Wired Devils

Feeling green?

2009-11-04T18:32:00.003-07:00

Different time, but same deal as last week. Those living in the green states will see ASU try to get their biggest win in the past two years on their local ABC station. Those elsewhere need to subscribe to ESPN GamePlan, have access to ESPN360.com, or go to a sports bar. The Trojans will come out angry -- can our defense prevent an early deficit for once? Please?

Television Coverage for Cal @ ASU

2009-10-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

Those living in the green area get to see ASU and Cal on their local ABC station. Those elsewhere need to subscribe to ESPN GamePlan, have access to ESPN360.com, go to a sports bar, or watch a different game and hope that the ticker does not show another early lead big for the bad guys. As I have said before, ASU will not win a game this season in which they trail by 14+ points.

Nice Defense!

2009-10-19T04:51:00.003-07:00

Update: watch at around the 1:00 mark to see Nick Holt snort! Thanks to B.L.Z. Bubba for the tip.

Will the real Sun Devils please stand up?

2009-10-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we're 5 games into the season and yet I still feel like I don't know the 2009 Devils. We've beaten three bad teams, and lost to both of the decent teams we have played.

Whatever you think about this season's team (and the coaching) Saturday is a great test. UW is clearly a "good not great" team -- the sort of team we should beat at home.

If we do win, then the noise should quieten a lot. If we lose, it will become deafening.

One thing is for sure: by the final whistle of the UW game, we will know a LOT more than we do today.

A wasted game

2009-10-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

It's a pity we had to waste a conference game to make a change that most of us realized was necessary after the Georgia game. Danny Sullivan deserves no criticism, because it is obvious he has given everything he has got. Unfortunately most of us won't get to see Oz's debut as a starter at Wazzu, since this week's game will not be televised.

I hate agreeing with Bickley and Bordow.

Sullivan was the best option when the offense needed a caretaker, when a daring, daunting defense seemed good enough to carry the day. Now, the defense has some explaining to do, the ASU faithful have lost belief in their senior quarterback, and the head coach can't be far behind.

Maybe we’ll find out the freshman isn’t ready for Pac-10 football. But what’s the risk? It’s not as if the Sun Devils can do much worse offensively. And — news flash — they’re well on their way to a 6-6 or 5-7 season. Might as well see if the kid can do something.

Beat Oregon State and things will look bright

2009-09-29T05:57:00.002-07:00

Updating my original research from last year, Oregon State is the most critical game of the 2009 season. Conference openers have historically been a strong predictor of the season.

Counting conference games only, since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, ASU has lost the conference opener 17 times, and in those seasons has gone a combined 57-70-2 (a 45% win percentage). However, in the 12 seasons in which we have won our first Pac-10 game, the composite record is 60-36-0 (a 63% win percentage). We tied our opener in 1983 and 1986 and finished a combined 9-4-2 in those seasons.

Since 1982, ASU has only once (in 1999) lost the conference opener and finished with a winning record in the Pac-10. Conversely, 2008 and 1994 were the only seasons where the Sun Devils won their conference opener but finished below .500 in the Pac-10.

This season's opener versus Oregon State is especially important because the four following games are all winnable, so if we beat OSU a 4-1 Pac-10 start is perfectly realistic.

Strong chance of no TV coverage of game at Wazzu

2009-09-28T05:06:00.001-07:00

As expected, neither of the Pac-10 TV network selections for October 10 included the ASU @ WSU game. It's tough to argue with the games selected by ABC and FSN:

Oregon at UCLA, 12:30pm PT ABC
Stanford at Oregon St., 4pm PT FSN

If I understand the Pac-10 rules correctly (they are hard to follow) the only way that FSN AZ could show the ASU game live is if it kicked off at 7pm PT. However, I assume Wazzu will not want an evening kickoff, especially since this is Homecoming Weekend in Pullman.

Hopefully I am wrong, but for now it seems likely that the only way to watch this game live will be to travel to Pullman.

Update: now confirmed; no live TV coverage on October 10.

Georgia: post-game open comments thread

2009-09-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Heartbreaking loss. #8 for UGA was the best athlete on the field, and his two plays at the end were the difference. Comments are open.

Radar picks up Sun Devils descending on Georgia

2009-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sun Devils versus History this weekend

2009-09-21T08:29:00.001-07:00

I'm not a big fan of examining historical records in college sports, because the kids playing today were not responsible for most of the results.

However, here is a stunning fact about Sun Devil football that cannot be overlooked in the build-up to the game at Georgia this weekend: ASU has never won an out-of-conference road game against a team that is currently in the BCS which finished its season above .500.

Never, as in never, ever.

