Imagine all the statements that were made over the last few years (or even 15 years) by rival recruiters. Every time an Arizona State head coach would recruit a player from California, he had to fight the record.

He wasn't just fighting rival recruiters, he was fighting rival recruits. Every time an ASU player from California went home he had to hear it from his former high school teammates. "We smashed you. I told you, you should have come with me to Cal...to UCLA...to USC...to Stanford."

Every ASU football Californian was an ugly duckling at home, back at a school function, with his friends, on twitter, through texts, on Facebook. The modern athlete has so many mediums to "enjoy" being humiliated.

It's easy for us as fans to just expect a coach to get the job done. If they don't, they get fired. How has that process worked out at ASU? Every coach fails and gets fired.

I have no idea what Coach Graham's long-term plans are. I do know 5-1 (yes, I'm assuming a win at Colorado) going into a Thursday night home game against Oregon following a win at Cal for the first time in 15 years looks good to a recruit.

This is ASU's bye week. This is one of the key weeks of recruiting. Coach Graham can now talk a high school athlete into coming to ASU for a visit. That California kid is doing a double-take towards ASU right now. Imagine if he can get that kid to commit to seeing ASU/Oregon for the black out. Maybe ASU fans will do something crazy and attend the game. That kid looks up at the stands and sees a sea of black screaming for the devils. I think that California kid says to himself, I haven't seen anything like this on the west coast.

The combination of Sun Devil Stadium and Sun Devil fans is, normally a negative. Recruits come here and see a stadium that's too big. They see a quiet fan base at the game. The see plenty of empty seats representing the apathetic fan. There's plenty of other schools on the west coast that have the same issues. There are some special schools that don't have those issues. I think October 18, ASU won't either.

ASU is an excellent football team with a chance to compete for a major bowl game, just a notch below BCS. Oregon is a special football team with a chance to compete for a BCS Championship. I know that Oregon is a better football team than ASU. However, for one night, one black out night, one ESPN night -- maybe ASU is better for one night.

Either way, the biggest opportunity Todd Graham, ASU and their fans will have to influence recruits for the future is in three Thursday's. Black it out and light it up.

This is not a take-away just from a guy who went to Ohio University. I want to prepare you for the unthinkable. There's a plausible scenario that puts Ohio in the BCS. Yes, it's difficult for any team to go undefeated, just ask Boise St. However, Ohio is 3-0 with their two hardest games off their schedule. If Ohio goes 13-0 and finishes ranked in the top 12, the rules dictate they must be chosen.

Consider yourself warned.

4) MARION GRICE:

Marion Grice is special. Sure, when you score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter of ASU's attempted comeback, fans will take notice. If ASU would have come back and won this game, Grice would be responsible for the play of the game. Amazingly enough, on the play, Grice didn't carry the ball, catch the ball or even block well.

On first and goal from the 8 inside the 5:00 mark of the fourth quarter, ASU had two straight false starts to make it 1st and goal from the 18. Jamal Miles caught a swing pass to the left for 17 yards which should have set up ASU for the game-winning touchdown. On the play, Rashad Ross had lined up as the eighth man on the line of scrimmage. You're only allowed to have seven. Grice was in as the running back standing next to QB Taylor Kelly. Kelly didn't notice Ross and the five-yard penalty ASU was about to incur.

Grice stepped over and stopped the snap count moments before Kelly was going to call for the ball. Grice started waiving to Ross to take one step back to uncover the tight end and place seven people on the line of scrimmage. Then Kelly realized the problem. Taylor and Grice waived at Ross. Ross understood. Since ASU didn't punch it in on their next three plays, the Jamal Miles catch and run to put the ball on the 1 gets lost in the shuffle. In only his third game as a Devil, Grice does much more than most people see.

3) PATRICK CORBIN:

I don't want the Diamondbacks to admit they're dead. Within the organization, I want them to continually push for a playoff spot. I know they're dead but by believing in the delusion of grandeur that this is a playoff team, they are putting pressure on the young starters in the rotation. This is great for evaluation. There's no better way to evaluate how a young player handles the rigors of a pennant chase than to act like you're in one. This team lost the chance to go to the playoffs in May when every loss got notched into the "it's early" category but that has nothing to do with Miley, Skaggs and Corbin.

Corbin showed something very special this weekend. Eight innings pitched. Four runs batted in. Using his curveball in any count. Tempo is so important for a young pitcher. Corbin pitched with much better tempo. It's hard to quantify because you want a pitcher to follow the age old advice of Coach Wooden: BE QUICK, DON'T HURRY. Corbin seemed to rush his delivery late in games. His way of reaching back for a little extra was to simply over-throw. This weekend Corbin got into a much better rhythm. Let's hope he can continue to build on this during the D-backs "pennant chase."

2) ASU:

These next two games are the season for ASU. Home against Utah on Saturday night and and on the road at Cal next Saturday afternoon. If ASU wins them both, they are 4-1 on their way to a guaranteed win at Colorado. With a 5-1 record, they only need one more win to get to a bowl. No matter how low on the bowl tier, ASU going to a bowl is enormously important. As Coach Graham continues to install his offense/defense and entire program, ASU needs those extra practices that are only earned by getting to a bowl game.

If ASU losses both games, they would only be 3-3 with four games remaining against ranked teams and a road game to Oregon State who beat Wisconsin at Reser Stadium. That is not a recipe for success.

The next game against Utah is also important for us as a station. Our show topics are completely based on attendance and ratings. If ASU fans come up with their typical litany of excuses for not coming to games, that shows us the Valley doesn't care that much about the Todd Graham regime. Therefore, we should move onto balancing our Cardinals coverage with Suns training camp.

If Arizona State fans are truly all in and saw a team with great heart fight to the death against Mizzou like I did, there will be 60,000 fans in the stadium against Utah.

1) CARDINALS:

You can win with Kevin Kolb. I don't think Kolb will ever be worth the price the Cardinals paid to the Eagles to get him. However, once you say that, the obvious follow-up is what price would you pay if Derek Anderson is the alternative?

Let's stop talking about the price for Kolb. Let's just start focusing on what he brings to the table. I completely believe he can be a Trent Dilfer type of quarterback. Dave Zaustidil has been great as a punter. Kolb has to know not to force it and trust his special teams to pin the opposition deep. Kolb needs to get the offense out of bad plays and simply take what the defense gives them. Then, trust that defense.

It's been four years since Tom Brady was held to one TD drive at home. Never lost a home opener in their new stadium. Brady lost his second home game at Gillette Stadium. The defense held the AFC Champions to only 18 points at home. Yes, it's only two games but the quality of the opponent for game two makes it acceptable to "over-react."

Darnell Dockett continues to be this good of a team player to sacrifice on twists, to open up pass rush lanes...if Calais Campbell continues to play at an All-Pro level...if Daryl Washington keeps on laying the lumber...if Patrick Peterson continues to do everything...I could go on. This defense is so good, I don't think fans should wait until 3rd down to start yelling their head off. The opposing offense has enough to worry about on 1st down so why not give them something else to think about?

2) San Francisco 49ers: Averaged an unbelievable 5.8 yards/carry...granted it was Aaron Rodgers, but you can't allow 6-of-13 third down conversions if your team is based on defense.

3) Baltimore Ravens: Largest margin of victory (+31) and it came against a good team (CIN)...allowing 4.6 yards/carry is very un-Raven like.

4) Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers complained about the refs and Donald Driver complained about playing time which is not something 15-1 teams do...short week w/ Thursday night game this week but long week with no game until Monday Night Football at Seattle.

5) Atlanta Falcons: I predicted this would be the year of the Flacco but didn't expect as much improvement from Ryan as I saw...defense allowed almost 400 yards and lost DB Brent Grimes for the year.

6) Denver Broncos: Obviously it's not impossible to win allowing 11-for-19 3rd downs to be converted...Game 1 of three brutal road games at Atlanta this week (Monday Night Football --at New England & at Baltimore are the others).

7) Pittsburgh Steelers: The team that fired their offensive coordinator to re-establish the run rushed for two first downs.

8) Houston Texans: Can't help but notice the three sacks and +4 turnovers without Mario Williams while Buffalo looked like they were without Mario Williams as well.

9) Dallas Cowboys: Normally wouldn't care about 3rd place after only one week but 433 yards against the Giants is impressive.

10) New York Giants: Gave up 5.5 yards per carry vs Dallas...perfect time to see vs. Tampa Bay.

11) Cincinnati Bengals: Only Buffalo gave up more points...Baltimore averaged a first down every time they threw the ball against this defense.

12) San Diego Chargers: Maybe you're better than I thought but you've won eight of the last nine in Oakland anyway...schedule could mean a 5-1 start to the season.

13) Philadelphia Eagles: They roll up 456 yards and only 17 points?...vs. Baltimore will really test Vick.

14) Detroit Lions: Four of next five on the road...no QB has ever thrown for 350 yards in five straight games. Stafford's at four in a row but at San Francisco isn't the place to pull it off.

15) Washington Redskins: Don't know how long this will last but this is the #1 offense in the league...Win at St. Louis and you're 2-0 with all eight home games remaining.

16) New York Jets: Do you remember me saying the Jets would be the #1 scoring offense? Good, because I don't either.

17) Chicago Bears: Normally a beat down like that puts you higher, but Cutler's pick-six was so bad I'm leery...Win at Green Bay and I'll put them near the top.

18) St. Louis Rams: So St. Louis is happy with Sam Bradford and doesn't need RG3; oh by the way, Washington is in town this weekend.

19) New Orleans Saints: Four three-and-outs vs. Washington while averaging less than 1.5 per game last year...Defense was so bad it made you wonder if the loss of Vitt was worse than the loss of Payton.

20) Kansas City Chiefs: Losing to Atlanta isn't terrible, but there's never an excuse to give up 40 points at home...Tamba Hali back for Week 2 at Buffalo should make things better.

