Tonight-- [laughs]
Hi, my name is Anais Fairweather,
and tonight I'm gonna tell you the story,
the true story behind "A League of Their Own."
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- We start our story with Marge and Helen Callaghan,
two sisters growing up in Vancouver, Canada.
These two women are natural athletes.
They're so [bleep] sick and tight,
and they're like,
yeah, we joined a fast-pitch softball league together.
Okay, so now we're gonna fast forward a little bit to 1942.
We're in the midst of World War 2,
and the draft is going on full force.
Now this [bleep]ing guy, the commissioner of the MLB,
Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
[groans]
I hate saying that name. - [laughs]
- He's like,
I'm the numero uno commissioner
of major league and minor league baseball,
and while I'm calling the shots,
everyone's being [bleep]ing drafted into World War 2.
So he's like, okay, I'll put my big boy pants on.
I'ma figure this out.
He calls Philip K. Wrigley.
Philip K. Wrigley is, like, chomp, chomp, hello?
And Kenesaw Mountain Landis is like,
oh, my man, 3,000 minor league players,
major league players are gone to war.
So Philip K. Wrigley's like,
okay, I've got an idea for you.
We are gonna capitalize
on the popularity of women softball.
Badass women.
And it's, like, the '40s, right?
That's--that's a crazy time to do this.
So Philip K. Wrigley and his buddy, Ken Sells,
go out scouting all throughout the Midwest.
And lo and behold, who did they run into
but Helen and Marge Callaghan.
- What are they doing there?
- They are playing fast-pitch softball,
and Helen and Marge are like,
uh, we are dominating this field.
Philip and Ken run out to this.
They run out to the field and they're like,
you, the both of you, we need you both.
You got to be on our [bleep]ing team.
And they sign on the dotted line at $75 a week.
So they're both on the Minneapolis Marionettes.
[both laugh] No, Millerettes.
So Marge and Helen are like,
we're on this team, this is [bleep]ing tight.
They're playing doubleheaders,
in, like, 115 degree weather,
and Philip K. Wrigley's like,
I know how to sell a product,
and I need these women to look like women.
These chaperons are like, I am going to make sure
that their hair is curled, their lipstick is on,
their makeup is fully done,
their skirts are ironed
before they head out onto the field.
People are full to watch these women
in these adorable dresses
play [bleep]ing baseball like men.
And Marge Callaghan, Helen Callaghan,
are [bleep]ing knocking this shit outta the park.
Women are stealing bases.
They're like, what's up, mother[bleep]?
[laughs]
I don't know why that's funny, but it's funny.
[both laughing]
Now, Philip K. Wrigley looks at this and he's like,
these aren't women playing baseball.
These are [bleep]ing baseball players.
[bleep] yeah, dude!
It's so badass, right?
[ice jingling]
- This is my seventh inning stretch.
- This is mine.
- All right, let's play ball.
- Yeah, okay.
So 1945 comes, right? And World War 2 is ending.
Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams,
the major, minor league players come back
and they're like, hi, everybody, yeah,
we've been at [bleep]ing war. It's terrible.
We're ready to hit some balls.
So they--they--and it ends up fizzling out.
30 years passes,
and this story is forgotten until 1985.
There was a reunion, Helen Callan-delays.
- [laughs]
- This is harder now
than it was earlier.
- But you're still doing it.
- Kelly hand-delay, Helen's oldest son, was like,
I'm gonna [bleep]ing record this shit.
He whips his out his camcorder,
and all these old ladies are [bleep]ing playing ball
like they did back in the [bleep]ing '40s.
Kelly Candaele creates
"A League of Their Own" documentary.
it's a huge [bleep]ing deal.
[bleep]ing Penny Marshall sees this documentary.
She's like, what the [bleep]?
I didn't know this shit existed in history.
Oh, maybe I should make a movie about this story
because it's important for women of all ages.
And if it wasn't for "A League of Their Own,"
nobody would have ever known
that women can throw a ball like the [bleep]ing men.
[inspirational music]