Sorry C and R haven’t written a blog for a while. We stuck our head in Twitter and didn’t emerge for a breath for three days. Heard it was Social Media Day today so we decided to use all our avenues of communication. Ahh, we see the sun is shining (heard it rained in the Bay Area) and we are back to blogging, ignoring the hash tag symbols whenever we close our eyes.
Anyhoo, always loved Mariah Burton Nelson. She played basketball at Stanford “before Tara” and helped get Title IX enforced and has written some great pieces about that experience. Now when she is out lecturing, people want to talk about Stanford basketball. They ask about Stanford in the here and now, not in her early struggles. She was just trying to get uniforms and access to the “good gym.”
Here is a quote from her blog on her piece “Open Letter to Stanford Women’s Basketball Alums” dated June 6, 2011.
Funny, we never thought about fans in the seventies. We never anticipated your popularity. We just wanted access. Equal coaching, training, recruiting, scholarships, uniforms, and travel. Equal rights. Equal respect.
Well, a big thank you to her and others on the team. They opened the door, and many women have run through it. So ask her what it was like, not how it is, it’s best not to forget the past, else doomed to repeat it…
Weekend Sports Tips:
Go see the Stanford Freshmen (and Joslyn Tinkle) play Saturday, July 2 in the SF ProAM league. Game time is 12 noon. Watch Team USA play in the Women’s World Cup beforehand starting at 9 AM Stanford time.
Have a happy and safe 4th. Don’t go blowin’ off any fingers with fireworks. You will need them all for Twitter and Facebook and such.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday in the City Watching Some Basketball
So C and R got to see some Stanford basketball this weekend. We went to the SF ProAm women's basketball summer league and met up with Twitter buddy S and her buddy K. It was nice to see they were real people and not automatons just typing away on a keypad!
The Stanford players and alumni were on the South Bay team. The other team didn’t have enough players so four of the South Bay team went over to play. Boy C and R were impressed with Markisha Coleman, an old Stanford alum. She was one of the players who went over to the other team, but man was she fast and fearless and often popped the ball from many a freshman’s hands.
The remaining players on South Bay were four healthy freshmen and veteran Joslyn Tinkle, plus a couple others we did not know. So wait a minute, C and R wanted to know, was this a forfeit? Results were inconclusive. Well, we asked two people and one said yes and one said they didn’t know, so that is the extent of our reporting skills.
But we did get the scoop about the injured freshmen from a real reporter, Judy Richter of the Fast Break Club, who said two of the freshmen are hurt, Alex Green tore her ACL in November and Erica Payne had a sprained ankle. Chiney Ogwumike is not playing this summer to save herself for the World University Games in China coming up in about a month. Read more of Judy’s report on the day for the Fast Break Club.
So when the game started, we, C and R and Twitter Buddies, noticed Tinkle had two things in mind to work on that day. One was to shoot some threes (Kayla Pedersen is now gone). She shot three three-pointers in her first three touches on the ball. All missed, unfortunately, but stay tuned for the second half. Then she worked on point number two, drive to the basket and finish strong, which she did well. Freshies were a little intimidated to start the game and their team was down by 11 points at half.
Then the second half became the Tinkle Show (and here C and R were without their Tinkle Bells). She worked the ball inside again and could not be stopped. She finished with her right hand, she finished with her left hand. She threw a hook. She stepped back and shot some threes (this time they went in and soon her team were ahead by 1 with two minutes to go). It went down to the wire and South Bay pulled out the win, and Tinkle had 37 points. She was on fire, as R said.
We all were impressed with Stanford freshmen guards Amber Orrange (not typo, double "r" is correct, will give C fits) and Jasmine Camp. They pushed the ball quickly. Especially Amber, and both drove to the basket aggressively in the second half, something Stanford will need in the upcoming season.
All in all it was a fast paced game and fun to watch. It definitely had the feel of a pick up game, albeit one played at an extremely high level. Man, the young ones were fast. And oh, we actually got to see Britney Spears in person. She is the baller that played for the University of Colorado and shares the same name as the pop star. She played on the other team. She was chosen in the second round of the WNBA but didn’t make the Mercury. She is listed to play in Spain this coming year. She was good on Saturday, and we wish her the best of luck. While at Colorado, Britney also played with Whitney Houston. Small world.
Come out next Saturday if you missed all the fun. South Bay plays July 2 at 12 PM again.
The Stanford players and alumni were on the South Bay team. The other team didn’t have enough players so four of the South Bay team went over to play. Boy C and R were impressed with Markisha Coleman, an old Stanford alum. She was one of the players who went over to the other team, but man was she fast and fearless and often popped the ball from many a freshman’s hands.
The remaining players on South Bay were four healthy freshmen and veteran Joslyn Tinkle, plus a couple others we did not know. So wait a minute, C and R wanted to know, was this a forfeit? Results were inconclusive. Well, we asked two people and one said yes and one said they didn’t know, so that is the extent of our reporting skills.
