Southern California Gems

International Women’s Professional Softball Association (1976)

Tombstone

Born: 1976 – IWPSA founding franchise
Folded: February 8, 1977

First Game:
Last Game:

IWPSA Championships: None

Stadium

Perris Hill Park (2,982)

Marketing

Team Colors: Red & Gold

Ownership

Owner:

Fastpitch

The Untold History of Softball and the Women Who Made the Game

By Erica Westly

“Fastpitch is A League of Their Own for the softball set.”

-Lily Koppel, bestselling author of The Astronaut Wives Club

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Origin – The Queen & Her Maids

The Southern California Gems were a San Bernardino-based women’s professional softball club that lasted for one season in the International Women’s Professional Softball Association (1976-1979).

The core of the Gems roster was drawn from “The Queen and Her Maids”, a barnstorming four-woman team of softballers. The Queen was Rosie Black, an incomparable 23-year old pitcher who became a pro at age 13. The Queen and Her Maids toured all over the world. They took on all comers from local men’s pub teams to Japanese professional baseball teams. Black boasted an arsenal of 16 different pitches, plus various novelty routines, such as pitching blindfolded, between her legs or from the second base bag. By the time the Gems started up in 1976, Rosie Black claimed a career record of 1,323 wins against 53 losses, with 89 perfect games.

The Gems were a family affair. Black’s sisters (and “Maids”) Karen Beaird and Eileen Francabandera were also on the team. Father Royal Beaird, who founded and managed The Queen and Her Maids touring show, was the Gems’ manager. Royal’s wife Carol and son Norman served as assistant coaches. Deborah Bevers, an unrelated member of the Maids touring show since 1968, also made the team.

Demise

As it turned out, operating a touring four-woman team that mixed softball wizardry with comedic elements didn’t translate to a competitive professional league. The Gems were the worst team in the ten-team IWPSA in 1976 with a 39-81 record.

In February 1977, the IWPSA expelled the Gems franchise from the league. Officials cited the team’s failure to meet various financial obligations.

Aftermath

Royal Beaird passed away in 1985. Rosie Black and her sister Eileen returned to the touring show after playing briefly for the Gems. In the 1980’s, the act changed names to “The Queen and Her Court”, to reflect the fact that men were occasionally hired to fill out the roster. The sisters shut down the act around 1990 after a quarter century on the road.