With all this talk of the WNBA this summer, it's time to get your WNBA gear!

	Look what we found! A Minnesota Lynx Gym Rat T-Shirt		Be a fan! Get the Minnesota Lynx Fan T-Shirt

Oops, what were we thinking? Normally our mistakes are just typos from over-zealous typing. Instead, we listed Jillian Harmon as scoring a “very respectable 27 points”, and that “Clare had 8” against the Americans (although why does that stat sheet keep listing her as Theresa?). Well, it turns out the column in the stat sheet I was looking at was listing their minutes, not points. Jill had 4 points total in that game and Clare 2. Sorry! This error was pointed out by one of C and R’s readers, and all I have to say is…..we have readers? That are not my mother? Wait, my mother doesn’t  read us either. We have a fan! Not related to us! Yay! (Speaking of mother’s, mine’s not much of a sports fan, and used to drive me crazy when she would ask me if I had a “valleyball” game). 

We always wondered who we would cheer for when Team USA played Team New Zealand in basketball. Team New Zealand features current Stanford star Jillian Harmon and former star Clare Bodenstiner. Well, patriotism out trumps school pride (And neither C nor R went to Stanford anyway). So we were firmly behind the Americans. Maybe thath’s why they went on a 27-6 point run in the second quarter, and beat New Zealand 96-60. 

Although, in the mist of that second quarter barrage, Jill hit a baseline jumper to beat the buzzer to end the half, although the score was 50-24 at this point. Jill would finish the game with a very respectable 27 points, and Clare had 8 (oops, our mistake, corrected later). Candice Wiggins’ Minnesota Lynx teammate, Seimone Augustus, had 21, to tie with Kara Lawson for USA’s high scorer of the game. 

Gosh, so much going on. Did you see Venus and Serena are out of the Olympics? No? Maybe it was because they showed all that beach volleyball and Michael Phelps!! Well, guess that leg injury that forced Serena to pull out of the Bank of the West classic back home in July (And made it so C and R couldn’t see her) must still be bothering her. And beach volleyball players Kerry Walsh and Misty May-Treanor steam roll on, beating Brazil and advance to the quarterfinals. Fellow Americans Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh got beat by China, and thus ended a scenario with Walsh and May playing them in the finals.

Also, our hero, 41 year old American swimmer Dara Torres “only” got 3 silvers. In the 50 free she was out touched by Germany’s Britta Steffen, and lost by 1/100^th of a second, 24.06 to 24.07. Out touched at the wall. OUT TOUCHED!! That’s the whole reason she was there at the Olympics. Her 41year-old body can’t swim all that mileage so she had a strategy to win the 50 free, a frenetic race that is from one end of the pool to the other, and it all comes down to who touches first. Her strategy was to have three people stretch her daily so she is flexible and can reach out and stretch and touch the wall first!! And yet the Germany outreached her. The bronze medalist was 16 year old Australian Cate Campbell, about who Dara said she was old enough to be her mother. 

Speaking of mothering, one of the women swimmers from Sweden, Therese Alshammar, ripped her suit right before the 50 free semi-finals. Dara saw her go back to change and asked the officials to hold the race and told her competitors not to get on the blocks until Therese got back. They waited, she came out in a new suit, and they swam. Dara advanced and Therese did not. But still…nice sportsmen and (mothering.) 

So Dara  won three silver medals in this Olympics, and has 12 overall, 4 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze. Pretty symmetrical. That ties her for first with American swimmer Jenny Thompson for the most for a U.S. female Olympian. 

Her meet started on the first day of swim finals, when she anchored the U.S. 4x100 m free relay team for silver, and ended on the last, when she anchored the 4x100 medley relay team for her third silver. Sandwiched in there was her second silver, when she lost the 50m free, losing the gold by a fingernail, or just .01 of a second. Torres already was the oldest U.S. swimming gold medalist at 33 in Sydney’s Olympics. At age 41, she's the oldest Olympic swimming medalist in history. She's also the only swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics. She is also the oldest American swimmer to qualify for the Olympics and the first to make five teams. 

Okay, there are approximately 650 America Olympic Athletes here in China, and on prime time NBC, we have seen approximately 2, Kerry Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, who just happen to play beach volleyball in scantily-clad bikinis. Oops, make that three athletes, we have also seen Michael Phelps, who competes in swimming and goes topless! Coincidence? I think not. 

Don’t get me wrong, we loooove Kerry Walsh, the pride of Santa Clara, (our hometown), Stanford, and Mitty High School, which is right down the road from C and R’s respective houses. (My daughter and I pass Mitty all the time on a short cut to her allergy doctors). And we love that they are featuring women athletes in general, and two that are totally dominating their sport, having won 104 straight matches. However, where are the other athletes and sports?? 

Anyway, Team USA in basketball is now 3 and 0, having dismembered Mail, 97-41. Lisa Leslie was 7-7 from the game, beating current Olympic teammate Katie Smith’s record of 6-6 in 2000, and Nikki McCray, who shot 6-of-6 in 1996. Leslie also had 3 blocked shots,  which ties the American record held by four others, Leslie included. Lisa finished with 16 points and Minnesota Lynx Seimone Augustus had 12. 

Team New Zealand, with our buddies Jillian Harmon and Claire Bodensteiner lost to China, 80-63. Jill had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Clare had 1.

