Although we all know these "showcase" teams are taking a dominant role in the local baseball scene, I think they will eventually dillute the talent pool all together.
Larry is correct, there are some really strong pockets of Legion Ball left in MD. Montgomery has been very strong and the Frederick area has grown as well.
The Frederick area has Francis Scott Key, Funkstown, Urbana and Mt Airy now...Gaithersburg won the state championship last year...In AA county we are working hard to expand our presence. In the last few years there was almost a complete collapse for the league. We have added two new teams in Dewey and Calvert and we should be adding at least one more next year.
We, the Saints, who have been the AA County champs for the last 6 years are working hard to facilitate games from Legion teams throughout the state as well as in neighboring areas.
One of the best opportunities for Legion ball throughout the state will be the recognition by High School coaches that it is a great place for thier graduating seniors to play summer ball as well as a really good place for those college freshman making the transition to summer ball.
The loyalty is still there, it needs to be nurtured...We had a half a dozen former players come see our games last week....Feuerherd from North County and Bollinger (who played for the Saints) as well as coaches like McCandless, Sider, etc...can really help out by offering Legion ball as an alternative....
One of the other areas we need to focus on is working with the private school coaches to develop solid relationships as well...
Recent years have seen the likes of Alex Buchholz and Zach Moore play Legion ball for the Saints and get drafted. This year one of our players is getting private workouts with MLB team's before the draft...
Its a great league, full of tradition and hopefully ready to grow once again.
Any help that you can suggest to us would be truly appreciatted.