(Above) The Chicago Daily News softball team in 1974. Mike Royko is standing in the middle of the back row. Don DeBat is next to him on the left. (Click on image to view larger version.)

UPDATE: The Mike Royko Memorial Classic has been postponed. The 16-inch Chicago Softball Hall of Fame is working to reschedule the tournament later this summer.

By Don DeBat

9-Jun-23 – The 16-inch Chicago Softball Hall of Fame is resurrecting the once-popular Mike Royko Memorial Softball Tournament after a hiatus of more than a decade.

After learning the upcoming NASCAR Chicago Street Race will greatly diminish softball league play in Grant Park, Chicago Softball Hall of Fame president Paul Rowan stepped up to offer Recreational and Co-ed teams an opportunity to play a two-day tournament on June 24-25 at Centennial Park in south suburban Oak Lawn.

“I think what makes it more disappointing is they’re pushing softball aside for the NASCAR event, which is not part of Chicago, where this game is known as ‘Chicago’s Game,’” said Rowan (left).

Billed as the “Mike Royko Memorial Classic,” the event would effectively resurrect the top-flight tournament played between 2000 and 2010 at Grant Park in honor of the revered, Pulitzer prize-winning columnist and HOF inductee.

Royko, who passed away in 1998, was a legendary 16-inch softball advocate, promoter, pitcher, and manager for the historic Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun-Times teams.

In 1975, Royko was instrumental in the planning and launch of the Chicago 16-inch World Series of Softball tournament played at Soldier Field and televised on WTTW. Royko and the late TV sports anchor (and HOF player) Tim Weigel announced the historic games along with WTTW announcer Marty Robinson.

The 16-inch tournament attracted more than 25,000 fans to a championship diamond built at the north end of Soldier Field. Tens of thousands more watched the games on TV.

In the mid-1970s, Royko defended the historic game of barehanded softball when he filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Park District to prevent the blasphemy of allowing the use of fielders gloves in 16-inch games at Grant Park.

Crafty Royko won the lawsuit with the help of testimony from Bernie Neistein, an old West Side ward boss and former 16-inch player, who told the judge: “Gloves? The only time anybody on our team ever wore any kind of gloves was when they didn’t want to leave fingerprints.”

Royko was inducted into the HOF in 2000, and his historic teams – along with more than 120 players – followed in 2008.

Softball’s impact on city will last longer than NASCAR’s

All the recent positive chirping from Chicago TV newscasters about NASCAR, the redneck sport that likely will change the future history of the Windy City forever, ignores one fact: Grant Park, the Circuit Maximus for the 220-mile race, may never again be the same.

NASCAR enthusiasts from across the nation will pay a minimum of $266 per admission ticket to witness this crazy, dangerous race, which likely will lead to crashes and maybe even death on the tight corners of Chicago streets.

However, after the exhaust fumes float away, the crowds leave, and the garbage and bleachers are removed, what will Chicago taxpayers have to cheer about?

Grant Park, Chicago’s great, green “front yard,” was sold for cash by fast-money politicians and corporations to promote the city’s so-called “world class” status.

Meanwhile, 16-inch softball, the historic blue-collar game that was born in the “City of Big Shoulders” in 1887, is being squeezed and essentially pushed out of Grant Park.

With a repeat of NASCAR in 2024 and bookings of endless music and food festivals – Chicago Fest, Lollapalooza, Suenos Music Festival, Taste of Chicago – there is a chance the softball leagues will never return.

Thankfully, a savior has emerged from the chaos. The 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame has come to the rescue of dozens of Grant Park teams who were shafted out of a full season of play because of NASCAR and other social and music events.

The revival of the Mike Royko Memorial Softball Tournament is a historic, grassroots symbol targeted to preserving the essence of softball in Chicago.

At least it will give Recreational and Co-ed softball teams a chance to play “Chicago’s Game” in separate brackets over one beautiful summer weekend at classy Centennial Park at 93rd Street & Oak Park Avenue in Oak Lawn.

The following Grant Park softball leagues have been invited to play in the Mike Royko tournament:

• Chicago Advertising Co-ed Softball League (13 teams)

• Grant Park Co-Ed League (6 teams)

• Grant Park Men’s League (4 teams)

• Men’s Accountants League (4 teams)

• Men’s Architects and Engineers League (4 teams)

The Chicago Sport & Social Club also manages leagues with 18 co-ed teams at Grant Park.

“While Grant Park teams are at the top of the tournament’s priority list, other teams that are currently playing 16-inch softball in Chicago parks also are invited to sign up,” Rowan said. The HOF expects the tournament to attract at least 16 teams in the two brackets.

Centennial Park’s four manicured softball diamonds are designed in classic pinwheel style with nearby concession stands. Each co-ed team must have four women players on the field during the game. Women may wear a fielders glove. Men in both brackets will play barehanded, 16-inch Chicago-style softball.

Pitching is classic slow-pitch, with an arc limit of six to 12 feet high. The championship team in each bracket will receive a trophy and recognition in the HOF newsletter.

Batter up!

Mike Royko Memorial Classic When: Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, from 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Where: Centennial Park at 93rd Street & Oak Park Avenue in south suburban Oak Lawn. Ample off-street parking is situated near the softball fields. Teams: Both Recreational and Co-ed teams from Grant Park are invited to play in separate brackets. Every team will be guaranteed two games in this single-elimination/consolation bracket tournament. Rules: Each Co-ed team must have four women players on the field during the game. Women may wear a fielders glove. Men in both brackets will play barehanded, 16-inch Chicago-style softball. Bats must be certified as a regulation softball bat up to 34 inches long with 10 inches of tape on the handle. No baseball bats are allowed. Pitching is slow-pitch, with a maximum arc of 6-12 feet high. Umpires: The HOF will provide an official umpire for every game. Umpires will be paid out of tournament fees. Fees: Entry fee is $275 per team. Each team also is required to bring one new Clincher 16-inch softball for use in the tournament. Payment: Pre-pay tournament fees via credit card, check, or Venmo, to Paul Rowan, president of the HOF. Registration and payment deadline is June 16. The draw for pairings and game times will be on Tuesday, June 20, at a location to be determined. Pairings and game times will be announced by June 21 and posted on the HOF website. Questions: Contact Paul Rowan at pauljrowan2021@gmail.com or 708-574-6191. Championship Recognition: Championship team in each bracket will receive a trophy and recognition in the HOF newsletter. Post-Game Social Hour: Uncle Bud’s Bar & Grill, 9700 South Cicero Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois. The non-profit 16-inch Chicago Softball Hall of Fame accepts donations. More info is at 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Paul Rowan.