And now, a guest blog post for C and R's Stanford Women’s Basketball blog because, hey, it’s summer and we are lazy. This account of former Stanford rookie Jayne Appel playing in a WNBA game for San Antonio was submitted by TG.(Comments in parenthesis are C and R’s because, hey, we are just snarky that way)
Jayne scored eight 4th quarter points in a (rare) San Antonio win that went down to the wire: 79 - 75. Made 2 free throws with 57 seconds left to increase lead to 4 (that’s Tara talkin’ there). Still seems like her mobility is not 100% but a lot better than a month ago. Coaches must have confidence in her to play her most of the 4th quarter in a tight game...(good point, we hadn’t thought of that)
Love WNBA but ... is it November yet? (Oh man, C and R here ya, TG!)
Well, C and R are going to get a little fix next Saturday when we travel to the far reaches of San Francisco and see the Stanford freshmen play in their league championship game. Come join us.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Jayne in the WNBA
The following conversation took place on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 between Stanford Women’s Basketball fanatics C and R. Let’s start when C called R at her home, not on her fancy cell phone.
Ring Ring
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Exercising and watching Jayne not play.
C: What? You’re exercising!
(No just kidding, R walks on her treadmill most days and has the calf muscles to prove it- let’s replay from the beginning)
Ring Ring
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Watching Jayne not play.
C: What? Women’s Basketball is on TV?
(no, no, no…the coverage of the WNBA has gotten pretty good. The powers that be show game on ESPN or the second ESPN channel and now they are doing double headers. C and R have both noticed that the announcers are very knowledgeable and they try to broadcast the coaches talking to players at half time, which is cool. And the games themselves are pretty exciting. Let’s start again)
Ring RING
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Watching Jayne not play.
C: What?
R: The Antonio Silver Stars are playing the New York Liberty…
C: …With ex-Stanford Nicole Powell…
R: Yes, and former Stanford as of a few months ago Jayne Appel is riding the bench… Hey, there’s Jayne on TV
C: Is she in the game?
R: Still on the bench but the cameras love her no matter where she stands.
C: Or sits.
R: Wait, she’s going in... has the ball..
C: Did she shoot?
R: No, she’s involved in the play… looking good…. But still looks like a rookie.
C: Bummer.
R: She’s doing the Tara VanDerveer moves.
C: What is that?
R: She’s using her head, she set a pick at the top of the screen, she knows what she is doing, but everyone else can run and jump higher than her. She just boxed out well, but can’t jump for the ball.
C: Poor thing, she must still be hurting with her injuries. She could jump at Stanford. Do you feel she is contributing when she is on the floor?
R: Yes, she is contributing, maybe it won’t show up in the stat columns, but she is helping the team.
C: Well, that’s good. I hope she can heal in the off-season.
R: Closing seconds, NY Liberty and Nicole Powell won. Hey, they just said Phoenix with Diana Taurasi playing Seattle and Lauren Jackson next.
C: Cool! Love Taurisi
R: Love Taurisi (that's Ta-RA-see, with an "A")
C: How did you know how I spelled it if this is a phone conversation?
R: What?
C: What? Anyhoo, Remember when the USA National Team came to Stanford to play them and Tau-RA-si looked like a woman among girls?
R: Yes. She was amazing, so fast and powerful. Well, now that Jayne is off my screen, I need to go back to workin’ out.
C: Don’t forget we are going to see the Stanford freshmen play in the championship game in San Francisco in the Pro-Am summer league a week from this Saturday.
R: You mean August 7th?
C: Yes that weekend.
R: Oh, I won’t forget it, the championship game, best 2 out of 3. That should be fun.
C: And (to our junior bloggers) it’s free.
R: See ya there!
C: I’ll let you get back to your treadmill.
R: Only 40 more minutes left.
C: Rock on, man.
Ring Ring
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Exercising and watching Jayne not play.
C: What? You’re exercising!
(No just kidding, R walks on her treadmill most days and has the calf muscles to prove it- let’s replay from the beginning)
Ring Ring
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Watching Jayne not play.
C: What? Women’s Basketball is on TV?
(no, no, no…the coverage of the WNBA has gotten pretty good. The powers that be show game on ESPN or the second ESPN channel and now they are doing double headers. C and R have both noticed that the announcers are very knowledgeable and they try to broadcast the coaches talking to players at half time, which is cool. And the games themselves are pretty exciting. Let’s start again)
Ring RING
R: Hello…
C: Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?
R: Watching Jayne not play.
C: What?
R: The Antonio Silver Stars are playing the New York Liberty…
C: …With ex-Stanford Nicole Powell…
R: Yes, and former Stanford as of a few months ago Jayne Appel is riding the bench… Hey, there’s Jayne on TV
C: Is she in the game?
R: Still on the bench but the cameras love her no matter where she stands.
C: Or sits.
R: Wait, she’s going in... has the ball..
C: Did she shoot?
R: No, she’s involved in the play… looking good…. But still looks like a rookie.
C: Bummer.
R: She’s doing the Tara VanDerveer moves.
C: What is that?
R: She’s using her head, she set a pick at the top of the screen, she knows what she is doing, but everyone else can run and jump higher than her. She just boxed out well, but can’t jump for the ball.
C: Poor thing, she must still be hurting with her injuries. She could jump at Stanford. Do you feel she is contributing when she is on the floor?
R: Yes, she is contributing, maybe it won’t show up in the stat columns, but she is helping the team.
C: Well, that’s good. I hope she can heal in the off-season.
R: Closing seconds, NY Liberty and Nicole Powell won. Hey, they just said Phoenix with Diana Taurasi playing Seattle and Lauren Jackson next.
C: Cool! Love Taurisi
R: Love Taurisi (that's Ta-RA-see, with an "A")
C: How did you know how I spelled it if this is a phone conversation?
R: What?
C: What? Anyhoo, Remember when the USA National Team came to Stanford to play them and Tau-RA-si looked like a woman among girls?
R: Yes. She was amazing, so fast and powerful. Well, now that Jayne is off my screen, I need to go back to workin’ out.
C: Don’t forget we are going to see the Stanford freshmen play in the championship game in San Francisco in the Pro-Am summer league a week from this Saturday.
