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We're the comeback kids
United States softball pitcher Michele Smith is at her second Olympic Games. Smith, who was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA for the gold-medal 1996 team, is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has played professional softball in Japan. In the middle of the yelling and screaming and high-fivin' and even a little silent post-game prayer in the gold-medal locker room, United States' pitcher and designated hitter Michele Smith checked in with CNNSI.com.
September 26, 2000
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! It's just unbelievable here. We just won the game. From where we were earlier in the week, having to win five games in a row to get the gold, to be standing here right now, whoooo!, it's just awesome! Here we are. We're the comeback kids. We believed in ourselves. We never gave up. We fought back and then, there we were, the winning run coming across the plate and all of us leaping up in the dugout and running for the door. Everyone ran out and piled on to Jennifer [McFalls] who was scoring the winning run. Then, we were all jumping around out by home plate. Everyone is feeling so good. Before the game, Tommy Lasorda came in and told us that if we worked hard and all played our positions better than the people who were playing our positions on the other team, that we would win. He said that this was the only game that mattered. We got behind by a run and then I got on base. When Stacey Nuveman got her hit in the fifth inning, I was running all the way. I was going to score and tie the game no matter where the ball was hit. Once the game was tied, then we could concentrate on winning. Then, in the eighth inning, when Jennifer was on base and Laura Berg was at the plate, Laura did a great job of getting the ball up and then over the head of the outfielder. The outfielders on the Japan team are not all natural outfielders. They switch them around, and they were playing in. So the girl who went back did a great job to get her glove on the ball, but when it came out, we just exploded. It was pure adulation in the dugout. We took it! Since I have played in Japan, I have some friends on their team. I am close to the pitcher and the second baseman and I feel for them. They came up to me afterwards and I gave them big hugs, and they congratulated us and told us how strong we were. That is their way of being polite. They did a great job to get here, and should be happy and really pleased with the silver medal. I'm just thrilled and thankful that we came back and that this team showed the character and courage to win the gold. Now, I'm going to head on out of the locker room to find my family. I can't wait to see them. Wheeooohhh! There are just cheers and laughter and everyone here is just so proud.
-- Michele
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