(Alternate Title: Dang, It's Hard to Take Notes and Watch at the Same Time). Suns were in game five of a five game homestand. The Gorilla's birthday was also celebrated tonight. Which doesn't mean much if you're not a Suns fan. Both teams started 1 of 5 from the field. Yao tired 3 minutes in, but to his credit, he kept working. Apparently he gets what it takes to get to the next level. Plus, he's probably fresher than most of the players, since he's only played about 30 games this year due to injury. And Yao can shoot free throws. Geez, I love fundamentals. I didn't think much of the Rockets coming into this game, but Yao and T-Mac (can somebody come up with some nicknames, for crying out loud??) pack a pretty good 1-2 punch. Impressive first quarter on both sides so far-lots of guys contributing. I spoke too soon. Just before a timeout is called seven minutes in, Yao is bent over with hands on knees, huffing and puffing. He was effective, but now needs a breather. He got one. Mutombo was in after the break. Who, by the way, was a great pickup as a backup center for the Rockets. Late in first, Suns 22, Rockets 16. T-Mac (how 'bout the McGrady Bunch?) is heating up. But it's apparent he is like any other great scorer-he needs help to win any big game or series. (McGrady's Navy?) I really thought Mutombo would fare well against Amare Stoudemire. Wrong. Yao's height gave him much more problems. Mutombo looked just plain old against Amare. Leandro Barbosa ends the first quarter with a Nash-like playground shot. Suns lead 30-20. Early in second quarter, game becoming more like I thought it would be. The current Rockets have not matched up well with the Suns. I see John Lucas checks in with about nine minutes left. Wow. Most will remember his dad as an NBA coach in the '90s. I remember his dad as an All-American basketball player and tennis star at the University of Maryland in the mid-70s. He later had some drug problems. The current John Lucas for the Rockets has a bright future. I don't think he has as much talent as his dad did, but may have a better career. He's got game. And he's going to get better. Yao back in. Didn't take long. He's bent over huffing again. Five and a half to go in the second. T-Mac (McGrady Hawkins? No, never mind), is hitting some shots again. And the Suns should play some more bench players. I know, I should alert the media. The Matrix hits a nice little runner with three minutes left in the half. And the local announcer, Gary Bender says it "Barometer Week" for the Suns. Great way to put it, with a game at Dallas coming up on Wednesday, Detroit at home on Friday, and at Denver on Saturday. The Suns haven't played the Nuggets with Carmelo and A.I. yet. And that could be a first round matchup. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Suns lead 52-42 at halftime. Juwan Howard (remember him?) hit all six of his shots in the first half. Yes, the Rockets could cause a lot of problems in the playoffs-as long as they don't play the Suns. It's just a bad matchup for Houston. Second half:: Both teams start cold, like in the first half, but the Rockets are inching back into it. It's 55-51 three and a half minutes in. And Yao looks done. Very heavy legs. Whoa! There's a lob pass to Yao-Marion rises up to steal it. Wow. Sometimes as a Suns fan you forget how good The Matrix is when you see him every game, because you get used to it. Five and a half left in the third. D'Antoni gets tossed. Rumor has it that someone told him he had ten seconds to come up with a nickname. Apparently he didn't, and got quite upset by it. Marion's having a patented Marion game-not exceptional in any one area, but he's doing what most teams call on two or three players to do. As I jot this down, Marion blocks Yao's shot and gets a dunk at the other end. Are you kidding me? Whoop! Don't look now, but Marion just missed a finger roll. It rolled off the other side. Guess who got the rebound? Marion. Jump hook. Two points. (Damn, I freakin' love that guy). Did you see that? Kurt Thomas just blocked Yao's shot. Yao got the ball back. Holy crap! Thomas blocked it again. Suns on the fast break. Thomas is open for a jumper from the wing- -swish. That's justice. Time out Rockets!! And the crowd goes wild. Suns win. 103-82. Say this name slowly, and don't forget it - - Leandro (lee-ON-dro) Barbosa. If you're a Suns fan, thank your lucky stars that owner Robert Sarver signed (lee-ON-dro) to an extension this past off-season. He had 32 points tonight, tying his career high from a few games ago. He was 5 of 6 from behind the arc, and also had eight rebounds. As Gary Bender said, it's a 'Barometer Week' for the Suns. Let's go. I'm ready. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Coming off a 5-11 season, the Arizona Cardinals appear to be a team that needs help all over the field, personnel wise. And granted, one can only sugarcoat a 5-11 season so much. There is much help needed. However, upon further review, it's obvious that ousted head coach Denny Green and his outgoing staff had as much stability as Brittany Spears on a three-day furlough. For example, the offense had three line coaches in three years, one of whom had been cut from the team only a few days earlier. And the team's performance on the field reflected that-poor clock management, a propensity for drive-altering penalties on both sides of the ball, and an inability to achieve and sustain any consistency in general, to name just a few issues. Though talent-wise, one could argue that they should have been contenders, especially considering that the NFC West (and NFC in general) was fairly weak. Especially when taking into account the number of games the Cards should have or could have won, but didn't.

