Back when this Ranger team started we were hoping to play in the local travel league,the Montgomery County Baseball Association (MCBA). Back then you had to be admitted into the league by applying and you had to go before the league board to be admitted for play. After our summer of tournaments Kevin and I put to get a package of the details of our summer activity outlining our team and what we had to offer the league. We were scheduled to meet the board one evening before the fall season started.
At the meeting it quickly became apparent that the league wasn't looking to add any teams to the 11u group and our bid to join the league was unsuccessful. When the league director at the time, Al Bidwick, let us know I thought Kevin was going to punch him in the nose! In three months Coach O had already become fiercely loyal to the team.
We ended up playing in the Mid-Maryland Travel Association which eventually became the Mid-Atlantic Baseball Association (MABA). That league became out home for our entire run. It was a hardship since we played double headers every Sunday in the fall and in the spring we added Thursday evening games. The league was made up of teams in Maryland from Frederick to to Sykesville to Baltimore to Annapolis. There was not another team in the league that was less than a 45 minute ride to get to the field. At least every other weekend was another Sunday road trip.
At the end of each season Kevin and I would talk about what was next. What tournaments? How many off season workouts? And I always added whether, with our growing resume, we should re-apply to the MCBA. Kevin never wavered. Ah...Fuck them. We can do just fine without them...and we did! We always took special pride when we faced an MCBA team in an off season tournament. I'm not certain, but I would guess we had a winning record in those games!
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