History of Softball-(Part 4)

Meanwhile, back in Chicago where softball began, it was getting even more popular. It was still played often indoors at armories. Also, outdoor softball in the city had need of a ball that wouldn’t go so far when it was hit with a baseball bat. It was played on playgrounds and small fields, so a [...]

History of Softball-(Part 3)

Softball did go national when the US Army used it for recreation. They didn’t use softball gloves or baseball gloves. They just barehanded it and they also pitched underhand but pitched fast. (Maybe that’s why they started using gloves). At any rate, softball was growing rapidly.
 
Being a game that mostly men played, it wouldn’t be [...]

History of Softball-(Part 2)

Softball remained an indoor game for the next several years. Obviously, the wrapped up boxing glove was traded in for an actual ball, and the broom stick for a baseball bat. Sizes of softballs ranged from twelve inches all the way up to seventeen inches. At the turn of the century, a guy named Lt. [...]

History of Softball-(Part )

Did you ever wonder how a game or sport got its beginning? Most people never think about it, they just play the game. That’s probably true with softball, but like all games and sports, it did have a beginning. Softball began in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day in 1887. At a boat club called Farragut [...]

Picnics and Softball-All American

Ah, there’s nothing like a picnic and a friendly game of softball on a lazy summer afternoon. There’s always plenty of laughter and yelling as good friends and family pass the hours away in this truly unique American custom. Food is usually aplenty including hot dogs, hamburgers, cole slaw and potato salad, not to mention [...]

Heartbreak of the 1969 Cubs-(Part 2)

…Actually, the Cubs freefall was more “amazing” than the Mets climb. The Cubs lost 17 of their remaining 25 games as the Mets went zooming past them, and on to being the 1969 World Series Champions. Once again, Cubs fans were left holding the bag, only this time it was different. With all the excitement [...]

Heartbreak of the 1969 Cubs-(Part 1)

Two days after Neal Armstrong took “a giant leap for mankind” and made footprints on the moon in July of 1969, I got out of the US Army and made my own footprints at O’Hare Airport near my suburban Chicago home. Something was different-the Chicago Cubs were in first place! There was excitement with talk [...]

Putting Together a Family Baseball Game

There’s nothing better than watching your kids enjoy an impromptu game of baseball in the backyard on a warm summer night. Not only will they be getting a lot of physical exercise, but it’s also a great way to for the various family members to bond and spend some quality time together. If this sounds [...]

Chicago White Sox-1959

The city was Chicago. The year was 1959 and I was twelve years old. It had been fourteen years since any baseball team had won a pennant in the “second city,” so I had never seen a “friendly” World Series. I was a Cubs fan so the wait would be l-o-n-g! The White Sox were [...]

Baseball and a Wedding-(Part 2)

…The article doesn’t mention if the bridesmaids will be given anything from the Pirates, but I suspect that they will give Laura a catchers mitt for the “catch” that she made. (Although, upon seeing her picture, Damon is really the one who made the catch!) The names of the people in the wedding party will [...]

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