Long time no write!

   It has been a long time since I wrote lol! Not a ton of softball going on right now, so not much to write about. But I'll talke about a few things and then I'm going to tell you about about 10 all time favorite softball players. I though I'd done this before but in going through my blogs I didn't find anything like this and if I did and I missed I'm sure so of them have changed lol. If not I'm sorry to waste your time lol.

The NPF Back to School Tour was great! The NPF wasn't quite as successful as years past droping 3 games(Michigan, ULL, and Oklahoma for the 2nd year in a row). But it was still fun to watch! I was thrilled by how many schools had livestreaming and I saw alot of good softball by not just the NPF but the college teams as well! I'm itching for the next college and NPF seasons already!!

The Japanese legaue wraped up their season last weekend with their version of the championship series I guess lol. Again rain came in to play but better planning meant that they got everything in! Danielle Lawrie, Megan Willis, and their Shokki teammates had a wonderful season, especially the 2nd half of the season! I wasn't sure at the beginning of the 2nd half of the season that they would even make the playoffs but they had a fantastic 2nd half of the season and just snuck by Honda for the 4th spot! They played Denso to start the weekend. They hadn't beat Denso all season and I knew they wanted that win. I wanted that win. Denso is the team that Jordan Taylor and Megan Wiggins play for, so you can put 2 and 2 together as to why I wanted them to beat Denso so bad other than wanting them to have a chance at the championship lol. Danielle was fantastic! She didn't give up a hit until the 5th or 6th inning and ended the game with only 2 hits! She pitched her heart out and looked incredible! Shokki finally got their win against Denso, winning 1-0! The moved on to play Toyota the next day! The next day it was raining but they started the game anyway. It was wet, muddy, and cool. Finally the field got to be in too bad a shape and the rain wasn't letting up so they called the games for the day after 3.5 innings. I was thinking they'd pick it up in the bottom of the 4th the next day but apparently the rules are different in the Japan leauge and they had to start all over the next day. Danielle pitched well but Toyota was too much and they lost. But they still placed 3rd and in that league that is pretty dang good! Toyota and Renesas played 10 innings before Toyota finally got the win and won their 3rd championship in a row! Monica Abbott was named MVP and she totally earned it! In 48 hours time she pitched 28 innings and that is after 9 months of almost non-stop softball! Ueno was impressive herself as always! In my opinion, those 2 are probably the top pitchers in the world with Cat Osterman right behind them. Always exciting to watch them duke it out and I got to watch them duke it out twice in 48 hours times! I enjoyed it :)! I also enjoyed watching 2 younger up and comming greats duke it out in Danielle Lawrie and Jordan Taylor! All around agreat weekend of softball!

Now I'm going to move on to my top 10 all time favorite softball players! I thought about doing pitchers and there will be alot of pitchers because I like pitchers lol. But I decided to include everyone. Maybe one day I'll do like top 5 pitchers, catchers, infielders, and outfielders! That would be fun but not today lol. So here we go!

10. Kelly Kretschman! Kelly is an Alabama Alumni where she broke several hitting records and left as one of the best hitters to not only play for the Tide but to ever play the game. She was an alernate for the 2000 Olympic Gold team and was apart of the 2004 gold medal team and the 2008 silver medal team. She was also one of the first national team members and big name players to believe and sign to play in the NPF! She started with the Akron Racers in 2005 and played her 4th season with the Pride and 7th season in the league last season. She is the oldest woman in the league at 33 but to watch her play you'd never know it! She is still one of the best all around hitters in the NPF! She can hit for power but she also has the speed to lay down a bunt and steal bases! She is one of those players that you just never get tired of watching!

9. Crystl Bustos! Anybody who knows anything about softball knows who Crystl Bustos is! In my opinion she is the single best hitter to ever play this game! She has an icredible swing and when she unloads on a ball she can hit it futher than any hitter I have ever seen! I think the ironic thing is she didn't even attend a division 1 school! She went to a community college! How did every division 1 and 2 school miss that? I'll never understand it myself! She is a big muslcuar woman who alot of people think looks scary. But one thing I've figured out over the years of watching her and with talking to her on Twitter and reading her tweet is she has a huge huge huge heart! She is a very sweet sensitive person! She has given and continues to give back so much to this sport! She is not playing right now but I've seen talk of a comeback on her twitter page, so we'll see what happens!

8. Yukiko Ueno! I know most of you are ready to hit me here or call me trader but I can't help it! She is without a doubt one of the best and most dominating pitchers I have ever had a the oppurtunity of watching! She has changed the look of Japanese softball forever! She has an incredible combination of speed and movement to her pitches that leaves hitters either looking dumb or just completely stunned! At worlds this past summer she threw over 30 innings in 2 days, won the gold medal, and turned 30! But what makes her even more special is that she is also one of the best hitters Japan has ever produced! A pitcher that hits is dieing art I'm afraid and I really hate that. Coaches are afraid of injuries and want to protect their pitchers and I get that. But you are really hurting these athletes I think by taking them from being what I refer to as a 3 demensional player to 1 demensional! But Ueno has been lucky that her coaches continue to allow her to hit and do her thing! I often say I don't believe she is fully human because she is just so good and never seems to get tired! So hate me all you want but I love to watch this woman do her thing!

7. Natsha Watley! Natasha Watley is probably the fastest softball player I've ever had the pleasure of watching! There are other extremely fast players( Caitlin Lowe, Kimi Pohlman, Rhea Taylor just to the name a few) but none as fast as Natasha. She went to UCLA and won a National Championship as well as many other awards and personal highlights. She played on the 2004 Gold medal Olympic team and the 2008 silver medal and many more! She has been everywhere and done everything! She is an amazing athlete! She has also started her own foundation to further not only softball but women's sports as a whole!

6. Lisa Fernandez! Lisa Fernandez was one the first pitchers I remember watching and just adoring! She was an incredible pitcher with a ton of energy! She loves softball so much and you could just see it on her face! She like all these other women has a long long long list of awards and achievments! She went to UCLA and is now the pitching coach there. She played on the National Team leading the team to 3 Gold medals in the Olympics! She has given and continues to give so much to softball and women's sports in general! She without a doubt will always be viewed as the one the best pitchers to ever play the game and I am glad I got to witness it!

5. Monica Abbott! As I said when talking about the Japanese league championship she in my opinion is one of, if not the top pitcher in the world right now! She is a dominating pitcher in every sense of the word. She is very tall at 6ft 3in! She is probably the hardest throwing pitcher in the game right now and maybe ever, easily hitting 71+. But she is isn't all speed. Pitchers with just speed don't dominate because it's easier to adjust to speed! She has movement, great movement! She has movement that seems to only get better with age! And last but not least she is like the Energizer Bunny, she keeps going and going and going and going and going lol! You don't want to get in a pitchers dual with her, especially if goes into extras because the longer she pitches the stronger she gets! I've watched her since she played for Tennessee and she was an amazing pitcher back then but over the years she has only gotten better and better and better! I enjoy watching her pitch as long as she isn't pitching against one of teams....saddly it happens more often than not that she is pitchng against my team lol!

4. Megan Willis! I haven't watched Megan Willis as long as I've watched any of the others players. She just wasn't on my radar honestly. But Megan is easily one of the best catchers I've ever seen. She is good at calling games, knowing the pitcher she is catching for, and most of all she is good at throwing out runners! She has a cannon for an arm and I know I wouldn't consider trying to steal on her lol! She has a wonderful firey personality that makes her so much fun to watch! There isn't a catcher that I like to watch more!

3. Cat Osterman! Cat is a completely different pitcher than the others I've talked about. The other pitchers I talked about have a deadly combination of speed and movement. Cat doesn't have the speed. She has never been known and will never be known as a power pitcher. But that's okay because she doesn't need the power. To be very hoest to pitch at the level she does you typically need atleast some speed but if you have the movement of Cat you don't lol! Cat unlike Lisa Fernandez is very poised, quiet, and almost unreadable in the circle. That is part of what I think makes her so dominating. Her emotions rarley get the best of her.  She doesn't ride the wave of the game. She just does what Cat does!

2. Jenn Salling! I think she gets very over looked in the grand scheme of things but she won me over the first time I ever watched her play. The first I saw her play was for the Canadian National team! She dominates the infield! I've talked about  her before but you get to read it again lol. She is fast, she thinks fast, she reacts fast, and she can throw across the diamond like nobody I've seen before(there is a video on Youtube of her throwing out Rhea Taylor all the way from behind 3rd base to 1st during Super Regionals 2 years ago that I could watch over and over and over and in fact have! Look it up, it's a thing of  beauty!). She is what is refered to in softball as a tripe threat. She can slap, bunt, and hit for power! She has speed and isn't afraid to take a risk! She is a leader. She is always cheering, encouraging, and giving advice. She speaks and people listen! She is incredibly selfless! She loves softball, she loves the women she plays with, and she loves her fans! But the thing I love most about Jenn is her story. She fought to get where she is. She did something few other people have done and it paid off big! She started off at Oregon. She red shirted her freshman year. Her redshirt freshman year she tore it up! She set records and made a huge name for herself both in the field and with her bat. In 2008, she redshirted again to play in the Olympics for Canada and during that time decided even with the success she was having in Oregon she wasn't happy and decided to transfer. Because she decided to transfer to Washington which was in the same confrence she had two choices. One she had to miss an entire season and just lose that season or two she had to go get an Associate degree. She chose to do the 2nd. She worked her butt off and got ther Associates degree and was cleared to paly for Washington in April of 2009! She went on to be key in their National Championship as well as a huge part of the team in 2010! But I think the biggest thing Jenn did was in her Senior season. Everyone one and their dog predicited UW to fall off in a big way with the loss of Danielle Lawrie. But with an incredible freshman pitcher that turned out to better than anybody could have guessed she would be and the incredible leadership of Jenn the team made it all the way back to Super Regionals! It's unreal to me that it's been almost 2 years since she played for the Huskies! She is still kind of waiting in the wings for her turn to break out in the NPF but it's coming! I know it is and she'll keep pushing until it does because she never gives up!

