On November 6, 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton 6-4 in the first game of college football in history.

I don’t think those two teams have played since and I’m actually fairly sure Rutgers didn’t win another game until 2006.

Just saying.

Anyway, the point is, yesterday was college football’s 150th birthday!

So, a big time happy birthday to the game we all obsess over between January and December. I’m assuming there will be cake somewhere.

CFT and the Los Angeles Times are among several sources reporting that USC defensive end and Arizona high school product Everson Griffen is out for tonight’s ASU/USC game.

A toe injuiry he sustained in the 47-20 loss to Oregon last Saturday kept him out of practice all week but his status for the game was up in the air, apparently, until this morning.

Griffen’s 8 sacks in 2009 is good for the conference lead. His spot in the starting lineup will be taken by sophomore Malik Jackson.

Jackson has played in all eight games for the Trojans this season, recording 9 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He’s not the imposing force that the Agua Fria alumnus is, but Jackson isn’t the biggest of steps back.

A crowd of 56,000 is expected at Sun Devil Stadium to watch Arizona State take on 12th-ranked USC tonight. (Photo: prweb.com)

When was the last time the USC Trojans, the premier football program in the Pac-10, lost two games in a row?

You’d have to go all the way back to 2001, head coach Pete Carroll’s first year in Los Angeles, when USC actually lost four straight to Kansas State, Oregon, Stanford and Washington by a combined total of 14 points. Since then, the Trojans are an unbelievable 93-13– a winning percentage of .877.

Tonight, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, the 12th-ranked Trojans, coming off their worst loss since 1997, will once again try to avoid back-to-back losses against the 4-4 Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Trojans were simply run off the field last week at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, losing 47-20 to the Oregon Ducks. The vaunted USC defense allowed 613 total yards to the Ducks, including almost 400 on the ground.

ASU suffered a loss of their own last Saturday, but of a much different nature. Cal’s Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 24-yard field goal with just :21 left to hand the Sun Devils a 23-21 loss. It was the 2nd time this season Arizona State has lost on a late field goal. Back in September, the Sun Devils lost to Georgia on a field goal with no time left in Athens.

The Trojans are looking to get back in the win column, while the Sun Devils are clinging to postseason hopes tonight in Tempe.

By The Numbers

9

The number of consecutive victories by USC in this rivalry. Arizona State last won 26-16 in 1999.

1-6

ASU head coach Dennis Erickson’s career record vs. USC. Erickson’s Oregon State team beat USC 31-21 in 2000.

8-0

USC head coach Pete Carroll’s career record vs. Arizona State.

3

The number of players on the USC roster from the state of Arizona. They are defensive end Everson Griffen (Avondale), defensive end Devon Kennard (Phoenix) and offensive lineman Kristofer O’Dowd (Tucson).

41

The number of players on ASU’s roster from the state of California.

56,000

The projected attendance at tonight’s game at Sun Devil Stadium.

10.5

The Sun Devils are a 10.5 point underdog.

9

The number of touchdown passes thrown this season by all-everything USC freshman QB Matt Barkley.

8

The number of touchdown passes thrown this season by much-maligned ASU senior QB Danny Sullivan.

4 of 17 for 28 yards and 2 interceptions

Sullivan’s passing line vs. USC last season in relief of Rudy Carpenter in a 28-0 loss to the Trojans.

All times Central

TIME	GAME	TV	LINE
11:00	Northwestern at Iowa		IA -15
11:00	UCF at Texas		TX -35
11:00	Syracuse at Pittsburgh		PITT -21
11:30	Kansas at Kansas St.		KU -3
12:30	Texas A&M at Colorado		A&M -3
1:30	Navy at Notre Dame		ND -12.5
2:30	LSU at Alabama		BAMA -7.5
2:30	Ohio St. at Penn St.1		PSU -4
2:30	Oklahoma St. at Iowa St.1		OSU -7.5
2:30	Wake Forest at Georgia Tech1		GT -13.5
2:30	Oregon at Stanford		ORE -7
2:30	Duke at North Carolina		UNC -10
2:30	Washington at UCLA		UCLA -5
3:00	TCU at San Diego St.		TCU -24
6:00	Oregon St. at California		CAL -7.5
6:00	Memphis at Tennessee		TX -34
6:15	Vanderbilt at Florida		UF -35
6:30	Houston at Tulsa		UH -1.5
7:00	Florida St. at Clemson		CLEM -8.5
7:00	USC at Arizona St.2		USC -10
7:00	UCONN at Cincinnati2		CINCY -17
7:00	Oklahoma at Nebraska2		OU -4
	1Regional Coverage Map	2Regional Coverage Map

