The American Legion Department of California Baseball Program
The California State Championship Baseball Tournament has been held for four decades in a quiet, rural community in Napa Valley on a pastoral diamond located adjacent to a VA Veterans Home and Medical Center. The veterans from the Home and the Medical Center annually enjoyed in their own backyard “The Best Show on Dirt”.
Elite high school age teams, representing each of the six regional American Legion Areas across California, come together each year under the warm summer sun to compete for the State Championship title and represent the hundreds of Posts, thousands of Legionnaires, Auxiliary members, Sons and Legion Riders that comprise the Legion family.
• Over 80 American Legion baseball players have been inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Department of California American Legion Baseball
For the first time in decades, they will compete under the bright lights of a modern stadium, on television, and their families will enjoy the complete support of the community in which the tournament is being hosted.
Each athlete who competes in the championship will be shown an opportunity in their athletic future, to play the game against the toughest opponent in the most pristine of conditions, in stadiums and on fields that could be realized in their collegiate or professional baseball careers.
• 75% of American Legion players went on to play collegiate baseball.
Bringing together veterans and youth athletes and their families has proven to be extremely successful in educating the community at each game to what it truly means to be a veteran, and to respect and honor their sacrifice of military service.
• 51% of Major League baseball players played American Legion baseball.
“The Best Show on Dirt”
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This year brings great promise in the opportunity to host the State Championship Tournament at a major metropolitan city and raise the level of awareness across all aspects of the community as to the value, benefits, and the pure joy of the highest levels of youth baseball that the State Championship Tournament brings out of the dugout and onto the field. The mandate of the Commander of the Department of California is to establish an annual rotation of tournament sites where an elite level diamond is co-located with VA facilities across California where the Championship visits and promotes and grows the bond between the community and veterans through youth sports.
The American Legion, Department of California Baseball program has been partnering posts and local high school teams to play competitive baseball across the state for over the past 90 years. This partnership supports the values of the American Legion and promotes youth sports, family, community and patriotism.
• To instill in the nation’s youth a sincere desire to develop within themselves feelings of citizenship, sportsmanship, loyalty and team spirit.
BENEFITS
• Sponsored by The American Legion, the nation’s largest wartime veterans organization.
• To inculcate in youth a better understanding of the American way of life and to promote the principles of 100 percent Americanism.
• ALWS “Championship Tuesday” televised on ESPNU.
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• Provides youth with a positive, well-disciplined environment in which to play baseball.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
PURPOSE
• ALWS championship team recognized at the World Series.
• Helps youth develop confidence and builds self-esteem.
• Honors the George W. Rulon Player of the Year through a special arrangement with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
YOUTH PROTECTION
• Educates local volunteers on how to safeguard the protection of youth participants.
• Teams required to conduct annual background checks on managers, coaches and other volunteer staff with regular access to the players.
• Full-time staff available to answer questions and concerns.
• Team managers, coaches and volunteer staff must pass a background screening and training through Protect Youth Sports.
SERVICE AND SUPPORT
• Only amateur baseball program that covers airfare, hotel and meal expenses while participating at regional and national tournaments.
• User-friendly website, legion.org/ baseball, for team registration and tournament listings.
• To aid in the improvement and development of the physical fitness of our country’s youth.
• Free online national rule books, including rules interpretation by email and telephone.
www.ald22baseball.org
• Annual scholarships for deserving players, including the Diamond All-Academic Team and individual state awards.
• National member organization of USA Baseball.
• To build the nation’s future through our youth.
• Promotes good sportsmanship, physical fitness and good citizenship.
• Senior and junior programs for youth 13 to 19.
WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / MAY 2021 5 2022 California American Legion Baseball In Action All photos courtesy of Jon Endow Photography
HELP US GROW AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL IN CALIFORNIA Become Part of a Baseball Tradition
“On Legion diamonds across the country, these young men are learning not only the skills of baseball but the valuable lessons of sportsmanship, self-discipline, teamwork, courage and integrity.”
Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, writing in the October 1975 American Legion Magazine, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of modern baseball. Kuhn was a member of American Legion Post 342 in Freeport, N.Y., and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1978.
8 WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / MAY 2021 For more information please contact: Ray Flores The American Legion Vice-Chair, Department of California Baseball Program Director, State Championship Baseball Tournament (858) Tournaments@ald22baseball.org248-9868 75% of American Legion players have played baseball.collegiate For more information please contact: Judy Leonardi The American Legion Spokesperson, Director of Contributions, Department of California Baseball Program (760) baseball@calegion.org224-5724 Over 80 American Legion baseball players have been inducted into the major league baseball Hall of Fame. 51% of major league baseball players played American Legion Baseball.
