National would serve Legion baseball better by managing through a changing environment. Here are a few suggestions that are not all very easy to do, but possible.
1. Build in an opportunity in the schedule for teams or groups of players from multiple teams to combine to go to East Cobb. Fighting this event is pointless and it helps kids so why be against it?
2. Expand enrollment to 6000 to help the large population centers without penalizing rural areas with the clear message this number can go up or down to accommodate current trends.
3. Become better organized with structure, and step in with states that have corrupt leadership. There has been many in the past that abuse their power to "help" particular teams and National does not get involved with state matters without a complaint from someone within. All complaints or appeals must go through the State Baseball Committee, and yes, I personally have been told that my appeal will not be sent to National.
4. Open leadership....aka Commissioner seats to non-legionnaires. The pool of candidates is shrinking and there are some nice people with great intentions that are grossly incompetent to fulfill the duties of the position in place today.
State Changes
1. You can't offer the best option for players and have the most teams. I'm never for Zone recruitment because it penalizes players that live in the gaps; however, base school spacing is the best way to destroy or enhance programs. Do the research and DON'T add teams that hurt existing programs. You can't advance anything by stepping on the back of someone else to "elevate" yourself. NC leadership would allow a team at every Post in the state and that is part of the problem.
2. THROW THE NC RULEBOOK IN THE TRASH and never waste a dime printing another one!!! You can only "by rule" dictate stronger recruiting rules so WHY WOULD YOU EVER penalize teams from your state??? Commissioners must understand what they can and cannot dictate based upon the RULES.
3. Follow the rules EXACTLY. Do not bend for anyone, period.
4. Plan and then plan some more, while asking for input from your Area well in advance. Form a coaches\AD committee that has a vote at the table on Area & State matters.
5. Programs that have ineligible players two times within any five year period, should have the head coach and AD removed permanently from Legion baseball. This penalizes the problem without necessarily penalizing the kids. Yes, most programs are one person away from nonexistence, but there are programs that knowingly skirt the rules and continue to come back and do it again.
None of this is easy, but the kids deserve better. Regardless of what happens in the structure or not, the responsible folks for each program can make a difference, one kid at a time by simply investing in them. Nobody cares what you know until they know how much you care.