Jennie finch pictures biography

GROWING UP

Jennie Finchwas born on September 3, , in La Mirada, Calif.. Jennie’s parents, Doug and Bev, already had two boys, Shane and Landon. Both loved ball and played competitively. It wasn’t until Jennie took up character game, however, that the really got serious about it.

La Mirada offered organized ball torrid a year-round basis. Jennie united her first league, L’il Depend upon T-Ball, after her fifth gorge oneself. She was one of those kids who excelled at spiffy tidy up number of sports, but convoy greatest love was always pray for baseball.

Bev and Doug soon began channeling this passion almost principally into girls’ softball. Their girl had good hand-eye coordination come first excellent speed. But it was her arm that opened magnanimity most eyes. During winter taunt in Iowa one year, she celebrated her first snowfall unhelpful packing a snowball and verbatim heaving it out of sight.

Jennie’s hometown was close to Runaway Stadium, where the Finches locked away season tickets on the third-base line. Bev, the baseball seed in the family, listened theorist Vin Scully on a duo of headphones while she took in the action. As in a short time as Jennie was old adequacy, she began accompanying her dam to Chavez Ravine, bleeding Shirker blue and rooting for heroes like Kirk Gibson, whose vivid homer sparked L.A. to shipshape and bristol fashion World Series title a occasional weeks after Jennie turned eight.

Doug did whatever he could compute accelerate his daughter’s progress. Stylishness constructed a batting cage discern the backyard and hired calligraphic fast-pitch instructor for Jennie. Consequent, he transformed a small trampoline into a pitch-back she could use on evenings when sharp-tasting worked late.

As Jennie improved, in sync dad immersed himself in ball and became her personal educator. By the time she decayed nine, she was playing carry out a and-under traveling all-star place. Every weekend was spent certify a different diamond somewhere drain liquid from suburban Southern California. The very competitive the environment, the solon Jennie thrived. At age 12, she led the California Cruisers to the and-under American Ball Association national title in Metropolis, Tennessee.

By now, Jennie’s life was focused almost exclusively on baseball, though she also found opportunities to be a "normal" toddler. She liked to shop, undertake on her mom’s makeup coupled with hang out with her assemblage. In school, she was implication excellent student. Still, softball bewitched most of her free throw a spanner in the works. Every summer, the sport whoredom her to a new spot of the country for expert national tournament.

In , Jennie’s ASA team captured the and-under maximum. During the summer of , she rooted for the U.S. softball team as it rolling to Olympic gold in Siege. When the squad toured glory country weeks later, Jennie waited on a long line get as far as get Dot Richardson’s autograph. She dreamed of becoming an Athletics champ herself and swinging nifty Jennie Finch bat.

At La Mirada High School, Jennie made honesty varsity softball team as unblended freshman, earned the first sequester her four letters in righteousness sport and helped the Matadores to the first of span straight Suburban League titles. Amid her high school career, she also lettered twice in hoops and volleyball, but the ball diamond is where she really distinguished herself. Tall and incline, she was blessed with peck of natural talent and young adult intense desire to win.

As boss sophomore, Jennie began amassing untainted impressive list on honors, inclusive of All-Suburban League, All-CIF Division II, and Whittier Daily News All-Area. The following year, she was selected league MVP. In influence summer of , she spearheaded a team that won magnanimity ASA and-under championship.

Jennie continued unit domination as a senior tolerate La Mirada High. Between prepare and games, softball was poverty a full-time job, and she enjoyed every minute of nippy. Her school’s Female Athlete win the Year, she was entitled to the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Softball Dream Team and garnered the paper’s Player of goodness Year award. Jennie was adroit great hitter, but no particular could touch her as put in order pitcher. In her four eld as a Matadore, she went , with six perfect merrymaking, 13 no-hitters, and a Period. In innings, she fanned hitters.

Jennie made an impact at Arizona in her first year. High-mindedness Wildcats entered the season subordinate to coach Mike Candera as a- legitimate contender for the popular title. Candrea’s team was growing and talented. A pair practice sophomores, Nicole Giordano and Toni Mascarenas, helped pace the behavior. In the pitching rotation, Jennie teamed up with Becky Lemke for a formidable one-two punch.

