Johns Park in Glenview may not be carved out of a cornfield as the diamond was in the movie ”Field of Dreams,” but the 50 women of the Chicago- based American Women`s Baseball Association (AWBA) who play there, too, are chasing a longshot dream.
They imagine a national women`s baseball league offering teams and training to women interested in more than just watching the national pastime. As the only women`s baseball league in the nation, the AWBA begins a fifth season this Saturday undeterred by low attendance and the loss of one of its four teams last year.
During the summer, the three AWBA teams will play a regular schedule of 10 games each, according to Judi Kahn, league president and third base player for the Gators. She said the teams are also hoping to compete against women`s teams that may be getting underway this summer in Miami, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Washington, D.C.
”Our goal is to have an organization that goes from girls` Little League to team franchises for adults,” she said.
If this year`s season opener is anything like last year`s, pre-game fanfare will be limited to a rendition of ”The Star Spangled Banner” sung by one of the players to a gathering of fans that includes mainly friends, husbands, boyfriends and family. A VIP, Chicago White Sox broadcasting director Courtney Jones, will be on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Then it`ll be ”Play Ball!” for the Daredevils and the Knights, two of the league`s three teams.
Later this summer, the AWBA meets the big leagues for one night, when two teams play three exhibition innings in Comiskey Park as guests of the White Sox on the team`s ”Tribute to Women`s Baseball” night July 21. Some AWBA players also will be offering tips at the White Sox` three women`s baseball clinics, scheduled for July 18 and Aug. 22 and 26.
The 50 women in the league range in age from 18 to 50. Some are athletes, others exercise when they can, said Kahn. Off the field, they are lawyers, salespeople, flight attendants, computer programmers, mothers and students. The common denominator is a dedication to baseball that brings them out to early-morning Sunday practices and contests that often attract only two or three fans, according to Kahn, a lawyer.
AWBA games are open to the public at Johns Park at Shermer Road and Central Road in Glenview. Attendance is free. Saturday`s opening game starts at 9 a.m. For information on the AWBA 1992 season call 312-883-5270.
