Storm G Sue Bird is joining other athletes who are supporting LIVESTRONG and cancer awareness this summer.

As Lance Armstrong rides again at the Tour de France, Bird will wear a special beaming yellow LIVESTRONG Nike Zoom Soldier III tonight as the Storm faces the Sacramento Monarchs at KeyArena to raise global cancer awareness.

Bird's efforts are part of an integrated media and grassroots campaign featuring Armstrong, world-class athletes, celebrities and survivors, in a call-to-action to join the global fight against cancer.

The campaign, "It's About You," includes a TV commercial and a collection of digital short films -- including one featuring Bird -- featuring inspirational cancer stories, new social networking elements to help ignite a groundswell of support to fight cancer, and dozens of LIVESTRONG city and sporting event moments across the United States and in France.

Here's a link to the 56-second video, partly filmed while Bird was training with Team USA Olympic team.

I'll have more from Bird after the game.

My eyes popped at the headline on ESPN.com: "Monarchs' Uprising." Hmm, not the choice of words I'd use for a team that started the season 1-8. Of course the column is more tempered, acknowledging Sacramento winning its past two games after wading through an opening where PG Ticha Penicheiro (pictured right by WNBA) suffered a sprained thumb (in a loss at Seattle), C DeMya Walker is returning from knee injury and everyone is trying to mesh. Post Rebekkah Brunson is also returning from knee surgery, starting her first game in the win on Tuesday.

The Monarchs (3-8) will know tonight where they really stand and have the opportunity to show a national audience on ESPN2. Yet, like Seattle, Sacramento doesn't play well when the bright lights are flicked on. Well, except for that WNBA title run in 2005. Otherwise the Monarchs are 2-4 against the Storm, specifically, in nationally televised games -- a whopping 1-4 on ESPN2.

Add Sacramento's current 1-6 road record and Seattle star Lauren Jackson's ugly 1-of-11 shooting in her team's win on Tuesday and Storm fans could be in for a treat with the Monarchs playing puppet.

But don't count on it. Sacramento usually starts their season slow and picks up steam in time for the All-Star break. Its bench is better, outscoring the opponent's in nine of the past 11 games, and the Monarchs should win one game in the series against the Storm (7-4). Seattle defeated Sacramento in a home-and-home series to open the season.

Seattle is undefeated at home this season, joining Chicago (5-0) as the only teams yet to lose on its home court. The Storm's streak runs 14 regular-season games, dating back to June 2008.

As part of the WNBA's "Green Week," the Storm will wear their green road jerseys tonight. The first 3,000 fans will receive a night light and you can recycle new or used books by donating it to the Goodwill on KeyArena's West Plaza, registering to win am autographed shirt.

Medical evaluations continue to flip-flop the diagnosis of rookie Ashley Walker's jammed right big toe, according to coach Brian Agler. A fracture was ruled out but the injury could be a soft tissue-type of fracture.

"She may not be out as long," said Agler of Walker, who missed Tuesday's matinee. "We hope it's for the shortest time and it has been a little bit frustrating because we have been going back-n-forth trying to decide what it is. It's not that easy to decide. I'm sure when [physicians] look at pictures, there's enough overlap where it can go either way."

Walker (pictured right) saw a podiatrist following Tuesday's win and was barefoot on crutches at practice today. She will normally wear a protective boot to keep pressure off the foot.

"I took a wrong step and stubbed my toe," said Walker of how the injury occurred at practice on Sunday. "It kills. It's really sensitive to the touch."

Walker, who has never suffered an injury in her entire career, won't suit up for Thursday's game against Sacramento, preventing her from another matchup against childhood friend Courtney Paris. The Storm rookie got the edge in head-to-head matchups earlier this season.

Selected 12th overall in the draft, Walker was averaging 4.4 minutes and moving from the power forward position she played at California to the small forward slot.

"Getting her healthy is the most important thing," said Agler of how missed practice will slow Walker's growth at the new position. "We'll just focus on that."

In other news from practice, the Storm plans to announce the final tally for their All-Decade team during Thursday's game. I just about backed out of my F Swin Cash selection, but her past two games against Los Angeles and San Antonio made me feel confident again. PG Sonja Henning is the close alternate pick for me.

