A Tradition Ends

During Coleman-Pitt Post 58 baseball season last year I told Joe Bell Athletic Officer that at the end of last season I would not be back as PA announcer.  I have reached the point in life where still not yet retired a full day at work and several nights at the ball field per week during the summer there is not enough time to recover before the alarm goes off every morning at 5am.  Little did I know then that 2014 just might be the end of Rocky Mount American Legion Baseball.

The year was 2004 and just about all of the Legionnaires who help run Post 58 baseball were getting older and their desire to be at the ball park all summer brought about a decision to fold baseball.  Grady Griffin at the time 76 years old took it upon himself to not let Post 58 baseball die.  He financed out of his pocket and took up tickets and got any help he could to keep Legion Baseball in Rocky Mount.  One of those who Grady  found help from was Joe Bell who took over the operation several years back.

Shoecase baseball using the tactic that if you wanted to be seen by colleges and pro scouts travel league ball was the place to be.  It was a high cost for families who thought the athletic scholarships in college were possible but very little coaching occurs in travel ball.  It took many players who should be in Legion away.  Just in the last ten years alone Rocky Mount has qualified for the State tournament three times.  If every player who played travel had of been playing legion Rocky Mount could have won the state championships or two along the way and every college coach in American would have seen them play at a much lower cost to the families.

Today another source nips at the heels of Legion baseball. Scholastic summer leagues.  This is where high school coaches can keep their high school teams together and play against other high schools during the summer and not violate  out of season practice rules.  This seems to be the straw that is
breaking the camels back.

I will say in the past five years making a legion schedule has become increasingly difficult to do.  We have seen New Bern give up Legion. There was one season where New Bern couldn't get enough players to continue in the playoffs.  Recently Elizabeth City, Edenton, Windsor and Ahoskie if they were suppose to travel here tonight they didn't know until time to leave whether enough players would be available to even travel here for a game.

Now that it is time for Hank Jones  Post 58 coach to be making contact with potential players for  this years team Post 58 is finding that interest even to try out is not there.  The decision has been made no legion team in 2015.  Rocky Mount doesn't want to even try to have to go through what others tried.  Can we get enough to play today.

  It is a sad end to one of the great American institutions in America.  American Legion baseball started in 1925.  I am not even sure that those around can even remember what year Legion started in Rocky Mount.  Even our city can take some of the blame for the demise of baseball in Rocky Mount.  Like Wilson Rocky Mount's Memorial Stadium was a high class baseball park in it's hey day.  The mid 80's faced with remodeling a rusting stadium the city decided  to tear it down while Wilson remodeled

Today Fleming Stadium has hosted College baseball regionals.  Many National baseball championships and Fleming  is host to a college baseball team during the summer.  Today the city of Rocky Mount wants to ram a downtown community center down your throat with 5,000 seats and no parking.  Between your light bill paying for a nuclear plant that Rocky Mount has never received any power from  to tearing down a baseball treasure the City of Rocky Mount hardly ever makes  the right decision.  They have a wonderful little league complex which from now to October will be brimming with little leaguers every weekend.  Yet, not a high class ball field for anybody over 15 years of age.  So the city too has to take some blame for the demise of Legion baseball

There is no doubt that in order to have progress traditional things disappear.  Every family in the world use to hang the wash out on a clothes line until the clothes dryer was invented.  Now you can hardly find a clothes pin in any store.  Progress,  if there is not going to be a place to play ball in Rocky Mount for the older kids it won't be that long before the little league fields will have grass growing in the parking lots just like all the cotton mills that dot the Rocky Mount landscape.

Progress, I like most of it until it takes away those things I enjoy.