American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by 13-to-19-year-olds in all 50 states in the U.S. and several provinces in Canada. More than 3,500 teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1925 at Milbank, South Dakota. Each year, the American Legion Baseball World Series is played in Shelby, North Carolina and is broadcast on ESPN3.
Visit the Moorhead Blues American Legion Baseball Website.
The purpose of American Legion Baseball is to give players "an opportunity to develop their skills, personal fitness, leadership qualities, and to have more fun."
The league still stands behind the traditional values upon which it was founded in 1925. American Legion Baseball has taught hundreds of thousands of young Americans the importance of sportsmanship, good health, and active citizenship. The program is also a promoter of equality, making teammates out of young athletes regardless of their income levels or social standing.
Community service has always been a core value of The American Legion. In 1925, this commitment was furthered to include a baseball program.
The first American Legion Baseball World Series was held in Philadelphia in 1926. Yonkers, New York, Post 321 beat a team from Pocatello, Idaho, capping off what appeared to be a successful first season. The league, however, hit a few growing pains in its second year. In 1927, the Legion's national convention convened in Paris. With the organization's financial coffers stretched thin from the trip's expenses, the Legion couldn't fund a World Series. No champion was named, and the future of American Legion Baseball looked bleak, as the inaugural season wound up costing more than originally planned.
But the Legion's Americanism director, Dan Sowers, worked to keep the league afloat. The tournament format needed $50,000, and Sowers was determined to raise it. Early in 1928, he went to an executive meeting for professional baseball, hoping to reach a sympathetic ear. He found one in Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who pledged a $50,000 annual donation from Major League Baseball. Legion Baseball resumed in 1928, and by 1929 participants were coming from every state and the District of Columbia.
Major League Baseball and American Legion Baseball don't have a formal partnership, but the two owe each other a tremendous debt of gratitude. MLB has sponsored Legion Baseball almost since its inception, and Legion Baseball has returned the favor, churning out major league prospects since the alumni base has been old enough to be scouted. American Legion Baseball Alumni boasts some of the greatest ballplayers in MLB history.
The league is divided into three divisions:
19 & under, represents the highest skilled players at the high school and collegiate freshmen level together.
17 & under, represents varsity caliber players at high schools not quite ready for gold division.
15 & under, represents young players 8th grade and freshmen or sophomores who are developing for varsity baseball.
Moorhead Blues Coach: Jack Naugle
Moorhead Golds Coach: Skylar Timmer
Donations to our Post to support this league are tax deductible. 100% of your donations will help cover the cost of the tournament.
To donate, send a check to:
American Legion Baseball Attn: Tim Haugen
PO Box 442
Moorhead, MN 56561-0442
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Interested in joining the Moorhead Home Run Club?
Contact them at the: moorheadhomerunclub@gmailcom or call 701-235-6930