JC players return, boost Palo Verde Legion team

Adam Candee

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 | 8:52 a.m.

Differences abound between junior college and summer American Legion baseball. The skill levels vary, as does the intensity of the competition.

Matt Wilson, now a sophomore on the successful Community College of Southern Nevada team, notices a little something else in the dugout when he competes alongside his old Palo Verde High School squad.

"With this team, they probably talk about girls more, a lot of that other stuff," Wilson said.

Revised American Legion age guidelines, upping the eligible age by a few months, allowed current junior college players such as Wilson and Brandon Kintzler to compete with their former high school squads this summer. American Legion now states that players born on or before Jan. 1, 1984 are eligible to compete.

Debate exists among coaches over the benefit to both the player and the team, as about a handful of college players returned for to their high school squads in Las Vegas in 2003.

"I don't know if it's really had the impact that American Legion thought it would have," Palo Verde coach Mike Besser said. "There's not a whole lot of guys who have come back."

Yet Besser could not be happier with his decision to give Kintzler and Wilson the opportunity to join his high school kids for the summer season. Both are pitchers, and they have helped the Panthers (20-8) to a likely No. 2 seed in the upcoming Nevada State Tournament Aug. 2-9.

"I'm psyched," Kintzler said. "I want to win that damn thing. I want to be in the dogpile."

While the victory chase is exciting, both high school and college coaches agree that the most important aspect of older players coming to Legion ball is the opportunity for consistent practice throughout the summer. The level of competition is not the same, but the repetitions are still appreciated.

"It's great for them," CCSN coach Tim Chambers said. "They can go back, get some reps, and get some innings."

Kintzler and Wilson differ on the value of their choice to play the Legion season. Although both enjoy the leadership role of teaching younger players about their experiences in the game, Wilson said that he would not recommend Legion to fellow college players because the competition is not as sharp.

"I would recommend if a college team or an out-of-state team is doing something, to probably do that," Wilson said.

Besser enjoys having seasoned players to impart knowledge to his prep charges, even if he does not see the summer as a prep season. The Panthers certainly reaped benefits from the presence of Kintzler and Wilson, and Besser believes more teams could also benefit from doing so.

"They've raised (the age limit) up another six to seven months to where guys could come back and play, and we've taken advantage of it," Besser said. "Our guys like to come back and play, and we enjoy having them back.

"There's some (teams) that don't like having their older guys back. I guess it's the philosophy of the coach. I don't really look at this as a prep team. We're out to do the best that we can, regardless of if it's high school or Legion."