Only in the Hamptons can a genial game of softball evolve into an annual rivalry involving Hollywood headliners, media moguls and the occasional captain of industry.
The annual Artists & Writers Charity Softball Game celebrates its 60th iteration Saturday, a far cry from the game first played on sculptor Wilfrid Zogbaum's front lawn in Springs, with the likes of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock rounding the bases. Wordsmiths began to fritter away at the game's art-world exclusivity in the 1960s, proving natural-born antagonists for the artists, who bridled at the imposition of too many writer-imposed rules.
WHO PLAYS
By dint of necessity, the artists have expanded their scope to include actors and entertainers, from Chevy Chase to Paul Simon, and the writers welcome anyone who traffics in the written word, from television critic Jeffrey Lyons to politico Mark Green.
"I think as long as you can fit into one of the categories, it's OK," says Dave Johnson of East End Hospice, who handles publicity for the event. (The hospice, along with East Hampton Day Care Center and Phoenix House, is one of three local charities that benefits from the game's proceeds.)
This doesn't explain how one year, soccer star Pele was assigned to the artists' side, but who are we to question the East End sorting hat?
WHAT YOU'LL SEE
At Saturday's game, the artists will wear red, the writers will be in blue, and the crowd will reach four figures. (At least 1,500 are expected at the game, which will likely include a memorial to Roy Scheider, longtime pitcher for the artists, who died in February.)
But some things never change, as evidenced in the matter of the turnip. Apparently, at the first game in 1948, publisher Barney Rosset pitched a turnip to an unsuspecting de Kooning, who connected and turned the root vegetable into puree. So, tradition holds that at some point during the game, a white-painted turnip is substituted for the real thing.
Who's favored to win? It's anyone's guess. Last year's score was a bit of an upset, as it broke the writers' years-long winning streak: Artists 13, Writers 5.
Here are a few of the celebrities expected to play: Chevy Chase, B. Smith, Kim Stolz, Lori Singer, Mort Zuckerman, Jeffrey Lyons, Mark Green.
WHEN Saturday, Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. (batting practice starts at 1 p.m.)
WHERE Herrick Field, East Hampton (behind Waldbaum's)
COST $10 suggested donation; children younger than 12 free
- Denise Flaim