Kids All Right and Then Some in Home Opener

Islanders 5 : Blues 2

Who would have thought we'd be cheering for a goalie other than Rick DiPietro at this point?

Indeed, Joey MacDonald was the story, in net for the second game in a row in place of the still-preparing Rick DiPietro, who along with Scott Gordon denied reports by TSN (cited by this site) that he was suffering from swelling and fluid around his surgically repaired knee. In net, the calm and collected MacDonald made 26 saves and had the sellout crowd cheering "Joey, Joey" all night long.

Just how good was he? Well, for reference, you could cite the robbery of Andy MacDonald (no relation) not even a quarter of the way through the first period. Or the breakaway pad stop on a streaking Keith Tkachuk. Or the unbelievable glove tip to defend a practically empty net. Take your pick- each highlights the level or determination, not to mention of confidence, that MacDonald reached while on the ice. Those saves earned him the first star of the game, a 5-2 home-opening romp that earned new coach Gordon his first win of the game in front of a raucous crowd.

As for the scoring, it was in full swing last night. First came Mike Comrie on a quick rebound of a Richard Park shot through the legs of backup Blues goaltender Chris Mason. Then there was Trent Hunter firing a shot that trickled past Mason's pads on the power play. Afterward, just 1:39 later, Sean Bergenheim aimed right over Mason's left shoulder and sent the horns blasting once more. (OT, he had quite a game tonight!) Then Andy Hilbert, who took 20 games to score his first goal last year, took only a game and period to pocket his first goal of this season, shorthanded, no less. To cap it off in the third after a goal by Brad Boyes and another by Keith Tkachuk (his third in two games), captain Bill Guerin got the easiest first goal of his life, shooting into the empty net.

Defense, on the other hand, was somewhat solid, save for a couple of breakdowns that led to the two Blues goals. Freddy Meyer continued his solid defensive play, and Brendan Witt had some nice blocked shots. However, the defensive corps may have suffered another loss as Radek Martinek went down in the first with what looked to be a shoulder injury, after being hit by David Backes. He did not return to the game.

Jon Sim, though not scoring any goals, also deserve credit for his presence on the ice, especially in front of the net. For two nights in a row, he displayed great forechecking and netcrashing ability, as well as drawing penalties and just making life in general difficult for the Blues. And again, Jeff Tambellini and Kyle Okposo had some good offensive chances (though Tamby might want to work on puck placement a little bit before Monday).

A sloppy third period by the Isles would get the Blues within two, but the Isles would regroup and Joey Mac would see to it that the door closed and stayed that way, with a flurry of saves late in the third period. Scott Gordon (and his very, very nice Isles-colored tie) was thus able to get his first NHL win.

Some digressions...

• Blake Comeau was, oddly, a scratch for last night's game, and a source explained to us that it was because of "attitude problems"- apparently, the youngster's achieved somewhat of a swollen head. If so, then I applaud very sincerely the coach's decision to not dress him for the game- send the message early on that this is your team, and that you will not tolerate any behavior like that. That's the right way to squash potential problems for your squad.
• There were two MacDonalds on the farm-er,ice- last night, named Andy (for the Blues) and Joey (for the Isles). Also, Christine thinks that Joey Mac and Rick DiPietro seem to be a little friendlier than now-KHL goalie Wade Dubielewicz and Ricky were. Check on this as the season progresses.
• Notice a familiar face behind the Blues' bench? Yep, that was one-time Isles head coach Brad Shaw, now an assistant to Andy Murray in St. Louis.
• To the linesman/ref who blatantly ignored Barret Jackman's instigator against Jon Sim and only gave him two minutes- shame on you, sir.
• This was the Isles' sixth straight home-opener win, and it snapped a three-game win streak for St. Louis in Nassau Coliseum.

