The Cincinnati Rivermen were a professional

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

team who played at Newport Recreation Center in

Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 ...

in the North American Softball League (NASL) during the 1980 season.

League history

Cincinnati was represented by the Cincinnati Suds, who played in the first professional league, the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL), beginning with the founding of that league in 1977. But 1980 was a year of division in professional softball as the

Cleveland Stepien's Competitors The Cleveland Jaybirds (1977–78), later named the Cleveland Stepien's Competitors (1979–80) and finally the Cleveland Competitors (1982), were a professional softball team that played in three men's professional softball leagues, professional s ...

, the Fort Wayne Huggie Bears and the

Milwaukee Schlitz The Milwaukee Schlitz were a professional softball team that played in three men's professional softball leagues from 1977 through 1982 at Wilson Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. History Milwaukee began play in the inaugural 1977 American Profes ...

broke away from the APSPL to form a new league, the North American Softball League, under the leadership of

owner

Ted Stepien Theodore John Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the foun ...

. The Cincinnati Suds continued in the reduced numbers of the APSPL. Stepien placed NASL teams in several APSPL markets, including Lexington,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

with the Rivermen. Stepien owned 6 of the 8 teams in the NASL, with only Milwaukee and Fort Wayne having local ownership. The owner of the Pittsburgh Hardhats of the APSPL brought an unsuccessful challenge in federal court in an attempt to prevent splitting the young professional sport. Stepien went into the APSPL markets trying to lure talent away as well. He hired Donnie Rardin, former

Kentucky Bourbons The Kentucky Bourbons were a professional softball team that played in two men's professional softball leagues between 1977 and 1982 at Bishop David Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The Bourbons, Cincinnati Suds and Pittsburgh Hardhats were th ...

player, to play and serve as General Manager for the

Lexington Stallions The Lexington Stallions were a professional softball team who played at Southland Park in Lexington, Kentucky in the North American Softball League (NASL) during the 1980 season. Team history Kentucky was represented by the Kentucky Bourbons, who ...

, and did the same in Pittsburgh with Roger Snatchko, former Pittsburgh Hardhat, who would lead the new Pittsburgh Champions. It was much the same in Cincinnati, hiring former Sud Mike LaFever to play and serve as General Manager. LaFever would then draw even more talent from his former team, splitting the Cincinnati professional ranks just before the season was to begin. The Suds would play the 1980 APSPL season at the

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) a ...

replica in nearby

Union, Kentucky Union is a List of cities in Kentucky, home-rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,416 . The area was rural until residential growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Union is located south ...

Cincinnati Rivermen

General Manager and outfielder Mike Lafever brought several Suds players to the Rivermen as outfielders Greg Sandy, Mike O'Brien and Jim Tuttle, player-manager Paul Campbell and infielders Jim Kuhn and Mike LaVangie came to the new team with extensive experience gained with the Suds. The Rivermen missed the NASL playoffs with a 25-37 (.403), 10.5 games behind the Eastern Division winning

Detroit Auto Kings The Detroit Auto Kings were a professional softball team that played in the North American Softball League (NASL) in the 1980 season at Memorial Field in East Detroit, Michigan. League history Detroit was represented by the Detroit Caesars, w ...

and 5.5 games behind 2nd place Cleveland. Riverman Jim Kuhn added to the Cleveland-Cincinnati rivalry in June with a bench-clearing brawl with Cleveland pitcher Dana Andry, which resulted in NASL Commissioner Robert Brown suspending Kuhn for a pair of games. In late July, Cincinnati was 2.5 games behind Cleveland for a playoff spot A late-season 6th game, a three double-header sweep in Detroit cemented the 3rd place finish on the season for the Rivermen. Mike LaFever (34 HRs, 88 RBIs) and player-manager Paul Campbell (.514 BA) made the NASL all-pro team for the Rivermen. Mike O'Brien and Jim Tuttle (24 HRs) represented the Rivermen at the mid-season NASL All-Star game in

Willoughby, Ohio Willoughby is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along the Chagrin River. The population was 23,959 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropol ...

. The NASL and the Cincinnati Rivermen franchise lasted only one season. After the season, the NASL and the APSPL officially merged, but only the Milwaukee Schlitz would go to the new United Professional Softball League (UPSL) and the Rivermen disbanded. Of note, the Cincinnati Suds had their worst record in their six seasons of professional softball in the divided year of 1980 and would rebound to a league-leading best record in 1981. Rivermen (O'Brien, LaFever, Campbell) were members of the 1981 UPSL champion Kentucky Bourbons squad and O'Brien would deliver a game-winning hit for Kentucky in the semi-finals to end the Suds shot at a title. The UPSL folded after the 1982 season, bringing an end to the professional softball era for men in the United States as players returned once again to amateur leagues.

Cincinnati Rivermen record

References

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External links

Cincinnati Suds on Fun While It Lasted Softball History USA Detroit Caesars Online Home National Softball Hall of Fame
Softball teams in Ohio Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1982 Sports clubs and teams established in 1977 1977 establishments in Ohio 1982 disestablishments in Ohio men's professional softball teams Sports clubs and teams in Cincinnati Newport, Kentucky

League history

Cincinnati Rivermen

Cincinnati Rivermen record

See also

References

External links