21) Arizona Cardinals: Could move up even with a loss at New England...Feels good to win but offense is 30th in the league.

22) Buffalo Bills: If Mario Williams ever plays like that again, this team is no better than any other in the post-K-gun era...ever since Ryan Fitzpatrick signed his contract extension midway through last year, he leads the league in interceptions.

23) Indianapolis Colts: Luck will be much better with Collie & Hilton playing -- plus, they've got the Vikings at home instead of playing at the Bears.

24) Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson averaged 14.4 INCHES per carry!

25) Oakland Raiders: It stinks former Sun Devil Travis Goethel struggled so bad in his chance at long snapper...A game at Miami is the perfect remedy.

26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I admit, I don't believe what I just saw (sorry, Jack).

27) Minnesota Vikings: Yes, it's a win but any team that needs OT to beat Jacksonville doesn't impress me.

28) Seattle Seahawks: Really needed to win at Arizona because now you're staring 0-3 in the face with two home games gone...so Okung isn't healthy enough to practice but he's ready for D. Ware?

29) Jacksonville Jaguars: How do you lose with a 50% third down conversion rate? Rush for 3.3 yards per carry, that's how.

30) Carolina Panthers: More of a slam on Tampa Bay...usually averaging 10 yards in the rushing game would be outstanding -- except when it's 10 yards PER GAME!

31) Miami Dolphins: Only had 6 more points than turnovers.

32) Cleveland Browns: Granted it's one opponent, but -13 in first downs and -195 in passing yards.

1) One drive doesn't make Kevin Kolb the savior.

One drive doesn't make it OK to include a second round pick in the trade for Kolb. However, one drive should eliminate the boos from the crowd.

If you don't like the trade, boo the front office. Kolb deserves to be booed if you question his work ethic. Kolb deserves to be booed if he's getting blown out and laughing it up with Deuce Lutui. Kolb is not in either category.

I have no idea if Kolb's pocket presence will improve. I have no idea if Kolb's decision-making will speed up and he gets rid of the ball faster. I have no idea if Kolb will lead the Cardinals to any victories while Skelton is out.

I do know his teammates swarmed him after the touchdown pass to Andre Roberts. I do know that two defensive players did a great job defending short fields and preserving the win yet they wanted to talk about the performance of Kolb after the game. I do know that Kolb represents everything more professional athletes should be about.

Compare the way Matt Leinart handled losing the QB competition to Kevin Kolb. With that thought in mind, why ever boo Kevin Kolb again?

2) I'm already excited about the Territorial Cup.

Although U of A couldn't score, they went up and down the field against Toledo. They proved they were no fluke against Oklahoma State. Matt Scott is a much better QB than I read about in the preseason. Throwing for 300 yards is nice; two TD passes is wonderful; the 0 INTs is the major announcement. The best way to improve the weak UofA defense is to keep them fresh. Eliminating turnovers will do just that.

The main point on this game is winning the fourth quarter 22-7.

ASU's win does need some perspective. So far they've defeated a FCS (division I-AA) and a team with a first-year head coach and their number one weapon/starting QB injured from the week before. This isn't enough evidence to say that USC is going to be challenged but there are amazing signs.

No penalties on defense or special teams in eight quarters. Taylor Kelly has never lost his rhythm despite Todd Graham's rotating QB system. Two red-zone turnovers didn't bury this year's team. Granted it's only two games, but Will Sutton is unblockable. Everything accomplished to this point has been done without a dominating performance from Cameron Marshall.

With UCLA's win, I'm sure they will have something to say about who takes second place in the South, but the Holiday Bowl could be determined by who holds the Cup.

3) Peyton Manning.

It's not like he proved he's a HOFer. He didn't need to because he's already in. Manning did show the nerves that send messages to his brain are still working just fine. Demaryius Thomas looked like he went from above-average to Canton-worthy. Yes I'm being grandiose for effect but that's the power of Manning. He makes the average receiver good and the good, great.

4) The Big-10 completely embarrassed itself.

As big of a weekend as it was for the Pac-12, it was worse for the Big Ten. The signature win for the conference this weekend was Ohio State over...wait for it...the University of...Central Florida. Against BCS conferences and Notre Dame, the Big Ten had a 1-6 record. The enormous, conference-saving win was over BCS juggernaut, constant SEC and national championship threat...Vanderbilt.

None of the Big Ten losses this weekend were to teams in the undisputed best conference in the country: the SEC. The ACC and Big 12 handed two of the losses to the Big Ten but the real beatdown came from the Pac-12's 3-0 weekend versus the Big Ten.

So many people thought Michigan brought the whole conference down last week with their blowout loss to Alabama. The Wolverines didn't embarrass the conference. Michigan's conference brethren did it just fine on their own.

5) RG3 vs. Luck

Fair or not, these two will be linked for the rest of their careers, and this is a good thing for both. The alternative is the Leaf/Manning comparison or Couch/McNabb/Akili Smith comparison of futility.

When was the only NFL week one with two rookie quarterbacks starting and throwing for 300 yards? You guessed it: 2012. Luck threw for 309 yards in Indy's loss to Chicago. RG3 hit for 320 leading the 'Skins to a victory in New Orleans. Before Sunday, there have been only two rookie QBs in NFL history to start on the opening weekend and throw for 300 yards. Peyton Manning did it in 1998 and Cam Newton lit up the Cardinals last year (Newton actually threw for 400).

In the vast history of the NFL, no one has done what Griffin did. No rookie has ever thrown for 300 yards, 2 TDs & 0 INTs in Week 1 until RG3 did it. Those numbers equal out to a 139.9 QB rating.

Griffin and the 'Skins have the irony game this weekend. It was St. Louis that traded away the pick they could have used for Griffin and the Rams host Washington. Luck will get his first regular season home game going outside the conference against Minnesota.

The 2012 NFL season is upon us, and Doug Franz ranks all 32 teams heading into Week 1.

1) New England Patriots: No matter how much they work, young QBs like Locker and Skelton won't stop the Pats from being 2-0 before a showdown at Baltimore.

2) Green Bay Packers: 15-1 just doesn't go away; brutal beginning schedule will shake my confidence early but the Packers will be back on top by the end.

3) Baltimore Ravens: Flacco ran no-huddle in college and now has Peyton's former coach to help him run it.

4) New York Giants: I have no idea what to do with this team.

5)San Francisco 49ers: I think Harbaugh is a jerk; I think Harbaugh is a great coach.

6) Denver Broncos: First easy game is against Tampa Bay, the problem is that's in December.

7) Pittsburgh Steelers: O-line is a bigger issue than Haley or Wallace.

8) Houston Texans: Excellent chance to start 4-1; still think releasing Eric Winston was a terrible mistake.

9) Cincinnati Bengals: Good news: all the tough opponents are at home. Bad news: December.

10) Chicago Bears: The opener against Indy isn't a must-win but it could get ugly quick if they don't take care of business in Week 1.

11) San Diego Chargers: Underestimate this team and they'll be 5-1 before the bye.

12) New Orleans Saints: Who knows? Are they a 12-4 team or a rudderless ship?

13) Philadelphia Eagles: Middle of the pack because I don't believe in Vick's ability to stay healthy...big schedule break with tougher games at home.

14) Atlanta Falcons: Missed their championship window by never addressing the defense.

15) Detroit Lions: Only two home games from September 10 through November 17.

16) Kansas City Chiefs: Tell me their record after five weeks & I'll tell you if they're a contender or pretender because the start is all against good teams with question marks...vs Atlanta, at Buffalo, at New Orleans, vs. San Diego, vs. Baltimore

17) Buffalo Bills: Wonderful personnel decisions in the offseason, manageable beginning schedule and done w/ New England for the year by Week 10 could mean playoffs.

18) Dallas Cowboys: Only one road game from Nov 12th to Dec 29th...Question is will they still be relevant by then to take advantage. I say no.

19) Tennessee Titans: Not a bad team but vs. New England, @ San Diego, vs. Detroit & at Houston is too tough for young team.

20) Oakland Raiders: I still can't believe how dumb the Carson Palmer trade was.

21) Carolina Panthers: I'd really like to know how healthy their running game will be before I make predictions...out of the last 6 weeks, only 2 division games and neither are against Tampa Bay, so a fast start is a must.

22) Arizona Cardinals: Must be top seven in rushing attempts, 3.9 yards/carry, and at least +5 in turnovers or this is a six-win team.

23) New York Jets: Can't wait to hear all of Rex Ryan's excuses throughout the season.

24) Seattle Seahawks: I don't believe in Pete Carroll...schedule sets up to start 2-5 or 1-6 in their first seven games.

25) Washington Redskins: Three of first four games and two of last three are on the road...asking a lot of RG3 to handle his emotions in emotional New Orleans to start the season.

26) St. Louis Rams: If Janoris Jenkins has more interceptions than kids during the season, this could be a playoff team.

27) Indianapolis Colts: Great schedule for a young team with two tough games out of the first seven plus a bye week mixed in...This is not a playoff team but they will be much better than "experts" think.

28) Minnesota Vikings: Still love the way they manipulated the draft but Matt Kalil can only protect Ponder, he can't make him good.

29) Miami Dolphins: Will dominate the ACC and easily win the Orange Bowl (wait, this is an NFL team?)

30) Jacksonville Jaguars: Handled the MJD hold-out beautifully but won't be able to do the same to the season.

31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The state of the NFL in Florida is not very impressive.

32) Cleveland Browns: Assuming this is the last year of Mike Holmgren, so it will also be the last year Cleveland sees a "3" followed by a "2" in the power poll.

Kolb led nine drives against Oakland and Tennessee. Skelton led six. Kolb led two long touchdown drives in the two games. Skelton led one short touchdown drive.

With Kolb getting more opportunities, the focus of the coaching staff was clear. Kolb would have to lose the job before Skelton could win it. This is not whining about "fair fights." It's professional football. The Cardinals have an enormous investment into Kevin Kolb. It's completely understandable that they want to make sure he's a failure before they move on to another QB.

