NB: To the anonymous who keeps trying to shill that gods-awful idea of the "Outdoor Classic" on my blog- STOP IT. I will keep rejecting your comments, and if you're with the Liberty, Amy is going to hear it.
Seattle Storm 96, Minnesota Lynx 71
Lauren Jackson is a golden goddess, Katie Gearlds has cojones, and awesome Stormfans are awesome.
Sorry for the delay on these- I have been out of town, you know.
I still love Key Arena, although it occurs to me that the other thing it needs is some way of keeping one posted on the out-of-town scores; I had to rely on text messages and a friendly Storm fan to keep me posted on the Liberty (thanks, Awase!)
Anthem was less impressive tonight- the other night, on the clarinet, was quite lovely, but this gentleman seemed to have issues with finding his key. Ironic, in *the* Key, no?
Did Nicole Ohlde actually… you know… play? Because I think I remember seeing her for something like ten seconds, and that was the end of it, so either she didn't play all that much, or she was completely unforgettable when she was in. Seimone is Seimone. There really isn't much more to it than that. She'll get her shots, and most of the time she'll get her makes. She's so smooth and so good at finding her shot. DeForge was another one, I got the sense she was there but I don't remember her doing much- this might have had to do with the bench playing most of the game for Minnesota as the lead got so rapidly out of hand. Quinn seems to be slipping this season, but she's still a better option than Harding, who seems to have lost any speed she once had- there was one play where she was so frozen she looked like a statue, and I always had the impression that she had decent speed before the knee injury. Anosike played tough, and I thought she played well. (The woman behind me, who was giving Anosike and Hayden hell all night, might disagree with me, but that's fine with me. Hard for Queens to agree with the Bronx.) Wiggins did not have a very good game at all, and once that happened, she started whining. I try to like her, I really do, but on the court she comes off like she has a chip on her shoulder the size of a redwood, and she plays like she's entitled to any call she wants. Hayden got a little rough, and she too has lost her edge- before the game, though, we had a great conversation about "Shot Clocks", so if accommodatingly notes an order from the Twin Cities in the near future, he's quite welcome. Confused as to why she's hyphenated on the jersey but not in the PA announcements.
LaurenfreakingJackson. LaurenfreakingJackson from eight rows back of the Storm bench. I traveled with two Storm fans, and I think they thought they died and went to heaven. She's in fine form. But you don't need me to tell you that. Or that Bird ran one of the smoothest games I've ever seen from a PG- I think the worst tangle she ever got herself into was when she wasn't happy with her ponytail and Swoopes reassured her that it was just fine. Yo… she's a nice solid presence, but she can't do all that much anymore other than hit people. The fast break she attempted to run was not something I really wanted to see. Swin was really getting lost on defense, and I think that's why Agler kept pulling her. He had a good grip on the rhythm and flow of the game, I felt- something I've felt sorely lacking in New York's coaching, and something I am therefore more attentive to when watching other teams. I don't remember much of what Swoopes did, although I know she was in on a couple of pretty plays, because I remember hearing "from Sheryl Swoopes" over the PA. Katie Gearlds was on fire, and I was so glad to see that- she seems like such a sweet kid, and she had a career night. Beautiful. She's got cojones, too! How many times was she guarding 4s and 5s? Tanisha Wright had some unbelievable plays- for good or for ill in some cases. Little and Ely both struck me as there and getting things done. Kelly Santos seems to like to hit people. Kristin O'Neill got in the game for extended minutes, and everyone was screaming for her teammates to get her the ball so she could score, and I do believe the roof would have come flying off the building if she'd done that. But T wanted to get to double figures and I think they knew KG was going for a career-high, so. It is what it is, and I think O'Neill's proven herself worthy of a second seven-day deal.
Ashley Robinson sprained her ankle in the game against New York, and thus was in street clothes. Hot DAMN. I'm surprised people don't try to cause her mild strains just to make sure she dresses in street clothes for every game- yes, I know, I know, she's also an excellent shot blocker and a key piece of the Storm's bench, especially given Yo's age.
I was surprised the mayor showed up, too, but I admit being rather neutral about that. Y'all still have the Storm, so I'm happy about that.
Favorite curse word of the game- Yo after either her first or second foul, in which she ended up on the floor and with the foul. A very loud F-bomb escaped her as she stalked back towards her bench. I wouldn't want to get Yo Griffith mad enough to start cussing at me, would you?
The crew wasn't too horrible, although there were a couple of sketchy calls- but a couple, not an entire game's worth. I was worried, since Scott Twhat-the-hell's-his-name was part of that crew, but the female ref and the other dude seemed to have control of it.
I'm still on cloud nine. Everything was just so cool!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
July 5th, 2008: Minnesota at Seattle
July 3rd, 2008: New York at Seattle
Seattle Storm 84, New York Liberty 71
Paging Loree Moore to the New York Liberty. Will Loree Moore please get her ass back to the New York Liberty?
My first visit to the Key was everything I could possibly have hoped for, and I get now why people speak so highly of it- the only thing that went wrong was that, oh, yeah, the Liberty lost, and for me, that is a sad-making thing.
I really like Seattle Center. Very pretty- reminded me a little of the Mall in DC. Bought my tickets yesterday, exchanged teasing words with the folks there, and came back today to drop off some tickets at will call. On my way there, as I tromped along the street, limping because my right pinky toe is in fact one giant blister, I heard someone yell, "Hey, Queenie!" Besides the fact that that fulfilled one of the fantasies I'd had about this trip, it was all kinds of cool- the driver was Brrringy, of Stormfan fame, and she brought me over to jilly's house, where I met her and her infamously photogenic kidlets, then gave me a lift back to the Key. I think that's one of my favorite things about Stormfans- it's like one big Internet-connected family.
I love the Key. I mean it. I don't understand what the hell the NBA's issue is with it. I felt more comfortable there than I ever thought I would in a strange arena- I think it's because here it's clear the WNBA team is the tenant, at least during the season, (yeah, yeah, ignoring the Sonics news)- the people who run the Key are focused on the team that's there at the time. At the Garden, I always get the sense that the Liberty are the red-headed stepchild. The curtains helped- for a while, I even forgot that there were seats up there. About the only thing I don't like about the Key are the cupholders- they make the seats too narrow and the aisles too narrow. But if that's the only complaint I can come up with...
Would someone clue me in on what happened to Janel? Why she didn't play part of the second quarter and the entire second half? Because she better have been hurt or sick or something along those lines, because I can't seriously believe that That Moron would have passed the event horizon of stupidity for some petty reason. I don't think that helped our attempts to defend Lauren Jackson- note that I said attempts, this is LJ we're talking about here- because Cathrine was gods-awful on defense, and while Erlana tried, she's a rookie and easily tricked. (Also, Erlana? You ARE NOT IVORY LATTA. please stop with the fancy dribbling. What is with centers who think they're point guards on this team?) Cathrine at least got some of her shots, but I cannot express enough my extreme frustration with her "rebounding" and "defense". Loree did not put any mark on this game. At all. Essence brought more offense in one game than I've seen from her in two weeks straight- I just wish she'd figure out that the WNBA three-point line is further back than the collegiate line, because we might only have lost by ten if those long twos had been threes. It's uncharcteristically stupid of E to make the same mistake over and over and over again. Shameka got hot late, though the Storm fans I was with were very impressed with her range. For some reason, when Cathrine was playing like the worst kind of crap, that was when That Moron decided to deviate from her pattern and go with Leilani before Tiffany... and then put Tiffany in for Janel. The logic or lack thereof broke my brain a little. Leilani played well- fluffy little bunny has nerve. Lisa... did not play well. Let's leave it at that. Not a lot of Ashley, and a very momentary Erin Thorn sighting. I just don't understand my team sometimes, I really don't.
Lauren Jackson is unfrickinbelievable, and I realize this is belaboring the obvious liek woah, but she really is amazing. Bird played a great floor game, not to mention the scoring she put up because she ran circles around our guards. Swoopes, yeah, what tweaked knee? She helped turn the momentum back around right when the Libkids had cut it to 9. Cash was solid, and I thought played above average defense. Griffith was there, and part of the fierce rebounding (yeah, seriously, I knew it was a bad sign for the 'kids when Seattle's first possession started with four offensive rebounds before LJ could score). Don't remember much about the Seattle bench, to be honest with you, but, yeah, Tanisha Wright is not a point guard. Seattle loves their Huskies, though- O'Neill got one helluva hand when she came into the game, though she didn't play all that much. I guess solid but unimpressive might be the word.
Wish these notes were doomier. But I'm wiped.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
June 29th, 2008: Phoenix at Connecticut
The Game Notes have this disconcerting feeling of being in a parallel universe when Connecticut fans boo Taurasi and a Rutgers fan cheers against Pondexter.
Madam President was at this game, and for the sake of Mike Thibault's blood pressure, I hope she takes some action against the officiating team, Diana Taurasi, and Corey Gaines. But we'll get to that in good time. I'm still a bit in shock at the sound of several thousand fans booing the living hell out of Diana Taurasi in the state of Connecticut. Somehow it seems bizarre, yet soothing.
I think that's what I enjoyed most about the game- the building was full to the brim with Connecticut fans- not UConn fans, not Sun fans, but Connecticut fans. I think that was what I've been waiting for from the Sun, a way to bring together both fans of "their girls" and fans of other players. See, college and pro fans can coexist. Good, loud crowd- probably a sellout, though there were some empty seats. What I found fascinating was the way the fans around me shifted from being all about Taurasi to being all about the Sun as the game went on.
I would have liked the anthem a lot more if they'd done it as a group the entire time, instead of breaking each guy out into a solo and then bringing them all together at the end. Kind of like my Liberty, no one piece works alone, but the group effort is magnificent.
