A LOT of Stuff - Friday Wrap-Up - Liberty Lose

(PICTURE REMOVED AT REQUEST OF WEBMASTER)

Connecticut 79, New York 75

It started off with strong ball in the first quarter. 18-13 was the score after eight and a half minutes, and then the teams dug in for a brawl to see who could push the other off the top of the mountain. Neither succeeded, and the quarter ended with no baskets made in the last 1:42. It was a good period, full of nuance and panache, due mostly to solid shots and rebounds from Thor and Dutch.

I wish I could find a picture of Thor holding a Dutch flag... sigh...

The 2nd quarter started off strong, with a Lib possesion that led to a three-pointer from Battle (Thor tried a 3-pter as well, but missed on purpose to spread the awesome around)...

She's awesome like that.

But, unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. It wasn't a bad quarter, mind you, and at the end of the half, the Libs were still up by five. However, the Sun came out and showed why they had won seven of their last eight. This wasn't going to be a cakewalk.

The Lynx, they ain't.

Dutch gets fouled and we walk into the lockerroom, 36-31. It's going to be a tough game, that's for sure, and the Sun are driving hard, showing the Libery what they're made of at the beginning of the next quarter, going on an eleven-point tear after a lay-up from McCarville.

She can't be everywhere at once.

In that span, there were six missed shots, and though McCarville rebounded three of them, even she couldn't get a basket in.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

It was pretty much back and forth ball after the mid-quarter TO, with the game tied and the Libs reeling. Things got a bit stronger by the end, with three straight baskets by the Liberty to end the quarter, but the message has been sent.

Don't @#$% with Mister Sun.

Four missed shots and a shot-clock violation for Connecticut start off a seemingly boring 4th Quarter.

"Seemingly" if you're as bat-shit crazy as the Joker.

Then, things get interesting. The Sun foul the Libs three straight times. Six foul shots later, and the score is 59-57. Another shot, and then ANOTHER Connecticut foul.

Call your Congressman today and end Liberty Abuse.

The Libs wouldn't score a non-foul shot basket until four minutes into the quarter. Thankfully, they make all eight foul shots.

Even Robin Hood was impressed by the ladies shooting skills.

It's turned into a hot-and-heavy game, with fouls left and right, solid shots, rebounds, and fantastic gameplay. Defense is bending, but not breaking, and it looks like the Libs are going to pull it off.

"Thank you! Thank you! Hey, what's that fat lady doing?"

The Liberty are up 73-72 with 49 seconds left in the game. The Sun's take it, Maltsi scores a sick three at :36 to make it 75-73, but Thorn drives and evens it up at 75. This is going to be a...

Dammit!

77-75. The Libs take the ball, but there's some bad mojo in the air. Moore makes a bad pass, and is stolen by Maltsi.

WHERE THE HELL DID THIS CHICK COME FROM?!?

Dutch has to foul, and Maltsi goes to the line.

1.

2.

79-75. Thor makes a half-court 3-point shot, but misses. The Sun swarm the court. The Libs collapse. Game.

Sucks, don't it?

GAME NOTES

• Maltsi was an animal tonight. The WNBA site is giving it up to Jones for putting the Sun ahead, but Maltsi stole the ball that forced the free-throws that she nailed to seal the deal. Well-played.
• McCarville was her usual self tonight; that is, awesome. 24 points and 10 rebounds.
• Tops for the Libs: Moore (14), Christon (12), Thorn (9), and Dutch (8).
• The Sun? Five players over 11 points, including all of their starters. Lindsay Whalen led the team with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
• Dydek (CON) was injured two and half minutes in, but it seems to be minimal.
• The Liberty are now 10-13. Dammit.
  
  

WEEK IN REVIEW...

Not good...

Houston 80, New York 74
Seattle 77, New York 75
Connecticut 79, New York 75

How does it feel to be in fifth place, tied with Washington, after being in First only two months ago?

Hurts, coach. It hurts.

