Odyssey of the Maulers - Some crazy softball nights in 1976.

Our Maulers team qualified for the double elimination playoffs in both the Schaumburg and Mt Prospect leagues, and the schedules conflicted because we had lost a game to the McGaffers in the early rounds in Mt Prospect so we had to play in the losers bracker at 6pm and 9:30, and also that same night were scheduled to play in the winners bracket in Schaumburg at 7:30 and 8:30. Rather than forfeit any games we decided to play it by ear, so if one game was not going well we would just quit and head for the other town.

Our 6pm was against the Hoskins Chevy Satyrs, a team that had beaten us earlier during the season. Our strategy was to avoid any delays, no throwing the ball around between innings, no taking hittable pitches, and the Satyrs were wondering why we were acting so wierd and we told them our schedule plight. In the last inning, we had them beat and rather than finish the game they told us the game is over right now, wished us luck and told us to get to Schaumburg. We thanked them for that bit of class and raced to our cars, and luckily somehow made most of the stoplights, getting to Schaumburg only 4 minutes before forfeit time. No warmups, play ball. While we were still thanking the Satyrs for this lucky break, the Foxes pounced on us, showing no mercy, and forced us to come from behind with 3 runs in the last inning to tie the score. The game went 10 innings, and we finally won by one run.

We then had to choose whether to hang around for the next game or forfeit and head to Mt Prospect. Since it was double elimination we decided to take a forfeit. That gave us a little bit of time for our convoy to get to Mt Prospect, but every red light was excruciating while we watched the clocks tick away towards game time. We once again arrived 4 minutes before forfeit time, no warmups, play ball. Somehow we won another one run game against Scanda House, so incredibly we were still alive in both playoffs, albeit in the losers bracket in both places.

On the following night (fortunately no conflicts with Schaumburg that night) we had a chance to get revenge on the McGaffers who did us a favor knocking off our nemesis the Northbrook Jokers. We raced out to a big lead but the McGaffers stormed back yelling "they're getting tired" (they were right) and one of the spectators shut them up with one of the better retorts I had ever heard "Of course they're tired, you made them run around the bases 19 times". I will never forget one of the catches made by the McGaffers center fielder. One of our power hitters hit the gap in right center, and I could still envision the marginal convergence of ball and fielder who dove sideways, caught the ball just off the ground, somehow did a perfect somersault, and came up throwing. Way better than the Willie Mays catch.

We ended up winning by 2 runs to get to the Mt Prospect finals against legendary Jack Olson's Shooters/Scrappers, who breezed thru the winners bracket, thereby having no schedule problems, so we had to beat them twice due to the double elimination format. Jack had a way of pitching the ball right into the outfield lights so the batter could not see it. I told everyone to stand away from the plate, wait for the pitch to come out of the lights, and then take it to right field. It worked perfectly and we won both games handily. I got the game ball for that and it is still on display in my family room.

On the next day in Schaumburg, we fought our way thru the loser's bracket and guess who our opponents were for the finals the following night? It was the Shooters/Scrappers again, who had once again breezed thru the winners bracket, avoiding the schedule conflicts that we encountered. I thought I saw them roll their eyes as we showed up as their opponent. Clearly we had their number, and again we beat them twice to win both titles.

We were completely out of energy, but it no longer mattered, the season was over, and we had two improbable titles, and the beer never tasted any better. And to think if it were not for the class of the Satyrs, none of this this would probably ever have happened.

The Schaumburg league in the next few years had gained a reputation for being the most competitive in the suburbs. This attracted teams looking for better games, having been first place in their own town: Addison Freeloaders and Pacers, Dundee Wizards, Park Ridge Hardin Paving and Blue Chip Lounge, Crystal Lake Foxes, Palatine Crispy Critters, Elk Grove Stowaways, Chicago Eagles, American Rivet, Rollers, and Registers, Mount Prospect Scrappers/Shooters, and the DesPlaines Bruisers, who ironically would be our opponent in the finals of the 1978 State Tournament, and we had to play them again in the Schaumburg league the very next week after the State Tournament, which was comprised of 32 first place teams, one each from different towns including the Amalgamonsters from Chicago who were eliminated in the semifinals by those same Bruisers. Our path to the State finals saw us defeating the Melrose Park Pirates, Barrington Circus, Elmhurst Clowns, Northbrook Jokers, and in the finals we clobbered the Bruisers for the state title, and then clobbered them again in the Schaumburg league the following week. During the late '70's the Maulers won traveling tournaments in Carpentersville, McHenry, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, and DesPlaines. The team disbanded after the 1980 season, losing in the finals of the Metro Tournament to Chicago Lettuce, who then went on to finish second in the national tournament.

What made the Maulers different than most other top teams was the fact that they played every game with the same nucleus, no ringers, unlike many other tournament teams.