Arizona
After Loss to Rams, Cardinals Must Make Changes
Well, that was just about the most heartbreaking ending the Arizona Cardinals have seen all season.
After a failed attempt at a game winning drive to try and sweep the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals emerge out of SoFi Stadium as losers in 13-9 fashion.
Unfortunately, classic mistakes that we’ve seen from the team this year were made and Arizona has another losing record.
This is a loss that should rock the boat a bit – and I have some major criticisms.
But in fairness, there were some things to be happy about in the loss.
With one game remaining for Arizona, the end is in sight and we have most of our takeaways finished for the season’s outlook.
We still learned more about this team following the close loss, and that’s what we’re here to discuss.
Trey McBride is the best weapon on offense
James Conner has played at a Pro Bowl level this year. Marvin Harrison Jr has shown flashes of brilliance to be the Cards’ top receiver (more on him later). Kyler Murray is an athletic marvel who can make plays with his arm and his legs.
But Trey McBride is the best player on the Cardinals’ offense.
All season long, the third-year tight end has been one of the most reliable pass catchers across the NFL. Following tonight’s game, McBride is within range of the franchise single-season receptions record of 115, set by DeAndre Hopkins in 2020.
Mr. Reliable at his finest.
Although McBride may not be some game-breaking player with SportsCenter Top-10 highlights every week, his consistency and reliability cannot be measured in words.
A struggling Cardinals offense would be lost without McBride out there.
Rumors of Marvin Harrison Jr’s demise have been greatly exaggerated
The doomsday parade chanting Harrison Jr is a bust already should’ve been silenced against the Rams. MHJ reeled in six receptions for 96 yards. It was an under the radar performance with far more highs than lows.
And although he didn’t have many plays that will be on his rookie highlights tape on YouTube, it was still a game that should build confidence in him to continue growing.
Harrison’s stat line may not be the historical season we wanted, but it’s still be a good one.
If Harrison can close the season with another game like this, Cardinals fans should be much happier than they were a few weeks ago about his outlook heading into year two.
Cardinals need more playmakers on defense
I love some of the pieces on this Cardinals defense and several guys have bigger roles ready for the future. Garrett Williams, Dante Stills, Max Melton, and several others have had great seasons and will be the foundation for this defense.
But that being said, they desperately need more playmakers.
Several turnover worthy plays were left off the board, such as Baron Browning unable to strip-sack Matthew Stafford or Budda Baker’s dropped interception in the endzone. These are plays that swing the game in your favor and it’s causing too many close games and losses for Arizona.
When the offseason rolls around, the Cardinals have to prioritize not just adding talent to the defense but adding playmakers. Interceptions, sacks, anything and everything in between.
The Cardinals could’ve won more games this year with someone capable of generating turnovers. That has to be a top priority for this organization.
The Cardinals are a playoff team if this offense showed up every week
Speaking of winning more games, the Cardinals wouldn’t have been knocked out of the playoff hunt by now if they had this offense performing week in and week out. And it wasn’t even an elite effort tonight.
But what we saw was the Cardinals move the ball effectively more often than not and occasionally test the defense. You had mixed results, but at least there was life to be found in this game and it made it worth watching.
We didn’t get the result we wanted, but this was a far more competitive game because the Cardinals were willing to do things they didn’t before.
Wins are wins and losses are losses, but you can’t tell me Arizona doesn’t win at least one more game if they play offense like they did tonight.
That being said…
Drew Petzing Needs to Go
I’m done with watching Drew Petzing at this point. Even in a game that was well called, he found a way to ruin it.
Murray made some mistakes, but there were many questionable calls made by Petzing that had me upset… none more so than the final play of the game for Arizona’s offense where the Cardinals opted to pass inside the five yard line rather than force the Rams to burn their final remaining timeout and drain the clock by running it.
Nope. Instead, we got a foolish decision to throw the ball and it ended in a play that will be remembered as one of the best of the regular season… but not for Arizona.
I’m done. I’m over it. I’m ready for a change.
Sorry, Coach Petzing, but your number’s up.
Believe it or not, the 2026 All-Star Game voting process has already begun, as of Wednesday. Fans who want to see their favorite members of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field in the midsummer classic this season can begin voting for their stars.
There are certainly some deserving players on this Diamondbacks club, which is currently 32-28 and occupying the third Wild Card sport in the National League.
Here’s how and where you can vote for your hometown heroes:
How to vote for Diamondbacks players to make All-Star Game
Fans can utilize the following link to vote for members of their team on dbacks.com. Fans are permitted to fill out and submit as many as five ballots per day, selecting as many or as few players as they choose.
This period of the fan vote constitutes Phase 1 of All-Star voting, which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time (12:00 p.m. Eastern time).
Following Phase 1, the two overall top vote-getters will receive automatic berths into the All-Star lineups. If those two are not Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge once again, that would be an upset.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies in Philadelphia. All-Star week begins on June 10, with a full slate of activities, before the game is played on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (5:00 p.m. Arizona time).
The full schedule of events are as follows:
- Friday, July 10: HBCU Swingman Classic
- Saturday, July 11: 2026 MLB Draft
- Sunday, July 12: All-Star Sunday, MLB Futures Game, MLBx All-Star 3-on-3
- Monday, July 13: T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET)
- Tuesday, July 14: All-Star Red Carpet, All-Star Game
Which Diamondbacks are deserving All-Stars?
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, who should Diamondbacks fans vote for? Obviously, you may fill out the ballot however you choose. That can include a full roster of Diamondbacks, regardless of their stats or notoriety this season.
Still, here are some of the top performing D-backs who might have a leg up on an All-Star berth:
OF Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll is having another All-Star worthy season. He’s hitting .289/.380/.545 with a .925 OPS and eight home runs, while playing good right field defense. He has the eighth-most bWAR (2.7) among position players, fifth-most in the National League, and third-most among all pure outfielders.
2B Ketel Marte
If Marte wins the NL second base fan vote, it will be his third straight season starting the All-Star game. Despite such a slow start to the year, that feels possible again. Marte is hitting .259/.315/.456 with 10 homers and is playing the best defense of his career.
3B Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is quietly putting together one of his better seasons of the 2020s, slashing .269/.351/.467 with eight homers and flashing his elite third base glove at nearly as good a pace as ever. His name still carries a lot of weight in third base conversations; he’ll get some votes, no matter what.
1B Ildemaro Vargas
Vargas’ bat has cooled down quite a bit since his historic start to 2026. He’s still hitting a sturdy .290/.318/.454, but feels more likely to be considered as a reserve selection than a leading vote-getter.
Honorable Mention: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Pitchers are not selected by the fan vote. They are selected by player ballots and the All-Star Game managers. The National League’s manager will be Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, again.
The National League has quite a few talented pitchers, but Eduardo Rodriguez currently holds the fifth-best starting pitcher ERA (2.24) among NL hurlers. It’s going to be difficult to dethrone Christopher Sanchez or Jacob Misiorowski, but Rodriguez could find his way into the pitching pool, especially after his WBC heroics for Team Venezuela.
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Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
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