You'll Have A Ball (and Bat) in Otsego County

The history and small-town feel of Cherry Valley provided a leisurely and educational start to my day. That was followed by a visit to Cooperstown and its bustling baseball and bed & breakfast setting. My final stop was in Oneonta, home of the brand new National Soccer Hall of Fame and the brand new Oneonta Tigers, replacing the club formerly known as the Oneonta Yankees.

Having driven Interstate 88 on several recent journeys to Otsego County (and points beyond) in recent weeks, I opted to head down Route 20 this time. You can tell the difference between Western Avenue in Albany and Route 20 when you're going west: less traffic, the rising sun behind you, and the increasing amount of farmland around you.

Cherry Valley

Most businesses didn't seem to open until 10 a.m., so I walked around town for a little while and learned about its history. At the traffic light, for example, is a Civil War monument erected in 1868 in memory of local men "who died that their country might live," as an inscription reads.

Such men as Cornelius Hardendorf, of the 152nd New York Infantry; Sgt. William O. McLean, U.S. sharpshooter, and Charles D. McLean, 1st Regiment; and Charles P. Nicholls, of the U.S. Navy, are listed on the memorial, atop which sits an eagle.

History lesson

* The Delos White House was built in 1812 by Dr. Joseph White as a wedding present for his son, Delos. The son, one of the directors of Central Bank in 1818, died in 1835 and bequeathed the house to his wife, Eliza O. White. It remained in the White family until 1852 and then was bought by Hon. George C. Clyde, grandson of Samuel Clyde of Revolutionary War fame. George's son, Capt. James D. Clyde, lived there from 1877 to 1913. In other words, the house was owned by only two families in its first 101 years.

* The building that's now home to the Cherry Valley Museum was built by Joseph Phelon in 1832 and includes four different architectural styles: Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Colonial Revival. He turned it over to his son-in-law, George Washington White, who lived there until it was repossessed at a sheriff's sale in 1865 for taxes and liens from his creditors. Eventually, the house ended up in the Sutliff family and was given to the Cherry Valley Historical Association in 1959.

Town business

Susan designs personalized wedding cake tops, an art that's keeping her busy well into 2001. The process begins with getting to know the couple pretty well.

"When a person has a wedding cake top done, they're subjected to a 30-minute interview with her," Everett said. "The intent is that the top will match the couple's clothing on their wedding day as closely as possible."

She's also a member of the Tartan Association and can discover customers' family colors using a computer program and incorporate the pattern into her work.

Everett and Susan, parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Cherry Valley, have loyal customers who stop in and people who check out their website (www.CelticArt.com) to place orders. Business is so good that they're expanding their store to create more space for shoppers and Susan's own studio.

Baseball town

When I pulled into Cooperstown, I felt right at home: the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was on my left, Glimmerglass Lake was on my right, and visitors were casually making their way up, down and around Main Street.

I stopped in to see Polly Renckens, director of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and a parishioner of St. Mary's Church. She provided me with a list of almost 20 businesses in town owned by parishioners and called around to a few to let them know I was coming.

It's nice having a travel agent of sorts, even when you're traveling mostly by foot, and even then for only an afternoon.

Batter up

The business, which includes a retail store on Main Street, is owned by St. Mary's parishioners Don and Sharon Oberriter, who were out of town; but employee Tim Haney pinch-hit nicely and was clutch in coming off the bench for me.

Located on the aptly named Cobatco Drive, Cooperstown Bat Company specializes in collectible bats made of northern white ash.

"It's what we're known for throughout the country," said Tim, a ballplayer himself who occasionally plays with guys who follow the rules of the Massachusetts game, or town ball.

Among the differences between town ball and modern baseball: The ball used in town ball is smaller, the bases are wooden stakes, and the ball can be thrown at a base runner to get him out. Ouch!

Replicas

Tim showed me some of the bats being worked on, such as ones honoring legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax and commemorating the 1999 inaugural season of the Oneonta Tigers in the New York-Pennsylvania League. He introduced me to employee Mark Hoge, who was handling the Sandy Koufax bats; they were signed by Mr. Koufax and have pictures of him that were applied using reverse image decaling.

"This process gives us such a huge edge for player bats," Tim said. "'Most everyone else does silk screening."

An employee for six years, Tim estimated the company makes close to 40,000 bats each year. He grew up in Fly Creek and considers himself lucky to design equipment for the sport he loves. "It's a very cool job. I just stopped in one day because I knew Don and Sharon, and it worked out," he said.

Guest house

There are four guest rooms, two with private baths; a dining room where Gayle serves a breakfast buffet of blueberry coffee cake, scones, fresh fruit and cereal; a living room with comfortable furniture and a fireplace; and a common room with a TV. But few guests even bother watching it.

Gayle, an organist at St. Mary's, did some shopping at a church auction in Mariaville to help furnish Overlook when she picked up a wooden pew, communion table and chairs for the foyer.

