To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever

I went to my local bookstore today, and as is my custom I checked out the sports section to see how many of the books there were on the subject of women’s sports.

The first title that caught my eye was To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever.

Ha! I thought. A book on the UConn-Tennessee women’s college basketball rivalry!

But no, that wasn’t it. It was a book on the Duke-North Carolina men’s basketball rivalry… a rivalry that is still going on and probably won’t be ending any time soon…

Would that the same could be said about UConn and Tennessee.

Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in college basketball, and possessor of 8 National Championships - only 2 behind the great John Wooden, elected last year not to renew the season contract with Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies.

Apparently, Summitt was annoyed with Auriemma’s recruiting tactics (UConn received a minor violation from the NCAA recently, for arranging a tour of the ESPN studios for Maya Moore - who subsequently signed with UConn) and decided to end the series.

“Was that reason enough, though?”, many fans asked.

If you’re upset with the antics or activities of a rival coach, shouldn’t that spice up the rivalry even more? Wouldn’t t hat make the victory over his team all the greater - forcing him have to come up to you after a losing game and smile and shake your hand?

But that’s not likely to happen again, unless the two teams can meet in the NCAA championship next season. That’s a question… the Lady Vols lost several seniors this year - the great Candace Parker, their defensive presence Nikki Anosike, and their sparkplug Shannon Bobbitt - whie the Huskies retain Maya Moore.

This writer believes the Lady Vols will be in a battle next season - for Summitt invariably schedules the tough teams, even though she’ll no longer play their toughest opponent - and the UConn Huskies may well be able to take it all.

Tune in in a few months and see!