Discussing the best (and worst) of Arizona sports.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are in a deep hole with June rapidly approaching and the "it's early" palliative is quickly wearing thin. 11.5 games back in late May is a big hole. Even worse, the problems on the team are pretty much everywhere and anywhere on any given night.
Some games the offense has all the potency of a watered down lemonade and on other occasions it's the bullpen or untimely fielding mistakes that delivers the heart breaks. You just don't know where the fail will come next and conversely, there's not any part of the team you can truly trust.
It's frustrating.
It's slam your helmet, overturn the water cooler and scream at the players after the game frustrating.
But that's not how the "fiery" Kirk Gibson rolls. He's Mr. Positive Thinking who's convinced that good things are just around the corner.
After weeks of speculation, and a fortnight after Kyle Odegard reported the move, former Arkansas Razorback Brock Haman has decided to come home and transfer to the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The former two-way star from Scottsdale Saguaro, Haman was a three-star recruit when he decided to head to Fayetteville. At 6'3" and 230 pounds, Haman was a standout tight end and linebacker thanks to very good athleticism and 4.6 speed.
Last season, Haman redshirted due to a persistent foot injury and looked to make an impact with the Hogs. However, in the wake of the Bobby Petrino scandal and the disgraced coach's subsequent dismissal, Haman secured his release and began to explore his options that ultimately led him to Tempe.
With ASU, Haman will play linebacker. He's stated his intent to petition the NCAA for a hardship waiver which would allow him to play this season for the Sun Devils instead of sitting out another year due to the NCAA's transfer rules. It's unclear what the ruling will be, but the team certainly could use him this season.
ASU's linebacking corps lost it's top four players from a season ago, and despite the return from injury of the dynamic Brandon Magee, it's near the top of the list of worries head in to 2012. If cleared, Haman should be able to make an impact.
Haman's speed and athleticism is a great fit for the "Devilbacker" spot. The Devilbacker is a position predicated on attacking the offense off the edges, and the two players that figure to see a lot of time for ASU this season are both hybrid linebacker/defensive end types--Carl Bradford and the should-be-reinstated Junior Onyeali. Haman could be yet another weapon to deploy in that role.
Should Haman be forced to sit a year, he would make a nice addition to a still young--and more experienced--linebacking corps that will be replacing Magee in 2013. Given a year to learn ASU's system, he could challenge to replace the similarly athletic Magee as the WILL linebacker.
Patrick Corbin's first stint in the major leagues wasn't all that exciting. In five starts, he went 2-3 with a 5.27 ERA in just over 27 innings. He had one very good start, one rough start and a pair of decent outings. It is the sort of thing you expect from a young call-up that moves in to the rotation because of injury.
He now goes back to the minor leagues (albeit to Triple-A Reno instead of Double-A Mobile, from where he was called up) with some experience under his belt and some things to work on.
For one, he needs to be more efficient. His start on Monday was a good example of that. Manager Kirk Gibson noted that "he was at 99 pitches in the fifth inning."
Corbin was absolutely dominant in the spring, but it hasn't been as easy in the majors, as one would expect. He now understands, according to Gibson, that "he's in a whole different season."
The state of Arizona has seen better days for college football. Or at least the first release of power rankings for the Pac-12 would suggest this is the case. With the conference expected to be very tough, talented and deep in 2012, the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona St. Sun Devils will enter projected for the bottom half of the conference and South Division.
We have a look at one of the first power rankings of the preseason after the jump.
The season may be over for the Phoenix Coyotes, but you have to love the heart and determination this club showed over the last month. They scratched and clawed to win their division, advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals and nearly forced a game six against a hot Los Angeles Kings team.
Miss any of the action last night? We have a complete video recap of the night's goals.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said this about OTAs (voluntary organized team activities):
"You're not going to make the team this weekend. If you want to make a good impression, don't make mistakes and do it right from a technique standpoint."
That seems pretty simple, but it is the attitude to have going in.
