TalB

Busy Opening Day in WNBA Blogs in Fan Voice
Busy Opening Day

May 21, 2008

Wouldn't you know that the only Southwest flight delayed last Saturday night was mine between Phoenix and Seattle?!

But perhaps it was by design as it allowed me to see the end of one of the greatest games in league history. Of course I was rooting for Candace to get her triple-double... and, while I'm at it, overtime wouldn't have been so bad either.

But I eventually got onto the flight and arrived at KeyArena in Seattle during the first quarter of the Storm-Sky game. And, wow, was it a lovefest there. I know I am like so many of our fans when I say that it felt good to see Lauren, Sue, Sheryl, Swin and Yolanda on the court together. It was like all was right with the world. It did feel a little funny to see them all in the same uniform... but what a lineup! The Sky looked good, too, and are looking forward to Sylvia showing her stuff. Candice, Jia, Armintie and Dominque, too... And for what it's worth, I always liked the sky-blue color of their uniforms.

There was even a special moment at the end of the game when the Storm brought their new owners into their winning postgame huddle. It was a fantastic crowd and there was an outpouring of affection for Force 10 which parlayed its force into keeping the Emerald City's beloved Storm.

It was a great day for the WNBA and I loved it!

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I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

Can a mod correct the casing so it says WNBA 2008?

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I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

Just another anti-WNBA statement for me to debunk.
Vick’s Dogs » Blog Archive » Why I hate the WNBA

In what ways are women not equal? Honestly, neither men or women are perfect, but there are those who won't put their egos aside on this. BTW, there are other countries besides the US to have a professional baskettball league for women like the WNBA and that includes places like Europe, Israel, China, and Australia. Are those places politically correct in having such a league as well as the US? If womens rights are such a bother than move to places like the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Southeast Asia, and Africa where women are still treated like second class citizens.

It's obvious that this paragraph is made out of sexism. Unfortunately, only in the last centruy have women been allowed major positions with some only being more recent. However, that number has been increasing lately with more women rising up. The only reason why women were housewives for such a long time was b/c of the strict laws placed on them. As for the accidents that are caused by women, should I say men are bad drivers if more were caused by them? I am sure that nobody would like that.

I what ways are women not athletic? Everyone has to build up to be good at sports. In reality, there is no one athlete that is naturally born with this talent be it either gender. Even Michael Jordan wasn't born with beeing good at baskettball since he originally played baseball. If this person played against the worst WNBA player, I wouldn't be surprised to hear him crying foul everytime she stole the ball from him, blocked his shot, or just blocked his every move. Unless he is a former NBA player who kept himself in shape or a player from a recent NCAA Division I team, he wouldn't even stand a chance. Then again, most of those who write naysaying statements on the WNBA, are probably past their primes and haven't been playing baskettball for some time, so this is nothing new.

In other words, the WNBA needs showboating rather than players who act like they are on a team. Honestly, NBA teams who tend to have players that center around themselves and are ballhogs don't seem to win a lot of NBA championships. Those that win the championships are the ones who play like a team rather than a bunch of individuals who want the glory all for themselves. Not too long ago Lisa Leslie did make the very first dunk in the WNBA, so it does show that they can do it. Let's not forget that when the NBA first started, it was very much like the WNBA is right now and there were probably naysayers back in the 1940, 1950's, and 1960's. The same can be for the MLS, NFL, NHL, and even MLB when they were something new. As for ESPN airing their games, that was a decision made by an agreement with the network executives, not by threats made by David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, and Val Ackerman, first president of the WNBA, that some claim to be. BTW, the airing of the WNBA on ESPN has very little to do with the NBA considering that it predates this by being there since 1997 whereas the NBA didn't come there until 2003 after ending deals with TBS and NBC. ESPN airs numerous things that I don't even consider sport such as the WS of Poker, but I am demanding for that to be off the air compared to those who don't want any channel airing the WNBA.

Even though the NBA does allow for women to play there, it's hardly ever done. The only time this happened was back in 1979 when the Indiana Pacers selected Ann Meyers. However, she didn't survive for the next season and was cut by the team, and the NBA never did this again. Why didn't the NBA reopen this stunt more recently rather than launching the WNBA? Sounds like a contradiction here. Why doesn't the NBA allow for female head coaches just like how the WNBA allows for male head coaches, especially since there is no rule against that in the NBA? Nevertheless, this is just another attack at the WNBA with sexist remarks.

