Jennie Finch has been around the circle. She has two Olympic medals, gold and silver, and has been the face of softball for well over a decade, even after retiring from active play in 2010. Though her time on the field has ended, that doesn't mean she's any less busy.
She competed on the all-athlete edition of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" in the spring. Finch has a partnership with headwear company New Era to promote softball through Major League Baseball. She even played in the 2018 All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game on Sunday.
The game was slow pitch and Finch's National League team -- her teammates included John Wall and rapper Wale -- got beat 14-10 by the American League squad. "It's always such a fun event and is different depending on who plays," Finch said in a phone interview. "To see these guys come in and play the game that I love is magical."
Finch's day-to-day duties include serving as MLB's first youth softball ambassador. She partnered with the league to create a competitive softball tournament, the Jennie Finch Classic, at MLB All-Star Week. Eight all-star teams from youth academies across the country participated, with Compton Youth Academy taking it all.
"It's so encouraging to see how the MLB has stepped up to encourage young athletes to play ball, whether it's baseball or softball," Finch said. "It's important for young girls to know that they matter."
Supporting USA Softball is one of the most important things to Finch. She competed for Team USA at the Beijing Games in 2008 and her squad won a silver medal, ultimately losing to Japan. It was the first time the U.S. softball team failed to capture gold on the Olympic stage. Then the sport was left out of the next two Olympic Summer Games. With softball slated to return to the Olympics in 2020, Team USA is beginning the qualification process.
"I always have the itch to play, but I can look back and appreciate what it takes, the sacrifices and what they're going through," Finch said. "I couldn't be more elated to see softball back in the Olympics where it belongs."
Perhaps most interesting to Finch will be identifying the next crop of softball stars ahead of the next Olympic cycle. Finch has been the most famous softball player for such a long time, well past the conclusion of her playing career, partly because of softball not having the Olympic platform. That stands to change in 2020.
"It will be exciting to see who emerges from the college game and the pro league," Finch said. "It's been difficult to build that bridge from college to the pros and internationally, so hopefully the next two years will give the athletes the spotlight to grow our sport."
When Finch says grow the sport, she is not necessarily talking about grassroots or even college. Those parts of the game, she says, are solid. She wants a professional league that gives players a viable option to extend their careers beyond the collegiate system.
"We need to grow publicity, marketing, and coverage for the pro league. [This] would help players develop their game after college," Finch said. "That was a struggle. You have to have a full-time job to pay the bills so you can play the game that you love."
All-Star Week concludes on Tuesday with the 89th MLB All-Star Game, with the likes of Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts in the starting lineup. And Finch will breathe a sigh of relief; she's done her job, she's worked hard to bring softball to the forefront.
Tuesday evening, she wants to sit in the stands and take in a ballgame.