Videos of Pat Summitt, coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols

I've just published a Hub Page about Pat Summitt, the coach of the Lady Vols, which features a few videos of the iconic coach.

Pat Summitt's Definite Dozen

Elizabeth Lambert is a disgrace to her race...

PROVO, Utah -- A New Mexico soccer player has become an Internet celebrity for the wrong reasons.

Junior defender Elizabeth Lambert was suspended Friday for her infractions the day before during a 1-0 loss to BYU in a Mountain West Conference semifinal. Lambert is seen in video from the game throwing elbows, colliding with several players and then yanking the ponytail of a BYU player who went crashing to the ground.

"My actions were uncalled for," Lambert said in a statement released by New Mexico. "I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation."

Lambert's actions brought unprecedented -- and unwanted -- attention to the Mountain West women's soccer tournament.


I chose my title to be ironic. What's interesting about this news report at CBS Sportsline is the comments made to it. Anytime a black athlete does something like this, there are dozens of posters commenting on how "you can take the "person" out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the "person" - and you know what word I'm using the euphemism of person for...there's also a lot of use of the n-word, and not in a complimentary way.

But Elizabeth Lambert gives people kidney punches and pulls a girl down by her ponytail, and the only thing the posters have to say is jokes about now people will have a reason to watch women's soccer...they want to see a catfight.

An Open Letter to Bob Griese

Dear Mr. Griese

The strength of the cult of victimhood in this country is growing every day, and I'm sorry to see that you have become a victim of it.

You made a joke - a joke - about a man of Latino descent eating a taco when he should have been working, and your joke has been recast into an "ethnic slur" for which you were forced to apologize, and get suspended for a week.

For what?

Does this mean every taco truck that serves the Latino communities around the US now have to change their names because it is racist? I'm reminded of the Beanery restaurant, named after coffee beans, that changed its name to something less evocative because they were afraid that Mexicans would think it was a racist slur because, stereotypically (and also, you know, culturally) they eat beans. A different kind of bean than the coffee bean, mark you.

I'm reminded of a case many years ago, when Lou Piniella was in the broadcast booth with some other guy, an explayer whose name escapes me. In the course of the conversation, rising out of it naturally, the guy said something about 'let me move my wallet to the other side,'. because he didn't want Lou to make off with it. A simple joke, that could be made of anyone, but because Lou was of Hispanic descent, that joke was racist and the guy was fired the next day! Ridiculous!

Then we have the case of Shaq, a few years ago. Stretched out his eyes slantwise and spoke in noises trying to sound like Chinese, just having some fun with Yao Ming. The Asian press erupted, calling for him to be suspended, but Shaq REFUSED to back down, saying it was just a joke. Well, of course if you're black (or any minority) you can't be racist, and so he was allowed to "get away with it." (Not that what he did was racist, but if he'd been any white player, up to and including Larry Bird, he'd have been suspended in a heartbeat.)

It's ironic, when I read the comment threads on YouTube that carry the snippet of your remark, that so many of them calling you a racist refer to others disparagingly as gay or retarded. So it's okay to be homophobic or handicappophobic, but racist...oh no!

That't the thing of course. By apologizing for "uttering a racial slur" (and I'm still waiting to find out where the slur was in that,) you have now been branded a racist. Because obviously someone who utters one racist slur is an out and out racist, no matter the context of when that slur was uttered.

I also think of the message boards of the UConn Huskies and the Tennessee Lady Vols. The north and the south. And the disparaging terms each set of fans says to the others about STEREOTYPICAL northern and southern behavior. Inbreeding in the south, wheyfaces in the north, for example. Of course, since these are white folks making these cracks about each other, it's not racist or regionalist... but let a black poster get attacked and decide to make an issue of it.... whoa nellie!

In short, Mr. Griese, I'm sure you made you joke in all innocence, and didn't expect it to offend anyone. And I regret that you allowed yourself to be intimidated into apologizing for something that didn't need to be apologized for. I regret that the news media is saying you said a "racial slur" when all you did was make a joke! (I don't watch comics on TV - white or black - but I'm willing to be that 90% of their comedy is based on stereotpyes and *that* is why it's funny.)

