Lobo Women Win Last Night...Tribune Writer Stevens Already Sounds Bored

NOB HILL--I have followed Lobo basketball for 30 years. About 5 or 10 years ago, I started buying season tickets to the women's team. It was more fun to watch, and I liked the players and coaches better. Richard Stevens has been covering the women's team for much of this time.

In fact, I think the women basically resurrected his writing career. His usually jaded style showed a little more excitement for the game. Many local sports fans thought Stevens should have left with his favorite target Gary Colson. Actually his sports writing has become more interesting since he started covering the Lady Lobos...usually.

Not in today's Tribune. I was so disheartened by the prospect of having to read that tired prose for the next 4 months that I wrote him a letter. Here it is.

Richard,

You sound tired already! And the story you wrote for today could have been written for any game on the season ticket...pretty uninspired. My opinion of the "three things" you talked about is that you missed the point. Here are the SALIENT 3 items you should have mentioned (or highlighted).

1. This was an exhibition game. Nobody worried about winning it. 10 players played over 10 minutes each for the Lobos. The object was to notice how each player did.
2. The "big splash" was Brandi Kimball. The Lobos needed more speed in the backcourt and she is it.
3. There has been MAJOR improvement in several cases from last season: Timi Enunnu's play, Dionne Marsh's freethrows, Judy Vogt looks stronger...heftier.

So let's not get so absolutely unenthused! It is going to be a long season. Listening to someone who is already whining ("least-inspired defenders...probably need to do all season...it would be nice..." etc.) is hard to do.

Best wishes,

Jon Knudsen

Was I too hard on him? And then the fuzzy photo that accompanied the article didn't even illustrate anything in Steven's story. It showed two players he didn't even mention. So I am putting up a couple of shots I took from up in the extremely cheap seats behind two real tall guys.

At least the first shot shows that even though a crowd of over 8000 was announced, it didn't look like it. And the second shot shows the "Subway Sub of the Game" Brandi Kimball dishing the ball out to a teammate. Even though she was not the high scorer, she was the big story last night...it was a breakout performance.

Season tickets are still available for about a hundred bucks.