Welcome to good game with Sarah Spain. We're much like Ottawa charge goalie Gwyneth Phillips. We would be willing to commit arson for our team. It's Thursday, May twenty ninth, and on today's show, we'll be chatting with softball legend Jessica Mendoza about this weekend's College World Series. We'll get her favorites, potential upsets, and the scene out in Oklahoma City, plus the upcoming athletes, unlimited softball season.
And her ka hot take on softball at the LA Olympics.
And WNBA players are fast to the record books, French open organizers keep doing gender equity wrong, and the sixth grade losses that still sting. It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today. Let's start with the WNBA. On Tuesday, the league announced that it could not substantiate a report of racist fan behavior at a game between the Indiana Fever
and Chicago Sky earlier this month. Following that game, which was played at Indiana's Gainbridge Field House, the league said it was looking into reports of quote unquote hateful comments. In a statement Tuesday, the league said quote based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of
the game, we have not substantiated it. The WNBA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone and will continue to be vigilant in enforcing our fan code of Conduct end quote.
Both teams involved release.
Statements thanking the league for taking the matter seriously and investigating it more WNBA.
There are two games tonight.
First, the four and oh New York Liberty hosts the two and two Golden State Valkyries. That game tips off at seven pm Eastern, Then at eight pm, the O and four Chicago Sky and the one in four Dallas Wings matchup. Rookie Paige Beckers is fresh off her first win as a pro. She scored a season best twenty one points in the Wings one O nine eighty seven
victory in Connecticut on Tuesday night. I love that she got that first dub back in the Nutmeg State where she ascended to greatness at Yukon some friendly fans there to see her do it. Beckers also made a little history in that win. Per ESPN, she's the first player in WNBA history to record at least sixty points and
thirty assist in the first five games of a career. Also, did y'all hear Diana Tarassi on a podcast the other day saying she is certain that Beckers will end up being the best player in league history when all is.
Said and done.
Not a bad endorsement for Page Beckers to get sky forward. Angel Reese also celebrating a little record breaking herself. In a loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night, the sophomore became the fastest player in WNBA history to record at least five hundred plus points and five hundred plus rebounds, doing so in just thirty eight games. In that same game Tuesday night, the Mercuries, Alyssa Thomas became just the third player in w history with fifteen or more assists
in multiple games. She's in rare air with legendary point guards t Schapenicero and Courtney Van der Sloot, and as a forward, which is wild to softball. The College World Series gets underway today with the eight winners of last weekend Super Regionals converging at Devon Park in Oklahoma City
to compete for the NCAA title. We'll link to the full schedule and bracket in the show notes, and we'll get into the nuts and bolts of the Greatest Show on Dirt later in the show with Jessica Mendoza to tennis and the ongoing French Open, but off the court stuff. On Tuesday, Tunisian player On Shabor criticized tournament organizers for yet again prioritizing men's matches for the late evening slot
on the tournament's marquee court. During the first four days of play, men's matches have filled that slot, which requires a separate night ticket, all four times per ESPN since the French Open introduced a night session in twenty twenty two, just two of the thirty three matches played in that prime slot have been women's singles. On's also called out French organizers last year, and after her first round loss in this year's tournament, she spoke out on the issue again.
Take a listen.
It's a bit ironic. You know, they don't show women's sports, They don't show women's tennis. And then they asked a question, Yeah, but mostly they watch men. Of course they watch men more because you show men mores. So everything goes together.
Exactly It's the same damn argument we have in every sport at every level. If you give women no resources, no facilities, no marketing, no coverage, and no attention, how can they possibly match the interest of the men who were given all of those things? In space two of thirty three matches French Open bullshit. Oh sorry, Marred finally
got to shout out some hockey folks. First, we're loving the sallies from the Walter Cup champs the Minnesota Frost, including dogs drinking out of the cup and bringing the cup onto the court to celebrate it at the Minnesota Lynx game on Tuesday night, a game, by the way, that also saw the Links hosting the US women's national soccer team, who are in town for a friendly in
Minnesota this weekend. Also shout out Ottawa charge goalie Gwyneth Phillips, who was named the twenty twenty five Alana Claus Playoff MVP despite her team coming up short. It's really impressive and all of her teammates stayed on the ice after their heartbreaking loss to cheer her on and support her MVP win. Repl a headline about her team waiting for her award and wrote quote, I would commit Arson for this team. I'm obsessed, all.
Right, Slicis.
