You had me at hello. Anthony LeBlanc and George Gosbee, who have been speaking for the IceArizona Acquisition Co. group, are saying all the right things, and I’m buying every word. Hook, line and sinker, I’m in. This is the group that will not only stabilize the franchise, but propel it to heights it has […]
In one respect, we’ve seen this before. The Arizona Cardinals signed a couple of big-name veterans who get fans excited because of who they once were. Alan Faneca and Joey Porter come to mind, and neither of those pickups worked out too well. But in another respect, the additions of tackle Eric Winston and defensive […]
Virtually from the very moment it was announced that Ryan Braun would be suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season due to violating baseball’s rules regarding performance enhancing drugs, the Arizona Diamondbacks became part of the conversation. After all, it was during the 2011 postseason that Braun tested positive for PEDs, and that same […]
Shane Dale’s reason for writing a book is about as good as anyone else’s. “People kept telling me, ‘Shane, you need to write a book,’ and I’d ask them ‘what about,’ and they’d say, ‘I don’t know, just write a book.'” So, the freelance writer, who graduated from the University of Arizona with a journalism […]
Ian Kennedy no longer deserves a spot in the Arizona Diamonbacks’ starting rotation. The right-hander’s fall from Cy Young candidacy in 2011 to also-ran in 2013 has been more quick than surprising. It has also been disappointing. Perhaps that is why the team is not yet willing to take the necessary action and remove him […]
The folks over at NFL.com have been spending their summer reaching for content, and one of their latest attempts at story lines has been coming up with All-time underrated and overrated players lists for each team. The Cardinals’ edition was published July 8, and it got me thinking about the premise. Having grown up a […]
It would be easy to overreact to the Diamondbacks getting swept at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers and say things like they are a mediocre squad and L.A. is the team to beat in the NL West. Let’s not do that. Instead let’s react and say the Diamondbacks, as currently constructed, are not going […]
All you can ask for is a chance, and now the Phoenix Coyotes have one. Excuse me, the Arizona Coyotes. By way of a 4-3 vote, the Glendale City Council paved the way for Renaissance Sports & Entertainment to purchase the team, meaning the franchise is on the cusp of something it has not seen […]
There is a school of thought from some Valley sports fans that says at this point, they just want the Phoenix Coyotes’ ownership saga to come to an end. Stay, go, whatever. Just get the damn thing over with. I call baloney. Tuesday night the Glendale City Council will essentially decide whether or not the […]
Good job, Phoenix Suns. Good effort. Right. Everything seemed to be falling into place for the team. Anthony Bennett went first, followed by Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter and, miraculously, Cody Zeller. Suddenly stud Kentucky defender Nerlens Noel and arguably the most talented player in the draft, Ben McLemore, were there for the taking. So, naturally, […]
The NBA Draft is always a bit of a crapshoot. Talent got Michael Beasley drafted second overall in 2008. A lack of desire has led to him being just one more rough season away from possibly being out of the league a half-dozen years later, whereas players selected after him are well into outstanding careers. […]
So let’s get this straight, when the Phoenix Suns say they want to honor the franchise’s storied history and past, they mean hiring a head coach who played more games for the Utah Jazz (477) than he did with the Suns (468). While Jeff Hornacek may be beloved in the Valley, his number 14 is […]
October 7 was the final day of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2011 season. On that day, when the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings, its lineup looked like this: Willie Bloomquist, SS Aaron Hill, 2B Justin Upton, RF Miguel Montero, C Paul Goldschmidt, 1B […]
Throughout virtually their entire stay in the desert, the tight end has been used about as often as Sun Devil Stadium was for playoff games. Jay Novacek did not become a Pro Bowler until he left for the Dallas Cowboys, Robert Awalt and Johnny McWilliams never amounted to much, and Freddie Jones and Todd Heap […]
The Arizona Cardinals’ secondary will have a decidedly different look in 2013. In fact, of the four defensive backs likely to be in the lineup on the first defensive snap against the St. Louis Rams on September 10, just two were with the team last season, and only one was a full-time starter. The full-time […]
When was the last time the Phoenix Suns made consecutive good decisions? How about three in a row? Few will complain about the team’s offseason, and that’s an amazing feat for an organization that has given folks plenty to be upset about over the years. Fire GM Lance Blanks? No qualms there. Hire Ryan McDonough […]
Daniel Hudson is getting closer to making things a lot more interesting for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitcher, who is working to return after Tommy John surgery, threw to opposing batters for the first time last week and reportedly looked pretty good in the process. Assuming there are no real setbacks in his recovery, the […]
Ask anyone to sum up the 2012 Arizona Cardinals, and they may do so like this: The defense was great, but the offense was terrible. That could lead some to wonder if a group that seemingly had things figured out would be reticent to make changes. After all, why fix what isn’t broken? “Everybody’s open […]
For the first time since the summer of 2009, the Arizona Cardinals have a pretty sure thing at the quarterback position. There is no Matt Leinart to lose the job to Derek Anderson. There is no Kevin Kolb to hand the job to, albeit without him having proven much at the NFL level. And there […]
A couple weeks back word came out that Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver had no plans to sell the team. So, we went to Facebook and asked Suns fans “What — if anything — can Sarver do to change your opinion about him as an owner?” There were more than 150 responses, and the majority […]
The value of a good general manager is as obvious as it is subjective. The best, of course, build winners. The worst, as we know, do not. Here in Arizona, we’ve been privy to the entire spectrum when it comes to GMs. The best has been Phoenix Coyotes boss Don Maloney, who has managed to […]
Damn it, Daryl. The news that Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington was involved in a domestic disturbance Wednesday night, one that had him allegedly harm his ex-girlfriend, should have come as more of a shock. But alas, we already knew many professional athletes are not exactly the best of us, and are prone to making […]
Back in 2007, first-year Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and the team decided to play it safe with their first-round pick. Selecting fifth, the team chose Penn State tackle Levi Brown. They played it safe, going with a guy who could play right away and filled a position of need. They got burned. Of course, […]
NFL teams do not win championships by selecting offensive linemen with top-10 picks. That’s not an opinion; it’s a fact. Since 2003, 12 different offensive lineman have been taken with picks in that range. Of those 12, six have appeared in at least one playoff game. Of those six, just two have appeared in a […]
