World’s Nuttiest DJ pitches way into Hall of Fame

Greg Lammers, better known for his nickname “Chopper,” was one of 19 members inducted last fall into the Minnesota Sports Federation Hall of Fame Men’s Fastpitch Division Oct. 26 at Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel in Morton.

Already a member of the St. Paul Fastpitch Hall of Fame, Chopper has spent the past 53 years involved in the sport, which first started for his hometown team in Waverly.

“I started playing at 19 years old. I was a catcher,” Chopper said. “I didn’t start my pitching career until I was age 30. I got pounded on for five years.”

Despite his struggles as a pitcher, Chopper had to overcome the injury bug. Over his career, he endured two surgeries to his rotator cuff on his pitching arm. He also underwent two knee surgeries. A line drive once broke his pitching forearm. Another liner off his head once knocked the vision out of one of his eyes for a short time.

“I was too bullheaded to give up,” Chopper said. “I’m still playing. After all these years, I’m still playing. We have a traveling team in Waverly that plays in the High Island and Freeport Leagues. I’m still pitching 15-20 games a year. At one time, I was pitching 60-70 games a year. I got drafted all the time to go to other teams, so I pitched almost every weekend. God willing, I still plan on pitching another 10-15 years.”

When he’s not pitching, Chopper is busy recruiting, particularly female players to join the men’s fastpitch league. 

“Women play fastpitch in grade school, high school, and college, but when they got out of that, it’s just slow pitch,” he said. “A lot of women don’t know they are eligible to play men’s fastpitch. There are about 20 or more gals now playing in men’s fastpitch leagues.”

 

Accomplished player

Chopper’s accomplishments as a pitcher include winning the Class A, B, and C Men’s Fastpitch State title with the Farmington Independent and Morelli’s Liquor (St. Paul) teams he played for throughout his career.

“This Farmington team called me to play, not even as a pitcher, but to see if I could help them play league games. I told them I would like to pitch, and some weekends I would end up being their No. 2 pitcher and some games their No. 1,” he said. “I went to a team that could hit and play defense, and what a big difference that made.”

While pitching for Farmington, twice he won the Class B Men’s Fastpitch Northern Regional (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) Tournament, and four other times he was runner-up – three times in Class B and once in Class A.

“We had a great run. We were always in the thick of things,” Chopper said. “I played with them until they broke up and then played for Morelli’s Liquor in St. Paul. That’s where we won the Class C state title.”

Chopper’s pitching record in the Men’s Fastpitch Nationals over his career is 7-12.

               

Comedy and DJ

Throughout his 53 years as a softball player, the past 45 years for Lammers has seen him travel locally, nationally, and internationally as Chopper World’s Nuttiest DJ.

He originally started out as a disc jockey in 1979 at night clubs. He got his own equipment in 1981, where he started playing for $30 a night at the Maple Lake Legion during the spring and summer. He now plays an average of three nights a week.

“I do about 20 weddings a year. I do lots of county fairs. I play at bars. I played at Thirsty Buffalo,” Chopper said. “I try to get weddings and company parties first. Then I fill in with bars and high school and college dances. I could play for anybody. I go to rest homes and play for seniors and daycares. I don’t sing, though. I have a comedy show I do with it, and I make the people the show.” 

His nickname alone is also somewhat comical. 

“My last name is Lammers, so I got this nickname Chopper, which helps my DJ thing,” he said. “As a kid, they used to call me Lambchops.”

Some of his popular songs he plays range from The Beatles version of “Twist and Shout,” to AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

“What music I play depends on what’s in front of me,” he said. “Of all the zillions of songs that are out there, you end up playing about 200 of them.”

Ironically, the night of his induction ceremony last fall into the Minnesota Men’s Fastpitch Hall of Fame, Chopper was busy performing in Watertown (MN) for a Halloween Dance.

In the near future, Chopper World’s Nuttiest DJ act can be seen from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Sturges Park in Buffalo for the Kites on Ice Festival. He also performs during Buffalo Days, the Wright County Fair, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Show at the Maple Lake Legion.

Chopper has also traveled, performing at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He’s also performed at the Orlando Convention Center, the Embassy Suites in St. Louis, as well as stops in Kansas City, Chicago, Peoria, and Decatur. He’s also traveled 12 times to Canada, including two appearances this past summer in Ontario.

His gig is so big that he’s been featured three times in magazines and once appeared from the National Sports Center in Blaine on ESPN. Locally, he did a public service announcement for Fox 29 channel. 

Ironically, when Chopper has rare spare time, he’s still on the road traveling, but this time as a school bus driver for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Bus Services.

“I’ve been doing that for 41 years,” he said.

While his zest for life has revolved around making other people laugh and smile, Chopper couldn’t help but hide his own big smile knowing he found his place in the Minnesota Sports Federation Men’s Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame.

“It means a lot,” he said. 

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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