Published: 08:26 PM, Tue Jun 12, 2012
Armstrong: Legion baseball a treasured tradition
By Bruce Armstrong
I am a traditionalist. The traditions that we can count on year after year to give life special meaning are becoming fewer and fewer. At least that's how it appears to my 64-year-old eyes.
For the 35 years that I have lived in Hope Mills, summer baseball has been highlighted by American Legion baseball. Watching the very best players from all area high schools play together for the Hope Mills Baseball Boosters American Legion team was a tradition I could count on.
I fondly remember taking my 6-year-old son, Michael, to Legion games in 1984 at Municipal Park where we watched Brian Berkman, Mike Brewington, Ronnie Shipman and Jay Johnstone lead Hope Mills to the North Carolina State American Legion tournament finals. That state runner-up finish was our best year, but we had very good teams every year.
A lot has changed over the years. Today, American Legion in Eastern North Carolina has many fewer teams. Financial concerns and competition from "travel teams" and "scholastic league" programs have caused many Legion programs to fold, including Cumberland County teams in Fayetteville, Stedman, and Spring Lake.
American Legion baseball in Hope Mills remains alive thanks to the dedication of Coach Doug Watts and the Hope Mills Baseball Boosters volunteers.
Coach Watts has led the program for 47 years and was a 2007 inductee into the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame.
This year, the Boosters play a 12-game regular season against teams from Duplin County, Whiteville, Wallace and Wilmington Laney. The team is 2-1.
Manager Watts is assisted this year by Coaches Randy Nalls, Mark Kalenberg, Luke Clause, and Jonathan Cribb. All home games are played at Methodist University field thanks to the generosity of the school.
The Hope Mills Boosters roster features Gray's Creek High School stars Stephan Nalls, Zack Dilday, Logan Haines, and A.J. Brassard. American Legion rules allow college freshmen who turn 19 after Dec. 31 to participate, and this year's team has four players from Methodist University, one from UNC-Chapel Hill, and one from Southeastern Community College.
No players from South View or Jack Britt chose to participate. That is unfortunate and hopefully will change next year.
I hope that American Legion baseball can survive in this area. It is a tradition I would miss greatly.
Good luck to Coach Watts and the Hope Mills Boosters team. Go see their games at the beautiful Methodist University field. They have upcoming home games today against Duplin County at 7 p.m., Thursday versus Wilmington Laney at 6 p.m., and Monday versus Wallace at 7 p.m.
See you at the games.
Bruce Armstrong is a lawyer who lives in Hope Mills. He can be reached at lawyerarmstrong@aol.com.