FRONT ROW: Softball rolls on

WILDCATS TAKE ON STANFORD: If Mike Candrea and the Arizona Wildcats were out to prove a point, consider their performance this weekend mission accomplished.

With Sunday’s 4-2 win over Purdue, the Wildcats move on to face Pac-10 rival Stanford in the super regional.

Arizona’s big bats — particularly Stacie Chambers and Sam Banister — carried the Cats through the opening round, as they won three straight games by a combined score of 31-9.

The No. 9-seed Wildcats (44-14) have typically enjoyed success against Stanford (47-9), but the Cardinal won a pair of crucial games over Arizona late in the regular season (4-3 on May 2, 2-1 on May 3) to secure the home-field advantage in this series.

The best-of-three series kicks off tomorrow at 6:30 p.m., with another game scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday. If necessary, the third game would take place at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Unlike the opening round, Wildcat fans should be excited to know that this series will be televised. Tomorrow’s Game 1 is on ESPN2, with Friday’s Game 2 on ESPN. The rubber match would be broadcast on ESPN2.

Check www.gvnews.com throughout the week, where I’ll be updating the site frequently with UA softball news. If the timing works out, I might even do a live blog or two.

PHELPS’ GOATEE: Now he’s done it.

Sports fans will forgive just about anyone for doing anything, as long as he or she continues to win.

Michael Phelps had a couple post-Olympics incidents that he’d prefer to forget, but those unfortunate run-ins with marijuana and, um, females of questionable backgrounds won’t go away anytime soon if he makes performances like the Charlotte UltraSwim a routine.

Phelps finished second in the 100-meter freestyle and in the 100-meter backstroke. In addition, he dropped out of the 50-meter freestyle finals. He did win two of the five events he entered, but that’s not what people expect from Phelps. It might be horribly unfair, but casual sports fans want total dominance from Phelps.

He’s still the world’s elite swimmer (obviously), but it doesn’t seem as if he’s handled his celebrity as well as he would’ve liked. From his awkward stint hosting Saturday Night Live to those aforementioned appearances in the tabloids, Phelps’ public persona is in rough shape.

Worst of all, he showed up to Charlotte with this bizarre goatee that made him look like Michael Phelps’ evil twin. Perhaps he grew that thing in an effort to increase water resistance in these early events, so that by the time he shaves it off, he’ll be quicker in the pool.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747