Well, preseason polls have come out, and although each one is a little different, C and R are seeing a trend; UConn number one, Baylor number 2 and Stanford number 3, or something like that, we are just happy when we place higher than Tennessee, hee hee… And blaspheme to the polls that have us below the top three, what, we are sixth in some of them! Who is better than us? Who?
Yes, UConn is the preseason favorite, since they won the championship and have that 50 gazillion game winning streak going on, but wake up pollsters, they lost Tina Charles and some other people to graduation and injury, (we don’t know if the people they lost were any good, we don’t follow UConn basketball), and they are not the same team. And Stanford, we added recruit of the year Chiney Ogwumike, sister of Nneka, and have Kalya Pedersen who can play all five positions at once, and the X-factor of red-shirted, rehabilitated, and rebuilt 6-5 Sarah Boothe. Pollsters don’t know about her yet, but C and R believe they will soon.
Now take Baylor, please. No, just kidding, Baylor is an interesting case. They have Brittney Griner, the… well, the TALLEST player in women’s basketball. And some pollsters are impressed with that. Yes she can dunk, and she can block shots, but C and R were NOT impressed with how she was coached last year. She was lazy on rebounds, did not box out, and would often run out to the three-point line to block a shot, miss the block, then be out position to get the rebound. And on offense all she had to do is stand on the block and put her hands up and have the guards throw it to her. No one could intercept the pass and no one could block her. And she can dunk, for goodness sakes, give her the ball on the block and let her dunk! But she would disappear, scoring wise, during the game. And who is in her supporting cast? Can you name one ontehr player that supports here? Or was in any of the preseason trophy watches? UConn deposed of Baylor easily in the play-offs, and Brittney did not look good in that game. C and R blame the coaching. So if she was not well used or well-coached last year, what makes the pollsters think she will be well used or well coached this year? We think Baylor is going to crash and burn.
Well, it will be an interesting year for all!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Are You Ready for Some (Stanford Women's) Basketball?
What a long year it’s been! C and R have waited so long for the start of basketball season, and then this fall we get distracted. C has been distracted with a new job teaching little kids how to run around and play outdoors because they have no time after school and are not allowed to go outside without an armed-guard, and R has to get her wing repaired! And worst of the worst, R will be recuperating and will probably miss the first Stanford (exhibition) game of the season November 6th!
Not to fear, R has given up her ticket to our good basketball friend, P, and C will show her the ropes at Maples that day. Speaking of which, it's Kids Day at Maples! Kids 14 and Under Get into November 6 Game vs. Vanguard FREE! Ya gotta bring a grown-up, though, so click here to register for the freebie tix, and you know how much C and R love freebies! Also Free Kids Day November 9th vs UC San Diego.
Excuse me, I have to go answer the door, trick or treaters are here!
Oh, C and R just got this email about a basketball clinic for all the youngsters out there. Here are the details, so pass it along to the basketball-playing fool in your life!
Get ready for a great basketball experience! Before heading to the Vanguard game, kids can join former Cardinal Morgan Clyburn in a pre-game basketball clinic.
The clinic provides children (girls 3rd - 8th grades and boys 3rd - 6th grades) an opportunity to improve their basketball skills and receive one-on-one instruction by Clyburn and her staff. This clinic will help young athletes of all ability levels compete with the best!
The clinic will take place in the Arrillaga Practice Gym and begin at 12:15 p.m., before the Stanford Women's Basketball game vs. Vanguard on Saturday, November 6th, and will last for one (1) hour.
The cost is $10 per participant. Please contact Sarah Boruta at sboruta@stanford.edu to register. Space is limited so register early!
Well, lots of happens on November 6th. C will see you there and R will be fitted for her bionic parts. Can’t wait to see the development of Chiney!
Not to fear, R has given up her ticket to our good basketball friend, P, and C will show her the ropes at Maples that day. Speaking of which, it's Kids Day at Maples! Kids 14 and Under Get into November 6 Game vs. Vanguard FREE! Ya gotta bring a grown-up, though, so click here to register for the freebie tix, and you know how much C and R love freebies! Also Free Kids Day November 9th vs UC San Diego.
