Two Madges in a League of their own

Syracuse native Madge Wells, a 5-foot sprite of a woman, took time out of a recent afternoon (and preparation of 10 pounds of meatballs) to tell some of her 82 years worth of amazing stories – from her Hall of Fame career in softball and bowling to her longtime career working at the State Fair. Wells shared some of her stories in an interview with Kim Baxter.

Baxter: What is Madge short for?

Wells: Madeline. When I played ball way back in the’30s, everyone had a nickname but me. So I don’t know who nicknamed me, but I got the name Madge. And when my first great-grandchild started to talk, she couldn’t say Grandma Madge, so my great-grandchildren call me Grandma Magic. But Madge is what I use all the time.

Baxter: Let’s talk about your playing days. Was it kind of like “A League of Their Own?” That’s my only basis for comparison.

Wells: Oh that was great. I love that movie. I laugh and I cry every time I see it. It brings back so many memories.

Baxter: So could Madonna play softball?

Wells: The one that impressed me was Rosie O’Donnell. She impressed me. But, I’ll tell you something, the girls I played with, they were good. But Madonna, no, I’m sure it wasn’t her on any of the baseball plays.

Baxter: You had a chance to play pro baseball like the movie, right?

Wells: Yes, in 1944, with the “League of Their Own” girls. Now, my husband was making $24 a week at the steel mill. And they offered me $92 a week. Now they made good money. The average wage in those days was anywhere from $25 to $30 a week, for the ordinary people. But I had to turn them down because I had a baby.

Baxter: So what other memories did the movie remind you of?

Wells: We used to travel by bus and by car too. We went to Soldier Field in Chicago for the world championships (in 1937 with the Eastwood Diner girls softball team). I was only 15. I remember, there were five games going on at once on Soldier Field. Five games. Five diamonds. I remember looking up, and when I looked up straight, I couldn’t see the end of the bleachers. They were so high up there. And all the photographers and sports people with their typewriters across the front there. It was something I’ll never forget.

Source: The Post-Standard