U.S. Eduction Department Rescinds Contentious Title IX Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was announced this week that the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights will withdraw a controversial Title IX policy that allowed schools to measure the athletic interests of female students through online surveys.

The George W. Bush administration had put the unpopular guidelines into place, which many athletics administrators felt made it too easy for schools to disregard female interest. Schools just had to conduct an online survey, and universities could count a lack of response as a lack of interest in athletics. There is usually a low response rate in such surveys, which may or may not indicate a lack of interest. … Continue Reading

Michele Smith Joining Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame

John Rhode
The Oklahoman

The 2010 class joining the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame will feature a passer, a slugger, a pitcher, an outfielder and a tackler.

Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett on Thursday revealed this year’s inductees during a noon luncheon at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum. The class includes two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith.

Also leading the way is quarterback Troy Aikman, who led the Fighting Hens of Henryetta High School, began his collegiate career at Oklahoma, transferred to UCLA and later directed the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships in the 1990s. … Continue Reading

NCAA Player Of The Year And Maryland Head Coach To Lead Fastpitch Seminar

Sparks, MD – Former Virginia Tech softball All-American Angela Tincher, the 2008 NCAA Player of the Year, and University of Maryland head coach Laura Watten will highlight an accomplished instructional staff at the All-Pro Fastpitch (APF) Softball Coach/Player Seminar scheduled to be held December 5, 2009, at the Hunt Valley Marriott. They will be joined by former Maryland All-American Amber Jackson and Tincher’s college teammate, former All-ACC selection Kelsey Hoffman Schmitt, at the event, which is designed for coaches, parents of fastpitch athletes and youth players 12 years of age and older.

The APF Coach/Player Seminar is scheduled to run from 10 am. Until 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. It will cover most aspects of the game, including pitching, hitting, defense and catching as well as a segment on developing an effective practice plan. Each segment will include a Q&A opportunity with the instructors, and there will be an opportunity for photos and autographs following the event. … Continue Reading

USA Softball Ladies In ESPN Magazine.

ESPN The Magazine’s inaugural ‘Body Issue,’ which honors athletes of various shapes, sizes, genders, races and — it would appear– stages of pregnancy! USA Softball star Jessica Mendoza, a gold medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games, posed alongside her teammates this summer while 8 ½-months pregnant with her first child.

“The bodies in this issue vary from super buff, to lean, to stocky … all exemplifying beauty in their own way,” the 28-year-old outfielder notes. “I was proud to be in this issue at a unique time of my life.” Jessica adds, … Continue Reading

The Triple Threat Softball Camp

Last weekend the Triple Threat Softball Camp held their first camp in McKinney,Texas. Since I live about 30 miles from McKinney I thought I would take The Fastpitch TV Show camera to McKinney and see what kind of film footage I could get for future episodes.

If you not be familiar with The Triple Threat Softball Camp, you are not alone. It is a brand new project put together by former Olympians Caitlin Lowe, Cat Osterman, and Kelly Kretschman. As I said the McKinney Stop was the first of seven currently scheduled. You can visit the camp website at www.triplethreatsoftball.com
… Continue Reading

Softball Player Named Finalist for Sportswoman of the Year Award

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.- Washington softball player Danielle Lawrie has been named one of 10 finalists from around the world for the 2009 Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year award, the organization recently announced. Each year, the Women’s Sports Foundation recognizes an individual and team Sportswoman whose performances over a 12-month span has been above and beyond those of their peers. Criteria is based on new records and world championships won.

Lawrie is nominated in the team category with 10 other qualified athletes, including Brazilian soccer player Marta, University of Connecticut basketball player Renee Montgomery and other athletes representing the sports of tennis (doubles), volleyball, bobsledding, curling, bowling, lacrosse and ice hockey. … Continue Reading

Loss Feels All Wrong To Beardstown Softball Team

BY MATT WING
Journal-Courier

Imagine being three outs away from winning a state championship. Now imagine losing the title before another pitch is thrown.

Parents, players and coaches from the Beardstown Girls Junior League All-Stars are crying foul after Beardstown was ruled the loser in the championship game of the Girls Junior League Softball State Tournament in East Chicago, a tournament that feeds into the Little League World Series. … Continue Reading

Jack Nicholson Wants To Watch Reese Witherspoon Play Softball

If a girl you liked had Jack Nicholson as a father, would you be too scared to ask her out? Even if that girl was Reese Witherspoon? I would think so, but then this isn’t a situation I would ever find myself in. Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson will however, according to The Hollywood Reporter: Nicholson is “in talks” to take the role in an untitled romantic comedy from James L. Brooks.

The romantic comedy stars Reese Witherspoon as a professional softball player who is torn between two handsome, available men: Rudd, a nice, ordinary guy, and Wilson, a rakish fellow with one heck of a fastball. It clocks in at 94 miles an hour. … Continue Reading

Reese Witherspoon To Play Professional Softball Player

Reese Witherspoon will show off her softball skills in an upcoming movie when she plays a professional sportswoman.

The Oscar winner has revealed she has been secretly planning the untitled Jim Brooks film for the past two years – and its great fun. … Continue Reading

‘Windmill’ pitch a risk to softball pitchers’ arms

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The “windmill” motion used in fast-pitch softball puts pitchers at risk for injuries to the biceps muscle, a new study suggests.

Softball pitching has traditionally been seen as less stressful to the arm than the overhand pitching used in baseball. However, recent studies have suggested that college and professional softball pitchers run a high risk of chronic shoulder pain.

The new study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that strain placed on the biceps muscle, which connects with tendons in the shoulder, may be to blame. … Continue Reading