We were ahead in all three games and had the game in hand in two of them. Scoring 74 or 75 points is enough to win a game when you defense is on and your team is clicking together like a stick-shift Thunderbird's engine.

I would have sex with a Thunderbird if I knew I wouldn't go to jail.

But when your defense is mediocre and only certain gears are kicking in at certain points, well... you might as well be riding around in something that GM made.

Also known as "The Joke-mobile".

McCarville is once again dominating, and Dutch has seemingly woken up as well, although there are still some severe lapses in her game. Davenport is still relegated to the bench, Thor plays when she wants to, Moore plays like Mr. Fantastic the one minute and the Invisible Woman the next, and everybody else can't seem to figure out what time to show up to the game?

No, no. The game starts in the FIRST quarter.

What is going on with our team? We had these three games. Had we won them, as we should have, we'd be 13-10 and firmly in third place, only 2.5 games out of second place. As it is, we're now 7.5 games out of first (5.5 out of second, and a half game out of playoff position) and tied for last in the division. In August, if we're a game out of the post-season, we're going to look back on this three-game stretch and shake our heads.

That is, if we don't down a bottle of Old Grand Dad and chug some pills.

Coyle started spreading the bench (FINALLY!) in last night's game, but it was too little, too late. We really need more out of our starters, and if we can't get it, give it to the benchies. They are desperate for the time and I know that, even if they can't win, they'll at least pour their heart into the game. That's at least a better product, and maybe it'll wake up the starting corp.

It's not like we can get much lower.

My advice? Start Doron and Willis at Guard, Janel McCarville at Center (she doesn't deserved to be benched), and Davenport and Weber in at the Forward positions.

Okay, that last selection might be a bit biased.

Why? You have one player (Doron) who got a taste of the game and is itching to prove that she can handle it, you another veteran who has the brilliance to play and is looking for an option, one first-round pick who has just started to wake up, one rookie who started off strong then faded (and is hungry to get back in), and a strong forward who has never played before and is looking to prove that she can handle the professional game. And if they suck? We lose! Hey, it's what we're doing anyway.

At least we can go out in style.

Hopefully Coyle reads this blog. We can't just keep sending the message to the regulars, saying that sub-par performances are okay and losing isn't that bad at this point in the season. Five more losses and we're under .500 for the year.
We need to right this ship, and if we can't do that, send a message.

By smoke signal, if needed.

GAME PREVIEW - SUNDAY

So I don't have to get up and fight off my awful weekend internet connection, I will preview Sunday's game for you guys here.

Hurrah!

If you want something in depth, look at my post from yesterday, as it all basically applies here as well.

Especially the part about how EVERYBODY NEEDS TO STEP UP!!!

Seriously, it sucks that Moore gave up that turnover with less than 30 seconds left, but had she not been put into that position by the ten other players that saw court-time yesterday, it wouldn't have mattered. She scored 14 points. I have no qualms with her.

Tiffany Jackson? Please report to the principal's office.

At least the ladies know how the game should go down now. The Sun are riding high and are looking to be taken down a peg. We're going to get a bigger crowd (Sunday afternoon and the combined Sun and Lib crowds, plus the Tri-State rivalry thing). Let's take it to 'em and send 'em home without the shirts on their backs.

Please? For your ol' buddy, the Writer?

KEYS TO A NEW YORK VICTORY

• SHUT DOWN THE BIG FOUR!!! SHUT THEM DOWN! DON'T TALK ABOUT IT! DO IT! The three who played last night combined for 47 points.
• Step it up.
• Keep hitting the shots. The Libs had a really strong shooting game, but couldn't close the door.
• Defense. Don't let the Sun dominate the physical game.

And everybody? I am desperate to go to the game on Sunday, but if I can't, I need all of you to head out, cheer your head off, and if at all possible, give the Libs the boost they need to stop this free-fall. It would also be rather cool if you called the ladies by their proper nicknames.

Proper nicknames being the nicknames I gave them.

AROUND THE LEAGUE...

