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JOHNSON CITY—Little girls want to be just like her. Men stand awestruck at her beauty and body. Hitters hate facing her.
Welcome to Jennie Finch’s world, one of which we all want to be part.
While Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic gold medalist who is with the National Team but didn’t make the 15-player cut for this year’s Beijing Games, is the sport’s icon, Finch is its most recognized player. And rightfully so.
Blessed with Miss America looks and a right arm which can fire pitches above 70 miles per hour—softball’s equivalent of a 100-mph fastball—Finch owns an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title and a soon-to-be 2-year old son.
The face of her sport stood in a makeshift interview room at Howard Johnson Field Sunday after playing first base and going 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the U.S. National Team’s 24-0 rout of NAIA opponent Milligan and held court on several subjects.
On the crowd of 3,476 which turned out despite rotten weather
Finch: “There’s no greater feeling than wearing USA on your chest and walking into these stadiums. It’s like the smaller the town, the better the crowd. You get that hometown feel to it. Everyone is so excited to see you. We had no idea what we were getting into ... what a beautiful stadium. The people packed it and it was fun.”
On the reception accorded her for all her plate appearances
“I’m so very blessed to be able to do what I do. These fans have been great throughout my entire career and I’m so grateful for them. It’s just a celebration of our game and how far we’ve come.”
On this team compared to the 2004 Olympic team, which completely dominated the Athens Olympics
“This team is just as talented, if not more talented. We have such a great group of veterans, along with some rookies, and we’re very deep.”
On the International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop softball after the Beijing Olympics
“I was very disappointed. This is our game, this is our sport, this is our life. This is a blow. We’ve come so far and we’ve seen the sport grow so much. For that to happen was a shock, but we’re not going to let that deter our sport. We’re going to keep on fighting and pushing through, and hopefully, we can get it back in 2016. Obviously, the sport is huge here, but you go to China or Japan and that’s their one chance for a medal, so it’s even more heartbreaking for them. We still have the college game and the pro league (National Professional Fastpitch). We’re going to use the Beijing Olympics to prove that we still belong in the Olympics.”
On her marriage to former Major League pitcher Casey Daigle, who’s now in the Minnesota Twins’ system
“Probably the last thing we talk about is our sports, but it’s great because we can relate to what the other is going through. I’m a very lucky woman to have him. He’s given me an amazing, beautiful child. I enjoy rooting him on.”
On her impressions of Tennessee
“Tennessee’s beautiful country. We actually lived here for a season when my husband was with the Tennessee Smokies (in Kodak). I love it here because the people are so nice, so generous and so giving. I enjoy being in the south because of the great hospitality.”
About the only thing at which Finch has failed is Donald Trump’s Apprentice. As she notes in the team’s media guide, it’s the only thing from which she’s been fired.
Relax, Jennie. I don’t think anyone’s going to look at that as a red flag on your resume.
Other Notes from Sunday:
1. The playing surface at Howard Johnson Field was excellent. Ground crews worked on it until after midnight following an ETSU baseball doubleheader Saturday night, carving out a small dirt spot around second base to convert it to the shorter softball diamond. They also removed the mound. Give the ground crew an A-plus.
2. The fans’ enthusiasm, as Finch and so many players pointed out, was amazing. I arrived at the ballpark at 12:45, 75 minutes before first pitch, and there had to be 2,500 people already there. And they stuck around until the tailend of an 11-run fifth inning by the National Team.
3. The P.A. announcer probably caused pitcher Cat Osterman some ribbing from her teammates for a while. During pregame introductions, he referred to her as Cat Ostermayer before quickly correcting himself. The Texas lefthander is one of the sport’s most recognizable names.
4. The National Team’s oldest player, 33-year old Laura Berg, still runs as though she were 23. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Berg is one of the fastest players on a team which relies on speed. Her younger, faster clone, Caitlin Lowe, patrols center field, with Berg in left.
5. Alicia Hollowell, who threw a no-hitter in Sunday’s five-inning game, was one of the three players who didn’t make the Beijing cut. Hollowell, Fernandez and catcher Jenny Topping, who belted a long homer in the first inning Sunday, will only go to Beijing if one of the other 15 players is injured.

