American Legion Post #24

Starting times for Monday Practices and Fall Ball have been changed.

Monday practices will now start at 10:00, starting with practice on 10/6.

Fall Ball games will start at 10:00 and 11:30, starting with games on 10/2.

The new Fall schedule can be found here.

A team of OTS players sponsored by Starboard restaurant in Dewey Beach won the 55+ AA bracket in the ISSA Eastern Shore Championship held in Salisbury September 19 -21.

By winning the bracket, the team qualified to participate in the 2015 ISSA World Tournament of Champions in Tampa, FL from January 23 - 25, 2015.

Mike Luke was awarded the team MVP award, and Buddy Griffith, Don Hillock and Terry Shifflett were named to the Tournament All-Star team.

The team was coached by Keith Purdy. Other OTS players on the team were John Bradshaw, Steve Carey, Rick Duncan, Mike Fleetwood, Paul Litwin and Tom Wendorf.

Thanks to Linda Fleetwood for taking pictures at the tournament. These can be seen at Photos and at More Photos 

Thanks to The Starboard (and Boog Laird for working with The Starboard) for sponsoring this team and congratulations to Keith and his team on their championship. 

The teams fared pretty good at the DSO Tournament in Dover on September 6th. 

The 55 year-old team, managed by Keith Purdy, won the Gold Medal in their age group.

The 60 year-old team, led by Dave Sroka, won the Gold Medal in the Silver Bracket of their age group.

Jesse Bare was the manager of the 65 year-old team that won the Gold Medal in their age group.

Grady Meredith coached the 70 year-old team to a Silver Medal in their age group.

Four teams, three Gold and one Silver medal - not bad at all. 

A special thanks to The Starboard restaurant in Dewey Beach for providing uniform shirts to the 55 year-old team

The 2014 Fall Ball season got underway, sort of, on Tuesday, 9/9. Unfortunately, after a whole summer season and tournament without a rainout, the weather wasn't kind and the opening games were canceled because of rain.

The first games were held on Thursday, 9/11. There are 8 teams in the league for this fall, managed by Bo Wood, Paul Litwin, Pat Carey, Keith Purdy, Mike Krieg, Grady Meredith, Mike Luke and Dave Sroka.

It's not too late to join the fall season. If you're interested, send an email to tomwendorf@comcast.net.

Click the links to download the season schedule and rosters.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

September 2, 2014

Present: Bo Wood, Harry Gowl, Keith Purdy, Dick Mullins, Tom Wendorf

1) Discussed the date for the end of the season Board of Director's meeting, which includes rating the players after the 2014 season. The date is Tuesday, September 9, 2014 around noon at the fields after the fall ball games. Managers are asked to get their ratings to the Secretary by this coming weekend in order to have time to compile them in one document and send out to the managers.

2) Bo discussed the future of the league with respect to the number of players allowed, the number of teams, size of teams, etc. There are a few options that need to be explored by the Board of Directors. They include keeping the number of players and teams the same, increasing the number of teams to 14, with 12 on a team, for a total of 168 players, or increasing the number of players per team. The conversation also included changing the minimum age of the league to 60, which would reduce the eligibility pool. Those 55 - 60 currently in the league would be grandfathered in, this would only affect new players joining the league. Each option has to be explored fully. Trying to play 7 games in one day would require playing in to the afternoon. To avoid that we would have to add a day (Wednesday, for example) to the schedule, and teams would have to rotate through. This could be a problem for those who work and make their schedules up to play on Tuesday and Thursday. More thought needs to take place, including discussion with the Board of Directors.

This discussion included a recommendation that would give priority registration to those players returning to OTS. A cutoff date would be established and any returning player that registers before that date would be guaranteed a spot on the roster. New players would be placed on a wait list in the order they registered, and moved to the active roster in that order to fill in the number of players needed for the draft.

3) The Code of Conduct was discussed. This year, there has been an increasing amount of foul language and inappropriate behavior on the fields. This includes threats against other players. The Executive Committee was firm in their stance that this is not acceptable, and action will be taken to stop this from occurring in the future. Cursing that is loud enough for the spectators to hear, and especially the children playing at the church basketball courts, will not be tolerated. Threats against other players uttered so that others can hear them will also be dealt with firmly. The Executive Committee will be discussing this issue with the Board of Directors. There are currently two players who will be receiving letters stating that any more infractions will be handled by immediate suspension and, if appropriate, expulsion from the OTS league. No behavior that could adversely affect our relationship with the Church of God, who owns the fields, will be tolerated. Umpires for next year will be trained on this to ensure compliance.

4) Bo requested the appropriation of approximately $300 - $400 to purchase materials to cover the bleachers on the home team side of Field 1 to get the spectators out of the sun. Approved.

5) Bo advised that he has been approached by a couple of local businesses with respect to placing large signs on the outfield fences on each field. The Executive Committee briefly discussed pricing, how long the "rental" of sign would be, sign makeup, etc. No decision, further consideration will have to take place.

6) Bo advised the Executive Committee of gifts, trophies, etc. for OTS members that will be presented at the picnic on September 4th. This is an annual presentation done by the President. Bo requested funds to purchase a gift certificate to the AL Post 24 for the 6 members of the grounds crew to thank them for the work they've done on the fields. Approved.

7) The issue of players on the field not wearing their team's shirt during games was discussed. The consensus of the Executive Committee was that players must wear their shirts during games. If they are playing for another team as a sub, they need to wear either their team's shirt or a shirt similar in color to the team they are playing for. This is being addressed mainly to recognize the sponsors who support our league. We need sponsorships to keep the player fees down. If a player loses their shirt, they may purchase another one for $25. Players will not be allowed to play on the field without the appropriate shirt.

Richard B. Mullins Secretary, OTS