Tough times for Legion baseball

American Legion Baseball is in trouble. The national leadership knows it, the state leadership knows it.

The problem is at several levels and part of it is the number of American Legion posts around the country is dropping at a rapid rate. According to The Washington Post, Legion membership dropped 11 percent from 2000 to 2014 and the membership is aging.

As a result there are fewer and fewer sponsoring posts. In many states — Rhode Island and Maine are nearby examples — the Legion teams aren’t sponsored by posts, but by businesses.

But the real problem is this: the so-called travel teams and the baseball showcases are making enormous inroads into the program. It’s not that the quality of play is any better on these travel teams, it’s that the travel teams, AAU or otherwise, make no pretense that they are playing for anything other than showcasing kid players.

There are no leagues, no championships, and no tournaments other than silly, meaningless weekend “tournaments.” It’s all about showing off one’s own ability in the hopes the player “will be seen.”

It is that pitch that is offered over and over again to kids and their mommies and daddies — and they buy it. I mean really buy it because for many it costs thousands of dollars for a roster spot.

It really is a profound cultural shift in that there is no pretense about winning championships, no pretense about advancing from state, to regional, to national competition. AAU, travel, showcases — it’s all about me and that’s exactly the appeal that’s used.

Forget such silliness as playing as a team, forget the one-for-all, all-for-one approach. For many of these kids, the notion of winning a zone title, a state title or a regional title is a quaint notion.

It’s all about begin seen, of impressing a college coach, of getting a scholarship. Oh, it’s delusional and silly because in the Internet Age, no one is missed, period. We can say it’s silly, but it’s very real.

This is anecdotal, but instructive. I was at a game involving

one of those travel teams and a father came up to me and began talking about his kid — not the team — and raved how this gave his kid a chance to be seen and the dad said to me, “He’s got three college coaches looking at him.”

They may have been “looking” at him, but what they saw was pretty ordinary. The father was deluding himself. I’ve seen a few games in my lifetime and I figure I know a good player when I see one.

I watched the kid. He has a minus arm, minus speed, minus bat speed and has limited range offensively. In other words, he is an ordinary high-school age player. Yet daddy was drinking the Kool-Aid and was paying tons of money for no good reason.

We live in an age where everybody is wonderful. We live in an age where everybody gets a trophy. We live in an age where we cannot speak the truth about a player’s ability. We also live in an age where kids think they should get at least a B if they show up and do the work in class.

Good thing they didn’t have me as their teacher because I expected they would do the work. That’s a given; no reward. I graded on the quality of the work. I had kids who worked to the best of their ability which was a C. Which is what they got.

There are a lot of C baseball players out there who are being told they are As and Bs. They’re not.

But no matter if it’s right or wrong and I can rail about this nonsense until it shows in July. Fact is, it’s reality and Legion Baseball, through no fault of its own, is suffering. Some facts as reported by Washington Post sports reporter Jacob Bogese on July 26.

1. In the last 10 years, the number of Legion teams in the country has declined over 25 percent.

2. In Florida, California, New Jersey and Oklahoma, the number of teams has declined by 80 percent.

3. In New Jersey, long one of the great Legion Baseball states, the number of teams in 2008 was 336. This year there were 51.

4. In 2007 there were 48 teams in Maine. This year there are 27.

5. Some 26 states have seen a decline in the number of Legion teams

6. Connecticut and New Hampshire are the only New England states not to see a decline in the number of teams in the last decade.

Bogese wrote that the travel teams are the main reason and that these travel teams are often run by high school coaches as an off-season training program or by for-profit baseball trainers. The games are played only on weekends in front of scouts and college coaches. There are no team practices — because no one cares if they win or not — so kids can maybe work on individual skills during the week because, after all, it’s all about me.

This kind of thing is happening here.

One area high school baseball coach sent emails to his players “strongly encouraging” them to play for his school-centric summer team and for his school-centric fall team. Many of his players chose to play Legion ball instead, but there is no question that when a high school coach “strongly encourages” that is high pressure indeed.

I am told that another area coach did the same thing in encouraging his kids to play together in the summer, which I guess is supposed to make them better in the spring high school season.

