Yikes: Tennessee forward Amber Gray will be transferred to a hospital to be near her family in Ohio after suffering unspecific complications following shoulder surgery last week.

From the AP: NCAA sanctions Missouri Western women’s hoops

The NCAA put the women’s basketball program at Missouri Western on probation for two years and threw out some 50 victories Wednesday as punishment for allowing an ineligible athlete to play for two seasons that included a conference championship for the Division II program.

Besides the ineligible athlete, whose play was deemed a major violation, the NCAA also found that a former student-athlete received extra benefits from a former coach, a secondary infraction.

Had a great time at the Liberty-Sparks game last night.

Big, big crowd that stayed hyped all game. The Timeless Torches rocked the house with their new routine and the Liberty creative crew came up with a great new campaign: "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" featuring Janel and coach Coyle. (Wait for it... wait for it.... Janel McCarville and Patty Coyle.)

Now if only the rest of the Liberty had been as creative. And no, I am not so fond of the Sparks at the moment. (Hey, did you know one of their players has a baby?)

(Though truly, as much as I love Taurasi and LJ and Cappie and Augustus and Katie Smith and Lisa at her peak - my first pick to start a team is Tina Thompson. That woman is rock solid, superb skill, no-nonsense talent. And I sure hope this isn't her final year.)

The Minnesota/Mystics game (96-94, Lynx) game is what a "Must watch the archive" game. Q takes note of Renee Montgomery's Breakout Game and the Minnesota Youth Movement

By now you’ve probably heard that she re-entered the game with 3:14 left in the 4th quarter and proceeded to score 12 consecutive points and 18 of her season-high 21 points over the course of seven minutes between the 4th quarter and overtime.

Her game has been variously described as “electrifying”, a “scoring rampage”, or my personal favorite from the Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Rookie guard Renee Montgomery, who usually provides a spark for the Lynx off the bench, was a flamethrower.”

And it was all capped by some of the best post-game comments I have ever heard – simultaneously honest, humble, and humorous – including a clarification for those who might consider Montgomery “on fire” (or throwing flames) last night: "I didn't really catch fire, I just shot layups. It wasn't like I was on fire from (three-point range)."

However, the ability to get to the rim eight times in seven minutes at the end of a close WNBA game is no small feat. And though it was apparently the same play, she wasn’t exactly scoring in the same way.

The U-19 training camp is in full swing.

12 athletes arrived in Colorado Springs on July 9, where they will train through July 17. They will then depart for Bangkok, Thailand, where the two-time defending gold-medalists will try to make it three straight golds at the U19 Worlds.

The old folks are moving into the Gold medal game (vs Russia) after a victory over Australia. Australia was up early and the back and forth the US "allowed" made Charli a little cranky.

"I think we came out, got a little run and then we let up," said USA and Arizona State University head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "As a coach I don't understand that. We always want everybody to go out and work hard every possession. You have to credit Australia. They're a tough, physical team. They play hard every possession. Our team can learn from that. We take possessions off and every time we took a possession off in the second half, they capitalized."

Sancho Lyttle is getting a lot of press. From the .com.

Up until this season, the bench is where Lyttle had been making her living in the WNBA. Of the 120 games she played in prior to 2009, she started just 36 of them. Being a reserve didn’t bother Lyttle so much. After all, she was still relatively new to the game. The 28-year-old didn’t start playing basketball until her senior year of high school after making the switch from track.

“It wasn’t really getting out of track as much as trying to learn something new,” Lyttle said. “That’s when I started to pick up basketball as a hobby to try and learn the fundamentals of it.”

Lyttle’s short-lived high school basketball career led her to Clarendon Junior College(Clarendon, Texas) for two seasons before a scholarship offer came from the University of Houston. Despite a light basketball resume, coaches there saw potential due to her athleticism and height.

That college offer came from Joe Curl - who, himself spent many years coaching at the Junior College level.

University of Houston coach Joe Curl is a big believer in the junior college players, and not just because he coached at Trinity Valley for three years. He just point to Sancho Lyttle as an example of what JUCO’s can do for international and developing players. Lytle came to the States from St. Vincent, in the British West Indies, “a great athlete who had incredible potential,” noted Curl. But, she had only played netball, never “American” basketball.