R: You mean August 7th?
C: Yes that weekend.
R: Oh, I won’t forget it, the championship game, best 2 out of 3. That should be fun.
C: And (to our junior bloggers) it’s free.
R: See ya there!
C: I’ll let you get back to your treadmill.
R: Only 40 more minutes left.
C: Rock on, man.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday in the Park with Stanford Players
Well, by miracles of miracles, both C and R were available and able to get away from our shabby lives and puny responsibilities and make the pilgrimage to San Francisco to see the baby Stanford players and… Chiney Ogwumnike.
Yes, yes C and R were excited to see ALL the incoming Stanford women’s basketball players who are here taking summer school and playing in the San Francisco Pro-Am league, and the second year players as well, but really, we wanted to get a look at the National Player of the Year up close and personal. (BTW, she won so many awards and Gatorade kept giving her something every month so C and R are not exactly sure what her official title is, but we hear she can play).
So after getting a little lost and having several battles with either each other or C’s GPS, we finally make it to Kezar Pavilion. (So small, we were expecting bigger.) We get there half an hour before the game and no one is warming up. See lots of familiar faces in the stands. Finally with about 20 minutes left the players start to trickle in. Can you say “casual?” We see the Stanford players and elbow each other several times for each player. “There’s Chiney,” we announce to each other as if neither of us has eyes. And she just looks like a baller, too. Figured out who Sara James and Toni Kokenis were (quick someone, email us and tell us how to pronounce her last name) to mark the three incoming freshmen. Then spy second year players Mikaela Ruef and Sarah Boothe. The other team is non-existent. Courtney Paris is listed on the other team’s roster, but she was not “In Town”. Too bad, C and R have never seen Courtney play live so we were bummed.
Not much warming up, which is a little bit of a shock to C and R as we are used to seeing the Stanford players go through elaborate warm up and stretching and drills before every Stanford game. Only Sarah Boothe takes the time to do elaborate stretching moves while most just shoot around. Finally the other team has at least five and we can begin.
When the game starts, C and R are very impressed with Sarah Boothe. She red-shirted last year and lost a lot of freshmen weight and re-sculpted her body. She was aggressive and hungry, calling for the ball, and running on fast breaks. Her teammates trusted her and got her the ball whenever they could. Opposite her was DeNasha Stallworth, Cal’s center, and although she had more meat on her and tried to push Sarah around, Sarah fought back and showed her a thing or two. Sarah was all business. Which made a thought pop into C and R’s head (yes, we do have them every once in a while). Sarah could be the X factor for us next year. Everyone knows we will be missing Jayne Appel and everyone knows who the established stars are and what they can do. Everyone will also look to Chiney to have an immediate impact. This preseason, none of the experts mentions Sarah Boothe and we think she is going to contribute greatly, and half way through the year everyone outside of Stanford will be scratching their heads saying, “Where did she come from?”
Sara James also impressed us. Played the guard spot, good court vision, had a nose for the ball and knifed in for offensive rebounds. She shot threes and when she missed, got her own rebound. Toni and Mikeala still look like they need more practice, especially at court vision and knowing where everyone was and when to shoot or pass. There were a few times Mikeala launched some threes but rebounders weren’t in place and to C and R, we thought she should have shown more patience.
And then there was Chiney. Okay, let’s just put it on the table and sum it up. The first half she played uninspired. And her defense was still in a high school mind set. Her team was playing man-to man, yet she would often leave her man and play the ball, counting on her athletic ability to either steal the pass to her man or get back in time if she can’t get to the ball. That ain’t going to happen in college and besides, Tara will beat that out of her when official Stanford practice starts.
And then sister Nneka came in. She arrived with Stanford buddies, Kayla Pedersen and Lindy LaRoque. They showed up close to the end of the first half (and yes, C and R fans, we went and sat behind them after half time to, um, you know, sit by them, shh.... don’t tell them.) So anyway, at the start of the second half Chiney was a different player! She had more intensity and you should have seen her go up and grab, and we mean snatch, a rebound out of the air. (And to the coach of the Golden State team, why was Chiney playing point guard in the second half?)
At one point, Nneka in the first row called out some coaching advice and Chiney stopped and made sure she got whatever it was Nneka pointed out. Maybe she needs that sisterly rivalry/admiration to get her going? Because before Sis Nneka came in, the rest of the Ogwumike family came in, Mom, Dad, all the other Ogwumike sisters who are going to go to Stanford for basketball and build an Ogwumike dynasty over the next 10 years. That wasn’t enough to get her going, it was Nneka. Wow, this should be an interesting year.
Other notes:
We were impressed with Eliza Peirre, who played on the opposite team and goes to Cal. She will be one to watch out for next year. We thought the PAC-10 refs were bad, but these refs were really bad. We think everyone one of the Stanford players attempted a three, the two guards of course, and Ruef, Chiney. Maybe not Sarah Boothe, although she brought out this great hook shot in the second half reminiscent of Brooke “The Hook” Smith from a few years ago. At least once the coach had all 5 Stanford players in, so that was cool. The Stanford team won, although we weren’t so interested in the score as checking out how everyone played. We were so excited we wanted to come back for play-offs next week but according to the schedule the Stanford team won the league and plays again August 7th. We hope to be there. Stay tuned.
Yes, yes C and R were excited to see ALL the incoming Stanford women’s basketball players who are here taking summer school and playing in the San Francisco Pro-Am league, and the second year players as well, but really, we wanted to get a look at the National Player of the Year up close and personal. (BTW, she won so many awards and Gatorade kept giving her something every month so C and R are not exactly sure what her official title is, but we hear she can play).
So after getting a little lost and having several battles with either each other or C’s GPS, we finally make it to Kezar Pavilion. (So small, we were expecting bigger.) We get there half an hour before the game and no one is warming up. See lots of familiar faces in the stands. Finally with about 20 minutes left the players start to trickle in. Can you say “casual?” We see the Stanford players and elbow each other several times for each player. “There’s Chiney,” we announce to each other as if neither of us has eyes. And she just looks like a baller, too. Figured out who Sara James and Toni Kokenis were (quick someone, email us and tell us how to pronounce her last name) to mark the three incoming freshmen. Then spy second year players Mikaela Ruef and Sarah Boothe. The other team is non-existent. Courtney Paris is listed on the other team’s roster, but she was not “In Town”. Too bad, C and R have never seen Courtney play live so we were bummed.
