Focus, Intensity and Pride

However, as soon as the league commissioner began his announcements about the tournament, the cat was out of the bag. “Take me out to the ball game” now had a new meaning for Sakovitch. He walked over to see his family before the game began and his grandmother said, with a wry smile on her face. “I didn’t know this was a gay league! Are you gay?” she asked, to which Sakovitch replied, “Yup!” and trotted off to play. Later, his brother recounted that it was the most silent five minutes of his life, sitting with their grandmother as she pondered the news. Fortunately, Sakovitch’s grandmother came around and she’s very supportive of her little third-baseman.

Sakovitch comes from what he calls a “hyper-competitive family” and, as a result, he played multiple sports as a kid to satisfy his genetic need for competition. “I played baseball, golf, hockey, football, tennis and basketball growing up.” His natural abilities at sports provided him with an edge in socializing and also helped to fulfill two specific needs: a physical outlet and the human need for friendship. He says, “Softball provided not just a competitive outlet but an instant group of friends who are personally invested in seeing you succeed.”

After hopping from city to city for a few years, Sakovitch moved to New York to be with his partner. He had lived in Boston; Washington, D.C.; London and Boston once again (where he inadvertently threw Grandma that curveball). Upon getting settled, he decided to look up the Big Apple Softball League. His social skills were so polished he had no problem fitting in with the New York crew. Sakovitch loves playing in the big-city leagues as it brings together people of various backgrounds, personalities and many other attributes, melting together all of their differences. “I found that team sports are the great equalizer. No matter what you do for a living, what your background or taste in clothing is—once you’re on the field you’re wearing the same uniform and driven to the same goal as everyone else,” he says.

Sakovitch is driven to succeed—usually in overdrive—and he was chosen as the first-round draft pick last year. He recalls being “frozen like a popsicle” out in the field with a few dozen other players looking to be placed on teams as they participated in the Big Apple Softball tryouts during a cold snap last spring. “Hitting was an adventure, but I managed to get a couple out of the infield before my fingers went numb”, he says with a shudder. Last season he went on to win the Triple Crown Award, leading the league in every major offensive category: average (AVG), runs-batted-in (RBI) and home runs.

As for his philosophy in competing, Sakovitch has three words tattooed on his shoulder that sum it all up: “Focus, Intensity, Pride”. He says, “Forever focused on the goal, never play at half-speed and have pride in what you do.”