elps dominance is at age 31, all you have to do is look to U.S. teammate Loch

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Washington State coach Mike Leach told the Pac-12 to look at whether Arizona State stole signs last season, joining a chorus of teams accusing the Sun Devils.Leach has taken it too far this season, according to the Pac-12.The conference fined Leach $10,000 and officially reprimanded him on Thursday, adding a layer of intrigue before the Cougars travel to the desert to face the Sun Devils.Conference rules prohibit Pac-12 member institutions from disparaging each other and discrediting other institutions, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in statement. Information or accusations relative to rule violations must be handled by institutions filing those concerns with the Conference office through a formal process, and institutions must refrain from discussing those concerns publicly.Leach is not the only person to accuse the Sun Devils of stealing signs.Utahs players said Arizona State stole signs during a game last year and both Oregon and Washington took the extra step of putting up sheets to block the Sun Devils view from the other sideline.The Sun Devils maintain they have done nothing wrong. Pac-12 rules do not prohibit sign stealing unless audio and video equipment were used to decipher the signs.Make this perfectly clear: We do everything exactly by the rules. Period, Arizona State coach Todd Graham said. Obviously, we take a great deal of pride in the integrity that our program has. Ill just leave it at that. Im not going to get involved in things like that that are ridiculous. Were very open and honest about how we do things.A few more things to watch for when the Sun Devils host the Cougars:OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: Washington State had a dismal start to the season, losing to FCS Eastern Washington at home and Boise State on the road. The Cougars (4-2, 3-0 Pac-12) have righted themselves since then, winning four straight to join No. 5 Washington atop the Pac-12 North. Arizona State started the season strong and has faded now that conference play has started. After opening with four straight wins, the Sun Devils (5-2, 2-2) have lost two of three to fall a game behind No. 19 Utah and Colorado in the South Division.WILKINS HEALTH: Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins insisted he was 100 percent healthy after last weeks loss to Colorado despite clearly having limited mobility. Wilkins did not play the week before against UCLA after suffering a right ankle sprain against USC and Graham acknowledged the sophomore was limited against the Buffaloes. Wilkins practiced this week and his mobility could play a huge part in Arizona States chances Saturday night; the Sun Devils run game suffers when he is not able to tuck and run.FALKS SEASON: Washington State quarterback Luke Falk led the nation in passing yards per game last season and was second in completion percentage. Hes back among the national leaders as a junior. Falk enters Saturdays game second nationally with a completion rate of 71.5 percent and is fifth with 352 yards passing per game. Arizona State is last among the 128 FBS teams, giving up 384.4 yards per game, so Falk could have another big night.THE SERIES: Arizona State has won 10 of the past 12 games against Washington State, though the Cougars won last years game 38-24 in Pullman after a fourth quarter comeback. Washington State has not won in Tempe since 2001 and has not won consecutive games in the series since 2002-04. 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Fake Shoes Black Friday . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.RIO DE JANEIRO -- As he stood atop the Olympic medal stand and The Star-Spangled Banner played for him for the 20th time in his career, Michael Phelps fought back the tears. This was the 200-meter butterfly, the first event he swam in an Olympics. The race his sister swam. The one event in which he had won more gold than any other. And when he looked to the scoreboard and saw the 1 next to his name, it all sort of hit him. He would probably never compete in this race again.The night had been about redemption. Not specifically targeted at South Africas Chad le Clos, who out-touched Phelps to win gold in the event four years earlier and then drew the Phelps death stare after shadowboxing in the ready room a night earlier. This was about Phelps getting something back that he believed belonged to him.I didnt say anything to anybody else, but there wasnt a shot in hell I was losing that race tonight, Phelps said. And, if I did, every ounce I had was going to be left in the pool.One of the consistent concerns of Phelps coach, Bob Bowman, was that his star pupil wouldnt swim with enough emotion. There might have been times Bowman was right during Phelps comeback run, but that wasnt a problem Tuesday night. Phelps stepped onto the blocks before the race, lost in his own intensely focused world. With every stroke, every kick, he did everything he physically could do to propel himself through the water as quickly as he could.At the 50-meter mark, Phelps was eight-hundredths of a second behind Hungarys Laszlo Cseh, the reigning world champion with the fastest time in the world in 2016. But by the halfway point, Phelps pulled