Jan. 11, 2013
Some interesting and toasty bits of tid heading into a frosty Arizona weekend:
CBSSports.com ranks Jahii Carson at No. 24 on its list of top 50 players at the season's midway point.
For some context, that's second among all players in the Pac-12 -- behind only UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad, who checks in at No. 17 -- and two spots behind Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, who many ranked as the nation's top recruit and potential No. 1 draft pick.
Other Pac-12 representatives: California guard Allen Crabbe (29), UCLA freshman guard Adams (35), and Arizona forward Solomon Hill (49).
Duke's Mason Plumlee tops the list; former Arizona signee Jeff Withey, a senior at Kansas, is No. 4.
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Some nice recognition for Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington, who was one of three inside 'backers named to NFL.com's All-Pro team -- along with Carolina rookie Luke Kuechly and San Francisco's NaVorro Bowman. OK, so it's a non-traditional 4-5-4 defense that's being recognized, but nonetheless, not bad for a guy who didn't even make the NFC Pro Bowl roster.
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Lots of reaction throughout cyberspace on both sides of the aisle to the rejected Justin Upton-to-Seattle deal.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick quotes an unnamed executive as saying the Mariners were "clearly overpaying," while the consensus of the 200-plus (at last count) commenters on azsnakepit.com, the D-backs fan site, is that Kevin Towers doesn't have a clue, or a plan.
Dave Cameron of Fangraphs and ESPN.com's David Schoenfield weighed in with some well-balanced analysis of Upton's trade value. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.
The big question now, of course, is what's next. It seems less and less likely that this genie is going back in the bottle, so where does KT turn, and just how much has Upton's value been compromised?
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We'll close with another chapter in the growing legend of Shane Doan. The New York Post relates a behind-the-scenes intervention by Captain Coyote that might have saved the day, and the season, for the NHL.
As might be expected, Doan is not interested in taking any credit. His teammates, however, were not so reticent.
