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I am ready for some football. I mean the Dbacks season is over. There is no sports on TV to watch. This sports junkie is going into withdrawals. I just want to see how this preseason is going to play out. Is Matt Leinart going to be the starter.? My guess is yes. It’s his to lose. That doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be some competition in training camp. From raisingzona.com

With the Arizona Cardinals training camp getting going next weekend, the talk will start to heat up on Matt Leinart as the new Cards starting quarterback.  Does Leinart make it through all of camp as the starter?  Will Derek Anderson push him at all in camp?  Will we see some nice surprises from backups John Skelton and Max Hall?  They are all good questions. All Cards fans eyes will be focused.  This will be an intriguing battle between Leinart and Anderson.  What happens if Anderson performs so well in the preseason that it will be difficult to ignore?  Chances are that won’t happen, but you never know.  There is a constant evaluation that will go on.  I say you have to give Leinart every chance to lose the job though.  Five days and counting.

Lots of questions to be answered. Like how well is O’Brien Schofield going to play? How effective is he going to be coming back from reconstructive knee surgey? From azcardinals.com

O’Brien Schofield continues to rehab and work the reconstructed knee he tore up in January. Whether the linebacker can actually get on the field this season for the Cardinals is yet to be determined. But the fourth-round pick does now have a contract. Schofield signed a four-year with the Cardinals Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed. To make room for Schofield on the roster, the Cards released tackle Devyn Tyler, an undrafted rookie out of Temple.

Woo Is it humid out there! Better get some rain in return for all this ass sweat. This kind of weather can make you lose your temper real quick. The Sun Devil football team is sounding real upset about the lack of respect they are getting from the media. No nobody has them ranked higher than 9th place. Last season was bad. Wait.. last season was a disaster. The team has improved in some areas. Do we really deserve to be ranked so low? From azcentral.com

If ASU is predicted to finish ninth, as expected, it will mark its lowest spot in the poll since the hated scribes picked the Sun Devils ninth in 2002. It’s a steep drop for a program trying to rev its engines. Over the past five years, ASU hasn’t been picked lower than fifth. “Whatever the critics say, let them say it,” senior defensive tackle Saia Falahola said. “We haven’t gotten any love the past two years anyway. We just need to keep our heads on straight.” Sophomore cornerback Deveron Carr also sees it as a point of motivation. “It just gives us another reason to work even harder,” he said. “You take all that negative energy and you put it into yourself. You turn it into something positive.” In other words: If you can’t fight the underdog’s role, embrace it. “That’s always the fun part, sneaking up on people,” sophomore running back Cameron Marshall said. “That’s what’s exciting for us, because we get to, in a sense, shock the world.”

You know who has a lot of respect right now? Isaiah Mustafa. This guy is gold right now. That Old Spice campaign blew up and now Mustafa is going Hollywood. From eonline.com

Already set to appear on Chuck and an upcoming Tyler Perry movie thanks to his phenomenally successful TV spots, the “I’m on a horse”-spouting pitchman has confirmed that he’ll be appearing in the Jennifer Aniston-Jason Bateman comedy Horrible Bosses. “It’s a smaller role, but who wouldn’t want to be in one of these funny, irreverent comedies?” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “The cast is great. I’m playing a cop, because I play these authoritative characters well. I don’t know exactly who I’m in the scene with—maybe Jennifer Aniston!”

I love silver linings. The more depressing the event, the lower that silver bar goes. This whole season has been a disaster so the fact that we got 9 hits against Tim Lincecum in yesterdays game is something to be celebrated. We just couldn’t do much else. From azsnakepit.com

Well, we got a fair number of hits.  Our nine hits off Tim Lincecum today is our best outing against him, and ties for the most hits he’s given up in a game this season, with his start against the Rockies earlier this month.  However, once we got runners on base, we found there wasn’t much we could do about it.  The only exception to this rule?  Again: Barry Enright.  Yes, our hard-pitching, hard-hitting, hard-working, hard-drinking* pitcher-slugger was the only DBacks hitter to solve the Lincecum Scenario, hammering a double to center with two on in the second, to give the team a 2-1 lead.  Other than that, our offense was pretty unimpressive.  No, I’ll upgrade that to full disappointing.

