Joe Johnson, the Suns' rising off-guard, has won the starting job over Penny Hardaway to begin the season.

Generous philanthropist. Overbearing bully. Bold visionary.

While the Atlanta Hawks organization could only hide its face in embarrassment, the Suns were still waiting and watching on the sidelines Tuesday as a proposed Joe Johnson trade took yet another interesting detour.

SAN ANTONIO - Quentin Richardson was surprised how well Joe Johnson played in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals after being out 17 days.

On paper, Joe Johnson remained a Phoenix Sun Wednesday, and probably will until at least Saturday. In practice, Suns management began the process of turning the page and weathering the negative public backlash of parting ways with one of their young, cornerstone players.

What kind of car dealership does it take to attract new car customers from towns as far away from the East Valley as Florence, Superior, and Johnson Ranch? It takes the kind of car dealership that makes a customer feel like they are dealing with a hometown neighbor. It takes a business customers know they can trust.

You're angry this morning, and you have every right to be. You were seduced by the Suns last season, swept up in a love affair that you thought would last for years.

Bryant Johnson hasn’t been a big factor for the Cardinals since the team picked the receiver in the first round of the 2003 draft. That might change starting Monday night against the Chicago Bears.

Bryant Johnson hasn’t been a big factor for the Cardinals since the team picked the receiver in the first round of the 2003 draft. That might change starting Monday night against the Chicago Bears.

The signs were held high and proud.

Joe Johnson will not play in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals tonight. Thirteen days have passed since Johnson fractured the orbital bone above his left eye, and with each passing day, the whispers become louder.

Suns guard Joe Johnson said the left side of his face is "just swollen, not hurting," and expressed hope of a return to action if Phoenix makes it to the Western Conference finals.

ATLANTA - Call it the trade that keeps on giving. The Suns didn’t want to part with Joe Johnson in the summer of 2005, but a maximum contract would have forced one of the Big Three – Shawn Marion, Steve Nash or Amaré Stoudemire – out the door to make room for another $70 million man.

How jumpy will goalie Brent Johnson be today, when he moves between the Phoenix Coyotes’ pipes for the first time?

CHICAGO — Political columnist Robert Novak, who was a central figure in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case, has died after a battle with brain cancer. He was 78.

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved John Roberts' nomination as the next Supreme Court chief justice, virtually assuring his confirmation by the Senate next week.

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts, his confirmation secure, picked up support from fractured Senate Democrats Wednesday as President Bush met lawmakers to discuss a second, probably more contentious, vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Chairman Jerry Colangelo said the No. 1 objective the Phoenix Suns took into the offseason — securing Joe Johnson and keeping their big four stars intact — was still the plan up until last week.

AUSTIN, Texas - Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championship teams and combined with Larry Bird in one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday after collapsing at the end of practice. He was 52.

The second coming of Randy Johnson is only days away. Johnson and the Diamondbacks have reached an agreement on the financial language on Johnson’s new two-year contract with the D-Backs, sources with direct knowledge of the talks said Saturday, effectively cementing his reacquisition from the New York Yankees in a five-player deal.

Restricted free agent Joe Johnson told ESPN.com Friday night that not only will he sign a five-year, $70 million offer sheet with the Atlanta Hawks next Tuesday, he has asked the Phoenix Suns not to match the offer and let him leave.

The second annual Joe Johnson boo-a-thon starts at 7 p.m. today. And the Atlanta Hawks’ star guard knows it. “I know, I know,” he told the Atlanta Constitution about the game against the Suns at US Airways Center.

A Pinal County judge has ruled that a homeowners association will now control property on which Johnson Utilities recently spilled raw sewage.The Pecan Creek Community Association Inc., representing residents of the Pecan Creek development, legally terminated a lease with Johnson Utilities on more than 100 acres that the company plans to use as a large underground leach field, according to a court ruling by Judge Robert Carter Olson of Pinal County Superior Court.