August 11th, 2025

TBR 15u National Championship in Cooperstown

The 15u division in Cooperstown did not disappoint this weekend. The appreciation of Doubleday field was most notable. There is controversy that baseball was invented in Cooperstown. Baseball wasn't invented in one town, rather it was an evolution into the beautiful game we have today. This evolution was largely driven by the imagination of schoolboys in the streets across the Country.

There is no doubt that it was a game to be reckoned with as early as 1816 in Cooperstown,
"On June 6, 1816, the trustees of the Village of Cooperstown, New York, enacted an ordinance stating, "Be it Ordained That no person shall play at Ball in Second or West Street (now Pioneer and Main Streets), in this village, under a penalty of one dollar, for each and every offence"(Otsego Herald, number 1107, June 6, 1816, p. 3.)

There is no turf at Doubleday, yet this is the gem that everyone wants to play on. The hops on the infield can be like a game of Plinko at times. The grandstand old and outdated. This all a part of the charm and appreciation everyone has for the field. The Babe, Teddy Ball Game, The Mick, Say Hey Kid, Joltin Joe, all shared that same appreciation when they played there. You could almost sense the presence of the ghosts of baseball's past in the grandstand.

The backdrop is not what your used to. Its like a town and field lost in time. The field was christened in 1920 on the Phinney Farm. The old Phinney farm house(1825) is still visible from the field. You can still see the First Baptist Church peaking through the trees, like it did when Babe Ruth played there.

The teams and gameplay were excellent all weekend. Only 4 teams made it to Sunday- Gators, Prime Baseball Tallo, Taconic Rangers, and TBR Scout. TBR Scout Cooperstown and Prime Baseball Tallo ultimately made the championship game and battled like two polished heavy weight boxers. Each team trading blows until the end. In the top of the 5th Inning Cam Dukate had a clutch RBI single to tie the game 2-2. In the bottom of the sixth inning a double by A. fields and then error with two outs allowed a run to score and Prime Tallo took the lead 3-2 going into the 7th.
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Then there was a spark for TBR Scout. Braiden Dershem led the inning off with a solo shot to left field field that tied the game. The energy in the dugout was palpable and contagious after Dershem's HR. This led to a few more hits/runs and TBR Scout put the game out of reach. Lets go back back to the error that would have been the final out the previous inning. That was a part of what made this game great. The ghosts of baseball past didn't want to see the game be decided by an error, so it wasn't. Well played game by both teams. Great job to all the teams that played in the event.

TBR Cooperstown 2026

Champions:
​TBR Scout Cooperstown

Runner-Up:
​Prime Baseball Tallo