In the 1950s, Continental Bank played in the Banker’s league, competing against top banks around the Chicago-area. The league ended play in1959. That year First Chicago defeated Continental in the championship game to earn their first spot in the Grant Park Tournament of Champions. That year they took third place out of thirty-two teams. In […]
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When the history of industrial teams is written, Chicago and North Western Railroad will certainly rank as one of the greatest teams because of its record and its longevity. Started in the 1920s, a 1925 photo of the team shows a twenty-three year old Abe Saperstein as the team’s shortstop and manager, the year before
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Sixteen-inch softball has always been a game that cut across racial, cultural and socioeconomic barriers. What mattered most was how you played the game. During its twenty-seven years together, the Commonwealth Edison corporate team stood as a shining example of this trait. It was a team comprised of office workers, electricians, meter readers, union employees
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Anthony Calderone has served as mayor of Forest Park since 1999. A lifelong resident of Forest Park, Mayor Calderone began his public service when he was elected a Forest Park commissioner in 1991. He has a long record of public service to the residents, businesses, and organizations of Forest Park. He has provided services to
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Perched on the bleachers with his trademark cigar clenched between his teeth, “Uncle Pete” Crnjak mumbles tips and advice to the players from The Men from Uncle, the 1988 16 inch National Class A Champions who selected their team name to honor him. Pete Crnjak developed his love of softball as a young man. After
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The world of 16” softball received a great player and talented organizer in 1938 when Dick Cooper started playing 16” at Hayt Playground, Clark and Granville in Chicago. Dick started with Hawks at Hayt and then played with the Aces at Ace Laundry Company Field. Service in World War II from 1943- 46 put a
Nick Camillo began his softball career in 1937 at the age of twelve. His teammates elected him player/manager of the Imps, a team organized from St Thomas and Spencer Schools. Camillo continued in this capacity until his retirement from 16” softball in 1970, a career that spanned 33 years. Throughout this span Camillo played for
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Rusty Carlson began playing organized softball when he was fifteen. He would continue to play for the next twenty-two years in many leagues and tournaments, with the majority being played in Cicero, and at Kelly and Reece Parks. Besides playing, he also umpired for the ASA and USSSA for over twenty years. He umpired the
Picking up where Mike Royko and Don DeBat left off, Dan Cahill penned a weekly 16-inch softball column for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1985 to 1993. Every Monday, the Clincher crowd would turn to his popular “ringers, dingers and broken fingers” column to get the softball scoops. No major daily paper has run a softball