Diana Taurasi is an unbelievable basketball player, a world-class talent who moves with the ball like it's part of her body. But she'd be a lot easier to put up with if she could play with a gag in her mouth. The constant complaining got on my nerves in a hurry, and it didn't help that she was getting the calls *anyway*. I recall one play where she shoved Carey and then looked at the ref like she was wondering why Carey hadn't been called for the foul. That spurred a lot of the booing- the superstar calls, I mean. While Thibault tried to play the matchups by starting Swanier and putting her on Pondexter, it didn't work all that well, and clearly Cappie heard the people calling for her to pass. I thought she was distributing well, but I dind't realize how well until I looked at the box. Miller had a quiet game, but she's an unbelievable rebounder for a guard- strong, tenacious- the Bangs of Steel probably helped Phoenix take the edge on the boards. I thought Willingham had herself a nice little game- it was fun watching her and Whitmore get into it, though I'd put money down on Whitmore coming out the victor in that contest. Tangela Smith has a funky release- I know this is not news, but that's the kind of thing I've been noticing more lately- but it works for her, and she was really tough on the offensive boards. So was LaToya Pringle- I like the way she works on the boards, very athletic and sneaky. Mazzante also seems to have been reading the boards. Really not impressed with Gaines's demeanor, though. He never seems to be into the game until he's about to flip his shit.
IMO, Whalen did not put her stamp on the game, and whether that's a matter of trying to get everyone else involved or a defensive effort on Phoenix's part, I can't be certain. But I felt she didn't take enough shots that she should have taken, because it seemed like when she shot, good things happened. Holt was a non-factor, or a negative factor. One of those. Swanier was a firestarter, and while I wouldn't keep her in the starting lineup, I'd definitely give her a healthy whack of minutes- she works better as a change of pace player, as someone who can kick things up a notch instead of starting off at high speed. Whitmore had fun whacking around Willingham and Smith, but that was about it. Jones had a lot of great shots, but a lot more stupid shots. Carey had a lot of nice shots, which made up for Anderson not being in the groove. Turner drew the short straw and had to defend Taurasi when she was in, and that had a lot to do with Turner's foul count. I finally got my first look at Gruda- in build, she reminds me very much of Sancho Lyttle, all long limbs without the feeling that someone stretched her on a rack. And yeah, she's raw, but she'll be a very good post in this league as long as she works with a coach who knows how to use her. Raymond made a brief cameo, declined to go up with an offensive rebound, and ran to the bathroom during the game.
The refs completely lost control of this game, IMO. The shoving match between Willingham and Whitmore really pointed that up, but they let Phoenix get away with a LOT of talking. The boos were magnificent. Very uneven calls.
It looks like I wasn't the only Board Junkie at Geno's who noticed Kelly Miller. The Bangs of Steel are unmistakeable, except for The Other Bangs of Steel.
For some reason, neither the arena hosts nor the Solar Power dancers understood why I was telling them that they might not want me on camera when we had a chance to be part of the "Let's Make A Deal" game. I don't know about you, but I thought it might be tacky for someone in a Rebecca Lobo Liberty jersey to be part of the Sun promotion. Seriously, I can understand not knowing the other teams in the conference, or about the rivalries, but is basic literacy a lost notion?
I think this was the first time I was actively rooting for the Sun, instead of for selected Sun players. I found myself cheering when Swanier knocked it away from Pondexter. I found myself screaming at Whalen to shoot. It was very disconcerting. Fun, though. :D And then I won a nice little chunk of change, so woo. I may actually turn a profit on my partial plan when all is said and done.
Friday, June 27, 2008
June 26th, 2008: Indiana at New York
New York Liberty 102, Indiana Fever 96
This is the game that never ends- yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Both teams made sure of that, for good and for ill.
Oh my God, that was epic. That was dramatic. That was- I hope a lot of people caught this while channel-surfing during the draft, because, damn, that there was a lot of basketball. I'm exhausted, and I don't even want to think about what kind of state the starters are in for both teams.
I thought it was a bad sign when my train ride started out full of crazy- we had one guy loudly inveighing on the way people talk really loudly on trains, and after he called me a blimp, one woman started screaming at him to get off the train… and then went on her own little rant about how he thought he was entitled because he was a white American man. So that was fun like a thing that's not fun.
But then the Fever were very nice- that's one thing I'll say for them, that franchise does treat folks with class- and I got to hear Katie Douglas let out a completely frickin' random primal scream/war whoop during shootaround, so that was awesome. I gambled that security wouldn't give me agita because ESPN would want seats down near the court full, so I sat behind Ali (who, in case you don't know her, sits right over by the Liberty bench- right behind Hirsh.com's usual spot, in fact) until the actual ticketholder showed up in the second quarter, at which point I headed up to hang with kw, Mrs. kw, and auntie. That was fun. I miss my old neighbors.
Ebony Hoffman is impressing me more and more every time I see her. She's always been surprisingly fast for her size, and very agile as well. Now she's extending her range and making defenses respect her clear out beyond the arc. One of 2004's hidden gems, to be sure, and as much because of hard work as because of talent. Douglas was killer at both ends, hitting big shots that would have broken any other team and making sharp defensive plays. The Tamikaze (great nickname, BCBG) was at it again, but she didn't dominate the way I'm used to her dominating. This wasn't her game the way so many games against the Liberty have been. TSB seems to have lost the hooker twitch in her walk, and was actually working for rebounds today (although that's not exactly challenging against Cathrine). Tully hit the floor, so it was an official game, and she made some critical defensive plays, but I still don't understand that last shot of hers. As for the Fever bench, I know Tan White was there, but I genuinely don't remember her doing anything worth mentioning. Ditto LaToya Bond. Bales got a few minutes, including some in a weird lineup with TSB. Sherill Baker served as the defensive switch for TSB, and I think that was about all she did. Feaster got her shtos, and hit one of them, because seriously, people we do not leave Allison Feaster open, not until at least one leg has fallen off. Bernadette Ngoyisa looks like she's put on a lot of weight since leaving the Liberty, and isn't using it at all well. She looked really lost in the offense- yes, I know, she's relatively new to the team, but catching the ball should not be that complicated an operation.
Then again, a fan of the team that has Cathrine Kraayeveld shouldn't talk about fumbling passes. Jeebus. But Cat turned it up in the fourth quarter with the tie, and in the OT. In the first half, though, she and Essence were both awful. And I got to see Cathrine look awful and awfully confused up close. When Essence started to come alive in the second half, we were joking around about what Patty said to light a fire under her, and I suggested that the best way to put the fear of God into her would be to just quietly say, "Coach Stringer would not be pleased." But in the OT she started acting like she had to put everything on her shoulders, and took some absolutely crazy shots that she had no business taking. Loved when she climbed the stanchion to avoid going into the crowd. Sista Christon- she was a fighter out there, getting her shots and forcing fouls. I was surprised that most of the boneheaded "hey, let's go out there and not win this game!" moves weren't from her- I love Shameka to pieces as a person, but she does tend to make some dumb decisions on the court. Janel- wow. Just. Wow. I'm pretty sure that's a Garden record for a Liberty player- Becky's 33 came at Minnesota, and the only other game I could think of was when Tari went for 30… against the Fever, in a game where we needed every poin to win. What do you mean, that sounds familiar? Loree is solid, and played solid, except for a couple of inexplicable passes. Miss Jackson got called on to swing between Janel and Cathrine's positions, and she brought a lot of energy. The rest of the bench didn't play all that much, which had to hurt later. Erin was basically a decoy during crunch time in the fourth and the overtimes, and I was about ready to kill her for passing up her three until Cathrine, you know, tied the game, then it was all okay. Leilani wasn't bad, and I think a couple of more minutes for her during regulation could have helped alleviated some of the fatigue problems that set in in the overtimes. Yes, I'm thinking of the free throw that Loree left short. Lisa was active on defense, but it seemed that as soon as she found her groove, she was pulled, never more to see the light of day. Erlana had a Screen of Death and one helluva tackle.
Actually, there were a lot of tackles in the game. The crew let the players play, for the most part, and it went both ways. Difference in fouls and free throws came both in the timing of Indiana's fouls and in forcing fouls. That, and missing shots that should have been and-ones. I never thought I'd see the day when I screamed, "JUNE, I LOVE YOU!" but that jump ball, overruling the male ref all ready to call a foul on Loree, saved the game for us. Things got quite wild out there.
Rebecca Lobo's pregnant again. Either she wants an entire front line or she wants a boy. Other than that, she looks good. It's disconcerting to see her in flip-flops, though. (Weird fact of the day: all three players who have ever worn #50 for the New York Liberty were in the house, with Rebecca working as a commentator, Bernie on the Fever, and Jess on the Liberty.) She was chatting with Kym Hampton before the game- soliciting tips, maybe? Because, you know, she totally hasn't done this before…
Gorgeous anthem. Fucking amazing. Boring contests, though. And for the love of God, I don't care if he's the sweetest guy on the planet, that guy in the Christon jersey is enough to make a woman wish she could turn gay.
Whole lot of Charlotte going on tonight, and at one of the quarter breaks, Janel and TSB were chatting it up about something.
Late-arriving crowd. These 7PM tips dick with everyone's schedule.
Favorite moment of the game, of sorts- Katie Douglas gets off a three as Erin Thorn closes on defense… and out of Erin Thorn's Utahn, possibly-Mormon, mouth comes a short, hard word starting with F. Our little Cougar is growing up and learning how to sling the local lingo. *sniffle*
Not amused by Coyle's bench management. She does know you're allowed to use reserves in the second half, right? On the other hand, she managed her timeouts much more effectively than Dunn did, and Dunn *was* forced into using her bench by the foulouts of Hoffman and Catchings.
I think that's about all I'm coherent enough to write. That was just epic. That's the only word left for it.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 22nd, 2008: Phoenix at New York
New York Liberty 105, Phoenix Mercury 72
A historic day at the Garden as Tiffany Jackson and Ashley Battle are only the vanguard of a whole lot of butt-whoopin'.
This is what we've been waiting for. As I left the Garden today, in my Lobo jersey, passing people in Spoon jerseys and Wicks jerseys and the old green warm-up shirts and the old orange shirts- through all these colors, all these schemes, all these mottos, all these players, we've been waiting for something the frakkin' Utah Starzz did in their first season.
I had a good feeling about the day on the way in- the E train I was on included a baller strapping on some serious sneakers and already in uniform, with a loving partner in the next seat sharing earbuds, heading down to West 4th- but the supportive partner was a guy, and the baller was female. Of course, this meant that oh, brilliant, the Liberty managed to schedule opposite a tournament at West 4th, sheer brilliance.