            Enter new coach Ken Whisenhunt, hired away from the successful, and very stable, Pittsburgh Steelers. Whisenhunt seems to carry a good degree of mental toughness, and has assembled an impressive staff that should be able to "coach up" the players that are able, such as cornerbacks Antrel Rolle and Eric Green, and replace the ones who are not. Let's start with the offensive line, long a sore spot for the Cards and long a staple of successful teams. Last season's offensive line played noticeably better the last third of the season. And due in no small part to the fact that the same crew started the last five games, Edgerrin James' productivity increased. And as any football fan knows, a successful running game opens up the entire playbook, while not allowing defenses the luxury of facing a one-dimensional team. For example, either third and five or second and nine could still be running downs, and defenses must play honestly. Thus is the benefit of a potent running attack. Which obviously makes it easier for your receivers to get open should you decide to throw instead.  

            Although the O-line finished the season on a bit of a high note, there is still depth needed, and a quality upgrade is almost sure to happen under Whisenhunt and new line coach Russ Grimm. Starting left tackle Leonard Davis has been informed that the team will not use the franchise or the transition tag on him, and free agency awaits. But judging by Davis' comments since he was notified he wouldn't be franchised, don't close the door on his return to the team just yet. Naturally, his agent, on the other hand, is singing a different tune-Leonard will be the best free agent tackle available. Maybe so, but that doesn't necessarily translate into big dollars. The feeling of this writer is that the Cards could do much worse than telling Davis up front that they will play him at guard, where he can flatten people, re-signing him to a longer term deal but at less per year than other teams will offer him to play tackle, and plugging him in the line to help pave the way for a deadly inside running game. A big fear of Cardinal fans is that Davis will go the way of Thomas Jones, Corey Chavous, Chris Chandler, Steve Beuerlein, Ricky Proehl, Garrison Hearst-oh what the heck, let's go all the way back to Jay Novacek-as former Cardinals who went elsewhere and became solid, non-expendable NFL players. (The temptation to bring up Pete Kendall and L.J. Shelton is almost irresistible, but I think I've already mentioned Denny Green's personnel errors regarding the offensive line).

            Pardon my long-windedness, but this brings us to the upcoming free agency period and the draft. As much attention as the offensive line gets on any team, the most overlooked and under appreciated position is the center. The Cardinals drafted two of them 2005-Nick Leckey and Alex Stepanovich. Both have started their share of games. And I don't think either is ready for prime time. Both are restricted free agents (RFA). The Cardinals need a bulldog at the center position. And Robbie Tobeck of the Seahawks, Larry Izzo of the Patriots, and Rich Braham of the Bengals are all unrestricted free agents (UFA). Go get one. Or, if the Cards happen to trade down and wind up with an extra first round pick, grab Ryan Kalil out of USC. He played alongside Deuce Lutui in college, a first round pick last year from USC who started late in the season and seemed to establish himself at right guard.

            Speaking of the guard position, Grey Ruegamer of the Giants may be a bargain free agent to go after. He would be in his 11th year, but he hasn't played a high number of snaps in the NFL. Okay, maybe there's a reason for that-but he may be refreshed returning to the Valley of the Sun, where he starred at Arizona State. And he probably has more football left in him than most 10 year linemen. A one or two year free agent deal might not be a bad idea. Or, grabbing Ben Grubbs from Auburn in the draft, if he's available, or Justin Blalock from Texas may prove to be solid moves as well, even early in the second round.  

