Stanford FBC: $$$ and Sense

Can the Card Save the Day?

2011-12-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Despite the busy schedule
Santa and his merry crew
Took some time on Tuesday
To see what Stanford would do.

The win was worth taking time
From the busy schedule this year
But Santa was really remiss
And forgot to check his reindeer.

So when he went for a final check
And visited the barn
The condition of the critters
Was cause for great alarm.

Blitzen had an awful cold
And all Comet did was sneeze
And poor Rudolph's nose
Needed some new LEDs.

Prancer had been true to his name
And had danced too much like Jagger
The others had hit the Nog too hard
So the team had lost their swagger.

Santa was in a fix
So he had to think real hard
And, remembering the recent wins,
Thought he could call on the Card.

"When it comes to a team", he thought,
"I couldn't ask for more
Than to put together such a group
As Stanford puts on the floor".

"After all, they have a Tinkle
To make the season bright
Oh, and a Ruef, which we land on
So, yes, this does seem right!"

"Not to mention two perfect names,
Taylor Greenfield and Alex Green
And the team features a lot of Grace
And sleigh potential yet unseen."

"I know that Nneka and Chiney
Already know how to fly
With assists from Toni and Amber
We will rocket through the sky!"

"Lindy, Sara, Jasmine too
Erica, Bonnie and Boothe
I think the Holidays can be saved!
And that's the honest truth!"

So Santa sat down for a spell
And once again could breathe
"I'll call Tara tomorrow" he thought
"And the children can believe."

Because one thing he really knew
These players, these sisters, this team
Could make anything happen
When chasing a common dream.

So the elves went ahead and packed the sleigh
And the reindeer booked a flight
To Hawaii to get some sun
Because they would be off for the night.

And as Santa got his act together
And practiced his Ho Ho Ho
He made sure to include a joyful cheer
GO-STANFORD-GO!

What about the Auction?

2011-10-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.

~Robert C. Gallagher

You may have noticed that we had an Auction date posted on this website to be held in conjunction with the Gonzaga game on November 13. You may have also noticed that it has been removed from the calendar.

So, what’s up?

After some lengthy conversations between FBC volunteers and the Coaching staff, we have decided to not hold an Auction this season. Several considerations went into this decision—

--Funding regulations regarding foreign tours are in the midst of being changed. This has always been the primary reason for holding the Auction and it is not clear what effect the changes will have on the methods that are acceptable for fundraising.

--More stringent rules are in force which could limit the sort of items that could be sold.

--Our pool of Auction volunteers—a hearty bunch for many years—has dwindled. Life changes and folks move on and some of our expertise and manpower has moved along with them.

This was a tough decision, because it is such a fun event and don’t we all like to get our hands on some cool stuff or get to do some cool things? But as we reviewed what we were facing for this season, it just was the best decision to make.

Does this mean we will never have an Auction again? Not sure, and we will need to give considerations to conditions on a season-by-season basis.

The good news is that the move to the Buck-Cardinal Club has been a financial success which has eased the fundraising burdens that allows Coaches to do what they do best—COACH! And we get to sit back and enjoy another great season of Stanford Women’s Basketball!

Are they really Seniors?

2011-03-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Every year it seems the same.

"They can't be Seniors yet, can they?"

"We are used to them being here."

"We are going to DIE without them!"

But we just can't seem to get anyone more than five years and most we only get for four. How they have changed and grown! Each has their story--what has been or what could of been. Neither type diminishes what each has contributed to Stanford Women's Basketball.

Ashley, Hannah, Jeanette, Kayla, Mel

There is more to do this year,

but, for right now,

thanks for the memories!

More FBC

2011-02-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

My last Blog created a lot of traffic and comments. It is really great to get such a good reponse. Just like most everything, communication is the key to solving issues!

Let me see if I can answer or comment to as much as possible.

I think there is a misconception about "joining" the Fast Break Club to attend events. FBC events, whether in Maples or Kissick or Arrillaga, are open to EVERYONE. Doesn't matter whether you are a Buck/Cardinal member or not, so don't think that attending will only be if you "sneak" in! Marion does a great job of making sure that events are front and center on the website. Also, we have revitalized the FBC twitter account and this is being used regularly to send out info. Please make sure to follow stanfordfbc on Twitter!

A lot of folks asked about the paying for the floor in Arrillaga issue. I should have been clearer in how the $$ is accounted for. All Stanford departments must pay for Facilities services through their budget. This is not actual cash changing hands but is allocated as used to each department none the less. The pricing is set by Facilities and not negotiable by each department. So while the actual amount may seem high to those of us out of the loop, this is a Stanford policy that cannot be changed.

The BTB (Behind the Bench) postgame events will continue in Maples--again, a good thing if you consider it will give access to people who might not know that such events even exist. But, as much as possible taking into account the budgetary issues, selected postgames will be held on Dallmar Court. Currently, the plan for the Senior Day tribute is that it be held in Dallmar. Keep checking the website for more details.

"Does one need to donate to Buck/Cardinal to be on the FBC Mailing list?"
I am assuming this is in regards to the weekly email sent out. Yes, that is the case and that is primarily due to the fact that the 800+ member email list is maintained through the B/C. However, if you have joined for next year, please contact Eileen at eroche@stanford.edu and she can set you on the path to get added. But I must add that the info in the email is almost always duplicated either on the website or Twitter. The scouting report is from a different source but schedule and event info is always available.

So why should you donate to the Buck/Cardinal Club? They have their own set of benefits that are listed here, including that coveted Parking Pass! But, as I mentioned in my last Blog, it is simply a personal decision to monetarily support any team or cause. If you are doing it to go to FBC events, you don't need to! Or perhaps you can take the approach that Marian does when she commented, "I get nothing tangible from my donation to women's basketball, but the satisfaction of supporting a program that gives me so much pleasure is priceless."

My comment "Frankly, in the past, we did not receive much feedback on the auction that would indicate that it was all that popular with attendees" got some feedback. I know that we were still raising a good amount of money but, as a volunteer for this event, I actually see it on a different level.

Was there a sense that this had become, as Su said in her comment, "a tired expectation" --absolutely.
Had the money raised and attendance been declining--yes, indeed.
Were volunteers burning out--you bet.
Were new people stepping up to help out--no.

It was time for a rest and revitalization and that was why it was not held this year--not because of some attempt by the Staff to discontinue FBC events. This event is really, really, really labor intensive both for volunteers and folks in the Office.

To keep the path of communication going, we are trying to figure out a method to set up something on the website akin to a Suggestion/Question Box so that concerns have a place to land and be addressed. Hopefully, that can be rolled out soon.

In the meantime, if you have something that you'd like to bring up, feel free to email me at jsds@comcast.net. I probably won't know the answer, but I sure can find out as long as it is something reasonable.

Lastly, there was one comment that I feel the need to address--

"It is hard to convince people how great it is when Buck/Cardinal giving and decline in FBC events correlate."

If you get the chance, ask one of the Coaches if the change to Buck/Cardinal has helped them out. More donations, more donors, more time spent coaching, not fund raising. If we get back to the core of supporting the program, shouldn't the success of the Team and Staff be the measuring stick?

FBC Thoughts

2011-01-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a weekend of basketball we just saw!  Nothing short of a total domination of the two closest PAC-10 rivals in this season's standings.

So I think I'll take a little time to go over some Fast Break Club stuff in this blog.

Ever since the change to make the Buck/Cardinal Club the main fund raising arm for all of Stanford's sports teams, the format of the Fast Break Club has been evolving and I have heard many of the grumbles.

So let's look at a few points and see what we can see.

Let me start by saying that the access Stanford Women's Basketball gives to its program is unprecedented and has been for a very long time. It all started out in a cozy tent behind Maples in the late 80's and hasn't changed much in over 20 years. We are able to see players and coaches in a very up close and personal setting.

I have been to games at Tennessee. Coach Summitt might come out and address the crowd. The only time I saw that was when she did her post-game radio show from the court. Many years ago, there was an "Eileen-type" in the office who had previously worked at Tennessee--she was flabbergasted at the access that was given by the Stanford players and staff. This is not to pick on Tennessee, but to point out that high level programs just don't do what Stanford does.

Unfortunately, once something is given, it is hard to have it taken away. So finding a balance of what works for fans and what works for the team is always difficult.

I admit that I am a lurker on the woman's Hoopsboard--no posting, just doing some reading to see what is going on. So, when a recent string entitled "FBC Events" showed up, I was interested. It started out as a comment on the move of post games from Arrillaga to Maples.

"I see from the e-mail that went around today that all the tents for the rest of the year are in Maples instead of Dallmar court. Does anyone know why? "

Hopefully, you have already heard of the financial issues that necessitated this change. If not, in short, it costs the Program big $$ to set up for the post game in Arrillaga. The tarp on the floor (necessary to make sure the floor is not damaged), the chairs and even the podium have to be paid for. Recently, the cost of setup was raised from $1,000 per game to over $3,500 without notice. So, the money that had been budgeted for the year is already gone.

The best work-around is to stay in Maples. The Coaches don't necessarily like it, as they cannot be as candid as they are used to being.  But on the bright side, this gives access to newer fans who would not know to go over to Arrillaga at all. In addition, the Staff is trying very hard to hold Senior Day in Arrillaga.

Some say, let's pass the hat and pay for this.   It probably couldn't be done, but, if we were really able to raise $3,500 per game, wouldn't it be far better spent in support of something that the team needs instead of paying for an hour of chat?

As a result of this change, the Thursday post games are back, now in the Kissick Auditorium. Yes, these used to be on the court in Arrillaga, but, again, this is not financially feasible. And yes, it can be crowded! I was there last Thursday and may I offer a hint? Folks, please sit next to each other and make seats available. There were empty seats inside, but everyone was stuck at the door. It would be great if some volunteer ushers would step up!

Remember, too, that the Pre-Game chalk talks remain in place as always.

So back to the Hoopsboard string--

"Well I'm not going to contribute to Buck/Cardinal next year or ever again. Why should I when for my contribution I apparently lost events I used to enjoy."

Contributions to the Buck/Cardinal Club have absolutely nothing to do with events that take place. The FBC is being maintained by the Program because they understand how valuable the group has been and continues to be.

At some point, when donating money to anything, it becomes a matter of whether a person donates for what they receive or for what that donation will do for the recipient. This is a very personal thing that everyone has to decide for themselves.

"Moving everything to the Buck/Cardinal Club has had a very destructive effect on the FBC. The whole 'donor' thing is pricing out folks who have supported this team for years."

How is this true? Remember, in years past, you had to show your membership badge to attend post games. Now, you just show up. Nobody knows what you have paid for.

"Also, it is hard to join. I wanted to join in September this year and found out that I missed the deadline -- according to the FBC web site, you had to donate before August 31, 2010 to receive benefits for 2010-11. I donated anyway, so -- I guess -- I will be a member starting in the 2011-12 season. Who ever heard of a fan club that you have to wait a year to get into?"

This is a tough one, but remember that the Buck/Cardinal supports all Stanford sports, so the membership calendar is set up in conjunction with their fiscal year. This results in difficult timing to join in support of all Winter and Spring sports if you are trying to join right before their seasons start. But, by selecting Women's Basketball on your Buck/Cardinal application, you are assuring that your money is designated to the Program no matter what time of year you join. And, just as important, keep in mind that this membership timing does not exclude anyone from FBC events.

"And no auction this year. In the past this has been promoted as a key fundraiser and the primary source of funds for foreign trips. It now seems to have declined in importance."

OK, this one is close to my heart! Frankly, in the past, we did not receive much feedback on the auction that would indicate that it was all that popular with attendees. We discussed this before the season and decided to give it a year break to maybe refresh it (and the Volunteers!) and create a demand. With the support of the Buck/Cardinal, it was OK to take that break for a year. And guess what? Now we hear that people are missing the Auction! So, in response, we are auctioning a jersey at the Thursday post games and we are already planning for a mid-November 2011 Auction. You can be assured that the Auction will remain the primary fund raiser for foreign trips, which can take place every four years.

I, like so many, was reluctant to join the Buck/Cardinal Club because I was certain all of the $$ would go to Football. But the results are great, according to the Coaching Staff. Their focus no longer needs to be on fund raising, so they have time to do what they do best--COACH! Instead of about 300 donors to the Program during the FBC-only days, there are now over 800 donors to Women's Basketball, all because of the Buck/Cardinal Club. That is true progress!

I hear comments about the Program--that "they just don't care anymore." That is just not true. From the get-go, the concern was always that the uniqueness of the FBC be maintained as the conversion to Buck/Cardinal took place. Our FBC group is vastly appreciated by all involved and not caring is just not in the equation. If they didn't care, all of these activities would have just gone away.

In the end it is important to remember nothing stays the same. We may not be in that cozy tent behind Maples, but our support is still a cornerstone to the grand success that is Stanford Women's Basketball. It has been, and will continue to be, a fabulous, fun, fast-breakin' good time!

Bookends

2010-12-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

There are bookends...

And then there are

BOOKENDS!!!!!!!

Let's Face it--

some BOOKENDS

are better than others!

Now that was fun!

Hold On, Santa's Comin'!

2010-12-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

The North Pole was flooded

With mail from far and wide.

Just so many letters

That Santa just sighed.

"I've so much to do!

What about the recession?"

And slowly he sank

Into a bit of depression.

"I had planned a short roadtrip

To Knoxville and DePaul

But I got so darned busy

That I couldn't go at all!"

"And I hear, in my absense,

A few things went wrong

Which meant that road trip

Seemed especially long!"

Santa took a deep breathe

And leaned back in his chair

And came up with a plan

To help clear the air.

"As soon as this is over

And the kids have their toys

I'm heading to Maples

For some post-Christmas joy!"

"I owe it to My Cardinal

To be in that place

To win a few big games

with Toni, Sara and Grace!"

"So hold on, I'm coming

Chiney, Nneka and Mel

Jeannette, Kayla and Jos

And all will be well!"

"We'll share something special

Yes, that's what we'll do!

Mikaela and Booooothe,

Hannah. Ashley and Lulu!"

With that, Santa smiled

Confident with his plan

To end 2010

With a terrific homestand.

"There will be talk of some streak

And an X team from last year

But my Card will be ready

With nothing to fear!"

And then Santa chuckled

And let out a Ho Ho Ho

And headed back to the workshop

While cheering "Go Stanford! GO!"

Happy Holidays, y'all!

Calling 1-800-VanDerveer

2010-12-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

As I sat down to write this, I thought, "Didn't we just do 700?" Yep, it was just 2007, but you can move up the ladder quickly when you average 32 wins over the last three years. That is what Coach Vanderveer and her troops have done to put her on the threshold of her 800th win.

The numbers are easy.

Career Milestone Wins

1 Idaho Dec. 1,1978 Northern Montana 70-68

100 Ohio State 1982-83 (date N/A) Michigan 74-60

200 Stanford Feb. 12, 1988 Washington 70-66

300 Stanford Dec. 20, 1991 Southern Illinois 82-63

400 Stanford March 16, 1995 UC Irvine (NCAA) 88-55

500 Stanford Nov. 26, 2000 Pacific 73-65

600 Stanford March 20, 2004 Missouri 68-44

700 Stanford December 28, 2007 Washington State 105-47

And so are the highlights.

