2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season
The Cardinals' Ring of Honor was started in 2006 to mark the opening of University of Phoenix Stadium. It honors former Cardinal greats from all eras of the franchise's history. Following is a list of inductees and the dates that they were inducted.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Cardinals opened the regular season at home against the San Francisco 49ers on September 10. This game was the inaugural regular season game played at University of Phoenix Stadium. In the first quarter, Niners QB Alex Smith and TE Vernon Davis scored the inaugural regular season TD in the new stadium as they connected on a 31-yard pass. The Cardinals responded, as QB Kurt Warner threw the first TD pass by a Cardinals player in the new stadium on a 2-yard strike to WR Troy Walters.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Newly acquired RB Edgerrin James provided the first rushing touchdown in their new stadium on a 1-yard strike. Afterwards, Warner threw another TD pass, this time to WR Anquan Boldin. In the second quarter, Niners RB Frank Gore helped San Francisco get closer as he ran on a 4-yard TD play. Kicker Neil Rackers helped improve the Cardinals' lead, as he kicked a 36-yard field goal. In the third quarter, both sides each got a touchdown. S.F. ’s Gore scored on a 2-yard run, while Arizona's Warner threw a 7-yard TD to TE Adam Bergen.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
In the fourth quarter, it was all field goals to end the game, as Niners kicker Joe Nedney kicked a 22-yard field goal. Then, Rackers helped Arizona on a 30-yard field goal. Even though Nedney kicked one more field goal for San Francisco (a 44-yarder), the Cardinals escaped with the win and a 1–0 start.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks
For Week 2, the Cardinals flew to the Northwest to take on the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. From the get-go, the Cardinals trailed, as the opposing RB Shaun Alexander to score a TD on a 2-yard run. Then, Arizona allowed opposing QB Matt Hasselbeck to complete a 49-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson. There wasn't any more scoring by either team for the remainder of the half. In the third quarter, the Cardinals finally got on the border with kicker Neil Rackers nailing a 43-yard field goal. However, Seattle managed to put the game away with FB Mack Strong's 3-yard TD run. The Cardinals got a TD, with QB Kurt Warner completing a 40-yard pass to WR Bryant Johnson, but the Seahawks were the better team and the Cardinals fell to 1–1.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams
The Cardinals returned home to face their third NFC West opponent, the St. Louis Rams. QB Kurt Warner drew first blood against his former team, as completed a 12-yard TD strike to WR Larry Fitzgerald for the only score of the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, it was all St. Louis. Kicker Jeff Wilkins got a 26-yard field goal, QB Marc Bulger completed a 9-yard pass to WR Torry Holt, and Wilkens got a 47-yard field goal as time ran out on the first half.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams
In the third quarter, Wilkens helped the Rams increase their lead with a 21-yard field, which was the only score of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, even a valiant effort for a comeback, the only score that Arizona could muster was a 6-yard TD run by RB Edgerrin James. After a Bulger fumble deep in St. Louis territory while trying to run out the clock set up the Cardinals for an easy chip shot field goal to win, Warner fumbled a snap and St. Louis recovered to seal the victory.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams
Adding to Warner's three interceptions, the Cardinals got their first loss in their new stadium as they fell to 1–2. A few days afterward, ESPN reported that rookie QB Matt Leinart would be starting the next game. However, the next day, Arizona's head coach announced that the club would be sticking with the veteran Warner.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
Hoping to recover from a two-game skid, the Cardinals flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 4 match-up with the Atlanta Falcons. From the get-go, the Cardinals trailed, as Falcons kicker Morten Andersen completed a 34-yard and a 40-yard field goal in the opening period. The Cardinals responded with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Neil Rackers. In the second quarter, Arizona continued to trail, as Koenan belted a 51-yard field goal for Atlanta.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
The Cardinals struck back with SS Adrian Wilson returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, but that was the only time that the Cardinals saw the lead, as Andersen got a 36-yard field goal to give the Falcons the lead at halftime. In the second half, the Cardinals got shot down and shut-out, as Atlanta scored 20 unanswered points (Andersen's 26-yard field goal, CB DeAngelo Hall's 37-yard interception return in the third quarter, rookie RB Jerious Norwood's 78-yard TD run and Andersen's 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter).


