Softball ace 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.