1. Last but not least and I'm sure you guys already knew this, Danielle Lawrie! When Coach Tarr took over the troubled UW  program the first player she recruited was Danielle and I think we all fully understand why! Danielle combines speed and killer movement to keep batters always guessing. She has one of the best change ups in the world! Danielle fully understands the game of softball. In college, obviously she dominated in the circle but she also left UW as one of their best hitters. That is what I orginally loved about her. She was all over the field and dominating in all of them lol. She broke all kinds of records as a pitcher, threw several no hitters and perfect games. And then she could turn around and belt a homerun as well lol! She is passionate and competitive! You can tell with ease what she is thinking and feeling! She is leader and people naturally are drawn and listen to her. She is just an all around incredible athlete! She is a 2 time National Player of the Year and she did something nobody had done before and nobody has done since. She won National Player of the Year the same year she won a National Championship! Sadly she hasn't been as lucky as Ueno and most of the teams she plays for now do not let her hit. It seems like such a waste to me but they have their reasons I suppose! Danielle is young and she has many seasons ahead of her! I will be surprised if she isn't the best pitcher in the world by the time she retires. She is certainly pretty close now! A few more years of experience and no doubt in my mind she'll be a force to reckoned with!

There are many more I adore that I wish I could have included! I almost wish I would have done top 20 but this alone took me several hours lol! There are so many amazing softball players out there! That's one of the reasons I love this game so much! These women are talented and hard working and they do everything they do simply because they love the game!

I don't need you to understand

Well the NPF season has been over for a week and I'm still sad that it's over lol! In fact, I spent yesterday evening watching the game that Danielle Lawrie pitched during the Title 9 celebration. It was without a doubt my favorite game of the season! Danielle was completely dominate! I love to watch her pitch when she is in that zone. She was completely in the zone but completely relaxed! She was all smiles and having such a good time! All the Pride girls were! I believe that was the last game this season that Danielle, Jenn, and Ashley all got the start at the same time! I also loved that game because Niki got her first and only RBI of the season! The smile on her face was priceless! The grand slam that Jamee Juarez hit was amazing as well! The whole game was just great! There weren't alot of the big names in this game but the lesser known ladies sure put on a show of their own!

I think these type of games are the ones you want to take all in and remember because all though some of the  core ladies will stay, there will be others who won't. The team changes just a little bit every season and I don't think next season will be any different. This team was special. They were not only incredible group of talented women but there was a great chemistry between them all! It was fun to watch! But anyway bottom line is I'm glad that ESPN3 still has that game on there for me to watch! I've watched it 3 times now and enjoyed it every time!

I know the people around me don't understand my love and passion for softball. I know it annoys them and they hope it's just a passing thing and that eventually it'll go away, same thing with soccer. I don't know that I even fully understand it honestly. I've never been an athletic person. I'm slow, ungraceful, and just not an athlete. I accepted that along time ago. I wanted to be as a kid though! I really really did! But these women are extremely gifted athletes and they should be able to play the sport they love! So sorry to disappoint but this isn't going to just disappear! I love softball and I love the women who play the game and the people who coach it! I don't need your approval or for you to understand!! You can say what you want and you can have an attitude about it all you want but I am who I am and I have a love and passion for what I have a love and passion for! You can either deal with it and accept it or leave and don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you lol!

While I'm on my soap box of things that annoy me, I have one more! I personally think part of the reason women's sports struggle so much in this society is because women are viewed in such a sexual way. Most women don't understand the importance of women's sports I don't think. Most men only watch women's sports because they like to look at them! I'll use softball as an example because I know it best. Don't get me wrong here, I'm just a little bit shorter then Jenn Salling(about an inch I think) and I would love to have her body and look like her! I've noticed that she is gorgeous and sexy(how could you miss it? lol)! But that isn't the main reason I like Jenn. Jenn is an incredible athlete! She is without a doubt one of the best SS in the world! She is an incredible leader and teammate! She is passionate about softball and about her team! Those are the things that Jenn wants you to remember about her and that is what is missing! Sometimes I feel like these athletes are viewed as models putting on a show and not athletes, especially athletes like Jenn, Danielle, Caitlin Lowe as well as Caitlin Lever, Taryne Mowatt, and several others. Until women are viewed as something more than a set of boobs and a butt, women's sports will continue to struggle. I think this also plays into alot of athletes hiding their sexuality and I think that's wrong. I think they should be able to say I am Jane Doe, I am an Olympian, a national champion, I am an All-American, I broke these records, I graduated from college because of the sport I play, I am a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, an aunt, a friend, and I am gay and I am proud of every one of those things! I'm not saying they should have to come out but they should feel comfortable doing so. I think there is a future generation of young women who could benefit greatly from seeing women like them come out and live life proud of who they are. It's kind of funny because there are a few who think they are hiding it really well that they are gay and in a relationship with a woman but they aren't. If you follow them for any amount of time the pieces fall together very quickly. Recently Megan Rapinoe came out as gay publically and honestly I thought she'd already come out. Lauren Lappin and Vicky Galindo game out before the 2008 Olympics(Lauren is gay and Vicky is bi). I think when women can be 100% comfortable with who they are, sports will benefit! To me this all just goes hand in hand. Everything is so sexualized in this country, why can't this one thing just be a group of incredibly taletned women playing the sport they adore? Why is men felt the need to complain that the beach volleyball players were covering up too much when they didn't wear their biknis? Why did some idiot from I don't rememer where feel it was okay to judge the female swimmers not on their incredible abilities but on their "lack of boobs"? Here is a new flash for you all you men, not all women live to please you! Not all women care if you think we look beautiful! Those women who step on the field, the court, the sand, or into the water aren't thinking about how sexually appealing they look to you! They are thinking about the battle they are about to enter! So before you think about how they look, please take a minute to also marvel at their abilites! Take a minute to appreciate the hardwork these women have put in since they were kids to reach the place they are and know that is what they are most proud of! Don't get me wrong guys, not saying you can't or shouldn't look! Just saying don't lose sight of what is important and what those women are doing out there!

I'm itching for some softball LOL! The Japanese league is going again! Shokki got 2 wins this weekend and Danielle pitched 10 great innings! I can't believe they've been back in Japan almost a week already!

Well that is all I have for now! Go Pride! Go Shokki! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!

More thoughts after time to think

I've had a few more days to think and process and the NPF and Cheri Kempf have released statements so I am back more calm and in a different mind set than I was on Sunday/Monday(I started the last blog on Sunday and finished it on Monday). I didn't really give alot of opinions in my last, although I'm sure you could figure out I wasn't very happy. Something funny has happened over the last couple of days though, I've lost the anger. I've always been the type of person who it takes alot to make them mad and once I blow up it's over. This seems to be the case here. I blew my top and the anger is gone.

Another funny thing happened and I'm not really sure why this is but I've found myself really sad for Cheri Kempf! I've had several conversations with her and she has always been very kind! She is very passionate about softball and about the NPF. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone more passionate about making this league work than she is! Through this whole thing I never really felt angry with her or any one person. It was just the whole flipping situation. But the last couple of days I've found myself wishing I could just give her a hug and tell her thank you. I don't envy the spot she is in or the decisions she had to make Sunday. She is a good woman and I beg the fans to take a deep breath and give her sometime to fix this! We can't let her get away! She gets it! She gets the whole thing top to bottom and that is what the NPF needs! She has done so much for the NPF and for softball and the NPF needs someone who has been there! She knows this sport as a player, as a coach and instructor, as a business woman(if you don't know about her business look it up!) and as a fan. Mistakes were made this weekend and I know some of those mistakes were things she did and let happen but I also know this woman LOVES the NPF and the ladies who play for the NPF and I know she was probably devastated by what happened. I have confidence in her and I hope other people do too!

Not everything that went on did I disagree with. I fully agreed they couldn't play on that field the way it was. It was in awful shape and I was disgusted from the moment I saw the field that they were going to play on that field! The risk of injuries was too great and it just wasn't worth it. Also after the game was cancelled I also agreed that they shouldn't just give the Bandits the Championship. That wouldn't be in anyway fair to the Pride girls! It was no doubt a rough Championship series for them but they made it into the finals and earned the chance to play in that best of 3! If they had done that int he WCWS OU would have won instead of Bama. We have no idea what would have happened in that second game and we can't say that the Pride couldn't or wouldn't have come back to take it all. As much as it sucks, the only thing they could do was leave it empty.

We can't let what happened this last weekend destroy the NPF! We have to continue to support the NPF because these women have worked too hard to lose it all! So keep watching and supporting!

That's all I have for now! I don't know that there will be much more softball news to discuss over the next little bit but if I find out any I'll be lol! You can always swing over and check out my other blog! I hope to start posting on it more now that the NPF season is over!  Go Pride!! Go Shokki! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!

Two words for you....