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Arizona is a 31 point favorite today against Washington State.  Looks like it's going to be a good homecoming. I'm going to have to pass on the points today. 

Thoughts?

To me it’s personal.

It’s not because the Cardinals return “home” to take on their former crosstown rivals. Although, I’ve actually heard people talk about that as storyline (the only person who remembers the Cardinals in Chicago or looks at it as a homecoming is Bill Bidwill).

No, it’s personal to me because I married a Chicago native. That’s right, me a life long Phoenix fan, married a Bulls-loving, Bears-cheering, Cub-caring woman who spent her formative years in what she views as “sweet home Chicago”. If that isn’t bad enough, Michael Jordan is her favorite athlete and 1993 her favorite Bulls title. She still wears a shirt commemorating the original three-peat (does Pat Riley get to charge me for that?) and the defeat of my beloved Suns.

The home office we share is an odd ode to my life as a Phoenix sports fan and her childhood cheering for Windy City teams. Needless to say, it’s tough to get any work done when you have a giant poster of Michael Jordan, twice the size of the Charles Barkley and Steve Nash posters in the room, staring at you.

Let me say this before I go any further, there are four things from Chicago that I like, Bill Swerski’s Superfans (which really was a creation of New York-based Saturday Night Live), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Jerry Colangelo (who should officially be Phoenix’s by now) and my wife.

The summer of 1993, and the subsequent Bulls titles that followed, cemented my distaste for all things Chi-town. Add in the Bears’ 2006 Monday Night Football comeback against the Cardinals, and you could say I have a full-blown complex (Denny Green’s post game tirade still haunts my dreams).

Deep dish pizza? No thanks (a difficult thing for a fat guy like myself to turn down). The Sears Tower? Not as impressive as the Empire State Building or …. well Phoenix will eventually build a skyscraper. Da Bulls, Da Bears, Da Cubs? Da-spicable. I’m so adamant about my disdain that I won’t even let “You’re The Inspiration” or “Saturday in the Park” stay on my radio for more than three notes.

I entered into our marriage full well knowing that my new bride, and by extension my new family, were afflicted with a love for Chicago. Usually I can suppress my personal feelings and even enjoy a week’s vacation in the Windy City or watching a Bears game with my in-laws (unless the Cardinals are playing).

My wife has even adopted Phoenix teams for the most part, cheering on the Suns, Cardinals and Diamondbacks to make me happy.

Sunday is different. At 11 A.M. I officially live in a house divided.

Where red and white reigns supreme and blue and orange are unwelcome to the point where the blueberries and the oranges in the fruit compartment of the refrigerator are on high alert.

Consider this my “Dear John” letter for four hours on Sunday. Just don’t tell my wife or her family because if they find out my secret, I’ll be left with nothing (OK, I won’t be left with nothing, but I won’t win any brownie points–that’s for sure).

Like is said in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Between grief and nothing… I’ll take grief”. And if the Cardinals lose on Sunday I’ll be sure to take plenty of it.

And Now Time For Something Completely Different

Picking What Won’t Happen This Weekend

A few weekends ago I started my obligatory weekend picks. Instead of picking games and trying to prognosticate who will win, I went down a path less traveled. I decided to tell my readers what wouldn’t happen. After a successful 3-for-3 first try, I’m back for round two.

• ASU won’t beat USC

  It’s not like I’m going out on a limb for this one, ASU is the only Pac-10 team not to beat USC this decade and USC hasn’t lost back to back games since 2001. With the Sun Devils season seeming more schizo phrenic than a Stephan Marbury Ustream Video, it’s almost a lock that they won’t be able to beat USC. Unless Dennis Erickson can “quit” Danny Sullivan, which seems highly unlikely.

