Bandits Big Win Secures 1st in NPF League Play!

Tonight was a great night for the Bandits! We clinched 1st place in the league beating Thunder 1-0! Stacy May hit a blast in the 1st inning for our lone run, which was enough for the win! Thorson was lights out on the mound for us tonight! She was solid all the way through, what a night she had! I made it in for the last 2 outs for the save. I want to wish my teammates a big CONGRATS! They have worked so hard all season! Go Bandits!

We have 1 more game against Thunder tomorrow at 3pm to finish the 2009 NPF League Play. We then head over to Akron for the playoffs that begin on Thursday! Check out how you can join in the great softball and fun at www.profastpitch.com

We look forward to competing hard against the best in our sport!

Ace and I snuck out to the city this morning with some dear friends for a picnic in Lincoln Park! We had so much fun, it was such a beautiful day! We were in awe watching the Air Show and even took a quick stroll through the Lincoln Park Zoo! We are loving the Chicago Summer!

Ace is having a blast with our Bandit Family! So much fun, there is lots of kids around and he is enjoying every second of it! Everyone is so sweet to him! He can not wait for the bus ride with his girls! Oh, how he loves the team bus, it gets him fired up! We are so grateful for the many great relationships we have through this great game!

1 more week of season for us starting tomorrow. This summer has flown by! We are rooting Casey on from afar! He is having a great year and we are so proud of him! We look forward to being with him full time when season ends. You can follow him at www.roundrockexpress.com It will be great to have some family time together the rest of his season and the off season!

Our Softball Camps are filling up fast! Very exciting and fun! I look forward to meeting all the eager campers! Our first is in 2 weeks in Sioux Falls, South Dakota! You can register on my camp page on my website www.JennieFinch.com We look forward to seeing you all there and can't wait to share our game with you!

Looking forward to next week and all that it has in store for us Bandits!

PS We need some Bandit fans over there in Akron!!! Hint Hint! :)

Believing!
#27

International Olympic Committee will not reinstate softball for the 2016 Olympic Games

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Softball will not be included in the programme for the 2016 Olympic Games as the 15 members of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board decided Thursday at a meeting in Berlin. One of the seven sports in contention for the 2016 Games, softball was passed over in favor of golf and rugby as the list of possible additions was narrowed down to a final two candidates.

As you can see from above, it was a sad day for softball globally.

I was so saddened and disheartened by the announcement today by the IOC. So many have worked so hard playing, coaching, supporting, this great game of softball to get it where it is today. I, in my short time of 25 years playing this game have seen and experienced it transcend, transcend beyond imagination. Thanks to the many before us, past,present, and future. The opportunities, growing, expanding, becoming... finally. It is played in over 130 countries. We have never had a positive drug test in our sport. We send our best players. I could go on and on. In 2008, having Venezuela qualify for its first Olympic games in our sport is proof that we are growing. Japan getting its first Olympic Gold in our sport. It's Botswana qualifying for World Championships, these opportunities. What an amazing accomplishment for them all! Regarding Olympics, now we will not ever know Who would be there in 2012? Take Gold? 2016?

Luckily here in the US we are blessed! We are blessed with the incredible NCAA as a goal, a hope to achieve along with getting your education. We are so very very lucky! We have the NPF and PFX pro leagues to look forward to, to hope for. There will still be USA softball.

My heart is deeply saddened for the many countries who will not have this funding and the many opportunities that we have. Honestly, it will be tough to continue the growth globally that we have had with our sport without the funding and it not being an Olympic Sport. This makes my heart ache.

People asked me today if I would've played in 2016? I can't even begin to think about me in this situation. I've had the chance! Its the girls who didn't get the chance, the future! The millions of girls who play this sport world wide. Its the girls in Venezuela and Botswana that is who my heart aches for. As a female athlete and ambassador, your goal/hope is to create more for the future. It's to leave the game and know that you have seen it grow and now it is better because of your era. This makes me feel as though we let the future of our sport down. Opportunities now are not what they were, we today took a step backwards as a sport. For this, I am deeply hurt and sad!

Yet there is the future, there is those millions of girls out there... We will continue to fight the fight! I, being married to a MLB player especially realize how far we have to go, a long long ways. Ace at 3 years old has noticed it, "Mommy wheres your clubhouse?" Yes, I have seen how far we have come but today again I am reminded how far we still have to go!

There still will be a USA softball, so girls can still have the dream of wearing red, white, and blue! No, it won't be in the Olympics but it still will be the chance to compete for your great country. This is what we have to build upon. Our sport is too great not to prevail. We have to move on, continue to create opportunity for women in our sport all over the world! We look forward to hosting World Championships next year on our soil in Oklahoma City, next July! This is the event of the world, now "our" Olympics. As softball fans and players all we can do is play it and support it. Continue to prove to our world what a great sport we all know it is.

