Hot Bay Area Olympians: Vicky Galindo

Jesus! Will you look at that smile? How unbelievably disarming is she with that incredible cuteness? Union City native Vicky Galindo is the Roberto Clemente of adorable, petite girls with radiant perky smiles. She plays second base and bats leadoff with power well beyond what that tiny, inviting frame would suggest. And while you were asleep or else losing last night to meth, Vicky was busy allowing zero opposing batters to reach base in an 11-0 thrashing of Venezuela.

The Cal-Berkeley alum, who richly deserves all of the internet fan photo sites on which she is featured, got her start in softball at age four when she was inserted as a ringer on a boys team. She has since won a gold medal each of the last two years in the World Series of Softball, and now appears flashing that astonishing smile in a new softball-themed Nike commercial. And yes, we're extremely happy to report, she is that way.

But this 2008 Olympics softball competition has a larger significance -- softball is being eliminated as an Olympic sport. This is the last Olympics that will include the softball competition. But Vicky made the Olympics, and will continue fighting to make the workd safe for softball.