Two NCAA Championships

Head Coach of the 1996 Gold Medal winning USA Olympic Team

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2002

Eight trips to the Final Four
18 Pac-10 Titles

Three-time NCAA Coach of the Year

10 time PAC-10 Coach of the Year

As impressive as all of this is, that is not the measure of Coach VanDerveer. Put the records and the accolades aside for a minute and it is still easy to see what Tara has contributed to not only the world of Women's Basketball, but to the whole world in general.

Women's Basketball will be forever changed by her coaching strategies and the thriving Coaching Tree that grows with each year. Five former players and seven former assistants have been head coaches at the NCAA or WNBA level. Throw in a whole bunch of former players who are currently assistants and you know that Tree will continue to sprout.

As for the world in general, a quick look at the list of former players tells the story--doctors, lawyers, teachers, business professionals, engineers, moms, consultants, analysts, nurses, trainers, Peace Corps members. It is not a stretch to say that the players that Tara has coached are making a big difference in the world.

Because, at heart, Tara is a teacher, and we all know that nothing makes her happier than seeing a player work hard to progress and make the full use of their potential. It may be that they find that full potential not as a player, but as a human being. For Tara, that is the true definintion of a Win.

So as our Coach gets ready to join the elite 800 Club, along with Pat Summitt, Jody Conradt, C. Vivian Stringer and Sylvia Hatchell, let's remember to celebrate Tara the Mentor as well as Tara the Coach. Nothing would make her happier.

Being Thankful

2010-11-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

Let's see--

Three Final Fours in the last Three Years ?

A shot at a National Title in 2011?

Terrific Student-Athletes to support?

Top Notch Coaches?

Premier matchups coming up soon?

Yep, let's all be thankful!

Rethinking Orrange

2010-11-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

My last blog was bemoaning that the Orange in my wardrobe was running into Basketball season. And we all know what Orange means during Basketball season.

But do we know what ORRANGE means in Basketball season? Next year, we are going to find out!

I must admit to being a fan of basketball names so when I first heard of Amber Orrange, it stuck in my mind. Now that she is coming to the Farm, I guess we will all have to adjust to having a little Orrange in our lives. I know I will be ready!

Orrange you glad she's coming to Stanford?

Getting My Orange On

2010-11-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Something very strange happened this year--you all know what it is. The Giants, yes our Giants, won the World Series. I am pretty sure it is because I watched almost every game plus Kayla threw out a First Pitch, so that sealed the deal. For a lifelong fan, it was absolute KISMET.

But I must say, this exhilarating run has put me into quite a quandry. I have noticed that quite a bit of Orange has been sneaking into my wardrobe.

In Baseball, Orange means everything Giants, at least as far as I am concerned. And since the Giants are usually done by early October, I can safely put my Orange away before Basketball season. Because we all know what Orange means in Basketball Season and I don't like to touch the stuff. But with this run, the seasons have bumped right up against each other. So please forgive me if I wear just a little Orange as the season starts--I promise to snap out of it soon!

This was an almost perfect year of fandom--National Championship game and a World Series victory. I'm thinking that this Bay Area Magic just might continue into 2011 for the Cardinal. Anyone up for a parade?

Tip It to Tip Off the Season

2010-08-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Summer is speeding by (weren't we just in San Antonio?) and before you know it, it will be Basketball season! So to get in the get ready position, plan now to attend what has become a

Fast Break Club tradition--our Wine Social!

Sunday, September 12, 2-4 pm at Vino Locale in Palo Alto. All the details and the sign up form are here. It is always a great day with a chance to catch up with FBC friends and visit with the coaching staff.

Our friends at Vino Locale always take excellent care of us and they are HUGE Stanford fans. In fact, they will donate 10% of all bottle sales during our event to Stanford Athletics--how about that? To get an idea of what will be in store, check out this review that just appeared in the Mountain View Voice.

Fans of Kathy Griffin might know that I stole the Tip It in the title from her Mom's ability to squeeze the last drop out of a wine box by tipping it. But I promise--no Box Wine at this event!

What's Up for Next Season?

2010-05-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I know--the season just got over. But it is never too early for us to start working on some FBC events for next season.

We have decided to give the auction a hiatus for one year. Sometimes, things can get a little stale and just need a break. We do plan to bring it back in 2011-12. For next year, we are exploring the possibility of running an online auction for items such as uniforms and Sit on the Bench opportunities. Stay tuned for details as they become available.

Back again will be our popular Wine Social. Mark your calendar now for Sunday, September 12, 2-4 pm, at Vino Locale in downtown Palo Alto. Last year, over 70 FBCers and the coaching staff got together for what has become a wonderful way to get in the get ready position for the upcoming season.

Good friends, good fun, good food, good wines!

After one year off, we are going to bring back the Shootathon! We are targeting the October/November time frame and Coach Amy is checking for the best date. We'll keep you posted as we get more details.

That is what Fundraising has planned so far, but we have a few more things that we will be working on to spice it up a little. Keep checking in to the FBC website during the summer to see what else is coming our way!

WNBA on the way!

2010-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

The WNBA season starts this Saturday, May 15 with a national broadcast of the Phoenix LifeLocks against the Los Angeles Farmers. (I make fun, but if these sponsorships keep the WNBA going, I'm all for it!)

There are presently four Stanfordians in the WNBA and each is in a position to make a run at the WNBA title this year.

Can it be that Nicole Powell is the most senior Stanford player in the WNBA? As sad as it was that the Monarchs folded after last season, it is very exciting that Nicole has landed with the Libs. As you can see above, she is front and center in their marketing plans and the team is much improved this year. By making a blockbuster trade for All-Star Cappie Pondexter, the Liberty solidified the point guard position that has been up in the air since the trade of Becky Hammon. Janel McCarville is improving every year and should share the post with veteran Taj McWilliams-Franklin. Add that Anne Donavan will be on the bench (albeit for just this year before she departs to coach Seton Hall) and the Liberty will be a compelling team to watch.

Candice Wiggins is entering her third year in the WNBA. Unfortunately, she had arthroscopic surgery for a small meniscal tear in her right knee on April 28, that will keep her sidelined for up to four weeks. Hopefully, she will be back in action during the first week of play. The Lynx pulled off a blockbuster of their own in acquiring favorite daughter Lindsay Whalen from the Connecticut Sun in the trade that allowed the Sun to draft Tina Charles with the first pick this year. While the excitement is high, there are lingering questions about the status of Seimone Augustus, who suffered an ACL injury last year and recently underwent surgery for fibroids. If Seimone comes back strong, this could be an amazing team. They added Monarch Rebekkah Brunson to an already good post rotation that includes Nicky Anosike and drafted Monica Wright from Virginia. New coach Cheryl Reeves, a long time Shock assistant, will have plenty of options as the Lynx run for their first ever playoff berth--and should not be stopping there.

As this is written, Brooke is still on the Phoenix Mercury roster. She looks to have a good chance to stick with only one other true center, Tangela Smith, on the roster. Defending Champion Phoenix should be interesting this year, having traded away the aforementioned Pondexter. But that move cleared money to resign Aussie Penny Taylor, who was key to their run last year. In addition, it netted All-Star Candice Dupree and will allow Temeka Johnson to take over the point. Oh, and don't forget that one player that they have that will light it up almost every night--Diana Taurasi.

Our Jayne is now in San Antonio--how odd is that? But this could be a great fit for her, even if she has to wear number 32 in deference to Michelle Snow. Last year's starting center, Ann Wauters, has decided not to play in the WNBA this year so the starting job will fall to Ruth Riley. When Jayne is healthy (and all indications are that should be soon), she should be in a heavy rotation at the post. The SASS are intriguing, with Becky Hammon, Sophia Young and loads of young talent. It will also be Sandy Brondello's first year as a head coach as she takes over from now-GM only Dan Hughes.

The demise of the 'Narchs has left us no easy drives to games, which is so unfortunate, considering the fervor the Bay Area has for women's basketball. Of course, there are always road trips to be taken! But there is a bunch of TV action listed here. I see that they are not listing games that will be on NBA-TV, but many of the games that are listed for local TV often show up there. The WNBA also offers free webcasts on their website here. Tune in--maybe we'll have a WNBA Final Four with our four favorites!

Long Live the Tree!

2010-04-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Whenever you travel with the Cardinal, you get the same question. The Final Four is the worst because there are so many people there and you tend to hang out in the same areas, like, say, the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Of course, it could be stopped by not wearing Stanford gear, but that ain't gonna happen.

It usually goes like this--

Them: "Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?"
Me: "Sure." (depending on what they are wearing, there may be teeth gritting)
Them: "I know you are called the Cardinal, which I don't really understand, but what's with the Tree?"
Me: Sigh."

You might think I'm kidding, but this really is the thing that inquiring minds want to know about Stanford. Not what offense they will run, not who is injured, not even how many Nobel prizes have been won--it is all about the Tree.

Explaining it can be tedious, but I dive in.

Me: "It used to be the Stanford Indians but that was dropped in the 1970's. From 1972 until November 17, 1981, Stanford’s official nickname was Cardinals, in reference to one of the school colors, not the bird."

Them: "OK, I think I get it, but what about the Tree?"

Me: "Nine years after the Indian was dropped, Stanford had still not decided on a new mascot. President Donald Kennedy declared in 1981 that all Stanford athletic teams will be represented and symbolized exclusively by the color Cardinal. He said it was a "vivid metaphor" for life."

Them: (nothing, the asker is getting glassy eyed)

Me: "But the Cardinal is just for the sports teams and there isn't an official mascot for them. The Tree is actually the mascot for the band."

Them: "Huh?" (Now they are sorry they asked.)

Me: "The Tree is a take off on El Palo Alto, the redwood tree which is the logo of the city of Palo Alto, which is where Stanford is located. El Palo Alto is in the Stanford Seal and is still standing, but it's not in really good shape and they are trying really hard to preserve it."

Them: "Ok, thanks, but I gotta....."

Me: "The Stanford Tree is not like other mascots because it changes every year and we are always interested in seeing the new Tree. There is an intense competition to become the Tree and the winner makes a new costume for their time as the Tree."

Them: Silence. (They are wondering if I am done.)

Me: "So while your mascot is some stinky thing in a reused outfit that is never washed, we have a forest-fresh, new Tree often made from recycled material so we are green too."

That usually does it--a true Too Much Information situation. Sometimes they thank me and wish Stanford good luck, sometimes they are just looking to escape.

At the Championship game, I saw a sign that said--"We have Maya and Tina, all you have is a Tree". I wondered if this was someone who got my explanation.

Me: "Well, no, we have a great bunch of players. But I am glad we have the Tree and its wacky history, too."

But next year, I swear, I am printing up cards to hand out each time I am asked!

Love Hurts

2010-04-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Feelings are not supposed to be logical.

Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions.

--David Borenstein

I have not been particularly rational since Tuesday night. Sometimes, being a fan is tough. Not anything like the players, coaches and families, to be sure. But difficult, nonetheless.

I suppose it is because you travel a journey with a team. Through their trials and triumphs, you see it all, read about it, think about it, talk about it. And it is not just for that particular year--it is a culminaton of seeing individuals over four (or, in some cases, five) years.

It probably wasn't logical to think that the Cardinal would beat UConn, but logic wasn't what was happening to this team. I mean, come on!

--Beating both Duke and the Lady Vols in one week
--Running the table in the PAC-10 and the conference tournament
--Ros' improbable 26 point Maples farewell
--Jeannette's breathtaking 4.4 dash
--Nneka's highest ever 38 semi-final points
--UConn's 12 first half points? Impossible! Maya Moore usually has that in the first five minutes all by herself!
--Jayne pulling a Willis Reed by coming back time after time with an injury that was much worse than we knew

So it seemed, for a while, as if logic might just be oventaken by destiny. Maybe that is what makes it hurt so much. Because dreaming and defying logic is what makes being a fan so much fun. Taking the lowest lows along with the highest highs are part of the deal, even if it doesn't feel so great at the time.

I know we will all miss Jayne (and her steadfast family!) and Ros and Michelle. Even as new players come in and steal our hearts, our Alums always keep that special place which is developed over their careers.

As I sat on the Riverwalk on Monday, I reflected on how lucky I have been to follow this team through the years. What great places I have visited and what wonderful friends I have mde and what terrific memories I have! And even as I walked away from the Alamodome Tuesday in a bit of a fog, I knew one thing--I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world.

When No Other Words Will Do

2010-03-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, social media expressions are just the best.

Succinct and to the point.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

And afterwards all I could do was

LOL!

so much that I hysterically

ROFL!

Then I started to think about the last few minutes of the game.

IIRC

a lot of players worked really hard to get

that game to those final 4.4 seconds.

A 3 pointer and block by Ros,

swooping shot by Jos,

and a jumper by Kayla that rattled in.

WTH

was with those foul calls on Jayne?

I think only one of them was really a foul, but

this is a TEAM, not just one individual!

IMHO and FWIW

this game will just make the Cardinal stronger!

Not sure who we will play next but I hope

WOOT!

I was

SMH

watching the post game (what little ESPN deemed to show).

Ros was bawling, Jeanette was in a daze,

Jayne was picking Nneka off of the floor.

BTW

I was wondering how the coaches could stay so

KL!

I would have been a complete

Noob!

So, Card Fans

TYT

and savor this fab win, but not for too long.

Because we are TEXAS bound and

This is a team that

CSWS!

TCB

2010-03-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

What does The Team have in common with Elvis?

Just like Elvis, they are TAKIN' CARE of BUSINESS!

A few notes and thoughts--

---Ros! Ros! Ros! Ros! Ros! She is forcing everyone to have to learn how to pronounce her name correctly!

--Was that the best Maples farewell performance ever? Candice Wiggins' 44 points in 2008 is probably the winner, but, for shear unexpectedness, I'll take RGO.

--Gary Blair: "Folks I'm going to lobby here a little bit. You just saw two No. 2 seeds play. Doggone it, we've earned the right not to be in Geno's region." How's that workin' for you?

--Arrived early for the Saturday game and spent some time sitting at a table by the new Track House. The day was absolutely glorious--we are blessed. Shopped for a Fear the Tree shirt and they were out of most sizes! But found that they are still available here, in case you are interested.

--I must note that the lone upset that I picked correctly in the first round was the only one that I didn't have a reason for except cheese quality--Vermont over Wisconsin. So much for all of my good knowledge.

--Note to teams down by 10 with less than 10 seconds to go--don't foul.

--Note to teams up by 10 with less than 10 seconds to go--don't shoot.

--Note to ESPN--please make the timeouts shorter.

--My NCAA seat put me up higher than my usual spot, which allowed me to see different things. For example, I never noticed that the Tree has a hat! I am certain that it is made of the same "fabric" as some of Kim Mulkey's clothes. I am hoping that, in the spirit of greenness, she recycled some of her old stuff for the hat so that no Pleathers had to be killed.

--I really love our Band. Usually the best time to watch them is while the opposing band is playing. While the Iowa Band was rocking "Thriller", one of Stanford's tuba players was doing a great shimmy shake that was straight from the MJ video! And he did it for the whole song!

--UCLA tried to use a power play against Nebraska, but those crabby refs wouldn't let them play with six on the court. I've never seen that one before!

--Celebrity sightings--Jennifer Azzi, Sebnem Kimyacioglu, Clare Bodensteiner.

--And Marques Colston. I didn't want to bother him, but finally couldn't stand it any longer--I HAD to talk to him. So postgame, I thanked him for helping my Fantasy Football team and received the biggest smile ever. A complete sweetheart.

