The Decimator games are becoming so popular we've had requests to put our season schedule on line. Here is the remainder of the season, not including tournaments. 

                June 11:               9pm / Bullpen / Team Wickham

                June 18:               6pm / Bullpen / Iowa Microbiology

                June 25:               9pm / Machine Shed / Oaknoll

                July 2:                   6pm / Bullpen / The Junior Zookeepers

                July 9:                   9pm / Bullpen / Empty Pitchers

                July 16:                 6pm / Machine Shed / Designated Hitters

                July 23:                 8pm / Machine Shed / C-Ville Slammers

                July 30:                 7pm / Bullpen / Balls Deep

CORALVILLE -- Playing first base, No. 641.3372, Ellen Hampe, 39, of Coralville.

At second base, No. 636.133, Ruth Halterman, 57, of Swisher.

Playing third base, No. 398.24, Kate Dale, 35, of North Liberty.

Wait a minute. What kind of softball team is this?

It's the Dewey Decimators from the Coralville Public Library, now playing Wednesday nights in the Adult Coed D League at Coralville's Creekside Ballpark.

"We've been getting the new library together and it's been a little stressful," says Kate, collections services librarian and co-manager of the team. "We use the softball team to forget our worries."

And to have some fun.

You can find Dewey Decimators from the Toronto Public Library Foundation's dragon boat team to softball teams in Vancouver and Las Cruces, N.M. The regional library in Columbia, Mo., even has a library cart drill team with the name. But, if they have numbers on their backs, they're regular numbers like those on the bright red shirts of the Dewey Decimators at the Jefferson City, Mo., library.

In Coralville, where the $8.2 million renovated library opened last weekend, the librarians went a step further. They used Melvil Dewey's system to number the backs of their T-shirts with reference to their favorite reading materials.

Ellen's number represents coffee. "Part of the reason," she says, "is we're going to have a new coffee shop in the library. I'm very excited about it. And I like coffee."

That's with cream.

Ruth's number is for quarter horses. Yes, she has one.

Kate's number is for folklore and fairy tales. Her son, Addie, 6, loves them.

What would Dewey think?

"I think he'd be appalled," says Ruth. "He was far too serious."

"He would have been all right with coed softball," Kate adds. "He was pretty supportive of women.

"We have a cheer," she adds. "Want to hear it?"

Of course.

"Do we decimate?

"Yes we do!"

But, they lost their first game, 15 to 7.

"We had a great comeback," Ruth says. "We scored five runs in the last inning."

In other words, they weren't decimators.

"We weren't decimated, either," points out team co-manager Mike Jorgensen, 38, of Coralville, adult services librarian.

Mike wears No. 822.33 -- Shakespeare.

"I've been in community theater," he says. "I have another degree in theater. I thought it would be good. Shakespeare trash talk."

Director Alison Ames Galstad, 47, wears 027.4 for libraries, of course.

Nat Christenson of North Liberty wears 781.66 for rock and roll music.

Waiting in the wings are Joel Bartlett of Williamsburg with 796.332 for football and Courtney Waite of Coralville with 746.43 for knitting.

Knitting? Yeah, if they can't decimate the opposition, they can needle them.

Dave Rasdal's column appears Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He can be reached at (319) 398-8323 or dave.rasdal@gazcomm.com