House Of Sparky: FanPosts

Director's Cup Final Standings

2009-06-30T22:17:53Z

The Directors' Cup is an accumulation of points from teams throughout a schools' athletic department. Schools can gain points from 20 total varsity teams, with 10 being men's sports and 10 women's.

For the record, Arizona finished in 24th. ASU finishes in 5th place overall in the Pac-10 while Stanford won yet again.

The final Pac-10 standings:

Stanford
USC
Cal
UW
ASU
UCLA
Oregon
Arizona
Oregon State
Washington State

Washington State really brought up the rear by finishing in 120th. That was behind such vaunted programs as Brown, William & Mary, Jacksonville State and Northern Arizona. The 120th position was also shared with Liberty.

Fork 'em, Devils!

ASU Admission

2009-05-25T17:47:51Z

Hey I'm beginning the college admission process soon and I was wondering if you guys could tell me whether or not I have a shot at getting into your school. I come from a highly competitive private school out of state.

Here are my grades

9th

A, B,B,B,B,C

10th,

A,A,A,B,B,B

11th

A,A,A,A,B,B

Extracurriculars:

Eagle Scout, Newspaper (4 years; Staff Assistant, Staff Writer, Sports Editor, Sports Editor), Water Polo (9), Crew (10,11,12), 10600 literary magazine staff (10,11,12), Marque literary magazine staff (10,11,12)

Work Experience

Day Camp Counselor (9), Started a business painting addresses on peoples' streets

SAT: 2100, ACT 33

So please just comment below and tell me if I have a shot. Thanks a ton.

Interview with former Sun Devil Jeremy Staat

2009-05-14T19:20:39Z

Via Devilsdigest, came across this link to Ted Miller's ESPN Pac 10 blog with a great profile on Jeremy Staat, one of the key DL cogs on the famous 1996 team. He joined the Marines in 2006, and served a 7 month tour in Iraq. After leaving the military due to a medical discharge, he came back to ASU to finish his degree and graduated yesterday. Great story, and I'm proud to have this guy as a true Sun Devil.

Jeremy Staat, from ASU to the NFL to Iraq and back again

Set your DVRs for Thursday night, kids

2009-05-13T21:47:39Z

FSN Arizona will be airing "Spotlight: A Tribute to Bruce Snyder" Thursday night at 6:30 PM. It'll include rememberances from friends and players from the former ASU head football coach and will replay again at 10:30 PM. In between, FSN will show Bruce's greatest game, and probably the greatest ASU moment in the last 30 years, the 19-0 shutout over Nebraska in 1996. I know some of you who frequent this blog might be a little younger so you might not have seen the game before. I was a junior in the stands that night and it still ranks probably just below the birth of my son as the greatest night of my life. You owe it to yourselves to see this game, trust me.

Josh Spence out for the year

2009-05-11T23:32:31Z

ASU's national title hopes took a severe blow when coach Pat Murphy revealed that left hander Josh Spence will likely not return to the mound this season and may have already thrown his last pitch for the Sun Devils. He has a torn tendon in his pitching hand and while surgery isn't needed, he will likely be out for the rest of the year.

Murph predicted that Spence will likely be a high pick in the June MLB draft and is unlikely to return to ASU, as he already spent 2 years at junior college and is eligible this season.

I emailed Baseball America editor John Manuel asking about Spence's draft prospects and he indicated that while he likes Spence's makeup, he has doubts about how well he projects at the next level due to his low velocity, topping out in the mid 80s. So I suppose there is a chance that he could get drafted lower than he wants and could come back to ASU.

Of course, it's not like he's going to start throwing any harder with an extra year in college, so he may just figure he wants to start his pro career and start drawing a paycheck rather than risk further injury.

ASU is still capable of making it to Omaha, especially if they draw one of the top 8 national seeds and get to play at Packard through the postseason. But this young team would struggle to have the pitching depth to keep advancing, especially if they ever drop into a loser's bracket. Hopefully guys like Seth Blair and Jason Franzblau can step up and carry the Devils.

Where is the baseball coverage, HoS?

2009-04-30T21:27:40Z

I know that college baseball has a lower profile than football or basketball, but baseball is inarguably the most successful sport on campus. The team has been ranked in the top 5 in the country since the 2nd week of the season, and briefly rose to #1. They just finished up a 20-3 beatdown against arizona in tuscum, following a 23-9 bludgeoning earlier in the spring. They're on track to win their 3rd straight conference title, something they've never done before. After this weekend at UCLA, they likely will not have to play another road game unless they make it to Omaha and the College World Series.

