RebKell's Junkie Boards

[bullsky]

They just said it on the ATL/PHX game.

Looks like Penny won't be back after the Olympics. I hadn't heard any of this before.

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JENNASMITH13.com

2009 WNBA Draft Net - Contributor
Fine In '09 Blog - Contributor

"We will play defense for 94 feet of the court.
We are going to have an up-tempo style and
We are going to make people fear the Fighting Illini."
-Illinois Head Coach Jolette Law

[Luuuc]

First thime I've heard anything definitive as well.

D'OH!

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Seems rike no one takes me serirousreee

[braveniler58]

I still think Penny will come back if we pull together and make a serious run into the top 4.

I hope so, anyway..

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GO University of Connecticut Huskies, Arizona State University Sun Devils, University of Arizona Wildcats, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury (2007 WNBA CHAMPIONS), and the New England Patriots!

[CB]

I said it definitively. Thanks source, still batting 1000.

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"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

[braveniler58]

[Richyyy]

[braveniler58]

[bullsky]

[sportsfanswhine]

[mercfan3]

Well Dee and Cappie have got some begging to do when they go to the Olympics..

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TALENT

What it takes to play a gay pirate, a gay candymaker, and a gay mad hatter, and still land a role as John Dilinger.

[CB]

[braveniler58]

[braveniler58]

[mercfan3]

[Luuuc]

[braveniler58]

[CB]

[braveniler58]

[mercfan3]

[SuziQ]

[CB]

[mercfan3]

[CB]

[2Old4Title9]

I miss Penny too but I have thought all along that she would not be back this year. If she decides to have a baby, that leaves next year out of the question too.

So...someone else is going to have to step up, that's all. With the young talent that the Mercury have now, and the talent coming into the W from college, I think within a few years the Penny Taylor-type athlete will become more the norm than the exception.

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Crown Him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime
John 1:1-5

[blzntr33s]

[caune]

[quote="blzntr33s"]

[Pants]

Penny will NOT be back after the olympics. Diana said it ("100% Penny's not coming back") in a radio interview this morning.

mms://phxsuns.wmod.llnwd.net/a205/o2/xtra_taurasi_080702.mp3

[mercfan3]

[braveniler58]

Darn, I wanna know what she said.

_________________
GO University of Connecticut Huskies, Arizona State University Sun Devils, University of Arizona Wildcats, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury (2007 WNBA CHAMPIONS), and the New England Patriots!

[Pants]

[braveniler58]

[paigeme]

I had a feeling Penny wouldn't be coming back. Confirmation is still a bitch though.

[mercfan3]

[braveniler58]

Thanks, mercfan! I love Dee. Seriously. She's awesome.

Someone needs to create a cloning machine... like, NOW. I want 12 of her so I can make my own WNBA team...

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GO University of Connecticut Huskies, Arizona State University Sun Devils, University of Arizona Wildcats, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury (2007 WNBA CHAMPIONS), and the New England Patriots!

[paigeme]

Bickley: As stated, Michael Jaye Bauer booked Diana Taurasi today, I have no idea why we're having her on the programme.

DT: Haha!

Bickley: DT, what's happening?

DT: What's up?

Bickley: Hey Diana, how are you?

DT: Good, how are you guys doing this morning?

B: We're doing good, I've kind of recovered (giggles) from that beatdown you put on me

DT: You hadn't shot in a while, I'll give you that.

B: So you're going to let me down easy. And the one thing you told me, for those who didn't see what happened, I played three games of horse with Diana and she just lit me up. I mean, Bang, bang, it was done. She looked at me and was like, "Is that all you got?"

DT: There was blood on the walls.

B: There was blood on the walls. But you know what you told me that made me feel a lot better. You told me you used to beat Ben Gordon when you guys were at UConn.

DT: Yeah, in the summer BG and I always used to shoot. You know, we used to go toe-to-toe, so you got nothing to be ashamed of.

MJ: DT, you probably hear that alot: I could beat you in a game of horse. Well, good luck.

DT: (giggles)

MJ: DT, let's talk about the big win last night. What about the Atlanta Dream?

DT: What a nightmare, huh?

Bickley: They're struggling!

MJ: (laughs) What a nightmare! (drumroll)

DT: Like how many times do you...that can be the best name or worst name for a franchise.

Bick: If you're 0-16, I'm guessing that's not a very good name.

DT: But you know what, they're not bad. That's the weird thing. But you know how franchises are just starting up, they don't know how to win, they still don't know each other, there are a lot of factors.

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Bick: Alright, D, one thing I wanted to ask you about, alright, the season starts off, you guys are defending champions, alright, and now you, now you're getting everyone's best shot, you don't have Penny Taylor, you guys don't have a real identity yet, you know what it looked like to me?

DT: Right. What?

Bick: It looked like after you guys got whooped on in NY, I believe it was, that you decided the heck with this, and you kind of put this team on your back, and now you're rolling with it. Tell me about that.

DT: Well, we started on a 5 game road trip 13 days ago, and like you said, we started in NY and we just got our souls handed to us. We lost by 30, at the Garden, which you only get to play there once a year, so you want to play well, but we didn't. So, after that, in the locker room, everyone was feeling pretty bad. I mean, there's just no excuse for that. NY is a good team, but to lose by 30? You have to be really bad. Uhm, so we kind of, it was more of a collective effort, where we said, "Come on, if we're going to be on the road, we might as well make something happen." You know, we won 4 in a row.

MJ: You know Diana, at one point you were 4-7 and now you're 8-7. You get a chance to come home and play NY on Sat night. But you got off to a slow start, was that a case of you guys not really having a training camp together?

