Things I Remember And Why

I don't know why I remember the things that I do. For example, why do I remember the day in first grade when I learned the difference between "then" and "than"? I don't know, but the fact is that I do remember it. I remember it like it was yesterday. My teacher, Mrs. Wright, asked a girl in our class to come to the front and stand next to her. I remember this very clearly. The girl's name was Heather. I remember one day a boy in our class who was a Jehovah's Witness brought in some piece of woodwork he made and he gave it to Heather. (That was a tangent only to illustrate further the level of detail of the useless things I remember.) So Heather, who was three feet five inches tall, stood next to Mrs. Wright, who was seven feet two inches tall. Mrs. Wright then explained that she was taller "than" Heather. Boom. It's been in my brain since that day in 1984. I remember going to a place later that day near the school where a bunch of people lived. There must have been eight or nine of us. There was an older, bigger gentleman we all called dad. Man, how do I keep all these things in my brain?

WNBA Madness

How would you respond to this question? What level of men's basketball team would compete equally with a WNBA team?

While watching the NCAA tournament this week we were discussing this very question among ourselves and couldn't reach an agreement. We decided to put our friends and family on the case. These are their (anonymous) responses:

I think I'd put a good WNBA team at about an okay NCAA division A men's basketball team. Not a Duke, but not a San Jose State either.

_________

That is a difficult difficult question to answer, but here's my best response. Of course, my response is contingent on you telling me who said what.

There's no way that WNBA players can compete with an NBA team, not even the worst team. They're also going to have difficulty competing with D-I NCAA men's teams (my guess would be that 30 out of the 64 teams who make the NCAA playoffs could beat a WNBA team 6 out of 10 times).

Most WNBA teams are too big and too fast for your average high school team, so this is my final answer. They can compete with JUCO teams with good success (app. .700-.800 winning percentage) and with lower-tiered D-I teams with less success (app. 300-.450 winning percentage). They can cream most high school teams (.950 winning percentage) and would perform horribly against the top 30 D-1 teams (.200 winning percentage). Zero percent chance of winning against an NBA team.

_________

I have no idea, but i am on your side!

_________

The middle of a mid-major college basketball conference, but that's still pretty good.

_________

A good high school team - - meaning a state champion-caliber team with a solid 6'8" center and a couple of college-worthy players - - would likely compete equally with a WNBA team. The next notch up would be junior colleges and division II schools and most of these would likely dominate in the WNBA. Beyond that, if the WNBA champions played in division I college, they may get a win or two against a Podunk State but would never make the NCAA tournament. If they did make it to the tournament, however, I would not pick them to win against any other team in the bracket ... except for possibly Duke.

_________

Priest's church ball. We used to play in our church gym all the time, and [name withheld...we're keeping this totally anonymous, DK.] came and played with us a bunch, she ended up being a first round draft pick in the WNBA, so I am guessing we all would have been able to be similar picks since there was no one there who couldn't defend her or score at will on her.

_________

High school, probably JV. I remember being on the practice squad against the UVSC womens team. Now they are not the NBA but we were just a bunch of gym rats. We dominated them from the start. I will give them credit, they know how to throw a mean elbow.

_________

Gaithersburg High School level! No elaboration needed -- the athletic ability of the women of the WNBA make them easy to guard and score on -- if a HS team had as much time to dedicate to practice, they would be equal if not better!!!

_________

Well, I don't really know. I think that men in the NBA are obviously stronger but I think that the women could give them a run for their money. There are a lot of talented female basketball players and can run and shoot just as good as men. I think the problem would be the physical strength of men vs. women. I do think that the WNBA could beat most men's college basketball teams. I hope this helps!!!

_________

I just now got this. I would think an NBA team???

_________

At best a high school Varsity team that is all white.

_________

You're asking me about sports? With my limited insight I would have to say college level.

