 As he waits for the pitch, barrel-chested Mike Macenko waves his bat with the ease of a doctor waving a tongue depressor. It is tiny in his massive hands. It is dwarfed by his sewer-pipe-sized forearms.
There is nothing delicate or tactful about him or the way he plays the game. Unleashing his sweeping swing is like putting a bull in a closet-ure fury. He doesn't hit, he attacks. On contact, he grunts, the ball screams, the crushing sound is heard two fields away. And that`s where the ball usually falls.
Macenko is, on a team filled with giants and in a division filled with unbelievable exploits, softball`s undisputed King of Clout. Henry Aaron, the most prolific slugger in the history of baseball, took 23 years to hit his 755 home runs. Macenko, who is 6 feet 3 inches, 250 pounds, may exceed that figure in a single year.
Macenko plays an entirely different game, under entirely different circumstances from Aaron, yet one thing ties the two games and the two men together.
A home run, on any level, causes excitement. After 220 games this season (which started in February) playing for Steele`s Sports from Grafton, Ohio, Macenko has an incredible 526 home runs and 977 runs batted in, the most in the history of softball, even though there still are 115 games left in the season. He averages a home run almost every other at-bat.
Macenko plays for Steele`s Sports, the most chronicled collection of 12-inch slow-pitch softball sluggers ever assembled, a barnstorming group of bruisers who make the average team look as though it plays an entirely different game. And it does.
Steele`s belongs to the elite Super Division, a dozen teams with the very best players who tour the country playing 150-300 games a year, playing softball on a level above everyone else. Steele`s has won every major softball title in recent years, including the Amateur Softball Association, the National Softball Association and the U.S. Slow Pitch Softball Association titles.
This year, the aptly nicknamed Men of Steele are averaging 37 runs and 18 home runs per game, making a travesty of the game the average softball team plays. They are 212-8, a record that includes a 97-game winning streak. In a single game, Steele`s hit 63 home runs in a 108-5 victory over the Wichita Falls All-Stars.
''The thing about it,'' Macenko said, ''is that home runs never get boring, no matter how many or how often you hit them. It`s like catching fish. It doesn't matter how many you catch, every one is a real thrill. And anyway, a home run means you don`t have to run. You can trot around the bases.'' Playing on fields with fences that range from 300 to 325 feet from home plate, the Men of Steele hit home runs with numbing regularity. They have scored more than 10 runs an inning 270 times this season. In one recent game, Macenko, Doug Roberson (6-0, 225) and Mike Bolen (6-2, 260) hit 21 home runs in 36 total at-bats.
In the summer, they often play exhibitions in minor-league baseball stadiums as a preliminary to the regularly scheduled pro baseball game. During their games, the most popular seat at the ballpark is not behind home plate but behind the outfield fences. They homer so often it often looks as though they are playing in someone`s living room. ''If we`re in town, the action is over the other side of the fence,'' Macenko said. ''That`s what the people expect, and that`s what we`re paid for.''
In a Steele`s game, pop fly's often finish on the warning track, and often opposition infielders go an entire game without an assist. The first basemen often fails to record a putout. It`s a wonder the opponents even bother with infielders. The 14-man Steele`s roster includes players from eight states. Although softball still is considered an amateur sport, most of Steele`s players are paid well, ranging from $20,000 to $60,000 per year plus all expenses. They either are employed directly by Steele`s, a sporting-goods manufacturer, or are paid through a personal-services contract that includes lending their name to equipment and signing autographs.
''No question, it`s play for pay,'' said Al Ramsey, executive director of the USSSA. ''Everyone gets around it, and if you start enforcing the rules you`d be opening a Pandora`s box. At this level, believe me, players are well compensated.'' Macenko, although he is the current superstar at age 31, is not the only home-run hitter for hire with Steele`s. Nor is he the biggest player on the roster. Scott Virkus, a 6-6, 295-pound right-fielder from Palo Alto, Calif., was cut by the Buffalo Bills last summer. He has 390 home runs this season.
