The future of softball

                Hey everyone! My vacation was fun and I am looking forward to my next vacation! There have some things the last few weeks that have inspired to me to write a blog. The first part won’t be about softball but I will tie it into softball! Trust me! I’ve spent a good week and half mulling this over in my head!

                I like watching soccer but I never considered myself a big a fan. But I’ve always watched the World Cup. I love international sports. I love the pride of playing for one’s country. I love seeing the differences in styles and personality from team to team. I love how all of those teams are forever united and linked by one thing a love for the sport they play. There is just something special and unique about international sports. So World Cup 2011 was no different. I watched all the games USA was in and many of the others. It delighted me to see these women playing the sport they love for the country they love. I watched as something special began to happen with a very special USA team. They won us over. Their sparkling personalities, their fighting spirits, the love and passion for their sport and their country, and their never give up attitude’s won us over! There was just something about watching Abby Wambach heading the ball into the goal to send the game into penalty kicks during Brazil game. There was something about watching Hope Solo (A former Husky!  *woof woof*) blocking that penalty kick and the joy and passion excitement in her eyes! They gained so many fans that day and even more when they beat France to advance to finals. I wondered if all these fans were bandwagon fans and if they lost in the finals they would jump off and maybe even turn on them. The final game was crazy a up and down and up and down. In the end they lost but to my surprise a big big part of those fans stayed. Thousands of people came out to welcome them home when they landed in NYC on Monday! They’ve been on show after show! They all received so many emails, text, tweets, and facebook messages and comments! But I think bigger than that for the sport they loved they sold out the next WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer) that occurred the next Saturday! 15, 000 fans showed up for the game! I’ll be the first one to tell you I didn’t know anything about the WPS until now! But I will be following and supporting it now! So I am sure by now you are thinking I thought you said you would tie this into softball so where is it? Here it is! As I watched this going on I couldn’t help but think why can’t this happen for softball??  I remember when the US softball team beat Japan and took gold at worlds last summer that the hope we all had was that the great showing at worlds not just by the US team but by all the teams would  help this sport grow. Not just grow internationally but here at home with the NPF as well. But that didn’t happen.  ASAUSA softball decided to say the players couldn’t play for both the NPF and Team USA. So now instead of being a united front working together to grow the sport  we love like soccer is we are full of divides, walls, breaks, bitterness, and hard feelings. You see the reason the World Cup win helped the WPS was because they are all united as one. The WPS supports the National Team and the National Team supports the WPS. There is no our players and your players. There is no fighting and hard feelings (well I’m sure there is somewhere in there but you get the picture). There is only soccer and love of the game and the drive to push it on and watch it grow. I really felt like softball had reached a new high last summer after Worlds. There were so many wonderful teams there that played such good softball. But now I feel like softball has officially hit a new low. Softball at the next level can’t grow the way it is now. It just can’t. When this first happened the blame was put on whomever (at first we didn’t know if it was USA softball or the NPF. We now know it was USA softball) had made the demands. But somewhere along the way I’ve seen the blame shift and I’ve seen a group of women who have devoted their whole careers to furthering this sport thrown under the bus. People are now saying they did for the money. I’ve seen them called selfish, money hungry, and other things. It breaks my heart! These women didn’t want this and they certainly didn’t do it for the money! Their dream was always to play for the red, white, and blue! That was taken away from them and it’s not their fault and it’s not right. Put the blame where it belongs! If you think what USA softball did was wrong then let them know it. I’m not saying you have to be rude but let them know you support the girls who were forced to make that hard decision and that you think them forcing them to make that decision was wrong. I’m trying hard to support the women who are playing for Team USA. They are all amazing athletes and softball players. But my heart is still broken and my feelings forever changed about this team and the people who run it. Not because of something these girls did but because of what the people running the program did. I worry for these girls playing now. It feels like a dream come true and very amazing for them now but will Team USA turn on them too? If they can throw women who have played their hearts out for them for some of them as long a decade or more under the bus what’s to stop them from doing that to these young girls? Nothing! I think the truth of what happened is not that the ladies were money hungry or selfish or anything like that. But that USA softball was power hungry. They wanted all the power and they didn’t want the NPF to have any. The funny thing to me is, these ladies every summer were spending huge parts of their NPF seasons with the national team. USA softball already had the power not in the money but in the hearts and dreams of those ladies. They weren’t going anywhere until USA softball decided to try for more power. Because just like the ladies playing now this was ALWAYS their dream! So in trying to gain all the power in my eyes they lost the power they did have!

