PHOENIX – In the offseason leading toward the 2024 Major League Baseball season, all eyes were on one man – Shohei Ohtani. One of the biggest free agent names in the history of the sport, Ohtani can pitch and hit with the best of them.
And he didn’t even need to pitch this season following elbow surgery to still come away as a unanimous American League MVP award winner.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Included in the contract is a record amount of deferred money, where he gets paid $2 million in salary over the 10 years, while getting $68 million a year the next 10 years after his Dodgers contract expires. Continue reading “Behind the diamond: How big MLB payrolls affect postseason success”
PEORIA – Whether behind the plate or in the batter’s box, Ethan Salas’ ability and maturity is evident even within a single at-bat.
At just 18 years of age, the San Diego Padres catching prospect already exudes composure and savviness that will make him an asset for any team – and it has been on full display for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.
SCOTTSDALE – Raised in Lapwai, Idaho, and a proud member of the Nez Perce Tribal Nation, Xavier Guillory comes from a family full of Native American athletes, which made the Arizona State wide receiver the ideal person to address about a hundred children from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community at the Fiesta Bowl Legacy Youth Football Clinic in Scottsdale.
Guillory’s grandfather played for the University of Idaho, and his father, who played safety at Eastern Washington University, was a huge influence on his decision to pursue a career in football.
PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant grabbed at his left calf as he checked in with 7:39 remaining in a recent neck-and-neck game against the Dallas Mavericks.
AVONDALE – For the final 25 laps Sunday, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney put on a show.
That they are teammates only added to the excitement for the sellout crowd at Phoenix Raceway before Logano held on and secured the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
PHOENIX – The Valley is often regarded as a basketball hotbed, home to many of the sport’s greatest talents, but the city’s beloved Phoenix Suns have never hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The Suns, established in 1968, are the oldest NBA franchise seeking its first title.
PHOENIX – After 35 grueling races, the NASCAR season comes down to just one race Sunday, as Phoenix Raceway hosts championship weekend for the fifth consecutive year.
Although 36 cars will be on the track Sunday, only four drivers will be eligible to win the championship:
Joey Logano: Logano is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion from Middletown, Connecticut. Logano won the 2017 and 2022 NASCAR Cup Series titles. He won at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to advance to the championship four.
Ryan Blaney: Blaney is the defending Cup Series champion. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dave Blaney and hails from Hartford Township, Ohio. Blaney advanced to the championship four following last weekend’s victory at Martinsville Speedway.
Tyler Reddick: Reddick is making his first career championship four driving for 23XI Racing. His car is co-owned by fellow driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick advanced to the championship four following his victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He hails from Corning, California.
William Byron: Byron is making his second consecutive championship four appearance. Last season, Bryon finished third in the championship race. He advanced to the championship four based on points. Byron will look to capture his first career NASCAR Cup Series title Sunday. He comes from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Although only four drivers who are competing can win the championship, that does not mean that only four cars will be found on the track. All 36 drivers will be competing whether they can win the championship or not. The reason this is allowed is so that points standings spots 5-36 can be finalized and each driver and team can get their end-of-season bonus depending on where they finish.
For the four drivers who are championship-eligible, their path to win is very simple. Finish ahead of the other three eligible drivers and you win the title. For example, Blaney could finish in 11th place, but as long as he finishes ahead of Logano, Reddick and Byron, he wins the championship.
The other 32 competitors who are not racing for a title normally let those four pass them to duke it out. Last year, Ross Chastain ended up winning the race but was not eligible for the title, the first time that has happened since the current playoff structure was introduced in 2014.
Another item to consider this weekend is teammates. In NASCAR, each team has a select number of drivers and the drivers within the team consider themselves teammates. This weekend, two of the four drivers eligible to win the championship are teammates as Logano and Blaney both drive for Team Penske.
Having teammates race one another is not a rare occurrence in the championship race. Over the last 10 championship races, seven of those have had teammates fighting one another to win the championship.
While some see racing your teammate for the championship as a negative, Blaney and Logano don’t.
“Being able to lock in early means there’s more resources to where we can try to get the 12 (car) equally as prepared as the 22,” Logano said.
Blaney added that “I don’t think there’s any challenges. I feel like that’s made up from the outside. It has just doubled the effort of giving two opportunities to bring a championship to Team Penske.”
Coming into this weekend, no clear favorite separates himself. As it sits, most betting markets have defending champion Blaney as the favorite at anywhere from +175 to +250.
When asked about the competition this weekend, the drivers were fairly diplomatic.
“I can cheat the questions on this one because I have a teammate and we kind of got the same stuff, so I would say Joey because hopefully it makes my stuff good, too,” Blaney said.
Byron believes it’s “going to come down to execution and being there at the right time. This race is freeing because it is all about the finish.”
Sunday broadcast coverage can be found on NBC and Peacock starting at 1 p.m. MST and radio coverage on Sirius XM channel 90 and mrn.com.
Ryan Blaney talks to the media before attempting to defend his NASCAR Cup Series title. Blaney could become the first Cup champion to win two in a row since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. (Photo by Natalie Lopez/Cronkite News)Although 36 cars will be on the track Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, only four drivers will be eligible to win the championship. (Graphic by Cooper Burns/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Just like that, a season filled with ups and downs came to a sudden end for Phoenix Rising FC, first when the team failed to defend its USL title Sunday, followed by Thursday’s announcement that it was parting ways with interim head coach Diego Gomez.
Gomez and the Rising went their separate ways after the club suffered a 2-1 loss to New Mexico United in the first round of the USL playoffs on the road, abruptly ending Phoenix’s bid for a repeat championship..
