Better than a Pony!

Remember how you always wished and wished and wished for a great present under the tree, only to be greeted with something like underpants? (which you were just mortified to open in front of everyone?)

To that, I say HA! Not this year!



Great team effort! Too many props to hand out, but can I just say--
ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS ROS!


OK I have a bias--we sponsor her locker and when you do that, you just keep your eye on them a little more. It was so cool to she her back in form. Last year, I spoke to her just before the team was traveling to Tennessee and she was mighty disappointed that she wasn't going to be on the trip. So how great is it that she was able to be the unexpected go-to player in this win?


We fans held up our end of the bargain, too. How fun, scary, nerve racking, exhilirating was that? I suspect many of you are as voiceless as I am today!



So Happy Holidays, my friends. It doesn't get much better than this in December.

I Know What I Want for Christmas!

I'll know if I get it by about 9:30 pm on Saturday night. I suspect many of you want the same thing, so let's all hope that December 22 ends up being Merry and Bright Cardinal! No orange coal for the old stocking!

THANKS for a Great Day!

WOW--the Auction is over and what a great day it was. On the heels of that impressive win, we had a terrific day of our own! We are still recapping the results, but just wanted to quickly thank everyone who was there. It is due to your generous bidding that we can continue with this successful event each year.

Hope you had as much fun attending as we did putting it together.

More details to follow!

Fun and Funds Go Together

I'm sure you know that the Auction is this Sunday and hopefully you have already picked out all of the great things you want to bid on. The goal, of course, is to raise a bunch of $$, but we also like to think that the event is just a whole bunch of fun. We really do go out of our way to try to create an environment that makes for a lively day. With this year's theme of TVLand, we have some fun decor in the works that we hope you will enjoy.


One of the best parts is having the players as auctioneers. Not that they are competitive or anything, but they sure do enjoy trying to be The Best Auctioneer on the team.

And their teammates enjoy the action, too!


So here's the details--you can check out items here.

The doors in Arrillaga Family Center (next to Maples) will open at 1 pm. The Auction will close for the game that starts at 2 pm, but will re-open immediately post game. We will have over 250 items up for your bid. Also available will be our $10 Surprise Balloons and chances to win an IPod!

We hope you can join us, but if not, see how you can bid online here.
Please note that you need to submit your bid by 8 am on Sunday morning.




LUCY SAYS "BE THERE!" or you'll have a lot of 'splainin' to do!

Some Auction Items Need Planning!

Someone once described going to an auction as a chance to buy something that you don't need, but absolutely must have. And it is true--a whole bunch of auction purchasing is done on a whim. We like that!

But some items really do need some planning by perspective buyers.

For example, there are several items that are suited to getting a group together-

#62 San Jose Giants 2008 tickets for 10
#78 & 91 Half Moon Bay Golf Foursome
#112 Burke's Canoe Trip on Russian River for 4 adults and 4 kids

Details here.

#96 West Shore Lake Tahoe Cabin Weekend--sleeps 10
#110 Luxury North Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Weekend--sleeps 30
#169 Olive Harvest Getaway to Wine Country for 6

Details here.

#31 Kid's Clinic with Stanford Coaches and Players for 12

Details here.

#115 Dinner and Piano Concert with Tara for 6

Details here.

#40 Byington Winery Tour and Tasting for 30
#63 Savannah Chanelle Winery Tour and Tasting for 15

Details here.

So why not talk to your pals and see about bidding together on one or more of these items.

Some items are date specific so you need to clear your calendar--

#80 Kawasaki Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway tickets for 2
May 16-18,2008
#207 Giants Opening Day tickets for 2
April 7, 2008
#215 49ers vs Tampa Bay tickets for 4
December 23, 2007

Details here.

#195 Doubletree Hotel Spokane 2 night stay
Good 2/28/08-3/2/08 only
#196 Valley River Inn Eugene 4 night stay
Good 2/6/08-2/9/08 only
#197 Crowne Plaza Seattle 2 night stay
Good 2/28/08 & 2/29/08 only

Details here.

