February 1, 2013

Wezen-Ball

Bolton's Bombers

by Larry Granillo

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In the mid-1990s, an unlikely hero stepped onto the softball field. His goal was an admirable one, to raise money for charities across the country. Traveling around the country, the long-haired crooner would lead his squad against a collection of local athletes. So who was this silver-voiced Clark Kent? None other than Michael Bolton, who led his team the "Bolton Bombers" to charity softball games around the country.

This Columbia recording artist and songwriter has been going around the country playing softball for charity since 1993. In the last three years, Bolton has played 53 games for various charities. The result is over a half a million dollars raised for these great causes.

And this is what it looked like when Bolton and his Bombers played softball.

For five years, Bolton's Bombers played Teague's League, a softball team led by Green Bay Packers safety George Teague, in Appleton, Wisconsin. For at least one of those years (1996), the teams also played in Milwaukee at County Stadium, when the charity softball game pushed back the start of a Toronto/Milwaukee match-up in order to raise more money. Robin Yount joined some of Teague's Packers teammates in the event.

The head groundskeeper of County Stadium had this insightful quote when discussing Packers 325-pound lineman Gilbert Brown playing catcher: "He is a big man."