The first pass for Skelton in the Titans game was drawn up for him to prove he should be the starter. He had play-action and a chance to go deep or hit the check down. He tried to make a big play that wasn't there and threw a bad interception.

2) John Skelton should be the starting quarterback.

An evaluation of any quarterback with D.J. Young at the left tackle position is a waste of time. Skelton is much better behind a bad offensive line than Kolb is. The Cardinals have a bad offensive line. Start Skelton.

The QB competition finished in a dead heat. Kolb won Flagstaff and Nashville. Skelton won Canton, Kansas City and Glendale. There are obviously major problems with both quarterbacks. Skelton proved last year he can dig the Cardinals out of the holes he creates. Kolb proved last year he can't dig the Cardinals out of holes he creates.

Skelton's interceptions fall into the category of a young quarterback trying to force a ball where it doesn't go. With more playing time he will mature and understand what is good risk and what is hopeless. He's a cross between Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre.

Kolb's interceptions fall into the "What the Hell are You Thinking" category. Some of the picks are high school decisions. By the time you reach the NFL, you should have thrown your last rolling right, feet not set, throw across your body, late into the middle pick. These are inexcusable INTs that aren't going to go away from Kolb's arsenal of ways to throw interceptions.

The coach's main job is to put the 11 men on the field that give the Cardinals the best chance to win: that person is Skelton. However, Skelton has not ripped the job out of Kolb's hands, he's just benefitted from Kolb failing to do the same thing. Since there is no clear-cut winner, you have to go with the younger player. Let Skelton prove whether or not he's the starting QB for the future. Don't go into 2013 with the same unanswered questions about Skelton.

3) D.J. Young is not an NFL level player at this time.

At one point in the first quarter, ESPN's Trent Dilfer said, "This is a joke." It was the right move to give Young the first opportunity at the LT position. It would also be the right move to put him back on the practice squad. You should never give up on a player based on one quarter of preseason football; there's just not enough time left to give him the coaching he needs.

The best O-line combination was D'Anthony Batiste on the left side and Bobby Massie on the right. Massie will grade out very well in this game. He had back-to-back plays where he didn't look like a rookie --- he looked worse. Despite those two plays mid-way through the 3rd quarter, Massie looked very capable of handling the job. There will be future mistakes, both mental and physical. Massie's status as a rookie will show again. Since the talent to be a starting RT in this league for years is evident, let's ride that horse through the rough times.

4) I don't know who Adrian Wilson is.

The number 24 on the field for this preseason is not the same man from the last two seasons. Wilson is playing at the same level that gave him a few Hall of Fame whispers about five years ago. Wilson was a huge liability the last two years. I'm assuming he was still in the lineup due to his leadership because his play wasn't strong enough.

Realizing it's only preseason, Wilson is much quicker to the ball and the punishing -- but legal -- hits have returned. Although defensive coordinator Ray Horton deserves some of the credit, it's obvious that injuries more than age had to do with Wilson's decline. He's healthy and he's back.

5) Daryn Colledge needs to make a decision.

Colledge was horrific in the first six games last year. He was below average for the next 5. He finished the year very strong.

In the first quarter versus the Titans, he tried to see if he could play 15 minutes with his head stuck between his hip pads. The view with that limited periphery outside the small hole caused him to miss many an on-coming rusher. Midway through the first quarter he figured out a great way to stop pressure: he made the tackle. Unfortunately his position isn't supposed to tackle anyone. The officials ruled that wrapping around the waist and spinning a defensive player to the ground was against the rules.

Colledge was brought in to secure the offensive line last year. He barely succeeded. Problem was his success came after the Cards season was over in regards to legitimate playoff contention. It may only be one quarter of a pre-season game, but the inexperience at both tackle positions demand Colledge be much more than average.

In fairness, he is not the first veteran to enter a preseason game mentally unprepared to play at a high level at the start of the game. The Cardinals can afford to give him a hall pass on this game. Colledge will hopefully decide that Nashville represented his last trip to the bathroom. No more hall passes.

The NBA owners told us they needed to lock the players out to increase competitive balance. Today proves that was the biggest lie since Monica Lewinsky.

The NBA owners pounded on a podium declaring themselves faithful to us and the game. As soon as they walked back into their Oval Offices, there was an intern, a cigar and this time a whole lot of money.

Since the lockout to increase competitive balance, the Los Angeles Lakers have traded for Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. The league blocked the Paul trade but not on the grounds it was illegal within the confines of the CBA but because the league wanted to hold up the value of a franchise it was selling.

If this CBA gave us more competitive balance, how are Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and Antawn Jamison all under one salary cap? If we truly have competitive balance, which U.S. Olympian will the Milwaukee Bucks trade for now? Have you heard any LeBron to the Grizzlies rumors? If the players needed to be locked out to even the playing field, how do the Lakers and Bobcats exist in the same league?

The owners had no desire to create competitive balance. Their main goal of the lockout was to spread out the Lakers and Knicks' money to all other owners. The secondary goal was to make it harder for the big money owners to spend so the small-market owners have an excuse for their own lack of desire to win a championship. The vast majority of owners wanted to penalize Miami, New York and the Lakers. None were interested in improving their own team, they just wanted to make it harder for the Knicks and Lakers to spend.

Obviously, accusing a bunch of owners of lying is a strong attack. It is not one I take lightly. The reason why I know I'm right is the lack of a franchise tag. The NFL owners gift-wrapped an idea to the NBA owners and they didn't take it because they wanted more money. Dwight Howard is not a Laker today if there was a franchise tag put in place.

The catch is the franchise tag would have been very expensive. The players would have fought against it until the owners would have been willing to share more of the pot with the players. In order to earn a franchise tag through the CBA, owners would not get as much money from the Knicks and Lakers because they would have had to given up more to the players.

Instead of giving in to the players to make the league better for the fans, the owners just wanted more of the Lakers' money. Keep in mind the other owners weren't interested in winning like the Lakers. They weren't interested in spending like the Lakers. They were only interested in earning like the Lakers.

By allowing teams to franchise a player three times in his career, a player could be locked up for three more years following his rookie contract or a total of eight years. The total could be much longer if you were able to get the player to sign a contract extention after year four of his rookie deal as most players do. The franchise tag would have stripped all leverage from Howard. Orlando's season would have been much better last year without the "Melo-drama" (a term used to describe what Carmelo Anthony put the Nuggets through under the last CBA), and he couldn't hold the Magic hostage.

I'm not hating on the Lakers. I'm jealous of them. They do whatever it takes to win championships. In turn, they earn money because of those decisions. The other owners in the league do whatever it takes to win money from the Lakers and earn no championships.

Listen to the comments of Coach Whisenhunt. Media: When would you like to see this battle resolved? CKW: Two years ago.

Thursday, Coach Whisenhunt opened his press conference without needing any questions from the media:

"There's been no decision on who will be the starting quarterback."

It was Day 2 of camp.

Usually coaches become antagonistic with the media. The weight of a decision which will probably determine the success or failure of the season -- and possibly a career -- is displaced onto the feeding reporters. The media relations department will start to limit availability. Players begin to choose sides and leak their opinions to the media. Fans begin hearing stories of lacking a presence in the huddle. After four weeks of drama, a quarterback is named.

The 2012 Arizona quarterback battle will not be determined by drama. Coach Whisenhunt has complete confidence in the process determining a QB for him that he gives no sign of stress over the decision itself.

Kolb enters camp as a cerebral quarterback, but needs to prove his toughness. His physical toughness is in question because he's been handed two starting quarterback jobs by two different franchises and failed to secure either due to injury and being outplayed by the backup. Kolb must prove he has the mental toughness to go through his progressions with no fear of the pressure being applied by the defense.

Skelton has the magic. The poise to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball with complete blinders to pressure is Skelton's forte. The no-fear ability to bring the team back from any deficit is not Skelton's problem. The problem is the fact Skelton continually has to bring the team back in the fourth quarter because his decisions led to a scoreboard deficit in the first place. Skelton must learn to read the coverage, trust the play and its progressions, allowing the defense to determine where the ball should go.

These two weaknesses must be fixed for one of the QBs to come out victorious in battle. The only true place for Skelton and Kolb to be judged is by preseason game production. I'm not referring to the stats or outcome of the preseason game. It's about intense film study with knowledge of the play called, assessment of how well everyone else did their job and, finally, answering two questions: did the ball go where it was supposed to when it was supposed to?

Ken Whisenhunt is stress free because he completely believes someone will win this quarterback job. Either Kolb actually having an offseason to learn the offense will allow him to relax in the pocket and deliver the ball on time, or Skelton will learn to take care of the ball through three quarters to save the magic for when it's needed.

Flagstaff, Arizona, will have little to do with who becomes the next starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. The Flagstaff position battles are at CB, RB, WR, TE and special teams. For the QBs, training camp is more like a glorified high school quarterback camp.

The brochure came in the mail for "your son" to be taught by NFL coaches in beautiful Northern Arizona. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kolb and Mr. and Mrs. Skelton signed their sons up for the camp to become better football players for the chance to earn a scholarship. This is all just a warmup here for three exams. The first exam will be a lab with Romeo Crennel as professor in Missouri. Mid-terms will be in Glendale with Mr. Raider, while we have a special Grand Ole Opry-style final in Tennessee with Jerry Gray as the lead instructor who learned defense from a disgraced former defensive professor who has been forced out of football.

The decision on who will be the next starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals will be made in an office in Tempe after watching the lab work in Kansas City, Glendale and Nashville. Coach Whisenhunt is very relaxed right now because Flagstaff simply represents study hall.

The most important month in the entire professional career of Kevin Kolb and John Skelton starts Wednesday, with exams soon to follow.

5) The KEEP IT UP Crew

Allow me to introduce the three-man crew. On the mound we have Mr. Wade Miley. Mr. Kubel handles things in left and Mr. Hill is the gentleman at second. These three will hit a skid at some point, but it needs to be fast. Every player goes through it but the D-backs need these three to keep their second verse as same as the first.

