Lies Are The New Truth

Bill Maher speaks the truth.

Democratic Presidential Primary

Democrats are down to 3 candidates to become their 2016 Presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley.   Any 3 of them would be better than any of the candidates that the Republicans are fielding.  As for which of the three I will vote for in the Presidential primary, I'm honestly still a bit conflicted.

Hillary Clinton seems to be the most qualified of any of the candidates (from either party) to become the next President of the United States.  She's highly educated, she has spent 8 years in the White House already (she know first hand the pressures of that office), she spent 8 years as a United States Senator, and she spent 5 years as the United States Secretary of State.  On the downside, her favorability ratings are fairly low and her ties to Wall Street are a bit concerning.  The demonization she has faced from the right over the years has been non-stop, whether criticisms of her are true or not (mostly not), they have taken a toll.

I've been a huge Bernie Sanders fan for years, I agree with him on most of the issues and I do think that we need a revolution to shake things up and get us back on the right path and that Bernie is probably the best candidate to do that.  Bernie has been campaigning for single payer healthcare, campaign finance reform, climate change legislation, sentencing reform, voting rights, drug legalization, affordable college, saving Social Security, and many other issues that I feel very strongly about.  He's also railed against income inequality, Citizens United, unfair trade deals, and the Oligarchs.  Those are all issues that today's Democrats value, Hillary Clinton seems by many to still be stuck in the 1990's.  Times change.  I could see some disaffected anti-establishment Republican voters supporting Sanders too once they hear his message and are faced with having Donald Trump as their candidate.  On the downside, there may be some concerns over how he'd handle the military and foreign policy in what has become some very dangerous times.  You also have to know that many Republicans would love to bludgeon him with the "Socialist" label.  Lastly, you have to ask how he would get any of his legislation passed in a time of such extreme partisan gridlock.

Martin O'Malley honestly would probably make the best Democratic candidate.  He's got legislative experience as Mayor of Baltimore and as Governor of Maryland.  He has a track record of success.  He passed same sex marriage legislation, gun control legislation, eliminated the death penalty and reduced crime in his time as Governor of Maryland.  He hasn't excited anyone though and he's not really someone who people would be racing out to the polling stations to vote for and that's probably too bad because he's a worthy candidate.

In summary, I will be voting for whichever of these 3 candidates is left standing come November.

Curtain of Distraction

You've gotta love Michael Phelps.

POTpourri

• 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history. 
• Are you familiar with the failures of limited government? 
• I don't understand why "American Crime" didn't hire a new cast. 
• Democrats are not very fond of Donald Trump.
• Carly Fiorina campaign has been illegally coordinating with her super PAC.
• We really do need to end the scourge that is gerrymandering.  
• Remember when Republicans were considered conservationists?  
• RIP Glen Frey, Abe Vigoda, Alan Rickman & Dan Haggerty.  
• I should probably know Kerrie McMahon better. 
• Don't buy into the rights Labor Participation Rate talking point. 
• Is Michael Bloomberg going to mount a third party run for President? 
• The 2016 Academy Award nominations have been named. 
• I love watching Carly Fiorina interviews. 
• Republican Presidential candidates continue to live in an alternate universe. 
• Yes, the Bundy's should be charged for their standoff. 
• Did Putin approve of murder?  Probably. 
• Richest 62 people control more wealth than 3.5 billion people.  
• National Review goes all in against Donald Trump. 
• Can we stop with all of the reparations talk already. 
• Texas Grand Jury indicts makers of anti-Planned Parenthood videos. 

Xenia Deli

She's easy on the eyes.

