Quotes By Jennie Finch

When I was 12, I had a coach tell me I would never be a championship pitcher. That devastated me. I was crushed.

And my dad drilled it in my head, you know, 'If you want it bad enough, and you're willing to make the sacrifices, you can do it. But first you have to believe in yourself.

I'm playing first base and pitching and hitting. I feel like I'm almost better than I've ever been. It's like, 'You're going to walk away like this?'

I've faced more than 35 major leaguers, and only two have ever made contact against me.

I try to squeeze in a workout whenever I can, even if it's doing squats with my 7-month-old in the kitchen or jumping on the trampoline with my 5-year-old.

Right now in my career, it's like I'm having more fun than I've ever had, so it's kind of like, 'Man, I can't stop now.'

This whole career has been way more than I ever even imagined or dreamed.

It is incredible how far women have come and women in sports have come.

I just feel like it gets harder and harder every year with Ace getting older and time away from my husband and even family events such as birthdays and friends' weddings and things that I've always just missed out on because of softball.

It's all about balance and, I think, being in the moment.

Growing up, I looked up to major league baseball players, and now these young women have amazing, incredible women all across the board, from swimming to gymnastics to softball to basketball.

There's nothing better than working up a good sweat.

I hate losing.

Whatever I am doing at that moment, I want to make the most of it.

When I lose, I take it very personally.

I love to run. I was challenged to run the New York marathon four months after having my youngest son, and since running isn't a big part of softball, the thought of a marathon was a stretch for me.

I still think there are some pitches in this pitching arm, so I will continue playing with USA Softball, but knowing that this could be the last time a softball player stands on the Olympic podium and has the opportunity of experiencing this - it was emotional.

It's so empowering to see yourself as a machine.

I mean, I love winning, but losing is a much more intense feeling.