June 12th, 2007: Washington at New York

New York Liberty 79, Washington Mystics 69

The Washington Mystics have bad karma, Erin Thorn is forceful, and the Game Notes chill behind the bench.


Well, all our good points and all our flaws showed up on national television tonight, didn't they? So much talent, so many easy shots missed, and not much of a killer instinct- but, oh, the talent and the teamwork these kids have hint at a bright, bright future. I love my team.

So I started the experience off on a very sour note, running through the gates just as fast as I could only to discover only one Mystic had even come out for shootaround, and she only provided a couple of quick scribbles. Vociferous grumbling ensued. I'm going to assume Rollins does things NBA-style, in which teams don't come out with fans around because the fans might start shit. Not our scene in the W, or at least not to the extent it is in the NBA; with this team, we know Crystal would give us a large piece of her mind if we tried anything.

However, the daspoons and I got to hanging out with Alison, who might be known to some of y'all for her, ah, sheer insanity when it comes to the Liberty (think boas), and we just kept hanging out, so she told us to stick around until they kicked us out. The daspoons got cold feet and went to their seats (which weren't so bad), but I stuck around, and well, they never kicked me out. So I watched the game from the first row, just to the side of the Liberty bench. The odds are excellent that I was on camera at some point. Not that I noticed; I was too busy wondering when that goddamn mulleted blonde in the mismatched navy suit would stop obstructing my view. The peril of that was that I didn't get to make my rounds, so hi to everyone who was there.

So. Washington. DeLisha, just because Claw has retired does not mean the trade has been spiritually voided and you can return to being LLL's dirty sidekick. I thought she'd escaped the lure of the Spark Side of the Force, but it pulled her back today, HARD. How she got through the night with as few fouls as she did is a mystery to me, considering how much time she spent draped over Liberty players. But I think it was Sanford who managed to elbow Barb in the, um, chest, which I imagine hurt a lot, since Barb is, um, more than adequately supplied in the, um, chest area. The Mystics know just how far they can push the envelope when it comes to officiating, and they're not afraid to use every inch of that margin. It's not necessarily an admirable quality, but it's one I have to grudgingly respect. Beard showed that, yes, in fact, she can shoot, and that leaving her open is not the world's greatest idea. Teasley, other than a gorgeous three she canned right in front of us, was kinda quiet- foul trouble, a bit. James has… questionable, to be polite, decision-making skills; there was one play where she went for a really stupid shot while Beard was open on the wing for several seconds. Currie… I do not like that woman's attitude. She bitches too much, and she's got a chip on her shoulder. (Not to mention I've never seen a player so antsy during the anthem. Tangentally, there seems to be a correlation between players I don't like and players who don't respect the anthem. Weird.) No one really stuck out for Washington other than the usual suspects… okay, and Crystal in a sleeveless black top and a complete outfit that's more feminine than anything I've ever seen her in before. (Crystal's idea of street clothes with the Liberty… well, she was very sharp, but she dressed kinda like my dad.)

So. The Liberty. Sista Christon, I will assume, came late. We weren't sure, since Alison had heard she was concussed after Catch introduced her to the Liberty bench. I think she was fired up. One of the interesting things about sitting much further down than I usually do was that I got to see more of the on-court interaction among players, and gained a whole new level of respect for Erin as team leader- yes, I know she's not team captain, but she runs this team. There was one play I recall in particular where Erin was directing traffic, and got irked enough at Janel that she took Janel by the wrist and pulled her towards the Place of Inbounding. It's fun when she's forceful. I wish she'd stop over playing the passing lanes, though; some quick shooter is going to make her life, and ours, miserable one of these days. Loree's regaining her equilibrium, though she's not quite as torrid as she was before. Cathrine did what she could, but Milton-Jones was hanging on her like a bad summer cold, so there was only so much she could do. Jess (and Cathrine, and Ashley) got hit with some bullshit fouls in the early going, but that almost ended up being acceptable, because it meant that Jess was fresh for the second half and Barb and Janel could bring yon smackdown early. Barb was great at both ends. Janel was awesome on offense, less so on defense, but I don't think she gave up quite as many as she scored. It was nice to see her working, though. Tiffany… er, not her night. Lot of stupid rookie mistakes. She'll learn, though. We even had Sherill and Shay sightings in he early going, and again late! Wasn't impressed with what Sherill did, but Shay attempting to rebound against Goring might well be the visual of the night. Just in general, the kids needed to relax- not relax their focus, but take a deep collective breath and calm their nerves. I think they're trying to prove they have the killer instinct, and it just hasn't developed yet.

Three blind mice. Were I a less kindly inclined person, I would suggest that DeLisha Milton-Jones offered some form of payment for the calls made in Washington's, and especially her, favor. I imagine Patty got bleeped out a few times. I know Ashley would have been.

And after the game, the Mystics blew off the folks waiting by the rail, including a couple of folks in Mystics gear. Had y'all come over, we would have congratulated those of you who had good games and wished you better luck against your next opponents. But, y'know, between the pregame and the rough play and the post-game, that bad karma just built up, and as long as stuff like that happens, I can't imagine the Mystics winning a game.