Sacramento 60, Fever 50
Chicago 83, Detroit 73

I'm surprised that the Fever can't hold it together without Catchings. I should have figured that Sacramento could shut them down, but beating a reeling team doesn't exactly ring a resounding endorsement for their skills. All and all, a boring, boring, boring game.

The scene? The ARCO. The drug in the Sodas? Dramamine.

As for Chicago, they soundly thumped Detroit. They started off strong, got a bit shakey, and then caught a second wind that carried them through the last two quarters. Monster game from Candice Dupree, and without Cheryl Ford, the Shock looked unfocused. Good job by the Sky containing the Shocks offense. Did I just compliment the Sky?

DAMN!

GAMES THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

Houston @ San Antonio
Los Angeles @ Minnesota
Phoenix @ Chicago
Indiana @ Seattle

An all Texas match-up that should feature plenty of hootenany, bull-riding, and Becky Hammon walking around naked.

Just kidding! There won't be any hootenany.

The Comets are fading a bit while the Silver Stars are still hot. Houston also has an astoundlingly poor road record (2-9), while the Silver Stars can take any team that is thrown at them. I suggest that the Comets rest their stars, chalk this up for a loss, give their scrubs a chance to play, and focus on their game against Chicago on Sunday. If not, they could lose both and fall into an even deeper pit. Silver Stars by 7.

Wait. Is this a Lynx game? And Los Angeles is desperate to keep their increasingly dim playoff hopes alive? And is Seimone Augustus rumored to be hurt? Yes, yes, and double-yes. This is the best chance that the Lynx have of getting out of last place, and I don't think they have it in them. Sparks by 8.

Phoenix is going to Chi-town and their looking for a game to steal.

The Mercury are playing hard and hot, winning seven of their last ten and making a giant case for a group MVP to be shared by Pondexter, Taurasi, and Taylor.

When combined, they form Voltron!

Chicago is coming off a huge game against Detroit, but they haven't had a rest and what little crowd comes to their game isn't a big enough pep to push them over the top scoring team in the league. Phoenix is called the Hammer for a reason. The Sky's defense will fall. Mercury by 9.

Indiana got their collective asses kicked last night, and now they're travelling across the country to play against a team who has two superstars that even Joe-Schmoe-I-Hate-WNBA-Basketball can recognize.

"Bird? Jackson? Can I get your autograph on my gut?"

Indiana has to wake up if they're going to have a semblance of a playoff run, but Seattle is a monster at home.

Avoid the 'noid. He hates the Fever.

The 'noid being the Storms rip-roaring offense and the salmonella that they put into their opponents water-bottles. Storm by 5.

SATURDAY

Detroit @ Washington

Washington is a bit better than they were, but Detroit can handle them. The Shock need to maintain a tough exterior, even if they aren't really threatened for the top spot in the East. The Mystics, meanwhile, are over-relying on their stars, and it's going to back-fire.

Much like a Chevy. Oh!

Detroit is way too talented to lose to the Sun and the Mystics in a row. And if they decide to rest their starters and take a break, I guess I can't deny them that, either. If all goes as planned, however, expect a trouncing of Biblical proportions.

The Shock shalt overcome those heathens, the Mystics, by 9. Go, preach this word unto the masses!

SUNDAY

Los Angeles @ Detroit
Houston @ Chicago
Indiana @ Phoenix
Minnesota @ Sacramento
San Antonio @ Seattle

The second of back-to-back games for Detroit. I feel that the Sparks can play better than the Mystics when they're on and play much, much worse when they don't want to show up.

Which seems to be every night, so far.

The Shock aren't travelling that far and won't have their hands too full from the game before. The Spark could definitely put up a fight, but at this point, I can't know when and where that's going to be. I'm just going to play it safe. Shock by 5.

Chicago's been winning and Houston hasn't. They're not overwhelming teams, but Houston, while being (in my opinion) a better group, is on the road and flailing a bit. Chicago has steadily built up a .500 season, thanks in large part to a weak middle of the season schedule and some key wins. I'm going with my gut on this one and going against my instinct. Sky by 3.

