We Woke This Morning to the news that Senator Ted Kennedy had died. We also woke to the news that the Mystics had lost. We can tell you that one bit of news upset us far more than the other . . . and the far more important news -- the one that depressed us the most -- had nothing to do with a game or a round ball.

Rest in Peace, Ted.

But since this is a Mystics blog, let's talk briefly about the game. Washington heads home today from its 4-game West Coast swing with a losing record (1-3). Last night in Seattle, the Mystics were soundly beaten by the Storm, 68-78.

The Storm went on an early 31-9 run, leaving the Mystics with a deep deficit from which they never recovered. It's not a good sign when, in the words of Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans, your competitor can begin resting its starters "midway through the third quarter."

About the only positive thing we can see from the box score is that both Mystics wings had decent outings. Marissa came off the bench to score 13 points. (Let's hope that she is finally emerging from her slump.) And Mo also finished with 13 points. Unfortunately, no other Washington player was in double figures.

The box score is here, the brief AP report (with yet another factual error . . . who writes this stuff?) is here, and Jayda Evans's game story in the Seattle Times is here.

The Mystics return home with a record of 13-15, still clinging precariously to a tie for 4th place in the East, since the Sky also lost last night (to the Sparks). However, Chicago is hardly Washington's only problem, as the Mystics are getting squeezed from behind by the Detroit Shock, who beat the Sun last night and are now in a virtual deadlock with Washington and Chicago in the standings.

Fortunately, the Mystics now have several days of home cooking and sleeping in their own beds before they host the Lynx on Sunday. Maybe that will help them shake off the ill effects of this less-than-successful road trip. If Washington can regroup and begin posting some wins, they are still very much in playoff contention. But they need to take care of business -- particularly at home. What they cannot afford to do now is look for help from or worry about what other teams are doing. The great Satchel Paige may have put it best: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."