                I’ve been watching the World Cup of course and I have been struck by how small the crowds have been! I realized tonight this decision by USA softball didn’t just hurt the former players who had to make the decision but also the current members. They don’t have the support they deserve. The fans are angry and no longer support USA softball. Funny thing is the Racers and Diamonds came last night in Round Rock had almost 4000 people!  I don’t even know what to do about this now. I’m totally at a loss and I fear softball as we know it is a thing of the past. I hope we can find some way to use USA soccer and the WPS as an example of how great things can be! I hope people begin to open their eyes and demand change. I guess we will see what the next few years hold for softball. Hopefully good and positive things!

                I would like to say thank you to the USA soccer team and the excellant job they did in Germany at the World Cup.  At a time when sports new is filled with nothing but lock outs, players doing stupid things, and the millions of dollars they makes it’s nice to see a sport where money doesn’t matter. It was refreshing  to see a sport where the players aren’t making millions of dollars and where they play for the love of the game get so much attention! I can’t wait until the Olympics next year in London! They are going to be amazing! It’s nice to see a sport with positive news. Maybe the NFL and NBA should take lessons!

                Well that is all for now! Go Huskies! RTR Go Bama! Boomer Sooner! Go pride!! And my newest addition go Magic Jack(the professional team  Abby Wambach and Hope Solo play for!)!   

NPF and other things!

Hey guys been awhile since I did an entry and I decided I would do one tonight! I’ve got a pretty sore finger from burning it on an electric burner on my sisters stove lol! So if there are some typos or if this is shorter than usual that is why! I’m getting ready to go on my first vacation of the summer next week(I get 2 vacations this year! I am blessed and thankful lol!) and I can’t wait! I really need this time to get away from everyday life and clear my head!  I am going to Red River, New Mexico with my boyfriends family and it should be a blast! Enough about me, let’s get to some softball news!

            The NPF season is in full swing! They have completed 3 weekends of games! So far it’s been a really weird and unpredictable season but I guess that is what happens when you fill 4 teams with the very best players. I don’t really see a clear cut number 1 team right now. Bandits have looked great but split their series with the Racers last weekend. Diamonds started off strong but have struggled a little since then. Racers had a rough start but have bounced back very nicely! Pride has been up and down, but looked really good last weekend taking 3 of 4 games from the Diamonds.  I just love this league and all of these women! The thing I like the most is the great friendship between all of them. I follow several of them on Twitter and Facebook and see some of the off the field behind the scenes stuff and it’s great. They are all so close! There are no rivals or anything like that. You would probably never see a fight or even an argument. There is just so much love and respect for each other. This day age that type of thing is rare! They also love their fans and spending large amounts of time talking to them signing autographs, and taking pictures with them. After one of the games in Chicago a couple of weeks ago the Pride girls and the Bandits stood out signing autographs for several hours for thousands of fans and they enjoyed it! If you get the chance to go see them in person DO IT! Go support the future of this great sport! If you can’t, try and catch a game online on the live stream! It’s not always perfect but it’s fun to watch! Pride took the first game of this series against the Racers 2-0! Danielle Lawrie looked great in the circle and has all season! She, along with Jenn Salling and Ashley Charters are making us Husky fans very proud! Tonight they lost 2-1 with Cat Osterman on the mound. It was a good game for her but it didn’t end the way we all wanted! They will be back in action tomorrow at 7:05! Watch it! You won’t regret it!

http://www.profastpitch.com/pagebank/index.html?id=961

All good things must come to an end!