Please, Mr. Griese, stand up for yourself and unfortunate tellers of jokes everywhere. "No, I did not utter a racist slur. I just made a joking comment and since it wasn't about a white player sloughing off to have a Big Mac but rather a Latino player having a taco, everyone's got their knickers in a twist, and they should just lighten up."

That is what you should have said. Instead, your apology has just given yet more strength to the cult of victimhood that is in the process of destroying this country.

Brett Favre's waffling commercial

I can't root for my team, the Vikings, anymore because the evil Greenbay Packer Brett Favre is now the quarterback...

But I've got to admit this commercial is hilarious. (This is the extended version.)

What are we teaching our children?

The headline at CBS Sportline read: LeGarrette Blount suspended for season for punching taunter.

LeGarrette Blount is a college football player. He may be suspended, but he retains his scholarship and will be able to practice with the team.

Meanwhile his victim, who "asked for it" is probably contemplating suing Blount for assault. Well...he's probably not contemplating it, but lots and lots of lawyers are undoubtedly contemplating it and contacting him promising he won't have to pay a thing unless they get a sizeable settlement from the University for whom Blount plays.

A couple of weeks ago, some college coach wanted his players to shake hands with the players of the opposing team before playing the game. And sports pundits wagged their heads, saying that could never happen because, if two football teams got near each other before the game, emotions would be running so high that fights would undoubtedly break out.

What kind of human beings are our schools churning out, that "men" in college can't even shake hands with each other before a sporting contest. And of course, it's not just the athletes, most of whom wouldn't even qualify to be at that college at all, except they have the physical skills to play football.

But it's not just football players who are animals, of course. What's worse is that the fans are - sitting around in sports bars and getting drunk, and then if some poor nebbish comes in wearing a hat from another team, he's going to get stomped into a coma and the only reaction will be, "Well, he should have known better to go into a sports bar wearing that hat."

Then there's professional wrestling. I never watch that crap, but I see the commercials on TV and they are all the same, lots of over-muscled jocks preening and prancing around, lots of over-endowed women strutting around on high-heels knowing that they are no more than eye-candy and sex objects, with no respect in any gaze looking at them. And what do kids learn? Why, that it's perfectly all right to hit a referee trying to stop you from beating up on a downed opponent, it's perfectly all right stomping someone lying helpless on the ground before you, it's perfectly all right to show no sportsmanship whatever.

And then we wonder how gangs of young kids - both girls and boys - can be wandering around throwing rocks or snowballs at people, and should their victim get angry and tell them off, they'll surround him and stomp him into a coma like the animals they are.

I hate to insult animals with my analogy, by the way. Humans are worse than animals, because they have the brains to know the consequences of their actions. Sadly, they just don't care....

And that makes for a frightening world. 4,000 years of "evolution", and people are just as vicious and psychotic now as they've ever been.

Put Names on the Backs of the Shirts!

I just tuend in to the WNBA All-Star game. We've got players in white and players in orange, and not a single player has their name on the back of their shirt so the casual viewer can tell who they are.

That just irks me.

They do it in baseball - the Yankees don't condescend to put names on the backs of their shirts and have never done so. Pat Summit doesn't do it for the Lady Vols.

But when we're talking about the WNBA, a league struggling to establish itself as legitimate (because there are so many male chauvanists out there, and women chauvanists too, who don't respect it), it would help a great deal to add some name recognition to the teams.

Mark Buerhle throws perfect game

On July 23, 2009, Mark Buerhle of the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game. ESPN showed the last inning, and it was nice to actually see some drama - the first Tampa Ray batter of that inning actually hit a homerun...except defensive substitution DeWayne Wise climbed the wall and snatched the ball back.

...then juggled it for a few seconds before gaining control!

Congrats to Buerhle.

