Chicago shines in World Series - 5265 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News

They did it the hard way, advancing to the finals of the annual North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ) Softball World Series through the loser's bracket. And when the Chicago Spin Cougars ultimately met the Orlando Crush in the finals of the B Division on Sept. 5 in Milwaukee, Wis., the Cougars had to win back-to-back games to claim the championship.

Well, the Cougars did just that, becoming the first champion in the gay softball World Series from Chicago since 2006 ( Jackhammer Heat in the D Division ) , the fifth-ever Chicago-based champion dating back to 1977 and the first-ever Chicago-based champion in the B Division.

Chicago does not have any A Division teams, which is the top tier; and when Chicago Sidetrack won the 1983 World Series, there was only one division. The six-day NAGAAA World Series is predominantly male, although some women played.

The Amateur Sports Alliance of North America held its six-day, all-women's World Series in Madison, Wis. There were seven Chicago-based teams participating, yet none finished among the top four in any division. Final results were not available before Windy City Times went to press.

" [ The Cougars winning is ] an amazing accomplishment," said Chris Vernald, player-manager for the Cougars. "We've been working on this for several years now. We've come close the last few years, but weren't able to finish it. This time, we finished things."

The Cougars finished third in 2008, fourth in 2007 and second in 2006.

The difference this year, Vernald said, was that the team did not endure as many injuries as in the past. Plus, the team had a larger bench, so they were able to make more strategic moves toward the end of the game, "and that helped a lot," he said.

"Winning the championship was fantastic," said Johnmarc Alban, 32, the Cougars' catcher. He was playing in his sixth World Series and was a World Series winner several years ago in the D Division and has been playing the last few in C Division.

"The fields were good, the [ associated ] events were great, the competition was great," Alban said. "It was just a very, very well-run tournament, a really good time."

This seemed especially true when Cougars' first baseman Todd Wickens leaped to snag a line drive for the third out in the seventh inning of the second game, eliminating Orlando and giving the gold to Chicago.

"We were in such a groove [ heading into the finals ] ; you could almost just tell that we'd win," Alban said. "The team played awesome. Everyone had their role on the team. We had power, great defense, clutch hitting. Our big players played big in those last two games."

The star Cougars included:

—Kevin Ball ( pitcher ) , who had three home runs on the final day of play;

—Charles Piper ( shortstop ) , who was exceptional defensively and smacked two home runs Sept. 5;

—James Platt ( outfielder ) , leadoff hitter and the team's fastest player;

—Mark Febonio ( third baseman ) ;

—Jim Bulawa ( outfielder ) ; and

—Cameron Turner ( outfielder ) .

The Cougars scored six runs in the first inning of the first game against Orlando en route to an 18-3 rout. Chicago claimed the title with a 14-11 win in the second game.

"It was close throughout in Game Two," Alban said.

"I'm glad the Cougars won; it's great for the city [ of Chicago ] ," said Marcia Hill, president of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) . "It's great that one of CMSA's top teams broke through and won the championship."

The Cougars were the only Chicago-based team to finish among the top four in the B, C or D divisions.

"This was a special World Series for Chicago," said Brian Redar, an outfielder on Chicago's other B Division World Series team, the Roadhouse 66 V2 Dragons. "Three Chicagoans ( Phil Runions, Sam Coady and Bobby Nicholson ) were inducted into the NAGAAA Hall of Fame and the Spin Cougars finally brought a B Division championship home; they played an amazing tournament. Milwaukee did a terrific job as the host city. We hope to live up to the standard they set when Chicago hosts [ the NAGAAA Softball World Series ] in 2011.

"NAGAAA continues to grow as it adds cities so more teams from more cities attend each year, which brings many benefits on and off the field. This was one of the largest and also most competitive [ World Series ] that I can remember. The [ associated ] events also were first-class and the weather was ideal for softball all week.

"This was my 15th Series and I rate it highly."

The 2010 NAGAAA World Series will be held in Columbus, Ohio.

Here's a look at the top four finishers in the open divisions:

A Division:

—1st: Phoenix Toros

—2nd: Orlando Force

—3rd: Phoenix Diablos

—4th: Atlanta Sluggers

B Division:

—1st: Chicago Spin Cougars

—2nd: Orlando Crush

—3rd: Los Angeles Killer B's