July 27th, 2019: All-Star Game

Yes, I did actually survive Las Vegas, thanks for asking.

You may be wondering why it's taken so long for me to get my thoughts together about All-Star.

Or maybe you haven't. I see the page views. I know there aren't that many of you out there.

And writing the GNoD has gotten a lot harder with part of the casing for my laptop snapping off, and thus the hinge breaking and occasionally having the screen fall out at one corner. Yeah. Fun times. It's a bad sign when the electrical tape isn't enough, right? I didn't handle the heat well, either. While MGM has been great for the league as the Aces' ownership, and while they put on a heck of an All-Star weekend, I do not think that holding All-Star in a desert city at the height of summer is a good idea. So, sorry, Vegas, and sorry, Phoenix, but this is not a thing that can happen. If it does, I'm not joining you. I was genuinely freaking out at my brain fog by the end of the trip. Like "do I have enough PTO to schedule a visit to a neurologist?" freaking out.

Typing on the tablet is a lot harder. I'm just grateful that the Mandalay security either didn't recognize it as a tablet or decided that it was not the droid they were looking for, because trying to make in-game notes with just my phone would drive me up the wall.

Leg room is definitely a problem. I'm taller than the average woman, but not by much, and my knee was hitting the back of the row in front of me. During the actual game it wasn't so bad, but that was because we were directly over the stairs, which meant that we were looking at the game through the railing. All things considered, still better than the knee pain induced during open practice.

I think I've said this before during All-Star games, and I'm sure I will go as ignored as I did all the other times, but I want to see players doing what they're good at, not just goofing off. Yes, it was fun to see Griner throw down dunks (even though I'm pretty sure she hurt herself on the extended hang during the twohanded jam, although that might also have been because Cambage was an idiot and didn't give her enough space to land). But it might have been fun to see Cambage and Jonquel Jones throw it down. I get enough of Tina Charles chucking long jumpers when she's in a Liberty uniform. How about some of that gorgeous hook shot? Two brilliant coaches and two point guards with flair, and no one could think of throwing a Jewelly-oop? (OK, bad example there, there was one attempted alley-oop, but not to Loyd.) You have point guards who can make magic happen on the break and you have Alyssa Thomas, The Human Wrecking Ball, and these pieces were not put together often enough for my satisfaction. And that's not even getting into players whose best skills are defensive. Admit it, wouldn't you like to have seen one of the bigs swat a shot into the fifth row and ham it up?

Admittedly, it was fun to see the bigs handle the ball like point guards, and Cambage's handle isn't terrible, at least in a game with no defense.

The live-ball subbing wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, mostly because it seemed like neither team really had a good sense of how to use or abuse it. The shot clock reduction, however, was completely unnecessary; All-Star games are fast-paced anyway, and the clock never had a chance to get down that far.

I admit it, I bought the bottomless popcorn for the sole and express purpose of laying claim to one of the nifty basketball bowls. And because I have no shame, I fished out another one from the garbage. Now we have a matched set. The popcorn was mediocre, but I think the good stuff was sold in the smaller bags, and not in the giant movie-theater vats. The concession prices seemed reasonable. I can see a family of four getting very good value out of that bottomless popcorn.

If you weren't crying at Erica Wheeler getting All-Star MVP, you have no heart, and you have no soul, and frankly, I don't want to know you. Everyone was at least a little choked up.

Merchandise and space for merchandise at the event was not handled well. There was a very limited offering at the fan fest, at least when we were there. And while there was a merchandise stand set up at the entrance to the arena, that was it. The line was out the door both Friday and Saturday. You'd have been better off getting your merchandise online or at your local arena after the fact. (On the other hand, I loved seeing Aces merchandise in every MGM-owned property's souvenir shop, and there was a secret stash of All-Star gear at the Nike store at Miracle Mile.)

I loved seeing fans from every team at the game. WNBACon is best con.

So that's it for the GNod for this season. Between my laptop's issues and my ennui with the season, I’m taking the rest of the season off as a chronicler. You could argue that I'm not really needed anymore at the W level, that social media and online coverage have both advanced to the point where all the little things you see at a game have been covered by someone who's already there. I'm proud of that. And it means I can enjoy the game, or at least enjoy the ride home without having to work. So I'll see you lot in November, hopefully with a new computer, or at least with a good wireless keyboard that I can connect to my tablet.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 26th, 2019: All-Star Skills Challenge/3-Point Shootout

Las Vegas too hot for bebe.

Fan Fest is pretty cool so far, although the beverage prices are an obscenity. $6.50 for water?

Shout out to the lady in the Shock shirt from Oklahoma, to the San Antonio jersey, and to the lady in the home Wicks jersey. So far I've seen gear from Connecticut, Dallas, LA, Las Vegas (obviously), Minny, New York (not us), lots of Phoenix, lots of Seattle, and Washington. I thought I saw Chicago, but now I'm not sure. No Atlanta, no Indiana.

Merchandise selection is a bit limited. Hoping for better on game day.

One of my friends has informed me that a) Helen Darling, of all the random alumnae, is here, and b) her triplets are 17, and I object to this reminder of my mortality when I'm on vacation.

The passport stamp idea was cute, but the inconsistent requirements were annoying. The stamp at Kaiser Permanente is especially obnoxious.

I don't think Stefanie Dolson's calling is the DJ booth.

Mandalay has a very nice arena, but the seats are uncomfortably narrow and there is no leg room. Security was quick at least.

We've added Atlanta and confirmed Chicago, so the only team missing is Indiana. Do better, Fever fans.

Awesome jersey spotting: the entire Big Three, home Holdsclaw 23 Mystics, an honest to God Mabika jersey, the Kelloggs Swoopes jersey.

Looks like Bird is commentating and Stewart is ambassador-ing. I think Mama Taj and Michele Van Gorp are both working. Jasmine Thomas, on the other hand, is probably here to cheer on her teammates.

Shekinna Stricklen just went by on a cell phone. That's not what they mean by being dialed in from long distance, Strick.

There appears to be a shooting contest involving fans from every team. Minnesota won, but it went to a tiebreaker, and watching the Sky players' enthusiastic support of their representative was awesome. (although that nominal Sky fan was married to a Sparks fan, which would be a strange relationship unless built on shared nostalgia for Kristi Toliver, so way to break kayfabe, guys)

Shock of shocks, Griner took an excuse to dunk. She still lost the round.

Can we talk about that three by JJ with the ball guy impeding her?

Well played by the DJ, mixing in the instrumental from “Touch the Sky” after deShields won the skills challenge.

Spotted a fan in a Dupree tee (a Dutee?) so the collection is complete.

There are enough Liberty players, current and former, to declare quorum. I love it.

Apparently that *was* what they meant by being dialed in. Well done by Strick. Loved seeing Jonquel Jones film her post-event interview.

I don't want the nachos. I don't want the popcorn. I want that bowl, though.

The Sky players, both All-Stars and not, were adorable cheering on their teammates. Get you a squad like that.

Seeing the camaraderie among so many of these players makes me wish they'd done an open practice. I know they streamed it, but that's not the same as being there.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 28th, 2018: All-Star Game

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A strong second-half powered Candace Parker's All-Star squad to a 119-112 win over Elena Delle Donne's team. Game MVP Maya Moore notched 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Kristi Toliver had 23 points, including seven threes, in a losing cause.

For traveling fans, monochrome jerseys, dubious anthems, not staying in your seat, and picking up the intensity, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.


The time has come. The All-Star Game is upon us. The league's best will do the things they're best at, and a game might result.

I gotta say, for a fan base that lost their team almost ten years ago, Sacramento is showing up really well. And there's a Sun fan here in a custom jersey, so Washington is the last straggler. Shout out to the Mitchell fans here for the shootout, and to the Atlanta season ticket sisters we passed behind on the way over.

Did a lap. Found a Mystics fan, so the gang's all here.

Renee Montgomery is shooting around in a Tiffany Hayes jersey. Y'know, the simplest thing would have been to send Hayes instead....

Elvis has entered the building. Maya Moore is getting shots up to the roar of the crowd.

If I wanted a basketball comedy show, I'd watch the Globetrotters. They took it a little more seriously in the second quarter, but there were some cringeworthy moments.

The game got way better and way more competitive in the second half. We saw the array of skills that these brilliant players have to offer, and they were glorious. Currently attempting to write postgame notes from the afterparty at Kieran's, but I'm a wee bit distracted by all the other fans. Also, it's dark in here and I can't see my stat sheet. Also,, y'all really think I'm doing an entire breakdown of an All-Star game, that's cute.

Allie Quigley, as per usual, owned the the shooting contest. Going to the tiebreaker round was incredibly exciting, and then Quigley went into beast mode. Like, whoa. Watching her shoot is an experience.

Stargazing: Cynthia Cooper (thankfully not using her unfortunate married name), Sheryl Swoopes, Taj McWilliams-Franklin (who got a huge round of applause and a partial standing ovation from the crowd), Kym Hampton (who was next to Mama Taj and went unremarked by the PA guy).

The podcast at Kieran's was fun, but I would have liked to hear more questions from the audience, instead of one question that essentially repeated half the intro information. Ma'am, it's not our fault you showed up late and missed intros.

I wasn't impressed with the anthem singer. I think she has less singing range than Kia Vaughn has shooting range.

A'ja Wilson came to play for Team Black Jerseys. (I refuse to use the "Team Delle Donne/Team Parker" nonsense. Maybe next year we can go with Oatmeal and Orange?) She took advantage of open space and cut backdoor with no Mersey. Brittney Griner was okay inside, but she was one of the players taking the game more lightly than competitively. DeWanna Bonner did a good job on the offensive glass. It was nice to see her using her height well.

I don't think Kristi Toliver could miss in the second half. She blasted three after three, to the point where I had to improvise desperately after she hit the seventh three. She set herself up for the first one with a wicked crossover (on McCoughtry, I think). If they'd come back to win, she should have been MVP. Kayla McBride got matched up with Allie Quigley frequently, and did a better job at the rack against her than she did beyond the arc. Seimone Augustus unleashed her midrange jumper to devastating effect, and joined the second-half three-point barrage.

