Dream girl eyes gold at Athens

She is the 'Dream Girl' on America's designated 'Dream Team' for the Athens Olympics.

She is rated one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people, voted ESPN's 'Hottest Female Athlete' and comes armed with an arsenal of pitches that make her the most dangerous weapon on a United States softball team expecting to storm to a third consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Outside the United States, few people will have heard of Jennie Finch but in Athens the statuesque, 1.85-metre Californian is expected to turn heads both on and off the softball diamond.

Such is Finch's appeal that Sports Business Daily is predicting marketing stardom for the 23-year-old pitcher with a laser-like fastball and super-model looks.

According to a poll of 60 marketing, advertising and public relations executives conducted by the magazine, only swimmer Michael Phelps, who is looking to match Mark Spitz's record haul of seven gold medals, will finish ahead of Finch as the most marketable U.S. athlete.

"It was definitely flattering to be included in the 50 most beautiful people," said Finch, smiling. "But my main focus...my dream is to be an gold medallist.

"I want to be remembered as a gold medallist and I don't want to be just a face. I want to go out there and prove something on the field.

"But it just shows how society is accepting female athletes. It's great to think Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Marion Jones, all these beautiful people...that muscles on girls is kind of cool now."

Softball, a women-only sport at the Games, was on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chopping block a year ago and Finch has brought attention and some badly needed exposure to a sport fighting for Olympic survival.

Certainly the U.S. softball team can expect more time in the spotlight at these Games following the American men's baseball team's shock failure to qualify.

TELEVISION HOST

As a pitcher at the University of Arizona, Finch won an NCAA record 60 consecutive games but is better known as the co-host of the television show 'This Week in Baseball' and for her ability to strike out some of Major League Baseball's (MLB) most feared sluggers, counting New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza and St Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols among her scalps.

Finch has also brought an intriguing sense of flair and style to her sport.

Before each game she sprays her number 27 uniform with perfume and warms up for exactly 27 minutes -- instead of 30 like the rest of her team mates -- because her parents started dating when they were 27.

Finch was introduced to her sport at a young age by her father, who became her coach and later invented a pitching machine known as the Finch Windmill to help her practise.

After the Olympics she will marry Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Casey Daigle, who proposed to her on the pitcher's mound at the University of Arizona stadium.

"Our sport needs exposure, so any positive exposure is a good thing," said Finch, who has her own website and fan club.

"Anyone coming out to watch our team will see 18 beautiful females out there playing the game doing the exact same thing the guys are doing -- sliding head first, hitting home runs, striking out people.

"As a team we're doing whatever we need to do to spread the word.

"We all put in the work. We're all representing softball and we all want to win the gold medal.

"It's a disappointment not to have the men's baseball team there but now the pressure is on us. Maybe the exposure will be a little bit greater."

U.S. DOMINATION

The women's softball team is the closest thing Americans will have to a guaranteed gold medal in Athens.

The U.S. has dominated the sport, winning seven of 10 world championships, including the last five, and compiling an international record of 185-17.

Softball has been part of the Olympic programme only since 1996 and the U.S. captured both gold medals in Atlanta and Sydney.

In Olympic, world and Pan Am competition, the U.S. has lost just five games going back to 1986.

Three of those defeats came during a stunning tailspin at the Sydney Games, the U.S. absorbing consecutive losses to Japan, China and Australia before recovering to take the gold.

"The expectations are obviously high," conceded coach Mike Candrea. "It's us against the rest of world and we know the rest of the world is getting better.

"We're not sitting back on our past successes but trying to get even better and take our game to the next level. We know it's going to be a very competitive Olympic Games.

"But anything less than gold will be a disappointment. We have one thing in mind: win the gold."