Citizen Staff Writer
THE FINAL EDITION

ANTHONY GIMINO

agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

So we’re closing. The Big C. We’re done for. The whistle is blowing. The horn is sounding. We’ve run out of extra time. Just took a called third strike.

I’d like to think you will miss us here in Citizen sports, but I don’t want to be presumptuous.

But even if you think that only once a month we nailed a story, a scoop, a column, a feature – and I think our batting average was much higher – well, that’s one story, scoop, column, feature you won’t be getting any more.

That’s not good for anybody.

I asked Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood in February about the Citizen’s impeding demise and how it might affect his department.

“For a great number of years, we’ve had the ability to have things balanced, and all of a sudden you lose that,” Livengood said of this turning into a one-newspaper town.

“It also has an impact on the outside world, about the perception of Tucson when you lose an institution like this. There is an impression that we’re not going forward; we’re moving backward.”

Certainly, Livengood was telling me what I wanted to hear, but he also lamented a financial aspect to the closing and a potential loss of sponsorship/advertising dollars from a reconfigured Tucson Newspapers.

I guess that’s now a story for our pals at the Arizona Daily Star to track down.

I got my start in this crazy business at the Star, back in the fall of 1986. My first byline was on a high school football game, featuring a flash of a running back from Flowing Wells. His name escapes me now.

There have been a blur of running backs, point guards, pitchers and catchers in the years since then.

It was a pleasure to chronicle the Arizona football team through most of the 1990s – the Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami, the Holiday Bowl victory over Nebraska. Waldrop. Bruschi. Bouie. McAlister. Keith and Ortege, the tag-team quarterbacks.

One of my favorite stories: Back in the early 1990s, UA football coach Dick Tomey, upset over something I had written that day, went ballistic on me after practice as the players were leaving the field.

I have never heard someone so copiously and creatively use another term for horse manure.

We agreed to disagree that day, and I feared that a good working relationship would be damaged. Football coaches have been known to hold a grudge.

But the next time I saw Tomey, it was as if nothing had happened. That was his style. Say what you have to say, and then let it go. It’s a life lesson I have never forgotten.

Elsewhere, I covered seven of Arizona’s eight national championships in softball, and had access to the mind of coach Mike Candrea for two decades. Sometimes, this job is so worth it.

No complaints here.

I had a chance to work with, travel with and learn from the twin towers of local sports columnists – retired Corky Simpson of the Citizen and Greg Hansen of the Star. Tucson was lucky to have two such voices for all those years.

So, yeah, it’s been a good ride.

It hit me a while ago, though, that the best part of this job at the Citizen for the past four and a half years had nothing to do with newspapers or journalism.

Recently, for no other reason than boredom, I reached into the closet and pulled out a box I hadn’t opened in years. It was filled with various items from college days.

Two things caught my eye.

One was a 20-year-old edition of the Tombstone Epitaph. A journalism class at the University of Arizona produced – and still does – the newspaper for the Town Too Tough To Die.

In this particular edition, I shared a few bylines with a guy named John Moredich.

As I dug deeper in the box, I found an old address book – the kind of thing we used before we all had cell phones. Thumbing through, I saw I had the old phone number of a guy named Steve Rivera.

Point is, the two writers I have worked most closely with at the Citizen since the start of 2005 – Moredich covering football, Rivera covering basketball – have been friends for more than two decades.

Working with them has been the rewarding part of the job.

Whatever you do for work, I hope you have been as lucky.

Citizen Staff Writer
THE FINAL EDITION

JOHN MOREDICH

jmoredich@tucsoncitizen.com

For a while, my friends blamed me instead of Dick Tomey, John Mackovic or Mike Stoops for the Arizona football program’s demise.

From 2001 to 2007, Arizona went 26-53 after I took over the beat job in the third game of 2001. Finally, I got to cover a bowl game when UA went 8-5 in 2008.

Here are two of my top memories:

• In 2004, the UA baseball team traveled to play Long Beach State in a super-regional with little hope against pitcher Jered Weaver and the 49ers. Weaver struck out 12 Wildcats, but UA won the opener 6-5 on a Trevor Crowe triple. UA lost the second game, but won the deciding contest in the 11th on a Nick Hundley sacrifice fly.

The good news was I got to cover a College World Series, but my family wasn’t too happy. We had to cancel a vacation.

• In 2003, the one Friday night I decided to go to a movie for a rare date with my wife, there were 11 messages waiting for me on my cell phone.

