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Its time to get in shape for that upcoming pool season. UuGHH , That means workin out. Your not alone people. The Arizona Cardinals started hitting the weights Monday. Voluntary workouts began and you can tell by attendance who is serious about the upcoming season. From azcardinals.com;

“That in-house accountability was a theme inherent in the players who came the first day. Some already had been coming for sessions at the Cards’ Tempe facility before Monday. Restricted free agents Steve Breaston, Gabe Watson and Lyle Sendlein – all of whom still had another couple of weeks to seek an offer sheet from another team – chose to sign their tender offers and forgo any further free-agent opportunity to begin the workouts. And key players like Wilson, new starting quarterback Matt Leinart, running backs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, veteran linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans and the vast majority of the offensive line all were in attendance.”

Glad to see Joey Porter in attendance after getting arrested over the weekend in California. It looks like he may have dodged a bullet. From revengeofthebirds.com;

“As we all have heard, Joey Porter was arrested over the weekend for resisting arrest, assault on an officer, and DUI. After this happened there were no official charges against Porter and the California DA’s office has decided to not charge him at all for these offenses.”

Dude, I am Jones’n for some playoff basketball. The Suns clinched a playoff birth Tuesday with a 111-105 win against the Bulls. It was a defensive effort that clinched the win in Chicago. From valleyofthesuns.com;

“Most impressive of the Suns’ defensive efforts was the fact that they did it without Robin Lopez, who is out for at least two weeks with a back injury. The Suns definitely missed Lopez’s presence in the paint with Noah and always-physical Brad Miller banging bodies down low. That, combined with Taj Gibson’s 14-point, 10-rebound effort, made it clear just how important Lopez has been since becoming a starter. But again, the Suns got it done without him. The Suns simply refused to be beat just because they couldn’t get to the basket. That kind of persistence is exactly what the Suns needed and will need for the next eight games, as they are now in reach of the second spot in the Western Conference.”

You got to find different ways to win in the NBA , its a long season. The defensive play has been great. With that win the Suns clinched a playoff birth at the number 4 seed for now. The West is definitely wild this year. BTW, what’s up with No Love from ESPN? Jason Richardson had a monster put back in the Bulls game and it didn’t even make the top ten plays. ESPN had Amare’s dunk of the year at number 3 last week. What evs. Tonight we played the worst team in the NBA the Nets. This was actually a competitive game for the first three quarters. The Nets just couldn’t keep up. From azcentral.com;

“The Suns came in as the NBA’s top-scoring team with 110.5 points per game, nearly 20 per game better than the Nets’ league-worst average. New Jersey kept up for a half before Phoenix showed off all its offensive weapons. Amare Stoudemire had 15 points and three reserves were in double figures for the Suns, who followed a sluggish first half by hitting all six 3-point attempts in a 38-point third quarter that turned around the game.”

Where would this team be without the awesome play of our bench? Not in the playoffs thats for sure. Steve Nash had 24 points and 14 assists with a bad back and all. Need to get him and Robin Lopez healthy for the playoffs.

Oh boy. Here we go again. Joey Porter was arrested over the weekend for DUI , and resisting arrest. WTF! Not a good start. From azcentral.com;

“Officers pulled over a friend of Porter’s in the parking lot of a Taco Bell, and Porter pulled in behind the patrol vehicle. Officers smelled alcohol on Porter and asked for his driver’s license. Porter declined, and the officer asked him to leave the vehicle. Porter declined, according to the release, and started to roll up his window. The officer reached into the car and lifted the unlock button. Porter reportedly slapped his hand on top of the officer’s, and the officer then pushed Porter’s hand back into the car. Porter then exited and car in a “confrontational manner,” according to the release. Porter refused the officer’s request to lie on the ground, but he did put his hands behind is head. Porter was taken into custody, as was a passenger in his car.”

