Football is back!!!!

Rejoice dear brethren! Football is back in full effect! Last Thursday, I was so happy, I burst into a full-on dance of joy. That was until Sunday came and my Panthers got molly-wopped by those dreadful New York Giants. *sigh*

I had high hopes for Matt Moore. I mean, he was the anti-Jake Delhomme, right? Apparently not. He channeled Mr. Bojangles on Sunday afternoon by throwing three interceptions in the end zone. Who does that? Then, we went from bad to worse putting in the rookie, Jimmy Clausen.

Dude, I get that you're green. A lil' wet behind the ears, even. You should know by now that playing scared ain't never won anybody a football game. It's up to you to step up and take this spot now. John Fox can not afford to ride the same failing quarterback. If Matt Moore has another Sunday like he had yesterday, I guarantee YOU will be starting. #stepitup

Thank GOD the Falcons and the Cowboys lost and the WNBA finals started yesterday or I would have been totally pissed off about my whole Sunday. I feel like every time the Falcons and Cowboys lose, an angel gets wings. *shrug*

Sidenote: The first game of the WNBA finals was thebomb.com. I am SO excited about this series, it's not even funny. Both Seattle and Atlanta brought it in Game 1. Game 2 is tomorrow night on ESPN 2. Watch, I know I will be!

Marion Jones to the WNBA?

With all the world, seemingly, focused on college hoops this week, yours truly is looking ahead to this year's WNBA season. It is sure to be an eventful one with fallen track star Marion Jones signing with the Tulsa Shock.
It's so. She signed with the WNBA's newest team earlier this month after an individual workout. Jones was the starting point guard for the UNC Tarheels in the 1992-93 season as a freshman and a part of the 1994 National Championship team. Though she excelled in track *snicker* she attended Tarheel Country on a basketball scholarship, so mildly put, the girl had skills. She was actually drafted in 2003 by the Phoenix Mercury in the third round, but she never played a minute for the team.
Now, I'm sure you all have heard about her using performance enhancing drugs and having her medals from the 2000 Olympics revoked. She also served six months in federal prison for lying about taking the steroids (perjury) and for check fraud. The Tulsa Shock organization has said she deserves another chance to succeed at athletics. I agree.
At this point, I want to know if she can succeed without her helpers. At 34, I'm pretty sure she's not the point guard she was at Carolina some 18 years ago, but let's hope she's wised up a bit and can be the point guard this brand new team needs.
If nothing else, let's hope she'll be the voice those ladies need in the locker room to keep their heads on straight and focused on their sport.
I'm rooting for Jones. Her fall kinda took the wind outta my sails as a former athlete, but she serves as a reminder as to why we shouldn't put athletes on pedestals. They tend to fall off.
Good luck to Jones and the Detroit *cough* uh, Tulsa Shock.

She's baaaaaaaack ...

Reigning WNBA MVP Candace Parker made her return to the L.A. Sparks earlier this week after missing the months of May and June on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter Lailaa.
In her rookie season, Parker nabbed the coveted MVP trophy after winning her second straight NCAA title and MVP of that tourney along with a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics. If that wasn't enough in her year, she married Sacramento Kings forward/center Shelden Williams. Simply put, the woman has been busy!
***side note*** I predict that in 13 years this baby is going to be recruited by University of Tennessee for a full basketball scholarship for the class of 2031.
While I am an Atlanta Dream fan, I have been a huge fan of the L.A. Sparks since the very first WNBA season. Since the ladies in the city of angels are off to a 3-5 start, I am glad to see her back in the purple and gold. I do wonder though if it is too soon.
When women are pregnant, their bodies go through so many changes just to carry the baby for nine months and be able to push them out. I've seen instances where women who do office work are out of work three or four months after they have kids. So I wonder, is Parker returning to the court too soon?
I can understand that she wants to get back in shape and everything, but should she be going through the intense work outs and game situations not even two months after giving birth?
In the league's inaugural season, one of the most recognizable names then was Sheryl Swoopes. She was the first player signed to the league but she didn't play a single minute until very late in the season because she was pregnant. She only played nine games that year.
She only took six weeks to recover from the birth of her son, and averaged only 7 points and 2 rebounds a game. The very next year, her point average per game doubled and she grabbed three times as many rebounds. Given those stats, I wonder what it would have been had Swoopes opted to sit out the entire first year.
With Parker, I worry that she's doing too much too fast. I know she's young and she's got that bounce back, but recovery from child birth is not something you want to rush. I'm sure she knows her body, but I just hope her numbers don't suffer. Last year, she averaged 18.5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. I'm anxious to see how this year will turn out for her.
What do you think?