Off the Bat, Need for Comfort "Outside Comfort Zone"

Islanders 1: Devils 2

The key to start a season off on the right foot, for a team, is to be comfortable on the ice no matter what, to have fun and play your hardest, and also to make sure you know what you need to accomplish. The key to start a season right for a fan is to make sure you come into the game without any ridiculous expectations- in other words, know your team.

There's not much that we do know regarding the Islanders as of yet, other than that they are very young and that there will be a ways to go before anything is truly accomplished. Very little will be established regarding this team in Game 1 of the season, especially when your own coach is green and only getting used to the NHL stage himself.

The game began with a twist of suspense, as Scott Gordon decided to go with Joey MacDonald in net instead of Rick DiPietro (who, it is now reported, is suffering from swelling around his surgically repaired knee http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=252313&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_main), a move that he later said was to ensure "that Ricky comes back game-ready." That gave MacDonald the chance to show what he is capable of, and show he did, as he stopped all but two shots in the entire game (27 saves).

The Isles started the scoring off on the power play, with Doug Weight banking a shot off of the skate of Paul Martin and past Brodeur for a 1-0 lead. But Zach Parise came back and scored on the Devs' own power play 3:01 later. Then in the second, the Devils took the lead :49 in, on a terrific crease-crashing play by Patrik Elias off a feed by Brian Gionta and Brian Rolston. After that, the Isles would get PP chances that were lost by a static, unimaginative system and equally throttled by a characteristically strong Devils defensive corps. Defensively, they committed some mistakes that led to chances for New Jersey but were foiled by MacDonald. On the other end of the ice, Martin Brodeur shrugged off the one he allowed, and made 26 saves, including an amazing arm save in the last minute, to notch his 539th career win (12 shy of Patrick Roy's record).

Other than MacDonald, other bright spots were the young players Jeff Tambellini (who showed some good positioning and offensive prowess) and Kyle Okposo (who will hopefully become as dynamic as the club is expecting him to be). Also, Jon Sim showed that he can definitely provide a presence early on, with his reckless, go-get-'em playing style and net-crashing. On D, barring an unlucky turnover which resulted in a goal, Brendan Witt provided his usual shot-blocking that was sorely missed in the last few games of the season, and Freddy Meyer made some solid plays. And lastly, new coach Scott Gordon acquitted himself well over three periods of play, being very involved with his players and talkative behind the bench.

Overall, surely he knows things should and will improve from this point on, starting tonight against another young team in the St. Louis Blues, Doug Weight's old club where he played with old friend Bill Guerin once. The home opener starts at 7 p.m. tonight, and will now most likely not include DiPietro, who will be monitored and evaluated as day-to-day with his knee swelling. Tonight perhaps will feature some more offense and a more fluid PP out of the Isles, and some more solid goaltending from MacDonald. Scott Gordon says he hopes to push his players out of their comfort zone as far as speed and work ethic go... and for the next 81 games, I'd pay close attention to just how far this young team will push themselves.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!

And So It Goes…

On April 11th my Grandmother (Nanny) Mary passed on at the age of 96. It is no coincidence that she became ill and then passed on during the NHL playoffs and the Masters. I love hockey, she loved golf. I’ll never forget sitting at her beside watching the games (and napping while the golf was on…boooooring) and explaining the basics of ice hockey to the nurses. I was very fortunate to spend a lot of time with her growing up and before she passed on however what I have realized in losing the closest person to me, maybe selfishly, it is never enough time. But I take comfort in knowing that she is once again dancing with her husband Arthur, who passed on at the young age of 53. My Nanny was a tremendous influence in my life and so as life goes forward, I will continue to miss her while knowing she is watching over me as a tremendous force from the spirit world. I want to sincerely thank Angie for continuing on with the blog while I took some time off, for her understanding and support, and for finally getting another cell phone so I could hear what the *&% she was saying! Cell phone + rain = communication issues.

And so it goes…and so it went, the season and now the off season – time to catch up

-Dubie has left the building. I hope Russia treats him and his career well. Definitely a presence on the team that will be missed.

