Arizona Sports Insider

Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training

Full squad workouts begin February 26

It’s almost time for the boys of summer to take the field for 2012. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ spring training begins on February 20, with the pitchers and catchers reporting to the Salt River Fields Spring Training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The pitchers and catchers begin workouts the next day. The remaining position players report to spring training on February 25. The first full-squad workout is February 26. All workouts are open to the public. The Diamondbacks have invited 20 non-roster players to attend spring training workouts.

The Diamondbacks begin their Cactus League Spring Training games on Saturday, March 3, with two split squad games against the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies. All games, except for the April 3rd & 4^th games against the Milwaukee Brewers, begin at either 1:05pm or 1:10pm Arizona time, and take place at the home team’s spring training facility. The April 3^rd and April 4^th games take place at the home of the Diamondbacks, Chase Field in Phoenix. Regular season games begin on April 6.

Suns Score just 79 but Win

The Phoenix Suns improved their record to 6-9 on the season after beating the Boston Celtics in Boston Friday. The win came thanks in large part to the play of Marcin Gortat who had a double-double in the contest. The Suns are playing a bit more like their old selves lately as veteran Steve Nash has been playing better as well as Gortat who has added an extra spark to a struggling offense. The combined 150 points is simply a poor offensive performance by both squads and made for some ugly basketball. In the end the Suns also improved their away record to 3-5 this season.

Gortat who became uncoverable in the contest led the Suns. Gortat scored 24 in the ballgame and added 12 rebounds. The veteran Steve Nash led the team in assist with 9 The biggest offensive surge for the Suns came in the 2^nd quarter when they outscored the Celtics 26-20. Boston got back in the game in the 3^rd quarter, however, as Phoenix scored just 14 points in the quarter. In the end, the strong first half by the suns was enough to get past and hold on for the victory. Read more about Suns Score just 79 but Win

Phoenix Tries to Salvage Poor Start to Season

The Suns have been anything but good so far this season, but made steps to change that on Wednesday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York. Behind a strong performance, on both sides of the ball, the Suns were able to win 91-88 and secure a win to move to 5-9 on the season. The Knicks dropped to 6-8 on the year following their very poor performance shooting.

The Knicks star tandem of Anthony and Stoudemire made just 12 shots combined on 44 attempts and as a team the Knicks were just 37 percent shooting on the day. Stoudemire did end up leading all Knicks scorers with 23 points and added 7 rebounds while Carmelo got just 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night. The Knicks are showing most that talent does not always equal wins, while Anthony and Stoudemire may be realizing that what they had before felt a little better then now.

Cavs Rookie Leads Way to Win

The Cavaliers ended a Phoenix Suns 3-game win streak Thursday with an impressive outing by the leagues number one overall pick Kyrie Irving. Irving led all scorers and broke his career high in points on the day. The game was closer then the 101-90 final would lead you to believe and the Suns were in close the bulk of the game. The win gets the Cavs at 500 percent on the season with a 5-5 record while the Suns are now 4-6 this year.

Kyrie Irving’s career high performance of 26 points showed why the kid was chosen first overall. He is showing that he can pick up on the NBA game fast and be a difference maker in games. He certainly was in this game and had some help in the process. Jamison added 23 points of his own and has been a good veteran help to the young Irving this season. Perhaps Irving will be able to bring a maturity to the Cavs that Lebron could not, and hopefully he wants to stick around and bring a championship to Cleveland. Time will tell but he certainly has a good start.

The Suns stayed in the game behind veteran Steve Nash and some new faces. Nash led the team with 16 points and added a whopping 15 assist as well. New-comer Redd was 3-7 from the three-point stripe and ended with 12 points in his debut with the team. Gortet also had a double-double for the Suns scoring 14 and gathering 10 rebounds. In the end it proved not to be enough to beat the Cavs though and both teams remain in 3rd place in their respective divisions. Read more about Cavs Rookie Leads Way to Win

Cardinals Building Momentum for 2012 Season

The Arizona Cardinals will host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals will bring a recent win streak and a 6-7 overall record. Meanwhile, Cleveland will travel across the country bringing a losing streak and mere 4-9 record. The cardinals have a great chance to build towards next season and can play spoiler the rest of the year as division games start late in the season.

The Cardinals are getting healthy and have the pieces at the skill positions to get things done. Kevin Kolb is looking healthy at quarterback and is playing well. His favorite target is none other than Larry Fitzgerald who is still trying to show everyone that, despite aging, he is still one of the league’s best. His ability to get the ball at its highest point is matched by few in the league and he draws constant double coverage. Lastly, at running back Beanie Wells has come on very strong this season and is really making a name for him self. He has a nose for the end zone and can be a hard runner despite his small frame. On top of this, he has the ability to break the big runs while running hard vertically. Read more about Cardinals Building Momentum for 2012 Season

Phoenix Suns Regular Season Schedule

The Suns' first game is December 26

Finally, it’s time for NBA basketball. Because of the strike, it’s a shortened season. Preseason games started this week; the Phoenix Suns two preseason games are the 20^th and 22^nd of this month against Denver. The regular season starts on December 25, and the Suns’ first regular season game is on Monday, December 26.

The regular season schedule includes 44 in-conference games and 16 out of-conference games. Because of the shortened season, the Suns, as well as the rest of the teams, will be playing games on an average of four days a week. The team opens and closes the regular season at home. Read more about Phoenix Suns Regular Season Schedule

Phoenix Suns Preseason Schedule

The Suns are ready for some basketball

The Phoenix Suns players have begun to return to Phoenix for the abbreviated NBA season. The season will start on December 25 with five games. The Suns are not scheduled to play in a game that day. The opening day for their schedule has not yet been announced.

Fans will have an opportunity to see the Phoenix Suns play in two preseason games, on December 20 and December 22. Both games are against the Denver Nuggets. The game on December 20 will be in Denver, while the December 22nd game will be at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. The start time for both games in 7:00 pm Arizona time. Currently, that is the equivalent of Mountain Standard Time.

The End of the NBA Strike

Games will begin on December 25

After 149 days, the NBA strike seems to be over. NBA owners and players came to an agreement on Saturday. An abbreviated, 66-game season will start on Christmas Day, although the Phoenix Suns are not scheduled to play that day. A handshake agreement was reached, but it needs to be ratified by a majority vote of the owners' group and the players' union. Until then, it's only tentative, but everything is moving forward as if it's been set in stone.

Kirk Gibson Named NL Manager of the Year

Diamondback manager receives 2011 award

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson was named the National League's 2011 Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writer's Association of America. Gibson is the 2nd Diamondbacks manager given this honor. In 2007, Bob Melvin was named NL Manager of the Year. In addition, he is the fourth MVP to be named Manager of the Year. Gibson was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1988 while he was a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arizona Diamondbacks 2012 Schedule

162 game schedule includes 15 inter-league games

The 2012 regular season schedule for the 2011 National League West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks includes 81 home games at Chase Field in Phoenix, and 81 away games. Fifteen of these games include inter-league play against American League teams.

The 2012 season opens on Apr. 5 for a three-game home stand against the San Francisco Giants. The regular season ends on the road against the Colorado Rockies with a three-game series beginning on Oct. 1.

Arizona sports, sporting events, stats and scores, and your favorite players

Account