Latest news with #TEMPE
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Cardinals place CB Sean Murphy-Bunting on the season-ending injury list
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was placed on the non-football injury list Thursday and will miss the entire 2025 season for the Cardinals. The move to put Murphy-Bunting on the reserve list where he will not count against the 90-man roster was released on the NFL's daily transactions report. The Cardinals had not made any announcement about the move and there is no immediate word on what the injury is. Non-football injuries are any injury that happens away from an NFL facility, including working out to get ready for the season. An NFI designation can lead to players forfeiting their salaries. Murphy-Bunting was supposed to be guaranteed a $7.7 million base salary this season as part of the three-year, $22.5 million deal he signed last offseason but that is now in jeopardy. Murphy-Bunting started 15 games in his first season in Arizona and had three interceptions and five passes defensed. He was in the mix to be a starter again in 2025. The Cardinals drafted Will Johnson in the second round with 2024 second-rounder Max Melton also in the mix at outside cornerback. The 27-year-old Murphy-Bunting was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round in 2019 and helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl in his second season when he had three interceptions in four playoff games. He spent the 2023 season with Tennessee before joining Arizona. Murphy-Bunting has 11 interceptions and 34 passes defensed in 82 regular-season games with three more interceptions and a fumble recovery in six playoff games. ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Showing off newfound muscle, Marvin Harrison Jr. hopes to make big jump for Cardinals in Year 2
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Marvin Harrison Jr. had a productive debut season with the Arizona Cardinals for several reasons, including elite athleticism, height and professional pedigree thanks to his dad's success in the league. Now the young Cardinals receiver has two more things he believes will be useful entering his second season. Noticeably larger left and right arms. The 22-year-old Harrison talked with reporters on Monday at the team's practice facility in a sleeveless shirt, showing off an impressive change in physique since January. Gone was the slightly skinny rookie and in his place was somebody who looked much more likely to impose his will on NFL defensive backs. 'I definitely put on some pounds,' Harrison said, grinning. Harrison hasn't committed to the newfound bulk, wondering how it will feel as the Cardinals embark on their offseason workouts. He's open to gaining more weight — or even potentially losing some — depending on results. 'Obviously, football is a physical game,' Harrison said. 'A lot of contested catch situations, run after catch, things like that. So I want to see how things play out during OTAs, training camp and see where it goes.' Harrison had huge expectations coming into his rookie season after being the first non-QB selected with the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft. In a lot of ways, the Ohio State product delivered with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. But for all the big moments, there were also some quiet Sunday afternoons. Harrison ranked fifth in yards receiving for a rookie behind Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. 'I just had to get adjusted to the game speed, everything moves faster at the next level,' Harrison said. The Cardinals have spent much of the offseason upgrading their defense, adding several new players in free agency, including Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell. In last month's draft, six of the team's seven picks were defensive players, including defensive lineman Walter Nolen III and cornerback Will Johnson. Those decisions indicate third-year coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort are pleased with their offensive nucleus, which includes Harrison, quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, tight end Trey McBride and left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. Gannon has remained steadfast that Harrison will become an All-Pro-caliber receiver in the coming years. 'I'm very confident in what we have offensively,' Harrison said. 'From top to bottom, the quarterback, offensive line, skill positions, I think we have everything we need to accomplish our goals.' Harrison continues to grow close with Murray, who is entering his seventh season in the league. The receiver said he's spent plenty of time with his quarterback outside the facility, working out together in a effort to make sure their chemistry is unmatched. 