31 March 2012
Day 14
Question 14: A player you think is underrated?
This may sound strange, but I'm going to pick Swin Cash. She's a star, but I don't think she's a superstar like she should be (based on her skills and personality). Maybe being in Chicago (and away from superstar duo Sue Bird & Lauren Jackson) will change that. (Not that I wanted her to leave Seattle, of course!)
This may sound strange, but I'm going to pick Swin Cash. She's a star, but I don't think she's a superstar like she should be (based on her skills and personality). Maybe being in Chicago (and away from superstar duo Sue Bird & Lauren Jackson) will change that. (Not that I wanted her to leave Seattle, of course!)
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm, WNBA
Quote of the Day: UConn players
I'm a little bit in denial about the Final Four games tomorrow. UConn's win over Kentucky was so awesome that I don't want to move on! I still haven't deleted it from my DVR. I keep watching the hail-mary-end-of-the-first-half-pass over and over again. Here's some quotes from the players about that play:
It appeared that score [of 39-39] might stand heading into the locker room, but [Kelly] Faris had a different plan for UConn. Coming into the team huddle under Kentucky’s basket, she told her teammates that if Kentucky’s defense on the in-bounds pass broke down, she was “going to go long.” She did end up sprinting down the court and her senior teammate Tiffany Hayes heaved a perfect pass to her, which she caught like a wide receiver and drove up the key to the hoop, making a layup as time ran out in the half with UConn up by two, 41-39.
And....
After falling behind quickly, 9-0, the Wildcats took a 33-30 lead. Only by the strength of Hayes' touchdown pass and Kelly Faris' race to the basket for a buzzer-beating layup did UConn take a 41-39 lead into halftime. We've seen Tiffany Hayes do plenty in her four years at UConn. We'd never seen her pull a Peyton Manning to get her team to Denver. It was the play of the night. UConn dominated the final 20 minutes.
"We huddled," Hayes said. "We were supposed to set a double screen, and Kelly said if they play it wrong, she's going long. I was looking for that first. She went. I threw a perfect pass. She caught it like a running back and she finished."
"It was awesome," Stefanie Dolson said.
It appeared that score [of 39-39] might stand heading into the locker room, but [Kelly] Faris had a different plan for UConn. Coming into the team huddle under Kentucky’s basket, she told her teammates that if Kentucky’s defense on the in-bounds pass broke down, she was “going to go long.” She did end up sprinting down the court and her senior teammate Tiffany Hayes heaved a perfect pass to her, which she caught like a wide receiver and drove up the key to the hoop, making a layup as time ran out in the half with UConn up by two, 41-39.
And....
After falling behind quickly, 9-0, the Wildcats took a 33-30 lead. Only by the strength of Hayes' touchdown pass and Kelly Faris' race to the basket for a buzzer-beating layup did UConn take a 41-39 lead into halftime. We've seen Tiffany Hayes do plenty in her four years at UConn. We'd never seen her pull a Peyton Manning to get her team to Denver. It was the play of the night. UConn dominated the final 20 minutes.
"We huddled," Hayes said. "We were supposed to set a double screen, and Kelly said if they play it wrong, she's going long. I was looking for that first. She went. I threw a perfect pass. She caught it like a running back and she finished."
"It was awesome," Stefanie Dolson said.
Labels: UConn basketball
30 March 2012
Day 13
Question 13: The team you think is pathetic, but like anyway?
I'm not really sure I understand this question. I guess I'd say Tulsa? They've had two dreadful seasons and I hope they do better this year. Plus, they have the worst draft luck in the world. In the 2011 draft they had the worst season, but the ping-pong balls gave them the second pick. For 2012, they had an even worse season, and the ping-pong balls gave them the fourth pick. Ouch!
I'm not really sure I understand this question. I guess I'd say Tulsa? They've had two dreadful seasons and I hope they do better this year. Plus, they have the worst draft luck in the world. In the 2011 draft they had the worst season, but the ping-pong balls gave them the second pick. For 2012, they had an even worse season, and the ping-pong balls gave them the fourth pick. Ouch!
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, WNBA
Team USA
Eleven of the twelve members of the Olympic team were named today. (Number twelve will named at some future date.... Why? Dunno.)
Sue Bird was, as expected, named to the team. Also? Swin Cash! Yay!
There are three other former Huskies on the team: Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and Maya Moore.
The other players are: Tamika Catchings (Tennessee/Indiana Fever), Seimone Augustus (LSU/Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (LSU/Chicago Sky), Candace Parker (Tennessee/LA Sparks), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville/Atlanta Dream), and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota/Minnesota Lynx).
I'm pretty happy with that group. My only concern is that Cappie Pondexter might be #12. Hopefully, though, it will be someone like Candice Dupree or Asjha Jones. (They seem to have the guard spot pretty well covered, though, so I'm hopeful. Bird and Whalen are point guards, and Taurasi, Augustus, and McCoughtry are all shooting guards. Charles and Fowles are the centers, and Catchings, Parker, Cash, and Moore are the forwards. Maybe they'll add another center? There's speculation that it might be Brittney Griner. I wouldn't love that, but she's better than Cappie Pondexter!)
p.s. The only player that I had to look up their team was Seimone Augustus's college. I scare myself sometimes!
Sue Bird was, as expected, named to the team. Also? Swin Cash! Yay!
There are three other former Huskies on the team: Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and Maya Moore.
The other players are: Tamika Catchings (Tennessee/Indiana Fever), Seimone Augustus (LSU/Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (LSU/Chicago Sky), Candace Parker (Tennessee/LA Sparks), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville/Atlanta Dream), and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota/Minnesota Lynx).
I'm pretty happy with that group. My only concern is that Cappie Pondexter might be #12. Hopefully, though, it will be someone like Candice Dupree or Asjha Jones. (They seem to have the guard spot pretty well covered, though, so I'm hopeful. Bird and Whalen are point guards, and Taurasi, Augustus, and McCoughtry are all shooting guards. Charles and Fowles are the centers, and Catchings, Parker, Cash, and Moore are the forwards. Maybe they'll add another center? There's speculation that it might be Brittney Griner. I wouldn't love that, but she's better than Cappie Pondexter!)
p.s. The only player that I had to look up their team was Seimone Augustus's college. I scare myself sometimes!
Labels: Olympics, Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Mechelle Voepel
From a Final Four preview:
As for UConn, last year was a "disappointment" only to those in the Huskies' fan base that expect to win every game by 20 points. (Which is, you know, a pretty big portion of it.)
As for UConn, last year was a "disappointment" only to those in the Huskies' fan base that expect to win every game by 20 points. (Which is, you know, a pretty big portion of it.)
Labels: UConn basketball
29 March 2012
Day 12
Question 12: Your favorite jersey?
Despite the fact that I pick football teams based on their helmets, I've never give much thought to basketball jerseys. (Although I do prefer UConn's grey "home" jerseys to their white "home" jerseys.)
I liked the 2011 revamped WNBA jerseys better than the previous ones...
Hmmm.... let me go look at some pictures.
I guess my favorite is the UConn "away" jersey. It's a really pretty dark blue, with some subtle pattern on the shirt and stripes down the sides of the shirt and shorts.
Despite the fact that I pick football teams based on their helmets, I've never give much thought to basketball jerseys. (Although I do prefer UConn's grey "home" jerseys to their white "home" jerseys.)
I liked the 2011 revamped WNBA jerseys better than the previous ones...
Hmmm.... let me go look at some pictures.
I guess my favorite is the UConn "away" jersey. It's a really pretty dark blue, with some subtle pattern on the shirt and stripes down the sides of the shirt and shorts.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, UConn basketball
Final Four Preview
Over at ESPN, all but one of their analysts picked Notre Dame to beat UConn, Baylor to beat Stanford, and Baylor to beat Notre Dame.
(This is logical: Baylor is undefeated, and has already played Notre Dame. Stanford's only loss was to UConn, and Baylor beat them. Notre Dame has beaten UConn twice in the three times they played this season.)
