You are completely innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and, within that court, nothing should ever take that right away from you.

Outside of that court, you are completely guilty of not being the man we thought you were. Only .00096% of the U.S. population is currently on an NFL roster. Through your hard work, the hard work of coaches in your life and God-given talent, you have been given the most-unreal of opportunities. With this chance, we are being led to believe you've chosen drugs and attacking women. I hope for all our sake that this is untrue.

NEW YORK KNICKS:

Show me the pictures of Bird, Magic and Michael wearing a black suit to mock a team in an elimination game. All you've accomplished in this series is playing in a Game 5 of a first round series. A man is one who respects others but never fears another while showing manhood through work ethic and pride in their work. Kenyon Martin, you are certainly not a champion. The question is, do you fit the true definition of a man or a punk?

D-BACKS BULLPEN:

So if this is considered a strength, how low are the weaknesses? Everyone who will make excuses for this will say, "it's only May." When the D-backs finish in third place this year, no one will say, "remember May?"

OKC THUNDER:

I've always been highly critical of Russell Westbrook because his no-pass possessions make everyone else stand around on offense. When you stand on offense, you tend to stand on defense. One thing I never thought of in my attacks on his style of play is that maybe his teammates don't want to move.

Scotty Brooks is embarrassing himself in this series. Instead of changing the offense to fit the new personnel, he's just having Kevin Durant pretend to be Westbrook. For some reason, he hasn't figured out two things: 1) Durant isn't Westbrook and 2) if Durant is Westbrook, who's Durant?

Play Derek Fisher more. Don't have Durant bring the ball up. Run more screens. Move the ball more to get the defense on their heels since they don't fear Westbrook's driving ability anymore.

OK, does anyone mind if I go back to my job and family now?

I don't agree with the media making this an enormous story. I also don't agree with the personal attacks that Collins is receiving, either. To me, Collins was an average backup center last week and he's an average backup center this week. There's not much more to the story.

I do think there's a level of toughness coming out because of the scrutiny, but there's also a level of lucrativeness to it as well.

What's really sad about the state of our country is how each end of the spectrum will read the last sentence and go nuts on it since they read it through their filter to see something that's not there.

If you're to the right politically, you'll feel the need to lecture me since I called Collins tough. You'll feel incomplete if you don't e-mail me just to say, "He's no hero! He's not a soldier or first responder!" Before you hit send on that e-mail, where did I compare him to heroes? I didn't, you felt the need to establish what Collins represents to you.

If you're on the left politically, you loved the sentence at first. Then you saw the word "lucrative." Now you're going crazy. Here comes your tweet, "He didn't come out just to make money. You're so lost to not see his courage. How dare you even suggest that money was his motivation. You have no idea what it's been like for Collins. You take your freedom for granted while he was never free."

Where did I say he came out to make money? I didn't. However, are you in denial that there won't be endorsement opportunities for him that have never existed in the history of sports? There will be more chances for him to make money off the court than any backup center in basketball history.

Unfortunately we live in a new society. It's a society that would rather attack than listen. As a talk show host, I know one truth that others don't see: People claim they want honesty from the the media and politicians. Ironically, that's a lie. People don't want honesty, they want reinforcement. If the truth doesn't reinforce what they think, they'll go find a different version that fits their own truth.

Jason Collins is gay. Now let's play basketball.

1st Round:

CARDS PICK: Jonathan Cooper - guard, North Carolina

MY PICK: Chance Warmack - guard, Alabama

I like the pick but I don't love it. I believe Chance Warmack is a better football player. Cooper wins on a competition of athleticism and "fit" into the Cardinals' system, so I don't have much room to argue. I like Warmack because he's an animal. The Cardinals need skill on the O-line first and foremost, but I also think they lack attitude. Kids from Alabama are winners. Warmack wants to bury you.

Cooper will be an excellent football player. Warmack could be a Hall-of-Famer.

2nd Round:

CARDS PICK: Kevin Minter - linebacker, LSU

MY PICK: Kevin Minter - linebacker, LSU

I say it's my pick but I have no idea if I could manipulate this draft pick as well as the Cardinals. This is a perfect selection. Keep an eye on this pick for years. Arizona could have had Manti Te'o or Kiko Alonso and chose Minter. Alonso might have more upside, but he's got a lot more downside. I'm very down on Te'o, so I love allowing San Diego trade up to get him. The Cardinals get a better player and another selection.

3rd Round:

CARDS PICK: Tyrann Mathieu - defensive back, LSU

MY PICK: Blidi Wreh-Wilson - defensive back, Connecticut

Obviously I'm not reaching since Wreh-Wilson was the very next selection by Tennessee following Arizona. I would go with Blidi for two reasons: I think he's that good, and I don't have the "onions" that Steve Keim does.

There's no doubt that Mathieu is light years ahead of Wreh-Wilson athletically and in football skills. Mathieu is a first-round talent that the Cardinals selected in the third round. They get a ton of talent for great value.

