By Sam Good and Chris Ramirez

Gotta have for the fridge

SIOC's own Brigid Mullen is one of the 2007 centerfolds in the annual Tempe 12 calendar. Photo courtesy of Tempe 12

Tempe 12 calendar. Florida State can tout Jenn Sterger all it wants, but here at ASU we don't have just one centerfold-worthy coed, we have 12. Four years ago a man of great genius discovered a way to ensure a girl from school was always waiting at home for you with the creation of Tempe 12. ASU's best ladies compete to don their finest swimwear in the annual calendar. It's been such a success, owner David Freedman has taken his idea to other campuses across the country and recently released calendars featuring the hottest girls of the Pac-10 and the hottest girls of the Big Ten. Even SIOC's favorite female football player, Brigid Mullen, is in on the action.

Best reason to cut class

Spring training games. While the spring weather alone is enough reason to sit outside all day, taking in a ball game and putting some early work in on the tan isn't too shabby either. With 12 teams making up the Cactus League and the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers set to join once new facilities are completed, there's plenty to choose from. Just miles from campus are the Oakland Athletics to the north at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and to the south at Diablo Stadium the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Take your pick, and for $20 call it a field trip.

Best way to get wet and wild

Tubing down the Salt River. It's unlike anything else you'll ever do. The basic premise is to go with a group of friends, rent a bunch of inner tubes and just float for four hours. About a 20-minute drive, the river is open from Memorial Day until Labor Day while it's hot outside. To quench your thirst, bring beer and party all the way down the river. And there is a great spot to cliff jump near the end of the float, but that's not always the best idea after hours of drinking in the sun.

Best team nobody's heard of

Women's track. Fresh off its trip to the White House, where it was honored by President Bush, the women's track team has a shot to repeat as both indoor and outdoor champions. When the women completed the feat last season, it was only the third time a team won both championships in the same year.

Best place to start the weekend

Thursday nights at Dos Gringos. Yes, Thursday nights. Much like baseball, there are unwritten rules at ASU, one being never take a class on Friday. Dos Gringos, a two-story open-air bar and restaurant, offers unlimited 50-cent Coronas before midnight Thursdays. So even if you do have class Friday morning, odds are you're not going to make it anyway.

Best place to grab a midday brew

Casey Moore's Oyster House. Need to clear your mind following the results of your latest exam or something to help you get through that upcoming lecture? Cross Mill Avenue into the historic Maple-Ash neighborhood where this one-of-a-kind bar sits among some of Tempe's oldest homes. Casey Moore's is no slouch itself though, operating out of a nearly 100-year-old house that is rumored to be haunted. Fitting right in the laid-back style of this bar surrounded by trees is the method of transportation used by many of its patrons. Biking to Casey Moore's is not uncommon and is actually welcomed with plenty of bike racks out front to park your two-wheeler.

The must-see bar

The Big Bang. Never mind it's in the basement of a building along popular Mill Avenue, a street lined with bars in both directions, The Big Bang is never left out. Two side-by-side pianos dominate the room as people constantly fill this bar for a show and sing-a-long. A pair of musicians hold court from in front of the ivies by playing and singing popular songs together as the crowd joins in like it's The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Loving Feeling, straight out of Top Gun. Get everyone to sing your favorite song by writing it on a napkin and dropping it off on at the pianos along with a few greenbacks.

Famous alumnus

We've got the home run king himself, Barry Bonds. Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, is a Sun Devil too. Staying with baseball, Paul Lo Duca was The Sporting News' 1993 Player of the Year when he suited up in maroon and gold. Dustin Pedroia, who's angling to be the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year, went to ASU as well.

On the gridiron, Terrell Suggs and Todd Heap were teammates long before joining the Baltimore Ravens. Adam Archuleta of the Chicago Bears was a walk-on for ASU football back in the day. And recently retired Jake Plummer enjoyed his glory days in Tempe.

Phil Mickelson won an NCAA championship while at ASU and Al Michaels was covering Sun Devils sports prior to asking if you "believe in miracles."

And the Phoenix Suns' Amaré Stoudemire will eventually walk down the aisle in a maroon gown. He just began his college career this summer by taking several courses at ASU.

But perhaps ASU's favorite alum is and will forever be Pat Tillman, whose blond locks and big hits made him a legend before he gave his life for this country.

Don't forget to ...

Stop by again in five years. Tempe and ASU are undergoing so many construction projects, Sun Devils students are adopting orange as a temporary school color. High-rise apartments, new dorms, a light-rail system and new athletic facilities are just a few of the developments.