ADVENTURES OF THE 'MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY GANG'

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The D1 Junior Coaches know something about their programs and their teams. They know something about state tournaments, too. The entire Junior Division stepped in to address issues that the State Board of 14 refused to solve or more correctly, was unable to resolve. 

The Results Are In

The entire Junior D1 Division voted to keep a full tournament schedule that aligns with the National American Legion baseball template.

1. The Board: No. You must use an abbreviated winner/consolation bracket that has 3 to 4 fewer games. Junior D1 is oredered to cheapen their state tournament to be just like what the same people require for D2 Senior and Junior tournaments - NOT the Legion protocol.
2. This move would potentially save the State Board some dollars. Better to sacrifiuce the players experience, the coaches, and the parents to save The Ruling Board a few bucks because of their otrher decision listed below.

The entire Junior D1 Division voted to eliminate hotel cost isssues once and for all with each team paying their own travel costs.

1. The Board: No Way. Someone has to pay hotel costs for teams. It is the Minnesota Way. So the Board apparently will pay for hotel rooms themselves with dollars from team registrations fees. 357 teams will cover hotel costs  for 3 or 4 teams. But get this - the Board  is unwilling to risk a couple of grand if outstate teams advance in the tournament (thus needing hotel rooms). They want to cheapen the tournament by cutting games. 
2. "We support opportunity" said Director Randy in his "Winter Update". No, Randy, you don't. This is yet another expample of reducing opportunitites for Legion players under your leadership.

The Hotel Policy

'The Board or certain members of the Board, have been married to their policy of having state tournament hosts pay for kids hotel rooms (coaches rooms also). The hotel room policy must make some on the  Board feel Minnesota Special since no Legion program in the United States makes that demand of hosts.  Action of the Board this time around makes the policy appear so precious that it has achieved near Religion status. This self-imposed hotel commitment  superceded Junior Division coaches votes.

The D1 Junior Coaches voted unanimously to:

1. Keep a full 8-team double elimination bracket for the Junior D1 state tournament. They uniformly did not want to reduce, minimize, or cheapen the state tournament experience. Clear choice. Good choice. Unanimous.
2. Eliminate any controversy over hotel costs with every team agreeing to pay their own way. Finding host sites for Junior D1 has been near impossible. The main reason has been state mandated payouts for meal money and hotel costs. End the controversy with pay-if-you-go. Clear choice. Good choice. Unanimous,

THE STATE BOARD SEEMS UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE  THE JUNIOR D1 COACHES POSITIONs.  INSTEAD, THEY DID THE OPPOSITE.

State Mandate: The Powers Have Spoken - We Decide- Not you!

The State (some prefer now to call it Deep State) seems to be unwilling to address the coaches directly instead preferring to work directly with the state tournament site hosts. From what we understand:

1. Bloomington will not have to pay hotel rooms for anyone.
2. Bloomington will not receive the $2,500 state tournament subsidy check. That is a Bloomington net gain of nearly $5,000 from 2024.
3. The State Board will contract with the hotel(s) and directly pay all hotel costs. Yes, the State Board is picking up the hotel tab at the 2025 D1 Junior State Tournament. We believe its going on their credit card. Expect charges of $5,000 or more.
4. The 8-Team Double Elimination format is OUT.  Forget it Coaches. Your views, wishes, and votes don't count. 
5. A "winner/consolation" bracket tournament has been imposed.
6. Why? Because it would have 3 or 4 fewer games so that State can save money on their hotel bill. As if that was the only option available. The entire Divsion wants a double elim. It is doable. Unless what we see iscsomeone flexing their powerto cram their view dfown the coaches throats. 
7. The decision appears to have been passed down from the Board or some subset of the Board (who knows for sure since the Baseball Board's door is closed and the drapes are drawn in the Back Room). There are no public documents. Information provided to us is believed reliable.

• One would assume that Chairman Strong would have been informed. As a leader of democratic processes, one would expect a demotion or title change or worse yet, excommunication for openly going against the State Board and its policies. Yes, this Board has gone to great lengths to get rid of opinions and people that don't share their views.
• One would expect that the Bloomington folks have been informed regarding financial arrangements and the Board's tournmant bracket decree.