Had the world come to an end?

It turned out to be news of Mackovic banning several players from the team dinner the night before a game. Forty-eight hours later, he was history and UA started a coaching search.

Following tips and Internet rumors became a 24-hour job. One name kept popping up: Mike Stoops.

Although Stoops wouldn’t confirm his interest in the job, I was able to get the first interview with him. You could tell he would be UA’s next coach.

I’m glad I didn’t have to cover a coaching change last year. Despite what some might think, reporters don’t like to write about firings and buyouts. We’d rather write about touchdowns.

Citizen Staff Writer
THE FINAL EDITION

JOHN MOREDICH

jmoredich@tucsoncitizen.com

Pound for pound – and in his college years he probably could have used extra weight – Tedy Bruschi is the best football player I’ve ever seen.

Covering UA at Stanford in the beginning of “Desert Swarm” in 1992, I recall Bruschi darting untouched and arriving at the quarterback – almost as soon the ball was snapped. His force and right hand stripped the ball in the Wildcat win.

He was just a part-time starter at defensive end, but I knew he was something special.

Fast forward to “the sack,” my term for maybe his greatest college play. It came in the Arizona State game of 1995, his senior season, when he sacked ASU’s Jake Plummer on third-and-19 despite being double-teamed. It was his 52nd career sack, an NCAA record at the time, and the Cats rallied from 14 down to beat ASU 31-28.

Two other things I won’t forget after 23 years at the Citizen:

• Watching Nancy Evans pitch every inning in five games as Arizona won the NCAA championship in Oklahoma City.

Carrie Dolan, who actually had more victories than Evans going into the Series, was suspended right before the CWS, leaving the Wildcats vulnerable.

“I had to keep myself ready and not get tired,” Evans said. “Fight it off.”

• Hiking the Grand Canyon – from the South Rim to the North Rim, an exercise that sends you almost 6,000 feet down and then back up 4,500 feet of heartbreaking cliffs.

My bones ached along the way – I was toting a 40-pound pack – but the hike was worth it. It’s a shocking yet soothing way to reveal the guts and bones of creation. It stays in your dreams.

Citizen Staff Report
THE FINAL EDITION

The Tucson Citizen was there when the University of Arizona played its first football game and first basketball game:

Date: Nov. 21, 1899

Headline: FOOT BALL GAME. – Neither Side Scored. – Line up of the Teams. – Close Contest.

The foot ball game at Carrillo’s gardens yesterday afternoon was a very closely contested struggle and more than fulfilled the high expectations of the spectators. The teams are evenly matched and the result of the game was a score of nothing to nothing. The Tucson team had the advantage of in weight, but lacked in practice, while the members of the University team, although lighter, are almost all experienced foot ball players and were very effective in team work.

(The Citizen listed each team’s starting 11 by last name, adding that Herb Drachman officiated as umpire, while prof. Adams was referee in the 0-0 game.)

Date: Feb. 19, 1905

Headline: Good Sport at Morenci Basket Ball

MORENCI, Ariz. – The University of Arizona basket ball team won a by no means easy game from the Morenci club boys last evening, with a score of 40 to 32. The Tucson athletes proved themselves superior in nearly all points, their good training and coaching telling throughout the game. The playing of Wooddell was phenomenal. Once the ball was fairly in his possession, a goal was almost sure to result. For Morenci Edgington (center) and Storch (guard) played the best game, although the others supported them well. Morenci did better team work, but was outclassed in star playing.

The game throughout showed the Tucson team to be fine, gentlemanly fellows.

(The Citizen listed both team’s lineup and noted that O.A. Kates, Arizona’s head coach, was the referee.)

Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Fans philosophical as D’backs discuss flight

• It’s time we let the D’backs leave. . . . We’ve dropped too much money and have gained very little. They have the money to have multiple farm teams, scouting divisions and inflated player contracts, so why can’t they build their own training facility? MOTORMOUTH

• The county blew it and the city blew it. If you thought it was tough in Tucson before, wait until spring training baseball is gone. LDONYO

• Tucson can’t compete with Phoenix in baseball, so we can stop trying. Let’s get creative. How about recruiting an Arena Football team for the soon-to-be-built arena? Or a minor league basketball team? Either way, it’ll be nice when the Cactus League rental car tax can go away. IT’SLILA

Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767

Citizen Staff Report
THE BOUNCE

Citizen Staff Report

The Wildcats are in second place after the first day of the Southeast Regional in Sorrento, Fla.

