Seeing Barack Obama (decked out in Sox garb!) at the MLB All-Star Game this week was a reminder of the sport's rich history. But we know of a local broker softball league with just as interesting a backstory. Three decades ago, Richie Klein's  boss at Metropolitan Structures put him in charge of logistics for a game versus Romanik and Golub. The next summer, '79, he decided to see if more companies wanted in. While Richie has been through several companies, the Downtown Real Estate League has remained, and now pits 16 teams against each other every Monday night at the North Avenue and Waveland Avenue fields.

It's almost like the Majors: Richie says he's seen people change companies through the league, as well as date and get married through it. (OK, maybe that last part is less common in pro ball.) He also writes the DRESL Droppings, a weekly recap of league action. Teams must be made up of 70% licensed real estate pros, to avoid ringers, and it gets pretty competitive, Richie says. Right now,Golub & Co.  and J.F. McKinney  remain undefeated in the last week before playoffs. Oh and somewhere between pitches, Richie worked out a 25k-SF deal for Intercultural Montessori Language School at 114 S. Racine. Andy Gloor repped the landlord, Sterling Bay,  in house.