June 8th, 2008: Sacramento at New York

Sacramento Monarchs 80, New York Liberty 73

The Game Notes are not pleased with the New York Liberty, but think Monique Ambers is awesome.


Look, guys. If you're going to phone it in, please let us know in advance so we can know not to expect anything from you. On the other hand, if you're going to rock, knowing that in advance might be cool too.

Let me say this publicly and for the record so that all and sundry can see: Monique Ambers is completely and totally awesome. I was down by the rail, the autograph hangout at the Garden, and the spot I took happened to be right next to where she was hanging out, watching a few of the Monarchs do stretches. I had a Scholanda Robinson card on my little clipboard, because she was the only Monarch I wanted a signed card from- I already had the others. Coach Ambers caught a glimpse of me and remarked something along the lines of "Look at you in the Rebecca jersey." I told her I'd been a fan since the beginning, and that I remembered Phoenix- and Cleveland, as Coach Boucek had come up behind her by that point. She reached across, took my card and marker, went out onto the court, presented both to Scholanda Robinson, and brought me back my marker and the signed card. "So you don't have to wait," she said, or something along those lines. (She didn't know I was also waiting on the rookies; I didn't know the rookies were in protective packaging until gametime.) So if anyone out there is from the Monarchs front office- you guys are doing something right, and I just thought I'd let y'all know that, from someone who wishes her franchise would do something right.

Missed the anthem, which I hear might have been a good thing. Didn't miss our own kwnyc as season subscriber of the game, though, no sirree.

Where the hell did Ticha Penicheiro find a jump shot? She's been in this league for how long now with the reputation as a pass-first, pass-second, pass-third, what-do-you-mean-I-should-shoot player, and suddenly she's got a jump shot? Now, okay, part of that might have had to do with having a little teeny defender on her, but seriously. I'm still in shock. 17 points and 2 assists is a line I expect to see from Kara Lawson, not Ticha Penicheiro. Speaking of Lawson, she definitely got her shots, and if she'd hit more of them this would have been a blowout. Powell somehow got to her average after a quiet start. Adrian Williams still has it. She might not score a lot, but she'll score enough, and she'll get her rebounds. She's a nice piece to have. I'm really surprised more didn't go through Brunson, considering that the natural matchup would be with Cathrine, who doesn't like that whole defending inside thing. Harper seems good at doing the little things- I think the question is whether she can learn enough from Williams and Brunson to start doing the big things on the professional level. Didn't see too much of Kelly, saw a whole lot of fouls on Smith, didn't see all that much of Aqua Franklin despite Ticha's foul trouble and sudden hamstring issues in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Newton, of course, brought the defense- there were a couple of plays where Megan Duffy was damn near wearing purple, Chelsea was so up on her. At the same time, I see why Sacramento fans are frustrated- they spent a lot of time in the backcourt, including the eight seconds, and the rotation is a bit inexplicable. But only a bit, compared to the mess That Moron has left.

Okay, so maybe Leilani used up most of her store of awesome against Houston. Not that she wasn't passing well, but she wasn't getting or hitting the shots she had against Houston. And no one really picked up the slack. Janel, I'm looking at you. Stop fouling and start shooting. I'm kinda hoping that her dad gave her hell for how little she was into the game. You too, Cathrine. Seemed that every good play she made was sandwiched around a play that was pure bonehead. I'll give her credit for being on the boards, though. Sista Christon- okay, she was rebounding, too, but they're all too tentative on the shot. Guys, it's okay. Really. This isn't Rutgers. Speaking of, I thought Essence was solid, and it would have been awful nice to have her in at crunch time. Or if she couldn't go for whatever reason, Ashley Battle. Seriously, what in the nine circles of Dante's Inferno did AB do to Coyle that's got her superglued to the bench? Whatever it is, AB, either don't do it so you'll play or do more of it so we don't have That Moron to kick around anymore. Lisa was hot in the first half, but by the time That Moron remembered she existed, she'd gone cold. Mom, who's got a different vantage point from the other side of the arena, says she saw Lisa open two or three times that Leilani missed. I'll credit the Sacramento defense for that, though. Tiffany was on the boards like whoa. Think there's any chance of Miss Jackson starting sometime soon? Because we need to whack someone in our frontcourt upside the head with a cluestick, and Tiffany might be a reasonable facsimile of a cluestick. Erin… I have learned not to expect defense from her, and at least she scored some. Megan is stil painfully slow to watch, and it did not help that she had an old Big East foe on her like white on rice. Erlana… er, she seems to have found the wall as rapidly as she hit her stride originally.

Dear refs: calling a game evenly does NOT mean that you call every foul on Sacramento in the first half and call every foul on New York in the second half. We were seriously wondering if Ticha offered you favors at halftime, the superstar calls you were giving her. Also, whichever one of you nitwits tried to gyp Erin out of her free throws on the fifth foul of the second quarter, please learn to count before I use That Moron as a blunt instrument on your fool head.

While I'm thinking of it- Coyle, you do realize that if a player is doing well, you leave her in the game, right? You don't wait for her to do well and then yank her. The glasses, they do nothing. Not to mention, Erin Thorn is not a small forward, nor is Lisa Willis, and WTF are you doing running three-guard sets when we have been sucking rocks on the glass?

It was very nice to see Sue there with probably her mom, although either that was a horrible camera or she's using Wyckoff and Douglas's old yellow dye from the rookie cards. And you know a game has gone down the shitter when the alumnae head for the door before the buzzer.

It's probably for the best hardly anyone showed up, but, um, WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE? The Yankee game was over before tip. The Mets are in San Diego. The Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees aren't in season yet. The weather was too disgusting for even the beach. And yet the place was emptier than even the weekday games. It's like the team forgot to market the rest of the season. And I'm going to have to smack a bitch if I get this stupid Outdoor Classic thing shoved down my throat much longer.

No, seriously. I'm this close to using my mom's cane as a cluestick. And if they lose to Atlanta, That Moron should decline to board the flight back to New York out of shame.