Arizona baseball had won five of its last seven games, which included three road wins, entering Friday evening’s matchup with Kansas State.
Arizona
Arizona Diamondbacks’ billionaire owner must be too cheap to fix the AC
If the Arizona Diamondbacks truly cared about fans, they wouldn’t let them roast at Chase Field.
Diamondbacks fans pick up replica NL Championship rings at Chase Field
Early-arriving fans picked up replica National League Championship rings given away to the first 30,000 at a game vs. the Phillies on Aug. 10, 2024.
Jose Romero
What should have been an enjoyable outing at Chase Field for baseball fans to watch the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies last weekend was instead a sweaty, sweltering, miserably hot experience.
Is it asking too much for cheapskate billionaire owner Ken Kendrick to fix the air conditioning? Rather than whine about taxpayers rejecting any more public funding for ballpark improvements?
Fix the AC before fans start cramping up like Zac Gallen did last Saturday night. I’d request a ticket refund, but only true owners who care about the fans would do that.
Kyle Mickel, Phoenix
Are ‘Goons’ or immigrants worse?
Kari Lake and her MAGA crowd seem to be obsessed with what they call “immigrant crime.” I would like to ask her if the “Gilbert Goons” and another adolescent gang in Gilbert, who burned down a barn and harassed teen girls, were immigrants?
From what I’ve read, they were bona fide American teens who seemed to be afflicted with an extreme case of “affluenza.”
I think the only crime stats we have to look at whether “immigrant crime” is really a thing comes from Texas, and their stats show that immigrants commit much less crime than their squeaky-clean American counterparts.
Bob Ellis, Phoenix
$6.89 for milk is highway robbery
I needed some milk to finish some baking. I went to a 7-Eleven to get some, as it’s less than a mile from my house.
I purchased a quart. I paid $6.89. Milk at the grocery store is $1.75. If this isn’t price gouging, I don’t know what price gouging is.
Michael Scully, Mesa
No wonder we hate government
Cox Communications in Phoenix recently shut down for several hours. I called to ask if my monthly bill would reflect the service reduction. I was told that Cox charges by the day, not the minute/hour.
I tried to complain to the Arizona Corporation Commission and was advised that Cox is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, not the state corporation commission.
More letters: Why did we not learn about this Arizona atrocity?
Try to find a link on the FCC’s site to file a complaint. Not happening, unless it’s hidden in a sub-category that I couldn’t find. In a democracy, complaints against government should never be hidden!
It’s no wonder that citizens get so frustrated with our government.
Page Decker, Avondale
Leave your politics in California
People come to Arizona from countries south of our border and from California in huge numbers. Why are they leaving other countries or states?
Because they wanted a better life or they are looking for work or the taxes were terribly high or they could not afford decent housing or their schools were no good or the socialist form of government was the cause for all of this.
And they vote for Democrats here so they can have all the things that they left.
Craig Holstad, Chandler
Why I sell solar power on the side
As a resident of Phoenix, I’ve seen how our community values sustainability and innovation. The push for renewable energy aligns perfectly with these values and offers numerous benefits for our state.
Arizona’s solar potential is immense. By expanding our solar energy infrastructure, we can lower energy costs and enhance energy security. Renewable energy also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, helping to combat climate change.
The economic benefits are significant. Renewable energy projects create jobs and stimulate local economies. They attract investments in technology and infrastructure, positioning Arizona as a leader in the clean energy revolution.
For me, supporting renewable energy means supporting a thriving, sustainable future.
I’m so passionate about clean energy that I sell solar power on the side, in addition to my work as a bartender in Phoenix. This underscores my belief in the importance and benefits of renewable energy for our community and beyond.
Jill Patsche, Phoenix
Vote for the ideology, not the person
We are in the midst of the dog days of summer and our national election. And it is the same old experience — lies and more lies.
It requires a lot of concentration to sort through the campaign ads to find a scintilla of truth. Most of the time, the entire campaign ad is just yanking our chains.
I would like to believe that we are all smart enough and savvy enough to know when we are being conned. The person we vote for matters less than the political and social ideology we support.
Will you vote for the party candidate who believes that social programs should not exist and wants to pay no taxes? Or will you vote for the candidate who truly cares about you?
We shouldn’t mistake the two by shooting ourselves in the foot. When you select who to vote for, do a bit of research and be sure that your vote does not make your life worse than it is.
Alvin Vasicek, Mesa
What’s on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.
Arizona
NFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Detroit Lions NFL Draft Injury Report: Arizona State CB Keith Abney
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
Arizona
Arizona baseball drops low-scoring series opener to Kansas State
In the first game of the series, Arizona (14-23, 5-11 Big 12) battled in a low-scoring affair but fell short in a 2-1 loss to Kansas State (24-12, 8-8 Big 12). The Wildcats from Tucson held the Wildcats from Manhattan at bay for a good majority of the night.
Given that Kansas State leads the Big 12 in conference play in batting, on-base percentage, and slugging, Arizona had a rather good performance, but it was not enough.
Owen Kramkowski pitched seven scoreless innings before allowing the first Kansas State run in the top of the eight. He finished with six strikeouts and kept the high octane Wildcats at bay.
“I thought the defense played well behind him too,” said head coach Chip Hale. “There’s a lot of ground balls, and we made plays where we were positioned in good places, and he was pitching in the eighth inning. That’s unbelievable.”
Garrett Hicks (3-1) came in to try and stop the bleeding for the Wildcats and did so by not allowing Kansas State to take the lead in the eighth. It was in the ninth when the lead was surrendered.
It took until the sixth inning but the first run was scored by Arizona. Andrew Cain singled to left field and after Maddox Mihalakis flew out, it was Beau Sylvester bringing Cain home with a triple through right center field.
Sylvester extended his hitting streak to eight games and it proved to be not enough to get Arizona to the finish line.
Kansas State tied the game at the top of the eight when back to back singles got runners on at first and third. Then a passed ball allowed the third base runner to come home.
Arizona had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the ninth after Cain singled to deep right field. With Sylvester back at the plate, it seemed like it was a perfect set up.
A wild pitch nearly got past Kansas State and Cain tried to take advantage of it and steal home. However, Kansas State was able to corral the pitch and get Cain out at home.
AJ Evasco started the ninth inning with a double for Kansas State and back to back fly outs eventually got him home to give Kansas State the lead and the win.
With eight players being left on base, Arizona will need to bring those runners in more often than not if they want to tie the series Saturday afternoon.
As a young team, the Wildcats have had to walk a very tight line between disappointment and dejection and will need to continue handling these losses with grace if it wants to turn a corner.
“It’s the way it goes, it’s baseball,” said Hale. “If we don’t handle it, we will come out tomorrow and won’t be ready to go, so hopefully they handle it.”
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