👋 GOOD MORNING 👻 - Happy Halloween! Got your costume ready?

I actually am leading off today’s newsletter with some news - after over a year of publishing the PHNX Sports Daily, I have made the very difficult decision to step aside, and today will be my last edition. THANK YOU for your support, your help getting this off the ground and your continued feedback. It has been a privilege.

I also want to thank my amazing wife — it’s very tough being married to a writer — and the entire PHNX crew, but specifically Leah and Espo for the opportunity. I’ll hang my hat on the fact that I gave you the very best I could each and every day, and I’ll miss my PHNX family.

I’ll be hanging around — I’m planning on writing a hockey article per week after I take a little time away — check out my substack, which will always be free. I hope to also continue my freelance work with mlb.com, so I better see you around Chase Field!

Finally, a HUGE welcome and congrats to Alex D’Agostino, who will be taking over as editor. He’s such a talented and good person, treat him right! I’ll be reading, Alex — go kill it!

One more joke for the road: Why don’t mummies take time off? They’re afraid to unwind.

Thanks for everything. One more time….On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, Extremely Grateful PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Are you ready for the sugar rush tonight?

Halloween in Arizona is special, but the professional sports scene here lately has felt anything but (except you, Mercury!). The Suns are retooling, the D-backs can’t stay healthy, the Cardinals can’t seem to get out of their own way, and the NHL? Well, it’s non-existent.

But there’s hope for all of these teams.

Today’s edition of the PHNX Sports Daily is simple — which of these teams/sports are offering treats, and which are offering tricks?!

The Premise: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has shown flashes of being the best player in the league at times, and simply has not had the right tools around him to be successful.

The Argument: Murray was selected No. 1 overall in 2019, an has put up wildly impressive numbers. Here are just a few accomplishments he owns with the franchise:

The Verdict: 👻 TRICK

Look, I don’t believe there’s a quarterback controversy brewing in Arizona, because Murray is the better quarterback than Jacoby Brisset. Even so, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was time to shake things up.

The Premise: General Manager Brian Gregory and coach Jordan Ott have the Suns on track, and the team will succeed in its current rebuild around Devin Booker

The Argument: Gregory’s hiring raised eyebrows considering he had almost no NBA experience before he was brought on board. Even so, he has already made quite a splash in his efforts, hiring head coach Jordan Ott and dealing star Kevin Durant.

Gregory managed to reclaim at least a few draft assets, and loaded up with the following:

The Verdict: 🍭 TREAT

Saw a rebuild firsthand during my time with the Coyotes, and I’ve got to be honest, everything passes the sniff test so far.

The Premise: Lovullo took the Diamondbacks to the World Series in 2023, but the team has fallen short of expectations over the last two seasons, missing the playoffs both year.

The Argument: Lovullo’s teams have been decimated by injuries, plain and simple. The pitching staff, especially. Just look at the carnage from last season:

Those are just the highlights — the injured list was essentially a carousel this season, that is, for the lucky few who were able to exit the ride and return to play.

The Verdict: 👻 TRICK

Look, I get all the arguments, and with the way the Diamondbacks finished last season, I do think he deserves one more season. I don’t think he’ll get the job done. He’s 664-692 in 10 seasons, and though he led Arizona to the NL pennant and also won Manager of the Year in 2017, his teams have made the playoffs just twice over nine seasons.

The Premise: Already in our second season without NHL hockey, Coyotes 2.0 will return within the next 10 years.

The Argument: Phoenix is a desirable location for a number of reasons — low state income tax, gorgeous winters and it’s a heavily populated area — but years of mismanagement across multiple ownership groups led to the team’s demise in the state.

Maricopa County Chairman Thomas Galvin has put together an advisory panel focused on bringing the NHL back to State 48, and it’s being led by none other than Andrea Doan, wife of Shane Doan.

The Verdict: 🍭 TREAT

This is going to happen, and you’ll never convince me otherwise. Can’t wait to see you on opening night some day in the future!

Storm Brewing: The Sun Devils head to Ames to face Iowa State this weekend (10 am, TNT / HBO Max), and they’ll try to get back into the win column without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt in the fold. Receiver Jordyn Tyson’s return is also not looking great, and that’s reflected in the spread, as ISU is favored by over a touchdown.

Getting Buff: The Wildcats have dropped three of their last four games, but get (a bit) of a reprieve against the 3-5 Colorado Buffaloes tomorrow (4 pm, FS1). Arizona has been painfully close to wins in each of its last two games, and can take one step closer to bowl eligibility by leaving Boulder with a win.

No Place Like Home: The Suns have dropped four straight, but have a chance to right the ship against the Jazz tonight (7 pm) following a 138-134 overtime loss in Utah last week. The 4-0 Spurs then visit on Sunday night (6 pm), wrapping up Phoenix’s three-game home stand.

For injury updates that came through last night — keep up with Stephen!

Old El Paso: Rising FC faces Locomotive FC in El Paso tomorrow, entering the USL Western Conference Quarterfinal as the fifth seed. Oddly enough both games between the two ended in draws earlier this season, 4-4 on March 15 and 3-3 on Aug. 30.

The game will kick off at 6:30 pm, and can be seen on Arizona’s Family Sports.

Espo bringing the stats!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.