When the summer games commence in London in 2012 both baseball and softball will not be among the venues. For the record, rhythmic dancing and target shooting will remain, but baseball and softball will not be played. They are eligible for reinstatement, but damage to softball could already be felt before another fast pitch yellow ball finds the strike zone. For those of you who like to be whipped into a patriotic fervor it is believed that the IOC opted to drop softball because of US dominance.

Baseball will survive and continue to flourish. MLB is in no danger of going under and the game has international appeal in Latin America and Asia. Softball does not have the advantage of a league that has been in existence for over a century. Like most women’s sports it relies upon a core group of followers.

The US WNT could always count on a bump in interest during Olympic years. They are always medal contenders and the Gold is usually their target. That is why it was doubly disappointing for the US to lose to Japan in Beijing and settle for Silver. Adding to that disappointment was the loss of key players on the National Team. Five of their side announced retirement from international competition either before or after Beijing. They are Crystal Bustos, Tairia Flowers, Kelly Kretschman, Laura Berg and Lovieanne Jung. Taking Bustos bat out of any lineup is detrimental. Think of her as Manny Ramirez wearing a visor.

Bustos will not be heading toward the National Pro Fastpitch league. She decided to hang up her spikes and will only break them out to conduct clinics. The NPF’s loss will be the gain of any young woman lucky enough to attend a Bustos hitting clinic. She has power, but she is a situational hitter as well and her knowledge is boundless regarding the art of hitting.

All of the losses are important, especially since the Olympic roster consisted of 15 players. That means that 1/3 of the players who contended for Gold are no longer with the squad. While the pitching was untouched, Jung and Flowers takes away from a strong defensive infield, along with their base running skills, and Berg reduces the outfield. Kretschman’s ability to provide a versatile utility player hurts a team that fields a short roster. Presently none of these women have yet to enter the NPF, so their softball future remains unknown.

For the WNT the next event is not until 2010 when they will participate in the World Championship. As of now no site has been set for the event. USA Softball would like to see it in North America. One reason is simply to build interest for the sport. Since the event is two years away there is time to find new players, but mining the same level of talent could be difficult.

Hopefully, remaining players like Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch and Monica Abbott will act as a bridge and provide stability like the US Women’s Soccer team enjoyed during its transitional phase. Players like Rachel Folden and Jessica Sallinger of the NPF Chicago Bandits could be talented replacements. They make up the solid infield of the title winners and even made moves to the outfield during the playoffs. They offer the defensive versatility that will be needed and are competent at the plate. While they are bound to get on base and can hit for power, finding the devastating bat ability of Bustos will take time and maturation of future talent.

WNT Coach Mike Candrea is concerned that losing the Olympics could hurt his recruiting efforts. Although the NPR is a way for athletes to make some money, the season runs concurrent to international events. Both Osterman and Abbott left their teams this season to play for the WNT. Candrea realizes he must secure the same commitment from other players without the cachet of Olympic Gold.

Additionally, he must worry about keeping his current players. Osterman and Abbott are relatively new to the program, but Finch goes back to the days of Lisa Fernandez and the five women who retired. Losing her would put a lot of pressure on Osterman without another strong arm to rely upon in must win games.

USA Softball is making a concerted effort to keep the program strong and viable. They were rewarded this month when Jessica Mendoza was named the Women’s Sports Federation Team Sportswoman of the Year. Mendoza batted third in the lineup in Beijing and came through with a 333 average. She was first in stolen bases, second in home runs and third in RBI. While she benefitted from batting in front of Bustos she helped herself with her own strong bat.

With both Women’s basketball and soccer teams grabbing the Gold, to have a member of the softball team win the award shows the depth of the program. Likewise, knowing they were playing their final Olympic series the team could have gone in the opposite direction. Instead, they took it as a challenge to go out on top and felt the disappointment of finishing second.

The program definitely has a rebuilding process ahead. However, there are deep NCAA programs that feed off of several successful area high school pools. Again, there is plenty of time for scouting and for players the knowledge that such key openings are available should be a draw.

The main factor in recruiting will have to be the relevance of the WNT. Women’s athletics are at a crossroads. While the WNBA has increased exposure, more programs are needed to make the average sports fan aware of what is available. More importantly, that fan must be shown that the skill levels are rising daily.

Jason Kendall once watched Finch pitch in person and stated that facing her on a softball field would be close to impossible. Like their basketball and soccer counterparts, softball players are bigger, stronger, faster and more skilled. The game is much quicker than it was a decade ago and it promises to continue on that path.

Hopefully, the IOC will realize the errors of its ways and reinstate a sport that is played in the US, Asia and Europe. Instead of penalizing the US WNT for being dominant, allow the rest of the world to catch up. Japan won the Gold and their ultimate reward will be the possibility of becoming the answer to the question, who was the last team to win Olympic Gold in softball? I hope that in 8 years they get to defend their title.