I think everyone deserves second chances, but Honey Badger is on his fourth chance. I wouldn't spend my money on him. However, I have great respect for an organization that will take a chance without feeling like the risk is great. I know they spoke to Patrick Peterson for months about Mathieu before making the move. They feel like they have the infrastructure to handle anything that comes up.

4th Round:

CARDS PICK: Alex Okafor - defensive end, Texas

MY PICK: Barrett Jones - offensive lineman, Alabama

The Cardinals get the credit here because I would have done this pick without conviction and they did it with conviction. Okafor is a better player than Florida linebacker Jelani Jenkins, but I like Jenkins more than Okafor. Okafor doesn't give me everything I want on every play. I hate guys who aren't lunch pail guys, and I don't think Okafor is. I know Jenkins is.

I don't disagree with the pick, though, because Jenkins is always getting hurt. He gives all that he has and it normally means he's giving more than he has. Okafor is simply a better athlete. If both players are giving everything, Okafor is better. I would have drafted him on his athleticism but I would ride his butt from day one.

If it's me, I'm going with Jones though. His intelligence, versatility and teamwork are too valuable to me to pass up. The Cardinals probably feel that Lyle Sendlein will be healthy and you already have an expensive backup with Adam Snyder. I love the value of Barrett Jones here.

Three picks after Okafor, one of my favorite college football players went to the Dolphins: Michigan State TE Dion Sims. I want Sims. I think he could add so much to the Cardinals. The problem is I would have gone for Sims with my fifth-round pick. I never would have told the media how upset I was that I missed on Sims, but Okafor fills a need and is a better player.

CARDS PICK: Earl Watford - guard, James Madison

MY PICK: Johnathan Franklin - running back, UCLA

This is a simple analysis. I love Franklin and the Cards need a running back. I also know very little about Watford. I'm simply not educated enough on Watford to question the pick.

5th Round:

CARDS PICK: Stepfan Taylor - running back, Stanford

MY PICK: Jonathan Meeks - safety, Clemson

The Taylor pick is outstanding. The only reason I didn't do it in my "draft re-enactment" is that I just drafted Franklin in the round before. Drafting Taylor is exactly the pick that should have been made here.

I've got a little bit of wishful thinking on Meeks. He might only get involved on dime coverage early in his career. This pick would have been a project at safety but I think he would succeed with the Cardinals. Keep in mind, Taylor is a better player than Meeks and the right pick, so I'm not disagreeing.

6th Round:

CARDS PICK: Ryan Swope - receiver, Texas A&M

MY PICK: David Quessenberry - tackle, San Jose State

I realize it's sixth round but this is the only pick I really disagree with. I think Swope is a stud in the slot. I think he's a lunch pail guy. I think Swope has a chance to be an excellent fit in the Cardinals' scheme...and I wouldn't have touched him unless I can get him as an UFA. His history of concussions would push me to take him off my board.

Quessenberry was a college tackle that I'm going to use to push Massie but more likely, slide him over to guard eventually. I think Daryn Colledge and Snyder were terrible free agent signings. I can't wait to get rid of both of them. I would want Cooper at LG and let Colledge, Snyder and Quessenberry fight it out. I know Colledge would win, but I've already drafted Jones at center who is guard-ready as well. Then I could cut Snyder and let Quessenberry learn for a year.

CARDS PICK: Andre Ellington - running back, Clemson

MY PICK: Bacarri Rambo - safety, Georgia

Honestly, this is the blogger admitting I would have choked. Ellington is an unbelievable value here. Of course, the Cards don't need Taylor and Ellington, but you can't pass up Ellington in this spot. He's a fighter who embraces pass pro.

Having said that, I know I would have choked and filled a need. I really like Rambo in the sixth round. I want to throw five guys at safety and let the best man win. Ellington is the right pick. I would have chosen Rambo because I'm not as good of a general manager.

7th Round:

CARDS PICK: D.C. JEFFERSON - tight end, Rutgers

MY PICK: ZAC DYSERT - quarterback, Miami (Ohio)

There's a lot to say on this pick. First, I would have cussed the Eagles out as soon as I'm on the clock. The fact that Oregon state cornerback Jordan Poyer is on the board at 218 is a steal for Philly. I hope the Cards would have jumped all over Poyer, but Philly picked him one slot ahead of Arizona.

Jefferson is a good ball player. Jeff King's spot on the roster is in serious jeopardy. I think Jefferson makes the team. Evaluating the Cardinals' draft, I disagree with this pick and think they should have taken Ohio guard Eric Herman. I can't stand Arizona's guards. I've seen over 30 of Herman's games. I think the Cards missed on this one. It's not the end of the world. They're not a bunch of idiots. Jefferson isn't a dolt. I think the Cards and I have differing opinions on their 2012 starting guards.

The reason why I listed "my pick" as Dysert is because I've already drafted Quessenberry the round before so I don't need Herman. I have no idea if Dysert will be a good NFL QB, but I like to take a chance on a QB late in the draft and see if I get lucky.

OVERALL:

The Kevin Minter pick alone is all I needed to see. Steve Keim knows how to run a draft. Cardinals fans should feel excellent about the future. There's still a long way to go. St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle were all ahead of Arizona and they all three had excellent drafts, so the gap did not close. That's not Keim's fault. I believe in this man as GM.

