2026 MSBL League Profile: Atlanta MABL/MSBL, Don Pike, League President
By Steve LaMontia-Carlentini, MSBL Director of Communications
A thriving organization is only as successful as the sum of its parts. The Men’s Senior Baseball League fits comfortably into that depiction.
Over the 40-year history of the MSBL, a handful of the hundreds of leagues that have hoisted the MSBL banner have been as heavily relied on as the Atlanta MABL/MSBL, currently enjoying the guidance of League President Don Pike. It is high time we dug a little deeper and conveyed the winning formula for why this league thrives, and when and how it all began.
The MSBL of Atlanta was formed in the winter of 1987/88 by Jim Lavender, Don Grede, Kevin Barnes, and Greg Clements. They answered an ad placed in an Atlanta paper. Barnes and the others, with help from Steve Sigler, National President of the MSBL, worked to get the league up and running by spring. The inaugural season started off with four teams.
The following season saw the MSBL of Atlanta take off. With the teams from the prior season combined, the league jumped to 14. Over the next three seasons, it would grow to 19 teams by the summer of 1992.
During this early growth period, the A’s also brought home a national trophy for winning the 30+ American title in the 1991 MSBL World Series in Arizona. In addition to World Series appearances, they have been sending teams to the MSBL Fall Classic in Florida for the past 25 years.
The league continued to thrive and expand under the leadership of the late Steve Rosenberg, who passed away 20 years ago.
Entering 2026, the league now consists of 36 teams, playing in 18+, 25+, and 35+ divisions. The league also hosts the annual Billy Townsend Memorial Day Tournament, the Rosie Shootout (held every Labor Day weekend), and the Santa Shuffle (every December), benefiting Toys for Tots.
To capsulize the league, here is an excerpt from the current Atlanta MABL/MSBL website:
The Atlanta MABL/MSBL is the premier and longest-running men’s baseball league in Atlanta dating back to 1987/88. Offering different leagues throughout the year (18+, 25+, 35+, spring & fall with options for midweek or Sunday) for your baseball needs.
The Atlanta MABL/MSBL is a non-profit organization that donates back to local high school baseball and softball programs. The West Metro Atlanta MSBL Summer league plays its games on various fields throughout Atlanta. Offering Midweek for 45+ players and Saturday for 35+ players.
Enter Don Pike.
When he was in the Marine Corps, he was transferred to Okinawa and put in charge of organizing sports for the troops, an undertaking that, done well, boosted Marine morale. This man is the perfect fit for the MSBL League President role.
“The MSBL thrives for all because of the leadership of a few,” stated MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler. “Don Pike has always been an effective leader, but his presence in Atlanta was never felt more strongly than it was in 2013. He stepped up when nobody else would.”
His ability to organize and run leagues got him a spot in the MSBL Hall of Fame in 2011, and just months after, he quietly performed a form of organizational CPR on the Atlanta MSBL; in 2014, Pike was named the MSBL’s very first Man of the Year by MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler.
“I will never forget that award,” said Pike. “It is humbling and means the world to me.”
What would you like to see in the future in Atlanta?
“I would love to see a 50-team league, complete with its own complex. I enjoy going out to the ballpark on a Sunday and seeing the players and their families having a good time, and knowing that I am a part of making that possible.”
A league is only as flourishing as the assemblage of people making it hum. Don’s right-hand man is Jeff Travis. Who is Jeff Travis, you ask?
Jeff is Don’s mega-helper helps maintain the league precision known throughout the MSBL universe. Also quite noteworthy, because of his hard work over many years, this year, MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler has honored Jeff to accompany Don into the fraternity of the MSBL National Hall of Fame.
“Don and I are like Grumpy Old Men (Lemmon & Matthau),” said Jeff. “But we work great together and provide excellent results, as our focus is the same: provide adults the ability to continue to play a game that they love and to assist local high school programs with resources, such as money, equipment, field maintenance, etc.
We are proud that our Atlanta MABL/MSBL history is OUR history since the beginning.”
We asked Don for some reasons the Atlanta MABL/MSBL is so successful.
“We are fortunate to have great board members. You are only as successful as the people you surround yourself with. Most of our managers get it, and respect what we do.
We continue to maintain a competitive league, while still looking ahead to expansion. We work carefully to assemble new teams that can hang with our existing teams. I still play, so I keep my finger on the pulse of the players.”
Jeff Travis added, “Our long-time Secretary JJ Boudoin, with us since 2010, has been invaluable. On our tryout days, he conducts registration and keeps track of all the players and what team drafted them. You should see the spreadsheet and what it can do!
He created our manager’s guide, which each MABL/MSBL league should use as a template for their own league. He is also one of our ‘Gang of Five,’ which has a representative from each of our leagues and makes decisions on protests, disciplinary issues, reviews current rules, offers suggestions for a vote by the managers, and handles any other situations that may arise. This spreads the decision out and is not just determined by Don or me.”
Don Pike interjected, “Without JJ, the administration of our league would suffer greatly. He is very loyal to the Atlanta MABL/MSBL, and I thank him for his years of service.”
Pike possesses a boyish enthusiasm for the game, but he is more than an enthusiastic participant. His playing days in the league began in 1991. But he is more so an organizer. The Atlanta league begins around the first of April and continues until late September, which is a grueling six months of attention to detail.
Any final words of encouragement to any existing or new league presidents, Don?
“Surround yourself with good people, and you won’t fail. Take the time to think through all decisions that could impact the league, either positively or negatively.
Get to know the team managers. You’ll find that the majority of them are team players. You’ll find a few that will go above and beyond for the league, though some can be selfish. It is what it is, but be prepared.”