End of an era

Longtime baseball coach retires from post

JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - A true baseball man may take a step back from the sport, but he never completely leaves the game. Pete Powell is a true baseball man.

Powell, the longtime field manager of the Alaska Road Warriors American Legion baseball squad, led his team on McManus Field in Wasilla for the final time on Thursday. After 16 seasons with the Road Warriors and 30 years of coaching baseball in the Mat-Su Valley, Powell is putting down his clipboard and hanging up his whistle. Powell is retiring from his position of head coach of the local legion squad, opting for a seat in the stands over his spot in the dugout.

"It's just one of those things," Powell said. "I'll be 62 in September. It's time."

Powell said he has thought about taking a step back from the busy life the responsibilities of a legion baseball coach brings for some time. He even joked he had thought about it for the last 15 years. But everybody who knows Powell, probably would say retiring from coaching wasn't very high on his to-do list.

Early in his tenure with the Road Warriors, Powell set a goal for himself - 300 wins. Earlier this season, Powell reached that mark. After achieving his goal, Powell thought the time was right.

"I set that goal a number of years back. We had some good clubs. One year we won like 36 ballgames - we were rolling. Just about every year we were winning 18 to 20 games and I could kind of see reaching that (goal)," Powell said. "Then we ran into three or four years where we were like 7-30. I didn't know if we were going to hit 300 or not."

Powell's coaching career started more than a decade before he would record his first legion win. And his start dates back to a simple conversation at a barbecue.

"I was sitting around at a barbecue one time with one of my friends who happened to be the president of the Wasilla Little League," Powell said. "I had a baseball background, and I made a comment that I'd like to get back into baseball, and maybe do some coaching.

"And when you do that, and the guy is the president, the next thing you know, I am getting a phone call."

So Powell was back in baseball.

In his home state of Missouri, Powell played baseball through high school, and competed in the American Legion program for two seasons. Powell played in the adult leagues until he was drafted into the United States Navy in the late 1960s.

Powell said he knew that he wanted to get back involved in the sport, but never thought he would still be coming out to the diamond every day 30 years later.

"It's kind of like anybody else. I started with my son, and the next thing we was gone. Then my youngest came in, and I started moving up in the age groups," Powell said.

Powell coached in the Wasilla Little League program for several seasons at different age groups, before plunging into his position with the Wasilla legion squad. In the mid 1980s, the Valley had a legion squad centered in Palmer, but nothing in Wasilla. In 1986 Powell led the charge to start a junior American legion program in 1986, and two years later Wasilla had a varsity legion squad. Powell took reigns of the team in 1989.

Throughout his run with the Road Warriors, Powell has seen the baseball community go through much change in the Valley. The legion squad based in Palmer was forced to fold in the mid 1990s because of lack of participation, so Powell's Road Warriors became the Valley's team, rather than just a squad for the Wasilla area players. Powell said he saw the ability to draw from all four high schools in the Valley as a great advantage for the Warriors.

"It got us a few more guys playing. It gave us a feeder program," Powell said.

In his early seasons with the Road Warriors, Powell didn't have the luxury of an overflowing roster of players. Despite small numbers, his teams still had success. In 1989, the Road Warriors finished second in the state. In 1990, the squad won the state legion title with only 14 players.

"That was a really good ballclub," Powell said. "Normally you are dealt only one of those a career."

Looking back on his career, Powell said that 1990 squad is a highlight. Right alongside the state championship in his group of fondest memories, is the list of players who have competed for him throughout the years.

For Powell, structure, work ethic and dedication are as important in his teaching in coaching as fundamentals.

"There are 16-18 young men every year, and a lot of those young men don't have much structure," Powell said. "Not that I overly structure them, but they definitely know if they are going to ply for me, they are going to be structured, and play within the system."

Powell said he lost some players who couldn't play within his system, but there are many, many, many athletes who demonstrated the dedication and succeeded.

"There is so much going on, they just need dedication. The guys playing high school ball just played 12 or 14 and there are a million things for them to do during the summer besides coming out here and listen to a grouchy old guy every day," Powell said. "They can go fishing every day, but they keep coming back and coming back. That's a big part of it."

While Powell's players have dedicated themselves on the field, Powell has showed his dedication in every facet of the organization of the program. He cuts the grass and maintains McManus Field, markets the team, takes care of the uniform, organizes fundraising, does the scheduling and hangs the billboards. This all in addition to coaching his players.

"I'm retired, but it's pretty much a full-time job doing American Legion baseball," Powell said.

Powell will continue to stay heavily involved with the program. He still will cut the grass and maintain the field. He still will market the team and hang the billboards. He still will take care of the uniforms. He'll be like the general manager of the team.

Because as a true baseball man, Powell can take a step back, but he will never completely leave the game - or the Road Warriors.