The WNBA ends All-Star voting today.

NOW SCREAM: The Storm is on a run, led by Bird, and going to win their 14th consecutive game at KeyArena. It was a rough one, Jackson is on the bench after shooting 1 for 11 from the field, but at least the players pulled together for the win. San Antonio drops to 0-4 on the road. Cash was the highlight, going 5 of 8 from the field for a game-leading 18 points. Bird finished with 17 while Hammon paced San Antonio with 13. Seattle wins 66-53 on Kids Day.

KICKED THE BUCKET: Hughes swift kicked a cup on the sideline when Riley collected her sixth and final foul while going for a block. It looked clean to me, but that puts her out of the game and Jackson will probably go off. First Bird is having fun, hitting her second shot clock buzzer-beater to help pull the Storm ahead 59-48 with 2:53 left.

HELLO STORM: A mini 14-6 run at the end of the third quarter, sparked by Jackson's first points of the game, gave the Storm a 49-41 lead heading into the fourth. Storm G Shannon Johnson was particularly impressive, scoring six points in the quarter. After two baskets by Bird, the Storm is now up 53-44 with 6:59 left in the game.

DROUGHT ENDED: Jackson hasn't gone scoreless in a half since May 2005 when she was held scoreless in the second half against Los Angeles. Today, the drought ended with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter when, after making one of two free throws, she cut under the hoop for a layin. The shot gave the Storm a 38-35 lead with 4:59 left.

STILL STANDING: Fans remain on their feet waiting for the Storm to make a bucket. Cash should end the madness with a FT and does. But at one count, the Storm missed four shots in one possession and seven in a row. Jackson remains scoreless, 0-for-8 from the field. Score tied at 35 points apiece with 5:39 left in third quarter.

YUCKERS!: Riley, with her bulky 6-5 frame, has been on Jackson all night, getting help from Young and others whenever Jackson gets the ball inside. Well, Riley was finally called for a foul, but Jackson couldn't convert on the ensuing free throws and missed another outside jumper. A three-pointer by Bird at the shot clock buzzer saved the Storm, pulling them within 34-33 at the half. Seattle is shooting 39.4 percent, with four assists on 13 made baskets. San Antonio is shooting 44.8 percent and has 11 assists on 13 made buckets.

BLOCK THAT: Wright had a nice block against a baseline-driving Hammon with 2:57 remaining in the half. The defense is getting better, but Seattle is down 32-30 and Jackson is still without a bucket in five attempts.

NOW THAT'S A TIE: San Antonio coach Dan Hughes is another cool one in the league and his status just raised 100 points with me. He's wearing a Jimi Hendrix tie -- classic. Don't know what the vibe is today. It's the date of Michael Jackson's Memorial in LA, but at KeyArena a nine-year-old played the national anthem a la Hendrix at Woodstock and now the tie. Interesting. Storm within 29-28 with 4:30 remaining in the half.

MIA: Jackson is on the bench resting after a miserable opening quarter, missing four shots. One was a good open look. The 6-5 post was crowded on the others and picked up two fouls within a minute of each other. The bench hasn't been as strong as needed this season, they need to snap out of it tonight if Jackson is going to play like this. Seattle down 27-24 with 7:06 remaining in second quarter.

GOOD D: Jackson can't get a call, triple-teamed inside, but Bird got away with one as she guarded Erin Perperoglou, tossing her to the ground in pursuit of a steal. The officials had a makeup call on the other end, however. Seattle leads 17-16 after a shot from Hammon.

CASH RETURN: One player who really struggled on the road was Cash. She hit three consecutive shots and a free throw to help give the Storm a 17-11 lead with 2:48 remaining in the opening quarter. Seattle is shooting 57.1 percent from the field, but Jackson has missed both of her attempts. On defense, the Storm isn't guarding Johnson well, but are outrebounding the Silver Stars 6-2.