The lone holdout is (UConn alum) Rebecca Lobo, who went the other direction completely and picked UConn to beat Notre Dame, Stanford to beat Baylor, and UConn to beat Stanford.
(Again, I see where she's coming from: Stanford hasn't played Baylor yet, but they are a very good team, with a better post presence than either UConn or Notre Dame. UConn beat Notre Dame the last time they played. UConn beat Stanford earlier in the season.)
Personally, I'm preparing myself for the Notre Dame-Baylor final, with Baylor winning it all. It's not what I want to happen, but it's what I suspect will happen.
ESPN also has a detailed breakdown of the UConn-Notre Dame match-up, where they give the edge to Notre Dame in frontcourt, backcourt, and "intangibles", and UConn the edge in bench. (Which is pretty funny, since UConn usually only plays one and a half bench players. How bad is Notre Dame's bench??)
In other news, Sue Bird played with a mask on today (to protect her broken nose), and it's not the clear mask I've seen other players wear -- it's white! The Storm website has a picture.
(This is logical: Baylor is undefeated, and has already played Notre Dame. Stanford's only loss was to UConn, and Baylor beat them. Notre Dame has beaten UConn twice in the three times they played this season.)
The lone holdout is (UConn alum) Rebecca Lobo, who went the other direction completely and picked UConn to beat Notre Dame, Stanford to beat Baylor, and UConn to beat Stanford.
(Again, I see where she's coming from: Stanford hasn't played Baylor yet, but they are a very good team, with a better post presence than either UConn or Notre Dame. UConn beat Notre Dame the last time they played. UConn beat Stanford earlier in the season.)
Personally, I'm preparing myself for the Notre Dame-Baylor final, with Baylor winning it all. It's not what I want to happen, but it's what I suspect will happen.
ESPN also has a detailed breakdown of the UConn-Notre Dame match-up, where they give the edge to Notre Dame in frontcourt, backcourt, and "intangibles", and UConn the edge in bench. (Which is pretty funny, since UConn usually only plays one and a half bench players. How bad is Notre Dame's bench??)
In other news, Sue Bird played with a mask on today (to protect her broken nose), and it's not the clear mask I've seen other players wear -- it's white! The Storm website has a picture.
Labels: Seattle Storm, UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma, describing Maya Moore:
"Scholar-Athlete of the Year, two years in a row.... Reading defenses? She's at a third grade level."
Really, though, you have to see the whole video:
"Scholar-Athlete of the Year, two years in a row.... Reading defenses? She's at a third grade level."
Really, though, you have to see the whole video:
Labels: UConn basketball
28 March 2012
History of "Doctor Who" in Six Minutes
Day 11
Question 11: Your favorite arena?
The Key. (Not that I have a lot to compare it to, of course!)
The Key. (Not that I have a lot to compare it to, of course!)
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm
Bird Breaks Nose (Beak?)
Euroleague's having its playoffs/tournament/whatever it is they do, and UMMC Ekaterinburg (Sue Bird & Svetlana Abrosimova's team) played Ros Casares Valencia (Lauren Jackson, Ann Wauters, and Maya Moore).
Unfortunately, during the warm-ups Sue Bird got hit in the face (?) and broke her nose. This is the third (!) time she's broken her nose. She says she'll be able to play on Thursday, though. (With a protective face mask, of course.)
Without Bird, Ros Casares rolled right over Ekaterinburg. LJ tweeted: "Hey lovelies, thanks for the support. 1 down 3 to go, sending love out to birdy, wud have been a different game with her playing for sure:-("
Unfortunately, during the warm-ups Sue Bird got hit in the face (?) and broke her nose. This is the third (!) time she's broken her nose. She says she'll be able to play on Thursday, though. (With a protective face mask, of course.)
Without Bird, Ros Casares rolled right over Ekaterinburg. LJ tweeted: "Hey lovelies, thanks for the support. 1 down 3 to go, sending love out to birdy, wud have been a different game with her playing for sure:-("
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Mechelle Voepel
From her Final Four preview:
[...] no one in women's college hoops knows more about that comfortable-with-perfection mindset than [UConn coach] Auriemma does. Of his seven NCAA title teams, four have had undefeated records. (No matter how many times you write or say that, it seems absurd.)
[...] no one in women's college hoops knows more about that comfortable-with-perfection mindset than [UConn coach] Auriemma does. Of his seven NCAA title teams, four have had undefeated records. (No matter how many times you write or say that, it seems absurd.)
Labels: UConn basketball
27 March 2012
Day 10
Question 10: Who’s going to win it all this season?
Hopeful answer: Seattle.
Realistic answer: No clue. Phoenix and L.A. lack point guards. Seattle will be lacking Lauren Jackson (and Swin Cash). San Antonio and Tulsa are my picks for not-making-the-playoffs. So.... Minnesota for the repeat?
I guess I could pick an Eastern team, but, well, none of the those teams have ever won a championship. Atlanta's the best guess, just because they've been to the last two finals, but really, I've got no idea!
Hopeful answer: Seattle.
Realistic answer: No clue. Phoenix and L.A. lack point guards. Seattle will be lacking Lauren Jackson (and Swin Cash). San Antonio and Tulsa are my picks for not-making-the-playoffs. So.... Minnesota for the repeat?
I guess I could pick an Eastern team, but, well, none of the those teams have ever won a championship. Atlanta's the best guess, just because they've been to the last two finals, but really, I've got no idea!
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm, WNBA
Olympics!
John Altavilla reports that the 12-player roster will be announced in Denver (site of the Final Four) on Friday.
Sue Bird's a shoo-in, but it will be interesting to see if Swin Cash makes the team.
Sue Bird's a shoo-in, but it will be interesting to see if Swin Cash makes the team.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Final Four, with Heart Attack
UConn vs. Kentucky:
First few minutes: UConn opens the game 9-0. Fun fun fun!
Rest of the first half: Kentucky fights back and eventually takes the lead with 5:49 left. After that it's a back-and-forth, with the teams tied 39-39 with two seconds left.
Last two seconds of the first half: Tiffany Hayes hail-mary's the ball down the court, right over the head of a sprinting-to-the-basket Kelly Faris, who catches the ball, dribbles once, and makes the layup before the buzzer sounds. (Soundless clip can be found here.) (Let's try this from ESPN.)
First ten minutes or so of the second half: More back-and-forth.
Last ten minutes of the second half: UConn finally starts to pull ahead.
UConn wins! 80-65.
Now they play Notre Dame (again!) in Denver on Sunday.
Just like last year, this will be their fourth meeting with Notre Dame of the year. (And just like last year, the other two teams -- Baylor & Stanford -- haven't met this season.)
First few minutes: UConn opens the game 9-0. Fun fun fun!
Rest of the first half: Kentucky fights back and eventually takes the lead with 5:49 left. After that it's a back-and-forth, with the teams tied 39-39 with two seconds left.
Last two seconds of the first half: Tiffany Hayes hail-mary's the ball down the court, right over the head of a sprinting-to-the-basket Kelly Faris, who catches the ball, dribbles once, and makes the layup before the buzzer sounds. (Soundless clip can be found here.) (Let's try this from ESPN.)
First ten minutes or so of the second half: More back-and-forth.
Last ten minutes of the second half: UConn finally starts to pull ahead.
UConn wins! 80-65.
Now they play Notre Dame (again!) in Denver on Sunday.
Just like last year, this will be their fourth meeting with Notre Dame of the year. (And just like last year, the other two teams -- Baylor & Stanford -- haven't met this season.)
Labels: UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: SFX
SFX did a poll for sexiest scifi/fantasy characters, then announced them by pairing the matching male and females and evaluating their potential love match.
Some fun pairings resulted! I liked #61: Anya (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Kirk (Star Trek):
Love match? Doomed. Anya had enough problems getting the dependable Xander to settle down, so she’d be on to a loser with serial romancer Kirk. But we’d love to see her vengeance on him after he dumps her. Unless it’s already happened – that could explain his crap death scene in Generations.
