The New York Times explains (finally) its coverage -- or lack thereof -- of the New York Liberty. An "ask the editor" question about the non-coverage got this response from sports editor Tom Jolly:

We report the results of all Liberty games, albeit usually in short items. Again, it's a question of resources. Except for the major teams, we're less about covering events and more about reporting on the bigger stories that transcend a particular sport.

Mr. Jolly, Baylor '73, notes that WNBA player profiles are just the kind of transcendent stories Times' readers can expect in the future, and suggests that those interested in actual coverage of the league hit the web. "The beauty of the Internet," he explains, "is that people who want to read more about a particular sport can easily do so by finding a Web site devoted to that sport." (or, even better, Tom, a site that gathers everything written on women's basketball)

Interesting side note: When Jolly was appointed sports editor in 2003, then executive Howell Raines said he was ideally suited to follow exiting editor Neil Amdur because

In his 12 years in the job, Neil sharpened our coverage of metropolitan-area professional sports, drew new readers to our National Edition and extended our range on international sports such as soccer and the Olympics. Tom has the leadership presence and experience to build on this great foundation. He also has the vision and competitive zeal to expand our ambitions locally, nationally and internationally and to challenge our talented staff in the areas of breaking news, enterprise reporting, investigative projects and energetic commentary."

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio....

(thanks to CalltheDoctor and Queenie)