Look, I know it's something of a niche sport to the general public. But c'mon -- if you're gonna bill yourselves as the blog for all things Sun Devil, college baseball has gotta be part of the equation!

#3 ASU vs. #1 Cal State Fullerton at Packard

2009-03-31T18:06:07Z

The Sun Devils will take on top ranked Cal State Fullerton in a 2 game midweek series March 31 and April 1st at Packard Stadium in the DeMarini Invitational. ASU comes in having won 5 of 6 to get off to a great start in Pac 10 play against USC and arizona. The Titans are coming off a series win against UC-Riverside. Should be a good series -- the rivalry has died down a bit from the early part of the decade when it seemed like the Devils' hearts were annually broken at Fullerton (including one unbelievably unfair year when we were ranked in the top 5 and yet were sent to Goodwin Field for Super Regionals), but their fans are still lively and snooty so it should be a good time. Definitely will be a great time to get out to Packard and make some noise!

EDIT: Excellent preview over on Pitchfork Nation.

New Pac 10 commissioner announced

2009-03-27T15:39:11Z

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/tennis/03/24/larryscott/index.html

Larry Scott, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since 2003, is stepping down to take the job as commissioner of the NCAA's Pac 10 athletics conference, multiple sources have told SI.com.

I think having new blood will help alot. Hansen was just AWFUL. Let's hope he can get a better TV contract (like getting rid of the only one team on TV at a time rule).

Kansas (9-3) @ #7 Arizona State (12-2)

2009-03-13T20:05:24Z

Hello Sun Devils. I cover the Kansas baseball team at Rock Chalk Talk. I thought I would pop over here and post the preview article I wrote for the Kansas - Arizona State series this weekend. I'd be happy for any feedback from ASU fans on the Jayhawks this weekend.

The Series in a Nutshell

The Jayhawk baseball team headed west for spring break. Kansas plays at #7 Arizona State Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then will push on to face San Diego State Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to Lawrence to prepare for their first conference series. Number one ranked Texas will be at Hoglund March 20-22nd. KU will provide free webcasts for all games next week. Just visit here, go to schedule and log in. The broadcast start just a few minutes before first pitch.

Probable Starters

Friday: Arizona State 9 - Kansas 4 FINAL KU Recap and boxscore link

Saturday: Kansas 3 - Arizona State 2 FINAL KU Recap and boxscore link

Sunday: Arizona State 12 - Kansas 10 FINAL

I did not find an ASU news release for the series so I just went with their regular weekend rotation in the above list. And no, those ERAs are not typos. The Sun Devils can pitch. After fourteen games their team ERA is 1.22. Fortunately their defense is less impressive. ASU has given up almost as many unearned runs (14) as earned runs (17). This is cold comfort when the bottom line still comes out to their surrendering only 2.2 runs a game.

The Sun Devils know how to hit as well. Their team line is .312/.428/.560. They average 8.9 runs a game. I don’t want to get into listing all their star players, because that would take a while and only depress the readership. Link to full ASU stats here.

Obviously Arizona State is a great baseball team. But they can be taken down. Kansas State split a two game series with them just this week. True, the Sun Devils have not yet lost a weekend game, and that weekend rotation looks horrifying, but they are not a team without flaws. If their defense truly is suspect that plays into KU’s hands. The Jayhawks are a slap hitting team that puts a lot of balls in play and runs the bases aggressively. Infield defense controls these problems, and maybe, just maybe, that is the part of the game where ASU is at its weakest. I guess well see soon enough. I’d love to see KU compete in these games and pull out a win. Anything further would be truly surprising.

DUItama arrested for...what else...extreme DUI!

2009-03-09T21:09:07Z

Looks like the fates finally caught up with him, after he was able to get away with it a couple of years ago. And nope, sorry I don't buy the excuse that "we've all done it..." Uhhh, no we haven't, and it's stupid stupid stupid in the extreme for anyone who does. Nor do I wanna hear about how we can't talk because Erickson's gotten one -- hey guys, doesn't Mike Stoops have one of those bad boys on his record as well? All in all, a fitting capping off to the career of the "best" QB in au history.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/articles/2009/03/09/20090309spt-tuitama.html

Tucson police arrested Tuitama early Sunday after a McDonald's worker flagged down a police sergeant, saying a customer who just left the drive-through window may have been impaired.

Police spokesman Officer Chuck Rydzak says the officer saw Tuitama run a red light and pulled him over.

