daily ramblings of a 20-something yuppie who wants to be a bum. nonsense babbles about working, missing college, basketball, the seattle storm and life in general.

7/27/2005

good day - sportswise

San Antonio Silver Stars 78 - 71 Minnesotta Lynx
MIN: T. Williams 12 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast
SA: S. Johnson 10 Pts, 2 Reb, 5 Ast

Phoenix Mercury 77 - 60 Los Angeles SpOrks
LA: D. Hodges 4 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast
PHO: K. Vodichkova 24 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast

With LA and Minny losing, this puts us (the Storm) right smack at third in the conference (apparently first place Sac Monarchs won over league last-place Charlotte and 2nd-place Houston won over the Washington Mystics).

7/26/2005

the diva pissing off swoopes

i haven't heard of this, but apparently the Diva had been pissing off even those players that were with her during the inaugural season.



i seriously doubt the league is gonna do something about this, though. the near-fight between taurasi and milton-jones, they swept that under the carpet. same as that la-diva-from-hell and riley tiff.

but what about swoopes? all-star game mvp? olympic champion?

screw lisa leslie.

Read the Story.

7/20/2005

Seattle Storm 87- 78 New York Liberty

Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy! Go Izzy!

Go Storm!
SEATTLE (AP) --
Iziane Castro Marques scored a career-high 20 points and Betty Lennox added 18, leading the Seattle Storm to their third straight victory, beating the New York Liberty 87-78 on Tuesday night.

Seattle standout Lauren Jackson had 10 points and five rebounds, but the former WNBA MVP left with 7:19 to play with a sprained right ankle. Read More...
Storm Surge Past Liberty
The Storm used a 26-4 run to overcome an early deficit and pull away on their way to Tuesday’s 87-78 victory over the visiting Liberty. Seattle, which led by as many as 24 and withstood a late run from New York, was paced by 20 points from Iziane Castro Marques. Betty Lennox added 18 points and Janell Burse posted 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Storm, who have won three straight. Lauren Jackson scored 10 before leaving with an injury.
Player Stats:
  • My Player of the Game : Iziane Castro Marques 28 Minutes, 7-10 FGs, 4-4 3Pts, 2-2 FTs, 2Rebs,1 Ast,1 TO, 20 POINTS
  • Betty Lennox 32 Minutes, 4-14FGs, 1-7 3Pt, 9-10 FTs, 1 OffReb, 5 Rebs, 4 Assists, 2 TO's, 2 Steals, 18 POINTS
  • Janelle Burse 34 Minutes, 4-10 FGs, 7-7 FTs, 8 OffRebs, 11 Rebs, 2 Blks, 15 Points
  • Lauren Jackson 27 Minutes, 5-13 FGs, 5 Rebs, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 blk, 10 points
  • Sue Bird 32 Minutes, 8 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
  • Suzy Batkovic 19 Minutes, 7 points, 2 steals

7/17/2005

whatta nice weekend

win - win - win - and a lone loss

San Antonio Silver Stars 70 - 92 Seattle Storm
SEATTLE (AP) -- All-Stars Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson laughed and smiled, enjoying a blowout victory for the first time since early in the season.

The duo combined for all 15 points during a decisive second half run, and the Seattle Storm beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 92-70 Friday night.

Player Stats:
LJ - 27 pts (9/15 FG, 3/4 3Pt), 9rbs, 3 ast
Birdy - 19 pts (7/11 FG, 4/7 3Pt) , 7 ast, 1blk
JBurse - 12 pts, 5 rebs, 2blks
B-Money - 15 pts (5/12 FG, 3/6 3Pt), 4 rebs

Los Angeles SpOrks 70 - 78 Seattle Storm
LOS ANGELES, July 16 (Ticker) -- Without All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw, the Los Angeles Sparks could not continue their domination of the Seattle Storm.

Lauren Jackson scored 20 points as the Storm won for this first time in six matchups with the Sparks, posting a 78-70 victory.

