Fan Blog Archive 4

August 2006

This picking against the Monarchs thing really isn't working out too well. Have I learned my lesson? Keep reading�

FRONT COURT

This is where the Monarchs decimated Houston and LA. They've outscored their opponents in the paint by more than 10 points per game. The Shock are perhaps even more dominant up front. They outdid the Fever and Sun by nearly 12 ppg in the paint. If you look at rebounding, the Monarchs are a little ahead in terms of rebound % and margin in the playoffs. Sacto hasn't gotten much out of their reserves here. Brunson hasn't been effective in the postseason and Buescher has been all but invisible. Detroit, meanwhile, has gotten quality play from Pierson, and Braxton has done well at everything except hitting layups. I think Griffith & Walker is a slightly better starting tandem than Ford & Riley, mostly because Riley is so thoroughly outclassed by both Walker and Griffith. At the three it's Powell vs Cash. There's no question that Powell has been playing better than Cash.

I'm going to give the slight edge here to Sacramento. The caveat being that Ford is the best front court player on either team and could single handedly tip the balance the other way.

BACK COURT

On paper it's a mismatch. Nolan & Smith against Penicheiro & Lawson. In the two regular season matchups, Katie and Tweety outscored Ticha and Kara 34-8 and 16-5. Dorrell started both of those games and played more minutes than Lawson but was no more effective. Dorrell has been a non-factor in the playoffs. Off the bench the Monarchs have mostly used Haynie, the Shock have used Powell some but the starters are both averaging 37+ minutes per game.

The advantage here is clearly to Detroit.

COACHING

Whisenant has the better record, both overall and in the playoffs. I find the Monarchs' style of play to be quite boring, but it's unquestionably effective and you won't see them beating themselves.

Advantage: Sacramento.

INTANGIBLES

The Shock have home advantage. Both teams are loaded with playoff experience. Sacto has nine players who have won WNBA titles, Detroit has six. The Shock also have one player with an ABL title. The Monarchs haven't lost a playoff game so far. Both teams are healthy, which is a big part of why they're here.

Edge to Detroit. Home ad has always meant victory in the WNBA finals.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The thing to watch will be the guard play. Nolan and Smith need to outscore Penicheiro and Lawson by at least 15 points for Detroit to win. The other x-factor is Cheryl Ford. She'll need to step her game up over what she did in the last two games against Connecticut. I know she's capable, and I think she'll do it. I'm taking�

Shock in four!

The first thing I have to say about Detroit is Katie Douglas was dressed and on the court shooting. Be still my fan heart. The second thing I have to say is Katie Douglas limping off the court and not playing. Be still my crying fan heart.

The Palace.

At first I thought my isn�t that pretentious. But you know... it isn�t half bad. In fact and please do not take my lifetime Sun fan membership card for this but as arenas go, it is a nice space. The entrance doors are equal opportunity Shock/Pistons promotional material. Every other door is a Shock player clingy poster. Full size at that.

In the parking lot was your basic Shockfest happening. Rock climbing wall, shoot a hoop, make a poster, and Discover Card promoting the Fan Lounge. My new WNBA logo Discover card got me a t-shirt. Just inside the front door to the left is the two station face painting area and on the right is the Shock/Pistons store. A couple of local radio stations were broadcasting from the parking lot.

Now I am going to really put my Sun Fan membership in danger. Their store is better than ours. And don�t I have a serious pout on. Why is it better you ask in amazement that a Sun fan could admit that Detroit does anything better than us? Well first of all they have MEN sizes. Yeah seriously. Men's 2XL in a wide variety of styles. They have 8 ... count them 8 different types of baseball caps. Mounds of t-shirt, sweat shirts and even button down dress shirts.

Grumblegrumblegrumble.... Dress shirts... grumblegrumblegrumble... {thumbing through my e-mail address book looking for Sun management to complain at.}

One of the down sides is there is a very long set of stairs up to get to the concourse of the palace. There are elevators for those of us who have some issues with walking but they are hard to find. The concourse is the �oh my gosh look at all the food� type of concourse. And because they also have an NBA team there are several locations where you can sit and have some serious drinking time. And I am NOT talking soda here.

My seats were a fan�s wet dream. They were literally 3 feet from the end of the visitors bench. I got to cheer my team all game in a way that allowed them to hear me. High five's as they came in and went out of the arena. The only problem was I was the lone token Sun fan. The Braxton fan crew that sat in front of me were very polite. But then I refrained from inserting my mini-megaphone in their ear unlike a previous Fever fan with a cow bell.

ooooo that had to hurt....

Rule 17 of Stalking Tours: Never use cheering items that harm others

As for the game... well you saw it, so you sort of know.

I am always amazed when I am at a game and I talk to people later who saw it on TV. Game game but wildly different points of view.

No, Coach T did not whine at the refs into changing an out of bounds call. It happened maybe 4 feet from me. The ref on the end line was out of position and did not see who the ball touched. The correction was the right call. And no I am not saying this cause I am a Sun fan. Right it right and wrong is wrong.

There was equal opportunity needs for attendance at ref school that did not really favor one team over the other as all sides got hosed at some point or another.

Cheryl Ford is and was a rebounding machine that night. While she speaks of having at least 10 of those rebounds just fall into her hands, I say �Girl you were in the right spot at the right time.� Lord knows my team was not. And being in the right spot at the right time is a sign of a good player. Now pppppllllllleeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeee do not take my Sun Fan card for saying this but...

Cheryl Ford for MVP. Averaging a double double. She just plain out played my beloved Sun. And while I am not now nor ever will be a fan of Detroit {at least not while Darth Laimbeer coaches and Connecticut has a team} Cheryl Ford has earned and deserves the title of Most Valuable Player.

The other player that stands out for me from that game was Katie Smith. ooooo if she had not been nice to Ashante I could hate this woman. Katie Smith is absolutely deadly with her 3 pointers. I know the message board world will have thread after thread about her not being a �true� point guard. But she had 112 assists in the regular season while Sue Bird did 162 or Lindsay Whalen had 153. Yet they did not even come close to scoring the kinds of points Katie Smith did. I will take Smith any day as my non-true point guard. Cheryl pulled the rebounds, Katie let the steam out of the Sun whenever my beloved team started to get into the groove in the 3rd quarter. A lope down the court, stop and pop for 3. It was amazing to watch her accuracy and smoothness. You cannot leave Katie Smith free, she will hurt you every time.

And on that note I will take my Sun fan card back, get on the plane and return to the land of nutmeg and the casino. I pray the Sun will shine in game two {Yes yes obvious and trite so shoot me, I am having a bad pun day} so my stalking tour can continue.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Thanks to the gentleman who let me watch the LA-Sac game in his office because he had NBA TV. Even though we were rooting for different teams, if was fun to hang with you and talk basketball.

... it�s about the game...

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

�Weird stuff starts happening when you realize your own mortality...� Patty�s sister as she is dealing with sending her son to kindergarten. Perhaps not a sports fan but certainly applicable at this time. Patty is a member of the Section 12 Gang.

I did well in the east, not so well in the west in round one. Let's do the west first this time�

SACRAMENTO VS LOS ANGELES

The Monarchs looked awfully good in round one. I'd say they've been the most impressive team in the post-season so far. The Sparks struggled, losing game one and having to fight right to the end to win the last two at home.

The Sparks took each of the three regular season meetings, all by double digits. Mwadi Mabika averaged 22.3 ppg in those games. Two of the three were in LA.

What's the key to the series? Chamique Holdsclaw. If she can't go, or can only play limited minutes as she did against the Storm, then LA is in trouble. If she's able to play 30 minutes per game at her usual level of play, they should win. All indications are that she'll be ready to go.

Over the past 10 years I've learned one thing: Never, ever underestimate The Claw. She's going to have a big series and the Sparks win in three.

DETROIT VS CONNECTICUT

The Shock and Sun were both strong in round one. I think Detroit showed a little better, winning by wider margins over a better opponent. The Sun were bothered by an injury to Katie Douglas and some highly questionable officiating.

The Shock took all three regular season meetings. The first two, both in Connecticut, were close. The last, in Detroit with the Sun resting players and the Shock needing the win to secure home ad over Indiana, was not. Katie Smith averaged 20.7 ppg in those games.

I don't believe for a second that Douglas is going to sit out this series. I also don't think it will much matter. She shut down Deanna Nolan in both of the first two meetings between these teams, but the Shock still found a way to win.

The Shock have Connecticut's number this year. I see a sweep.

It's been weird being the only member of this group who cheers for a non-playoff team. It was kinda lonely, especially when you're a Liberty fan and you've grown to consider the playoffs part of your season. I already miss my team, and one of them is still on TV.

But I'm a fan of the league as well as my team, and just a little bit of a hoops junkie, in case my presence here wasn't enough of a hint. (And it might not have been. I don't update all that often.) I've been watching as much of the postseason as I can manage- oh, it was wonderful to watch the first game of the Connecticut-Washington series on my computer, with no extraneous nattering from the commentators and no redundant graphics cluttering my screen. It was a little piece of hoop heaven, and I'm unbelievably grateful to whoever hooked up the webcasts. I don't have cable, and getting to a friend's house to watch games is a bit awkward. That's tonight's plan, though.

Saturday's plan, on the other hand, involves heading up to Connecticut for the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals. It'll be the second playoff game this season for me and my honey- we drove up last weekend for what turned out to be the elimination game of the DC-CT series. Seems like a strange thing for a pair of die-hard, true-tropical-blue Liberty fans to do, doesn't it? After all, it's at least a two-hour drive to Mohegan Sun from my place (it was two hours going out� four hours coming back), and another hour and change back to his place in Middle-Of-Nowhere. The bus? Well, that's about three hours, plus travel time to get to where the bus is, not to mention there's always some creep on the bus. You know how it is.

So why do we do it? Why spend the money and the time to go see two teams we have no loyalty to?

We love this game, that's why.

Okay, so it's also nice to have an excuse to go to Mohegan Sun- it's a lovely place with a great barbeque joint. I've been to about ten games there, and only half of them were Liberty road games. It's close enough to be a practical trip, and far enough that it's an event. It's a great little arena, if a bit steep- the stairs will kill you if you're not careful. The regular announcer is a joy to listen to, with a knack for making every name a little dramatic (well, except for Laura Summerton, on whom the burden of being a Cheesy Musical Hook falls). I've been known to imitate the semi-whisper of Asjha Jones's name, the low-high-high-low of Lindsay Whalen, or the growl at the end of Taj McWilliams-Franklin. I do wish they'd quit flying in Scotty B., though. I think the Sun crowd is more than capable of making a racket without his nudges, and I find myself screaming some variant of "SHUT UP ALREADY!" whenever he asks for some noise.

Plus, of course, there are the fans, but any commentary from me on them would be redundant, since that's been a topic for a couple of Melissa's posts. The only thing I have to add is that with the die-hard fans, there is a sense of kinship that transcends the team- you can't really disrespect someone who shares your passion, even if you think they're misapplying it. With the casual fans, though, who don't appreciate a fan's loyalty to another team, it can get a bit ugly. At the Washington-Connecticut game, I had the misfortune to sit next to a man who was taunting a Mystics fan three rows down from us, and encouraging his daughter to do the same. Such behavior is rare at Sun games, though.

