BABE RUTH LEAGUE, INC. VOLUNTEERS ARE THE BEST

I truly believe that the Babe Ruth program has the highest quality volunteer network than any other sports organization. Having the opportunity to travel extensively and spend time in the field, I am always amazed to see the hard work and dedication put forth by our volunteers for the youth of their communities. We at “home plate” are honored and confident that our volunteers are doing their best to make sure they are successful in their endeavors to make the game fun for all participants.

There are many unsung heroes in our program who deserve a sincere thank you especially our District, State and Regional Commissioners and their many assistants. Our commissioners are responsible for the total administration of their individual district, state and regional organizations, as well as for the planning and conducting of many tournaments.

As I traveled to our nine World Series this past August, I received many compliments on how well our World Series were conducted. However, I could not help but think of all the other tournaments that take place prior to the World Series that are so important to our program. There are a huge number of tournaments that must be carefully planned and conducted with the goal of providing a positive experience for all the participants. The District Tournament is where it all begins. It provides an opportunity for every league to participate. The next level of competition is the State Tournament. As every District Commissioner is responsible for the district tournament, each State Commissioner is responsible for the state tournament. There are a minimum of nine tournaments in baseball and approximately three to five tournaments in softball. The same holds true for the Regional Tournaments administered by the respective Baseball and Softball Regional Commissioners.

If you total the number of tournaments, excluding the World Series, there are approximately 5,000 which are under the jurisdiction of our District, State and Regional Commissioners. We at Babe Ruth League, Inc. are most appreciative of our many commissioners for their hard work, dedication and concern for a fun and positive tournament experience for our players. We thank them for their selfless service to our youth.

I also want to thank our many league presidents and league officials, team managers and coaches for the great job they do for the youth of their communities. They are committed to implementing the basic intent of Babe Ruth League, Inc., that every candidate be given the opportunity to play in the program within the rules and regulations as established by Babe Ruth League, Inc. We believe many benefits are derived from a child’s participation in youth baseball and softball – such as teamwork, honesty, fair play, learning to win and lose gracefully, as well as encouraging responsibility for actions, good morals and quality citizens.

Our managers and coaches do a super job at keeping our youth excited about baseball and softball. They serve as mentors and teachers. Babe Ruth League, Inc. encourages them to teach by example the importance of providing a safe physical and mental environment, communicating in a positive way, and teaching respect for the rules of the game. During my travels for the program, I am often asked by the media, “Why is Babe Ruth League so successful each year?” That is an easy question for which my reply will always be, “Babe Ruth League, Inc. is successful because it has the highest quality volunteers of all the youth sports organizations.”

I would be remiss if I did not ask each of our volunteers to personally thank their family for allowing them to give so much time to Babe Ruth League, Inc. To our very special volunteers and their families, THANK YOU for helping to provide a quality and memorable experience for our youth. We could not possibly do it without you, our great volunteers!