AZ Tidbits

• Pot legalization measure on track for 2016 ballot in Arizona. 
• Could Arizona State lose their offensive coordinator already? 
• Arizona is not a great place to be poor. 
• Doug Ducey set to shame deadbeat dads. 
• Arizona Sheriff's opposed to border strike force. 
• Coyotes trade John Scott & Stefan Elliott. 
• 5 star point guard Kobi Simmons commits to Arizona. 
• Arizona GOP group votes to support anyone but McCain. 
• Why does Doug Ducey keep turning his back to education? 
• Arizona democrats are finally acting like an opposition party. 
• More people die by guns than cars in Arizona. 
• Loop 101 widening construction update here. 
• Arizona ranks low for tax burden. 
• Five of El Chapo's gun arsenal were purchased in Arizona. 
• Apparently, the Diamondbacks want an upgrade at second base. 
• Phoenix not ranked highly as a future ready city. 
• ASU commit N'Keal Harry now ranked #1 WR in the county. 
• Arizona's reliance on corporate tax cuts will be it's ruin. 
• Winslow remembers singer that made them famous. 
• Normal marijuana users are treated like junkies in Arizona. 

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

She nails it again.

NFC Championship Game

Panthers 49, Cardinals 15

The Cardinals season came to a close today with a crushing 49-15 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game.  The Panthers were clearly the better team in this game, it was a thorough thrashing, they deserve a trip to Super Bowl 50.   It was a fun season of watching the Cardinals though, at least up until this point, they were a highly entertaining bunch, so not all was lost.

Observations:

• Cam Newton has become quite the weapon.  MVP. 
• The Cardinals stars did not shine today.  
• Carson Palmer hasn't been the same since he hurt his index finger. 
• David Johnson was one of the few Cardinals who came to play today.      
• Today was the worst that I saw the Cardinals offensive line look this season. 
• Carson Palmer looked jittery once again this week. 
• Even Larry Fitzgerald was dropping passes.  
• Shouldn't a blow to the QB's head be a roughing penalty? 
• Patrick Peterson got greedy on that punt return.  It proved very costly. 
• The Cardinals defense seemed to really miss Tyrann Mathieu. 
• Turnovers:  Cardinals 7, Panthers 1
• Total Yards:  Panthers 476, Cardinals 287
• Time of Possession:  Panthers 36:39, Cardinals 23:21
• The Panthers feel like a team of destiny.  
• It was a quiet game for Calais Campbell & Dwight Freeney.  
• Not much went right for the Cardinals today.  
• I didn't think it was possible to like Ted Ginn Jr even less.  
• Cam Newton has got an absolute cannon of an arm.  
• I predict the Panthers to beat the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.  
• Up next?  2016 NFL Draft on April 28.  Needs:  CB, DL, OL, LB & QB

Trevor Noah on Sarah Palin

God help us if a Sarah Palin endorsement has any pull.

Robert Reich on Single-Payer

VS Swim Teaser

Count me as ready!

Benghazi Questions

With the opening of the movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" over the weekend there have been a lot of Benghazi questions floating around the media once again.  Well, I have questions too, perhaps someone can help me out.

1. Is it possible that Republicans fixation on Benghazi could perhaps have something to do with the fact that Hillary Clinton is running for President?  
2. Haven't 7 Benghazi probes already cleared Hillary Clinton of any wrongdoing? 
3. When Republicans voted to cut funding for embassy security, did it not occur to them that perhaps they were increasing the odds of an embassy attack? 
4. Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when there were 13 embassy attacks and 60 deaths under the watch of George W. Bush?  
5. Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when thousands of Americans died in the attacks of 9/11?  
6. Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when it was learned that George W Bush and Dick Cheney had lied us into a war in Iraq that cost thousands of lives (on both sides of the conflict) and cost billions of dollars?  
7. Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when 261 Americans were killed in a terrorist bombings in Beirut under Ronald Reagan's watch?  

RIP Glen Frey

Republican Economics

From what I can tell, Republicans answer to improving the economy has three basic tenants: 1) tax reform, 2) spending cuts, 3) deregulation.   In theory, they say this will unleash the chains that are slowing economic growth.

Let's take a closer look.

Tax Reform - In Republican parlance, this means tax cuts, more specifically tax cuts for the rich.  It doesn't matter that tax cuts to the rich have not worked in the past, it's part of their DNA and it's easy to sell.  In reality, going back to the huge tax cuts of Ronald Reagan, all they have done is explode the debt and increase income inequality.  There is evidence upon evidence upon evidence proving the fallacy that tax cuts to the rich will trickle down to everyone else yet they keep peddling this non-sense.  Fact is, Bill Clinton raised taxes and the economy improved, Barack Obama raised taxes and the economy improved, California & Minnesota raised taxes and their states thrived.  Do we really need more tax cuts for the rich?

