I've removed the story in question, because the guy who sent it in emailed me later on to tell me that, in fact, Murphy never threatened to kick his ass. Instead, I'm going to run this version of the story from ASU assistant SID Randy Policar. What we're left with is the rather sad story of an autograph hound stopping at nothing to get a signature from a very frail and vulnerable boxing legend. A brief warning: the bolded sentence below may cause spontaneous bouts of weeping.

Let me start by saying that there was no "security" at this event, per se. It was all volunteers. It wasn't an ASU event, so I was there as a volunteer as well. When Ali arrived at 6:45, a group of volunteers (myself included) helped get him to the golf cart that he was to ride in. His wife and sister-in-law were with him. There was a group of 10-15 people with items to be signed, and Ali's wife and sister made it clear that A. he was not physically able to really sign and B. he would not be signing anything tonight due to an exclusive memorabilia contract that he had.

Ali was brought up to a suite at Scottsdale Stadium for him, his wife and his sister-in-law. While it is true that Coach Murphy was one of the first to greet him, I can promise you, in no uncertain terms, Pat Murphy DID NOT have Muhammad Ali sign anything for him. I was in there the entire time Coach was, and Murph went in there to welcome him and to thank him for lending his name to the charity event. He asked Ali if it would be ok if he could take a picture with him and his wife, and if his daughter could get a picture. He also asked if Ali would like to meet Dustin Pedroia and Andre Ethier, MLB players who were also in attendance. Ethier and his 18-month old son were brought in and spent a few minutes with him, then Pedroia and his three-month old came in. Ali was very excited to see the little boys and held them on his lap while posing for some photos.

After the players left, fans starting pouring into the suite. Ali's wife became concerned about the number of people in there, but was still very gracious and allowed most of them to shake Ali's hand and pose for a photo. The person who wrote the email, and I know exactly who it is, came into the suite with a giant poster and other items to be signed. He shoved past the other people in the suite and basically pushed a pen and the poster into Ali's face. Ali's wife told the gentleman that Muhammad could not sign, because of contractual issues and because he was doing a private signing the following week. The man started to protest and Mrs. Ali offered to take his name and phone number down and told him she would call him and try and work something out so he could get something signed. He gave her the information and she put it in her purse. She was clearly frustrated at how pushy he was, but she handled it well and no one raised their voice. The man then got a photo with Ali and left the booth. During this time, Murphy was not in the Ali suite, but next door with Pedroia and Ethier.

After Ali was taken down to the field on his cart, they sang the national anthem and woman performed a song to honor Ali. He stood up and waved to the crowd and then greeted some young baseball players who participate in a little league that was founded and originally funded by Coach Murphy. After that, Ali got back in his cart to leave.

At this point, the people on the field at Scottsdale Stadium were either participants in the home run derby, Sandlot All-Star (little league) players and parents, volunteers or media members. During the song to Ali, I saw the emailer jump the fence and come on to the field. Once Ali got onto his cart, this guy once again shoved a pen and a Sports Illustrated into Ali's face. He was told again by Ali's wife and sister-in-law no autographs, but he kept pushing, begging and pleading with Muhammad to sign. Ali's wife reminded him that she had taken his number and was going to call him, but he completely dismissed her. The crowd was all over the guy, yelling at him to show some respect and heed his wishes, but he didn't care at all. Eventually, Ali relented (and honestly, at that point, what choice did he have, the guy was not going to move) and began to sign the magazine.

I swear to you, it took Ali around three or four minutes to sign his name, because of his physical condition. He had to be held up, because he could not stand on his own. Ali did thumb through the magazine, and eventually got into the cart. The emailer's claim that he was thrown into the backstop by ASU security is a patently ridiculous statement. First off, it was not an ASU event, so there was no ASU security or any other type of security, just the volunteers. Second off, I saw it, he was asked to back off and refused. There was no physical assault of any kind. When Ali's cart drove off, one of the volunteers who helped set up the event escorted him off the field and out of the stadium.

I can also tell you that I spoke to Ali's wife prior to the whole incident, and they were planning on staying at the event to watch the home run derby. We already had begun preparations to bring Ali back up to the suite. But after the stunt that the emailer pulled, they decided to leave and not subject Ali to anything else like that. I thought Ali handled the whole situation well, as did his family. This guy was told no by numerous people, was given special treatment by Ali's wife to try and accommodate him, and still didn't like the answer he got. So he decided that the rules didn't apply to him and did whatever he had to in order to get what he wanted. It was a selfish act by this guy, who had already gotten a photo with Ali, something more valuable than a signature if you truly are a big fan. He got his moment with The Champ, but it wasn't enough for him.