Funny thing, both those high school teams did just fine when their kids played exclusively Legion ball in years past. There is little doubt that, for example, the RCP and Middletown Legion teams were much better teams than any high school team around here.

It further seems to me that having kids unite in common cause to achieve things and to subordinate their own individual goals for the betterment of the team is still a truly important life lesson, a lesson that travel teams do not teach.

The world does not need more players like Manny Ramirez, who elevated selfishness to an art form.

But whatever the reasons, there is no doubt that the Legion Baseball program, for decades the best amateur baseball program on earth, is under siege.

The sad thing is it’s not under siege for anything it did wrong. It’s under siege from high school coaches who are consumed with the desire to be get more wins and by an athletic culture that is moving away from the team concept in the summer to the it’s-allabout-me concept.

We see it on teams, we see it in the classroom and, we see it in politics.

None of it is good.

Jeff Bagwell

I find it interesting that in all the stories about Bagwell’s induction to the Hall of Fame, not one mentioned his Legion baseball career for Middletown Post 75. Fact is, in the early 1980’s when Bagwell played, the Middletown Legion was the big baseball show in town, not local high school baseball.

Bagwell and Middletown routinely played before crowds of hundreds of people at Palmer Field and in big games, crowds of 1,000+ were not unusual.

It’s also true that Bagwell was not drafted out of high school. Plain and simple, he was not regarded as a prospect. Colleges were not knocking themselves out to try to get Bagwell. He ended up at the University of Hartford because Middletown native and former Major Leaguer Bill Denehy, the head coach, relied on his friends, former Legion head coach Ted Lombardo, and former assistants Don Lombardo and Paul LaBella, for advice.

It is fair to say that in large part, it is through his Legion experience that Bagwell ended up at UHart.

The story about how Bagwell ended up at first base for the Astros has also been left out. In his first spring training with the Astros, Bagwell was a third baseman. But Ken Caminiti was the incumbent and he had a great spring. It looked like Bagwell might not make the team.

The late Ed Buckie of Rocky Hill, a scout for the Astros at the time, told the story that at the Astros’ spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla., general manager Bob Watson called Buckie in and asked if Bagwell had ever played first base.

Buckie said he lied heroically and said yes, then found Bagwell and told him to tell Watson he had played first base. So the switch was made. The Astros opened the 1991 season with Bagwell at first, he won the Rookie of the Year Award, and the rest is, as they say, history.

I had many encounters with Bagwell in Kissimmee, in New York at both Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium, and at Fenway Park. He was always friendly, approachable and, in fact, comped me tickets for an Astros’ game at Fenway.

I remember sitting with him and Craig Biggio in Kissimmee on the occasion of his first million-collar contract. He told he about it and said, “Isn’t that crazy?”

But after I broke the story about his retirement — which I did with his permission — he apparently was stunned that it was a national story and he stopped talking. He refused to accept phone calls, but much worse, he also has refused to respond to the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame’s multiple attempts to honor him with induction. The organization finally inducted him this year in absentia.

The Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance has on more than one occasion tried to give him a Gold Key, its highest award, and he refused to even communicate with the organization.

He deserves all the accolades. He was a great player. But to be fair, he has not treated Middletown and Connecticut with very much respect and that’s too bad.

Outhouse, penthouse

The New York Yankees. Last week I wrote the Yanks were mediocre. They’re not. They’re actually pretty good.

But like so many baseball nuts jobs, I live through 162 separate seasons, not a 162-game season. One day I’m delighted, next day I’m ready to trade the entire team. I know it’s silly, but it’s called being a fan.

I do know this: the Yankees are very young and just might — might — be on the verge of building another dynasty. I sure hope so.

Meanwhile...

David Price made an idiot out of himself — which for Price is pretty easy — by going after Dennis Eckersley for saying something critical — gasp! — about a another Red Sox player. Eckersley, a Hall of Famer whose job as commentator is to offer opinions, also was allegedly verbally abused by other Red Sox players.

Manager John Farrell, who ought to know better, said he would not apologize to Eckersley.

Another example of a big league team acting in small town ways. My goodness the Sawks are tough to like.

