By now many of you have heard the news - Diana Taurasi tests positive for a "banned substance" by a Turkish lab and has been suspended by the Turkish league.

What exactly was the "banned substance" in question? Well, Forbes Magazine (Forbes, really?) reported that the Turkish Basketball Federation claims the tests were positive for Modafinil, a prescription medication (known as Provigil) used to counter excessive sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder or sleep apnea. However, neither Fenerbahce nor Taurasi's lawyer would validate that claim.

I, however, am more concerned about how this has been handled. 1.) Labs who conduct these kinds of drug screenings have to follow strict guidelines about reporting results - this lab obviously didn't. 2.) The lab in question, that tested Taurasi's sample, also has a questionable history - yet the only Ben York has had the good sense to report it. Other media outlets have not mentioned it, but they did mention 3.) Taurasi's DUI history - something that has absolutely no relation to the situation Taurasi is going though. Bottom line - No matter what the outcome, Taurasi does not deserve to be treated like this.

Too many things just don't make sense. One fact in particular; as Ben and Taurasi's lawyer have pointed out, Taurasi has undergone screenings like this for the NCAA, WNBA, and the Olympic team and has NEVER, I repeat, NEVER failed or even been suspected of using any kind of banned substance.

Why now? It just doesn't make sense.

My concern? That Taurasi has a legitimate medical condition that she did not want made public. Sleep disorders are no joke as I have several friends who suffer from them. It makes sense to me why she would take it - playing year round, and the constant travel - it has to take it's toll on your sleep patterns. No, I have no way to validate this, just a concern.

Again, I am not a doctor, and it has not been confirmed what was found in the screening. Persoanlly, I'm pullin' for Diana. Yeah, if what I think turns out not to be true, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Ben York's article (Click here)
Forbes Magazine article (Click here)

I really can't be surprised anymore.

I used to get so upset when I read negative content about the WNBA be it editorial or blog post. I mean really, how could these people (both men and women have written condescending content) spew such hateful ideals?

Yes, I used the term hateful.

I use that term because to waste words with an completely invalid argument to paint a negative picture of something (in this case the WNBA) that the author doesn’t particularly care for is hateful. It serves no other purpose.

Today was no different, as I read Jeff Pearlman’s column entitled, Why the WNBA isn’t---and will never be---a Popular League.

Just once, just once I would like to read a valid, sound argument as to why the WNBA is not great, or why it will not succeed. Then, maybe, we could get a dialogue going and engage in a meaningful discussion. But alas, I’ve yet to see it happen.

Let’s not begin on why Mr. Pearlman wrote the article. For whatever reason, he chose today to unleash his animosity toward women’s professional basketball. We’ll get back to that.

I want to first take a look at Mr. Pearlman’s argument as to why the WNBA will never succeed…and I use the term “argument” lightly, as it is quite possibly one of the weakest ones I have ever read.

He begins by making several comparisons to prove things that are impossible, in order to support how impossible it is for the WNBA to experience any type of success. Unfortunately, he goes about it all wrong. He states how inanimate objects as well as animals and even his late grandmother will never have certain characteristics. For example – “I can present 1,000 pounds of the world's most delicious Swiss chocolate to my sofa, and it will never take a bite.”
Correct.

Because couches do not eat. He continues.

“Dogs don't speak fluent Spanish. Penguins don't enjoy Mahjong. My late grandmother can no longer bake cookies and my cell phone refuses to walk to the refrigerator and grab me a Yoo-hoo (Trust me, I've asked).”

Dogs do not have the vocal ability to produce a spoken human language. Penguins do not have the intellectual ability to comprehend a patterned, rule governed game. Dead people do not come back from the dead, and cell phones do not walk.

Here is the problem with his comparisons. It’s not that the characteristics he states can’t happen, they don’t happen, and never will happen. It’s not that those things are impossible; they have never existed. A couch is an inanimate object with no human qualities. It is and never will be possible for it to eat anything. Bottom line: in order for impossible to be proven, there has to be some theory that there is potential for something to happen or not happen. To state something that does not exist to prove it’s impossible invalidates his point.

Strike one.

Then, there is the sweeping generalizations, or as I like to call them, because I put it in print, it has to be true. Example? “Because nobody watches the WNBA. Nobody discusses the WNBA. Nobody seems especially interested in the WNBA.”

Nobody. Really? Nobody is defined as: No person; not anyone. So, a league that has existed for 14 years, has existed on absolutely zero fan support, not one ticket has been sold, and not one person has ever tuned in. There is no place like the Rebkell forums where fans discuss the league at length. Yeah, I’m reaching here, but only to make a point. While it might not compare to the numbers of the NBA, to make the generalization that “Nobody” is interested in the WNBA without a shred of evidence makes the argument to prove that weaker than wet noodles.

Strike two.

