Losing is hard after showing the potential to win

Since my last post the Sky has lost twice. I was at the Sky game against the Mystics. The game was not good. Again, we couldn’t get the ball to bounce the right way into the basket. We also seem to have no defense. It was the most disappointing game of the season. Now, we know the team can win games, but they just came seem lifeless in this game.

Dominique Canty also got hurt during the game. Rumors are she could be out for up to 4 weeks. She is on the West coast trip, so maybe it isn’t that bad.

Then on Tues, the 26^th, the Sky lost to the Seattle Storm. I didn’t have a chance to listen to the game (I was watching the Cubs game). Perkins actually led the Sky in scoring. We only shot 40%. I would think it is hard to win when shooting 40%. The statistics for the two teams aren’t a great deal apart. The Storm did have more points in the paint. Also looks like Lauren Jackson killed us. We really need to start beating these teams.

The Tues. game was an away game (so it looks like our local Chicago papers didn’t cover it, at least they don’t have any articles online).

Here’s some articles I’ve come across lately.

• Mystics light up the Sky - Sky vs Mystics
• Canty hurt as Sky falls below .500 – Sky vs Mystics
• Washington 99, Sky 86
• Sky (6-7) at Storm (6-6) Preview
• Jackson's 33 points, 12 rebounds give Storm edge over Sky

• Chat with Chastity Melvin – Transcript of a chat with Chastity Melvin
• Kayte's Dogs In The City
• Top three stay the same in Week 6 power rankings –Sky moved down
• The WNBA: Now what?

The Pavilion

The Sky play their home games at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Pavilion. I of go back and forth on whether I like to go to games at the pavilion or not. There are definitely some problems, but they could probably be fixed in anyone care to put money into the facility.

I’ve been a ticket season holder for 2 seasons. Last year we had tickets in the mezzanine. This year, we moved down to the first floor. The Pavilion is small (I believe it only seats 6000). You can see from everywhere. So sightlines are not a problem. There is actually plenty of leg room in between rows. The Pavilion was built before arenas were concentrating on jamming people into the venue. Of course, the seats are old and they aren’t the most comfortable and there are no drink holders. (I like drink holders). Although, there is plenty of leg room, there isn’t a lot of shoulder room. You definitely get to know your neighbor.

The only ushers that check section tickets are those than patrol the section on the floor by the court. Now, when only 2000 people attend most games this probably shouldn’t be a problem. But every game we are at, there is someone sitting in the wrong section, and then the people who actually have the seats show up, and there’s people moving and shifting all over. This is probably a minor problem, and maybe I’m the only one who is tired of all the shifting and moving. I’m usually trying to watch the game, which I guess if I didn’t want to bother with people I could do in my own home. Of course, I’m assuming someone is paying ushers to do something besides just stand at the top of the stairs.

Food choices at the Pavilion are awful. Choices are basics: burgers, hot dogs, brats. In a town known for pizza, the choice is Pizza Hut. Russell’s Barbeque has a stand, but that’s only good if you want meat and chicken nuggets. They use to have shrimp, but now only have it occasionally. Last year, the Sky had a few tables selling sandwiches and sushi, but I tried both and neither were worth the money that was charged. But the same thing can be said for Wrigley Field also.

Although the food is bad, and the ushers don’t really check sections, the people working in food services and ushering/ticket taking are really nice. The people working the merchandise booths are nice and helpful. The Sky seems to have plenty of staff around during games also.

For the most part, the Pavilion is in a great location. It is right off the Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways. From the Oak Park area it only takes about 15-20 minutes. From Naperville it’s going to take longer but that there’s a distance issue there. But even from Naperville or Evanston, it is a pretty straight trip. I love being only about 20 minutes away from the game.

