Latest Fanster.com post- about Amare

http://smi.sh/18683

Bracket update- Sweet 16

My latest post- on how my bracket is almost dead- is posted on fanster.com

http://smi.sh/5c700

Latest Fanster.com post- my NCAA tournament bracket

I've got a new post up...my bracket is doing well despite some big losses: http://smi.sh/755c8

ASU- Why Must You Make Me Look Stupid?

My latest on fanster.com:

http://smi.sh/2b25c

NIT Bound Devils- Still a Great season

My latest post on fanster.com: http://smi.sh/edb22

Not my words, but SO funny and true (in my eyes)

Sorry UofA peeps...I have to agree with my buddy Nate on what he wrote to one of his friends:

Always have been always will be die hard ASU. Johnny (the friend), it's easy to root for someone that always wins. Whether or not asu makes it to the dance is irrelevant to me (they bored the crap out of me this year). I am drinking a Dr Pepper daily to the fact that (Lute) Olson left UofA's basketball legacy exactly where its school's physical presence has always resided, the toilet of our great state.

I differ in that I DO care if ASU gets into the NCAA Tournament (but they do bore me when I watch them), but any chance to take a shot at Tucson is worth some web space. GO DEVILS!

Devils Small on Big Stage

My latest post is up on fanster.com about the Devils, their loss to Stanford, and their chances for the NCAA Tourney

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2010/03/11/happily-trapped-fan-devils-small-big-stage/

I am now on Fanster.com

For the few (or many) of you who have been following my blogs, I thank you dearly. I have been given the chance to contribute to the local sports site, fanster.com. I am very happy for the opportunity to have a built in audience of over 100,000 readers every month (according to its founder). So, unless I post something that is unrelated to Phoenix sports, all my posts will be there. However, I will, for those who like to use blogger, announce on facebook and on here the new post and have a link.

Here's to a new opportunity- or at least a new hobby, but hopefully an opportunity.

Here is my new site: http://fanster.com/thehappilytrappedfan

Also, I will be starting a fan page for the (Happily) Trapped Fan. Please join and recommend.

Step away from that ledge, fans

Friday was a bad day to be a fan of the Cardinals. The weird thing is that nothing that happened was surprising: Anquan Boldin's trade was two years in the making, I think everyone expected Karlos Dansby to leave, and while Antrel Rolle's signing with the Giants was surprising, the surprise was not that he signed with them, but that he (not Darren Sharper, Bob Sanders, Ed Reed, Adrian Wilson, Troy Polamalu, Nick Collins, or Brian Dawkins) is now the highest paid safety in NFL history. Combine these with Kurt Warner's retirement (which, as we remember, was not all that surprising either), and I could sense uneasiness in the Redbird Nation, as if all those years of misery were approaching again like Lost's black smoke monster (ticking sounds and everything).

I, myself, felt the uneasiness and wondered if there simply would be too many holes to fill, too many changes, too many starters and leaders gone, for the Cardinals to stay competitive. I had a night of doubt. But then, on Saturday, moments before leaving to pick up my oldest daughter from a friend's birthday party, the familiar sound of the guitar intro for Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" (my phone's text message tone) brought great news- an ESPN breaking news text message stating that Adam Schefter is reporting, "Jets trade S Kerry Rhodes to Cardinals for 4th-rd pick in 2010 and 7th-rd pick in 2011." That moment reminded me that I was being foolish, considering I just wrote this not long ago after the breaking news of Coach Whisenhunt's new contract (in "Cards Bus Going in Right Direction"):

Right now, the team is at a turning point. It has lost its elite quarterback. It is losing one to 3 key starters on defense. It may be dealing a starter on offense. Normally, I would be back to bracing myself for meagerness. I'm not saying that won't take a step back this year. It might. But knowing that The Whiz is in the driver's seat and that the organization has packed its bags and loaded them onto his bus, I trust that joining them for the ride is going to be enjoyable on the whole for many years. I can't wait to see where the next stop is going to be.


I had momentarily (ok, maybe it was about 20 hours, but in my defense, I was spending the night and early morning at the Phoenix Zoo with my oldest and about 30 other 4th graders- it was great daddy-daughter time, but you do realize that there were another 30+ 9 and 10 year olds there, too) lost sight of the fact that these Cardinals have a plan. The Whiz knows what he is doing. Here is what he said on the trade:

"We had a good contingency plan in place if we lost Antrel and we acted quickly. We all know that the safety position was a hole we needed to fill. Kerry has the experience and ability to step in right away. He fits a lot of things that we do."

This deal looks great. Personally, I have NEVER drunk the Antrel Kool-Aid. He has been, for years, my least favorite player on the team- just ask my buddy, Nate. He can confirm this for you. When he was named to the Pro Bowl, I was dumbfounded. I am glad he's gone. I don't deny that he is exciting to watch when he gets the ball in his hands, but I never felt, as a fan, that he made much of an impact. As a cornerback (and he was expected to be dynamic- much like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), he was a bust. He was dreadful in pass coverage. He is known as a physical player, but he never showed great tackling- acceptable, but not elite. He has been a bonehead, being called for numerous personal fouls. It has been said that he was good in the slot, but the only thing memorable he did was the one game against Cincinnati, and his interceptions were not the result of good coverage, but rather ok instincts on horrible throws right at him. I've always thought that Rolle has been simply one of the luckiest players in the NFL because, for all the things he has not done well, he happens to be remembered for scoring touchdowns. On half of his touchdowns, he got the ball and there was no one in front of him. My wife (who is beautiful, but anything BUT athletic) could have scored on those plays. When he was given punt return duties, it was downright scary. He didn't come up on kicks he should have caught and caught ones he should have let go, and did absolutely nothing special if he happened to actually get the ball in his hands (which is his supposed strength). As a safety, he wasn't bad, but I never saw anything to think that he was good. He, in my eyes, was simply serviceable as a free safety, and that status was barely for me. Rolle was one excruciating overthrow by Aaron Rodgers in overtime from being another Aaron Francisco (are you still as mad as I am about him and his play in the Super Bowl? Yeah, I thought so). Rolle got beat badly on that play.

