Baseball is apparently dying in Tucson. 

Next season, the White Sox are moving operations to Glendale from Tucson Electric Park.  That will leave the Rockies and the Diamondbacks as the only two MLB teams who train in Tucson.  Tucson is roughly two and a half hours southeast of the greater Phoenix area, which is currently the spring home of nine MLB teams in seven venues.  In 2009, the Phoenix area could be host to as many as thirteen teams in nine venues.  The Dodgers will join the White Sox in Glendale and the Indians and Reds may share a facility in Goodyear. 

The teams in Tucson still play all the other Cactus League teams, despite the long commute.  The greater distance means more expenses for the southern teams.  The White Sox might not be the only team to heading north in the near future.  The Arizona Daily Star has a story about possible renovations to Hi Corbett Field that may take place in order to keep the Rockies in Tucson.  The most recent idea calls on the University of Arizona to take charge of the facility and spearhead the $10-20 million renovations.  The problem is that UA already has excellent baseball facilities in Kindall/Sancet Stadium.  Kindall/Sancet is said to be one of the finer parks in the Pac-10, with recent $2 million renovations of its own. 

Tucson benefits from a $30 million economic impact brought on by spring training.  However, this figure will plummet if no team replaces the White Sox at TEP or if the Rockies or Diamondbacks find a more viable spring venue.  This may be the year to take the trek to Tucson, as the future of spring baseball in the Old Pueblo is uncertain.

I have recently arranged for accommodations for my trip to Spring Training in AZ. I will be staying in Chandler AZ from March 17-21. The closest park is Tempe Diablo, the spring home of the Angels. There are a lot of games being played while I'm there. What do you think would be the perfect week of baseball? Here's the list of games:

Monday March 17th
Brewers* at Mariners*, 1:05 @ Peoria Sports Complex
Giants at Rockies, 1:05 @ Hi Corbett Field
Mariners* at Rangers, 1:05 @ Surprise Recreation Campus
Padres at Diamondbacks, 1:05 @ Tucson Electric Park
Royals at Athletics, 1:05 @ Phoenix Municipal Stadium
White Sox at BREWERS*, 1:05 @ Maryvale Baseball Park

Tuesday March 18th
Athletics at RANGERS, 1:05 @ Surprise Recreation Campus
Brewers at ANGELS, 1:05 @ Tempe Diablo Stadium
Padres at WHITE SOX, 1:05 @ Tucson Electric Park
Royals at Cubs, 1:05 @ HoHoKam Park

Wednesday March 19th
Athletics* at CUBS*, 12:05 @ HoHoKam Park
Angels at ATHLETICS*, 1:05 @ Phoenix Municipal Stadium
Cubs* at GIANTS, 7:05 @ Scottsdale Stadium
Diamondbacks at MARINERS, 7:05 @ Peoria Sports Complex
Rockies at WHITE SOX, 1:05 @ Tucson Electric Park

Thursday March 20th
Brewers at ROYALS, 1:05 @ Surprise Recreation Campus
Giants at ANGELS, 1:05 @ Tempe Diablo Stadium
Mariners at PADRES, 7:05 @ Peoria Sports Complex
Rangers at DIAMONDBACKS, 1:05 @ Tucson Electric Park
Rockies at CUBS, 1:05 @ HoHoKam Park
White Sox at Dodgers, 7:05 @ Phoenix Municipal Stadium

Friday March 21st
Angels at RANGERS, 6:05 @ Surprise Recreation Campus
Cubs at ROCKIES, 1:05 @ Hi Corbett Field
Padres at BREWERS, 1:05 @ Maryvale Baseball Park
Royals at MARINERS, 1:05 @ Peoria Sports Complex
White Sox at GIANTS, 1:05 @ Scottsdale Stadium
Dodgers at DIAMONDBACKS, 1:05 @ Tucson Electric Park

* indicates split squad
A map of the parks is available here

Okay....

I know that Kansas is still undefeated. I know that some people will be upset with what I have to say. Nevertheless....

THE BAYLOR BEARS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE BIG XII.

It's as simple as "116-110 5OT". The Aggies saw their 15 game home winning streak come to an end in dramatic fashion. The Bears pulled out the victory despite having five players foul out. Depth like that is a true credit to coach Scott Drew.