Chance Warmack was the best guard coming out for the 2013 draft. The Cardinals drafted a guard and it wasn't the best guard on the board.

The choice of Jonathan Cooper was not a bad one, but it shows a short-term focus and not a long-term focus. I prefer long-term focus. Jonathan Cooper is a better choice for a Bruce Arians-run offense. Jonathan Cooper is a better choice for a team with Carson Palmer as the QB. You don't hire a coach and sign a quarterback in the off-season only to disregard what suits them best.

The pick makes sense but I can't get behind it. I've seen too many coaches come and go. I've seen too many regimes come and go. No one knows just how long Palmer will be the Cards' QB.

As an all-around player, Chance Warmack is better than Jonathan Cooper. I believe you always take best player available, unless you have a franchise quarterback and a quarterback on the board is the best player.

Cooper is not a bad pick. This isn't like when I screamed against Robin Lopez, Markieff Morris and Levi Brown.

Jonathan Cooper will be a successful Cardinal. Chance Warmack will be a dominating Titan.

So, let's look at how the Didi Gregorius/Trevor Bauer/Shin-Soo Choo trade is going.

Bauer has made one start. He walked more batters than innings pitched (7 to 5). His ERA is 5.40. He (supposedly) pitches to avoid contact and strike batters out, but has two K's against 23 batters.

Choo leads MLB in hits and on-base percentage. His slash: .387/.535/.613. His defense has been bad to average, but for a team that had the worst leadoff OBP last year and now is in first with the boppers behind Choo (and that ballpark to hit in), they'll take it.

Gregorius has played five games. Yes, that's it. His defense has been stellar. The rookie's slash line .400/.429/.800. He homered on the first pitch he saw as a D-back...AT YANKEE STADIUM! In back-to-back games, Gregorius has doubled against Giants outfielder Angel Pagan. He didn't double off the pitcher. The "rookie" out-smarted and out-hustled a man considered a gamer.

The rules of the comparison are simple. If you're going to blast Towers for the Upton trade, then give the same praise for the Bauer trade. If you're going to say it's too early to evaluate the Bauer trade, then the same is true for Upton.

Rebuilding an NBA team takes years. So many people love to point at the Oklahoma City Thunder. "That's how you build a franchise," they'll say. I think we all know that the Thunder are how you build a franchise, but do not act like there wasn't pain. Second-to-last in the West in 2007. Last in 2008. Thirteenth in 2009. Playoffs and a 50-win season in 2010.

The Seattle SuperSonics made one spectacular trade when an NBA owner made a terribly cheap move and traded away a player (Kurt Thomas) and two first round picks to Seattle just because he didn't want to pay the luxury tax. That's right, Seattle gave up only a second round pick (and the non-guaranteed contract that goes with it) so one team could dump their salary.

The Sonics/OKC made great trades and draft picks to get to where they are today. The Suns have made some great trades to set themselves up for the future. They have failed in the draft. In two years of drafting, the Suns have Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall to show for it. The Thunder got Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden during their down years. The great trades are meaningless if you're not drafting home runs or at least doubles.

Lon Babby will never get enough credit for getting the Suns out of the Warrick, Childress, Turkoglu, Richardson, and Lopez mistakes. I don't think Lon Babby will ever get enough blame for the Lance and Lindsey era of Suns history. The next two months will determine if the Suns are headed on the OKC path or blazing a trail with the Wizards and Bobcats.

Judging baseball teams on wins and losses is an easy concept. A deeper way to judge an organization is on series victories. Before a series, teams go through meetings to digest scouting reports to cover different scenarios and matchups. The outcome of a series pits every member of an organization against each other. Which team has drafted and signed the best players; which team has the best advanced scouts to pick up the opponent's secrets; which team's manager makes the right decisions based on the info; which players properly digest the info and execute the game plan determines who will win the series.

The Diamondbacks have lost 3 of the last 4 series. The last seven losses have been by 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2 and 1. "Grinders" should have won more of those games. Occasionally, grinders will get blown out because the opponent's talent just overcomes you. However, grinders find ways to win close games.

Sure, if you're in the Diamondbacks organization you'll say it's the grinder mentality that even made the game close at all. That's an excuse. The errors, the base running and the lack of two-strike execution are the reasons why the Diamondbacks have lost three of their last four series. If you're going to move more talented players for clubhouse chemistry, I'm on board if it's for the right players. "Grinder" is a great compliment and some of the Diamondback players haven't earned the title yet.

GREGG POPOVICH:

There are little things that coaches do. DeJuan Blair only played three minutes, which is more than I thought he would. He's a bad matchup against Los Angeles because Pau Gasol will pass over the top of him to Dwight Howard. However, without Howard on the floor, it becomes Gasol's weak physical stature against Blair's brute strength. When Howard picked up his fourth foul, Blair went in. Three minutes: 1 assist, 1 block and a tip-out rebound, while Gasol was 0-1.

