Phenix City wouldn’t be at LLWS without Chris Rogers
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Chris Rogers cannot attend the Little League World Series and he did not make any plays or deliver any hits this summer.
Yet, he might be Phenix City, Alabama’s most valuable player.
Ask anyone in the league and they will agree. Phenix City would not be competing on Little League’s grandest stage if not for Rogers. His impact on the league is only equaled by the mark he has left on all its players and volunteers.
Rogers is fighting colon cancer and has been hospitalized over the last month, but the league he loves show much is offering him the most powerful tribute possible. Phenix City is competing at the Series for the first time since 1999 and Rogers’ tireless work led them to Lamade Stadium Wednesday where it played Washington.
"Chris Rogers is Phenix City Youth Baseball," Phenix City manager Case Rasmus said. "Nobody can hold a candle to the man we call Mr. Chris and what he has done for the league and the kids. It’s countless hours and commitment and the genuine compassion he has for every kid. Whether it’s Kinley (Rasmus) or someone picking up a baseball for the first time, he’s loved every single kid like his own since the beginning."
That love shined through long before Phenix City became a Little League power again, starting last year when it captured the state championship and won a Southeast Regional game. Whatever age group; whatever the teams’ chances and/or abilities, Rogers often has driven six hours to watch them all play tournament games.
Even before Phenix City made this Series run, every player in the league always has been a huge winner in Rogers’s eyes.
"The world needs more Chris Rogers," Rasmus said. "He’s an incredible person; an incredible human being."
The structure and discipline Phenix City displays on the field and throughout its league has Rogers’ fingerprints all over. He was the driving force when the core of this current group captured the USSSA Rec League World Series three years ago.
From there, Rogers drove the ship back toward Little League with the help of Rasmus and current league president Mike Green. In its first year back with Little League two years ago, this group took second in states and ascended to the top last year.
Now it is one of the world’s top 20 teams and country’s best 10 teams. All that started with Rogers and his vision for the league. He, Rasmus and Green had a 3-5-year plan and by year three, look at where Phenix City has arrived. Call Rogers the team’s unofficial captain because his efforts paved the road which carried Phenix City to South Williamsport.
"His impact on the league is huge. He took over the league in 2015 and built it to what it is today," Green said. "It was just him and three other board members when they started and he made everything work."
Rogers has become not just a Phenix City Little League staple but a community pillar. He also runs a basketball league which has flourished and which includes many Phenix City Little Leaguers.
Officially, Rogers is a father of two. But when one looks like at all the lives he has positive influenced throughout the Phenix City, it feels like the entire community are his children. He certainly cares of them as if they were.
"He’s a man who doesn’t want anything done for him. It’s all about what he can do for others and he’s made a huge impact on so many lives," Green said. "The league is not where it is today if Chris Rogers wasn’t at the helm steering the ship in the right direction."
Highlighting that fact, since the COVID-19 pandemic happened in 2020, Phenix City’s enrollment numbers have sky rocketed each year. The league has set records the past few years and, while he would never take credit, Rogers was the one who put all the wheels in motion.
That is why so many are so sad he has not been able to be with the team throughout its remarkable run to the Series. Still, the players keep the league’s heart close to theirs, showing their support by wearing decals upon their helmets honoring Rogers.
It may seem like a small measure but it speaks volumes to the massive influence Rogers has had on making those players better on and off the field. Wherever they go, whatever they do, these players take Rogers with them.
"We’re always thinking of him and he’s constantly in our thoughts and prayers," Rasmus said. "What he has put into these players and this league is priceless."
"They all love Mr. Chris. I know they’re rallying for him," Green said. "The coaches have been saying, if not for Mr. Chris we would not have this opportunity, so let’s go get this thing. The kids are pushing and advocating for Mr. Chris."
Rogers has continued pushing since being diagnosed with cancer. He stepped down as league president a year ago, handing the reins to Green who has become his protege. But Green is not trying to be Rogers; simply follow the example he is set.
He and all those in and around Phenix City know that Rogers is one of a kind. And his legacy is seen through all those playing at the Series and so many more over the years who have achieved success in all walks of life.
The only thing bigger than his heart may be that lasting influence Rogers has made.
"We could have lost our first two games this summer and he would have been as proud of us as if we went on and won the whole thing. He’s always proud of all these kids," Rasmus said. "He’s just an amazing person.
"He is the heart and soul of this team."