--Was that Sharon Osbourne officiating the UCR game?

--I hope the NCAA was able to cash in on showing Meg Whitman on the Jumbotron. Unless I was sleeping, I believe she was the only former student-athlete featured, which made me go "Hmmm".

--In my recollection, I cannot remember a better spurt of basketball than the 29-4 run Stanford started with 14:55 to go in the first half. Never mind the shooting, which was unbelievable--what about the assists? There were 10 in six minutes!

--My caption for this one is "Ros, I am SO HAPPY we went through counseling!"

--I watched Skylar Diggins and was envious for a bit. But then I thought, if she had been here, would we have seen the players we have now perform like they have this year? The player rotation would, of course, have been significantly different and some of the wonderful successes the individuals have had might not have taken place. I kind of like what we have!

--OK, on to SacTown. Hoping to see EVERYONE there in full Cardinal regalia--let's make Arco Arena into Maples North! Both Jayne and Ros mentioned how great the crowd was in the postgame presser, so we have an obligation to keep up the good work!

March Madness, April Gladness

2010-03-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

A tradition in every workplace is the NCAA tournament pool--Men's only, of course. The guys always liked us girls to play because we were often just donators to the final prize. You know, picking by colors or mascots just doesn't always work!

But they soon grew weary of me, because I did sometimes win or at least finish in the top three. I don't know much about the men's teams, but just enough to be dangerous. Plus, I had no emotional attachment to any men's team so I could pick freely who I thought would really win. I have a couple of faves--Stanford, of course, maybe some PAC-10 teams--but generally I can select my teams in the Men's tournament with a clear mind and little compassion.

When it comes to my Women's bracketing, that is just not possible! My head and heart are fully engaged as I labor over whether I can pick an arch enemy. And doesn't that 1-9 matchup look primed for an upset? Wasn't that team really good when we played them in 1998? Oh, geez, someone who used to play at Stanford is coaching there, what should I do? I have to pick the PAC-10 teams, right?

I get SO confused!

Take Texas A & M, for example. Last week, I saw them play numerous times in the Big-12 tournament and they were hot. Plus the announcers were heaping praise on them (of course, one of them was Debbie Antonelli, so that has no merit). Now, there they are in Stanford's bracket and they have me scared to death. Naturally, though, my bracket always has Stanford winning the National Championship, so I don't have to fret over that side of the bracket too much.

OK, so what about the KC bracket. There sits UCLA. Can I pick them? Sure, but only to win their first round game before getting beaten by Nebraska. I hope I am wrong! See, that's the other thing--when I make a good, heady choice, I will root against it. Now what good does that do?

My dream Dayton regional final would be UConn vs. Princeton. Why? Wouldn't it be great to see the Tigers and assistant Milena Flores beat up on the Huskies? Nah, I didn't pick that, but I thought about it! That would be the biggest Bracket Buster of all time--sort of like Buzz Aldrin winning Dancing with the Stars.

So, then there is Memphis. That would be a great regional to go to because I know where the world's best ribs are (The Rendevous!) and you can go to Graceland. Other than that, I'm somewhat uninterested, though I guess I would like to see Tennessee play Baylor again. I am going pretty much to form except I think #6 Texas will get to the Regional semi since they will be playing 1st and 2nd Rounds at home. A Texas/Duke matchup, with all the Coach G drama, would be fun.

OK--so my first round upset specials are--but use them at your peril!

#9 James Madison over #8 Temple

JM will be on their home court

#10 Middle Tenn over #7 Mississippi St

MTSU's Scoring Machine Alysha Clark
is too much to pass up

#12 Marist over #5 Georgetown

Experience over newbies

#10 Hartford over #7 LSU

LSU is sentimentally over-ranked

#13 Chattanooga over #4 Oklahoma State

Andrea Riley being benched will doom the Cowgirls

as hardly anyone else even shoots

#10 Vermont over #7 Wisconsin

I think Vermont makes better cheese

And now, my Final Four--

UConn vs. Tennessee

winner is UConn 83-68

Stanford vs Oklahoma

winner is Stanford 81-67

National Championship Game

Stanford over UConn 78-72

There is a lot of heart in this pick, but an awful lot of head as well. Sometimes, I do get my brackets right!

Let the games begin!

Randomness

2010-03-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

--Lindsey Vonn & Jayne Appel. Separated at birth?

--Don't tell anyone that I told you but there are Cowbell apps that you can download (for free!) onto your phone. I learned this during the Olympics. Not exactly a Tinkle bell, but.......

--A big Shout Out to Douglas Lee and Kellee Noonan for arranging our get-togethers to watch games at First and Main in Los Altos. A great time was had by all at the ASU party, including Jeannette Chang, who won the grand raffle prize--an autographed team ball. If you haven't been to First and Main, give it a try--great food, great people and great atmosphere. And the Mom-in-Law of one of the owners is a long time SWBB season ticket holder!

--If Stanford gets to the Regional in Sacramento, it will be a somewhat bittersweet visit for me. Many of us made a trip or two to Arco each year to watch Nicole and the Monarchs. It is hard to believe that they are gone. On the bright side, perhaps a trip to watch Ms. Powell in New York is in order?

--I still don't get the need for Conference tournaments. If you do, can you fill me in? It seems to me it is a chance to reward a team that gets hot for just one weekend over a team that has excelled throughout a conference schedule.

--Whoever thought up the Fear the Tree t-shirts is a genius.

--I am always amazed at the dynamics of Stanford vs. Cal. I once had a boss who was a Cal Alum and huge football fan. He told me that he hated Stanford the most, even more than USC. I didn't think that was even possible for someone who follows football! For some reason, I still liked the guy, just like I like the Bears when they are not playing the Cardinal.

--That being said, BEAT CAL!

Oh, How We Will Miss You!

2010-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

One would think, after seeing so many Senior Nights, this all would get easier. It just doesn't.

Every class is special and this one is no exception.

Talented players, of course, but also fabulous people. As FBCers, we have a chance for some intereraction with the players and I have to say every one I have had with this group has been memorable in that they are all kind and caring individuals.

(And really good at squeezing money out of people as live auctioneers!)

As much as I will miss them all on the court (and I am holding out lots of hope for returns!), I think I will miss their personalities even more. Looking at that picture of Mel above just reminds me of what a wonderful goofball she can be. She can always bring a smile, sometimes with a no look pass!

And Jayne, the quintessential California Girl--flip-flops, pink nail polish and steely determination.

Michelle, always friendly and outgoing.

JJ is a rock who battled back from major setbacks twice

with tenacity and grace.

And then there is Ros.

Ros gets a little extra shoutout from me because I am one of her "Locker Moms". I recall that special personality from the very first time I saw her at a post-game meeting. She never failed to share a smile and a laugh or two. My favorite quote from her was regarding her relationship with Tara--

"We're in counseling."

She became a Go To spokeman for the team on her way to having an outstanding senior campaign, becoming a shutdown defender and steady scorer. She will be hard to replace.

I don't know about you, but am planning to relish the upcoming TWELVE games that are in front of this team, with a special eye of appreciation on these wonderful women!

Fashion Police

2010-02-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

As I watched the Grammy fashion wrap-ups recently, I got to wondering—what if Women’s Basketball was subject to such scrutiny? I remember working with Marianne Stanley when she was at Stanford. We gave her some grief about a little red and gold number she wore while coaching at USC and she said, “You guys pay way too much attention!” Well, I suppose we do—we’re fans! Plus, as long as we are wearing our colors, we are considered suave.

The first coach to peak my sartorial interest was UVA’s Debbie Ryan. Her current wardrobe is nicely up to date, but in the early 1990’s, it appeared that she was using curtains for her wardrobe. I couldn’t find a picture online, but this is a good reminder—

I suppose we need to give everyone a pass on the late 80’s and early 90’s. I recall Coach Tara wearing a polka dot and plaid combo during the 1989-1990 season. I think it was a lucky outfit!

And then there was this—

But today, there are a few things that make you go “wow!”

Sometimes, wearing your team colors is good--

Sometimes, not so much--

Men have it easy—

Unless they are still taking fashion tips from Bill Cosby—

It is good to be a Fashionista—

And Geno always looks the same—

High Heels on the court—are they appropriate? Discuss!

I admire their sure-footedness--I could never do it!

But there is always someone who stands out from the crowd. Maybe like Cher or Bjork

at the Academy Awards or Lady Gaga anywhere!

Yes, there is one coach who is always first on the "wonder what she will wear" list.

I sure am glad I am not a coach!

20 Years? Really?

2010-02-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

Could it really be 20 years since the Cardinal won their first title? In some ways, it seems like yesterday and, in others, there has been a lot of players that have hit the Maples floor since then.

The part that seems like yesterday is the memory of what a great team this was. With UConn's current win streak, there is so much talk of who is the Greatest Team of All Time and it seems that only undefeated teams are ever considered. But what about the 32-1 1989-1990 Cardinal?

My recollection is that the one loss, 81-78 to the 7th ranked Washington Huskies in Seattle, took place after the team was stranded in a snow storm and spent the night before sleeping in a high school gym. No excuses, but Stanford was thisclose to being undefeated.

What a team, indeed! The starting backcourt was National Player of the Year Jennifer Azzi and future All-American Sonja Henning, with the dependable Stacy Parsons coming off the bench. Julie Zeilstra excelled in the power forward spot while Katy Steding was a potent 3 point threat and superb rebounder and Martha Richards subbing in. Patrolling the paint was Trisha Stevens and PAC-10 Freshman of the Year Val Whiting. Though not major contributors, Molly Goodenbour, Chris MacMurdo and walk on Angela Taylor learned lessons that would bring another championship in 1992. It would be difficult to find another team in WCBB history that could put a team on the floor that would match up with this team position by position.

Consider that the team--
--had seven members who scored over 1000 points in their career
--scored 100 points or more in 10 games
--posted Stanford's first ever win over the Tennessee Lady Vols, 85-71 at Maples Pavilion
--averaged 42.1% from behind the 3 point line (177-420)
--recorded a Stanford record 37 assists vs. Arkansas in the Regional Final on their way to a
114-87 victory that sent them to the Final Four for the first time
--shot the highest one game field goal percentage (67.2% on 39-58) vs. E. Michigan 12/29/98
--still holds ten Stanford season team records
--longest win streak to start a season (20)
--highest winning percentage (.970)
--most points scored (3063)
--highest scoring average (92.8)
--highest scoring average in PAC-10 play (92.4)
--highest scoring margin (26.6)
--highest scoring margin in PAC-10 play (27.5)
--field goals made (1160)
--most assists (758)
--most assists in PAC-10 play (418)

I remember the Regional Final against Arkansas as one of the best games I have ever seen. Maples was packed to the rafters and the Cardinal crushed the Razorbacks and were on their way to, of all places, Knoxville, TN. The band played on and on as the net was cut down and we never wanted to leave.

Virginia loomed in the semi-final with Dawn Staley and the 6'5" Burge twins. Balanced scoring (4 players in double digits) brought home a 75-66 win. A short clip is here.

The next day, despite Jennifer fouling out, the Cardinal brought home a trophy with an 88-81 win over Auburn. Some clips here and here.

This team was so good, it was featured in a PBS Frontline documentary, "In the Game" in 1994.

This was the team that established the standard of excellence that is still evident on The Farm. It is hard to think of where the program might be today had this unique group of women not come together for a very magical season. I know the Super Bowl is Sunday, but please just set that DVR and stick around to honor this wonderful team!

Wear Red and Open those Pockets on Saturday!

2010-01-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

EDITED 1/29/10--

Policy will prohibit the collection of money at Maples, but there will be plenty of info available on how you can help out!

I'm usually here asking you to help support our team monetarily, but this time Stanford Women's Basketball is taking on something much more important. The Players came up with a plan to join the national movement to Wear Red for Haiti, which all got started as a Facebook page. As a symbol of support, Stanford will take an unusual step and wear their Road Cardinal Red uniforms during their home contest against Arizona on Saturday, January 30. Beyond the symbolism of support, they will be raising money through the American Red Cross at the game. By the way, Arizona will be in their Whites.

What can you do? The team has asked that you join in by wearing RED (or Cardinal) when you attend the game. While you are there, please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross. They are working with partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network to assist those affected by the disaster. Your gift will support emergency relief efforts to help those people affected by the earthquake. Assistance provided may include deploying personnel, sending relief supplies and providing financial resources.

We have all seen the devastation that occurred.

We have all seen the spirit of the people of Haiti.

We all know that there is so much to do.

Here is your chance to join in by helping a great group of

young women show their support.

So, How About the Auction?

2010-01-06T15:09:00.001-08:00

Finally, we have put together the numbers and can announce that the

Back in the Saddle Again auction raised

$31,700!

With this amount, since 2005, the FBC auctions have raised over

$215,000!

We hope that you enjoy the event each year as we strive to make it not just profitable, but enjoyable too. It takes a lot of work to put on an event like this--

so KUDOS go out to the great FBC Fundraising Committee!

Anne Alexander

Harriet Benson

Katrina Bennett

Katy Carrell

Joyce Dean

Judy Dunn

Lynne Klaeveman

Denice Merlo

Donna Rancatore

Nancy Sabbag

Laura Sprague

Jo Sturdivan

Judy Sweeney

Judy Washburn

Lily Wong

I want to give a very special shout out to

DEB GUMBLEY

for all of the wonderful decorations including the Wanted Posters!

And how about that "Tara Evans" created by Deb and Nancy Sabbag? Wasn't that the BEST?

And what would we do without our Event Volunteers?

Sally Clevenger

Dave Cortesi

Marian Cortesi

Judy Creek

Karen Dickinson

Deanna Dickman

Bob Dodge

Mary Dodge

Peter Elderon

Joan Hinkley

Jeanne Mayr

Kelly Mazzei

Richard Nancarrow

Su Shaffer

Natalie Shinkevich

Alice Smith

Diana Wahler

Special thanks to Margy Lee for her help with the decorations,

including that Big Ol' Horse!

Margy was able to borrow it from

The National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy

and we are so grateful to them--check them out!

Thanks to all of our fabulous donors--you can see them here.

Special thanks to Eileen Roche and Amy Tucker for all of their support!

Next up will be the Shootathon--date TBD, so stay tuned!

It's Santa Again

2009-12-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approached

Santa's on the Card wagon

But the Elves were all doing

A bit too much braggin'.

"We smushed Blue Demons and Devils

And that team coached by Pat!

And we took down the Huskies,

At least for a Half!"

While Santa thought much

Of the December run

He had to put an end

To all the Elves' fun.

"I said it last year

And I'll say it again.

The middle doesn't count!

It's how the season ends!"

"So it's not from a loss

Or the wins that they earn.

It's what they do with it

And how much they learn!"

The Elves thought for a moment

And sipped some egg nog

And suddenly came out

Of the pre-season fog.

"Of course, you're right, Santa!

They will get even better!

Tara, Amy, Bobbie and Kate

Will teach down to the letter!

Jayne patrolling the paint

With Nneka and Jos,

And lock-down defense

By Jeanette and Ros,

And timely shot making

By Kayla, JJ and Mel

And with the bench play

Of Lindy, Ash and Michelle,

Not to mention contributions

from Mikaela and Grace,

And cheering from Sarah and Hannah!