It helps that I'm pulling for the Sun out of the East, too. There are several reasons for this. The tongue-in-cheek one is that this conference has room for only one bridesmaid, and the Liberty's four trips to the Finals in six years make it their title. Connecticut will just have to settle for a WNBA championship. ;) The more serious reason is that they are my favorite of the East teams who made it into the playoffs. Detroit just rubs me the wrong way, I can't cheer for Byears's Mystics, and I'm surprisingly indifferent towards Indiana despite their three former Liberty players. So in one way it was a process of elimination thing.

On the other hand, I also do like at least some of the Sun. Watching Mike Thibault coach and run his team is a pleasure to a cerebral basketball fan- his COY award has been long-deserved. It's hard not to like Taj McWilliams-Franklin, either on or off the court. I loved to watch Katie Douglas on both ends of the floor, even though that privilege has been taken away for the duration of the playoffs. And they have Aussies. Aussies are awesome, and I kind of want to be one when I grow up.

Out West, I'm cheering for Sacramento. Would've been anyway, unless it were a Sacramento-Seattle series, and then I'd just be rooting for the best team to win. The funny thing is, I don't really like the Storm all that much, not since Simone Edwards and Alicia Thompson retired- but I'm rather fond of Storm fans, and I hate seeing them heartbroken. A strange phenomenon, cheering for a team for the sake of their fans, but it's all part of the game. Sacramento, on the other hand� Yo and Ticha are awesome, and I love watching Tante Ma�ga-Ba on defense. DeMya Walker, of course, owns one of the most famous lines in WNBA history, regarding Lisa Leslie (this is a family-rated blog, so we'll be glossing over what she actually said; suffice it to say she was not happy). Kara Lawson's intelligence, neat handwriting, and three-point shot make her a favorite of mine as well. And I've long felt that Rebekkah Brunson was New York's by right, since the Liberty have traditionally had the Rebeccas of this league (see: Hammon, Lobo, Richman). Since I was deprived of fellow Rebeccas in my childhood, I feel a strange, irrational kinship with anyone who shares my name, unless they choose to abjure it in favor of a nickname.

I'd write more- after all, I do have quite a bit of time to make up- but if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for tonight's games. Go Monarchs and go Sun!

Oh, and if you're in Connecticut this Saturday, I'll see you there. I'll be the one in a Liberty jersey. After all, that *is* my team.

Tonight the WNBA Conference Finals officially begins. Four teams will battle to win the WNBA championship. But before we focus on the future, let's look back on how the first round of the 2006 playoffs turned out. Here are the highs and lows from our perspectives:

The Good

• The Sacramento Monarchs have been the most impressive thus far. Winning by an average of 21.5 points, the Monarchs swept the Comets without any difficulty. The Monarchs look poised to make another run to the finals.
• Sparks vs. Storm, the only match up to stretch to three games. By far the best series in the first round, in terms of competitiveness. During the two Sparks wins, Los Angeles won by a total of 13 points. And the best part is, Sparks advanced baby!
• Luther Head, Tracy McGrady, Moochie Norris, Nick Collison, Robert Swift, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, and the Billups clan all showed support for the WNBA. Nothing better than the "big brother" showing the women's game some love.

The Bad

• As previously mentioned, only one match up stretched to three games in the first round. Three out four series were sweeps, an indication on how dominant other teams were. As fans, we were craving for overtimes and game winning shots.
• The most heart breaking realization in the first round is that Dawn Staley will retire without a WNBA championship. Even though her legacy will stay intact, it would have been nice to see Staley go out on top.
• What an injury prone series! From Sue Bird's nose to Chamique and Katie's feet, players have suffered valuable playing time due to injuries. The worst part is, the Sun and Sparks are still in contention with their respective star players hurt.
• As fans, we have to bid farewell to the Mystics. They've fought hard throughout the series but now it's time to say goodbye.

The Oogly

• This moment was so ugly, it was oogly. Nikki Teasley threw the ball over her head two minutes after the whistle blew, and it was called for an and-one. We're Mystics fans, but we say this is just bad officiating.
• When Sheryl Swoopes was held to 10 points in game one and 12 points in game two, Houston we've got a problem. It was surprising to witness the Comets play helplessly against the Monarchs. The Comets biggest lead in the series was one point. Yikes.
• Catchings, Catchings dove for the ball. Catchings, Catchings had a great fall. In all seriousness, that one looked like it really hurt. Catch is a warrior for coming back in the game and we hope it's nothing serious.

You know you are having a bad day when you are stuck in an airport because you forgot your cell phone in the car.

First Katie Douglas has a stress fracture and then I was in Bradley Airport racking my brains for people�s phone numbers. I finally found a pay phone but it won�t let me do out of state 411 calls. I was going to try to find Brian�s mom as she would know her son�s phone number that I could not remember. My bag was on its way to Detroit and I was praying my housekeeper can get to my buddy Brian before he goes to the lab to get my cell phone out of my car, to drive it to me in the airport as the Southwest Agent was kind enough to put me on a later flight.

Did you follow that? Me neither and I was living it. Have you ever had a really bad day? That was what Wednesday the travel day was for me.... a really bad day. And people wonder why I HATE to fly.

How do players do it? How do they deal with these �security� lines and flight regulations and the bad airport food and COACH seats? For Heaven�s sake, many of these women are over 6 feet tall and the league is squeezing them into coach? I am 5�4� and I have problems fitting my legs into the seats. Margo flies coach and then plays a game??? Well you go girl.

OK I have to revisit that thought... Margo Dydek all 7 foot 2 inches of her somehow bends herself into a pretzel and flies coach??? That thud you heard was my jaw striking the desk top. Hey Donna O can you give any player over 6 foot 4 a special waiver to not have to fly coach? That really is cruel and unusual punishment.

I guess I have managed to accrue some good karma from somewhere because my buddy Brian hooked up with Tammy my housekeeper and was making his way with my cell phone back to the airport. All I had to do was wait.

And then the karma gods smiled. I got to watch the Connecticut Sun come strolling in for their flight. I was on the wrong airline but it still was fun to see them. I do have to say the breakfast choices of a variety of professional athletes are rather interesting. It was a blast to be able to smile and wave at players. It was even more fun to watch them do a head shake as they tried to figure out where they had seen me before. That �I know you but where do I know you� moment. A couple of them even came over to say hello.

Thank you, Kym Hampton for telling me how much support can mean to a player. And to Jamie Carey who recently wrote �I love this game more than I can possibly explain�

Yeah James........ I get it. I feel the same way. Yes I know her name is Jamie but I think of her with the nickname of James.

Then I had to run to curb side, Brian dropped off my cell, my charger and my cane and back through the remove my shoes and scan my pedometer procedure. There was one of those airport carts going by and as a joke I stuck out my thumb to hitch a ride. Mary stopped, picked me up and while she drove me to my gate we had a nice chat about the W.

�Was that who all those tall women were?�

�Yes Mary.�

�Oh they were so nice. I see them in here all the time. I will try to get to a game. It�s fun you say?�

�Yes Mary.�

I work on getting attendance up in my own way.

The rest of my travel day was not all that eventful but was filled with good things. Southwest, a sponsor of the W, got me to Detroit and found my bag that made my first flight while I did not. My hotel had received my new Discover card and it was waiting for me at the front desk. Let me say to my fellow card holders... you soooooo have to get the W card. It is SWEET!

I have to say one of the most interesting thing I have encountered so far is how well known the Shock are in this town. From the Hertz shuttle driver to the rental agent to the desk clerks to the concierge, they all know about the Shock, and have been to a game. Yet the weird thing was they had no idea there was a play off game tonight let alone that it was a conference final game.

It leaves me thinking of a line I heard years ago. I am not saying right but you will get the drift...

�Lord we ain�t where we could be. Lord we ain�t where we should be. But thank you Lord we ain�t where we were.�

Ten years ago the WNBA did not exist. Tonight Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals starts. Ten years ago I was somewhere with the Red Cross, I think it was Texas, working on a flood. Tonight I am going to Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Where were you ten years ago?

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Dawn Staley. Thank you Dawn for your years of play. That you for your class, style and grace. Thank you for teaching the next generation of players. Thank you for the memories and the memories yet to be made.

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

�Why didn�t you call your cell phone? I had it waiting for you to call.� My buddy Brian. Boy did I feel stupid.

So I went to Washington back in June for a long weekend. I know I know my doctor already yelled at me but I was bored and I had all ready paid for the trip. And I went by train so the stress was low. I spent the weekend sitting around with other gay and lesbian out politicians. We were talking about well ... politics.

So what does this have to do with basketball?

Two things. The first was I could not get away to catch a game in what is affectionately called �The Phonebooth.� Second, is the little story that follows.

Friday night we were listening to an out elected official who was an amazing dynamic woman. She was talking about how strange we are because we turn on the TV and look for the local community channel so we can watch local government meetings.

She turned to me and said, �You know what I mean. You do that.�

�Nope.�

�What?�

�I turn on the TV and look for WNBA scores.�

�WHAT??!! You ARE weird.� And the whole room laughed.

Yup. I am weird. Politics is my day job but basketball is my love. And after our training that night, I made a bee line for my laptop to log on to find out the scores. And as I was staring out my window at the Human Rights Campaign building, I was thinking what a strange moment. All around me were people who were just as interested in advocacy, campaigns, and politics as much as I was. I should have been in the Sky Top Lounge, drinking and networking, but instead I was surfing the net, looking for scores, and wishing I had seen the Mystics play on their own court.

Friday August 18th, that wish came true. And it was a play off game. I thought it couldn�t get any better than that I thought. Silly me.

It was a great train ride down. Can someone explain to me why Washington, New York and Connecticut do not use Acela to get to each others games as I do not know. Business class has enough space for Margo to stand up right in. Room for luggage and equipment bags. Outlets for laptops, and iPods to be recharged. And you can get from New Haven to Washington in four and half hours. I hate coach and flying in general but how does someone over six foot tall do it?

But I digress. Bert and I made it to the �Phonebooth� early. Sorry but give me New York any day as I can find wireless. So we hung out in Drinx next to the �Booth� where a nice fellow, feed us and turned the TV from golf to NBATV. I never got his name. But next year I will be hangin there cause they were very nice to us.

There is a handicap entrance that we went through. Polite Fan Applause to The Mystics and the Verison Center for this service. Bert bought a Mystics shirt but I do have to say The Sun has a larger variety of merchandise. And then to Services where we were escorted via elevator to the main floor. OOOooooo from the hallway those locker rooms looked nice.

Then my adventure really started.

Several Mystics fans from the message board I like to read came up to me and introduced themselves. As I was trying to sort out who was who they then introduced me to Dr Sheila Johnson. Well didn�t my brain freeze on the spot! I least I didn�t babble. Ok maybe I babbled a little. She really likes her fans. She doesn�t just tolerates us, she really likes us. There is a live band that play before the game and at half time. And across the board, the staff there were incredibly nice. Don�t get me wrong, I love The Arena but with the casino around the staff is a little tense at times. They were very nice at the Phonebooth.

The game ... Honestly my seats were too close to the floor. I could not see a thing over the head of some really tall basketball players. I remembered a conversation I had with Kym Hampton and I cheered my lungs out through my little Sun megaphone much to the ire of the Mystics fan sitting next to me. The fun thing was the moment right before team introductions, when the Sun players looked up and at the fans behind the bench. All six of us were on our feet yelling our hearts out. Taj smiled, laughed and waved at us. Erin clearly thought we were nuts as only Americans can be.