Excuse me, I have to go answer the door, trick or treaters are here!
Oh, C and R just got this email about a basketball clinic for all the youngsters out there. Here are the details, so pass it along to the basketball-playing fool in your life!
Get ready for a great basketball experience! Before heading to the Vanguard game, kids can join former Cardinal Morgan Clyburn in a pre-game basketball clinic.
The clinic provides children (girls 3rd - 8th grades and boys 3rd - 6th grades) an opportunity to improve their basketball skills and receive one-on-one instruction by Clyburn and her staff. This clinic will help young athletes of all ability levels compete with the best!
The clinic will take place in the Arrillaga Practice Gym and begin at 12:15 p.m., before the Stanford Women's Basketball game vs. Vanguard on Saturday, November 6th, and will last for one (1) hour.
The cost is $10 per participant. Please contact Sarah Boruta at sboruta@stanford.edu to register. Space is limited so register early!
Well, lots of happens on November 6th. C will see you there and R will be fitted for her bionic parts. Can’t wait to see the development of Chiney!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Giants win the Pennant!
The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!
That is the historical call from October 3rd, 1951, when Bobby Thomson hits the “shot heard ‘round the world”, and yes, it is the same call for October 23rd, 2010, when Juan Uribe, not as dramatically yet just as importantly, hit the opposite field home run to propel the Giants to the World Series over the Phillies. Congratulations Giants!
That is the historical call from October 3rd, 1951, when Bobby Thomson hits the “shot heard ‘round the world”, and yes, it is the same call for October 23rd, 2010, when Juan Uribe, not as dramatically yet just as importantly, hit the opposite field home run to propel the Giants to the World Series over the Phillies. Congratulations Giants!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
First Day Of Practice
So, C and R couldn’t be at the first Stanford Women’s Basketball practice, but our Number one Fan (N1F) was. Let’s have her give you the scoop…
N1F
I'm getting really excited about the upcoming SWB season. Didn’t you have a countdown clock on your blog last year?? (Editor’s note, yes we did, but I have been too busy to make one and write the code, so we might have to forgo one this year).
J and I went to Open Practice on Saturday. We got there about two hours in and I was wondering who that tall woman with the really short hair was before I realized the men practice players were there. (Editor’s note to butt in, yay, we are glad they are back to having men practice players again-UConn certainly uses them) Ooops. Anyway, we saw a scrimmage. The freshmen rotated in and out a lot, but they looked good, especially Sara James, who J is already calling "Deadeye." (Editor’s note, we hope she was shooting threes) Chiney (Ogumike) looked like she has good basketball instincts and more of an outside shot than Nneka does (Editor’s note, Forget Tara VanDerveer breathing down ytour neck, Nneka is the bossy sister and tells Chiney what to do all them time) . Toni (Kokenis) ran the floor fast and looked like she was working hard to learn everything--had a frown of concentration the whole time. (Hmm, tinkle bells for Joslyn, frowns for Toni, I don’t know, we have to think about that one! Hee hee).
Jingle was in a boot!! (Editor’s note of interruption that’s Joslyn Tinkle to those uninitiated. She has a high ankle sprain) Not sure what's up with her and what the prognosis is. She didn't practice but just rode the bike. As did Lindy (Editor’s note interrupting again, Lindy has a bone prob in her foot and could miss the season.). Kayla looked great and was taking more of an active and vocal leadership role (Editors heard Kayla was playing the point because Jeanette Pohlen is mysteriously hurt). And Gracie (Mashore), who was playing point for the red team, looked in much better shape and was hitting her outside shot (glad to hear it-Ed).
It was a ton of fun. I can't wait for the season to start. Hope you are both well and had great summers.
Cheers. – N1F
Well, we can’t wait until the first game on November 6th, only… let’s see, carry the one, 20 or so more days depending on when you read this!