“I give her junior college coach (Wade Scott, Clarendon) all the credit in the world for her development.”

“The junior colleges are worth their weight in gold. I’ve always believed that. In Sancho’s case, to get over the hurdles she needed to be able to be successful at the D-1 level junior college was absolutely priceless. Small town. Small classes. A coach that could drill her on the fundamentals of the rim, the backboard, her footwork. And she had the heart, the brain to do whatever she was asked.”

Houston weathered a few SEC and Big 12 storms before they signed her in 2003 “and the rest,” said Curl, “is history. She came in here and took us to a #3 seed in the NCAA tourney, a #8 seed, I believe, in her senior year and was a #5 pick in the WNBA draft. I think she improved a lot while she was here, but I really felt her real basis of who she is right now as player and a person…I give a lot of credit to Wade Scott and the program he had there.”

LA is coming to NY (hope to be very fond of the team after they leave), and Barbara Barker of Newsday writes:

Every basketball player has her own pregame routine. Few, however, have one as challenging as Candace Parker's.

Before tonight's WNBA game against the Liberty at Madison Square Garden, Parker will listen to Jay-Z, stretch and take some shots with her Los Angeles Sparks teammates. Then she will return to the locker room, pull out her breast pump and get down to business.

"This is something I think I can keep doing for Lailaa," Parker said of avoiding formula for her 8-week-old daughter.

She also writes something that sounds mighty, mighty familiar:

The WNBA's reigning MVP is not the first player in the league to have a baby. In fact, on her team alone, there are five mothers. Yet, Parker is pushing the envelope in one important way: She is starting her family at the beginning of her professional career, rather than putting it off until her late 20s or 30s.

I'm still not sure why Barker, like the NYTimes' Crouse, chose to hype Parker's age and ignore all the other basketball mothers such as, to name a few: Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Helen Darling, Le'Coe Willingham, Kara Braxton, Vanessa Hayden, Yolanda Griffith, DeMya Walker, Jia Perkins, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Scholanda Robinson, and Nikki Teasley (thanks for the list, Melissa).

To ridiculously split hairs, as Crouse did in a response to an email from my friend and colleague Melissa, and say that Sheryl was a whole two years older (um. but the league was BRAND NEW) or the "other players weren't expected to carry the league" (um. player after player has been expected to do that.) is dismissive and insulting to the other players who've been balancing parenting and a professional career. (note how I use don't use "motherhood," since I'm still waiting on the upcoming article about LeBron James' struggles balancing parenting and pro ball)

I don't understand the need to do that in order to honor (or hype) what Parker is trying to do this season.

From Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman: WNBA is not sitting well with Courtney Paris FORMER SOONERS STAR STRUGGLING TO ADJUST TO LIFE IN THE PROS

She is trying to make the most of her time on the bench.

"I can’t honestly say I was familiar with a lot of the players and what they do,” she said. "In the summers, I was doing stuff, so it’s not like I paid attention as much to the WNBA.
"I’m learning more about the game I play every day.”

Or the game she doesn’t play, as the case may be.

"It’s definitely been a process, a learning process,” she said. "But at the same time, it’s a process I need to make.”

Perhaps the lesson is, if you think you're a good college player and want a career in the WNBA, perhaps you should take a moment to check out you competition and get a feel for the level of play. Note to Courtney: W players don't suck.

From OurSports:

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), today announced that it will tip off the league's inaugural WNBA Green Week on July 9. The event, which marks the first-ever partnership between NRDC and a women's professional sports league, will run through July 16. During Green Week, the entire WNBA family will team up to generate awareness and funding to protect the environment with special oncourt apparel, auctions to support environmental preservation organizations, public service announcements, and hands-on community service projects.

As part of WNBA Green Week 2009, adidas will outfit all players with 100 percent organic cotton shooting shirts featuring the WNBA Green logo. Spalding will sponsor an auction for the duration of Green Week on WNBA.com featuring Spalding basketballs, made from 40 percent recycled materials and autographed by WNBA players. All proceeds will benefit NRDC.

The US volleyball team (oh, headline editor!) is now 5-0, in great part to Kayla Pederson's balanced game.