Remember how I said I was worried about Team USA's slow start in their first game? Well, against host China, in the first quarter, they went on a 23-0 run and easily won 108-63. No slow start there! The points helped keep the pro-Chinese crowd out of the game, too. Next up for Team USA is Mali.

Team New Zealand lost its second game to Spain by a score of 85-62. Looks like New Zealand's (and Stanford's) Jillian Harmon put up a heroic effort, with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. She was the game's high scorer as well.

We love the opening headline, "Jillian Harmon Propels New Zealand Past Mali, 76-72, In Olympic Opener."

It seems Jillian didn't have any pre-game jitters about playing on the world's largest stage for an adopted country. She scored 12 points and team-high eight rebounds. Team New Zealand beat Mali, 76-72. Jill scored New Zealand's first points of the Olympics. Record book time! Pretty cool! It sounds like she hustled like crazy and was everywhere on the floor.

Our other Stanford Olympic connection, Clare Bodensteiner, played, but only for one minute. Both she and Jill opened the second period by each grabbing an offensive board in the opening minutes. Clare missed her only three-point attempt and had no points. But she got to play in an Olympics. Not too many people can say that!

Okay, the Olympics are FINALLY here, and C and R are a little bleary-eyed from staying up all night watching the opening ceremonies. What a spectacle that was! It was truly amazing, the pageantry, the innovative electronic devices, the artistic thought, the fireworks, a torch runner running around the perimeter of the stadium hundreds of feet in the air, but really, how much did all that cost? Could it have been 2 hours shorter and millions of dollars less? 

Okay, C and R must admit they got a little teary when seven and a half foot Chinese basketball star Yao Ming walked in the stadium carrying his country flag and little three foot one Lin Hao walked right beside him waving miniature Chinese and Olympic flags. The announcers said he won this honor because when his school was hit by the recent devastating earthquake and twenty out of thirty of his classmates were instantly killed, he freed himself and went back and rescued two of his classmates. The announcers reported that when he was asked why did he go back into danger to rescue his classmates, he answered he had to because he was the hall monitor. It was his duty to help. Excuse me, I think I have something in my eye…R, can you hand me a tissue, please. 

The American swimmers did not march because it was so hot and you had to stand for hours and they had races the next morning. I though too bad that they are missing the opening ceremonies, which are always a cherished and usually a once in a lifetime event, and this one in particular will probably be historic for not only its scope, but also for announcing China to the world. I saw the women’s basketball team marching, along with the men’s team (hard to miss Lisa Leslie.) 

Then I see the women bballers played a game the next day, too, yet they got the experience of marching. Although after checking, and if C and R can read these schedules and time changes correctly, it looks like the played in the evening instead of the morning. Okay, swimmers, you are off the hook, but still, it’s too bad they had to miss it. 

So, back to basketball. The Women’s Team (minus our Candice Wiggins), beat the Czech Republic 97-57. A blowout, indeed, except it was troubling to read that Team USA had to overcome a slow start and rally back from an 11 point deficit. When we are against a better team, we might not be able to come back. Diana Taurasi had 17 points and all 12 USA players scored, so that is a good indication we are well rounded and not depending on one player to score. 

Women’s Team USA won the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament, a basketball tune up for the Olympics. They had to beat Australia in the title game, and held off Russia (and Becky Hammon) and Latvia in the earlier rounds. 

In the Russian game, Team USA had a decisive 93-58 victory, which featured American Becky Hammon on the Russian side (yes, she still put her hand over her heart and closed her eyes during the American National Anthem). If you haven’t heard, everyone is upset that the American born player Hammon, who plays on a Russian club team in the WNBA off-season and became a naturalized Russian citizen, is playing for Russia. Team USA didn’t want her, never ever inviting her to try-outs. People are calling her a traitor, yet no one has said anything about our two college gals, Jillian Harmon and Claire Bodensteiner going to the New Zealand Olympic team. Is there a double standard, or are the college girls flying under the radar? 

Well, the WNBA is on official Olympic Break, which will last all month. In fact, the Olympiads are in C and R's backyard. They are practicing at Stanford's Maples Pavilion! Cool, huh?! Members of the exclusive Fast Break Club, which C and R joined last year so C could sit on the bench and help coach, are invited to watch them for half an hour. Wouldn't you know it, that's when my daughter has her doctor's appointment!

Anyway, checking in on Candice Wiggins and her back injury (a lower-back contusion), we saw she missed the Lynx's victory of the Silver Stars and again did not play in the exciting Minnesota Lynx's 92-84 overtime loss to the LA Sparks in front of a packed house (man, those games always seem to go into overtime). She is cleared to come back August 11th. Minnesota Forward Charde Houston, who got hurt in the same game as Candice, only missed the Silver Stars game. She came back for the LA game and scored 15. She must be a quick healer.

We attempted to check in at WNBA to get more highlights of this game, and when we clicked on "The Lynx" we got this cheesy advertisement for next year's season tickets. Who thinks up these things? The basketball players gamely dressed in 70's clothes and sang "We Are Family". Poor Candice is in a head scarf and sleeveless dress with flame heels. Don't see anyone asking Kobe Bryant to do these silly stunts.

Anyway, out of the bad 70's dress, Candice was in street clothes and watched Augustus scored 29 points and reach the 2,000-point scoring mark for her career. The only player to get there faster was Cynthia Cooper. However, Seimone's last ditch three in the final seconds of regulation that would have won the game missed. And former teammate Nicky Anosike played against former teammate Candace Parker. Nicky had a good game and is emerging from Parker's shadow (and Former Coach Summit's edict to give Parker the ball).