This is a team to embrace!"

At this, Santa smiled

At the thought about when

The Cardinal starts play

Throughout the PAC-10.

His toy making over

He'd be ready to cheer

And get ready for March Madness--

His real favorite time of year!

So he packed up his sleigh

And headed into the night

To make children's Christmas

All shiny and bright.

The reindeer took flight

To Santa's "Ho-Ho-Ho!"

Followed quickly by cheering

Of "Go Stanford! Go!"

Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

Thanks, Pardners!

2009-12-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, another auction is in the books and what a great day it was. I am working on recapping the $$ right now and will post an update soon. In the meantime, thanks to all who spent their hard earned sawbucks in support of our G-R-E-A-T team!

Some OMG Items Added

2009-12-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

Putting together an Auction is like running down a hill--it starts out slow, but then momentum builds and pretty soon you are moving like Fred Flintstone in his car.

Just in the last couple of days, we have received some really wonderful items!

--Marques Colston Game Worn New Orleans Saints Jersey

--One year All Club Membership to 24 Hour Fitness

--Autographed Football from Jim Harbaugh and Toby Gerhart

--Putter Cover autographed by Michelle Wie

--Nintendo Wii Console with Wii Sports software

--Nike Sasquatch Sumo 4950 Lucky 13 Driver--Regular Flex

--Stanford Golf Course Foursome

--Magnum of Merryvale Vineyard 2004 Profile

--Robinson Rancheria Two Night Stay including Breakfast and Dinner

--Cabana Hotel Saturday Night Suite Stay with Sunday Brunch for 2

WOW!!!

This in addition to all that we already had makes us so excited about the possibilities for great success in the $$ department this year!

The latest catalog has been uploaded--so take a look here.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday--remember that if you can't be there, you can bid online, instructions are here. You must email by 8am on Sunday for your bid to be valid, so GET TO IT!

OK, Pardner, gotta go polish my boots.........

Less than a Week Until the Auction!

2009-12-07T16:06:00.001-08:00

Our Auction Committee has been hard at work getting everything together for you to have a
G-R-E-A-T time this Sunday at our annual auction! As of today, we have 226 items! WOW!

The latest catalog has just been uploaded today so take a look at it here.

Not only do we have a lot of Stanford Gear, there are so many generous merchants who have answered our call for donations. We are continuing to receive items every day from great restaurants, wineries, travel spots and wonderful attractions. We hope this year that everything sells for as much as possible!

If you can't join us, make sure to take advantage of our online bidding option described here.

Did you know that, since January of 2005, our auctions have raised over $180,000 in support of Stanford Women's Basketball? Our best ever results were in 2007, when we raised $40,795. We would like nothing more than to break that record this year--can you help us?

We're Up to over 190 Auction Items!

2009-11-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

Wow--the items just keep piling up for our December 13 "Back in the Saddle Again" Auction. I have just posted a bunch of new items, so go here to access our catalog. Hopefully you will find a lot of things that will interest you.

There are so many great items, but how about a few to tickle your interest?

You can--

--sit at Tara or Amy's Table at the 2010 Awards Banquet
--have lunch at Jimmy V's with Bobbie or Kate
--treat yourself to a personal wine tasting in your own home
--spend time in Kauai, Lake Tahoe, Northstar, Reno, Calistoga, Hope Valley, San Francisco
--sit on the Stanford Bench, including the UConn game in 2010
--have the Stanford Staff run a personalized Kids Clinics for up to 15 children
--arrange for your favorite child to spend a day on campus with Stanford players

And those are just the Tip of the Iceberg!! Don't think that there are only high end items--there really is something for everyone and for every budget!

We will also have our Surprise Balloons for sale for $10--you will be guaranteed at least a $20 value prize. And don't forget to pick up your tickets for a chance to win 1 of 2 Cardinal Red iPod Nanos--both are engraved with "Go Stanford".

Mark your calendars now to join us--get a chance to talk to the players and coaches in between bidding.

Check out our Auction Page!

2009-11-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

With a whole bunch of help from Marian Cortesi, Bob Stevens and Judy Sweeney, we are able to unveil our new Back in the Saddle Again Auction page!

Check it out HERE!

This should be you one stop shop for all things auction, including our newly designed Catalog. We are utilizing a web service called Slide Share which allows us to use PowerPoint as our method of communication. We can upload pictures and info, plus this format is printable, which should be helpful to bidders.

One thing to note--when you open the Catalog, you will arrive at a page that includes a small version of the Catalog. If you look in the bottom right corner of this small version, you will see a small movie screen icon and the word "full". Click on this and you will have a full page version of the Catalog for your viewing pleasure.

Make sure to check back often as I will be making additions on a regular basis as new items arrive. I will make a note on the opening page with info on which items are new.

Also available on the main auction page is info on (amongst other things)--

How to donate items
How to volunteer to help out on December 13
How to bid online if you cannot attend

We hope that this will provide a concise location for your reference to make your auction experience the VERY best!

We are getting real excited about our items , so please take some time and see what there is for you to bid on. Remember, we are the team behind The Team!

It's Auction Time!

2009-11-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

With the season kicking off this week, it's time to get ready for our annual auction. Our theme this year is Back in the Saddle Again because all of us--players, coaches and boosters--are ready for another great ride this season. Mark your calendars now for Sunday, December 13--auction will open at 1pm prior to the DePaul game and start up again after the game.

We are busily gathering items from donors and Coach Amy is going overboard searching for great Stanford gear. We are hoping that maybe you can help us out as well! We are always looking for donations, whether it be a gift certificate that you request from your favorite restaurant or a nice bottle of wine you have hanging around or a stay at your vacation home. Memorabilia, new merchandise, sports tickets? Got any gift cards hanging around--we love those too! You get the picture.

Click here for Coach Tara's letter to donors and here for a donation form. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Eileen at eroche@stanford.edu or me at jsds@comcast.net.

I am currently putting together a list of items that should be available for your review through the FBC website early next week. But maybe I can give you a few tidbits to whet your appetite!

Amongst the items in hand--

--Sit on the Stanford Bench vs. UConn in 2010

--A week stay in Kauai

--player jerseys for all of this year's team

--a Candice Wiggins Bonanza of items

--Giants Opening Day tickets

That's just the tip of the iceberg, so make sure to stay tuned to get more info as I post it!

This is gonna be fun!

We're Gettin' Social

2009-10-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Social Networking is where it is all happening right now. I must admit that I pretty much thought of all of this to be a bit of a time waster, but I have been converted! I now see what terrific communication tools these sites can be! Not only can you keep up with friends and celebrities (not that I do that), but it is a great way to get news and notes from all sorts of sources.

So, not to be left out of this evolution, the Fast Break Club is now on Facebook and Twitter! The Facebook group is StanfordFBC and the FBC Twitter can be found here. These are both being used to supplement our great website and to provide a few more avenues for communicating with everyone. There will be info on all sorts of things like tickets and auction items, lots of pictures and whatever else will help pass on info to FBCers.

So please befriend and follow both of these--you won't be disappointed!

If you get the Twitter Bug, you can check here for a bunch of Stanford Women's Basketball related tweaters!

We're Selling Stuff!

2009-10-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

A few years back, we sold a very popular fleece vest in black. We got so many requests, that we have decided to sell another one this year, but in Cardinal.

We are offering a Columbia version of the highest quality which is comfortable , stylish and WARM! Made of 100% polyester 14.75 oz fleece, the vest has a full-front zip, zip-closed hand warmer pockets and an open bottom. The Columbia logo will be on the right chest and the Fast Break Club logo will be embroidered on the left.

For info on how to order this great vest and show your Cardinal spirit, check here.

In addition to the vests, we have a limited number of Cardinal Nation T-Shirts left over from last year. You'll remember these--with a map on the back to denote where the players are from.

Having added Joselyn this year makes these "slightly" out of date and we don't want to color in Montana with Sharpies, so we are selling these for the blow out price of $10. If you are interested, please email Eileen at eroche@stanford.edu

Getting in the Get Ready Position for a Great Season!

Last Chance for Wine!

2009-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

If you have not signed up for our wonderful wine event this weekend,

please make sure to do so by

Thursday, 10/8/09!

Best thing to do is get in touch with Eileen asap at

eroche@stanford.edu or

call (650)-725-8104.

There is more info on the event here!

The weather should be lovely for a great afternoon in the Vino Locale backyard.

Hope to see you there!

Why We Do It!

2009-09-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

The team is just back from their trip to Italy and from all the accounts I've read on the FBC site, it is easy to see that they had a REALLY GREAT time. I was particularly struck by the blogs and videos featuring Ros, JJ and Nneka. They had such a great sense of the value of the trip and such a great appreciation for the opportunity.

Whenever I get the chance, I like to remind myself why we work for the Fast Break Club and the team--we get to support some of the best young women that we will ever come across! Our recent Auctions and Shoot-a-thons were in support of this trip to Italy and it is so gratifying to see it come to fruition. The appreciation from the players and coaches is so apparent that it makes us all ready to do some more!

So what's coming up? First is our annual Wine Social. We consider this more of a great get together to start the season, but we always have a few silent auction items that are up for bid, so we do make a little $$. This year's event will be Sunday, October 11 with our great friends at Vino Locale in downtown Palo Alto. This is always a great event so plan to join us--details are here. Don't drink wine? Join us anyway for good friends and great food.

And make sure to mark your calendars RIGHT NOW for our annual Auction to take place December 13 in conjunction with the DePaul game. Check back to this blog and the FBC website for updates as info becomes available. We will be offering another bunch of great items--to get a look at what we had last year, check here. We will also be looking for donations of wines, vacations, sports memorabilia, gift certificates and new merchandise--I will post the donation form as soon as it is available or you can contact Eileen now at eroche@stanford.edu.

Our theme this year is "Back in the Saddle Again!" so get ready, pardners!

Whither Bobbie and Kate's Lockers?

2009-07-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Since my last blog about locker sponsorships, we had three of the available lockers snapped up! Grace Mashore, Mikaela Ruef and Coach Tara will have new, shiny gold plaques on their lockers this season.

Wondering who is left? Well, no other than Assistant Coaches Bobbie Kelsey and Kate Paye. Wouldn't it be a shame if their lockers went unsponsored this year? They are not chopped liver, after all!

To recap--

each locker sponsorship is $1,500
coaches locker sponsorship is for 4 years
your name or dedication is put on an engraved plaque on the locker
you will have your picture taken with your sponsoree

The sponsorship of the lockers go a long way to provide funds that keep the Stanford Cardinal at the top of the National scene year after year. If you are interested in sponsoring either Bobbie or Kate, contact Eileen Roche at eroche@stanford.edu or 650-725-8104.

Lockers for Sale! Tara's and more!

2009-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

No, the Stanford Locker Room does not look like this! It's a lot messier!

Just kidding--this is actually Jane Stanford's room from the Stanford mansion in Sacramento. But I digress.....

Several years ago, Stanford Women's Basketball started a program of locker sponsorship. The initial intent was to help in the locker room remodeling that was underway. Moving forward, the funds raised are used for the Women's Basketball Improvement Fund. This Fund is used for items such as foreign trips, video editing equipment and locker room improvements.

Here's the deal--

each locker sponsorship is $1,500
player lockers sponsorship is for the length of their career
coach lockers sponsorship is for 4 years
your name or dedication is put on an engraved plaque on the locker
you will have your picture taken with your sponsoree

Now, I bet you are wondering who you could sponsor. Currently available are--

Bobbie Kelsey
Grace Mashore
Kate Paye
Mikaela Ruef
Tara VanDerveer

Any one of those would be a terrific choice, don't you think?

The Program depends on fund-raising efforts like this to keep at the top of the National level. Pac-10 championships and Final Fours are made possible not only by the hard work of the players and the coaching staff, but also by the money contributed so generously by avid fans like you!

Are you interested? Get in touch with Eileen Roche at eroche@stanford.edu or 650-725-8104.

Jennifer Azzi Changed My Life

2009-06-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

As Jennifer gets ready for her Hall of Fame induction the weekend of June 12-14, she reflects-

check it out here

Her thinking got me to thinking about her. Needless to say, it would be difficult to imagine how Stanford would have become a national power had Jennifer not had the faith to come across the country to a struggling program. I trust that Tara & Company would have found their way, but Jennifer was the kick-start that got everything going.

And it also came to mind how her life has affected mine. It is interesting how someone you brush paths with can make such a big difference in your life as well as in the lives of others around you.

I remember the first time I saw her play. In 1988, I saw a hand painted sign on a fence on Foothill Expressway that there was a game coming up with the Washington Huskies. What the heck, I thought--let's go! I had never seen anything like it! And that dark haired girl! Wow! What was her name again? (added bonus--first time I got to boo Chris Gobrecht!) Unfortunately, that was the last game of the season--but we vowed to come back. Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

I contacted the ticket office and got season tickets--at that time, it was a card good for every game and you could sit anywhere you wanted. The 88-89 season was a glorious rise and, because I knew virually nothing about the college game, I thought nobody could beat them. Jennifer continued to captivate and kept getting better and better. Another 3, another assist. How distraught I was when they lost in the Regional Finals to Louisiana Tech (added bonus--the game was on TV!).

The next week I was driving home from work on Highway 280 and saw a car stopped on the side of the road. As I drove by I realized--

OHMYGODTHATWASJENNIFERAZZI!!!

I just about ran off the road, but scooted around to get off the highway and go back to find her. When I got there, she was running across 4 lanes back to her car. Criminy, I thought, the best basketball player in the world is just about to get crushed right in front of me. She had run out of gas, something I thought was impossible having seen the way she played. While she stayed, I went to get some gas. By the time I returned, an assistant coach had arrived to help out. I told Jen I was sorry that they had lost. She then realized that I knew her and she got the biggest smile. We chatted about the upcoming Final Four and I said I hoped Tennessee won (added bonus--I have never had that thought since). At that point, I had no idea about Jennifer's history (remember, it WAS the dark ages), and she demurred and didn't make a pick. She thanked me and was on her way.

The next day, I read in the paper that Jennifer had been named an All-American. She was on her way to Tacoma and the Final Four to pick up her award. She had said nothing to me about it. That was classic, understated Jennifer.

The next summer we got a miniature schnauzer puppy--we named her Jennifer.

1989-90 was one of the most compelling seasons I have ever had as a sports fan. The team had added Val Whiting and was now the complete package. Tennessee was defeated at Maples. I loved the announcer's "From A to Z" when Jennifer made an assist to Julie Zeilstra. Katy Steding and Trisha Stevens were studs. I remember the night of the Regional Final so clearly--the air outside was fresh and warm, the air inside was full of pure emotion. I still remember that as the best game I've ever seen--Stanford 114, Arkansas 87.

In those days, I didn't even give a thought to going to the Final Four (added bonus--saving $$!). So we parked ourselves in front of the tube and cheered every move. And they won! It was unbelievably satisfying to have been a fan of this growing program. Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

We went to Maples to celebrate. Then it hit me--Jennifer was gone now. With no professional basketball in the US, I was certain I would never see her play again.

I was distraught when Jennifer was one of the last cuts for the 1992 Olympic team. That was going to be a chance to at least get a glimpse of her.

In the meantime, I had made so many great friends through basketball. I joined the Fast Break Club. Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

So when Margie and Harriet started planning to go to Atlanta for the Olympics, I knew we had to go. Then Tara was named the coach and that sealed the deal. Then Jennifer made the team. No one was going to stop us from going now!