'I feel like we should be able to go out there with our eyes closed and complete 100% of our passes,' Harrison said. 'That's the goal you want to get to with timing.' The Cardinals are nearing the end of a multi-year rebuild that began after the 2022 season when former coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim were fired. Gannon and Ossenfort have methodically built the roster and last year's 8-9 record was a four-win improvement over 2023. Now there's considerable pressure to make the postseason for the first time since 2021. Harrison said that's the metric he'll use when deciding if his second season is a success. 'It starts with team success, we've got to make the playoffs,' Harrison said. 'We have all the pieces we need. We just have to go out there and execute at this point. That's why they brought me here — to help this team win games.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jeff Flake and Mark Cuban mix business and politics. Here's what Cuban said about Trump
TEMPE — Businessman Mark Cuban stopped by Arizona State University to inspire bright young minds and recount a few stories, from his favorite moments in Hollywood to investing in the next big company on ABC's 'Shark Tank,' during a talk on Wednesday evening. 'To me, there's deals where we got some real work with money. Then there's deals where it's like, 'OK, maybe I'm not gonna make any money, but it sends a good message,'' he said about being a part of the reality television show to a crowd of about 1,000 attendees. Hosted by Jeff Flake, the former ambassador to Turkey, who represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Cuban also touched on his candid views about politics, at times criticizing both parties — despite opposing President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. The Dallas Mavericks owner has always been all about business, he revealed, adding that he was 'anti-politics' until 2016, when Trump first came to power. Before that, Cuban, a registered Independent, typically voted for the candidate who wasn't the incumbent. Amid the 2024 presidential race, Cuban told Bloomberg that if it came down to Biden versus Trump, and Biden 'was being given last rites, I would still vote for Joe Biden.' He also campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris, when she took Biden's place as the Democratic nominee. Flake asked Cuban why he decided to congratulate Trump after he won the 2024 election; 'What's the obligation?' 'It's not so much that I believe in the president. Look, I sat next to Joe Biden and he fell asleep. It wasn't like I was so excited about that. I just wasn't a fan of Donald Trump in terms of Republican policy,' Cuban responded. He said that while some of Trump's policies terrify him, Cuban isn't entirely against the new White House, adding the administration's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reached out to him. Although Cuban didn't say why he was in talks with the federal government, it's worth noting he owns a three-year-old online pharmacy, Cost Plus Drugs, that sell generic drugs for fairly low prices. 'I had conversations with them almost every day this week. I'm gonna help him, because this is my country. This is the country I love,' he said. 'The (presidency) is a job. Being an American is a lifestyle.' Cuban recalled one of the biggest business lessons he learned at the age of 12. When he asked his dad for a pair of basketball shoes, he was told to get a job and buy whatever he liked. The younger Cuban protested and pointed out that he was too young to have a job, the 'Shark Tank' star said. So, his dad told him he had a job for him and directed him to the boxes of garbage bags they had. The task was simple in theory — buy the bags for $3, go door-to-door and sell them for $6 — but much harder to execute in real life. But it helped him learn the basics of selling. He went on to sell coins, stamps and baseball cards, and worked many odd jobs, including teaching disco dancing to sororities at Indiana University for $25 an hour. (His parents taught him how to dance while he was in his early teens to build confidence.) Little did he know that what started as a series of side hustles would lead him to become a successful businessman. This came with many perks, like a wide-open door to Hollywood. He did a stint on 'Dancing with the Stars,' season five in 2007. Outlasting professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton, Cuban made it through five episodes and tried new dancing styles like the Foxtrot, the jive and the Viennese Waltz. A year later, he landed on 'The Simpsons.' In "The Burns and the Bees' episode from 2008, Cuban voiced a cartoon version of himself. 