            Amidst this speculation sits an offensive linemen who played well enough to warrant a spot on the '07 roster. Reggie Wells found himself at right tackle midway through the season and was pretty solid. Not to mention the fact that he can play multiple positions. Ideally, you would stick him at a line spot and let him play. But his versatility makes him a keeper.

            On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals have talent at each level; the line, linebackers, and secondary. Depth is the major objective here. With that in mind, Tim Crowder from Texas (no, I'm not a Longhorn fan) may  be a good third round pick, if available. If not, LaMarr Woodley of Michigan or UFA Chris Kelsay of Buffalo would be good pickups.

            At defensive tackle, Dan Klecko of the Colts would be a nice addition. He's an UFA, he's got his best days ahead of him, hopefully. Hollis Thomas of the Saints would be worth a look also, if he can be gotten for the right price. Otherwise, grab Turk McBride out of Tennessee in the third round if he's still there. I would lean toward the aforementioned free agents, however. It's not a great year for DTs in the draft, and the Cards are not in dire need of many right now.

            At linebacker, Cato June will no doubt be a highly sought free agent, but I think Brandon Short of the Giants would be just as effective and would come a little cheaper. (With all these free agent names I've been throwing out there as possibilities, keep in mind the Cardinals will have around 25 million to spend in free agency).

            In the secondary, going after a veteran like Nate Clements (Buffalo) may not be a bad idea. Neither would a late round steal like Thomas DeCoud of Cal or Jonathan Wilhite of Auburn. If either is there in the fourth round, I'd grab him. Also. taking a free agent flyer on underrated cornerback Hank Poteat of the Jets would warrant serious consideration if the situation presented itself. He's worth a long, hard look.

 

 

(Disclaimer: The above speculations were made with the author's assumption that the Cardinals will be adequate or above average at the quarterback, wide receiver, and running back positions; they will integrate their recent draft pick at tight end into the mix more; and that their many young quality defensive players will take the next step. If these assumptions prove to be inaccurate, it will be another long season for the Cards).

Thanks for taking the time to read.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Phoenix Suns tonight, 116-103, the Suns' first loss by more than ten points all season in 51 games, which is a record. But records and winning streaks aren't what the Suns are after. As their ad campaign says, they have their "Eyes on the Prize." And if the prize is indeed to come to fruition, Head Coach Mike D'Antoni will need to prove his mettle.

 

 

 

The Suns played without starters Steve Nash and Boris Diaw, and of course have been without backup big man Kurt Thomas for a few weeks now. But the glaring weakness in the Suns games recently has been their lack of defense and their propensity to give up too many uncontested baskets, whether they be in the paint or outside jumpers. The Suns also shoot a significantly higher percentage from the field when Nash is in the lineup, as he gets players the ball when they are open and ready to fire. Any team would miss a point guard of Nash's caliber, but in addition to the lower field goal percentage, they have a tendency to get out of control on the fast break without Nash running the show for any length of time. And with or without Nash, the fast break isn't always there, especially now that the Suns have a bit of a league-wide presence, with teams now gearing up to play them and aware of their fast break potency. Stoudemire, and the Suns as a whole, have improved their half-court game since the season started, but it's not enough. Not yet. There is still work to be done. As is the case on defense, there are too many times when the Suns don't make the most of a possession. They must overcome the tendency of getting off a poor shot late in the shot clock when the fast break isn't there.

 

 

 

Defensively, their play as a unit isn't the problem-when they have all their players available. They usually are pretty adept at weakside help, deflecting or intercepting passes into the paint, and making teams work and use up much of the shot clock. The problem with the Suns lies in the individual defense they play. Other than Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, and sometimes Amare Stoudemire, who has picked up his interior defense noticeably, the Suns' players aren't focused enough on individual defensive play. Which makes it difficult to win when a few players are missing, as they have been lately. As a result, their lack of individual defense forces them into thinking they have to double-team a big man in the low post. Whether that mindset is real or imagined, it allows open jumpers, many of which are threes that can greatly affect the outcome of a game.  I'm not sure why the Suns feel they have to do this, as big men on the low block rarely give the Suns a lot of trouble-or any team for that matter, as the NBA has become more and more a perimeter game in recent years. Even a healthy Shaquille O'Neal has been steamrolled by the Suns' style in recent meetings, as he and players with similar styles don't last too long in the up-tempo proceedings.

