Brownie Points: It’s time for Matt Leinart to step up and prove his worth

If Matt Leinart has a problem with the Cardinals signing Derek Anderson as a free agent, then the Cardinals should have a problem with Matt Leinart.
The Cardinals have done a lot for Leinart. They took him when his stock began to fall on draft day. They paid him well. They backed him when he became the TMZ poster boy and the international symbol for beer bongs. They made excuses for his play as backup for the last few years, attributing his play to rust and lack of snaps.

But if Kurt Warner, who more than any one player is responsible for taking the Cardinals from mediocrity a breath away from a Super Bowl title, had to win his job in training camp with a championship ring and MVP trophy in his locker, Leinart should have no problem showing Anderson who is the better quarterback in July and August.

To hand this team to Leinart and sign two clipboard holders as backups would have been a disservice to all those still wearing red in the desert. Arizona’s running game has and will improve, but the success of the offense will still lean heavily on getting the ball to Larry Fitzgerald controlling the ball. Leinart has had plenty of time to learn, mature and assume the persona of a leader – but there is still a question whether he can produce,
Anderson has been in the league just as long and has played more. Unlike Leinart, he’s thrown more touchdowns than interceptions and been to a Pro Bowl. Statistically, he had about the same numbers as Leinart but there is one caveat – when he gets under center in training camp, he will be surrounded by the best offense and team he’s ever had.

It’s a level playing field for both. May the best man win. And as long as you know you are the best man, there’s no reason to feel threatened or slighted.

Arizona will be better off if Leinart accepts the challenge, wins the job, beings a mobility factor that was missing with Warner and shows that he has learned how to manage a football game. But it shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing proposition. It shouldn’t be swim or Charlie Batch.

The Cardinals have had a predictable, Bidwill-like offseason that has fans uneasy as free agents head for the hills (circa 1998). But I can’t make a compelling argument for wildly overpaying Antrelle Rolle and Karlos Dansby – leaders of an underwhelming defense – but the best thing you can say about the replacement is they are cheaper.

The Anderson move makes sense. Instead of trying to find lightning in another aging arm, Anderson is a decent alternative if Leinart gets hurt – or if Leinart proves he deserves to be the starter. It’s time for that guy who led USC to national titles to show up for work…

I WAS among those touring the virtues of Arizona State’s basketball team. Predicted to finish seventh in the conference, the Devils won 22 games and finished second in the Pac-10 despite a roster devoid of star power or go-to-players.

But ASU proved they weren’t an NCAA-worthy team in the last week – first losing to a Stanford team they had handled easily twice earlier in the season and then imploding at home against Jacksonville Tuesday in the first round of the NIT.

This is the same Dolphins team that lost to Cal – a team that barely made the tournament themselves – by 32 points and had also lost to the likes of Belmont and Lipscomb (that sounds more like a cross street than two college basketball teams).

Missing “The Dance” on Sunday should not have come as a surprise to anyone in Tempe, especially after Washington won the Pac-10 Tournament and knocked everyone in a weaker conference down a peg. But coach Herb Sendek didn’t appear ready to let it go at Monday’s press conference, once again going over the Devils’ resume and their place in history as the first second-place, BCS-conference team not to be invited. With an NIT game 24 hours away, it might not have been the best tact…

*Amar’e Stoudemire is 100 percent. Leandro Barbosa is back. Steve Nash, after a week of intense workouts with physiotherapist Rick Celebrini, is getting there.

*Robin Lopez in the starting lineup is part of a domino effect that has made Channing Frye and Lou Amundson more effective. And if one of them isn’t clicking in a specific game, he sits and watches the other two.

*A Phoenix team that could never get to the free throw line is suddenly there all the time. More inside offense. More slashing to the basket. More scoring in the half court, and more pressure on defenses.

*Jason Richardson finally looks like the player the Suns thought they had obtained from Charlotte. He’s still not a complete player and cal still shoot you out of a game, but at least he’s bring the J-Rich that was advertised, the J-Rich that scored at will in Golden State. Hopefully, he’s also the J-Rich that rose to the occasion for the Warriors in the postseason.

No one will mistake the Suns for a championship contender. But their makeup and personnel might be more difficult to counter in a seven-game series than year’s past. You can’t just slow them down and exploit Steve Nash with a pick-and-roll and expect the Suns to fold. They could be a tougher out.

Brownie Points: Jarron Collins could prove valuable to the Phoenix Suns

Much was made of Lou Amundson’s 11 point, 10-rebound effort off the bench against the Lakers, and deservedly so. He succeeded where Robin Lopez (zero rebounds in 19 minutes) failed miserably, and the hope that Lopez would give the Suns a better chance against the bigger Lakers fizzled quickly amid fouls and other poor decisions.

