Dive into world of Twin Tiers sports

Star-Gazette

Elmira has been home to a minor league baseball team for more than a century and now also have a minor league ockey team. The region also hosts two major league professional sports events each year.

Baseball: Elmira has had a professional baseball team since 1888. The current club has been here since 1996 and plays in the East Division of the Northern League, perhaps the country’s top independent league.

The team is called the Pioneers, a nickname that previously was used by a short-season Class A team that played in the New York-Penn League. Through the years, that franchise was affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

The Northern League season runs from late May to early September. Elmira’s home games are played at beautiful and historic Dunn Field, which turned 60 years of age during the 1999 season.

Single tickets for Pioneers games cost between $7 for box seats and $4 for general admission, and season and group rates are available. Giveaways are available for many games, and promotions with groups and businesses give fans some opportunities to get free or discounted tickets.

Many baseball stars began their pro careers in Elmira, including Jim Palmer, Wade Boggs and Lou Piniella, who now manages the Seattle Mariners. Earl Weaver managed the Pioneers in the 1960s and later became famous for building the Baltimore Orioles into a baseball powerhouse.

Golf: The LPGA Corning Classic comes to town every May, typically on Memorial Day weekend, bringing many of the world’s top female golfers together for four rounds at the Corning Country Club.

The tournament was won in 2000 by Bestsy King, who also won it in 1991.

Hockey: Professional hockey came to Elmira in March of 2000 when the Elmira Jackals joined the United Hockey League. The UHL, a 15-team league, has four teams in Upstate New York -- in Binghamton, Utica, Glens Falls, and now Elmira.

The Jackals' regular season runs from October through early April. The Jackals play their home games in Elmira's new downtown arena, the Coach USA Center. The Coach opened Nov. 11, 2000.

Single game tickets to Jackals home games cost from $7 to $14 with a $2 discount for seniors and students.

The Jackals are affiliated with the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch and the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets.

Auto racing: Historic Watkins Glen International is home to a NASCAR Winston Cup race every August. Global Crossing @ the Glen was won in 2000 by Steve Park, who earned his first series victory.

The Winston Cup event, one stop on stock car racing’s top circuit, is the showcase of a summer of activity at the Glen, a track that celebrated 50 years of American road racing in 1998. The August weekend typically attracts a crowd of 150,000 people or more, including about 100,000 for the main event.

The Schuyler County facility also hosts a NASCAR Busch Grand National Series event. Other events, some geared more to sportsmen and hobbyists than spectators, take place throughout the summer.