'We're literally in this sound booth for 25 minutes,' said Cuban. They were saying 'louder, louder, louder, you gotta scream, 'I'm out of my mind,'' he said. And this was all pre-'Shark Tank' fame, as Cuban had already made a name for himself. Back in 1999 during the dot com boom, he and his business partner sold to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion. In hindsight, it wasn't a good deal for Yahoo! and the site was discontinued a few years later. Meanwhile, Cuban, who considered himself lucky, dove into new ventures, like 2929 Entertainment, a film production and distribution company and Landmark Theaters, a chain of art house movie theaters, among other ventures. At ASU, Cuban revealed a few behind-the-scene tidbits from 'Shark Tank,' arguably his most popular work on television, which earned him a few Primetime Emmy awards. Despite what people might think, Cuban said the investors, including him, aren't told anything ahead of time about the businesses that pitch to them. The negotiations also typically last much longer than what's shown on TV, stretching from anywhere between one and two hours. 'The animosity between the sharks is real,' Cuban said. And so is Kevin O'Leary's never-ending quest to strike a royalty deal. Despite some good — and a few terrible — deals, 'Shark Tank,' which is on its 16th season, offers some predictability, Cuban said. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy is experiencing some turbulence. Cuban said he hopes for consistency and no big policy changes under the new administration. 'My attitude has always been, as long as everybody played by the same rules, it's always when things change ... when you run into trouble,' Cuban said. 'It's only been 30 days, and there's a lot of things that are scary in my mind, because we're testing a lot of limits.' He acknowledged the 'recency bias' among Americans who forget their country withstood other tests of time, like the Civil War 162 years ago or the stain of the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. 'Our guardrails are strong enough,' said Cuban. 'I also think that kind of the chaos that's going on is a gift to the Democratic Party,' he added. The Dallas Mavericks owner said the Trump White House is installing people who are loyal, while brushing aside competency. Can the White House live up to all their promises with Trump's picks leading the charge? 'Donald Trump is, you know, one of the best sales people in the history of sales people. I think he's a great marketer,' Cuban said. But, he argued, selling isn't the tough part, it's the execution. And right now, Cuban said he senses a lot of chaos, including the massive rounds of layoffs in the federal government. The layoffs will also affect people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and pregnant women, too, he said. Instead of supporting these federal workers and their families, Democrats are opting for politicking, said Cuban. He considers it a missed opportunity. 'Why are you not proposing legislation that says, protect pregnant women and ill federal government employees and have them guarantee severance?' he said. The legislation could also allow these terminated employees to retain their healthcare benefits until a certain time. The left, instead, prefers to go to rallies and town halls, Cuban quipped. 'Why is nobody saying we see that this is a problem?' he asked. 'Democrats should be standing up with legislation that makes sense. ... Rather than just yelling, do something.' Cuban isn't scared of artificial intelligence, and told attendees they shouldn't be afraid either. He sold PCs back in the 1990s. These machines were 'slower than the oldest BlackBerry that has ever been created' and cost $5,000, he said, before comparing buyer's apprehensions to the fears people have surrounding AI language models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. 'People were terrified. They're like, 'if I can do all this typing, why do I need a secretary?'' he said. 'That sounds insane today,' said Cuban. Critics of programs like ChatGPT also worry they will take away all types of jobs, from coding to design. But these tools are 'a competitive advantage.' He argued that Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and other tech giants, were seen 'kissing the ring' on Trump's Inauguration Day for a reason. 'They all have large language models that they see as multi-trillion dollar businesses,' Cuban noted, and that makes staying on the president's good side imperative. 'There's going to be two types of companies in this world: those who are great at AI, and everybody else that they put out of business,' he predicted. 'It's a different world with AI, but it's a beautiful world.'