After the game, Bert, Tammy, Lynne, Susan, Karen, and a load of other Mystics fans took me back to Drinx�s where the same nice fellow asked us about the game, shoved some tables together for us and changed one of the TV screens to the LA Seattle game. All I could think of was I am NOT going back to ESPN Zone where is it preseason football on the big screen over play offs in the W.

On Saturday, I was part of a two car Mystics/token Sun fan car caravan back to Connecticut. Complete with a 12 year old young girl who is learning to play the 3 and the 4 but had never met a professional player before. I got to show my new friends good New England roadside lobster and corn on the cob. The kid was experiencing her first of firsts... lobster, clams, mussels. The smile said it all.

At the game, the kid got all kinds of things signed. And she met all kinds of players. She was in kid fan heaven.

I guess the best way to talk about that game is to send you to an other blog... http://www.dcbasketcases.blogspot.com/

And to let you read some of a note one of my new friends sent me. These are some of the feelings she had to process about HER mini Stalking Tour...

Kindness -- both the random and non-random kind
Passion -- I seek out passion and there was a lot of that around on both ends of the court and in the stands
Connection -- putting faces to names; linking people in ways that is impossible to do inanimately on a message board; wondering if that's better or if it was the mystery of it all that drew me
Belonging -- feeling now like I belong as much as anyone in the WNBA fan community
Emotions -- someone commented as we drove back last night that we'd just entered our fourth State of the day; I responded that we'd been in many states that day: we started the morning in the State of Sleepiness then quickly traveled through Anxiety, Nervousness, Kindness, Excitement, Hope, Disappointment, took a quick detour back through to Excitement and Hope, and finally ended in Exhaustion.
Engaged -- going from never having talked to a player to meeting a dozen on the same day; talking with Dr. J {Dr Sheila Johnson}-- DURING THE GAME -- about what she was feeling
Empathy -- feeling the player's emotions, loving them despite everything, wishing that the {message board} could be a place where we could foster everyone's talent and not talk about Alana, or Chamique even, as a "head case" or say Teasley is "turnover prone," but rather wish for every player on every team to play her personal best at whatever level that is
Hope -- despite losing, despite feeling at times like Richie's rotation was all wrong or the players were just not on the same page, looking ahead, feeling like Alana really may have broken through
Fear -- afraid that she didn't; that missing the final shot will eat at her and she won't reach her potential at the World Championship Games
Culmination -- thinking about drafting a letter to Dr. J; what went right, what went wrong. Not on the court, but in the community, in the arena. Sometimes this season the game felt like an afterthought. At times I've felt like the front office couldn't care less about the season ticket holders and at other times I've felt like the most special person in the world. Isn't there a balance that can be struck?

Yeah. I get all of that. I felt a lot of that myself. As for Alana and her shot I point to Kesh and her shot in 2004. One-Half inch. Look where Kesh is today. I believe that Alana will step up her game in the off season and that all of the East will fear the Panda next season.

As I prepare for the second leg of my stalking tour I am left with plagiarizing Maya Angelou...

�...We are more a like than we are not a like...�

it isn�t about race or gender or religion or orientation... it is about the game.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Le�Coe Willingham walking up to me in my favorite after game spot to thank ME for supporting the team in Washington. My fan heart has still not recovered from the moment. And she looks good in civilian clothes. Not my type but dang girl... you work it well!

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

�Oh MY GAWD!� The entire group watching the LA/Seattle game as Sue Bird drops to her knees clutching her nose. To Sue Bird, I apologize for mocking the basketball injury god and making a joke about your nose. Please get well soon. We want a rematch.

I was all set to write a blog about offense in the playoffs. I had even done a detailed statistical analysis that would make Kevin proud. So as not to lose all that hard work, let me show you what I came up with. I had started to think about the first round of the playoffs after watching Indiana lose to the Sun in Indy a week and a half ago. And what I was thinking was that teams in the playoffs that have a lot of "weapons" will be hard to beat, because the defense can't focus on taking out just one player when there are so many weapons that can step up and beat you. And I defined weapons as players who have had at least two 20-point games, because I figured that any player could "go off" once, but to do it twice, means that you have to take that player more seriously. And here is what I found as of the end of the regular season (with total 20 point games for the team coming at the end):

Storm
Jackson - 15
Bird - 3
Burse - 3
Lennox - 5
Castro Marques - 2
TOTAL - 28

Shock
Ford - 6
Nolan - 5
Smith - 5
TOTAL - 17

Sun
Sales - 3
Douglas - 7
McWilliams-Franklin - 5
Jones - 2
TOTAL - 18

Fever
Catchings - 9
Whitmore - 10
DeForge - 2
TOTAL - 22

Mystics
Beard - 17
Teasley - 2
Milton-Jones - 3
Melvin - 5
Sanford - 2
TOTAL - 30

Sparks
Leslie - 17
Mabika - 3
Holdsclaw - 6
TOTAL - 26

Monarchs
Griffith - 4
TOTAL - 5

Comets
Thompson - 9
Swoopes - 6
Snow - 3
TOTAL - 21

While I do think that there is still a lot of validity in the "pick your poison" offense, watching the playoff games this weekend reminded me how much more important great defense is.

Just take a look at the Monarchs. They aren't loaded with too many "weapons" by my analysis above, but because of their great defense and the offense that it created, they were able to rout the Comets and sweep them from the playoffs. Heck, they even set a WNBA record for most points in a playoff game.

And how could you not watch the play of Katie Douglas this weekend as she held Alana Beard to 9 points in their first game, and though Alana scored 21 in the second game, much of that was once Katie got injured at the end of the game. Everybody has been talking about how great Katie's offense has become, but I really think that she is one of the greatest shut down defenders in the league. And it was her defense that allowed the Sun to sweep.

And finally, you have to tip your hat to the Sparks, who held my Seattle Storm without a bucket for 14 minutes last night. 14 minutes! With their backs to the wall, facing a 15 point deficit and elimination from the playoffs, the Sparks got down to defensive basics and the Storm didn't get off a quality shot the whole third quarter.

So while I am still a big fan of high flying offenses, it is obvious that defense wins championships.

This blog was supposed to be sent Thursday 17th of August. Who would have thought it would be this hard to find wifi in Washington DC?

As the play offs start tonight, I have been preparing to sit my butt in front of the TV with Bert and a group of Mystics fans in DC. We are going to eagerly watch Detroit play Indiana with an eye on who� we� {read name of our team} are going to be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. As I write this I am on the AMTRAK Acela cruising my way to DC, enjoying the view and pondering who is going to do the �color� commentary for tonight�s games.

You see, I am wondering if I am going to watch with the volume on or off.

When sports were a radio affair commentators were know as �The Voice of {insert name of team here}. As sports move to TV the �Voices� became the �Faces�. Jim MacKay and Wide World of Sports became the golden standard of sports reporting. Al Michael's and his calling of the 1980 Men�s Olympic Ice Hockey game between the US and the Soviet Union will forever be etched into a generation of fans ears. Somehow that game would not be �that game� if it were not Michael�s crying out, �Do you believe in Miracles?�

For the W we have a variety of commentators these days. Some for ESPN, some for NBA TV, ABC has a few, and the Liberty has their very own for MSG.

Some commentators are former players, some former coaches, some are men. Ok MOST are former players. Almost all are introduced with �Legend� or �Hall of Famer� in front of their names. And I can�t stand most of them. there are even a couple that if they are doing the commentary, I turn off the volume.

As a human being I recognize that we all have our favorite players. I have mine. I have written about some of them. But I do not write about the some ones blog after blog. From my fan perspective, I hate it when sentence after sentence out of a commentator�s mouth is about the same player, I start to get pissy. I really do not want to hear another former player talk about getting back in a uniform and playing. One more demonstration on how to play and I am going to turn the channel.

Gee Melissa tell us how you really feel.

Ok. I will talk positive. Who do I like?

Mary Murphy of the New York Liberty and MSG.

I even admit to turning on the TV at 2 am to catch a rebroadcast of a bad Liberty game just to hear Mary talk. Yeah, in my opinion she is that good.

There are lots of things that make Mary different. Yes she was a player. She was drafter number 5 the year Nancy Lieberman was drafter number one. She was a coach on the college and the professional level. University of Wisconsin and the Sacramento Monarchs. Yes really. She coached in the W. Why some new up and coming coach on the college level has not grabbed her as an assistant coach I do not know. The wise old {no offense Mary} head, the mature experience to help out... the old sage in the ways of coaching...

mmmmm I like to hear her call a game so forget what I just said.

Mary brings a couple of points of view to the broadcast booth. As a player she can talk about the travel, the training, the focus, the officials... As a coach she can talk about theory and the strategy that another coach is trying out with a team. She adds a layer of insight that I just do not hear from others. I know she has her favorite players but I could not tell you who they are.

And she is just plain funny. She makes me laugh. There never is a mean or cruel word out of her mouth. I like that. She provides opinion without insulting. What do I mean you ask? Well in a recent NY-Detroit game, Mary talked about how it was the third quarter and New York had yet to get to the free throw line. Now there is a nice way of saying the officiating was in question. She tries to be positive as she can without being a suck up. And yet critical without smashing or bashing. From Mary, I the fan, get analysis not an advertisement.

I was drooling over Mary at a New York game and my pal Allison asked me if I wanted to meet her. Are you kidding me?

So I got to talk with Mary Murphy and boy did I learn a few things.

She does her homework. I mean she really does her homework. When Mary calls a game she has a binder full of 4x6 cards with info on each player. Not just the New York team but every player on BOTH teams. And she does that for every game. The preparation freak that she is has cards on each player that has fun facts and stories she updates. That's right W fans, you will NOT be hearing Mary Murphy rehash the Kara Lawson played football, the Kristen Haynie eats 4000 calories a day, the famous fathers list from Chubby Checker to Karl Malone, nor any of the other done to death stories we fans have heard 27,000 times. She daily surfs the net for articles and haunts chat groups to find out what are the trends and issues.

And that is what I want from a commentator... someone who is witty, insightful, and interesting to listen too.

I grew up watching Jim MacKay. And I heard Al Michael's call �that game�. And the W deserves commentators who are of the same standard of professional voice. Mary Murphy meets that standard.

So tonight as I listen to the game and watch it in ESPN Zone with crazed Mystics fans, I will listen to hear if the commentators use their past experiences to change my point of view with their commentary and understanding of what is going on behind the scenes or will they make me want to turn off the volume.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Kelly, the nice host at ESPN Zone for making sure we had the best view of the screen for the games and knowing a) who the Mystics were and b) they have a playoff game Friday night.

Mindless Quote:

�This is the WNBA play offs and you want to show NFL preseason? You need to show some respect. I snuck away from work to watch this game.�
-Leon Mystics Season Ticket Holder who drove in to watch it at ESPN Zone

Let's start in the east.

CONNECTICUT VS WASHINGTON

Everybody and their mother is picking the Sun and it's not hard to see why. They took two out of three from the Mystics in the regular season and neither of Connecticut's wins were close. The Sun have been rolling over everybody while the Mystics have been up and down since mid-June. In fact, on June 17th both teams were 7-3. Since then Connecticut is 19-5 while Washington is 11-13. The Sun have great depth, plenty of playoff experience, and home court advantage.