__________________
I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

WNBA.com: Jackson leads Liberty to franchise-record win
Jackson leads Liberty to franchise-record win

Posted Jun 22 2008 6:13PM
By DOUG FEINBERG, AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK(AP) Tiffany Jackson scored a career-high 21 points and the New York Liberty set a franchise scoring record with a 105-72 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.

The Liberty hit a season-high 11 3-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field to eclipse the mark of 95 points scored at Phoenix on June 21, 2001. New York (6-5) was sparked by the return of Loree Moore, who missed the last five games with a back injury. She had 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. The Liberty were 11-for-22 from behind the arc, just two short of the franchise record set against Chicago on July 25, 2006.

Diana Taurasi scored 21 points to lead Phoenix (4-7). She was trying to become only the second player in league history to have three straight 30-point games. Cynthia Cooper did it from July 18-25, 1997. Taurasi had 32 in a loss to Detroit on June 18 and then 33 in an overtime win over Connecticut on Friday.

The Mercury had scored 100 points in each of their last two games, but were held to a season low. It was their worst loss since the Mercury were beaten by 41 points by Seattle in 2002.

Jackson was 8-for-8 from the field and added seven rebounds. Ashley Battle had 17 points, Janel McCarville 12, Cathrine Kraayeveld 11 and Lisa Willis had 10 for the Liberty, who have won five of seven.

Trailing 10-4 early in the first, the Liberty went on a 24-5 run to close out the quarter. New York hit five 3-pointers during the spurt, including three by Kraayeveld. The 28 points was New York's highest scoring first quarter of the season. Taurasi scored nine of the Mercury's 15 points in the period.

The Mercury cut the deficit to 35-21 early in the second quarter on Kelly Miller's layup, but New York answered with a 15-4 run over the next 6 minutes to extend the lead to 50-25 on Tiffany Jackson's free throws with 1:35 left.

Cappie Pondexter's 3-pointer at the buzzer had Phoenix trailing 52-30 at the half. The 52 points in the first half tied a Liberty record set in 2001 against Phoenix. The 30 points were a season low for the Mercury, who had won four of their last six games since beginning the season 0-4.

Phoenix got no closer than 20 in the third and the Liberty led by 34 in the fourth quarter. Erlana Larkins banked home a shot to put the Liberty over the 100-point mark with just over 2 minutes left.

Pondexter, who leads the league with 25.7 points per game, had an off game. She was just 4-for-16 from the field and finished with 16.

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I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.

TalB

WNBA.com: Parker Dunks in Sparks’ Win Over Fever
Parker Dunks in Sparks’ Win Over Fever

Posted Jun 23 2008 3:00AM

Los Angeles 77, Indiana 63

LOS ANGELES, June 22 (AP) - Candace Parker became the second woman to dunk in a WNBA game and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 77-63 on Sunday night.

Parker took a pass from Raffaella Masciadri, dribbled the length of the court and dunked with her right hand with 29 seconds to play.

"When I caught the ball and there was an open lane, it was a good opportunity,'' Parker said. "I'm happy that I was able to do it in Los Angeles in front of the home fans.''

Lisa Leslie, her Sparks teammate, is the only other WNBA player to do it - throwing a shot down during a game in 2002.

"Obviously, it means a lot having the first person to do it on my team,'' Parker said. "There's going to be more to come in the league itself.''

Parker finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Leslie added 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

DeLisha Milton-Jones and Temeka Johnson had 10 points apiece for the Sparks (9-3), who have won five of six.

Tamika Catchings scored 17 points in her first start of the season for the Fever (6-6), who lost for the third time in four games. Katie Douglas had 11 points and tied her career high with five steals.

Catchings, who missed the first eight games due to a torn Achilles' tendon, also made three steals to move into fourth place on the WNBA career list.

"I really felt good,'' Catchings said. "Right now, it's more lateral movement (that is a problem). The tendon gets tight a lot, but I'm getting better and better.''

The Fever narrowed their deficit to 25-23 on LaToya Bond's 3-point basket with 6:44 left in the first half. But the Sparks used with a 14-6 surge to build a 39-26 halftime lead.

Leslie, Johnson and Sidney Spencer each had four points in the run. Indiana scored just one point in a span of 3:54 and failed to score in the final 2:50 of the first half.

The Fever shot a season-low 27.6 percent but scored 22 points off 24 Los Angeles turnovers.

Copyright © 2008 WNBA Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of WNBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the WNBA.com Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use.

__________________
I have respected your views, so I expect you to do the same for me.