In an interview with NBC Sports, Kerri Walsh confirmed that she and partner Misty May-Treanor will likely get to work on having kids following the 2008 Beijing Olympics:

If we could do it now and still play in the Olympics and do well, we would. But it's not possible so I think right after we get the gold medal, I hope, then we'll both get started on having a family.

The reigning beach volleyball world champs have alluded in the past to their desires to start families, but this is the most explicit statement of their plans to date.

Effects

The effects of Misty/Kerry having kids will be significant. Assuming the natural course of things, they'll likely miss most of the 2009 season, if not all of it.

So who and what will this impact?

Misty & Kerri

We all know pregnant women do crazy things. And yes, we all know the cliché about kids changing your life. Questions that come to mind:

• When will they be back? End of '09? 2010?
  
• Will they come back as dominant as they were before?
• Will they still be playing together?
• Who will be the first to eat ashes? An entire jar of pickles?
  

Yes, the biggest bomb-drop could be that they're splitting up. I could understand them wanting to try something new, but then again, they're addicted to winning.

Also, Misty (30) and Kerri (29) are starting to reach that age -- you know, when things start to break? They certainly have some good years of competition left in them, but good ol' nature tells us they'll physically peak soon.

Other Players

There will surely be a huge psychological advantage to other players.

With Misty/Kerri in the mix, other teams were always playing for second place. I'm not a sport psychologist, but this must really screw up your mental game. It's like you're always playing to lose.

With Misty/Kerri gone, the top spot will up for grabs for an entire season, giving rise to reinvigorated competition, new talent, new leaders.

The AVP Tour

The Misty & Kerri Show are a huge draw for AVP tour events.

Moms love 'em because they're good, wholesome role models. Young girls look up to them and swarm them at events. Dads ogle them.

With the breadwinners on leave, the AVP may suffer a decrease in attendance and revenue. Not good when you're already running on thin margins.

The Sport

Ironically, the Misty/Kerri hiatus may come immediately after the peak of their career together:

• Four years national dominance
• Fours years international dominance
  
• One, maybe two, Olympic gold medals
  

Then - poof - gone like a pair of Kaiser Soses, leaving only a few terrified witnesses and some hushed speculation.

Ultimately, the sport has and will continue to prosper from their success. But we're almost certainly about to witness a big change in beach volleyball.