The Olympics were remarkable. We went to every game (even had to buy tickets from very nice scalpers!). There is never a better moment than the US flag being raised and the anthem being played for your team (added bonus--champagne after the game). As a lifelong sports fan, it was a dream come true to go to such an amazing event. Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

While we were in Atlanta, we heard rumblings of a professional league in the United States. There were t-shirts being sold, which meant it must be true! There was Jen's picture, front and center. And when we heard a team was to be in San Jose and Jennifer was on it, we gathered with 16 friends and bought a block of season tickets. We were the imfamous SECTION THREE! (added bonus--getting to yell at Larry the ref and seeing Melissa Barlow in her formative years). I remember seeing Jennifer and Teresa Edwards dancing the Macarena on opening night.

It was Professional Women's Basketball in the United States of America! Every game was a blast and the community of Laser fans grew. Many more new friends were made. Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

After the ABL folded, I was not quite ready to hop on the WNBA bandwagon. I felt a bit betrayed by the summer season and the two-colored ball. But then Jennifer signed on, so I knew it was ok. I had a friend in Cleveland that I had not seen for many years, so a road trip to re-acquint with her along with a chance to see Jennifer play against the Rockers was just too perfect to pass up. We sat courtside, right behind the Starzz bench and the week spent there cemented a lifelong friendship (added bonus--great seats at an Indians game). Jennifer Azzi changed my life.

As I watch other Stanford Alums make their way into the WNBA, I realize what a great gift it is to have the opportunity to watch them progress and grow after their college careers. Visionarys like Jennifer Azzi changed their lives and, in turn, mine.

Jennifer continues to inspire today, working for the NBA and making motivational speeches across the country. She regularly talks to groups of many kinds moving them to make positive changes in their lives.

In reflecting on any Hall of Fame career, it might be easy to look at stats and titles, but the true test of someone being so honored may be in the way that they have taken their gifts and made the world a better place. It doesn't have to be building a school or making grand donations--it can be in the small way that they affect the lives of others. It can be the joy given by watching a two hour game, or having the courage to go to a school off the national radar, or inspiring others to get involved. It can be persevering to bring professional basketball to the US, or adjusting when the original plan falls through, or making us all feel like dreams can come true.

Jennifer Azzi is a true Hall of Famer.

I'm No Don Anderson

2009-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

But I had a bunch of fun this year with my trusty iPhone camera!

First Practice

Auction Day

Cameron Indoor Arena--beautiful!

Ros at Duke

Everything is blue at Duke--even Santa

Team at Duke

Headed to Charleston for a few days between games

Colonial greeter

Charleston George Washington memorial

Dawn's popular in South Carolina!

Team at USC

Winner!

Cats can drive in North Carolina.....

Orange people

Why can't we have stuff like this at Maples?

Pregame fireworks--don't need those!

Think Pink 2009

Shootathon 2009 raises over $21K!

Uncharted territory, but they ended up liking us

Regional Final Sendoff

Bet Cal loved getting this sign done

On to the Final Four!

St. Louis sendoff

The Band rocks!

Evon Asforis joins in

All Right Now!

The Ever Faithful

It was a good city for the Final Four

But remember--not every place is like California!

Shootathon Results!

2009-04-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

With all that was going on at the end of the season,

we had to wait a little while to let the dust settle and

get the total of the money raised at the Shootathon.

So how'd we do? Would you believe--

$21,005!!!!!

Yep, it's true!

Thanks to everyone who made and fulfilled their pledges,

the team is well prepared for their trip to Italy, currently scheduled for September.

To everyone involved in the event, thanks a bunch, with special KUDOS to

Lynne Klaevemann and Nancy Sabbag,

who did all the planning.

To all Pledgers, thanks for being a part of

The Team behind the Team!

St. Louis Blues

2009-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Since the games have been thoroughly dissected, I just want to make a few notes to myself of my remembrances and thoughts from a few days in the Midwest--

--NEVER miss an opportunity to take a look at a glorious landmark like the Arch. It is stunning from every angle.

--NEVER underestimate the joy of being at a Final Four. Even when things don't go quite as one would like, there are over 300 teams with fans that would love to be in your shoes.

--NEVER order a Heineken in St. Louis.

--NEVER miss a chance to talk to fans from other teams. I had a chance to spend some time with a fan from Louisville and it was so great to see her eyes light up as she talked about the players on her team. This was a great, new, exciting experience for them and they were enjoying every moment.

--NEVER think that the actions of some fans from other teams reflect all of their fans. There are always some bad apples out there for any team.

--NEVER think that an Arena is ready for anything. The ScottTrade Center concessions were not all open and the ones that were ran out of food and were serving up frozen water bottles. Like they didn't know we were coming?

--NEVER try to walk up the stairs of a Metro Station at Busch Stadium when crabby Cardinals fans are walking down. Yep, their Opening Day was in blustery, cold weather and resulted in a loss due to a 9th inning blown save. When we were going upstream against them, the looks were deadly.

--NEVER pass up a chance to shoot at Hoops City. But go late and wait until all the youngsters have left!

--NEVER think that a place with a name like BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups won't serve up a lot more than food. What a great find--great music and a TV with the men's championship game!

--NEVER consider that you won't see Melissa Barlow walk on the floor of one of our games.

--NEVER fall for the thought that the PAC-10 is such a weak sister. Think about it--18% of the Sweet 16, 25% of the Elite 8 and 25% of the Final Four came from the conference. And one can wonder if those percentages might have been better had the NCAA committee not placed all 3 teams into the UConn buzz saw.

--NEVER think that if your airline cancels your flight and rebooks you that everything will work out right. *sigh* We ended up staying an extra day when it turned out our new flight had no seats for us. Fortunately, the airline footed the hotel bill!

--NEVER worry that the players think that send offs and fan support are goofy. As the team moved through the lobby and out to the rally, they were taking as many pictures of us as we were of them.

--NEVER miss a chance to talk to the Band and jump with them whenever you can.

--NEVER forget what an unbelievably classy organization our Stanford group is. If I were a coach or player or parent, I cannot think of anything I would want to do less than stand up before a group of fans after a loss. But there they all were with Tara out front and thanking us for being there. Afterwards, everyone stayed around to commiserate a bit. It was an honor to be there.

--NEVER determine that it is too early to start getting ready for next year! I'm ready--how about you?

A Holiday Poem Redux

2009-03-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Long after Christmas,
Santa'd got all his rest.
It takes a few months
To get back to his best.

The toy making over,
And gifts all delivered,
He now had some time
For TV and Twitter.

He remembered he'd predicted
Way back in December
That one group would be
A team to remember.

"I can't quite recall
What I said at the time"
But the elves were there
And quick to remind.

But Santa was ready
For such loss of spirit
“Don’t be so whiny!
I don’t want to hear it!”

“So do not despair
As all will be fine!
It’s not 2008 that counts
But April 2009!”

At that, Santa laughed
And he jiggled like jelly
"I guess I should check them
Out on the telly!"

So then Mrs. Claus
Brought some snacks and a brew,
And Rudolph tuned the tube
To ESPN and ESPN2.

Over the next two weeks
The North Pole embraced March
And followed the Cardinal
On their way to the Arch.

They watched the team focus,
Their intentions precise and clear
As they worked hard together
Like eight tiny reindeer.

As each team was conquered
The elves made a scene
They changed to wearing Cardinal
Instead of red and green.

While Santa was happy
and cheered with each hoop
He offered a caution
To all in the troop.

"It's been a great ride
Of that, I am certain!
But let's not plan to celebrate
Until the final curtain!"

"For this is a team
With much more to do!
They're off to the Midwest
And need to win two!"

With that, the room hushed
And, after some thought,
"Santa's right!", they cheered
"There's more dreams to be caught!"

And then Santa chuckled
And let out a Ho Ho Ho
And packed the sled for St. Louis
While cheering "Go Stanford! GO!"

On to the Sweet 16!

2009-03-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

What an interesting tournament so far! Big wins, big upsets, big stories.....it's all there.

Let's Talk Conferences

The PAC-10 is holding strong with all 3 tournament entries still in the hunt. The SEC and ACC? Not so much. These perennial powerhouses are down to just 1 team each. Here is the breakdown--

Big East (4)--Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, UConn

Big 12 (4)--Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

PAC-10 (3)--ASU, California, Stanford

Big 10 (3)--Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue

ACC (1)--Maryland

SEC (1)--Vanderbilt

Interesting that Stanford has played 6 of the teams left in the tourney this year--Baylor, Rutgers, Iowa State, ASU, Cal and Purdue--and beaten 5 of them. Now that's strength of schedule.

Let's Talk Upsets

OK, Ball State--what a story. From the PreGame dance (see it here) to their spirited play against a monumental opponent to their level headed coach, it is just special. Added bonus for Stanford fans--we may not hear the Harvard thing year after year after year.

MSU over Duke--a perfect NCAA set up, bringing the old coach back to face angry fans and players. Still, one would have thought that Duke would be able to overcome the Spartans, but lacked the punch to push through in crunch time, going stone cold at the end. And are MSU coach Suzy Merchant and Sissy Spacek sisters?

Rutgers over Auburn--if I were an Auburn fan, I would be pretty unhappy. Playing on the other team's home court is one thing, but against a team like Rutgers, who has players with Final Four experience, that is quite another. But Auburn could not stop Rutgers, who typically is not a high scoring team, so there you go.

So what about those pre-determined sites? The idea sounds fine--generating interest and ticket sales prior to the seedings. But in practice, it didn't work well. Any casual viewer could see the oceans of empty seats and the Cal-Virginia game at the Galen Center drew less than 1000. It is hard to understand a system that places number 1 seeds at home (UConn, Maryland), on a neutral court (Oklahoma) and in a hornet's nest (Duke).

Let's Talk Brackets

Did you fill one out with your predictions? How's that workin' for you? I do mine on ESPN.com and it is SO wrong that I don't even look at it anymore......

--UConn vs. the PAC-10? That's the Trenton bracket. Cal will be an interesting match up, with their inside strength. They must continue the all around game they showed against Virginia. It should be fun to watch.

--ASU and Texas A & M should also be a good matchup as both teams are built in the scrappy mold. One X factor is how Brianne January's ankle holds up.

--Duke and Tennessee's losses changed the look of the Berkeley bracket dramatically as many probably had these 2 penciled in for a Sweet 16 match-up.

--ACC vs SEC so those 2 conferences will be down to only 1 in the Elite Eight. Vanderbilt has been flying a little under the radar, but has some quality wins.

--Baylor had better shift into another gear after two close shaves if they want to beat Louisville.

--Courtney Paris' bank account is still in tact. Perhaps in Oklahoma City she can put out a tip jar?

--The team nobody want to play? Rutgers.

Let's Talk Stanford

--Remember that December road trip? Where are Duke and Tennessee now? Home. Where is Stanford? Very much alive and well.

--We knew Nneka was good, but holy cow! She just flies to the ball--never have really seen anything like it.

--When will the national media understand that Stanford is a team in every sense of the word. When there is foul trouble, it is just another opportunity for someone else to shine. Not that we like foul trouble, but those were PAC 10 officials, after all.

--I can recall horror when watching past Bigs dribble the ball up court. Now, when I see Kayla Peterson, I just think "point guard!"

--How hard can it be to check the teams you are covering before the broadcast? How hard can it be to say Onwude? Where's Mary Murphy when you need her (covering Cal in LA)?

--I bet other fans just don't get our coaching staff. There they sit, talking calmly, making adjustments, planning. Other coaches appear to have their hair on fire from the opening buzzer. I like the approach of Tara and Company!

--Fun to see ESPN talk about Stanford's nationwide recruiting. I wish they would have had one of our Cardinal Nation t-shirts to use!

Big weekend coming up.........hope that everyone is in Berkeley and screaming real loud! Let's show everyone what the Cardinal Nation is all about.

Bracket Musings and Other Stuff

2009-03-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts about pairings and the Selection Show--

--Could Carolyn Peck really not know what Stanford's point guard situation is? Could she have maybe watched one half of a Pac-10 tournament game?

--That wacky NCAA committee! Since they have grown tired of putting Stanford and Oklahoma in the same brackets to rehash the Susan King incident, now they give us:
---Duke going to East Lansing so Coach P. can take the rath of her former fans
---Stanford potentially playing former staff member Beth Burns on her home court, potentially playing Amy Tucker's alma mater (Ohio State) and/or potentially meeting Tennessee in a rematch of last year's championship game

--why are ASU and Cal in the same bracket? And could it be any harder for them? ASU will play Georgia in Duluth. Cal will play in LA, but could meet a very seasoned Marist team in the second round. And then, in the end, there is UConn. I read somewhere that this bracket may be like driving in Thelma and Louise's car if you are not the Huskies. The visual works!

--Stanford finally got into some of ESPN's commercials, though Tara's appearance is a subliminal message compared with the time given Pat and Geno .

--who is Trey Wingo and why won't he go away?

--no one from Stanford will ever promise to pay back their scholarship at current tuition prices.

--first round games that I am eager to see are:
Villanova vs. Utah--'Nova s-l-o-w-s everthing down, so this should be interesting
Louisville vs. Liberty--how will the Cardinals bounce back from the drubbing they took in the Big East tourney from UConn
Notre Dame vs. Minnesota--2 teams going in opposite directions
South Dakota St vs. TCU--are the JackRabbits for real?
Rutgers vs. VCU--The Scarlet Knights have been sputtering but get to play at home

--can't complain about the Final Four picks of Kara and Carolyn, now can we? Hope they're right!

--Since I can't get to San Diego, I am ready to assume the full couch potato position for this weekend! How 'bout you? Is there any better time of the year?

--As our Team starts on the March to the Arch, here's wishing:
--Jayne keeps getting double teamed while Nneka is standing alone under the basket waiting for her usual assists. Then they give up the double team and we know what happens then.
--Jeannette and Kayla keep up their steady and heady play.
--Sarah keeps inspiring "B-O-O-O-O-T-H-E"s.
--Ros keeps hitting those 3's.
--Jillian keeps being Jill the Thrill.
--Lindy keeps making those hustle plays and rainbow shots.
--Mel and Michelle keep contributing valuable minutes .
--Ashley gets in the books.
--Grace and Morgan are worn out from celebrating 3's.
--JJ keeps smiling.

GO STANFORD!!

Who Had the Hot Hand?

2009-02-26T12:20:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at the Shootathon Monday night. It sure was a lot of fun to see the players in a relaxed atmosphere! And it sure was good to see Morgan out there shooting! She was the "designated shooter" for Hannah and did a great job.

So who was the top shooter?

GRACE MASHORE!

She totaled 269 out of a possible 300 points--WOW! Congratulations, Grace!

Here are the other scores--

Jayne Appel 234
Sarah Boothe 266
Ashley Cimino 262
Hannah Donaghe 262 by Morgan
Jillian Harmon 262
Michelle Harrison 259
Lindy La Rocque 259
Melanie Murphy 217
Nneka Ogwumike 250
Kayla Pedersen 260
Jeanette Pohlen 246

Ros will be shooting at a later date as she was not available on Monday.

If you pledged, you will be receiving a notice in the mail as to the amount you owe. If you didn't, you still can! Use the form here to pledge.

