Larry Burnett is in his 10th season as the “Voice” of the Los Angeles Sparks. Throughout the 2007 season, he’ll be sharing his thoughts on the team, the players, the WNBA, and just about anything that suits his fancy in Larry’s blog here on www.lasparks.com. If you have questions or comments for me, check out my website www.larrybsports.com. Just click “EMAIL” and send your thoughts my way.

4/28: LISA'S BOOK

I am really pleased with the way that 'Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You' turned out. Lisa's story is even more fascinating than I imagined when we started the project. There is plenty of basketball in the book, but the thing I am most pleased about is that 'Lipstick' is so much more than just a book about basketball. 'Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You' also includes truck driving, self esteem issues, fighting, goal setting, racism, recruiting wars, professional modeling, an Olympic bombing, faith, international travel, stolen identity, jet fighters, skinny-dipping, motherhood, and Lisa meeting the man of her dreams by giving her phone number to a complete stranger.

Lisa is a very special lady and her story is compelling and inspiring. I hope you enjoy reading 'Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You' as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Available in book stores April 29th OR available now at Amazon.com

8/23: THAT’S LIFE
With no apologies to Mr. Sinatra

“You’re riding high in April, shot down in May
But the Sparks are gonna change that tune
When they’re back on top, back on top next June,
July, August, September, and October of 2008”

2007 was an awfully tough year for everyone involved with the Sparks’ organization. The MIA’s and the walking wounded made every game an uphill battle, but the players and coaches remained positive and fought to the very last second of the very last game.

I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race”

Nobody likes to go 10-24 especially head coach, Michael Cooper, and general manager, Penny Toler, but if there was a year for the Sparks to get knocked down, just for a moment, 2007 was the year.

The 2008 WNBA Draft is deep in talent and the Sparks now have the best percentage chance to get the top pick (Sylvia Fowles-LSU/ Candace Parker-Tennessee?) Keep your fingers crossed come lottery time.

*The journalist within forces me to tell you that the team with the most ping pong balls has only won the top draft pick one time since the lottery began. Phoenix did that in 2004 and got Diana Taurasi.

Of course, last year, Phoenix had the smallest chance of all the lottery teams to get the top choice and the Mercury still walked away with the #1 overall pick, Lindsey Harding. (traded to Minnesota for Tangela Smith who helped Phoenix win the West this season)

Okay, enough of the fair and balanced journalism. Let’s get back to the good stuff about the Sparks worst season ever. The free agent pool is deep and full this year and P.T. has money to spend. Most of the team’s key players are locked up with good contracts, and the G.M. is going on a hunting trip for top talent.

Lisa Leslie will be back. She told you that after the season finale against Houston. Lisa plans to join the U.S. National team, in December, for its domestic tour and then get ready for the Sparks’ season and the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China. You can bet she will be ready to rock and dish out a heapin helping of payback to all those teams that stepped on the Sparks while they were down in 2007.

One of the obvious things from this past season was how much Lisa was missed and how much better she makes every other Sparks’ player when she is in practice and on the court. Just imagine Taj and Lisa up front next season. Just imagine Lisa passing out of a double team to a wide-open Sidney Spencer. I’m getting chills just thinking about it.

That brings me to another reason for optimism in 2008? Sidney, Marta Fernandez and Sherill Baker will all head to training camp with a full season of Sparks’ experience under their waistbands. (they don’t wear belts on the court) Those young players got valuable minutes in 2007 which should pay off next season.

That’s life as I see it and life is going to be very good in Sparksville in 2008!

THANK YOU!

A great big thanks to all of you who have been checking out the blog and writing in. I really appreciate your support and that of so many of the Spark’s fans who have taken the time to let me know that they’ve been listening to my Sparks’ broadcasts on AM-1150 Radio and watching on FSN-Prime Ticket.

I have been privileged to be the “voice of the Sparks for ten years now. (The team did not do radio broadcasts in the WNBA’s inaugural season of 1997 and Chick Hearn did the T.V. games) I have a great passion for the game and I thoroughly enjoy working with the Sparks’ organization and being in touch with you fans. I know that Kathy and Carla have big plans for 2008 and I am looking forward to next season.

The LISA STORY

I am taking some time now to write Lisa Leslie’s life story. We have a contract with Kensington Publishing in New York and plan to have the book out by next summer. Lisa has terrific basketball stories to tell (the 101 point game, THE DUNK, Olympics, WNBA Championships, MVP awards, etc.) but her life is so much more than basketball. Hers is a fascinating story of overcoming adversity to become a truly successful woman in every sense of the word. I hope you will be as excited to read it, as I am to write it.
(btw- The publisher does not want the title leaked out, but I think I let it slip before I got that edict. If you scroll back thru earlier blogs, you just might find it. But you didn’t hear that from me. Okay?)

