IOC Drops Baseball, Softball From Games

[MatRatUSF]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050708/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_sports_program&printer=1;_ylt=AsrVopXjbVkHdAlyrAdy9AGl24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

By STEPHEN WILSON, AP Sports Writer

2 hours, 2 minutes ago

Baseball and softball, two sports invented in America, were dropped Friday from the Olympic program for the 2012 Summer Games in London.

Each of the 28 existing sports was put to a secret vote by the International Olympic Committee, and baseball and softball failed to receive a majority required to stay on the program. The other 26 sports were retained.

"I think they've made a big, big mistake," said Tommy Lasorda, the former Dodgers manager who managed the 2000 U.S. team to the gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Games. "Baseball is played by all countries now and softball, too. I think that's really going to hurt the Olympics. I don't want to knock the other sports, but I think this is a big mistake. I am very disappointed.

"I was fortunate enough to coach the U.S. Olympic team in Australia. The parks were full at all times. How can they take away a sport like that?"

The IOC will consider replacing them with two sports from a waiting list of five: golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports. That decision will be made Saturday.

Baseball and softball, which will remain on the program for the 2008 Beijing Games, are the first sports cut from the Olympics since polo in 1936.

Baseball, which became a medal sport in 1992, has been vulnerable because it doesn't bring top Major League players to the Olympics. Softball, a women's medal sport since 1996, has been in danger because of a perceived lack of global appeal and participation.

"Needless to say, these sports are very, very disappointed," IOC president Jacques Rogge said after announcing the result. "However, I have to emphasize the fact that they should not fear this purge. The fact is that they shall not be included in the program of the 2012 Olympic Games, but it does not disqualify them forever as Olympic sports."

Rogge said baseball and softball will be eligible to win back their place in future games.

"I would like to invite the leaders of these sports that will not be included in the program to make their very best efforts during the coming years so as to be able to convince the session that they deserve to come back to the Olympic Games in 2016. We shall support them in their efforts."

Major League Baseball and the players' union plan to launch on Monday the Baseball Classic, a 16-nation tournament that will begin in March and feature players on big league rosters.

Aldo Notari, the Italian president of the international baseball federation, acknowledged that the absence of major leaguers in the Olympics was the crucial factor in the sport's exclusion.

"One is not happy when one is in this situation," he said. "The problem with baseball is the best players are not going to the Olympics Games. But baseball is still in Beijing and it is still necessary to work for the future in 2016."

Don Porter, the American president of the international softball federation, said he was devastated by the vote.

"We thought that we had a lot of support," he said. "The members told us we were getting support, but obviously we weren't."

Porter said the decision goes back to Mexico City in 2002 when Rogge tried  but failed  to get baseball, softball and modern pentathlon removed.

"They wanted us out," Porter said. "They didn't get us out  it took them three years and now they got us out. I just think the IOC wanted some opportunity to introduce several new sports ... and in order to do that, they had to remove a couple of sports and that's what they did today."

Baseball and softball are sports rooted in American tradition.

"I don't want to say it's an anti-U.S. thing, but they are two native American sports," Porter said.

He noted that modern pentathlon, which has been on the program since the first modern games in 1896, had tradition and European support on its side.

"Europe has strong voting power in the IOC," Porter said. "They worked hard, they did the right thing to get enough to stay in."

Removal from the program can be crippling for smaller sports federations, which rely heavily on Olympic revenues for survival.

Before the vote, the head of the international federations described the existing program as a "delicate instrument" and "magical combination" which shouldn't be changed.

"Once you take one piece out to put another piece in, you don't know what the consequences will be," said Denis Oswald, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. "Don't change a winning team."

The IOC will keep the voting figures secret. Not even the IOC members or sports federations will learn the totals. The secrecy was requested by the international federations in order to avoid any ranking or embarrassment for any sports which just barely make the cut.

Rogge said the figures will be seen only by an independent official, who will send the results by sealed envelope to an IOC notary in Lausanne, Switzerland. Rogge will only open the envelope in the case of a voting dispute.

"Not all sports are indispensable for the Olympic program, we know that," Rogge told the delegates before the vote.

Senior IOC member **** Pound of Canada harshly criticized the secrecy, saying it undermined the IOC's moves for openness. He said it was in the interests of the sports federations themselves to know how they stand.

"What kind of message does the IOC send when there is complete secrecy on an issue that is important to the world?" Pound said.

But Rogge said the IOC executive board had accepted the request by the federations, who fear a low vote total would hurt them in finding sponsorship and television contracts.

"Whether we agree or not, if this is the unanimous position of the 28 international federations, we have to respect that," Rogge said.

[smazza]

is this on the right board

when are the olympics?

[Jim Johnson]

Well, it looks like Eriksen only has one more Olympiad in which he can help Team USA win a gold medal.

[Ricky the Bull]

This also has implications for former USF standout Leigh Ann Ellis, who was just named to the USA Elite team:

Vandergeest grand slam lifts U.S. Elite over American Pastime 10-1

7/6/2005

SURREY, B.C. --- A grand slam to left field from Mackenzie Vandergeest (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the U.S. a 10-1 victory against American Pastime (0-6) on Wednesday afternoon. A run-rule decision, the U.S. bats unleashed for 10 runs on 12 hits with seven players recording hits in the contest.

