The opinion of stupidity transferred onto the LA Times blog graced by Los Angeles Sparks co-owner, Kathy Goodman, brings several concerns to mind. Goodman attempted to give her opinion of yesterday's Sparks match up against the Atlanta Dream. The Sparks had the lead for 95% of the game until that 4th quarter came into play where the Dream came back on their own turf to get the win, 89-81. While being in touch with the fans via Twitter and posting an "in depth" insight to a 'co-owners' take of their own organzation using a new media platform is refreshing, there still needs to be tact.
Of course, blogs were meant to share your thoughts and give you an unconventional outlook to whatever the subject matter may be. However, if you're a co-owner of an organization, tact still needs to be involved on some level. Maybe that missing tact was to start some kind of drama around the WNBA to promote it or market it some more?
Whatever the senseless cluster of wording was for, the translation was clear, you don't believe in your team.
If you're an athlete that trains, day in and day out, you watch what you do, you watch what you eat.. and then your 'boss' blatantly shares with 'X' amount of individuals that:
I took some time on Saturday to get a little perspective and inspiration by visiting the Martin Luther King Center and the Carter Center in downtown Atlanta. By game time, I was fairly philosophical and just wanted us to play some good basketball, win or lose. So why is it the Sparks had to start so strong and get my hopes up all over again?....
As the fourth quarter began, I was wondering whether I would have preferred it if I thought we had never had a chance in the game. Atlanta was first in the East; the Dream had scored over 100 points when we played them in Staples earlier in the season; I didn’t have a real reason to be hopeful. Except that first half. When we played the kind of basketball I knew our team could play. ....
We just couldn’t hold on through the fourth quarter. The Dream won, 89-81. I wanted those three minutes back at the beginning of the third quarter, but I thought the tradeoff might be that Atlanta would have the chance to retake some of their free throws (they made only 19 of 35.) In the end, though, I just can’t help remembering those first-half Sparks. We are still just a game out of fourth, two games out of second in the West. We play New York on Tuesday night at Staples Center. Hope springs eternal. I think we can win that one.
Honestly, I'd probably be livid my boss is sharing the news with the world that she hopes we can win, and why did we have to get her hopes up.
Yes, the Sparks record isn't the greatest, but there truly is talent or they wouldn't be in the WNBA. The players have talent, passion, heart and faith to get through it. When speaking via Twitter to fellow Sparks and WNBA fans, I always mention, it's about figuring out the right type of glue to make this team stick and play as the powerful unit they can be.
Besides the fact that there are Olympians on the team (even if one is done for the season - Candace Parker due to a dislocated shoulder that underwent surgery today), there is some amazing talent such as Kristi Toliver with her clutch shots and ability to recover even if it's a bad game or bad shot. Of course it's going to take some time to find that glue, whether it's Super Glue or Elmer's, it's going to take some time to dry and work together. This is the first year without Coach Michael Cooper and Lisa Leslie. The team still has leaders in Tina Thompson and even from the soon to undergo surgery, Betty Lennox.
The team is truly capable of winning games without their other troops, it's just about coming together...and staying together until the end of the game.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Too Much Sun for the Dislocated Sparks
On Thursday, soon after the announcement that Candace Parker, the Los Angeles Sparks influential forward, would not play for the rest of the 2010 Season was more than a mere blow to the arteries for Parker's career as well as the Sparks. Parker dislocated her left shoulder coming down for a rebound getting tangled up with a Minnosta Lynx in the 1st Half last Sunday..managing a win without Parker over the Lynx, 88-84. Parker's overdue surgery has now been forced to be scheduled soon.
After giving birth and finally assessing that nagging shoulder injury, here's hoping that 3rd time is a charm -- that Parker will come back to truly flip the WNBA around for the better.
According to Sparks Media Relations, it is "very likely" she will also miss the World Championships in Sept. Candace Parker averaged 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season.
"Losing Candace is definitely a huge loss for us and the league in general," L.A. Sparks general manager Penny Toler said. "We still have a great team that is led by two Olympians and loaded with talent. Our goal, as always, is still to win."
And Toler couldn't be more on the money.
However, Friday night turned into its own soap opera in the Sparks' 1st (full) game without Candace Parker. Tina Charles had career highs of 26 points and a team-record 19 rebounds and the Connecticut Sun rallied from a 16-point deficit for a 78-75 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sandrine Gruda added 12 points for the Sun (7-3), who moved within one game of 1st place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
Tina Thompson had 24 points and Marie Ferdinand-Harris added 16 points for the Sparks (3-8), L.A. is currently 5th in the WNBA's five-team Western Conference.
