East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) articles from December 2002

East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) archives from December 2002

Rookie giving Lions hope.
December 5, 2002

Mistakes kill Coyotes; Red Wings capitalize on turnovers for 3 goals.
December 6, 2002

Loud fans, Suns drop Pacers.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Mike Tulumello PHOENIX _ If you closed your eyes and listened at crucial moments on Friday night, you could imagine a different venue, a different era. Suns' fans sounded like their boisterous ancestors at Veterans Memorial...

Mackovic's quarterback decision this year will hurt him in '03.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Bob Moran Coaches often don't pay attention to their own observations. Take Arizona football coach John Mackovic. Every coach will say that, especially in the Pac-10, success is predicated on having an experienced...

Defense looking for redemption after big loss.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Darren Urban TEMPE, Ariz. _ The reality of the situation, as Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis likes to say, is that the Cards were hammered, 49-0, last week in Kansas City, Mo. But, said defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, "We can't...

Mackovic's quarterback decision this year will hurt him in '03.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Bob Moran Coaches often don't pay attention to their own observations. Take Arizona football coach John Mackovic. Every coach will say that, especially in the Pac-10, success is predicated on having an experienced...

Former Cardinal Sharpe finds calling as manager of rehab center.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ The chapel is filled with the 95 men living at the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in south-central Phoenix. Some clutch their Bibles and sing jubilantly when the hymns begin. Others look around,...

No-name Cardinals top Lions in overtime.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Darren Urban TEMPE, Ariz. _ The Arizona Cardinals broke their six-game losing streak Sunday, but the win wasn't powered by guys named Boston, Sanders and Fredrickson. No, the 23-20 overtime decision against the Detroit Lions at...

Coyotes pleased with effort in tie.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Craig Morgan PHOENIX _ In determining whether the Phoenix Coyotes' glass is half full or half empty following Monday's 3-3 tie with Columbus, Phoenix coach Bob Francis borrowed a concept from the movie "What About Bob?" "We...

Five found dead inside Arizona home; family member held in jail.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Kim Smith MESA, Ariz. _ Decade-old court records hint at the potential for violence in the East Valley home where a family of five was massacred Tuesday, including a 3-year-old boy found underneath his mother's body. Kemp...

Fiesta coaches spread praise; Coker, Tressel say odds not a factor for Jan. 3 national title game.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ Oddsmakers think Ohio State has little chance to beat the University of Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3. Not surprisingly, the coaches of the two schools have little regard for the point...

Jake Plummer would like to return; but Cardinals quarterback says changes have to be made throughout organization.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Darren Urban TEMPE, Ariz. _ He's been the frequent whipping boy of the fans and has suffered through plenty of losing football through six seasons, but quarterback Jake Plummer said Thursday he can see himself returning to the...

Three-dimensional: Suns beat the odds, Sixers with barrage of 3-pointers.
December 14, 2002... Byline: Mike Tulumello PHILADELPHIA _ An hour before tip-off, Suns coach Frank Johnson was talking about the evils of temptation. You'd think you were listening to a minister giving a sermon on Sunday morning instead of an NBA coach...

St. Louis fans still dislike the Cardinals; `dignity on the line' when Bidwill & Co. come to town.
December 14, 2002... Byline: Dan Zeiger PHOENIX _ Ricky Proehl got his ticket out of NFL purgatory when he left the Arizona Cardinals after the 1994 season, but he has revisited the experience often as a member of the St. Louis Rams. Not that the veteran...

Coyotes frustrated again; two goals disallowed, Wilson hurt during disappointing loss.
December 14, 2002... Byline: Jerry Brown PHOENIX _ At the end, all there was left for the Phoenix Coyotes to do was add up the losses and measure the level of their heightening frustrations. And Friday's 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals left plenty of...

Suns top Hawks; Phoenix looks like playoff team after 3-2 trip.
December 15, 2002... Byline: Mike Tulumello ATLANTA _ There's a surprise playoff contender today in the NBA. If you want a hint: It's the same club that recently ran up one of the 10 longest playoff streaks in history, only to see it snapped last season. ...

Suns blocked out by Kings.
December 18, 2002... Byline: Craig Morgan SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Of all the games on the Suns' early season schedule, this was one you expected them to lose. It was the club's seventh game in 10 nights, six of those games were on the road, Shawn Marion had a...

Cardinals fans get coal lumps for Christmas.
December 18, 2002... Byline: Scott Bordow MESA, Ariz. _ I'm tired of people bashing the Cardinals. So, a Christmas carol honoring this season and 14 others of Cardinals football: On the first day of Christmas the Cardinals gave to me, a team I'd rather...

