Friday, February 29, 2008

March 21st, 2005: NCAA tournament

travels among the pod people

Like hell are the Game Notes ever going back to Storrs.


Went to Storrs yesterday with my bf. Having done it, I would need to be paid handsomely to go back there, and even then only if it were a truly neutral game.

Temple-LA Tech- 66-61, Temple. The Lady Techsters got up big early, but couldn't hit lay-ups for love or money. Candace Dupree turned it up in the second half, and they took control late. Horrible refereeing, horrible game. It was almost more painful than Villanova and BC in the Big East Tourney. Dawn Staley looks quite, QUITE different with her hair down and styled. She got T'd up because of one of the MANY blown calls in that game. If Erica Taylor (formerly Smith-Taylor) isn't careful, she's going to end up playing the wrong role in a redux of LJ and LL in the 2000 Olympics- she's got hair to her waist, and it looks like extensions.

Rutgers-Hartford- 62-37, RU. *fist pump* When are UConn fans- oh, sorry, I must have meant Hartford fans who just "happened" to be wearing Husky colors- going to learn that booing someone like Cappie Pondexter pisses her off and makes her play better? I'm sorry that the Hawks got stuck in the middle of this stupid grudge match UConn and Rutgers have going on. They played hard, but they didn't have the speed to keep up with the Knights, and this with Matee Ajavon having a bad game.

UConn-Dartmouth- 95-47, UConn. Dartmouth came in like they knew they were just sent there to give UConn an opponent. They didn't play like they cared, and that's sad. The young'uns looked good for Connecticut. Turner was less of a focus of the offense than I remembered. UConn fans seem to be a bloodthirsty bunch; up 35 and they're screaming for the team to shoot when it's clear that they're under orders to pass as much as they can. It also struck me as tactless that a starter was shooting a 3 with under 6 minutes to go, or even that the starters were still in. Maybe I'm just embittered because some of the fans felt the need to scream "Rutgers has no class!" at me and my bf, or because someone asked me where my conference loyalty was when I applauded the men's team losing to NC State- someone who then turned around and cheered against a Big East representative.

(This is NOT meant as a rant against all UConn fans, just the ones who taunted us or shot us dirty looks for wearing our team's gear. Some of them were nice. One of them even gave us directions to a Chinese restaurant.)

Richmond-Florida State- Florida State whomped Richmond. We left before halftime.

Celebrity sightings: Manute Bol, folded over several chairs; the Diana in the stands, schmoozing with various and sundry; possibly Patty Coyle (definitely one of the Coyle sisters, but there are three of them who all look alike).

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March 6th, 2005: Big East tournament

scroll down for March 6th results

The Game Notes feel like dancing, dancing the night away, in Hartford.


1st game... 41-37 Villanova over Boston College. It was like a trip to the dentist, and not one of those good ones where they tell you you're a good kid and give you a toothbrush. It grated. It went in fits and starts. I was minimally impressed.

2nd game... 69-48 Rutgers over St. John's. My two teams in the Big East, go figure. Rutgers was just too quick for St. John's, too quick and too talented. The Red Storm played with heart, but they just couldn't make any noise early. Chelsea Newton was on fiyah. I suspect she'll be a Lib pick if she makes it to their second round choice; Marianne was hanging around again, sans Patty. Ajavon was also played fabulously. For St. John's, Kia Wright had an off game (must have been the PA announcer calling her Kia White all night...) but Angela Clark picked up the slack in the second half. She's got a very soft touch and a knack for rebounds. There were some moves in there by both teams that made me think they got those refs out of the WWE.

3rd game... 70-59 Notre Dame over West Virginia. I think. I know it was ND over WVU by double digits, but at that point I was rather fried. ND really controlled that game. WVU has a couple of promising players. Yolanda Paige impressed me. She got called for a couple of BS turnovers ("they called a walk because she changed hands?!") to inflate that stat. She also had some gorgeous passes and discovered that hey, for them to play well she needed to find her offense. She showed a great knack for getting into the lane and hitting her shots. #14 for WVU (Soho?) was also wonderful, and I suspect she'll make into one of Keegan's later-class draft databases. Batteast for ND was quiet but remarkable, and you *never* leave Duffy open!

4th game... UConn whomped Syracuse. We left at the half of this one, with UConn holding an 18-point lead. We caught part of it on the radio; when we lost WHUS, it was 64-39 or something like that, as Mel Thomas canned her fourth three of the night. She was impressive, and it was nice to see Nicole Wolff getting something done as well. Syracuse... Syracuse was orange. That's really all I can think of.

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January 5th, 2005: LSU at Rutgers

Rutgers 51, LSU 49

Neither rain nor snow nor fog nor gloom of night nor sleet nor freezing rain nor sudden overnight sore throat from the seventh circle of hell stopped these fans from making their round.


Put it this way: the only time I've ever had more fun at a basketball game, I was sitting with Kate and Ali and Dee the night Bethany hit the shot.

About two weeks ago, my boyfriend (a fellow board junkie/WNBATalker/passionate fan of the game) suggested that we see this game, being fairly certain he could score tickets. It was worth going all the way out to Jersey. Neither rain nor snow nor fog nor gloom of night nor sleet nor freezing rain nor sudden overnight sore throat from the seventh circle of hell stopped these fans from making their round.

I love the RAC. Can I take it home and keep it? I promise to take very good care of it. Talk about loud! Talk about passionate! Talk about Sue and Patty's bad 80's hair!

What a game. What a night. LSU played very well, and Seimone Augustus was incredible, but in the end, they learned the same thing that another team in purple and gold has learned: you can't rely on one player to save your team. I honestly think that if she had had a minute of rest in regulation, her shot with ~3 seconds left wouldn't have been short. She played all 45 minutes.

Does anyone else think Fowles is just an ill-omened name for a center? Say it out loud. The frosh ended with 4 fouls and missed some killer free throws.

Cappie, it's nice having you back. Now stop watching the Becky highlights and maybe make your move with 15 seconds on the clock, not 5? The Rutgers offense was killing me. KILLING me.

Shot of the night: Chelsea Newton (I think) had a free throw go off the top of the backboard and bounce in *swish*. Maybe that should have warned us that things wouldn't go as anticipated?

Fashion notes from the Token Straight Girl™ : Baby blue is not an intimidating color, even on Vivian Stringer. As for Suuuuuuuuue, it was a nice suit, but beige gave me the impression that despite being 6'3" and the most famous baller on campus, she was trying to blend into the background.

Patty and Marianne were both there; recognized Patty's hair and Marianne's blouse. Wonder who they were scouting? We all know that Cappie won't fall to the Liberty's pick, and if Augustus comes out neither will she.

Saw Ali and Dee off in section 10-whatever it was. Sorry I didn't get a chance to croak at you guys.

All in all, I'd have to say it was a pretty damn nice intro to the RAC.

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September 28th, 2004: Detroit at New York, Eastern Conference First Round

New York Liberty 66, Detroit Shock 64

Bethany Donaphin, bitches!


Lesson #1: The name is Bethany Donaphin. Not Donaho, Donawho, Donafo, Donaphuck, or whatever other cute variants y'all can come up with. Donaphin. At least in my book, if you make a key block and hit the game- and series-winning shot, you get a free pass until you do something blatantly game-losing.

Lesson #2: Adminitrix Kate of wnbatalk is a full fledged goddess. I hang out with her before games most of the time, and tonight she had no date, so she asked me if I would like to join her. Adminitrix Kate sits just to the side of the Liberty bench, in the first row. I did what any sensible Liberty fan would do and accepted her invitation. Ohhhhh, wow, what a view, and that was just Tari.

Tonight was Bring Your Own Crowd-Inciting Sign night. In one corner, we had herrade of WorldCrossing with the "I *heart* Tari" signs being handed out; Donna's full color version behind the Shock bench made it on television a couple of times when they showed the required shots of Laimbeer pacing the sideline. I have one, but I was afraid the fine print would get me kicked out, and I was getting comfy. In the other corner, we had Adminitrix Kate and her "We Need Better officiAls" signage. She tried to circulate them via placing them on the seats, but she was told that that was forbidden.

Playoff rosters cannot be changed between rounds, and Patty's fine cannot be paid by the fans. However, we can take her out to dinner.

The horns are now famous. Leave it to Ali to bring them to Rebecca Lobo's attention.

Are we all sure Cheryl Ford went to Tech, not Texas? 'Cause she was sure hookin' 'em out there. She and Bethany looked like they were about to skip off into the sunset a couple of times. I still respect her toughness, but damn, girl's got her daddy's elbows and her daddy's moves. How she managed not to get called for anything tonight is beyond me. Ruth Riley got caught a lot tonight. She was not happy. It's interesting, though, she's the one that brings the team together for those stoppage-of-play huddles, like some sort of mama bird. (For some reason, I get the feeling someone should call her Mommy. She just exudes that 'c'mere, mommy will make it all better' air.) Elaine Powell is still the most underrated PG in the league- of course, it does help when your team is hitting shots, but she's wicked sneaky fast and smart. Tweety was on, but also covered. I don't think our defensive aces wanted her to embarrass them again. Of course, this meant leaving Merlakia Jones open, and if there's anything, ANYTHING, a Liberty player should know, it's that you DO NOT LEAVE LAKE OPEN. She's tortured and brutalized this team often enough in black and blue, why should it be any different in blue and red? Oyyyy... also, I missed these extracurriculars, but after Cheryl Ford made Bethany into her own personal tackling dummy, apparently Lake got in a shove and/or an elbow on Vickie. Why, I don't know. Barbara Farris wasn't all that impressive tonight, except for bringing size that the Liberty originally couldn't counter. I found it interesting that Bill tightened up his rotation for this game; Chandi Jones saw no time, while Stacey Thomas and Ayana Walker only came in near the end in order to commit fouls and be defensive. (One task for each of them.) Also, dude, coming from one Board Junkie to a retired Board Junkie... SHADDAP ALREADY!!!!