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
Not even QB Matt Leinart, who replaced QB Kurt Warner in the fourth quarter, could save Arizona from dropping their third straight game, as the Cardinals fell to 1–3. The game showed just how much the Cardinals had to improve their offensive line, as they were whipped for the whole game by the Falcons defensive line.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Cardinals hosted a close contest with the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was the first at the newly christened University of Phoenix Stadium, which signed its naming rights deal with the Cardinals two days after Arizona's last home game vs. St. Louis.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Cards started off hot as Matt Leinart, making his first NFL start, threw two touchdowns in the first quarter to his two top targets, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. The Chiefs responded early in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes, and a touchdown pass from quarterback Damon Huard to running back Larry Johnson. Cards kicker Neil Rackers added a 41-yard field at the end of the first half.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Another Rackers field goal, this time from 45 yards, accounted for the only score in the third quarter. The Chiefs then scored 13 unanswered points to win the game, with a touchdown pass from Huard to Samie Parker, and two field goals by Tynes (40, 19). Tynes' last field goal was set up by a 78-yard screen pass from Huard to Johnson. Johnson suffered a sprained neck at the end of the play on a violent face mask tackle by Cards' cornerback Antrel Rolle, who was fined $12,500 for the penalty.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
A last second 51-yard field goal attempt by Rackers to send the game to overtime failed, giving the Cards their fourth straight loss. During the game Larry Fitzgerald pulled a hamstring and missed 3 games, returning Week 10 against Dallas.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 6 vs Chicago Bears
The Cards lost their fifth straight game to the undefeated Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 6 vs Chicago Bears
The Cards came out smoking early as QB Matt Leinart for the second straight week threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, connecting with wide receivers Bryant Johnson and Anquan Boldin. Cards K Neil Rackers converted field goals of 41 and 28 yards respectively to give the Cards a seemingly insurmountable 20–0 halftime lead. The Cards held Bears QB Rex Grossman in check, forcing him into six turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles). Bears K Robbie Gould drilled a 23-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for the Bears only offensive points of the night.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 6 vs Chicago Bears
Cards K Rackers responded with a 29-yard field goal of his own to extend the lead to 23–3. The Bears went on to score 21 unanswered points on defense and special teams, two fumble recoveries by Mike Brown and Charles Tillman respectively, and an 82-yard punt return touchdown by rookie Devin Hester. Cards K Rackers was set up to win the game with a 40-yard field goal in the waning minutes, but the kick sailed wide left and they dropped to 1–5 on the season.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 6 vs Chicago Bears
The loss marked the first time in history that a team blew a 20-point lead to an opponent who did not score any offensive touchdowns. At the post-game press conference, coach Dennis Green erupted at reporters. "The Bears are who we thought they were! That’s why we took the damn field! Now, if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!" He then smacked the microphone before storming out of the room. The clip quickly became a highlight of sports shows and popular online. (An edited version of the clip is being used in current Coors Light advertisements). Chicago Bears QB Rex Grossman told Cardinals QB Matt Leinart after the game that Arizona deserved to have won that game.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 7: at Oakland Raiders
Hoping to end their horrendous five-game skid, the Cardinals traveled to McAfee Coliseum to face the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders came into the game at 0–5, the only winless team in the NFL. This was the Cardinals’ first game under new offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek, who replaced the fired Keith Rowen in the wake of Arizona's meltdown in the fourth quarter of the game against Chicago.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 7: at Oakland Raiders
Arizona had visited Oakland only once before. The Cardinals won 34–31 on an overtime field goal by Bill Gramatica on December 2, 2001. The Raiders won the last meeting with the Cardinals, 41–20 at Sun Devil Stadium on November 24, 2002.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 7: at Oakland Raiders
In the first quarter, the Cards string of bad luck continued to haunt them, as Raiders RB ReShard Lee got a 1-yard TD run, while QB Andrew Walter threw a 32-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss. In the second quarter, both teams swapped field goals. Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 31-yard field goal, while Arizona kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 29-yard try. In the third quarter, the Raiders continued to pour on the points, as Janikowski got a 35-yard field goal, while Defensive Tackle Terdell Sands tackles Cardinals RB Marcel Shipp at the goal line for a safety. The only response Arizona could bring up was Rackers kicking a 45-yard field goal. He kicked one more in the fourth quarter (38-yarder), but that was all that the Cardinals produced as they dropped their sixth straight game.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 8: at Green Bay Packers
The Cards visit Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin to take on the Packers. Arizona had not visited Lambeau Field since a 49–24 loss in the final game of the 1999 season on January 2, 2000. The Cardinals defeated the Packers 20–13 in the last meeting between the teams on September 21, 2003 at Sun Devil Stadium. Their 2003 victory stayed as a memory, as the Cardinals dropped their seventh straight game, heading into their bye week at 1–7.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 8: at Green Bay Packers
In the wake of this loss, concern for the remainder of the once-promising season was so strong, DE Bertrand Berry led a players-only meeting at the Cardinals HQ in Tempe on November 7. Some days earlier, Berry openly questioned his teammates' commitment to success during an interview on a local radio program.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Coming off their Bye Week, the Cardinals went home for a Week 10 fight with the Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Arizona trailed early as kicker Mike Vanderjagt nailed a 28-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Cardinals' year-long struggles continued as QB Tony Romo completed a 30-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton. The Cards responded with a 28-yard field goal by kicker Neil Rackers. Afterwards, Vanderjagt gave the Cowboys some breathing room with a 38-yard field goal as time ran out on the half.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys
In the third quarter, things continued to get worse for Arizona as Romo completed a 51-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Dallas wrapped up the game with RB Marion Barber's 5-yard TD run. The Cardinals got a touchdown as QB Matt Leinart got a 3-yard TD run. However, the Cards dropped their eighth straight game and fell to 1–8.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions
Trying to end their eight-game skid, the Cardinals stayed at home for a Week 11 fight with the Detroit Lions. After a scoreless first quarter, the Cards struck first in the second quarter with QB Matt Leinart completing a 2-yard TD pass to WR Bryant Johnson. Afterwards, kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 36-yard field goal for Arizona. In the third quarter, Leinart scored on a 9-yard run to give the Cardinals a 17–0 lead. However, the Lions started to creep back into the game. It started with kicker Jason Hanson's 32-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Detroit started to threaten Arizona's lead as RB Arlen Harris got a 1-yard TD run. The Cardinals' defense held up for the win. Not only did the Cardinals improve to 2–8, but they also snapped their eight-game losing streak.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 12: at Minnesota Vikings
Coming off of their home win over the Lions, the Cardinals flew to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 12 fight with the Minnesota Vikings. This game was noted for the return of head coach Green to Minnesota where he coached from 1992 to 2001. On the very first play of the first quarter, RB J.J. Arrington returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings responded with RB Chester Taylor's 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Cards kicker Neil Rackers gave Arizona a 21-yard and a 50-yard field goal for a decent lead.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 12: at Minnesota Vikings
However, the Vikes took the lead with QB Brad Johnson's 17-yard TD pass to WR Marcus Robinson. In the third quarter, more of the Cardinals' year-long ineffectiveness showed as Johnson completed a 9-yard TD pass to WR Billy McMullen, while kicker Ryan Longwell nailed a 40-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Minnesota improved its lead on Johnson's 3-yard TD pass to FB Jeff Dugan. Afterwards, Arizona tried to fight back as Strong Safety Adrian Wilson returned a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown, yet it was followed up by a failed two-point conversion. Afterwards, QB Matt Leinart completed a 9-yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin. Afterwards, the Vikings wrapped up the game and won. With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 2–9.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 13: at St. Louis Rams
The Cards visited the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis (the team's former home) to take on the Rams. The Cardinals won by a score of 34–20. QB Matt Leinart was 15-for-24 for 186 yards and one touchdown; RB Edgerrin James' had his 50th career 100-yard rushing game, and RB Marcel Shipp scored three touchdowns. The Cardinals moved up to 3–9 and they finally managed to acquire their very first road win of the season.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Coming of their road win over the Rams, the Cardinals went home for an NFC West rematch with the Seattle Seahawks. In the first quarter, the Cards drew first blood with QB Matt Leinart completing a 56-yard TD pass to WR Bryant Johnson, while RB Edgerrin James (who ran for 115 yards on the day) got a 7-yard TD run. The Seahawks responded with QB Matt Hasselbeck's 23-yard TD pass to WR D.J. Hackett.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks
In the second quarter, the Big Red increased its lead with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 32-yard field goal, yet Seattle responded with Hasselbeck's 5-yard TD pass to WR Nate Burleson. In the third quarter, Arizona temporarily lost the lead as Hasselbeck completed a 2-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Arizona reclaimed the lead and won with Leinart's 5-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald and Rackers' 40-yard field goal. With the upset win, the Cardinals improved to 4–9.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
Trying to snap a four-game losing skid, the Broncos flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium for a Week 15 interconference fight with the Arizona Cardinals. The last time these two teams met each other, Denver won 37–7 at Invesco Field at Mile High on December 29, 2002. This time, it was a battle of rookie quarterbacks as Matt Leinart went up against Jay Cutler.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
In the first quarter, the Cardinals trailed early as Cutler completed a 54-yard TD pass to WR Javon Walker and kicker Jason Elam nailed a 30-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Arizona trailed even further with Elam's 22-yard field goal. The Cardinals scored as kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 49-yard field goal and DE Antonio Smith returned a fumble 4 yards for a touchdown. However, Denver managed to get one last field goal before halftime as Elam kicked a 30-yard field goal.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
In the third quarter, more struggles continued as Cutler completed a 10-yard TD pass to WR Rod Smith. Arizona responded with Rackers' 38-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos continued their pounding on the Cards with RB Mike Bell's 1-yard TD run. Even though the Cardinals got a 4-yard TD run by RB Edgerrin James, Denver wrapped up Cutler's first NFL win with another 1-yard TD run by Mike Bell. With the loss, Arizona fell to 4–10.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 16: at San Francisco 49ers
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Broncos, the Cardinals flew to Monster Park for an NFC West rematch with the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter, the 49ers struck first with kicker Joe Nedney nailing a 49-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Cards took the lead with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 25-yard field goal and RB Marcel Shipp getting a 5-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Arizona increased its lead with rookie QB Matt Leinart completing a 6-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald, while Rackers kicked a 39-yard field goal.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 16: at San Francisco 49ers
Afterwards, San Francisco responded with Nedney kicking a 32-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the 49ers started to retaliate with RB Frank Gore getting a 2-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Cards increased its lead with Rackers kicking a 37-yard and a 32-yard field goal. Even though the Niners got another score as Gore managed to get a 1-yard TD run, Arizona held on to sweep San Francisco. With the win, the Cardinals improved to 5–10.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 17: at San Diego Chargers
Trying to end their lackluster season on a high note, the Cardinals played their last game of the year at Qualcomm Stadium against the playoff-bound San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, Arizona struck first with RB Edgerrin James getting an 8-yard TD run, yet the Chargers managed to get a 47-yard field goal from kicker Nate Kaeding. In the second quarter, the Cards' year-long ineffectiveness continued to show as QB Philip Rivers completed a 33-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates and a 14-yard TD pass to WR Vincent Jackson.


2006 Arizona Cardinals season, Regular season, Week 17: at San Diego Chargers
In the third quarter, San Diego wrapped up the game with LB Tim Dobbins recovering a fumble the Cardinals' endzone for a touchdown, while Kaeding kicked a 35-yard field goal. Afterwards, Arizona tried to make a comeback and it started with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 28-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Cards continued with their attempt at a comeback as QB Kurt Warner completed a 9-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald and a 20-yard field goal by Rackers. However, their comeback fell short. With the loss, the Cardinals ended their season at 5–11.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The 2006 Arizona Diamondbacks looked to improve on their 77-85 record from 2005. They looked to contend in what was once again a weak National League West Division. They finished the season with a record of 76-86, a fourth place tie with the Colorado Rockies in the division.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Offseason
During the 2005 off-season, the Diamondbacks made several key moves to bolster a disappointing pitching staff and improve the team defensively. Highly regarded pitching coach Bryan Price (who was already a resident of nearby Scottsdale) was hired not long after he resigned from the Seattle Mariners after 19 years with that organization, the last six as pitching coach; he served with Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin when he was manager at Seattle in 2003 and 2004.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Offseason
Key player acquisitions included catcher Johnny Estrada; right-handed pitchers Orlando "El Duque" Hernández and Luis Vizcaíno; outfielder Chris Young; second baseman Orlando Hudson(a Gold Glove Award recipient in 2005 with the Toronto Blue Jays), for whom Troy Glaus was traded; right-handed pitcher Miguel Batista (previously a member of the Diamondbacks from 2001–2003, including the 2001 World Series team); free-agent outfielder Eric Byrnes and veteran free agent pitcher Terry Mulholland (who would go on to spend two separate stints on the disabled list and get released in late June).


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Offseason
On December 8, 2005, future all-star Dan Uggla was drafted by the Florida Marlins from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 minor league draft. In January, the Diamondbacks signed highly touted 18-year-old shortstop Justin Upton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, to a $6.1 million contract that included a trip to Spring training as a non-roster invitee. Upton began the regular season at Class A South Bend.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Offseason
The D-Backs posted a respectable 18-14 record for the 2006 Cactus League spring training campaign.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, April–May
On April 18, LF Luis Gonzalez hit his 500th career double to become just the 21st player in Major League Baseball history to hit 300 home runs and 500 doubles; on May 13 he passed Babe Ruth for 38th place all-time for the most doubles hit in league history. "Gonzo", as he is called by his fans, became the number one fan favorite in Phoenix in the years since hitting the winning RBI in the 2001 World Series (which capped his 57 regular season HR's, still a team record).


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, April–May
Frustrated by not having a set spot in the rotation, Hernandez was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for reliever Jorge Julio on May 24. While on the Diamondbacks he posted a 2-4 record with a 6.11 ERA.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, April–May
The team was in first place through the month of May, and they started the month of June with a 4-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field – then posted an astonishingly terrible 4 wins and 20 losses the rest of the month. The GrimsleyGate scandal (see below) may have been one factor in the "June swoon".