Here Candice gives analysis on the first half and then the second half. Candice is cute but that interview guy is a little annoying.

The game featured one third of the Olympic Roster. There was LA's Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Delisha Milton-Jones and Minnesota's Seimone Augustus. After the game they had a little celebration for the Olympiads. Earlier in the week, some of Seimone's teammates give her a surprise red-white-and blue dinner. With teh month shut down, we say Go U-S-A!

This time the good news is the Lynx won their game in overtime, but the bad news is very bad indeed; Candice Wiggins got hurt. So did Charde Houston.

Candice got hurt in the first quarter, hitting the floor hard after being called for an offensive foul. She remained on the court for several minutes before being taken to the locker room in a wheelchair. (Wheelchair!?) They said she hurt her lower back and was taken to the hospital (Hospital!?) for further examination. The extent of her injury is not known. (Not Known!?)

Charde sprained her left knee with 51 seconds to go in overtime and was also taken off the court in a wheelchair and will undergo further tests.

Lynx coach Don Zierden said it's too early to know when Wiggins and Houston would be able to return.

Get well soon, Candice and Charde. The Lynx need you!

Okay, okay, okay, by now you know a fight broke out in the WNBA, and it involved a super rookie named Candace (not our Candice, thank goodness, as my cat could take her on).  This fight involved La Sparks rookie Candace Parker, and Detroit’s Plenette Pierson, and had punches and ejections. Or maybe you don’t know because your paper doesn’t carry women’s sports. 

Either way, let’s pick up the action form Fox Sports News.

The skirmish started moments after Parker and Detroit's Cheryl Ford had to be separated after Ford fouled Parker. 

On the next possession, Parker got tangled up with Detroit's Plenette Pierson and fell to the ground. As she was getting up, Pierson intentionally ran into her, setting off the melee. 

Parker threw a punch at Pierson before being tackled by Detroit's Deanna Nolan. Players and coaches from both teams joined in, and Mahorn knocked Lisa Leslie to the court at one point. 

"I was trying to protect the whole game, the integrity of the game," he said. "The WNBA is very special to me because I have four daughters. I don't even raise my hand to them, and I would never push a woman. This game, I love this game too much." 

Leslie did not talk to the media, but Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper also said he felt Mahorn was trying to stop the fight. 

"I think Rick was trying to play peacemaker, but he's just too big," Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. "I was only trying to grab my players, and I didn't see exactly what happened, but he apparently gently tried to push Lisa away." 

DeLisha Milton-Jones shoved and punched Mahorn after the incident with Leslie, and was ejected, along with Mahorn, Parker and Pierson. Nolan and Shannon Bobbitt received technicals. 

Ford sprained her right knee while trying to restrain Pierson, and left the floor in a wheelchair. Her status is unknown. 

"I haven't seen something like that, I don't think, in my whole career," Detroit Shock Katie Smith said. "This is pretty rare." 

Okay, now you want to see it, don’t you, well, here it is. This shows the fight moments after it happened, and then has other videos with the analysts who covered the game, and then another video with spot shadows on the key players. Very interesting to look at. 

The bottom line is, Plenette Pierson started it with an illegal hip check and then Candace Parker reacted negatively. Both were guilty of very bad sportsmanship. Doris Burke, who covered the game said in her 18 years of women’s basketball, she has never seen anything like it. She said Pierson was out of line with the hip check but Candace should not have taken the bait. The other issue is the shoving of Lisa Leslie by Detroit Coach Rick Mahorn. 

In the videos, you can see Detroit coach Mahorn try to separate players and he does shove Lisa, who loses her balance and makes it look worse by falling on her back side. In an interview, she asked why he was trying to restrain her instead of a Detroit player. Good question. He answered that he was out to protect all the players, and it doesn’t matter what team they are on. Good answer. I am sure there will be fines and suspensions. 

And in another video you can see an interview with Lisa Leslie who said this is not the way we (the WNBA) wants to get attention, and this is not the way we want to represent ourselves. Good for her, I never hear the men saying that. 

What's happened in the world of sports recently? Well, apparently the historic Liberty Outdoor Classic didn't, as none of the local papers reported it. The Liberty Outdoor Classic, you’ll remember from a previous blog, was the first Regular Season Outdoor Game in Professional Basketball History,  men’s or women’s. By the way, in the game that didn’t happen and didn’t draw 19, 393 people, Indiana beat New York 71-55. The heat and humidity obviously was a factor. 

Okay, over 19,00 people saw this sporting event, and it had the added cache of a historic first, and the sporting world virtually ignores it? Why? I can only guess because it was women! I thought we were in the 21^st century, peo-ple. 

Incidentally, the converted tennis court the basketball teams played on is where Serena and Venus Williams have won two women's titles each, which brings us nicely into our next segue way: C and R almost saw Serena Williams this weekend. Okay, that was a bit ham-fisted, ha ha. 

See, the Bank of the West Tennis classic was this weekend and Serena was in the draw. The court is right next door to Maples Pavilion, where the Stanford women play basketball (yes, this is  billed as a Stanford women’s basketball blog, least you forget). R dutifully got tickets for us in advance, with the express purpose of seeing Serena. We were set for the Saturday night game. Friday we learn Serena is to play the 2:00 game. Sigh. (later it turns out Serena pulls out of that match with a leg injury, so maybe it was for the best). 