But in a much more subtle way, another Suns reserve and Stanford alum showed how his deployment in the playoffs might pay some dividends. Playing his first meaningful minutes in months, Jarron Collins didn’t score but showed off a lot of the guile that could make him a useful pawn in a playoff series.

Collins is a master of getting in the way and getting under people’s skin. He draws fouls in a variety of ways and knows how to make opposing big men pay for their own lack of basketball savvy.

Collins drew two charges. He masterfully goaded Kobe Bryant into an early second foul by forcing the two to get entangled early in the second quarter. Every pick comes with a little something to remember, every collision or semi-collision comes with the appropriate body movement and facial expression designed to attract the corner-of-the-eye attention of officials.

And when the Suns capped their rally in the fourth quarter, it was Collins who was on the passing end of the alley-oop that Amundson flushed to forge a brief one-point lead.

“He’s a real pro,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. “There’s a reason why he’s stayed in the league and there’s a reason why he’ll stay in the league.

He hasn’t played in a lot of games, but keeps himself in great shape. He’s always ready to go. We told him that we had to have him tonight and he played (12) minutes took a couple of charges, made some defensive stops got some rebounds. It’s all you can really ask.”

There are plenty of limitations in his game as well, but he’s an interesting pawn to have on your bench when the chess match begins in the postseason…

As the Coyotes close in on what could be an exciting postseason (let’s face it any postseason that is your first in almost a decade is pretty exciting), there’s more ominous news from the official franchise newspaper – the Toronto Globe and Mail – tells us that the bid to buy the team is once again in peril and the team’s viability in Glendale beyond this season is again in question.

That’s bad either way you slice it. Either the G&M is right – and they have a hit-and-miss track record over the years – or they are making a mountain out of a molehill just as the Coyotes are starting to turn heads around town.

This team just can’t buy a break:

*Dave Tippett is going to win Coach of the Year – well deserved, but not exactly a coveted award in the NHL since Jack Adams winners have a funny way of getting fired not long after.

*Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is getting a lot of publicity as a Vezina Trophy candidate. The Coyotes are neck and neck with Vancouver, Pittsburgh and New Jersey in the point standings. Take a look at the four rosters and tell me if that makes any sense at all.

*GM Don Maloney appears to have pushed the right buttons at the trade deadline – although Peter Mueller, as was the fear, has seven points in five games with Colorado and doing all the things he flat stopped doing here.

But the Coyotes had lost three straight and were looking to Maloney for help before he made seven deals and brought in a slew of new faces to town. Since then, Phoenix has won three straight and remains in the fight for home ice in the postseason.

Several of the new Coyotes played major roles. Wojtek Wolski beat his old Colorado team with 20 second left in regulation. Lee Stempniak looks like the 27-goal scorer he was in St. Louis (three goals in three games). And the new depth gave Tippett the ability to bench the struggling forwards like Taylor Pyatt, who responded to the banishment with his best game in months in Wednesday’s win over Vancouver.

Now young Viktor Tikhonov, who has regained his confidence and his scoring touch (14 goals in 25 games on the Russian KHL) has joined the team. The skaters are now on notice : Bad shifts will get you benched and bad games will get you scratched. Try to remember the last time that was even an option with this franchise.

There is so much to enjoy about this team, only to hear that behind the scenes that the Valley is again in dire danger of losing its NHL hockey team – now that it finally has one.

Brownie Points: Will Roethlisberger ever learn?

Big Ben is still a little boy.

Ben Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl titles and a $100 million contract. Now all he needs to do is get a clue.

Still hanging in the college nightclub scene at 28, Big Ben got himself into trouble with a girl. Again. And there are allegations of sexual assault Again.

And while this may all wind up either in civil court – again – or even much ado about nothing, the time appears to have come for Roethlisberger to call an audible and deviate from the same old playbook when it comes to his off the field endeavors.

I would say Roethlisberger needs to have his head examined, but this is the same guy who nearly turned his head into the Grand Slam breakfast special at Denny’s by crashing his motorcycle without a helmet – or a valid permit, for that matter. He came within a few seconds of bleeding to death, then scoffed at all suggestions that he should have been wearing a helmet – until the Steelers told him otherwise.

Perhaps it is time for the Steelers to speak with him again.

The is a long and distinguished list of NFL players who have set about self-destructing their career. For Paul Horning and Art Schichter, it was gambling. For Lawrence Taylor and Mercury Morris, it was cocaine. For too many to count, it was steroids.

Big Ben is far from the first to gravitate toward being a party boy and sorority troll. It just that other than oblivious, blind-loyal Steeler backers, fans expect more out of a quarterback and face of the franchise.