[h/t Whedonesque]
ETA: #2 is also awesome: Elena (The Vampire Diaries) and Dean (Supernatural):
Love match? Not a chance. He wouldn’t be able to put up with all that namby pamby college rock she listens to and he’d kill all her friends.
Some fun pairings resulted! I liked #61: Anya (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Kirk (Star Trek):
Love match? Doomed. Anya had enough problems getting the dependable Xander to settle down, so she’d be on to a loser with serial romancer Kirk. But we’d love to see her vengeance on him after he dumps her. Unless it’s already happened – that could explain his crap death scene in Generations.
[h/t Whedonesque]
ETA: #2 is also awesome: Elena (The Vampire Diaries) and Dean (Supernatural):
Love match? Not a chance. He wouldn’t be able to put up with all that namby pamby college rock she listens to and he’d kill all her friends.
Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek
26 March 2012
Day 9
Question 9: Your 2nd & 3rd favorite teams?
If I stay in the WNBA, I'd pick Chicago and Minnesota. Both are chock full of players that I like a lot. It's easier to like Chicago since we only play them twice a year, though!
Of course, if I venture out of the "W", then I'd pick the UConn and U-Dub Husky (women's) basketball teams!
If I stay in the WNBA, I'd pick Chicago and Minnesota. Both are chock full of players that I like a lot. It's easier to like Chicago since we only play them twice a year, though!
Of course, if I venture out of the "W", then I'd pick the UConn and U-Dub Husky (women's) basketball teams!
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, UConn basketball, WNBA
Some of My Favorite Players!
My favorite UConn player, Kelly Faris, had a great block late in yesterday's game. Some helpful soul out there in internet-land put the clip online:
[h/t i bleed white & blue]
One of my favorite Storm players (who also played for UConn), Svetlana Abrosimova has a cute little article where she talks about her teammates on UMMC Ekaterinburg.
For our purposes, the most relevant blurb is about Sue Bird: Sue is like "Tweety" [Deanna Nolan] since she's an incredibly smart electronic user. She always keeps us updated on the coolest apps and teaches us how to use them! Sue is full of fun stories and can name any line from any famous movie. But most importantly, she has a witty humour that will pass you by if you don't pay attention.
At the end, teammate Candace Parker give a little info about Abrosimova: "Svety" as we call her, is our international ambassador. You don't understand something? She translates it. Want a good restaurant? She picks it. Need important information? She's got you! "Svety" always knows how to have a good time and make us laugh, sometimes at her. Like the time she brought two right shoes to practice!
[h/t i bleed white & blue]
One of my favorite Storm players (who also played for UConn), Svetlana Abrosimova has a cute little article where she talks about her teammates on UMMC Ekaterinburg.
For our purposes, the most relevant blurb is about Sue Bird: Sue is like "Tweety" [Deanna Nolan] since she's an incredibly smart electronic user. She always keeps us updated on the coolest apps and teaches us how to use them! Sue is full of fun stories and can name any line from any famous movie. But most importantly, she has a witty humour that will pass you by if you don't pay attention.
At the end, teammate Candace Parker give a little info about Abrosimova: "Svety" as we call her, is our international ambassador. You don't understand something? She translates it. Want a good restaurant? She picks it. Need important information? She's got you! "Svety" always knows how to have a good time and make us laugh, sometimes at her. Like the time she brought two right shoes to practice!
Labels: Seattle Storm, UConn basketball
Doctor Who, Season 7
Quote of the Day: Dark Angel
From "Bag 'Em" (2.02):
Alec: They're trying to kill us. The signal's bogus. It's a trap.
X6-1: If I may sir, that doesn't make any sense. We're valuable military assets representing billions of dollars in R&D.
X6-2: Why would Manticore try to get rid of us?
Alec: I want to get rid of you, and I just met you.
Alec: They're trying to kill us. The signal's bogus. It's a trap.
X6-1: If I may sir, that doesn't make any sense. We're valuable military assets representing billions of dollars in R&D.
X6-2: Why would Manticore try to get rid of us?
Alec: I want to get rid of you, and I just met you.
Labels: Dark Angel
25 March 2012
Day 8
Question 8: The best player of all time, in your opinion.
This is tricky, since I've only been watching for a few years (and it took me a couple of years to figure out how to follow the ball -- I used to get so lost!), but from what I've read, I'm going to pick Cynthia Cooper.
She had an amazing college career, went overseas to play, then came back to the U.S. for the start of the WNBA. She led the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships, and that was in the waning years of her career. What I've always heard about her is that her best years were played in Italy. Considering her stellar college and WNBA careers, that's a crazy thing to contemplate.
This is tricky, since I've only been watching for a few years (and it took me a couple of years to figure out how to follow the ball -- I used to get so lost!), but from what I've read, I'm going to pick Cynthia Cooper.
She had an amazing college career, went overseas to play, then came back to the U.S. for the start of the WNBA. She led the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships, and that was in the waning years of her career. What I've always heard about her is that her best years were played in Italy. Considering her stellar college and WNBA careers, that's a crazy thing to contemplate.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, WNBA
UConn: Elite Eight, Again
Gonzaga? Not so much. They made a run at Kentucky, but couldn't get the win.
UConn, on the other hand, had a pretty decisive win against Penn State.
Before the game, a Penn State player said: "We’re a scoring team. I don’t think they’ve played against a real, true scoring team. That’s what we do. That’s what we do best. They’re pretty much going to have to pick their poison. They’re going to have to figure out how to keep us from scoring." Since UConn won 77-59, I think they figured out how to keep them from scoring! It probably should have been a bigger margin of victory, but the Connecticut players took their foot (feet?) off the gas in the last 10 minutes or so, much to the dismay of Coach Auriemma. He promptly called a time out, yelled at them, and put (almost) all his starters in.
ESPN has a great article about the game, that is mostly an article about Kelly Faris and how awesome she is. (Have I mentioned she's my favorite player????):
"With Faris in the lineup for the first six minutes, 21 seconds of a regional semifinal, Connecticut outscored Penn State 20-8 and threatened to run its opponent right out of the Ryan Center. With the junior guard on the bench for the remainder of the half, Connecticut sweated out a 23-21 advantage."
And:
"Faris is the backbone of Connecticut's defense, and defense is the backbone of this Connecticut team."
And! A story about why Associate Head Coach Chris Dailey recruited her:
"Playing in an AAU tournament, Faris drew two charges on the other team's best player, reading the same play the same way and twice getting to the same spot. That caught Dailey's eye the same way a 3-pointer from two steps behind the line or a wraparound pass might."
Apparently they didn't recruit her too heavily at first, because they assumed she'd stay in Indiana and go to Notre Dame or Purdue. As soon as they knew that wasn't true, they told her they were interested, she reciprocated, and that was it!
The other Huskies played today, too, but they lost. Still, they had a pretty impressive run in WNIT, especially considering this was their first year with a new coach and their top scorer missed the entire season because of an injury.
UConn, on the other hand, had a pretty decisive win against Penn State.
Before the game, a Penn State player said: "We’re a scoring team. I don’t think they’ve played against a real, true scoring team. That’s what we do. That’s what we do best. They’re pretty much going to have to pick their poison. They’re going to have to figure out how to keep us from scoring." Since UConn won 77-59, I think they figured out how to keep them from scoring! It probably should have been a bigger margin of victory, but the Connecticut players took their foot (feet?) off the gas in the last 10 minutes or so, much to the dismay of Coach Auriemma. He promptly called a time out, yelled at them, and put (almost) all his starters in.
ESPN has a great article about the game, that is mostly an article about Kelly Faris and how awesome she is. (Have I mentioned she's my favorite player????):
"With Faris in the lineup for the first six minutes, 21 seconds of a regional semifinal, Connecticut outscored Penn State 20-8 and threatened to run its opponent right out of the Ryan Center. With the junior guard on the bench for the remainder of the half, Connecticut sweated out a 23-21 advantage."
And:
"Faris is the backbone of Connecticut's defense, and defense is the backbone of this Connecticut team."
