Brad Cesmat
Caitlin Clark plays the Mercury Sunday in Downtown Phoenix. Here’s a couple of seats available…
Villians are what make sports so great. If the late Kobe Bryant were playing the Suns, the city would be electric in the days leading up to the game. Would there be more Kobe 8 or 24 jerseys in the Phoenix crowd than the Suns competing on the court that night?
When the starting lineups were announced, would Bryant get more boos than cheers?
When the game was on the line, would he take the big shot to try to win it?
All of the above will happen on Sunday when Clark steps into the Phoenix spotlight for the first time. I’m unsure why the WNBA has Clark and the Indiana Fever playing just one regular-season game here, but it beats the alternative. I’m all about watching her do her thing, the same way I was when Diana Taurasi first came to the Valley. Having a Hall of Fame player like Taurasi as part of our sporting landscape has only made us that much more profound in star power and stories to cover. A win for all involved.
I am going to the game on Sunday and will be curious to see how Taurasi and Clark match up. It’s no secret that Taurasi has said little about the Clark match up other than,”It will be fun.” Her “reality is coming” line back in April, while on an ESPN broadcast of an Iowa game, she started the national conversation of, “What is her deal with Caitlin Clark”? Clark being passed over for the Paris Olympic team left some wondering if the business side of other players had made its way into the selection. If NBC were smart, they’d hire Clark as an analyst/reporter for Paris. “Hey, DT, can I grab you for a post-game interview?”…
So, will Mercury fans, loyal to the WNBA brand, be rooting more for Clark or Taurasi? Which player will have fans wearing their gear in the stands? When the starting lineups are announced, who gets the bigger cheers? If Sunday’s game is on the line, will it be the superstar or the new star on the block?
Dropped by Grand Canyon University(Grand Construction University) earlier this month to visit with President Brian Mueller. While there, we stopped at the basketball practice facility. There were a few new faces outside of Gabe McGlothlan going to the NBA(he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Denver). Most of the NCAA team that came up short against Alabama is back. Replacing McGlothlan won’t be easy, but there were some new faces that certainly looked the part…
Good note from my friend and colleague Jon Wilner on the absurdity of the Pac-12. The Olympics will start with some of the athletes from Pac-12 schools. The Olympics will finish with those same athletes from Big 10 and Big 12 schools. The final day of the Pac-12 will be August 2nd(you can’t make this stuff up)…
Dodgers and Padres out on the coast this coming week for our hometown heroes on the diamond. Good 4th of July viewing…
Tip of the cap to the workers out front of the stadium at Diamondback games. I went to Wednesday night’s matchup vs the Twins and the parking lot attendant, standing in the 114 degree heat to scan my barcode, couldn’t have been more pleasant. Then to the entrance on the suite level where there were a half dozen people working with tickets and security with the 5pm sun beating on them. All were pleasant and professional…
Do you believe that the Suns are better now than on April 28th when their season came to a crashing end against Minnesota? A new head coach, some role players departing, some staying(usual NBA stuff). Kevin Durant popping up on social media working out with James Harden and others at USC. I’m guessing sometime in the second week of February 2025, I’m going to be busy with the NBA trade deadline. Do you see a title team? Not a contending team, a TITLE team?…
The high school football season starts games at the end of August. One of many games catching my eye is Millard South from Omaha, Nebraska meeting 2022 Open champ Basha. Millard is coached by former Valley high school coach Ty Wisdom who coached at Horizon and Desert Vista. Friends in my space back in Omaha say Millard is probably the second best team in Nebraska high school ball. I’m guessing we will see alot of Husker red at Basha on August, 30th…
