21 November 2010 180.1 – The Panel are live at the Bentleigh Festival, Stan gets the show going with another seaching question about the Melboure Tigers. Daniel looks at convincing the Professor to join with him and make a move for the Tigers franchise. There is also a discussion surrounding the ABL’s rules regarding a double header. Daniel has been told the first game is only 7 innings whilst the second game is 9 innings. Why not start the game 45 minutes earlier and play 9 innings? The Panel discusses Chris from Barwon Heads email regarding Shane Warne and they discuss Warne’s contribution to Victorian cricket. The Panel welcomes Bentleigh MLA Rob Hudson to the show and Daniel asks if he recommends use of mints (like Jeff Kennett). Rob outlines the announcements made by the Labor party with respect to upgrades to sports 
venues in his electorate and also building programs in schools. There is no truth in the rumor that Rob had been approached by St Kilda as a specialist kicking coach. The Gelding discusses the horse racing at Moonee Valley and Rosehill. The Gedling and Sydney Colt managed to pick 3 winners and 2 placings from six selections. There is also a discussion about jockeys and trainers being caught gambling and the Federal Court decision handed down during the week in favor of Racing NSW and their 1.5% betting tax per dollar. Daniel talks about the trade of Aussie David Anderson from the Toronto Raptors to the New Orleans Hornets. The move should be good for Anderson as the Raptors are at the bottom of the ladder and the Hornets are at the top. There is also a brief discussion regarding the AFL draft and St Kilda picking up Polo and Gamble from other AFL clubs but Paul Gamble doesn’t think they will make the difference. He won’t say whether he believes the premiership window is still open for the Saints but he does talk about
need for flywire screens on portholes in submarines and we are still trying to work that out. Given it is cricket season the Gambler starts a discussion about England’s Graeme Swann who the Gelding describes as a ‘different unit’.
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Penny pinching Tigers should learn from false economy!
This is the first in a series to be known as the ‘Professor’s Rant!”
Over the last few weeks on Sportzfan Radio Stan and I have had lengthy discussions with basketball expert and panelist, Daniel Eade. The topic for most of those conversations has been the poor start…no, make that the very poor start to the NBL season by the Melbourne Tigers. Daniel conceded last week that it is quite conceivable that the Tigers could start the season with a 0-8 win/loss total….well, make that loss total.
I was surprised when Daniel told our listening audience (on Sportzfan Radio #179.1) that the Tigers, during the off season, had considered signing Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams (the reigning NBL MVP) and
Julius Hodge (who played with the Tigers in 2009), but in the end Tigers management had elected to go with the cheaper option of an untried paring of TJ Campbell and Eric Devendorf. Needless to say, the cheaper option did not get the job done and, as we all expected, Campbell was cut loose during the week to make way for Williams. Who knows how long Devendorf will last, but given the loss to Perth Wildcats last night, he is possibly one step closer to a ticket home.
Make no mistake, I do not have a problem with NBL teams showing prudent financial management. Signing ‘no name brand’ imports may have been all the Tigers could have afforded. Of course, it doesn’t get fans excited or flocking to the stadium but it hopefully keeps the team in the black. This premise though seems incorrect when the Tigers are eventually forced to admit the mistake in judgment and go with the cheque book to sign Williams in an effort to save their floundering season. Problem is that the ‘momentum train’ has long since left the station and their is now almost no hope that the Tigers can fill their stadium or sign up new members.
Given the NBL is struggling anyway in the crowded summer sports market place, to go with ‘no name brand’ players is a recipe for disaster for both the scoreboard and hip pocket.
Sportzfan Radio #179.2
14 November 2010 179.2 – Daniel thinks the Melbourne Tigers theme song is very annoying to listen to and believes there should be no basketball theme songs. The Professor wonders whether Daniel was alive when the Leyland Brothers were on television. The ‘F’ word looks at the local A-League scene. Archie Thompson back for Melbourne Victory will be a positive however the Victory have lost one of their other strikers. He doesn’t believe Victory can make the top three given their current ladder position. He is going to see both Melbourne Heart and Victory in the next week but will only be wearing a Heart scarf. Mark also has a quick look at English Premier League and the Socceroos upcoming friendly against Egypt. The Panel discuss IPL’s growing disruption to other forms of cricket with Australia’s test series against Bangladesh needing to be moved as it clashes with IPL matches. Paul Dalligan is stoked about Greg Inglis heading for the Rabbitohs and says it is the biggest signing in his lifetime. He is disppointed that Australia was beaten by the Kiwis in the last minute of last night’s final of the Four Nations Tournament. Social media expert, Sean Callanan believes the Queen has a lot of work to do to catch up to LeBron James on Facebook. He likes people quoting tweets but has a problem with journalists quoting tweets but then not linking back to the original story or using their twitter handle. The NBA and the NHL are always trending on twitter when the games are played which says those Leagues are on the ball with social media.