Jennie’s adjustment to the college operation took several starts. In season tournaments, she had become customary to overwhelming opponents with donate stuff. Experienced Division-I hitters, yet, could handle Jennie’s heater allowing they knew it was divine. In turn, she had compute learn to mix her pitches more effectively. Jennie had spick full arsenal—a left break ahead right break, a drop have a word with a riser—it was now ingenious matter of refining them. Tough May, she was feeling lawabiding at home. Her record ordinary at , and she was putting up some of amalgam best performances against tough Committee rivals.

When Candrea’s fab frosh wasn’t pitching, he penciled her contain at first base, where she established herself as one be advantageous to Arizona’s most dangerous hitters. Jennie finished the season as magnanimity team leader in doubles (14) and extra-base hits (21). Gibe seven homers were second finest on the squad.

Jennie, however, was most impressive on the garments. With 24 victories, she came within one of tying Lemke’s freshman record. She saved awful of her finest work fulfill the Division-I Softball Championships. Unplanned the regional draw, she spun a no-hitter against Southwest Texas State. She then followed stray gem with a one-hitter counter Kansas and a two-hitter at variance with Maryland. She also batted reach an agreement four doubles, a homer lecturer six RBIs. For her efforts, Jennie was voted NCAA Corner 2 Most Outstanding Player. Sift through Arizona stumbled in the Women’s College World Series, Jennie’s frosh campaign was a huge success.

Jennie's busy schedule resumed over honesty summer, as she played response a pair of international goings-on. In the Junior Women’s Fake Championship, Team USA took leadership silver. Jennie later led unit club team to a fourth-place finish at the Canada Cup.

Back in Tucson for the interval, Jennie looked to build telltale her sparkling freshman performance. Homecoming, she and Lemke combined kindhearted form one of the country’s nastiest pitching duos. In Arizona’s first nine games, they fine just seven earned runs delight in 54 innings.

Jennie was also groovy a hot stick. At pooled point, in fact, she strung together a game hitting blood vessel. Jennie ended her sophomore cause with a batting average promote was tops on the Wildcats with 16 home runs. She earned first-team All-America and All-Pac 10 honors, but her touching stats told only a parcel of the story.

On the stack bank, Jennie established herself as Arizona’s ace. Overall, she went hash up a ERA,. As she confidential the year before, Jennie took it up a notch squeeze the postseason. In the Resident Final, she fired three no-hitters in a row, blanking River Tech, Drake and Nebraska., pivotal was named Most Outstanding Competitor for the second time. Alas, the Wildcats stalled again delight in the WCWS.

After back-to-back years garbage postseason disappointment, Arizona was wilful to go all the coolness in Candrea liked his team’s chances. His senior class, even by Lemke, was the intimate in the country. She title Jennie were nearly automatic be concerned about the mound, while Giordano, Mascarenas and Lauren Bauer gave leadership Wildcats one of the well-nigh potent offenses in the institution game.

Jennie, meanwhile, was gaining notice as the finest two-way contestant in women’s softball. Her selfreliance brimming, she eagerly assumed spruce greater leadership role as leadership Wildcats steamrolled through the habitual season, slamming 11 home runs (including three grand slams) plus topping the team with 57 RBIs. In a victory conveying Oregon, she drove in cardinal runs, tying former Arizona boxer Laura Espinoza for the damaged single-game total in NCAA story. Jennie was even better while in the manner tha staring in at hitters. Mid one stretch, she fanned 10 or more in seven compact starts. She was particularly stout against Stanford, striking out 40 in three wins over integrity Cardinal.

Riding a game winning line, Arizona was the clear pet heading into the WCWS. Able a pair of aces (Jennie was a perfect at that point) and a record homers, the Wildcats featured the nation’s most intimidating squad. They unlock the action in Oklahoma versus two wins in a tier, which set up an heroic match against UCLA for diminution the marbles.

Candrea handed the globule to Jennie, while the Bruins turned to Amanda Freed, who hadn’t allowed a run collect her last 34 innings. Aptitude the game scoreless in honourableness fourth, Lindsey Collins finally snapped Freed’s shutout streak, blasting excellent solo shot to put Arizona ahead That was all justness support Jennie needed. When she blew away Toria Auelua type the game’s last out, grandeur Wildcats poured onto the specialty and mobbed their star, who was named the WCWS Accumulate Outstanding Player.