Breanna Stewart got her team off to a hot start with easy lay-ups in the lane. She's so deceptively smooth. Like, she doesn't look like she's going to be, and then it happens. Elena Delle Donne had a quiet game on offense, though she did a pretty good job on the glass- she was so quiet, and Wilson was so good, that she didn't even start the second half for the team that bore her name. I'm easily amused by that sort of thing. Sylvia Fowles had a big block on Tina Charles (much to my chagrin) and used her hands well on defense when the team buckled down defensively. I still think she should have been called for the foul for clobbering McCoughtry, though.

Diana Taurasi came to Minneapolis to shoot threes and chew gum, and I think she ran out of gum somewhere along the line. She and Sue Bird both showed up to have a good time and mess around. But I don't think either of them took the game all that seriously. I guess if you do it as often as they have, you run out of oomph eventually. I'm a little more disappointed in Taurasi; she usually puts on a better show.

Thank all that's sweet and holy this was probably the worst game Tina Charles is going to have all season, because we know exactly how little this game matters and how little of a burden she had to carry. She hit a couple of her standard fadeaways, but missed a couple of shots short and generally looked discombobulated. Leave the discombobulation in Minny, Tina. Chiney Ogwumike was rebounding at the basket, especially on the offensive end, and sometimes seemed to be the only person inclined to go below their waist for a rebound. Honestly, I almost forgot about Rebekkah Brunson. She got a lot of pop, but couldn't hit.

Jewell Loyd teamed up with her former point guard for the Jewelly-oop, which is always a glorious sight. She had quick hands on an interception, too. You know how much it galls me to compliment Skylar Diggins-Smith. (I have admitted she annoys me irrationally.) That being said, she should have been All-Star MVP. No question in my mind. She was efficient, she was ruthless, she was dazzling, and she was the reason why Team White Jerseys won that game. That prissy veneer peeled away to reveal the cutthroat competitor beneath, and she ran the show perfectly. Allie Quigley hits shots. It's who she is. It's what she does. You leave her open from three, she's going to hit the three.

I don't think I'd want her doing it on a regular basis, but Liz Cambage did not actually make the world's worst point guard in this game. I mean, no one was heavily pressuring her, but it actually sort of worked, and for a game full of shenanigans I'm okay with it. Honestly, I liked that nonsense better than the staged dunk at the end of the game that was wedged in almost like they forgot to do the spot. Candace Parker seemed to find a second gear in the second half. But if you came there expecting to see Candace Parker look like an All-Star, you would have left disappointed. You wouldn't have been as disappointed as the Dream fans, though, because Renee Montgomery looked awful in the shootout and Angel McCoughtry kept trying to pull off trick moves that did not work and looked terrible on the court. She did pick up a pretty make off a fancy pass from Chelsea Gray, which I appreciated.

Maya Moore got a lot of buckets, and played good defense as part of her team's comeback, but I thought she got her points on volume, not efficiency. She's such a complete package, such a brilliant player, that when she does overshoot, or make mistakes, they stand out more. Not the worst MVP choice, I suppose, but I thought Diggins-Smith had the better game. Chelsea Gray tried to break out the fancy stuff, but it seemed like she never properly found her stride.

Game got off to a rough start because neither team was sure which basket they were shooting at. Well done, y'all. I blame the refs, who somehow still managed to screw up calls in a game where their services were hardly required.

The atmosphere was dead early on. It felt like we weren't sure what we were supposed to be cheering for. Once the game got sorted out and people started hitting shots and actually looking like they were interested in being out there, the noise picked up.

I do miss the days when defense was part of an All-Star game, but those days are never coming back again. I can deal with that. I guess.

So, Vegas next year? I'm down for it.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 27th, 2018: All-Star open practice

Scattershot notes from open practice, featuring late arrivals, hair commentary, the running gag of Allie Quigley hitting shots, and twerking.

Good afternoon, folks! We're coming to you in stereophonic sound from All-Star open practice at the Target Center.

So far I have spotted Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Seattle gear. And, of course, Lynx gear. C'mon, everyone else, step up!

There are two constants in my life: basketball and the EDD Watch Me Work ad. At least I finally got to see the Tina Charles one. The behind-the-scenes looks are fun.

I am still not used to Crystal Robinson with long hair.

Add New York and two small Dallas fans to the count. And we've got a Dream shirt!

Here we go. Introductory remarks from the president of Rasmussen College, which is sponsoring the event, and Coach Reeve. Who just gave my husband an enormous shoutout. She teased a group of Merc fans, too.

Lynx fans got up for intros and haven't sat down. Makes it hard to see, but I love the passion.

Mama Taj is here and got a huge cheer from the crowd.

Kayla, what did you do to your hair?

Griner hits a dunk after Stewart misses one. The crowd goes wild. I was more impressed with her flicking up the half court shot.

Dan Hughes is out here drawing up plays like anything is going to be seriously run in this game. “And now you've seen the entire playbook.” Fair enough.

Time for Five Spots! Coach has asked us to keep count. “They've been known to cheat on this drill.”

Half court shot contest with a $1000 donation for BHA at stake. So far, McBride and Delle Donne have hit and we are in a shoot-off. Delle Donne take it on the fourth round.

T-shirt tossing time! (after a detour to the second row of seats from Big Syl) The stakes just got raised. Signed warm-ups are going up, spearheaded by Fowles.

I think the dance-off is next. Brittney, please keep your shirt on, this is not that kind of dance contest. Not everyone participated, and the split weirded me out a little bit.

Seimone, the “Whose house?” “Our house!” call and response is not effective when there are two Lynx on each All-Star team.
Aaaaaand I am on the wrong side of the arena for the Inspiring Women symposium.

I'm not sure about the “support all women” thing. I mean, Betsy DeVos is a woman, but she's also evil.

Yes, bring up the importance of diversity on a panel of extremely minimal color. And that's a generous inclusion there. It was interesting, though. I wish the Liberty had had Michele Van Gorp longer. She's very well spoken.

Team Parker is off to a late start.

Awww. Chiney Ogwumike and Candace Parker are FaceTiming Nneka into the festivities.

Mama Loyd and her signs are here.

Upnod of respect to the woman in the Comets jersey.

Five Spots again. Shockingly, the half of the team with Allie Quigley is better at shooting threes.

Brondello is running the squad through basic plays nominally from every team's playbook. I think Liz is bored, though.

On to knockout, with a Rick Barry twist. Chelsea Gray seemed to take great glee in knocking Candace Parker's put back off line. The three point version has led to some wacky rebounds. Shockingly, Allie Quigley won a three-point contest she was involved in.

Half court shots, same rules as the other team's, $1000 to charity. Shockingly, Allie Quigley won another shooting contest. Granted, a halfcourt shot taken much like your average jump shot is pretty spectacular.

Trick shots now. It's not going well. Maya Moore tried a few standing on the scorer's table, Skylar Diggins-Smith did the seated shot, Chelsea Gray took hers from the stands, and Jewell Loyd hit one from behind the shot clock. Either Candace Parker absconded with someone's kid from the stands, or she brought out Lailaa.

Sideline interview with Liz. Interviewer brought up the 53-point game. Cue up the ball spike from Tina and play-wrestling. Somehow this led to Liz giving Tina a piggyback ride for the team photo.

God bless you, random dude in the Fever shirt. Bless and keep you. We also spotted someone in an Aces shirt, so it looks like the last stragglers are Connecticut and Washington. Step your game up, Eastern Seaboard!

Post-practice notes, only because we are literally the next table over from Mama Taj and people keep bothering her. I'm being good.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 22nd, 2017: All-Star Game

Just the Facts, Ma’am: All-Star MVP Maya Moore had 23 points, and the West created separation in the fourth quarter to win 130-121. Everyone scored in a high-scoring, free-wheeling shootout.

For fans, excitement, shooting threes, all the threes, and a lot of fun, join your intrepid and two-sport blogger after the jump.

Game day! It’s All-Star time, and it will be glorious.

We’re coming to you on tape delay- but not from KeyArena at Seattle Center. These notes are being typed at Seattle High School Memorial Stadium, where your intrepid blogger and two of her best friends (the one I married and the one who flew across the country for my wedding) are getting ready to watch the Seattle Reign take on Sky Blue FC. (Don’t tell my husband, but I’m rooting for Sky Blue. Go New York, even if you’re in New Jersey.) That being said, Seattle probably wins for having the best view in the league. Something about being able to look up at the Space Needle from the grandstand does that.

The Bite of Seattle is full of deliciousness, and right now so am I. So many delicious things. Would highly recommend the puffles.

Oh, yes, the basketball game. It was a lot of fun. My hips are still a little sore from the cupholders. The seats are a bit tight. I thought most of the players did a nice job of balancing the fun of the All-Star game with the competitiveness of actually playing to win. It was free-flowing, for the most part, and fun to watch.

I did get annoyed at Stefanie Dolson for blatantly backing off Breanna Stewart in the first half. I mean, really. Dolson had fun showing off her shooting range, though. She and the PA announcer were both thrown for a loop when she forgot to take off her warm-up shirt before checking in. (Um. Dolson. Not the announcer. The announcer was a dude.) Elizabeth Williams dropped a monster block that brought great joy to the crowd. She was the last off the bench in the first half, but part of the second line in the second half. Candice Dupree seemed to be getting fed the ball a lot in the first half; I’m not sure if there was some kind of proving herself thing going on. She seemed to take great pleasure in taking jumpers.

Sugar Rodgers landed a couple of jumpers that were very gratifying, and that doesn’t even go into her three-point shooting at halftime, which we’ll get into later. She had a nifty deflection. What can I say? That’s what Sugar does. I wouldn’t have picked her as an All-Star, but she made a good showing of herself. Allie Quigley also showed off her shot. She’s so smooth, and it's nice to be able to root for her to hit threes. It doesn’t happen very often. Layshia Clarendon had an awesome, awesome tip-in to end the fhird quarter, and then scored the next five for the East as well. I think she was really hyped to be there and wanted to take full advantage of it. Her energy was off the charts.

I can’t pull up the stats for this game right now, but I’m pretty sure Tiffany Hayes had the highest usage rate among East players. She seemed to be in the middle of every play. That’s not necessarily a good thing. For every lay-up or slick pass, you’d have a hurried shot or a turnover. It’s not all about you, Tip. Jasmine Thomas drove well and passed well, but I think that the big Wall Street Journal article on her improved three-point shooting got into her head or something. Her jumper was off.

