A group of community activists are working to bring baseball to Cumberland (Md.), with indy or summer-collegiate ball the likely outcome.
A group of community activists are working to bring baseball to Cumberland (Md.), with indy or summer-collegiate ball the likely outcome.
The group is pitching a 3,500-seat ballpark in the northern Maryland community of 21,000, to be used year-round as a community facility with winter ice skating and concerts. Given the geography, it's pretty clear there are three alternatives for organized baseball: the independent Atlantic League, the independent Frontier League, or the summer-collegiate Prospect League. Given the demographics, it's pretty clear the Prospect League may be best suited for the community — though we know of at least one Atlantic League owner who has chatted with Cumberland officials, but he's not yet part of any effort to bring baseball there.
The first step will be funding a feasibility study of whether baseball would work in Cumberland. That's proven to be a challenge, from what we hear: the city wants $70,000, but efforts to raise state economic-development funds have come up short. Until that first step is taken — and from what we hear from city officials, they're not too hot to foot the bill themselves — baseball will be continually on the city's wish list.
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