Welcome to the

Minnesota American Legion Baseball

Resource Page

February 12, 2013:
2013 School Enrollment Data is Now Avaialble:
Teams must use the data from these reports, when entering each player's school enrollment into the registration system -- and when tallying Combined Total Enrollment for the team. (For Division II teams that utilize averaging, archived reports for prior seasons are available in the Administrative Resources section below.)
2013 Public School Enrollment Report
2013 Private School Enrollment Report

March 17, 2013:
Are You Looking for Contact Info for Another Team?
The National Legion Baseball web site contains a listing of registered teams on it's "Find a Team" pages -- for all teams, nation-wide -- which includes Team Manager contact info, as well as a link to the team's web site, if applicable; you can also access 2012's information. Also, don't forget that MN Legion Baseball is on Facebook!
Go to the National "Find a Team" pages
Go to Minnesota American Legion Facebook page

UPDATED: April 9, 2013:
Completing Your Team's Registration
Thank you to all teams who met the deadline for submitting their application to participate in 2013. To finish the registration process, follow the steps below.

1. Purchase Insurance & Pay Fees, by May 15th. If you have not yet done so, log-in to your team's account on the National registration site -- http://baseball.legion.org/, click on "Purchase Insurance" and work through the screens.
a. The ability exists to add "Additional Insureds" -- the owner(s) of your home field(s), so that they will also be covered under the liability policy.
b. You will need a credit or debit card to complete the purchase. If you are using a debit card, you must enter the account name exactly as it reads on the bank statement (not on the debit card).
c. The State and National registration fee amounts will automatcially be added into the total, prior to entry of your payment card info.
NOTE: Failure to purchase insurance by May 15th will result in a $200 late fee; failure to purchase insurance by June 1st will result in team disqualification for the 2013 season.

2. Finalize Your Coaches & Staff. Make sure that ALL of your coaches (and volunteer staff who are subject to background checks) are entered into the national registration system -- and that they have, indeed, completed a background check.
a. Log-in to your team account. Click on MY APPLICATIONS, then "view" your team's application to verify your listed staff. NOTE: If you have need to delete an individual from the list of your team staff, contact Mike Perry, or Gail Kalata.
b. To add additional staff members, click on "Add Coaches / Staff" (in the GREEN menu box on left side of the screen.)
c. After you submit the information, the person you have added will appear as "pending," in your team's Application (within the MY APPLICATIONS section of your account), until it is confirmed within the system by the State Director that he/she has successfully passed a background check.
NOTE: Coaches who are not listed and/or who have not completed a background check are not permitted to participate in any way; District Directors will be monitoring team compliance.

3. Ensure that All Coaches Have Completed Concussion Training. Collect certificates from new coaches to your staff, as well as from coaches whose training has expired. Submit certificate copies to your District Director. Again, Directors will be monitoring for compliance.

4. Download and/or Print Player Forms. A link to Form 2, Form 76, and Form 77 is located within your team account. TIP: If you download the forms to your computer, you will then be able to email them to players, versus printing and handing out hardcopies for completion. (NOTE: Both coaches and players must complete Form 2.)

5. Enter Players into your On-Line Roster. Log-in to your team's account and click on "Enter Roster," and advance to the player entry screen. Returning teams have the ability to search for and select players from the prior season, to reduce the amount of data entry.
a. For each player, enter / update information -- including position, total enrollment of his high school (refer to the reports posted on this web page), height, weight, etc.
b. Uniform numbers must be entered accurately; FYI, for playoffs and the State Tournaments, roster information from the system will be used for program printing and other purposes.
c. Once saved, the system will retain the player info that was entered, you may exit the system and return at another time to enter additional players and/or continue editing.

6. Submit your Final Roster to National by June 15th. When your roster is in final form, at the top of the player entry screen, click on "Click here to submit final roster," and follow the on-screen instructions.
a. Once you complete this step, your roster becomes locked, and you cannot make any additional changes. If you submit your roster prematurely by accident, contact Mike Perry immediately.
b. Teams that fail to complete this step face season disqualification.

7. Submit your Roster Packet to Your District Director by June 15th. (Note: your District Director's deadline may be earlier than June 15.)
The following items must be included:
a. Hardcopy printout of the roster you submitted to National. (In your team's system account, print your FULL Form-1 Roster -- which includes player addresses, birth dates, etc. The "abbreviated tournament roster" printout is NOT ACCEPTABLE for submittal.)
b. Completed Team Info Sheet (Roster Cover Sheet). See the "Resources" section, below, for a printable copy of this form.
c. Copies of fully-completed Form 2's for all players and coaches.
d. Copies of fully-completed Form 77's (Declarations), as applicable.
e. Copies of fully-completed Form 76's (Transfer/Waivers), as appl.
f. Any other misc. forms, declarations, concussion certificates, etc.

See related information posted in this News section, as well as items available in the Team Reg'n & Admin Resources section, If you have any questions, please contact your District Director, Mike Perry, or Gail Kalata.

December 10, 2012:
Important Information Regarding the 2013 Season for all Minnesota American Legion Baseball Team Managers and Coaches

Please click above to review this document, which outlines important information pertaining to the 2013 season.

December 10, 2012:
A Message to Team Mgr's & Coaches from State Director, Mike Perry
Thank you, in advance, for your participation in the 2013 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, Administrators, and 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 2013,
• New National requirement that all managers, coaches and other team staff / volunteers undergo background screening.
• Deadline dates and fees applicable to the 2013 season.
• Changes to the 2013 Division I playoff format, and
• Helpful on-line resources for managers and coaches.