Pac 10 Freshman of the Year debate (w/Poll)

2009-03-06T20:01:26Z

There are many storylines and subplots to consider as we head into the final regular season game. One of the most interesting is the upcoming “Battle in Seattle” of two strong Pac 10 Freshman of the Year candidates. I wanted to look at their cases, along with several other contenders for the award. I am also interested in how fans of other teams vote, so I will put this FanPost on each site.

My first criterion is the Name Test. Have I heard of you? I know this is the least statistically sound way to evaluate somebody, but it is necessary to cut down the field of freshmen to the at least occasional impact players. I have "heard" of some other freshmen than listed here, by the way, but I can't include everyone. Here is the initial list (I did have to pore over rosters to remember some of the players):

Kyle Fogg (Arizona)

Jorge Gutierrez (Cal)

Garrett Sim (Oregon)

Michael Dunigan (Oregon)

Josh Crittle (Oregon)

Jeremy Green (Stanford)

Malcolm Lee (UCLA)

Jrue Holiday (UCLA)

J'mison Morgan (UCLA)

DeMar DeRozan (USC)

Leonard Washington (USC)

Isaiah Thomas (UW)

Klay Thompson (WSU)

Second, I think it is fair to eliminate any player who does not contribute at least fifteen minutes per game. Obviously the top contenders will play much more, but this is more of an initial step:

Jorge Gutierrez

Garrett Sim

Michael Dunigan

~~Josh Crittle~~

Jeremy Green

~~Malcolm Lee~~

Jrue Holiday

~~J’mison Morgan~~

DeMar DeRozan

Leonard Washington

Isaiah Thomas

Klay Thompson

I think it would be fair to say that this list contains the only people who will receive any votes this year. Next let’s look at some per-game statistics. Before stat geeks sets their hair on fire, I didn’t want to sort through Ken Pomeroy’s tempo-free stats for 10 different players, but I will use his stats in narrowing the field eventually. Let’s start with saying the players must average at least 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. I kind of decided those arbitrarily, so I will include people which are much higher in one but lower in another (this also helps account for different positions). Before I completely eliminate someone, I will double check things like defensive stats and efficiency (in this case, points per shot).

Kyle Fogg (slightly lower than cutoff in each category but very efficient)

~~Jorge Gutierrez~~

~~Garrett Sim~~

Michael Dunigan (lower assists, but good overall stats)

~~Jeremy Green~~

Jrue Holiday (more assists, fewer rebounds)

DeMar DeRozan (more points, fewer assists)

~~Leonard Washington~~

Isaiah Thomas (more points, fewer rebounds)

Klay Thompson (more points, fewer assists)

So we are down to six. Now let’s start looking at tempo-free stats. I’ll list some relevant KenPom stats for each player. Unfortunately at this point I have to switch from conference-only statistics to against all competition. Ken often uses stats that are adjusted for the level of competition, though not all of them are, but hopefully we’ll still get an accurate picture of how good the players are. Red text is national rank for all college players. (Click on picture for larger version)

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Offensively, Fogg appears to be the best, but note that he is rarely involved in possessions. He doesn’t shoot much, though when he does shoot he makes them, doesn’t do a lot of rebounding or assisting, but gives up a lot of turnovers. Less than great defensive numbers just add to the arguments against him, so I’m saying he goes.

Dunigan is more the opposite, with the best defensive numbers of the remaining players. Note that he is the lowest in minutes, probably because he is the highest in fouls committed. He also draws a lot of fouls, but judging by his TS% I would guess he doesn’t make too many free throws. Great rebounder but a turnover machine. Pretty much everything about his profile screams "talented but makes typical freshman mistakes." I say he goes as well.

Thomas and Thompson both take the most scoring opportunities on their teams and do pretty well with those chances. DeRozan is close behind and Holiday shoots better but less often. Thomas is the outlier (in a bad way) in rebounding. Thomas and Holiday both have essentially the same assist and turnover rates, both high, while DeRozan turns over far more often, and Klay is better but not quite as good as the first two. Defensively, it looks to be about a wash between Klay and Holiday, with Thomas a little behind and DeRozan bringing up the rear. I think we can eliminate DeRozan now.

To pick a winner from the last three players is definitely subjective. Just by the stats, I think you’d have to go with Holiday. He is the best shooter, rebounder, assister and defender. His only real downside is that he also has the most turnovers. Considering more than stats, however, you have to note that he is probably the 3rd or 4th option on his team offensively, UCLA’s man to man defense is so good that Holiday can play the passing lanes to get a good steal rate, and he’s probably playing on the team with the most talent in the starting 5.