But we did get the scoop about the injured freshmen from a real reporter, Judy Richter of the Fast Break Club, who said two of the freshmen are hurt, Alex Green tore her ACL in November and Erica Payne had a sprained ankle. Chiney Ogwumike is not playing this summer to save herself for the World University Games in China coming up in about a month. Read more of Judy’s report on the day for the Fast Break Club.
So when the game started, we, C and R and Twitter Buddies, noticed Tinkle had two things in mind to work on that day. One was to shoot some threes (Kayla Pedersen is now gone). She shot three three-pointers in her first three touches on the ball. All missed, unfortunately, but stay tuned for the second half. Then she worked on point number two, drive to the basket and finish strong, which she did well. Freshies were a little intimidated to start the game and their team was down by 11 points at half.
Then the second half became the Tinkle Show (and here C and R were without their Tinkle Bells). She worked the ball inside again and could not be stopped. She finished with her right hand, she finished with her left hand. She threw a hook. She stepped back and shot some threes (this time they went in and soon her team were ahead by 1 with two minutes to go). It went down to the wire and South Bay pulled out the win, and Tinkle had 37 points. She was on fire, as R said.
We all were impressed with Stanford freshmen guards Amber Orrange (not typo, double "r" is correct, will give C fits) and Jasmine Camp. They pushed the ball quickly. Especially Amber, and both drove to the basket aggressively in the second half, something Stanford will need in the upcoming season.
All in all it was a fast paced game and fun to watch. It definitely had the feel of a pick up game, albeit one played at an extremely high level. Man, the young ones were fast. And oh, we actually got to see Britney Spears in person. She is the baller that played for the University of Colorado and shares the same name as the pop star. She played on the other team. She was chosen in the second round of the WNBA but didn’t make the Mercury. She is listed to play in Spain this coming year. She was good on Saturday, and we wish her the best of luck. While at Colorado, Britney also played with Whitney Houston. Small world.
Come out next Saturday if you missed all the fun. South Bay plays July 2 at 12 PM again.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
More Basketball Voting
More Stanford Facebook voting. Go to Stanford Athletics site on Facebook to vote for your favorite newcomer to Stanford this year, (C and R vote Chiney Ogwumike hands down) and for favorite Stanford game of the year. (C and R vote Stanford Women’s Basketball snapping UConn’s 90 game winning streak hands down, too, but we are biased). Go to the Official Stanford site to get a small description of the games of the year, and we must admit all of them are pretty darn deserving. Then go to Facebook to vote.
While you are in a voting mood, make sure you go over to WNBA.com and vote for your favorite 2011 All-Star. Pick two forwards, two guards, and a center from each conference. And you can vote every day. (Although scared to know how they track that.)
And now in honor of the WNBA’s 15th anniversary, you can vote for the WNBA’s top 15 players of all time!
So rock the vote (s).
PS
Happy Anniversary Title IX
While you are in a voting mood, make sure you go over to WNBA.com and vote for your favorite 2011 All-Star. Pick two forwards, two guards, and a center from each conference. And you can vote every day. (Although scared to know how they track that.)
And now in honor of the WNBA’s 15th anniversary, you can vote for the WNBA’s top 15 players of all time!
So rock the vote (s).
PS
Happy Anniversary Title IX
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Vote for Favorite Stanford Female Athlete of the Year
Stanford Athletics is using social media (read Facebook), to conduct a poll on your favorite Stanford female athlete of the year. Cool! Some pretty good names in there. Vote for your favorite today. C and R did, and you have to go to the website to see. And this poll is only being conducted on Facebook (glad we joined although good golly, it takes up a lot of free time!). The social media experiment continues…
Monday, June 20, 2011
Calling All Basketball Players… For Reality TV!
So this just came in to C and R's mail bag. Radical Media, a casting company wrote to us and said they are looking for basketball players for a reality TV show. They claim it is a "dream opportunity for highly skilled amateur and semi-pro basketball players." Here is what they are looking for:
Radical Media is a TV production company in Los Angeles. We're currently casting a new television show where we are looking for skilled basketball players, age 21 and over, who have the ability to compete at the highest level but were never able to pursue their dreams of a professional career. This is a great opportunity to give amateurs a chance to play alongside legends of the game…We’re going to choose a handful of lucky players, provide them with pro coaching and mentorship, and film them as they test their skills in a series of exciting challenges.
All qualified applicants must be over the age of 21 as of June 30, 2011.
Applicants should submit a photo and brief bio to radicalbasketballshow@gmail.com. Our casting staff will contact them for further information. We are accepting applications from both men and women.
All applications must be received by June 24th.
C and R are in no way affiliated with the company Radical Media nor were paid any money for this promo, but we can relate to the line “have the ability to compete at the highest level but were never able to pursue their dreams of a professional career.” There’s gotta be a hundred stories like that out there. If you are one, apply; if you know of one, please forward. Would love to see someone from the Bay Area represent.
