28 November 2010 181.1 – Daniel is suffering with a toothache and gets plenty of sympathy, especially from Stan who says if you don’t clean 
your teeth you pay the penalty. The Gelding is late but hopefully he has a note from home. Stan has his weekly question to Daniel on the Melbourne Tigers. Daniel says he doesn’t think Tigers coach Al Westover should be sacked because he likes him. The Gelding talks about the First Ashes Test and the form of Michael Hussey. Daniel wants to know why Brad Hodge isn’t in the team and Stan observes that it is probably due to Victorian batsmen having fallen foul of the selectors in the past. Dan Butterly delivers his US report and starts 
with a discussion of Vince Young hurling his pads into the stands and then texting an apology to the coach, Jeff Fisher. He thinks that it was easier to get rid of Brad Childress than Brett Favre in Minnesota. He doesn’t think Favre will quit until the end of the season. In the NBA he feels that the Miami Heat don’t have a leader on the team as Wade, LeBron and Chris Bosh are all playing ‘nice’ to each other. Daniel talks to Dan about LeBron’s return to Cleveland and says it should be an exciting game. He would go if he had a ticket. Daniel would like to see LeBron not voted into the starting five in
the NBA All Star game and wants the Professor (and Sportzfan listeners) to vote for Amare Stoudemire to try and achieve this. Dan thinks LeBron will do the ‘powder clap’ in Cleveland. He has nothing new to report on Carmelo Anthony and says he will be staying with the Nuggets at this stage. In College football he is amazed that Boise State missed a field goal against Nevada that would have won the game. They went on to lose it and therefore won’t play for the national championship. Dan also talks on the BCS comments from Ohio State President Gordon Gee – he disagrees with him 
naturally. In MLB, the Yankees playing hardball with Derek Jeter but Dan believes he’ll eventually resign for what the Yankees have offered. Daniel explains the ‘powder clap’ for the listeners. The Gelding talks about the winners and losers from Sandown and Randwick and says the rain played havoc with the fields due to so many scratchings. The Panel discusses the heavy penalty handed out to rider Danny Nikolic over his behaviour to stewards after he was found wearing a modified racing vest.
Sportzfan Radio visits the Bentleigh Festival
Show #180 (podcast below) was broadcast from the Bentleigh Festival. Nothing like taking it to the streets! The Panel of the Professor, the Gelding, the Gambler, Daniel Eade & Stan enjoyed sunny weather conditions and a big crowd. Special guest, Bentleigh MLA Rob Hudson was in his element too.
The Professor asks a searching question of Daniel whether Melbourne Tigers loss to Wollongong was a ‘good’ loss with the Gelding and Stan ready to pounce on the answer (left) whilst Stan takes Daniel to task over the generally poor performance of the Melbourne Tigers and whether Corey ‘Homicide Williams will make that much difference (right).
Special guest Rob Hudson talking sport and politics with the Panel at the Bentleigh Festival confirming the announced grants during the week to improve facilities at Moorabbin and Centennary Park (right) whilst the
Professor and Rob talk candidly about their football teams after Rob’s segment on Sportzfan Radio (left)
The Gelding’s tips for 27 November 2010
The Gelding’s attention turns to Sandown this Saturday where the track could well be heavy after the overnight rain. Sure to be plenty of scratchings so check the form guides carefully for wet weather runners.
As always the bets are on an each way and all up basis.
Sandown
Race 1 horse 10 – Trysta
Race 2 horse 3 – Overtake
Race 6 Horse 6 – Sheedy (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 7 Horse 6 – Tamtiko (also for the ladies at the Tennis club)
You can hear the Gelding discuss the winners and losers at the track every Sunday on Sportzfan Radio at around 12.30pm on 88.3 Southern FM.
Good luck and good punting!
The Gelding
Sydney Colt’s Mail For Kensington 27 November
I hope you took the suggestion last week and took the good thing of the day as the first leg of all up bets with our other 2 tips. If so, you would have been like me and had a fill up. Some good mail about for Saturday’s races at the Kensington track.
Race 2 n3 LADY’S ANGEL This neddy did the the right thing by us last week as the 2nd leg of an all up. Looks better than these.
Race 4 n7 SIENNA RED I have been told to completely ignore the last start failure and join a couple of shrued pro punters who have already bet into this one. Has trialled great.
Race 8 n7 KISS ‘N CHASE e/w 2nd up and I’m told it has improved heaps on the track. Nash will steer this one into the placings somewhere.
Money lost, nothing lost. Confidence lost, everything lost.
Can Brett Favre make THE decision himself?
