ARIZONA CARDINALS REPORT TO TRAINING CAMP

The day has finally arrived, The Arizona Cardinals have reported Training Camp.  The team begins practice tomorrow in preparation for their first preseason game August 8 against The San Diego Chargers.  The Cardinals will also play The Raiders, Vikings and Broncos during preseason.  The team will have 14 open practices that fans will be able to watch.

All eyes will be on 2 rookies.  Rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Rookie QB Kyler Murray.  The Double K connection will be interesting to watch.  Fans will have to wait for the regular season to see what this new offense is going to look like.  Kingsbury and second year wide receiver Christian Kirk said today the offense is going to be fast, but during the preseason they won’t show to much of what the want to do during the regular season.   

The team has plenty more questions than what the offense is going to look like.  The defense may prove to be the biggest question of all, particularly the secondary.  The team drafted former Saguaro High School standout and Washington corner Byron Murphy to compete for the starting job opposite all pro Patrick Peterson.  We will not see the duo until late October when Peterson gets back from a 6 game suspension.

The Cardinals have high hopes for this season and look to improve from a 3-13 season.  Kingsbury and his staff will have their hands full.  The first two weeks of training camp are very important for the coaching staff.  It they can get the players on board with what they want to accomplish this year then there is no reason that Cardinals should not lose as many or more games than last year. 

PACQUIAO BEATS THURMAN

Last night in Las Vegas Manny Pacquiao  proved to the world that he is still a forced to be reckoned with in boxing's welterweight division.  Pacquiao defeated previously unbeaten Keith "One Time" Thurman in a split decision.  Pacquiao is now the new WBA Super World Welterweight Champ.

Pacquiao came out with an aggressive game plan that was evident when he stunned Thurman with a right hook that sent him to the canvas.  At that point it was Pacquiao's fight to lose.

Thurman showed poise and battled back to make the fight look closer than it really was.  He underestimated Pacquiao and wasn't ready for the explosiveness that Pacquiao brought.

Thurman was humbled last night and it showed in his post fight interview.  Thurman mentioned a rematch but that does not benefit Pacquiao so there probably won't be one.

PREVIEWING PACQUIAO VS. THURMAN

Tonight is arguably the boxing match of the decade when Manny Pacquiao gets in the ring with Kieth Thurman in a 147 pound tittle match up.  The fight is heavily anticipated and will be in Las Vegas, the boxing capital of the world.

Thurman is undefeated  at 29-0 with 22 knockouts.  He has an impressive resume that includes, Josesito Lopez, Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter.  And those were just his last three fights.  Thurman weighed in at 146.5 pounds and says "it's my time."

Thurman faces one of the sports greatest boxers in Manny Pacquiao.  Pacquiao is 61-7-2 in his storied career.  He is the only fighter to win a title in 8 different weight classes.  He is coming off a victory in January against Adrien Broner.  That matched proved no problem for Pacquiao who was declared the winner by unanimous decision and won the WBA Welterweight Tittle.

So who will win this fight between two of boxing's greats?

This fight will go the distance and will be very close in score.  The key, in my opinion is the first 3 rounds and the last 2 rounds.  Whoever can win the first three rounds can dictate the pace of the fight.  whichever fighter is able to stick to their game plan the longest is the one who come out victorious.

So who will that be you ask?

It's a very tough call to make and while I am rooting for Pacquiao my gut tells me Thurman will pull out the victory.

BOXING LEGEND PERNELL WHITAKER DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY CAR

Boxing great Pernell Whitaker was killed Saturday night when he was involved in a car crash in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. Whitaker was 55.  The early reports are that Whitaker was crossing the street and was hit by a vehicle.  It is unclear if any charges have been or will be filed.


Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker had a brilliant career that lasted 17 years.  He debuted in November of 1984 and finished his career 40-4 with 1 draw.  His only draw was to Mexican great Julio Cesar Chavez in 1993.  Chavez was undefeated at the time.  Whitaker was a four weight World Champion and will be deeply missed by his family and the boxing world.


Sweet Pea had 17 knockouts in his career and won a Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympics.  After retiring from boxing Whitaker became a trainer.  His most famous fighter was Zab Judah.

SUNS SIGN OUBRE

The Phoenix Suns have signed free agent Kelly Oubre Jr, to a two year deal.  The deal is worth $30 million.  The small forward came to Phoenix midway through the season in a trade and expressed interest in staying with the Suns.

Oubre was one of few bright spots for the Suns when he joined the team.  The talent and energy he brings to the court will help the new Suns as they look to improve from a 19 win season this past year.  Oubre is also a fan favorite who looks to help "The Valley Boys" become a fun team to watch.

This was a good signing for the Suns.  The moves they made in the draft and free agency thus far don't make a lot of sense to the average fan.  According to General Manager James Jones it is all a part of their plan.  Bring Oubre back is something that makes sense and the fans wanted.  If Rubio produces like he has in the past and Ayton and Booker continue to improve as stars we may look back in a year and say this was a pretty good off season. 

KAWHI CHOOSES CLIPPERS OVER LAKERS

In case you didn’t hear there was an earthquake in  Los Angeles last night.  But the NBA was was shaken even harder last night by Kawhi Leonard. The superstar finally made his choice.   Just like many predicted he chose Los Angeles.

Why wouldn’t he, after all he is from the area. The surprising mews was that he decided to play for the Clippers and not the Lakers!  Many people expected him to Join Anthony Davis, who came over in a trade when free agency started, and LeBron James.

Instead Kawhi will team up with Paul George who was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday after Leonard agreed to sign.   The duo now makes the Clippers an  immediate contender.

Kawhi showed how good he really is in bring a Championship to Toronto this past season now with Paul George by his side the sky is the limit.