Crystal and Becky decided that they weren't losing this game, and everyone went along for the ride in fear of finding a shotgun somewhere unpleasant. Becky finally came out firing, and she hit her threes at great points in the game. Crystal was all over the place defensively, and again with the key shots. Stoppin' and poppin', I love Crystal's stroke. Poor Elena looked like crap, but she pulled down a lot of boards. (By crap, I don't refer to her game. I mean she would have looked a lot better with a bowl of chicken soup, a blankie, and a stuffed animal.) VJ was quiet offensively, but she pulled a Louisiana Lefty on us and filled up the rest of the columns. Bethany, of course, only stuffed a shot that would have given Detroit a chance at one end, and then later hit the lay-up. The fumbled passes and rather out-of-placeness at the top of the arc are therefore forgiven. La'Keshia was so solid and so screwed over by the refs (on which, see later). DeTrina didn't come in until the second half. I wonder if she was benched because of the whole 'COME ON TIME" rule; I didn't see her come in, though she might have used the side entrance. K.B. ate time beautifully. Patty is not as cool, calm, and collected as sometimes she's thought to be. She yells at the refs a lot. Walks away in disgust, that kind of thing.

Conversation during the game:

(after a bad no-call)
Me: Call a f*cking foul, you f*cking incompetents! (aside to Kate) See, this is why I can't be a coach.
(after yet another bad no-call which only leads to a throw-in)
Patty: F*CK!!
Me: Or maybe so.

Yes, the refs blew chunks. Like, duh. So much holding. So much stupidity. So much badness. For a while we were sure they didn't know what a three-second call was. My favorite blooper was when Cheryl Ford took down Bethany and they called it on Bethany. F*cking incompetents was the theme of the night. Since Val was there, she presumably could see how the officiating resembled vacuums and black holes.

Congrats to Becca on the bundle-of-joy-to-be. Now, if only she didn't have to clamber over chairs every time she wanted to look into the huddle...

Alison lost the dance contest, but it was rigged. RIGGED, I tell ya.

Blown kisses to my mom in 210, to Anthony in his Mactabene Amachree Team Nigeria jersey, to Alfonzo who can't jump, and to all the sign-wavers.

Camille, if you've made it here already, I humbly apologize for shrieking in your ear the entire duration of the game.

We made the conference finals! WOOOOOO! BRING IT!

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September 26th, 2004: Detroit at New York, Eastern Conference First Round

Detroit Shock 76, New York Liberty 66

Bill Laimbeer is expressive, the Game Notes make a statement about Elaine Powell that they will later regret, and Swin Cash and Tari Phillips are dressed to the nines.


Uh, yeah. Not exactly a sterling performance for New York. Not exactly a great job by the refs, either, but as always we'll get to that.

Bill shook things up, with great effect. Merlakia Jones started on Friday; for the second game Barbara Farris was in the starting five. Both of them played far better this time around. You'd think that anyone who remembered the Rockers of old would know not to leave Lake open for a shot or a board... and Farris was solid on the boards and tough on D. Cheryl Ford was a monster, in more ways than one: fierce on the offensive end, strong rebounding at both ends, and dishing out elbows just like her daddy's. I think she was the one that got in the last shot on Crystal. Deanna Nolan is fast as greased lightning *takes a moment to listen to "Greased Lightning" in my head* and a fantastic shooter. Why do people keep leaving her open? And when will Patty stop playing Becky on six-foot guards? But that's for another paragraph. I was singing the praises of the Detroit backcourt, and while Tweety could beat Elaine Powell in a footrace any day of the week, Powell has a great knack for knowing where the ball is going to be, whether it's because she's decided that's where it's going to be (she ended with nine assists) or because someone threw it where she expected them to (dunno how many steals/deflections she had). She's not a flashy point guard, she'll never make the highlight reels, but I'd have her in my corner in a heartbeat. Ruth Riley was not impressive on offense- most of her points came on a gorgeous free throw stroke I want to steal and dish out to Bethany- but her defense was stellar; her very presence made people change their minds about driving, and she made the zone a success. The Shock bench, other than the previously mentioned senior Jones, was not impressive, especially in comparison with the two-woman tag team the Liberty brought forth. Bill has an interesting method of running timeouts; first, he steps out to talk to the assistants (is that even legal? they're all out at the free throw line), then goes back to the huddle. He's very... expressive. Yes, expressive might be the right word for it.

Oy, our starters. *headdesk* Crystal was the only one I thought had a really solid game. Well, Crystal and rebounder-Elena. The offense otherwise curled up and died. Becky was stifled, utterly and completely, except for a meaningless three or two. Elena was a lump of useless on offense. Bethany had one of those games that ESPN's Board Junkies would make one believe she had all the time without fail: missed chippies, endless passes, flubbed catches, utter passivity. This was a day that we needed Tari, no doubt. VJ was... I don't want to say crap, but for the love of chocolate, I can't think of what else to describe her game. Her offense blew chunks, her defense obviously wasn't stopping much of anything, and she didn't even run the team well. La'Keshia went *off*; she must have still been feeling the buzz from her days as a Monarch, or perhaps she was presaging the win by the Sparks. *shrug* She was feeling her outside jumper, and more than willing to haul into the paint, and the Shock were more than willing to let her score and score as long as the big guns weren't firing. Would someone tell Shameka she's allowed to come a little closer to the three-point arc? It's not even like we have the NBA arc out there to confuse anyone. As if she weren't having an etsy-ketsy enough day, she got called for a couple of questionable fouls, and I felt bad for her. K.B. gave the guards a good rest, nothing spectacular otherwise. DeTrina, while she rebounded, didn't do anything spectacular to get the crowd pumped, and her shots were waaaaaay off. And I didn't know Erin was allowed to play on Sundays. Wasn't that what got the NCAA committee in trouble last year with the men's tourney? Patty turned shades I think I've only ever seen on Richie before. It's not a good look on her.

Bogus calls, bogus non-calls. Crystal got an elbow to the face that I believe was from Cheryl Ford; if evidence proves otherwise, I'll stop maligning her. (As an aside, though... I know Crystal isn't the most attractive woman in the world, but why do people keep trying to rearrange her face? Really, there's got to be a more polite way to tell someone what you think of their looks.) Ruth Riley thwacked a pass out of bounds and they gave Detroit the ball. Seriously, the officiating in this league does blow chunks.

There were some... odd positions that caused... odd mental images. Let's leave it there, okay?

Honestly, I think both games were decided by Chance cards turned over by the gods of sport. Friday night, the Shock couldn't hit free throws and the Liberty couldn't miss threes. Sunday, the Liberty couldn't hit those threes, and the Shock hit their free throws. This game, though, had a lot of weird rolls out for the Liberty and in for the Shock. I don't know if those decided the game, but they make for interesting food for thought. However, the Liberty's position in this series has so far been decided more by luck than the Shock's.

Fashion report: Swin in black pants, red and white top. Tari in black pants, nice shoes, white top. Swin wins from the waist down, Tari from the waist up.

They need to win on Tuesday and get to the next series. My love life (or at least my like-like life) depends on it.

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September 19th, 2004: Washington at New York

New York Liberty 79, Washington Mystics 75

Alana Beard is unfrickin' believable, A'riel Hampton is utterly adorable, and bring on the Detroit Shock!


So yeah, there was this game last night, but I was too busy obsessing over my first date to really pay attention. Some team won, right?

Alana Beard. Sweet Lord. If they polled MSG this season, Beard would be ROY, based on the performances she's put together here and the Diana's subpar NYC appearance. Alana just decided that she was going to take over this game, no two ways about it. In the seocnd half she was so much on fire I almost called 911. She drove. She shot. She dished. She defended. She showed Becky how to play the point guard as a non-natural PG. She and her team ended up losing the game, but not from lack of her trying. Meanwhile... someone just do something with Stacey Dales-Schuman that gets her off the court and as far away from basketball as possible; she combined a knack for inconvenient threes with general irritatingness. The Mystics really should have exploited the matchup disaster when Becky was on her. Like, really. Murriel Page at small forward caused me go HUNH? Not that it didn't work in its own dysfunctional way, but it was still weird and confusing. Chasity Melvin came on in the second half, and yes, that one was because she ate Bethany for lunch; I even think I heard a ladylike burp after one play. Nakia Sanford was a monster on the glass, outclassing (or should that be outglassing?) the Liberty front line. Granted, that's not hard to do with half our post players in streets and one of them not even in the country. Coco Miller was effective in spots; Aiysha Smith a wee bit more versatile. Tamicha Jackson once again earned her nickname of Chucky (or Jack-Up Jackson, I've heard that one too), though she was even worse during warmups- everyone else was on the floor stretching and she was shooting around with her iPod secreted somewhere on her person. Michael Adams needs to take some deep clensing breaths when he's in game mode, because otherwise he'll come close to killing someone, and that would be bad.

Well, whaddya know? Shameka's a Meek after all. Either that or she was mixing her own moves with some of the ones she channelled from Tari. Seriously, Shameka looked like she stole Tari's hair and drives. *whistles appreciatively* *just for the hell of it, whistles at Tari* Becky came on strong at all the key moments with wicked drives, great dishes, and killer threes. Elena went off on the boards- she had a double double. *proud* VJ was stastically quiet, though she had several great assists- she shut down Alana in the first half, and it was while she was out, and Crystal was out, that Alana really got her feet under her and went incandescent. Crystal was defensively solid early, though I've no idea why she was wasted on Page, but she got hurt near the end of the first half, and missed the VAST majority of the second half- we're talking 19+, folks. Bethany came up big on the offensive end, but she still needs some lessons on defense sans fouls. I still heart our not-so-little foul magnet. La'Keshia was way solid off the bench- big shots, some boards, some standing-around-and-being-really-tall, though her reaction after a couple of fouls was straight of the Los Angeles handbook she must have gotten her first year in the W. K.B. rocked as a PG; ah, if only we could average out her willingness to shoot with Tamicha Jackson's, both teams would be so much better off. Erin ate up time nicely. Tari looked stunning- mom thinks she's lost weight. Whatever it is, she cleans up nice and she looked absolutely gorgeous. On the other hand... as much as I love DeTrina on the court, she only seems to own three shirts. This is not good, and in fact is rather unhygienic unless she constantly does laundry. As for Patty, she made her own fashion statement by actually rocketing past Richie on the Red-O-Meter.