“Diego stepped into a challenging role this season, and we’re incredibly grateful for his leadership and dedication to Phoenix Rising,” Rising president Bobby Dulle said. “He brought stability to the team during a critical time, and his impact has been significant both on and off the field. After careful consideration, we believe the best path forward is to look externally for a head coach who can lead us into the next phase of success for this club. We have immense respect for Diego and appreciate all he’s done for Phoenix Rising.” Continue reading “Phoenix Rising FC eyes new coach, healthy roster after disappointing end to 2024 season”
PHOENIX – Before leading programs in Orlando and Tempe, Gus Malzahn and Kenny Dillingham worked together as head coach and offensive coordinator at Auburn University. On Saturday, the duo will face off as head coaches in a student-versus-teacher matchup for the first time as Malzahn’s UCF Knights come to the Valley.
Proteges coaching against former bosses can sometimes produce hostile comments before the game and tense battles on the field (see the Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud). While the final form of the on-field matchup remains a mystery, the two coaches clearly have nothing but respect for one another.
TEMPE – The Arizona Cardinals have had a peculiar season up to the halfway mark. In Week 4, Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury made their return to the Southwest and embarrassed the Cardinals 42-14 on their home turf. It was not a pretty scene and a microcosm of the team’s ailments up to that point.
The offense was efficient in the pass game but mostly failed to generate significant yardage. The defense was getting run all over to the tune of 216 yards and four touchdowns, allowing a score on every drive.
PHOENIX – Longevity is never a given in any industry. Coaching jobs in the NBA are no exception.
The only current coaches to stay with a team for at least 10 seasons are Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets), Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs).
“It’s a sobering reality of our profession,” Spolestra said Wednesday before the Heat faced the Suns at Footprint Center. “I’m forever grateful to the leadership of Pat Riley and the Arison family. They believe in a culture that has stability, structure and a family atmosphere. And there is business to be done. Sometimes there’s tough decisions to be made. Continue reading “From video coordinators to head coaches, history between Erik Spoelstra, Mike Budenholzer runs deep”
Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks Tommy Troy, 1,050 words.
3 photos available.
By Sean Brennan Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – Growing up, Gino Groover’s parents told him there is a small amount of truth to any joke. So whenever the Arizona Diamondbacks’ No. 9 prospect gives middle infielder Tommy Troy a hard time for working too hard, a small amount of seriousness is sprinkled in.
“I’d be like,‘Dang Tommy, you’ve been swinging for a minute,’” Groover said. “I always tell him, ‘Save some good swings for the game.’”
Slug: Sports-Arizona Fall League Johnson, 800 words.
File photo available.
By Jalen Weathers Cronkite News
PHOENIX – The USA men’s baseball Premier12 team visited Phoenix Municipal Stadium recently to face Arizona State in a tune-up game as the U.S. prepared for the upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation Championship.
But for infielder Termarr Johnson of Team USA, it was much more than just an exhibition game.
PHOENIX – Social media has served as a powerful conduit for athletes to share their political beliefs. That was never more evident than after Tuesday’s presidential election.
Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić, who is from Bosnia-Herzegovina, spoke to reporters Wednesday about athletes using their social media platforms, while others used theirs to share strong opinions after Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election to Donald Trump.
PHOENIX – One of the strongest messages to come out of Tuesday’s initial College Football Playoff ranking was the committee’s lack of respect for the Big 12, with its current leader ranked lower than many expected, despite an undefeated record.
BYU was slotted in at No. 9, despite a strong resume of ranked wins over No. 13 SMU on the road, and No. 19 Kansas State. Compared to teams ahead of the Cougars, only Georgia and Oregon have two or more ranked wins based on the committee. Over half of the top 9 have zero as of week 10. All of the teams ahead of BYU, besides No. 8 Indiana, would be considered “traditional” football powers.
Slug: Presidential Election Betting. 1,020 words. By Brenden Paul.
Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).
By Brenden Paul Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As voters went to the polls on election day and early ballots continued to come in, most Americans were able to legally wager on the outcome of the presidential election for the first time.
Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks De Castillo, 1,100 words.
Photo available.
By Tyler Bednar Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Adrian Del Castillo is a name Arizona Diamondbacks fans could get used to hearing in 2025. After making his MLB debut and playing 25 games last season, Del Castillo is in a prime position to play a larger role next season.
The rookie appeared in 24 of his 25 games at catcher, after Gold Glove winner Gabriel Moreno entered the injured list, and hit .313 with four home runs, five doubles and 19 RBI. Del Castillo’s .893 on-base plus slugging percentage was 46 percent better than the league average.
By Connor Moreno and Patrick Holleron Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As Spanish music and vibrant accompanying lights filled Footprint Center throughout a 103-97 Phoenix Suns victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday, the Suns and their fans celebrated more than just a win.
The game was played on the Suns’ ninth annual Dia de los Muertos night, celebrating a Mexican holiday that shows respect and appreciation for the dead. The Suns Dance Team members wore face paint depicting a calavera – sugar skulls – and performed alongside folklórico dancers at halftime.
PHOENIX – On Tuesday, voting will take place – we aren’t talking about politics.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2024 will be released, and with a new 12-team format, discussion will center around seedings and automatic qualifiers.
PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC seeks a rare feat, one that hasn’t been accomplished since 2018, when Louisville City FC won back-to-back USL titles.
Heading into this year’s playoffs, Rising’s road to gold appears all too similar to last season’s run. In the 2023 playoffs, Rising came in as the sixth seed in the Western Conference and needed road wins over San Diego Loyal SC, Orange County SC and Sacramento Republic FC to earn a shot at the title. After passing each test with victories, Rising went on to capture their first championship in franchise history against Charleston Battery.
Phoenix enters the 2024 USL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the conference and needs a similar run away from home to defend its USL championship, starting Sunday against conference foe New Mexico United.