 Craig Elliott, 6-4, 300, was the first player to hit more than 400 home runs in three consecutive seasons. Four of the players weigh more than 275 pounds. Surprisingly, though, most are good athletes, giving Steele`s a respectable defense to accompany its awesome lineup of sluggers. The team was put together by Dennis Helmig, a Cleveland businessman who turned an auto parts store in 1979 into Steele`s Sports, one of the fastest-growing sporting-goods manufacturers in the country. In 1985, revenues totaled $4.5 million. In 1986, they reached $8 million. This year they will exceed $10 million, mostly through sales of softball equipment.
Helmig has $450,000 budgeted for his softball team, which provides him with an advertising, marketing, promotions and research and development branch. ''My guys are walking billboards for the business,'' Helmig said. ''I never believed it would become this big-the company or the team-but it just mushroomed beyond belief. In the early years, the team dictated the business. Now the business dictates the team. It`s a wonderful arrangement.''
Although Steele`s players are flown from various parts of the country to start each road trip, most of the traveling is done in two vans. On the sides of both vans are the boldly painted letters ''National Champions.'' They will travel across 34 states and more than 150,000 miles this summer. Macenko is the only Steele`s player to have more than four years of experience on the tour. Most other players last only a season or two before the travel wears them down.
''I`ll admit I`m a little sick in the head to be doing this,'' Macenko said. ''The traveling gets to be a grind, but I love it. Otherwise I`d probably be working in a factory somewhere. But this is better. |
Sportsplex... Ritch's is there. Superior Apollo is there also... Well when the dust settles after that first tourney we get beat by Ritch's in the event... Dave was so upset that he decides to have the team sit down on the telephone poles that are laying on the ground.. All the teams and everybody else leaves the ball park. We are just sitting there waiting for Coach Neale to talk to us.. Well, the talk was something that I know the players were not expecting... Coach Neale said he was thoroughly disappointed by the way we played.. He said it looked like none of us had worked on our game over the winter... So he says" I have some good news and some bad news for you... The bad news is we don't play for 2 weeks.. When we meet up again in Houston half of you guys won't be here." Now the players are looking at each other , like is he serious?
When I think about it now I have to laugh, because once again he knew what he was doing.. So when we start up again 2 weeks later in Houston at the Softball Country Club everybody that was in Austin was back and you could see where some of the players had taken their swings and worked on their defense... Oh yeah, and worked out at the gym. In other words we were ready for the task at hand.....
Greg Schulte - Played the outfield and played 3rd base most of the year. Could really hit the long ball. It didn't matter to Greg if the wind was blowing in or out he was still going to get his moneys worth every time at the plate. Greg was the type of hitter that if he got on a role you better watch out. I have seen him go 14 for 15 in the first two games of a tournament with 9 home runs. I remember in 1990 that his bat actually started to get flat on one side. We were using the ax-handle bats back then. Everybody on the team was. Anyway he flattens the one side out and just keeps hitting with it. I think he had like 20 hits in a row with it. 1990 Bat.Avg-.658 / 313 Hr / 645 Rbi's.
Dan Schuck - Dan was really just starting to make a name for himself. We were playing in the St. Louis Gateway Classic in 1984 and somebody told Dave about this young stud from Iowa that was really something. So the next thing I know Dave picks up Sarge in 1986 to play for Steele's. Dan had a great year with us and actually made first team All-World at the ASA Super tourney. I remember it like it was yesterday. Sarge was so happy because here he makes All-World at his first ASA World Tournament. Not bad? Right. Dan would quit Steele's after his first year with them only to come back and play in 1990. 1990 Bat.Avg-.647 / 233 Hr's / 467 Rbi's.
Danny Williams - In 1990 Danny brought leadership to the Silver Bullets with him when Dave Neale picked him up. Not only was Danny a fierce competitor, he could hit the heck out of a softball and could run like hell. Danny was a big part of our team because he help me to keep the players pumped all the time. I know that Danny has a bad habit of liking to rough it up sometimes but who wouldn't if you came from being in the rodeo riding bulls. Danny is one hard nose kid and in 1990 he was part of our machine. 1990 Bat.Avg-.690 / 228 Hr's / 499 Rbi's.