If this makes any sense, the Liberty were victimized by phantom calls on the defensive end, but they were the beneficiaries of non-calls on the offensive end. The refereeing drew the usual number of boos and confused the usual number of people. Roy Gulbeyan. Really, isn't that enough of an explanation?

Kym did the anthem, hurrah! She's lost some of her breath control, but she's still got a really nice voice. I'd still love to hear Tari do the anthem again, but it's always nice to remember that Kym's out there. She brought the baby; her daughter is so so so cute! Like, OMG, the cuteness! *squees* And I almost melted of the cuteness when Sue Wicks was over there at halftime and holding the baby and probably reminiscing about old times. I love my ex-Liberty.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to schedule a Mystics-Liberty game at the same time and in the same home area as a Redskins-Giants game should be shot in the street like a rabid dog.

Hey, Shock! BRING IT ON!

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September 16th, 2004: Indiana at New York

New York Liberty 77, Indiana Fever 71

Ebony Hoffman is not 210, Becky Hammon needs to not dance badly, much defense is played, and the Game Notes bid a fond farewell to Radio City.


It was a night of surprises and drama, most of which you people could give less than a crap about. You want to hear about the game and such.

I don't know what it was. Maybe it was Tari coming back. Maybe it was the new one that Patty seemed to have ripped the ladies. Maybe it was the fact that the skeevy guy who'd taken the seat next to mine actually bathed. Maybe it was the same mojo that got the Mets a win. Whatever. Thanks for the show, ladies- y'all made this year's last game at the Hall a night to remember.

Oh, that anthem. *clutches heart* I don't cry easily, but the string duet had me in tears. I'm a sap for violins anyway, and this was a wonderful rendition of the anthem; for the first time I think I felt what everyone says you're supposed to feel during the playing of your country's anthem. Did I mention that the violinists were two black guys with cornrows, diamond earrings, baggy pants, and throwback NBA jerseys? Oh, God, if there's one thing I love more than the violin, it's the obliteration of stereotypes.

*sigh* The dance thing. I swear, I would have applauded for Becky if she hadn't decided to go back to the cheesy dancing. I've said this before and I'll say this again: if Goddess had intended for white girls to dance, She would have made us black.

Okay. Less said about the first half, the better. We aren't exactly talking about stunningly gorgeous gameplay. Point of fact, we're talking about (at tipoff) the fifth and sixth-place teams in a six-team conference. The end of the half, however, was indicative of the direction that the game would take, as Becky took over. It was also indicative because of the very physical play. DeTrina was shaken up real bad- she was in obvious pain, and we're talking obvious to the second mezz here. Kelly Miller hit the deck like a few pounds of bricks after that... coincidence?

Second half- a flurry of Fever threes. Some inspiringly dumb plays, notably Crystal's beautiful pass to Tamika Catchings. More bad calls, more bodies hitting the floor, and more missed free throws from Becky than I've ever seen from her before. And overtime, as if the Liberty were bound and determined to keep this Radio City thing going as long as they could.

Overtime: Becky Hammon, Happy Trails, and defense. Three Indiana players fouled out in the extra period, while only one Liberty foul was called. (Ref whining gets a paragraph to itself- Fever fans, please note the phrasing of the last clause in the previous sentence.)

Indiana plays an incredibly swarming defense that makes people dither and pause and think and mess up. With hesitant players like Bethany and Shameka, and subpar ballhandlers like... er, everyone except maybe VJ... I can see why Indiana caused us so many problems. Natalie Williams still has it, and you do *not* want to get into a tipping contest with her, because she's still got some great setting skills from her All-American volleyball days at UCLA. Mom doubted that she weighs 210. Whatever she weighs, though, there is no way in hell that Ebony Hoffman is 210 at the same height. KFCs all over the greater Indianapolis area must adore this woman. Kelly Miller has a knack for evading defenses, but her ballhandling is highly suspect- if we had a third defensive ace, a guard the way T-Spoon used to be, there wouldn't have been any damn overtime. Tamika Catchings didn't show me much tonight, but she was mostly prevented from doing much; the times when she was able to shake the Liberty defender who had taken up residence inside her shorts, she made things happen, but those times were few and far between. She's not just their star, she's their playmaker. Kelly Schumacher brought an interesting look to the Fever front line, being more long and lean and somewhat quicker than Williams and Hoffman- she had a monster block on Elena in the first half that made me wince and start reciting statistics. Shameka stuffed her right back later on, so that made me happy. Niele Ivey was basically in to give people a breather, though I do believe she had a three. Ditto for Kristen Rasmussen, minus the three element of the scoring.

Hella good game by Becky. For whatever reason, she had a streak of stupid during the middle of the second half, but that was it for the lowlights (okay, that and the robot dancing... again, no.). At the end of the first half and at both ends of the second half, and during the OT, she was on fiyah. Elena was also faaaaaantastic, with a whole lot of great shots, including one up and under and around and in that I still can't figure out, plus her usual array of threes and shots in the paint. Crystal stole Elena's hook shot long enough to get herself a basket, while Vickie absconded with Mark Jackson's teardrop. Neither of them put much else up on the scoreboard, but VJ had seven boards, and Crystal had some fierce defense on Catch'. Bethany started out playing scared, but eventually realized that Natalie Williams probably wouldn't bite off and spit out her head if she tried a shot in the lane, and started driving a wee bit more. Shameka and K.B. currently mix like oil and water- K.B. wants to run it and run it and run it, while Shameka wants to think things out a bit. Unless that's just rookie hesitancy and she will get moving, they can't co-exist. The bench, except for La'Keshia, was all sorts of useless, though it wasn't completely their fault, because DeTrina was injured, and that makes me sad. La'Keshia had a couple of boards and a couple of baskets, and she was tall. Both coaches both almost went Richie on some refs, with the bonus point of Becky saying something that started with an F and ended with a -uck, and wasn't firetruck.

Ah, yes, the refs. The incompetent jerkwads who called themselves the fair and balanced arbitors of the game. Now I know why two of them were surnamed Smith- they were in the witless protection program. Several out-of-bounds calls were utterly wrong. Several travels went un catalogued. Several hacks went ignored. Elena got hit hard with no call. Bethany went up for a shot, was fouled, and then didn't end up with free throws. On the other side of the ball, said Bethany got away with a travel or two, and a hold on a Fever player (Schumacher, I think, but if you're expecting me to remember at 12:30 at night, you should instead be grateful that I am so brilliantly coherent.) Overall, the refereeing resembled a farce, only without the competence. We were lucky a fight didn't break out.

Oh yes, the other highlight of the night: "Hot In Herre", with the solo part taken by a funky-looking violin. Mmmmmmmmmm... oh, Goddess, yeah. If only all hip-hop could be so transformed. (BTW, fellow Liberty fans- what song did the duo transpose for their encore?)

I can't wait to get back to the Garden.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

September 12th, 2004: San Antonio at New York

New York Liberty 64, San Antonio Silver Stars 62

Patty Coyle is on crack, K.B. Sharp and Erin Thorn are still waiting for their ride home, and Elena Baranova wants you to GET MORE LOUD!


Patty raided Tot's locker. That's the only thing I can think of. This was the actual starting lineup: Erin, Becky, Crystal, Vickie, and La'Keshia. Yes, that puts either Vickie or Crystal in the four spot. Yes, that is really weird. Not that Becky or Crystal embarrassed themselves, and even VJ looked a bit more familiar. And La'Keshia somehow managed to lead the team and the game in rebounds, and add eight points. Notice me not noticing rebounds. I was busy going 'hey, wait, isn't that a foul?' in the scrum. Erin hit a three, but was otherwise quiet, though I recall one play where you got the sense she was silently yelling "NOTICE ME!": girl was wider open than I've ever seen a Liberty player be. K.B. needs to learn how to shoot. I don't care if she misses, I just wish she would shoot: she's starting to look like T-Spoon. I also wish DeTrina would play more, because she was scrapping today. This was not one of Bethany's good days, though the planets were aligned enough for her to hit two consecutive free throws in a rather key moment. And Elena... I heart Elena so much. "Get more loud!" Mom and I were in hysterics. Besides. Threes and the block. What's not to love? (Besides, Boris would get on my case if I didn't cheer for Elena.) And... er, what did Shameka say about Patty's female parental unit that she was on the bench? Poor girlfriend was stuck to the chair like someone superglued her shorts to the seat.

So are K.B. and Erin still standing outside the Hall waiting for a ride to soccer practice? 'Cause Glenn and I left around seven, and they were still standing out there schmoozing with all and sundry. I envision a station wagon rolling up with, like, Lindsay Whalen and Amber Jacobs and any other young, wholesome-looking guard in the league in the backseats. It was great, except for the self-righteous black lady who accused me of shoving in front of some little kid (I didn't do it intentionally, but I don't know how to parallel park). I think a whole bunch of Goodson kinfolk were there, because they were schmoozing like no one's business. Either Crystal is quite the social butterfly or she and Adrian Williams know each other somehow, because they were chatting up a storm. VJ, Crystal, and Elena got really big hands from the crowd, partially because they exited relatively early and partially because, well, this is New York and Crystal and Elena were two-thirds of the reason why we pulled this one out. Telling Crystal that that last call was bull (the block/charge that caused her to foul out) provoked a smile. I really like her smile.

This should not have been as tight as it was, but hey. We won, and at least I don't have to deal with any heartbroken San Antonio fans the way I do every other team.

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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.

