Don’t worry though, it doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is or how you stand on the issues. The only thing you have to be in favor of is monster dunks over rival centers.

The former Suns point guards’ jam over Rockets’ center Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1994 Western Conference Semi-Finals, is one of the 16 dunks up for the title of “Posterized: The Best Poster Dunk In NBA History”.

The bracket style tournament is part of ESPN’s Sports Nation television show. Fans can watch and vote on their favorite dunk with it all culminating in the naming of a champion at the end of the week.

Kevin Johnson’s dunk is currently taking on a John Starks dunk against the Bulls in the 1993 playoffs.

Not to be out done former Suns forward and current team broadcaster Tom Chambers has a dunk in the competition as well. His monster slam over Mark Jackson in 1989 is taking on a Lebron James dunk.

You can vote for Johnson’s dunk here and Chambers’ here.

Usually this space is reserved for a completely Phoenix-centric column. Today, I’m going to make an exception.

I was going to use this slice of the internet for a “Sports Retorter Mailbag”, a la Bill Simmons and other online writers, but I realized no reader has ever actually emailed me (unless you count that guy peddling Viagra or that Nigerian Lottery I keep winning).

With the “mailbag” idea going over as well as any idea Jeff Zucker and NBC brass has had, I figured why not give a few random observations I had from the weekend a shot.

Unlike most weekends, my Saturday and Sunday weren’t spent immersed in Phoenix sports. Rather, it was spent in what can only be described as a hodge podge of “honey dos”, errands, social gatherings, football and commercials. It was about as random and disjointed as a Dennis Miller joke.

Even though I spent my weekend away from the thing I am paid to observe –I know, I’m just as shocked as you that I’m paid for this– I couldn’t help but see things in my everyday life that deserved commentary.

My entire Saturday was spent at the wedding of a few of my wife’s friends. I’m not much for weddings. I barely staved off my ADHD long enough to make it through my own, let alone someone else’s. With that said, I put on a brave face for Mrs. Sports Retorter and went to the wedding (actually enjoyed myself too, but don’t let her know that).

Now, this wasn’t a typical 2:30 PM wedding. No, this was a noon wedding (I’m a firm believer in the fact nothing outside of a “duel”, nothing should take place at high noon in the desert on a Saturday). As I sat through the ceremony and the subsequent celebration, I found myself thinking about how much the ritual of the wedding translated to the world of sports.

The wedding ceremony and reception really is the sports equivalent of the signing or trading for a player.

Think about it, the ceremony is like the negotiation period. Both sides are asked numerous questions by an officiant to make sure they are prepared to enter into a legally binding agreement. Both sides write “vows”, or use ones pre-written ones, that state what both parties will bring to the relationship. When every question is answered and things are agreed upon, both parties have to sign a legal document to make it official.

Sounds pretty much identical. The only thing that differs is the “speak now or forever hold your peace” part, although unrestricted free agency sort of covers that (too bad fans don’t get a “speak now” moment before a deal is finalized. I know a few deals I would have interrupted more vehemently than Benjamin Braddock in the Graduate).

Once the “legal proceedings” have commenced, the introductory “celebration” begins.

The introductory press conference is the wedding equivalent of the reception. A large group of people gather in a cavernous room, sit in uncomfortable chairs and face a table at the front of the room that includes all the major “players”.

Once the “guests” are seated, everyone is introduced, a few speeches are given and the new “couple” talks to everyone. The pomp and circumstance continues for a while and sometimes refreshments are served.

>The funny thing is, in both weddings and introductory press conferences, those in attendance are usually excited and hopeful for something that has a less than a 50% chance of working out for both sides. I know, it’s not a real optimistic outlook, but I’m someone who has sat through the introductions of Adam Dunn, Emmitt Smith, Tom Gugliotta, Troy Glaus, Richie Sexson, Shaquille O’Neal and a few divorced couples in Phoenix, so I’m entitled to it.

The only thing a married couple has on a professional sports franchise is that they only have to give up half if they get divorced, most teams have to pay in full. (Unless you’re in the NFL. Those teams have the collective bargaining agreement equivalent of the world’s greatest prenup.)

With Saturday in the books and the wedding behind me, I spent Sunday the same way 109 million of my fellow Americans did. Watching fourteen hours of Super Bowl pregame shows (which means they were on for almost as long as Ryan Seacrest is on a typical day).

I could sit here and give you an entire recap of the game but there isn’t much point in doing that seeing as the game was days ago. What I will do is give you the highlights…from my mind.

Coin Toss: Did someone forget to tell Cardinals’ assistant coach Russ Grimm he was going to be on national television?

Halftime: Rumor has it that the FCC almost stopped the halftime show because Pete Townshend isn’t legally allowed to talk about anything involving teenagers.

The Onside Kick: Next year, along with the Walter Payton award for the league’s best humanitarian, the NFL will give out the Sean Payton award for the league’s biggest balls. (Greg Oden luckily is not eligible.)

Commercials: I had a major problem with the Tim Tebow commercial. It didn’t have anything to do with the message the spot had or any political background. My issue was the fact that who ever designed the add has no clue what Tim Tebow does on a football field.

He’s a quarterback, he doesn’t hit anyone. Yet somehow he was the second coming of Terry Tate, Office Linebacker.

The other commercial that struck a chord with me was Charles Barkley hawking Taco Bell (You can watch it here, I refuse to embed it. It’s that bad.). It’s not hard to believe that my childhood idol, who was once an athletic specimen and is now pushing 350 pounds, eats Taco Bell. What was mind-boggling was everything else about the commercial.

I’ve been a Charles Barkley supporter since his days in a Suns uniform. I’ve defended him and stuck by him through arrests, DUIs, gambling problems and a ridiculous golf swing. This ad pushed me to the limit.

Barkley as a poet? Yeah, I believe that about as much as a woman losing 60 pounds on an all Taco Bell diet without dying. (Also, if you are trying to claim Taco Bell is healthy in one ad campaign, should your really have one of the most out of shape former professional athlete’s as your spokes person?)

