Say it isn't so...No NPF champion 2012

(Source)

NPF commissioner Cheri Kempf said the forecast for the rest of the night showed the rain would not let up; any break likely to be barely long enough to get the field ready to begin playing again. She also said there was no contingency plan in place, nothing in the bylaws, to govern playing out the remainder of the championship series on Monday. (source)

This has to be frustrating  to the women who have all agreed to give up their spots on the national teams and focus on playing in the NPF to strengthen it and make it a 'real' professional league. But as of last night the 2012 season ended not as the players had dreamed it would, but as an ugly nightmare that shows - while the players are doing everything they can to improve the league, it will be a second rate entity until the owners, commissioner, and media really get behind the women's pro-fastpitch softball league. In other words so many have dropped the ball on what could have been a real footing into creating a recognizable pro league.

Fingers are pointing from lots of locations, you can not blame mother nature here, the lack of real planning and to the fact that the Bandits were losing their ace pitcher (and five others) who are going back to Japan to continue her pro career for the rest of this season.

"I can say that the championship wasn't complete, and it wasn't complete because Chicago stated it had six players that could not finish," Kempf said. "So therefore, I don't feel like that the right thing to do is to award the championship on one game."

My thoughts are this: While the players should all be proud to make it to the championship. I can not believe a league who plays outdoors, would put such a tight schedule together for a play-off schedule being that they play outdoors, and have players who have other commitments lined up. I'm not sure the powers that be have a clue of whats going on. This could do some real damage to the ongoing and continued growth of the sport.

I wanted to see my favorite Megan Willis get her championship but good luck the rest of the year ladies and see you next season...hopefully!

When they get IT!

You have watched them all season, even in High School. Parents know when they make a mistake, even if the coach or the bench didn't catch it. Parents know their kids flaws and weakness, even if their kid is the best player to lace up some cleats. Ok, on that last one I kid a bit but really, we know.

We are their biggest fans and most knowing critics. They of course are their biggest critic. Even if you seen a mistake and ask them about it, they already know they did that wrong and beat themselves up over it many times over.

Then you see them play that game! Not the perfect game, oh no no! But the game where they battle, do all the little things right and fight thru the not so good things and shine as a star you always knew they were but others don't always see it.

Now remember I'm not talking about their perfect game. The one they will always remember thats too easy, this is the kind of game that they will probably forget but you know they did things during this game that added to them as players and people.

I watched my daughter play that game tonight. She was amazing! She scooped and shot a ball to home on a grounder to the outfield with a perfect throw. It was a close play but the catcher dropped the ball. She came over to me and didn't complain about the drop, oh no! She said, that throw was a bit high might have made that an easier tag. WHAT? I didn't say this to her, I told her hang in there, those will come.

The very next inning she it a LAZER to the short stop, one they had no business getting too, yet they did and threw the lead runner out. She didn't hang her head, nope! Not today, she played her best. In her half of the inning in the field, she had a blooper hit to her, she ran in HARD yet some how the ball got to the ground even thou she slid, she came up throwing and missed the runner by a step. Was it the perfect out come? No, but it was the correct play. She had 3 more plays like that and sold out to get them all. Her at bats weren't awesome, but they were tough and she worked the count finding her pitch.

A few innings later after an at bat she hit a shot over the pitchers head, standing at 1st base and the 5th hitter hits a soft liner down the 3rd base line, the runner from 2nd scores and she rounds and wants to go to 3rd, the cut sees this and doesn't go home but due to her heads up base running she doesn't get throw out. Sound simple, doesn't it? but in the heat of the moment all year long she'd have been thrown out. Next play she scores on a bloop single.

None of this may sound impressive but it was a proud moment today when she walked off the field saying, she could have done better but is still happy with how she played overall. I smiled to myself and knew, she is getting it. While it might not be perfect, no one is! But she gets it.