Today we debut a new segment that is tentatively called Gimme a Minute. It's a working title, but we're willing to take any suggestions that you might have. This is where we're going to tee up a topic in women's sports, set a timer, and vent because sometimes we got to say a little more than the need to know will allow. Today we're talking Caitlin Clark injury takes.
Now.
We told you yesterday she's out for a couple weeks with a quad strain, which is of course a real bomber for Clark and the Fever and the w fans and the league. She is obviously a massive draw and already get in prices are dropping for games she's going to miss, like the Sky Fever matchup at the United Center coming up on June seventh. It would be ridiculous
to deny her impact on viewership, attendance, and awareness. But also there's no need to report on the injury as a sort of sky is falling situation for the WNBA, which some.
Are wrote USA Today's C Brennan quote.
I can personally confirm the pronounced change and interest in Fever games without Clark. A week ago, I bought four tickets on Stop up to take my sports playing nieces to the Fever Washington Mystics game Wednesday night in Baltimore. Tickets in the same row are now going for less than half of what I paid. I can only imagine what they will cost by game time. Perhaps they'll be giving them away. And yes, we are still going to the game.
End quote.
Brennan also reached out to the league several times for comment on Clark's injury and its impact. Writing quote, one would think that the league might acknowledge the moment, but so far no. Asked three times for a comment on Clark's injury and what it meant to the league, a WNBA spokesman never replied.
End quote.
All right, big Citrus convene, let's set the timer. I'm not going to go in actual minutes, so give me a minute. Kind of a missomer. I'm gonna go three minutes on this one. I think that's what we need. Setting the timer.
Alex thoughts, Oh so many thoughts.
I want to both simultaneously scream into avoid and do the longest deep sigh ever. Okay, I'm gonna start with the math. Take one. In Christine's column, she mentions that ticket prices have fallen more than three hundred percent in less than two days. Now, I know that percentage changed calculations are hard, but three hundred percent drop would mean that the WNBA would be paying people to go to
the game. So if a ticket was one hundred dollars before and it drops three hundred percent, that means each person would get two hundred dollars for just showing up.
That's not what's happening. So first, math lesson.
Second, I'm so tired of hearing the argument that Caitlin Clark is lifting the league and shining a light on all these players that never had respect before by someone who continually ignores every other player in the league, and at the same time suggesting that, oh, maybe they're going to be giving tickets away for free. Those two things do not line up. They are arguing against each other. Okay, I'm gonna leave it right there for now.
All right, Mesha hop In.
So the first thing that really pisses me off here is because is that the Fever are playing my mystics this game that Christine's talking about, where tickets should be
given away. Are the Fever against the Mystics in Baltimore for the first time in forever by my accounts, which is really cool as an opportunity to uplift women's sports generally speaking in the DMV area and to bring more people to rally around this team that has so much potential, so many young guns, so much exciting stuff still on the table for them this season, and it feels like spinning in their face just to say that they should be giving away tickets. That's insane to me, first and
foremost second of all. At the time of recording this, the Fever have played four games. Four games. Caitlin Clark missing two weeks here is not going to ruin the WNBA. It's not going to ruin the Indiana Fever, and it's not going to make people turn the TV off and say, you know what, I don't care about the WNBA anymore. Matter of fact, it doesn't exist to me. I don't know it's that's not gonna happen. And I think she's
blowing it way out of proportion. Anybody who is just needs to take a deep breath, wo Saw, calm the down.
Everything is going to.
Be Okay, I think for me, the thing that stands out the most is what is the intention of the writing. Yes, let's acknowledge the impact that Caitlyn Clark has had on attendance, on merchandise, on awareness, all of that.
Nobody is saying otherwise.
But your opportunity here is to write a column that says, with Caitlin Clark out for two weeks, how can w fans learn about the other players and storylines that will make them.
Enjoy the game more? Exactly?
If you want to tell us that this is a massive gap and opportunity for the league, then step into that gap and offer up something else that uplifts the rest of the players in the league instead of bemoaning something that can't be fixed because there isn't a solution. Well, you could do put the league on hold until Caitln feels better.
Everybody you got to do.
Everybody pause, nobody do anything until her booboo is better.
It reminds me of how Christine Brennan's women's basketball coverage from last Summer's Olympics focused on how few members of the press were there. She didn't actually cover the basketball, right, It just always along her same agenda.
And it's the same thing here. The timer's up.
So I'm just going to give us one last thought, which is, again, it is okay to acknowledge all these things. And certainly there is a bias that we bring to this conversations because of previous interactions with both Christine Brennan and players in the w and stories that she's written about.