Radical Media is a TV production company in Los Angeles. We're currently casting a new television show where we are looking for skilled basketball players, age 21 and over, who have the ability to compete at the highest level but were never able to pursue their dreams of a professional career. This is a great opportunity to give amateurs a chance to play alongside legends of the game…We’re going to choose a handful of lucky players, provide them with pro coaching and mentorship, and film them as they test their skills in a series of exciting challenges.
All qualified applicants must be over the age of 21 as of June 30, 2011.
Applicants should submit a photo and brief bio to radicalbasketballshow@gmail.com. Our casting staff will contact them for further information. We are accepting applications from both men and women.
All applications must be received by June 24th.
C and R are in no way affiliated with the company Radical Media nor were paid any money for this promo, but we can relate to the line “have the ability to compete at the highest level but were never able to pursue their dreams of a professional career.” There’s gotta be a hundred stories like that out there. If you are one, apply; if you know of one, please forward. Would love to see someone from the Bay Area represent.
Friday, June 17, 2011
San Fran Pro Am
What are you doing with your summer weekends in the Bay Area? Well, come on down (or up) to the beautiful city of San Francisco and see some Stanford Women’s Basketball (or at least some of their newer players). C and R are talking about the San Francisco Pro Am, traditionally used by the incoming Stanford freshmen to get a taste of what it is like to play against college-caliber players. Right now, returning Stanford players scheduled to be on the South Bay team include Chiney Ogwumike, and Joslyn Tinkle with the caveat rosters and availability are subject to change. Incoming freshmen for Stanford scheduled to be on the team are Amber Orrange, Jasmine Camp, Erica Payne, Bonnie Samuelson, and Taylor Greenfield.
Bob Kinder reporting on the Stanford Fast Break Club website says that this is the weekend the freshmen move in and traditionally don’t play. Maybe come on up next weekend.
Bob Kinder reporting on the Stanford Fast Break Club website says that this is the weekend the freshmen move in and traditionally don’t play. Maybe come on up next weekend.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Follow C and R on Twitter
Okay, now you can follow C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog on Twitter at the account name @StanfordWBBBlog (Bet you saw that coming!) Now we have three ways to bore you, blog, Facebook, Twitter. And all the people we follow or like all subscribe to the same women’s basketball sites as everyone else, so we are all retweeting, sharing, posting the same stuff. How fun! Although we do get some new tidbits here and there from Twitter. How does anyone have time for all this? And yet, C and R Still don’t know how to link any of this to a phone! Well, the social media experiment continues….
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Jeanette V Kayla-Two Former Stanford Players Go Head-to-Head in WNBA
Well, social media let C and R down. Live chat with Jeanette Pohlen didn’t go as planned. Instead they switched it to Erin Philips (She has six cats and two dogs, and she likes Words with Friends). Sigh, wanted to hear what Jeanette thought about playing against Kayla. Speaking of which…
Last night Jeanette’s Indianapolis Fever team played Kayla Pedersen’s winless team, the Tulsa Shock. Tulsa actually took a one-point lead into the locker room and the announcers said that was the first time all season they had a lead at the half. To be fair, Tulsa’s 6’8” center Liz Cambage was out with a concussion, and Tulsa only had 8 players suited up for the game.
Highlights. Kayla started, played the whole game and scored 13 points. She usually played center on defense and also handled the ball sometimes as the Shock are thin at guard, and the ones they do have are small. She was only one from three from the free throw line, though; so don’t make us get Tara VanDeveer to get after you!
Kayla usually inbounded the ball because she is the smartest player on the floor, except when Jeanette came in, then they are tied. Speaking of which...Jeanette played about 17 minutes and didn’t score any points, attempting two three-pointers. It seems her coach has her standing on the wing right outside the three-point line waiting for a pass. She doesn’t move around the court at all. Seems a waste if you ask us, but what do we know? Liked Jeanette’s nifty fast break where she and another guard, we think Erin Phillips did a drill-perfect, touch-passing-no dribbling ball movement to the basket. The announcers remarked what unselfish play Jeanette had to give the last pass so Erin could make the basket uncontested. Huh? Isn’t that just good basketball and shouldn’t everyone do that in that situation?
The lowlights. Okay, we have been reading how bad, and how, well, UN-productive Tulsa’s offense is, and we saw it last night. They looked stagnate and confused. Their half court offense seems to consist of the point guard bringing up the ball and the other four players in a straight line around the top of the circle. Yuck. Then some guard, usually Amber Riley would selfishly bomb a three, with no rebounders. One time she was practically out of bounds and shot. C and R don’t think this Tulsa coach is a good fit for the WNBA. Thought he was supposed to play a run and gun type offense.
