DId you find what you were looking for?

1. They're baaaaack. Searches for headbands. Apparently there was intrigue over the headbands worn in the Solheim Cup a few weekends ago. (Team USA won over Team Europe, by the way.) I already commented on the somewhat nauseating red, white, and blue uniforms Team USA was sporting but thought nothing of the headbands because they were simple navy fleece headbands designed to keep the players' ears warm. (It was a little chilly in Sweden. Non-competing team members were seen sporting big fleecy mittens.) I am sure you can find them in any store that sells winter wear.

2. Still getting the searches on Abby Wambach's sexuality but a new one has been added to the "I need to know which athletes are lesbians" mix. "Cat Reddick lesbian." This is one is easy. Cat Reddick no longer exists. She got married--to a man--and is now Cat Whitehill. This search, though problematic, allows me to address an issue that has been bugging me. Why did Cat Reddick change her name? Foudy, Hamm, Lilly all got married and have not changed their names. Why? Well as much as I would like to attribute it to a strong feminist sensibility (and this indeed could be the case; I don't know what kind of feminist views these women hold) a name change also hurts their marketability. Reddick had established herself as a national team member long ago while still playing for UNC and people who follow soccer knew her. Then she goes and changes her name. I still, when the announcer says "Whitehill to take the throw-in," sometimes ask myself "wait, who is this?" And then I see her face and remember that it's Cat Reddick.

3. Things I don't know: the suggested bat weight for co-ed softball. Having played both co-ed and single-sex softball I can say that there is a range of bat weights regardless of the gender make-up of the team. If you're in charge of buying bats for your team, buy a variety of weights--it's all about swing speed. And if you're just in the market for one to use while playing co-ed softball, buy what feels comfortable to you. And if you are playing co-ed softball, I do hope you don't have to deal with some of the ridiculous rules I had to when playing, like switching out the balls for male and female batters and giving men two bases when they walk. I appreciate the attention to gender equity some of the rules are clearly a manifestation of (like making sure your infield and outfield are equally staffed by men and women) but it all got to be a little bit much and did not seem to foster any kind of actual feelings of equity. It was more of an illusion.