31 July 2011 212.1 – Sportzfan Stan starts the show ripping the Melbourne FC saying they are a ‘team of the past’ and don’t deserve to be in the AFL. He doesn’t think Dean Bailey should be sacked though and that Melbourne should wait until the end of the season before making a move. Daniel Eade comes on to talk about the NBA lockout – he thinks games will definitely be lost and playing won’t commence until December at the earliest, the chances of Patrick Mills playing in the NBL this season and the coming international matches between the Boomers & Opals and New Zealand at the Cage. He also talks ice hockey with the AIHL finals to be played in Melbourne on 3 -4 September. Sportzfan Stan looks at performance enhancing drugs in sport again and the prevalence of their use. Glenn Hampson makes his debut as a member of the Sportzfan Radio panel and joins the discussion on Alberto Contador. Mark Fiorenti talks soccer and the World Cup 2014 preliminary draw and reviews the Asian section group. He feels the Socceroos should make it through the first round of qualifying.
Tag Archives: nbl
Sportzfan Radio #206.2
12 June 2011 206.2 – The Professor queries when Daniel is going to attend a production meeting at the Great Western Hotel. Mark Fiorenti comes on the show to talk soccer & the Socceroos. He is bullish on Holger Osieck’s coaching and also the young players he tried in last week’s friendly matches. There is also a discussion of the problems confronting FIFA with corruption claims and the rumors that Cesc Fabregas will leave Arsenal for Barcelona. Mark thinks time might be running out for Arsene Wenger. Daniel and the Professor discuss NBL and the plight of the Sydney Kings who are thought to be in debt again. They also look at cricket with Simon Katich’s axing, the review into Cricket Australia and the selectors. Stan sacks the lot. Paul Dalligan talks rugby league and the coming State of Origin match. He thinks NSW will win 16-12. He also reviews the current NRL round. The Panel look at the dangers of spectators running on to the field at AFL games. Sean Callanan talks about his coming trip as Sports Geek to the US. He will meet with the NBA, see some Mets and Yankees baseball and then assist the Minnesota Timberwolves during the NBA draft in engaging the fans on line.
Would 11 Championships save a coach from the axe?
We all joke on Sportzfan Radio about resident panelist Sportzfan Stan being quick to suggest sports
coaches, administrators, teams & players being sacked. Most recently he called for the sacking of Melbourne Football Club coach Dean Bailey (podcast #200.1). This despite the Demons being in the top eight and with the best start to a season for many seasons. By the way the Demons have since beaten Adelaide by more than 90 points!
My feeling is that we are too quick to pull the trigger in today’s sporting world. Even having excellent records in the recent past is not enough to save a coach or player. One only needs to look at the way the Melbourne Tigers behaved after their season didn’t 
turn out the way they thought it should. Two NBL Championships and four trips to the playoffs in as many seasons couldn’t save long time servant and coach of the club, Al Westover. On our show, Daniel Eade urged restraint and argued a case for Westover’s retention. History tells us that Al was sacked mid season. If one compares Westover’s coaching record to that of Lindsay Gaze, Westover had more success in a much shorter time but even that comparison couldn’t save him.
It seems that today’s ‘must have now’ phenomenon pervades all areas of sport. Being in the USA now and with the NBA finals series in full flight, I am amazed at the reaction of the media to the LA Lakers whitewash at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Let’s remember that the Lakers were the two time defending champion and have been one of the most successful franchises of all time with 11 championships (5 since 2000 and runners-up twice). Yet today, we are greeted with the media saying the Lakers are a ‘train wreck’…’the locker room needs massive repair’…’fractured franchise’. There have been calls to trade anyone but Kobe…meaning one of last season’s best players, Pau Gasol is on the block because the Lakers failed to win for a third time in a row. Reality check – the NBA is one of the most competitive competitions in all of sport and the Lakers have been to the big dance in each of the last three seasons. Is there really a need for ‘massive’ change?
Memo to the sports media of the world….have some patience. I find support for this proposition in the
example provided by my fellow Sportzfan Radio panelist, Mark Fiorenti when he spoke recently of Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United fame. Early on in his tenure and with not much success, the media and fans were calling for his sacking (a la Sportzfan Stan). The club, to their credit, and eternal satisfaction, stayed the executioner’s hand and one only needs to look at the stellar record since, that has put United at the forefront of soccer in not only Europe, but the world. They are in line this season for the Premier League/Champions League double.
One lucky person is the former coach of the Lakers, Phil Jackson. His retirement after the Lakers last loss at least means we won’t have calls for him to be sacked by all and sundry including Sportzfan Stan. Goodness knows his 11 NBA championships may not have saved him in this ‘need it now’ world.
