Edgar Martin Beast of the East Classic co-founders and directors B.A. Crawford and Bo McConnaughy had made the rounds for many years, traveling coast-to-coast during the summer with the Mountaineer Palomino baseball team. Neither could recall exactly how many tournaments they attended even if they wanted to. And believe me, they would rather not. Crawford says he grew angry at a number of the events due mainly to the fact the things that were promised upon registering rarely, if ever, materialized. ‘‘Most tournaments charge $500 for three games,’’ Crawford, whose given name is Byrd, said. ‘‘Hell, we charge $500 for six games (with an opportunity to play nine). ‘‘This tournament runs on schedule, unlike most of the tournaments. And (the teams) know that.’’ Once they decided they wanted to start their own tournament, they had to choose a date. Fourth of July Weekend seemed as good a time as any. ‘‘At first there were not many Fourth of July tournaments so we were looking to fill a void,’’ Crawford said. ‘‘(We said) let’s take the best of the best. Fourth of July was an open date.’’ And it didn’t hurt that most teams this time of year have pretty much finished up their regular seasons and are preparing for regionals. By coming here for the weekend they figure to get better competition than they’ll face in the postseason, so it’s a win-win for both parties.