Parents’ perspective: ‘The Legion cancelled our season but they can’t cancel our accomplishments’

By John Tucker

The last game our team played, before the American Legion decided to end our season, was held on a very hot and humid Saturday night. Our team, the Bryant Black Sox, by winning its first three games, had already clinched a place in the American Legion Regional Championship game. So it was a game that was not really a game we had to win. The championship was to be played the following day.

However, it was “do or die” for the Texarkana Razorbacks, our opponent. They were working through the losers bracket, trying to get to the final.

While we didn’t start our best pitching (as we were saving them for the all important championship), the Sox put up a good fight but eventually lost the game in the ninth inning. Texarkana made an admirable comeback, scoring three runs for the win.

Our team was certainly disappointed with the loss, but we knew that we had the championship game the next night with a fairly well rested pitching staff ready to go. We liked our chances of winning and advancing to the Legion World Series in North Carolina.

What our kids didn’t know as they walked off the field, was it would be the last game they would play together. And for some players, probably the last time they would play organized baseball.

We aren’t a “normal” Legion baseball team. We are not a group of “all stars” from around the state as most Legion teams are. Our team is comprised of young men only from our small town of Bryant, Arkansas. But we are a very good team. Most of our players were a part of our high school team that not only won our state championship but was also ranked in the top 10 in many national polls.

Unlike many young baseball players these days, our boys have stuck together in the summer – opting to represent their community in Legion baseball instead of joining “showcase” teams that exist to promote players to college scouts.

Our kids work very hard at baseball year round. Most of them grew up and played baseball together since they were six years old – they are a family in almost every sense of the word. As parents, we couldn’t be more proud of who they are and what they’ve become as a team.

The next day, Texarkana beat the Missouri team to advance to play us for the championship that night. But as the players were about to take the field, a heavy rainstorm hit and the game was postponed until 1 p.m. the next day.

This was more good news for us as it allowed our best pitcher, Zach (Panda) Jackson, another day of rest. Panda, who signed with the University of Arkansas, had beaten Texarkana six times in a row. We liked our chances to win the championship even better.

Monday morning came and while the ground was wet, the forecast was for only a small chance of rain the rest of the day. The game was to be played on a turf field. There was also an alternative field ready to go about an hour away where it hadn’t rained much at all. A bus was available to take the teams there if necessary. There was no reason to think that the game wouldn’t be played. After all, someone had to advance to the World Series.

At about 10 a.m., as we were all preparing to leave for the game, we parents received the shocking text that the team that would be going to the World Series would be Texarkana and not us.

Despite the clear forecast, turf fields and alternative site, it was deemed that the game be cancelled (and not delayed) due to the weather. We were told there was no time to get the game in before the World Series that started on Friday in North Carolina.

End of season. End of team. No last at bats. No last pictures. No hugs. No goodbyes.

As parents, we were stunned and sick to our stomachs.

In its 90-year existence, no one had ever won a Legion Baseball Regional Championship on a tiebreaker (probably because elimination tournaments are always determined by a final game). In fact, an actual tiebreaker rule for this situation does not exist in the official Legion rulebook. The tournament director, Ron LaPorte, arbitrarily decided that Texarkana should win because they won in “head to head” competition (a game in which we felt was a “throw away” because we had already clinched entry into the championship game).

Naturally, our coaches immediately appealed the decision to LaPorte and the national chairman of Legion baseball. LaPorte refused to talk. The National chairman said the fields were too wet.

As morning drifted into the afternoon and the chances of winning an appeal dwindled, parents and players went out to both fields to take pictures to post on Facebook and Twitter giving evidence that the fields were dry and playable at game time. Officials from both fields declared the fields ready to play. It didn’t rain the rest of the day.

Throughout the rest of the day many of us desperately appealed to LaPorte and the National Legion baseball officials to let us play the game.Our only response was a press release from the Chairman of the American Legion baseball program, Gary Stone — that despite all best efforts, weather had forced Legion to cancel the championship game.

Outside the fields were still dry and still playable.

A number of our kids took it upon themselves to drive to Mr. LaPorte’s hotel room and ask him for an explanation. Mr. Laporte refused to talk or come out of his room. The hotel made overtures of calling the police if our kids did not leave. They left quietly and dejected.

On Tuesday, Jeral Howard, the Arkansas Legion State Baseball Director who worked with LaPorte on the tournament, made a courageous statement to the press. He said that the decision had been wrong. He said LaPorte had made the decision on his own and that the game could have been played and that despite what Chairman Gary Stone had said, every effort had not been made to get the game played (you can see that story in detail in the link below).

Suddenly we had hope! Now that a Legion official had exposed the error, we thought we might get a chance to play the game or, at worst, we thought we’d get an explanation and apology. This was the American Legion. We were sure they would do the right thing now that there was undisputable proof that there was an error made. Again, parents reached out to many Legion baseball officials.

We received no reply. No one responded. No explanation. No apology. Not even a condolence.

Some parents became frustrated. They posted questions — wanting explanations — on many of Legions’ websites and social media outlets. They posted nothing disrespectful but soon those comments were deleted and our parents found themselves banned from posting. We were and are being silenced and ignored by the American Legion.

No one in this situation has won. We didn’t. Legion baseball didn’t. Even Texarkana (which is a very good team with good kids), though they are attending the World Series, must feel a little cheated because they can’t outright say they won the regional championship. It was all handled so poorly and arrogantly.

Will we play Legion next year? I don’t know. I’m currently not for it. I’m sure other parents aren’t either. I do know that other Legion teams in Arkansas have made statements that they are considering leaving Legion ball. I’m sure we’ll all address that in the spring or at some other time when emotions aren’t running so high.

Whatever happens, it is my sincere hope that our players – especially the ones that had their baseball career end Saturday night — will forget this fiasco as much as possible. I want them to remember a spectacular season in which they were nationally ranked. I want them to remember all the early mornings and hard workouts and how they paid off with a state championship and nearly a trip to the Legion World Series. But most important, I want them to remember the wonderful bonds and memories they made with their teammates that will last them for life.

State Chairman Says It Was the Wrong Decision

http://www.bryantdaily.com/legion-state-chairman-was-it-right-no/

(John Tucker is a proud parent of Seth Tucker who plays on the Bryant Black Sox, and once upon a time was a newspaper columnist.)