The Mystics announced today that guard Alana Beard will undergo ankle surgery next week and will probably miss the entire 2010 WNBA season. That puts the Mystics bench without their team leader in points per game for the past five seasons. Last season, Mystics Head Coach Julie Plank called her a “franchise player.” General Manager Angela Taylor included the following statement in the Mystics’ press release: “We are disappointed for Alana because she is committed…

Sunday’s 81-75 victory over the Minnesota Lynx kept the 14-15 Mystics in playoff contention, but the price was high: an injury to All-Star Alana Beard’s ankle late in the fourth quarter forced her to the sidelines. Head coach Julie Plank told reporters during her post-game press conference that she had no information on Beard other than that she was currently being seen by the team doctor. Beard first injured her ankle during last Tuesday’s…

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury (left) and Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics. If you get goosebumps watching Ovechkin vs. Crosby, LeBron vs. Kobe, or Tiger Woods vs. everyone else, give this matchup a try: Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury vs. Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics, both first round picks in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi’s Mercury – the highest scoring team in the WNBA – held on in the final…