2022 Postseason

Seems like a long time ago that UP was in the WNIT, but it was just two weeks ago that they lost to OSU, and today, South Dakota St. was crowned the WNIT champs.

I watched some of the final, but it was not very exciting as the Jackrabbits outplayed Seton Hall, 82-50.
I scratched my head   when I learned SDSU was in the final, but after a review of their season, IMO, they should have been in the NCAA Tournament.

They were 17-1 in Summit League play but lost at South Dakota in the league championship game.

With a NET 36 coming into the WNIT, SDSU played all six of their games at home, beating Ohio, Minnesota, Drake, Alabama, and finally UCLA before defeating Seton Hall.

Pretty impressive turnout for the game today with over 5200 in attendance at a school with over 11,000 students.

DoubleDipper wrote:I watched some of the final.

Besides the lopsided score, the reason I did not watch a lot of the game is because I was only briefly in the Sports Bra where there were a number of TV screens featuring other women playing various sports.

Yes, I meant to write bra, not bar.  My curiosity was piqued when I heard about the new bar that shows only women's sports on the telly at 2512 N.E. Broadway.

No, I was not the only man in the bar, but I will admit it seemed there were more tattoos per capita than in the T-Room, for example.

I don't think you can see the TV screens from the green picnic tables outside the bar, but it is a great place to watch the world go by.  I was told the tables were built by Girls Build, a great organization where young women learn to be fearless about hammering...started by a UP grad, and once staffed by Mrs. DD, and there was an "official" sign outside The Sports Bra stating minors were allowed by the OLCC.

Honestly, it was a fun atmosphere worth checking out...I stayed only briefly because I am not much of a 2 o'clock in the afternoon drinker.  

DoubleDipper wrote:Yes, I meant to write bra, not bar.  My curiosity was piqued when I heard about the new bar that shows only women's sports on the telly at 2512 N.E. Broadway.

They must have read your post in Australia...



In the rest of the news, someone is going to have to explain cricket too me...

DoubleDipper wrote:I don't think you can see the TV screens from the green picnic tables outside the bar, but it is a great place to watch the world go by.

Turns out you can see a few of the screens from outside...

I failed to mention, there is a University of Portland banner/flag on the wall. As I recall, it was next to a OL (Seattle) Reign flag...which seems appropriate for a women's sports bar.

StudentPilot wrote:In the rest of the news, someone is going to have to explain cricket too me...

Well, as the Aussie TV program indicated, first-off, cricket is no longer just for men as it appeared to be back when I played the game 40 years ago.

You can learn much more about the game than you'll ever retain from this explanation by Purdue University: https://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/hosking/cricket/explanation.htm#:~:text=%20An%20Explanation%20of%20Cricket%20%201%20Contents.,flat%20grass%2C%20ranging%20in%20size%20from...%20More%20

As a better than average baseball player back in the day, I found cricket much more nuanced and difficult to play.  I eventually became "proficient," but I knew I had been living in the UK too long (8 years) when I not only enjoyed cricket, but also began to understand cricket.

Really nice comeback by UCONN last night in the NCAA Tournament Championship game but the Huskies just couldn't sustain it, losing to South Carolina, 64-49.  I believe it was the first time UCONN has lost a NCAA Tournament final.

South Carolina is good...very, very good!

My bracket had South Carolina to win it all, and I actually came within 1-point of predicting the final score (I predicted USC's opponent would be Stanford   ), but 18 others in the 59-person bracket challenge also had USC, and I finished outside the Top-10.

DoubleDipper wrote:

StudentPilot wrote:In the rest of the news, someone is going to have to explain cricket too me...

Well, as the Aussie TV program indicated, first-off, cricket is no longer just for men as it appeared to be back when I played the game 40 years ago.

You can learn much more about the game than you'll ever retain from this explanation by Purdue University: https://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/hosking/cricket/explanation.htm#:~:text=%20An%20Explanation%20of%20Cricket%20%201%20Contents.,flat%20grass%2C%20ranging%20in%20size%20from...%20More%20

As a better than average baseball player back in the day, I found cricket much more nuanced and difficult to play.  I eventually became "proficient," but I knew I had been living in the UK too long (8 years) when I not only enjoyed cricket, but also began to understand cricket.

You might then be interested to know that Emma represented her state in cricket. Her school won a state girls schools tournament to be the representing Western Australian school in the national competition. In a rare occasion of allowing any lower grade sports on the hallowed MCG ground, that is where they played so Emma, unlike many even elite adult crickters that never get to play on that ground, can make claim to have taken wickets and scored runs on the MCG! (not sure what a US equivalent cultural sporting revery that would equate to)... and even won the tournament Spirit of Cricket award (sportsmanship).

