OK, now let’s ‘play ball’
by George Kay
Late last week, a judge in Rawlins handed down a decision in a Casper baseball dispute that should go a long way toward a successful season for local high school-age players.
Judge Waldrip simply ruled that Casper American Legion Post #2 had no case in the dispute with the Casper Baseball Club (CBC) Inc. and that the Legion Post had no claim to the assets of the CBC.
What all of this means is that the CBC can move ahead with plans for the coming season. The argument actually centered on the choice of a head coach for the local high school-age baseball program.
The club has been operating the program for several years and has acquired the funds needed to make the whole thing work. This organization has obtained buses and the equipment needed for the Casper teams in this age group.
In the past, the local teams played in the state American Legion baseball program. However, this winter, the post went to court in an effort to take over the assets of the CBC, and in the process, choose a coach for the program.
The CBC objected to the takeover and that group went ahead with its own plans to hire a coach and move forward with a baseball program. The stalemate continued until last week’s decision by Waldrip.
Now with the legal decision apparently settled, the club is free to proceed with plans for a summer of baseball. In reality, this organization was able to go ahead with its plans in spite of the legal delays and has put together an aggressive schedule for the coming season.
A significant group of ballplayers has been practicing at Tani Field in North Casper in anticipation of a season scheduled to begin in May.
The CBC team or teams will compete in a different format since the local American Legion Post will not allow the CBC organization to be involved in the state Legion setup.
This is a shame because Casper has been an integral part of Wyoming Legion baseball for many years. The Casper Baseball Club has responded by joining an organization of Connie Mack league teams and has put together a schedule against teams from adjacent states.
The Casper teams will play home-and-away games against teams from Colorado and Nebraska. That will be challenging since there is high school baseball in those states, which could give the teams there a head start over Wyoming teams.
Still the Casper teams will enjoy a busy season with individual games and tournament play that will be difficult.
Another aspect of the legal decision is that the Casper Baseball Club Inc. will continue to control the ballpark leases with the City. Therefore, the Connie Mack teams can use Mike Lansing Field and the Crossroads ballparks this summer.
The Legion Post previously had announced that it had suspended plans to field an American Legion team this season. So the way apparently is clear for the CBC to move ahead without competition from another program.
With the legal wrangling out of the way, it seems the proper time to forget any past animosity and move forward with a program we can be proud of. It will be interesting to watch the Casper Connie Mack program competing with teams from surrounding states.
If the Connie Mack arrangement isn’t what was hoped for, perhaps a return to Legion baseball may be an option in future years.
After all, it should be “all about the kids” and what is best for the youngsters. Everything else should be secondary.