The closest we got was in 2004, when we beat a Northwestern team that finished 6-6.

Since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, ASU has gone 0-7 in road games versus "BCS +.500" teams, and 5-4 in road games against BCS teams that finished .500 or worse. In road games versus non-BCS schools, we are 4-1 in that timespan. However, the streak goes back through ASU's entire history -- Coach Kush never even played a winning Pac-8 team on the road whilst ASU was a member of the WAC.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Georgia will finish above .500 this season. But if we do win in Athens on Saturday, and if Georgia goes on to finish with 7 or more wins, then the streak will end.

If anyone would like to double-check my research, please feel free and note any corrections in the comments. Here is a good site. For the purposes of my research, I counted our 2002 game against Nebraska as a road game, since it was played in Lincoln, even though technically it was a neutral-site game. I ignored Bowl games.

Time to check your local cable listings

2009-09-14T14:00:00.004-07:00

The Sun Devils' game at Georgia will be televised on ESPNU (kickoff at 7pm Eastern). As far as I know, this will be ASU's first-ever telecast on ESPNU. Most decent cable/satellite carriers should offer ESPNU, but many include it in a premium tier, and some do not offer the HD version. Cox Cable in the Valley includes the SD version in their Sports Package on channel 164, but no HD.

So you have 11 days left to check your own carrier. Remember, many cable operators allow you to sign up for a premium tier without a minimum commitment, so you could try adding a package and then canceling it after the game. Or just find a good local sports bar.

~~Another option: the game will probably be offered on ESPN360.com, which is a free service IF your ISP is affiliated.~~ Looks like ESPN360.com is not streaming this game, so you will need to find ESPNU to see this game.

What the hell are we supposed to do this week?

2009-09-07T07:30:00.002-07:00

By the time the Devils kickoff their second game of the season, at 10pm Eastern on September 19, most teams will have already completed three games. These next couple of weeks are going to be rough. Not many games on the September 12 schedule to get excited about from a TV viewing perspective either. Everyone will be hyping USC @ Ohio State, but that has 45-10 written all over it. Probably the most interesting game is ND @ Michigan, because the losing coach will be on a very hot seat.

Gametime for ASU's visit to Georgia on September 26 should be announced next Monday (September 14).

NIT Tip-Off Tournament field announced

2009-08-12T11:20:00.002-07:00

ASU is one of four regional hosts for the NIT pre-season tournament. Full bracket (PDF) here. Would be nice to see the hoops team at Madison Square Garden for Thanksgiving.

New football jerseys revealed

2009-07-13T10:21:00.005-07:00

No official verification yet (that I have seen) but Cactus Sports has posted an image of the new ASU football jersey.

Overall, not too bad, especially in comparison to some of Nike's atrocities. My only complaint? The introduction of black into the color scheme (as a thin border around the numerals). Overall though, thumbs up.

Will be interesting to see if the pants get the same piping. Most important will be to see them in a game under lights.

Updated 8/12/09: These are confirmed as official. Poll results show about two-thirds of fans dislike the new unis.

2009 football schedule is up

2009-03-09T10:39:00.004-07:00

The main page now has the 2009 football schedule. If anyone can find a better "local" newspaper for Louisiana-Monroe, please let me know.

As most Sun Devil fans know, the athletic department generally follows the formula for out-of-conference games of having an A, B and C opponent. Unfortunately, this year's B opponent (BYU) backed out, and our A game is on the road at Georgia, so we're left with two C opponents at home. Since this is an odd-numbered year, we get five conference home games including USC and au, so the October-November portion makes up for a weak September.

Let's sum things up really easily: if we're not 2-0 going into Athens, then the season is already over. Joking aside, I don't see any reason we shouldn't be 4-1 in the Pac-10 going into the SC game. As usual, the conference schedule is back-loaded, so a fast start is always critical.

Clearing the archives -- Pat Tillman (part three)

2009-03-08T14:49:00.002-07:00

I am finally retiring the Archives page. All the content has now been published to the blog. Just click on the Archives tag link at the bottom of this article to see all the related posts.

This final set of links are resources dedicated to Pat Tillman's legacy. Most important, of course, is the Pat Tillman Foundation which organizes Pat's Run.

Kevin Tillman's essay, After Pat’s Birthday, published in October 2006, is a must-read.

The Guest Book for Pat's obituary in the Arizona Republic continues to be signed to this day, and is sobering reading. The official ASU athletics remembrance page has not been updated for a while, but is till worth referring to.

Last, but not least, is Chris Valentine's personal Pat Tillman Memorial Video.

Ranking the Pac-10 Road Trips

2009-01-05T11:22:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion regarding which are the best (and worst) road trips in the Pac-10. Criteria include the city, the stadium, the gameday experience, etc.

