Ayton match, Tigers final walk, Coyotes ownership, more…

The entire season for the Phoenix Suns is next April. I’m not one to put stock into what the Suns roster looks like today or when they tip off the season in October. In fact, I don’t care. The goal is to win 16-games in the span of April 2023 till mid-June 2023. Whatever the “chemistry” of the roster looks like on an early January game vs. Indiana or OKC doesn’t mean a damn thing, so the Suns did the prudent thing in July of 2022 by bringing Deandre Ayton back after matching his offer sheet from Indiana(what else did you want?) The Suns can’t move him until January, and he can veto a deal(he’s got his money now). The better question to ask is, is it wise for the Suns to gut their roster and assets(draft picks) for Kevin Durant later this year. Mega-deals take time; we are in mid-July. It’s not impossible to still get a deal done for Durant, from my view.
If you believe the Suns mismanaged the Ayton side, then you would be on the side of extending him last summer and perhaps not having damaged feelings. I can think of 133-million reasons why Ayton woke up this morning without a sad face. He got paid.
This isn’t “running it back” in 2022-23; this is the first of what could many moves set up for next April when it really matters…

Tiger Woods’s walk on 18 Friday morning was one of the more magical sports moments in 2022. You won’t get it if you’re not a fan of Tiger or don’t like golf. Otherwise, check it out at some point…

Always Something University gave ace media man Doug Tammaro a well-deserved promotion replacing Mark Brand, who retires today. When I came to The Valley in 1993, part of my deal was to be the color analyst for Arizona State basketball. Doug was one of the first people I met once hitting the ground. Good things happen to good people…

Phoenix Rising FC moving Bill Kraus to a Governor spot is a smart move. Bill is local and has a strong passion for the sport and franchise. It’s been a challenging season on the field for Rising FC, but behind the scenes is essential too. Good for Bill…

My 115-degree days and monsoon nights have included episodes of “Peaky Blinders” on Netflix. It’s got a “Godfather” type of feeling but is worth the watch…

Could it be that after all of these years, the Arizona high school football finals will be televised live FINALLY?. Stay tuned…

If the Baltimore Orioles can get it figured out, why can’t our hometown 9?…

Alex Meruelo bought the Arizona Coyotes in July of 2019.
In terms of buzz, the Coyotes are creating some with the move to Tempe, and a major remodel of the on-ice product. But as any of us who have been here for longer than a year or two know all too well, the buzz dissipates, and we go back to the skeptical eye of whether or not the hockey franchise can get things figured out in Tempe long-term. My business circles remain unconvinced that the current plan of playing at ASU will have lasting success. I am on the side of the street of “wait and see.” You can’t claim victory or trash something that hasn’t even had one regular season puck dropped…