The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) was a professional women's baseball league which existed from 1944 to 1954, with teams based in Chicago, Illinois. The National Girls Baseball League started a year after the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was featured in the film A League of Their Own. The National Girls Baseball League differed from the AAGPLB in that the NGBL kept and allowed the traditional underhand softball pitching format. Football legend Red Grange served as commissioner of the National Girls Baseball League. History The National Girls baseball League was founded in 1944 by Forest Park, Illinois contractor Emery Parichy, Charles Bidwill, who was owner of the Chicago Cardinals football team and politician Ed Kolski. Parichy had built Parichy Stadium in Forest Park in 1934 and owned a softball league, the Metropolitan League. Parichy and Bidwell hired Red Grange to preside over the league. The National Girls Baseball League was formed in 1944 and played 11 seasons. It was formed as a result of scouts for the Chicago–based All–American Girls Professional Baseball League scouting and recruiting talent from the Chicago softball Metropolitan League, run by Parichy. It was decided to then turn the Metropolitan League to a professional league. The National Girls Baseball League consisted of teams from the greater Chicago, Illinois area and regularly drew over 500,000 fans annually. Unlike the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, the National Girls Baseball League kept the traditional underhand softball pitching format. "For two seasons our league outdrew the White Sox in attendance," noted player Freda Savona, in reference to the Chicago White Sox of MLB. “They packed the place,” said Al Maag, of the NGBL attendance. Maag was the founder of the Chicago 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame, which posthumously inducted and honored Charles Bidwill with the Richard J. Daley Friend of Softball Award in 2013 for his contributions to women's baseball and softball. The National Girls Baseball League had six teams, all owned by Emery Parichy: the Bloomer Girls, Blue Birds, Chicks, Queens, Cardinals, and Music Maids. The Forest Park based Bloomer Girls were moved by Parichy to Chicago from Boston in 1937 and used the "Parichy Bloomer Girls" moniker, playing home games at Parichy Stadium. The league played at ballparks throughout Chicago, including Soldier Field and Wrigley Field. The National Girls Baseball League was in competition with the All–American Girls Professional Baseball League. The integrated National