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September 2nd, 2004: Charlotte at New York

New York Liberty 56, Charlotte Sting 52

The Game Notes get the onstage hookup, Tammy Sutton-Brown walks like a hooker, and Crystal Robinson and the entertainment are both off the hook.


Kate, you are a goddess. Seriously. I love you, I adore you, if I weren't straight I'd marry you. For those of you who are confused, Kate, the admin at wnbatalk.com, hooked me and mom up with her seats for the game tonight. Did I mention that Kate sits onstage? *squeal jump ow...*



Even getting to onstage seats is an adventure in and of itself- you get to wander around backstage and see where they stash the stuff for the games and the elevator to the locker rooms and the directions to the press conference. You get to come through the same passageway as the teams, and it's just so wow. To sit on the stage at Radio City Music Hall is an incredible experience, and y'all need to try it sometime. You'd see who makes whom laugh, and that DeTrina's joined in the Livestrong yellow bracelet craze, and once again learn that if Goddess had meant for white girls to dance, She would have made them black I swear that Erin's in the doghouse because she taught Becky to do the robot dance. I know I'd do that if I were in a position of authority.

Is it just me, or does Tammy Sutton-Brown walk the same way that LL does? Either that, or she's begging for someone to check out her derriere. It... it twitches. And she... er... jiggles. Despite all that, she was a force on the glass, including especially the offensive glass. Wasn't someone on Full Court Press just mentioning how her offensive rebound production had gone down? Coulda fooled me. Dawn Staley didn't play like someone who had just come off a back-to-back after playing in freakin' Athens at that time or so last week. She was on the ball, and a very wise player. Putting Becky on her was a giant mistake. She set everything up beautifully for the Sting; their offense sputtered when K.B. went on her and started forcing her to hold the ball for longer periods of time. Stinson's still got some moves. They don't always go in, but she's still got some moves. She had one really nifty steal that would have made me shriek if I had seen it. She also seems to have either found a magical sports bra that she needs to recommend to TSB and Crystal, or she's lost weight in a certain legendary part of her anatomy. Allison Feaster had a relatively quiet night, but honestly, haven't the Liberty defenders figured out yet that this is not a woman you leave to go double on someone else? For real? Crystal didn't look thrilled at the prospect of defending her, but she didn't seem to be the focus of the offense, for some reason. I'm not sure who she was on defensively, but unless she had Crystal, she was doing all right for herself. Charlotte Smith-Taylor wore very bright lipstick (sweetie, you're not Tina Thompson, please don't try it) and had a knack for hitting key shots. Her range is getting better; the long shots are falling. I'd still not be sanguine about her as my long-distance threat, though, were I a Sting fan. Kelly Mazzante is turning out to be quite a steal in the second round, which makes sense, what with her having been projected as a first-round pick. She found a way to get open for a jumper while VJ and Crystal were both chasing her, and she was fierce on the defensive end. She's developing dimensions. Brava, Kelly. Nicole Powell was really good at being tall, and I dimly recall her in some defensive plays for some reason. Olympia Scott-Richardson also put her height to good use, elevating for a shot over DeTrina. D-Train was not pleased with herself after O-Scott put it in over her. Teana Miller (née McKiver) is really good at being really big. Tynesha Lewis must make Van Chancellor go 'why the heck did I dump her?' eveyr time she comes up big. She's very solid for this Sting team. Trudi Lacey shows promise as a defensive stopper, and yeah, as a coach. And none of these women should wear orange aluminum foil... wait, that was a uniform?!

VJ. WTF? A missed free throw, a shot that didn't hit the rim, a blown fastbreak layup, a fumbled pass... again I ask, what the f-? This is a half-season's worth of mistakes from her, all in one night. Elena. Again, WTF? Jet lag? She didn't play most of the second half, was ineffective when she was in, no matter how wonderful it was to hear the regular announcer roll that R as hard as he could. Becky was very well contained on offense for most of the game, only busting loose for a couple of layups in the second half. The long bombs weren't falling for most anyone. It was scary. Bethany held her ground against Tammy Sutton-Brown- it was really physical in there with the two of them; at one point, Bethany accidentally punched TSB in the head (her hand was in a fist, she didn't get out of the way, and TSB leaned into her hand). Crystal is a goddess. A shot-clock-beating four-point play? Dude. That's just. Dude. If that's not a momentum switcher, nothin' in this world is. And she played great defense. Mmm. I Crystal. La'Keshia actually rebounded. Like, wow, that's impressive, for real. And she hit 2/2 at one point from the line. I guess she saves the big games for the Sting. DeTrina played a lot because of the what-ever-it-was that affected Elena, but she wasn't really the full-fledged D-Train that we all know and adore, though she had one rebound that had the crowd yelling. K.B. was very solid, the prototype of the traditional point guard. She didn't score, and I don't know if she had any assists, but she spearheaded the offense (although in this game that's an inaccurate term) and was absolutely brilliant on defense. She's got great potential, and I just hope she doesn't end up screwed up by coaches who don't know what to do with her. Shameka hit a shot, but was otherwise quite forgettable. Sorry, Mel.

The coaching was the reason why I thought the Sting were going to keep that thirteen-point lead. Trudi Lacey controlled the early flow of the game- her substitutions caused Patty to make changes instead of the other way around; when the Sting went tall, Elena came into the game, when Lacey sent in the starters, so did Patty. I think Patty got control of her moves and that was a key to the Liberty getting the game back into their hands. I think the defense was also key, though the Sting forcing three shot clock violations is nothing to sneeze at either. Offense, like I said, wasn't exactly common in this game. There were a lot of misses, a lot of stalls, a lot of deflections, and a lot of solid defensive plays. This wasn't Patty and Marianne's finest hour, though Patty gets bonus points for having one of her little fireside chats with K.B. before sending the kid into the game; I know Patty played PG in college. The refs were all right- an all-female crew headed up by Lisa mattingly. They made a couple of glaringly bad calls, but made quick make-up calls soon afterwards. It all evened out. Mostly they let 'em play, and did they ever.

I don't know if I could get used to the view- I like the details, but I like being able to see everything unfolding from above like the eye of Goddess or something, too. I do, however, think that I could easily get used to the people. Thundersticks to my left, thundersticks to my right, a wonderfully crazed lady in front of me... okay, so the smelly guy next to my mom wasn't so much of the good, but hey, I told her she could move over. I think we really did knock Andrea Stinson off her stride on a free throw, and considering how few of them there were I think that's notable. And again, the Sting players are teh niceness [sic].

Place was not completely full, as I can vouch for five empty seats due to the damn convention. Tari wore tight pants and a half-buttoned blouse. Alas, I didn't get pictures of her. The anthem was done by a female trio named Mrs. Robinson, and yes, a couple of players shot Crystal looks at that intro. They were all right, and I think they've done the anthem before. Pregame show was the Sting bricking halfcourt shots and a dance team. Halftime was another dance team, and I have a pic of them I might get posted when I get my film developed. The bear is so cuuuuuuute! *hugs Stevie-bear* Yes, I have one for you, Kate; the nice man at the door gave me two so none of us have to go without. Strange moments of the Bounce/Cheer/Joy thing- the Cheer spilled, and the girl with one hand hit the lay-up first. This was after VJ had blown the fastbreak layup, so needless to say the sarcasm was on full blast. There was a pregame celebration of the two Olympians on the court. I stood and clapped for Dawn, and she got a hearty round, but the biggest cheers were for Elena. Me, I was bout even for them, because I knew that Elena was about as happy with her bronze as the American men were with theirs. They got flowers and applause.

At the end of the game, the players did their ritual wave at the fans thing, but they seemed like they wanted to get away as fast as they could. I don't know whether it was because they won such an embarrassingly bad game, or because Patty was all ready to lay into them about what they shouldn't learn from this game, or because they had a flight/bus to Connecticut to catch directly after. Maybe this time they'll catch up on their naps before the game (I was waiting with some acquaintances before the game at the stage door, and as the Liberty players disembarked from the turquoise bullet of ugly, one of them said that they all looked like they needed a nap. Crystal was the only one really conscious. Hmmm. Correlation? Well, her comment also got the odd image of a Liberty kindergarten class going through my head.)

And what have we learned about the East from this game? NOTHING!

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August 5th, 2004: The Game At Radio City

USA Basketball 74, WNBA All-Stars 58

Stargazing at an otherwise almost aggressively boring game.


Okay. Sorry. Look, I got home at twelve-thirty last night and I started a new job today, and it doesn't have Internet access. So my wonderful insights are late. Also, I'm posting the same set of notes to four different boards. If you don't know who I'm talking about at any point, you're not acquainted with who I'm talking about.

I promised the folks over at Stormfans that I'd take copious notes. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of game worth taking copious notes *on*.

Take most of the defensive intensity of a good game. Remove most of the offensive ability. If you're working with an ASG, take out all the flashy moves. Take out the crowd noise. You'll be left with last night's game. It was a combination of "let's not get hurt" and "it doesn't matter". Not a good thing in a televised game.

I didn't even know I'd have a ticket until around 1PM that afternoon, when I checked my voicemail and discovered that Admin Kate from WNBAtalk had a spare ticket because her brother backed out. So I scooted down to the Hall around 4 (shut UP, all of you!) to hang out and see what I could see. Didn't see very much other than the teams getting off the bus and being in a bit of a hurry, but I guess you'd be in a hurry too if some idiot had a camera in your face while you were just trying to go from the bus to the building. VanChan stopped, and in doing so almost abandoned his coffee. Oh, the humanity!

Major skeeviness out front right before the game- a lot of disreputable-looking guys either in need of a ticket or trying to sell theirs off. I got so annoyed tht I made up a sign saying that I didn't have an extra ticket nor did I need a ticket. I didn't get a chance to use it, but it was a warm and reassuring thought. Also, we were not in need of a DJ. That was really freaking annoying.

Found out that I'd have the pleasure of sitting with Alison and Dee (both WNBAtalkers, but Alison does most of the talking) as well as Kate. We were in Orchestra FF, and herrade (WorldCrossing), you weren't kidding about not being able to see a damn thing. We had great views of the players, but none of the floor.