Player Stats:
LJ - 20 pts (5/8 FG, 3/5 3Pt), 8rbs, 1 ast, 4 stls, 2 blks
Birdy - 14 pts (4/9 FG, 2/4 3Pt) , 8 ast, 1 stl, 3 rebs
B-Money - 16 pts (6/14 FG, 3/6 3Pt), 5 rebs, 5 ast
Vodo - 7 pts
Batgirl - 6pts

University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons 81 - 59 National University Bulldogs
And since no one is still uploading any stats from that game, I'd just have to commend my player of the game, Forward Nestor David. You da man! :) Abby Santos was also great, although plagued by fouls. Marvin Cruz was moving with agility I didn't know he possessed and my goolay, we had about 3 steals in a row. My throat now aches but nevertheless it was much fun singing UP Naming Mahal nang nauuna. :)

and now, the lone loss of the weekend...

University of the Philippines Lady Maroons 46 - 62FEU Lady Tams
my goolay, what happened? I sure don't know what. kasi wala naman ako doon at hindi ko napanood. damn. i hope they get their next game though, pero DLSU yun so I don't know. di ko rin alam line-up nila dun and someone told me Paz isn't playing. WTF? whatever happened to them?

so anyway, pretty good weekend for me, 3 wins plus 1 loss. maganda na yang record na yan haha. at least di ako super-depressed hehe. :)

but siempre may catch...

MONDAY na naman bukas. letsugas na yan oo.

7/15/2005

Sinfest

During my 198 days, MamJoy (or MangJoy or MamiJoy, whichever you wanna call her just to irritate her heehee) introduced me to this nice comic series. Astig!


Battle between Good and Evil, with God being sarcastic as one could be (perhaps even more) and with the Devil so tame you would want to fire him from his position and take over it yourself.

7/14/2005

Maroon Blooded Pagsasaya

OMG! ang saya-saya! The UP Fighting Maroons got their second win of the UAAP Season 68. UP won over DLSU earlier 61-56. Ang galing!



Asan ang 40-point DLSU blowout nyan (yabang kasi nung taga-Pex eh). Anyway, basta masaya.



Ang galing! Wahoo. WhattabigUpset!




U-nibersidad-ng-Pilipinas!

NBA: UConn Alumns in All - Rookie Team

Emeka Okafor Charlotte
Dwight Howard Orlando
Ben Gordon Chicago
Andre Iguodala Philadelphia
Luol Deng Chicago

Ben Gordon also won the NBA Sixth Man Award

Emeka Okafor won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award

astig ng UConn a! Go Huskies!

7/13/2005

Lance reclaims the Yellow Jersey


Lance Armstrong dictated a punishing pace Tuesday that destroyed his rivals and gave him the yellow jersey after Stage 10.
COURCHEVEL, France (AP) -- Two faces. One was Lance Armstrong's, steely but almost serene as he pedaled furiously in the thin mountain air. The other was a mask of pain worn by Jan Ullrich, his great German rival trailing farther and farther behind.

Armstrong took a giant step toward a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory with a dominant ride Tuesday on the first Alpine climb of this year's race, retaking the overall lead -- which he could hold all the way to the finish in Paris on July 24.

7/11/2005

Musings of a Rabid Sports Fan

Eversince I started playing whatever sports to cure myself of my stupid respiratory problems way back in high school, I've also went on to focus on a team and invest my loyalty in them.

During high school, it was the Bulls, mainly because everybody was into them. Everybody was in this crazy Michael Jordan trance and kept buying his sneakers. Time went on and I became a fan of Kobe Bryant (that was then! not anymore) and the-then-Milwaukee-Buck Ray Allen (hehe, kasi may crush ako nung high school ka-initial niya).
And then when Kuya Anthony took us to ULTRA during my junior year to watch one Aus-Phil volleyball game, I started looking for a team to support.

Enter the Cuban team. Mireya Luis was the prime hitter then. She is only 175 cm tall but her Spike reach was 335cm and her Block is 316cm (past 10ft). She was one of those outside hitters that you would just love to watch. But of course the idea of being a rabid fan was still out of my mind then.

