Chicago 16-Inch Softball Hall of Fame Organization Announces Inductees for 2004.

Sports Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2004

The Chicago 16-Inch Softball Hall of Fame will announce 22 new inductees and recognize players, teams, umpires, managers and media during its awards dinner on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Hawthorne Park Race Course in Cicero. Radio personality Mike North from SCOR will host the event honoring Chicago's hometown sport that dates back to 1887.

According to Hall of Fame President Gary Thorsen, the new inductees are:

Pioneer Division

Frank Dalesandro, who went on to win championships with the Witt Hanley Yankees, Fewer Boilers and Triplex Yankees. From 1933 till 1956, he was one of the top players in Chicago.

Joe Neumann started playing ball with the Vagabonds in 1936. In the early '40s the Vagabonds locked horns with Fewer Boilers, Lil Coals and the Brown Bombers.

Women's Division

Christine Hurrins began playing with the Flaming Stars in 1969. With a lifetime batting average over .450 and excellent defensive skills, she was a top female player of her era.

Kim Petersen-Summers was one of the principal players on the legendary Rose N Crown from the mid-'70s until the team disbanded in the late '80s. As a leadoff or No. 2 hitter, she often set the table for the power hitters.

1950-1963 Era

Eddie Miller may best be remembered for being a principal organizer of a legendary team -- the Bobcats.

Jimmy Nallen, in a 45-year softball career, won world titles with the Sobies. He played with Hall of Fame manager Moose Camillo when they defeated the Bobcats in the largest money game ever. At age 60, he was the leading hitter in the St. Charles League and hit a home run in his slippers because the umpire wouldn't let him play in his metal cleats.

George Wagner called 51st and Union his home, sometimes playing in front of 5,000 spectators. Before his retirement he got four hits off Lewa Yacilla, played with Piccalo O'Halleran and the original Bobcats, and the Daley Hamburgs. He remembers when money games were more important than league play and batting averages. He played shortstop and short center.

1964-1979 Era

Matt Dosen, infielder, started his 34-year softball career in 1964 with Eddie Vrdolyak's team at Russell Square Park. He played with Butch McGuire's, ERV and the Eastsiders.

Lou Lusignan played softball for 30 years on teams that won 20-plus league titles, sox metro championships, three state titles and a national championship with Dr. Carlucci's Bobcats. At 6'-4", he was known as a line-drive hitter with home-run power.

Jim Moore was selected to five ASA All-American teams playing with Moore Business Forms, the Bobcats and Sobies-American Rivet. He played every position, but is best remembered as one of the best left- and right-fielders of his time. He sharpened his hitting skills by placing a 55-gallon drum in left center as a batting target.

Louis Zielinski, known as a short center with excellent hands and speed, played with the Cadets at Clarendon Park before joining the Beetle Bombs, the Rogues and the Dr. Carlucci Bobcats.

1980-1992 Era

Tom "Eggs" Czarnik is a pitcher and a dedicated Redman tobacco-chewer who was not above spitting on the ball or loosening a seam in order to gain an advantage. He pitched for Murderer's Row, the Amalgamonsters, Splinters and Lettuce, but he also never forgot his neighborhood roots. He won three national championships, was named major nationals MVP three time, and was named to the 1st Team All Mt. Prospect Team.

Mike Ellerby was no stranger to national competition and championships, having won the USSSA Nationals in 1991 with the Taggers. He later played with Florida Tropics and earned First Team All-American honors in 1999, adding to his Second Team honors in '93, '96, '97 and '98.

Mike Flynn started his career at Sherman Park at 55th and Racine. He played on great teams including the Park Bulls, the Scramblers, the 49ers, Vis-men, Big Banjo and others. Later in his career you saw him with the ZZRight Ons, the Jays and in 1991 he won the ASA Class A Championship with the Stickmen.

1993-Current Era

Pauly Brezinski won national titles with the Whips, Splinters and two championships with Miller 45's. He has been selected to the North All-Star Team, to the All Time Mt. Prospect Classic League 1st Team and has been named to numerous 1st or 2nd All American teams numerous times.

Umpire

Ron Dunlap had a simple philosophy: Arrive on time, dress appropriately and never become the center of attention. He played for the Chicago Bulls, the Phoenix Suns, in the ABA and CBA, and for Israel in the European Cup Leagues. He umpired at all the major parks from 1981 to 1990 and umpired at the national level from 1993 to 1999 when he officiated at the USSSA nationals in Indiana and Wisconsin.

Player/Manager

Micky Ballestri epitomizes the spirit and heart of 16-inch softball. He started playing at Armour Park in Chicago and went on to play for and manage Bridgeport Crush from 1982 to 2001. He was named manager of the year at the USSSA World Tourney in 1989. He pitched four shutouts in leading Luciano's Gamblers to the USSSA world title. He has received USSSA 1st Team All World honors five times, in addition to many other honors. In 1999 he was inducted into the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame.

Media Award

Bill Dwyer, in the early '90s, started Chicago Metro Sports Magazine, which was dedicated exclusively to softball. His reporting and photographic skills have provided a virtual history book of 16-inch softball.

Organizer

Al Maag organized the Baggers in the '60s and '70s and later managed Molex softball for more than 20 years. But his biggest accomplishments off the field include producing the only videotape history of softball and co-founding the Chicago 16-Inch Softball Hall of Fame. He also served as art director for Windy City Softball. Maag recently established 16-inch softball in Arizona.

Wall of Fame Award

Jimmy Spidale used to walk over to Kells Field to watch the great softball teams of the '50s and '60s in classic match-ups. He started out with the Nocturnes and became manager of the Stooges in 1981. With more than 1,000 wins against 200 losses, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper called the Stooges "The neighborhood team that plays big time ball."

Richard J. Daley Award

Butch McGuire is being recognized as a Friend of 16-Inch Softball and a Windy City treasure. His bar, Butch McGuire's, has sponsored more softball teams than anyone can count.

Frank C. Holan Award

Holmes "DADDY-O" Dalye sponsored the best league on the South side, but was better known and loved by Chicagoans for the great jazz music he played and the lyrical monologues he used to describe the music. "DADDY-O" passed away in 2003.

Team Honors

The small-time team that began playing for Molex Inc., a Fortune 500 manufacturing company, was transformed into the best western-suburban team over a 20-year span. Led by Al Maag, Jim Geiser and Richard Black, the Molex team qualified for every national tournament. The team was invited to the Forest Park No-Glove Nationals, and was ranked in the top 15 every season. The Molex team took top 10 finishes in national tournaments and captured two fourth-place finishes in national A-level competition.

The Taggers started the tradition in 1977, led by Frank Holan, becoming one of the top teams. In 1979 they finished seventh in the Nationals. In 1985 they were sponsored by Town and Country Distributors. In 1985 and 1986 the Taggers won back-to-back Old Style Classics in LaCrosse, Wis. In 1990 and 1991 they won back-to-back USSSA World Tourneys. Their overall record was an astounding 918 wins and 382 losses!

Mixed Company combined top players from five of the top women's teams. Coached by Juan (Swan) Gayden and assisted by Allen Jenkins, Irby Dunn and Mike Burns, Mixed Company played out of Dunbar Park and was known for the excellent softball and the step, sharp, and rap routine they created to explain their many championships.

High School Division

Lane Tech repeated this year as the high school champions. Led by Coach Brent Bradish and his staff of Larry Baker and George Stravrakis, Lane defeated Walter Payton High School in the final game by a score of 13-3.