[MA Softball Ump]

Here is part of an email that I just received. Although the issue is known, some of the info is new (at least for me):


----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Fanning
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 1:34 PM
Subject: ioc
February 9, 2006

Fellow softball fans, players, coaches, umpires and administrators

July 9, 2005, a dark day in softball history. Do you remember what happened on that day? It was the infamous day that the decision was rendered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at their 117th session to no longer include softball in the Games effective 2012. It was a real kick to the gut of the softball community. It took away our softball breath for a moment, but we were told that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The IOC had lumped the dirty game of baseball and softball together as one. A collective uproar was heard, not only in the United States, but around the world. How dare they remove a sport that has all of the character that IOC President Jacques Rogge looked for in his competition? After all the Lord of the Rings stated publicly that he wanted sports that were clean, no drug scandals, had a big female contingent and are competed universally. That’s softball!

Well once the softball fanatics regained their collective breath we were informed that the light at the end of the tunnel would be the 118th IOC session, which was when softball would be reconsidered and be reinstated. Well that day came today and what do you think happened? The Executive Board of The IOC did not jettison softball again, but they did not reinstate our game either. Instead the powers to be at the IOC voted to not to consider to re-consider the reinstatement of softball in the Games. That’s correct they took a vote not to vote. And why was that you ask? Well it is my opinion that the IOC did not want to look like they rushed to too quick a conclusion back in 2005. They felt that it was to soon after their original decree to make any changes and look like they were about to eat crow, or squab, what ever bird they were might have had to ingest. So softball was not even considered for London 2012.

Now all of this could have been avoided if the vote went softball’s way in 2005. And who do we have to blame for this infliction of injustice? Well in my opinion the fault lays squarely in one persons lap. That person is one of the IOC’s Vice Presidents, first elected to the IOC in 1994. He has also been president of FITA, the international governing body of archery. ARCHERY! But now comes the cruelest kick of all, he is from the United States. Notice I said he is from the U.S. According to the IOC bylaws he doesn’t represent the U.S. but is the IOC representative to the U.S. He is the official messenger of Messer. Rogge. And why do I think that this person is responsible. On that day in 2005 the official vote tally was tied. Softball needed just one more vote to remain in the games, but this individual decided to sit on his voting hand and abstained from voting. Who was that quiet man? Well according to many national publications, his name is, James L. Easton of California. Does the name sound familiar? For those of you that can not complete the puzzle, Jimbo has a few other titles. Chairman and Chief Executive of Easton Sports. That’s right the company that has the audacity to charge John and Jane softball player $200.00 for a bat. Now I don’t know this for sure but I would be willing to wager that Mr. Easton has never abstained from a vote involving archery. To say that I am perplexed by his actions is, well an understatement of great proportions. How dare he bite the hand that feeds him? He did a severe disservice to his stockholders, but more importantly the softball nation that has supported his company.

I am personally going to let

Mr. James Easton
Chairman & C.E.O
Easton Sports Inc.
7855 Haskell Ave. Suite 200
Van Nuys, CA. 91406

know of my displeasure with his past actions in regards to softball. And until such time that Mr. Easton holds his hands high for softball at the 119th IOC session I will, and I encourage everyone else to, boycott any products manufactured by or distributed by Easton Sports. Who knows if production and sales diminish, Mr. Easton may have to close his factory in Mexico. After all it was he who is the only one responsible for softball to be removed from the games in the first place. If he had gotten of his high and mighty derriere back in Singapore in 2005 there would have been no need for the animosity towards either him or his company. But he can right his previous wrongs and perform the Heimlich maneuver on his fellow IOC Executive Board Members and help them dislodge that crow.

Well we still have the Olympics in 2008 were softball will be played. Hopefully at that time the IOC will take their blinders of and see softball for what it really is a highly competitive game that is played by females from a wide spectrum of ethnic, social, economic backgrounds. Played in 130 Olympic member’s countries by amateurs with no political agenda. The IOC wants sports whose venues will continue to be used well after the Olympics leave a host city. When is the last time you or someone you know has been to a velodrome? Many a softball player or fan has been to or played on the former sites of Olympic softball. There has to be a way to remove the politics from the Olympics. After all the IOC’s mission is to promote sportsmanship and fair play.

I know that the dedicated group of softball representatives that fought hard and long to get softball into the games originally will once again take the fight to the IOC and convince the powers to be that an egregious act happened in July of 2005. Remember this fight is not about any one organization. It’s not indigenous to the United States. It a time when softball fans, player, coaches, umpires and administrators must ban together and have our softball voices heard whatever it takes.

Oh did I mention that the two disciplines that are replacing softball, karate and squash. How apropos, they gave softball a mighty kick and the IOC can have squash with its crow.

Please feel free to pass along this information and also contact Mr. Easton.

Regards
Jim Fanning
Saugus, MA.

FULL STORY
Latest news, Highlights of the week, and the Olympic Review Olympic programme for London 2012 confirmed 09 February 2006 IOC session do not consider baseball and softball for reinstatement into the 2012 Olympic Programme

The 118th IOC Session gathered in Turin today decided that a vote on the reinstatement of baseball and softball into the Olympic programme of the 2012 London Olympic Games should not be put on this morning’s session agenda.

This means that the decision taken during the 117th Session in Singapore to have 26 sports on the programme in London stands.

The results of the vote are as follows:

Baseball:
Box given: 95
Participants: 90
Abstentions: 2
Valid Ballots: 88
Majority: 45
NO: 46
YES: 42

Softball:
Box given: 95
Participants: 92
Abstentions: 2
Valid Ballots: 90
Majority: 46
NO: 47
YES: 43

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