 

To the Bulls' credit in tonight's game, Luol Deng stepped up big time, finishing with 29 points and proving to be a handful the entire game. Ben Gordon had 27, but shot poorly. The dagger for Chicago was Kirk Hinrich, who is well on his way to becoming one of the better point guards in the league, and who scorched the Suns during a decisive fourth quarter run with one crucial shot after another. Regarding my earlier point about the individual defense that the Suns are lacking when they put a slightly different lineup on the floor, Deng and Hinrich shot a combined 22-36, with Hinrich going 5-7 from beyond the arc. Every stat in the game was relatively close, save field goal percentage. The Suns shot 40.7%, the Bulls 50.6%.  Thus, a thirteen point Chicago victory. It came as no surprise that the Bulls were especially hungry for this win, given the fact that they gave up a 16 point, second half lead in a loss at home to the Suns in Chicago in early January. Not to mention the fact that Bulls coach Scott Skiles coached the Suns a few years back, and no doubt found a little extra satisfaction in the win.

 

 

 

As for the Suns, the effort was there. It always is. And with some players missing, it's understandable that their play has suffered as of late. But a little more attention to the finer points of winning basketball games against good teams would go a long way. The good news for them is that with a few players ailing, bench players like James Jones, Marcus Banks, and Pat Burke are getting to see significant minutes. Banks especially has elevated his play as of late. And in tonight's game, even Jalen Rose saw some playing time, hopefully a sign of things to come. This can only help them in the long run. If they focus defensively as well. Of course the bad news is that, while the Suns play adequate team defense when fully healthy, the necessary influx of new players and minutes may make their individual defensive deficiencies even more glaring. No, the Suns don't have to be a great defensive team to win a title, but stretches of solid "D" are a necessity. And a championship team knows almost instinctively when the "D" needs to be stepped up. I can't help but think of the Bulls-Suns NBA Finals of '93, when the Bulls always seemed to have an 8-0 lurking just around the corner, often when you least expected it. An 8-0 run doesn't sound all that devastating on the surface, but in a game between two fairly evenly matched teams, it is enough to be the difference. A championship team knows that at any moment, a game-altering play or sequence can occur.

 

 

 

Nothing in this writing is to imply that the Suns can't win a title with their style of play. They can. It's been done before, and will be done again. The point is this-with their top seven or eight players under contract for a few more seasons, the time is now. This team is on the precipice of winning not one title, but possibly more than one with their lineup. Throw in the fact that they have two first round picks next year, including Atlanta's, provided that it's not in the top three, and the future is very bright for Suns fans. Granted, lots of things have to fall into place for any team in any sport to win multiple championships, so to imply that this Suns team is capable of doing so is putting the cart miles in front of the horse. But the Suns management, run superbly from top to bottom by Robert Sarver, one of the best owners in the league, has given Mike D'Antoni the reign to build the team as he has seen fit. And no championship this season does not necessarily constitute a failure. But as we all know, the window of opportunity in sports can close quickly, so for the Suns, the time is now. It's time to see if Mike D'Antoni can really coach with the big picture in mind.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read.   

 

Attention all of my favorite bloggers: I have not had much time recently to read the offerings of my favorite writers on this site. Nor have I had a chance to check out some of the newer writers, as I normally do, for new viewpoints, angles, and jokes I can steal, uh, get a good laugh from. Starting now, I am going to plow through my list of favorites and catch up on what y'all have done in the last few weeks that I missed. I will also no doubt run across some who are more recent entrants into the blogging community here on Fox sports.

Please do not feel slighted if I haven't gotten around to reading your stuff lately. Oh who am I kidding. I'm sure most of you don't give a rat's rear if I read you or not. But I'm going to get through them. It may take me awhile, depending on how many of you have been using company time for the advancement of your personal goal of doing as little as you can while discussing sports, and since I don't like the idea of leaving a comment unless I read the entire post. But I'll get through the ones I missed and get caught up. If it takes me too long, I'm going to blame those of you who tend to be a little long-winded, or should I say long-fingerd. (Feeling guilty about all that posting at work now, aren't you??)

Anyway, here goes.  I'm off to catch up on some quality reading.

No comments are necessary here. I'm especially referring to you who were thinking of something nasty to reply with as you were reading this. I will probably delete this post in a week or so anyway, since the timeliness will have worn off by then. I know, you're thinking "all of your posts lose their effect after a few days, Ricko. Why should this one be different?"