So this isn't a takedown of her.
It's an opportunity for us to recognize that when we want to say these things about this transcendent player, let's use these opportunities where people are going to click on that story and read about her absence, to instead tell a better story than the one where we're just complaining about her being injured, because that is a reality that we cannot fix and you are not making the league any stronger or any better by complaining about.
It, and it's lazy, all right. I feel good about that. I think I'm really going to enjoy that segment.
I really do need to vent a lot of times during these and I'm like, oh, I'm going to keep a journalistic but.
We're going to vent from here on out.
And I don't know if you started your clock and you were like, that wasn't exactly three minutes.
Shh shh.
We're just that was our first try. Okay, give us a break. We're not so good with the clock.
All right, we got to take a quick break when we come back. All things softball with Jessica Mendoza joining.
Us now, she's softball Royalty.
She was a collegiate four time first team All American at Stanford and a two time Olympic medalist with Team USA gold in Athens and Silver and Beijing. She played her pro ball in the National Pro Fast Pitch League and was the twenty eleventh Player of the Year. A Women's College World Series analyst for ESPN and baseball analysts for ESPN and the Los Angeles Dodgers. She's also advising Athletes Unlimited for the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited
Softball League aka the AUSL, launching next month. A past president of the Women's Sports Foundation, she wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, pivoted to politics and educational reform, then made the Olympic team in softball and sports have never let her quit them. It's jess ben Doza.
Hi, Jess, Oh.
My gosh, that is the most unique intro I've ever had in my life. I love it. You kind of wrapped up everything about me like ten seconds.
I try my best.
I remember when you came on my old podcast that your bio was like a thousand miles long, and I was just like so impressed that everything you managed to accomplish at Stanford, while playing, while being in the Olympics, at everything else, and you just get more impressive. So we're gonna talk College World Series and a little AUSL but I'm really excited to get your insight on College
Women's World Series, aka the Greatest Show on Dirt. The action kicks off twelve pm Eastern on Thursday, Florida, take it on Texas Live on ESPN, part of a quadruple header. So before we get to the matchups, I want you to set the stage. You cover this event every year. It's one of the most popular sports in all of television, all of college sports.
Ratings growing popularity growing. What makes it so.
Special the emotion and the passion, and you see that
across sports in the postseason. But there's something about softball, you know, just being an outdoor sport in this like fast pace, like just absolutely emotionally like the way you know, any girl who played softball, even growing up, you had like the cheering and the loud and the just there's so much uniqueness to our game that even though we're compared with baseball, the pace and the emotional passion that comes out every time everyone's that a new fan comes in.
That's probably the biggest thing they always remark on is like, oh my gosh, these girls had me in tears that they had me out of my seat. It's just so emotionally charged.
Yeah, the chanting and just the vibes. The vibes are so good.
Tell me about the seat in Oklahoma City ahead of the game starting on Thursday.
Well, it's kind of nuts right now because we got the NBA happening right now literally in front of me. So I'm right across the street from the arena. The Timberwolves are on my floor, and so you know, like a Rods down the road, Like it's just NBA meets with so the Oklahoma who's the favorite here They're at the same hotel. So you just kind of have this and this has happened in the past as well, where the thunder are in either the finals or you know
this far down and it's just a playoff atmosphere. But then you have you have the team. So I was at the stadium all day to day. You know, we're meeting with eight teams and you know, you teams that have never been here before in Old miss you have teams that haven't been here in a really long time. Like you niver see an organ in a new conference. So you get this like just little kid vibe, right,
like the little girl in you comes out. We all kind of grew up watching our heroes in some capacity, and for a lot of these women, it was the women that were on this stage, the greatest show on dirt, and they have those memories and now they're just like are you kidding me? Like I get to be on this field that's so historic.
Well, and as if there wasn't enough enthusiasm and excitement, which there is every year because it's always in Oklahoma City.
Everybody knows it's going to be there.
Everybody knows, you know, the scene is going to be incredible. But then to add into that the thunder and the playoff excitement around that team, Gosh, it must be absolutely crazy. There is this feeling I think when the event is in the same place pretty much every year, and you return and you have the feelings as soon as you land of the peak moments from the years before, of this bond with all the people that you share it with, and you have quite a bond with the fellow broadcasters
and analysts that you work with. Tell us about the team that we'll be hearing from and what it means to get to come back home every year to Oklahoma City to work on this.