You’re being paid for more than just throwing the football, Big Ben. Some of that money compels you to straighten up and fly right. And the fact that he’s spending a good chunk of that big money on a stellar defense team – led by the lawyer who saved Ray Lewis – proves he knows there is plenty of smoke to accompany this particular fire.

Bill Parcells used to tell his players that nothing good happens after midnight. And it you’re a famous person setting up shop in a nightclub, there are no clocks – and plenty of time for trouble.

Plaxico Burress busts a cap into his own leg. Pacman Jones trades punches in the restroom. Acquaintances of Darrent Williams get into a nightclub shouting match on New Year’s Eve, and before the night is over the Bronco cornerback dies in a hail of bullets — a victim of a senseless drive-by shooting before he can get home.

You would figure the reputation sack Roethlisberger took last summer – and the civil suit that is still pending in Nevada – would have taught him to scramble away from danger. You would think an internet photo of him sporting a T-shirt proclaiming “Drink Like a Champion” might lead him toward smarter choices.

But Ben is still out there being Ben with his boys. And now he’s in talking to the police again and the Steelers are holding their breath again.
And no matter which way this case goes from here, he’s guilty of something that can kill a quarterback’s career – consistently poor judgment….

—–

Suns fans who treat any missive from the NBA as unworthy propaganda were sure to disagree with whatever decision was made regarding Saturday’s Pacers-Suns scuffle.

And while the decision to suspend both Channing Frye and Danny Granger for a game was the correct one, it seems that Earl Watson (the man who obviously started the who fracas) and Roy Hibbert (who, according to PunchStat replay, threw more blows than anyone) getting away with just a fine seems a tad unbalanced.

In the end, Watson gets fined $5,000 more than Jason Richardson, the fourth man in who was merely evening the number of combatants. Not that suspending Watson for a few games would do the Suns any good, but it might do a lot to instill some sense of justice in league decision-making.

Of course, the best news of all is it that Amar’e Stoudemire stayed on the bench. Bravo, STAT.

Brownie Points: Maloney rolls the dice at the deadline

Well, well … I guess someone was a busy bee during the Olympic Break.

There were 31 deals at the NHL trading deadline. Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney pulled seven of them over the last 24 hours. So many player and draft pick bios were flying in and out of Jobing.com Arena Thursday, the media relations department ran out of stationary.

It’s amazing what kind of moves you can make when you have the full faith and credit of the National Hockey League behind you.

Don’t think owners around the league who are paying the freight for this have their mouths agape that a team being run by Gary Bettman – and one that is still losing millions of dollars a month – just added more than $2 million in payroll with 18 games left in the season.

After watching the power play go 1-for-February, the wheels have started to wobble on the Coyote bandwagon, Maloney had to do something to help out a group which who played their tails off for 60 games before finally hitting the wall.

And even Bettman realizes you have to spend money to make money – or in this case, lose less money – and he’s willing to take static from the other owners for a chance to rekindle interest in hockey here.

Every one of the players obtained by the Coyotes has his share of risk:

• Wojtek Wolski is in the midst of a scoring slump and has some of the same warts that punched Peter Mueller’s ticket out of town. He has a reputation for disappearing and not making the most of his vast offensive talent. He makes $3.1 million and is a restricted free agent at the end of the year – which means even success will cost the Coyotes.
• Derek Morris was an expensive ($3.3 million) disappointment in Boston and one of the reasons the Bruins are in danger of missing the playoffs.
• Mathieu Schneider is 40 years old, has played for just about every team in the league and talked his way out of Vancouver. To top it off, he isn’t 100 percent.
• Lee Stempniak scored 27 goals in St. Louis three years ago, but was chased out of Toronto for not living up to expectations. Like Morris, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
• Petteri Nokelainen offers size and physicality, but he played his way out of the lineup on a team that’s out of the playoffs. And the other players obtained won’t see the ice in Phoenix this year.

But other than Mueller – who needed to go elsewhere, even though his second game for the Avalanche will ironically be right back here in Glendale Thursday – the Coyotes didn’t give up much. Kevin Porter is a marginal NHL player who didn’t fit coach Dave Tippett’s style and of the five draft picks they dealt, they were all fourth-round or later – the kind of picks you can scoop up for a song on draft day from teams who are unimpressed by the crop.

And if Maloney can just find a way to bat .500 on deadline-day reaches, he will have given the Coyotes a huge boost not only toward making the playoffs, but giving his team a fighting chance once they get there.

Wolski is a goal scorer who, if he catches fire, can fill the gaping hole left by Scottie Upshall’s injury. And he’s also a skilled shootout artist who could give the Coyotes an extra point or two down the stretch.

Morris and Schneider are here to quarterback the power play. Schneider really has no other value at this point in his career. Morris wanted to come back to Phoenix, he lifted his no-trade clause to make it happen, and the change of scenery might do him good.