If the Sky changed venues would I still have season tickets? Probably even though any venue would be more than 20 minutes from home. If the Sky stays at the Pavilion would I still get season tickets? Probably, even though I think some changes would be beneficial to the experience at the Pavilion. So, how do I really feel about the Pavilion? I use to watch the Bradley Lady Braves play at the Robertson Memorial Field house in Peoria. The amenities were awful because the men’s team played down at the Civic Center, so no upkeep was going on at the Field house. I use to love those games. You could see the game, you were close enough to the action so you felt like part of the game. I attended Bulls games at the old Chicago Stadium. Although the United Center is a much better customer experience, I still miss the way the old Chicago Stadium moved when it was full of cheering fans. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for the Pavilion. Right now, the Pavilion seems like a rusty old relic from the 1970s. I love that as a fan I am close to the action. As the crowd grows and the Sky wins, the attitude at the Pavilion will give the other teams the feeling that they are in Chicago Sky territory. But as of yet, I just don’t have that feeling that this is the greatest venue for the game. I wish I had that feeling, but maybe it will come with time.

I came across two more interesting articles.

• Sky Upended in Final Seconds by Powell, Monarchs
• Conversations with independent WNBA owners
  

Odds and Ends

Last night’s game was a home game so both the Chicago newspapers actually had articles on the game rather than just the AP feed. Last year we would have never even been in a game like this, much less lose by 2 points.

• Sky upset hopes slip away
• Sky hangs tough, drops a close one
• Lawson, Powell lead Monarchs over Sky (the AP feed)
  

Our next game isn’t until Saturday, the 23rd. Looks like Keke Palmer from Akeelah and the Bee is returning home to Chicago to sing the National Anthem. The WNBA Be Fit tour will be held out in the parking lot before the game. It is also at Ford City sometime later in the summer.

Supposedly, the first break out for the All Stars ballot is out. I haven’t found it on the WNBA site but several message boards have talked about it. Candice Dupree is not in the top 2 or 3 for forwards. Dales and Canty were at the bottom of the list. Melvin and Christainsen were not close to the top. I’ve also been writing in Armintie Price on my ballots. Ballots can be cast once a day online at the WNBA site. It’s easy to find the ballot. You can also punch the ballot cards at Sky games. (Maybe that’s a job to keep the kids busy during the game).

Sky lose by 2 to the Monarchs (Sac. 54, Sky 52)

Tonight was just one of those nights when the Sky couldn't get the ball to bounce the right way. I lost count of how many balls just bounced off the rim. The Sky field goal percentage was only 31%, but the Monarchs weren't much better at 38.6%. We also didn't look as sharp at rebounding as we have the last couple games. Our 3 pt scoring was absent, but so was the Monarchs.

The game was rather low scoring. The biggest point spread was by the Monarchs with 7. The lead changed several times. The Sky had a run going in the last 3 minutes but they couldn't sustain it. The Monarchs made a basket with something like 10 seconds left to put them ahead.

The crowd was really loud at the Pavilion tonight. Everyone was into the game. Armintie Price did the welcome speech, and she has been the best player to do it. She was full of excitement. Our rookies are looking good, there was some good plays by Price and Carla Thomas. Stephanie Raymond and Claire Coggins saw some playing time also. We could have used some more scoring by our veteran players, but I guess that's just the way the ball bounces. Believe me that ball was bouncing everywhere tonight.

We tried to take some pictures at the game. Melissa Manchester sang the National Anthem.

The WNBA site has a nice article about Candice Dupree. She's now a part of their power rankings.

Sky wins their 6th game!

The Chicago Sky trounced Connecticut to earn their sixth win of the season on Sunday. We are doing better than last year. I wasn’t able to see the game (busy with Father’s Day). Sounds like Dupree had an excellent game and is being considered an all-star player. Dupree was named player of the week for the Eastern Conference.

All the articles I found are based on the same Associate Press report. I guess the Chicago newspapers didn’t send anyone to cover the games.

• Dupree sparks milestone win for Sky
• Dupree scores 28 as Sky top last season’s mark for win
  

Next up are the Monarchs on Tues. June 19. It’s a home game for the Sky. It’s amazing how quickly a season changes. A few weeks ago, I might think we had no chance to beat the Monarch. I look now and we are only one win behind them. We are playing better than .500 which is more than one can say for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. The preview for the game favors the Monarchs, but I’m sure we will give them a good game, as long as we play all four quarters.

Sky beats the NY Liberty: 73-66

We tie last year's 5 win season. Candice Dupree and Arminitie Price look like a great foundation for a dynasty. I know, I shouldn't talk dynasty when we haven't even made it into the playoffs.

