eeee omg eeee omg eeee omg The Game Notes of Doom get the red carpet treatment at the pre-draft meet-and-greets omg omg omg, shoot on par with all-conference players, and enjoy trivia omg yay.
OMG, you guys. My train of thought just keeps turning into eee OMG eee OMG EEEE OMG OMG OMG, so I beg your indulgence if I lack my usual wit and eloquent turns of phrase.
Got to the NBA Store a bit before five in order to properly meet up with Petrel and get credentialed. The folks with the league were kind enough to also allow Happycappie to join the party. Unfortunately, I'm not good in mingling situations, so while the draftees-to-be were out there with hoity-toity hors d'oeuvres, I was hiding in a corner with my homies, wondering how exactly it's possible to lose a six-foot-three blonde. (Answer: you stick her behind a giant bobble-head of Allen Iverson.)
Sue Wicks was our MC, and while I've missed Sue being strange and random a lot, she, um... I think she hit the bar and the bar hit back. She was kinda rambling, and then there was the whole Chante McCants thing, which, um, of all the players to mix up, maybe the Dukie and the Tar Heel weren't the two you should mix up. My favorite bit of the intros might have been Angel McCoughtry, who just kinda wandered out while Sue was still reading her accolades, waved to everyone like someone hadn't missed a cue, and settled in. Sue was quite nonplussed.
Quote of the night, when the seniors were asked about players they were looking forward to playing with or against, from Courtney Paris: "Kara Lawson, because we're both point guards." Though if I'd had a view of whoever said that the thing she'd miss most about college was traveling on the private plane, I'd be able to attribute the quote and that might beat out Paris's line. Most of the questions were traditional pap, so you'll pardon me for not having written down answers. They did manage to, eventually, name the eight original teams. The fact that it took fourteen of them to come up with eight cities should bother me.
Being in with the in-crowd, we got to start collecting the autos early... going the wrong direction, of course. Points to Chante Black for being able to multitask, signing autographs and doing an interview at the same time. Managed to hit three reporters at once. Ashley Paris and Kia Vaughn are not quite as good at the multitasking. Said hi to Angel, but because she was sitting next to Marissa Coleman, I didn't say what I fully wanted to say ("Hi, I'm a St. John's fan, and I wanted to thank you for finishing the job we started in 2006 by knocking off Maryland- it would have been lovely if we'd done it all together, but I'm glad you landed on your feet and helped elevate the game in Louisville.") Points to Lindsey Wisdom-Hylton for actually being with it enough to notice that I was wearing my Final Four t-shirt.
Then we got to take the bus to ESPNZone with the players. Well, they were all gathered in the back and we were closer to the front near security, so it's not like we were interacting with them, but we were on the bus. The interaction happened later, when we were upstairs in the arcade playing Pop-a-Shot with and against some of the players- petrel and I were on a team with Wisdom-Hylton and Shavonte Zellous. I can say with great pride that we held our own against these all-conference draft prospects. I think petrel actually won the round.
Our league contact took us downstairs for dinner, and we joined the main mass for trivia hosted by NBHOFNL. All three of us took home prizes from that- 2008 Rittenhouse auto cards. Petrel got a Lieberman for his correct answer, I got a Tangela Smith for mine, and Happycappie snagged a Jennifer Lacy auto. (Which, come to think of it, we really should have swapped around somehow so the Dream fan got the card of the Dream player. We r smrt.) We couldn't make out most of what was being said at the main table, but I figure it wasn't much different from the softball lobs during the NBA Store portion of the event, so we kept chattering with our contact about our fan stories and Rebkell's.
Fashion notes on the day: damn, Kia Vaughn cleans up nice. She dresses well, and that big smile just totally transforms her face. Kinda like Taj- when she smiles, the whole world smiles. DeWanna Bonner really should not wear knee-length skirts. Go with the pants or the long skirts. She's got some chicken legs on her, and the shoe choice did not help. I liked the pale pink of Wisdom-Hylton's top. Courtney Paris might want to move up a size in the tops department. That shirt was a tad too tight, and I know exactly how unflattering a too-tight top can be on a big girl. Didn't get a close look at anyone else's outfit, so I don't think anyone had any OH DEAR GOD NO moments with their fashion other than Bonner.