Now, if only my Boston Red Sox can get their act together! And if only the Yankees will go on a 20-game losing streak. That would make me happy.

So Much For Good Sports

“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

LeBron James apparently doesn't even know the meaning of the phrase "poor sport."

Someone beats you - of course you go over and shake their hand! That's what being a good sport is all about. To do anything less - which is apparently what quite a few athletes feel - is just disgusting.

Big Baby Shoves Kid...or does he?

The father of the 12 year old kid whom Big Baby of the Boston Celtics pushed (and it looks like he did it accidently) wants an apology.

If you look at the video (and I really dislike the jerk who put it together - either shave off the beard or grow a moustache, you poseur!) he's running past the kid and his hand just accidently hits the kid in the back.

If you've got Kindle, you've got Jacoby Ellsbury

Last night, Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury endeared himself to a whole nation of fans when he stole home off of Andy Pettite.

Jacoby first rose to national baseball prominence during the last month of the 2007 season, when he helped the Red Sox get to the World Series and win it. His 2008 season was also excellent, although he platooned with Coco Crisp for much of the year.

After a slow start, batting wise, to 2009, Jacoby has started to hit, and his steal of home - a straight steal, not a suicide squeeze, was his tenth of the year.

Athletes go broke quicker than anybody

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364/1/index.htm

According to a Sports Illustrated article published in March, 2009:

• By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.

• Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.

• Numerous retired MLB players have been similarly ruined, and the current economic crisis is taking a toll on some active players as well. (Last month 10 current and former big leaguers—including outfielders Johnny Damon of the Yankees and Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox and pitchers Mike Pelfrey of the Mets and Scott Eyre of the Phillies—discovered that at least some of their money is tied up in the $8 billion fraud allegedly perpetrated by Texas financier Robert Allen Stanford.)

You note that they don't give the percentage of how many MLB players go broke after two years or five years. Obviously it's much less than 60%...otherwise they'd surely mention it. There's perhaps a reason for that... although as the above paragraph states, lots of baseball players invested in what they thought were wise investments with fraudsters, instead of sheer stupidity...

Three basketball players were mentioned, whose main problem is that they have a gazillion children - each by a different woman:

Children almost always complicate the issue. How to limit paternity obligations is a challenge for pro athletes. Former NBA forward Shawn Kemp (who has at least seven children by six women) and, more recently, Travis Henry (nine by nine) have seen their fortunes sapped by monthly child-support payments in the tens of thousands of dollars. Last month Henry, who reportedly earned almost $11 million over seven years in the NFL, tried and failed to temporarily reduce one of his nine child-support payments by arguing that he could no longer afford the $3,000 every month. Two weeks later he was jailed for falling $16,600 behind in payments for his child in Frostproof, Fla.

An aversion to family planning goes hand in hand with neglect of other forms of financial foresight, which can affect what happens to athletes' fortunes even after they die. Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas, who died at 33 following a January 2000 car crash, had ignored the urging of his financial adviser to make a will, and his entire estate was left for the court to divide, touching off a legal battle among the five mothers of his seven children. (Of the estimated $30 million Thomas had earned in the NFL, he had only $1.16 million in valued assets at the time of his death.)

>>How to limit paternity obligations is a challenge for pro athletes.

I would think it would be very simple. Don't have unprotected sex with a woman. Use a little thing called a condom, or better still, get a vasectomy! Then you can have all the sex you want without fear that you'll have baggage hanging around your neck for the rest of your life!

Beat the Streak 2009 is here!

http://www.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/bts/y2009/

I missed out on yesterday's game, but got started with today's game. I've already made my first 10 choices (the most you're allowed to make at one time is ten games). Of course, some of those I'll modify on the day of the game, but it's important that you never miss a game, because if you forget to choose a player, that ends your streak, assuming you've got one!

So, I chose Dustin Pedroia for today, and he rewarded me by hitting a homerun in his first at-bat.

