Donovan named assistant coach

Ann Donovan was named assistant coach for the New York Liberty.

Berg's diving catch

I was archiving videos from the Olympics when I stumbled upon this sweet catch by four-time Olympian Laura Berg.

WPS week 5 roundup

Whoa! Was Sunday night's game exciting. Abby Wambach scored in the 90th minute to give the Washington Freedom the 4-3 victory over FC Gold Pride. Wambach finally broke her scoring draught with two goals in the match.

Chicago embarrassed Boston with a 4-0 win on Saturday night. It was great to be able to see the broadcast on the Internet. Despite how fancy Match Tracker is, it is a whole lot nicer to be able to see the players run around on the pitch - sound control or not.

The St. Louis Athletica and Sky Blue FC are still looking for their first win. The Athletica tied the Sol on Saturday, which is surprising for me since the two teams are on opposite ends of the standings. I'm looking forward to watching the Athletica play for the first time on Sunday when they play the Washington Freedom. Is it just me or are a lot of Freedom games aired on FSC?

The Standings:
Los Angeles Sol 3-0-1 (10 points)
Chicago Red Stars 2-0-2 (8 points)
Boston Breakers 2-2-0 (6 points)
FC Gold Pride 1-2-1 (4 points)
Washington Freedom 1-2-1 (4 points)
Sky Blue FC 0-1-2 (2 points)
St. Louis Athletica 0-2-1 (1 point)

Shock sign Kristin Haynie

The Detroit Shock sign free agent point guard Kristin Haynie. The Michigan State standout began her career with the Sacramento Monarchs as the 9th overall pick in the 2005 WNBA draft. Haynie played with the Monarch for 3 seasons, winning a championship in her first season, before being taken in the Atlanta Dream expansion Draft in 2008. Haynie has a career average of 3.5 points and 2.5 assists per game. Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer had his eyes on Haynie since she entered the WNBA and he will see what she can bring to Detroit in 2009.

Not softball, but close enough

The IBAF decided to align Olympic baseball with women's game at an attempt to get reinstated back onto the 2016 Olympic Program.

Dana's Run

High School senior Dana Hughes, who will be attending the University of Connecticut on a full softball scholarship, suffered a life threatening brain injury and was unconscious for 3 weeks after a car accident where her good friend Shannon Quail was killed. The accident occurred while she was making final preparations for her senior class project - a half-marathon to help raise money for the BackSoftball campaign. Dana's teammates stepped in and helped to complete 'Dana's Run' which raised more than $4000 for BackSoftball. Dana was able to attend the event after being released from the hospital nine days prior and almost 2 months earlier than expected.

"Dana’s initial desire to help our sport – without our even knowing about it – plus her perseverance that led to an amazing recovery are truly remarkable. We certainly send our heartfelt thanks but also our sincerest wishes that she will be able to come back completely from this most challenging ordeal," stated ISF President Don Porter. Dana Hughes is a true inspiration.

Chamique Holdsclaw signs with Dream

The Atlanta Dream signs WNBA All-Star and Tennessee standout Chamique Holdsclaw.

WPS week 4 roundup

After four weeks of play, the standings are beginning to take shape as the teams are ironing out their lineups.

The Washington Freedom allowed three goals in their 3-1 loss to the Boston Breakers on Saturday. The Freedom are first in the league for most goals allowed with six. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry started all three games this season and has a saves percentage of 65% with 11 saves out of 17 shots on goal. One should wonder whether Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra will be switching goal keepers next week to Canadian National Team player Erin McLeod. Speaking of goalkeeping, Chicago Red Star Caroline Jönnson has been impressive so far this season. Chicago's third place standing can be contributed to Jönnson's 20 saves on the season with 21 shots on goal. (Read more...)

BackSoftball trotting the globe

After softball was dropped from the Olympic Program in 2005, the BackSoftball campaign, a long with a 10-point blueprint, was created to develop the sport of softball internationally. The Task Force, Athlete Ambassadors, and other representative for the sport of softball have increased their efforts as the vote for its reinstatement draws closer.

In February, the ISF opened its office in Lausanne, Switzerland located at the a la Maison du Sport International. The ISF thought necessary to open headquarters in Europe where the sport of softball has been growing. ISF President Don Porter was recently in Lusanne addressing softball’s almost 30 year doping-free record in international competition. According to Porter, softball has always followed the initiatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency. (Read more...)

WPS Roundup Week 2

In WPS action on Saturday, Sky Blue FC tied FC Gold Pride 1-1. Gold Pride defender Carrie Dew scored off of a deflection on a corner kick by Tiffeny Weimer in the 33rd minute. East Brunswick native Heather O' Reilly scored the first goal for Sky Blue in the 76th minute assisted by Sarah Walsh. USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage was in attendance.