Veterans Ed Jovanovski and Adrian Aucoin have slumped offensively of late and logging heavy minutes may have taken a toll. Now with Jovanovski, Aucion, Morris, Zbynek Michalek and Keith Yandle, the Coyotes have five skilled and strong defensemen.

Stempniak and Nokelainen give coach Dave Tippett something he hasn’t had all season – the hammer to hold playing time over the heads of players who give efforts like … well, Tuesday’s 5-2 flatline against the Blues come to mind. There is now depth and choices at every position, and one bad period could cost that player a week in the press box.

If the power play starts to click and Ilya Bryzgalov is given 3-4 goals a night to work with, the Coyotes will make the playoffs and have a good shot for home ice in the first round. If they don’t, all it cost Phoenix was some late-round picks and what little goodwill they still had left around the league.

Brownie Points: You live by the three…you know the rest

This column would have been done sooner, but I spent a few days partying with the Canadian women’s hockey team, and I’m not even sure what country I’m from right now.

• ASU had to play the perfect game to beat Cal on its home floor, and didn’t come anywhere near that in Saturday’s 62-46 loss that ended any hope of a first-ever Pac-10 basketball title.

  The Bears deserved to win; they beat the Devils at their game – defense – and showed that they are the more talented team. But the Sun Devils certainly could have given themselves a better chance than being content to die by the 3-pointer.

  When you go 3-for-22 from behind the arc and your top three shooters (Ty Abbott, Derek Glasser and Rihards Kuksiks) are a combined 0-for-15, It might be time to try something else. Or at least someone else.

  Jerren Shipp gave ASU a lead at the half almost by himself, but didn’t get the ball in the second half. I seem to remember the Devils kept feeding the hot man in Berkeley one year, and Eddie House went for 61 points.

  There is still hope for the NCAA Tournament if the Devils can make up for an awful sweep at UCLA and USC with a home sweep to end the regular season. The finale with the Bruins is a CBS national game and a chance for ASU to prove the Pac-10 has some depth this season.




• To the folks down in Charlotte, who are about to have their NBA team taken over by the sport’s No. 1 all-time icon, a word of caution from a city that has been through this before: He’ll say he doesn’t want to coach, and when he decides he does and proves he can’t … who’s going to fire him?

  Of course, the difference between Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky is that it appears Jordan is actually willing to put his own money into the franchise. That’s a good thing. But if he’s had anything to do with the Bobcats’ decision on draft day in the past, that’s a bad thing – hello, Adam Morrison, Sean May and Alexis Ajinca.

• Just when it looked like his teammates had Jared Dudley over a barrel; the L.A. Clippers gave him the boost he needed in his season dunk-o-meter.

  Athletic ability isn’t high on Dudley’s resume and his vertical leap is often a source of comic relief in the Suns locker room. And back in training camp, though gambling is frowned upon, the over/under on Dudley dunks this season was set at a very conservative yet daunting total of … two!

  Until Saturday, the tote board stood at one and Dudley was starting to sweat with the calendar careening toward March. Then all of a sudden, the Clipper obliged with a turnover and left half the court wide open in front of him for a second official – if not overwhelming – jam.

  Of course, Dudley’s play-by-play offered a little different view: “I was at least 35 inches off the ground,” Dudley yelled, making sure his teammates heard. “I mean at least 35. I slowed up because I wanted to make sure the rim didn’t come down so it could be declared a technical dunk. I was on the break, I was thinking about throwing it off the glass, but I said you know what, I’m gonna relax, and I’m just going to take the two-hander.”

  Dudley and Channing Frye finished what Robin Lopez (30 points, 15 rebounds) started Friday, and those two are key components in Phoenix’s bid for a top-four finish in the West.

• As if 19 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists from wasn’t enough to beat the Atlanta – and it looked for awhile as if it wouldn’t be – Dallas’ Jason Kidd added another line to his stat sheet by drawing a technical foul in the final minutes of Friday’s come-from-behind win.

  With Hawks coach Mike Woodson a step or two out on the court barking instructions to his team with less than two minutes left, Kidd sped up and made sure he made contact with the surprised coach. The referees correctly called a technical on Woodson and it turned out to be a huge play because the Mavericks forced overtime and eventually won.

  Woodson was upset initially but after the game admitted he’d been had by one o the league’s smartest players. “He did what he had to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to favor our team. I’ve got to take the hit for that.”

  By the way, the triple-double was the 104th of his incredible career. And those who followed him closely during his time with the Suns knows he’s stolen at least that many calls with heady plays over the years – although not many were easier than that one.

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Brownie Points: Canada’s Olympic letdown

You have to know this whole humongous Olympic letdown is really hitting our upstairs neighbors pretty hard.