PATCHES OF RED: In this economy it must not be cool to tell your boss you're taking a half day for a basketball game. At least that's what I'm attributing the patches of empty seats that are normally full in the lower bow. Day-campers are scattered around the arena wearing colorful t-shirts. They went crazy for the Mariner's moose mascot.

The ThunderStix are already clapping and there aren't even any basketball players on the court. Yes, it's the famed noon game aimed at attracting local campers who get the joy of celebrating Doppler's birthday. The Storm opened up three sections in the upper bowl, anticipating an overflow crowd.

Whatever works for the players, who need to snap a two-game losing snag. Unfortunately San Antonio also is looking to end its own skid -- three consecutive defeats on the road. Two were without leaders Becky Hammon and Vickie Johnson. Hammon was with the Russian national team playing in the European women's basketball championship.

Johnson, a 13-year veteran, noted that it's real early and she's not concerned about the Silver Star's 4-4 start. She expects Belgium center Ann Wauters to sign and join the team in a month and "as long as we're five, six games above .500 by the All-Star break, we're good."

The All-Star game is July 25 and San Antonio has seven games prior to the midseason classic.

Defense is going to be a theme. The Storm played uninspired basketball on the road in Phoenix and LA. Storm coach Brian Agler worked the players on defending throughout practice. We'll see if it makes a difference.

Storm rookie Ashley Walker is the only injury to report for Seattle, jamming her right big toe. She's on the bench and will be further evaluated after the game.

Here are your starting lineups:

SILVER STARS
F Sophia Young
F Helen Darling
C Ruth Riley
G Becky Hammon
G Vickie Johnson

STORM
F Swin Cash
F Lauren Jackson
C Camille Little
G Sue Bird
G Tanisha Wright

Tonight's officials are June Courteau, Shelley Nakasone, and Tom Mauer.

Los Angeles star Candace Parker tweeted philosophical after her team's horrible 104-89 loss to Phoenix on Sunday. "Handle failure like u handle success! my mind is cool takin care of my body. its a process..." wrote Parker, who made her debut after giving birth to her first child in May.

Looking winded -- her daughter was up all-night prior to gameday -- Parker missed her first shot attempt and seemed to struggle to get back on defense. But a baseline drive against Mercury G Diana Taurasi was the only glimpse needed to see Parker, the 2008 MVP, will be fine once she gets in shape. Parker (pictured right by the Associated Press) finished with six points in 18 minutes.

"It's different," Parker, 23, told The Los Angeles Times of last season's debut, which also ended with Rookie of the Year honors. "Last year I was able to rely more on my athleticism and jumping over people. Now I actually have to box out. The speed, I'm not able to go past people anymore. I'm going to have to be more fundamental until that comes back."

Watching the game on NBATV, I was wishing I could listen to Phoenix's feed to hear more about Cappie Pondexter, who looks even better. (How is this possible?) Phoenix ran amok against a LA team uninterested in defense.

The Mercury sitting atop the Western Conference with three players among the leaders in the All-Star vote makes fans look pretty smart right now. Then again, Sparks C Lisa Leslie leads her category and she may miss half of her team's six road games with a sprained right knee.

Parker also received All-Star votes and she may not even be in LA's starting lineup by the time the July 25 midseason classic rolls around. At least it was only 9,500-plus who forgot she didn't play in the first eight games of the season.

But the hot topic last week was of course was Taurasi's citation for suspected DUI. Kudos to the LA crew for at least acknowledging the incident on air. More will be known in the upcoming weeks, but it's a slippery slope.

One of the reasons the Indiana Pacers are in trouble financially is because of the off-court behavior of former players (strip clubs, alcohol, guns). The same for the old Portland Trail Blazers, who had to overhaul its roster and re-introduce itself to the community to battle "Jail Blazer" tag.

Taurasi is not near this point, but why not send a hard message since you can name two others -- Sacramento F Rebekkah Brunson and Kara Braxton -- who fallen into this pitfall the past year?

The incident overshadowed a positive in the women's basketball world -- five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards (Minnesota Lynx) being named as a member of the Class of 2009 who'll be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame currently consists of 213 athletes and 13 special contributors.

