I've got gas

A guy from Centerpoint Energy stopped by my house yesterday to turn off my gas because of non-payment. It wasn't the first time the man has been to my house on business.
After I wrote a rubbery check, I asked the guy for the inside scoop on why gas prices are so high.
He admitted that it's even a problem for folks who work at the gas company. He then told me something I found hard to fathom.
The man said gas stations in Monroe get their fuel supply from Lion Oil in El Dorado. They come to El Dorado to get the fuel, take it back to Monroe and sell it for 10 cents less than it's sold in El Dorado.
How does that happen?
I'm going to tell my editor tomorrow to see if our newspaper will look into this. Hopefully, a dog hasn't swallowed some glue this week and they'll have a reporter available.
• • •
Ouachita Baptist University had its annual athletic banquet Tuesday.
Our very own Marandalynn Parker was given the Coach's Award for women's basketball by Coach Gary Crowder.
She was one of five Lady Tigers to get awards. Gabby Coleman was Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Candise Hurdle won the defensive award and Haley Griffin got the offensive award. Megan Scrivner (former Megan Rogers of Ouachita) won the Jerry Forehand Award.

We want pretty losers

I eagerly turned on ESPN's Sports Reporters this morning. I don't watch the show every week. I get tired of listening to men drool over Tiger Woods, LeBron James and the Yankees and Red Sox.
But, I tuned in today because there was a different sports story that could be discussed. A couple years ago, the sports guys discussed Danica Patrick and how she was all hype and no substance. They said until she won a race, she would never be taken seriously.
Well, late Saturday night in Japan, Patrick won a race. She actually won it in dramatic fashion, passing Helio Castroneves on one of the final laps. In doing so, Patrick became the first woman to win an IRL event.
It's a pretty significant win.
After watching Patrick get bashed, trashed and laughed at for the past two years because she hadn't won a race, I couldn't wait to hear what the Sports Reporters had to say, now.
Well, the topics of discussion included the NBA Playoffs, Major League Baseball, the NFL Draft and, of course, Tiger Woods.
I wasn't shocked. This simply proved something I noticed a long time ago. Female athletes will never be taken seriously by men in this country.
Think about it. When are female athletes discussed on the sports talk shows?
Who is the top female golfer in the world? It's not Michelle Wie, but she's the one most talked about because of her inability to win.
Anna Kournikova was the most famous female athlete ever, partly because of her looks but mostly because she never won a title.
Danica Patrick was called the next Kournikova because of her looks and the fact she hadn't won. Now that she's won, as far as a lot of sports writers are concerned, there's nothing left to talk about.
Female athletes are only discussed for their failures.
Had you heard of Hope Solo before the U.S. women's soccer team lost and she ripped her coach? She was great for two years on the U.S. team and no one cared. Since she got booted from the team and ridiculed on sports talk shows for speaking her mind at last year's World Cup, Solo has been put back on the team and has helped the U.S. qualify for the Olympics.
Of course, no one cares about that. They'll only care when the team loses again and she blows her stack.
My girl Becky Hammon has been a great player with a spotless reputation for years. No one noticed until she because a Russian citizen and said she might play for the enemy in the Olympics. She's now become Public Enemy No. 1 with pages and pages and hundreds of angry comments on ESPN's message boards.
If you're a woman athlete in this country and you want to become well known, you won't do it by being successful. The most famous, most well-paid female athletes are pretty losers. That's just a fact.
Sorry Lorena Ochoa, but being the number one female golfer in the world will only get you second billing behind Michelle Wie. And, if Michelle Wie ever wins a tournament, then no one will care about her any more, either.
As for Danica Patrick, I think it's great that she finally broke through and made history. Unfortunately, she will now be placed on the backburner until the next Baywatch babe picks up a racquet or golf club and finishes 12th.