Okay, I had that coming.

No spamming categories, either. This is going in 'Other.'

Thanks for wasting your time to read. And I do sincerely apologize for my lack of attention.

In light of media day here at the Super Bowl, we, The Knowledgeable Fan Club, a.k.a. "KFC", have called this brief meeting. You all got to do your thing at media day. And based on some of the questions we observed during that, and granted, some from the past which some of you may not have been involved in, we deemed it necessary to call for this get together, as it is now painfully obvious who is behind the "dumbing down" of America. Now take your seats. The quicker you all get settled, the quicker you can all get out of here and go get some more of that free food and drink. Or whatever it is you heathens do at a function like this.

 

Hey! You newspapers guys! Pay attention! Same with you peeps doing the pre-game, halftime, post-game and post-post game shows - - on both radio and TV; eyes forward! All you dot com folks, I'm talking to you too - - ESPN, Fox, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, SI, The Sporting News - - ALL of you!! Find a seat and shut your collective pie holes for a few minutes! Hopefully I'll only have to go over this once-if you all pay attention.

 

Thank you. Now, here goes. You each should have been given a copy of the memo when you walked in the door. It details what we are expecting of all you so-called experts in the coming days. If you're smart, you'll follow along on your memo as I go through these.

 

#1- Use of the word notorious. Hey, you two guys in the CBS shirts--Quit screwing around! This applies as much to you as anyone. Anyway, use of the word "notorious" in the following manner is NOT acceptable: "Peyton Manning is notorious for his quick-strike ability." Unless Peyton is a hitman in the off-season and we're not aware of it, this is an incorrect use of the word. Another form of the word, "notoriety," is also not acceptable. As in, "The Chicago Bears have achieved a great deal of notoriety over the years for their stellar defense." Uh, no. They haven't. Now you could say that about the Colts, but that's another story that I'll let you expound on come game time.

 

#2- The phrase "World Champions." This isn't the Olympics or the World Championships, like they have in hockey, figure skating, or boxing. Okay, forget boxing. Bad example. Point is, "World Champions" sounds pompous and arrogant, as if you're implying that just because a team is the champion of a league based in America, that they are champions of the world. Besides, it just makes you who use it sound, well, ignorant. And look like a bunch of lemmings, using an overused phrase again and again. (Now, admittedly, you will more than likely see the winning team sporting T-shirts with the words "World Champions" on them. We forbade the NFL from using it, but they threatened to sue if they couldn't. Which is the same thing they said when we demanded that their halftime show be cut in half. But we are going to hit the ground running and get this implemented for next year. It's going to be shorter. Or consist of a reunion of the original members of Van Halen. And lengthened. But I'm getting ahead of myself now).

 

#3- Refrain from using "(team name) has scored 17 unanswered points." Unless the game is over. If the game isn't over, the points can still be answered. This edict wouldn't be as crucial if the term hadn't been used ad nauseam over the past several seasons. (See "notoriety" above). And if we hadn't heard the term "seven unanswered points" several times this season. Honestly, we did. Instead, use "straight points" or "consecutive points." Or even, if you want to stoop to the level of an NBA broadcast, say a team is "on a 17-0 run," which they use at least five times a game.

 

#4- Do not show on the screen or refer to a quarterback or team having a certain number of fourth quarter comebacks. Folks, listen. Seriously. Roughly half of all NFL games have what is commonly referred to as a fourth quarter comeback. Get this through your heads-it's NOT that big a deal.

 

#5- Do not ask the following in any way, shape, or form: "So, how does it feel to win/lose the biggest game of your career?" People, if you really have to ask, you should be in a different line of work. Like, maybe, at a car wash? "Would you like a wax job with that, ma'am/sir?" At least that's a question that merits an answer.

 

 

Now are there any questions? WAIT. Forget I said that. Like I said, I've heard some of your questions. Okay, that's all for now. But remember these rules. You all are being graded for the next week or so. And I would suggest carrying these forward into your future journalistic endeavors. If there are any. As you may have noticed, I listed my cell phone number on the bottom of the memo if you have any questions. But they had better be good ones. And don't bother calling between 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM MST on Sunday. I'll be watching the FBR Open, the best Super Bowl pre-game show there is.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. Bears 23, Colts 20.