Bad Night For The WNBA

2009-04-01T17:20:01-04:00

2008-07-23T13:14:46-04:00

2008-09-10T06:38:54-04:00

2008-07-24T12:28:14-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/406/395/thumb/cat_zombie.bmp 2 MI

jsbraine

Chesaning 406835

*** There is a load of misrepresentation in this article and around the media in general. If you watch the game, and ALL of the videos, you will notice several things: 1. L. Leslie is lying big time. She runs over to confront a Shock player, breaking the hold a referee had on her arm. Mahorn steps in to break it up, and she eventually TAKES A SWING AT HIM before she loses her balance. Her teary-eyed story is BUNK, and she should be suspended longer than anyone for her actions and her dishonesty. 2. Parker was not TACKLED by Nolan. Nolan was boxing out, Parker threw her down, and Nolan walked into Parker as she sat on the floor. 3. The only real "fight" violence comes from the swing by Leslie and the punches delivered to Mahorn. 4. If you want to blame the true instigators, blame the REFS! They made two horrible calls in the minutes leading up to the "fight": a ridiculous foul called on a Shock block, and a very controversial reversal of a ball out-of-bounds call that also went against the Shock. They also failed to deal with a C. Parker skirmish with another Shock player after a free throw. Unprofessional and lame. JD 2303185

2008-07-24T00:07:38-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/368/051/thumb/7f41d304-e453-437b-9c16-aec16ebc7c56.jpg 91 UT

JDEnquist

West Jordan 368491

Who cares? It's the WNBA. Did they go into the stands and punch the one fan in the stands? And the title of the article, "Bad Night for the WNBA," seriously, isn't every night a bad night in the WNBA, based on attendance? 2298892

2008-07-23T21:33:40-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/169/13/thumb/read_it_and_do_it.jpg 307 HI

blueintheblood

Honolulu 16953

does Pierson realize that in her attempt to "thug up" the league, she may have cost her team its best player? all to confront a rookie who gets well-deserved pub... ...if i was Val Ackerman, i would ban Pierson from the WNBA so she can return to thug life 2298068

2008-07-23T15:17:10-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/439/366/thumb/tlr.jpg 2863 TX

Tom, ALRanger

Richardson 439806

Marshall, your uncanny run continues . . .another blog is up! 2294611

2008-07-23T15:15:12-04:00

8904

Marshall K. - Top Cat

Tacoma 410526

Yikes !!! Anyone else see this? R.I. cops arrest man with 0.491 blood alcohol level Man, that's like 6 TIMES the legal limit of 0.08 here.... MungoDM | 07/23/08, 02:01 PM --------------------- Good Lord! Wouldn't that be, like, approaching alcohol poisoning? 2294599

2008-07-23T15:08:47-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/244/999/thumb/100_2570.jpg 4858 GA

SoBeGaPe

Fayetteville 245319

FGB - Pierson definitely initiated. I really don't think it was detrimental for the WNBA. It's the heat of the game. "Girls" get just as heated in a close game as the "boys." I played basketball... it's just as intense for us when you're fighting for a win. Emotions run high. Dole out the fines and be done with it. 2294525

2008-07-23T15:08:31-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/439/366/thumb/tlr.jpg 2863 TX

Tom, ALRanger

Richardson 439806

10D!! I was a size 10a myself, but we don't ha we to go there. I wore number 10 in my shortstop playing days many years ago. . . . 2294472

2008-07-23T15:02:45-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/160/408/thumb/BlueJays.jpg 3006 ON

10 Duke

St Catharines 160708

. . . I'm dying to know . . .who won? Tom, hockey puck Richard The snow. 2294390

2008-07-23T15:01:49-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/160/408/thumb/BlueJays.jpg 3006 ON

10 Duke

St Catharines 160708

(Are we all allowed to laugh at the phrase "Canadian Army"?) Anthony Ve Come join us in Afganistan, then you can laugh. 2294386

2008-07-23T15:01:06-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/100/094/thumb/kilroy.jpg 4787 CT

Martel - Moopsbane

Bridgeport 100373

I'm off again into the land of misfits, demons, and malcontents Kari - President of Pagination ------------------ And this is different from the 10 Spot how? 2294375