Restraint is what I will be preaching on Sportzfan Radio from now on!
Sportzfan Radio #200.2
1 May 2011 200.2 – Daniel talks NBL finals and says it has been one of the worst Grand Final series he has seen between New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans. He says game 2 had absolutely nothing and Cairns only scored 52 in game 3. He also talks about the recent coaching appointment by Melbourne Tigers, Trevor Gleeson. Mark Fiorenti comes on to discuss soccer with Champions League and predicts a ‘mouth watering’ Manchester United Barcelona final. He also looks at Premier League and confirms he still feels the three W’s will be relegated. There is also a brief look at the Championship with Sportzfan Radio’s own Hull City finishing middle of the table. Paul Dalligan talks NRL and reviews the weekend’s matches and the coming Australia v New Zealand test match. He is disappointed that coaches are not given time to build a squad and feels there is no loyalty in sport. Paul Gamble wants to get Sportzfan Stan in to sack Bowls Australia. The Panel also talk with Sean Callanan about Telstra retaining the rights to the digital side of the AFL with games being able to be watched from mobile phones. Daniel gives his sports highlights over the last four years.
Sportzfan Radio #199.1
24 April 2011 199.1 – Sportzfan Stan leads off the show with suggesting the Port Adelaide FC coach, Matthew Primus should be sacked after yesterday’s loss to the Gold Coast Suns. Daniel says the club should look outside for a replacement. This leads to a discussion on whether the Melbourne Tigers should also look outside the club and not go with Darryl McDonald as coach. Stan suggests they should appoint Andrew Gaze. The Panel talk to former NBL player John Rillie who is now with Boise State’s basketball program. He discusses College basketball, NBA and the NBL playoffs. The Gelding comes on the show to talk racing and the weird behaviour of jockey Shane Scriven during the week when he ‘borrowed’ the whip of another jockey during the race. He has been suspended for 5 months over the incident. The Gelding also reviews both his and the Sydney Colts selections. His two tips for the Ladies at the Tennis Club got up. The Panel then discuss the Anzac Day game and whether it should be limited to just Collingwood v Essendon or should other teams also get a chance to play on the day. Mark Fiorenti has finally tweeted again…about the Copa Del Rey between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Sportzfan Radio #198.2
17 April 2011 198.2 – The Gelding sends a cheerio to two new listeners who do the gardening whilst listening to Sportzfan Radio. Mark Fiorenti comes on to talk soccer and confesses to not having sent a second tweet as yet. He also discusses further departures at the Melbourne Victory, Asian Champions League and the mouth watering Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Barcelona. With six games to go, Mark doesn’t believe Arsenal can catch Manchester United in the Premier League. The Socceroos are back in the top twenty after their win against Germany. Paul Dalligan talks NRL and thanks channel 9 for broadcasting the Melbourne Storm game at Penrith this afternoon. The Panel discuss the NRL teams solidarity and foundations go out the window at this time of year when players and coaches announce their intentions on where they will be playing mid season. Paul doesn’t like the whole process. He believes it has got to affect the onfield performance. The Gelding disagrees that is affects performance. Daniel is confused as to how Damian Martin from the Perth Wildcats was awarded the Player of the Month in the NBL. This leads to a discussion of what MVP actually means. Sean Callanan talks social media and coverage of sport on mobile phones. The NBA spike in numbers is coming from people following the league by mobile phone. It is one area that the AFL could lift in. One issue in Australia is the lack of or poor coverage on 3G network in stadiums.
Sportzfan Radio #197.2
10 April 2011 197.2 – Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney is in the press again for all the wrong reasons. Daniel is on Rooney’s side in that he is under so much pressure whereas the Gelding says he is the tosser of Premier League football. Daniel also says Mark’s tweets are as far apart as goals in soccer. Sportzfan Stan talks about the AFL’s plans to increase the number of teams and the necessity for good transport to be provided to the new team’s grounds. He recalls AFL Park where there were promises to build a rail link and that did not eventuate leading to the ground’s demise. Paul Dalligan talks rugby league and NRL and says the Storm were fantastic on Monday night who scored before Paul and the Professor had sat down. Paul says he would walk naked to Redfern if Wayne Bennett takes the Rabbitohs coaching job. He also talks about the hospitality at the Great Western Hotel. The Panel talk basketball and Daniel says common sense dictates D-Mac should coach the Melbourne Tigers next season. The Professor suggests Brian Goorjian should be approached. Sean Callanan talks sports social media and suggests we should alter the way we look at the AFL ladder. Percentage should be scrapped and be replaced with a head to head record between teams tied on points.