We got to hear the Tulsa coach, Nolan Richardson, in a time out with about three minutes left and he said something like play hard, play with your gut. What about some strategy, coach? What about, with three minutes left, play this offense and do this defense, and if it gets to be two minutes left and we are down, push the ball? So with two minutes left and Tulsa down, there is guard Amber Riley WALKING the ball up the court. Took up the whole shot clock. Tara VanDerveer would not have wasted a time out like that. We’re just saying…
Fever won 82-74, on sharp shooting by Katie Douglas, a leftie three-point specialist. Here's Kayla's take on the game, from WNBA.com: “We left our hearts on the floor," Pedersen said. "We played well until the end. Lots of shot clocks. Everything went well until the end. We need to finish.” She is talking about the offense not being in a rhythm, with some guard dribbling around near the half court line and then looking up to see they have 5 seconds left and then having to rush a shot, usually a long-range one that missed.
Sorry to be so harsh, but since this is the WNBA, and everyone is a pro and does this for a living, C and R feel they can be tougher and more critical on them.
Well, we are disappointed we didn’t get to hear Jeanette’s thoughts on playing against her old teammate of four years (and at one point Jeanette was trying to box out Kayla during the game), but we have a picture of three former Stanford Women's Basketball teammates getting together after the game, picture compliments of Jeanette Pohlens’ twitter account. That’s Jeanette Pohlen, Kayla Pedersen and Sarah Boothe in Indy.
Last night Jeanette’s Indianapolis Fever team played Kayla Pedersen’s winless team, the Tulsa Shock. Tulsa actually took a one-point lead into the locker room and the announcers said that was the first time all season they had a lead at the half. To be fair, Tulsa’s 6’8” center Liz Cambage was out with a concussion, and Tulsa only had 8 players suited up for the game.
Highlights. Kayla started, played the whole game and scored 13 points. She usually played center on defense and also handled the ball sometimes as the Shock are thin at guard, and the ones they do have are small. She was only one from three from the free throw line, though; so don’t make us get Tara VanDeveer to get after you!
Kayla usually inbounded the ball because she is the smartest player on the floor, except when Jeanette came in, then they are tied. Speaking of which...Jeanette played about 17 minutes and didn’t score any points, attempting two three-pointers. It seems her coach has her standing on the wing right outside the three-point line waiting for a pass. She doesn’t move around the court at all. Seems a waste if you ask us, but what do we know? Liked Jeanette’s nifty fast break where she and another guard, we think Erin Phillips did a drill-perfect, touch-passing-no dribbling ball movement to the basket. The announcers remarked what unselfish play Jeanette had to give the last pass so Erin could make the basket uncontested. Huh? Isn’t that just good basketball and shouldn’t everyone do that in that situation?
The lowlights. Okay, we have been reading how bad, and how, well, UN-productive Tulsa’s offense is, and we saw it last night. They looked stagnate and confused. Their half court offense seems to consist of the point guard bringing up the ball and the other four players in a straight line around the top of the circle. Yuck. Then some guard, usually Amber Riley would selfishly bomb a three, with no rebounders. One time she was practically out of bounds and shot. C and R don’t think this Tulsa coach is a good fit for the WNBA. Thought he was supposed to play a run and gun type offense.
We got to hear the Tulsa coach, Nolan Richardson, in a time out with about three minutes left and he said something like play hard, play with your gut. What about some strategy, coach? What about, with three minutes left, play this offense and do this defense, and if it gets to be two minutes left and we are down, push the ball? So with two minutes left and Tulsa down, there is guard Amber Riley WALKING the ball up the court. Took up the whole shot clock. Tara VanDerveer would not have wasted a time out like that. We’re just saying…
Fever won 82-74, on sharp shooting by Katie Douglas, a leftie three-point specialist. Here's Kayla's take on the game, from WNBA.com: “We left our hearts on the floor," Pedersen said. "We played well until the end. Lots of shot clocks. Everything went well until the end. We need to finish.” She is talking about the offense not being in a rhythm, with some guard dribbling around near the half court line and then looking up to see they have 5 seconds left and then having to rush a shot, usually a long-range one that missed.
Sorry to be so harsh, but since this is the WNBA, and everyone is a pro and does this for a living, C and R feel they can be tougher and more critical on them.
Well, we are disappointed we didn’t get to hear Jeanette’s thoughts on playing against her old teammate of four years (and at one point Jeanette was trying to box out Kayla during the game), but we have a picture of three former Stanford Women's Basketball teammates getting together after the game, picture compliments of Jeanette Pohlens’ twitter account. That’s Jeanette Pohlen, Kayla Pedersen and Sarah Boothe in Indy.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Live Chat with Jeanette Pohlen
So check out this cool event. You can chat live with Fever rookie (and former Stanford Women’s basketball player) Jeanette Pohlen, Wednesday, June 15 · 10:00am - 11:00am EST, which means 7 AM Stanford time, but who cares? And how did C and R find out about this cool event? Why, through Facebook, of course! WNBA has been good at using social media to bring in fans and help them feel like they are connecting more personally.
So here’s more detail from the site promoting the event:
Fever rookie Jeanette Pohlen will chat live with fans this Wednesday, June 15, at 10:15 am ET. She will be interviewed by Fever Broadcaster Chris Denari featuring your questions as it is broadcast live on FeverBasketball.com. Fans can submit their questions in three ways: 1) On FeverBasketball.com, 2) On Facebook commenting on this event, 3) On Twitter using hashtag #FeverLive.
