Gold figures to do well at regional tourney

NEW ULM -- New Ulm Legion Gold will depart New Ulm Wednesday morning for the trek to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Central Plains American Legion Baseball Tournament.

New Ulm will play its first game at 10 a.m. Thursday, taking on the Nebraska state champion, Creighton Prep.

New Ulm already has a win over Creighton Prep, coached by former Hutchinson athlete, Pat Mooney. Gold downed Creighton 10-2 for the Upper Midwest Classic crown.

New Ulm's second game will be at about 12:30 p.m. Friday when Gold will meet the Wisconsin state champion, La Crosse.

New Ulm will be off until about 8 p.m. Saturday when Gold plays its third game of the tournament against host Cedar Rapids.

The teams with the most wins in the round-robin tournament will meet Sunday to advance to the American Legion World Series in Yakima, Wash.

If you look at how New Ulm has played in the state tournament, you know Gold has a good shot of returning to Yakima. Gold was last there in 1978 after winning the Minnesota state title

Gold never trailed in the first 29 innings of the state tournament before Coon Rapids scored five runs in the fateful fourth inning of the championship game. Other than that, New Ulm was the dominant team in the state tournament.

You know New Ulm will come out smoking in that first game against Creighton -- a team that perennially has its season run deep into tournament play. New Ulm is as good as any team there and don't be surprised if they are off to Yakima again after a 24-year absence.

ONE GAME NOT RIGHT: One of the things that bothered me, and a lot of other New Ulm fans, was the fact New Ulm was unbeaten going into that state title game, had already beaten Coon Rapids earlier in the tournament 9-3, but only one game determined the state champion.

The reasoning, I guess, is that both New Ulm and Coon Rapids were already going to regional tournaments. But that is a poor reason; teams want to be known as state champions.

If they would have used the runs-scored formula, New Ulm would have won the state title by a 14-12 margin. But the rule about a one-game title game between the unbeaten and a once-beaten team was set up in 1996. So I guess that we have to live with it, not like it though.

GOLD ALMOST SENT TO LANCASTER, OHIO: The word in the pressbox prior to the New Ulm-Coon Rapids game was win or lose New Ulm was going to be sent to Lancaster, Ohio.

The reason was New Ulm had a smaller number of players on the team and it would be cheaper to fly a lesser number. But somehow between the start of the game and the awards ceremony, that changed as New Ulm was sent to Cedar Rapids. That shorter trip means there will be more New Ulm fans there. New Ulm has always drawn well in tournaments because of its loyal parents and fans.

If you ask people at the state tournament, they all said New Ulm brings a big contingent to all games.

DIFFERENT MVP IF NEW ULM WINS STATE: If New Ulm Gold had won the state title, either pitcher Andy Stolt or pitcher/outfielder Craig Spelbrink would have been named the MVP of the tournament.

But when Coon Rapids won the award went to shortstop Dan Anderson.

Three New Ulmites have won the Fred Wannamaker Award for the state tournament MVP. They are Terry Steinbach in 1978, Todd Hoffmann in 1988 and Brady Ranweiler in 1995.

MARSHALL DRAFTS THREE KAISERHOFF PLAYERS: The Marshall A's, the Section 4B champions, drafted pitchers Tom Steinbach and Aaron Heitzman, along with catcher Brady Ranweiler for state tournament play.

Column by Jim Bastian

Journal Sports Writer