Spending Cuts - Republicans love talking about the debt and the deficit, they especially love blaming them on Democrats and their free spending ways.  Fact is, the debt exploded under Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, and went down under Bill Clinton.  While the debt has increased under Barack Obama, the deficit has decreased dramatically.  I know it's easy to blame Obama for the current debt, but that's lazy thinking, he inherited a mess (including 2 unfunded wars) and has faced unprecedented obstruction in his attempt to address those issues.  Back to spending cuts, all you have to do is look to Europe to see how all of their austerity measures have failed to improved the economies of the countries there.  You don't cut spending to stimulate the economy, you increase spending, you get money flowing.  Infrastructure spending is a great example, don't think for a second that an infrastructure spending bill wouldn't have created thousands of jobs and stimulated growth (at low interest rates to boot).

Deregulation - Republicans like to argue that U.S. businesses are overburdened by undue regulations that stymie growth and innovation.  That may be true but unfortunately an economy without regulation is also an economy ripe for abuse.  Didn't we learn anything from the recent economic calamity?   You can directly trace the recent recession (near depression) to the deregulation of the financial industry.  Lack of regulation allowed Duke Energy to contaminate the drinking water in North Carolina.  Lack of regulation allows oil companies to leak oil near everywhere.  Do you really want to live in a world where there are no checks and balances on the food we eat or the water we drink?   Deregulation benefits nobody but the conglomerates that propose them.

So in conclusion, please keep the above in mind if you are voting Republican due to economic issues.  Also, keep note that the economy historically has done better under a Democratic administrations.

Labor Participation Rate

David Parkman explains this right wing talking point quite well.

Cardinals 26, Packers 20

The Cardinals knocked off the Packers 26-20 in OT tonight in the NFC Divisional playoffs.  They will now take on the winner of tomorrow's Panthers/Seahawks game for the NFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl 50.  It was a less than impressive performance by the Cardinals though, they will have to play better than that next week if they want to move ahead to the Super Bowl.  That being said, this was a great game, it will no doubt be remembered by football fans for a long time to come.

Observations:

• Games like this are what make the NFL the most popular sport in America.
• Sometimes it's just good to be lucky.  
• Is Aaron Rodgers the best hail mary passer of all time?   
• Larry Fitzgerald always seems to come up big in the post season.  
• The Cardinals offense didn't look like the top ranked offense in the NFL tonight. 
• I loved seeing Bruce Arians going for it early on fourth and short. 
• Great job by Michael Floyd to get both feet in bounds on his first touchdown.
• I can't help but think that Carson Palmer's injured thumb was bothering him. 
• That overturned pick six from Patrick Peterson really hurt. 
• Aaron Rodgers was getting way too much time to throw the ball. 
• Terrible throw by Carson Palmer on the Damarious Randall interception. 
• That overtime coin flip turned out to be very important.  
• The Dwight Freeney spin move comes through late once again. 
• Where the heck was the Cardinals running game?  40 yards on 19 carries. 
• The Packers seemed to be picking on Justin Bethel tonight. 
• Questionable late calls by Bruce Arians & Mike McCarthy in this one. 
• How do you allow Eddie Lacey to run for 61 yards?  He's so slowwwww. 
• Cardinal fans apparently didn't sell their playoff tickets.  
• It seems like just 3 weeks ago that the Cardinals sacked Rodgers 8 times. 
• Randall Cobb may have had the catch of the year that didn't count. 
• Up next?  Either in Carolina or @ home against Seattle next weekend. 