Ernie Montgomery - Now here is the tough guy. There isn't a finer ball player to have on your team than Ernie. Does not know what the word quit means. He is like a wildcat. He could play any where on the field. I think he really liked to play the outfield. I can remember a catch that he made in Brook Park Ohio at the NSA World Series in 1990. In the bottom of the sixth in the championship game he goes after a line shot in the gap and just makes one hell of a play. Third out. Right! He comes in to lead the inning off with a great hit. I mean he was definitely a ball player. He loved to take that extra base and he would keep the other team on their toes. One of the Original Hitmen. 1990 Bat.Avg-.694 / 236 Hr's / 512 Rbi's.
Monty Tucker - Mile High Monty is one of the original HitMen. In 1990 I believe Monty had one of his best years. He was the co-MVP with me in the ASA Super Nationals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He crushed the ball all year for us. What he did that really stood out in my mind then was that he helped pitch our team to the ASA championship. Now here is a guy 6' 9" and on the mound 50 feet from you. I know that Monty use to intimidate batters with his size. I loved it because I was catching. That has got to be one of the biggest batteries in the history of the World. Ha! Ha! Monty gets one of his nick names Mile High Monty because we had a home run hitting exhibition at Mile High Stadium. Well Monty was hitting the ball so high and he was hitting them right out of the ball park. And I mean way out. It was a pleasure playing with the big man. In 1989 at the NSA World series all Monty did was go 20 for 21 with 12 home runs to take the MVP honors home that time also.
Rick Weiterman - In 1990 Rick has yet another stellar year. He leads our team in batting average again. He is nicknamed my own personal rbi. There is nobody that can hit like Rick does. He has his own technique. It's almost like he was suppose to play years ago. When players are standing flat footed in the box to hit, Rick is still using the technique that a lot of players from the 60's use to use to hit slo-pitch.. I am talking about running up in the box to hit the ball. Rick does this so gracefully that he might have been born swinging.. Rick played with our first Steele's team from 1983 and made All-World 3rd base when we lost to Jerry's Caterers in the USSSA World Series at Greensboro, North Carolina... The last time I checked Rick has 35 World Championships under his belt. Not bad huh? This is the guy you want on your team. He is a born winner. Their is another thing about Rick that separates him from a lot of people. He is definitely a team leader. A person that helps keep a team focused and pumped up at the right time...In 1988 when we won the USSSA World Series for the HitMen Rick was chosen as the the MVP for his pitching , leadership and his timely hitting.. 1990 Bat.Avg-.744 / Hr's 31 / Rbi's 267
Dirk Androff - In 1990 Dirk really comes into his on. He helps Rick and Danny and myself with the leadership role. He improves every year (this was his third season with the Men of Steele; actually 2 1/2). I knew then that he was going to be one of the best ball players of all time. I could tell just by his work ethic. He really worked hard in the off season and it all paid off for him. Dirk was the MVP when we won the qualifying tourney in Hucthinson, Kansas in 1990. At he NSA World series he was third in the tourney with 15 home runs. At the ISA World series he leads the tournament in home runs with 9. That tourney was played in Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. It is the home of the AAA Columbus Clippers, a Yankee's farm club... In 1989 he led the Silver Bullets in home runs with 413 and ran off a 195 game hitting streak. 1990 Bat.Avg- .729 / Hr's 390 / Rbi's 744.