Not much warming up, which is a little bit of a shock to C and R as we are used to seeing the Stanford players go through elaborate warm up and stretching and drills before every Stanford game. Only Sarah Boothe takes the time to do elaborate stretching moves while most just shoot around. Finally the other team has at least five and we can begin.
When the game starts, C and R are very impressed with Sarah Boothe. She red-shirted last year and lost a lot of freshmen weight and re-sculpted her body. She was aggressive and hungry, calling for the ball, and running on fast breaks. Her teammates trusted her and got her the ball whenever they could. Opposite her was DeNasha Stallworth, Cal’s center, and although she had more meat on her and tried to push Sarah around, Sarah fought back and showed her a thing or two. Sarah was all business. Which made a thought pop into C and R’s head (yes, we do have them every once in a while). Sarah could be the X factor for us next year. Everyone knows we will be missing Jayne Appel and everyone knows who the established stars are and what they can do. Everyone will also look to Chiney to have an immediate impact. This preseason, none of the experts mentions Sarah Boothe and we think she is going to contribute greatly, and half way through the year everyone outside of Stanford will be scratching their heads saying, “Where did she come from?”
Sara James also impressed us. Played the guard spot, good court vision, had a nose for the ball and knifed in for offensive rebounds. She shot threes and when she missed, got her own rebound. Toni and Mikeala still look like they need more practice, especially at court vision and knowing where everyone was and when to shoot or pass. There were a few times Mikeala launched some threes but rebounders weren’t in place and to C and R, we thought she should have shown more patience.
And then there was Chiney. Okay, let’s just put it on the table and sum it up. The first half she played uninspired. And her defense was still in a high school mind set. Her team was playing man-to man, yet she would often leave her man and play the ball, counting on her athletic ability to either steal the pass to her man or get back in time if she can’t get to the ball. That ain’t going to happen in college and besides, Tara will beat that out of her when official Stanford practice starts.
And then sister Nneka came in. She arrived with Stanford buddies, Kayla Pedersen and Lindy LaRoque. They showed up close to the end of the first half (and yes, C and R fans, we went and sat behind them after half time to, um, you know, sit by them, shh.... don’t tell them.) So anyway, at the start of the second half Chiney was a different player! She had more intensity and you should have seen her go up and grab, and we mean snatch, a rebound out of the air. (And to the coach of the Golden State team, why was Chiney playing point guard in the second half?)
At one point, Nneka in the first row called out some coaching advice and Chiney stopped and made sure she got whatever it was Nneka pointed out. Maybe she needs that sisterly rivalry/admiration to get her going? Because before Sis Nneka came in, the rest of the Ogwumike family came in, Mom, Dad, all the other Ogwumike sisters who are going to go to Stanford for basketball and build an Ogwumike dynasty over the next 10 years. That wasn’t enough to get her going, it was Nneka. Wow, this should be an interesting year.
Other notes:
We were impressed with Eliza Peirre, who played on the opposite team and goes to Cal. She will be one to watch out for next year. We thought the PAC-10 refs were bad, but these refs were really bad. We think everyone one of the Stanford players attempted a three, the two guards of course, and Ruef, Chiney. Maybe not Sarah Boothe, although she brought out this great hook shot in the second half reminiscent of Brooke “The Hook” Smith from a few years ago. At least once the coach had all 5 Stanford players in, so that was cool. The Stanford team won, although we weren’t so interested in the score as checking out how everyone played. We were so excited we wanted to come back for play-offs next week but according to the schedule the Stanford team won the league and plays again August 7th. We hope to be there. Stay tuned.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
(Belated) Stanford End of the Year Banquet
And now, back by popular demand, J and K, the Junior Bloggers! This is actually a promised piece on the end of the year awards banquet that they are JUST SUBMITTING to C and R. Guess they can’t use the excuse, “The dog ate my homework.” Maybe they can use “a computer viruses ate my paper” excuse. J and K said to look at it as a “summer treat” to tide you over until college basketball starts up again. J would write some of the report and send it to K who would add her comments. K is in RED and J is in Blue (we think). They both write in black and the blue is NOT a hyper link. Got it? All typos, texting lingo, emoticons and bad grammer stuff are theirs, unless they are caused by C's fat fingers typing. C and R love that they argue almost as much as we do.
Oh, some back story info, J and K have brought signs to various games and have been recognized by the various players. They also have stalked the players so well and so much (like good junior stalkers) that the players recognize them. Way to go, they are well on their way to making the C and R Stalking Hall of Fame. Oh, here are some visuals to go with the descriptions in the story compliments of the Stanford Fast Break Club, the group that always seems to have their cameras handy.
Junior Blogger Report on the End of theYear Banquet
K and I got to the banquet as fast as we could – which, granted, was not very fast. Not only are we unable to drive – so we had to put up with our parents going the speed limit – but we had to put up with damp hair, broken blow-dryers, fashion crises and butterflies in our stomachs. Hey I went really fast considering I had softball right before, literally. Yah well I was the one who hadn't had time to blow-dry her hair because the blow-dryer I was trying to use was... um... not fully functional :) We arrived at about 6:00, half an hour before the dinner was scheduled to start and halfway through the ‘mingle’ time. We stepped in the door after making each other laugh in an effort to rid ourselves of those pesky butterflies. First thing we see - Nneka, very pretty in a grey top and a black skirt, wearing silver necklaces (Nnek-laces?) that we complimented. She laughed and said thanks. She was very nice, dubbing me the girl from the plane and K the girl from the restaurant. Lovely. It was funny though! She definitely has a good sense of humor. My mom kind of started that one.. "Wow, you're so pretty!!!" "Thanks.. hey! You're those girls...." Haha :) Oh ya. Happened many times that night. "Hi! You're pretty!/ Cool/ So good!!!" "Thanks...." then their eyes light up and they go, as K said, "Hey! You're those girls..." LOL
After talking to Kayla and getting our name tags, we meandered a little bit, sneaking looks at players’ name tags to try and see what table number they were at. K had paid extra to sit at a player table, #19, and we had quite a time of it trying to figure out whose table she was at. I gave her a huge scare when I mistakenly read Jeanette’s #13 as #19, so K started freaking out and hyperventilating until I said, “No! Sorry! Sorry! Not her number! She’s 13!” And K glared at me. You killed me on that one. I definitely had my hopes up and you just CRUSHED them. DUDE give me a break I seriously thought it said nineteen! The three looked like a nine okay?! Then we both started freaking out about whose table she was out. Then we saw Sarah Boothe looking at us and trying not to laugh. I guess we were acting pretty nutty. Nothing unusual. And guess whose table K (and later me) wound up sitting at? Yep. Sarah’s. Oh boy. She was a good sport, though, and didn’t mention how insane she must have found us. She didn't even talk to us! One picture and a hello. Okay, awesome. Thanks a lot. Haha. K! Come on. It's not her fault that she was being distracted like for the WHOLE NIGHT by this person who kept talking to her. Geez. Stop hogging the players!! Goodness.
