The Chicago Storm were a professional 12-inch
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
team that played in the
American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL) during the 1977 and 1978 seasons. They played their home games at the Windy City Softball Complex in
Bridgeview, Illinois
Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately southwest of the Chicago Loop. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the village population was 17,027.
History
The e ...
in 1977 and then at two different parks in 1978 - Lions Park in
Mt. Prospect, Illinois
Mount Prospect is a village in Elk Grove and Wheeling Townships in Cook County, Illinois, about northwest of downtown Chicago, and approximately 4 miles north of O'Hare International Airport. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total pop ...
and Community Park in
Addison, Illinois
Addison is a village located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,942 at the 2010 census.
History
The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekia ...
.
APSPL history
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, several men's professional slow-pitch
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
leagues were formed in the United States to build on the growth and talent in the booming men's amateur game during this period.
The American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL) was the first such league, launching in an era of experimentation in professional sports leagues. The APSPL was formed in 1977 by former
World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
executive
Bill Byrne who would go on to form the
Women's Professional Basketball League
The Women's Professional Basketball League (abbreviated WBL) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. The league was the first professional w ...
. Former New York Yankees star
Whitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...
was the first league commissioner.
Chicago Storm
The Chicago Storm began play in the inaugural APSPL season in 1977, finishing with a record of 22-34 (.393), in 4th place in the Midwestern Division, 20 games behind division-winners
Detroit Caesars
The Detroit Caesars were a professional softball team played in the American Professional Slo-Pitch Softball League (APSPL) from 1977 to 1979.
History
Prior to formalized professional play, Detroit was a hotbed for softball, with some of the top ...
. The Storm were managed by former
Chicago Cub Milt Pappas
Milton Steven Pappas (May 11, 1939 – April 19, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through . Nicknamed "Gimpy", the 17-year veteran pitched for the Baltimore Ori ...
. The Caesars would go on to win the first pro softball World Series 4–0 over the
Baltimore Monuments
The Baltimore Monuments were a professional softball team that played in the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL) during the 1977 season. They played their home games at Rips Memorial Stadium in Bowie, Maryland.
APSPL history
During t ...
with Mike Nye of Detroit honored as the series MVP. But Benny Holt (.690 BA, 89 HRs, 187 RBIs, 144 runs scored, 25 walks) of Chicago was the talk of the league in winning the triple crown and the league MVP trophy. Holt and Buddy Haines (.605, 42 HRs, 100 RBIs, 101 runs scored) made the all-pro team for 1977. Storm players Ron Olesiak (.581, 55 HRs, 112 RBIs), Tom Spahn (.541, 49 HRs, 129 RBIs), Mike Krolicki (.511, 22 HRs, 75 RBIs) and Dave Shortz (.506, 33 HRs, 56 RBIs) had stellar seasons for Chicago. Former Cub
Gene Hiser played for the Storm in 1977.
![Benny Holt, Chicago, 1977](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Benny_Holt%2C_Chicago%2C_1977.jpg)
1978 was no more kind to the Storm as they ended the season with an abysmal 11-53 (.172) record, 4th in the division and 38 games behind Detroit. Detroit would repeat again as APSPL champions, defeating the
Minnesota Norsemen
The Minnesota Norsemen were a professional softball team that played in the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL) during the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The team had played as the Minnesota Goofy's in the 1977 season, changing names for 1978. ...
with series MVP Bert Smith hitting 15-16 (.940). Ron Ford of Detroit was the league MVP. Benny Holt (.526, 50 HRs, 130 RBIs) was again outstanding for the Storm and was the team's sole representative on the all-pro team. Tommy Spahn (.539, 34 HRs, 101 RBIs), Mike Krolicki (.511, 13 HRs, 59 RBIs) and Ron Olesiak (.509, 20 HRs, 47 RBIs) again performed well in support. The team suffered with poor attendance
and financial instability led to the league taking over the Storm in 1978. The team would be without a home and played home games on the road by the end of the season, and the team disbanded at the end of the year.
Chicago Nationwide Advertising
Professional softball returned briefly to Chicago in 1980 when a rival league, the
North American Softball League (NASL), was formed by
Cleveland Stepien's Competitors owner
Ted Stepien
Theodore J. Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the founder ...
, who put forward a team called
Chicago Nationwide Advertising
Chicago Nationwide Advertising were a professional softball team that played in the North American Softball League (NASL) during the 1980 season. They played their home games at The team played at Lou Boudreau Field in Harvey, Illinois.
League h ...
, named after the advertising company owned by Stepien. The team played at Lou Boudreau Field in
Harvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor, Illinois, Dixmoor and Riverdale, Illinois, R ...
and former
Chicago Cub Joe Pepitone
Joseph Anthony Pepitone (born October 9, 1940) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints wi ...
served as team president and played first-base. Pepitone would get a suspension during the year for "conduct detrimental to professional softball" when NASL Commissioner Robert Brown suspended him for 6 games and then was lost to the season in August with a thigh injury. The team was managed by local softball legend Eddie Zolna.
It was an excellent regular season for CNA as Chicago finished 43-19 (.694), 2nd in the Western Division to the
Milwaukee Schlitz
The Milwaukee Schlitz were a professional softball team that played in three men's professional softball leagues from 1977 through 1982 at Wilson Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
History
Milwaukee began play in the inaugural 1977 American Profess ...
. The Schlitz would defeat Chicago in the playoffs 4-2 and go on to win the NASL World Series in 1980 over the
Detroit Auto Kings
The Detroit Auto Kings were a professional softball team that played in the North American Softball League (NASL) in the 1980 season at Memorial Field in East Detroit, Michigan.
League history
Detroit was represented by the Detroit Caesars, wh ...
5-12 behind the hitting of Ken Parker (.586, 16 RBIs) in the series. Former Chicago Storm star Benny Holt was now with Cleveland, but Ron Olesiak (.555, 34 HRs, 124 RBIs) of Chicago won the league MVP trophy, and Chicago added all-pro seasons from Mike Krolicki (27-6 pitching record), Buddy Haines (.518, 27 HRS, 115 RBIs), Tommy Spahn (.527, 15 HRs, 97 RBIs), Curt Dusek (.413 BA), Willie Simpson (.506, 23 doubles, 13 triples) and Jake Jakobi (.520 BA). Olesiak, Dusek, Simpson, Spahn represented Chicago at the mid-season All-Star game and Zolna managed the West team. The NASL lasted one season before combining with the APSPL to form a new league, the United Professional Softball League (UPSL). That league disbanded in 1982, bringing an end to the professional era of men's softball in the US. Many players returned to the competitive leagues in the Chicago area, especially the 16-inch game in the region.
The Chicago Nationwide Advertising team featured two members of the
American Softball Association
USA Softball (formerly the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and ASA/USA Softball) is the governing body for the United States national softball team. It is a member of the sport's international governing body, the World Baseball Softball Confe ...
Hall of Fame - manager Eddie Zolna and catcher Willie Simpson.
[https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/National-Softball-Hall-of-Fame/Members ]
Chicago year-by-year record
References
{{reflist
External links
APSPL on Fun While It Lasted Softball History USA Detroit Caesars Online Home National Softball Hall of Fame
Sports clubs established in 1977
Softball teams in Illinois
1978 establishments in Illinois
1979 disestablishments in Illinois
Sports clubs disestablished in 1978
Men's professional softball teams
Sports in Chicago