AAU International Men's Fastpitch Softball Tournament - by Bob Otto
January 19, 2012
Orlando, FL
ORLANDO, FL – In 1996, Alex Linares decided to start a men’s fastpitch softball tournament in Miami, Florida. Only eight teams took part – all from the Miami area.
Little did he fathom at the time that his small tournament would become a huge international event. And arguably the most popular men’s fastpitch softball tournament in the world today: the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) International Men’s Fastpitch Softball Tournament.
“I called it an international tournament in 1996, but it was all local teams,” Linares said. “When we moved the tournament in 2000 to Orlando (at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World Resort – Lake Buena Vista, FL) it became an event sanctioned by the AAU. Then it began to grow in teams and popularity. I had no idea it would become this popular.”