SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

For years Post 142 in Waverly has used Waverly High School as its designated home school. This year 2010 Post 142 has designated Piketon High School as its home school.

This is very important information for those players that live in the Minford and Valley School Districts as it could possible mean that players that assume they should play for Post 23 actually should be playing for Post 142.

The American Legion Rules can be found at the American Legion Baseball Website. They way I read the determination is that using the "shortest mileage" designation of mapquest, a player would determine mileage from their home to the POST "home school", either Piketon ( 1414 Piketone Road, Piketon, Ohio,) or Portsmouth High School. The shortest mileage would determine what Post a player would be required to play for.

In the past it was automatically assumed that Valley and Minford Players were obligated to Post 23, under the new (2 years old) rules that is not necessarily the case. One of the strange situations that this rule creates is that based on where players live,(home address) two players from the same high school could be required to play for different American Legion Teams.

So please, players and coaches should take the time to be sure that the kids go to the correct post to play.

Acording to rule 4-C," Players attending a high school (including ninth grade freshmen) outside a team's recruiting area, may have the option of playing for the team nearest the high school the player attends or playing for the team nearest the parent's legal domicile." The Player must complete National Declaration form #77 to be eligible. I believe Piketon is roughly 15 miles from Valley High School and about 13 miles from Portsmouth High School, Post 23's home school. Therefore, the players from Valley would have the option to play either place, if their legal domicile was indeed closer to Piketon.

Sir with all due respect that rule is for kids that may attend school several states away from his parents domicile. It allows them to come home for the summer and play Legion ball .

Page 34 of the Legion Rules states ;

Plan "B" allows your team the flexibility to change school combinations to recruit nearby players. It is important to note that teams can only recruit players who attend or live closest their base school. PLayers who live near another base school's territory are required to try out for the other Legion team, and if cut, they may be transferred to your team.

Again I would caution the proper application be used to avoid issues later on.

Rule 4D also issues the same cautions ;

THe player must try out for the neares team in accordance with the rules. If a player fails to try out, that player is not entitled to transfer to the next nearest team.

Cooperstown,

Why will post 142 be moved to Piketon's field? After all, it is Waverly Post 142.

The reason coaches use these rules is to get good ball players from other teams.These coaches have not been willing to put the time, practice, and money into ballplayers but want to reap the rewards from those that do. Many legion teams will not sponsor 13,14,15,and 16 year old teams, but are more than willing to grab them from teams, (once they are senior team age), that have spent the time and money. The boys have learned alot from those coaches and it is a crying shame that coaches can't build their own team but rely on other coaches to build teams for them. No wonder boys from Wheelersburg are going to Columbus to play this summer because they would be forced to play someplace that they do not want to play. It is time coaches grow up and learn that you do not own ballplayers. Ballplayers want to play for certain coaches and if you try to force them somewhere, everybody loses, because they will go out of southern Ohio to play, and Southern Ohio will always have subpar teams compared to the rest of the state. What we are doing is making the Columbus teams better. All teams should do like Post 62 and Post 757 does. If a boy does not want to play for their team, the coach will cut him and he can go play for the other team( no matter how good of a ballplayer he is). And yes Post 62 and Post 757 sponser 13,14,15-16 year old teams. You can call yourself a coach but if you rely on somebody else to build your program are you really the coach? Coaches, quit thinking about yourself and do what is right for the ballplayers and baseball.

We, at Portsmouth Post 23, do not actively recruit players. We simply conduct tryouts, and select from the pool of interested players. We have always allowed players to play on other legion teams if they wished to do so, and we will continue to do just that. We play a challenging 52 game schedule, and try our utmost to make sure the kids in Scioto County get an opportunity to be showcased, in order to go on and play at the next level. Post 23 has a storied history that has included state championships, and we are coming off of a fourth place finish at the state tournament a year ago. We are going to try and live up to the high standards that Post 23 has always represented. As such, it is little wonder that our county kids want to stay and play in our county. However, if they wanted to leave and play elsewhere they would be permitted.

