Concord Post 51 looking for help

[markinconcord]

Story in today's Independent Tribune sports section says Concord Post 51 is looking for someone to take over the baseball program. The cost and aging membership of the group has led to the call for help. Athletic director Bill Collins is also stepping down. Post 51 has sponsored the team here in Concord since 1948.

[homeplate]

Concord has had one of the best baseball programs around I hope ther legion post will continue to sponsor there team, alot of great teams came out of Concord.

[greenballz]

yeah i hope so to if not for just the 51/501 rivilery.

[Harwood]

Post 51 has been in a downward spiral for over 10 years now, since the departure of R. Sweringen and Queen. Scott Goings really screwed up this team, believe me, I played for the team in the mid 90's. Every since Salisbury came back and put us out of the state quarterfinals after being up 3-1, the team has never rebounded. Goings made the worst coaching decisions you could possibly imagine (He would not use Jason Bowers as a pitcher because he thought he wasn't good enough to start for the team, but the Atlanta Braves let Bowers pitch in their organization by drafting him out of high school that same year! I guess being left handed and pushing 90 mph wasn't good enough for Goings). Guess that is what you get when you go to "Dairy Queen" to hire your head coach. It's a shame because the legion does so much for their team!

[homeplate]

Scott Goins was a hell of a coach and player ,If concord want's to get back where they were they need to Hire Robin swaringer back and get on with it. there is talent in the Concord area. Some young guy needs to step up to the plate and help those old men out and run that team like ken cook used to with a iron fist. This is part of what has happened to legion ball some of these older gentlemen have got out the ones that demanded disipline from it's players and coaches.



Post 51 has been in a downward spiral for over 10 years now, since the departure of R. Sweringen and Queen. Scott Goings really screwed up this team, believe me, I played for the team in the mid 90's. Every since Salisbury came back and put us out of the state quarterfinals after being up 3-1, the team has never rebounded. Goings made the worst coaching decisions you could possibly imagine (He would not use Jason Bowers as a pitcher because he thought he wasn't good enough to start for the team, but the Atlanta Braves let Bowers pitch in their organization by drafting him out of high school that same year! I guess being left handed and pushing 90 mph wasn't good enough for Goings). Guess that is what you get when you go to "Dairy Queen" to hire your head coach. It's a shame because the legion does so much for their team!

[Harwood]

Scott Goins was a hell of a coach and player ,If concord want's to get back where they were they need to Hire Robin swaringer back and get on with it. there is talent in the Concord area. Some young guy needs to step up to the plate and help those old men out and run that team like ken cook used to with a iron fist. This is part of what has happened to legion ball some of these older gentlemen have got out the ones that demanded disipline from it's players and coaches.

I agree with you on bringing Swaringen back, he was a great coach and helped coach me when I was young. As for your comment on Goings, I disagree, he was a horrible coach that had great talent land in his lap. If he was so great, how many times did he get past Rowan County in the playoffs? None.

I do miss the days that Concord was a powerhouse. I grew up at Webb field chasing foul balls for those legion guys.......Those guys also took care of their team, after every away game they would take us out to eat and my sophomore year they took us all to the beach when the season ended. These guys need a great coach. Maybe some of the past great players will come back and help coach? I know a lot of the guys that still live in the area................

[4-6-3-DP]

I think Ronnie Bost has done a great job considering where the program was when he took over. Here of late, there just hasn't been that much talent in Cabarrus County. It appears to be getting better, but look at the schools it draws from. Last year, Concord was terrible, JM wasn't much better, Central had a down year, and Mount made the playoffs with a very young team. Add that to the fact that they only had one college player back, I think he did a pretty good job with the team he had. Good coaching can only get you so far. Hopefully, some of these young guys will continue to progress and continue to play legion. I think you will start to see better results then.

[Harwood]

More pressing needs for Post 51 is with the talent. They are not getting great talent at all. This is a result from a weak rec. league that supports Concord High (They have always been poor). Central and Northwest have always had more support, but it is nowhere near what our counterparts in Rowan County have. Rowan county breathes and sleeps baseball from five years old and up to they hit the legion team. We need to support our legion team by developing our kids more before they get to legion ball. My son is getting ready to play ball and I plan on coaching his teams and developing some talent at an early age........If we could get some of other previous legion players starting with kids, we would become a powerhouse again in Concord.

Anyway, I work in Salisbury and I am so sick of arrogant Rowan County fans and there damn cowbells........

[Intimidator Coach]

you can buy cowbells in in concord .. its not exclusive to rowan county

[tj21]

Coach Ronnie Bost has done an excellent job coaching Concord's legion team, and hopefully he will be in your future. Bill Collins & others have also done an excellent job, because as the newspaper article reads, it takes $15,000 a year just to field a team and that may be on the low side.

Many folks don't realize how much money is needed to operate one of these teams with misc.expenses, uniforms, equipment, and seemingly loads of travel costs.

I wish Concord's legion team the very best, and hopefully someone will step forward and help in a way that you need it. Sincerely, tj from Kannapolis

[west boy]

ok, , don't get mad at Rowan just because they always have a good team and always have good support. We love our legion up here and always have.

[greenballz]

rowan aint nothin

[west boy]

Yeah if you call consistently being one of the top legion programs in the state nothing, then you don't know too much do you??

[tj21]

Rowan has great community support which generates mega$$$, a great coach (Gantt) and great facilities.

WestBoy, you gotta understand why some folks from other programs are envious of what you got.

We in Kannapolis have a much smaller support group, but the few businesses we have are very loyal to our legion program in their support $$$. Talent-wise, we only draw our players from 2 schools,,, so we know some years is going to be down years on the playing field which also hurts us at the gate in $$$. However, we go into every season knowing in order to be the very best team in this area, we gotta bring our standard up to Rowan and beat Rowan. We were able to play with Rowan from 2003-2006 and even beat you guys enough those years to win 3 Area championships during that 4 year timeframe, because we had a special group of players.

Hat tip to you guys, because you maintain a high standard every year, a goal every other legion program around sets out to do.

What Concord is currently going through, is the financial and support struggles that most of the rest of the world goes through in maintaining their legion baseball programs. It is costly and it takes people to make it work.

Again, my best wishes to my pals in Concord and I hope they get their ship righted for the upcoming season so they can maintain their long history of legion baseball in that community. Bill Collins was (is) a class act that has spent many hours making sure the Concord legion program was there.

[west boy]

I understand how blessed Rowan is and I can understand how people can be envious. I want the other local legion programs to be consistently successful because it makes it better and the games more enjoyable. BTW, is Concord going to keep playing their games at Central this year or are they going to go back to historic Webb Field. I always enjoy going to watch Rowan play there. I understand they were undergoing some renovations and I was wondering if they were done with that or how long that is going to be?

[tj21]

Bill Collins told me during the playoffs that he was wanting the team to stay at Central Cabarrus because certain things were so much more convenient; however, if Bill is leaving the scene, who knows what the new personnel will do?