The mere mention of the word brings shudders, even tears, to the international softball community. Singapore.

It is where the International Olympic Committee held its 107th session in July 2005, where it voted on the fate of the 28 sports in the Summer Games, where each sport needed a simple majority from the 100-odd voting members to stay in the 2012 program and beyond.

Softball got 52 votes for, and 52 against. Not enough. See ya.

Fifty-two IOC members had voted against softball, but it was who didn't vote that, when it leaked out weeks later, drew the ire of the legions of ponytailed American players and their parents: Jim Easton.

He owned Easton Sports, which makes aluminum bats, and was among the sport's biggest advocates. He also is an IOC member who at the time was an IOC vice president.

He recused himself from voting in Singapore, citing a conflict of interest because his company stood to gain financially from softball if it stayed in the Olympics.

“One v......