Young Abid scores his first two NHL goals to lift Coyotes.
December 18, 2002... Byline: Jerry Brown PHOENIX _ As a budding hockey player growing up in Montreal, Ramzi Abid's two biggest hockey idols weren't much different than those of other Canadian kids with a dream. "Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux," Abid said....

Marbury, Suns collect another road victory, defeat Clippers.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Mike Tulumello LOS ANGELES _ Less than two weeks ago, here was the NBA's most reliable prediction: Mark up a loss for the Suns whenever they play on the road. At the time, the Suns were 1-7 outside Arizona, and few of those...

Cardinals' Marcel Shipp survives rocky waters.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Darren Urban TEMPE, Ariz. _ Life never had a single turning point for Marcel Shipp. It's been more like a series of turning points, collected along a hard and grinding road. Being robbed at gunpoint changed him a little. So too...

Suns look like Kings in Phoenix.
December 22, 2002... Byline: Mike Tulumello PHOENIX _ If there had been odds in Las Vegas on such a thing, only those who see the world through purple glasses, or those with a serious gambling problem, would have put up money on it: At the start of the...

Mounting frustrations: Davis hurt, Lassiter peeved after latest setback in lost season.
December 22, 2002... Byline: Darren Urban TEMPE, Ariz. _ Cardinals defensive tackle Wendell Bryant walked off the Sun Devil Stadium field Saturday evening as the clock ticked off the final few seconds of Arizona's 17-14 loss to San Francisco. "Again!"...

A typical Plummer outing: Cardinals quarterback is good and bad in possible swan song.
December 22, 2002... Byline: Jerry Brown TEMPE, Ariz. _ If Jake Plummer's decade as Arizona's official hometown quarterback/hero/whipping boy/scapegoat, as expected, came to an end Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium, his swan song was the perfect three-hour...

Coyotes lay goose egg; Phoenix reverts to lack of discipline in shutout.
December 23, 2002... Byline: Craig Morgan ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Just when the Coyotes thought it was safe to hit the road _ just when coach Bob Francis thought he had ironed out all the wrinkles during a nine-game homestand, Phoenix laid an egg Sunday in Southern...

Torn retina has put Wilson's hockey career and sight in jeopardy.
December 24, 2002... Byline: Jerry Brown Monday was Landon Wilson's best day in quite a while. He was able to take his dogs for a walk, and after stopping by the Coyotes' offices to say hello, he got out to the mall to catch up on last-minute Christmas...

Pittsburgh stops Oregon State's usually potent ground game.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Craig Morgan PHOENIX _ Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson said Tuesday that the Big East Conference has come a long way since his days of coaching at Miami. Nobody knows that better than Erickson's Beavers after Thursday's...

Kings frustrate Coyotes; L.A. escapes with OT win after three Phoenix rallies.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Jerry Brown LOS ANGELES _ The Coyotes arrived here nine points and four teams away from a playoff spot, knowing they were all but out of mulligans in a season that is now. "We have to realize the situation that we're in,"...

Suns continue their torrid streak; despite losing Marion, Phoenix beats L.A. 108-95.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Brad Falduto PHOENIX _ How hot are the Suns? They can lose star Shawn Marion for nearly a half to an injury and still beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-95, on Friday night at America West Arena. How hot are these Suns?...

Arizona State falls short, but plays K-State closer than expected.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Bob Moran SAN DIEGO _ Blowout? Bah, humbug. It's the Holiday Bowl. That kind of game doesn't occur. And so Arizona State not only spit in the eye of the prognosticators, the Sun Devils almost pulled off what would be the...

Sun Devils prove they belong; Arizona State can be proud of outcome despite losing.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Scott Bordow SAN DIEGO _ They were dissed all week. The oddsmakers made them the biggest underdog in any of the 28 bowl games. The Holiday Bowl president referred to their band as the University of Arizona band. ESPN...

Coker wants good mix of fun, business; Miami arrives in town for Friday's Fiesta Bowl.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Ed Price Larry Coker said he wants to strike a balance between work and play as top-ranked Miami prepares for the Fiesta Bowl matchup with Ohio State that will decide the national title. He should know how; he hasn't lost a game...

Ohio State confident it can contain Miami's potent offense.
December 30, 2002... Byline: Scott Bordow TEMPE, Ariz. _ It was early in the morning, and maybe Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio was a bit tired, but the repeated questions about Miami's explosive offense finally got to him. He turned to...

Miami careers of Payton, Winslow have gone different directions.
December 30, 2002... Byline: Ed Price TEMPE, Ariz. _ Miami offensive teammates Jarrett Payton and Kellen Winslow Jr. have fathers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And little else in common. Winslow has made a good showing in trying to fill the shoes of...