#6-14 Seats on the Stanford Bench
for all remaining home games except Baylor & Tennessee
#37 Tara's Girl's Day Camp
choose from June 24-27 or July 22-25, 2008
#99 Be a Ball Girl University of Washington game
December 30, 2007
#240 Boy's Day Camp
choose from June 16-19 or July 5-8, 2008

Details here.

#165 Sit on the Tennessee Bench
December 22, 2007

Details here.

Some items are just big ol' things that you might need to think about--
#98 Pajaro Dunes Condo 3 Night Stay
#100 One week at Northstar Condo
#104 50,000 United Airlines Miles
#109 5 Night Stay at Poipu Kai Condo in Kauai
#208 10K Gold Two Row Bracelet--2-ct total diamond weight
#222 Golf Getaway to the Pocono's

Details here.

Don't worry--we still have all of those other items that you MUST HAVE! Jerseys, wines, restaurant certificates, sports memorobilia, etc, etc etc. But just wanted to make sure you have a chance to think a little so you can bid HIGH and bid OFTEN on December 16!

Auction doors in the Arrillaga Family Center (next to Maples) will be open from 1 pm until 2 pm for pregame bidding and again after the conclusion of the game. Hope to see you there!

Want a Wii?

What is this year's hot holiday gift? No, not the pet rock! It is Nintendo's Wii Gaming System. Product shortages are reported everywhere and folks are lining up for hours just for a slim chance of getting their hands on one.

But guess what? We have one that will be up for bid at this year's TV Land Auction--December 16! You still have a chance to be a hero to the kids in your life on Christmas morning (or keep it for yourself!) You can check it out in the Home and Garden section here--page down to item 88. While you're there, take a look at all of the great items in that category.

Video games not your cup of tea? We surely have something that you would love--things like--

--jerseys from the San Jose Sharks, Oakland A's star Rich Harden, USA Basketball stars Sue Bird and Lisa Leslie, Stacey Dales, Katie Smith, Brooke Smith and Jennifer Azzi. Check out the Sports Category here.

--did I mention that we have jerseys for the entire 2007-08 Stanford team? Better get a Wiggins now--won't be many more, if any, available in the future. Also up for bid are some terrific Stanford experiences. Many sit on the bench opportunities
(check out Harriet Benson's recap of her recent bench experience here).

But beyond the bench seats, wouldn't you like to:

--have lunch with Kate or Bobbie, or breakfast with Amy?
--sit at Tara's table at the 2008 banquet?
--have your child spend a day on campus with Stanford players?
--visit the Tennessee locker room and sit on the Lady Vol bench?
--go through the paces with Stanford Trainer Kelly Clark?
--set up a Basketball Clinic with Stanford coaches and players for 12 kids?
What a great birthday party idea!
--experience dinner and a piano concert with Tara?

These are terrific, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, so don't let them slip out of your hands!

Is there a special golfer in your life? This year may be our best ever for golf experiences:

--Half Moon Bay Golf Links Foursome (we have TWO!)
--Stanford Golf Course Foursome
--Boulder Creek Golf Weekday Twosome (we have TWO!)
--Eagle Ridge Golf (Gilroy) Twosome
--The Golf Club at Roddy Ranch (Antioch) Twosome
--Deer Ridge Country Club (Brentwood) Twosome
--Shadow Lakes Golf Club (Brentwood) Twosome
--Three 45 minute golf lessons from Stanford Club Champion Bob Stevens

Check out these and a bunch of other Activities here.

We have vacation opportunities to fit any plans you might have:

--condos in Kauai, Northstar and Pajaro Dunes
--huge vacation home in North Lake Tahoe
--PAC 10 trips to Oregon and Washington
--a golf trip to the Poconos
--trips to West Lake Tahoe, Reno and Monterey
--a Wine Country getaway complete with an olive harvest experience
--50,000 United Airline miles
--many stays in the Bay Area

Get the details here.

Last but not least, we have tons of restaurant certificates and some really first class wine and spirits. Here is what you can look forward to buying!

Remember, you can do well with your shopping by doing good for the team. All money raised at the Auction benefits the Women's Basketball Improvement Fund. This year's funds will be earmarked for an international trip planned for next summer. So plan on bidding high and often while taking care of some of your Holiday needs!

