A Banner Day for Phoenix Sports

Yesterday, the ASU women's hoops team played at Chase Field with the dome open and got rained out. A rain-out at a basketball game! They stopped the game at half-time, with the Lady Devils up by 15 or so. There were over 8,000 fans and players in windbreakers.

No, that's not it.

The Suns set a franchise record 15-game win streak today. Somewhere, Sir Charles is very sad.

No, that's not it.

Quickly, before I go much farther. Everyone, make sure to vote for AI for an Eastern All-Star. Let's just see what happens.

The game of the week occurred in our very own Washed-Up World Cup. Enbraz USA faced off against the Pyros earlier tonight. Enbraz had no subsitutes and was missing its team captian due to food posioning (most likely sabotage by the Pyros). But then again, he's really only the captain because he has everyone's email address; but we missed him!

Pyros also had a full second line to match up against the battered and depleted Enbraz team. Enbraz was also missing one of its leading scorers due to an injury from last week's match.

Early in the first half, about 4 minutes in, Enbraz' star defenseman, JK-1, was maliciously boarded. For the rest of the night, he could not put much weight on his right leg due to a twisted knee. Stay tuned for MRI reports in the morning. Knowing that his team needed him, JK-1 refused to stop playing.

Enbraz went down 3-0, but refused to stop playing. JK-1, hobbling on one leg, played stellar defense, saving two goals right off the line.

By halftime, the score was 4-3. JK-1 continued to struggle, infuriating several Pyros players in a Raja Bell like manner. One frustrated Pyro went so far as to do the chest-bump-thingy and exclaim that JK-1 was "all over him!" JK-1 calmly replied, "You're just pissed because I took the ball away and then dribbled around you on one leg."

With three minutes left in the match and the score tied 5-5, JK-1 decided it was time to make his move. After dispossessing a Pyro at midfield, JK-1 sent a through pass to his striker and ran to the open spot in a classic give-and-go manuever. The pass was too strong and into the corner. Drat the inferior passing skills of JK-1's teammates!

Chasing the ball into the corner as fast as his disabled leg would take him, JK-1 regained possession of the ball and carried it back to the middle of the attacking third -- right into two defensemen! With a clever shoulder drop, followed by a fake shot (kind of like a deke, for you hockey fans), he split the two defenders. With precious little time to spare, he scanned the goal to ascertain the goaltender's position.

Fortunately, the goaltender was out of position! Instead of coverin the near post, he was smack in the middle of the goal. "Fool!" thought JK-1. JK-1 leaned heavy on his left (plant) foot as if to go far post, but put left-english on the ball to curve it into the near post. Gooooooaaaaaallllll!!!

Victory.

Now, at m wife's suggestion, I plan to take about two weeks off to rehab my aching knee.