Worst anthem I've heard at a game this year. Why, oh why can't they borrow Tari? Names with punch seem to turn out the worst anthems.

First play of the game made me hope that this was going to be a good game- USA wins the tip, goes on the fast break, and Cheryl Ford smothers the shot. Well, it was indicative of the shooting, but not much else. How long did it take for either team to score?

We had the exquisite displeasure of being seated directly behind the smallest wet blanket on the East Coast- she was adorable, but every time my friends or I cheered during the player introductions, she turned and looked at us like she couldn't believe that we were making noise. If looks could kill, then hers would have put any one of us in the hospital for a week, and that only because she was a kidlet. Granted, Alison had her Xena warcry going, but still. It also didn't help that the people in the few rows that were ahead of us weren't the type to show up on time or wait for a timeout to take their seats. Hello, the view stinks enough, can you NOT obscure what precious little we CAN see??

The Olympic team liked to run. There were quite a few fast breaks, or at least plays that started as fast breaks- I think I may have a photo of one that started as a fast break and ended as Sue Bird on top of Lindsay Whalen. But they were comfortable trying to grind it out, too; guess if you've got Yo, Ruth, and La Leslie you'll be fine in the halfcourt game too. The All-Stars preferred to take ill-fated jump shots and... er... more jump shots.

VanChan tended to send his players in as units- by the second half, he was basically doing wholesale substitutions, the starters on one hand and the "UConn unit" on the other. Bill subbed more like it was a traditional game, but he used the whole bench, which was nice. (This may be the only game where Bill Laimbeer calls a timeout *because* Swin hits a fast break lay-up.)

The UConn trio on the Olympic team works like they have one brain for the lot of them. I don't mean it as an insult, simply that they worked so beautifully in tandem that it was a joy to watch. They also seem to have brought Ruth Riley into that little fold of theirs. LL had her moments, and her USA-colored hair ribbons. I guess she didn't want to say that she didn't match. PeeWee runs a mighty fast offense and can even hit a shot or two. Yolanda was a monster, an absolute monster on the glass. I want her on the Liberty so the announcer can always say her name with panache. Ruth has the shooting range necessary for success in international play, which was nice. Tamika Catchings was what you would expect. I mean, come on. We all know these players already. But if there's a weak link on this team, it is, alas, Dawn. (Sorry, pilight.) I don't think she can maintain the initial pace this team wants to work at, although she'll be good for when the big-n-toughs are in the game and VanChan wants to slow it down. Sheryl and Katie didn't play tonight- Sheryl wore a nice dress, Katie a white blouse and black pants. It frightened me to realize that I have essentially the same haircut as Katie, only not blonde.

Becky had a nice pass and a nice bucket off a steal. She actually had a couple of steals, which surprised me greatly. Lindsay Whalen had a nice drive and the willingness to be run over by Sue Bird at full speed. Have I covered enough so that if you're here to drool you can drool? All right then. Taj went behind the back on Dawn and lived to tell the tale- that was my personal highlight of the night. Mwadi had a nice streak going for a while, shooting-wise, but also went brain-dead on defense a couple of times. Cheryl committed dumb fouls, which isn't terribly smart when you're one of three post players on your team. Nat Williams fought hard, especially when Yo was in there. Allison Feaster revealed some defensive ability that I hadn't noticed before. Sure, get closer to perfect. No one will notice. (Look, if a person has good looks, the brains to get into Harvard, the ability to play All-Star basketball, and a general niceness about them, that person is far closer to perfect than most of us, right?) Anna DeForge had an iffy game, but there was a logical reason for that. No one else really left an impression on me.

Since I was a free agent (no mom to tell me to go home), I got to stay after the game, lurking outside the stage door like the crazy woman I really am. We got to see some, but no all, of the players make their exits. Natalie Williams was in a shirt that would have sent New Socks over on Stormfans into a tizzy- an American-flag vest/tank top sort of thing. Nikki Teasley looked frightening. La Leslie actually raised herself a notch in my estimation- she came out laden with bags and told the lot of us that she needed to get her stuff onto the bus. I figured she'd just stay on the bus with the bags. Instead, she dumped the stuff and came off the bus for us. Way cool. Way nice of her. Birdy was nice, albeit slightly confused- after coming through the stage door, signing for the passel of us, and getting on the bus, she disembarked and ran back into the Hall like someone had set her shorts on fire and told her that there were free fries in the building. A possible explanation lies in the next paragraph. Allison Feaster came out looking sharp (damnit! another indicator of perfection!). Cheryl Ford and Deanna Nolan shared a livery cab. 'Kesha Sales hailed a taxi (only in the WNBA, folks, only in the WNBA). Lindsay Whalen seemed to have a van. Anna DeForge left with Nancy Lieberman. Hello, lack of subtle...

Luminaries at the game: Rebecca Lobo was sideline reporter, although she broke out of her role once or twice to deliver comments to Lisa White on the WNBA bench. They honored Olympians of the past, so Ann Meyers, Nancy Lieberman, Donna de Verona, and a couple of women whose names I don't remember were there, plus they dragged Becca off the sidelines and Anne Donovan out of the huddle. Taj brought Maia, her younger daughter, and I squeed at high volume for a while when they were together on stage after the game. T-Spoon was sighted, as was Asjha Jones, as were the current UConn Huskies. (I wouldn't be surprised if Geno threw one of his Final Four-esque parties; we saw none of the Huskies except the running Bird, and I bet that's where she was headed off to. This is complete conjecture on my part, of course.) Val and Blaze were both in attendance as well; they chatted with Ann Meyers on a street corner, and for a second I thought I'd accidentally been shunted through Knoxville on my way to the stage door.

All in all, it was more an event than a game, so anyone watching at hom ebasically got the shaft because they got all of the crap and none of the fun social activities.

All right. One more slightly self-centered note; among the 5,945 in attendance were the coach of the defending CUNYAC champions and her starting point guard (who, if form holds true, will hit the title-winning shot against Staten Island to clinch the program's fourth consecutive title and automatic bid to the NCAA D-III tournament). I used to dorm down the hall from her.

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Sunday, February 10, 2008

July 31st, 2004: Connecticut at New York

please note that game notes for the first game at Radio City, in which the Liberty won and Swin Cash lost me a bet by being the first player to run off the stage, have been lost to posterity.

New York Liberty 80, Connecticut Sun 66

The Utah Starzz represent, K.B. Sharp needs to deal with Debbie Black more often, and Elena Baranova's a dork.


Dude. Am I, like, the only one home yet?

Quote of the night- "How is it an eight-point game? Did I lose my lucky urine?"

Life at the stage door isn't all that glamorous. It mostly involved standing around, getting through a book of short stories, and three flurries of activity. Yes, as a matter of fact, the Liberty do travel in that fuuuuuuuuuuugly turquoise bus. They showed up as a mob around 4:30. Some of 'em were already in sweats for warm-up, others slightly more formal; La'Keshia looked like she was going to a board meeting. I passed along rookie cards, so I was happy. (Shameka, Bethany, and K.B.'s rookie cards came out in the last set.) The Sun rookies and assistants, as well as a couple of other entourage sorts (I swear, Mike Thibault had a whole posse on that bus) arrived around 5:20. The Sun veterans arrived around 6, late and bothered, although Debbie Black, of all people, gave us a "hello" as she rushed in. I don't think I've ever seen a team where the rookie/veteran split is as pronounced as with the Sun; perhaps it's because there are so many rookies? And of course, Tari was the last one to show up. *fond smile*

Does anyone have any clue why Taj McWilliams-Franklin would be running through the RCMH lobby forty minutes before gametime? The Gatorade/Powerade/whatever they drink had already been loaded (we saw crates of it come through the stage door).

Rebounding, man. Rebounding started to kill us in the first half, and rebounding- specifically Elena's rebounding- saved us. DeTrina continued showing that offense stuff she brought last night, and one offensive rebound, she came flying out of nowhere for the putback. Mmmm... putback. Elena couldn't get her shots to fall- I mean, she even missed a free throw- but she was ferocious on the defensive end. And of course there was her endgame routine- after the standing O and the players doing their smile-and-wave routine, Elena first bowed, then as she picked up the roses for the team, she curtseyed a couple of times. I don't know what it is about the stage that brings out the goofiness, but I like it. Bethany actually hit two of two at one point- must be that blue moon outside; otherwise the only thing she was good at was eating minutes. (As an aside, the fans I know solely in real life are shocked by the depth of the Board Junkies' dislike and disdain for her. She ain't the world's greatest, but you know, she's a pretty solid little post.) La'Keshia found that offense she had shown against Charlotte, but again, distinct lack of rebounding- she's not a Euro, what precisely is her excuse? If K.B. got to play against Debbie Black every night, she'd be considered the best PG around. She outquicks Black, doesn't get rattled, and if she feels Debbie is invading her personal space she lets loose with a forearm that must have come straight off the mean streets of Columbus. Shameka, on the other hand, was not paying attention when someone said 'watch your back when Black's in the game', 'cause she got her pocket picked but good. She committed a couple of dumb rookie mistakes but also had a couple of nice plays. Crystal got mauled a time or two- she must have some kind of bad karma kicking around or somehing, or maybe she just smells like Tennessee- first an elbow from Swin, then one from Kesha Sales- she was clutch on a couple of those possessions where the shot clock went down to nothing. VJ was mostly the strong but silent type- she came up limping at the end of the first half but was magically healed by the second half. Becky was real fun to watch tonight, though a couple of those plays had me cringing- one where she drove into NyKesha Sales, even though Crystal was running with her comes to mind- however, I admit that generally Becky's mistakes stick out in my mind more than the good things she does, and she had very few mistakes. (Oh, and speaking of Becky- anyone else who saw the highlight video, did you spot the ring on her hand in the last frame where she's pointing to the camera? Very smooth, rubita.)