Much to be thankful for!

Things like--

--last second win on national TV
--double OT win on the road
--a 3-0 start to the season
--number 4 ranking
--having such great players to root for
--black uniforms
--a T-Day matchup with UConn
--a great class of new recruits next year
--I'm not harrassing you about the auction (yet, but you can start looking at items here)



Have a great Thanksgiving!

Don't eat too much.....




Make sure to take a nap after dinner....



and get some exercise the next day!

A Trip to Piscataway

The last time Stanford played at Rutgers, I was there.

Things were different then.

Freshman forward T'Nae Thiel recorded then career-highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead sixth-ranked Stanford University (13-1) to a 50-46 victory over host Rutgers.

No one cared who Don Imus was.

It was my first trip to New York.

It was just 3 months after 9/11.

Looking back, I remember it as perhaps the most remarkable trip I have ever been on.

A lot of it was just plain dumb luck--I knew so little about Manhattan, that I unknowingly booked a hotel right on the edge of Times Square. When we arrived the afternoon of New Years Eve, we had to show every form of ID to get to our hotel, which was located on a blocked off street. Afterwards, we had to have a special letter from the police to access in and out. But the best was that we were in the Times Square crowd for the New Years celebration, but in a little blocked off section all by ourselves. We met wonderful police and firemen who were celebrating the resiliency of their city. It was freezing. It was crazy. It was wonderful.




New Years Day we walked everywhere in the quiet city. Each street brought some reminder of the tragedy that had unfolded just a few months before--firehouses with pictures honoring their fallen comrades, flags still at half staff,a slight dusting of grit everywhere.



In our travels, we ran across the famous Fireman statue that became a shrine for all.

Not that we didn't have some good laughs. We couldn't find the Empire State Building. We thought it was just so big, we would be able to see it from anywhere. I didn't know that everything was so big there. Frustrated, we decided to stop for lunch. When we walked out, we looked up to find that we had eaten lunch right at the foot of the place!



Our trip to Piscataway was memorable. We braved Penn Station and ran like lemmings when they announced the track our train was on. We were so proud that we were able to muscle our way in and get a seat! By the time we got to Piscataway, we were just about the only ones left on the train and it was dark. From then on, it was a series of mis-adventures that led us to every gym on the campus before finding the Louis Brown Center. Whew, we finally made it! This was Kelley Suminski's trip home and she was treated like a regular teen idol--screams everywhere. Bethany Donaphin and Lauren St.Clair were also crowd favorites. It was a tough game, as expected, but Stanford won out.

The next day was the first day that Ground Zero was opened to the public for viewing. We stood in a solemn line that snaked through the lower Manhattan streets for hours, sharing the experience with others from throughout the world.

As we approached, the flyers seeking missing people were still everywhere, but now were dotted with decorations from the recent holidays and happy birthday cards to those who were lost.




As we moved up the platform, we looked up towards St Paul's Chapel, only to see window blinds still logged into a charred tree.


The site itself was almost too large to believe, not like the postage stamp size it seemed like on TV.




It was overwhelming.

We moved on from Ground Zero to Battery Park and onto the Staten Island Ferry. Somehow, seeing the Statue of Liberty after Ground Zero was incredibly re-assuring.


I recall telling Judy that I hoped they caught Osama bin Laden while we were there--what a party that would be. How wrong I was to expect that.

We took in The Great White Way and saw "Phantom of the Opera", the quintessential Broadway show.


The house was packed. New York was on the way back.

I fell in love with New York. The gruffness that I had heard about was not to be found. This was a place where people came together in the spirit of patriotism and rebuilding. My subsequent trips have found some of the edge coming back, but my New York will always be the one I found in January of 2002.

Other commitments are keeping me from going to Piscataway this weekend and that makes me sad. I often reflect back on all that Stanford Women's Basketball has given to me--and perhaps that trip was the greatest gift of all.

Double Dippin' Donors

One of the things I like most about doing fundraising is getting donations. It is amazing sometimes what you can get just for the price of a postage stamp or a well timed request. We are currently in full Get Donations mode for our yearly Auction--called TV LAND--that will take place December 16th.