What a Slap in the Face

 100% of the D1 Junior Divsion wanted the same state tournament format as has been in place since inception.

• More games for more kids and more parents.
• More games means more ticket revenue and concessions for the host. Fewer games makes hosting less attactive. 
• In double elim, no one bad play or bad performance or bad inning can sink a team.
• But one bad play in the first game of a winner/consolation system dooms half the teams. They are out of the race Game 1 with n o way to get back in.
• Why drive halfway across the state and get less than a full shot?
• Cheapening the tournament is the polar opposite of the Junior D1 Coaches unanimous position.
• The "high school" winner/consolation bracket is used by D2 Senior and Junior tournaments. This is not popular with many of the D2 programs and D2 coaches. It is what the Czars of D2 want, however. So,  the D2 Czars now want to dictate to D1 Juniors? They know what is best?
• These decisions do not have names attached. Baseball Board: Who amongh you insisted on these solutions? There are 14 of you. Who demands overriding the entire Junior D1 Division to install your chosen format? Put your hands up and explain yourselves.
• What are you Junior Guys going to do? You could keep the Double Elim - raise your dues by $35 a team and pay the "extra" hotel charges that might result for a full tournament schedule. What is the risk- $1,00 or $2,000 among 60 teams? Hey. Why not apply to the All Star program committee for a grant?  
• Changing the tournament reduces opportunity for D1 Junior kids by a minimum of 20%. 
• Director Randy in his "Winter Update" says he is 'committed to opportunity for kids in Leigon uniforms'. Then adds - 'but not all on the Board feel the same way'. By these actions, you either got out voted or Director Randy joined the Anti-Opportunity crowd that dominates the Legion board room.
• The Director and the Baseball Board are committed to opportunity? We will discuss that another time. 

What a Messy Mess on Hotels

100% of the D1 Junior Division solved the host hotel dilemma and agreed to pay their own costs. Eassy. Done.  No way says the Bosses. 

• Minnesota state tournaments just have to include hotel rooms being paid by hosts. Or someone. Egads! So, the State Board will pay Junior D1 hotel costs in 2025.
• Why? What does the state need to pay hotel costs for teams that voted to pay their own way?
• Oh. There is an important Minnesota Tradition to defend. Says who? Put the policy to some names. There are 14 of you. Who demands hotel rooms be paid at state tournaments?
• So you covered Bloomington for 2025. What about 2026? What about beyond? No D1 Jr. site has come forward willing to pay your state mandates. Why would that change? Are you going to pay Junior D1 hotels forever?
• How much is involved? For Bloomington - do the math - Give up a $2,500 subsidy but save $7,500 on hotel bills. Bloomington comes out ahead.
• With a new precedent, the State Board will pay hotel costs. We bet they will run between $5,00 and $7,500.
• Oh Great and Powerful Board - what problem did you actually solve? Other than wasting thousands of dollars collected from team registration fees to pay unnecessary costs.
• Was this a factor? Politically the Board just couldn't knuckle under to coaches. Even when an entire Division spoke as one.
• Problem abound when the state breaks policy and pays hotels. Why not for me, too?  What about the other 2025 sites? Oh. This is just a "one year exception"? Good luck with that.
• How about the D1 Senior at St. Michael - They will struggle with hotel costs that may exceed last year's hotel costs at Maple Grove - over $30,000. Why should they go in the hole when the Board has hotel money to toss around? Just give up their $4,000 subsidy check and save $30 grand. Easy choice.
• Why should Ely pay hotels for the D2 Senior tourney or Hayfield pay hotels for the D2 junior tournament? What message is the Board giving here? A D1 Junior subsidy ought to at least cause some head scratching.
• What about future state tournament host prospects? Why won't smaller programs or programs that don't have the financial muscle to pay hotel rooms request the same D1 Junior subsidy for their site? They want to host but can;t meet your State hotel mandates.

Bad Choice: Cheapening the Tournament - To Save Hotel Costs for the State

Suddenly a fiscal responsibility priority seems to appear from the Board. They must impose a lesser tournament to cut games to send more kids home early. The state gotta save on hotel rooms. Actually, no you don't.