Oh, and I was waiting for this last part. The inevitable comparison, between the WNBA and the NBA. Yes, it is quite fair to compare a 60 plus year old, 30 team league with a 14 year, and 12 team league. Well established vs. new and growing.

Nope, sorry, can’t do it.

Comparing these two is like, well, like trying to get a sofa to eat chocolate.

But then Mr. Pearlman gets down to player comparisons.

“Here's no solution to this problem, no magical cure just waiting to be unleashed. Sue Bird will never be Deron Williams and Tamika Catchings will never be Carmelo Anthony.”

First of all, what’s the problem? And what magical cure is needed? Is Mr. Pearlman saying the WNBA not being able to succeed is a problem? To state something is a problem would imply that the person stating that would have a minimal amount of concern invested in that statement.

After reading Mr. Pearlman’s article, he obviously could care less; just look at the closing line to his article.

“Yawn”

And I will say this; with regards to WNBA players being NBA players, he is right. But allow me to clarify – Sue Bird will be Sue Bird. Tamika Catchings will be Tamika Catchings. Not once have I ever head a WNBA fan say, “I wish Diana Taurasi was more like Kobe Bryant.” WNBA athletes have only wanted to be respected for who they are, not who they could be. Their fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

I know, I talked to them in 13 different cities.

Sue Bird and Tamika Catchings are two of the best athletes (no, not just female athletes) in the world. Mr. Pearlman might know that if he cared enough to research some info on those players. However, as it has been shown, Mr. Pearlman lacks in the caring dept.

To compare apples to oranges (WNBA to NBA) is to say that men and women exist in a homogeneous grouping, genetically, physically, and cognitively. We know this not to be true. Does this make one better than the other? Absolutely not. Even though the argument between the genders has raged on for centuries, and I doubt it will stop any time soon. However, for Mr. Pearlman’s point, and his use of it, proves little, and validates less.

Strike three.

To review: The WNBA will not be successful because inanimate objects do not have human characteristics, there is not one person on the planet who has ever heard of the WNBA and women will never be men. An argument, empty, invalid, and void of anything concrete.

Did I miss anything?

So, now the inevitable question. Why? If the WNBA will indeed never succeed, why do professional writers, like Mr. Pearlman, continue to write such things? One would think if they were one of those who doesn’t care about the WNBA, (becasue nobody does) they would not even write about it, because, well, they (should have) no idea it exists.

I have one theory, and it might sound a bit far fetched, but stay with me.

The Answer? Fear. Fear of the unfamiliar.

When a guy like Pearlman sees a female athlete in the same place (i.e. the basketball court) previously occupied by their male counterparts, childhood sports heroes, or person of worship, there is a sense of fear being felt. Fear that a woman could actually compete and possess skills at a level only held by men for so long. What else could possibly motivate a professional writer to write about something that supposedly they care nothing about, and have no interest in? Money? No, there are plenty of sports out there to cover. Fame? Write about something that they admit no one cares about?

Nope.

Only one thing I can think of, knee-jerk fear, leading to irrational thinking, and thus taking the form of negative content in an attempt to disguise their prejudices as legitimate sports writing.

Take a look at how they compare WNBA players to NBA players.

“Sue Bird will never be Deron Williams” In other words, men will never be women. This is something I have found consistently in every hate-laden article and blog post, negatively criticizing the WNBA. It’s a mantra that is written over and over again, as if it is written enough times, they will never have to accept that a woman could ever be a professional athlete. Kind of the equivalent of a 5 year old sticking his fingers in his ears and screaming, “LA LA LA LA LA LA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!” It’s comical, and at best, immature for so called professionals to do.

In the end, guys like Pearlman will never go away. Sad really. Even as Pearlman admits he likes the WNBA, he still feels compelled to write such things.

I only have one question; Why would you tear down what you like? Makes no sense. Then again, his entire column didn’t either.

So, here we are. Post journey and I finally get some camera time with D.T. But first, I caught Phoenix Mercury assistant coach Bridget Pettis showing off her MJ moves. Go BP!



After practice I got a chance to chat with Diana. Of course, I had a plethora of awesome and cool questions to ask her. When she walked up to me, she said, "What, you got a camera and a mic now? Man, they got you workin'" Needless to say I was once again left speechless and could only get 2 questions to come to mind. Oh well, it was worth it.

Okay, so here I am, back home in sunny (and rather hot) Phoenix AZ. The journey has come to an end, and I could not be happier. (Well, I’d be even happier if I didn’t have to go back to work. *laugh*)

The All-Star game was something else. I think one of the coolest things by far was seeing all the players I had a chance to interview once again. It was like, “Hey, I know you…”

…but I am getting ahead of myself.

