JENNIE FINCH ON YAHOO

The following article appeared on Yahoo Sports, under the headline “A Spicy Dish.”

King of the Road

By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 13 hours, 30 minutes ago

USA’s Jennie Finch throws a pitch in a World Cup of Softball game against Canada in Oklahoma City in 2007.

(AP Photo/Ty Russell)

When it comes to sheer beauty, there may not be a female athlete in history who can match Jennie Finch, a 6-foot-1 hurler for the Olympic Softball team. Still, as attractive as she may be, what sets Finch apart is the way she has dominated her sport since her college days at Arizona.

A three-time All-American, Finch won an NCAA record 60 straight games for the Wildcats before her graduation in 2002. She then helped the USA Olympic team win the gold medal in 2004, and now she’s hoping for a repeat in Beijing this summer. The event will have extra meaning for Finch and her teammates, who were stunned to learn that softball will be discontinued as an Olympic sport after 2008.

Finch – who has appeared on This Week in Baseball and The Apprentice – is married to pro baseball player Casey Daigle. The couple has a son, Ace, who will be 2 in May.

KOTR: According to the tour schedule, ya’ll are going to play more than 60 games in the next five months – in 45 different cities. How draining is all of that travel?
JENNIE: Sometimes we feel like a rock band, being in a different city every other night. It’s definitely taxing, but we do our best with it. We know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we have to take advantage of it. Playing games is what we need. We’re only seven months away from the Olympic Games. You can’t get any better preparation than this.

KOTR: Plus, as tiring as it may be, I’ve got to think it’s also a lot of fun.
JENNIE: Oh, without question. Nothing rejuvenates you like walking into a stadium filled with 6,000 fans, including thousands of little girls chanting USA. It’s a lot of fun.

KOTR: What was your reaction upon learning that softball wouldn’t be a part of the Olympics beyond 2008?
JENNIE: It was like a knife to the heart. I think we’re still in shock. We can’t believe softball won’t be a part of the Olympics in 2012. The sport is at an all-time high. Each year it just gets bigger and better. It’s just amazing that this is happening.

We still haven’t heard a valid reason as to why we were taken out. At this point we just have to focus on using the 2008 Games to showcase how great our sport is so we can hopefully get it back in 2016.

KOTR: Does the situation make you approach the Olympics any differently? Perhaps with a chip on your shoulder?
JENNIE: The Olympics is such a huge thing. We would’ve approached it with the utmost intensity either way. Still, there’s a feeling of ‘This could be it for softball in the Olympics.’

the cast for Celebrity Apprentice. Pictured: (back row l-r) Merilu Henner, Piers Morgan, Nelly Galan, Trace Adkins, Gene Simmons, Carol Alt, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Jennie Finch, Lennox Lewis, Tito Ortiz, Vinnie Pastore, (bottom row l-r) Omorosa, Stephen Baldwin, Donald Trump, Tiffany Fallon, Nadia Comeneci.

(AP Photo/ NBC, Justin Stephens)

KOTR: How much do you worry about the effect this could have on the elementary and high school-aged kids who play softball?
JENNIE: It’s definitely a concern. The 1996 Olympics really put our sport on the map. When young girls are trying to choose between soccer and softball and they see that soccer is an Olympic sport and softball isn’t, will they choose soccer? I don’t know. Hopefully not. Hopefully we can get a pro league going strong. Plus, the college game is at an all-time high. The opportunity is there. We just have to keep it going.

KOTR: You were a recent contestant on the hit TV show “The Apprentice.” What was that experience like?
JENNIE: I loved the opportunity. I loved being there and getting to know the other members and being around Donald Trump. It was fun to try to hang in New York City.

KOTR: You’re a California girl who went to school at Arizona. How big of a change was New York?
JENNIE: I love New York. I don’t know if I would ever want to stay longer than a week or two. But I love to visit. It’s non-stop and full of energy. It’s so diverse. Great food, great people, great entertainment.

KOTR: Gotta ask: New York thin crust or Chicago deep dish?

JENNIE: (Laughing) My pro team is out of Chicago. I like the thick crust, so I’ll have to go with Chicago.

USA’s Jennie Finch holds the 2007 World Cup of Softball championship trophy, and her son, Ace Daigle, 14 months, on July 16, 2007.

(AP Photo)

KOTR: In May of 2006 you gave birth to your first child, Ace. Describe what it’s like to be a mother.
JENNIE: There’s never been a greater feeling than having my son and being able to experience motherhood. It’s a love like no other. It’s an unexplainable feeling and it continues to get better. You feel this love inside that you never even knew was there.

KOTR: Has the situation affected your career?
JENNIE: I’m so glad that I’m able to be a mom and still play. In the past people would think that there’s no way. Once you got married you had kids and that was it. Thanks to the ambassadors before me, like Leah O’Brien in 2004, I think it hit us like, ‘Wow, we can really do this. We can juggle it.’ USA Softball has been very accepting as far as allowing us to travel with the kids. It’s been a fun ride.

KOTR: So Ace is traveling with you and the team?
JENNIE: Yes, my husband (Casey Daigle) plays baseball, so I really don’t have a choice. I don’t think I’d want it any other way, though. I’m lucky to have my mom or my mother-in-law or my aunt travel with us. It’s been good for the entire family.

KOTR: You mentioned your husband. Does it help being married to an athlete who may be able to relate to what you’re going through and vice-versa.
JENNIE: We definitely understand each other a lot more, the game and that kind of thing. At the same time it can make it even more tough working around each other’s schedules. We’re so honored to do what we do. It’s a pretty cool thing.

It’s funny, though, because people think we talk baseball and softball so much. But I bet people that are married to non-athletes probably talk about the game more than we do. We both understand that, when we’re around each other, it’s our time away from the game and that we need to enjoy our lives off the field.

KOTR: What are your plans after the Olympics?
JENNIE: I’m not sure. Right now I’m looking forward to being a wife and a mom. But I definitely want to help the national pro fastpitch league get going. Hopefully I can be a big factor in that.

I’ve always said that the best thing about having a gold medal is being able to share it. I like to put it on young girls so they can set goals and dream. Anything I can do to be a positive influence and to keep them active in softball is fine with me.

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