And then I had less of a good feeling, because it was clear the Cagers Club was there for Cappie and not for Essence, and there were way too many #3s that weren't Tiffany Jackson, and the anthem sucked and the Mercury started off on a 7-0 run. I was so afraid Phoenix had finally found their groove and we were going to be the latest victim, because we were a team that couldn't shoot with them like Chicago or Connecticut.
Well. Um. Then Janel happened. And then Cathrine happened. And then the floodgates opened.
Where do you begin with a game like this? Cathrine of the three threes to break it open and get it rolling, who got on the boards and only missed a double-double because she was pulled? Janel, who laid a hurtin' on inside? Loree- oh, God, have we ever missed Loree, who just opened it up? Or how about the bench? How about Miss Jackson tearing it up inside? How about Ashley Battle and that unbelievable shot she made that ended with her on her ass? How about Lisa Willis's shooting and hands? How about Erlana Larkins, who hit the historic bucket? HOW ABOUT THESE LIBKIDS? Tiffany was unbelievable. Ashley played like she was saying "Fuck you, Patty!" with every basket and every stutter-step. Leilani was solid. Lisa looks like she's been learning from Loree and Ashley. Essence worked hard enough on defense that we didn’t need her offense. Shameka was the only one who didn't really produce- but can you imagine what the score would look like if she was in the groove? And I love how into the game they get for each other. Loree and Lisa were all but dancing when Ashley scored.
Taurasi was determined not to lose. Perhaps a little too determined. Maybe she got a little too into it, hence the ball spike that drew the T. I think Cappie was trying too hard to get the foul on some of those shots, because that crew wasn't calling much at all. Le'Coe Willingham was the only other Mercury player who really, really impressed me- it looks like she's put back on some of the weight she lost in Connecticut- I'm not saying this as a bad thing, because she was starting to be a true tweener, too thin to be effective in the post but nowhere near a small forward, and at least now she's got the girth to throw around. Miller was just completely stumped- stop the engine and the car doesn't go, I guess. Smith seemed to be settling for too many outside shots. Off the bench, I like Pringle's athleticism, but she still has a lot to learn- I'm wondering now if that's Farris's role more than actually playing is. Yuko Oga reminds me of a very young, very raw Michele Timms. But yeah. Defense? What defense?
"Rapper's Delight". No, seriously. White girl rapping! White girl rapping! Ashley and Lisa were into it, though. The question becomes "how much booze was involved and who drank how much?" No "Bohemian Rhapsody", but definitely a hoot.
Megan, Irish do not tan. Trust me on this one. Unless you're talking fake tan, what you're going to be working on is your sunburn.
Megan and Jess were coordinated today. I found that somewhat disturbing.
I've never been thanked for asking someone for their autograph before, but Oga did so. Phoenix seems like a nice bunch.
I'm still not sure what my favorite play of the game was. I mean, yeah, AB's circus shot, but also, Cathrine's three threes and Tiffany's two and-ones. Or the one play where Cathrine got it downcourt to Janel under the basket.
We spotted Epiphanny Prince after the game. A couple of folks hollered that they'd like to see her on the Liberty.
History, baby! History! No matter what else happens, we'll always have this.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
June 14th, 2008: Minnesota at New York
New York Liberty 77, Minnesota Lynx 76
Dueling morons at the Garden, and the Game Notes are not as amused as they should be.
We cannot afford to keep blowing leads. Do you really think we're going to have just enough in the tank next time? Does anyone here really think that Cappie and Diana are only going to combine for 20-something points ever again? Right, I didn't think so.
I'm starting to understand why there are people who don't like Candice Wiggins. Maybe it's just the vantage point I have, but I don't like her attitude on the floor. She comes off as a newly crowned Pretty Pretty Princess, sure that every defender who breathes on her has committed a foul and just as sure that she's never committed a foul in her life. That being said, she's money in the clutch and Zierden uses her the way I always advocated using Hammon- more than a catalyst, more than a sixth woman, but as a way to completely demoralize the opposition beyond all hope. "Okay, we've held them, we've forced them to bring in their bench… aw shit, we're fucked." Seimone started off fast, got slowed up, and then got started again in the second half. She absolutely humiliated Essence on one play. Has Anna DeForge always been this good a rebounder? She was outrebounding our frontcourt players for most of the game, and while that's not necessarily hard, that's reasonably impressive for a guard of average build. I can see why they keep her in the starting lineup. Quinn was very quiet, and we saw an awful lot of Wiggins at the point. Seriously, what is it with WNBA coaches trying to turn shooting guards into point guards? DO NOT WANT. Ohlde was- well, for one thing, I was very confused when she was introduced as Nikki, although that was corrected when she scored her first bucket deep into the second half. Says something that her name wasn't spoken until the fourth quarter. Anosike had one of those rookie nights. We all have them. Oh, God, do we all have them. I think Janel managed to get into her head a little bit- she looked very disconcerted by Janel. I don't understand why Zierden doesn't play more of his posts, such as they are. The only constant I have found about Kristen Rasmussen is one I learned from sportsfanswhine back in the Sun days- if Rasmussen comes in the game, boneheaded mistakes are bound to occur. Not that she doesn't hustle, and not that she can't hit a shot or two, but it always seems that things go wrong when she's on the court. We had a brief and unmemorable Navonda Moore sighting. Houston was aggressive, perhaps a little too much so, and it's very disconcerting to see Lynx players wearing #20 and #30 who aren't Williams and Smith. Also, any lineup that has Charde Houston playing the 4 in a WNBA game is made of 100% organic fail.
Balance was the word. Balance and That Moron not knowing what to do with the pieces she has on her bench. We need defense because Minnesota's top two shooters are their starting three and their sixth woman? Sure, only give Ashley Battle two minutes and bring in Lisa and Megan. Granted, Lisa seems to have taken a page from Sherill Baker's book- her hands have been very active these last couple of games. Need offense in the fourth quarter? Well, of course you ignore the shooting guard who's been shooting and go with the shooting guard who's got the back and neck injury that's causing her to use a thermal thingy on her neck. That's what frustrates me most about That Moron- the pieces are there, whether they're offense-shaped, defense-shaped, energy-shaped, or go-out-there-and-make-people-cry-uncle-shaped, but she doesn't use them properly.
It's nice to see Cathrine rebounding, but defensively that was a mess. Solid, quiet game from Janel. Solid all-around game from Sista Christon. Essence had her hands full on the defensive end, but she still put in her points. Leilani also had the difficult task of checking the veteran DeForge. Not fun for a lil bit like her. Much love for Miss Jackson, who's either taking over Ashley's firestarter role or angling for Cathrine or Janel's starting spot. Also much love for Lisa and the four-point play- all the more reason to either use Erin as the third point instead of Megan or to just sit her until and unless she becomes necessary again. And… again, please do not kick, kill, drown, or eat That Moron's puppy. That's the only reason I can think of for AB, and now Erlana, to be on disturbingly short leashes. Also, clock management tonight sucked. Two shot clock violations, that unspeakably fucked up eight-second call, the general inability to get off a shot faster than the average Scarlet Knight- seriously, I saw enough of this offense at Rutgers, dear God, why must I suffer through it again?
Excellent anthem tonight. Well done, you with the strange combination onf names.
So much love for the Golden Maddie. I love when the ladies get into their roles. But is it just me or are they doing fewer of the silly things than they used to? Used to be they'd have the Golden Maddie *and* the Ad-Libs; now it looks like a choice.
Thank you, MSG, for not shoving the fucking Arthur Ashe game in our faces until the fourth quarter. Please to be advertising the rest of the season so the crowds don't look so sad.
To the two dimwitted demonspawn sitting behind us- no, it is not cute that you chant the advertisers' names during play. Actually, it's kinda creepy, and your dad encouraging you sucks even more.
So exactly what was going on with Cathrine and Rasmussen? They were going it at it something fierce for a couple of plays. I realize Rasmussen has backstory with every team in the league, but this seemed personal, and unless Rasmussen is defending Jamie Carey's honor after the Screen Of Death two seasons ago, it was out of place.
The refs sucked. At one point I was fairly convinced that one or more of them had Wiggins in Pick One. But the refs always suck. Can't keep complaining about that unless I get the ear of someone who can fix them.
The longer we win, the longer That Moron stays employed. But I don't want to see them lose. Oh, the dilemma.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
June 8th, 2008: Sacramento at New York
Sacramento Monarchs 80, New York Liberty 73
The Game Notes are not pleased with the New York Liberty, but think Monique Ambers is awesome.
Look, guys. If you're going to phone it in, please let us know in advance so we can know not to expect anything from you. On the other hand, if you're going to rock, knowing that in advance might be cool too.
Let me say this publicly and for the record so that all and sundry can see: Monique Ambers is completely and totally awesome. I was down by the rail, the autograph hangout at the Garden, and the spot I took happened to be right next to where she was hanging out, watching a few of the Monarchs do stretches. I had a Scholanda Robinson card on my little clipboard, because she was the only Monarch I wanted a signed card from- I already had the others. Coach Ambers caught a glimpse of me and remarked something along the lines of "Look at you in the Rebecca jersey." I told her I'd been a fan since the beginning, and that I remembered Phoenix- and Cleveland, as Coach Boucek had come up behind her by that point. She reached across, took my card and marker, went out onto the court, presented both to Scholanda Robinson, and brought me back my marker and the signed card. "So you don't have to wait," she said, or something along those lines. (She didn't know I was also waiting on the rookies; I didn't know the rookies were in protective packaging until gametime.) So if anyone out there is from the Monarchs front office- you guys are doing something right, and I just thought I'd let y'all know that, from someone who wishes her franchise would do something right.
Missed the anthem, which I hear might have been a good thing. Didn't miss our own kwnyc as season subscriber of the game, though, no sirree.
