Never mind.
The pure agony of coming so close to your goal and simply falling short at the very end was on the minds of each women's basketball player on the ride back home to Contra Costa College on Friday night. With some, you could tell more than others, but as a team, the pure disappointment from Friday's one-point loss to Yuba showed in a big way.
You can't really fault the Comets though, as they've had a great season, especially in the Bay Valley Conference as they lost only two conference games all year. Those two games, however, just happened to be against Yuba and the co-BVC champion Solano Falcons. Both losses came by only one point. But in both games, Yuba and Solano were able to expose the biggest flaw that plagued the Comets all throughout the season - their size. A lack of size and another physical presence in the paint to be exact. Freshman forward Kandy Stewart plays strong down low but she is only one player. When facing teams like Yuba who have three legit post players who can rebound and score in the paint, and when your starting lineup is comprised of three guards and two forwards, CCC is sure to have difficulties.
For the most part, however, CCC was able to shut down Yuba's bigs in the first half, but all slowly went downhill toward the end of the first half and into the second half. You could just feel the game slowly turn in the second half, and the injury to Stewart pretty much iced CCC's hopes.
I wrote my last blog on the excitement about the possibility of a playoff game for CCC. I wasn't aware, however, of the standings and how the tiebreaker was to be determined. Unfortunately, with the Yuba loss, CCC's playoff hopes have nearly vanished. The tiebreaker automatically goes to Solano, despite the two teams splitting its two matchups this season. It turns out that Solano receives the tiebreaker because it defeated Yuba twice this season, while the Comets split with Yuba after Friday night. Solano gets an automatic playoff berth while CCC will likely be left out of the playoff picture, which might not be the worst thing for this team. Despite its great record, CCC did lose to the third place and co-first place teams in Yuba and Solan respectively. If it had trouble with those two teams, how would CCC fare against bigger teams in the playoffs?
The Comets could end up benefitting from the heartbreak that came with the conclusion of this season. All but two players on this year's roster are freshman, and most key players, like Stewart, K.K. Martin, Zenaia Hunt and Aleah Bridges should return next season. The return of standout guard Savannah Stewart, who redshirted this year to join the Police Academy, should bring some added depth to the team next year as well. And with a strong recruiting class, the Comets can be even better next season.
Perhaps the strongest intangible this team has, however, will be that it has something to prove come next season. Each player has something to prove, and it's hard to bet against a team that's on a mission. So for now, the possibility of a playoff game may have just disappeared, but fast forward to a year from now and we might be telling a much different story.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Playoff excitement
Tomorrow, the women's basketball team will play its final game of the season at Yuba College, who is currently the third-ranked team in the Bay Valley Conference. After winning last night at Napa Valley College, the Comets have clinched at the very least, a tie for the BVC title, as Solano Community College remains one game behind Contra Costa College in second place. Yuba has a chance to play spoiler tomorrow night and force a tie if Solano can win tomorrow night against Los Medanos College, but it will all be determined tomorrow.
With a victory tomorrow, however, CCC can essentially clinch its conference and earn a spot in the playoffs, which is something I am anxious to see. Rarely do we go to a road game as far away as Yuba, but the fact that its the final game of the season, along with the magnitude the game entails, makes it a game we MUST travel to and cover. Not since the women's basketball squad of 2007 has a Comet athletic team reached the playoffs.
And no matter what anyone thinks, I actually ENJOY covering a successful team and watching my school succeed, because at CCC, let's face it, we don't exactly have the best reputation with people that don't attend classes here. Anytime we are successful at ANYTHING, we must celebrate it and we must take pride in it. My only regret is the game isn't being played at home, because a game of this magnitude for CCC should be in front of the home fans. Meaningful games are hard to come by at CCC, and I've witnessed about zero in my two years here.
Hopefully, if CCC can win against Yuba, there will be at least one more home game this season, but this time, in the playoffs. Bottom line, I am looking forward to a good basketball game tomorrow night between two of the top teams in the BVC. It'll be interesting to see how CCC comes out as they control their own destiny tomorrow night.
With a victory tomorrow, however, CCC can essentially clinch its conference and earn a spot in the playoffs, which is something I am anxious to see. Rarely do we go to a road game as far away as Yuba, but the fact that its the final game of the season, along with the magnitude the game entails, makes it a game we MUST travel to and cover. Not since the women's basketball squad of 2007 has a Comet athletic team reached the playoffs.
And no matter what anyone thinks, I actually ENJOY covering a successful team and watching my school succeed, because at CCC, let's face it, we don't exactly have the best reputation with people that don't attend classes here. Anytime we are successful at ANYTHING, we must celebrate it and we must take pride in it. My only regret is the game isn't being played at home, because a game of this magnitude for CCC should be in front of the home fans. Meaningful games are hard to come by at CCC, and I've witnessed about zero in my two years here.