....Epic disaster! I can't think of a better way to describe this "Championship Series"(I use the term lightly because as most of you know a champion wasn't crowned)! I've used it a ton this evening because it just fits! It was a disaster from the start and it ended with possibly the stupidest decision the NPF has ever made!  I think what made the decision worse was the fact that they didn't stick around to defend it! They didn't even have the guts to tell the fans! They let the teams, ESPN, and other organizations do their dirty work!! But let me back up and explain this whole crap fest of a "Championship Series" to you from where I see it.

So first of all when the information came out about the Championship Series they stated you couldn't use cameras with detachable lenses,despite the fact that they had been used all season! But did they ever explain the decision or anything? Of course not! People were already angry about this but this would be only the first of many head scratching stupid decisions by the NPF!

So first night they are in Chicago they got to go to a White Sox game. The White Sox honor the 2008 Olympians and again the Canadians are left out. There were many excuse given out afterwards, but the most common was "it was the medalist". Well sorry to break it to you but that wasn't how it was stated until they were called out on it. I guess that is just how the NPF does things. I've accepted that and moved on.

So second night they are there is the awards banquet! So the person who does the NPF Facebook page and Twitter page made it sound like they would give lots of updates and keep us informed. They didn't. In fact, all they did was post pictures of the winners about 3 hours later and some of them were so bad you couldn't even tell who it was! We had to wait until the next flipping morning to find out who was on the flipping All-NPF team! They said the next morning that a professional photographer was there and pictures of the banquet would be up shortly. Well apparently their shortly and my shortly differ some what because we still haven't seen those pictures!! My guess is we probably never will and I wonder if they even exist!

Third night was the first night of games! I assumed we would have live stream like we had all season but found out just a couple of hours before the games were set to start we wouldn't! On top of that the first night we didn't even have Pointstreak!! You had follow twitter or Facebook and wait for updates! Of course it sounds like actually being there wasn't all rainbows either because you weren't allowed to keep foul balls or homerun balls either! Apparently they had people standing around who would come collect the ball from you. They took balls from little kids!! There were apparently other absurd rules as well and the people on the crew were apparently nasty as well! The media was not allowed to do any on field interviews and there many other crazy rules that have never been there before! Pride won their game 4-0 and things seemed to be going well in that regard.

Fourth night we had Pointstreak thank God! It wasn't great but it was certainly better than nothing! Pride started out well jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the first couple of innings and then eventually(sorry don't remember what inning and or how it happened too much crap has happened since then) the Racers scored again and it was 6-2. Racers switched pitchers and things settled down. I was feeling really good about things! Danielle Lawrie pitched and pitched well. It wasn't her best game but up until the 6th inning she pitched well. In the 6th inning the bottom fell out. I don't remember what happened but I know combined Danielle and Cat gave up 6 runs in that inning to put the Pride behind 8-6! The defense had 2 errors in that inning as well(3 errors in total over the whole game). They scored another run but couldn't make the come back and we were heading into a game 3 that nobody wanted. That night after the roller coaster that game was, I was thinking things couldn't possibly get worse! I can in all honesty say now, I had no way of knowing how much worse things would get!

Fifth day Pride and Racers were set to square off again at 11. Cat Osterman started and the Racers jumped all over her from the start. She didn't even make it out of the first inning giving up 5 runs and being pulled in favor of Sarah Pauly. Sarah pitched very well and I was very proud of her and lead by Jessica Mendoza with a grand slam and a 3  run HR the Pride came back to win 9-7 to advance to the "final"(again use this term lightly because nothing about this Championship Series was final). They played the Bandits that night and it was a pretty good game. Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman in their typical pitching dual. Cat bounced back extremely well from the morning game but the Pride lost 2-1. The offense just never got going, despite having several baserunners. But the beauty of the Championship Series is it's all best of 3 series! So the Pride still had chance.....or so everyone thought.

So oddly enough I hadn't even looked at a weather report for Chicago for this weekend. That's odd for me because I almost always looked at the weather report for wherever the Pride was going to be playing. I got home from church a little after 12 and got on Facebook and Twitter right away and started seeing several post and tweets about rain in Chicago. So I found a couple of good radars and looked at the report on the Weather Channel's website and it didn't look good. I'm thinking well if they can't play today surely they'll reschedule for tomorrow. So about 30-45 minutes after I got home they decide to delay the game from 2:30 to 3:30 and the not long after that the decision is made to move the game to 6 when the if necessary game was supposed to be played and it was going to be played live on ESPN2. I'm watching the radar thinking this rain is not going to let up, in fact it looks like it's going to get heavier. But they seem determined the game is going to start at 6. So 6 rolls around and I turn it over to ESPN2 and find out Sarah Pauly is pitching I'm pretty excited! But the field was in horrible shape. No doubt about that and I won't argue that fact! The field was just awful. They did the starting lineups and all of that jazz. The Pride was the visiting team and Natasha Watley was the lead off hitter. She had a pretty long at bat and grounded out. After her at bat they got the ladies off the field for a rain delay. I would have never guessed the events that would take place after that. So I'm thinking there is no way this game will be played tonight, they'll post pone and play tomorrow. About an hour after the rain delay starts I start seeing tweets that they've cancelled the game and it won't be made up. So I'm thinking does that mean they'll go ahead and give it to the Bandits or will no one get it or what? Eventually it is announced both through the Pride and Bandits Facebook and Twitter pages and the announcers on ESPN that the game has been cancelled, it won't be made up, and there will be no champion! The NPF never has made an official announcement. They also did not refund the tickets of the people who actually went to the game!  They haven't even really explained it to the players and coaches! They made the decision and then took off!! I know the NPF has no control over the rain but they do have control over how these things are scheduled! Scheduling a tournament with no plan for an event like this is stupid! Why not schedule an extra day maybe even 2 in case of rain or other problems? The ladies were willing to change their flights so they could play on Monday but it just wasn't going to happen. Nobody seems to know what the hell happened. But what is known is for the first time in the 9 years that the NPF has been around there will be no NPF champion! What is known is there are alot of sad and heartbroken fans who showed up at the field or turned over their TVs to ESPN2 excited to see softball on TV for once but got to see only 1 at bat! But worse than that is that there are two teams full of heartbroken players and coaches! This is not how a professional sports tournament should have been handled! How many times has the World Series been cancelled and there been no World Series champion? Oh that's right, never! It's just not how this was supposed to go.... Hopefully there will be more information about all of this before my next blog and I'll know more about exactly what happened but at this point the coaches and players don't even really know what happened! In my eyes, they are all champions! I'm heartbroken for all of them! This was just so unfair to everyone involved!

On a more positive note the Pride had a wonderful season and they were the regular season champions again! They had several players named to the All-NPF team including two of my favorites, Ashley Charters and Sarah Pauly! Kristyn Sandberg was named rookie of the year and Caitlin Lowe was player of the year! I hope eventually we can all find away to forget about how this ended and just remember the great season both the Pride and the Bandits had!

On another sad note, this Championship Series also saw the end of 4 wonderful careers for the Diamonds, atleast 1 Racer, and 1 Bandit. After the Diamonds were knocked out of the tournament by the Bandits Caitlin Lever, Rachel Folden, Katie Burkhart, and Jamie Lobprise left their cleats at home plate signifying the end of their beautiful careers! Caitlin retired after last year from the Bandits but couldn't stay and ended up playing a season with the Diamonds. However I think this really might be it for her. She had other things going that kept her from playing a big chunk of the 2nd half of the season. But I wish all 4 of them the best and thank them all for what they did for the NPF and softball! The Racers will be losing Nicole Trimboli who   had been with the NPF longer than anybody else! The Bandits will be saying good by to Shannon Dopeking as well! I wish nothing but the best for all these players! Thank you ladies for all you did!

I don't have anything else right now! So I'll just say that I am incredibly proud of the Pride ladies and the job they did this season! It was a wonderful season filled with lots of wonderful feelings! I hope one day they will play close enough to me that I can see them play and hug their necks! I admire and respect them so much!! Good luck and safe travels to all the ladies headed to Japan!

Go Pride! Go Shokki! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!!

What a ride!

Well the NPF regular season is officially over. It was a wonderful season for all 4 teams! Now the important stuff begins, the NPF Championship series! I'm excited but yet sad! I'm sad to see the season ending! It was such a fun season! Alot of people choose to to harp on all the negatives about the NPF but as you guys well know that isn't me. It's far from perfect, but right now it's all we got. Rome wasn't built in a day and this is going to take time! I am very thankful for this league! I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to keep watching my favorite  players play the sport they love! So I just want to send a big thank you to Cheri Kempf, the owners of all 4 teams, the coaches, the trainers, the people who run the cameras and do all that stuff to make sure we have access to the lives stream for those of us who are too far away to watch in person, the announcers(they annoy me sometimes but for the most part they all do a good job lol), and most importantly these women who give up so much and put all they have into this sport we all love so much! They are making huge sacrifices and we should always remember that! Thank you to all involved in making this an amazing NPF season!