Scott Virkus - Scott was the real deal. He could run faster than anybody on the team, he was 6' 6" and weighed 305. He was one of the first players to use the hand over-lapping the other hand. He was so strong that he use to hit line drives right out of any ball park. Whether it was a softball field or baseball stadium.. Scott really had a nice year for us in 1990. He really made up his mind in the off season what he wanted to do in 1990. And he carried it right through the season. He took home the MVP honors in St. Louis at the Gateway Classic. He also came through real big at the Smoky Mountain Classic earning MVP honors again as the Hitmen won the prestigious tournament for the third time in the last 5 years. Scott who normally played left center or right center field was asked at the halfway point of the season to switch over to left field. All I can say is that he came through with flying colors. That was a big move for us and it definitely paid off.. 1990 Bat.Avg- .690 / Hr's 269 / Rbi's 647
Mike Macenko - In 1990 I had what I consider my best overall season. I was the MVP in a number of tournaments. I really got after it again. In 1989 I was sidelined a couple of times during the season with a torn rotator cuff. I had the injury repaired one day before New Years eve and had to have a lot of rehab because of the severe ness of the tear. But like I said I really worked hard in the off season and came back as strong as ever. I lead the Bullets in home runs with 408 and in Rbi's with 899. I was right there in every tournament and if I wasn't leading our team I was right near the top. I got the hits when I was supposed to. That is still the most important thing to me and that is to do the job when the time comes. There isn't a worse feeling when you don't get that hit. So 1990 stands out to me because of all the big hits I got that year... I was the MVP in the NSA World Series. I ended up hitting .828 for the tourney with a 24 for 29 performance and added 16 home runs with 23 rbi's . I was also the MVP of the ASA Super Tournament with a 18 Hr's ..871 batting average and 34 Rbi's performance. 1990 Bat.Avg- .728 / Hr's 408 / Rbi's 899..
Billy Blake - We picked up Billy after the 1987 season. He was the MVP at the USSSA World Series that was held at Waterloo, Iowa that year. So Dave puts him on the Bullets and the rest is history. In 1990 at the NSA World Series he hits the game winning home run to beat Superior for the championship. I really do believe they put the foul ball rule in because he used to hit foul balls on purpose just to get more swings. Billy was the MVP at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the USSSA NIT qualifier. To earn the MVP he hit .846 for the weekend ,had 14 Hr's and drove in 28 runs. When we won the ASA in Oklahoma all Billy did in the championship game was go 9 for 9 with 6 Hr's and 10 Rbi's. Not bad statistics for someone who they said was having an off year. I'll take those numbers any day.. He finished up the ASA with 17 Hr's( one behind Monty and myself) 26 Rbi's and a .839 batting average.. Billy is an avid fisherman and can be found off the cost of San Antonio fishing for Red Fish. 1990 Bat.Avg- .673 / 347 Hr's / 682 Rbi's
Larry Fredieu - In 1990 Larry was really doing the job for the Men of Steel. He was playing left field and hitting the stuff out of the ball. After 109 games into the season Larry had to quit because of some personal reasons. Up to that point of the season, in 109 games he was batting .676 with 166 Hr's good enough for 300 Rbi's. I was hoping that he could play the remainder of the season but we just could not work things out. So right after the Cincinnati tournament he pulled up his rig and actually ended up playing with Superior for the 4 Nationals. Has a real sweet swing and can hit it with anybody when he gets in the groove. Was playing with Smythe Sox when we picked him up last year.
Todd Joerling - Todd was playing ball with a team out of the St. Louis area when Dave picked him up to come with the Silver Bullets. Todd caught on real fast and by the end of the 1989 season he knew what he wanted to do with softball. We use to call Todd "Farm Animal". The reason being that he was so strong. Now here is a player that has great bat control and could literally take a pitchers head off. Todd could hit as good as anybody on the team for power but it was his base hitting to all fields that made him valuable player. Now after you see him hit you have to watch him play defense. I saw him throw more than one runner out at first base from his knees at short. When Todd started with the Bullets we had him at left field. Then we moved him to short. Now he might be the best shortstop around. In 1990 he was third on the team in home runs and was voted the MVP award when we won the qualifying tournament at Detroit. At Detroit he hit .788 and had 11 Hr's good for 28 Rbi's. At the Smoky Mountain Classic he not only batted .741 and had 14 Hr's but he was awarded the Most Valuable Defensive award. He received a gold glove for his accomplishments. He had a Super year. 1990 Bat.Avg- .707 / 351 Hr's / Rbi's 651..