One of the commercials that made me chuckle at first but got old after awhile was the Denny’s free grand slam breakfast ones. The tagline “tough day to be a chicken”, in reference to all the eggs that will be given away for free, was funny, unfortunately truth in advertising laws have since required Denny’s to change it to “tough day to be a digestive system”. (Anyone who’s ever eaten a Grand Slam knows that even though it may be free, you’ll pay the price later.)

The Saints’ victory: I know I should be happy for the city of New Orleans and the team’s fans and for the most part I am. It was just tough seeing the “Aints” fan base celebrate. Just a short time ago they were the paper bag wearing brethren of Arizona Cardinal fans. Now they’re champions after a great Super Bowl, while the fans in Arizona only have the warming memories of Santonio Holmes and the toe that never touched. At least Peyton Manning didn’t win, it’s nice to know he still chokes in the big game.

So there you have it, my weekend in a nutshell and the random observations that came along with it.

If you’d like to avoid having to hear about my weekend ever again feel free to email me at greg.esposito@fanster.com. That way we can have that mailbag I originally wanted.

Don’t think weddings and sports correlate? Have a better example? Have any random observations from the Sunday’s game? Let us know in the comment section below.

The Phoenix Coyotes have confirmed today what we first posted (via the  Boston Globe) last month.

The Phoenix Coyotes and the Boston Bruins will be opening the 2010-2011 season in Prague, Czech Republic on Saturday October 9th and Sunday October 10th.  Both games will be played at the O2 Arena in Prague.

Potentially five Czech Coyotes could be playing come opening day 2010.  Petr Prucha, Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal, Robert Lang and Zbynek Michalek all could be opening next season in front of their countrymen.

Will he stay or will he go?

The “he” of course, is Amare Stoudemire. The “will he” seems more of a matter of when than if.

Two weeks ago it seemed a guarantee Stoudemire would be gone before the February 18 deadline. Now, a five-game winning streak and Stoudemire’s talk of not opting out of his contract have muddled affairs.

No longer a sure “expiring contract,” teams looking to acquire Stoudemire must be sure they want him next season. That includes his penchant for subpar rebounding (picked up during the Suns’ streak), his lack of focus on defense (likewise improved), and the prospect of paying the max in order to keep him.

Despite the Suns’ recent success, however, the Suns continue to hold active discussions about dealing their All-Star forward. Apparently the Suns’ brass aren’t swayed from thinking Stoudemire is not the man to take them to the promised land.

The Arizona Republic reported today talks with Philadelphia remain ongoing. Any deal with the Sixers would land athletic swingman Andre Iguodala with Phoenix, where he could flourish playing alongside Steve Nash. A new scenario had Stoudemire going to Detroit in a three-way trade involving Philadelphia, with the Sixers getting guard Ben Gordon.

If such is the case, what then, is the Suns’ direction for the future?

Steve Nash appears to be safe from relocation, but with no Stoudemire, he may be forced to take on a mentor-like role as the Suns develop what young talent they have.

Once-criticized draft picks Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic have earned vital roles in the Suns’ rotation this season. Inquiries regarding either second-year player have reportedly been turned down, indicating Phoenix considers them equally vital to the future of the franchise.

Last week word leaked out the Suns were attempting to package guard Jason Richardson with Stoudemire in a deal with the Sixers, hoping to land Iguodala, defensive force Sam Dalembert and a third player. Phoenix was rebuffed; Philadelphia prefers guard Leandro Barbosa’s contract to that of Richardson.

Surprisingly, Phoenix did not bite on the deal, despite Barbosa’s injury-riddled season. The Brazilian super-sub is having his worst season since the 2004-05 season, averaging just over 10 points-per-game.

However, keeping Barbosa may make sense if Phoenix does in fact plan to build around a youthful core. A foundation of Barbosa (27), Dragic (23), Lopez (21), three-point marksman Channing Frye (26), sixth man Jared Dudley (24) and rookie Earl Clark (22) may be more appealing to Phoenix than a couple years of quasi-contention with an inconsistent Stoudemire, and veterans Nash, Richardson and Grant Hill.

The Suns’ youth as presently constituted does lack star power, which is what the Suns hope to acquire if/when they deal Stoudemire. Iguodala (26) could address that.

The one thing that does appear certain: Stoudemire’s recently increased efforts apparently came too late to guarantee his stay in Phoenix.

Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes must have gone to a lot of swap meats and garage sales as a kid, because he has employed bargain shopping strategies this baseball off-season. For a team that has to win now but is also on a budget, I don’t know if Byrnes’ off-season could have gone any better. I, like a lot of D-Backs’ fans, spent the past season criticizing Byrnes. Now it is time to give credit where credit is due. Josh Byrnes has put together a very nice off-season.

The Trade

Plenty has already been written on this site about the D-Backs trading Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth for Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. While I still feel this was a risky move, it has grown on me. Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson and Brandon Webb (assuming a somewhat return to form) give the D-Backs one of the top rotations in the National League. The wildcard is Ian Kennedy, but if it was just the New York pressure that was causing him to not live up to his rather large billing then it’s a good trade for the team. Think of it this way: For 2010, Jackson and Kennedy are significant upgrades over Scherzer and Schlereth. This may be a much different story in 2012, but we are only focusing on the upcoming season.

Aaron Heilman and Bobby Howry

The first move the D-Backs made this off-season kind of flew under the radar, but for a team that had a terrible bullpen last season the acquisition of Aaron Heilman was huge for this team. Heilman has stumbled a little in past seasons, putting up a ERAs of 5.21 and 4.11 the last two years, but he is the kind of consistent performer this team craved last season. Heilman has appeared in over 70 games each season since 2006 and was a key reliever for the Mets in the middle of the decade.

The D-Backs also went out and acquired 12 year veteran Bobby Howry. Howry is a lot like Heilman, a consistent bullpen performer that won’t wow anyone but is exactly what this team has needed. Howry had a 3.39 ERA last year and has a 3.66 ERA for his career. I’ve already heard people refer to him as “the John Garland of relief pitchers.” That’s good enough for this bullpen. Heilman and Howry pretty much guarantee the bullpen won’t be a complete disaster in 2010 like it was in 2009. These aren’t stoppers however; they aren’t going to strike late-game fear into anyone. For the price the D-Backs got them for they were good acquisitions.

Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche

In an effort to improve their offense, which was dismal at times last year, the D-Backs added the right side of the Atlanta Braves’ infield. Kelly Johnson will man 2B for the D-Backs in 2010 (while the organization is saying he will have to compete for a starting spot it’s almost guaranteed that he is starting on opening day). Johnson had a sub par 2009 season but he has been a pretty effective lefty bat for the majority of his brief career. A typical Johnson season will find him hitting somewhere around .275 with 12 homers and about 60 RBIs, which is just fine for what the club paid.

Last month the D-Backs announced they signed Andy LaRoche, which is a real coo for this team. LaRoche gives the D-Backs a true first baseman that they haven’t had since Mark Grace in 2002. LaRoche is a plus defender, which should almost instantly help Mark Reynolds cut down on his errors. 1B is the most underrated defensive position in baseball. Most teams try to stick a poor fielder there, but there are multiple runs to be saved by having a good defender at first. LaRoche’s presence also allows the team to keep Conor Jackson in LF, where he is a much better defender. With Jackson in LF, Gerardo Parra becomes the 4th outfielder for this team. Parra had a solid rookie year, but the D-Backs are in much better shape with him being the 4th outfielder than him starting (added bonus: Eric Byrnes gets less playing time!) LaRoche is also a good hitter, a lefty power bat who is usually good for 20-25 home runs a year. For a D-Backs team that used to lack any sort of left-handed presence in their lineup, the team will have four lefties in the starting lineup on opening day (Drew, Montero, LaRoche and Johnson)

What is impressive about these off-season moves is Josh Byrnes didn’t tie up much money in them. LaRoche, Johnson and Howry were all signed to one year deals at fair value. The D-Backs put themselves in a position to compete next year without hamstringing themselves financially. If this year is a disaster like 2009, they can easily build for the future. With the signings of these players, however, I find it hard to believe 2010 will be anything like 2009.

Here’s a look at what you might have missed Monday on the local sports radio airwaves.

Former Arizona Cardinal Eric Hill

Download audio file (cas020810seg10erichill.mp3)

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports a three-way trade between Detroit, Philly and Phoenix has at least been talked about. Keaton (a.k.a. the Trade Talker) doesn’t like the frontcourt return for Phoenix, while Matt marvels at trades happening (or not happening) because of finances rather than basketball. As for Stoudemire himself, if you have a better trade in mind for Phoenix, or other questions/comments, please e-mail them to sevenminutesorless @fanster.com. Those will be addressed on Saturday’s show.

S.M.O.L. is a podcast for the fans, by the fans, in seven minutes or Less. Saturday features a full 24-minute shot-clock for the show, with a more in-depth look at the Suns, including responses to e-mail questions/comments from fans and listeners. If your comment/question is good, you could be asked to make an appearance on the show.

It’s a heck of a time to have a bad day. And I’m not just talking about creators of those crappy, $2.7 million-a-pop commercials (OK, the “Casual Friday” commercial did get a giggle).

While much was made about how cool it was for the Saints to win the Super Bowl and all, the other story of the day was much more interesting to the cynical media – tearing down the Peyton Manning idol they had spent two weeks of good ink and megabytes constructing.

You can only spend so much time talking about Dwight Freeney’s ankle ligament, so the other natural storyline as the day leading up to The Big Game (sorry, I only paid the NFL enough right’s fees for one super reference) centered around Peyton Manning’s place on the Mt. Olympus of quarterbacks.

Had Manning passed Johnny Unitas on the list of all-time Colt quarterbacks? (By the way, did anyone notice that David Letterman was rockin’ the Art Donovan No. 70 Colts jersey in his commercial with Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno? Lesson to the rest of those commercial creator whiz-kids out there: Less is more.)

Would Manning’s second Super Bowl, when added to four, count ‘em, four MVP Award put him above Tom Brady’s three rings at the controls of Bill Belichick’s machine? Given his total command of the Indy offense, would he be on his way to nudging even Joe Montana and his four rings off his perch?

But then a funny thing happened on the way to immortality. Not only did the Saints make the Manning look mortal in rolling to the first title in franchise history, but the man himself made the big boo-boo, turning what appeared to be the game-tying drive into a deciding pick-six with an uncharacteristically poor throw.

Suddenly, the comparisons changed from Joe Montana to Jim Kelly, from Tom Brady to Tony Romo. Monday, the talk was the same as it was before Super Bowl XLI – Peyton can’t win the big one, and only a great defensive effort from the Colts three years ago keeps his ring finger filled.

Tennessee didn’t win a national title until he left. He couldn’t beat the Patriots in the playoffs. A 14-2 season and a conference title ends empty and unfulfilled.

Of course, Manning didn’t give up 24 points. He didn’t botch an on-side kick that turned the momentum of the game. He didn’t drop a touchdown pass or decide to let a 51-year-old kicker try a 51-yard field goal.

He did, however, make the big mistake, the one that put the game out of reach and sent his standing on the all-time list tumbling like the Dow. And the he’s had some of his poorest throws on some of the biggest stages in his career.

But let’s not go too far here. Manning is the Colts. Without him, they don’t get a sniff at a Super Bowl, win or lose. Three years ago, he got there with Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James. This year, it was Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai. To watch him come to the line of scrimmage with an open mind and wait for the defense to dictate his course of action is a throwback to the days before quarterbacks were the product of their system and staffs.

Win or lose, he’s fun to watch. Win or lose, he’s the story. And that alone should tell you how good he is.

Follow Justin on Twitter, be his friend on Facebook and visit his personal website at JustinKarp.net. You can check out his weekly Devil Blast every Tuesday on Pitchfork Nation at Fanster.com.