Stanford junior Kayla Pedersen just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds as the USA Women's Basketball World University Games Team (5-0) beat Czech Republic, 115-78, on Tuesday in Belgrade, Serbia.

It was a bad sprain: Sparks' Lisa Leslie still questionable for WNBA All-Star game

Rebecca Lobo, at Women's Open, worries about WNBA future (She looks great, cute kids look cranky)

Alex DiFilippo from SignonSanDiego.com: Houston: Pick No. 30 and playing like No. 1

Charde Houston is proving she was a steal as a third-round pick in last year's WNBA draft.

The San Diego High graduate, who holds California's record with 3,837 points in her high school career, is making a huge impact for the team that took a chance and selected her 30th overall, the Minnesota Lynx.

Despite falling further than she would have expected in the draft after an up-and-down college career at Connecticut — where she received AP All-America honorable mention twice but saw her minutes cut by almost half her senior season — Houston is making the most of her sophomore campaign for the Lynx. She's performing like a first-round pick for Minnesota, which is tied for first place in the Western Conference.

Better start checking the Garden's timing system -- the line up for the Maggie Dixon Classic is out and Scarlet and Orange are involved.

You know how sometimes you don't get enough -- if any -- info on an injury? Seattle's box went the other way on Ashley Walker's DNP.

Oh, yeah -- behind Swin Cash's fine freethrow shooting, Seattle downed San Antonio in what looks to have been an ugly way to spend an afternoon (unless, of course, it was raining cats and dogs or your team won.)

From Steve Contorno from the IlliniHQ.com: For women's hoops, recruiting is a cutthroat business

Law has always been a talented recruiter. For 12 years, she helped C. Vivian Stringer build Rutgers into a national powerhouse. And in that time, the recruiting game has transformed into a cutthroat business.

The media and fan demand have turned men's basketball recruiting into an industry that remakes young student-athletes into national icons. And the changes in recruiting on the men's side, both good and bad, have slowly trickled to the less prominent women's side.

"I've seen the recruiting change so drastically, that's why we're here every day working on the 2011, 2012, 2013, because kids are committing early," Law said.

A little touch of insomnia let's us catch up on last night's games:

1) January's running three-pointer at the half (.com's Play of the Day) may have fired up the Fever, but it was Sutton-Brown's 22pts that carried Indiana to a 8th straight victory. This time, the victim was Atlanta,

2) Detroit fans got treated to a heck of a game, but that may be small comfort. Katie Smith said, "I'm not dead yet," loggin' 40 minutes and 28pts and Zellous made this Lib fan jealous (6-13, 7/8 on fts), but Erin Phillips dropped 6 in overtime to lead the Sun to a 95-92 victory. Oh, and new Sun member Sandrine Gruda made Coach T look brilliant, scoring 23 points.

3) Lots of fans, some hype (though the Breeze wants more) and, for most moms, a decent return for Candace, but she couldn't help the lack of Sparks speed and commitment to defense.

Phoenix lifted their run and run and gun offense to new heights in the second half and boom, it was a blowout. A blowout where four Sparks starters hit double figures. Phoenix simply had more scorers, and Bonner continued to make her case for mid-season ROY.

Oh, and game announcer? Diana's ability to stay focused and perform in spite of the DUI is a sign of her professionalism. NOT getting putting yourself in a position to get cited for DUI would be a sign of a professional.

Mechelle on the CP return:

Candace Parker's return to the Sparks on Sunday night in Los Angeles ended up having some unexpected drama from other sources.

There were the preparations at the Staples Center for the upcoming Michael Jackson memorial, which might get a little bit nuts. And there was Mercury leading scorer Diana Taurasi playing her first game since a DUI citation last week in Phoenix. (The legal process has just started; a possible suspension from the league will depend on the situation's resolution.)

Still, the big news of the night was indeed Parker's taking the court again, as she had been out on maternity leave. Her daughter was born May 13, and CP3 lived up to her prediction that she would be back in early July to play her second season in the WNBA.

More Charli from Serbia.

Outta Detroit - Barb Farris.
In - DeForge?

Thanks to Q, a nice companion to my Title IX rant:

“Title IX and Sports”: The Impact of a 1974 Memo to President Richard Nixon

If you are a) interested in the education of our nation’s youth, b) interested in civil rights, and c) interested in women’s sports (as I am), you probably took note of the White House’s commemoration of the 37th anniversary of Title IX on June 23rd.