Come college, and the invasion of the World Women's Volleyball Grand Prix that showcased Brazil, Italy, Cuba, and Russia (I can't remember other teams). Leila Barros, Heila Souza, Francesca Piccinini and Maurizia Cacciatori won over the Pinoys. I started being a rabin fan. I collected every magazine and newspaper clippings and I surfed through the net reading articles and interviews and I made FIVB.org my home page. I need not talk or write anything about Leila Barros, she is an awesome leftie hitter and I will pick her over Erika Coimbra anytime of day (talagang galit kay Coimbra e).

And of course, when you're college, in UP, and the UAAP season kicks in, you can't help but be swept into the swirling storm (uh, premonition) of the very much festive games. Never mind that winning for the Maroons looked very far-off. Never mind that we only expected to win over NU on opening day.

I am also a supporter of the Lady Maroons, but I think I only started cheering them on from my sophomore year (eh kasi wala pa akong alam nung freshie pa ko). Too bad I missed Camille Dowling's ROY season. Sayang. But anyway, sophomore year was when I really started going to games, the first one was with Nikki in USTe (games were held in USTe then) where she almost got recognized by some e.Rondon player that "harassed" (haha the term) her in high school. My Junior Year saw the Lady Maroons push to the Finals against DLSU but sadly, the firepower of the Manalo twins, Ginny Velarde, Jeck Severino, et al, was too much for Dowling, Shaq Torres, Miggy Abadilla, Chon Mendoza and the rest of the Lady Maroons. DLSU won 2-1. The next season I couldn't remember anything that happened except for the fact that Jac Cruz proved to be a potent scorer. Ironic that I can't remember now when I think that was the season that got me waking up early every Sunday just so I could go to Adamson to watch the games. Last year, I don't know, I guess we were kinda lethargic and that the team is currently composed of MC peeps and I don't know, I'm not even sure if I want to sacrifice my Sunday morning sleep to watch them. Unless Chubi and the others troop to San Marcelino. In that case, sama ako!

Oh wait, senior year was Adamson's year (ugh!) and last year the once-perennial lethargic Ateneo girls came out really strong. The squad from Loyola almost won the championships but got foiled by Arayi, Gadian and ICan'tRememberHerName. Too bad for Caynap, Quimpo, Tioseco and others. Good for us. Hehe. Pag ba naman kasi naunahan pa tayo ng Ateneo makakuha ng Championship sa WBBall ewan ko na lang. Though malakas talaga sila.

Pro-Scene. I got tired of the NBA and the player's egos and all the crap that comes with those games. Enter the WNBA, enter Lauren Jackson, enter Sue Bird, enter the Seattle Storm into my RabidFan Arsenal.

I literally got hooked on the Storm, not just on Sue Bird, and followed them all season from the point that I saw them. All those early-mornings spent in gritted frustration because they bombed another game in CT (Gah, I hate those East Coast games, sobrang aga), all those delayed lunches, all those endless listening to David Locke in KJR, all of those paid off. The Storm won the Championships in 2004 on the backs of youngsters Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, both just 24. Ann Donovan became the first woman coach to win a WNBA Championship. LJ got her "consolation" in not winning Gold in the OG's. Sue joined 6 others with her trifecta of championships (2 ncaa's, 1 oly gold, 1 pro champ).

This season, it's not easy to be a StormFan. If I'm faint-hearted or if I'm a fair-weather fan, I'd have migrated my interests to the CT Sun, a team I so despised last year simply because they were the Storm's opponents in the finals. I hated Whalen. Now I even have a soft spot for her as she joins Swin Cash (Det), Becky Hammon (NY), and Taurasi (Phx - oo na, di na ko galit kay DT, ang kulit kasi niya nung ASG eh) as my favorite nonStorm players.

Okay, wait, Tina, stop the blabber already, conclude this seemingly pointless entry and figure out why the tests that you're currently coding aren't working.

