"The Weather Outside is Frightful"

but inside, the laptops and DVD's and notebooks are cranking out the plans for the upcoming seasons. Schedules and practices and line-ups, oh my! Find education and inspiration by attending clinics offered by colleges or coaching associations, or Little League!

New and veteran coaches, and league officials are invited to Little League Softball clinics around the country during February and March, featuring Michele Smith.

Here is a rundown of the events:

Feb. 9 in Bellevue, Wash. (Western Region)

Feb. 10 in Albuquerque, N.M. (Southwest Region)

March 1 in Kalamazoo, Mich. (Central Region)

March 2 at the Southern Region Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Fla.

March 9 at the East Region Headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

I'm a huge fan of Michele Smith. She is a class act and an excellent role model for young softball players. She is fan-friendly and "gets it." :) Enhance your season and your coaching notebooks with practical advice from a top-note softball player!

2008: Here We Come!

Sunday's Super Bowl puts the 2007 football season to bed. Sure, there is the Pro-Bowl, but that is just really their team party, if you will, where everyone gets together and remembers the good times.

It also opens the Spring/Summer sports season for me, and more specifically, softball (and baseball, too, but that's for another board). It's gonna be a banner year for the sport of softball, as media coverage of women's competitive softball will reach a new high, lots of televised games, and interest that will culminate in late summer with the Beijing Olympics.

High school tryouts begin February 18 in our area, and all over, youth leagues and teams are finalizing registrations and teams.

Best wishes to you all as you begin the 2008 season. I look forward to bringing to you information and photos about this great team sport that I love.