-Ted Nolan has left the building. During last season Angie and I debated about Ted being around for the long haul. She said yeh, I said neh. The first tip-off for me was when Ted made the public comment about Andy Hilbert missing an empty net. Beyond it being a wee bit of a shock that he would publicly rag on Hilbert for something that had to totally suck for Hilbert, there was a tone in his voice that seemed reflective of distancing himself as a coach in a way that seemed more than just about Hilbert missing the net. Many blog moons ago I wrote about what appeared to be a deflation in his voice during interviews. Granted this could have been just his general demeanor but overall something didn’t seem ‘right’. While in Philly watching the Isles vs. Flyers (March 9th), it seemed as though (in the second period) that Ted had lost ‘control’ of the team. Freaky deaky thing was that I sat next to a teenager from Washington, DC – we chatted during the game. During the 3rd period he turned to me and said, “It looks like they (Isles) can’t control themselves”. Turns out I met a young hockey Buddha who was picking up on the same vibe. This particular vibe at the game translated into suspecting that he would not be back next season. Whatever the reason(s) for his departure, I would like to thank Ted Nolan for being the main reason why I started going to games again rather than watching them on TV, and for his unknowingly participating in this blog’s snazziest tie contests. Sorry Ted, Butch ‘fly suit and tie’ Goring wiped the floor with everyone else’s ties last season.

-Scott Gordon has entered the building. On August 15th I attended a women’s focus group at the Coliseum, held on the same night of the open house ‘Grillin’ with Gordon’ event. After the focus group was over we all were invited to meet and dine with the new coach. Upon being introduced to Coach Gordon, he sat quite a while and chatted with me, my friend Dom, and Jean, a long time Isles fan and focus group attendee. Among the barrage of questions we asked him (he graciously answered them all), it was his answer to one of Jean’s questions that created a positive first impression with the three of us. Jean expressed her concern about the strength of the Isles defense, asking him something to the effect of how he planned to ensure a strong defense for the upcoming season. At the tail end of his answer he stated, again something to the effect of, ‘if your offense is strong, there’s no need for defense’. His answer was not stated in a way that reflected a lack of focus on a strong defense, it was instead an effective way of getting his point across, evident in the three of us pausing for a few seconds and then, as if we had just been educated in the obvious, nodding our heads in unison, signaling ‘ah, we got that’. As we stood up to leave, I shook Coach Gordon’s hand and said, “Welcome to Long Island, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can extract from the players, I’ll be watching”. Yes I felt like a stalker with that last part but then again, I WILL be watching from section 303 – sitting right smack over center ice.

-The 2008-2009 Islanders will soon enter the building – home opener against St. Louis on Saturday night – after the Isles play their first game against the Devils tonight in NJ. Along with the usual shifts in the Isle’s roster, this season is also starting out during a transition of leadership which means…drum roll please…I have no clue. But I do know what I’d like to blog about after the last game is played – a season known to all as the one that undeniably created the lasting momentum needed to re-build what was once an ice hockey empire.

Everything blue, orange, white or with the Isles logo on it washed…check
Texts to Dom counting down the days until the game sent…check
Stupid traffic on the LIE noted in advance...check

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

and now for a better late than never review…

The women’s focus group (August 15, 2008) was an excellent initiative taken by the Isles organization. There were about 15 women in attendance, of different ages and history as an Isles fan. Everyone at the table took part in the discussion and the exchange of ideas with the Isles staff went very well. My agenda for the meeting?

-change the ‘hockey and heels’ night promotion name to something more welcoming to female fans of all ages, and nix calling the designated section Ladyville. (I’ll spare you from the full blurb about how the name ‘could’ denote that the females are the ‘heels’ of this event rather than referring to a shoe type…and heck no I did not ‘go there’ with that part at the focus group – I wanted to avoid a staff member calling the local psych hospital to inquire if anyone had gone missing lately.)

-instead of a fashion show during this promotion night, invite girls and womens hockey teams to play in between periods.