The other masterful job of Popovich was using enough of Ginobili to have a major impact in limited minutes. The team doctor gave Popovich 20 minutes to play Manu. Ginobili played 19 but put in 18 points on 13 shots.

CHAD FAIRCHILD:

Bud Selig has done some excellent things as commissioner. The steroid scandal is, by far, his biggest failure. I think umpire management is a distant second.

Fairchild's ejection of Cody Ross Saturday was a joke. Fairchild clearly has an ego problem. Fairchild was bent out of shape at Martin Prado for complaining about balls and strikes, so he throws out Ross. There were two clear things that Fairchild doesn't seem to understand: 1) You're not that good of an umpire, and 2) No one bought a ticket or turned on the TV to watch you ump.

Where are you, Bud? When an umpire allows his feelings and ego to be interjected into the game, he must be fined or suspended. The penalty must be public so every player, fan and other umpires know this isn't accepted. All of us know when players get suspended, why should umps be different?

NEW YORK JETS FAN:

I love the ignorance of the majority of Jets fans. You're a fool if you rip this trade. Every two years, Darrelle Revis complains about his contract and threatens to not show up to camp. The Jets received a 1st and a 3rd round pick for a guy who is never happy that is coming off of ACL surgery. I'm sure the 20 percent of Jets fans who actually know football are thrilled.

Thirty-two players were selected by "general managers" representing the 30 teams who have a first round pick (Washington and Seattle don't have one).

There were some interesting selections made by our GMs.

The eyebrow-raisers got started early when Oakland GM Patrick Brown reached for Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert with the third overall selection.

Buffalo GM Jason Mazenauer took the first quarterback at number eight -- and it wasn't West Virginia's Geno Smith! It was USC's Matt Barkley who got the call to head to the Bills.

And in the biggest stretch of the first round, St. Louis GM Nick Kieffer picked Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee at 22nd overall. We all love Brandon, but come on, man!

The GM for the Arizona Cardinals, Randy Nez, also delivered a head-scratching pick when he announced the name of Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at number 7, despite the fact that offensive linemen Lane Johnson of Oklahoma and Chance Warmack of Alabama were still on the board.

Doug and Wolf's 2013 Mock Draft presented by Bud Light

Patrick Corbin is the only great trade in MLB history ever pulled off by a GM that worked out great for his employer -- yet the GM hates the trade.

Granted, I've never asked Jerry Dipoto if he hates the trade, but I can assume he does. He was the interim GM for the D-Backs after the firing of Josh Byrnes. He traded Dan Haren to the Angels for Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs. Now, as the GM of the Angels, he must be kicking himself for pulling off the trade since he doesn't have Haren, Corbin or Skaggs. Corbin has looked great this year and was great against the Yankees.

The two biggest moves by current GM Kevin Towers this off-season were the Upton and Bauer trades. In the Bauer trade, the major piece was Didi Gregorius. Gregorius leads the Major Leagues with a 1.200 slugging percentage. OK, he's not eligible for the batting title which is the same barometer that's used for all eligibility requirements, but going 2-for-5 is pretty strong. Becoming the first D-Back to homer on the first pitch you see as a Major Leaguer is very impressive.

The Upton trade brought Martin Prado (and company). So far, the trade is very one-sided in favor of the Braves. In this game, however, the D-Backs don't win without Prado's solo home run and stellar defense. Plus, only two players in the whole game saw more pitches than Prado.

The Haren trade has already been proven to be a huge win for the D-Backs. There's a long way to go to weigh the last two big moves from Towers. For one night, the last two GMs got the win.

On days like Monday, what do you want from our show? Would you rather us make an attempt to ignore the events of Boston because you already know sports is an escape from reality? Do you want to us to balance informing you with news while also talking about the "sports" items of the day? The last option is for us to go totally news with our own sports bend to the subject matter.

Monday's show was so difficult because I'm human. I'm a civilian patriot. I'm scared for the future of our country but refuse to live in fear. I worry about what my kids are thinking. I grieve for the parents of dead children through the acts of terror. However, my job calls for me to be passionate and resolute about my feelings on Tiger Woods. I think he should have been disqualified at the Masters and on a day like that, I just don't care. I struggle to muster up the conviction that the Masters matter when children die in terrorist attacks. My problem is, do the terrorists win when I allow them to stop me from doing my job that day? Yet, if I go on as if nothing has happened, I feel so heartless and inhuman.

I'd like you to email doug@ktar.com, tweet @doug620 or simply comment at the bottom if you listened on Monday to the show. What did you think of the show? What were you looking for that day? Did the show deliver for you?

I hate doing on my job on days like Monday.

You went to work not expecting our country would be attacked by terrorists. All day long you talked to co-workers and friends about the events in Boston. I'm sure you got in the car on the way home and turned on Doug & Wolf.

I make the assumption because if you're reading this, I assume you're a fan of the show. It is our job to offer an escape to you. You should be able to count on us to make sports seem important when we all know it isn't. I struggle to create the diversion from reality for you when I'm watching reality unfold on TV. I also have a hard time, because I'm a passionate person. My opinions are based on factual research, life experiences and that passion. When tragedy happens, I lose all passion for other things.

