Tag Archives: nfl

The Professor in the USA #2

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday (and for that matter every day since I have been in Denver), was sunny and warm leaving my Melbourne friends full of envy with their temperatures in single digits. Contrast that with overnight and this morning…..rain, hail, snow and everything that Colorado is known for. If the temperature gets past 5C today we’ll all be very happy!

The ball game between the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies that Dan Butterly and I are slated to attend today is in jeopardy at this stage. Hoping for the weather to clear but it would appear to be a forlorn hope at this stage. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday, I caught up with Dan and another friend, Russ Laney for lunch. A great time with plenty of stories being exchanged especially about the first time Russ and I met at the US Air Force Academy when I was a member of the visiting Western Bulldogs study tour led by the incomparable Murray Herron. Needless to say that led to stories of Murray and the visit to the Indianapolis Colts (& Peyton Manning’s car), Murray and the visit to Colorado State, Murray and the visit to the Colorado Rockies, Murray and the first class seats on Air Canada, Murray and the Quality Hotel…..the list goes on with each one a gem. I really should complete that TV sports/comedy series script!

Purchase of the day – the Miller Lite baseball cap with the bottle opener under the brim for just $3.00 at Wal-Mart.

Sportzfan Radio #200.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!1 May 2011 200.1 – A milestone 200th show for Sportzfan Radio – Sportzfan Stan starts the show by taking a swipe at the AFLPA with their quest to get 27% of future AFL revenues. Stan is not happy with it as it seems too much. Dan Butterly comes on the show to talk US sport from Phoenix, Arizona. He looks at the NBA & NHL playoffs, the NFL draft and the problems with the lockout and Major League Baseball especially the takeover of the LA Dodgers by MLB. The Gelding talks racing and explains why his selections won or lost. The ladies from the Tennis club did well with a 1st and 2nd. John O’Callaghan highlights prior Sportzfan Radio stories about the annual Olive Branch Achievement Award presented to Kevan Gosper, the research on the age grouping of footballers both of which were also featured in the Age. Mordiboy joins the show from the golf course and discusses the highs and lows of golf over the last four years including the story broken by him about Tiger Woods.

Sportzfan Radio #198.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!17 April 2011 198.1 – Sportzfan Stan leads off the show suggesting that the Australian Cricket Board should be sacked and appoint an independent Board with no parochial interests to improve cricket in Australia. Dan Butterly returns to the show to talk US sport including college basketball finals. He previews the NBA finals and thinks it is out of Chicago and Miami in the East and the Lakers are the team to beat in the West. In NHL action he feels the Canucks from the West and the Capitals from the East look good to advance to the Stanley Cup final. Dan reviews the first weeks of competition in MLB and says it is early days yet but the Mariners are looking at another 100 loss season. The Mets could also be a 100 loss team. Jackie Robinson is remembered on the 64th anniversary of him breaking the colour bar in major league baseball. The Professor queries whether Brett Favre will be back for a shortened NFL season. The Gelding reviews the racing at Flemington and Randwick with a much better performance this week on the punt. The Sydney Colt was not quite as successful.

SportzfanRadio #191.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!27 February 2011 191.1 – Daniel thinks it was a stupid idea for the AFL to draw Greater Western Sydney in the NAB Cup as yesterday’s game was a farce. Sportzfan Stan notices he has been moved away from Daniel after last week’s show. The Gelding says Carlton would have had a better practice game with the ‘possibles’ playing the ‘probables’. Daniel doesn’t understand why the AFL is expanding, he thought 16 was the prefect number. Sportzfan Stan says the increase is so the AFL can get more revenue. The Panel then discuss whether Andrew Demetriou’s payrise is appropriate and if Friday night matches should be shown live. Sportzfan Stan says 1.8 million people want to watch Better Homes & Gardens so the football should be delayed. Sean Callanan comes on to talk social media and enters the fray saying the AFL should get innovative and look for a partner that delivers an ability to watch the game on line. The NFL and NFLPA discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement are headed to social media with a hashtag of #NFLlockout. The MLB have an all access for all season I-phone/I-pad app called Major League at Bat which is good value at $18. AFL clubs have begun to use You Tube with a channel to release news and magazine type shows. The Gelding talks horse racing and Caulfield’s meeting where there were three Group One races including the Blue Diamond Stakes. He was successful picking three winners from four selections and awards Craig Williams the S-Hit ride of the day for his ride on Response. There is a discussion about the horse that the Professor and the Gelding have an interest in, Danish Rock, it should run a race by August at the earliest.  The Panel discuss who was the best James Bond and the Gelding says he always thinks of Sean Connery as James Bond and this follows on to whether ranking movies stars is a sport.  Daniel thinks it is.  The Panel then move on to talk cricket and the One Day World Cup and who should replace Doug Bollinger.