These early games are really a "crap-shoot," as it's too early in the season to know if a player is on a streak or in a slump. But if Pedroia's homer is any guide, looks like he's starting out as hot now as he was when the season ended last year.

My next 10 picks (which may be modified - I'll update you each day with any changes) are

April 7 - Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox - homerun
April 8 - Dustin Pedroia again. He hits Scott Kazmir well
April 9 - Jacoby Ellsbury has a good average against Garza. I'll see how he does in these first two games, then may or may not keep him.
April 10 - Derek Jeter. He hits well against Sidney Ponson.
April 11 - Mark Loretta (Dodgers) against Brandon Webb.
April 12 - Ryan Howard (Phillies) vs Aaron Cook
April 13 - Jed Lowrie of the Red Sox
April 14 - Derek Jeter
April 15 - Derek Jeter
April 16 - Manny Ramirez

Slight hiccup on the road to fame and fortune

I have blogged here many times about how I discovered the Tennessee Lady Vols, but today, after a historic loss, I feel the need to blog again.

In all of her 30+ years as a Women's basketball coach, none of Pat Summitt's teams have NOT made it to the Sweet 16. Until last night, when her young team - 1 senior, 1 sophomore, the rest freshmen, bowed out in a rather bad loss to a number 12 ranked team - they were ranked number 5.

And I feel sorry for the team. And for Pat Summitt. All of the freshmen were All-Americans, and apparently they were all friends, but when it came to the big stage, they had more losses this year than any other Pat Summitt team. (Except one, with Chamique Holdsclaw. That team managed to win the Championship ()after the retun of an injured player who was their point guard) ...this team couldn't even get out of the first round.)



But what really makes me laugh, and shake my head, is the attitude of The Summitt - the official message board for the Lady Vols.

Indeed, it was the attititude of this board that turned me against the Lady Vols, all those years ago.

I had first heard of Pat Summitt as the winningest coach in women's college basketball, and looking for female role models, I decided to watch the Lady Vols. Of course the game I chose to watch was one that featured Tennessee against UConn, their historic rival. (Indeed, that's *why* I had heard of Pat Summitt, there was a lot of hype about the game, as there was every year, but this year the Lady Vols were undefeated and trying for an undefeated season. They would end up being defeated, rather badly, by UConn, in that game.)

Nevertheless, I liked Pat Summitt, and as an aside, it really irritated me to see men coaching women's DIvision I basketball teams - although they have done so for 20 years, of course. Now on the one hand I didn't care, a coach is a coach, but until the men's Division I game has 50% women's coaches, the Women's division sure as heck shouldn't have men's coaches! [Sadly, though, I think many women...even today, in 2009, would rather play for a male coach, because men have the "right" to tell them what to do, whereas women ...don't. Sad. But no sadder than those religious teams that won't even let women referees ref a game between two male highschool teams, because women "mustn't be in power over men" as happened in 2007...]

Anyway, so I found the WCBB message boards. Every team has one - for all its college teams, but football is the most popular, followed by men's basketball. Sad to say, most of the women's team barely had a presence on those official boards. The two most vocal ones were the Summitt and the Boneyard (UConn), and while a few others such as Duke and North Carolina had somewhat active boards, they paled in comparison to the actvity going on at those two. Which made only sense, I suppose, as the Lady Vols and the UConn Huskies are the two most successful WCBB programs in the country.

I'll wrap this up for today with a few books on the Lady Vols and UConn, and take it up tomorrow with my tale of the Summitt message board...the karma destroyers who made the Lady Vols what they are on this day....

Baggy uniforms fine, stripes bad

I was surprised today to find out that a Chicago high school basketball team had been assessed a technical - at the very start of a tournament game - because their basketball uniforms.... had an illegal stripe.

And I'm thinking... what?

We've got kids running around in baggy shorts extending past their knees, that look absolutey stupid, like they're swimming in fabric (how many poor people could be clothed if the excess fabric was removed from basketball shorts and made into shorts for them????) and yet they're penalized because a stripe on the jersey went horizontally around the chest instead of vertically at the sides?