Yes, they say 10 AM, 10:15 AM EST, make up your minds. Did you catch the three ways to submit questions? Us C and R geeks already submitted two on Facebook:
Live chat question: You went from your last college game to the WNBA draft to training camp in a hurry. What has been the some of your challenges transitioning from college student to, well, grown up!
And
Live chat question: Hey, you're about to play against the Tulsa Shock and your old Stanford teammate of four years, Kayla Pedersen. What was that like? And have you ever played against Kayla? Last part-did you hang out after the game?
So if you want to ask your questions, go to the website or Twitter or Facebook. Don’t have a Facebook account? (Like us three days ago?) Oh, then email them to us and we will post them for you, because that’s the kind of people we are.
Oh, BTW, Jeanette squares off against former Stanford teammate Kayla Pedersen tonight at 4 PM Stanford time. Good luck to both. (And don’t tell us the outcome, we are taping it to watch later!).
So here’s more detail from the site promoting the event:
Fever rookie Jeanette Pohlen will chat live with fans this Wednesday, June 15, at 10:15 am ET. She will be interviewed by Fever Broadcaster Chris Denari featuring your questions as it is broadcast live on FeverBasketball.com. Fans can submit their questions in three ways: 1) On FeverBasketball.com, 2) On Facebook commenting on this event, 3) On Twitter using hashtag #FeverLive.
Yes, they say 10 AM, 10:15 AM EST, make up your minds. Did you catch the three ways to submit questions? Us C and R geeks already submitted two on Facebook:
Live chat question: You went from your last college game to the WNBA draft to training camp in a hurry. What has been the some of your challenges transitioning from college student to, well, grown up!
And
Live chat question: Hey, you're about to play against the Tulsa Shock and your old Stanford teammate of four years, Kayla Pedersen. What was that like? And have you ever played against Kayla? Last part-did you hang out after the game?
So if you want to ask your questions, go to the website or Twitter or Facebook. Don’t have a Facebook account? (Like us three days ago?) Oh, then email them to us and we will post them for you, because that’s the kind of people we are.
Oh, BTW, Jeanette squares off against former Stanford teammate Kayla Pedersen tonight at 4 PM Stanford time. Good luck to both. (And don’t tell us the outcome, we are taping it to watch later!).
Monday, June 13, 2011
WNBA Rookies Gone Wild
So, C and R admittedly admit that we do not follow the WNBA that closely. It’s in the summer and we are easily distracted by shiny things. Plus you can’t beat our Nor Cal weather and we are usually outside tending to our rogue tomato plants surrounded by our high maintenance cats. That, and WE HAVE NO WNBA TEAM TO FOLLOW! Yes, there is some key marquee games broadcast on ESPN, and we thank them every day for the coverage. And yes, we know even more games are on the Internet "live access" but don’t even get us started on our hate of computers.
But seeing the games on a screen cannot compare to seeing them live. Incidentally, we popped in the DVD of the game where Stanford beats UConn to end their streak (hee hee) and it just wasn’t the same. We got nearly one tenth of the thrill, the excitement as seeing it live and feeling the crowd and sharing all the tension and emotion of the moment. One tenth. That’s why we love Stanford Women’s Basketball so much, we can see most of the games live and up close and personal. Not so with the WNBA and with no team in the women’s-basketball-obsessed Bay Area. It is hard for us to get excited when a game is on TV at 3 PM on a Sunday and the sun is shining and we can go for a bike ride.
But back to our original point, the one in the headline. Another reason C and R have been so ho-hum about the WNBA is that we haven’t had that many Stanford players to follow. Yes, there has always been Nicole Powell, although she was before C started following Stanford. Things did change with Candice Wiggins, so we would have our ear out for her Minnesota Lynx team, but that was about it. And didn’t help that Candice’s career has been in fits and starts due to injuries. Then we were so excited to get ready to follow Jayne Appel’s career with San Antonio last year. She was hurt throughout the season and had a disappointing rookie year in terms of stats.
So this year, we had two more fave Stanford players to follow in Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen. It’s only week two, but both made their respective teams and are contributing. Kayla scored 15 points in a her Tulsa team’s loss to the UConn Sun (yes we are making a joke) and Jeanette had 14 points off the bench for the Fever, including 4 for 4 from downtown, with her final 3-pointer being the dagger in the New York Liberty’s heart.
Interestingly, two rookies that have connections back to Stanford also had great weekends. Rookie Guard Courtney Vandersloot, who rose to national attention when her Gonzaga team lost to Stanford in the NCAA tournament, scored 18 points, four of them 3-pointers and had five assists in Chicago’s home opener against the Sun. Not bad for someone who was not even on the WNBA radar a year ago.
