One of the greatest athletes of all time has retired recently. It’s not some old quarterback. It’s not some home run king or some basketball player who averaged 27 points a game during his career. In fact, it’s not even a man. Sorry all you testosterone-energized maniacs, but it’s Jennie Finch, the most recognized softball player in the history of the game.
Finch is the ultimate icon of any sport — bigger than Tiger Woods is to golf, Michael Jordan to basketball, Richard Petty to auto racing. Unfortunately, because she is female, and softball is still a relatively unpopular sport, she is not as well known.
I’m willing to bet that less than half of you who read this article have any idea who she is. At least the same number of you have probably never seen a women’s softball game above the level of high school.
The holder of two Olympic medals, three World Cup championships, three World championships and two Pan American championships, called it quits in late July after just 10 years with USA Softball. The 29-year-old superstar left her spikes at home plate after Team USA won the World Cup championship game in late July. Finch, who had moved from the pitching circle to first base late in her career, went 3-for-3 in her final game.
A couple of months back, I saw her take on a challenge from an arrogant TV sportscaster with the loser donating $1,000 to charity. This guy needed to hit just one of 10 pitches to win the challenge. Guess who was scribbling in HIS checkbook at the end of the event? Of course, the most decorated pitcher in the world does fire off a fastball equivalent to that of a 102-plus mph fastball in baseball.
She was a 3-sport star in high school, also playing volleyball and basketball, and from the pitching circle had 50 wins with six perfect games, 13 no-hitters and a .15 ERA. She averaged 1.76 strikeouts per INNING.
At the University of Arizona, she won 124 out of 132 games and two national championships, going 24-6 as a freshman, 29-2 as a sophomore, 29-0 as a junior and 32-0 as a senior.
There were very few downfalls in her softball career, the most prominent being a loss to Japan in the 2008 Olympics.
Despite the loss to Japan, the world dominance of Team USA ultimately led to the International Olympic Committee voting to remove softball from the Games. You won’t see women’s softball in the 2012 Olympics and it’s unlikely you will ever see another athlete as dominant as Jennie Finch. She really was that good.
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While Finch’s career was virtually injury-free, another hot shot fastballer is already experiencing problems. Stephen Strasburg, the rookie sensation who stormed onto the Major League Baseball scene with Washington a few weeks back, is experiencing inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
I predict this injury early in his career is just a preview of problems to follow. When you throw like Strasburg does it is difficult to remain injury-free. Dude, the arm just wasn’t made to do what you’re putting it through on a regular basis. Injuries will keep Strasburg from becoming the greatest pitcher in the history of MLB. I guess we’ll see if I’m right several years down the road.
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Looking at injuries, X Games 16 will begin on Thursday in Los Angeles minus several motorcycling superstars. Defending Freestyle MotoX gold medalist Blake Williams is out after suffering a shoulder injury. Other motorcycle maniacs who have been sidelined for the games due to injury include James Stewart, Chad Reed, Josh Hill, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Eigo Sato.
Fortunately, Travis Pastrana is healthy and will attempt to compete in five events at X Games. If you follow the Games, you know Pastrana is the most celebrated extreme athlete and one crazy, uh, person. He attempted the first back flip on a motorcycle in 2000 (unsuccessfully) and was the second rider to pull it off. However, he landed the first-ever double back flip on a dirt bike in 2006. At X Games 15, he tried the Rodeo 720 (back flip followed by a full sideways spin), but crashed. He was finally successful with that trick about three months later.
Pastrana is also into rally car racing and last New Year‘s Eve, after the 2009 Chik-fil-A Bowl, jumped his car 269 feet through the air and onto a floating barge in Long Beach, Calif.
It’s no surprise Pastrana, 26, has had numerous injuries throughout his career. Nine were serious and he has had more than 20 major surgeries. One has to wonder if will live to be as old as Jennie Finch. Remember, she is only 29.
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Two former athletes who passed away recently are Ralph Houk, 90, of New York Yankees fame and “the Assassin,” former Oakland Raider Jack Tatum, 61.
Houk only played in 91 games, but managed in more than 3,100 with the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. He went 1,619-1,538, a .514 winning percentage. Houk managed the Yankees to two World Series championships during the pre-George Steinbrenner era. He’s also one of the few managers who did not get fired by Steinbrenner — only because he resigned after one season under “the Boss.”
Tatum helped Oakland win the Super Bowl in 1976 and played in three Pro Bowls, but he is best known for his violent hit that paralyzed New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley. Tatum’s hit was called dirty by many, but he was not penalized on the play, nor did the NFL take any disciplinary action against him. That hit, however, did bring about the NFL’s first major rule change regarding violent hits.
