September 10th, 2004: Connecticut at New York

Connecticut Sun 77, New York Liberty 66

Vickie Johnson is not herself, something hinky is up with Tari Phillips's hand, and Debbie Black is kind of awesome.


Vickie, Vickie, Vickie. Would you please go out and find your defense? And your offense? And possibly your leadership? We'd really appreciate it. Seriously. I have much love for the woman, but she seems to put her head in the place where Miko enjoyed sticking her head. (eep. Sorry. Gone to bad mental place.) Likewise, I adore Elena, but her shots have just been... and while I grant that blondes have more fun, brunettes remember it the next morning. On second thought, the way the Liberty have been playing, it might be better to be blonde. Where did I put that peroxide... sorry. In any cas, Elena's offense seems to be coming out of its protective cocoon, and perhaps when we play the Silver Stars, née the Utah Starzz, she'll go off. She was also the game's leading rebounder with 9. Becky was not scintillating; I recall looking at the final scoreboard and going 'how the asterisk did Becky get 17?' Her passing was also not that sharp- would the appropriate adjective be blurry or soft? Mom had some very pointed words about her play. Bethany was solid offensively- a bit of a liability defensively, and I've also come to the conclusion that Bethany can't handle passes that are badly thrown. This isn't necessarily a mortal sin, but it ain't good. (And if you think I'm soft on her, you should hear the by-play in the seats. Me: "aaaargh! BETHAAAAAAANY!" Mom: "It wasn't her fault. Stop shrieking!" Me: *resentful glare* *mutter: wasn't shrieking.*) Crystal had some interesting plays- one deep three, one sack of the point guard. I think she got called for roughing the shooter, though. Wasn't impressed with her defense, but I wasn't impressed with anyone's defense tonight. Mel, I swear I didn't go anywhere near Shameka tonight, I don't know why she played like crap. DeTrina played tough, but was horribly, gruesomely mismatched against Taj. La'Keshia's shorts should have been glued to the bench the way Erin and K.B.'s were. And that leads me to the horrible coaching paragraph.

There are few point guards who can keep from getting mind-blown by Debbie Black. K.B. Sharp happens to be one of the few- fast enough to avoid her, smart enough to ignore her, tough enough to toss a forearm at her if need be. Whatever the reason, no matter how else she plays, K.B. is the anti-Debbie. Which, of course, is why Patty didn't play her. More to the point, I've noticed a disturbing trend in Patty's coaching style: she reacts. She doesn't do, she reacts. Trudi Lacey dictated the flow of the game last week. Mike Thibault dictated the flow of tonight's game. Lacey and Thibault did; Patty and Marianne responded. While this sounds good, it means that the other coach is making the decisions. Patty needs to make the first move in some of these matches- make the first substitution, make the first major scheme change. Mom pointed out that Marianne is a more seasoned coach than Patty- why doesn't she point this out? Simple answers: authority, difference in style (Marianne may think reaction is all right), or reticence. Cynical answer: if Patty botches up, next year we talk about Head Coach Stanley.

Big plays: Crystal and her big-girl three. Crystal, Shameka, and Lindsay Whalen's unceremonious introduction to the stage right basket suppport/seats/camera crew. (I didn't get to see the whole thing, damn my sight line.) Nykesha Sales and her big baskets. Nykesha Sales and the amazing tip-in. VJ and Shameka forcing the backcourt violation. Pretty hook shots. Pretty screens. Bethany hitting three consecutive free throws and the world not coming to an end.

Personal highlight of the night: airy persiflage with Debbie Black as the Sun got off the bus. I'm an ink junkie, and the only way I can get if from other teams now is to hang out before the game and wait for the team bus. Of course, the moment the driver of the Sun bus figures out how to park (dude acted like was going to drive right into the building a la MSG), everyone and their mother decided to walk down 51st Street. So there's me, and maybe three diehards, and two guys who know a little bit about basketball, and one guy who was teh skeeve-o-rama, and the Sun and their posse. The cry goes up: "Black's signing!" I fight my way through the pedestrian traffic, 2000 Dominion card in hand. To get her attention, 'cause my parents raised a reasonably polite child with a quirk for archaic phrasing, I call, "I beg your pardon." She looks at me, takes the Sharpie, and ripostes, "You beggin' my pardon or do you want my autograph?" I mumble something about the traffic, she signs the card, and she goes on her merry way. In a similar vein, one of the guys, who knew the whole fight history, reportedly told her, "No fightin'." She looked at him and said, "I'll fight you." (Dude was skinny, but still taller than me, and I'm taller than Ms. Black.) Knowing that at least half the people waiting with Sharpies were Liberty fans (you can tell by the shirts and such), and knowing that she was going to get booed eighteen ways from Sunday once she set foot on the court, she still found time to be smart with us. I loved it. I can't help but love it.

Gah! I almost forgot the Tari thing. Right. The Tari thing. It was a few minutes before Connecticut showed up. Tari arrived in a white halter top and blue jeans, looking as yummy as a straight girl can gauge a straight girl to be. She was trundling a couple of bags along, of course, because I don't think Tari can change rooms without bringing a change of clothes and matching make-up. One of my colleagues went over to talk to her, mentioning last night's tidbit about the fracture not healing properly. Tari's response? Along the lines of "I didn't know that." Now, I know TP's a space cadet, but even she would listen when it's her health, right? Well, that was the last any of us saw of Tari that night. I tried to look over, and I didn't see her on the bench, and I know I didn't see her join in any of the huddles. I've been wondering if the front office is making her feel unwanted, whether with little things like not letting her sing the anthem or with big things like not letting her play. I've even taken the obvious step of wondering whether they want her to stay around. Can anyone else see the front office trying to pressure Tari into retirement so they can free up the money to go after a younger player?

I'm picking up bad vibrations from this team. It's not just the Tari thing. I don't think VJ is happy with her role anymore. The team, and the offense, seem to be becoming more about Becky, even as Becky's effectiveness has decreased (another mom quote: "She's short and she shoots threes. Put a tall person on her and you're covered."). I also think that the bad mojo with our starting backcourt is leaking over to the kids (Erin and K.B.). Also, if the Tari thing is angering the veterans, well, then, that's another problem. And unfortunately, I don't think this team can play its top basketball unless all the dirty laundry is in the washer with the detergent and softener. The second it's out and dirty again, the doody hits the fan.