Scary.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-21-lawndale-jerseymar21,0,6599783.story

Are Women Poor Sports?

Sports Illustrated dedicated a few pages to this question in an article published in 1955.

There was never any question that *men* were good sports, trained to be so after decades of competition. But women? Well...'they were learning.'

Seems to me that being a good or poor sport is as individual as the athlete. Anyone wanna tell me Ty Cobb was a good sport?

The Question: Norbert L. Harms Of St. Louis, In His Answer To The Hotbox Question, "should Women Hunt?" Said: "...basically, Women Are Poor Sports." Are They?

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129995/2/index.htm

High Fives for stepping on an opposing player's face

Aubrey Coleman of Houston is the "man" doing the stepping, Chase Budinger of Arizona is the man being stepped on. Arizona ended up winning the game.

(Note, after a couple of replays, we see the reactin of the Houston bench. Aubrey, laughing like he just did somethign to be proud of, gets a high five from a teammate. However, he apparently was ejected from the game.)



Christian Laettner did something similar, but at least he stepped on the guy's chest, not his face...(though he still deserved to be suspended).

Geno Admits He Was Wrong

Many people, in commenting on the Geno Auriemma - Nicole Michael situation, said that Geno had no business trying to teach manners to another coach's players.

In his weekly TV show, Geno admits that he made a mistake.

http://soxanddawgs.com/2009/01/24/geno-admits-he-was-wrong/

This site has the relevant video from Geno's show.

It's very rare for someone to admit, publicly, that they made a mistake, so kudos to Geno for doing so.

I wonder if Nicole Michael will come out and say she made a mistake in trying to trip Geno? After all, she is 21 - old enough to know better. It's one thing to get into a verbal altercation with someone, quite another to actually physically attack them - that should never be acceptable.

Kay Yow, coach of North Carolina State, has died

http://www.cbssports.com/ncaawbasketball/story/11297089

Her story was one of courage and hope. Despite having breast cancer for many years, she endured chemotherapy and then came to coach her team.

I know I shouldn't make atheist hay out of such a tragic event, but I must say I've got a bewildered twist to my lips right now.

Just checked the two main WCBB message boards I read on a regualar basis, and everyone expressing their sadness and saying farewell ends with a "God bless" or a "Receive God's grace in its fullest" if you're actually a priest as well as a basketball fan.

And I'm thinking... this woman has suffered with a terrible disease for a decade, but now that she has fulfilled God's plan and died she'll receive his grace in the fullest.

On the other hand, apparently she was a deeply religious person herself, and the fact that that didn't prevent God from bestowing this terrible disease on her never made her waiver in her faith.

Also today on one of these two boards, a couple of people have family or a friend who is also going through a health crisis, and so they are making posts saying "Prayers needed," and requesting prayers - from total strangers - for their own loved ones. And the people are responding, assuring the requestor that they will keep this other individual in their prayers.

And while that's certainly very nice, I'm thinking.... why bother? Did prayers help Kay Yow? Miraculously cure her of cancer because she was such a great person? (Which she was - don't mistake me on that.)

I must confess I don't understand the mind of a religious person, whether Christian or Jew, and definitely not Muslim!

But what's easier to believe, that there is no God, and that these diseases are horrible mutations that have to be cured through science, or there IS a God, and he goes about laying these horrible diseases on people as part of his plan to test them and make sure they won't waiver in their faith. And after a few years of suffering for most, and perhaps one "miraculous" cure for every one in ten thousand, the individual gets to die and go up to heaven where they'll live eternally in God's love. Oh, yeah, that'd make me feel better.

Regret Sometimes Rings a Little Hollow

A Texas high school girls basketball team on the winning end of a 100-0 game has a case of blowout remorse.

Now officials from The Covenant School say they are trying to do the right thing by seeking a forfeit and apologizing for the margin of victory.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=903780

Okay - here's probably what happened. The girls were enjoying destroying their opponent, so much so that they had absolutely no qualms during the game of dropping 100 points on them.