Jonquel Jones had either family or friends at the game, with #35 shirts and a big old Bahamian flag in the stands, and she balled out. She finished down low with flair, flashed the three-point shot, and closed out the game by throwing it down (while it wasn’t the flashiest dunk, it was solid). She’s so much fun to watch, both because she’s so good and because she has so much fun out there- we could see her smiling from the upper deck. Tina Charles didn’t play a lot, and with the way Dupree and Williams were both playing, I can’t say I blame Miller. I really thought the East should have pounded it inside more. Alyssa Thomas slashed nicely to the basket, but again, I can understand why Miller didn’t play her too much. He’s got a season to think about.

I know Maya Moore had a very good game, and I can’t quibble with the leading scorer on the winning team getting MVP. On the other hand, I thought, and still think, Nneka Ogwumike should have been MVP. She got buckets whenever the East was making a run, and she boarded hard. Rebekkah Brunson seemed determined to prove that she could totally shoot from the outside. She’s still got surprising ups for a woman her age. (“Her age.” She’s two years older than I am and has way, way more vertical than I do.) Breanna Stewart got a lot of pop from the crowd, as is to be expected for the hometown team, and showed off some dipsy-do moves at the basket. It helped that she and Dolson seemed to be operating under a mutual non-aggression pact- as soon as one of them went to the basket, the one on defense backed off like she was on fire.

We actually didn’t see very much of Seimone Augustus, but she had the funniest play of the game, when she bounced it off Tiffany Hayes’s foot and the PA announcer promptly said, “There’s that veteran presence of mind.” Skylar Diggins-Smith mostly set up beyond the arc, moreso than most of the rest of her teammates. I’m not sure if she was looking for her shot or if she was in “just happy to be here” mode. She just didn’t seem to be trying to make herself a factor like most of her teammates were. Chelsea Gray showed off both her stroke and her slick, sweet passing. She had fun with behind the back passes and casual flips.

Candace Parker seemed to get more into the flow of the game in the second half, both going to the basket and shooting threes. A lot of people were shooting threes, but she seemed to be doing it more to have fun with it than shooting seriously. It’s like someone flipped a switch and told her it was okay to let people know she was enjoying herself. It's okay, Candace. We won’t tell anyone you’re having fun. Your secret is safe with us. Sylvia Fowles should not shoot threes, but she was very effective posting up down low. Makes sense. It's all kind of a blur at this point, and I do tend to focus more on my team than on the opposing team; since I’m from the East, “my” team is the one with Tina and Sugar. Maya Moore was her solid self, hitting the threes she couldn’t hit in the contest, and boarding with power. I think a lot of people would have given her MVP, and obviously that includes the people who made the official decisions.

Diana Taurasi was a bundle of energy, up and down the court at every opportunity. She launched without hesitation and without remorse from downtown. Ball went into her hands, there was a very good chance the ball was going up. She was having fun, and she did her best to make sure that everyone around her had fun. It’s fun to watch that. Sue Bird was showing off by the end, going behind the back and between the legs. Arguably her best pass was one that didn’t result in a basket, and Nneka not hitting that shot made me sad. She hit a very classic three- the “die bitches” play in action, even if it wasn’t in a “die bitches” situation.

If you took the WNBAAlien’s over/under bet, the over won. To be fair, it wasn’t an unwarranted review; it was the tip-in at the end of the third quarter, so it had to be reviewed. The refs let a fair amount of contact go before attempting to call it, and they started calling touch fouls instead of heavy contact. (Then the refs in the soccer game basically decided to make their colleagues look good, so that’s a thing. I mean, really, a player gets thrown into the boards, and y’all aren’t going to call it? Miss me with that nonsense.)

Shoutout to the old school jerseys- the Sonja Henning, the Betty Lennox, the Stacey Lovelace. Shoutout to the fully decked out Sacramento fan in her warmup jacket and cap. Shoutout to what I’m told was a Utah Starzz practice jersey. Shoutout to all y’all who were out there repping your teams: the Champion Leslie jersey, the Wings fans in the neon green behind the West bench, the bedazzled Dupree fan in the Indiana shirt, the Lynx and Merc and Sparks and Storm and Sky and Mystics and Liberty fans who rocked their colors and cheered their players.

The three-point shootout was fun! Admittedly, I’m biased because Sugar Rodgers kicked a whole lot of butt, but the crowd went wild when both she and Allie Quigley went on their runs. When Quigley all but ran the money ball rack... wow. I think next year they need to keep it to dedicated three-point shooters, even if they’re not All-Stars.

I love KeyArena, but I’m starting to understand why the NBA wouldn’t want to come back to it. It doesn’t have a lot of amenities, the upper concourses don’t really seem to be set up for a lot of people, there’s no wi-fi and probably no way to set up wi-fi, the seats are narrow, etc. It's a very nice arena, don’t get me wrong. But I recognize its flaws.

I’m definitely looking forward to next year! See you in... Minneapolis, maybe? All y’all better be there.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 25th, 2015: All-Star Game

Just the Facts, Ma'am: All-Star MVP Maya Moore dropped 10 of her All-Star record 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the West pull away from the East 117-112. Moore added six rebounds and five assists. Brittney Griner just missed a double-double at 21 points and nine rebounds. Alex Bentley thrilled her home crowd with 23 points to lead the East.

For traveling fans, travesties of fashion, catching flying guards, small rants, the unofficial three-point shooting contest, a dubious Atlanta player, and transcendence, join your intrepid and inconvenienced blogger after the jump.

Good evening, fellow fans! Your intrepid blogger comes to you on even more of a delay than usual, due to technical difficulties. Alas, this past Thursday, I opened the lid of my once-trusty Jocelyn, heard a horrendous crunch like someone stepping on a piece of Chex, and discovered that her internal cooling fan was now broken. So now I have to borrow my husband's laptop, and it doesn't travel well either. This is the glamorous life, y'all.

The ride up was slow, the ride back super fast, and I wish I had known about the outlets before I ran my tablet battery all the way down.

No fan fest this year, as far as I could tell, but apparently the open practices were really awesome. Maybe next time.

Lots of UConn and Sun fans, as to be expected. The Liberty were also well represented. I saw fans of every team except San Antonio and Tulsa. Shoutout to the woman in the Cynthia Cooper jersey- rock that throwback! (We certainly did. I busted out my Debbie Black Sol jersey and my husband wore my Rhonda Mapp Sting jersey. If you can't wear a throwback to an ASG, when can you wear one?) Shoutout also goes to the woman with the “Dallas <3's WNBA” sign. I hate that Tulsa fans are losing their team, but there seem to be plenty of fans who'll take them in and love them in Dallas. Very cool dual color guard at Mohegan. I'm now crazy curious about the meaning of the tribal regalia. Excellent anthem as well. I really do not appreciate people who question Brittney Griner's biological sex. Yes, she's tall (but not the tallest player in league history, and no one outside the basest trolls questioned Margo Dydek's sex). Yes, she presents kinda butch (but she's not the only one, and I don't hear this nonsense about, say, Monique Currie). Yes, she has a deep voice (so does Kara Braxton and no one has ever questioned whether Kara was female). It's one thing when this nonsense is spewed from anti-WNBA trolls; it's another thing when people who claim to be fans of the game spew it. Steroid jokes aren't funny either, and I hope security confiscates the sign that one woman wants to bring to the Phoenix @ Connecticut game about roid rage.

Some of the intro skits were hilarious. I think Plenette Pierson versus Stefanie Dolson would have been a better match-up, but Pierson and Alex Bentley had enough fun with theirs. Kayla McBride and Emma Meesseman looked like they both thought this was a silly idea, which is probably why they were paired up.

For some time, we thought the delay at tip was because someone threw up. Don't spin your guards!

Oh, right, there was a game.

Kayla McBride came to play, not to have fun. She only really emoted once, during the quarter break entertainment, impressed to the point of 8-O at Russian Bar. She came to shoot the ball and hit her shots. Riquna Williams took threes all over the place and sometimes tried to defend Cappie Pondexter (and sometimes was like “nah”). Danielle Robinson had two good shots early that she missed, but after her second shift, she settled in and started hitting those driving lay-ups, along with finding her teammates with shovel passes and fast breaks.

Plenette Pierson looked like she was having the time of her life all night, whether it was drawing a line in the wood against Bentley, dancing at all possible opportunities, taking a selfie with a fan who wanted a picture, hauling Bentley back to the bench when Bentley was trying to fire up the crowd, shooting one-legged jumpers, or occasionally defending someone. So happy for her. Jantel Lavender was another reserve who showed up to get boards, play defense, and generally do all the boring things that most All-Stars are like, “nah” about. Unsurprisingly, she and Nneka Ogwumike had excellent chemistry together down low, recognizing each other's misses and cleaning up after one another. Ogwumike was solid and efficient- a performance worthy of an All-Star, if not an All-Star Game performance.

Sue Bird sort of erased herself from the play, but she made her teammates look better. DeWanna Bonner was unmemorable. I think Brondello wanted to save her for the regular season, or possibly just wanted the production she was getting on the boards from the Sparks' duo and the scoring from McBride.

The West didn't seem to look for Candice Dupree a lot, but when your frontcourt teammates are Maya Moore and Brittney Griner, it's kind of understandable. She hit the shots she got, and seemed appreciative of them. Griner woke up more in the second half, going on a tear down low. She even hit a three and looked good doing it (but the stroke is not yet strong enough for her to try it consistently). I thought the goaltending play was actually more impressive than the dunk, to be honest. If Maya Moore hadn't gone nuts in the fourth quarter, Griner would probably have been MVP. But Miss Maya went nuts in the fourth quarter. She started off hot, but she took over the game when there was a chance the East might still pull things out, and when Maya wants something, Maya gets what Maya wants. She was bombing threes, some of them from crazy deep. She drove. She got boards. She was generally awesome.

Stefanie Dolson was utterly adorable trying to get a “DE-FENSE!” chant started while she was on the bench, but it was a little hypocritical of her to slack off on defense when she finally got into the game. She got a couple of sweet feeds from Shoni Schimmel that bounced off her hands. Kelsey Bone was lackadaisical defensively (and I mean noticeably so, in a game where defense was not exactly a big thing), and I'm not sure who was the worse three-point shooter, her or Tina Charles. Emma Meesseman put on a nice little show in the first half, getting baskets and pulling down boards. I think the jig is up and she's not a surprise anymore.

