30 June 2012
Stupid Game
Yeah, this is a dumb game. But oddly addictive.
I've noticed that the older/more obscure a character is, the less likely it is to guess right.
Characters from shows that are still on the air that it got right on the first guess: Neal Caffrey (White Collar), River Song (Doctor Who), Church (Red vs. Blue), and Beck Oliver (Victorious).
Characters from recent shows that it got right on the first try: Ianto Jones (Torchwood) and Shane McCutcheon (The L Word).
Characters from older shows that it guessed after two rounds: Aeryn Sun (Farscape) and Alec (Dark Angel).
Characters from older shows that it guessed after three rounds: Joxer (Xena) and Lister (Red Dwarf).
Characters from older, less popular shows it never guessed: Janette (Forever Knight) and Methos (Highlander).
The one character that didn't fit the pattern: Hal from (the currently airing show) Being Human. It got that on the second guess. However! Its first guess was Mitchell, who is from the same show and is also a vampire.
I've noticed that the older/more obscure a character is, the less likely it is to guess right.
Characters from shows that are still on the air that it got right on the first guess: Neal Caffrey (White Collar), River Song (Doctor Who), Church (Red vs. Blue), and Beck Oliver (Victorious).
Characters from recent shows that it got right on the first try: Ianto Jones (Torchwood) and Shane McCutcheon (The L Word).
Characters from older shows that it guessed after two rounds: Aeryn Sun (Farscape) and Alec (Dark Angel).
Characters from older shows that it guessed after three rounds: Joxer (Xena) and Lister (Red Dwarf).
Characters from older, less popular shows it never guessed: Janette (Forever Knight) and Methos (Highlander).
The one character that didn't fit the pattern: Hal from (the currently airing show) Being Human. It got that on the second guess. However! Its first guess was Mitchell, who is from the same show and is also a vampire.
Labels: random silliness, TV
Storm Lose
I really thought they could win this game. New York has not been playing well this season, but the Storm managed to play even worse. Blech.
After the game Svetlana Abrosimova tweeted, "It was a very frustrating game today. We couldn't get in the flow, didn't hit open shots & of course Its impossible to win with 25 turnovers". Officially they had 24 turnovers, but.... yeah.
They play Connecticut tomorrow, and Connecticut's a much better team. I'm not hopeful....
After the game Svetlana Abrosimova tweeted, "It was a very frustrating game today. We couldn't get in the flow, didn't hit open shots & of course Its impossible to win with 25 turnovers". Officially they had 24 turnovers, but.... yeah.
They play Connecticut tomorrow, and Connecticut's a much better team. I'm not hopeful....
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: The O.C.
From "The Night Moves" (4.15):
Taylor: Don't you think the boys are acting weird?
Summer: Shifty looks, finishing each other's sentences, like they're composing a lie on the spot?
Taylor: Yes.
Summer: Totally normal for them.
Taylor: Don't you think the boys are acting weird?
Summer: Shifty looks, finishing each other's sentences, like they're composing a lie on the spot?
Taylor: Yes.
Summer: Totally normal for them.
Labels: The O.C.
29 June 2012
Three Ballet Dancers
I thought I was done for the night, but then I found this...
The "Meet the Top 20" dance for the three (!) ballet dancers they have this year: Daniel, Eliana, and Chehon:
p.s. If you want to skip straight to the dance, click here.
The "Meet the Top 20" dance for the three (!) ballet dancers they have this year: Daniel, Eliana, and Chehon:
p.s. If you want to skip straight to the dance, click here.
Labels: So You Think You Can Dance
Sveta! Sveta! Sveta!
Svetlana Abrosimova is officially returning to the Storm!!
Even better, she should be available to play in the game against New York tomorrow.
As usual with this sort of announcement, the Storm website has two articles.
A press release: "Svetlana Abrosimova, a member of the Seattle Storm's 2010 WNBA championship team, has signed with the Storm as a free agent, Head Coach and General Manager Brian Agler announced today. Abrosimova met the team on the East Coast and is expected to suit up for the Storm's next game at 1:00 p.m. Saturday against New York at the Prudential Center in New Jersey."
And an article: "The process [of fitting into the team] is admittedly awkward, but it helps that the core of the team is the same as the 2010 championship team on which Abrosimova played a key role as top perimeter reserve. Abrosimova also has experience playing with newcomers Katie Smith (in Minnesota) and Ann Wauters (in Russia). As a result, Agler expects Abrosimova's integration to the roster to go smoothly."
Oh, and Ped wanted to hear how she pronounces her name. Back in 2010 I posted some links, and one of them was to a video of her for her Russian team. She introduces herself right at the beginning. (My favorite part is when she lists her nicknames ~:12, because she has to switch to English for one of them.):
Even better, she should be available to play in the game against New York tomorrow.
As usual with this sort of announcement, the Storm website has two articles.
A press release: "Svetlana Abrosimova, a member of the Seattle Storm's 2010 WNBA championship team, has signed with the Storm as a free agent, Head Coach and General Manager Brian Agler announced today. Abrosimova met the team on the East Coast and is expected to suit up for the Storm's next game at 1:00 p.m. Saturday against New York at the Prudential Center in New Jersey."
And an article: "The process [of fitting into the team] is admittedly awkward, but it helps that the core of the team is the same as the 2010 championship team on which Abrosimova played a key role as top perimeter reserve. Abrosimova also has experience playing with newcomers Katie Smith (in Minnesota) and Ann Wauters (in Russia). As a result, Agler expects Abrosimova's integration to the roster to go smoothly."
Oh, and Ped wanted to hear how she pronounces her name. Back in 2010 I posted some links, and one of them was to a video of her for her Russian team. She introduces herself right at the beginning. (My favorite part is when she lists her nicknames ~:12, because she has to switch to English for one of them.):
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Get Fuzzy
From I'm Ready for My Movie Contract by Darby Conley:
Rob: Jeez. Look at all these letters I have to address for Satchel... To think I had to talk him into writing one letter and now he won't stop writing...
Bucky: Like they say: You can lead a dog to water, but you can't beat him with a garden hose.
[pause]
Rob: Why do I keep trying to talk to you about stuff?
Bucky: Beats me. I wish you wouldn't.
Rob: Jeez. Look at all these letters I have to address for Satchel... To think I had to talk him into writing one letter and now he won't stop writing...
Bucky: Like they say: You can lead a dog to water, but you can't beat him with a garden hose.
[pause]
Rob: Why do I keep trying to talk to you about stuff?
Bucky: Beats me. I wish you wouldn't.
Labels: Get Fuzzy
28 June 2012
So You Think You Can Dance!
For once, most of my favorites from the audition rounds made it to the Top 20 -- woo hoo!!!
Eliana:
Daniel:
Chehon:
More Chehon here.
Janelle:
More Janelle here.
Cole:
Eliana:
Daniel:
Chehon:
More Chehon here.
Janelle:
More Janelle here.
Cole:
Labels: So You Think You Can Dance
Quote of the Day: Retail
Strip from June 28, 2012 by Norm Feuti:
Val: How do you feel about Josh being your assistant [at the store]?
Marla: I'm not too worried about it. As Stuart's assistant, I had to learn how to adapt to his management style. Now that I'm the store manager, Josh will have to adapt to mine.
Val: It's going to be hard to break him of all his good habits.
Marla: I'm up to the challenge.
Val: How do you feel about Josh being your assistant [at the store]?
Marla: I'm not too worried about it. As Stuart's assistant, I had to learn how to adapt to his management style. Now that I'm the store manager, Josh will have to adapt to mine.
Val: It's going to be hard to break him of all his good habits.
Marla: I'm up to the challenge.
Labels: comics
27 June 2012
Quote of the Day: Lisa Brummel
Lisa Brummel is one of the owners of the Seattle Storm. Here's some stories from the Storm's current road trip:
We started our journey early Monday morning on the 8:40 a.m. flight from Seattle to Washington. After the nice win at home on Sunday, everyone was in pretty good spirits although they were plenty tired from the early morning wake-up call. I got to the gate a little bit after the team but found them all in the boarding area hanging out, having breakfast, texting, and trying to keep themselves loose in prep for a long cross country flight. To give you some idea of the “glamour” of team travel – all 6-4 of Ann Wauters was poured into a middle seat for the 4.5-hour flight east (thank goodness it was bulkhead at least). Once most of our folks were on the plane, we were joined by the Mystics, who were on our same flight. The passengers who didn’t really know women’s basketball were quite perplexed by the non-stop flow of really tall women. Everyone settled in pretty quickly and I think most everyone was asleep before takeoff. I, however, spent the entire flight working on my day job, so I was slightly more cranky than the players by the time we landed! Most awake for an 8:40 a.m. flight – Ewa Kobryn. Most frequently overheard from passengers – “Was that Sue Bird?”