-if the ice girls must continue to exist could they at least PLEASE stop doing Ice Capades moves when shoveling ice into a bucket? (fat chance of that happening)

-change the girls youth hockey (Long Island Lady Islanders) logo to one that is consistent with the Islanders and Junior Islanders logos. As one woman who coaches a girls soccer team stated in agreement, “Every season I tell my players they are soccer players first and girls second”. (I mean could the word Lady in the logo be any BIGGER? Hockey first, gender second.)




At the end of the meeting it seemed as though everyone was in agreement about this event being a success, so much so that a suggestion was made to hold more women’s focus groups in the future. I am looking forward to seeing what initiatives the organization will take this season in response to the focus group. A chat about the focus group with someone who stopped me in the hallway was posted on the Isle’s website.

“A unique focus group for ladies was also set up at the Coliseum. The group was designed to facilitate conversation between female Islanders fans to help improve their overall Coliseum experience. More than a dozen women took part in the group.

“As soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted to be there,” said Christine, a die-hard Islanders fan who grew up in Hicksville and currently lives in New York City. “I have been watching the Islanders since I was 5 and have watched the development of this team and there are things I am happy about and things that I am unhappy about.”

One thing Christine was certainly happy about was how the focus group went.

“I think everyone thought it was a great idea,” said Christine, “and I believe it went so well, that we are going to do it again. I think it was a great outcome, I couldn’t have asked for better.”” (1)

LET’S GO LONG ISLAND LADY ISLANDERS!!

http://www.iceworksli.com/camp/girlspremier.php


(1) ‘Fans Meet and Greet Gordon’. August 20, 2008, www.newyorkislanders.com

Game Day Preview: Isles @ Devils, 7:00 p.m., Prudential Center- SEASON OPENER

The curtain rises on another season of hockey for both the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils tonight, as the Isles come across the river to Newark before their own home opener. It will be the first true test for this young squad, under the leadership of new young coach Scott Gordon, and against a team they have had success against in the past, though there's no telling what this team will achieve in the next 82 games.

First off, the youth infusion Garth Snow has implemented has resulted in players such as Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini and Kyle Okposo having permanent roster spots, although there are still some veterans such as captain Bill Guerin, defenseman Brendan Witt and newcomer Doug Weight. With the movement, older forwards such as Miro Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Josef Vasicek have gone elsewhere, leaving a need for the kids to step up and provide offense for the Islanders. Okposo has shown some skill especially in this preseason (five points in nine games, much like he had in the last nine games of the season), and time is still needed to figure out what Tambellini's role will be in the Isles' success. Alternate captain Mike Sillinger has been put on injured reserve, so Richard Park and Doug Weight have received the honors- Park at home, and Weight on the road.

On the defensive side of the puck, injuries have already hurt two of the top six defensemen, as Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton have been put on injured reserve, with Thomas Pock and Jack Hillen filling in their spots. A large part of the missed playoff chance last season was because two-thirds of the blueline had gone down by the time spring came around, and now it is all about getting the defense corps healthy and maintaining depth.

Last but in no way least, Rick DiPietro hopes to rebound and shake off the rust clearly on display Wednesday night in the preseason finale against Florida. The biggest concern is if he'll stay healthy, and how many games he will play to remain so. 60 should be the magic number, as he hasn't seemed to reach the 70-game mark just yet, and likely won't. As for staying content on the Island, as some people have been talking about, I think the major issue is him listening to coach Gordon and taking his advice and criticisms. Some people thought that was a problem between him and former coach Ted Nolan, and it may well have been, but whether it will be or not with Gordon is up to him.

With that said, it looks to be a great matchup between the Isles and the Devils, who have Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik back on the team, and will look to settle the score with the Isles early on. I myself am very excited for the start of the season, and I can't wait for that puck to drop!

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!