• Sunday’s Suns Game Won’t Set Any Viewing or Defensive Records

  The Suns take on the Wizards Sunday at 11 AM Phoenix time. Which, coincidentally, happens to be the same time the Cardinals take on the Bears. I love the Suns and so does most of Phoenix but the NFL is king. No matter how disappointing the Cards played last week fans will flock to watch them and not the Suns.

  Luckily, that means most of Phoenicians won’t have to watch as the Suns defense can’t stop Washington’s Gilbert Arenas (and who says I can’t be positive about things).

• Anquan Boldin Won’t Have More Than 30 Yards Receiving

  Once again, not a major stretch. It looks like he’ll play on Sunday seeing as he practiced on Friday but if the last few games have been any indication, he won’t have any impact. Boldin will look like Oliver Miller running the 40-yard dash against the Bears and he’ll prove to be more of a hinderance than a help.

Tweet of the Day

Impressive. Pulled over by two cops and had the time to send a tweet. That’s dedication to the fans.

Arizona State

Dimitri Nance - Questionable (shoulder)
Kerry Taylor - Questionable (hamstring)
Thomas Altieri - Questionable (leg)
Omar Bolden - Questionable (knee)
Zach Schlink - Questionable (knee)

USC

Stanley Havili - Questionable (shoulder)
Anthony McCoy - Doubtful (ankle)
Malcolm Smith - Questionable (shoulder)
Joe McKnight - Questionable (ankle)
Chris Gallippo - Probably (neck)

While you’re snickering to my face, I’ll justify it by saying that I never said USC can be beaten by Arizona State.

The fact of the matter is that, yes, the vaunted Men of Troy are no longer as invincible as they once were.

They have, of course, lost twice to each of the Oregon schools, Washington and Stanford in conference over the past three seasons.

However, since Pete Carroll took over at USC in 2001, the Devils have only come as close as a touchdown once.

Memories ring deep over last year’s embarrassing shutout, the Thanksgiving night loss at home which cost ASU a chance at the Rose Bowl, the blown 21-3 lead at home in 2005 and the 45-7 thumping in 2004 that humbled the then 5-0 Sun Devils.

The past decade of games with the Trojans, without mincing words, have been a nightmare.

But they can be beaten.

I’m not saying we WILL beat them. Frankly, I think that out of the games ASU and USC have played since 2001, this is the least optimistic I have been about the Devils springing an upset.

However, there are ways of keeping it close. Consider this a three-step guide for what the Sun Devils must do to avoid being run by the Trojans off Frank Kush Field tomorrow night.

1) Blitz, blitz, blitz.

Oregon and Washington, the two teams to beat USC this year and Oregon State, who kept it very close down stretch and have victimized the Trojans twice in four seasons, kept a heavy dose of pressure on the backfield all night.

Matt Barkley, for as poised of a freshman he is thus far, isn’t immune from pocket pressure.

This will be a sore issue considering that the Devils will come in shorthanded in the secondary tomorrow night and blitzing linebackers consistently will inarguably put a heavy strain on Clint Floyd, Pierre Singfield, Jarrell Holman and Deveron/Terell Carr.

This will be the week that the Sun Devils need to sell out against the ground game. The name of the game for USC when beating up on ASU has been a pounding running attack and there’s no lack of talent coming out of the Trojan backfield.

The goal, then, is to slow down guys like Joe McKnight, Allen Bradford and CJ Gable. The Sun Devils found a way to stifle Jahvid Best last week and I do believe that they can do the same thing against the Trojans’ stable of backs.

2) Jam the wide outs.

If the Devils’ linebackers are busy wreaking havoc on the Trojans backfield, guys like Damian Williams, David Ausberry and Ronald Johnson will need extra special attention from the secondary.

This will need to be the game where the young guys on the final layer of the ASU defense must shine.

