Play ball!

They've been doing so in Butler County — American Legion style — for 56 years with no sign of slowing down.

"We have 200 kids come through this league annually," said BCAL Baseball president Dess Schnur. "It's the players and team pride that keeps it going."

BCAL Baseball has had 23 players sign major league contracts over the years, including current big league pitcher Matt Clement, who played for Butler Township.

"Matt played Legion ball with his friends, the same kids he grew up playing baseball with all his life,"Schnur said.

Butler County has more Legion teams per capita than any county in the United States. The league has consistently had 10 or more teams, peaking at 14 in 1984.

Saxonburg, which has won 12 league titles, will not field a team this season. Karns City, which didn't have a team last year, will return, however.

"Things like that happen from time to time,"Schnur said. "Sometimes a program can't get a coach for a particular season or there aren't enough players.

"Programs can keep their charters for three years without fielding a team before we have to rezone boundaries. And we rarely have to do that."

Pennsylvania has more than 500 Legion baseball teams, most of any state. No county in the state has more teams than Butler County.

"Sometimes I wish there were fewer teams," Clement said of the BCAL. "Legion games are watered down a bit right now and really good players are going to Palomino ball or other organizations to find better competition.

"I love the idea of getting more kids to participate and that's fine, as long as no one expects a team from around here to do well in the postseason tournaments."

The Butler School District is represented by five Legion teams: Butler Township, Butler City, East Butler, Center Township and Meridian.

"High school coaches love to see their teams play together during the summer. That can't happen in Butler,"Clement said.

Others will argue that dozens of youngsters who don't play organized baseball in high school are able to do so in the Legion league.

"You're not going to be able to load up a team to move on and there are other areas that like to do that,"said former BCAL officer and commissioner Dan Cunningham. "But our league is all about community baseball.

"We have a small population base in this county and to be able to field this many teams year in and year out ... it shows how much kids still enjoy playing this game."

Schnur is the dean of managers in the BCAL, having been the lone skipper in East Butler's 24-year history in the league. He's amassed 357 career wins, 64 postseason victories and 10 regional playoff appearances.

Other league managers have been around a while as well. Bob Steiner stepped down at the end of last season after 13 years at Mars. Gene Zawrotuk retired after 12 seasons with Butler Township.

Tom Schneider remains at the helm after 17 years at Zelienople and is the league's vice president.

"As long as the kids are willing to play, it's a fun time,"Schneider said. "The league's been pretty solid.

"Numbers are the big issue. We do lose some kids to Palomino ball, and sometimes we have to bring up 15-year-old Colt league players to fill out the roster, but so be it."

Cunningham said that Legion ball "gives a young man the opportunity to play baseball for a community organization with national support. That's a unique thing."

The BCALbegan play with four teams in 1952. There were only two teams — Mars and Saxonburg — in 1954, but there were 11 by 1958.

Numerous teams have come and gone, including Chicora, Fairview, Harrisville, Slippery Rock, Renfrew, South Butler, Lernerville, Petrolia, Cooperstown and Washington Township, to name a few.

Five names affiliated with the BCAL — longtime Mars manager Chester Marburger, league commissioner Jim Lokhaiser, Butler Eagle sports editor Mike Surkalo, Schnur and Cunningham — are in the Pennsylvania American Legion Hall of Fame.

Two BCAL players — Scot Thompson of Saxonburg in 1973, Paul Lumley of Butler in 1974 — were named East-West All-Star Game MVPs.

Clement was named Pennsylvania American Legion Graduate of the Year in 2003.

"We've had more than 5,000 kids play American Legion Baseball in Butler County and our league is still a healthy program,"Schnur said.

"Scouts prefer coming to Legion games more than high school. The weather's warmer and the kids' performances are peaking.

"We all have opinions on how things should be done, but every coach and official in the league respects each other's organization. That's how we've been able to survive and thrive,"Schnur added.

Here are the 23 former Butler County American Legion baseball players who went on to play for major league organizations:<B>Player ................................Team</B>Matt Clement................................Butler Twp.John Prokopchak................................Butler Twp.John Stuper................................Butler Twp.Terry McGarrah................................Center Twp.Bill Clinefelter................................Cranberry Twp.Shawn Norris................................Cranberry Twp.Jason Conti................................ZelienopleCurt Schnur................................East ButlerDan DeCola................................Karns CityJason Farren................................Karns CityJeff Hartung................................MarsMike Knox................................MarsMike Sheehy................................MarsMilt Graff................................SaxonburgBill Jerich................................SaxonburgRob O'Leath................................SaxonburgJohn Sepich................................SaxonburgMike Sikorski................................SaxonburgBill Thompson................................SaxonburgScot Thompson................................SaxonburgDave Clouse................................ZelienopleGeorge Sutch................................ZelienopleDoug Wolf................................Warrendale