Nice. Sounds like a fun weekend. I have no idea how this is going to play out. we have a long way to go until the season kicks off, plenty of time to put this behind us. Ok, so how about some better news? How about Beanie Wells and how seriously he is taking this off season. From azcardinals.com;

“It’s early in the offseason. There are plenty of months left before training camp, and the offseason conditioning program doesn’t begin full tilt until Monday. But Wells has already been a semi-regular visitor in Tempe (including one previous Camelback Mountain trip) as he prepares for what should be a whole new world. “That’s why I am going up Camelback right now,” Wells said. “I know it’s going to be a long season and I need to be in shape. Have to be ready to tote that pill.” “I don’t know if I enjoy it,” Beanie said with a grin, “but I need it.”

I am glad to see Wells is busting his ass in the off season. It makes me believe he will be even more successful in the upcoming season. I love Camelback Mountain. One word of caution. Lots of eye candy on that Mountain this time of year. Keep your eyes focused on where you are stepping. I took a glance at a beauty running down in spandex and a tight sports bra, I almost fell down the side of the mountain.

Lets get it started already! In the last two games we have seen the Phoenix Suns entire season. First it was the the destruction of the New York Knicks on Friday. It was the Phoenix Suns freight train, scoring 30 points in every quarter, shooting 55% from the field. A 132-96 win at home. From valleyofthesuns.com;

“It was a true team effort with no Sun scoring more than 18 (Amare and LB) while six players went for double figures and 10 scored at least eight points. The bench exploded for 66 points on its own, so it must have surprised Knicks boss Mike D’Antoni that the Suns actually do have a bench these days, a unit that even tossed up another 30-point quarter when the game had long been decided. The Knicks just ran into a buzz saw tonight, as the Suns are rolling on both ends of the floor. Their offense has scored at least 30 points in eight straight quarters for the first time since a 10-quarter streak from March 14-21 of last season. The Suns have reached 120 in four of six games during this winning streak and they have hit 130 in consecutive games for the first time since the games immediately after Gentry took over last All-Star break.”

Sunday was Dr Jekyll to Friday’s Mr Hyde. At one point the Suns had a 25 point lead only to see it disappear. The Suns got away with 111-105 win against the Timberwolves. Blowing leads? I thought we solved that problem. From brightsideofthesun.com;

Alvin Gentry: “It bothered me because we’ve done a good job of starting games, taking care of rebounding and turnovers…I didn’t think we had the energy at the start of the game that we used to have…we had to have Amar’e have another one of his great games to rescue us. We were fortunate to win.”

The scary thing is this is starting to happen when Robin Lopez is sitting out due to back spasms. I know Amare Stoudemire has been playing great but the addition of Lopez to the starting lineup has had a lot to do with that and the teams new found toughness. How is the team going to play without him?

The Phoenix Suns take on the New York Knicks Friday. That means Mike D’Antoni returns to town. Miss that guy sometimes. except when I see how good our bench is playing, then I forget all about him. The Suns have had a couple of days off and seem ready to resume their run into the playoffs. Energized enough to attack Coach Majerle! From brightsideofthesun.com;

“Yet the end of the practice, the half court meeting, left this correspondent confused and slightly frightened. Dan Majerle, he of the Incredible Hulk-esque practice shirt, was grabbed by a scrum of players until the shirt was shredded from his torso. This was both amusing and scary at the same time. Dan seemed to enjoy it.”

Thats happened a few times before, I remember seeing Thunder Dan and his brother around town back in the day. Very popular with the girls. Dude I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard about this. The Phoenix Suns are going to have a “Star Wars” night. Or, I should say Clone Wars Night. It will take place on April 11th when we face the Rockets! Suns Dancers in hair buns!!! Thats some hot shit. My two favorite things. Star Wars and the Phoenix Suns. Dustin Watson is an Amazing Illustrator.

Spring training is going by fast. Not a lot of time left to show what you got and make the team. Billy Buckner is losing ground fast and may not make the cut this spring. From azsnakepit.com;

“After coming into camp as the hot favorite for the #5 spot in the rotation, Billy Buckner’s stock has been dropping faster than [insert topical reference, probably related to...oh, health care, here]. Today’s outing proved little different, as he allowed five earned runs in less than four innings, meaning his spring ERA continued to head the wrong way, now hitting the dizzy heights of 11.66. Still, I guess it was an improvement on last time out, when he gave up eight runs in two innings of work?”

