I wrote a story today about Kelly Curran, a 2006 La Cueva grad who was the lone Albuquerque athlete invited to represent the United States in the Chianti Goodwill Games Softball Tournament in San Casciano, Italy, Aug. 7-16.
She has to pay her own way for the trip, but she's eager to do it because there are fewer and fewer opportunities for softball players to play at the international level. USA softball will make its last stand at the Bejing Olympics, then the IOC will drop the sport.
Softball, like soccer, is pretty big Albuquerque, but the women's pro teams have struggled.
The U.S. professional women's soccer league folded despite the unprecendented following the women's soccer garnered with the United States winning the 1999 World Cup.
The WNBA is celebrating it's 10th anniversary, but it's doubtful the league would have survived without the NBA as a partner. The league is inching closer to turning a profit, which surely would have sunk the enterprise were it not for deep pockets backing it up.
It's a touchy subject, but can women's sports be successful at the pro level?

Posted by ilimon at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote a story for today's paper about Georonika Jackson, the latest addition to the Lobos' lineup.
Now that I have more background on Georonika, I can finally answer Wendell's question about the way the changes affect next year's team.

Let's start with the departures.
On one hand, it hurts because it's not easy to recover from losing three players in your program. On the other, they all got limited minutes last season and weren't major factors in the program's recent success.
Based on my knowledge of the team, here's why I think they left. Wande Olude has had some nagging knee and back injuries since she got here. She looked good in spurts but would run out of steam within two minutes. Ultimately, she could not compete at this level.
I wrote about Lindsay Black's severe back injury last month. I think she would have preferred to stick with the program but struggled immensely physically and emotionally with her back injury.
I think Rachel Majewski's reason for leaving is both injury- and playing-time related. She wanted to see more minutes and believes in her shot, which is impressive, but was critized by coach Don Flanagan for not playing defense. Her foot injury sidelined her for quite awhile and left her in a ton of pain. Technically she could have played and practiced more than she did, but she decided the pain was unbearable. Flanagan saw people like Katie Montgomery and Abbie Letz battling through comparable or worse pain and seemed to get frustrated Rachel wasn't willing to give more of herself. He didn't need her to play in more games, but with so many injured players it was essential to have her in practice to keep her teammates from getting hurt or getting even more worn out. I think they reached an impasse on both issues, and Rachel decided it was time to go.
Lindsay and Rachel could have developed into solid guards, but the Lobos already had depth at that position. The biggest depth problem is at center, but I never really expected Wande to step up and carry a heavy load there, so I don't see her departure as a major blow.
I would guess the Lobos would start incoming freshman Amy Beggin at point, Katie Montgomery at the two (shooting guard), Julie Briody or Brandi Kimble at the three (small forward), Dionne Marsh at the four (forward) and Angela Hartill at the five (center). The first people off the bench will be Julie or Brandi, Timi E-Nunu at forward or center and Valerie Kast at center.
Flanagan hesitates to put a lot of pressure on Beggin, but there's no doubt in my mind he sees her starting and plans on taking advantage of Katie's 3-point shooting potential by shifting her to the two. He told me if it works, it would be like having two points guards ready to handle pressure and start the offense in any situation.
The wild cards will be guard/small forward Christian Shelter, point/shooting guard Georonika Jackson and guard/small forward Eileen Weissman. Center Morgan Saso is slow on defense and a little awkward on the court, so she'll have to continue working hard to carve out any playing time.
I think the biggest problem the Lobos will continue to face is low-post defense. Dionne is a prolific scorer but not the greatest defender. Jana Francis had to step in a big way last year to help the team handle some of its gaps in the paint. Lindsey Arndt masked the low-post problems two years ago. Next year's guards are solid, so the biggest question is whether Angela and Valerie will be able to step up.
What do you think? How will all the roster changes affect the Lobos?