Indiana's defense is still a force to be reckoned with, even if their offense has taken a bit of a hit recently. Phoenix, however, has been known to make any team look like they have no one blocking shots. It all depends on who is going to show up - Indiana's offense or Indiana's defense. If the former, then Indiana will lose. If the later, than Phoenix will lose. I have a feeling that the hometown crowd in Phoenix is going to help out and Indiana will continue their slide. Phoenix
by 8.

The Lynx? At Sacramento?

Next.

Monarchs by 7.

Who will come out on top? Both teams have a very balanced roster, but the Storm rely heavily on Jackson and Bird, while the Stars seem to spread the ball a bit more. If San Antonio is drawn into Seattle's game, it's going to be a quick show. If they can maintain their composure and limit Jackons's effectiveness, it'll be a great game. Personally, I think the Storm are due to kick some Silver Star ass. Storm by 5.

A "top ten plays" of the week video. I usually hate basketball highlight reels, but this has some good ones on it.

A WNBA article about Erin Thorn. My favorite line? "Erin Thorn's rise to prominence has put the Liberty within a striking shot of the playoffs." It should read "Erin Thorn's rise to prominence has KEPT the Liberty within a striking shot of the playoffs." And where's the love for McCarville, huh?

Cheryl Ford's out for the rest of the season. That changes everything in the fight for the East, although Detroit has enough talent to keep it together. Come playoffs, however, it's going to be VERY interesting.

All right. That's it for me for this week, kiddos. The weekend calls, and I'm tired, busted, and damn-near broke. Hope everything is going well with you. I'll hopefully see you guys on Sunday.

See ya, Space Cowboy...

Post to Come...

Big post to come in a few hours (hopefully by 11). Until then, keep your pants on.

Geocentrism and the End of Ration - Essay

(Edited from original text, see below...)

Apparently, about 21% of Americans believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. This comes from Morris Berman’s book, “Dark Ages America,” and it’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Even if that statistic is wildly off – up to half off - that means that almost ten percent of the population of the United States – 30 million people – believe, against all evidence found by science, instruments, and the naked eye, in a system of scientific processes that hasn’t been considered remotely rational for almost four hundred years. Against this kind of mentality, how can the WNBA hope to survive?

The WNBA survives based on a rational argument: women can play sports. Why? Because there’s nothing inherently masculine in competition. A sport consists of (in my mind) an athletic, objective competition between two groups (composed of singular or plural competitors). Competition is not bound by sexual roles, nor is objectivity. While one can argue that men have evolved (or are designed) as stronger, tougher, leaner versions of their female counterparts, there are women who are stronger, tougher, and leaner than men. Thus, the idea that “any man can beat any woman at sport at any time” is rendered ridiculous. It simply isn’t true based on empirical evidence. We can argue psychology, gender roles, and society all day long, but at the foundation of all of this is that women have not evolved (or been designed) in a way that would exclude them from athletic activity, and thus, sports.

An irrational person, however, doesn’t necessarily see such an argument. Said person’s universe is (literally) crafted in an entirely different way. Logic, experience, and evidence mean nothing when put against Belief. He or she creates their own world based upon what is in their mind and in their heart, rather than the other way around. If they believe that women are inferior – that they can’t play sports, should stay in the kitchen, and should be little more than sexual slaves – then who is to stop them?

What’s worse is that such a person cannot, by their very nature, be argued with. No matter what kind of evidence one shows them, it will mean nothing, because, in the end, it is not evidence that causes them to think in this way. 75 million Americans believe in a Ptolemaic-vision of the universe, which can be disproved with binoculars, observation, and one’s mind. What is an entire league of women, fans, and sponsors going to do, let alone one man with a blog?