Fortunately for him, he was considered a free agent prize. The New York Football Giants now have made Antrel Rolle the highest paid safety in league history. Does anyone else find this weird? In any case, the Cardinals now have Kerry Rhodes, and had to give up very little for him. To be fair, Rhodes does come with a fed flag. He was considered the bust of the Jets defense. He was benched for two games, although he returned later as the starter and made solid contributions to the league's #1 rated defense. It turns out that he had some differences with the new defensive coaching staff. Even so, he is the same age as Rolle, he is bigger, and while he is not known for his physicality, he is much better in coverage than Rolle. But that's not all- he is signed through 2013, and gets paid only a portion of what Rolle now makes, or even what he would have made here in Arizona. This is a GREAT thing. For less money, we get an upgrade (and on a more personal level, my TV screen may have been saved from the remote control violence that Rolle had the potential of provoking). There's no way to convince me otherwise (but I do welcome attempts).

Does this answer all the questions I have? Not yet. But one thing I do know is that, unlike in times past, these Cardinals are not just letting important talent run away. There is a vision, a plan. There is hope. So, Redbird faithful, do not fear, the Whiz is here. He is the leader of this team and will not let it take too much of a backward step, if in fact there will be a step back. If you had the urge to move toward the ledge to begin contemplating jumping again (because we all have done that before) into hopeless, faithless fandom, step back, pull up a chair, and enjoy the view and the ride. That's what I will be doing.

Would a lower seed be better for the Suns?

The Suns, with their win in Oklahoma City a little over a week ago, proved my wife wrong. She said the team would only win 34 games this season, "I guarantee it." So with each win the Suns rattle off, I get a little more satisfaction in her being wrong (married guys- you know what I mean, right? We love our leading ladies, but we also love when they don't win an argument). My prediction was much more positive- 50 wins and a 6 seed in the playoffs. As they stand presently with 38 wins and 20 games left, I may yet be the winner of the preseason predictions. In fact, they just might exceed both my predictions. Here is how the schedule looks the rest of the way:




March:

Wed 03 @ LA Clippers

Thu 04 vs Utah

Sat 06 vs Indiana

Fri 12 vs LA Lakers

Sun 14 vs New Orleans

Tue 16 vs Minnesota

Fri 19 vs Utah

Sun 21 vs Portland

Mon 22 @ Golden State

Fri 26 vs New York

Sun 28 @ Minnesota

Tue 30 @ Chicago

Wed 31 @ New Jersey

April

Fri 02 @ Detroit

Sat 03 @ Milwaukee

Wed 07 vs San Antonio

Fri 09 @ Oklahoma City

Sun 11 vs Houston

Tue 13 vs Denver

Wed 14 @ Utah



Let's break down the rest of the Suns' games- the "book it" wins, the likely losses, and then the toss-ups.



The "book it" wins:



Tonight at the Clippers, at home vs Indiana, both games vs Minnesota, at Golden State, at New Jersey, at Chicago (they won't lose that game after being embarrassed at home), and at Detroit.



The likely losses:



At home vs Lakers, at Denver (but this could be a toss-up), and at Utah.



The toss-ups:



The 2 home games vs Utah, at home vs New Orleans, at home vs Portland , at Milwaukee, at home vs San Antonio, at Oklahoma City, and at home vs Houston.



So, it would seem that there are 8 wins that the Suns should get, 3 games they should lose, and then 8 in the air. If they take care of business against the 'book it' games and split the toss-up games, right there is 50 wins. I personally believe that they split the two Utah home games, and beat New Orleans, Portland, Milwaukee, San Antonio, and Houston, ending the season with 52 wins. I also predict sneaking in one win of the three likely losses. That would be 53. That would be pretty stinking good.



53 wins would land Phoenix anywhere between the third and, in a worst-case scenario, the sixth seed, but likely the fourth or fifth seed. Definitely a good thing, especially if there is home-court advantage. Or is it?



Ok, call me crazy for that last question. Maybe too much Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Demi Lovato, and Hannah Montana in my house has messed with my judgement. Just here me out. I am thinking about the playoffs. The Suns are playing really good basketball now. If they can keep this play up, they are as good as anyone in the league. But I am thinking about the whole playoffs. As a fourth or a fifth seed, I like the chances for advancing. The problem is that the next round would be the Lakers, and then, likely, good night.



I don't know how achieveable the third seed is, but I would almost prefer even the sixth seed over the fourth seed. Now, to clarify, I want the Suns to win 53 (or more) games and end up third, but if not that, I want them to win a lot and, because of the competition in the West, to end up sixth instead of fourth or fifth. They lose home-court, but I feel confident that they make it out of the first round regardless of the opponent. But as the third or sixth seed, they would not see Los Angeles until the conference finals. Then, anything can happen (like getting swept or beating them in 6).



Right now, Phoenix can play with anyone and beat anyone on any given night, but a long series is different. But I don't fear any team except the Lakers in a long series. So, at least for me, if they can't get to the number three spot, I'd rather that they end up number six, giving them the best chance to last longer once the playoffs start. Am I crazy? Convince me that I am.