July 2003: Catchings, McCray, NBA Store

Cute kids make pretty women, Nikki McCray can sing, and Tamika Catchings really is a sweetheart.

First off, notes from the NBA Store. I have to add stuff to my game notes. And I'm not doing the article, kate; I don't have the objectivity right now... I've got images of Snapped!VJ in my head and that's not conducive to journalism.

The guests of honor have arrived at last. Twenty minutes late- apparently Nell Fortner wanted to leave nothing to chance. I think McCray’s got yet another new hairdo. She’s in blue jeans and a white Fever tanktop. Catch’ is in a navy blue tee and white shorts. Sneakers for both, of course, since they did just come out of practice. There are a hellacious amount of pictures being taken. Honestly, you’ll have your chance later, my friends. Okay, guys, start the show already. Ah, here comes the music. *laughter* Catch and Nikki are both looking for the great voice from the ceiling.

First question is a softball about the competitiveness of the league. Catch is trying to answer, but either her mike is out or she’s talking way too quietly. The host is asking Nikki about the Fever’s six-game losing streak- Nikki thinks that there are just times when a team just can’t get itself together but she likes that you can have that kind of streak and still be in the playoff race. Catch likes the idea of being able to take care of her own business- as a team, I mean. Obviously. Now Catch is being asked if having a veteran like Nikki around is of the good. After laughter, and a joke that Nikki doesn’t have time for anyone, the answer that she gives is yes. (Well, no shit. What else is she going to say?) Now Nikki gets to talk about having Catch on her team. Nikki now gushes, saying that Catch is one of the best, if not the best, players in the WNBA. On court and off court, she never stops.

Now he wants to know if Catch is satisfied with her development as a player. She says that she goes back and evaluates everything. She’s never satisfied. She wants to know what can make her better, from both coaches and players. She says she wants to be like Michael Jordan, in that you can look back and see the development. Nikki says that sometimes Catch doesn’t step up enough, preferring to leave the shooting to her teammates. The questioning turns to fanship- Nikki thinks the fan base is very strong, very loving. (Someone needs to talk to the Star, then.) Catch loves Conseco Fieldhouse. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why they ask these questions. What the hell else are these palyers are going to answer? Are they going to say “no, our fans aren’t nearly numerous enough”?

Buzzer-beater goodness. Yay Catch! She couldn’t believe that she was that wide open, though it was on a play that the team had designed. Nikki thinks that the atmosphere at the Garden tonight is going to be great and she seems very confident about her team’s chances tonight. She would also appreciate if the officiating was fair this time. Speaking of the Garden, they showed highlights of Catch’s All-Star experience. They segued to the Olympic experience of Nikki McCray, and how Catch hopes to win gold in Athens next year.

Now they’re talking about the Cheerios. Catch has not eaten Cheerios in a while. She’s not getting as enthusiastic as they’d like her to. I don’t know why they’d freak- how excited can you get about cereal? Meanwhile, Nikki’s discussing her day-care thingy/program. Small kids are very cute. Now they’re showing Nikki dealing with one-year-olds. Hell, with all the kids on the Fever, that should be a piece of cake! (There are at least three mothers on the Fever, with four kids between them.) In her free time, Catch does basketball camps, writes poetry, and reads. She wasn’t very talkative as a child, so she would hole herself up in her room and write. Nikki sings- she’s giving us a sample from the Star-Spangled Banner. Very nice voice, sort of a pop kind of voice- definitely in the same league as Kym, maybe not quite Tari’s league. Seriously, the league needs to exploit the singers it has.

Kiddy pictures! Oh my God, Nikki was soooooooooo cute when she was young!!! And Catch was even cuter! Squee! Now they have bobble-heads. Catch’s has bad hair. Questions: my friend’s friend asked if they like the changes. Catch doesn’t care for it… took her a while to find a diplomatic way to say it, though, and that’s saying a lot for Catch. A small, adorable child asks what made them pick basketball as their main sport. Nikki says that the track stuff didn’t work out for her, so basketball just fell into her lap. Catch played a lot od different sports, but basketball became what she was good at. Another girl wants to know what each woman’s biggest obstacle was. Catch says it was the ACL. Nikki didn’t have any, really. The girl’s friend wants to know who each player’s greatest individual challenge is. For Catch, it’s Chamique. For Nikki it’s all of the shooting guards in the league. Some guy wants to know what it’s like stepping on the court. Catch says that she gets nervous sometimes. Nikki’s only nervous at jump ball. Another guy want to know something. Uh, I couldn’t hear the question, but Nikki answered that she likes the way her team is playing and glad that her team’s in the WNBA.

Play-by-play, Catch’s game-winning shot against the Mystics. This is pathetic. These kids don’t know jack, but the players are, of course, quite generous. Catch really is a sweetheart.