Where the hell did Ticha Penicheiro find a jump shot? She's been in this league for how long now with the reputation as a pass-first, pass-second, pass-third, what-do-you-mean-I-should-shoot player, and suddenly she's got a jump shot? Now, okay, part of that might have had to do with having a little teeny defender on her, but seriously. I'm still in shock. 17 points and 2 assists is a line I expect to see from Kara Lawson, not Ticha Penicheiro. Speaking of Lawson, she definitely got her shots, and if she'd hit more of them this would have been a blowout. Powell somehow got to her average after a quiet start. Adrian Williams still has it. She might not score a lot, but she'll score enough, and she'll get her rebounds. She's a nice piece to have. I'm really surprised more didn't go through Brunson, considering that the natural matchup would be with Cathrine, who doesn't like that whole defending inside thing. Harper seems good at doing the little things- I think the question is whether she can learn enough from Williams and Brunson to start doing the big things on the professional level. Didn't see too much of Kelly, saw a whole lot of fouls on Smith, didn't see all that much of Aqua Franklin despite Ticha's foul trouble and sudden hamstring issues in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Newton, of course, brought the defense- there were a couple of plays where Megan Duffy was damn near wearing purple, Chelsea was so up on her. At the same time, I see why Sacramento fans are frustrated- they spent a lot of time in the backcourt, including the eight seconds, and the rotation is a bit inexplicable. But only a bit, compared to the mess That Moron has left.
Okay, so maybe Leilani used up most of her store of awesome against Houston. Not that she wasn't passing well, but she wasn't getting or hitting the shots she had against Houston. And no one really picked up the slack. Janel, I'm looking at you. Stop fouling and start shooting. I'm kinda hoping that her dad gave her hell for how little she was into the game. You too, Cathrine. Seemed that every good play she made was sandwiched around a play that was pure bonehead. I'll give her credit for being on the boards, though. Sista Christon- okay, she was rebounding, too, but they're all too tentative on the shot. Guys, it's okay. Really. This isn't Rutgers. Speaking of, I thought Essence was solid, and it would have been awful nice to have her in at crunch time. Or if she couldn't go for whatever reason, Ashley Battle. Seriously, what in the nine circles of Dante's Inferno did AB do to Coyle that's got her superglued to the bench? Whatever it is, AB, either don't do it so you'll play or do more of it so we don't have That Moron to kick around anymore. Lisa was hot in the first half, but by the time That Moron remembered she existed, she'd gone cold. Mom, who's got a different vantage point from the other side of the arena, says she saw Lisa open two or three times that Leilani missed. I'll credit the Sacramento defense for that, though. Tiffany was on the boards like whoa. Think there's any chance of Miss Jackson starting sometime soon? Because we need to whack someone in our frontcourt upside the head with a cluestick, and Tiffany might be a reasonable facsimile of a cluestick. Erin… I have learned not to expect defense from her, and at least she scored some. Megan is stil painfully slow to watch, and it did not help that she had an old Big East foe on her like white on rice. Erlana… er, she seems to have found the wall as rapidly as she hit her stride originally.
Dear refs: calling a game evenly does NOT mean that you call every foul on Sacramento in the first half and call every foul on New York in the second half. We were seriously wondering if Ticha offered you favors at halftime, the superstar calls you were giving her. Also, whichever one of you nitwits tried to gyp Erin out of her free throws on the fifth foul of the second quarter, please learn to count before I use That Moron as a blunt instrument on your fool head.
While I'm thinking of it- Coyle, you do realize that if a player is doing well, you leave her in the game, right? You don't wait for her to do well and then yank her. The glasses, they do nothing. Not to mention, Erin Thorn is not a small forward, nor is Lisa Willis, and WTF are you doing running three-guard sets when we have been sucking rocks on the glass?
It was very nice to see Sue there with probably her mom, although either that was a horrible camera or she's using Wyckoff and Douglas's old yellow dye from the rookie cards. And you know a game has gone down the shitter when the alumnae head for the door before the buzzer.
It's probably for the best hardly anyone showed up, but, um, WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE? The Yankee game was over before tip. The Mets are in San Diego. The Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees aren't in season yet. The weather was too disgusting for even the beach. And yet the place was emptier than even the weekday games. It's like the team forgot to market the rest of the season. And I'm going to have to smack a bitch if I get this stupid Outdoor Classic thing shoved down my throat much longer.
No, seriously. I'm this close to using my mom's cane as a cluestick. And if they lose to Atlanta, That Moron should decline to board the flight back to New York out of shame.
Friday, June 6, 2008
June 6th, 2008: Houston at New York
New York Liberty 81, Houston Comets 73
A Liberty point guard with the initials LM kicks four kinds of ass- but not the one you might expect.
I feel like some sort of riddle has been posed here, such as "how many pounds of badassery can one stuff in a point guard?" Seemed to be a couple of answers on the floor tonight.
Got to the Garden pleasantly early for a change- I love a job that lets me out at 4 on Fridays for the summer- and got to see 'bout half the team coming in. Yellow is a good color for Jess, and Leilani was as cute as a button in a little blue frock.
Cut to 6:30 or thereabouts; imagine our surprise when we saw Megan Duffy dressed out… along with Leilani and Erin. Uh-oh, someone was hurt. Sure enough, Loree sat out the game with back spasms. If I'd known that, I would have nicked one of my dad's Lidocaine patches for her.
The anthem would have been much nicer if the singer could hold a note, because she had a very pretty voice. Also, seriously, people, get up on your feet and STFU. Even if you don't consider the anthem to be worthy of respect, respect the singer.
Tina's still got it. She beat the hell out of Cathrine on defense, a trend that's starting to appear distressingly often in the Game Notes Of Doom. Perhaps she's heard the criticism leveled towards her, because she seemed to be playing much more inside than I'd been led to believe. Michelle Snow seemed to be just kinda there, but she finished with 15, and I have to assume that they were on putbacks, because Houston was all over the offensive glass. Tante was strong defensively, and I think one of Coach Thompson's big mistakes was not having Tante on Shameka nearly enough. Pee-Wee started, and I thought Leilani played well against her- perhaps that step was lost somewhere? Off the bench, I was very impressed with Erica White- my, she's fast, isn't she? I got to see Houston doing a footwork drill, and she was just lightning quick. I mean, damn. I love good footwork, and she was flashing between the rungs of that ladder thing like she was going to try out for a tap troupe one of these days. Mabika is still Mabika. Not as fast as she used to be, but still decently fast, and you can take the woman off the Sparks, but you can't take the Spark out of the woman. Was surprised that we didn't see much of either Williams or Lyttle- or if we did, they didn't do much. No wonder I don't remember Lyttle- funny thing is that it looked like she was set to go in at one point, unless she's no longer #21? I dunno.
Leilani Mitchell, good gracious. Keep this up and I'll take back everything I ever said about you and do it to your face. Houston's penchant for giving up threes was fully in force tonight, because Leilani was hitting from outside- y'know, I kept wondering if Leilani could miss, and it turns out she couldn't. *beams* And Cathrine was lighting it up from beyond the arc, too, although having *all* her shots be threes discomfits me a bit. Might have had to do with the foul situation, but one can never be sure with Cathrine. She also had a monster block on either Thompson or Snow that was just totally awesome, and set some very solid screens. Ahem. Solid, refs. That means they don't move. Essence on Ajavon was an interesting matchup- Ajavon faked her out a couple of times, but then Essence made a couple of great defensive plays on her and the balance was evened out again. Shameka got clocked pretty bad on a jump ball- looked like she got an elbow in the eye or to the temple; we weren't sure if she was seeing straight, because she wasn't walking straight and she came out for a few minutes, but then she came back in and hit a three, so Coyle's gamble worked. Janel was solid- it's the hair, I tell you, because glory be, the blonde streak is gone and she no longer appears to have a racing stripe down the middle of her head. Good thing we got good play out of the starters, because we didn't get a whole lot out of the bench. Tiffany brought energy, but not particularly well directed energy. Erlana, except for one key stretch where she turned around the momentum that had swung Houston's way, looked like she was in over her head a bit. But she's a rookie. These things can be forgiven. Megan backed Leilani up, and she looked rather slow, especially against White. Lisa… maybe she was nervous because her dad was in town? I don't know. And Erin mostly got called for fouls and complained about them. Erin expresses her frustrations very openly. They can be seen from the upper deck. If you blinked, you missed Ashley; she barely played at all, and not at all in the second half. Probably for the best my mom missed the game, because otherwise there would have been a beating with a cane.
As mentioned, Lisa's dad was in town- guess this was a holdover from Seattle- and so were Tiffany's parents. Also, duh, Coach Stringer was in attendance with the staff. I think one of them was wearing the Rutgers scarf Coach Stringer had last year in the tournament, and if so, I need to find out where she got it so that I can put it on the Christmas list with the Cappie Patch Doll.
To the 53% of you who screwed up the trivia question- okay, thinking VJ inbounded to Spoon for The Shot, that's understandable; at least VJ would have been in the game because she was a starter and the starters would have been in for crunch time. To those of you who said Becky Hammon… no. Just no. You fail. I should mention in passing I do a surprisingly good Matt Devlin impression and have the entire call memorized.
To the folks in my section who got up the DEFENSE chants when the sound system didn't provide cues- y'all rock so hard. To the wet blankets in front of us- seriously, don't give us dirty looks for making crowd noise. We hadn't even started cursing at the refs at that point.
Because we needed to curse at the refs. Some of those calls were inexplicable. And then there was the one with the ponytail who felt the need to make late whistles. Considering one of them was Cathrine's… fifth, I think?… that was quite annoying.
Dear Coach Coyle: if a player is doing well, you leave her in. If a player is playing badly, you take her out and try to figure out what's wrong with her. You do not yank a player when she is kicking ass. This is what got Nancy Darsch fired. Not that I would mind seeing you get fired for the same mistakes, but that means screwing up my team, and this is a thing I do not approve of.
The Liberty have a couple of awesome t-shirts out. Can't wait to see those T-Fense tees all over MSG. The J-Mac and Cheese one… I can live without the pun. In general, though, I'd like to see more people in gear- there really don't seem to be a lot of committed fans among the folks in attendance, and that makes it hard to get crowd noise going. These kids deserve the kind of ruckus the Garden crowd used to bring. These kids deserve to have us blow the roof off. MAKE SOME NOISE!
There's always another game to look ahead to, at least when it's June, and Sacramento might be a bunch of question marks, but they're still the Monarchs. In the meantime, I'll rejoice in the victory and marvel at Leilani.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June 3rd, 2008: Seattle at New York
New York Liberty 77, Seattle Storm 63
Shameka Christon brings the offense, Loree Moore brings the defense, Tanisha Wright brings the spark, and the refs bring the batshit crazy.
