East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) articles from August 2001

East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) archives from August 2001

You pray that Stringer's death will be a wakeup call.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow The stories are legendary, their heroes regarded with respect and awe. Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood played in an NFC title game with a broken leg. San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow was so...

Cardinals find pause after Korey Stringer's death.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Paul Shields had just arrived on the campus of the University of Arizona and was taking part in one of his first practices when everything got blurry. Shields collapsed, and the UA training staff...

Diamondbacks blanked by Expos.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER A look at the lineup suggests that he should be packing a lot of punch, but lately, the prizefighter Diamondback has had nothing more than a glass jaw. Arizona's offense swung and missed again Thursday, mustering...

Hakim Hill's resume misses the bad points.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Hakim Hill is one of Arizona State's most celebrated freshman football recruits. It says so, right there in the Sun Devils' 2001 media guide. The glossy bio dutifully lists Hill's accomplishments at City High...

Life After Aeneas with Cardinals.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ For the better part of 10 years, Aeneas Williams was the story when talking about the cornerbacks of the Arizona Cardinals. In his absence, Williams still dominates the thought process. No...

Witt looks sharp; future hazy; Diamondbacks will decide on his starting status.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE After four months of work to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation, Bobby Witt seems ready. But the team is undecided about his immediate future. Witt pitched seven solid innings Thursday for Class AAA Tucson in...

Bird watching at camp.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN NOTEWORTHY TYWAN GEHRIG? Starting tight end Terry Hardy returned to workouts Friday after missing some days with fluid on the knee, but it was Tywan Mitchell running most of the time as the first-string tight end....

Cardinals' focus on run gets first test; players coming off injuries won't play in scrimmage.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ After a week of training camp practices, the Arizona Cardinals finally get to do something else when they compete in their annual intrasquad scrimmage Saturday. At least, most of the Cardinals...

Diamondbacks fall from first after loss to Mets.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER A game ending on a base runner getting hit by a batted ball is about as rare as holding first place in your division for less than 24 hours. However, the Arizona Diamondbacks experienced both on Saturday. The...

Typical Cardinals: No first-round pick in sight.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Scott BORDOW Take a look around Arizona Cardinals training camp. What don't you see? I'll give you a hint. It's way bigger than a bread basket, it costs millions of dollars and it's running late _ as usual. Give up? ...

D-moralizing: After the beating it took in 2000, could the Cards' defense be any worse?
August 5, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ The offense of the Cardinals was appalling last season. So the team invested its No. 1 draft pick in that area. The Cards also made one big free-agent signing, just for that side of the ball. ...

Womack, Witt activated; Cintron, Sabel sent to Tucson.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER The Arizona Diamondbacks ended two rehabilitation stints at Class AAA Tucson _ Tony Womack's short one and Bobby Witt's long one _ by activating both players off the disabled list after Sunday's game. Both will be...

The Making of Albie.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Tom Gibbons The old coach caught up with Albie Lopez in Yankee Stadium early this season. Actually, John Genzale will tell you he never coached Albie. He organized and directed teams Albie was on. When Albie first played...

Vance Wilson knows perseverance.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger Arizona Diamondbacks fans found out about Vance Wilson on Saturday when the New York Mets backup catcher tagged Luis Gonzalez out on a rugged collision at home plate. For Wilson, however, no blow from an opposing...

Spivey's new role: home run hero plays long ball; late blast helps Schilling win 16th.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER The sense of urgency that comes with a major-league playoff chase means that a guy can evolve from unheralded bench player to hero in the span of a few at-bats. "If someone's not getting the job done, somebody's got...

Experience in Europe helps, but isn't easy.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Clarence Williams has spent most of the past two years with the Arizona Cardinals on the practice squad, so the option to spend four months away from home and 10 games playing for a team in NFL...

Rams show confidence in young QB Germaine; Mountain View, Ariz., graduate is No. 2 on depth chart will be ready if called on.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN Joe Germaine finds himself a sprained ankle away from being responsible for running the most potent offense in the NFL. Is the Mountain View High School alumnus ready to slide into the cockpit of the St. Louis Rams'...