We started our journey early Monday morning on the 8:40 a.m. flight from Seattle to Washington. After the nice win at home on Sunday, everyone was in pretty good spirits although they were plenty tired from the early morning wake-up call. I got to the gate a little bit after the team but found them all in the boarding area hanging out, having breakfast, texting, and trying to keep themselves loose in prep for a long cross country flight. To give you some idea of the “glamour” of team travel – all 6-4 of Ann Wauters was poured into a middle seat for the 4.5-hour flight east (thank goodness it was bulkhead at least). Once most of our folks were on the plane, we were joined by the Mystics, who were on our same flight. The passengers who didn’t really know women’s basketball were quite perplexed by the non-stop flow of really tall women. Everyone settled in pretty quickly and I think most everyone was asleep before takeoff. I, however, spent the entire flight working on my day job, so I was slightly more cranky than the players by the time we landed! Most awake for an 8:40 a.m. flight – Ewa Kobryn. Most frequently overheard from passengers – “Was that Sue Bird?”
Labels: Seattle Storm
26 June 2012
Random Debate
Storm Beat Mystics, Again
On their home court, Washington put up more of a fight, but the end result was the same.
In roster news, the Storm waived Victoria Dunlap and are likely to sign Svetlana Abrosimova soon.
In roster news, the Storm waived Victoria Dunlap and are likely to sign Svetlana Abrosimova soon.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Richard Cohen
After Sue Bird hit two daggers in a row late in today's game:
"Well whaddaya know? Die Bitches is back from vacation."
"Well whaddaya know? Die Bitches is back from vacation."
Labels: Seattle Storm
25 June 2012
Quote of the Day: ESPN-W
Really cool article about the pressure on the 1996 Olympic team, and how they weren't just trying to win a gold medal, they were trying to prove to the NBA that a women's league was a viable business opportunity. To that end, all of the players and coaches took a year off and did nothing but train together and travel around the U.S., playing exhibition games and signing autographs:
The U.S. team bus was pulling away from The Palestra, the legendary arena on Penn's campus, after the Americans had defeated China in an April 1996 exhibition game. The win boosted their record to 39-0, and they had clearly established themselves as the favorites for gold. Point guard Dawn Staley, who had grown up on Philly's hardscrabble streets, spotted a little girl running after the bus. Staley stood and asked the driver to stop. Everyone filed off the bus and signed an autograph for the girl.
"We became conditioned to sign a lot of autographs," Staley says. "We had the No Child Left Behind policy."
The U.S. team bus was pulling away from The Palestra, the legendary arena on Penn's campus, after the Americans had defeated China in an April 1996 exhibition game. The win boosted their record to 39-0, and they had clearly established themselves as the favorites for gold. Point guard Dawn Staley, who had grown up on Philly's hardscrabble streets, spotted a little girl running after the bus. Staley stood and asked the driver to stop. Everyone filed off the bus and signed an autograph for the girl.
"We became conditioned to sign a lot of autographs," Staley says. "We had the No Child Left Behind policy."
Labels: Olympics
24 June 2012
Friday's Game and Other Storm News
I had to wait an extra day for the WNBAlien review of Friday's game vs. San Antonio, but it was worth the wait:
"It’s very, very nice to see something resembling the real Tanisha Wright back on a basketball court again. No idea what was wrong with her to start the year, but she’s back to being aggressive and driving at times offensively, while still chasing around the primary opposing scoring guard. There’ll still be the odd mental or ballhandling error, and the shooting percentage will take a while to rise back up, but this is more like the Tanisha we remember. Not that horrible mess that opened the season."
"Let me tell you the story of Sue Bird’s first two made baskets in this game. In the first half, Thompson set a screen on Perkins to open Bird up, then rolled to the hoop and made very sure that her roll blocked off Perkins’s path. It left Bird wide open to knock down the jumper. In the second half, Smith set a nasty, borderline illegal off-ball screen on Becky Hammon, which left Bird in all kinds of space to hit a three. These veterans know all the tricks, and a lot of them come into play away from the ball to help teammates more than themselves."
[This next one's for you, Iris!]
"San Antonio got back in the game largely at the free throw line. The willingness of the Silver Stars to move the ball and use everyone available to create was part of it, but a lot of the production came down to some seriously inconsistent officiating. It was hard to tell what was a foul and what wasn’t for much of this game."
"As ever, San Antonio got killed in points in the paint (34-14 in this case). It’s an illustration that the second and third lines of Seattle’s defense are sliding into place far more smoothly now – San Antonio couldn’t find a way to penetrate with any consistency. Considering Seattle looked like they barely knew what penetration was earlier this season, they’ll be delighted by numbers like that."
Svetlana Abrosimova update... sort of. Before the game Jayda Evans tweeted a picture of Abrosimova in what looks like work-out clothes -- including a Storm t-shirt. Did she practice with the team before the game?
Plus! Abrosimova tweeted from the Pride parade today (mostly in Russian), including this one that Google Translate turns into, "Even the representatives of my team is involved in parade.Vot prof. markiting and work with the masses)" The important part being her referring to the Storm as "my team". Now, maybe she just means her former team, but it does sound promising!
Just for fun:
The twitter belonging "Sue Bird's Hair" (just go with it!) re-tweeted a picture a fan took of, well, Sue Bird's hair. What made me giggle, though, is that in the picture, Sue Bird, Katie Smith, and Ewelina Kobryn are ALL fixing their hair. Hee!
"It’s very, very nice to see something resembling the real Tanisha Wright back on a basketball court again. No idea what was wrong with her to start the year, but she’s back to being aggressive and driving at times offensively, while still chasing around the primary opposing scoring guard. There’ll still be the odd mental or ballhandling error, and the shooting percentage will take a while to rise back up, but this is more like the Tanisha we remember. Not that horrible mess that opened the season."
"Let me tell you the story of Sue Bird’s first two made baskets in this game. In the first half, Thompson set a screen on Perkins to open Bird up, then rolled to the hoop and made very sure that her roll blocked off Perkins’s path. It left Bird wide open to knock down the jumper. In the second half, Smith set a nasty, borderline illegal off-ball screen on Becky Hammon, which left Bird in all kinds of space to hit a three. These veterans know all the tricks, and a lot of them come into play away from the ball to help teammates more than themselves."
[This next one's for you, Iris!]
"San Antonio got back in the game largely at the free throw line. The willingness of the Silver Stars to move the ball and use everyone available to create was part of it, but a lot of the production came down to some seriously inconsistent officiating. It was hard to tell what was a foul and what wasn’t for much of this game."
"As ever, San Antonio got killed in points in the paint (34-14 in this case). It’s an illustration that the second and third lines of Seattle’s defense are sliding into place far more smoothly now – San Antonio couldn’t find a way to penetrate with any consistency. Considering Seattle looked like they barely knew what penetration was earlier this season, they’ll be delighted by numbers like that."
Svetlana Abrosimova update... sort of. Before the game Jayda Evans tweeted a picture of Abrosimova in what looks like work-out clothes -- including a Storm t-shirt. Did she practice with the team before the game?
Plus! Abrosimova tweeted from the Pride parade today (mostly in Russian), including this one that Google Translate turns into, "Even the representatives of my team is involved in parade.Vot prof. markiting and work with the masses)" The important part being her referring to the Storm as "my team". Now, maybe she just means her former team, but it does sound promising!
Just for fun:
The twitter belonging "Sue Bird's Hair" (just go with it!) re-tweeted a picture a fan took of, well, Sue Bird's hair. What made me giggle, though, is that in the picture, Sue Bird, Katie Smith, and Ewelina Kobryn are ALL fixing their hair. Hee!
Labels: Seattle Storm
Another Win!
It was good to get the three wins at home before they head out on a four-game road trip.
I didn't really expect this game to be much of a contest, and it wasn't. The Mystics had a nice start in the first few minutes, but then Coach Agler called a timeout, and the Storm came back in, took the lead, and never let it go.
If we could have grabbed a few more rebounds, it would have been a blow-out.
Former Storm player Ashley Robinson now plays for the Mystics, and she got a warm welcome. Jayda Evans was a little surprised at just how warm her welcome was: "Storm Crazies are known for their unconditional love of former players. But normally it's only for introductions and when a player enters a game. Well, it went to another level on Sunday as Robinson received noticeable applause for scoring her only bucket of the game with 24.3 seconds left in the game."
I didn't really expect this game to be much of a contest, and it wasn't. The Mystics had a nice start in the first few minutes, but then Coach Agler called a timeout, and the Storm came back in, took the lead, and never let it go.
If we could have grabbed a few more rebounds, it would have been a blow-out.
Former Storm player Ashley Robinson now plays for the Mystics, and she got a warm welcome. Jayda Evans was a little surprised at just how warm her welcome was: "Storm Crazies are known for their unconditional love of former players. But normally it's only for introductions and when a player enters a game. Well, it went to another level on Sunday as Robinson received noticeable applause for scoring her only bucket of the game with 24.3 seconds left in the game."
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Florence & the Machine
From the song "Falling":
I've fallen out of favour
And I've fallen from grace
Fallen out of trees
And I've fallen on my face
Fallen out of taxis
Out of windows, too
I fell in your opinion
When I fell in love with you
I've fallen out of favour
And I've fallen from grace
Fallen out of trees
And I've fallen on my face
Fallen out of taxis
Out of windows, too
I fell in your opinion
When I fell in love with you
Labels: music
23 June 2012
Title IX
Today was the 40th anniversary of Title IX. I feel kind of bad, because my mom would have really benefited (and enjoyed) growing up in post-Title IX sports world, but sports didn't really interest me. I feel like I squandered my opportunity! But even if I didn't play sports, I'm glad the opportunity was there. It's like the 2nd amendment.... I don't own a gun, but I'm glad I have the right to do so.