The WNBA is not in death-throes quite yet, but it isn’t exactly thriving either. Things are definitely getting better, but the only way to survive in the future will be to expand their market-share by reaching out to people who normally wouldn’t watch a women’s basketball game (or a basketball game, for that matter) and show them what they’re missing. But if one in four Americans (or a little less than one half, if Berman’s numbers are to be believed) believe that women are inherently inferior and that the WNBA is a disgrace, that’s a huge portion of the population that will dismiss the league out of hand. What about all of the other people who have similar thoughts, but are too disgraced or spineless to admit to their own beliefs? How many more people is the WNBA going to fail to reach, simply because the people on the court have two X chromosomes?

Seriously, I’m asking you. You all seem to be rational people. Hell, you like the WNBA; there must be loads of intelligence, wisdom, and disdain for stupidity/ignorance out there. Does anybody have any ideas, because I’m way too tired and astonished to even begin this late in the day. Maybe over the weekend I will have an answer. But now, I need to rest. I don’t want to stumble upon some website that proclaims the Moon to be made of green cheese and be forced to cryogenically freeze myself for another four centuries.

(Originally, the opening paragraph read...

Apparently, about 46% of Americans believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. This comes from Morris Berman’s book, “Dark Ages America,” and it’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Even if that statistic is wildly off – up to half off - that means that almost a quarter of the population of the United States – 75 million people – believe, against all evidence found by science, instruments, and the naked eye, in a system of scientific processes that hasn’t been considered remotely rational for almost four hundred years.

However, I have been unable to verify the quote from within the original source material, as opposed to the website from which I originally found it. However, in Morris Berman's book Twilight of American Culture, Berman writes...

"A random telephone survey of more than two thousand adults, conducted by Northern Illinois University, revealed that 21 percent believed that the sun revolved around the earth, with an additional 7 percent saying that they did not know which revolved around which."

I have thus changed my essay to reflect this new information. If anyone can find the source of the original quote, I would appreciate if they would send it in.)

Put on your Thursday-Dapper Diapers - Game Day

Here comes the Sun! Do-in-doo-doo!

So, game-day is here. Finally. And we’re going to C onnecticut to face off against the Sun, one of the hottest teams on the block right now.

If by “hot” I mean “on $%#@ing fire.”

The Sun now have four players averaging over 13 points a game, with seven players averaging over five rebounds. They have also upped their point total, averaging around 72 points in the first half, and going over 88 in their last eight. What this translates to was a seven-game win streak that was only broken two days ago with a tough (and close) loss to the Shock.

They were 5-10, once. And we were 5-0.

The Liberty, on the other hand, have only three players with more than 11 points and only four players with over four rebounds (only 1 above five). The Liberty have also been on an amazing skid, losing their last four and going 3-7 in their last ten. On paper, it seems like an overwhelming match-up in Connecticut’s favor.

Gruesome. Isn’t it, folks.

This isn’t taking into account all of the facts, however. The rest of Connecticut’s squad, is thoroughly mediocre, with most of them role players that can come in and support their top stars; Douglas, Whalen, Sales, and Jones.

Sounds like a law firm in some crappy Lifetime Special.

They have an amazingly high shooting percentage from the field in their last few games, but their defense is poor and they can’t shoot from beyond the arc. They rely on overpowering and out-running opponents, kind of like a neo-Phoenix Mercury.

Neo Phoenix. Isn’t that the name of some post-apocalyptic Manga-inspired uber-city?

The Liberty have been able to handle tough opponents in the past, but are still searching for consistency. We’ll have a game performance from Thorn, Christon, or Kraayeveld, and then McCarville, Battle, and Moore will be absent (and vice versa). This is a team effort, and Patty has been unwilling to bench her individual stars when they aren’t working.

Except for the Middle-Man. Poor, sweet Davenport.

The system that the Liberty play only works when they’re succeeding as a team. This isn’t a group that can rely on one player and have them carry the team (as seen in Kraayeveld’s uber-performance in our loss to the Comets). We need to come together, remember how to play the game as a team, kick some ass, and not let everybody walk all over us.

