Charles Bidwill’s pioneering spirit, his continued enthusiasm for the game of professional football, and unyielding support place him as one of the guiding lights of the early years of the National Football League. His financial support enabled George Halas to retain ownership of the Chicago Bears in the early days of the Great Depression. He …
Without its organizers, 16″ softball would never have gained the heights of popularity that it now enjoys. With his colorful antics and legendary methods of recruiting and retaining players, Braasch must rank as one of the top organizers of all time. One time he gave a player a repossessed 21- inch TV – stereo combination …
“Play softball; it’s the greatest game in America!!” This quote summarizes George Bliss’ love for the game of softball and his many contributions through the Softball Hotline. Bliss’ involvement in softball began with a friend’s prompting to turn George’s two loves – softball and reading newspaper columns into a column dedicated to reporting softball. Bliss …
Tom was the founder of the Windy City Softball Magazine and developer of the Windy City Softball Stadium in Bridgeview during the mid 1970s. He organized the Winston Softball Circuit and World Series, and other tournament venues. Tom was successful in stratifying the competitive levels that continue today. He was ahead of his time when …
Tom Balek began playing softball in 1969 with his neighborhood friends in local leagues on Chicago’s Southwest side. From the early ’70s until the late-’90s, Tom was a softball junkie, playing more than 150 games every year. He played in the early ’70s with Touch at Tom Bonen’s Bridgeview complex. Tom then moved to Tahoe …
Ken Butzen began playing softball in 1978 after graduating from Forest View High School. He played baseball there four years and also played four years at Western Illinois University. After a couple of years playing with local teams, Frank Holan invited him to play with the Taggers, a team that featured a lot of guys …
Stan Bachusz began playing softball in the 8th grade at St. Angela School on Chicago’s West Side. In high school, friends from the local parish would play on Sundays against other parishes and neighborhoods in the area for bragging rights as to which group was better. Upon graduating from Chicago’s St. Patrick High School in …
Paul Brezinski began his softball career in 1976 with the Freeloaders, a young team playing out of Bensenville. This squad was unique because it featured seven left-handed hitter (including Brezinski). They weren’t a long ball hitting team but a team that could hit singles and doubles consistently, often stretching for the extra base with their …
Little did Matt Biondic know in 1981 when he started playing 16″ softball with the Jays that he would one day become a key member of Lettuce, a team that dominated major 16″ competition during much of the 90’s. Biondic graduated from Brother Rice High School in 1979, where he was a wrestler for for …
Dave started his career back in the early 70’s with the burnside bums. In 1978 dave joined the Amalgamonsters and that started his run with some of the top major teams. In 16 inch softball. Dave’s best years and maybe his most productive were with the Whips in the 80’s, where Dave helped them win …
