Are you ready for some baseball?

All signs point to Shelby as the center of the American Legion baseball universe for the next two weeks. The city and county have rolled out the welcome mat. The games get under way today.

We have signs. We have banners. Now we need some decent weather as we know the baseball will be exciting. The anticipation over the American Legion Southeast Regional Tournament and the American Legion World Series has been building for months. So many details. So much work. And the event has finally arrived.

Final preparations have been extensive. They include official reviews and double-checking to ensure everything is ready. There are hundreds of details.

"The committees are meeting now and just reviewing their checklist to make sure everything's covered," said Eddie Holbrook, co-chair of the Legion World Series committee. "We've got an executive committee of eight people and steering committee of 52. They're meeting to double check and make sure their responsibilities are covered."

A tremendous amount of work has been done to prepare for these tournaments. The dedicated chairs and committee members have our admiration.

By all accounts, these tournaments will be a major economic boost to Cleveland County. Few would argue we couldn't use such a boost. The timing is just about perfect.

Thousands of people from across the nation will descend upon Cleveland County for these big tournaments. Restaurants are ordering extra food. Businesses are getting ready. It's an exciting time for Cleveland County.

And local fans will see Shelby Post 82 in action in the regional tournament -- and beyond if things go well for the team against some of the best competition in the nation.

So, are you ready for some baseball?