behind the dugout

Baseball has the World Series, and softball… well it has the Olympics. For now….

It seems hard to believe that four years have flown by since the last time I watched women’s softball. Perhaps even sadder is that after these Olympic games it’ll be gone, maybe forever.

Cat Osterman graced our televisions in 2004. Even from Greece many couldn’t keep their eyes off the long legged, cutie out of Texas. Her dominating presence on the mound was unmatched in those 2004 games and I remember hearing one announcer talk about how Osterman, 21 at the time, could have one of the most impressive Olympic resumes of all time. Even with the Olympics happening just once ever four years Osterman still figured to make another three or four goes at the ceremony.

Last night Osterman no-hit Australia in team USA’s first game. A good sign for Osterman and her teammates but it may highlight what we already knew.

Those thoughts of Osterman’s long Olympic career and the dreams of other girls died in 2005. Faced with an over bloated amount of sports the Olympic committee did the unthinkable, or maybe it’s what we should have expected. They kicked softball and baseball out of the games largely because a few stadiums built to host those events have been largely unused since.

It was announced that following the 2008 games both baseball and softball would be out of the Olympics.

Despite winning four straight Gold Medals the USA Softball team is on the brink of fading away. Their quest for their fifth gold medal in a row begins and where it ends so does softball in the Olympics.

The hope that softball may once again be in the games is not lost on some of the teams players.

The IOC says that sometime next year, the organization will reconsider softball as a possibility for the 2016 Games, wherever they are played. It’s worth noting that the last time a sport was eliminated from the Olympics was 1936, and polo still has not rejoined the games.

While Osterman can relish in her no-hitter last night, fans may see their chances of cheering on the girls of the US fading away with each pitch the 6′2″ left hander makes.