And! A story about why Associate Head Coach Chris Dailey recruited her:
"Playing in an AAU tournament, Faris drew two charges on the other team's best player, reading the same play the same way and twice getting to the same spot. That caught Dailey's eye the same way a 3-pointer from two steps behind the line or a wraparound pass might."
Apparently they didn't recruit her too heavily at first, because they assumed she'd stay in Indiana and go to Notre Dame or Purdue. As soon as they knew that wasn't true, they told her they were interested, she reciprocated, and that was it!
The other Huskies played today, too, but they lost. Still, they had a pretty impressive run in WNIT, especially considering this was their first year with a new coach and their top scorer missed the entire season because of an injury.
Labels: college basketball, UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: John Altavilla
Via twitter:
[UConn] cheerleaders enter [the arena] to applause. People here very kind.
[UConn players] take the court to loud cheers. People here very partisan.
[UConn] cheerleaders enter [the arena] to applause. People here very kind.
[UConn players] take the court to loud cheers. People here very partisan.
Labels: UConn basketball
24 March 2012
Day 7
Questions 7: The best current player, in your opinion?
Another tough one!
Assuming she's healthy, I'm going to have to go with Lauren Jackson. She's amazing at both ends of the the court (unlike offense-only Diana Taurasi), and she makes things look easy -- but no one else does them, so they must not be!
Another tough one!
Assuming she's healthy, I'm going to have to go with Lauren Jackson. She's amazing at both ends of the the court (unlike offense-only Diana Taurasi), and she makes things look easy -- but no one else does them, so they must not be!
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm
USA vs. China
Jayda Evans reports that the women's national basketball team will play an exhibition game against the Chinese national team at Key Arena in May.
I REALLY WANT TO GO SEE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!
I REALLY WANT TO GO SEE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!
Labels: sports
Quote of the Day: Deadspin
Deadspin had a (long) article about UConn coach Geno Auriemma:
UConn may be the only major college more famous for its women athletes than its men. [Rebecca] Lobo, [Diana] Taurasi, [Maya] Moore. I ask Geno [Auriemma] what it is about UConn girls that makes them want to play for him while others don't. He says, "They understand I'm a warm and sensitive guy." He laughs, but it's true. Geno likes women in a way a lot of men don't. He's empathic, and because he is, he doesn't treat women as if they're fragile flowers for whom the rough verities of life don't apply. Work hard. Don't quit. No excuses. Only a fool or a child believes in perfect justice. Geno respects women as people, which is why he expects hard things from them. "I don't change for the girls," he says. "I don't bullshit them. I tell the truth, 'You do this, you'll be better than you ever thought you could be.'" They believe him. "I'm easy to play for," he says. "Just do everything I tell you."
UConn may be the only major college more famous for its women athletes than its men. [Rebecca] Lobo, [Diana] Taurasi, [Maya] Moore. I ask Geno [Auriemma] what it is about UConn girls that makes them want to play for him while others don't. He says, "They understand I'm a warm and sensitive guy." He laughs, but it's true. Geno likes women in a way a lot of men don't. He's empathic, and because he is, he doesn't treat women as if they're fragile flowers for whom the rough verities of life don't apply. Work hard. Don't quit. No excuses. Only a fool or a child believes in perfect justice. Geno respects women as people, which is why he expects hard things from them. "I don't change for the girls," he says. "I don't bullshit them. I tell the truth, 'You do this, you'll be better than you ever thought you could be.'" They believe him. "I'm easy to play for," he says. "Just do everything I tell you."
Labels: UConn basketball
23 March 2012
Day 6
Question 6: Your most hated player?
While Angel McCoughtry is a close second, I'm going to have to give Cappie Pondexter my vote for this one. Little Miss I-can't-come-to-the-world-championships-because-it's-fashion-week. And then there's this.
While Angel McCoughtry is a close second, I'm going to have to give Cappie Pondexter my vote for this one. Little Miss I-can't-come-to-the-world-championships-because-it's-fashion-week. And then there's this.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, WNBA
Quote of the Day: Daria
From "Ill" (2.09):
Daria: Look, I'm sorry about last night.
Jane: Ah, forget it. It was a rare opportunity: getting to hang out with Brittany in a grunge club. Although her hair [dye] did leak onto my shoes.
Daria: You're sure that wasn't her brain?
Jane: Nah, there was too much of it.
Daria: Look, I'm sorry about last night.
Jane: Ah, forget it. It was a rare opportunity: getting to hang out with Brittany in a grunge club. Although her hair [dye] did leak onto my shoes.
Daria: You're sure that wasn't her brain?
Jane: Nah, there was too much of it.
Labels: Daria
22 March 2012
Day 5
Question 5: Your most hated team?
I'm going to have to go with the Atlanta Dream. (Notre Dame is a close second!) I don't think they have a single player I'm actually fond of, and they have one of my two least-favorite players.
I'm going to have to go with the Atlanta Dream. (Notre Dame is a close second!) I don't think they have a single player I'm actually fond of, and they have one of my two least-favorite players.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, WNBA
Quote of the Day: Leverage
From "The Long Way Down Job" (4.01):
Nate: Let's go steal a mountain.
Parker: Again.
Nate: What?
Parker: Again. We already stole one, two years ago.
Nate: We did?
Eliot: Well, technically it was a resort, not a mountain, but yeah.
Hardison: You were also very drunk on that one.
Nate: Let's go steal a mountain.
Parker: Again.
Nate: What?
Parker: Again. We already stole one, two years ago.
Nate: We did?
Eliot: Well, technically it was a resort, not a mountain, but yeah.
Hardison: You were also very drunk on that one.
Labels: Leverage
21 March 2012
Day 4
Question 4: Your favorite rookie for this season?
Since we don't know who the rookies are going to be for 2012, I'm going to go with the rookies from last year... and I pick: Maya Moore.
Such a cliche, I know! But I watched her senior season at UConn, and it was so cool to see her (seemingly effortless) transition into the pros.
Since we don't know who the rookies are going to be for 2012, I'm going to go with the rookies from last year... and I pick: Maya Moore.
Such a cliche, I know! But I watched her senior season at UConn, and it was so cool to see her (seemingly effortless) transition into the pros.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, UConn basketball, WNBA
Quote of the Day: Harry Potter
From Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling:
Harry: Ginny, listen... I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together.
Ginny: It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?
Harry: Ginny, listen... I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together.
Ginny: It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?
Labels: Harry Potter
20 March 2012
Day 3
Question 3: Your favorite player of all time?
Ummm.... Well, since I haven't been watching basketball that long, I think I have to make my answer the same as yesterday: Sue Bird.
Ummm.... Well, since I haven't been watching basketball that long, I think I have to make my answer the same as yesterday: Sue Bird.
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm
No Sweet Sixteen for Delaware & Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne had some great moments, but her teammates didn't contribute as much as they needed to, and Kansas's defense was great.
Speculation time!!! Looking at the Sweet Sixteen bracket, I see that if UConn beats Penn State (Tanisha Wright's alma mater, btw!) and Gonzaga beats Kentucky, then UConn will face Gonzaga in the Elite Eight!
Wheeeee!!!!!!!!
Speculation time!!! Looking at the Sweet Sixteen bracket, I see that if UConn beats Penn State (Tanisha Wright's alma mater, btw!) and Gonzaga beats Kentucky, then UConn will face Gonzaga in the Elite Eight!
Wheeeee!!!!!!!!
Labels: college basketball, UConn basketball
Rolling in the (Chinese) Deep
In case you're not that familiar with the original version of the song, you can find it here.
[h/t Wil Wheaton's Tumblr]
Labels: music, random awesomeness
Quote of the Day: The Fug Girls
From this post about Kate Middleton:
"They are really trotting out The Duchess a lot lately. I can imagine her appearance schedule is only going to get more intense as we ramp up to the Olympics (YAY SPEEDOS), so I hope she’s taking her iron. Royal Wedding + Olympics + Queen’s Jubilee = these blue bloods are having the busiest two years they’ve had since, I don’t know, one of Henry VIII’s many blessed nuptials coincided with Joustapalooza 1536."