To call a guy "the biggest asshole he ever met", the same guy who was putting on a Charity Event is just stupid. This guy clearly didn't care about the charity, or where the money was going, or the point of the event, he wanted Ali's autograph and felt he was entitled to it because he spent $99 to get in. Coach Murphy worked really hard to get Ali to come to the event, in the hopes that having his name attached would help raise money for a good cause, and this guy disrespects Ali and his family all because he wanted an autograph. Pat Murphy put on a charity event to raise money for an organization, The Crossroads, that is near and dear to his heart. He didn't put on an autograph show. Coach has donated thousands of dollars to charities throughout the country, he just doesn't advertise it.

He saved old game balls that were used once and tossed and donated them to inner city schools who couldn't afford baseballs, he donated sporting goods to Boys Town in Omaha so they could have new equipment to use. He's donated over $100,000 back to ASU for facility improvements and to help get his assistant coaches more money, and he started his own little league for kids who couldn't afford to join. He paid for uniforms and equipment and let them use a field for free, just so he could let underprivileged kids enjoy baseball. If those are the acts of the "biggest asshole", then maybe the world needs more assholes like Pat Murphy.

Coach doesn't know I sent this, and I was not directed by my superiors to defend him. I just wanted to set the record straight because I know Coach Murphy and his family and I know what kind of person he is. He can get mad and get heated, but he has a heart of gold, I promise you. It was a great event for a great cause, and I would hate to see his name dragged through the mud and the event tarnished because of half-truths from one person, who ultimately, got what he wanted, regardless of how it was obtained.

Sorry I got a little long winded, but I wanted you to hear what happened from my perspective.

I followed up with the reader (we'll call him Asshole) who sent in the original story for a clarification of what happened. Here is our exchange.

ME: Did you lie when you wrote this, Asshole?

ASSHOLE: I did not, but the details are distorted enough to cause issues. It was a funny story that has gone too far.

(19 minutes later)

ASSHOLE: Some information may be false…

(43 minutes later)

ASSHOLE: Drew, Murphy did not say those things to me...

Well, thanks. I'm glad we cleared that up. You asshole. I hope you get beaten like a redheaded stepchild.

UPDATE: The Pat Murphy Home Run Derby was established to benefit The Crossroads. You can learn more about that charity here. And, of course, my deepest apologies to Pat Murphy an the ASU athletic department.

First it was a drooling cameraman, then it was Arizona State relief pitcher Mitchell Lambson, who was also mesmerized by the backside view of the Sideline Princess as she sashayed across the field. The emailer (thanks LJ) said Lambson gave up two runs in relief soon after this shot was taken. She's a menace; she must be stopped.

****

Good morning. It's Wednesday. Find your own senorita to keep you distracted throughout the day.

The dome opened at a cost of $8.4 million in July. Tonight's storm wasted it in the span of about 45 minutes. I was parked by Four Peaks Brewing Company around 9:45 tonight and a gust of wind nearly picked up one side of my car. Power went out from about 8th Street and north at about the same time and in some places has not been restored. The following are my eyewitness pictures from the northeast corners of Arizona State University at around 1:00 AM.

The storm hurled pieces of the Dome across the north campus. We saw pieces of the canvas and of insulation as far away as Sun Angel Stadium and even a sizable chunk lodged in the trees and fence surrounding Packard Stadium.

How this will impact the Arizona State season is unknown as of yet. Presumably the team will continue to practice outside and tomorrow's home game against Northern Arizona won't need to be altered. But the field turf and excitement from this announcement a month ago, yeah, that's over. "The new indoor practice facility with FieldTurf will further enhance ASU's reputation as having outstanding athletic facilities. The facility will include 103,500 square feet with a 75-yard practice field (with an end zone) and a 45-yard practice field (with an end zone)."

ASU is just fortunate the storm hit at night.

Pictures: Dennis Dome is done [Pitchfork Nation]
Storm downs trees, football facility [ASU Student Newspaper]
Arizona State selects field turf for new facility [ASU News]

Much has been said of the Arizona State Sun Devils and their Sept. 20 match-up with the Puppy Dawgs from Georgia. The problem is that it is too early to give a full preview without knowing what players for Georgia will be on the field and which ones will be getting jazzed up for their booking photos. In the Tempe area, the buzz is that this game is going to mirror the '96 Nebraska game where the goalposts were carried down to Mill Avenue after a 19-0 victory over the #1 Huskers. There are some similarities to '96 (like a Summer Olympics preceding the game and an aging war veteran running for commander-in-chief). That's where the similarities end though.