USC’s group of wide receivers isn’t as vaunted as in previous years. This group of pass catchers just aren’t in the same conversation as Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarrett and the multitude of others. They’re good hands-wise but they don’t have the speed that the Trojans have boasted at this position in previous years.

Therefore, the corners must be in this trio’s face all night long and safety help cannot slip. Did you hear me, Holman and Floyd? THE SAFETY HELP MUST NOT SLIP. Arizona State’s safety play in the 4th quarter against California was atrocious. They must not let it get any worse.

3) Attack the linebackers.

Let’s get one thing out of the way. As we discussed last night in PFN Live, Dennis Erickson and his staff can blow as much smoke as they want when talking about getting Samson Szakacsy more involved in the ASU offense. It’s not going to happen, or else I’ll start Whistling Dixie here on this website.

The fact of the matter is that we’re in for another likely inconsistent game from Danny Sullivan and his inability to throw an accurate deep ball.

For the first time this year, that’s not going to be a hindrance, because against Josh Pinkard and Taylor Mays, the Devils shouldn’t be throwing the ball deep anyway. That will result in an interception party.

One of the most striking things about USC this season is the major step back the defense has taken at the linebacker position. For a program that spits out pro-caliber linebackers like nobody’s business, this unit of Michael Morgan, Chris Gallippo and Malcolm Smith has been generally viewed as underachieving.

Last week, Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James picked apart the 2nd level of the Trojan defense. Once they got past their very good defensive line, Oregon’s playmakers were free to roam.

Unfortunately, if the Sun Devils’ offensive line couldn’t get a good push against California, they will not get one against USC. That could/might/will render Cameron Marshall pretty moot along with the rest of ASU’s runners.

Therefore, the Sun Devil offense should predicate tomorrow on shorter, 7 to 8 yard routes in the direction of that trio of linebackers. Get Chris McGaha open and let him do some work. Yards after catch will be key here.

I’m not guaranteeing that doing those three things will lead ASU to a victory over the Trojans tomorrow night, but I do think that keying in on those three tactics could keep our Devils competitive.

The Suns play Boston tonight. Hopefully Steve Nash doesn't get kidnapped by these guys before tipoff.

The Celtics are off to a 6-0 start and are one of two undefeated teams left in the league. Boston isn’t just beating teams, they’re blowing teams out, outscoring them by an average of 18.3 points per game, and holding opponents to a measly 81.5 points per game.

The Celts have Kevin Garnett back, and even though he hasn’t posted huge numbers (11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game), his presence is a big key. Free agent signing Rasheed Wallace has blended in nicely, pumping in 11.2 points per game and leading a bench that averages 35.5 points per game.

The Suns, meanwhile, are coming off a 22-point loss to Orlando (maybe they were frightened Dwight Howard would pull them into a bathroom?), and are looking to get back into the win column against an imposing Boston squad.

Here are tonight’s probable starting lineups…

Phoenix Suns (4-1)


F - 1 Amare Stoudemire - 6-10 - Cyp.Creek HS
F - 33 Grant Hill - 6-8 - Duke
C - 8 Channing Frye - 6-11 - Arizona
G - 23 Jason Richardson - 6-6 - Michigan State
G - 13 Steve Nash - 6-3 - Santa Clara

Boston Celtics (6-0)


F - 5 Kevin Garnett - 6-11 - Farragut Acad.
F - 34 Paul Pierce - 6-7 - Kansas
C - 43 Kendrick Perkins - 6-10 - Ozen HS
G - 20 Ray Allen - 6-5 - UCONN
G - 9 Rajon Rondo - 6-1 - Kentucky

The Suns will be without reserve guard Leandro Barbosa, who is still bothered by a right wrist injury. Boston’s Bill Walker, Glen Davis and Tony Allen are all out with injuries.

By the Numbers

3
The number of times in a row that the Celtics have beaten the Suns.

19.0
Boston’s average margin of victory in their last three wins over the Suns.

8 and 17
The number of points and minutes, respectively for Orlando center Dwight Howard in last night’s loss to Detroit.

