It took awhile, but Valley Christian has hired Jeff Rutledge as its new football coach on Monday.

The Valley sports media has been tripping over itself in lauding the hiring of new Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, calling it a turning point and a ray of light for a franchise that has been in a death spiral during these past couple years of the Robert Sarver era.

The pendulum of momentum swung back and forth several times in the sixth inning of Thursday’s winners’ bracket baseball game between No. 1 Desert Mountain and No. 2 Tucson.

Among the not-so-favorite memories from high school, standing in front of the class to deliver a presentation ranks right up there. Remember, the clammy palms, racing heart, dry throat and jumbled nerves?

The Arizona Cardinals didn’t need this.

WASHINGTON — Amanda Blackhorse is outraged when she thinks of the Washington Redskins, a team whose name and mascot are deeply offensive to the Navajo woman.

Mesquite High School will graduate 446 students this year. Students have been awarded just over $6 million in scholarships.

Gilbert's Highland High School will graduate 715 students in its Class of 2013. The students have earned $10 million in scholarships.

In the Tempe, future inclusive leadership begins early due to a nationally recognized program ran by the city’s Diversity Office.

LOS ANGELES — It's a Super Bowl matchup for the ages: cats vs. dogs.

It’s way too early. The National League West is way too talented. Summer in Arizona is way too long.

Fittingly for a guy who’s about to become “big time,” Dion Jordan’s life has been hectic.

‘It’s been ten years, now,” the strong voice said on the phone. Mari Justin is a breast cancer survivor. She, along with hundreds of thousands of breast cancer veterans have faced the demons and now crusade alongside those who are fresh on the battlefield.

The Phoenix Suns have a chance to begin their ascension from the ashes this summer. With one lottery pick safely earned among the top five and another still possible — unless Kobe Bryant is intent on dragging the Los Angeles Lakers’ lifeless carcass to the postseason for a public funeral at the hands of San Antonio or Oklahoma City — the first seeds for resurgence are at hand.

Wayne Pomeroy prides himself on saying he’s always had a job.

Wayne Pomeroy prides himself on saying he’s always had a job.

The Arizona Rattlers are bringing more than just championships to the Valley.

As Mesa grows as a community, so has the attention it’s paid in the region and nationally.

Updated baseball rankings, as of April 1:

Wayne McBean was the fourth overall pick in the 1987 National Hockey League draft, and spent six season’s in at the top level of play in his sport. But it’s in another sport altogether — golf — that the former professional hockey player has found post-hockey success.

Nearly 10,500 fans gathered to bid a farewell to the 2013 Major League Baseball Spring Training season Thursday afternoon.