Another notable rookie with a great game this weekend was San Antonio’s Danielle Adams. Last year, Danielle and her Texas A & M team knocked off Stanford in the Final Four and eventually won the NCAA championship. C even questioned her conditioning and if she could keep pace in the WNBA. Well, she scored 32 points. Marked a franchise record for most points for a rookie, meaning Jayne didn’t even come close to that as a rookie last year. Half of Danielle’s points came from three-pointers, too. One eyewitness report said she was clearly exhausted when she subbed out, so hopefully she can get in even better shape and contribute more. She and Jayne and the rest of the Silver Stars are currently undefeated.
And then there is Maya Moore. Four games played, four games started, averaging 14.5 points a game. Not bad for a rook.
Gee, that was just week two of the WNBA, Can’t wait to see what week three brings. Maybe the weather will be cloudy this weekend.
But seeing the games on a screen cannot compare to seeing them live. Incidentally, we popped in the DVD of the game where Stanford beats UConn to end their streak (hee hee) and it just wasn’t the same. We got nearly one tenth of the thrill, the excitement as seeing it live and feeling the crowd and sharing all the tension and emotion of the moment. One tenth. That’s why we love Stanford Women’s Basketball so much, we can see most of the games live and up close and personal. Not so with the WNBA and with no team in the women’s-basketball-obsessed Bay Area. It is hard for us to get excited when a game is on TV at 3 PM on a Sunday and the sun is shining and we can go for a bike ride.
But back to our original point, the one in the headline. Another reason C and R have been so ho-hum about the WNBA is that we haven’t had that many Stanford players to follow. Yes, there has always been Nicole Powell, although she was before C started following Stanford. Things did change with Candice Wiggins, so we would have our ear out for her Minnesota Lynx team, but that was about it. And didn’t help that Candice’s career has been in fits and starts due to injuries. Then we were so excited to get ready to follow Jayne Appel’s career with San Antonio last year. She was hurt throughout the season and had a disappointing rookie year in terms of stats.
So this year, we had two more fave Stanford players to follow in Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen. It’s only week two, but both made their respective teams and are contributing. Kayla scored 15 points in a her Tulsa team’s loss to the UConn Sun (yes we are making a joke) and Jeanette had 14 points off the bench for the Fever, including 4 for 4 from downtown, with her final 3-pointer being the dagger in the New York Liberty’s heart.
Interestingly, two rookies that have connections back to Stanford also had great weekends. Rookie Guard Courtney Vandersloot, who rose to national attention when her Gonzaga team lost to Stanford in the NCAA tournament, scored 18 points, four of them 3-pointers and had five assists in Chicago’s home opener against the Sun. Not bad for someone who was not even on the WNBA radar a year ago.
Another notable rookie with a great game this weekend was San Antonio’s Danielle Adams. Last year, Danielle and her Texas A & M team knocked off Stanford in the Final Four and eventually won the NCAA championship. C even questioned her conditioning and if she could keep pace in the WNBA. Well, she scored 32 points. Marked a franchise record for most points for a rookie, meaning Jayne didn’t even come close to that as a rookie last year. Half of Danielle’s points came from three-pointers, too. One eyewitness report said she was clearly exhausted when she subbed out, so hopefully she can get in even better shape and contribute more. She and Jayne and the rest of the Silver Stars are currently undefeated.
And then there is Maya Moore. Four games played, four games started, averaging 14.5 points a game. Not bad for a rook.
Gee, that was just week two of the WNBA, Can’t wait to see what week three brings. Maybe the weather will be cloudy this weekend.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
C and R’s Social Media
Hold on to your hats, batten down the hatches and hide the children! Sell all your worldly possessions and buy pet insurance cuz the world must be comin’ to an end because…
Dunt… dunt… dunt….
C and R have joined the 21st century and got a page on FACEBOOK!
Check us out at C and R’s Stanford Women’s Basketball Facebook Page.
We still have no idea what we are doing, so any kindly help would be appreciated. And oh, make sure to like us or friend us or write to us or whatever the devil you kids are into today because we need all the friends and like buttons we can get and need you to otherwise artificially inflate our sense of self worth. Plus now you can instantly communicate with us, helpfully point out any typos, correct our “facts,” remind us of game times so we don’t miss them, and state your favorite player for all to see.
So if we ignore this blog, scoot on over to Facebook and check us out, kinda like what the Official Stanford Women’s Basketball site did. Not that we are calling them on the ignoring part, just that they have transitioned over to Facebook so quickly! It was and is still a shock to us.
Look forward to interacting with all of you on Facebook. Get a sneak peek here:
Dunt… dunt… dunt….
C and R have joined the 21st century and got a page on FACEBOOK!
Check us out at C and R’s Stanford Women’s Basketball Facebook Page.
We still have no idea what we are doing, so any kindly help would be appreciated. And oh, make sure to like us or friend us or write to us or whatever the devil you kids are into today because we need all the friends and like buttons we can get and need you to otherwise artificially inflate our sense of self worth. Plus now you can instantly communicate with us, helpfully point out any typos, correct our “facts,” remind us of game times so we don’t miss them, and state your favorite player for all to see.
