Stratford Brakettes

If ever there is a team that dominated a sport it is the Stratford Connecticut Brakettes. Not only has the team been in existence for over 65 years their play on the softball field was nothing short of magnificent. What follows is the history of the Brakettes as found on their website at http://www.brakettes.com/history.htm.

When you talk about softball dynasties, there's only one name that comes to mind - the BRAKETTES! The past seven decades have seen remarkable changes in all facets of life. The one constant, however, is alive and well on the softball diamond in Stratford, CT.

Brakettes softball has been the barometer for measuring the sport's success. Sponsors names have changed, but the final product keeps getting better and better with age. It's hard to appreciate the Brakettes' overall history without putting it into its proper historical perspective.

Since the team, then know as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars, was formed in the summer of 1947, they have survived and thrived with the test of time. Think of it, during the team's 60 year history; this country has fought four major wars; 11 different Presidents have occupied the oval office; men have walked on the moon; and communism came crashing down with a concrete wall in Berlin. Despite depressions, recessions and obsessions, the Brakettes remain synonymous with softball excellence.

It's doubtful William S. Simpson, the General Manager of the Raybestos Division who organized the company-sponsored (Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc.) team, could have imagined how monumental that decision would become. The first-year team that compiled a 16-4 record and lost in the state tournament quarter-finals 22-21 didn't do much to warrant too many headlines in 1947.

Since that time, however, it's been difficult keeping the Brakettes out of the news. With 3,607 games played, 3,242 victories, 3 World Championships, 27 National A.S.A. Championships, 19 National Hall of Fame members, and 11, Olympians, the Brakettes are clearly the #1 name in women's fastpitch softball. In 2006, the Brakettes organization celebrated their 60th season of competition.

Recognized as the greatest organized women's sports franchise of all time, the Brakettes' 27 National Championships are unparalleled, and only approached by Major League Baseball's New York Yankees' 26 World Series victories. The Raybestos Brakettes won eight straight titles from 1971 through 1978, a mark comparable to the Boston Celtics' domination in the 1960's or UCLA basketball from 1965-73.

All who have played for the Brakettes have made a contribution and are part of this wonderful legacy. It's safe to say that the best of the best is Joan Joyce, who also is considered by experts to be one of the greatest female athletes of all time.

It was her 17 years on the softball diamond at Raybestos Memorial Field where Joyce became a legend. In that span she pitched 3,397.1 innings and won 429 games against just 27 losses. She struck out 5,677 batters, hurled 105 no-hitters and 33 perfect games. She surrendered only 102 runs in 476 games for an ERA of 0.21. Her 20-year amateur career also included three seasons in the mid-1960's with the Brakettes' arch-rival, the Orange, CA, Lionettes. Named to the ASA All-American team 18 straight years, Joyce was chosen MVP eight times. And when she was not on the mound, the versatile Joyce compiled a lifetime batting average of .327 and until recently, she held most of the Brakettes' season and career hitting records.

To read the complete history of the Brakettes, go to http://www.brakettes.com/history.htm.

In 1981, the Brakettes missed out in one of the greatest comebacks in ASA history as the Orlando Rebels won 2-1 in an "if" game and earned a berth in the World Championships held in Japan. Below is a segment from 60 minutes that showcases the Brakettes and the 1981 Nationals.