Melvin Heads for the Sky

Good Luck, Chasity. I will miss u.

The Sky are getting a solid veteran player with a great sense of humor.

There are people in my section who will be glad to see her go, but I will miss her.

I am depressed and the Mystics' loss to the Liberty does not help.

Mystic Gives Game to Monarchs

Tuesday's game against the Monarchs represented all the emotions one person can have in the span of 4 quarters.

First Quarter

What can I say? This was the kind of quarters Mystics fans like me love to see. The Mystics playing solid defense:boxing the Monarchs out of the paint, rebounding and no turnovers. It was like a glimpse into what you know the Mystics are capable of achieving. The quarter ended with a Mystics lead 21-11.

Second Quarter

Have you ever had one of those dreams that was so good you didn't want to wake up? It was so good that even as the world is trying to wake you, in your dream you are fighting to stay asleep. Welcome to the 2nd Qtr. Initially, the Mystics soar to a 14 point lead. I am so happy. Then, I start to wake up. Penicheiro hits a jumpshot and effectively ends my dream. By the end of the first half, the Monarchs has closed the Mystics lead to 5 points.

Third Quarter

Penichero comes out and immediately followed by a quick two point shot by the Mystics' own D-Nasty, with an assist by Chastity. And then, the dream officially turned into a nightmare. The Mystics would not score for almost 4 whole minutes. By the time Nakia scored with 5:29 minutes left in the Qtr, it was to bring the Mystics to a 40-40 tie. The rest of the Qtr was a struggle for the Mystics to tie, while delivering slipping shooting percentage, few rebounds and many turnovers.

Fourth Quarter

If you are like me, you just want the nightmare to end. So I will keep it short. One shot from the floor. Multiple turnovers. Starters in foul trouble. Final score Mystics 52 Monarchs 70. 'Nuff said.

No Highlight Player - I am too depressed to give an award.

Mystics Home Opener is Home Downer

Well Mystics Fans... The good news is that the Mystics kept the players together that pushed us to one of our best seasons. The bad news is that the Mystics brought back the same issues that plagued them last season. Damn!!!

So, positivity first. The best thing and biggest surprise about today's game was Chasity Melvin. Fans are generally divided about Chasity (at least in my section) but I have always supported Chas. Maybe it is because she is at her best when the rest of the team is at their worst. Maybe it is because she has been a solid player for 8 years. Maybe it is because off the court she cracks me up. Maybe it is because my cousin has a crush on her. Whatever it is "I am a fan." Anyway, today she racked up the best stats of either team, bringing in the nights only "double double" with 22 points and 11 rebounds. She also tied here career high free throws made, with an impressive 10 out of 11 shots from the line. We also saw a solid, performance from Delisha Milton Jones, not a surprise. Delisha is one of the most consistent players on the team, also an 8 year vet still posting strong numbers on the court and bringing important leadership to the team.

HIGHLIGHT AWARD - CHASITY MELVIN (Big Surprise)

Okay, let's start with the rant. What can I say, we are fans. We need somebody to blame when we lose and today, there is plenty of complaints to go around. First, as much as I love the Mystics, I wish we could execute a better defense. As a I stated in my first post of the season, I believe this is a championship team, but if we can't consistently execute a stronger defensive, we are sunk. Offensively, the Mystics shot 45.5% to the Sun's 38.8% with about the same number of shots attempted. However, the Sun went to the line 36 times to the Mystics 19 times, which demonstrates a key weakness in the Mystics defensive execution. Second, we have to look at Crystal Robinson. The only Mystics player with time on the board but no points. Again, I had the opportunity to sit behind the bench, and fans kept asking "Richie, why are you sending Crystal in?" The answer, while not what the fans wanted to hear, is simple. Crystal is Richie's "go to" player. She gets him. She continues to be the person he depends on to translate his complex intentions to the rest of the team. Well, her translation may be great, but her execution needs a little work. Finally, I remain consistently frustrated with Richie's unwillingness to put the "newbies" on the floor. In a short 4:43 min on the floor, Bernice shot 100% from the floor and brought in 3 rebounds. I can't wait to see more of her. And I really want to see Gillian Goring (GG to some G-squared to me)get some time. I think a tall, strong center might get our defense on the right track.

After calming down from the lost (I hate losing, especially when you go from a tie to 9 points down in the last minute of the game), I still think this is going to be record breaking year. The Mystics brought a strong offense, even with AB on the injured list, and even against one of the best teams. The Mystics held there own.