One thing that I truly love about this league is the wide variety of athletes you get to see play and get to know! This is my 3rd season to follow the NPF and the Pride and it seems like every season there is a different player that I find myself thinking man I didn't know much about her when this season started but I now I know alot more and I really like and respect her so much! It's not always a Pride player because lets face it most of them are pretty well known. Last year for instance I think there was two of them, both Racers. Kelley Montolvo and Kristina Thorson! I knew some about Kristina being that she went to Cal but not a whole lot and I didn't know much of anything about Kelley. This year though oddly enough it was a Pride player. It was a Pride player that I'll be very honest here I over looked. In 2010, I didn't even really notice her that much because I couldn't watch those games. I could only follow them via Pointstreak(which is slightly better than Gametracker but I still believe from the devil LOL). In 2011, I obviously was able to watch her and really didn't think much of her either way. I respected her because I respect all of these women. But I honestly just saw her as another pitcher and didn't really notice her. In 2012, something changed and I don't know what it was but I think for the first time I truly saw Sarah Pauly. Sarah is a great pitcher! She has some issues with keeping her foot down at times but she has the mental toughness to not let that bother her. She is tough. All pitchers are tough but the thing I noticed about her is so little effects her and her ability to do her job well. All through the season things were thrown at her right and left but it never phased her. She is like a stonewall out there. You can't tell what she is thinking and nothing effects her! I kind of thought from watching her on the field that she might be a kind of cold. But in talking to her on Twitter, I've realized that isn't the case at all. She has always been very sweet to me and seems to be very down to earth! I've really enjoyed talking to her and getting to know her! I'll certainly never over look Sarah Pauly again! Thanks Sarah for all you do for this sport and always being so sweet, humble, and grateful!! You truly are a beautiful person inside and out and in my mind one of best pitchers in the world! Softball is lucky to have you!

This last series for the Pride was great! The first night was as usual Cat Osterman in the circle! She pitched a very good game! The offense was rolling and the Pride walked away with 8-0! Sarah Pauly pitched the 2nd game and it won't go down as her best game but she stayed tough and got the job done. Pride  won 5-4. The next night Danielle Lawrie was in the circle and she pitched very very well needing only 98 pitches and less than 2 hours to defeat the Racers 5-0. Yesterdays game was the last game of the regular season! Brittany Mack in the circle. Jenn Salling got to start at SS and Niki Williams actually got to start as the DP! Brittany had a very good 1st and 2nd inning but in the 3rd lost a little of her control. She walked the bases loaded and then mother nature stepped in and they ended up in a rain delay. She came back from the rain delay and settled back in getting out of the inning without giving up a run! Overall she pitched very well! I don't remember what inning it was in but the highlight of the entire game for me was a double play turned by Jenn Salling, Lauren Lappin and Charlotte Morgan! Whoever was at bat ripped one up the middle over the 2nd base bag Jenn somehow made a stumbling bare handed grab tossed it to Lauren, who caught it bare handed, stepped on the bag 2nd base bag, and threw it to Charlotte at 1st to complete the double play and end the inning! It was an incredible play! Jenn had a great game and I think she showed everyone what she is capable of with that play! I hope the ones who needed more proof were watching! Caitlin Lowe made another incredible grab in center field as well, I'm still trying to figure out how she got there to make that play lol! She was also 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a single! She is my vote for MVP! She gets it done with her bat and in the field nearly every time!  Niki was 0 for 2 with a sac bunt and 2 strikeouts! But I am so proud of her! She has been crazy patient this season and done so much better than what I would have lol! I hope in the future she is given a chance to shine because as anybody who watched that girl in college knows, she can shine! She is a phenomenal athlete and softball player, a phenomenal leader, and an equally phenomenal person! I really want to see her get a chance!  Pride ended the season with a sweep and their pitching staff continues to dominate! 

Well I'll be back after the championship series hopefully to tell you that the Pride are champions! It should be interesting though! Good luck to the Pride girls! Finish strong!!

Let's go Pride! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! Go Shokki! FTG!

Where has the Summer gone?(plus much more lol)

Well tonight is the first game of the last regular season series for the Pride and the Racers. Bandits/Diamonds started their series last night with a Diamonds win. It is so unreal to me that the season is almost over. This summer and this season flew by! It makes me sad that it's almost over! It's been a great season for the Pride both on and off the field. I hope they can finish it up with a championship!

I missed last weekends series against the Diamonds because I was on vacation. But they swept them!  Cat Osterman, Sarah Pauly, and Danielle Lawrie all turned in great pitching performances! Brittany Mack struggled a little and ended up being taken out and Cat finished the game. Francesca Enea had a big weekend with her bat! Really though the offense was very solid all weekend. The only pitcher the Diamonds have that gives the Pride any problems is Katie Burkhart and they still managed to beat her! The Pride played the Racers the weekend before last and took 3 of 4 games. Again Cat, Sarah, and Danielle turned in great performances. Brittany had a rough start and the defense behind her was not very good. Jenn Salling actually got the start at SS that game(she also got a start last weekend and did an excellent job both in the field and with her bat) and she looked kind of rusty but her bat was hot! She went 2 for 3 in the game and looked really good. She did make some great defensive plays that game and it was fantastic to see her out there! But the Pride fell just a little short in that game with the offense struggling to figure out Hillary Bach. Overall though it's been a very strong last few weeks for the Pride. I feel really good about this team and their chances of winning it all! Obviously this the NPF and the best of the best so you never know whats going to happen but I feel good about this team.

You can never count the Bandits out. They have some incredible hitters in their lineup who can get hot at any time and really punish you! They also have Monica Abbott! Abbott was very dominate the first half of the season but has been a little less dominate the second half. But I know with everything on the line she'll be in the circle every game and she is going to give everything she has. Bandits have very little pitching behind her. They have a large pitching staff but no clear cut number 2. Nemitz is the closest thing but she can be inconsistent at times. The others are mostly rookies who have struggled to find their feet this season. I don't believe any of them except for maybe an inning or two here or there for Nemitz will be a factor next week in the championship series. They rested Abbott alot this season and she should be fairly fresh and ready to go. I look for the Bandits to again be the Pride's top competition.

The Diamonds have looked stellar at times and then have looked like a hot mess at times. Their pitching is led by Katie Burkhart and they too don't really have a strong number 2 behind her. This is a very young team, a team that has struggled to hold on to players for more than season. But they've improved so much since last season! It's been interesting to watch and should be interesting to see what they do in the championship series. Their offense is pretty good and they will get back the incredible outfield play, big consistent bat, strong leadership of Caitlin Lever for the championship series(Caitlin took a new job at UNLV and has been getting settled in there the last couple of weeks). That will be big for the Diamonds I think.

The Racers are frankly a mess right now. In seasons past their ace has been Kristina Thorson. She has always been a very strong pitcher and been huge for the Racers as not only a great pitcher but leader. Sadly a series of injuries have kept her largely off the field the 2nd half of the season. I don't believe she was 100% at any point in the season but she has battled  her heart out. What she has pitched, she has been pretty ineffective. I felt really bad for her the weekend before last because she was in obvious discomfort. She has struggled with a hip injury and now seems to be having an issue with her pitching arm. The pitching behind her is pretty weak. Hillary Bach has had a couple of good games but she has also had a couple of nasty games as well. She is a rookie still trying to get her feet under her. Lisa Norris is a veteran but has not had a very good season either. During the middle of the season they signed UGA grad Erin Arevalo who has frankly struggled with the transition to pro ball. She has not so far been the help they were looking for. This team is struggling to find a number 1 pitcher let alone a number 2. The Racers offense is pretty good but their lack of pitching is really going to hurt them I'm afraid.

The Pride have a very deep pitching rotation with 3 of the best pitchers in the world in Cat Osterman, Sarah Pauly, and Danielle Lawrie. They are all 3 veterans who have played all over the place including Japan. Cat is certainly the ace but Sarah and Danielle are both extremely good pitchers themselves who have racked in the innings, wins, and strikeouts all season. Pride without a doubt have the best pitching staff in the league. I don't just say that as a totally biased fan but the stats back that up. The offense for Pride has been strong. Maybe not as strong as last season but strong and consistent. Kristyn Sandberg has had a stellar rookie season and if she isn't rookie of the year there is something very wrong! Kelly Kretchman on the other end of the spectrum has had a very strong season as well! This team works well together and they get the job done! Their chemistry is incredible! I look forward to watching them next week in the championship series and I hope and pray they come of it with the championship!