WNBA: I love this game!

And you will too if you're susceptible to subliminal messages.
***WATCH THE WNBA***
No really, I do. You should too.
Basketball is one of the most beloved sports in this country. Americans buy up these replica jerseys that bear the names of their favorite players. We stand in ridiculous lines to buy overpriced shoes endorsed by these guys and cats have been following the corn row, tattoo trend for years all set by these basketball players.
If that's not enough, this year's playoff games set record highs for viewership. Most of us tuned in, what seemed like every night, for weeks to see LeBron, Kobe, Carmello and Dwight battle to edge out their competition in points, rebounds, assists and of course wins.
Now that the championship series is over and Kobe & Co., have emerged as victors, basketball fans everywhere have packed up their gear and started the slow, agonizing countdown to November until they can see a great game. But do they?
***WATCH THE WNBA***
I say they don't. I say, they have all summer long to watch great basketball games if you live in ATL, ChiTown, L.A. NYC, Minneapolis, Seattle, Sacramento, San Antonio, Phoenix, Indianapolis or Washington, D.C. And yes, you have to be in the vicinity of these cities because you WON'T see the WNBA games on TV, cable or otherwise.
It's sad, really. In the 12 years they've been in existence, at least four teams (Cleveland, Charlotte, Houston and Miami) have folded two have moved and I'm about five hours north of my nearest team. These women go out there every practice, every game and everything in between to give their all and it's not good enough - not for American sports fans. At least not until the Olympic games, anyway.
Every four years, 15 of these women become America's Sweethearts because they have been the ONLY team, women's or men's, in American Olympic history to win the gold medal four times in a row. Look it up!
***WATCH THE WNBA***
Now these ladies are still struggling to fill even the bottom half of the stadiums they play in, you can't find their merchandise anywhere and they still make virtually NO money. They're forced to play professionally overseas, where they are treated like basketball royalty, in the off season to make their ends meet.
You'd be hard pressed to find any of them, other than Candace Parker, on the cover of any magazine or as the subject of any sports story or talk show. Why not? Why not? Why the hell not?!
I'll tell you why, there's no dunking. They don't run fast enough. All the girls don't fit America's standard of beauty. And the women are actually covered up. I'd bet my rent check that if these women were wearing tight, form-fitting clothes where you can see their all assets bouncing about this would be the highest rated sport outside of football!
Look at the talk Serena Williams got from that cat suit she wore a few years back. Folks weren't talking about her athletic prowess, they were talking about how good she looked in that cat suit. Her being seen in that outfit had people tuning in to watch what she'd wear next. In the process, they saw that she is actually a great athlete and, pardon my expression, but she be slaying bitches on the court!
***WATCH THE WNBA***
Should they resort to such measures to draw in a crowd? What about actually enjoying the sport and the SPORTSMANSHIP? What about applauding these women who use teamwork and defense to win ball games without relying on the one star on the team? How about we use this to encourage the little girls and young women who are into sports more than they are hair and make up? Don't they deserve to see images they can identify with?
Please, for the summer, take out of your mind that these are "women ballplayers" and just see them as ballplayers - period. Take a couple hours, watch a game. You might actually enjoy it! I know I do.

***WATCH THE WNBA DAMMIT!***