FORMER DBACK PITCHER TYLER SKAGGS DEAD AT 27

The Los Angeles Angels announced yesterday that staring pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room Monday.  He found by police and pronounced dead on the scene.  The Angels were in Texas for a series with the Rangers.  Skaggs, 27 had just started on Saturday and was scheduled to start again on Thursday.

Skaggs spent two seasons with the Diamondbacks and will be missed by both organizations and fans.  Skaggs leaves behind a wife of just 7 months and would have been 28 on July 13.  He was a started since returning from Tommy Johns Surgery in 2016 and will be missed by Major League Baseball.

There were no signs of foul play at the scene of Skaggs death.  An autopsy will be done today to find the cause of death.

FRIDAY NIGHT BOXING PROVES TO BE ENTERTAINING

Last night ESPN aired it's Top Rank boxing, which they have been for some time now.  The event was held in Temecula California.

The main event was for the IBF lightweight tittle between Champion Richard Commey and Ray Beltran.  A fight that promised to be action packed did not disappoint.

Before the fight even began we had plenty to talk about.  20 year veteran Ray Beltran, who makes his home in Avondale Arizona, came in nearly 2 pounds overweight.

On Thursday Beltran weighed in at 136.8 pounds.  By rule he was given an hour to cut weight.  He did not return to the scale.  In an interview with ESPN before the fight he said he just could not make it and he will fight at 140 from here on out.

Beltran was weighed again the morning of the fight and by rule had to be less then 145 pounds or the fight would be canceled.  He made the weight and the fight went on.

Because Beltran did not make weight two things happened, even though the fight would still go as scheduled.

Beltran would not be able to take Commey's tittle, even if he won.  Also Beltran would have to pay 10% of his purse to the IBF and another 10% to Commey.  His 1.8 pounds over weight ended up costing him $40,000.

Beltran had a huge battle just to get in the ring, once he got in the ring he showed how tough he really is.

Beltran was knocked down twice in the first round.  That did not phase him because he got up both times and put up a good fight.  The fight was entertaining and both fighters were throwing plenty of power punches.  Beltran had a cut over his left eye, the 15th of his career, and Commey's eye was swollen and nearly shut going in to the eight round.

Commey hit Beltran with a left that sent Beltran to the canvas.  Beltran got up after the fourth time being knocked down.  that wasn't enough, the ref looked in to his eyes and stopped the fight.

Commey improves to 29-2 and now has 26 knockouts and now may face off against Teofimo Lopez, if he wins his fight scheduled for July 19.

As for Beltran he did not say what was next for him in the post fight interview.  Hopefully he continues to fight and entertain his fans like he has since 1999.

THE CURSE OF ARIZONA SPORTS

The NBA season just ended and football doesn't start for a couple more months.  Baseball isn't exciting until after the All-Star break and the NHL just completed it's draft for next season.

So that means there isn't much to watch in the sports world right now.  But here in Arizona maybe that's a good thing.

The major sports teams here in Arizona are the Cardinals, Dbacks, Sun's and Coyotes.  Including our 3 major colleges, Arizona, Arizona State and Northern Arizona, Arizona is in a major drought when it comes to winning titles.


If you really think about it the state of Arizona has not won very much in the last 20 years!

The Arizona Cardinals have never won a Superbowl.  They have been a apart of the NFL since the merger with the AFL and have only been to the playoffs ten times.  Although the team was competitive from 2009-2015, they have been historically bad.  The Cardinals are coming off a very forgettable 3-13 season.

In the NBA Arizona is represented by the Phoenix Suns.  The Suns, at one point, was a team every fan respected and feared.  Players wanted to come here to play.  That all ended when the team was purchased by Robert Sarver.  Sarver has not allowed the coaches and front office to handle the basketball side of things.  This has caused the team to become one of the worst franchises in the NBA.  The Suns have not been in the playoffs since the 2009-2010 season.  The franchise has never won an NBA title, in fact, they only made it to the Finals twice and have been in the league since 1968.

The Arizona Diamondbacks has the states only title.  They won the World Series in 2001, their third year as a franchise.  Fans like to think the team is good but in reality they are mediocre at best.  The team usually starts the season off good but does not do enough to make the playoffs.  They have had successful seasons but don't seem to be nowhere near contending for a World Series.

The last Arizona team is the Arizona Coyotes.  I do not know a lot about hockey, and I won't pretend to.  But as a sports fan from Arizona I know the team has been near the bottom every year since they came to Arizona.  They have had a few good seasons but nothing established or for fans to get excited about.

So what is the problem in Arizona?  Is it our owners?  Coaches?  Fans?

What ever the problem is the Arizona teams better figure it out fast.  Arizona is a Sports state and deserves a winning team.

DID KAWHI LEONARD JUST CHANGE THE NBA?

On Thursday the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to win their first ever NBA Tittle.  They won the series 4-2.

Toronto was led by Kawhi Leonard, who is in his first season with the Raptors.  Leonard came over from the San Antonio Spurs after he refused to play for them last year, saying he was ready to return after an injury.

Toronto took a huge chance on Leonard not k owing if they would have him after this season.  The chance paid off when Leonard and the rest of the Raptors took down a dynasty to win the NBA Tittle.

The question now is what will happen with Leonard?  Will he stay in Toronto? And did he just change the NBA as we know it?

If Leonard does decide to stay in Toronto he has a chance to start his own dynasty in Canada.  Leonard also has a chance to change the NBA.

If Leonard stays with Toronto he may start a trend of NBA players wanting to stay where they are at and win a championship.  The era of the "super team" may be over.

Leonard went to a team that had one all -star, and where he was the only superstar.  He carried his team to an NBA Tittle without another superstar and only having role players.

Leonard could change the NBA, unless he decides to jump ship.