A St. John's blogger takes a shot at UConn fans

[alexrgct]

Many flaws in this piece in addition to those noted. Kiah Stokes didn't get into the game until the second half, but she played well defensively once she was in the game. Actually, Kiah did play in the first half. We were somewhat disappointed that Geno left Dolson in so late, but I've seen a lot of UConn games; I know that sometimes they have to leave a starter in just to make sure the deep reserves don't run the score up. No mention of Dolson's limited minutes in the 1st half? How about Geno sitting Stewart with 12:49 left in the game. . . for good.

<Homer Simpson>"Pfft...facts. You can use facts to prove anything that's even REMOTELY true! </Homer Simpson>

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

What ASweet said. I never minded losing to a better team. But when I would be at a UConn / Rutgers game, I felt Rutgers players, coach, game plan and everything were made to look like garbage. Without UConn doing anything "special", just what they always do. And then UConn goes and does it to a #2 or #3 team in the country - makes them look like they don't belong on the court.

Tennessee could be frustrating because you couldn't beat them, but you looked like a college level basketball team losing to them.

 

[Fightin Choke]

The writer has both a keen eye for the game and a gift for presenting his thoughts. In the interest of full disclosure, he admits to a certain bias (e.g., "I like [Morgan Tuck], and I know I'd like her more if she wasn't a Husky, and I recognize that bias within myself."); give him credit for candor.

My appreciation for his blog is limited by his wildly wayward presentation of facts. Specifically, I believe that James Dolan might be astonished to read that he now must concede ownership of Madison Square Garden to some alums of St. John's University.

Just a bit of information on the blogger: Queenie is female (LINK), and is a moderator on the WCBB discussion board at RebKell. In addition, you and her share a trait: a hatred of Notre Dame.

 

[prebivalka]

Haters gonna hate, that's all I'm going to say. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Phil]

In defense of Queenie

(My defense might not sound like much of a defense at first, but give it time.)

The sentence:
I don't think I'm ever going to develop a true tolerance for UConn fans

is one that troubles me.

Not because there aren't obnoxious UConn fans (there are), and not even because there aren't high and mighty, full of themselves UConn fans who hold a superior attitude, not because of anything they've accomplished, but because they are fans of a team that is pretty darn good and they've someone convinced themselves that this makes them better.

My reaction is best summed up by the wonderful word coined by Kurt Vonnegut "granfalloon".

If you wish to examine a granfalloon, just remove the skin of a toy balloon.

Being a UConn fan does not make you a better person. Nor does it make you a bad person. I happen to think there are a lot of great UConn fans. And a few that make me cringe. But I try to avoid lumping all fans into a group as this statement implies. I hope someone will smack me around if I ever slip and make a blanket statement about LV fans. My attitude toward that team is largely shaped by negative interaction with some LV fans, but I have met many wonderful LV fans, so I try to avoid commenting about the entire fan base.

With that out of the way, a writer who is admittedly not a UConn fan has some very positive things to say about the team.

The most negative comment was about an Ohio State fan, and appropriately directed at that fan, not to the fan base as a whole.

Queenie also appropriately responds to UConn blowouts, by channeling a southern version of Geno Step your game up, y'all rather than acting like UConn is doing something wrong. I wish more would join that bandwagon.

 

[rbny1]

Pretty cat in your avatar!!

Thanks. It's my cat Arabella, who I've had for two years. She's a real sweetheart.

 

[hoophuskee]

This is Christmas and I don't want to seem harsh- like I'm upset - I'm not. I just don't care for the style and from wh others said some points the blogger was wrong about. But here are 2 points --

1--- I don't care that a fan from a former "friend" university stabbed us in the back doesn't like us. The blogger made it a point and opened the door to mention the dislike for UCONN fans which didn't need to be done but decided to mention it anyways. If the blogger's personal opinion can be expressed it opens the door to take away from hoop talk. So as I reply just want to remind the blogger that there are fans I know that have the same dislike of former "friends" now considered backstabbers that left us - a founding BE Team-holding the bag.