_________

In terms of quality, a good WNBA team might make it through a couple of rounds of the NCAA tournament. Maybe even a final four for a couple of teams... If what I have said is not helpful to your cause just delete and ignore. : )

_________

A good High School boys team should be able to take a WNBA team. Although the women would have much better fundamentals and knowledge of the game, a high school boys team would be far too athletically superior, too quick, and too strong for a WNBA team. Not necessarily any boys team, but probably like a state champ.

_________

The WNBA is equal to Men's college level basketball, for many reasons. male b-ball players are faster, smarter, jump higher, have quicker and better ball control, additional talents........and so on. I also think that from there it goes down as well W-college with M-highschool. I think that it is awesome that women have their own league but men are just better ball players.

But what ever you said I am behind you 100%

So maybe that didn't help clear up the issue, but it was fun. Of course the correct answer is a high school junior varsity team.

QUILT CITY, USA

I would like to give a shout out to all the people I know who've ever lived in Paducah, Kentucky. Actually, my grandparents are the only people I know from P-town. But, since I've been there before (most memorably when I drove to (and from) Utah to Tennessee in one weekend to visit a boyfriend) and because I have now done a little research, I will give you some highlights.

Paducah is a city in McCracken (no joke) County, Kentucky at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers. The population was 26,307 at the 2000 census. On April 25, 1991, the American Quilter's Society located its Museum in downtown Paducah. Each spring, during the Dogwood season, quilt enthusiasts from all over the world flock to Paducah for the Society's annual event. The Quilt Show is one of city's largest events of the year and draws large revenue in tourism. Hotels for miles around the city fill up months in advance of the show.

During the American Civil War on September 6, 1861, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant captured Paducah, which gave the Union control of the mouth of the Tennessee River. Throughout most of the war, US Colonel Stephen G. Hicks was in charge of Paducah and massive Union supply depots and dock facilities for the gunboats and supply ships that supported Federal forces along the Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee River systems.

On March 25, 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (Forrest Gump's great, great...-grandfather) raided Paducah as part of his campaign Northward from Mississippi into Western Tennessee and Kentucky to re-supply the Confederate forces in the region with recruits, ammunition, medical supplies, horses and mules and to generally upset the Union domination of the regions south of the Ohio river. The raid was successful in terms of the re-supply effort and in intimidating the Union, but Forrest returned south.

Later, Forrest, having read in the newspapers that 140 fine horses had escaped the raid, sent Brigadier General Abraham Buford back to Paducah, to get the horses and to keep Union forces busy there while he attacked Fort Pillow.

On April 14, 1864 Buford's men found the horses hidden in a foundry as the newspapers reported. Buford rejoined Forrest with the spoils, leaving the Union in control of Paducah until the end of the War.

AND, in 1937, the Ohio River at Paducah rose above its 50-foot flood stage on January 21, cresting at 60.8 feet on February 2 and receding again to 50-feet on February 15. For nearly three weeks, 27,000 residents were forced to flee to stay with friends and relatives in higher ground in McCracken (it's seriously not a joke - I looked it up) County or in other counties.

I feel confident it should be in that book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. "Grab your quilting frames, kids, we're off to Paducah!"

Source: www.wikipedia.org

FYI

If you're ever at the golf course and you're warming up, at the driving range, say, and someone working at the course comes over to tell you that you're up next and also mentions that "it's 90 degrees today," the correct response is NOT "Yeah it's a beautiful day." This should be especially clear when it's about 40 degrees and windy.

"After World War II, Mules Fell on Hard Times"

WARNING: Extreme Violence and Awesomeness



I was going to do an entire post about mules but then I found this video of Clint Eastwood from...some western he was in. In lieu of the mule post I'll leave you with a link to the Wikipedia article on mules (from whence the title of this post came).

I love me some Johnny Cash!

This has to be one of the most awesome things I've ever seen (not the picture, the link).

And, did you know that Rocky Top isn't the official University of Tennessee fight song? It's actually a song called Down the Field. Who knew? I bet Crystal did.