Sports
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Sports Editor: Matt Hickman 515-4612 sports@svherald.com Monday, October 13, 2014
WALK OFF!
Cardinals beat Giants with Kolten Wong’s ninth inning home run Page B2
AP PHOTO/RICK SCUTERI
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) runs in a touchdown after a catch as Washington Redskins free safety E.J. Biggers (30) and Ryan Clark (25) pursue during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday in Glendale.
Rising from the dead
Coyotes co-owner happy to have new Palmer returns, leads Cards over Redskins 30-20 majority owner BY BOB BAUM AP Sports Writer
GLENDALE — For nearly five weeks, Carson Palmer couldn’t throw the ball. That “dead” nerve in his shoulder finally came alive late in the week, and with almost no practice he threw two touchdown passes — one to Michael Floyd, the other to Larry Fitzgerald — to lead the Arizona Cardinals past the Washington Redskins 30-20 on Sunday. “I’m not going to say I wasn’t nervous or wasn’t a little on edge,” Palmer said, “just going into a game and really only have a quarter or maybe a half of a practice over the last five weeks.” That bit of practice came last Friday, and Palmer knew he was close to coming back. “You could see it in his eyes,” Fitzgerald said. Coach Br uce A ria ns said Palmer “showed some rust, but he came in and did a heck of a job for us.” With the victory and Seattle’s loss to Dallas, Arizona (4-1) is alone atop the NFC West. The Redskins (1-5) committed four fourth-quarter turnovers, losing their fourth straight and 13th in the last 14 games. “I told our team this game is not that hard to figure out,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “The team that makes plays usually wins. The team that doesn’t turn the ball over usually wins. We are not doing anything. It is a broken record every time I stand up here.”
Fitzgerald caught six passes for a season-high 98 yards and his first touchdown of the year for the Cardinals, who bounced back from a 41-20 drubbing at Denver. Kirk Cousins was 24 of 38 for 354 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, but threw three fourthquarter interceptions for the Redskins. “The turnovers were costly,” Cousins said. “They just didn’t give us a chance to stay on the field.” Palmer had not played since damaging a nerve in his throwing shoulder in the season-opening win over San Diego. He returned to Denver after Friday’s practice for a second treatment session, and was not announced as the starter Sunday until just before kickoff. Palmer was 28 of 44 for 250 yards with no interceptions. The Cardinals have not thrown an INT this season. Trailing 23-13, Washington needed just 86 seconds to go 64 yards, scoring on a five-yard TD catch by Pierre Garcon with 2:16 to play. But the onside kick was recovered by Arizona’s Sam Acho. The Redskins had one more chance, getting the ball back at their 14-yard line with 29 seconds to go. On the next play, Cousins threw the ball right to Arizona’s Rashad Johnson, who made his second interception of the day and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown with 18 seconds left. A 36-yard pass interference
penalty on Washington rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland was the big play in an eightplay, 85-yard touchdown drive that ended when Palmer threw short to Fitzgerald, who dragged a would-be tackler the final five yards on a 24-yard touchdown reception to put the Cardinals up 14-7 with 31 seconds left in the first half. It was the most Fitzgerald had been featured all season. He entered the game with only 13 catches. “Throughout the course of the week I definitely was much more heavily involved in the game plan. I knew I would get my opportunities,” Fitzgerald said. The TD catch was the 88th of his career, moving him into 12th on the all-time list. But a 33-yard pass-and-run play from Cousins to Roy Helu Jr. helped the Redskins go 55 yards in 29 seconds. Kai Forbath’s 43-yard field goal with 2 seconds left sliced the Arizona lead to 14-13 at halftime. Jackson’s first of two big gains came when he beat Patrick Peterson for a 64-yard touchdown on the second play of the second quarter. On Washington’s next possession, the Redskins converted on a fourth-and-inches play from their own 47, then Cousins threw short to Jackson, who evaded tacklers for 42 yards and probably would have scored a touchdown had he not banged i nto tea m mate Ch ris Chester. Arizona’s defense held and Forbath’s 28-yard field goal put Washington up 10-7.
BY JOSE M. ROMERO the Associated Press
GL EN DA L E — George Gosbee lost two of his of ficial titles in the agreement to sell majority interest in the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes to Andrew Barroway, and he’s just fine with that. Gosbee went from from bei ng chai rman, governor and co-owner to just coowner of the franchise, with Barroway taking over as governor and chairman after buying 51 percent of IceArizona, the partnership that purchased the Coyotes last year and kept it from moving to another city. Gosbee, whose new role was announced Friday, promises that relocation is not an option for the organization. He also said Barroway, a hedge fund manager who previously tried to buy the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, sought to buy 100 percent of the Coyotes before an agreement for the majority share was reached.
“He’s comi ng i n now with a group of partners that understand hockey,” Gosbee told reporters before Arizona took on the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. “There’s no noticeable changes (in the franchise) other than we have a lot more financial flexibility.” The initial investment from Barroway will be matched by the other ownership partners, said Gosbee, who plans to remain very involved in running the team. “He’s going to be governor and chairman, and that’s good for him,” Gosbee said. “I get to enjoy a lot more hockey now.” G osb e e s aid t he team will probably lose money again this season, but hopes to turn a profit starting next year. “ T hi ngs t hat we said, that we thought were going to happen when the rest of the world was doubting u s ,” G o sb e e s a i d when a ske d wh at attracted Barroway to club ownership. “ C o n t r a r i a n
See COYOTES, Page B6
Wildcat fans return with high expectations
BY THOMAS MCGINNIS Arizona Sonora News Service
T wenty-si x con ference titles, 10 trips to the elite Eight, four trips to the final four and one national title, all of these numbers lead to one specific Division I basketball program: The University of Arizona. T he Un iver sit y of Arizona continues to showcase one of the most consistent and successful basketball programs in the hist or y o f t he NCA A . Finishing off last year with a record of 33-5,
and falling just short of the Final Four, expectations continue to be high coming into this season. Jake Rich, a senior at Arizona, agrees with everyone else’s high expectations. He said, “After coming so close to the final four last year, this has to be our year.” Losing Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon to the NBA will have a effect on the team, but with returning stars Brandon Ashley, T.J. McConnel and Kaleb Tarczewski, a long with phenomenal in-
coming Freshmen Stanley Johnson; the Wildcats are ready to make another run for a championship. Na ny B oho, lo c a l bartender and life long fan, can’t wait for basketball season to start. “Basketball season is my favorite time of the year,” she said. “I have been watching Arizona basketball my whole life and the one thing I love about our basketball team is that we are always competitive and always have a chance to win.” Shay Crothers, Arizona alumni of class
of 1982 who now lives in Los A ngeles, has never stopped being a fan from the moment he stepped foot on the campus. He said, “I lived during the Lute Olsen years and they were fantastic, but recently, Sean Miller has kept finding ways to keep us successful and I think he will be here as long as Lute Olsen was.” The key that can’t be over looked in all of this is that head coach Sean Miller has c r e at e d a w i n n i n g
See WILDCATS, Page B6
ARIZONA SONORA NEWS SERVICE PHOTO
A packed house at the McKale Center has become the standard for the University of Arizona basketball team.