2014 legion baseball

[deerslayer]

I know its early but what do any of the local legion teams have returning this season ?

[say_oww]

Question is how many teams are returning...
Just in the last few years

Westmont out
Nanty Glo out
Spangler out
Meyersdale out
Ebensburg out
CVJ and Somerset with about 9 kids each

More kids for Bedford, Claysburg, and Patton. What a shame!

[kmr]

Wow Ebensburg doesn't have a team, what's the problem?

[knowitall]

I would guess travel teams are decimating local leagues.

Although I do see there are ten teams in the Highland Pony League. That's somewhat promising.

[Jtwnbaseballguy]

Different world. You can't just put a notice in the paper and expect 18 kids to show up.
You have to go after them the same way the travel and AAABA teams do, establish relationships with hs coach, connect at ERA, go to their spring games, etc.

[Crimson's Ghost]

It's been trending for a while locally, but the Colt League is definitely king in the Johnstown area. Johnstown, McCort, Westmont, Richland, Ferndale, Township, North Star kids seem to play in that league and not legion ball.

[kmr]

It's sad that legion ball has come to this. When you take away 2-4 kids from these small town teams to go play Johnstown its going to hurt. You take away those kids the attitude of the rest of kids changes. The attitude becomes I'm not going to play if joey baseball is leaving and we are going to stink, why waste my summer. Just a bad situation, how many of those Johnstown teams are going to be competitive?

[say_oww]

Travel ball has nothing to do with it. 99% of kids in travel ball play local baseball as well as travel.

The biggest impact on American Legion baseball locally in the Cambria-Somerset area has been the Johnstown Recreation department decision to increase the Colt League age to 17 (which coincidentally means they cannot be affiliated with PONY/COLT as their age limit is 16) and also to allow Somerset kids into the league. This was done in accordance with the AAABA increase to an 18-22 year old league. ** I've heard speculation that the decision was so that the city's favorite AAABA franchises - Delweld and Martella's wouldn't lose talented kids to Legion, and possibly later on other AAABA teams. But I can't confirm that so who knows... Another factor could be that Highland allows 18 year olds in their Colt division. But those are primarily Johnstown area issues which also echo into Cambria and Somerset counties as well.

In the end, I'm sure there are a lot of factors, but lets not forget that there just aren't as many kids anymore around, either. Most school districts have declining enrollment. What it looks like is going to happen is that the once proud Cambria League will follow the route of the Turnpike League - where three teams with the biggest draws won through attrition until no one else was left. Bedford, Claysburg, and Patton will definitely shoulder the blame if it goes down this time.

[Jtwnbaseballguy]

To clarify:
Somerset and CVJ have full or nearly full rosters.
Ebensburg is struggling.

[Manfred]

The Saints have a full, local (FH) home grown roster.