Taking down Nebraska in '96 was epic with the Sun Devils ended a potential dynasty that night behind Derrick Rodgers' monster performance, setting the course for their doomed national title run. A big win against Georgia will just heat up the debate of "which conference is better, the Pac-10 or the SEC", even though the Big 12 probably has the best talent this season. Don't get me wrong, I want us to beat Georgia. LSU came into our house in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in September of '05 and inexplicably came out with a victory, considering Early Doucet was out of bounds on that 4th down throw from Jamarcus Russell. Nothing would be sweeter than to see ASU beat the #1 team in the nation and notch a victory for the Pac-10. In the back of my mind though, I know Georgia IS returning 18 starters (well maybe 3 by gametime, stay tuned) including Mel Kiper's wet dream at QB and ESPN the Mag and Sporting News coverboy Knowshon Moreno in the backfield. The fans stormed the field rather prematurely in wins over Cal and Arizona (games we should have won anyways), so hopefully we can do it for a worthy cause on September 20th.

Our 10-3 record was somewhat of a surprise last season. The 2007 Sun Devils were known to get off to late starts, including early deficits to Colorado and Oregon State only to come back and win big. But whenever ASU played a team with any real talent they floundered. They got it handed to them up at Autzen Stadium, where Omar Bolden tore Dennis Dixon's ACL about 2 quarters too late. USC came down on Thanksgiving and showed us what a real defense was (thanks Rey Maualuga). After another Territorial Cup victory, ASU had high hopes going into the Holiday Bowl against Texas, only to have our QB write checks his ass couldn't cash.

Georgia fits right into this mold of upper-tier teams that ASU thinks they have a shot at. Recent history is working against the Devils, and there's no guarantee that this season's offensive line (0 career starts) will be any better than last year's joke of a protection unit (55 sacks). Here's what to look for in the Sun Devils version 2008.

What's a Given:

- Mark May giving us the dreaded vote of confidence.
- Capitalizing off mistakes. This is how they turned those deficits into big victories in 2007. Even though it wasn't in a winning cause, after Mack Brown's stepson touched that ball in the infamous Holiday Bowl incident, Chris McGaha scored his only TD of the season and the Sun Devils were momentarily back in business.
- Keegan Herring turning nothing into something at least once a game
- Rudy Carpenter talking too much, yelling at his wide receivers after they mess up on routes, and being praised by analysts as being "tough, gritty and resilient." He's an easy target in more ways than one, especially when you don pink instead of school colors at a home basketball game when it isn't benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
- Backup QB Danny Sullivan's face to turning to ghostly white when Rudy Carpenter takes too long to get up.
- Thomas Weber sealing up another Groza award. He won the award last season with the second worst offensive line in the country (thanks, Notre Dame) protecting him.
- Willie Tuitama going 0-4 against ASU, taking his big arm to the wide open spaces of the CFL.

What To Watch For:

- The use of 5-wide formations, giving Rudy Carpenter the chance to break every major Pac-10 record while padding his stats for the next level.
-Stanford in Week 2. With all eyes on September 20th, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to get a scare from the Cardinal, who are looking to avenge the beatdown we gave them in Palo Alto last season.
- If we're down a score at USC with the clock winding down, Dennis Erickson will not punt.
- Speed - after getting burned by USC, Oregon, and Texas a year ago - look for the Devils to up the tempo on both sides of the ball
- Grades - almost everyone qualified academically! This is a new Dennis Erickson!
- Teams looking to exploit our secondary with big targets. Considering our linebackers and line are actually pretty solid against the run, watch for Georgia to exploit our small and weak tackling secondary through the use of Mohamed Massaquoi, Kenneth Harris and 6'6 tight end Tripp Chandler. Fred Davis can attribute at least one extra 0 in his signing bonus to our inability to cover the big target.
- Even though WR Mike Jones was a late pick in the MLB draft by the Yankees, you may hear Roger Goodell call his name come April. The guy is incredible to watch in person.
- Chris McGaha is single-handedly making the White receiver matter again. His only TD was in the Holiday Bowl, but he usually set up most of ASU's goal line situations with big catches.

Key Players -

Offense - Dmitri Nance - The thunder to Keegan Herring's lightning - Nance must produce in short yardage and red zone situations to keep defenses guessing at all times.

Defense - Terrell Carr - Omar Bolden owns one side of the field - JUCO transfer Terrell Carr will be the CB opposite of Bolden and trying to mark his ownership on the other side of the field. If Carr can turn into a playmaker, he can seal up an ASU secondary that showed flashes of brilliance in 2007.

Breakout Players -

Offense - Kerry Taylor - A sure-handed sophomore, Taylor will reap the benefits of opponents double covering Mike Jones and Chris McGaha.

Defense - Tank English - A massive human being and a brick wall on the D-Line, English can wreak havoc and stuff the run game by himself.