• How much might be involved? $1,000? $2,000?
• The state $2,500 tournament host subsidy is unnecessary and wasteful. D2 Senior and D2 Junior state sites have reported huge net profits yet each is gifted a $2,500 grant. 
•  Example: St. Charles D2 Junior state host 2024 showed a net profit approximating $35,000 on $55,000 in gross revenue. They paid for hotels or their net would have been significantly higher! No $2,500 state grant was needed. Funds were wasted.
• Example: Burnsville showed a net profit of nearly $25,000 to to host a mid-week Tier 1A state. Of cours ethey are happy to take the $2,500 gift, but that is just wasted spending from a state program level.
• There is no serious financial need to cheapen the D1 Junior state tournament. Someone is thumbing their nose at you Junior coaches.

These Board actions look like short-term reactions to what was a 100% sensible decision made by the entire D1 Junior Division. These reactions look like a 'stuff it in your face" reaction that took the complete opposite of the democratically developed plan presented by the Junior Coaches.

At best, these actions look like temporary attempts to address a specific issue. 

Did The Board shoot itself in the foot? Have precedents been created that may come back to haunt?

It Brings Up The Question: What Is the Proper Place of Coaches and Program Directors in Minnesota Legion Baseball

According to Director Randy Schaub in his Ferbruary 3rd "Winter Update",  coaches are very important. Very important indeed. So what is the proper place of a coach in the Mionnesota System? 

"I want to emphasize the critical role that managers and coaches play in the success of Minnesota American Legion Baseball. Your dedication and efforts are the backbone of our program, and I encourage you to complete your team’s registration as soon as possible."

Get your paperwork in  guys! Coach equals admin support. That was it. The onlty coach role cited.

Director Randy Encourages Communication With Coaches

Encouraging communications with coaches, the Director invited coaches to call him up  :

 "We value your input and encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions. However, please understand that while your perspectives will be given due consideration, this does not mean every request will be granted." 

The Director went on to manage expectations explaining or back tracking that he was only one vote on a Board.

Director Randy! What could be more clear than an entire division of coaches unanimously voting on what should have been a very easy solution for you to accept, and you shoved it back into their noses? Communicate ideas tio you? To your Board? It looks like you are running the Just Say No Society, or no to any outsider. Asking coaches for input in light of what really results is just plain disingenuous.

THE MESSAGE TO COACHES

Watch the actions and pay attention to the words.  Coaches are in place to feed paperwork. Or 'give me a call sometime'. Don't bet on your idea going anywhere. 

The crack of the bat for summer baseball will ring across the state in every smaller town and city. Certainly, some towns are more like small cities while others are, well, just plain small towns.  The pride taken in their fields and in their local teams is what baseball legend was built on.  

State Director Randy Schaub pointed with pride to what he views as a major Minnesota Board  innovation: The introduction of a second division (D2) for Senior and Junior levels. He correctlky points out that the D2 levels have made significant contributions to Minnesota's total team count. Of last year's team total of 360, D2 had 130 senior teams and 60 junior teams or about 53%.of the team total. When did Randy's board "innovation"occur? Well, that was in 1987, some four years after the high school league split into AA and A. Innovation or copy cat doesn't matter. At least it was done.

So D2 is important! It is a big deal, or maybe should be a bigger deal than what it appears on the surface.

• D2 serves commnuities with school enrollments below 400 students. D1 serves 401 to 3,600 enrollments. 
• D2 Senior has 130 teams in one division.  Year one had very few D2 teams.
• We cannot find any state with such a large number of Legion teams in one division. Is bigger better?
• Every other state has several divisions - typically four. That allows all teams to participate in the actual district or substate tournament that sends one team to a state tournament.
• The Minnesota high school program has four divisions.
• The Minnesota Legion approach essentially combines high school "A' teams with high school "AA" teams. The high schools went to 3 divisions in 2000. Then four divisions in 2015. And is likely to add a fifty division next as A and AA are both over-crowded.

Does Size Undermine Opportunity?     Most Say "Yes"

Years ago, the D2 playoffs were a minor event for the Minnesota Legion board. They were focused on the giant D1 state tournament. D1 sported a double elimination format where every game played was a chance to keep every team's championship hope alive.  D2 used a single elmin format with fewer total games. Why? Maybe to get the tournament over quicker? Or the winner would need fewer pitchers? 