Of course, I'll report on fashion from on-site tomorrow, along with other things. :D
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8th 2009: WNBA pre-draft meet and greet
Monday, January 14, 2008
August 4th, 2003: Azzi, Ferdinand, NBA Store
Jennifer Azzi and Marie Ferdinand hit tricky free throws.
Monday, August 4th, NBA store goodness. Jennifer Azzi and Marie Ferdinand made an appearance. Azzi showed up in a sweatshirt, so we were not exposed to her incredible muscles. Alas. Marie wore a Reebok t-shirt, which makes sense since she and Azzi both work for Reebok. Both of them were in shorts. They’re talking about recent events and the coaching change and the last few games and such. Marie thinks that they were tight early on in the season. Interesting that they don’t call Shell Dailey Coach. Are they not used to it yet? They discussed the new experience that is San Antonio and the concept of Azzi retiring; she says it won’t be a physical thing but it’ll be something that just happens. Cream puff questions now- what’s your teammate’s strength and yadda-doo. “I’m not gonna lie-” Jennifer is frustrated by all the losing. Well, duh, losing is frustrating, especially when you’ve won metals and all that good stuff. They’re talking about Margo Dydek now, and they both say that she changes the game; Azzi says that when she was with the Shock she was scared to drive the lane. Marie says that losing Natalie Williams was very tough, but it’s all part of the business. Azzi thinks that Gwen Jackson has a very bright future.
Ferdinand is discussing the All-Star game now; she looks forward to it because she gets to see people in different ways; she says that Lauren Jackson is really nice off the court, but is prone to throw elbows on the court, and Azzi laughed and kind of scrunched up her face in agreement. Azzi is discussing the highlights of her career- from the national title at Stanford and the transition from no attendance to the title, and then the Olympic team and winning the gold in the US. Now they’re showing clips from one of the fitness camps that Azzi runs; she has an interesting philosophy about the connection between body and mind. Marie wants to avoid the camp; I don’t blame her one bit. Marie likes to relax in her spare time… and not go to the amusement park; they showed footage of her screaming her head off on a roller coaster. She says she did it for Inside Stuff.
Questions now. One guy wants to know if they played AAU. Both of them did, and that was where Azzi was scouted. One guy sees that they have talent and wants to know if they think they’re ready to challenge LA in a year or two. Marie thinks so, but first finish off this season and prepare for next. One lady wants to know who Azzi thinks is the toughest point guard to match up against. Answer: defensively, Tamicha Jackson; offensively, Nikki Teasley, and Shannon Johnson just in general. Another guy wants to know who they think will win the title. Marie thinks it’ll be Detroit, or someone else in the east. (Then again, she picked New York. Someone hasn’t been watching both conferences.) Azzi thinks if the Sparks get Leslie and Dixon back they have a shot, but Detroit looks good, as do Houston and Sacramento. The last guy wants to know if being on a bad team affects your chances. Azzi says it would take more effort to be noticed.
The contest this time is a free throw shooting contest with a little bit of H-O-R-S-E thrown in. Jen has to use her off hand. She is not happy. Now she has to try it sitting down. This amuses her slightly. Poor Ferdy had to bounce it in; she actually got one in. All in all it was a good time. More people there than there were for the Shock; I suppose the timing was all right, and the driving, pouring torrents of rain might have kept some people away who would otherwise have come. *wrings out hair*
Jen was spotted shopping after ‘graph goodness. I don’t know why she was in the NBA stuff either, ‘kay?
August 1st, 2003: Shock at the NBA Store, Detroit at New York
Detroit Shock 62, New York Liberty 60
The Game Notes plot to kidnap a large Lego Tony Parker, Crystal Robinson and Deanna Nolan throw down, and Ruth Riley is left open way too often.
Okay, these notes are gonna be extra long 'cause I was at the NBA Store today.
I swear, they change the rules at the NBA Store on an event-by-event basis. Now I can’t stand in my usual observation post. I’m currently seated on a painful, uncomfortable bench, surrounded by guys I honestly don’t think give a FUCK about the WNBA. There aren’t a lot of people here; I’m surprised, because I thought the UConn faithful would flock to see Swin Cash and perhaps throw things at Ruth Riley. (Cheryl Ford and the Shock’s coach Bill Laimbeer are also scheduled to show up.) There’s a little girl in a Tamika Catchings jersey here. If that’s not gonna start a fight, I don’t know what will. Oh, and if you need me, I’ll be kidnapping the little Tony Parker Lego dude.