MANY THANKS!

To Frank Polak, John Traconis, Doug Mann, Dave Davis, the Staples Center Stats Crew, Derek Fisher, Tracy Warren, Tom Feuer, Steve Elkin, Mike Hassan and our entire FSN crew for all their help on our Sparks’ broadcasts in 2007.

Mucho thanks to Allison McGowen, Melissa Frederickson, Jonathan Daillak, and the Sparks P.R. staff for all the assists and special thanks to Coop, Michael Abraham, Margaret Mohr and Jeremy “Sweet Pea” Golden as well as Thomas Archie and Marco Nunez. Without those two, the Sparks well-oiled machine just chugs along.

DON’T FORGET
Next year has already started for the L.A. Sparks

You can contact me through my web site www.larrybsports.com.
Just click the “EMAIL” button and write your little heart out.

HAVE A GREAT OFF SEASON!

8/9: TALES FROM THE TRIPS

It is hard to believe that the Sparks were in Minnesota just a few days before that fateful bridge collapse. I lived in Minneapolis for five years and drove over that 35W bridge hundreds of times. Life is short. We know that, I don’t think we realize how suddenly it can end.

The Sparks loss in Detroit might have been the most frustrating one of the season. The ladies got so close, but cam away empty and you know Coop hates to lose in Detroit, especially to Bill Laimbeer.

The New York game was one of the craziest I have seen in a long time. The Sparks committed 14 turnovers in the fourth quarter and still won the game. For awhile, it looked like neither team wanted the basketball. The Liberty hurt themselves, though. They only scored five points off those L.A. turnovers in the final quarter. For awhile it looked like Lisa Willis was going to come back to haunt the Sparks. She played well and hit some big shots. I’m happy for her, but happier that the Sparks won.

After the August 3rd game in Houston, the Sparks took the three hour bus ride to San Antonio. We got to the hotel around 2:30 A.M and had to play the Silver Stars that night. Dan Hughes has done a great job assembling a winning program in San Antonio. He had Achilles tendon surgery back in June and has been wearing a protective boot ever since Dan spends most of his time on the bench, while assistant coach, Brian Agler, does the leg work, walks the sidelines, deals with the officials, and does a lot of the coaching. Whatever they do, it works. Of course having Becky Hammon on board doesn’t hurt.

FANDOMONIUM

Becky in Riverside sent me her Top 5 WNBA players that she would pay to see.

1. Lisa Leslie
2. Lauren Jackson
3. Sheryl Swoopes
4. Tina Thompson
5. Becky Hammon

Also, thanks for the mail at www.larrybsports.com from Ron, D in Newport Coast, Malia, Orin from North Carolina, Brad, Randy, Jane and Stephanie. Keep that mail coming. I’ll answer it and maybe use it here in the blog. I’ll see you at the game.

7/20: LARRY B BLOG

The flight from LAX to Phoenix is short and the view isn’t real exciting. There’s a lot of desert, some hills, small mountains and lots of dirt. In fact, if you see any green during the trip, you are probably flying over a golf course, a basketball field, or a cemetery.

The Sparks arrived in Phoenix around noontime, last Thursday. The temperature was already 102 and it got hotter as the day went on. Even the breeze felt warm, but it wasn’t terrible. I remember being in Phoenix with the team when the Arizona temperatures hovered around 120 degrees!!! Now that is terrible!

My friend, John Cooper, explained the local heat to me many years ago when he was coaching the Sun Devils’ football team at Arizona State University. When he moved to Arizona, somebody told him, “Sure, it gets hot here, but it’s a dry heat.” After living in Tempe for awhile, John had his own take. He told me, “Yeah, it’s a dry heat, but my oven has dry heat, too, and you don’t see me sticking my head in there, do you?”

It is always fun to come to Phoenix. The Mercury plays an exciting brand of basketball and Diana Taurasi is a show all by herself. When she gets in a groove, DT hits some of the most unbelievable shots you have ever seen and a lot of them are from long, long distance. Sometimes Taurasi gets so hot that I don’t expect her to ever miss. She is a lot like San Antonio’s, Becky Hammon, in that way and that’s why those two players are on my Top 5 List of active WNBA players that I would pay to see. (L.A. Sparks not included because of broadcaster bias!)

