James Jones, Monty Williams, Larry Fitzgerald. Three names that have made Phoenix Suns fans start to fall in love with the original Valley sports team once again. Today they are the #1 seed in the West, winning five of their first six games.
Jones has been part of a tremendous upgrade in the roster from the bottom up. It’s not just the starting five who are doing their thing. The Suns have a strong and hungry second group of players. The back end is no longer filled with empty jerseys at an affordable price.
Fitzgerald became a minority owner in the team just over a year ago. While I haven’t been able to speak with him one-on-one about this because of our current Zoom environment, I have no doubt that Fitz has been doing more behind the scenes for the team than just writing a check to Robert Sarver for some shares of ownership…
A backup quarterback who’s never taken a starting snap in an NFL game. A former Arizona Hotshot (remember them?) QB who will be without his leading pass catcher on Sunday. IF the Cardinals lose to John Wolford and the LA Rams on Sunday, there’s going to be some mighty unhappy people around the Valley and most assuredly within the walls of 8701 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe (Cardinals facility).
One can only imagine what the owner will be like if the team misses the playoffs for the sixth straight year, by losing to an undermanned team for the eighth straight time…
Bowl games just aren’t special anymore. More on this thought after the Fiesta Bowl is completed…
Tyler Shough and Brock Purdy meet in the Fiesta Bowl today. Kyle Allen and Ryan Finley started games in the NFL this season. In 2020, Kedon Slovis took the starting snaps at USC, Spencer Rattler was the QB at Oklahoma, and Chubba Purdy was under center at times for Florida State.
Gunner Cruz saw action at Washington State, Jack Plummer at Purdue. Ben Finley at North Carolina St., and I’m sure a couple of others. What is the answer to the riddle? Former Arizona high school quarterbacks who either passed or simply were not recruited by any of our three in-state college programs…
When schools suspend themselves from postseason play, as the University of Arizona basketball program did this past week, it shouldn’t reduce their future sentence for Level One violations. One year out of Mask/March Madness hits the bottom line, but it’s not a strong enough penalty…
I know it makes big cigar college boosters happy when their college football programs hire former players to be on staff, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good fit. Derek Hagan holds the all-time receiving record at Arizona State but was not retained this past week by Herm Edwards.
In Tucson, the addition of former Wildcats Ricky Hunley and Chuck Cecil to the new regime, are being hailed as great moves and remembering years gone by.
It all sounds good, except football is a what have you done for me lately or what are you going to do for me tomorrow biz. Just because dads remember players, doesn’t mean an 18-year-old is going to come. The transfer portal has made almost everything about “team” go by the wayside…
Remember the name. Mason Moran – Northern Arizona University. The former Chandler High star is hungry to do his thing for Chris Ball in Flagstaff. Great pickup after a stint at Oregon State.
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Brad Cesmat
Media personality Brad Cesmat first rose to fame in Southern California with the launching of "The Mighty 690" all-sports radio station in the late 1980's and early 90's. Brad came to Arizona in 1993 to begin a 10-year run at KTAR Radio followed by nine years at KTVK-TV in Phoenix. Brad is the Founder/ CEO of Sports360AZ.com. His vision of multi platform content marketing through sports began in September of 2011. Cesmat has served on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army for the last 18 years. He and his wife Chris have four children.