Anyone who questioned Kevin Towers' wisdom in spending money on Kubel was dead wrong. I questioned the signing of Kubel based on the needs at third base and thought he was a luxury. I couldn't have been more wrong. With the injury to CY and Justin Upton slugging worse than Marco Scutaro, Kubel is the only constant.

Aaron Hill is trending the way he did at the beginning of his Toronto career. Add on to that he's a perfect teammate, and you have an All-Star-caliber second baseman.

It's tough to predict what will happen with Miley. Ninety-seven percent of the time when you count on rookie pitchers to match solid first halves, you will be disappointed. The advanced scouting departments focus on you from opposing teams who are in the playoff race. Holes are exposed and exploited. Fatigue sets in from throwing more pressure innings than a rookie ever has. Inexperience clouds execution. If Miley is in that 3%, Arizona is still alive.

4) TAKE THE WEAK

The D-backs' second half starts with 12 of their next 23 games against last place teams. Not just bad teams, but last place teams. In addition, Arizona finishes the month with a 10-game homestand. Arizona must dominate July and take advantage of the weak schedule. The Dodgers' big lead to start the season was due to their talent, health and weak schedule. The Diamondbacks must establish themselves as contenders in the next two weeks before they leave for Los Angeles to prove their mettle.

3) PLEASE USE PROTECTION

The Arizona bullpen has been average. It's not the pen's fault the D-backs aren't in first place, but they certainly share the blame. As the rest of baseball looks for bullpen help this time of year, Arizona doesn't need it. They just need David Hernandez to dominate the 8th and J.J. Putz to be flawless in the 9th. With two rookies in the rotation, an inconsistent Kennedy, and a questionable Saunders, the biggest challenge to Kirk Gibson's managerial career will be keeping the pen fresh and effective.

2) THE TRUMP CARD

Ian Kennedy has not been the ace of the staff as he was the last year and a half. He's shown signs but has not been a force. The D-backs will not make the playoffs if Kennedy doesn't have a Cy Young-like second half. Sure, his first half makes it impossible for him to be in the running for a repeat top-five spot in the voting, but the second half of the season, however, has nothing to do with the first half. For Kennedy, that was then and this is now. The D-backs need their ace.

1) IS THE FUTURE HERE?

Far and away, the biggest factor that will determine the fate of the 2012 Diamondbacks is Justin Upton. If Upton's last three games are an indication, everything will be fine and he can carry the team. If he just got lucky to shoot some balls through the right side, then the slide isn't over. Getting four out of the five components the D- backs need for a good second half won't be enough if Upton continues his 2012 the way it started. Upton must turn it on now.

The days of looking at Justin Upton as a kid are over. He's a six-year veteran of Major League Baseball. He turns 25 next month. You do not pay $50 million and bat a player third in the order to get a .273 BA and 37 RBI for a below average-to-bad outfielder. Don't believe anyone who makes excuses for him. He's 19th in slugging percentage. Not 19th in MLB. Not 19th in the NL. His .401 slugging percentage is 19th among right fielders! He's holding his own versus great Cubs slugger David DeJesus. There are 18 other right fielders in baseball with better power numbers than Upton.

So what do the Diamondbacks do with him?

Let's read the tea leaves.

Luis Gonzalez was in studio and gave us 4 points on Upton:

1) Going to the right side with the pitch
2) Not swinging at bad pitches
3) Take your walks and trust Kubel and Goldschmidt
4) Use your experienced coaches

Gonzo never said Upton wasn't listening, but just by saying "use your coaches" can't we assume Upton isn't listening or trusting in the All-Stars and borderline Hall of Famers on the D-backs bench? Combining those statements with the benching of Upton in June, it's clear the maturity train still hasn't pulled into station for Justin.

The second tea leaf says the owner loves him. We heard about a long text conversation between D-backs owner Ken Kendrick and Upton. Owners who just blast players in the media usually shy away from direct communication. If Kendrick was having a one-on-one with Upton, it's clear he has a deep affinity for him. If Kevin Towers wants to trade Upton, he'll have to clear it with the boss.

The third tea leaf has the statements from Kevin Towers on the Doug and Wolf Show Wednesday. "We do have outfield depth and it's no secret we haven't been getting as much production from the corner as we would like." Since Paul Goldschmidt is at one corner, third base has been a big letdown. Towers also mentioned the lack of catching depth in the farm system is a concern. Who is the one player that could bring in a third baseman, a rookie ball catching prospect and be taken from a position of strength? Justin Upton.

The last tea leaf is the where would Upton go. Previous reports have said that Upton's old contract had a limited no-trade clause protecting Upton from being traded to four teams. ESPN's Buster Olney reported the old deal blocked moves to Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Oakland. The Diamondbacks gave Upton enough money that would have taken any leverage he had in negotiating a more extensive no- trade clause. However, the $50 million eliminates his arbitration years, so Upton would still have enough leverage to ask for limited protection. So my guess is the list is still four teams.

Which four teams is a little difficult to guess. No one wants to be traded to Oakland. It's a disgusting city. The future of the A's is up in the air. The foul ball territory is massive, so your average can plummet with all the foul-outs that accrue, so I guess Oakland is still on the list.

Out of New York and Boston, I bet two of the three teams are on the list. Upton's not a guy who can handle intense media pressure. Since he can't handle the fans of Chase Field booing him, I'm sure he wouldn't enjoy the scrutiny of the bright lights. Some players also like to put big teams on their list so they can negotiate new deals before they leave, since the players would have the right to block a move.

There would be no reason to put any of the NL West clubs on the list, because his agent could assume Arizona doesn't want to trade him within the division. Since Upton's from Virginia, it's safe to reason he has no issues with the mid-Atlantic states or the south in general.

By process of elimination, I'll guess Upton can't be traded to the Yankees, Red Sox, A's and Tigers, since Detroit is not a power hitters' paradise. The best bet of the remaining teams that need Upton are the Mets, Rangers, Marlins, Pirates, Braves, Orioles and maybe the Cardinals.

The team that best matches what the Diamondbacks need in a trade: Texas. A team that's desperate to win before their window closes: Texas. A team that would love to have Josh Hamilton and Upton in the same outfield: Texas. A team that has no replacement for Hamilton's power if he leaves: Texas. There's also one team that would love to leverage an outfielder who's under contract during the Hamilton negotiations: Texas.

This is a great position for Kevin Towers. He can jack up the price for Upton with Texas explaining to them that he needs the extra pieces to convince his owner. Which is completely true. If the Upton trade happens, it will come with serious reservations from Kendrick. If the Upton trade doesn't happen, it will re-focus Upton and enlighten him on just how fed up the organization is.

Justin Upton is no longer a part of the future. He either must become an immediate part of the present or he his three weeks away from becoming part of the past.

So rarely does society produce an athlete that loves his sport and allows us into his joy for the game like Brett Favre. Yet we find out later that Favre can't survive without trying to dominate our minds and thoughts so he throws his name back in the ring at every opportunity.

Give us a star that plays with an unrelenting desire to win like Tiger Woods. Then we discover he has no class on the golf course and actually pays people to help him deceive his wife.

We want someone that our kids can look up to. Unfortunately the "greats" are so driven to conquer everything they can't turn their drive off. The same drive to conquer Augusta is the same drive to conquer Perkins waitresses. It's not completely true that nice guys finish last, but the vast majority do and that's sad.

I thought of these desires all of us have for the humble yet average to rise to great or the great to change to humble watching LeBron James.

Did we tear down a man and make him better or did we just tear him down? I'm guilty. I've said it before. I think James is the greatest 46-minute player in the history of basketball and I think he's a choke machine. He has all the talent to be a great closer, but shies away from the final moment.

The Michaels and Birds were always double -- and sometimes triple -- teamed to force the ball out of their hands. If you've noticed the last few years, James doesn't draw late double-teams. Sure there's help defense but no flying- doubles. No coach is going to force the ball out of James' hand because they know he'll get rid of it anyway.

For the last two games, we've seen a new James. Determined. Feared. Angry. The smiling LeBron is gone. He is no longer a happy king celebrating with his subjects as if they were equals sharing in the riches of the kingdom. This is a king that doesn't like his small kingdom and wants more territory.

Did the king do this or did his subjects make demands? Is King James doing this for himself or to quiet his angry serfs?

He is everything we wished other athletes were. Never arrested. Never listed in the Mitchell report. Never tested positive, suspended but allowed to return only because the UPS store was closed. He's the only athlete ever to be ridiculed for being too self-LESS.

Imagine every day you go to work, you're the best to ever do your job except for two minutes every day. You're the firefighter who saves babies but didn't get the sterling silverware. The soldier who runs through the cross-fire to save a fallen comrade but failed to fill out the proper report after the raid. It's those two minutes that determine how the world views you and you never get away from it. The serfs will overthrow you if you don't become what they demand.

I don't apologize for anything I've said about LeBron in the past. It was my opinion at the time. LeBron is the one who said he was going to win seven championships. LeBron is the one that thought Cleveland was for losers but hasn't won since he left due to his disappearing act against Dallas.

In our demands for more James, we lost what we liked about him. Why can't Randy Johnson be nice? Why can't Ian Kennedy be the greatest of all time since he's the type of guy we can all want to succeed? Why can't Shane Doan lift the Stanley Cup? Why is it that Steve Nash is checked into the boards and Grant Hill loses years from his career due to injury but Michael Irvin is a three-time champion?

Watching the end of the Eastern Conference Finals made me respect Peyton and Eli more than I did before. The most impossible job in America is being the greatest in your sport while being "one of us" throughout the whole thing.

Why do we feel like sports allows us to attack the innocent or young?

LeBron James is a professional athlete who claimed to be on the verge of winning not 1, 2, 3...but 7 World Championships. He has had the ball in his hands at the end of many games too afraid to take the last shot. If someone wants to rip him for choking, I say go ahead. He brought it on himself and hasn't proven he can handle the heat.