However, lest we assume that 37 years of existence is equivalent to the eradication of sexism in education generally or sports in particular, Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts turn our attention back to the issue of enforcement.

In a recent column entitled, “Title IX a start, but women athletes still seek level playing field” Roberts & Roberts write: (go read, you reader you!)

More Q:
How The Mercury Beat the Sparks in LA: From 0 to 22 in About 5 minutes 30 seconds

The Phoenix Mercury’s impressive 104-89 road victory over the Los Angeles Sparks last night was one of those games that simply cannot be appreciated by reading the box score or even the play by play alone.

It’s not just that the Mercury posted a season-high 36-point third quarter, that they managed to out-rebound the Sparks 40-31, or that they ran off 11 straight points to start the fourth quarter. It’s how they did it that is noteworthy.

Does Marissa Coleman Still Have a Chance to Win Rookie of the Year?

With Nikki's exit, Mechelle writes: Revisiting Teasley’s recent thoughts is rather eerie

A few weeks ago, I chatted with Atlanta guard Nikki Teasley about coming back to the WNBA after missing last season on maternity leave.

One of the things we discussed was how surprised she was that fellow North Carolina graduate Ivory Latta had been cut from the team before the season began.

”When I received that phone call, I stopped everything. I was in total shock that happened,” Teasley said of hearing the news then about Latta. “She’s done so much for the city and the organization. But at the same time, I have faith in the organization that they made the right decision and they are going to do what’s best for the team.

Update on the Moore knee.

Dan Fleser writes about the woman who gets him the news: The Vols' Debby Jennings:

Debby Jennings came to the University of Tennessee to attend law school.

She took a right turn into journalism and latched on to a pretty good story: the fledgling Lady Vols athletics program.

“The women’s athletic department was one year old, it was like a colt finding its legs,’’ said Jennings, who became the Lady Vols director of media relations in 1977. “I got in on the ground floor of the whole thing, the whole concept of women’s athletics.”

Thirty-two years later, Jennings’ department has received nearly 400 national publication awards and groomed more than 72 graduate students for a place in either the sports information profession or public relations.

Mystics roster news: Mosby back, Humphrey gone.

COOL and CONGRATS!

From the Reading Oklahoma Blog:

The Western Writers of America have also honored Full-court Quest as a winner in their nonfiction category, Best Western Nonfiction Contemporary. In April of this year, the Oklahoma Center for the Book announced Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith’s book as the Twentieth Annual Oklahoma Book Awards winner in Nonfiction.

Full-Court Quest: The Girls from Fort Shaw Indian School, Basketball Champions of the World—Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith—University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK

A little follow-up from Illinois' Courier News: Sporting peace: coaches teach Iraqi teen girls how to play basketball

If the Iraqi women's basketball team qualifies for the London 2012 or Chicago 2016 Olympics, two local coaches will be able to say they helped make it happen.

Elgin Academy Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Vicente Pena and Wheeling High School Girls Varsity Assistant Coach Julissa Hernandez coached a summer basketball camp last month in Knoxville, Tenn.. The camp was developed by Global Sports Partners, a sports agency that contracts with experts to provide access to sports for women and children who have been deprived of opportunities due to social and cultural traditions.

Aditi is still around and has an S.I. mailbag.

Her husband liked Aja. Or Cheyenne.

Candace Parker liked Lailaa.

So she started calling the little bump on her belly Lailaa. She talked about Lailaa kicking and Lailaa getting bigger and then one day, without thinking, her husband, Shelden Williams, looked at her stomach and said, "How's Lailaa doing?"

"I'm very stubborn," said Parker, laughing. "I'm going to do things the way I want to do them."

*Queen/David Bowie plays* Dum dee dee dum de dum dum - two chords. Repeat.

LA co-owner Kathy Goodman blogs in under: Pressure.

Just in time for thoughts on ideas for the All-Star Game comes this article from Nancy Armour of the....Canadian Press? WNBA's originals leave league in good shape

The opportunities for female athletes were so minimal back then it was no wonder Lisa Leslie had modest expectations when she first heard about the WNBA. She envisioned a summer league, with games in small gyms and players wearing reversible jerseys.

