If there is only one athlete that you have the chance to follow at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by far it should be the likes of USA Softball player Jennie Finch. Not only is she the hottest female athlete going right now, but she has a killer pitch that has struck out the likes of Mike Piazza and has grabbed the respect of Barry Bonds.

With all of her accomplishments and where Finch is going in the near future, our staff decided to take a few minutes and sit down with the softball star and see what makes her tick and see just what it is like to be Jennie Finch.

PM:  Tell us about the game against Arizona this past week? You had to be slightly upset that you gave up a homer and broke your streak of 43 1/2 innings of scoreless play. Does this mean that Jennie Finch really is human when it comes to pitching, or do you really care that a college kid took you deep?

JF:  It definitely means that I am human and there is that much great talent out there. I'm mad! I don't like giving up runs. I have expectations higher than that when I take the field and you have to learn from it and move on.

PM:  How have you handled going from college softball player and NCAA champion to celebrity? Everybody wants to see Finch and get a look at this team?

JF: It's crazy! I have to stop and realize that these people are lined up for my autograph and all of these girls show up screaming Jennie Finch, its pretty crazy.  It kind of surprises once in a while the more I get recognized when I am out in public....I am just a softball player, but it's great, it just shows you how far women's athletics have come and stepping up to that Olympic level and you go out and take the field with 17 other of the best athletes, you definitely have to step your game up a level.

PM:  How much does a gold medal mean to you.. say opposed to winning a NCAA Championship?

JF: A gold medal is the ultimate and wearing USA across your chest is the highest honor you can achieve as a softball player. It definitely has been my goal since I was a little girl. Dreaming about a gold medal and watching the 1996 and 2000 teams, I said I want to be on that field and god has blessed me with the opportunity to do so and that is the main goal.

PM: You got a lot of recognition when ESPN put out a poll on their website for voting on the hottest female athlete, which you took over Anna Kournikova by a landslide. Unlike some of the athletes who are all about their face on a poster to sell products. How do you feel you combine you sexiness with your athletic ability that some others lack that were in the same poll?

JF: It's cool, because, I was seen pitching on ESPN for Arizona and hopefully my athletic talent out does anything else and I wake up every morning working to win a gold medal and to help my team win.  I think everything else has been icing on the cake for me as far as all the publicity for my looks. It is kind of like... I want to be a good person and good player and hopefully be one of the best players to play the game of softball. My looks and all are great. They are not going to leave me, but I want to be known as an athlete.

PM:  How would you rank yourself with some of the top female athletes of all time? For example, someone like Mia Hamm? Do you rank yourself in the top 10 or say top 50?

JF: I don't like to rank myself. You have to look at all of those other players and appreciate what they have done for their sport. I haven't really done anything on the Olympic level.  I have won a World Championship at the Pam Am games, but the Gold Medal is the ultimate goal and that is my main focus right now.

PM: What's next for Finch after Athens?

JF:  Who knows... I have a wedding date of October 30th, so I am going to get married and then we will see. I want to keep doing This Week in Baseball and getting more involved with that. I also want to do something that someone has not done, like maybe break through with a cosmetic line, a beauty line or fashion line, go mainstream with everything and shoot for another Gold medal in 2008.

PM: Do you think there is any team that has a small shot of defeating this USA Softball team?

JF: On any given day, anyone can win. We just have to prepare ourselves everyday. When I wake up every morning and say what am I  going do to that the Japanese or Australians aren't going to do, you have to go in there and prepare, because one swing or one pitch can change the game. You prepare and hope that you get lucky.

PM:  Your product line has taken off, how do you feel about your product and the way it has taken off. There is a guy in Tucson that has been hitting a ridiculous .806 with your Jennie Finch Mizuno model bat. People are like wow, I like the product and what it has done for me?

JF:  I have always dreamt of it and when  I saw the Lisa Fernandez bat and the Leah O'Brien bat and definitely you goal as a little girl is you want you own bat and all of the positives we have been getting back on it is tremendous. Its is awesome when people come up to me and say, " I love your logo, I have your bat.. I love it .. you cleats.. its like, Whoa, this is real. I have my own signature line. Its really a dream come true. I have to thank people like Lisa Fernandez, Michelle Smith and Dot Richardson as they broke through when manufacturers told them their name did not belong on a bat or glove and sure enough  I come out of college and I have an entire line. I have to thank the ambassadors who broke those barriers and with that I can hopefully be one step closer to the mainstream line of fashion and beauty and everything else.

To keep up on Jennie Finch or see her in person, check her out as she jumps back into action on the USA Softball Grass Routes Tour, which starts on May 17th in San Antonio and wraps up on July 17th in Stratford, CT.

For more information on the Grass Routes Tour and dates in city near you where you can check out Jennie Finch, visit www.usasoftball.com