Catching up with Sky's Fowles

Before Thursday's Sky game against Seattle, I was chatting with Tauja Catchings, the former Stevenson and Illinois basketball star who does color analysis of Sky games on the radio.

We were watching Sylvia Fowles run through her pregame routine when Tauja turned to me and said, "Every team in the WNBA and every rookie in the league needs to send Sylvia a thank-you note."

As in, "We sure are thankful you weren't around earlier this season."

"It would have been a totally different season if Sylvia hadn't gotten hurt," Catchings said.

That's probably true.

Had Fowles not gone down in early June with a knee injury that wound up shelving her for seven weeks, the 11-18 Sky likely would have been a much better team, which means other teams would now be worse off.

Also, a healthy Fowles probably would've been in strong contention for the WNBA's rookie of the year award. Her abbreviated season has opened the door for other rookies who may not have been considered otherwise.

Oh well. Coulda, woulda, shouldas.

The important thing for the Sky now is that Fowles is back. And so far, so good. Fowles' knee has held up well as she's averaged about 13 points per game in helping the Sky to wins in three of its first four games since the Olympic break.

Speaking of the Olympics, I also chatted with "Big Syl" on Thursday about her experience in China, her soaring confidence after leading the U.S. Olympic team in scoring and her expectations for the rest of the season and beyond.

PBM: Where is your gold medal and what was it like when it was first placed around your neck?

SF: "It's at home (in Miami) with my mom. I was nervous to touch it at first. I was like, 'Don't get any fingerprints on it.' But after I carried it around for a while that night, I got more comfortable with it. On the way home, I had to just put it in my bag because people were driving us crazy at the airport. I didn't want to attract any more attention."

PBM: What was it like being on the medal stand?

SF: "It's hard to describe. Most of it is a blur because I was so happy just to be there. I don't remember half the stuff that went on other than looking up and seeing our flag waved in the stands."

PBM: Did you sing the national anthem, and do you know the words?

SF: "Oh yes, I sang. I know the words. (USA Basketball) didn't make us practice it or anything. I just know the words from hearing it all the time at school (at LSU)."

PBM: What was the best touristy thing you did and what kind of interesting Chinese food did you eat?

SF: "They really didn't let us do anything and if we did have some time, we were either too busy (with basketball engagements) or sleeping. I guess I did see (the Great Wall), but I had already seen it before. I didn't eat any Chinese. We had an American chef. My favorite was all the sweets he made."

PBM: Did you watch any other sports, meet any other athletes? SF: "I saw some swimming and met the Lopez family (from the U.S. taekwondo team)."

PBM: Were you surprised at how well you played in China, considering that you were coming off the knee injury?

SF: "I was very confident in myself. I felt I could have played in some more games (for the Sky) before I went to China but we wanted to be on the safe side. I think I played pretty well in every game over there."

PBM: Can that confidence carry you the rest of the way with the Sky? SF: "I think so. We're going to finish strong, no doubt."

PBM: Any thoughts about what you'll do in the off-season, which could start in as little as a week if the Sky doesn't make the playoffs?

SF: "I'm going to go home (to Miami) and relax for a while. And then, most likely, I'll be (playing) in Russia.

Stickin' up for the sisters

The U.S. Open quarterfinal match on Wednesday that pitted sisters Venus and Serena Williams against each other for the umpteenth time in their careers had some bite to it.

Serena wound up with the win, but both sisters clearly wanted no part of losing. Both were intense and fiery.

Over the years, they have been criticized for not always bringing that kind of focus, passion and intensity to the game. They've been accused of feigning injuries when they simply didn't want to play, and being distracted by outside interests - like fashion and endorsements.

Of all people, mild-mannered Lindsay Davenport had an interesting take on the subject. Here's what she told ESPN.com this week:

"It's tough to name names, but you see the (other) girls and their parents and it's just like Psychotic City, and then they're gone, whether it's injuries or they have breakdowns or they can't handle it anymore. Venus and Serena have always had a great attitude. If they don't feel like playing, they're a little injured, they're not 100 percent, they don't want to go out there. And they enjoy life. I think Richard (Williams, their father) always said, 'My daughters aren't just tennis players.' He gets a lot of flak for that, but he handles their losses much better than many other tennis parents we've ever had."

National notice

Illinois outside hitter Laura DeBruler, a sophomore from Downers Grove North, was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association national player of the week. Last weekend, she led the Illini to a 3-0 record and picked up MVP honors at the State Farm Illini Classic. She averaged 5.4 kills and 3.2 digs per game.

Big hitters in Big Ten

What a powerhouse the Big Ten has become in volleyball. In the AVCA preseason poll, a total of seven league teams received votes and Penn State was crowned the No. 1 team. Here's the breakdown of where the Big Ten stands: 1. Penn State; 13. Wisconsin; 16. Minnesota; 25. Purdue. Also receiving votes: Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois.

Tail between legs

As expected, in light of all the criticism it received, the LPGA backed off its plans to eventually suspend players who do not speak English during tour events.

The LPGA said it would make revisions and announce a new plan by the end of the year that would be without penalties.

What do you think? Did the LPGA make the right call?