James Platt, playing left center field for the Chicago Spin Menace in the top-tiered A-Division at the annual Gay Softball World Series in Columbus, Ohio, made one of those highlight-reel catches in a game against the San Francisco Hitmen.
Platt turned around, chased after the ball, and shocking almost everyone watching when he caught it.
It was "an amazing Willie Mays-style catch at a very crucial point in the game," said Spin Menace coach Cameron Turner, who also plays in the outfield.
"It was one of our best defensive plays of the tournament."
Despite Platt's heroics, the Menace was eliminated from the six-day tournament before Championship Saturday, Aug. 21.
In fact, all five Chicago teams were eliminated before the final day.
The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ) runs the Gay Softball World Series, which is a predominantly male event, although some women annually participate.
The Amateur Sports Alliance of North America ( ASANA ) runs the annual women's Softball World Series, scheduled for Nov. 2-6 in Las Vegas.
Not to be outdone by Platt, Chuck Jacobson also shined defensively in Columbus while playing for Green Team Properties/Gotcha Covered Blinds G-Force in C-Division. In his team's third round-robin game, while leading by one with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Fort Lauderdale Atomic Boom, and the game-tying run on second base, Jacobson made a diving catch just before the ball hit the ground to end the game.
"The Columbus Series was run very well with no glitches whatsoever that I observed," Turner said. "We came here primarily to play softball, and we got to do that with no interruptions, delays or problems.
"We went 4-4 in the tournament and finished tied for seventh. We lost two heartbreaking games along the way by one run to the top two seeds in the tournament. In fact, our four losses were by a total of 10 runs."
The Menace destroyed the Atlanta Sluggers 20-5 in early action, as the team was anchored by Matt Walus ( left field ) , Kevin Ball ( pitcher ) and Martin Cherrier ( outfield ) . Jack Neilsen, the softball commissioner this season for the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) , pitched in two games for the Menace. Neilsen, 35, was playing in his sixth world series.
"While [ the Menace ] didn't do as well as we hoped, I can say that Chicago has made a name for itself in the A-Division," Neilsen said. "Many people have taken notice that Chicago has a competitive A-Division team and have even commented that there is a long future in the A-Division for the Chicago Spin Menace."
The Menace, which was CMSA's first A-Division team in several years, was 17-1 in CMSA's Sunday league, and finished the 2010 season with a 38-13 overall record, which includes all leagues and tournaments.
The Basil Hayden Buzz was one of CMSA's B-Division representatives in Columbus, yet the team was winless.
"Playing in the B-Division at the World Series for the first time, we had no expectations other than to play our best and have fun. We had a great group of guys on the field and it was a good learning experience for us," said Buzz coach Aaron Brost, who also is the team's pitcher. "Although we finished 0-6, we lost each game [ by ] an average of only three runs. Unfortunately, two of our key players went out early with injuries. The good news is that we were very much 'in' every game and walked away from the tournament confident that we can compete at this level."
The Buzz was led by Brian Redar ( right-center field ) , Jon Lepeska ( left-center ) and Johnmarc Alban ( second base ) .
"This tournament was definitely about taking our skills to the next level: learning to play smarter, executing with consistency and minimizing mistakes," said Brost, 31, who has participated in three Series.
The Chicago Spin Rockstars went 6-3 in the B-Division.
"This team has five returning players from the B-Division championship team of the 2009. The rest of the team is players who were playing in the C-Division previously and for most of them, it was their first Gay Softball World Series," said Rockstars coach Mark Febonio, who also played infield and pitcher. "We had a fantastic Series for having so many players getting their first experience [ of the series ] ."
The Rockstars had several come-from-behind wins in their last at-bat, including one in extra innings. Pitcher Ken Hawrysko had an exceptional Series.
"It was a total team effort with contributions from all players, including our bench players," said Febonio, 51, who was playing in his 16th series. "Overall, this Series was well organized and the close proximity of hotels, fields and night life made it easy and enjoyable."
The G-Force finished 5-2 in the Series.
"The team played very well," said G-Force coach Brian Kettner, who also plays second base. "We ended up finishing in the middle of the pack [ in our division ] . Although we fell short of our expectations, we had a lot of fun on and off the field."
In one G-Force game, for instance, the team trailed 8-5 in the last inning against the Seattle Squadron. Nick Padjen hit a three-run home run and Aaron Post hit a 2-run triple as the Chicagoans won, 11-9.
Shortstop Danny Tag batted .667 for the series, with clutch hits and great defensive plays. Outfielder Joe Cappelletti batted .524 as the G-Force leadoff hitter. First baseman Greg McNitt and pitcher Jeff Weber each batted .500 in Columbus.
"Berliner Fields in Columbus cannot be beat," said Kettner, 36, playing in his eighth Series. "The complex was large enough to have all four divisions play at the same location, allowing us to root for [ the ] other Chicago teams when we weren't playing."
The 2011 Gay Softball World Series will be held in Chicagoland—the East Side Sports Complex in St. Charles, Olympic Park in Schaumburg and Helmut Berens Park in Elmhurst, to be exact—marking the second-biggest sporting LGBT event ever held in the Windy City, behind the 2006 Gay Games. The 35th annual tournament will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 3, 2011, with games played at three softball complexes, each boasting multiple fenced-in fields, a NAGAAA requirement.
Chicago last hosted the Gay Softball World Series in 1983, and Chicago Sidetrack was the champion that year—but the tournament then was significantly smaller than today's mega-event. More than 4,000 participants and fans from 37 leagues in North America are expected in Chicago. It is the world's largest annual LGBT sporting event.
"Columbus did an amazing job; their hard work and efforts showed throughout the week. I am proud to call them my friends and say, 'Great Job, Columbus!'" Neilsen said. "I feel Chicago [ teams ] competed extremely well on the national level this year; I know that games were close for most of the losses and I believe it shows that we are competitive on the national level, but just need to tweak one or two plays to have the win go for our teams.
"While [ no Chicago teams ] made it to Championship Saturday, I'm extremely proud of each and every person that represented CMSA."
So what did CMSA pick up from Columbus for the 2011 series?
"Be prepared; anything can happen at any point and you need to be prepared for the worst case scenarios," Neilsen said.
CMSA bid in 2008 to host the 2009 Series, but it ultimately was awarded to Milwaukee. Chicago was the only city bidding for the 2011 series.
CMSA did not bid to host the 2011 ASANA event.