LARRY B’$ TOP FIVE
1.Becky Hammon
2.Diana Taurasi
3.Lauren Jackson
4.Tamika Catchings
5.Katie Smith

I want to hear your top five so send me an email. Go to my web site www.LarryBsports.com, click the “E-MAIL” button and you can contact me directly.

7/15: ALL-STAR BREAK

Hey! It was great to see Taj play so well in her sixth All Star Game. She just missed a dub-dub with 11 points and 9 boards in her 19 + minutes for the West team. And how good was it to see her outwork three Detroit Shock players under the hoop?

“The rook”, Sidney Spencer, represented the Sparks very well in the 3 point shootout. Her 19 points tied last year’s best round in the event, but Washington’s, Laurie Koehn, could NOT miss! She scored 25 point in the final round. That set a new WNBA All Star record and tied the NBA record for most points in a 3 point shootout. Koehn canned 14 consecutive shots at one point and finished really strong with 18 makes in her last 19 tries. WHEW!

Becky Hammon won the Dribble, Dish, and Swish skills challenge. She is one tough competitor! We’ll get to see her at STAPLES Center, Tuesday July 15th when the San Antonio Silver Stars come to town.

Good News! The WNBA has a new TV deal with ABC, ESPN, and friends.

Bad News! The WNBA is talking expansion again. I know the league makes a bunch of money when it adds new teams, but right now the WNBA is extremely competitive. Every team has two or three excellent players. I’d hate to see that talent diluted through expansion.

Now that the WNBA All Star break is over, it’s time for the Sparks to get back to work. They’ve got the Silver Stars at STAPLES on Tuesday night, then Coop’s Troops will play seven straight games on the road. OUCH BABE!

7/1: VIVA LISA!

It was great to see Lisa Leslie at Staples Center for the Sparks game against New York. Lisa sat court side with her husband, Michael, and their brand new baby girl, Lauren Jolie Lockwood. At halftime, Lisa, joined me on AM-1150 and told me that Lauren's birth was anything but easy. She had to be delivered by C- section and the baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and leg. Thankfully, LJ is fine and thriving. She even managed to catch a nap during the Sparks vs Liberty game. The Sparks seemed to be dozing at times, as well.

As far as Lisa returning to the Sparks this season? She isn't closing any doors at this point, but she'll be taking things one step at a time. First, she has to get permission from her doctor to start working out and that could take some time. Keep your fingers crossed!

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

Lisa Leslie and I announced on AM-1150 that we have reached an agreement with Dafina Publishing to write Lisa's life story. She has an incredible story to tell and it isn't just about basketball. We are full speed ahead on the project and plan to have the book in stores before the 2008 Olympics.

I'll keep you up to speed!

6/23: COOP'S COUP!

It took an uprising of major proportions for the Sparks to defeat Sacramento, in two overtimes, last Friday night. After stumbling and struggling for three quarters and finding themselves down by 21 points, the Sparks finally "IGNITED!"

It took a total team effort and that's what the Sparks got in the fourth quarter when they outscored Sac 28-9 to force overtime. The team got great efforts from so many of its vets, but give Coop credit. He went with rookie, Sidney Spencer, and newcomer, Sherril Baker, down the stretch and they combined for 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the contest.

The Sparks won the game 96-88 in double overtime and the fans were terrific. The comeback was phenomenal, but there was one other thing that jumped out of that game for me. It had nothing to do with shots, blocks or buckets, but it said a lot about the man who coaches the L.A. Sparks.

The team was huddled around Coop for a 20 second time out during overtime. Hearts were pounding, tension was raging and the game was at a critical point, but Coop noticed that Christi Thomas had returned from the locker room on crutches. She was sitting twenty feet away with her aching ankle propped up on the Sparks' bench.
What did Coop do with emotions running high, the arena rocking, and the game on the line? He moved the entire huddle down to the other end of the bench, right in front of Christi, so that she would be included and not feel left out of the Sparks' incredible comeback victory.

The Sparks' win was absolutely classic. The Sparks' coach was definitely first class!

The Meek Shall Inherit

Look for Houston to re-sign former Sparks' guard, Tamecka Dixon, when she is eligible to return. Houston waived "Meek" during the off season and by WNBA rules, the Comets are not allowed to re-sign her until July 1st...and they will!

TRADE WINDS

Before Wednesday night's game, the Sparks traded Lisa Willis to New York for Sherril Baker, a second year point guard out of the University of Georgia. Lisa is very talented and she is a great person. I never felt like she found her comfort zone with the Sparks. I hope she gets some playing time with the Liberty and shows everyone just how good she can be.

