RebKell's Junkie Boards

[jimmyk]

So here goes with my third annual trip to Charlotte to see some WNBA basketball. I saw the Comets game on Sunday, and then the Sun a couple days after that. So here's my game report for Game 1.

Comets at Sting, July 17, 2005

I liked the anthem singer. Didn’t exaggerate anything, and he sounded really good.

During intros, were the fans booing Trudi, or was that something else? Ballwinner told me that it might not have been booing, for the reason seen below, because those in attendance might not have known to boo the coach...

Lots of kids at this game…namely because of the Lil Romeo concert after the game. Which I decided to skip.

They started by goofing up the tip, which they grabbed the ball back and re-did. The Sting played okay at first, enough to outplay the Comets, who weren’t doing well at all. In fact, the Sting led at the half by a couple, I think. Swoopes had six points in the first 20 minutes.

Charlotte led by as much as 8 in the second half, were really playing well at times. But the Comets, especially Sheryl Swoopes, pretty much went off in the second half.

There was a tie-ball in the second, that looked like it could’ve been a technical or a flagrant or whatever…one player yanking the ball from the other one and both hit the floor hard, but nothing was called. Otherwise, the refs were good. I made a comment to my friend that they gave us good refs in Charlotte because the league knows from other sports how we Southeast sports fans react to idiot refs.

During one of the timeouts, they did a loudest fans contest, sections 119 v. 114, and kids in my section (126) were screaming the whole time. Other timeout stuff was cool…musical chairs, where B.B. Sting tackled the guy so the little kid could win. And they had a mini-speedway thing where three kids got on goofy looking bicycles and went around two laps to see who won.

The Sting eventually lost the lead, and the end came rather quickly, no fouling or anything, Comets won by 12.

Game One was a lot of fun. I was definitely happy to be at the game, even if the Sting lost.

Game two is upcoming...

[jimmyk]

Okay...here's part two.

Sun at Sting July 19, 2005

Camp Day. Therefore, kids were everywhere. I’d guess about 5,000 or so kids. They gave away little orange and white shakers to everyone, and they were out in full force. With that and all the kids being color-coded so they could find their group, it was an atmosphere similar to a soccer game in the World Cup or some big tournament overseas…just without the banners and flags and drums and stuff.

The anthem was better this game, but not by much. I can’t remember the girl’s name, unfortunately enough. Anyone know who it was?

Margo Dydek is VERY TALL. This said because this was the first time I've seen her live in person.

The game was back and forth for a lot of the first half, the Sting playing really well for a lot of it.

Funny highlight #1: Lindsay Whalen blocking Tammy Sutton-Brown.

Funny highlight #2: TSB blocking Whalen a couple possessions later…congratulations given by Sting players on the floor, TSB had a huge smirk on her face afterward, exacting a little payback. That was sweet.

At first, the kids didn’t know who to cheer for, but eventually they figured it out and altered more than one free throw, namely from Lindsay Whalen and Margo Dydek, when they screamed at the right time.

Nykesha Sales and Lindsay Whalen have some impressive stomach muscles. Found this out when Keesh wiped her mouth with her jersey during a break. Whalen did the same thing a few minutes later. Wow. I have always admired how fit these women are, and those are two great examples.

Anyway, the Sun led by a bucket at halftime. The Sting led for most of the second half, which was good to see. I was thinking upset for a little while. Allison Feaster was doing a good job from the outside hitting threes.

Funny highlight #3: Sheri Sam, realizing that she couldn’t drive baseline because Margo Dydek was in good defensive position, and obviously can't go over her, tried to pass the ball around Margo. Dydek proceeded to kick the ball about 20 feet straight up into the air. Yes, the refs did make the correct call. I said, "And that kick is Good!!!"

Funny highlight #4: I did kind of make fun of Nykesha Sales once, when she chucked an airball up for a three, I said, “Well, you’re still shooting like you did at the end of Game 2 last year, eh?” I also noticed that Sheri Sam was nowhere to be found when Sales put up the shot.

Funny highlight #5: During a timeout, the ball rolled over to a woman in the courtside seats. She picked it up, spun it around, and dribbled it a few times. Meanwhile, the refs didn’t even look for it, probably thinking one of the other two had it, so the woman got to play with the game ball for the entire timeout before one ref finally found it and retrieved it.

Dydek was the first one to double figures in this one, with about six minutes to go. Two minutes later, the Sting still led, but just by 1, as the Sun started their run. The Sting didn’t do all that much from then on, and the Sun took the lead back with 3 minutes left and that was it.

It was close enough to foul at the end of the game, but that strategy was not employed until it was too late, and the Sting lost again in the final few minutes. I just wonder why you wouldn't start fouling in a situation like that. I know it doesn't work all the time, but still, it's worth trying, as far as I'm concerned.

So there's the story. After this game I went to the shop and bought some Sting stuff, including an Allison Feaster jersey. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size in Dawn Staley jerseys. Drat the luck. The guy there told me that there would be a real team shop kind of thing for the Sting once they move over to the new building. That's very cool.

Bottom line, I enjoyed both games. The atmosphere in that building for all five games I've seen there has just been awesome. I can't wait until they get the new arena started next year. Although, it does kinda stink because I have only just now completely figured out how to get to the Coliseum easily. Oh, well. Maybe getting to the new downtown arena won't be that hard.

[CamrnCrz1974]

Thanks for the thorough reports, Jimmy!

[jimmyk]

One last thing...

I mentioned above that I had a lot of fun watching those games in Charlotte, and I did. I would absolutely love to be able to go down there for all 17 home games every year. But due to work constraints and the fact that I live three hours away from Charlotte, I just can't do it. That's why you see me hoping for a Knoxville team that isn't going to happen. I'd be a STH for that team in a heartbeat.

I know Camp Day games can be a little squealy with all the kids and everything, but next time you go to a game, regardless of whether you think you might need earplugs, soak in the whole thing. Try not to focus on the refs or certain players or even (to a certain degree) who wins, but pay attention to everything.

That's what made the whole thing so fun for me on Sunday and Tuesday. Just seeing all those kids at both games getting so much into the game. Yeah, it's hard to hear all that noise, but I just hoped through all that screaming that maybe these kids had lots of fun and maybe, just maybe, they'll go home and get their parents to take them to another game. Then it would spread to those two people and they'd tell other people and so on.

The bottom line for me isn't the fact that the Sting are a 3-16 basketball team that just can't finish off a game. It was just the whole atmosphere of the game that makes me wish a hundred times that I could go to all 17. It was a lot of fun for me to do, even if the entire trip totaled 720 miles just to go see those games.

Don't take it for granted, folks. Whichever city you're in. And by all means don't leave a team if their W-L isn't what you want it to be. In the case of me going to Charlotte, that didn't matter all that much. I started tearing up a few times during both games because I was just so glad I was able to go see two games, to watch teams from my favorite league play basketball. I really appreciate all of it...from the kids acting like soccer fans to Lindsay Whalen's belly to Margo Dydek kicking a ball so high it would be a field goal in a grain silo...the whole experience was fun for me.

I don't know if all that did anything for anyone or not, but I just felt like it should be said. Enjoy these games, folks. Because if Charlotte is this fun, I can only imagine what the other dozen cities are like.

End Sermon.

[Zot]