SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE - Accidentally breaking through that good old boys network

At 75 years of age, Connie Gauthier never envisioned herself as a Rosa Parks or Susan B. Anthony or other rights activist.

All she wanted to do was manage an old guy softball team, one filled with friends, but when she stepped up to volunteer, she was told by league officials that she couldn't, and the reason given was that she was a girl.

"That's what I was told," she said. "At first I was in disbelief, and then I got angry and finally I just resolved to do it. What were they going to do, call the police and have me escorted off the field?"

Gauthier's association with the Field of Dreams Senior Softball league actually began several years ago when she began attending games because her boyfriend, Vin Fiontella, played in the league.

A sociable sort, she became friendly with several team and other league members, and when the league was looking for a volunteer to step up and handle scoreboard duties following the death of Bill LaRoche, she stepped up.

She scored all the games, provided newspaper reports on game results and handled announcing duties, all as a volunteer, and became an integral part of the league. Everybody in the Field of Dreams knew Connie.

Then at last season's year-end banquet, Mike Aridano, who managed the team that Fiontella plays for, LaRoche Dental, said that for personal reasons, he would not be able to continue in that capacity.

"No one wanted to do it, so I said that I would, and during the banquet, the team talked about it and it seemed to be fine with all the players," said Gauthier. "I said that I would manage my team during its games and would continue to handle the press box for the other two games every week."

But the league's commissioners didn't want that to happen, except for Don LaRoche, who backed Gauthier. She was told that she could do one or another, either manage or handle the press box, but could not handle both because that would be a conflict of interest.

"That didn't make a lot of sense to me because Billy LaRoche was a manager and handled the press box for years, and we have players and managers umpiring for other teams' games," said Gauthier. "What I believe is that they figured I would back off from wanting to manage and stay with the press box. I didn't."

She was never formally informed about league tryouts, but showed up because LaRoche kept her in the loop. It didn't much matter, because her team, defending league champs, never got a draft pick anyway.

"I knew that some of the other teams had lost players and were hurting, so I didn't mind coming back with just the team we had, but someone could have told me," said Gauthier.

She made it known that she intended to manage the team and was ready to fight for that privilege, even if it meant approaching the American Civil Liberties Union or hiring an attorney.

Then on opening day, she didn't show up because she was serving on jury duty in Providence.

"Imagine after all that, here it is opening day and I'm not even at the field," she said. "I was there every week after that."

Her presence was tolerated, but ignored.

"Except for Don, none of the commissioners ever spoke to me except for once, when I was told I wasn't welcomed because I'm a girl," she said. "I thought we were way past all of that."

She reported to every game, handed in her lineup and made various changes like the other managers. And it brought her a chuckle when for the most part, she said managing was more like being a clerk.

"I'd make out the same lineup for the most part, and what could I tell these guys about playing the game?" she asked. "They know what they're doing and just go out and do it. I'm just the person who makes the telephone calls and makes out the lineup."

But she really didn't like being told that she couldn't do something because she's a female. That got her angry, especially since the Field of Dreams began nearly two decades ago as a coed program. There were women in the first year that tried to compete, but they dropped out and there hasn't been a woman involved in on-field activities since - until Gauthier did it this year.

Her team placed second during the regular season and on Friday they won the playoff championship, and ignore or not, she became the first female manager in league history to win a championship.

"I guess perseverance paid off," she said.

And to those holding onto the ridiculous notion that "girls" don't belong, hopefully you drop your archaic attitudes and embrace people when all they want to do is help - even if they're girls.