Big Names Expected to Miss Big Time

After a few weeks into the season, the Minnesota Lynx have already suffered a major loss, with an injury to their "all-everything" starting small forward, Seimone Augustus. During the 2nd quarter of what would become a 108-84 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Augustus tore her ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.

With Augustus, the Lynx had been a formidable offensive force, however, without the WNBA's third-leading scorer, the road ahead may look to be rather bumpy. If Augustus' supporting cast is unable to overcome this early season obstacle, they may find themselves on the outside looking in, as they did during the 2008 playoffs.

Head Coach Jennifer Gillom had this to say about how her team would respond, "I think you're going to be surprised by some of the players that are going to step up and contribute to this team. The players coming off the bench: Roneeka Hodges and Rashanda McCants... who I think can step up and take this role."

Gillom makes a very valid point. Although the odds appear to be against the Lynx, realistically with the talent that General Manager Roger Griffith has surrounded Augustus with over the past two seasons, anything but an appearance in the 2009 playoffs will be considered a failure. Key acquisitions in the off-season include point guard Kelly Miller and Center Christi Thomas, both Thomas and Miller will bring veteran leadership to a very young Lynx team. Also, the growth of Candice Wiggins, Charde Houston, and Nicky Anosike, who were all rookies last season, will definitely give the Lynx enough firepower to outscore quite a few teams in the WNBA.

The Los Angeles Sparks have also suffered yet another causality to their extremely accomplished front line as Lisa Leslie went down with a right knee sprain. Leslie is listed as day-to-day but could be out of the Sparks lineup for as long as 6 weeks.

The Sparks, who have been short-handed since the start of the season with the absence of 2008 Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, Candace Parker due to maternity leave, will be looking for Olympians Tina Thompson and Delisha Milton-Jones, along with all-star Betty Lennox to step up until Leslie and Parker return.

Unfortunately, the Sparks have been extremely inconsistent this season, winning big at home and self-imploding on the road. In part, team chemistry could be to blame as only five players have returned from last year's team, two of those being Parker and Leslie. Coach Michael Cooper could also be at fault, with the lack of equal distribution of minutes for a team that on paper, is the favorite to win the 2009 WNBA Championship. There are numerous other factors that can be contributed to the underachievement of the Sparks but whatever the reason, Los Angeles will need to rebound rather quickly in what is shaping out to be a tough playoff race in the Western Conference.

That's all for this installment folks! For all you Lynx and Sparks fans, keep your heads up, all the great champions of the past had to face some type of diversity. Until next time, enjoy your summer!

Tiger Dominates the...Fairway!?

Just when everyone thought Tiger's game was at a new low and maybe he needed a few more weeks to recover from the ACL surgery he had on his left knee last year, the cat struck again, in what became one of his most impressive driving tournaments in...forever.

"I heard people on TV say he was lost," said Hank Haney, golf instructor and swing coach to Tiger Woods. "How can anybody say he's lost? It makes no sense. I thought he deserved an opportunity to get himself back feeling good. It was a pretty serious injury [ACL reconstruction] for an athlete. And then you consider how long he was out of competition. This was a huge confidence boost for him."

Haney is of course, correct in his analysis of golf fans and writers across the world but he also has to realize who he is talking about. Tiger Woods is known for his flare, impressive shots from all angles on the golf course, his famous fist pumps, and most importantly, for his complete domination of his fellow golfers. So of course, when the man returns to play and doesn't win every single tournament, people are going to analyze every swing or stroke of his putter, and blame this or that of his game as the reason for is troubles.

Although many were calling for a total overhaul of Tiger's swing, ask Tiger why he struggled to win after his return and he'll tell you, "practice." Unlike, his fellow professional athlete, Allen Iverson, Woods considers practice to be very vital to the development of quality play on the big stage.