N1F
I'm getting really excited about the upcoming SWB season. Didn’t you have a countdown clock on your blog last year?? (Editor’s note, yes we did, but I have been too busy to make one and write the code, so we might have to forgo one this year).
J and I went to Open Practice on Saturday. We got there about two hours in and I was wondering who that tall woman with the really short hair was before I realized the men practice players were there. (Editor’s note to butt in, yay, we are glad they are back to having men practice players again-UConn certainly uses them) Ooops. Anyway, we saw a scrimmage. The freshmen rotated in and out a lot, but they looked good, especially Sara James, who J is already calling "Deadeye." (Editor’s note, we hope she was shooting threes) Chiney (Ogumike) looked like she has good basketball instincts and more of an outside shot than Nneka does (Editor’s note, Forget Tara VanDerveer breathing down ytour neck, Nneka is the bossy sister and tells Chiney what to do all them time) . Toni (Kokenis) ran the floor fast and looked like she was working hard to learn everything--had a frown of concentration the whole time. (Hmm, tinkle bells for Joslyn, frowns for Toni, I don’t know, we have to think about that one! Hee hee).
Jingle was in a boot!! (Editor’s note of interruption that’s Joslyn Tinkle to those uninitiated. She has a high ankle sprain) Not sure what's up with her and what the prognosis is. She didn't practice but just rode the bike. As did Lindy (Editor’s note interrupting again, Lindy has a bone prob in her foot and could miss the season.). Kayla looked great and was taking more of an active and vocal leadership role (Editors heard Kayla was playing the point because Jeanette Pohlen is mysteriously hurt). And Gracie (Mashore), who was playing point for the red team, looked in much better shape and was hitting her outside shot (glad to hear it-Ed).
It was a ton of fun. I can't wait for the season to start. Hope you are both well and had great summers.
Cheers. – N1F
Well, we can’t wait until the first game on November 6th, only… let’s see, carry the one, 20 or so more days depending on when you read this!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Tickets are Here!
R got her tickets to Stanford (and did the Stanford ticket dance) a week or so ago, I am not sure anymore, as I started a new teaching job and feel like I can’t keep my head above water. Anyhoo, guess who is on the Dec 30th ticket vs UConn? Give up? None other then Nneka Ogwumike. Nneka is now my favorite player, as Nneka grew up before our eyes last year transforming herself from an inexperienced freshman into a leaping, rebounding, sophomore scoring machine. R does not share my passion for Nneka and instead likes incoming freshmen Sara James, based on the small performance we saw in a summer league in San Francisco, not that I am disparaging R or anything.
R defends her choice by saying Sara can do just about anything, she can rebound, play the point, defend and be a leader, (based on those two games we witnessed), not to mention she is a great three point shooter.
But getting back to those tickets, C and R were both excited to hold the UConn tickets in our hot little hands. We had written previously that the Stanford - UConn game here is in Palo Alto would be a perfect storm of a game, what with the game being the exact number UConn would need to win to break the UCLA men’s streak for consecutive wins ever and Stanford was the last team to beat them almost three years ago. Then it wasn’t. It was two games after the streak would be broken.
So imagine C’s surprise when she opened up her SF Chronicle and found a picture of Nneka in it! And the article was full of useful facts and stuff. Facts like, Joslyn Tinkle has a left ankle sprain and is wearing a boot, will be out a few more weeks and Mel Murphy will be back in January if rehab goes well and Lindy La Rocque has a bone problem in her foot and might be out for the season. Kayla Pedersen is playing every position on the court, including point. Nneka is working on a three point shot…say what? You want your leading rebounder, who set a PAC-10 record for rebounding last year to be out on the perimeter shooting? Why not give that job to sister Chiney, who liked to throw the ball up based on those same two games in SF we witnessed.
Oh, btw, we also learned that UConn wanted the game with Stanford to be the potential record breaking game, but the Big East where UConn plays, scheduled two conference games in December to ruin that. Good to know UConn didn’t chicken out… And double btw, head coach Geno Arawhat's-his-name thinks his team will go down in defeat this year, anyway, so they could come into Stanford nursing a loss or two.