                Well we have come to the end of another amazing college softball season! Congratulations to ASU on their national championship! They looked great all season and were the complete team in the post season. I’m very happy for them! But I am sad to see the season end! It’ seems like just a couple of weeks ago I was excitedly awaiting the opening pitch and now it’s over!

                OU unfortunately never got their feet under them in WCWS and went 2 out. They had an amazing season and having nothing to be ashamed of! I can’t wait to see what Coach Gasso will do with this team over the next few seasons!

                Bama started off GREAT! Kelsi Dunne looked unbeatable as did Jackie Traina! But they ran into a brick wall called the Florida Gators in the semi’s. They dropped both games and were eliminated. The hardest part of their last game was watching Kelsi Dunne put on an obviously fake smile and hand the ball to Jackie Traina. She whispered a few words to her and went to the dugout stepping off the field and leaving her AMAZING college career forever.  

                That is the hardest part of the season ending in my opinion. It’s hard watching so many amazing careers end and most them leave so many unfulfilled dreams behind. It made me paticurally sad to watch Rhea Taylor. I know this was not the senior season she wanted and I know she didn’t have the WCWS she wanted.  She was so upset and as I watched her embracing her teammates with tears streaming down her face I found myself wanting to cry with her. Maybe I’m just a sensitive person but watching these great careers end just breaks my heart. I just want to say first off congrats to all the seniors but also thank you for all the blood, sweat, tears, time, energy and everything else you put into this game over your career! Good luck you to you all in whatever you do from here!

                With the end of the season comes awards. Some of them have made me smile and happy. Others made me sad and downright unhappy. UW faired very well in the All-Pac-10 awards. They were led once again by one of the best SS to ever play the game, Jenn Salling. She was named Pac-10 Defensive player of the year!  She along with Kimi Pohlman and Niki Williams were named to the  1^st team All-Pac-10 team(UW had more players than any other team on the 1^st team)!  Kaitlin Inglesby was named to the 2^nd team All-Pac-10 team as well as the freshman All-Pac-10 team. Victoria Hayward was also named to the Freshman team. Even though she missed almost half of the season Taylor Smith was received an honorable mention as did Morgan Stuart! I had hoped being Defensive player of the year and on the  1^st team All-Pac-10 team Jenn Salling would have a good chance at being a 1^st Team All-American. But when the All-American stuff was announced Jenn was named a  2^nd team At large bid! This just broke my heart! I thought then and I still believe she deserved more than that! She atleast deserved to be 2^nd team SS! Niki Williams was also named to the 2^nd Team All-American team.  No other Huskies were named to any of the All-American teams which also upset me.  As I already figured Jenn didn’t win the Lowe’s Senior Class award but I thought she would be a sure 1^st team Lowe’s Senior Class All-American….guess again! She again was placed on the 2^nd team(there are only 2 team)! I’ll be honest right now when I read that the other morning, I lost it! I cried and I am not afraid to admit it. It just seems so cruel! She has worked so hard, performed so well, and did so much for this team and gets little recognition for it! She deserved that 1^st team as much if not more than anybody on that list! I can’t remember what if any awards are left but at this pointing I don’t know if I can make it through another disappointment! She was named UW female athlete of the year and Kaitlin Inglesby  was named newcomer of the year! I still don’t think it’s really set in for me that the season is over and I will never again see Jenn Salling play in the purp and gold! It’s sad for me! But as the silver lining to the sadness I am so excited to watch her play with Danielle Lawrie and Ashley Charters with the USSSA Pride! She is going do amazing things in this new chapter of her life!  

                Speaking of the USSSA Pride and the NPF this weekend is opening weekend! First game for the Pride is Friday against the Bandits (I believe you can watch this game on MLB.com for free but I’m not sure). They will play on ESPN on Saturday, so  don’t forget to watch!

                Well I think that is all for now! This has been another emotional blog for me! There is a lot of happiness for ASU and their seniors but so much sadness for the rest of the teams and their seniors, Florida especially! They had an amazing senior class and team but it just wasn’t enough!  I leave you with one of my favorite quotes tonight!