And Barry Enright got his first Major League Hit, so thats awesome. Why do our pitchers always turn out to be our best hitters? Whats up with that? Oh, happy Monday.

The Arizona Rattlers are on the verge of clinching a playoff birth with a win against the Iowa Barnstormers next week at U.S. Airways Arena. The team is firing on all cylinders, especially the offense. Rookie wide receiver Rod Windsor is having a great Facking year! Kick’n Ass and Take’n names! Well, at least he’s rewriting the record books. From oursportscentral.com

Rookie WR ROD WINDSOR put a stamp on his remarkable record-breaking season by setting another all-time AFL record, his fourth league record this season, to become the single-season leader in receiving yards. The record-breaking play came on his game-clinching 21-yard touchdown grab in the waning minutes of the game to put the game out of reach and secure the victory. Windsor finished with four catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns after having just one catch for seven yards at halftime. The rookie has already set league records for receptions, receptions by a rookie, and receiving yards by a rookie and is now tied for receiving touchdowns by a rookie. He has also set team records for receptions, receptions by a rookie, receiving yards, receiving yards by a rookie, and is currently tied with Hunkie Cooper for most rushing touchdowns by a receiver. On the season, Windsor has a mind-blowing 178 catches for 2,138 yards and 44 receiving scores (51 total).

Got to try to make that game next week. The Rattler games are amazing. Non-stop action on the field , non-stop insanity in the stands. It is a sight to behold people.

Dan Haren for Joe Saunders and minor league pitchers Right-hander Rafael Rodriguez and left-hander Patrick Corbin and a player to be named later. This is a big salary dump at best. Sure Saunders can be put into the rotation immediately but he has been mediocre at best the last two seasons. This is all about saving money in the short term. From sportingnews.com

Haren was one of the top available pitchers ahead of the July 31 nonwaiver deadline. L.A. was not considered one of the favorites to land him — the Yankees and the Phillies were — but it met one of Arizona’s reported conditions by providing a major league starter in return. Haren is signed through 2012, at $12.75 million per year, and his contract also includes a $15.5 million club option for 2013 ($3.5 million buyout). He is making $8.25 million this year. The Southern California native had said he’d prefer to remain on the West Coast if the D-backs were to trade him.

The success of this trade depends on “the player to be named later”. I hope the Arizona Diamondbacks get something worthwhile in return. From azcentral.com

According to a source, the Diamondbacks will select the player to be named from a list of prospects. One possibility could be left-hander Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher the Diamondbacks considered taking with a supplemental first round pick last season.

Dude American and European football teams are worth a lot of money! The only other sports represented in the top 30 of the Forbes list, are the Yankees and Ferrari. Farrari? And the Cards? Number 30 of course, ahead of the Chargers but behind Kansas City. From phoenixnewtimes.com

According to Forbes magazine, the Cards rank as the 30th most valuable sports team in the world. The value of the team, owned by William Bidwill, is a hefty $935 million and the Cards pulled in $223 million in revenue over the past year. Despite the high ranking, however, the Cardinals aren’t even in the top-half of all NFL franchises, which absolutely dominate the Forbes list. In fact, all 32 NFL teams are on the top 50 list. The top NFL franchises are the Dallas Cowboys at $1.65 billion, followed by the Washington Redskins at $1.55 billion and New England Patriots at $1.36 billion.

In order to keep that ticket revenue coming in the Cards are making Phoenix Stadium as fan friendly as possible. This coming season they plan on serving better quality food at cheaper prices. From azcentral.com

It’s the team’s first foray into the concessions business, but team officials promise changes will include cheaper food options, faster service and better quality. Cardinals fans repeated those three suggestions during focus groups, said Ron Minegar, the team’s chief operating officer. “We all know (eating at the stadium) is not going to be like going to In-N-Out Burger,” he said, referring to the fast-food restaurant’s low prices. But several popular menu items should take a smaller bite out of fans’ wallets, and other items have been bundled into combos for a lower price. Faster service, an average of 1 minute per customer, is also a goal, Minegar said. Officials have gone to some lengths to shave seconds off each order. They counted the number of steps it took a cashier to walk to the nacho-cheese dispenser at each concession stand and decided to install more dispensers to speed preparation of one of the stadium’s most popular snacks. Food quality is important too, officials said. Fans want hot dogs piping hot, Minegar said. “They don’t want it to have been sitting wrapped up for 20 minutes,” he said. So roller machines will keep the hot dogs warm.

