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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2002)
Liguai 16. 2002 Continued from Page S7 ortland won the bid to play host to the World Series two years ago and has been preparing for the arrival of teams from most major cities from Rhode Island to San Diego ever since. The efforts to coordinate the event have been massive. “IVe started talking in my sleep,” Roy Melani laughs, recounting the impression his partner does of him directing and delegating peo-- ple in the middle of the night. According to Melani, director of the Rose City Softball Association and Series 2002 Committee, a total of 125 teams are coming to Portland from across the nation. That means about 2,300 queer softball players, plus many friends and part ners, will descend on Portland as early as Aug. 17. Take a moment. Think of all those gay people. And in spite of the enormous pressure that’s been put on Melani and the 13 other planning committee members for the past two years, the benefits will be immense. "The city that gets the World Series gets quite an economic boost. When you think of all those people staying for one week—they have to eat, they fly in, they have cars, they have entertainment. They’re looking at it being a week of vacation,” Melani asserts. Randy Wampler, the manager and left fielder for Boxxes Storm, has been to four World Series. “Each time I had a terrific time,” he says. “The events and the games were equally fun. The atmosphere around the city can be very exciting. So many peo ple from so many different places. You make friends from all P over the country, then get to see many of them in sub sequent years.” Ana Gonzalez, shortstop for Mixed Fruit—the only local Womens Competitive team to go to the series— is also excited about the opportunity to see faraway friends. Hers are from p ^ - * î *** é , Kansas City, Mo. vvm But, of course, at m k X H iin h n w this national level h n \\n n > w y of play the social aspects for many players are certainly not as important as “kickin’ some arse,” as Gonzalez says. ‘ H f ü i '" » * » . ' Packer says that it’s easy to get dis tracted by the social aspects of the World Series but that his cities have ever taken home first-place trophies. “1 would love to team is very focused on the competition. add Portland to that list.” “There is a lot of meaning behind this World Series for us. Packer says one of the hardest aspects of any World Series It’s pressure to do well as the home team. But tournament is playing on strange turf and how disconcerting it’s also a great opportunity to prove we can. and distracting it can be to a team’s rhythm. Hopefully that will It’s also a chance for us to show that you can ÉP be an advantage for all the Portland teams. play the game well and have a great time P However, luck will only get you so far. doing so. We are a team that is about ‘win at In order to prepare for the series, Portland’s Gay Yellow all costs,’ especially when it comes to the dig Pages and the Boxxes Storm are at least two teams that have nity of your teammates.” continued practicing, scrimmaging and playing in tournaments 11 Portland teams will have their minds to keep their conditioning consistent. “It is a long week of potentially many games. We have to on competition in this World Series, make sure we are conditioned to play every day for as long as it , as they’re hoping to cash in on the takes, not just weekends like we are used to,” Packer explains. home field advantage. Melani thinks most of Portland’s Gay Yellow Pages, according to Packer, has even them have the talent and the momentum to come up with a secret weapon it is ready to pull out just for the take home trophies. World Series. “There is an unwritten rule that home But Gonzalez has taken a more mystical approach to prepara field advantage does do something,” he states, tion. She’s “visualizing cohesion while brushing my teeth...oh, although in the past 25 years only three host and highlighting my hair.” You know it’s a big deal when people are making up secret weapons, talking in their sleep and highlighting their hair. See you at the ballpark. JH S»? K ?,X4 ¿ SWBBB WwQ^wsXi A ■ ■ vO M O All games in the W o rld S eries are played at Delta Park’s William V. Owens Complex, 10737 N. Union Court, and Hillsboro’s Gordon Faber Recreational Complex, 4450 N.W . 229th Ave. Visit wuw.portlandgaysoftball.com after Aug. 19 for a schedule of games. MELISSA S ayler is an aspiring carpenter who struck out often and was traumatized by her friend’s older sister in the bleachers during her seventh-grade attempt to play softball.