0
The combined number of points scored by Suns’ starters Grant Hill and Jason Richardson against Orlando on Wednesday.

0%
The chances that the Suns will beat Boston if Hill and Richardson don’t score against Boston on Friday.

17
Every member of the Suns starting lineup is averaging at least this number of points per game in 2009-10.

68.8%
The Suns team free throw percentage this season…they shot 74.4% last season with Shaquille O’Neal on the team!

89.2%
The combined free throw percentage for Grant Hill (18 for 21), Steve Nash (12 for 13) and Alando Tucker (3 for 3) this season.

61.4%
The combined free throw percentage for everyone else on the team (62 for 101).

3
The number of players on Boston’s roster who have scored 40 or more points in a single game against the Suns.

199
The number of coaching victories in the career of Suns head coach Alvin Gentry.

6-1
Gentry’s record as Suns head coach in games that Amare Stoudemire has actually played.

Mueller had a goose egg in the goals column this season through the Coyotes’ first 15 games, which included two healthy scratches for the player many consider to be a cornerstone of the Coyotes’ future.

Going back to last season, Mueller had scored just once in his last 39 games–a tally in the closing minutes of a 4-1 win over San Jose in the second-to-last game of last season for the Coyotes.

But finally, on Thursday, Mueller got in the scoring column as he directed a backhander into the net to beat Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet, and put the Coyotes up 2-0 at 11:55 of the first period.

It was obviously a relief for the 21-year old Mueller. “It’s like somebody taking a big weight vest off of me,” he said. “Now it’s out of the way and hopefully there’s more to come.”

Head coach Dave Tippett lauded the effort of #88 in his own unique way. “He was alright. I thought he was pretty good last night (against Colorado) too,” Tippett said. “He sat and watched a couple games, and hopefully that helped him get some urgency in his game. I’d like to see him now with that first one behind him now, get going and start producing for us.”

Everyone close to the organization would love to see Mueller get back to his goal scoring pace of 2007-08, when as a 19-year old rookie, he scored 22 times in 81 games. Last year his output fell to 13 goals in 72 games.

Mueller said that twice being a healthy scratch served as motivation. “It got me thinking that I’ve got to do every part of my game to get out there and play and practices and watching video are the things that I needed to do. That’s what I did and I think the coaches saw that.”

The resurgent Mueller and the rest of the Coyotes visit the Anaheim Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond Saturday night.

Peter Mueller’s 1st period goal vs. Chicago — his first of the year

Tomorrow from 1-3 p.m., Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo will appear at the Borders bookstore at the Biltmore Fashion Park to sign copies of the new book, “Return of the Gold: The Journey of Jerry Colangelo and the Redeem Team.”

The book, written by local journalist Dan Bickley, traces Colangelo’s successful efforts to return USA Basketball to Olympic glory, claiming the gold medal at the 2008 games in Beijing. The book also brings in the voices of the game’s all-time greats, including Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Julius Erving and Jerry West.

 
For more information on the signing, contact the store at 602-957-6660. The bookstore is located at the Biltmore Fashion Park at 2402 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix.

Segment 1 (0:00) - We talk college football. ASU is at a fork in the road in their 2009 season, but unfortunately a very angry group of USC Trojans come to town after a humbling loss to Oregon a week ago. Also, Arizona hosts Washington State in Tucson, and we talk about the possibility of U of A running the table as they control their own destiny in the Pac-10 race. Hint: that’s not going to happen, but we talk about the possibility anyway.

Segment 2 (28:11) - It’s a battle of up and down teams this week in Chicago as the Cardinals visit the Bears. Which Cardinal team shows up this week? And what should Coach Whisenhunt do with a less-than-100% Anquan Boldin in Chicago? We also look at some of the more intriguing matchups of the week including Pittsburgh at Denver, Dallas at Philadelphia, San Diego visiting the Giants and Baltimore taking on Cincinnati.

Segment 3 (53:40) - The Phoenix Coyotes got another win on home ice in Glendale, so we discuss why fans still aren’t gravitating towards this hockey team. And we discuss the Phoenix Suns first week of the 2009-10 season.

STBNL Friday - The Trojans are coming…and they’re pissed!

