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Show jr c SEattfiEd June 6, 2002 6A Thursday Legion team hoists annual to By RICHARD SHAW Sports writer . The NBA has finally reached the depths of it season; the final series of a veiy kmg.year. But here we are with foe Los Angeles Laken(no surprise what so ever) and foe New Jersey Nets (refreshing to see a new smthefinw playing for the title. By the time you read thh at least one game will have been none-the-le- ss By RICHARD SIIAW sports Spurts writer The heart of any sport is it's amateurs. The pros are what most players aspire to, but in the end the thing that keeps a sport strong and healthy is the people that dont do it for money. They play the game because the love it For baseball, it's basis is hacked by the hundreds of thou-- i sands of kids that play little league. Babe Ruth hall and adults that play county recreation league baseball. But probably nothing exemplifies baseball like the 5200 American Legion teams that vie for a national championship each year. Made up of high school and post high school players, most of the young men who play this type rf baseball could be doing many other things, yet they decide to play the game they love. For the individuals still in high school, it is a good way to keep up and improve their skills against great competition. For those who have graduated, it is a chance to extend the thrills they found in high ; chance for them to be seen by college and some pro scouts as well. On Thursday one of the most historic American Legion Tournaments in the state takes place once again. The Helper Tournament has been going on for years and Legion teams from all the state look forward to coming each year to play at historic Gardner Field. This year the field is once again ripe with improvements, including new Ibleacher seats that will make the fans that come to see the games much more com- fortable than the old splinter filled boards they had to sit on in the past. , Probably one of the best things about Legion ball is how historic it is. Since the program beganin 1925, in the small town of Milbank, SID. 10 million young men have played baseball in the program. In 1926, the fust national tournament was held, with 16 states sending teams. By 1929 every state in the union had teams, and the program was extremely healthy because major league baseball had underwritten the league with up to 550,000 per year in expense monies. While not a lot of money today, at that time that was a considerable sum. Today, the costs of having teams come to the national tournament alone is at about $1 million dol- - ByI9S8 the. finals of the national tournament were broadcast on 3000 radio stations and that same year, major league umpires were used for the finals. In 1949 an award for the American Legion Player of the Year was originated, and it became apparent from that time forward that Legion ball was having a great affect not only on amateur baseball but was ateo a great addition to pro leagues as well. In an average year, 55 percent of the players who are active on major league rosters played northern Utah (north of Salt Lake) the Salt Lake Valley League and a southern league. Helpers American Legion team plays in the Salt Lake Wley League. Players on Helpers team are drawn from Carbon High, Emery High, East Carbon High and Green River High. More players that have played in the American Legion ranks have been inducted into the Base- ball Hall of Fame1 in Gooperstown, N.Y. than from any other amateur baseball program. These players include. Dave Winfield, Sparky Anderson, Carieton Fisk, George Brett, Phil Niekro, Reggie Jackson, Tom Seaver, Joe Morgan, Jim fish Hunter, Peewee Reese, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, A1 Kaline, Yogi Berra, Wuren Spahn, and Tfcd Williams, just to name a few. This years Helper team has 15 players from Carbons third place state team, six from Emery and one from East Carbons state team from last fell. Teams participating in this years tournament (that opens the season for many of them) are Viewmont, Judge Memorial, Cedar City, Tboele, Upper Valley, Cyprus, West Jordan and of will have won it AgainwehaveaLalocrteam that win probably dominate and take another tide, making . course Helper. Helper (days its first contest against Cedar City Thursday at 6:15 p.m. On Friday the team faces Upper Valley in the nightcap game at 8 p.m. Then on Saturday they play Cyprus at 8 p.m. The placement games for the tournament will bis played on Sunday beginning at 10am. with the championship game at 3:30 pm. Where Helper fells in these games depends on how they do in the first three days of the for another dumb three? peat caU from LA fens. In the history of the NBA there have always been dynasties; it was seldom an open market Therewere also many perennial bridesmaids, some ofwhich are also the franchises foat won the most tides. Ftom the beginning of tire league in 1946 to 1954 Minneapolia dominated the league, foe same franchise co8nd-dentall- y ways They won five of foe nine titles those yean largely because they had the only7foor plus center in the league, George Mikan. Then came Boston who owns the distinction of haying the most titles in a row, might from 1959 to 1966. If you think you are sick of hearing about foe Laker dynasty, just imagine being a fen ofanother team in those years. (Almost worse than that they didnt make it to the labial! but won two more champion ships in 1968 and 196$ mak- American Legion baseball. Players who participate must be between 15 and 18 years old to play in the league. In Utah players come from all the high school ranks (1A-5and basically three leagues are run. One is in . ing it lOoutof JTr r . t V" . -- - Y t A, . 1L.V Since then no one jias matched that feat, with the. Lakers, Pistons and Rockets winningacoupleinarow.and of course Chicago winning three from 1991-9- 3 and then three more from 9648; Often there are doririnant teams in sports arid usually it has to dowith certain players talk and coaches. about in the dd3ayi it had to do witii loyalty and team mirk. They complain that today ir duly has to do with money. ? ; : I believe neither viewpoint is completely true. In foe old days oftheNE safeties were small compared with today1 money (although making two ot three times as much as normal guy for playrngbasket--l ball four.montha out of tirel year certainly was not a bad4 call) andthephycnwere.rela five slaves to the teams that fetil , : draftedthem. Even the sope& stanhadlhtkroomtowiggie they could eitherptoy for whol them or tiieyfodnltpby; ' at alLlbams basicallyhad m monopolyon playersandl , owners had deals with obean-- i other that if aplayerbalkerV! Zac Ooward recently of Carton High will be one of the mainstays on the Helper American Legion team this year. Here he is seen pitching in a game last year, but for the Dines he was the primary catcher this last season. he was, in a sense, black balled. w firamphaf Obviously! todayY eon tracts and free many yean has Who can blame a phyer, going where more money jjs: availabteTHyrm.werework hour arid aoipe ing fix $7 one.offiEredyou $10 an houtf wouldnt you take it? Ittakef an awfid lot aflayalre fotun down more mopey for doing; thCsame thing,cAenunder earn manager Jeff Cisneros (13) meets with Matt Jewries during a Legion last summer. . fd .?A V- - bette' circumsfancef and scanetuneswifoabetferteani! There are csoe a foilBmlyapdl Shandba ' MderscunjbothS learned foat taking tnorej i maneyinwhatqrpearedtobb' better drannstanceukirtvsys' tnie. And of coone there is' John Stoddbnvrfu cut hk salary so the Jt2z n stinunder ... . -- Hti it .Dynasties thesdqt'area U. : ; - , i '.'v ! V - Matt Jswfcp (5) from Carton and London Watson (1) from Emery were two important players on bstyoare American Legion squad and wifl also ptey this year. Here t VF - i y f : Vi ktoalther' .ftewiyj lee it, thats stiDj they are seen with some of their teammatesata'mound meeting in a gams with Cedar. City last year at Gardner Field during the tournament bmUbyhavinggreitipUyers and peat coacb foe righ( drenustry on a team, and the moneytohire and keep aQ of Fans of al kinds flock to Gardner field to see Legion basebal pteyerL, better than having tiave loyally as it was in foe (rid days, regardless of how much we! dislike tire way things are run ' in sports today. r !: feniniR a |