There's been lots of coverage for this annivsary.
I like this commercial:
[h/t Sunbursts & Raindrops]
Mechelle Voepel of ESPN has a nice article: "I understand that everything is not for everybody. It's never indifference toward women's sports that bothers me. It's the torrent of negativity that some direct toward them, the bile that comes from those implausibly worried about having to share a little turf. Sometimes I say to them, 'The relatively little attention that women's sports still gets -- compared to the understandable avalanche for men's sports -- really bothers you that much? If so, how do you endure anything that actually is difficult in your life?'"
The Seattle Times is doing a whole series of articles.
Rebecca Lobo wrote about the impact it made on her life: "In the fifth grade, I was a tomboy who dressed in jeans and sneakers so I could play sports with the boys at recess. I was the only girl to do so. One day my teacher told me she was 'very concerned' about me. She said I needed to 'act more like a girl' and 'dress more like a girl.' My mother flipped her lid. After hearing what my teacher had said, my mom immediately drove me to the school. I was terrified — for the teacher." (I fully believe that if that were me, my mom would have done the same thing!)
As a nice counterpoint, Rebecca Lobo's husband Steve Rushin (who is a sports writer), wrote an article entitled, "Rebecca Lobo schools writer Steve Rushin on women in sports": "The first words Rebecca Lobo ever spoke to me when we met in a Manhattan bar in 2001 were: 'Aren't you the guy who just mocked women's basketball in Sports Illustrated?' I blushed, broke out in a flop sweat and said, 'Yes.' A few weeks earlier, I had written that although Wilt Chamberlain claimed to have slept with 20,000 women in his lifetime, I had once slept with 7,138 women in a single night: We were all snoring in the stands at a WNBA game. It was an appalling line, and I was eager to change the subject, but Lobo wouldn't let it go. 'We get 15,000 fans at Madison Square Garden,' she said. 'How many women's games have you ever been to, anyway?' Hanging my head in shame, I admitted that I had never attended a women's basketball game before ridiculing it in a national magazine. So she invited me to one of her New York Liberty games, I accepted, and 23 months later we were married."
There's been lots of coverage for this annivsary.
I like this commercial:
[h/t Sunbursts & Raindrops]
Mechelle Voepel of ESPN has a nice article: "I understand that everything is not for everybody. It's never indifference toward women's sports that bothers me. It's the torrent of negativity that some direct toward them, the bile that comes from those implausibly worried about having to share a little turf. Sometimes I say to them, 'The relatively little attention that women's sports still gets -- compared to the understandable avalanche for men's sports -- really bothers you that much? If so, how do you endure anything that actually is difficult in your life?'"
The Seattle Times is doing a whole series of articles.
Rebecca Lobo wrote about the impact it made on her life: "In the fifth grade, I was a tomboy who dressed in jeans and sneakers so I could play sports with the boys at recess. I was the only girl to do so. One day my teacher told me she was 'very concerned' about me. She said I needed to 'act more like a girl' and 'dress more like a girl.' My mother flipped her lid. After hearing what my teacher had said, my mom immediately drove me to the school. I was terrified — for the teacher." (I fully believe that if that were me, my mom would have done the same thing!)
As a nice counterpoint, Rebecca Lobo's husband Steve Rushin (who is a sports writer), wrote an article entitled, "Rebecca Lobo schools writer Steve Rushin on women in sports": "The first words Rebecca Lobo ever spoke to me when we met in a Manhattan bar in 2001 were: 'Aren't you the guy who just mocked women's basketball in Sports Illustrated?' I blushed, broke out in a flop sweat and said, 'Yes.' A few weeks earlier, I had written that although Wilt Chamberlain claimed to have slept with 20,000 women in his lifetime, I had once slept with 7,138 women in a single night: We were all snoring in the stands at a WNBA game. It was an appalling line, and I was eager to change the subject, but Lobo wouldn't let it go. 'We get 15,000 fans at Madison Square Garden,' she said. 'How many women's games have you ever been to, anyway?' Hanging my head in shame, I admitted that I had never attended a women's basketball game before ridiculing it in a national magazine. So she invited me to one of her New York Liberty games, I accepted, and 23 months later we were married."
Labels: sports
Current & Former Storm Players
Nice article about Ashley Robinson's return to Seattle with her current team, the Washington Mystics. Quoth Sue Bird: "Maybe I shouldn't say this, but Seattle fans, they have a reputation of being very kind to those that have played here and come back with (other) teams. A-Rob hated that. She'd say, 'Why are they cheering so loud for so-and-so?' Now she's that person."
Ewelina Kobryn didn't have the greatest game against San Antonio, but in general she's playing a lot better this year. She struggles with the language barrier, though: "Sometimes they're [teammates] laughing because when I make a mistake or have some situation, I say, 'I have pressure,' and they say, 'Why do you have pressure?' because they don't understand me. My English is very elementary."
From the Australian National Team's website, Lauren Jackson's profile page. My favorite part is that she lists her "Primary Training Base" as "Seattle, United States". Awwww... We miss you, too, LJ! (And please take note, ESPN announcers: Her listed nicknames are "LJ" and "Loz". Not "L-Jacks". NO ONE BUT YOU CALLS HER THAT. PLEASE STOP.)
Ewelina Kobryn didn't have the greatest game against San Antonio, but in general she's playing a lot better this year. She struggles with the language barrier, though: "Sometimes they're [teammates] laughing because when I make a mistake or have some situation, I say, 'I have pressure,' and they say, 'Why do you have pressure?' because they don't understand me. My English is very elementary."
From the Australian National Team's website, Lauren Jackson's profile page. My favorite part is that she lists her "Primary Training Base" as "Seattle, United States". Awwww... We miss you, too, LJ! (And please take note, ESPN announcers: Her listed nicknames are "LJ" and "Loz". Not "L-Jacks". NO ONE BUT YOU CALLS HER THAT. PLEASE STOP.)
Labels: Seattle Storm, WNBA
Quote of the Day: Victorious
From "Terror on Cupcake Street":
[Acting class with their crazy teacher Sikowitz.]
Sikowitz: See? Not so easy to perform a scene when you have a bucket on your head, is it?
Tori: ...No.
André: It's difficult...
Sikowitz: Mm... Yes. Well, class dismissed.
Jade: But we still have more time.
Sikowitz: We do? How much?
Robbie: 55 minutes.
[Acting class with their crazy teacher Sikowitz.]
Sikowitz: See? Not so easy to perform a scene when you have a bucket on your head, is it?
Tori: ...No.
André: It's difficult...
Sikowitz: Mm... Yes. Well, class dismissed.
Jade: But we still have more time.
Sikowitz: We do? How much?
Robbie: 55 minutes.
Labels: Victorious
22 June 2012
Game Tweets
Lots of good tweets relating to this game!
Pre-game, Becky Hammon (San Antonio's super-star), warmed up in front of Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans, leading to a quip and a pic.
Richard Cohen of WNBAlien had some bad and good news.
Finally, Svetlana Abrosimova is back in town, and was possibly at the game. What I really liked about this tweet, though, is her use of Seattle slang.
Pre-game, Becky Hammon (San Antonio's super-star), warmed up in front of Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans, leading to a quip and a pic.
Richard Cohen of WNBAlien had some bad and good news.
Finally, Svetlana Abrosimova is back in town, and was possibly at the game. What I really liked about this tweet, though, is her use of Seattle slang.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Another Exciting Game!
Tonight it was Tanisha Wright's turn to be the late-in-the-game hero.
San Antonio had the lead for most of the first half, but Seattle pulled ahead at the end of the second quarter and kept the lead for the rest of the game. The Silver Stars made it interesting -- they cut the lead down to three a couple of times in the last few minutes -- but the Storm held stayed focused and held on to win.
When it got to the end and San Antonio started fouling, it was mostly Tanisha Wright they fouled, and she hit most of her shots. (She made eight of ten.) She also sealed the deal in the last few seconds by getting a steal and making a layup. Her final stats: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals. Niiiice!
San Antonio had the lead for most of the first half, but Seattle pulled ahead at the end of the second quarter and kept the lead for the rest of the game. The Silver Stars made it interesting -- they cut the lead down to three a couple of times in the last few minutes -- but the Storm held stayed focused and held on to win.
When it got to the end and San Antonio started fouling, it was mostly Tanisha Wright they fouled, and she hit most of her shots. (She made eight of ten.) She also sealed the deal in the last few seconds by getting a steal and making a layup. Her final stats: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals. Niiiice!
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Tumblr
I saw this on Wil Wheaton's tumblr:
dog: STILL HUNGRY
person: You've had breakfast.
dog: WANT MORE BREAKFAST
person: You'll get fat.
dog: WHAT'S 'FAT'?
person: It's what happens when you eat too much food.
dog: FAT SOUNDS AWESOME. LET'S GET FAT
dog: STILL HUNGRY
person: You've had breakfast.
dog: WANT MORE BREAKFAST
person: You'll get fat.
dog: WHAT'S 'FAT'?
person: It's what happens when you eat too much food.
dog: FAT SOUNDS AWESOME. LET'S GET FAT
Labels: random silliness
21 June 2012
Katie Smith Interviews
Katie Smith will be on Northwest Sports Tonight, and she's on the this week's Dishin & Swishin podcast.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Sue Bird
From an interview after Sunday's game:
interviewer: How would you describe that rebound that Tina [Thompson] got [with one second left]?
