League play in the America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) took a break this weekend so that players could celebrate Mother’s Day with their families, but with the season already halfway over, things are bound to heat up when play resumes this coming weekend. In addition to bragging rights that come along with a first place finish in each of the league’s divisions of play, teams are also vying for bids to attend the 2004 Gay Softball World Series taking place this August in Dallas.

The AFCSL has five bids to distribute to the Open B, C and D divisions. Additionally San Diego’s lone A Division team, Bourbon Street Crush, will get an automatic bid, and in the Women’s Division there are bids available in the Competitive, Alternative and Recreation divisions. Winning selected tournaments over the course of the season can pick up additional bids for the women’s series. Traditionally, bids are granted to the top finisher in each of the divisions and additional bids are granted to interested teams who have the best record, making the final weeks of league play key to teams who are interested in competing in the national tournament.

In the Women’s Division, Moby Dick’s Last Call is guaranteed a bid to the series as San Diego’s only women’s competitive team. Of the remaining teams in the Women’s A/B Division, Patti’s, Aberration and Fit 2B Tyed are all tied for second place with 6-6 records, and are in the running to pick up the Alternative Division bid for the series.

The AFCSL has broken their Women’s Rec division into two separate divisions because of the large number of teams in the league this year. In the Rec 1 Division, Big O and Happy Hour are tied for first place with 8-2 records, but just a half a game out of first place, Hillcrest Pharmacy and Peacemakers are tied with 9-3 records, so the top spot for that division is still up for grabs. In the Rec 2 Division, with a 6-4 record, Hamburger Mary’s holds a one-game lead over Six Degrees with their 5-5 record.

In the Open Division, Bourbon Street Crush is guaranteed a bid to compete in the A Division tournament this August in Dallas. In the B Division, Tara’s Diegans has a two-game lead on the competition with a 7-3 record. The Extasis Diablos and ROK/Flicks are tied for second place in the division with 5-5 records and will be battling it out for the rest of the season for a chance to pick up the second B Division bid, if the Diegans do maintain their hold on first place.

The competition is tight in the Open C Division this year. The Center Starz have managed to maintain a first-place lead in the league over the course of the first half of the season, but they are currently tied with the Bourbon Street Gators for the lead in the division with 8-2 records. In striking distance is the Moby Dick’s Trojans who have a 7-3 record. Hamburger Mary’s and the Viejas Fire have also had outstanding seasons this year, and with 6-4 records they could also be a force to reckon with in the final weeks of league play. Finally, in D Division, Live and Let Live Alano Club and Red Envelope are tied for first place in the division with 10-2 records.

The AFCSL continues its 2004 season this weekend with games at the Poway Sportsplex and at Hourglass Field in Mira Mesa. Come out and have a day at the ballgames. For a complete schedule of games and directions to the fields, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the AFCSL website.