2008-09 Roster Set

The Islanders roster is all set for 2008-09, and except for an exceedingly fresh face in the form of Josh Bailey, the Isles' first round pick, the list looks pretty predictable.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=385315

2008-09 New York Islanders Roster

FORWARDS
12 C Josh Bailey 6-1 188 L 10/2/1989
20 LW Sean Bergenheim 5-10 205 L 2/8/1984
57 RW Blake Comeau 6-1 207 R 2/18/1986
89 C Mike Comrie 5-10 185 L 9/11/1980
13 RW Bill Guerin 6-2 220 R 11/7/1970
11 LW Andy Hilbert 5-11 194 L 2/6/1981
7 RW Trent Hunter 6-3 210 R 7/5/1980
51 C Frans Nielsen 5-11 172 L 4/24/1984
21 RW Kyle Okposo 6-1 200 R 4/16/1988
10 RW Richard Park 5-11 190 R 5/27/1976
18 C Mike Sillinger 5-11 198 R 6/29/1971 16
LW Jon Sim 5-10 195 L 9/29/1977
15 LW Jeff Tambellini 5-11 186 L 4/13/1984
93 C Doug Weight 5-11 196 L 1/21/1971

DEFENSEMEN
14 D Chris Campoli 5-11 190 L 7/9/1984
8 D Bruno Gervais 6-0 188 R 10/3/1984
38 D Jack Hillen 5-11 200 L 1/24/1986
24 D Radek Martinek 6-1 203 R 8/31/1976
44 D Freddy Meyer 5-10 192 L 1/4/1981
17 D Thomas Pock 6-1 210 L 12/2/1981
4 D Brett Skinner 6-1 183 L 6/28/1983
2 D Mark Streit 6-0 197 L 12/11/1977
25 D Andy Sutton 6-6 245 L 3/10/1975
32 D Brendan Witt 6-2 223 L 2/20/1975

GOALTENDERS
39 G Rick DiPietro 6-1 210 R 9/19/1981
35 G Joey MacDonald 6-0 197 L 2/7/1980

With Season Just Over a Week Away, Worries Abound Over State of the Islanders

No one is saying this is going to be an easy year.

With a new coach and a more youthful squad on the ice than that of last year, there is obviously an automatic learning curve to be endured once the hockey begins in earnest. However, Scott Gordon will have his work cut out for him once he realizes he will have less to work with than he thought.

First is Rick DiPietro, still working his way up from knee and hip surgery. Reports say he may see action late in the preseason... or he may not even start the regular season. Whatever the case, the smartest move for him to make would be to bide his time and come back 100 percent healthy, so that he is not found in this very same position next year. Next is Mike Sillinger, who also had surgery over the offseason for his hip injury, but has little chance of being ready for the season, prompting some fans to mull over the thought of him perhaps retiring. Then there's Jeff Tambellini ("upper body"), Sean Bergenheim (back?), Chris Campoli (who the heck knows?), Andy Sutton (perhaps upper body, can't be sure), and now captain Bill Guerin.

One would think this was an epidemic as they look at the list. The bad thing about this is that it's a mix of younger players and seasoned vets, and there doesn't seem to be enough time for everyone to be ready come October 10th. This is surely a huge stroke of bad luck for the team, who will now have to wonder how they will come out of the gate strong with a decimated roster... which, ironically, was how they had re-entered for the offseason.

Time will tell how we shall fare.

D Thomas Pock Claimed Off of Waivers With Sutton, Campoli Injured

With two blueliners injured for the Islanders and only a week until the season starts, former Rangers prospect Thomas Pock has been claimed off of waivers by the Islanders.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=383962

This news comes after Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli have both gone down with injuries. Pock will hopefully provide good insurance for either one of these two defensemen, probably for Sutton's toughness.

