Road Warriors coach forced out

WASILLA — The disastrous end to their 2014 season continues to haunt the Alaska Road Warriors in 2015.

The Wasilla-based American Legion baseball team was bounced from the 2014 state tournament, nabbed for use of a player deemed ineligible by Alaska Legion Baseball.

With the new season less than two months away, Wasilla Post 35 received word that further sanctions may follow, and the future of field manager Myrl Thompson is in great jeopardy.

Now, following a meeting that included Alaska Legion Baseball and Wasilla Post 35 officials, Thompson is out as head coach of the Road Warriors. Thompson’s dismissal came after league officials appeared prepared to issue more punishments to the post, including a postseason ban for the season, Post 35 commander Jim Petito told the Frontiersman.

League and Post 35 officials met March 26. Earlier this week, Petito said he received an ultimatum from Alaska Legion Baseball Department Chair Russ Baker: Penalties would not be levied against the team this year if Post 35 removed Thompson as head coach of its baseball program.

Thompson, who is also the distribution manager of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, said league officials brought documents to the March 26 meeting detailing allegations that go beyond the use of an ineligible player in 2014. It all seemed excessive to Petito and others at Post 35, especially since no formal protest had been filed, and there is no record of discipline against Thompson for any allegations against him.

“It doesn’t seem like any of (the allegations) has happened,” Petito said. “If (Thompson) was doing a number of these things so incorrectly, the umpires on the field would have put him in his place. It seemed like (league officials) were head-hunting him.”

Thompson called the allegations, “trumped-up.”

The document, Thompson said, includes an incident involving a Road Warriors assistant coach two years ago, despite disciplinary action already having been handed down. The assistant coach was heard using profanity during an American Legion game and was ejected by an umpire. The documents also included a complaint from a parent of a Chugiak player in regard to a protest made by Road Warriors players after the Wasilla team was thrown out of the 2014 state tournament for use of the ineligible player.

Petito said he has never received any complaints about Thompson, who has an unmatched record of success in recent years. He compiled a 49-13 record in three years as the program’s AA, or varsity, head coach. Thompson’s Road Warriors finished second in the regular-season standings during his first year, and first in each of the last two. He was also elected coach of the year last season by his fellow coaches.

Additionally, Thompson led his team to first- and second-place finishes during his two seasons as the A, or junior varsity, head coach. He had a combined 49-10 record in those seasons, which included a 21-7 record his first season, in which he took over a team that finished 7-21 the previous year.

Petito called for alternative action.

“Why wouldn’t they give him a written warning first?” Petito said. “I don’t think he got to be the winningest coach by breaking the rules. It doesn’t seem fair to us the way it went down.”

Petito said, in the interest of the players and the program, Thompson was removed as head coach.

“What kids are going to want to join the team and play all year if they can’t play in the playoffs,” said Petito, who added that the Post does not consider this matter closed.

“(Thompson) was let go under protest,” Petito said. “We will file appeals.”

Baker did not return several phone calls seeking comment, neither did Alliance vice president Don Winchester. Alliance president Steve Nerland also refused to discuss the matter by phone, but did offer an emailed statement that read, “ongoing personnel issues won’t be a topic of discussion that we have.”

American Legion media director Van Williams did return phone calls, but would not comment on the matter.

A sticking point, Thompson said, seems to be the protest made by his players at Mulcahy Stadium July 29, 2014.

On July 28, 2014, Thompson watched his team score a dramatic 2-1 victory over Juneau during an elimination round of the state tournament.

That evening, Thompson received a conference call from league officials. Thompson was told his team’s win over Juneau had become a forfeit, due to Wasilla’s use of an ineligible player.

League rules are clear about such violations, including that any protest “must be filed in writing by the team manager …”, meaning the protest needed to originate with the Juneau manager. Nonetheless, league officials said they based their decision to penalize the entire Wasilla team for the single-player violation on an anonymous tip that a Wasilla player attended a baseball event during a summer trip to the Lower 48. Participation in such events violates the league’s dual participation rule.

That night, Thompson said recently, he contacted each player to tell them the team was forced to forfeit, and the season was over. With a win over Juneau, Wasilla was supposed to play Chugiak in the next round of the tournament. With Wasilla out, Juneau played Chugiak.

Several players on the team attended the Juneau-Chugiak contest wearing their game uniforms. A number of the players also carried protest signs. Thompson said he was initially unaware of the planned protest, and had no part in planning the protest.

“A mom called me in the morning,” Thompson said. “(The players) talked to each other and decided they were going to protest getting kicked out of the tourney. A mom called me and thought maybe I should go down with them so they don’t get into any trouble.”

Thompson said the Wasilla players cheered Juneau during the game, and only lifted their signs between innings. Thompson said he did not hear anything inappropriate said by his players.

“They were well-behaved,” Thompson said.

After Post 35 was forced to forfeit the game, Baker told the Frontiersman the allegations of the use of the ineligible player surfaced Sunday, July 27.

“A person came up to me and somebody asked me to deliver these papers to you,” Baker said last July.

Baker said the package of papers included screenshots of a player profile from a baseball showcase website. The profile was of a member of the 2014 Road Warriors. The identity of the player was never made public.

Thompson had no idea the player participated in the showcase until the information surfaced. Thompson knew the player in question had traveled with family outside of Alaska during the season. The parents of the player told Thompson a family trip was planned during the season, but plans to participate in a baseball showcase were never mentioned, Thompson said.

Now, Thompson is out of a program he helped build into a state power. Thompson had been with the Road Warriors for six years.

Thompson said appeals can be made at the state and national level.

Frontiersman publisher Mark Kelsey contributed to this report.