Sportzfan Radio #189.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!13 February 2011 189.1 – The Panel start off without Sportzfan Stan again, who is still on injured reserve. The Gelding thinks it will be a long season for Richmond while Daniel thought we might have been talking about Collingwood for two hours. Daniel also complains about how bad the half time entertainment with the Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl. Dan Butterly comes on to talk US sport and in particular the Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers & Pittsburgh Steelers. He is reminded of his pick of the Steelers last week. He says it was a great game from start to finish and believes Aaron Rodgers gave a flawless performance with the Packers win was all the better due to the injuries the Packers dealt with not only during the season but also during the Super Bowl itself. Dan also discusses the seat fiasco where it appears the Cowboys only applied for a permit for the seats three weeks before the game.  He looks at NCAAB and was right in saying Ohio State wouldn’t go through the season undefeated having lost to Wisconsin today.  Dan says he thinks Daniel may be the only international Clippers fan in existence.  The Panel talk about who their dream guest would be – the Professor says Aaron Rodgers, the Gelding would like Damian Oliver and Daniel wants Michael Jordan – we’ll work on them. The Gelding and the Sydney Colt were on fire with their selections at Caulfield and Randwick selecting 5 winners from 6 selections. The Panel look at the NAB Cup and the Gelding reiterates he believes it is going to be a long year for the Richmond Football Club.

The quest to get Aaron Rodgers on Sportzfan Radio

We’ve been talking Green Bay Packers all season…..matter of fact we haven’t stopped talking Packers in the nearly four years that Sportzfan Radio has been on air! We refused to believe that they and their MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers couldn’t win Super Bowl XLV from the 6th seed. We hung, as they say, fat!

Now we’d like the honour of talking with Aaron Rodgers on our show so that Australian Packers fans can get to hear first hand how Green Bay managed to win their way through to the Super Bowl and take the coveted Lombardi Trophy for the fourth time.

Help us on our quest and retweet our hashtag #getaarononsportzfan on twitter. Packers fans we can get this done!

Sportzfan Radio #188.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!6 February 2011 188.2 – The Professor looks at the coaching records of Al Westover and Lindsay Gaze and says if the current Melbourne Tigers management had been in when Gaze was coaching, he may not have lasted as long. Daniel also discusses the sacking of Eric Devendorf. The Professor feels that the Tigers went for the cheaper alternative with their imports and found that cheaper doesn’t get the job done. Luke Nevill has also gone to Russia and the Panel decide whether he quit or was ‘released’. Daniel believes everything the Tigers have done has been bad. The Panel then talk about Darryl McDonald taking over the team for the last ten rounds and whether that will hurt him or not. Dr Leslie’s CSA is back after a two week spell. Daniel asks why people listen to Sportzfan Radio – he says they do so to listen to sports except Lisa Hayes who uses it so she can get some work done! Daniel has also picked the Tennessee Titans not to win the Super Bowl next season. The Panel look at St Kilda’s players and the problems from the New Zealand trip being created for the club. The Gelding says that most AFL footballers are excellent role models but when something goes wrong, the papers jump all over it. Paul Dalligan comes on to discuss NRL and ABL with the Panel. The Melbourne Storm sending a message ‘Playing for Everything’ with Crown Casino taking a punt and sponsoring the club.  Paul makes the observation there’s not much point having a Ferrari in the garage if you don’t have a driver’s licence.  He also talks ABL with the preliminary final evenly poised between the Bite and Blue Sox, the winner to play the Heat in Perth.  It will be on Fox Sports live.  The Panel then discuss cricket and the cloud that hangs over the game with three Pakistani players being suspended for 5 years for spot bet fixing.  They have also been charged by English police.  Daniel says the team should be suspended as well.  Daniel also talks about his story on basketball being used by the Herald Sun.  Sean Callanan joins the boys to talk social media, Super Bowl & Packers.  He says one of the big attractions are the TV ads during the game and that you’ll be able to check in to Four Square at the Super Bowl even though you may not be at the game.  Sean offered the ‘shimmy’ to Green Bay but they didn’t take up the offer.  He finally talks about the Mississippi State coach who has banned Twitter.