We then went over to assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey and talked to her. We told her that we thought she was very funny and that we loved her and Amy Tucker’s Superhoopsters episode. She must have though we were insane as well, quoting the videos and giggling nervously. She was very nice, though, laughing with us and only shooing us away when she had to – I guess we still come after all those older fans. Hmph. Some things never change! However, we think we come first in the players’ eyes. When we went over and talked to Jeanette, she was very nice and talked to us multiple times. Of course, I had to drag K over to see her, because she’s just a little shy around her idol… hahaha (emoticon thingie that doesn't translate to the blog) No. I was not shy. I talked to her. I am definitely not shy. Dude! I had to literally DRAG you over there! And I kept saying "Let's go talk to Jeanette!" and you're like "No. That's okay. Let's get sodas." "Nope, let's wait." "But there are people near her!" "But maybe it'll seem too forward this early..." Luckily, to the last one I remembered my sense of humor and said "Goodness, K! You're saying she's cool, not asking her out!!" But no, we were very nice and complimentary and told her we loved her outfit (a pretty floral top and a grey band-aid skirt). She blushed a little – she seems very modest – but returned the compliment and talked to us for what seemed like forever because we were so scared of saying something really stupid in front of her – but was only about five minutes. And she told me she had something for me, which actually made my whole entire life. And then you go and tear your quadricep and so you can't go to camp and get it. Smart, K. Smart. And YES I know I promised to get it from her. And take her that stupid poster. So I'm gonna look like a total obsessed kid before they even realize it's ME!!! Still. Five minutes with a player – that’s definitely worth $60. And then… we saw Ros.
And let me explain before K jumps in with her annoying comments. Ros was rocking a really pretty red, black, and white cheetah-patterned dress. And I saw her, got something very close to stage fright, went ‘Oh shoot!’ and proceeded to duck behind K. And K, supportive friend that she is, got an evil grin on her face, grabbed my arm, and said “Let’s go talk to her!” Need I say that we did? She was very nice too. She said, “Hey, poster girls!” and we said, “Hi!”. And engaged her in very witty (we thought) conversation. We’ve learned that throw in a lot of compliments and they start to like you. Ros was very nice, laughing with – at? – us and telling me to keep bringing my “ROSALYN” poster to the games so she has a lasting legacy or something. What was I to do? I agreed! So if you see a Ros poster next year, that would be why. I won't even comment here. I wasn't that bad. So, don't sass me. OK what am I supposed to do? Say "Ya, that'd be cool, but you're not cool enough for me to even PRETEND to want to do that." Ya right. Like that'd happen. So shut your mouth and DON'T SASS ME!!
We then talked to Kayla – wow, they didn’t call it ‘social hour’ for nothing – who was looking great in a skirt and pink top. She smiled at us, said “Hey, the poster girls!” and talked to us for a little bit. We left her in peace pleased, flattered, and totally and completely in awe. And then we looked at each other quizzically. For hadn’t Ros just called us the Poster Girls? We think we may have a team name. Oh great. And now we can’t figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
After talking to Kayla we entered the dining room. Wow. Fancy. K and I were suitably impressed. We ducked out of JJ’s way – who had decked out her crutches in fuschia and black tape that matched her outfit, very classy – and split up to our respective tables. We looked at our booklets for a while – not only did they say our names on them, but they had little notes from all the players to the seniors, which was a very nice and personal touch – and then paid full attention to Tara as she started to talk. We thing she summed up the evening pretty well when she said that “It’s a bittersweet evening.” And it was.
She introduced all the classes together. Freshmen first, and then sophomores, etc. She said something nice and something encouraging about every player. K and I were looking at each other and mouthing “So true! Aw! Awwww!” at each other until K’s mom very kindly switched with me so I was sitting with K at Sarah’s table. So then we didn’t just have to mouth it – we could say it! And the best part of the evening (in my opinion) was when Tara introduced Jeanette. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Judging from that laugh I think K remembers what's coming. Not that she could forget, of course. Just pay attention to the story :) Now, before I say what happened, bear in mind that we were both sort of punch-drunk and excited and were, as we always are, a little bit insane. So Tara introduces Jeanette and says, “Jeanette’s biggest fan is here tonight…” and K rises halfway out of her seat and yells “THAT’S ME!” Everyone turns and stares at her, and Tara finishes her sentence. “Tonight… (That’s me!)… her mom.”. Jeanette starts laughing up on stage along with the rest of the Juniors, and so does the audience. To be fair I don't think Jeanette was really laughing on purpose. It was just not very easy not to laugh. Hahaha :D K sinks very low in her seat and tries to not look at anyone but me – especially not at Sarah, who’s trying very hard not to laugh at K but who’s failing miserably. That was horrible. Oh god. And also Tara looks at me as she says that.. What am I supposed to think? Well maybe Tara was trying to secretly tell you in her head "Keep quiet weird poster girl I'm not talking about you." Oh. Funny. Very witty, J. Hahaha, but that definitely gave you quite the laugh. Of course it did!! The entire ROOM was laughing at you! Thanks, J. Thanks again. Did I say at? I meant with! The whole room was laughing with you! Haha :) The rest of the evening passed fairly uneventfully, with speeches from the seniors – Jayne gained much admiration in our eyes for toughing out the speech even though she cried a little bit multiple times. Add that to our admiration of her for toughing out the game against the School-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named with a stress fracture in her foot and she’s got two pretty big fans!