John Grissom - We picked John up after we lost the first tournament in Austin. . He was a very valuable player for us to acquire. We started the season out with 12 players but I think that Dave realized that we were going to need a couple more players to make it through the season. John could play anywhere in the infield and not hurt you. We would even put him in the outfield and he did the job. He is a very good team man and was a big reason for our good team chemistry. John was not playing all the time but he was the kind of player you want on your team. While he is not playing he is encouraging his teammates to do good. That means a lot. John waited patiently and patience paid off as he got enough playing time at the ASA to make first team All-American. He hit .818 with 9 Hr's and had 15 Rbi's. John can hit the long ball with the best of them.. 1990 Bat.Avg-
Terry Perryman - Dave brought Terry on board with the Bullets for a couple of reasons. One was his ability to play the game and his defensive skills in the infield, second was his knowledge of the game. He is one of a few ballplayers that were left from the Nelson's Paints team out of Oklahoma in the late 70's and early 80's. At the age of 46 he still kept himself in great shape and was ready when Dave called upon him in the ISA World Series. He came through with some mighty big hits. He is a very smart competitor. Dave used to like to have him on the bench next to him during the games. I know that Dave respected him on a lot of things when it came to the game of softball. Terry got to play in a number of games in 1990 and I think he really enjoyed what we were doing. 1990 Bat.Avg- .762 / Hr's 20 / Rbi's 64...
Joe Foley - We picked Joe up right before the Smoky Mountain Classic in 1990. He was playing with a Ohio team and wanted to get better so Dave gave him the opportunity to learn the game from the right people. I believe that in half a season Joe found out what Big Time softball was all about. At that time he was an up and coming player. He had the great arm, and had the great speed. Here is an example of Dave going after the best athlete. Joe was an All-American football player at Bowling Green University.. He started playing softball with some friends and the next thing you know he is with the Bullets...Joe played the substitute role and played it very well. When ever he got a chance to play he would just go wild.. His first year with the big boys and he wins 3 world championships. Not bad huh? 1990 Bat.Avg- .589 / Hr's 39 / Rbi's 91...
Rick Lucas - One of the most important reasons we were as successful in 1990 as we were was the acquisition of Rik Lucas. Rik was a body builder-health nut from Houston, Texas. He was crowned Mr Florida one year. I met Rik looking for some Vitamin company to help with supplements for the team. That is how I met Rik Lucas. He was working for a company out of Houston, Texas. Anyway we worked it out with Dave and Rik comes with the team and is in charge of keeping us in the right condition. I will say it now that if it was not for Rik being with the team I do not believe that we would have been so dominate. He really worked me and my shoulder every night. He was a constant thorn in the side to some of the players, but that was ok too, that kept the ball players on their toes.. Adding Rik to our travel program really paid off. One of the most important factors in softball for some of the players is to maintain a certain weight to play at. A number of players will start the season strong, but from all the travel they would sometimes drop 10 to 20 lbs. So another job for Rick was to put us on the right nutritional diet. I myself in particular was a good case for eating the wrong foods. Rik actually created a herbal drink for our team bench every night and boy was that the real deal.. Ever since Rik joined the Men of Steele he has became obsessed with the game and now plays softball every night of the week in Florida..
Gary Shuba -When ever we were on the road one of the things that someone had to do was sell the souvenirs. In 1990 we had a guy by the name of Gary Shuba who handled all of the activities that came with that job. This meant selling souvenirs every night. Driving the souvenir van all around the country, and by some chance if we were hurting for ball players the souvenir salesman becomes a softball player for just a little while. Gary was famous for driving down the highway at 80 miles per hour and when he passed you he was wearing Michael Myers mask from Halloween. He is also know for playing a basketball game against Kathy Riley in Austin, Texas and she skunked him 21 to 0..
Dave Neale - In 1990 I think that Dave was really pleased with the whole season. I will never forget the first tournament that year was in Austin, Texas at Pleasant Valley Sports Complex. We were coming into 1990 ranked I think 3rd or 4th. We got beat by Ritch's and Dave held a meeting right there at the first base side of the field and said fellows when we play again in 2 weeks most of you won't be here. You should have seen the look on some of the guys faces. In 1989 we had all the talent in the world and could not hardly win. I mean we had Bruce Meade, Craig Elliott, Scott Virkus, Buddy Slater, and many, many more.
