New York City and Game Review

I went to New York City two days ago. Even though the weather was basically horrible, I had a great time. We got on the train at 7:55 AM and pulled into Penn Station at about 10:45 AM. Then, we headed to Bubba Gump's for lunch.

After eating, we went to the Titanic artifacts exhibit. It was, in a word, amazing. I saw the Lucy exhibit a few weeks ago, so I kind of knew what to expect. However, I do have to say that the Discovery people really went above and beyond what I expected. I actually felt like I was on the Titanic.

We had our picture taken twice, so we made a stop at the gift shop to purchase some photos. After buying an 8x6 of our staircase picture for twenty ridiculous dollars, I went back get my newly printed photo.

Of course, as luck would have it, there was something wrong with the printer. "Maybe you could wait until we fix it," the girl said. "Umm...how long? Because I have a basketball game to get to," I replied. She didn't know. Eventually, two more people came up to the desk to try to fix the printer. Again, they told me I could wait. "I have to get to a basketball game," I said. "Maybe you could come back later," they added. "After the game, I have to get on a train and go back to Pennsylvania," I explained. All they could say was, "Oh."

After waiting for about ten minutes, I finally got my photo, which turned out to be not that great anyway. Go figure. "I hope you win your game!" was the last thing one of the guys said to me. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I don't actually play for the Phoenix Mercury.

We got to Madison Square Garden at about 2:20. I didn't want to go to Borders, since I was already carrying a bunch of junk in my Nike bag and didn't feel like carrying around even more junk. We finally decided to line up at about 2:45.

When we got down to the court at about 3:15, Cappie Pondexter was the only Mercury player shooting around. I almost shouted, "Let's go, Cappie!" but I didn't want to break her concentration. I ordered a soft pretzel, since I was still pretty full from lunch. I sat in CRT 29, Row C, Seat 3. The two seats next to me remained empty for the entire game, much to my delight. The rest of the row was occupied by veteran Liberty season ticket holders, who looked more than a little annoyed that I (a Mercury fan) would dare to sit next to them. Still, they remained pretty calm and chose to ignore me rather than antagonize me. It was a welcome change from the Complete Psycho I had to sit next to in 2007. Side Note: I took a few pictures of CRT 18 but didn't see Complete Psycho. Maybe I'll have the pleasure of seeing her in a few weeks.

When the Mercury players came out for the pre-game shoot around, my dad said, "Taurasi will score at least 30 points today."

The Mercury had a rough start, and I was afraid the game was turn out to be a repeat of last year's travesty.

Eventually, though, the Mercury came back and took over the lead. Then, the Liberty came back. It was actually pretty exciting. Not as exciting as Sue Bird hitting the winning shot in the 2007 game, but exciting nonetheless.

About halfway through the game, WNBA President Donna Orender sat two seats in front of me. During the game, I saw her sit in several seats. Being the president must be nice. It's not like the security people are going to be like, "Ummm...you can't sit there. You don't have a ticket."

Then, the Mercury took over, the Liberty fumbled, and the fans started leaving. All 11,200 of them. Yes, there were really that many people there. It was Kids Day AND Dads and Daughters Day. My ears are still recovering. The Mercury won 94-88. Taurasi had 34 points, leaving my dad to feel like the world's leading authority on women's basketball.

On the way out, I saw Teresa Weatherspoon signing autographs. A recent Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, T-Spoon was honored before the fourth quarter. I wanted to try to get her autograph, but there was an angry man blocking the way down to her. So, I gave up and left. She goes to almost all of the games, so I'm sure I'll eventually sit behind her or something.

As we headed out to the main entrance, we saw that it was pouring outside. It was at that moment that I decided to abandon my idea of waiting outside to get some Mercury autographs.

At 7:00 PM, we boarded the train and headed back to PA. I didn't get up until 11:45 AM yesterday. I must be getting old.

My next WNBA game is just over two weeks away. I'll be wearing my Sylvia Fowles jersey, but I'll be sitting behind the Chicago Sky bench, so I should be ok.

Brandi Carlile Tour Dates

So, Brandi's fall tour was just announced.

And she isn't coming anywhere near me. Of course.

I was not born with the ability to read a map and actually get to where I'm going, so I would have to find someone who would be willing to drive me to Baltimore or D.C. I rode the light rail a long time ago (to go to an Orioles game), and I was scared out of my mind.

And since I pretty much don't know anyone (other than my parents), it's looking very unlikely that I will see Brandi Carlile in concert this year.

Tour Dates that are sort of near me (and why I can't go):

October 3 - New York City, NY (I'll be in Philly that day, searching for ghosts at Eastern State Penitentiary)

October 6 - Philadelphia, PA (I'd have to take the day off work in order to get there in a timely fashion, and I'd probably have to stay the night because the trains won't be running after the concert. So, I'd be using two of my personal days just one month into the school year)

October 7 - Washington, DC (Again, it's in the middle of the week, and I haven't been to D.C. in over a decade)

October 8 - Baltimore, MD (I know very little about getting around Baltimore, and this date is also in the middle of the week)

I am SO moving to Seattle as soon as I pay off my college loans.

Smile, though your heart is aching....

If you watched the Michael Jackson memorial and didn't have some sort of emotional reaction to Paris Jackson saying goodbye to her daddy, then you might want to visit a doctor because you have no soul.

Goodbye, King.

Letter to Seattle Storm

Dear Seattle Storm:

If you look to the right, you will see a picture of Storm, the cat. Whenever you lose a game, a geyser of tears flows from his little eyes, and he is forced to drown his sorrows in a bottle of organic catnip.

Do you really want to put a cute kitty through all that pain and sorrow?

During the LA game, Storm had to bury his little head in a pillow because he couldn't bear to watch you get your asses handed to you by a team that had something like eight healthy players on its roster.

So please, for Storm's sake, and for mine, beat San Antonio on Tuesday.