The Sky made it through the 3rd quarter. We still seem to lose steam during the quarter. Our free throw shooting still seems quite suspect.

Melvin looked great at the beginning, but she got into foul trouble. Dupree proved herself to be an all star. She did it all and 24 points. I'm surprised Price only had 7 points, but she was all over th court. Dales, Wyckoff and Canty showed why there are valuable veterans. At several points during the game, one of those three made a move that said, "It's okay, we are going to put this game away."

I'm sure my kids won't let me go to a game again. It was Dad and Daughters night, so the girls and DisneyDad went to the game. I watched it at home. I just know that they will decide I am some bad luck charm. They probably won't be back for awhile. One of the major credit cards was having an autograph session with Price and Melvin. The girls always like the after game sessions.

Let's go Sky!

Half time: Sky vs Liberty

Sky is up by 4 at half time.

Chastity Melvin looks good. I don't remember her being such a force against the Storm. But she seems to be making her presence known.

Candice Dupree is having a great game. I love watching Armintie Price. On the television they mentioned Price was a top sprinter in high school; I guess that explains how she gets down court so fast.

Stacy Dales has been knocking down three's.

We haven't been to the foul line much. Which is good, because we've lost a few games because of free throw shooting.

On television they are doing a feature on Stephanie Raymond from Rockford, IL. 1st woman drafted out of Northern Illinois University.

Looks like kids might have gotten Stand Tall shirts at the game. A lot of kids are wearing them.
Melissa Manchester is singing the national anthem at the next home game.

Now, we are going into the dreaded 3rd quarter. I don't usually get to watch the game on television. I really like Nikki McCray as an announcer. I wish they had shown the RIC sky playing. DisneyDad called during the 2nd quarter, but he doesn't seem to understand that he can't be heard because of all the background noise. I must admit I really don't mind watching the game in a quiet atomsphere.

Let's Go Sky!

Article about Claire Coggins

The Chicago Sky Message Board had a post about an article about rookie Claire Coggins. The article, Sky High, is from the Lee's Summit Journal.

Go Sky!

Preview: NY Liberty at Chicago Sky

Friday night the New York Liberty comes to visit the Chicago Sky. The Liberty is 6-2, and the Sky is 4-5. The Liberty hasn’t played much on the road, maybe this can work to our advantage. I hope the players on the Sky know that Chicago always does our best to show New York that we are not the Second City. (I guess now, we probably have to go out of our way to show we aren’t the third city in the country). Yahoo Sports has a preview article for the game.

After reading the article it looks like the Sky is quite aware that they need to finish games. At half time, the game against the Storm looked great. Then it seemed like another team came out of the locker room. In the last few minutes, they looked good again, but it was too late. We really seem to have troubles handling teams with big players. Lauren Jackson was in foul trouble, but when she was in the game we seemed to have problems getting around her arm span.

I’ll watch the Sky at home tomorrow night. DisneyDad and the girls are going to the game since it is Dad and Daughters night. I’m kind of looking forward to it. I’m planning out what I want for dinner. If it’s nice, I’m taking the radio outside and sitting outside. I love going the excitement of actually being at the game, but sometimes it distracts me as I watch the game.

Earlier I mentioned how Chicago kind of has a chip on its shoulder when it comes to the city of New York. In my younger days when the Bulls had not yet won a NBA championship, we hated the Detroit Pistons. They weren’t as nice as Michael Jordan and the Bulls. One of the players that personified the Pistons was Bill Laimbeer. I came across this article from the Hartford Courant about WNBA coach Bill Laimbeer. Somethings never change.

Let’s Go Sky!

Sky vs Storm (June 12, 2007)

We just got back from the Sky game. We lost. We were ahead in the first half, but the Sky seems to have a problem playing consistently through 4 quarters. The game itself was great fun.

DisneyDad mentioned during the game that we should start a blog and get press passes. Although, I don't see us getting press passes, I thought it would be cool to have a Chicago Sky Blog. So, I set one up rather quickly. I'll write more and make introductions at a later time.

Let's Go Sky!