UA shot a 14-under 270, two strokes behind leader Central Florida.

Arizona’s Tarquin MacManus leads all individuals by two strokes. He shot an 8-under 63.

The top five teams advance to the NCAA Championships, held May 26-30 in Toledo, Ohio.

Pima track and field

Citizen Staff Report

The Pima men and women both finished third at the Region I Championships in Mesa on Thursday.

Pima’s Aurora Trujillo earned a region title in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11 minutes, 29.3 seconds.

The Pima teams will compete at the NJCAA National Championship in Hutchinson, Kan., from May 21-23.

Citizen Staff Writer
Wildcat blog

MIKE CHESNICK

Former Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama is apparently exploring opportunities in the Canadian and Arena 2 football leagues after failing to land a free-agency shot in the NFL.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have claimed Tuitama’s negotiation rights, the Stockton (Calif.) Record reported Thursday.

The newspaper also said the Stockton Lightning, an Arena 2 minor league team for the Arena Football League, has offered Tuitama a roster spot. His mother, Nancy, is the Lightning’s travel agent, the Record said, and Tuitama is a Stockton native.

Jeff Sperbeck, an agent for Tuitama, told the Record that he has been in contact with CFL teams but was unaware of the Arena offer.

“We’re talking to some teams in Canada and trying to find an opportunity,” Sperbeck said. “Willie wants to show that he can still play.”

The CFL season begins in June, and Tuitama could negotiate with other teams if he chose not to sign with Saskatchewan, the Record said.

Sperbeck told the paper there’s still a chance Tuitama could be invited to an NFL training camp. Tucson police arrested Tuitama on March 7 on suspicion of extreme driving under the influence, which may have hurt his NFL prospects.

Meanwhile, former UA basketball player Fendi Onobun is still trying to land an NFL free-agency shot after working out for scouts for several teams, including Buffalo.

Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF

If Cats don’t yowl, NCAA will do it again

• This is the second year in a row that Arizona gets the shaft (failing to host an NCAA softball first-round regional). And if Arizona does not do anything, then expect more of the same treatment. One was acceptable. Two is just personal. CLAUDIA44

• Truth is Arizona has won the regional out of state before, and here is one fan hoping the Wildcats do it again. AZMSKI

Amphi-CDO football series should be revived

Re: Amphi coach laments lapse in rivalry with Canyon del Oro

• What a shame! This was a great football rivalry. The games were always well-attended and usually were very well-played. Hopefully, the powers that be will look at picking this game up next year. 6652

Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767

The Associated Press
THE BOUNCE

ANDREW BAGNATO

The Associated Press

In the case of USC basketball coach Tim Floyd’s recruitment of O.J. Mayo, it might come down to a case of he said vs. he said.

Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo’s, has told federal and NCAA investigators that Floyd gave $1,000 in cash to a man who helped steer the star player to the Trojans, according to Johnson’s attorney, Anthony V. Salerno.

Whatever happens, there was a sense of relief at the University of Arizona, which had courted Floyd this spring before hiring Xavier coach Sean Miller.

UA athletic director Jim Livengood denied he had offered Floyd the job. But he said he had asked Floyd about the reports and his relationship with Mayo.

“I asked him the question,” Livengood said. “He said there’s nothing to that. So end of question. We didn’t go any farther.”

Floyd has yet to respond to the allegations, which first appeared in a Yahoo! Sports report.

“That’s really the whole thing: who do you believe?” Salerno told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Tim Floyd had a motive to pay O.J. Mayo to get there. Louis really doesn’t have any motives. He doesn’t have an ax to grind against Tim Floyd.”

Salerno said he thinks investigators believe Johnson’s story. Johnson has told them that he accompanied Mayo’s handler, Rodney Guillory, to a meeting with Floyd at a Beverly Hills cafe on Valentine’s Day 2007, and that Guillory emerged with an envelope stuffed with $100 bills.

“I don’t think they’ve expressed any indication that they don’t believe him,” Salerno said, referring to NCAA investigators. “And for what it’s worth, I think the U.S. government, through the Justice Department, believes him, too.”

Johnson’s account comes as USC deals with allegations that 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush received improper benefits from a sports marketing agent while at USC.

If the NCAA can prove Floyd paid Guillory for delivering Mayo to USC, that would be a major violation. The Trojans could be forced to forfeit victories, and could face recruiting restrictions and lose scholarships.