In order to appreciate the All-Star game, let me tell you what fun I had just getting there. It made my hour drive to the Palace in Detroit seem like a cakewalk. First, I took a train (delayed) from NY Penn Station to New London CT. (Yeah, I had no idea where that was either) Then, once at the New London station, I took a cab to wonderful scenic… Uncasville. If you’re thinking, “Man, that sounds like it is in the middle of nowhere!” You’re right. The Mohegan Sun hotel/casino is beautiful from the outside as well as the in…and it is the ONLY thing for MILES around. When you get there, don’t plan to go anywhere else, because quite frankly, there is no where else to go. *laugh*

I checked into my room, made my way upstairs and settled in. I couldn’t believe I was finally going to get to stay in once place for more than few days (4 to be exact.) The rooms at the Mohegan are quite nice; a step up from Days Inn, that is for sure. ( I still liked my room in NY better, but that was for different reasons.) It was interesting that I actually had a chance to unpack. This was something I had not grown accustomed to on my trip, due to such short stays.

However, I did not have long, as the Connecticut Sun were playing that night. I made my way down to the arena, and got the lay of the land, so to speak. I was doing all of my interviews post game, so pre-game time was spent in the media lounge. They were serving, and I kid you not, Philly Steak egg rolls. Hmm, quite an interesting notion, but also very tasty.

While I was waiting for the game to start, I began to reflect on my journey and the many things that had happened. Here is a list of “Fun Facts” that I complied:

12,843 – the number of miles traveled
310 – number of fans on facebook.
595 – number of followers on twitter.
50 – the number of minutes I had to drive from the airport in Detroit to the Palace at Auburn Hills.
4 – longest number of days in one city (Chicago)
3 – number of consecutive games attended. (no break in between)
45.5 – the weight in pounds of my heaviest piece of luggage.
3 – pieces of luggage brought on the journey.
0 – times luggage was lost (Thank you Jesus!)
8 – the number of hotels stayed at
4 – the number of hotel shampoos I stole
11 – the number of flights taken
4 – the number of train rides taken
4 – number of cab rides taken
2 – number of travel delays (1 by plane, 1 by train)
5 – the number of hours of the longest delay (Chicago to Indiana)
8 – number of wins witnessed
4 – number of losses witnessed (Hey, 8 W and 4 L – not bad)
2 – number of hot dogs consumed (Not as many as you’d think. Does the spicy sausage I had in LA count?)
2 – the number of locker rooms I didn’t get to see (Atlanta and San Antonio)
1 – the number of times I was pelted with popcorn for being a Phoenix Mercury fan.
(in Seattle. Doppler, Seattle’s Mascot, did the honors)
7 – number of games sitting courtside.
2 – number of loose balls that I had to duck from
1 – number of loose balls I got hit with (okay it was at an All-Star event, not a game, but it still hurt)
1 – number of marriage proposals via twitter.
0 – number of marriage proposals by any WNBA player *sigh*
1 – number of times I was “spoken to” about not cheering while seated on press row. (Apparently, the press is supposed to be neutral. Yeah, who knew?)
1 – number of free flights I received post trip for all the frequent flyer miles I racked up! (Thanks Southwest!)

So, with the Connecticut game over, and with a win, it was time to head into the locker room. Check out my blog entry, Welcome to Sun country in…Uncasville. For the details.

Prior to the All-Star game, I had a chance to attend a cool community event. Charde Houston, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Douglas, Tamika Catchings and Asjha Jones were on hand to dedicate a new basketball court & lead the kids in some basketball drills. But what really happened behind the scenes? Take a look at the pic below, no caption needed.


The All-Star game was, well, incredible. It was more than a game, as I would call it an experience. This first video showed how I tried to tape the pre-game skills challenge. As you can see, I am not that skilled at taping live action. I did get some cool pre game stuff though.



The next video was as I entered the West locker room past game. I had a chance to chat with Becky Hammon, Sophia Young and I had a chance to meet Tina Thompson’s son, Dylan.



Part three, Sue Bird shows me her bling, Charde Houston eats a mayo sandwich and does the stanky leg (She’ll probably never forgive me for showing the mayo sandwich…lol!) plus I get a few minutes with LJ.



And part four – I catch up with Tamika Catchings, (who got locked out of the locker room, albeit briefly) and I get a quick shot of Erika de Souza. After all that, a quick 10 seconds with D.T.



So here it is, being at the end of the journey. Thanks to everyone who became a fan on facebook, and a follower on twitter. I enjoyed exchanging messages with everyone. Please keep in touch, as I plan on blogging about WNBA stuff for a while. A special thanks to those who purchased my “13 teams” tee shirt. The money raised from those sales will go to the Kay Yow foundation.

Now, it’s almost playoff time. I’m psyched!

Will I do it again? Hmm, we shall see. At least I know I have a once in a lifetime memory that I will treasure, and an experience I will never forget!

Hey All,

Just found this video of me when I was at the Garden. Cool! Man, this trip was such a whirlwind, glad I have video to remember where I was. LOL!

