This 1976 Parchment Little League Photo Will Make You Think ‘Bad News Bears’ Was Inspired by Kalamazoo

Recently we shared a story about bringing baseball back to Kindleberger Park in Parchment.

That story inspired our fan Beverly to share this photo of her 1976 softball team. It instantly had me thinking of the classic sports comedy from the same year, The Bad News Bears. Led by Walter Matthau, the beer-swilling, smoking coach of a band of misfit Southern California Little Leaguers and his baseball "secret weapon" for success....a girl, the hot-shot, heater-throwing pitcher played by Tatum O'Neal.

But back to Parchment where this Little League was sponsored by Suburban Drugs, not Chico's Bail Bonds. Here's how Beverly remembers that late 70s era at Kindleberger Park:

Actually in the mid 70's the fields were used for girls little league softball. I played there in 1976 while in Jr. High. The field with the cement steps was the younger girls, and the opposite field to the south east was for the older girls.

You won't find Subruban Drugs in Parchment anymore, the awnings still exist along Link Drive, but the druggist is now just a memory.

The Real Bad News Bears

Here's the trailer for the original Bad News Bears - and caution, there is some 1976-era racially insensitive language ahead - this trailer would no longer be approved for all audiences by the MPAA.

BONUS VIDEO - A Look at the Abandoned Parchment Paper Factory