And the last thing you want is any of your star players to get hurt. Justin Upton Sprained his ankle in the 10-3 loss to the White Sox. From mlb.com;

“Upton said he suffered the injury when he legged out an infield single in the second inning. At the end of the inning Cole Gillespie went out to right field in Upton’s place. Not only did Upton stay in the game, he proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a throwing error and score on a single by Jeff Bailey. “Right now it’s just a sore ankle,” Upton said. “Obviously everybody knows it’s not the time to really push anything. We’ve got some games left that hopefully I’ll be able to get into and not miss a beat.”

I like Erin Andrews. Nothing like a Erin Andrews Dancing . Erin Andrews.

Damn! Did you see that dunk Amare Stoudemire had tonight? It was the one of the filthiest dunks Stoudemire has ever had! STAT put the team on his back scoring 37 points to assure the Phoenix Suns a 133-131 win over the Warriors. It was a close all the way to the end, made even closer by Grant Hills inability to make any free throws. It was an exciting high scoring game like we expected from these two teams. From ktar.com;

“Amar’e Stoudemire gave Tolliver a Phoenix welcome Monday night, as the Suns forward put the word on the front of his jersey in Tolliver’s face after a fast-break dunk that became a 3-point play and sparked the Suns to a 133-131 victory at Oracle Arena. The NBA’s two highest-scoring teams could not get away from each other Monday night. Playing into each other’s hands, the Warriors and Suns exchanged points without a scoring lull. Neither team led by more than six points, but Golden State proved persistent, regaining the lead six times in the fourth quarter before Stoudemire’s relentless, unstoppable attack on Tolliver ultimately proved to be too much. Phoenix did not trail after the dunk, which came with 2:33 left.”

Jason Richardson added a season high 34 points. This team is definitely in playoff mode. I think I am to. Pacing in front of the TV and yelling obscenities, I am ready.

It was very unsettling when Pat Murphy resigned as head coach. What would the upcoming season bring? I knew there was a lot of talent returning but would talent be enough? How is the new coach going to hold up? Well so far so good. from azcentral.com;

“The Sun Devils swept the three-game series with Houston and improved to 20-0 on the season with the win. The 20-0 start is the second best start in school history behind only the 1961 team’s 21-0 start.”

So it looks like we have continued where we left off last season, with dominate pitching. From fanster.com;

“Hands down…Starting Pitching. Jimmy Patterson, Brady Rodgers, Seth Blair, Merrill Kelly, and Jake Borup combined this week to pitch 29 1/3 innings, allow 9 ER, and only issue 7 walks. That’s 5 starts averaging almost six innings of work and only allowing about one and a half earned runs. That’s filth. Blair, Kelly, and Borup, the three ASU weekend starters, are 13-0 in their 15 starts this season. I’ll let you chew on that number for a moment. I think Ken Knutson has done a fantastic job developing these guys. It seems, even from last season, velocities are up and second pitches are sharper. And give a lot of credit to Head Coach Tim Esmay who has been able to get everyone quality innings while keeping their pitch counts low. This is a time of the year when fatigue starts to set in, but everyone that I talk to in the dugout feels fresh and sharp. Another good sign for the weeks to come.”

Well the Pac10 season starts Friday with a three game series against Cal at Packard Stadium. Lets go Devils!!!

It looks like Darnell Dockett is going to have some help now that linebacker Joey Porter has signed with the Arizona Cardinals. From azcardinals.com;

“Friday, the four-time Pro Bowler made sure that happened, agreeing to a three-year contract with the Cards on the same day he was finishing a visit to the Washington Redskins. He brings with him a résumé as an outside pass rusher unmatched by anyone on the Cards’ roster, even though he will turn 33 later this month. “I feel I can fill the need for what they are looking for as far as an outside linebacker and that I can bring that whole presence of making sure I get to the quarterback,” Porter said during his visit to the Cardinals’ facility last week. “I’d be doing my job, but not trying to step on anybody’s toes.”