Sue Bird: Yeah, that was... I said "thank you" immediately. That was huge. That sealed the game for us, absolutely. When she got that rebound, I definitely exhaled.
interviewer: I mean, you don't miss two free throws in a row, especially at the end of the game...
Sue Bird: [with a touch of sarcasm] Yeah, thanks.
[reporters laugh]
Sue Bird: [normal voice] It happens. And Tina was there to have my back, and have the team's back. I was very happy when she got that rebound.
[Skipping bit about passing and Tanisha Wright having such a great game.]
interviewer: Did you hear the crowd chanting "Tina"?
Sue Bird: Yeah.
interviewer: What did you think about that? That's new.
Sue Bird: Yeah, it was cool! That was a big frickin' rebound. So... chant her name all night!
[p.s. Tina Thompson did not hear her name being chanted -- she was too focused on knocking down her free throws!]
interviewer: How would you describe that rebound that Tina [Thompson] got [with one second left]?
Sue Bird: Yeah, that was... I said "thank you" immediately. That was huge. That sealed the game for us, absolutely. When she got that rebound, I definitely exhaled.
interviewer: I mean, you don't miss two free throws in a row, especially at the end of the game...
Sue Bird: [with a touch of sarcasm] Yeah, thanks.
[reporters laugh]
Sue Bird: [normal voice] It happens. And Tina was there to have my back, and have the team's back. I was very happy when she got that rebound.
[Skipping bit about passing and Tanisha Wright having such a great game.]
interviewer: Did you hear the crowd chanting "Tina"?
Sue Bird: Yeah.
interviewer: What did you think about that? That's new.
Sue Bird: Yeah, it was cool! That was a big frickin' rebound. So... chant her name all night!
[p.s. Tina Thompson did not hear her name being chanted -- she was too focused on knocking down her free throws!]
Labels: Seattle Storm
20 June 2012
Quote of the Day: Tumblr
I found this on Life is good & bad:
Teacher: If you have 10 chocolate cakes and someone asks for 2, how many do you have left?
Me: 10.
Teacher: Okay, well what if somebody forcibly takes two of the cakes, how many would you have left then?
Me: 10 and a dead body.
Teacher: If you have 10 chocolate cakes and someone asks for 2, how many do you have left?
Me: 10.
Teacher: Okay, well what if somebody forcibly takes two of the cakes, how many would you have left then?
Me: 10 and a dead body.
Labels: random silliness
19 June 2012
That's Not How You Behave During Overtime!
I opened up LiveAccess (the WNBA website to watch games online) tonight and clicked on the Indiana @ Connecticut game. They are two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and I skipped to the end of the game to see who won. I found the spot where there was about one minute left in regulation, found that it was a close game, and watched from there.
It was interesting to watch such a close game and not have a vested interest in one team winning. (I am fond of players on both teams.)
The game ended up going into ovetime, and I watched that. (I did skip through timeouts, though.) Indiana put up a fight, but Connecticut ended up winning.
Here's the thing:
I've always heard that Connecticut has a good home court advantage. There did seem to be a good crowd, and they were vocal. But.... They were sitting. Almost every person they showed was sitting in their seat. At the end of a close game. DURING AN OVERTIME.
What?
That would NEVER happen at a Storm game. Never. Back in 2009 I was at a triple-overtime game against L.A. We were standing from a couple of minutes before the end of regulation until the last buzzer sounded at the end of the third overtime.
What the heck, Sun fans?
It was interesting to watch such a close game and not have a vested interest in one team winning. (I am fond of players on both teams.)
The game ended up going into ovetime, and I watched that. (I did skip through timeouts, though.) Indiana put up a fight, but Connecticut ended up winning.
Here's the thing:
I've always heard that Connecticut has a good home court advantage. There did seem to be a good crowd, and they were vocal. But.... They were sitting. Almost every person they showed was sitting in their seat. At the end of a close game. DURING AN OVERTIME.
What?
That would NEVER happen at a Storm game. Never. Back in 2009 I was at a triple-overtime game against L.A. We were standing from a couple of minutes before the end of regulation until the last buzzer sounded at the end of the third overtime.
What the heck, Sun fans?
Labels: Seattle Storm, WNBA
More Leverage: Parker's Airplane Safety Tips
Quote of the Day: True Blood
From "I Don't Wanna Know" (1.10):
Terry: My cousin Portia was a deb, from Shreveport when she turned 18. Every Bellefleur woman has been doin' it since they started to have 'em before the Revolutionary war.
Sam: Must be nice to come from such an old family.
Terry: All families are old, Sam. Some just keep better records.
Terry: My cousin Portia was a deb, from Shreveport when she turned 18. Every Bellefleur woman has been doin' it since they started to have 'em before the Revolutionary war.
Sam: Must be nice to come from such an old family.
Terry: All families are old, Sam. Some just keep better records.
Labels: True Blood
18 June 2012
More Game Stuff!
First of all, how awesome is Maya Moore? As quoted on the Storm website: "For whatever reason, we [Minnesota] couldn't get connected in the first half enough for a very hungry and motivated Seattle team. But that's what happens when we don't bring everything that we have for 40 minutes. We're disappointed in ourselves, but much respect to Seattle for coming in and doing what they needed to do." Always gracious, even in defeat. Love her!
The Storm website also has pictures, and the next to last one is a great picture of Tina Thompson pulling down the rebound with one second left in the game.
The Tumblr Fuck Yeah Seattle Storm has some great animated gifs of Sue Bird late in the game. The best are of her comical collapse to her knees when she realized her first free throw wasn't going in and her "thank you" hug to Tina Thompson after Thompson grabbed the rebound after Bird's second missed free throw.
And, over at WNBAlien, Richard Cohen's coverage of yesterday's games is called "Backwards Day in the WNBA". He had much to say about the Minnesota @ Seattle game:
"Seattle led 43-29 at the half, had shot 57% from the field, and held Minnesota’s starters to a combined 8-25. Key Arena was going wild. Still, everyone knew Minnesota had the potential to flip the switch and play to their true capacity, and that Seattle were fully capable of collapsing and giving the game away. While they were obviously excited, there was a palpable nervousness about the crowd for much of the second half."
[Very true! And I am impressed that he could sense that, considering he watched the game online from the other side of the planet.]
"The old stagers were huge for Seattle in the final minutes. While Bird committed a couple of horrendous turnovers, and Tanisha Wright – who, like Bird, had a great game for most of the evening – was wildly missing shots, the real veterans stepped up. [Tina] Thompson actually drove to the hoop rather than settling for one of her typical rainbow threes, and got herself to the line. Katie Smith hit a huge three from the corner – the only shot she made all night – when the Lynx had cut the gap to a point with under four minutes to play. The old girls were stepping up."
"With four seconds left, Seattle inbounded to Bird, a career 87% free throw shooter. Who promptly missed them both. Pressure and fatigue gets to the best of us. Amazingly for Seattle, who’d been killed on the glass in the fourth quarter, the ball came hard off the iron and Thompson won the battle again, corralling the ball and being fouled with a second left on the clock. Unlike Bird, she calmly sank both her free throws."
"For Seattle, forget the collapse in the fourth quarter – which can happen to anyone when you’ve been struggling all year and you’re facing a team as talented as the Lynx – and focus on the performance for 30 minutes. This was the real Storm. On offense – taking what the defense gives them, attacking when it’s available, knocking down open shots. On defense – knowing where they’re supposed to be, arriving on time, and fighting tooth and nail for every loose ball or half-chance at a stop."
The Storm website also has pictures, and the next to last one is a great picture of Tina Thompson pulling down the rebound with one second left in the game.
The Tumblr Fuck Yeah Seattle Storm has some great animated gifs of Sue Bird late in the game. The best are of her comical collapse to her knees when she realized her first free throw wasn't going in and her "thank you" hug to Tina Thompson after Thompson grabbed the rebound after Bird's second missed free throw.
And, over at WNBAlien, Richard Cohen's coverage of yesterday's games is called "Backwards Day in the WNBA". He had much to say about the Minnesota @ Seattle game:
"Seattle led 43-29 at the half, had shot 57% from the field, and held Minnesota’s starters to a combined 8-25. Key Arena was going wild. Still, everyone knew Minnesota had the potential to flip the switch and play to their true capacity, and that Seattle were fully capable of collapsing and giving the game away. While they were obviously excited, there was a palpable nervousness about the crowd for much of the second half."
[Very true! And I am impressed that he could sense that, considering he watched the game online from the other side of the planet.]
"The old stagers were huge for Seattle in the final minutes. While Bird committed a couple of horrendous turnovers, and Tanisha Wright – who, like Bird, had a great game for most of the evening – was wildly missing shots, the real veterans stepped up. [Tina] Thompson actually drove to the hoop rather than settling for one of her typical rainbow threes, and got herself to the line. Katie Smith hit a huge three from the corner – the only shot she made all night – when the Lynx had cut the gap to a point with under four minutes to play. The old girls were stepping up."