I want a birth certificate check on Lindsay Whalen. No way in hell she's a rookie. What a playmaker. What a passer. What a combo guard. If you'd told me that the deal was a steal, I would have said, "Yep, Connecticut got robbed." Now I think it's the other way around. I'm converted. For similar reasons, I want a birth certificate check on Debbie Black. That woman doesn't move like she just turned 38. (As an aside, I think mom and I were the only two people in the building who clapped when Debbie Black came into the game. I may be the only person ever to cheer for Debbie Black and not for Becky.) Nykesha Sales has such a knack for scoring that it sometimes seems pointless to put a defender on her; even when Crystal was guarding her, I had flashbacks to the fateful night when Richie thought it was a good idea to stick Lindsey Yamasaki on her. Aiiiiee, the horror! Wendy Palmer was very quiet tonight- I swear, there were moments when she and Elena had this whole 'I'm the better Utah reject- no I'M the better Utah reject!' duel going on; personally, I think Elena won, and Lil Debbie came in second. Le'Coe Willingham is one big woman- 6'0", 200? Maybe. But I don't think it's as well-packed as Tari's is- no, not that way, you pervs, I simply mean that Ms. Willingham is another one who might have to get told to stop going to KFC and start going to the Curves nearest her. (thanks, Slovy, for that felicitious phrase) Taj is one hell of a good post player. If I didn't mention anyone, assume their impact on the game was minimal (although I gotta give the love to the two folks I saw in the Jen Derevjanik T-shirts and the one lady who went all out and got a Derevjanik jersey; it's also gotta go out to the girl in the K.B. jersey)

The refs were another stinkola, this time with the added inability to count to three. Yay! New and disimproved refs!

Did Taj kiss Crystal on the cheek during post-game handshakes? Or am I just having recurring hallucinations of her, longing for her post presence in the lineup?

Oh yeah. Presence. Tari. :swoon: She looked so natural going through the stage door And she was in black and a skirt up to here *holds my hand a couple of inches above my knee* and she... if 1) it were actually possible, and 2) would actually serve some purpose, that is a woman I would turn gay for. So does that mean Tari gets the toaster oven if at some point in my life I'm really a lesbian hiding in a straight's body? *imagines her confusion if that happened*

We had a Sue sighting, hurrah! And I saw a couple of people who had to be some sort of Christon- they looked just like Shameka, only not quite as lanky.

Oh yeah. On Point Magazine is a piece of crap. Their facts are half-arsed and their proofreading isn't even that good. My good deed for the week will be sending them a proofread copy of their mag.

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July 18th, 2004: Charlotte at New York

New York Liberty 75, Charlotte Sting 58

Tari arrived on time, Elena missed a free throw, and a shirt landed in section 209, and yet the world didn't come to an end. Amazing.


pardon the lateness... I wrote these at 11:30 and was too damn tired to go deathmatch on my dad for the computer...

Tari arrived on time, Elena missed a free throw, and a shirt landed in section 209, and yet the world hasn't come to an end. Amazing.

Let me state for the record that I've long thought the Charlotte players and coaching staff were the classiest lot in the league (which is why it amused me so much that they got Andrade). If I were a knowledgable fan of the league who had no local connections to a team, Charlotte would probably be my team. And my opinion had no reason to change today- they're a genuinely nice bunch of people, and I hope to whatever powers might be out there that the older players are teaching the younger players so that when this crop of younger players are the older players they do the same thing. I was cracking up during warm-ups, because while Crystal was on her side of halfcourt and Charlotte Smith-Taylor was on hers, they were chattering away. All of this makes dumb move of the day #2 even more reprehensible.

Dumb moves of the day: #1- Glenn and I were parked over by the railing by the tunnel to and from the locker rooms, and the MSG guys were fiddling with their special features. This one was on Dawn Staley, and it had her stats and her Olympic appearances, and her Sting consecutive starts streak... and Becky Hammon's photo. We laughed so hard that the fan tunnel kids, who were standing right behind the desk where the monitor was, looked at us like we'd gone nuts. #2- Half an hour until tip-off, and the Sting were just finishing up their practice with some halfcourt shooting. Yo heart the halfcourt shooting, so I was riveted. Blaze got antsy, and she finally sent one of her flunkies out to clear the players from the court so that the dance troupe could get on. Now, I know they paid for their time, but hello. For one, there was a lull between the completion of the routine and the entrance of the Liberty- she couldn't have waited another minute? For two, I thought this was a basketball game, not a dance recital- basketball stuff should take priority over non-basketball stuff. Tres rude. #3- this one is a little far-reaching. I know I'm not the only one who'd like to hear Tari sing the National Anthem. According to Trish, the security boss lady, Tari would like to sing the anthem- if the front office would let her do it. Jeez, it's not like she's doing anything else at the moment...

So then the sound system went die. And when Maddie got that "Let's go Liberty!" chant going, I felt so warm and fuzzy that I prayed they never got the music amped back up. I loved that feeling of just thousands of voices raised in harmony at the direction of a big furry dog. I'd have loved to hear an entire game of just a fired-up Garden crowd screaming. Bet it would still be louder than half the arenas in this league. And, uh, did I mention I really am not digging this substitute announcer dude? It's "Yih-LAY-nuh", and roll the R!

Loved that first interaction between Crystal and Allison Feaster- after Feaster hit the first shot, Crystal gave her a low-five and then stuck a three in her face. I kept a running tally of shots they hit on each other- that was tied at 3, but Crystal won the face-off with that monster stuff. Yo heart Crystal. También yo heart Elena and her hook shot and her toes juuuuuust behind the line threes. Becky and her drives got the place rocking. Erin didn't do a whole helluva lot, but what she did was hella impressive- one lay-up that looked like something Sue Bird might hit to win an overtime game, and one twelve-inches-behind the arc three-pointer. VJ had a steady hand- didn't score much, but kept things smooth and helped keep a lid on the offensive threats (except for Mazzante, but we'll get to that). Bethany actually fought for rebounds- I saw it and everything! And she hit two free throws in a row- some kind of freaky, eh? Big props go to La'Keshia for going from the waiver wire to the starting lineup in less than two weeks. DeTrina was... well, she was the D-train: tough, just a little undependable, and not fun to be run over by. There were some gorgeous passes- Becky over the shoulder to Elena, Elena through traffic to Erin- and as a whole, the team is moving better, both with the ball and without it.

The Sting look like they're wearing orange aluminum foil, their uniforms are so shiny. Andrea Stinson... how can I possibly phrase this without sounding offensive? Her, er, natural double-team wasn't quite as... imposing. Neither was she- she didn't even start the second half, though she did start the game. I think as long as she's breathing and in a Charlotte uniform she'll start. The Starting Hyphens- Sutton-Brown and Smith-Taylor- were tough on the glass, but S-T was ineffective otherwise. S-B was a bit more use on the offensive end, but I don' tthink taking her in VGM today would have been a good idea. The Bench Hyphen was essentially a foul magnet and a little bit of eye candy (just a little- and that's my dad's take, mind you!) Dawn Staley doesn't move like a 35-year-old, but she shoots like one, though she came on a bit late. She also yakked at the refs more than anyone I've ever seen. Kelly Mazzante kept getting open and kept hitting. Tell me again why teams passed on her? Tynesha Lewis was a sparkplug- when she went in, she made things happen. VanChan must be headdesking every time her boxscores come in. The other two rookies and Mery Andrade were basically warm bodies- correction, Andrade was essentially the towel. Smirk. Yo heart karma.

The refs weren't bad, and the mistakes they made were in the Liberty's favor, so I really shouldn't say any more.

I'm not usually big on Kids' Day, 'cause I'm not big on kids who aren't old enough to behave themselves. But the ones in my section were good. *applauds* Wasn't impressed with the anthem, but remember that I had Dumb Move #3 on my mind, so I don't think I would have been happy with much of anything. When are they going to have Basketball Fans' Day, where they don't play stupid games during timeouts and talk turkey? (Although they can keep the Liberty Ad-Libs. I find those hilarious. Though the only reason I can see for Bethany spending more time on her hair is if she does Tari's hair.)

Who else saw Elena pulling on Maddie's tail before one of the tips?

Either Camille Cooper was in the house, or Camille Cooper's dead ringer was in the house, in either case traveling with a guy about her height and age. Passing through the corridor at the Garden after the game, I saw a vaguely familiar-looking woman who was damn tall. And if I say someone is damn tall, they are DAMN tall- I'm tall enough to be a decent-sized combo guard (and weigh enough to be a post player, but that's neither here nor there). Perhaps she and Bethany are starting the "Put-Upon Liberty Posts" club? Kym and Ariel (sp?) were also there. I still maintain that a child that young should not be exposed to the Garden. That's just evil. I think Tynesha Lewis might also have had family in the house- there was someone leaving the Garden through the front door who looked something like her and had an NC State backpack, but I didn't know if it was actually her or not.

Then a batch of us went to Café 31 and ran into a few more board types, and pretty much the whole restaurant gave Trudi Lacey a rousing ovation when she came in for dinner, 'cause we're cool like that.

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July 15th, 2004: Minnesota at New York

Minnesota Lynx 69, New York Liberty 66

The Game Notes were on to Patty before the rest of the bandwagon.


Ugh. What a frustrating game. So much stupidity it kills me. Do I begin with the refs? After all, they included everyone's favorite dude, Bryan Enterline. They botched the last significant possession by overruling the three-point call.

Or perhaps I should start with the defense. As in, that only occasionally seen entity that spent most of its time on Katie Smith, never mind that Vanessa Hayden beat the [redacted] out of Bethany and Amber Jacobs has the sweetest stroke of the last three drafts. As in, that which let Tamika Williams, Nicole Ohlde, and Vanessa Hayden into the paint for a crapload of offensive rebounds and putbacks.

