Welcome to the

Minnesota American Legion Baseball

Resource Page

January 14, 2012:
Important Information Regarding the 2012 Season for all Minnesota American Legion Baseball Team Managers and Coaches

Please click above to review this document as soon as possible. It contains important information on rule changes for the 2012 season, and beyond.

January 1, 2012:
A Message to Team Managers & Coaches from State Director, Darwin Berg

Thank you, in advance, for your participation in the 2012 Minnesota American Legion Baseball season. It has been a very busy off-season, particularly at the National level, from a rule-making standpoint. Although it is lengthy, all Team Managers and Head Coaches are urged to review all of the information in the above-referenced document very carefully. It contains important details on

• Team registration and Insurance requirements for 2012,
• The State of MN's new "Concussion Law,"
• New Nataional and State rules for 2012,
• Deadline dates and fees applicable to the 2012 season.
• Future National and State rules / requirements (2013 and beyond), including changes to the Division I playoff format, which take effect with the 2013 season, and
• Helpful on-line resources for managers and coaches.

If you have questions on any of this information, please contact your District Director.

December 15, 2011:
All Legion Coaches Must Receive Training on Concussions, before Starting their 2012 Season

During 2011, the State of Minnesota passed a new law, requiring, among other things, that ALL youth athletic coaches and officials receive training on concussions. (The training is free, available on-line, and only takes 20-30 minutes to complete.)

Click here for a one-page handout for Legion Team Managers on the law's requirements. Teams must plan accordingly, so that ALL coaches (head and assistant) can complete the training well before the start of tryouts, practices and games. Coaches who do not submit proof of training will not be considered eligible to coach Legion Baseball. In addition, all those who umpire Legion games in 2012 must have received training, or they are personally in violation of the law.

Resources associated with this new law:

• Free on-line training video for coaches(CDC web site)
• Fact / Action Sheet for Coaches
• Coach's Clip-board Reference Sheet
• Fact Sheet Handout - for Athletes
• Fact Sheet Handout - for Parents

March 13, 2012: See story on National web site.

December 15, 2011:
2011 was a Great Year for Minnesota Legion Baseball !!!

Congratulations go out to all 2011 participating teams, with special congrat's being extended to the following:
- Eden Prairie, 2011 National American Legion World Series Champ;
- Eden Valley-Watkins, 2011 Division II Central Plains Regional Champ;
- Excelsior, Junior Legion Mid-States Regional Champ.
We are looking forward to another great year in 2012!

December 15, 2011:
2012 Bat Rule Reminder
Effective January 1, 2012, National American Legion Baseball adopts the BBCOR (Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution) standard, which is designed to eliminate discrepancies with bat lengths and provide a more direct measure of bat performance, improve safety, and produce similar batted-ball speeds between wood and non-wood bats. All non-wood bats used on the playing field in 2012 must, therefore, carry the BBCOR certification mark. If any bat fails to meet this requirement, said bat shall be removed from the game, the batter shall be declared out, and the head coach or team manager shall be ejected from the game.

February 27, 2012: National has advised that the 33" Marucci CAT5 bat has been decertified and is not considered a legal bat for Legion use at this time. Info regarding returns, as posted on the National web site.

March 24, 2012: Nat'l has advised that the Reebok Vector TLS-33 Bat has been decertified and is not considered a legal bat for Legion use at this time. Visit the National site and/or this link for further info regarding this bat.

January 1, 2012:
Teams Again Required to Register Electronically for 2012
As has been the case for the last two seasons, teams must complete an electronic registration process through the National web site, before they may compete in 2012. The process includes:

1) Apply for program participation by May 1st.
2) Purchase insurance and pay fees by May 15th.
3) Submit a final roster of players and coaches by June 20th. (This final task is actually a two-step process. Teams must a) submit their final roster, electronically, to National through the registration system AND b) submit a hardcopy printout, along with Form 2's and all other applicable player/coach forms to their respective District Director.)

As in prior years, your District Director and members of the State Baseball Committee are available to help troubleshoot technical issues that arise with the electronic registration system. We are proactively monitoring the system's performance, to try to proactively address system issues with National.

December 15, 2011:
MN American Legion Baseball is now on Facebook
Intended to serve as a useful forum for coaches, players, and fans, make sure you visit (and "Like") the Minnesota American Legion Facebook page. For example, you can use the Facebook page to

- Share your team's scores with the general public.
- Advertise remaining openings in tournaments you are hosting.
- Post notices that your team is looking for games.
- Promote your team's fundraising events, etc.
Use the page as a resource for your team -- and help us promote MN American Legion Baseball at the same time!

If you are not currently a Facebook member and want to set up an account, it is free. Go to www.facebook.com and follow the instructions. A family member or friend can also help you learn how to use Facebook's various features.

2012 Tournament Dates:
(Most Senior teams will realize a longer relular season, due to National tournaments being held one week later on the calendar.)

2012 86th Annual MN Division I State Tournament:
- Hosted by Chaska
- Team Reporting & Banquet: Thurs, Aug 2nd
- Games: Fri, Aug 3rd - Mon, August 6th

2012 Central Plains Region 6 Tournament:
- Hosted by Dickinson, ND
- Thurs, Aug 9th - Mon, Aug 13th (Reporting date, Aug 8)

2012 87th Annual ALB World Series
- Hosted by Shelby, NC
- Fri, Aug 17th - Tues, Aug 21st (Reporting date, Aug 16)

 

 

2012 23rd Annual Division II State Tournament:
- Hosted by Sacred Heart
- Team Reporting & Banquet: Thursday, Aug 2nd
- Games: Friday, Aug 3rd - Sunday, Aug 5th

2012 Division II Central Plains Regional Tournament:
- Hosted by Wahpeton, ND
- Thurs, Aug 9th - Sun,Aug 12th (Reporting date, Aug 8)

2012 Junior Legion State Tournament
- Hosted by Eagan, July 24 - 29
- Mid-State Regional: Fargo, ND, August 2-5
- West Reginal: Rapid City, SD, August 2-5

2012 Team & Player Registration: All teams must registrer, buy insurance, and pay fees through National's electronic registration system. In addition, all teams must submit hardcopies of their Rosters and Player forms to their respective District Director by given deadlines. The following instructions will help guide you through the process.

Did You Know that Minnesota has a fast-growing Junior Legion Program? (In 2012, the Junor Legion program is open to those born on or after January 1, 1995, whereas Senior Legion is January 1, 1993.) If you have questions about the Program and/or have interest in starting a Junior Legion team in your community, please contact Jim Peck, MN Junior Legion Program Director, at 952-474-5071.

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