"With four seconds left, Seattle inbounded to Bird, a career 87% free throw shooter. Who promptly missed them both. Pressure and fatigue gets to the best of us. Amazingly for Seattle, who’d been killed on the glass in the fourth quarter, the ball came hard off the iron and Thompson won the battle again, corralling the ball and being fouled with a second left on the clock. Unlike Bird, she calmly sank both her free throws."
"For Seattle, forget the collapse in the fourth quarter – which can happen to anyone when you’ve been struggling all year and you’re facing a team as talented as the Lynx – and focus on the performance for 30 minutes. This was the real Storm. On offense – taking what the defense gives them, attacking when it’s available, knocking down open shots. On defense – knowing where they’re supposed to be, arriving on time, and fighting tooth and nail for every loose ball or half-chance at a stop."
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Daniel Keys Moran
From The Long Run:
Trent: Hi. I'm Trent the thief. Is there anything I can steal for you?
Melissa DuBois: That is not funny.
Trent: No? Then how about this? [Trent makes a funny face.]
Melissa DuBois: No. That is not funny either.
Trent: You know, people almost always at least smile at that one. Is something wrong?
Melissa DuBois: You are late.
Trent: It wasn't my fault.
Melissa DuBois: As you say.
Trent: So I can't steal anything for you?
Melissa DuBois: No. I am afraid not. I am not poor.
Trent: What's that got to do with it?
Melissa DuBois: Is that not a Robin Hood routine? To steal from the rich, and give to the poor?
Trent: Don't be obscene. I'm a capitalist. [pause] I did have Merry Men once, but I had to get rid of them. They were gloomy sons of bitches.
Melissa DuBois: Oh?
Trent: Didn't laugh at my jokes.
Trent: Hi. I'm Trent the thief. Is there anything I can steal for you?
Melissa DuBois: That is not funny.
Trent: No? Then how about this? [Trent makes a funny face.]
Melissa DuBois: No. That is not funny either.
Trent: You know, people almost always at least smile at that one. Is something wrong?
Melissa DuBois: You are late.
Trent: It wasn't my fault.
Melissa DuBois: As you say.
Trent: So I can't steal anything for you?
Melissa DuBois: No. I am afraid not. I am not poor.
Trent: What's that got to do with it?
Melissa DuBois: Is that not a Robin Hood routine? To steal from the rich, and give to the poor?
Trent: Don't be obscene. I'm a capitalist. [pause] I did have Merry Men once, but I had to get rid of them. They were gloomy sons of bitches.
Melissa DuBois: Oh?
Trent: Didn't laugh at my jokes.
Labels: books, scifi/fantasy
17 June 2012
I Am Hoarse from SCREAMING!!!
Tonight Seattle played the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota came into the game with a record of 10-0. Seattle only had two wins, and they were both against the league-worst Tulsa Shock.
The first few minutes were back-and-forth, but eventually the Storm took the lead... and kept it!
Minnesota made a good run in the fourth (outscoring Seattle 18-8 in the last quarter), but the Storm HELD ON TO THE WIN!!!!!!!
I did a LOT of screaming. And clapping. And jumping up and down!
Tina Thompson was definitely the hero of the last few minutes. She got two key rebounds, and made her free throws to extend the Strom lead from one point to three. (Just a few seconds earlier, Sue Bird had missed her free throws.)
And remember poor Tulsa? They played Phoenix tonight and won! Good for them. ESPN writer Mechelle Voepel tweeted: "Was asked on a recent chat which would happen first: Lynx loss or Shock win? I didn't guess both would occur on same day. :)"
The first few minutes were back-and-forth, but eventually the Storm took the lead... and kept it!
Minnesota made a good run in the fourth (outscoring Seattle 18-8 in the last quarter), but the Storm HELD ON TO THE WIN!!!!!!!
I did a LOT of screaming. And clapping. And jumping up and down!
Tina Thompson was definitely the hero of the last few minutes. She got two key rebounds, and made her free throws to extend the Strom lead from one point to three. (Just a few seconds earlier, Sue Bird had missed her free throws.)
And remember poor Tulsa? They played Phoenix tonight and won! Good for them. ESPN writer Mechelle Voepel tweeted: "Was asked on a recent chat which would happen first: Lynx loss or Shock win? I didn't guess both would occur on same day. :)"
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Brian Agler
As quoted on the Storm twitter account:
"That was a long road trip. [Coach] Brian Agler said he thought Victoria Dunlap looked different, then realized she was wearing a home uniform."
"That was a long road trip. [Coach] Brian Agler said he thought Victoria Dunlap looked different, then realized she was wearing a home uniform."
Labels: Seattle Storm
16 June 2012
Stormy Stuff
Regarding last night's game against Tulsa, Richard Cohen said:
"Seattle were finding some points in transition as well. While they sometimes have trouble with turnovers, the Storm would apparently be fine if they could play Tulsa every night. It’s just those pesky other ten teams that are causing all the problems."
Tomorrow's game is "Dads & Daughters Night", and my mom very kindly gave her ticket to my dad so we could go together. Thanks, Mom!
The ticket itself has a cute picture of a dad and daughter from last year's game, and the Storm website has a nice article about them.
"Seattle were finding some points in transition as well. While they sometimes have trouble with turnovers, the Storm would apparently be fine if they could play Tulsa every night. It’s just those pesky other ten teams that are causing all the problems."
Tomorrow's game is "Dads & Daughters Night", and my mom very kindly gave her ticket to my dad so we could go together. Thanks, Mom!
The ticket itself has a cute picture of a dad and daughter from last year's game, and the Storm website has a nice article about them.
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote(s) of the Day: Richard Cohen
Richard Cohen of WNBAlien is my favorite WNBA commentator. He lives in England, so he doesn't have a favorite team, he just covers everybody and everything.
He does, however, have a vested interest in the British national team. Here's some recent tweets about them:
From yesterday:
"Wow, GB ladies up 56-37 at halftime. Either this is one of our best offensive games in eons, or S.Korea are truly terrible."
"Can't remember the last time @gbbasketball women scored over 100. Answer might be 'never'. Game must be being played at extraordinary pace."
From today:
"Another v.good, solid win for our @gbbasketball women. Our ballhandling concerns me though. We'd give up 50 turnovers if we played Tulsa."
He does, however, have a vested interest in the British national team. Here's some recent tweets about them:
From yesterday:
"Wow, GB ladies up 56-37 at halftime. Either this is one of our best offensive games in eons, or S.Korea are truly terrible."
"Can't remember the last time @gbbasketball women scored over 100. Answer might be 'never'. Game must be being played at extraordinary pace."
From today:
"Another v.good, solid win for our @gbbasketball women. Our ballhandling concerns me though. We'd give up 50 turnovers if we played Tulsa."
Labels: Olympics
15 June 2012
NPH on Colbert
I'm not sure how old this is, but they're talking about the Tonys, and I'm pretty sure it's this year's Tonys, so it must be pretty recent:
"It's almost as if your happiness does not take my happiness away."
Labels: GLBT, random awesomeness
Poor Tulsa
As bad as Seattle is right now, they still beat Tulsa without too much trouble.
Sue Bird had a particularly good night: She made her first NINE shots. Wowza!
Next up is a home game (finally!) against Minnesota (dang-it!). (Minnesota is currently 10-0, which is the best start for a team in WNBA history.)
Iris, we're going to need to cheer extra loud on Sunday!!!
Sue Bird had a particularly good night: She made her first NINE shots. Wowza!
Next up is a home game (finally!) against Minnesota (dang-it!). (Minnesota is currently 10-0, which is the best start for a team in WNBA history.)
Iris, we're going to need to cheer extra loud on Sunday!!!
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Veronica Mars
From "Papa's Cabin" (3.15):
[Veronica is talking to her dad, a cop, after a successful interrogation.]
Veronica: Man, you get everyone to confess.
Keith: I think it's the uniform. Do you have anything to confess?
Veronica: Yes. You embarrass me.
[Veronica is talking to her dad, a cop, after a successful interrogation.]
Veronica: Man, you get everyone to confess.
Keith: I think it's the uniform. Do you have anything to confess?
Veronica: Yes. You embarrass me.
Labels: Veronica Mars
14 June 2012
Sherlock on iTunes
Right now the first episode of Sherlock, "A Study in Pink", is free on iTunes.
This is one of my favorite scenes:
This is one of my favorite scenes:
Labels: Sherlock
Quote of the Day: Victorious
From "Freak the Freak Out":
[Tori is upset.]
Cat: Hi.
Jade: Hello.
Cat: We brought you frozen yogurt.
Tori: Why? You know, frozen yogurt doesn't solve all the world's problems!
Jade: [to Cat] I told you to bring donuts!
[Tori is upset.]
Cat: Hi.
Jade: Hello.
Cat: We brought you frozen yogurt.
Tori: Why? You know, frozen yogurt doesn't solve all the world's problems!
Jade: [to Cat] I told you to bring donuts!
Labels: Victorious
13 June 2012
Storm, You Are Breaking My Heart
Today's loss was to Chicago. Chicago has been playing pretty well this season, so it wasn't unexpected, but it still stinks.
The worst part, to me, was that at the end of the third quarter they were only down 54-50. It was a winnable game at that point, but they let the Sky outscore them 20-8 in the fourth quarter. Ouch.