Now I know what happens to the worst referees: they become official scorers. By all the forgotten gods, that was a debacle and a mess, what was done with that scoreboard. Almost overshadowed the game, it did.
Seriously, MSG. Don't you guys check your own schedules? Maybe, just maybe, approving a Liberty game the same night that Cyndi Lauper and the Indigo Girls are at Radio City is a sure bet that you're going to get less of a walk-up crowd than you'd like, especially in June. And that the crowd that does show up is going to be a lot more tilted towards the Long Island girl and her team than you'd like? In all seriousness, there seemed to be as much crowd noise for the Storm as there was for the Liberty, and that is not on. WTF, New York City. WTF.
You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can't take the Detroit out of the girl. I don't know what Cash did to Janel, but I did not approve of it. And the kvetching. Oy, the kvetching. Swintayla, STFU and play. As a Liberty fan, I was worried about LJ, because I know there's no way in hell she'd shoot 1-9 again, and she did make Cathrine look awful on defense, but she seemed to be settling for a lot from the outside. Especially when Cathrine was in foul trouble, I was surprised not to see LJ go inside more. Swoopes was very quietly badass. I knew she was doing well with the steals, and that she was scoring late, but I didn't realize until I got home that she was one board away from a double-double. Yo… every time she seemed to be edging towards getting into a rhythm, she committed a foul and that was that; threw her right off her game. Bird was statistically unimpressive, but I think she's made a commitment to keeping herself in shape- physically, I thought she looked faster and better than she has in the last couple of years. As for the Storm bench, I don't know if it was because he has no faith in Ashley Robinson or because Tanisha Wright was the hot hand off the bench, but Agler went small an awful lot- there were a lot of center minutes available with Yo's foul trouble, and yet Robinson barely played. Wright is an excellent reserve shooting guard; use her as anything else at your peril. I was honestly surprised at how little we saw of Gearlds and Beck- then again, I guess if Wright is on, Gearlds is a luxury, not a necessity, but that still doesn't explain why Beck only came in under three minutes.
Sista Christon, my oh my. The long ball was going in, which meant that her game was on. And Loree brought her all-around game, too. (However, somewhere in Knoxville, Pat Summitt had conniptions when Loree passed the ball straight to Swin Cash.) Janel was solid if unimpressive, although the poor woman ended up on the floor far too many times without a call in her favor. Also, the hair. No. On so many levels. One long stripe of stringy, longer-than-the-rest, bleach-blonde hair gives me bad mental images, especially when coupled with "Whoa, Nellie!" and the piggyback ride thing from last year. MOVING ON… Essence started off well, and she was a big help on defense later in the game, but there were a couple of stretches where she still looked like a rookie. Don't get me wrong, I'd still prefer her as the starter. Lisa was red-hot when she first came in, but she exhausted it all in that one burst and wasn't very much use afterwards. Cathrine, as mentioned, got beat pretty badly on defense, but held her own on offense, and set a couple of excellent screens. Erlana is a badass, but I doubt this needs further mentioning. Oh. More badassery- the ballsiest play of the night was, no doubt, Lisa Willis attempting to guard Yo Griffith… and adroitly forcing the travel. I don't care who you are, if you're a guard, you gotta have moxie to go up against Yo, no matter how far advanced in years she is. Not the night I would have expected from Tiffany, though it wasn't like she was bad or anything. Erin barely played. While it was for the best, I was surprised at how quickly she went from starter to last player off the bench. From the looks of her face at the end of the game, I'd say I wasn't the only one. Leilani, aside from the occasional identity confusion where she gets this crazy idea that she's Becky Hammon and starts driving the lane with no rebounders in sight, is rapidly becoming… well, okay, I'm still not very sanguine about Loree going to the bench, but I don't freak out quite as much as I used to.
Patty. Sweetie. You didn't suck tonight, for the most part. I was very impressed. But seriously, if Agler's sending in Kimberly Beck, who hasn't played all fracking game, you *can* take the starters off, no, really, you can, there's nothing more to prove, unless you want to prove that you're utterly classless. Just my two cents.
The refs sucked. The sucking was more or less equal opportunity. I'll just point at the free throws for the only important differential when officiating is concerned, and shut up from there. I will say that I'm surprised Cash got as many favorable calls as she did, and that Bird didn't get as many favorable calls as players of her caliber normally get.
The official scorers sucked even more. There was one point where the Liberty were up by… well, one point. Shameka hit a three. They gave it to Seattle. And then they gave it to Seattle again. And then it took them several minutes to finally take the six points back from Seattle, give the Liberty their hard-earned trey, and then put the fouls back because the fouls had gotten all fucked up. And then the fouls got fucked up again and they didn't correct them, and the rage, it rose mightily.
Nice of Lisa's folks to make it out cross-country.
Whoever sat Kym Hampton next to a Storm fan needs to be keelhauled.
Whoever was in the Maddie suit tonight needs to never be in the suit again. There's being a jerk by taking a kid's sign, and then there's grinding on a grossly fat guy in an overstressed Christon jersey. I can haz brain bleach?
Ad-Libs, no Golden Maddie. Cathrine likes the sun (as compared to the Sun, where the only enjoyment she seems to get comes from Screens of Death). Erlana thinks of New York as a party. Erlana's a bit of a dork. I like her. Ashley seems to have spent most of the game hooked to an IV of caffeine, ginseng, sugar, and Mountain Dew, possibly cut with a hallucinogen. I don't know if hyper describes it enough.
Winning is good. Can we play better next time, though?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
May 24th, 2008: Sacramento at Connecticut
The Game Notes Of Doom have a bit of a crush on Mike Thibault but are not fond of Husky fans, and Lindsay Whalen continues to be awe-inspiring.
Okay, so maybe Atlanta and Sacramento aren't the greatest tests in the world- not this season, at least- but so far, Thibault looks like a full-fledged genius. And Jenny Boucek looks like she still doesn't know what she has.
I won't bore you with tales of the crazy drunk Russian man who almost made us call the cops to protect the bus driver, so let's start our tale at the arena, with the sheer number of fuzzy, furry, and feathered things wandering around the arena- see, the Sun had declared it Blaze's birthday, so they got mascots from all over New England to help with the celebration. Even if you factor out the sponsor mascots, they got a very impressive group of costumes together. The birthday was celebrated with kazoos (I can't get mine to work, which I'm sure is more my problem than theirs) and a magnificent Blaze-shaped cake that was shown off at halftime. Alas, they did not take the boy's suggestion that the cake be cut up and sold at exorbitant prices at Geno's.
So, Sacramento. Do you guys have to show how much you miss Yo? Because the organization… not so organized. And when is Nicole Powell going to show up and replace the placeholder in her uniform? That was a pretty horrendous shooting display she put on right there. Ticha's lost a step or two, but she's still a far better option at the point than young Miss Franklin, whose name I am afraid I will butcher beyond recognition if I try to spell it. Things seemed better, at least defensively, with Ticha in. I had no idea how small Franklin was, and while she's fast, I don't know if I would have taken the chance on her that Sacramento has. Brunson was exactly what we expected from her, and she added a couple of nice defensive plays with her hands. Adrian Williams-Strong (I'm still not used to her hyphenation) played pretty well, I thought, but that might just be in comparison to the bench, which was. Well. We'll get to that. I've always liked Kara Lawson, so I was glad to see her get her shots and hear her organizing her team. But other than Crystal Kelly, Sacramento's bench was beyond awful. Laura Harper and Kim Smith still have a lot to learn, although Harper has more of an excuse than Smith does. At least Kelly was aggressive inside and drew fouls. Boucek really worked her bench in the first half, but in the second she seemed to have decided to go with an actual rotation. Maybe she'll try that in the first half next time. Fortunately, she wasn't a fashion disaster this time- nothing too tight, nothing too short.
Lindsay. FUCKING. Whalen. I may not like her, but goddamn is she bringing it this year so far. Today she was needed to score, so she put up 21… and five rebounds against Sacto's big front line.. and five assists. She absolutely abused Franklin. Please, please tell me she's in contention for Beijing? And the ball movement was fabulous overall. Any time you get ten assists from your starting frontcourt, you've got your passing game working. Surprised the hell out of me when I looked at the boxscore, because I remembered Whitmore making a couple of passes that were reminiscent of her not-so-good Liberty years- but mistakes are always more noticeable, and she started hitting her shots in the second half- playing her outside took Brunson out of her comfort zone and opened things up inside, especially when Franklin was on Whalen and Whalen could make like she was a forward on the lil bit. So did Barbara Turner, who was canning threes every which way but loose. All of them were, really; there was one point in the second half where Connecticut had hit four threes from straight on at the top of the key. Amber Holt is looking more and more like a brilliant pick by Thibault- as is her second-shift counterpart, Jolene Anderson. (No, seriously, she and Anderson are straight switches, Holt for the first half, Anderson for the second half; he does the same thing with Gardin and Turner.) It's almost a shame that they're all coming in the same year as Parker- the lower-level rookies this year are going to be so overlooked because of the megastars. It was nice to see Page and Swanier come in, and how the Sun immediately ran the first play for Page- I'm just disappointed that Boucek didn't come with Allen in the last two minutes, when the game was out of reach.
I think I would like the Sun a lot better- or at least enjoy the experience of a Sun game more- if it weren't for Husky fans blowing the roof off so disproportionately for Turner and Swanier during introductions. Jones and Raymond, I get, because they both have WNBA track records and Jones is a starter. But when even the PA announcer is showing favoritism towards the UConn alumnae, it's hard to enjoy the game. Where's the love for the actual starters- for Holt, who's giving Blaze a reason to go get his hair done again, or for the hard-working Gardin? Why does a reserve guard who basically serves as the victory cigar get more fan appreciation than the one who flies into the stands for the ball? It's to the point where I don't feel comfortable clapping for Jones or Raymond, even though I've always liked Tamika Raymond and have nothing but respect for Asjha Jones, because I don't want to identify with that element of the fan base.
