Blogging with the Devils

Bob Moran

Last May, I interviewed former Arizona baseball coach Jerry Kindall for a story. As our conversation concluded, Kindall asked me a question I have heard a lot during the three years that I have covered Arizona State University athletics for the Tribune:

“How is Bob Moran doing? Give him my best.”

That query came from a variety of sources, not just from coaches and officials that Bob once dealt with on a near-daily basis during his years on the ASU beat for this newspaper. It also came from people that talked to him infrequently, such as other coaches, writers or veteran spectators of Sun Devil football practices.

(Kindall, it should be noted for accuracy’s sake, was the Wildcats’ coach while Bob worked at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, so they once had a closer working relationship.)

Still, that is an indication of the level of admiration for Bob, who lost his lengthy battle with cancer on Tuesday. He was 55. There will be coverage in Wednesday’s Tribune; I urge you to read it to gain insight on the kind of journalist and man that Bob was.

Every year, the Baseball Writers Association of America selects a recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, who is honored during Hall-of-Fame induction weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y. If there were a similar award among college football media, Bob would have received it. That’s how big a part of the sport he was for more than a quarter century. That’s how respected he was by his peers.

I have never met a journalist who was more passionate about his assignment than Bob, who was nicknamed “Coach.” Sitting near him in the press box, you could sense the irritation in his voice when he felt that the game wasn’t being played or coached right.

That fiery spirit would help prolong his life after cancer struck. Doctors gave Bob a pessimistic prognosis after his first surgery; the fact that he lasted more than three years after his diagnosis was evidence that he was a fighter.

In fact, when sports editor Bob Romantic offered me the ASU beat after Bob left work, I was convinced that it would be a temporary assignment. I watched cancer ravage my grandfather’s body, so I know how powerful it can be. However, I suppose a part of me instinctively assumed that Bob would beat the disease.

At last year’s College World Series, ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy honored Bob Moran with a cap inscription: “Coach Moran.”

ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy — who, I promise you, is not taking the news of Bob’s death easily — passed Bobby Winkles last season to become the school’s second-most winningest coach. Asked to compare himself to Winkles, who led the Sun Devils to three national championships, Murphy said: “When you name Bobby Winkles and you name Pat Murphy in the same breath, I think that’s not a comparison to be made. It’s embarrassing.”

I was in the room when Murphy said that. And my first reaction was to think of Bob. I have the job Bob once had. Any comparisons beyond that, however, are embarrassing.

After taking over the ASU duties, I paid Bob a visit at his home, to get the lay of the land from him. I had previously done high school sports and general-assignment coverage for the Tribune, so this was my first beat. I mentioned that it was a little overwhelming.

“Aw, don’t worry. You’ll do fine,” Bob said. “You know more about college sports than anyone on our staff.”

Coming from Bob, that comment meant a lot. I aimed to seek Bob’s counsel regularly, but I didn’t make the time. And I’m poorer for that.

Today, everyone that knew Bob Moran wishes they could make time for him.

I am back after letting Mark Heller hold down the blog fort for a while. After covering the Holiday and Fiesta bowls, I was on vacation for a couple of weeks, then returned to work to get neck-deep in the Tribune’s coverage of Super Bowl XLII.

With recruiting season about to reach its climax, the Arizona State football program will be making news this week. Signing day is on Wednesday, and coach Dennis Erickson is scheduled to discuss the Sun Devils’ 2008 class in a 4 p.m. press conference.

Quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who took a lot of punishment as ASU gave up a school-record 55 sacks in 2007, is on a workout and nutirition program that involves eating six small meals a day in order to bulk up to 225 pounds before next season. Carpenter said that he started last year at 212 pounds and weighed about 200 for the Holiday Bowl.

The kickoff time and television arrangements for ASU’s Sept. 20 home date against Georgia, sure to be ranked in the preseason top five, will be announced in May. It seems a natural choice for ABC’s “Saturday Night College Football” telecast, but an appearance on ESPN or ESPN2 is more likely.

