Eighth Grader Playing HS Varisty -- Advice Needed

[Jake Patterson]

There are none. They all bailed long ago. It's been all corporate and town sponsorship as long as I've known. The local Legion program is part of the local youth sports association. It was sponsored by a local bank until the youth sports board chairman ticked of someone at the bank.

American Legion Baseball is not part of any youth programs in any area. They are stand-alone. You may have something people "call" Legion ball... Look in the phone book and give me the post number of the American Legion Post on your area, and I'll get back to you.

[tg643]

D, I have never seen this to be the case. What area is this? What Post?

Our team is fed by 5 high schools and college players... Having followed the AL national tournament - all the teams have similar situations and they are from all over the country.

I admit many good players go to showcases - So do many of our Legion players.

Why would a kid playing college ball play Legion? He should be playing in a collegiate summer league.

Legion teams in our area overlap school districts. With the better players playing travel, Legion teams have a lot of varsity bench and JV players. There are very few all-conference players in the Legion program. You will never see a college coach at a Legion game. They're at the scout league games during the week and showcases on the weekends.

[mudvnine]

D, I have never seen this to be the case. What area is this? What Post?

Our team is fed by 5 high schools and college players... Having followed the AL national tournament - all the teams have similar situations and they are from all over the country.

I admit many good players go to showcases - So do many of our Legion players.

Jake, you may want to read this before continuing on......

[Jake Patterson]

Why would a kid playing college ball play Legion? He should be playing in a collegiate summer league.

I don't know you tell me, we had dozens last year in our district.

Legion teams in our area overlap school districts. With the better players playing travel, Legion teams have a lot of varsity bench and JV players. There are very few all-conference players in the Legion program.

That is not the way it is across the country.

You will never see a college coach at a Legion game. They're at the scout league games during the week and showcases on the weekends.

Tg, you are wrong... maybe in your area. We have had college coaches at our games every year I have been involved... They follow the talent where ever it is.

[Jake Patterson]

Jake, you may want to read this before continuing on......

Mud,
first, it's a blogger...

I agree, the model needs to change in some areas... I don't live in Denver, but if I had the affected Post numbers I certainly could find out more.

Legion is changing the rules on 19 year olds in 2014 for a variety of reasons. Mostly due to the shorter season scheduled imposed upon us by college players and football.

[Dirtberry]

Here in OC SoCal legion is still strong and mandatory by most HS coaches. Connie Mack is also played by these same players and because it is invite only the legion baseball is very necessary.
CIF our governing body eliminated there association rule 3 years ago that now allows HS coaches to coach them year round and with any team, this has had a positive effect of eliminating much of the useless fall and winter games and has developed into more practice time at school.

[d-mac]

Jake, you may want to read this before continuing on......

Jake, we are post 31, and the article above might as well explain our legion program. The two best players on the 2011 roster were graduates in 2010 and they joined Legion ball after they made a college team. The majority of the players are from small towns or are other kids that graduated in 2010 that were still wanting to play ball. Like I said before, the handful of college players are playing showcase ball, and the rest of the high school kids are playing wood bat. Legion gets the leftovers around here.

[mudvnine]

Mud,
first, it's a blogger...

Aren't we all?

I agree, the model needs to change in some areas... I don't live in Denver, but if I had the affected Post numbers I certainly could find out more.

I don't know the Post number for the one our HS team plays in over the summer, but from what I see from the competition, it's basically as the article says, "the equivalent of a J.V. squad"......maybe a better J.V. squads, but J.V. nonetheless.

Legion is changing the rules on 19 year olds in 2014 for a variety of reasons. Mostly due to the shorter season scheduled imposed upon us by college players and football.

Wouldn't matter in our case. From what I can tell, there aren't any 19 year olds on the teams.....and if there are, it wouldn't matter anyway......none of them are that much better, and no one's scouting anyone anyway.

TG is correct at least in what I see in the Legion league we participate in......you don't see the better players there, as they're playing on "showcase" TB teams.