We always mix a little pleasure with the Shootathon business. Moonshots reigned as the 3 point shooting contest was won by Lindy. After many, many tries by everyone (Coach Amy was afraid everyone would be sore the next day!), Kayla sank the Half Court shot.

All $$ raised at the Shootathon this year will be used for the upcoming tour to Italy--I'll keep you posted later on how we did.

Shootathon on Monday!

2009-02-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Our next event is coming up on Monday, February 23--The Shootathon! This is our 2nd biggest fundraiser of the year, so we hope you will join in by pledging and attending. Lynne Klaeveman and Nancy Sabbag are doing a terrific job in putting this event together.

How does it work? You select the player(s) that you want to support with your pledge amount. Each player will take 200 shots with a maximum total of 300 points awarded. Players receive 2 points for a made outside shot (200 possible points) and 1 point for a lay-up (100 possible points). So as an example, if you pledge $1.00 per point and your player scores 245, your donation will be $245. Easy stuff! You will be notified after the event of the amount due for your pledges.

The funds raised by this year's Shootathon will go a long way in support of a Team Trip to Italy this year--see Tara's letter here for the details.

The event will begin at 7 pm with the players shooting for their pledges. While that is going on, we will be selling raffle tickets for the 3 point shooting contest. You pick the winning class and you will have a chance to win a picture of you with the entire team! A once in a lifetime opportunity with this terrific group that we have this year.

We'll also have a few Silent Auction items--hopefully, something for everybody to bid on.

This is a great time to see the Players in a relaxed setting--bring the kids and your camera!

You can find the pledge form here. We hope that you'll participate in any way that you can and that the nets are on FIRE so we maximize the pledges! If you cannot attend the event itself, feel free to pledge anyway!

Can We Sellout Maples?

2009-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

As of this morning, 4,086 tickets have been sold to this

Saturday's game at Maples vs. Cal.

Let's face it, folks, if this game isn't a sellout, it will be a great disappointment!

What more incentive is needed than--

--it's the Battle of the Bay
--both teams are ranked in the Top 10 nationally
--first place in the PAC 10 is at stake
--Stanford would love to avenge a loss from last month
--it's Pink Zone night in support of breast cancer research
--it's a chance to boo Oski
--it's Valentines Day
--it's Candice Wiggins birthday

Cal drew 10,126 in their home portion of the Rivalry series. Obviously, we can't do that, but we can do all that we can to show a national TV audience that Card Fans are serious about their team.

I know, many of us have our tickets in hand. So what can we do?

--if you don't have tickets and you were on the fence about going, get off it! Do yourself a favor and go to the ticket office this week instead of waiting in what may be a huge walkup.

--if you can't go, make sure your tickets are used.

--if you ever wanted to introduce someone to the sport, there would be no better time. It is sure to be a great environment. And I've always found, once you get someone there, they always come back! So invite your friends and neighbors. Heck, even invite your enemies as long as they are Stanford fans!

--take a group! Call 650-736-8191 and check for special discounts for groups of 10 or more.

--it is a little unfortunate that it is the Pink night, so we can't show off our Cardinal. So, let's just flood the place in pink and consider that our color for the night. It would be a great tribute to Coach Yow as well.

--we all know that Maples can ROCK like no other place once we get it going. Commit yourself to a maximum effort, even if you are voiceless on Sunday! Remember the Tennessee game at home last year? Yep, like that!

--signs? goofy attire? beads? Pom poms? You know what to do!

This is our chance to pull out all of the stops.......LET'S DO THIS, PEOPLE!

Don't Wait---Nominate!

2009-01-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

This season is flying by, isn't it? Seemed like just yesterday that we had an Auction--which was before Thanksgiving! Coming up real soon is the annual Fan Appreciation day on Saturday, February 21. This is a day to honor FBCers and volunteers at the Post Game tent.

There is always one very special presentation of the Margie Santillian Fan Spirit Award. This award was established in memory Margie, one of the original Uber Boosters for the WBB program. Margie was supremely dedicated to all things Cardinal and it is SO fitting that this award bears her name.

I have told this story before, but here is an example of Margie's fandom--we once traveled to Oregon State for the game. We were quite rushed and only had time to pick up tacos from a drive-thru before the game. This was when OSU was our main competitor in the PAC 10 and we were tense. But the Cardinal prevailed! After that, Margie insisted that we all eat tacos before every game until there was a game was lost. Wouldn't you know that a long winning streak would follow? It took me a long time before I could look a taco in the eye!

So what's the award all about?

This award is presented annually to a member of the Fast Break Club who has enthusiastically supported the team and coaching staff during the basketball season, participated in some volunteer aspect of the Fast Break Club, promoted camaraderie among the boosters,
solicited new game attendees, season ticket holders and Fast Break Club members, and
attended one or more away games (not including Cal or any other Bay Area locations).

Do you know someone deserving of this award? Let the Selection Committee know before February 6th! Submit your nomination by email to Jackie Anderson, or speak to her at a game or post-game tent before the 6th.

Last year's winners, Dave and Marian Cortesi, are pictured above. And I am proud to say I am a past winner as well. Nothing has ever honored me more.

Tara's Coaching Tree

2009-01-13T11:59:00.001-08:00

With last week's visits by the Washington schools and their respective head coaches, it got me to wondering about how many coaches are a product of Tara's teachings. Spending a little time with the FBC Alumni site and remembering some stuff on my own, I have compiled a pretty impressive list! Any way you look at it, our Hall of Fame coach continues to have a large effect on the Game!

Former Players

Jennifer Azzi owns Azzi Training, a company that offers online personal coaching, basketball training camps, and Wellness Days around the country

Ann Adkins Enthoven was an assistant coach at Stanford

Christina Batastini was an assistant coach at Brown University for a season and is the president and head instructor of the Batastini School of Basketball in Providence, R.I.

Leslie Crandell was an assistant men's basketball coach at Westmont College for two seasons

Milena Flores is an assistant coach at Princeton and has been assistant coach at University of Pacific, Lehigh and Yale

Regen Freuen is coach of the girls' basketball team at Mead High School in Spokane, WA.

Molly Goodenbour is head coach at UC Irvine, after two years as head coach at Chico State, a year as assistant coach at the University of San Francisco and three years as head Coach at Santa Rosa Junior College

Tara Harrington was an assistant coach at Cal State Northridge and Montana State-Bozeman

Anita Kaplan was an assistant coach at Santa Clara

Bobbie Kelsey is an assistant coach at Stanford and has coached basketball at Virginia Tech, Western Carolina, Evansville, Florida, and Boise State

Vanessa Nygaard is an assistant coach for the WNBA Washington Mystics after coaching with the San Antonio Silver Stars and Pepperdine

Kate Paye is an assistant coach at Stanford and was assistant coach at Pepperdine University and San Diego State

Martha Richards is head women's golf coach at the University of Texas

Olympia Scott is the founder of A Wonderful Life! Coaching, a life coach, motivational speaker and author

Charmin Smith is an assistant coach at Cal, after three years as assistant coach at Stanford, and a year at Boston College

Katy Steding is an assistant coach of the WNBA Atlanta Dream and was head coach at Warner Pacific College

Trisha Stevens was head coach at Boise State for six years, after being assistant coach for three years

Angela Taylor is Vice-President and General Manager of the WNBA Washington Mystics and was an assistant coach at Texas A&M, the University of Arizona, and at Stanford for two seasons

Charli Turner Thorne has been head coach at Arizona State since 1996

Val Whiting owns GameShape, a sports performance training facility

Lindsey Yamasaki is head women's basketball coach at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco

Jill Yanke coached basketball at Boise State

Former Assistant Coaches

Beth Burns is head coach at San Diego State

June Daugherty is head coach at Washington State after a long stint at UW

Tia Jackson is head coach of the Washington Huskies

Carolyn Jenkins is an assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx

Julie Plank is the head coach of the Washington Mystics

Karen Middleton is an assistant coach at Illinois

Julie Rousseau is head coach at Pepperdine

In the Tarasphere

Dawn Staley is head coach at South Carolina and has attributed much of her coaching success the lessons learned as a member of the 1996 Olympic team

Nikki McCray and Carla McGhee are both assistants to Dawn at USC

Teresa Edwards has coached in both the ABL and WNBA

Heidi VanDerveer is head basketball coach at Occidental College

Did I miss anyone? I thought about Marianne Stanley too,

but she pretty much stands on her own as far as coaching is concerned!

So how lucky are we to watch as each season unfolds with

this Legend on our sidelines?

A Holiday Poem

2008-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas
And in Cardinal Town
Everyone was feeling
A little bit down

“We lost to the Dukies
And those darned Lady Vols
We certainly don’t feel much
Like Decking the Halls!”

But Santa was ready
For such loss of spirit
“Don’t be so whiny!
I don’t want to hear it!”

“You’ve Ros, Jeanette, Jayne,
Lindy, Hannah and Mel
And you shouldn’t forget
Kayla, Jillian and Michelle!”

“Add Sarah, Ashley, Morgan,
Nneka, JJ and Grace.
Now that is a group
To bring a smile to your face!’

“You’ve got the best Coaches
In all of the land
And then not to mention
The Tree and the Band!”

“So do not despair
As all will be fine!
It’s not 2008 that counts
But April 2009!”

With that the skies opened
And all did rejoice
We can’t help but love them!
We just have no choice!

So get ready for wins galore
They’ll soon be in sight
Merry Christmas to All
And to All a good night!

Greetings from Charleston, SC

2008-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Have been spending a couple of days here in Charleston between games. It is 78 degrees here and 90% humidity--a fact I am all too aware of having packed a suitcase full of turtlenecks and sweaters. This is such a lovely city. What a difference from Durham, NC!

Durham was dark, foggy and depressing--and that was before the game! While I am sure it is lovely at times of the year, right now is not one of those times. Some of the buildings on campus are magnificent, including Cameron Indoor Arena. There is one major flaw for spectators, however, as there are no aisles in the lower stands so you are being crawled over continuously. This was no so bad when we were ahead, but my crabby quotient kept going up exponentially as the game moved on.

We had a hearty group of parents and FBCers on hand--we sat with Grace's dad and loved his upbeat attitude and major lung power. Cameron gets REALLY loud--think Mac Court loud, tin roof and all. The game was really ugly as you saw, though I suspect you didn't get to see some of the "finer" moments. Right in front of us, Jill shot a three and got clobbered--Dee Kantner was withing 3 feet of her, but was watching the shot and didn't see it. Jill hobbled down court and had to go out for a significant period of time--scary, scary stuff considering her back issues.

But the story was free throws, as we all know. So onward and upward. Off to Columbia to take on the other USC, a day in Asheville and then to Knoxville.

How'd We Do???

2008-12-13T09:30:00.001-08:00

I have been remiss in reporting our Cardinal Nation Auction results--just that busy life getting in the way. I wanted to do a grand report with pictures and kudos and such, but am hopping on a plane in a couple of hours to head back east for a GREAT ROAD TRIP! So this short and sweet version will have to do for now!

Thanks to great donors, ambitious bidders and tireless volunteers, we raised

$35,515!!!!

Now this is a little less than the average of $40K that we have pocketed in the past, but with the current economic situation, who could feel bad about this FAB amount?

So off to the Southeast and will work real hard to bring home 3 wins and a bunch of stories!

In a Daze

2008-11-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Auction Day is always one big blur--and yesterday was no different. Want to thank everyone for buying and volunteering and just being there. As soon as we get some info and brain cells, I will post more info.

My thoughts today, however, are with JJ and her family. While we wait for the MRI results, here's hoping that we see JJ back on the floor as soon as possible. A speedy recovery is my wish for her today, whatever the injury turns out to be.

All of our positive thoughts should be with JJ today--send them her way!

Is there a BIG TICKET in your Future?

2008-11-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

We're in the final countdown to the CARDINAL NATION Auction--Sunday, November 23. We have over 200 ITEMS up for your bidding pleasure--all sorts of Stanford gear, restaurant certificates and on and on.

But there are always a few EXTRA special items that might suit your fancy. We call them BIG TICKET items. You can see the complete list here but here are a few for your special attention--

Sit on the Bench for the Tennessee Game in 2009--Remember the thrilling win against Tennessee at Maples in 2007? You can have the best seat in the house for the Encore next season. Game date is still TBD, but plan now for this terrific opportunity to see the Cardinal and Lady Vols, up-close and personal! You'll be right there to catch all of the emotion as you are part of the action as you join the team in pre-game introductions, game huddles, halftime and post-game too! Per NCAA rules, 9th through 12th graders not allowed to participate.

A Day in the Life--Prepare for the day when your youngster goes to Stanford! This item will give them the chance to spend a day on campus with several Stanford players and see what it takes to make the grade! Attend classes, workouts and whatever else is going on that day. This is truly a once on the lifetime opportunity for any child. Per NCAA rules, 9th through 12th graders not allowed to participate.

Kid's Clinic--Plan a special day for up to 12 kids as they go through drills to learn basketball skills from selected Stanford coaches and players in Maples Pavilion! This would be a very special gift for the youngster in your life that loves the game. And what would make a better birthday party than this? Per NCAA rules, 9th through 12th graders not allowed to participate.

Lunch with the Coaching Staff--Join the whole staff for lunch at Jimmy V's Sports Cafe in the Arrillaga Family Center. Get the inside scoop on all things Cardinal. Group size can be up to 20 people and everyone buys their own meal.

Sit at Tara's Table at the Awards Banquet--Join Coach Tara at the annual Team Awards Banquet! This package includes cost of dinner and two prime seats for all of the action.

Canon EOS 40D Digital Camera--The EOS 40D combines Canons tremendous know-how in both the digital and photographic worlds, creating a camera that not only does everything one would expect of a traditional digital SLR, but one that incorporates staggering leaps forward in technological innovation. With new features like Canons EOS Integrated Cleaning System, Live View Function, a more powerful DIGIC III Image Processor, plus a 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3.0-inch LCD monitor and more, the EOS 40D elevates digital photography to new heights, enhancing the shooting experience, and delivering images one could only expect from a Canon.

Music by Hookslide--Just having performed at the San Francisco Black and White Ball and the National Anthem at Candlestick Park, Hookslide is sure to make any event you have extra, extra special. This vocal band performs a high energy mix of mind blowing vocal percussion, booming bass and screaming four-part harmony that is guaranteed to knock you out! In addition to corporate events for customers such as Anheuser Busch, Palm, and Macy's, Hookslide has performed for both the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants and will soon sing the Anthem at Maples. Let their extraordinary vocalizations add that special touch to your corporate event, wedding or any occasion. Make sure to check their website for some terrific YouTube samples of their talents. PS--you might recognize our own videographer, Bud Anderson, as a member of the group.

Pajaro Dunes Oceanfront Condo--Is there a better getaway than a quick drive to the Coast? Treat yourself to a long weekend or midweek trip at this oceanfront condo at Pajaro Dunes, just 62 miles south of Maples Pavilion. This one bedroom, one bath comes with a fully equipped kitchen and wireless internet access. In addition, you will be greeted with your choice of a bottle of Chardonnay, Champagne, Merlot, Cabernet or Sparkling Cider. Venture out to local wineries, shop in nearby Carmel, hit world famous golf courses or just pick up a good book and relax by the fireplace. It can all be yours for your high bid.

