A double whammy for the 518

Any chance of a spring high school sports season evaporated Friday when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that schools across the state would remain closed for the rest of the academic season, which ends next month. This results in hundreds of seniors being unable to compete one final season in track, lacrosse, softball, & baseball.

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association confirmed later Friday that the spring season was cancelled, shifting the focus on keeping everyone healthy & safe as the warm weather settles in. There are warnings that there could be a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, and we're hardly out of the woods now.
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While the Tri-City Valleycats, and the New York-Penn League in general, are hoping to start play next month, they will play with heavy hearts.

William Gladstone, 88, chairman and principal owner of the team, passed away Thursday from complications due to COVID-19. Gladstone purchased the Pittsfield Mets franchise in 1992, and shifted affiliations to the Houston Astros in 2001, a year before the Pittsfield Astros became the Valleycats.

Under Gladstone's stewardship, the Valleycats have won 3 NY-PL titles (2010, 2013, 2018) and a handful of division titles while remaining among the top draws in the league, even during lean periods. The 'Cats arrival in 2002 ended an 8 year period without minor league ball. During that time, the unaffiliated Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs had been playing at now-defunct Heritage Park, and folded within a few years of the 'Cats' debut.

Gladstone is survived by two children and several grandchildren. Wife Millie passed away in 2018.