I should have known this when I was playing Sunday, but then I could have been too depressed to play. However, last Thursday, Aug. 13, the Olympic committee chose two games to add to the 2016 Olympics—tada—golf and rugby. NOT baseball, or more important to me, women’s basebal… Read full post »

We began hearing the rumbles in the third or fourth inning; then, in the sixth inning, a mist descended around the parameter of the field, a wispy, but visible wall. We continued playing until our at-bat in the bottom of the sixth. The clouds gathered, blackened and lowered over Swarthmore… Read full post »

Our Philadelphia Women’s Baseball League has taken a hit or two, between the crazy economy and injuries. We’ve diminished in numbers, but not in determination to continue the league and continue honing our baseball skills. Each Sunday afternoon, as many women as can make it run ont… Read full post »

            They're just under the surface, thought the 52-year-old rookie of the Philadelphia Women’s Baseball League, seedlings from other tiny trees that tried to grow. The early women of baseball who played in buttoned-up dresses… Read full post »

I am sitting here, the Philadelphia Phillies/Washington Nationals game going on behind me. To my left, a photo folder from the 2002 Phillies Phestival is open. In it, I stand beside a seated Harry Kalas. There’s a grin on both of our faces. Before the picture was taken, Harry asked… Read full post »

Today, my boyfriend, a reporter for a small weekly newspaper, came home with a six pack and a pint of whiskey. Monday normally is deadline day, but he decided he’d heard enough. His fellow workers informed him, as soon as he entered the small office, that everyone would AGAIN have… Read full post »

I’m angry. I’ve always wanted to play baseball; it’s a game that can be played by anyone, of any height, weight, or hitting, throwing, or fielding style. As much as baseball is a team sport, it is also a sport that allows for individuality. At least, until statistics, especia… Read full post »

The Japanese women won the gold medal Feb. 17 for the second time in as many years in the Phoenix Cup Hong Kong International Women’s Baseball Tournament. The Japanese women defeated the North American Liberty Belles, 10-0, in five innings to wear the gold. The Far East Bloomers went und… Read full post »

The 12 women of the North American Liberty Belles, including two members of Open Salon, will receive medals in Hong Kong by the end of Feb. 17—it’s just a matter of whether those medals will gleam gold or silver.  The Belles will face the powerful Far East Bloomers of Japan… Read full post »

The North American Liberty Belles women’s baseball team won both of its preliminary round games Feb. 15 to earn first place in their group and a top seed in the Phoenix Cup’s playoff round. Lead by pitchers Jen Liu of the Chicago area and Samantha Ostrom of Canada, the Belles… Read full post »

As pitchers and catchers of Major League Baseball gather in their warm weather stadiums this weekend,  about 100 women from various backgrounds and of various ages throughout the world are continuing their own preparation for the 2009 baseball season—by reaching for a gold medal in… Read full post »

My Top 10 Reasons for Playing Baseball Again This Summer:

10. So I can watch men sunbathing in right field (get a fly ball hit into their privates!).

9. So my teammates can use an hourglass instead of a stopwatch as I run to first base.

8. So I can pound… Read full post »

Yes! Not since Ila Borders, who became a relief pitcher on independent minor league teams in the mid 1990s, has a woman been picked by an established (or, in this case, soon to be established) baseball league to play with and against men.

However, Sunday, in Japan, 16-year-old Eri Yoshida,… Read full post »

First in a series of anecdotes and interviews of women who play baseball. Yes, baseball.

This interview is the first of several I conducted in the spring of 2006, my second semester in Rowan University’s Master of Arts in Writing Program. All of these interviews were my humble way o… Read full post »

I am sitting in the bedroom of my old house, having left the living room where a relative of my husband is pontificating on the “liberal media’s” persecution of tobacco companies. He also seems to despise the newly elected President Bill Clinton and rails about him any chance he get… Read full post »

I finally purchased an MP3 Player with a gift card I received, and the first playlist I put on it was one titled “Protest Songs.” Of course, I don’t have the list someone compiled on “The Protest Jukebox”(you can see that here: http://www.bowbowwow.com/protest_juk… Read full post »

I took a few days off while I sat behind the backstop at Richie Ashburn Field in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Philadelphia and sold water, athletic drinks, sodas, soft pretzels, sunflower seeds, peanuts, boxes of Cracker Jacks, and our tournament hats for the Philadelphia Women&rsqu… Read full post »

USA's Sementelli, Underwood, Jacobson make Cup All-Star Team; Underwood grabs RBI award

MATSUYAMA, Japan—Japanese pitcher Kasumi Naguchi notched her third tournament win, pitching the final five innings and holding Team Canada at bay to help her teammates earn their first Gold Medal in Wom… Read full post »

MATSUYAMA, Japan—Marti Sementelli pitched six shutout innings and struck out four to lead Team USA to its third medal in as many World Cups. The US women defeated Australia, 2-1, for the Bronze Medal.

After giving up a single to Australia’s shortstop Shae Lillywhite in the first in… Read full post »

MATSUYAMA, Japan—The USA women battled the powerful Japanese team, but succumbed, 9-5, thus casting their hopes for a Women’s World Cup medal on the bronze matchup against Australia tomorrow (1:30 a.m. ET).  The undefeated Japanese (5-0) will play Team Canada (4-1) for the gol… Read full post »

Right up front  I am letting you know that I'm posting the entire USABaseball.com version of this story, with a few modifications of my own, but mostly as is, and with my apologies for laziness. I hope to get comments from Team USA Manager Brian Bright, as well as comments from… Read full post »

MATSUYAMA, Japan--Marti Sementelli, who at 15 years old is the youngest on Team USA, proved a formidable foe in the US women's 11-1 win over the Australia team during first round action in Madonna Stadium at the Women's World Cup 3. Team USA's record improved to 3-0.

The Newton, Mass.,… Read full post »

Women's World Cup 3 tournament officials applied what is generally called “the mercy rule,” stopping the USA-India game in four innings after Team USA added 11 runs to its 16-0 score in the top of the fourth. India’s batters remained hitless in the frames and made a total of… Read full post »

MATSUYAMA, Japan--Another Delaware resident should have made the news today. Kristin Mills Caldwell of Bear, Delaware, and pitcher for the Philadelphia Women's Baseball League, earned the first win of the 2008 Women's Baseball World Cup, defeating the Chinese Taipei team, 11-5. The right-ha… Read full post »

Between the first two baseball games for Team USA in Matsuyama, Japan, the Philadelphia Women’s Baseball League played its annual championship game, this year at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. My (and Kristin Mills Caldwell’s) first place team, the Rocks, faced the Blue Crush,… Read full post »