As I sit here drinking a Devil's Ale in honor of the Sun Devils, I can't help but be very happy with the way ASU played tonight. Yes, we always play a cupcake. Sure, we always kick some ass. Regardless, I'm going to be very optimistic right now: should this team remain healthy, they are definitely legitimate.

Look at all that speed that Dennis Erickson has recruited. The playcalling was vanilla tonight, but why show off too much and give unnecessary game tape to the Missouri Tigers? They will have a hard enough time stopping Vontaze Burfict, who ripped up Randy Wright on three sacks.

We waited a very long time to see this team on the field, and they left me satisfied. From the start, the offense clicked and Cameron Marshall looks like an NFL-caliber running back. Brock Osweiler found his guys and didn't appear fazed by the duties of being the starting quarterback. Aaron Pflugrad shook off a bad drop early in the game to score two touchdowns.

The defense was stout against the run. Did you see Junior Onyeali? That kid is ready for prime time. Shelly Lyons nearly had an interception, and he will have to convert that opportunity moving forward, but we'll give him a pass tonight.

The only thing left to say is, I hope Brock Osweiler is good to go for Mizzou. He looked like he was in a lot of pain due to that charley horse. Get better B-rock!

Sun Devils' Record: 1-0

Admittedly, there's a bit of homerism at play here. Regardless, Oregon was seconds away from winning the BCS National Championship Game, and their offense is going to be awesome this year. They have a great opportunity at winning it all.

I noticed after the fact that I selected five Pac-12 teams. That's parity, baby!

What did I do right? Where am I going wrong? Please tell me.

Man, I love the Sun Devils.

I've been a huge fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Flagstaff, it was either the Devils or the Wildrats. Fortunately, I made the right choice!

I haven't been this excited for a college football season since 1997. The 2007 team was an awesome surprise, but that's exactly what it was, a surprise. We didn't expect Rudy Carpenter to carry Dennis Erickson in his first season using mainly Dirk Koetter's recruits, but that's JUST what happened.

I guess I'm lying, a little. 2008 was full of anticipation and we blew it! Losing to UNLV? Seriously? I still get mad when I look back at that terrible night.

But I promised this wouldn't be a negative post. No, this is all about the future of the Sun Devils, and guess what? The future is so bright, I have to put sunblock on my nose... and Sparky has to wear sunglasses.

What do we have to do in 2011 to succeed? Execute! Vontaze Burfict needs to keep his head on straight, not get into fights in the locker room with depth players! GET IT TOGETHER!

Brock Osweiler is really impressive. This kid is from smalltown Kalispell, Montana, yet he's handling media day like a seasoned pro. He's 6'8", mobile, and best of all, is undefeated against the Arizona Wildcats! AU can't touch this guy!

I have really enjoyed the hype from the new jerseys. This lifeblood is fresh and the fans are excited. Can't you tell? Lets win the Pac-12 championship! It's TIME!

The reasons to play football for Arizona State University are piling up faster than any Sun Devil fan could have hoped for.

From flashy new uniforms to the very real possibility of a new (or highly renovated) Sun Devil Stadium, this offseason was full of surprises and curveballs.

Another big one came down the pike yesterday as Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced the Pac-12 Network, which will begin broadcasting in the fall of 2012.

This network is on the cutting-edge for a conference that, just a few years ago, felt like it was in the stone age. The last Pac-10 Comissioner, Tom Hansen, often failed to negotiate favorable television deals or glean prime time slots for his member institutions. As a result, schools like ASU missed out on important exposure and money.

Scott, formerly the president of the Women's Tennis Association, has had no such trouble.

Since coming on board in July of 2009, he has expanded the conference by adding Colorado and Utah, locked up huge television contracts with ESPN and Fox, and also put together the most ambitious college conference television plan in the history of amateur sports with four major cable providers.

The Sun Devils just got another huge shot in the arm, and a successful season in 2011 will bring a large amount of national exposure to a program that so desperately needs it.

