Calm down everyone, this blog is not exactly about the
song of the same name. Of course this is in reference to the Cyndi Lauper
perennial hit from 1983. It’s amazing that Cyndi, the native New Yorker, is
still going strong 33 years later. For those not keeping an eye on her career
Lauper very recently compose the music for the Broadway smash hit “Kinky
Boots”. To close out the bio info on Ms. Cyndi, she also was born and raised
one town away from Mr. Clutch and the Mr. and Ms. spent a year (not at the same
time) in the same high school.
Though a unsex sport for sure, Softball is typically
thought of us as the girls or women version of baseball. In high schools like
Adams, girls softball is offered. It’s also a non-popular, but scholarship
level sport in college. There is not much along the way of professional
softball leagues – though the sport was and will once again be a Summer Olympic
event. The sports Olympic life started in Atlanta in 1996. It ended in 2008 in
Beijing. The good old USA took gold In 96,00 and 04. They lost to the Japan
team in 08 before the sport was removed from Olympic play. Rumor has it that it
returns in 2020!
There are not many famous female softball players out
there. Can you name one? The Clutch guess-o-meter says that your average person
can name none and that a real all-sports fanatic can probably name one. That
one would be Jennie Finch. The good looking right hander is legendary in the
world of softball and of course was responsible for one of those USA Olympic
gold medals. She shattered several records in college and had a phenomenal pro
career, though as noted professional softball is an unknown sport. Jennie was
also an accomplished power hitter and is married to Casey Daigle, a baseball
player and also as pitcher, who had a cup of coffee with the Arizona
Diamondbacks and Houston Astros. They have three kids, and the world waits to
see their fastball.
Before digging into the crux of this blog, it is
noteworthy that while not a female, Mr. Clutch was a softball Phenom in his own
right. The early days of the career featured playing on two teams, of which
each played a double-header every Sunday. It was mornings on schoolyard
blacktop and afternoons on the grass. A power hitter by trade, Clutch was also
a gold-glover on the left side of the infield. The highlight of the Clutch
career was leading the 2000 Summerfield co-ed team to a 12-0 perfect season. The
lowlight would be a few years later where this stellar career came to abrupt
end on opening day of the JCC (Jewish league) season. Trying to get back to
first base and not get doubled off Clutch’s cleet got stuck in the base causing
a rolled and badly torn ankle. It was a season and career ending injury for the
legendary hitter.
Only those movie buffs out there would know what the real
topic is here. It’s the AAGPBL or All-American Girls Professional Baseball
League. This league had absolutely zero notoriety until the hit movie “A League
of Their Own” was released in 1992. Though fiction in plot, it was based on
real events which was a women’s “Baseball” league that was in effect from 1943
to 1954. Baseball is in quotes only because it was a somewhat modified morphed
version of the game. It was close to regular baseball except the ball was
larger – closer to a softball – and the bases were 65 feet instead of 90.
Most of the concepts that were displayed in the movie
were real including the short dress uniforms and the players being sent to
charm school during spring training.
There really was a Rockford Peaches team and they won the title multiple
times during the leagues existence. The purpose or reason that the league
existed to begin with was to keep professional baseball alive during the war.
Also like the movie, attendance and interest in the games started to grow over
time, though not in the initial season.
The girl’s league was the brainchild of Philip Wrigley,
the gum mogul and of course the moniker that appears in that still famous baseball
stadium in Chicago. I guess the heirs
weren’t keen on using the name in the movie since they changed it to “Harvey”
and called the guy a chocolate guy instead of gum, sugary nonetheless. They
only changed the name of the Tom Hanks character who was the drunkard manager
and former star player. Jimmy Dugan from
the movie was actually Jimmy Foxx, the slugger and all around great hitter who
played 20 years in the bigs and amassed 534 HRs, a shade under 2,000 RBIs and a
.325 BA during that period. Oh, and by
the way he also executed the “Triple Crown” in 1933. Not too shabby.
Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell played for the Hanks team. They
are of specific interest, unlike some of the other star studded cast members
like Geena Davis and the great Lori Petty, because they were also New Yorkers.
Rosie a native, and Madonna moved to the big apple as a teenager trying to make
it in show business, and wow did that work out. Madonna’s baseball career ended
when filming wrapped. Rosie would reprise her role as a ballplayer in arguably
one of the best episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Her softball team plays
against Larry’s and let’s just say that the plot of the show was about Larry “Juicing”
to succeed in the game and in a love triangle where he and her were chasing the
same girl.
Girls in baseball had reminded relatively quiet through
the years until 2014 when little leaguer Mo’ne Davis came along. What came along
with her was a 70mph fastball and a winning team. The uniqueness of this
player, mainly being a girl succeeding in a boys sport, brought on tons of
fanfare and media. Mo’ne was quickly a star in many ways, including the SI
cover, an ESPY, book deal and so on. Mr. Clutch ran into Mo’ne at a sweet 16
birthday party recently where Clutch Ms. Jr. was being dropped off. Wow two
celebrities in the same place at the same time. And of course at an event where
girls just want to have fun!
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