In 1976, John “Muggs” Mirabelli, a veteran softball player, decided to start a softball team to introduce his brothers, Gar and Todd, to the game. They started out as Little Ray’s Bar, playing in leagues at Cal, Wolfe, and Bessemer Parks. After some success in 1976, Mirabelli brought in new players, expanded his goals, and …
1985. After playing softball for more than twenty years for various teams in countless parks around Chicago and the suburbs, Gary S. Goldberg and Chuck Martinkus felt it was time to form their own team and bring their combined experience to a product they and everyone involved would be proud of. They acted on two …
Total: 155 wins against 39 losses ASA Major National Champions in 1991 and 1997 ASA Major National Runners-up in 1990, 1994, 1995, and 1996 Forest Park Records 1992 – First Place 1994 – Second Place Sixteen members of Splinters have been inducted into the Sixteen-inch Softball Hall of Fame
Joey Lucido John Leuth Jack Nakanishi Barry Seto Jerry Seto Joe Romano Rick Wike Pat O’Shea Tony DeLuca Jerry Aldape Rich Yokota Billy Vines Zaty Ortega Sam Partipillo Dave Love Ron Yoshida Jim Hurt Lenny Romano Dave Luna John Caplis Dennis Burns Jim Martin Chuck Samson Dan Abbamonte Howard Flowers Sam Losurdo Joe Strzelczyk Art …
Little did Rick Burda and Paul Volk, two friends who met playing in a church league in LaGrange, know that the team they formed in 1973 would still be playing today. In 1973 they started playing in a league in Brookfield and over the next few years added leagues in Summit and Bedford Park. Made …
What started out as fun nights with softball friends and die-hard veteran players, all came together to form the Smooth Over softball team. They immediately established themselves as a team to be reckoned with. In the early-’90s, they emerged as one of the most competitive teams on the South side. They started out playing in …
Crush started out in 1978 when a bunch of high-school friends put together a team and started competing at McGuane Park. In 1979 and ’80 they won the 18 and under title at McGuane. The next year they played in the Donovan Park Open League, made the playoffs, and then took second to the Stickmen …
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 …
The Flames are a North side team formed in 1974 out of Fireside Bowl by Tom Nagy. Thirty-six years later they are still together and still winning. They are a Chicago Park District team that played only at Chicago’s neighborhood parks. On weekends, they entered various tournaments, mainly to win the prize money. Over their …
We showed up; we played hard. We won our fair share; we had a good time.These words by Hall of Fame manager Rich Melman summarize Lettuce softball during the 1990s. Melman and Joel Zimberoff managed Lettuce to one USSSA title in 1994, three ASA runners-up finishes (‘91,’97,’99), and four ASA National titles (‘92,’93.’96,’98). They also …