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
Based on several media reports that appeared on June 7, reliever Jason Grimsley admitted to taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs, specifically human growth hormone, as part of the IRS probe of BALCO, best known for similar allegations concerning San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds. IRS agents apparently made an extensive search of Grimsley's Scottsdale, Arizona residence seeking evidence.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
Grimsley and team officials declined comment before the June 6 home game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. Grimsley was released from the Diamondbacks on June 7 on his request, and his locker cleaned out.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
It was later announced by Grimsley's agent, Joe Bick, that Grimsley decided to retire from the game of baseball, and that it was his understanding that the remainder of his $825,000 salary would be paid.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
During the Diamondbacks home game on June 10, managing general partner Ken Kendrick told reporters that the Diamondbacks had no intention of paying Grimsley his salary and that the club would file termination papers on Grimsley with MLB on June 12 to that effect; this prompted Bick to announce that he would be filing a grievance on Grimsley's behalf with the Major League Baseball Players Association.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
On June 12, the Commissioner's office announced that it would suspend Grimsley for 50 games for violating baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, effective if Grimsley chooses to come out of retirement. Michael Weiner, general counsel to the MLBPA, stated that the union would file a grievance on his behalf.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, Jason Grimsley scandal
Grimsley and the Diamondbacks reached a final settlement on the salary payout in August. Grimsley requested that the remainder of the salary funds be donated to charities designated by Grimsley.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
It appeared that the controversy surrounding Grimsley, popular and well liked with the other team members, possibly affected the team play of the Diamondbacks, leading to a "June Swoon." The Diamondbacks returned from a 10-game East Coast road trip in which they won 7 and lost 3 (including the above-mentioned 4-game sweep of the Braves) and found themselves 2½ games in front of the Los Angeles Dodgers by June 5. However, the team entered a freefall immediately following the Grimsley scandal, starting with a lengthy homestand in which they did not won a single contest until their June 13 home win against the Giants. The final Diamondbacks record in June was 4 wins and 20 losses.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
Reliever José Valverde, the closer coming out of spring training (he was also in that role at the end of the 2005 season), was effective in April and most of May getting 12 saves and keeping the opposition to four runs in his first 16 appearances; in late May and June Valverde faltered to the point where his closer's job was given to newly acquired Jorge Julio; Valverde struggled for much of June, allowing 15 runs in nine appearances, and his ERA was 7.12 as of June 29. He was optioned to the Diamondbacks' AAA affiliate, the Tucson Sidewinders, on July 3. The bullpen in general, while showing brilliance early on, struggled somewhat as a whole in June, although Julio ended the month with his seventh save in eight chances.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
Luis Gonzalez struggled somewhat offensively before the All Star break; it wasn't until June 27 against the Seattle Mariners that "Gonzo" hit his first home run since April 20.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
According to reports on Diamondbacks flagship radio station KTAR and in the Arizona Republic, RHP Russ Ortiz, who had a highly disappointing tenure with the D-Backs after signing a $33 million contract during the 2004 offseason, was designated for assignment (DFA) on June 13. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles on June 25.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
(Ortiz struggled with the Orioles during the remainder of the 2006 season, losing his role as a starter with that organization, but after regaining his form somewhat in winter ball in Puerto Rico, Ortiz was signed by the San Francisco Giants in January 2007 and after a good spring training campaign, was eventually named the Giants' fifth starter for the 2007 season. Ortiz has slightly more than $22 million left on his contract which the Diamondback organization is paying as of the 2007 season.)


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
Ortiz, previously with the Giants and Braves, was 0-5 with a 7.54 ERA in six starts for the Diamondbacks in 2006, and was 5-11 with a 6.89 ERA in 2005.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
As the second half of the season approached, fans writing on various Diamondback fan blogs expressed opinions ranging from frustration with the players and coaching staff (especially Melvin, who is seen by many fans as having too casual and relaxed of an attitude to properly motivate the players) for what they see as the squandering of a potential NL West Championship season, to frustration with fellow fans for not being patient and allowing a highly talented current core of younger players, including Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin, Micah Owings and Scott Hairston, to develop in the minor league farm system and contribute to the D-Backs success in later years (and possibly as soon as this season).


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
On July 9, the Diamondbacks announced an agreement with manager Melvin on a two-year contract extension with an option for the 2009 season.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
On July 15, shortstop Stephen Drew was called up from the Sidewinders to replace Craig Counsell, who broke a rib during an at-bat on July 14. Drew got his first major league hit on July 17 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, for which his brother J. D. Drew plays. Both Drew's parents were in attendance.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
On July 20, the Diamondbacks promoted highly touted outfielder Carlos Quentin from Tucson. Quentin was Arizona's second pick in the first round of the 2003 draft. He played college baseball for Stanford University, where he was an outstanding hitter and helped lead Stanford to two College World Series appearances. Quentin was hitting .289 with 30 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 52 RBIs in 85 games for the Sidewinders. To make room for Quentin, the Diamondbacks optioned right-handed pitcher Edgar Gonzalez to Tucson. After grounding out in his first two at-bats, Quentin hit a two-run home run off Hendrickson in the sixth inning. He went 1-for-4 in the D-Backs' 5-2 win over the Dodgers.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
That day, manager Bob Melvin told veteran OF Luis Gonzalez he was going to start Quentin in left field to give Gonzalez a night off against a tough left-handed pitcher (Mark Hendrickson of the Los Angeles Dodgers).


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
Gonzalez reportedly interpreted his benching in a negative manner; he took it as a sign the organization may be ready to part company with him at year's end. There has been speculation the club will not pick up its $10 million option on Gonzalez for 2007. "Gonzo", long a fan favorite for the D-Backs, was vocal to the media about his displeasure with the decision, angering many fans.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, June–July
Gonzalez would later distance himself from those comments and slightly improve his batting average, and continued to move up the all time doubles list. On July 29 he obtained his 1,300th career RBI with a third-inning single against pitcher Brandon Backe of the Houston Astros.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
On August 7, the D-Backs acquired RHP Liván Hernández from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor league pitching prospects Garrett Mock and Matt Chico. Hernandez was 9-8 this season as of August 7, with a 5.34 ERA in 24 starts.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
The Diamondbacks flirted with trading for a pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline but made no moves at that time; after All-Star Brandon Webb (the ace of the Diamondback pitching staff and widely considered a candidate for the NL Cy Young Award) missed his scheduled August 5 start against Houston with a sore elbow, it became more urgent to add a starter to the rotation.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Hernandez finished the 2006 campaign with a final record of 13-13, with an ERA of 4.83, 128 strikeouts and 78 walks surrendered.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Veteran outfielder Shawn Green was traded from the Diamondbacks to the New York Mets for Evan MacLane on August 22. The D-Backs sent the 33-year-old Green and slightly more than $6.3 million to the Mets for AAA LHP pitching prospect Evan MacLane. Green is owed about $13.25 million for the remainder of his contract. Carlos Quentin became the everyday starting right fielder as a result of Green's departure.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
On September 14, it was announced that the Diamondbacks would not pick up the 2007 option on Luis Gonzalez's contract, meaning that he would not be back with the club in 2007. This was disclosed to Gonzalez in a meeting with general manager Josh Byrnes and general partner Jeff Moorad, who served as Gonzalez's agent before becoming part of the Diamondbacks ownership group (Moorad actually negotiated Gonzalez's current contract with then-managing general partner and franchise founder Jerry Colangelo). The executives left open the possibility of Gonzalez returning to the franchise after his retirement, as a coach, broadcaster, or front office executive.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Gonzalez played his final game as a Diamondback on the final day of the season (October 1). He was greeted with standing ovations from the fans, many of whom disapproved of Gonzo's not being part of the future plans of the ballclub (paid attendance was 48,946, the largest regular-season crowd in franchise history). Colangelo and founding GM Joe Garagiola, Jr., who made the trade to bring Gonzalez to the Diamondbacks in 1998, were in attendance.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Gonzalez ended his Arizona Diamondbacks career with 547 total career doubles, good for 20th place on the all-time MLB career list. He leaves the Diamondbacks as the franchise leader in home runs (224) and RBIs (774).


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Infielder Craig Counsell was also honored, as he was seen as not returning to the team for 2007 due to the emergence of Stephen Drew and the Baby Backs.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
Despite strong late-season performances from José Valverde, who returned to the closer role in early September as a much improved relief pitcher, finishing the season with 18 saves, as well as other called-up Baby Backs including CF Chris Young and infielder Alberto Callaspo, the Diamondbacks lost 18 games in the month of August, including being swept in three games at San Francisco. They were at that point, for all intents and purposes, knocked out of the NL West pennant race and the NL Wild Card race.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Regular season, August–September
On September 24, the Diamondbacks were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention with a 5-1 loss at Los Angeles. The final game of the 2006 season was a 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres at Chase Field (which gave the Padres the 2006 NL West Division championship) and featured a rare poor performance by ace starting pitcher Brandon Webb. The Diamondbacks finished the year with 76 wins and 86 losses for a .469 winning percentage. They tied for 4th place in the NL West with the Colorado Rockies, 12 games behind the Padres.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Awards
2B Orlando Hudson became the recipient of his second career Gold Glove Award, as announced on November 3. Hudson became only the sixth infielder in major league history to win a Gold Glove award in both the American and National Leagues. He first received the award after the 2005 season as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and was traded to the Diamondbacks later that offseason.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Awards
RHP Brandon Webb, a product of the Diamondback farm system, became the ace starting pitcher of the club for 2006 after signing a four-year contract extension. Webb pitched effectively most of the season, beginning by winning his first eight starts, becoming the D-Backs sole representative to the 2006 All-Star Game (in which he pitched a perfect fourth inning), and ending up with a record of 16-8 and an ERA of 3.10.


