Bitty Schram

Elizabeth Natalie Schram (born July 17, 1968) is an American actress most known for having played Sharona Fleming in the television series Monk.

Early life
Born in Mountainside, New Jersey, Schram studied at the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in advertising design. Having known for a number of years that she wanted to act, she pursued roles in both film and television as well as Broadway theater.[citation needed]

The role that initially brought her note was that of Evelyn Gardner, the Rockford Peaches' right fielder, in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own. Her character was the focus of the now famous line uttered by manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), "There's no crying in baseball!"[2]

During 1993-95, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor.[3]

In 2002, Schram landed a major role opposite Tony Shalhoub on the USA Network series Monk. She was released midway through the show's third season. The network stated they had "decided to go in a different creative direction with some of its characters." MSNBC reported that "some members of the series' supporting cast, including Schram, Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford, attempted to renegotiate the terms of their contract[s]" and cited Schram's departure as evidence of the industry's "hard line against raise-seeking actors who aren't absolutely essential to the show." Levine and Gray-Stanford remained on the show.[4] Natalie Teeger, played by Traylor Howard, replaced her character as Monk's assistant. Schram made a guest appearance on one episode of the show's eighth and final season, titled "Mr. Monk and Sharona".[5]