"For me, it's the highest of highs because I've always looked at the Olympics as being the best that you could possibly get for women's basketball," Edwards said in a released statement. "For me, it's the most important honor ever. To be in the company of Muhammad Ali and Wilma Rudolph, that's huge. It's kind of like, pinch me, because I still can't believe it."

For the Storm, it was down week, losing road games in LA and Phoenix. After two consecutive days off, the team practiced through the weekend and finally has a stretch of home games -- eight of their upcoming 10 games.

Seeing if they can keep their home winning streak going and if Indiana can push its past eight are what I'm keeping an eye on this week.

One thing I'll always love about Phoenix G Diana Taurasi is she doesn't hide. As the Web world swirls with opinion about her citation for suspected drunken driving, she practiced with her team and spoke with media afterward.

Taurasi, the WNBA's top All-Star vote-getter, told local reporters, "it's just something that's embarrassing and unfortunate for my family and the organization." She didn't go into specifics, sticking to the standard public relations acknowledgement of fault. But Taurasi knows what she did.

The team still hasn't decided whether there will be repercussions for Sunday's game, waiting to see if there's a need. The police report, according to The Arizona Republic, said an officer smelled alcohol, so there could be more to this story that calls for a suspension. Yet, as many readers have noted, the WNBA has a history of double standards, treating its stars with kid gloves.

For now, it's good Taurasi took some accountability.

It's no secret that Phoenix G Diana Taurasi drinks. She'll readily talk about vodka and wine in lighter off-court moments. But it appears she went too far following the big win against Seattle on Wednesday.

Taurasi, 27, was cited for drunken driving. Phoenix GM Ann Meyers-Drysdale wouldn't comment to local reporters until more information was made available, yet expects her leading scorer (21.2) to play on Sunday in Los Angeles.

How is this right? Detroit C Kara Braxton was suspended six games this season for her second DUI offense and two for her first. Given that Taurasi (pictured right) is an important face of the league with milk commercials and leading the All-Star game vote, shouldn't she be punished to show this type of behavior is unacceptable? At the very least, Taurasi should be held out of the game until all information is revealed concerning her DUI citation to show the organization is taking this seriously.

It's the holiday weekend and this is not a good example.

Of course, I'm writing this without all of the information. But if she "refused" a breath-test because something was up, then she should accept accountability for her sake and the league's.

The WNBA has been mostly unscathed publically and the players can't fall into the off-court trap like other leagues because their popularity isn't strong enough to sustain the damage. It's already dealt with suspected rape and pot, but the incidents are countable and not by the major stars.

Here's hoping Taurasi isn't the first.

Storm stars Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird appear headed to another All-Star game as starters. First returns were released this morning and Jackson is second (18,169) behind Phoenix G Cappie Pondexter (26,701) among forwards while Bird is second (21,962) behind Mercury G Diana Taurasi (32,921) in that category.

Taurasi, whose team defeated Seattle on Wednesday, is the overall vote-getter.

Storm F Swin Cash is fourth 17,221 while C Janell Burse is fifth (6,585) and G Tanisha Wright is last (4,025) in their respective categories. Hometown product Cathrine Kraayeveld, a New York Liberty forward, received 4,060 votes in the Eastern Conference.

The balloting gives a lot of steam to Seattle fans' gripe about not having enough home games to stuff the ballot as they've done in the past. Phoenix has played seven home games, so it's no surprise that rookie DeWanna Bonner (17,973) ranks third among Western Conference forwards and first among the new class.

Voting continues through July 7, when the Storm hosts San Antonio - their fourth home game. The starters will be announced July 14. Reserves are selected by the conference coaches, who cannot vote for their own players. That lineup will be announced July 20.

The All-Star game is July 25 in Connecticut. But will you go or watch?

WNBA attendance is up a modest 2 percent, yet when I was listening to ESPN Seattle (710 AM) this morning, the consensus among male sports was that All-Star games don't matter and players don't want to participate. For fans, you get to see all of the stars at least once, so what's the big whoop?

Basketball has always made All-Star games interesting mega-events, holding skills competitions, parties, and rookie games. Is that enough for your money in this economy?