An ABC date would require a 5 p.m. kickoff, and school officials have traditionally loathed earlier starts in the heat of September. Also, the game would be televised nationally on one of the ESPN networks, while ABC would probably give it regional status by splitting it with Notre Dame-Michigan State.

New England quarterback Tom Brady tests his tender right ankle while running during practice last week at Sun Devil Stadium.

ASU had a part in the Super Bowl preparation process, as Sun Devil Stadium was the New England Patriots’ practice site. The facility was in a “total lockdown,” a longtime athletic department official said.

During workouts, nobody was permitted inside the stadium. Windows in the Carson Center offices facing the field — including those of athletic director Lisa Love, other administrators and coaches — were covered with a non-see-through adhesive. In the fifth-floor dining area, security guards were stationed in front of windows (evidently spared the adhesive) to ensure that athletes did not look out.

Overall, the security for a football team was comparable to security for Pope John Paul II during his 1987 visit to Sun Devil Stadium.

This cannot be chalked up to the Patriots’ top-secret coach, Bill Belichick, as similar measures were taken at the Arizona Cardinals’ training complex in Tempe, where the New York Giants practiced. Is there any organization in the world with a more overblown sense of its own importance than the NFL? That’s one of the reasons I do not follow the league like I used to.

Preliminary designs related to the construction of an indoor practice facility at Arizona State reveal the school’s vision for the land sitting East of the intersection of Rural Road and Sixth Street.

The football “bubble” and Weatherup Center basketball practice structure — both projects were approved by the Arizona Board of Regents last week — are the impetus for the creation of the Sun Devil East Athletics Village, which will eventually house the game or practice facilities for at least 14 of ASU’s 22 varsity teams.

The area, which already includes Karsten Golf Course, softball’s Farrington Stadium, the Soccer Stadium and practice facilities for gymnastics and wrestling, is also expected to house a relocated Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.

ASU’s “bubble” football practice facility will resemble the one used by Texas, the Sun Devils’ opponent in the Holiday Bowl.

The football facility will be located on the current band field and is expected to be ready by the start of the 2008 season. The cost of the project is $8.4 million.

“Our target for the football facility includes everything relative to the property,” athletic director Lisa Love said. “Not just the structure itself, but where we move the field for band and intramurals, landscaping, walkways, a lot of the necessary other things.”

The Weatherup Center is due to be completed in March 2009. The $22 million price tag includes aquisition of the Athletes Performance Institute facility, which sits adjacent to the future basketball facility site. ASU owns the API property but must pay $2.5 million to terminate the lease early.

API’s facility is 19,875 square feet. The school is expected to utilize it for strength and conditioning, training tables and office space for trainers and strength coaches.

The current Mona Plummer Aquatics Center, which is located south of Sun Devil Stadium, is in need of repair. However, with the Stadium Tower condominiums and Lumina Hotel being constructed at Veterans Way and College Avenue, the 27-year-old pool sits on prime real estate, making relocation a more attractive option.

And all of this, the Sun Devil East Athletics Village, can be named after you — if you have $10 million to spare.

FSN Arizona is conducting an online poll asking fans to choose the most memorable moments from the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry. There are 10 moments, five for each school, to choose from, with the top five selections unveiled during the network’s ”Duel In The Desert” pregame show at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 30.

This is a noble endeavor on the part of FSN Arizona, which I am proud to appear on occasionally as a panelist on “Sound Off Live” on Sunday nights. However, there should not be much suspense as to which moment finishes on top:

Moment No. 2 is a no-brainer as well. It is also Arizona’s biggest highlight in the rivalry, but that is all I am going to say in this space. After all, I would like FSN Arizona to keep inviting me on the air.

(As of Tuesday night, the early returns listed at FSN Arizona’s Web site have my no-suspense top rivalry moment in fifth place, with a paltry 10 percent of the vote. As Jerry Seinfeld would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you.”)

Baseball signing day for current high school seniors and junior-college players is Wednesday, and, as usual, ASU must contend with the possibility of losing many of their best commitments when they put their names on another dotted line — on a professional contract.

The real barometer will come in August, when the signing deadline arrives for players selected in the June amateur draft.

More specifically for Arizona State athletics, thank God it’s Friday, Nov. 9.

