Olympics Badasses. For discussion here.

[Kibitzer]

Many wcbb Boneyarders recall how we honored individual Huskies as Badasses from game to game last season. Awards were not based on mere stats, but rather on play that had a demoralizing effect on the opposition. Saniya Chong got a BY Badass Award for that clutch late trey vs.. Maryland and Gabby was more often recognized for her tenaciousness than for bull's eye shooting. At season's end, Stewie was most frequent honoree but even Tierney, CD, Pulido and Swin Cash were honored as Badasses once.

Now for the Olympics. I see Michael Phelps, Ali Raisman and Katie Ladecky as magnificent athletes but Kerri Walsh-Jennings, Lilly King and Simone Biles as Badasses.

This is "our thing" on this board. No awards until wcbb season but no harm in some fun discussion about Olympics Badasses to keep us "in shape," so to speak, in August.

And Oh Yeah -- the USA Women's BB Team defines the term "Badass."

Let the discussion begin.

 

[Kaizen]

Katie Ladecky, all I can say about her is "Oh My God" ....

 

[j66kicker]

Lilly King, for standing up for "clean" competition against Russian doper Yulia Efimova - before (trash talk), during (won gold in 100m breast stroke vs Yulia's silver) and after (post-race presser with Efimova present).

Lilly, you're a BADASS!

Lilly King bangs drum, but others need to clean up the mess

 

[calpedaler]

Carli Lloyd
Ibtihaj Muhammad

 

[MilfordHusky]

Katie Ledecky is the Bob Beamon of the pool. She SHATTERS records.

This woman is playing like a badass. I said, "Dee, you are playing like a badass." This was her reaction:

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Kia Nurse for Canada.

Torrens for Spain.

 

[pinotbear]

Well, for me, Rulon Gardner may have retired this award in 2000.

89: Rulon Gardner stops invincible Karelin

 

[johnnyc]

So far from what I have seen number one is Lilly King. Others.....Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, , Katie Ledechy, Ryan Murphy, Michael Phelps and Virginia Thrasher.

 

[Kibitzer]

The USA women's gymnastic team (the "Final Five") is a 450 lb. can of whoopass.

And a model of ethic, religious and racial diversity to boot!

 

[MilfordHusky]

The USA women's gymnastic team (the "Final Five") is a 450 lb. can of whoopass.

And a model of ethic, religious and racial diversity to boot!

And ethNic diversity too.

 

[bags27]

Never been a Phelps fan, per se. Just never liked him; I don't know why. But coming back from retirement, and the butterfly he swam last night, were positively heroic. Like LeBron deciding to return to Cleveland and bringing home a championship.

 

[Geew1992]

Many wcbb Boneyarders recall how we honored individual Huskies as Badasses from game to game last season. Awards were not based on mere stats, but rather on play that had a demoralizing effect on the opposition. Saniya Chong got a BY Badass Award for that clutch late trey vs.. Maryland and Gabby was more often recognized for her tenaciousness than for bull's eye shooting. At season's end, Stewie was most frequent honoree but even Tierney, CD, Pulido and Swin Cash were honored as Badasses once.



I definitely agree Swin is a badass, but I don't think she played with these girls. What was she honored for?

 

[Kaizen]

Never been a Phelps fan, per se. Just never liked him; I don't know why. But coming back from retirement, and the butterfly he swam last night, were positively heroic. Like LeBron deciding to return to Cleveland and bringing home a championship.

Yes, I am with you. Watching his performances yesterday he is my really hero even I don't really like him before.

 

[Kibitzer]

And ethNic diversity too.

Good catch, Ken. Gives me a chance to reinforce my original comment about the remarkable diversity of this amazing team.

- Five athletes (world champs).
- Two black, three white.
- One Jewish and one Hispanic.​

As I stated (imperfectly), a model of American diversity.

And oh yeah, they are pretty good, too.

 

[VAMike23]

Phelps was positively badass in that 200 fly final, all the way from the waiting room death-stare[down] of le Clos to the final 15m when he held off the Japanese swimmer - for good measure he swam anchor on the 4x100m relay on virtually no rest.

= B A D A S S

 

[Kibitzer]

@Geew1992. Our Boneyard Badass Awards, being unofficial, allowed for wide latitude when awarding them. In Swin's case, she was in the studio (halftime IIRC) with Doug Gottlieb, whose disdain for women's basketball was apparent -- especially UConn's dominance (as manifested by blowout victories).

Doug asked something like "What's the point" of such lopsided games?

Swin responded that "It's actually fun to whip somebody by 40 points." (As if to say: Any more dumb questions?)

So we gave her a Badass Award for her smackdown of a wiseass.

 

[MilfordHusky]

After today's game against Serbia, Johnettte Howard of ESPN wrote thusly:

"One of her nicknames is 'White Mamba,' which can sound a little silly until you realize it was Kobe Bryant, the original Mamba, who gave her the name. Taurasi, of course, loved it. She plays like she thinks she's the biggest bad ass on the court. But off the court, say the other players, she's the best teammate you could ever want."

Actually, Diana doesn't play as if she THINKS she's the biggest badass. She plays as if she IS the biggest badass.

Dee is in supreme badass mode.

 

[Geew1992]

@Geew1992. Our Boneyard Badass Awards, being unofficial, allowed for wide latitude when awarding them. In Swin's case, she was in the studio (halftime IIRC) with Doug Gottlieb, whose disdain for women's basketball was apparent -- especially UConn's dominance (as manifested by blowout victories).

Doug asked something like "What's the point" of such lopsided games?

Swin responded that "It's actually fun to whip somebody by 40 points." (As if to say: Any more dumb questions?)

So we gave her a Badass Award for her smackdown of a wiseass.

NICE!!! Swin is my all time fav!!

 

[warbler1055]

Couldn't agree more with Milford!!! White Mamba is supreme badass!!!

 

[cbraarj]

She likes to talk trash to the player guarding her after she scores. She is telling them . I am a Badass because the BoneYard said so! So guess what you cant guard me because I am The Badass on this Court!!!

 

[Kibitzer]

Just watched Aly Raisman come all the looong way back from a crushing disappointment (2012 Olympics) to earn the silver medal by two incredible late pressure clutch performances..

What made it especially sweet was that she overtook her Russian rival with a stunning floor exercise -- choreographed to Russian classical music!

Dee and Sue, move over to make room for Aly and Simone, two gymnastic Badasses.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Dee was in badass mode again, tossing in threes seemingly at will against Canada.

 

[Crisper]

A sideways comment on general badassness...'It ain't a compliment when your proctologist calls you a "total badass." - Mathew Diffee (cartoonist by trade)

 

[easttexastrash]

BADASS = Brazilian Alison Cerutti in beach volleyball. He would spike on his mother if she were on the other side of the next.

 

[alexrgct]

All I know is that, with all hurdles cleared prior to 2014, it's been pretty badass to watch Brittney Griner representing Team USA.

The following NCAAW champions are represented on the Olympic WBB squad:

1998 (Catchings)
2000 (Sue)
2002 (Sue, Diana)
2003 (DT)
2004 (DT)
2009 (Maya, Tina)
2010 (Maya, Tina)
2012 (Griner)
2013-16 (Stewie)

Now all of THAT is badass...

Anyone want another Uconn badass to whom to look forward? See you in 2020, Moriah!