"When I saw our locker-room was the same locker-room that Magic and Kareem and James Worthy had once come out of, I was just overwhelmed with the possibilities," she said.

Critics gave the WNBA little chance when it began, predicting it would join the WBL, ABL and soccer's WUSA on the trash heap of failed women's leagues. Even the support - and the deep pockets - of the NBA wouldn't be enough to make it relevant.

Now here it is, 13 years later. Leslie is the league's all-time leading scorer and last of its founding stars and, as she prepares to say goodbye, the WNBA is not only surviving but thriving.

Now about those ideas for the ASG:

1) Remember the Comets!

Invite Van to visit. Contact Tammy, Janeth, Wanda, Fran, Yolanda, Tiffany, Cynthia and Sheryl. Grab Tina. Show video clips of Kim. Interview the greats... walk'em to center court. Say, yes, it totally, totally sucks that we lost the Comets. But, their legacy is clear -- they laid the foundation for this league, and we are committed to always remembering who they are and what they did for the WNBA.

2) Honor the retirees

Yo's injured. Lisa's missed a hunk of time. New York missed VJ due to a family tragedy. Give us all a moment or two or three to celebrate them - with their presence AND great video.

3) Share the All Star "Get out the Vote" videos.

I understand the teams have an in-league competition. Let us see! Let us vote! Build league/team/fan ownership!

4) Everybody Dance Now!
Bring up the Liberty dance troupe and make them do their opening game routine. Holy carp, that rocked the friggin' house. And Maddie (the BEST league mascot) in spandex? You'll never forget the sight. (In a good way)

Catch up with the 13 Teams, 1 Journey blog. Mr. Traveling man is in LA for Parker's return, lucky guy.

Speaking of Title IX and blogging - from Marie: 'Small stories' and Title IX

...the passing of the milestone for the law without wider celebration is disappointing -- but not surprising. Title IX still remains controversial, and myths about the law's impact on boys' and men's sports prevail -- especially among young people. Focus groups with teenagers and college students about Title IX, conducted by the Center for Sports Journalism, revealed that these young people shared their suspicion about the law through narratives in which boys and men were victims. Stories about opportunities stripped from male athletes -- whether based on "reality" or admittedly fabricated by participants -- were used to understand the law.
It was surprising to hear these narratives even from young women who have clearly benefited from the law. But these stories, which are simple tales that conform to gender norms, are powerful tools to tear down support for the law.

Marie talks about the need for education "at lower levels, among middle-school and high school athletes."

I'd point her to a project Pam Noakes and the NAGWS put together a couple of years back. (They could make it harder to find on their website, but I'm not sure how.)

“We can talk about Title IX in universities as much as we want and do research, but are we really reaching the people who are making the decisions about how the money is given out, about who’s getting opportunities, about how things should be brought in to line?” asks Noakes. “I appreciate all the other things people have done where they try and educate people about Title IX, but honestly, it’s really kind of boring information. If you’re an athlete, it’s not stuff you’re interested in, unless you can somehow personalize it for them.” (One might say the same about coaches.)

This is where the newly launched NAGWS educational program “Backyards and Beyond” comes in. Focusing on issues of social justice in sport, the first unit is an interactive exercise in which people do an activity, engage in some conversation and plan strategies for how they might address Title IX issues in a totally non-threatening way. “We don’t talk about ‘prongs’ [of compliance], we don’t make any mention of lawsuits. We approach Title IX as the concept of fairness in sports and that I, as a parent or coach of a boy or girl, should be able to say that I believe that my athletes should have a fair opportunity to participate in sport.”

A leader purchases a (reusable) toolkit and gathers a small group of teammates, PTA members, girl scouts, or neighbors. After a short DVD, the group is split in half. One becomes the served population; the other becomes the underserved population. Each group is given the same task -put together a puzzle. The first group is given all they need to complete the task, while the other group receives directions that are in a foreign language, are missing pieces, have no facilitator and are expected to work in a very restrictive environment.

