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In American Legion 19-and-under summer league

baseball, each team has a specific district from which it can recruit. Vienna

Post 180, for instance, plucks its players from areas that feed into Oakton,

Madison and South Lakes high schools. In addition, private school players who

live within those district lines also may be recruited.

Given

the makeup of these Legion teams, the rivalries many of the players may have

forged during the high school season must be quickly forgotten. In some cases,

however, such amnesia is not easily achieved. For Post 180 skipper Frank Werman,

who coaches players from rivals Madison and Oakton, team chemistry requires time

more than anything else.

"It

takes a while before they start to come together," said Werman, whose son

Keith is an Oakton graduate. "It's still early. There are still three little

teams, and that's part of the transition – getting these guys to play for

each other."

As

difficult as it is to integrate players from rival schools, there is an inherent

respect and admiration between them. Said Fairfax Post 177 coach Craig Knoll,

"They have an instant bond." It's a bond that both Werman and Knoll hope

will catapult their teams to success.

Such

success relies heavily on how readily players will accept criticism and be open

to change. Lots of these players have not been exposed to high-level ball, and

that is where the coaches see much room for improvement.

"I

try to push a college type of program," Werman said. "We're really

aggressive, we do a lot of small-ball stuff, which will help them at the next

level. That's what I like to teach, so for me it makes it a lot of fun, and

the kids love it. When they understand the game, they really love it."

Perhaps

one of Legion's biggest draws is its low cost -- players usually pay less than

$200 for the entire summer. In the case of Post 177, none of its players pay

anything at all. This differs from other travel teams that can cost as much as a

few thousand dollars.

The

players dive into the league aspiring to improve, so in addition to coming with

an open mind, the stiff competition draws them as well. Playing against

highly-touted college players gives the younger guys a chance to play at a

higher level; to see where they stand and how they compare. For the college

players, the league is a good opportunity to get repetitions and sharpen their

games.

Jackson

Clement, a 19-year-old outfielder who will play at the University of Mary

Washington next year, intends to use the Legion season to "help get my

confidence up." At the same time, his fielding has improved greatly.

"I've

definitely become a better center fielder," he said.

As the

players improve, the teams will improve as well. For a lot of these players,

their summertime goals revolve around winning. They want titles and

championships, and that fire harkens back to the competitiveness of the league.

"They

want to get in the playoffs, they want to get in the districts, they want to get

into the state tournament," Werman said. "They want to win that and go

to the regionals. A lot of these guys are not out here just for fun."

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