The story of its invention is compelling. When Yale was announced as the winner, a Yale alumnus wadded up a boxing glove with the string ties and playfully threw it at a Harvard supporter. The Harvard supporter swung at the glove with a broom handle and the rest of the group looked on with interest.
According to reports, 80 runs were scored during that initial match and the final score was Prior to this date, the size of the ball had varied considerably, depending mainly on where the game was played. Most of the world adopted a inch ball and played the game with gloves.
In Chicago, where the sport was born, the game moved forward with a inch ball — and no gloves were allowed. The game of softball is enjoyed by millions of people around the world. This sport, for all ages, is played with different size diameter balls and with and without gloves. Future City titles would be played at Wrigley Field. Teams had their own stadiums and charged admission. They attracted thousands of people each night. Remember, there was no TV and only two racetracks.
These teams and players infamous represented their areas, but gambling was the real game outside the lines. American Giants Park at 39th and Wentworth in Chicago. Bidwell Stadium at E 75th St. Gill Stadium at E 87th St.
Hilburn Stadium N Wolcott in Chicago. Mills Stadium at W. Lake Street in Chicago. Shewbridge Field at 74th St and Aberdeen St. Sparta Stadium at Kostner and 21st Street in Chicago.
Spencer Coals Park at N. Central Avenue in Chicago. Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. Thillens was originally named "North Town Currency Stadium.
Most all the semi-professional parks were lighted for night play, and a considerable portion of the attendance was reported on evenings during the week and were frequently doubleheaders. T he usual Saturday and Sunday games were frequently tripleheaders. Many of the visiting men's teams feature unusual costumes such as clown uniforms, grass skirts, and natural beards to inject color into the game. In addition, such novelties as playing the game on mules are introduced occasionally. Many weekend games began with the women's teams.
They traveled across the country, across states, and town-to-town by rail, bringing their own fences, tents, and grandstands with them, and their schedules were grueling. In , the Boston Bloomer Girls played and won 28 games in 26 days.
Over the July Fourth weekend of that year alone, they played six games in five different towns in Oklahoma. Wrigley from to The women's initial tryouts were held at Chicago's Wrigley Field.
In the first season, the league played a hybrid game of baseball and softball using a inch ball. Over women played in the league, which consisted of eventually 10 teams located in the American Midwest. In , league attendance peaked at over , spectators. The most successful team, the Rockford Peaches, won a league-best four championships. The motion picture " A League of Their Own " is a mostly fictionalized account of its early days and stars.
A lieutenant with the Minneapolis, Minnesota Fire Department, Lewis Rober was pushing 40 and perhaps getting a little flabby. So in , he devised a sporting alternative to keep himself and his fellow firefighters fit between runs. Rober is widely considered the founding father of softball — at least the outdoor version of the game now enjoyed by 40 million people.
He took the basics of baseball, shrank the field, and used a cushy ball pitched underhand. With no gloves needed and less time required, the recreational version of baseball took off. This photo was taken around ; outside the "Inch Softball Hall of Fame" was this stone and brass "Farragut Boathouse Monument," commemorating the birth of softball in Chicago in It was originally placed at 31st Street and Lake Park Avenue in Chicago but is currently in storage with the city.
During the Depression the game became popular because it could be played in many places and a team could buy a ball for a dime. Also, women played the game because they felt it was safer than baseball. Over the years, the game became a great sports outlet for Chicagoans and became part of the culture. For them, inch softball was a common theme and a huge part of their lives; in fact, some believed they spent more time with teammates on the field than they did with their families.
Believe me when I say they were not apologetic about it. Jennifer interviewed Rawlings-Worth-DeBeers spokesperson John Parish about the history and the materials that make up that ginormous ball. It was during the s that Fritz DeBeers developed and his company manufactured the ball that is the model still used today.
The cover material of the inch softball was made of horse hide until the s. Since then, horsehide became scarce and the company developed a synthetic cover for the ball. The inside of the ball is fascinating and explains how the inch softball performs. Al says he knows of Chicago transplants playing the game in those places as well as Indiana, Oregon and Pittsburgh. Not only does the 16 Inch Softball Hall of Fame exist, there is a real tangible building in Forest Park for a future museum.
These teams compete in leagues that were once considered legendary. In the cold city winters, games can even be played indoors like they were in the first game of softball. Soldier Field World Series The game of Chicago inch softball has come a long way since the first game in Thousands of games are played in Chicago parks throughout the summers, and there are plenty of adult sport leagues where people can get together to play.
You might not be able to join any amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but once things clear up, the leagues are definitely a fun way to get outdoors and active in the city.
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