Hooray for UCA

Camden Fairview coach Ronald Rogers said Thursday that three of his Lady Cardinals have verbally committed to universities and are expected to sign next week. Destinee Rogers and Jasmine Canser are expected to sign with University of Central Arkansas with Brittany Hildreth committing to Henderson State University.
Rogers and Canser won four state championships together, including two at Strong. The opportunity to continue that success at the next level is something special.
"We never thought they would get this opportunity," said Coach Rogers. "We're excited about it. They can end their careers together."
Canser missed most of her senior season with a knee injury.
UCA is a Division I program that competes in the Southland Conference.

On the honor roll

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Strong's Marandalynn Parker was one of six Ouachita Baptist men and women basketball players selected Monday to the All-Gulf South Conference All-Academic Winter Honor Roll.
"I'm real proud of it," said Parker. "You know it's hard to take care of business both in the classroom and on the court. but that's why I'm here, to continue my education. I'm also happy to represent my school and just happy to be recognized for this honor."
Parker is joined by teammates Melissa Richardson, Amy Wood and Lauren Kollmorgen on the women's team.
Tiger juniors Rowan Ledbetter and Daniel Maddox were tabbed to the men’s basketball honor roll.

Russian spy

ESPN.com

Growing up in Rapid City, S.D., Becky Hammon was once so petrified after watching the movie "Red Dawn" -- the 1984 film about an invasion of the United States by the Soviet Union and Cuba -- that she had to sleep in her parents' bedroom. She was worried the Russians were going to come to the heartland and take her parents away. The message that Hollywood engrained in the impressionable youngster was a simple one: Americans good, Russians bad.
Now, more than two decades later, Hammon, one of the most popular players in the WNBA and the MVP runner-up last season, has made the controversial decision to play basketball for Russia in the 2008 Olympic Games later this summer.
"The jersey that I wear has never made me who I was. It has nothing to do with what's written on my heart," Hammon told ESPN.com Tuesday. "Will I be playing for Russia? Yes. But I'm absolutely 100 percent still an American. I love our country. I love what we stand for. This is an opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the Olympics."
The 31-year-old Hammon, who averaged 18.8 points and 5.0 assists for the San Antonio Silver Stars last season, said she has long been overlooked by USA Basketball for a spot on its Senior National Team. Last summer, when USA Basketball released its list of the pool players from which the U.S. Olympic team would be chosen, Hammon's name was absent. She later signed a lucrative contract with club team CSKA Moscow that included the possibility of playing for the Russian Olympic team.
Later, Hammon received an invitation to try out for the U.S. team, but she said contractual obligations with CSKA left her unable to attend. Before she made her final decision, she said she and her agent, Mike Cound, reached out to USA Basketball for clarification on where she stood. They came away with the impression that she wasn't in serious contention to make the team. So Hammon took her Olympic dream elsewhere.
USA Basketball declined a request for comment on Tuesday.
"I realize that people are going to think what they want to think," said Hammon, who has worked for ESPN as a basketball analyst. "But there's nothing I wanted more in my basketball career than to represent the United States. I grew up dreaming to play in the Olympics for my home country.
"I'm sure they have their reasons. It's a very difficult job and I don't blame them for their decision. This is just a great opportunity for me to play in the Olympics and hopefully break some stereotypes, both here and over there."
Hammon has no ancestral ties to Russia, but under Russian league rules, she was able to obtain a passport and become a naturalized citizen because she had never appeared for another country in a FIBA-sanctioned event. In other words, she was still eligible to compete for Russia internationally.
Obtaining an international passport can be a lucrative endeavor for some women's basketball players, as several international leagues have a limit on the number of Americans who can play on one team. A talented U.S. player with an international passport -- such as Diana Taurasi, who plays internationally on an Italian passport (her father was born in Italy), and Sue Bird, who plays on an Israeli passport (her grandparents are Jewish) -- doesn't count against that maximum number of American players. While an average salary for an American in an international league might be $15,000 per month, Cound said someone in Hammon's position can earn three to four times that amount.
Cound said Hammon's papers were approved quickly by the highest levels of the Russian government, just as they were for former Bucknell guard J.R. Holden, who hit the game-winning shot last summer to help Russia win the 2007 Eurobasket Championships. Holden, too, will compete for Russia in Beijing.
"It's interesting that the Russian government decided this was acceptable," Cound said. "I don't look at it as criticism of Becky as much as a country in which winning is so important that they want to have a non-Russian on the team. It comes down to a simple question: What does winning a gold medal mean if it's an American who wins it for you?"
What might make Hammon's decision an eye-opener in this country is that -- in addition to her scrappy point-guard play -- her popularity stems partly from the perception that she is the ultimate small-town all-American girl: blond hair, ponytail and near perfect smile. And now the all-American girl will suit up for Russia, which could knock a dent into that image.
At the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans this February, Hammon won the shooting stars competition with Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The decision wasn't easy. Hammon said she has struggled with it since last October, absorbing the advice of everyone from current and former coaches to friends, fellow players and, of course, her parents.
"My mom had a heartfelt, motherly response," Hammon said. "She doesn't want anybody to get mad at me or call her daughter a traitor or anything like that. My dad, well, he was more logical. He said, 'Well, if USA Basketball doesn't want you, go for it.'"
In Beijing, Hammon will again have to try to prove her doubters wrong. Coming out of Rapid City, she struggled to find a Division I-A scholarship, yet became an All-American at Colorado State and led the Rams to their first Sweet Sixteen in the 1998-99 season. She went undrafted by the WNBA in 1999, but caught on with the New York Liberty. And last year, she finished second in the league's MVP voting and led the Silver Stars to the Western Conference Finals. In March, she signed a contract extension with San Antonio through 2011, and she intends to be with the team this summer until the WNBA takes a hiatus for the Olympic Games.
While the Americans are considered the favorites for gold in Beijing, the Russians should contend for a medal and are currently No. 3 in the FIBA world rankings. Hammon has already envisioned the scenario: The ball is in her hands as the final seconds tick down in the gold-medal game and she takes the shot to beat her home country.
"When it comes down to it, I'm going to take that shot," she said. "I'm going to play to win. You have to be honest to the game and yourself. Sure, it will be awkward, but I wouldn't have made this decision if I wasn't ready to take that shot."