2--- To follow up on our mutual dislike - our former "friends" didn't allow UCONN men in BE Tourney. In some of our opinions the NCAA went way overbaord in punishing UCONN (and letting other colleges go) and our former "friends" didnt't have the courage to support us. Instead some of them- they went behind our back and dumped us.

But I'm not mad at all. I just can care less that a fan of a former "friend" disiikes us.

 

[ThisJustIn]

It's cute how small pokes get turned in to big "shots." Guess folks ARE bored.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I know that sometimes they have to leave a starter in just to make sure the deep reserves don't run the score up.

I took this comment as a sarcastic offering so I took a moment to examine the scoring distributions of the top five teams. Here's what I found.

Only UConn scores fewer points in the second half than they do in the first. Second half scoring distributions are:
Duke - 53.8% (they scored 54% of points in 2nd half)
Tennessee - 53.1%
Notre Dame - 50.9%
Stanford - 50.5%
UConn - 44.4%

The frequency of scoring more points in the second half than the first is as follows:
Duke - 77% (in 77% of games more 2nd half points are scored)
Tennessee - 73%
Notre Dame - 70%
Stanford - 55%
UConn - 17%

The percentage of points scored in the last 10 minutes of the game is distributed as follows:
Tennessee - 27.1% (Vols scored 27% of its points in last 10 mins)
Duke - 25.6%
Notre Dame 24.8%
Stanford - 22.6%
UConn - 19.5%

The percentage of points scored in the last 5 minutes of the game is distributed as follows:
Tennessee - 14.1% (Vols scored 14% of points in last 5 mins)
Notre Dame - 13.8%
Duke - 12.2%
Stanford - 11.6%
UConn - 9.7%

UConn's profile is hardly that of a team running up the score by leaving starters in late.

 

[Blarney76]

wbb...I think the first part of your statement is true, there were no scholarships of note. But, keep in mind she played center at 5'7" in high school at the request of her coach. She was also a "grinder" on the AAU team, doing the dirty work under the hoop while others put up shots. Not too much demand for 5'7" centers in WBB. Her 43% from 3 this season (6-14) shows what kind of range and accuracy she has in her skill set.

I also believe both her parents went to UConn (Dad played football) and as a child TLaw saw lots of UConn sports, including Women's basketball. Finally, the decision to walk-on was made after enrolling and seeing Stewie's tweet inviting potential tryouts. She is living a dream, but I don't think it was the original plan. Just a wonderful twist of fate....Go TLaw and Go Huskies..!!

All great points you made here, David. Here is another nice article on Lawlor with a little history on how she came to be a walk-on for UCONN. http://m.ctpost.com/uconn/article/Playing-for-UConn-dream-come-true-for-Ansonia-s-5112318.php

 

[phil sampieri]

Terrible writing. Shouldn't get through most college classes.

It just occured to me that you have had several posts correcting spelling, phrasing, sentence structure. Does that make you feel good ?

 

[easttexastrash]

Who gives a crap about the haters. Just enjoy being a fan of the greatest WCBB program ever. Some air-filled blogger is hardly worth anyone's attention.

I hope that Baylor is "bad for the game" some day.

 

[Icebear]

It just occured to me that you have had several posts correcting spelling, phrasing, sentence structure. Does that make you feel good ?

I, generally, only correct the spelling of our players names or I call attention to other misspellings if it leads to some type of humorous outcome and misunderstanding. That is a matter of respect for the kids. We have no Stephanie on the team and folks often enjoy a chuckle.

As to grammar only when a grammatical issue leads to a lack of clarity or misunderstanding do I raise an issue. I, also, continue to edit my own posts which frequently have typos and dropped words for the same reason of clarity. Heck, I find errors on my own blog sometimes months later and fix them and appreciate it when folks call them to my attention. You'll notice I rarely correct TonyC, his mangling of the language would make Norm Crosby proud and is part of his lose charm.