Well, I’m impressed. They’re only running ten minutes late. Coach is in khakis and a Shock polo, Swin in white pans and a black shirt, Cheryl is in a Shock t, shorts, and boots, and Ruth is in a nice black top with blue jeans. Miss Ford looks like she’d rather be at the gym. Far too many people need far too much explanation of who everyone is. So far the Ford/Malone thing hasn’t come up, for which I am extremely grateful. I can hardly hear over the music, but Swin was keeping up a constant line of chatter. Cheryl and Ruth are keeping busy, though it’s hard to tell through the sheer mass of Coach Laimbeer.
It’s gonna be a long day. The mikes on the far side aren’t working, and there’s so much racket I can barely hear the people on the near side. I’m going to strangle someone soon. Coach thinks Detroit is starting to realize they have a basketball team. From what beancounter on the Storm boards said, he’s an optimist. They all think the chemistry is faboo, Ford can’t stop gushing. They just embarrassed Swin by suggesting that she’s not under the basket rebounding with Ruth and Cheryl. Heh. Freudian slip- Coach had to correct himself when discussing the roster. And Cash has a look on her face like she wants to hit the next person who makes the “cash/money” pun. Now they’re talking about the matchups- how the Shock can’t beat the Sting, how the Shock have handled the Liberty, yadda-doo.
Player mentality and changing thereof; Laimbeer’s practical answer was that he changed a lot of players. When they talked about Ruth Riley’s 2001 NCAA title, Swin just got a look on her face and bit her lip. Next up is education; I’m surprised they’re not mentioning that all three players there are college graduates. Oooh, offcourt hobbies. Swin likes to be involved with young kids. (Swin, sweetie, get out sometime.) Laimbeer golfed, now he hunts and does TV work for the Pistons. Cheryl shops. Ruth watches sports, goes to the beach, and hangs out.
Questions. What’s it like to coach women? The same as coaching men, only the women listen better. What are the key features of the team game going to be when they hit the playoffs? The same as always- rebound and play defense. Apparently they don’t practice rebounding specifically. Oooh, question for Ruth- was there a problem going from one coaching style to another? Answer- nope. The contest was play-by-play on Deanna Nolan’s game-winning shot in Indiana. They did all right. I could have done better. :-)
They’re a nice bunch of gals. I guess it’s sorta like D-Nasty/Sunshine, only not quite as extreme. I’m eating lunch now and typing up some last fragments of thoughts before finishing my drink and entering the Garden for my usual stakeout. And one major thought is this- WHERE THE FUCK was everyone?! Granted lousy timing, but there still weren’t a lot of people there and most of them were curious bystanders. Maybe Monday will be better. Maybe.
Game notes below.
Again with the dance rs? Oy. And this group was even less inspired than the last. Anyway. Sue’s already been spotted ignoring various pleas to stay in hiding. There was a small child in her vicinity. I don’t know if it was hers.
The Shock is one nice team. If you ever run into a hyperkinetic dancer named Sammy, and you have a pen of some variety, follow her. She’s an autograph magnet. Ruth Riley was messing with Ayana Walker whilst Walker was signing for us, asking her for her ‘graph. The little Diattas are fine. I asked.
Becky! Keep your hands off Sue’s butt! She’s got a girlfriend! Good Lord. Not to be rude or anythang, but Becky couldn’t look more… you know… if she tried. Black tee-shirt and belted pants- khakis? I can’t tell from 210. In any case, she’s walking without aid. Go her. Sue’s in the front row with flowers, the girlfriend, a a guy in a Sue Wicks shirt, and and a small child. I think it’s the same small child. I’m confused now. Oh, BTW, K.B. is garbed in a cute little white skirt and a blue top. Must be fair, after all. She seems to be keeping Tamika amused.
Riley must have been disappointed in the anthem; it was instrumental, and y’all know how she loves to sing along. It was nice, though, according to my friend the jazz freak.
Elena, honey, you need to lighten up. It’s the first TV timeout, and Linda was doing her usual hyperactive celebration thing, slapping everyone a high five. She tried to get Elena to do one, and Elena wouldn’t, so Linda draped the towel over her neck. Elena promptly removed said towel.
We look good so far. Tari’s been on fire, so has VJ. I approve. Oh, wait, I knew there was a problem. ONLY THREE PLAYERS HAVE SCORED! Oh, and the next time I pick Swin Cash over Cheryl Ford, slap me. Hard. (On postgame thought, don't.) Erin’s playing the role of K.B. tonight. And here comes Fro! Frooooooooo! We had, what, four chances, and we botched it. For the love of GOD, score already!
