Monarchs Blog and Q&A

Bee staff writer Melody Gutierrez grew up in Twentynine Palms. At 14-years-old, she decided to combine her two passions -- sports and writing -- when she became a special assignments reporter for the Desert Trail, her hometown weekly newspaper. Melody headed to Northern California in 2000 to attend Chico State and has remained in the region ever since. She earned an internship with The Bee and subsequently became a staff writer in 2004 and has covered virtually every sport, starting with high schools, up through college and then the pros. Melody took over coverage of the Monarchs last season and chronicled the team's pursuit of a second straight league championship -- a quest that fell just short.

Melody welcomes your questions and will answer as many as she can as the season progresses.

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August 21, 2007

The buddy system

Friends don't scout friends, or at least that's what Phoenix Mercury coach Paul Westhead said Tuesday. With longtime buddies Diana Tauarsi of Phoenix and Sue Bird of Seattle squaring off Friday in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, the point guards are certainly familiar with each other's games.

Taurasi and Bird both played for Spartak in Russia, living together during the WNBA's lengthy offseason.

"She hasn't told me anything other than what their favorite restaurants are," Westhead said. "I know they are good friends, but I think they keep all of that off the court. We don't ask and she doesn't tell."

The pair has kept a "Buddy Blog" all season to share their letters to each other with fans at www.wnba.com/news/birdanddee.html

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete, August 21, 2007 01:30 PM

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