Rule 4-C copied word for word from page 11 of the American legion Rule Book.
"C. “Option” Rule. Players attending a high school (including 9th grade freshmen) outside a team’s recruiting area, may have the option of playing for the team nearest the high school the player attends or playing for the team nearest the parent’s legal domicile. To determine the nearest team, use the shortest driving distance as calculated by Mapquest® (http://www.mapquest.com). 1. The player must complete National Declaration Form #77 on which the player declares in writing the team for which he wishes to play.
a) Such election shall be final and valid for the remaining player eligibility (unless that player changes
school or domicile). Such declaration is final and permanent.
b) The team manager must forward Form #77 to the department baseball chairman prior to listing the player on the National Form #1.

Clarification
Players who qualify under Rule 4.C. are not eligible in future years to qualify for Transfer Rule 4.D.The enrollment of the high school the player attends will be counted. Emancipated players and players enrolled in college must play for the team nearest their parents’ or guardian’s domicile or for the team nearest the high school last attended. Teams must count the enrollment of the last high school attended. The school enrollment for middle schools, junior high schools and high school freshmen classes shall not be counted."

Summerball I don't want to argue. I am simply stating the rules that are in the Legion handbook. Your argument is sort of a strange thing. You argue that other teams are using the rules to take your players...isn't that like using the rules to throw you out at first ?

Now for all of the conspiresy theorist out there in creep land: Instead of trying to cast shadows on others look at the bright side of American Legion Baseball ( you know- god, country, pride, respect and right etc...) The rules have changed and all that are effected by the change should be aware.

You caught me, I am guilty, I was caught red handed trying to make sure that everyone around was aware of a recent change that could have profound implications on those that are not aware. GUILTY!

Now futhermore I do sincerely hope that you weren't lumping me in with your accussation and inuendo. You don't know me. You have no idea what I have done for and continue to do for baseball in this region. My guess is that you would be ashamed of your behavior should you ever come face to face with that truth.

Sounds like Jerry White should weigh in.

Cooperstown, I did not direct my comment to anybody specific, just what I have observed over the years. Also your comment about first base, not even close. I think you missed the whole point of the comment. A coach has an option of also using the rule to cut the player to let him play somewhere else if the player wants to play for a certain coach. I haven't seen the rule in baseball yet where you could let the boy be safe if he was out at first. I think that went out with tee ball.

Maybe I missed this whole converstation, because I would think that you would just oblige a transfer for a player rather than cut him so he could go somewhere else.

And the first base thing, wow you missed what I meant so it must be obvious that I didn't say what I meant to say. What I meant was if it is a rule, one can't fault another for using the rule, especially in the correct spirit of the rule.

I did see the other night where a mistake by an umpire let someone be safe at first that was out. So I guess it does happen in spite of the best efforts of all that are involved.

SELECTING NON-BASE SCHOOL PLAYERS
When selecting non-base school players, coaches may recruit players whose parent’s domicile is nearest the team’s base school. To determine the nearest team, use the shortest driving distance as calculated by Mapquest® (www.mapquest.com). This Web site will calculate the quickest time or shortest driving distance. The American Legion shall use the shortest driving distance (miles) to determine the closest team. Any dispute over player eligibility shall be determined by the department baseball committee using Mapquest® (www.mapquest.com).
On the Recruiting Non-base School Players map (above) you see how a line is drawn from the player’s home to the base schools. Even though some players attend the same school, they are in fact required to try out for two different Legion teams. The best examples are the two players who live in City High School District. Because there are two nearby base schools, these players will try out for two different teams. Both Team 1 and Team 3 shall be charged with the full enrollment of City High HS, which is 802. No partial enrollment or shared enrollment is permitted. Each team shall be charged with the full enrollment. As shown on the Recruiting Non-base School Players map, each team is given an area to select players who are attending nearby schools. For a team to select a player from another team’s “area” or base school, requires a transfer. If no transfer is granted, those players are ineligible to play.

I believe that the "SELECTING NON-BASE SCHOOL PLAYERS" adequately explains what I mentioned originally.

The rest of that Rule reads like this:
Plan “B” allows your team the flexibility to change school combinations to recruit nearby players. It is important to note that teams can only recruit players who attend or live closest their base school. Players who live near another base school’s territory are required to try out for the other Legion team, and if cut, they may be transferred to your team.