By Dan Chalk, Midland Daily News
Heroes.
Superstars.
And everyday citizens of Midland.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the Dow ACs men’s fastpitch softball team won two national championships and a world championship. But the legendary players and coaches, like Clyde “Lefty” Dexter, Al Linde, and Jimmy Walsh, didn’t stop there. Through coaching and mentoring youth, they also helped lay the groundwork for today’s flourishing sports community in Midland. Their fingerprints can be found in such organizations as Little League and Pee Wee football, and the ACs were a springboard for Midland becoming a town known for producing outstanding softball organizations such as McArdle’s and the Midland Explorers. Click here for the rest of the story.
Editor’s note: Midland, Michigan was the host of last year’s ISC World Tournament and has a rich history of fastpitch in their community, with the foundation laid by teams like the Dow AC’s.
TWICE UPON A TIME – Maybe you wonder how I got hooked on fastpitch softball. There was one playing field in my home town of Canton, NC. It was used for high school and Legion baseball and also used for fastpitch softball. A unique design allowed both baseball and softball to be played on the same diamond. The spot where the 60’ – 6” mound is supposed to be for baseball was the staring point for a gentle slope in all directions (360 degrees) to the sidelines.. This design took a typical baseball mound out of concern for softball games. It also allowed the field to drain quickly if there was rain. The local Champion YMCA sponsored a world class fastpitch team in those days. In 1950, the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (FWZP) came to play. The FWZP team was the ASA World Champions for these three years (1945-1947). I was totally astounded when the FWZP took the field on defense. Instead of regular softball depth, the outfielders played as far back as our baseball outfielders typically played. And no batted balls fell in front of these fleet outfielders.