Graham Hays wrote a very good article on Cat Osterman and Megan Willis(I'll post the link at the bottom for those who haven't read it). There wasn't much in there that I didn't already know but it was a still a great read and a great reminder that softball is supposed to be fun and the best part is the bonds and friendships you form. But this article and an article I read about the Pride/Diamonds series got me thinking about something. In the article I read about the series between the Pride and the Diamonds it said the Pride has 7 Olympians and it made my blood boil! Why you may ask? Because the Pride has 9 Olympians! I've noticed people doing this alot and it bugs me! They don't say that the Pride has 7 American Olympians or 7 Olympic medalist. They say the Pride has 7 Olympians. So in case you didn't see my Facebook post here goes my rant again. The Pride has 9 Olympians. Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling played for Canada in 08 in Beijing in the Olympics! They weren't just there, they were a huge part of the Canadian team! Eerily similar to Worlds this summer they fell just short of being on the podium placing 4th after losing to the Aussies(The order the first 4 teams finished in Beijing in the Olympics in 08 and the order they finished in Canada in Worlds this summer was identical!). But regardless they were there. They both red shirted and spent the year training and getting ready for the Olympics just like the Americans did. They played their hearts out just like the Americans did. They felt the sting of defeat and the heartbreak of coming up just short just like the Americans did. They deal with the heartbreak of not being able to to try again and the heartbreak of knowing their last Olympic memories will likely forever be defeat just like the Americans. We as Americans get very bad tunnel vision. We only see the American athletes, we only hear their stories and we only feel the need to acknowledge the Americans as Olympians. Like it or not(and I know that many will disagree with me in this and that's fine) part of the reason softball was on outside looking in at the Olympics in London was because of this. I'll go ahead and tell you I am about to be blunt and honest and some of you are not going appreciate it but it needs to be said. I've read article after article after article after article with interviews with Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman, and few other American softball players. I've read the belly aching over what they've lost without having the Olympics and don't get me wrong they have lost alot and I know it hurts very much for them and I am in no way trying to say that isn't the case. I think part of  the reason that softball was kicked out of the Olympics was not just that the Americans were so dominate but that the sport revolves too much around the Americans and that isn't what the Olympics is about. Instead of 15,000 articles about what Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman, Natasha Watley, Caitlin Lowe, and so on lost when softball was taken out of the Olympics I'd like to see more stories about these other countries and the women on their teams and what they lost. I'd love to hear what Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling felt, thought,and their memories of their time on the Olympic stage. I'd like to hear from Stacy Porter and what it felt like to represent Australia in the Olympics. I'd love to hear about Yukiko Ueno's experience and what it felt like to beat the Americans and win gold! There are so many stories out there that aren't being told! The American's really are very lucky. They have companies who are willing to sponsor them. They have the NPF to play in. They have media who want to hear what they have to say. Don't get me wrong Danielle Lawrie, Jenn Salling, and Caitlin Lever have been blessed with some of that as well. But I've never seen an interview with any of the 3 of them where their Olympic experience is discussed. They go largely unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. But they are more lucky than other countries where the loss of the Olympics has really hurt the sport and their ability to play. My opinion if we really want to get this sport back in the Olympics it's time to shut the spot light off the Americans for awhile and tell the stories of these other women. It's time that people start promoting this sport in other countries and working to grow the sport in these other countries. I will honestly be very very surprised if softball is put back in 2020 at this point. We've wasted so much time belly aching about what the Americans lost and so little time doing anything about it! Somewhere along the way this became about what the Americans have lost and not about what softball has lost. That isn't right and that won't get the sport back in the Olympics. The IOC knows that softball is big here in America. They know that the vast majority of the big name players come out of America. They don't need to be told that or see that. They need to see other countries working to grow softball and international softball becoming more about all the countries involved and not just the USA. If international softball is going to survive, we've got to see more international softball discussed and less American softball.   I seriously thought about tweeting Graham Hays and asking him to interview Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling about their relationship and more importantly their Olympic experience and still might(although I'm having trouble doing so in 140 characters lol!). I think it's time we heard their stories and see things through the eyes of a non-American softball players eyes. So if you think this is a good idea maybe you can tweet him or get in contact with him somehow and let him know it too! He always does such amazing job and is such a gifted writer!

Here is the article about Cat Osterman and Megan Willis!
http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/8269131/espnw-megan-willis-more-cat-osterman-catcher

Well sorry this was so long lol! If you read this whole thing thank you! The NPF championship games will be on ESPN2!! So please tune it to watch it!!

Well thank God for you that is all I have for now lol! Go Pride, Go Shokki(girls will be heading back to Japan very soon so I thought I'd start throwing that back in there lol), Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, RTR Go Bama, and FTG!!

Another week of NPF action in the books

Well this weekend was the last regular season series between the Pride and the Bandits(Thank God!) and it very well might go down as the weirdest yet! It started off Thursday night with Cat Osterman in the circle for the Pride and a whole mess of pitchers in the circle for the Bandits. The Pride offense had no problem with the pitchers the Bandits put out there and Cat Osterman pitched a very good game and the Pride won 9-0. To me that was the first weird thing of the weekend. In every other series this season the night Cat pitched, so did Monica. So I was very surprised when they went with someone else. Friday Sarah Pauly pitched for the Pride and Monica Abbott pitched for the Bandits. It was was a very close game but the Pride got the 2-1 victory. The Pride won this game on an error and then a sac fly, so that was one of the weird things about this game. The other weird thing was the only run the Bandits scored was on an illegal pitch by Sarah Pauly(something that has been an issue for her all season long and she was called for several times on Friday night). Saturday Danielle Lawrie was in the circle for the Pride and again a whole mess of pitchers for the Bandits. Danielle pitched a very good game. She gave up only 3 hits 2 of which were HRs, walked 4, struck out 9! It probably won't go down as her best game but it will go down as a very strong win for her! I thought she did a very good job! On the Bandits side the score was tied 2-2 going to the bottom of the 7th. Jessica Mendoza starts off the inning for the Pride offense and hits a ball back to Abbott who badly over throws Goler at first base and allows Mendoza to get all the way to 3rd! She intentionally walks both Kristyn Sandberg and Kelly Kretchman. The Pride bring Tonya Callahan to PH for Ashley Charters and on the 2nd pitch of the at bat Abbott hits her to bring in the game winning run! I think the article I read yesterday said it best Monica Abbott imploded and on her birthday no less. It was not a good weekend for her! Sunday's game though was the weirdest of all. The Pride had Mack in the circle to start the game and it was yet another game that the Bandits used a whole mess of pitchers. Mack had a rough first inning and little help from the defense who committed 2 errors in the inning and the Bandits came out of the top of the 1st with a 3-0 lead. Pride struck back in the bottom of the 1st picking up 2 runs of their own. The score stayed that way for a couple of innings until Mendoza drilled a solo HR to tied the game at 3. This is when things got crazy! In the 4th inning, the Pride put up 4 runs. The scoring started with a single by Bruder. 2 batters later Lappin brings her in with a single of her own and then Watley hits a single to bring Lappin in. The Bandits take Nemitz out after that and bring in Bell. Watley advances to 2nd on wild pitch and then Lowe walks. Mendoza reaches on an error and Watley scores. Sandberg comes up and on the 2nd pitch is hit. Both Bell and Doepking were ejected as the homeplate umpire felt it was intentional. The Bandits head coach was eventually ejected for arguing the call. So with the bases loaded they bring in Moses to pitch to Kretchman who has a great at bat and walks in the 4th run of the inning. So I'm thinking well that weird but who knew it would get even more weird! It was quiet until 6th when with 1 person on and 1 out Megan Wiggins steps to the plate for the Bandits and Mack hits her. Personally I thought from her reaction she hadn't meant to but she and Kristyn Sandberg were tossed and then followed shortly by a very angry Beth Torina. So that's right 6 ejections in 1 game! Cat Osterman came in to finish the game and the sweep of the Bandits!

It was a good series for the Pride and it's always nice to sweep the Bandits. For me it was kind of a dose of back to reality so to speak. As hard as it was to watch Canada lose and end up falling just short of the metal stand, I enjoyed watching their games. I'm not a big fan of their coach and I've made that pretty clear. I don't think he respects all the players the way he should and he can just flat be a jerk. But there is one player he respects and that's Jenn Salling. As soon and her and Danielle landed there was never any doubt who would be playing SS for the Canadians and she did a fantastic job. It was nice to finally see her used the way Jenn Salling can and should be used. It was good to see her play the way Jenn Salling is known for playing. She is an incredible athlete, person, and leader! I really enjoyed actually getting to see her play and lead an infield again because it just seemed like so long ago since I actually got to see that. It seems odd for me to feel so almost sad and discontent after the Pride swept the Bandits but I do. It's funny to me that they have no problems get anybody else starts. This weekend we saw 3 different people play 1st, 2 different people play 2nd, 2 different people play 3rd, and several different outfield lineups. Grant it, Jenn did see 2 innings in Saturdays game, and 3innings in Sundays game but still in comparison to everyone else that is nothing. She got 1 AB all weekend. Niki Williams hasn't seen an inning in the field in I couldn't tell you how long and she too got 1 AB this weekend. She spends the vast majority of her time doing stats. I've thought about this and thought about this and it drives me nuts to see Jenn sitting on the bench and Niki doing stats. It drives me nuts that there is no issue getting anyone else playing time yet those 2 are stuck on the bench. I think for Niki's sake they should either trade her at the end of the season or she might just be better off not coming back at all. Beth Torina has no interest at all in using her. I ask myself at least 100 times a weekend why they even drafted her because they sure don't respect her or her talent. They sure had no interest in helping her grow and develop her talent because the only talent she is developing and being able to use is her talent for keeping stats. I think whats worse though than that is what is being done to Jenn. Every other coach has made sure she was getting time on the field. The time was split almost completely evenly between her and Watley last year with Coach Walton. This year she'll be lucky if she has half the innings she did last year let alone half the innings Watley has.  Don't get wrong I like Watley and I am not saying Jenn should get all the starts but why not 1 a series? How is she ever going to find a rhythm and make a name for herself when she does nothing but warm the bench and come in when the Pride has control of the game? It makes me sad that  Beth Torina has so little respect for Jenn and the talent she has. It makes me so sad that she is wasting that kind of talent. I've said before and I'll say it again I don't know what Jenn or Niki will have to do to earn some respect and see some serious time with Torina as head coach, I am about convinced that it's pretty much out their hands. Jenn was the starting SS for the first couple of series and she did a wonderful job and yet she didn't just lose the starting job she lost the back up job and has fallen to the bottom and I'm still confused as to what she did that was so bad! Honest as a fan who has had the privilege of watching that girl as a Husky and on the Canadian National team all these years this NPF season has been a huge disappointment as far as she is concerned. She was not given the chance at all this season and as long as this is how Torina plans to use her she'd be better off playing anywhere else, except that she loves this team. It just breaks my heart!

Well the Olympics are under way, the first one without softball. To be honest here it hasn't really bothered me. Most NPF games are far better games than most international games. Yes I think it's sad that it's not in the Olympics and it should be there but it's not and because it's not we've been gifted with something better, the NPF! We've just got keep bringing awareness to it!

