Post 59’s year-round effort keeps it thriving as others struggle

By Chris Villani

In Milford, American Legion Baseball fans are accustomed to strong teams, packed stands, and an energy that can grip the entire town when the team goes on a winning streak like it did this summer, rattling off 20 wins in a row during the regular season.

Legion baseball has been a part of Milford for nearly as long as the sport has been in existence. The 2025 season marked 100 years of Legion baseball, and Post 59 has fielded a team for 96 of those years.

“This is part of the community,” said Cindy Stulac, the president of the Milford Legion Baseball Club. “The pride and the tradition that goes alongside Milford Legion baseball is unprecedented.”

Milford’s success story is not mirrored in many other places. According to a 2017 report, participation in Legion baseball had lost 25% of its teams nationwide over a decade and, in some states, that figure is closer to 80%. Some of the largest states in the country have just a handful of teams. Even in Massachusetts, longtime programs have folded amid a lack of participation.

But not in Milford.

“I don’t know any other Legion teams that have a full board of directors that supports them and raises the funds and focuses on the marketing and getting the crowds down to Fino Field,” Stulac said, citing everything from theme nights to lining up national anthem singers to the fact that all of the games are broadcast on the radio.

“Our board works all year round,” she said. “It’s a huge commitment, but everybody is passionate. Everybody feels a part of this.”

Stulac said the key to success for Milford as a program has been developing a sense of community and connection. Sponsors do not just write a check, she said, but they are invited to team events and have the chance to be featured during radio broadcasts. The team gives away season tickets to young fans, developing a love for the game and the team at an early age, she added.

Milford is also actively engaging its alumni, including what Stulac said is the first alumni game in decades slated for September. The formula, coupled with Milford’s winning track record on the field that dates back to a state title in the late 1920s and three trips to the World Series over the years, is hard to replicate, but not impossible.

“Do other communities have that? I don’t know. Could they start it? Absolutely,” Stulac said. “When you have enough energy and passion, it can be contagious. Everybody wants to be a part of it.”

American Legion Baseball celebrates 100 years

In July, American Legion Baseball celebrated its 100th anniversary. Milford Legion Baseball has been part of the program for 96 years. 

The league was a big vision from a Big Ten commissioner. On July 17, 1925, the collegiate athletic executive spoke to The American Legion Department of South Dakota convention. 

Image source: www.legion.org

“There is nothing in our national life which stresses certain qualities that are expressed in our athletics,” said John Griffith. “Intelligent courage, fighting instinct and cooperation are some things which I believe are visibly expressed in our athletic games… American Legion posts, as a matter of citizenship training, could easily carry on such athletic activities throughout the United States.” 

Just seven years after World War I, the former Army major understood the need for physically fit patriots to answer their nation’s call if needed. After Griffith’s address to the convention, a resolution was passed and American Legion Baseball was born. 

The program was a hit. By 1926, more than 52,000 players participated. Legends and war heroes such as Yogi Berra, Ted Williams and Bob Feller would comprise some of the 87 Hall of Famers who have played American Legion Baseball over its first century. By 1947, none other than Yankees-great Babe Ruth would serve as a national spokesman and consultant for the program. In 2010, the National Executive Committee selected Shelby, N.C., as the home of The American Legion Baseball World Series. Coverage of the games by ESPN soon followed. Over its first century, conservative estimates are that more than 10 million young people have played American Legion Baseball. 

During its meeting in May 2021, The American Legion National Executive Committee unanimously passed a resolution calling for Legionnaires to raise awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal disease that took the life of baseball great Lou Gehrig. The resolution encourages a moment of silence on June 2, which also marks the date that Gehrig died in 1941. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a condition that has disproportionately impacted veterans. Informing the public about the tragic consequence of ALS can lead to additional research, funding, therapies and a still undiscovered cure. 

Source: www.legion.org