"My practice sessions started getting longer at home," Woods said. "Hit more balls, play more golf, all these things. People don't realize you need to do that. You need to have that ability. You can't just think about your swing and how to be great the next day. I needed to do the reps and do some good practice sessions the past couple of weeks."

Tiger, after a 68 in the first round, an ugly and rare 74 in the second round, and another solid 68, in the third round which put him in a great position heading into Sunday's final round only four shots behind the leaders, shot a 65 Sunday and won Jack Nicklaus' tournament by one stroke over veteran Jim Furyk.

He hit all 14 fairways on Sunday, leaving himself the opportunity to attack the flags and score low. Although the rest of the field tried their best to push the lead, Tiger came storming back with miraculous shot after shot. The most important shots coming at the par 5 11th hole and the par 4 18th hole, in which Tiger made two phenomenal shots to position himself for his 67th win in his career.

On the 11th hole, Tiger smashed the ball onto the green before it rolled off the green and settled in thick rough. Terrible lie, with a little to no chance of getting the ball close for a birdie, Tiger steps up and chips the ball straight into the hole, controlling the spin by virtually hitting the ball with one hand. Thus, giving Tiger an eagle on the 11th and placing him one shot behind the leader, Jonathan Byrd.

On the 18th hole, Tiger hits once again, another great tee shot and leaves himself a great look at a birdie and the opportunity to clench the win. Most with the lead would play it safe and hit the ball in the middle of the green and take a par, but Tiger, wanting to leave no opportunity for his competitors to come back and force a playoff, went for the hole. After another great swing, Tiger knocked the ball about one foot from the hole, leaving a tap in for yet another win on the PGA Tour.



That's in for this installment. Tiger will be competing in two weeks time at the U.S. Open, aiming for the 17th major of his career. According to Tiger he's not quite 100 percent, so golfers beware! After two weeks of more practice, he may just walk away with another major unscathed.

Most talented season in the WNBA

After cutting the number of available players on each team's roster from 13 active players to 11 active players and with the loss of the storied Houston Comets franchise, the talent in the WNBA has gotten extremely better.

Although the Los Angeles Sparks are the favored team on paper, to win the championship this season, with the recent cuts made by each team the depth across the league is astonishing. Fans can expect the level of competition to skyrocket, leading to the possibility for the WNBA to gain more followers and sign bigger sponsors.

Although, the loss of roster spots and the Houston franchise are due to the financial challenges that the WNBA is undoubtedly facing, the WNBA has actually been more financially secure than the NBA, who was forced to take out a loan for teams across the league who were losing money simply from their daily operations.

Unfortunately for the league, some NBA owners who also own the rights to WNBA franchises feel that the only way to counteract the losses and keep their NBA teams, would be to sell their WNBA teams. A prime example of this case comes in the form of Indiana Pacers and Fever owner, Herb Simon, who has lost money with each Pacers season and although the Fever have been productive, they have not made Simon any more money.

Who is at fault? Obviously not the Fever but with the bigger market being the NBA, the Fever will undoubtedly be the first financial burden to be dropped by Simon in an attempt to save his "beloved" Pacers.

How does the WNBA plan on increasing attendance and increasing their revenue this season to ensure the longevity of the league? The increase in competition definitely helps their cause, along with a new plan to allow corporations to advertise on the jerseys of teams across the league.

"These kind of (economic) times present opportunities to change paradigms. Everyone feels encouraged and has permission to push the envelope in different ways. That contributes to a lot of businesses making bold new steps. The jersey is part of inventory. Why not utilize it?" said WNBA President Donna Orender.

The Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles were the first to gain sponsors for this new revenue increasing technique brought forth by the WNBA with the advertisements across the front of their jerseys from LifeLock and Farmers Insurance Group. Expect to see more teams looking to lock up sponsors as the season continues.

That's it for this installment! The WNBA season tips off tomorrow with the battle between the Los Angeles Sparks and the 2008 defending champion Detroit Shock in L.A. Expect a physical game as usual and everyone enjoy the first day of the 2009 season.