Hillary Clinton Iraq Vote

I keep hearing Hillary Clinton critics hitting her over her vote for the Iraq War.  I'm not concerned about that vote though and here's why:

• The Iraq War was a Bush/Cheney fiasco, they are the ones who brought it up to a vote, they are the one who fabricated the evidence to support it, they are the ones who should own it, not those who were lied into supporting it.  
• Do you really think that there would have even been a war in Iraq in the first place had Al Gore not had the 2000 Presidential election stolen from him?  No Democrat would have pushed for it. 
• The vote wasn't actually a vote to go to war in Iraq, it was a vote on the 'authorization for use of military force".  I know it's a fine line, but hear me out.  The idea of the vote wasn't to unilaterally and preemptively take us into a war in Iraq, it was to show bipartisan support that they could then take to the U.N. to gain broad international support.  That support would then be used as a tool towards more diplomacy.  It was Bush/Cheney who then ran with the resolution though and took us into war instead of slow walking a war of last resort that would have had more international support had it gotten to that point.   

Hillary Clinton Job Interview

Well done Jimmy Fallon.

POTpourri

• Alabama wins the National College Football Championship. 
• Rams set to return to Los Angeles for 2016 season. 
• Did we really need more proof that trickle down doesn't work? 
• Someone needs to school Republicans on the Labor Participation Rate. 
• North Dakota State wins their 5th straight FCS title. 
• I need to see more Brenda Song on television! 
• RIP David Bowie, Pat Harrington & Bill Foster. 
• The Ted Cruz birther controversy is quite ironic. 
• Carson Wentz is a very intriguing NFL QB prospect. 
• I'm very happy to see "Man Seeking Woman" return! 
• I should probably know more about Yovanna Ventura. 
• 2015 NFL All Pro Team named.  
• Cara Maria & Abe are painful to watch on "The Challenge". 
• Donald Trump may want to think twice before attacking Bill Clinton. 
• When did Sean Penn become a reporter?  
• You can thank Ronald Reagan for the out of control student debt. 
• Ted Cruz would be a bigger disaster than Donald Trump as President. 
• Complete 2016 Golden Globes winners list here. 
• Be careful if you're going to be driving through Texas anytime soon. 
• I think it's safe to consider Vontaze Burfict the dirtiest player in the NFL. 
• Marco Rubio is not a man of the people.  
• How exactly did Marco Rubio make his money again? 

2016 State of the Union

Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

AZ Tidbits

• Arizonans bought 19 tons of medicinal marijuana last year. 
• There are way too many crazy people in Arizona. 
• Patrick Peterson & Tyrann Mathieu named to 2015 NFL All Pro team. 
• Is it retirement time for John McCain?  
• I like the partnership being forged by the Arizona Coyotes & ASU. 
• Good to see the bolstered security for the College Football Championship. 
• Arizona schedules Grand Canyon University for next season! 
• I didn't realize that Yuma was the sunniest city on earth. 
• Not cool of Mike Norvell to raid the Arizona State football staff. 
• Best and worst cities in Arizona for LGBT rights?  
• Have you been to any of these iconic landmarks in Phoenix? 
• Thanks to all the Nevadans buying their Powerball tickets in Arizona. 
• Arizona legislator David Gowan just loves to drive. 
• Doug Ducey appoints partisan to Arizona Supreme Court. 
• John Scott set to represent the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL All Star Game. 
• I love how the Grand Canyon looks with a fresh blanket of snow. 
• The second half of the Suns season should be interesting to say the least. 
• Arizona State hires Kodi Burns as RB coach. 
• Gabriel Giffords & Mark Kelly have endorsed Hillary Clinton. 
• Is a open primary election system right for Arizona? 

New Hillary Clinton Ad

I like it, highly effective.

Seahawks 10, Vikings 9

NFC WILDCARD PLAYOFFS

The Vikings let one slip out their grasp today, falling 10-9 to the Seahawks in Minneapolis.  They were leading 9-0 late into the 3rd quarter before the wheels fell off.  Great players make great plays though and Russell Wilson did just that to swing the momentum.  Add in an Adrian Peterson fumble.  Then Blair Walsh missed a chip shot 27 yard field goal in the closing seconds.  Why do Viking playoff appearances always seem to end this way?   Heartbreaker.