1. D2 has the shortest regular season of any Legion division we can find. The D2 regular season ends around the 4th of July. Play Ins for the Play Offs start on July 8.

• All other  Legion divisions have a 7 week regular season before eliminations begin. D2 only a 5 week season.
• The top 8  high school A and AA teams finish the state tournament around June 20th. They only get a two and a half week season before eliminations begin.

Therein lies the problem. Size undermines Opportunity. D2 Juniors were createdin 2017 to piggy back the established D1 Junior program. D2 Juniors largely took over VFW programs in most towns.

Director Schaub went further to point out that he favors 'opportunity for Legion players' while simul;taneously muting expectations with his admission that others on the Board do not agree with him. Opportunity? For D2? For Outstate? With all due respect to the Director- you got a long way to go.

Current Playoffs Deny Opportunity for More Than Half the Division

• 56 teams make up substate tournaments - 7 hosts and 8 teams playing a Double Elimination format as is the National Legion standard format.
• Not even half of D2 teams even get into a substate tournment. 70 teams must be eliminated BEFORE a pitch is thrown in a D2 substate.
• Look at the "2025 Substate" alignments already announced. There are groupings of 14, 17, and even 19 teams in one section. That's just plain crazy. Opportunity? Yes. More opportunity to go home than to play baseball.
• A gaunlet of "Play In" rounds start July 7th to get into a playoff. Imagine you are one of the top 16 high school teams. Your state tournament ends June 20th. And you start Legion playoffs just two weeks later? A reguilar season of what - 5 or 6 games?
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It looks like the Minnesota Legion baseball board is shrinking opportunities for players and programs in 2025. Its a trime when many clamor for additional playing options and a diversification of Legion programming (read that as 'modernizing' Legion baseball). But your baseball board has a different view. As usual, the board members won't talk about it openly. They won't share their ideas or goals or priorities or vision of the future, assuning they have any.

So you must look at their acvtions and also mlook at the inaction. What do they do? What do they not do? Actions and inactions speak louder than words. 

State Director Rabndy Schaub warned in his "Winter Update" letter to coaches that, while he is in favor of opportunities for kids playing in Legion uniforms, others on his board are not so inclined. What's the Schaub Board Record?

Shortest Regular Season in the Nation

1) Minnesota D2 Senior teams have 30% LESS regular season than D1 Seniors, D2 Juniors, D1 Juniors and even the Tier 1A level. 

2) Minnesota D2 Seniors have a shorter regular season than any division in any state that we know of.

3) The regular season ends after the 4th of July with elimination games starting on July 8th. 

4) The 8 top high school teams finish A and AA state tournaments June 20th. They get barely two and a half weeks to play their regular season.

5) Coaches have complained that they could play in tournmaments or schedule better competition that what they get in the D2 elimination weeks before a substate tournament.

Elimination; Getting Rid of the Majority of D2 Players and Teams  BEFORE the Playoff Tournaments

Minnesota uses  "substate" tournaments to send  teams to the state tournaments. Substate tourneys  play the standard National Legion double elimination format.

1) D2 Senior has 7 Substate sites to accomodate 56 teams.

2) Each site host is automatically include leaving just 49 playoff spots for 123 or so teams.

3) 60% of D2 Senior teams MUST BE ELIMINATED without ever seeing the substate tournament field.

4) D2 schedules mini elimination best two-out-of-three series. If using a seeding approachb, the strongest teams face off againsrt the weaker teams. Lose a double header on July 8 and poof, baseball is over for you.

5) Do kids really want baseball to end the second week of July? 

6) Is that the best Minnesota Legion baseball can offer? Seriously? The board members refer to eliminations as "brooming" - getting rid of teams. D2 Seniors 'brooms" tons of kids that never get the chance to play in a polayoff tournament.

7) The same Board "brooms" teams at its state tournaments by using the shortest possible schedule (single elimination) format. Better to save on hotel rooms rather than focus on the best baseball experience. 

8) Kids and teams are NOT the priority for Legion board members.