****Final Note**** In my preseason post, I listed Rita Williams as my pick, but I really meant to list Bernice Mosby. Anyway, while I knew it was a long shot, I am disappointed to see Megan Vogel didn't make the cut. I saw her with her parents before the game, I think she would have brought a lot of heart to the game. I wish her luck in her professional career and look for her to do big things overseas.

Mystics Veterans Take Charge and Leave Little Room for Newbies

Unlike most fans, I love preseason. I mean the singer forgot the words to the national anthem, even though the words are in bright lights and the game announcer mis-pronounced all the team players names. But still, I love preseason. Preseason is the time to evaluate the team, see if the veterans have stepped up their game or if the newbies can compete in the big league. I also love preseason because it is a time for the fans to decide what kind of team and season we will have. Well, preseason is over and my thoughts are in.....

First, thank god for the Veterans. Although, Alana Beard set out to continue to rest her sore shoulder, the remaining starting five, Nikki Teasley, Nakia Sanford, Chastity Melvin, Delisha Milton-Jones and the ultimate sixth man, Coco Miller. Thanks to this core group plus Laurie Koehn, the Mystics are well on their way to a championship season.

Second, the newbies (at least to the Mystics),Rita Williams(not that new to the Mystics), Teana Williams, Meagan Vogel and Gilian Goring (or as my team mates have look pretty damn good also. Williams had to pinch hit as point guard because Nikki Blue was down with injuries and even with Richie's complicated plays she looked like she had been a Mystics for years (well I guess, it was just like coming home).

Finally, Richie Adubato and the rest of the Mystics management has a tough decision ahead of them. This decision is made tougher by the fact that the salary cap will keep them from the maximum rooster. Well, I don't know Richie's picks but here are mine....

I will start with the "No Duh" Group
1. Alana Beard
2. Nikki Teasley
3. Crystal Robinson
4. Coco Miller
5. Chastity Melvin
6. Delisa Milton-Jones
7. Laurie Koehn - BTW she gets the Highlighted Award for 8 out of 9 3-point shots
8. Nakia Sanford

Now, for the "Tough Decision" Group
9. Nikki Blue (but may be injured)
10. Rita Williams (yes, she should get this spot, finally)
11. Gillian Goring (or G-Squared, Double G or just plain GG)- She blocks, rebounds, shoots and she is 6-7. What's not to love
12. Meagan Vogel (this is a long shot, but Tamara James doesn't have control of her game and the bench is already deep.)

Which means, for my money Tamara James and Teana Miller are out, both are quality players but on this team of proven vets is is tough to find a place.

Final Analysis - The Mystics are headed for the 2007 Championships to celebrate the Mystics 10th Anniversary.

I'm Back from Vacation, Dreaming of Iowa

Well it is official, we will not get a break on the national political scene. Thanks to someones bright idea to move the presidential primaries up to January 2008, we are less than an year away from selecting our party nominee. So, if you care about who will be president...then get you ass to Iowa.

While the national press is focused on Obama and Clinton, the latest Iowa polls favors John Edwards, who we hear almost nothing about from national press. In reality, the national media and their polls are largely hot air. The real race will happen in 4 states; Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

A week after announcing Clinton went to Iowa. She has done this before so she knows how important Iowa will be. Edwards has never left Iowa. If you review the Iowa press, you will find articles on his visits every month for the last year. Obama is planning his 1st trip to Iowa in late Feb. Edwards is leading in the Iowa polls with 25% support, follow by Clinton with 17%. However, when asked who they feel has the best chance at beating Rudy Guiliani, it is Edwards.

You can read the Washington Post and watch the Sunday Morning news shows, but I am going to read the Des Moines Register. I suggest you do the same. Check it out. http://blogs.dmregister.com/?feed=rss2&cat=53

Just 2 Words

VOTE TOMORROW

African Americans in MD Vote Republican...GOOD

1/4 of African American Vote to Republicans in MD


In the up-coming election in MD, some polls are predicting as many as 25% of African Americans could vote Republican. As compared to the last largest increase in African American votes in 2004 of 12% who voted for Bush. An increase of this significance could result in a victory for Michael Steele for US Senate. As a lifelong Democrat, I could not be more pleased.

Since the 1988 election when African American participation reached a all time high, due in most part to the Jesse Jackson presidential candidacy, African American turnout has been on the steady decline. As it has declined, although we tended to vote 90+% democratic, the Democratic Party has vigorously continued its efforts to marginalize the African American vote.