Well I'm done griping once again lol. Go Pride, Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, RTR Go Bama, FTG, and let's USWNT(soccer)! Bring home the gold ladies!!  

NPF/Worlds

Let me start off by saying I haven't had a descent nights sleep in 3 nights. I'm exhausted and my emotions are a little all over the place. So in other words expect this blog to be a little all over the place and I am sorry if some parts don't make sense lol!..... (So this is where I was when I started this blog 2 nights ago, I have on descent nights sleep since and I am not up at almost 4 AM going to finish it. Insomnia has kicked my butt the last week! So I am still tired and emotional, maybe not as much as I was the other night but still tired and emotional lol)

Pride had a great series last weekend and a great series this weekend as well! It seems they are finally rolling and now are right there with the Bandits competing for 1st place in the league! First 3 games of this series the Pride out scored the Racers like 33-1! They dropped the game Sunday but it was a very good game. 2 great weekends in a row and a rough stretch for the Bandits have the Pride in 1st place in the league!  They play the Bandits again next weekend!

Worlds just wrapped up in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Japan took gold behind the incredible and I believe only half human Yukiko Ueno! On her 30th birthday in her 17th inning of the day and 32nd inning in 2 days she sealed the deal and got the gold for Japan! She may not be the same pitcher she was in 2008 but she proved why she is considered one of the best pitchers in the world! I have alot of respect for her and her teammates! They play the game with so much passion and heart! Congrats to them! USA won the silver. This young team was just no match for Ueno's drive to win and claim that gold. It came down to I believe understanding the way Asians play ball. The squeeze bunt is their bread and butter and the USA couldn't defend it! Runner from 3rd slid easily under the tag! The USA girls played well though and had a great summer! I'll be honest as much as I like individual players on the team, team USA will never be the same to me. I've tried and tried to feel differently but I don't and I don't know that I ever will. I was of course rooting on those Canadians. They had an all around nice tournament and finished 2nd in pool play behind Japan. The highlight of the whole thing for me came on Wednesday when Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling took the field for the Canadians for the first time in the tournament. Danielle pitched a great game! The crowd was big and so loud! They were chanting her name and her number. I was watching on the computer and the electricity of the crowd was pumping me up! I can only imagine how the girls playing on the field felt. Sadly it was pretty much all down hill from there for the Canadians. They won their game on Thursday and were set to take on the Americans. I hoped and prayed and everything else that they would at least win that game. It wasn't meant to be though. Danielle didn't seem to have the same crispness to her pitches and I could tell she was tired. They lost 4-2 but it was never really very close. Canada's offense just never got going. So the loss to the American's put them in a must win situation Saturday against the Dutch. Jenna Caira pitched 5 great innings and Danielle came in and pitched 2 great innings in relief to knock off the Dutch with a 4-0 win. They had to come back that night and play the Aussies. Honestly the Canadians looked flat and just exhausted from the moment they took the field. Danielle gave up a HR to start the game but buckled down and didn't give up any more runs in the 1st. She gave up another run in the 2nd. She was pulled after the 2nd for Jenna Caira who pitched another nice game but the offense was gone by this point. They were only able to put up one run and Caira gave up a HR herself to the same person to seal the win for the Aussies and end the tournament and the summer for the Canadians and giving them a disappointing 4th place finish. This girls of course took it hard. Disappointment was written all over all of their faces. I felt bad for Danielle and Jenn. I had hoped this would be a very positive experience and it didn't seem like much of one after the first game. Danielle admitted in an interview in an article that all the softball she has played over the last few months has taken a toll on her, physically and emotionally. With all of that being said I am very proud of those women and the job they did! They battled and fought! I know 4th place is not what they wanted but 4th best int he world isn't terrible either! I think the ironic thing is the placement of the first 4 teams is exactly the same as it was in Beijing in 2008! Japan, USA, Australia, and Canada. Speaking of the Olympics and international softball it seems the ISF has made the decision to go in with baseball in hopes of getting the sport back in the Olympics. I think this is a last ditch effort at best. Going together with baseball solves nothing and only adds more issues and worries and things to overcome. I think this a move that ultimately will only hurt softball. But I guess only time will tell.  

Well I don't know anything else! Go Pride! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!

Rain rain go away!

Weather was the story of the series between the Pride and the Diamonds in Baton Rouge at the stadium at LSU ! Friday was the only day that went as planned. Cat Osterman pitched for the Pride and Katie Burkhart    pitched for the Diamonds. It was a pitchers dual. Both pitchers did a great job working out of jams. The Pride broke through for 1 run and that was all that needed. After the game they unveiled Brittany Mack's All-American banner and her long time boyfriend Josh proposed to her! It was a really sweet moment.

On Saturday they had a double header planned. Danielle Lawrie started the first game of the double header. Sadly it was not the game she wanted and I know it. She was really upset. You could just see it in her body language. She is a competitor and she will not be satisfied with that. She gave up 7 runs and then was pulled for Sarah Pauly who didn't fair much better. She didn't even get an out before she was pulled. Things were getting a little desperate for the Pride by this point! So Jamee Juarez was brought in to pitch and for the first time that I've ever seen Charlotte Morgan was sent to the bull pen to warm up. Don't get me wrong Morgan was a great pitcher during her college days at Bama but as far as I know she has never pitched in a game for the Pride! Jamee finally got them out of that inning but they would never recover and lost 11-2. Danielle did come in to finish the game out and I think that was good. I think she needed to do that for her. The 2nd game of the day Brittany Mack started for the Pride. She was a little shaky at first but settled down quickly. The Pride offense got going a little better and went up 7-2 on the Diamonds and then weather kicked in. The first delay was just barley over an hour after the game started and it lasted about 45 minutes. They came back and played about 45 minutes more and then ended up in another delay. During the 2nd delay they pulled the tarp at one point in hopes of continuing but almost as soon at the tarp was off and put up it began to pour! After about an hour they called the game for the day and moved it until today. Mack came back today but didn't seem to really have her stuff and was pulled for Cat Osterman pretty early on. Diamonds tried to come back but Pride held on and got the win 11-6! They started the 2nd game but barley got into the 2nd inning when the skies opened up and it poured. I was watching the video and it was like 3 oclock or so in the afternoon and looked like it was about 8:30 or 9 and the outfield looked like a lake. The Pride had a flight to catch and the rain wasn't going anywhere so the game was cancelled.

It was not the best weekend the Pride has ever had but not the worst either. There was some good things but there was some not so good thing as well! I shouldn't have griped last weekend about certain players sitting on the bench and not seeing much playing time because Jenn Salling played 1 inning at SS, was used as pinch runner 1 time and had 1 at bat the whole weekend and Niki Williams never left the bench!  It makes me very sad that these girls aren't seeing the field. I think there is just too much talent in both them to waste on the bench. I have to say though it's no wonder to me so many players leave after their rookie seasons. If you never see the field, it's not much fun. I'll be very honest it really upset me this weekend to seem not use Jenn at all. My guess is this will be the role she plays the rest of the season and I think it sucks! Poor Niki I don't know what she'd have to do or what would have to happen for her to see time on the field. Those two are such amazing competitors and I know this has got to be driving them nuts doing nothing game after game after game. It just sucks and makes me wonder why they were drafted in the first place. I just don't understand how they are supposed to improve and get better if they are never given the opportunity to play and get a feel for the game. It just frustrates me so much to see those two warming the bench because they are capable of so much more than that! It just seems like such a huge waste!  But I guess the coach knows what she is doing...

On another note I found out last night that Danielle Lawrie and Jenn Salling will be headed up to Canada to play for team Canada in the ISF World Championships the 13th-22nd of this month! I am excited for them! I know this is something both of them very much wanted to do and an opportunity they'll likely never get again! They've played for the Canadian National team since they were very young. Danielle started in 2005 and Jenn in 2006. That is where it all began for them. Without the opportunities  they were given all those years ago they probably wouldn't be where they are today. But everything started for them in Canada and I know they have a HUGE support system up there and I am sure they are excited to have them back. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this be the last time they wear the Red & White and I can't think of a better way to leave international softball. I've mentioned it before but these two will be always have a special place in my heart, not just because who they are as individuals(and they are both incredible individuals!) but because of their relationship with each other. Those two have known each other along time. I think it's safe to say they've seen each other at their best and they've seen each at their worst. I know things have not always been great between the two of them and I know they do not have the relationship they once did but I also know the bond, love, and respect they have for each other runs deep! I see it every time they are on the field together. No matter what is going on between them off the field, on the field it doesn't show. They respect each other and fully trust each other. They've got each others backs. I love to watch them play together because they have the best connection I believe I've ever seen. The way they look at each sends chills down my spine! It's funny how life keeps pulling them back together. I think somethings are just meant to be and those are meant to be! I'm excited for the both of them to go back to Canada! I will be watching and wish them all the luck in the world!

Well I don't know anything else right now! Go Pride, Go Canada, Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, RTR Go Bama, and FTG!

From a huge high to a huge low in 7 days!

What a disastrous weekend for the Pride! I'm sorry I don't know how else to explain this weekend. You never know which offense is going to show up for this team. The offense was stellar all weekend last weekend and firing on all cylinders. This weekend I would have settled for one cylinder! The defense was a mess as well this weekend and the pitching in all honesty wasn't much better. There were also some coaching decisions that certainly made me scratch my head.

