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| No introduction needed (rolling stone image) |
For those new fans of the WNBA who are watching just because they want to see CC continue to be a superstar, I don't think this is the best path. Maybe she will be, but I think it's best for the new fans to pick a team and root for it.
"Dominator Dog" responded:
Continue to be what? She has been shut down the first two games with more shutdowns to come.
Sports fancies
Nothing like a Thursday night where the sports world is nearly consumed with WNBA enthusiasm. That was the state of affairs last night, May 16. The WNBA has been plodding along in obscurity. Maybe unfair but that's the way it is with sports entertainment.
People all over were aware of the Thursday game that would of course have "CC" in action again. The former Iowa Hawkeye. So sad: people want CC's pro career to be a reprise of the fairy tale-like story from when she was at Iowa. We would all be so thrilled to see it happen.
What was I expecting? You can never know in sports, but I had a feeling she might stumble a notch or two. She has had her moments thus far. She is so sharp with her passing that sometimes her teammates aren't expecting it. The Indiana coach is taking quite a bit of heat. Indiana got absolutely trampled Thursday night at Indianapolis.
I wonder what the controversial sportswriter there will say. Doyel? That's his last name and why doesn't he spell it "Doyle?" He appears to have violated his own temporary "gag order" with his paper. "Gag order" has appeared throughout the media in connection with the hugely depressing Trump trial. One thing about the "CC mania" is that it takes our attention away from the surreal trial scenes in New York City.
So Judge Merchan is biased? His daughter somehow figures into that. Doesn't his daughter have a right to be active with a political organization? Surely the Republicans won't object if there's a background of supporting Republicans or MAGA or any other entities within that smelly swill of the American public.
We'll have a test out here with our congressperson being primaried from the right. Amazing. The incumbent did not even want to accept the election results in 2020. And now she's not good enough or loyal enough.
Just do this
Right now the priority everywhere should be just to make sure that voting is open to everyone - no unreasonable roadblocks or intimidation. Republicans are talking like they'll be having poll-watchers everywhere. Have you ever seen this in Stevens County? Is it ever likely to happen here? Heavy-handed intimidation just by virtue of their presence?
Hancock went wild voting for Trump in 2016. Will it happen again? Will they even vote for Michelle Fischbach?
What about Judge Merchan being biased? Well, in the news this morning we learn that Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito had our American flag flying upside down with a "stop the steal" message exactly like Trump's. Our cherished American flag flying upside down? Isn't that sort of treasonous? I mean being done by a U.S. Supreme Court justice? Do they take an oath of being loyal to America?
Do Alito and others like him, e.g. Clarence Thomas' wife, really want to see a total overthrow of the American government? To be replaced by what? A sheer autocracy? Maybe so.
Escape into hoops
Well, for the time being we can feel some enthusiasm following the WNBA which historically gets so little notice. So here we are early in the season, heading toward June and we're fixated on basketball.
The Indiana "Fever" have lost twice with the second game being the ballyhooed home opener. I found a livestream video by someone using his phone at the arena. He could not show the actual game. It was a crude presentation but I didn't care. I felt like I was there at the Indianapolis arena. The enthusiasm just gripped me.
"CC" is the only reason I went searching for any such video. I would be oblivious otherwise. And that is sad - I'm not proud to say it.
None of us should feel any natural or moral obligation to follow a pro sports league. Circumstances have to build up for earning this. So, the memories are so fresh of Clark's Iowa experience which seems in looking back like a blessed fantasy. Really truly. The video highlights are going to seem stored in amber.
We cannot rule out anything for Clark's pro career. Athletics is by its nature (pretty much) unpredictable. Right now on this late May day of 2024, Clark's image has fallen some. If you were expecting the girl to give a repeat performance of her other-worldly accomplishments with the Hawkeyes, you are going to be disappointed and deflated, at least over the near-term future.
Can you hang in there? I am trying to show the proper attitude of appreciating all of women's basketball. Clark has clearly been the catalyst for all this. So I'm familiar with Katie Lou Samuelson and others. I also remind myself that our University of Minnesota women's basketball program ought to work harder to elevate itself. I'm happy for Iowa, a state with no big league teams, but Minnesota ought never accept a back seat to Iowa.
I can't name one player with the Gophers, unfortunately. Didn't the Hawkeyes rather dismantle us?
Let's focus on the present and what is likely to happen with Clark and the Fever. Will the bottom drop out for home attendance? That would be unfortunate. How will our "Lynx" do against the Fever? Sorry but I cannot name one player with the Lynx. I can name a player with Las Vegas and that's Kate Martin. Kate played side-by-side with Caitlin at Iowa. Maybe I'll start rooting just as much for Kate as for Caitlin. Kate can definitely pull her weight with the pros.
Here I am writing at length with my wellspring being the WNBA. Isn't that terrific? I think so.
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| The biggest accomplishment? Here's Katie Lou |
Maybe Clark should actually sit out this pro season, the idea being she needed a rest from the rush of reaching the heights of college Division I play. Seriously, maybe she should have considered getting pregnant and having a child. Take a year off, have the child and then suit up again with the idea that she'll accept whatever role her coach wants. Katie Lou took off a season for this reason! Katie Lou looked pretty good Thursday for the Fever.
Photo at right is from "Indy Star."
Clark and the fans could float back down to earth. We'd all realize that we cannot see a total reprise of the lighting-in-a-bottle magic of Clark's Iowa career. Call up the videos, those beautiful videos of the Hawkeyes with the short and sweet "Iowa" name on the front of uniforms. As I have written before, "it doesn't get any better than this."
But "go Fever!" Oh, and "go Lynx!"
Addendum: Remember the song "All I Owe Ioway" from the 1945 movie "State Fair?" It was a Rodgers and Hammerstein composition.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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