Canada, you see, has been on a roll this millennium. The loonie, once a shadow of more powerful, U.S. dollar, has rallied with a vengeance and at one point, reached equal value.

After seeing beloved NHL teams in Quebec and Winnipeg pried from their cold, empty hands in the 90s, now the skate is on the other foot. Canada is set to prey on sagging Sunbelt teams in the United States to claim what they see as rightfully theirs. While their first assault on the Phoenix Coyotes came up snake-eyes, the Atlanta Thrashers probably won’t be as lucky.

And after almost putting the Olympics entirely out of business in 1976 with the Montreal debacle (Olympic Stadium was finally paid off in 2006 – a year after the Expos fled the country) and again failing to win a single gold medal in Calgary in 1988, the 2010 Games of Vancouver were supposed to be the grand crescendo of Canada’s emergence as a major player on the national sports stage.

Canada sunk over $100 million dollars into a master plan of excellence boldly titled “Own the Podium,” an attempt to add depth in events they are traditionally strong and forge new footholds in those they have heretofore struggled. This was their fortnight to shine, and the usually reserved and likeable Canucks were overly brash, cocky and – oh, what’s the work I’m looking for … American? – in their pronouncements and expectations.

But with the Games now in the home stretch, even the Canadians themselves admit the bold bravado may have been a little, well, loony. They have won six gold medals, not bad, but the 11 total medals left them in fifth place overall and a far cry from the 30-35 they were expecting to haul away.

Meanwhile, Team USA is running away with all the hardware – collecting the most medals of any Winter Games away from home with 26. And it’s not just America’s view – which happens to be from the top of the heap – that the Red, White and Blue is leaving others green with envy.

“We didn’t see this coming,” Roger Jackson, the CEO of Own The Podium, told the Toronto Sun when asked about the America dominance. “There have been some amazing interesting surprises in the American program. The number of athletes who have performed well at the Games that did not show that much promise coming into the Games is remarkable. They have peaked at the right time … They are treating this like a home Olympics.”

But it was when Team USA made themselves at home where Canada REALLY lives that things got interesting. Not expected to medal in hockey with a young inexperienced team, Team USA’s 5-3 men’s hockey upset of the stacked Canadians not only was a crosscheck to the country’s soul, but it gave the Americans the cushiest spot in the quarterfinals – you know, the one Canada was supposed to have?

It wasn’t exactly the “Miracle on Ice II” that NBC was shoving down viewer’s throats, but it was a huge win. (Still, it might have been nice to hear Al Michaels scream “Do you believe in the highly unlikely?” just for fun). Canadian icon/torch bearer Steve Nash, who brashly bellowed “Sorry, the Yanks are going down!”) days before the game, was forced react to a thunderous American ovation when the score was announced at Sunday’s Suns game with frowns and thumbs-down.

Instead of enjoying a bye and facing Switzerland in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, Canada had to beat Germany Tuesday and come right back to face Russia, with the loser going home.

Canada and Russia weren’t supposed to play until the gold medal game. Wednesday? That was supposed to be U.S., folks. And if Sidney Crosby and the rest of the rock stars go home empty-handed, ice dancing might become the national sport in the Great White North.

Brownie Points: Tiger pars his apology

Give Tiger Woods, and those who ever-so- carefully crafted his lines Friday, credit for one thing: They have taken copious notes on what NOT to say. From Pete Rose to Roger Clemens, from Michael Vick to Mark McGwire, from Alex Rodriguez to Kobe Bryant, from – well you get the idea – the blueprint for disaster is available with a few clicks on the internet.

There are as many sports star, movie star, political star, apology paths for specific trespasses – from drugs to infidelity to real, actual, crimes – as there are holes at a putt-putt golf course. Many more of those paths send your ball behind a cinder block than hurtling toward the cup.

Woods did he best to hit the clown’s mouth Friday. He was contrite. He owned his transgressions. He apologized to all the right people (well, except in the eyes of Jamie Jungers and Joslyn James – who, if I have my math right were Mistress No. 4 and No. 9? – who apparently, fully expected some sort of long-awaited. personal shout-out from their Sugar Daddy).

Give it up, ladies. Playland is closed. Tiger admits he did it and your 15 minutes of fame are up. Leave whatever texts, voice mails and videos you still have to the front table. Here are the phone numbers for Playboy and the Porn-Comeback-Hotline. Don’t forget to get your parking validated on the way out.

Woods controlled the situation as only Tiger can – from the antiseptic decoration of the room, to the snazzy outfit straight out of the President Obama collection to his handpicked selection of guests – who weren’t allowed to ask questions or, so it seems – even whisper amongst themselves.

When was the last time you saw Woods without a single Nike swoosh in sight? Not that it was his choice – the advertisers that haven’t dumped his brand over the side are hiding now, waiting to see how the next chapter in this saga plays out.

