• The panel at the Desert Cup announcement at Kino Sports Complex.

It's definitely nice to see Kino Sports Complex in use (even if I still grumble that it should be located downtown), and as part of what looks to be a busy 2012 for the facility, FC Tucson announced that four Major League Soccer teams will participate in a four night tournament held between February 22 and March 3. Two additional teams could also come for spring training, but not play in the tournament. Four fields at Kino will be converted for a month, and with the stadium which will be set up soccer-style for the tournament itself, will all be returned to baseball form.

Nelson Rodriguez from Major League Soccer was optimistic that this second go-around for the Desert Cup (which brought over 10,000 fans to its final night this year at Hi Corbett) could be the start of an expanded presence in Tucson for the league, including 12-14 teams here for spring training, player combines, a soccer convention, and community interaction.

There's something to be said about people who stay at a baseball game until the final out. Even if the home team had given up five runs in the top of the 10th inning to turn a tight 1-1 game into a 6-1 blowout.

A Tuesday night road trip to Phoenix resulted in witnessing one of the most amazing comebacks in baseball history when the Arizona Diamondbacks waited until the absolute last possible moment to beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and keep alive their hopes for having home field advantage in the first round of the National League playoffs.

I could try to give you a detailed, pitch-by-pitch analysis of the amazing rally, but instead you're better off watching the video [web producer's note: which you will have to go to MLB.com to watch, because Major League Baseball is dumb and won't allow embeds] to get a real sense of what happened. If you listen closely you can hear me 'woohooing' in the background.

• Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com
• More commuters than ever before are on Tucson roads.

BICAS, Tucson's bicycle cooperative is in the running for a $5,000 grant. Today is the last day to help them win it.

A big bicycle ride this weekend will highlight climate change and what people can do to help lower emissions. Get all the details here.

Artists and cyclists have teamed up to create an interesting print show. Get more details and learn how you can go home with your own print.

A national group of advocates were in Tucson this week to launch a national workshop. Find out why locals were so excited about the event.

To go along with this week's TQ&A with Ian Abbott, Josh Morgan shot some footage at Premises Park.

Taylor Branch's new article, "The Shame of College Sports" in The Atlantic's latest issue, is a fascinating exposé about the NCAA, going so far as to call the organization a "cartel," designed to use college athletes freely without paying them or compensating them for injury. The article combines a staggering breadth of reporting with historical information to give an expansive, detailed look at how the NCAA started, what's happened, and where the institution is today.

One of the more shocking quotes, from Dale Brown, the retired longtime basketball coach at LSU: “Look at the money we make off predominantly poor black kids,” Brown once reflected. “We’re the whoremasters.”

Read the full article here.

We all know college sports is a tremendous business here. Taylor Branch's article makes it frighteningly unsavory.

• Edward Gomez Nava

One reader wrote that a change on Broadway Boulevard "horrified" her. Find out why and what the city is doing to make it better.

See how one Tucson woman got her stolen bike backafter she found it on EBAY.

Two national bike advocates and their famous vegan chef friend came to Tucson this week for a fun event. Check out the photos.

The national advocacy group recognized a Tucson business as being bike friendly. Find out what business received the award and see what other Tucson business has the same award.

More work is being done on the bicycle loop around the city. Check it out and see how the recent floods have slowed things down.

• Photo courtesy of BookBike.org. Photo by David Miller Photography.
• This book bike inspired a Pima County librarian to bring one to Tucson.

A man who recently returned to cycling was killed in a hit-and-run crash this week. Police are investigating whether alcohol contributed to the crash. The driver has had two previous DUIs.

University of Arizona Police started a bicycle enforcement campaign on campus this week. Motorcycle officers setup all across campus yesterday to make sure cyclists were following traffic laws. Check it out.

A Tucson cyclist spends a month in Northern Europe and compared it to riding in Tucson. See what stood out.

Until the novelty wears off, I thought it would be fun to get predictions for the upcoming slate of NFL games from people with no particular football expertise, largely selected from the people on my Facebook chat window. Also, this serves as a helpful reminder that we have a Pro Football Pick'em game you can play, where the the nationwide best of the prognosticating best wins a trip to Hawaii.

Today, we're looking at tonight's game with the New Orleans Saints traveling to Green Bay to play the Packers in a matchup of the two most recent NFL champs. Our guest: local lawyer, afrobeat fan and incredibly nice guy, Rob Ferrier:

So the two teams that had the bad grace to disappoint the nation by being teams not named the Steelers to win Super Bowls face off for the opening tilt of 2011.

The nod in this game goes to the Pack. Winning at Lambeau Field is a tall order for any visiting team. Playing in Green Bay is simply a disorienting experience for professional athletes that don’t run track or play team tennis. Small town, small motel. A population that is a good deal, shall we say, less urban than your typical NFL player is used to. A long bus ride to the game. Add the fact that the stands will be packed with cheese-wearing lunatics still celebrating both the return of the Lombardi trophy to Titletown and Vat-Scraping Day at the Leinenkugel brewery. This is the best home field advantage in professional sports.

But even in New Orleans, the Saints would have trouble running with the Pack. With the subtraction of Reggie Bush, the Saints will be hard-pressed to find the speed to stretch the Pack’s defense. Without that threat, the Saints can’t run the ball. If they can’t run the ball, Drew Brees won’t get the five and seven step drops he needs to peer through, yes, through, the Packer defense to pass effectively. Please remember that Drew Brees is approximately three feet tall. He needs more than a static pocket. He needs his line to generate up-front push to establish passing lanes to give him the downfield vision to pass effectively. He’s unlikely to get it. The Pack might be the fastest defense in football. Speed kills.

That said, Drew Brees is the most underrated player in football. He’s a genuine leader. Everyone on offense and defense would kill and eat their young to give him a victory on opening day. Within the mildewy confines of the Superdome, the Saints would have a chance to rattle a young and at times shaky Packer offense. With the return of the ball-hawking defense of 2009, the Saints might get in the head of an Aaron Rogers who, at times, lives in there too much.

But this ain’t 2009. And this game ain’t in New Orleans.

The bottom line? New Orleans needs to force at least three turnovers to win this game. In the absence of that, they don’t have the horses to hang with the Pack. The Pack win by ten.

• Who wouldn't want a giant sticker of Peyton Hillis on their wall?

The NFL season kicks off on Thursday night and since following each week of pro football is essentially America's sporting religion, we'd thought we'd participate with our brand new, very exciting Pro Football Pick 'Em contest. You should probably read the rules for more information, but essentially, if you're very, very lucky, you could win a trip to Hawaii. If you're somewhat lucky, you could win a Fathead wall decal like the one above. At very least, you can compete against other people and feel like a winner for a bit. It's ridiculously easy to sign up if you use the Facebook Login option, I'll be participating (and likely doing quite poorly), so why not?

Officials in the city and bike community began discussing a tax on new bicycle purchases this week. Check out where the money would go and why bike advocates hope it will prevent people from saying cyclists don't pay their fair share.

• Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com
• Jay Rochlin uses his slow biking tips to climb up Mount Lemmon.

A Tucson mountain biker is named to the US World Championship team. Find out who it is and how she got there.

Over at Tucson Velo, we think riding your bike for transportation is a great way to save money, get fit and have fun. We told that to Arizona Illustrated. Check out the piece.

What do a Portland bicycle advocate and a world famous vegan chef have in common? I'm not sure either, but they are coming to Tucson on their Dinner and Bike Tour. Check it out.

Check out this Tucson Craigslist missed connection post about a motorists who almost hit a cyclist.