Does anybody know any cocktails you can make with 5 Hour Energy? I suppose you could replace any mixer with it, I just don’t want to have to experiment. That shit ain’t cheap. The reason I’m asking is I want something I can drink to get me drunk while I watch these Arizona Diamondback games but not passed out drunk. Just something to pass the time. Another good outing by Ian Kennedy is crushed by the bullpen in a 10-4 defeat to the Giants. From dbacks.com

On the other hand, when the lineup is scuffling and the bullpen bungles, Kennedy can pitch well and lose: Saturday opposing the Giants, he allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings but was charged with a fourth (thanks to the poor ‘pen) to cement Arizona’s three-game losing streak. Batters one through eight also didn’t support their starter in the club’s 10-4 defeat Saturday, its sixth straight loss to San Francisco. In fact, Arizona has done little damage since Thursday — when Matt Cain began the Giants’ roll — having gone 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position and plated just eight runs.

The win came at a cost to the Giants when outfielder Eugenio Velez got hit by a foul ball in the fourth inning and had to spend the night in the hospital. From azcentral.com

Bochy said Velez never lost consciousness, but was “a little out of it” after first being struck. He said Velez was speaking at the hospital, where he’s expected to undergo more tests overnight.

When you think about it, Ken Whisenhunt is a badass coach. I mean look at his record, lots of success on that resume. He should be Canton bound based on what he’s done with the Cards alone! From azcentral.com

“In my last nine years (coaching) in the league, we’ve been to two Super Bowls, 5-6 championship games and won the division 6-7 times,” Whisenhunt said. “That’s what drives me. When you get a group of guys to believe in something and actually be successful, when you get a town to respond the way this town has supported us . . . there’s nothing else like it. Look at where we were four years ago.”"We’ve created a mind-set of how we work,” Whisenhunt said. “Guys work this way because they know it’s successful. And now they’re taking it on their shoulders to bring in young guys and say, ‘This is how you’re going to do it if you’re going to fit in.’ “

Oh boy, another loss, that makes 60 for the season. Man what a horrible season. At least Kelly Johnson gave us a good show by hitting for the cycle for the fourth time. From dbacks.com

But why was loss No. 60, of the 7-4 variety to the Giants, so disheartening? The mistakes marred a few good men and their stories: Major League Baseball’s statistically bad bullpen had thrown 10 scoreless innings entering the game, and during it, Kelly Johnson recorded the franchise’s fourth all-time cycle as he and his lineup mates powered the D-backs’ return from a two-run deficit in the sixth.

So this season is gone. What trades are going to be next? How much different will this team look at the end of the season. Even Dan Haren the hitting phenom is on the trading block. From azcentral.com

As the likelihood of a trade of pitcher Dan Haren seems to increase by the hour, the Diamondbacks’ vision heading into the future also appears to be coming into clearer focus. Rather than taking a package of minor-league prospects and starting a full-blown rebuilding effort, the Diamondbacks seem intent on acquiring major-league-ready pitching in return for Haren, pitchers they immediately can plug into their rotation and/or bullpen.

Dude, “Double” Deuce Lutui is weighing in at 400 lbs. Wow, that’s a lot of cheese burgers baby. Holla! Seriously, carrying around all the weight will put Deuce at risk for injury. And two-a-days are coming up soon. From azcentral.com

If Arizona Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui reports to training camp at last year’s playing weight, he will have lost almost 60 pounds in six weeks. That’s not likely to happen. “That (weight gain) was something that was a concern beforehand,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “That was something we battled for a couple years now, not just with him but with other guys, too. “If you’re trying to put your best foot forward … in order to get a long-term contract, you would think when the time comes to sign and you get a physical, you would be in good shape.”

