Congratulations USA Softball: Way to Choke

I was just about ready to write an article about the USA softball team and to congratulate them on winning their fourth straight gold-medal.

Instead, I have been forced to write an article on the team choking harder than Nick Anderson did in the 1995 finals for the Orlando Magic, or Gordon Bombay missing the final shot as a kid for the Hawks in "The Mighty Ducks."

You can’t lose this game, USA. Beginning in 2012, the Olympic games will not include baseball or softball.

This is the last softball gold medal ever to be given out at the Olympics and you lose to Japan, a team you beat before, and to a pitcher who had pitched 21 innings the previous day.

Yukiko Ueno’s performance was amazing and she is definitely good enough to make the USA team, but losing this game to her was horrible.

“She just beat us,” U.S. starter Cat Osterman said. “I’m not hanging my head too much about it.”

You’re not hanging your head too much? What?

Glad to know that not choking for your country is important to you Cat. You’re a Longhorn from the University of Texas, step your game up. If Vince Young had choked vs. USC in the Rose Bowl (let’s say Young had a lead and blew it) and said “I’m not hanging my head too much about it.” He wouldn’t be allowed back in Austin.

After the game, USA coach Mike Candrea joined his stunned players in the huddle, many of whom couldn’t even look up. Well guess what ladies, don’t choke and you wouldn’t be so stunned.

Maybe you shouldn’t have taken that team for granted and you would have brought back a gold medal.

Instead you get to think “what if” every time you see that silver medal. Maybe you can use it as motivation in training, oh wait, never mind, your sport is done and now the USA softball will be remembered for losing their last game.

Way to make your fans that see you as role models, all the little girls in America, proud.

Crystal Bustos is the only one who brought her game to the gold medal game. It’s a shame her power bat had to go to waste, and none of her teammates could pick her up.

“This isn’t how it was supposed to end,” starting pitcher Cat Osterman said.

Really Cat? 

Thanks for breaking that news to us. I thought you trained your whole life to become one of the greatest softball pitchers just to be the losing pitcher in the last game in softball history.