It was very interesting being in the stands for women’s tennis event. I have never seen any tennis matches live. Apparently, there is a certain, um, decorum that is very different from the raucous world of cheering for women’s basketball. We were a little late to our seats and the match had started. No one was allowed to be seated or even move until the game was completed. Once we got to our seats, there was no cheering, and when a point was won, we practice what R called a “golf clap”, a polite, genteel kind of clap. 

The match we were watching was Marion Bartoli of France playing Japan’s Ai Sugiyama. We had to whisper to each other, and decided to cheer for Bartoli, which quickly named “olive oil” since her name sounded like the bertoli olive oil we cook with. We loved when she used up all of her challenges, which were instant replays of called shots. The crowd and the officials watched together a computer generated trajectory of the ball unfold on a big screen TV. She was overruled each time. Still I had no idea they did that. 

Also, there were a number of Japanese nationals who kept yelling “I” for Ai Sugiyama, and you know how C and R love the under dog. No one was cheering for Olive Oil, so we felt we had to. Olive oil started out strong but you could see she quickly tired, so we cheered (when allowed) her on to victory. Pam Shriver, the tennis analyst called Bartoli the least fit among the women on the tour. In the finals the next day, she also got a leg injury and lost to the person who benefited from Serena’s leg injury, Aleksandra Wozniak, who was the singles winner. 

And oh, did you see our beloved IRL racer Danica Patrick get dissed by …..another female driver? Our first thought was…..wait, they are two of them?. And they was towel throwing? Not just once but twice! Wha…? 

Okay, Danica  was practicing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (go Ohio!). After the practice, Danica quickly walked to where Milka Duno, (the other one) the only other woman racing over the weekend, and confronted the less experienced driver about getting in her way several times during the practice. 

Danica had the last word as she finished 12th on Sunday while Milky finished last among cars running at the end of the race. 

Ah, she comes from Venezuela. Actually, she and Danica have a lot on common. They both race cars, yes, but they are both beautiful and play up they sexiness, which we are a little ambivalent about. Sex always sell, and it certainly helps them get lucrative endorsement deals. Why can’t it just be about the sport?

Honored by Gatorade, McDonald's, Parade and USA Today, among others, Nneka Ogwumike is one of the most decorated members of the 2008 USA Basketball Women's U18 National Team. Just days away from the start of the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, the Stanford-bound forward from Texas discusses her team, her future and her idols. (click the play arrow on the left. She sounds very smart and well spoken for someone so young, and so wise, too, knowing her role is different on the National Team.) She got to sit next to Candace Parker at the ESPY's. (too bad it wasn't Candice Wiggins!). She picked Stanford because she felt comfortable there, liked the diversity, and the fact that everyone has a common bond to be the best at whatever they are doing.

OMG (warning, this article contains many CAPITAL LETTERS), we almost forgot about the Liberty Outdoor Classic coming up this Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 PM EST, between the WNBA’s New York Liberty vs. the Indiana Fever. This is being billed “The First Regular Season Outdoor Game in Professional Basketball History”, and that means the first in MEN'S or women's basketball history. 

To explain, the Liberty Outdoor Classic will feature The New York Liberty making professional basketball history, when the team plays the WNBA's first regular-season outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the home of tennis' U.S. Open. This will be the first regular-season outdoor game in pro basketball history at the U.S. Open, or ANYWHERE in the US. In addition to making professional basketball history, the Liberty Outdoor Classic, sponsored by American Express and The Hallmark Channel, will be the first non-tennis sporting event to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, which is the largest public outdoor tennis facility in the world. 

Now, let’s clarify. This will not be the first US outdoor professional basketball game. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a preseason NBA (that's the men’s league) game at a baseball stadium on Sept. 24, 1972, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. But that was PRESEASON! This is the first REGULAR season outdoor basketball game for a US men's or women’s pro team. The men’s league will quickly follow with another outdoor game on Oct. 11th of this year. But again, it is PRESEASON, with Phoenix and Denver meeting at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. 

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales. This will be the second year that the Liberty has partnered with the BCRF for its annual Breast Health Awareness Night. 

So, while C and R can’t be at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium on July 19th, as we will be a the Stanford Tennis Stadium watching Serena Williams, C and R (we like to use the royal C and R) thought we would TIVO the game and watch later. Just need to find out what channel….after an exhaustive internet search, we CANNOT FIND OUT if and where it is being broadcast, or even live-streamed. What a BUMMER, this being HISTORY and all! If any of our dear reader(s) find out, please CONTACT us!

The good news is Candice scored 27 points, and that was coming of the bench. The bad news is the Lynx lost 96-88 to the Houston Comets, and that caused the Comets to pull within a half-game of Minnesota and Sacramento for fourth place in the Western Conference. Only the first four teams of the conference go to the play offs. Stay tuned.

Our favorite fave, well, one of many anyway, Jennifer Azzi will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. (We still get excited when we see Azzi in the stands at Stanford home games!) Azzi played college basketball at where else, Stanford. There she won the Wade Trophy and the Naismith player of the year award. Azzi led Stanford to a national championship in 1990. She also has an Olympic Gold Medal and was a founding member of the American Basketball League. She will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville on June 13, 2009.

Stanford senior Jillian Harmon and Stanford Alum Clare Bodensteiner were officially named to the New Zealand Women's Basketball Olympic Team. The announcement was just a formality, we all knew they would make it. 