Alex Bentley was not afraid to shoot, and she was feeling it from deep. The guy in front of us was wondering why she couldn't hit like that in the regular season, and I wanted to say, “Dude, this is an All-Star game, defense is optional.” Marissa Coleman was also taking a lot of deep shots, with somewhat less success. Cappie Pondexter ran a little bit of point guard off the bench, and also had fun with Riquna Williams. She seems happy. I'm happy for her.

The official starters didn't actually start the second half; Pokey went with Bentley, Pondexter, Coleman, Meesseman, and Bone.

Shoni Schimmel seems at her best in All-Star games. I'm not sure if that has more to do with the freeform play, the more fun atmosphere, or the lack of defense. Whatever it was, she seemed to be moving faster, playing more comfortably, finding her teammates, and generally looking like an All-Star. Elena Delle Donne almost had a “anything you can do, I can do better” vibe with Moore, answering almost every basket with a basket of her own. She's so smooth to watch.

Tina Charles, you are not a three-point shooter. Everyone in the universe knows it. Even Swin knows it. She was unstoppable down low and completely stoppable from beyond the arc. I think she was on a minute count, because otherwise she should have entered sometime in the third quarter. Angel McCoughtry was a hot mess today. She found a little bit of offense in the second half, but she spent a lot of time taking stupid, difficult shots, then pouting at the ref for calls. I don't know why she was in for so much of the fourth quarter, but the offense collapsed into her as if the ball had entered an event horizon. Tamika Catchings did her work around the basket, though I think she also had a jumper. She came to play at both ends of the floor, because she's Tamika Catchings, and if you're Tamika Catchings, you play hard. It's what you do.

I have to assume that Chatman was thinking ahead to the regular season down the stretch, and that's why Delle Donne, Charles, and Catchings were all on the bench while McCoughtry was jacking dumb shots.

We skipped the halftime entertainment, but we got to see the quarter-break entertainment, and the Russian Bar trio was amazing. Sure, I'll let two guys catapult me into the air on essentially a flexible balance beam, and I'll do flips and twists and spins in the air, and I'll land on my feet like a cat... that takes a special kind of talent and a special kind of crazy. By the end of the timeout, everyone on the West, including Coach Brondello, was watching.

Officials mostly stayed out of the way, at least until the fourth quarter.

The All-Star gear is bland at best and ugly at worst. And I didn't see any little things available. I would have bought a pin or something like that. And I hate the cut of the jerseys- they look like sports bras. Anyone with developed deltoids will probably break the straps. Anyone in less than stellar condition is going to bulge. (I do not want to see Danielle Adams in this jersey...)

We skipped the glowsticks during intros. They're in my bag.

Plenette provided most of the funny moments today, whether it was her skit with Bentley, her dance moves, or the rematch with Bentley. Bentley had gotten off the bench during a timeout and wandered towards center court to pump up the crowd. Yes, normally a technical, but on that day not a single damn was given. So Pierson came off the West bench, grabbed Bentley, and dragged her back to her place before scampering back to the West.

Games at Mohegan are convenient for me, but I'd like to see the All-Star game leave the eastern seaboard- I think it's causing fans to become jaded. They didn't even pretend this one was a sellout like they usually do.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 27th, 2013: All-Star Game

All-Star MVP Candace Parker led the West to a 102-98 win over the East with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Emergency starter Rebekkah Brunson also had 11 rebounds, while Kristi Toliver had 21 off the bench. Epiphanny Prince and Ivory Latta led the East with 15 points apiece.

For ennui, a lack of expectations, miserable bus rides, Cynthia Cooper jerseys, a sore lack of merchandise, and general disinterest, join your intrepid and struggling blogger after the jump.

My favorite part of All-Star is seeing all the fans from across the league join together, proudly flying their colors to watch their favorite players showcase their skills in joyous exhibition. The game itself tends to be underwhelming, especially for someone who values defense.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I realized that there was no fan fest of any kind. I was already irked that the open practices were on Friday, and I couldn't take the day off because I'm already taking off two days in a three-week period for Liberty games. And then I realized there was no skills challenge, no three-point shootout- nothing but the game. Why bother? (Especially as it seems I would have heard more about the game on TV than actually seeing the game live.)

Saw fans from every team but Tulsa. Pleasantly surprised by the turnout from LA and Minnesota- and no, not all the Sparks jerseys were Parker, and not all the Lynx jerseys were Whalen or Moore. Lots of Liberty fans, of course- I think there might have been more people in Liberty gear than in Sun gear, and if not, it was very close. Crowd cheered a good bit during intros- Whalen got a lot of applause, as did all the Huskies, and even Pondexter.

The one thing I wanted out of this game and didn't get was a fast break with Glory Johnson, Danielle Robinson, and Kristi Toliver. I got one with D-Rob and Toliver, so that had to do. Glory Johnson threw down a beautiful and powerful dunk during warm-ups, and was fun to watch in action during the game- she had a tendency to end up in the front row a lot. I think I need to find a way to watch more Tulsa games, except then I'd have to hear commentators talking about how great Diggins is. Danielle Robinson didn't get a lot of chances to show off her blazing speed, but the one basket she hit in the third was a pretty spinning move in the lane (we won't talk about the one she hurled over the basket). Kristi Toliver must have gotten a warning about her huge enormous ponytail dust mop of doom, because the first time she was in, she looked like she had a pet dust bunny following her around- the second time she came in, her hair was tied up a bit more strongly. She lit it up in the third- for a while, it looked like she and Ivory Latta were waging a personal battle in the midst of the East/West game. Nneka Ogwumike did work under the basket. Tina Thompson kept taking long threes- you could tell how badly her teammates wanted her to get a basket in her final All-Star appearance. As soon as she got in, they were giving her the ball. Lindsay Whalen threw a shoulder at Ivory Latta (I think) that made her look like she was in the wrong All-Star Game.

Brittney Griner doing the wave. Yes, really. To be fair, most of the Eastern bench also joined in, but when Griner does it, the effect is almost majestic, like unfolding a sheet of instructions. That's a lot of long skinny arm going up. She also ended up signing at least one autograph while on the bench for a fan who dodged security for just long enough. (Points for moxie, points off for "are you that stupid?!")

Diana Taurasi's sneakers were certainly... they were definitely... well, they weren't the ugliest shoes in the room. And they were definitely sneakers, no question about that. She hit one shot very early and then seemed more interested in messing around on the court with her friends. Her passing was pretty good, though. Seimone Augustus had her crossover working, but early on, she looked more like Brunson with the rebounding. Rebekkah Brunson had a resounding block that got as much applause as anything else in the game, and she was all over the boards. Trying to cross over one's opponent when one is Rebekkah Brunson, on the other hand, is a bit of an adventure. Maya Moore was all over the place. Candace Parker erupted in the second half, showing off her smooth grace and her ability to rebound around the basket.

Line change! No, that was pretty much how the East did their subs, except when Lin Dunn decided to bring the pain with Crystal Langhorne and Érika de Souza.

I think Ivory Latta needs to be tested for naturally producing caffeine. She has entirely too much energy. It's scary. (I'm also worried she tried to recruit minions during the Be Fit clinic on Thursday.) She was not afraid to shoot. Crystal Langhorne seemed entirely too fond of the midrange jumper on the wing, a shot that was not falling for her. Érika de Souza was a reliable target in the middle, using her build to generally kick butt. Shavonte Zellous looked like she was having a lot of fun- I expected her to put on more of an on-court show, but I'm cool with a player just goofing off in a game like this, especially a reserve. Allison Hightower's first touch was a turnover, but she settled in later.

I'm sorry these notes aren't more detailed. To be honest, if you were watching on television, you had a better idea of how the game on the floor went than I did from the upper deck.

Cappie Pondexter used her head... literally. She got hit in the head with a pass early in the game, and the facepalming was epic in Liberty land. I don't think she had the right shot at the end of the game, but she was the right person to take it. I have no idea how she got all the assists in the box score, I really don't. Tina Charles threw in a pretty hook shot during a brief second quarter spurt, but otherwise looked much as she has during the regular season. Epiphanny Prince was bombing threes in the first quarter like they were water, the way that Latta did in the second half, but was less involved in the second half when Dunn emphasized her reserves more. Tamika Catchings was quiet, inasmuch as Tamika Catchings can be quiet in a game. Angel McCoughtry seemed torn between showboating on offense, being flashy on defense, and trying to have fun. All things considered, I'm not surprised that Angel was torn in so many different directions.

Officials were irrelevant. Refs with cameras look stupid and have possibly been assimilated.

Seriously, if you have not had the pork flautas at Sol Toro, what are you waiting for? I talk them up every time we go to Sol Toro, and they were on point tonight.

We skipped halftime, so we skipped the entertainment, and if there was any announcement of the WBHOF inductees, we missed that as well.

Not surprised Parker got MVP, not arguing it. It was going to be her or Toliver for the West. If the East had pulled it out, it would have been Latta, IMO.

I know I should have more to say about this game, but really, there wasn't anything to write about. Other than passing Anne Donovan in the hall, we didn't even have any celebrity sightings to claim. Usually there are plenty of players in attendance, but most of them seem to have gone home.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 10th, 2010: WNBA versus USA Basketball

The somewhat sleep-deprived and eccentric adventures of a WNBA fan at All-Star.

An All-Star game, no matter how it's packaged, is never quite the same without the pageantry of a fan fest and an open practice that adults can actually go to without having to give up vacation time. I don't know how it is for other people, but given the inevitable inexplicable All-Star or two, I find that All-Star is just a great excuse for fans from across the country to get together, meet up, exchange gossip and localized items, and deepen the network that separates us from fans of bigger leagues. The game almost never lives up to expectations. But then, I'm also in love with defense- I would have been a Miami Sol fan if I hadn't started out in New York. I get antsy when players get to hot-dogging too much.

They announced a sell-out and I can believe all tickets were sold, but the distribution of empties makes me think they've got to crack down on scalpers somehow. Would have been nice if they brought people down from the upper bowl after halftime, but since I was in the last row of the endcourt in the upper deck, I might be a teeny bit biased.

The projection screen on the court was a great idea, but they needed to figure out a way to rotate it so that the rest of us could look at it the right way around. I spent the entire intro sequence looking like an O RLY owl. Strategic planning was not Mohegan's strong point today. Please don't hit people in the head with t-shirts, especially when they are with team officials. (And especially not when they are possibly Bridget Pettis.) Please do not present a member of the Liberty dance team as an amateur in your dance competition. Please provide rosters of some kind. Please provide better merchandise. Please do not sic security and the tribal police on autograph collectors who have not overstepped the usual bounds in the hotel lobby area. (Please do not change your rules on vouchers mid-stream. Please do not give people grief about replacing damaged cards.)

