It's Santa Again

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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!