Their selection makes these two the third and fourth Olympic players in Stanford Women's Basketball history. They join the Amazing Jennifer Azzi and Katy Steding, who were both members of current Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer's 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Counting Van DerVeer, Stanford Women's Basketball now boasts five Olympians all-time. 

Oh my gosh, with the heat, our brains went a little dead…We forgot to report that our Candice beat Candace Parker! That is, the Minnesota Lynx beat the LA sparks. It wasn’t even close, the final score was 88-70 in Minnesota’s favor. The superstars for each team, Seimone Augustus of Minnesota and Lisa Leslie of the Sparks, each had great games. Seimone had a career high 29 and Lisa had a season high 26. So it came down to the supporting cast. And how did the two Candices (Candi?) do? Well, our Candice had 19, and Candace Parker of the Sparks had 12 points, however she did foul out in the fourth quarter to limit her points. Way to go Minnesota! 

However, since then the Lynx have lost 2 games to Seattle and Atlanta. Wait, Atlanta! They are the new expansion team and started out the season 0-17 until they beat Chicago for their first win. The Dream then promptly rode that momentum into their second win against the Lynx, 73-68. 

What else? 

And Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury  collected 3,000 points, a great milestone, but she was also the fastest. She did it in 151 games. It took Aussie great Lauren Jackson 162. She is such a complete player that she is in the top 20 in every league statistical category listed.

Yes, that right, Parker. vs. Wiggins. Candace vs. Candice. Ace vs. Ice. Tonight. That is, tonight Candace Parker's LA Sparks play host to Candice Wiggins' Minnesota Lynx. And it is must win for Minnesota as the Los Angeles leads the Western Conference with a 10-5 record and Minnesota is 8-8, in fifth place, fighting to make the playoffs.

About the nicknames, Ace and Ice, variations of the way they spell their name, they were given by Parker when both played with the Under-17 national team. Coaches and teammates would call out their names, it created confusion. Read more about it here with a lot of great photos of our Candice and Candace. One great quote we liked from this article was this:
"Wiggins became a fan favorite nationally for her exhausting level of play, her engaging smile and her unwavering spirit. Parker's athleticism and grace have captivated fans for years. "

Curious to know how they have done against each other over the years? Here are their stats courtesy of Minnesota's Pioneer Press. The biggest 2 games in our memory were the '07 Stanford home victory in overtime, when our Candice went from goat, missing free throws in the last seconds of regulation to put the game out of reach and Candace Parker scoring the tying basket, and to our Candice leading her team to the overtime victory! Whew! And of course the National Title game last season when our Candice practically willed her team to the finals only to watch her team be decimated by a strong Tennessee team and Candace Parker, who was gutting it out with a separated shoulder. Here they all are.

Dec. 4, 2005: Parker makes 9 of 9 free throws to finish with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Tennessee's 74-67 victory over host Stanford. Wiggins has 16 points and four assists.

Nov. 24, 2006: Parker scores 25 points and has five blocks as Tennessee cruises past visiting Stanford 77-60. Wiggins makes four three-pointers and has 18 points.

Dec. 22, 2007: Wiggins scores 22 points, including 11 of 16 free throws, to lead host Stanford to a 73-69 victory over Tennessee in overtime. Parker scores 25 points and pulls down 10 rebounds.

April 8, 2008: Parker scores 17 points, grabs nine rebounds and has four steals to lead Tennessee to a 64-48 victory over Stanford in the NCAA championship game. Wiggins scores 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting for Stanford.

Note: Wiggins had a calf injury and didn't play when Minnesota played Los Angeles in an exhibition game May 11 at Grand Forks, N.D. Parker had 10 points in the Sparks' 106-105 double-overtime victory. On Dec. 21, 2004, Parker didn't play in Tennessee's 70-67 victory because she was redshirted after having knee surgery. Wiggins had 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Minnesota Lynx faced the Chicago Sky, and the Sky was without rookie superstar Sylvia Fowles. The Lynx had their superstar back, All-Star Seimone Augustus, back in the lineup from a toe injury (?), yet the Lynx still lost 73-71. The Lynx  are 8-8 and have lost two straight and seven of nine. 

Candice’s team, the Minnesota Lynx, started out 5 and 0 and built a lot of hope. Then they fell to 8-7. Only 500. What happened? Not sure, but it is not from lack of trying from Candice Wiggins’ part. Well, Saturday the team had a built in excuse. Lynx star Seimone Augustus missed that game, and it was the first time in her career she has not played or started, a streak of 82 games. 

So just what has Candice done? Well, although not starting, she comes off the bench to provide a spark and then a lot of points. In fact, as of today, she leads all rookies in points scored, and is seventh in the league. Yes, she is even averaging more than the other rookie, the number one pick, LA’s Candace Parker. (Candice’s 17.3 to Candace’s 17.1). And Candace Parker plays four more minutes than our Candice. 

In fact, our Candice has only started one game this year and she only scored 15 points. Back to the bench for her, which is not the bad thing we usually associate with being “benched”.  It seems coming off the bench gives the team more of  a spark then when she starts. And, oh, she is also is ninth in the league in assists. 