After 15 minutes, they all gather and discuss the challenges (or lack thereof) within the experience. The facilitator then translates that conversation into sport, explained Noakes, saying, “Similar sorts of limitations can be put on you in sports. So what are some of the ways these types of situations might affect you in a sports context?” The facilitator then talks about how Title IX “protects people’s rights in this area and how important it is that people know what those rights are. So that if you are in a situation in your community where you saw something that might be a Title IX issue, what are some of the ways that you could address that issue? What would you do to resolve it?”

Tsk, tsk, UAA.

An update from the Title IX blog: UAA Investigation Reveals Locker Room Disparity

The University of Alaska-Anchorage has announced plans to renovate athletic facilities to create two additional locker rooms that would provide more space to female athletes. An internal investigation into concerns the athletic department's gender equity revealed that due to the men's basketball and hockey teams currently each have their own locker rooms and individual lockers for each player, which contributes to an overall disparity in which 57% of male athletes have individual lockers compared to 13% of female athletes and in which male athletes averaged 11 square feet of locker room space compared to seven square feet per woman.

I wonder if the UAA's Athletic Director's mind is unboggled yet.

"This complaint is mind-boggling to me. To tell the truth, I can't wait for them to come up here....The idea that we are disadvantaging our women athletes is absolutely ridiculous."

From... well, it kinda looks like a lot of different places: Roman Augustoviz takes note of Wiggins' development: Ex-Stanford All-American grows into starring role in WNBA

From the Courant: Ervin out, Gruda in.

Interesting link from the Women's Sports Blog: The Myth of the Myth of The Hot Hand

In the past, coaches have talked about the disconnect between college and W coaches. Some of it's logistical, sometimes it's just 'cause.

So, it's nice to see some of the college websites making an effort to follow their grads playing in the W. LSU has, as has Auburn. Their "Week 4" update is...well, up.

Former Auburn women's basketball player and current Phoenix Mercury teammates DeWanna Bonner and Le'Coe Willingham each contributed big performances in leading the Mercury to a 2-1 record this past week. The Mercury, with the help of the former Auburn standouts, are now 7-4 on the season, a mark good enough for second place in the western conference and fourth overall in the WNBA.

From Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News: Pelkey on fast track with ESPN

When Andrea Pelkey played for the Nokomis High School girls basketball team, there were times she would take a quick shower after the game and then do the play-by-play for the Nokomis boys game for the cable access channel.

The Newport-based school received broadcasting equipment prior to her sophomore year, she explained.

“I had no idea what I was going to do [for a profession] and then they started this broadcast team at Nokomis so I figured I’d give that a try,” said Pelkey.

“I found my niche,” she added. “I thought this was something I could see myself doing.”

It would be lovely to be able to celebrate the beauty that was the Storm/Mercury game last Wednesday (as should we celebrate the handful of games that have been both high scoring and high quality basketball.)

But the post-game news of Diana Taurasi being cited for DUI has cast a pall over all that.

I mean, dammit, it was barely three months ago that a drunk driver took the lives of 22-year-old pitcher Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, Henry Nigel Pearson, a 25-year-old passenger in the car, and the driver, 20-year-old Courtney Frances Stewart. Why do people refuse to learn?

I'm sure the timing of Diana's DUI (after the Storm/Mercury game) has sent many minds speculating about what happened post-game and who was there. And the phrase, "friends don't let friends drive drunk."

And it should. I mean, it really, really should. There is simply no excuse for driving drunk.

I'm guessing that there will be people who'll say, "What, you're going to say you never got into your car a bit tipsy?" Actually, I haven't. But, when I was younger I know that I got into a car with someone how shouldn't have been driving.

I've gotten smarter, wiser, and braver. And I won't ever do that again. Ever. Nor will I let friends or acquaintances do so. And, if I get killed or maimed by some idiot who's too stupid or egotistical or ignorant to care about innocents on the road, I will be very, very, VERY pissed off.

Diana says this is "embarrassing and unfortunate for her family and organization." No doubt that's true. Diana is splashed all over the Merc site. But, there is, at the moment, no mention of her citation on the site or the .com.

Diana says "I'm going to have to do some things to make it straight."

Here's a dare: Make good on this pledge. Don't ever let anyone forget your actions. How, if you hadn't had the road-gods of luck on your side, you and your passengers could have become something that would have ripped out the hearts of your friends and family. And the thousands of fans who love the way you play and the ferocious joy you bring to the game of basketball.

