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Chris Stephens will be fondly remembered by the British softball community
Last Saturday, 17 September 2011, Chris Stephens, long-standing pitcher for Mojo and SPAM, died at the John Radcliffe hospital in Milton Keynes six weeks after his aorta had burst. He was 66 years old. Many people across the softball community will know Chris, and if not directly, then by sight. He was known as 'the pitcher with a cigar' - for years lit, and later not. He was known for his sharp line-drives down the right-field line. He was known for always taking the time to deliver coaching advice - not always traditional. Occasionally he was known for a burst of temper - more often directed at himself than others. He was known for shaking off a hard come-backer to the shins, the neck, the face, as if it hadn't happened. And, as his team-mates could attest, he was also known for sometimes choosing to walk a batter simply because she was attractive!
British-born but having grown up in the US, Chris was an aficionado of American culture - music, movies, classic cars, politics - and sports. And in 1992, years after returning to England, when walking through Regents Park one evening, he found softball. For the first few years following, he playing regularly with the Ad League team, Mojo. A few years later Mojo and SPAM joined forces to enter a team in the Sunday Super League. Soon after, Mojo faded away, but Chris stayed, and went on to play with SPAM for the next 14 years.
Always intensely private, those of us who played alongside Chris or against him never knew that much about his life. Instead we knew he was kind and generous and had an eccentric sense of humour. We were used to his turning up to play having brought selected articles from outdated copies of USA Today that others might enjoy. And we came to know that he would never let us down. In 14 years, if Chris said he'd be there, he was there. And this despite sometimes having to will his failing red Ford Escort to make the journey. Chris never took public transport.
Chris stopped playing softball outdoors a couple years ago, although he kept going with indoor softball until the shift to Canary Wharf made it less accessible, playing his last game, still with SPAM, in early 2010. Since then most of his friends in softball sadly lost touch with him, but it's clear that as news of Chris's death has been shared, that he touched many people.
One of Chris's closest friends, Paul Montefiore, first met when they played together for Mojo, has offered a donation to set up a trophy or competition in the name of Chris Stephens. Details are yet to be worked out, but these will be published, along with the invitation that anyone else wishing to make a donation to this could do so.
Paul also took the time, with the help of Chris's mother, Ivy, to piece together some of the details of Chris's life. It makes a fascinating story, and those that are interested can find it here:
Read more about the life of Chris Stephens: "The Pitcher with a Cigar"