An Open Letter to San Jose State University

To: Thomas Bowen, Athletic Director, San Jose State University
From: Justin Karp, PitchforkNation.com, angry Arizona State Sun Devil fan

Dear Mr. Bowen:

I hope this letter finds you well today.

Actually, I hope it didn’t. I hope you dropped your carton of milk directly on your big toe, your box of Cheerios consisted of nothing but bottom-of-the-box crumbs and your dog relieved himself all over the rug you JUST had steam cleaned.

If you can’t tell by now, I’m a little bit agitated with you and your program. Behind me, I have a legion of Arizona State Sun Devil fans (much like the “network” from those irritating Verizon ads) that I had to convince to keep their burning wooden stakes and crowbars at home.

We’re keeping it classy. You wouldn’t know much about that, would you, Thomas? Is it OK if I call you Thomas? No? Too bad.

If you haven’t checked the headlines down here in Arizona lately, and I’m sure you haven’t, the Sun Devils have had to totally scramble over the past year or so to schedule another non-conference game for the 2010 season because you decided that playing at Alabama for more than $1 million in fat “come to us and lose” cash was a much better idea than hanging onto a game against an opponent who you’ve played a lot in the past and is close enough for your boosters to travel to easily.

When you pulled this little stunt off, several people came to me and put their frustration very bluntly: “San Jose State screwed us.” I couldn’t put it better myself.

Now, instead of playing you guys, ASU has been forced to burden the indignity of having to play two FCS opponents in back to back weeks to start the 2010 season - one against Portland State and one against our friendly neighbors to the north, THE Northern Arizona University.

Since the NCAA has that pesky rule that only one win against a lower division opponent per season counts towards bowl eligibility, our Devils must now win 7 games just to be considered for the postseason. On the surface, that doesn’t seem like too big of a burden - we shouldn’t in theory have any problem disposing with Portland State or the ‘Jacks, but it’s the principle of the thing that we’re dealing with.

On your personal web page, you describe your mission at San Jose State as building a “culture of champions.”

Methinks that sending your football team to play the defending national champions on their home turf on the day they raise a banner celebrating said national championship isn’t the best thing to put your players into a championship mindset.

Forget for a moment when you and your program did to put Arizona State into a corner - think about how what you did embodies all that’s wrong with college football these days.

Here’s the skinny - only about 8-10 teams per season in any given year enter their campaign with a legitimate shot at winning a national title. About 10 more might be able to put up a lengthy challenge for a conference title. 30 more will scrape and battle for second-tier bowl bids. Maybe about 10 more will go into the final week of the season needing the almighty sixth win.

Then there’s the group that your program belongs to, Thomas. Save me the babble about your rollicking trip to the New Mexico Bowl, which was your first postseason trip since, I believe, Eisenhower was in office. The Spartans are, year in and year out, a downtrodden, peon program which is the 3^rd most popular college football team in San Jose. And before you argue that I don’t know what I’m talking about, I grew up in Santa Clara, 20 miles away from Spartan Stadium, and I went to more Stanford and Cal games during high school than I did Spartan games in my entire life.

Worse yet, moves like the Alabama stunt do nothing more than reinforce the idea that your program is bottom-of-the-barrel. I’m thrilled that this beat down you’ll take from the Crimson Tide will pay the athletic costs at SJSU for a while, but at the expense of what? Your biggest money making sport, football, will continue to lose because the program does not put its players in a position to gain confidence and win games.

Doesn’t it make more sense to take your team to Tempe, engage in what just might be a competitive football game? Or to truck your entire cadre to Tuscaloosa, get waxed 65-3 and take home a certified check?

It’s up to you. I’m not an AD, so maybe I don’t understand. What I do understand is that thanks to you, Arizona State’s schedule is weaker, our players have to do more work to get to a bowl game that your program won’t even sniff in 2010 and you’ve only reinforced the idea that San Jose State, a program which almost had to move down to Division I-AA because you can’t draw people to your games, is a joke of a college football program.

I said it back then and I’ll say it again - I don’t ever want to see your Spartans on Arizona State’s athletic calendar again.

I hope you have a fantastic day.

Sincerely,

Justin Karp

Five Things to Stew About

1)      As remarkable as it sounds, it’s still an actual statistical probability that every team in the artist formerly known as the West Coast’s Premier Basketball Conference^TM could finish 9-9. After last week’s split in Washington, it looks more and more like that’s where the Sun Devils will end up this season. After a solid win in Pullman, a place where last year’s team was stunningly upset on a Taylor Rochestie buzzer-beater, the Devils went out and absolutely blew it in Seattle. Ironically, Saturday’s game had first-place ramifications for the second consecutive year, but this time around, ASU didn’t even put up a fight and that’s disappointing. It’s also, sadly, expected - Washington outclassed and stayed cooler than the Devils when they found themselves in an early shooting hole. The Huskies were able to emerge from a shaky first few minutes, while the Sun Devils still only had 6 points at the under-8 media time out.

2)      I do want to finally give kudos to Herb Sendek, however, for doing what he does best. Much like he did in 2006 when his undersized team couldn’t defend Xavier man-to-man and installed the now-famous 3-2 matchup zone, Sendek installed more motion and more flow into an offense that I affectionately referred to as “34 seconds or more.” With points hard to come by throughout the Pac-10 almost two-thirds of the way into this conference season, Unkie Herb had to find a way for the Devils to put more points on the scoreboard. Though his guys fell on their faces against Washington, Sendek’s ingenuity has once again risen to the top of our minds and has kept Arizona State competitive in the strangest conference race in some time.

3)      I almost feel bad for putting this in because I feel like saying even the slightest of negative things about Charli Turner-Thorne is like telling your mom you don’t like her meat loaf, but her Devils 66-62 loss at Washington State last weekend may go down as one of the lowest points of her tenure in Tempe. The perennially downtrodden Cougars entered the game winless in the Pac-10 and riding an 11-game skid overall. It was also the first time since 2004 that Washington State knocked off Arizona State. What more, the Sun Devils had WSU down 13 in the first half AND the Cougars turned the ball over 28…28…28 times! However, it goes to show that when you shoot poorly on any given night, you have a chance to lose.