Don't let anyone forget that. Don't YOU ever forget that. Because that will help prevent future tragedies.

It's great that deaths from drunk driving have dropped almost 50% since 1982. But 11,773 deaths caused by something totally, totally, TOTALLY preventable is so beyond "far too many."

Diana -- you totally screwed up. Make it straight.

Mechelle on the Fever's hot-streak:

Personally, I thought this Fever effort – a 67-53 win over Connecticut on Thursday – deserved more than a “whoop-de-do.” Maybe a “yee-haw” or something. Hey, I drove all the way from Kansas City to see it, so that’s at least worth a yee-haw, right? The Fever is atop the Eastern Conference and its 7-2 record is the best in the WNBA.

This is a team that lost its first two games and then, in its third game, lost veteran post player Yolanda Griffith to what we assume is a career-ending Achilles injury, although she hasn’t officially said that. Griffith had announced this would be her last go-round before the season began, but considering the injury, there’s speculation that she may opt to go out in a better way than this. As it is, she remains a strong personality for this team.

The Fever still won that game against the Storm on June 9. Then came wins against LA, Detroit (twice), New York (twice) and now the Sun. Thursday’s game plan was to try to control the game inside, and it worked behind 14 points/14 rebounds from Tammy Sutton-Brown, an overall dominance on the boards (42-29) and a kind of momentum that even the Fever’s opponents can sense.

Looks like Parker's first game back will be when LA hosts the Mercury.

"After watching her practice this week, it looks like she can play some minutes," coach Michael Cooper said. "It's a huge addition for us and a big game for her to come back. Obviously, she isn't 100 percent and we will take things slowly, but clearly Candace, even at less than 100 percent, is an incredible player."

Parker's return couldn't come at a better time for the Sparks, who were the preseason favorites to win the WNBA title.

The question is, will Taurasi be there or be suspended buy the league after being cited for driving under the influence.

After Friday's practice, Taurasi told media her DUI citation was "just something that's embarrassing and unfortunate for my family and the organization."

Taurasi said she couldn't comment on the specifics of the incident because it was a legal matter "but personally, I'm going to have to do some things to make it straight."

Some 'Claw:

Chamique Holdsclaw knows the condition of her right knee could make or break the Atlanta Dream's season.

Eleven games into her WNBA comeback, however, Holdsclaw likes the team's chances.

"I'm an important player for this team," she said. "I'm not always able to fully practice because of my injuries, but I feel good and I'm happy for my team. One thing about us win or lose, we stick together."

The US team stands at 3-0 after defeating Serbia 84-50.

"I think we were prepared for a close game, and at the same time, we knew that if we rebounded and played defense, we could pretty much dominate the game," said USA and Arizona State University head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "I am really proud of this team for their composure and playing through rough play. We did anticipate Serbia would be very aggressive after scouting them, and the crowd was certainly in their favor, but it was fun. This is what we prepared for - a big arena, big crowd and having to pull together and find a way to get things done. It was another great team win."

(More quotes.)

Time for round two -- no news if Maya Moore (sore knee) will play.

In other games, Sacto got a desperately needed win, breaking a 6-game losing streak with a 74-68 victory in Minnesota.

"One of our greatest attributes is our perseverance,'' Sacramento coach Jenny Boucek said. "Being able to respond well to adversity, challenges, staying in the moment and just fighting, fighting, fighting. That's hard to do when you've lost as many as we have already.''

Connecticut's three-game wining streak came to an ugly end at the hands of the still surging Fever, who got their 7th straight victory, 87-53.

"Defend, defend and defend, and then if you defend, you're going to have opportunities to score off your defense,'' said Dunn, who was unaware that the win streak was a team high.

"I don't keep up with records,'' she said. "I didn't know that. Whoop-de-doo. Way to go. The only thing that matters is the first quarter of the next game.''

No surprise that today I find myself mighty fond of the Detroit Shock.

In a game with plenty of the requisite chippiness, the Libs' threes fell (Loree Moore!!?), Christon played like the All-Star she should be and (oh, oh) JMac wore a back pad during her bench time in the second half. The Shock whined at the refs, Nolan looked gimpy and Zeallous' ability to get to the free throw line is making me think I may have been right in my draft wishes.