Editors note-
Did either of you ever go to the Stanford Basketball Camp and get the “thing Jeanette had for you???? Inquiring minds (and our fans) want to know.
Oh, some back story info, J and K have brought signs to various games and have been recognized by the various players. They also have stalked the players so well and so much (like good junior stalkers) that the players recognize them. Way to go, they are well on their way to making the C and R Stalking Hall of Fame. Oh, here are some visuals to go with the descriptions in the story compliments of the Stanford Fast Break Club, the group that always seems to have their cameras handy.
Junior Blogger Report on the End of theYear Banquet
K and I got to the banquet as fast as we could – which, granted, was not very fast. Not only are we unable to drive – so we had to put up with our parents going the speed limit – but we had to put up with damp hair, broken blow-dryers, fashion crises and butterflies in our stomachs. Hey I went really fast considering I had softball right before, literally. Yah well I was the one who hadn't had time to blow-dry her hair because the blow-dryer I was trying to use was... um... not fully functional :) We arrived at about 6:00, half an hour before the dinner was scheduled to start and halfway through the ‘mingle’ time. We stepped in the door after making each other laugh in an effort to rid ourselves of those pesky butterflies. First thing we see - Nneka, very pretty in a grey top and a black skirt, wearing silver necklaces (Nnek-laces?) that we complimented. She laughed and said thanks. She was very nice, dubbing me the girl from the plane and K the girl from the restaurant. Lovely. It was funny though! She definitely has a good sense of humor. My mom kind of started that one.. "Wow, you're so pretty!!!" "Thanks.. hey! You're those girls...." Haha :) Oh ya. Happened many times that night. "Hi! You're pretty!/ Cool/ So good!!!" "Thanks...." then their eyes light up and they go, as K said, "Hey! You're those girls..." LOL
After talking to Kayla and getting our name tags, we meandered a little bit, sneaking looks at players’ name tags to try and see what table number they were at. K had paid extra to sit at a player table, #19, and we had quite a time of it trying to figure out whose table she was at. I gave her a huge scare when I mistakenly read Jeanette’s #13 as #19, so K started freaking out and hyperventilating until I said, “No! Sorry! Sorry! Not her number! She’s 13!” And K glared at me. You killed me on that one. I definitely had my hopes up and you just CRUSHED them. DUDE give me a break I seriously thought it said nineteen! The three looked like a nine okay?! Then we both started freaking out about whose table she was out. Then we saw Sarah Boothe looking at us and trying not to laugh. I guess we were acting pretty nutty. Nothing unusual. And guess whose table K (and later me) wound up sitting at? Yep. Sarah’s. Oh boy. She was a good sport, though, and didn’t mention how insane she must have found us. She didn't even talk to us! One picture and a hello. Okay, awesome. Thanks a lot. Haha. K! Come on. It's not her fault that she was being distracted like for the WHOLE NIGHT by this person who kept talking to her. Geez. Stop hogging the players!! Goodness.
We then went over to assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey and talked to her. We told her that we thought she was very funny and that we loved her and Amy Tucker’s Superhoopsters episode. She must have though we were insane as well, quoting the videos and giggling nervously. She was very nice, though, laughing with us and only shooing us away when she had to – I guess we still come after all those older fans. Hmph. Some things never change! However, we think we come first in the players’ eyes. When we went over and talked to Jeanette, she was very nice and talked to us multiple times. Of course, I had to drag K over to see her, because she’s just a little shy around her idol… hahaha (emoticon thingie that doesn't translate to the blog) No. I was not shy. I talked to her. I am definitely not shy. Dude! I had to literally DRAG you over there! And I kept saying "Let's go talk to Jeanette!" and you're like "No. That's okay. Let's get sodas." "Nope, let's wait." "But there are people near her!" "But maybe it'll seem too forward this early..." Luckily, to the last one I remembered my sense of humor and said "Goodness, K! You're saying she's cool, not asking her out!!" But no, we were very nice and complimentary and told her we loved her outfit (a pretty floral top and a grey band-aid skirt). She blushed a little – she seems very modest – but returned the compliment and talked to us for what seemed like forever because we were so scared of saying something really stupid in front of her – but was only about five minutes. And she told me she had something for me, which actually made my whole entire life. And then you go and tear your quadricep and so you can't go to camp and get it. Smart, K. Smart. And YES I know I promised to get it from her. And take her that stupid poster. So I'm gonna look like a total obsessed kid before they even realize it's ME!!! Still. Five minutes with a player – that’s definitely worth $60. And then… we saw Ros.
And let me explain before K jumps in with her annoying comments. Ros was rocking a really pretty red, black, and white cheetah-patterned dress. And I saw her, got something very close to stage fright, went ‘Oh shoot!’ and proceeded to duck behind K. And K, supportive friend that she is, got an evil grin on her face, grabbed my arm, and said “Let’s go talk to her!” Need I say that we did? She was very nice too. She said, “Hey, poster girls!” and we said, “Hi!”. And engaged her in very witty (we thought) conversation. We’ve learned that throw in a lot of compliments and they start to like you. Ros was very nice, laughing with – at? – us and telling me to keep bringing my “ROSALYN” poster to the games so she has a lasting legacy or something. What was I to do? I agreed! So if you see a Ros poster next year, that would be why. I won't even comment here. I wasn't that bad. So, don't sass me. OK what am I supposed to do? Say "Ya, that'd be cool, but you're not cool enough for me to even PRETEND to want to do that." Ya right. Like that'd happen. So shut your mouth and DON'T SASS ME!!