This isn't to say that they aren't important, because they are. They very important if the player is new to the team. A season ago, due to the lockout, the Cards had a locker room full of newcomers and they did not have OTAs because of the NFL lockout. That included quarterback Kevin Kolb, who will, along with John Skelton, battle this season for the starting job.
This also includes draft picks and undrafted rookies.
While fans already are set on seeing who can pull ahead in positional battles, these are not the workouts that do that. They can help, though.
Undrafted rookies can catch coaches's eyes and make an impression that will carry into training camp. Kolb and Skelton can show technical improvements, like footwork, timing and the like.
Bubble players from a year ago can show up prepared and keep themselves away from the bubble.
In a nutshell, the way OTAs go, final decisions are never made based on performances there, but they certainly can be factors .
You can talk more Cardinals over at Revenge of the Birds.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks started their season so promising. They won their first four games and looked every bit the part of a team that would be a World Series contender, as many national writers had predicted coming into the season. However, that success came to a grinding halt, and their season's promise as well.
Entering the game Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team's stats at Chase Field after their first four games pale when compared to how they started the year.
After winning their first four at home, they have managed just three more wins in their next 16 games, including Monday night.
Their offense has dropped off. After averaging 5.5 runs in their first four, they dropped their run production to 3.4 per game in their next 15. Their batting average fell from .258 to .237. Losing Chris Young to injury definitely affected that, but no one stepped up after he got hurt.
Their pitching also suffered. After an ERA by the pitching staff of 3.50 in the first four, the runs allowed have increased by two a game, as the team ERA in their following 15 was 5.53.
In other words, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. The pitching got worse, the hitting declined and key players (Chris Young, Daniel Hudson) got hurt. Plus, the bullpen has not been great.
The result of that combination? an overall 7-13 record at home, compared to 12-11 away from Chase Field.
That's just not going to get it done.
Get more Diamondbacks coverage over at AZ Snakepit.
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When it comes to good fortune, the Arizona Diamondbacks have not had much when it comes to injuries. Unfortunately, the injuries have been to some key players as well.
Centerfielder Chris Young missed 28 games after injuring his shoulder on a spectacular catch, but it came when his was hitting over .400 and was really the only offensive threat in the Arizona lineup.
Stephen Drew, who broke his ankle on a sliding play at home last season, is still on the shelf. He is the anchor of the middle of the infield and an important bat in the lineup.
Daniel Hudson had a shoulder impingement after only three starts and has not yet returned, although he could be back this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Reliever Takashi Saito has yet to appear in a game this season, and it was hoped that he would be an important contributor out of the bullpen.
The latest key player to get hurt is catcher Miguel Montero, who suffered a mild right groin strain Monday night. It is unknown ye how much time he will miss, but he is one of the team's top run producers. He leads the team with 21 RBI. He also manages the pitching staff and has been very effective defensively and in throwing out would-be base stealers.
In 2011, the Arizona Cardinals made a big turnaround, starting 1-6 and rallying to finish 8-8. They even had a shot of making the playoffs late in the season. Their performance was led by four players in particular. Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, Adrian Wilson and Darnell Dockett are the unquestioned leaders on the team. They also are among the NFL's top 100 players in the league, according to CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco.
As you can imagine, Larry Fitzgerald was atop the list of the Cardinals.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have had plenty of issues this season, leading to their disappointing start. However, one of the things they were counting on coming into this season has been one of their bigger disappointments, and that is the quality of pitching at the front of the rotation.
A season ago, Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson were a combined 37-16 with a 3.18 ERA in 444 innings. Kennedy was automatic. Hudson, if he wasn't in the first inning, was completely dominant. That, combined with a stellar bullpen and an offense that had a flair for the dramatic, essentially was the catalyst for the D-backs' magical 94-win season.
This season, the expectation was more of the same, while improving some things, adding Jason Kubel's bat, arms in the bullpen and Trevor Cahill to the starting rotation.
However, that awful word regression has reared its ugly head. It is a statistical term that is used to refer to performances above the norm for a player.
The aces from a year ago have not been aces so far.
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