2006 Arizona Diamondbacks season, Awards
On November 14, it was announced that Webb was the recipient of the Cy Young Award for the National League. Webb received 15 of 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Trevor Hoffman of the Padres and Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals (the eventual 2006 World Series winners) were runners-up in the voting.


2006 Arizona Proposition 107
Arizona Proposition 107 was a proposed same-sex marriage ban, put before voters by ballot initiative in the 2006 general election. If passed, it would have prohibited the state of Arizona from recognizing same-sex marriages or civil unions. The state already had a statute defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman and prohibiting the recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.


2006 Arizona Proposition 107
This proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution failed, with 48.2% voting in favor and 51.8% opposed, making Arizona the first U.S. state to defeat a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Several states approved similar measures between 1998 and 2006.


2006 Arizona Proposition 107
The proposition was backed by the Protect Marriage Arizona coalition, which included the Center for Arizona Policy and United Families Arizona. The proposition was primarily opposed by the Arizona Together coalition, which included the Arizona Human Rights Fund and the Human Rights Campaign.


2006 Arizona Proposition 107
Voters approved a more limited constitutional amendment which banned same-sex marriage but not state-recognized civil unions or domestic partnerships, 2008 Arizona Proposition 102, in 2008 with 56% of the vote.


2006 Arizona Proposition 107, Official title and text
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Arizona; amending the Constitution of Arizona; by adding Article XXX; relating to the protection of marriage


2006 Arizona Proposition 107, Official title and text
To preserve and protect marriage in this state, only a union between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage by this state or its political subdivisions and no legal status for unmarried persons shall be created or recognized by this state or its political subdivisions that is similar to that of marriage.


2006 Arizona Proposition 204
Proposition 204 of 2006, or the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act, was a law enacted by the voters of Arizona by means of the initiative process. It requires that pigs and calves used for veal on factory farms be given enough room to turn around and fully extend their limbs. The Act was approved in a vote held as part of the 2006 Arizona state elections, held on November 7. It passed with over 62% support.


2006 Arizona Proposition 204, Provisions
The Act amended the Arizona Revised Statutes by adding a new provision, Section 13-2910.07 of the Criminal Code. This states that:


2006 Arizona Proposition 204, Campaign
Proposition 204 was sponsored by Arizonans for Humane Farms, a coalition of animal welfare organizations, including the Arizona Humane Society, the Humane Society of the United States, the Farm Sanctuary, and the Animal Defense League of Arizona. It was opposed by the Campaign for Arizona Farmers and Ranchers with funding from agribusiness proponents such as the American Veal Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the AZ Cattle Feeders Association, AZ Pork Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, AZ Farm Bureau Federation, AZ Cattleman's Association, and the United Dairymen of Arizona.


2006 Arizona Proposition 204, Campaign
The chairperson of the Yes on Proposition 204 campaign was Cheryl Naumann, president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society. Another spokesperson was Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and the campaign was also endorsed by the radio celebrity Paul Harvey. More than 200,000 Arizonans signed petitions to place the measure on the ballot. More than 100 Arizona veterinarians endorsed Proposition 204. It was also endorsed by the Arizona Republic  the Arizona Daily Star, the East Valley Tribune  the Scottsdale Tribune, the Northwest Explorer, and the Tucson Weekly.


2006 Arizona Proposition 204, Campaign
The opposition to Proposition 204 argued that the primary organizers of the initiative were anti-meat groups, and that a similar measure passed in 2002 in Florida had led to the bankruptcy of a farm in that state. However, the Florida Farm Bureau explicitly denied the claim that any farms went out of business as a result of the 2002 ballot measure in that state. In an article published the week after the 2002 election, a spokesman for the Bureau stated that "It's because of low prices, not the amendment". However, in an article the following month in the St. Petersburg Times, one of the two Florida hog farmers covered under Proposition 204 stated that he had slaughtered all of his sows because of the expense of complying with it.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207
Arizona Proposition 207, a 2006 ballot initiative officially titled the "Private Property Rights Protection Act", requires the government to reimburse land owners when regulations result in a decrease in the property's value, and also prevents government from exercising eminent domain on behalf of a private party. It was approved by a 64.8% margin. The land use portion of this proposition is similar to Oregon's 2004 Ballot Measure 37,and the eminent domain portion is similar to initiatives advanced in numerous states following the 2005 US Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, The Private Property Rights Protection Act
Proposition 207, which was officially titled the “Private Property Rights Protection Act,” has been codified at Ariz. Rev. Stat. section 12-1134. The  Act provides that “[i]f the existing rights to use, divide, sell or possess private real property are reduced by...any land use law enacted after the date the property is transferred to the owner and such action reduces the fair market value of the property the owner is entitled to just compensation[. ]


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, The Private Property Rights Protection Act
” Landowners are entitled to compensation only if the challenged regulation continues to apply to their property 90 days after filing a claim, allowing the government to grant waivers in lieu of compensation. The Act specifically declares that waivers run with the land and are not personal to the owners that first obtain them.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, The Private Property Rights Protection Act
The Act exempts the following categories of regulation from the compensation/waiver requirement: (1) laws intended to protect the public health and safety (e.g. building codes, health and sanitation laws, transportation and traffic control, solid and hazardous waste regulations, and pollution controls); (2) law that “[l]imit or prohibit the use or division of real property commonly and historically recognized as a public nuisance under common law”; (3) regulations required under federal law; (4) regulations of adult businesses, housing for sex offenders, liquor, and other undesirable uses; (5) laws necessary to establish locations for utility facilities; (6) laws that “[d]o not directly regulate an owner’s land”; and (7) laws enacted before Proposition 207.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, The Private Property Rights Protection Act
Although opponents to Proposition 207 argued that the law would result in many lawsuits, few have been brought.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, Supporters
The campaign for Proposition 207 was funded almost entirely from outside the state of Arizona, through groups run by New York libertarian and real estate developer Howie Rich.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, Supporters
Advocates of Proposition 207 said it prevents the government from taking private property for third-party private development merely to increase tax revenue, and ensures just compensation for property owners in public use takings and when governmental regulation devalues property.


2006 Arizona Proposition 207, Opponents
Opponents to Proposition 207 said the measure would limit the ability of the state, counties, cities and towns to implement land use regulations that might have the impact of reducing property values. Large landowners and corporations could demand huge payouts from state and local taxpayers just by claiming a law has harmed the value of their property or business, no matter how important the law may be or how far-fetched the claim.


2006 Arizona State Legislature election
Elections to the 48th Arizona Legislature were held on November 7, 2006. Primary elections to determine political party nominees were held on September 12, 2006. The two candidates with the highest vote count in each primary advanced to the November election.


2006 Arizona State Legislature election
The Legislature is composed of 30 legislative districts, each electing two Representatives (to the Arizona House of Representatives) and one Senator (to the Arizona Senate). No person may serve more than four consecutive terms in either body. Members of the Republican Party currently hold a majority of seats in both the House and Senate.


2006 Arizona State Legislature election, Analysis
Five incumbents—three Democrats and two Republicans— retired and didn't seek another elective office. Eleven State House members ran for the State Senate, and one State Senator ran for a seat in the State House; switching between chambers, especially when a term limit has been reached in one chamber, is a common occurrence in the Arizona Legislature. Two members of the State Legislature sought statewide offices, and one sought election to the United States House of Representatives.


2006 Arizona State Legislature election, Analysis
There were 14 races in which an incumbent Senator or both the incumbent Representatives are sought reelection and faced a primary challenge for the nomination(s) of their respective parties. Out of the 90 state legislative races, there are only six in which there are candidates ran without opposition.