I was passionately against the Masters allowing Tiger to continue this weekend.

I couldn't wait to salute Trevor Cahill.

I was looking forward to talking about the Coyotes' stretch run.

I wanted to blast the NBA for the officiating in the Lakers-Warriors game from the weekend.

Every opinion of mine is still there, but it just feels hollow today. If I let you down on Monday's show, I'm sorry.

When did we change as a society that what you say is what you mean?

If a liberal does something clearly on the wrong side of personal accountability, the response is "Bush did it." Conservatives justify their own negative actions by saying, "Well, Clinton did the same thing."

Who's going to be the first guy that says what they mean and follows through with what they say?

The Los Angeles Dodgers committed to having Andre Ethier on the Doug & Wolf Show Friday. After the gutless act of Carlos Quentin, the Dodgers called to cancel Ethier's appearance. This isn't an attack on the Dodgers PR department per se, but it is on all of them. The actions of Carlos Quentin have nothing to do with the commitment they made to us. PR departments across the country would do the same thing.

How about talking to Ethier ahead of time to go over potential questions while still keeping with the commitment?

Steve Alford verbally agreed to a contract with New Mexico covering the next 10 years. Just days later he was announced as UCLA's head coach.

Notre Dame didn't tell the ACC they will accept the terms of their new partnership as soon as they can. They committed to play five ACC games every football season but are going to break other commitments in order to achieve their new commitment.

The days of a man's word meaning something are officially over.

"This is his wife and you are authorized to speak to me about Doug."

"We need to schedule an appointment for your husband to have a procedure done. The biopsy shows that it is cancerous."

It's a very weird feeling finding out you have skin cancer. You know it's real cancer and people have died from it. You also know there's no chemo or radiation so it's not even close to the pain that other cancer patients have endured and suffered.

There's an old line that it's a minor procedure unless it's done to you. Almost everyone in the country has had it or knows someone that has had skin cancer. The catch for me, is now I have it. I have a spot the size of a nickel on my back. It will be dug out, painfully. There's a logical voice inside that says nothing is going to happen. Yet these few paragraphs have taken me two hours to write so, obviously, I'm not all about logic right now.

It's a disease developed over time. All those shirtless bike rides to the city pool. All those pick-up basketball games when I was a "skin." All those times I mowed the grass wearing only shorts and a Montreal Expos plastic batting helmet. I have skin cancer because I didn't respect skin cancer. I will now.

Every remote I'll have sun block with me. Every youth soccer game I'll smell drenching spray. If you're in the golf cart with me, I'll probably spray you down, too.

I didn't really want to say anything because I've been raised that men keep their mouths shut and deal with their own issues privately.

However, I figured if you read this and put extra sun screen on your child, it's worth it.

Twice this year, the middle of the rotation of the Arizona Diamondbacks has been a letdown. Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy aren't getting it done. That sentence doesn't mean they never will, but through two starts this year, they aren't.

Both times through the rotation, Miley has stepped up far beyond his age or years of experience. Almost through seven innings Wednesday, he allowed only two runs. He even earned an RBI groundout at the plate.

In his two-year career, Miley continues to do more than expected. He wasn't supposed to be here last year but got his chance when Josh Collmenter struggled. He never relented and would have won the NL Rookie of the Year if he wasn't up against a phenom in Bryce Harper.

This year, it's a second-year player who is carrying two veteran pitchers in the rotation. It may be only two starts for Miley. It may be only two weeks into the season. With Miley, it's going on year two with the same results.

When is this going to end?

Don't tell me it's early. Cahill couldn't pitch in the first inning last year. Cahill couldn't pitch well at home last year. I don't think after 13 months of struggles it's too early to question when Cahill will get it right.

COYOTES

Monday night is proof why coming back in the playoff standings is so difficult. Coyotes were flat for the first eight minutes. Coyotes had a dumb luck/stupid own goal given up late, and that's your game. If the Coyotes miss the playoffs, it won't be "ownership's" fault or the GM's or the head coach or the fans or the refs.

NCAA

The finals of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships are supposed to be the best of the best. If those were the best officials in all of college basketball, the game has serious problems.

JOHN BEILEIN

It's really sad to watch a coach completely choke away a national championship.

Of course you take a key player out for awhile in the first half when they pick up their 2nd foul. However, if the NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- who attends a (supposed) respected academic institution -- isn't smart enough to play with two fouls, who is? Nine players played more minutes in this game than the NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR. The NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR did not play the final 11 minutes of the first half.

After butchering the first half, Beilein trumped himself in the second half. "I thought we were in the one-and-one." Michigan had a foul to give and didn't use it. Down by two possessions with Louisville inbounding from underneath the Michigan hoop, Beilein decides to "D-up" despite needing to foul twice to put UofL on the line. There were 52 seconds left, guaranteeing a loss because Louisville could run out the clock.

I have no idea if Michigan would have won with proper coaching, but I know Beilein's decisions guaranteed a loss.