The Sparks took on the Connecticut Sun on the Laker championship ground(at Staples Center); Kristi Toliver took a moment (on Gospel Night) to announce Parker would "not be playing (the rest of the season)..Lets get this win for C.P.!"..Which no doubt became painfully clear it was not an easy convince to articulate to the crowd, yet inspired a new level of excellence to be achieved. Candace Parker sat with the Sparks bench in support while retiree Lisa Leslie rooted from the other side of the court.
The game looked promising as Tina Thompson scored her 6,000th career point in the 1st quarter making her only the 2nd in WNBA history, trailing behind Lisa Leslie with 6,263 career points. The momentus achievement certainly made for a nice momentum booster as Thompson kept her game face on focusing on the task at hand - getting the "W." L.A. continued to lead at the half 43-36.
It wasn't until the 3rd quarter where the girth of body was noticeable missing. The Sparks lead was blown with the Sun's Kara Lawson, Tina Charles, and Gruda consistently shooting from the outside. Sparks failed to score for more than 6 minutes that later allowed the Sun rally to take place from a 16-point deficit enhancing the drama thoroughly taking it down to the wire.
..Into the 4th quarter proved to be a battle where the slightest of mistakes (i.e. giving away shots in the 3rd) could be the deciding factor in the end. After Gruda made a jumper with 54 seconds on the clock, Sparks' Marie Ferdinand-Harris made a questionable basket that appeared to be a 3-pointer that could have tied the game at 76-76 with 1.5 seconds left. After the crowd assumed it was a 3, there was celebration and disbelief the Sparks could come back once again with such a clutch play. Due to the annoying, yet reliable nature of technology - instant replay quickly became available for the officials to review... the crowd slowly was silence waiting in anticipation. The officials went with the 2-pointer leaving the Sun to keep their lead at 76-75. Tina Thompson's 0.5 second hail mary shot was no good, and the Sun (7-3), closed it out in LA LA Land with a win over the Sparks (3-8), 78-75.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press/STATS LLC
After giving birth and finally assessing that nagging shoulder injury, here's hoping that 3rd time is a charm -- that Parker will come back to truly flip the WNBA around for the better.
According to Sparks Media Relations, it is "very likely" she will also miss the World Championships in Sept. Candace Parker averaged 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season.
"Losing Candace is definitely a huge loss for us and the league in general," L.A. Sparks general manager Penny Toler said. "We still have a great team that is led by two Olympians and loaded with talent. Our goal, as always, is still to win."
And Toler couldn't be more on the money.
However, Friday night turned into its own soap opera in the Sparks' 1st (full) game without Candace Parker. Tina Charles had career highs of 26 points and a team-record 19 rebounds and the Connecticut Sun rallied from a 16-point deficit for a 78-75 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sandrine Gruda added 12 points for the Sun (7-3), who moved within one game of 1st place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
Tina Thompson had 24 points and Marie Ferdinand-Harris added 16 points for the Sparks (3-8), L.A. is currently 5th in the WNBA's five-team Western Conference.
The Sparks took on the Connecticut Sun on the Laker championship ground(at Staples Center); Kristi Toliver took a moment (on Gospel Night) to announce Parker would "not be playing (the rest of the season)..Lets get this win for C.P.!"..Which no doubt became painfully clear it was not an easy convince to articulate to the crowd, yet inspired a new level of excellence to be achieved. Candace Parker sat with the Sparks bench in support while retiree Lisa Leslie rooted from the other side of the court.
The game looked promising as Tina Thompson scored her 6,000th career point in the 1st quarter making her only the 2nd in WNBA history, trailing behind Lisa Leslie with 6,263 career points. The momentus achievement certainly made for a nice momentum booster as Thompson kept her game face on focusing on the task at hand - getting the "W." L.A. continued to lead at the half 43-36.
It wasn't until the 3rd quarter where the girth of body was noticeable missing. The Sparks lead was blown with the Sun's Kara Lawson, Tina Charles, and Gruda consistently shooting from the outside. Sparks failed to score for more than 6 minutes that later allowed the Sun rally to take place from a 16-point deficit enhancing the drama thoroughly taking it down to the wire.
..Into the 4th quarter proved to be a battle where the slightest of mistakes (i.e. giving away shots in the 3rd) could be the deciding factor in the end. After Gruda made a jumper with 54 seconds on the clock, Sparks' Marie Ferdinand-Harris made a questionable basket that appeared to be a 3-pointer that could have tied the game at 76-76 with 1.5 seconds left. After the crowd assumed it was a 3, there was celebration and disbelief the Sparks could come back once again with such a clutch play. Due to the annoying, yet reliable nature of technology - instant replay quickly became available for the officials to review... the crowd slowly was silence waiting in anticipation. The officials went with the 2-pointer leaving the Sun to keep their lead at 76-75. Tina Thompson's 0.5 second hail mary shot was no good, and the Sun (7-3), closed it out in LA LA Land with a win over the Sparks (3-8), 78-75.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press/STATS LLC
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