Hopefully, if CCC can win against Yuba, there will be at least one more home game this season, but this time, in the playoffs. Bottom line, I am looking forward to a good basketball game tomorrow night between two of the top teams in the BVC. It'll be interesting to see how CCC comes out as they control their own destiny tomorrow night.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The A-Rod Saga
I lost nearly all respect for Alex Rodriguez last Saturday morning when I found out about his alleged positive steroid tests from 2003. I couldn't help but be completely shocked at the story that flashed on the Bottom Line of ESPN and the stories that headlined Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com. I couldn't believe that baseball's only hope for a clean future and clean representative for the hallowed home run record was going to be tainted forever. I took a moment to think about it and realized that Rodriguez was no different from Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa and countless other big-name players who succumbed to temptation. They all merely did it out of greed, which makes this entire steroid saga more sad and disappointing.
How can players this talented and this proven in the sport they have all played since they were kids take steroids? Why would they take these drugs when they have already established Hall of Fame credentials? Simply put, they wanted more. Bonds was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but became jealous of McGwire and Sosa's home run chase in 1998 and decided to turn his already amazing career, into a phenomenal one.
Rodriguez said he took steroids to prove that he deserved the massive $252 million contract he received from the Texas Rangers in 2001. In Texas, Rodriguez elevated his game to an unreal status, hitting 52, 57 and 47 home runs in his three seasons with the Rangers. Prior to that, he never hit more than 42 home runs in a season, but his career was already taking a turn toward superstardom. His numbers were the envy of nearly the entire league. My problem with Rodriguez's explanation is why wouldn't he simply let his play on the field do the talking. At the time, he was already considered to be a frontrunner to break Hank Aaron's home run record by the end of his career.
Why jeopardize that by taking performance-enhancing drugs that could prove detrimental to your health and career when you're only 26 years old with the rest of your career ahead of you? It still doesn't make sense to me. And it still disappoints, knowing that several accomplished athletes who have all the talent in the world, still feel the need to take shortcuts.
Earlier this week, I saw a poll on ESPN.com that asked whether you would take steroids if it guaranteed you the $252 million contract that Rodriguez received in 2001. Overwhelmingly, 62 percent of the public voted 'Yes.' Apparently, people didn't stop and think about the ramifications that Rodriguez is currently facing in light of his positive test. His reputation is undoubtedly tarnished, he will be booed at every stadium, perhaps even Yankee stadium, he travels to this season and perhaps even future seasons to come, his Hall of Fame status is now in question, he will now join Bonds, McGwire and Clemens as the poster children of this entire 'steroid era' in baseball and he'll have to answer questions about it his entire life. He'll be known as a liar, a cheater and he has lost the most basic right that all professional athletes want.
Respect.
Personally, a tarnished career and a dark cloud hanging over you for the rest of your career is not worth $252 million, but once those dollar signs and zeros appear, all judgment is cast aside, which is why these athletes continue to use performance-enhancing drugs, and why 62 percent of voters said 'Yes' to the ESPN.com poll question.
How can players this talented and this proven in the sport they have all played since they were kids take steroids? Why would they take these drugs when they have already established Hall of Fame credentials? Simply put, they wanted more. Bonds was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but became jealous of McGwire and Sosa's home run chase in 1998 and decided to turn his already amazing career, into a phenomenal one.
Rodriguez said he took steroids to prove that he deserved the massive $252 million contract he received from the Texas Rangers in 2001. In Texas, Rodriguez elevated his game to an unreal status, hitting 52, 57 and 47 home runs in his three seasons with the Rangers. Prior to that, he never hit more than 42 home runs in a season, but his career was already taking a turn toward superstardom. His numbers were the envy of nearly the entire league. My problem with Rodriguez's explanation is why wouldn't he simply let his play on the field do the talking. At the time, he was already considered to be a frontrunner to break Hank Aaron's home run record by the end of his career.
Why jeopardize that by taking performance-enhancing drugs that could prove detrimental to your health and career when you're only 26 years old with the rest of your career ahead of you? It still doesn't make sense to me. And it still disappoints, knowing that several accomplished athletes who have all the talent in the world, still feel the need to take shortcuts.
Earlier this week, I saw a poll on ESPN.com that asked whether you would take steroids if it guaranteed you the $252 million contract that Rodriguez received in 2001. Overwhelmingly, 62 percent of the public voted 'Yes.' Apparently, people didn't stop and think about the ramifications that Rodriguez is currently facing in light of his positive test. His reputation is undoubtedly tarnished, he will be booed at every stadium, perhaps even Yankee stadium, he travels to this season and perhaps even future seasons to come, his Hall of Fame status is now in question, he will now join Bonds, McGwire and Clemens as the poster children of this entire 'steroid era' in baseball and he'll have to answer questions about it his entire life. He'll be known as a liar, a cheater and he has lost the most basic right that all professional athletes want.
Respect.
Personally, a tarnished career and a dark cloud hanging over you for the rest of your career is not worth $252 million, but once those dollar signs and zeros appear, all judgment is cast aside, which is why these athletes continue to use performance-enhancing drugs, and why 62 percent of voters said 'Yes' to the ESPN.com poll question.
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