2006 Arizona State Legislature election, Analysis
The Republican Party needed to pick up one seat in the State House and two in the State Senate and lose none of their own in either chamber to gain a legislature that could override a Governor's veto. The Democratic Party needed to pick up nine seats in the State House without losing any of their own to form a House majority, and pick up three in the State Senate without losing any of their own to form a Senate majority.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's coach was Dirk Koetter who was fired after the season. It played its home games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Northern Arizona
Rudy Carpenter threw for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception as The Sun Devils needed a strong fourth quarter to beat I-AA Northern Arizona at home.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Nevada
ASU had 575 total yards, as Rudy Carpenter threw for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns (to 5 different receivers) and an interception and the Sun Devils rolled over the Wolf Pack. RB Ryan Torain led ASU with 70 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Colorado
ASU had 440 total yards, as Rudy Carpenter threw for 248 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions and the Sun Devils defeated the Buffaloes. ASU RBs Keegan Herring and Ryan Torain combined for 162 yards and 1 touchdown on 27 carries. The ASU defense held Colorado QB Bernard Jackson to 86 passing yards.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, California
Ryan Torain rushed for 185 yards and 1 touchdown, but Rudy Carpenter threw 4 INTs as the Sun Devils struggled all afternoon against the Golden Bears. The ASU defense, who had only given up 38 points all year, gave up 396 yards on defense.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Ryan Torain rushed for 113 yards, but Rudy Carpenter completed only 6 passes for 33 yards as the Sun Devils never led against the Ducks. The Sun Devil offense only went 1-13 on 3rd down conversions, and could only muster 213 total yards. The ASU defense coughed up 584 yards, a season high.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, USC
The ASU defense caused 4 USC turnovers, but they could only manage 266 total yards as the Sun Devils lost a close one to USC, 28-21. Rudy Carpenter went 12-21 with 124 yards. Ryan Torain collected 96 total yards and a touchdown.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Stanford
Homecoming weekend proved to be nice to the Devils, who punished a struggling Stanford squad, 38-3. Rudy Carpenter went 14-15 with 160 yards and a touchdown. Keegan Herring rushed for 2 touchdowns. The Cardinal offense was held to only 190 yards.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Washington
Homecoming weekend in Seattle was ruined by a walk-off Carpenter to Brent Miller touchdown pass in Overtime.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Colt Brennan broke the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes with 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Ryan Grice-Mullen on the Warriors' second series of the second half to break the previous mark of 54 set by Houston's David Klingler in 1990, also against the Sun Devils.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Brennan tied the record with his 54th touchdown pass on the previous series, throwing a 38-yard scoring pass to Jason Rivers.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Brennan and Rivers, selected the co-MVPs for Hawaii, also teamed on the final touchdown pass, a 79-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Rivers finished the game with 308 yards on 14 catches, the most in a college bowl game since 1937, which is as far as the record books go back.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Brennan also set the WAC single-season record for most passing yards (5,549), which was previously held by BYU's Ty Detmer in 1990.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
The Warrior offense racked up a season high 680 total yards, while the defense held Arizona State to 391 yards, sacked Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter four times, and forced two fumbles, one in the red zone halting an ASU drive, and another which led to a field goal.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Brennan finished the season with 5,549 yards to become just the third quarterback in college history with 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a season, joining Klingler and Texas Tech's B.J. Symons.


2006 Arizona State Sun Devils football team, Game summaries, Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii (11-3) matched the school mark for most wins in a season, set in 1992 when the team went 11-2. The Sun Devils (7-6) concluded their disappointing season, unable to send coach Dirk Koetter out with a win. He coached his final game after being fired the previous month. Dennis Erickson has been hired to take over the team.


2006 Arizona Sting season
The Arizona Sting were a lacrosse team based in Phoenix, Arizona playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2006 season was the 6th in franchise history and 3rd in Arizona.


2006 Arizona Sting season
After making it to the Championship game in 2005, the Sting had a disappointing 8-8 season in 2006. The Sting upset the division-winning Portland LumberJax 14-10 in the Western Division semifinals, but the eventual champion Colorado Mammoth defeated the Sting 13-12 in Colorado in the Division finals.


2006 Arizona Sting season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2006 Arizona Sting season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2006 Arizona Sting season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2006 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 2006 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were coached by Mike Stoops.


2006 Arizona Wildcats softball team
The 2006 Arizona Wildcats softball team represented the University of Arizona in the 2006 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wildcats were coached by Mike Candrea, who led his twenty-first season. The Wildcats finished with a record of 54–11. They played their home games at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium and competed in the Pacific-10 Conference, where they finished second with a 15–6 record.


2006 Arizona Wildcats softball team
The Wildcats were invited to the 2006 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament, where they won the Regional and Super Regional and then completed a run through the Women's College World Series to claim their seventh NCAA Women's College World Series Championship.


2006 Arizona elections
The Arizona state elections of 2006 were held on November 7, 2006. All election results are from the Arizona Secretary of State's office.


2006 Arizona elections
The deadline for signing petition signatures to appear on the primary ballot for all races was June 14, 2006.


2006 Arizona elections
This article does not yet include complete information about the state propositions placed on the ballot, but major propositions for Arizona in 2006 included:


2006 Arizona elections, State
Races for Governor of Arizona, Attorney General of Arizona, Secretary of State of Arizona, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Mine Inspector, and two seats on the five-member Corporation Commission will be decided. All races except for the State Mine Inspector, State Treasurer, and one seat on the Corporation Commission feature incumbents running for re-election.


2006 Arizona elections, State, Secretary of State
Republican incumbent Jan Brewer, the former chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, ran for a second four-year term, after winning her first term in 2002. She was challenged by Democrat Israel Torres, the former Arizona Registrar of Contractors and a businessman and attorney, and Libertarian Ernest Hancock, a talk radio producer, real estate agent, and restaurant owner.


2006 Arizona elections, State, Corporation Commissioner
Two seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission are up for re-election.


2006 Arizona elections, State, Legislative Department
All 60 seats in the Arizona House of Representatives and all 30 seats in the Arizona Senate will be up for election. There are five incumbents not seeking re-election to the seats they currently hold, and eight races in which there is only one candidate for election.


2006 Arizona elections, State, Judicial Department
When a vacancy occurs on the bench, a Judicial Nominating Committee approves the names of at least three applicants for nomination, from which the Governor appoints one to the position. After appointment, all Judges and Justices are subject to judicial election retentions, statewide for Justices and in their separate districts for Judges. Supreme Court Justices serve a six-year term; all other state Judges serve four-year terms. There is a mandatory retirement age of 65 for all judicial offices.


2006 Arizona gubernatorial election
The 2006 Arizona gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano was reelected in a landslide. Napolitano's widespread popularity contributed to her easy reelection; her general approval rating in October 2006, one month before the election, was at 58%. As of 2021, this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Arizona.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election
The 2006 Arizona 8th congressional district election was an election for the United States House of Representatives for the open seat of incumbent Republican Jim Kolbe, who was not running for re-election. The primary was held on September 12, 2006, and the two major party winners were Republican Randy Graf, a former state Representative who challenged Kolbe for the GOP nomination in 2004, and former State Senator Gabby Giffords. Libertarian Dave Nolan, who was uncontested in the primary, was also in the November 7, 2006 general election.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election
Graf was considered too conservative for the district: Kolbe withheld his endorsement, and towards the end of the election the National GOP pulled their support. By election time, most non-partisan analyses considered this race the most likely district to switch hands, which it did, as Giffords won a decisive victory, 54% to 42%.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Republican campaign
Incumbent Republican Jim Kolbe announced on November 23, 2005, that he would not seek re-election in 2006. The district, located in Southeastern Arizona and based in the suburbs of Tucson, was Republican-leaning, but competitive: George W. Bush had won the district with 53% of the vote in 2004 (although only 50% in 2000). Kolbe had barely won the seat in 1984, but had usually skated to reelection since then. Even after coming out as gay in 1996, he remained very popular in the district, taking 61% of the vote in 2004. Although Kolbe was generally thought to be all but unbeatable in the district, it was widely believed that it would be very competitive once Kolbe retired.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Republican campaign
Randy Graf, the primary winner, left a leadership position in the state House in 2004 to challenge Kolbe in the Republican primary. Graf had won 40 percent of the vote and had campaigned almost full-time since. A supporter of the Minuteman Project, Graf campaigned on a pledge to ensure that illegal immigrants had no path to citizenship and that the border would be further secured. Graf previously sponsored a bill (which did not pass) to allow patrons carry guns into bars and restaurants.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Republican campaign
The GOP establishment, however, considered Graf as too conservative for a district that leaned Republican but gave President Bush only 53 percent of the votes in 2004, and tried to rally voters around state representative Steve Huffman. However, another more moderate candidate, former Arizona Republican Party chairman Mike Hellon, also gained significant support, which split anti-Graf support and prevented Huffman from consolidating the moderate lane.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Republican campaign
Huffman got a boost when the national GOP took the rare step of endorsing and supporting Huffman, putting $250,000 into the race. The other GOP candidates criticized the move as unfair. In the meantime, the national Democratic party jumped in and spent nearly $200,000, a large part of that for advertisements critical of Huffman in an effort to help Graf's candidacy.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Republican campaign
Huffman's campaign was injured when, according to CQPolitics: "there were allegations that his (Huffman's) campaign treasurer, local real estate broker William Arnold, had stalked Hellon’s ex-wife, state Sen. Toni Hellon". Arnold quit as treasurer after Hellon obtained a restraining order against him, and Huffman’s campaign said it had no involvement in Arnold’s actions." The scandal expanded when it was revealed that unauthorised photos of Toni Hellon had been posted to a website owned by the same individual who had designed Huffman's campaign website. As a result of the incident, the Tucson Weekly withdrew its support for Huffman.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, Primary, Democratic campaign
Gabby Giffords, who was former State Senator, resigned from the Arizona Legislature just eight days after Kolbe's announcement, in order to run for his seat. She quickly established herself as the front-runner, largely on the basis of her legislative record. She also gained some beneficial publicity when it was revealed that she was engaged to space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly. Her only serious competition was longtime KVOA television newscaster Patty Weiss, who ran as a more liberal alternative to Giffords.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Campaign
Graf's campaign got off to a rough start in mid-September when outgoing Republican incumbent Jim Kolbe withheld his endorsement, citing "profound and fundamental differences" between their views. The Arizona Republic wrote that a "victory by Graf would in effect repudiate much of Kolbe's work on what has come to be known as 'comprehensive' immigration reform. In contrast with 'enforcement only,' Kolbe’s plan would create a guest-worker program and an opportunity for undocumented residents to become citizens eventually."


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Campaign
In mid-August CQPolitics changed their rating of the race from "Leans Republican" to "No Clear Favorite".