As far as what Woods said, I’m not sure what more he could have said to placate. He didn’t talk around his transgressions. He talked about cheating and affairs and a lack of integrity. He apologized to his wife, kids and family, to his friends, employees, fellow competitors, and his sport and, at one point if I’m not mistaken, kids around the world. He also specifically apologized for being a poor role model, something that stuck with me.

But even the most feared swing in golf couldn’t stick the landing.

He had three months to rationalize his actions. Much of it was spent in therapy, which he claims is opening his eyes. But then he said this:

“I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have far — I didn’t have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules.”

So that’s it, huh? I hope this therapy either (a) wasn’t as expensive as we think or (b) has a real crescendo ending set up for when Tiger returns this week. Let’s hope that it leaves him with a better rationalization than: “Well, I thought I deserved it, and I thought I was entitled, but I guess I was wrong.” Wow.

When he’s on the other side of this – and that day is coming quickly, as soon as he starts pumping out majors and inching closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record – all those temptations will be there again. Truth is, the rich and famous are entitled in this world, and there are different rules for them. Woods used those rules both to live a private life and set up a string of women around the world to cheat with again and again and again.

And while Woods indeed might not owe anyone outside his wife, children and extended family an apology for his Mick Jagger impression over the years, it was obvious his decision to do so was to use the forum as a way to attempt to re-establish those entitled, private ground rules he had so carefully constructed. Woods wants the press to leave him alone. Don’t ask any questions. Stop taking pictures. Stop following his wife and children around.

It’s a fair request when it comes to the children. Kids should be off-limits, from the President of the United States on down. But the rest of it – the private life, the paparazzi tailing his famous wife and watching for the slightest slip in his “rehabilitation” to keep those he said he hoped would believe in him again? That’s all coming Tiger, and you have no one else to blame.

The first round, the apology, is out of the way. Tiger shot par. The rest is yet to come. Every club toss, every expletive on the course, every negative interaction with the public will go on the scorecard. And as much as his atonement for his actions is a private matter, his obvious interest in regaining his public image and stature as an icon invites us all to score along at home.

Brownie Points: Kickin’ it Old School

Couldn’t sustain a complete thought this weekend, so let’s go back to some old school Brownies:

• The opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics cost $38 million. But other than the cool special effects on the floor – the swimming whales, the icebergs, even the kid running through the wheat field – I didn’t see where all the money went.

  It certainly wasn’t choreography – which was the worst since “Disco Demolition” Night at old Comiskey Park. It certainly didn’t go toward lip-synching practice, or the native dancing that went on, non-stop, during the entire parade of nations

  And it sure didn’t go to making sure all four sides of the Olympic Torch caldron – the big finale to a night nearly a decade in the making – actually made it out of the floor. You had to feel for speed skater Catriona Le May Doan, cousin of Coyotes captain Shane Doan and one of the most decorated athletes in the country’s history – who was left holding the mini-torch.

  I heard the guy who was in charge of the caldron mechanics left early – because he was in charge of potholes at the Daytona 500.

  But Doan could have had it worse. She could have been Wayne Gretzky, who had the honor of driving through the streets of downtown Vancouver in the back of a pickup truck in a driving rainstorm in order to light the “real” torch in front of about 16 people. Beijing, it wasn’t.

• Then it was on to the women’s hockey, where Canada opened their inevitable showdown with Team USA by beating Slovakia 18-0. And while you’re getting your arms around that one, we should mention that on its way to the Olympics, Slovakia beat Bulgaria 82-0 in a qualifying tournament.

  That’s 82 goals in a 60-minute game. Was there a three-point line or something?

  Look, it took years for men’s hockey to become competitive internationally. Same with basketball. But here’s a new rule: In order to classify yourself as a hockey-playing nation, you much have 20 people who don’t have to hold on the boards to keep from falling – and at least one of them has to be a goalie.

• Word is the Coyotes will be bringing Viktor Tikhonov back from Russia – where’s he’s been lighting up the KHL – to add some depth for the stretch run. That’s all well and good, the Coyotes need depth up front – but if that’s Don Maloney’s answer to losing Scottie Upshall, Phoenix’s first playoff berth since 2002 isn’t sewn up yet. Not with 11 of the last 15 on the road and an offense that has scored exactly one goal in their last three losses.
• Saturday wasn’t a great night for the Coyotes. Not only were they shut out by the Stars, but they revealed interesting intelligence to future opponents. After winger Petr Prucha was injured by a hard, borderline check from Dallas’ James Neal, Phoenix spent the rest of the night chasing the Stars enraged. That led to a lot of sloppy play and a 3-0 loss that will stick in their minds for the two-week Olympic break.
• To those rolling their eyes at Cleveland’s offer for Amar’e Stoudemire – exactly what were you expecting in return? Stoudemire is leaving unless he gets a max deal, which the Suns aren’t willing to pay. That’s not the world’s best bargaining position. So a player Phoenix has coveted (J.J. Hickson), a first-round draft pick they don’t have (although, financially, I’m surprised the Suns would even be interested in a guaranteed contract that late in the first round) and some cap relief is about the best deal you can get given their position.

