As you walk into Seattle’s most prominent GLBT sports bar, you immediately realize that this isn’t just a gay bar that will, on occasion, show a figure skating championship. It is a bar that relishes its solid history in Seattle’s gay sports scene. It is not unusual to see the bartenders or other employees proudly wearing the jersey of any one of the plethora of teams that R Place has sponsored over the years. It is also almost overwhelming to see the number of trophies those teams have accumulated and have put on display within the historic walls of R Place.
Although, it might surprise you to know that the owners, Rick Elander and Steve Timmons have never picked up a bat or a ball. They never stepped out onto the field. However, Rick and Steve along with R Place Bar and Grill have firmly cemented themselves as icons in the history of Seattle gay softball.
Rick Elander started working at R Place out as a doorman/barback over 20 years ago. He worked his way up to General Manager. In 1997, Rick and his partner Steve Timmons bought R Place.
The bar was already rich in gay sports history. Rick and Steve continued the sports philanthropic endeavors. They continued helping the growth of Seattle’s gay sports organizations. More specifically, they were instrumental in making sure that R Place remained a major part of the foundation of the Emerald City Softball Association.
In fact, they not only continued the historic support of R Place, they gave even more.
Rick and Steve (R Place) have sponsored at LEAST 3 teams every year. They have committed to sponsoring an "A" team (if the league has one) a "B", a "C", and a "D" team. Although, you wouldn’t know it with all the trophies that glisten inside the trophy cases, the teams they choose to support aren’t selected because they might win another piece of hardware. It has never been about winning for Rick and Steve. The direction to their teams is always the same, “Play hard and have fun.” And, when the day is done, you can see in their eyes that they are just as proud of the D team that didn’t win a game all season to the 2003 the R Place Monarchs brought home the B division Gay Softball World Series Championship.
Unlike a lot of sponsors, Rick and Steve don’t just write a check and hope to see a player or two come back in for a Happy Hour. You will often see them at the fields with their chubby little pug enjoying the games. Sure, they are there to support their teams, but it’s very obvious that they are there for the entire Emerald City Softball Association. Both Rick and Steve will tell you that an organization like the ECSA is vital to the strength of the GLBT community. It teaches adults of every age, respect, self esteem, dignity and appreciation for working together as a team. They believe that it is crucial that members of the GLBT family find outlets outside of bars that can assist them in becoming even better members of society as a whole.
Although Rick and Steve (R Place) have sponsored several individual teams within the ECSA. They have also always been there to assist the organization as a whole. They have been instrumental in getting sponsorships for the entire league. Many of the previous commissioners deem them personally responsible for helping ECSA secure Bud Light as a sponsor. The league approached Rick and Steve and talked to them about securing a beer sponsor. They recommended Bud Light and put the ECSA in contact with K & L Distributers. It was their clout that got K & L to look at our league and to be open to sitting down and talking about a sponsorship. Rick and Steve were very proactive in ensuring that K & L listen to us and develop a very impressive relationship.
Because of the pride that they have in the ECSA and the great work that it does, they have never been shy to ask any of their distributers to support this league.
Their dedication to this league goes beyond a financial and emotional support. They have also given hundreds of hours of personal labor as well. They have set up tables for meetings that the ECSA have had at the bar, they have decorated and created buffet tables for league fundraisers, they have personally made food to feed the players and fans during those fundraisers and the list goes on and on...
They have worked on whatever the league needs. Whenever R Place or Rick and Steve have been asked for their help, they have always said yes. Whether it be hosting a street party for the World Series, donating food for countless fundraisers, or giving up their venue for whatever needed. (I.E. Meetings, carwashes, sidewalk sales, clothes drives, and award ceremonies.)
They were a big part of bringing the World Series to Seattle by helping to raise the needed funds. In fact, they were so interested in making sure that they were supporting the league in the appropriate way, the year before Seattle’s GSWS they traveled to Phoenix with ECSA members to see how the Softball World Series was put on. R Place (Rick and Steve) was definitely a huge reason that the nation’s best softball teams truly enjoyed their time in Seattle.
It’s not only their support for the ECSA that Rick and Steve should be recognized for, but their support for gay sports in general. They have sponsored Rugby, Bowling, Volleyball, Tennis, Women’s Softball, and recently Flag Football. It is the success of those sports outside of softball that actually contribute to the growth of the Emerald City Softball Association. As gay sports leagues grow as a whole, cross-over athletes flood into the ECSA family.
It is not just sports that R Place (Rick and Steve) give their support to. For over 14 years Rick and Steve have raised and given tens of thousands of dollars to several charities in our community. Including, but not limited to: Lambert House, Lifelong Aids, Chicken Soup, & Bailey Boushay. Additionally, every Halloween Rick and Steve give a huge portion of their profits to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence who help educate our local community of HIV and HIV prevention.
The Emerald City Softball Association is full of fantastic players. There are amazing men and women who can dive for the game winning catch or hit a ball 300 feet and make it look effortless. Those players will live in the memory of every one of us… but, behind the scenes, there is a little sports bar named R Place, owned by a couple of the biggest hearted men you will ever meet. They aren’t going to make that winning catch or make that crucial tag at home, but thanks to them the Emerald City Softball Association has continued to grow and become one of the nation’s best softball organizations.
Thank you, R Place. Thank you, Rick Elander. Thank you, Steve Timmons. You ARE an amazing part of the Emerald City Softball Associations history. It takes more than just talented players to make a league successful. Your significant contributions over the years, financial, emotional and financial clearly make you worthy of induction to the Emerald City Softball Hall of Fame.