Link Report for Wed. 6/3 -- Matinee Audio with Sounds, TimberRattlers

[Mass Haas]

Link Report Bonus # 2:

Mike Burns discusses some of the goings-on in Nashville in his pre-game audio interview with Cory Provus last night

[Mass Haas]

Link Report Bonus # 3:

Link while active, text follows:

 

Lawrie proud of sister Danielle, who led Washington to NCAA Division I softball championship

Brett Christopherson, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

GRAND CHUTE - The cell phone screen served its purpose in revealing the important details of the scene playing out nearly 800 miles away on Tuesday.

 

But Brett Lawrie had to actually see it for himself. So the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers second baseman quickly made his way up the long set of steps that connect the third base dugout at Fox Cities Stadium with the home clubhouse and checked out the television.

 

Sure, the Rattlers were still sparring with Midwest League counterpart Cedar Rapids, taking their hacks and trying to string together a rally in the bottom of the ninth in a contest they'd eventually drop 1-0.

 

But Lawrie wasn't due up for a while, so why not sneak away for a bit to see if his older sister, Danielle, could complete the dream?

 

"It was awesome," Lawrie said. "It was pretty cool."

 

There was Danielle, a 22-year-old star pitcher for the third-ranked University of Washington softball team, standing inside a circle of chalk in front of 5,800 fans and a mere two outs away from finishing off top-ranked Florida in the second game of the best-of-three NCAA Women's College World Series at Oklahoma City.

 

The Gators, trailing 3-2 in the seventh, were threatening with runners on first and second, but the junior right-hander settled down and did what she does best, pounding the strike zone, and got the next two batters to whiff.

 

Game over. Series sweep. A national championship secured.

 

And Lawrie - thank you, ESPN2 - was there, sort of, to enjoy it.

 

If only he had been awake to receive that early-morning call - try 3 a.m. - from his amped-up sister.

 

"Obviously, they were out having some fun," Lawrie said with a grin before Wednesday's 4-1 Rattlers setback to Cedar Rapids. "It's once-in-a-lifetime. She was always the best at what she did. She was an awesome basketball player and an all-around athlete. Even at a young age, she was a 'fireballer' pitcher. You could always tell she was good at what she did."

 

How good?

 

Well, she was named the World Series' most outstanding player after tossing every one of the Huskies' 711 tournament pitches, finishing with a 5-1 record, a 2.42 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings.

 

Then there's the national-player-of-the-year honor Danielle lassoed last week to cap a season in which she produced a 42-8 record and tallied 521 K's - one shy of tying the Pac-10's single-season strikeout mark.

 

Oh, the kid can swing the bat, too. Her first-inning grand slam on Sunday in a tournament elimination game paved the way for a 9-3 victory over Georgia that sent the Huskies into the championship round.

 

Danielle came back to fan 12 and surrender only two hits in blanking Florida 8-0 on Monday to snap the Gators' 29-game winning streak.

 

"You just look at the stuff she's done," said Lawrie, 19. "Obviously, the odds were always against her, and now she's one of the best pitchers in the world.

 

People are always trying to take her down, and she just goes out there day after day and just keeps repeating."

 

The "take her down" comment is a dig at the naysayers who either made it clear they didn't care much for the Lawries' athletic success or didn't think either could accomplish what they have.

 

That's why Lawrie, who was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round, 16th overall, of last June's draft, said he and his sister are wired the same in that both are ultra-intense when it comes to competing.

 

Even if it's against each other. Lawrie recalls the days back home in Langley, British Columbia, when he and Danielle would square off in anything, from seeing who could jump the highest to finding out who could do the most push-ups.

 

"You've always got to play with a chip on your shoulder, or else it seems like you're playing for nothing," said Lawrie, who, like Danielle, represented Team Canada last year in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. "You always have to have something to strive for, and I always do out there.

 

"Same thing with her. She's always had that chip on her shoulder. 'OK, now it's my turn in the middle of the circle, and I'm going to come after you.' "

 

Speaking of coming after you, any chance you could drill one of your sister's fastballs?

 

"Never tried," he said. "I think I could. I don't know. I guess those other softball players are making it look pretty tough, so I don't know if I'd have a chance.

 

"She's the better softball player, and I think that speaks for itself. The national player of the year, World Series MVP - I guess that says it all right there. It's unreal to see. Hat's off to her. I'm very proud of her."

[Mass Haas]

Post-Crescent Blog Entry with details on Wisconsin's 4-1 loss