4)      The Tim Esmay era starts in 10 days. Get excited.

5)      With a major tip of the cap to Ted Miller over at ESPN.com, we bring you this: On Monday, the Pac-10 hired former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg as the conference’s new deputy commish and COO. Before his time in the Big 12, Weiberg spent nine years under Jim Delany in the Big Ten - right smack in the middle of the era when that league welcomed Penn State into the fold and charged hard toward annexing Notre Dame. He also helped lay the initial groundwork for the monster Big Ten TV contracts and, later, the launch of the Big Ten Network. Are your gears turning yet? With the Pac-10’s TV deal expiring in 2012 and the league’s collective eye still (for some reason) on expanding to 12 teams, you do the math.

Sun Devil of the Week

We’ll head back to the mats for this one for the 2^nd straight week.

Despite losing their 3^rd straight match and dropping to 8-7 in a loss to Iowa State, both Anthony Robles and Jake Meredith pulled off stunners and garner Pitchfork Nation’s honors.

Robles, the 3^rd ranked wrestler in the nation, fought from an early deficit in his match against #5 Andrew Long. After falling behind 10-3 early, Robles, who has now won 10 straight individual matches, pulled off a stunning comeback, scoring nine straight points off three near-falls to in 12-10.

Unranked Meredith’s victory over #7 Jerome Ward was even more stunning - a 3-2 scrapping victory despite the fact that the Devils were already headed toward a match loss. Meredith and Ward entered the third period of their match tied at 2 and battled until the final 10 seconds, when the referee called Ward for stalling, awarding Meredith one penalty point, giving him the victory.

Meandering non-Sun Devil Thought of the Week

First off - allow me to blow my own horn for a second - as I came only 4 points off the cumulative total at Super Bowl XLIV and correctly assessed that the New Orleans Saints would pull off the victory. You’re welcome.

This week, I implore all of you, as we get tied up in the news of massive Toyota recalls, Barack Obama’s health care summit and Snowmageddon, to remember that Friday marks one month since a massive 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, killing 150,000 and displacing millions.

Thanks to our never-ending news cycle, which was specifically designed with the short-attention span in mind, Haiti’s plight has dropped off our national radar screen over the past two weeks or so.

I’m not implying or asking to donate any more than you may already have, but even though we’re a month out and news networks might not be devoting much time to the topic at all, remember that it’s still going on down there.

Ed Jovanovski started the scoring parade, beating Edmonton goalie Jeff Deslauriers on a slap shot 9:58 into the first period. Lombardi tacked another on to the Coyotes’ lead, scoring his first of the night and 11th of the season with just :31 remaining before the first intermission.

But the real story early on was the play of Bryzgalov. The Russian Olympian stopped all 13 shots he saw in the first period, and was able to stave off an early two-man advantage for the Oilers after Paul Bissonnette (goalie interference) and Zbynek Michalek (holding) were whistled for penalties.

“The big difference early in the game was Bryzgalov,” Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett said. “He kept us in the game early, let’s be honest.”

Lombardi and Jim Vandermeer scored 4:37 apart in the early stages of the 2nd period to give the Coyotes a 4-goal cushion. Then in the third, Radim Vrbata and Robert Lang lit the lamp to make it 6-0 Phoenix.

It looked like Bryzgalov was on the way to his 7th shutout of the season, but Edmonton’s Dustin Penner spoiled that with his 23rd goal of the season with just 4:28 remaining in the game.

Shane Doan and Lang each had 2 assists on the night for Phoenix, who matched their win total from a year ago with their 36th victory.

The Coyotes now embark on a 2-game road trip to Minnesota and Colorado before returning home to wrap up the pre-Olympic portion of their schedule Saturday against the Dallas Stars in Glendale.

Coyotes light up Edmonton 6-1

The DVD is titled “Song of Africa – Episode One; Zululand”. This DVD is filmed in HD, and it is a super first effort by Jake Hartwick and Robin Berg. The movie features Jake and first-time-to Africa hunter Randy Archbold. This is Jake’s second visit. The movie takes place entirely in South Africa, with the hunt hosted by Tim Rudman of Trophy Hunters Africa along with his staff, and a devilish little dog. This is more than a hunting video. With minimal gore, I would be comfortable showing it to my non-hunting (but open minded!) friends and family.

You will see some awesome scenery. You’ll get a peek at life inside a Zulu village. You’ll follow Jake as he makes a quick stalk on a stunning nyala. You’ll see Randy take a perfect impala, and then put the creep on a big old Cape Buffalo in brush so thick it’s a wonder he got a shot off. If you’re looking for a “whack em and stack em” video that is a compilation of kill shots and bubbas “high-fivin”, this won’t be for you. Rather, think “NatGeo with hunting scenes”. The addition of African culture into this DVD really enhanced it for me.

This DVD is interesting and entertaining. Videography is top notch, and the score is well-done. music when there should be, voices when there should be, silence when appropriate. One of my pet peeves when reviewing videos is volume. I hate continuously messing with the volume; turning it up because I can’t hear dialogue, turning it down when the music starts blasting. I don’t think I touched the volume button on the remote a single time.

This really is a great effort by these guys. I think the “Africa seed” that has been planted deep in my brain for ages has just sprung a little green shoot. Little “what-if” scenarios are starting to flicker around in my skull.

To view more reviews, contact Jake or buy this video, visit the Song of Africa website. I’m very much looking forward to their next effort!

Related Articles:

• Everything Africa
• DVD Review – Graylight Productions
• The BorderLine Walk: supporting anti-poaching in the Savé Valley

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Last five games:
Oilers: 2 – 3 – 0
Coyotes: 4 – 1 – 0
Last ten games:
Oilers: 2 – 7 – 1
Coyotes: 7 – 3 – 0

The Coyotes return home from their four game road trip to host the Edmonton Oilers at the Job.  This will be the third of four meetings between the two teams this season with the Oilers and the Coyotes each winning a game in this series.