I liked the anthem, but the thing with the bedsheet was a bit ridiculous. We skipped halftime for a walk around the concourse. I love people-watching at All-Star.

Favorite fans: the guy in the LeBron jersey with a sign: "LeBron Wishes He Were This Good- GO WNBA!" The guy with the Angel McCoughtry sign he made after running into her in the airport. The woman in full Mystics kit- "all I need is my sneakers, and I'm ready to play." She had the visor, the jersey, the warm-up jacket, and the shorts. The guys in the next section over, wearing an array of Champion jerseys (and their friend in the Tari Phillips adidas jersey). It takes guts to wear a Penny Toler jersey. Mystics fans showed out in this game. So did LA fans, much to my surprise. I was disappointed that there wasn't a better showing from the rest of the East- the three Northeastern bases sent fans, but I saw only two pieces of Catchings gear and an old Dupree jersey. Lot of Bird and Taurasi gear, obviously, along with the Sparks fans and the woman in the Augustus jersey. Of course, I have to give props to the other people in Swoopes gear. No, Donna, you can't drop the Comets down the memory hole, as hard as you try.

I think Agler must have gotten a lot of requests from his colleagues to be careful with players. That's the only reason I can think of for some of those lineups, especially the starters for each half and the weird splits for Penny Taylor. I don't think he was taking this game as seriously as USA Basketball was, or even as seriously as some of his players were. Maybe he forgot that they played fast and loose with the rules about the national team pool, and half his players were trying to prove themselves to the committee.

Jayne Appel didn't look like she belonged. She was a step slow and not used to playing in the sort-of improvisational nature of an All-Star game, where you've only been practicing with most of these people for a couple of days, and I noticed that Agler wasn't playing the teammate groups together very often, so there was no chemistry for the Stars or the Mystics to work from. Iziane Castro Marques didn't have a good day. Not such a great score in the Skills Challenge, a really out-of-control game in the All-Star game (though she might have suffered less if she had Sancho Lyttle to pass to), and the second-most unfortunate hair in the arena. Izi, next time you ask your teammates for styling tips, make sure the teammates you ask are not Millers. Michelle Snow started off hot, the way Kara Braxton did when she was an inexplicable All-Star, then remembered that she's not as good as she usually thinks she is, and disappeared in her inimitable way. Katie Douglas's stroke was pure in the three-point competition, though not quite up to the Laurie Koehn bar, and it was kind of hilarious when Catch fouled her hard during the game, but her shot disappeared for most of the game. Rebekkah Brunson was as fierce as ever on the boards, contesting most rebounds like her life depended on them. Lindsay Whalen did not impress me, no matter how warm a welcome she got and how wry her comments on the three-point contest were. Someone asked her her strategy, and she said something along the lines of "hit more shots than Katie". Yes, thank you for that trenchant observation, and for treating a stupid question for what it is. Penny Taylor only played in the second half, and she seemed determined to prove that this game mattered to her for so many reasons. We unleashed an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" in the upper deck for her after she hit the three. Sophia Young was so-so, in All-Star terms. Looked like she was having fun, but didn't bring her A-game, and I'm starting to be okay with that. Monique Currie needs to remember that a shot only counts as a three if both feet are behind the line. She got three or four shots disqualified during the shootout because she was over the line. And then she kvetched to the refs about her score. Take shots that count, Monique, then you'll get the call. I don't honestly remember what she did in the game. Crystal Langhorne was at least trying to rebound, but she was a step behind the team USA posts. Lindsey Harding put together a good run in the Skills Challenge, but not good enough.

Angel McCoughtry at the two is not an experiment I would like to see Geno Auriemma try in a game of any importance whatsoever. She usually got Pondexter and vice versa, and I don't know that that necessarily works. Sylvia Fowles was unstoppable, in her sort of quiet and painstaking way. She still needs to work on getting the chippies to go down the first time, even if she's in position for the offensive rebound and putback, and her free throw shooting needs to improve if she's going to get to the line this often, but still, I don't think other countries have much of a solution for her. And if they do, they're not going to be able to use the same one on Tina Charles. At one point, the two of them were out there together, and you could almost see Jayne Appel's life flashing before her eyes. Renee Montgomery looked a little out of control out there, and she and Lindsay Whalen got into it a couple of times. The block was pretty sick, even if she sent Whalen to the line for it. Maya Moore had moments where she looked like the Maya Moore who has dominated every game she's played, and moments where she looked like an excellent college senior playing against the cream of the crop and was a little overmatched. She started lighting it up in the second half, and it was like someone had busted open a can of church service in the arena. Tamika Catchings played very sparingly- she started, and I think once she sat down, that was the last we saw of her. I guess that makes sense if you know what you're going to get out of her. Cappie Pondexter sort of blended in with the team- didn't stand out, but was part of a lot of the great passing plays that characterize Auriemma's style. Diana Taurasi was in her element, though the box doesn't really reflect it. The game played to her balance of serious competition and light-hearted fun. Candice Dupree quietly made things happen, though these are not the random acts of Candice Dupree you were promised before the jump. Sue Bird- same as Taurasi, fit right into the system and the style like a hand in a glove. Swin Cash's athleticism impressed me. She was in the middle of a lot of the rebounding plays.

The officials were as inconsistent as ever, and that was dangerous. Early on, when there was a clearer difference in the level of intensity between the WNBA team and the national team, there were some rough plays that the referees let go because they were letting them play for exhibition purposes. That's how people get hurt, officials, and do we really need players getting hurt in exhibition games? They seem to be doing enough of it in the games that matter. They called it a little more tightly in the second half, but then the fans got restless because- gasp! they were calling fouls against UConn players. I'm sorry, but you have to set the boundaries early. Players this competitive and this intense will forget their manners.

Cynthia Cooper was in the house and got a special acknowledgement during a timeout in the first half, for her accomplishments as a player and for her resultant induction into the Hall of Fame this summer. It's been a long time since I saw Coop raise the roof. I forgot what it could do to my blood pressure as a Liberty fan (even if I was a Liberty fan in a Swoopes jersey, because All-Star is a good time to remind the league that it can't drop its history down the memory hole that easily).

There were a lot of current and former WNBA players in the house. Essence Carson came with a couple of friends. So did Katie Smith, who had some good long chats with Nancy Darsch (from the Ohio State days), Brian Agler (from the Lynx days), and her Mystics teammate Lindsey Harding (after the Skills Challenge- facial expressions suggested that Smith was telling Harding how she screwed up). Kara Lawson and Asjha Jones were working the room in the lower bowl, glad-handing every Sun fan they could. So did Erin Phillips (presumably without mentioning the holdout bit). Belinda Snell was on the concourse, and I presume there were other Aussies there I didn't recognize. We spotted Cynthia Cooper before the initial announcement, and clearly the jersey must have gotten to my head, because I stood there and gawped instead of going, "OH MY GOD! Can I have your autograph?" I was pretty sure I saw Kalana Greene, but if I did, she needs to explain why she had a Sun jersey slung over her shoulder. Definitely saw Ashley Battle, though. We told her we missed her in New York. "That's what I keep hearing," she said. "This team has no personality, no soul, and the defense is so-so," I went on. "That's what I keep hearing," she repeated. She was in the company of Rita Williams and a few friends, proving the truth of the UConn bond across the generations. Both Orender and Ackerman were in the house- oh, if they had run into each other, what I wouldn't have given to be a fly on the wall. New York, Phoenix, and Washington (at least) sent their GMs- Angela Taylor did a lot of socializing. A lot of baby Huskies were in the house, too, but I don't know enough about collegians to know who's who- if you didn't make it in the W, I'm not going to recognize you in street clothes, sorry. Ebony Hoffman was there too- we saw her long after the game with Catch, presumably explaining to Catch that it is not a good idea to foul your professional teammate when you're in an exhibition against her.

And then there was the close encounter of the Candice Dupree kind, which just put a capper on the night. We got a really late jump back because I forgot my camera at the hotel, so we missed our bus. As we waited in line, Dupree and a couple of (familiar-looking) friends wandered out- I think they may have been looking for a hotel shuttle or something, though admittedly, my first thought was stuck back in 2009 and I was all, "Man, Chicago's cheap- they're sending her back to New York on a Chinatown bus?" But as we all stood around, a guy came up to us and asked if she- pointing at Dupree- played basketball. We said yes. He asked us if he could borrow a Sharpie and get her autograph. "You might want to know who she is first." I did my best to get him to the game tomorrow, but I wasn't able to persuade him to take my extra ticket. So, finally, I pull a Sharpie out of my bag and tell him, "That's Candice Dupree, she wears #4 for the Phoenix Mercury." He goes, gets his autograph, and returns my marker as he goes about his business.

Two beats later, Candice looks at us and says, "He still asked me if I was Candace Parker."

Somehow, that was just the perfect ending to things. Crazy, fun, interactive, but with an undercurrent of cluelessness from people who should have known a little bit better. Now, WNBA, can we please go somewhere outside the Northeast Corridor for next year's game? I want to travel! I want to be the visiting fan that people point at and go, "Wow, you came all the way out for this? Awesome!"

Read More...

Summary only...

July 25th, 2009: All-Star Game

West 130, East 118

Eh. It is what it is.


I know it's going to be one of the more popular games because oooh there was so much offense and oooh it was so high scoring and ooh Fowles dunked. Big fucking shit. This was the least interesting All-Star game I've ever been to, and by far the most disappointing.

Of course, it didn't help that we got caught in an extra hour of traffic and therefore missed the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Shootout. :( It was so nice to have a Lib actually be involved in these events that I was pissed that I missed them.

Awful anthem. That must have been a thin crop of American Idol contestants.

Charde Houston is the best dancer in the West. Had some nifty moves to the basket. Anosike made her average in steals. She's got some vertical. She also looks damn good in a dress. (Spotted her after the game. That is a lot of fine woman.) Powell will not miss if you leave her open. Like, ever. Taurasi is quite the entertainer. I hope Cappie's tired. Sophia Young couldn't hit water if you threw her out of a boat.

Thompson committed a lot of fouls for an All-Star game. Jackson couldn't miss a three. Bird was slick. Swin looked like old Swin. Hammon started off hot and got cold.

