Countdown to Legion tourney is on

Paul Ivancich thinks he’s promoting the best deal in town.In less than two weeks, American Legion baseball champions from several states across the upper Midwest will converge in Ely for the 2005 Central Plains Division II Regional, and Ivancich co-chairs the local committee coordinating the tournament.And for one more week, Ivancich, other committee members and local Legion players will be selling $10 tournament passes for the event (passes are also available at the Ely Echo, Zaverl’s Bar, Grand Ely Lodge and the Ely Dairy Queen), good for all 14 games in a tournament that runs from Aug. 11-14 at Veterans Memorial Field, and include a chance to win $1,000 cash and other prizes.“It’s a great deal,” said Ivancich, who chairs the Ely committee with Bill Scott. “For $10, you can see all the games and your name is entered into a raffle for the $1,000 and a lot of other good prizes.“The sales cap a massive fundraising drive for the committee, which needs to generate at least $25,000 in revenue to cover costs associated with the eight-team tournament. The host committee is responsible for lodging and meals for the visiting teams throughout the tournament.It also marks the start of the final countdown to the Division II regional, which will be held in Ely for the second time in five years.The host Ely team, which took a 21-8 record into district tournament play on Thursday night, has an automatic bid in the tournament, and they’ll be joined by state champions from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. The runners-up from Minnesota and Wisconsin round-out the field.Division II Legion baseball is for communities with high school enrollments of 400 or less in the top three grades.“It’s great small-school, small-town baseball,” said Ivancich. “The fans from these small towns really follow their team, and it should be a great atmosphere all week.”Preparations for the tournament began almost a year ago, with the committee landing sponsorships and selling booklet advertisements, securing housing at area motels, and planning for an Aug. 10 tournament banquet (Jugoslav National Home) that features former Kansas City Royals pitcher Dennis Leonard and Seattle Mariners scout Joe Bohringer as guest speakers.Veterans Memorial Field will probably be a hub of activity the next two weeks, as workers complete a series of improvements at the facility.Last week, a new sound system was installed while Ely Baseball Association workers spruced up the playing surface.Organizers were thrown for a loop in late-June, when a severe windstorm destroyed both dugouts and caused more than $15,000 in damage.The dugouts have since been rebuilt, and new fencing will be installed along Stukel Way prior to the tournament.“That could have been a disaster,“ said Ivancich. “But thankfully insurance covered most of the costs and we were able to get the dugouts built.”Now, the focus has returned to baseball and entrants for the regional will be determined over the next several days, when state tournaments are completed in the various states.The tournament will bring about 140 players and coaches to Ely, and organizers are bracing for an onslaught of visitors from the participating communities.“Depending on the distance, each team should bring anywhere from 40 to up to 100 fans,” said Ivancich.The tournament will likely help to fill lodging establishments around the area and local leaders have recognized the Ely field - which hosts four-to-five tournaments a year and about 100 games each summer - as a factor in summer economic development.The Ely Chamber of Commerce and YourPool.com have signed on as major sponsors for the tournament.The regional is the latest in a series of major baseball tournaments held in Ely, site of the 1980 Legion World Series.Since the completion of a major renovation project in 1999, Ely has hosted two state tournaments and two Legion regionals.Proceeds from the tournaments as well as fundraisers conducted by the Ely Baseball Association have resulted in more than $100,000 in private investment in the baseball facility, which is owned by the Ely School District. Projects have included the installation of a new lighting system, fencing, field groomer, batting cage and other items.