Sportzfan Radio #188.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!6 February 2011 188.1 – Daniel says he was surprised at the standard of the play in the Charity Baskets game and he actually enjoyed that game more than the NBL games he has watched this season. The Gelding says watching the game took him back to the great days of the NBL in the 80’s & 90’s. Daniel had one complaint…from his cousin the referee who thought the commentary team were a bit hard on him. Dan Butterly comes on the show to talk US sport and starts with a wrap of the NFL’s Super Bowl between Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The weather has been playing havoc with fans getting to Dallas and a bit of a controversy about Ben Rothliesberger taking his linemen to a piano bar for a drink. Daniel asks Dan why Green Bay has been able to get to the Super Bowl so soon after dumping Brett Favre as QB. Dan likes Rothliesberger over Aaron Rodgers at the quarterback position. Dan selects the Steelers even though he knows the Professor won’t like that. Dan then goes on to talk about the negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA on a new agreement past 2011 which seem to be going nowhere at the moment and might result in a lockout. College basketball is ramping up with March Madness just around the corner with SDSU & BYU in the top ten at present. Dan doesn’t think a team will go through undefeated.  He thinks five teams could win the MWC tournament with Pittsburgh and Kansas making the final two in the NCAAB championship game.  Given the Caulfield races were washed out, the Gelding looks at the Sydney Colt’s tips from yesterday’s Rosehill meeting.  The Professor talks to Daniel about Dwight Howard’s imitation of LeBron James ‘powder clap’, with LeBron then scoring 51 points.  Daniel says you should never give a great player ammunition.  The Panel discuss Gilbert Arenas being served with a paternity suit at half time of a game and the amount being sought by the mother of the child.  They then look at Sportzfan Stan’s suggestion that Al Westover be sacked back in November and it has now happened.  Four straight grand finals and two championships didn’t save him.

Sportzfan Radio @ Charity Baskets #187.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!30 January 2011 187.2 – The Professor and Sean Callanan commentate on the Charity Baskets match played for Queensland Flood Relief at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre. The match was the brainchild of Sportzfan Radio panelist Daniel Eade and featured former NBL stars Andrew Gaze, Chris Anstey, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Darryl McDonald, Frank Drmic, Axel Dench, Brett Raindow, David Smith and many more. The question is whether the return to 4 x 12 minute quarters would find out the stars of the past. Chris Anstey is named Player of the Match. The Professor, Paul Dalligan and the Gelding discuss NRL & the NFL Super Bowl. There are interviews with Axel Dench and Daniel Eade whilst Sean Callanan talks social media after the game concludes. Sportzfan Stan also gives us a cameo at the end of the program.

Sportzfan Radio #186.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!23 January 2011 186.1 – The Panel starts off by talking to Daniel Eade about the Charity Baskets match to be held at MSAC on 30 January 2011 at midday. The event will be covered by Sportzfan Radio with a live broadcast on 88.3 Southern FM. The former players including Gaze, Copeland, Anstey… all say they are still able to match it on a basketball court. Sportzfan Stan takes a look at the recent drug controversy involving Albert Contador and Lance Armstrong.  The Panel then chat with radio personality and former Canterbury Bulldogs premiership player Graeme Hughes who discusses his recently published book “Dogs at War”.  The Gelding reviews the race results from both Flemington and Rosehill where both the Gelding and the Sydney Colt were successful…much to the joy of the ladies at the Tennis club.  Stan adds that his uncle Albert owned a horse El Galea and he learned from a very early age that if you wanted to know whether a horse was going to win or not you needed to ask the trainer first and then the jockey.  There is also a discussion of the NFL selling tickets outside the stadium and counting those attendees as part of the game’s crowd.  Stan says it is a rot and the NFL should be sacked.  The Panel also discuss the NFL Divisional Championships in the NFC – Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears and in the AFC – New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Panel is split as to who will win the Green Bay game but agree that the Steelers will be too strong.  Paul thinks the Packers defence is the least intimidating of the teams remaining.  Dr Leslie’s CSA makes a welcome return and Lanard Copeland comes on to talk about the Charity Baskets basketball match to be played at MSAC next Sunday with all proceeds going to Queensland flood relief.