Observations:

• That bad snap, throw up a prayer completion by Wilson was a killer. 
• As great as Adrian Peterson is, he does fumbles a lot. 
• The Vikings needed to turn those field goals into touchdowns.  
• I loved the early fourth down attempt by the Vikings. 
• Trea Waynes picked a good time to have his best game as a pro. 
• Mike Zimmer out-coached Pete Carroll today.  
• Teddy Bridgewater took a step this season, but still has a ways to go. 
• Kyle Rudolph really came up big when he needed to. 
• 4th Quarter scoring:  Seahawks 10, Vikings 0
• The Vikings defense really stepped up from that earlier loss to the Seahawks. 
• Sharrif Floyd had a heck of a game today.  Beast mode. 
• Remember when they use to call quarterbacks down when in the grasp? 
• Adrian Peterson didn't have a lot of yards, but that's not always the point.
• I'm guessing that Jon Ryan thinks twice about running the football going forward. 
• That was quite a catch by Doug Baldwin in the 3rd quarter. 
• Michael Bennett was just destroying the Vikings offensive line.
• Why can't I stop thinking about "Ace Ventura"?   Or "How I Meet Your Mother"? 
• It was so cold today that even the Gjallarhorn shattered. 
• Bud Grant scoffed at today's weather.  Legend! 
• Marshawn Lynch wanted nothing to do with the cold weather. 
• Up next?  2016 NFL Draft.  Needs:  OL, DB, LB, WR

Arina by Said Energizer

This video leaves me speechless!

2016 All MN NCAA Basketball Team

Here's my All-Minnesota NCAA Basketball teams for 2016.  With the defections of Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn to the NBA, it may be the weakest All-Minnesota team in quite a while.  There are really no big men to speak of.  I also added Reggie Lynch, Marcus Marshall & Siyana Chambers even though none is even playing this year.  The pipeline is really looking nice though, the state is producing some real good basketball talent, the future of Minnesota basketball appears bright.

FIRST TEAM:
C - Reggie Lynch - Minnesota - Edina, MN - SO (transfer)
PF - Reid Travis - Stanford - Minneapolis, MN - SO
SF - Joey King - Minnesota - Eagan, MN - SR
OG - J.P. Macura - Xavier - Lakeview, MN - SO
PG - Marshawn Wilson - Northern Illinois - Oakdale, MN - FR

SECOND TEAM:
C - Carson Shanks - North Dakota - Prior Lake, MN - SO
PF - Jake White - Nebraska-Omaha - Chaska, MN - SR
SF - Sanjay Lumpkin - Northwestern - Wayzata, MN - SO
OG - Marcus Marshall - Nevada - St Paul, MN - SR (transfer)
PG - Siyana Chambers - Harvard - Golden Valley, MN - JR (injury)

Previous Years: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

Killer Mike

He's a pretty impressive guy.

POTpourri

• Red states are red states because people don't vote. 
• Do you know what happened to the GOP establishment?
• Thomas Piketty knows income inequality.  
• Kelly Rohrbach set to play C.J. Parker in upcoming Baywatch movie. 
• The new Ford GT is looking pretty awesome. 
• Wall Street wants nothing to do with a Bernie Sanders Presidency. 
• The Tennessee Titans will have the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. 
• Twitter does not need to increase their character limit. 
• RIP Wayne Rogers & Natalie Cole. 
• Black Monday (stretched out to Wednesday) hits the NFL.  
• Why don't I know more about Lina Shekhovtsova?  
• I'm not a fan of the College Football Playoffs on New Years Eve. 
• It's okay to go on vacation alone if you want to. 
• Do people still take Arther Laffer seriously?  
• I'm not sure what to think of nude Miley Cyrus. 
• Don't let the GOP convince you that America is losing. 
• Red states may want to consider higher taxes and more regulation. 
• I see you Elsa Hosk!  And Kendall Jenner! 
• Do you need further proof to take everything the GOP says with a grain of salt?
• Ken Griffey Jr & Mike Piazza elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 
• We should all be afraid of right wing terrorists. 

Obama Executive Action on Guns

I fully support President Obama's executive action on guns.



It was long overdue.

