US softball team earns just reward
ATHENS -- The coach of the United States softball team had a dream the other night. As Mike Candrea explained yesterday, it has been hard enough sleeping for the last month, let alone dreaming. The dream had nothing to do with these Olympics -- and everything to do with these Olympics.
"Sue came over and told me to chill," Candrea said, describing the dream. "That's Sue."
Sue is Candrea's late wife. She died last month, at the age of 48, two days after suffering an aneurysm in an airport. During yesterday's gold medal game between the US and Australia, Candrea rubbed his wedding ring throughout the game and watched the US take the gold with a 5-1 victory over Australia.
"When I think of courage," he said, "I think of it as allowing you to get through tough times. This team was my courage. It's not about me. It's about them."
It was about everyone. It was Candrea deciding to stay with the team following the death of his wife. It was pitcher Lisa Fernandez, whom Candrea calls "our Tiger Woods," spinning yet another tour de force. It was Crystl Bustos hitting two home runs, one of which must have been tracked by the AWACs.
And it was about yet another dominating performance, which gave the US its third consecutive gold medal. The Aussies were able to do what no one else could do in eight previous games against the US -- score a run. Said Aussie right fielder Sandra Allen, "It felt fantastic." Over the nine games, the US outscored the opposition, 51-1.
"This team got it done in great fashion," Fernandez said. "This is the best [softball] team to ever wear the red, white, and blue. It wasn't just that we did it. It was the way we did it. I think the country and the world can be proud of us."
Fernandez had pitched seven innings Sunday as the US beat Australia, 5-0. (The Yanks also had opened the tournament with a 10-0 whuppin' of the Aussies.) But Candrea never hesitated in giving his ace the ball in the biggest game just 24 hours after the fact. "It was an easy decision on my part," he said. "You can't have anyone better in a big-game situation."
The game was almost anticlimatic. With IOC president Jacques Rogge in attendance, the US jumped on Aussie starter Tanya Harding for three runs in the first, two on a homer to right-center by Bustos. A 3-0 lead almost qualifies for the mercy rule with this US team. The Yanks added a couple more in the third on solo homers by Bustos (think Mass. Pike at Fenway Park) and catcher Stacey Nuveman. Harding was lifted, but by then the damage was done. The US rode Fernandez, who allowed four hits, struck out two, and at one point retired 16 straight, all the way to the last out, a grounder to shortstop.
Once the final out was made, the emotions overflowed. Candrea watched his players celebrate from the dugout, thinking to himself, "This is the greatest moment in my life." He later said, "As a coach, the greatest moment is watching them celebrate." But soon the players were embracing their coach and the postgame news conference was a three-ply special for one and all.
Fernandez, fighting back tears, said, "What Coach has been going through these last few weeks is a constant reminder to this team how precious things are. This team had a bond that will never be broken. I just wanted to play the best softball I could play. That was the one piece of solace I could offer. It was the only way I thought I could help him get through this. He doesn't want this to be about him and he never allowed his emotions to show. He stood strong for us."
After the US was presented with its gold medals in a ceremony at the softball facility, Fernandez said, "I wish I could have switched places with him [Candrea]. He should have been there [on the podium]."
The victory capped a memorable run for this bunch, which was assembled two years ago. It finished with a 79-game winning streak. It so dominated the competition here that federation president Don Porter admitted there is some concern that the US might be hurting the sport because it is too good. Candrea rejected that notion out of hand, as did Nuveman.
"Other sports are dominated by other countries. In table tennis, it's China, China, China," the catcher said. "All through your life, you are taught to try and be the best you can be at whatever you do. If that's the way the world feels, then shame on the world."