USC athletic department spokesman Tim Tessalone said the school could not comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Mayo played one season at USC, leading the Trojans to a 21-12 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the third overall pick. He was runner-up for the NBA’s top rookie award to Chicago’s Derrick Rose.

Salerno said he wonders why Floyd has not disputed Johnson’s account if it’s false.

“Tim Floyd easily could have said, ‘That’s baloney, it’s slanderous and not true, I never did that,’” Salerno said. “In my opinion, it’s kind of damning, his being silent. It’s not like this is a criminal case for him. It’s not like this is a subtle allegation. It’s black and white.

Pima relay team shines

Citizen Staff Report

The Pima Community College women’s 3,200-meter relay team set a meet record with a time of 9:20.93 at the two-day Region I Championship in Mesa.

The team of Brittany Delker (Desert View High), Danielle Higgins (Benson), Cherise Price (Catalina) and Leandra Treusch (Catalina Foothills) already had qualified for the national junior college championships May 21-23 in Hutchinson, Kan.

Monica Honyumptewa (Hopi) won the 10,000 meters in 44:59.47, while Priscilla Urquides (Tucson High) took second in the 400 hurdles (1:08.16). Both qualified for the nationals meet.

On the men’s side, Jeremiah Korn (Sahuaro) earned a regional title in the men’s hammer throw of 151-7 and a spot in nationals.

Korn qualified for the national meet earlier this season in the shot put.

Matt Lundstrom (Mountain View) took second in the 10,000 meters (33:25.48) to also qualify for nationals.

Both Pima squads were in third place going into Thursday’s final day of Region I competition.

Citizen Staff Report
THE BOUNCE

Citizen Staff Report

The Pima Community College women’s 3,200-meter relay team set a meet record with a time of 9:20.93 at the two-day Region I Championship in Mesa.

The team of Brittany Delker (Desert View High), Danielle Higgins (Benson), Cherise Price (Catalina) and Leandra Treusch (Catalina Foothills) already had qualified for the national junior college championships May 21-23 in Hutchinson, Kan.

Monica Honyumptewa (Hopi) won the 10,000 meters in 44:59.47, while Priscilla Urquides (Tucson High) took second in the 400 hurdles (1:08.16). Both qualified for the nationals meet.

On the men’s side, Jeremiah Korn (Sahuaro) earned a regional title in the men’s hammer throw of 151-7 and a spot in nationals.

Korn qualified for the national meet earlier this season in the shot put.

Matt Lundstrom (Mountain View) took second in the 10,000 meters (33:25.48) to also qualify for nationals.

Both Pima squads were in third place going into Thursday’s final day of Region I competition.

Citizen Staff Writer
Youth blog

MIKE CHESNICK

Holladay Intermediate Magnet and Booth-Fickett Magnet schools earned bragging rights in local track and field for another year.

For the third time in seven years, Holladay captured the Tucson Unified School District elementary school city title April 25 at Drachman Stadium with 250.7 points, followed by Fruchthendler (212.7), Marshall (181.5), Henry (165.5) and Sewell (125).

Holladay fourth-fifth grade winners were Simon Mahaffey Bentley (high jump, Class B); Malual Amor Arob (high jump, Class D); Anita Eichenour (500-meter run, Class B); and Aria Paxton (500, Class C).

The school’s 400-meter relay team of Yelitza Partida, Ana Herrera, Melvy Garate and Ayla Condo also won the Class D title.

Holladay is coached by Walter Legan and Michael Carpio.

In the TUSD middle school meet April 25 at Catalina High, Booth-Fickett (448.5) won the city title over Utterback (244.3), Townsend (227.4), Magee (221.5) and Secrist (151).

Multiple boys winners for Booth-Fickett were eighth-graders Jordan Hughes (100, 200), Sunthi Danh (100, 200, long jump, 400 relay) and Danny Robles (100, 400 relay); seventh-grader Jude Ruiz (800, 1,600); and sixth-grader Jarrett Corkill (100, 400).

Eighth-grader Brianna Schneider (400 relay, 800) and seventh-grader Katie Jenkins (1,600, 800) were multiple girls winners for Booth-Fickett, coached by Jason Karn and Andrea Lopez.

• Go to www.tucsoncitizen.com/blog for more blogs.

Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Preseason picks always wrong?

