[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

What's the saying? Don't be sad that it is over. Be glad that it happened. But maybe it is human to be both.

"It" was a mighty fun ride. Through all of the ups and downs of being a sports fan, Stanford women's basketball has been the old reliable for my family and me. Though there were ups and downs, the downs under Tara were never that far down. Sure, we ended most seasons on a loss, as all but one team does, but often those losses were at, or very near, the end of the season. Mini and I, who have seen a grand total of maybe three women's games at Maples, took a lot of road trips to see a whole lot of those last games in person. I will always be thankful that San Antonio was one of those destinations. [Come to think of it, it was the last one.] Imagine winning two Final Four games by a grand total of two points, with the ball heading toward the wrong basket at the end of both of them. What a strange year, but what a great ending. The team with the most grit won it all that year.

But the other years that did not end as well where mighty memorable, too. Tara brought so many good players to our team, and they sure seemed to be good people, too. Mini and I walked out of a lot of arenas sad, but always proud, too.

Nothing lasts forever. The game is changing, in ways both good and bad. Though I hope I am wrong and though I am confident we have the best possible replacement, it is hard to escape the feeling that the good old days just ended.

Still, I am glad she went out on her terms, with a good team. Because our team this year had a lot of success, it is easy to forget that they were expected to be also rans at the beginning of the year. One can never tell from a distance, especially when watching via the media and not in person, but this team seemed to really enjoy the game and enjoy each other. I am glad this was Tara's last year, rather than last year, where it seemed different. [Maybe it was better than it looked last year. How the heck do I know? But this year was a good year, up to the third quarter of the last game, and anybody can have a tough stretch.]

As others have, let me add a personal note. One a few occasions, my family and I had a chance to interact with Tara. She was always kind, warm, and even interested. She was all in for Stanford, even for distant fans like us who had to be about at the bottom of any reasonable DI coach's priority list.

You deserve a happy retirement coach. But we are going to miss you. Sigh.

[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

What's the saying? Don't be sad that it is over. Be glad that it happened. But maybe it is human to be both.

"It" was a mighty fun ride. Through all of the ups and downs of being a sports fan, Stanford women's basketball has been the old reliable for my family and me. Though there were ups and downs, the downs under Tara were never that far down. Sure, we ended most seasons on a loss, as all but one team does, but often those losses were at, or very near, the end of the season. Mini and I, who have seen a grand total of maybe three women's games at Maples, took a lot of road trips to see a whole lot of those last games in person. I will always be thankful that San Antonio was one of those destinations. [Come to think of it, it was the last one.] Imagine winning two Final Four games by a grand total of two points, with the ball heading toward the wrong basket at the end of both of them. What a strange year, but what a great ending. The team with the most grit won it all that year.

But the other years that did not end as well where mighty memorable, too. Tara brought so many good players to our team, and they sure seemed to be good people, too. Mini and I walked out of a lot of arenas sad, but always proud, too.

Nothing lasts forever. The game is changing, in ways both good and bad. Though I hope I am wrong and though I am confident we have the best possible replacement, it is hard to escape the feeling that the good old days just ended.

Still, I am glad she went out on her terms, with a good team. Because our team this year had a lot of success, it is easy to forget that they were expected to be also rans at the beginning of the year. One can never tell from a distance, especially when watching via the media and not in person, but this team seemed to really enjoy the game and enjoy each other. I am glad this was Tara's last year, rather than last year, where it seemed different. [Maybe it was better than it looked last year. How the heck do I know? But this year was a good year, up to the third quarter of the last game, and anybody can have a tough stretch.]

As others have, let me add a personal note. One a few occasions, my family and I had a chance to interact with Tara. She was always kind, warm, and even interested. She was all in for Stanford, even for distant fans like us who had to be about at the bottom of any reasonable DI coach's priority list.

You deserve a happy retirement coach. But we are going to miss you. Sigh.