Legion Suspends Gershon

American Legion baseball officials said Friday they have suspended Agoura Oaks Coach Lorry Gershon indefinitely and decided that the District 20 team will finish the season winless.

Harold Hall, state Legion commissioner, said Gershon was suspended for failing to follow the organization’s written procedure on filing protests. The coach has not guided his team in its last three games.

Legion officials also said they are investigating Gershon’s admission that he forged the signatures of Agoura Oaks’ players and their parents on transfer waiver forms, a violation which could result in a permanent ban from Legion coaching.

Gershon said he forged the signatures of two players and their parents earlier in the season after receiving an urgent request for the forms from District 20 Commissioner Mel Swerdling.

“I failed to call a couple of parents but I assumed they wanted their boys to play and I signed [their forms],” Gershon said.

Gershon earned his suspension while appealing the June 26 disqualification of Agoura Oaks players Scott Christensen and Dan Wasserman, who were ruled ineligible because they used more than one transfer waiver during their Legion careers.

Bypassing local Legion officials, Gershon faxed his appeal directly to Jim Quinlan, the organization’s national program coordinator.

State Legion rules stipulate: “Should any player, coach, or manager . . . write directly to the national director for interpretation of the rules, he shall be removed from further participation . . . for the remainder of the season.”

Gershon said he was unaware of the rule. He subsequently submitted a protest in the proper manner, but it was more than a week late.

Hall said he denied the protest and sent it to Quinlan for review.

Area 6 co-Chairman Julio Yniguez said Gershon’s failure to follow the protest procedure was among several factors that led him to declare Agoura Oaks winless.

Gershon said the team, which is scheduled to play its final game today, has won 16 games.

Yniguez said the disqualifications of Christensen and Wasserman, the forgeries and rules violations by Gershon led to the forfeits.

“Because of all the violations we should just eliminate [Agoura Oaks] from the league,” Yniguez said. “But we’re letting them play and their victories will be forfeits.”

Yniguez said Gershon’s Legion coaching future and the future eligibility of Christensen, Wasserman and other Agoura Oaks players will be decided at a state Legion convention later this year.

Gershon, who termed his punishment “harsh,” said he is not sure if he wants to coach Legion next season.