How is everybody else holding up this off-season? I heard Matt Leinart is only going out like three times a week and has even cut back on his hot-tub’n. That guy knows how to sacrifice for the team. Still it’s nice to see Leinart get out of the house for a little charity work. From raisingzona.com

I’m still seeing more of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart on the red carpet than anywhere else these days.  Now, I will give him credit, the video of him on the red carpet below is for his own charity event, however, I really would love to see more of Leinart on the green carpet rather than the red. If Leinart thinks he has this in the bag, he’s got another thing coming.  He has three hungry quarterbacks right behind him.

So, you have been regarded as one of the premiere clutch shooters. I mean, that’s what you do, shoot the ball. Your wet dream is getting an assist from Steve Nash, the one guy who knows exactly when and where to give you the ball. For Hedo Turkoglu that dream is becoming a reality. From valleyofthesun.com

“It’s a new start for me,” Turkoglu said when he was introduced as a member of the Suns on Wednesday. “Like I say, I put (last) year away and it’s a new start for me, a new beginning, so I’m looking forward to it.” Turkoglu broke out as a bona fide star in the 2007-08 season when he averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his fourth year with the Magic, capturing the NBA’s Most Improved Player award along the way. He then went on to lead the Magic to the NBA Finals during the 2008-09 season, solidifying himself as a Mr. Fourth Quarter of sorts, drilling big shot after big shot. “He’s not afraid to take big shots, that’s the first step right there and obviously he’s been very successful making big shots,” Gentry said. “What it does is that it gives us another guy that at the end of games can take the pressure off of Steve Nash.”

I think he is going to fit in nicely. A guy who likes to score, not known for his defense. He is going to feel right at home with the Suns. Amare was so successful at taking over the fourth quarter in the second half of the season last year. He did so by attacking the basket, scoring or getting to the line or both. I think Hedo Turkoglu can have a similar effect. You don’t want to leave this guy open in the fourth quarter and he is good at passing out of the double team.

I know the second half has just started but it already feels like we’ve been through a whole season worth of drama. Every now and than, we get to enjoy a break in the monotony and win a couple of games.  Thanks to rookie pitcher Enright, we got a little dose of sunshine. From dbacks.com

One inning, one batter, one pitch at a time, throwing whatever catcher Chris Snyder signaled. As a result, Enright was able to last eight innings as the D-backs beat the Mets, 3-2, in front of 18,749 at Chase Field. The win was the second straight for the D-backs, and if that doesn’t sound impressive, consider it was the first time Arizona recorded back-to-back wins since June 30 and July 2. It was also the first time the D-backs had won consecutive home games since June 12-13.

Justin Upton helped out with his bat. Geez, its game like this that give you hope. I mean we gots the talent right?? Right! azcentral.com

Justin Upton gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead in the third with his 16th home run of the season, and in the fourth, an RBI triple by Gerardo Parra drove in catcher Chris Snyder, who drew a two-out walk. Enright then hit a slow grounder to third that he legged out, and Parra came in with the eventual winning run.

Leandro was one of the most popular players on the Suns team. He is one of the most likable NBA players you are ever going to meet. And it looks like he has played his last game with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are trading Barbosa to the Toronto Raptors for Hedo Turkoglu and Josh Childress. From azcentral.com

The Suns are on the verge of acquiring forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Josh Childress, swiftly rebounding from the loss of Amar’e Stoudemire with two impact players. The Suns would send seven-year veteran guard Leandro Barbosa and late-season addition Dwayne Jones to Toronto for Turkoglu, a 6-foot-10 forward from Turkey with versatile skills to shoot from long range and be a playmaker. Toronto would then move Jones and its trade exception from the Chris Bosh sign-and-trade deal to Charlotte for former Suns forward Boris Diaw. Phoenix will send a 2012 second-round pick to Atlanta in a sign-and-trade deal for Childress, who will leave Greece for a five-year, $33 million contract to play for the Suns.