Download audio file (show1106.mp3)

It’s been a pretty interesting season for the Suns thus far.  We know they’re capable of running bad teams off the court, fighting to the bitter end with middle of the pack teams, and laying an egg against elite teams.  Or at least teams with far more size.

Which is pretty much everyone.

Going into tonight’s game in Boston, the Suns are 4-1.  It’s a solid and impressive start, and I say that knowing full well of the bloodbath that awaits in the Garden this evening.  Now despite their obvious faults and issues, I’m sticking to my guns and saying this team wins 50 games.  It’s the same old story, nothing changes.

Beat the teams you’re supposed to.  Bring the effort every night.  Stay far away from the groupies.

Onto the links, the first set in a very young, and very long season.

-something tells me this is the highest the Suns will be in any set of power rankings at any point in the season.  It’s a damn shame the season can’t end right now so the Suns can go out on a high note.

-Arnovitz at TrueHoop weighs in on Nash’s “old white guy at the YMCA” shot.  It’s a great quote from an always quotable player but I’ve never seen an old white guy at the YMCA do anything on the court remotely resembling Nash’s layup in traffic.

-a nice scouting report on the Suns from Charley Rosen after their beatdown of the hapless and dysfunctional Warriors.  I’ve always enjoyed Rosen’s knack for mixing praise with criticism.  You won’t find many glowing compliments in his writing, unless he’s waxing poetic on his good buddy Phil Jackson, or in the case of this article, Lou Amundson:

“His job is to rebound, defend, block shots and energize the team. And he does everything with a workmanlike diligence that’s easily as effective as the over-hyped antics of Chris Andersen. Indeed, his man-to-man defense is much better than the Birdman’s rather flighty efforts in this department.”

-I can’t have been the only one who had no idea the NBA updated their rims, right?  Am I slipping in my old age?

Two quick observations regarding the rims.  First, Jason Terry’s sour grapes taste pretty sweet.  Next, of course Nash doesn’t see the difference.  His shot is pure and he’s shooting 53% overall and 55% from downtown.

-video of Amare’s nasty dunk against the Heat, but as Skeets notes, it wasn’t his play of the night.  His assist in traffic after rolling off the pick was a thing of beauty and made me jump off the couch in excitement.  I realize Stoudemire has been around for quite a while now, but it’s fun to think back to when he had almost no control over his body.

-our old buddy Michael Schwartz at Valley of the Suns takes a quick look at one the Suns’ strengths: their bench.

“Granted Phoenix’s second unit found success against the opposing teams’ second units, but isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?”

Darn right, and thus far they’ve been up to the challenge.  As noted above by Charley Rosen, Amundson does his job every night.  Jared Dudley frequently makes it hard for Alvin Gentry to take him off the floor.  Last but not least,  Goran Dragic is showing glimpses into what could be a solid future.  If there’s one thing Kerr has done well in his tenure it’s putting together a solid second unit.

-we’ve all heard Bill  Walton will no longer be imploring big men across the league to throw it down, and it’s a damn shame.  Basketball Reference has a great clip of him previewing the Suns/Clipper playoffs series from a couple years back.

-I completely forgot about Paul Coro’s live chat yesterday, but it’s worth the read.  The sharp dressed man is the best.

-I always forget about Paul Shirley and that he’s still writing for ESPN.  I caught his latest and it doesn’t disappoint.  Good as always.  I doubt anyone cares, but here’s a video from Dinosaur Jr, highlighting J. Mascis’ face rocking guitar work.

Speaking of getting your face rocked off, I almost forgot the video of the week that people will complain to me about.  I saw The Lawrence Arms, Teenage Bottlerocket, Cobra Skulls, and Andrew Jackson Jihad last night.  It was a whole lot of goodness for $12.  Here’s Teenage Bottlerocket doing what they do:

I’ve forgotten how to embed a video.  Ugh.

Well, that about does it, wraps her all up.  Everyone have a fantastic weekend and be sure in tune in for the Suns annual beatdown at the Garden this evening.  If you’re drinking, don’t drive.  And if you’re driving don’t drink.