Diamondbacks fall to Marlins.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE MIAMI, Fla. _ David Dellucci's choice of cliche was not quite appropriate. "When it rains it pours," Dellucci said Thursday after the Arizona Diamondbacks' latest loss. Yet it wasn't the frequent South Florida...

Diamondbacks winning with Johnson, Schilling but no other pitchers.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE MIAMI, Fla. _ Brian Anderson credited going back to his old way of thinking. Bob Brenly said Anderson simply had better control. Whatever the explanation, Anderson pitched seven strong innings Thursday for the Arizona...

Leonard Davis in the fold but won't play in preseason game.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ After his maiden practice with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, offensive lineman Leonard Davis was asked if he's carried some of the veterans' equipment as part of his rookie initiation. "The...

Schilling wins 17th game; Diamondbacks defeat Braves.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Ed Price ATLANTA _ Like some band of perverse Robin Hoods, the Arizona Diamondbacks hitters score for the rich and not for the poor. Curt Schilling, for instance, was handed seven runs to work with Friday, more than enough in a...

Albie, DiFelice can't find the offense.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Ed Price ATLANTA _ Albie Lopez and Mike DiFelice came to the Arizona Diamondbacks together 2 { weeks ago, and in that time they have the same number of hits: zero. DiFelice, who became Arizona's backup catcher after coming...

Lightfoot vying for wide receiver time.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Bob Moran Freshman Daryl Lightfoot has come to play for Arizona State this season. The former star at Phoenix Maryvale was told earlier this year after he signed a national letter of intent with ASU that he'd be given every...

Oregon State picked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Bob Moran The folks at Oregon State aren't exactly thrilled at being picked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated. Besides the dreaded SI jinx the Beavers have deal with, coach Dennis Erickson has to deal with unrealistic expectations...

Frank Sanders is day-to-day.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Back at Arizona Cardinals practice on Friday and encouraged from an MRI exam revealing no nerve or disc damage to his back, receiver Frank Sanders was doing diamond talk. "It's like how they say in...

Cardinals eyeing rush hour.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ This concept of running the football isn't tough stuff, according to Arizona Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis. "To run the ball, the first thing you have to do is make a commitment to it," McGinnis...

Arizona State quarterback job up in air entering training camp.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN Who will be Arizona State's quarterback this season? Sun Devils fans want to know. Dirk Koetter, the first-year ASU coach, doesn't have an answer yet. But on Monday at Camp Tontozona, the business of determining...

Quarterback-turned Arizona State coach will pass on losing.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN Dirk Koetter knows losing first-hand. He also knows how quickly a program can get turned around with the right mix of coaching and talent. Koetter takes his first Arizona State football team to Camp Tontozona...

Cardinals off, but not running in ho-hum preseason opener.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN People might still be trying to figure out the whole chicken and the egg thing, but the Arizona Cardinals are sure the answer to their eternal question remains clear _ without their offensive line intact, the running...

Three for the road; Diamondbacks cap rare sweep at Atlanta.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE ATLANTA _ In the 1830s this city was called Terminus, because it was the end of the line for the railroad. And for the past 10 years it has been the same for opponents of the Atlanta Braves. Teams and players simply did...

Reynoso likely finished; nagging injuries make pitcher's return doubtful.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE ATLANTA _ Armando Reynoso has pitched just nine times this year for the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning once, and now the D-Backs do not expect him to pitch again this season. "It doesn't sound like it at this point,"...

Camp Koetter filled with confidence; Sun Devils energized by new leadership on eve of training camp.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN CAMP TONTOZONA, Ariz. _ For many folks around the East Valley, Kurt Wallin paid Arizona State football coach Dirk Koetter the highest compliment. "He's a great guy. A lot of integrity," the Mountain View High School...

Cardinals anxious to see first-string offense; but McGinnis wants more production from reserve players.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER At long last, the Arizona Cardinals figure to have almost all of their starting offense working together in training camp this week. But it's highly unlikely the Cardinals will go through the season completely...

Diamondbacks blank the Pirates.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE Randy Johnson made one mistake Monday night. But the only damage was a few laughs at his expense. Johnson wiped out on the basepaths and wiped out the Pittsburgh Pirates, posting his 30th career shutout to lead the...

