As someone who has been involved with American Legion baseball for over 30 years I can tell you how tough it is to win year after year. Good players graduate…players are involved with many activities and may not always be available…injuries happen. We had a run of three state tournament appearances and back to back state titles in 2009-1010 and those were special teams. So when a team like Plover is able to not only win 8 straight regular season league titles but also go on to national tournament play three years in a row I know what a remarkable achievement it is. The Black Sox, Wisconsin state runner-up this season under coach Wayne Sankey, are back in the Great Lakes Regional again beginning today in Alton, Illinois. They play the Illinois state champs from Elgin (34-1) at 430 this afternoon. Plover features a strong pitching staff and an offense that can explode at anytime. But at this level most of the teams can say that. The thing I noticed is the depth of pitching staffs of teams that get to this level. There is very little drop off from 1 to 6 so as a hitter you never get a break from above-average fastballs and nasty breaking stuff. But I can also tell you how much fun it is to travel to these tournaments and matchup with some of the best teams in the country. Madison, the Wisconsin state champ this year, is also in the tournament and will play the Ohio state champs from Toledo this afternoon at 1:30. Good luck to both teams in their quest to earn a trip to the Legion World Series in Shelby North Carolina next week.
The Wausau American 9-10 year old all-stars are 3-0 at the Wisconsin State Tournament in Glendale. They continue play today.
The Woodchucks begin their final homestand of the year tonight hosting Wisconsin Rapids. I'll be in the booth with Jason Dorow for the next three nights and can be heard on Foxsports radio AM1390 & FM 93.9
Songs Of The Day (from my I-pod)