On the road

Time for my August road trip. Methinks I will catch a couple of Washington Nationals’ games in DC, an Orioles’ game or two at Camden Yards, a Rays’ game in St. Pete and make a couple of minor league stops along the way.

Cap it off with a Yankee game, too.

Along the way there are oceans to sample, pools to swim, and friends to visit. Might have a good meal or two and an adult beverage now and then.

At Race Point beach in Provincetown on the Cape a couple weeks back I watched seals swim back and forth. Seals are the No. 1 item on the menu for Great White Sharks and all the beaches on the Cape have the Great White Shark warning flags flying.

The signs say that seals are dinner for the sharks and cautioned folks not to swim with the seals. Good idea. The idea of being an entree does not appeal.

Hope to see some dolphins in the Gulf in the coming days. Last summer I made acquaintance with a manatee. Will let you know.

Here and there

I thought the umpiring in the Legion tournament was excellent throughout ... I am critical of some of the decisions made by the state Legion from time to time, but there is no questioning the hard work put in by folks like director Dave Greenleaf, Paul Iverson, Craig Zimmerman, Chuck Berry, Paul LaFleur, Jeff Clark and the rest at the state level ... not liking decisions isn’t personal ... these are all good people.

The Legion needs to find a way to shorten this marathon state tourney ... Stamford, the best team, won the title but had to play 10 postseason games to do it ... that’s too many, it takes too long, and it kills interest ... Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and many others play one-site tourneys ... Connecticut should go back to that plan.

This year’s tourney — beginning with the doubleelimination phase — drew 2,020 ... at first blush that seems OK ... but that is for 11 dates which meant the average crowd was 184 ... as much as the tourney was a war of attrition for players, it was the same for the fans ... following a team should be a pleasure, not a chore.

Also, the ladies and gentlemen who make up the grounds crew at Palmer Field are the best ... the field was in magnificent shape for all the tourney games, but what else is new? ... they help to make this city a special place.

Early line: look for Bristol Central’s football team to be much improved and maybe make a run at a playoff spot .... Middletown plays Central at home on Oct. 6 ... Middletown should be pretty good, too.

Same old stuff ... new studies show CTE — serious brain illness caused by repeated brain trauma — is widespread among football players at every level ... yet the NFL says it will “continue to study” ... study what? ... football is an violent, dangerous sport and while I enjoy watching, bet your life my kid would never have been allowed to play it, just as my grandson will never be allowed to play it.

I know, football is very popular and a lot of folks love it ... but 250,000 used to show up for chariot races at the Circus Maximus in ancient Rome and 50,000 would show up for bloody events at the Roman Coliseum ... the Romans had those, we have football, boxing and hockey ... come a long way in 2,000 years, huh?

Just when I thought Trump couldn’t be worse, he tweets — that’s how he “governs” — that transgendered citizens can’t serve in the military ... what does that say to the transgendered girl who ran track at Cromwell High? ... it says she’s marginalized and she’s not as good ... what does that say to our transgendered heroes serving in the military? ... what does that say to decent Americans everywhere? .... and oh yeah, 15 other countries allow transgendered folks to serve in their military and report no problems.

He said he talked to “his” generals ... except the generals knew nothing about the surprise morning announcement ... it must have been General Mills on the box of cereal he was eating ... and he said the medical costs were too much ... which was immediately refuted by facts.

Remember when the bigots said you can’t integrate the military because it would destroy military cohesion?... President Harry Truman — a real president — desegregated the military by executive order and he was right .... remember when they said you couldn’t have gays and lesbians in the military — like they weren’t already there — because that would be disruptive? ... that turned out to be nonsense, too.

There were — and are — folks who said that out gays and lesbians would destroy athletic teams, too ... uhhh, nope ...hasn’t happened ... bigotry is bigotry, Mr. President.

The Northeast Regional Legion tourney opens Wednesday at Fitton Field in Worcester, Mass . ... Stamford will play Braintree, Mass., in the second game of the day around 12:30 p.m. ... West Hartford will play host team Shrewsbury in the fourth game of the day around 7:30 p.m . ... the tourney runs through Sunday with the winner advancing to the World Series in Shelby, N.C.