Minnesota's American Legion Baseball program was born in 1925. Through the years, Minnesota's program has grown to become one of the largest in the entire United States. While every State in the Union, plus Puerto Rico, sponsors American Legion Baseball teams, in the year 2000, registered teams in Minnesota totaled 330-- second highest in the Nation, surpassed only by the State of Pennsylvania, with 502 teams. (The third, fourth and fifth states are, respectively, Nebraska with 315, California with 276, and New Jersey with 234. For a complete state-by-state list of registered American Legion Baseball teams, take this link to the National American Legion Baseball web site.)
The State of Minnesota is divided into 10 Districts,
as shown by the map at left. American Legion Posts throughout
each District sponsor baseball teams, and these teams compete
against each other during the League Season. (Each League Season
generally begins immediately after the conclusion of the area
high school baseball season, and continues into latter July.) The
top teams in each District then compete in a District Tournament,
to determine which team(s) will represent that District in the
16-team Minnesota State American Legion Baseball Tournament,
which is held in early August. (The site of the State Tournament
changes from year-to-year.) Since there are 16 teams that qualify
for State Tournament play, but there are only 10 Districts within
the State of Minnesota, certain Districts are eligible to send
more than one team to the State Tournament.
Prior to 2006: Up until the early 1990's, the
State Tournament was a 12-team tournament; it then expanded to 16
teams. Because of the size and number of teams within the 3rd and
10th Districts, they were eligible to send two and three teams,
respectively, each year, which resulted in a total of 13 teams
(one from each District, plus one extra from the 3rd District and
two extra from the 10th District.) To round out the competition
to a total of 16 teams, the Host team also participated, and two
Districts took turns, on a rotating basis each year, sending an
extra team.
Beginning in 2006, the "rotation," (through
which two Districts/year sent an extra team to the tourney) was
modified. Every District now sends its Champion, the Host still
participates (11 total teams); the 3rd District also sends its
Runner-up and 3rd Place team, and the 10th District also sends
its Runner-up, 3rd Place team, and 4th Place team. Every third
year (beginning in 2008 with the 3rd District) the 3rd and 10th
Districts give up one of their extra berths to the 6th District.
(Click below for more District or Minnesota American Legion Baseball information!)
The Minnesota State Champion (i.e., the winner of the
Minnesota American Legion State Tournament) then goes on to play
in the Central Plains Regional Tournament, which is sponsored by
the National American Legion. (The Central Plains Region is made
up of the following States: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The site of each
Regional Tournament changes from year-to-year, with various
cities bidding to host the tournament. Because of the effort and
expense involved in hosting a Regional Tournament, the Host City
team is included, which rounds out the tournament field to a
total of eight teams.)
Because the State of Minnesota is one of the top States within the United States in terms of the number of American Legion Baseball teams sponsored, the Minnesota State Championship Runner-up is also awarded the opportunity to compete in the National Tournament. Therefore, the State Runner-up is designated to play in the Great Lakes Regional Tournament. (The Great Lakes Region is made up of the following States: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Host City team.)
The Champions from each of the eight
Regional Tournaments (Central Plains, Great Lakes, Northeast,
Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-South, West, and Northwest) then
advance to the American Legion World Series Tournament, to
determine a National Champion. (Like the Regional Tournaments,
the site of the ALWS Tournament changes from year-to-year, with
various cities bidding to host the Tournament. Unlike the
Regional Tournaments, however, the host city's team is not
allowed to participate in the World Series Tournament.)
Tri-City Post #513 is extremely proud to be the unprecedented sponsor of two American Legion Baseball teams, each of which plays in separate districts, even though the Tri-City Legion is located in the 10th American Legion District in Minnesota. (For more information on how this came about, visit The History of Tri-City Baseball.). One team, Tri-City Red (which earned State Championships in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000, Central Plains Regional Championships in 1997 and 1999, and a National Championship in 1999), competes in the 4th District and provides baseball opportunities for young men residing in the Moundsview school district. The second team, Tri-City Blue (which was the runner-up District 10 tournament champ in 2000, earning its first trip ever to the State Championship tournament), serves the young men in the Columbia Heights and St. Anthony/New Brighton school districts. With this strong presence in American Legion Baseball, the Tri-City Legion is proud of the contributions it has made to the ongoing success and popularity of American Legion Baseball across Minnesota and our great nation.
The History of
Tri-City Baseball; |
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Minnesota American Legion Baseball Web Site |  |
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National American Legion Baseball Web Site |  |
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The History of American Legion Baseball in the U.S. | |
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Baseball Links | |
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Baseball
Trivia; Fun Facts and Tidbits |
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For info or questions on Tri-City Baseball programs, e-mail info@tricitybaseball.org. |
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Last updated: 3/28/09
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Gail Kalata, Web Site Designer
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