Basically, the members of Sun Devil Nation need to write Larry Scott a big thank you card, and maybe send him a basket of snickerdoodles at Christmas. Great times are ahead for ASU and the Pac-12.

The Sun Devils site at Rivals has released a very interesting story, implying that the ASU athletic department will hire a Chief Operating Officer who will oversee the development of a new Sun Devil Stadium, among other fundraising projects.

The information in the article has been verified by ASU spokesperson Virgil Renzulli. Here's more from the article:

"There is a major need for this type of position at Arizona State at this specific time and that's what Dr. Crow believed after looking at this very carefully," said ASU spokesperson Virgil Renzulli. "You have the new Pac-12 media rights deal, the creation of a stadium district, and a numerous other challenges all coming together at the same time.

"What's going to happen with athletics facilities, you have a stadium redevelopment that is going to cost upwards of several hundred million dollars. So you want somebody who is tasked with these things specifically."

Lisa Love will remain in her position as Vice President of Athletics and work alongside Patterson, with a new board of senior administrators created to, along with Crow, provide redress in the event of strategic differences of opinion, according to one source.

The biggest part of this whole scenario includes the sale (or lease) of Karsten Golf Course land to help pay for this undertaking:

ASU is prepared to lease much of the land currently occupied by Karsten Golf Course in order to fund its stadium and athletics district plans, according to one source. The ideal goal is to play several more season at Sun Devil Stadium before knocking it down and rebuilding it in its current location, with one season played at either Chase Field in Phoenix or University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale during construction of the new venue.

Well, I was almost right about this one, calling that SDS was going to need to be replaced and Karsten could be involved:

But think of all the problems at Sun Devil Stadium -- the cracks in the concrete, the ancient bench seating, the horrible bathroom facilities. If you fix all of those problems, you're running up a huge bill. The only thing standing in the way of a new stadium is the lack of space for it to be built.

There are options, however. I'm not sure how it could go down, but if ASU was able to "find" land to build on, such as Karsten golf course, then it would be feasible. Again, all of that relies on funding, availability of land, and other factors, such as need.

If anything needs an upgrade, though, it's Sun Devil Stadium. Urinal troughs are so 1960's.

What does this all mean for the Devils?

Continue reading this post »

The FIFA Women's World Cup is underway in Germany, and one of our very own Sun Devils is playing for the U.S. national team as they attempt to win their first World Cup since 1999.

Amy LePeilbet, defender, attended ASU from 2000 to 2003, and she played for the U.S. Under-21 national team during her junior and senior years as a Sun Devil.

After graduating, LePeilbet made the jump to the U.S. national team in 2004 and has been a key part of the team ever since. Outside of international ball, LePeilbet spent a few seasons in smaller national leagues from 2003 to 2008 before declaring for the first ever WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) General Draft in 2008, ahead of the league's inaugural 2009 season. She was selected 4^th overall by the Boston Breakers, and has been with the team ever since.

Continue reading this post »

It can be summed up in paragraphs, but a single word can suffice: destiny.

The Arizona State Sun Devils softball team achieved the ultimate goal on Tuesday night, defeating the Florida Gators 7-2 to claim ASU's second NCAA softball title in the past four years.

Freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo capped off an incredible campaign by going seven strong innings, giving up only two earned runs on 131 pitches. 

While Escobedo walked five Gators, she didn't allow them to claw back into the WCWS through clutch hitting: Florida only amassed four hits over seven innings of play.

Shortstop Katelyn Boyd played a big role in the victory tonight, collecting three RBI and stroking two key hits. Annie Lockwood delivered a solo home run and Alix Johnson added three RBI for the victorious Devils.

Florida drew first blood when rightfielder Brittany Shutte hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Just like that, the Gators had their first lead of the WCWS final.

The Sun Devils wouldn't lay dormant for long, however. ASU rattled off five runs in the next two innings, taking a 5-1 lead into the fourth.

ASU tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth innings to solidify their first national championship since 2008.

A huge congratulations goes out to the team, who worked so hard and compiled an epic 59-6 record en route to winning the NCAA title. GO DEVILS!