Next game is against Tulsa, i.e. the only team with a worse record than us. (Washington has an equally bad record.) (Well, sort of. Tulsa is 0-8, we're 1-7, and Washington is 1-5.)
The worst part, to me, was that at the end of the third quarter they were only down 54-50. It was a winnable game at that point, but they let the Sky outscore them 20-8 in the fourth quarter. Ouch.
Next game is against Tulsa, i.e. the only team with a worse record than us. (Washington has an equally bad record.) (Well, sort of. Tulsa is 0-8, we're 1-7, and Washington is 1-5.)
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Red Dwarf
I've been watching Red Dwarf again... This is from "Better Than Life" (2.2):
[Lister is sorting through the mail.]
Lister: Smeg! Outland Revenue!
Rimmer: [gleefully] Oh, oh, oh, oh! Outland Revenue!
Lister: £8,500!
Rimmer: £8,500? That's a lot of tax, isn't it, Listy? How on Titan are you going to pay for that?
Lister: I'm not. It's yours.
Rimmer: What? This is wrong! This is dead wrong!
Lister: Relax, it doesn't matter now. Not gonna catch you now, are they?
Rimmer: What? Just because we're three million years into deep space and the human species is extinct? That means nothing to these people. They'll find us.
[Lister is sorting through the mail.]
Lister: Smeg! Outland Revenue!
Rimmer: [gleefully] Oh, oh, oh, oh! Outland Revenue!
Lister: £8,500!
Rimmer: £8,500? That's a lot of tax, isn't it, Listy? How on Titan are you going to pay for that?
Lister: I'm not. It's yours.
Rimmer: What? This is wrong! This is dead wrong!
Lister: Relax, it doesn't matter now. Not gonna catch you now, are they?
Rimmer: What? Just because we're three million years into deep space and the human species is extinct? That means nothing to these people. They'll find us.
Labels: Red Dwarf
12 June 2012
Leverage Returns Soon!
Early July, I think. Here's a cute scene from season 3. (I have no recollection of the context, I just enjoy the interactions between the characters.):
"I got hit by a car!" "Get over it!!"
"I got hit by a car!" "Get over it!!"
Labels: Leverage
Quote of the Day: iCarly
From "iHave a Lovesick Teacher":
Ms. Ackerman: You set me up!
Freddie: That's a lie!
Carly: No, we set her up.
Freddie: Oh yeah.
[The FBI takes Ms. Ackerman away in handcuffs.]
Sam: So, now what do we do?
Freddie: Well, we should probably tell Principal Franklin that our teacher was arrested.
Carly: Or we can go ice skating!
Ms. Ackerman: You set me up!
Freddie: That's a lie!
Carly: No, we set her up.
Freddie: Oh yeah.
[The FBI takes Ms. Ackerman away in handcuffs.]
Sam: So, now what do we do?
Freddie: Well, we should probably tell Principal Franklin that our teacher was arrested.
Carly: Or we can go ice skating!
Labels: iCarly
11 June 2012
Old-Timey Tardis Pictures
Someone got the bright idea of merging old pictures with actual police boxes in the background with the modern settings. They call it "Ghosts of the Tardis". Pretty cool!
[h/t io9]
[h/t io9]
Labels: Doctor Who
Quote of the Day: Jayda Evans
Via twitter, a Storm fan asked, "So how does one cheer for a team (STORM) when they don't give u much to cheer for? #just saying". Jayda Evans replied:
"You start praying it gets better? Consult Tulsa fans, they wrote the pamphlet"
"You start praying it gets better? Consult Tulsa fans, they wrote the pamphlet"
Labels: Seattle Storm
10 June 2012
Some Storm Thoughts from Richard Cohen
In his analysis of yesterday's Seattle @ San Antonio game, Richard Cohen had some ideas about what's wrong with the Storm. Here are some of the bits I thought were most interesting:
"While many of their most obvious issues have been on offense this year, Seattle’s defense also isn’t what it used to be. [Ann] Wauters simply isn’t as mobile as Lauren Jackson, and isn’t anywhere near as comfortable in the Storm’s defensive system. It leads to slow rotations and inadequate help right at the core of the defense, which makes everyone else look bad. Danielle Robinson [of San Antonio], for example, is far too quick for [Sue] Bird, but part of Bird’s style defensively has always been to funnel opponents towards where she knows her help will be. She can’t cope herself, but she can at least push people in the right direction. That doesn’t work without teammates behind her in the right positions, who can slide over quickly. Wauters is at least a step slow, and it throws everyone else off."
"Some of the problems for Seattle’s offense are a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. They know they’re struggling, and especially when a few efforts don’t drop early on, they start forcing things or rushing shots. The expectation that they’re going to struggle and knowledge that they’ve been poor offensively is in turn causing them to screw up. It’s a vicious circle that’s tough to break."
"Sue Bird’s trying to attack and score to help carry her underperforming team, but it’s not working in the slightest. She’s just pressing and forcing things too much, which leads to horrendous shooting nights like the 1-13 she produced in this game. She was open for a lot of them, but nothing would drop. When even Bird’s hopelessly struggling, Seattle know they’re in trouble."
It's all very depressing, but I like reading a more knowledgeable analysis.
But hey, here are two things that are not depressing:
1) Kevin Durant (NBA star) is a fan of the WNBA!
2) Tomorrow I turn in my resignation letter at work. Woo hoo!!!!!
"While many of their most obvious issues have been on offense this year, Seattle’s defense also isn’t what it used to be. [Ann] Wauters simply isn’t as mobile as Lauren Jackson, and isn’t anywhere near as comfortable in the Storm’s defensive system. It leads to slow rotations and inadequate help right at the core of the defense, which makes everyone else look bad. Danielle Robinson [of San Antonio], for example, is far too quick for [Sue] Bird, but part of Bird’s style defensively has always been to funnel opponents towards where she knows her help will be. She can’t cope herself, but she can at least push people in the right direction. That doesn’t work without teammates behind her in the right positions, who can slide over quickly. Wauters is at least a step slow, and it throws everyone else off."
"Some of the problems for Seattle’s offense are a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. They know they’re struggling, and especially when a few efforts don’t drop early on, they start forcing things or rushing shots. The expectation that they’re going to struggle and knowledge that they’ve been poor offensively is in turn causing them to screw up. It’s a vicious circle that’s tough to break."
"Sue Bird’s trying to attack and score to help carry her underperforming team, but it’s not working in the slightest. She’s just pressing and forcing things too much, which leads to horrendous shooting nights like the 1-13 she produced in this game. She was open for a lot of them, but nothing would drop. When even Bird’s hopelessly struggling, Seattle know they’re in trouble."
It's all very depressing, but I like reading a more knowledgeable analysis.
But hey, here are two things that are not depressing:
1) Kevin Durant (NBA star) is a fan of the WNBA!
2) Tomorrow I turn in my resignation letter at work. Woo hoo!!!!!
Labels: Seattle Storm, WNBA, work
Quote of the Day: Xena
From "Tsunami" (3.19):
[Gabrielle is getting her palm read.]
Gabrielle: Have another look... What? What is it?
Xena: Alright, Gabrielle, that's enough. Come on, please.
palm reader: No. There's danger, great danger... and death.
Gabrielle: Did you hear that? She just described every day of our lives.
[Gabrielle is getting her palm read.]
Gabrielle: Have another look... What? What is it?
Xena: Alright, Gabrielle, that's enough. Come on, please.
palm reader: No. There's danger, great danger... and death.
Gabrielle: Did you hear that? She just described every day of our lives.
Labels: Xena
09 June 2012
2001
This is my 2001st post! Such a bummer that #2000 was about another sad Storm loss. Let's make #2001 fun, ok?
How about the theme song mash-up from the iCarly/Victorious crossover? Yeah, that sounds good:
How about the theme song mash-up from the iCarly/Victorious crossover? Yeah, that sounds good:
Labels: iCarly, music, Victorious
Oh, Storm
I am seriously starting to get sad/mad about the Storm this season. They're just so... lackluster. The only players who reliably seem to have any hustle are Shekinna Stricklen and Victoria Dunlap (i.e. the youngsters).
So, yeah, they lost in San Antonio today. Sue Bird shot an absolutely abysmal 1-13. Stricklen had the best game of her young career, with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
From Jayda Evan's liveblog: "Guess the vigor was traded away in Swin Cash and Ashley Robinson because there was none on the court against an opponent Seattle appeared to be able to beat -- on paper."
From her article for the Times: "After an 80-67 loss to San Antonio on Saturday, the Storm has surpassed its worst start in franchise history, dropping to 1-6. In 2000, the Storm, with names like Simone Edwards, Katrina Hibbert and Kamila Vodichkova, began the season 1-5 before defeating Los Angeles in overtime for its second win of a 6-26 season. The new millennium Storm, with names like Sue Bird, Ann Wauters and Tina Thompson, is 0-5 on the road and looking as helpless as it is winless."
Next up is Chicago, which has won each of its last three games in dramatic fashion. Friday they won in overtime, but were behind 73-66 with 32.2 seconds left. (They tied it with .1 seconds left on an Epiphanny Prince three-pointer.) Last week they won games against Atlanta and Washington by two points (each).
