Back in the early 1970s when I thought I was God’s gift to sports writing, Carl Brooks was suffering from a similar age-impaired lack of humility.

Brooks was head coach of the Lawrence Legion Hawks B-team then. He was young and headstrong and convinced he could coach a band of ragamuffins to a national championship while blindfolded, hog-tied and taking a nap.

“In those days,” Brooks told me, “I thought I was a baseball-coaching genius.”

Now in his late 50s with snowy white hair, Brooks understands baseball-coaching geniuses do not exist, that not even a diamond Mensa can transform chicken feathers into chicken salad.

Still, on the human-tendency chart, the knee-jerk reaction is to proclaim someone who has guided a team to its first championship in 39 years a genius. Brooks just coached the Lawrence Raiders to the State AAA Legion title — the first for a city Legion team since 1964.

Sure, the Raiders had good coaching, but ….

“I’m not under any delusions I’m a great coach,” Brooks said. “I know I can motivate, and I think I know enough about baseball to get kids to play well together.”

At the same time, what Brooks doesn’t know about teenagers could probably be written on the head of a pin with a jackhammer. Brooks’ real job is working as a counselor at Baldwin High.

Glib and at times outspoken, Brooks is a bit of an anomaly in the youth baseball coaching ranks. He has coached American Legion teams only, both here and in Bartlesville, Okla. No Babe Ruth ball. No Little League ball. One brand and one brand only.

“I’m an American Legion guy,” he said. “You couldn’t convince me to do anything else. I’m a Legion guy because they treat you like a king.”

Next week the Raiders will go to New Ulm, Minn., to play in the Region 6 tournament. For obvious reasons, Lawrence’s Dorsey-Liberty post does not include the postseason in its annual budget, but post members won’t have to stage another pancake feed — their annual fund-raiser — to pay for the journey to Minnesota.

From here on out, the Raiders are on a free ride. American Legion national headquarters will pick up the tab for all the state champions. They’ll pay for the bus trip to New Ulm, for the motel in the Minnesota city and provide $18 in meal money for each player.

“When you move on in Legion ball, you’ve earned it. You’re the best,” Brooks said.

As further proof, the winner of each of the eight regionals will be flown from the site directly to the Legion World Series in, of all places, Bartlesville.

Wouldn’t it be something if Brooks ended his baseball coaching career in the city where he once coached?

Brooks has said all along this is definitely his last summer in uniform. He announced that a couple of years ago.

“I’m 57 years old, I have grandchildren and my wife has allowed me to do this for more than 30 years,” he said. “It’s just time.”

Whether Brooks will be able to go coaching cold turkey remains to be seen. He wouldn’t be the first coach to announce his retirement, then change his mind. Right now, though, he thinks he can do it without hypnosis or wearing a patch.

“It’s addictive when you’re doing it,” he said. “You get so connected with the kids. But other coaches I’ve talked to say when you get time off you really like it, and you don’t want to go back.”

If the ensuing days are indeed Brooks’ last in the coaching box, he’s assured of one thing regardless of what happens later this month. He’ll go out on top.