The school’s two-year NCAA probation for impermissible benefits and lack of institutional control expires today.

Joey Parigi pitched at Texas in 2006.

Seven Arizona State baseball players faced with the prospect of very-limited playing time in 2008 are off the roster as they explore options elsewhere.

Coach Pat Murphy said that his program is helping facilitate moves (such as to a junior college) for the players, adding that some could eventually return to the Sun Devils.

The group includes two higher-profile pitching signees: Joey Parigi, a left-handed transfer from Texas who began the 2007 season as the Sun Devils’ No. 3 starter, and right-hander Joe Hatasaki, a national top-100 prospect out of high school.

Parigi, who had a 3-1 record, 6.57 ERA and two saves as a sophomore, struggled early, went to the bullpen and worked in less-meaningful situations as the year progressed. He made six combined appearances in April and May and did not pitch in any of ASU’s eight postseason contests.

Hatasaki, who underwent elbow ligament-replacement (Tommy John) surgery as a high-school junior, was limited to four appearances as a freshman in 2007, allowing 11 hits and seven runs in six innings.

Also in the group is Jeff Urlaub, a left-handed pitcher who was enjoying a solid true-freshman campaign in 2006 until struck with mononucleosis. He injured his elbow last year and was expected to miss this season after having Tommy John surgery in June.

The other players currently off the roster are pitchers Adam Bailey and Jason Mitchell, infielder Joe Van Meter and outfielder Mike Petello. Thirty-four players are listed on the Sun Devils’ updated roster, which can be found here.

The most recent federal graduation rate figures were released on Tuesday, and ASU’s rate for scholarship athletes that entered school in 2000 and graduated within six years is 44 percent, compared to 56 percent for all students.

Federal rates are more stringent than the NCAA Graduation Success Rate, which allows institutions to count athletes that transfer in and exclude those that leave school, as long as they were academically eligible had they stayed.

ASU’s overall GSR, also released on Tuesday, is 68 percent.

Allow me to share my Sunday:

Woke up at 7 a.m.; I had five hours of sleep after covering the California-Arizona State game on Saturday night. Went to church with my family; during the sermon, jotted down ideas for the Tribune’s coverage leading to this week’s big ASU-Oregon contest. (Not to worry, Pastor; I still got the gist of what you said.)

Came home and did follow-up research on Saturday’s game. Watched some of the South Carolina-Tennessee replay on ESPNU. Took my sons to a nearby mall to ride a carousel. Participated with 23 other reporters on ASU coach Dennis Erickson’s teleconference. Wrote the story and follow-up notes that appeared in Monday’s Tribune.

Watched the Boston Red Sox finish off the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. Continued planning out my upcoming work week. Went to bed.

Anything missing from that ledger — specifically, three letters — that is a near-obligatory part of fall Sundays for an American male?

After years of never missing an NFL Sunday, many of them spent at the now-closed McDuffy’s sports bar in Tempe, I cannot remember the last time I watched a game from beginning to end. And that includes the Super Bowl.

The NFL does not hold my interest. Almost all of my football watching is on Saturdays.

There are several reasons, and one of the biggest is that it is my job to watch and have a deep knowledge of college football. But there are other factors that have led to my enjoyment of the NFL diminishing.

A dominance of West Coast-like playbooks has resulted in more offensive efficiency, at the expense of excitement. With few exceptions, NFL stadiums are cookie-cutter facilites where the gameday atmosphere is the same from park to park. Most NFL television personalities — especially those involved in the networks’ race to create the most moronic and information-free pregame show — annoy me.

Lastly, the endless hype has dulled my senses. It is a football game, not Armageddon.

From that standpoint, let’s look at two games this weekend, Saturday’s ASU-Oregon tilt and Sunday’s New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts contest. Granted, the NFL game is a matchup of unbeatens, but which game will have the more electric venue? Which game is a make-or-break for the championship hopes of both teams?

And which game will be the subject of incessant, nonstop chatter, from now until kickoff? Dear Reader, you and I both know the answer to that question. Coverage of Rudy Carpenter vs. Dennis Dixon will pale in comparison to that of Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. And that is a shame.

