Thursday, April 23, 2009

One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Good and bad stuff happened this week.

The best news is that Donna Lopiano agreed to chair the IBAF Women's Baseball Committee. I've heard awesome things about Donna, and as you can see from her bio, she has the know-how and experience to make things happen. My friends Andre LaChance (Baseball Canada) and Sandra Monteiro (Baseball Portugal) are also on the committee. I couldn't think of better folks for the task that lies ahead.

Fellow blogger Jimmy Scott of Jimmy Scott's High and Tight recently wrote an entertaining blog about Donna, the Committee, and me. His blogs always give me a good laugh. Take a look.

I became a board member of the American Women's Baseball Federation, a non-profit organization that promotes baseball as a mainstream and lifetime opportunity for women in the United States and around the world. We share the same philosophies about the growth of women's baseball, so I look forward to accomplishing great things with the AWBF.

Now the bad: I injured my throwing shoulder a couple weeks ago. It started when I reached down awkwardly to pick up an I-Pass from the floor of my car. I felt a strain in my right shoulder, didn't think much of it and went to practice as usual. I threw great at practice, so great that I never wanted to stop. I kept throwing and throwing and throwing for 2.5 hours. When I got home the pain started and I couldn't lift my arm above my head, yipes!

Historically, I never experience any pain from throwing, never had to ice my arm or anything, so this worried me a bit. I took a couple days off and went at it again. Not good. I took a few more days off and tried again. Still pain. I finally went to a specialist yesterday. Diagnosis: Rotator Cuff Tendinitis. What? Sounds awful but the prognosis is actually pretty good. Some physical therapy and I should be back on the mound within weeks. I'd been throwing hard everyday since June '08 without a break, and now rest and rehab is on the agenda. My men's league starts this week, and I'm on the DL :-(

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Support Women's Baseball for 2016 Olympics!

I started a group on Facebook called "Support Women's Baseball for 2016 Olympics" with the goal of retaining 10,000 members. This will show the International Olympic Committee and MLB that we are serious, and that there IS a market for women's baseball.

Please join this group and spread the word as much as you can, and as globally as you can!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Olympic Update!

In an earlier post I spoke about going to the Sport Accord to help the International Baseball Federation get baseball back in the Olympics. I was there as the women's baseball representative. My ultimate hope was that IBAF would decide to add women's baseball to their proposal for reinstatement. I am thrilled to report that IBAF made the official announcement today - women's baseball will be added! This is a major step forward, but the real work is just beginning. Now IBAF must convince the IOC of baseball's global popularity and work to further develop women's baseball programs worldwide.

You can help the cause, simply by joining the Facebook page: IBAF - Bring Baseball Back in 2016! This decision will provide so many more options for girls who prefer to play baseball over softball, and for women who have been breaking barriers for years, playing baseball in the Olympics is the ultimate dream come true!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Comes to Chicago


The IOC is coming to town! Chicago is one of 4 cities bidding to host the 2016 Olympics. The IOC will spend 6 days inspecting our fair city before visiting Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid. They will announce their final decision on October 2nd. Being the great baseball city that it is, Chicago would be the perfect locale to bring back baseball! They may even become the first city in the world to host Olympic Women's Baseball! Come on IOC members! Vote to reinstate baseball in the 2016 Olympics and bring it right here to my home town, Chicago!