This is a good trade all around. It’s not that Barbosa wasn’t doing good. He just became expendable with the play of Goran Dragic. Besides, Barbosa always plays better when he sees more minutes and he just wasn’t going to find them with the Suns. Josh Childress is young and a great scorer so we could definitely use his services. Hedo Turkoglu has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. He is an amazing shooter. I’ve seen games where that guy has gone unconscious, dropping buckets. Will he do well with the Suns? I don’t know, he is going to have to stay healthy and get a better attitude. From brightsideofthesun.com

Hedo Turkuglo is going to take some more convincing. He’s a very unique player, but as stated above, will likely struggle defensively at the power forward and create even more problems on the defensive glass. If he eventually moves back to small forward when Hill retires and the Suns find a better option to start at the four, then that will probably make more sense. In the meantime, there are concerns over a guy who chose as a free agent to go to Toronto and then asked to be traded after only one season. A friend of mine who covered the Raptors this season responded with “good luck” when I asked if he was a good guy.

Everybody loves our team, everybody loves Steve Nash. These two players are going to do great in our system which rewards great shooting and spacing. Does this mean we are a title contender? NO. But at least we’ll be dropping a 100 on teams this season. And that’s what we want, fun, high scoring fast paced B-Ball. Good trade Sarver.

Its going to be a new-look Pac-10 when football season starts, so why not wear new uniforms? Right? Right. The Devils will be sport-in new unis, they look… Are those horns?? And whats going on in the mid section. Oh boy. From houseofsparky.com

Hello everyone. Our good friend Nick Trahan, who was kind enough to take pictures for us at the 2009 Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles, has mocked up a design for the ASU football jerseys. The look is very different, and I think it would give us a touch of street credibility during a time when we’re not winning very many games. What do you think? Feel free to comment on the design, but be nice! It looks like he worked hard on it.

Isaiah Mustafa has really made a name for himself. His Old Spice commercials have been a hit. I love telling my Wildcat friends that he is a Sun Devil! Those commercials have been so popular, they are up for an Emmy. I hope he wins. Go Devils!!! From tvsquad.com

It’s the Old Spice guy vs. Betty White in the Battle of the Ads. We didn’t even know they gave out Emmys for Outstanding Commercial. This year’s nominees include Betty White’s Super Bowl ad for Snickers and the Old Spice ad ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ that made a star out of the impossibly dashing Isaiah Mustafa. (I’d give the edge to Old Spice. White’s spot was hilarious, but Mustafa’s actually made me want to go out and buy the product.)

Jeez, what do you make of this off season so far? Do we hand the trophy over to the Heat before the season starts? I just heard Derek Fisher is talking to them now. What evers. Steve Nash doesn’t think its a given, even though it probably is. From azcentral.com

“They have stacked the decks,” said Nash, who is a part-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who will join MLS next season. “It should be very interesting for the fans to see it unfold.” Nash, however, wasn’t ready to concede next season’s title. “I think it will be more difficult than just, Thank you very much, we got our title in July,’ ” Nash said. “I think there are compelling arguments for both. You’re going to look at them and they are obviously going to be incredibly explosive talent. “At the same time, this sport is won by intelligent teams that play together,” the two-time MVP said. “So they have to build a team. They obviously have the capability to do that, obviously three amazing pieces to start with. They could do it. They could win a title right away. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, so while they are capable they have a lot of work to do.”

There has definitely been a power shift in the NBA. The East may have just surpassed the West in terms of talent. The Suns still look good. Not great but good. Channing Frye is going to be back with the Suns next year and he is going to have even greater responsibility now that Amare is gone. From valleyofthesuns.com

How he needs to change his game with Amare gone “Luckily for me I didn’t do anything that he did kind of except rebound and play defense. For me it’s just picking up the intensity. I think Amare brought the intensity and that passion for the game. So for me just being a little bit more emotional, especially during the regular season and making sure that I stay on the glass.  I think at the end of the year I started rebounding better. And another thing it’s just picking it up on defense, maybe blocking some more shots and being more aggressive.”