Homeless and happy, Kelly Kretschman goes where the games are By Tommy Deas Sports Writer August 08, 2004
Kelly Kretschman doesn't have a home. She's a citizen of the softball world. She is currently residing at the Olympic Village in Athens, Greece, preparing to play for the U.S. in the Summer Games. She spent the summer traveling across the country and to Italy on the defending gold medal team's pre-Olympic tour. Over the past couple of years, she's been in Olympic training camps and played on elite and national teams to try to enhance her chances of landing a spot on the U.S. team. The four-time All-American for the University of Alabama still visits Tuscaloosa and stays with friends when she has a break from her busy softball schedule. "All my friends are still there," she said. "That's where I lived for 5� or six years, but I don't live anywhere now. I have a Florida driver's license, but I don't pay rent anywhere." That lifestyle suits the native of Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., just fine. "I get to play softball," she said. "That's my job. "What am I going to do after the Olympics? Get a job, I guess. I would like to coach, but I don't know about next year. I kind of want to live in one place for a while, but whether it's with the [new] pro league or with the national team, I want to play as long as I can. "I'm not ready to quit playing. If I have to just do jobs here and there that allow me to play, that's what I'll do." An Olympic ordeal Kretschman's drive to play Olympic softball goes back to her early days at Alabama. She led the nation in home runs as a freshman and began to realize she had the potential to play with the best. "I'm competitive," she said. "I just want to play and want to win. Getting a gold medal is the highest level in softball." Kretschman's first Olympic experience was an ordeal. She was selected as an alternate for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, then removed from the roster when the team was re-chosen after a player who wasn't selected filed a protest. Kretschman then appealed, and was put back on the roster as an alternate. Amanda Freed, a former UCLA player, was also an alternate on the 2000 team. They watched the games together in Sydney, but didn't get to play. "I think it does drive you," Freed said. "We feel like we were part of the team the whole time, but being so close and not getting that last bit of glory, it's something you want to experience." That Olympic experience was bittersweet for Kretschman. "It was hard," she said. "You can't really complain too much. It was a good experience. We didn't get to be in the village. We got tickets and sat with the parents. "We got to go into the dugout after the gold medal game. We weren't supposed to, but that was cool. We were part of the celebration." >From alternate to star Kretschman has come a long way since the days when she made the U.S. team after her junior year at Alabama. She has made the transition from Olympic alternate to being one of the best hitters on a team that is considered the best in the world, if not in the entire history of women's softball. On the U.S. team's pre-Olympic tour, Kretschman started 41 of 53 games and finished second on the team in hitting with a .481 average, just a few points shy of Crystl Bustos, who is considered the best hitter in the world. Kretschman also posted a .750 slugging percentage with 30 RBIs, five home runs and 10 doubles, while also holding down a regular spot in right field. Kretschman has always been a power hitter, but she's added to her game by becoming a slapper and bunting for base hits. "I always felt there was no doubt she had the talent to play at this level," U.S. coach Mike Candrea said. "She's grown up in my eyes a lot mentally. "You haven't seen the best of her yet. One of the things we've tried to add is a little bit more of the short game. I want her to take more advantage of her speed." Kretschman agrees that she's improved in many ways. "I'm a more mature player now," she said. "I recognize different situations when I get up to bat. "Hopefully, I hit a little better. At Alabama, I was supposed to hit it over the fence. I think what has kept me in the lineup is now I can do both, hit for power and average." Jennie Finch, the star pitcher for the U.S., is a fan. "I love having Kelly Kretschman in my offense," she said. "She goes balls-out every single play. She's just an amazing athlete. "Even in college, I remember her at Alabama. I remember you definitely wanted to pitch around her." Reunion in Athens Kretschman will be reunited with her former coach in the Olympic arena when the U.S. faces Canada in a preliminary-round game. Alabama coach Patrick Murphy, who recruited Kretschman when he was a UA assistant and became her head coach for three years after he was promoted, is an assistant coach with the Canadian team. Murphy has nothing but respect for his former player. "I'd say she's the best player in SEC history," he said. "She's the only one on the Olympic team, so that's saying something. "She probably has the fastest wrists I've ever seen. She's got a great eye. She's a five-tool player. If she were a man [playing baseball], she'd be making millions." Murphy may be called upon to give a scouting report when Kretschman comes up to bat, but she isn't worried. "He thinks he knows what I can do," she said, "but I've got something up my sleeve for him. "It will be great to be there while he's there. We joke around that we can walk around the village together." Gold medal expectations Playing on the two-time defending gold medal U.S. team, which has also won seven world championships, Kretschman knows expectations are high. The U.S. was dominant on its pre-Olympic tour, defeating the nation's best college teams and all-star squads from the pro league and collegiate ranks. That doesn't mean Kretschman is taking the competition lightly. She remembers that the U.S. lost three games in a row and nearly missed out on the medal round in 2000. "Other countries have stepped up," she said. "Coach does a good job of reminding us every day. We win 8-nothing and he still gets on our backs if we don't do what we're supposed to do. "Everything is magnified. If our pregame is bad, he gets on us. If you're watching a regular team warm up and somebody messes up, it's no big deal. For us, everything is a big deal." Looking at the lineup she is a part of, Kretschman is sometimes still astounded. "There are things all the time you think are just amazing," she said. "It's kind of fun that you can still get amazed. I like watching our pregame. It's crazy. Everything is so precise." Kretschman knows that bringing anything less than a gold medal home will be considered a disappointment, and she accepts that responsibility. "We haven't lost a game in I don't know how many years," she said. "That makes a lot of difference with this team. "Honestly, there's pressure every time we play. It's how we deal with that pressure that matters." Kretschman, who will turn 25 two days after the gold medal game, is thankful that she's able to play softball, but more thankful for the opportunity to do it in the Olympics. "What's the best thing about being an Olympian?" she said. "That's easy: getting to play for your country, all the people you're representing. I love it." Reach Tommy Deas at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or at (205) 722-0224 ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