Most professional athletes understand they need thick skin. Since those athletes have no problem accepting accolades and compliments from media and fans when they are successful, they should accept varying opinions that doubt their skills. If they don't like it, they could work in the real world and receive a real world pay check.

It easily could be the minority of fans but that minority has gone too far blurring the lines between professional athlete and the periphery of sports. Sarah Lucroy, Logan Tully-Tillman and Justin Combs are not household names, nor should they be. They are not professional athletes. One is a housewife and the other two are high school football players. All three have received treatment that's worse than Ryan Braun gets and none of them deserve it.

Sarah is receiving hate mail because she's not physically strong enough for Brewer fans. Tully-Tillman is receiving death threats because he did something rude and silly as a 17 year-old. Combs is being attacked by those jealous of his work ethic or because they think his life is their business.

Meet Sarah Lucroy. She's a stay-at-home mom with a beautiful two-year-old daughter. Since Los Angeles is such a beautiful city in her eyes she accompanied her husband on the trip. Since it was a long trip, he had a big suitcase. He was looking for a sock under the hotel bed--just like we all look for the last-minute odds-and- ends before we check out of the hotel. As he reached for the sock, Sarah was shifting the suitcase to the end of the bed. She wasn't strong enough to handle the unbalanced suitcase that she had pushed too close to the edge.

The suitcase fell right on to her husband's hand. Sarah had just broken the hand of the National League's number one hitting catcher with a .345 batting average on the season. How horrible must a wife feel? Her husband, Jonathon Lucroy had worked his whole life to get to this point. He's one of the best catchers in the game. On a team without Prince Fielder and with an under-performing Rickie Weeks, Lucroy was a major lifter on a struggling offense. His wife felt terrible when all she was doing was trying to help.

How do Brewer fans respond? Thousands find Sarah's Facebook page and bombard her with hate-filled messages. Truly the definition of courage is not defending a nation in a foreign country, willing to take a bullet for the ideals of liberty and freedom. Courage is sitting in front of a keyboard attacking a man's wife for trying to help him during his travels.

Meet Logan Tully-Tillman. He is not a sympathetic figure. A high school standout in football, Logan received many scholarship offers and letters from schools across the nation. He was increasingly intrigued by one of the most famous college rivalries in the country: Ohio State and Michigan.

Logan thought it would be boring to announce that he had made his choice. Before his oral commitment, he figured spice was in order. As he announced his choice to attend Michigan, he took a letter from Ohio State and burned it to show he was a Michigan man. Of course, the act would not be enough. It needed to be videoed and tweeted out for all to see.

It was a stupid move. Clearly the move of an immature teenager who thought he knew everything in the world and could handle every situation. Clearly it was something that was just as dumb as some of the decisions all of us made when we were 17.

How did Ohio State fans respond? Instantly tweeted death threats and Gregg Williams-like bounty offers for any Buckeye football player who could inflict pain on Tully- Tillman during his first run-in with Ohio State. Courage is not being a teenager in the hallways of Columbine High School being gunned down after having your religion questioned at the point of the gun and answering the question without fear of repercussions. Courage is threatening to kill a teenager because he burned a letter.

Meet Justin Combs. Another high school football player but this time he's done nothing even remotely questionable. All Combs has done is worked hard enough in football to earn a scholarship. He's also worked on earning strong grades and showing solid character in other areas of his life to earn an extra financial gift from his new college.

Here's the catch as people with lesser work ethic see it. Combs' father has a lot of money. Since Combs' father has a lot of money, Justin shouldn't receive an earned benefit and the money should go to a lesser qualified candidate. Combs and his father are being attacked by political pundits and the blogosphere for taking what he's earned.

What has happened to our country? All we do is push kids to achieve more. We test them at every step to make sure they're learning exactly what we want them to learn. They pass every test along the way, do extra to earn extra, then we attack them for what they earned because it's not fair to those who didn't earn it? Here's an idea: if you don't earn something, instead of tearing down those that do, work harder so you earn it.

To Sarah, Logan and Justin:

You live in the greatest country in the world. I hope the jealous, immature and misguided Americans never get you down. Congratulations on your success to this point and good luck earning more.

Hoping the Goldwater Institute actually represents Barry Goldwater and stays out of the way, but it doesn't matter right now.

Believe Ian Kennedy will find his mojo and return to being an ace, but it doesn't matter right now.

Two very interesting quarterback battles going on in Tempe between 5 different QBs, but it doesn't matter right now.

Weekly rumors on the latest suitor for Steve Nash, and none of those matter either.

One thing matters this weekend: FREEDOM.

I love hockey and respect the class of the individual players of the Coyotes for handling losing with such class. I hate the fact that the NHL had the chance to dramatically influence future passion of desert hockey fans and, instead, chose to stomp on dreams by helping the better team win (I still say LA was the better team but they didn't need the help).

I just can't muster the spirit to complain when I think of sitting in a trench during WWI.

Have you ever agreed on a price for a house only to have it fall through at the closing? I'm still worried about the Goldwater Institute will work their magic again and destroy this latest round of Coyotes sale talks.

It just feels hollow comparing a Glendale management fee argument to returning from Vietnam and being greeted by an ungrateful nation.

The 2011 Diamondbacks are probably a 3rd place team without the rock that Ian Kennedy was. His 2012 hasn't been awful, but he's clearly below average. The Diamondbacks will be in a fight for third place if he doesn't return to form.

Although I completely believe we will soon see the real Ian Kennedy, I'd rather see more Americans understand that the Revolutionary War lasted 7 years, with many troops going long stretches without pay but fighting for a dream.

Kolb and Skelton on one side of Tempe. Kelly, Eubank and Bercovici on the other side. So far it's Kolb and Bercovici in the lead, but if it was a horse race the announcer's first statement--and their off--can still be heard echoing throughout the grandstand.

The future of the program and organization could be solved in 110 degrees during the desert summer, all while our current troops sit in desert heat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You can pick about four places on the map in two different countries where Steve Nash may play next year. I wonder if that's how my Grandfather felt in WWII wondering where on the map Hitler's next move would be.

I'll be watching all three D-backs home games this weekend and Monday's day game on the road against San Francisco. The results won't matter as much to me, though. It's freedom that matters this weekend, and the sacrifice it took to earn it.

Thank you to all the boys and girls who have a parent in harm's way defending an ideal that all men are created equal. Your Mom or Dad is a hero. As you patiently wait for them to return home, you're a hero too.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Throw everything at the net to start tonight's game.

In the wildest dreams of Coyotes fans, players, coaches, front office members, players' mothers, Phoenix would not be one game away from the Western Conference Finals.

There's always the domino theory of pressure. If the Coyotes don't clinch tonight, doubt will creep in their minds about their ability to close out an opponent. The theory says you don't want to be forced back to Nashville. The Predators would have home ice so they win game 6. Now it's the "nothing to lose" mentality because the pressure is on the Yotes since they had two previous opportunities to close the series and couldn't do it. Some teams relax better for a Game 7 that's on the road and the momentum would be in Nashville's favor.

I don't believe any of that.

Teams down 3-1 say that to make themselves think it will happen.

Phoenix is an amazing 4-1 in playoff road games this year. There is no fear in being forced to return to Nashville. The path to play Nashville in the first place was via losing a home Game 5 to Chicago and winning a clinching road Game 6. There is nothing the Predators can do that will recreate the pressure of the last three years. Nashville can't intimidate with ownership issues. The Predators don't create the same fear in the minds of the Coyotes players like the phrases "Goldwater Institute," "Judge Redfield T. Baum," or the worst: "Bryzgalov in goal for the Coyotes."

Since the Coyotes have already proven they can lose a clinching Game 5 at home and still recover to win a road Game 6, the pressure is minuscule tonight. The pressure of a Game 7 is easily overcome with a coach like Dave Tippett, a captain with the mental toughness of Shane Doan and a steel-nerved goaltender named Mike Smith.

The risk/reward of the first goal for Game 5 is highly in favor of the Coyotes advancing beyond the second round. The Preds will bring everything they have to start the game. The Coyotes should take advantage of that. It's Nashville who has to be overly-aggressive. It's Nashville who has to take risks in order to bring pressure against Smith. It's Nashville who's desperate. If the Preds score first tonight, it changes nothing. The Phoenix Coyotes are still advancing to the Western Conference finals.

From the Nashville perspective, they can't handle an opening goal by the Coyotes. Imagine the most pressure- packed moment of your life. Your whole focus is this moment. You give everything you have and you get punched right in the face. No one has any confidence if they give everything and they're standing alone during a standing 8- count. There's no recovery. If the Coyotes score first, it forces Nashville to become even more aggressive, therefore opening up the ice that much more for Predator mistakes.

Make no mistake, this is a big game for the Coyotes. The catch is it's a big game for the Coyotes in the hope of winning the Stanley Cup. It's not a big game in relation to the Western Conference semifinal series between Phoenix and Nashville. Every Nashville win allows the Kings more rest. Accept it now, the Western Conference Finals are the Kings @ Phoenix for Game 1. There's no jinx. You should not wallow in fear when you read those words. Nashville is not beating Mike Smith three straight games. The only question is how much rest will the Coyotes get before the Western Conference Finals start.

Scoring first will make the rest of the game so much easier tonight. Don't believe me? The Predators haven't lost in the 2012 playoffs when they score first. They're 5-0. All four of their playoff losses have come after the Red Wings or Coyotes scored first. That's 5-0 versus 0-4.

Don't go into a shell and let the Predators attack. Quick counters tonight will lead to a series against Quick-- Jonathan that is.

Bring on the Kings!

Every player to be drafted over the course of the next three days is in one. After months of evaluating college games, the Combine and individual workouts, every team ranks each player 1-700, but also groups them together in terms of talent pods. Out of every piece of internal information each of the 32 NFL teams try to keep secret, player grouping is close to number one.