<img src="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fannation/wnba-fight.jpg" border="1" height="344" align="top" alt="" width="425" /> Mahorn: Peacekeeper or pusher in WNBA fight? Candace Parker in middle of WNBA brawl. Those were the lead headlines this morning from USA Today.com's entertaining <a href="http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/" target="_blank">Game On column</a>. The WNBA finally made it above the fold last night, courtesy of a much-talked about brawl that erupted with less than five seconds remaining in Detroit's 84-81 victory over Los Angeles.  Four players were ejected, including Parker, the marketing face of the league and soon-to-be U.S. Olympian. The WWE <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-sparks23-2008jul23,0,5247623.story" target="_blank">theatrics started</a> with the Shock's Plenette Pierson and Parker battling for position a free throw attempt. Tensions were running high at that point after Detroit's Cheryl Ford had previously tore the ball from Parker's grip. (Parker walked toward Ford and both players had to be separated.) Parker fell following the free throw attempt and the two players were tangled. After Parker got up, Pierson walked menacingly toward Parker, and the two began jousting. The Detroit Free Press <a href="http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/SPORTS04/807230421/1048" target="_blank">reported</a> Parker appeared to throw a punch. The benches cleared and in the middle of the chaos, Los Angeles center Lisa Leslie fell down while Shock assistant coach Mahorn (perfectly cast with his "Bad Boys" background) was trying to restrain her. That prompted the Sparks' DeLisha Milton-Jones to hit or punch Mahorn in the back. (Parker, Pierson, Milton-Jones and Mahorn were ejected; the Shock's Deanna Nolan and the Sparks' Shannon Bobbit received technical fouls). The video went viral fast, and last night ESPN and ESPN Radio discussed the WNBA in more detail than they have in years. It was also debated this morning by Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith on ESPN2's First Take. (Looking forward to those two discussing Cambodia's border confrontation with Thailand.) So now we ask: Is this good? Is any publicity good publicity? Don King and Bob Arum would surely say yes, and clearly the WNBA's television ratings (which are up this year, though still at subterranean levels) could use the jolt. ESPN Radio overnight host Jason Smith, in more thoughtful tones than most sports radio jockeys, argued last night that it was one of the best days the WNBA has ever had. I disagree. The WNBA doesn't sell itself on overt physicality, nor on fights between the players. It sells itself on the spendid skills and athleticism of the players. It's a niche league struggling for eyeballs and while the short-term effects of this will be tons of publicity, I fear the long-term effect will be nothing more than a punch line for a wise guy sports blogger or mainstream writer. Pierson goaded Parker into the fight, but it's never good when your league's marquee talent is opting for punches over pull-up jumpers. Lost in all this was Shock forward Cheryl Ford, attempting to play peacemaker, suffered a sprained right knee while trying to restrain Pierson. She was wheeled off the court in a wheelchair. Ford was the MVP of the All-Star Game last year. Imagine if Paul Pierce got hurt trying to break up a fight between Kevin Garnett and an opponent? Celtic fans would be apoplectic. Commissioner Donna Orender needs to send a message– including to golden girl Parker. The players should be suspended for multiple games. Mahorn will probably get suspended, too, but from every angle I saw – and ESPN Doris Burke made this point smartly last night – he appeared to be in a peacemaking position when Leslie approached him. "It's just really sad that this happened," Leslie said last night, looking teary-eyed.  "This is not the way I want to represent myself. I'm a mom…We'll probably make some highlights but this is not the way we want to get attention." Agreed. Bad night for the WNBA, even if they are the talk of the sports world today. ----------------------------------------- I asked SI.com staffer Nina Mandell - a longtime follower of the league -  to weigh in with her thoughts below: When the WNBA made Candace Parker the face of the league, the unspoken charter was this: Don't screw up.  Parker, with her grace, dunks and overall dominance of the court, has had game-changing performances this season. She has set rookie records and made headlines for dunking.  So when she made a different sort of headline last night in the middle of an all-out brawl at the Palace, as a sports writer and fan of the WNBA, I had one thought: She should have known better. They all should have known better.  Lisa Leslie, the face of USA Basketball for so long, should not have to be separated by an assistant coach from a brawl. Rarely does the WNBA make headlines for all the good that goes on in the league. It did last night. I hope that instead of looking at the unfairness of the publicity, Parker, Leslie and league officals will look at last night's images and at themselves. I hope they are thinking today: "I'm better than that."  Because they are.     1469 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/396/4/thumb/mcentegart_pete.jpg 6586 NY

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