Matt and Jackie need to tone it down a little, although they're not as annoying as they used to be. Still, don't try to force traditions down fans' throats. As we've already seen in New York, it doesn't work. Connecticut fans are smart enough- or at least I'd like to think so- not to fall for pointless bullshit. If fans can't bring the noise themselves…
I love watching Thibault work- not that we had much of a chance to do so, since our seats were on the Sacramento side. Forget mere killing- I'd commit wholesale massacre to get Mike Thibault as coach/GM of the Liberty.
Ugh, refs. An all-male crew usually guarantees someone who thinks there's a charge circle in the WNBA, much to Kim Smith's dismay. And then there was the offensive foul that was whistled late on Brunson… a) after a Sun player had initiated contact, b) [I]after Connecticut had already gotten the ball back[/I] after the collision. Of course, when they have to redo the [I]opening[/I] jump, you might have a crappy crew on hand. The Connecticut fans were more pissed than I was.
So yeah. I'm going to look pretty damn stupid for having Connecticut fifth in my predictions. Not that I mind, though. :D
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 22nd, 2008: Washington at New York
New York Liberty 79, Washington Mystics 60
Taj McWilliams-Franklin is a force of nature, Erlana Larkins is a badass, and there are Liberty players everywhere.
Now that's more like it, Libkids. Not completely perfect- you need to lay off the laying off, and the passing could be a little sharper- but the intensity is much more Liberty-like.
The kid who did the anthem could be good in a few years if she stops trying to sing like she's already finished puberty.
Nakia Sanford's 'tude bothers me. It's one thing to be a badass during the game and get into shit in the post. I get that. But starting a pissing match with the mascot just looks petty. I know she came into the league late, but she's still been around long enough to know better. She was tough, to be sure, and set some mean screens, but any Washington post player was going to be overshadowed by Taj tonight. They say old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time- but it helps to have old age, treachery, and skill. Taj didn't hit every shot she took, but she was always in position and knew how to get the call. It's hard to believe how long she's been around- she was on tonight. And so much for Alana Beard not playing. You have no idea just how low my heart sank when I saw her on the floor and sinking her practice shots. But she and Taj were pretty much it on offense for Washington- 26 and 24, was it? Or 26 and 20? Something ridiculous like that. Monique Currie was just kinda there, aggressive on the boards but not on offense- or if she was driving, she wasn't taking shots and getting fouled, which I recall was her strength in Charlotte. Nikki Blue felt like she was just kinda there. I don't recall Rollins using his bench much, except for Gardner and Miller- I have to admit, I was looking forward to coming home to lots and lots of angry Maryland fans posting on the thread about the lack of playing time Langhorne had, even in blowout time.
Loree needs to either trim the 'fro or restrain it in the braids again. The loose curls are gonna drive me even crazier than the missed passes. I'm enjoying the snazzy moves she's added to her game- the over-the-shoulder pass to Tiffany and the between-the-legs pass to Cathrine (I think) come to mind immediately- but she's got to keep it together all through the game. Shameka- loved the rebounding, and the way she hit the shots at the end of the shot clock, but her feet on her jumpshot are gonna kill me dead one of these days. Cathrine set a Screen Of Where The Hell Do You Think You're Going, Bucko- not a Screen Of Death, but close enough that it brought back memories. We need more Screens Of Death. We also need to box out. Janel- good Lord, Janel's hands on defense! Everyone's hands on defense! Either the Mystics were sloppy with their ballhandling or we were on them like flies on honey, because there were a lot of great, great steals. And Janel brought enough kickass for everyone- I just hope the thumb doesn't cause her too much trouble for the road trip. The racing stripe on her head is a little less noticeable now that it's more of a Mohawk and less of a wannabe Mohawk, but I still prefer her as a redhead, FWIW. Erin didn't play a lot, or make a big impact, but she was hopping mad by the end of the game- she was arguing one of Tiffany's fouls with the ref, and I'm pretty sure I saw her mouth form the word "bullshit". But tonight was about the kids. Lord have mercy, Erlana Larkins. She fears nothing and no one. What's not to love about that kind of enthusiasm? When she knocked down Amber Jacobs- okay, okay, for no good reason and it should have been a foul- I was like "did she just do that? OMG, was that a Screen Of Death?" She still has a lot to learn, and had a lot of work to do with Janel out, but she was most excellent tonight. Tiffany also helped pick up the slack- I love the way she works, just works. And Leilani! That one play where she got the steal and went coast-to-coast through and around the three Mystics- holy HELL! While I refuse to be sold on her until this becomes the rule and not the exception, that kind of grit gave her a little bit of the right to wear the number she chose. (My section has taken to calling her Sue because of it. I'm trying not to turn it into "Little Sue" because that'll turn it into "Little Suzie".) Ashley didn't do much statistically, but Ashley Battle is where difference-making happens. She was involved in one play where Loree threw a crazy pass that she barely snared and shot over to Shameka, who hit the jumper. Shades of Spoon to VJ to Crystal. We didn't see much of Lisa. :( And Essence looks like she's still trying to adjust to the pace of the game and to her teammates.
There were a lot of former Liberty players in the house tonight. Of course, Crystal Robinson was on the opposing bench, sharply dressed (although she does seem to have put on a little weight, but she's wearing it well, if you know what I mean). And then there was Spoon, in her usual place with a lovely lass (I think the same one she brought to the Connecticut game, but my eyes aren't *that* good). And Kym was on the sideline with A'riel (or some other little kid)… and Suuuuuuuuuue! So nice to see her again. She looks good. (We saw her in Penn Station after the game, so yay, closeup view.) I'm fairly certain Sue and Kym used Maddie to pass notes to Spoon. Either that, or they were all autographing something for somebody. But all things considered, if they were using Maddie to pass notes, I would not have been surprised. And then there was Kym's wardrobe malfunction, and I couldn't help but think that yes, it's very Kym to pull one's neckline back up on camera in front of thousands of people. A'riel or her stand-in looked very much like she wanted to be a Torch Patroller when she grows up. So cute, Libkids!
Return of the Golden Maddie! Lisa Willis won round one handily. Cathrine might have stood a better chance if she hadn't broken into a fit of laughter as soon as she was done with her line. Tactical bloopers in Tic-Tac-Toe.
Fleet Week, so water-based military people were saluted.
Denise, we must stop meeting like this. I've already been at three of her games, and at two of them she's had the worst luck with linesmen. Seriously, one guy seemed to think there was a charge circle in the WNBA, which resulted in a couple of bad calls. There were misses on both sides; obviously, I'm going to remember the ones that went against the Liberty better than the ones that went against the Mystics, like the travel on a player who was wrapped up or the block on a very set Shameka.
I had the pleasure of eating dinner with thesixthwoman, mathmaggie, and Keira. However, I've been sworn to secrecy by the cult of the quesadilla, so further more deponent sayeth not. ;)
In conclusion, because you knew I'd get there eventually, I love the enthusiasm, I love the energy, I love the little moments between teammates, but I'm not so in love with the fouls and the unraveling.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
May 18th, 2008: Connecticut at New York
Connecticut Sun 77, New York Liberty 63
The people in Liberty uniforms may not actually be the Liberty, Lindsay Whalen has the disconcerting knack of being very good at what she does, and the Game Notes would like for the Liberty to have a coach.
If you need me, I'll be slamming my head against the desk until we get a coach, or at least someone on the bench who can demonstrate that they know how to coach. I love my team, but sometimes I feel this burning urge to smack somebody upside the head.
Didn't strike a few of us as a good sign that Tiffany and Lisa went out of their way to avoid fans before the game. I keep imploring these kids that we don't bite, but apparently listening is not one of their skills. Nor was it a good sign for those of us who collect autographs that the ushers were hassling us even though they're not supposed to be (the shootaround that's going on when the doors open is open season for autographs and pictures, and the only time you have to bugger off is when the person who's supposed to be in the seat shows up).
Let the record show that Adam (Hirsh.com) is pretty awesome. Explanations for odd league decisions are always appreciated. Even if they do stick to the online ones- just change the background!
The karate, or whatever martial art it was, was very, very cool. The Girl Scout anthem… less so. The kids were very cute, but that was a very bad anthem.
Mike Thibault is a goddamn genius. Have I mentioned that lately? Because I think I'm going to be mentioning it a lot. Yesterday, Turner had the hot hand, so she got the bulk of the playing time. Today, Turner did not have the hot hand, so less ran through her. Our defensive rotation was simply awful, and no one seemed to get clued in that Whitmore was hitting threes, so she just kept going. And Whalen… I don't like the woman, but damn, is she a baller. She does what she needs to do, and no less. Holt and Anderson both seem determined to ditch any scrap of a reputation for being ballhogs or gunners- both of them hustled like hell and were all over the boards. Holt's hair makes me think she's channeling her inner Willingham- remember some of the glorious hairstyles she used to have? Asjha Jones was rock-steady. Tough as nails. And they still think they need extra edge from Whitmore? Raymond was all over the boards and actually hit her shots today. Then again, every Sun player was on the boards- it must have taken effort for Whitmore to only snare two rebounds. They were fighting. We were not.
Cathrine, please go find the badassery you brought against Washington. Or maybe you and Janel need to share the aggression equally instead of giving it all to Janel? There was one play where Connecticut missed a shot and Cathrine just stood there as if she were superglued to the floor. Not on, Miss Kraayeveld. Not on. And Janel came on like gangbusters, but got too aggressive and fouled out. Shameka, with hair a-go 'splodey, was really kinda streaky. I think she tried to do too much, knowing that she didn't have Janel to fall back on inside. Didn't help that Loree was out of sync, either- that wrap on her shooting/dribbling hand really worries me, and probably explains the inaccurate passes and the bad shooting. But she had to play, because Leilani Mitchell showed me nothing that gives me any reason to believe in her as the backup over Megan Duffy. By the end of the game, from my seat in the back row of section 209- basically, the highest possible vantage point without being in forbidden sections- I could see how soaked with sweat her jersey was, to the point where I could make out the line of her sports bra. Please do NOT run the starters into the ground, okay? Erin was just… kinda there. Considering I had her in Pick One today, I'm not pleased about this, but then, I didn't expect the Liberty to only play one quarter today, or throw passes into the seats. And then there was the completely illogical use of the bench. Near the end of the second quarter, my mom was seriously considering using her cane against That Moron if Ashley Battle didn't see any playing time. (Mom has her favorites, shall we say.) And then in the second half she had one long stretch of time while Essence was barely being used. The universe will not end if they both play in the same half. It might not even end if they play at the same time, with Ashley in for Erin and Essence in for Shameka. And what of Erlana? With Janel hobbled by foul trouble and Cathrine being of questionable effectiveness, we needed someone alongside Tiffany to pick up the slack.