Posted by ilimon at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I talked with future Lobo Georonika Jackson and her high school coach for a story that is slated to run in Thursday's Tribune.
She was a little harder to track down than most recruits thanks to the her late signing, which landed really close to the end of the school year, and her unusual first name.
I was stumped for awhile that a Lobo recruit would have absolutely nothing written about her, especially one so close to Houston with massive preps coverage offered by the Houston Chronicle.
Then I spelled her name the way it sounds, dropping the first "o," and the flood gates opened.
I figured UNM must have spelled her name wrong on the news release announcing her signing, but it turns out reporters have been spelling Georonika's name wrong the entire time she was a four-year starter for Class 5-A Elkins High.
I'll do my best not to make the same mistake.
So, check out Thursday's Trib for our long-overdue first profile of Georonika Jackson.

Posted by ilimon at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ex-Lobo Hank Baskett was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Billy McMullen. Baskett signed a free-agent contract when he didn't get drafted and attended the Vikings' rookie mini-camp last weekend.
Baskett faces some young but challenging competition battling for a spot on the Eagles' final roster.
Here's a story about the trade from the Philadelphia Eagles Web site.

Posted by ilimon at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three players left the University of New Mexico women's basketball team and a recruit signed a letter of intent to the play for the Lobos next season.
Junior forward Wande Olude and sophomore guard Lindsay Black cited severe physical ailments for their departure. Freshman guard Rachel Majewski is leaving for personal reasons, according to a UNM news release.
The trio were rarely-used reserves, with Black logging the most playing time by appearing in 31 games. Olude played in 19 games and Majewski appeared in 16 games.
Georonika Jackson, a 5-foot-11 guard from Elkins High in Sugar Land, Texas, signed a letter of intent to play for the Lobos next season.
"We've had some players who just physically couldn't keep up anymore, so they had to make some tough decisions," UNM coach Don Flanagan said today.
Jackson averaged 12.5, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and two blocks per game in her senior season with the Knights. Her team posted a 30-6 record in Texas' Class 5A competition.
Flanagan called Jackson a versatile and athletic defender who can play the point or shooting guard positions.
Black and Majewski were released from their scholarships, with Black expected to transfer to a Division II school in Colorado if she can recover from nerve damage in her back.
Olude will retain her scholarship and complete her senior year to earn her degree at UNM. Flanagan declined to comment on her injury but did say it had been a problem since her freshman year.
Check out the evening edition of the Tribune for more details.

Posted by ilimon at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It started ugly, every bit a sloppy exhibition game.
But the Connecticut Sun and Sacramento Monarchs put together a dazzling final five minutes in The Pit Tuesday night.
The Monarchs mounted a 12-4 run to take their first lead of the with 34 seconds left in the pre-season game designed to help the WNBA broaden its fan base and allow rookies fight for roster spots to be decided by Saturday.
Former Utah standout Kim Smith played a major role in the rally, hitting a 3-pointer that started the run, made a key steal and dished out one assist.
"I can't believe I've finally got two wins in The Pit," Smith said, referring to an NCAA regional win and Tuesday's victory. Her Utes never beat the Lobos in Albuquerque during her tenure.
Smith finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 24 minutes.
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba led the Monarchs with 16 points, while Yolanda Griffith added 10 points.
The Sun's Nykesha Sales led all scorers with 19 points, and teammate Asjha Jones chipped in 14 points.
The game opened on a positive note for Smith and Cisti Greenwalt, a Clovis standout and Texas Tech grad. The duo have logged college careers as Pit villains but got loud cheers from a friendly announced crowd of 6,392 that Monarchs coach John Whisenant said treated his team like Lobos.
"It was really nice," Greenwalt said. "It's great to be accepted again."
Check out Wednesday's Tribune for more coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There are rumors afoot about major roster changes within the UNM women's basketball program.
Word on the message boards is that Rachel Majewski, Lindsay Black and Wande Olude won't be with the program next year.
I talked with Lobos coach Don Flanagan, and he confirmed there will be roster changes but he won't announce them until Friday, which marks the conclusion of the finals week and the end of UNM's spring semester.
"I promised I wouldn't say anything official until then," he said.
Flanagan added, "There will be some changes, including an addition."
He declined to say the number of players leaving or being added to next year's roster.
The Lobos had one scholarship left to give, a number that would grow with each departure if the athletes actually leave school and are released from their scholarship.
In Olude's case, she could conceivably stay and use her scholarship for her senior without hurting the program because it will have so many scholarships available so late in the recruiting season.
Check out tomorrow's Tribune for more updates and feel free to share your thoughts on the potential changes in the comments section.

