Softball ace Jennie Finch on retrieval mission

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jennie Finch, the stand-out of the U.S. softball dream team that rolled to a third straight Olympic gold in Athens, will be on a special quest in Beijing -- striking a blow for a return of her sport to future Games.

In 2005, for want of one vote, softball was dropped from the 2012 London Games programme after a 52-52 tie among International Olympic Committee delegates.

Critics had voiced concerns the U.S. were totally dominant in the sport and it lacked worldwide appeal. Baseball, the sport's diamond relation, was also dropped at the same time.

To ace softball pitcher Finch, who emerged from Athens as a popular figure, photogenic and with her arms full of endorsement deals, the elimination of her sport was devastating.

"It was a heartbreak to us all," Finch told Reuters in an interview. "It's just sad. It was terrible.

"At one point we're celebrating how far we've come in our sport. It's never been this popular. And then, boom, we're out of the 2012 Games.

"It was a blow to the heart. Kind of feels like we got punched in the stomach."

Like baseball, softball is played on a diamond but the field is smaller and the pitcher tosses underhand, albeit at blazing speeds. Men play softball as well but the Olympic version is a women's team sport.

Finch, the rest of the U.S. softball team and the leaders of the sport are not taking the 2005 vote sitting down.

"Our team attitude is it's just another roadblock and we're going to get through it," said Finch, whose blonde good looks and success on the diamond placed her among People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people.

TV APPEARANCES

Her achievements also made her top vote-getter as ESPN's 'Hottest Female Athlete' and led to various TV appearances.

"Our sport is still a great game," said Finch." That's why there's so much importance going into these 2008 Games to showcase how great our sport is and that it belongs in the Olympics."

While the players aim to make their case on the field, International Softball Federation president Don Porter has teamed up with former Olympic champion swimmer Donna de Varona to mount a "Back Softball" campaign aimed at the IOC.

"We're making progress," Porter, whose federation numbers 130 countries, told Reuters during a recent visit to New York.