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Campaign
By late September, Graf's position had continued to deteriorate. The Cook Political Report changed their rating from "Toss Up" to "Leans Democratic", and the national Republican Party cancelled about $1 million in advertising support. Two days later, in what was seen as a diminished level of national influence and interest in what had long been considered a competitive race, the national Democratic party also pulled their financial support.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Polling
On September 20, 2006, Gabby Giffords' campaign released an internal poll that showed her leading Republican candidate Randy Graf by 19 percentage points. The poll showed Giffords with 54% of the vote and Graf with 35%. The poll was based on responses from 500 likely general election voters and had a +/-4% margin of error.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Polling
Results from a second poll conducted during the same time period confirmed a Giffords lead while suggesting a slightly tighter race. This independent poll, conducted by 1 to 1 Direct and Marketing Intelligence, showed Giffords with a 12-point lead (Giffords [48], Graf [36], +/-4% MoE).


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Polling
On October 4, Zogby released a poll showing Giffords with a 45–37 percent lead.


2006 Arizona's 8th congressional district election, General election, Results
Giffords was declared the winner 37 minutes after the polls closed. Graf conceded defeat at 10:08 P.M. EST.


2006 Arkansas High School AAAAA Boys Soccer Season
The 2006 Arkansas High School AAAAA Boys Soccer Season was the 9th season of the highest classification of high school boys soccer in Arkansas since being sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association. It was the last season contested under the AAAAA classification, before the split into 7A and 6A the following season.


2006 Arkansas High School AAAAA Boys Soccer Season, Conference Alignment
The 2006 season was the last under the 2004-2006 classification cycle. However, the West Conference received a ninth member due to the addition of newcomers Har-Ber. Meanwhile, the remaining conferences were left unchanged.


2006 Arkansas High School AAAAA Boys Soccer Season, State Playoffs
The top four teams from each conference qualified to state. The first three rounds were hosted by El Dorado. The championship match was played at Ladyback Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.


2006 Arkansas High School AAAAA Boys Soccer Season, All State
A total of 46 players were selected to the All State team.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team completed the season with a 10–4 record. The Razorbacks had a regular season SEC record of 7–1.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, USC
USC and Arkansas both came into the game with a number of question marks, as USC had lost stars Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart to the NFL, and Arkansas's star running back Darren McFadden was injured in an off-field incident. Although the game was close until the latter minutes of the second quarter, a combination of USC's high-powered offense wearing out Arkansas's defense, and running back Felix Jones' three fumbles, stretched the margin in the second half to the final score.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, USC
Robert Johnson was removed as the starting quarterback this week, replaced by Mitch Mustain.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Utah State
After the Razorbacks' loss at home against the USC Trojans, the Hogs were looking to bounce back against Utah State. Mustain had replaced Johnson as the starting quarterback, but the Arkansas offense stalled early, losing a fumble at the Aggie 1-yard line. But under the shoulders of McFadden and Jones, Arkansas bounced back for 3 touchdowns. The Arkansas defense played valiantly in showing of revenge for the embarrassment of the previous game, and the offense, while not up to form, still played well. This was the Razorbacks last shutout until November 15, 2014, when Arkansas beat LSU, 17-0.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Vanderbilt
In Week 3, Arkansas traveled to Vanderbilt University for its first away game of the season. This game proved to be a good early match against two teams not predicted to fare well in SEC play. The game began with alternating possessions, but neither team took a large lead. But at the end of the first half, a busted extra point attempt by the Commodores gave Arkansas a 14–13 lead. During the fourth quarter, Arkansas and Vanderbilt both scored, but because of Vanderbilt's situation, they opted to go for a two-point conversion, and failed. Although they got one last possession, a missed field goal ended Vanderbilt's chance of victory.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Alabama
This game was well played by both teams playing evenly matched with Alabama leading at halftime 10–3. However Arkansas bounced back with a touchdown from Darren McFadden and a fumble return for a touchdown by Randy Kelly, making the score 17–10 at the end of the third quarter in favor of the Razorbacks. Alabama answered by scoring a touchdown in the fourth, tying the game and eventually sending it into overtime. During regulation, Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin had missed two field goal attempts wide right. And after a scoreless first overtime, the Crimson Tide scored but again missed the extra point. On the next series quarterback Mitch Mustain threw a touchdown pass to tight end Ben Cleveland  to tie the game, and the Razorbacks won it with a completed extra point by Jeremy Davis.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Auburn
In an SEC West bout, the Arkansas Razorbacks visited the #2 ranked Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Hogs scored first with a 34-yard field goal by Jeremy Davis to make it 3–0 with 7:56 left in the first quarter. Arkansas scored again with a 50-yard pass from Mitch Mustain to Marcus Monk to make it a surprising 10–0 lead with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter Auburn countered with a 24-yard TD strike from Brandon Cox to Rodgeriqus Smith to make the score 10–7.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Auburn
With 5:00 left to go in the first half, Arkansas came back with Darren McFadden running for a 63-yard TD making it 17–7. However, Auburn kicker John Vaughn kicked a 36-yard field goal to make the score 17–10 with 1:50 remaining in the first half. After the half, it was all Arkansas as their defense kept Auburn from scoring. With 4:54 left in the third quarter Felix Jones ran in a 1-yard TD. And with 3:34 left in the game, Arkansas sealed it with a 22-yard field goal from Jeremy Davis. With the win the Hogs had control of their own destiny in the SEC West.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Southeast Missouri State
On Arkansas' homecoming they faced the Redhawks from Southeast Missouri State. From the get-go, it was clear Arkansas was going to dominate this game. Darren McFadden scored the first two touchdowns making it 14–0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter the Hogs burst wide open and scored four touchdowns; two coming from Felix Jones and one coming from Michael Smith, and an interception return by DT Keith Jackson. At the Half, the score was 42–0. The Hogs scored three times in the second half, with the Redhawks only score coming in the third quarter by an 8-yard run from John Radney. The final score was 63–7.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Ole Miss
In an SEC West match, #18 Arkansas Razorbacks squared off with the Ole Miss Rebels at Razorback Stadium. Felix Jones returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown making the score 7–0. Darren McFadden ran in the next score from 4 yards to make the score 14–0 with 9:43 left in the first quarter. Peyton Hillis scored from 1 yard out to make it 21–0 with 8:27 left in the second quarter. Ole Miss scored a field goal by Joshua Shene from 27 yards out to make it 21–3.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Ole Miss
After the half, Darren McFadden scored with a 70-yard screen pass from Mitch Mustain making it 28–3. In the fourth, Arkansas scored on a Jeremy Davis field goal and a London Crawford touchdown catch making it 38–3 at the final. With this win, Arkansas became bowl eligible after a two-year absence.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe
The 14th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks returned to Little Rock to face the Sun Belt's Louisiana Monroe Warhawks. The Warhawks struck first with a 17-yard pass from Kinsmon Lancaster to Lagregory Sapp for a TD. With the score 7–0, the Warhawks were fired up. With 7:41 left in the first quarter, Felix Jones rushed in a 7-yard TD, however Jeremy Davis missed the extra point to make the score 7–6. Arkansas scored in the second quarter with a 12-yard TD pass from Mitch Mustain to Marcus Monk, and completed a two-point conversion to make it 14–7.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Louisiana-Monroe
With 4:14 left in the first half, the Warhawks' Calvin Dawson was tackled in their own endzone for a safety making it 16–7. Nearing the end of the first half, RB Darren McFadden threw a 10-yard TD pass to Wes Murphy. The score at the Half was 23–7. In the third quarter, Darren McFadden rushed 18 yards for a touchdown but was flagged for excessive celebration. The penalty was counted on the extra point and Jeremy Davis missed it and the score was 29–7. Later, Mitch Mustain threw a 12-yard TD pass to Marcus Monk, and a two-point conversion made it 37–7. In the fourth, Michael Smith rushed for a 3-yard TD to make it 44–7. The Warhawks scored a field goal late in the game to make the final 44–10.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
The 12th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks went on the road to face a dangerous South Carolina Gamecocks team at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The Gamecocks scored on their second drive with a field goal from 3 yards by Ryan Succop after an interception gave South Carolina great field position. Arkansas countered with a 43-yard TD run from Darren McFadden making the score 7–3 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Darren McFadden rushed for a 14-yard TD to make the score 14–3.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
With 9:19 remaining in the first half, the Gamecocks scored another field goal from Ryan Succop to make it 14–6. Arkansas then blocked a punt and the Gamecocks recovered it in their own endzone for a safety to make it 16–6. And with 0:02 left in the first half, Casey Dick threw a 50-yard hail- mary that was tipped off two Gamecock defenders and into the hands of Marcus Monk to make it 23–6 going into the half. During the half, Steve Spurrier replaced Gamecock quarterback Syvelle Newton with Blake Mitchell who came out swingin'.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
After an Arkansas field goal, Mitchell threw 13-yard TD pass to Kenny McKinley to make it 26–13 at the end of the third. In the fourth, Mitchell threw a 10-yard TD pass to Sydney Rice to make it 26–20. After a missed field goal by Arkansas, Mitchell drove the field in an attempt to win the game but was intercepted by Darius Vinnet to make the final 26–20. In this game Houston Nutt switched quarterback Mitch Mustain with Casey Dick.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Tennessee
ESPN's College Game Day came to Fayetteville this week to host the matchup between the 11th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks and the 13th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. In the first quarter, Casey Dick threw a 10-yard TD pass to Marcus Monk for a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Darren McFadden ran 17 yards for a TD to make it 14–0. Tennessee bounced back with a 27-yard TD pass from Jonathan Crompton to Robert Meachem to make the score 14–7. With 6:51 remaining in the half, Darren McFadden threw a 12 TD pass to Marcus Monk to make it 21–7. Darren McFadden also ran in a 5-yard TD score to end the half with a score of 28–7. After a scoreless third quarter Arkansas hit a 28-yard field goal while Jonathan Crompton hit Bret Smith for a 39-yard TD pass late in the game to make the final 31–14.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
The 6th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks visited the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Scott Field in Starkville, MS. In the first quarter, Mississippi State was threatening to score when Arkansas CB Chris Houston intercepted a pass and returned it 87 yards for a TD. Miss. St. countered with a 65-yard TD run from Anthony Dixon. This made the score 7–7. On the ensuing kickoff, Darren McFadden returned it 92 yards for a TD making the score 14–7. In the second quarter the Bulldogs fought back with a 22-yard TD strike from Michael Henig to Tony Burks.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
With :41 left in the half, Casey Dick threw a 29-yard TD pass to Damian Williams. The score at the half was 21–14. In the third quarter, Casey Dick threw another TD pass for 35 yards to Marcus Monk. With a scoreless fourth quarter, the final score was 28–14. With this win, Arkansas clinched the SEC Western Division Title.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, LSU
The 9th ranked LSU Tigers came to Little Rock to visit the 5th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas scored quickly when Darren McFadden ran in a 1-yard TD run, but Jeremy Davis missed the extra point. LSU stormed back to score on a 29 TD run by Keiland Williams to make the score 7–6. In the second quarter, JaMarcus Russell threw a 47-yard TD pass to Craig Davis. Arkansas came back with a 21-yard TD pass from Casey Dick to Mike Rhim, but failed to score on the two-point conversion making the score 14–12 at the half.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, LSU
In the third quarter, Colt David hit a field goal for LSU to make it 17–12. In the fourth, JaMarcus Russell threw a 7-yard TD pass to Early Doucet. On the next Arkansas play, Darren McFadden ran 80 yards for a TD to make the score 24–19. On the ensuing kickoff, Trindon Holliday returned it 92 yards for a TD. With 4:53 left, Felix Jones ran in for a 5-yard score. LSU held on to win 31–26.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, SEC Championship Game – Florida
The two divisional champions; the East's Florida Gators, and the West's Arkansas Razorbacks, faced off in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Florida scored first with a 33-yard field goal from Chris Hetland. In the second quarter Florida's QB Chris Leak ran 9 yards for a TD to make it 10–0. Chris Leak then threw a 37-yard TD pass to Percy Harvin. Arkansas fought back with a 48-yard TD pass from Casey Dick to Marcus Monk to make the score 17–7 at the half.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, SEC Championship Game – Florida
In the third quarter Arkansas'Darren McFadden threw a 2-yard TD pass to Felix Jones. With 8:33 left in the third, Arkansas' Antwain Robinson intercepted a pitch from Florida's Chris Leak and returned it for a TD to make the score 21–17. With 3:47 remaining in the third, Arkansas PR Reggie Fish muffed a punt and the fumble was recovered by Florida's Wondy Pierre-Louis for a TD making it 24–21. In the fourth, Percy Harvin ran 67 yards for a TD to make the score 31–21. Arkansas came back with a 29-yard TD pass from Cedric Washington to Felix Jones to make the score 31–28. On the next possession, Florida's Andre Caldwell threw a 5-yard TD pass to Tate Casey. Florida held Arkansas and won the SEC, 38–28.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Game summaries, Capital One Bowl – Wisconsin
The 15th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks went to Orlando, Florida to the Capital One Bowl to face the 7th ranked Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin struck first by scoring a 52-yard field goal from Taylor Mehlhaff. Arkansas came back and scored on a 76-yard TD run by Felix Jones to make the score 7–3. Wisconsin answered with a 22-yard TD pass from John Stocco to Paul Hubbard. In the second quarter, Wisconsin scored on a 13-yard TD pass from John Stocco to Travis Beckum to make it 17–7 at the half. In the fourth quarter, Felix Jones ran for a 12-yard TD. Wisconsin held on to win the Capital One Bowl 17–14.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Postseason
Though Arkansas had a strong year, turmoil developed on the team. The largest conflict occurred between head coach Houston Nutt and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn over the direction of the offense. Malzahn came to Arkansas in 2006 from Springdale High School with some of his players who had committed to Arkansas, including QB Mitch Mustain and WR Damian Williams. These players felt that Malzahn would be able to implement his spread, no-huddle offense at Arkansas.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Postseason
Over the course of the season, speculation arose that this offense was not being implemented and that Malzahn had less control over the offense than he was promised, claims that Malzahn has not verified publicly. Some of the parents of these players met with Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles in December to question the role of their sons on the team. After the season, Williams and Mustain transferred to Southern California. Malzahn left to be the offensive coordinator at Tulsa and wide receiver Andrew Norman transferred to Tulsa as well.