The girls in the Torch Patrol are all wearing Sue Wicks jerseys. It’s cute. Oh, and Erin just hit her third three pointer. Think she wants to keep her job? Oh.my.squee. Erin the steal, pass to Tari, incredible bounce pass to Crystal, lay-up.
4:39 left, Tari got flattened, Richie got T’d. The one problem I have with this game is that we have way more fouls than they do. Oh, and they’re outrebounding us royally, 16-9. Only threes are keeping us in this one, and those are fickle friends.
So much for Elena’s first start at the Garden. She’s been in foul trouble and her shots just haven’t fallen. She’s been defending well enough, though. Tamika’s been rebounding all right.
Halftime and the Sue lurve. They showed a montage of clips, then Kym sang. Tari and Tamika were grooving in the background. Doris Burke is singing her praises, and Sue looks like she wants to hide. Of course she got a standing O. She’s also been given a gift certificate, a floor tile, and a really neat photo montage of her palying days in NY. I want one. She’s all overcome. And funny, of course. “I haven’t heard anyone scream my name in a while.” Though I would like to know what a ‘push-pull’ day is. They ran a bunch of Sue facts and cited that as her favorite saying. It was cute. Spoon and VJ talked about her and were generally very goopy.
HOLY FUCK! Deanna Nolan and C-Rob just got into a tussle! I didn’t catch the whole thing, but the next thing I saw, Crystal had swung at Nolan’s head and people were holding them back. Mom and our amiga say that Nolan instigated it with the offensive foul, but I didn’t catch it. Both of them were ejected and Richie came close to getting the second T. It has not been a pretty game, except for the part where the Liberty have the lead. Erin’s been playing a lot of minutes because of the lack of other perimeter players.
Detroit’s creeping back. Strong post play, some bad calls, and Swin Cash on the fast break have all been helping them in that cause. And so has Elena’s shot selection. How do you say “QUIT IT WITH THE JUMP SHOTS!” in Russian?
Spoon just got trampled by Kedra Holland-Corn… no call. Guys, with the agita going on here, you might want to call it fair.
Finally! August and they get the brilliant idea to have someone in the aisle between purple and green throw up freebies to those of us in the green seats! The dudette next to me got one- was a barbeque apron.
Detroit’s made it all the way back. They had the lead with twenty seconds left, but Tari tied it in the lane. 7.7 left now, tied at 60. Thank God I’m young and my heart can stand it. Maybe this’ll be the way we get our coaching change, Richie’s heart will give out after one of these. Swin finally showed up in all senses of the word. Good for my VGM, bad for my Liberty. I hate split loyalties.
What a heartbreaker. So close yet so far. If we could play that well against cellar-dwellers, we’d have a few more wins. Unfortunately we didn’t get the win. It was painful. There were signs of life, but there were long stretches of “WHAT WAS THAT?!” Tamika and Elena both floated around the perimeter too much, while the Shock had their way in the paint and with the rebounds.
*kicks Ruth Riley’s defender in the shins repeatedly* Riley is famous for hitting a free throw. Who in their right mind leaves her open not once, but twice, for a jumper from the free throw line? What was Tari thinking when she shot with seven seconds left? What was VJ thinking when she threw up that stupid shot with three and change left? How DARE they play this way in front of Sue? How dare they give up so easily in front of the ultimate hustle player? How dare Elena play so shittily in front of the Liberty’s first backup and spot starting power forward? How dare they allow open shots in front of one of the team’s greatest defenders? It’s a slap in the face to Sue that overshadows all the pretty words and the freebies and the applause. It’s the ultimate proof that the Liberty have ceased to play by the precepts put forth by its original players, of defense and hustle and heart. It is a sign that though we say Sue will never be forgotten, our team is already forgetting her and Kym and Rebecca and even the younger Spoon.
July 2003: Catchings, McCray, NBA Store
Cute kids make pretty women, Nikki McCray can sing, and Tamika Catchings really is a sweetheart.
First off, notes from the NBA Store. I have to add stuff to my game notes. And I'm not doing the article, kate; I don't have the objectivity right now... I've got images of Snapped!VJ in my head and that's not conducive to journalism.
