Butch McGuires

If you were a softball player or simply a young person growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s, you had probably heard of Butch McGuire’s. Softball players knew of McGuire’s as a powerful team not to be taken lightly; non-players knew of it as one of the best bars of its time. Managed by Hall of Famer Jack “Whitey” Johnson, McGuire’s had one of the quickest outfields with arms to match. Tom Cline, Al Cleve, John Paslowski, Don Hakes, Jordy Goldstein, Jim Enright, and Tom Fuller handled the outfield duties while Father Gene Smith, Jack Sweiger, Chuck Radtke, Hall of Famer Bob Hobson, Jack Johnson, Nate Cole, Bob Berstein, Farrel Bolonick, Hall of Famer Matt Dosen, Murry Yanger, and John Cavanaugh took care of the infield with their great hands and strong arms. Frank “Tuna” Winston, Tim McNamara, and Clarence “Lip” Lipnick pitched McGuire’s to championships in and around Chicago during their nearly twenty year tenure on the diamonds of Chicagoland. Great teams have excellent defense and timely hitting, and Butch McGuire’s was no exception. They combined hitting with speed, power, and brains as key threats. They used hitting and defense to win titles at South Shore, Ridge, and Bensley Parks three times; they were 19th Ward champs twice and won the title at Halloran Park once, but their longest string of titles occurred at Lake Shore Park where they won the title six times. In addition, they won titles at the Evanston Tournament, at Cornel Park, and at the prestigious Labor Day Tournament. Like many great teams, they credit their success to playing with the same guys in top parks around the city. They also had one of the best sponsors in Butch McGuire where they trained early and learned the game well. The post-game activities were also top notch with most of the players going out to have fun after the game but still managing to go to work the next day. The guys of Butch McGuire’s have lost some speed and have gotten older, but they still hang out and have “one more for the team.” Schreiber Tom Blakely Tom Lentine Tom Madden Tommy Duff Tommy Thompson Tony Decanio Tony Tondelli Tony Trofimuck Vinnie Barrone Wayne Hoffman Zack Soyia