Outstate D1 Senoior Teams Got Drummed Out of Trips to the Regionals

No Other State Follows the Minnesota Approach

Maybe having the "biggest division" is bragging rights for the Board. Afterall, outstate and D2 have the most board members with Brandon Raymo and Jeff "Slick" Miller being the D2 bosses. They can do whatever they want. Or, in this case, do as little as possible other than repeating the previous year.

Splitting Divsions - Randy Claims D2 Is a Minnesota Innovation

Its not. State Director Randy Schaub pointed with pride to what he views as a major Minnesota Board  innovation: The introduction of a second division (D2). But Randy - that was in 1987, nearly forty years ago! What are you bragging about it now for? The high school program split into two divisions in 1983. Legion just copied back then. And has done nothing of consequence since.

Every other baseball program in state and in the country has added more divisions to better fit program size and to better provide access to sectional or substate tournaments. 

The High School League split into AA and A in 1983.

The MSHSL added AAA in 2000. Legion did nothing.

The MSHSL added AAAA ten years ago in 2015. Legion did nothing.

The MSHSL is considering adding the AAAAA level as A and AA are now crowded. 

Randy and the Legion board have no discussions and have no plan to split divisions which provided more playoiff opportunities while also right-sizing competition. 

To paraphrase the words of one of the D2 bosses - back when I played we just pulled on our spikes and went to to fight the bigger teams the best we could. Maybe he still feels some sort of glory from back in his day. They lost of course.

North Dak

• When did Randy's board "innovation"occur? Well, that was in 1987, some four years after the high school league split into AA and A. Innovation or copy cat doesn't matter. At least it was done.

So D2 is important! It is a big deal, or maybe should be a bigger deal than what it appears on the surface.

• D2 serves commnuities with school enrollments below 400 students. D1 serves 401 to 3,600 enrollments. 
• D2 Senior has 130 teams in one division.  Year one had very few D2 teams.
• We cannot find any state with such a large number of Legion teams in one division. Is bigger better?
• Every other state has several divisions - typically four. That allows all teams to participate in the actual district or substate tournament that sends one team to a state tournament.
• The Minnesota high school program has four divisions.
• The Minnesota Legion approach essentially combines high school "A' teams with high school "AA" teams. The high schools went to 3 divisions in 2000. Then four divisions in 2015. And is likely to add a fifty division next as A and AA are both over-crowded.

Does Size Undermine Opportunity?     Most Say "Yes"

Years ago, the D2 playoffs were a minor event for the Minnesota Legion board. They were focused on the giant D1 state tournament. D1 sported a double elimination format where every game played was a chance to keep every team's championship hope alive.  D2 used a single elmin format with fewer total games. Why? Maybe to get the tournament over quicker? Or the winner would need fewer pitchers? 

1. D2 has the shortest regular season of any Legion division we can find. The D2 regular season ends around the 4th of July. Play Ins for the Play Offs start on July 8.

• All other  Legion divisions have a 7 week regular season before eliminations begin. D2 only a 5 week season.
• The top 8  high school A and AA teams finish the state tournament around June 20th. They only get a two and a half week season before eliminations begin.

Therein lies the problem. Size undermines Opportunity. D2 Juniors were createdin 2017 to piggy back the established D1 Junior program. D2 Juniors largely took over VFW programs in most towns.

Director Schaub went further to point out that he favors 'opportunity for Legion players' while simul;taneously muting expectations with his admission that others on the Board do not agree with him. Opportunity? For D2? For Outstate? With all due respect to the Director- you got a long way to go.

Current Playoffs Deny Opportunity for More Than Half the Division

• 56 teams make up substate tournaments - 7 hosts and 8 teams playing a Double Elimination format as is the National Legion standard format.
• Not even half of D2 teams even get into a substate tournment. 70 teams must be eliminated BEFORE a pitch is thrown in a D2 substate.
• Look at the "2025 Substate" alignments already announced. There are groupings of 14, 17, and even 19 teams in one section. That's just plain crazy. Opportunity? Yes. More opportunity to go home than to play baseball.
• A gaunlet of "Play In" rounds start July 7th to get into a playoff. Imagine you are one of the top 16 high school teams. Your state tournament ends June 20th. And you start Legion playoffs just two weeks later? A reguilar season of what - 5 or 6 games?
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