Pinkard working to catch on at tight end.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Bob Moran CAMP TONTOZONA, Ariz. _ Mike Pinkard probably wishes he could rewind his career to his freshman season at Arizona State. That's because the fourth-year junior tight end finds himself under-prepared for what could be a...

Cardinals preparing to move camp.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Long-time Arizona Cardinals trainer John Omohundro remembers the nasty training camps, the ones back in the 1970s when the NFL had six preseason games. Camps would start around the Fourth of...

Who's your National League MVP.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Some of the great debates of our time: Ginger or Mary Ann. Tastes great or less filling. Pat's gender on "Saturday Night Live." Now we have another: Who is the National League's Most Valuable Player?...

Diamondbacks set for showdown against Cubs.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger For all the worrying in the Windy City over the Chicago Cubs losing eight times in a 12-game stretch, you'd think they would have had to restrict access to the roof of the Sears Tower. Cubs fans have had to endure...

Riccardo Stewart finds new life at Arizona State.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN CAMP TONTOZONA, Ariz. _ Riccardo Stewart had a very trying first semester at Arizona State. The least of his concerns was that despite being one of ASU's top recruits, he wasn't playing. Stewart had to deal with...

Thompson, Sanyika making up for inexperience.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN A year ago, Raynoch Thompson and Sekou Sanyika were lost, swimming in NFL terminology. Now the second-year linebackers are what passes for veteran on a young defense. The Arizona Cardinals are hoping their...

Friday night a preview of Diamondbacks' fun.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Bobblehead dolls? We don't need no stinkin' bobblehead dolls. We've got the Daytona 500 of pennant races. Tight, unpredictable, thrilling. Every day a drama. Every pitch a sharp intake of breath. Goose...

Sanders, Diamondbacks blast the Cubs.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger Bank One Ballpark provided the stage for scintillating baseball theater on Friday night, with the most gripping scenes involving a pitching change Don Baylor didn't make and one Bob Brenly did. Reggie Sanders gave...

Durazo placed on disabled list.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger The Arizona Diamondbacks want a healthy, productive Erubiel Durazo coming off the bench in September. On Friday, the team determined the best way to ensure that was to place the slumping left-hander on the 15-day...

Pete Carroll smitten by cheers of college.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Bob Moran Pete Carroll will try to find refuge from the NFL at USC. After a stormy tenure with the New England Patriots, the former New York Jets defensive coordinator headed West to re-establish his career. That reportedly...

Cardinals meet the Seahawks.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban SEATTLE _ The words come from Pete Kendall, thick with a New England accent and usually biting with honesty. The Arizona Cardinals' guard, their biggest free-agent acquisition of the off-season, has _ often loudly...

Leach signs two-year deal.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Jerry Brown Defenseman Jay Leach, the Phoenix Coyotes' fifth-round draft pick from 1998 who recently completed his college career at Providence, signed a two-year contract on Friday and will report to the team's rookie training...

Matt Williams' critics don't call anymore.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Scott BORDOW The e-mails and calls came on a regular basis for weeks. Their subject: Matt Williams. A typical message went something like this: "When are the Diamondbacks going to realize that Williams is finished? He's...

Eight straight victories for Diamondbacks.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE Neither Randy Johnson nor the Arizona Diamondbacks as a team had it easy Saturday at Bank One Ballpark. But in the end Johnson matched his best-ever winning streak, and the D-Backs are close to doing the same. Johnson...

Lopez expects to make next start for D-Backs.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE Albie Lopez said Saturday the ankle and calf problems that cropped up while he pitched Friday are chronic and of not much concern. "I'll be ready for my next start," said Lopez, who is 2-3 with a 3.90 ERA since the...

Sun Devils are all business at camp.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN CAMP TONTOZONA, Ariz. _ The boys weren't boys at Camp Koetter. There were no tales from Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter's first camp to be added to the legend and lore of preseason camp here. No bears. No snakes....

Krohn emerging as Arizona State's starting quarterback.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Bob MORAN CAMP TONTOZONA _ This time Arizona State's offense was more productive in an important scrimmage. After being thoroughly manhandled by the defense in the Maroon-Gold scrimmage in April, the Sun Devils offense on...