Tama na pagkaRabidFan. Mamaya na ulit. After 30 minutes hehehe.... O wait, magbabasa muna ko ng news...sports news no. Ayaw ko na ng national news, nakakasakit lang ng ulo.

List of the Teams I Follow:
[+] SEATTLE STORM
[+] Seattle SuperSonics
[+] San Antonio Spurs
[+] UConn Huskies
[+] Brazilian Volleyball Team (though not anymore kasi wala na pala lahat nung players na gusto namin ni Carabelles dati, kahit si Coimbra wala na)
[+] USA Women's Soccer
[+] Russian Volleyball Team (Ekaterina Gamova, ChachKova etc)

List of the Players I Follow:
[+] SUE BIRD (pag di pa obvious sa layout)
- Seattle Storm Point Guard
- 2004 Olympic Point Guard
- 2004 WNBA championship
- 2002, 2003, 2004All-WNBA first team
- 2002, 2003 All-Star Games
- 2002 No. 1 draft pick
- 2002 Naismith Award winner and Wade Trophy recipient, AP National Player of the year and the list goes on and on and on...

[+] LAUREN JACKSON
- 1997 Australian National Women's team debut (youngest ever at 16). 2001 WNBA Draft 1st pick overall by Seattle Storm.
- 2003 WNBA: #1 in Points Per Game (21.2)
- 2003 WNBA: #1 in Points (698.0)
- 2003 WNBA MVP - youngest MVP, first non-playoff team MVP, first non-US MVP
- 2003 WNBA: All-WNBA first team
- 2003 FIBA World Cup MVP
- 2004 ESPY for Best WNBA Player
- 2004 Athens Olympic Games Silver medallist
- 2004 Olympics: #1 in Points Per Game (22.9)
- 2004 Olympics: #1 in Points (183)
- 2004 WNBA: #1 in Points Per Game (20.5)
- 2004 WNBA: #1 in Total Points (634)
- 2004 WNBA: #2 in Efficiency (20.81)
- 2004 WNBA: All-WNBA first team
- 2004 WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm
aaah. dami. di ko na masama yung iba...

[+] Diana Taurasi (WNBA, Phx)
[+] Lindsay Whalen (WNBA, CT)
[+] Becky Hammon (WNBA, NY)
[+] Danica Patrick (Indy)
[+] Leila Barros (Beach Vball, Brazil)
[+] Ray Allen (NBA, Sea)
[+] Manu Ginobili (NBA, SA)

saka na nga yung iba. :) para magawa ko na tong pinapagawa sa kin hehe.

All-Star Weekend


The West Won it, 122 - 99.

Sheryl Swoopes got the MVP. I was hoping Sue would have gotten it since they were almost even in the stats and Sue had more assists but I guess more people voted for Swoopes. Not too bad though. At least it wasn't any of the Sporks.


Dee joking around with Sue's mask. Sheryl's reaction is priceless.


Bird, Taurasi enjoy homecoming to Connecticut
UNCASVILLE, Connecticut (Ticker) - No matter what team they play for, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi always will be able to call Connecticut home.

The former University of Connecticut standouts received warm receptions from the sellout crowd of 9,168 at the Mohegan Sun Arena before helping the Western Conference post a 122-99 victory over the Eastern Conference on Saturday at the WNBA All-Star Game.

Bird and Taurasi combined to win five national championships while playing collegiately at Connecticut, including one together in 2002. The duo has gone on to experience success in the pros as well, although both are still fondly remembered here for their time with the Huskies.

Bird has been named to the All-WNBA first team twice and won her first championship with the Seattle Storm last season, when Taurasi was named Rookie of the Year playing for the Phoenix Mercury. The fans reunited Bird and Taurasi for the All-Star game, voting both to the West's starting backcourt.

"It's nice to know that people support me, support (Seattle teammate Lauren Jackson), as well as the other UConn girls," Bird said. "I'm just glad that we all made it."

When the lineups were introduced, Bird and Taurasi received ovations that rivaled Nykesha Sales - who also played at Connecticut - and Taj McWilliams-Franklin of the hometown Sun.