Well, first of all, can I give a little shout out? We just found out we are the longest tenured broadcast team of any sport, in any genre, gender, whatever. Next year will be our twentieth year doing the Women's College World Series. Beth Mowens, who's our play by play, myself and Michelle Smith are the analyst. And Holly row as everyone knows from all the sports.
That she does.
But this is all of us together, our twentieth year this next year, so nineteen this year, longest tenured booth, and it really is like a family. I was just calling, let me go get my wife, because Beth is like my road wife, and like, I know what she likes between games. I know how much coffee she's gonna need Like, I mean, it's just unbelievable when you kind of live and breathe with these women for so many years. But also like I mean, we are at the fields twenty
hours a day, like, you know, extra innings. Through it all, we've Beth Mowens has called the biggest moments of our sport. You know, she was calling games when I played, and I mean it's like, okay, let's bring it back right black and white television. So it's pretty cool that she's the voice of the sport. The fact that we've all been able to stay together and he's you know, Sarah, like pretty feels I possible, you know, within a sport. Yeah.
Yeah, Have you noticed the broadcast set up, the resources, the investment in it change over the years.
Sarah, Oh my gosh. So when I first started, first I was with John Cropp, who, for those that don't know phil longtime Philadelphia Phillies player, MLB analysts for ESPN now those games for the Phillies. So it was him and I He's a big, huge softball fan, but we were literally they built us because they didn't have a press box at the time. They built us a hardboard box like legit made it, and they would paint it
black so that it looked professional. So if you can imagine Oklahoma City end in May early June in a black literally a black box with no A, C, know nothing, and then they kind of like windows, and so the fans which is coming like pop their heads and be like, hey, what are you guys doing, like live on air, So you like put signs up like please don't put your head in the booth, like please don't talk to us.
Oh my gosh, the animals.
Oh my gosh, Sarah, and we would be like dripping swig like yeah, unbelieva. Of course you don't know, right, You're just like this is awesome, this is so cool. And now I mean state of the art stadium most likely going to host the twenty twenty eight Olympics as we know. So it is definitely the home for all of softball and the amount of money that the city of Oklahoma City is put into it, and obviously the sport in USA softball is profound.
That reminds me of one of my only two occasions quote unquote calling softball but not legitimately, both relating to allege of their own and at the espn W summit one year, a bunch of alums from the movie. We're playing against a local team and Penny Marshall and I were in the makeshift booth that the local whatever Division III college had no AC and she was just churning through siga, just heater after heater directly in my face.
Not long before she passed away, actually, but like telling me stories about working with Madonna and getting Rosie O'Donnell and who was the best at actually playing baseball for the movie.
It's like an incredible memory.
That I have.
But it was eight thousand degrees and I inhaled about three.
Packs that day.
Yeah, that was me back then too, just thrown them down, you know, just smoke.
Computers the whole game. All right, let's talk about the teams competing.
The SEC is always a powerhouse conference for softball, but even more so this year.
Right, Yeah, it's it's as we've seen with all sports, but with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC, it's just changed the game completely. And you know, you got to think Texas and Oklahoma played each other in the championship the last two of the three years, so you know, those two teams come of the SEC. We now have five teams, which ties the record. I feel like that record's going to even eventually get broken. Our side of
the bracket is all SEC. Yeah, but you know, at the same time, like the familiarity with each other almost hurts them because I'll tell you what, when Oklahoma plays anyone else that's outside of the conference, there's an intimidation factor. They haven't seen them. They understand the history, the dynasty, all the things, but when do you want to play them all season long? And it's like, Okay, we got this.
I mean tomorrow Oklahoma plays Tennessee their first game. Tennessee be Oklahoma two out of three games, so they feel like, Okay, we can do this. Versus if you're playing Oregon or UCLA or Texas Tech. There's that intimidation factor of like, these are the big dogs and you see that with teams. So having all the teams from the same conference is exciting for the SEC. I think the teams here would love to see like somebody else too, Yeah, someone's familiar.
Yeah, yes, you mentioned it.
The SEC programs represent more than half of this year's bracket. Number two, Oklahoma, number three, Florida, number seven, Tennessee, number six Texas an unseated ole miss all advanced out of the Super Regionals to come to Oklahoma City, and then Big ten Newcomers number nine U Silly, number six organ plus the Big twelve's number twelve Texas Tech.
So that's the lineup.
We've got working with eight teams remaining, they enter a double elimination tournament.
