Lansing Withdraws From Tournament
July 27, 2011 - The Lansing franchise has withdrawn from their direct bid to the AAABA national tournament. New York City's Long Island Astros will now receive the direct bid and will not attend the Altoona Regional.
Lansing was to be represented by Carl's Supermarket once again this year, but was forced to withdraw due to a lack of available players.
"We couldn't get enough guys to go," said manager Dave Joseph. "They're either working or on vacation. I could only get about 10 guys."
Carl's finished with a 10-7 record in the Lansing Parks and Recreation Men's League, placing third. They have been the sole Lansing representative since 1999, posting an 8-16 record in that span, and 11-22 all time.
Although Joseph's enthusiasm for the sport remains, he is concerned about the future of the franchise. The depressed economy makes it difficult to provide funding for an amateur team, and the decline in local participation makes even finding a team just as difficult. Even last year, Joseph struggled to gather enough players to attend the Zanesville Regional, where his team went 1-2 with a victory against host Zanesville.
"I really don't know if we'll have a franchise next year," said Joseph. Lansing has been competing in the AAABA since 1978. NARC Downtown Optimist first represented the team in Johnstown in 1979 and finished 3-2 for a 5th place finish. Lansing also finished 3-2 in 1985 and 1990. In 25 tournaments, the franchise is 30-50.