CHADRON - Rob Stack, coach of Chadron's Senior American Legion baseball team for the last four years, and also from 1999 to 2001, resigned last week because of a disagreement over the suspension of two team members who were caught consuming alcohol.

Stack submitted his resignation last Wednesday, a week before the start of the District Legion Tournament, which Chadron is hosting. Joe McLain is acting as the team's interim coach for the tournament, which begins today and features seven Legion teams.

It was Chadron's role as tournament host that led management of Chadron Youth Baseball to overrule Stack's suspension of the players, said Dennis Brown, president of the association. "As hosts, we have to put a team on the field," said Brown. "We didn't have the numbers. We asked him to reinstate them for the district tournament. He wouldn't do it."

Stack said the policy of suspending players caught using alcohol has been in place since he has been coach, and that players and parents sign a form acknowledging it. The suspension is permanent, and has been enforced just once before, during last year's season, he said.

Stack said he learned of the player's infraction, which occurred around July 4, a day or two after it happened. One player called him and the mother of the other player told him of the incident, he said. "The boys knew they were suspended," he said.

When the situation took place last year, the player apologized to the team and asked if he could continue practicing with them for the rest of the season, a request that was granted, Stack said. That's how the situation was being treated initially this year as well, he said. "I wanted it to be handled the exact same way."

Consistency in enforcing the policy, much of which is taken verbatim from the national American Legion organization, is important, said Stack. "I know there are people who believe my policy is too harsh, but the policy has been known by anyone who follows the program and participates."

The players in question are four-year veterans of the team and were well aware of the consequences for their actions, he added.

Stack said the management decision to reinstate the players left him with little authority as coach. "If I have something in place and it's not supported by those who oversee the program, I don't have any ground to stand on."

Brown said for him the reinstatement came down to a business decision. "We have coaches and umpires to pay (for the district tournament)," he said.

For Stack, however, the issues are larger. "What purpose is this serving? Is it always having a win?" he asked. "I always tell players I don't talk about winning. I talk about being successful, not only on the field, but off. The part that is important is off the field. … It appears that what they are doing now isn't helping (the players) achieve success."

And many people are missing another part of the issue, the problem of underage drinking in the community, said Stack's wife, Jill. "We are missing the point. It doesn't matter, the money, it matters if we lose the kids," she said.

Stack said he hopes that some good can come out of the incident, which has put his life in turmoil for the past two weeks. "I have gotten a lot of support from my conviction on this," he said. "If you don't have your word, you don't have anything. That's what I mentioned to the team when I resigned."