Dr. Lori Condie was playing for Little Dog Properties, a predominantly male softball team in the D-Division of the 2002 Gay Softball World Series in Portland, Ore. She came up to bat and the opposing center fielder moved in—because he saw a woman at the plate.
"One of my biggest [World Series] highlights was hitting a fly ball over the center [fielders]'s head, and it turned into a home run," Condie said. "He moved in because he saw that I was a girl and thought that I could not hit the ball that far. Big, big mistake made by most men. It was the final game of the Portland series, which we won."
Condie, who has lived in Chicago for the last 20 years or so, is the case manager for the special education department at Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, and she's a local softball veteran.
In 2010, she played for Jack's on Halsted in the C2 Open Division, and also for a women's B-Division team. She plays left field for Jack's and multiple positions for the women. She also coaches the predominantly male team, and her Jack's team took first-place for the season and second in the season-ending playoffs.
Condie has played in the World Series nine times, starting with the 1998 edition, held in Nashville, Tenn. She also has participated in the annual Series in Seattle, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
What has been the best part of the Series for her? That's simple: winning, winning and winning.
"Every time I walked away with a first-place trophy, that was a highlight," Condie said. "Every time I looked at the faces of the women and men after we won, that too was a highlight. Getting to the final game in any of the Series is a highlight."
Condie is married to Susan Espinosa, and they have two children together: Diego, 6; and Araceli, 3.
Condie is already excited for the 2011 Series, to be played in the Chicago area Aug. 29-Sept. 3.
"I think [the Series] will be a wonderful experience for players and future players who have yet to experience softball at such a high level," Condie said. "It is one solid week of playing, eating and sleeping softball. It is fun to travel to other cities to play, but also very expensive. Teams do a lot of fundraising, but still most of the expenses come out of the player's pockets. And then try telling your boss that you are taking off a week of work to play softball."
More on Condie:
—Favorite baseball team: Chicago Cubs
—Favorite baseball player: Her son, Diego Condie-Espinosa
—Past Series memories: "Meeting hundreds of softball players over the years, many of whom I still see at tournaments. Trying to bring the Series trophy home on the plane and having them hold the flight while we took it apart so we could carry it on the plane. Going to the bathroom in the port-a-potty that was named the 'honey bucket,' and then buying T-shirts from the company that made them.
"There also is the fatigue—playing softball until I can't run, catch or throw because I am so tired. And yet I have to, because everyone is feeling the same thing. Everyone has cuts [on their] knees and elbows, pulled muscle, and sunstroke. The player next to me can't walk, but the other team doesn't know that. And now I have to play their position too. But we still play and we win. Having my wife, mother-in-law and son at Fort Lauderdale when we won the Series, that was special."