Young girls out there we pledge to do our best, give it everything we have! Our goal is for more, more opportunity for you than what we had/have! This being said next week there will be some incredible softball being played in Akron, Ohio. The NPF finals! For those of you who do not know, YES we have a pro league! The National Pro Fastpitch! Come out, support, be uplifted by watching some of the worlds best compete! We open up Thursday and finals are til Sunday finishing with a 1 Champion! I look forward to seeing you there!

Dreaming & Always Always Believing!!!!

#27

Back to the Bandits!

What a week! Back from Japan Monday, OKC Tuesday, Round Rock Wednesday, Shrevport Thursday, and now back with the Bandits for the weekend!

What a game tonight... it was a battle. A type of win you don't ideally like but a win is a Win!

We pulled it out 5-4 against Akron. It is great being back and catching up with my teammates. They have been having an awesome season! I have to brag on them, 1st in the league as of now! We have 2 more games against Akron, then a 5 game series against Rockford, and the playoffs in Akron to finish up the season. To follow or attend check out www.profastpitch.com
Looking forward to a action packed couple of weeks. Its good to put back on the pants(I love wearing pants to play, they are so sharp) and orange & black!

We had a blast reuniting as a family spending a short (very short) couple of days together! Ace is so sweet! Its such a blast being together all 3 of us! We enjoyed getting to watch some of Casey's games. He was the Astros Organization's Pitcher of the month this month! We are so very proud of him and all his hard work. He is having a great season and its so fun being there watching him pitch. Ace still is enthralled with going into the clubhouse. Now he asks throughout the game if they are winning of losing to find out if he is able to go! W's are the golden ticket. Its so funny, he gets so upset and is so confused if and why they lose sometimes! Its too cute.

Flying to Round Rock below, having fun with his daddy on the plane!



Ace and I were able to sneak away to the OKC zoo too for a quick trip! So much fun! I just can't get enough of my little guy. He was mimicking the gorilla below! We had a blast!



I went to Shrevport to attend a USFA tournament for Mizuno. I was able to meet some adorable young softballers and some great people. Even get in some snapper and stuffed shrimp! It was delish! Oh the south!

Looking forward to another game tomorrow night here in Elgin vs Akron.

It was fun seeing my girls even though they are our opponents now with Akron... they are still my girls, Jenny Topping (My Top) and Crystl Bustos (My Boo)! Much more fun seeing them off the field and out of uniform, then in. But its always good to see friends, these girls have a special place within me. We missed them not playing USA ball this summer. This league the NPF, is full of talent. SO many great players, great competition every single game!

Dreaming & Believing,
#27

USA 2-0!

We won! USA here we come! It was a great game! Over 3,000 people attended! Good times here in Japan! It was a close one, it was so fun being out there on that mound today! Lappin called such a great game behind the plate. She kept the hitters off balance. We opened the game up with getting 2 runs in the first inning and was able to hold the lead. Great to get those butterflies and compete! I LOVE IT! Defense did a great job keeping it to a shut out!

My little friend, the adorable little boy I blogged about yesterday came back today! Oh, he is too cute! He made my day! I was so happy to see him again! Everyone here as been such generous hosts, a true pleasure. I was able to get a picture with him and his family. I will look forward to hopefully getting the picture to show you just how cute he is! They even brought a gift for Ace, so cute! I gave him my batting gloves and he waved them to us as we pulled away. So cute.

It was sad leaving the field in a way. This was our last event for USA for the summer. I know for me its year to year and just thinking that this could of possibly been my last time wearing the jersey makes me... well, its hard to imagine. Tears to say the least. But not dwelling or trying to think about that its just in the back of my mind. I'm just enjoying the moment, loving it, appreciating it. So grateful and blessed!

Speaking of Ace. Oh man I miss my lil' guy! I can't wait to get back to see him and my big guy! Hoping our travel back goes quick! Really quick!

Now... we are going for a Mc Donald's run, our victory dinner! ;) Going for the cheeseburger baby, with fries! Oh and a Diet Coke! :)

Believing!
#27

Good day for USA!

We picked up 2 wins today! We played Chinese Taipei first, 11-2. Then played Japan, 6-1. Long day at the park. Lots of fun! Lots of offense, gotta love it! Getting ready for bed! We play Japan tomorrow in the final.

The fans at the park are so cute! They are so excited and so very sweet! There was a little boy who captured my heart! He kept yelling bye bye as we were leaving. He was so stinking cute! Looking forward to tomorrow!

Sayonara!
Believing!
#27