"They are really trotting out The Duchess a lot lately. I can imagine her appearance schedule is only going to get more intense as we ramp up to the Olympics (YAY SPEEDOS), so I hope she’s taking her iron. Royal Wedding + Olympics + Queen’s Jubilee = these blue bloods are having the busiest two years they’ve had since, I don’t know, one of Henry VIII’s many blessed nuptials coincided with Joustapalooza 1536."
Labels: random silliness
19 March 2012
Sweet Sixteen, Again & Again
Both UConn and Gonzaga made it back to the Sweet Sixteen. For UConn this is a ridiculous nineteenth visit in a row, and for Gonzaga it's a thoroughly respectable third visit in a row.
Tomorrow we'll see if Delaware makes its first trip to the second weekend.
UConn, by the way, made their opponent (Kansas State) set a record that nobody wants to have: fewest points scored in a NCAA tournament game. (UConn won 72-26. No, that's not a typo.)
Tomorrow we'll see if Delaware makes its first trip to the second weekend.
UConn, by the way, made their opponent (Kansas State) set a record that nobody wants to have: fewest points scored in a NCAA tournament game. (UConn won 72-26. No, that's not a typo.)
Labels: college basketball, UConn basketball
Day 2
Question 2: Your favorite current player?
This is actually a really tough question for me. On any given day it could be one of several different players. But if I'm honest, I think the name that would come up the most often would be Sue Bird.
(btw: Iris and others, please feel free to play along in the comments!)
This is actually a really tough question for me. On any given day it could be one of several different players. But if I'm honest, I think the name that would come up the most often would be Sue Bird.
(btw: Iris and others, please feel free to play along in the comments!)
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: John Walters
From The Same River Twice....
Geno has the utmost faith in [Sue Bird's] oncourt maturity. "Sue Birds' the first player I've had in while," he'll say, "where I've said to her, 'Everything that happens on this team that I don't like is your fault. As long as you understand that nothing you do will be right, you'll be pretty good.'"
Sue listened. She accepted the challenge. She buys the company line.
Geno has the utmost faith in [Sue Bird's] oncourt maturity. "Sue Birds' the first player I've had in while," he'll say, "where I've said to her, 'Everything that happens on this team that I don't like is your fault. As long as you understand that nothing you do will be right, you'll be pretty good.'"
Sue listened. She accepted the challenge. She buys the company line.
Labels: Seattle Storm, UConn basketball
18 March 2012
Storm!!!!
I came across a couple new (to me) Seattle Storm Tumblrs, and now I'm in a Seattle Storm mood.
F Yeah, Lauren Jackson had posted a "30 Day Basketball Challenge", and I think I'll do it!
Question 1: Your favorite team?
Ummmm.... duh. The Seattle Storm!
F Yeah, Lauren Jackson had posted a "30 Day Basketball Challenge", and I think I'll do it!
Question 1: Your favorite team?
Ummmm.... duh. The Seattle Storm!
Labels: 30 Day Basketball Challenge, Seattle Storm
Welcome to UConn Basketball
UConn, along with a few other elite teams (Tennesse, Stanford) have excelled for so long that anything less than a visit to the Final Four is considered a bad season. For most teams, of course, making it to the NCAA tournament is a big deal!
Tomorrow UConn continues to the second round where they will play Kansas State. Hartford Courant reporter John Altavilla enjoyed seeing the tournament from the Kansas State's coach's point-of-view:
"Kansas State Coach Deb Patterson put on a great show Sunday, especially when asked to give her impressions of UConn, its world and its players."
[UConn coach Geno Auriemma is very hard on freshman post player Kiah Stokes, saying she's not working hard enough and isn't ready for the big time like they need her to be.]
"Patterson smiled when asked about Stokes. 'Most of us in America would love to have Kiah Stokes on our team. no question. Her development as a young player in UConn’s program is very interesting to me. In classic UConn form, Geno’s primary post player is usually the one who seems to get, hmmmm, seems to get a lot of attention about needing to be better.
'I remember when Tina Charles was there. She came out an still continued to shoot 60 percent from the floor. [Stefanie] Dolson is quietly asked to get better every minute and she is shooting 57 percent from the floor. But when Kiah Stokes takes the floor, she is scoring the ball, keeping her team in offense, grabbing rebounds and making plays very much in the style you would expect from Connecticut players.
'I am telling you, Kiah is tremendous and very athletic. I think she is beginning to understand more about how hard Geno wants her to play, how smart he wants her to be and how she can pick her spots. She is a tremendous talent and player in a tremendous program.
'And the same goes for Stefanie Dolson, who a lot of people thought couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Now look at her; one of the most dominant posts in America.
'Welcome to UConn basketball.'"
Tomorrow UConn continues to the second round where they will play Kansas State. Hartford Courant reporter John Altavilla enjoyed seeing the tournament from the Kansas State's coach's point-of-view:
"Kansas State Coach Deb Patterson put on a great show Sunday, especially when asked to give her impressions of UConn, its world and its players."
[UConn coach Geno Auriemma is very hard on freshman post player Kiah Stokes, saying she's not working hard enough and isn't ready for the big time like they need her to be.]
"Patterson smiled when asked about Stokes. 'Most of us in America would love to have Kiah Stokes on our team. no question. Her development as a young player in UConn’s program is very interesting to me. In classic UConn form, Geno’s primary post player is usually the one who seems to get, hmmmm, seems to get a lot of attention about needing to be better.
'I remember when Tina Charles was there. She came out an still continued to shoot 60 percent from the floor. [Stefanie] Dolson is quietly asked to get better every minute and she is shooting 57 percent from the floor. But when Kiah Stokes takes the floor, she is scoring the ball, keeping her team in offense, grabbing rebounds and making plays very much in the style you would expect from Connecticut players.
'I am telling you, Kiah is tremendous and very athletic. I think she is beginning to understand more about how hard Geno wants her to play, how smart he wants her to be and how she can pick her spots. She is a tremendous talent and player in a tremendous program.
'And the same goes for Stefanie Dolson, who a lot of people thought couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Now look at her; one of the most dominant posts in America.
'Welcome to UConn basketball.'"
Labels: UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: Richard Cohen
I got my first chance to see Elena Delle Donne play today, and... wow. She is everything that I have heard she is. She reminded me of Lauren Jackson, in the way that she made impossible-looking shots, in the way that she shot from all over the court, and in the way that she grabbed passes that I thought would sail out-of-bounds. That's she's 6'5" and blonde is a mere coincidence!
Anyway... She plays for Delaware, a team that has -- previous to today's 1st round NCAA game -- never been nationally televised before. So today I, and a lot of other people, finally got to see her play. Here's WNBAlien's Richard Cohen take on her, via twitter:
"Okay, so having been completely underwhelmed by [Ohio State's Samantha] Prahalis earlier, I'm now seeing [Elena] Delle Donne. Consider me thoroughly whelmed. [...] I see some [Candace] Parker and some [Lauren] Jackson - when those come to mind as comparisons, it's a good start."
ETA: ESPN has some EDD highlights.
Anyway... She plays for Delaware, a team that has -- previous to today's 1st round NCAA game -- never been nationally televised before. So today I, and a lot of other people, finally got to see her play. Here's WNBAlien's Richard Cohen take on her, via twitter:
"Okay, so having been completely underwhelmed by [Ohio State's Samantha] Prahalis earlier, I'm now seeing [Elena] Delle Donne. Consider me thoroughly whelmed. [...] I see some [Candace] Parker and some [Lauren] Jackson - when those come to mind as comparisons, it's a good start."
ETA: ESPN has some EDD highlights.
Labels: college basketball, Seattle Storm
17 March 2012
Don't Trust the GPS!
Three Japanese tourists in Australia trusted their GPS when it told them they could drive to an island.
Spoiler: They couldn't.
Spoiler: They couldn't.
Labels: random weirdness
Quote of the Day: Doctor Who
From "The Doctor, the Widow, & the Wardrobe":
Madge: Are you the new caretaker?