Danielle Lawrie pitched the first game on Thursday. It was obvious from the first pitch something was not right. She was messing with her hand constantly between pitches and look completely uncomfortable. She is usually passionate and energetic in the circle and she wasn't. I don't think I saw her smile one time Thursday night.  I've watched her pitch many many many times and I can't think of too many times that she looked that uncomfortable. It was very difficult for me to watch. She battled so hard and I was very impressed with her effort but it wasn't enough. She gave way to Sarah Pauly who also struggled. Offense never really got going well and the Pride lost 8-2. Thinking about it now the lack of energy and passion seemed to carry over the rest of the weekend. I'm not blaming anybody, just saying the problems and lack of energy just snow balled from ehre.

Friday night was the typical pitching dual we see between Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman every series between the Bandits and the Pride. Monica Abbott again got the best of the Pride and 1 hit them AGAIN.  Cat pitched a great game and pitched her heart out but the Bandits managed to score a run(AGAIN) and that was all they needed. This was the least disappointing game of the weekend but that's not saying much.

Yesterday Sarah Pauly got the start and didn't even make it out of the 2nd inning before being pulled for Danielle Lawrie. I was surprised to say the least to see this but Danielle looked very good. There was more drama between Danielle and Megan Wiggins and I thought we were going to see a fight between not just them but the benches for both teams. Honestly I've never seen anything quite like that in the NPF. I think emotions were boiling already and that was just the fire to light the fuse. I was glad to see Danielle looking better and you could tell she felt better! The offense was slow and sluggish getting started but made a late game rally. They were facing the Bandits statistically worst pitcher(she came into the game with an 8.98 ERA) and still couldn't come away with a win, just one of the many disappointments of the weekend. They lost 10-7.

And then today. I think it might actually go down as the most disappointing game of the whole series. Brittany Mack got the start and like Sarah Pauly yesterday didn't even make it out of the 2nd. She just didn't have her best stuff at all today. They brought in Cat Osterman again and she did a great job not allowing the Bandits to score again. But the offense was already on the plane headed back to Orlando apparently because it certainly wasn't on that field. Pride had lots of base runners but nobody to step up and get the big hit. They only scraped up 1 run. They had the bases loaded and 1 out in the 6th against Monica Abbott who came in to get the save and walked away with nothing to show for it. So the Bandits completed the sweep with a 3-1 win. I've been watching the Pride for several seasons now and I can't really ever remember a time that they got swept. Not just swept but never really in any 4 of the games.

I don't know what happened in all honesty. I wish I did because if it was something simple enough that I could point to it, the team could too and make an easy fix. But I have noticed a few things. First off, coaches spent the whole weekend trying to get Watley and Mendoza going. I'm honestly not sure whats going on with Watley this summer but she has been less than impressive to say the least. Obviously something is wrong because she has logged only 1 game at SS all season. Mendoza just joined the team again this weekend because she was doing WCS with ESPN. She actually got going pretty well but throwing her back in the lineup seemed to kind of throw things off. I don't know maybe it's just a matter of some time and finding that rhythm. I really felt though that they wasted too much time with the one lineup that wasn't producing. You've got ladies sitting on that bench who would love to get a chance to hit too! I don't understand how they expect these ladies to find their rhythm when they aren't being allowed to hit more than 1 or maybe twice in a series. I think they need to not be set on one lineup and switch things around here and there. I think they have great players sitting on the bench, who deserve the chance to play as well! I've always enjoyed the chemistry, the passion, and energy that this team plays with. But I felt that was missing this series, especially the energy. My hope is this is the low point in the season and things go up from here! Because this weekend was certainly a huge low. I hope they can find some confidence, passion, and energy and change this around. I feel for them and I know they are all extremely disappointed with this series. I know they are all asking themselves the same things I'm trying to answer. Positive thing about this weekend is, no championship trophy was handed out and there is still a lot of season left to be played. Another positive is the Pride doesn't play the Bandits in Rosemont again in the regular season(Thank God because honestly guys I couldn't listen to the Bandit announcers do one more game and not say something to someone! They are some of the worst announcers I've personally ever heard! If they could learn to pronounce the players names it would help a ton!). These women are professionals and I fully believe they'll turn this around that we haven't seen or heard the last from them! But ugh this weekend was not fun! If it was so not fun for me I can only imagine how it was for them!

Well time to forget this weekend and move on! The Pride goes to LSU next weekend to face off against the Diamonds again! I was very sad and disappointed to find out that Teresa Wilson has been fired from her position as the Diamonds head coach. I'd like to know what happened but all I can do is wish her the best! Diamonds have had a very good series against the Racers taking the first 3 games of the series and the last game will be played tomorrow. So the as usual the Pride will have their work cut out for them and they better find some offense before next weekend!

Well that is all I have for now! Let's go Pride! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!

A great day of softball!

This is the kind of day a softball fan lives for lol! I started off my day watching the Pride and the Diamonds! Cat Osterman and Katie Burkhart in the circle, what a great match up! Both pitchers started off a little slow and had some control issues early on but seemed to settle down afterwards. Pride eventually got to Burkhart though and they won 10-2! Cat had 12 Ks and the offense looked great! About 45 minutes after that the Pride and Diamonds played again. Danielle Lawrie was in the circle for the Pride and Angel Bunner was in the circle for the Diamonds! Danielle gave up a HR in the first but after that she dominated! Giving up only 2 more hits, not allowing a walk, and striking out 11! Offense was a little slow getting started but again once it did there was little stopping it! Pride took game 2 11-1! Pride took the series as well and improved to 8 and 4 on the season! Alot of great things about this series! Niki Williams got her first hit and RBI in the 2nd game! As a Husky fan who has followed that girl since she was a freshman it was a big moment! I knew it was going to happen soon! I could feel it! She almost hit a HR on Thursday and she has had some wonderful at bats! So I knew it was only a matter of time before she got a hit! I can't think of a better day or a better time to get that hit! Ashley Charters has been on fire! She looked great this series! I can't express how great it is to see Cat Osterman back and doing her thing! She looks great and I think the other teams better watch out!  Pride got 4 great pitching performances this series! On Thursday Sarah Pauly got the start in the first game and threw a very nice game. They pulled her for Jamee Juarez. Juarez struggled and they ended up bringing Pauly back in to finish the game and seal the win! The 2nd game on Thursday was Britany Mack and she pitched a great game and got her first pro win! I feel like the Pride got 4 great team wins this series and this will be something to build off of as they go back to face the Bandits again next weekend!

I then watched the USA and Canada this evening. I'll be honest here and you can think what you want of me but frankly I just don't care! I was going for Canada! I adore Victoria Hayward, Caitlin Lever, Jenna Caira, and Jocelyn Cater! My heart just wouldn't let me root against them. Sadly USA run ruled them 9-1 in 5 innings :(! But Victoria and Caitlin both had a great games! Victoria never stops amazing me! She just gets better and better and I don't think the world has seen the best of that girl yet! Caitlin made probably one of the best grabs in the outfield that I have ever seen! USA girls played great and totally deserved the win! Jordan Taylor pitched a nice game and their bats really got going. However Jocelyn Cater did a very nice job stopping them for a couple of innings before she was pulled. I can't wait to see her in a Husky uniform! So young and so talented!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Title XI! Without Title XI all the great softball I watched today, probably wouldn't have happened! Without Title XI I probably wouldn't have gotten to enjoy the USWNT(soccer) defeating Japan 4-1 on Monday! All week they were saying for today to change your profile picture to one of you as a young athlete or to a young woman you admire. I don't have any of me. I played basketball but don't have any pictures and just wasn't that good lol. But I am very thankful that I was given the chance to do so and those are memories I hold very dear to my heart! I never could decide on a picture of another young lady who impressed me either! Too many to chose from! But after the games this afternoon this picture was posted of Niki Williams, Jenn Salling, Danielle Lawrie, and Ashley Charters!

 Had I had that picture before then I probably would have used it! I adore this picture and all it represents. A  national championship, 4 college degrees, 4 women who have played internationally, 2 women who have played in the Olympics, 4 amazing athletes, 4 successful hard working young women, 4 women with a love and a drive for softball, 4 women who are lucky enough to play the game they love professionally, 4 women whose careers have barley begun, 4 women who have already touched the lives of hundreds of girls(and adults as well) and who touch the lives of hundreds more, 4 women who are paving the way for the future generation of girls who have a burning desire to play this game and last but not least a life long friendship that no one can take from them! There are other women who I adore as well(Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott, Andrea Duran, Kelly Kretchman, Caitlin Lowe, Lauren Lappin, Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsay, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux.... you get the picture lol) but I couldn't possibly find a picture with all of them in it LOL! But those 4 Huskies will always hold a very special place in my heart and I am thankful tonight for Title XI because I get to watch them kick butt! I watched this series as they laughed, danced, smiled, and enjoyed the game they loved and realized what Title XI was all about! Women's sports still have a very long way to go but they have come so far and those 4 women and the others I mentioned are proof of that! There are as many talented young women out there as there are young men and they deserve the right to play the game they love! Sadly I also realized that the NPF is only 1 of 2 professional women's leagues still hanging on because of the fall of the WPS. But the possibilities are there! The talent and the drive is there! I can't wait to see what the next 40 years holds for women's sports! Thank you to the people who helped get Title XI pushed through! Thank you for fighting for the rights of young women everywhere! You have touched and changed more peoples lives than you could ever understand! Thank you to those who continue the fight! Thank you to all the female athletes who have worked hard and spent countless hours promoting the sport they love! We will never give up on women's sports! We can't! There are too many young girls depending on us to get keep up the fight!

Well I can't think of anything else right now! So Go Pride, Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, RTR Go Bama, FTG, Go Team Canada, and Go UWNT soccer team!