Maybe the offense was the problem? After all, missing chip shots isn't going to help your score, and neither is passing the ball to the ladies in green. Too many times the shot clock ran down and the offense went into pure desperation mode. The outside shots weren't falling with the kind of regularity that the team was expecting, and that meant that going inside was the only other option- except this team isn't equipped to do that, because Goddess forbid that Elena be 6'5", and Goddess forbid Bethany hit a damn shot or get a damn pass, and DeTrina, while I love her to pieces, is damn good at cleaning up the mess but little else.

Me? I blame the coaching. Yes, the coaching. Between the red face and the lack of subs, I'd swear that was Richie in drag over on the Liberty bench. Play-calling is something I'm not good at sussing out (though WHY half the offense isn't run through the team's best shooter is completely beyond me). But when it came to player management, Patty made me look back at Richie with fond nostalgia. She left them out there too damn long, which led to fatigue, which led to short shots and defensive lapses. Would a few more minutes for DeTrina have caused too much harm? Or La'Keshia? Or K.B.? In my seats for the game (109, row A), I could see that Elena was exhausted midway through the second half. How long did it take Patty, not even fifty feet away, to notice and send in a sub? Why did she leave Bethany in so long with severe foul trouble? I can understand having Vickie and/or Crystal in at all times- they're our ace defenders. But the rest periods were too short, the minutes too much consecutively. In the end the team wasn't in a position to win because they had place themselves in a bad position previous to 4.4. I'm ready for Harry Potter to work her magic now. Hell, she took the Mystics to the playoffs- I think she's got another miracle left in her.

Yeah, I know, there was another team on the court. Hard not to. For starters, from my vantage point, Suzie McConnell-Serio looked like what Becky will turn into in ten years. (Presumably minus the husband and four kids, though. I can't see Becky in a minivan with a bunch of rugrats.) Teresa Edwards moves pretty well for 39 and 361 days, but missing a wide-open fast break layup is inexcusable. Vanessa Hayden is a helluva lot of woman. I mean, damn. (Of course, my bizarre mind pondered the clashes between her and DeTrina as 'D-train versus V-train', but that's just me.) And she moves mighty well for a big. Gosh, wouldn't she be handy right about now? Wait, she already is- for the Lynx. Remind me again how good Shameka is supposed to be. Ohlde was kind of quiet tonight- Elena's too similar a player to her, only older and more experienced. But all can be forgiven if we can just borrow Amber Jacobs for a few games. She's sneaky. She's smart. No one watches her because they're just a little more worried about Katie Smith. Then, bam! "3-point goal, three points for Amber Jacobs." Or a slash to the basket. Her defender starts paying attention again, and she goes quiet. A pass or two, maybe a brick. The defender gets careless. "3-point goal, three points for Amber Jacobs." Isn't she what we thought Erin was supposed to be? Tamika Williams is just a rebounding monster. It's like, missed shot, and suddenly she's there and you're fairly certain she wasn't in that position before. Not much to say about the rest of the lot, other than that Amanda Lassiter is part of the Sisterhood of the Smiley Face- her, Fro, and Alicia Thompson so far.

Slightly more random observations: the Lynx take the longest of any team to warm up. Jacobs and the Basketball Godmother didn't stop shooting till half an hour before tip. Michele VanGorp practiced with the team initially, but then changed into street clothes and was announced as injured. So yeah. I think she's learned that opening your mouth doesn't necessarily equal a good thing. Scored about half the Lynx autographs because many small children served as an effective roadblock. However, said kids kept me from getting my Teresa Edwards card signed. I couldn't help but wonder how any of them knew the significance of her to women's basketball. I forgot my '1000 Points of Light, 1 Dim Bulb' button today. Bad Democrat. No chocolate. Vanessa Hayden ran into the locker room early in the game, before she'd even played- what was the deal with that? Obviously she was fine, 'cause, you know, she was kind of with the butt-kicking.

And then I get home and find out the Nets traded Kenyon Martin to the Nuggets. Ugggggggggh, what an awful basketball day. *counts days until 2004 Fleer Ultra come*

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Monday, February 4, 2008

July 11th, 2004: Phoenix at New York

New York Liberty 77, Phoenix Mercury 69

The Game Notes are unimpressed with post play, get confused by names, and are not impressed with Kym Hampton's childcare notions.


Now, if this is what this team looks like with only one injured starter returning, I can't wait to see what happens when Tari and Ann are back. Tough and tenacious... and yeah, they let Anna DeForge have the game of her life, but we let Tina Thompson have the game of her life too, and look what that got the Comets. All we have to do is teach Bethany to hit free throws and keep reminding Elena that she's 6'5" and should really be using that, and we'll be good. This team is getting back to what made it such a power in the beginning of the season, and that's the non-reliance on Becky to provide all the offense. While she's getting what she can get, the other players are gtting what they need to get. VJ looks more comfortable out there, Shameka is starting to look more comfortable (which may be related to experience or having Richie the hell out of her face), and of course it doesn't hurt having Crystal back in. I think Crystal may have been a focal point of this game- not only because of her timely offense, but because she provides Patty with a second ace defensive option, which was key in containing Phoenix's big three. Okay, maybe not so much with the containment of Anna DeForge, but y'all have to admit Taurasi and Taylor had rather bad games.

Second bench-related question of the homestand- Shereka Wright? Is she in Carrie Graf's doghouse or something? She didn't play, and I was under the impression she had contributed this season. Speaking of Carrie Graf's moves or non-moves, her big mistake was in riding DeForge too hard- playing her the way Comets fans accuse VanChan of playing Swoopes and Thompson. When she got tired late and the shots weren't falling, that enabled the Liberty to take a gamble by switching Becky, a lesser defender, onto her, allowing the two aces (VJ and Crystal) to take Taurasi and Taylor, thus shutting off anything that might have looked like a Mercury run. The two young posts, Pierson and Ashley Robinson, showed potential here and there, though you probably shouldn't be tied with your point guard for the team lead in rebounds. The previously mentioned Diana looked fallible today, which made me relieved that I didn't get a chance to change my point guard for VGM... did I mention that I went with Anna DeForge?

Having Kayte Christensen and Shameka Christon on the floor at the same time was really confusing, because they have similar last names and wear the same number and were often on each other. Major headache. Ditto when trying to talk while Ashley Robinson and Crystal Robinson shared the floor. And then... oh yes. To whoever was blowing the whistles in... 314? 316? Whatever section that is directly behind mine. Blow that whistle one more time during the game and I'll jam it so far up your ass that the next time you fart everyone will wait for the foul call. *steam comes out of ears* Kate, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you- some autocratic jerk was telling us to all go back to our assigned seats. Probably compensating for something. Probably the same jackhole who thought my videotape last game was a black box full of danger.

Crowd-spotting: besides the usual folk who come to games *big wave to everyone I knw*, Val Ackerman was there. Somehow I don't think she wanted to see Taurasi struggle from the field and the slightly scandalous Anna DeForge go off like a firecracker. It'll probably cause her to lose sleep, but who's going to notice? Also in attendance were Kym and Ariel Hampton- and if Kym always does the one-handed trick with the baby, remind me never to call her as a sitter. Jesus, I thought she was going to drop the poor kidlet, and breathed a sigh of relief every time she handed the baby over for someone to look at. (Also saw her postgame, and this time she had Ariel more safely secured. Phew... although I'm not sanguine about taking a newborn to the Garden- I have images of the kid on a couch someday: "Doc, I keep having these dreams about a loud place with strange lights. What does it mean?" "It means your mother is insane. Now give me money.") Dumbass award of the day goes to: whoever that was who passed Fro a Korie Hlede trading card to sign.

Is La'Keshia Frett going to be the next D-Train? You know, the player that a team or two gives up on, and who ends up resurrecting her career after Blaze decides to give her a shot? I don't know, but she looked good today. Fro', on the other hand, did her looking good after the game (Mom and I have decided that Tari and Linda need to take the team shopping, because it's painfully obvious that these women can't be trusted to pick out their own clothes. I mean, VJ exited wearing something with blue and black stripes that looked like it was on backwards.) In any case, Fro has gone blonde, and from the plebeian seats she looks like a super-sized Becky. Jeez, that would be handy. She was up to her usual cheerleading tricks on the bench, and started the game chatting a mile a minute with Crystal (after the t-shirt debacle- guess she's lost her touch there). Speaking of the Liberty bench... Marianne, shut up, please. Patty's the boss here. And... Ann played with pain since June 18th. Tari breaks her hand in practice. DeTrina sustains a concussion in practice. Erin sprains her back in practice. Does Lisa White just sleep through practice or something? Or is she just incompetent? A third of the roster should not be in freaking street clothes in the same game!

Dinner with the ESPN folks was fun. I'm glossing over most of the details because either the other folks there will cover them or the details really shouldn't be mentioned. Though watching a couple of neophytes try to buy a drink for someone they don't know except passingly is one of the fucking funniest things ever as long as you don't let on that you know the people involved. And two cute blondes cause more than twice the confusion of one cute blonde. Liberty fans are a crazy bunch, and it's always a joy spending time with them. I can't wait for the next wnbatalk meet-up- that should be wilder.

And a nice capper on the day- walking through Times Square (never you mind why I was in Times Square!) I happened to be looking up at the big screen that one of the studios has... and they're running a WNBA commercial. Gave me the warm and fuzzies all over. The Garden was well-populated, Fro was home, the team won... ah for the old days.

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July 8th, 2004: Washington at New York

Washington Mystics 71, New York Liberty 54

Bench play is sorely needed and sorely lacking.


Why do I have this sudden image of a line of Liberty voodoo dolls pinned to a dartboard somewhere in Tamika Whitmore’s home? First Tari, then Crystal, now Ann? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh! Though at least it’s the moderately well-dressed ones in street clothes; Tari, of course, takes her sweet time but comes out looking good, Ann put herself together neatly, and Crystal... well, Crystal at least keeps it simple.

Okay, the honeymoon’s over. 4 minutes for Erin? 7 minutes for K.B? When you only have eight players, you can’t pull that crap. Was Patty expecting someone to rip off her street clothes and dump her bandages? VJ’s only human. Becky’s only human. Having them go 37 minutes? Bad idea.

