If you watched any of the Women’s College World Series on ESPN, there were two themes: (1) Oklahoma is by far the top softball program in NCAA history and, (2) college softball in the West doesn’t register in today’s national consciousness.
Those mid-week, prime-time Texas Tech-Texas championship series games drew as many as 2 million viewers. Compare that to the 2001 WCWS championship game, which was held at 10:15 a.m. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ time on a Monday. The softball was just as good or better then — ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Jennie Finch went 32-0 to beat 62-6 UCLA in the ’01 championship game — but college softball had not yet grown in public consciousness. Those games probably drew fewer than 100,000 viewers.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ pitcher Jennie Finch delivers Monday, May 28, 2001, during the championship game of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Finch pitched a 1-0 shutout against UCLA to lead ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to the national championship. Finch was named the series MVP.
ESPN announcers also made a point to emphasize that Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady had pitched almost every inning at the/World Series, 686 pitches in succession at one point. Compare that to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 2007 NCAA championship softball team in which Taryne Mowatt pitched eight games in seven days, 1,035 total pitches, and won five elimination games without being relieved.
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Also, the ESPN announcers failed to mention that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Mike Candrea, who has won as many national championships (eight) as Oklahoma’s Patty Gasso, is still the career leader in coaching victories, 1,674, compared to Gasso’s 1,565.
Final ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-was-once-was-the-king-of-softball note: At the 2001 WCWS, four teams were represented by players from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ high schools: Stanford’s Sarah Beeson of CDO; UCLA’s Tairia Mims of Salpointe; Michigan’s Meghan Doe of Sabino; and Iowa’s Lori Leon of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High.
Let’s hope next season the ESPN crew can add some perspective to its telecasts.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s inaugural Big 12 season left much to be desired | Greg Hansen
