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
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Kansas City, Mo.
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But, of course, at
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this national level
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of play the social
aspects for many
players are certainly
not as important as
“kickin’ some arse,”
as Gonzalez says.
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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
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be an advantage for all the Portland teams.
play
the
game
well
and
have
a
great
time
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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
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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.