So, yeah, they lost in San Antonio today. Sue Bird shot an absolutely abysmal 1-13. Stricklen had the best game of her young career, with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
From Jayda Evan's liveblog: "Guess the vigor was traded away in Swin Cash and Ashley Robinson because there was none on the court against an opponent Seattle appeared to be able to beat -- on paper."
From her article for the Times: "After an 80-67 loss to San Antonio on Saturday, the Storm has surpassed its worst start in franchise history, dropping to 1-6. In 2000, the Storm, with names like Simone Edwards, Katrina Hibbert and Kamila Vodichkova, began the season 1-5 before defeating Los Angeles in overtime for its second win of a 6-26 season. The new millennium Storm, with names like Sue Bird, Ann Wauters and Tina Thompson, is 0-5 on the road and looking as helpless as it is winless."
Next up is Chicago, which has won each of its last three games in dramatic fashion. Friday they won in overtime, but were behind 73-66 with 32.2 seconds left. (They tied it with .1 seconds left on an Epiphanny Prince three-pointer.) Last week they won games against Atlanta and Washington by two points (each).
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Red Dwarf
From "Waiting for God" (1.4):
Toaster: Would you like some toast?
Lister: Uh-Uh.
Toaster: Some nice, hot, crisp, brown, buttered toast?
Lister: Uh-Uh.
Toaster: You don't want any toast, then?
Lister: No.
Toaster: What about a muffin?
Lister: Nothing!
Toaster: You know the last time you had toast? Eighteen days ago. 11:36, Tuesday the 3rd. Two rounds.
Lister: Ssshhh!
Toaster: I mean, what's the point of buying a toaster with artificial intelligence if you don't like toast?
Lister: I do like toast!
Toaster: I mean, this is my job! This is cruel! Just cruel!
Lister: Look, I'm busy!
Toaster: Oh, you're not busy eating toast, are you?
Lister: I don't want any!!
Toaster: I mean, the whole purpose of my existence is to serve you with hot, buttered, scrummy toast. If you don't want any, then my existence is meaningless.
Lister: Good.
Toaster: I toast, therefore I am.
Lister: Will you shut up?!
Toaster: Would you like some toast?
Lister: Uh-Uh.
Toaster: Some nice, hot, crisp, brown, buttered toast?
Lister: Uh-Uh.
Toaster: You don't want any toast, then?
Lister: No.
Toaster: What about a muffin?
Lister: Nothing!
Toaster: You know the last time you had toast? Eighteen days ago. 11:36, Tuesday the 3rd. Two rounds.
Lister: Ssshhh!
Toaster: I mean, what's the point of buying a toaster with artificial intelligence if you don't like toast?
Lister: I do like toast!
Toaster: I mean, this is my job! This is cruel! Just cruel!
Lister: Look, I'm busy!
Toaster: Oh, you're not busy eating toast, are you?
Lister: I don't want any!!
Toaster: I mean, the whole purpose of my existence is to serve you with hot, buttered, scrummy toast. If you don't want any, then my existence is meaningless.
Lister: Good.
Toaster: I toast, therefore I am.
Lister: Will you shut up?!
Labels: Red Dwarf
08 June 2012
I Am Awesome!
Fixing stuff on my car always makes me feel AWESOME! Today I:
- cleaned the cloudy headlight
- replaced the passenger side windshield wiper
- figured out how to use my dad's metric socket/ratchet/extension set (so that I could)
- change the light bulb in the non-cloudy headlight
Special thanks to Ped for finding me this helpful video:
- cleaned the cloudy headlight
- replaced the passenger side windshield wiper
- figured out how to use my dad's metric socket/ratchet/extension set (so that I could)
- change the light bulb in the non-cloudy headlight
Special thanks to Ped for finding me this helpful video:
Labels: driving
Quote of the Day: Wil Wheaton
From his twitter:
"Walked into a store, heard a very quiet All Along the Watchtower. Nobody else noticed ... really worried that I may be a frakkin' toaster."
"Walked into a store, heard a very quiet All Along the Watchtower. Nobody else noticed ... really worried that I may be a frakkin' toaster."
Labels: Battlestar Galactica
07 June 2012
Quote of the Day: Richard Cohen
From his post about last night's sad, sad Seattle @ Minnesota game, "Here lies the Seattle Storm (a.k.a. Requiem for a Team)":
"There was one WNBA game last night, and unless you happen to be a Minnesota Lynx fan, it was depressing. If you’re a devoted Seattle Storm fan, it must’ve felt a hell of a lot worse than that. [...] Despite the tone of this piece, there’s still time for the 2012 Storm to at least offer something. The schedule will get easier, eventually, and Abrosimova and Jackson will add extra options. Plus there are several other terrible teams in the Western Conference that should help keep them in the playoff race. But this isn’t the Storm team that neutrals like myself fell for in 2010. This isn’t even a shadow of them. This is their ghost. Rest in peace."
"There was one WNBA game last night, and unless you happen to be a Minnesota Lynx fan, it was depressing. If you’re a devoted Seattle Storm fan, it must’ve felt a hell of a lot worse than that. [...] Despite the tone of this piece, there’s still time for the 2012 Storm to at least offer something. The schedule will get easier, eventually, and Abrosimova and Jackson will add extra options. Plus there are several other terrible teams in the Western Conference that should help keep them in the playoff race. But this isn’t the Storm team that neutrals like myself fell for in 2010. This isn’t even a shadow of them. This is their ghost. Rest in peace."
Labels: Seattle Storm
06 June 2012
Jeff and Abed Hungover
Rinse & Repeat
Lose to L.A.
Lose to L.A.
Lose to Minnesota.
Lose to L.A.
Lose to Minnesota.
Sigh.
It was ugly right from the start, but in the second quarter Seattle managed to claw back to within 10. In the third quarter it fell apart again, and that was it. Blech.
At the beginning of her liveblog (i.e. before the game started), Jayda Evans wrote: "At some point you've got expect Seattle (1-4) to stand up and stop what seems like madness. Teams are good in the WNBA, really good. But that doesn't mean Seattle, which won a title in 2010, shouldn't be able to win more than it has."
I know they've had a tough schedule, but this is starting to get ridiculous!
Sigh.
But, hey! I'm starting an awesome new job in a couple of weeks. That's cool, right?
Lose to L.A.
Lose to Minnesota.
Lose to L.A.
Lose to Minnesota.
Sigh.
It was ugly right from the start, but in the second quarter Seattle managed to claw back to within 10. In the third quarter it fell apart again, and that was it. Blech.
At the beginning of her liveblog (i.e. before the game started), Jayda Evans wrote: "At some point you've got expect Seattle (1-4) to stand up and stop what seems like madness. Teams are good in the WNBA, really good. But that doesn't mean Seattle, which won a title in 2010, shouldn't be able to win more than it has."
I know they've had a tough schedule, but this is starting to get ridiculous!
Sigh.
But, hey! I'm starting an awesome new job in a couple of weeks. That's cool, right?
Labels: Seattle Storm, work
Quote of the Day: Victorious
From "The Wood":
Tori: Your lemonade, sir.
Beck: Thanks. Hey, why's it pink?
Tori: It's pink lemonade.
Beck: I've never seen any pink lemons.
Tori: There are no pink lemons.
Beck: So what makes it pink?
Tori: Well... you know, it's... shut up!
Tori: Your lemonade, sir.
Beck: Thanks. Hey, why's it pink?
Tori: It's pink lemonade.
Beck: I've never seen any pink lemons.
Tori: There are no pink lemons.
Beck: So what makes it pink?
Tori: Well... you know, it's... shut up!
Labels: Victorious
05 June 2012
Sue Bird Interview
Quote of the Day: Tumblr
Found on Life is good & bad:
one
two
three
four
I declare
a time war.
five
six
seven
eight
Daleks scream
"EXTER-MIN-ATE!"
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
The Doctor died
and Silence fell.
twelve
eleven
ten
nine
Here he goes,
back in time.
one
two
three
four
I declare
a time war.
five
six
seven
eight
Daleks scream
"EXTER-MIN-ATE!"
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
The Doctor died
and Silence fell.
twelve
eleven
ten
nine
Here he goes,
back in time.
Labels: Doctor Who
04 June 2012
Storm Catch-Up
I got a little behind in my Storm news because of my exams (which I passed -- hooray!), and it's time to catch up! I'll try to go in chronological order.
The Tulsa @ Seattle game last Friday...
Jayda Evans's article for the Times: "Seattle (1-3) avoided matching its worst start in franchise history, when it was 0-4 in its inaugural season."
Over at WNBAlien, Richard Cohen has a theory about Camille Little's increased aggressiveness in the game: "Camille Little – perhaps more comfortable as the definitive power forward in a lineup with [Katie] Smith rather than [Tina] Thompson – [and Sue Bird] were the scorers for the Storm."
Between games...
After the Tulsa game, Jayda Evans had news about Svetlana Abrosimova: "Russian guard Svetlana Abrosimova is closer to rejoining the Storm. Her agent said Friday that she's expected to be signed by the end of June."
The Seattle @ L.A. game last night (that I just watched)...
First of all, when even the L.A. announcers are talking about what a dreadful schedule the Storm have, you know it's bad!