Next up, our N1F (number one fan-note the new logo this year) reports on the first day of practice, since C and R could not be there.
R defends her choice by saying Sara can do just about anything, she can rebound, play the point, defend and be a leader, (based on those two games we witnessed), not to mention she is a great three point shooter.
But getting back to those tickets, C and R were both excited to hold the UConn tickets in our hot little hands. We had written previously that the Stanford - UConn game here is in Palo Alto would be a perfect storm of a game, what with the game being the exact number UConn would need to win to break the UCLA men’s streak for consecutive wins ever and Stanford was the last team to beat them almost three years ago. Then it wasn’t. It was two games after the streak would be broken.
So imagine C’s surprise when she opened up her SF Chronicle and found a picture of Nneka in it! And the article was full of useful facts and stuff. Facts like, Joslyn Tinkle has a left ankle sprain and is wearing a boot, will be out a few more weeks and Mel Murphy will be back in January if rehab goes well and Lindy La Rocque has a bone problem in her foot and might be out for the season. Kayla Pedersen is playing every position on the court, including point. Nneka is working on a three point shot…say what? You want your leading rebounder, who set a PAC-10 record for rebounding last year to be out on the perimeter shooting? Why not give that job to sister Chiney, who liked to throw the ball up based on those same two games in SF we witnessed.
Oh, btw, we also learned that UConn wanted the game with Stanford to be the potential record breaking game, but the Big East where UConn plays, scheduled two conference games in December to ruin that. Good to know UConn didn’t chicken out… And double btw, head coach Geno Arawhat's-his-name thinks his team will go down in defeat this year, anyway, so they could come into Stanford nursing a loss or two.
Next up, our N1F (number one fan-note the new logo this year) reports on the first day of practice, since C and R could not be there.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Real Men DO wear Pink
Hats off to the NFL for helping to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
If you didn’t tune in to a football game the first weekend in October, then you missed NFL players wearing pink or pink-tinged items to help bring attention to breast cancer. C and R’s local paper talked about some of the San Francisco players hesitant to wear pink items (shoes, gloves, hats) until one of the players said he had someone in his family dealing with breast cancer. The shoes several of the SF players wore will be auctioned to benefit cancer-related charities.
Many teams will extend the national platform with local efforts. Teams will designate home games in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and plan special in-stadium or pregame events with local organizations.
This from the NFL’s official website: The National Football League will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with team community outreach. Games from Oct. 5-27 will be designated as NFL Breast Cancer Awareness games. The NFL and its players will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its largest on-field presence and a national screening-reminder campaign. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," encourages annual mammograms for women over 40.
Game-worn pink merchandise and balls will be autographed post-game and auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society and team charities. Special pink merchandise will be available at NFLShop.com and in stadium retail stores, with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer charities.
We also found this quote on the NFL site, or should we say NFL Shop: The NFL Shop is proud to support the fight against Breast Cancer. The NFL’s campaign, "A Crucial Catch", in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are over the age of 40. Throughout October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel to raise awareness for the campaign.
Now, everybody take a deep breath…We really believe this is a good thing. We are sure having professional male athletes that get a lot of television exposure wear pink, breast cancer’s symbolic color, brought a lot of exposure and attention to the disease, and possibly some donations.
We also see words like “portion of the proceeds”. This worries us. When we first started our parent site, Women’s Sports Information, we found this eye-opening site website: Think Before you Pink. It is a project of Breast Cancer Action, and was launched in 2002 in response to the growing concern about the overwhelming number of pink ribbon products and promotions on the market. The campaign calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions.
We especially like these five critical questions to ask before you buy “Pink”.
1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?
2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?
3. How are the funds being raised?
4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?
5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?
At the time, a few years ago, the website pointed out a “pink” perfume that only give 50 cents of it’s $30 price to breast cancer research. It also shamefully pointed out a car company, I won’t embarrass the manufacturer by giving the name, that gave about a dollar of the purchase price to breast cancer research, and had set a cap in the low ten of thousands. They were buying their goodwill, and cheaply, too.