I'm not going to be the one to break from the pack. This series feels like a mismatch. The Sun are too good not to sweep this one.

DETROIT VS INDIANA

My last post, about the tie breakers, gives you an idea of how closely matched these two teams are. They split 2-2 during the season and all four games were tight. These are probably the two best defensive teams in the league. The Shock finished stronger, going 12-5 over the last half of the season while the Fever were 9-8. The Shock have tremendous talent. Everyone who plays significant minutes for them is a former first round pick (or Katie Smith, who would have been had the league not taken her out of the draft). The Fever have Tamika Catchings, who is perhaps the most dominant single player in the game.

Here's the thing�the reason home advantage was so important in this matchup is that the home team won all four regular season games. I expect that to hold true again in the post-season. I'm picking the Shock in three tight, exciting games.

LOS ANGELES VS SEATTLE

Unlike the eastern conference, this matchup features an underdog that won the regular season series. You might dismiss the first game, since Chamique Holdsclaw didn't play. The Sparks are an entirely different team when The Claw plays, 21-4 with her in the lineup compared to 4-5 without her. On the other hand, this will be the first time the Storm have both Lauren Jackson and Janell Burse on the floor against LA. Jackson has been resting the last two games, so she should be ready to play heavy minutes in this series.

I think Jackson's health is the deciding factor here. After 10 days off she should be raring to go. I see her putting up big numbers as Seattle pulls the upset.

SACRAMENTO VS HOUSTON

The western conference finals rematch also features an underdog that won the regular season series. The Comets won the first three, the Monarchs the last one. Sacto has played much better than Houston over the last half of the season, going 12-5 to The Comets 7-10. There's something of a mitigating factor, however, in that Tina Thompson missed most of those second half games. Thompson showed that she's in game shape with back-to-back 30+ point games to close out the season.

That's really the bottom line here. With Tina Thompson, Houston is 3-0 against Sacramento. Without her they're 0-1. She's playing in this series, so I have to pick The Comets.

There you go, two favorites in the east and two underdogs in the west. Let's see who makes me wrong.

The WNBA should have a team in Toronto. This year the league added another franchise in Chicago and since then, there has been incessant talk about future expansion teams. During the All-Star game press conference, we listened to the media throw cities like Brooklyn and Philadelphia as future prospects. As fans and bloggers, we are proposing our great city as another option to Ms. Donna Orender. This proposal isn't quite as polished as a business proposal but it's more than a casual suggestion. We've dedicated a month of research and interviews for this piece and we can only hope it would be an offer the WNBA can't refuse.

Canada is economically a first world country. However when it comes to basketball, much less women's basketball, Canada is a developing country. It's no secret that in Toronto, hockey reigns queen. Recently we attended a charity basketball game which featured some of Canada's best collegiate players, hosted by former NCAA dunk champion, Gary Durrant. In between the games, Durrant mentioned he had difficulty finding enough female players and had to settle for one on each team. Sam Moncada, president of Scarborough Basketball Association (SBA) shared the same concern.

"We just can't get enough girls to come out," Moncada said, "Getting girls excited at an early age is difficult. A lot of parents when kids are 5-6 years old they're involved in so many activities. Basketball is not a main thing."

But as a country we are improving. Fan interest for basketball is vastly increasing in our city. Consider this: we have a total of 518 athletes participating in interuniversity women's basketball last season with 186 of those players from Ontario. These statistics are impressive, considering it doesn't include colleges and high schools. In terms of media coverage, Toronto has a basketball magazine, Ballerz Basketball Magazine and Raptors NBATV. In 2006, Raptors NBATV broadcasted 10 NCAA games and 46 WNBA games, excluding playoffs.

As of right now, we have an online petition going where people have voiced out opinions about a professional summer basketball league. Ballerz's editor-in-chief Edilson Silva said that as media he is willing to do his part to make Toronto a basketball city.

"Anybody associated with basketball, we want to see basketball flourish in both genders. We need to combine our heads and collectively push basketball in this country."

In all honesty, it isn't so much as the WNBA needing Toronto. But Toronto needing the WNBA. Moncada said a WNBA team would give women's basketball visibility but more importantly it would give young girls role models. Isn't that what the WNBA is all about? Silva agrees with Moncada's sentiments.

"The thing with Toronto is we have a lot of youths playing, they look up to role models. From what I understand, there are role models (in the WNBA) but there are no staples like a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James that everybody just loves. It will provide kids with another opportunity to have a dream and uplift the basketball scene."

We have Canadian players in the WNBA but their names are not as recognizable as Steve Nash or Jamal Magloire. And we attribute this to the lack of visibility. Presently, the biggest outlet we have for basketball are the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors, has done significantly well in attendance, ranked 17th in '05-'06, despite missing the playoffs for the past few seasons. Fans have embraced basketball in Toronto because of the Raptors. We believe that a women's team has chance of garnering the same support. Obviously, right management and sponsorship is key. Though we have not spoken to any owners or potential sponsors, we have come up with a three year plan, just in case you didn't take our word for it.

The most reasonable ownership to consider are the Raptors since 11 out of 14 WNBA teams are NBA owned. Now here comes the math. The difference of attendance between NBA teams and their respective WNBA counterparts is over 9,000. During the first three years of the 11 WNBA teams, the attendance average was 9,546. During the Raptors' first three years, the team average an attendance of 19,305. The difference between the Raptors' first-three-years attendance and the 11 teams' first-three-years attendance is similar to the difference between NBA-WNBA attendance this regular season. For short, based on these stats it's attainable for the Raptors to sustain a WNBA team under a three-year deal.

Lastly, we think it's about time the WNBA expands internationally. And what better place than Toronto? We live in a beautiful city that prides itself in diversity and multiculturalism. We have a gorgeous arena, Air Canada Centre, that holds 19,800 people during basketball games. And the distance is ideal for road games. Though we cannot guarantee a packed arena every night or a profitable expansion market, we can guarantee that if the WNBA builds a team in Toronto, there would be at least be two people there who love the game purely sitting courtside every single game.

Everywhere you look around the W, there are men. It got me to wondering a while back. Why are they here? What attracts men to the Women�s game?

Sometimes it is obvious. They are dads. They love their daughters and want them to be healthy and happy. So off they go to the games. They are the basketball dads. From AAU to summer rec to camps, they are dragging the bags of balls, the training kits, and the cooler full of water bottles. They agree to coach the developmental teams, the junior high school team and sometimes they get roped into coaching the high school team. They are there because they love their daughters.

Some men have me scratching my head. They are the paid staff of the W. Why do they pick this job?

Again some reasons are obvious. A chance to coach. The W can open the door to Head Coaching jobs in college and in the men�s game.

It is the OTHER positions that I have to scratch my head about.

John Maxwell does the PR for the Detroit Shock. Public relations is a job that can go anywhere. This is a man who can make some serious money but instead he is getting the word out about the W. When I asked him why, he just smiled and got that goofy far off look all the guys seem to get when they talk about the W.

Big Red is the announcer at the Sun games. He is from Boston. Here is a fellow who could be working the Red Sox games but instead he is in Connecticut. When I talked with him, he also got that bashful, �I have no idea what to say to you but yes I love the woman and their game� smile and comment. Every time he introduces the home team, he has some fun way of saying each players name. We laugh. The players laugh. Big Red adds to the fun of the game.

And on a personal note, I may not shop on Big Red�s side of the fence but that man has amazing blue eyes. And he is almost cute enough for me to chase.

Scotty B flies in the day off the game just to run around The Arena revving we fans up. He flies back to Florida the next day. Here is a guy who fits the Sun into his schedule cause he loves the fans. According to Scottie no one gets excited like the fans in the W. And in CT no one gets the fans as revved up as Scotty. The Sun tried a different person last year. We booed the idiot off the floor. When he is not there, we fans are not in the game the same way.

Todd work up in the Sun ticket office. He is my season ticket holder rep. Of all the guys I talked with he was the most bashful. But there he is solving problems. He escorted Jess Brungo at the season ticket holder event. The whole time he was grinning from ear to ear. And Todd is tall enough to look Jess in the eye. While he doesn�t talk about it, Todd clearly loves this game.

I talked with all kinds of people to write this piece. I just could not find the hook so to speak. The moral of the story. Not until I talked with Brian. Not my buddy Brian. My buddy is Brian the Straight White Boy college student. This is Brian �the civilian who works for the cops�.

Brian is Margo�s number one fan. It started with a conversation with a gentleman who sat near him. A conversation about how if you were 7�2� you should dominate under the basket. Brian defended Margo with �You are not 7-2 so what do you know?� and thought to himself �I�ll show him.� A fluke moment and a fan was born.

Next was the �I {heart drawing} Margo� sign which got a wave. Then came the �DYDEK� license plate. Yes it is a real plate from the Connecticut DMV. That got a response of �Neato� from Margo. And Brian was smitten. He got her All-Star jersey for $975. And she signed for him. Personalized. Complete with a hand drawn basketball.

So why is Brian a die hard fan? �Because of the purity of the game.� He loves good clean sports and finds it in the women�s game. He talks about being able to speak with the players and have the players acknowledge him. �Margo waves at me. With the guys game I can�t even get close to the court. They are nice to fans. They play a great game. They are fun. And we have fun.�

Listening to Brian the civilian who works for the cops, I remember once again...

It isn�t about race, or religion, or orientation, or gender... it is about the game.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Acknowledging kids and their individual acts of kindness

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

Albert Einstein -- Easy for him to say...

So it's the end of another Liberty season, and it's a strange ending, one that's unfamiliar. Not that we couldn't know the destination looked something like this, but it's still strange. Still and all, it's been an interesting year, and no matter the record, there are still reasons to be thankful and to appreciate the fact that there's still a women's professional basketball team in New York City. As much as I may curse about them and lament some of the decisions being made, this is still my team. I can't deny that, even if it does occasionally mean people wonder about my mental health.

So this is just a little open thank you letter/note kind of thing to the New York Liberty for the high points of this year.

Thank you, Iciss, for the Houston game, and for all the other games where you positioned yourself under the basket for the offensive rebounds. We never did get to see too much of your full-on fashion diva self, and personally, I'd like to find out next preseason if those stories are true. It's hard to go wrong with good looks and a Duke degree, so whatever happens, you're set.

Thank you, Erin, for stepping up when Becky went down. Without a doubt, you had the shot of the year against the Sun, and we won't forget that game from you any time soon. It's been a treat watching you go from rookie to veteran this year, learning how to be a leader when needed. Whatever you and the Liberty choose to do with free agency this offseason, I wish you the best.

Thank you, Kiesha, for those moments few and far between when you got a chance to roam the sideline looking for steals. Maybe this wasn't what you expected when you signed away from Chicago, but I hope you at least got a chance to enjoy New York (or will in this offseason- it's a great city!)

Thank you, Sherill, for the flash and panache you brought to the Liberty defense this year. Queen of Thieves is truly an appropriate moniker for you. Rookie mistakes are mostly forgivable, but next year, spot your teammates and opponents will tremble in fear of you. You showed such promise of fulfilling the praise heaped upon you on draft day- keep bringing it!

