Welcome to the Roland Park Baseball Leagues!

 What persuaded you to this site today I may never know, but my hope is to keep you here a little longer.

 And that will not be hard.

This is Roland Park Baseball Leagues, one of the Baltimore’s oldest and largest youth sports leagues, dating back to 1952 with over 800 players participating in its programs throughout the year. How did it get this status? I was not here at the outset (I am not that old), but from what I have seen in the nine years since a commissioner gently twisted my arm into coaching, the persistence derives from decades of adherence to mission and well-established traditions.

How is that mission - to nurture children physically, mentally, and emotionally – impressed on players? It is us - you may have more power than you suspected - because the 800 players are not a total, but a fraction of the participation. There are 800 families, multiplied season to season, decade in, decade out, drawing from schools of all kinds, and neighborhoods from the pointy tip of Baltimore in the south to the north country of Baltimore county. Collectively we set aside the coarse divisions of our days to live the better qualities of baseball in the presence of our children - demonstrating sportsmanship and grace, enthusiasm and leadership, and patience (lots of patience) – on many sultry Baltimore evenings. Yes, we maintain the mission, a little each time we meet on the sidelines with friends, coaches, and umpires. And our children carry that forward.

As for tradition, we keep an eye on that too. Picture Day, Opening Day, Closing Ceremonies, the Coaches Party, Sandlot games, the Fall Classic Wiffle Ball Tournament, the Fall Ball clinic, basket raffles, the names of teams, the teams of sponsors, and so on. We have a lot. But as is necessary of lasting organizations, our greatest tradition is a willingness to ignore our past to maintain room for innovation. And we will keep to this, trying new ideas and dismissing others, as we seek to improve upon the league.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve as commissioner of the league and with any luck I will meet you during my time in this position, as it is you, the families of Roland Park Baseball Leagues that have made this a profoundly satisfying experience for me. Do not hesitate to phone, email, text, or corral me at Picture Day or Closing Ceremonies, with your comments or concerns. I welcome them all. And if following such an interaction you feel your arm slowly, and gently, twisting, I recommend giving in…

Chuck Fancher

Commissioner
Roland Park Baseball Leagues

The large popularity in our league can be attributed to our approach to baseball as embodied in the Roland Park Baseball Leagues, Inc. mission statement:

The purpose of Roland Park Baseball is to instill sportsmanship and to provide a nurturing environment, which will allow the children to mature physically, mentally, and emotionally. Further, the league strives to work with parents to develop realistic expectations of their children.

The players are running the show!

Updated Saturday March 10, 2018 by Roland Park Baseball Leagues. 

Sandlot Days give the players a chance to make all the decisions and have all the fun. Coaches sit back while the players elect a captain and assistants who make the line-ups, pitching decisions and coach the bases.

These come in May! Details to come.

Have fun everyone!