If another team knows how you value a prospect, that can be used against you in trade negotiation.

Pod 1 is the same for every team. Only Andrew Luck and RG3 have a ticket into that group. Every team has Claiborne and Kalil in group 2. The question becomes the value of the RB position and your value on Justin Blackmon.

If you value Trent Richardson above the recent disregard for running backs, he's in group 2. If there's no way you're filling that position this early when there are millions of other RB's you can draft later, Richardson drops to the top of whatever shelf you begin to value RB's. Blackmon, on the other hand, is a special WR but not in the elite class of Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald, so he floats between pod 2-4 but gets bounced from any attempt to get on stage with Luck and RG3.

The big question for the Arizona Cardinals isn't where they pick today overall (13th), it's what pod will they enter when they select. Do they want to pick first in the 6th grouping of players or last in the 5th group of players? How will the desires of Jacksonville to trade down from #7 affect Arizona? Who is it they value enough that they would trade up to get if they're convinced that player won't be available to them at 13?

The Kevin Kolb trade really handcuffs the Cardinals in the 2012 draft. They can't trade up to get that special player using any 2012 draft picks because Arizona is already down a 2nd round pick to the Eagles in the Kolb deal. This draft is too deep to be giving up more picks for one player. I was against that trade last year and if the Cardinals don't come away with one of three players in today's first round, I will feel more vindicated.

It was early September of 2011. I was fascinated with the importance of an SEC game early in the year. Georgia had already lost to Boise State which is a loss an entire 8- state region of our country took personally. I knew if Georgia lost to South Carolina there would be calls for Mark Richt's head (admittedly I was also hopeful of this in case Richt would come to Arizona State). South Carolina was coming off an appearance in the SEC Championship Game, so there was huge pressure on USC to take the top of the East right from the start. It was here I met Melvin Ingram.

I had seen Ingram at LB in years past when I watched USC (I've watched a lot of their games because I've loved their RB--Marcus Lattimore--since he was a freshman). I always thought Ingram was a good prospect but not special as a LB. In 2010, he was moved to DE and became special. In the Georgia game he ran a fake punt for a touchdown. First reaction: MAN THAT GUY'S FAST FOR HIS SIZE. Second reaction: MAN THAT GUY'S JUST PLAIN FAST. Third reaction: Holy ____ that's Ingram. Fourth reaction: WHAT'S MEL KIPER THINK OF THAT GUY BECAUSE I WANT HIM HERE.

When the Arizona Cardinals select at 13, if Ingram's on the board and the Cardinals pass him up, it won't be a Terrell Suggs moment, but it will be close. Ingram is the clear choice for Arizona.

Since I assume that other NFL GMs have seen Ingram, I realize the chances of Ingram still on the board by 13 is a stretch. This puts the Cardinals in a quandary. DeCastro or Floyd?

Leaving DeCastro on the board to select Floyd is not going to send me off the deep end like passing on Ingram would do. I would disagree with the pick but I would understand it. There is a good rule to follow at pick 13: NEVER TAKE A GUARD THAT HIGH. There is another rule equally applicable: DONT PASS UP A GREAT FOOTBALL PLAYER!

David DeCastro is Russ Grimm. He's not the athlete Grimm was (Grimm was actually a high school QB) but he's not terribly far off. DeCastro is scary smart and violent on the field but not off it. Guard is not a need for the Cardinals. Pass rusher is number one. Tackle is number 2. WR is 3. DeCastro fills none of those needs. Don't care. He's going to be an elite guard in this league for years. Pass him over and look for another one like him for the next 10 years.

Missing out on Ingram or DeCastro but coming away with Michael Floyd is still a successful day. He's an immediate number 2 receiver. All during 2011 training camp, we were told that the number 2 receiver position is not a weakness and the answers could be on the current roster. I disagreed. I was right. After Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals have a great array of 3's, 4's and 5's. Floyd instantly makes the offense challenging to defend. Floyd's arrival would quickly make the receiver depth an asset as opposed to a whole bunch of decent players.

What makes Floyd the most interesting is it would end all speculation about whether or not Kolb is the quarterback of the future. If he has a RB tandem of Wells/Williams, a seam runner as strong as Housler/Heap and a foursome of Fitz, Floyd, Doucet and Roberts as weapons, he should be able to move the chains. Yes, he still has Levi Brown at tackle, but with those options on the outside, Dave Burns would be able to lock up the DE long enough to get the ball out.

The nightmare is if Ingram, DeCastro and Floyd are gone by 13. Although I don't think that would happen, it would be time to trade down. It would be hard to find a team who would trade up but if there's still some DTs/LBs on the board, you might be able to convince someone to get ahead of the Cowboys because everyone knows they're going defense (Upshaw/Barron/Perry/Poe). Even better would be to trick Dallas into thinking you're going to deal with someone else and get something to just switch spots.

I usually love the idea of trading down. My problem with it this year is the hidden meaning. The Cards didn't get Ingram, DeCastro or Floyd and couldn't trade up to get him because the 3rd/4th round pick is too valuable when there's no 2nd round pick.

If the Cards pick up Ingram, DeCastro or Floyd, the 49ers will be challenged for a repeat as division champs. If not, go D-Backs.

Here's the chain of events. Arizona Sports 620 will tweet out a link to this blog. A Phoenix snowbird from Canada who listens to the show will read it and laugh openly. He will then retweet the link or e-mail it to a buddy still in Canada and they will mock me. In a few days, there will be a ground swell of Canadians calling me names. Over time the Canadian Parliament will use this blog as proof the Coyotes should become the reincarnated Nordiques if Phoenix media is this stupid.

If you disagree, here's your challenge: name a captain who led his team to three straight playoff berths while dealing with more crap than Shane Doan.

In no way am I arguing that Shane Doan is the greatest player of all-time. I'm not even arguing Doaner is a Hall of Famer. He's never guaranteed a win against his rival and reinforced the guarantee with a hat trick. He's not the only captain to win Cups with two different franchises. He hasn't retired and come back in on the white horse to actually buy his bankrupt franchise (although that would be nice). Doan hasn't won a Cup and a Canadian Gold Medal in the same year, while being voted greatest sports athlete in a hard, blue-collar town.

Shane Doan does not need a talk show host to tell him he's not Messier, Lemieux or Yzerman. One of those three men are clearly on the Mount Rushmore of NHL captains. They are there, however, for the wins and Cups they earned for their franchise. In the past, the judgment of a captain should only be on the final results and the individual professionalism.

Is it harder to captain a team with Grant Fuhr in goal or a new goalie every year? Is it more difficult to keep guys focused in a packed barn where the fans love hockey almost as much as their legendary football team or in a city with 8,000 empty seats? How strong of a leader do you have to be to get your teammates to respect the second-greatest coach in sports history, or does it take a little extra to influence the other guys in the locker room to follow The Great One who morphed into The Lazy One?

Shane Doan had to wake up every morning wondering which one of Gretzky's friends would get hired today. He had to wonder whether The Great One would bother with actually moving to the city whose team he was coaching or just fly in for a visit. Every day he came to work he had to get a group of men to commit to a man who wasn't committed to the city or the team. Then, one day, the The Great One was The Absent One.

Who has to address a media corps that only arrive when the team seems destined to leave? Shane Doan. Who has to stand there knowing his fellow Canadians will burn him at the stake if he really spoke his mind about Wayne Greztky? Shane Doan. Who had to deal with just as many questions from the media about his future residence as he got from his own family and friends? Shane Doan.

Then the Coyotes came up with a novelty item. They would actually hire a committed hockey coach, only they would do it during training camp because they didn't know where the real coach was. They didn't even know who owned them. Shane Doan captained a playoff team without an owner, a new coach and a room full of men that had no idea where they would live next year. He did it in 2010. He did it in 2011. He's done it again.

After three years of hearing the cheers of 10-year-old birthday parties going on one sheet of ice over during practice, Shane Doan is a playoff captain again. After three years of season ticket holders having no idea if they should commit to next year, Shane Doan is a playoff captain again. After three years of being owned by Gary Bettman, Shane Doan is a playoff captain again.

After three years, Shane Doan is about to experience something no Jet/Coyote captain has ever experienced: Shane Doan will lead his team into the second round of the playoffs.

Shane Doan is nowhere close to being the greatest player of all-time. No captain has come close to dealing with so much on-the-bench ineptitude under one coach and then off- the-ice distractions -- through no fault of the new coach -- while still being the all-class face of the franchise.

Chicago, you have great hockey fans. Blackhawks, you are a model franchise, but you already had your time. Right now, it's Doan time.

Good luck to the men being led by the greatest captain in NHL history. Go Yotes!

A class of 100 students on ASU's campus heard the news of Lisa Love's firing and broke out into huge applause. As soon as the first tweet went out regarding Love's demise, I was retweeted with countless, "What took so long?" tweets.

Imagine getting one of those e-mails at work that announce: "Fred has decided to pursue other career opportunities." As Fred clears his desk and the e-mail circulates through the company, Fred hears spontaneous cheers erupt throughout the building.

It's really sad that we treat other human beings this way. In my business, you can't give your opinions for four hours a day without some people hating you. Since every radio host gets fired at some point, there will be some listeners excited when I get fired. I'm going to go home and look at my wife and daughters and say, "Daddy doesn't have a job," while others are applauding as if their lives improve the day I'm faced with terrible misery.

I'm not above the fray, however. If the Diamondbacks sent out a press release announcing they've decided to cut Eric Byrnes again -- even though he hasn't been on the roster in two years -- I would have an uncontrollable ground swell of positive emotion forcing my hands together for a round of applause.

The job of a college Athletic Director is one of the strangest in our country. You're in charge of a multi- million dollar business. You will be sued if you don't spend those millions on business ventures you know will fail financially (women's sports). If you win 18 national championships in swimming/diving/soccer/softball/water polo while losing on the football field and basketball court, you're not getting the job done.