So it looks like the Cards will have a decent pass rush this year. Look, we need all the help we can get. From azcentral.com;

“There is no question we were able to generate sacks last year but we were doing it with blitzing,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “This gives us a guy who can win one-on-one matchups and allows us to rush with four (players). That’s a component we were missing to a degree.” Porter also could be the elite pass rusher the Cardinals have lacked at outside linebacker the past two years. Porter is a four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All Pro selection. With 92 career sacks, he ranks behind only Jason Taylor (127.5) among active players.”

That was a grind it out, ugly win. A very important win. It’s been a long home stand and the Phoenix Suns took care of business, wining 5 of their last 7. Every win in the Western Conference is big this time of year. From azcentral.com;

“The Suns also moved past the Oklahoma City Thunder into fifth place, and one game behind fourth-place Utah, in the Western Conference standings. After holding Utah to 38.6 percent shooting Friday, the Suns held Portland to 36.4 percent. “It was exactly how I thought it would be,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “It was a real grind-it-out game. I thought our defense was great. We had a hard time generating any offense against their defense.”

A win is a win kids. Amare Stoudemire didn’t have 40 points tonight, only tallying 18, but he did pull down 14 boards and that is important against a team like the Trailblazers. Steve Nash had 17 points and 8 assists. I really don’t think Nash is 100% yet. No more home cooking. We take on the Warriors on the road next.

So Conor Jackson could be our lead off hitter? I don’t remember Jackson being particularly fast. From azcentral.com;

“Jackson, who had a .371 on-base percentage from 2006-2008, doesn’t seem to mind the new role, though he admitted his first at-bat of the game felt a little strange. “Honestly, I think for this team, it kind of makes sense,” Jackson said. “It’s not a bad fit. But I’ll hit wherever he puts me.” And he has. Jackson has started at least 38 games at five spots in the lineup. He has spent most of his career (182 starts) batting fourth. The fact that he’s no longer hitting cleanup seems to be a relief. Though he recognizes he isn’t a prototypical leadoff hitter, he thinks hitting there could keep him focused on his strengths – grinding through at-bats, finding ways on base – instead of worrying about his weaknesses. “I think in some regard it might help me,” he said.”

Dan Haren is getting in the groove. He striked out 7 against the Mariners after a shaky start. From diamondbacks.com;

“After allowing three runs in the first two innings Saturday afternoon, D-backs starter Dan Haren settled in and did not allow a run over his final three innings. “Something clicked right around the third inning,” Haren said. “I started getting into a nice rhythm, ball coming out crisp, had some life on the ball.” From the third through fifth innings, Haren did not allow a hit, and four of his seven strikeouts came during that stretch.”

This is what spring training is for people. Lets get the kinks out when the games don’t matter. I consider spring training my personal time to get back into serious day drinking. You gotta prepare for that hot brutal summer throw’n back beers by the pool.

The Coyotes are on fire right now. They had a 5-4 win over the BlackHawks in a shoot out on Saturday. Tonight they won their franchise tying 9th straight game, in another shoot out against the Dallas Stars 3-2. Hottest team in NHL ! From azcentral.com;

“And that’s not all. With 97 points, the Coyotes moved into first place in the Pacific Division. The Chicago Blackhawks also have 97, but with two fewer games played lead the Western Conference. It was Aucoin’s fifth shootout winner of the season. “He’s a closer,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said of Aucoin while grinning. “You can’t bring him in in the first three rounds.”

The Phoenix Coyotes are now first place in the Pacific Division. Woo Hoo

He is unstoppable, Amare is putting up ridiculous numbers, if he had been doing this since the start of the season he would be in the running for MVP. Amare Stoudemire is born-again hard. Amare Stoudemire went for a career high 44 points in the 110-100 win against the Jazz Friday night. From valleyofthesuns.com;

“It’s kind of strange that maybe Stoudemire’s biggest play of the game was a steal of an inbounds pass because Amare made just about every play on the offensive end in this one.  The Suns got a monster game out of Stoudemire, who scored a season-high 44 points on 14-of-16 shooting from the field and 16-of-18 shooting from the line. He torched Utah for 15 points in the first quarter and then 18 in the fourth quarter when the injured Jazz threw small forward C.J. Miles on STAT for a stretch for reasons unknown to the rest of the world.”