In the draft, just 2 months ago, the Lynx didn’t need a guard. They really needed a post player badly. But there was Candice Wiggins, and they took her, and haven’t looked back. Oh, about the post position. They got Tennessee’s Nicky Anosike, who beat Candice’s Stanford’s team in the championship game, and Connecticut’s Charde Houston, whose team lost to the Cardinal in the NCAA semifinal. Wiggins said the rookies don't dwell on their collegiate rivalries now. Yeah, sure. 

What has Candice been up to, well, she did make it back to Stanford for her graduation ceremony and got to hear Oprah. And she started her new life in Minneapolis, where she lives in a downtown apartment. She has put her fame to good use, being a spokesperson for Until there is a Cure, and recently made an appearance at a local Celebrity Bass Challenge that benefits a youth foundation. Yes, you read right, Bass Challenge. Minnesota is a long way away from the Bay Area. 

See Candice all decked out in a brown dress at this celebrity bass event.

One last thing, what does her Minnesota coach think of her? Coach Don Zierden said she "is a joy to have." And Ann Killion, from R’s favorite newspaper, the SF Mercury, reported, “The Cult of Candice is growing.”

Of all the adjustments Candice has had to make as a pro, the toughest has to be the losses. She got off to a great start, winning 5 of 5, but since then, her team, the Minnesota Lynx, has lost 5 of 6, matching all the losses she had in her last year of college, and that includes the championship loss to Tennessee.

In other WNBA news, the other Candace, Candace Parker, became the second women to dunk in an WNBA game (watch it here, scroll to the bottom). The other player to dunk? Los Angeles Sparks teammate Lisa Leslie.

Geez, what’s wrong with the Lynx? After starting the season 5-0, they have lost four of five. It’s not because of white hot rookie Candice Wiggins, who scored 18 of her career-high 26 points in the second half for Minnesota, only to watch her team lose 77-76 to the New York Liberty. Although, Wiggins did have an opportunity to win the game, as she took the final shot and it bounced harmlessly off the rim. 

“I just didn't knock it down." said Wiggins. 

Oh boy, a blog entry that doesn’t involve Candice Wiggins, although it is about soon to be Stanford basketball players. Two highly regarded incoming freshmen for Stanford,  Nneka Ogwumike and Sarah Boothe, have been named To USA Basketball U18 National Team and will participate in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women. 

Ogwumike (now that's a mouthful), is 6-2 and Boothe is 6-5. Big O (her new nick name I just made up) was the 2008 Gatorade National Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, and in 2007, she was Ms. Basketball Texas and state Gatorade Player of the Year. Boothe (Big B?) averaged 20.5 points and 11.2 rebounds on the way to earning Ms. Basketball Illinois honors in 2008. She blocked 126 shots and scored  2,038 high school career points. 

The Minnesota Lynx lost 75-66 last night. Candice tied her WNBA career high of 22, and was their high scorer. Their other high scorer, Seimone Augustus, only had 11, as the Lynx lost for the first time at home. The Lynx only made 65% of their free throws, and ya gotta hit those. Next up is the expansion Atlanta Dream, still looking for their first win.

Oops, Minnesota lost their first game Friday, June 6^th, to the Connecticut Sun by one point, 78-77. Where was I? More importantly, where were all my news alerts that are supposed to tell me what is going on in Candice’s world? I didn’t hear a peep. 

They rebounded for a win on Sunday, so they are still 6 for 7. Candice, on the strength of a couple of 17 point games, is averaging 15.4 points a game, second on the team to only Seimone Augustus. Pretty cool. 

She chats about herself here. Did you know she played volleyball for Stanford her freshmen year and has a championship ring? And, she really, really misses Stanford. She is not surprised by the Lynx’s winning ways, as all the new talent are winners, and more importantly, have the mind set they are going to win. A big turn around from the Lynx’s last season.

Also cool is that Candice is not resting on her laurels. She decided to publicly join in the fight against HIV/AIDS by partnering with Until There's A Cure? (UTAC) to become a spokesperson. UTAC is a national organization dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds to combat the pandemic. We all know her mission is a personal one. Her father, major league baseball player Alan Wiggins, succumbed to complications from AIDS at age 32. 

"I am so proud to partner with UTAC because raising awareness and finding a cure for the HIV/AIDS virus is my priority," said Wiggins. "I celebrate the memory of my father and his life fuels my energy and drive." 

The Minnesota Lynx will dedicate their June 10 game against the Connecticut Sun to Wiggins' new partnership with UTAC. Wiggins will be featured as the cover athlete on the Lynx gameday program and there will be an in-game feature on the Target Center scoreboard display during a timeout that highlights Wiggins' latest platform. 

Minnesota was trying to stay undefeated Tuesday night. Candice Wiggins hadn’t scored a point all half. Coach calls her aside, trying to inspire. Candice responds with 22 points in the second half. Geez, coach, what did you say?

Minnesota Lynx coach Don Zierden pulled Candice aside and told her to keep running what works, or something like that. She shot 7-for-10 from the field and made half of her six 3-point tries. Her 3 with 1:09 left gave Minnesota a 78-76 lead. The Lynx went on to beat the winless expansion team, the Atlanta Dream, 85-81, and go to 5-0 for the season. (Candice still hasn't lost a WNBA game!)

Candice was helped by fellow rookie Nicky Anosike, who got 20 points and 12 rebounds. Most experts think Nicky was the steal of the a very deep draft. Nicky is probably the only one not surprised at her scoring ability. In high school, she average over 22 points a game. But at Tennessee, Coach Pat Summit told Nicky to rebound and play defense for her talent-laden team, which included the first women picked in this year’s draft, Candace Parker. And what Coach Summit wants, Coach Summit gets.