The Doctor: Usually called "The Doctor." Or "The Caretaker." Or "Get off this planet." Though, strictly speaking, that probably isn't a name.
Madge: Are you the new caretaker?
The Doctor: Usually called "The Doctor." Or "The Caretaker." Or "Get off this planet." Though, strictly speaking, that probably isn't a name.
Labels: Doctor Who
16 March 2012
Quote of the Day: Xena
From "Altered States" (1.19):
Gabrielle: I'm great. I can't see, but I'm good.
Xena: Try using both eyes.
Gabrielle: Oh, oh yeah that's better.
Xena: Think you can stand?
Gabrielle: You mean I'm not?
Gabrielle: I'm great. I can't see, but I'm good.
Xena: Try using both eyes.
Gabrielle: Oh, oh yeah that's better.
Xena: Think you can stand?
Gabrielle: You mean I'm not?
Labels: Xena
15 March 2012
Quote of the Day: Harry Potter
From Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling:
Cornelius Fudge: You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban [Prison] to await trial!
Albus Dumbledore: Ah. Yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag.
Cornelius Fudge: Snag? I see no snag, Dumbledore!
Albus Dumbledore: Well, I'm afraid I do.
Cornelius Fudge: Oh, really?
Albus Dumbledore: Well -- it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to -- what is the phrase? -- come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing.
Cornelius Fudge: You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban [Prison] to await trial!
Albus Dumbledore: Ah. Yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag.
Cornelius Fudge: Snag? I see no snag, Dumbledore!
Albus Dumbledore: Well, I'm afraid I do.
Cornelius Fudge: Oh, really?
Albus Dumbledore: Well -- it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to -- what is the phrase? -- come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing.
Labels: Harry Potter
14 March 2012
Troy, Abed, and the Librarian
Quote of the Day: Rebecca Lobo
From her twitter, again:
Rebecca Lobo: The sun is going down."
her 5-year-old: No, it's just going to China.
Rebecca Lobo: The sun is going down."
her 5-year-old: No, it's just going to China.
Labels: random awesomeness
13 March 2012
You People
Quote of the Day: Wonderfalls
From "Pink Flamingos (1.02):
[Jaye has inanimate objects -- in this case, a ceramic chicken -- telling her what to do.]
Eric: So, did you defy the chicken?
Jaye: Uh-huh.
Eric: And how'd that work out for you?
Jaye: I think I may have killed a man.
Eric: Oh. So not as well as we'd hoped then?
[Jaye has inanimate objects -- in this case, a ceramic chicken -- telling her what to do.]
Eric: So, did you defy the chicken?
Jaye: Uh-huh.
Eric: And how'd that work out for you?
Jaye: I think I may have killed a man.
Eric: Oh. So not as well as we'd hoped then?
Labels: Wonderfalls
12 March 2012
Troy, the Rafting Expert
Quote of the Day: Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Many, many Trekkers hated Wesley, because he was a teenage boy hanging out on the bridge and knew more than all the grown-up Starfleet officers around him.
I loved him, because I was a geeky teenage girl, and he was a geeky (cute) teenage boy.
Wil Wheaton has grown up to be a cool, geeky writer/actor, who has a very good sense of humor about his time on "TNG".
This is from his blog:
Earlier today, I got an email from a Star Trek TNG cast member who will remain nameless. I've chosen the pseudonym Jonathan Frakes for the purposes of this post. [Jonathan Frakes played Commander Riker.]
"Jonathan Frakes's" email had been compromised, and I'd gotten one of the things it sent out, so I pinged him and offered to help him fix it, if he needed assistance. "It turns out I still have a little Wesley Crusher in me," I typed. Then I thought for a moment and added, "...eww. That doesn't sound right at all."
I walked him through scanning and removing spyware and malware, mostly via text messages... which was hilarious to me, because my text message alert tone is the original Star Trek communicator sound.
It all ran smoothly, but "Frakes" was concerned about his CPU maxing out. "It's using all the power," he typed to me. Then, and I swear to whatever god you believe in that this is true, he followed that up with: "I'm givin it all I can, Captain!"
I typed back, "Okay. Run a level five diagnostic and emit an inverse neutrino pulse through the main navigational deflector."
A moment later "Jonathan Frakes" replied, "All done! It worked. Thanks for your help."
"Any time," I replied. Then I collapsed into a fit of giggles.
I loved him, because I was a geeky teenage girl, and he was a geeky (cute) teenage boy.
Wil Wheaton has grown up to be a cool, geeky writer/actor, who has a very good sense of humor about his time on "TNG".
This is from his blog:
Earlier today, I got an email from a Star Trek TNG cast member who will remain nameless. I've chosen the pseudonym Jonathan Frakes for the purposes of this post. [Jonathan Frakes played Commander Riker.]
"Jonathan Frakes's" email had been compromised, and I'd gotten one of the things it sent out, so I pinged him and offered to help him fix it, if he needed assistance. "It turns out I still have a little Wesley Crusher in me," I typed. Then I thought for a moment and added, "...eww. That doesn't sound right at all."
I walked him through scanning and removing spyware and malware, mostly via text messages... which was hilarious to me, because my text message alert tone is the original Star Trek communicator sound.
It all ran smoothly, but "Frakes" was concerned about his CPU maxing out. "It's using all the power," he typed to me. Then, and I swear to whatever god you believe in that this is true, he followed that up with: "I'm givin it all I can, Captain!"
I typed back, "Okay. Run a level five diagnostic and emit an inverse neutrino pulse through the main navigational deflector."
A moment later "Jonathan Frakes" replied, "All done! It worked. Thanks for your help."
"Any time," I replied. Then I collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Labels: Star Trek
11 March 2012
We Should Really Start Learning People's Names...
Quote of the Day: Red Dwarf
From "The Inquisitor" (5.2):
The Inquisitor: Justify your existence. What contribution have you made?
Cat: I have given pleasure to the world because I have such a beautiful ass!
The Inquisitor: Well, that's true.
Cat: Can I go now?
The Inquisitor: That's your case?
Cat: You need more???
The Inquisitor: Some might say that's a pretty shallow argument.
Cat: Some might say I'm a pretty shallow guy, but a shallow guy with a great ass!
The Inquisitor: Justify your existence. What contribution have you made?
Cat: I have given pleasure to the world because I have such a beautiful ass!
The Inquisitor: Well, that's true.
Cat: Can I go now?
The Inquisitor: That's your case?
Cat: You need more???
The Inquisitor: Some might say that's a pretty shallow argument.
Cat: Some might say I'm a pretty shallow guy, but a shallow guy with a great ass!
Labels: Red Dwarf
10 March 2012
Quote of the Day: Life is Good & Bad
From this Tumblr post:
"promises kept"
Me: what's up?
Mum: you remember when you were little, and i used to have to force you to eat your vegetables, you'd tell me that when you grew up all you'd ever eat would be cake and chocolate and chips because you could as a grown up?
Me: ... yeah
Mum: and i told you that when you were a grown up you'd eat grown up foods like all the other adults do because by then you'd know how important they are?
Me: uh. yeah.
Mum: and you said you wouldn't, you swore it?
Me: yeah.
Mum: what did you have for breakfast?
Me: cheesecake and pringles.
Mum: never again tell me that you lack dedication.
"promises kept"
Me: what's up?
Mum: you remember when you were little, and i used to have to force you to eat your vegetables, you'd tell me that when you grew up all you'd ever eat would be cake and chocolate and chips because you could as a grown up?
Me: ... yeah
Mum: and i told you that when you were a grown up you'd eat grown up foods like all the other adults do because by then you'd know how important they are?
Me: uh. yeah.
Mum: and you said you wouldn't, you swore it?
Me: yeah.
Mum: what did you have for breakfast?
Me: cheesecake and pringles.
Mum: never again tell me that you lack dedication.
Labels: food, random silliness
09 March 2012
Quote of the Day: Laurell K. Hamilton
From The Killing Dance. (Raina is a vampire.)
Raina: You could kill all of us… and feel nothing.