Commemorative 2008-09 Team Quilt--How special is this item? Your own quilt commemorating the 2008-2009 Cardinal! Each team member is featured with their name and number. This quilt would be great on any bed or as a terrific wall hanging. Donated by Lindy's parents, Beverly and Alan!

Weekend Stay at West Shore Lake Tahoe Home--Enjoy spectacular lake views from the deck of this Rubicon Bay (West Lake Tahoe) family cabin. This cozy, classic cabin is nestled in the trees on the lakeside of Highway 89 and just a 5 minute walk from the beach. This may be an old school Tahoe cabin, but has been upgraded with modern conveniiences such as a downstairs rec room with a 42" HD plasma tv and surround sound. Four bedrooms and 3.5 baths, plenty of room for everyone! See pictures here.

Five Nights in Poipu Beach, Kauai, Condo--A dream vacation awaits with this five night stay in a beautiful 2 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath recently remodeled condo at Poipu Kai Resort in Poipu Beach, Kauai. This condo offers a deluxe ocean view and is just steps from the beach. Guests may play tennis, relax in a Jacuzzi, and swim in the two pools that are on site. Two beautiful golf courses are adjacent to the property. Poipu Beach was recently named America's Best Beach by The Travel Channel, ranking top among 10 "best" beaches selected nationwide. This beach is a series of golden sand crescents, strung together where beach-goers will find snorkeling, swimming, wading, boogie-boarding and surfing. Good March 1 through November 20, 2009.

Personalized Tour of Berlin--Off to Germany soon? Karen Kramer, who played at Stanford (64-65), has been the Director of Stanford in Berlin for 27 years. She is offering a unique chance to see Berlin through her eyes with a one of a kind, three hour tour. Having lived in Berlin since 1970, Karen has seen, first hand, the changes and growth of Berlin. In fact, she is offering a piece of the Berlin Wall, which she can verify is real, because she sledge-hammered it out herself! Tour will include walking and car travel. You get there and Karen will do the rest! Don’t let this extraordinary chance slip away!

Week at Northstar--Enjoy this Northern California resort in this pristine 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo. With a queen bed in the master, two twins in the second bedroom and a fold out couch, this condo can easily sleep 6. Centrally located close to the village and rec center, everything is here for you -- fully equipped kitchen, cable TV, washer and dryer and a wood burning fireplace. Golf, mountain biking, tennis, hiking and fly fishing could all be in your future! A Jacuzzi is in the unit and the property includes a lap pool, hot tub and sauna. This is a pet friendly place, so Fido can be included!

Seat from the 2008 Final Four Bench--Own a piece of Stanford and Women's Basketball history. This chair was part of Stanford's bench at the 2008 Final Four in Tampa!

Hopefully one of these terrific items has your interest--and there is plenty more in all of our categories--check here for details--

Stanford Stuff

Activities

Home and Garden

Sports and Memorabilia

Travel

Wine and Dine

Make sure to check back on the links as we are going to be adding items right up to the day of the Auction. Can't be there, but see something you just MUST have? Check out online bid info here.

Also, be on the lookout for your chance to win a Wii or buy one of our Cardinal Nation T-Shirts.

Hoping to see you all there--remember, great place for Christmas shopping!

Check Auction Page for Updates

2008-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

We have just added a whole bunch of stuff to the auction items listed here for your reviewing pleasure. Check back often as we are adding items regularly. We will soon be adding Stanford items that Amy is getting together--team gear and the like. And yes, it's true, we will have some of last year's fabulous BLACK jerseys!

Check out the Travel page for info on stays at Poipu Beach in Kauai, West Lake Tahoe and PAC-10 destinations.

Wine and Dine will tickle your taste buds with many local restaurants on board again this year. Also--great wines!

Sports features items from legends Martina Navratilova, Steve Young, Sue Bird and more.

Activities features Giants Opening Day tickets (Lincecum!), golf lessons, Giants Club tickets with parking and many more Bay Area attractions.

We ALWAYS have some great Live Auction items and this year will be no different. Already planned is a 2008-09 Season Commemorative Handmade quilt donated by new Stanford parentals Beverly & Alan LaRocque. How special is that?

We hope you are planning to join us and maybe get in a little early Christmas shopping for your favorite Cardinal fan. But if you can't be there, we make it easy for you to place bids anyway--check it out here!

SEE YOU THERE--SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23!

Have something to donate--here's how. Want to volunteer to help out? Contact me at dana.stewart@kaleidescape.com.

Auction is Early This Year!

2008-10-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have chosen Sunday, November 23, as our Auction date. This will be in conjunction with what should be a terrific game against Rutgers! It is just a little earlier than usual--so mark your calendars now. This will give you a chance to do a little early Holiday shopping for your favorite Cardinal fan.

This year's theme is CARDINAL NATION, celebrating the far reach of SWB.

We are ALWAYS looking for donations to make this event successful. Do you have a vacation home or extra wine in your cellar? Got any gift cards hanging around that you aren't going to use? Sports memorabilia? 49er, Sharks, Raiders, Warriors, Giants or A's tickets? We'd love to hear from you! Contact Eileen Roche at
eroche@stanford.edu.

Check back to my blog soon for more info and to the FBC website for a list of available items--we hope to see you there.

It's Wine Time!

2008-09-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that it is almost time to start another season! Weren't we just in Tampa?

There's no better way to get in the spirit for a new season than to attend our annual Wine Tasting Social to be held at Vino Locale in downtown Palo Alto on Sunday, September 14, from 2-5 pm. Here is more info and a signup form.

There will be tons of fun with lots of your Stanford friends on hand along with Coach Tara and her staff to share stories about last year and get some scoop about what is up for the upcoming season. The staff at Vino Locale, located at 431 Kipling Street, goes out of their way to put out a terrific spread along with great local wines.

We will also have a small silent auction, with seats on the Stanford bench up for bid for the Minnesota and Rutgers game. I'm sure we'll have a few other things for you to spend your $$ on, all in support of the Women's Basketball Improvement Fund.

Just to whet your appetite, here are a few pix from previous events--we've always had glorious weather and so much fun it should be illegal! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Fundraising Had a Good Year too!

2008-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

When it comes to teams, we know we have The Best on the Court, but sometimes it is good to give a shout out to one of the Teams Behind the Team--the Fundraising Committee! By any measure, this was our most successful year ever--here is a recap of our results for this season.

WINE TASTING
$ 2,847

TVLAND AUCTION
$41,246

SHOOTaTHON
$21,823

GRAND TOTAL
$65,916

We couldn't do it without the great support of all of the boosters who participate in our Fundraising events. Thank you for opening your hearts and your wallets in support of this wonderful basketball program. We hope that you enjoy attending them as much as we enjoy putting them together!

Oh, yeah, we DO have a ton of fun when we work on our Events. It has been my great pleasure to head up this group for several years now, and you could not find a better bunch to work with. So here's to the Gang!

Anne Alexander
Katrina Bennett
Harriet Benson
Katy Carrell
Joyce Dean
Jennie Greer
Deb Gumbley
Lisa Hocevar
Lynne Klaeveman
Denice Merlo
Donna Ranacatore
Nancy Sabbag
Su Schaffer
Laura Sprague
Jo Sturdivan
Judy Sweeney
Lily Wong

Each member of the committee brings their own special talents to the table and, when put all together, it creates a special brew.

We have the great support of everyone in the Basketball office, which makes our job so much easier. We couldn't do it without the guidance of Coach Amy Tucker, who puts up with so much of our mayhem and foolishness. Then we have the super Eileen Roche to keep us on track and the equally wonderful Dee Dee Zawaydeh to help clean up after us.

Every year brings new challenges and ideas and we are looking forward to another great year next year!

What a Great Ride!

2008-04-22T15:07:00.001-07:00

I am back from Tampa for a couple of weeks now and it has taken all of this time to have the wonderful experience soak in all the way. What a great ride this team took us all on! As I noted in an earlier blog, my plans meant that we were flying during the Maryland game. My frantic fingers on the iPhone got us all excited upon landing and we had the whole United crew whooping it up with us as we disembarked. Tampa was already in a Final Four mood--even at 1 am on a Tuesday morning.

We spent the week in Orlando, doing the Disney thing. Don't let anyone fool you--the most thrilling ride anywhere is the Parking Lot tram during a lightning storm!

We also made sure to eat the new official team sandwich.

Arriving in Tampa, we headed straight to the Arena to get a peek at what was going on. Along the way we encountered what we considered to be a great omen--Whiting Street!

The Arena looked lovely--especially the Big S!

We did some shopping at a merchandise tent across the street from the Arena. We were surrounded by Orange people and UConn fans. We also noticed the Stanford stuff was scarce. As I was checking out, the lady doing the selling whispered, "You Stanford people are the nicest. We hope you win!"

At the same time, all of the Orange people were on our side, hoping that we would beat UConn. The UConn folks looked at us sideways. The LSU gang commiserated with us and hoped we would meet in the final game.

Hoop City was a great way to pass the time before the first game. It is put on each year at the Final Four to showcase various elements of the Women's game and provide some fun activities--like pictures with the Championship trophy.

I caught up with a familiar face there, not knowing she would be there in person, too!

We ran into the Appels while we were there and it made us especially happy to hear that the team was relaxed and ready. We couldn't say the same for ourselves--we were nervous and excited! Finally it was time to get together with like-minded people for the team sendoff.

The team hotel was a beautiful spot and there was a great sand sculpture in the lobby to greet us.

Let the party begin!

We ran into an old friend, Evon Asforis. For those of you who don't know Evon, she was a great Stanford center in the late 80's. She was over the moon that Tara invited her to speak to the team before they left and was thrilled that anyone remembered her!

Then the team started to trickle towards the bus--in a driving rain storm. The crowd whipped into a frenzy!

I hung back in the lobby area so got to see the team closely as they came downstairs-and even slapped hands with Mel and Candice as they headed out. OK, now I was STOKED!

The rain continued and was monumental--7 inches was measured in parts of Tampa. We had planned a nice walk to the Arena, but managed to hitch a ride on a small bus and stayed dry. As we moved to our seats, we saw the whole team gathered in a circle on their bench--I was struck at how cool it was that they were taking in the moment all together. I later read that Vanessa had reminded them to do that.

The next couple of hours are a blur. One of the most amazing things was that the Stanford Band was selected to play the National Anthem! I didn't know it at the time, but they had won the Battle of the Bands at Hoop City--so they earned the right and did a great job. Then the team intros--

And the game was on! We all know the happy conclusion--the energy in the stands was electric and I hope anyone not there could feel it through the tube. Everytime the lead was threatened, Stanford stepped up. It was great and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

Now, what to do until the final game? Well, Tampa had done a great thing of designating Channelside Bay Plaza as a meeting place for all of the fans.

Each team was assigned a restaurant and we got the very best one--Tinitapa's. They even renamed the place for the week--TARATAPA's--and put out a great T-shirt in honor of the team. This was THE HARD TO GET item of the tournament--the best I could do was get a picture of the back.

I had to settle for my own Tshirt--note the colors on the one being bitten. Yes, Stanford was once again a Big Dog!

Tinitapa's had great food and margaritas, not that I would know. They also went out of their way to be extra nice to us.

A marquee at the UConn restaurant hyped the big battle--

One thing we noticed as we enjoyed our afternoon--the Orange people were no longer our friends! And let me tell you, there are millions of them and who knew there were so many Orange clothing and accessory options? They all sort of looked at us askance. The UConners, on the other hand, were now our best friends. "Please win tonight, ok?" LSU stayed true to us, wishing us nothing but good luck.

You can imagine how we felt when we saw the Orange people talking to the band that was playing in the square and moments later, they played "Rocky Top". We left.

Another sendoff was in order--this time in glorious sunshine.

We met Vern, our favorite cheerleader--

--and the Tree!

The next few hours were a blur just like the Semi-final night. There was a bunch of stuff going on outside the Arena before the game, including a band that played *gulp* "Rocky Top". I was beginning to see a trend. I had on my Tree hat so was the official explainer of why is the Tree the Stanford mascot. It was wearing me out so we headed to our seats.

Kara and Stacy were in the house--

and Tara got her props--

But the energy was different. The team seemed sluggish and so did we. Just as we started to get going, something bad would happen. Like they played "Rocky Top" again. I swear, if I never hear that song again, it will be too soon! When I saw this fellow at the top of our section, I knew we were doomed.

We know the final outcome--a great opportunity lost, perhaps? It is easy to think that any time a team is so close to a championship. But I cannot look back without remembering all of the pure joy (sorry, Tara) that came out of this season. The great wins (Rutgers, Tennessee, Baylor, Utah, Cal, ASU), the terrific individual performances, the winning team chemistry, two disappointing losses in LA that propelled the team to running the table all the way to the championship game--it was all good. Only one team is happy at the end of the year, so we can be a little sad, but also realize we are happier than everyone else. I don't know about you but I CAN'T WAIT for next year!

Holy cow!

2008-04-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Florida! I am officially banned from United Airlines for whooping it up immediately upon arrival--thank goodness for my iPhone! When I saw 98 points come up, I thought it was a triple OT game! The weather is hot and humid, so bring your shorts, sunscreen and Stanford gear and get on down to Tampa!

Fear of Flying

2008-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Am I scared to fly? Nope. Am I scared to be flying to Florida while Stanford is playing in the Regional Final on Monday night? Absolutely! WHAT WAS I THINKING when I made reservations many months ago? *sigh* We're off to Orlando tomorrow and, later in the week, to Tampa. Planning to meet up with our team there! The plane ride will be pretty squirmy, wondering what is going on in Spokane. I'm sure we will be the first ones off the plane upon arrival and straight to a TV set to get the GOOD NEWS!

Hope to see a whole bunch of you there!

Mascot Mania and More

2008-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it. Nobody loves a good mascot more than I do. I bow at the alter of the Phillie Phanatic. I lament the demise of the San Diego Chicken. I squeal at the sight of the Oregon Duck.

So the NCAAs at Maples was a treat, not just because of the great basketball, but because of the appearance of Big Red, the Hilltopper from Western Kentucky. I have been captivated by that thing since the 1992 Final Four, but have never been in the same Arena since.

It got me to thinking--what is it? Google failed to give much of an answer--just this: Big Red was born in 1979 and was the brainchild of a WKU student named Ralph Carey. Rather than have a Hilltopper costume (anyone associated with WKU is a Hilltopper because the campus sits on a hill), it plays off of the primary WKU color. Legendary basketball coach E.A. Diddle was famous for waving a red towel on the bench during games.

Other sites are not so generous on the origin, suggesting that Big Red is the love child of the Kool Aid Kid and Oscar the Grouch, but that did not deter my excitement when the little blob hit the floor. I spent a lot more time watching BR's antics than I did the game.

At which point, Judy says to me "we're going to get our picture taken with it." A shudder went up my back. This always happens and I hate it. I feel like a real goober trying to get access to the mascot involved and then trying to get someone to take the picture. I crab, I complain, I say my phone's battery is running out--nothing works, though, once Judy has her mind set.

So we waited until halftime and struck when BR came back after what I presume was a potty break. "Oh, Mr. Hilltopper, Mr. Hilltopper. Can we have a picture?" Can you believe two grown women acting in such a manner? The little thing turned and acted delighted, well, I think it was delighted--how can you tell? One of the cheerleaders was more than happy to take the photo and we managed to get done before a security guard could scurry us away.

I know I said I hate it, I hate it, but now that I have it, I love it!

