The Associated Press 2008

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Lovie Jung has looked at her silver medal only twice.

The first time, she removed it from around her neck. Later, she showed it to her family.

It went into a box and then a safe, quarantined until the pain subsides from the U.S. softball team's 3-1 Olympic gold medal game loss to Japan.

When that happens is anybody's guess.

"I'm sure there will come a point when I'll be able to look at it," the former Arizona Wildcats infielder said. "It just hurts now."

Seventeen days after the loss in Beijing, teammates have settled into their daily lives — broken up temporarily by Wednesday's appearance on "Oprah," which will air Monday.

They still can't stop thinking about the loss.

"As much as we have to look at that silver medal, I'm going to look at the silver and think, 'I could have had gold,' " former UA pitcher Jennie Finch said. "I think it'll hurt forever."

Mike Candrea knew his players would feel that way.

Minutes after the loss, stone-faced, the UA coach tried to tell every player that life offered bigger hurdles than a softball game.

Emotionally, the UA coach admits, it was difficult. The Americans had won the past three Olympic golds and were heavy favorites to win a fourth. Finch, Jung and Salpointe Catholic High School graduate Tairia Flowers won gold in 2004.

But Candrea — whose first wife, Sue, died while the team was training for the 2004 Athens Games — has learned perspective.

"I'm living proof," he said, "that things change quickly."

Candrea resigned as coach of the national team, but he will travel to England and Italy Sept. 17-27 to promote the sport as a push to get it reinstated for the 2016 Summer Games.

"There comes a point when you need to look at the energy and travel," he said. "Eight years, that's a lot. I don't know; maybe it's like being president."

Candrea and his players are starting to unwind.

The coach is happy to sit at home with his wife, Tina, have a glass of wine and watch the evening news.

Former UA outfielder Caitlin Lowe — who will continue to play internationally and coach at camps — has caught up on "Project Runway" and "Top Chef" TV reruns. She will complete her UA degree online.

Finch, who lives in Tucson, will play at least one more season on the national team and with the National Pro Fastpitch's Chicago Bandits.

Jung and Flowers retired from international competition after the Japan loss, leaving their game-worn cleats on the field.

Jung is in the final stages of a background check to become a Los Angeles firefighter. Flowers has returned to her post as an assistant softball coach at Long Beach State.

"You try not to sound disappointed," Flowers said. "We're all trying to get a little more grateful."

The sport's removal from the Olympics makes the loss more difficult.

Jung remembers waiting out a rain delay in Beijing, playing cards and hangman. For the first time, she felt deep sadness that younger players, such as Lowe, would not be able to return to the Olympics in 2012.

Lowe admits the sport's ouster from the games makes the loss difficult, but said defeating Japan in a rematch wouldn't take the sting out of the loss.

The future of the Olympics, Candrea has concluded, rests in the selection of Chicago or Tokyo for the 2016 site.

"With any Olympic athlete, it's hard not to have it in your mind because everybody is going be asking you about it," Lowe said. "It's an experience that, eventually, I'd love to tell my kids about."

The players don't doubt that. Most of their Beijing memories are priceless — imagine the team playing the guitar, bass and drums and singing to the video game "Rock Star" in the Olympic village.

"We're not hanging our heads," Finch said. "I don't want people to think we aren't proud to be silver medalists."

It just might feel better later.

"Over time," Candrea said, "the silver's going to get a little brighter."