The Chicago Red Stars tied the Washington Freedom 1-1.

The Boston Breakers shut out the St. Louis Athletica 2-0.

Standings:

Los Angeles Sol 2-0-0 / 6 points

FC Gold Pride 1-0-1 / 4 points

Chicago Red Stars 1-0-1 / 4 points

Boston Breakers 1-1-0 / 3 points

Sky Blue FC 0-1-1 / 1 points

Washington Freedom 0-1-1 / 1 point

St. Louis Athletica 0-0-2 / o points

Complete standings

2009 WNBA Draft Board

2009 WNBA Draft:
1st Round:
1. Atlanta Dream: Angel McCoughtry (F/Louisville)
2. Washington Mystics: Marissa Coleman (G/Maryland)
3. Chicago Sky: Kristi Toliver (G/Maryland)
4. Minnesota Lynx: Renee Montgomery (Connecticut)
5. Phoenix Mercury: DeWanna Bonner (F/Auburn)
6. Indiana Fever: Briann January (G/Arizona State)
7. Sacramento Monarchs: Courtney Paris (C/Oklahoma)
8. New York Liberty: Kia Vaughn (C/F/Rutgers)
9. Minnesota Lynx: Quanitra Hollingsworth (C/Virginia Commonwealth)
10. Connecticut Sun: Chante Black (F/C/Duke)
11. Detroit Shock: Shavonte Zellous (G/Pittsburgh)
12. Seattle Storm: Ashley Walker (F/California)
13. Los Angeles: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (F/Purdue)

2nd Round
14. San Antonio: Megan Frazee (G/F/Liberty)
15. Minnesota Lynx: Rashanda McCants (F/North Carolina)
16. Chicago Sky: Danielle Gant (G/F/Texas A&M)
17. Connecticut Sun: Lyndra Littles (F/Virginia)
18. Detroit Shock: Brittany Miller (C/Florida State)
19. Indiana Fever: Christina Wirth (F/Vanderbilt)
20. Sacramento Monarchs: Whitney Boddie (G/Auburn)
21. New York Liberty: Abby Waner (G/Duke)
22. Los Angeles Sparks: Ashley Paris (F/Oklahoma)
23. Washington Mystics: Camille Lenoir (G/USC)
24. Washington Mystics: Jelena Milovanovic (F/Serbia)
25. Atlanta Dream: Shalee Lehning (G/Kansas State)
26. San Antonio Silver Stars: Sonja Petrovic (F/Serbia)

3rd Round
27. Atlanta Dream: Jessica Morrow (G/F/Baylor)
28. Washington Mystics: Josephine Owino (Union)
29. Chicago Sky: Jennifer Risper (G/Vanderbilt)
30. Minnesota Lynx: Emily Fox (G/Minnesota)
31. Phoenix Mercury: Sha Brooks (G/Florida)
32. Indiana Fever: Danielle Campbell (C/Purdue)
33. Sacramento Monarchs: Morgan Warburton (G/Utah)
34. Phoenix Mercury: Jessica Adair (C/George Washington)
35. Los Angeles Sparks: Britney Jordan (G/Texas A&M-Commerce)
36. Connecticut Sun: Alba Torrens (F/C/Real Club Celto Indepo)
37. Detroit Shock: Tanae Davis-Cain (G/Florida State)
38. Seattle Storm: Mara Freshour (G/Florida State)
39. San Antonio Silver Stars: Candyce Bingham (F/Louisville)

Softball, Psych, and #6

A softball game ending in a tie?! On Wednesday night, I was watching a replay of the Tennessee/LSU match from April 5. In the middle of a heated contest between two SEC giants play had to stop at 4pm due to travel issues. The game was left at a 3-3 standstill.

Via email, Title9guy asked me this question:

I was a lucky kid. I always seemed to get coaches that believed in me and the team. I was taught not to fear other players and teams. I was also always taught that we should respect other teams and players. We looked to our coaches to build our confidence as individuals and as a teams.
My question comes from a quote I read in the Sports section of a News Paper. The coach was quoted as saying” Our pitching is our weak spot”. My first thoughts was: Well now the other teams will not fear of your pitching staff.
My second thought was: I’m sure the pitching staff will not have as much confidence in themselves after reading that quote.
My third thought took me back to the many times as a catcher I walked out to the Pitcher and tried to say something that would instill confidence.
So my question is this: What do you think when you hear a coach saying like “ Our Pitching is our weak spot ; or worse yet, I don’t have confidence in my pitching staff.”