Bill Gramatica has leg up in Cards' kicking battle.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN SEATTLE _ The Arizona Cardinals' kicking battle is over. Coach Dave McGinnis wouldn't say as much after the Cards' 16-13 overtime win Saturday night in Seattle, but after rookie kicker Bill Gramatica kicked three...

Plummer, Cardinals follow game plan to win.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Darren URBAN SEATTLE _ The "hitches and glitches" Arizona Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis expected from his offense were there Saturday night. But so were some results. In the first game where they had their entire starting...

Arizona matches club record with ninth win in a row.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Ed Price| PHOENIX _ Last year, it seemed half the teams in the majors chose the eventually annoying song "Who Let the Dogs Out" as their theme. In looking for a fresh slogan, the Arizona Diamondbacks are trying "Git 'Er Done" _ the...

Bench comes through in a pinch again.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Ed Price PHOENIX _ The Arizona Diamondbacks officially have the most powerful bench in major league history. Greg Colbrunn led off Sunday's seventh inning with a pinch-hit homer, giving Arizona an all-time record 13 pinch...

McGinnis notes improvement, cites good performances.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger| PHOENIX _ Yes, it was just an exhibition game, so Arizona Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis hasn't been exulting as if he won the Super Bowl. But for years, the Cardinals have had to take positives wherever they can...

Playboy's offer not enough; Harrison won't pose.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Jeff Simon PHOENIX _ Playboy magazine would not match Lisa Harrison's asking price. So the Phoenix Mercury forward has decided not to shed her uniform and pose for the magazine. "It came down to the money issue,'' Harrison...

Fredrickson predicts early return.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger PHOENIX _ he stiffness in his back caused him to grimace as he sat down in the locker room on Monday, but Rob Fredrickson said he doesn't think it will keep him out of practice much longer. "I feel a little better,"...

Boston en route to new reputation.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ David Boston is as talented as any receiver in the NFL. Just ask him. "As far as athletic ability, there's no one out there with my combination of size and speed," Boston said. "Nobody can match the...

DiFelice incident highlights lack of outrage.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow The boss approached my desk Wednesday afternoon. Usually, that means one of two things. He wants to talk about the Green Bay Packers. Or he wants to talk about the Green Bay Packers. This time, though, he asked if...

Cardinals notes.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban MESA, Ariz. _ L.J. Shelton isn't going to play for the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday after his car accident Wednesday morning. But he will eventually get back to the field, and probably soon. That's good enough...

Lovin' life in the NFL: Archuleta, Heap feeling their way through.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ Todd Heap froze. How could that be? He knew this moment was coming. He had prepared for it. But now that the forks were banging against the dinner glasses and his name was being called, his mind was a...

Word to the wise: Big Unit should win Cy Young Award.
August 29, 2001... Byline: Slim SMITH King Solomon, in his wisdom, once settled a custody case by ruling that a baby be cut in half. This was back in the days before joint custody or liberal visitation privileges, apparently. Solomon reasoned, correctly...

Kicker Blanchard may need injury settlement.
August 29, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban What was once going to be a simple parting of the ways between the Arizona Cardinals and kicker Cary Blanchard is not so simple anymore. Blanchard said Tuesday a specialist in San Francisco diagnosed his swollen...

It's good to be a FOG.
August 29, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Mike Barnett has been one of the most powerful agents in the National Hockey League the past 20 years. His roll call of clients included Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull and Paul Coffey. His influence was so great The...

Bobby Witt, 36, turns back the time element.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Fifteen months ago Bobby Witt's career was over. Or at least it seemed that way. The Cleveland Indians had released him on May 16. Nobody else wanted him. Witt was 36 years old and the phone was silent. ...

Luis Gonzalez turns Fifty.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Jerry Brown Most people dread reaching the big Five-0h. But for Arizona's Luis Gonzalez, reaching such an important milestone merely shows he's hitting his prime _ and in the midst of a season that just keeps getting more...

Chris Greisen settles in at third string quarterback.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban Arizona Cardinals quarterback Chris Greisen somehow managed to find tight end Tywan Mitchell for a 45-yard completion on fourth and 19 last weekend in Chicago, setting up the Cards' game-winning touchdown in their...