Slow-pitch softball celebrates 50 years in Cedar Rapids

A 50th anniversary is cause for celebration.

In a marriage, for example, 50 years is a very long time. Over that span, stuff happens. Some of the stuff is good, some is not so wonderful.

Good times and bad, that is a condition of marriage.

It also seems to apply to the relationship between the city of Cedar Rapids and the game of softball.

'At one time in Iowa,' wrote Gazette sports editor J.R. Ogden, '16-inch slow-pitch softball was the most popular game within the sport.'

Interest in the game is waning these days, for a variety of reasons, and that is unfortunate given Cedar Rapids' remarkable heritage in the sport.

Softball is truly a Midwestern game that has been played, in various forms, since the 1880s. Five decades ago, in 1966, the Iowa chapter of the American Softball Association (ASA) instituted a state championship tournament and title for the 16-inch variant, so the city of Cedar Rapids began formally crowning its own local champs, as well. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first district title, a trophy awarded to Fleck's Happitime.

That 1966 season, just halfway through Lyndon Johnson's presidency, saw 17 entries into Cedar Rapids' 16-inch league. In addition to Fleck's, there were teams sponsored by the Thunderbird Lounge, Butters Construction, Klinger Paint, along with larger corporations like Collins and Quaker Oats.

Unlike the fast-pitch teams in the Major Open, though, the slow-pitch squads needed much less in terms of financial support, and were able to cajole sponsorship from a number of local businesses. Just as it was on the fast-pitch diamond, Fleck's Happitime dominated the early years of 16-inch, winning those first four district titles. In 1969, as if to put an exclamation mark at the end of their four-year romp, Flecks also won the Iowa state title, a first for a Cedar Rapids 16-inch team. Twelve years later, Fleck's player-manager Bobby Michaels was inducted into the Iowa Softball Hall of Fame, the first and only player ever inducted for both slow- and fast-pitch excellence.

The big-ball game exploded over the next two decades. Mr. Bubbles won two state championships in the 1970s and two in the '80s, the latter abetted by the stellar play of two-time state Most Valuable Player Dan Azinger. As interest in the fast-pitch variant slowly began to ebb, the slower game was poised to step into the void. With the sole exception of Chappies Lounge, Mark Belz's Intertrade Steel and Mike Trachta's Hupp Electric dominated the landscape in the 1980s. Several local players were recognized as state tournament MVPs during the decade, specifically Rick Danly and Don Weaver from Intertrade, Steve Keiper and Azinger from Mr. Bubbles, and Jeff Schebler from the Blasters. Cedar Rapids Budweiser team won another state title in 1990, despite losing to Hupp Electric in the district tournament. Their star was Schebler, now playing with a Budweiser jersey, who was again named Most Valuable Player at the tournament.

Dennis Usher and his Union Station team won the district title from 1995 through 2001, but that streak was nothing in comparison with the current reign of CJ's Sports Bar and Grill. Since 2002, and with the exception of Scott Konecny's Viking Lounge Rat Pack title in 2003, CJ's has enjoyed a stranglehold on the district crown, winning every year since 2004. Even more impressive, though, has been their performance at the state level. CJ's won the 2007 tournament in Des Moines, and reeled off a championship four-peat between 2011 and 2014. Paced by an array of talented players that at times has included Mike Sauser, Matt Mackey, Eric Green, Blake Brockhohn and former University of Iowa star and professional player Nate Frese, CJ's has given no indication it is ready to release its collective grip.

Their dominance alone is reason enough to catch one of their games this summer.

Sixteen-inch softball is a game for just about everyone, and teams from Cedar Rapids play it as well as anyone. For those wishing to give the game a try, there will be a talent showcase at the 2016 district championships. That tournament will be held at the Tait Cummins Sports Complex July 22-23, followed by the annual Cedar Rapids Softball Hall of Fame induction on Aug. 20-21 at Ellis Park. Those events will be a collective celebration of a very happy anniversary.