As I make my way through the blogging world, one of the challenges is getting people to this Life in the Fastpitch Lane site. In doing a little playing around I made a discovery today. If you do a Google search, it will look for the name of the blog on Web sites and in posts, but it won’t recognize it on its own.

So since the goal is to get more people here and engaged in conversations about softball, it looks like I need to say Life in the Fastpitch Lane a little more often. After all, most of the world begins its search on Google, so you have to be visible there.

I am sorry about the shameless self-promotion. But I believe including the phrase Life in the Fastpitch Lane, and putting up the occassional shameless self-promotional post, contributes to the greater good. So live with it!

Got an e-mail the other day from the ASA notifying me about an auction they’re running on eBay. The e-mail showed a list of items you can buy that “will make that perfect Christmas gift.”

Some of the items are the usual stuff you’d expect — autographed balls, posters, a trading card set, and some 8×10 glossy photos. But there were a few other items of interest that just beg for comment:


* Autographed used cleats from Stacey Nuveman, Jennie Finch, and Jessica Mendoza. Oh boy, just what every kid wants. Somebody else’s used shoes. Funny, my brother looked forward to the day he could get his own new shoes.

* An autographed #8 replica jersey signed by Cat Osterman. A replica jersey? A replica jersey? You mean with all the money they charge for membership those cheap screws at the ASA couldn’t spring for the extra few bucks for a real jersey for her to autograph? Here’s a hint guys — you don’t actually have to pay retail for your own merchandise.

* Autographed shorts Jessica Mendoza wore in the 2004 Olympics. Hope somebody washed them first.

* Autographed World Cup program. No specifications on which one or who signed it. It’s sort of a grab bag gift. You might get Cat, Natsha Watley, and Crystal. Or you might get a couple of hot dog vendors. Isn’t this fun?

* Stacey Nuveman chest protector from the 2004 Olympics. Ok, I kind of get the cleats and the glove. But a chest protector? Wouldn’t a nice painting look better on the living room wall?

Good to know the money is going to a good cause, though. It’s to help support the Olympic team in their quest for Gold in 2008. And here I thought they were going to waste it on something stupid like kids with cancer.

Check out this post from Stacie over at All About Softball. She is based in Hawaii. Not only is the weather warm enough to practice in December, but it actually stays light there until 6:30 PM.

All this plus she gets to live in Hawaii with all its other features. As a lifelong Chicagoan it’s hard to imagine. As I write this it is current 7 degrees. Wow!

Hello and welcome to Life in the Fastpitch Lane. This blog is dedicated to all sorts of thoughts and ideas about fastpitch softball.

I hope to stimulate a lot of discussion, help a few people, and learn a lot myself. Comments are open, but please keep them clean and nice. Thanks!

Ken