6-12-11: Bird Droppings - Andre Roberts Interview

Time to end this weekend, with the lead-off story being a little video interview with Andre Roberts.

azcentral.com - video
Cardinals Receiver Andre Roberts eyes starting position

Locked-out? NFL training camp sites start to sweat - ArizonaSports.com
Jake's Stadium Pizza has been a fast-food fixture on the Minnesota State University campus for nearly four decades. This summer, they're cooking that thin crust with crossed fingers in Mankato, Minn. The NFL lockout, now headed toward its fourth month, is threatening a revenue-driving, profile-raising event for this small, family-owned business: Vikings training camp. "We're hoping they get it done, because it's not just us. It's the whole state that will suffer," said Wally Boyer, the owner of the joint where players from Jim Marshall to John Randle have recuperated after many a draining workout. Fans, too, have long made that familiar walk down Stadium Road after watching practice to fill up and cool off. If the work stoppage lingers long enough to keep teams holding traditional training camps, the hit would be felt far beyond Minnesota, and it wouldn't just be about losing money.

Arizona Sports News:

Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Florida Marlins on the road
Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy knows the frustration inherent in walking the opposing pitcher, knows the tedious feeling associated with failing to record what is viewed as an automatic out. And so, when he came to the plate with two on and two out in the fourth inning on Saturday, he wanted to make struggling Florida Marlins pitcher Javier Vazquez throw as many pitches as possible in hopes of making his way on base one way or another. The walk Kennedy wound up coaxing might have been the at-bat of the game, keeping alive what became a six-run inning in the Diamondbacks' breakout 9-5 victory against the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.

Balanced scoring keys Arizona Rattlers' win over Iowa Barnstormers
Saturday's meeting with the Iowa Barnstormers was a litmus test for the Rattlers. With wide receiver Trandon Harvey sidelined for at least six weeks because of a groin injury, how would the offense function without him? Someone would, undoubtedly, have to step up. Luckily for the Rattlers, they had more than one player do so en route to a 61-41 victory in front of 8,664 fans at US Airways Center, improving their win streak to four games. The Rattlers (11-2) need only one more win to clinch the National Conference's West Division and home-field advantage for the first game of the playoffs.

NCAA baseball: ASU falls to Texas in Game 2 of super regionals
Arizona State pitching combined to walk seven Texas batters Saturday after issuing no free passes in Game 1 and the Longhorns took advantage in beating the Sun Devils 5-1 in Game 2 of the Austin Super Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Phoenix Suns' decision to trade or not trade Steve Nash as much about business as basketball
Suns President Rick Welts wanted to make one thing clear: He'd talk about the nature of the Phoenix sports market and its fans, but not in reference to a possible trade of point guard Steve Nash.

NFL News:

Pete Carroll addresses loss of 2004 BCS title | ProFootballTalk
Former USC coach Pete Carroll, who left for the Seahawks (or, as the case may be, escaped) only a few months before the NCAA hammer came down on the program, had yet to publicly address the decision to strip the Trojans’ 2004 BCS national championship. He finally has broken his silence. And it’s safe to say that the paperback version of Win Forever won’t have any asterisk or subtitle relating to the "Forever" having only a seven-year shelf life.

ProFootballWeekly.com - NFL head coach power rankings
The PFW editorial staff was asked to rank the current crop of NFL head coaches from 1-32. The newest head coaches, especially those with no head-coaching experience on which to evaluate them, rank lower on the list than those head coaches who already have established track records — good or bad — at the pro level.