George, stick to what you know. Until a few years ago, George Solomon was the sports editor of the Washington Post. He presided over a section of the paper that gave short shrift (to say the least) to women's sports. So it's no surprise that the Sunday sports column he's been writing ever since leaving the editor's desk is mostly about football, baseball, and other men's sports. Which is just as well, because the column is generally so dull you run the risk of going back to sleep if you read it before your coffee in the morning. But every now and then, George throws in some crumb of news or opinion about women's sports --- out of the blue. Today was one of those days . . . here's what George had to say:

The Mystics made the playoffs but were bounced quickly by the Connecticut Sun. Suggestion to the moribund WNBA: Take a page from the NBA history book and consider a territorial draft that might bring some Maryland players to Verizon Center.

George, the first sentence is true, but that news is two weeks out of date! And the second sentence is not only a non sequitur, but it's absurd. Moribund? George, were you at panda-giveaway night? Well, Etan Thomas was there. (George, you know Etan, don't you? He plays men's pro ball.) Just ask Etan how "moribund" the Mystics crowd was that night. In any event, here's a news flash, George: the Mystics draw more people than the Terps do. And whatever the NBA may have done eons ago, TV and the Internet have vastly changed the marketing of professional sports, the fan base, and the fans' ability to follow their favorite players. For example, the BasketCases love seeing DC-area-natives Kara Lawson and Becky Brunson competing for the WNBA Championship on a California team. Maybe we'd have less interest in the finals if it weren't for those "local" connections. And who in DC doesn't love seeing Alana Beard -- a Louisiana native and a Duke grad -- on the Mystics? Besides which, the only Maryland player who will be a senior this coming year and who has any chance of a WNBA career is Shay Doron. And as much as the BasketCases adore Shay, and we do, the Mystics don't need another shooting guard. They need a Big. So George, please, do us all a favor; stick to what you know.

If you'd like to send George your own comments (or forward ours), his email address is:
talkback@washpost.com

Photo Credit: ESPN.com