Published in Next Magazine, August 19, 2010
"Playing for Fun. Playing For Life."
by Jeff Kagan
Marilyn Monroe made it known that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. For Mike D’Antonio, this jingle rings true, only, the diamond that he loves is a baseball diamond. Or in this case, a softball diamond? Mike has played softball since as far back as he can remember. In 1997, shortly after coming out, he became involved with the Big Apple Softball League (BASL), hoping it would help him to connect with other LGBT people in the area. This started him on a journey to re-discover himself as a gay man.
The Big Apple Softball League is one of the oldest gay sports organizations in New York, established in 1980, after getting its humble beginnings only three years earlier as part of the Metropolitan Community Athletic Association (MCAA). This was such a great idea that it paved the way for other gay sports leagues such as the Gotham Volleyball League, the MCAANY Bowling League and the NY Gay Pool League.
The primary purpose was to provide a safe environment for gay athletes to play sports. An additional perk was that there was now a way for members of the gay community to meet outside the sexually charged atmosphere in bars – so “getting to 2nd base,” actually meant getting to 2nd base!
Mike, who has rounded 2nd base many times over the years, is proud of the organization that he’s been part of for so long. “The best aspect of the BASL is that it is open to everyone. We welcome anyone who wants to play ball, have fun and make friends in a safe, LGBT-focused environment,” says the Brooklyn-born batter.
Something else Mike is proud of is the league’s annual Playing For Life Tournament. Originally conceived back in the early 1990s as a one-time event, the tournament was created to respond to the AIDS crisis, raising money in support of people afflicted with HIV/AIDS. The players in this first tournament were actually “playing for life.”
In 2003, it was brought back as an annual fundraising event to support various New York City based LGBT organizations. Over the years, Playing for Life raised funds for groups like God’s Love We Deliver, the Ali Forney Center, GMHC and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year, SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) is the beneficiary of their efforts.
The tournament will be held from September 3rd to 6th in Central Park. This year, they expect 40 teams who will be coming from all over the United States and Canada. The games are open to the public and free to watch, however, you won’t see any peanuts or Cracker Jack® in the stands at these games. Carbs…
Want to support this wonderful cause? Donations can be made in person at the registration tables in Central Park's North Meadow or Great Lawn on tournament weekend (September 4-5, 2010), or any time on-line at the tournament's web site www.playingforlife.org
Sports Quickies:
Gay Games VIII wrapped up two weeks ago in Cologne, Germany. Many of New York’s athletes are a little more sparkly now -- lots of medals! Here are some of the results:
We Love Water Sports. Team New York Aquatics’ Tom Malcolm won a silver medal in the 400 IM (Individual Medley). Robert Hermanent won two silver medals (first in the 200 IM, and then in the 400 IM). David Denrich picked up the bronze. Jack Mackenroth won a silver in the 100 Free, and Charlie Carson took home the bronze. John Kiley won his second gold also setting a new Gay Games and International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) record in the 50 Breast. Peter Isgrigg took the bronze in the 50 Breast as well.
Wrestlemania: The Metro Gay Wrestling Alliance is all singlets and smiles after pinning the competition in Cologne, Germany. Adrian Sie won gold at 68kg in Master's. Mark Evans won gold at 82kg in Master's, and Ronny Bekaert won gold at 100kg in Open. Kristopher Burrell took the bronze at 82kg in Open.
Born To Run: Frontrunners New York brought in a whopping 54 medals!! 21 Gold, 23 Silver and 10 Bronze. Highlights shine on Dave Pitches three golds (1/2 Marathon, 10k Road Race & 5k Track); Rich Velazquez: two gold medals in the 1/2 Marathon and 5k Road Race; Kelsey Louie: three golds and two silvers (400m, 4x400m, 800m, 5k Road Race & 1500m); Inger-Jo Berger, the big winner, with eight gold medals and one silver (1/2 marathon, 5k Road Race, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5k track and 10k Road Race). Congrats to all of the winners (simply too many to list here)!
And back here in the States:
Lay Up!, the NYC Gay Basketball League’s “Team 1”, captained by Michael Kokell is 6-3 in their first winning season. The boys are in second place after winning their last game, 44-34, led by Jeremie Knight and great rebounding by Andrew Johnstone.
Artful Dodgers… The Gym Class Fantasies took the Big Bang Dodgeball Tournament on Fire Island this weekend beating C-IN2 in the finals in sudden death. It was a fight to the finish for the seven LGBT teams competing, but leave it to the winning team to make their fantasy a reality!
