Softball-Size Stars in Their Eyes

Team USA Takes on UCLA

April 29, 2008

By Nancy Snow

Sports enthusiast Nancy Snow, associate professor of communications, traveled to Los Angeles last week to cover a special match-up between Team USA — featuring former Titan Jenny Topping — and UCLA.

Some of us remember the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta. To see by the 9- to 12 year-old set peppered throughout the 1,328 seat sold-out crowd Tuesday night (April 22) at UCLA's Easton Stadium, most weren't even around to witness that important event. It was women's softball — along with Muhammad Ali's lighting of the Olympic torch — that brightened our hearts in an otherwise marred summer Olympics terrorized by a bomber who got away at the time (Eric Rudolph) and an innocent man who didn't (Richard Jewell).

Women's softball debuted that hot summer, and it was the 25-year-old UCLA phenom Lisa Fernandez who became "the face" of the team, along with Dot Richardson, now an orthopedic surgeon. These two were the chief energizer bunnies — they kept going and going much to fans' excitement. Even my brother Stuart exclaimed, "Man, that girl Lisa can throw."

Yes, she can.

The 37-year-old mother and wife still had it as the USA Women's National Team beat UCLA 8-2 in its Round 4 Beijing exhibition game. USA Softball is 26-1 and has outscored its opponents an impressive 276-11 backed by an eye-popping pitching staff with a combined ERA of 0.37. Take that, MLB.

As a lifelong fan of softball and an alumna of Miss Softball America, it was nothing short of thrilling to see the best softball players in the world up close and personal. I've watched many of these athletes for several years as they have graced the Women's College World Series match-ups in Oklahoma City.

I know there is no "I" in Team but these women are Impressive.

California and UCLA are well represented on Team USA. Fifteen of the 18 on the roster (three are alternates) hail from the Golden State and five (Andrea Duran, Lisa Fernandez, Tairia Flowers, Stacy Nuveman, and Natasha Watley) are from the 11-time National Champion Bruins. The University of Arizona is second with right-hand pitchers Jennie Finch and Alicia Hollowell, Lovie Jung and Caitlin Lowe. Cal State Fullerton holds bragging rights too with 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist catcher Jenny Topping.

Tuesday was a very emotional day for Lisa Fernandez. She received her Aretha-inspired PROPS from the fans and from UCLA softball where she's been an assistant coach for 10 years. In March it was reported that Head Coach Mike Candrea gave a courtesy call to Fernandez. Before the news broke, he wanted to tell her she would not be a starting pitcher on the Beijing team. She is still an alternate, but she has not decided if she will go to Beijing, much less pitch there.

Here is what Wikipedia says about softball at the Olympics: "Softball was introduced as an Olympic sport for women (only) in the 1996 Summer Olympics. It is scheduled to be removed from the Olympic program after the 2008 Summer Olympics." Short. To the point. Like a knife to the heart.

Outfielder Jessica Mendoza put it in perspective Tuesday night: "When they told me softball was going to be out of the Olympics, it was like someone telling me someone close to me died."

Let's hope that after this summer's Beijing Olympics, fans will rally and restore women's softball to future games.

Game Highlights:

• Spotting Nelly Galan from this year's "Celebrity Apprentice" program. I couldn't help but mosey on over to greet her and thank her for bringing back some class to television. She hugged me and said, "I'm here for Jennie." Finch was her fellow co-star on Celebrity Apprentice who didn't make it as far as Nelly on the show. The two became good friends and Nelly and family attended the game to show their support.

• Hearing UCLA game announcer Jeff "someone give this exceptional young talent a job" Knox say, "Fans, please leave Kevin Love alone." The UCLA freshman sensation is now bound for the NBA. KL was on the front row until that announcement, after which he made a quick exit. Hey, where's the love?

• Watching Fernandez run out at the end of the game to leave her cleats on the mound. This was her last game at Easton Stadium and the 1,000-plus audience was there to witness the best softball player ever take her final bow. Play misty-eyed for me.

• Meeting Tennessee great Monica "Money" Abbott after the game and telling her how good her hair looks down. She was famous for her tightly wound hair during her college years. Talking about hair and make up, a Southern woman's equivalent to small talk, was acceptable even though Abbott is a California native. I declare her an honorary Southern woman because she turned down some powerhouse programs like UCLA and Arizona to help build up a national championship contender in the SEC. Now that's leadership.

• Telling Monica that I will cheer for Tennessee if they are the only team from the SEC playing; otherwise, Tennessee is THE ENEMY. Roll Tide!

• Talking to Cal State Fullerton's Jenny Topping at length about this game she loves so much. Jenny said softball taught her to be the best person she can be.

• Telling Jenny that if I told the kids I was on a previous Olympic team, they would ask me for an autograph too. She agreed. In the end, I was asked to sign a program because I happened to be standing on the same side of the fence with the players!

• Seeing my favorite UCLA player Jelly Selden get bonked on the head from her catcher's bad throw to second. The entire stadium gasped and then went silent with fearful anticipation. The highlight wasn't the injury but watching Jelly show her true grit by coming back to pitch and showing us that she was okay.

• Watching a homerun clinic from Caitlin Lowe, Jessica Mendoza, Crystl Bustos, Andrea Duran, and UCLA player Julie Burney.

• Sitting in the stadium at Bellagio and Sunset Boulevard as the sun went down.

• Listening to Jessica Mendoza talk so passionately about Team Darfur (athletes for human rights and end to genocide in Sudan); she said that one of the best things about going to China is having the opportunity to show the world to China. She added, "We will respect the country that we're in." I nominate Jessica Sports Diplomacy Ambassador.

• Seeing world-class athletes sign autographs until every 10-year-old girl (and one older professor) was satisfied. And oh yes, watching these girls look up to these players with those softball-sized stars in their eyes.

Game Lowlight:

Just one. Leaving my USA National Team media guide with player autographs on top of my car. My wish is that some starry-eyed kid picked it up and realized it's a keeper.