Baylor has some of the best guards in the country. They have only lost to Washington State (16-1) and Arkansas (13-5). BU's key victories (besides tonight's) include wins over Winthrop (12-7) and Notre Dame (13-4) both of which--like tonight--were on the road.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAB_20080123_BAY@TXAM
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -Baylor waited 39 years to get back into the Top 25. Then the Bears had to wait some more, enduring five overtimes to get their first win as a ranked team.
Curtis Jerrells scored a career-high 36 points, including 11 in the fifth overtime to lead No. 25 Baylor to a 116-110 win over No. 18 Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Baylor (16-2, 4-0 Big 12) won its fifth in a row and first since entering the rankings for the first time since 1969 on Monday. It broke a 15-game home winning streak for Texas A&M and is the Aggies' third straight loss.
Three free throws by Jerrells gave Baylor a 106-103 lead in the fifth overtime. Dominique Kirk got A&M (15-4, 1-3) within a point with a layup on the next possession.
Jerrells pushed the lead back to 3 with his steal and layup with about a minute left. Aaron Bruce added a pair of free throws before a layup by Bryan Davis made it 110-107 with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Jerrells added four more free throws and LaceDarius Dunn chipped in a pair to ensure the win.
The small but vocal group of Baylor fans chanted "B-U!" incessantly as time ticked down in the final overtime and players jumped around wildly and hugged after the clock ran out.
Davis made a layup with 9 seconds left in the fourth overtime to knot it at 99 and send it to the fifth OT.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved The networks need to wise up and realize where the best college basketball is--the Big XII. I couldn't find the game or any highlights anywhere. I had to sit at my computer and watch GameCast (a.k.a LameCast!! ZING!!). The Baylor Bears are well on their way to a remarkable season with a great underdog story too. The basketball world better learn about this team, because they are destined for greatness.

Sic 'em Bears!!!

[Trivia question of the night: only one Big XII school has ever won a basketball national championship, can you guess who?]

Well, Nene's Tumor was malignant after all. However, reports are saying that it did not spread and his odds to recover are nearly 100%.
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10592709
DENVER -- A testicular tumor removed from Denver Nuggets forward Nene was malignant.
The team said Tuesday the tumor was discovered early, and tests showed the cancer was isolated.
"The recovery rate is extremely high," the Nuggets said in a written statement. "In addition, the odds of a recurrence are very small."
The Brazilian player underwent surgery Jan. 14 to remove the tumor. The team said he was doing well, but there was no timetable for his return.
Nene's website had posted a statement last week saying the tumor was benign, but that announcement later was removed.
The Brazilian news magazine, Epoca, reported on its website the tumor was small and was completely removed in surgery, citing Nene's Brazilian urologist Dr. Fernando Kim. Examinations of his blood, lungs, pelvis and abdomen showed there was no other tumor in his body.
"There is no sign the disease has spread," Kim told the magazine, adding the player was recovering "physically and psychologically extremely well."
Nene's right testicle was removed, and the early diagnosis made it "close to 100 percent" sure that the treatment was successful, Epoca said. He added Nene would be sidelined at least until March, because two months was the minimum for recovery.
Nene took an indefinite leave of absence from the team on Jan. 11.
Nuggets coach George Karl has experienced a couple of health scares over the past few years. He was treated for prostate cancer in 2005; his son, Coby, was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma, a form of treatable cancer, in January 2006 and had his thyroid removed three months later. Last April, Coby, who's now a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, underwent more surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes.
Nene, who is averaging 6.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, missed 22 games earlier this season after undergoing surgery on his left thumb. He was out for all but one game of the 2005-06 season after tearing a knee ligament.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

---

Nuggets head coach George Karl wants Nene to make an appearance for the team.
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10594985
DENVER -- Denver Nuggets coach George Karl is hoping to entice Nene to attend an upcoming practice.
Karl thinks it would be therapeutic for the Brazilian forward to hang out with his NBA teammates.
Nene found out on Tuesday that a testicular tumor removed on Jan. 14 was malignant. The team said the tumor was discovered early, and tests showed the cancer was isolated.
"I want him to come back and be with the team, and understand basketball is a little bit family," Karl said on Wednesday. "So many of us stay in basketball because of the spirit of basketball, and the spirit of friendship is stronger and deeper ... and loving. We want to share that with him."
The team said there's no timetable yet for his return, but Karl has a suspicion Nene will return this season.
"My feeling is he knows that we love him and need him," Karl said. "I think he knows we can be a damn good basketball team. As soon as he's healthy, we'll step over that bridge."
The Nuggets suspected the news would come back that the tumor was malignant, based on the information they were receiving. The team was bracing for it, even after Nene's website posted a statement last week saying the tumor was benign. But that announcement later was removed.
"Cancer is scary," Karl said. "It's a fear. It's an emotion you don't deal with a lot. Now, you wake up with it and think about it."
The team has had to deal with cancer quite a bit in recent year