We then talked to Kayla – wow, they didn’t call it ‘social hour’ for nothing – who was looking great in a skirt and pink top. She smiled at us, said “Hey, the poster girls!” and talked to us for a little bit. We left her in peace pleased, flattered, and totally and completely in awe. And then we looked at each other quizzically. For hadn’t Ros just called us the Poster Girls? We think we may have a team name. Oh great. And now we can’t figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
After talking to Kayla we entered the dining room. Wow. Fancy. K and I were suitably impressed. We ducked out of JJ’s way – who had decked out her crutches in fuschia and black tape that matched her outfit, very classy – and split up to our respective tables. We looked at our booklets for a while – not only did they say our names on them, but they had little notes from all the players to the seniors, which was a very nice and personal touch – and then paid full attention to Tara as she started to talk. We thing she summed up the evening pretty well when she said that “It’s a bittersweet evening.” And it was.
She introduced all the classes together. Freshmen first, and then sophomores, etc. She said something nice and something encouraging about every player. K and I were looking at each other and mouthing “So true! Aw! Awwww!” at each other until K’s mom very kindly switched with me so I was sitting with K at Sarah’s table. So then we didn’t just have to mouth it – we could say it! And the best part of the evening (in my opinion) was when Tara introduced Jeanette. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Judging from that laugh I think K remembers what's coming. Not that she could forget, of course. Just pay attention to the story :) Now, before I say what happened, bear in mind that we were both sort of punch-drunk and excited and were, as we always are, a little bit insane. So Tara introduces Jeanette and says, “Jeanette’s biggest fan is here tonight…” and K rises halfway out of her seat and yells “THAT’S ME!” Everyone turns and stares at her, and Tara finishes her sentence. “Tonight… (That’s me!)… her mom.”. Jeanette starts laughing up on stage along with the rest of the Juniors, and so does the audience. To be fair I don't think Jeanette was really laughing on purpose. It was just not very easy not to laugh. Hahaha :D K sinks very low in her seat and tries to not look at anyone but me – especially not at Sarah, who’s trying very hard not to laugh at K but who’s failing miserably. That was horrible. Oh god. And also Tara looks at me as she says that.. What am I supposed to think? Well maybe Tara was trying to secretly tell you in her head "Keep quiet weird poster girl I'm not talking about you." Oh. Funny. Very witty, J. Hahaha, but that definitely gave you quite the laugh. Of course it did!! The entire ROOM was laughing at you! Thanks, J. Thanks again. Did I say at? I meant with! The whole room was laughing with you! Haha :) The rest of the evening passed fairly uneventfully, with speeches from the seniors – Jayne gained much admiration in our eyes for toughing out the speech even though she cried a little bit multiple times. Add that to our admiration of her for toughing out the game against the School-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named with a stress fracture in her foot and she’s got two pretty big fans!
Editors note-
Did either of you ever go to the Stanford Basketball Camp and get the “thing Jeanette had for you???? Inquiring minds (and our fans) want to know.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Chiney Ogwumike is A-Okay and Wins Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year!
This just in, Stanford recruit Chiney Ogwumike (and current Stanford player Nneka Ogwumike’s sister) won the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. Yes, we know she was already honored as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Basketball out of 50 states, but now she is the top female athlete according to Gatorade (she was picked among the 12 Women Gatorade National Players of the Year). In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. She got to meet Lisa Leslie and Brandi Chastain at an ESPN sponsored luncheon and walk the red carpet at the ESPN ESPY’s and be on TV! Cool. Hope it increases interest and coverage in women’s basketball, says C and R.
Wait, when did she find time to go to the awards ceremony? First she lead the USA Women's U18 National Team to a Gold Medal in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in June, dominating in scoring and praised for her leadership skills, and also competing in the San Francisco Pro-Am league on weekends. Does the girl sleep?
So speaking of Chiney and the SF Pro-Am League, and we were, C and R haven’t been able to get to San Francisco to watch the Chiney and the Stanford freshmen and almost freshmen play in the SF Pro-Am League, but that doesn’t mean our intrepid readers haven’t gone. MM reports that “Chiney’s length is incredible” and “even quicker off the floor than Nneka and gets higher than almost any Div 1 player”. He also had great things to say about Sara James and her long outside shooting (good, we need that). “She set and released in a split second - high arching shots that all hit the back of the net the same way. She made some successful forays into the paint”. SJ, Shooter and slasher, love it. We have to get up there.
Ms. MC reports that in her game she got to see Mikaela Ruef (The Roof is on Fire), Sarah Boothe (Booooo-th), Sara James (SJ), Toni Kokenis (nickname pending), and Chiney Ogumike (is A-Okay) play for Golden State. She also reports the pro-am games featuring the Stanford gang are well attended by Stanford alums. And last weekend, about 10 minutes in, who should walk in to the stands but current Stanford team members Jeanette Pohlen, Kayla Pederson and Nneka Ogwumike, giving some sister love. She also said she was impressed by the former and current Cal players (very diplomatic of you, MC). She said Alexis Gray-Lawson was very fan-friendly. She also invited us and everyone else to come on out.
Well, we just might take you to heart, as it is on our calendar to go this Saturday, unless we play golf… ahhh! Tough Choice!
Wait, when did she find time to go to the awards ceremony? First she lead the USA Women's U18 National Team to a Gold Medal in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in June, dominating in scoring and praised for her leadership skills, and also competing in the San Francisco Pro-Am league on weekends. Does the girl sleep?
So speaking of Chiney and the SF Pro-Am League, and we were, C and R haven’t been able to get to San Francisco to watch the Chiney and the Stanford freshmen and almost freshmen play in the SF Pro-Am League, but that doesn’t mean our intrepid readers haven’t gone. MM reports that “Chiney’s length is incredible” and “even quicker off the floor than Nneka and gets higher than almost any Div 1 player”. He also had great things to say about Sara James and her long outside shooting (good, we need that). “She set and released in a split second - high arching shots that all hit the back of the net the same way. She made some successful forays into the paint”. SJ, Shooter and slasher, love it. We have to get up there.