The most famous guest they've had probably would have to be Sigmund Freud's grandson, but friends of Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry also stayed there. Gayle and Jack don't need famous guests to convince them that they've got a good thing going.

"It's been fun. You meet so many nice people," she said. "We've been very fortunate and had wonderful people from all over."

At the White House

"It has worked out particularly well for us, so much so that we're getting a second place down the road from here," Ed said.

A 19th-century classic Greek revival home, The White House Inn offers spacious guest rooms decorated with antiques. There's an in-ground pool in back, a cabana in a secluded garden setting, and a full breakfast served each morning. Last year, a conference center was added, and renovation of some of the rooms is continuing.

A "Wall of Fame" leading up a stairway contains messages and autographs by such sports legends as pitchers Phil and Joe Niekro, hoop legend John Havilcek, and Phillies hurler Curt Schilling. Ed hopes to host a party for one of this year's Hall of Fame inductees, flame-thrower Nolan Ryan.

After retiring from a career in government bonds on Wall Street, Ed moved to Cooperstown with his wife, and they've had a blast running the inn and living in such a happening area.

"It's been a place where you can make a difference," he said. "The church and village are beautiful, and the people that visit are coming on a baseball pilgrimage."

Off to Oneonta

My visit coincided with opening week of the new National Soccer Hall of Fame. I'll be honest: If it weren't for the fact that it was new, I might not have stopped in; but since the place had been open for only a few days, I figured I'd check it out.

Good call.

My knowledge of soccer is limited to Pele and the World Cup, but I was very impressed with the new Hall of Fame. As you walk in, there are pictures of inductees, and a computer screen reading "Touch Me" contains an alphabetical listing and biographical information on them.

Fascinating history

Charles' nickname caught on, was shortened to "soccer" and became part of the sport's legacy. The world's oldest soccer ball, from 1855, also was on display.

What was fascinating about the Soccer Hall of Fame was the stories of the men and women who played this sport that has stirred so much international pride over its history. For example:

* Adelino "Billy" Gonsalves, who was born in 1908 in Rhode Island to Portuguese parents, turned pro at 17, and who led many teams to U.S. Open championships during a career that spanned four decades, from 1925 to 1952.

* Joe Gaetjens' game-winning goal for the U.S. team in the 1950 World Cup led them to a stunning 1-0 upset of heavily-favored England. The losers, dressed in royal blue, never wore the color again. A book titled "The Game of Their Lives" is being made into a major motion picture. The game's hero, Gaetjens, later played pro soccer in France and returned to Haiti in 1953 but was led away by Papa Doc Duvalier's police in 1964, never to be seen again.

* Of course, no Soccer Hall of Fame would be complete without due attention to Edson Arantes de Nascimento, also known as Pele. Born in Brazil in 1940, he gained fame playing in the 1958 and 1970 World Cups, came out of retirement to sign with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, and won its Most Valuable Player award in 1976.

Much to see

Another reason I loved the Soccer Hall of Fame is that there are a bunch of hands-on -- or maybe feet-on would be a better description -- games for players of all ages to practice kicking, dribbling and heading.

"Great Goals" lets you kick into a goal and shows a replay of a similar goal from soccer history. You can watch Gaetjens' goal from that famous 1950 World Cup game, or possibly Shannon McMillan's goal against China in 1996 to lead the U.S. to the first Olympic gold medal in women's soccer history.

I talked with Mike Woods, a Hall of Fame employee who just completed his freshman year at St. John Fisher College in Rochester. An avid soccer player, Mike was trying his foot at some of the games and sharing with me how much he liked the new Hall of Fame. He'd never even been to the old one, but he and his friends can't believe how modern and fun the new place turned out to be.

I couldn't agree more. If you're in Oneonta, I highly recommend visiting the National Soccer Hall of Fame. You'll definitely get, ahem, a kick out of it.

New Tigers

I just happened to be in town for the season opener. Even though it's Class A baseball, seeing a live game on opening day was still pretty cool, and I'm not talking about the chilly temperature. To top it off, guess what team the Tigers were hosting? The Staten Island Yankees. Talk about drama.

Before the game, the Oneonta Tigers were presented with last year's championship trophy; ironically, the manager who led that team was now at the helm of the opposing Staten Island club.

Home team wins

Coming from a town that also lost its minor league Yankee club made it easier to join the Oneonta fans in rooting for the home team and against the Yankees. Do I know how to pick a winner or what?

Seeing the O-Tigers winning effort brought my day to a happy ending, and it was around 10 p.m. that I left Otsego County on I-88 to return to Albany.

My day had begun with an historical walk and some Gaelic talk in Cherry Valley, continued with baseball and bed & breakfast business in Cooperstown, and ended with soccer and more baseball in Oneonta.

I've left out so much of what's to do in Otsego County, but the summer is young. Whether you're young or old, plan a trip there and see for yourself.

(06-24-99) [[In-content Ad]]