It was a tight game all the way through, and came right down to the wire. L.A. managed to pull out the win, but I was relieved to see that the Storm team that finally showed up in the second half against Tulsa has stuck around. They were making (mostly) good passes, working hard on defense, getting rebounds, Ewelina Kobryn played well, and -- perhaps most shockingly! -- Katie Smith has remembered how to hit three-pointers (she went 5-9 from beyond the arc).
Jayda Evans' has an official article, but the quote I found most interesting came from the liveblog: "In looking at Seattle's 1-4 record, I disagreed with Bird about it ultimately not looking bad. It's 1-4, how can that not be bad? 'But would you say we're better than we were yesterday?' Yes. 'Well...' Then Bird went to shower and shake off the 67-65 loss at LA behind a half luck-half skillful shot from [Nneka] Ogwumike with 2.1 seconds left in the game."
Richard Cohen also assumes this was a depressing game for the Storm: "This was a dispiriting loss for the Storm, in a game they were in control of for much of the second half."
And in another season, I'd probably agree. But the Storm were SO BAD the first three games, that I will take a hard-fought almost-won game as a good sign of things to come.
After the game...
Katie Smith's birthday is today (she turns 38 -- she's almost exactly six months older than me!), and she celebrated last night in L.A. with Alana Beard and Marissa Coleman (who play for L.A.). That confused me at first, but then I remembered that all three of them played for Washington back in 2010. Ah, the crazy shifting loyalties of women's basketball!
The Tulsa @ Seattle game last Friday...
Jayda Evans's article for the Times: "Seattle (1-3) avoided matching its worst start in franchise history, when it was 0-4 in its inaugural season."
Over at WNBAlien, Richard Cohen has a theory about Camille Little's increased aggressiveness in the game: "Camille Little – perhaps more comfortable as the definitive power forward in a lineup with [Katie] Smith rather than [Tina] Thompson – [and Sue Bird] were the scorers for the Storm."
Between games...
After the Tulsa game, Jayda Evans had news about Svetlana Abrosimova: "Russian guard Svetlana Abrosimova is closer to rejoining the Storm. Her agent said Friday that she's expected to be signed by the end of June."
The Seattle @ L.A. game last night (that I just watched)...
First of all, when even the L.A. announcers are talking about what a dreadful schedule the Storm have, you know it's bad!
It was a tight game all the way through, and came right down to the wire. L.A. managed to pull out the win, but I was relieved to see that the Storm team that finally showed up in the second half against Tulsa has stuck around. They were making (mostly) good passes, working hard on defense, getting rebounds, Ewelina Kobryn played well, and -- perhaps most shockingly! -- Katie Smith has remembered how to hit three-pointers (she went 5-9 from beyond the arc).
Jayda Evans' has an official article, but the quote I found most interesting came from the liveblog: "In looking at Seattle's 1-4 record, I disagreed with Bird about it ultimately not looking bad. It's 1-4, how can that not be bad? 'But would you say we're better than we were yesterday?' Yes. 'Well...' Then Bird went to shower and shake off the 67-65 loss at LA behind a half luck-half skillful shot from [Nneka] Ogwumike with 2.1 seconds left in the game."
Richard Cohen also assumes this was a depressing game for the Storm: "This was a dispiriting loss for the Storm, in a game they were in control of for much of the second half."
And in another season, I'd probably agree. But the Storm were SO BAD the first three games, that I will take a hard-fought almost-won game as a good sign of things to come.
After the game...
Katie Smith's birthday is today (she turns 38 -- she's almost exactly six months older than me!), and she celebrated last night in L.A. with Alana Beard and Marissa Coleman (who play for L.A.). That confused me at first, but then I remembered that all three of them played for Washington back in 2010. Ah, the crazy shifting loyalties of women's basketball!
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Jerry Brewer
Jerry Brewer's a sports writer for the Seattle Times. His first child was born the other day, and this is an excerpt from the lovely column he wrote for his newborn son:
"If you must grow up a Seattle sports fan, which I'll encourage even as I criticize your beloved teams, remember to read the warning label first. It'll say something like: Consuming too much mediocrity increases the risk of depression.
To be safe, you should become a well-rounded sports fan. Don't be a snob about just watching men play baseball, basketball and football. Appreciate the nuances of soccer. Respect women's sports, especially since some of Seattle's most remarkable athletes are female. Immerse yourself in rowing, your city's greatest sports tradition. And if you think your father is ignoring any sport, try it for yourself. Your dad is frustratingly bland when it comes to some things. Copy your mother's sense of adventure.
Actually, copy most everything your mother does because she's incredible — superhuman — and for as long as I live, I will make sure you know how to express that to her lovingly. Don't worry — I'll teach you how to be like Mom in a manly manner."
"If you must grow up a Seattle sports fan, which I'll encourage even as I criticize your beloved teams, remember to read the warning label first. It'll say something like: Consuming too much mediocrity increases the risk of depression.
To be safe, you should become a well-rounded sports fan. Don't be a snob about just watching men play baseball, basketball and football. Appreciate the nuances of soccer. Respect women's sports, especially since some of Seattle's most remarkable athletes are female. Immerse yourself in rowing, your city's greatest sports tradition. And if you think your father is ignoring any sport, try it for yourself. Your dad is frustratingly bland when it comes to some things. Copy your mother's sense of adventure.
Actually, copy most everything your mother does because she's incredible — superhuman — and for as long as I live, I will make sure you know how to express that to her lovingly. Don't worry — I'll teach you how to be like Mom in a manly manner."
Labels: random niceness, sports
03 June 2012
Trying to Stay Spoiler-Free
My exams are tomorrow, so I spent all evening studying.
This meant I didn't watch the Storm game.
I haven't gone on Twitter or any of my basketball websites.
I will watch the game when I come home from my exams tomorrow.
This has been very difficult!
This meant I didn't watch the Storm game.
I haven't gone on Twitter or any of my basketball websites.
I will watch the game when I come home from my exams tomorrow.
This has been very difficult!
Labels: Seattle Storm, work
Quote of the Day: Tumblr
I saw this over on Life is good & bad:
"Romeo and Juliet is not a love story. It's a 3-day relationship between a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old that caused 6 deaths."
"Romeo and Juliet is not a love story. It's a 3-day relationship between a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old that caused 6 deaths."
Labels: random awesomeness
02 June 2012
Quote of the Day: Swish Appeal
Swish Appeal contributor Jessica Lantz is a Tulsa fan. Here's her comments about the Seattle/Tulsa game last night:
Sue Bird. Sigh.
It was like a game of deja vu - the Tulsa Shock have the uncanny ability to snap people out of slumps. And Friday night in Seattle was a case in point.
In Seattle's first three games of the 2012 season, Bird scored 27 points in total. She was shooting a dismal (for her) 32 percent for the Storm in three losses, including a 2-for-10 effort against the defending-champion Minnesota Lynx to open the season.
In Seattle's fourth contest of the year, at home against the Shock, Sue Bird scored 27 points and doubled her season's offensive production numbers. She was 9-of-15 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe. The Storm sauntered to a 76-58 win to get out of the oh-fer column.
Is the slump-busting performance due to comfort level with a overhauled roster? Sue's post-game quote seems to lean that way. "I think being comfortable helps and we're getting more and more comfortable with each other," Bird said. "You're able just to go out there and play and not have to think so much."
But c'mon. New players or no, we're talking about Sue Bird here. Her 43 percent career field goal average includes other periods with roster and organization changes. As a completely irrational fangirl of the Shock who really, really wants to see Tulsa succeed I know why she had a typical Sue Bird-like game.
Because she was playing Tulsa. Sigh.
Sue Bird. Sigh.
It was like a game of deja vu - the Tulsa Shock have the uncanny ability to snap people out of slumps. And Friday night in Seattle was a case in point.
In Seattle's first three games of the 2012 season, Bird scored 27 points in total. She was shooting a dismal (for her) 32 percent for the Storm in three losses, including a 2-for-10 effort against the defending-champion Minnesota Lynx to open the season.
In Seattle's fourth contest of the year, at home against the Shock, Sue Bird scored 27 points and doubled her season's offensive production numbers. She was 9-of-15 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe. The Storm sauntered to a 76-58 win to get out of the oh-fer column.
Is the slump-busting performance due to comfort level with a overhauled roster? Sue's post-game quote seems to lean that way. "I think being comfortable helps and we're getting more and more comfortable with each other," Bird said. "You're able just to go out there and play and not have to think so much."
But c'mon. New players or no, we're talking about Sue Bird here. Her 43 percent career field goal average includes other periods with roster and organization changes. As a completely irrational fangirl of the Shock who really, really wants to see Tulsa succeed I know why she had a typical Sue Bird-like game.
Because she was playing Tulsa. Sigh.
Labels: Seattle Storm
01 June 2012
Finally!
The first half looked pretty iffy (against TULSA!), and the Storm only had a one point leading heading into halftime.
But in the second half they managed to pull themselves together, and they won 76-58!
But in the second half they managed to pull themselves together, and they won 76-58!
Labels: Seattle Storm
Quote of the Day: Rebecca Lobo
From her twitter:
"Had to send an application to coach my daughter's 3rd-grade bball team next year. Under 'references' I put Geno Auriemma & Pat Summitt."
"Had to send an application to coach my daughter's 3rd-grade bball team next year. Under 'references' I put Geno Auriemma & Pat Summitt."
Labels: UConn basketball