Anita: I’d feel something.
Rainia: What?
Anita: Safer.
Raina: You could kill all of us… and feel nothing.
Anita: I’d feel something.
Rainia: What?
Anita: Safer.
Labels: Anita Blake
08 March 2012
Cup of Russia
The European women's basketball system is very confusing. I know there's a "Euroleague" and a "Eurocup", and that the former is major league and the latter is minor league.
I also know that some (all?) countries have their own championships. The games played for the country leagues must be separate from the Euroleague/Eurocup games, because the Russian league has rules about how many non-Russians and how many Americans can be on the court at one time, and the European leagues don't. So this means the same team will be playing two seasons at the same time.
I think.
At any rate, Svetlana Abrosimova and Sue Bird's Russian team (UMMC Ekaterinburg) won the Cup of Russia and Sue Bird was the MVP.
I also know that some (all?) countries have their own championships. The games played for the country leagues must be separate from the Euroleague/Eurocup games, because the Russian league has rules about how many non-Russians and how many Americans can be on the court at one time, and the European leagues don't. So this means the same team will be playing two seasons at the same time.
I think.
At any rate, Svetlana Abrosimova and Sue Bird's Russian team (UMMC Ekaterinburg) won the Cup of Russia and Sue Bird was the MVP.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Awesomeness Abounds!
Ben Browder (Crichton on Farscape) will be guest-starring on Doctor Who next season. I.... That.... I just can't..... TOO MUCH AWESOME!!!!
And if that wasn't enough, there's a new Community trailer!
And if that wasn't enough, there's a new Community trailer!
Labels: Community, Doctor Who, Farscape
Quote of the Day: Swish Appeal
Swish Appeal is a women's basketball site, and this time of year they post "dance cards" for each team that is entered into the NCAA Tournament, with a "who-what-where-why" list of questions & answers.
From Connecticut's:
"Who? The Huskies of Connecticut. Seriously, stop calling them the Lady Huskies; that's not how UConn rolls. If you can't tell them from the men, please join our esteemed officials at the LensCrafters."
Bonus quotes!
Also from UConn's: "Where? Storrs, Connecticut, Slate's pick as America's best place to avoid death due to natural disasters. [Coach] Geno's wrath, one presumes, does not count as a natural disaster."
From Princeton's: "Why? Because they won the Ivy League regular season, and since the Ivy League has no conference tournament, the regular season champ is the champ. It's kind of refreshing."
Also from Princeton's: "Surprise? No. World of no. Expected to finish first, and they did so with panache."
From Connecticut's:
"Who? The Huskies of Connecticut. Seriously, stop calling them the Lady Huskies; that's not how UConn rolls. If you can't tell them from the men, please join our esteemed officials at the LensCrafters."
Bonus quotes!
Also from UConn's: "Where? Storrs, Connecticut, Slate's pick as America's best place to avoid death due to natural disasters. [Coach] Geno's wrath, one presumes, does not count as a natural disaster."
From Princeton's: "Why? Because they won the Ivy League regular season, and since the Ivy League has no conference tournament, the regular season champ is the champ. It's kind of refreshing."
Also from Princeton's: "Surprise? No. World of no. Expected to finish first, and they did so with panache."
Labels: college basketball, UConn basketball
07 March 2012
Quote of the Day: Smithsonian Magazine
From an essay by Meghan Daum entitled "Plains Speaking" (November 2011):
In 1999, when I was 29, I traded New York City for [Lincoln, Nebraska] and stayed nearly four years. This was a strange thing to do, and it perplexed a lot of people, particularly because I did not, contrary to some assumptions, go there for school or a guy or because I was in the witness protection program. As a result, there's a part of me that feels like an impostor whenever I write or even talk about Lincoln. I'm not from there, I don't live there now, and when I did live there, I occupied an often awkward middle ground between guest and resident. By this I mean that even though I lived in a house and had friends and a relationship and a book club and a dog, I was always regarded as "the person who moved here from New York for no particular reason." In Nebraska that translated loosely into "deeply weird person."
In 1999, when I was 29, I traded New York City for [Lincoln, Nebraska] and stayed nearly four years. This was a strange thing to do, and it perplexed a lot of people, particularly because I did not, contrary to some assumptions, go there for school or a guy or because I was in the witness protection program. As a result, there's a part of me that feels like an impostor whenever I write or even talk about Lincoln. I'm not from there, I don't live there now, and when I did live there, I occupied an often awkward middle ground between guest and resident. By this I mean that even though I lived in a house and had friends and a relationship and a book club and a dog, I was always regarded as "the person who moved here from New York for no particular reason." In Nebraska that translated loosely into "deeply weird person."
Labels: random silliness
06 March 2012
Local Basketball
The Seattle PI has a gallery of Seattle's Most Beloved Sports Figures of All Time. Sue Bird was on the list (no surprise) and so was Lauren Jackson (bit of a surprise). The only other female listed was Hope Solo.
Over at the University of Washington, freshman point guard Jazmine Davis was selected freshman-of-the-year by the coaches. (Apparently the other vote was by the media.)
Also at the UW, Seattle Times reporter Jerry Brewer has a nice article about new coach Kevin McGuff, and how he's turning the program around. (This is their first winning season in quite a few years.)
Over at the University of Washington, freshman point guard Jazmine Davis was selected freshman-of-the-year by the coaches. (Apparently the other vote was by the media.)
Also at the UW, Seattle Times reporter Jerry Brewer has a nice article about new coach Kevin McGuff, and how he's turning the program around. (This is their first winning season in quite a few years.)
Labels: college basketball, Seattle Storm
They Surprised Me!
Yesterday I was sure that Notre Dame would win the Big East Tournament. But UConn won -- hooray!
They came out on fire in the first ten minutes, both defensively and (surprisingly) offensively. About halfway through they were up by 10. Then they lost their momentum, and by halftime Notre Dame had pulled within 1.
Notre Dame started the second half where they'd left off, and pulled ahead. UConn caught back up, but by then we were into the danger zone of less than ten minutes to go. In both their previous games, that's when UConn's offense went out for a walk and forgot to come back.
Tonight, though, they kept at it, and pulled out the win 63-54. This was a (relatively) low-scoring game that actually felt like a defensive battle.
It was a rough, tough, and physical game. It's been a while since I've seen so many players have to go out with (thankfully minor) injuries. UConn point guard Bria Hartley managed to get herself a bloody nose in the last couple of minutes when she was in the scrum for a loose ball.
Probably the most surprising stat of the night was this: Kelly Faris went 2/2 from the three-point line. In fact, the only other UConn player to make a three was Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and she only hit one. (She made seven two-pointers, though, and had a game-high 19 points.) What was even crazier was that both of Faris's three-pointers were "bad" shots. In the first one she was off-balance, and in the second she bobbled the pass and didn't really seem to have control of it before she let it fly.
One last note: Before the game, Rebecca Lobo interviewed Bria Hartley. The best part is the bonus question at the end.
They came out on fire in the first ten minutes, both defensively and (surprisingly) offensively. About halfway through they were up by 10. Then they lost their momentum, and by halftime Notre Dame had pulled within 1.
Notre Dame started the second half where they'd left off, and pulled ahead. UConn caught back up, but by then we were into the danger zone of less than ten minutes to go. In both their previous games, that's when UConn's offense went out for a walk and forgot to come back.
Tonight, though, they kept at it, and pulled out the win 63-54. This was a (relatively) low-scoring game that actually felt like a defensive battle.
It was a rough, tough, and physical game. It's been a while since I've seen so many players have to go out with (thankfully minor) injuries. UConn point guard Bria Hartley managed to get herself a bloody nose in the last couple of minutes when she was in the scrum for a loose ball.
Probably the most surprising stat of the night was this: Kelly Faris went 2/2 from the three-point line. In fact, the only other UConn player to make a three was Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and she only hit one. (She made seven two-pointers, though, and had a game-high 19 points.) What was even crazier was that both of Faris's three-pointers were "bad" shots. In the first one she was off-balance, and in the second she bobbled the pass and didn't really seem to have control of it before she let it fly.