                “Don’t’ cry because it’s over, smile because it happened!”

Go Huskies, RTR Go bama, Boomer Sooner, and go USSSA Pride!!

And just like that..it's over.

Well I am here with a heavy heart today! UW ended up hosting Regionals and won on 3 amazing games to face Mizzou in Super-Regionals. They played 2 nice games but it wasn’t enough and UW’s season is over. I still can’t believe it’s over. I still can’t believe the careers of 3 amazing seniors are over! My heart breaks for them! I know this is a rough night for them!  This senior class is special to me! I’m not sure why but for some reason they are!

                I remember watching Morgan Stuart and Ashley Tuiasosopo as freshman. It’s crazy to see how far they have come.  It’s hard to believe they are same people! I greatly admire Tui! She is truly a Husky through and through!  I know I’ve discussed this before but she didn’t have to stay! She could have left or just quit playing. But she held tough and she had a really great senior season!  I will miss her passion and leadership the most I think. There is just nothing better than seeing Morgan on the bases with that huge grin! She plays with such passion and joy no matter what is going on. I know these last 2 seasons were not the seasons she wanted but you’d never know it by her face or her attitude! She is such an amazing athlete but she is more than that! She is an amazing leader! All 3 of these seniors have leadership skills that most coaches would like to bottle and sell! Nope watching UW will not be the same without Morgan and Tui! I wish them so much luck in whatever they do from here and I know they will be so successful in whatever that is!

                I’ll never forget the first time I watched Jenn Salling play. It actually wasn’t for UW. It was for Team Canada! I watched her do it all, great defense, crazy throws, and she got it done with her bat too! I remember thinking that girl is something else! Well 4 years later I am even surer that girl is something else!  I didn’t realize what I was watching then or that that girl would become an (as the UCLA softball announcer said) All American everything! But I did know she was confident and that she LOVED what she was doing. A lot has changed about Jenn Salling but the one thing that hasn’t and never will is her love and passion for the game! I admire her so much! She was an amazingly talented athlete and softball at Oregon. But when she transferred to Washington something changed and she became a happy talented athlete and softball player! The transfer to Washington helped her blossom into an amazing leader, person, and even more gifted athlete! I look forward to watching her with the Pride and I believe she will have an amazing career! But one of these days she is going to make one heck of a coach!

                I have enjoyed watching these 3 play in the purple and gold and they will be so missed! They may be leaving but they leave behind a legacy in the hearts of the girls younger than them! The lessons they taught will live on!

                I’m so proud of the Huskies! Most people didn’t think they would make it this far! There were times everyone gave up on them (honestly there was  a few times I gave up on them!) but they never gave up! They fought until the very end! Kaitlin Inglesby was gain clutch! I seriously can’t wait to see what she will do the next 3 seasons! She is something special! I can’t wait until next year but it will not be the same without Jenn, Morgan, and Tui!

                My mind also turns to Coach Tarr. She invests a great deal of time in getting to know and forming strong bonds with her players and does such a great job! But I know from watching the press conference from after yesterday’s game there was something special to her about this group. You could just see it in her eyes! She has done an amazing job with those 3 young ladies and should be proud of the job her and her coaching staff have done with them!

                OU beat Arizona in 2 games to get into the WCWS! Keilani Ricketts was lights out both in the circle and with her bat! I can’t wait to see what they do from here!!

                It took Bama 3 games but they beat Stanford to advance to the WCWS! The first game of the series really worried me. Kelsi Dunne didn’t look right and honest I was worried there was something physically wrong with her. The defense couldn’t get the job done and the offense just never really got going! But they pulled it together to take the next 2 games!

                It’s taken me several hours on two days to write this because it’s just such an emotional thing for me! I’m not sure why but it is! I still can’t believe it’s over. I still can’t believe I will never see Jenn Salling, Morgan Stuart or Ashley Tuiasosopo play in the purple and gold! Congrats ladies! All 3 of you are amazing young ladies and we will miss you guys so much! You will always be Huskies in our eyes!!

