In the late 1970s, a chance meeting at a recently opened North Side bar led to the creation of McSchnapps, a women’s neighborhood team that would win many championships during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s and create lifelong friendships along the way. During their heyday, McSchnapps played at Touhy, Paul Revere, Wells, Lake Shore, and […]
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
What do you get when you take female players from five different softball teams, add some colorful coaches, and mix in some banquet circuit rap and stepping? Well, you get the softball team Mixed Company. Pam Black and Popati Wing are given the credit of naming this eclectic group of ball players. They were a
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Dale Mitchell started playing softball on a CYO team in 1966. From 1971 to 1986 he played at Boyce, McGuane, Donavan, and Armor Parks. In 1987 Dale and the Aces won the ASA “A” Tournament in Portage, Indiana. That victory launched a career in Major Softball that would last for another twenty-one years. He
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Don Martina began playing softball in the ’60s and continues playing today for a career spanning over forty years. While serving in the Army, he played softball and basketball overseas and along the East Coast. He returned to Chicago in 1968 and joined several local teams playing at Lawndale (now Piotrowski) Park on Chicago’s
Al Maag was named Man of Year by the HOF in 1996….for his untireing efforts to organize the HOF with Tony Reibel and it’s first awards dinner and display at Hawthorne Park. He was inducted into the HOF as an organizer of the game in 2004. See his full biography there. Besides his talents as
Unlike any other “Friend of Softball” winner before him, Butch McGuire actually was a friendly acquaintance of Richard J Daley. One of his customers described the social and gregarious McGuire in a 1986 Tribune magazine profile saying, “Butch is 30% businessman and 70% humanitarian.” Back in 1962, McGuire’s prototypical singles bar-considered to be the first
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Lots of bars sponsor softball teams, but not many have supported as many as J.P. “Pat” Malone of McGaffer’s Saloon in Forest Park. Over 35 years, Malone has spread it around generously to teams competitive and not so competitive. In that time, Pat has become as much a part of the Forest Park softball
Jim McCabe played softball in Glenview during high school from 1973 – 1974. He was with Phoenix from 1978 – 1982 as manager. His team won the league in 1978 and 1979 against such teams as the Railbirds, the Rat – Pack, and Jack Daniels. Phoenix became the Scorpions and competed in the Classic League
Although Al MacFarlane was born in Eugene, Oregon, Chicago softball and sports in general benefitted when his family moved east and settled on Chicago’s northwest side. He attended Taft High School from 1957 to 1961, where he played baseball, football and ran track. As a quarterback, halfback and defensive back football proved to be his
