Gay World Series 2003 Beginning to Take Shape

Marc Gofstein 
Special to Outsports

What a whirlwind couple of weeks in the world of gay softball. It seems like the season just began and, already, the participants of the 2003 Gay Softball World Series are being determined. 

So, without a lot of verbiage, here is the news of the past couple of weeks. 

GREATER LOS ANGELES SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION 

The 2003 season in Los Angeles can be described as both tremendous and tumultuous. On one hand, the both the open and women’s divisions enjoyed wonderful success. The Open Division had 30 teams at the start of the season, while the Women’s Division had 10. Competition was fierce all season, and some unexpected teams gave the regulars a real run for their money.  

However, the season was not without some serious drama … mainly surrounding the Open A-Division. By the time the final week of the regular season arrived, one of the two teams (LA Fever) had abruptly disbanded, and the potential consequences did not appear to bode well for the rest of the teams (the B-Division plays its games with the A-Division). One issue was not in dispute: the L.A. Stray Cats would be going to the Gay World Series in search of their 10^th Championship in a row. 

The top three B teams – Dawgs, Destroyers and One-Eyed Jacks – all had a shot at winning the B-Division regular season title, and with that a berth in the 2003 Gay World Series in Washington, D.C. While the Dawgs and Destroyers played well in the early part of the season, it was the One-Eyed Jacks who finished the season on fire, including getting two wins each over both the Dawgs and the Destroyers, and finishing in a tie with the Destroyers. Because the tiebreaker favored the One-Eyed Jacks, they earned the B-Division’s automatic berth in the Series. A playoff will determine the other representative in D.C. 

The C-Division was easily the most competitive division ever for L.A. Seventeen teams began the season with their eyes all on going to Washington, D.C. Going into the final week of the regular season, the top four teams were separated by only two games, while the battle for the final playoff spot ended with a tie between three teams (Mayan Warriors, Rusty’s and Ziggy’s Zephyrs at 8-8). By the end of the regular season, the L.A. Batboys and the L.A. Bandits finished tied for first, both with a record of 14-2. However, with the tiebreaker, the Batboys earn the World Series berth. The eight-team playoffs will determine the other C-Division participant. 

The D-Division playoffs will feature four teams: El Dorado Knights (regular season champs), Shooters, Titans, and Mavericks. The winner will earn the only berth for the division in D.C. 

EMERALD CITY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION

This past weekend three Seattle teams claimed the automatic berths to the Gay Softball World Series.  

The RPlace Pounders have been given an automatic berth by virtue of the fact that they are the only A-Division team and represent Seattle at the highest level of competition.

In the B division – one of the two available berths were awarded. This first berth goes to the team that had the best record at the end of the half of the season. For the 4^th consecutive year – R Place Monarchs (7-3) have laid claim to the berth in this division. The Monarchs are the returning Gay Softball World Series runners-up from 2001.   

In the C division, for an amazing 5^th consecutive year – the Timberline CHAOS! (15-3) has captured the automatic berth in this division. With several hard fought games between all the teams in this division – the CHAOS! stuck in by only dropping games to the other two teams at the top of the leader board.   

The remaining three berths will be decided this weekend (6/21 and 6/22) with a best 2 out of 3 tournament in the B division (Rein Fire Ranch Rainiers vs. the Timberline Tramps) and in the C division (Cuff Commandos vs. the RPlace Brewers). Those games start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. This should prove to be quite a battle – as the teams in their respective divisions have split their season series with each other.  

On Sunday – there will be an entire day of play for the D division, starting at 9 a.m. and running through 6 p.m. There is a tight race for the berth in this division – the Rein Fire Ranch/Bud Light Rainiers, the RPlace Kings and the Madison Pub Maulers all have their eyes on the trip to D.C.  

All ECSA Games are played at North Sea Tac Fields… Congrats to the three teams that have clinched the right to the Series… and good luck competing for the final spots this Saturday and Sunday. 

If you happen to be in the area, come by the fields and enjoy some great Pacific Northwest softball (along with some hot guys).  

RENAISSANCE CITY SOFTBALL LEAGUE (RHODE ISLAND)

In its inaugural season as a member of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), the RCSL had its first qualifying tournament to determine their representatives in the 2003 Gay World Series. Here are the results: 

Mirabar Athletics 16 Victoria House 2Xtreme 8
Mirabar Athletics 13 Kamps's Tramps  2
Kamp's Tramps 10 Victoria House 2Xtreme 9
Kamp's Tramps 8 Mirabar Athletics  5
Mirabar Athletics 9 Kamp's Tramps  6 

Congratulations Mirabar Athletics - C Division Representatives
Town Hall Lanes Townies - D Division Representatives 
 

TWIN CITIES GOODTIME SOFTBALL LEAGUE (MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL) 

There is plenty of excitement in the Twin Cities as the league is celebrating itsr 25^th year of existence. With 28 open division teams, the TCGSL is enjoying one their most successful seasons ever. 

Top teams in the league are: 

A-DIVISION  BANDITS 11-3
B-DIVISION  SAINTS 11-3; SMOKE 11-3
C-DIVISION  LONESTARS 10-3
D-DIVISION  RIDERS 11-2; BOLT  12-2

SUNCOAST SOFTBALL LEAGUE (TAMPA) 

The Suncoast Softball League of Tampa concluded its 10th year of play this past month with a special awards banquet held at longtime sponsor Ho Ho's in south Tampa. This spring marked the 20th season of play, as the league plays a spring and fall season each year, taking the warm summers off. More than 150 league members and guests jammed into Ho Ho's to enjoy great food, drinks and fellowship with other league players and guests. 

Congratulations to all the teams that made the 2003 season definitely one to remember. 

Tampa will be sending the following teams to Washington, D.C. for Series 2003: 

B-Division: Alibi Krewe
C-Division: Chambers
D-Division: Metropolis Metros 

BIG APPLE SOFTBALL LEAGUE (NEW YORK)

New York’s Big Apple Softball League is once again sponsoring a tournament for the Fourth of July weekend. This year, Playing for Life II will take place in NYC’s Central Park and include a party on one the Navy Ships docked in New York Harbor. Check out the Web site for more details. 

CHESAPEAKE AND POTOMAC SOFTBALL LEAGUE (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 

Preparations are well under way for the Series 2003: the Gay Softball World Series, which will take place Aug. 17-23. Nearly 150 teams from all over the U.S. and Canada will converge for a week of tough competition, wild parties, great fundraisers, and a whole lot more. Hey, it’s a great way to make the humidity of D.C. in August a bit more bearable.

Go to www.series2003.org for more information. 

That’s all for now. But, don’t worry. There will be a whole lot more information and results as we get closer to the Series in D.C. Until then, keep swinging and hittin’ those softballs.