Mike Royko on Softball

Chicagoist is in a media softball league on Monday nights. We're in the Royko division and we aren't very good.

Mike Royko was an avowed softball nut and the clip below from the Media Burn video archive (donate here, if you're so inclined), Royko at the Goat, has been around for years. Here it is again with a new forward from filmmaker Scott Jacobs about how the short was made.

Now is you'll excuse us, we need to find some ringers.

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By Chuck Sudo in News on July 7, 2011 4:00 PM

Comments [rss]

UTChicago

16-inch softball is the greatest. As someone on a not-very-good team, I sympathize with your plight.

thatdudeguydude

Great doc, thanks for posting! I thoroughly enjoyed that. My dad has been umping 16" for 40 years (since 1971, his exact 40th year this year) and so I grew up around the culture. Brought back a lot of memories to watch that. I'm proud to have been a part of it, even if just watching dad from behind the backstop all those years.

On another note, this clip somehow led me to the Nelson Algren wiki (gotta love link jumping) and I found out the strangest thing. From wiki: "Shortly after his death in 1981, his last Chicago residence at 1958 West Evergreen Street..."

I live on that same block. I never ever knew that the man who wrote The Man With The Golden Arm once resided so close to me. In fact, as soon as I post this comment, I'm taking a short walk and am going to go look at the building. Feeling all extra Chicago-y right about now.

"Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning."