East Hampton Artists & Writers Charity Softball Game Adds More Community Outreach

For 76 years now, the East Hampton Artists & Writers Charity Softball Game has been attracting literary lions, giants of the art world, A-list stars from the stage and screen, business titans, politicians, pro athletes and East End power players of various pay grades.

It all started as a simple pickup game cobbled together during a picnic in Springs in 1948 — albeit a picnic attended by Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. But the game has evolved into what many well-connected summer folk think of as an absolute can’t-miss Hamptons event, a vitally important date on the August East End social calendar. While lots of people know it as a celebrity-laden affair for local charities, fewer folks are aware of the actual organizations that benefit from the game.

At a Dec. 9 press conference at the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton — a stone’s throw from the recently renovated field at Herrick Park where the game has been played since 1968 and will once again be played next year —  four charities were recognized for their good work. And each was awarded a check for $10,000.

“It’s gratifying to me when you meet some of the people from the charities that we’re funding and you start to understand how much of a difference it makes — and how much they appreciate it,” says David Brandman, president of the organization that oversees the game and the expanding organizational structure that produces it every year. “The game’s roots were originally as a family-oriented picnic and it grew into this whole thing. I’m trying to bring it back to more of a homegrown event.”

This year’s recipients included:

The Retreat, the only domestic violence abuse agency offering comprehensive services to women and children on the East End of Long Island.

East End Hospice, which provides an individualized plan of care for patients, their families and loved ones throughout the difficult time of illness and loss.

Phoenix House Academy in Wainscott, a 45-bed adolescent treatment center and high school. Their East Hampton Outpatient Facility uses individual and group counseling approaches to help overcome addiction.

Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center, which fills the need for quality day care while supporting single parents, working families and the businesses in the community that employ them.

At this year’s game, local kids were enlisted to help manually update the scoreboard and were given the opportunity to run the bases between innings under the watchful eye of New York sportswriting legend Mike Lupica.

Brandman added that he’s also in talks about creating a baseball clinic for kids with the potential involvement of Major League Baseball, who would supply the personnel and teaching resources. Another possibility is the creation of a scholarship fund to help ease the financial burden on local students interested in pursuing careers in journalism and the arts.

Brandman also said that his organization was working with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, which is interested in making former MLB players available for the game. In years past, former Mets closer John Franco and longtime player and Yankees manager Joe Torre have made appearances — though their participation wasn’t directly connected to the MLB Alumni Association.

“Obviously the celebrity stuff helps attract people to the game,” Brandman notes. “But we’re trying to get the community and the local businesses more involved.”

One such local business, Dan’s Papers, is a co-sponsor of the event. Dan’s has donated the printing services and designed the game’s popular program every year for decades.

As the game evolved, it experienced something of a turning point in the 1970s, when celebrities of all stripes started showing up on a regular basis. The ’70s also saw organized fundraising for charities — and in some cases, political organizations — begin in earnest.

“Over the years, the game has become kind of a rite of passage,” Brandman points out. “I’ve heard people say that you haven’t made it in the Hamptons unless you’ve played in it.”

For a more or less complete roster of the game’s participants over the years, check out awgame.org/alumni-list

In the meantime, here’s a highly opinionated Top 15 list of notable players past and present, in alphabetical order:

Lauren Bacall
Saul Bellow
Yogi Berra
Dick Cavett
Bill Clinton
Willem de Kooning
E.L. Doctorow
Joseph Heller
Dustin Hoffman
John Irving
George Plimpton
Jackson Pollock
Neil Simon
Martha Stewart
Kurt Vonnegut

For those looking to get a head start on planning for next year, 2025’s game is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16 at 2 p.m. Come check it out. You’ll be supporting some great causes and you never know who might show up.