Editor’s note: Mark Ertel will be writing daily updates from the Gay Softball World Series this week.
We are so thrilled to be here in Milwaukee, this beer chugging town has a rich gay softball history. In 1977, four teams arranged “pick-up” games to play softball during summertime. Each week these teams would compete against one another at the Mitchell Park Domes fields with the loser of each game buying the winning team a half barrel of beer at their home bar and thus the Saturday Softball Beer League was created. The biggest tournament that Milwaukee has ever held to date occurred Labor Day weekend in 2007 where 57 teams participated in Dairyland Classic XXX. The highlights of the tournament were the Klements racing sausages guest appearance along with the mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett.
Now for the bad news on the field. It was a rough day for the Southern New England Friendship League, both Hartford and New Haven went down to defeat, Hartford’s bats were silent for the second straight game losing to a well oiled hitting machine Dallas Storm team. Dallas bolted out to an early lead and built on it every inning never looking back cruising to an easy victory. Team New Haven also struggled at the plate, losing their game by a score of 9-2 to a Madison Wisconsin team. Both teams will have a long journey ahead of them.
Playing from the losers bracket means every play is critical, one more loss and NAGAAA Fest is over for both teams except of course for the partying.
The city of Milwaukee has embraced the World Series, setting the bar high for any future host city. One of the perks of playing in Milwaukee has been the generosity of the Potawatomi Casino, they gave every team a large number of 25 dollar bonus play coupons. Wednesday evening the traditional talent show will be held at the Pabst Theater in downtown Milwaukee, started in 1990 the talent show has been a fixture at these World Series events. Bubba D. Licious from Atlanta and Selma Sue from Seattle will be the host of the talent show along with local Milwaukee entertainers Miss Velveeta Cheese and Ruth, the talent show has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities since it began, featuring acts from all across North America. Later this week some of the upcoming events are a Block Party, a Losers Cruise on Lake Michigan, Hall of Fame inductions and of course the closing ceremonies where some well earned trophies will be awarded.
PREVIOUSLY: A Mayor’s welcome
About our blogger: Mark Ertel will be writing daily updates of his Hartford team games and various events being held throughout the city of Milwaukee this week. The Southern New England League is comprised of teams from four New England cities: Hartford, Springfield, New Haven and New London. It is his first visit ever to the Midwest; He thought the frozen tundra was Lambeau Field in Green Bay, but he says it felt like snow there in Milwaukee on Monday (high of 66 there on Monday).
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