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For almost 70 years, this softball league has laced up. It was built out of necessity, but has become a life changing experience for the players.
HYATTSVILLE, Md. — It’s a Sunday afternoon at Fletcher’s Field in Hyattsville, Maryland. The heat from the sun mingled with humidity and beads of sweat formed under every baseball cap on the softball diamond.
“There’s no place I’d rather be than on a softball field on Sundays,” Metro Bucs player Maurice Hodge smiled. “I live for theses Sundays in the summer.”
It’s clear that nothing today will bother Maurice, except a loss.
This is the midseason in the DC Summer Softball League. It’s a league where men, and some women, of all ages get together and play fast-pitch competitive softball on Sundays.
We caught up with Maurice as the Metro Bucs took the field to continue to their championship quest. They were champions last year and if he has anything to say about it, they will be again.
This league has a history that goes back nearly 70 years, when racism stood in the way.
“They had a league, but it was all white back then,” Maurice explained. “They wouldn’t let [Black ballplayers] play, so they formed their own league.”
That was 1956. The league has grown and contracted and grown again over the years. It has a proud history that brings back players from years past, like Melvin Holloway.
“I played 7 different positions,” Melvin said with a smile. “I didn’t play pitcher and catcher.”
It becomes apparent, when talking to Melvin, that this league wasn’t just for fun. It was a source of pride. D.C. neighborhood against D.C. neighborhood. Sometimes thousands of people showed up to watch, Melvin said.
Was it competitive?
“That’s the only reason you play sports,” Melvin said. “To try to win.”
The Metro Bucs and their opponent, the Giants, trade innings. As the game goes on, it's clear it goes beyond the competition. The league offers these men a powerful bond that has the potential to change a life.
“This is one of the things that saved my life,” Maurice said. “It got me off the streets and gave me some structure.”
Maurice explained it changed the trajectory of his life.
“This way I was challenged in the right way,” he said. “I was encouraged to keep doing what I’m doing. I’ve met so many people that were inspirational in my life.”
The Bucs went up by a few runs in the 3rd inning. Maurice was coaching in the dugout. He was explaining the game to a younger player. But, from the look on his face, you can see it's beyond the balls and strikes. He was giving back what the league gave to him 40 years ago.
“I feel blessed to be around this long to take it all in and pass it all along to the young people coming up behind me,” he said.
He smiled and looked back at the Bucs on the field. It’s a Sunday in the summer and he is where he is meant to be on the softball diamond.
Oh, and by the way, his Bucs won 11-3.
English (US) ·