The terrible writing in the posted link was in an article published as a work for public consumption, not a post on the board. It was not good writing. I was not speaking of grammar or spelling. I was speaking of content, article structure, paragraph structure, and accuracy of information and reflection and interpretation of information. It would have been judged harshly in the writing courses I took on all those parameters. Stream of consciousness writing is an art that takes tremendous work and practice. It is a skill that Queenie has not yet mastered and is one that has numerous risks. If Queenie is a student and still learning the craft, great!

I greatly appreciate the hard work of folks trying to expand the marketplace for WCBB and women's sports coverage. DishandSwish is a great example of it being done well.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Don't think Lawlor received any scholarship offers, otherwise I'm sure she wouldn't be walking on at UConn.

Just out of interest, how do you know this? Do you know the family?

On Edit, from Kibs...

Quote from the very recent article by Rich Elliott (Connecticut Post), linked in another current thread about Tierney Lawlor:

"she respectfully declined the Division II offers."

 

[phil sampieri]

I, generally, only correct the spelling of our players names or call attention to other misspellings if it leads to some type of humorous outcome and misunderstanding. That is a matter of respect for the kids. We have no Stephanie on the team.

As to grammar only when a grammatical issue leads to a lack of clarity or misunderstanding do I raise issue. I, also, continue to edit my own posts which frequently have typos and dropped words for the same reason of clarity. Heck, I find errors on my own blog sometimes months later and fix them and appreciate it when folks call them to my attention. You'll notice I rarely correct TonyC, his mangling of the language would make Norm Crosby proud and is part of his lose charm.

The terrible writing in this case was in an article published as a work for public consumption, not a post on the board. It was not good writing. I was not speaking of grammar or spelling. I was speaking of content, article structure, paragraph structure, and accuracy of information and reflection and interpretation of information. It would have been judged harshly in the writing courses I took on all those parameters. Stream of consciousness writing is an art that takes tremendous work and practice. It is a skill that Queenie has not yet mastered and is one that has numerous risks. If Queenie is a student and still learning the craft, great!

I greatly appreciate the hard work of folks trying to expand the marketplace for WCBB and women's sports coverage. DishandSwish is a great example of it being done well.

Intervention is in your future

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Intervention is in your future

So, Phil S, you criticize Ice's take on grammar/context as inappropriate, and then take a shot at him personally….not exactly the high road you suggest riding .

 

[PacoSwede]

This is a fascinating post!

I never heard this brought up before -- maybe I'm just out of the loop.

I'd love to see this information more widely known. I highly recommend that RegisteredUConn send a copy of this to all the members of the state's Horde, plus SNY and ESPN. I think any of them could build a great little feature around this. Some of these numbers are stunning, and they really deflate some common misconceptions about UConn held by the general public.

And if the SID at UConn ever reads this ... get crackin'!

I took this comment as a sarcastic offering so I took a moment to examine the scoring distributions of the top five teams. Here's what I found.

Only UConn scores fewer points in the second half than they do in the first. Second half scoring distributions are:
Duke - 53.8% (they scored 54% of points in 2nd half)
Tennessee - 53.1%
Notre Dame - 50.9%
Stanford - 50.5%
UConn - 44.4%

The frequency of scoring more points in the second half than the first is as follows:
Duke - 77% (in 77% of games more 2nd half points are scored)
Tennessee - 73%
Notre Dame - 70%
Stanford - 55%
UConn - 17%

The percentage of points scored in the last 10 minutes of the game is distributed as follows:
Tennessee - 27.1% (Vols scored 27% of its points in last 10 mins)
Duke - 25.6%
Notre Dame 24.8%
Stanford - 22.6%
UConn - 19.5%

The percentage of points scored in the last 5 minutes of the game is distributed as follows:
Tennessee - 14.1% (Vols scored 14% of points in last 5 mins)
Notre Dame - 13.8%
Duke - 12.2%
Stanford - 11.6%
UConn - 9.7%

UConn's profile is hardly that of a team running up the score by leaving starters in late.

