Bravo to the ASU baseball team and coach Tim Esmay. Many people were unsure how the team would fare this season with the exit of coach Pat Murphy—an exit surrounded in controversy—but the Sun Devils (52-10) were unfazed. The team won its fourth-straight Pac-10 title, was picked the No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament and secured a spot in the College World Series. Despite the quick fall in Omaha, the 2010 season was one of ASU’s best. It’s not easy to go through a coaching change and still come out on top. But with a lineup of talent—10 players were chosen in the Major League Draft—we must say, we weren’t surprised.
Boo to Arizona wildfires. The state is burning up, literally. The massive Schultz Fire near Flagstaff has charred more than 15,000 acres as of Saturday, according the National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho. It’s one of five wildfires the center is tracking, and investigators believe an abandoned campfire started the Schultz Fire. Who’s the culprit? We have several suspects in mind: Yogi Bear, Big Foot, or someone who watched the movie “Grown Ups.” Luckily, our friends at NAU weren’t affected by the flames, according to a State Press report. In fact, NAU officials were offering personnel and other resources to help the Flagstaff community. And for that, we give our fellow state college a big BRAVO.
Bravo to actor Kevin Costner for trying to save a real “Waterworld.” Unknown to many, the star of such films like “Field of Dreams” and “The Guardian” is also an entrepreneur. According to the LA Times, the actor purchased oil cleanup technology in the early ‘90s that was developed by the federal government. After working with scientists and engineers, Costner produced a centrifugal oil-and-water separator. The machine separates oil from water, the Times reported, and BP, the company held responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has ordered at least 30 of Costner’s devices. Way to go, Costner. It’s about time the rich and famous make a real contribution to a disaster relief project instead of remaking a song.
Boo to Peggy West for not knowing where Arizona was located. The Milwaukee County Supervisor made a huge geography mistake while voicing support of a boycott of Arizona businesses at a recent county board meeting, according to the online newspaper Politics Daily. West said that if Arizona were a border state like Texas with “undocumented people flooding their borders,” she might better understand why Arizona passed the law. “But this is a state that is a ways removed from the border,” she said. Politics Daily reported that Sen. Jon Kyl, R- Ariz., sent a letter to West. “You will be interested to learn that Arizona does indeed share a border with Mexico,” Kyl wrote. “I have enclosed a map for your convenience.” West later spoke with NBC and assured viewers that she “simply misspoke” and did pass college geography. And we would like to assure our readers that Ms. West did not attend Arizona State University.
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