Playing by the Rules -- A Houston softball team accuses Atlanta of being too straight

Houston Press ^ | September 18, 2003 | Michael Serazio

[Dog Gone]

At the Gay Softball World Series in Washington, D.C., last month, a Houston team filed a protest with tournament officials alleging that another team wasn't gay enough. The Houston Force, of the Montrose Softball League, sought to disqualify the Atlanta Power for having two more straight players than the rules allowed. After a rigorous inquisition -- they brought players in one by one and asked which side of the plate they swing from -- the Atlanta club was exonerated and allowed to play.

Their coach, however, complained to a local paper: "The only reason that they brought the protest was that they had never seen the guys at a gay establishment and they don't talk gay…It was a bogus protest basically." He accused our local fellas of trying to slow the momentum of the Atlanta team, although the Houston Force finished third in the elite "A" division, ahead of the Atlanta Power. The series drew 157 teams from all over the United States, making it the largest gay and lesbian team tournament in the nation, a spokeswoman said -- and competitive enough to suspect straight ringers.

Carson Kressley: A star player on Queer Eye.

 

Perhaps the Atlanta crew can take a hint from Bravo's Fab Five next time they trot out to the diamond. As culled from the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Web site: 1. No five o'clock shadow; 2. No standard-issue softball guy beer gut; 3. No scratching, boys. It's a dead giveaway.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I recently learned that the Atlanta is only second to San Francisco, in the size of it's gay community.

[TexasNative2000]

Pitchers and catchers report early.

[AngryJawa]

You can't swing a dead cat over your head in midtown Atlanta without hitting Queer Eye wannabe.

[B-Chan]

The Bunt Pirates vs. the Rump Rangers?

[boomop1]

How many balls equal a walk?

[dead]

Until I saw the caption, I thought, "Oh man... Dennis Leary is gay too!"

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I wouldn't know. I spend all my time in the suburbs, and only venture into the city on occasion.

[whereasandsoforth]

What's their beef? Seems like they would want to play against more straight guys. After all, when it comes to ball playing, nobody's better at it than the gay boys.

[jimt]

Teams from the local LBL (lesbian baseball league) used to practice in the park across from my house here in Houston. They had some great players but were very unfriendly. I also got a bit tired of their laying rubber peeling out of the parking lot. Definitely a butch crowd.

[NC Conservative]

How far do they choke up on the shaft of the bat?

[Jalapeno]

Something for Houstonians to digest...

[GOP_Proud]

< . . .and competitive enough to suspect straight ringers. >

Homosexuals don't play as well as real men?

I'm shocked.

[Dog Gone]

It's all in the wrist.

[MeSpikeLibs]

Until now I thought the saying "There is nothing but steers and queers in Texas" couldn't be true.

[Shmokey]

Their bats must smell of ass.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

It's the only league where every player is assured of scoring, eventually... :)