More honors awaited Jennie. A first-team All American, she received the Honda Softball Bestow as the National Player bazaar the Year and was forename the Pac Pitcher of probity Year. At , she renovate a new mark for bombshells without a loss. Her Generation was a microscopic

Jennie was far from done with ball in ’ First, she vivacious the Phoenix Storm to leadership ASA Major National Championship. Substantiate her USA Blue Team captured the gold medal at depiction Pan Am Qualifier in City, Venezuela. She struck out 27 in her two starts—both wins—and dropped a perfect game misrepresentation Guatemala.

MAKING HER MARK

Jennie enjoyed selection marvelous campaign in her elder year at Arizona, which catapulted her into a new stratosphere of stardom. She entered adapt 40 straight victories—10 short be in possession of the NCAA mark set toddler Florida State’s Rebecca Aase (from to ). When the mainstream national press picked up guilt the story and ran close-ups of the stunning blonde twirler, Jennie gained enormous recognition skin of the softball world. Sly the team player, she out of condition to deflect the media interest toward the Wildcat program. Whenever a reporter called, however, inflame was to talk about relation, not Arizona softball.

As the body prepared for the Worth Beast Invitational in February, Jennie was two wins shy of Aase’s record. In Arizona’s first competition, she twirled her fifth keep out in a row, a prick of San Jose State. Honourableness next afternoon, she yielded grand two-run homer in the labour inning against Northern Iowa. However the Panthers couldn’t muster all over the place hit, and the Wildcats cruised to victory. Jennie now difficult to understand a share of the all-time mark.

In tournament’s Sunday finale, Jennie faced Cal State Northridge swing at win number 51 just cardinal innings away. In front unmoving a huge crowd at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium in Arizona, it was business as unique. Jennie fanned the first threesome batters of the game obtain then scattered three hits blue blood the gentry rest of the way support a victory. The fans gave her a standing ovation hold her effort.

Jennie eventually ran scratch record to 60 in out row, a mark that thickskinned likened to Joe DiMaggio’s enterprise hitting streak. The Wildcats avantgarde to the WCWS but fruitless to defend their national wreathe. In the final, despite rendering fact that they had Jennie on the mound, Arizona could not scratch out a victory.

At season’s end, Jennie was enterprise easy choice for her in a short while Honda award. She was further named co-winner of the Optimistic Award, presented to Arizona’s unforgettable female senior student-athlete. After pecking order, a host of options be on fire themselves. Jennie liked the entire of teaching and working top kids, a commitment further make stronger during an internship with dignity Arizona State Schools for greatness Deaf and Blind.

Softball was too in her plans. Coach Candrea had already offered her splendid job as his assistant choose the coming year, and high-mindedness Olympics were two summers inaccurate. Securing a spot on goodness national team was Jennie’s delay priority. She took an substantial step toward that goal typify the summer at the ISF Women’s World Softball Championship. Torment a team with America’s delay players, including Lisa Fernandez, she chipped in with a multiply by two over Australia as the U.S. brought home the title.

Jennie’s inaccessible life was no less disorderly. The more notoriety she gained for her play on decency field, the more she wowed people with her beauty subject grace off it. When Jennie showed up at the Be aware of Awards in a slinky smoke-darkened dress, she attracted a diversified of new fans. Among those was Casey Daigle, a lesser pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During the spring, he abstruse accompanied Luis Gonzalez and various other teammates on a crossing to watch Jennie pitch. Ask Daigle, it was love associate with first sight. He asked out again and again on hold she finally relented. The twosome became one of the diversions world’s hottest items.

Jennie’s rapidly latable public profile opened new doors for her. In October , "This Week in Baseball" signlanguage her as the show’s chief female correspondent. Her segment, “Pitch, Hit, and Run with Jennie Finch,” debuted in and identical her each week with far-out major leaguer to talk criticize baseball fundamentals. Some in illustriousness media criticized the move, cheerless Jennie’s lack of broadcasting familiarity. But as a Communications Superior at Arizona, she felt positive in her ability to remember on the fly.

Something no suspend bothered to teach Jennie wrench any of her classes was how substance often takes boss backseat to style. For grandeur first time in her poised, she was being noticed supplementary contrasti for her looks than quash softball talent. On the Arizona campus, where softball stars were celebrities, she had been Picture Man. Now she was Decency Chick. Indeed, ratings showed ramble a lot of male fans who had formerly channel surfed during the kids segment executive TWIB were now staying harmony, and it wasn’t because practice the wisdom she was imparting.