One last note: Before the game, Rebecca Lobo interviewed Bria Hartley. The best part is the bonus question at the end.
Labels: UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: Harry Potter
From book 1 (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), by J.K. Rowling, here's Headmaster Dumbledore at the beginning-of-the-school-year banquet:
"Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
"Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
Labels: Harry Potter
05 March 2012
Better
UConn looked a lot better against St. Johns today. (Their numbers were a lot better, too.) Sophomore center Stefanie Dolson had a great game, and Bria Hartley even managed to drive to the basket once or twice.
They'll play Notre Dame tomorrow, on ESPN. I'm not hopeful, but maybe they'll surprise me?
In the world of the local Huskies, freshman point guard Jazmine Davis won freshman-of-the-year. Her numbers were CRA-ZY this season. She wasn't even supposed to be a starter, but their superstar senior Kristi Kingma was lost to a season-ending injury during the summer and Davis was moved to the starting line-up. She played a team-high 35.4 minutes a game and is the Huskies second-highest scorer with 16.2/game (center Regina Rogers has 16.3/game). That 16.2 points/game makes her the highest scoring freshman in the Pac-12 and makes her the fourth-highest scoring freshman in the country.
Speaking of freshman-of-the-year, the UConn Huskies had one, too. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (who was the top ranked high school senior) was the Big East's freshman-of-the-year and sixth-woman-of-the-year.
They'll play Notre Dame tomorrow, on ESPN. I'm not hopeful, but maybe they'll surprise me?
In the world of the local Huskies, freshman point guard Jazmine Davis won freshman-of-the-year. Her numbers were CRA-ZY this season. She wasn't even supposed to be a starter, but their superstar senior Kristi Kingma was lost to a season-ending injury during the summer and Davis was moved to the starting line-up. She played a team-high 35.4 minutes a game and is the Huskies second-highest scorer with 16.2/game (center Regina Rogers has 16.3/game). That 16.2 points/game makes her the highest scoring freshman in the Pac-12 and makes her the fourth-highest scoring freshman in the country.
Speaking of freshman-of-the-year, the UConn Huskies had one, too. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (who was the top ranked high school senior) was the Big East's freshman-of-the-year and sixth-woman-of-the-year.
Labels: college basketball, UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: Sports Night
From "The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee" (1.11):
Isaac: Danny, I need to talk to you.
Dan: Good, 'cause I need to talk to you too. Who should go first?
Isaac: Since I don't really care what you have to say, I think it should be me.
Isaac: Danny, I need to talk to you.
Dan: Good, 'cause I need to talk to you too. Who should go first?
Isaac: Since I don't really care what you have to say, I think it should be me.
Labels: Sports Night
04 March 2012
Girl Scout Cookies
Apparently it's Girl Scout Cookie time.
I'm not sure we all need this, but there's a Find Cookies Today! search engine.
I'm not sure we all need this, but there's a Find Cookies Today! search engine.
Labels: food
Ug-Ly
UConn beat Rutgers in the Big East quaterfinals today, but it was not pretty.
UConn shot 32.7%, which is pretty bad, but they won because they held Rutgers to 24.4%.
Tomorrow, in the semifinals, UConn plays St. Johns (the only team other than Notre Dame (2) or Baylor (1) that beat them) and Notre Dame plays West Virginia (the only team other than Baylor that beat them).
If they both survive, then they'll play for a third time this year, and Notre Dame will most likely win for a third time this year.
One thing I really noticed in today's game was that sophomore guard Bria Hartley is playing much more tentatively than at the beginning of the season. For most of the year she was very aggressive driving to the basket, and during fast breaks she would often take on two defenders on her way to the basket. In tonight's game she would start the fast break, and then circle back around and wait for her teammates -- every time.
UConn shot 32.7%, which is pretty bad, but they won because they held Rutgers to 24.4%.
Tomorrow, in the semifinals, UConn plays St. Johns (the only team other than Notre Dame (2) or Baylor (1) that beat them) and Notre Dame plays West Virginia (the only team other than Baylor that beat them).
If they both survive, then they'll play for a third time this year, and Notre Dame will most likely win for a third time this year.
One thing I really noticed in today's game was that sophomore guard Bria Hartley is playing much more tentatively than at the beginning of the season. For most of the year she was very aggressive driving to the basket, and during fast breaks she would often take on two defenders on her way to the basket. In tonight's game she would start the fast break, and then circle back around and wait for her teammates -- every time.
Labels: UConn basketball
Quote of the Day: John Altavilla
Tweets from today's Big East Tournament:
"West Virginia beats 39-32 No. 4 Georgetown in the worst game in the modern history of Division I. West Virginia advances, but only because that's what the rules say."
"West Virginia beats 39-32 No. 4 Georgetown in the worst game in the modern history of Division I. West Virginia advances, but only because that's what the rules say."
Labels: college basketball
03 March 2012
The Top Gear Instant Complaint Letter
Quote of the Day: Kelly Faris
Kelly Faris (UConn guard, junior) is the best defensive player on her team. Offensively, however......not so much. John Altavilla quoted her discussing her teammate Bria Hartley's recent shooting slump:
"Every good shooter goes through that [slumps]. Even sometimes, somehow I can go on a streak when I actually make a shot.”
"Every good shooter goes through that [slumps]. Even sometimes, somehow I can go on a streak when I actually make a shot.”
Labels: UConn basketball
02 March 2012
So Sweet!
As you may or -- more likely -- may not remember, Courtney Vandersloot and Ticha Penicheiro will both be playing for the Chicago Sky this summer, and they both wear #21.
Yesterday Courtney Vandersloot tweeted this: "As an early thx for all u will teach me this summer w/ [the Chicago Sky], [Ticha Penicheiro], SURPRISE! its all yours, #21!" (She also tweeted a picture of a #21 Sky jersey with a big red bow.)
Isn't that awesome?
Ticha Penicheiro thinks so: "OMG, you just made my night...thank u so much!! I truly appreciate it (I feel kinda bad though)!! HUGS!!!!!" She also said that she had been ready to choose another number.
Yesterday Courtney Vandersloot tweeted this: "As an early thx for all u will teach me this summer w/ [the Chicago Sky], [Ticha Penicheiro], SURPRISE! its all yours, #21!" (She also tweeted a picture of a #21 Sky jersey with a big red bow.)
Isn't that awesome?
Ticha Penicheiro thinks so: "OMG, you just made my night...thank u so much!! I truly appreciate it (I feel kinda bad though)!! HUGS!!!!!" She also said that she had been ready to choose another number.
Labels: WNBA
Quote of the Day: iCarly
From "iQ":
Spencer: I'm at the junkyard, bright and early this morning...
Carly: You sure you didn't wake up at noon?
Spencer: ... So I'm at the junkyard, about 2:30.
Spencer: I'm at the junkyard, bright and early this morning...
Carly: You sure you didn't wake up at noon?
Spencer: ... So I'm at the junkyard, about 2:30.
Labels: iCarly
01 March 2012
When Voice Actors Have Mental Breakdowns...
Quote of the Day: Red vs. Blue
From season 3:
Church: Whoa, Tucker, are you okay?
Tucker: [groans] Damn. Okay, new rule. We start rotating knockouts. Next time, it's your turn.
Church: Hey, good idea. And next time Caboose decides he wants to go around team-killing, you can take that one.
Tucker: Maybe we should all stick to what we know best.
Church: Hey, where's your weapon?
Tucker: You think she knocked me out for fun? This isn't Tuesday, dude. She took it.
Church: Whoa, Tucker, are you okay?
Tucker: [groans] Damn. Okay, new rule. We start rotating knockouts. Next time, it's your turn.
Church: Hey, good idea. And next time Caboose decides he wants to go around team-killing, you can take that one.
Tucker: Maybe we should all stick to what we know best.
Church: Hey, where's your weapon?
Tucker: You think she knocked me out for fun? This isn't Tuesday, dude. She took it.
Labels: Red vs. Blue