The Edmonton Oilers are indeed one of the worst teams in the league this season but it’s not just for lack of talent.  At this point in the season, the Edmonton Oilers have lost well over 330 man games to injury to key personnel.  The team that remains has been anything but stellar with much of the current healthy roster not playing anywhere near to their potential, thus the win/loss record you see.

So far this season the Oilers have gotten thoroughly beaten not only by numerous opponents but themselves.  They’ve been playing so badly the press is tired of writing about it, they’ve gone through three bag skates….

Hockey 101 – A Bag Skate is a team practice made of repetitive, strenuous skating drills and sprints, usually without pucks.

…and they just don’t seem to care about being competitive.

On the flip side the Coyotes have the opportunity to make a statement of beating the teams they’re supposed to beat.  Numerous times this season the Coyotes failed to beat the teams they were supposed to beat (like the Lightning, Canadiens, etc). This the first time they can actually play up to their potentials against a team that will be gunning for them and aren’t playing anywhere near to their potentials.

Things to watch for:

- Keith Yandle – Since getting snubbed by USA Hockey for the 2010 Men’s Olympic hockey team he has been on a TEAR notching points and playing some amazing hockey.

- The Edmonton Oilers – What team is going to come out tonight?  A competitive team or one that just doesn’t care about anything.

Keys to the game:

Pedal to the metal and don’t let up – Even though the Oilers are having one of their worst seasons ever, doesn’t mean the Coyotes should treat this game as an easy win.  They need to come out like any other game and show their dominance.

Defense – Keep up the amazing play as of late.  Keeping the Oilers off the scoreboard is a must tonight.

Get to Oilers Goaltender Jeff Deslauriers early and often – Deslauriers has been playing pretty well for the Oilers in place of injured goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.  However, his team has hung him out to dry on numerous occasions.  This must be taken advantage of.

Game Notes:

- Sam Gagner flew back to Edmonton today to consult with Oilers medical staff about his injured knee.

Officials:

Referees: #2 Kerry Fraser; #29 Ian Walsh
Linesmen: #57 Jay Sharrers; #88 Mike Cvik

Injuries:

Coyotes: Kurt Sauer, Scottie Upshall
Oilers: Nikolai Khabibulin, Ales Hemsky, Ryan Stone, Steve Staios, Ladislav Smid, Sheldon Souray, Sam Gagner

There’s no denying that Steve Nash is the “engine” that makes the Phoenix Suns run. It is also tough to argue that when Nash is happy, that “engine” runs at full horsepower.

While the Suns are in the midst of a five-game win streak in which Nash averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 assists, trade speculation and rumors have surrounded Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson.

That fact is not lost on the Suns’ star point guard.

“We’ve shown that we’re a good team,” Nash told KTAR after practice Sunday. “I think we’ve shown glimpses we can be a really good team, and it would be nice to continue to work at it together.”

Nash seems more than content to stand pat and keep Amare and Richardson with the NBA trade deadline looming. Does that mean Steve Kerr and the Phoenix front office will agree?

When the Suns decided to conduct the “Terry Porter Experiment”, they didn’t seem to take Nash’s comfort level into consideration. Under the new head coach Nash became unhappy with the team and it’s style of play. As he grew more uncomfortable, the Suns’ production worsened.

Steve Kerr and the front office quickly realized their mistake and returned the team to a system that was more agreeable to Nash.

Can Kerr risk dealing Amare Stoudemire if it means upsetting their two-time league MVP and possibly having a repeat of last season?

When Nash signed his two-year contract extension before the season, he talked about the importance of playing with teammates he “really love[s] and enjoy[s]“. He made it clear that liking the group of players around him, enjoying the game and the group’s chemistry were paramount for him.

If you take his post practice comments from Sunday at face value, it sounds like Nash enjoys the current talent on the Suns roster. It’s easy to assume that he also feels the team has great chemistry and his stats prove that he’s enjoying the game.

To Nash’s credit, he also told reporters that the didn’t feel the Suns had to ask his opinion or for permission to make a deal.

“You know, I don’t think they need to,” Nash said. “I think it’s up to them. If they want to that’s fine. If they don’t want to that’s also fine.”

With just two seasons remaining in the Nash era, keeping the point guard happy and productive gives the Suns the best chance to have even marginal success. One just has to wonder if that’s enough reason to not deal Stoudemire and/or Jason Richardson for the right price?

Would the Suns be better served by not making a trade to keep Steve Nash happy? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman David Rauch announced today that Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros received the fifth and sixth sponsor exemptions for the 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Billy Mayfair, Rickie Fowler, Jonathan Kaye and Rocco Mediate received the first four tournament exemptions. Rauch and the tournament host Thunderbirds will hand out a total of eight sponsor exemptions for the tournament, scheduled to be played at the TPC Scottsdale, February 22 – 28.

Karlsson is currently ranked 17th on the Official World Golf Ranking and second on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai standings. He has 10 International victories, and had the best year of his career in 2008, winning two European Tour events on his way to becoming the first Swede to win the European Order of Merit. That year he also became the only player to earn top-10 finishes in his first three Major Championships (T-8 Masters, T-4 U.S. Open, T-7 British Open).

Karlsson missed four months in 2009 due to a problem with his vision, but came back quickly in 2010 with a victory over Quiros in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in January.

Quiros currently ranks 32nd on the Official World Golf Ranking and fourth on the European Tour Race to Dubai standings. The longest hitter on the European Tour, Quiros has three European Tour victories under his belt, including a win at the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Championship in his first European Tour start as a full-time member. He finished runner-up to Karlsson while defending his title at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters earlier this year.

“Robert and Alvaro are extremely talented golfers who have had great success playing on the European Tour,” Rauch said. “They will add a lot to our field and I’m sure that our fans will enjoy seeing these guys in action.”

The Waste Management Phoenix Open will be played February 22 – 28, 2010, at the TPC Scottsdale. The tournament host Thunderbirds have raised more than $65.9 million for charities, with more than $37.9 million generated since 2004. The 2010 edition will mark the 75th playing of the event, making it one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR (not including the major championships). Title sponsor Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information on Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com. For more information on the Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit wmphoenixopen.com.

