First & 10: Jim Moran

Jim Moran is one of the busiest people in the Eastern Jackson County area right now, as he prepares for the 20th annual American Legion Wood Bat Invitational. Twenty years ago, the tournament started with 10 teams and two fields. Now, 40 teams are scheduled to attend and will play at multiple sites around Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Independence starting Wednesday. Moran took time out to talk about the tournament, how far it’s come in 20 years and what surprises the tournament will have in its 20th year.

1. How much planning goes into this tournament?
It actually starts in September when I send out the invitations. The first 40 to send in their deposit money get in. From there, the timetable is about ordering bats, making sure the schedule is prepared. The lady who is in charge of our program has to have that three or four weeks out. I have to coordinate the people who will be working on the fields that aren’t at Hidden Valley Park. We have to make sure the little things are done early.

2. Florissant (Mo.) Post 444 is not in the tournament, despite winning a year ago. What happened with that?
The defending champs always get in for free. We don’t charge them to come back. But they were the 42nd team to register. We’ve got to be fair to everybody. The first 40 to send in their paperwork get in. And last week, a team dropped out, but we had a team standing by and filled it.

3. Now, all 10 Fifth District teams are in the tournament. Do they get special consideration?
They’re under similar rules. But Fifth District teams are in as long as they say they’re interested in coming back, either verbally or sending a payment. I know budgets are tight, so if they just send a small payment, they’re back in.

4. So how much time are you going to spend at Hidden Valley Park this coming week?
That’s a tough call, because it’s not just me putting in the time. All of our coaches are going to spend a lot of time. Tuesday, we’ll be out there putting up tents and the players will be helping divide the bats up. People will be doing little things. But starting Wednesday, we’ll be out there starting at 7:30 a.m. and probably be out there 18-20 hours a day, easily.

5. Aside from the coaches, how many other people do you rely on?
With so much going on, one man can’t do it. We’ve got people in charge of the Fike Burgers, people in charge of the gate. I just give them the money and say, ‘See you on Sunday.’ I don’t touch anything with the money during the tournament.

6. How many bats do you go through in the tournament?
Each team gets seven different models of bats from Hoosier Bats. They’re different sizes with different handles. So there are 40 teams so there are 280 bats. If a bat breaks in a game, there is no charge for a replacement. That’s one of the nice things we put in. They can just come back and get another one.  Now if a kid slams one down in disgust and it breaks, the kid has to pay to replace it. That’s only fair. At the end of the tournament, we have used bats for sale and new bats. I think in the inventory there are 80 of each bat, so about 450-500 in storage for the tournament.

7. How early do you start looking at the weather forecast?
I already have. I checked out a seven-day forecast and I saw rain for Tuesday and I just cringed. We’ve been pretty fortunate the last four to six years. But this whole year is set up just like 1993. That year, we had only 27 games played. Hidden Valley No. 2 has the advantage of a tarp. But you have no idea. Things change so dramatically (with weather). You just have to prepare for it to happen.

8. How much has this tournament changed over the years?
When we started, it was just 10 teams at Pink Hill Park. Now it’s 40 teams and American Legion teams only, so we can play with a level field. And it’s only wood bats. No composites or laminated. We’ve gone from two fields to seven. We’re cooperating with the Blue Springs School District and it takes cooperation with the City of Independence. It’s changed dramatically.

9. What are some of the changes you have in store for this year – with it being the 20th year?
There will be a Hall of Fame, but we’re not announcing who it is until the opening ceremonies. The people being inducted don’t even know. Also, Beth Foraker will throw about the first pitch. She became famous this spring. Her face was on TV every week. She’s (former Fike player and American Idol winner) David Cook’s mom. Though David won’t be here, we’re going to honor him and have a special bio we’ll read. Also the national anthem is the David Cook version he sang for the Lakers/Celtics game.

10. This is a tournament your team has never even reached the finals of. How special would it be if you guys were able to win this thing in its 20th season?

It would be very special for us. We’d like to win it some year. It’s a tough tournament to win. So the teams who have won it multiple years have done a great job. It would be neat to win this tournament. It would be something special for the players and the coaching staff. We’ve come close. One year, we were an error away (from the final). I remember the play and the kid who made the error and he never made errors. We’ve never even made the finals.