“Now with coach Z, I’m in a system of equal opportunity,” Anosike said. “We don’t just give the ball to one person, and that’s when you really can shine if you are on a real team.” Oops, was that a slam to Summit?

But back to Candice….wonder if Candice’s senior class at Stanford has even graduated yet?

Speaking of which, in this article with five questions for Candice, they touch upon that and others things I have been wondering about. The reporter asks about the last couple of months that included the Final 4, the WNBA draft, Team USA and the start of her WNBA career and what that is like. Also, he brings up the point that one day she is playing against Nicky Anosike for the NCAA title, and the next they are teammates. It is also interesting to see how many of the players she knew before joining the team. And lastly, he asks who has been helping her and showing her the ropes in Minnesota?

I wonder how the other rookies are faring? Crystal Langhorne, the No. 6 pick in April's WNBA draft is struggling as an WNBA rookie. She rode the bench in the second half of  the Washington Mystics Sunday's game, something she was not used, being an all-everything superstar at Maryland. 

Boy, I hope someone is taking care of our little Candice.

Two Minnesota Lynx rookies each had a double-double; Charde Houston had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Stanford's Candice Wiggins had 17 points and 12 assists. It was the first WNBA career double-double for both as well. And it helped the Lynx stay undefeated by beating the defending champs, Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury, by a score of 94-83. That's a lot of offense, and I hope it quiets naysayers who say the WNBA doesn't have enough offense. Lynx star Seimone Augustus added 22 points and helped to lead four players in double-figures.

Phoenix, led by Diana Taurasi's 17 points, rallied in the fourth quarter, and came within a point. The young Lynx followed with a 14-3 run, with Houston scoring nine of her points in the fourth quarter and Wiggins added seven. In fact, the Minnesota reserves outscored their Phoenix counterparts 45-4. Go Candice. She's part of that reserve!

In other news, USA Basketball announced 9 of their 12 players they are taking to Beijing. Why 9 and not all 12, who knows? Anyway, the nine are: three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks), two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Smith (Detroit Shock), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets), Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury).

First time Olympians are Seimone, Sylvia, Candace, and Cappie. What, Candace Parker over Candice Wiggins, who busted her hump for Team USA right after the NCAA finals while Candace Parker rested and relaxed. Not fair. Maybe our Candice will make one of the 3 spots left. We can only hope.

R and I turned on the news the other day and saw this story, the one about 12-year-old, 6'1" Jaime Nared who's been banned (by other boys' parents) from playing against the boys because she's a girl (of course it is not because she scores 30 points a game on them and out rebounds them, is it?) Never mind the fact she has been playing in this league since second grade and there has never been a problem, until she got good, that is.

Hello, Tara! Chat this girl up!

Candice's Minnesota's Lynx has already made history. They have been in the league 10 years and have never started a season 3-0. That is, until this year. Candice Wiggins scored 11 points and dished out four assists in 27 minutes of action off the bench, and helped spark a come-from-behind 75-69 victory over the Chicago Sky. And, the Lynx are the only unbeaten team left in the WNBA. Even the LA Sparks lost. Well, the Sparks did lose in double overtime. More importantly, it makes the Lynx have sole possession of first place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Seattle Storm (3-1). Go Lynx. So Candice doesn't know what it is like to lose in the WNBA, hee hee.

The WNBA has a weird advertising campaign going on. Have you seen it? WNBA players say negative things such and belittle the game. Examples:

Candace Parker: "I'm sorry, but you couldn't pay me to watch women's basketball."
Cheryl Ford: "I'm afraid of contact, so you could post me up all day long."
Tamika Catchings: "No offense, but women's basketball is a joke."

At the end of each spot, the words "She Wouldn't Say That" come up on the screen, followed by, "Would You?"

I hate 'em. The first time I saw one, I was all up in arms, wondering what the heck was going on, until the tag line. The advertisers say they are designed for men who say those things about the WNBA. Will this change their mind, or are they openly agreeing?

Join the discussion.

Well, the Lynx are 2 and 0 for the first time since 1999, and we would like to think it is because of our Candice, even though the Lynx had to outlast the Houston Comets in overtime to get win number 2. Well, actually, Semoine Augustus had 25 and Nicky Anosike had 20 to help the cause. (It's funny, as those 2 were a thorn in Candice's NCAA playoff's side and now they are teammates) Candice had 9 points off the bench with 4-7 shooting. Last year, the Lynx were 10-25 for second to worst in the WNBA. Let''s hope the team can do better than that this year. Go Lynx!

Every once in a while, someone writes us here at C and R because they think we are big time and we have readers (cracks me up) and wants us to promote something for them. This time the WNBA came callin' and when they come a knockin', you answer the door (Geez, two slang words of dropped "g" s in one sentence).

So ANYWAY, as R is always sayin' to me (there it is again), the New York Liberty and the WNBA will be making history by hosting the first “Liberty Outdoor Classic”. On Saturday, July 19th the Liberty will play the Indiana Fever in what will be the first regular season outdoor game in professional basketball history. The game will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium (the home of tennis' U.S. Open), and a portion of the proceeds from the historic game’s ticket sales will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Both C and R like that). Come be a part of professional basketball history on July 19th! (if you are in New York)

Cool. I thought the WNBA had done the same thing last year and due to the miracle of the internet, I found out it was the actually the men's NBA last year in an exhibition outdoor game, so the Liberty is technically correct in saying that this is the first regular season pro basketball game outdoors, men's or women's.