Two Preseason Games= Two Sides of One Story

Over two exhibition games against Boston and Philadelphia, the Islanders outplayed and were outplayed as well, winning the first 2-1 in overtime and losing the second, 4-0.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20082009&gtype=1&gnum=11

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20082009&gtype=1&gnum=35

A noticeable absence from both of these games has been goaltender Rick DiPietro, who is recuperating from knee and hip surgery and has been pushing himself in camp and his off-ice conditioning, according to Greg Logan. However, he likely will not play in the next two exhibition games Wednesday or Friday. Jeff Tambellini is also suffering from a lower-body injury and has stayed off the ice.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/blog/2008/09/isles_enjoy_light_day_in_camp.html

TSN Evaluates Isles To Date

It's never a good sign for a hockey team when people are more interested in what's going on off the ice than on it. That's the unfortunate case for the New York Islanders, where the high point of last season was the revelation that Mike Comrie was dating Hillary Duff.
After a promising 2006-07 season that saw the team sneak into the playoffs on the final day, the Islanders were decimated by a mass summer exodus that saw Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Viktor Kozlov, Tom Poti and Alexei Yashin escape the Island. The additions of Comrie, Bill Guerin, Jon Sim and Ruslan Fedotenko certainly didn't give the fans a sense that better days were ahead. But the Isles surprised many by getting off to a decent start, thanks in large part to the Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko line for the first month.
By December, things started to go poorly. Chris Simon was suspended for 30 games after attempting to stomp on Penguins agitator Jarkko Ruutu. Things got worse as the injury bug decided to take a bite out of defenceman Chris Campoli and defensive forward Mike Sillinger. It all culminated with franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro getting injured during the All-Star Game's skills competition. His play was affected by the injury and he would miss the final nine games of the season, ending any remote playoff hopes.
The team's woes then came to a head with the simmering feud between head coach Ted Nolan and general manager Garth Snow, leading to Nolan's dismissal in July.

General Manager: Garth Snow (3rd season)
Head Coach: Scott Gordon (1st season)2007-08
Record: 35-38-9 (13th in Conference)
Points Leader: Mike Comrie - 49
Goals Leader: Bill Guerin - 23
Assists Leader: Trent Hunter - 29
PIM Leader: Mike Comrie - 87
+/- Leader: Freddy Meyer - 6
PP Goals Leader: Marc-Andre Bergeron - 8
SH Goals Leader: Richard Park - 4

What They Did: The Isles had roster holes to fill at virtually every position, and started with a boost to a power play that finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season. The team hopes Mark Streit will build on a breakout season last year with the Canadiens where he swung between defence and forward and picked up 34 points with the man advantage. The team also added playmaking centre Doug Weight, hoping that a reunion with former Edmonton Oilers winger Bill Guerin will help spark both players to productive seasons. The team also jettisoned Fedotenko, Josef Vasicek and the underperforming Miroslav Satan.
What to watch for: One of the biggest disagreements between Snow and Nolan was what type of team the Islanders were. Snow wanted to see some of the team's prospects gain experience at the big league level, while Nolan wanted to win immediately. Snow, with the backing of owner Charles Wang, won the debate and incoming coach Scott Gordon will give the kids all the ice time they need and more. The brightest spot is University of Minnesota product Kyle Okposo, who should contend for the Calder trophy as the league's top rookie. The Minnesota native is the type of player the Isles hope they can build a franchise around. He looked like the real deal scoring two goals and three assists in a nine-game stretch after a late season call up. The team will once again depend on Comrie and Guerin to provide the majority of the offence as the team is short on firepower from the forward position.
While the cupboard appears bare up front, the same can't be said for the Isles' blueline. While far from elite, New York's top six features a nice mixture of puck movers and body bangers. Along with Streit, Campoli is poised for a bounce back season after undergoing shoulder surgery, while Radek Martinek and Freddy Meyer provide depth. Brendan Witt should provide veteran leadership to a very young group and will punish opposing forwards who dare venture into the corners with him. He will be helped in that department by Andy Sutton, who missed 22 games last year with a leg injury.
This is a very important season for DiPietro. He was enjoying a fantastic season before his mishap during All-Star Weekend. He is easily the Islanders' most important player and they need him on the ice as opposed to the infirmary where he has finished his last two seasons. While his talent is unquestionable, he has earned the knock of being fragile, missing multiple games because of injuries over the past three seasons. While New York will be hard pressed to make the playoffs, an injury to 'Tricky Ricky' would be devastating.
Parting Shot: Years of poor results, paired with an aging arena, has turned potential fans off in a market that is saturated with sporting options. The biggest hope is that Okposo enjoys a tremendous rookie season giving the fans some hope for the future. If he doesn't, the Isles could be irrelevant yet again.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=249973&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl

The Trouble With Pink Jerseys

What ever happened to fair play?

Here's the situation: I'm in my room flipping through the Sports section of a summer Sunday's edition of the Daily News. I love the Sunday paper because the Sports part is even bigger than usual. As I get to Part 2: The Score, I do a double take at their Gratuitous Photo of the Week. Usually, I ignore this section, but on this day they have a picture of some tennis player named Ashley Harkleroad, which would be unremarkable were it not for the fact that she is wearing a towel on her neck, a skirt exactly three inches long, and "tennis" heels, balanced on her tennis racquet in a suggestive pose. That is all. Later, when interviewed about it, she seemed to be completely comfortable with leaving nothing to the imagination.

And, not for the first time, I found myself thinking, Great. Another role model for women's sports bites the dust.

It's shameful to say that this is going on, that barely anyone outside the tennis world probably even knew Harkleroad's name before she decided to pose for Playboy. That this poor girl thinks she's doing right by herself when she really isn't. That she hasn't been the first to do so, and she likely will not be the last, unfortunately. But most of all, that American society still can't grasp the idea of female athletes being simply athletes, and nothing more, even in the 21st century.

Thirty-six years ago, in 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments was passed, giving women the chance to be equal to men in educational activities including but not limited to participation in sports. Now, in 2008, scores of women play sports on some level. However, you would barely know it if you'd been living under a rock and never realized it.

Why? Because sports networks are either barely skimming the surface of coverage of women's sports, or they're hypersexualizing the culture.

Face it, sex sells in this world of media. It's become an unspoken pact- men are best when they're strong, tough, uber-men, and women are best when they're hyperfeminine, graceful, beautiful and (at least half) naked. Talk about Title IX and feminism if you want, but even in the sports world, women have been pushed to accept this way of the world. Those who have, have the privilege of being noticed (Danica Patrick, Amanda Beard). Those who haven't- and there are many, aren't quite so lucky.

I won't lie- there are plenty of female athletes who haven't embraced the "sex sells" mentality. Krissy Wendell, Vonzetta Flowers, and other athletes have bucked the trend and become noticed for what they do best. However, even their names don't roll off the tongue as easily as IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, who does racy spreads for FHM and commercials for GoDaddy.com, or swimmer Amanda Beard, who takes her clothes off for practically anything. No doubt Ashley Harkleroad will join this legion, as nudged by her boyfriend and her agent, who obviously have no qualms about exploitation of women. (Because of course, men could care less if their female counterparts were stripped of their self-respect.)

All I ask of these women is this: Think of what you're giving up here. Money is nice and all, but when it comes to yourself, your self-respect, your dignity, is it really worth baring everything but your soul just for a paycheck? You wouldn't go into a job you hated for the money; why would you be so willing to throw away the respect you get from playing a sport for it? You're no porn stars. You're athletes. You represent your sport, and your family, and your community and your country. You set the examples for scores of young women and girls who wish to one day follow in your footsteps. And if these are the images you are to leave behind, you'll only make it worse for future generations. It's like those hideous pink and baby blue jerseys sports organizations sell to females; the more we buy into the concept, the more we become degraded. I will never wear those jerseys, and I refuse, without a doubt, to let myself fall into the trap that the others willingly dwell into.

There's a ton of money out there, girls. There's only one you. You can leave your mark on the world in a better way than through a centerfold.