Alvin Gentry was fired. Although not the main reason, he was fired because the Lon Babby and Lance Blanks felt like the collection of talent should have won more games. They thought the Suns should be competitive. The Suns lost a lot under Gentry, but they were almost always competitive in every game.

Right now, the Suns have lost 13 of their last 14 games. The average loss is by 15 points. Some of the losses in this streak aren't to the great teams like Miami and San Antonio. Phoenix has lost by 27 to Toronto, 30 at Houston, 22 at Washington, 31 to Minnesota and 25 to a good but injured Clippers team. Is that competitive?

CLIFF PENNINGTON

In innings 1-9, he's 3-for-20 batting .150.

In extra innings, he's 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI -- which was a game-winner.

STEVE BERTHIAUME

Full disclosure, I prefer Daron Sutton's style of broadcasting local TV games. That doesn't mean Berthiaume is bad at his job, just a personal preference. Daron seemed like he was sitting on your couch having a beer with you while Steve is a little more stoic. There is nothing critical there because I completely understand if you prefer a little more "straight-laced" local broadcast.

Having said that, Berthiaume provided an amazing tidbit of information at the beginning of Sunday's broadcast. Paul Nauert was the plate umpire. Before the first pitch, Berthiaume gave a scouting report that was highly critical of Nauert. "His strike zone at the corners will expand and contract throughout the game."

Berthiaume nailed it. Calls were questionable all night long. In crucial situations, both teams got robbed by terrible calls. In the bottom of the ninth, J.J. Putz clearly hit the corner for strike three against Jonathan Lucroy, which should have been the second out of the inning. Lucroy was granted new life by Nauert and tied the game with a single. With one out in the bottom of the 11th, Heath Bell threw a pitch 2 inches off the inside corner to Rickie Weeks which was, somehow, strike three. That decision dramatically affected the game because Kyle Lohse batted next.

JOHN BEILEIN

It's amazing what well-coached teams can do against the Syracuse zone. Beilein beat Syracuse, but he embarrassed Buzz Williams and Tom Crean in the process.

With so much Interleague play, it won't be avoided -- too many people will scream for symmetry between the leagues.

Our worst nightmare will be here in the next two years.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have a designated hitter.

With the Houston Astros now in the American League, there will always be at least one Interleague series going on. Since there will always be one, the complaining will begin from GMs of how difficult the new setup is. Since teams will have more Interleague games, National League GMs will get sick of trying to win games with simply a fourth outfielder in the lineup and American League GMs will hate using a DH as a pinch-hitter.

Eventually the NL will cave because the MLBPA never will.

On this note, will all of baseball please stop talking about the ludicrous idea that the DH rule should be in effect at the home of the NL team during Interleague games so we can "experience" the rules of the other league? If I'm a Red Sox fan, I want to see David Ortiz. It's asinine to keep him in the dugout and away from Fenway season ticket holders. They are paying for his salary so give them their DH. If I'm at a D-backs game, I'm rooting for the D-backs. I don't want Ortiz in the game because I want to win.

The only reason to use the DH in NL parks during interleague is to brace all of us for when the DH is used in both leagues.

DEATH TO THE DH!

1) TIM PERNETTI

So you've seen the film of your coach using homosexual slurs and physically asserting his will on players. After watching the video, you decide that Mike Rice should be suspended for three games. Now when the nation watches it you decide that he should be fired. There's only one word for people like you: gutless.

The fact Rutgers didn't fire their AD with the coach shows it's not just the AD that is clueless.

2) DON MALONEY

You've proven you'll do whatever it takes to make the Phoenix Coyotes better. You're also proving that you won't hide your head in the sand and hope this team catches lightning in a bottle. You know they're just not good enough to compete. Although today sucks while you wave the white flag, it's clearly the right decision.

3) RON WASHINGTON

He said he would have pulled Yu Darvish after the 27th hitter even if Marwin Gonzalez would have reached by error. Meaning, Darvish would have lost his no-hitter to his manager and not the Astros. Johan Santana has ruined it for everyone.

4) PHOENIX

The worst attended baseball game every year is game two of the season. The Diamondbacks had 28,000 fans Tuesday night. The Coyotes are starting to slip into the nether region of playoff possibilities, yet 16,000 came to the arena Tuesday. D-Backs and Coyotes fans deserve some serious love for their performance.

I got ready to write about Ed Rush and the Pac-12 UofA controversy (I have never seen a smarter or better commissioner than Larry Scott completely whiff this bad on a decision).

I got ready to write about Ian Kennedy's day one performance (outstanding).

All of that stopped when I read this.

Check out number 3. Yes, I'm a stat geek, but that information is completely over the top. It shows me two things.

1) The no-huddle is vastly over-rated, and 2) No one even comes close to replicating Oregon's speed when they do run it.

I don't know if he wants the job or not, but the young man from Louisville is staring at thousands of dollars he can make on the public speaking circuit.

We've all seen Mike Utley and "Two Thumbs Up." A wave of the thumb of an injured athlete goes a long way. Yelling at your team "Just win the game" with your tibia exposed is above the stuff of legend. Congratulations to Louisville on winning the national championship.

