Team USA vs. Venezuela right now. Although I'm mostly listening because I'm also working! Shhh ... don't tell. :-)

I just watched Chipper Jones look at strike three. Sigh. But it's only the first inning. Ooh, it's former Brave Mark DeRosa in left field.

We've been busy with softball practice. Riley is playing coach-pitch fastpitch this year; it's a huge difference from T-ball. She's making decent contact, but we've got to work on bat speed and the hip turn.

We also bought her a face protector to wear if she's playing infield. Lots of girls wear them now, and I think it's a good idea, even at this young age. Everything is so much faster and harder now than when I was a kid.

So far she's having fun and learning the proper way to hit, catch and throw ... the most important things.

Thanks, y'all! It's pretty awesome to be among the Latest Leaders in my first week. And everyone else is writing a post about a player with the number that relates to their Latest Leader ranking.

I had to look up players who wore No. 36 for the Braves; I had no clue. I picked those who wore the number during good years of my life, starting with the year I was born. Here's the info from Baseball Almanac.com.

1972: Pitcher Tom Kelley. In his seven-year career, three with the Braves, he pitched 104 games and had a 20-22 record with a 3.75 ERA. He also threw nine complete games.

1995: The year I married my former catcher and current golf pro husband. Pitcher Steve Bedrosian. "Bedrosian was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 14, 1981, with the Atlanta Braves," Baseball Almanac says. He made $750,000 in his final year. In 14 years, he was 76-79 with a 3.38 ERA and 184 saves.

2001: The year Riley was born. Pitcher Steve Reed. His nickname was Father Time, and he played for 14 years with a 49-44 record. His ERA was 3.63, and he had 18 saves.

Two other No. 36s for the Braves were pitcher Gaylord Perry (1981) and outfielder Gary Matthews (1977-80).

And that's all I got. Go, Braves!

I'm about to head out to my daughter's softball tryouts ... seriously, she's 7 and they're having tryouts? I think it's just to evaluate the players to make sure all the teams are pretty even, talentwise.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little about her first season last year and what it meant to me. This is from one of my other blogs, Sound Check Mama.

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One of the dreams I've had for Riley since she was born came true Saturday. She played her first softball game. I've been waiting 6 years for this day, and it was worth it. Seeing her swinging that bat, running the bases and stopping and throwing the ball made my heart so full. And except for a little trouble with the batting helmet, we had no problems with her cochlear implants, and she was able to hear the coaches telling her when to run and when to stop.

I started softball when I was 6 and played for 20 straight years, until I started working nights as a sportswriter. My mom and dad both played; heck, my little brother and I practically grew up on a ballfield. While they played on the field, we played behind the bleachers, using a wadded up paper cup as ball and our hands as the bat. My husband played baseball for years, too, and we both ended up with college scholarships.

Yeah, it's a little selfish that I want her to play because I get such enjoyment from it, but I have other reasons. It's healthy, it will keep her out of trouble and it will help her make friends and give her confidence.

The only trouble we had with her Freedoms was when she tried to put on her batting helmet the first couple of times. She got nervous and rushed and kept knocking the magnet coil off. Thankfully, on her third at-bat, she had figured out the way to do it and was ready to go.

After the game she said, "The Pink Panthers didn't win, but maybe next time." Except for the nervousness over the helmet with her first two at-bats, everything went smoothly. She knew where to run, how to stop the ball and where to throw it. It was an awesome experience. Even if she decides she doesn't want to play again, I will treasure this season with my little softballer.

Tiff

I've been a Braves fan since I can remember ... back when they wore the light blue unis and Dale Murphy was the best centerfielder ever. Bob Horner, Chris Chambliss, Bruce Benedict, Lonnie Smith, Rafael Ramirez, Phil Niekro.

Yes, before they won all those division titles and that World Series.

My dad has a foul ball that Andre Dawson (Cubs) fouled off of Niekro. And I have this small pennant on the wall of my office, navy blue with red trim, and a picture of Chief Nokahoma with "Atlanta Braves" written on it. I've had it for years. Even though Nokahoma is politically incorrect, I still love the pennant.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the young talent meshes with what's left of the veterans. And maybe catching a few games on TV.

Go, Braves!