Shameka was firing from deep- hitting some, but leaving shots short because Dunn wouldn't take her out of the game. Perkins did a great job playing the passing lanes and I love her instinct for the ball. DeSouza took the game more seriously than anyone, and I love her for it. Lyttle didn't get in much. Jones was there but mostly used as a pick. Smith looked like crap.

Douglas has some stroke. Beard couldn't hit a damn layup. Fowles was strong in the middle, but that dunk was some bullshit. Dupree looks real pretty out there. Catchings has nice lines.

Game notes are short, aren't they? Yeah, I put the same amount of effort into them that the players put into the game. Half-speed and half-assed. I'd rather have seen half the scoring and twice the defense. Go to the floor without tripping over your own feet. Bring it all or don't bring it at all.

Trying to get swag was just as hard. My mom was lucky because I was able to snag a returned XXL I-design tee. They sold out initially before the game even started. With only five tees, and only two players, available, I imagine there were a lot of frustrated fans.

The halftime show was annoying. Would someone tell the blonde lady she forgot to put her pants on?

Fans sighted: Atlanta (in surprising force), Chicago, Connecticut, Houston (not just folks flying the flag- one lady told me she was from Houston), Indiana (not gear, but a sign), Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle (provisionally), and Washington. Detroit, Minnesota, Sacramento, if you were in the house, holla back. Loved the blinged-out Dream shirt at the practice yesterday, the Dawn Staley jersey, the team-autoed Sparks jersey, and the Shameka Christon cheering section. Shoutout to the family that repped three different teams: mom in a Swoopes shirt, older girl in a Griffith jersey, younger girl in a Toliver jersey.

Dinner with Board Junkies was very nice. That was the high point of the day.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 15th, 2007: WNBA All-Star Game

East 103, West 99

The West has flash but the East has grit. Stargazing and awe at All-Star as the Game Notes hit the road.


We arrived safely in Washington around ten-thirty and proceeded to find our way to the hotel and to the site of the Be Tour. It's not a great neighborhood- there were homeless guys wandering and out most of the day. Not the vibe I'd want, but that's just me.

I liked the selection of activities, although I'll have more information on them tomorrow. I think. We may be playing tourist that morning. It was fun to watch people shooting around and having fun. Sparse crowd; I expect it to be higher tomorrow. Mad love to the Chicago fan with the awesome shoes, the Houston fan in the Cynthia Cooper shirt (even if she wouldn't let me take her picture), and to anyone who came out from the West Coast.

The Western Conference players seem to be both having more fun and taking the game more seriously than the Eastern Conference players, judging from the way the activities they chose and the way they interacted with the crowd. When the East came out for availability, Bill had them do some shooting drills and then do a dance off. I wish I'd gotten pictures of DeLisha Milton-Jones all up on Kara Braxton. It was... wow. Something else, to be sure. They had a better autograph set up, although I don't blame th eteams and I think it might have had something to do with the fact that half the East team was otherwise engaged. The West was scattered all over the place, as far as I could tell, but I didn't get to stay long.

See, one of The Usual Suspects wangled an invite from The Prima Donna to bring some diehard fans to the West practice, and I said duh. It was a bit of a ways out, just over the border in Maryland. We weren't the only fans who had gotten the memo, and there were clinic kids all over the place, too. We arrived in the middle of media availability and the madhouse that always is. I was pleased to see some out of town reporters- the boy and I had chatted with the guy from San Antonio, so we knew they were in the house, and I stayed after to fangirl at Jayda Evans, 'cause she's one of those people I kinda want to be when I grow up. After that madhouse, the practice began. Coach Boucek had them run some sorta plays, then (in some order) there was a modified three-on-two into which the clinic kids were brought after a while (TT swatted one kid's shot hard, snort. One kid shot through Taurasi's arms. They really liked the kids.), two rounds of Five Spots that the starters won after coming back from two spots down both times, a halfcourt contest that TT was rather stupid in losing her $100 on a double or nothing bet with Jenny Boo, and a game of knockout that resulted in Taj and Becky both schmoozing with the crowd.

Lots of luminaries there in their official capacities. No sign of The Prima Donna, though we saw her at the Tour. Carla McGhee was there as director player personnel. Nancy Lieberman and some guy were covering the event for NBA-TV. Rebecca Lobo was covering for either ESPN Sports or wnba.com. Ann Meyers was wandering around. Adrienne Goodson, I guess, is covering All-Star for Slam. (Was this the first time that all three Rebecca/Rebekkahs who have played in the league have been in the same gym at the same time?) There was a woman there with gorgeous eyes who I will swear on a stack of media guides was either Sophia Young, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, or had to be related to one of the above.

The All-Stars were really having fun with folks. Taj was especially sociable. What a smile that woman has. My God, she could light up a dark room with that smile. I think we're going to see a very good game from the West.

There's nothing quite like the first time, but there's something about this win that makes it even more satisfying than last year's was. We brought in a team that was seriously hamstrung by two subpar selections and we still won. Yes, I know it's only an All-Star game, and I know I'm going to hear whining from fans about how the East takes the game too seriously and how it's supposed to be fun and an exhibition, and things like that. My opinion is that it's a showcase of the best that the WNBA has to offer. We're not going to beat the guys at showboating, and we suffer in comparison to them. What we bring to the game is defense and wicked ball movement. If the West wants to keep playing the boys' game, fine. We'll play the women's game out here.

Ahem. Sorry about that. I'm a fan of defense, so I tend to, um, defend it.

I don't think I like the free thing they did this year. A book of postcards is awfully chintzy when compared to the programs that have been given out at every previous ASG. And apparently there were programs for sale. If that's true, that's not a trend I'd like to see continue. I like getting my freebie, thank you very much.

Skills challenge. We had fun with Betty having trouble with the passes, and Nikki T needs to work on her dribbling skills. Seimone and Becky tore up the court, and Becky got all pumped up about getting to play alongside Lauren Jackson in the actual game. Watching the final runs was amazing- if Seimone had been just a hair faster, we might have had to go to hundredths or a knockout round. Looks like the difference between All-Stars and non-All-Stars is about eight to ten seconds.

Three-point shootout. Wish they'd held it at both baskets, but I understand the concern. Still, we had a crappy view from our seats in the arena. If Penny Taylor's shots had been just a little faster, she might have given Koehn a run for her money. Then again, Koehn might have decided to go for 30 and really show off. There was one point where she must have hit twelve or thirteen in a row- she had the last round won before she went to the last rack, she was so dead-on. If you were watching the contest at home, you heard the crowd chanting her name; it was even more powerful in person. I get the feeling a lot more people are going to know who Laurie Koehn is… and that it's not going to change the way she plays her game in the slightest.

The West was a lot more into the contests, but that might have been because there were more Westerners than Easterners in the challenges, and also because all the shooting and the skills challenge start and finish line were at the West's end of the floor.

Scottie B. persists in being very annoying, but the Mystics' MC is right up there. Plus, dude, come on, you're not supposed to wear the number of an active player; you're certainly not supposed to stick a corporate logo on it right under your name which shouldn't be there in the first place.

We need to do something about the color repetition in team colors. Way too much blue in the East, way too much purple in the West. If this keeps up, we won't need All-Star uniforms because everyone will be wearing the same colors anyway.

Beautiful anthem by the naval officer. Clear, sweet, and true, and of course she didn't mess up the lyrics the way so many singers do. Usually the All-Star Game goes for name recognition in its anthem singers, but I'm glad they didn't this time, especially with all the discussion I've seen regarding Mya's… ahem, performance.

So in the first half, there were a lot of times when it looked like the West ws going to deliver the anticipated spanking to the East and we were going to be back to the same old same old. The funny thing was that this time around, the East kept getting back into range. Cheryl Ford was hitting, or Catchings was hustling back, or someone was making a big defensive play.

And then there was the second half, in which everyone took their turn stepping up. If it wasn't Beard, it was Douglas. If it wasn't Douglas, it was Dupree. If it wasn't Dupree, it was Jones. And it was pretty much always Ford and Catchings.

It was easy to tell which players were taking the game as seriously as they take the rest of the schedule and which ones were just there for the laughs. I suspect that the initial tone was actually set with the selection of the East reserves. Most of them are top-notch defenders who take no crap from anyone. Not that the West wasn't ready to grind when they had Brunson and Thompson on the roster (yes, I know Brunson didn't play), but the West's historical edge has made them much looser and less hungry to win the game. And yes, there were also moments where the East was all 'fuck it, this isn't for keeps' (I'm thinking specifically of one of Becky's drives to the hoop). It's also helped the East that the coaches who have won the conference these last couple of years have been driven, demanding, guys who want to win everything and anything.

A few player thoughts. Cappie was playing like she wanted to be ASG MVP- not necessarily like she wanted anything else out there, just the big glass ball. Taurasi and Taj were having a lot of fun- whether they were taking the game even half seriously was another issue entirely. LJ and TT seemed to have found the happy medium between enjoying themselves and kicking arse. LJ had one spectacular block that took our collective breath away. Poor Lawson looked like her teammates were trying to force-feed her in order to get her some points in her home town, and the shots just weren't falling.

Not that I disapproved of Ford getting All-Star MVP. She played a helluva game, and there were an awful lot of plays when there were four orange jerseys and Ford under the basket. The only thing that gave me pause was her brain freeze in the fourth quarter when she couldn't keep her hands on the ball. I don't even want to think about how many turnovers she had in the fourth. Catch was playing all out, of course, and if that isn't an advertisement for this league, I don't know what is. Douglas seemed so quiet, but she buried the shots that sunk the West for good. Dupree- ah, so beautiful to watch, that hook shot makes my heart sing. Milton-Jones had a lovely finger roll. Beard was all over the place, fierce and proud and determined to win. Laimbeer went with almost three power forwards for long stretches of the game, playing Dupree or Jones with Ford and DMJ. I guess when your centers are Braxton and Sutton-Brown, that might be the best option.

Coach Boucek, please give Linda Hill-McDonald back her shoes. I think she's been wondering where they got to for seven years now.

Philosophical aside: the East's first basket was by Braxton, the last by DeForge, the latter being DeForge's only basket. Strange bookends.