So can you explain exactly how that works in the College World Series?
Yeah, so, I mean, you gotta lose twice. And what's cool, Sarah, what I love about it is when you lose, you actually switch the other side of the brackets. You have eight teams, but really two sets of brackets four and four, and you kind of stay with your bracket. But until you hit the loser's bracket, if you come back through to face to get to the championship, you'll actually face a different team that knocked you out, which ensures that
you're gonna get the two best teams at the end. So, because seating, as you know, the NCAA is like way back when all that happened, you never want the two best teams to have to match up at the World Series and knock each other out. You want that to
be the championship, so that helps ensure it. Now it does make like we have lots of quadruple headers, meeting four games in a day, including our kickoff day on Thursday, we have our elimination Sunday where teams are flying going home like you know, tears are happening before you know. You go from eight teams to four teams. That happens on Sunday. So it's a super unique way. But what's beautiful about it is if you lose a game, your
season doesn't end. You have a chance, like I said, to face different teams that have lost also to make it back through to the championship series.
Let's talk favorites.
The Sooners are looking for their fifth straight NCAA softball title.
Fifth that is insane.
Tell me about this dynasty and this particular iteration.
You know what's cool, Sarah. So when they won four in a row that had never been done. That was last year. It was the same senior class, right, so they were freshmen, just an unbelievable class that won it every single year. That's never happened before. And then they graduate all of them. Right, this team has two players two in their lineup from last year and by the way, their sophomore, so they were Frasci's on that championship team.
It's a totally different team. Even their pitcher is a transfer from Louisiana that came over Sam Landry, and so you've got all these Freshee's, all these transfers, like just these new players, fourteen new players. In fact, they are playing with this like fun looseness that senior class last year, Sarah, they had fun at the end, but to be honest, they like hated it. They felt that pressure when you're
that dominant, that expectations are so high. Oklahoma comes into this year, they're not even ranked number one, they weren't even seated number one, and they're just loving it. They're like great, no one even knows our names, Like because you are you watch Oklahoma, You're like, where's Tierry Jennings AND's where's all the players that I knew, Jada Coleman And they're not there. They graduated. So now it's this newbie group and they're like, we want to win our first.
So it's not about for them winning the fifth in a row. It's like we want to win our first.
For most of the team. Yeah, that's wild.
So they entered the postseason, as you mentioned, as the number two seeded team despite winning four straight titles leading up to this. Who managed to steal number one from them? And tell us what happened to that team?
Texas A and M got the number one seed, which was interesting because they were supposed to face off at
the SEC tournament final. The game got rained out, so it was kind of like coming down into in the country like everything of course ESPN wants, and then it's like rain game canceled co champions So the selection committee gave the nod to tex ANM or someund strengths schedule and all those crazy rules for RPI and stuff, and so Oklahoma gets the two seed, but an M for the first time the history of the sport is the
one seed doesn't make it out of their regionals. So the way softball, you go to a regional with four teams and then you go to super regionals with two teams. So a number one seed might have been knocked out in supers, but never in a regional. Liberty to fighting Dot Richardson's for U softball fans out there, totally upset them, not once but twice because again your favorite it was a double elimination, so you had to beat them twice.
They did, like, I mean, just absolutely unbelievable what they were able to do.
So Oklahoma's like, okay, ball, don't lie. We should have been the number one seed in the first place, but now we basically are because we're the top seed in the tournament and everyone expects us to win it.
What team has the best shot to upset them?
You know? I Okay, Carlin Pickens, if you've seen the viral.
We've talked about you have.
Yeah, both times breaking her own record with the pitches.
Yeah, so we.
Were doing her Super Regional game last when she broke the record again seventy nine point four miles an hour, which now it's like these things like the mile run, like all these like marks, right.
Like you used to mean something, Jess.
No, yeah, it used to be like, okay, can you ever throw seventy five? But if we get to eighty, like eighty is equivalent to one hundred and eleven miles an hour in Major League baseball when you talk about forty three feet in reaction time, So it's like, you know, mind blowing, and no one's near her, like Carlin Pickens is just unbelievable. So she has already beat Oklahoma twice this year, and so she has that ability without a doubt. Then you've got Nija Kennedy out of Texas Tech. Now
they're not maybe as complete of a team. This is their first time in school history they've been to Oklahoma City, so we've never seen them on the stage. You know, I hate saying it. She led them to Stanford the last with Stanford the last two years. That's my alma mater. Now she's here taking Texas Tech. But Niga Kennedy's the best picture. So I know what Carlon pickenstroon in seventy nine, you like tune in and why Nija Kennedy like her rise ball change up and she is a beast in
the circle. So those two Texas Tech and Tennessee have the ability to shut down Oklahoma's offense any given day. But being a West Coast girl, like I got to give a shout out to UCLA, Like if you talk about history, I know Oklahoma's got it recency bias, but UCLA has this is their thirty third World series. Like that's insane, It's mind blowing. And they have that history. They're here every year like they always surprise team. So that's another another team. I would say to look out UCLA.
