Email Author Tom Fitzpatrick

1990 Stories by Tom Fitzpatrick

• Will We Ever Escape The Ethical Pygmy?

  published April 18, 1990

  I'd forgotten the sheer madhouse excitement of it all. At the time, it was both energizing and frightful. Governor Evan Mecham electrified... More >>

• The Phantom of the Ninth Floor

  published April 18, 1990

  You're Rose Mofford, a governor who's become bored with her job. With eight months more to serve, you've become detached and... More >>

• Visions of Victory and Vengeance

  published April 11, 1990

  Max Hawkins, the Svengali of Arizona politics, is certain Evan Mecham will be the next governor of Arizona. "It was like a... More >>

• Up With The Underdog

  published April 11, 1990

  Sam Steiger is moving faster than anyone expected. As a result, things have changed dramatically. In the race for governor, the balance... More >>

• Bob Barnes Versus The Big Boys

  published April 11, 1990

  They are tightening the noose on Bob Barnes' long-shot campaign to become Arizona's governor. On Tuesday, April 17, four... More >>

• Tilting At Windmills and Windbags

  published April 4, 1990

  It's early morning. Already, the phone is ringing. Bob Barnes, the most unrelenting of the Republican candidates for governor, is... More >>

• The Natural

  published April 4, 1990

  Maurice "Mickey" McDermott's golf hat was pulled down over his forehead, but that couldn't hide the laughter in his big Irish face. ... More >>

• Hoopla, Hype and Hypocrisy

  published March 21, 1990

  And now for the Super Bowl. Bill Bidwill, inept, incompetent and insensitive, is the single clear reason Arizona has "won" the... More >>

• The Steiger Legend

  published March 21, 1990

  Sam Steiger strolls behind the bar. The place is Penelope Parkenfarker's sports bar on Cortez in Prescott. This isn't Whiskey... More >>

• More from the Sam and Terry and Rose Show

  published March 21, 1990

  Some stories are so rich they tell themselves. So picture chapter two of the Rose Mofford, Terry and Sam Goddard show. ... More >>

• Of Slam Dunks and Sleaze

  published March 14, 1990

  Lute Olson's arrogant smirk told all you had to know. Last Sunday's game against UCLA was proceeding according to plan. The... More >>

• What Makes Sammy Run?

  published March 7, 1990

  Sam Steiger pulled off his coat and grinned as he collapsed onto the bench under the big tree. He was wearing broad red suspenders that... More >>

• Losing Another Piece Of Our Past

  published March 7, 1990

  The first thing that used to catch your eye when you walked to the rear of Ed Markgraf's Pharmacy were those life- size black-and-white... More >>

• The Stupidity of Silencing Jana

  published March 7, 1990

  Writing about Jana Bommersbach's suspension from her job as commentator on Channel 8 is a tricky piece of business. It is one of those... More >>

• Down In The Dirt With The Lawyers

  published February 28, 1990

  Larry Debus is perhaps the highest-profile criminal defense lawyer in town. He draws more than his share of the big criminal cases. His batting... More >>

• Greasing the Way for Goddard

  published February 21, 1990

  "I had rather be a dog than the prime minister of a country where the only things the inhabitants can be serious about are football and... More >>

• Clearly, The Son Of Sam Is Not Our Man

  published February 14, 1990

  The simple truth about Terry Goddard is that he is not electable as governor of this state. The fact that he would be a disaster in that... More >>

• A Family That Gambled On Dreams Together

  published February 14, 1990

  Lonnie Smith, 67, was working as a janitor when he heard that his wife's ticket had won the lottery. Smith had been employed by the same... More >>

• In Baseball, Some Seasons Live Forever

  published February 7, 1990

  "I want you all to get nice and relaxed," Willie Smith said. "You'll play this game of baseball a lot better that way. At least, that's... More >>

• Turn On the Cameras, Here Come da Judge

  published February 7, 1990

  Public men grow addicted to the cool eye of the television camera. Once stricken, they reach out desperately for any opportunity to get... More >>

• DPS Uses an Old Tactic

  published February 7, 1990

  Among the atrocities committed here recently was a vicious police public-relations ploy. Several days after Officer Jim French... More >>

• Why Doesn't Corbin Give the Fifty Grand Back?

  published January 31, 1990

  Bob Corbin still has Charlie Keating's $50,000 political donation tucked away in his desk drawer. And like all greedy pols, Corbin... More >>

• Arizona Republicans

  published January 31, 1990

  McCain was transparently nervous being on the same platform with Evan Mecham, the governor he helped to scuttle. Koory bellowed out a... More >>

• Land Doesn't Always Pay

  published January 24, 1990

  In Arizona, everyone seems to have a dream about buying land and making a fortune. Some do. Most don't. Timing is an important... More >>

• The Bolles Case

  published January 24, 1990

  While Don Bolles, the Arizona Republic reporter, lay dying in the hospital, Mickey Clifton, a lawyer, hurried to see John Harvey... More >>