Posted by ilimon at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sacramento Monarchs coach and general manager John Whisenant answered some pre-WNBA game questions, including Dionne Marsh's pro potential and Jordan Adams' chances of making it in the league. I know he has New Mexico ties, but he was really knowledgable about Dionne (including that she graduated Flower Mound High in Texas ... not one of the first stats you memorize). Here's the Whisenant story.
And while we're praising Dionne, school officials announced today she was invited to try out for the USA Basketball Junior National Team. Coach Don Flanagan was thrilled with the recognition and the level of competition she will be facing later this month. Here's UNM's news release with the all the details.
I'll update my blog with a recap for those who can't make it to tonight's WNBA game, so check back here later.

Posted by ilimon at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I covered the Isotopes on Friday and the most unbelievable thing happened.
Larry Trujillo, who won a free car in a drawing last year when an Isotopes player hit a grand slam in the third inning, won another car Friday when an Isotopes player hit a grand slam in the third inning. Here's the story I wrote about him, and oh yea, the Isotopes win.
I want his luck.
I don't know what the odds are of that happening twice, but he says he'll keep entering the drawing and go for the hat trick.
Crazy. Just crazy.
And here's a great follow-up story by ESPN The Magazine on Kelly Calabrese, a member of the Padres' training staff chastised by ignorant Mets broadcaster and former player Keith Hernandez for being in the clubhouse. He argued women just don't belong there and later half-heartedly apologized.
Many sports have broken down the gender barrier, but major league baseball is arguably the least accepting. I know it takes some thick skin to swoop into any male locker room after a game for interviews, so it has to be all the tougher to work in that uncomfortable space full time.

Posted by ilimon at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TCU's leading scorer Natasha Lacy is transferring from TCU to UTEP. Here's the Miners' press release on Lacy.

Although I don't cover them directly, I saw signs of trouble brewing with Lacy during the 2005-06 women's basketball season. She inexplicably didn't start the game before the TCU took on the Lobos in The Pit. She started against New Mexico and coach Jeff Mittie didn't say anything about why he opted to bench Lacy. I didn't explore it too much because my focus at the time really was the Lobos, and she had led the team in scoring during the game she came off the bench.
Then came the much bigger alarms, when Lacy did not play for TCU in the NCAA Tournament for personal reasons. I never really saw anyone explain exactly what happened.
Now she's headed back to El Paso, where was born and raised by her mom Lacy's dad died when she was 8 years old. The move also will put Lacy closer to a sister who lives in Albuquerque.
Lacy is extremely talented but she always has been a bit of wild card.
She jumped from El Paso's Andress to Montwood High, a move rumored to be spurred by lack of playing time. Lacy answered questions about her attitude by displaying tremendous talent on the court and excelling for three seasons on Montwood's varsity girls basketball team.
Lacy told the El Paso Times she didn't plan on staying at TCU and opted for UTEP because she was homesick. Here's the Times' article on Lacy's decision.
It will be interesting to see what the next chapter of her basketball life brings. Of course, she will have to sit out one season under transfer rules before we find out whether she can translate talent into sustained success.

Posted by ilimon at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I never got to meet Bill Weeks, but he sounds like an awesome guy. He was arguably the most successful coach in the history of University of New Mexico football. Weeks died Tuesday at the age of 76.
Here's the obit I wrote about him in today's paper. I'll post information about funeral arrangements and a memorial service being planned by the Lobo Club as soon as it's available.
Feel free to share your thoughts about Weeks in the comments section.

Posted by ilimon at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a lot of spin out there about free-agent contracts, but there's a big difference betweent the worlds Ryan Cook and all the other Lobos fighting for spots on NFL rosters are about to enter.
Here's a story I wrote for today's Trib about the gap in pay and job security facing the Lobos gunning for free-agent contracts.
I was one of many people who were surprised more Lobos weren't drafted. But Mike Mohoric's agent, Bert Briones, wasn't shocked. He pointed out at least six New Mexico players have shots of making NFL rosters.
"That's a pretty good showing for players from a middle of the road conference on a team with a middle of the road record," Briones said.
What do you think? Did the Lobos get a fair shake in the draft?