Problem was, there was a logjam at Lisa's position and with Temeka Johnson still sidelined after knee surgery, the Sparks really needed a point guard who could run the show. Baker is quick, plays tough defense and she is a penetrator at the offensive end. She can handle the ball and take some of that burden off of Marta Fernandez and Mwadi Mabika, and Baker should draw enough attention on her drives to create some open shots for her teammates. Let's hope so. Right now, the team is like a
Rubik's Cube. They are very hard to figure out and the coaching staff is trying every combination possible to make the Sparks successful.

Tough stretch up ahead! Starting with Friday night's date with Sac, the Sparks will play nine of their next ten games at home. During that stretch they'll face the Monarchs and Seattle twice and also h they'll face tough competition from Indiana, Connecticut and San Antonio as well.

Tales from the Trip

Tough loss to Detroit, last Monday night. Michael Cooper hates to lose to anybody, but he probably hates to lose to Bill Laimbeer more than any other WNBA coach especially at Staples Center.

We had to be at LAX by 7AM Tuesday morning for the flight to Houston. Man, those Cinnabons smelled great, but I managed to abstain. We finally got a flight where the food and the movie was free and the video machine wouldn't work. That might have been a bad omen. Our decent to Houston was like an E-ticket ride, but we landed safely.

Wednesday night, the ride got bumpier. The Comets knocked off the Sparks for their first win of the season. I hated to see the Sparks lose, but I was happy that Karleen Thompson finally got her first win as head coach after starting the season with ten consecutive losses. Kar is a great story. She started out as the Sparks' equipment manager and now she's the head coach and general manager of the Houston Comets.

ROADIES

This is my tenth season with the Sparks and I don't think I've seen a more bizarre schedule than the on the team has for the next week. We started off, on Thursday, with a cross country flight to Washington, DC. We got in late and lost some bags. That meant area restaurants were closed, so we drove the bus to McDonalds for a late night snack. I told you this job was glamorous!

Friday night the Sparks faced the Washington Mystics..and it was like a reunion. Newcomer, Iciss Tillis played at Duke with Alana Beard and Monique Currie. Muriel Page played collegiately at Florida with Delisha Milton-Jones and Lisa Willis and Nikki Blue were teammates at UCLA.

After the game, a very short night's sleep then a 4:30 AM bus to the airport for Saturday night's game in Minneapolis. We fly back to LAX on Sunday and get ready for the Detroit Shock game, Monday night at Staples Center.

Tuesday, the team flies to Houston.
Wednesday night they face the Comets
Thursday, the Sparks fly home to L.A and Friday, they host a tough Sacramento Monarch's team!

Whew! That's a lot of frequent flyer miles.

I'm trying not to eat any of those gooey Cinnabons this season, but with all this airport time, I may have to give in to temptation. Wish me luck and wish the Sparks good luck and happy trails!

SHOCKED!

I couldn't believe it when I heard that Chamique Holdsclaw was retiring. I had talked with her. I sit in front of her on the bus for road trips. I thought she was happier, friendlier, and more talkative than she had been since she joined the Sparks after her trade from Washington.

She told me before the season that she had seriously considered not coming back because of the recurring problems she had been having with her foot; problems that limited her play in last year's post season. In fact, Chamique told me that she was 80% sure, during the off season, that she did not want to play anymore because of the pain, but she had surgery on the foot and felt so good afterwards that she played in Poland before signing her new deal with the Sparks.

Chamique told me that she looked at this season as a "new beginning" for the team. She was excited about playing for Coop, and "Claw" realized how much she would have "missed her Sparks' teammates" if she did not return to L.A. this season. Now, her teammates will miss Chamique. Five games into the season, the Sparks find themselves without four of their starters from last season ( Lisa- maternity leave/ TJ- knee/ Tamara Moore- waived/ Holdsclaw-retired). I'm sure the new owners feel "snake bit" right about now, but life goes on and so will the Sparks, but it won't be easy.

I 'll miss Chamique. I enjoyed being around her. She had incredible talent and was a great addition to the squad. I was always amazed at how effortlessly she could play the game and how quietly she could fill up a scorebook. She will be missed, but "Claw" has made the decision that she thinks is best for her. Everybody deserves that option. I wish her the best.

FACES!

