Tauck & Ken Burns Announce Exclusive 4-day Baseball Event in Cooperstown, NY

Tauck has announced a new four-day, baseball-themed event it has crafted with Ken Burns, the filmmaker whose PBS documentary Baseball garnered widespread acclaim, earned nearly 20 different awards and award nominations, and spawned a sequel, The Tenth Inning. The new Tauck event is scheduled for June 27 – 30, 2013, and it is part of the company's “Ken Burns American Journeys” series of travel experiences based on the filmmaker's works.

"The Tauck Baseball Event: America's Pastime" will be highlighted by a private, “after-hours” evening inside the National Baseball Hall of Fame that includes the opportunity to tour its exhibits, a keynote address by Ken Burns, and the chance for attendees to meet and mingle with Burns during a cocktail reception.

Also included in the event's activities are special lectures by baseball experts, including author Daniel Okrent, who was featured prominently in both of the Ken Burns baseball films (and who invented Rotisserie League or “Fantasy” Baseball), and baseball historian Tom Heitz. Attendees will also attend a period “Town Ball” game played with 19th-century rules, learn about the 1940s and 50s-era women's baseball leagues from a former league player, visit Cooperstown's iconic Doubleday Field, and even take a few swings in historic batting cages.

FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS SCHEDULED TO ATTEND

Tauck's guests will have the opportunity to personally meet former major league baseball players, including Baseball Hall of Fame member Phil Niekro and former outfielder Doug Glanville. Niekro, nicknamed “Knucksie” for his famed knuckleball, won 318 games during a 24-year career spent pitching for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. He twice led the National League in wins, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Doug Glanville is a former Ivy Leaguer and a major league veteran who played outfield for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. Over his nine-year major league career, Glanville collected an even 1,100 hits and amassed a 293-game errorless streak. He was a featured expert on the Ken Burns baseball films, and he is a current ESPN analyst and commentator, a frequent New York Times contributor, and author of the baseball book, “The Game From Where I Stand.” Tauck is also arranging for additional former players to attend, although the final roster was not finalized at press time.

AMERICA'S PASTIME WITH AMERICA'S STORYTELLER

Burns is the perfect partner to help Tauck craft an in-depth baseball event, noted company CEO Dan Mahar. “Ken's knowledge of baseball is incredible; that's obvious to anyone who's watched Baseball or its follow-up, The Tenth Inning,” said Mahar. “But what makes Ken unique are the broader perspectives on America that he's gained through all of his other films, which allow him to view the sport within the larger context of American culture and history. Who better to help us tell the story of America's pastime than Ken Burns, ‘America's storyteller?'”

According to Burns, the same elements that prompted him to create two films about baseball also make the sport a great basis for a Tauck travel experience. "So many of the things that have shaped America are also reflected in baseball, from race relations to women's rights to multiculturalism,” said Burns. “And baseball reveals the best and the worst in us while ultimately celebrating the human spirit. Baseball is about greed and scandal, but it's also about teamwork and poise under pressure. It's about sorrow and disappointment, but it's also about perennial optimism and hard-won triumph. Baseball is truly a mirror in which we can all see pieces of ourselves and our own experiences reflected."

Guests attending the Tauck Baseball Event will spend three nights in Cooperstown at the Otesaga Resort Hotel. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, the resort overlooks Otesaga Lake and is approximately a half-mile from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Included in the price (from $$3,690 per person, double occupancy, plus air) are all daytime activities and evening festivities, all meals, all gratuities, airport transfers and ground transportation, and much more.

Those interested in more information may visit their local travel professional, call Tauck at 1 800 468 2825, or visit www.tauck.com.