Yeah, I never heard of it either, but it is the home to the Mohegan Sun casino/resort, and to the Connecticut Sun. I have to say, staying in a casino resort for a basketball game was quite the new experience, but hey, aren’t new experiences what this trip is all about?

I arrived on game day with only a slight train delay. From the train station I took a cab to the casino/resort/hotel/arena (that is all I can think of for the moment). I arrived to a lovely room at the hotel. It was nice to have comfortable surroundings on my last visit.

For those of you who have not been to the Mohegan Sun arena, let me just say that it is a nice venue for WNBA basketball. Not to big, but not to small (it only holds about 9,000). I was going to get most of my interviews post game, so I just grabbed a bite to eat before the game. Prior to the game, I got Sun head coach Mike Thibault to sign my Olympic team shirt (he was the Asst. coach during the 2008 Olympics) Upon him signing it, the shirt was complete. I now have my 2008 gold medal t-shirt signed by every player and both head coach & asst. coach! This was a great moment! Now I have to figure out how I am going to display this. Hmm, I am sure I will think of something.





The game was a struggle for the Sun, as the Monarchs kept them pinned behind a deficit for a good portion of the game. Then the Sun rallied in the 4th to bring home the win. In all fairness, the Monarchs played a tough game. This was the 4th time I had seen the Monarchs play (3rd as the visiting team) and they really were playing differently this time; much more competitive and with a definite sense of urgency. It is going to be interesting how the Monarchs come out for the 2nd half of the season.

Upon going into the Sun locker room, I greeted guard Erin Phillips. We had a chance to sit down for a quick interview & learn a few things about her teammates. Thanks to Tamkia Whitmore for holding the camera.



Following that interview, I wanted a chance to talk Lindsay Whalen about PB&J then chatted with the Sun rookie, Chante Black (who shot an impressive 2 for 3 from the field w/ 2 blocks in just 9 min). Sandrine Gruda and Amber Holt got in on the action – hilarity ensued!



Well, with that wrapped up, I was ready to take a much deserved break before the All-Star game. However, I found out that none other than Beyonce was going to be performing at the casino the very next night. It was just my luck that there was one (I’m not kidding, just one) ticket left. Was it fate? I think so! The next night, I got a chance to break from basketball and see a great show! I found a vid posted on youtube that someone took from that show. Here’s Beyonce performing ‘Single Ladies!” Enjoy!



Next up – All-Star game!

Stop #11 takes me to Madison Square Garden, located in New York City (aka, the big apple, the city that never sleeps, etc etc) This was my first time to the city, so it was also my first time to Madison Square Garden, home to the New York Knicks and the New York Liberty.

While I was in NY, I had a chance to see some sights. Check out some NY city landmarks.





When I arrived at “The Garden”, as everyone calls it, I finally got to meet one of my contacts at the WNBA. Hilary Shaev was the one who found me on facebook, and initially contacted me. We have spoken on the phone and emailed for months, and had never formally met. It was nice to put a face to a name. (and she brought me a salad for lunch, how cool is that?) Anyway, we made our way to the media room, and took a few moments to enjoy our salads. It was a welcome change from the hot dogs, nachos and beer I have been living off of for the past three weeks. (…Well, it was light beer, but still…)

Before the game, I had a chance to chat with a couple of the Liberty; Janel McCarville and Ashley Battle. Janel was up first.


After I wrapped it up with Janel, I got a chance to chat with Ashley Ballte. Of course, the cool things Janel suggested I ask Ashley, I completely forgot. However, we did have a surprise visit from Essence Carson, who helped me out and held the camera for the remainder of the interview.




The game was exciting, as New York fought from behind to get the win. This was the third game in three days, and I am now 3 for 3; All three teams I saw all won the games! It was a good thing. During the game though, I had a wonderful opportunity; I got to sit with Donna Orender, president of the WNBA. She was great, and even bought me chicken fingers! (Which she said were one of her favorite things to get at the garden.) I had a chance to share with her a few of the highlights of my trip. We really did not have much time to chat, as I was busy watching the game. LOL!

Post game I hung out in the locker room to say some thank you’s to the players, and congratulate them on a great win.

The next day I headed into the city, to meet up with the folks at the WNBA offices. As I walked around the office, several people knew me from watching my you tube videos. It was rather surreal, but still kind of cool. As I walked thought the different offices, I got to meet several people I have been in touch with, and now have seen them in person. I was very impressed with the WNBA, and thankful that there were so many people in the league who were looking out for me. I sat in on a weekly staff meeting which was quite an eye opener. I can tell you this; a tremendous amount of work goes into everything that comes out of the WNBA; and there was quite an impressive team getting things done.

Well, New York was a great experience, and now, on to my last regular season game to see the Sun in Connecticut.