As a person on the “inside”, I can bear witness to the fights with whites controlling the party to move money and resources into the black community to ensure they turnout. Hours and hours of conversation with white candidates to convince them to do more than show up at the largest black church in the area on Sunday, but rather it would be more significant to connect with blacks in their communities and join with them to fight important issues in their neighborhoods. The irony is that it is these same ministers who have led the charge against the white Democratic Party establishment.

Now, let me be honest. I am a MD voter. I am African American. I am a registered Democrat. I am a political professional. And I am glad the % of African Americans voting republican is dramatically increasing. My hope is that this will be a wake up call for party leaders. People are not going to continue to vote in lock step, while being marginalized. The Democratic Party will need to wake up and realize that they must invest work and resources into recapturing its African American base. And for this revelation, I say FINALLY!!!!

(Now, I just have to pray that this result does not have the opposite effect of further marginalizing the black vote from fear that base building in this community will turn out Republican votes.)

Okay, last thing. Let me be clear… I am not going to vote for Michael Steele. While I love his commercials and I think he is saying what MD voters (black and white) want to here, he is not the best choice for working families and African Americans in MD. As part of the Republican Party and as a candidate, Steele does not represent the issues that will move people from poverty to prosperity or from illiterate to educated, he is an ineffectual leader who says a little and performs even less. I will be voting and fighting for democrats , including Ben Cardin, to win in November, but I look forward to 2007 and the data to show that African Americans are a monolithic community no more.

In Search of True Character

In the last few weeks, I have contemplated the aspect of character. What is it? Who has it? How do you know if it lies within you?

While there are many situations which reveal a persons charater, none as much as when faced with a obsticle. So, let's consider some basic situations.

1. You are shopping with your teenage cousin. You have just left the store when you look in the bag and realize that there is some merchandise in the bag you did not pay for. What do you do?

a. Take it back to the store and apologize for the misunderstanding.
b. Put the merchandise back in the bag and go home chalking it up to lucky break.

2. You are accused of lying by your boss. Even though you were honest, your boss has some strong circumstantial evidence to prove his position. The president of the company has scheduled a time for you all both to come in to prove your posisiton. Your family suggest that you just forget it and move back home, as a new job in your field is opening up. What do you do?

a. Back your bags, take the new job and forget the incident ever happend.
b. Gather your evidence and present your position to your boss.

At the end of the day, I want to be the person who lives honestly and fights the fights that they faint of heart will not defend.

Strategy for Obama

Okay, so it is clear the Barack Obama is the rising star in the Democratic Party. The freshman Senator has made his rounds on the Democratic speaking circle this cycle and seems to be in more demand than prolific party leader Howard Dean. In fact, many DC insiders are discussing a presidential run for the young Chicago Senator. So, let's ask the big question....

can he win?????<blockquote>

The fact is it is hard to say. A lot of it depends on the strengths of the Dems after the November 2006 elections. Here is what I hope...I want the Dems to come close the taking back the house but miss the mark by 2-3 seats. It is necessary for the Dems to demonstrate some gains, but they are not yet ready to move into leadership. This will keep donors at the table and Dems in power hungry for 2008.

Now let's assume that we are not ready for Obama to be president (nor is he ready) but we like him and want to see him in leadership. So the Obama Strategy is clear, start an exploratory committee, raise some money and decide who would make the best president to his vice. HMMMM???

So let's fast forward. Who should we support to bring home the White House and the Congress to the Democrats? The field is ever changing, but let's just deal with the stand outs. We got Hillary Clinton, John Warner, John Edwards and a throwback, Al Gore.

Hillary? No, America is not that progressive. It would be great to break one barrier for race or gender but both is ambitious. Plus, two people with ties to Chicago, probably would not fly. So if Hillary gets the nod, Obama is in the backseat.

Edwards? The good news is that I like him a lot. I think he is great and would be good for America. The bad news is that I am almost by myself in this thinking. Also, he would be terrible for Obama, as their combined inexperience in governing would be a huge weakness.

Gore? Again, I love this man. I always have. I couldn't be more thrilled at his ability to keep himself relevant in the political landscape. His work on Global Warming demonstates his ability to problem solve creatively and that he has heart. One problem, he is six years too late. Assuming he would subjected himself to the race again, he would not win.

So, that leaves us with the obvious choice...Warner. First, Warner is from the south. Not that he will carry the south but America likes Southern sensibilities. He is appropriately moderate and appeals to a swing constituency. Second, the Warner-Obama team could be unstoppable and have the right mix to cross the widest number of constituency, which will be needed to beat the McCain-?????? mix.

Why We Need a Change!!!!!