AFTER the game, the outrage about what they had done made the coach and players feel uncomfortable... "Hey, we'd better apologize about this so these people criticizing us will think we're sorry we did it."

They could have stopped at any point in that game and taken it easy... to feel sorry afterwards just sounds bogus to me.

On the other hand, clearly that other team did not belong on the same court, and whoever scheduled the two, made a mistake.

Clemson fan bodyslams Chas McFarland

Wake Forest-Clemson battle, Jan 17, 2009

Wake Forest center Chas McFarland goes into the stands, falling, tries to get up, and a Clemson fan, who'd been "speared", body slams him.

Does Geno Get Tripped

On Saturday, January 17, the Syracuse Orange Women played the UConn Huskies, coached by Geno Auriemma.

Before the game, the Orange Women, in various pre-game interviews, sounded confident, and like they expected to be able to win.

The UConn players proceeded to double them up on the score, and Geno left his starters in, and they continued to bomb threes, until practically the end of the game.

According to the announcers and the UConn fans watching the game, Syracuse played "dirty" the entire game. Although, when one of UConn's stars, Caroline Doty, went down with what everyone hopes is not an ACL injury, it was on a fast break and no Syracuse player can be held responsible.

In the clip you see above, Nicole Michael, junior forward for Syracuse, seems to turn toward Geno and either kick him or try to trip him. Or perhaps Geno just accidently steps on her foot as she attempts to confront him. Whatever happens, she certainly turns and walks away very quickly.

Candace Parker Still Has Nightmares...

about LaToya Pringle guarding her.

So said North Carolina Tar Heel coach Sylvia Hatchell, when Pringle's number was retired a fwe days ago.

And this has got The Summitt - the Lady Vols message board, all up in arms.

They have gone back through the record books, and Parker's career low in points apparently came facing other teams, not the Tar Heels and Pringle.

Therefore, these rabid fans say, Hatchell was lying! She was trying to pump up Pringle at the expense of Candace Parker, and she should be ashamed!

What none of these foaming-at-the-mouth fans -- who are all outraged by this -- seem to want to consider, is, maybe Candace Parker, learning that Pringle's jersey was t be retired, called up Hatchell and gave her that little anecdote. Or maybe Parker and Pringle, who are in the WNBA together, albeit on different teams, are friends, and Parker told Pringle that and Pringle told her coach, and that's where the quote came from.

Now - I dont' know whether that's true or not, but I'd certainly give Hatchell the benefit of the doubt rather than getting my knickers in a twist about it, the more so because...it's no big deal.

But, as any sports fan knows, to rabid sports fans, any slight, imagined or otherwise, is a big deal, and absolutely must never be forgiven, and must be brought up, over and over and over again.

The Summitt is certainly not unusual in having these types of fans, but I just do have to laugh every time I read that board, because most of the people there do wear orange colored blinders.

For example, in particular during the off-season when there's no basketball going on, discussion at The Boneyard would have a few threads on the Lady Vols.

So, over on the Summitt, you'd get people making snarky comments "We should call The Boneyard The Summitt II, because they sure are obsessed with us."

Not seeming to realize the fact that they are obsessed with the Boneyard - why else read a rival team's board to begin with?

But of course, if you go to the Summitt, you see an equal number of threads discussing the UConn Huskies, but if someone jokingly refers to the Summitt as the Boneyard II (coff, coff) they are met with outrage! They aren't obsessed with UConn, it's the other way around.

I just have to laugh...

Betting on Basketball? You need this!

Okay, i don't really approve of sports betting... but it's better than black jack or slots where it's all luck!

With sports betting, if you know your stuff, you can make money. (The main reason why I don't approve is, the more money laid on a game, the more the guys with mushed noses don't want to lose... but if you wager carefully...

So anyway, check out this betting system: Sports Betting Champ.

