Hit Parade

5/29-5/31
Save for Randy Johnson's perfection, baseball fans in Arizona are in need of a Diamondback Fan Suicide Hotline. But as we head toward June and the D-Backs' apparent swoon, we have an opportunity to remind ourselves why we loved America's national pastime in the first place. Leave the $8 beers and overpriced ballplayers behind and spend Memorial Day weekend checking out the future of the game at the AZBA Memorial Day Classic Youth Baseball Tournament, Saturday, May 29, through Monday, May 31, at the Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 North 83rd Avenue. Some of the area's finest prep players put it on the line for college and pro scouts in one of the state's most respected annual showcase tournaments.

Elaine Bell

Young guns show their swing at the AZBA Memorial Day Classic Youth Baseball Tournament.

Arizona's native Saguaro is one of many green things growing in our deserts.

Xtreme Cage Fighter

Pugilist hit list: cage fighters duke it out at the "Evolution Combat Night of Champions."

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More About

• Joe Watson
• Randy Johnson
• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Craig Wallach
• Peoria Sports Complex

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Games run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 602-978-2929 or visit www.azfallclassic.com. --Craig Wallach

Flora! Flora! Flora!

See some green at McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Fri 5/28
There's desert foliage that'll turn your tongue green -- and some that'll turn your stomach. Learn the difference at 8 a.m. Friday, May 28, at McDowell Mountain Regional Park, where a ranger leads an Edible Plants Hike -- for a $5 park entry fee -- identifying 10 safe plants. See www.maricopa.gov/parks/mcdowell/ for directions and details. --Joe Watson

Evolutionary War

Bloodsport: cage fighting bashes through the Valley

Fri 5/28
Celebrate the advancement of beating the opponent to a bloody pulp at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 28, as "Evolution Combat Night of Champions" takes to the Ultimate Fighting ring at Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd Street. General admission is $20, with $2 beers from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Call 602-267-1600 or see www.celebritytheatre.com for tickets. --Joe Watson