Bird and Taurasi also had kind things to say about the Connecticut fans.

"I truly believe that this is one of the best places for women's basketball," Bird said. "The support that I saw in my four years at UConn, not only that, but the same for the Sun. People really embrace women's basketball, they wrap themselves in it. So to have an All-Star game here, its pretty great."

"To come back, they couldn't have had it in a better place," Taurasi said. "It is the perfect spot. People love basketball here. They support it. It is a perfect venue for the All-Star Game."

It did not take long for their chemistry together to show. Just three minutes into the game, Taurasi drove the lane and passed out to Bird, who nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the West a 10-6 lead.

"It's always fun to be on the court with Sue," said Taurasi, who played with Bird on the U.S. Olympic team. "We get along so well. When we get back on the court, it is just like the old days."

Playing in her first All-Star Game, Taurasi scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, but left her mark on the game in other ways. She had four assists and hit long 3-pointers at the end of each period, including one from nearly 30 feet with 52 seconds left in the game.

"That is the power of Diana Taurasi," said West coach Ann Donovan, who also coaches Bird in Seattle. "I liken her to Cheryl Miller, the same dynamic personality that gets everybody into the game.

"Yesterday at practice, it was about the same thing, getting the fans involved and having fun and enjoying the moment. Diana, like everybody else that's playing in this game, has their own pressures at home, their own seasons to worry about, but everybody left their stress and came here to Connecticut to enjoy the experience and certainly Diana led the way there."

7/08/2005

Liberty shades the Sun



KILCHER is LISTENING to: Look of Love :: Diana Krall
KILCHER MODE: Pissed
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The officiating was bad. It was really bad. It was bad. - Lauren Jackson regarding the embarassing loss to Phoenix.


NEW YORK (AP) -- Shameka Christon scored eight straight points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining, and the New York Liberty closed with a 26-9 run to beat the first-place Connecticut Sun 89-79 Thursday night.


Connecticut Sun's Lindsay Whalen, right, drives
past New York Liberty's Becky Hammon during the
second half at New York's Madison Square Garden
Thursday July 7, 2005. The Liberty defeated the
Sun 89-79. Whalen was the game's high scorer
with 24 points.
(AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS COMPARISON

Lindsay Whalen (PG - CT Sun) Numbers
MIN - 31
FG% - 8-9
FT - 8-8
REB - 1
AST - 5
TO - 3
BLK - 1
PF - 4
POINTS - 24

Becky Hammon (PG - NY Liberty) Numbers
MIN - 39
FG% - 6-8
3Pt - 2-3
FT - 6-7
REB - 2
AST - 8
TO - 0
BLK - 0
PF - 3
POINTS - 20

Lindsay sure showed that she should be included in the ASG, sans the 3 TO's. Both players came out on fire (8-9 for Lindsay and 6-8 for Becky). But Becky distributed the ball more efficiently (8 to Lindsay's 5 ast) or maybe it's just because Becky's teammates converted those passes?

There's talk of disparity of the calls again by the officials. Hmmm. I'm sensing a pattern here.

7/07/2005

Snubbing Lindsay is ABSURD

Nancy Lieberman talks about Lindsay Whalen's non-inclusion in that blasted All-Star Game on July 9, 4pm Eastern Time.
Through 14 games, Whalen is averaging 11.5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds in almost 32 minutes per contest. She shoots 44 percent from the field, 85 percent at the foul line. The only knock on her stat line is a 1-for-13 performance from downtown, but Whalen ranks tied third in assists per game and total assists (79).
Months ago, I used to hate Lindsay Whalen because she's one of those really good players that steal a lot of attention. I am a Sue Bird fan. No doubt that Sue might be the best point guard in the WNBA, there's a certain calm about her and her leadership skills cannot be questioned. She's a consummate leader, a great passer who makes everybody around her better players. She's got the best pull-up jumper from the foul-line.