2) IAN KENNEDY

I don't think Kennedy will be competing for Cy Youngs very often; 2011 was a special year. He might never repeat it again. However, I don't think he'll ever repeat last year again, either.

He embraces his role this year. He accepts the responsibility of what it means to be an "Ace." In 2011, he was riding a wave. In 2012, he was trying to live up to the expectations of others versus keeping it simple. Last year, he competed against 2011. This year, he'll simply compete against the batter at the plate.

I don't expect a 23-win season from Kennedy, but he will show he's one of the 20 best pitchers in MLB.

3) STEVE ALFORD

One national championship every 38 years really isn't that impressive. The UCLA job is not what it appears to be. If it was, Steve Alford wouldn't be the head coach.

Alford is a good recruiter and a good practice coach. Look for UCLA to improve their talent. Look for the program to sustain success much better. However, don't act shocked at a long series of tournament losses in 3-14, 2-7 or 1-8 games. He beats you with better talent and game plans, but not adjustments in close games.

4) LINDSEY HUNTER

Who knew that Marcin Gortat was the difference to the level he is. The Suns are 2-11 without him. I believe the Suns will name Hunter the head coach at some point this month. I have to ask, why? Is Marcin Gortat really that valuable of a piece that he can't win without him?

A bad team rises up to play well against good teams and is horrible against their fellow bad teams. The only way that can happen is if your players are unprofessional, immature or both. If Hunter was brought in to teach some accountability, what has happened in the last few months to justify keeping him?

Keep in mind, the Suns were blown out once during the season with Alvin Gentry. The Suns are getting blown out almost once a week with Lindsey Hunter. I'm missing something.

I say that without a dog in the fight. I picked New Mexico to win that game. From a rooting interest standpoint, I root against both schools, so I would be miserable no matter who won.

I was glad Ohio State won because replay has officially gone too far.

LaQuinton Ross made a 22-foot jumper to give Ohio State a three-point lead. With Arizona having no timeouts, the officials stopped the game to replay the last shot. I stress 22 feet because the three-point line is set at 20' 9". If the officials were checking to see if there was a foot on the line, we know they should be fired on the spot.

The officials wanted to check the clock to ensure it had stopped on the made basket. After evaluating, the clock was reset from 2.0 to 2.1. This is absurd. If Arizona had a timeout left and used it to set up a play, I'm all for a review. So what if UofA gets 90 seconds after stopping the play with a 30 second timeout? It's entirely different for Arizona to be given a gift timeout.

Arizona already chose to use their last timeout to ensure a possession on a near jump ball. They gave up the right to set up a last play. The officials can't give them both. Replay should be used to fix egregious errors, not as a crutch.

This isn't the officials' fault though, it's the NCAA's. The rule must be changed. If a team is out of timeouts, replay should only be used when there is clear confusion. If a referee notices the clock continue to run or a quick jab-step three, I understand going to the replay. In that rare instance, make the players go to a neutral corner.

The NCAA will do nothing, however, because they are a reactionary institution with little foresight. Since Arizona didn't tie the game, the NCAA will see it as irrelevant. When a team benefits from this in a future game, the NCAA will act shocked as if there was no way to have seen the situation coming.

Goran Dragic was held out of the Utah game Wednesday because he's run many more miles this year than any other Sun according to Lon Babby. There are eight NBA point guards who have played in more games than Dragic, yet plan on starting their team's next game. If he's so tired from running all those miles, then he should learn to be as efficient as the other eight point guards who have played more games and don't need the rest.

Ten NBA point guards have averaged more minutes per game than Goran Dragic. It is clear then, using the "miles per game" logic, that Dragic must hustle much more than the 10 point guards since he's tired from all the mileage yet the others play more minutes.

I have a different theory. The Suns play in a league with no morals. Ever wonder why the NFL and Major League Baseball have no draft lottery? It's because every team, player and coach is judged by wins and losses. Since the men in those sports have their pride on the line, they would never put themselves in a position to lose -- or, at the very least, put themselves in a handicapped situation to win. In the NBA, honor is something to be mocked so teams lose on purpose. Therefore, the league needs a way to make sure losing on purpose doesn't guarantee you massive benefits, thus the lottery.

Either the Suns have joined other teams in fixing games to ensure a better draft position or Goran Dragic is not a player that can be counted on during the stretch run to a playoff due to fatigue. It's important for us to know that Dragic will need his rest around game 70 of every year so we can plan ahead in future years.

If Dragic is indeed healthy, the Suns tried not to win the game against Utah. Handcuffing your coach and then evaluating him at the end of the season is totally unfair. Every coach in America would be screaming off-the-record or letting slip on-the-record that he's being judged despite not playing with a full deck.

The only way you send Hunter out on the court without all of his soldiers, is if you're planning to send him out again next year.

I don't know his name. I don't know if it's a him. I don't know how he died. He could be homeless. She could be rich. I know as much as you do about this person but to me they're a hero.

It may be a cop out but this is a blanket apology to co-workers, friends and the listeners to the Doug and Wolf Show because I've had a tough time the last nine months. You go to work trying to remain professional but it's hard to stay focused.