Thank you, Christelle, for your minutes off the bench. I love watching you hustle for rebounds and the physical defense you bring. I see so much potential in you, and I hope to see that potential realized in a Liberty uniform. I know that someday you'll lose that endearing awkwardness that comes from being in a strange country; don't worry about it, though, we think it's kind of sweet (see Elena Baranova).

Thank you, Schuey, for your fierce blocks. Stupid MCL ruined the end of your season, but I do recall the Indiana games. You proved yourself to them; next year, show the league what you've got. Okay, so you're not as intensely physical as Ford or Jackson, but when all's said and done, you did lead us in rebounding, and that counts for something. It's almost enough to make me forget you're a UConn girl. ;)

Thank you, Shameka, for cranking it up on the defensive end this year. The hype and the high expectations lead me to be hard on you. Over the last few years, you've worked on your offense; this year, you showed that you were paying attention to Crystal's lessons on the other end. If you can put it all together next year, that all-important fourth season, maybe you can live up to that Baby Swoopes reputation� or maybe you can just be the first Shameka Christon so that someday there'll be a prospect they call Baby Christon.

Thank you, Loree, for stepping your game up this year. I admit I was one of your naysayers last year when the Liberty's draft picks made everyone scratch their heads. I'm happy to be wrong. Watching you rebound has been an absolute pleasure, and we know no woman in her right mind is ever going to step in front of you on the fast break. I plan on being in the seats at the Garden next year when you lay a triple-double on some team.

Thank you, Ashley, for your defense, your hustle, and your enthusiasm on the bench. I still don't know what Seattle was thinking with that midseason waiver, but the Storm's loss is our gain. If there's been a bright spot in this last week or two, it's been your resurgent offense and steady defense. You remind me of the old-school Liberty, and that's always a good thing. The brain, the rings, the D, and the three- you *do* have the whole package, don't you?

Thank you, Becky, for the deep threes and the circus shots (at least the ones that fell). It was your show this year, and you did what was needed of you. You remember what it was like when the Finals were part of the season- show these kids that as they mature, remind them that their homecourt is the World's Most Famous Arena. "To whom much is given, much is expected-" but I'm pretty sure you can live up to the expectations.

Thank you, Ambrosia, for your endearing enthusiasm on the bench. This can't have been an easy summer, what with bouncing from team to team the way you did. The ruffled skirts are adorable (but there are nicer flats out there, believe me, I should know).

Thank you, Emilie, for the half-season you gave us. We didn't get to see very much of you on the court, but your fashion sense made watching the Liberty bench a pleasure. I never thought anyone would give Tari a run for her money in that respect, but you did. Good luck to you, wherever you are!

Thank you, Cathrine, for the physical play on the boards. That Screen of Death against Minnesota was NOT an offensive foul, and I think we both know it. Keep taking it to the hole, and no one short of an Olympian can stop you. The long ball may put them off balance, but it's in the paint where you do your best work� well, there, and out on the perimeter, setting Screens of Death, Screens of Just Where Do You Think You're Going, Miss Defender?, and Screens of You Shall Not Pass.

Thank you, Barbara, for the games against Detroit and Minnesota. You were a hoot and a half at the season subscriber meet-and-greet, although I don't think Coach Laimbeer would be too happy with you. ;) Keep bringing the bodying up on defense and the veteran leadership, and you'll be indispensable. Hey, if you can make Iciss willing to engage in chest-bumping, you can do miracles, right? ;)

Thank you all for the drama and the excitement, the wins against Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit, and Charlotte- and the road wins too. It might be a season to forget, but some moments are worth remembering: Erin's two buzzer-beaters against Connecticut, Shameka's monster block on Catchings (or the one on Dydek), Barb's putback against Charlotte, Cathrine's screens on Duffy and Nolan, Becky's halfcourt shot (although I never did get to see that- darn my lack of cable!), and Kiesha's first steal of the season all come to mind. Most of all, thank you for this last game of the season, the high note on which you ended this year and gave us hope.

It was a roller-coaster ride of a season. Too bad I'm not a big roller-coaster person. :D Next year, though, we'll have smoother sailing, right? You guys will make sure of that?

Regretfully, affectionately, ruefully, and still proudly,

Rebecca

Section 227, row A, seat 5 (or 6)

My Buddy Dave took a trip to Phoenix last week. He and his family, wife Naomi and daughter �The Kid�, are HUGE Diana Taurasi fans. So they are off to catch a few games and to cheer their favorite non Sun player with their mini stalking tour.

I cannot take credit for the term Stalking Tour. That belongs to Mike and Mark. I met them through the message board I post on. They are Phoenix fans who took a few days off to follow the Mercury on an East Coast trip. They are part of a group of people affectionately called �the Brigade�. Dave and I were the Connecticut Hospitality Crew.

Mark bought a ticket and then sat with me. Mike was behind the bench cheering so his team could feel the love to so speak.

So what is a Stalking Tour you ask?

It is the WNBA version of band groupies. Not quite like the Phish fans, or Dead Heads. But rather middle age lovers of the game taking a week of vacation time and following their team to a couple of games. It isn�t sex, drugs and Rock �n Roll, its stats, trading cards, and basketball. And that�s enough excitement for me these days.

Heck if I could have taken the time off I would have follow my beloved Sun on their last road trip. Houston, Chicago, Indiana all in a week. What a fantasy to catch the same flights, crash at the same hotel; sit behind the visiting bench, wearing my Sun polo shirt cheering my brains out so my team can feel some love. Though in Indiana Katie Douglas gets plenty of love.

So what stopped me? Beside the obvious job issues, I did not want to be ... well... a stalker.

I cannot imagine what it would be like for a player to go from town to town and see the same crazed fan sitting behind their bench cheering them on. Surreal or d�j� vu? Or time to call the cops? Or would the players be happy they had fans who cared enough to travel and cheer them on.

So while in New York over the weekend, a discussion erupted about who went on the first stalking tour ... was it Kate with her 2003 chase through Seattle to Sac to Houston and then San Antonio, back to the Liberty at Phoenix. Or Helen with her 2004 with Seattle Phoenix/Spokane, then LA trip.

And then I heard Kym Hampton gush over Allison and her stalking tour of 1997. Allison followed the Liberty during the �97 play offs. Kym spoke about how great it was to turn and look behind the bench to where Allison was sitting ... ok jumping up and down cheering her heart out for the Liberty ... and how much that meant to Kym. A fan cared that much about her team to follow them around and cheer.

Ten years later and a player still remembers and comments on that level of support.

Ok. Works for me. I bet Mick Jagger or Rod Stewart do not remember a fan ten years later.

I have my tickets and I have booked the train. I start my Play Off Stalking Tour of the CT Sun on August 17th. Bert has decided to join me with her tour of the Mystics. I am putting up lobster, Bert the massage therapist is putting up massages. Since my back could use the work... GO SUN.

So I am off to pack for my Stalking Tour. Here is my check list so far:

1. Bail Money
2. Sun Polo Shirt
3. Sun Cheers Hand Book {GO SUN GO by Blaze}
4. Tickets
5. Local VA number for Alana Beard inspired chest pains
6. Basketball for autographs
7. My Desert Storm Baseball cap.
8. Camera for those Kodak moments
9. Pocket money for Nachos
10. Antacids
11. Rookie cards
12: Laptop for blogging and braggin'

See you in Washington. You can find me in Section 121, Row BB. Fellow Stalkers are invited to join me in DC lock up for a post game chat.

A MOMENT IN HISTORY LOST:

In a rare display of public flogging... Someone needs to have a serious conversation with NBA TV. Last night while Houston and Phoenix went to triple over time in a slug fest for the play offs, NBA TV showed a semi final NBA play off game from 1994. If this league it to grow to 20 teams in ten year you had damn well better find a way to help NBA TV to show more WNBA games.

The problem is NBA TV does not get to control which games it shows. The local affiliates choose which games they want to release for NBA TV in the beginning of the season. The WNBA has no say over which games are run with and the league cannot swap midseason, unfortunately. WNBA can and has done that with ABC/ESPN to make better games. For NBA TV, deals are worked out with each team and network for number of games shown and when and so on.

Here in Connecticut, Channel 20 has shown some of the Sun games. I say to them ... sell the games to NBA TV! Your ad revenue will go up.

I pledge to support any corporate sponsor who steps up to fund the broadcast of more WNBA games. I pledge to support any advertiser who buys ad time on any broadcast of a WNBA game. Ask Discover how loaded my card has become since their sponsorship. Ask Lowes how much money I have dumped there.

No more lost historical moments in this technological age.

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough." Albert Einstein. Clearly not a sports fan.

Title: Small Wonders Part IV

It doesn't makes sense. It just doesn't. Of all places, why would they put it there? There has to be another way. Can't the league put pockets in those shorts, like those cheap basketball shorts you find at Wal-Mart? The league should have considered this when they were changing the uniforms. But then again, how can we blame the league for this?

It's barely noticeable. Unless you're the type of person that pays so much attention to detail. Unless you watch the WNBA for more than the games and the players, there's no way you could see it. In fact if you're a first-time WNBA spectator, you might consider it normal. But after a while you'll notice that not everybody does it, only a few chosen ones. That's what happened to us.

We've been fans for a quite a while now, not that long but long enough. So when a game results to a 20-point blowout and the score for both teams is below 60 in the fourth quarter but the telecast stays on during those 20-second timeouts, our eyes tend to wander. And theories begin to form.

Maybe they put it there because it's impossible to forget, kind of like a safety deposit box. How can you possibly forget it when it's there? Or maybe it's pure superstition. Although of all alleged sports superstitions, this has to be the weirdest one� yet. Or, and we really hate to bring this up again, could it be an obsessive-compulsive behavior?

Nah, it's probably not a big deal. If you think about it, aside from the ick factor, it's really just an alternative to tucking it in your headband. Besides they wash it during halftime, don't they? Surely they can take 30 seconds out of the halftime break to wash it. Maybe they even replace it during halftime. But why would they keep it there? Why not just throw it away?

Mind you, we're not judging. Aside from the brain damage and the countless, sleepless nights, it really hasn't affected anyone else. It's not game-changing. It's not career-ending. It wouldn't change our high perception of the league or its players. And it's nothing compared to the over the top celebratory touchdown dances or any sports scandal for that matter.

But must players like Chasity Melvin and Barbara Farris put their mouthpieces in their sports bras?

p.s. You can send us your thoughts at finest76er@yahoo.com. Also, belated Happy Birthday Mique!

"Tully, Tully, Tully! Three Tully's on the board!" How I ached to hear David Locke's call as one of my favorite WNBA players drained her second of back to back 3-balls to put her team back into the lead! But alas, Tully now calls Indiana home and her team is the Fever. And tonight, I wasn't at my beloved Key Arena, but rather at Conseco Fieldhouse watching my favorite Eastern Conference team, the Connecticut Sun, take on Tully's Team, otherwise known to most WNBA watchers as the Indiana Fever. With playoff positioning on the line, as well as a potential preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, I knew that the game was going to be a barnburner!