We hung tough in the first half. Unfortunately, this meant not having the energy to play the second half. I kept thinking they should expend their energy only at one end- either play defense and not score or score and not play defense, but at least do one real well, because the way they were playing they couldn’t do either well.

Shameka... hon... catch the ball when VJ throws it to you. Don’t just stand there and watch it go out of bounds. And someone get Bethany free throw lessons (and don’t let Tari volunteer to be the one giving them!) Becky’s shot selection was questionable- I understand that the team needed offense muy pronto, but if the threes aren’t falling and the circus shots are being summarily introduced to photographers’ row, rethinking the offense might be a good idea. She looked like she was expecting a lot of fouls that didn’t get called. Well, a lot of people were expecting calls and didn’t get them. There were so many steps I thought I was watching a dance contest. (Not that the Liberty weren’t also beneficiaries; I’m sure Shameka has an offer from the Giants at home on her answering machine after one tackle she made.) And why on earth did Elena pass up the first two open threes she had before taking (AND HITTING) one? *slap slap to all Liberty players*

‘Claw has a whole lot of moves. Granted, some of them aren’t the nicest of moves, like the elbow to Elena’s face. SDS basically only showed up for the last few minutes of the game. Alana’s offense deigned to show up tonight (of course), and of course her D's been here all year. Tamicha Jackson is fast- and in pregame warm-ups I saw why they used to call her Jack-up Jackson, ‘cause those shots were going up in nanoseconds. Why is Aiysha Smith in the doghouse- wasn’t she playing well in the early part of the season?

Note to those of the Sharpie variety: if you want to get Alana’s attention, make sure you say her name properly, otherwise she’s either going to ignore you or not notice you’re calling her. (so A-LAY-na, not A-LAH-na) She really is nice. I still wouldn’t call her Sweetness to her face, but she’s really nice.

It’s going to be a long season until those bones finish knitting up... who else is going to donate calcium to the team? I know my mom has some old chews kicking around...

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July 6th, 2004: Sacramento at New York

New York Liberty 73, Sacramento Monarchs 66

The Game Notes welcome Pat Coyle to the head coaching job, notice some disturbing trends, predict Kara Lawson's future, and aren't sure what Coach Whiz is doing.


"Mr. Adubato, how does it feel to watch your former assistant get a standing ovation simply because she is not you?"

Oh, my, that was refreshing. How long had it been since we left the Garden with a win? Too long, no doubt. From start to end it was fun- starting with the cross-pollination of board people, ending with a loud, spirited rendition of "We Are Family" and the discovery of a spare set of coasters. Becky was frickin' unconscious tonight, and for a change there were no heinously bad plays on her part. Still, the two best plays of the night belonged to Elena- the banked-in, desperation three pointer near the end of the first half which gave the Liberty a two-point lead, and what looked like a cross between a scoop and a hook in the second half. Yo heart Elena.

Shameka started fast, then slowed up. But after halftime, she started playing like she was a Meek or something. Someone lit a fire under her butt; my theory is that Crystal slapped her upside the head a time or two. Once she hit her first three, she really looked like she was comfortable out there. Same with Ann- most of the game she looked like she was waiting for an important message from the mothership, but Patty talked to her and suddenly she was doing that whole rebounding thing we've heard about from a couple of other players. Oh, and speaking of rebounding, DeTrina had the third-best play of the night- flying halfway across the court to snag a rebound (while Ann stood there going 'duh?'). And of course the jump ball against... who was it, Walker or Griffith? One of the ones who had five inches on her. A very solid game from Elena, and the kind of game we've come to expect from VJ (although VJ got crossed up on a couple of plays- very odd). Bethany had one of the Liberty boners on the night, fouling Yo Griffith as Ticha (?) let fly a three. Four-point play does not make me happy when it's not my team.

The big question, of course: Patty's coaching style. For starters, she had a neat habit of sitting down with a player immediately after said player came out of the game, presumably explaining what she did right and what she could improve on (I mean, I don't know, I don't sit that close; for all I know, they could have been discussing how to bet the Mets-Phillies series). What really came in handy is that after the discussion the player seemed to go back in and be effective. She also has a rather herky-jerky substitution pattern, and she seemes awfully comfortable riding the starters. But I was very proud of myself- I predicted her first two moves. Then again, I left my precognition on the last couple of days; setting up today's lineup yesterday, I had Thibault and Becky. Marianne Stanley seems to be behaving herself reasonably well- no sudden moves to undermine Patty's authority. A coach the players listen to- there's a concept.

Were there rough patches? Yeah, the beginning of the second half was a large rough patch. Blink, and we were down four. Come back late from getting your halftime meal, we were down seven. But it seemed that Sacramento's runs coincided with Yolanda's presence in the game, right up until the end; this is definitely Yo-Yo's team, and if she retires after this year it would be a shame. Kara Lawson shows all the marks of future occasional All-Stardom, Hamchétou Maïga is so damn athletic it's painful, and Mighty Ruthie is still mighty mighty.

What I liked about this game was that the team committing the boneheaded mistakes at the end wasn't New York. Ticha, under a minute left, down by three, should have taken the layup instead of passing out to Kara Lawson. And what the HELL was Ruthie Bolton not doing in the game when they needed a three like water in the desert? I mean, I was yelling at the Sacramento coach, "YOU JACKASS! Why isn't Ruthie in?" (and since I sit up in 210, this was not appreciated) *ponders* Oh yeah, there was also the DeMya Walker flop that wasn't bought, much to her disgust. Someone over on the Sacramento bench threw a temper tantrum at one of those calls.

We seemed to have an unexpected guest in the person of Anne Donovan. Either that, or we had an unexpected guest in the person of Anne Donovan's identical twin sister. Extremely tall, skinny as hell, and with that helmet of brown hair (and the same features, as far as I could tell)- scared the crap out of me. She must have been there to welcome Patty to the head coaching family- either that, or to take notes on her style and how best to knock her out of her rhythm. We were also privileged to have Sue in the house. It felt good to have her back again. As for other extracurriculars- Crystal kept it simple (white blouse, yellowish-creamish pants, and those damn slippers), though we discovered that she has a figure. (Stop tittering back there!) Tari, of course, was dressed to the nines: all in black, with at least two-inch heels. She didn't manage to find a designer wrist brace, though, more's the pity. She took her sweet time coming out, both before the game and at the half.

Okay, props to Kate and Alison for getting on GardenVision, boas and all. *waves at everyone*

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June 22nd, 2004: Los Angeles at New York

Los Angeles Sparks 65, New York Liberty 49

The referees suck, the shooting sucks worse, and the Game Notes have had it the hell up to here with Richie Adubato.


Well, an 18-point drubbing is an improvement over a 24-point drubbing...

What the hell is wrong with this team? I don't know, but I suspect the reason is blonde. I leave it to your judgement whether the blonde is natural, artificial, or both. They play with fire for a brief time, then they go stand around and watch the other team score and keep an eye on how the Yankees are doing. I'm getting sick of it. I'm getting frustrated. Worse, I'm losing my passion for this team. Tell me why I should be crazy for this team and scream my heart out for them when they don't seem to care about what they're getting paid to do. Tell me, because I need a reason to believe.

It was much like the Storm game- the first half, we got outplayed but demonstrated that perhaps we could hang with the big fish. And then there was the second half, and it all fell apart like a mangled house of cards. The posts were ineffective- if Becky is outrebounding everyone except Elena, there is something severely wrong (though Becky's hustle was also impressive). 20-odd three-point shots with 4 or 5 hits- not gonna get it done. There comes a time when you gotta stop taking the three just because they give it to you. Both hands on the rebound, please. *glares at Elena* Ann, get back to the mothership already. VJ, hon, whatever the heck is wrong with you, shake it off. Tari? The hand's not an excuse anymore. If I see Shameka take one more deep three, I am gonna whup her like someone's mama. And to anyone playing the Liberty point guard- we gave up the 'stand around and dribble' offense when Teresa left- quit running that play. Richie, get the **** out of here already and take your ties with you. Or if you're not going to have the kindness to leave, at least toss Bethany into the mix a bit and give Detrina some minutes and get someone off the court if she's not producing, and let the players have some latitude when it comes to running plays, all right?

I'm sure the game was called accurately and dispassionately, by whatever set of rules Michael Cooper handed to the referees before the game. I had a bad feeling when I saw June Courteau on the list, and that was a well-earned bad feeling. Too much rough play was let go, and most of it was by LA, even though Tari and Shameka got away with some stuff. Someone needs to tell Laura Macchi to save the dives for when someone actually goes near her. And while I applaud a supporter of short shorts, there's a fine line, and La Leslie has crossed it. Fortunately, the Sparks did not maintain the fashion disaster of having both first and last name on the uniforms. I was pleased that we kept Mabika effectively out of the game. The elbows were flying, of course, and Elena mysteriously ended up bleeding. *narrowed gaze* Kill! Kill!!! Sorry.

Okay, there was one positive. The stuffed Maddies are so damn cute. Like, utterly. They're furry and adorable and each one seems just slightly different. (Mine, for example, has more pronounced eyelashes and a flirtatious tilt of the head. I dubbed her Tara after the alias of a character in one of my stories.) My mom, our friend, and I spent the entire train ride home playing with them. They are the epitome of cuteness. Have I mentioned that Maddie is the coolest mascot in the WNBA? At least we know what Maddie is, unlike half the mascots in this league who look like rejects from Sesame Street. And of course there was the joy of the social life. One of the best reasons to go to a Liberty game is the people. *hearts Sass and SunnyCat*

Add-ons: Richie? Die. Now. Don't you DARE fuck with my peeps. Spoon needs to lose the Fourth Stooge hair. It's scary. And I'm not quite sure why she had her hand in her crotch during the Sparks' pre-warmup stretching... I didn't waste my time booing her, but I did boo the shit out of Whitmore. *scream yell kick grumble cry*

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