The Chicago Menace takes another swing at the top-tiered A-Division title in the annual Gay Softball World Series that dates back to 1977 and is run by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ), a non-profit, international association of gay and lesbian softball leagues.
And this might just be the best Menace team to date.
"We have added a few new players [who] have greatly improved us in every aspect of the game, particularly offensively," said Menace coach Cameron Turner. "We have a lot of depth on offense with no really weak spots in the lineup. We have eight guys or so in the lineup capable of clearing a 300-foot fence, and everyone hits for average. So we can definitely generate a lot of runs."
Some of the top bat-wielding Menace are Cesar Saenz, Scott Heichert and Larry Zimont.
The Menace defense, meanwhile, has long been the team's strong suit—and this year is no exception.
"We have shored up a couple of defensive weaknesses we have had in the past, so we are improved in that area over last year," Turner said. "We also run some different defensive schemes at times that have really paid off for us this year."
Some of the top defensive standouts for the Menace are Scott McDonald ( shortstop ), Matt Walus ( outfield ) and Chris Trott ( outfield ).
Kevin Ball is the Menace pitcher.
"We are an experienced bunch now, but have a lot more depth and far fewer weaknesses [than] in past years," Turner said. "I also think we are learning the little things it takes to win a championship after several years now in the A-Division."
Turner, who plays outfield, will be in his 10th NAGAAA World Series—which runs Aug. 17-22 in Columbus, Ohio. The NAGAAA World Series is predominantly male, while women play annually in the ASANA World Series, which will be held Oct. 18-24 in Orlando, Fla., and is operated by the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America ( ASANA ).
"It's always a great time and a good opportunity to see friends I have made around the country," Turner said of the World Series.
"The Series always signals the ends of our season, so it's a good way for our team to bond before the long offseason."
The NAGAAA World Series features four divisions, based on talent, and a fifth ( Masters ) for players age 50 and older.
Seven teams from Chicago, all of which compete in the Open Sunday Softball League of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ), will be playing in NAGAAA Series.
But past Chicago teams have struggled to capture championships in the NAGAAA Series as only six Chicago teams have ever been first-place finishers. A Sidetrack-sponsored team was the first champion—in 1983. And the Chicago Sidetrack Classics ( Masters Division ) were the most recent Chicago-based champions—in 2011, when the event was last held in Chicago.
Chicago's other championships were in 2002 ( D-Division ), 2003 ( C ), 2006 ( D ) and 2009 ( B ).
The Green Team G-Force is competing in the C-Division with 12 or 13 players, including four of whom would qualify for the Masters Division. Several key players for the G-Force CMSA season are unable to make the trip to Columbus, "but the savvy group of veterans hope to surprise their opponents and raise hell on the streets of Columbus," said team coach Danny Tag.
The team is sponsored by G-Force catcher Joe Green of Green Team Properties.
The Sidetrack Black Widows also will be competing in the C-Division—and it's a team that, though it's in its first season, most of the players who have played gay softball for 10 to 20 years.
"I first played in CMSA 12-inch softball in 1988, the first year CMSA had 12-inch softball, [with] four teams," said Black Widows manager Brad Trowbridge. "I was relieved when the league was started. I grew up downstate and had only played 12-inch. When I moved to Chicago, CMSA only had 16-inch softball. I broke and jammed fingers every year."
The Black Widows played this year in tournaments in Minneapolis and Nashville, and has plans to play in tournaments over the next few months in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas.
The Black Widows were 12-0 at one point in the CMSA season.
"I honestly have no idea what to expect from the World Series," Trowbridge said. "It takes some luck to win. I've been with teams that I thought had a good chance to be successful but weren't at all. I've been on three teams that finished third and I would never have predicted that from any of those teams."
The strength of the Black Widows is the team's experience. Plus, it's a balanced team.
"Every player has been a key contributor in at least one win this season," Trowbridge said. "I keep stats for myself, but I don't share them with the team. Players generally know how they're performing. I don't think sharing the players' stats helps build a team. It takes away from the fundamentals and creates a team of individuals. I don't want someone at bat refusing to try to move runners into scoring position because he's concerned about his batting average."
One of the team's best all-around players is, Steven Valdez.
The Black Widows will be without one of their best hitters, Michael Ortiz, due to a torn ACL.
"I'm looking forward to the Series because I get to hang out with friends and play softball for a week. That's a pretty nice life," Trowbridge said.
The Replay Jox will represent Chicago in the D-Division, with 11 players from the team's CMSA season and a few added league players.
"The strength of the team is synergy. We don't let little mistakes bother us and we pick each other up when they do happen," said team coach Jason Topping. "The team's offense has really come alive this year, which has been a big surprise with having so many new people on the team. We continuously tweak the batting line-up to maximize the people we have playing each week."
The top Jox hitters are Tim Molloy, Ed Moody and Topping.
"The defense has come together nicely this year," Topping said. "With having half of a new team, we have practiced hard and come together to understand that we need to be able to play in several positions and have each other's backs. Overall the defense is the part of the team that is continuously developing."
Defensive standouts include Molloy ( shortstop ), Tom Carroll ( first base ) and Topping ( center field ).
Ed Moody is the Jox pitcher.
"We are a great group of fun-loving individuals who know that we have to enjoy each other on the field as much as we are being competitive. We have a team of critical thinkers that analyzes their playing throughout the game," Topping said. "Playing in the World Series is something of a rite of passage. You get exposed to seeing how teams are vastly different across the country and get to pit yourself against some of the best players in your division. While it is fun and exciting, the Series is also full of nervous energy. It is just exhilarating to walk out on those fields and know you are representing your city."
Matthew Grindle plays outfield and coaches the Urban Real Estate Closers, which is one of CMSA's two B-Division teams traveling to the Series and this is Grindle's eighth trip to the Series.
"Our strength [is] our versatility, defense and balanced offensive attack," Grindle said. "We [won] the B-Division [title] in the NorthStar Classic [tournament] in Minneapolis over Memorial Day weekend, so our confidence is high.
"Offensively, we have solid hitters from top to bottom where our last hitter could just as easily be our leadoff hitter. We have three players [who can hit homeruns]; Todd Wickens, Brandt Hoffman and Neel Dotson. [Plus, the team features] hitters able to hit over .600 in any given tournament, [such as] Pete Kavanaugh, Seth Cooper [and] Matt Beecher. Defense will be our strong suit; we feature a solid and speedy outfield from left to right with back-ups capable of stepping in without missing a beat.
The Closers' infield is veteran-heavy and the team's pitchers are Dan Stover and Brian Delawder, a righty and lefty combo that will keep opponents off balance, Grindle said.
"When our lineup hits from top to bottom like we did in the Minneapolis tourney, we definitely have the defense and pitching to bring the title back to Chicago," he said.
The Gotcha Covered Dragons also will challenge for the B-Division title, led by CMSA and Series veteran Frank Kisner.
The Chicago Legends will compete in the Masters Division, led by Mike Hendricks.