This blog entry — OK, rant — is simply about one man’s disillusionment with the NFL. It is not an indictment of the millions who enjoy the league and follow it passionately.

But they can have the RCA Dome. I will take Autzen Stadium.

My apologies for the blog inactivity during the last week. Much of that was beyond my control, as we had a software switch that shut the Tribune’s blogs down for a few days.

Then, when we got back up and running, the switch resulted in old posts appearing as one giant paragraph, with art missing or out of place. As a result, much of my blog time during the last couple of days has been spent simply making the posts, all 91 of them, presentable — not to mention readable — again. I will not tolerate an unsightly blog, and neither should you.

Among the recent Sun Devil goings-on:

Much of the chatter among Arizona State fans in the last couple of days has been on this column from the Seattle-Post Intelligencer regarding Dennis Erickson.

Through an ASU spokesman, Erickson denied attempting to convince running back Deonte Jackson, or any of his former Idaho players, to follow him to Tempe, as was asserted in the linked column.

With Erickson returning to one of his former schools, Washington State, last week, his nomadic coaching tendencies were again subject to criticism; the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review fired its salvo in the days before the game.

Should ASU defeat Washington on Saturday night, the Sun Devils will likely enjoy their highest-ever placement in the Bowl Championship Series standings, which debut on Sunday. BCS Guru has the Sun Devils 11th in its unofficial standings, compiled after last week’s games.

ASU has appeared in the BCS standings in one season, 2004, peaking at No. 14.

Baseball coach Pat Murphy recently made a large donation of baseball equipment to Girls And Boys Town, the non-profit organization dedicated to housing and educating at-risk children. Its national headquarters is near Omaha, Neb.

When the Sun Devils played in the College World Series in June, they practiced at the Girls And Boys Town campus twice. At the time, he called the facility a “tremendous place to develop kids lives and give them a chance.”

Finally, it has nothing to do with ASU, but this has got to be the car-dealership commercial of the year. I have been chuckling non-stop for two days.

The performance of the Arizona State defense against the rush against Stanford on Saturday was impressive, but not good enough to set a school record, as I mistakenly reported in Sunday’s edition of the Tribune. The minus-2 net rushing yards is the Sun Devils’ best only since 1996.

After Saturday’s game, an ASU official distributed a list of lowest-rushing-yards-allowed games, but writing on deadline, I glossed over the time frame that was clearly stated in the heading.

The minus-2 figure is not even close to a school mark. The Sun Devils held San Jose State to minus-107 rushing yards in 1968, and there are at least four other game totals lower than what ASU surrendered on Saturday.

My apologies for the error.

In the rankings released on Sunday, the Sun Devils are 18th in the Associated Press poll, 19th in USA Today (coaches) and eighth in Jeff Sagarin’s computer ratings. And yes, I double-checked the numbers and made sure that they are for this week.

ASU’s planned indoor practice facility is similar to one at the University of Texas.

Arizona State University athletics has four items on the agenda at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting on Sept. 27-28 in Flagstaff.

At the forefront is ASU’s request for approval of construction of an indoor football practice facility, one of seven new university projects scheduled for the first year of a capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2009-11.

Plans call for the $6-million, 96,750-square foot facility, expected to be funded primarily through donor gifts, to have an inflatable “bubble” roof similar to a structure used by the University of Texas. It would be located adjacent to the Sun Devils’ current practice fields at Rural Road and Sixth Street, stand 65 feet tall and house a 120-yard artificial turf field.

The school has submitted for approval contract extensions for three coaches: Herb Sendek of men’s basketball, Greg Kraft of men’s and women’s track and Louie Quintana of men’s and women’s cross country.

ASU wants to award Sendek another contract year, extending his deal through April 15, 2012, at his $900,000 annual salary.

Kraft figured to be in line for a nice raise after leading the women’s team to indoor and outdoor national championships this past season. He would receive a salary bump of more than $32,000 annually — to $165,000 — on a deal running through June 30, 2012.

After working on a year-to-year basis, Quintana would receive a multi-year deal at $60,000 per (up more than $13,000) through June 30, 2012.