[Baseball gLove]

I am not sure about Florida's High School Rules but one of the reasons the HS coach asked your son to quit the travel team MAYBE that it is a violation of high school rules to play for any other team during the spring high school season. In California, just a couple of years ago, a top ranked high school team out of Oxnard in Ventura was knocked out of CIF Southern Section playoffs because a couple of their players were also playing on a Sunday adult league team. In California one could not even practice on an outside travel team, until the high school team's spring season is over. If Florida has similar rules he may not be eligible now if he was still playing on his travel ball team when his high school's season started. The penalties can be severe for the school and your son. During the summer and fall my son would play for his high school team in the high school summer league and for a showcase team.

There is no legion ball in my area. High school summer league and scout / showcase teams have knocked legion off the map in the North Los Angeles County as well as adjoining Ventura County.

[tg643]

American Legion Baseball is not part of any youth programs in any area. They are stand-alone. You may have something people "call" Legion ball... Look in the phone book and give me the post number of the American Legion Post on your area, and I'll get back to you.

If you go to wrasports.org based in Blue Bell PA you will see an announcment for Legion baseball. In our town Legion baseball is supported by a non profit, Whitpain Recreation Association which is funded by registration fees, small business sponsorship and some funding from the town. If you scroll down the left column you will see an annoucement for Legion opening day.

The Legion people will pubicly say Legion is everything travel is. They are being laughed at. Quality baseball players are still leaving Legion ball in droves. Legion serves a purpose in our area. It's the rec ball for average high school players. But like I said earlier some Legion teams roster travel studs, get them in just enough games to qualify for the tournament, kick the season long dedicated kids to the curb, then brag about the college bound players in their program.

Jake, I realize Legion ball is still relevant in New England. But in the big picture you're in just as much denial of the big picture as the people in our area. I played Legion ball. It was THE thing when I played. So was LL and boy's LL is dying a slow death in the US (not in NE). But life changes. The world evolves. If you go to major college baseball website player profiles, if the player mentions summer ball it's about his showcase team. The only two kids playing major conference college baseball who mentioned Legion grew up in Maine.

[tg643]

I don't know you tell me, we had dozens last year in our district.

That is not the way it is across the country. Tg, you are wrong... maybe in your area. We have had college coaches at our games every year I have been involved... They follow the talent where ever it is.

I've said repeatedly, outside New Englanr Legion is dying. I grew up in New England. I live there again now. It's the last place anything dies. If it worked for John Adams and Paul Revere it still works for New England.

[Jake Patterson]

I've said repeatedly, outside New Englanr Legion is dying. I grew up in New England. I live there again now. It's the last place anything dies. If it worked for John Adams and Paul Revere it still works for New England.

Like I said at the begining TG - we have done this dance before.

[tg643]

Like I said at the begining TG - we have done this dance before.

We've done the dance before. You still don't accept the evolution of the game and the process.

Travel is starting to become a factor in NE. There are plenty of kids playing tarvel rather than Babe Ruth and LL Jrs. The reason is these kids don't want to play with uncommitted kids who are there for social reasons rather than baseball. At the high school level the two kids who went to Vanderbilt from MA this year didn't play Legion. They played travel. I met one of their teammates dads who was recruited by ACC teams for next year.

In the area my son grew up I don't know any college baseball players who come back to Legion. It's the former high school players who weren't good enough to play college ball who go back to Legion. I hate to see this. It takes playing time away from high school kids who are still developing. I believe Legion is going away from allowing college players in a year or two.

[TonyK]

I live in Upstate NY and summer American Legion ball is very popular. Two or three towns combine their high school players for a team. But the cream of the crop will play on a travel team from say the Syracuse or Rochester area. They are often the 1st Team All Stars from the area and are planning on playing college baseball at a Div 1, 2 or 3 school.

I have never thought of lacrosse as being a preppy sport. The cost is comparable to baseball and players like playing it because of the contact. In the Northeast, high school athletes find it easier to obtain a lacrosse scholarship than a baseball scholarship.

For every Div 3 college baseball player who graduated from my son's high school there are at least two or three Div 1 and Div 2 college lacrosse players. Many of them are playing lacrosse games this afternoon at schools all of us are familiar with.

[skipper5]

I live in Upstate NY .... the cream of the crop will play on a travel team from say the Syracuse or Rochester area.

What I've always wondered is how people with typical average household incomes can afford this?