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

 

2013 Registration Fee Info:
Sr. Teams ..... National Fee = $50 ..... State Fee = $125
Jr. Teams ..... National Fee = $25 ..... State Fee = $100

Update, 1/5/13: 2013 Insurance Premiums (same as 2012's rates)
Sr. Teams: Seasonal Accident = $160 (Yr Round=$235); Liability = $145
Jr. Teams: Seasonal Accident = $140 (Yr Round=$205); Liability = $100
All teams must also pay a $10 insurance admin/processing fee.

Again for 2013, insurance premiums and national/state fees are rolled into one, combined purchase, which is made through the national registration system, using a credit or debit card.

December 10, 2012:
All Legion Managers, Coaches and Team Volunteer Staff must undergo Background Screening, before beginning 2013 Season Activities

Beginning with the 2013 season, the National American Legion has made it mandatory that all team Managers, Coaches, Assistant Coaches -- and other volunteer staff who meet certain criteria -- must undergo annual background screening, prior to engaging in any meetings, events, practices or games that involve youth participants.

To ensure consistency and protect confidentiality, all screening must be conducted by one designated vendor ("Protect Youth Sports"); if an individual has previously undergone background screening through/for another organization, those results may not be substituted. The cost of each individual's background screen will be billed to, and paid by, Minnesota American Legion Baseball.

• Review full requirements and Minnesota American Legion Baseball's Youth Protection Policy.
• View sample background screen application (to determine what information you will need to provide.)
• COMPLETE THE BACKGROUND SCREEN APPLICATION

All those to whom this requirement applies are urged to complete the background screening application as soon as possible. A team's application to participate in the American Legion Baseball program will not be approved until each person has successfully completed a background screening. Those who do not complete it -- or who fail the screening -- are ineligible to particiapte.

December 10, 2012:
Reminder: All Legion Coaches Must Have Completed Training on Concussions

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 policy handout for Legion Team Managers on the law's requirements. Teams must plan accordingly, so that ALL coaches (head and assistant) are properly trained before the start of any tryouts, practices, games. Coaches who do not submit proof of training are NOT eligible to coach Legion Baseball. In addition, all those who umpire Legion games must have completed training, or they are personally in violation of the law.

Once completed, training is valid for three (3) years, after which, training must be recompleted -- and a new certificate of completion must be submitted. Resources associated with this law:

• TAKE THE FREE ON-LINE TRAINING
• 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 10, 2012:
Bat Rule Reminder

Effective January 1, 2012, National American Legion Baseball adopted 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. Beginning in 2012, all non-wood bats used on the playing field 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 (and 34" as of 7/25/12) 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.

July 25, 2012: National advised that the Marucci Black Series 33" and 34" have been decertified.

December 10, 2012:
Teams Again Required to Register Electronically for 2013
As has been the case for several seasons, teams must complete an electronic registration process through the National web site, before they may compete in 2013. The process includes:

1) Apply for program participation by April 1st.
2) Following approval of the application, purchase insurance and pay all fees by May 15th. (For insurance purchases after May 15th, National will assess a $200 late fee.)
3) Submit a final roster of players and coaches by June 15th. (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.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have recently learned that National is in the process of redesigning the system, including moving it to a dedicated server to improve system response time. As such, all teams will be required to again set up a User ID and Password to gain access to the system -- although teams will then be able to recover saved 2012 team data. The web address for the new server/system will be www.baseball.legion.org; in any event, a link to the baseball registration system is expected be available via the Legion's homepage, www.legion.org.

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 regularly monitor the system's performance, to try to proactively address system issues with National.

December 10, 2012:
2013 Division I Playoff Structure
Beginning in 2013, while all teams will continue to compete in league games within their own Districts, instead of participating in Sub/District playoffs within their respective Districts, Division I teams will participate in one of 15 Sub-State Playoff Tournaments that will be held around the state. Each Sub-State Tournament will have roughly the same number of teams, will commence on roughly the same date, and will use a similar playoff bracket / format. Each Sub-State Playoff Tournament champion will earn a berth in the 16-team Division I State Tournament; the State Tournament Host will also continue to receive a berth. If you are not clear as to which Sub-State Playoff Tournament your team has been assigned, please contact your District Director. (NOTE: This playoff format change does not apply to Division II or Junior Legion teams.)

December 15, 2011:
MN American Legion Baseball is 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.

2013 Tournament Dates:

2013 Division I Sub-State Playoff Tournaments:
Week of July 23rd (exact dates vary by Sub-State)

2013 87th Annual MN Division I State Tournament:
- Hosted by Edina
- Team Reporting & Banquet: Thurs, Aug 1st
- Games: Fri, Aug 2nd - Mon, August 5th

2013 Central Plains Region 6 Tournament:
- Hosted by Fargo, ND
- Thurs, Aug 8th - Mon, Aug 12th (Reporting date, Aug 7)

2013 88th Annual ALB World Series
- Hosted by Shelby, NC
- Fri, Aug 16th - Tues, Aug 20th

2013 24th Annual Division II State Tournament:
- Hosted by Bird Island
- Team Reporting & Banquet: Thursday, Aug 1st
- Games: Friday, Aug 2nd - Sunday, Aug 4th

2013 Division II Central Plains Regional Tournament:
- Hosted by Pratt, KS
- Thurs, Aug 8th - Sun, Aug 11th (Reporting date, Aug 7)

2013 Junior Legion State Tournament
- Hosted by Eagan, July 23 - 28
- Mid-State Regional: Carthage, MO, August 1-4

 

2013 Team & Player Registration: All teams must registrer, buy insurance, and pay fees through National's electronic registration system. (The NEW registration system web address is http://baseball.legion.org/.) 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 2013, the Junor Legion program is open to those born on or after January 1, 1996, whereas Senior Legion is January 1, 1994.) 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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