The Suns Have Gone Cold

The sun has finally set in Phoenix.

The Suns were once the talk of the NBA. They were fun, fast, and exciting. They would at least put up at least a 105 points a night. Even when the Suns didn’t win at least fans could expect to be entertained for the night. Back in those times other franchises would envy the success the Suns had.

Before this year’s disappointing 45-36 record the suns had posted up impressive numbers. During the span of 2005 and 2007 Phoenix posted a record of 177-69. They even post two 60 wins seasons, but the 2005 season was the beginning of the end for the Phoenix Suns, and it all started with Joe Johnson.

Joe Johnson was one the main components of the Suns early success. He was fast, explosive, and a scorer. No Sun’s fan can forget when Joe Johnson shot two heroic free throws after he cut his eye open. This year alone Johnson has averaged 21.4 points and 5.8 assists game. He has help lead his team to the four spot in the Eastern Conference. In the trade with the Atlanta Hawks they receive a player named Boris Diaw.

Diaw soon became a crowd favorite. He was very active on offensive end of the floor and won the Most Improved Player Award. That year Steve Nash won his second consecutive MVP award but it still wasn’t enough. The Suns would fall in six in the Western Conference Finals against Dallas Mavericks. Another year another missed opportunity.

The 2006 and the 2007 looked like another promising season for the Suns. They won the Pacific Divisions and everything was looking right for a championship run. Funny, nobody told that to the San Antonio Spurs. After Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw got suspended for game five (they were suspended for going on the court when Robert Horry pushed Steve Nash) the Suns just looked out of sync game six and fell to the Spurs 114-106

2007 was a brand new start for the Suns. Steve Kerr became the new general manger. He immediately began to make changes. The Suns traded fan favorite Shaw Marion for the Shaquille O’Neal. The trade was supposed to propel the Suns to the playoffs but instead it bought them a first round exit to the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2008 season was the year everything was suppose to come together. O’Neal had adapted to the team and they were now coached by defensive minded coach Terry Porter. It should have been a recipe for success but instead it lead to a disaster. Plain and simple the Suns look lost this year. They were a team without identity and it surprised no one when the team fired Terry Porter, but even with new interim coach Alvin Gentry the Suns still weren’t able to make the playoffs.

As of today the Suns are 48-36. The future is not bright in Phoenix. O’Neal, Nash, and Hill are getting up and age and Stoudamire could be gone in 2010. The Suns have had their opportunity but now it is nothing but a memory. For the next few years Sun’s fans will have to remember the good times and, unfortunately always wonder what could have been.

The Game of Life

Happy Easter to everybody. I hope everybody had a great day spending time with their family and friends. It are days like these that people should cherish in their memories. A person never knows when they will needed for a higher calling. On April 9th, 2009 Nicholas James Adenhart answered that call. Something like this is bigger than baseball and bigger than sports. Adenhart touched the lives of many. Sure he was a good pitcher but he was even a greater human being. Teammates loved him and they said he was always smiling and always laughing. He always had the knack to bring the best out of people. On that faithful Wednesday night Adenhart had the game of his life. He pitched six shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics. This was probably one of the happiest moments in his life. The world wanted see more but his time on this plane was up. Adenhart had another game to play but it wasn’t going to be in any ballpark. His big smile and ability to bring happiness to people was needed elsewhere. So on this great Easter Sunday let us not mourn the death of Nicholas, instead let us celebrate a life. The life of a man who was not with us long, but in his short time here was able to teach the world so much. As human beings we are not remembered by are material possessions but by the good we bring in the world, and for that reason Nicholas James Adenhart will live forever in the hearts and minds of everyone.

This just makes me laugh

Woods Watch 2009

Eye of the Tiger

Do not fear. This is not the time Tiger starts to play. Today he shot a 72 and was two under par, but still there is nothing to worry about. Everybody knows that Tiger doesn't start playing until the weekend. Think about this way. Would you still be watching if Woods was dominating the field after two days of play? No, you would be watching baseball or basketball or trying to discover the meaning of life.

