The 2003 Fall Ball softball season has come to an end, much later than anyone expected, nevertheless it was another successful season for the America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL).

“Despite some rain outs and the fires, overall we had another fun fall season,” AFCSL Co-Commissioner Stacey Hiyashi told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “This year we had a record 23 participating teams. It was great to see players return to play from spring as well as welcome our new players to the league.”

In the final week of play in the Open Division, Hamburger Mary’s picked up a 14-5 win against the Bourbon Street Gators and a forfeit from the J & B Tornados to take first place in the division, with a 13-3 record. A half game behind them in the standings was the Viejas Fire, with a 12-3-1 record. In their final week of games, Fire defeated Interactive Male, 12-9, and also drew a forfeit from Team Star. Rounding out the top three were the Moby Dick’s Trojans, with an 11-4-1 record.

In the Open Recreation Division, Bacchus House held on in the final week with an 11-3-2 record, to take first place. A 16-2 loss to Red Envelope nearly cost Bacchus the lead in the division, but they bounced back to defeat the GLT Alano Club, 14-5, to maintain their winning record. Finishing in second place, with an 11-5 record, are the Moby Dick’s Magnums followed by Red Envelope, with a 7-9 record.

In the Women’s B Division, Aberration nearly finished the season with a perfect record, but in the final week of the season a 15-15 tie with Powerhouse Gym broke their winning streak. In the end, Aberration still took first place, with a 13-0-1 record, followed by Moby Dick’s Bottoms Up, with a 12-2 record. Taking third place in the division was Powerhouse Gym, with a 10-2-2 record.

Last but certainly not least, in the Women’s C Division, Clean Sweep was the top finisher in an evenly matched division, with a 6-8-1 record. Second place went to 6 Degrees, with a 4-9 record, and a half a game behind them in third place was Hairspray, with a 4-9-1 record.

While the 2003 fall season has come to a close, the AFCSL board is already hard at work preparing for the 2004 season, with new player clinics scheduled for late January and early February.

In other softball news, the AFCSL has also announced that they will be bidding to host the 2005 Gay World Series. The last time the series was held in San Diego was in 1997.

“The AFCSL board will be presenting a bid to host the 2005 Gay World Series,” Hiyashi told the Times. “This event is expected to bring nearly 200 teams to San Diego for a week of fun and softball. We will be looking for both community and sponsorship support as this event develops.”

The World Series board will officially be presenting the “Fun in the Sun” bid at the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance’s yearly meeting, in Dallas, Feb. 7-8. The league is looking for assistance from players, coaches, sponsors and fans for leads to possible sponsors and fundraising opportunities. 200 teams from across the U.S. and Canada are expected to participate in the weeklong softball tournament. For more information on the bidding process or to contact the AFCSL, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to their web site.