She Got Game

If everything goes according to plan, my second grandchild, and first granddaughter, will arrive early in Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie season. The longer Clark plays, the more of an impression she’ll make on little Sasha (part of the Rumpelstiltskin guessing game at our house). The Clark phenomenon of the past two college seasons has been…phenomenal. I basically don’t watch women’s basketball, but her I’ll watch. The “Pistol” Pete Maravich comparisons strike me as spot-on, other than Clark’s socks don’t bag around the ankle. I know that girls don’t have to play with boys, or women athletes compete against their male counterparts. But I’d like to see Clark in a co-ed pickup game. Two regrets, starting with the fact she won’t be playing for the Sky; Chicago could use a new, big sports’ figure. Second, if only Clark had early on decided to hit a ball instead of shoot one. Consider the possibilities. With softball, we’d get to see if talent plus personality could revive the pro ranks, though I doubt it. Part of what makes it fun to watch Clark play is reading her face. Stick that face in a batting helmet with a cage attached, and you can’t do that. Now, let’s say the softball star Clark hit over .500 for her college career with a ridiculous number of RBIs and homeruns, and there’s no pro league. Then what? Baseball has tryouts for a reason. A guy can dream, can’t he?