Shout out to our all of our life coaches.
Suit Aquist, who is just like the OG, one of the greatest coaches of all time. And if you meet her, even for five minutes, you'll be like, tell me everything you know about life and help me. You talked about the potential for Texas Tech because of Nija Kennedy. What about Ole Miss in their debut only unranked team left standing. What does it mean for that program to reach this stage and what kind of shot do they have?
Well, Jamie Traxel has do an amazing job. Their staff, their coaching staff has gotten them to really believe. I mean, that's a program in a conference that you kind of feel like you got no chance. They use that to their advantage. They understood like we've played all the best teams, like we've been able to compete, and they have and even watching them at the SEC Tournament and obviously going in to Arkansas and beating them, go shoot start from
the beginning. They went to Tucson, they weren't see it. They went to Tucson upset Arizona and their history then to Arkansas. So those are always the fun teams, right, The dangerous ones are like yeah, like no one's talking about old miss right, like and they never have like this is not a historic program, but their coaching staff has that belief and they've got it going right now.
And it's not because one or two players, Like they are literally playing free because they have zero pressure and they're enjoying the moment.
That's awesome.
Okay, Individually, give us a couple of people to keep an app for. You've mentioned a few, but just a couple of stars to watch for.
Well, Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant. They are bash brothers, bomb sisters, whatever. They have all these nicknames because they hit right after each other. They were just I was just in interviews with them, and they are like Hilaria. They've known each other since they were in fifth grade, grew up in the Bay Area together, like that total example of like sisterhood, like your girls when you meet younger and then you end up going to the same
school together. They finish each other since they've lived together, Like they're such a great tandem of hitters. They have broken the record at UCLI just talked about their history and they lead all of Division one in RBIs together and that's just such a fun They hit right after each other and they both play the corner positions. It's cool to see that bond. The way they'll communicate after a bat like hey, look, you'll see like one of them will get out, strikeout and go whisper to the
other like this is what I saw. Like that to me is like, Sarah, you get this team sport at its perfection. Yeah, I'm pissed and like I want to go back to the dugout and chuck my helmet, but instead I'm gonna I got you, and I want to make sure that like we are helping each other. They do that in such a beautiful way. If you want to see a freshman, that is like she just went freshman the year. Okay, Taylor's shoemaker. She's a socaw girl
playing for Florida. Unbelievable numbers. Her swing is so beautiful and I'm a lefty, so like watching my lefty swing and speaking of Florida, I got one more for you, Kendra Falby. I mean, let's be real. When you're watching sports center and you're looking at highlight reels. It's all about the outfielders. Kendra Falby. We call her Kendra Walby because she's literally robbed like twenty home runs this year. We even got her wingspan, her height jump because she
does things we've never seen from an athlete before. So she will definitely be making plays in the beyond being Florida's lead off there.
I love it.
I'm so excited to look out for all those And last thing for the World Series. Is there any cool story or maybe two stories that are coming out. Someone coming back from injury, someone getting one final shot after coming up short every year, a coach that's heading out after this season, something that stands out to you.
Gosh, there's a ton you know. I think Texas, who haven't talked a lot about there's some serious redemption. They got swept by Oklahoma this year, they lost to them in the championship last year. They've got a senior class led by Mia Scott, who's like a little sassy, like third in the lineup, like want the punchy in the face. She's another star by the way to look out for.
And they're led by Taking Cavan in the circle So that's a team that has made it to the Championship over and over and their coach, Mike White, even going back to when he was at Oregon, there's been no coach that's ever made it to the World Series so
many times and never won. So like there's a lot of like, just like they call it like fire right now, fuel for fire, because that's all they have in their mouth, the bad taste of losing last year, getting swept by Oklahoma this year, and you just kind of feel like they're going to meet up the fact that they both win. It'll be Saturday on ABC Entuck Eastern Texas versus Oklahoma, which is a rematch of the championship last year.
