By ERIC AHLQVIST
Cooperstown Crier
Persistence paid off for Kristian
Connolly.
The Cooperstown graduate and
SaveTheFameGame.com founder
announced this week that Major
League Baseball Commissioner
Bud Selig arranged a meeting between
Connolly, MLB president
Bob Dupuy, and Hall of Fame president
Jeff Idelson in Cooperstown
during the Hall of Fame’s Induction
weekend, which begins this
Friday and goes through Sunday.
Connolly sent three separate requests
for a meeting before Selig
finally relented.
The meeting will take place at
the Hall of Fame at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Connolly has been at the front of
the fight to save the annual Hall of
Fame Game, a Cooperstown tradition
for nearly 70 years. In January,
Major League Baseball announced
this year’s game, which
was scheduled for June, would be
the final one. The game between
the San Diego Padres and Chicago
Cubs was rained out.
``While the ultimate goal was to
sit down and talk with Mr. Selig
directly, the opportunity to meet
with Mr. Dupuy and Mr. Idelson is
certainly a very positive development
in the campaign to have the
Fame Game tradition continue,’’
said Connolly.
``I thank Mr. Selig for arranging
this meeting, and I cannot help but
view the upcoming meeting as a
validation of the campaign, as a
recognition of the impact that passionate
baseball fans from all over
the country can have on the national
pastime’s direction and future,
and as a signal of MLB’s and the
Hall of Fame’s willingness to rethink
the decision to end the great
baseball, American and Cooperstown
tradition of the Hall of Fame
Game.’’
MLB officials cited scheduling
problems and a players’ union request
to discontinue the game
among the reasons for cancelling
the contest.
In recent years, mostly minor
leaguers have played in the Game,
unlike in the past when star players
participated.
In June, Hall of Fame spokesperson
Brad Horn said a replacement
for the game was in the works
and should be in place by 2009.
Possible replacements bandied
about include a minor league game,
a Futures Game or an Old Timers’
Game.
In addition, Senator Jim Seward
volunteered to chair a committee of
local leaders to find a possible replacement
for the Game.
Connolly sent Commissioner
Selig three separate letters asking
for “the opportunity to discuss with
you the passion that exists for
keeping a great American and
baseball tradition alive ... and have
an open discussion about options
for retaining Major League Baseball’s
participation in the Hall of
Fame Game, as it has been since
1940.”
Local Sports
Connolly to meet with baseball leaders
- Local Sports
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MCS girls take advantage of Patriots’ off-night
PEGGY PAFFENROTH PULLS IN a defensive rebound during the Wildcats’ Tri-Valley League win over the Patriots on Friday.
It may have been unseasonably warm outside, but for Cherry Valley- Springfield’s girls, it was a cold night in Milford on Friday. The Patriots went on long stretches without making baskets and the Wildcats took advantage for a 55-31 victory.
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Cooperstown boys show up to play
Cooperstown’s boys scored 33 points in the second quarter and cruised to a 79-58 non-league victory over visiting Sherburne- Earlville in a matchup of Center State Conference division winners Saturday.
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Lady Redskins get non-league win
Nicole Cring had 12 points, eight blocks and seven rebounds as the Cooperstown- High girls basketball team took an early lead and beat visiting New York Mills 55-44 on Tuesday in a non-league game.
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Hall to offer tools to teach dangers of drugs
Students will be taught about the danger of performance-enhancing drugs through a national education and outreach program announced Wednesday by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. The use of such drugs could affect upcoming balloting for several Hall of Fame candidates.
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Baseball Hall of Fame releases calendar of events
With the crack of bats and sounds of the ballpark beginning to return to Arizona and Florida this week organizers are getting geared up for another season at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Unatego wrestlers beat C’town, UV; Sidney’s Stafford among top seeds for class tourneys
Austin Ryan and Nate Wilsey won two head-tohead matches apiece last Thursday, helping host Unatego to dual-meet wrestling victories over Cooperstown and Unadilla Valley.
Continued ... - Thursday, February 2, 2012
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CCS swimmer finds diving challenging
After a day of highs and lows, Cooperstown’s Aaron Idelson finished in the middle.
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The sophomore diver scored a 285.15 and finished eighth out of 16 divers at the Frontier League Diving Championships in Carthage on Saturday. -
Brothers compete in the pool
Sometimes things are not always as they seem. Just look at Cooperstown’s varsity swimming brothers Sean and Erik Mebust.
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Volleyball team wins tournament at home
The host Cooperstown volleyball team won a six-team round robin tournament last Saturday. The Redskins tied Stockbridge with identical 7-3 records, but owned the tiebreaker by a single point in head-to-head match-ups, winning 25-22 and losing 23-25.
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Lady Redskins come out strong in second half
Nicole Cring’s double, double helped Cooperstown make a decisive second-half run and beat visiting Mohawk 45-28 in a Center State Conference game on Monday. Cring had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots as the
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Redskins scored the first seven points of the second half, stretching a 17-14 lead to 24-14. “There wasn’t much to say.” -
CCS wrestling team competes in championships
Cooperstown teammates Michael Boyle and Jacob Miller had runner-up finishes in the Center State Conference Championships on Saturday at Adirondack.
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Niekro, Ozzie to return for Hall of Fame Classic
The Knucksies and Wizards will go at it again this June in Cooperstown. The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Monday that Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith will return as team captains for the fourth annual Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field.
Continued ... - Monday, January 30, 2012
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Redskins hit century mark
If at first you do succeed, try to do even better next time. Dave Bertram led the Cooperstown boys basketball team to its highest points total in his 10 years as head coach Tuesday, when the Redskins thumped visiting Morrisville- Eaton, 106-51, in a Center State Conference Division III game.
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Davine, king of Cooperstown assists
If you need help, try calling Jay Davine. Senior point guard Davine broke Cooperstown’s all-time assists record last Thursday and scored 13 points to lead the Redskins to a 71-43 boys basketball thumping of visiting Westmoreland in a Center State Conference Division III game.
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Fox has big night for Hartwick women
Cooperstown graduate Samantha Fox scored a varsity-high 14 points Friday to lead the Hartwick College women’s basketball team to a 59-49 victory over visiting St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 Conference.
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Patriots hold off Gilbertsville-Mount Upton with score of 59-53
A varsity-high 27 points from Kyle Jaquay led host Cherry Valley- Springfield to a 59-53 Tri-Valley League boys basketball victory Monday over Gilbertsville-Mount Upton.
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CCS wrestles with the ‘Big Dogs’
Cooperstown’s wrestling revival got a reality check on Saturday in the form of visiting Dolgeville. Both teams came in undefeated in the Center State Conference, but only the Blue Devils left that way after a 64-10 win over the Redskins. “Dolgeville is definitely a tough team. Top to bottom, they really don’t have any weak spots on their roster,” Cooperstown coach Micaiah Abts said.
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Coach says he thinks his girls will return to top of their class
Close, but not there yet. That’s the story of Cooperstown’s volleyball team this season, and it played out again on Monday in a 3-1 loss to visiting Waterville in a Center State Conference match.
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Clark Sports Center hosts tournament
The Clark Sports Center recently held its eighth annual Pat Fetterman Memorial Tournament. There were six girls’ teams and six boys’ teams from as far away as West Philadelphia, according to a media release from the sports center.
Continued ... - Thursday, January 19, 2012
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Boy one step closer to seeing football dreams come true
Since Cowboy Stadium in Dallas opened in 2010, football fans have marveled at the massive, modernstadium. Over the holidays, Cooperstown Central School freshman Michael Perrino got to play two games in it himself.
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