Does #23 even fit in with this year's Suns? Somebody doesn't think so.

The Magic played without both wing players shooting guard Vince Carter and forward Rashard Lewis and those guys still managed to match the scoring output of Suns wings Jason Richardson and Grant Hill.

Hill has been great so far this season and some of the Suns had a right to be a little tuckered out after beating the Heat the night before. But J-Rich has only played in three games – what’s his excuse?

Without Richardson and with Barbosa, the Suns were scoring 120 points and the tempo was sky high. Without Barbosa and with Richardson, the Suns are reduced to spotting up in the corners and play a much more traditional game – albeit against tougher competition. It shows how important Barbosa is to the team’s success – and how much Richardson is an overpaid and, for the most part, unnecessary piece.

Look at this team with its improved bench (from Lou Amundson, to Goran Dragic, to Jared Dudley to even Earl Clark in small doses). Now take Richardson off this team and add another versatile big man (Boris Diaw) and capable defender and shooter (Raja Bell). Injuries, salaries and all, I think I’d go with Plan B.

Prediction Time

I knew it, I knew it. I’ve only been watching the Cardinals since 1988, so a trap game like last Sunday should have been easy pickings. And as for Brett Favre throwing four touchdowns to beat me in Lambeau … the drama was worth the loss.

But we did sweep through the colleges again and finished 6-2 for the week to jump our season total to 36-14 (.720) which is nice – but not enough to overcome the ugliness of another Yankees’ purchased World Series win.

Luckily, while we have to wait ‘til next year for baseball, we have another interesting slate of football games to wade through:

USC 42, ASU 21: Think of all the years the Devils came into this game fat and happy with a bloated record only to be tased back to reality by USC’s depth and speed. Well, the Trojans already have two losses, no hope of a national title and are a step behind their normal dominating self. Trouble is ASU isn’t as good as they have been either.

Arizona 33, Washington State 10: The Wildcats are home and coming off a bye week, so a slow start might be in the offing. But they put up 59 points on the Cougars last year and that Wazzu team was probably better than the one that comes to Tucson.

Alabama 21, LSU 10: Does anyone see anything getting in the way of the Tide facing off with Florida in the SEC title game with the winner winning the national championship? Me neither.

Ohio State 24, Penn State 17: I’m not altogether sure the Buckeyes are the better football team here; I just want them to keep their confidence high and mighty so they can beat Iowa and keep the propped-up Hawkeyes from willing us a horrible national championship rout.

Cardinals 24, Bears 10: Can you even think Cardinals-Bears without having Dennis Green’s famous meltdown crawl between your ears? Well the Bears aren’t as good as they were then, and the Cardinals are a perfect 3-0 on the road this year and have won in tougher places than Chi-town. Too bad Anquan Boldin and Antrel Rolle are still hobbling or I could see the Arizona version of The Wildcat coming out for this one.

Colts 35, Texans 14: Here’s where the Texans face The Alamo. Houston doesn’t have a pass rush and when you’re playing the Colts, Peyton Manning plus time to throw equals a long plane ride home

Broncos 28, Steelers 20: I’ve been saying the Broncos are a sham all season. So why the flip-flop? It’s Monday Night in Denver and something tells me the home team has one more big night in them before the second-half collapse begins. Yeah, I am probably wrong.

Ravens 23, Bengals 14: It’s three touchdown passes for Joe Flacco and a Flacco-jacket for Carson Palmer.

View full size photo »

Arizona takes on lowly Washington State tomorrow for a homecoming game that will likely be a one sided affair.  I know  this aint high school, but let's thank the athletic office for scheduling a manageable opponent for this joyous event that we are going to scrub the floor with.   There's nothing like a homecoming with a huge Arizona win to start your night off with

Arizona is currently #18 in the BCS and #21 in the AP Poll.  A dominating win over Washington State should jump us a spot or two in each category. Although Arizona's schedule still holds Oregon, Cal, USC, and ASU, the Cats need to take care of business in Tucson and do it in a big way.  Earlier I broke down some statistics of where the Cats are and how bad the Washington State run defense is.  I'm expecting a big game from Foles as always and Keoli Antolin will get the big rushing game by default as Nic Grigsby and Greg Nwoko are still sidelined with injuries.  Also, look for Brooks Reed to get back into the mix for the Cats.  He's been sidelined almost all of the last four games and will try to get his game strength back against Washington State.

