St. Louis Metro Collegiate Instructional Baseball League

St. Louis Metro Collegiate Instructional Baseball League
Sport Baseball
Founded 1979
CEO Bob Totterer
President Marty Stein
No. of teams 8
Country United States
Most recent champion(s) Wildwood Dodgers (2015)
Official website Official site

The St. Louis Metro Collegiate Baseball League, also known as the Metro League, was a collegiate summer baseball league in Greater St. Louis. In 2013 the Missouri Secretary of State dissolved the league's corporate entity, Metro Collegians Instructional Baseball League, for failure to file registration reports and ordered it to terminate operations. The Directors of the nonprofit corporation ignored the State's request.

Missouri's dissolution followed the Internal Revenue Service's 2010 revocation of the tax-exempt status for the Metro League's corporate entity due to the Officers and Directors of the organization failing to file annual tax returns (Form 990s) with the IRS.

The nonprofit corporation was re-registered with the State of Missouri in March 2015 by Commonwealth Leagues United, an IRS recognized tax-exempt 501(c)(3), with plans to relaunch it. Commonwealth Leagues United operates the Lewis & Clark Baseball League, the St. Louis region's only summer collegiate baseball league currently in legal operation.

The league was a member of the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) with the winner of the league playoffs qualifying for NABF post-season play in August.[1] However, NABF was notified in April 2016 of the organization's dissolution and likely faces the termination of its NABF membership.

LCBL replaced the Metro League as one of only a few summer collegiate baseball leagues operating out of a single metropolitan area, in this case St. Louis, Mo.

Metro Collegians Instructional Baseball League was formed by ex-professional baseball players, Major League Baseball scouts, and area college and high school coaches with the intent to instruct young college-age men key elements of baseball.[2]

Legal Issues

After three successive years of failing to file Form 990s, the required annual tax return required to be submitted by public charities granted tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3), the IRS revoked Metro League's tax-exempt status. This prevented the league from soliciting charitable donations as it no longer was permitted to represent itself as a public charity. It failed to file these annual returns despite having a certified public accountant as its Treasurer, evidenced by annual registration reports filed throughout the 2000s.

On December 18, 2013 the Missouri Secretary of State ordered Metro Collegians Instructional Baseball League dissolved under Revised Statutes of Missouri § 355.711 for failing to comply with RSMo. § 355.706. Executive Deputy Secretary of State Barbara Wood wrote the league "may not carry on any business except that necessary to windup and liquidate its business and affairs." While Missouri statute permits reinstatement upon dissolution, no directors or officers of the entity filed the proper paperwork.

This effectively killed the league; however, it continued to organize competition despite being ordered by the State of Missouri to cease all operations. In May 2013, the Metro Collegians Instructional Baseball League was reborn under different management, and registered the trade name St. Louis Metro Collegiate Baseball League by Commonwealth Leagues United and Metro Collegians Instructional Baseball League. These two owners intend to resurrect the Metro League soon.

Notable alumni

Numerous alumni have gone on to play professional baseball. Despite being a misnomer, the league called itself the "Gateway to the Bigs" even though it developed very few Major_League_Baseball players. Those that did make MLB include:[3]

References

  1. ↑ Elder, Mike (August 2, 2011). "Dodgers turn back Indians, advance to NABF World Series". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  2. ↑ "What We Do". St. Louis Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Hall of Fame". St. Louis Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved March 30, 2012.

External links

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