Prior to commencing this rant, I need to declare myself as a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan.
When I heard that Brett Favre was coming back for another season with the Minnesota Vikings in
August this year, I polled a number of people about how difficult it would be at 40+ to step back in as a quarterback in the NFL with no adequate pre-season training or conditioning. It is not surprising that all those questioned said that it would be almost impossible. The season is certainly playing out like that for Favre. There was one other word used by the people responding…’arrogance’. Not a word that I had really associated with Brett Favre until then.
I suppose that I have wanted to give Brett the benefit of the doubt over the years…even through all those years of ‘will he or won’t he?’ (aka THE decision) at Green Bay when, as a supporter, it was what I 
expect death by a thousand cuts to be like. But that was Brett being Brett and he was in the most part forgiven each year (by the way LeBron only did it once…and look how he has been pilloried in the media).
At the time the Packers made the move to go with Aaron Rodgers, I was dismayed and upset about the thought of Favre not being part of the Packers again. However, the Packers rightly said enough was enough and took control of the quarterback situation for the long term. With the benefit of hindsight it was a great decision as since then Favre’s career reads more like a soap opera episode than a sporting career. If we take out the stellar season with the Vikings last year, we see a mediocre season with the New York Jets where there was bickering amongst the team and this year where the scene is playing out exactly the same
only this time in Minnesota. We also have the unwanted distraction of the sordid allegations surrounding Favre and a former Jets female employee which are being investigated by the NFL.
I must say that I never thought I would hear the call from the media for Favre to call it a career and retire….or worse be benched by the Vikings in favour of Tavaris Jackson. But they are the unfortunate realities when one tempts fate and tries to go to the well on one too many occasions.
I sincerely hope that Brett finds a way to exit gracefully from the playing field without the decision being made for him. Like I said, I hope but somehow I think that word ‘arrogance’ may stand in the way of that happening.
New York Mets are hiring
By the way Sportz fans…. I noticed this great advertisement released by ‘John Ricco’ advising that the New York Mets are on the look out for talent of all sorts….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVkalfhzvVA
John…the Professor’s application is in the mail!!
New Mets manager like the boy with the barrow!
Professor’s Rant #2
I guess there is one thing we can say for the New York Mets management now being led by Sandy Alderson…..they picked a recycled manager in Terry Collins who has a winning record (444-434)!! 
That at least allows me to put a tick in one box for Jeff Wilpon, Alderson & Co (and there haven’t been too many of those handed out by me to the Mets over the last few seasons).
Collins main claim to fame seems to be that he managed teams that finished second…..that’s right, second, in their division five years out of six. I guess that is better than appointing a potential manager from a list that seemed packed with candidates who had losing records and were sacked from their previous roles (Collins, Chip Hale, 
Bob Melvin, Wally Backman, Clint Hurdle, Don Wakamatsu to name but a few). Let’s look at some of the candidates – recently sacked Mariner’s manager Don Wakamatsu for one. The allegations of ‘losing’ the players during a tough season isn’t a great start to a resume, especially when you combine that with a 100+ loss season and you have a recipe for disaster in New York. Let’s also take a look at Wally Backman (currently managing the Mets affiliate the Cyclones). He was sacked as manager of the Diamondbacks in 2004 just four days after starting in the job after not revealing two arrests and ‘financial problems’ to the interview panel. One heck of a stint in the big leagues Wally.
So, my burning questions are these. Weren’t there any potential managers sitting out there with winning records? Weren’t there any that had World Series experience? Why wasn’t Bobby Valentine
at least interviewed? He is curently not managing, having come off a very successful stint in the Japanese league with the Chiba Lotte Marines where he won the Japan Series and the inaugural Asia Series, but perhaps more importantly, has managed successfully before in the heat of the New York sporting spotlight garnering a 536-467 record over seven seasons (which included two 90+ win seasons). Don’t forget he is the last manager to take the Mets to the World Series.
In any event, out of all that, Terry Collins has the job and now gets to confront what to do about closer 
Francisco Rodriguez, the non performing Jason Bay and Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran in the final year of a seven year contract.
Like the boy with the barrow, Terry has it all in front of him!
Sportzfan Radio #180
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’.
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.
Gelding’s tips for 20 November 2010
Racing returns to Moonee Valley today and with fine weather the horses should be primed for some good racing!
As always the bets are on an each way and all up basis.
Moonee Valley
Race 3 Horse 1 – Persian Star
Race 5 Horse 6 – Aloha (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 8 Horse 6 – Jerezana
Good luck and good punting!!
The Gelding