ARIZONA KEYS TO THE GAME

Looking past the final score what was the most encouraging was the balanced offensive attack.

- Jamelle Horne led the team with 19 points and 10 rebounds

- Derrick Williams had 14 points

- Kevin Parrom had 12 points

- Nic Wise has 12 points and five assists with two steals in 19 minutes 

Other highlights from the box score include 7 rebounds by Solomon Hill in 19 minutes, 8 points for Garland Judkins in 15 minutes, and 7 points and 6 rebounds for Kyryl Natyazhko. 

Of course Miller is going to have to find time for everyone, including Kyle Fogg who apparently was home in California with an undisclosed reason (sickness I believe). 

And now we are less than 10 days to tip-off!!!

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Unlike many, I won’t say I hate the Yankees. Nor will I condemn them for exploiting the broken economic system that is baseball. The Yankees make the most money and spend the most money to obtain success. Would we criticize Apple for spending more money than Microsoft in their quest to be the best purveyor of computer goods? No. The Yankees are doing what every good sports fan, including Suns and Diamondbacks fans, wish their team owner would do. Spend money in the pursuit of a championship.

One thing I did find interesting was that it was the first World Series winning team to include players who had admitted to using performance enhancing drugs prior to winning the title.

Whether we realize it or not last night was, to borrow a line from Don Henley, the end of the innocence.

We know for a fact that players who “cheated” have won a World Series. As a matter of fact the man who collected the win in the deciding game, Andy Pettite, admitted to using steroids as did the Yankees starting third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Although last night was the Yankees 27th championship, it wasn’t as magical in the past. Unlike the previous 26 championships, not one game was played in the “house that Ruth build” nor was it played by players that, from everything we were aware of, had never used illegal performance enhancers.

I’m not condemning anyone. Baseball’s governing body let this happen and as fans we reveled in it. No one really showed concern when the homer runs flying out of ball parks at an alarming rate in the ’90s and into this decade. Nor did they complain about the cartoon characters who had replaced the ball players of yesteryear.

It wasn’t until the media decided to jump on the story that people began to scream about the sanctity of the game as if it were a new concept.

I’m not even saddened by the whole thing. The Yankees 27th championship just solidified the reality that the steroid era happened and it’s time to move on. As Pettite and A-Rod celebrated I thought I might feel anger towards the too. Instead I felt apathetic.

So the next time you are a friend tries to talk about the “sanctity of the game”, don’t bother. Just remember that the only “holy” thing in baseball, and sports in general, is winning. Winning at any cost.

Just ask Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettite.

And Now For Something Completely Different

The Perfect Christmas Gift For The Suns Fan Who Has Everything

Do you know a Suns fan who has everything? Are you struggling to decide on what to buy them this holiday season? Don’t fret, I’ve found the answer you’ve been looking for.

The “Sir Charles Tee” , made by Beasted Clothing, features a mug shot of the former Suns forward emblazoned on an orange cotton t-shirt. It not only makes a fashion statement but answers the long burning question, “was Charles Barkley really 6′ 6″? He always looked shorter”.

The shirt runs for $19.20 and can be picked up at KarmaLoop.com.

Spurs fans looking for new uniform designs

The guys over at ProjectSpurs.com are at it again. Today they are asking fans to submit new jersey designs for the Spurs. I’m not advocating anything but it sure would be funny for the creative Suns fans out there to help the San Antonio fans with the redesign. They’ll even provide you with the template to create the jersey on (they’re so nice). That U spur logo lends itself to a lot of creative options. Although, I’m partial to this design.

Tweet of the Day

The producer/director of Suns television broadcasts and Tim Kempton versus Dan Majerle and fellow coach Igor Kokoskov, seems like a bit of a mismatch.