Marc Gofstein 
Special to Outsports

With summer in full swing, berths for the 2003 Gay World Series are filling up quite quickly. July usually signals the beginning of the excitement as the host city starts getting anxious for the festivities to begin, while qualifying teams scramble to book both airline and hotel reservations. 

You will notice that many cities around NAGAAA (North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance) have had banner years. As more and more gay people realize that softball is a great sport – both as a physical and social activity – leagues continue to grow at a rapid rate. That more and more cities are blossoming with vibrant gay communities also contributes to this boon in gay sports. 

As Series 2003 gets closer, look to this space for a look at how the Gay World Series began, some of the GSWS heroes from the past, and a detailed look at some of the teams who will vie for a championship ring this August in Washington, D.C. 

But, for now, here is the current news from the world of gay softball. Just a side note … I’ve been getting some great response from the Open Division teams from NAGAAA. However, I’m still looking for Women’s Division news, as well news and notes from other, non-NAGAAA cities (and, y’all know who you are). 

MONTROSE SOFTBALL LEAGUE – HOUSTON
www.montrosesoftballleague.com 

According to Commissioner, Mike Harwell, the MSL experienced their best season in nearly a decade as 21 teams competed within their four divisions. After a rip-roaring regular season, Houston is sending a record six teams to Washington, D.C. for the Gay World Series.  

Representing the MSL will be the Houston Force (Open A), BRB Lobos (Open B), Texas Drillers, Meteor and City Kitchen Butchers (Open C), and Mary’s Naturals (Open D). 

At various tournaments this season, Houston teams represented their city well, placing in the top-3 several times. This momentum should benefit Houston teams during the series. 

METROPOLITAN SPORTS ASSOCIATION – CHICAGO
www.chicagomsa.com 

First-year Commissioner Doug Malm reports that the 2003 season has been (and still is) a rousing success. With the merger between MSA and the Windy City Athletic Association (WCAA), there were many questions as to how strong Chicago softball teams were going to be this year. 

Well, the Windy City produced an extremely strong year, with both B-Division World Series Representatives having won tournaments during the year, and the C-Division being the most competitive in years. In fact, this will be the first time in five years that perennial C-Division powerhouse, the Sidetrack Assault, will not be at the Series. However, Commission Malm (who is coach and manager of the Assault) says that this year, Chicago could very well finish in the top-3 in the B, C and D-Divisions in D.C. 

Chicago’s Series representatives in the Open Division are: Spin Devils and Sidetrack Surge (B-Division), Hunter’s and Charlie’s Cougars (C-Division), and Buddie’s (Division). 

AMERICA’S FINEST CITY SOFTBALL LEAGUE – SAN DIEGO
www.afcsl.org 

For the first time in more than a decade, San Diego had to extend their season due to rain that fell for several weeks during the earlier parts of the season. Commissioner Jim Costello, though, said that the wet weather didn’t dampen any of the spirits, or competitive fire that the teams in AFCSL had this year. 

San Diego traditionally has some intensely competitive teams representing their league at the World Series, and this year will definitely be no different. 

Commissioner Costello says he’s extremely proud to send Moby Dick’s Hitmen (A), Club Extasis (B), and Moby Dick’s Trojans & Brian’s American Eatery Bears (C) from the Open Division, while Moby Dick’s Last Call (Competitive) and Aberration (Recreational) will represent the Women’s Division at the World Series. 

TWIN CITIES GOODTIME SOFTBALL LEAGUE
www.tcgsl.org 

Minneapolis/St. Paul’s league is still going, but they have determined their Series 2003 participants…which, will be, the Bandit (Open A); Saints, Smoke and Mess (Open B); Spikes (Open C); and Raptors (Open D). 

Not much else to report from the North Star State, but from looking at their Web site (one of the best looking in gay softball), it appears that their season has been going strong (nearly 30 teams this years in the Open Division Alone). 

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS 

Even though the 2003 World Series is fast approaching, don’t think that softball comes to halt after it’s over. Between September and the end of the year, several incredible tournaments take place that will definitely be worth checking out. 

Over Labor Day Weekend: 

Seattle’s Emerald City Classic (www.emeraldcitysoftball.org) enters its third year of existence. It used to be that Seattle did their tournament over the Fourth of July Weekend. However, rain is continuous during the early summer in the Pacific Northwest, so the league chose to move their event to Labor Day when there is rarely a drop anywhere. 

Also, just north of Seattle is the lovely city of Vancouver, BC…home to the Pacific Cup, sponsored by the West End Slo-pitch Association (www.wesa.net). This tournament is located in one of the most beautiful cities in the world (my opinion) and has been a Labor Day Weekend tradition for over a decade).  

Detroit is the home to another Labor Day Weekend event: MIST – Midwest Invitational Softball Tournament (www.mdsl.org/mist). This event rotates between Detroit and Milwaukee and draws a large number of Midwest teams (which means it draws a large number of Midwest, corn-fed boys). 

Then there is Columbus Day Weekend in October. This weekend features two wonderful tournaments: Autumn Classic in San Diego (www.afcsl.org), and the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia website is not quite ready to go, but stay tuned here for more information. 

Finally, Thanksgiving Weekend brings both the Hurricane Showdown in Ft. Lauderdale (best tournament in the country … hands down) and the relatively new Cranberry Cup in Palm Springs – sponsored by the Long Beach Surf and Sun Softball Association. Look for more information, along with their websites, soon. 

That’s gonna do it for me. It’s been a great week, but the best is yet to come: Gay Softball World Series 2003. I can’t wait. Look for all the great news, stories and events here on Outsports. It’s truly going to be a great event. 

Til next time, keep swingin, hittin’, and catchin’ those balls…in the spirit of softball…take care.