College Athletic Directors understand there is cruel fate in the position. Reaching the heights of Athletic Director of a BCS school is a huge individual pay day. You accept a job where you are judged on wins and losses. If you win, you don't tell people to quit congratulating you. If you win, you don't tell the Board of Regents to stop sending you bonus money for the extra contract clauses you've earned. If you lose, people cheer when you get fired.

Thank you Phoenix Sports Commission.

Thank you NCAA.

I love this town.

It's so great to see the NCAA tournament return to this town. USAC is packed. I hate to say it but it's been awhile since I've seen so many people in this arena.

As we broadcasted outside of Majerle's downtown, there was so much energy as fans were walking past. Four teams and their University traveling parties all staying in our hotels. Four sets of fans eating at our restaurants.

We have all four major sports. The Grapefruit League is a joke compared to our Cactus League. The highest attended golf tournament is right here along with two NASCAR races. We put on an outstanding NBA and MLB All-Star game recently.

Growing up in Ohio, I was always told the stupid joke, "if you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes and it will change." That's what we should say about the sports landscape in Phoenix. If you don't like what's going on now, just wait 10 minutes and another great event will start.

As I'm sitting on my moment of such a great high, a member of the national media asks me, "Why is Phoenix such a bad sports town?"

I had no idea what to say. Why are we one of the best cities in America at hosting sporting events but don't support our own?

I've heard it's the economy but Detroit is much worse off than we are and they go to the games. I've heard the teams don't win enough. The D-backs have more division championships in their time in MLB than any other team. The Suns are far superior to the Warriors as a winning franchise yet Golden State fans pack the arena while killing Suns fans in noise and intensity. I've heard it's because everyone is a transplant. As the sixth largest city in America and the 14th largest metro area, we don't need everyone to be a huge sports fan. If 1% of the city of Phoenix goes to an ASU Basketball game, a D-backs game, Coyotes game, or Suns Game, it's a sell-out (Cardinals and ASU Football have to set their sights a little higher and shoot for 1.25%).

I do have a theory on transplants. Phoenix has a reputation as being major fair-weather fans. Is it safe to say that it's the transplants who are the fair-weather fans? I'm beginning to believe the transplants are Phoenix fans when they're winning. When Phoenix teams are losing, a transplant just falls back to their old hometown team so they don't have to go through the pain of losing locally.

I understand. When I moved here, I kept all my allegiances to my teams. It's hard to give it up. Take a moment and look at the price of the home next to you that's for sale. Then look at the price you paid for your house. If you're in the same situation I'm in, you've come to the realization you're not moving anywhere. If you know you're here, why not be from here? When someone asks you where your from, start saying Phoenix. Announce today the renouncement of your former favorite team. Embrace being local.

The Pac-12 is a joke and the punch line isn't very funny.

The first 10 minutes of the Mississippi Valley State/Western Kentucky 2nd half became an insult to the Pac-12 and the conference wasn't involved. Stewart Mandel is a major college sports writer for Sports Illustrated, and he tweeted out, "If the President is taking our best ally to this game, what about his enemy? The Pac-12 tourney?"

Gutierrez scored with 8:53 to go in the first half for California's 12 and 13th points of the half. They didn't score again the rest of the half. California was out of the tourney before the real one starts. As much as I love my hometown, it's bad enough when a team gets sent to Dayton to prove themselves but this wasn't about Cal. The Pac-12 got sent to Dayton to send a message.

Some day Pac-12, you'll be good enough to earn a trip to Omaha, but for now be happy with Dayton. Colorado is so well-respected that they earned a trip to paradise, otherwise known as Albuquerque. If you're reading this Friday morning, the Pac-12 might be out of the tourney.

The biggest story this year for the Pac-12 is Ben Howland mocks kids with concussions and UCLA supports the decision. Second was the running national commentary about how bad the Pac-12 is. The conference has slipped so far, the most positive thing that can be said is it has a 3-1 record in the NIT.

The state of Arizona is even tougher to swallow. It's not breaking news that ASU plays in a flavorless building while supplying few wins for their 900 fans. U of A took the "payday" of hosting the NIT but decided they didn't need to get ready for the game.

I love the excuse, "We weren't over the Pac-12 Tourney." It's Bucknell! The only people who will offer you any sympathy are KU fans still suffering from Bradley and Bucknell losses in back-to-back years. You're Arizona. You've got the tradition. All we read about is the greatness of Sean Miller and the line of recruits standing at his office door dying to come to Tucson. The best our state could muster in division one college basketball post-season is one-and-done in a 9-point loss in the NIT.

Larry Scott is an unbelievable commissioner. He has done the impossible. He blew every conference out of the water, but what did he sell? The Pac-12 Tournament is the most poorly-attended tournament among BCS conferences and one of the worst attended in all of college basketball. The basketball in the conference is horrific. The two signature programs in the conference are embarrassing themselves. Other than Oregon football fans, there's no fan passions to speak of yet this commissioner has the SEC jealous of the revenue streams.

Ten years ago, the commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference changed the way revenue was distributed in basketball. He forced teams to challenge themselves in their non-conference schedule in an attempt to impress the NCAA Tournament committee. Not only did the number of teams earning at-large bids increase, but also the quality of basketball. As the bar was raised for each program, the quality of recruits choosing MVC schools went up with the bar.

The decision by the Pac-12 to partner with the Big Ten is a strong step in this direction For far too long the number of teams in the Pac-12 truly challenging themselves was minimal. The head coaches in this conference must stop thinking they've arrived. I guarantee few of them recruit or schedule with the same vigor they did when they were mid-major coaches. The same desperate energy they beg from their players needs to be applied to themselves.

The commissioner has done his job to bring the Pac-12 back to the national prominence it once enjoyed. It will be interesting to see if the fans and coaches get the message.

The Suns look like they ran out of gas in their last 3 games. We all believe the Suns have run out of gas in the last two seasons. So, how do the Suns get back to where they were? Obviously, we want to go higher than where they were since recent history shows that "where they were" is just a close competitor to win the west but never an actual Western Conference champion.

This will not be easy. Every member of the organization must take on the mantra that a season without a championship is a failed season and expect greatness.

ROBERT SARVER: Go overboard spending money. In no way does this mean over-spend on the next Marcus Banks. Please don't go after 5 small forwards when you don't have a GM. Spend money on the draft. Fly scouts everywhere. Be the most prepared team there is without ever having a hurdle to climb. Draft picks are gold because you control the player. You educate the player in your system.

Spend money on towels. When Mark Cuban took over the Mavs he talked to the players and found out they hated the showers and the towels. He spent money on luxury hotel towels. He didn't do it just for the Mavs. He did it for the road team. He wanted every team that came to Dallas to think that the Mavs were a first-rate team, knowing every second a player is in Dallas is a recruiting chance.

Your entire perception and reputation must change. You cannot fight the perception the players in the league have of you with words. You must do it with actions.

It doesn't matter whether your reputation is deserved or not. Whether or not you think it's fair or factual is irrelevant. In this case, perception is reality.

David Stern said you were not the antagonistic hawk during the labor feud. The players aren't going to take Stern's word for it. Either you were a major hurdle to labor peace hoping to squash the union or you were an easy target for the union to blame.

Let's say it's untrue and the media mischaracterized you during the lockout. Where did they get their info? It was either other owners who made up that you're the bad guy or union leaders that knew their membership would believe you're the problem. The media doesn't have it out for you. Either what was leaked was true, or out of 30 owners they chose you to be the subject of lies which says something.

NBA free agents don't believe you're committed to winning a championship. Phoenix is no longer on the short list of teams players want. Let's change that.

Learn the story of Tom Coughlin and Kurt Warner. Find out how willing Coughlin was to change due to a player he respected explaining what wasn't working from a player's perspective. The human being that is Grant Hill is a blessing to the planet, not just the Suns. Take him to lunch. Ask him to rip you. Ask him why the Suns aren't close to a championship. Ask him what is expected from you.

LON BABBY: Be very visible. Don't be shy. Players trust you since you were an agent. Get the word out about the things Robert Sarver does that go unnoticed.

Give your former client, Grant Hill, the chance to change anything about the Suns he wants. It's a power no player should ever be given, but since Grant is so different than any other player in terms of discipline, intelligence and desire, he won't take it for granted. That power will be seen by other players around the league making Phoenix more attractive.

I know you hate the idea of promoting yourself, but get on twitter. Spend an hour each week answering the questions of fans. As one of the more brilliant lawyers in America, it's not like someone's going to trap you in a bad conversation. Become the face of management.

LANCE BLANKS: Get out of the shadows. Talk to every player on the team all the time. Let your coaches know how much confidence you have in them. Before you arrived, the staff of Gentry, Majerle and Cartwright got the Suns to the Western Conference Finals. They're very good. Let them know you have their back. New GMs always make coaches from the past regime nervous. Sign them to extentions.

It's a great idea to allow Lon Babby to be out front during the lean years so you can emerge from the shadows as the savior when the good times return. I get that, but talk to the media on occasion. Talk to the players you didn't draft or sign. Be seen at the office every now and then. Even if you're brilliant, while you're behind the curtain, no one knows if they can trust or believe in you.

ALVIN GENTRY: Get tossed. You've already proven you can coach but an emotional explosion would serve you well. This week's Denver game was a prime example. The comeback to tie it up 62-62 was great but it went away fast. The officiating was horrible. The players were running out of gas and weren't going to win after Denver turned it on late in the third. The players don't question your passion but remind them anyway.

STEVE NASH: You're one of the greatest of all time and you're playing like it this year, so critiquing you is obviously difficult. The fourth quarter turnovers are becoming a problem. Get everyone involved throughout the game as you've always done. It's time for the fourth quarter to be "Nash time." Look for your shot. You are the best scoring option.