Playing with the enemy?

By OSCAR DIXON
AP Sports Writer
WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon will play for Russia at the Beijing Olympics.
Hammon said Tuesday in a phone interview with the AP that she signed with the Russian national team Monday, about two weeks after getting her Russian passport.
The 31-year-old point guard for San Antonio Silver Stars also plays professionally in Russia. But she is not among the pool of 29 U.S. players hoping to make the 12-player Olympic roster.
"I'm going where they really want me and where I have an opportunity to win a medal," said Hammon, a nine-year WNBA veteran.
The South Dakota native also signed a three-year extension with the Russian pro team CSKA.
She said she began the passport application process last year -- her first with CSKA. Many WNBA stars who play overseas have a second passport -- Diana Taurasi has an Italian passport; Sue Bird has an Israeli one -- so they're not counted as Americans on the team's roster.
The 5-foot-6 Hammon averaged 20.8 points and 5.0 assists last season for the Silver Stars.
She said she will head to Russia in late July after the WNBA shuts its season down for the Olympics. The USA and Russia may not meet during the Olympics, but the teams play Aug. 4 in the FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament, a tuneup for Beijing.
"It might be a little awkward at first," Hammon said. "But when the ball goes up, you just play the game."
Hammon says she struggled to come to the decision to play for Russia as she ran hundreds of scenarios through her mind, like marching under the Russian flag in the parade of nations during opening ceremonies. But she became more comfortable with the idea after extensive conversations with her parents, Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes and her agent, Mike Cound.
"If I thought there was any indication that I could play with USA Basketball, I probably wouldn't have done it," she said. "I feel good (about the decision). If you had asked me a couple of months ago I would have had mixed emotions.
"But my options were to sit on my couch and watch the Olympics, or play in the Olympics. It made it an easy decision."

