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Blue and Gold Committee selects Tournament Director
Gil Wood has the experience and energy to make the Blue and Gold a great summer experience for the players and the Mohawk Valley
February 16, 2008 - The 25th Annual Adrean Post Blue and Gold International baseball tournament committee has selected its 2008 field director, Mr. Gil Wood. Gil has announced the most competitive schedule for the tournament in its 25 years of existence.
Gilly, as he known through out American Legion baseball, is responsible for all of the tournament logistics such as getting teams for tournament, the pairing of the teams, coordination of arrival of all of the teams, and most important, the running of the actual tournament games for that week.
Without a doubt Gilly has more experience in running successful baseball tournaments than anyone in New York State. Since 1983, Gilly had been the director of the very successful World Youth Classic held in Binghamton, New York. In 1982 the first inaugural year of the WYC, the tournament was a very modest four team tournament comprised of Binghamton Post 1645, Boyertown PA, the reining American Legion World Champions, Vestal Post, and Adrean Post. That year was the first glimpse of what was to come for the WYC. Every year the field changed and more and more elite teams clammered for a shot to play in the WYC. At its peak under Gilly’s guidance, the tournament not only grew to 24 teams but also was ranked as the 5th best amateur baseball tournament in the United States. “No one ever expected the WYC to become such a powerful tournament when we started it. It became so special that teams from all over the world would call in August to try to get in the tournament for the following year. Every year there was a waiting list of teams, just as there is this year for the Blue and Gold.”
Gilly feels that the Utica venue will do nothing but make the tournament that much more desirable every year. “Don’t get me wrong, my home town is very special to me and it really hurt to see the WYC committee decide to terminate the tournament this year. It’s like watching your kid leave the house to go off on their own…a lot of mixed feelings, to say the least. But like they say when one door closes, another opens, and Mike Macchione and I go way back in our friendship and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get into the challenge of creating another International tournament”, said Wood. “When I coached Post 1645 we played in the Blue and Gold and I always thought that Utica would be a great place to have a world class tournament, so this is a dream come true to some extent”.
Gilly, never shied away from the challenge of making the WYC the best tournament in the Northeast. He knew that the thing that drives home the quality of the tournament is the quality of the teams that are invited. Make no mistake about it, the teams that come to play are by invitation only and are top notch over the years of their existence, not one year wonders.
When we say, “reach out” we mean way out there. Try teams from the Republic of China, Puerto Rico, Japan, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Holland, Italy, Netherlands, Mexico and of course Canada. With the exception of one of two teams from Italy, all of the teams not only bring color and cultural differences to the tournament, but an incredible spirit to the tournament. There are almost no words to describe the energy and color that the Latino players and their parents and fans bring to a game…any game, let alone competitive games like these. They come to play and without a doubt- to win. “I expect to add at least 2-3 international teams next year”, says Gilly. “This area that’s so rich in baseball talent, just like my hometown, will see some of the best amateur baseball they have ever seen in their life. I guarantee it!”
Gilly, as those of us who have had the good fortune to play in the WYC in the past know, runs the tournament like a drill sergeant. You may be a friend before and after the game, but during the games that you play, you’re just one of the competitors. That means no baloney, no disrespecting the Tournament Director and listen to what he says at the 4 o’clock managers and coaches meeting the day of arrival…or you’re in trouble.
In Binghamton Gil made sure that no matter what, the tournament will be played in its entirety…even with severe rain. The charm of the WYC is the incredible fact that if rain plays havoc with the fields, everyone will be on call regardless of the time of day, night or even more profound early morning. Now when we say early morning we are not talking about 7, 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning. Heck anyone can play at those times. No, we are talking about midnight, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the morning to throw out the first pitch and get the game going. Gilly’s favorite story is when he hears player coming back from a 3 AM start and say, “I watched the sun go up and the sun go down”, it doesn’t get more serious than that. That little experience lasts a lifetime with the players and coaches that participate in that game. By the way, if your game is scheduled for 3 in the morning, and the schedule says that you are supposed to play at 9AM as well, don’t think there is ant slack cut for the warriors of the morning. Nope, you will be out there at 9 to play that game and to keep things right on schedule. It’s a real “trip” all by itself.
Gil plays it all up and up. There was no sandbagging for his Binghamton team, except for one thing; Post 1645 had the 3rd base dugout no matter whom they played. Gil will conduct the tournament with some old friends as well as some new ones, but in either case he’ll make his presence known from the coaches meeting to the final award presentation that the quality of play, the conduct of the coaches and players and the keeping on schedule are the most important things that he’ll be concerned with for the week.
So while it may be a mere five months away before the first teams arrive, Gilly will be driving back and forth to Utica, to keep the baseball issues on track and to be sure that his name continues to be attached to a first-class event that will make everyone want to return, and everyone want to play in.
Gilly is the right man for the job and he’ll
prove it in July.
| - News Headlines - |
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2008 News Archive
8/5/2007
Whitestown Vs. Adrean Post 1PM Sunday
8/4/2007
The Art of Second Quessing
8/3/2007
Here she goes again; Mother Nature puts a halt to District Title Games
7/29/2007
Smith Post Wins 2007 Oneida County American Legion Baseball Title
7/28/2007
2007 Oneida County American Legion All-star Teams selected
7/28/2007
Mother Nature taking over the Oneida County Play-offs once again
7/23/2007
Oneida County Legion Baseball Playoff Begin Tonight
7/23/2007
Cick on County Playoffs for Oneida County Legion Playoff Brackets
6/24/2007
Alumnus Profile: Phil Puleo
6/18/2007
Alumnus Profile: Jeremy Peters
6/14/2007
Oneida County American Legion Alumnus Profile: Dan Maycock
3/17/2007
2007 Season Kicks Off With Scheduling Meeting
8/20/2006
Kyle Richardson Wins 2006 Oneida County American Legion Player of the Year Award
8/15/2006
It May Be Over, but the Memories Will Live On Forever for New Hartford Post 1376 and their Fans
8/8/2006
A Special Tribute to
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