So if we ignore this blog, scoot on over to Facebook and check us out, kinda like what the Official Stanford Women’s Basketball site did. Not that we are calling them on the ignoring part, just that they have transitioned over to Facebook so quickly! It was and is still a shock to us.
Look forward to interacting with all of you on Facebook. Get a sneak peek here:
Friday, June 10, 2011
Stanford’s Social Media
So okay, C and R found out a little bit more about the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team’s new assistant coach, Trina Patterson, with a little Q & A article. We mentioned she had a lot of head coaching experience, and came to learn at the feet of the master Tara VanDerveer. The article also hints she was brought in to help develop our post players. C and R particularly like the section when she talks about her family, being five deep and they can “zone you up or play you man-to-man!” Our kind of family.
But here’s the thing, the thing is, the article wasn’t posted on the Stanford Women’s Basketball website, a site we visit daily, but instead on the Stanford Women’s Basketball FACEBOOK page! Well, we don’t really visit the Stanford website daily, we have a little RSS feed featured above our original blog that we check daily. The RSS feed is a syndicated feed of Stanford headlines and gives links to the Stanford articles that the school puts on their website. We noticed they weren’t updating it much this summer, and we just thought it was a slow off-season. Turns out they were putting all their updates on FACEBOOK! So okay, there’s no reason to put Facebook in all caps, but, darn it, we hate how pervasive and all-powerful Facebook has become. (And our spell check is so old, it refuses to recognize “Facebook” as one word.)
And then we were updating all the URLs of the player’s twitter accounts (Why twitter, why, did you have to insert that little hashtag in the address?) and we found a link to another article posted on Facebook via Twitter NOT on the official Stanford site. This time the article was about what motivates Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer. Of course, in her usual humility, she says her players motivate her. Great read, but we had to discover it through the player's Twitter accounts.
And of course, you can comment on the articles on Facebook and “like” them and insert yourself a little bit into the written words. C and R must admit, that is kinda cool.
It’s lookin’ like C and R are gonna have to join the 21st century and get them one of them-there Facebook pages and Twitter accounts thingies (C doesn't even have a phone that reaches the Internet). Sigh, we hate change.
But here’s the thing, the thing is, the article wasn’t posted on the Stanford Women’s Basketball website, a site we visit daily, but instead on the Stanford Women’s Basketball FACEBOOK page! Well, we don’t really visit the Stanford website daily, we have a little RSS feed featured above our original blog that we check daily. The RSS feed is a syndicated feed of Stanford headlines and gives links to the Stanford articles that the school puts on their website. We noticed they weren’t updating it much this summer, and we just thought it was a slow off-season. Turns out they were putting all their updates on FACEBOOK! So okay, there’s no reason to put Facebook in all caps, but, darn it, we hate how pervasive and all-powerful Facebook has become. (And our spell check is so old, it refuses to recognize “Facebook” as one word.)
And then we were updating all the URLs of the player’s twitter accounts (Why twitter, why, did you have to insert that little hashtag in the address?) and we found a link to another article posted on Facebook via Twitter NOT on the official Stanford site. This time the article was about what motivates Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer. Of course, in her usual humility, she says her players motivate her. Great read, but we had to discover it through the player's Twitter accounts.
And of course, you can comment on the articles on Facebook and “like” them and insert yourself a little bit into the written words. C and R must admit, that is kinda cool.
It’s lookin’ like C and R are gonna have to join the 21st century and get them one of them-there Facebook pages and Twitter accounts thingies (C doesn't even have a phone that reaches the Internet). Sigh, we hate change.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
WNBA Player a No-Show
Did you see this one? New York Liberty player Janel McCarville didn’t show up for training camp so the team suspended her for the season. And she’s not some bench warmer, either. She averaged over 11 points as a center for NY. Heck, if a WNBA team like the Liberty has a spot free, C and or R volunteer to take it! To get paid to play pro basketball... well, paid a small amount for summer basketball, we would jump at the chance. Not sure what happened with Janel, no other news stories have surfaced. She had been playing overseas, and her Twitter account has not been updated since May 12th. Ditto for her Facebook page, just mentions her Italian Championship in May. (Twitter and Facebook now being the new journalism, apparently, according to everyone under 30). Maybe she made enough overseas she can skip the WNBA season? Like we said, we would hate to pass up any opportunity to play women’s pro ball.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Women's Basketball Rule Changes
So, did you see the new rule changes for NCAA basketball? The biggest one that will affect the women’s game is the one that moves the three-point line back to the men’s line. In other words, the distance for a three-point shot will go from 19’9” to 20’9”, or a whole foot of difference.
One NCAA site lists the rationale as; “Two lines are causing confusion and data indicates that a majority of three-point shots are being taken from behind the men’s line and the shooting percentage of those shots is higher than those taken from behind the women’s line only.” Huh? Where did they get this data?
