Miller said he also spoke to the Atlantic League and Can-Am League, both independent professional leagues.
Economically, he said, the NYCBL is a better fit.
"The bottom line was we had a gun at our head from a time point of view," said Miller, who had been aggressively trying to find a team since the New York-Penn League's Oneonta Tigers announced Jan. 28 that they were moving to Norwich, Conn., for the upcoming season.
"Either we get it done quickly or not at all for the upcoming season," Miller said. "The ownership group in Saratoga was anxious to move here. Their desire to come here was based on the quality of the facility we have. We zeroed in on them."
The Cooperstown Hawkeyes will play their inaugural season in the NYCBL this season, which would seem to set up a perfect rivalry.
However, the Hawkeyes, who released their team name and logo Friday, are trying to block Saratoga from moving to Oneonta.
"The new Cooperstown franchise has decided it's in their best interest to try and block us," Saratoga co-owner Keith Rogers said. "Evidently, they are afraid of competition and are trying to challenge the league bylaws."
Cooperstown owner Tom Hickey said there is a league rule that states a team can't move within 25 miles of another team. The distance between Damaschke Field and Doubleday Field is less than 25 miles.
"I wish I could comment further, but I can't because the matter may go to litigation," Hickey said Friday.
Hickey said he reached out to Miller to help bring a team to Oneonta in 2011. But, he said, Miller wasn't interested in waiting.
"I'd like to see good things happen in Oneonta," Hickey said. "They've taken a lot of hits lately. ... We're not bad guys. We would like to help the city."
Miller said he turned the offer down because he was looking for baseball to be played at Damaschke Field this season.
"I'm not interested in 2011," Miller said. "If it's 2011, we'd have all sorts of options. The key here is 2010."
Rogers said the 25-mile rule is not for a team that relocates, but a new franchise.
"The bylaw clearly and unequivocally makes the distinction between an existing franchise moving and a new franchise," Rogers said. "We've had our team of lawyers looking at this, and it's nothing that will stop us. ... We will be in Oneonta this June, and we plan on being in Oneonta for many years to come."
Rogers also questioned the motive of the attempt to block the move.
"I find it funny that if Cooperstown is so fearful that a franchise would hurt them, then why would (Hickey) purchase a team knowing that there was a New York-Penn League team there for 44 years?" Rogers said. "The argument is laughable."
NYCBL President Stan Lehman said he couldn't comment on the situation, but was hoping to have it cleared up within 24 hours.
Miller said he thought it would be beneficial to have teams in Oneonta and Cooperstown.
"I don't know if there is any good business reason why franchises in both Oneonta and Cooperstown wouldn't be good for baseball in this region," he said. "The competition would be good for both franchises, and the travel expenses are more cost-effective. ... I can't think of any good reason for this to be objected to."
Miller said he's confident the action will move swiftly.
"As far as I know, we're getting baseball in Oneonta," he said. "I don't know of a local or regional rivalry in any sport that isn't good for the region or the sport you are playing."
A media and community briefing about the team is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday at Stella Luna Restaurant at 58-60 Market St. in Oneonta.
Rogers, who has co-owned the team with Dan Scaring since the team's inception in 2004, said he is hoping to announce the team's new name that day.
"We're ecstatic about the move," Rogers said. "For how we run our organization, it's a perfect fit. We're going to be in Oneonta for a ton of years. ... We're not looking for bigger markets. This is our end game. It's the perfect facility and community."
Rogers said they are essentially taking over the lease for Damaschke Field from the Oneonta Tigers. Miller said the ownership and city will sit down in the spring to discuss a new lease.
Saratoga played its home games at the East Side Recreation Baseball Complex and said they averaged about 500 to 700 fans per game.
Comparatively, the Oneonta Tigers averaged 692 fans during 34 home games last season.
"We were very honest with (Saratoga)," Rogers said. "We told them we're going to be looking into a market that better suited our product. There's a lot of great people there, and we forged a lot of great friendships.
"It's bittersweet," Rogers continued. "It's a great community. They just didn't have the facilities to match the product we offer."
The Phillies, who won the NYCBL championship in 2006, went 19-22 to finish third in the East Division last season under first-year manager Greg Zackrison. The Phillies were eliminated by the Glens Falls Golden Eagles in the playoffs.
Zackrison will return this season as manager. Rogers said the 30-man roster will be set and released soon.
Rogers also said he and Scaring personally recruit players for the team, and in future seasons, they will take a look at area players if they can compete at this level.
The NYCBL, which was founded in 1978, is a 14-team wood-bat league. Teams play a 42-game season and feature players who have not signed professional contracts.
Several major leaguers have played in the NYCBL, including Oneonta High graduate Clay Bellinger, The Daily Star Player of the Year in 1986 and a three-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels. He played two seasons with the Cortland Apples in the late 1980s.
Current major leaguer pitchers Tim Hudson (Braves), Dallas Braden (Athletics), Jeremy Accardo (Blue Jays), Steve Kline (Giants) and Josh Kinney (Cardinals) and outfielder Hunter Pence (Astros) also played in the NYCBL.
Schenectady resident Casper Wells, who played for the Oneonta Tigers in 2006 and 2007, played for Saratoga in 2004.
Jeff Wiltsie, The Daily Star Player of the Year last season for Oneonta High, is on Cooperstown's roster this year.
Rogers said the team is looking for host families for the players. Families will receive a $400 stipend to help offset the costs as well as season tickets.
He said ticket prices have not been set yet, but he said he thought they would be in the $3 to $4 range. Also, Rogers said the team is going to apply for a license to sell beer.
The cost to run the team is about $125,000 per year, Rogers said. Miller said the ownership picks up that tab, and the city isn't paying for that. The ownership will also be responsible for concessions and selling advertisements on the outfield wall.
The city will take care of the field, as it has in the past.
"It's all on the owners," Miller said. "The city role in this is we have a facility, and we wanted baseball here. We will have a tenant in the future."
P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 432-1000, ext. 229.
