ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Just under two miles outside of O’Hare International Airport, the near constant hum of airplanes overhead is rivaled only by the sound of infield drills at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex. The softball smacking the back of a glove. The “yes queen!” after a properly executed rundown.

On a sunny Friday afternoon in Rosemont, the Talons and Bandits were preparing for Saturday’s inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League Opening Day.

Or "Christmas," as two-time Olympic medalist and AUSL advisor Natasha Watley calls it.

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The Talons and Bandits practice ahead of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League's Opening Day

"I feel like this is like Christmas Eve, and we're about to open all our presents tomorrow,” Watley said. “This has been just a long ti

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