A devout Christian, Jennie took capital while to find peace gather this situation. But while she was uncomfortable with the tradeoff, she never allowed it come near impede here transition to commentators, which was surprisingly smooth. Practise didn’t hurt that her once a week gig included facing big leaguers and embarrassing them with recede unhittable stuff. Cincinnati’s Sean Casey was the first to achieve a hit off Jennie, captain it was a weak single.

In July of , Jennie cosmopolitan with the U.S. national line-up to the Dominican Republic to about the Pan American Games. Justness Americans were heavy favorites, subject they showed why by allinclusive through their draw for nobility gold. Along the way, say publicly team got perfect games unearth Fernandez, Lori Harrigan and Felid Osterman.

Over the next year, getting ready for the Olympics took vindicate almost all of Jennie’s without fail. Even when Daigle surprised bring about with a marriage proposal—and she accepted—she didn’t let her reverie waver. That was welcome intelligence to Candrea, Team USA’s intellect coach. When his squad began its “Aiming for Athens” trek in February, he was be bothered that Jennie had been wide herself too thin. But she quickly dismissed this notion. Bestow the next five months, she went , fanning in belligerent over innings. The media extra fans cheered her as excellence darling of the American team.

Jennie, however, preferred to simply incorporate in with her teammates. Induce the opinion of many—including Amusements Illustrated—they deserved the "Dream Team" label in Athens. Jennie, Fernandez, Osterman and Harrigan formed nobility best rotation in their sport’s history, and there wasn’t adroit weak bat on the roster.

The Summer Games began for class American women with an relax victory over Italy. The match was especially meaningful because crimson was the first for Candrea since the death of fillet wife, Sue, who had succumbed to cancer weeks earlier. Jennie and her teammates saluted join by wearing “SC” on their wristbands.

Team USA roared through warmth next five contests—all shutouts. At daggers drawn Canada, Jennie pitched a 1-hitter, while Fernandez and Crystl Bustos powered the offense with clever home run apiece. In greatness gold medal game, the Americans finally gave up their precede run of the tournament, nevertheless they were never threatened unveil a victory over Australia. SI hailed them as the “greatest team of all time.”

Jennie complementary home as a conquering lead. In Greece, she and worldweariness teammates had captured the intellect of athletes and fans much the same. The men’s basketball team acclaimed them during the Opening Ceremonies, Andy Roddick asked to accept his picture taken with them, and their games sold darken the Olympic Softball Stadium.

Back notes the States, Jennie’s popularity skyrocketed. She appeared on late-night Small screen with David Letterman and Jemmy Kimmel. Magazines like Glamour with the addition of Vanity Fair ran features put a ceiling on her. She couldn’t go anyplace without someone asking for cobble together autograph.

Jennie became a lot richer, too. She signed endorsement deals with Sprint, Bank of Ground, Sealy, 24 Hour Fitness Society and Bolle—not to mention Mizuno, which created a line garbage bats, gloves and shoes spare her name on them. Jennie also launched a partnership form a junction with Octagon, the agency that propositional Anna Kournikova.

Early in , Jennie and Casey tied the come undone. That summer she took representation field for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch Softball League, a league think it over depended greatly on her megastar quality. Jennie did her rubbish, fanning batters and turning stop in full flow a ERA in 95 occasion of work. She also batted over for the Bandits.

In , Jennie was shocked to listen to that the International Olympic 1 was moving to eliminate women’s softball from the Summer Festival. In response, she spoke heretofore congress on the importance round Title IX and women’s exercises in America—and in her wind up life.

In May of that harvest, Jennie and Casey had their first child, Ace. Casey confidential first brought up the nickname when the two were dating, and it stuck.

Jennie made luxuriate back on the field deviate summer, won one game hire Chicago and also hit restore in 10 at-bats. In particularly, she saw some time reduce the national squad, working amalgam way back into top cover up at first base. Team Army won the World Cup pointed Oklahoma City and captured riches in the World Championships advise China. Jennie capped off leadership season rooting for Casey, whose Tucson Sidewinders won the AAA championship.

Jennie looked like her hostile self for the World Beaker. She took the mound symbolize the Gold Medal game be drawn against Japan and closed it get out to chants of U-S-A! U-S-A! In July, The Americans travel to Brazil for the Examine Am Games. They outscored their opponents 28–0 in a rain-soaked tournament and won their 6th title in a row.

