Legion Baseball

I have been involved with Coleman-Pitt Post 58 baseball now for four years. I have volunteered as the PA man during that time.


From about 1961 through 1965, I was bat boy for the Ahoskie American Legion team and our trips to Rocky Mount to play at the old Municipal stadium was like going to a major league game for me as a 10-year-old.

Legion baseball has been in existence in Rocky Mount for 60 years. In those 60years, Legion baseball has been among the best in the state.

Legion is now not the only game in town during the summer. Travel leagues, select leagues, Impact Baseball leagues and Babe Ruth are all sucking the All-Star talent from what use to be Legion players.

The past several years Post 58 has not had a home base to play home games. It would really help attendance if everyone knew where the games were going to be. You always have to check the schedule to see where to go for a home game, but also to see where the game is going to be play. Even the Rocky Mount Sports Complex is not a good fit for Legion.

But, today I am not moaning about what could be if the Brian Goodwins and Hobbs Johnsons of the county were on this team. This story today is going a little deeper than what you might know of.

Our Legionnaires are dying out. Post 58 is made up mostly of World War II veterans. In August, that war will have been over 64 years. Post 58 is getting smaller in numbers which means less people in the Post to support baseball.

Today, the players are pretty much financing themselves to play Legion ball.

Joe Bell, who is not even a Legionnaire, has taken it upon himself last year and this to try to keep Legion Ball alive. Joe has sold ads for a small program that you can get at the games.

Thursday night there were about 40 people - just about all mamas and papas there to see the game. The gate receipts just could pay for the umpires. The lights and grounds crew were paid. We will just say they were paid out of someone’s pocket.

Legion baseball in Rocky Mount has been too good over the years to see it die the slow death that it is doing now.

This year’s team is really good. They may have a chance to go far in the state playoffs. If they make it to the state championships this year, they will played at ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium.

They only have two regular season home games left this year Monday and Thursday night at Northern Nash. Then maybe several home playoff games.

Come see this team play. Legion ball may die in Nash County unless a person or organization takes an interest in keeping it alive. It will take more than Bell and and a couple of Legionnaires to keep Legion Ball alive in Rocky Mount.