Friday Flashback: Kentucky Bourbons


Team:  Kentucky Bourbons
Locations:  Louisville, Kentucky
Sport:  Softball
Leagues:  American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL), United Professional Softball League (UPSL)
Years Active:  1977-1982
Home Field:  Biship David Stadium  
Head Coaches: Steve Coffman, Cobbie Harrison
Best Players:  Bill Gatti, Greg Whitlock, Ken Parker

Bourbon and Softball....that was the combination for a professional softball team in Louisville, Kentucky from 1977-1982.

The Bourbons were owned by Don Rardin, Sr., who started the team in 1977, but then sold the club the following year to Larry Gatti, who owned several McDonald's franchises in the Louisville area.  They also had sons who would be all-pro players for the team.

The team were one of the more successful softball teams finishing first four times and winning the championship in 1981.  The Bourbons were only one of three teams to play all six seasons in professional softball.  They played their first game on May 29, 1977 splitting a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Hardhats in Pittsburgh.  Their last game was played on September 5, 1982 losing at the Milwaukee Schlitz 23-22 in the UPSL semifinals.

YearRecordPctFinishDivisionPlayoffsLeague
197740-16.7141stCentralSemi-FinalsAPSPL
197830-34.4693rdCentral-APSPL
197948-15.7621stCentralWorld Series (runner-up)APSPL
198048-16.7501st-Semi-FinalsAPSPL
198136-24.6003rdWesternChampionsUPSL
198238-23.6231stWesternSemi-FinalsUPSL
1977
The Bourbons won the Central Division title by eight games over the Cleveland Jaybirds.  Kentucky lost in the league semifinals to the Baltimore Monuments 2 games to 1.

1978
Finished with their only losing record and missed the playoffs.

1979
Finished the regular season with the league's best record.  Swept the Trenton Champales 3-0 in the first round.  The Bourbons defeated the Rochester Zeniths 3 games to 1 in the semifinals but lost to the Milwaukee Schlitz 5 games to 2 in the APSPL World Series.

1980
The Bourbons once again finished with the league's best record but lost to the Pittsburgh Hardhats 3 games to 2 in the first round.

1981
While Kentucky finished first four times in six seasons, it was in 1981 when they finished third that made their run for their first championship.  In the semifinals, the Bourbons played the league's best team, Cincinnati Suds, and rallied from losing the first two games and won the series 3 games to 2.  They advanced to the UPSL World Series against the New England Pilgrims.  Kentucky lost the first game of the best-of-nine series but Cobbie Harrison hit three home runs in the second game to even the series at 1-1.  The Bourbons then won the next two games to go up 3-1 in the series.  The series moved to the Pilgrims' home field where the Bourbons lost two of the next three.  Kentucky clinched the series in Game #8 with a 14-11 win.  Rick Wilson had a home run and Harrison added a triple in the series-clinching game.

1982
The Bourbons won the Western Division, earning a first-round bye, but lost in the playoff semifinals to the Milwaukee Schlitz, 3-2, with a 23-22 loss in the 5th game with Milwaukee scoring in the final inning. The UPSL folded at the end of the 1982 season.  

Fun Facts:
  • Game 1 of the 1979 World Series game against the Milwaukee Schlitz was the first-ever game broadcast on ESPN.
  • Bourbon third-baseman Bill Gatti is a member of the American Softball Association Hall of Fame, he was inducted in 2000.  He is also a member in the United States Slowpitch Softball Association Hall of Fame.
  • Rick Wilson, a former basketball star at the University of Louisville, once played with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).  He began playing for the Bourbons in 1981 when his NBA career ended.  He played as an outfielder and in the World Series win over New England.
Watch videos of the Kentucky Bourbons:





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