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 […]
If you played big time softball during the 1980s, odds are you played the Takers at various times during your season. And win or lose, you probably gained a deep respect for the type of softball they played. Like the Stooges and Taggers and a dozen other teams that were competitive but not always championship
The Sulky Inn Favorites began as a true Cinderella story when a team sponsored by Ray’s Pizza and coached by Roy Logan, Ray Martino and John Szczecina and dressed in t-shirts, bib overalls, and tennis shoes played at Hart Park in Blue Island. The older teams began chanting E-I-E-I-O when they saw their “uniforms.” But
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Long before cable television, internet, and air conditioning occupied our modern world, Chicagoans beat the summer’s heat by walking outside, sitting on the front porch, or watching a new sport that was sweeping Chicago : 16-inch softball. In 1937 North Shore Congregation of Chicago defeated Federal Auto Supply 9 to 2 in the first inter-city
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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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Starting in 1957 at Audubon Playground, near Addison and Damen, the Dwarfs began a softball legacy that would span four generations, and rank them as one of 16″ softballs most successful and historic teams. Few teams can boast their 1,322 wins against 333 losses for a .799 winning percentage. During their six decades the Dwarfs
Women softball players of the 70″s and 80″s will always remember the red, white and blue uniforms of the Burr Oak Angels, as the colors of one of women’s softball’s legendary teams. With Bill Broukal at the helm and some of the top women players of the time on the field, the Angels dominated parks
The Bobcats are considered one of if not the best team in 16 Inch softball history. A mixture of power, great hitters and defense. Widely known in softball lore, their era was from 1951 to 1980. Led by Hall of Fame pitcher Ed Zolna they won more events than we have room for…but the key
Rose & Crown is considered one of the best women’s teams of all time. They were an awesome defensive team with an explosive offense from the southside. Terrific coaching by Bob Eskew along with a nice mix of youth and experience over the years enabled them to totally dominate who ever they played. Rose ‘N
