Big (Blue) Dogs in the News. On Monday, the Daily Bruin (the UCLA paper) carried an interesting story titled "Bruin Alumnae Ball with the Big Dogs" about Mystics rookie Nikki Blue and her former teammate, Lisa Willis.

"Moving across the country takes some getting used to," said Blue, who was drafted in the second round by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA Draft in April. "D.C. is (a) different lifestyle (from) California. It's weird not to be with UCLA anymore, but I still feel so blessed to be playing basketball for a living."

Today, Nakia "Big Dog" Sanford is the subject of a nice feature in her hometown Gwinnett (GA) Daily Post.

“Playing in Italy got me ready for the WNBA because in Italy I was a go-to player and I had never been in that position before as a professional,” Sanford said. “This year (with the Mystics), the biggest thing for me is that I’m playing more than I did last year. I’m getting a lot of time to get into the flow of the game. I know when I go in I have to rebound and play defense and get the job done. That’s my role on this team.”

Speaking of "big dogs". . .the BasketCases swear that when the Mystics' 206 lb. Latasha "Tot" Byears posted up against Indy's 215 lb. Ebony Hoffman last night, they felt a gravitational pull!