Los Angeles Times
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘This kid is special.' Kenley Jansen eager to help Angels' Ben Joyce reach next level
TEMPE, Ariz. — Troy Percival, then a rookie setup man with 26 big-league appearances under his belt, watched from the visiting dugout in the Oakland Coliseum as Lee Smith, then the Angels' 37-year-old closer, gave up a walk-off grand slam to Mark McGwire in an 8-5 loss to the Athletics on June 30, 1995. It was just the second blown save of a season that began with Smith converting his first 19 opportunities, the burly right-hander showing few signs of regression as he neared the end of a Hall-of-Fame career in which he racked up 478 saves, ranking third on baseball's all-time list behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. As Percival headed toward the clubhouse that night, the impressionable 26-year-old known for his feisty mound demeanor and occasional temper tantrums in the minor leagues began to envision the havoc Smith would wreak on the locker room. 'He came in, and I'm thinking, 'Oh God, here we go,' ' Percival, now 56, said in a phone interview. 'Lee sat down, took a deep breath and said, 'Give me a beer, boy,' and within a few minutes, he was back to his normal self. 'I'd been beating my head against the wall even in the minor leagues over giving up a hit. That's when I started paying attention [to Smith]. I began to realize that if you want to have a long career, you have to be ready to deal with failure. Just watching his reaction to failure, even if he never said a word, was huge.' Percival replaced Smith as closer in 1996 and recorded 316 of his 358 career saves in 10 seasons with the Angels, nailing down the final three outs of a World Series-clinching Game 7 win over the San Francisco Giants in 2002, and Percival credits the 'immeasurable' lessons he learned from Smith as a factor in his success. Three decades later the Angels hope a similar dynamic will play out with Kenley Jansen, the 37-year-old closer who signed a one-year, $10-million deal on the eve of spring training, serving as mentor to 24-year-old right-hander Ben Joyce. The parallels are uncanny. Jansen, who ranks fourth behind Smith with 447 saves, 350 of them coming during his 12-year stint with the Dodgers, is the same age Smith was when he arrived in Anaheim. Smith racked up 434 saves in 15 years before signing with the Angels. Jansen's 447 saves have come in 15 seasons. Like Percival in 1995, Joyce is a flamethrowing closer-in-waiting, though Joyce's heat, as he has shown in 43 appearances over two seasons, is a few degrees higher than Percival's. Joyce's four-seam fastball averaged 102.1 mph last season and hit 105.5 on a strikeout of Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman on Sept. 3, the fastest pitch thrown in the majors all year. Percival's fastball sat between 96 and 98 mph before a degenerative hip condition slowed him in 2004. 'I know Joyce has incredible stuff, but closing ballgames is a different animal, and when you get an opportunity to watch a seasoned veteran do it, it can only help you,' said Percival, who is entering his second season as manager for the Pioneer League's Idaho Falls Chukars. 'That young man, barring injury, has a long career with a lot of saves ahead of him, and he can probably save himself a lot of blown saves just by watching the old guy go out and do it. I hope Ben can wrap his arms around it and take the opportunity to learn what he can.' Joyce, who assumed a ninth-inning role after Carlos Estévez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last July, embraced the new bullpen hierarchy, even if that means relinquishing the closer job and serving as Jansen's setup man most of the time. 'If it works out that I'm an understudy, I'm all for it,' Joyce said Thursday. 'I'm trying to stay around him as much as I can. Even [Wednesday], he was throwing a bullpen, and I was all up in his space, but he's been great about it. He's gone out of his way to talk to me, teach me things, give me pointers. I'm definitely taking advantage of it.' Jansen was mentored as a young Dodger by veteran relievers such as J.P. Howell, Jamey Wright, Jonathan Broxton, Brandon League and Brian Wilson. When he established himself as a dominant closer, Jansen mentored young relievers such as Brusdar Graterol, Victor González and Caleb Ferguson. 'I learned from the guys who did it before me — now I have a little experience, and I'm gonna share my wisdom with him,' Jansen said of Joyce. 'This kid is special. He's throwing 105 mph. He's fearless, and that's what we need. Anything I can do to help make him better, I'm going to do.' What can Jansen teach Joyce? 'How to deal with situations,' Jansen said. 'How to make sure the game doesn't get big on you, that it doesn't speed up on you. How to attack the hitters, knowing who's in the batter's box, who's on deck, who's in the hole, knowing your strengths, knowing the batters' strengths, when not to worry about the base runners … a lot of things.' What can Joyce learn from Jansen? 'The possibilities are endless,' Joyce said. 