You can expect some new faces in Sparks' uniforms for Wednesday night's game with Houston. General manager, Penny Toler, is working hard, pulling strings, and trying to fill some rather large gaps in the team's roster. Ironically, one of the faces you will see in a Comets' uniform, at Staples, will be Tamara Moore who signed on with Houston, this season, after being cut by L.A.

There will also be some familiar faces on the Comets' coaching staff. Karleen Thompson, who began her career in L.A. as the Sparks' equipment manager and later moved up to assistant coach , is now the head coach and general manager of the Comets. Her assistant is Ryan Weisenberg who worked with Kar as Sparks' assistant coaches under Coop, during Michael's first stint with the team.

Familiar faces and some new faces when the Sparks host the Comets, Wednesday night at Staples Center. I'll see you at the game . If you can't make it, listen in on AM-1150 starting at 7:30 PM

To reach me, go to www.larrybsports.com , click the "email" button and fire away.

L.A. SPARKS- THE HOME VERSION!

The Sparks were the last WNBA team to play a home game, but they made the most of it, Friday night at Staples Center. There was a great feeling in the building as the players, coaches, and new owners, Kathy Goodman and Carla Christofferson were introduced before the game. WNBA prez, Donna Orender, was in the house. Coop was back on the sidelines and it was great to see Lisa Leslie in her purple maternity gear . Lisa and Michael are expecting their first baby later this month.

I want to set the record straight. There is no truth to the rumor that Lisa was stopped by Staples Center security for trying to smuggle a basketball out of the building under her shirt. No truth at all! She did, however, give a whole new meaning to the phrase "and one".

What an exciting game!
Taj with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots including the big block on Lindsey Harding in the final seconds. Did you enjoy Marta Fernandez, the rookie out of Spain? She is so quick and fearless when it come to driving to the hoop. She's like Raisin Bran, except Marta has much more than 2 scoops!

How about Mwade Mabika? She is in her 11th season now. She'll be 31 in July, but Mwade is in great shape this season. She had to be to chase Seimone Augustus around all game and still have energy to can four big free throws down the stretch in the Sparks' 90-87 win.

Very exciting and as I mentioned on the court after the game, Friday night was very much a reunion. Our annual get together to visit with Sparks' fans and players that we have known for years and introduce ourselves to the new group of fans and players who will be enjoying the 2007 season with us. Let's do it again on Wednesday night when the Sparks host the Houston Comets. It is spirit night so wear your purple and gold.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed your comments and questions to me. Keep it up and I'll answer some of your questions here in the blog or, who knows, maybe on the radio broadcasts on AM-1150. To reach me, go to www.larrybsports.com , click the "email" button and fire away.

NO COUP!

The Sparks flew home on Sunday, had a few good days of practice, then winged their way to Sacramento for Saturday night’s game with the Monarchs. The first half was marred by the knee injury suffered by DeMaya Walker. Michael Cooper showed a ton of class by going out onto the court to help Walker who had to be taken away off the court on a stretcher.

Sparks’ rookie, Sidney Spencer, came to life in the second quarter. She scored 15 points in the second quarter on 5 of 8 shooting. SS also went 3 for 4 from long distance, in the quarter, and canned both of her free throw attempts on her way to a game high 22 points. The Monarchs shot 66% in the second half and outscored the Sparks 44-28 on points in the paint. Ouch! Losing seems to hurt more in Sacramento than in just about any other place in the WNBA.

The Sparks are 2-2 and getting ready for Friday night’s home opener, at Staples Center, against the Minnesota Lynx. Start time is 7:30. I’ll see you at the game or your can hear me on AM-1150 Radio.

Homecoming

Taj McWilliams-Franklin got a nice round of applause when was introduced at the Mohegan Sun Arena. It was her first trip back and her first outing against her former team. Taj put up 15 points and 7 rebounds against her old mates.

The Sparks led by 20 at halftime, but saw the Sun shave that margin down to three in the second half. Coop’s troop got back in gear and won the game 88-68. It was a breakout game for Marta Fernandez. She had 19points and how about Mwade Mabika? (19pts/ 6reb/ 6 ast/ 4st/ 1bs)

Here Comes the Sun

The Sparks flew out Friday morning to Connecticut for Saturday afternoon's game with the Sun. We got out of Indianapolis just in time. It was Indy 500 weekend. The crowds were pouring in and the craziness was building to a fever pitch.

BTW- The Colts' new football stadium is well under way. It is right across the street from the RCA Dome. The new building will be called Lucas Oil Stadium. I can hear the jokes already when a Colts’ runner slips or a Peyton pass goes through the hands of a receiver.