August 2007 Archives

Aug 31st- Ahh darn

Summitt files for divorce

R: My Jayne eats little candices for lunch.....

Aug 28th- Jayne, Jayne, Jayne

R: Hey, C, I have a bone to pick with you. The last few blogs have been all Candice, Candice, Candice. When are we going to get to Jayne, Jayne, Jayne?

C: OH yeah, YOUR girl. Well, what do you want to say about Jayne?

R: First of all, she is YOUNGER than Candice and STRONGER than
Candice…(gesturing in the air)

C: Hee, hee, with age comes wisdom, and as for Jayne being stronger than Candice, well, Jayne’s stronger than anyone on the team!

R: And I want to go on record as saying when Jayne is a senior, she is going to be the highest drafted player from Stanford to the WNBA, higher than Candice. I mean, I think Jayne could even be the number one pick when she is a senior.

C: Well, as much as I love Candice, I personally think she will be lucky to make a WNBA team.

R: No, come one, Candice could be in the top 5 after this year.

C: Now you know I love Candice…

R: I know…

C:…and I think she is a great college player, but she is skinny, small,

R: 5’11” and a half….

C: And her three point shooting is not all that great...I don’t think she will go very high in the draft.

R: Hey, this blog is supposed to be about Jayne. How did we get on Candice?

C: Sorry. Okay, tell me why you think Jayne will go so high in the draft.

R: Thank You. Well, first and foremost, Jayne can deliver on both sides of the ball. Jayne has the size and the skill to score in the low post. The WNBA needs big bodies. And her best intangible quality is that she is brave. She is not afraid to take hits on offense, and she intimidates on defense. She probably doesn’t even realize this, but in the first few minutes of a game, if someone drives on her in the middle, she attacks them.

C: Remember the karate chop?

R: Right! She fouls them or karate chops them so hard in those first few minutes no one wants to go inside on her for the rest of the game. That intimidation factor is huge. And she is tough mentally.

C: Yeah, she played water polo.

R: Right again, Batman, she played water polo which is rough anyway, but she played in the middle on offense and got hammered. Since your daughter started playing water polo, you told me about the rule where the defense can foul a person about to shoot, and the penalty is, the play stops and they must pass off to another player to restart the game.

C: Right, this encourages a team to foul the player right near the goal to stop the shot, which is different from a foul in basketball. And, Jayne played that offensive position in water polo.

R: So, she is used to getting attacked as soon as she gets the pass, and mentally is prepared for it. You can see how this has helped her in basketball, as well. I am so excited for this season, and I bet Jayne will be a starter, unlike last year.

C: Yeah, and they will have to put in the 6’4“ freshmen in when Jayne gets in foul trouble in those first few minutes….hee hee.

R: Say what you want, highest WNBA draft, right here.....

C: Hey R, did you see Candice Wiggins was named the United States Olympic Committee's Athlete of the Month for July.

R: She sure was busy, what with leading a pair of U.S. teams to gold medals at the Under-21 World Championship and the 2007 Pan-American Games.

C: Yep, she shot the lights out, scoring 30 points in the opening contest and 27 in the semis at the World Championship, and averaged over 13 points

R: Yes, and then immediately following that gold medal, she joined the Pan-American Games team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to help the US go 5-0.

C: Let's see, Wiggins is a three-time Kodak/WBCA and Associated Press All-American and two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, and is returning to Stanford this fall for her senior season with the Cardinal women's basketball team. Can't wait.

R: C, Stanford just announced their upcoming schedule.

C: How does it look?

R: Great as always. They play a little teaser against Chico State on Halloween night...

C: Can I go disguised as Candice?....

R: Then they are out of town for a month.

C: Bummer.

R: Then in November they go to the Caribbean to hoop it up.

C: I smell road trip....

R: And in December they play Tennessee at home.

C: I know what I want for Christmas, Santa please let Candice score 40 in the cardinal victory.

R: Hey C, Tara wrote me a letter.

C: Really? What does it say?

R: It starts, “Dear Season Ticket Holder:”

C: Season Ticket Holder...it's a form letter!

R: No it's not, it's very personal, she wants me in the stands, and she even signed it.

C: How is it personal?

R: She asks about my summer. In fact, she says, and I quote:

"I hope that you are enjoying your summer. Please find your season ticket renewal enclosed. We truly appreciate your support for the team and your attendance at all of our games this season at Maples Pavilion."

R: She knows I come to every game. 

C: What else does she say?

R: "This season promises to be an exciting and challenging one for our team. This is the senior season for three-time All-American Candice Wiggins,”

C: Oh yeah, Candice, you go girl....

R: Ahem, as I was saying, “one of the most accomplished players in Stanford Basketball history…..”

C: Woo-Hoo, most accomplished….

R: “CANDICE, along with fellow senior Cissy Pierce, look to lead our team. We also look forward to the growth of our younger players like Pac-10 Player of the Year Jayne Appel and Jillian Harmon….”

C: Oh yeah….Both your girls.…

R: “With a strong incoming freshman class of Kayla Pedersen, Ashley Cimino, Hannah Donaghe, and Jeanette Pohlen, we are expecting another exciting season at Maples Pavilion.”

C: Have you heard of any of those newbies?

R: I’ve heard of Kayla Pederson. She’s 6-4, lots of post season honors. Chose Stanford for academics, though.

C: What else does Tara say?

R: “A few highlights to look forward to from this year’s schedule are National Champion University of Tennessee, Baylor, an exhibition game against Team USA, in addition to the challenging Pac-10 schedule.”

C: Ooh, Tennessee, baby.

R: “We encourage you, R…to pack Maples….”

C: She did not say R

R: "We encourage you to pack Maples Pavilion and make it an intimidating environment for visiting teams. Your energy, enthusiasm and support is greatly appreciated and felt by all of us on the court and bench", except when C does her crazy antics…

C: Hey!”

R: “On behalf of myself, our staff and our team, I would like to thank you for your support. Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you at our first home game, (R, our number one fan!)

R: See, her personal signature!

C: I stand corrected, Tara does mean you. Can I go with you to make Tara and the team feel appreciated?

The Stanford Tree made ESPN's Great Moments in Mascot History. But after reading it, I am not so sure those were some great moments. You decide:

2006: The Stanford Tree is ejected from a basketball game for blowing a 0.157 on a Breathalyzer, nearly twice the legal driving limit in California; a month later, the replacement Tree is suspended from the NCAA women's basketball tournament for dancing in an un-designated area.