THERE'S YOUTH T-BALL.
THEN BASE THEN GIRLS ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL
WHO MAY HAVE LONG LOVED AND PLAYED AMERICA'S FAVORITE
PASTIME ARE FACED WITH A CHOICE QUIT, OR PLAY SOFTBALL.
BUT SOME, LIKE AYLEE WEISS FROM
EAST LONGMEADOW SEE A THIRD OPTION: PLAYING BASEBALL ON THE
BOYS' TEAM.
CARRIE SALDO SPOKE WITH AYLEE ABOUT HER DECISION,
AND RON CHIMELIS OF THE REPUBLI JOINED THEM TO OFFER HISTORICAL.
>> SO IT ALL STARTED WHEN MY DAD TOOK ME
TO MY FIRST GAME AT FENWAY WHEN I WAS 3 MONTHS OLD.
>> THREE MONTHS OLD?
>> YEAH, THEN I STARTED T-BALL AND WORKED MY WAY UP TO
BASEBALL AND STUCK WITH IT EVER SINCE.
>> AT WHAT POINT DID YOU REALIZE OH, I AM COMING TO
HIGH SCHOOL AND WILL NEED TO DECIDE TO PLAY SOFTBALL.
>> WELL, I AM THE FIRST GIRL TO PLAY ON THE BASEBALL TEAM
WHICH IS KIND OF BIG AND IT WAS HARD TO WRAP MY HEAD
AROUND THAT FACT BUT I DEFINITELY TO WANT STICK WITH
IT AS LONG AS I CAN.
>> AND YOU DID AND WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A
SECOND BUT I WANT TO BRING RON INTO THE CONVERSATION.
YOU HAVE COVERED SPORTS.
DO YOU HEAR THIS STORY OFTEN FROM OTHER GIRLS WHO HAVE
TRANSITIONED FROM T-BALL AND BASEBALL AND NOW COMING TO
HIGH SCHOOL, THEY HAVE TO PLAY SOFTBALL?
>> WELL, IT IS NOT A NEW STORY BECAUSE I COVERED SPORTS IN
THE 1980S AND EVERY TIME THAT HAPPENED, WE WERE EXPLOITING
IT.
WHAT IS NEW TO ME ABOUT THIS IS BASEBALL.
THIS IS A SPORT I HAD NOT HEARD GIRLS LOCALLY PLAYING
AND IT BECOMES A BIG STORY BECAUSE OF THAT.
BUT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF BOYS PLAYING GIRLS SPORTS
OCCASIONALLY AND GIRLS PLAYING BOYS SPORTS, IT IS NOT REALLY
OFTEN BUT EVERYONE IS STARTING TO ACCEPT IT.
>> SO DID YOU HAVE TO CHANGE TO GO THROUGH THIS?
>> WELL, I HAD TO BECOME A MORE OUTGOING PERSON.
I USUALLY KEPT TO MYSELF BUT IT IS HARD TO DO THAT ON A
TEAM OF 14 TO 16-YEAR-OLD BOYS SO I HAD TO DO MY BEST.
>> AND WERE THEY RUDE OR HOW DID THEY GREET YOU?
>> I HAD A FEW FRIENDS ON THE TEAM AND THEY WOULD GREET ME
BUT THEN THERE WERE A FEW WHO WOULD STAY IN THE CORNER IN
THEIR GRINNED GROUP AND NOT INTERACT WITH ME.
>> WAS THERE ANY CHALLENGE THAT YOU ARE A GIRL AND CAN'T
BE AS GOOD AS THEY ARE?
>> I THINK THEY HAVE SEEN THAT IS NOT A POSSIBILITY ANYMORE.
I THINK I HAVE PROVEN MYSELF, SO NO.
>> RON, THERE IS SOME HISTORY FOR THIS.
THERE WAS A WOMAN WHO PLAYED IN THE 30s?
>> HER NAME WAS BABE WASOCKI AND I MET HER NEAR THE END OF
HER LIFE AND SHE WAS A SUPER ATHLETE IN ALL SPORTS.
SHE DIDN'T PLAY IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T
ALLOW GIRLS TO PLAY IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND THEY WERE GIVING
GREAT ACCOLADES FOR PEOPLE WHO PLAYED SPORTS IN HIGH SCHOOL
AND THEY SAID WELL WE CAN'T HONOR HER BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T
PLAY IN HIGH SCHOOL.
AND I WAS LIKE WELL SO YOU DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HER ONCE
AND NOW YOU ARE DOING IT AGAIN.
BUT SHE MUST HAVE BEEN SPECTACULAR TO GET ON MEN'S
TEAMS AND TO BE ABLE TO PLAY AS WELL AS THE MEMBER IN THOSE
SPORTS.
>> HOW ABOUT YOU, DID YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING SPECIAL TO
CONVINCE THEM TO PLAY BASEBALL?
>> I HAD TO SEND A LETTER TO THE MIA TO CONVINCE THEM TO
LET ME TRY OUT FOR THE TEAM AND THEN WHEN I HEARD BACK, I
DID THE TRYOUT AND MY SCHOOL HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF
ME.
