Valley Sports

I’m not quite sure what to make of Tuesday’s news that Jerry Reinsdorf has withdrawn his bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and, in response, the NHL said it will try to buy the team.
One thing is clear: The NHL seems willing to do almost anything to keep Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie out of the league. At this point, I’m almost convinced commissioner Gary Bettman would prefer to cease operations than sit across Balsillie at a league meeting.
Anyway, Reinsdorf’s pullback doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of the picture. The NHL could buy the team, work out a satisfactory lease agreement with the city of Glendale, then turn it around and sell it to Reinsdorf.
As far as the Ice Edge Holdings bid, I still can’t see how it’s anything but a thinly veiled plan to eventually move the team to Canada.
What a mess.
Bettman better have his end game carefully planned out. For if the NHL is awarded the club but can’t find a third party to sell it to, it will be in the business of running a hockey team that loses $30 million per year.
The Coyotes will become the Montreal Expos circa 2002 and 2003, when they were owned by Major League Baseball.
Little money will be spent, fans and sponsors will stay away in droves and the franchise will sink even deeper into the quicksand.
But, hey, at least Bettman will have gotten the best of Balsillie.
Talk about a Pyrrhic victory.

The gift of Australia keeps on giving to Arizona sports teams.
First, outfielder Trent Oeltjen is hitting .318 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Then, on Monday, pitcher Josh Spence decided to return to Arizona State for his senior season rather than sign with the Los Angeles Angels, who drafted him in the third round.
Spence, who was 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA last season, gives coach Pat Murphy a legitimate ace for the 2010 season.
ASU recruits who bypassed pro offers included pitcher/first baseman Jake Barrett of Mesa, pitchers Merrill Kelly, Jimmy Patterson and Brady Rodgers and shortstop Deven Marrero.

Former Arizona State pitcher Mike Leake signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, but he had one last piece of unfinished business at ASU. Here’s his goodbye letter:

To the ASU coaches, ASU players, ASU fans, ASU academic coaches, my family and friends:

I would like to thank you for the past three years I have been a part of Arizona State University. They were three of the most memorable years of my life on and off the field.

To the coaches:

I have been fortunate enough to have great coaching at every level of my career!

You could not have asked for a better coaching staff than I had during my three seasons. Coach Pat Murphy and his assistants devote more time than anyone knows to keep us players happy and eager to play the game. They demand a lot out of you, but in the best way possible! Thank you very much!

To the past, current and future ASU baseball players:

I thank you for starting and maintaining such a strong tradition of winning baseball, from Coach Bobby Winkles to Coach Jim Brock to Coach Murphy and all the players who have carried on the rich tradition of representing yourself well on and off the field.

Thank you to the teammates I was fortunate enough to play with over the past three seasons. Current and future players, you do not know how fortunate you should feel to put on a Devils uniform. Many baseball players dream to be able to wear it, so love every moment you are there because it will be gone in a flash. It feels like just yesterday I was pitching my first collegiate inning versus Southern Utah.

To the fans:

Thank you for being the best fans in the nation and thank you for allowing us to have the best attendance on the west coast every year I was here and for the past five years. Without you guys and gals we would not have as successful a program as we do! Thank you again for all your support during my career!

To the academic coaches:

Thank you for keeping us eligible and safe from the wrath of Coach Murphy! Thank you for the long hours behind the desk and for putting up with all of us knuckleheads.

To my family and friends:

Thank you for all the support the past three years both for me and ASU baseball! I appreciate the time and effort it took! All I have to say about my parents is that I am glad I did not listen to them when they said they liked powder blue and gold better than maroon and gold! What were they thinking?

I will miss Arizona State deeply! I thank you all for the joy you have given me. I am grateful forever! Go Devils!

Mike Leake, #8

Arizona State Baseball, 2007-09

I never was an Arena Football League fan. Call me a purist, but I like an occasional defensive stand mixed in with my 10 touchdown passes.
Still, I can appreciate the impact the Arizona Rattlers made here in the Valley. Under coach Danny White and featuring stars such as Hunkie Cooper and Sherdrick Bonner, the Rattlers became a cult hit.
They sold out US Airways Center, won championships in 1994 and 1997 and become one of the most successful AFL franchises.
Unfortunately, minor sports leagues such as the AFL were always particularly vulnerable to an economic recession, and this downturn has killed the league for good.
I’d be lying if I said I’ll miss the Rattlers. But thousands of fans will, and the league’s demise will put hundreds of people out of work. That’s a shame.

Clearly, the fact that pitcher Brandon Webb had only minor surgery on his right shoulder Monday is good news.
No structural damage was found and while Webb won’t play catch for at least three months, he likely won’t be sidelined for a large portion of the 2010 season.
Now comes the hard part for the Diamondbacks: Do they pick up Webb’s $8.5 million option for next year even though they can’t be sure if he’ll be ready for the start of the season, or do they buy out his contract for $2 million?
The timing is tricky. Arizona must make a decision within five days after the conclusion of the World Series. But it won’t have enough information by that November deadline to know when or if Webb will be healthy.
My advice: Give Webb the money. When he’s right, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, so he’s worth the gamble. A rotation of Dan Haren, a healthy Webb, Jon Garland, Max Scherzer and Jarrod Parker would be among the best in the National League.
The Diamondbacks can’t cry poverty. They’re currently paying their top four starters - Haren, Doug Davis, Garland and Scherzer - approximately $22.9 million.
If they let Davis walk as a free agent - and even if they pick up Garland’s $10 million option - their payroll for Haren, Webb, Garland and Scherzer in 2010 would be around $26.9 million.
Seems to me the prospect of a healthy and motivated Webb is worth $4 million.
Or, the Diamondbacks could buy out Garland’s deal for $2.5 million and try to sign Davis to multi-year deal worth about $7 million annually. Either way, with the inexpensive Scherzer and Parker at the end of the rotation, they can afford Webb.
Finally, Arizona has to consider the public relations disaster it would be if it let Webb go and he won 18 games for some other team.
No, the only move that makes sense here is to pick up Webb’s option and cross fingers that he’ll be OK.

The one knock against Chris “Beanie” Wells coming out of Ohio State was that he wasn’t durable.
Well, spraining an ankle in his first training camp workout with the Cardinals - even if it was a fluke in which a lineman rolled up on his leg - only emboldens that reputation.
Wells must prove he can stay healthy. The NFL graveyard is littered with players who had great physical skills but spent more time in the training room than they did the huddle.
Wells has the potential to be an elite running back. For some players, however, getting on the field seems to be more difficult than playing the game.

How big of a mess are the Coyotes right now? Check out this story from the Toronto Globe and Mail that reveals the in-fighting that’s going on from all sides: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-nastiness-in-coyotes-saga/article1239955/