American Legion Baseball Celebrates Centennial
By: Roger Sigmon – Wise News Network
Cherryville, NC (WNN)— The smell of fresh mowed grass, chalk lines as white as pure driven snow, the smack of a fist into a well-oiled leather glove, the aroma of hotdogs, hamburgers, and freshly popped corn drifting in the air accompanied by that distinctive ping as bat meets ball can only mean one thing: it’s baseball season.
Young men from the age of 13-19 years old have attempted to master America’s pastime for 100 years in the American Legion Baseball program. If you are from a baseball town such as Cherryville, NC, then American Legion baseball has probably been a part of your summer evenings for at least part of your life.
Since 1937, except for a handful of years, Cherryville Post 100 has fielded a team. Cherryville has grown into arguably one of the most successful programs in the state. As with most things in life, there have been good times and bad times for the city and its team. We will take a more in-depth look at Post 100’s role in American Legion baseball for the first century in future articles.
A Vision Sparked in South Dakota
The year is 1925 and the American Legion state convention has begun in Milbank, South Dakota. Major John L. Griffith has been invited to give the keynote speech. His speech was unique in the fact that it centered on how to encourage and teach young men to be respectful of others and learn discipline and courage through athletics.
He emphasized how working together as a team could enhance these ideas. The South Dakota convention agreed and overwhelmingly passed the resolution, and Milbank soon became the birthplace of American Legion baseball.
The next step was to ask the legion to create an organized summer baseball league. The proposed start date would be in June each year after the end of the school year. The National Commander, James A. Drain, was easily sold on the idea, and in the fall at the National Convention hosted in Omaha, Nebraska, the resolution was passed.
A Historic First Tournament
The summer of 1926 saw posts in 15 states launch the world’s first program to offer a national baseball tournament for teenagers. Officially adopted in 1925, the first games would begin in 1926, complete with state, regional, and national tournaments.
There have been very few changes to the 64-team tournament that is still in use at present. That successful first season would conclude in Philadelphia with what today is known as the American Legion World Series. That first National Championship would see Younkers, NY Post 321 crowned after defeating Pocatello, Idaho in a four-team tournament that also included El Darado, Kansas and Springfield, Ohio.
A Near Collapse
Although the inaugural season was successful, it came dangerously close to being the only season. The expense of start-up costs, coupled with overspending to hold the 1927 National Convention in Paris, severely drained resources. The new organization was out of money.
There would be no National Championship Tournament that year; the only other year without a National Tournament was 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why the 2025 American Legion World Series will only be the 98th.
Dan Sowers and the Fight to Save the League
So, how did the program go from completely broke to lasting 98 more years and counting? The Legion’s Americanism Director, Dan Sowers, believed in the idea of the program enough to refuse to let it die.
He set out seeking funding for the $50,000 tournament. He went to a meeting of Major League Baseball and bent the ear of anyone that would listen. The MLB commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, saw the potential upside of such a league and committed to an annual $50,000 donation from the MLB to ALB.
The next season, 1928, would once again see American Legion baseball being played. The 1929 season would feature teams from every state, plus the District of Columbia. ALB was here to stay, or was it?
Support Restored, Then Lost Again
The Great Depression would strike a major blow a few years later to Major League Baseball, and they would discontinue their financial support. Sowers was once again faced with the realization that without money, there would be no more American Legion Baseball.
He was not deterred and set out once again to find financial support. The year was 1933, and money was scarce in the U.S., yet Dan Sowers would not give up. He eventually found help from the newspaper publisher, Frank Knox, in the amount of $5,000.
It was a start. Knox would give Sowers something valuable, along with the check, letters of introduction to other publishers. These letters would open doors that led to the securing of enough funds, from several sources, to continue the league.
The MLB was able to resume financial support once again in 1935, albeit at a reduced sum of $20,000. That support continues into 2025.
A Mutually Beneficial Relationship
A marriage made in heaven? Although there has never been an official partnership between MLB and ALB, the two have tremendously benefited from each other. The majors provide essential financial backing, and the legion supplies talented future professional players.
One only needs to look at MLB rosters or the MLB Hall of Fame to understand this is true. More than half of the current players in the major leagues are former American Legion alumni, as are 86 members of the baseball Hall of Fame.
Centennial Celebration In Milbank
The American Legion will celebrate 100 years of citizenship through sportsmanship in many ways. Some events are still being planned. One of the main commemorations will be in the form of the American Legion Baseball Centennial Classic July 11-13 played in Milbank, South Dakota.