I like many other progressive minded Americans are yearning for the quintessential presidential candidate to emerge for the 2008 presidential election. We made not know who it is, but there are something we know about the candidate we want.

So, what do we know?

We know we want a candidate that has integrity. We are tired of being lied to and deceived.

We know we want a candidate that will improve the economy and expand opportunity. Baby boomers are raising a generation which is less prosperous, less educated and less prepared to take care of their parents.

We need jobs and we want them now. We need the kind of jobs that will allow us to pay our rent, buy groceries and support our children. Not just minimum wage service jobs,but jobs that allow us to maintain a growing middle class.

We know we want someone that will united the country, We are tired of fighting with our neighbor over extreme values that don't allow us to improve public education or pay for our medication.

We know we want out of Iraq and for our soldiers to return home. We are tired of being lied to by our government and we are tired of being treated like of playing defense to terrorist but offense to our own citizens through ongoing discriminatory profiling and arbitrary airport security.

We need a change, we need a new president. Let's get ready to make this happen in 2008. Let's not make the same mistake we made in 2000 and 2004.

Jessica Simpson's Panties and Good Sex Hair

Okay, it is truth time. . . well, it is really time for random thoughts. I watch a lot of television and I really love reality TV, but I find that for me television is often the catalyst for random thoughts. (Just wanted to give you some background.)

So today, while watching The View, it occurred to me that everyone has embarrassing moments and we should just know that and get over it. But I must admit that I had a moment. Jessica Simpson was a guest on The View and she wore a really short dress (very cute, no cleavage, but really short). The dress was fairly conservative for Jessica, clearly she was going for a 1992 Hilary Clinton look with the headband, but the damn thing was short. How short was it? It was so short that while sitting in my bed in MD, I found myself looking at her panties in NY. My first thought was one of the producers should tell her to pull down her dress. My second thought was they will never tell her, it is good for ratings. My last thought was who gives a shit, she was in a two year long TV show (Newlyweds on MTV), which portrayed her as a typical dumb blonde. So, the last thing she will care about will be her panties.

This brings me to another point. I don't understand women who pick hair over good sex. Have you ever heard a woman say to you,"don't touch my hair", "don't mess up my hair"? For all of those people who need a sign that a girl is "just not that into you", here it is! If you are with a woman who cares more about her hair than sex with you then one of two things are going on. One, the sex is just not that good. Or two, SHE IS JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. Worst case scenario it is both. Sucks to be you.

Eric Clapton - Change The World

WNBA - Top 10 Plays in First Half of 2006

If you are not down with the WNBA. Check it out.

The Mystics Go Down Fighting

I am proud to be a Mystics Fan. Congratulations Mystics for making it to the Semi-Final round. This is a great accomplishment for a team many counted out before the season got started. Feel good about your performance and know that us season ticketholders look forward to seeing what this team will do next season.

Higlight Award - Alana Beard

Up until the last few minutes of the game, I was unsure who would get this award for todays game. Frankly, all the starters played amazing defense in keeping Connecticut off the board, but in the end it was Alana's ability to create plays in offense that got my attention. From the 3 point shot jumper with 14 sec on the clock, to the Layup completed with 7 sec left and the steal with 5 sec left. All in all a stellar 9 sec performance in the most pressure cooker time of the game. Unfortunately, the last jumper at 3 seconds left failed to connect, but shit happens. Good luck in Brazil and Korea. Mystics fans will have to wait for next season.

Mystics are Ready for the Playoff

In case you didn't know, after the 78-66 spanking that the Mystics, it is clear that the Mystics are ready for the playoffs. Well, I could go on and on, but lets just get to it.

The Hightlight Award goes to (drumroll)...

NAKIA SANFORD

Two words for you "double-double", nuff said.

Connecticut get ready, we are on the way!!!!!

The Night of the 3-Point Shot

Let's start with the obvious....the Mystics obliterated the San Antonio Stars 91 -79. We could talk about the game play by play, but for that you can review the box scores. I want to focus on 3 important aspects of tonight's game....

1. the Stars were awful;
2. the Mystics are playing in "Playoff" form;
3. the 3 point shot could not be stopped, period!!!!!

Okay, first the Stars were more than bad, they were pitiful. This represents a six game losing streak for a team that is assured not to have a playoff spot. And while the Mystic's 3 point shot was on fire, the Stars's 3 point shot was just a fizzle. And the worst part, they kept trying to make it work. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was ploy. Their outside shots were so off, it was a suprise to me (and the Mystics for a minute) when they finally gave it up late in the 2nd quarter and early in the 4th to start driving into the paint. Although, to be fair, this may have been used to test bench players as one of their lead players, Vicki Johnson played a mere 13:21 minutes.