Coaches want to convey confidence in their team, but they also have to assess the weak areas. Coaches usually give open opinions about their team to the press and anyone who has knowledge of a team would know its weak points and strong points. Occasionally, calling a player out on their weakness provokes them to strive to improve. The environment has to be right and some players are better at handling criticism than others. Either way, I would hate to be the pitching staff in that situation.

UConn won its sixth NCAA Title after rolling over Louisville on Tuesday 76-54. Not bad for the Big East to have two teams in the NCAA Title game. I was surprised that Louisville made it that far in the tournament. This year it seemed to be any teams year to make it to the finals, but no one came close to touching the Huskies. A veteran team such as Connecticut plays with such poise that even though they seemed tight in the beginning, the closeness of the game didn't seem to rattle them. Connecticut finished the season with a perfect 39-0 record.

Challenges for girls playing HS baseball

This article in the New York Times on girls participating in high school baseball was my inspiration for April's book, Stolen Bases. What's interesting about the article is the general assumption that baseball is for boys and softball is for girls. The sports, even though they seem similar, play on different fields and have a set of different rules. As one father put it, "it's like saying ping-pong and tennis are the same sport." In 2008, there were approximately 1,000 girls playing high school baseball. California led all states with almost 400.

Book Review: Nike is a Goddess

On Sunday, as I was driving down I-95 to see Sky Blue FC host the Los Angeles Sol in its inaugural WPS match, I was reflecting on all the women who challenged archaic and suppressive notions in the last century regarding athletics. Ten years ago, even considering going to a professional women’s soccer match would be inconceivable. I was grateful for all the women who sacrificed to help make this possible, not only in the sport of soccer, but in other sporting fields as well. Nike is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports (Atlantic Monthly Press, NY, 1998) will make you appreciate how far women’s athletics have come although we still have much further to go.

With each chapter written by some of the best contemporary sports writers, Nike Is a Goddess (roughly 318 pages) tells the story of women who paved the way for today’s athletes from track and field, tennis, baseball and softball, golf, skiing, equestrian, swimming, boat sports, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, figure skating, and gymnastics. Each chapter follows the same layout, giving a history of the sport in general then delving into the evolution of the women’s struggle for acceptance, which was a recurring theme in every sport. The writers recounted accomplishments of famous and even obscure athletes in the roughly 25 pages they were allotted. These short narratives will not only give the readers a deeper understanding into the struggles women had to go through, but will also heighten the reader’s interest to learn more about each sport.

There are so many influential women packed within these pages that inspire the utmost awe and respect: Gertrude Ederle who was the first woman to swim the English Channel. Golfer, Kathy Whitworth has 88 victories which is the record for both men and women. She became the first female player to make $1 million. Rower, Anita DeFrantz, who was the first women ever selected to the vice presidency of the International Olympic Committee, protested the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games. DeFrantz has been influential in getting more women’s sports onto the Olympic Program.

An interesting note is that the book is copy written in 1998, before some major achievements in women’s athletics. For instance, author Elise Pettus reflects on the 1996 Olympics being a huge milestone for women’s soccer when most people would now consider the 1999 Women’s World Cup the more notorious event.

Although the book was well written, I don’t think baseball and softball should have been lumped together. Author, Amy Ellis Nutt examined the history of baseball for about 20 pages and gave maybe 3 paragraphs on softball’s history with the other 2 pages revolving around its 1996 Olympic debut. That was a little disappointing to say the least. Jean Weiss’ chapter on skiing could have been more on the stories behind the athletes and less on who won what. Barbara Stewart, who authored the chapter on ice hockey, was incorrect in calling softball “baseball’s slower, softer cousin.” Anyone who has played the sport will tell you that despite its name, softballs definitely aren’t soft and the sport has actually a much faster pace than baseball. Basketball author, Shelley Smith, perpetuates feminine myths in sports with this wincing remark: “…little girls saw that being a player was not only acceptable but also revered by the American public. These women were beautiful and feminine and tough as nails on the court.”

Nike is a Goddess is an inspiring read and I would recommend it to those who also want to learn about Wilma Rudolph’s career in track and field, the inception of the LPGA, Babe Didrikson’s sport hopping, why Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser stole the Japanese flag from the Emperor’s Palace during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and that Kerri Strug really didn’t need to perform that last vault. It’s important to learn the history of women’s athletics to understand who laid the foundation for female athletes today.

Softball growing in Europe

UK NATIONAL SOFTBALL LEAGUE CONFIRMS SPORT’S CONTINUING GROWTH IN EUROPE

ISF President: “Reaching out to young people is at the heart of the BackSoftball campaign”

Plant City, Florida (USA); 6th April 2009: Softball’s universality has been furthered by the confirmation of a new National Softball League in the UK, which will encourage more young people to take up the sport.

