NASCAR was in Phoenix for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. On Saturday, March 3rd Sprint Cup Series drivers were getting ready for the qualifying session. I was there for the action and took plenty of pictures!

We had such a great time at the X again this year, and the game was great, too!

We gave away tons of prizes, enough free food to satisfy everyone (and we put that statement to the test, let me tell you!) and partied with great drink specials from King’s X!

We even announced the details on the 2012 600 ESPN El Paso Sports and Health Expo, featuring Dallas Cowboys rising star, Sean Lee! Get all your Sports Expo details here, and we’ll see you at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino on April 1st!

Thanks to everyone who came out and had fun with us, and everyone who helped out: King’s X, Ruidoso River Resort, Quintero’s Meat Company, Roadrunner Pizza, Wing Daddy’s and more! We can’t wait for NFL season to start up again so we can begin planning our next Super Crunchtime blast!

See you soon!

Here’s a little video of our party so you can see a little of what went on, enjoy!

The Burges Mustangs go into the second game of the season on a high note after beating the Mountain View Lobos last Friday night 28-19.

The Mustangs host Cathedral Friday night. The Irish also won their season opener against Parkland 22-6.

The team is looking for payback after losing to the Irish last season 27-20.

Players admit they took Cathedral too lightly in the last meeting.

“We won’t this year,” center Jorge Cruz said. “They punched us in the face, and we couldn’t recover from that. We are more prepared this year against them and are able to make our calls on the line more effectively.”

New to the coaching staff is Freddy Gonzalez, who is responsible for the linebacking corp. He coached at Cathedral for four years before joining the Mustangs this season.

“I really like the atmosphere here,” he said. “I like the kids, I like the staff. That’s the main reason why I came to Burges. It was a good experience at Cathedral. I actually have family playing on the field there.”

Players said they will be watching out for wide receiver 6’4” Josh Tovar, who has a height advantage over the Mustang secondary.

Adrian Montes, who played wide receiver last year, is now the starting quarterback. He was 4 for 6 last week for 100 yards and one touchdown. He said the team has made strides in knowing what’s important on and off the field.

“This group of seniors has taken a bigger role in leadership than last year’s seniors,” he said. “We mesh together well. We’ve been together since elementary school, so we know not to take any opponent lightly.”

Kick-off is at 7 p.m. at the Burges stadium.

BURGES PLAYER TO WATCH:

Christian Molinar, Burges High School

Aaron Jones
Junior- Wide receiver, safety, punt and kick returner
5’11, 160 pounds
Wears jersey #2
El Paso Times’ pick as a Pre-season All District and All City athlete

LAST WEEK AGAINST MOUNTAIN VIEW

Rushing- 3 carries for 62 yards for 2 touchdowns
Receiving- 1 reception for 49 yards
Kick-Off Returns- 2 for 135 yards and a touchdown

PRE-GAME RITUAL:

“I like to stay loose in the locker room, laying down, listening to music and a joke here and there helps with the pre-game jitters.”

FAVORITE PLAYER:

Former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith

PASSION:

“It’s between basketball and football. Basketball was my first love, but football is the greatest with energy and intensity.”

San Francisco Giants Closer Brian Wilson in 2010 and again in 2011. Both photos by Ezra Shaw Getty Images.

When baseball fans watch San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson take the mound to close out a game, many of them are drawn to his beard. Wilson is one of the stranger characters in baseball, and you can definitely say the beard fits his personality. Wilson decided to start growing his beard soon after the 2010 All Star Game and kept it during the Giants’ amazing playoff run. Here is a look back at Wilson pre-beard and the chronology of his trademark look.

 After landing at Dallas Love Field, we met up with Jerry’s brother Byron and Byron’s son Eric. The 8 of us drove to American Airlines Arena and arrived about two hours before game time. I was surprised to see a carnival- like atmosphere outside the arena. There were tons of fans with body paint, ridiculous costumes, and other activities to keep basketball lovers excited. I was glad my cell phone was there to document everything.

Once we arrived in the arena, it was obvious the atmosphere would be electric for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

My ticket to Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

 My seat was about 11 rows from the court in the corner nearest the Heat bench.

A view from my seat, Section 122, Row K, seat 7 before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

As far as the game itself, what a classic! The Heat and Mavs went down to the final seconds with Dirk missing a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.

A very happy sports talk show host enjoying his seat for Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

I was sitting next to a guy (Kareem) who told me he was LeBron’s godfather. He knew everyone, from LeBron’s mom, Gloria to Dwayne Wade’s father, and kept me entertained throughout the game. Afterwards, I ran into Kareem and Gloria in the concourse and had to get a picture with both.

A happy and relieved Gloria James along with my new buddy, Kareem after Miami's dramatic win over Dallas in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

After the game, we immediately flew back to El Paso. Thanks to Jerry, Adam, Greg, Jamie, and Drew, my NBA trip of a lifetime is complete! The only thing better would have been if the Knicks were playing in the NBA Finals. But, I have plenty of time for that. Thanks to the Rubin family, I can now cross NBA Finals off of my sports bucket list.

Armando blasted through our Bracket Busters, and ended up with 3 of the 4 teams in the Final Four, and had Connecticut winning it all! Congratulations to Armando for picking so well during March Madness!

Here are some shots of Armando picking up his Grand Prize, the 40″ HDTV from El Paso Honda, 600 ESPN El Paso, KLAQ and KISS-FM!

Here’s a gallery of some of the Sports & Health Expo 2011 fun that happened today! Hope you made it out and had some fun with us!

If not, be ready for next year’s Sports & Health Expo! Thanks to everyone who helped out, and everyone who came to hang out with us!

Check out this cool video from the El Paso Times from today’s event:

Some incredibly disturbing photos of before and after the Japan devastation.  Check out the complete interactive series.  Roll your mouse over each of the pictures on the ABC site to see the before and after pics of each area.

The survivors are desperate for aid. Many of you have called to ask how you can help families in Japan whose homes and lives were torn apart by the disaster. We can each help by sending a charitable to many organizations that are part of the relief operation. Money will help most because it enables badly needed supplies to be purchased and utilized where needed on a timely basis.

International Federation of Red Cross – www.ifrc.org
International Response Fund/American Red Cross – www.american.redcross.org
Americares – http://www.americares.org
Save The Children – www.savethechildren.org
WorldVision – http://www.worldvision.org
Global Giving – www.globalgiving.org

Listeners may also contribute by text REDCROSS to 90999 to instantly donate $10

Google has also set up a special person finder website: http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com

Congratulations to Ivette, who won our trip to Dallas to the Super Bowl!  She had a great time, and sent us some of the proof!

Enjoy!

Some photos from the 600 ESPN El Paso Super Bowl Party at King’s X, that kicked off with Super CrunchTime LIVE with Mando “The Monster” Medina and Steve Kaplowitz!

Last night, the Miners battled Tulane at the Don Haskins Center. It was a hard-fought, tough contest, but UTEP prevailed 69-65. Here are some action pics from the game.

On Tuesday, all four finalists from El Paso Employees Federal Credit Union’s Lock of the Week contest stopped by the ESPN El Paso studios. They met EPEFCU CEO Ken Walters and were presented their contest prizes. Congratulations to Roy Torres and Isaac Labrado for each winning iPads, the grand prize from the Lock of the Week. Adrian Duran and Derek Sanchez also won iPods after qualifying for the playoffs.

NFL receiver Freddie Mitchell stopped by the 600 ESPN El Paso studios today to spend some time talking sports with Steve Kaplowitz on SportsTalk.

He even checked out our new website and wants to start writing here!  Keep your eyes open for more from Freddie…coming soon!