However my other daughter Charli, 15, is the real cricketing talent... playing u17 representative outdoor cricket since 13 years old and representing WA at national indoor cricket championships also.

As you say, until recently not traditionally a womens sport, but really took off the past couple of decades and about 6 or so years ago developed standalone girls junior leagues nationally, that didnt exist very widely. Similar to tennis, in Australia it is now a shining light of near pay equity, with women averaging about the same dollar per hour salary equivalent (albeit a shorter playing season). As an example, if I remember correctly even before national team level, at the senior adult national league level (playing for a state pro team) the mens base salary before match payments is i think $135k, and womens $85k. A lot more progressive and near parity than many sports. The governing body is very innovative in linking the pay tv deals of mens and cricket together... over years using the huge value of the mens tv contract to grow minimum number of womens games the tv needed to play wimens games primetime, until both products had their own decent viwerships to actually now have grown the value of the tv rights contract so both are marketable in their own right. The male players union were apparently leasing advoacates for near pay equity in those last negotiations.

Adam wrote: In a rare occasion of allowing any lower grade sports on the hallowed MCG ground, that is where they played so Emma, unlike many even elite adult crickters that never get to play on that ground, can make claim to have taken wickets and scored runs on the MCG! (not sure what a US equivalent cultural sporting revery that would equate to)... and even won the tournament Spirit of Cricket award (sportsmanship).

We don't have an equivalent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) because all the stadiums in the US are regularly torn down and replaced.  The closest equivalent that I can think of is the Rose Bowl in California that was built in the early 1920s, about 70 years after the MCG was built, and with a similar capacity as the MCG.  And like the MCG, the Rose Bowl has been upgraded over the years.

Even venerable Wembley Stadium in London was torn down and replaced about 20 years ago, and it too dated from the '20s. I watched the FA Cup final in Wembley in the late 70s, and thought then that in needed to be replaced, but was surprised it actually happened knowing how the Brits love tradition.
Here in the US, American footballers talk about the hallowed ground of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but it was built in the '50s.

Nice to know Emma played/plays cricket.  I do not know if she mentioned to you that I introduced myself to her at the last game of the season in Corvallis, and now we will have cricket to discuss when I  have a chance to talk to her again.

Despite Adversity, Meek Proud of Pilots' Finish...

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2022/4/11/despite-adversity-meek-proud-of-pilots-finish.aspx

DoubleDipper wrote:

Adam wrote: In a rare occasion of allowing any lower grade sports on the hallowed MCG ground, that is where they played so Emma, unlike many even elite adult crickters that never get to play on that ground, can make claim to have taken wickets and scored runs on the MCG! (not sure what a US equivalent cultural sporting revery that would equate to)... and even won the tournament Spirit of Cricket award (sportsmanship).

We don't have an equivalent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) because all the stadiums in the US are regularly torn down and replaced.  The closest equivalent that I can think of is the Rose Bowl in California that was built in the early 1920s, about 70 years after the MCG was built, and with a similar capacity as the MCG.  And like the MCG, the Rose Bowl has been upgraded over the years

Well, Fenway Park in Boston was built in 1912 and Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1914.
Both have retained their essential character and quirks through several remodels.
I doubt most kids get to play on either.

I cut my teeth on Cricket as a first sport at the Belgrano AC in Argentina, a club founded by Brit Railway workers. My parents Joined for the pool and socialising, but they offered Rugby, tennis, and lawn bowling as sports. I was too small for Rugby and they didn’t allow kids anywhere near the bowl greens, even to watch. So Cricket it was. I think I still have one of my bats in the Geezer sporting archives
Both the cricket and Rugby teams still regularly contribute players to the National sides, even though the railways were nationalized and Brits are the small minority of members now.



The stands on the left were built in 1906 from surplus Railway materials, does that count?

DoubleDipper wrote:Despite Adversity, Meek Proud of Pilots' Finish...

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2022/4/11/despite-adversity-meek-proud-of-pilots-finish.aspx

As nice as it is to read that the coach is pleased with the efforts of the team, that he feels the team is deep and skilled and that he is an optimist for the future, it would have made the article of greater interest had the coach shared with the reader whether he planned on bringing in additional players to help with any perceived deficiencies, beyond those already on board in a sense. It is that time of year. We learn only that coach is "really excited about the players [he] has coming in and the players [he] will bring back." It is noteworthy too that he indicated he intends to move forward with the same or similar approach.

I will resist sharing my personal experience with cricket, however misguided.

Cant believe there are a couple of ex cricketers on here!

Coach Meek is now in Aus scouting the u18 Australian Juinior Champs this week and catching up with some of the players' parents, but just found out he is also stopping by Qld on his way back to the States, for the first day of the u20s, including watching Emma play vs the always dominant Victorian team, just to add a few more nerves for her in her first game in 12 months lol! She cant wait though.