The Uptown Long Beach 10U All-Stars aren’t the only young baseball players from North Long Beach to take a long vacation this summer. The Long Beach Thunder 12U squad, also from Cherry Park, is traveling to New York for a tournament at Cooperstown All-Star Village.
Coach Robert Weaver put the team together last year so they could specifically take this trip to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Thunder will play a guaranteed seven games Aug. 3-9 and also travel to Boston and Philadelphia.
“When I invited the players and their families to our first meeting, I told them ‘we’re going to Cooperstown, but for my personal trip I’m going to do Boston and Philadelphia on the two ends of the trip, so if you’d like in and you want to bring your whole family you’re welcome to do that and I’ll basically be the tour guide and travel agent,’” Weaver said. “That was actually a huge selling point to these 11 families. We’re making this more than just baseball. We have 37 people going now. I was a little surprised they all said yes so fast.”
The Thunder will fly first to Philadelphia, Penn., before the tournament to visit the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and see a Phillies game. They will then drive to upstate New York for the tournament at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Following the tournament, they will travel to Boston to see the Freedom Trail, Boston Tea Party Museum and a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown does this yearly tournament with teams from all over the country. Each team has to put down a deposit and enter a lottery drawing for a spot in the 12U tournament.
CLICK HERE for more information and how to donate to the trip via GoFundMe