                I will write later to discuss all the awards our girls got this year(and there are a bunch) but for now I’m ending by telling to enjoy every minute because life goes by so fast!!

                Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, and RTR Go Bama!!

What a long week!

Have you ever had a week where it seemed everything that could go wrong went wrong? A week that feels like one long crappy day?? That pretty much sums up my week in a nut shell and today is Friday the 13^th. I’m scared lol! It’s been one crap fest after another and frankly I’m done with it! I’m really beginning to think it would be easier and a lot less trouble to tell college to screw off, drop out, and get a job! But enough of my belly aching on to some softball news!

Last weekend was the last regular season home series for UW and Sunday was senior day! I think we all hoped they would pull out one win against ASU. But it wasn’t meant to be. They dropped all 3 games! However they had a beautiful ceremony to honor the seniors after the game Sunday! I’ll admit it, I cried through it lol! They had a banquet that evening as well! The seniors seemed to have a really great senior day even though they lost! I think I need to follow their attitudes they always seem upbeat even when they are losing and things just aren’t going their way. On that note, voting for the Lowe’s Senior Class award wrapped up Tuesday. Unfortunately in another cruel “joke” after making several hard pushes at number 1, Jenn Salling finished in 2^nd! She could still win it if she got enough votes from the coaches and media. We’ll just have to wait and see I guess. I was really hoping she would finish 1^st. But it occurred to me last night that in the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal. I know she doesn’t view it as a big deal. Sure she would love to win it. But that isn’t why she does what she does day in and day out. Her main goal is to help her team get better! She has done a great job of that this season and the lessons she passed on will remain in the hearts of those girls left behind. That is a much bigger deal and that is why she will always be number 1 in my eyes! In another sick blow neither Jenn Salling nor Niki Williams made the top ten final list for player of the year! I can’t speak for anybody else but it seems this week was filled with sick twisted blows for UW. However they’ve started off this weekend’s series on a high note with a 6-1 win over OSU! It’s the last series of the regular season and at least 2 wins would go a long way! No matter what happens from here on out the girls have had a great season! This freshman class has been incredible! Inglesby has shut the mouth of all her doubters! This senior class has done an amazing job being the leaders and players they need to be! The sophomores continue to shine as do the juniors! I can’t wait to see what happens the rest of the season! But maybe bigger than that I can’t wait to see what next season holds! Here are a couple of videos about the UW the seniors and on senior day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8BC80qigZ0&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm--_g8v3x8&feature=relmfu

Bama had a nice come from behind win tonight against Mississippi State in the SEC tournament! Kelsi Dunne started off a little slow but ended up pitching a very solid game! They will play Georgia tomorrow!

The selection show is Sunday! This where who is going where for regionals is announced! Should be interesting to see where each of my teams falls!

I don’t know anything else! So Go Dawgs! RTR Go Bama! Boomer Sooner!!

PS. Seems my streak of crappy luck continues! Went to post this and Blogspot is down! I hope I remember to update and post this tomorrow lol! UGH!

All good things must come to an end!

Hey everyone! Well the regular season is very quickly coming to an end I can’t believe it! This season has gone by so fast! I know I keep saying that but it really has!

