National Pro Fastpitch player Clare Burnum will be guest blogging for RINGOR  in a series called "Life as a Pro Softball Player" .  During the 2010 NPF Season she will offer readers an interesting insight into the everyday life of a professional softball player. 

About Clare Burnum
Clare is 3B/UT for the Akron Racers and is entering her 7th season as a pro.  In the offseason, Clare is the Head Softball Coach for Canby High School in Canby, Oregon.  A 2-Time NPF All-Star, Clare's softball resume is impressive.  In addition to 7 pro seasons, she was a 3-time All PAC-10 Infielder at Oregon State and an ASA All-American.  Clare's passion for softball is contagious.  She and RINGOR look forward to sharing her experiences with you this summer.  Stay tuned!

With Jennie Finch announcing her retirement recently, I was taken aback. She and I are the same age and I still remember the first time I saw her at Nationals in 1994.  I remember watching Jennie grow as a player and as a person.

An athlete like Jennie Finch is hard to come by. The pure skill that she possessed early on, the drive she had to get better and the commitment she had to softball.  That is something you don't see in many athletes these days.  She has represented the USA and the game of softball with so much character, professionalism and class that she will truly be missed.  She will always be considered one of the best players in softball history.

Thank you, Jennie Finch, for always taking the time to talk to each little girl that you could. Thank you for always signing the autograph for the little player who wanted nothing more than to have you look her way. And thank you for helping change the worlds' perspective on what a female softball player looked and acted like. You can never be thanked enough.

Not seeing you on the field wearing the number 27 will be missed by your peers and by all of softball.  You have been the face of softball for a decade and you have set the bar high.  Thank you.

I look forward to seeing who will step up to fill these shoes for the softball world.

Who do you think will fill Jennie Finch's shoes and why?


Photo credit:  Dina Kwit