SARATOGA SPRINGS – For the third consecutive season, the Saratoga Stampede will compete in the American Legion District IV Tournament, but this time they will host the tourney at East Side Rec.
Saratoga completed its regular season with a 36-6 Legion record, the best in New York State. Manager Paul Mound is thrilled that his team has surpassed its 2006 record of 36-10.
“Last year we came out of the district tournament unscathed to advance to the New York State final. Back in May, I felt as though this year’s Stampede team was better than last year’s that made it to the state championship final.”
Mound is also quick to acknowledge that the regular season is behind them, and that advancing to the state tournament will be no easy task.
“We have formidable competition, with the likes of the Anaconda Indians and St. Johnsville.” said Mound. “The task this year is going to be tough, but we have players on this roster that have the ability to play as a state championship team. We’re going to need to play state championship-winning baseball to advance past our very difficult district.”
The American Legion has been around since 1925. It’s the oldest and largest teenage baseball organization in the United States, as 10,000,000 players have competed in the league since its inception. It also continues to grow, as 1,900 new teams have registered to join the Legion since 1985.
The Legion boasts ties to Major League Baseball as well, as 52 percent of all Major League players have gone through the American Legion system. MLB also honors the Legion at the World Series, as it is there that the big boys celebrate the Legion’s national championship team by presenting a trophy to the winning club.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame also recognizes the American Legion, as they annually honor the Legion player of the year with a plaque. This year, Fernando Irizarry, from Puerto Rico, received his trophy at the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown.
MLB doesn’t stop there, either, as they contribute $35,500 - 3 percent of the Legion’s annual budget - to the American Legion.
Once the state winners have been decided, the teams advance to the regionals. The country is divided into eight regions: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes, Central Plains, Northwest, and West. 64 teams, including 1,280 players and coaches, do battle to come out of their region as champions, and the right to go to the American Legion World Series. The regional tournaments draw quite a crowd, as the average attendance at the regionals was 75,000 people last year. Saratoga plays in the Mid-Atlantic District.
This year, the eight teams will fight for the right to go to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where the national champion will be crowned.
Mound would love to see his club go that far, but admits that there is plenty of work to be done.
“We have been practicing defensive plays we wanted to work on, as well as other strategies we wanted to develop.”
Although Mound yearns to board a plane with his team and head to Bartlesville, he’s taking one step at a time.
“Our goal that we set out to achieve this year is to win the district and the state.”
The tournament will begin on Tuesday, but the Stampede have earned a bye, and will play their first game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night, against the winner of Tuesday's 4 p.m. game between the Clinton County Mariners (Plattsburgh) and Ticonderoga.
Saratoga completed its regular season with a 36-6 Legion record, the best in New York State. Manager Paul Mound is thrilled that his team has surpassed its 2006 record of 36-10.
“Last year we came out of the district tournament unscathed to advance to the New York State final. Back in May, I felt as though this year’s Stampede team was better than last year’s that made it to the state championship final.”
Mound is also quick to acknowledge that the regular season is behind them, and that advancing to the state tournament will be no easy task.
“We have formidable competition, with the likes of the Anaconda Indians and St. Johnsville.” said Mound. “The task this year is going to be tough, but we have players on this roster that have the ability to play as a state championship team. We’re going to need to play state championship-winning baseball to advance past our very difficult district.”
The American Legion has been around since 1925. It’s the oldest and largest teenage baseball organization in the United States, as 10,000,000 players have competed in the league since its inception. It also continues to grow, as 1,900 new teams have registered to join the Legion since 1985.
The Legion boasts ties to Major League Baseball as well, as 52 percent of all Major League players have gone through the American Legion system. MLB also honors the Legion at the World Series, as it is there that the big boys celebrate the Legion’s national championship team by presenting a trophy to the winning club.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame also recognizes the American Legion, as they annually honor the Legion player of the year with a plaque. This year, Fernando Irizarry, from Puerto Rico, received his trophy at the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown.
MLB doesn’t stop there, either, as they contribute $35,500 - 3 percent of the Legion’s annual budget - to the American Legion.
Once the state winners have been decided, the teams advance to the regionals. The country is divided into eight regions: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes, Central Plains, Northwest, and West. 64 teams, including 1,280 players and coaches, do battle to come out of their region as champions, and the right to go to the American Legion World Series. The regional tournaments draw quite a crowd, as the average attendance at the regionals was 75,000 people last year. Saratoga plays in the Mid-Atlantic District.
This year, the eight teams will fight for the right to go to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where the national champion will be crowned.
Mound would love to see his club go that far, but admits that there is plenty of work to be done.
“We have been practicing defensive plays we wanted to work on, as well as other strategies we wanted to develop.”
Although Mound yearns to board a plane with his team and head to Bartlesville, he’s taking one step at a time.
“Our goal that we set out to achieve this year is to win the district and the state.”
The tournament will begin on Tuesday, but the Stampede have earned a bye, and will play their first game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night, against the winner of Tuesday's 4 p.m. game between the Clinton County Mariners (Plattsburgh) and Ticonderoga.
No comments:
Post a Comment