Posted by Bucky Dent
College Sports
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Through the first eight games of the season, former Tazewell High School star Billy Wagner has yet to get a save opportunity for the New York Mets.
Wagner has only appeared in two games for the 4-4 Mets, who begin a series with Milwaukee on Friday.
The left-hander tossed a shutout inning on Tuesday in New York’s extra-inning victory over Philadelphia. Wagner walked one and struck out two in his one inning of work against his former team and did not factor in the decision.
It might be good for Wagner that he hasn’t gotten a lot of work in thus far. It will allow him to garner some rest and be ready for the stretch run. It’s possible, he was worn down last September when the Mets collapsed and missed the playoffs.
In other locals in the pros notes:

--- Through Thursday, Kansas City Royals reliever (and left-handed specialist) Jimmy Gobble had retired all five left-handed hitters he’d faced.  The Bristol, Va. native will likely get a lot of work this weekend during KC’s series with rival Minnesota. Minnesota has two powerful left-handed sluggers in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

--- Nick Hill (Sullivan East) is 0-0 with an 8.31 ERA in three relief outings for the High Class A High Desert (Calif.) Mavericks. Hill struck out two in 1 2/3 shutout innings in his last appearance on April 8 at Rancho Cucamonga.

--- I am currently in the early stages of working on a series looking at former local players who spent time in the big leagues during the 1920s-1970s. If you have any information, have any relatives from Southwest Virginia/Northeast Tennessee that played in the big leagues or can help me in gathering information about the former locals in the pros, please e-mail me at

Posted by Tim Hayes

Juding from the empty seats at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway the past two races, the economic crunch appears to have hit NASCAR fans. Racing fans will have an option at BMS Saturday. 

In the formative days of stock car racing, promoters were forced to be creative, innovative and fearless.
Attractions ranged from demolition derbies and inverted starts to giveaways and bounties on track champions.
At least at the top level of NASCAR, not much promotion has been necessary to attract fans over the past decade.
Drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon are admired not only for the racing skills, but for their status as pop culture icons.
Judging from the worsening economy and the empty seats for the past two Sprint Cup races at Bristol and Martinsville, the economic blues appear to have hit NASCAR-land.
No matter how tasty the action, it appears some folks are no longer willing to pay for overpriced motels, concessions and tickets.
There are options for the racing crowd, however.
Take Saturday’s diverse racing program at Bristol Motor Speedway. Thanks to the wise minds of BMS vice president of events Wayne Estes and nine-time ARCA series champion Frank Kimmel, the Saturday Spectacular will offer a blend of grassroots racing, dreams and pizazz.
There will no traffic jams, and tickets cost only $15. Yes, $15.
This reporter has said it many times, but it’s shame that so few so-called NASCAR diehards realize the full and gritty story of racing.
The guys who will compete in Saturday’s Frank Kimmel Street Stock 150 and Modified 4 races compete for the love for the sport, not for the glamour. And who can resist a Monster Truck smashing into buses?
There will be no self-promoting, sappy-happy network TV types covering Saturday’s program at BMS. And the same goes for the corporate types, public relations smoothies and fame-seekers.
There will be plenty of gutsy racing by guys who have made sacrifices to realize their dream of racing on the high-banks of Bristol.
Roots-racing. It’s compelling, affordable and, above all, fun.
Bring the kids, kick back and enjoy the show.