2016 Presidential Field Update

And another one is gone.  George Pataki has called it quits on his 2016 Presidential run.  That leaves us with 15 candidates still in the running, 12 Republicans and 3 Democrats.

Here's how the remaining rank in my opinion (as far as their chances):

Democrats: 

1. Hillary Clinton
2. Bernie Sanders
3. Martin O'Malley

Republicans: 

1. Donald Trump
2. Ted Cruz
3. Ben Carson
4. Marco Rubio
5. Chris Christie
6. Jeb Bush
7. Rand Paul
8. John Kasich
9. Carly Fiorina 
10. Mike Huckabee
11. Rick Santorum
12. Jim Gilmore

George Pataki just never caught on.  Like Lindsay Graham before him, the timing was just not right for Pataki.  It's too bad too for Republicans because I think he could have fared well in a general election.  The Republican anti-establishment fervor just seems too fever pitched at this point for anyone considered to be part of the establishment from making a serious run.  In a way, that's a good thing, it's a sign that Republicans are finally seeing that their party is not working in their best interests.  Of course, it also means candidates like Donald Trump.  

Xenia Deli

She even makes those panties look sexy.

Vikings 20, Packers 13

The Vikings knocked off the Packers 20-13 tonight in Green Bay.  The Vikings finish their 2015-16 season with an 11-5 record.  The Vikings also clinched the NFC North title and a home playoff game with this victory.  This wasn't an easy one, the Vikings somehow managed to throw away a 20-3 fourth quarter lead and only clinched it on the last play of the game.  No easy task ahead for the Vikings though as they will match up with the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs and the Seahawks are playing as well as anybody.  NFC North Champs!!!

Observation:

• This was the Vikings first NFL North title since 2009.  
• The Vikings executed that early fake punt to perfection. 
• Adrian Peterson wrapped up his 3rd rushing title before the game even started. 
• 2 sacks for Everson Griffen tonight, that gave him 10.5 on the season. 
• Aaron Rodgers got way too much time to pass late in this game.  
• Xavier Rhodes picked a clutch time for his first interception of the season. 
• Eric Kendricks had himself a very nice game.  
• Just a horrible decision by Teddy Bridgewater on that Micah Hyde interception. 
• Adam Thielen made a nice contribution tonight. 
• Time of Possession:  Packers 35:42, Vikings 24:18
• Heads up play by Captain Munnerlyn to return that fumble for a touchdown. 
• Adrian Peterson is relentless near the end zone. 
• Tom Johnson has filled in nicely for the injured Linval Joseph.  
• Clay Matthews has become quite the punk.  
• One play that epitomizes Cordarrelle Patterson's season?  
• Perhaps Sharrif Floyd should be given some time at tight end. 
• The Packers may want to consider Eddie Lacey at nose guard next season. 
• Early Vikings draft needs:  OL, DB, LB, WR
• Ragnar is just embarrassing himself at this point. 
• Up next?  Seattle @ Minnespolis next Sunday in the 1st round of the NFC playoffs.

Seahawks 36, Cardinals 6

The Cardinals were pounded by the Seahawks 36-6 today at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  The Cardinals conclude their 2015-16 season with a franchise best 13-3 record.  Despite the loss, the Cardinals will still be the number 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.  It was pretty much a comedy of errors for the Cardinals today, it was easily their worst performance of the season.  I'm guessing it's not the way that Bruce Arians wanted the Cardinals to head into the playoffs. Hopefully, the week off will do them good and allow them to re-group.