Amazing. We will look for that.
Before we let you go, I have to ask you about AUSL because the Athletes Unlimited Softball League is launching so very soon in my backyard in Chicago, technically Rosemont, but close enough. I will be one of the hosts for the opening night party on June sixth in downtown Chicago.
And then I'll be there for the very first game on June seventh.
What are you most excited about when it comes to this AUSL league and how it's different than previous iterations of pro softball.
The fact that we've got everybody. I mean, we got Sarah Spain host, and I mean, what are.
We talking about now, Like that is it?
Like yeah, i mean like just let's be run. No, Like we've got freaking Kim Ang their commissioner, Like we've got Lisa Fernandez, cat aster Man, like every name that's never this is three decades. People don't know this, over three decades of professional softball, Sarah, and we've never had everybody come together the way that they are now. And it's backed by Athletes Unlimited, which isn't just for softball,
like it's a for women's sports. There's this whole idea in seat of individual owners and like fairness and equality, like everybody's under the same umbrella. And it's finally this fresh new start. I'm so excited because there's some breaking news that's going to come out probably by the time this podcast comes out, that we'll talk about a partnership that's never existed that everyone's always asked, like when is
this happening? Well, it's here, and that just further tells you that this is the right moment now for women's softball.
Yeah, it's so hard when you're a little early, or maybe when not everyone else is on board to be able to put in the kind of resources that are required to have a startup.
Company, which is basically what a new league is.
And so there's been these great efforts in the past, and there's been a lot of really good softball being played, but never quite breaking through. And you mentioned this at THEESPNW summit in a panel you hosted. You're sick of people asking you why isn't there professional softball and you're saying.
There is, you just don't know about it.
And this feels like the opportunity to really break through, like you mentioned, because of all the different people involved in that embargoed news that our listeners might have heard by now if they're listening to this, but we're not going to say it just in case. Last thing, you know, you mentioned that Oklahoma City set to host softball at
the Los Angeles Olympics in twenty twenty eight. What's your sense of how players feel about that because obviously great facility, but also not a part of everything going on in LA and not a part of everybody else being in the Olympics spirit and the athlete village and everything else.
I think it sucks. Yeah, And I love Oklahoma City, don't get me wrong. And I'm not trying to be offensive to what's here, but as an Olympian, as a Southern California native, like I mean, like there is something magical about being there. And the thing is is all these women have played in Oklahoma City, whether it wasn't the Women's College World Series or the numerous events that
are hosted in Oklahoma City. Every international international team, like, we've played here a million times and it's a beautiful place and a dream to play. But it's not the Olympics. If the Olympics are in Los Angeles, so my heartbreaks because I want them to have that. I do. I have talked to Janet Evans, who's helping with LA twenty eight. They do want to do something special for these women at Dodger Stadium where the Olympics will be kicking off,
whether it's an exhibition game or a moment to recognize them. Shoot, they're still like I hear all the talk about like someone's going to build a stadium. It's going to happen, so we'll see we're not here.
You got time in eight Yeah, we got time.
But yeah, if I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Sarah, you know I am like I am pissed.
I would be too, and I would be if I was one of those players. I want my Olympic experience to be truly, truly the Olympic experience if you are the perfect ambassador for this sport at every single level.
Thank you so much for making some time to chat with me.
We're super excited to watch you cover this and super excited.
For the launch of AUSL. So thanks for the time.
Awesome. When I see in Chicago for ASL launch, I'm going to test you on who you thought was gonna win. Actually, I need to do that right now, who do you think is going to win?
Okay?
Putting here on the spot, Yeah, I mean I kind of like your idea of like Texas just having a mouthful of revenge.
I like the idea of.
Carlin Pickens, but I worry about if she shuts him down, you still need to get your offense to show up.
So I feel like I don't know why.
It's too easy to say It's too easy to say sooners again, So.
I'm going to go Texas.
Okay, all right, listeners, we're going to check back in because you guys will all be there paying attention to the AOSL launches, and we'll.
Make your picks in your head right now, slices, and we'll see if any of us are right, and we'll reconvene at AUSL launch in Chicago and pat each other on the back for our best effort.
Thank you, Jess, Thanks Sarah.
Thanks again to Jess for taking the time. We got to take another quick break when we come back. What if the real middle school trauma was the words we misspelled along the way? Ps At first Alex misspelled, misspelled, So the answer is definitely yes.
Spelling trauma is lasting trauma. Welcome back, slaces.