 

[Icebear]

I agree, Paco. In fact it should be placed in holding for anytime some brings up the old flame of UCONN running up the score as and immediate hose and extinguisher.

 

[ndmb]

I, generally, only correct the spelling of our players names or I call attention to other misspellings if it leads to some type of humorous outcome and misunderstanding. That is a matter of respect for the kids. We have no Stephanie on the team and folks often enjoy a chuckle.

As to grammar only when a grammatical issue leads to a lack of clarity or misunderstanding do I raise an issue. I, also, continue to edit my own posts which frequently have typos and dropped words for the same reason of clarity. Heck, I find errors on my own blog sometimes months later and fix them and appreciate it when folks call them to my attention. You'll notice I rarely correct TonyC, his mangling of the language would make Norm Crosby proud and is part of his lose charm.

The terrible writing in the posted link was in an article published as a work for public consumption, not a post on the board. It was not good writing. I was not speaking of grammar or spelling. I was speaking of content, article structure, paragraph structure, and accuracy of information and reflection and interpretation of information. It would have been judged harshly in the writing courses I took on all those parameters. Stream of consciousness writing is an art that takes tremendous work and practice. It is a skill that Queenie has not yet mastered and is one that has numerous risks. If Queenie is a student and still learning the craft, great!

I greatly appreciate the hard work of folks trying to expand the marketplace for WCBB and women's sports coverage. DishandSwish is a great example of it being done well.

Lose charm made me laugh.

 

[DavidinNaples]

I, generally, only correct the spelling of our players names or I call attention to other misspellings if it leads to some type of humorous outcome and misunderstanding. That is a matter of respect for the kids. We have no Stephanie on the team and folks often enjoy a chuckle.

As to grammar only when a grammatical issue leads to a lack of clarity or misunderstanding do I raise an issue. I, also, continue to edit my own posts which frequently have typos and dropped words for the same reason of clarity. Heck, I find errors on my own blog sometimes months later and fix them and appreciate it when folks call them to my attention. You'll notice I rarely correct TonyC, his mangling of the language would make Norm Crosby proud and is part of his lose charm.

The terrible writing in the posted link was in an article published as a work for public consumption, not a post on the board. It was not good writing. I was not speaking of grammar or spelling. I was speaking of content, article structure, paragraph structure, and accuracy of information and reflection and interpretation of information. It would have been judged harshly in the writing courses I took on all those parameters. Stream of consciousness writing is an art that takes tremendous work and practice. It is a skill that Queenie has not yet mastered and is one that has numerous risks. If Queenie is a student and still learning the craft, great!

I greatly appreciate the hard work of folks trying to expand the marketplace for WCBB and women's sports coverage. DishandSwish is a great example of it being done well.

 

[Kibitzer]

Don't think Lawlor received any scholarship offers, otherwise I'm sure she wouldn't be walking on at UConn.

Just out of interest, how do you know this? Do you know the family?

Quote from the very recent article by Rich Elliott (Connecticut Post), linked in another current thread about Tierney Lawlor:

"she respectfully declined the Division II offers. . . ."​

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Quote from the very recent article by Rich Elliott (Connecticut Post), linked in another current thread about Tierney Lawlor:

"she respectfully declined the Division II offers. . . ."​

So she did receive offers...thanks.

 

[doggydaddy]

Quote from the very recent article by Rich Elliott (Connecticut Post), linked in another current thread about Tierney Lawlor:

"she respectfully declined the Division II offers. . . ."​

As others have said, so she did get scholarship offers.

I won't hold my breath waiting on wbbfan1 to reply.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

As others have said, so she did get scholarship offers.

I won't hold my breath waiting on wbbfan1 to reply.

As others have said, so she did get scholarship offers.

I won't hold my breath waiting on wbbfan1 to reply.

 

[Icebear]

View attachment 4653

Someone was drinking blue Slushies again.