NPF!

Well we are half way through the 2nd weekend of NPF play! Rough start for the Pride going 1-3 against the Bandits last weekend but they've bounced back this weekend very nicely beating the Racers in both games so far this weekend and they will play a double header tomorrow!

Danielle Lawrie pitched yesterday and picked up her 2nd win of the season! I always enjoy watching her pitch! She uses such a deadly combination of speed and movement! Her change up is in my honest and totally biased opinions one of the best in the world! On a related note it always sends chills down my spine to watch her and Jenn Salling on the field together. They have an obvious chemistry and are always pumping each other up. Danielle turned and looked at Jenn at one point last night and their eyes locked for an instant and you could just see the respect and love they have for one another! This team has an amazing chemisty as a whole! I love watching them all on the field!

Cat Osterman pitched tonight and looked great! I always love to watch Cat because she is so hopelessly devoted to the game! She eats, sleeps, and breaths this game! She understands it probably better than anybody else on that team! There was a rough stretch there for Cat. She had to have surgery and couldn't even a pick up a ball for a bit. It was really really hard on her! The rehab has been slow and you could tell by her tweet and things she said on Facebook that it was often times frustrating for her. But it's obviously been worth it because she looks great and she looks like she is enjoying herself!

I also enjoyed watching Kristina Thorson yesterday as well! Kristina has always held a special place in my heart. She is unique and I mean that in a good way! The first time I saw what she looked like I was like woah that is different lol! Anybody who has seen her knows what I am talking about. Kristina is what I would call goth. She likes black, has many many tatoos, has her ears gaged! I know some aren't wild about it but I think it's great. I think it's great that she is comfortable enough in her own skin to be who she is.  But regardless of how she looks(I think she is beautiful just the way she is!) she is a great pitcher and she dealt with her own injury during the offsesason. She is around the same age as Cat and both of them know their playing days are numbered and they are going to make them count! It was also good to finally see Megan Bush! She had major shoulder surgery during the off season and is still struggling to get back. Tonight was her first at bat of the season and she struckout but it made me smile to see her in the batters box! These ladies are so tough and fight through so much to get back on the field. They love this sport so much and they want to hang on to it for and play for as long as they can and I don't blame them one bit! Niki Williams had her first plate appearance last night and I thought she got a hit but they called her out(she looked safe in my totally biased opinion lol seriously though even the announcer thought she was safe. There was a close call with Jenn Salling as well. She laid down a gorgeous bunt and looked safe to me but opinion matters not lol). I can't wait for that girl to show the world what she can do! So much fun having 4 Huskies on the Pride!

3,030 was the offical attendance of the game yesterday and I think that is just amazing! The Corpus Christi Hooks have gone out of their way to make this a great weekend and did an excellant job! It's good to see a baseball team take so much interest in the NPF! Of course we don't want to see these teams have to play on baseball fields forever, right now you play where you get the chance to and this has turned out to be a great oppurtunity! Pride head home next weekend to face the Diamonds! One of their games will be on ESPN3 in honor of the 40th anniversary of Title 9!

Well I can't think of anything else so I guess I will end it here! Go Pride! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama!

One chapter closes and another begins!

First off let me say a big congrats to Alabama on their national championship! They are a great group of young women and a great coaching staff! They had easily one of the best senior classes this season! Great season for Jackie Traina as well! They all did a great job and I am very happy and proud of them! I just wanted to say before I said anything else.

With that being said, I find my heart feeling very torn about alot of things. I really didn't expect to feel what I felt. I thought this series would be fun for me.... it wasn't in all honesty. I keep seeing people talking about how fun and magical it was. To me it didn't feel that way. I didn't expect to feel so torn. The first game I felt bad for the Tide and Jackie Traina but so happy for the Sooners and Keilani Ricketts. 2nd night I felt bad for Keilani Ricketts because she didn't expect them to move so far in on the plate and it just totally threw her off but felt happy for the Tide. Last night at first I'll be very honest I felt nothing but crushed for the Sooners and Keilani Ricketts. It was just one of those loses that just knocks you on your butt. They had the lead and all the momentum and then the rain came and everything changed. Personally I don't think the game should have ever been played that night. It had rained all day, the field was already a mess, and they knew more rain was coming. They didn't even get to start until really late. It was the middle of the night by the time the game ended. I think the NCAA and ESPN could only the see the money they were going to lose. They are very luck that nobody got hurt. In the sport of softball bad footing no only causes errors and bad softball but can be very dangerous. That game just felt completely unreal in so many ways. But again congrats to Bama for never giving up and fighting through it!

I've always respected and really liked Patty Gasso alot but after this WCWS I respect her and adore her so much more! She is truly an amazing coach and person! She showed class and beauty the whole series. The way she talked about Bama and the respect she showed was incredible. But the way she talks about her own teams was a thing of absolute beauty! The love she showed for her kids after that crushing loss Wednesday night in their press conference was something rarley seen and made my heart feel a little less broken. I bawled with her when I watched it! It was one of the best moments of the whole thing for me! Coach Gasso is a classy lady who loves and respects the sport of softball. She lives, breaths, eats, and sleep softball and not just any softball but Sooner softball. But she gets the bigger picture so well! She is molding and shaping these young ladies into wonderful women! The more I see of Coach Gasso the more I realize why I like her so well. She's a great lady and a great coach. She reminds me alot of Coach Tarr and they definitely have similar coaching strategies. I think Coach Gasso is a little less laid back and go with the flow than Coach Tarr is. But there are similarities! Both are wonderful women and coaches who do so much for this game!

 Sadly I don't know that I gained much respect for Patrick Murphy. I still think he is a great guy and a great coach but there were somethings I saw that I wasn't necessarily a fan of. But I guess that is neither here nor there lol.

NPF started last night! Pride lost to the Bandits but it was pretty good game! Monica Abbott threw a 1 hitter and the 1 run that the Pride scored was unearned! She looked very good, especially considering she had been home from Japan only a few days! Jenn Salling played SS last night and man oh man was she on fire!! Very nice night for her in the field! My fantasy teams didn't fare too well but there's alot of time left to go!  Diamonds opened the season with their very first win! Congrats to them and former Husky coach Teresa Wilson who is the Diamonds head coach now!!

College softabll is over for one more season but NPF is just getting started and international softball will be getting started soon! Should be a nice summer of softball! Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG! Go Pride!

Feels like the season is over for me!

Honestly with both Bama and OU advancing to the championship final series, it feels like the season is over lol! I don't care who wins! I love both of these teams and both of their coaches! I think it will be a great series and one of them winning is just icing on the cake! Both teams have bene playing great ball and I proud of both of them! The only thing that could make this better is if it was the Huskies in but this is the next best thing! The first time in 26 years(I'm only 24 so even before my time) that a Pac-12 team is not in the final! That's pretty awesom and says alot for how far this sport has come! It's been a crazy post season, I honestly would have never guessed neither ASU or Cal would make the final. Cal seemed to really crash when the post season hit. Their powerful offense really hit a bad spot and Jolene Henderson really seemed to struggle. Saddly for them they graduate a rather large group of seniors including Valerie Arioto, the Reid sisters, Jace Williams, and Frani Echavarria. So they lose a great deal of experience, talent, and leadership. I'm not saying they can't do it, I'm just saying losing 2 5 year seniors is going to hurt, especially one like Arioto! ASU will also lose some key players, Boyd, Bach, and Lockwood are the ones that come to my mind. Congrats to both teams and both group of seniors! RTR Go Bama and Boomer Sooner!!

I have now had a week think back on the 2012 season for the Huskies and although it's still sad and really feels like a dispointment in the way it ended there are so many great things ahead! Even with all the struggles Kaitlin Inglesby had this season she still puts  up the numbers she did and earns 2nd team All-American honors! That just shows you the raw talent that girl has I think! I am as excited as anybody to see Joclyn Cater join the team next year but I think this team still belongs to Kaitlin. Frankly she has carried this team on her shoulders for 2 seasons and I think she will take this team along way. I think to take that from her would be wrong. These girls look up to Kaitlin, she is a great leader, she is incredibly talented, and she in my opinion is key to getting this team back to OKC and back to a national championship! I think as heartbreaking as this season was at times, it laid down a foundation for better things to come. When you look back at 2008 season, you'll find it wasn't a season full of success and roses. It was a rough year. Grant it, they were without Danielle Lawrie and Ashley Charters but I believe that season set up those players to be able to hang tough through the ups and downs of that next season. It helped them understand the game better. It helped be better players. It helped them win a national championship! The foundation of national championship team isn't laid in one season or two seasons. It's laid in many seasons. Diamonds are made over night, it takes years and tons and tons and tons of pressure! The same goes here I think. I think this is the start of something great for this program and I can't wait to see what it is! I already miss watching the Huskies and I am already looking forward to next season!

Well the girls who play in the Japanese league will be headed home tonight/tomorrow and that can mean only 1 thing.... NPF season!! NPF season starts Thursday! They have a fantasy league this year! I think that is so awesome!! I have my teams drafed and ready to go and can't wait to see how they do! Pride returns most of their team from last year and will add some great draftees including my personal fav, Nikia Williams!! Can't wait to watch her play for the Pride and play with Danielle, Ashley, and Jenn again! It should be a great season and I am so excited to get it started!!

Well I can't think of anything else right now! So good luck to both the Bama girls and the Sooner girls today and tomorrow! Stay safe and enjoy every minute!! RTR Go Bama and Boomer Sooner!! Go Huskies!!