Thanks to those of you who responded to my post on Cactus Ranch. Based on your feedback I have revised my original order slightly.

I am leaving au and Tucson out of this.

Full disclosure: I have been to 9 of the 10 schools (WSU is my only miss) and my trip to Stanford was prior to the stadium renovation.

My list:
1. Oregon -- best fans, unique stadium, relatively close to Portland
2. Cal -- I love the bay area; can travel by BART to the game
3. UCLA -- clearly superior to SC for an LA trip, IMHO
4. Washington -- great city/setting but stadium is surprisingly poor; track around the field means you are some distance from the action; take the ferry to the game for a unique experience
5. USC -- LA is fun but stadium is in rough neighborhood; good crowds since SC's re-emergence
6. Stanford -- was shocked how little there was to do near campus; new stadium is by all accounts very nice
7. Oregon State -- I literally walked past the stadium thinking it was a High School or JuCo stadium the first time I visited
8. Washington State -- haven't visited, but the hassle of getting there puts it last

Feel free to add your own comments; everyone has their personal favorites.

Updated 1/5/2009: Dan Zeiger published his ranking of Pac-10 stadiums in November '07. Keep in mind that he's ranking stadiums rather than road trips, so there will be some significant differences.

Farewell, Dan Zeiger

2009-01-05T08:59:00.002-07:00

As the East Valley Tribune turns itself into a free handout, Dan Zeiger posts his goodbye column.

I'll leave the links to the Trib up for now, but I suspect that they will have little original coverage of ASU athletics. Their report of last night's hoops game at Cal is just the AP story, whereas the Republic had a a reporter on site (or watching TV!).

Jake Plummer... Handballer?

2008-11-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

From ESPN.com: Where in the world is Jake Plummer? Playing handball.

Clearing the archives -- Pat Tillman (part two)

2008-10-22T10:02:00.002-07:00

Much has been written about Pat Tillman since his death. The following articles are not intended to be a comprehensive listing; rather, they form a selection that gives good perspective and provides terrific reading.

First, a basic report from MSNBC immediately following his death. Note that at this time, it was still being reported that he had been killed by enemy fire.

After his funeral, Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote an interesting article: Challenge yourself.

Tillman talked about everything, with everyone. According to the speakers, he had read the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and he underlined passages constantly. Garwood recalled how he'd mail articles to friends, highlighting certain parts and writing in the margins: "Let's discuss."

Tim Layden of SI wrote a tremendous personal essay Remembering Pat Tillman the morning he heard the news that Pat was dead.

A few minutes ago my 12-year-old son walked into my home office to check on me. I turned to him, and all I could think to say was, "Pat Tillman says hello."

Later in 2004, Layden nominated Pat as his sportsman of the year.

And there I sat in my tall chair, spouting off and thinking: Tillman would despise this. He would deplore that television anchors and journalists and politicians are making a fuss over his death or worse yet, using his death to push their own agendas. With each passing live shot, I felt more out of place, more desirous of running and apologizing to Tillman's memory.

In September 2006, SI published Remember His Name by Gary Smith.

Pat just had that way, with colonels and coaches and Nobel Prize winners, too, of slicing through rank and reputation, of turning every encounter into nothing more or less than two human beings talking. Hell, the guy introduced himself to strangers simply as "Pat," and if they asked what he did before strapping it on for Uncle Sam, he'd say he studied some back at Arizona State and quickly ask about them, never mentioning the summa cum laude or the Pac-10 defensive player of the year award, and certainly not the NFL. And still, something about him made you walk away wanting to learn more, laugh more, run more, give more.

The fallen soldier of fortune by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN includes some great insight from Doug Tammaro of ASU's Sports Information Department.

In the year since Tillman died during a firefight in Afghanistan, Tammaro has told a thousand stories that have undoubtedly reached millions of people. He's determined to make sure that people know all about the man Tillman was, about all the dimensions of his life and character that went far beyond the headlines and sound bites centered on the million-dollar football player for the Arizona Cardinals who left it all behind in the wake of September 11th to fight for his country.

Clearing the archives -- Pat Tillman (part one)

2008-10-17T05:43:00.003-07:00

After Pat Tillman's tragic death, I started linking to some of the better articles that had been published before he died. Of course, many great essays have been written since, but it's important to go back and read what was written while he was still with us.

A cut above was published in SI while Pat was still at ASU.

This season Tillman has become simply the best player in the country who doesn't have his own (fill in the blank: Heisman, Outland, Lombardi, Butkus) campaign, living proof that there is room at the highest level of the game for a guy without much size or blazing speed but with a brain and cojones. "He epitomizes what college football is all about," says Southern Cal offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was an assistant at Arizona State during Tillman's first two seasons.