'How does he approach failure? It's so hard as the closer, you feel like the game is completely riding on your hands, which is an awesome feeling when it goes well. But when it goes bad, it's definitely tough. How does he bounce back from that?' The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Jansen didn't deal with much failure in his first eight seasons with the Dodgers, when he went 24-13 with a 2.08 earned-run average and 230 saves in 474 games. But when he struggled for stretches over his final four seasons in Los Angeles (2018-21), he was forced to confront failure. Jansen has thrived on baseball's biggest stage, with a 12-9 record, 2.20 ERA and 20 saves in 59 postseason games, but he also set a World Series record with his fourth career blown save in 2020 against Tampa Bay, watching from the bullpen as Julio Urías notched the final seven outs of the Dodgers' series-clinching Game 6 win. 'Sometimes, you can't take it as a negative — you have to take it as part of the learning process,' said Jansen, who went 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 54 games for the Boston Red Sox last season, converting 27 of 31 save opportunities, striking out 62 and walking 20 in 54 ⅔ innings. 'You have to learn from your failures and move on. Your mindset is, how strong can you be mentally? I started developing that after [a 2017 World Series loss to Houston], going into 2018 and 2019. Those are the years I learned so much about myself, and I feel like I'm a better pitcher, a better man, now than I was at the beginning of my career.' Joyce also plans to observe how Jansen approaches the more mundane 'day-to-day' aspects of the job. 'How does he approach the game, his pregame and postgame routines, his recovery?' Joyce said. 'You obviously have to put a lot into it to be able to pitch that many games over 15 years.' Jansen spends the first three innings watching the game on a clubhouse television to see how hitters are approaching pitchers. Then he goes to the training room to complete his stretching routine before heading to the bullpen in the sixth inning. That will set a little better example for Joyce than Smith set for Percival. Smith was so laid back he often napped on a clubhouse couch or in the training room for the first four or five innings before heading to the bullpen. But with a 6-3 lead over the Cleveland Indians in the eighth inning of a July 26, 1995 game in Anaheim, manager Marcel Lachemann looked into the bullpen, and Smith wasn't there. 'It was my job and Rick Smith's job to wake him,' Percival said, referring to the athletic trainer. 'I ran back to the clubhouse, and Lee's on the couch sleeping. I nudged him, and he said, 'Cookie Dough, what's the sco?' I said, 'It's 6-3 in the eighth.' He said, 'Get my shoes, boy!' They were already on the golf cart. 'He gets down to the bullpen, he might have had four throws, not one of them a pitch off a mound, and he went out and retired the side in the ninth on six pitches.' Jansen smiles and shakes his head in amazement and amusement as the Smith story is relayed to him. 'Wow, that's impressive, that's unbelievable,' Jansen said. 'But it's probably something I'll never do.' A sleeping giant, Jansen is not, but the established and accomplished veteran could play an outsize role in the development of the Angels' potential next great closer. 'He feels like when we have the lead and the bullpen gate opens, the game is over, he expects to win,' Joyce said of Jansen. 'That's the mentality you need to have in that position. I'm really excited to watch him in person and learn from him.'
Associated Press
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Angels star Mike Trout moving from center to right field in hopes of staying more healthy
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels oft-injured star Mike Trout is moving from center to right field in hopes of better preserving his health. The three-time AL MVP played in 82 or fewer games in three of the past four seasons while dealing with an assortment of injuries. That doesn't include the 53 games he played in 2020 because that season was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trout approached the club about the position switch. 'I kind of threw everything on the table as in what's best for me bodywise to keep me on the field,' he said Monday. 'I came to the conclusion that I'm going to go to right field. I'll try it out and see where it goes.' Trout said there could be situations where he plays center field, but his focus will be on learning his new spot. 'I knew it was coming, but I've just got to get used to it,' Trout said. 'I just want to be on the field.' He also could see time at designated hitter and maybe get more off days. 'I've just got to be honest with them on how I feel,' Trout said. 'They obviously will try to give me days off, but I want to be out there.' He declined changing outfield spots three years ago when it was offered under then-manager Joe Maddon. 'Just look at my last couple of years,' Trout said. 'I want to preserve the legs and go out there and run some balls down in right.' Trout played just 29 games last season because of surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He missed all but 36 games of the 2021 season with a strained calf, and Trout was out for several weeks in 2022 with a back injury. Trout then broke a bone in his hand in 2023, missing all but one game after July 3. Maybe by making the move to right, the Angels will get more out of Trout, who dominated the league in his first decade in the majors and now makes more than $37 million. In his most recent MVP season in 2019, Trout batted .291 with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs. ___