  It’s a hard trade to make. It won’t go over well with season ticket holders, who will watch this season dry up and blow away. It won’t make Steve Nash happy, but he knew this was possible or even likely before he signed his extension.

  But compared to a playoff run to nowhere this season and losing Stoudemire for nothing in the summer, a good young player, and the possibility of a second one and rebuilding room in the summer of 2011 is about the best you’re going to – unless you want to take on a bigger version of Jason Richardson.

• Well, we finally have the answer to the long-burning question “What’s worse than watching 500 miles of NASCAR?” Things got so bad that when winner Jamie McMurray emerged as the champion – more than six hours after it started — he found out his dad had already left.

Brownie Points: Welcome to Phoenix, City of Decent Sports Teams

Sure, it might be a little early to erect the “Valley of the Contenders” billboard outside the city limits, but this is a pretty good time to be a sports fan in these parts.

There may not be out-and-out championship material in any of the college or pro teams, but no one is embarrassing themselves or failing to keep up with the Joneses – with the exception of the ASU football program, who benefitted positively from all the attention being placed on the Cardinals this fall.

• The Cardinals. Another division title. Another season of sellouts. The most entertaining game of the playoffs – although in beating the Packers, it probably cost the Big Red any chance to move forward in terms of lost players and fatigue for the quick turnaround. But for the second year in a row, Arizona lost its final game to the Super Bowl champions.

  Where do they go from here without Kurt Warner? They still play in a weak division, so the fall from grocery stocker leading them to the Promised Land and fans wearing grocery bags over their heads in the stands may not be as quick as some fear. Ken Whisenhunt is still the coach and the overall talent level on the team is still high.

  Anquan Boldin has likely played his last game as a Cardinal, and dreams of fetching a first-round pick for his services have long gone by the boards. The pass rush, linebackers and secondary need upgrades, and there isn’t enough money to address all the holes.

  Then, of course, there is the seemingly eternal question of just what the Cardinals have in Matt Leinart, who in Year 5, is apparently going to get the sink-or-swim order from an organization that either (a) still believes in him; (b) isn’t interested in investing in a quarterback capable of pushing him or (c) is hoping against hope that Warner gets the itch to slide on the gloves one more time and can find a way coax Brenda go along with it.

  Leinart was so ineffective during his cameos last year that you sensed even those who were never in his camp started pulling for him. With the strongest running game this franchise has seen since the days of Stump Mitchell and Earl Ferrell and less pressure put on the quarterback to run the show, perhaps a more seasoned and mature Leinart in his fifth season can finally put things together and become the next Vince Young-rewind story in the NFL.

• The Suns. They went into the All-Star Break at a respectable 31-22 just 1 ½ games out of the fourth-seed in the Western Conference. But take away the 14-3 start and the Suns are 17-19 since December and an ugly home loss to a tired, injury-depleted Portland team shows how easily they could be one of the teams left out of the wild playoff scramble in the West.

  Of the four pro teams in town, the Suns are the only one that is officially waning, although they had the farthest to fall after being the lone sports torch-bearer for the city from 2004-08. Amar’e Stoudemire’s days in town are numbered, even though it appears he will now stay through the season–more due to a lack of a worthwhile offer than a belief that the current team can catch fire. This team can stand up against the top teams but can also toss out a stinker at any moment. That’s not going to fly in the postseason.

• The Coyotes. This is an incredible story, one that hasn’t gotten the due it deserves locally or nationally. At 37-19-5 after Wednesday’s win in Minnesota, the Coyotes have won eight of their last nine, 11 of the last 14 and are 18 games over .500 for the first time in the 30-year history of the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise. With a series of inconsequential but shrewd moves by GM Don Maloney to give this team actual professional depth, a team that finished 13th in the West last year now has the fourth-highest point total in the entire NHL. That’s Cinderella on skates.

  In 61 games, they have surpassed last year’s win total (36) and matched the point total (79) for the entire season with a pop-gun offense but a disciplined, dogged and damn effective system preached by coach Dave Tippett.

  Now add in all the collateral stuff. This franchise was dead in the water six months ago. What was supposed to be the last season of hockey in Arizona has turned out to be the best despite literally no fan or corporate support. The Coyotes are now selling out on the weekend and a Monday night game against Edmonton drew 13,000 plus – although many came just to boo the hapless Oilers.

