In an effort to establish a good relationship between the Albany Dutchmen and the Albany Twlight League, the two sides announced the creation of what both sides hope will become an annual tradition.
The first Mayor’s Trophy game will take place Wednesday, June 3, at Bleecker Stadium one day before the Dutchmen play their inaugural New York Collegiate Baseball League contest in Watertown. The game will pit the Dutchmen a team made up of NCAA Division I and II players ` against the Albany Athletics, a community-based team that has won two of the last three Twilight League titles.
`This game between our two organizations will hopefully go a long way to cement the relationship between the two entities,` said Albany Dutchmen managing partner Dr. Eric Margenau.
`We’re going to be ready for the challenge,` said Albany Athletics manager Joe Altieri, a Guilderland native. `We’ve got guys who can compete with anybody.`
The Athletics will provide a strong challenge for the Dutchmen. Altieri’s team has not only dominated the Twilight League the last several seasons, but it’s had success against other NYCBL teams.
`The tough thing (about the game) that we have to handle is that we have a tough schedule that week,` said Altieri. `We have a doubleheader that Monday, and then we have another doubleheader that Friday.`
Both rosters feature current college players. The Dutchmen have players from such programs as Indiana University, San Jose State, Oregon State, Utah and Rutgers, while the Athletics have players from University at Albany, Siena and The College of Saint Rose.
`We’ll be competitive (in the NYCBL),` said Margenau.
The game will also serve as a fund raiser for the Dutchmen Fund, which Margenau said the NYCBL franchise will use to create clinics and baseball camps for area youth, especially those who live in the city of Albany.
`We have an opportunity to stay at home and play in front of our home crowd, and we have an opportunity to help the kids of Albany,` said Altieri.
Initially, the Twilight League was concerned about the Dutchmen coming in and using Bleecker as their home field for the two-month-long NYCBL season. The 79-year-old Twilight League has called Bleecker its home since the stadium was opened in 1936.
However, both sides met with Albany officials and hammered out a schedule that works for them. The Twilight League gave up several nights for Dutchmen home games, but the two entities will share Bleecker on Saturdays and Sundays when their schedules collide.
`That was a bit of a problem to solve, but the mayor (Jerry Jennings) and (department of recreation commissioner) John D’Antonio did a great job to help us out,` said Margenau.
More than half of the Dutchmen’s 21 home games are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. All Sunday home games are at 1 p.m. so that the Twilight League can play in the evening. The Twilight League will play its Saturday games in the afternoon to leave the field for the Dutchmen in the evening.
The Dutchmen’s first NYCBL home game is 7 p.m. Friday, June 5, against the Glens Falls Golden Eagles. Tickets are $4.50 for adults, $3.75 for students, senior citizens and active military personnel, $3 for children age 5-12 and free for children under 5.“