Thursday, the Devils got 18 points from Ty Abbott and 15 from a resurgent Derek Glasser, and they cruised to an 81-70 win over the Washington State Cougars in Pullman. It was ASU’s first win at Friel Court since the 2002-2003 season, when they scored an 87-54 win over the Cougs.

But then, Herb Sendek’s team followed their impressive Thursday performance with a stinker in Seattle on Saturday. The Sun Devils 79-56 loss to the Huskies was their worst loss in 69 games, dating back to an 84-51 blowout at the hands of then 5th-ranked UCLA in January of 2008. Arizona State grabbed an early 2-0 lead on two Trent Lockett free throws in the game’s first twenty seconds, but it was downhill from there.

ASU trailed by as many as 27 in the loss, which sunk them to 6-5 in conference play, and into a 5-way tie for 2nd place in the Pac-10.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

What was good…

• The offense against Washington State. The Sun Devils shot a blistering 56.5% from the field for the game (62.5% in the first half). The Sun Devils’ 81-point performance, coupled with their previous 88-70 win over Stanford, marked the first time in the Herb Sendek era that ASU had topped the 80-point plateau in back-to-back Pac-10 games. It was the first time they have accomplished the feat since scoring 82 and 94 points in back-to-back losses to UCLA and USC in January of 2005.
• The performance of freshman Demetrius Walker vs. Washington — Walker didn’t play against WSU, but was a real sparkplug Saturday in the loss to Washington (more below). Walker continues to be an intriguing part of the roster because of his high energy play and the ease with which he can get to the basket, an ingredient lacking from the Sun Devils’ offense.

What was bad…

• The offense vs. Washington. ASU followed up their impressive performance in Pullman with an evening-long struggle in Seattle. The Sun Devils missed their first six shots against the Huskies, and went nearly 5 minutes to start the game without a hoop. Midway through the first half, they’d managed only 6 points and trailed by 15. Some of the credit has to go to the UW defense, which played a physical pressure defense all night.

What was ugly…

• The rebounding. When a team employs a zone defense almost exclusively, like ASU does, you expect the rebounding numbers to be a little low. But the Sun Devils allowed 19 offensive rebounds and were outrebounded 48-29 on the night in Seattle.

Individual player notes from the weekend…

Ty Abbott: Abbott averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds for the weekend, while shooting 42% from the field and 45% from three point range. The junior got off to a slow start against Washington (who didn’t?), but looked like he might go off on one of his recent hot streaks when he hit two three-pointers in just :17 early in the 2nd half to cut into a large Washington lead. But, those would be the last points Abbott would score on the night. He continues to rebound well from the guard position, and was very active defensively in the Washington loss, blocking two shots and getting his hands on numerous passes.

Eric Boateng: Boateng was adequate again this past weekend, averaging 11 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The English senior shot 10 of 16 from the field to remain number one in field goal shooting in the conference at 63.7% for the year.

Derek Glasser: Glasser came off the bench for the 2nd straight game on Thursday vs. Washington State and responded with 15 points–his highest scoring output in 13 games. Glasser then started against Washington in Coach Sendek’s four-guard setup and struggled, logging only 3 points and 2 assists while turning the ball over 5 times. For the weekend, Glasser averaged 9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Rihards Kuksiks: It was a quiet weekend for the junior from Latvia. Kuksiks scored 8 points in 23 minutes of action Thursday against Washington State, and came off the bench for the first time this season against Washington and scored 8 points again in just 16 minutes. For the weekend, Kuksiks averaged 8 points and 1 rebound per game and shot 54% (7 of 13) from the field.

Trent Lockett: Lockett started both games this weekend, averaging 7.5 points, 1 rebound and 2.5 steals per contest, while shooting just 33% from the field. Like most of his teammates, Lockett didn’t shoot well in Seattle, hitting just 1 of 6.

Jamelle McMillan: McMillan made his return to the Sun Devils’ lineup after missing four games with a foot injury. Played well Thursday, scoring 7 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in the win over Washington State. McMillan started and played 29 minutes against Washington, handing out 4 assists but he did not score. For the weekend, McMillan averaged 3.5 points, 3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and shot just 38% from the floor.

Ruslan Pateev: Pateev played a total of 10 minutes over the weekend, scoring 2 points and grabbing 4 rebounds (including 3 offensive boards) vs. Washington.

Taylor Rohde: Rohde also played just 10 minutes off the bench in relief of Boateng, and scored 3 points against Washington State.

Victor Rudd: Saw some of his most extensive action of the season against Washington, playing 13 minutes off the bench. Rudd scored one point, and went 0 for 3 from the field over the weekend.

Jerren Shipp: The senior was a steadying force on the floor this weekend for ASU. For the two games, Shipp averaged 5.5 points, 2 rebounds and 15 minutes of playing time.

Demetrius Walker: Didn’t play in the win against Washington State, but was one of the lone bright spots in Saturday’s loss to Washington. Walker had a career-high 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting in just 15 minutes off the bench. Walker scored 8 points in a stretch of 2:08 late in the 1st half.

Elsewhere in the Pac-10

Thursday
Arizona State 81…..Washington State 70 - ASU’s first win in Pullman in seven years.
Washington 81…..Arizona 75 - Quincy Pondexter (UW) 30 points, 12 rebounds.
UCLA 77…..Stanford 73 - Reeves Nelson (UCLA) off the bench for 18 points.
USC 66…..California 63 - USC had 25-0 run over 10:46 of the game.