This leads us to the second aspect. The Mystics played well. I am optimistic about our chances in the 1st round of the Eastern Conference Championship, if we bring the defense of this game, which demonstrated agility and flexibity to defend against the game being played. The Mystics drove this point home with Stars, as they kept the Stars out of the paint and aggressively rebounded their poorly executed outside jumper. They are playing well as a team, on offense they had 25 assist on 34 completed field goals. On individual recognition, the headlines will credit AB (Alana Beard) for her 22 points and 5 assist, but I have to give it up to Chastiy Melvin, who made her presence felt under the basket scoring 18 points. However, the real story is her 6 of 7 free throws. For a player who ranks 17th in the league on free throws, shooting 66%, I was glad to see her shooting well from the line. (Melvin ranks 5th in WNBA in field goal percentage). All credit should be given for her free throw performance. All I can say, is "you go, girl" I want to see that in the playoffs against the Sun.

Now, let's get to the real success of the game...the Mystic's 3-point shot. Credit goes to the 4 (Nikki T, AB, D-Nasty and Coco) of the 5 starters who shot the 3 point shot at 50% or greater. This contributed greatly to all five starters scoring in double digits for first time this season.

Now, for the Award:
In an effort to highlight players who are not getting the credit they deserve. I will award one player each game, with the blacklaw96 blog "Highlight Award". Most often this will go to the player, who has overcome or improved on some weakness in their game.

In the Mystics v. Stars, the Highlight Award goes to (drum roll, please)
CHASITY MELVIN for her 6 of 7 FT in this game.

Honoralbe Mention to Nikki Teasley for her double - double (14 pts and 11 assts).

America Don't Fall for the Okie Doke

The US Senate today considered a measure which would raise the minimum raise. Only there is a catch, in order for 14.9 million Americans to get a raise, rich Americans would not have to pay taxes on their inheritence and America would plunge further into debt, then as if this wasn't bad enough Republicans went to work trying to bribe the waivering dems with "pork" projects for their districts. Ironic, since Republicans are constantly trying to convince Americans that "pork" projects are bad and corrupt. Luckily, activists groups like ACORN and union memebers like SEIU and HERE, went to work in these languishing democrats' districts.

And guess what.....most of them listened. Now, let's look at the Dems that we need to take out....

Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-FL) - His state passed mim wage by 71% of popular vote
Nelson (D-NE)
Byrd (D - WV)

But, all is not lost because where we have villians, we also have heros. So, while this may be the only time I ever do this....hats off to the following Republicans for standing up to their party and defending the interest of the working poor.

Chafee (R-RI)
Vonivich (R-OH)

I hope you weren't expecting a long list, just be glad we have a list.

Okay, this post is coming to an end and here is the lesson. America don't be fooled, Republicans will try to spin this issue to their advanatage, but the truth is this vote was not about giving Americans a Raise, it was a cheap political ploy to neturalize the strength of this issue to bring out voters in November. They know if voters stay home, they win.

Make their worst dream come true.....VOTE.

Mystics Extinguish Sparks

Oh My God......the Mystics beat the Sparks 84-74. Not only did we beat the team with the best WNBA record, we beat them by 10 ponts!!!!! Now, the rest of the WNBA will know what Mystics fans have known all season, we have a solid team with amazing chemistry. While many sports writers will focus on the 29 points AB put on the board or the consistency of Delisha's outside shot. I want to hightlight, the superb execution of Laurie Koehn's back to back 3-point shots. While she only played for a short time, a mere 1:52, this is exactly the performance that she delivered for Kansas State. As a midwesterner and life long Big 12(although it was Big 8 when I was young), I have seen Koehn in action and am happy, after a whole season of trying to get it right, Richie has devised a play to key her up to execute the shot that got her drafted in the WNBA. Good Job, Laurie. Thank you, Richie.

This win and the Fevers lost to Detroit, helps move us that much closer to the # 3 spot. We have a real shot at the Eastern Conference championship, as we have beat each of the top three teams once this season. However, the Mystics ability to pull out a win will depend on their ability to focus on basketball fundamentals. I attribute this to our great mix of seasoned vets, accomplished mid career players and solid rookies. The truth is that when the Mystics focus on fundamentals, they can beat most teams in the league. So my advice, leave the fancy stuff at the practice gym and bring the ABC's of basketball to the game.