The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has won an NCAA women’s record of wins with 71 games in a row. 71.
I haven’t won 71 anything in a row, ever, excluding managing to get out of bed 71 days in a row which I have to admit is sometimes a little iffy. Have you?
Coach Geno Auriemma says it’s good for their sport.
“You know, there’s people talking about women’s basketball now that wouldn’t be talking about it this time of year because of what we’re doing,’’ he said. “We have a way here at Connecticut of making everybody around the country talk about women’s basketball. We’ve been known to do that for a long time.’’
Auriemma keeps the Huskies, including star players Tina Charles and Maya Moore, focused on the championship, downplaying the milestone celebrations. I guess this is understandable, because what happens when you finally lose, if you ever do? Who wants to think about that?
They certainly don’t, but I’m sure the team that hopes to beat them does. Congratulate these players in the meantime. They may not be allowed to celebrate, but even this Maryland fan will give them a round of applause today.
I thought last night’s game against Providence was over. Brad Wanamaker was unable to secure the tie-breaking shot and then fouled. After they were able to pull ahead by 1 with 3.5 seconds to go, I left the room in disgust. I was in the kitchen when I heard my husband yelp, “HUH HO! OH MY GOD!” I ran back in asking what happened and he could only answer, “GIBBS!”
I watched the replay in disbelief. Gibbs took the ball, made several inhumanly long strides to just past mid-court, and just milliseconds before time ran out, drained a 3-pointer that seemed to come directly from heaven.
The win secured them a double-bye in the Big East tournament and maintained their chance to be seeded #2. They also vindicated themselves against Providence, who beat Pitt last season. Awesome game and incredible fodder for the highlight reel. Video of the amazing moment is here.
I am sick of hearing about him, about how he and his mother, Pam Tebow, are slated to tell the Super Bowl audience on Sunday that they’re glad he is alive because she chose not to heed warnings of medical professionals during a dangerous pregnancy – in the Phillipines, a country where abortion has been illegal since long before the senior University of Florida quarterback was a Bible-verse-painted gleam in his missionary parents’ eyes, so I’m not even sure what kind of choice she had.
(Or at least that’s supposedly what they’re going to do on evangelical organization Focus on the Family’s dime, in what probably even Kanye would call one of the most notorious as-yet-unaired multi-million dollar public service announcements of all time.)
I am sick of hearing about how, unsuccessful in his bid to kill off cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants for his alleged raging homosexuality a few years back, FOF founder James Hobson’s crew, led by current CEO Jim Daly, has shifted the family’s focus to football fans, softened as many of the latter may be by six hours of Bud Light and nachos.
“We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms,” said CBS spokesperson, Shannon Jacobs.
I have no idea what that means, Shannon Jacobs, so I’m tired of you too.
I am tired of this not because of any political difference of opinion I have with Focus on the Family, honestly, and not just because I have Tebow news fatigue. I get the central arguments here. I understand why women’s organizations have a problem with an ad like this running during an event that is heavily marketed to men, that is a sporting event enjoyed by millions across the country, with special good vibes this year given the excitement of the city of New Orleans over the Saints’ first visit to the contest (and yes, I’m sure Indianapolis is feeling pretty excited too.) I get why Momocrats are supporting a Tailgate for Choice. I understand the generation ofpetitions and the feelings of people who believe that CBS is exhibiting bias in this case.
I also fully understand why, given the access to millions of people parked in front of their televisions, some of them primarily for the commercials, any group would use it to broadcast their central message. And because I’m a fan of the First Amendment, I stand by their right to hire a star college football quarterback who is an avowed Christian and a potential NFL player as the medium for their message.
I just think it’s absurd that a country like this will bicker for weeks about a commercial that no one has seen. I think it’s nuts that an alleged nonprofit organization will spend $2.5 million to buy 30 seconds – 30 seconds – of ideological airtime that it could have spent helping sisters and their babies out in the Super Bowl’s host city of Miami or just a skip across the ocean to Haiti, for that matter - anywhere there are people with need, anywhere there are people who are making or have made tough choices about family. Because if as they say this ad is a multimillion dollar investment in celebrating life and family, maybe there’s a better, more productive way than a commercial.
I don’t get it. Or maybe I do, because I’m not that dim, and I just don’t like it.
When I think of Super Bowl commercials I think of beer, and maybe cars. I think of Pepsi, who won’t be there at all this year, and unfortunately I think of cave men, which makes me inclined to never, ever be a Geico customer, so that effort failed. Sometimes when I’m feeling down and blue I watch Terry Tate’s Office Linebacker clips because apparently random violence and screaming entertain me. (Which all the same does not mean I’m going to go out and kick some ass, nor to buy Reebok anything. I’m a wild card picker, just to be clear.)
For a change, I do not think of social issues, and the people who would like to tell me how to think about them. I think about football, and also nachos, and what the hell a down is, anyway.
Tim Tebow could explain that to me, which would in fact be very useful, but he and his mom are not going to make me think any harder or more deeply about life and family. They wouldn’t have if I hadn’t heard anything about this beforehand and they won’t now. I’ll just notice them more than I would have in the first place because frankly, I can’t avoid them.
But if I were CBS, I’d watch out for the South Florida Grannies.
As promised, I’m back with the latest in NCAA football coach musical chairs. You really can’t tell a player without a program anymore.
Lane Kiffin: From Tennessee to USC. Violations. Investigations. And L’il Wayne. Blah, blah, blah. It just sucks that I happen to live in LA and will hear about this yahoo for-evah. Yeah, I’m not too jazzed.
Related: Derek Dooley will replace Kiffin at Tennessee. Who? Oh well. After the drama of Kiffin and the ongoing investigations, who could blame them? I’m ready for the Vols to be back in the top 10. Anyone with me?
One of the most watched hires will be Brian Kelly as he attempts to return the Blue and Gold to their former glory. Under Charlie Weiss, Notre Dame took a nose dive in defense, quarterbacks, and, oh yeah, WINS. The buzz on Kelly is positive, so keep an eye out for Irish fans rising from the ashes all around you to rally behind their team.
One of my personal favorite coaches, Bobby Bowden, left some big shoes to fill at Florida State, and I hope that Jimbo Fisher will deliver, if not in pure class, then at least in wins. The Bowden winning legacy, a whopping 315-97-4 record, will take a lifetime to top. Get movin’ Jimbo.
Yes, as previously reported, Tommy Tubberville will go to Texas Tech. Thankfully, Ruffin McNeill, former Tech defensive coordinator , was hired by his alma mater, East Carolina University. A class act amidst the chaos of the Leach debacle, McNeill is poised to do an excellent job for the Pirates.
Other notable new hires are Skip Holtz at South Florida and the proven Mike London at Virginia.
Phew. I’m exhausted. Anyone want to go out for a beer?