The Red, White and Blue improved to 6-0 and complete Canada Cup pool play action on Thursday, July 7 against Triple Crown Colorado at 8:30 p.m.

“Today was a good day for us,†said head coach Carol Hutchins. “These kids had a lot of good at bats and I think they are just really excited to play for the USA. They just need to keep doing what they do. I really think once the battle gets going in the brackets they will really bring forth their competitive spirit and energy.â€Â

Winning pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis (Barboursville, WV) garnered her first win of the tournament tossing 3.1 innings allowing one run, two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. USA offensive leader Nicole Giordano (Saugus, Calif.), currently batting .545, led the squad going 3-for-4 while Vandergeest was 2-for-3 with six RBI.

Taking a 3-0 lead in the first, the U.S. Elite jumped ahead on five hits and never looked back. Back-to-back infield base hits from Lindsay Schutzler (Monterey, Calif.) and Giordano ignited a spark before Vandergeest collected her first of six RBI with a hard hit single to the shortstop. Marissa Nichols (Diamond Bar, Calif.), batting .364, then drove in Vandergeest with a base hit before Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich.) ended her hitting drought with an RBI drive through the left side for a 3-0 advantage.

The American Pastime recorded its only run of the game in the fourth inning after a lead off walk and sacrifice bunt put Michelle Villegas at second base. A Dawn Castaneda single to left field advanced Villegas calling on U.S. pitcher Jocelyn Forest (Santa Maria, Calif.) from the dugout. A sacrifice fly out from Jennifer Strohman then plated Villegas for the 3-1 difference before two walks and a wild pitch threatened the U.S. lead with bases loaded. But it was all Forest who ended the inning with her first of five strikeouts in the game.

Adding three runs in the fifth, it was the trio of Schutzler, Giordano, and Vandergeest again who kick started the U.S. Schutzler reached on a fielding error by the shortstop as Giordano distributed a hit through the left side. A Vandergeest sacrifice fly out to centerfield sent Schutzler home while a Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill.) base hit plated Giordano. Leading 5-1, Findlay later scored on a dropped high pop up to the catcher pushing a 6-1 lead after five innings.

Shutting down the Pastime’s offense, the U.S. sealed the victory in the sixth on the grand slam from Vandergeest. A walk to Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif.), Schutzler’s second base hit, and Giordano’s third single loaded the bases before designated player Vandergeest jacked a 3-0 pitch just over the left field fence to close the game 10-1.

Through six games, the U.S. is now batting .315 as a team outscoring opponents 28-7.

http://www.usasoftball.com/pressReleases/getStory.asp?nid=927

[bullman3]

Who can list the other 26 sports?  I would love to see some of the pathetic sports that beat out baseball.  

[Papa_Bull]

It's no wonder NYC didn't get the Olympics for 2012 with them wanting to cut out two of our most prized Olympic sports.

[BullDoug]

This is a major slap in the face to the western hemisphere Latin countries & Japan too.  I just read an article in an airline mag. on how the Chinese are making a big push to be competitive and training at the Colorado facility.  Come to think of it...that run and shoot a gun thing beat out baseball & softball.  Even the equestarians made it.  Unbelieveable.  Frickin' horses over baseball players.

[WoolyBully]

Who can list the other 26 sports?  I would love to see some of the pathetic sports that beat out baseball.  

The two sports are, however, eligible for inclusion in the programme of the 2016 Games. Sailing received the support of the IOC and will remain on the Olympic Programme for 2012. The move by the IOC is the first time since 1936, when polo was dropped from the Programme, that a sport has been cut from the Olympics.

Speaking after the annoucement, ISAF President Göran PETERSSON commented, 'I am of course very pleased for sailing. Sailing is a global sport and the participation and number of nations achieving medals in the Olympic Sailing Competition reflects the global spread. However, sailing must continue to enhance itself as an Olympic sport.'

In four years' time, the IOC will again review the sports on the Olympic Programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.

After the initial vote to determine the sports remaining on the Olympic programme, the IOC Executive Board reconvened to decide whether any of the five candidate sports (Roller Sports, World Squash, Golf, Karate or Rugby) should be put forward to the Session, who will then vote on whether the sport(s) could be added to the list of Olympic sports and then potentially be included on the programme of the 2012 Games. World Squash and Karate were shortlisted for consideration on the 2012 Programme, but when it came to the final vote to include the sports neither received the required 75% votes. Therefore the Sports Programme for the 2012 Programme will consist of 26 sports.

Sailing has been on the Olympic Programme since 1900, and is one of the oldest sports in the Olympic movement.

[Brad]

Interesting post on its way to the General Sports Forum...

But don't forget synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics.  If those two sports are spared the axe, I'm okay with it...not.

[CyberBull]

I think they should get rid of track and field.

After all what is so exciting about watching a bunch of people running around in circle? If I wanted to watch a bunch of left turns I would watch NASCAR.

At least with stock car racing there is a chance for a cool accident or post race fight between five-foot five 30-somethings who think they are athletes instead of corporate sellouts who happen to have a lead foot.