In bad sports time nationally, Valley has lots to love
My Sunday best …
The sports page has become a dark and ugly place. Endless stories about abuse and reckless behavior leave readers feeling the need for a hazmat decontamination shower.
Not today. Let's change the tone and reflect on 20 things to love about sports in the Valley. …
• A hockey team represented by one of the better ambassadors in sports. Shane Doan gives back to the community, took a pay cut to stay with the Coyotes and is the great locker-room unifier. Few play the role of leader better.
• A tunnel that honors an officer and a gentleman. When you see players charge out of the Tillman Tunnel at Sun Devil Stadium, reflect not on Pat Tillman's loss but on how you could make the world better. He would want it that way.
• A Diamondbacks president who went public with his battle with prostate cancer and made others pay attention. Derrick Hall's openness about his fears and successes inspired others to become more proactive with their health.
• A duo who did more than just ask people for money. Arizona State football coach Todd Graham and Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson donated $500,000 each to kick off the revamping of Sun Devil Stadium. Even for guys with a lot of cash, that stings.
• The ability to see a Major League Baseball game for cheap. The Diamondbacks frequently have tickets available for $5 and $10.
• A collection of head coaches who are likeable, accessible and gender-blind. This one is more personal. Thank you, Jeff Hornacek, Bruce Arians, Kirk Gibson, Dave Tippett, Herb Sendek and Graham.
• A college basketball player who embraces academics with the same passion he embraces athletics. ASU's Sai Tummala has a nice 3-point shot and a nice 4.0 GPA.
• Options, options, options. Valley sports fans live in a community that has representatives from all the great sports acronyms: NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, PGA, LPGA, NASCAR, NCAA, AFL. They are even blessed with ST (Spring Training).
• The opportunity to watch one of professional sport's more-humble superstars. If the Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt was going to change, it would have happened by now. He is just not that guy.
• A Chicago-style hot dog at the new Cubs Park in Mesa. Don't laugh. Team officials report they sold 49,674 of them during 2014 spring training.
• The chance to participate in one of the more unique and energizing experiences in professional sports: the Whiteout. Coyotes fans donning all white in a playoff atmosphere is as good as it gets.
• The knowledge that some of the greatest representatives of women's basketball are in your backyard, from the Mercury's gritty and uber-talented DianaTaurasi to ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne, whose coaching skills and outreach have had a big impact on the growth of the women's game. And now there is Brittney Griner, too, whose talent and personality will help the WNBA maintain its momentum.
• The ability for all levels of athletes to participate in one of more-inspiring races around. Pat's Run, honoring Tillman, finishes at the 42-yard line in Sun Devil Stadium and always features an awesome representation of competitors, from wounded veterans to grandmothers to people who have named their children "Tillman."
• The knowledge that you can sit by your pool and soak in the sun, then climb in your car and drive two hours north to ski.
• The possibility that you could bump into Kurt Warner, who helped deliver some of the Valley's greater memories. He not only led the Cardinals to a Super Bowl, he set a standard few can match in the world of athletes and philanthropy.
• The excitement that USA Basketball is relocating its headquarters to Tempe. Both young and professional talent will find their way here for tryouts and camps. The facility will also house a branch of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• The reality that more than a few women underwent mammograms and discovered cancer at an early state because Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was committed to sharing the story of his late mother, who died after a battle with the disease.
• The fact that you can look forward to the arrival of a Pro Bowl (Jan. 25), a Super Bowl (Feb. 1) and possible Final Four.
• The opportunity to enjoy a Chase Field organist who doesn't take himself too seriously. Bobby Freeman will crank out the Clash's "Rock the Casbah" one day, Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie" the next. …
• The knowledge that even when your favorite Valley team loses, there is also the next game, and with it a chance for redemption.
Reach Boivin at paola.boivin @arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/Paola Boivin. Listen to her streaming live on "The Brad Cesmat Show" on sports360az.com every Monday at 10:30 a.m.