Saddle up, Boys. We’re headin’ North…


KEYS TO A NEW YORK VICTORY

• Contain the Big Four. Whalen, Douglas, Sales, and Jones are still the key to a Sun victory, with the reserves and other starters puzzle-pieces that can be fit in.
• Take out a part that isn’t working. We all know Patty likes to play her favorites until they’re dead on the side of the road, but if SOMEONE on our team isn’t working, PLEASE don’t let them play for thirty minutes. Stick in a reserve who’ll do the job and at least get experience.
• Play solid D. The Sun have averaged over 88 points a game in their last eight games. Contain them and force them to reconsider their game-plan.
• Hit the basket. Don’t talk about how you used to hit it. Don’t talk about how you WANT to hit. Just hit it. Do it. Get it done.

7 O’Clock
Uncasville
20 dollars gets you in, with a free buffet and 10 dollars worth of chips.

AROUND THE LEAGUE…

Phoenix 103, Minnesota 79

Who knew that an offensively-superior team playing against a defensively-inferior team would rack up a near-record amount of points? Who knew that Minnesota, despite being comped about a ten points per-starter, would completely crumble at the sight of Taurasi, Pondexter, and Taylor? Who knew that the Mercury would score 32 points in the last quarter with their scrubs in the game? And who knew over thirteen thousand people would show up for the spectacle?

Okay, that last one kinda caught me off-guard.

I’ve been noticing an upward tick in attendances for teams around the league. Some people are calling it surprising, but it doesn’t seem that way to me. Looking over old attendance records, it’s obvious that the first two weeks in the season (when teams have their home-openers) are the high-mark. Then the league dips as a whole before steadily building up over the course of the summer.

See the Cleveland Indians for game-based example.

As a whole, however, attendance is up for the season. Not a huge amount, and mostly due to Charlotte being out of the league, but it is up about 1.2%. However, this number is dragged down by Chicago. There are no teams averaging over 10K, but only one team averaging below 6… Chicago, at 3.6K a game.

That’s just sad.

However, these averages are just going to get higher as the season progresses and playoffs near. The West, while not wrapped up, has pretty much chosen its four pretenders to the crown, which will make for some pretty boring matchups, but the East is still wide-open, with the bottom four teams separated by a game and a half. This is where we’re going to find out where the true hotbeds of the WNBA are. If New York, a city of 8 million people, can’t manage ten thousand fans at a game where the season is on the line, what’s that say about us?

Unfortunately, Obscenity Laws in New York State prevent me from printing it.

Indiana @ Sacramento
Chicago @ Detroit

Indiana gets another crack at a top team from the west as they try to rally and hold off the surge from Detroit. Catchings is still out, but that doesn’t mean that Indiana is hurting for talent, with Whitmore and BLANK playing like Pit Bulls on crack.

Or Bulldogs on PCP.

Sacramento, meanwhile, has been hurting. It hasn’t regained its early-season form and its defense is starting to crack. Without a strong offensive powerhouse, they could definitely flounder late in the season, especially against an equally-strong defensive team (such as the Fever). Indiana by 6.

Chicago and Detroit. The old rivals. Bears versus Lions. White Sox versus Tigers. Blackhawks versus Red Wings. Okay, so this version of the game hasn’t quite lived up to those old stalwarts, but give it some time. This is the third time they’ve met this season, and the first two ended disastrously for the Sky. Still, Chicago has picked up a bit since then and has a two-game run going on, with wins over Indiana and San Antonio, hardly slouches. Detroit, meanwhile, is due for a loss. Sure, they’re now on a seven-game streak, but have you seen the teams they beat? Washington? Phoenix? New York…

Yeah. Oops.

They have against Indiana, too, but of those seven games, only two of those teams have above-.500 records. The Shock are picking off the little guys, as they should, but let’s not go around playing grab-ass over their new championship just yet. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think the Sky can show a little something tonight. Sky by 4.

Essay coming in the afternoon. It’s a short one, so don’t get too excited. Until then…

See ya, Space Cowboy…