WNBA Play-Offs, Cubs End the Season, Tour of Austin Books & Comics

Aces into the Semi-Finals

If you're not watching the WNBA Play-Offs, you're missing some amazing basketball.  

It's not entirely a shock that the play-offs are going how they are.  The final 8 teams that made the playoffs were all very evenly matched, stats-wise.  Whatever happened between last season and this season to spread the talent around the W paid off.

New York, an 8 seed, knocked out #1 seed, Minnesota Lynx in just two games in the first round (sorry, Jilly).  The veteran leadership on the Liberty seemed to really pay off, and despite looking like a juggernaut most of the regular season, in the last three weeks before the play-offs, the Lynx suddenly looked sluggish.  No idea what happened, but I bet coach Cheryl Reeves was losing her mind.

Dallas and Golden State played into OT, with Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale scoring something like 45 points entirely on her own as they won with 108 points.   I was expecting Golden State to just put them to bed, and not so much.

Maybe more obvious was Atlanta taking the Mystics out in two games - the Atlanta Dream may well be in the Finals.  That is a team that has just improved all season.

It's not a secret that I'm a fan of many teams in the WNBA, but I have a hard time not being an Aces fan foremost.  I know, it's like going all in on the Lakers in the 80's or the Bulls during Jordan and Pippin's era, but here we are.  I am in awe of A'ja and Co.  

On Thursday night, the Las Vegas Aces knocked out the Indiana Fever and advanced to the Semi-Finals.  

Fever's Kelsey Mitchell is a phenom and a pro.  But if you want the worst fans in the league, look no further than the Fever fanbase.  Casual racism, no understanding of the game, fury that the refs don't just hand them a win every game...  and constantly online when they aren't hurling slurs from the stands.  The fact that Russian Bots are a part of the pro-Fever chatter is a sign of something.

And, yes, in Game 2 there was an incident where one of the Fever's notoriously obnoxious fans started coming at A'ja Wilson, but all the cameras mostly got was A'ja not taking the abusive behavior, and now the Fever fans are howling like the dumbs they are that A'ja should have been ejected.  Again, just the absolute worst people.  Embarrassing for Indiana.  

Here's hoping Kelsey Mitchell packs her bags and moves somewhere that will appreciate her.

Game 3 between Las Vegas and the Indiana Fever was hard fought.  Wilson still managed 36 points and 10 rebounds.  She also adjusted to the Fever's traditionally lackluster defense that had decided to just play like maniacs, and she drew them into foul after foul (and they kept rising to the bait).  To the shock of the Fever, the refs were not handing them every foul they wanted.

And, look, I do think the whistle was friendly to the Aces here. But, also, if you watched the Fever all season (and I did) they spend half their time chirping at the refs.  Every play that doesn't go their way, they're in the refs' collective grills.  Karma's a real bastard.

But now we have a great game scheduled for tonight between the Wings and Valkyries, and I really think you should tune in.  Both teams are phenomenal.  But only Dallas has my basketball girlfriend, Alysha Clark.

Honestly - no idea where this is all going for the rest of the play-offs.

Cubs Do Not Show Up for the Post-Season

I didn't even finish watching Game 2 of the Cubs' Wildcard series with the San Diego Padres.  Padres looked like a play-offs-ready team and the Cubs looked like guys who had never seen a bat before.  One run in 18 innings.

I kind of knew they wouldn't win in the Wild Card round as they were slumping all September, but...  man.  You always hope.

So, they're out.  

I am now cheering the Brewers and White Sox, and I don't know myself anymore.  I will also cheer the Braves in a pinch, I suppose.  I am sorry, Howard.  I cannot pull for the Dodgers at this juncture.

Still, I had *fun* this season watching the Cubs, and that's really the point.  I try not to let my overall mood and disposition get affected by sports, but I think the Cubs gave us a show for most of the season - just not enough to play through October.  And the Cubs merely existing generally buoys my disposition.

Here's hoping there's a 2027 full season.

But maybe, Cubs, next year...?  Don't get trashed at 6:00 PM when you have a flight and then a double-header in a fall storm the next day.

Video of Austin Books

Here's a fun video (with some VERY dramatic music) as a guy tours my local comic book shop, Austin Books and Comics.  If you want to know why I'm poor, this might tell you why.

By the way, this is just one of the three stores.  Next door is an art and art-toy store, and around the corner is a games shoppe and further down is the back-issue store which is only open on weekends.