But Lindsay Whalen sure has got mad skills. I ain't gonna take that away. And so far, she's successfully quarterbacking the Connecticut Sun team to a dominating 12-2 record (1st in the league). She can penetrate, kick out crisp passes, and it doesn't hurt that she's got great teammates surrounding her. Maybe it's because she's got great help that's why she's doing so great herself, unlike Sue who transforms her teammates for the better, but Sue is Sue and Lindsay is Lindsay. The two are different players, in their play, in their personality (thank goodness they're not thuggish like the spOrks).

Lindsay's got talent, she's performing so much that it's really absurd to leave her off the East Roster (thank God, she's in the East, or else the reality of making it to the West Roster is very dim).

Months ago, I hated Lindsay Whalen.

Now, she is my favorite Non-Storm point guard together with Becky Hammon of the NY Liberty (who by the way should just play her natural position --> shooting guard).

Months ago, I hate Lindsay Whalen.

But I cannot stomach the fact that those blasted Eastern Coast Coaches failed to include her in the All-Star festivities. Lindsay Whalen deserved to be an All-Star.

It's just so sad that all the others don't think so.


Lieberman also included something on Betty.
In the West, it was surprising to see Seattle's Betty Lennox omitted. Last year's WNBA Finals MVP is having another solid season, and should be joining Storm teammates Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson in Connecticut.
But I beg to disagree. Betty Lennox is not having a solid season (save this morning's game against Phoenix where she got a double-double but the rest of the team did nothing). Prior to the embarassing Phoenix loss, Betty was in a slump. Things started downhill for her after Seattle Point Guard Sue Bird got her nose and cheek broken by an errant Lauren Jackson elbow. Lennox was pushed into quarterbacking the team, a position that wasn't her game. She is a shooting guard, streaky as one might say, and she just isn't a point guard. Anyway, trying to orchestrate the offense took the bulk of her mind and so her shooting suffered. Pre-broken-nose-and-cheek, Lennox's mentality was just score-score-score. After that woeful and depressing accident to Bird, she has had to make a decision whether to pass or to shoot. Hesitation leads to turnovers.

But no, I'm not saying that Betty shouldn't be an All-Star. And I will go as far as saying that they should knock Leslie off the list (heehee) because three centers on the roster is also an absurd idea. But sadly, she and the rest of the Storm aren't very consistent this season.

7/06/2005

Go Becky!


New York Liberty's Becky Hammon, right, tries to
stay inbounds while driving around Los Angeles
Sparks' Nikki Teasley in the second half in Los
Angeles, Tuesday, July 5, 2005. The Liberty won,
67-55.
(AP Photo/Francis Specker)

WNBA All-Star Roster

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR STARTERS
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Tamika Catchings FIndiana6-0166Tennessee '01
Swin Cash FDetroit6-2162Connecticut '02
Ruth Riley CDetroit6-5195Notre Dame '01
Becky Hammon GNew York5-6136Colorado State '99
Dawn Staley GCharlotte5-6134Virginia '92

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR RESERVES
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Taj McWilliams-Franklin FConnecticut6-2184St. Edward's '93
Cheryl Ford FDetroit6-3195Louisiana Tech '03
Ann
Wauters
CNew York6-4193Belgium
Nykesha Sales GConnecticut6-0184Connecticut '98
Alana Beard GWashington5-11160Duke '04
Deanna Nolan GDetroit5-10160Georgia
'01


WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR STARTERS
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Sheryl Swoopes FHouston6-0145Texas Tech '93
Lauren JacksonFSeattle6-5185Australia
Yolanda Griffith CSacramento6-3176Florida Atlantic '93
Sue Bird GSeattle5-9155Connecticut '02
Diana Taurasi GPhoenix5-11172Connecticut
'04

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR RESERVES
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Chamique
Holdsclaw
FLos Angeles6-2172Tennessee '99 DeMya Walker FSacramento6-4168Virginia '99 Lisa
Leslie
CLos Angeles6-5170Southern
California '94 Michelle Snow CHouston6-4158Tennessee '02 Marie Ferdinand GSan Antonio5-9153Louisiana State '01 Katie Smith GMinnesota5-11181Ohio
State '96 Why is Whalen not an All-Star? >:(

7/05/2005

Double Standards

Wendy Carpenter of The News Tribune has something to say regarding Izzy's benching during the Seattle - Houston game:
It probably makes sense. The WNBA has modeled much of its league after the NBA.