The new 15-team competition, which has secured major sponsorship from Covee, the European softball equipment supplier, will be played over three tournaments starting in June, including the Windsor Tournament, the largest of its kind in Europe with 52 teams in a range of different formats.

All 15 teams will also compete in the Premier Nationals tournament being held in Reading this summer with the winners going on to represent the UK in the European Championships next year.

Organizer Roger Grooms said, “A lot of sports have been affected by the recession recently and the enthusiasm to get this competition going underlines how popular softball is in the UK.

“Manchester, East Midlands, and Solent are putting in league composite teams as they see this as an excellent opportunity to develop younger players onto the adult scene and we have even allowed an Irish team, Munster, to take part, because they are keen to pit their wits against the best the UK has to offer. Softball has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and the support we have had to organize the National Softball League (www.nationalsoftballleague.co.uk) has been fantastic.”

International Softball Federation President Don Porter said, “Softball is continuing to become more and more professional and I am delighted that the UK softball scene is thriving so much.

“I understand that the organizers are planning to use the competition to get more involved in the community. Reaching out to young people and women in particular is something that is at the heart of the BackSoftball campaign for Olympic reinstatement.”

Softball was first featured in the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and last year’s competition in Beijing was very successful with a total attendance close to 180,000 and a continuation of the sport’s excellent record of no positive doping tests in women’s international softball since testing began in 1982.

A final decision on which sports will be added to the current roster of 26 at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be made at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen in October this year.

UConn will be playing Louisville in NCAA Finals

UConn and Louisville will be squaring off in the NCAA women's basketball finals.

Stringer elected to the HOF

Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer was elected to the Naismith Hall Class of 2009. Stringer, who is the third winningest coach in women's college basketball history (825-280), started her coaching career at Cheyney State College where she took the team to the Final Four in 1982. She then led the University of Iowa to the Final Four in 1993, and Rutgers in 2000 and 2007.

Women's Soccer and Girl Fight

Since I don't have the mental capacity to follow live soccer stats, I found Girl Fight on HBO On Demand while attempting to follow the Saint Louis Athletica/Chicago Red Stars match on WPS's fancy Match Tracker. No matter how elaborate Match Tracker is, with the animations of faceless players rehashing the goals, it's just not the same as watching it live. Even though I have to say, WPS does a great job of making live stats as interesting as humanly possible.

The Red Stars blanked the Athletica 1-0 on a goal by Lindsay Tarpley in the 78th minute.

Also a reminder, The Los Angeles Sol will try to stretch their unbeaten streak to two as they face Sky Blue FC at 4pm in Brigdewater, NJ. You can follow that game on Match Tracker. FC Gold Pride will be hosting the Boston Breakers at 6pm on Fox Soccer Channel.

If you haven't seen Girl Fight yet it is definitely a movie worth watching.

Sports Smorgasbord

The Final Four is set for Sunday. Stanford will be facing Connecticut - a rematch of last year's Final Four. Louisville defeated Maryland for the right to play Oklahoma in St. Louis. Coach Jeff Walz had a superb game plan and his team playing excellent on both ends of the court.

I actually made my mother very upset on Monday. I called her and told her to watch the Louisville/Maryland game and surprisingly (she's the antithesis of a sports enthusiast) she watched the entire game. She called me after the game very distressed after watching Marissa Coleman come off the court hysterically crying into Coach Brenda Frese's arms. I choked up a little myself. I don't remember the last time I saw such raw emotion from an athlete. I'm really looking forward to watching her play in the WNBA this summer.

I got my first glance of women's college softball on Sunday catching a couple innings of Florida/Alabama before the Women's Professional Soccer match. Since that is all I can currently tell you about women's college softball, here are the current rankings from ESPN/USA Softball.

Speaking of softball, I posted a press release (scroll down) from BackSoftball about the International Olympic Committee shortlisting only 2 sports that it will vote on during the IOC session in Copenhagen this upcoming October. I think my heart skipped five beats when I read it, but I'm still pulling for softball to make the cut and hopefully be reinstated back onto the Olympic Program. Here is the ISF update from April 2 about Softball's presence at last week's annual SportAccord in Denver.

I know I still haven't posted a review of Nike is a Goddess, which I dreamed about on the night of March 31st (the book haunts me in my sleep) since I haven't finished reading it yet. I'll hopefully have it done by the end of this weekend, but most likely Monday or Tuesday. The book is 300+ pages, the words are microscopic, and there is not a lot of margin space or pictures. Suffice to say, it is a long, but very good book.