Valiant Women Of The Diamond

Upon request, here are a few words regarding the ongoing NCAA women's softball tournament. I'm unable to speak knowledgeably about the big picture, but do have this to say:

My sympathies lie with the Lady Gators of Florida, due to my family's long history with that school (Briefly, numerous blood relatives have either earned degrees there or made their careers there as tenured faculty). Since the Gators are a number one seed, I expect their run may well continue through the end of the tourney.

I have some other thoughts about women's softball and of the college game for both men and women.
Firstly, I find myself transfixed by the sight of an underhand pitch thrown by those who play at the highest level. Why don't women throw overhand? Can't they? Or do they choose not to? It's a mystery to me.

There's also the matter of the aluminum bat. I'm not a fan, for aesthetic and practical reasons. There's little romance about the ping of the bat. It seems that it may also be a safety concern, as fast as the ball tends to fly off the bat upon contact. The chief benefits seem to go to the schools, who ultimately spend less money on bats, and the companies who sell them. I may have some of that wrong, but such is my understanding.

Apart from those issues, for whatever reason, the college game does not seem to have gained any traction with me personally. Difficult to say why that is the case, as it is in stark contrast to my feelings about the more popular college sports football and basketball. I love baseball, so what accounts for it? Clearly, it's not just me. Perhaps there's a perception that the quality of college baseball players is lessened significantly by the historic presence of the minor league baseball system. I don't know how much truth there is in that. Both players who sign out of high school and those who do out of college have gone on to fruitful professional careers, suggesting more talent in the college game than it is given credit for.

Those are my thoughts, anyway.