To be honest, the Metro Baseball League doesn’t work without the hundreds of wonderful, hard-working people leading our communities. Having just completed my first year as MBL Director, I am AMAZED at how many individuals put forth time and effort to make youth baseball great. Nearly all of them are volunteers, working to support their associations and baseball as a whole. I found myself walking around at a tournament or a league night at a complex thinking about how grateful I am to all these folks. The memorable experiences we all have at these fields would not happen without them – field maintenance, concessions, tournament directors, team managers, park staff, travel program directors, coaches, umpires, and the list goes on.
Minnesota Baseball Tournaments with Another Grand Slam Year
The signature events of the youth baseball season in this part of the Midwest are the MBT State Tournaments. When I think about how fun and exciting these tournaments are, I immediately arrive at our tournament hosts and the huge group of volunteers involved. While the MBL/MBT work hard on the front end to prepare these events, the host volunteers are the ones who make the tournaments what they are. No one has a greater impact on the success of MBT State than the tournament staff on site, and I am grateful for these women and men, girls and boys, who work so hard over the course of the weekend.
MBL is Thrilled to Give Back
Knowing what these people do for youth baseball, I am so happy MBL can contribute significant donations to the host associations through our charitable efforts. Giving to these associations is such great use of these funds. Donation money benefits the host community in numerous ways – not the least of which is keeping costs low for families to play baseball – but it also benefits all the teams at a tournament in the form of better services and enhancements.
This year the MBL gave nearly $72,000 to State Tournament, August Classic and MBL Playoff Championship hosts at 19 different age levels! A special thanks to Bloomington, Burnsville, Chanhassen, Eastview, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Prior Lake, Rochester and Rosemount!
Speaking of donating, did you know the MBL is on track to contribute over $400,000 back to communities for a second year in a row!? Besides MBT State Tournaments, August Classic, MBL League Playoff Championships and Fall League, the MBL also sponsored player and coaching clinics – as well as donated to field enhancements in multiple communities. (If your community has a field project coming up, have your travel director contact us or visit our site to apply for a grant!) Supporting umpires remains a priority for the MBL, and once again we implemented an umpire bonus program – rewarding umpires for their time and effort on the field. This year we gave nearly $20,000 in bonuses to more than 100 umpires across the region.
The commitment to give back to baseball remains as strong as ever. It is a staple of the MBL and we pledge to continue and to prioritize these efforts. A special thank you and happy holidays to all our MBL communities!