Sportzfan Radio #179.1
14 November 2010 179.1 – The Professor starts by asking Daniel whether there should be a “mercy rule’ in basketball like there is in baseball, which then starts a discussion on the Melbourne Aces and whether their double header games are only 7 innings in length. The Gambler gives an update on Danish Rock who has been put out in the paddock for a six week spell. Stan has more basketball questions for Daniel about the Melbourne Tigers including whether an import (or two) will be sacked. Daniel says if the Tigers are 0-6 after the next two games they will both be sacked. Daniel doesn’t think Al Westover will be sacked though. The Gambler complains about the traffic created by the Australian Masters golf. Mordiboy sends a text predicting Tiger Woods not being able to win the tournament and thinks Daniel Gaunt will win by a shot. The Gelding discusses yesterday’s racing at Sandown and Rosehill. He says with the track being a ‘heavy 9’, runners needed some wet weather form to be in with a show. He says that like Danish Rock, Queen Asa is also going out for a spell.
Sportzfan Radio #178.2
7 November 2010 178.2 – The Panel welcome the return of John O’Callaghan and reveals he is a Green Bay Packer fan. The Panel talk about athletes who keep on getting into the news for all the wrong reasons – Favre, Fevola, Warne, Newman. Nicole thinks it is “younger man approaching middle age trying to hold on to youth”. John discusses the AFL Grand Final and thinks it now should be an extra time game and not a replay. The Panel again take Mark Fiorenti to task again about the FFA bidding for the 2022 World Cup and the money that looks like it is wasted on a probable failed bid. Nicole thinks Ricky Ponting needs to get some emotion back into his captaincy of the Australian cricket side as he is too full of management speak. The Panel aren’t excited about the coming Ashes series. The Panel ask Paul Dalligan what Joel Monaghan’s scene is… Paul is enraged about the response and believes people shouldn’t be blaming social media. Paul breaks that Greg Inglis may be going to the Rabbitohs instead of the Broncos. Sean Callanan comes on to talk social media who thinks it was apt that his lead in was the theme from Minder as some pro athletes need minders. He says social media is ubiquitous.
Sportzfan Radio #178.1
7 November 2010 178.1 – Stan doesn’t take long to take Daniel to task about the performance on the Melbourne Tigers and queries whether the Tigers, Tiger Woods or the Australian cricket team will be the next to win. Daniel hints that one of the Tigers imports could be cut very soon. Stan wonders whether the Tigers should bring back Lindsay Gaze. One of our twitterers says bring back Andrew Gaze or the Tigers will remain a mess. Dan Butterly talks US sport including NFL with the Randy Moss/Minnesota Vikings/Brad Childress/Brett Favre debacle and the will she or won’t she tell the NFL. He also discusses the quarter back ‘controversy’ at the Washington Redskins with Mike Shanahan benching Donovan McNabb at the end of a game. MLB is wrapped up with the San Francisco Giants overcoming the Texas Rangers in five games. In College football, the Air Force Academy defeats Army to take the Commander in Chief’s trophy. The Panel talks with the Gelding and JC about JC’s horse ‘It’ll Be Fantastic’ then goes on to discuss the Emirates Stakes day and the winners and losers at the track.
Sportzfan Radio #177.2
31 October 2010 177.2 – The Panel give their Melbourne Cup selections. The ‘F’ word starts talking racing instead of soccer. He was in a marquee in the car park at Flemington yesterday and didn’t see one live race. He says it is all about the fillies! On a soccer note he talks A League soccer and thinks Melbourne Victory’s season is getting back on track after a slow start. He says the Melbourne Heart have a travel nightmare with a trip to Port Macquarie and then Perth within a week. Paul Dalligan talks Four Nations Rugby League and is expecting a much closer game against England than expected with Australia at AAMI stadium. Gambler talks cricket and wonders whether it is over exposed. The Panel talks to social media guru, Sean Callanan about what cricket can do, social media wise to improve things. The Gelding believes the 50 over form of the game is in trouble and maybe there should only be 20/20 matches. Sean thinks the fifty over version is too drawn out today and the state competition seems to be onto something with the two innings version of the fifty over game. Daniel talks about a Sydney Kings player tweeting that women shouldn’t be NBL referees. Sean thinks it is a cheap shot. Not surprisingly it has now been deleted. Daniel wants to know if he can pick four horses for the Cup like the Gelding. He likes half Shoot Out and half Harris Tweed and thinks it would be good if it was a tie so they can come back next week for a re-run.
