10 worst moments of the 2008 WNBA season

With the good comes the bad. These are 10 moments of the 2008 WNBA season that I would like to forget:

1. Where-oh-where have our roster cards gone?  It’s hard to forget something that never was, but what ever happened to those orange roster cards that interns would hand out at the games? This is a major blunder by WNBA public relations. Roster cards are one of the most important parts of game day. How can I follow who’s who without a sheet of paper with names and numbers? The WNBA really dropped the ball on this one this year.

2. The Brawl at the Palace: Three of the most embarrassing events in WNBA history happened in one week. (1)The Brawl between the Detroit Shock and the Los Angeles Sparks at the Palace on July 23rd. ‘Evil’ Shock Forward Plenette Pierson and Los Angels Spark’s ‘can do no wrong golden girl’ Candace Parker became entangled after a free throw late in the fourth quarter. Tackles, punches, and pushing ensued which ended in multiple ejections. (2)The next day WNBA President Donna Orender let us know what she really thinks of fighting – it will be tolerated as long as your initials aren’t P.P. and are C.P.

3. The geriatric Shock: Another consequence of the suspensions was the Detroit Shock signing Hall of Famer and ESPN commentator Nancy Lieberman. In what could have been considered facetious maneuvering by Shock Head Coach Bill Laimbeer who was short on players due to suspensions, Laimbeer signed 50 year-old Lieberman to a seven-day contract. She actually played for 9 minutes against the Houston Comets. Lieberman finished the game with 2 assists, one sweet crossover dribble, and no broken hips.

4. Dear Fans: My team sucks: In a moment of insanity, Washington Mystics President Sheila Johnson lambasted her team for their poor performance over the years. What else is new? The Mystics have underachieved once again and failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Shortly after praising Mystics General Manager Linda Hargrove, Johnson fired her.

5. First to worst: The Phoenix Mercury have gone from bad to good to bad in less time than it takes for Deanna Nolan to run down the court – that’s pretty fast. The Mercury missed the playoffs in 2006,  won the WNBA championship in 2007, and then in 2008 the Mercury became the first team in history to win a WNBA championship then not make the playoffs the proceeding season. This could have been contributed to losing Head Coach Paul Westhead, forward Penny Taylor missing the entire 2008 season, and a road weary Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter who never seem to get any time off between their WNBA and overseas commitments.

6. The Minnesota ‘Stinks’: I fruitlessly root for this team every year to win more than 50% of their games. Alas, even after acquiring Candace Wiggins, Seimone Augustus, Nicole Ohlde, Nicky Anosike, and Charde Houston they still once again missed the playoffs. The end of season four game road swing plus their shortage of veteran players could have played a significant part in their lackluster season.

7. “Expect Great”: What is that? It’s not even a complete incomplete sentence. The league usually adheres to similar sounding slogans such as “we got next” and “we got game.” This year they tried something new and failed miserably. The WNBA should have stuck to what they are good at. Some compilation of “got” and “game” and figure out a jaded phrase from there.

8. Don’t ‘Expect Great’ commercials either: Because the “Expect Great” slogan wasn’t bad enough, the WNBA had to create commercials equally inane. Enter a 30-second spot were players disparage their own league while criticizing WNBA-haters for not understand the women’s game. A tad bit touchy, aren’t we?

9. Silence is a virtue: U.S. National team Head Coach Ann Donovan usual stoic behavior was jolted with brow-raising cacophony during an interview with ESPN’s Outside the Lines. Ann Donovan had not so nice words about San Antonio Silver Stars guard and WNBA All-Star, Becky Hammon. After being snubbed by the U.S.A. Basketball, Hammon decided to pursue her Olympic dreams and play for the Russian National Team. Ann Donovan had this to say about Hammon: “If you play in this country, live in this country, and grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person in my mind.” That’s a public relations disaster. Donovan should have stuck to what she’s good at – disinterested silence from the bench.

10. You can’t teach 7’2”, but you can watch her on the bench in street clothes: She’s really tall, can shoot the short jumper, and casts a 20-foot shadow. Margo Dydek was acquired by the Los Angels Sparks in August and never stepped one giant foot on the court. The Sparks, who were really in need of a guard, decided to pick up another center, probably to ward off the hot L.A. sun and give the players some much needed shade. Maybe if the Sparks had another solid guard they could have made their way to the 2008 WNBA Finals. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Honorable Mention: Speaking of the WNBA Finals, this was the most anticlimactic one I have seen in years. The Detroit Shock swept the San Antonio Silver Stars in three games without much of a fight. The Silver Stars, who were physically dwarfed at both ends of the floor, couldn’t even muster a win at home.