Mid-Iowa Baseball League Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary in 2024
By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications
John Linden is the League President of the Mid-Iowa Baseball League, located in and around Des Moines, Iowa. The league began their MSBL affiliation in 1994 and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024! John has been at the helm for the past 15 years.
John is also a member of the MSBL National Hall of Fame (2012), MSBL Honor Roll (2015), and was selected by MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler for the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
John was kind enough to supply us with a concise history of the 30-year-old Mid-Iowa Baseball League (Below):
“In the winter of 1993-94, plans were put in place to start an over 30 men’s baseball league in the Des Moines, Iowa area. Merle Sharp of Chariton, Iowa, who had lived in Arizona and played in an over 30 baseball league there, went to work trying to get a similar league started in Iowa. He was put into contact with Steve Sigler, who was the founder and president of an over 30 national baseball organization called the Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL), in Long Island, New York.
The two of them began planning for the 1994 season. After several advertisements and flyers throughout the community, there was a tryout in the spring. That tryout generated enough players to field nine teams. However, many of the people interested were under 30 years of age, so teams were formed for players aged 18 and over as well as those over 30.
There were four MSBL and five MABL teams that first year and the league was called the South-Central Iowa MSBL/MABL. The first season ended in September 1994 with no playoffs or year-end tournament, but with a foundation that still exists today. During the next several months of 1994 and into 1995, the league was reorganized and taken over by three of its members, Tim Kirgan, Bill Hyland, and Ford Goodman.
The league was renamed the Mid-Iowa Baseball League. The league had almost folded when there were too many debts to pay and basically not enough money collected to pay those debts. However, after much planning and hard work, the league was saved, not only retaining most of the original teams but adding more teams to have a total of 12 teams, five MSBL and seven MABL.
Over the years, the league has continued to grow into what it is today, a fine organization with over 350 baseball addicts.”
As part of the anniversary celebration, we asked John a few questions specific to how the league began, where it is today, and where it is headed. His answers are highlighted below.
What have you seen to be the biggest change in the league over the past 16 years of your leadership? The game has not changed but the demography certainly has changed. Our 18+ MABL league is smaller and the older divisions have grown. Just my personal opinion, but I think that USSSA has burned out younger players and then they come back in their late 20s or early 30s because they miss the game.
How many teams are playing now and what are the age divisions? We have 21 teams in 4 divisions 18+, 30+, 40+, 48+. How does this differ from when the league started 30 years ago? 30 years ago, we had nine teams; five in the18+ and four in the 30+.
Are there any individuals you wish to mention who have thrived as your advisors during your tenure? We have a volunteer board of 15 members dedicated to rules review, field maintenance, scheduling, umpire direction, treasury, division presidents, and VPS, etc. It’s a thankless job and I greatly appreciate all their help.
What do you see for growth in the league in the foreseeable future? Adding 18+ teams is always a goal as we can’t have the older age groups without growing the younger divisions.
Do you stay in touch with past presidents Tim Kirgan and Brian Schueller? Tim is still playing in the 40+ and 48+ divisions and is an active advocate for the league. Brian is the current VP of the board and kind of our Swiss Army Knife with Website portal admin and oversees the Treasurer and helps with budgeting.
How long do you hope to stay on as president? After 16 years, I am at the twilight of my tenure and will be looking to the on-deck circle for the next one soon…
Any final thoughts on the league’s 30-year journey? One side note: Tim (2009), Brian (2018) and I (2012) have all been inducted into the MSBL Hall of Fame. What a humbling honor. It reflects on the entire organization from the Board, to the managers, players, and umpires that we are recognized as leaders in the MSBL community.
It “takes a village” and I can’t thank the past and current leaders enough for their help in maintaining the league since 1994. It’s been an incredible journey to date and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the charter members of the league that played every year of our 31 seasons; Tim Kirgan, Gary Frank, and Phil DeVan.
I also need to recognize our Charter members who are still playing after a year or so off due to work or injuries; Jim Pizinger, Keith DeWitt, and Warren Anderson. We also have a long list of players who will be approaching 30 years in the next few years as well. Hopefully, the membership is proud of our baseball heritage and the commitment to play the game we all love!
