Katz told board members during last week’s meeting there would be minimal impact to the landmark diamond and a huge potential benefit to the residents.

``We’re not talking about renaming Doubleday Field. We’re talking about a marginal change that could bring in big revenue,’’ he said.

While readily acknowledging the long-standing tradition that has kept the iconic field off-limits for advertising, Katz said he recognizes what could be a windfall for the village.

``Why not use our assets to raise money so it will help out residents?’’ he asked.

Although he was careful not to talk numbers, he believes there is significant opportunity selling advertising to create a new revenue stream that would help pay for the cost of tourism and remove some of the tax burden from village residents.

``It’s not on the residents’ backs, but on baseball’s back,’’ he said.

Some of the money would be set aside to cover future expenses and capital projects for the field, but the remainder could be allocated to other projects like the rebuilding of village streets.

Katz believes the field would have a special appeal or cache to it for advertising.

``It’s Doubleday Field; what’s that worth? I think certain companies will be very attracted to that,’’ he said.

Katz said the Doubleday Field committee discussed the concept and that members agreed it was worth spending the time to research it.

The concept has to come first, he said, and now the trustees have to all agree it is worth pursuing.

The committee talked about advertising that was retro, or period appropriate for the field.

``Advertising would have to be in keeping with when the field came into being,’’ he said, adding that he had asked trustee Milo Stewart, who works at the Hall of Fame to look through the archives for some examples.

The village would be in control of the advertising and he suggested ads should be approved by the village planning board.

But Katz may have some convincing to do if his project is to move forward.

Trustee Stuart Taugher said last week that he is ``100 percent against it.’’

``It’s a sacred field and we’ve never allowed that,’’ said Taugher, the senior member of the board who for many years chaired the Doubleday Field committee. ``I think it would drive me crazy to see that. It seems strange these new people in town don’t realize the sacredness of the field.’’

Taugher said there must be other ways to raise additional funds or find cost savings instead of selling advertising on the outfield fence so ``they wouldn’t have to put a stain on Doubleday Field.’’

Mayor Carol Waller, however, said she understands there is a tradition of no advertising in Doubleday Field, but she is not opposed to taking a closer look at it. Her largest concern is that any advertising would have to be tastefully done.

``Other than that, I have no problem with it,’’ she said.

The mayor said all ball parks seem to have advertising today and it would have to be screened by the village to make sure it was family appropriate.