DT: You know, I don't really like to blame it on that, but I literally got in 2 days before the game. Cappie got in 8 hrs before our first game. Uhm, it still takes some time to get used to each other. We've been away from each other for 8 months, we plugged in 3 or 4 new pieces that we still haven't fit in with, so, you know, I would probably say a little bit to the lack of preparation.

Bick: And you know what? It's one of these things, it's a growing issue in the WNBA, and there's nothing anybody can or wants to do about it because you girls should be able to go make that money. You guys are great players (DT agreeing), you deserve that opportunity, but it's not good for the overall product!

DT: You know, and we always talk about it, that teams don't look right until mid-season. And mid-season, only 16 games left, so that's something, maybe scheduling wise, they can fix, but that's where FIBA Europe and the WNBA kind of have to work together, and right now, there's not much communication with scheduling, and maybe pushing the season forward or back to help each other. So, that's strictly on them.

MJ: Diana, how's it going to affect not only the Phoenix Mercury, but the WNBA, when they shut it down for a month for the Olympics.

DT: It definitely is weird. Any professional league that goes away for a month, people tend to forget it. In 2004, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. People still stayed interested because we had the Olympic team, so they kind of followed that. Through that month, players stay at whatever city they're with and do promotions. But it kind of puts the season to a halt, and once again, teams are missing players. You get back, and you have to get back to a rhythm. You know, it's not convenient, but that's what we have to do.

MJ: Alright, excuse my ignorance here, but who is going to be the favourite to win the Olympic gold in basketball.

DT: (chuckling) Well...we're not the world champions, so I'm not going with the US. I'll go with the...uh...I'll put all the pressure on Australia right now. We're the underdogs. We're trying to get there.

Bick: You guys aren't going to...

MJ: Come on, how can you call the United States the underdog?

DT: Hey! Hey! Sometimes you have to have the underdog mentality. We're not the world champs. That's a fact. We have to go back and earn it, that's the way I look at it.

MJ: That's true.

Bick: Now, do you think, say Penny doesn't come back after the Olympics, do you think you have enough...?

DT: Right, she's not coming, Penny I mean, uh...

Bick: She's done? Not doing it?

DT: 100% Penny is not coming back (chuckles).

Bick: Gotcha. Alright, do you have enough to defend your title without her?

DT: Oh, without a doubt.

Bick: Really?

DT: We have, right now we got players, I mean LeCoe Willingham. Tangela is playing some incredible basketball right now. Tangela Smith is unbelievable, I think in the last six games she's averaging like 18-12, which, those are monster numbers. She's been playing great. I do think we have enough juice.

Bick: That's great

DT: We also have 4 of the 5 starters who played last year, so as far as not thinking we can win it, that would be foolish.

Bick: Now Dee, part of the reasons why I like you so much, and I think I made this clear many, many times, is that you really do keep it real. A lot of people like to say that, you really do.

DT: Right

Bick: Tell me about your blog on yardbarker.com because this thing, this thing is kind of crazy, D, I gotta tell you! (MJ in the background laughing)

DT: Isn't it wild?!

Bick: (MJ still laughing) It's very wild!

DT: It's something to have fun with. You know people take everything so serious all the time, uh, whenever, you know, we're on the road so much, whenever I find something stupid or just out of this world, I put it on there! And people comment, and I love it. Like you see Mariah Carey doing that pitch?

Bick: Yeah. Yes.

DT: I mean, come on! What was her publicist thinking? That can't be a good PR move for anyone.

Bick: No, I agree, and I'm not going to get into the details, but I really like some of the observations you saw when you were cruising through Craigslist, D. (MJ laughing again)

DT: (chuckling) You see that sofa?

Bick: Why don't we just leave that, right there, like that, and not even move on with that. How about that?

DT: Well, whoever wants to tune in: Yardbarker.com, go onto WNBA, hit me up, leave a message.

Bick: Hit you up. Hit you up. Alright, D, you be good. I know you got to get on a flight, we just wanted to reconnect with you, and I'm not going to...

DT: Hey, thank you guys so much.

Bick: Alright, you take care.

DT: Alright guys...(disconnected)

Bick: See you. Diana Taurasi joining us from the Atlanta airport.

MJ: Right, and she's about to jump on a flight. They're heading back to the Valley. 4 and 1 on their recent road trip, and they get a chance for a little revenge on Saturday night, if you're interested, they're playing the NY team at the US Airway Center, which is the Liberty if I'm not mistaken.

Bick: And like I said, if you want to get an idea of exactly how un-PC DT happens to be, go check out what she's doing for Yardbarker. com. Bauer have you seen it?

Bauer: No, I have not, but I'm on my way right now! (Bick and MJ laughing) because, man, you can dig up some stuff on Craigslist, and I can't wait to see.

MJ: Oh, oh that website is a mess.

Bick: Yeah, yeah, there's a certain couch she's looking to buy. You need to go check that out.

Bauer: Oh, really?

Bick: Yeah, it's uh...I better just stop. We'll be back right after this.
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There's the 1st min. Got to get back to the books, but I'll try to finish up. Probably quite slowly, so bear with me mate.

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Rebound, Seattle!

[braveniler58]

[mabell3368]

Okay, how can you not love this woman? She just flat out enjoys life. Thanks for that link. She made some astute observations about the Atlanta Dream, the league schedule, the Olympics, and the Merc's chances at a repeat. And some silliness to keep it real. Great stuff. Thanks! I'm going to go check out Yardbarker right now.

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What's not to like about sweaty women in shorts?