There are elements of show prep that slip because of long evening conversations that take precedent. Sometimes sleepless nights cause you to be a hair slower in business that takes quick wit and focus to succeed. You expect people to just read your mind and figure it out yet you have no patience with them. I wasn't like that most days but enough days that there are plenty of people wondering "What's up his butt?"

My wife has a cousin she's not real close to but not real distant from either. Her cousin is dying. She needs a kidney. My wife has two. Everyone in the family is either not a perfect match or has been too scared to find out if they are. My wife is not a perfect match but there's a chance her cousin's body wouldn't reject a kidney from her.

A chance. Would you donate a kidney on a chance?

At first the answer was easy for my wife. Of course she would step up to save the life of her cousin. As the process continues, doubt comes with increased knowledge. You mean I have to fly where? I have to stay for how long? You mean the recovery will take that long? Do you pull the kids out of school? Does your husband come with you or keep working?

Then there's the guilt. What if I don't do it and she dies? What if my children need a kidney and now I can't donate? What if I go through all this and it doesn't work (no, you can't get your kidney back)? What if I develop a kidney problem and...the questions continued.

The guilt gets worse when you add to it the religious aspect. My wife and I are very strong in our faith. If we believe Jesus sacrificed for us, it's clear we should be willing to sacrifice for her cousin. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to prove devotion to God, obviously if we are the people we want to be we must openly trust that we should give openly what were asked, trusting we'll be taken care of.

So many nights, back and forth. So often listening to my wife go through an enormous array of emotions while I tried not to influence her decision. There were times she embraced saving a life while I secretly wished she would succumb to fear. Other times she would pull a stall tactic or slow progress and I was disappointed. We were never on the same page. We were always stressed.

On Monday, someone in Ohio died with healthy kidneys. That person was a perfect match. That death saved a life because of organ donation. I've been told my wife's cousin is in a lot of pain. I'm told my wife's cousin isn't going through her regular routine of dialysis.

I used to have a very simple view of organ donation. I die, someone uses my organs and lives. I've never realized just how many people beyond the recipient are touched through organ donation. Because someone in Ohio died a hero, a family in Arizona remains whole.

I am an organ donor. I am not a hero now, but I will be. Will you?

I didn't think Tom Chambers could do anything to make this town love him more than they already do. He did on Friday night.

He challenged Lindsey Hunter to use the post-game press conferences as a message to the team. Chambers sounded tired of hearing the term "culture change" because there was nothing wrong with the Suns of the 90s, in the D'Antoni era, or through Gentry's run to the Western Conference Finals.

Chambers deserves a firm hand shake of respect from every Suns fan.

2) LETDOWNS

I know it's only one game out of 30, but how can you not read into it somewhat?

The NCAA tournament is the highest pressure any young player has every experienced on the basketball court. It is a window into their soul. How they handle the moment must go into your draft evaluation without allowing it to dominate your decisions on their future.

Three of the top 7 players in the upcoming draft completely laid an egg. Otto Porter Jr, Anthony Bennett and Ben McLemore were total no-shows in losses for Georgetown and UNLV. Kansas won two games and got little from McLemore over North Carolina. Those players must meet higher expectations during their draft workouts in order to erase the taste in the mouths of general managers

3) VICTOR OLADIPO

I've been talking about him all year. I'm not about to stop now.

Even more impressive than everything you're seeing now is watching his tape from last year. It's just not that impressive and that's the point. He improved so much in one offseason, every GM has to be drooling over the work ethic.

4) FLORIDA GULF COAST/GEORGETOWN

The story has two focus points. It's a wonderful story for FGCU to be the first 15 seed in the second round. Give them a ton of credit. Winning one game in the tournament is a wonderful moment but in actuality, it's not the most difficult mental test. It's much tougher to bring yourself down from the ultimate high and compete again without the feeling you've already accomplished something.

However, I'm much more focused on how overrated John Thompson III is as a head coach. Every coach suffers tough losses, but not like this. So far, here's the last six years of Georgetown in the tournament: a #2 seed losing to a 10, a #3 seed losing to a #14 (Go Bobcats), a #6 seed losing to an #11, a #6 seed losing to an #11 and this year a #2 losing to a #15. This is not a small sample. This is an epidemic. This man continually takes stronger teams to the tournament and can't win with them.

There are quite a few factors that keep him employed. I'm confident none of those factors are his ability to coach a major conference program.

Still in shock the 'Yotes lost after the way Doan played in the second game of the Kings "series." If the Coyotes don't make the playoffs, it will be obvious to all that it's these games that cost them.

There's a lot riding on the Detroit game Monday night.

2) MY BRACKET

I don't want to talk about it.

3) MY COACHING

I coach both of my daughters in soccer. I absolutely love kids and I love sharing the beautiful game with them. I hope I have a positive effect on them because the time crunch is killing me. Baseball is my favorite sport and I feel like I have no idea what is happening. The season starts in barely over a week. I have some serious cramming to do.

4) POETRY

Roses are red Marquette has Vander Blue Harvard wrecked my bracket How about you?