The Charm Factor

As every fan knows, there's so much more to the game-day experience than just the game itself. (Although there's no denying that is the most important thing!) There are many other things going on in the arena (besides the game) that influence how much fun (or not) we actually have. There's the MEGATRON; there's the National Anthem (sometimes wonderful, sometimes off-key); there's the mascot and the dance teams; of course, there's the halftime entertainment; plus all of the things that take place during the time-outs. Each of these, done well or badly, influences our overall game-day experience. And while how our team plays on a particular day is not scripted by the front office, everything else certainly is.

And so this season, the BasketCases are proud to announce a brand new feature on our blog: The Charm Factor, our extremely high-tech, scientific measurement of just how much fun we had at the game (excluding the team's on-court performance . . . that we'll continue to cover in our actual post-game reports). And just to give our loyal readers a sense of how we'll be judging the in-arena experience, here's how it works:

Let's say that a big star, Gladys Knight for example, showed up at the Mystics' home opener tomorrow to sing the National Anthem, or to perform "Midnight Train to Georgia" at halftime, that would be an Automatic 5 Bunnies:

On the other hand, if the halftime "entertainment" consisted of Dr. J presenting an award to the President of the National Association for the Prevention of Toenail Fungus, that would probably earn only a Half-Bunny:

Toenail fungus prevention is, no doubt, a worthy cause. And it takes a very special person to head up such an organization, so for that alone, we'd award one-half of a Charm. But we confess that toenail fungus is just not one of life's challenges we want to be reminded of when we're at a basketball game. Sorry, but we are that shallow.

Anyway, we hope these examples give you a little of the flavor of our high-tech, scientific rating system. So, after every home game, count the Bunnies to learn the results of The Charm Factor!

Photo Credits: DC BasketCases

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Home Opener . . . After starting the season with two losses on the road, the Mystics will make their first appearance at the Verizon Center tomorrow at 4 PM as they face the Houston Comets. Before the game, the team will hold its traditional block party outside the arena, where Dr. J and the players will be on hand to greet the crowd.

It seems the fans aren't the only ones who are disappointed in how the Mystics have played so far. According to the Washington Post's Katie Carrera, "Mama Taj" has read her teammates the riot act, telling them it's time to "go all out." We like the sound of that, and hope we see a better performance tomorrow.

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Sunday Morning Update . . . In the Washington Times, Mike Fratto reports on Lang's transition from being a college to star to being a rookie pro. He also observes that "The Mystics will need to get off to a better start in today's game than they have in the first two losses of the season." Duh.