The guests of honor have arrived at last. Twenty minutes late- apparently Nell Fortner wanted to leave nothing to chance. I think McCray’s got yet another new hairdo. She’s in blue jeans and a white Fever tanktop. Catch’ is in a navy blue tee and white shorts. Sneakers for both, of course, since they did just come out of practice. There are a hellacious amount of pictures being taken. Honestly, you’ll have your chance later, my friends. Okay, guys, start the show already. Ah, here comes the music. *laughter* Catch and Nikki are both looking for the great voice from the ceiling.
First question is a softball about the competitiveness of the league. Catch is trying to answer, but either her mike is out or she’s talking way too quietly. The host is asking Nikki about the Fever’s six-game losing streak- Nikki thinks that there are just times when a team just can’t get itself together but she likes that you can have that kind of streak and still be in the playoff race. Catch likes the idea of being able to take care of her own business- as a team, I mean. Obviously. Now Catch is being asked if having a veteran like Nikki around is of the good. After laughter, and a joke that Nikki doesn’t have time for anyone, the answer that she gives is yes. (Well, no shit. What else is she going to say?) Now Nikki gets to talk about having Catch on her team. Nikki now gushes, saying that Catch is one of the best, if not the best, players in the WNBA. On court and off court, she never stops.
Now he wants to know if Catch is satisfied with her development as a player. She says that she goes back and evaluates everything. She’s never satisfied. She wants to know what can make her better, from both coaches and players. She says she wants to be like Michael Jordan, in that you can look back and see the development. Nikki says that sometimes Catch doesn’t step up enough, preferring to leave the shooting to her teammates. The questioning turns to fanship- Nikki thinks the fan base is very strong, very loving. (Someone needs to talk to the Star, then.) Catch loves Conseco Fieldhouse. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why they ask these questions. What the hell else are these palyers are going to answer? Are they going to say “no, our fans aren’t nearly numerous enough”?
Buzzer-beater goodness. Yay Catch! She couldn’t believe that she was that wide open, though it was on a play that the team had designed. Nikki thinks that the atmosphere at the Garden tonight is going to be great and she seems very confident about her team’s chances tonight. She would also appreciate if the officiating was fair this time. Speaking of the Garden, they showed highlights of Catch’s All-Star experience. They segued to the Olympic experience of Nikki McCray, and how Catch hopes to win gold in Athens next year.
Now they’re talking about the Cheerios. Catch has not eaten Cheerios in a while. She’s not getting as enthusiastic as they’d like her to. I don’t know why they’d freak- how excited can you get about cereal? Meanwhile, Nikki’s discussing her day-care thingy/program. Small kids are very cute. Now they’re showing Nikki dealing with one-year-olds. Hell, with all the kids on the Fever, that should be a piece of cake! (There are at least three mothers on the Fever, with four kids between them.) In her free time, Catch does basketball camps, writes poetry, and reads. She wasn’t very talkative as a child, so she would hole herself up in her room and write. Nikki sings- she’s giving us a sample from the Star-Spangled Banner. Very nice voice, sort of a pop kind of voice- definitely in the same league as Kym, maybe not quite Tari’s league. Seriously, the league needs to exploit the singers it has.
Kiddy pictures! Oh my God, Nikki was soooooooooo cute when she was young!!! And Catch was even cuter! Squee! Now they have bobble-heads. Catch’s has bad hair. Questions: my friend’s friend asked if they like the changes. Catch doesn’t care for it… took her a while to find a diplomatic way to say it, though, and that’s saying a lot for Catch. A small, adorable child asks what made them pick basketball as their main sport. Nikki says that the track stuff didn’t work out for her, so basketball just fell into her lap. Catch played a lot od different sports, but basketball became what she was good at. Another girl wants to know what each woman’s biggest obstacle was. Catch says it was the ACL. Nikki didn’t have any, really. The girl’s friend wants to know who each player’s greatest individual challenge is. For Catch, it’s Chamique. For Nikki it’s all of the shooting guards in the league. Some guy wants to know what it’s like stepping on the court. Catch says that she gets nervous sometimes. Nikki’s only nervous at jump ball. Another guy want to know something. Uh, I couldn’t hear the question, but Nikki answered that she likes the way her team is playing and glad that her team’s in the WNBA.
Play-by-play, Catch’s game-winning shot against the Mystics. This is pathetic. These kids don’t know jack, but the players are, of course, quite generous. Catch really is a sweetheart.