Once a year, my business takes me to the city of Indiana in early August for the GenCon gaming convention. I have been blessed the last few years that the Fever have been playing home games during my sojourn in their city. But this year, I hit the mother load as the Sun would be in town to play the Fever. Wanting to get the best seats possible, I didn't just want to go to Ticketmaster, but rather talk to a fine human being. Thankfully, Slovydal from the Rebkell boards came to my rescue and put me in touch with Darla Jo Parker, Ticket Services Coordinator for the Fever. And boy did she set me up with great seats! As Bob Uecker would say, "I'm right in the front row." Now my season tickets with the Storm are pretty close to the action, being effectively three rows back from the floor. But this was the first time I have ever sat right on the court. I could get VERY used to it. Katie Douglas throwing the ball in one foot in front of you is almost intoxicating.

As it turns out, Vic and I were seated next to Judy Vlcek, also know to Sun fans as Super Judy. You can recognize her at games by her bright orange and yellow hair, blazing like the sun! Judy is a super Sun fan like I am a super Storm fan. Actually, she probably even takes it to a bigger extreme. From talking with her, I got the impression that she has traveled all over WNBA-dom watching her Sun take on all comers. She was even in Seattle for both Finals games a couple of years ago. Super Judy is probably a pretty good moniker. Now one thing you have to know about Judy is that she is probably the most positive fan I have ever sat next to. She continuously shouts out encouragement to the Sun players and if there isn't a player in need of particular encouragement, she just screams out "Go Sun" at the top of her lungs. Never once did I hear a negative comment leave her mouth about the Fever. Nor the refs. And trust me, the latter was a tough one, even for a neutral fan like myself, because the refs were awful tonight. But more on that later.

Judy and I talked about the Sun in detail, discussing their playoff chances and the depth of their bench. I asked lots of questions about how the fans cheer on the Sun at Mohegan, because I am always curious how fans in other cities support their team during play. I was shocked to find out that the Sun fans don't know the Aussie Cheer to support their two resident Aussies, Laura Summerton and Erin Phillips. At Key Arena, you can regularly hear eruptions of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!" as our own favorite Aussie, Lauren Jackson, makes spectacular play after spectacular play. So I drilled Judy on the cheer and told her we would use it tonight when any of the three Aussies playing made a great play.

And great play we got. Both teams were playing with playoff intensity. Great defense was evident early, with buckets being scored only after making great moves or using a great pick. And throughout the game, the lead see-sawed back and forth. You couldn't of asked for a more exciting game! And then the refs had to step in. For most of the game, Lamont, Tina and Barb had called a pretty even game. What I would expect from a professional crew. But with about four minutes left in the game, all of that went out the window with 3 or 4 just plain bad calls that all happened to adversely affect the home team. Now I am not saying that the Sun wouldn't have won the game without those calls, but I am saying that the refs affected the outcome by forcing the Fever to intentionally foul down the stretch when we could have had a classic ending, with one of the teams hitting the game winning bucket at the buzzer. Which is a shame, because this game had the potential to be one of those classics

The Sun pulled out a great road win and move towards that magical 30-win mark. And the Fever has to look forward to playing the Sun again on Friday, this time at Mohegan. I wish I could be there with Super Judy!

Storm Watch

My team has put together a string of 4 straight wins to clinch a playoff spot in the West. Right now, we would be playing Sacramento, but Houston could have a thing or two to say about that before the season is done. I am really proud of my team for overcoming all the adversity of injuries and the sale of the team, to come together down the stretch. I really feel we are playing our best basketball right now, and it couldn't come at a better time. All five starters are playing in top form and I look for the Storm to be competitive in the West. Melissa and I have vowed to do a co-blog if our teams make it back the Finals for a rematch. Here's hoping we have the opportunity!

Did you miss me? I took a little vacation, but now I'm back!

Most of the tie breakers are pretty easy to figure out. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to figure out that Houston has beaten Seattle and Phoenix every time they've played them, giving The Comets the tie break over both of them.

The big exception is Indiana/Detroit. The Shock are 21-10, the Fever are one game back at 20-11

The #1 tie breaker is head-to-head, which they split 2-2.

#2 is conference record. Right now Detroit is 12-5 and Indiana is 11-6. Each team has three conference games and no non-conference games remaining. For them to end up tied, we'd have to see one of these scenarios:

Any scenario that ends with the two teams tied overall also has them tied in conference record.

#3 is record against teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season. Right now that makes�

Each has two games left against teams on this list. If Indiana wins both and Detroit loses both then they'd be tied. The only way this can work is if the Fever beat Connecticut twice and lose to the Sky while the Shock beat Chicago and lose to both the Sun and Mystics.

There's a wild card here, however. Phoenix is currently under .500 but could end the season at 17-17 or 18-16. Indiana is 2-0 against the Merc, Detroit is 0-2. If Phoenix ends the season at .500 or better that makes both teams 10-8 with two left. That leaves many possibilities�

Clearly Fever fans should be rooting for the Mercury!

Let's suppose that one of the tie scenarios in #3 plays out. The #4 tie breaker is point differential in head-to-head games. The four scores were�

So Indiana will win the #4 tie break if it comes to that.

The #5 tie break is a coin toss. A couple of baskets the other way and we might be wondering what kind of coin Donna O would use for such an occasion.

Spoon! Spoon! Spoon!

Spoon! Spoon! Spoon!

Spoon! Spoon! Spoon!

So it was Saturday night and I was in Manhattan. Was I at a Broadway show? No. Was I on a date hangin in the Village? No. I was in the Mecca of Sports, Madison Square Garden, for Teresa Weatherspoon Appreciation night. While the rafters were not rockin, the joint was jumping and the cheers were impressive.

There will be lots of discussion about T�s tribute. Questions are being asked about why her jersey was not retired. Some fans are not happy that the only time you will see t�s name and number is on the floor used by the Liberty. If the rafters are filled with men�s jerseys covering several sports, why is not Teresa Weatherspoon�s jersey up there?

A section of the floor now has [11 WEATHERSPOON] writing on it. White letters on black paint. It is across the court from the home bench. I am hoping it was put there only for the ceremony in front of Spoon�s mom. The Power of that number and that name will infuse every New York Liberty team id it was placed in front of the home bench. If every time New York walked on to its home court Spoon�s spirit was with them, that team would be almost impossible to beat.

On second thought... forget what I just said.

We fans have a special relationship with T-Spoon. You hear that over and over and over. But have the �experts� really sat down to figure out why that is?

Spoon knew something that today�s players have forgotten. Fans are what keep this league alive. Fans are everything. Spoon is ever courteous, friendly, respectful and a complete goof ball with the kids. When the league started Spoon was finally able to come home to the States and play in front of her family. That is something she has never forgotten.

If a fan isn�t asking you for an autograph, there is something wrong. And Spoon knows that. Even retired, Spoon is available to the people who approach her. �Can I take a picture with you? Would you sign {insert name of item here}?� each receive the same reply... �Sure.�

There was a small little girl carrying a plaque, to center court, that said, �There is only one T in Liberty�. It seems Spoon spoke with her team and encouraged them as they went through their basketball season. The kid could not stop crying. And it was the only time T stop her tears... to comfort a kid. And that plaque is now inside the center where the kids play.

That was all Spoon. Anything for kids. ANYTHING.

Sue Wicks was in the house. And Kym Hampton. The hug at center court included Becky. And lasted until Spoon could stop crying. Can someone tell me where Lobo was?

Spoon said, � It is great to play between these lines and in front of fans like you.... Greater when you play with these ladies and get friendships for life...

There is no me without you. (to NY players)...

but to the fans I say that you have made my dream come true. To have the opportunity to play for you ...and in front of your... and be accepted by you....

Thank you for giving this kid an opportunity to be here...�

No. Thank YOU Spoon.

Thank you for sharing your love of the game with all of us. Thank you for the hustle, the passion, being a role model for some many kids and adults. Thank you for the shear joy of the game.

Spoon inspires all of us to live and love with everything that is with in our heart. Many write about the love of the game but there in that spot, celebration of the hard wood was in full expression.

In a world filled with global warming, wars, gas prices, hatred budget cuts, out sourcing , AIDS, and natural disasters to fill our papers and depress our souls, there is Spoon out there trying to make this world a better place. She talks with kids. She reaches out to the community around her. She cheers everyone on who passes through her life. There on the court. Retired and she is still leading and teaching. Pushing players to be more... to do more. She challenges kids to rise to their level of abilities. And then to raise the bar and rise again.

Spoon does not accept the world as it is. She excepts the world to be what it can be. So Spoon is my personal hero. For both her play on a court and for her efforts off the court.

The Fans love T because she reaches out to us. She embraces us. She calls us to play basketball with her. To cheer WITH her, not just for her. She is there with her heart on the court calling us to dance to the music she hears. Her music is basketball.

T works with kids. Calls them to play with their hopes and dreams. She says play with everything you have in you. Her shot ... THE Shot... teaches us to never give up. Even as the clock is sounding the end, you still might pull out a win. Players practice their half court shots now. Called to practice because Spoon taught us to try. Try even when their is just one second left.

There is only one T in Liberty.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Pam. New York Liberty Season Ticket Holder for giving me her extra ticket so I could witness history.

MINDLESS COMMENT:

�So where would you hang that?� A New York fan asking about the backboard with the names of everyone who played with T-SPoon given to her at the ceremony.

So by now every team's been to the Garden, which means that theoretically, I've had a chance to see every player's signature. Of course, this is purely theoretical, owing to delays in entering the arena, players not coming out for shootaround, players not signing, or players just not signing on one side of the passageway.

On the surface, it doesn't look like much: a plastic shoebox full of cards in rigid protectors, a plastic portfolio full to the brim with roster sheets and postcards, a couple of t-shirts, and a grimy white Liberty cap. But looks can be deceiving. Unprepossessing as the packaging is, this is my autograph collection. All images linked from this entry are scans from that collection.

I've been collecting autographs, specifically WNBA autographs, for almost eight years- this October marks the anniversary. My first was Rebecca Lobo's rookie card at the opening of the NBA Store in Manhattan. Since then, I've been diligently adding to my collection. As it stands now, I've gotten signatures from over 200 players, a sprinkling of coaches, and one general manager (and a few women who fall into multiple categories). While I include cards from insert sets, and a couple of gifts from friends, I've still done pretty well for myself.

I have an ingrained preference for cards, partly because that was my first experience, but also because they're easy to carry and store; it also guarantees that I'll be able to recognize just whose hurried scrawl that is. Of course, it also means smaller signatures, limited availability (since not every player has her own card), and having to master timing so that the right card is in the right place for the right player. I mind me of one time someone tried to hand Linda Fr�hlich a Korie Hlede card to sign- that was uncomfortable for all concerned. For players who don't yet have cards, I use the roster sheet handed out at games. I also have a rather worn-looking white Liberty cap that's probably more Sharpie than fabric at this point, signed by the entire 2006 team and a healthy whack of other former Liberty players; it was my old default for players for whom I didn't have cards. I have a few oddball items as well: a menu signed by a pair of preseason Monarchs (I swapped with a Haynie fan because I had gotten a Haynie signature before the game and already had one at home); some stray photos, a copy of Steve Burt's villanelle "For Lindsay Whalen" signed by the subject of the poem.

I admit that I'm just a little hypocritical when it comes to being an autograph collector, because while my handwriting is small and horribly messy, I value autographs that have every letter clear and have a little flair. It's not necessarily about the fame of the player, although that's a draw too. Actually, out of all the ones I have, my favorite is Amber Jacobs, whose signature is both clear and stylish. Kara Lawson, when given leisure, also has a beautiful signature. For sheer whimsy, it has to be Ticha Penicheiro; while she only signs her first name, she accompanies it with an elaborate sketch of a basketball and a matching hoop. Linda Fr�hlich and her topical smiley face also rank up there, since her last name means happy (although I do miss the tongue sticking out). At the other end of the spectrum, you have Diana Taurasi, whose quick strokes might, if viewed with a modernist art critic's eye, resemble DT 3. Janel McCarville takes a very close second in the "um, WHAT is that?" sweepstakes.

For years, the only place I would go for autographs was the NBA Store, when they had events there. (Yes, this was back when they hosted events to go with almost every game.) It was a good place to load up on stars, both home and road. Getting the 2000 national team there was pretty nifty. There were also some very cool moments, such as Jennifer Gillom signing autographs while having a conversation with a friend� in rapid, fluent Italian. Sometime around 2000, when I had gotten to the Garden earlier than my norm, I discovered that some (at the time, most) of the players came through the very same entrances that we little people did. I started bringing Liberty cards to every game. Near the end of that year, some fellow collectors clued me in that you could hang out courtside during shootaround. I started at the endline, but by 2003, I was at the railing by the tunnel everyone uses to come on and off the court.

I have this� thing, for lack of a better word� where I want to see if I can get signatures from every player on a team, not just the stars, which is why I started going courtside. Part of it is curiosity about just how they sign, and part of it is a thing about completion. Example: when the Liberty played Phoenix this year, my honey and I were both down by the court, trying to get signatures. He only really wanted Cappie (it's a Rutgers thing), but showed willing by being ready for any Mercury player who came off the court. I eventually prevailed upon him to trade signed roster sheets with me- not because he had gotten Taurasi, or Kamila Vodichkova, but because he had gotten Belinda Snell. (There were four Phoenix players coming at us; we had to make our choices, and mine had been Kayte Christensen.) Sure, Taurasi's a nice bonus, but I pulled one of her autograph cards from Rittenhouse last year and braved the crowd her rookie year to get one for a friend- in short, I didn't need her.

So, little things I've noticed:

1. The legibility of autographs is getting worse by the year. New players are coming in with autographs that aren't full signatures, and older players are shortening their signatures. (Tamika Whitmore and Kiesha Brown, I'm looking at you.)

2. Usually, the legibility of a signature is inversely proportional to the fame of the player. See above examples of Amber Jacobs and Diana Taurasi. I think it may be because more famous players have been signing since college, or even high school; some of them may be sick of scribbling their names (especially if they have longish names), while others may have developed a monogram or other short but distinctive autograph. A superstar, such as Seimone Augustus or Tamika Catchings, tends to be recognized more and get more requests, while the Laurie Koehns of the world (to pick a relatively unknown player with a relatively neat signature) tend to just sign their names. There are exceptions on both ends of the spectrum, summed up as Sue Bird and Cathrine Kraayeveld. (Sorry. No samples. The only Bird I have in my collection was signed in silver, sideways, in the dark, and the only Kraayeveld I have is on my cap.)

3. International players have a one-name thing going. It might be the first name (Margo Dydek, Bernadette Ngoyisa, Iziane Castro Marques), it might be the last name (Tante Ma�ga, Anastasia Kostaki), it might be an initial and a name (Elena Baranova), but rarely will you see a European, African, or South American player sign her first and last name. The exceptional continents are North America and Australia; among North Americans, players from the Caribbean tend to have nice, clear signatures, while Canadians� not quite so impressive. Aussies, except for LJ (who has a rather antisocial signature that hides in corners), tend to sign beautifully. (Please note: these trends are observed solely from my collection and my experience, which is why I don't have anything on players from Asia. Your non-American player may vary.)

4. I haven't spotted too many correlations by school. There's some similarity among the recent Kansas Statealumnae, but not too much. Former UConn Huskies tend to be more legible than most, if only because Chris Dailey made them back at school, for which I am extremely grateful. Of course, some have forgotten that stipulation. I'm also not currently curious enough about handwriting by locale to see if there are any patterns dependent on a player's hometown/home state.

The collective Miss Congeniality award goes to the Lynx; during their visit to the Garden this season, every single player on the active roster came out for shootaround, stopped either coming on or coming off the court, and signed for folks who asked. Very cool. The Fever are also a very nice team- really, you can't go wrong when you have Tully and Catch, although I'm sure some of their comfort comes from having three former Liberty players on the roster. Most teams tend to be very accessible- actually, the only one I've had a serious problem with this year, especially late in the year, is New York. (Dear Liberty: we don't bite. Honest. Please don't hide from us.)

If you want to get into the hobby� well, it's a little late for this season, but here are some tips for next season. Feel free to adjust these as needed.

1. Be prepared. If you're going to do this, always carry at least a pen, paper, and something to steady the paper- the signatures come out neater that way. If you're going to use anything but paper, sub in a Sharpie or other permanent marker for the pen. It'll show up better. Just remember the permanent aspect; my Liberty cap is so grungy because I can't wash it, and that's because I used washable marker for a few of the irreplaceable signatures. Black works best, although if you have something light colored, you can also use colored Sharpies, and thus create a more interesting effect. If you like the card thing, as I do, don't use rare cards; the card loses its value as a card- after all, someone's scribbled all over it in permanent marker. I used to make that mistake. Now the only time I use relatively rare cards is when it's the only card a player has, and even then, I would advise against getting any of the Rittenhouse rookies signed.

2. Set your boundaries. For me, they're relatively simple: the arena, or its immediate entrance/exit; an event, or its immediate exit. I don't go after players on their own time. Some people include the team hotel in their boundaries. I don't. The only time I ever did that was at Mohegan Sun, because I felt there was a slight difference, and I later felt so unclean that I swore never to do *that* again. There are other kinds of boundaries, too; if a player's carrying something, or is on the phone, or is attempting to enjoy a fruit salad, leave her alone.

3. Be polite. After all, these ladies are doing something nice for you; the least you can do in return is let them know that you appreciate what they've done. At least say thank you. I have a tendency to use "Excuse me?" as a way to get players' attention, though it also helps that I've taken to hanging out with people who scream for attention a bit more loudly.

4. Know who you're dealing with. See the mess with the Korie Hlede card. If you're the type of person who prefers to get a player's attention by calling her name, make sure you're calling the right name. Besides the fact that it wouldn't really be effective, I can't imagine any player being pleased that she had been mistaken for someone else. Speaking as both a fan and a collector, it also bothers me when someone decides they're going to hang out without any clue of who any of these players are- and this is with the numbered warm-ups teams usually wear. 4a) Get the name right. This doesn't just subsume calling the wrong name, but calling the right name wrong. Some names have very tricky and non-intuitive pronunciations- "Key-dra" for Kedra Holland-Corn, for example. Alana Beard won't look at you twice if you call out something that sounds like "Uh-LAH-na!", because it's supposed to be more like "Uh-LAY-na". Some playerfiles have pronunciation guides in them; you might want to check those, and the rosters in general, before you head out to the game.

I think that's enough. It certainly seems like enough. Any questions, hit me up at QnsQueen@aol.com.

There are two things we can't get enough of: the WNBA Western conference playoff race and CBS's Big Brother All-Stars. To those who are not familiar with the show, BB is a game of power struggle and alliances. The players in power are the Head of Household and it's alliances. Every week the HOH nominates two people for eviction. However, the two nominees have a chance to take themselves off the chopping block by winning the golden Power of Veto. If a nominee is taken off the block, the HOH must replace it with another player. The beauty of this game is that the power can shift every week much like the Western conference. Those are the basic rules of Big Brother.

Now if you're not familiar with the WNBA, what the heck are you doing reading this blog? You're own your own.

Using Big Brother terms and conditions, we will attempt to paint a playoff picture. Since the East have clinched all playoff berths, we will sorely concentrate on the West.

Heads of Household: Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks have been steamrolling in the West with a 13-4 conference record thanks to Lisa Leslie's MVP numbers and the eye-popping, so stunning "We-can't-believe-it!"-"Will-you-be-our-MySpace friend?" unbelievable bench play of Chamique Holdsclaw. Being the only team to clinch a playoff spot, the Sparks' only trouble is to gain the overall number one record for a Finals home court advantage. With three games remaining against Western conference opponents, LA has a chance to eliminate unwanted playoff contenders.

Nominees for Eviction: Seattle Storm and San Antonio Silver Stars
Both in the bubble and fighting for the final playoff spot, these two teams are nominated because they have a .500 or better road record. Seattle has three remaining games on the road, including one in San Antonio. And to put it subtly, the Silver Stars are horrible at home with a 5-9 record.
San Antonio also has three remaining road games, two of which have very good home stands (Indiana, 10-3 and Washington, 11-4). But perhaps the Silver Starzz's biggest hurdle is the fact that the Comets possess the Power of Veto.

Power of Veto: Houston Comets
Though Houston is only a game above Seattle, the Comets hold the tie-breaker against the Storm but not against the Silver Starzz. Houston also has the most favorable schedule facing three teams with a sub .500 record on the road and two teams with winning records at home. We think Houston's schedule will secure them a playoff spot before their Aug. 12th battle against Seattle. If the Comets do clinch a spot before the Aug. 12th game, they are likely to use the Power of Veto and throw the game or rest their players against Seattle because of the tie-breaker scenario. However, if Houston and Seattle have similar records leading up to Aug. 12th, the Power of Veto will not be used.

In either scenario we don't see San Antonio squeezing in for the final Western conference playoff spot. Sorry Silver Starzz, but Julie Chen is waiting for you outside the WNBA Big Brother house.

*The oldest excuse in sports journalism is "We're on a deadline." If all predictions come through, we're geniuses. But if and when they fall apart, we're on a deadline, okay? E-mail us your thoughts at finest76er@yahoo.com.*

Yeah, had to go there. Sorry. With the East secured and the spoilers named, I have been eyeballing the West and what was happening over there. I scurry to my favorite after game spot to watch who ever is playing on ESPN2 or NBATV. Could some one chat with the programers on NBA TV? I love the Globetrotters as much as the next person but seriously does their one hour special have to be shown when the West Coast games are on?

So everyone knows that LA has the top of the West. Owns it lock stock and barrel. Then Sacramento who at this point is pretty well guaranteed a spot in the play offs but then some seriously weird quirk of mathematical fate combinations of wins/loses could prevent that. I need to find out the odds on THAT happening. If there is a greater chance of me being struck by lightning then I say put an x by their name; they are going to the big show.

NOW we get to the wild and woolly crazy spot of the West ... spots 3 and 4.

In the 3 position sits Houston. At the beginning of the season on paper I was thinking they should be fighting for first place. Instead the injury demon has been eating its fill on the Houston team. With Dixon going down last night with what appeared to be an ankle, I am thinking this team might hold on to the 3rd spot or drop to 4th or just not make it in a squeaker on the last day of the regular season.

Currently in the 4 spot we have Seattle. When the Injury demon was not lunching in Houston, it was dinning in Seattle. The only thing that has not happened to this team this year, is Bird having her beak broken again. {Bad pun and everyone has heard it before but it wrote so well don�t you think?} From the emotional turmoil of their team being sold to Jackson's legs there is more drama in Seattle then a day time soap opera or a Friday Night lesbian pot luck supper. On the other hand this team is all scrappy grit and they just might hold on to 4th or Storm Surge {did you really think I wasn�t going to go there?} into 3rd or again fall out of the play offs on the last day. However I am betting on Seattle being in the playoffs just cause their fans will get them their by the shear emotional force of their support. Seattle is fighting for its team and they {say it with me} just... might .. go... all... the... way.

Fighting in the 5th spot is the former basement dwellers San Antonio and Phoenix. I feel like I am watching a death match between these two teams. Some one is going down. The question is ... is it both of them or will one scrap their way in to the play offs?

Honestly I am sooo not betting on either of these teams as it is a lose lose situation. On the down side for San Antonio, they just do not have the experience to make it to the big show. They are going to be fierce next year. They are going to be rock �em sock �em robots next year but this year... to many sophomores, to many rookies. This is about picking up experience and playing spoiler. They are going to earn respect this year. And they are going to run next year.

Phoenix... I apologize Seth but... let me pick up my fan sword and stab myself a few more times. Until Phoenix grows up they are going to lose. I am talking about emotional maturity. Until players learn to focus on playing regardless of the calls being made or not made ... until players focus on getting the job done and not smoking and joking (Army term for lack of discipline and focus on the job at hand) through the season, Phoenix is going to be an also ran.

Yes you have Diana. And Cappie. But you need a TEAM to win. We can talk about the need for posts. We can talk about bench. we can talk about building year. But I am going to point to one tiny statistic... Lisa Leslie�s lifetime points per game average is 17.6. Katie Smith�s is 16.5. The two most prolific scorers in the history of women�s basketball and the WNBA do not put up 30 plus points a night. Game after game. Defense wins games. Every developmental coach, every high school coach, and just about every college coach demands defense.

I am not an �expert� but even I know Shaq needs to learn how to shoot free throws and to shut down Phoenix you frustrate Diana. I do not see Phoenix finishing better than 5th. Phoenix will make other teams beat them. No rolling over for this team. They are going to spoil other�s chances and they are going to beat the crap out of other teams. I apologize to my new friends in �The Brigade� but I just do not see your beloved Phoenix making the show. If I am wrong the lobsters are on me and I have a Taurasi rookie card to give to DT as penance.

There is going to be some great basketball played in the West over the last 6 or 7 games. The match ups are intense. No easy games left for people to toss into the win column. And of course I think all of this will be to the East�s advantage. Please beat each other up so it is easier for us to spank you in the Championship.

But as usual the play offs will be decided on the last day of the regular season in front of thousands of screaming fans, and a hundred or so nail biting players willing other teams to win and lose as they scrap for their victories.

FOLLOW UP:

In the recent LA San Antonio game the following incident occurred.

A one game suspension was issued to Mwadi Mabika. The message board is a wash with the up roar of the wet noodle punishment for this behavior. Again I am voicing the fans desire to see the players who toss these flagrant fouls, that would be assaults off the court, receive the maximum punishment every time. One game is not enough! Especially when there is precedent from other incidents, of players receiving a 5 game suspension. We fans are left to speculate that the league is showing favoritism to a team they want in the Finals. This is the second incident in which an L.A. player has crossed the line. We fans want this behavior stopped. In the off season there must be a major investigation and review of all incidents of this nature and the ensuing punishments.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

Cynthia at the Discover Card Call Center in Delaware who helped me get the new WNBA card design on my account. She had never heard of this option and spent 14 mins scrolling through her computer and talking with her supervisor to find me the new card. She had never heard of the WNBA but told me about the college ball that was available in Delaware. She is going to look into going to a Washington Mystics play off game. If someone was so crazy to get a new card, she had to see what it was all about

1-800-347-2683 for current card holders and to apply online, click here

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

�Can I get a Discover Card with a Connecticut Sun logo? I want to use my cash back for Sun merchandise.� Patty, Season Ticket Holder.

I have a half a dozen blog posts started and not finished. I just can�t seem to be able to write tonight. I am trying to finish a piece for my usual Monday post. Lots of stuff to write about. I have been playing around with pieces about Manners, Men Who Support the W, Stalking Tours and other ideas. I just can�t get inspired. The problem is I do not want to write about any of my usual find commonality pieces.

So in keeping with what my professor in college taught me, I am going to write about what I love. For the second time this season this blog post will be exclusively about my beloved Connecticut Sun.

A while back I wrote about the players of whom I am a fan. I have to admit that with this Sun team I am a fan of the �journeyman� players. Those who work hard in practices and whose job appears to be the court fillers as the starters rest. I like those hard working butts on the bench who race on to the court to give their absolute best in the 2:30 seconds they are about to play.

These are the people we fans count on to keep the lead. They hold their own against other teams starters. These are the players that could legitimately be starters on other team. I point to Jen D getting cut from the Sun, going to Phoenix and starting until Kelly Miller got healthy.

The Eastern Conference play offs have been decided: Connecticut, Detroit, Washington and Indiana are all now fighting for home court advantage and who is going to play who when. I have received my play off tickets invoice and the invoice for next years tickets. On one hand I am ecstatic as we can now talk about .... say it with reverence... the play offs... and yes Todd I will get my credit card info to you by the Friday deadline. No I do not have a fax.

My friends are all saying things to which I reply, �I am not getting excited, we have been here before.� No analysis from me. I leave that to the �experts� who are never wrong and never accurate.

I have weird categories in my head when I take about my beloved Sun. Some players are all by themselves. Some players are grouped.

The Leaders:

Nykesha Sales: I got a few moments with her at the season ticket holders event. She signed my copy of R-E-S-P-E-C-T blog post. And then she asked for a copy which of course I had one for her. Be prepared isn�t just for the boy scouts. But the best part was when Cool Kesh asked me to sign her copy. Now that was a �Dear Diary� moment. We miss her on the court. She is still having Achilles problems. We hope she will be back in the next week. But in the mean time ...... oooooooo the girl does fashion well. But the heels. Kesh what are you thinking? Achilles problems and you are on heels?

Taj McWilliams-Franklin: Ever the professional. Always in the right place at the right time for the rebound or the looping pass to muscle inside for the lay up. She has a great smile and polite distance from her fans. Professional from top to bottom.

My Big Girls:

Le�Coe Willingham: See now I have a soft spot in my fan heart for Le�Coe. She has a warm smile and is always friendly to the fans. She has gained muscle and is smoothing out all the extra that giving birth adds to all moms. Her son is a sweetie. And she up up some nice bench numbers Sunday night. 9 points in 9 mins of play with 5 rebounds. The big girl is moving faster on the court and knows this system. She smiles and waves at me while she is warming up on the court. I like to think she knows I really mean it when I wish her luck.

Ashja Jones: Fierce. That is what I think every time Ashja walks on to the court. �Oooooo now you are going to get it� when Ashja comes off the bench. She is from the Nykesha Sales �Get the Job Done and Save the Bitchin For Later� school of basketball. She was called for a travel one time and just stood there for a good 10 seconds staring at her feet. And then played on. I was rolling with laughter. What a great commentary on the call without being disrespectful. I bless Mike T for trading for Ashja. And what ever they are paying her, not enough. What a great player she is. And if I do say so, she was also looking good Sunday night after the game. Why some of these women are single I will never know.

Margo Dydek: See now I just say her name and I smile. I am so glad Margo plays for this team. The big little girls out there playing developmental ball who are taller than their team mates and all the boys in their class have a great role model who is dignified, sophisticated and just plain all around class act as a role model. I hope Margo plays out her career here. She adds a touch of dignity to the whole circus of fandom.

As for my Irish Lasses... be still my celtic heart:

Jamie Carey: Ok so I kept the giggling to a minimum at the season ticket holder event. But I am still a goof head around her. I actually have to laugh at myself as I had no problems laughing and joking with Jess Brungo or talking with Margo. But you put me near the one person that is the bee�s knees to me, and I go stupid. She was kind enough to sign a picture that Patty took. Jamie said she liked it so Patty is getting her a copy. Sunday night Jamie put in 22 mins, went 2 for 3 on the field goals, 1 for 2 on the 3 pointers, 2 for 2 at the line, pulled down a rebound, and pitched in 4 assists. And I was cheering her ever step of the way. While Jamie never got to play with Debbie Black, Jamie sure is trying hard to pick up where Debbie left on on the School of Defense. Jamie isn�t a �pest� yet but she sure will be. And she just plain has my respect and my fan heart. The kid has grit and when a job needs to be done, I will take grit every day of the week.

Megan Mahoney: I am about to utter fan heresy. After I write this I will perform penance. As much as I miss Brooke and as much as I llllluuuuuuuuvvvvvvv Brooke, I actually told a fellow fan that no we should not trade Megan to get Brooke back. This kid has spunk. She is fast and as she is learning she will get faster. She has a nice smooth hand on her shots and also is into defense. {Must be an Irish thing} She is a good back up 3 player. A couple of years with Mike and she will have the stuff to be a starter. This one is a keeper. And if you get a chance, ask her about Apple Martini's.

Katie Douglas: While Katie had a nice Big Fat Greek Wedding to a nice Greek gentleman, she will still be an Irish Lass in my Scottish heart. And ooo that girl can move. When ever I watch her play I feel like I am watching a deer run. Katie bounds around the court the same way. Other people stop and pivot, Katie springs from her toes and moves. Every night she goes out there and throws up double digit scoring while playing killer defense. Other names are getting more PR for MVP, Katie has earned this award night in and night out. from her killer 3�s to her killer defense, she is proving that Most Valuable Player is about contributions to the team winning; not personal stat padding.

My Aussies:

Erin Phillips: Debbie Black School of Defense with an ability to drive the lane and shoot the ball. As great as she is I will always miss my Brooke. The rookie has lots of things to learn. And I wish Debbie was still around to school her in the off the court parts of the W.

Laura Summerton: I was so wrong about Laura. Let me say that again, I WAS WRONG! Laura isn�t quite a power forward nor is she quite a center. She has the height but needs some muscle. She is quick and learning to see where she needs to be on the court. She also is picking up some of Ashja�s moves. And she is just plan nice. She laughed when I gave her her rookie card with the explanation of it being penance for not thinking she would make the team.

The Rookie:

Brooke Queenan: What�s to say. I haven�t seen her play yet. But welcome to the W and the Connecticut Sun. Show us what you got and maybe will will become your fans. But when you mess up and you will cause you are learning, there will be a few people saying �Welcome to the W Rookie!�

Welcome Back, Welcome Back... {singing} Sing it with me... Welcome Back Welcome Back... {Think Kotter}

Jessica Brungo: Hang in there kiddo. You got some stuff. Just remember it took Katie Cronin 6 years to find a home in the W. Besides Brian likes her �even if she went to Penn�. Spoken like a true Yale man. And he is tall enough to look her in the eye. Something every girl likes.

These are my beloved Sun. And since the road to the finals goes through Connecticut, I hope this will help other fans get to know the hard working players that have taken this team to the top 3 years in a row.

ACTS OF KINDNESS:

oooooo I so wish I could put this one in print. Lets just say it involves players. And they were sooooooo fun.

MINDLESS COMMENTS:

�This has to be the blondest team in the league.� A fellow season ticket holder after the game Sunday night about the Connecticut Sun.

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