Sportzfan Radio #196.2
3 April 2011 196.2 – The Panel discuss the final of the World Cup cricket agreeing that the Indian middle order played very well when the game was on the line. They then look at the selection of Michael Clarke as Australian cricket captain. Paul Dalligan thinks it is a ‘safe’ selection. Sportzfan Stan says that not only should the captain have been changed but also the selectors and coach. He also queries the qualifications of the selectors to do the job. The Panel look at the Socceroos win against Germany during the week playing a lot better style of football. Holger Osieck gets the thumbs up for positive, attacking football. Sean Callanan comes on to discuss social media and Carlton FC letting Daves Hughes tweet during last night’s game against the Gold Coast Suns. Sean doesn’t think it was a success as there is a fine line between comedy and respect. He believes some would have cringed at the tweets. There’s also a discussion about the Yankees being caught out giving hand signals from the stands in a post on twitter. Paul Dalligan talks rugby league and is critical of Matt Orford’s mistake that eventually cost the Canberra Raiders the match. He is happy that the Rabbitohs have won another game. Mark Fiorenti comes on to talk soccer and is congratulated for finally tweeting. He discusses the Socceroos and Premier League and thinks Manchester United may be over the line for the Championship with more interest in who will be relegated. The Panel talks NBL finals with Gold Coast Blaze’s Mark Worthington. He thinks the Townsville Crocodiles will win the Championship.
Sportzfan Radio #190.2
20 February 2011 190.2 – Mark Fiorenti talks about the headlines during the week ‘Soccer crowds worst of any code in Australia’ and wonders why these headlines have appeared at the start of the A League finals – he queries whether it is a conspiracy. He then looks at the finals already played and previews the Gold Coast United/Melbourne Victory game. On Kevin Muscat’s retirement he feels that Kevin’s passion sometimes led to some unfortunate consequences on the pitch. He did not expect Arsenal to beat Barcelona in the Champions League tie. Sportzfan Stan thinks Chelsea’s coach should be sacked as they have only won 6 of 19 games recently. The Panel discuss the NBA All Star game and the voting that sees Yao Ming in the starting five even though he is injured and won’t play in the game. Daniel says that the voting in the celebrity game was suspect as Scottie Pippen was clearly the MVP but Justin Bieber, who did nothing, got the nod as all the teenage girls voted for him. He says if he had been Justin Bieber he would have handed the award to Pippen. Daniel believes Blake Griffin will try to dunk over a car in the NBA dunk contest. He still thinks Carmelo Anthony will end up with the New York Knicks even though Nets have improved their offer. Paul Dalligan calls in from the golf course and talks rugby league and says Nathan Tinkler couldn’t offer any more to the Newcastle Knights. There are also whispers that Kade Snowden and Wayne Bennett could be heading to the Knights. Daniel picks up on a tweet from an Adelaide 36ers player who alleges that the accommodation arranged by the Perth Wildcats for visiting teams is sub standard. The Gelding talks World Cup cricket and the selection of the one day team. The Panel then talk with Sean Callanan on sports social media in particular the ICC banning any social media use by players and officials. Sean says it is the case of another large sporting organisation not understanding the benefits of social media. He believes that as long as there is a policy and guidelines, that should take care of any problems.
Sportzfan Radio #190.1
20 February 2011 190.1 – Sportzfan Stan makes his presence felt calling for the coach of the Wollongong Hawks Gordie McLeod to be sacked for losing 10 games of eleven. Phil Cleary comes on the show to talk about the VFL & Coburg. The club would have difficulties if the alignment with Richmond ceases at the end of this season. He says with some AFL teams fielding reserves teams it will make things hard for the non AFL clubs. He says it has been a disgraceful history starting with the abolition of the VFA. He says the VFA teams were bullied into changing the name and sold a lie about their future. He says that the majority of the non AFL clubs would not be able to survive by themselves and a long term strategy should be developed to align each club with the community in their area. Phil says he would be eminently well qualified to be on a Board running VFL football but he wouldn’t be asked because he wouldn’t bow to 
what the AFL wanted (we agree with Phil!). The Gelding comes on to talk racing and talks about the retirement of SportzfanRadio’s own Typhoon Tracy. He says the trainer Peter Moody didn’t call him to discuss what should be done with the horse. The Gelding picked two winners and three fourths, one of the winners being Black Caviar. The discussion then moves to the production meeting held at the Great Western Hotel (our sponsors). We get a tweet for the Gelding asking if he is ‘light on for balls’. Mark Fiorenti comes on to talk soccer and says he also has trouble with twitter but he is going to try and get on it before the end of the year.