Actually I feel Tigers slow start brings for viewers to golf. People will sit and watch just waiting for Tiger to start his comeback. It is this suspense that keeps people coming back for more. The rest of the field at The Masters knows this as well. Just his presence alone makes golfers play that much worse. He is the Michael Jordan of golf. Players admit that they are not intimidate but inside they praying for a miracle. Both are the best at what they do and Tiger always finds a way to persevere. So just wait everybody. Its just a matter time before my favorite Blasian (a combination of a black and an Asian) makes a run for yet another green jacket.

The Diamondbacks are better then ever

After last years mid season debacle the Diamondbacks are back and ready to make a statement. Last year they were leading the National League West for 153 consecutive days until the Manny Ramirez led Dodgers came stole the the title.

But that was then and this is now. It's true the Diamondbacks are young but they have lot of upside to them. Justin Upton, 21, and Chris Young, 25, have the ability the be great in this league. They have great veteran leadership from likes of Tony Clark and Felipe Lopez. Left Fielder Conor Jackson also the ability to be a solid player. I would like to see the D'Backs attempt more steals this season. They are a fast team and I would like to see them show off their speed more often.

When it comes to pitching the D'Backs have one the deepest rotations in baseball. Cy Young runner up Brandon Webb will continue to prove his dominance. Dan Haren is good for at least 16 to 18 wins. The acquisition of Jon Garland will add even more depth to this remarkable pitching staff. Max Scherzer has some nasty stuff and can become a quality starter. Doug Davis is the wild card. Sometimes he can be spectacular other days he can be a D'backs fans worst nightmare.

But if the Diamondbacks want to make a run at the pennant the will have stop striking out. The numbers don't lie. Last year Arizona had 1,287 strikeouts, that was second most in baseball. The team swinged and missed 346 times with runners in scoring position, and batted a league low .251 batting average.The young guns didn't help much. Mark Reynolds had a record breaking 204 strikeouts. Upton had 121 and Snyder had 101.

But if the D'backs are able to make contact on the ball and if the pitching is as strong as it was last year Arizona has the capability to win the NL West and make a run in the playoffs

Cutler brings life to "DA BEARS"

Everybody knew that it was only a matter of time before Jay Cutler left Mile High. The question was more where then when. Well we know now that Cutler will be heading to Chicago. The Bears probably feel like a kid who just got a brand toy for Christmas. Yeah this is like if a kid received a sports car in the morning.

The Bears have been looking for a solid starting quarterback for about a couple decades now.
Here's a list of some of the quaterbacks who paid a visit to Chi-town.

Harbaugh, Tomczak1991: Harbaugh1992: Harbaugh, Peter Tom Willis, Will Furrer1993: Harbaugh, Willis1994: Erik Kramer, Steve Walsh1995: Kramer 1996: Kramer, Dave Kreig1997: Kramer, Rick Mirer1998: Kramer, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno1999: Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller2000: McNown, Matthews, Miller2001: Miller, Matthews2002: Miller, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris2003: Kordell Stewart, Chandler, Rex Grossman2004: Grossman, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson2005: Kyle Orton, Grossman2006: Grossman2007: Grossman, Brian Griese, Orton2008: Orton, Grossman.

I give credit to Rex Grossman. He was able to lead his team to the Superbowl, but in his 2007 campaign Grossman stayed true to his name. He threw four touchdowns and seven interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 67.1.

The old saying goes defense wins championship but whats the point if you can score any touchdowns. Year after year you can always find the Bears near the bottom of most offensive rankings. Well, except rushing attempts and yards of course. Cutler will change all that though. He is an accurate QB with a cannon for a arm. He won eight games with an imaginary defense. In other words: The man has skillz.

I am interested to see how Cutler will do without his stud wide out Brandon Marshall. The fourth year receiver out of Central Florida had 1265 yards, 104 receptions, six touchdowns, and a trip Hawaii. Last year Devin Hester only had 665 yards receiving. Hopefully Cutler can change that.