>> WHAT DID YOU SAY?
>> WELL, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOFTBALL
AND BASEBALL AND I WANTED TO KEEP PLAYING BASEBALL WHICH IS
THE GAME I LOVE.
>> WHY IS IT THAT GIRLS PLAY SOFTBALL AND BOYS PLAY
BASEBALL?
>> IT IS MOSTLY TRADITION.
THE SAME ANSWER WE GIVE TO A LOT OF THINGS IN SOCIETY, THAT
THAT IS THE WAY IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
THEY ARE NOT THE SAME GAME AND WHENEVER I GET A GIRL WANTING
TO PLAY BASEBALL, I ALWAYS ASK WHY?
THINK THIS THROUGH.
IS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT PLAYING THIS OR THAT AND
THE ANSWER IS NO.
IT IS NOT AN IDENTICAL GAME BY ANY MEANS.
IT REQUIRES DIFFERENT SKILLS SO IT SHOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE
TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER INSTEAD OF BEING
FUNNELED INTO ONE OR THE OTHER.
>> YOU THINK MORE GIRLS SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION OR THEY WOULD
PICK WHAT YOU DID IF THEY HAD THE OPTION?
>> THAT IS THE REASON I AM PLAYING, TO HELP BLAZE THE
TRAIL FOR GIRLS WHO PLAY FUTURE BASEBALL HOPEFULLY.
>> YOU MENTIONED THE DIAMOND IS DIFFERENT, SMALLER.
IS THAT BASICALLY BECAUSE THE PREVAILING SENTIMENT THAT
GIRLS AREN'T AS STRONG OR FAST?
>> I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS WHY THE FIELDS WERE SET UP THE WAY
THEY WERE.
I MEAN, THE PITCHING IS DIFFERENT IN SOFTBALL, IT IS
UNDERHAND AND THEY DO IT FROM A SHORTER STABS.
IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT SPORT, NOT AT ALL A SECONDARY SPORT
TO ME BUT THE FACT THAT THE DIAMONDS WERE LAID OUT
DIFFERENT, THEY WERE PUT TOGETHER IN THE 1800'S.
SOFTBALL HAS BECOME MORE OF A 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY SPORT SO
I DON'T THINK IT WAS DONE WITH A DISCRIMINATORY PROCESS BUT
IT JUST HAPPENED THAT WAY FOR TWO DIFFERENT SPORTS AND TWO
DIFFERENT FIELDS.
>> I KNOW YOU PLAYED IN A NATIONAL TOURNAMENT AND I READ
THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE BECAUSE WHEN YOU WENT TO PLAY, IT WAS
THE SAME DIAMOND THAT PEACHES PLAYED ON, RIGHT?
EARN KNOWS -- EVERYONE KNOWS THEM FROM "LEAGUE OF THEIR
OWN"?
>> YES, I HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE A MILLION TIMES AND IT IS JUST
LIKE I PICTURE THEM PLAYING ON THAT SAME FIELD AND ALL THE
DIFFERENT PLAYS THAT THEY MAKE AND ALL THE DIFFERENT HARDSHIP
THAT THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH.
JUST BEING ABLE TO STEP FOOT ON THAT FIELD FELT REALLY
POWERFUL.
>> GREAT.
AND RON, THERE IS A STRANGE LOCAL CONNECTION TO LEAGUE OF
THEIR OWN WITH JULIE CROTO?
>> YES.
>> WHAT IS THAT CONNECTION?
>> SHE WAS A COACH AND I BELIEVE SHE PLAYED AT A SCHOOL
NAMED ST.
MARY'S AND SHE WAS A COACH IN OTHER PLACES.
SHE HAD A BIT PART WHEN THEY WERE LOOKING FOR TRUE WOMEN
BASEBALL PLAYERS TO PLAY IN THE MOVIE AND IT BROUGHT THE
LEAGUE THAT MOST PEOPLE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED IN WORLD WAR
II BACK TO LIFE BECAUSE SHE WAS A PLAYER AND COULD GIVE A
ROLE THAT WAS BELIEVABLE.
SO WHEN THEY WANTED TO SHOW WOMEN BASEBALL PLAYERS, THEY
SHOWED HER.
>> YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE OF INTEREST TO YOU?
>> YEAH, I LIKE HEARING OTHER WOMEN ARE PLAYING BECAUSE I
LIKE TO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE PAVED THE PATH FOR ME.
>> AND YOU ARE GOING TO ANOTHER TOURNAMENT IN THE
SPRING?
>> YES, BASEBALL NEW YORK IN A FEW DAYS FROM NOW AND THEN
FLYING DOWN TO FLORIDA FOR USA BASEBALL.
>> AND THAT IS A FARM FOR WOMEN IN BASEBALL?
>> YES.
>> WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE SPORTING?
>> BE MORE ACCEPTING AND MORE DIVERSE.
>> APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN TO HAVE A CHAT WITH US TODAY.
GOOD LUCK.