Ms. MC reports that in her game she got to see Mikaela Ruef (The Roof is on Fire), Sarah Boothe (Booooo-th), Sara James (SJ), Toni Kokenis (nickname pending), and Chiney Ogumike (is A-Okay) play for Golden State. She also reports the pro-am games featuring the Stanford gang are well attended by Stanford alums. And last weekend, about 10 minutes in, who should walk in to the stands but current Stanford team members Jeanette Pohlen, Kayla Pederson and Nneka Ogwumike, giving some sister love. She also said she was impressed by the former and current Cal players (very diplomatic of you, MC). She said Alexis Gray-Lawson was very fan-friendly. She also invited us and everyone else to come on out.
Well, we just might take you to heart, as it is on our calendar to go this Saturday, unless we play golf… ahhh! Tough Choice!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
WNBA All Star Game
The following blog is NOT paid for by the Jayne Appel fan club, nor by the “I hate Jayne Appel Fan Club”, nor by any fan club because this is a blog about women’s sports and boy don’t we know how nobody pays nobody nohow to write or pay attention to women’s sports, but we digress. We digress because we are rambling, and we are rambling because we don’t want to write what really needs to be said…..Jayne did not have a good All Star game arrrrgh, there we said it. She got many minutes, that’s for sure, but she was also playing against Sylvia Fowles, who would go on to score 23 points, most of them over Jayne, and be the All Star MVP (R was VERY impressed with Sylvia). Jayne looked ineffective and a little lost, as much as we former Jayne supporters and current Stafnrod supports hate to admit, although the WNBA team only had one practice, which lasted about an hour, so C and R are sure that contributed to the WNBA side not playing well. She also could not move quickly or jump for the ball, and maybe her injures are still bothering her. We did notice Jayne’s teammates did try to get her the ball, but Team USA was just quicker and had a longer arm span, and either stole the pass or knocked it away from her. On the bright side, Jayne was included in the Team USA practices they had prior to the All Star game and is technically on the Team USA roster.
The announcers spoke at length about Jayne in the third quarter, after Team USA had beaten up on the WNBA team (did you see Jayne at half time icing her nose? She took a hit on a rebound, we think). They said she Jayne has been fighting off injuries and couldn’t participate in her WNBA training camp, and most of her team was over seas early in the season and you need to practice against those types of players early in the season. Those were all salient points but then you look at rookie Tina Charles averaging a double double and leading the WNBA in rebounds. She also didn’t look lost on Team USA, probably because it was a similar system (Team USA is coached by her college coach, Geno, Although he kinda left her out to dry by baiting her with money to try to take a three point shot, and when she shot and missed TWO, he yanked her and teased her about it.), and Tina is not fighting injuries the way Jayne is. Sigh, C and R were bummed, man.
Incidentally, C watched the network sports center that night and not a mention of the WNBA All Star game. It featured Team USA, the National Team, and usually the networks will mention that, but again, nothing. C opened the paper the next day and back on the last page, there was one short paragraph that Sylvia Fowles won the MVP for Team USA against the WNBA All Stars. There was a slightly larger paragraph about the Stanford freshmen playing on the Pro- Am in San Francisco. More ink on that instead of the women’s pro basketballs league and Team USA? So typical, so disappointing.
The announcers spoke at length about Jayne in the third quarter, after Team USA had beaten up on the WNBA team (did you see Jayne at half time icing her nose? She took a hit on a rebound, we think). They said she Jayne has been fighting off injuries and couldn’t participate in her WNBA training camp, and most of her team was over seas early in the season and you need to practice against those types of players early in the season. Those were all salient points but then you look at rookie Tina Charles averaging a double double and leading the WNBA in rebounds. She also didn’t look lost on Team USA, probably because it was a similar system (Team USA is coached by her college coach, Geno, Although he kinda left her out to dry by baiting her with money to try to take a three point shot, and when she shot and missed TWO, he yanked her and teased her about it.), and Tina is not fighting injuries the way Jayne is. Sigh, C and R were bummed, man.
Incidentally, C watched the network sports center that night and not a mention of the WNBA All Star game. It featured Team USA, the National Team, and usually the networks will mention that, but again, nothing. C opened the paper the next day and back on the last page, there was one short paragraph that Sylvia Fowles won the MVP for Team USA against the WNBA All Stars. There was a slightly larger paragraph about the Stanford freshmen playing on the Pro- Am in San Francisco. More ink on that instead of the women’s pro basketballs league and Team USA? So typical, so disappointing.
Friday, July 9, 2010
WNBA All Star Voting
Hi, how was your fourth? C and R didn’t lose any fingers or burn down any forests with illegal fireworks, so all in all, a successful 4th of July. A trip to the beach today shed light on a true Stanford fan when she said, “I hope someone beats Uconn this year, Stanford, heck, I don’t even care if it’s Tennessee, as long as someone beats UConn this year.” Well said, which was hard to do as all our teeth were chattering at another (freezing) day at the beach in July in Northern California. (Hey New York, want some of our fog?)
Don’t forget to watch Jayne Appel ride the bench in the WNBA All Star game tomorrow. It’s weird how that all unfolded. First of all, Team USA coach and current UConn coach Geno Auriemma got the WNBA to change their format of East and West All Stars to WNBA All Stars playing his Team USA. Then someone at the WNBA decided to let the fans vote for anyone, any position, and they will take the top ten fan votes and if they are on Team USA, they will play for Team USA and the others will play for the WNBA. And then the city of San Antonio gets into the act, who, by the way must have the best fans in the world because when all the votes were counted, four of the top ten were San Antonio Silver Stars, one of them being Jayne Appel, who is not exactly All Star material. But she WAS on Team USA, at least in the winter, but apparently she has been dropped and might be added at a later date. So she and Silver Stars Becky Hammon, Michelle Snow, and Sophia Young plus Lauren Jackson were put on the WNBA All Star team. So the coaches added Sancho Lyttle, Iziane Castro Marques, Crystal Langhorne, Penny Taylor, Katie Douglas and Rebekkah Brunson. Oh, the Lindseys Whalen and Harding and Monique Curry were also added because of injured players. Got all that? A little convoluted. So who is on the Team USA Roster?
The U.S. team is led by Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Swin Cash, and Sylvia Fowles. Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Angel McCoughtry, Renee Montgomery, Cappie Pondexter and UConn's Maya Moore. Six out of the ten are UConn players. Hmmm, C and R don’t remember Tara VanDerveer stacking her Olympic Team with that many Stanford players.
