Softball challenge

[RMc]

From 1977-82, there was a professional softball league in this country. It started as the American Professional Slo-Pitch Softball League (APSPSL, or more simply the APSPL) in twelve cities in the Northeast and Midwest. After three seasons, in 1980 the league split into two warring factions: the APSPL and the new North American Softball League (NASL). This proved disastrous, as almost all the new league's teams folded and the sport reunified under the name United Professional Softball league (UPSL). The UPSL played one last season in 1982.

I've put together a quickstart of a semi-fictional circuit called the United Softball Association (USA) and kicked its start back to 1976, the Bicentennial year (USA...get it?). I manage to track down most of the logos but I never did anything with the caps or uniforms. Now, I'm asking the OOTP community...li'l help, please?

Here are the franchises of the real APSPL/NASL/UPSL...first, though, here's the APSPL logo:



Baltimore Monuments



The Monuments made it to the first Softball World Series in 1977, lost to Detroit, and promptly disappeared.




Anybody have any idea on where to find that Pro Softball Magazine?

More to come...

[RMc]

Chicago Storm



The Storm had one of league's biggest stars in Benny Holt...



...but were pretty terrible, finishing last twice. In 1980, the NASL put a new team in the Windy City, Chicago Nationwide Advertising (no pics available).

[RMc]

Cincinnati Suds



Yep...the APSPL was literally a beer league whenever the Suds took the field.



Yikes!



The Suds played two seasons (1978-79) in "Old Crosley Field"; no, not the Crosley Field, but an incredible simulation. In a "Fields of Dreams"-like scenario, a man named Larry Luebbers re-created the original Crosley Field on his farm, across the river in Union, Kentucky, complete with many of the bits and pieces from Reds' former home. It's a fascinating story, and you read about it here: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...eams/28180905/




Hm. Does this remind you of another Cincinnati ball team...?

[RMc]

Cleveland Jaybirds/Competitors



I can't find a Jaybirds uniform, but they weren't naked...here's a warm-up jacket:



After two seasons, the team was sold to...Ted Stepien, who changed the name to the Cleveland Competitors, named after a bar he owned:





Stepien also owned the Cavaliers for a while, and is widely considered the worst owner in NBA history: https://nbahoopsonline.com/teams/Cle...s/Stepien.html

[RMc]

Detroit Caesars



The Caesars were considered the APSPL's flagship franchise, winning the first two Softball World Series and qualifying for two others. This website at http://www.detroitcaesars.com/ has an excellent overview of the team and pro softball in general.




Yes, that's former Tigers stars Norm Cash and Jim Northtrup on the Caesars' roster!



This little guy was featured on the Caesars caps and sleeves:



continued...

[RMc]

When the APSPL split in two, owner Mike Ilitch (he of Little Caesar's Pizza and later the Tigers and Red Wings) decided not to continue in either one. A successor team, the Detroit Auto Kings, played in 1980, then folded:



In 1982, Detroit Softball City represented Detroit in the UPSL. They played in the final Softball World Series in 1982, losing to Milwaukee:



Fort Wayne Scouts/Huggie Bears

When Chicago dropped out of the league in 1979, they were replaced with the Fort Wayne Scouts, who played at historic Tah-Cum-Wah Field:



Also available in black:



The following year, they changed their name to the Fort Wayne Huggie Bears, improving from 8-56 (.172) to 10-46 (.179). No. Just...no. (I'd google it, but I'm terrified I'd actually find something.)

Here's the real Huggie Bear:



Maybe somebody could make this into a uniform? (If you do, you're a better, and crazier, man than I.)

[RMc]

Kentucky Bourbons



The Bourbons were one of four franchises that lasted all six years of professional softball. And they went through a lot of uniforms:



Nice.



A decent enough alternate.



Um, no.



Hey, is the circus in town?

The 'Burbs played in the 1979 Softball World Series, and ESPN covered it. This guy has several of the games on his YouTube channel.

[RMc]

Lexington Stallions

Played one year in the woebegone NASL. No trace remains.

Lima Steele's Softball



A long-time amateur team that went pro in 1982.



They continue as an amateur team to this day. One of their players hit over 800 home runs...in one season. Twice.

[RMc]

Milwaukee Copper Hearth/Schlitz





Along with Detroit, pro softball's most successful team. After signing a sponsorship deal in 1978, they became the Milwaukee Schlitz. (A Milwaukee team sponsored by a brewery? Is nothing scared...?)