There is no question Amare Stoudemire is playing bettter than any other power forward in the league right now. Nobody in the league can stop him one on one. From brightsideofthesun.com;

“Offensively, Stoudemire’s in another stratosphere and I don’t think any player has a more complete game. The man can dunk, post up, dribble and drive, spot up and shoot, and he even has a fadeaway shot. He’s a good free throw shooter so he’s not someone you’d feel comfortable sending to the line. (Work on those free throws, Dwight!) Also, when he comes at you, he comes at you HARD. I doubt there’s anyone who’d question his toughness. Defensively, we know that he’s CAPABLE of being an double digit rebounder and a great shot blocker. The guy has great leaping abilities and is an athletic freak. With his abilities, he should easily be a formidable defensive presence and now it looks like he’s slowly progressing in that direction. With Robin down there with Amar’e to protect the paint, both are able to come from the weak side to block shots. It’s a win-win situation for them. Also, Amar’e's learning not to leave his feet when he’s guarding his man so he’s not in foul trouble as much as he was in previous years.”

I only hope he can continue playing at this level in the playoffs. We were trying to trade this guy right?????

The starting position is Leinart’s to lose. I don’t think the signing of Derek Anderson really makes a difference. From revengeofthebirds.com;

“Most of the news surround the Arizona Cardinals revolves around the signing of free agent quarterback Derek Anderson. Anderson was signed to a two year deal on Wednesday, to back up Matt Leinart. In regards to Leinart, head coach Ken Whisenhunt has been reiterating his statements that Matt is the starter heading into training camp. Why can’t the media wrap their minds around that?”

Derek Anderson knew the deal when he signed, Ken Whisenhunt has made Leinart the starter, and Anderson understands he is the backup. From NFL.com;

“Matt has earned the right to be ‘The Guy,’ ” coach Ken Whisenhunt said Wednesday, while talking about Anderson’s arrival on a two-year contract. “That’s how we will proceed.” “It’s nice to hear but it doesn’t change my approach and my mindset of what I am doing and how I am working and what I will do to go into the season,” Leinart said. “I have talked to coach and told him I am excited for the opportunity and I am ready to get going for the season. My mindset is to become a great quarterback and keep this team playing at the level at which it’s been playing.” Whisenhunt has always been good in pushing forth the idea of competition on his roster. He views quarterback as no different. Anderson, the veteran who made the Pro Bowl as recently as the 2007 season while playing for the Browns, will get snaps with the first unit during offseason and training camp work – just like Leinart did after Kurt Warner had secured the starting job.”

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog but March Madness has got a hold of me.

Man, we dropped 152 points on the Timberwovles. That was the most points scored by an NBA team this year. Crazy. I knew this Suns team was going to throw up a number like that at some point this season. From eastvalleytribune.com;

“Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Amare Stoudemire 25, then sat with the rest of the Phoenix starters while the Suns’ reserves finished off a 152-114 rout of Minnesota on Tuesday night in the highest-scoring game by an NBA team this season. Lou Amundson matched his career high with 20 points as Phoenix sent the Timberwolves to their 10th straight loss and 16th in the last 17 games. The Suns, with eight players in double figures, shot 56 percent and 15 of 31 from 3-point range to win their ninth in 12 games.”

Yeah, everybody had a hand in this one. I was supposed to go to this game but I really needed to work. It looks like I missed out on a good one. So how are we looking these days? From azcentral.com;

“The Suns scored more points in three quarters (114) than any other NBA team scored in a game Tuesday night. The Suns remained in sixth place in the Western Conference but pulled within a half-game of Oklahoma City and a 1 1/2 games of Utah, Friday’s visitor. The victory guaranteed the Suns their sixth consecutive winning season. The only other teams to do so this year are Cleveland, Dallas and Denver, although San Antonio is also on pace to do so.”

Ok. Cool. Lets keep it up Suns fans. Balls. Just remember Balls.