The truth, the whole truth, half-truths, shades of the truth and other items admissible as sports news:
ITEM I. In the middle of Sunday鈥檚 Golden State-Houston playoff game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr ambled up to Rockets guard James Harden and said 鈥溍坭种辈 is a better school than ASU.鈥
So much for the tension and conflict of playoff basketball.
Harden鈥檚 best rejoinder would鈥檝e been: 鈥淚 was 5-0 against 蜜柚直播.鈥
Kerr might鈥檝e returned with 鈥渕y teams were 9-1 against ASU.鈥
The UA vs. ASU spat is never-ending, which is the allure of the rivalry. If it gets attention during the stress of an NBA playoff game, it鈥檚 even better.
But, really 鈥 after academics, curriculum and the variables that really count in higher education 鈥 which school is better athletically?
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ASU鈥檚 most likely Mount Rushmore (athletes division) is one of the best: Phil Mickelson, Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds, James Harden.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 isn鈥檛 bad: Annika Sorenstam, Rob Gronkowski, Jennie Finch and Steve Kerr.
The 蜜柚直播 vs. Tempe spice is irresistible.
Mickelson won his first PGA Tour event in 蜜柚直播, and three times was 蜜柚直播 Open champ. Sorenstam shot the all-time LPGA record score, 59, in Phoenix. It鈥檚 a push.
Frank Kush or Lute Olson? Tough call.
Since joining the Pac-10, the Territorial Cup is 21-19-1 蜜柚直播, or about as close as it gets in any football rivalry.
In the last 40 years, 蜜柚直播 has won 17 NCAA championships in sports sponsored by both schools; ASU has 15.
The one sport in which both have been consistently nationally prominent, women鈥檚 golf, is a push. Both have won eight conference championships since entering the Pac-10/12.
The real separator is defined by three sports: 蜜柚直播 has 15 Pac-10/12 men鈥檚 basketball championships, ASU none. In softball, 蜜柚直播 has 11 conference titles, ASU two. In men鈥檚 cross country, 蜜柚直播 leads 7-0 in conference titles.
That gives 蜜柚直播 a 60-35 edge in Pac-10/12 championships in sports both schools sponsor. ASU is going to need another James Harden to start chipping away at that gap.
ITEM II: It鈥檚 entirely possible that no team in the history of 蜜柚直播 prep sports will again win seven state championships in a school year as Catalina Foothills did in 2005-06.
But Salpointe Catholic is giving it a serious try.
The Lancers have already banked 2018-19 state titles in girls soccer, boys soccer and girls cross country, and have reasonably good chances to win championships in softball, baseball, girls track, beach volleyball and girls tennis in the next week or two.
It鈥檚 unlikely Salpointe will sweep and go 5-0, but when is a 蜜柚直播 team again going to be in the position to even dream of eight state championships in a school year?
What makes it more impressive is that Salpointe finished No. 2 this year in football and boys swimming and reached the state semifinals in boys basketball.
Coach Amy Rocha鈥檚 Salpointe softball team, 20-4, is seeded No. 1 in the 4A playoffs. The Lancers baseball team, coached by Danny Preble, is the No. 2 seed in 4A, 21-6 overall. Heather Moore-Martin鈥檚 beach volleyball team plays in the state semifinals Wednesday. Coach Mike Urbanski鈥檚 girls track team is a strong contender for the state title this week in Phoenix. The school鈥檚 girls tennis team plays in the state quarterfinals Tuesday.
In 鈥06-07, Foothills won state titles in girls cross country, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls soccer. That sweet seven exceeded 蜜柚直播 High鈥檚 鈥44-45 sweep of six championships 鈥 track, baseball, football, basketball, boys and girls tennis.
Since Foothills opened 27 years ago, it has begun serious pursuit of 蜜柚直播 High鈥檚 once-seemingly unattainable record of 117 state championships. Here鈥檚 how 蜜柚直播鈥檚 prep state championship totals stand:
蜜柚直播 117, Catalina Foothills 82, Canyon del Oro 55, Salpointe 47, Sahuaro 34.
Check back in about 2025 when Foothills is apt to hit 100 and seriously put 蜜柚直播 High on notice.
ITEM III: Since spring training baseball deserted 蜜柚直播 in 2010, Triple-A franchises in Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Fresno, Tacoma, Reno and El Paso all built new downtown ballparks, or spent tens of millions of dollars to remodel older ones.
蜜柚直播 stands on the sidelines again, having lost its baseball soul. Ultimately, whether it be 2025 or 2035 or even later, someone鈥檚 going to lead a campaign to build a ballpark/stadium near downtown 蜜柚直播. So why wait?
Last week, members of a private equity firm on the East Coast visited 蜜柚直播 to examine the possibility of building a ballpark, possibly near the base of 鈥淎鈥 Mountain, which is now a deserted landfill.
You can imagine the possibilities. You can also imagine the political rhetoric that such a proposal would ignite.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 sports facilities are sadly lacking and stuck in neutral. Do you realize the 蜜柚直播 Arena will turn 50 in three years? That鈥檚 our signature community sports place. Sad.
Despite improvements by the forward-moving Rio Nuevo board, 蜜柚直播 probably has the nation鈥檚 least desirable sports/concerts facilities for a community of at least 1 million .
Wichita, of all places, is in the process of erecting a $70 million downtown ballpark, a venture that has already enabled it to poach the Triple-A New Orleans franchise for 2020. If 蜜柚直播 was similarly proactive at a location like the old landfill at 鈥淎鈥 Mountain, it would be back in play for spring training, a PCL team, a franchise in the United Soccer League and more.
It could give 蜜柚直播 high school teams a more fitting place for state championship games in soccer, football, baseball. They wouldn鈥檛 always have to drive to Phoenix for the Big Game. Major youth sports events could be played there year-round.
Building a sports facility at that location would expand the footprint of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 suddenly buzzing downtown scene, linked by the streetcar, enhance the gem show鈥檚 future and lead to further redevelopment.
Or we could do nothing and let the politicians and developers of the next generation deal with the mistakes made in the early 1990s when 蜜柚直播 political leaders chose to build a stadium on Ajo Way and effectively doom the future of baseball in 蜜柚直播.
ITEM LAST: Pac-12 athletic directors and Larry Scott鈥檚 high command will hold their spring meetings in Scottsdale on Tuesday through Friday. (Please, no jokes about the cost of Scott鈥檚 hotel suite.)
Last week, 蜜柚直播 AD Dave Heeke was in Dallas to discuss contemporary issues with Big Ten and Rose Bowl officials, and later meet with ADs of the Power 5 conferences.
One question that someone might ask is what鈥檚 going to happen if, as recently reported by the San Jose Mercury 蜜柚直播鈥 Jon Wilner, Pac-12 expenses are climbing at a higher ratio than revenue?
Over the weekend, the Oregon Ducks announced they have raised the salary of their football strength and conditioning coach to $310,000 annually, and that the 鈥渓owest鈥 paid football assistant coaches at Oregon will now be paid $350,000 each season.
Yet it all pales compared to the $93 million contract awarded Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney.
Meanwhile, Wednesday is the deadline for UA fans to renew their football season tickets for 2019 and pay the priority seating charge for 2019-20 basketball games at McKale Center.
The days of the Knothole Club in college sports are over.