In the NBA, the emphasis over the past few decades has been on the superstars, as opposed to the league itself and/or individual teams.

For years, a double standard has existed in the NBA between star players and everyone else.

The WNBA has begun to do the same thing.

Calls often go the stars’ way, and if a star does get in trouble, the sentence tends to be light.
True enough, hay wala akong masabi sa inis...Anyway, why can't they suspend La Diva for a day and I'd be very happy. :)
More...
Two weeks ago, there was an on-court incident involving Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi and Washington Mystics forward DeLisha Milton-Jones that ended in a near melee.

Four technical fouls were assessed in the second half of the game, and Taurasi was involved – either directly or indirectly – in all of them. But the incident that got the most attention occurred with just under two minutes to play, when Taurasi was going back on defense while running alongside Milton-Jones. Taurasi lowered her shoulder, causing Milton-Jones to fall. Milton-Jones got up and went after Taurasi, looking as if she were going to hit her.

The WNBA took no action after the game to reprimand either player, or either team.

On Tuesday, Seattle Storm forward Iziane Castro Marques was suspended for the Storm’s game in Houston for allegedly throwing a punch in Seattle’s previous game....

The WNBA would obviously like to avoid situations where its players are fighting. But its ruling Tuesday seems to indicate that in order to do that, it will bend over backward if a player even comes close to closing a fist. If that is true, why wasn’t Milton-Jones suspended for a game? And why wasn’t anything done to Taurasi, who apparently initiated the contact in the first place?

Taurasi, who is in her second season in the league, is one of the biggest stars in the WNBA. She was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2004 after a stellar four-year career at the University of Connecticut, during which she won three NCAA titles and was a consensus Division I national player of the year. She also won a gold medal as a member of the United States team at the Olympics in Athens last summer. Most consider her one of the best things to happen to women’s basketball.

Milton-Jones is no slouch, either. Though the seven-year WNBA veteran has a reputation as a tough player, she won two WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02 before being traded to Washington. She also has an Olympic gold medal from the 2000 U.S. team.

Both Taurasi and Milton-Jones are part of the WNBA’s marketing campaigns, or have been featured prominently.

Castro Marques does not have quite the same name recognition.

The 6-foot, 140-pound Brazilian is playing in her third WNBA season, her first with the Storm.

She earned the starting job this season, her first time as a regular starter in the league. But Castro Marques will likely not be a part of any marketing campaigns.

Is that why she was punished so swiftly and harshly by the league for a play that didn’t even elicit any response during the game?

The WNBA has tried to differentiate itself from the NBA. From the beginning, it has made itself into a fan-friendly league. And it has done so much that is right. Its players make an impressive effort to interact with fans, as many remember what it was like before there was a WNBA.

Tickets are cheap enough that families can enjoy a game without refinancing their mortgage.

But as the WNBA grows, so will its egos. And the same rules should apply to everyone – the WNBA might want to be more consistent with its punishments.

If not, it might get the reputation that the stars are running the league.

Not unlike another professional basketball league.

Hay, pesteng double-standards yan.

7/04/2005

Great Barrier Reef does it for Seattle

Sacramento at Seattle: Great Barrier Reef does it for Seattle
LJ :: 31 points (10-18 FG), 13 rebs (3 off), 1 assist, 3-6 3PT, 8-8 FT, 3 blocks
Batgirl :: 14 points (5-8 FG), 3 rebs

Fran Zara :: 7 points (2-2 FG), 3 assists
Birdy :: 8 assists, miserable shooting night though
Izzy :: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists


Betty's so off her game. Birdy's gotta play with that blasted mask, she just have to forget about it, coz she's gotta play with it the whole season.