I don't know that I'd call the info he shares "Explosive secrets" - sounds like standard internet hype to me... but the system works. (On paper, I hasten to add. All my money is in FRE, the stock of which I thought would go up after the bailout and which is still in the tank!... I should have stuck to sportsbetting!

Anyway, check it out.

Aha - I see it's demonstrated - well, a whole minute - on Youtube as well:

Women's basketball - PLEASE put names on jerseys!

There were two women's college basketball games on TV today...

I watched the Tennessee Lady Vols vs the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

I won't say a word about the abysmal first half the Lady Vols had - scoring a team-history low 13 points in that first half, or the abysmal second half Rutgers had. Except to say that anyone knew to women's basketball who just wanted to see what it was all about would not have become a fan after watching this game, I don't think.

Excuse for the Lady Vols is that actually they are the "Baby Vols" - 4 freshmen starting. They looked like it was their first game (and they were without their top defensive player) and they had more turnovers than points in that half...

But, anyway, the point is, neither the Lady Vols or the Scarlet Knights had their names on the back of their jerseys. So unless you are fans of the team, you wouldn't know who any of these players are! This was the first time I'd seen these girls play (normally I listen on the radio) and the only one I recognized was Angie Bjorkland. When they showed their faces at the line, I was able to put names to faces, but when they're running around, hard to tell. My memory for their numbers isn't that great - would've been a lot easier with names!

Same for Rutgers of course, only more important since I'd never seen them before!

It is really short-sighted of these coaches not to put names on jerseys! I suppose it's supposed to be "team-building" but all it does is make it harder for potential fans to care about the team they're watching. Everyone's anonymous!

It doesn't matter with a team like the New York Yankees, but for women's college basketball, where most teams hardly get anyone to turn out to games, being fan friendly is all important.

The new Gatorade commercial - crap!

How do you know a Gatorade commercial? Athletes running around, then refreshing themselves with the drink in the green bottle, eh?

Take a look at this - and tell me, if you hadn't been told it was a Gatorade commerical - would you even know it?



http://neswsports.com/2009/01/02/whats-g-g-commercial-gatorade-commercial/

They're talking about something called "G". No mention at all of the fact that it's a Gatorade commercial, no sight of a Gatorade bottle, plus there's the bad taste of a very frail Mohammed Ali...then the weirdos in the faceless hockey masks at the end.

If I drank Gatordate, I'd stop drinking it after seeing this commercial.

_______
And after a little research, I find that the whole blogosphere is talking and praising this ridiculous commercial!

"How clever of Gatorade," they say, "to not specify what they're advertising, so that peope will go to the web and search under "Lil Wayne" and "G" to see what it is."

Something that would never have worked without the internet so people could actually do that.

But I have to admit I'm surprised. I thought it was a repulsive and stupid commercial - just various athletes standing around while the camera pans past them, then the three guys in masks at the end doing the sinuous arm thang. Just looked stupid.

Why is John Daly so popular?

After the report that John Daly had been suspended from the PGA tour for 6 months (he can still golf in non-PGA events), a few people chimed in on the subject at CBSSportsline.com.

Most of them see Daly as a waste of space and a disgrace to golf, but quite a few are actually defending the guy, seeing him as a "regular guy" and a "colorful guy" - and the fact that he puts himself into a position where other people have power over him doesn't seem to matter.

By that I mean - if you get so drunk that you have to be arrested, and get to go places and do things dressed in an orange jump suit, you're hardly your own man, and there's nothing admirable about it.

Representative of young people, perhaps, they don't mind getting wasted and trashed every day, accomplishing nothing with their lives, and thinking that they're "free" because they dont' have to answer to anybody, not realzing that the only reason why they're not starving in the streets is because misguided governments give them welfare and free needles so they can continue their parasitic lives...

(Yes, I feel strongy about this. I have health issues myself, which have prevented me from accomplishing the great things I'd once dreamed of. To see perfectly healthy people, who could do anything they want, wasting their good fortune on drink and drugs when I'd do anything to have that health, just really, really pisses me off.)