ahead. With 50 meters to go, he had a .67 lead on le Clos. It was at this point four years earlier where le Clos made his move, and the point le Clos hammered home to his seven competitors a night earlier was theyd be scared about what he could do.But Tuesday, le Clos faded down the stretch, finishing fourth then breezing through the postrace interview area not to be heard from again. Instead, Japans Masato Sakai came charging in the final lap, putting fear in the heart of anyone pulling for Phelps. As he approached the wall with Sakai closing, Phelps told himself he was going to take one more half stroke. He thought it might cost him the race, just like he thought it had four years earlier against Milorad Cavic in the 100 fly. But this time, again, it worked. Phelps would win by four-hundredths of a second, the closest margin in 200 fly Olympic history.After the race, the celebration was on. Phelps first waved a No. 1 in the air and then sat atop the lane line like a king on his throne and held both of his hands high above his head.I came to the pool tonight on a mission, Phelps said, and the mission was accomplished.During the medal ceremony, up in the stands at the other end of the arena, Nicole Johnsons heart raced. She knew her fiancé would want to share this moment with their 3-month-old son, Boomer. So she and Michaels mother, Debbie, moved seats so Phelps could perhaps come back when the ceremony was over.It had been a roller coaster 20 months for Johnson. She was the one Phelps called when he left the casino that November night in 2014 after he was arrested for DUI. She was the one who dropped him off for 45 days in a behavioral rehabilitation facility to fight his inner demons. And she was the one who watched every day as Phelps put everything he had into training for this race, on this night, with his main competition, le Clos, in the lane next to him.As she loooked at the video board and saw Phelps eyes well, hers did the same.ddddddddddddLater, she struggled to put it all into perspective.Are you kidding me? she said. Is that a joke? Im speechless. I know the amount of work he put into all of this and especially that particular race. He wanted that back and he got it back.After the American flag was raised, Phelps circled the pool, posing for photos with Sakai and bronze medalist Tamas Kenderesi of Hungary. Kederesi, the latest swimmer to grow up idolizing Phelps, was only 3 years old when Phelps Olympic journey began in Sydney in 2000.When I was a child, I always watch his races and this is what prepared me for the competitions, Kederesi said. I just want to say a big thanks to him. He really help me a lot.After the medal parade, Phelps spotted his family and climbed a set of bleachers to say hello. Nicole, Debbie and Boomer all got a kiss. Then Nicole put the baby boy in her fathers arms.He was like, No. And I was like, Yes, you should hold him, Nicole said. And Debbie was like, Youre holding him.Eleven minutes after holding his son, Phelps would return to the deck and swim the anchor leg of the 4x200 freestyle relay. Prior to the race, Phelps told Conor Dwyer, Townley Haas and Ryan Lochte to get him a big lead. He was tired. And then, when Phelps tried to put his swim cap on, it snapped. Phelps chirped at Dwyer, who had already finished his leg and turned his cap inside out; he gave it to Phelps. The result was again gold.That was probably one of the most challenging doubles that Ive had for sure, he said.Twenty-four hours earlier, Phelps, Dwyer, Lochte and their other Olympic Village roommates watched videos of le Clos shadowboxing and the Phelps death stare that prompted a worldwide flood of internet memes. Then, with all that swirling around him, Phelps turned in one of the greatest performances of his career. When the night came to an end, he would have his 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals. The entire country of Brazil has only 24 combined in its Olympic history. Phelps matched Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina with a record 14 individual medals. And at 31, he became the oldest swimmer to win an individual gold in Olympic history. In interviews after Tuesdays events, there was a common theme in the comments of swimmers from all around the world: Thats Michael.He makes it seem easy. But to fully understand how remarkable Phelps dominance is at age 31, all you have to do is look to U.S. teammate Lochte. It was Lochte who four years ago crushed the world in the 400 individual medley and had many suggesting he was better than Phelps. Now 32, hes in Rio swimming in one individual event -- the 200 IM.Phelps, meanwhile, isnt even halfway through his program. He still has the 200 IM, 100 butterfly and a likely spot on the medley relay before his Rio Games -- and likely his career -- come to an end. He could potentially leave Rio with six gold medals, giving him a jaw-dropping 24 for his career.I was talking to Bob the other night and one of the things that is sticking in my head now is thats a lot of medals, Phelps said. Its insane, mind-blowing almost to me. To think when this all started and the things weve been able to do in the sport, its just special.With more potentially to come.Im excited with what hes going to do the rest of the meet, because, once that guy gets started, you cant stop him, Dwyer said. ' ' '