They gotta make things happen. Good thing Zara was playing alright.


Seattle 74, Sacramento 67
SEATTLE (AP) -- Lauren Jackson scored a season-high 31 points, and the Seattle Storm built a 20-point lead before holding on for a 74-67 win over the Sacramento Monarchs on Sunday night.

Seattle broke a four-game losing streak, its longest skid since dropping five straight in August of 2003.


Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson shoots
over Sacramento Monarchs' Rebekkah
Brunson during the first half of their
WNBA game in Seattle Sunday,
July 3, 2005.
(AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Seattle (8-8) led 48-30 at halftime, but Sacramento's defense tightened in the second half, and cut Seattle's lead to 63-61 with 3:42 left after two free throws from Ticha Penicheiro.

Jackson scored, and fellow Australian Suzy Batkovic made two jumpers, the second with 1:51 left to put Seattle up 69-64.

Sacramento's Kristin Haynie made two free throws before Jackson's 13-footer with 1:17 left to put Seattle up 71-66. DeMya Walker added a free throw for the Monarchs, but Haynie missed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left that could have pulled Sacramento within one.

Jackson had not scored more than 17 points in her last three games, and scored just six in consecutive losses to Minnesota and Houston.

Against Sacramento, Jackson made 6-of-9 shots and both of her 3-point attempts in the first half. She finished 10-for-18 shooting and had 13 rebounds.

Jackson's big night made up for off game from Sue Bird and Betty Lennox. The backcourt duo combined for just five points. Reserve Batkovic added 14 points.

Walker led Sacramento (11-5) with 14 points, Penicheiro had 12 and Yolanda Griffith added nine.

Seattle improved to 5-2 at home after losing all four on its recent road trip. After playing nine of its last 12 on the road, Seattle plays seven of nine games in July at home.

Sacramento had a brief two-game winning streak snapped, and finished its five-game road trip 3-2. The Monarchs played six games in 10 days, but now get some time off and do not play again until July 14.

Seattle shot more than 60 percent for most of the first half, and made 10 of its first 14 shots. Meanwhile, Sacramento missed 13 of its first 15 attempts and fell behind by 20.

Seattle's 48 first-half points were a season high.

Sacramento's Kara Lawson dressed, but did not play after spraining her left ankle Friday against Detroit.

7/01/2005

In Friggin' Denial

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Lauren Jackson, F, Seattle Storm
Roy Amati NBAE Getty

okay, fine, the storm lost to the sass, who btw was the 2nd worst team in the league. hai. get it over and done with. kalimutan na ang masalimuot na umagang ito.

to salvage the day, the league posted the lineup for this season's All-Star Games:

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Sue Bird, G, Seattle Storm
Roy Amati NBAE Getty

Friday July 8
10 a.m. Read to Achieve event
2:30 p.m. Team practices
3:45 p.m. Skills challenge

Saturday July 9
9 a.m. All-Star Summer Jam
3 p.m. Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA Clinic
3:30 p.m. WNBA Shootaround, ESPN2
4 p.m. All-Star Game live on ABC >> 4am Sunday here!

WEST STARTERS:
G - SUE BIRD - Seattle Storm
G - Diana Taurasi - Phoenix Mercury
F - Sheryl Swoopes - Houston Comets
F - LAUREN JACKSON - Seattle Storm
C - Yolanda Griffith - Sacramento Monarchs

EAST STARTERS:
G - Becky Hammon - New York Liberty
G - Dawn Staley - Charlotte Sting
F - Tamika Catchings - Indiana Fever
F - Swin Cash - Detroit Shock
C - Ruth Riley - Detroit Shock

Lance's Last Tour de France

Lance Armstrong is not looking too good these days: He has a black eye, a cut over his right eyebrow and abrasions on his hands and knees. The six-time defending Tour de France champion crashed at low speed during the start of a training ride last week. But he's ready. "I'm excited about the race. I feel very good on the bike," Armstrong said. "And I would even venture to say that I feel better than I've ever felt."

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  • Team director points to three main rivals
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