26 February 2012 236.1 – Daniel emulated Sportzfan Stan’s usual start to the show by launching his own rants, starting with Stan himself. Daniel suggested to the Professor that Stan needed to be sent to Florida if he continues to wear cardigans on 36C days. He quickly moved on to Ricky Ponting and whether he retired or was sacked by Cricket Australia. He discussed NFL and Troy Aikman’s comment that American football will not be the most popular sport in America in 10-15 years due to parents’ perceptions towards contact sports and Daniel posed the same question about the AFL. Dan Butterly returned to the show to deliver his U.S. report and rehashed the lack lustre 2012 Super Bowl. He thought the commercials were the highlight rather than the game itself and that the Peyton Manning saga overshadowed the Giants/Patriots matchup. Dan also considered questions posed by Daniel regarding Eli Manning versus Peyton Manning. With March Madness due to start, Dan’s pick for the NCAA Final Four was, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina. He also predicted some upsets caused during the tournament. Finally he looked at ‘Linsanity’ that has taken over not only New York but also the NBA. The Gelding reported on the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield and the Sydney Colt’s results. Sportzfan Stan’s rant du jour was the usage of drugs in sports and the bad image caused by abusers. The panel expressed their confusion on the penalties outlined by the AFL and the lack of criminal charges for those found offending.
Tag Archives: bobby-valentine
Sportzfan Radio show #229.1
4 December 2011 229.1 – The Panel start with a look at the first test against New Zealand. Daniel also reviews the Melbourne Tigers recent performances and says with the game on the line in the last four matches, they couldn’t get it done. The Gelding queries whether they are missing Patty Mills already. Dan Butterly comes on to discuss US sport talking College football including who will qualify for the National championship and the other BCS bowls. Once again Dan argues that there should be a playoff in College football. He also looks at the coaching carousel with a number of Colleges firing their football coaches and says it’s not good to be a coach at this time of year. Dan says Tim Tebow is a winner and Tebowmania has overtaken Denver. He thinks the Packers can run the table and sees the Colts going 0-16. The Professor and Dan discuss the bid by Jerry Kramer’s daughter to have him admitted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Professor learned about it on Twitter. Dan says it is an amazing story and he encourages the fans to learn more about the cause and Kramer’s career. Dan thinks Bobby Valentine’s hiring to coach the Red Sox is a great one. The Gelding talks racing and reviews both his selections and the Sydney Colts. Unfortunately for the Gelding his tips were just off the mark with four seconds. He awards an s-hit ride to Danny Nikolic for his ride on Starchine. Sportzfan Stan is upset that the Gelding has been invited to the Ladies at the Tennis club’s Christmas party but he hasn’t. Mark Fiorenti talks A-League soccer and says the Melbourne Victory are a ‘little bit’ back in crisis. The Professor reviews Mark’s pre-season ladder predictions, especially Adelaide on top and the Newcastle Jets on the bottom.
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 #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.