Candace Parker: October 2008 Archives

Along with three other female U.S. Olympic stars, Candace Parker will be saluted today at The Breeders' Cup in California.

Misty May-Treanor, a two-time gold medalist in volleyball, and two members of the silver medal-winning softball team, Jennie Finch and Crystal Bustos, will accompany the gold-medal winning Parker (who currently doubles as the WNBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player).

But that's not the real story, just the hook. I mean, it did happen, but Candace Parker's shoe hitting a fan in the head while an adoring crowd fumbled the catch isn't the point.

Read the full story about a young girl's desire to receive a pair of Parker's shoes for her 14th birthday.

...much is expected."

Candace Parker has uttered that motto for quite some time, and now you can too. Only you won't have to if you buy the T-shirt, because it will do all the speaking for you.

Again:

"To whom much is given, much is expected."

There's no doubt that a lot of expectations have been placed on Parker's sturdy shoulders, but with the help of her family and close friends (and her own intellect), Parker has found ways to put things in perspective.

Because of her tremendous talent on the hardwood, Parker has received a lot in life. But along the way, she's never forgotten what's expected of her as a person.

The two-time NCAA Tournament champion, U.S. Olympic gold medalist and WNBA Most Valuable Player/Rookie of the Year is one of the good ones.

Having said that, not everybody can get away with wearing orange. You'll just have to memorize the mantra instead of wearing it.

When the Los Angeles Sparks lost Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals a week ago today, Candace Parker missed a chance to accomplish basketball's Triple Crown.

The feat goes to the person who wins an NCAA Championship, U.S. Gold medal and WNBA Championship in successive seasons. Nobody has ever done it; Parker managed two of the three requirements.

So how does this compare to Major League Baseball's Triple Crown, attained by a hitter who at season's end leads the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs?

Given the infrequency of the Olympics, I contend that basketball's TC is much more difficult to manage than baseball's. What do you think?