So much star-gazing to do! At least four '96 Olympians were in the house, what with Carla McGhee working for the league, Rebecca Lobo working for ABC, Dawn Staley as the 2006 three-point champion, and Ruthie Bolton working the Be Tour. If Jen Azzi had stuck around after her Saturday work, we might have had a quorum. We also had three-fifths of a very good starting lineup in the house with Kym and Spoon (that puts Lobo at the four, so all we need is a shooter or two). One of my neighbors spotted a few Huskies in the house, Thomas, Houston, and McLaren, and Epiphanny Prince might have been in our section. We spotted Terrapins after the game, outside the Verizon Center; ironically, though my first reaction was 'wow, we're passing a lot of tall people', Toliver was the first one I recognized. Of course, there were also Mystics around, at least for the challenges; we spotted Gillian Goring (has she changed her name?), Nikki Blue, Tamara James, and a tall blonde who we thought might have been Teilane, though I didn't find it likely.

But as y'all might know from my previous descriptions of All-Star time, my favorite people to spot are the fans. So much love for the woman in the Kim Perrot jersey. Shoutout to all the Rocker fans in the house- there were three or four of them I spotted, including a woman in a pretty awesome sweatshirt a few rows down from me. Loved the "TSB" Sting jersey. And how hardcore is a Tonya Washington Mystics jersey? There were three or four of us rocking the #50, and another girl I met at the Tour who happened to be working in the neighborhood. I was so proud of the Los Angeles turnout, and the rest of the West Coast was well represented. I saw gear from every team- I hesitate to say whether I saw fans of every team, because I'm very cynical about East Coast people wearing Becky's San Antonio colors. Cleveland and Charlotte were both well represented. Gotta love the flags that the Indiana fans in the next section over waved so proudly. And I loved the number of Dupree jerseys I saw- that woman needs to be appreciated, because she's so beautiful to watch. (Oh, yes, there will be pictures. You have GOT to see these shoes I found.)

Here's what I took away from the actual game, not from the offcourt stuff: the block by LJ, the drive by Becky, the no-look pass by Diana… and the East win. Take that as you will.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 12th, 2006: All-Star Game

East 98, West 92

Tamika Catchings for All-Star MVP! What do you mean, it doesn't make sense?


Dupree and Whalen both hit half-court shots, FYI, and Douglas came close on *all* her attempts, which is pretty damn impressive.

When did dancing become All-Star tradition? And why did the East do something that resembled the Electric Slide?

Coach T was hysterical- got in a few good digs. He took a whack at Taurasi when they had kids up for a shooting contest and the young lady in a Taurasi jersey missed badly- "shooting just like the real one did" or words to that effect. He also got in a shot at Laimbeer regarding Katie Smith at the point- "you've been used as a point guard all year and now you don't want to shoot" or words to that effect. Just to put the capper on the East injuries, he's also got a boot on his foot. Yes, even our coach is injured.

More player sightings in the stands than I've ever seen at a practice. Someone brought up Shay Doron. I also spotted Crystal Robinson (in a gods-awful green and poop-brown striped shirt), Vickie Johnson, Chantelle Anderson, Kristen Mann, Kayte Christensen, Elaine Powell (is anyone surprised she spent as much time as possible schmoozing with the Shock All-Stars?), Kristin Haynie, Ruthie Bolton, Ashley Battle, and a very tall, very attractive (looked a bit like a slightly darker Tangela Smith), very familiar young black woman who came in with Haynie- problem was I couldn't ID her! Taj spent the skills challenge up in the seats with Maia, who is sooooooo cuuuuuute in her mommy's jersey, although Mama Taj probably shouldn't have let Keesh do the kid's hair.

LJ looked about as thrilled to be there as if someone had told her she was the test subject for Katie Smith's mad dentistry skillz. Seriously, she was in pain. She sat out practice, and I honestly don't think she should be playing. Keesh on the sidelines also looked miserable. Catch was at least healthy enough to handle passes for her team.

Appreciative vibes go out to Cheryl Ford, who turned back from her quest for the locker room three times in order to acquiesce to an autograph or picture request. But the award for participation definitely goes to Diana Taurasi. A group of kids behind us were shrieking her name and shrieking her name, so she ran into the stands. I'll have pictures in a bit.

Oh, wow. Wow. I witnessed history, man. History!

Got to Summer Jam around 12 on account of I was *trying* to sort out my open practice photos. Walked up and down a bit. Walked up and down a bit more. I sheepishly admit to chasing Dupree for an autograph. Netted Seimone to complete the set. Also got Whalen... on the blank part of a poem someone out in Minnesota had written in her honor. It's very nifty.

Summer Jam, of course, went completely kaflooey when the thunderstorms hit. I never did get to do the Hannspree thing with the recording of the commentary, and I'm not big on shooting contests, so most of my time at Summer Jam was spent looking for fans and convincing them that I wasn't crazy for wanting a picture. Sadly, I failed the census- didn't see anyone in Silver Stars gear, didn't get a picture of the woman in the Sting jersey, and forgot to photograph a Liberty fan in gear.

I love how Sacramento fans travel. They come loud and proud, and with a different outfit for every occasion. I saw almost more people in Monarchs gear than in Liberty gear. It was amazing. Also saw a few Seattle fans (as compared to Bird fans) and, of course, a few Phoenix fans (as compared to Taurasi fans). More details about the fans are in the photo gallery.

Here's my outlandish statement of the night: Tamika Catchings for All-Star MVP.

No, I'm not crazy. No, I'm not hallucinating. No, I'm not flashing back to a game where she was healthy. I mean that Tamika Catchings, by way of her injury, helped the Eastern Conference win their first-ever All-Star Game.

Consider this: if Catch had not been injured, Katie Douglas, our ASG MVP, would not have started, and probably not played as many minutes. Also consider this: if Catch had not been injured, Candice Dupree would not have been named to the team. Would we have won with a 50% Catch, less time for KT, and no Dupree?

I'm not wishing injury on her. I never would. But this was possibly the biggest silver lining ever.

Why must we hear the pop tarts singing the league's theme song live? It's not like we haven't heard it eight hundred times already. I'm still holding out for real chicks with picks, although at least those two pick.

Heather Headley *nailed* the anthem. She has wonderful range and emoted the song quite a bit- almost too much for my taste. Almost.

Whoever suggested Becky, on her crutches, make a speech to the crowd ought to have their ankle repeatedly hit with a lead pipe, after which they will be expected to stand for long periods of time and smile. She was hurtin', man, absolutely hurtin'.

Lisa Leslie had the worst game I've seen her play all year. Helluva way to prove you should have started, huh, LLL? Not that Yo was much better on offense, but she contributed defensively. Jackson didn't play much, looked hurt. The rookies looked like they were most into the Western Conference style of All-Star play; Cappie and Seimone looked like they were having a lot of fun out there, especially Cappie with the neat passes and the trick dribbling. I don't even remember what half of the Western All-Stars did out there, to be honest with you. I do think Swoopes looked good- took an NBA three or two- and Staley was apparently untouchable (I swear, players were backing off as soon as she got involved in a play, and if I were Coach Whiz, I would have exploited that). Snow may have been the best center of the group tonight, and I'm not just talking about that real, live, honest-to-God, grab-the-rim-and-don't-get-your-fingers-stuck dunk she put up.

As for the East… OMG Katie Douglas. I thought she was gunning for a triple-double in that first quarter. Bing bing bing with the threes. She's amazing and consistent and can we pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease keep her in New York? Likewise, Candice Dupree. She is so smooth. So, so, so smooth. She combines the finesse of a perimeter player with the moves of a post, and she is so… wow. I've never been so wrong about a player as I was when she came out of college, and I've never loved being wrong so much. I wouldn't mind her either. Lindsay Whalen had one sequence where she was just throwing up circus shots and they were falling. Show-off. I say that with a smile tonight. Taj and Cheryl Ford were tough on the inside, but Ford has GOT to work on her hands. Margo had a couple of monster "not in my rented house" blocks that got the crowd roaring. Tamika Whitmore played like she had something to prove- maybe she did. I think she was happy to be back on her terms instead of Blaze's. I wanted to see Tangela Smith score, but near the end of the game, she just didn't get herself in post position for the basket. Tweety didn't impress me except for some of her passes, and I really wish she'd stop trying to dunk in games, because it has yet to work and it looks kind of sad when they have to clear space from halfcourt on. I'd rather have seen T. Smith hit a lay-up to round out the totals and hit 100. Nice outfits on the bench for the East, with special attention to Keesh's cute little dress; she never struck me as the type to wear frocks, but she does. It's disconcerting.

We hung out for autographs after the game. Those people, not the usual crowd, were INSANE. They rushed the bus! When Dawn Staley and Tangela Smith tried to board, people were running after them, grabbing them… it was freaky. I've never seen so many crazy people, and I'm a little crazy myself. Coming out of the employees' entrance (which I keep calling the stage door after the Radio City stay), we saw Wendy Palmer and her scooter- didn't get to hear the horn, though- Ticha Penicheiro, Iciss Tillis, and Tamika Whitmore. We saw Ashley Battle go back in- she must have forgotten something. Lots of players at the game. Obviously VJ, Palmer, Mabika, Dixon, Spoon, Lobo, Mighty Ruthie, and Ticha, but someone also spotted Shameka Christon, Mistie Williams and another player came through the bus entrance (holy SHIT, does Mrs. Williams clean up well!), and Erin Phillips was kind enough to sign for me from her seat. A few collegiate sightings- I think we saw RU's Katie Adams in the fast food place down in Penn Station, while my mom spotted Mercedes Dukes, Kia Wright, and Lisa Claxton of St. John's. Someone also said they saw Crystal, which… actually kind of sucks if you went early to their party, doesn't it? My mom actually has the funniest one of those stories to tell: as she told me, she was sitting next to the "most obnoxious little kid", who kept screaming in her ear. Normally, this would be a cue for her to tell the kid to shut up. The problem? The kid's name was Jordan. Yes, that one. He was sitting with daddy dearest; presumably Mommy 2 was closer to the action.

I will gladly live through horrible Summer Jams and wretched weather in exchange for an Eastern Conference win. That was… if you had told me we'd pull that off with three injured starters, I would have laughed in your face. Wow.

Read More...

Summary only...

July 9th, 2005: 2005 WNBA All-Star Game

West 122, East 99

"Sleep deprivation: like being drunk, but it's free!" The Game Notes are off to Mohegan Sun for the All-Star Game and associated festivities. New words are coined, all kinds of fans are everywhere, there's a disconnect between players and coaches, and Ashley Battle may or may not be drowning her sorrows.


