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Baseball Fri Apr 04 2008
A (New) League of Their Own
A wise man once said there is no crying in baseball (or was it a fictional character? I forget). But even without that sage advice, I doubt if you’re going to see any crying when the Chicago Gems hold open tryouts this Saturday, 9-11 a.m., for their new team that will participate in an all-women baseball league. The tryouts will be held at the BASH Sports Academy, 2617 W. Fletcher St. and focus on hitting and fielding (naturally). If you miss the tryout this Saturday there’s another one on April 20, with the league draft to follow. In addition to the Gems there are four other teams: the Comets, the Riveters, the Skyline and the intriguingly named Turtle Rocks. All games will be played in Bedford Park.
A little background: The Gems were formed by three women who lived near each other in the Lakeview neighborhood and shared a passion for baseball… playing, not just watching. After lending their talents to other area women’s baseball teams they managed to field a full Gems squad in 2005 and played their first game as a team on June 5 of that year at Loyola Park.
Of course the Gems won’t be the first all-female baseball team or league, as anyone who’s seen “A League of Their Own” can attest. And women have even competed with men on the same field, like Toni Stone of the Negro Leagues. Today, organizations such as the American Woman’s Baseball Federation is seeking to build the game nationally.
Andy Angelos
/ April 9, 2008 1:19 PM
Ken -
The piece on the Gems is a gem of a find. If you remain in contact with these women, please post some of the game times when the season arrives. I would be interested in watching a few innings.