The birthplace of ALB will host a 4 day, 4 team double elimination tournament at the new Legion Field. Milbank Post 9 will host teams from Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota. The original field is now the site of an elementary school.
$1.4 million dollars has been spent on construction of the new stadium. Grandstands and media crow’s nest, among other amenities, will be added before the centennial celebration. The tournament format will be like the one used in the original National Championship of 1926, although this will not replace the American Legion World Series, which will still be played in Shelby, NC in August to crown a National Champion.
Fan Voting and Hall of Fame Talent
A highlight of the Centennial Classic will be the introduction of the all-centennial team. 93 nominees, including all 86 Hall of Fame inductees, were narrowed down to 60 finalists.
Voting by position and for coach began on April 27, at the X account (formerly Twitter) of American Legion Baseball. A few of the nominees include such legendary players as Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Albert Pujols, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin, Chipper Jones, Frank Robinson, Greg Maddux, and Gaylord Perry.
Nominated as coaches are Sparky Anderson, Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre, and Earl Weaver. The team will be announced on July 11, the first day of the classic. This list shows a sampling of the talent produced through the legion ranks and culminating in the professional ranks.
Opening Day and Team Updates
The season opener for Cherryville Post 100 is tentatively scheduled for 7 pm Saturday, May 17. Several area high schools are still involved in state playoff games, so the legion schedule is subject to change.
Post 100 will again this season field both a Jr. and Sr. team. Stan Haynes will return with the Jr. team and Bobby Dale Reynolds will be back at the helm of the Sr. team.
Expanded Opportunities for Local Players
Coach Reynolds is making a strategic move this year. He will list the base school for Post 100 as Lincolnton High School. This is significant in giving players from a larger area a chance to participate.
Lincoln County no longer has a legion program, so this will give players from that area a chance to play this summer. The preseason roster lists 10 different schools represented among the 18 players.
Home games will be played at Fraley Field as usual, with the regular season running May 17-July 1. The area playoffs will lead up to the state tournament, followed by regionals, and culminating in the ALWS in August.
Junior and Senior State Tournaments in July
Plenty of baseball this summer. Cherryville has the honor of hosting both the ALB NC State Tournament for the Jr. team July 19-24 and then the Sr. State Tournament will be played July 26-30.
These tournaments will not only bring excitement and great baseball to Cherryville, but in addition will bring a welcome economic boost with all the visiting teams and fans.
A First in American Legion History
Earlier this week the American Legion selection committee made the announcement that for the 2026 and 2027 they were making a slight change to how the regionals will be hosted.
Shrewsbury, Mass. will be hosting both the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regionals, and Cherryville, NC will play host to the Southeast and Midsouth regionals. This is the first time in history that two cities will host two separate regional tournaments each.
Economic Impact and Future Opportunities
Two sites will be used for the first three days of the tournament. More than likely along with Fraley Field at Memorial Stadium in Cherryville hosting the Southeast, the Midsouth games will be played at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia, NC.
This, of course, is subject to change with it still being more than a year away. The semi-finals and finals would all be played at Fraley Field. A successful event could possibly grant the regionals returning to Cherryville beyond the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
There will be teams and fans from 14 states and the economic boost could be very healthy. Fans in the stands result in concessions and souvenirs purchased, as well as money spent at local businesses.
Upgrades at Fraley Field
The city of Cherryville, along with local businesses and sponsors, have been very supportive of Post 100 baseball and improvements to Fraley Field at Memorial Stadium.
Upgrades will continue in preparation of this year’s state tournaments and the hosting of the Southeast and Midsouth regional tournaments during the following two seasons.
A few of the upgrades being tossed around, but not yet a done deal, would be installing a canopy to cover the stands and an outside extension for overflow press and media. As stated, these upgrades are being discussed and are not yet approved or scheduled.
The ongoing transformation of the field and stadium has been nothing short of amazing. A beautiful show piece that has already helped to land two seasons of state tournaments and two seasons of regional tournaments.
Play Ball!
If you have not yet seen the ongoing renovations, you’ll have plenty of chances to catch a game with the Cherryville Ironmen still in the NC high school state playoffs and Post 100 possibly beginning this weekend.
Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who make these games and beautiful stadium possible. I’ll leave you with the two most famous words in baseball, PLAY BALL!
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