Thomas’s main arguments statistically are that he plays more minutes than Holiday, uses far more possessions (thus is more important to his team), and draws a ridiculous 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes. He constantly gets the other team in foul trouble, which is incredibly important against teams with limited depth. Subjectively, he was "the missing piece" to the UW puzzle, leading them from 8th last year to 1st this year. He has allowed Dentmon to slide over to his more natural shooting guard position, and consistently draws weak side help defenders, providing plenty of opportunities for Brockman down low. Much of the support for Thomas comes from evidence that does not always show up in statistics.

Thompson is the best of the three in only four categories – minutes, committing fouls, blocking, and not turning the ball over. Please note that each of these categories is a rate, meaning that his avoidance of fouling and turnovers is not directly related to WSU’s slow pace. On statistics alone, he is close or ahead of Thomas in everything except assists and drawing fouls, and I think you could argue that Klay wins the statistical battle here and is only slightly behind Holiday. Judging from the minutes played, Klay is the most important to his team in terms of depth, as the dropoff after him on the bench is significant.

So how would YOU vote? By the stats, Holiday is the winner. By "importance to team," you could go with Klay or Thomas. Thomas is the key to the UW offense, and UW is first in the league, but he also has a lot more talent around him than WSU provides (though less than UCLA). Vote now!

Poll

Who deserves the 2008-2009 Pac 10 Freshman of the Year?

Jrue Holiday

2 votes

Isaiah Thomas

30 votes

Klay Thompson

5 votes

DeMar DeRozan

0 votes

Someone else

0 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed

Erickson interview with Portland Tribune

2009-03-04T01:36:11Z

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=123605303168855000

Ha, I'm guessing he doesn't read H.o.S.

Many on the Arizona State message boards were less than forgiving with the team or its coach last season, which caused Erickson to lose very little sleep.

“I don’t pay any attention to those chat boards,” says Erickson, proving his point with the fractured nomenclature of the computer-challenged. “They’re so ridiculous. Some of my assistants look at them, and the stuff people write ... I tell them, ‘Why would you guys ever read those things? Those people don’t count.’

“That stuff doesn’t bother me. It never has and it never will. People are going to say what they want to say, but we have a plan. I’ve been around a long time and have been pretty successful. We have great boosters here and a real solid alumni group that knows what we’re doing and is very supportive.”

Don Wakamatsu

2009-02-23T19:48:40Z

Even though it is old, I did not really realize that Wak played for ASU and was a three time All-Pac-10 performer.

I love the Mariners and now I love their rookie manager even more.

He was captain his senior year, 1985. What is notable about that? That '85 team also had Bonds on it. Wonder what that team was like, must have been a pretty interesting atmosphere.

State Press Baseball Beat

2009-02-23T08:44:31Z

Hey guys,

Nick Ruland here with the SP. Just thought I could throw a few thoughts out there on opening weekend. I may not be a college baseball expert, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Sun Devils this past weekend. Yeah I get it, UMW hadn't practiced outdoors all year yadda, yadda....

How can you argue against the numbers ASU put up this weekend? I don't care if it's batting practice, to be able to hit the ground running like that tells me a lot about the program (I am trying to familiarize myself with).

Did we learn anything about this years team from this weekend? I'm not sure I can offer the depth of perspective to fairly answer that question. I can say that Murphy was not exactly dazzled when I spoke with him on Sunday. Perhaps my perceptions are a little misguided on that subject. I think I'll leave that alone until I can figure it out.

So maybe the half-glasser says all we learned is that Ramirez can turn on a below-average fastball. Or maybe that ASU can take advantage of an outfield that displayed very little range or competency.

I saw a pitching staff that threw strikes. An offense that sprayed the ball all over the field and executed situational hitting fairly well. A defense that can make spectacular plays. I saw athletes for ASU that should give them confidence in tight games. I also saw balls go out to center that really carried. I don't think power is going to be as big a problem as some would believe.

What do I know. I am listening and learning. Fair to say we'll know a little something after this next week.

Lubick on the class of '09

2009-02-19T14:04:14Z

Lubick gave some quotes to Metcalfe on the players we signed a few weeks back. Some pretty interesting stuff in there.

I liked the quote about Burfict:

LB Vontaze Burfict: "He has everything physically. He's a legit 6-2, maybe 6-3, 245 and can run a legit 4.5. That's kind of freakish. The way he plays, he dominates the game. (Chandler Hamilton's) Steve Belles coached at the U.S. Army (All-American) game and said he was a man amongst boys. We'll have as fast a linebacker corps as anybody in the conference."