But, hey, the Lib looked as good as they've looked all season -- and we beat Detroit 80-64. Always a good way to start a holiday weekend.

I feel the profound need for some backstory: Atlanta waives Teasley and signs Latta.

Truly disappointing and distressing news out of Arizona: it involves alcohol, a car and Diana Taurasi.

Blimey, mate!

The US defeats Britain, 93-59.

"I was pleased. I thought we really set the tone with our defense," said USA and Arizona State University head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "We knew they could shoot it well and they were going to try to pull our posts out, spread us out. I think we handled it well and created a lot of offense off of our defense. We had some lulls. It's always hard when you go up that big to stay focused. All in all, it was a great team effort."

That are the top 10 Stanford teams?

Some may remember that, a couple of months ago I got a tad cranky with Dave Zirin.

Well, he may have gotten his revenge: he interviewed me for his XM show, The Edge of Sports Radio. It was actually a pre-tape of his usually live Friday show 'cause he's off to talk to people in San Francisco.

We talked the Candace/ESPN article, the W and economics and other stuff. Not sure how XM works -- which may be just as well. No idea if I sound like an idiot (meaning, to be clear, more of an idiot than usual), but I appreciated Dave giving women's sports air space.

Now, if XM would just pick up Shootaround with Beth and Debbie....

Anyone who sits within earshot of me at the Garden (yes, I know how to bellow) knows you can make your opinion known without being a total tool. Maybe the Horned Frogs' band should come visit.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has reprimanded for a violation of tournament sportsmanship policy during the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

The committee determined that members of the Texas Christian band made disparaging and inappropriate comments to both the game officials and student-athletes of a participating team during the first- and second-round games in Lubbock

No disrespect intended to Candace Parker and all the joys and challenges of being a working mom, but jeez, Karen Crouse, how well do you know the history of the WNBA?

There are a dozen mothers playing in the league, but Parker, the reigning W.N.B.A. rookie of the year and most valuable player, is a trailblazer in one respect. Unlike Leslie and Thompson, she did not put motherhood on hold until after she had ushered her professional basketball career into its second decade.

Let's start naming W players who "did not put motherhood on hold," like, say, Sheryl Swoopes?

Swoopes was the first player chosen by the WNBA, which assigned her to the Houston Rockets [WHB note: well, we all make mistakes, don't we] as play began in June, 1997. Then along came the baby. She gave birth to Jordan, named after Michael Jordan, on June 27. About six weeks later, on August 7, Swoopes took the court in her WNBA debut, playing about five minutes in a 74-70 victory by the host Comets over the Phoenix Mercury. "I was very nervous for the first game after being out of competitive basketball for a year," the Associated Press quoted Swoopes. "There's a big difference in pickup ball and getting out here. It's going to take awhile to get the butterflies out."

Swoopes received a warm applause from the crowd. At courtside, some fans hovered around the baby, held by her husband, former football player Eric Jackson (the two divorced in 2000). "Upon learning she was unexpectedly pregnant, her biggest fear was telling her agent and other WNBA associates about her condition," All wrote in Pregnancy Today. "She kept her special secret throughout the first trimester 'in case something happened,' and then shared the news. 'I was nervous about what everyone would think, but they were all very supportive,' she says."

While I appreciate the fact that the NYTimes' is giving a W player some ink space, there's something about the tone of this piece that sets my teeth on edge in so many different ways, I'm having trouble sorting them out.

Suzy says, "Zdravo !" via Twitter:

Sitting in Belgrade Arena in Serbia waiting for opening ceremonies of the World University Games to start. 10,000 athletes- mini olympics!

ZUT! Alors!

USA 115, la France, 30.

Ne forget pas, Coach Charli fait le blogging.

Just a question to add to Kathy's news about the Fever/Kroger partnership -- The article mentions the Fever are losing money. How about asking how much money the men losing?

Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Jim Morris said the franchise has shielded fans from the tax by paying about $2 million a year in admission taxes.

"We've always eaten it," Morris said. "I think we're going to have to take another look going forward. I understand the rationale for increasing the tax. For a franchise already losing money, it will be difficult to pay it."

Good news for the Fever (in addition to their current 6 game winning streak). They have a new official sponsor with Kroger.