Okay, so R is helping me staple 800 works of art to these 4 X 8 feet display boards (long story) to help me get ready for my art show, and half way through, sweaty and exhausted from bending over and crawling on the floor (our poor knees!), we flop down on my couch, which incidentally, is now 3 feet from my big screen TV, as we needed the living room space to lay out the boards .Whew, that is one long opening sentence, the kind R hates that I write as I do tend to ramble. Anyway, we flop down on the couch and turn on ESPN, the only channel we don’t fight about, and low and behold, a WNBA  game is on. And not just any WNBA game, it is the LA Sparks with Candace Parker in her debut game! 

The announcer says Candace has 24, and the record for rookies in a WNBA debut game is Cynthia Cooper with 25. Come on, Candace, we cheer. In the few minutes we are watching, Candace and Lisa Leslie, the tall LA Sparks veteran, must hug at least 4 times. Lisa really, really likes her. It’s cool to see the veteran player be so welcoming to what is really the new face of basketball. 

We check out their opponents. It is the Phoenix Mercury and ….Taurasi! At a commercial break they replay the ring ceremony for the Merc, with Diana Taurasi who won the 2007 championship and the unveiling of the title banner, incidentally, the US Airways Center's first basketball one, men or women’s. Taurasi told the crowd of 13,749 that the Mercury aim to make it two in a row this season. Cool to see such a big home crowd, but I think the majority are here to see Candace Parker, and she did not disappoint. 

We cheer her on and she breaks the rookie record for points. She also is 2 assists shy of a triple double, so that really speaks to her versatility. We cheer for her to pass to Lisa Leslie. As we watch her break the record for points, R asks me, who would I rather have on my team, Candace Parker or Taurasi? Let’s go back to that memorable conversation. 

R: Who would I rather have on your team, Candace Parker or Diana Taurasi? 

C: Well, last year I would have said Taurasi. Mostly because of her heart. And watching her play on the US National team, she was even more amazing in person, just so fast and so strong and powerful.

R: I would take Taurasi. 

C: Yeah, but Candace Parker is the better player. 

C: But Taurasi has that will to win that  I don’t see from Parker, and her defense is suspect. However, Parker is taller. 

Just then, on the big screen, Candace Parker has the ball near the foul line, goes one on one with Taurasi, backs Taurasi into the basket, leaps and hooks it over Taurasi’s outstretched hand for 2. 

C: Parker, I take Parker!

 R: Man, did you see that? In the replay, Parker has, what, 7 inches on Diana, she just can shoot over anyone. Parker is the better player. 

Candace Parker finishes with 34 for the game, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. She couldn’t get those last 2. 

And Oh, here’s more about Candice, all cute, and how she was terrible at basketball and, about being teammates with Semonie Augustus and that NON call that cost them the final four!! (I always wonder if players remember those things) And 11 quotes about number 11, an oh, if you didn’t already love Candice (Candy to her Mom) than you will after this article. And her is our 21 year old sage speaking about herself and what she wants on her tombstone, and more.

I stumbled upon this article about incredible sportsmanship between two opposing women's softball rivals, and it is reason Number 578 of why I love sports. If this story doesn't bring a tear to your eye, then you never played team sports. Then I found a similar article with a picture of the event. And now I have found the video. Heck, read a collection of articles that has the sports world, and news world at large talking.

They say sports doesn't build character, it reveals it. Well, Mallory Holtman revealed hers, and Sara Tucholsky and her first home run will forever be linked to her. You would do well to have Mallory be your or your daughter's coach sometime in the near future.

Candice talks to us. Well, to the world at large, about her recent time spent on Team USA in China, and what it is like to NOT be the leader.

Candice made a lay up in her first exhibition game for Stanford, and scored 18 for that game, and then she went on to become the PAC-10 all-time leading scorer. Candice made a lay up in her first exhibition game for the Lynx, and scored 18 for that game, too....hmmm. Although she didn't start, she got a lot of minutes because the Lynx's two top point guards, Lindsey Harding and Noelle Quinn (remember her from UCLA?), are injured. See a photo of Candice in Lynx colors.

Candice would love to be a point gusrd. Lynx coach Don Zierden said she could play point but would prefer to keep her on a wing with Seimone Augustus on the other.

"Setting people up and passing to great players, that would be a great role,'' Wiggins said. "Seimone Augustus? Hello? Who wouldn't want to be a point guard with her in the lineup?'' She also said, "I've played the point all through college. I love to bring up the ball and alleviate pressure from my teammates. I know my true position is the '2', but I can also play the '1'."

Boy, Candice doesn't waste any time. Just back from China, too, and already playing in pro games (she even blocked a shot!). After 16 hours of flying, Wiggins arrived in the Twin Cities on Sunday night and was ordered to take Monday off and rest. After practicing with the Lynx on Tuesday and Wednesday, she made her exhibition season debut Thursday. Wonder where she is living? I worry about her being on her own!!

At least College Sports News wrote about Candice, Jill and Claire being on Olympic Teams and competing in the Good Luck Games. Here is a nice summary, although it sticks in my throat to say Team USA took....sil....sil.....silver. There, I said it. And the article was kind to say New Zealand took sixth, instead of last.