Observations:

• The Cardinals played with very little intensity today. 
• On the bright side, Carson Palmer & Larry Fitzgerald did break franchise records. 
• It was the correct decision to not play Carson Palmer in the second half. 
• I sense the Cardinals already miss Tyrann Matthieu in their secondary. 
• At least Dwight Freeney had something to play for.  8 sacks in 11 games now. 
• Drew Stanton didn't exactly light the world on fire in his playing time. 
• Who the heck is Christine Michael?   
• Time of Possession:  Seahawks 36:37, Cardinals 23:23
• Turnovers:  Cardinals 3, Seahawks 0
• Rushing Yards:  Seahawks 145, Cardinals 27
• I'm guessing that Cam Newton edges out Carson Palmer for MVP after today. 
• At some point you'd think the Cardinals would decide to punt away from Tyler Lockett. 
• It seemed rather foolish for the Seahawks to play Russell Wilson in the second half. 
• That was the worst loss of Bruce Arians head coaching tenure.  
• Yep, Richard Sherman did deserve that taunting penalty. 
• Was that a Matt Barkley sighting at the University of Phoenix Stadium? 
• Early Cardinals draft needs:  CB, DE, LB, QB 
• Was that Paul Goldschmidt on the field as honorary captain today?  
• Mid 60's temperature today, perfect football weather, yet the roof was closed once again.
• Up next?  2nd round playoff matchup in Glendale against a yet TBD team in two weeks. 

Motley Crue Final Show

It was a nice run, but the time had come.

Cactus Bowl

West Virginia 43, Arizona State 42

The Sun Devils fell to West Virginia 43-42 tonight in the Cactus Bowl.  Arizona State finishes their season with a disappointing 6-7 record with this loss.  Very entertaining game, Arizona State just couldn't pull it off in the end.  The Sun Devils really needs to find a way to shore up its defense heading into next season.  The coaching needs to improve too.  Overall, just a very disappointing season for Arizona State.

Observations:

• Why didn't ASU go for a 2 point conversion after that last touchdown?
• Arizona State sure does give up a lot of big plays on defense. 
• Did D.J. Foster really catch a pass in every ASU game of his career? 
• Was it odd that Chip Lindsey was already calling plays for ASU? 
• Um yeah, Shelton Gibson was out of bounds on that reception.  
• Kweishi Brown was beat like a drum all night long. 
• There was a severe shortage of a pass rush by either team in this game.
• How do you use a timeout before a kickoff?  
• Devin Lucien ASU career was short but very memorable. 
• Was it my imagination, or was that a really long game? 
• Total Yards:  West Virginia 676, Arizona State 520
• Kareem Orr looks like he will have a future in the ASU secondary. 
• I can see Tim White carving out a Justin Bethel like NFL career. 
• That second quarter West Virginia squib kick was a disaster for them. 
• It'll be interesting to see if Mike Bercovici get's an NFL look.  
• Was that RB Gump Hayes playing in the Arizona State secondary? 
• Zane Gonzales has had a nice career at Arizona State.  
• Was that the Skylar Howard that the jury is still out on?     
• The parachuter into the stadium to start the game was a nice touch. 
• It was interesting watching ASU play football in downtown Phoenix. 
• Up next?  Northern Arizona University @ Tempe on September 3, 2016.  

AZ Tidbits

• 7 Arizona Cardinals selected to the NFL Pro Bowl. 
• Is Sylvia Allen really the best choice to head the Arizona Senate Education panel?
• Arizona LB Scooby Wright to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. 
• The 2015 Arizona All State football team is pretty impressive. 
• Best Arizona photos for 2015. Great pics! 
• Las Vegas odds makers are very bullish on the Arizona Cardinals. 
• Arizona congressman Trent Franks needs a civics lesson. 
• Check out the azcentral's 2015 Arizona Year in Review. 
• Michael Phelps set to coach at Arizona State when he retires from swimming. 
• Has there ever been a bigger bozo on the Suns than Markieff Morris?
• Is K.J. Hymes Arizona's next Marvin Bagley III?  Too soon?  
• Scottsdale & Tempe ranked among the Best Places for Singles. 
• Zip codes can correlate to life expectancy in Arizona. 
• How can you not be uncomfortable with power APS wields in this state. 
• Alabama vs Clemson for the College Football Championship in Glendale. 
• Shane Doan breaks Arizona Coyote franchise scoring record. 
• Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek is reportedly on thin ice.  Hot daughter though. 
• A fond good riddance to Sarah Palin from me. 
• Eric Bledsoe & Tyrann Mathieu to miss remainder of their respective seasons. 
• Scottsdale ranked as great place to launch a start up.