• The only thing certain about preseason prognostication is it is always wrong. It would not surprise me if this is the year Arizona comes out of almost nowhere to make it to our first Rose Bowl. Of course, it also wouldn’t surprise me if we lost by 14 to Central Michigan in the season opener. AZCATFAN85

• I’m looking forward to a challenging year for the Cats. Our wide open offense should be more polished now. I think our quarterbacks will come through for us. If Matt Scott can throw accurately, he should be exciting to watch. DSTOWE

Bring shooting guard to Arizona

Re: UA hoops signee Parrom, prospect Stephenson shine in tourney

• Lance Stephenson would make Jerryd Bayless look like a slow/poor shooter. YES, Stephenson is that good as a shooting guard. . . . He’s played with Parrom and knows UA assistant coach “Book” Richardson. Even if he’s a “one and doner,” I’d vote a big fat yes to bring him to Arizona. John Wall (Raleigh, N.C.) is the other Top 5 recruit that hasn’t committed yet. He’s a natural point guard. New Memphis coach Josh Pastner has him on speed dial! CACTUS PETE

> Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767.

BY THE NUMBERS

29

Points separating the leader and second place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings:

Driver Points

1. Jeff Gordon 1,601

2. Tony Stewart 1,572

3. Kurt Busch 1,546

4. Jimmie Johnson 1,465

5. Denny Hamlin 1,445

6. Jeff Burton 1,384

7. Kyle Busch 1,380

8. Ryan Newman 1,363

9. Greg Biffle 1,345

10. Matt Kenseth 1,326

ON THIS DATE

1952: In an Appalachian League game, Ron Necciai of the Bristol Twins strikes out 27 batters while pitching a 7-0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners.

1958: Stan Musial gets his 3,000th hit with a pinch-double off Chicago’s Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field in a 5-3 win.

1976: The New York Nets overcome a 22-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-106 to win the ABA title 4-2.

2005: Tiger Woods misses a 15-foot par putt at the Byron Nelson Championship, ending his record of 142 straight cuts made over the last seven years on the PGA Tour.

Citizen Staff Writer
Wildcat blog

MIKE CHESNICK

Arizona’s basketball connection in New York City is faring well in postseason all-star action.

UA signee Kevin Parrom and UA prospect Lance Stephenson helped the Panthers AAU team advance to the semifinals of the Nike Spring High School Classic in New York over the weekend.

Parrom, a 6-foot-6 small forward, scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter to lead the Panthers to a 91-81 second-round win Saturday over N.Y.A.B.C.

Stephenson, a 6-6 guard-forward, pumped in a game-high 38 points Sunday as the Panthers ousted N.Y. Elite 84-76 in the quarterfinals.

The Panthers will meet New Heights in the semifinals Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Tucson time in the prestigious tournament.

Arizona and Memphis are reportedly interested in signing Stephenson, a McDonald’s All-American who set the New York schoolboy record for career points. He averaged 31.9 points and 12.8 rebounds during his senior season at Lincoln High in New York.

Parrom told Five Boro Sports that Stephenson said he would visit Arizona shortly. The final day of the early signing period is May 20.

Citizen Staff Report
THE BOUNCE

Brandon Smith, an eighth-grader at Old Vail Middle School, was one of nine finalists in Major League Baseball’s “Breaking Barriers” essay contest.

Smith, who suffered a head injury after an accident, wrote that “baseball has taught me about determination.”

“It is so hard to stay focused when you have a head injury. But it seemed like baseball was the one place that it was easy for me to focus. It was a quiet place in my life where everything started to make sense.

Baseball has changed my life. I have actually forgiven the driver that crashed into me. . . . If I met him today, I would have to thank him.”

Nearly 8,000 students in grades 4 through 8 entered the contest.

Smith plays in the Rincon Little League.

Citizen Staff Report

Readers
SPORTS SOUND-OFF

NCAA called a ‘biased bureaucracy’

• I think Livengood must have done something that the NCAA just continues to punish him for. Baseball, softball and basketball continue to get sent far, far away for postseason play. Mike Candrea is the No. 1 softball representative on the planet Earth, and Arizona’s history in softball at the NCAA level is second only to UCLA, and that’s debatable. The NCAA is a biased bureaucracy that can arbitrarily do whatever the hell they want to.

AZLIFEGUARD

• Don’t forgot that UA has one of the best softball fields in the country. The only way NCAA can justify ASU getting to host is that they are the defending national champs. I think all national champs should get that courtesy, but that said, we deserve one, too!

MIA S.

Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com. Call: 573-4635. Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767.