"Sleep deprivation: like being drunk, but it's free!"

Man, these All-Star Games take a lot out of you, don't they?

So my mom and I drove up with a friend of ours, and as soon as the gates opened at the fan fest, that was the last that either of them saw of me until about ten minutes before tip-off. I was all over that place like a fungus. I love the look of the new cards, and some of the photos they chose- the Katie Smith one that was on display at the autograph table, with her flexing and grinning, comes to mind- were a hoot. Stood on the autograph line for both East and West- got the East, didn't get the West, but got DeMya Walker later, so that didn't really matter. I spent most of the festival in search of a complete collectoin of fans- every year at All-Star Games, I do my annual check of 'does every team still have at least one fan proud enough to wear their gear and travel X number of miles to se them?' So if you were accosted by a crazy brunette who said she was collecting fans, holla back. I got some great throwback shots in the collection, though; there was a lady in a Janice Braxton jersey, a little teeny girl in a Zheng Haixia jersey, a Jen Gillom jersey and a Bridget Pettis jersey, and a Sales Miracle jersey. I got pictures from every team except San Antonio, and I saw a lady with a Silver Stars backpack, so we're all set. I'd rate this fest/gathering/jam above both New York ones, but below the two-day affairs in Orlando and Washington. The picnic tables alone give them the edge- they were mighty good for my sore and aching feet that I spent all day on. And the lady at the first-aid station was very sweet when I asked for tape to stick my nametag back on my bag (I said was going to wear it, and why would I lie about a thing like that?).

Kate, the Adminitrix at WNBATalk, and Ali were making fools of themselves, as usual- how many times do I have to tell you not to encourage the idiot MC? If you see Lib games, you'd know them in an instant; they're the boa-clad dancing maniacs who sit behind the Liberty bench. They were in full form at the ASG.

I've coined a new term. The collective noun for fans is obsession. For example: "If you see Kelli, tell her that there's an obsession of Sacramento fans over there." This matches up with the collective noun for referees, confusion. For example: "The confusion is at center court- you think they'll get the call made sometime this century?" *grin*

I went inside at five to three, in the company of dts, a Board Junkie with a heart of gold, and his family- his daughter, who I know to be a talented autograph collector, also turns out to have a knack for coming up big in pressure situations- she won a pair of the new Taurasi sneakers in a game of Knockout. They slipped me down courtside for the pre-pregame warmups- if y'all are really nice, I'll post the shots I took down there to my Webpost archive. The sides by the tunnel were mobbed- some players stopped for some folks, some players stopped for other folks, and Ann, Taj, and Becky stopped for 'most everyone. Oh- I think the Shock were filming a commercial down there, to judge from the amount of loaned-out Shock paraphernalia and the way Ruth kept looking at the camera. Shoot, if I'd known that, I would have tracked down the nice ladies I saw in the Shock t-shirts- including a Ruth Riley #00 tee- and told them to come down there. Damn, you forget how striking Ruth is up close- she's not necessarily a traditional beauty, but she's very, very striking. Guess y'all Shock fans are so dazzled by Swin, Barb, and Kara that you miss Ruth.

Oh yeah. Did I mention that the rows in front of dts and family were the friends and family/comped tickets area? We got to chat with Cheryl Ford's mom- she's a total sweetheart, was touched when we pulled out a couple of Cheryl's cards for her. Various and sundry Hammons were also in that section- think we saw DeMya Walker's mom, too, sitting just down the row from Chantelle Anderson. *That* was nifty; it's nice to see the people who gave us these great players- to any basketball parents out there, thank you for loaning us your children.

I eventually decided to be honest and went up to my seat in 107-J. I think it was mostly Liberty fans in that area, although we sat in front of a pair of very sweet Minnesotans. I sold them a batch of Lynx cards- you should have heard them squeeing at the Vanessa Hayden rookie card and laughing at Suzie McConnell Serio's player card from way back when. I sold 'em cheap. It seemed fair. The people in front of us, the poor souls, got delayed because their bus got lost out of New Haven- they missed most of the first half, and they weren't even the worst off. Carrie- the girl who won last year's auction for the game of HORSE with Tamika Catchings- was down the other end of the row in front of us- thought that was cool; I spent a lot of the waiting-on-autograph-lines time chatitng with her and a couple of friends.

The problem with the game was the mismatching. No, not just those times that Dawn Staley ended up guarding Claw. The problem was that the Eastern players cared and the Eastern coaches didn't, whereas the Western coaches cared and the Western players were just like 'whatever, let's watch DeMya bust some moves during the timeout'. The West was loose, which you'd expect when they've won all the games and the only coach who ever came close to beating them is now on their bench, but Anne Donovan and crew kept them focused enough to kick butt. Thibault, on the other hand, seemed to think the game didn't matter; I think his priority was making sure that everyone played and everyone scored- I don't know how many times they tried to feed Dawn before the ball finally went in and theycould get back to trying to play the damn game.

Speaking of the game: I hadn't seen Houston this year, so I hadn't seen with my own eyes that Sheryl Swoopes is kicking rear and taking names. If ever there was a year that she deserved the nickname Her Majesty, it is this year. What is it with Comet players and getting better when they're supposed to be past their primes? This isn't fair! I want an investigation! She was a worthy MVP- that wasn't booing y'all at home heard in the background, that was the sound of several thousand impressed fans going "Swooooooooopes!" Bird and Taurasi, in addition to keeping the Western players in stitches, ran a couple of plays that I swear Geno would have recognized from the sideline- but they worked, they got 'em open threes. Birdy looks strange with the mask on, but today it didn't seem to bother her. Maybe the meds were really kicking in. *grin* Taurasi was adorable- oh yeah, she also hit a three-pointer from what had to be thirty, thirty-five feet out; her feet were on the little secondary All-Star logo off to the side. It was near the end of the game, so we were all out of ooohs and ahhhs for something like that, but it was still impressive. Yolanda played like it was her last game, as she walys does, and she got her groove on prettygood during the tiemouts. LJ did the defensive work, what little of it there needed to be. Katie Smith off the bench- which are two phrases that should never be stitched together, by the way- took a few bad shots, but then one three fell and it was all over after that; she just wound up and put them in- I've never seen a shot as automatic as hers in my life. Marieeeee's shot is still gorgeous, and one of the debates in the car on the way home was ' who has the prettier shot, Ferdinand or Swoopes?' She also brought the D, getting some flashy steals off casual ballhandling. Holdsclaw had a couple of reverse moves that were siiiiiick. Leslie played tough; more than that, I dare not say. DeMya, in addition to some nifty moves on the court, kept us all laughing up on the seats when she pulled out her dance moves during the timeouts. She got this All-Star thing in a way that most other players and folks didn't- play hard when you get out there, but have fun while you're doing it. After free throws, and there were a ridiculous amount of free throws, the sight of her and Dawn Staley tangled up in the frontcourt (or what would be the frontcourt- you know what I mean) was hysterical, but also pointedup the problem with the East's lineup. I liked the shimmeryness of AD's shirt. Yes, Seattlites, y'all really do have a well-dressed coaching staff.

Tamika Catchings. How anyone can speak ill of that woman is completely beyond me. She had such hustle, such passion, such beautiful shots, that if the East had managed to pull this one off, she would have been MVP, no doubt. Becky was the only other starter who looked like she really belonged there; she hit some deep shots too, one only a little bit closer to the arc than the Taurasi 'eh, what the hell' shot. But Dawn, much as I hate to say it, looked old, slow, and lost out there. Swin might have been ready to play ball, but she wasn't ready for an All-Star game. What Bill Laimbeer was thinking, I suppose we'll never know. Ruth chose a good night to have a good game, but she and all the other Eastern posts looked like they didn't know what they were doing. Much as I hate to say it, that includes Ann; she was caught totally flat-footed out there, lost and confused. My friend, who's a die-hard Liberty fan who will never admit that any Lib does anything wrong other than Elena, says it was because she didn't get enough minutes and she didn't get enough touches. I say she looked like a damn rookie, and tha t was the reaosn why she wasn't getting minutes and wasn't getting touches. Taj looked like shewas playing in pain for parts of the game- her back spasms? Keesh was out of it, plain and simple- missed two passes that she should have had- yeah, her offense turned on in the second half, but by then, it was too late. Alana Beard does a better impersonation of a point guard than I thought. I hadn't seen her in that position (not and remembered, in any case; remember, I missed the first Mystic visit to the Garden this year, and last year, I had other things on my mind during the Washington game). It might well be a position that suits her after all. Tweety couldn't get her shots to fall until late. We were all hoping she'd make the dunk she was trying for- wouldn't that have just shut Lisa up? She came mighty close, too. Keeep practicing, Tweety; we'll see it next year, right? Cheryl Ford got hit in the face sometime near the waning minutes of the second half, came off holding her jersey over her face. Other than that, I don't remember what she did. That's the problem with the morning after, you never remember things...

After the game, I went to hang out by the box office. dts, Dani, and crew were there- so were a couple of other Board Junkies. After some time, Ann popped out on the phone. A wave of fans descended upon her, and after signing a few 'graphs, she fled back into the arena. She was the only player we saw. Ann Meyers also came out that way, but I wouldn't get too close to her. She might have cooties. DeMya Walker's mom and grandma came out that way too- DeMya's looks and personality definitely come from that side of the family. Oh, and Lib fans, you'll never guess who was there on a league credential- Boris, Elena's boyfriend. No, I don't know why.

So around sevenish, I went up to Lucky's, where the Board Junkies were having the meetup. It was mostly Lib fans, actually, drinking, watching the Yankee game, and wondering what precisely Thibault was on while coaching that game. We were wondering who else off that board was going to pop in- some out-of-area folks were supposed to be stopping by, but we hadn't seen either of them. Along around seven-thirty a guy in a Comets t-shirt wandered in, looking around for a group. We acted on a hunch and waved him over. 'Twas pilight, who had missed the whole enchilada because of flight troubles at O'Hare (and I've been stranded at O'Hare- it's NOT fun). Lucky's also played host to a couple of former Huskies, Ashley Battle and Jessica Moore. Is it wrong for me to wonder if they were drowning their sorrows after being midseason cuts?

If anyone has that photo from open practice where Sheryl was sitting on LJ's lap, please e-mail me the image or a link to the image? That needs to be used for something.

Damn, I'm exhausted just typing this.

Read More...

Summary only...