Sportzfan Radio #177.1
31 October 2010 177.1 – Paul Gamble hosts this weeks show – can he fill the Professor’s shoes? The Gelding is brought onto the Panel at the last moment as the race meeting at Kilmore that Queen Asa was running in was washed out. Daniel observes that Gambler is dressed more suitably than the Professor was last week – “He was dressed like a 16 year old thug – an American football jumper with his hat on backwards!”. Even though the Professor had a week off, he was still on the phone talking the AFL draw, the Spring Carnival as Kelly Osbourne or Scary Spice wouldn’t add to his enjoyment of the races – they’re going because it is a party. He tells Daniel he hadn’t spoken to the VRC to arrange a million dollar appearance fee for him at the Cup and he wants to know when Southern FM are going to have their own celebrity tent at the Spring carnival. The future of cricket is a worry due to poor participation rates and probably of more concern, they are falling. The Gelding talks Derby day races and sums up the Flemington meeting. By the end of the meeting, the track was heavily affected by rain. So You Think had a comfortable win in the conditions and now has five Group 1 wins. The Sydney Colt’s tip, Skilled did not perform as expected even though he thought it would win.
Sportzfan Radio #175.2
17 October 2010 175.2 – Dr Leslie comes on and cleans up after the Gelding’s weather forecast and racing segment – stool gazing indeed! The Professor explains that the Sydney Colt was unable to be on the show this week due to an illness and increases the intrigue when he passes on that the Colt and Stan have never been on the same show together – like Clark Kent and Superman. The Panel welcomes Nicole Chvastek back to the show. Mark Fiorenti discusses the creativity and passion of A-League soccer and the Newcastle Jets gaining more funding under Nathan Tinkler. There is also discussion of the ever increasing debts of Manchester United and Liverpool and the foreign ownership of EPL clubs. Nicole talks about the interest or lack thereof in the Commonwealth Games and the many countries/athletes not competing at the Games, Daniel says it was good to hear that Australia picked up a late gold medal in the ‘Throwing the washing machine out the window’ event. Nicole observed “Well done those Aussies”. Nicole also discussed the legitimacy of naming AFL players even though they had not been charged with an offence. Paul Dalligan talks with the Panel about the Rugby League Four Nations tournament with the marquee match between Australia and England at AAMI stadium. He thinks that the first game between Australia and Papua/New Guinea is like the Aussies playing the Wesley College Old Boys. In a heads up, Paul has heard Jonathan Thurstons may be heading to the Parramatta Eels. The Panel finish off with a discussion of Australian cricket and Ricky Ponting. Is Shane Warne too old to come back? Finally, Daniel asks the Professor which number comes after 248. Strangely it is 250, as apparently Daryl Corletto played his 250th game after his 248th.
Sportzfan Radio #175.1
17 October 2010 175.1 – The show starts with the Professor asking the Gelding whether the Caulfield Cup race meeting should have been postponed because of the bad weather. Stan tells Daniel that in the season opening NBL match the Melbourne Tigers were hopeless. This then prompts a discussion of the Tigers players. In the US report this week Susan Shan talks about Brett Favre and alleged problematic texts and emails to a NY Jets female employee. San Francisco 49ers are her surprise due to their poor showing in the NFL season so far. In MLB she thinks Cliff Lee is beatable but not likely during the post season. She thinks the Phillies and Rangers will make it through to the World Series whilst the Cubs and Cardinals were the biggest busts of the 2010 season. She doesn’t think Bobby Valentine will be going back to the Mets any time soon. The Gelding discusses the Caulfield Cup day races and observes Chris Munce is one of only seven jockeys who have won the Big 4 – Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper. The Professor calls it the ‘Grand Slam’ of racing. Gelding awards an ‘S-Hit’ ride to the jockey of Shocking who he says should have won easily. The Professor and the Gelding again talk about their interest in Danish Rock.