Anyhoo, the point C and R wanted to raise is this: does the rule change mean they will start over on keeping records for three-point shots? Take for example Jeanette Pohlen. She made 96 three pointers out of 230 attempts for a .417 made percentage during her last year at Stanford. But she made them at 19’9”. When a women’s player makes a three-point shot this year do they start over at one because the distance is different?
And then that makes C and R scratch our heads about the new Pac-12. Will everything be new record? If anyone knows the answer, please notify C and R.
WNBA play has started. Look up your favorite team or (Stanford Women’s Basketball) player.
One NCAA site lists the rationale as; “Two lines are causing confusion and data indicates that a majority of three-point shots are being taken from behind the men’s line and the shooting percentage of those shots is higher than those taken from behind the women’s line only.” Huh? Where did they get this data?
Anyhoo, the point C and R wanted to raise is this: does the rule change mean they will start over on keeping records for three-point shots? Take for example Jeanette Pohlen. She made 96 three pointers out of 230 attempts for a .417 made percentage during her last year at Stanford. But she made them at 19’9”. When a women’s player makes a three-point shot this year do they start over at one because the distance is different?
And then that makes C and R scratch our heads about the new Pac-12. Will everything be new record? If anyone knows the answer, please notify C and R.
WNBA play has started. Look up your favorite team or (Stanford Women’s Basketball) player.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Title IX Turns 39
Happy Annnnn-I-verse-ahhh-ree Tiii- tle Ni-iiine!
President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law on June 23, 1972.
Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Although Title IX is best known for its impact on high school and collegiate athletics, the original statute made no explicit mention of sports, and, did not mention the word “female” or “male.”
Let’s play Fact or Myth from the Title IX info website:
Fact or Myth? Title IX forces schools to cut men's sports.
Myth. Title IX in no way requires schools to cut men's sports. "Nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction of teams in order to demonstrate compliance." (DOE) All federal courts to consider the question have agreed. Some schools have decided on their own to eliminate certain men's sports, but the law is flexible. There are many other ways to come into compliance. Some schools have cut sports, like gymnastics and wrestling, rather than controlling bloated football and basketball budgets, which consume a whopping 72% of the average Division I-A school's total men's athletic operating budget. For example, San Diego State University decided to address its $2 million budget deficit by cutting its men's volleyball team instead of cutting slightly into the $5 million football budget. But there are other options: A recent GAO study found that 72% of schools that added teams from 1992-1993 to 1999-2000 did so without discontinuing any teams.
Fact or Myth? Title IX applies only to females.
Myth. Both male and female students are protected by Title IX.
Fact or Myth? Title IX is only about athletics.
Myth. Most people who know about Title IX think it only applies to sports, but Title IX applies to every aspect of Federally funded education programs. In fact, athletics is only one of 10 major areas addressed by the law. These other areas are: Access to Higher Education, Career Education, Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students, Employment, Learning Environment, Math and Science, Sexual Harassment, Standardized Testing, and Technology.
Think Title IX is not important? Talk to Tara VanDerveer about the dark old days of women’s athletics sometime. Or ask former Stanford player Mariah Burton Nelson who remembers playing at Stanford in "pinnies", in front of 20 fans and no athletic scholarships. This was AFTER Title IX. She had to still ask Stanford to comply.
President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law on June 23, 1972.
Title IX states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Although Title IX is best known for its impact on high school and collegiate athletics, the original statute made no explicit mention of sports, and, did not mention the word “female” or “male.”
Let’s play Fact or Myth from the Title IX info website:
Fact or Myth? Title IX forces schools to cut men's sports.
Myth. Title IX in no way requires schools to cut men's sports. "Nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction of teams in order to demonstrate compliance." (DOE) All federal courts to consider the question have agreed. Some schools have decided on their own to eliminate certain men's sports, but the law is flexible. There are many other ways to come into compliance. Some schools have cut sports, like gymnastics and wrestling, rather than controlling bloated football and basketball budgets, which consume a whopping 72% of the average Division I-A school's total men's athletic operating budget. For example, San Diego State University decided to address its $2 million budget deficit by cutting its men's volleyball team instead of cutting slightly into the $5 million football budget. But there are other options: A recent GAO study found that 72% of schools that added teams from 1992-1993 to 1999-2000 did so without discontinuing any teams.
Fact or Myth? Title IX applies only to females.
Myth. Both male and female students are protected by Title IX.
Fact or Myth? Title IX is only about athletics.
Myth. Most people who know about Title IX think it only applies to sports, but Title IX applies to every aspect of Federally funded education programs. In fact, athletics is only one of 10 major areas addressed by the law. These other areas are: Access to Higher Education, Career Education, Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students, Employment, Learning Environment, Math and Science, Sexual Harassment, Standardized Testing, and Technology.
Think Title IX is not important? Talk to Tara VanDerveer about the dark old days of women’s athletics sometime. Or ask former Stanford player Mariah Burton Nelson who remembers playing at Stanford in "pinnies", in front of 20 fans and no athletic scholarships. This was AFTER Title IX. She had to still ask Stanford to comply.
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