Legion Right move or not?

Actually, I was referring to FUN meaning that American Legion baseball was FUN, but playing baseball at the college level was not necessarily FUN anymore. Nobody (usually unless it is a parent) forces a kid to play baseball in college! I wasn't referring to getting a college education being fun. A person most likely has to work, has to earn a living, has to go to work day in and day out whether they think it is FUN or not. Thanks One Putt....I thought this was about Legion also!

 

Legion is the way to go. If you are good, then a college scout will come see you play there. Then you will know they want you even more. Legion is free, and you play almost every day which will make you a better player if you improve every day.

 

....to some. The majority of Legion teams are fee based. Many teams are no longer receiving the financial support they once were. I wish this was not the case, but times have changed in many areas.

I wish every playercould experience what the players in Shelby, Cherryville, Kannapolis, Caldwell Co, etc. experience. Sadly, as each year more teams are folding, I hope that it doesn't evolve into just the smaller communities fielding teams.

I love American Legion baseball and I hope that it will thrive in the future, but there are some issues that need to be addressed:

 

If I may add,,, obviously nothing in life is free,,,,,,, whether we're talking about legion baseball or some tiddlywinks club,,,,,,, in order for any organization to survive, you must either A) ask for fees from the players (members), or B) have good people who volunteer countless hours and local businesses who raise the necessary funds that your program needs to operate. Our specific program tries to use method B so that we don't charge the kids a dime.

Obviously, the programs that struggle financially or with community support (for the most part) are the very same programs who have a difficult time getting folks to roll up their sleeves and help. Unfortunately, a lot of folks don't want to do anything to help, they just want to complain.

I will always strongly defend those who pitch in and help, the Bill Collins of the world who just retired, but spent a big majority of his life making sure that boys in Concord had a place to play American Legion baseball,,,, or the Whitey Meadows who coached the Mooresville Legion team for 30 years and never took a dime for doing what he loved.

 

In no way am I knocking legion ball, but don't fool yourself or others, if you are a GREAT player you might get a recruiter or 2 to come to legion, but if you are just good or average forget it they will not be there. And yes legion does play almost every day for about 30-45 days and then they are done and by that time almost all fall showcase or travel teams have a full roster, then what? If legion would get rid of the dual participation rule it would help legion and the kids

 

Dual Participation Rule

Legion players can participate in other events all during the regular season; however, once the playoffs begin your roster is SET IN STONE, and there is NO MORE dual participation once the playoffs begin. This will never change, forget it. I'll try to explain why, feel free to comment or question,,, because honestly I don't know HOW I'll come across, but because you make this point, my intent is just to TRY to clarify.

Ok so lets look at the dual participation rule HONESTLY and see just how many players it even affects. For the sake of an example, I'll use Area III, these playoffs usually begin somewhere around July 1,,, so if July 1 means no more dual participation, and the first round of playoffs begins, about 5 days later the first round is completed, which means exactly one half the teams season IS OVER. So now, any players on eliminated legion teams are free to pick up and play whenever and wherever they choose the rest of the summer. Now if round 2 begins somewhere around July 7, it is over maybe 5 days later, and ANOTHER HALF of the teams and their players are free to play wherever. And so on, and so on, to where you only have the final 8 legion teams all across NC who are even still doing anything by the 3rd/4th week of July.

Face it guys, folks who say legion needs to change the dual participation rule, your just not talking about but a hand full of players on the very best teams. And trust me, the best players and the best teams DO GET recruited. The average players on those better teams possibly benefit because someone is there to watch someone else, but those better teams do get recruited. One of the arguments about legion that I have always agreed with, is that I admit the weaker teams don't draw the scouts,,, then again I just showed how the weaker teams only play begining late May and are usually done first week in July. So honestly the better players on the weaker teams CAN DO both, they can play legion for their community with their friends, then if they feel like they can play at the next level, they can also dual participate during THAT SAME legion season and pick back up with their showcase team JUST AS SOON as their legion team gets eliminated from playoffs.

If legion isn't popular in your area, or you choose not to do legion for whatever reason,,, that is fine, but using the dual participation rule as a means to criticize legion, is just a tad bit exaggerating. Feel free to offer where I am wrong here.

 

Love of the game

I played BB at a VERY small college. I never went back after my Freshman year. Joined the Army. I used fast pitch and slow pitch softball for my "fix". Played Class "A" in both. 15 years later, a friend asked if I was interested in playing Roy Hobbs Baseball (all players are over 30 and must be out of pro ball for 5 years). Other than throwing batting practice for my team, hadn't worked on baseball for years. My biggest hope was to not make too big a fool out of myself. Five of the funnest years I have ever had. Good competition (even if we were a step slower) Went to the Roy Hobbs World Series in Florida in 1995. Pitched in the Twins Stadium and the Red Sox Stadium. Talk about awe inspiring. Finally had to stop at 40. Elbow trouble. (40 year olds should warm up a little longer LOL) Plat as long as you can then enjoy watching it the rest of your life.

 

Dual Particapation

TJ,

Very well said, I am involved in Legion and know the dual participation rule, but you explained as simplistic as it can be.

Thanks!

 

Thanks Tools, I know your deeply involved in legion, good to hear from you too.

 

I understand. I know legion is fun. Having never experienced I would think it would be fun. I wsih we had legion in Greensboro. I think my younger son may try this option out of High Point when the time comes.

I was refering to a post about college being fun. While college is a lot of work in the classroom and on the field, I would hope it would also be some level of fun. If you don't enjoy what you do, then why do it?

Working everyday does have it's drudgery at times but I believe to succeed at something there has to be a little bit of passion and some fun. These kids have the rest of their lives to work. I don't see why you can't work hard in college but also enjoy it. Just my thoughts.