Let's pray he stays eligible.....

LINKY

Cozzetto headed to UW

2009-02-12T14:01:28Z

Metcalfe Link

Arizona State tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto appears bound for Washington either as offensive line coach and/or offensive coordinator.

Cozzetto could not be reached for comment Wednesday night, but sources said it appears that he will join first-year coach Steve Sarkisian's staff.

If the job is to become offensive coordinator, it could be too lucrative for Cozzetto, a native of Spokane who coached at Washington under Keith Gilbertson in 2003, to turn down. Jim Michalczik was going to earn $350,000 as Huskies offensive coordinator/offensive line coach before leaving after less than two months to become Oakland Raiders offensive line coach.

Cozzetto returned to ASU for a second coaching stint when Dennis Erickson was hired as head coach going into the 2007 season. He was Sun Devils offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Bruce Snyder from 1992-99.

ASU has one assistant coaching change in Erickson's second season when Greg Burns replaced Al Simmons working with cornerbacks.

Pac 10 coaches pick ASU baseball #1

2009-02-05T14:03:08Z

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/135028

Didn't see this posted anywhere...

Just barely #1 over UCLA. I wish I knew more about this year's team but it's so hard to keep up with all the new players every year.

Despite losing 15 players from the 2008 team to professional baseball, Arizona State has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-10 baseball title in a vote of the 10 conference coaches.

The Sun Devils, ranked as high as sixth in national preseason polls, received three first-place votes and 69 total points in the Pac-10 voting, barely edging UCLA (three first-place votes and 67 overall points) for the top spot. Stanford was picked third with one first-place vote and 64 points, Oregon State fourth with two first-place votes and 58 points and Arizona fifth, garnering one first-place vote and 56 points.

"There is no question that this projection is a sign of respect for the past success of Sun Devil baseball since we only return four players with any significant Pac-10 experience," said ASU coach Pat Murphy. "We are very aware of the challenge ahead of us."

ASU, which has won the last two Pac-10 championships, has 17 newcomers on its 2009 roster but has the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation as well as returning All-Americans Mike Leake and Raoul Torrez.

The Sun Devils are coming off their ninth straight trip to the NCAA tournament after finishing 49-13, including a 16-8 mark in Pac-10 play.

The Sun Devils open the 2009 season on Feb. 20 when they host Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Packard Stadium.

Results of the poll are as follows. Nine points are awarded for a first-place vote, eight points for a second-place vote, and so on. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team.

School (first-place votes) Points

1. Arizona State (3) 69

2. UCLA (3) 67

3. Stanford (1) 64

4. Oregon State (2) 58

5. Arizona (1) 56

6. California 42

7. USC 38

8. Washington State 24

9. Washington 23

10. Oregon 9

ASU women's hoops crushes u of a!

2009-01-24T22:21:20Z

Wish I had remembered this one in advance cause it would have been good to take my son to get a taste of the way things should be! But the score tells the story -- ASU obliterates u of a this afternoon by a score of 75-38! Sybil Dosty posted a double double with 12 points and 11 boards, while Dymond Simon led the Devils with 19 points. ASU has now beaten the rats 7 straight times and 9 out of the last 10.

Link

Could ASU close east campus?

2009-01-21T06:56:50Z

Not sports related, but still worth discussing...article in the Trib today says that one of the options on the table to meet budget reductions for ASU is to close the Polytechnic campus out in east Mesa. That would be a HUGE blow to the university, and to the communities out on that side of town. Talk about a permanent solution to a (hopefully!) temporary problem! Hopefully it doesn't come to that, and alternate arrangements can be made somewhere.

Link

ASU releases 2009 baseball schedule

2009-01-07T00:33:20Z

ASU released their schedule for the upcoming season and as usual, it's a doozy. Heavily front-loaded with home games, the Devils start out with their first 19 games played either at Packard or over at Surprise Stadium. They will travel to Arkansas, USC, Cal, Oregon State, as well as 3 non-conference games against au in tuscum. In addition, they will also play Missouri, U of San Diego, and Cal State Fullerton in the Valley. This freshman laden team will have their work cut out for them, but the talent is definitely there to make another run through the regionals and even a 3rd straight conference title. Hopefully fans will be patient with the inevitable ups and downs that come with fielding a very young team.

2009 ASU baseball schedule