Emboldened by our success, Judy set her sights on Monday night. I put my foot down firmly--NO OSKI!--but was pursuaded to pose with the Father of our Country--it seemed like the patriotic thing to do.

George was happy to pose (I think)and our Eileen was passing by and took the photo. There were no signs of wooden teeth and GW smelled good--a real oddity in Mascotville. When I asked him about the upcoming election, he just smiled--oh, wait, he always looks like that.

What could have been better than all this?

Oh, just a little thing called Stanford Basketball! Speaking of legendary characters, I am ready to add Candice Wiggins to Mount Rushmore right now! How often do we hope for a storybook game, wanting everything to be glorious because it is some sort of last time? And how often does it ever happen? Hardly ever, but Monday night was a rare night where the stars aligned and Candice delivered. As terrific as Jayne's performance was on Saturday (heck, she might have gone for
50 had she been in longer), Candice's night was one for the permanent memory bank. I always thought that the fact that Ted Williams hit a home run in his last major league at bat was just the perfect way for him to exit Fenway Park, but I think, for me, CW surpassed that with her last game at Maples.

And kudos to Tara for leaving her in a little longer than she might normally, just so that we could have a few more gasp-worthy moments. I suspect that Coach was reveling in the moment herself.

There is a great quote--"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Anyone who was there will remember those breathless moments for a very long time.

Shootathon Results

2008-03-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to recap the Shootathon that was held last Sunday. A great time was had by all! First up was the team shooting for pledges and the good news was that both Mel and Michelle were able to participate! Here are the results-

Ashley 240
Candice 255
Cissy 238
Hannah 257
Jayne 261
Jeannette 255
Jillian 263
JJ 276
Kayla 258
Mel 227
Michelle 273
Morgan 264
Ros 232

If you sent in a pledge form, you will receive a recap of the $$ that you need to send in. If you didn't pledge, there is still time! Just send in this form along with your donation.

Next up was the 3 point shooting contest. Each player went through preliminary rounds until the final 2 were determined--Candice and Morgan. The winner was--
MORGAN!

All of the players then took half court shots until one was made. Many close calls took place including an Appel rim out, but finally HANNAH drained one.

The fans were able to participate in these events by buying raffle tickets and selecting who they thought would win the contests. Two lucky fans got a great prize--a picture with the entire team!

We wrapped up the day with a silent auction that raised over $500 and a tour of the locker room. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Special thanks to Lynne Klaevemann and Nancy Sabbag for pulling the event together and to the scorers and helpers that made the event run smoothly. When we get a recap of the total amount raised, I will pass it along.

I hope everyone is planning on heating up Maples this weekend. Time to clear out some old bad kharma and we can help make it happen. Wear your Cardinal and scream real loud!

Shootathon!

2008-03-05T10:52:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you are all reved up for the PAC 10 tournament--I know I am. This will be our last rodeo in San Jose so we need to go out with a BANG! Remember that we need to make the Arena into Maples South, so let's get rowdy!

For the fundraising committee, our next event is coming up on Sunday, March 16--The Shootathon! This is our 2nd biggest fundraiser of the year, so we hope you will join in by pledging and attending. Lynne Klaeveman and Nancy Sabbag are doing a terrific job in putting this event together.

How does it work? You select the player(s) that you want to support with your pledge amount. Each player will take 200 shots with a maximum total of 300 points awarded. Players receive 2 points for a made outside shot (200 possible points) and 1 point for a lay-up (100 possible points). So as an example, if you pledge $1.00 per point and your player scores 245, your donation will be $245. Easy stuff! You will be notified after the event of the amount due for your pledges.

The event will begin at 1 pm with the players shooting for their pledges. While that is going on, we will be selling raffle tickets for the 3 point shooting contest. You pick the winning class and you will have a chance to win a picture of you with the entire team! A once in a lifetime opportunity with this terrific group that we have this year. In addition, the Locker Room will be open for tours, so you can see some of the results of our past fundraising. As Tara notes in her letter to the FBC--

Many of our recent fund raising efforts have been focused on our state of the art locker room. With your generous support in the past, we have been able to make our facility more comfortable and more tech-savvy - a place where our players are happy to be on a daily basis. I cannot underestimate how much great facilities enhance the entire college experience while helping Stanford recruit at a very high level.

I am happy to announce that along with the regular shooting and 3 point contest that we hold on Shootathon Day, we will also be opening the locker room for tours so that you can all see the benefits of your generous support. We have recently added a mural celebrating our rich history, which I think you will all enjoy.

We hope that you can join us for a fun day, but, if you can't, remember that you can pledge anyway--and we hope that you will. We will have pledge forms available at the PAC 10 tournament reception and be glad to take them from you any time during the tournament--find Lynne, Nancy or me anytime!

You can find the pledge form here. We hope that you'll participate in any way that you can and that the nets are on FIRE so we maximize the pledges!

Watching from Home

2008-02-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

I had planned to go to Cal to see the game live, but a series of mishaps and conflicts kept me from getting up there in time. Thank goodness for television!

Watching a game from home sure is a whole different experience. In many ways, the game does not translate as well on the tube and surely the crowd noise is at a whole different level. There were many times when Haas sounded dead quiet--but I can't believe that was true!

Now, as far as personal behavior is concerned, that is a whole different story. Being in the home setting sets free all of those inhibitions that might cause one to hold ones tongue in public. For example, I yelled incessantly at the screen when Coach Boyle's mother (who has become quite the FSN darling) was on air for a full time out. "Where's Tara's mom? We never see her!", I bellowed. (of course, she probably wasn't there, but I didn't say I was logical)

Of course, having TiVO is a whole different issue. Sometimes plays are watched over and over to PROVE that the refs are wrong--so much so that the game is way over before I have finished watching. This gives me the urge to skip to the end, but I never do!

Then there was that steal by Candice towards the end of the game. I jumped up so fast that I got light headed and had to sit quietly for a minute or two. TiVO allowed me to pause so I missed nothing! Much better than in person when you're watching something else and miss something good!

And my poor dogs. Moos (named for Carolyn) the poodle looks at me in his haute couture way with eyes that say "You have lost your mind!" Bodie (named for Clare) the miniature schnauzer takes the direct approach and runs upstairs to hide.

So I think the best thing is for me to just make sure to get to games. It's better for my health, my dogs' health and the safety of my TV set!

Think Pink!

2008-02-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

The game Saturday with ASU is a big one indeed--and not just for the obvious PAC-10 standings implications and Senior Day celebration. It is Think Pink Day at Maples.

The "Think Pink" initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The movement is to honor the inspiration of NC State head coach Kay Yow, who has battled the disease with grace and courage since 1987.

I have never met Coach Yow, but had a great close encounter with her in Cleveland last year at the Final Four. We had just parked our car in a garage and were looking over at the Arena, when we looked down and who was there but Coach Yow! She happened to look up at the same time and we gave her the thumbs up and snapped this picture--

Her story is inspiring as are those of many others. Many of us have lost loved ones to various forms of cancer and the fight must go on. Think about throwing on a pink thing or two when you come to the game on Saturday to honor all that are fighting on a daily basis!

Great Auction Results!!

2008-02-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed the great postgame event after the UCLA game, I wanted to fill you in on how we did at the Auction! We have collected to date $40,886--a new record high for us! We are still taking care of a few loose ends and are confident that the total will finish just slightly above $42,000! How spectacular is that?

Many, many thanks to EVERYONE involved--from volunteers to donors to bidders to buyers--each is a contributor to an event like this one! We hope we can count on you all again next year!

Coming up next is the Shootathon--pledge sheets will be available soon. Plan now to join us on Sunday, March 16.

On a personal note, I just want to congratulate Dave and Marian Cortesi for receiving the Margie Santillan Fan Spirit award. Having worked with both of them over the years, I can attest to their true commitment to SWBB! Marian and I have worked very closely this year on the Website and her work is impeccible! KUDOS!

Some Auction Leftovers!

2008-01-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

I know, I know--it has been almost a whole month since the Auction and we haven't reported back on how we did. With the Holidays and all, we just haven't been able to put it all together to give a final amount. But be rest assured that the event was successful!

One thing that is holding us up is that we still have some leftover items that we are hoping that you will be interested in. If you are interested in any of the items below, please email me at dstewart@LGCWireless.com.
Please let me know what your bid is, starting with the minimum noted. If you are the high bidder, I will get back in touch with you and we can make arrangements for payment and pickup. This auction will end Sunday, January 20 at midnight.

#32 Lunch with Kate at Jimmy V's
Maximum group size is 10
Value: priceless
Min Bid: $200

#36 Breakfast with Amy at Jimmy V's
Maximum group size is 10
Value: priceless
Min Bid: $250

#59 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Four Family Gallery Passes
Info Here
Value: $112
Min Bid: $40

#65 Sheldon of Los Altos
Studio Photography sessions plus one 8x10 exp 7/1/08
Info Here
Value $250
Min Bid: $90

#82 Katie Smith Detroit Shock Jersey Blue signed w/ Letter of Authenticity
Value: priceless
Min Bid: $40

#85 Ms Fit Boot Camp --one month (12 sessions) Jan thru May 2008
Info Here
Value: $240
Min Bid: $90

#100 Week at Northstar! 2br, 1 bath newly remodeled Condo good May-Oct 2008
Enjoy this Northern California resort in this pristine 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo. With a queen bed in the master, two twins in the second bedroom and a fold out couch, this condo can easily sleep 6. Centrally located close to the village and rec center, everything is here for you. Golf, mountain biking, tennis, hiking and fly fishing could all be in your future! A Jacuzzi is in the unit and the property includes a lap pool, hot tub and sauna. This is a pet friendly place, so Fido can be included! Donated by June Thompson. More info here
Value: $1,269
Min Bid: $550

#169 Olive Harvest Getaway
Experience a very special Wine Country getaway by bidding high on this item. Drive up Saturday and enjoy a one-night stay at Kingfisher Lakefront cottage at the Bell Haven Resort on Clear Lake in Kelseyville. This 1940's inspired cottage sleeps 6, has a beach, a dock for your boat, full rec room and kitchen as well as free wireless. On Sunday, you will be the guest of Lou Ann and Nancy for the 2008 olive harvest at the 16-acre Hill Creek Ranch, helping in the hand picking of 48 Tuscan-variety, 8-foot trees. The Ranch is 8 miles from the Kingfisher Cottage. After your hard work, you will be treated to a Harvest lunch with wine at the ranch. Ask Lily Wong how much fun it is - she did it in 2007 and said, "It was fun, clean and a nice social event and yummy food! The olive trees are short and line the driveway so very easy to pick and it is only picked on one day out of the year!" Bidders will have to be flexible as the Olive harvesting will be Sunday of either the last weekend of October or 1st weekend of November, depending on the weather conditions for the olive maturity. Weekend will be determined by donor. Olives can only go to press Mon - Fri, so they have to be picked on Sunday. An additional night's stay is available for $100, and a refundable security deposit of $150 is required. Donated by Lou Ann Bauer & Nancy Yost. Good for 2008 only. More info here and here.
Value: $600
Min Bid: $300

#195 Spokane Doubletree Traditional Guest Room 2 night stay 2/29 through 3/2, 2008
for Pac 10 trip to Pullman
Info Here
Value: $318
Min Bid: $100

#210 Drue Kataoka Print of Jennifer Azzi, autographed
Info Here
Value: Priceless
Min Bid: $40

#220 Custom Fitness--Consultation, evaluation, 2 personal training sessions
Custom Fitness, located on Castro Street in Mountain View, is a unique training studio designed for everyone from the young business professional to the active older adult. This is the perfect package to get your New Year regime under way! Included are a fitness consultation and evaluation, 2 personal training sessions Donated by Dale Dunlap of Custom Fitness. Good for new customers only and must be used in 2008.
Info Here
Value: $200
Min Bid: $80

#240 Stanford Boys Basketball Day Camp for 2008
You choose from one of two available sessions-June 16-19 or July 5-8. Sessions are held at Maples Pavilion. For ages 7-15. More info Here
Value: $390
Min Bid: $200

#242 Nate Clements Laser Autographed Football
Info Here
Value: $50
Min Bid: $20

#251 Barnett Accounting Services 2 available
$250 towards a single tax prep and filing for 2008
Info Here
Value: $250
Min Bid: $75

#266 Riviera Comedy Club Mardi Gras Show, tix for two exp 12/30/08
Info Here
Value: $50
Min Bid: $20

Remember, this auction will end Sunday, January 20 at midnight.

Please help us out if you can by purchasing these last few items. Then we can close the books and give the final reporting!

Oh, How I Hate.........

2008-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

I was watching a TV show yesterday morning about songwriters and they were talking about Irving Berlin and his favorite song--"Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning". His daughter said that he never sang her a lullaby, he sang this song instead.

So, this morning, it was stuck in my head--with a few different words.

"Oh How I Hate to Go to Work after Stanford Loses!"

I try very hard not to wear my Stanford heart on my sleeve, just because of this. But somehow, it always slips out and people here know what a fan I am. So this morning, I could barely sit down before the parade to my cubicle began.

"What happened to Stanford this weekend?"

(How the heck do I know?!)

"It's OK to lose to Arizona and stuff, but not to those LA schools."

(Thanks for your compassion!)

"Wow, they're really gonna drop in the Polls!"

(I don't care! Go away!)

"Were they all sick or something?"

(Not as sick as I am of you!)

"Boy, Cal is going to beat them now."

(Let me make a note of that)

"Are you ok?"

(I will be as soon as you leave me alone!)

I'm sure my co-workers mean well, but they didn't talk to me when Stanford beat Tennessee, so why after these tough losses? Just to irritate me, I'm sure.

Us veteran's of fandom all know it is part of the game--the ups,the downs and the all arounds. Sure, we hate to see our girls lose, but losses during the season don't mean a thing once the "3rd Season"--the NCAA tournament--begins. Those are the losses that really hurt.....and a very good reason to call in sick the next day!

Sometimes losses are good, we hear, even though we'd rather learn lessons some other way. So, here's hoping that this is the wake up call needed, for as Berlin wrote--

For the hardest blow of all is to hear the bugler call:
'You've got to get up, you've got to get up,
You've got to get up this morning!'"

700

2008-01-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

I used to be a good bowler. Whenever I had over 700 for a 3 game series, that was considered REALLY good. But heck, it only took me 3 hours to do that, not 28 seasons.

700 is a REALLY BIG number.

Consider this--

--1 win every day for almost all of 2 years would total 700

--700 venti lattes at Starbucks would cost over $3000

--Brett Favre is considered the mark of NFL Football toughness because he has started 253 straight games--he'd have to play about 27 more seasons to hit 700, at which time he would be 65

--only 3 players in MLB history have hit over 700 home runs

--this pumpkin weighs 700 pounds--

--if you flew cross country 700 times (SFO-JFK), you would log 1,810,200 miles
--if you ate 700 Big Macs, you would ingest 378,000 calories

--you would need to drive nearly 11 hours at 65 mph to go 700 miles

--if you are special, you have a winning percentage in the high 700s

--if you are special, you win a whole bunch of games with the constant devotion of your players, coaches and boosters

--if you are special, you can take a year off and still make 700, not even counting the 60 games you won that year (without a loss)

Tara--special. Yep, that works. Glad I've been around to see so much of it!

Better than a Pony!

2007-12-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

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!