We're almost smack dab in the middle of July, with the MLB All-Star break looming, and you know what that means, sports fans.
The dog days of summer are here. The dead zone.
The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL drafts are fading in the rear-view mirror; the big buzz of NBA and NHL free agency has become a low murmur; football camps and the MLB trade deadline are still a few weeks off. There's not even any women's soccer to captivate our interest.
What are the purveyors of sports "news" to do? You know the drill: Crank out a bunch of lists and see if that can rouse the rabble while there's nothing real to get worked up about.
Guilty as charged. Well, not personally, but as card-carrying purveyors of the sports industry, we're all in it together. Our role here today is to sift through the rubble to find some nuggets that have some local relevance. Here goes.
Our friends at foxsports.com and ranking the top 10 players at every position in the NFL. The first offerings were quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end, and so far the Cardinals have drawn a blank. The sad reality is that Larry Fitzgerald is no longer considered a top 10 wideout. The Cardinals also came up empty at tight end, but there's one big lovable lug who played his college ball in Arizona -- and also happens to be a pretty snazzy singer and dancer -- who gets his due. Guess who?
FOXSports.com college football insider Stewart Mandel also chose this time to rank his "best values among the Heisman odds" set by Las Vegas. These are not Stewart's top 10 candidates, mind you, but his best bets against the odds. There's a certain twostarscoob who's been beating the odds for a couple of years down in the Old Pueblo, so it goes to figure that Scooby Wright checks in at No. 9 on Mandel's list, vs. his listed odds at 100/1.
Thirdly, we go away from the FOX family to present Scott Howard-Cooper's rookie ladder, ranking the top 10 rookies based on very preliminary returns in summer league competition. And once again, it's an Arizona Wildcat who is attracting attention at the very top of the list: Stanley Johnson.
The summer Suns haven't had their shot yet, but Devin Booker could soon be climbing up Howard-Cooper's ladder.
And on that note, we'll leave you with one non-listicle worthy of your attention from SI.com's Deantae Prince, who writes that Booker's "shooting stroke (is) tailor-made for today's NBA."
Booker tells Prince: "People always ask me, 'You're a shooter. How do you go in there five minutes, sit out five minutes?' You just learn to be efficient, and if you don't do it, you'll be out. It's something I adjusted to well, and I feel like it's going to translate to the next level."
Until we list again, have a great weekend.
