Dear Sports Editor:
I went to Johnson City on Saturday for the baseball state tournament. I understand that the state is large and the 200 miles the boys had to travel was inevitable.
The Binghamton area is close to the center of the state and I would assume the committee's intentions were to make it fair for all, although it sure would be nice to live in the section where the tournament is held every year and you can sleep in your own bed.
Here are some observations:
Back in the day, Section 6 paid for a coach bus, very comfortable with a bathroom and DVD player. Now traveling is done on the big yellow bus. Some reward for representing your section.
It must have been real comfortable rattling through the reservation on Interstate 86. I wonder if the section reimbursed the school for the expense of fuel and the driver.
The field was on the side of a mountain. Some people had to be driven up to it on golf carts because it was too steep to walk. Bleacher space was minimal. Although the actual field was decent, it wasn't nearly as nice as Frewsburg's home field. Again, some reward.
Cost for one game was $8. If your team was fortunate enough to win, you had to walk down the mountain and pay another $8 to watch the second game.
If you liked to gamble, you could get an all-day ticket for $14 or if you were a mountain goat you could sneak in by climbing a cliff rather that walking up the switchback.
The tournament was low class, to say the least. At the Far West Regional the umpires were late and there were no concessions.
We have student-athletes from schools all over the state who worked so hard all spring to reach the ultimate goal and they are treated to a hot dog dinner and far less than optimal conditions in every regard. They deserved better.
In New York State, where so many are given so much for doing nothing, the message I took from the NYSPHSAA was ''Let's just get this thing over with.''
Bob Schmitt
Frewsburg