          UW will play their last regular season home games this weekend against the number one team in the country the Arizona State Sun Devils! I hope for the seniors UW can come away with at least 1 win! Arizona State has been playing very well though and it’s not going to be easy! UW has been struggling a bit as of late. They dropped the first 2 games against UCLA. Both were close games and the girls did their best but it was rough! The last game of the series without a doubt was my favorite game and moment of the whole season! The girls played an amazing game and hung tight with UCLA the whole game. Kaitlin Inglesby had an amazing game. The game went into 9 innings and the Huskies came away with a huge 4-3 win with the winning run coming off a homerun by ,as the UCLA announcer said, the All-American everything senior Jenn Salling! She had a great game and really led the team but the player of that game without a doubt in my opinion was Kaitlin Inglesby! She showed what it truly means to be a husky that night! She held tough and pitched a very strong game and also had a homerun and 2 other hits! That girl is something special and I am so proud to have her as Husky! The game ended on a double play by Salling and Williams and I’ll be honest when it was over I shed a few tears! That was truly an emotional and much needed win for UW! I was very proud! Last weekend they were on the road again to play Stanford. They dropped a close game the first night but turned around to win Saturday night 7-1! We all hoped they would win Sunday and take the series but it wasn’t meant to be. I continue to see a lot improvement from everyone and they make me proud every time they step on the field. It will great for the girls to play at home this weekend! I’ve heard that all 3 games have been sold out since Tuesday! Win or lose this weekend will be special as we honor 3 wonderful women and the things they’ve done for this team! All 3 will be very much missed! I am particularly fond of Jenn Salling! She is a great athlete, a great competitor, a great leader, and a great woman! I made this video for her and would like to share it! I hope you guys enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KahuxSFC7M

          OU split their series with Texas and really looked like the team I thought they would all season! I hope this is a big turning point for them and their season!

          Bama didn’t play this weekend because of the tornados! They spent some time helping people out and will return to action this weekend!

          Well I can’t think of anything else! So for now Let’s go Dawgs, RTR Let’s go Bama, and Boomer Sooner!!

P.S. Don’t forget to keep voting for Jenn Salling until May 10^th!!

Another week, another series!

Hey everyone! Can you believe I’m back 6 days later? Yeah me either lol! I’ve kind of got a slow place as far as school work right now and I know it’s the quiet before the storm so to speak so I decided to write! I like to write! It’s very relaxing! I hope you guys enjoy reading what I write as much as I enjoy writing it!

                Last weekend was a tough one for UW! They started off the weekend with a big 3-0 win against Arizona. Kaitlin Inglesby pitched a great game and hit a homerun! Jenn Salling also had quite the game as well! Unfortunately success was short lived and they lost the next two games! They played very hard and really competed very well! It just wasn’t enough! I was very proud of all of them all weekend! This next weekend they play UCLA!  It will be another tough weekend but I believe in the girls and that they will play their very best!  It’s hard to believe how fast this season is going! It’s been a really good season for UW and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for them!

                It was also a rough weekend for OU! They dropped 2 games to Mizzou! I see some improvement and things seem to be slowly getting better! I still believe they can do this!

                Bama continues to roll! They are looking very good and tough right now! I look for them to only look better in the last stretch of the season! They play Florida this weekend and it will be on ESPN and ESPN2!  I can’t wait to watch!!

                The NPF started a new campaign to help raise money today called 20 for 20! It seems to be going very well and that makes me happy! Anything that helps softball makes me happy! It’s really cool to see all the people who are giving and why. I was particularly touched by the gift Coach Tarr made in honor of Danielle Lawrie, Ashley Charters, and Jenn Salling! I was going to write my blog on coaches and how great of an influence they can be but I think that right there pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about coaches. They are selfless; they work hard, and they give so much of themselves. They give so much of themselves that they can’t get back and wouldn’t want back! There were a lot of these that made me smile but seeing that gift from Coach Tarr for whatever reason really made me happy! On the other side of the coin this is kind of hard for me. As a college student I don’t have much money. I babysit to make extra money but I use a lot of that to help my parents with bills and buy food! I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me because I don’t mind helping and wouldn’t have it any other way! They’ve done so much for me I feel like I owe it to them to help out. I just wish there was enough to help my parents out and give a little to the NPF! Hopefully after I pick up two more kids next week I’ll be able too! But if you can give something please do it!

                Hope you all have a great Easter weekend! There will plenty of softball to watch on TV so don’t forget to tune in to watch at least a game or two if you a chance! Don’t forget to continue to vote for Jenn Salling in the Lowe’s Senior Class Award! She has made up a ton of ground this week and moved back into second place! Let’s do this for her! She so deserves it!

                I can’t think of anything else tonight! Let’s go Dawgs! RTR! Let’s go Bama! Boomer Sooner!