  Some have knocked the team for being boring or lacking flair – but excitement and skill costs money. Since 2002, Tippett has the second-most wins of any coach in the NHL (only Detroit’s Mike Babcock has more). The key to the Coyotes can be traced to two stupid moves by division foes – Anaheim’s decision to cut loose goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and keep the now-departed J.S. Giguere, and Dallas’ decision to fire Tippett after one down season.

  Moving forward, this team can do some playoff damage if the new owners are willing to help the offense before the Mar. 3 trade deadline. Phoenix is 4-4 against the top three teams in the league (Washington, San Jose and Chicago) and will be a tough out for anyone in the playoffs because they just keep coming at you.

• ASU Basketball. After Thursday’s win over Oregon State, the Devils have 17 wins and sit tied for second in the extremely mediocre Pac-10 with six games left. More than was expected after losing two players to the NBA, and a credit to the work ethic instilled by coach Herb Sendek.

  Reaching 20 wins and a winning record in the Pac-10 won’t guarantee an NCAA ticket, but a win in Tucson to avenge the most painful loss of the season might impress committee members.

• The Diamondbacks. There are so many “ifs” here, it’s hard to know where to start. Brandon Webb. Chris Young. Conor Jackson. Stephen Drew. The back half of the rotation. The whole bullpen. The manager.

  But Arizona plays in the NL West, where all is possible. The addition of first baseman Adam LaRoche, at a very good price, solved three problems in one – power in the middle of the lineup, defense at first base and a permanent spot for Jackson (fingers crossed) in left field.

  Above average seasons from the everyday players puts Arizona right in the mix. It’s the longest shot of the quartet, but if Webb is healthy and he and Haren do what they can at the top of the rotation … yeah, it’s another if.

  But look where Arizona sports has been. And look around at how many cities have a chance to see all four sports in the playoffs.

  Would you trade it for one team that had a legitimate chance to win?

Brownie Points: Everyone’s so quick to knock on Peyton

Super Bowl XLIV was seen by 106 million people, supplanting the final episode of “M*A*S*H” as the most-watched program in the history of television.

It’s a heck of a time to have a bad day. And I’m not just talking about creators of those crappy, $2.7 million-a-pop commercials (OK, the “Casual Friday” commercial did get a giggle).

While much was made about how cool it was for the Saints to win the Super Bowl and all, the other story of the day was much more interesting to the cynical media – tearing down the Peyton Manning idol they had spent two weeks of good ink and megabytes constructing.

You can only spend so much time talking about Dwight Freeney’s ankle ligament, so the other natural storyline as the day leading up to The Big Game (sorry, I only paid the NFL enough right’s fees for one super reference) centered around Peyton Manning’s place on the Mt. Olympus of quarterbacks.

Had Manning passed Johnny Unitas on the list of all-time Colt quarterbacks? (By the way, did anyone notice that David Letterman was rockin’ the Art Donovan No. 70 Colts jersey in his commercial with Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno? Lesson to the rest of those commercial creator whiz-kids out there: Less is more.)

Would Manning’s second Super Bowl, when added to four, count ‘em, four MVP Award put him above Tom Brady’s three rings at the controls of Bill Belichick’s machine? Given his total command of the Indy offense, would he be on his way to nudging even Joe Montana and his four rings off his perch?

But then a funny thing happened on the way to immortality. Not only did the Saints make the Manning look mortal in rolling to the first title in franchise history, but the man himself made the big boo-boo, turning what appeared to be the game-tying drive into a deciding pick-six with an uncharacteristically poor throw.

Suddenly, the comparisons changed from Joe Montana to Jim Kelly, from Tom Brady to Tony Romo. Monday, the talk was the same as it was before Super Bowl XLI – Peyton can’t win the big one, and only a great defensive effort from the Colts three years ago keeps his ring finger filled.

Tennessee didn’t win a national title until he left. He couldn’t beat the Patriots in the playoffs. A 14-2 season and a conference title ends empty and unfulfilled.

Of course, Manning didn’t give up 24 points. He didn’t botch an on-side kick that turned the momentum of the game. He didn’t drop a touchdown pass or decide to let a 51-year-old kicker try a 51-yard field goal.

He did, however, make the big mistake, the one that put the game out of reach and sent his standing on the all-time list tumbling like the Dow. And the he’s had some of his poorest throws on some of the biggest stages in his career.

But let’s not go too far here. Manning is the Colts. Without him, they don’t get a sniff at a Super Bowl, win or lose. Three years ago, he got there with Marvin Harrison. This year, it was Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai. To watch him come to the line of scrimmage with an open mind and wait for the defense to dictate his course of action is a throwback to the days before quarterbacks were the product of their system and staffs.

Win or lose, he’s fun to watch. Win or lose, he’s the story. And that alone should tell you how good he is.