Anyhoo, tune in tomorrow to one of the ESPN channels. C and R’s bet is that Team USA will annihilate the WNBA roster, because Team USA is the WNBA All Star roster.
Don’t forget to watch Jayne Appel ride the bench in the WNBA All Star game tomorrow. It’s weird how that all unfolded. First of all, Team USA coach and current UConn coach Geno Auriemma got the WNBA to change their format of East and West All Stars to WNBA All Stars playing his Team USA. Then someone at the WNBA decided to let the fans vote for anyone, any position, and they will take the top ten fan votes and if they are on Team USA, they will play for Team USA and the others will play for the WNBA. And then the city of San Antonio gets into the act, who, by the way must have the best fans in the world because when all the votes were counted, four of the top ten were San Antonio Silver Stars, one of them being Jayne Appel, who is not exactly All Star material. But she WAS on Team USA, at least in the winter, but apparently she has been dropped and might be added at a later date. So she and Silver Stars Becky Hammon, Michelle Snow, and Sophia Young plus Lauren Jackson were put on the WNBA All Star team. So the coaches added Sancho Lyttle, Iziane Castro Marques, Crystal Langhorne, Penny Taylor, Katie Douglas and Rebekkah Brunson. Oh, the Lindseys Whalen and Harding and Monique Curry were also added because of injured players. Got all that? A little convoluted. So who is on the Team USA Roster?
The U.S. team is led by Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Swin Cash, and Sylvia Fowles. Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Angel McCoughtry, Renee Montgomery, Cappie Pondexter and UConn's Maya Moore. Six out of the ten are UConn players. Hmmm, C and R don’t remember Tara VanDerveer stacking her Olympic Team with that many Stanford players.
Anyhoo, tune in tomorrow to one of the ESPN channels. C and R’s bet is that Team USA will annihilate the WNBA roster, because Team USA is the WNBA All Star roster.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Slow Summer
Is it July already? How’s your summer going? Ours is a little slow going, and we haven’t been to SF yet to watch the Stanford young uns in the pro-am league yet, although R did get the letter to buy the Stanford season tickets, so yay, that makes us fell like college basketball is right around the corner.
In other basketball news, Jayne Appel finished in the top ten for All Star voting, or whatever you want to call this game between Team USA and WNBA All Stars. So C and R read that if you are voted in the game and are already a Team USA member, you get to play for Team USA. Well, Jayne was at the last 2 USA training camps, although she was injured and yet her name was not on the Team USA roster. It is being reported on the WNBA site that Jayne will practice along side Team USA in the mini-training camp before the All Star game “in hopes of being added to the squad at a later date”. Hmmm. Noticed there were 7 former or current (Maya Moore) UConn players on Team USA roster. Oh, did we forget to mention the USA head coach is the head coach of UConn?
Plus, Team USA will scrimmage the Australian National Team the day after the All Star game, yet the game is not opened to the public. Double hmmmm. Man, they have a captive women’s basketball audience in town watching the All Star game and the next day Team USA plays Australia and you don’t think to sell tickets, T-Shirts, televise it and advertise and make money!?!! Are we missing something?
C and R are bummed the Candices are out of training camp (The Candi?). Candice Wiggins and Candace Parker are both injured and out for the year.
In other news that just might affect basketball…
We forgot to give you the finalized count of teams defecting to the PAC-10. Just the two. Colorado jumped right away and when the big schools in Texas and Oklahoma didn’t budge, the PAC-10 got Utah to have an even dozen. Now there is talk of implementing the change in 2011. The San Fran Chronicle said The PAC-12 was thinking of having two conferences and drawing a line somewhere in Mountain View, so Stanford and CAL would still play each other but UCLA will be in the other division and that was probably going to be our closest rival for the next few years. The funny thing was the PAC-10 was hoping to bring in higher profile schools to make more money off of their football games, and when that failed miserably, the teams are going to lose even more money from the (non) match ups. Utah vs. Stanford in football? Does that sound like a guaranteed sell out at Stanford to you?
Have a cool Fourth if we don’t hear from you, and don’t blow off any fingers. Let us know if you have seen any of the Stanford Pro Am games.
In other basketball news, Jayne Appel finished in the top ten for All Star voting, or whatever you want to call this game between Team USA and WNBA All Stars. So C and R read that if you are voted in the game and are already a Team USA member, you get to play for Team USA. Well, Jayne was at the last 2 USA training camps, although she was injured and yet her name was not on the Team USA roster. It is being reported on the WNBA site that Jayne will practice along side Team USA in the mini-training camp before the All Star game “in hopes of being added to the squad at a later date”. Hmmm. Noticed there were 7 former or current (Maya Moore) UConn players on Team USA roster. Oh, did we forget to mention the USA head coach is the head coach of UConn?
Plus, Team USA will scrimmage the Australian National Team the day after the All Star game, yet the game is not opened to the public. Double hmmmm. Man, they have a captive women’s basketball audience in town watching the All Star game and the next day Team USA plays Australia and you don’t think to sell tickets, T-Shirts, televise it and advertise and make money!?!! Are we missing something?
C and R are bummed the Candices are out of training camp (The Candi?). Candice Wiggins and Candace Parker are both injured and out for the year.
In other news that just might affect basketball…
We forgot to give you the finalized count of teams defecting to the PAC-10. Just the two. Colorado jumped right away and when the big schools in Texas and Oklahoma didn’t budge, the PAC-10 got Utah to have an even dozen. Now there is talk of implementing the change in 2011. The San Fran Chronicle said The PAC-12 was thinking of having two conferences and drawing a line somewhere in Mountain View, so Stanford and CAL would still play each other but UCLA will be in the other division and that was probably going to be our closest rival for the next few years. The funny thing was the PAC-10 was hoping to bring in higher profile schools to make more money off of their football games, and when that failed miserably, the teams are going to lose even more money from the (non) match ups. Utah vs. Stanford in football? Does that sound like a guaranteed sell out at Stanford to you?
Have a cool Fourth if we don’t hear from you, and don’t blow off any fingers. Let us know if you have seen any of the Stanford Pro Am games.
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