As a player, Pat started playing 16-inch Softball at the young age of 16. He started playing with his older brother’s Buc’s and Right-On’s teams in Mt Greenwood Park, filling in for absent players. It didn’t take long for him to earn a regular spot and playing time. Soon, he was being recruited by other teams including the Ringers from Kennedy Park and the Saxon’s Lodge from Blue Island.
In the mid 80’s, a newly formed team called Sportstation asked Pat to play. A talented team, they ended 1986 with a final four finish, an A National Championship in 1987 and another final four finish in 1988. When that team split up, Pat brought his Gators team from Mt Greenwood to the national stage. After a Metro win, the Gators earned a bid to the 1989 Major Nationals in Mt Prospect and took 5th place.
For the next 20 years, Pat competed on the national level with the Gators. With a low budget, they played in any Nationals close to Chicago, always finishing in the top 10 and won 2nd place in the 1994 A Nationals.
When the Gators stopped playing Nationals, Pat played left field with the Jynx for quite a few years, another talented team, with a number of top five finishes.
After battling a few injuries, Pat followed his years with the Jynx playing a year with Mudville, another with the Woodpeckers, winning a national championship at the A Nationals in 2007, before returning to the Jynx as a role player for a couple years before retiring from the national level – at least until the 50 and Over Nationals came back. Pat’s love for the game spanned four decades from being a staple at Mt Greenwood Park, to traveling to the Old Style Classic, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, Arizona and all over the Midwest. To this day, he is always looking to take a few swings and get out on the diamond and continues to be a strong advocate of the game for new and younger teams on the South Side.