FANS: No one wants to hear this, but patience is key. The vacuum between the "firing" of Steve Kerr and the hiring of Lon Babby killed the organization. Josh, Hedo and Hack are not the fault of Babby/Blanks but those contracts are a noose around the team's neck. It's easy to say "trade them," but in the NBA you're only going to get someone else's bad contract in return for a trade.

It will take about a year and a half to fix what's been done. Trust the process to cleanse. Begin judging the team from the time that Babby/Blanks took over with the roster they were handed after years of D'Antoni not developing rookies and Sarver selling draft picks. It will get worse before it gets better.

Don't bail on the team. Who knows how much longer you're going to get to see Nash and Hill? Get to as many games as you can. Don't go to the games to be seen like it's a Scottsdale night club. Be loud. Bring back the Madhouse.

You listen to the games on Arizona Sports 620 when they're on the road and they win. You buy a ticket to a home game to see your Suns and they lose.

As soon as you're ready to give up on the Suns, they win. As soon as you're ready to believe in the Suns, they lose.

Whenever the Suns are losing, the topic of trading Steve Nash comes up. Whenever the Suns are winning or you hear Nash talk to the media, you realize how blessed we are to have Nash as a Sun. We all re-declare our devotion to the altar of the assist and go on our way.

I went to Thursday night's game. I wish I hadn't. The decision by Alvin Gentry to play the starters almost the entire 2nd half cost the Suns the game. If I was the coach of the Suns, I would have done the exact same thing.

It's easy to sit at a press table and say the bench should get another chance in the second half. A coach is paid to win and Gentry must have thought he'd lose if he played the bench again.

Does it matter if a game is lost in the 3rd quarter or the 4th quarter? I'm sure Gentry assumed going to his bench would guarantee a loss, so he was hoping to escape with his starters playing heavy minutes knowing the risk would be a late meltdown. The meltdown happened with 6 turnovers in the last 5 minutes against Houston.

So here we are again, to trade Nash or not to trade Nash? Shakespeare couldn't answer the question. It's easy to give an uneducated reason to trade Nash or to keep him, yet studying makes the decision much tougher since any Nash trade has to match salaries.

Categorize every NBA team into these columns:

1) TRUE CONTENDER: Right now you could win a championship.

2) MAKE A RUN BUT FALL SHORT: You might get lucky and go deep but there are true holes or you're just not ready to win it all.

3) ONE & DONE: You'll get in the playoffs but won't do anything when you get there.

4) LOTTERY UP: Will be a lottery team but are headed in the right direction (Minnesota).

5) LOTTERY DOWN: You're in the lottery but you've won too many games to really win the lottery and you have too many veterans to be going up (Suns).

6) BOTTOM FEEDERS: You live for the lottery and watch every Kentucky basketball game.

BOTTOM FEEDERS aren't going to give up draft picks and the team is bad so you have no players the Suns want. LOTTERY DOWN teams would never want to improve as they approach the lottery; would never want to trade draft picks; the Suns don't want their players anyway. LOTTERY UP teams wouldn't trade picks in case they get lucky in the lottery and they won't trade the young players they have complete control over. Most of the ONE & DONE teams just got a promotion from the LOTTERY UP category and they still control their young players. Although they'll be picking in the middle of the first round of the draft, that pick might be the one choice that bolsters their bench so they're ready for a run to a championship.

The only teams that would be interested in Nash are in the first two categories. Of course, the teams that fall into TRUE CONTENDER or MAKE A RUN BUT FALL SHORT already have a point guard and don't need Nash.

The only teams I could see that need Steve Nash are Oklahoma City, the Lakers, Portland, New York, Memphis and Miami.

1) OKLAHOMA CITY: Would have to give up Westbrook or Harden to make the salaries match; won't happen.

2) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Would give only cast-offs to make the deal work so you'd have to rake them over the coals with future draft picks; Suns fans would never buy tickets again.

3) PORTLAND: This could actually work but you'd have to get Batum to agree to an extention and Portland would need to give up a 1st and a 2nd round pick which they wouldn't do; needed to be done a month ago.

4) NEW YORK: Everything they have to trade is gone in the Melo deal; to make the salaries work the Knicks would have to include Melo or Amare—won't happen.

5) MEMPHIS: Very doable from a Suns standpoint but Nash alone wouldn't vault the Grizz to championship caliber, so I think it's too risky for them.

6) MIAMI: You'd get very little back unless MIA is actually willing to trade Bosh. Suns would only get high-priced bench players in return. I would only do this as a Sun if I get 3 1st round picks.

As you look at the 6 possibilities, it leaves you with only one team left. Can you, as a Suns fan handle seeing Steve Nash help the Lakers win a title? I can't.

Next week: FIXING THE SUNS

It's not often a simple statement of fact evokes so much emotion.

Joe Paterno is an evil man who throws kids in a cage with a monster.

Joe Paterno is a saint who takes kids from the saddest situations and turns them into men with a purpose of changing society for the better.

I would assume neither of these statements is completely accurate or factual. I would also assume it wouldn't take me long to find people who completely believe one statement or the other.

I waited a day before writing about Paterno because I wanted to see how the media handled the news; how fans handled the news; how his former players handled the news; most importantly, how you handled the news.

The easiest conclusion drawn was two opposing thoughts: either the media is too scared to say the truth or they think we're too stupid to handle it.

Joe Paterno's life can't be summed up in a sound bite or a paragraph.

The world is made up of people that have a varying degree of influence. If Joe Paterno ever helped a kid get into a class that was full, he used his influence. If Joe Paterno ever called an employer to persuade them to hire a former player, he used his influence.

He was the President and CEO of Penn State football. He used his influence in other areas of life to help others. One question will always remain unanswered: why didn't he use his influence to get Jerry Sandusky off campus?

Joe Paterno did nothing wrong in the eyes of the law and shouldn't be -— and at this time won't be -— prosecuted. I hope he never loses a civil case over his actions.

Legally, everyone is equal, however, Presidents and CEOs are judged by a different public standard than the law. Although the situation at Penn State doesn't rise to the NCAA's definition of Lack of Institutional Control, is there any better four-word description of what happens when a former coach keeps an office on a college campus and uses the locker room showers to rape children?

Joe Paterno deserved to be fired from Penn State. Blaming the Board of Trustees for the death of Joe Paterno is so undeserved. There's only one monster in this story, and it's Jerry Sandusky. If Jerry Sandusky wasn't so evil Joe Paterno wouldn't have been fired. If Jerry Sandusky wasn't so evil those specific kids wouldn't have been victimized by a serial rapist.

Joe Paterno deserved to be judged and fired from his job but not his life. I disagree with the media trying to tie up the coach's life with a bow and a gift bag. We are smart enough as a society to look at the positive and negative of his life because it's similar to our own.

There have been times in your life where you didn't do enough. There have been times in your life where you should have fought harder for what was right and you didn't.

There have been times in your life where you did everything you can. There have been times in your life where you really earned the title "hero."

There have been times in your life when you were just like Joe Paterno. How do I know this about your life? There have been times in my life when I didn't fight for what was right and I still think about that failure despite the times I really was a life-saving hero. I've been on both ends of the spectrum of success and failure and I'm sure you have too.

Joe Paterno was a man who did millions of great things for thousands of people and didn't do enough for a forever- damaged group of kids.

If the media is hell-bent on explaining to us the life and times of Joe Paterno, let me make it easy for them: JOE PATERNO--HUMAN.

ASU head coach Herb Sendek dismissed Keala King from the team earlier this week, while Kyle Cain and Chris Colvin needed to re-earn the opportunity to join the team. King's dismissal could be for a myriad of reasons and the why doesn't matter. The question is what's wrong with the Devils?

Every year we hear about special players who are coming into the program. Unfortunately, they are replacing the previous special players who are transferring. This is where a clever writer makes some type of funny analogy with a revolving door, but I hate those things so I don't want to give them free advertising.

Coach Sendek attempted to explain the high number of outbound plane tickets from the program in a recent press conference. He waxed poetic about Clemente staying a Pirate for his whole career yet Bonds left for a payday, despite Sendek himself leaving his two previous jobs. He complained how kids transfer elsewhere for playing time while ASU accepts two new transfers next year.

Coach Sendek made more points about the way our society has changed. The points were impossible to disagree with because society was less selfish in the past. The catch is it sounded like a man blaming the icebergs for a sinking ship.

The comments bothered me. Bob Knight and John Thompson didn't want to adjust to the changes in society and lived off their reputations as the NCAA tourney wins evaporated. Blaming the present and missing the past isn't solving the problem.

Coach Sendek is a man of great principle. He deserves so much respect for dismissing King in a down season. It's easy to think of a handful of college coaches who would compromise principle in order to keep talent. King led the team in almost every category, including complaints. When a player plays four years for Sendek they are a vastly improved player, but King didn't want work through the system. To go to one of Sendek's practices is to be amazed at his knowledge and memory, but King was more interested in games and shots than practice and drills.

Looking at the way the players played versus Southern Cal last week, the team clearly agreed with the decision to suspend King, Colvin and Cain for the weekend. There does appear to be a closer team on the floor playing without King.

Despite back-to-back putrid seasons, ASU has stud PG Jahii Carson practicing with the team every day. There are three area high school players all entering the program next year. Two sharpshooters are transferring into ASU and will be eligible for 2012-13 as well. Although I do believe there are better days coming for ASU basketball, how do I know another one of these future players won't be the next transfer? I could easily be hitching my wagon to a donkey that I'm too blind to see isn't a horse.

The ASU basketball job is one of the hardest jobs in college basketball--recruit in a state with a former national power down the street to play games in a dark, flavorless arena with a non-existent fan base. Coach Sendek's 20-win seasons must count for something. It's the right move to stick with Herb Sendek despite being the third best team in the state this year.

If you want to coach old school values, recruit old school kids. Don't blame society for losing basketball games. If society is changing and other coaches are winning without compromising principles then ASU can too.

Since I still believe in Coach Sendek, I'm going to chalk up his press conference to a guy having a bad day.