Privileged to Serve, by Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal, was written after Pat had left the NFL to join the Army.

Right now he has 13 weeks of basic training ahead of him, then three weeks of Airborne School, and then, if he makes it, Ranger School, where only about a third of the candidates are accepted. "It's a long row," said the Fort Benning spokesman, who seemed to suggest it would be all right to call again around Christmas. Until then he'll be working hard trying to become what he wants to become.

On March 20, 2003, NFL.com published an article "Tillman follows beat of a different drum" by Tom Barnidge, but this has since been removed from the site (probably just lost in the shuffle, not deliberately deleted). If anyone can find a cached version, please send me the details.

The NFL's Lonely Hero, by Paul Beston, was published in the American Spectator in December 2003. All too prophetically, Beston wrote:

Tillman walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million dollar contract with the Cardinals for an $18,000 salary and plentiful opportunities to get his head shot off. That hasn't happened yet, and God willing it won't. But the pay cut kicked in right away.

Pat was killed on April 22, 2004.

Clearing the archives -- Sparky

2008-10-15T18:42:00.002-07:00

All ASU fans know about our beloved mascot, Sparky. For younger fans, a brief history can be found at the official site and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism published a nice article about The real life of Sparky the Sun Devil.

Not all current Sun Devils, however, know that the school was originally known as the Owls, and later the Bulldogs. Only after the Arizona State Teachers College became a four-year school named Arizona State College did the Sun Devils moniker arrive.

By the way, Sparky has his own blog!

Kickoff times for the rest of the season -- Update #4

2008-10-13T09:18:00.002-07:00

As expected, ABC selected UCLA @ Cal for their regional telecast on October 25, so the ASU/Oregon game will not be televised and will kickoff at ASU's preferred time of 7pm.

Looking forward through the rest of the schedule, two other games are in jeopardy of not being televised. To recap:

On November 1, the game at Oregon State is already set for 7:15pm on FSN.

Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 2.

The Washington game in Seattle on November 8 is unlikely to be televised, because there is only one open slot that day, at 1:30pm on FSN (California at USC has already been selected by ABC for 6pm). Oregon State at UCLA or Stanford at Oregon is the most likey selection. I think UW prefers daytime games so I would assume an early afternoon kickoff.

November 15 has two open timeslots: 1:30pm on ABC or 8:15pm on FSN. I would be shocked if ABC wanted to show Washington State so an early start is unlikely. Since this is the homecoming game, it's possible that kickoff will be late afternoon if not selected for TV, but unlike homecoming games in years past, this game is still listed as TBA on the ASU website.

The UCLA game is already set for ESPN2 at 7:30pm on Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving).

The contest with Arizona in Tucson will be televised, but the kickoff could be 1pm or 6pm.

Clearing the archives -- the Dirk Koetter years

2008-10-10T09:53:00.002-07:00

The Archives page will soon be gone. Today's recap starts with the announcement from November 15, 2000 that Bruce Snyder had been fired. Two weeks later, Dirk Koetter was introduced as the new head coach.

I think it's fair to say that the consensus option of Sun Devil nation at the time is that Snyder had to go. It was obvious that he had failed to keep the momentum of the 1996 season (and a pretty good 1997 season) going, and it was hard to present a solid case for his retention.

Meanwhile, Dirk Koetter was received with cautious optimism. Remember, we whisked him away from Oklahoma State at the last minute; he was certainly a hot commodity that winter. However, two red flags went up early following his hire: first, the announcement that he planned to retain the 4-2-5 defense he had used at Boise State; and second, when we saw photos of his coaching staff and realized just how young they all looked.

One thing was certain, however: Koetter was a much better selection than John Mackovic, who the Rats introduced as their new head coach at around the same time. In January, 2001, Rob Miech of SportsLine.com wrote a good piece on the challenges facing both men: Arizona schools' new coaches hope to beat heat in desert.

"As I told people when I took the job, my number-one objective is to go and win the Rose Bowl," Mackovic said. "It has to be. If it isn't, I shouldn't be here. No one should be here. It can't be any less, because we haven't done it. It's like scaling Mount Everest. It's there, and you have to do it."

Of course, things never did work out for Dirk in the desert, and six years of mediocrity later (was it really six years?) he was fired, to be replaced by his polar opposite, Dennis Erickson. The best summary of Erickson is Portrait of a winner, written by Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review in August, 2006, while Erickson was at Idaho. At the time of writing, the jury is out.

There's a chance

2008-10-10T06:45:00.001-07:00