2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Postseason
In the offseason, fans raised questions about Houston Nutt's handling of recruits, management of the offense, and off-the-field relationships. Certain fans filed Freedom of Information requests for Nutt's phone records. However, a number of fans remained strongly supportive of Nutt. The rift that formed in the fanbase over these issues ultimately contributed to Nutt's departure after the 2007 regular season, just after the Razorbacks upset the number one team in the nation, LSU.


2006 Arkansas State Indians football team
The 2006 Arkansas State Indians football team represented Arkansas State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS college football season.


2006 Arkansas State Indians football team, After the season
A 31-month-long investigation by the NCAA discovered that 31 ineligible athletes in various sports were being fielded in several different sport programs at Arkansas State. As a result, four of the 2005 football season wins and all six of the 2006 season wins were vacated as self-imposed penalties by Arkansas State University.


2006 Arkansas gubernatorial election
The 2006 Arkansas gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Huckabee was barred from seeking candidacy due to term limits set by the State Constitution in 1998, stating that the Governor may only serve two terms in their lifetime. Democratic nominee Mike Beebe, the Attorney General of Arkansas, defeated Republican nominee Asa Hutchinson, a former U.S. Representative, by a wide margin. Hutchinson later went on to win the governorship eight years later after Beebe was term-limited. This is the 1st open seat election since 1978.


2006 Arkansas state elections
Arkansas's 2006 state elections were held November 7, 2006. Primaries were held May 23 and runoffs, if necessary, were held June 13. Arkansas elected seven constitutional officers, 17 of 35 state senate seats, all 100 house seats and 28 district prosecuting attorneys, and voted on one constitutional amendment and one referred question. Non -partisan judicial elections were held the same day as the party primaries for four Supreme Court justices, four appeals circuit court judges, and eight district court judges.


2006 Arkansas state elections, Constitutional Officers, Attorney General, Green Party
Rebekah Kennedy - civil rights attorney and Public Relations chair for the Green Party of Arkansas


2006 Arkansas state elections, Constitutional Officers, State Treasurer, Democratic Primary
Shoffner lead solidly, but not enough to avoid a run-off:


2006 Arkansas state elections, Judicial Elections, Supreme Court
Four Supreme Court associate justices were up for reelection to eight-year terms.


2006 Arkansas state elections, Judicial Elections, Court of Appeals
Elections were held on primary election day for four appeals judges to new eight-year terms. All candidates stood unopposed and were reelected by acclamation:


2006 Arkansas state elections, Judicial Elections, Circuit Courts
Elections were also held on primary election day for eight district court judges, for six-year terms. Necessary run-offs will be held with the general election.


2006 Arkansas state elections, Referendums
Amendment 1 would amend the Arkansas Constitution to lift prohibitions against gambling from bingos and lotteries conducted by authorized nonprofit organizations, such as churches or volunteer fire organizations.


2006 Arkansas state elections, Referendums
Question 1 would allow the state to issue no more than $250 million in bonds to finance the development of technology and facilities for state institutions of higher education.


2006 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2006 Armed Forces Bowl, the 4th edition (previously known as the Fort Worth Bowl), featured the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and the Utah Utes, both former members of the Western Athletic Conference. In addition to the name change the bowl would be sponsored for the first time by Bell Helicopter Textron, the Fort-Worth based defense contractor.


2006 Armed Forces Bowl, Game summary
With 7:50 left in the first quarter, Utah's Louie Sakoda kicked a 45-yard field goal to give Utah an early 3–0 lead. Tulsa's first points came in the second quarter, when quarterback Paul Smith, took in a quarterback sneak 1 yard for a touchdown, putting Tulsa up 7–3. Louie Sakoda later kicked a 39-yard field goal, and then a 41-yard field goal before halftime, giving Utah a 9–7 halftime lead.


2006 Armed Forces Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, Brett Ratliff threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brent Casteel increasing Utah's lead to 16–7. Louie Sakoda added his fourth field goal to push the lead up to 19–7.


2006 Armed Forces Bowl, Game summary
Paul Smith answered with a second one-yard touchdown run for Tulsa, pulling Tulsa to within 19–13. Eric Weddle capped the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown, making the final score 25–13.