I have a couple of fun stories about some donations that recently took place.

At our recent Wine Tasting (which, by the way, brought in a total of over $2,800), one of the items up for Silent Auction was a seat on the Stanford bench for the upcoming USA Basketball game. The bidding was heated, but Su Schaffer finally prevailed. Just as we were wrapping up the Auction, we found out that Su had donated the seat back and that the 2nd high bidder could buy it. So, Su's high bid was paid as well as the 2nd bidder's $$. Nothing like doubling up on the money just by the kindness of one of our great fans!

The 2nd story makes me smile--it's just so ironic! Many of you know our Fan Spirit winner from last year--Lily Wong. Lily is a key member of our fundraising committee and, at our meeting last week, she came bearing donations. And when I say bearing, well, there is a special meaning to that! Lily plays in many fundraising golf tournaments each year and recently took part in one benefitting the Cal Softball team. Now normally I would want to smack her for doing that, but Lily has a knack--she wins prizes at the tournaments. So she trotted into our meeting with a brand new Nike golf bag and rounds of golf from FIVE local golf courses--all donated to Cal and now going to benefit Stanford, too! We joked that maybe instead of soliciting donations, perhaps next year should just send Lily out to more tournaments!

So, can you be a double dipper too? Got any gift certificates sitting around that you aren't going to use. Maybe a new in box something-or-other that you don't know what to do with? Some nice wine languishing in you cellar? Maybe a vacation home that is available for a week or weekend? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with Eileen at 650-725-8104 or email at eroche@stanford.edu.

Make sure you have the TVLAND auction on your calendar--we have already got a lot of great donations--even if they have only been donated once!

What a Great Day!

If you missed the Wine Tasting, you missed a wonderful time! It was a great day to meet up with FBC pals as the season approaches. All of the coaching staff plus our Great Eileen were there to chit chat about summer adventures and what is on tap for the new year.







We also had special guests! Brooke Smith stopped by before going home to pack for her trip to Italy the next day--she looked great and was raring to get started on her new life adventure.



And the surprise guest of the day was Stacey Dales of ESPN and Chicago Sky fame. She was a guest of the Stanford staff and seemed a bit sheepish to be there at first, considering the *ahem* relationship between OK and Stanford. But all was well--we are gracious fans, after all!--and soon Stacey was holding court, surrounded by FBCers. She commented to me that she always thought that Stanford fans were amongst the best in the Nation so I told her to gives us props on ESPN! I must admit, I was starstruck!





Our hosts Randy and Harry from Vino Locale really rolled out the welcome mat--they just love us and the feeling is mutual. We sipped a great selection of wines and supped on marvelous food.



Many thanks to Harriet Benson who pulled this all together--as usual, you're the best! Also props to Katrina and Donna for manning the sign in, Spragoo for the wonderful flowers and Judy for manning the silent auction. BTW, this was not a fund raiser per se, but we did sell off some great items. I will recap the $$ in a later blog. And thanks most of all to everyone who attended--we had a great crowd!








Next Up? FIRST PRACTICE!! Hope to see you there!

Vino Locale--BE THERE!

Sunday, September 9 2-5 pm

Vino Locale
431 Kipling, Palo Alto
Between Lytton and University

http://www.vinolocale.com/


In case you missed the Wine Tasting last year, I thought I'd share a few photos from the festivities. It was a glorious day to mix and mingle with good friends in a lovely garden setting.

The finger food was divine and we all became wine experts from the wonderful selection available. It is a great time to get back into the swing of things as BBall season approaches

Hope you will be joining us! Sign up NOW!

We need to hear from you by September 6.

http://www.stanfordfbc.org/FBCFiles/FBCEvents/wine_signup_2007.htm

Bring along your checkbooks and credit cards, too! Vino Locale has generously agreed to donate 10% of all wine sales from that day to Stanford Women's Basketball. Their great selection includes many premium local wines--see a partial list here.

http://www.vinolocale.com/wines/index.htm

Why not take care of some holiday gifts or pick out those special wines for Thanksgiving dinner? Need help? Randy will be happy to make great recommendations.

We'll also have a few auction items to pique your interest.......

SO DON'T MISS IT!