It’s a little confusing, but it looks like the summer-collegiate Oneonta Outlaws will be playing the season in the New York Collegiate Baseball League after the former owners decide to take their Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League membership to Saratoga for 2014.
The Outlaws swooped in and leased Damaschke Field after the Oneonta Tigers (short season A; NY-Penn League) shifted operations to Norwich’s Dodd Stadium. The Outlaws had been part of the NYCBL before switching to the PGCBL in 2012. After the season ended there was an announced sale of the team to local businessman Gary Laing by Keith Rogers and Dan Scaring.
Apparently Laing didn’t buy all the team assets; it sounds like Rogers and Scaring retained the league membership, and the two of them are looking to bring back a PGCBL franchise to Saratoga. The two live near Saratoga and moved the Outlaws from Saratoga, so there are some clear ties to the area. Meanwhile, the Outlaws Website promises the team will return in 2013 and mentions the NYCBL in the title bar. The PGCBL issued a press release that indicated the Outlaws would be playing in the NYCBL as well:
“Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to welcome the new Outlaws owner into the PGCBL,” according to the press release. “They decided to play in the NYCBL. Therefore, they would eliminate many of the standards set by the PGCBL to increase the level of competition on the field. As Oneonta learned last year, dominating in the NYCBL does not even translate into a playoff spot in the PGCBL.”
Ouch. Does not sound like an amicable parting.
UPDATE: The Outlaws will indeed be part of the NYCBL in 2013, according to Laing, who has set the team up as a nonprofit. As we suspected, Laing bought the name and brand but not the PGCBL membership. Nice: Damaschke Field is one of the more scenic ballparks in summer-collegiate ball and a short drive from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
RELATED STORIES: Local businessman buying Oneonta Outlaws
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