Posted by Allen Gregory

A short-sighted money grab?
With much fanfare – or at least as much as one can generate out of a press release – Tennessee and UCLA announced Tuesday the move of their football game from Sept. 6 to Sept. 1.
“The opportunity to play unopposed on national television against such a quality opponent as UCLA was something we couldn’t pass up,” Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton said in an Associated Press story. “It’s a great time slot for a national game of interest like this one.”
That, as well as collecting a nice paycheck from ABC and ESPN for agreeing to move the game, are the pros of this move.
As for the cons, well, let me count them from the Volunteers’ perspective:
1. So much for easing the new quarterback, whether it’s Jonathan Crompton or B.J. Coleman, into the first start of his varsity career.
Playing UAB in Knoxville on Aug. 30 would have been perfect for whoever wins the job; this won’t be. Not that UCLA’s defense will remind one of an SEC unit, but a road game three time zones removed isn’t easy for an experienced quarterback, much less a first-time starter.
2. So much for easing the new offense into its first test.
Playing UAB would have been a perfect forum for coordinator Dave Clawson, because the team could have afforded a few slip-ups and probably still left the season opener with 35 points, maybe more, and an easy win.
Now that opportunity isn’t there. A unit with a new quarterback will have to be sharp right off the bat. Although UT’s defense should be better this year, you don’t want to put too much of the burden on it in an opener that’s 2,500 miles from home.
3. A loss here will reopen speculation about coach Phillip Fulmer’s future. And no, it’s not too harsh to make that assumption after the first game of the new season.
Face it, if ever a program needed a smooth start to the 2008 season, it’s the Vols. After all the off-field turmoil in January and February which had media questioning Fulmer’s ability to exert discipline upon his athletes, the last thing UT needs is an 0-1 start with the SEC schedule awaiting it.
Now comes this newly scheduled opener, which is full of danger. And in an environment like east Tennessee, where every big game has become a referendum on Fulmer’s future for a couple of years, an early loss is not what the program needs.
Sure, the opportunity to play on national TV with air running against it appealed to Hamilton and will add six figures to the university’s athletic department.
But if the Vols fly back across the country late Labor Day night and the next morning after a loss, that hefty paycheck probably won’t mean so much to their legion of fans. 

Posted by Bucky Dent
College Sports

Brent Musburger and Orel Hershier called today’s season-opener between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on ESPN.

And I have to say, it was great to hear Musburger call a baseball game.

I grew up with Musburger. His voice, for better or worse, dominated and defined my view of sports as a kid. I loved his enthusiasm. His ability to get lost in the moment. His tendency to overexaggerate, overemphasize and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I loved it all. And I still do.

I know it’s probably not in vogue to praise Musburger. But you know what? I don’t care. I really don’t. Nowadays, I long for the era of Musburger (and the soft-spoken Dick Enberg, who I recently heard for the first time in a good while, when he called the NCAA Tournament).

And that’s not nostalgia speaking. It’s more of a comment on what was and what is.

Good, professional, polished and respectful sports announcers are a dying breed. Musburger and Enberg represent a fading era. They always seemed in awe of the sports, teams and athletes they were covering. They respected history. They put events and actions in perspective. They held reverence for greatness.

Now? It’s all one-hundred-words-a-minute schills, oozing at the mouth just to hear themselves speak. Ruined by a 24/7 world, they churn out nonsense in loud, un-humanlike voices. Real, true analysis and insight is out the window. Enter: mind-numbing rants and a ceaseless stream of facts.

As a result, I normally have the “mute” button somewhere near my fingertips every time I watch a sporting event on TV nowadays. But today, while watching the Brewers and Cubs battle it out in the rain for 10 innings, I never once even thought about quieting Musburger. He was the announcer, and I was the listener. Yeah, he botched a few words and spellings. Yeah, he missed some things. But he sounded like he cared. And he spoke with a voice filled with respect, reverence and authority. And when Chicago’s Kosuke Fukudome launched his thrilling game-tying three-run home run in the ninth, Musburger was the only one I wanted to hear call the shot.

Posted by Brian T. Smith
High School Sports Baseball