Milwaukee won three Softball World Series and had a spirited rivalry with Detroit, beating them in the playoffs three straight years.

I don't like corporate names in my leagues, so my USA universe uses this logo (compliments to whoever came up with it):

[RMc]

...skipped right over the Columbus All-Americans! (Is it because I'm a Michigan fan?)



They played just one year, 1977, and later lent their name to an amateur (baseball) team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

[RMc]

Minnesota Goofy's/Norsemen

One of the original franchises, they were also named after a bar...in this case, Goofy's, in downtown St. Paul.



OK, very funny, guys. At least you didn't put that backwards F on the unif...



Oh. Dear. God. (I'm pretty sure this qualifies as a hate crime.)

In 1978, the Goofy's became the Norsemen:




Dorf knows softball...?!

[RMc]

New England Pilgrims



Um...



OK, that's better. (Thanks, Internet stranger!)

New York Clippers

They played just one season, in 1977, well north of the Big Apple in Mt. Vernon, NY. Here's the original logo...



...and my awkward attempt at re-imagining it. (Anybody else take a crack at it?)



And the uni:

[RMc]

New Jersey Statesmen/Trenton Statesmen/Trenton Champales



They played three season in suburban Trenton (1977-79) under three different names; first, as the New Jersey Statesmen...



...then, the Trenton Statesmen...



...and then, the Trenton Champales!

Hey, why name your team after whiskey or beer (or an establishment that sells them), when you can name your team after the malt liquor you serve like champagne...?!



Please let one of you make a uniform that resembles a Champale bottle...please! I'm begging ya!

[RMc]

Philadelphia/South Jersey Athletics

Did you know the Philadelphia Athletics played in Veteran's Stadium? I know, I know...you're thinking the A's moved out of Philly long before the Vet was built, right? Well, I'm not talking about those A's, I'm talking about these A's...!



EDIT: A slightly better-looking logo:



How this team managed to scrape up the money to rent a major league ballpark, I'll never know. The following year, 1979, they decamped to Wilmington, Delaware, but continued to call themselves the "Philadelphia" Athletics.

In 1981, the club moved to the ever-popular Cjonacki Sports Complex in Berlin, NJ, and were renamed the South Jersey A's. No pics available, and pretty much impossible to find on the net.

[annies-b00bs]

This is really cool. From googling a little bit, in 1977, Benny Holt hit .690 with 89 home runs in 56 games. To prove that softball is as much a team game as baseball, his team went 22-34. The Chicago Storm were disbanded following the next season.

http://www.angelfire.com/sd/slopitch/pro.html

[RMc]

Pittsburgh Hardhats

Pittsburgh nearly had three championship teams in the late 70s/early 80s...the Steelers, the Pirates, and the Hardhats!



Er...or is it Hard Hats? We'll go with the one-word version.

The 'Hats were a mediocre team their first three seasons, but made it all the way to the Softball World Series in 1980...losing in an epic nine-game battle to the Rochester Express. And they did it...wearing these caps:



Phh, indeed! Yecchhh...!

Pittsburgh was also one of two cities that featured rival teams in the same city. In 1980, when the APSPL split, the new NASL decided to put competing teams in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Let's get the Cincinnati Rivermen out of the way first:





I like it!



Um...not so much. (Loves me some powder blue, tho.)

...continued...

[RMc]

Meanwhile, the Hardhats' rival in the Steel City were called, of all things, the Pittsburgh Champions:



The Champs were anything but, finishing 22-38 and vanishing at season's end.

Syracuse Salt(s)



The less said about these guys, the better. The net can't even agree if their nickname was singular or plural (the logo above comes from a game program). On the field, they were arguably the worst team in any sport ever: in their lone campaign of 1981, they won a grand total of four games...out of fifty-six. Oof.

Here's the front page of a different program, although I doubt their unis actually looked like this:

[RMc]

Rochester Zeniths/Express



The Zeniths were actually two teams; one played softball, and the other basketball. Check out this article for the whole story.



In 1980, the (softball) Zeniths changed their name to the Rochester Express. The Express finished under .500 in '80 (30-34), but that was good enough to sneak into the playoffs and beat Pittsburgh, five games to four, in the Softball World Series.



Rochester remained in the unified UPSL two more years; the ex-Zeniths reached their nadir in 1982, finishing last.

[RMc]

Any help from the community will be greatly appreciated.

Again, thanks.

[Rayzor]

I could see a promotion/regulation league being made with the 3 leagues