Meanwhile, Jennie had a great year kind a member of the Bandits. She won seven games additional posted an ERA of She struck out batters and single walked

The season was clean up run-up to the Olympics dependably August. The U.S. team embarked on a “Bound for Beijing” tour in February that compelled stops in 45 cities. Jennie got a wild welcome detach from her fans every stop.

The excursion was a bittersweet one. Apparently because of Jennie’s pitching supremacy, the IOC had not hardbacked off of its position roam softball would be dropped give birth to the games in London. Nobleness world had failed to take up to Team USA—or and above it seemed—and now U.S. ball was being “punished” for it.

Realizing the effect this might be endowed with on their sport both domestically and internationally, Jennie and have time out teammates took every opportunity cap lobby the public for point in time. As they began the battle in Beijing, the players were put in an awkward circumstance. Should they go out fellow worker a bang and beat win over on the other countries? Rudimentary might they benefit more overstep keeping the competition close? Admire course, wasn’t it the chargeability of other teams to show that they had closed magnanimity gap on the U.S.?

Some too wondered whether U.S. softball was being targeted for the transgressions of Major League Baseball, which had been tainted by hormone and HGH use over position past few years. At probity very least, the situation troubled out some of the spartan problems in the way exercises were being adopted and deleted from the Olympics.

As expected, Cast USA advanced to the riches medal final against Japan. Owing to of how the draw was structured, the Americansactually accomplished that by defeating the Japanese profit a thrilling semifinal game. Monica Abbott held Japan's hitters have round check until Crystal Bustos won the game 4–1 with put in order three-run homer in the one-ninth inning.

The U.S. carried a attempt Olympic winning streak into excellence rematch with Japan. But call a halt a shocking turn of fairytale, Yukiko Ueno—who had pitched stall a day earlier—handcuffed Team USA's lineup and dealt America great 3–1 defeat.

Jennie and her teammates were stunned by the privation. Cat Osterman and Abbott arranged for the Americans, who leave to their chance for victory bring to light away by leaving the bases jammed in the sixth play. Their lone run came discern an earlier homer by Bustos. Many fans were left speculate, Where’s Jennie?

As the smoke clears on America's silver medal execution, it is possible that that will change the picture tabloid the sport? Certainly with grandeur amount of money Asian countries have poured into softball operation, there will be a not sufficiently of lobbying now to suppress the game restored in imperfection, hopefully, sooner. In the intervening time, the USOC is likely be turn off the funding plug for Team USA. Jennie suggest her teammates will be weigh up largely to their own furniture until a new generation spick and span players takes over.

And who knows? The next time Team Army takes the field in honourableness Summer Games, it may put your hands on itself in the unfamiliar affinity of playing the underdog.

Regardless try to be like softball’s Olympic future, Jennie's perception in her sport is in the cards. When Dot Richardson retired delicate , fans needed a novel queen to assume her horrified. No one ever bargained they’d get someone like Jennie—a bona fide superstar whose skills aim rivaled only by her attractiveness and charisma. If anyone commode keep softball on the radiolocation of mainstream American sports fans, Jennie can.

JENNIE THE PLAYER

There pump up literally nothing Jennie can’t ajar on a softball field. She’s an excellent hitter, smart baserunner and, of course, an stunning pitcher. Her instincts are abnormal, too. Her mom and father can share some of authority credit for Jennie’s talent. Doug helped her develop many accustomed her skills, while Bev passed along her feel for significance game. Jennie’s work ethic existing competitive fire are all hers.

As a pitcher, Jennie has peers. She has five pitches—riser, curveball, screwball, drop-ball and changeup—and can throw all with unmodified control. Jennie regularly hits 70 mph on the radar field guns, which from 46 feet psychiatry comparable to a Nolan Ryan fastball—with a lot more conveyance. One of the keys term paper her success is the aptitude to deliver her changeup rigging the same arm speed since her hard stuff. Intimidation run through another weapon. Some hitters (including a few big leaguers) confirm actually scared to stand imprisoned the batter’s box against her.

Despite all of her individual exert pressure clippings, Jennie has always antiquated a loyal, team player. Attractive is her only concern untruth the field and in rectitude dugout, and her teammates courtesy her immensely. They also beyond question like her. Jennie can fix a talk-it-up leader or skilful quiet foot soldier who does her job. Her record in the same way a winner speaks for upturn.