Newbury Park sisters are among the ‘legendary ladies of baseball’
By Wayne Harrison
Acorn Sports Writer

FIRST LADIES OF BASEBALL - Alice Fracasso, left, and Gina Casey, surrounded by mementos.

At the home they share in Newbury Park sisters Gina Casey and Alice Fracasso have multitudes of baseball memorabilia including bats, baseballs and photos of baseball legends that include Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider.

Pictures with other athletes, most notably, Muhammad Ali, also adorn the house.

Casey and Fracasso played fast-pitch softball for the Riverside Townies in Rhode Island, during the WWII years and beyond, and four of their teammates on that team went on to play women’s baseball in the league that was later featured in the movie, ‘A League of Their Own.’

Though neither Casey nor Fracasso played on that team, Fracasso tried out with them for one week and the duo later became associate members of ‘The Legendary Ladies of Baseball,’ the group that formed after the movie. That group disbanded into ‘The First Ladies of Baseball.’

"We travel with some of the baseball players that were The All-American Girls Professional Baseball players," Casey said.

In those travels, Casey, a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, and Fracasso, a lifelong New York Yankee fan, have met ballplayers they’ve always admired.

Casey, who said she wants her ashes scattered in center field at Fenway Park, had a nice meeting with one of DiMaggio’s less famous brothers, Dom DiMaggio, who played the outfield for the Red Sox (another brother, Vince, was also a major leaguer).

"I always said I wanted to meet Dom DiMaggio," Casey said. "We did a show in Atlanta and the promoter let me go up and talk to him."

During that one-half hour conversation with Dom DiMaggio, Casey learned how the player acquired his nickname.

"We talked about baseball back in Boston" said Casey. "He wore glasses and they said, ‘You look like a teacher, I think we’ll call you professor.’ And being that he was little they named him ‘The Little Professor.’ We basically talked old-time, back in the 40’s, baseball."

From age 14-24 Casey played with the fast-pitch softball Riverside Townies (the first two years she was actually bat girl) primarily playing second base. Fracasso was the team’s catcher. Eventually Fracasso was invited to try out for the team later portrayed in the movie, ‘A League of Their Own.’

"I had a tryout in New Jersey and then went down to Florida for one week," Fracasso said. "But I was cut from the team because I wasn’t good enough. They were really good."

Fracasso, who moved out to Southern California in 1989 after retiring the year before, loved playing catcher during her lengthy softball career.

"It’s the only position to play as far as I’m concerned. You’re involved in every single play and you have the whole field in front of you," Fracasso said. "You can see every thing on every pitch."

Casey, who married in 1954 and lived in Chicago for 13 years before coming out to Southern California in 1967, said she played every sport she could in high school, but she noted that girls today have more options.

"There is a lot of opportunities today compared to what we had and I do think it’s great for some of the girls," Casey said.

Casey worked as a seamstress at studios including Universal and Paramount but all throughout she’s stayed involved in baseball.

"I think the reason people know about women’s sports as much as they do today is because of the movie, ‘A League of Their Own,’" Casey said.

Casey most recently played softball two years ago. "On my son’s slow-pitch coed team," she said. "It was fun, but let’s face it. My mind knew what it wanted to do but my body just didn’t cooperate."

Fracasso plays golf twice a week and after a career that included tenures with Texas Instruments, Burroughs Computers and 12 years at Rhode Island Hospital, in the X-ray department, she is enjoying her time as a retiree who travels to baseball shows with her sister and friends.

"I’m enjoying every minute of my retirement," Fracasso said.

All the baseball memorabilia on the wall and in albums at the house, attests to the fact that Casey and Fracasso love our national pastime and that women are also a part of its long and storied tradition.

"People should remember that the women’s baseball league was a third league," Casey said. "There was the National League, The American League and the women’s league.

"They have a book with all the stats and they are enshrined in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame," she added. "Not as individuals, but as a whole league."