"What the F Happened?" and "Bridesmaid Angie Akers"

I spend 37:00 minutes (basketball time) gloating as the Gonzaga Bulldogs beat the shit out opf UCLA with a bloody stump of homeless man who once had a very successful pilot in the mix.

Then it just crumbled. Gonzaga panicked. Sure Adam Morrison kept it together until the last seconds, when it finally hit him that the Bulldogs had blown a 17 point lead. And fell like a sissy to hardwood not so gooey center court and wept. The KISS like thunder clap that the entire UCLA team coming down on the Bulldogs was enough to start a remarkably sober man to start whispering conspiracy theories.

It simply came out of nowhere. I was stunnned as the Melrose Cantina burst to decible levels in the final seconds and Renne jumped and cheer banging her head on the tv set suspended from the ceiling just above her noggin.

I slithered away stunned.

But in PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, there is some strangeness brewing as well.

Holly McPeak has dumped her partner Jen Kessey for Rookie of the year (from Orinda, California) Nicole Brannagh. This is an interesting move. Last year McPeak split with longtime partner Elaine Youngs. After always coming in second the Walsh/May the decided they need to mix stuff up. Youngs took on the up and comer Rachel Walcholder and before the end of the year they had become the Skywalkers against the Black Draped (well as much as a bikini is draped) Vaders of May Walsh. And The AVP finally had it's first hardcore rivalry. The locals rooting for EY/Wach.. the tourists bangwagoning for the "Yankees of the beach" with those gold shiny shinies dangling below their napes.

A note on the Uniforms of May/Walsh: they shouldn't stray from the black. I am have seen them try to go more girly or more "summer"y at times. It doesn't work for them. If I may be so Blackwell let's compare:

I can see a difference.

















So EY gambled and chose up and comer Rachel Wacholder. Holly goes with the less risky Jen Kessey. Jen is a great player a real solid go to gal. The problem with a solid go to gal is you can't mentor them and this is where EY/Wach flourished. Rachel is a very into improving herself. In her early days on the beach I noticed that after losing a match (with then partner Angie Akers) she went immediately to the big board to see what other matches were going on. To study her opponents.. see what they were doing right and see what they were doing wrong.

And that is exactly what McPeak has done. She has traded on a risky move... Rookie of the Year Nicole Branagh (who had been partnered with... yep.. Angie Akers). Rookies are odd foks to put your money on. Review the list of Heisman Trophy winners and you will see what I mean.. O.J., Flutie and that freak Chris Wenke.

Nicole is good player that will only improve under McPeak's mentoring. And I think they will be a surprise throughout the season.

Which brings us to bridesmaid Angie Akers. When I first saw Angie play I thought in a few years she would be killing the competition. But is just hasn't happened... yet.
And she just keeps gewtting left at the alter as her teammates keep getting snatched up by the heavyweights. She is the Oakland A's of the beach... you get a Catfish, Jackson, McGwire or Giambi and they just go somewhere else and win the World Series. I really hope Angie finds the teammate she really clicks with. She deserves it.



(EDITOR'S NOTE: Some people have bitched at me saying my coverage of the AVP glamourizes the women's part of the sport... so as a footnote I add..

Nine out of the ten top men's pairs have also split up... cue the Neal Sedaka)