Posted by ilimon at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For some reason, only one of two stories I wrote about the Lobos new offensive coordinator Bob Toledo got posted on our Web site last week. So here's the text of it in case you missed it.

His love of coaching brought Toledo back into the trenches

By Iliana Limon
Bob Toledo's prolific offense once made him a very big fish in college football's most elite pond.
So how does a coach with a rock star r‚sum‚ find himself playing second fiddle at the University of New Mexico?
"Miami," Toledo says ruefully.
It can all be traced to one turning-point game, the moment his career shifted from untouchable man on the rise to untouchable man marooned on a golf course.
Toledo took over the UCLA Bruins program in 1996 and quickly became a star in Westwood, a coach who made a basketball school care about football.
His team made mincemeat of rival USC and rattled off 20 straight wins until a fateful showdown with unranked Miami in December 1998.
"It was a hurricane and the beginning of the end," Toledo said.
Future NFL star Edgerrin James posted the best game of his young career and led the Hurricanes to a 49-45 win that knocked UCLA out of contention for a national championship.
Toledo can still rattle off some painful stats, including 35 missed tackles, that harpooned the Bruins' dream season.
He also endured the first of many off-the-field spats that would distract fans and players from the game he wanted to take center stage.
Numerous UCLA players, black and white, wanted to wear armbands in support of those fighting the elimination of affirmative action in California's higher education system.
Toledo was irked when former sprinter Tommy Smith, who is famous for raising his arm in protest of the mistreatment of blacks in America during a medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, spoke with the team about the power of making a political statement in a high-profile, nationally broadcast game.
"I just didn't feel like the football field was a place to make those kinds of political statements," said Toledo, whose family is originally from Spain. "I was with them and against ending affirmative action. I would have marched all over campus with them to prove it, but this wasn't the place to bring it up.
"I don't think that cost us the game. It may have been a distraction, but that's not why we missed all those tackles."
A sense of defeat and disappointment, however, infiltrated the Bruins program, which fell on hard times amid heightened fan expectations.
Toledo's players started piling up off-the-field indiscretions, including assault charges, drinking-related violations and misappropriation of handicapped parking passes.
"I think we rebounded and had a young team in my last year that did very well, but the perception that our program was struggling was all that mattered," Toledo said.
UCLA Athletics Director Dan Guerrero took over in 2002 and put an end to the Toledo show, telling the coach he wanted his own people to lead the football program.
"He listened to the negative stuff on talk radio and on the Internet, which is something you absolutely cannot do," Toledo said.
He applied for other jobs in the three years that followed, but schools that once would have traded anything to have him wouldn't return his calls, he said.
Toledo was eager to get back in the game when UNM head football coach Rocky Long, during the offseason, offered him a chance to run the Lobos' offense.
"I knew since I was a kid that I wanted to coach because I loved sports, and I love being around people," he said.
"I coached a Pop Warner team while I was in college because I loved teaching so much. That's really why I'm here. This isn't a steppingstone for a big comeback. I just want to share everything I know about the game with young players and coaches."
Despite some dark days at UCLA, Toledo said he still hasn't lost his aggressive touch on offense or ability to connect with fans.
"You have to be true to yourself," he said. "One of the biggest things I've learned is that you can't listen to anyone else because the negativity and second-guessing out there can only bring you down. Play the game your way and whatever happens, happens."

And here's the link to the other Bob Toledo story that did get posted on our Web site in case you're curious about that one now too.

Posted by ilimon at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ex-Lobo Mike Mohoric is signing a free-agent contract with the San Diego Chargers and former Lobo Marcus Parker will attend the Detroit Lions' mini-camp this weekend. Parker is hoping to get a deal following mini-camp. Check out tomorrow's Tribune for more details.
You can also check out today's story on the draft for details on Hank Baskett, DonTrell Moore, Ryan Cook and Terrance Pennington.

Posted by ilimon at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)