There but for the grace of Tiffany Jackson. She was wonderful today. And then, when Ashley finally got IN the damn game, things changed in the blink of an eye, and don't try to tell me it was a coincidence. Ashley makes things happen.
A Liberty team that does not play defense, that consistently screws up on rotations, that backs down (Cathrine, Lisa, I'm looking at you) is not the New York Liberty, but a bunch of pretenders in bootleg jerseys. When they brought it, when they pressured the backcourt, they were on. (Of course, Connecticut then adjusted and put their ballhandler in the backcourt instead of having the posts bring it to halfcourt.) The offense was scattered, but Liberty offense has always been a catch-as-cat-situation. Defense has always been this team's bread and butter, from Spoon, Sue, and Kym, to VJ, Crystal, and Tari, to Loree and Ashley.
And I think the veterans noticed it, too. When the camera panned to Kym and Spoon, Kym didn't notice for a few seconds, and for those few seconds she looked like she wanted to kick off those heels, snatch a pair of sneakers, and start throwing her body around on the floor. Then she put the smile on, but she was more real when she was glaring at the court.
Things that are not cool: turning off the escalators. This nonsense about standing and clapping until the team scores- y'all did notice the number of fans who have canes and whatnot? Not to mention the little problem of a slow-starting offense. The increased advertising taking away stat space, including far too often on the jumbotron. Not putting the lyrics up to "Gotta Get Up"- not everyone knows they're at nyliberty.com. Janel's racing stripe, which is even more questionable up close.
Things that are cool: the Torch Patrols' halftime number. The new choreography for the dancers. Any segment that ends with Shameka Christon hitting someone with a pie in the face. The new graphics.
After the game, a bunch of us- including sportsfanswhine- got together and pretty well savaged Coyle's decision-making and the general lack of hustle this team showed. Really, it was one of the better parts of the gameday experience.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
May 17th, 2008: Atlanta at Connecticut
Connecticut Sun 100, Atlanta Dream 67
Welcome to the WNBA, Atlanta! Here's your ass-kicking. Please enjoy. The Connecticut frontcourt, in both senses of the word Connecticut, goes to town on the Dream, and the Game Notes come home somewhat sore but somewhat wealthier.
So we missed the hoopla of the season opener because we were trapped on a bus in Connecticut. You'd think leaving Lower Manhattan at 12:30 would leave enough time to arrive for a 4:00 tip, but noooo. So I still don't know who started- Haynie or Latta, Feenstra or anyone at center. We only found out that Kristen Mann had the historic first basket from fans who did get there on time, and even then the boxscore proves our informer a liar. We are not amused. Our late arrival also means you won't get my usual critique of the anthem. I'm sure you miss all these fine details.
Atlanta has a problem. They don't seem to know what a rebound is. At one point, the boy swore that Katie Feenstra was afraid of the ball, and I'm not sure he didn't have a point. She had a lot of trouble tracking and keeping passes, and then there was the shot Lindsay Whalen blocked on her. One hustle play where she got the ball out from Ann Strother stands out, though. I'll give her credit for that. Stacey Lovelace was surprisingly effective as a post player, but after the play where she hipchecked the hell out of Whalen, she was pulled from the game and seemed to lose her groove. Liked Camille Little's hustle, but she showed the rust of being on San Antonio's bench. We missed most of Jennifer Lacy's effective minutes. Iziane Castro Marques had some gorgeous shots. I love to watch her play- I think she'd be the first guard off the bench for my fantasy "this is the team I would happily fork over my entire paycheck every fortnight to watch" team. Lennox looks… well, like Lennox, although she bricked a shot she ought not to have bricked. Kristin Haynie seems to have won the starting point guard job, and it says a lot both about Atlanta's frontcourt and their backcourt that Haynie and Lennox were the two best rebounders on the floor. Nnamaka didn't show me much. Strother showed me that Husky fans really have issues trying to focus. Atlanta in general- okay, okay, according to Lennox this was the first time they'd all played together, but still. Although maybe that's why things went more smoothly when Feenstra and Latta were on the floor together, and when Lennox and Castro Marques were on the floor.
Tamika Whitmore decided to show up on offense today. I question her shot selection, though; Atlanta brought three very soft post players, and she's talking about how tough she is, so why isn't she going inside to beat the hell out of them? Her defensive lapses also forced Whalen to work harder on defense than she should have had to. But Thibault knows a hot hand when he sees one- Turner was hot from all over the field today, so he played her over the rookie starter Holt. Good choice, sir. Whalen, at least at the offensive end, actually got a chance to step back and play pure point, only shooting when necessary, because she had such good offensive options in the post. Lots of pretty passes in the game- then again, pretty passing is a staple of Connecticut posts, so I shouldn't be as surprised as I am, especially as the proud wearer of a Rebecca Lobo jersey. Jones was badass. Raymond would have been just as badass if she had the ability to hit a damn layup. Seriously, she bricked two or three she should have had. Her :60 feature was hilarious, however. It's nice to meet a fellow worshiper at the altar of bargain prices. I really like Gardin. Really really. As in I think I'm taking her in Pick One the next game I see the Sun with a marked advantage in the post. The Connecticut fans I was hanging out with after the game were bitching about Jamie Carey's playing time, because they thought Swanier should play more, but Carey quietly and efficiently got the job done. And Jolene Anderson was a very pleasant surprise- I know she came in with the reputation of being a gunner, but she worked her ass off rebounding, almost running out of the arena at one point after a rebound. If she does that on a regular basis, I can see why he didn't think he needed Gahan.
Okay, so maybe whooping ass on an expansion team that's still working on nametags isn't a big deal, and maybe the Connecticut posts won't look nearly as sharp against Janel McCarville, Erlana Larkins, and Cathrine Kraayeveld (if you count her as a post ;)). But to me, this showed Thibault using his personnel to the max, and said personnel taking full advantage of the lineup.
Afterwards, we went to hang out with Connecticut's version of the Usual Suspects. One Dream player went by with a couple of state troopers wandering in the same direction; another had a kid by the hand. And Danielle Page still seems to be holed up in the hotel, which makes me think that yeah, she's the odd woman out when Gruda and Maltsi make their entrances.
Yes, Teresa Edwards most definitely called the game… and she seemed to be accompanied by one of her former Lynx teammates, Svetlana Abrosimova. At least the woman she was with looked an awful lot like Abrosimova.
No rosters. Connecticut's always managed to suck at giving out rosters, but one woman I was talking to said she heard that the WNBA isn't printing them anymore, which would BLOW. That's one of the little things that really makes me enjoy the league. Besides, now what am I going to have the rookies sign? :P
Oh. WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE?! There were a LOT of lower deck seats in small clusters open. Who the HELL no-shows opening day? Come ON.
Betty has very cool Dream-colored sneakers. Ivory Latta knows how to work a small crowd. Huh. And it just occurred to me that both of the advertised Dreamgirls are now coming off the bench. Let's see how long *that* lasts.
I can't wait for the next game. But I never can.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8th, 2008: Washington at New York (preseason)
Washington Mystics 58, New York Liberty 52
The kids are definitely all right, Megan Duffy is a point guard, Lindsay Bowen is not a point guard, and the Mystics are caught using cheap knockoff rookies.
So that was an interesting hybrid of an exciting game and a preseason mess. To say the least. Clearly, both teams were missing the steadying presence of their starters- but the Liberty missed Loree Moore and Janel McCarville a lot more than the Mystics missed Coco Miller and Nakia Sanford.
Lots of kids. Lots of screaming kids. My eardrums are still weeping in a corner for the abuse they suffered today, and devoutly wish we'd all gone to the office. This is, however, a minority opinion.
Got to watch shootaround from courtside, thanks to lackadaisical security and Ali's season seats. Everyone knows Ali. You probably know Ali, even if you don't know you know her. Shay is a freakin' ninja- I looked over, saw Erin shooting, looked over to the tunnel, looked back again, and suddenly Shay was perched on the scorer's table wall thingy like she'd been there for two hours. Chandi Jones had very obviously just gotten off the plane- near the end of shootaround, she stopped to sign a card for me, noticed that I had an Amber Jacobs card right next to hers, and said, "Oh, she's not here today." Which would have been a lot less funny if Jacobs hadn't just sprinted down the ramp behind her. She'd managed to mix Jacobs up with Coco Miller (who, um, was there, but didn't play, so half-credit, I guess).
Does Alana Beard seriously expect anyone to believe she finished last season with a crop and started this season with a shoulder-length ponytail naturally? If a white-ass white girl like me can tell that those are extensions, you might want to do a better job with your extensions. She played more sparingly than usual, no surprise, and looked good doing it. Taj has, I'm convinced, found the Fountain Of Youth, because she looks as good as she did when she started- she still has the moves, although either she's slowing down or Cathrine Kraayeveld was on her game liek woah. Currie also played less than she would have if this were a regular season game, and she looked very solid, although she did have one knockdown of… I think it was Erin Thorn? Yeah, I'll admit I don't like Currie much. Blue looks really good- I don't think the Mystics are as screwed at PG as they thought they were at the start of this offseason/season cycle. Gardner played really well- I think she's shouldering her way into the roster discussion with a bit more force than the other posts expected. I liked Vaughn, too. Jacobs had a backbreaking, heartbreaking shot to end the first half that had the refs checking the monitors to confirm that, alas, it was good. And then she was left wide open to start the third quarter. And Koehn kept getting open looks, too. PEOPLE. It's not rocket science. If Board Junkies can figure it out, y'all can figure it out. We did not get to see Crystal Langhorne in this game. We did, however, see a cheap knockoff version of her- you could tell she was a fake, the name on the jersey was Longhorne, not Langhorne, and everyone knows that's how you can tell knockoffs. Hopefully this will be remedied by the 22nd, because she really didn't have much of a presence in the game- Gardner and even Vaughn played better. Taylor used her height effectively on offense, less so on defense. Not a lot of James, not a lot of Pluimer.
