World Cup review: The week *before* Brandi got famous

  It was during this week 10 years ago that we were all building toward the “dream” final of the 1999 Women’s World Cup: USA vs. China at a sold-out Rose Bowl.

  The semifinals had been at Stanford Stadium on July 4, and that was an incredible day. Briana Scurry was brilliant in goal, and so I wrote in my story for the Kansas City Star: 

Revisiting Teasley’s recent thoughts is rather eerie

   A few weeks ago, I chatted with Atlanta guard Nikki Teasley about coming back to the WNBA after missing last season on maternity leave.

  One  of the things we discussed was how surprised she was that fellow North Carolina graduate Ivory Latta had been cut from the team before the season began.

Taurasi incident is disappointing

   A few years ago, I was chatting with my editor at ESPN.com about the drinking issue in the WNBA, and how long it might be before someone really prominent got in trouble because of it.

   I guess I’m surprised it hadn’t happened until this week, when Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi was cited for DUI after the Mercury’s game Wednesday against Seattle.

Seven straight: Fever still on fire

  Coach Lin Dunn’s response to her Indiana Fever’s franchise-record seven-game winning streak was about what you might expect _ if you’ve ever heard much of Lin Dunn.

   “I don’t keep up with records,” she said. “Well, whoop-de-do. Way to go.”

    Personally, I thought this Fever effort – a 67-53 win over Connecticut on Thursday – deserved more than a “whoop-de-do.” Maybe a “yee-haw” or something. Hey, I drove all the way from Kansas City to see it, so that’s at least worth a yee-haw, right? The Fever is atop the Eastern Conference and its 7-2 record is the best in the WNBA. 

Storm vs. Mercury just has that panache

   If someone gave you only these facts _ the Seattle Storm had five players score in double figures but still lost _ you would almost certainly guess correctly, “Well, the Storm must have been playing Phoenix.”

  Such was the case Wednesday night, when the Mercury and the Storm met up in Arizona in one of those games that makes it worthwhile for you to sit in front of your laptop for a couple of hours to watch. The Merc won 93-81, and there’s not time during this particular matchup when you’re not aware how much star power is on the court.

Hey, Dream! Wake up and foul somebody!

  You know all those times you’ll be watching a basketball game and it’s out of reach, but the losing team is still fouling? And you’re thinking, “Good grief, give it up! It’s over. We’d all like to go home sometime tonight.”

   Well, Tuesday’s 91-85 Minnesota victory over Atlanta was NOT one of those times. In fact, it was just the opposite. I imagine a lot of viewers were like me, sitting there watching this game end and saying, “What the hell just happened?”

One for the ‘Angels’

  Accomplished academics have written about how “Charlie’s Angels” – “jiggle” television that it was – has its place in feminist history, pop-culture division.

   I’m not an accomplished academic _ or any kind of academic _  just someone who’s watched an inordinate amount of 1970s television. So what I offer here, in tribute to the passing of Farrah Fawcett, are a few thoughts about “Charlie’s Angels” and the concept of teamwork. 

   When “Charlie’s Angels” debuted in 1976, there really had never been a television show quite like it. Three women who were, obviously by choice, devoted to their careers and not married. Nor were they even the slighest bit worried about that. They were in a dangerous profession, but they never seemed too concerned about that either. 

   We’d seen women on TV shows as competent, smart and brave police officers/detectives/spies before “Charlie’s Angels.” But they were always paired with at least one man; think Mrs. Peel of “The Avengers” or 99 from “Get Smart” or Pepper Anderson of “Police Woman.”

  What made “Charlie’s Angels” SO different was that it was three women working together – and they really liked each other. The characters were all youthful and beautiful, but they never exhibited jealousy or competitiveness toward each other.  When one was in trouble, the other two were going to do everything possible to get her out of it. Even if it meant risking of their own lives.

   Had a television series ever presented this kind of friendship between women before? I really don’t think it had.

Keep on throwing and catching, Jody

   Today is the 37th anniversary of Title IX being signed into law by Richard Nixon. As anniversaries go, No. 37 isn’t necessarily very notable, but still worth mentioning.

  In “honor” of that important date – June 23, 1972 _ I was trying to think of something a little different to write in this blog entry. And from some vault in my brain came this: Give John Davidson his comeuppance.

  OK, not exactly him. His character from a 1970s TV show. I’ll explain.

Decisions, decisions at 21 … and beyond

  In a recent conversation with a new acquaintance, the name “Crematia Mortem” came up. I can’t remember just how, but it did, much to my delight.

  She was the “ghostess” of the Creature Feature on Saturday nights during the 1980s on a Kansas City television station. Crematia was played by Roberta Solomon, a very talented radio/TV personality in KC . She would introduce each week’s dreadful horror film, plus make comments/do skits going into and coming back from the commercials.

    The show had a bargain-basement budget, but Crematia had such a clever, campy sense of humor that she made cheesy seem classy. I loved the character, and if anyone in my presence had made the mistake of calling her the Midwest’s Elvira, I would have growled that Elvira couldn’t carry Crematia’s candelabrum.

Soccer fever: Was it really a decade ago?

  It was June 19, 1999, and that ‘N Sync song was playing again. And again. And one more time.

  I didn’t really know anything about ‘N Sync except that a curly-haired kid named Justin was the lead singer. And I only knew this because I’d seen it on magazine covers at grocery stores. 

 But on the field down below me at Giants Stadium was ‘N Sync, rehearsing for a performance later that day. I didn’t know any of their songs, but this particular one was being embedded into my brain by repetition.

 “It’s tearin’ up my heart when I’m with you …”

  It was hours before the United States’ opening match of the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, but many of us sportswriters were already there in the press box. We had been told the place would be packed, so we’d better not risk getting stuck in traffic.

  Instead, we risked getting an ‘N Sync song stuck in our heads.