The Think Before You Pink site recommends giving directly to the charity or research entity yourself. You money will go further than buying the “pink” products. We like that advice and do give money annually to breast cancer.
So, yes, we applaud the NFL and the players that wear the pink gear. We also look at the products for sale skeptically. We instead focus on the message of awareness (1 in 8 women will get breast cancer) and the national screening-reminder campaign, which encourages annual mammograms for women over 40.
If you didn’t tune in to a football game the first weekend in October, then you missed NFL players wearing pink or pink-tinged items to help bring attention to breast cancer. C and R’s local paper talked about some of the San Francisco players hesitant to wear pink items (shoes, gloves, hats) until one of the players said he had someone in his family dealing with breast cancer. The shoes several of the SF players wore will be auctioned to benefit cancer-related charities.
Many teams will extend the national platform with local efforts. Teams will designate home games in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and plan special in-stadium or pregame events with local organizations.
This from the NFL’s official website: The National Football League will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with team community outreach. Games from Oct. 5-27 will be designated as NFL Breast Cancer Awareness games. The NFL and its players will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its largest on-field presence and a national screening-reminder campaign. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," encourages annual mammograms for women over 40.
Game-worn pink merchandise and balls will be autographed post-game and auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society and team charities. Special pink merchandise will be available at NFLShop.com and in stadium retail stores, with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer charities.
We also found this quote on the NFL site, or should we say NFL Shop: The NFL Shop is proud to support the fight against Breast Cancer. The NFL’s campaign, "A Crucial Catch", in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are over the age of 40. Throughout October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel to raise awareness for the campaign.
Now, everybody take a deep breath…We really believe this is a good thing. We are sure having professional male athletes that get a lot of television exposure wear pink, breast cancer’s symbolic color, brought a lot of exposure and attention to the disease, and possibly some donations.
We also see words like “portion of the proceeds”. This worries us. When we first started our parent site, Women’s Sports Information, we found this eye-opening site website: Think Before you Pink. It is a project of Breast Cancer Action, and was launched in 2002 in response to the growing concern about the overwhelming number of pink ribbon products and promotions on the market. The campaign calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions.
We especially like these five critical questions to ask before you buy “Pink”.
1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?
2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?
3. How are the funds being raised?
4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?
5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?
At the time, a few years ago, the website pointed out a “pink” perfume that only give 50 cents of it’s $30 price to breast cancer research. It also shamefully pointed out a car company, I won’t embarrass the manufacturer by giving the name, that gave about a dollar of the purchase price to breast cancer research, and had set a cap in the low ten of thousands. They were buying their goodwill, and cheaply, too.
The Think Before You Pink site recommends giving directly to the charity or research entity yourself. You money will go further than buying the “pink” products. We like that advice and do give money annually to breast cancer.
So, yes, we applaud the NFL and the players that wear the pink gear. We also look at the products for sale skeptically. We instead focus on the message of awareness (1 in 8 women will get breast cancer) and the national screening-reminder campaign, which encourages annual mammograms for women over 40.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Basketball Women are World Champs
The US Women are World Champions. They won the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships. Former Stanford Women’s Basketball player Jayne Apple was on the team. She played two minutes of the final game. Didn’t score.
It’s weird, Head coach Geno Auriemma, of the school that shall not be named, picks her to be on the team even though she did not have a good WNBA rookie year, defending his pick saying he needs her size and the intangibles she brings and then doesn’t use her. She averaged just 7.4 minutes per game in the nine game tournament. Maybe he and the team just like having her around. C and R did when she played for Stanford!
It’s weird, Head coach Geno Auriemma, of the school that shall not be named, picks her to be on the team even though she did not have a good WNBA rookie year, defending his pick saying he needs her size and the intangibles she brings and then doesn’t use her. She averaged just 7.4 minutes per game in the nine game tournament. Maybe he and the team just like having her around. C and R did when she played for Stanford!
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