Cathrine Kraayeveld. Girrrrrrrrrrl. She was working her ass off out there. I'd have to get a boxscore to count all the blocks she had, but she was all over the place. She looks good. Shameka still seemed a little discombobulated, like some of her brain was still overseas- she was on the boards well, but she took a few stupid shots and made a few stupid plays, not to mention the antics whenever she was called for a foul. Way too much Tiffani Johnson. Just. No. Make the hurting stop. Erin was very quiet- if she weren't a veteran, I'd say she was on the bubble, but I have learned not to doubt the staying power of Erin Thorn. Lindsay Bowen- nice player, but too prone to dumb mistakes to be a point guard. We're talking about backcourt, shot clock, clock management mistakes here. If we were evaluating her as a shooting guard, then she wasn't bad- but Erin, Essence, and Lisa are all above her on the depth chart, and that's counting Ashley as a forward. Yeah, no. But we were loving us some rookies. Essence was all over the place, and though I thought she overdid some of her hitting the floor, said hitting floor occurred often, including one incident where she ended up in the second row and almost took out Spoon. Essence does not get involved easily, we noticed- I sat with Ali during shootaround and the first quarter, and Ali has a tendency to whoop and holler at everyone. 'Most everyone at least looked over, even if they didn’t turn and wave. Essence? Her eyes barely moved. Cold. And we loved Erlana in the paint. Now there's someone who belongs in #24. I liked Megan Duffy as the point more than I liked Bowen. Lisa came off the bench like she was tired of not playing. Either that, or she has a bet on with Nikki Blue. Now, if we can get her to put half as much focus on defense, we might have us a real player out there. LaToya Davis… I'll take a pass. Really, I will. Leilani Mitchell still doesn't seem to be a WNBA player to me. Her size is killing her, plain and simple- she can't make the plays she knows how to make, because she can't see over or around. Also, seriously, Leilani. We know you couldn't have claimed your Phoenix number, especially not with the original owner across the way from you. But #23? #23?! I give up. You've gotta be just looking for trouble.
And again, the other team adjusts to us and we don't adjust to them. That's on everyone, but more on the coaching staff than the players. And endgame clock management- my eyebrows nearly went through my hairline after the last Liberty possession, when Coyle was talking to Bowen and Erin came over and was very animated at Bowen for a while.
I'm not amused by not playing Shay and Megan Darrah. Come on. It's preseason. Give everyone a little run and see if game scenarios change their performance. Besides, Darrah's got the brass balls to claim #25. That's gotta be worth something.
Red is a very good color for Jess. And she looks exceptionally trim. I wasn't as enthusiastic about Tiffany's outfit- something about flare khaki capris just seems unnatural to me. Patty's suit would have been fine if she'd bought it one size larger. There are things in this world I do not want to see, and bra outlines are right up there. Rollins didn't seem to be taking the game seriously, judging from the casual clothes he wore. I think I was better dressed than he was, sheesh.
As mentioned, Spoon and a very attractive friend. Oh, and Kym was there too. ;) They were a riot when one of the team ads with them appeared- this whole piggyback ride thing seems to be a tradition of sorts, although the hysterics the two of them were in by the end of it suggested to me that they'd been told, "Oh, we'll toss that in with the outtakes, don't worry about anyone seeing it." And then the two of them chatting it up with Denise Brooks-Clauser, who must be wondering who she pissed off at HQ to get the idiot linesmen she's gotten. And Spoon playing fetch with Maddie. I have missed my team so very much.
I think the image I will take away from this is actually from pregame intros: the rookies, all staring at the screen in various states of awe and excitement, either grinning like they just hit Powerball or with their jaws dropped… and Shay and Tiffany chatting with each other with knowing looks on their faces; I kinda wanted to caption that, "Remember when we were rookies and we looked like that?"
Grade incomplete. But please, no more Lindsay Bowen at the point.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
May 4th, 2008: Phoenix at Connecticut (preseason)
Connecticut Sun 94, Phoenix Mercury 66
Some miscellaneous players in Mercury purple, orange, and silver take on some miscellaneous players in Sun white and red. Tracy Gahan, Mike Thibault, and the Game Notes Of Doom all have the magic touch.
If more than eight of these players are physically present in the arena the next time these two teams play, and if more than six of them are on the active roster, and if more than four of them actually play, I'll eat my hat. And it's a nice hat. I know preseason games have a distressing tendency to lack players who have any significance whatsoever, but the Mercury were without Taurasi, Pondexter, Miller (either Miller, as far as I could tell), Smith, Mazzante, Snell, Willingham, or Pringle. Connecticut wasn't much better off; I didn't even see Whalen or Whitmore in the building, and Carey didn't play. This was definitely a get-out-the-kinks game, and both coaches well and truly treated it as such.
Y'all don't care about the trials and tribulations of your traveling chronicler, or about the most amazing speedrun ever on Sunflower Express. Suffice it to say that despite losing nearly an hour in Manhattan, we still made it to Mohegan Sun in time for the anthem and intros. I… really wish we'd missed the anthem. It was bad. It was really bad.
Starters for Phoenix: Jen Derevjanik, Barbara Farris, Amy Lewis, Marscilla Packer, Brooke Smith. If more than Derevjanik and Farris are still on the roster come opening day, color me surprised. Lewis really didn't impress me at all- neither she nor Packer seemed to have a lick of sense when it came to being on the floor. Smith at least had a better idea of the positioning concept, but she's a one-trick pony with a propensity for getting physical in ways that don't help her team. Crockett was aggressive, but a little too aggressive- this is why having LA as your first WNBA team will scar you forever. Mitchell would be a solid guard if she were bigger, but she doesn't know how to adjust for her lack of size, which resulted in bad passes and extra steps. She's a goner. I liked Oga's style of play, and she seems willing to learn how to adjust to American basketball- I hope she sticks. Phoenix, in general, had a helluva time finding the basket. Some ugly shots went up. Right now, I'd say maybe four of these players will stick: Derevjanik, Farris, maybe Oga, maybe Jaysie Chambers, who was at least willing to bust ass out there. The rest of them are in over their heads.
Starters for Connecticut: Jessica Foley, Kerri Gardin, Amber Holt, Tamika Raymond, Ketia Swanier. Holt looked really good. Very strong, very aggressive. Gardin also impressed me- are there any Sky fans who can clue me in as to why she didn't make the team there? She's got great hustle (and reminds me disconcertingly of a larger Monique McLean [St. John's small forward], which makes me wonder what will happen when Sista Christon and Big Little Sista Christon meet on the 18th). Raymond was pretty much all glass, no score, which I'm given to understand her game has essentially become in recent years. Swanier- damn, she's fast. Yes, I know, belaboring the obvious, but I hadn't seen her all that closely. There was one play where her speed actually did her wrong- she took one too many steps, took her layup- and watched it hit off the side of the backboard. Eurgh. She can be a good point guard if she's given time, I think, but with Whalen, Carey, and Phillips, is Connecticut the place she's going to get time? Turner… I guess she played well in statistical terms, but things seemed to grind with her on the floor. No matter how many points she put up, I just couldn't shake the feeling that she was actually playing badly. I will say this: the Huskies on the floor all seemed to know where they all were. Swanier pulled off a couple of impressive passes to Turner. Where the hell did Tracy Gahan come from? And if anyone says Iowa State and/or the WNBL, I will beat them with a stick. How come she couldn't be this good when the Liberty drafted her? hjkdffklsdhg. Love her hustle. Love the way she works. Page got a lot of shots, but I don't know if that translates into anything. Again, you've got maybe four or five roster makes here: Gardin, Holt, Raymond, Swanier, Turner, and maybe Gahan if Maltsi isn't coming or if Thibault can move Carey.
I wish the Sun would make up their mind. Do they have a part-share in one of the most well-read fanbases in all of women's basketball, one that considers itself to be among the smartest in the land? Or are they going to go straight for the lowest common denominator? In the last few years, Connecticut really seems to be underestimating the intelligence of its fans and increasing the schtick they use during timeouts. The boy found himself missing Scottie B., that's how on-edge Matt and Jackie had us. Connecticut fans- if, as player acquisitions would seem to suggest, they're also Husky fans- should not need to be whipped into a frenzy by this kind of nonsense.
Still clearly preseason- they've got to work some bugs out of the previously mentioned entertainment, along with the scoreboards, which seem to have shrunk, much to our dismay, replaced by additional advertising space. Come on. Queenie wants her stats.
The rummage sale looked pretty interesting, and if I'd won money on my free bet before the game instead of after, I might have gone shopping. Old jerseys and the like always pique my interest.
The new side panels are ugly as sin. On the home whites, it's just Connecticut up the side, in a blue or black font that does not go with anything else on the jersey and looks suspiciously like UConn's font. Seriously, wouldn't someone from another Big East team take some kind of offense to this? Setting that aside- it doesn't go with the rest of the jersey. Gack.
Major, major props to the collegiately-clad family we ate next to at Geno's, especially the woman and the young lady with the big brass ones. There's moxie, and there's moxie, and then there's going to Geno's food court, surrounded by UConn history and UConn fans… in a Tennessee t-shirt or a Rutgers hoodie. Less props to the old guy who saw my jersey, accosted me, accused my team of wearing Rebecca Lobo down, and refused to believe me when I told him that she tore her ACL, yes, really, you cannot blame the coaching staff for a freak knee injury 43 seconds into the season, yes, REALLY, she tore her ACL, don't try to tell me she didn't, I was there and saw her writhing on the court, YES REALLY.
Autograph hunting would have been exceptionally pointless on accounta 1) barely recognizing anyone and having the autographs of anyone I would already, and 2) not really having anything to sign on accounta Connecticut not giving out rosters. The only reason I could identify anyone was because I brought my own printouts… and trying to print anything from the Sun website on a printer with no color ink in the cartridge is just a recipe for disaster. I had to write in the names (which were in yellow on the site) with the information I was given in terms of numbers, schools, and size. And then Meredith Alexis wandered in from nowhere and really bollocksed the whole thing up.
And then we went off and actually won money, so all in all, a pretty interesting day.