Another Writer Who Didn't Do The Research

From hometownlife.com.

Another study out of Florida State University showed suppressed testosterone levels in males who found themselves on the losing end of a given competitive situation. No hormonal difference was noticed between female winners and losers. So what does all this research mean? Maybe nothing. Maybe all it means is that WNBA teams are less prone to losing streaks. But these studies do seem to show not only a psychological aspect but also a physiologic aspect to losing.

Yup. You don't get many losing streaks in the WNBA. True, I'm not expecting the guy to do a statistical study, but still...sheesh.

New York Times Article about the Dream

Looks like we made the pages of the Grey Lady.

An excerpt:

Meadors was brought on board partly because she had endured W.N.B.A. start-ups as a coach with the Charlotte Sting and director of scouting for the Miami Sol. Prospective players were screened for character. Bolen said a spiritual foundation was not a factor in roster selection, but many of the players said prayer sustained them during the drought, which set a record for W.N.B.A. futility when the losing streak reached 14 games.

“I hate to get all religion on you, but I try to have faith in whatever he has planned for me,” forward Jennifer Lacy said.

A must read, so go read.

P. S. Heads up to the Women's Hoops Blog.

Are the Dream Atlanta's "Loveable Losers"?

There are two teams that are struggling in the WNBA Eastern Conference. One is the Washington Mystics, and the other is the Atlanta Dream.

It seems that everyone has pretty much kind words for the Atlanta Dream. Other teams want the Dream to win -- just not to win against them. However, hardly anyone has kind words for the Mystics -- not even Mystics fans. The fans and the organization always seem to be in turmoil of some sort.

I'm thinking of awful teams like the 1962 New York Mets, who only won 40 games in a 162 games season. The city of New York fell in love with them. They were "lovable losers". The '62 Mets have only a few counterparts, because most of the time when a team loses the emotion is not love, but anger, disgust, or indifference.

So what makes a team a lovable loser? I found this list at Roar 34, which is a Baltimore Orioles blog. The author has a list of what makes a team a "loveable loser" as opposed to just a loser. I took the lessons of this list and applied them to the Dream.

1. When they lose, they lose in style.

We've lost every possible way imaginable. We've had big leads and thrown them away. We've had games where we couldn't get into it. We've had games where the starters did well, but the bench didn't. We've had games where the bench did well, but the starters didn't. If there's a way to lose a game, we've mastered it.

2. They make us laugh. They make us cry.

Katie Feenstra, the ultimate big fencepost of a player, can lose her game so quickly that fans of "LET'S GO DREAM! LET'S GO DREAM!" actually changed to "LOVELACE IN! LOVELACE IN!" during one part of the game. However, there's been no hostility displayed toward Feenstra, and the crowd always cheers her on. You have to laugh because you'd cry otherwise.

As for making us cry, I don't think Betty Lennox has smiled all year.

3. (Sometimes they actually cry.)

See Ivory Latta, also called Our Lady of Perpetual Distress.

4. For a while there, they fool us into thinking they're actually good.

Usually the Dream can play two or even three quarters of good ball. That last quarter, however, is an abomination to the fauna of the Earth. Luckily, this horrible quarter is usually the second or third quarter. If it were the fourth quarter all the time (See Dream vs. Liberty) it would be unbearable.

Betty Lennox and Ivory Latta have had career shooting games -- in Dream losses. And until Saturday, it seemed that one player was always having a career game of some sort, but everyone else was sucking.

5. Unbelievably ridiculous misfortune befalls them.

Let's see. We drafted Ann Wauters but she didn't want to come. Neither did Yelena Leuchanka. Erika de Souza had an 18 rebound game against Detroit. She only played in two games since then, and has been out with a foot injury for most of the season.

Of course, how much misfortune can you have in just one season? I'm sure other teams might have a better argument, but I'll go with the Dream as the "loveable losers" of the WNBA.

The Agony of Defeat Leads to the Thrill of Victory

While looking for the latest column by Josh Bagriansky in Score Atlanta, a local sports magazine, I bumped into a column by Tad Arapoglou called "History Says Dream Won't Struggle Forever". He gives several examples of teams that ran into terrible years or horrible luck that managed to turn it around in a positive way just a short time later.

(The magazine is available here. Go down to "Latest Issue" and click. Bagriansky is at page 11, Arapoglou is at page 22.)


1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers

Ignominy: Started year 0-15. Finished with 9-73 record, worst in NBA history.
Three years later: Went 46-36. Won divisional championship following two years.

1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ignominy: Went 0-14 first year. Started 0-12 following year.
Three years later: Reached NFC championship game.

1988 Baltimore Orioles

Ignominy: Started season 0-21.
Next year: Led AL East for most of season. Finished 87-75, two games short of making playoffs.

2003 Detroit Shock

Ignominy: Started season 0-13.
Next year: You have to ask?

"...and does it really matter who is at fault?"

So is Coach Meadors the worst thing ever to happen to the Dream? My position is no. Except for our draft choices, you have to remember that this is a team of castoffs - players who, for whatever reason, the other WNBA teams didn't want. No one team said, "my goodness, Lennox/Latta/Feenstra is so important to the success of our team that we must protect her, and immediately!"

This team wasn't going to go to the playoffs. I don't think any expansion team has ever done that. I think Atlanta fans should have known that going in. Hope is a drug, baby.

That being said, this team has lost 12 straight games. Barring some miracle today, it will probably lose to the visiting Shock and tie the consecutive losses record for a single season of play.

Remembering the 2002 Detroit Shock, the coach of that team got fired when he lost ten straight. That's how Bill Laimbeer got his job in the WNBA.

Remember Coach Meadors time in Charlotte, she got fired after her team lost by 26 points to the Rockers in 1999? The Sting were expected to go to the playoffs; the Rockers were in last place. Meadors's record? 5-7. Not awful, just mediocre.

This brings me to the sad point of the post:

Coaches get fired.
Coaches get fired for lots of reasons.
Coaches get fired for things that are not their fault or for which they have no control over.

If the Atlanta Dream lose their first 13, that might be okay. Hey, the Shock lost 13 straight one time and they're still in the WNBA! If the streak continues to 14...or 15...or more...then the WNBA is going to become worried about Atlanta's fan base. In mid-July, football training camp starts. How much attention are fans going to pay to an 0-for-everything team?

Ron Terwillinger, the owner, might have to step in and make his first difficult choice. I like Coach Meadors. I believe that given time, she can turn the team around. I like the fact that she's doing everything she can to support this young squad. But when you lose 12 straight, you could be John Wooden and it wouldn't matter. After a certain number of losses, the team tunes out and the fans tune out.

A new coach shakes up the team. "Hey, we have a new coach. Maybe we can break out of this streak/maybe I'd better work harder or I might not be playing next year." A new coach also shakes up the fans. "Hey, at least Terwillinger is trying to do something!"

As Walt Whitman said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes" I hope that Coach Meadors makes it through the year. And I also hope that Ron Terwillinger has Fred Williams on speed dial, just in case.