A look back at Jennie Finch  

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, 

Happy Spring & softball season!

Harford Xtreme Showcase players were 8- 10 years-of-age back in 2004. It was a time when Jennie Finch was becoming a role model for many such young ladies taking their first steps into a softball spring season.

Jennie Finch

That year, Jennie helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Jennie had a 2–0 win–loss record in the games, striking out 13 batters in eight innings while giving up only one hit, one walk and no runs.

Jennie played softball for the University of Arizona as a three-time All-American pitcher and first baseman, where she notched 60 consecutive wins in the circle! Jennie also pitched for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) softball league from 2004 - 2010.

BELOW ARE EXCERPTS from the 2004 USA TODAY article by Bruce Horovitz. Be sure to read the full article at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/2004-08-09-finch_x.htm

► SUPER STAR: "Jennie Finch is her name. Softball is her game. Her destiny: fame.”

► TALENT: “She tosses a ball 71 miles per hour and has set an NCAA record with 60 victories in a row.”

► BRILLIANCE: “In made-for-TV stunts, she's struck out (among others) two New York Mets: All-Star catcher Mike Piazza and outfielder Mike Cameron. Superstar Barry Bonds stood in, too, but didn't swing at Finch's "rise ball" — which fools hitters by sailing up instead of down.”

► CHARM: “At 6-foot-1, she has hazel eyes, blond hair and a smile that make her look more like a runway model than a runaway Olympic gold candidate.”

► HARD WORK: “While flattered by the attention she receives for her looks, Finch is frustrated by it, too. 'When you train six to seven hours a day to be the best in your sport, you don't want that to be overlooked,' she says. 'I don't train for my looks.'”

► FOCUS: “'It's not my goal for Jennie Finch to be a household name," she says. "My goal is to win the gold medal.'”

► VISION: “But Doug (her dad) says he knew when Jennie was 8 that she was destined for big things. On a family trip to Iowa, Jennie saw her first snowfall. Her reaction was to pack a snowball — then toss it out of sight."

► FATHER'S PRIDE: “'It blows you away," her father says, 'that the little girl with the gap between her front teeth — and one arm longer than the other — can become this.'”

► ROLE MODEL: “What she's become, most of all, is a hero to adoring fans who are mostly 10- to 13-year-old girls. Thousands have joined her fan club. After ballgames, some wait in line for hours for her autograph.” 

CLICK HERE for the official website of Jennie Finch

"To some Softball is a game; to others it's Life."
— Jennie Finch

CLICK ON THE ARROW BELOW FOR VIDEO: Interview with Jennie Finch from "Fox & Friends" last Wednesday, April 4, 2012...