I hate UConn

Have I mentioned in the last five minutes how much I hate UConn women's basketball?
Well, in case you missed it, I don't like 'em.
I'm so glad Stanford put the Huskies out of the tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if ESPN decided not to broadcast the final now that its hometown team is no longer participating.
ESPN loves UConn sooooo much it's sickening. From Geno Auriemma to Rebecca Lobo, ESPN slurps UConn like a Sonic Blast.
Even in defeat, the analysts talked more about UConn than about Stanford, which outplayed the Huskies all night long. They gave UConn excuses about having injuries to their roster. I've heard both Lobo and Diana Taurasi blame Tennessee for dropping its series with their former team.
UConn is considered the premier women's program even though Tennessee has been more dominant for a much longer period of time.
I hate UConn. From Sue Bird, the most over-rated player since Rebecca Lobo to the too-hyped Maya Moore, I can't stand any of 'em.
And now, I can watch the championship game without having my stomach in knots.
Go Stanford. Go Tennessee. God bless America except for Connecticut.

What a great career!

Union County girl Julie Smith said she will not play basketball next season at Arkansas Tech. Smith came off the bench as a sophomore for the Golden Suns, who went 26-6 and advanced to the NCAA South Regional semifinals.
Smith led Union to the Class AA state championship as a freshman and the semifinals as a sophomore. She helped El Dorado to the 5A state quarterfinals as a junior and led Hot Springs Lakeside to the 4A state tournament as a senior.
Smith started quickly as a freshman at Arkansas Tech before tearing her ACL midway in the season. This season, she played in 23 games, averaging 2.7 points. She hit 20-of-36 field goals, including 17-of-33 from 3-point range.
Giving up the sport she loves was a difficult decision. It's a decision that's usually made for the athlete.
"I always knew that I would have to give up basketball sometime," she said. "It just came a little quicker that I thought. As much as I love it and am going to miss it, my parents, yeah my dad, and I believe this is my time to let it go. It has been a great experience for me, and I am thankful for the chance to get to play on a winning team. I am actually a little excited about just working out and playing pickup for fun and not worrying about doing every little thing right. Also, it will give me a little more time to focus on my classes and maybe have some kind of social life. Thanks for all the people that have supported me throughout the years."
Congratulations Julie on a great career.

Kiss the rings

Like a lot of you, I like to peak in at the Fearless Friday forums every once in awhile to see what's being talked about. I stumbled across a discussion/argument over whether Morrilton's Shekinna Stricklen is the best female basketball player to ever come out of Arkansas.
It's actually a pretty interesting debate, although some of the posters aren't very well informed.
Personally, I'd give the modern day nod of best girl ever to Hot Springs' Shameka Christon. But, Stricklen wouldn't be a bad choice, either.
If you went back a few years, names like Rose Avery and Tina Webb would have to be mentioned, although Wendy Scholtens of Fort Smith Southside might've been at the top of my list.
Anyway, when the discussion got twisted into the most successful girl ever, the name of Camden Fairview's Destinee Rogers came up.
I don't think Destinee is the best player ever. She's not the most talented. She's not the most highly recruited.
But, when it comes to success, Destinee won four state championships in four years. That's 100 percent. If this were baseball, you'd say she batted a thousand. It's as good as it gets.
Unless AAA starts allowing eighth graders to compete at the varsity level, four titles in four years is a record that can never be broken, only tied.
Destinee isn't the only girl to go 4-for-4 in high school. Stephens' coach Gail Kimbell also accomplished the feat. I don't know who else is in this class but, as Coach Bum Phillips once said, if they're not in a class by themselves, it don't take long to call the roll.
You can argue all you want about who the best player was, is or will be. But when it comes to success, Destinee doesn't have to say a word. The four rings on her fingers say it all.