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| Your Ballpark Guide |
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Damaschke Field / Oneonta
Tigers
| Year Built | 1940 |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Dimensions | 333L, 401C, 335R |
| Last Visit | July 2003 |
| Web Site | www.oneontatigers.com |
| Online Broadcasts | No |
| Online Ticket Sales | No |
| Phone | 607/432-6326 |
| League | NY-Penn League |
| Affiliation | Detroit Tigers |
| Parking | There is ample free parking next to the ballpark. |
| Address/Directions | 95 River St., Oneonta, NY. The address is a misnomer: the ballpark is actually off River Street (which is the main drag in downtown Oneonta), near the Main Street exit on I-88. There is plenty of signage pointing you toward the stadium; if you get turned around, just remember that the ballpark is between downtown Oneonta and the freeway. |
| Rating |   |
| Description |
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| The view from the back row of the grandstand. Note the names of season ticker holders attached to seats; this quaint practice seems to be on the wane. |
First off, let's get this out of the way: you cannot buy a beer at Damaschke Field.
That's right: the Oneonta Tigers will not sell you a beer at Damaschke Field.
Once you get past the possibility of viewing the Tigers through beer-bottle glasses, you can see that Damaschke Field for what it is: an older, slightly rundown facility in a good location. Like much of anything associated with baseball in the region, there's a long history in this specific area. Damaschke Field is located within Neahwa Park, where baseball has been played since 1906. The current ballpark was configured in 1940 and named Neahwa Park Field, and the current stadium configuration dates back to 1968, when it was renovated and then renamed after a local baseball booster.
Baseball at Damaschke Field is a true community affair: team owner Sam Nader (formerly the mayor of Oneonta) runs the show in a very hands-on fashion, and because of the intimate nature of the ballpark you'll find neighbors chatting up neighbors throughout. The concessions workers were obviously local kids, but they were very friendly and didn't seem too pressured to keep things moving along: I ended up chatting with a teenager for five minutes about the merits of her digital camera versus mine. (Obviously it was a slow evening at the concession stand.)
The stadium configuration is pretty simple. There's a covered grandstand combining box seats for season ticket holders and general-admission bleachers; on a hot night the seats in the back of the grandstand usually expose you to a nice breeze. (And on a cold night they usually expose you to a brisk breeze.) There are bleachers down each line, with two rows of box seats sold as season tickets in front. The bleachers down the first-base line provide some relief against the sun at the beginning of a night game, while the third-base bleachers are a sun field early in the evening.
The thing about Damaschke Field that's a little hard to work through for someone devoted to old ballparks: it is sore need of renovations. The grandstand looks like hell: any metal is rusting away, and the fencing surrounding it is just a big distraction. (Not that the wooded grandstand needs to be torn down -- in fact, with the press box on top and the box seats in front, it is indeed a classic configuration -- but it does need some TLC.) The capacity at Damaschke Field is advertised at 4,000, but that may be a stretch: more fans might come to the stadium if the bleachers in the grandstand were scrapped and theater-style seats put in their place. Dropping the capacity to 3,500 and adding better seating would probably be a good economic move.
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| Here's another view of the steel cage known as the grandstand. |
How long the Tigers remain in Oneonta remains to be seen. Sam Nader already rescued the team from a move 12 years ago, but since then the NY-Penn League has changed dramatically, and Nader warns that he may have no choice but to move the team. The Tigers' average attendance of 1,458 (though July 31) may look good on its face, but when compared to NY-Penn League teams like the Aberdeen IronBirds (averaging 6,161 through July 31) and the Brooklyn Cyclones (averaging 8,258 through July 31), the Tigers are lagging behind the pack: only the Batavia Muckdogs average fewer fans a game. Nader said before the start of the season that he needed to see a serious increase in attendance to maintain his commitment to Oneonta, but to be totally honest it's not clear whether Damaschke Field in its present state could handle 3,000 or more fans a game -- despite a published capacity of 4,000; the concessions would be sorely stressed, and there would be lots of folks in uncomfortable seats.
| Concessions |
Most of the concessions are sold at the main concession stand behind the first-base bleachers. The prices are low: you can buy a hot dog and a Pepsi for $2.50, or an Italian sausage with peppers and onions for $2.50. If you have a sweet tooth, you can partake of the fried dough or a Sno Kone.
| Where to Stay |
The Clarion Hotel (55 Market Street) is located less than a mile from the park, near the I-88 freeway exit. The Super 8 Oneonta (4973 Street Highway 23) and the Holiday Inn Oneonta on Southside Road (5206 State Highway 23; 607/433-2250) are within three miles of the ballpark.
If you're visiting the region, you should also considering spending the night in Cooperstown or nearby Albany, where there is a wide selection of hotel rooms.
| For the Kids |
There's no play area per se for children, but the ballpark is next to a park. If your kids get bored, you can run over there and tire them out.
| More Photos |
The entrance to the ballpark.
Members of the visiting Lowell Spinners received a little proselytizing before the game.
Despite the many issues with the ballpark, it does benefit from being in an incredibly scenic location.
Another design problem with Damaschke Field: the bleachers are actually set off quite a ways from the field, and the only way to navigate through the stadium is to walk in front of the crowd.
Despite Oneonta's status as one of the smallest cities hosting a pro baseball team, local fans show up in respectable numbers for Tigers games.
Note the shadows: in the shank of the evening, you do need to fight the sun from the third-base bleachers.