Earlier this week, we asked you if you remember the word you went out on in your school spelling bee, and we loved reading your responses. Here, a couple Panda with a Cookie wrote on Blue Sky that they lost on the word cylinder in sixth grade cyl I N d er. They also recommended the documentary Spellbound and offered their own parting remarks, Good game scripts, good game, small children, spelling, long words, h Cylinder.
Thanks Panda with the cookie, by the way, panded with the cookie.
Also the one who told us about those hot dogs that you drilled.
What was this called camp dogs? Oh god, would you drill potato dog? Potato tater drill, tatato, tater tato. Wait, wait, tat tater pigs, tater pigs. We're leaving all of that in.
Okay, this next response, we're gonna keep anonymous, and I think you'll see why quote. I was good at spelling and had high expectations the first time my fourth grade class had a contest, so I could still remember the absurdity of the teacher who was running it, starting me off with an incomprehensible word that.
Sounded like babboled.
When I asked for it in a sentence, she said the baby bab old, which certainly didn't help. I thought maybe it was some obscure chimpanzee type animal that I'd never heard of, so I guessed b A B O L D, and of course got bounced. It turned out it was babbled, which I'm certain no other human being has ever pronounced that way, either before or since forty years later, and I'm not bitter about it at all, So please don't put on.
The Internet that I was mad end quote. We won't say you're mad. Super Slice Hagaya Litzer Oops.
By the way, the Script Spelling Bee concludes tonight with the final round. Tune in at eight pm Eastern on Ion to see which tiny child takes home the trophy and the rights to a killer fun fact they could brag about for the rest of their life. We love the ear list in slices, but we want you to get in the game every day too, So here's our good game play of the day. Watch the College World series games get going at twelve pm Eastern today, and we've linked to the tune in info in full schedule
in our show notes. And we always love to hear from you, so hit us up on email good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two four fifty seventy.
Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review, y'all. It's easy.
Just let certified slice Nicole Scomena show you how. This is an email she sent that truly warmed my heart from Nicole quote running into Sarah Spain in an elevator at the Valkyrie's first game. Rating ten out of ten Best elevator ride ever review. Trying to exit the Chase Center from the top floor after the Valkyries game, my dad and I jumped in an elevator to avoid the
annoying stairwell. I heard a familiar voice and shouted Sarah's name, way louder than that for an elevator, and also something about how we were slices. I was so surprised, that's just what popped out. I've gotten my dad hooked on women's basketball, and like most dads, he really dug in.
With Caitlin Clark a couple years ago.
We listened a good game together in the car a lot, and he sends me photos from when he's listening alone to brag about what he learned from Sarah. That day, after the elevator ride, we shyly asked Sarah for a photo and she agreed, and to our surprise, instead of rushing off to meet her friends in the fancy club area she was trying to get into, she wanted to chat sports with us. How cool we were both buzzing more about our chat with Sarah than the slightly rough
Valkyrie's first game. Nicole continues in her review quote had I been less in shock running into Sarah, I would have liked to express my gratitude to her for all she's done and continues to do to highlight and elevate women's sports. I grew up loving sports and played D three college softball. During the pandemic, I rediscovered my love for women's sports with the NWSL and WNBA getting real airtime.
How wild.
Since then, I've been an avid women's sports fan. I've been working in the wine industry as a winemaker and to figure out how to jump over into the women's sports world. I'm so inspired by the athletes and the causes they champion for and the positive domino effect women's sports has on the world. I'm also inspired by media groups like your team the share stories that connect listeners
to these incredible athletes. I think that's such an important part of growing a strong women's sports fan base, and I really love your stars Stake, stats and stories concept. If you have any advice on how to crack into the women's sports job market, I'd be happy to hear. Thanks for all you do, Big Citrus, and thanks to Sarah for a memorable meetup. Thank you, Nicole, Oh my gosh, that was such a nice email slices. If any of
you have wine and women's sports connections, email us. It is a tough business because everybody wants in now Nicole, but maybe you start by seeing if any women's athletes that love wine are interested doing a signature wine of their own, And once you've got relationship with some of those stars, maybe they'd be interested in working on other stuff. I know there's a lot of male athletes that work in the wine industry, so why not get some of our women's faves in the game as well.
Give it a shot. Thanks for listening, y'all, See you tomorrow.
Good game, Jessica, Good game listening to Good Game in the car with your dad? He you French open organizers? Who's at the Zimbisio sexist? Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You could find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz,
Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Gianna Palmer. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain