No Today like Tuesday

See that guy near the front? That's me!"

So, I want to say that I got laid off of my job. In a nutshell, what this means (besides lots and lots of ramen noodles in my near-future) is that I won't be able to update this blog as regularly (or irregularly) as I have in the past. I'll still do updates, so don't get your panties in a bunch, but I can't make promises as to their frequency and update until I have secured another job.

Okay, now that the depressing part is out of the way, let's get onto the regular update...

The Liberty have their "Theme Night" Schedule up. Nothing too spectacular there. Just the usual.

There's this full article on Shay Doron up on the Jerusalem Post. I know there's more than a few Doron fans who read this site, so go there and get off my back. I like her, too, but come on. There's only so much news I can bring you about her without learning Hebrew.

I only speak two languages: English and Bad English!

For personal appreciation, this goes to the top of my list. Janel McCarville? On ice skates? That just put her bad-assness off the charts.

An aftershock could be felt as far away as Virginia.

AROUND THE LEAGUE...

CBA turmoil. For those without index fingers or who are too impatient to click the link: teams can't sign players until the new deal is reached.

Storm fans are getting back into the swing of things. It always puts a pep in my step when I read stuff like this. Until I remember that the dollar is crashing and the economy is in the toilet. Then I just down some valium and I'm fine.

The new Atlanta franchise is doing well for itself... so far. 1,500 season tickets have been sold so far, which is good, especially considering the time frame. It's not all peaches and cream, however, as sooner or later, their going to have to make due with the scraps of the rest of the league and, you know, actually play a game.

All right. Until the next time I am able to post...

See ya, Space Cowboy...

What makes a Bad Tuesday Good?

Beer. Not just for children anymore.

Saint Patty was seen scouting the Maryland-Duke game. Two ACC powers? The Draft coming up? At least Coyle is doing her homework. The draft class is looking much better than some initial estimates (that is, Parker and a bunch of good, but not great, stuff), so with a seventh-choice, it will be interesting to see what is left. Keep on rockin' the free world, Patty.

Shay scored 14 points for her Israeli team, helping push Ramla over Ramat Hen, 71-67. There's a whole slew of WNBAers down there in the stats. Snow, McWilliams-Franklin, Baker, Price... yeah, check it for yourself.

Jessica Davenport is ripping up the court as well for Challes-les-Eaux in France. She's averaging 13.8 points per game, second on her team and 15th in the league, right ahead of Tiffany Jackson (13.6), might I add.

Shameka Christon isn't doing that badly, either, averaging 17.75 points a game. It's in Spanish, just so you know.

I could keep going on like this. However, thanks to the wonders of...

...THE INTERNET...

...you can look up your favorites, too. Like keeping track of your gals while they're overseas? I found this website that helps out. There's a lot... a LOT... of missing info, but it's good for basic overviews and such. I'm gonna put it up on the link list overhead.

On non-basketball related news, American Gladiators kicks ass. Yeah, some of the events are lame, and the camera angles (as well as the editing) doesn't give the illusion of speed like the previous incarnation did, but damn. It's bad-ass without even trying. Also, Hellga (a.k.a. Robin Coleman) kicks ass. Like some kind of Valkyric Warrior. I could go on and on about what makes her so kick ass, but I don't want to bore you. Besides, this is a basketball blog. Still...

Every guy with Nordic blood or is into spanking just went half-mast.

Some more love for Candace Parker, future LA Spark. Sparks? Sparkser? Sparkette? What is the singular?

A sweet (as in sugar) story about a father and daughter. One has Lou Gehrig's Disease and can barely communicate. The other is a WNBA hopeful. I could make a joke, but the story is just too touching.

Also, the joke would be insanely easy to make.

And with that questionably tasteless joke, I leave you for the day.

See ya, Space Cowboy...

It's Quiet... a bit TOO Quiet...

Zzzz...zzzz...zzzz...

Yeah, not much is happening on the front today. I just don't want to get into the habit of not updating anymore. So... here it is. All of it.

Here's an article about the woman who runs the Li'l Torches shows at the Garden. It's mostly about her work in the NBA, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

In case I haven't pimped it yet, check out Game Notes of Dooooooom (pronounced Doooooom, as the last 'o' is silent). From frequent commentor "Rebecca", it's a nose-dive back into Liberty History, with game recaps and more from back in the day. Some things have changed (posting a winning record consistently), while some haven't (attendance woes). In any case, if you call yourself a Lib fan, then there's no excuse not to check it out. Unless, of course, you're Indiana Jones. The man has GOT to stay away from places with "Doom" in the title.

Pull your heart out once, shame on you. Pull it out twice, shame on me.

AROUND THE LEAGUE...

Candace Parker talks about playing in Los Angeles, as she most likely will with the Sparks number 1 draft pick. The article touches on a bunch of things, really, including WNBA attendance vs. College Ball attendance, the tumultuous place that the Sky are in at the moment, and more.

I told you that the list was short. Sorry.

See ya, Space Cowboy...

Storm to Stay - Who Has Two Thumbs and Called It?

THIS guy!

The Seattle Storm have been sold to a local ownership group. Terms of the sale were finalized in the last couple of days for around $10 million dollars. It's still pending league approval, but that's really a formality, as all four majority owners seem to have deep enough pockets to fund the WNBA franchise. Plus, one (Anne Levinson, former Seattle Deputy Mayor) has experience in owning a women's team, in the Seattle Reign of the now-defunct ABL.

And really, there was no reason for Clay Bennett to keep the Storm. Oklahoma may or may not be a city worthy of an NBA team (I have my doubts, but then again, Salt Lake City does well enough), but why would Donna Orender let a team with a passionate fan-base just slip away? Why would Bennett keep a team that was little more than an albatross around his neck?

Will this have any affect on the Sonics? Probably not. There's WAY too much money to be had. Even if the Sonics tank in Oklahoma, there's still the honeymoon period, and at the end of that time frame (around 4-5 years), Bennett can sell out, make an obscene amount of money, and then ride his deathmobile back down to Hell. Now that Professor Heartbreak has sold off the one piece of baggage that would have dragged his purchase down, the only thing keeping him in Seattle is the Key's lease... which he's trying to get around.

At least THIS set of fans won't commit suicide.

So, rest easy, Storm fans. Your precious franchise is safe... for now. There's no telling what the new CBA deal will do to the WNBA, or whether or not players will continue to play in the US for less money than in Europe, or a million of different things. But for now, raise thy mugs of mead and giveth thanks to the Gods of War.

I couldn't help posting this picture. My Y Chromosome will be the death of me.

How does this affect the New York Liberty, you might ask? It's a decent question, as this IS a Lib blog. Beside being about the WNBA, it also has to deal with the health of the league in general. Look, four women aren't going to pony up 10 million (with the potential to lose over six figures a year) just to say that they own a basketball team. There is room for growth here, and that should send a good feeling gut-punch to every WNBA fan out there.

All right. That's all I got. I just wanted to let you guys know.

See ya, Space Cowboy...

EDIT:

I completely missed it. Loree Moore has signed with Vologda-Chevakata, a Russian club that is heading to the 2008 EuroCup. Her first playoff game with the team is tonight against Hemofarm Vrsac. Did I spell either of those teams' names right? It sounds like I need to cough up some phlegm whenever I pronounce some of those Russian team names.

Oh yeah, and Pat Coyle has a post up on Hoopla. I give her a hard time, but she's a decent coach and has some interesting stuff to say.

For real this time, peace...

Happy New Year '08... Kind of...

Back again. This time, in style!

Yeah, I've been gone for a while. I was busy with work and writing, and then family time and the holidays came, meaning that it was a hell of a time getting things together enough for an update, but I'm here now, and hopefully the ten of you that have stuck around will keep it real enough for me as we ramp up for the season.

I'm thinking of doing a 2007 Year in Review, but then again, I kinda covered that territory already. Thoughts? If I do it, it won't happen until next week. I'm just trying to get back on the saddle with this whole blogging thing again.

It's like I've regressed to some earlier, more primitive state.

Rebecca was kind enough to comment on the whole "cutting out 300-400 sections for season ticket holders" thing, and like I thought, people are getting boned. Hard. If anybody has a different point of view, or has some evidence to back up this hypothesis, please post here.

Essentially, this post is to remind all of you that I am, in fact, alive and still updating this blog. Readership has dropped precipitously and while I don't do this blog to be popular or anything (A WNBA blog focusing on a single team that is currently screwing over their fan base? What's more popular than THAT?), I just wanted to say that I'm here and will be updating more in the future.

Where we're going we won't need roads...

In terms of the news front (that is, the reason you are all here), I have a couple pieces to share...

A while back, the Libs launched their own blog. More publicity? Great. Not linking to your own blog in the article? Not so much.

Blazejowski has some damage control going on over on the main site. I'm actually surprised that she called out Shameka Christon and Tiffany Jackson for being inconsistent. Not that she's exactly WRONG, but there's a lot of blame to go around for a sub-.500 season, and trading away a popular player that won the MVP in the west only to draft a player that was never played... well...

That's pretty thick-headed.

For all of you Shay Doron fans out there, she updated on Liberty Hoopla about her various goings on. There was no mention of her wanting to strangle Pat Coyle, but if you read between the lines, you can see the rage.

Hell hath no fury like a player benched.

There's more, but right now, I need to split. I'll update soon, coo'?

See ya, Space Cowboy...