E Town
05-31-2007, 11:59 PM
Summer baseball has already started, and there’s nothing better than having a debate as to who’s the best.
Last year about this time, I ruffled a few feathers on the American Legion side when I said that Palomino arguably had the best summer baseball organization for high school and first-year college players in the Bay Area (basically top teams in the 19-year-old division). That’s right, I said arguably.
Others could make a case that Legion or Joe DiMaggio has the best organizations and I wouldn’t have a problem. It’s a great debate, kind of like picking between Magic and Bird or Elway and Montana. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the choices. So for the few people who went ballistic, take a deep breath and relax.
One thing is for certain: In San Mateo County, the wealth is shared because there are teams from American Legion, Joe DiMaggio and Palomino. While the San Mateo Post 82 Orioles and the San Carlos Joe DiMaggio squads have been the dominant teams from their respective leagues for the last five years — and in San Carlos’ case, for the last decade — the San Mateo Palomino White Sox faces a more daunting task in trying to win its league.
There are 12 teams in the Bay Area’s top Palomino league, which is based heavily in the South Bay, a baseball hotbed. For example, last year the Santa Clara Red Sox had seven Division I players on their roster, according to San Mateo Palomino coach Wally Souza. The Santa Clara Dodgers had Los Gatos High standout Kyle Blair, perhaps the best pitcher in Santa Clara County history.
Blair is bound for the University of San Diego, one of the top teams in the country, unless he gets a sweet deal from a Major League team in the upcoming draft (that’s pretty much guaranteed). Notice a trend? Since most of the Palomino teams are based in the South Bay, they get players who prep at Valley Christian (Central Coast Section Division I champions), perennial West Catholic League powers Bellarmine, Mitty and St. Francis, along with some of the best public schools in Wilcox, Los Altos (CCS D-II champs), Aptos (CCS D-II runner-up), Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Gatos.
“We’re sharing athletes up here whereas down there it’s mostly Palomino,” Souza said. “That’s what makes the league so strong, because with the exception of a traveling team or two, the teams down there get all the top talent from the top schools.”
As a whole, Palomino has a deeper league and the teams at the top are probably superior to the ones in Legion and DiMaggio. Having said that, Post 82 and San Carlos could play with anyone in a one-game, winner-take-all situation. The Bay Area is unique in that there are so many different leagues and teams in each city.
That brings out the best and competitive nature in everyone. Every Palomino team is allowed to have three 19 year olds on its roster for what is believed to be the first time in its history. Same goes with San Carlos. Legion is allowed an unlimited amount of 19 year olds, though its cutoff date is earlier than Palomino.
There’s no doubt American Legion is the most storied and tradition-rich of any league in the nation. DiMaggio is primarily a West Coast deal, but it’s a great organization, too. In the Bay Area, Palomino has the best teams from top to bottom.
Contact Emanuel Lee at emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.
Last year about this time, I ruffled a few feathers on the American Legion side when I said that Palomino arguably had the best summer baseball organization for high school and first-year college players in the Bay Area (basically top teams in the 19-year-old division). That’s right, I said arguably.
Others could make a case that Legion or Joe DiMaggio has the best organizations and I wouldn’t have a problem. It’s a great debate, kind of like picking between Magic and Bird or Elway and Montana. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the choices. So for the few people who went ballistic, take a deep breath and relax.
One thing is for certain: In San Mateo County, the wealth is shared because there are teams from American Legion, Joe DiMaggio and Palomino. While the San Mateo Post 82 Orioles and the San Carlos Joe DiMaggio squads have been the dominant teams from their respective leagues for the last five years — and in San Carlos’ case, for the last decade — the San Mateo Palomino White Sox faces a more daunting task in trying to win its league.
There are 12 teams in the Bay Area’s top Palomino league, which is based heavily in the South Bay, a baseball hotbed. For example, last year the Santa Clara Red Sox had seven Division I players on their roster, according to San Mateo Palomino coach Wally Souza. The Santa Clara Dodgers had Los Gatos High standout Kyle Blair, perhaps the best pitcher in Santa Clara County history.
Blair is bound for the University of San Diego, one of the top teams in the country, unless he gets a sweet deal from a Major League team in the upcoming draft (that’s pretty much guaranteed). Notice a trend? Since most of the Palomino teams are based in the South Bay, they get players who prep at Valley Christian (Central Coast Section Division I champions), perennial West Catholic League powers Bellarmine, Mitty and St. Francis, along with some of the best public schools in Wilcox, Los Altos (CCS D-II champs), Aptos (CCS D-II runner-up), Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Gatos.
“We’re sharing athletes up here whereas down there it’s mostly Palomino,” Souza said. “That’s what makes the league so strong, because with the exception of a traveling team or two, the teams down there get all the top talent from the top schools.”
As a whole, Palomino has a deeper league and the teams at the top are probably superior to the ones in Legion and DiMaggio. Having said that, Post 82 and San Carlos could play with anyone in a one-game, winner-take-all situation. The Bay Area is unique in that there are so many different leagues and teams in each city.
That brings out the best and competitive nature in everyone. Every Palomino team is allowed to have three 19 year olds on its roster for what is believed to be the first time in its history. Same goes with San Carlos. Legion is allowed an unlimited amount of 19 year olds, though its cutoff date is earlier than Palomino.
There’s no doubt American Legion is the most storied and tradition-rich of any league in the nation. DiMaggio is primarily a West Coast deal, but it’s a great organization, too. In the Bay Area, Palomino has the best teams from top to bottom.
Contact Emanuel Lee at emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.