Arizona

Budda Baker Sent Message to Cardinals Before Camp

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

Budda Baker Sent Message to Cardinals Before Camp

GLENDALE — It’s an important year for Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, on a personal and team level.

Baker enters the final year of his contract with the organization after years of service that will surely see him enter the Cardinals’ Ring of Honor when appropriate.

Baker’s proven invaluable both on the field and in the locker room – though everybody has a price in the NFL. Baker requested a trade last offseason before seeing more guaranteed money worked into his contract, though no extra years were added.

Day 1 of Cards Camp is complete. The Cardinals are officially underway with their prep for 2024, and Baker has yet to be extended.

Much has been (and will continue to be) made on his future with Arizona, but the star safety and likely repeat captain got up in front of all of his teammates the night before camp started and delivered a speech to rally the troops.

“He got up and talked last night. Off the cuff. He’s everything we’re about. He practices the right way, he prepares the right way.,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters.

“You should hear him in meetings – asks a ton of questions. He probably knows the answer but he’s asking the question because his buddy doesn’t want to ask the question. He’s a phenomenal person and he’s a phenomenal player. So I’m glad three’s with us and he’s going to play a big part in what we do this year.”

What was exactly said from Baker won’t be revealed to outside ears, though cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was able to offer the following:

“Really just being ready, being excited for everybody that’s in the room. Having guys that he’s been so comfortable and having fun around. Eight years like he said he’s been in the league and he’s just ready to go out there,” said Murphy-Bunting after practice.

“He’s so enthused and so happy to be around the people that he’s around. Everybody that’s showed up has worked hard and has made him feel really good about the season going forward.”

Cardinals running back James Conner also met with reporters after Day 1 of practice and offered this:

“It’s huge. Budda’s been a guy who has done it right year after year after year. When he talks, guys listen. He’s been a captain every year for a reason and he’s our tone-setter for sure.”

New extension or not, Baker’s laying the foundation for this season.

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Arizona

This Arizona Red Rock Formation Looks Exactly Like a Peanuts Character

Published

3 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

This Arizona Red Rock Formation Looks Exactly Like a Peanuts Character

Sedona, Arizona is home to some of the most striking red rock formations in the American Southwest, but Snoopy Rock might be our favorite. Sitting on a bluff above the city, the formation seems to depict Snoopy from the Peanuts comics lying on his doghouse with Woodstock sitting on his nose.

The formation is best viewed from Uptown Sedona, where the shops, restaurants, and galleries along the main strip all offer solid sightlines. The parking lot behind the Sedona Arts Center and the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center on State Route 89A are two of the best spots to take it all in.

For those who want to get closer, the hike via Margs Draw Trail can be worth the effort. The trailhead is located on Sombart Lane, accessed by heading south on Highway 179 from the junction of Routes 89A and 179, then turning left. The out-and-back route covers 2.1 miles and is considered challenging, with an unmarked social trail leading to the base of the formation.

A Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required if you’re planning to start at the Schnebly Hill Trailhead, and the best hiking window runs from September through May. Dogs are permitted on leash, though the scramble section near the top is not suitable for most animals.

For non-hikers, Jeep and helicopter tours of Sedona regularly point out the formation along with others in the area.

Nolan Deck is a writer for Unofficial Networks, covering skiing and outdoor adventure. After growing up and skiing in Maine, he moved to the Denver area for college where he continues to live and work…
More by Nolan Deck

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Arizona

Michigan defenseman Hunter Hady transfers to Arizona State

Published

15 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Michigan defenseman Hunter Hady transfers to Arizona State

Former Michigan sophomore defenseman Hunter Hady has transferred to Arizona State, according to an announcement on the team Instagram. The 6’4’’ defenseman will join the Sun Devils for his junior year.

Hady played just two games on Michigan’s blue line this season against Harvard in November and against Bentley in the NCAA regional semifinal. He recorded a secondary assist on junior forward Garrett Schifsky’s goal in the Bentley game for his only point of the year.

Hady’s contributions were more substantive in his freshman season — though his point total remained the same. He played 32 games for Michigan as the team struggled to find defensive pairings that worked throughout the year. Hady was a reliable blue line presence who could be counted on to provide solid defense and not make significant errors.

Prior to playing for the Wolverines, Hady spent three seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he played with current Michigan teammates senior defenseman Luca Fantilli, sophomore forward Michael Hage and junior forward Jayden Perron, among others. He joins an Arizona State team that lost ground in the NCHC this season and is looking to reach a Frozen Four for the second time in its program history.

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Arizona

Pilot Jessica Cox to be inducted into Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Pilot Jessica Cox to be inducted into Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Jessica Cox, the world’s first licensed armless airplane pilot and a leading advocate for disability-led innovation, will be inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame on Friday, May 15, 2026. The induction ceremony, hosted by Rightfooted Foundation International in collaboration with the Pima Air & Space Museum, will take place at the museum from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cox’s recognition honors both her historic achievement in flight and her ongoing work expanding access and opportunity for people without arms. Through her leadership at Rightfooted Foundation International (RFI), Cox has championed mentorship, education and practical innovations that help aspiring pilots and families reimagine what’s possible in aviation and beyond.

“Saying I’m proud of her can’t fully encompass what I feel,” said Patrick Chamberlain, Cox’s husband and RFI’s Inclusive Engineering Director. “Jessica’s induction into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes both what she has accomplished and what she continues to do. She has helped shed light on the many pilots with disabilities in aviation and shown the world that disability does not mean inability.”

The 2026 induction class also honors two military aviators: Frank Schiel Jr., a Phoenix-born Flying Tigers veteran credited with seven enemy aircraft destroyed in World War II, and James K. Johnson, a Phoenix-born U.S. Air Force colonel and Korean War double ace credited with ten aerial victories.

The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, established in 1985 and housed in the Dorothy Finley Aerospace Gallery at Pima Air & Space Museum, pays tribute to Arizonans who have made significant contributions to aviation and aerospace history.

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