Saturday
Washington 79…..Arizona State 56 - Huskies now 16-0 at Bank of America Arena.
Washington State 78…..Arizona 60 - DeAngelo Casto (WSU) 19 points, 9 rebounds.
California 72…..UCLA 58 - Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson (CAL) 20 points each.
USC 54…..Stanford 49 - Nikola Vucevic (USC)18 points, 14 rebounds.
Oregon State 62…..Oregon 42 - Omari Johnson (OSU) 18 points

Pac-10 Standings (Thru 2/6/10)

Segment 1 (0:00) - All things Super Bowl discussed here…Drew Brees’ stellar play, Reggie Wayne’s alligator arms, Jim Caldwell’s brain fart, Jim Nantz’s broadcasting, Carrie Underwood’s singing, Pete Townshend’s nose, Solomon Wilcots’ ass, Hank Baskett’s wife’s boobies, Betty White’s toughness and Peyton Manning’s place in history. Told you we cover it all.

Segment 2 (37:18) - Another strange weekend for ASU basketball and the Pac-10…the Sun Devils split two games in the state of Washington, and we look at their play, and what the rest of the conference looks like.

Segment 3 (53:29) - The Sun Devil football team finally filled the gap in their 2010 schedule and will play Portland State in their season opener, meaning ASU has two Division I-AA (FBS) teams on their schedule for the first time ever. Michael and I discuss how bad the scheduling system that’s in place in college football is, and we offer up our own solutions to the mess. And, we open up the STBNL Mailbag.

STBNL 2/08/10 - Super Bowl Hangover

Download audio file (show208.mp3)

Odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl XLV

Indianapolis Colts 13/2

San Diego Chargers 8/1

New England Patriots 10/1

New Orleans Saints 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 11/1

Dallas Cowboys 12/1

Green Bay Packers 12/1

Minnesota Vikings 12/1

Philadelphia Eagles 16/1

Baltimore Ravens 20/1

New York Giants 20/1

New York Jets 25/1

Tennessee Titans 25/1

Atlanta Falcons 30/1

Cincinnati Bengals 30/1

Arizona Cardinals 35/1

Chicago Bears 35/1

Houston Texans 35/1

Carolina Panthers 40/1

Miami Dolphins 45/1

San Francisco 49ers 45/1

Seattle Seahawks 45/1

Denver Broncos 50/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 50/1

Washington Redskins 50/1

Buffalo Bills 100/1

Cleveland Browns 100/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Oakland Raiders 100/1

St. Louis Rams 100/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 100/1

“So what if he does,” I replied. “And besides, there aren’t any rumors surrounding a trade with Nash.” I didn’t understand what he was getting at.

“No, I know,” he told me. “I just wanted to see if you’re really a Phoenix Suns fan or if you just like Steve Nash.”

Needless to say, I felt a little bit insulted. While I won’t argue that the leadership Nash provides for the team is invaluable, Steve Nash is a sure thing. When he’s racking up minutes on the court, it’s expected that we’ll be treated to some incredible basketball and his famous 3s that I swear hardly even swish the net. With Steve Nash, surprising plays are few and far between. That said, nothing has generated excitement for Suns fans - myself included - in recent weeks like the bench team has.

The last time the Phoenix Suns sparred against the Memphis Grizzlies, Alvin Gentry decided to put the 7-foot force of nature (otherwise known as Robin Lopez) in his starting line-up at center. The decision has seemingly paid off as Lopez has since been averaging close to 20 minutes per game with scoring well into the double digits during each outing. More importantly, I’d argue, is the defensive confidence Lopez has instilled in the team.

Despite our recent pummeling in Utah, Goran Dragic burned up the hardwood, scoring a career-high 32 points on January 25th. This unpredictable feat earned Dragic some due faith from his fans, his teammates and his coach.

I could make the argument that all a team needs to win games is a bunch of skilled players, but we all know that skills are only part of the equation. Momentum is key to taking talent and making it shine. As the Suns are now at home, fresh off a perfect road trip and leading their own way on a five-game winning streak, they’re in a prime position to keep the ball rolling – figuratively, of course.

Not only have Lopez and Dragic proven to be worth their weight in gold in recent weeks, we’ve seen incredibly stepped-up performances from Channing Frye and Jason Richardson with their flawless baskets. Lou Amundson has been displaying a keen eye in the paint on defense and Jared Dudley excitedly executes some intense hustling at both ends of the court.

Every well-oiled machine is made up of moving parts – each serving a unique purpose. However, without one component the rest are less effective. Just as the Phoenix Suns have an irreplaceable starting line-up, so too are their bench players proving to be equally imperative. With the 2010 All-Star Game around the corner and playoffs on the horizon, the Suns are in fine form and reminiscent of the unyielding plays we saw back in November. Like you, I’m confident we’ll see this latest movement continue. And while I have no doubt that our usual shining stars will continue to stand out, my adrenaline will really start to flow when Gentry unleashes his bench boys.

You can follow Keira-Anne on Twitter and you can read her thoughts on life north of the border at her personal blog, Keira-Anne.com.

Saturday features a full 24-minute shot-clock for the show, with a more in-depth look at the Suns, including responses to e-mail questions/comments from listeners. To submit your question/comment, email  it to sevenminutesorless @fanster.com.

Amare to Philly won’t die, not with Suns VP going to a Hornets/Sixers game Friday night. Latest reports have the Suns wanting to package STAT and J-Rich for Andre Iguodala, Sam Dalembert and a third player, while Philly wants Barbosa’s friendlier contract instead. Keaton has second thoughts about dealing Stoudemire at all, while Matt wonders what J-Rich did to take Barbosa’s place on the trading block.

Pepsi Center as it is known in Denver (not THE Pepsi Center as I have found out), is the home of the Avalanche. The arena is 11 years old and holds just over 18,000 fans. Bernie the St. Bernard is their mascot and I have to say he looks more “lame-o” than “Cujo”. Howler could so take him.

I am looking forward to testing my “rabid” (pun on the Cujo reference is intended) fan skills as I surely will find myself in the minority Friday night. Look for me decked out in a player graffiti’d jersey, sporting a Yote face tattoo and doing the finger Coyote with my 7 year old daughter. Watch out Avs fans!

Stay tuned for updates via Twitter (follow me @puckgal00)pics and of course here on Fanster.com.
I pose this question for Phoenix Coyotes or any other hockey fan…what arena(s) have you been to?
Which was your fave and why.

Let’s Puck!

From our home….to theirs