2006 Armenian Cup
The 2006 Armenian Cup was the 15th edition of the Armenian Cup, a football competition. In 2006, the tournament had 12 participants, out of which 4 were reserve teams.


2006 Armenian Cup, Results, First round
Banants, Kilikia, Mika and Pyunik received byes to the quarter finals.


2006 Armenian Cup, Results, First round
The first legs were played on 25 and 26 March 2006. The second legs were played on 1 and 2 April 2006.


2006 Armenian Cup, Results, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 5 and 6 April 2006. The second legs were played on 9 and 10 April 2006.


2006 Armenian Cup, Results, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 19 April 2006. The second legs were played on 27 April 2006.


2006 Armenian First League
The 2006 Armenian First League season started on 1 May 2006. The last matches were played on 24 October 2006. Pyunik-2 became the league champions, but because they are a reserve team they were unable to promote to the Armenian Premier League. As a result, the second placed team Lernayin Artsakh was given promotion. Due to Banants-2 and Ararat-2 finishing in third and fourth position, the fifth placed team FC Dinamo Yerevan played in the promotion/relegation play-off, which was lost in the end.


2006 Armenian Premier League
The 2006 Armenian Premier League season was the fifteenth since its establishment, and started on 14 April 2006. The last matches were played on 9 November 2006. FC Pyunik were the defending champions.


2006 Army Black Knights football team
The 2006 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season.


2006 Army Black Knights football team
Had the Knights been bowl-eligible, they would have been invited to the Poinsettia Bowl.


2006 Asia Futsal Cup
The 2006 Asia Futsal Cup was the trial edition AFC Futsal Club Championship. It was held in Saveh, Iran between March 7 and March 12, 2006.


2006 Asia Series
The second annual Konami Cup Asia Series was held in November 2006 with four teams participating. The champions from the domestic leagues in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan along with an all-star team from China took part in the competition. All games were held in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The tournament was sponsored by the Nippon Professional Baseball Association and Konami. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the La New Bears in the title game to win the championship for Japan. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish was named the MVP of the series.


2006 Asia Series, Matchups, November 9
Attendance: 2,127    Time: 2:37Note: Game ended due to mercy rule.


2006 Asia Series, Matchups, November 10
Attendance: 2,024    Time: 2:27Note: Game ended due to mercy rule.


2006 Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship
The 2006 Asia Oceania Korfball Championship was held in Hong Kong with 7 national teams in competition, from July 4 to 9. The top 4 teams qualified for the 2007 World Championships.


2006 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
The 2006 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season (APRC) was an international rally championship organized by the FIA. The champion was Australian driver Cody Crocker.


2006 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2006 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships were the 3rd edition of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and were held in Surat, India from July 30 to August 3, 2006.


2006 Asian Badminton Championships
The 2006 Asian Badminton Championships was the 26th edition of the Asian Badminton Championships. It was held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from March 28 to April 2, 2006 as a four-star tournament.


2006 Asian Beach Volleyball Championships
The 2006 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship (6th tournament) was a beach volleyball event, that was held from March 12 to 15, 2006 in Kish Island, Iran. The competition included only men's event.


2006 Asian Cycling Championships
The 2006 Asian Cycling Championships took place at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Velodrome, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9 to 16 September 2006.


2006 Asian Games
The 2006 Asian Games (Arabic: دورة الألعاب الآسيوية 2006, romanized: Dawrat al-ʼAl‘ab al-Asīawīah 2006), officially known as the XV Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to 15, 2006, with 424 events in 39 sports featured in the games. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia (following Tehran in 1974) to host the games.


2006 Asian Games
It was the first time that all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia took part in this event. Also, Eurosport broadcast the event, marking the first time that the European continent could watch this Asian sporting event. 21 competition venues were used for the Games including the newly constructed Aspire indoor sports complex. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held at Khalifa International Stadium. Trampoline discipline of gymnastics, and the sports of chess and triathlon made their debut at the event.


2006 Asian Games
The final medal tally was led by China followed by South Korea and Japan with host Qatar at ninth place. Tajikistan, Jordan and United Arab Emirates won their first ever Asian Games gold medals. 7 world and 23 Asian records were broken during the games, while South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan was announced as the most valuable player.


2006 Asian Games, Bidding process
Doha, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi submitted their formal bids by the deadline 30 June 2000. Prior to the voting, evaluation committee of the OCA, headed by the then vice-president of the association Muhammad Latif Butt inspected Doha on 13 and 14 July 2000, New Delhi on 15 and 16 July 2000, Kuala Lumpur on 17 and 18 July 2000, and Hong Kong on 19 and 20 July 2000.


2006 Asian Games, Bidding process
On November 12, 2000, voting for the 2006 venue took place during the 19th Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly held in Busan, South Korea. The voting involved the 41 members of the Olympic Council of Asia and consisted of three rounds, each round eliminating one of the bidding cities. After the first round, New Delhi was eliminated, with only two votes. The second round of voting, with three remaining candidates, gave Doha as the result.


2006 Asian Games, Bidding process
Under the regulations of the OCA, a candidate which gains more than half of the available votes will automatically be selected as the host, and the remaining rounds of voting will be cancelled. When Doha gained 22 out of 41 votes this meant they were selected to host the 2006 Asian Games. Most of Qatar's votes came from the unanimous support from West Asian countries.


2006 Asian Games, Bidding process
After the major upset, Malaysia and Hong Kong, China expressed their disappointment. Malaysia said that the selection of Doha was ridiculous and that the selection of Doha was influenced by Qatar's economic wealth.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Costs
Qatar spent US$2.8 billion on preparing venues, including a major upgrade to the 50,000-seat Khalifa Stadium from its original 20,000-seat capacity and the construction of the Aspire indoor sports complex, the world's largest indoor multi-sports dome and the athletes' village which turned into a part of Hamad Medical City which equipped with hospitals and laboratories after the games.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Volunteers
Volunteering programme of Doha 2006 Asian Games which began in July 2004 targeted 12,000 volunteers and over 30,000 applications were received. The volunteers wore clothing which included jacket, polo shirts and trousers which they collected from the Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Centre at the Al-Gharafa SC. Volunteers also wore accreditation card which gain them access to specific venues and buildings around the site.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Torch relay
The torch relay has been integral to the Asian Games since 1958. The plans for the Doha 2006 torch relay were revealed by the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee on 20 January 2006. It engaged EFM Global Logistics to handle all the logistics for the relay.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Torch relay
The torch of the 2006 edition weighs 1.5 kilograms and is 72 centimetres tall. Its design was inspired by the curvaceous horns of the Arabian Oryx, featuring maroon and white colours which are the colours of the Qatari national flag. It symbolises the unifying spirit of competition and friendship throughout Asia.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Torch relay
The relay itself started on 8 October 2006 with a brief ceremony at the Doha Golf Club where the torch was lit with a flame named "Flame of Hospitality". With the involvement of over 3,000 people, the torch crossed eight former Asian Games host countries and four Gulf Cooperation Council member states. The torch travelled back to Doha held by Sheikh Joan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the journey around the city itself started on 25 November 2006 and lasted until the opening ceremony of the Games.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Torch relay
The first pit stop was in New Delhi, the birthplace of the Asian Games on 11 October 2006 where the torch's flame was fused together with the Eternal Asian Games Flame at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium. During the fourth stop in Hiroshima on 21 October, the torch's flame was fused together with the Peace flame at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. In total the relay passed through 13 countries and 23 cities, visited several landmarks such as Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China along its way. The relay, which totaled a distance of 50,000 kilometres in 55 days, is the longest in the history of the Asian Games.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Emblem
The emblem of the 15th Asian Games is an image of an athlete in motion which represents fearless manner of a sportsperson in face of challenges and obstacles. The colours used in the emblem represent Qatar's landscape. Yellow represents the crescent-shaped sand dunes of the desert, blue represents the calm sea of the Gulf and red represents the sun and warm spirit of Asia.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Mascot
The Doha Asian Games Organising Committee chose "Orry", a Qatari Oryx, as the official mascot of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006. It was unveiled at the waterfront of the Qatari capital on 1 January 2005 in conjunction with the start of the 700-day countdown to the games. He represents energy, determination, sportsmanship spirit, commitment, enthusiasm, participation, respect, peace and fun and is described as a great sportsman.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Medals
The medals of the games' were designed by Dallah advertising and Gulf Media agency. Around 3,000 medals in gold, silver and bronze were made for the games. They featured Orry, the official Games mascot and Al Zubara Fort on the obverse and games logo on the reverse.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Promotion
To promote the games, the organisers built a countdown clock and a giant statue of the games' mascot, Orry the oryx, at the Corniche in the city centre. In addition, they also decorated the city with large-scale building wraps, banners and 30 life-size versions of the mascot in a variety of different sporting poses. Touchscreen kiosks were set up at hotels, malls and businesses in the city to provide users with Qatar tourism and the games' information and details.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Promotion
On 3 April 2005, Qatar's flag carrier, Qatar Airways signed a US$10 million agreement with the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC) to become the event's official airline. The airline painted seven of its Airbus A330 in three distinct Asian Games liveries namely blue, red and yellow and produced television commercials and a special 80-page guide on the sporting event in its in-flight magazine "Oryx" as part of its Global Advertising Campaign to promote the sporting event.


2006 Asian Games, Development and preparations, Marketing, Merchandising
During the games, merchandises were sold at various locations in the city including competition venues.