Despite the reverence given to it in nearly every other corner of the world, the sport of soccer has never quite found its footing within the cynical hearts of the American sporting public. Here we don’t even call the sport by its proper name — football — reserving that term…
TUE 12/28 These Beavers are anything but sloppy. Sure, Oregon State started the 2004 season by posting a dismal 1-4 record (including getting walloped 49-7 by Cal-Berkeley in October), but head coach Mike Riley turned the team’s fortunes around, and OSU won five of the next six and clinched a…
FRI 12/17 Those missing the fast-paced, hard-hitting action of hockey courtesy of the NHL lockout may find a willing antidote this winter within the Phoenix Coyotes’ own Glendale Arena. Since landing in the Valley a year ago, professional lacrosse has struck a chord with a small but dedicated group of…
Sun 12/12 Could you ever have imagined a world where the sight of someone with facial hair and a mortgage spending quality time with a good comic book would actually be considered cool? Welcome to the 21st century, a brave new world where comics have transcended puberty and become must-read…
SAT 12/11 Normally we wouldn’t recommend walking the streets of Cave Creek after dark, given the number of bikers — inebriated or otherwise — who frequent the hamlet’s roadhouses and saloons. But we’ll make an exception on Saturday, December 11, for the second annual Cave Creek Luminaria Run. More than…
Sat 12/4 Athletes of the Valley are probably used to navigating hazardous mountain terrain or dusty mountain trails, but could they manage climbing a 12-foot-high ramp covered with Crisco? Such obstacles await at the Phoenix Urban Adventure Race on Saturday, December 4, where — in addition to almost 25 miles…
Sun 11/28 There once was a time when silly things like the time of year and the weather announced the beginning of ski season. That was until 1949, the year Warren Miller released his first ski-related epic. In the more than half a century since, his work has served as…
In terms of sheer endurance, going clubbing in Scottsdale can be the social equivalent of an Ironman Triathlon. The pressure to see and be seen and to do so at your most beautiful can be exhausting, while the cost of a drink can leave you feeling as though you’ve been…
Sat 11/13 Looking back on the long and storied history of automobile culture, it’s safe to say no single decade mastered the art of the bold stroke more aptly than the 1950s. It was a time when real men were judged by the size of the flames on their side…
Arizona’s cowboy history and cactus-speckled landscape are permanent fixtures, so when we’re not grumbling about the kitschy paraphernalia and silly stereotypes that come attached, we might as well celebrate their presence. This year, we’re getting a little help from the experts at the Smithsonian Institution when Smithsonian magazine brings its…
Wed 11/3 With the D-Backs in freefall, the Cardinals in the basement, and the Coyotes involved in a lockout nobody cares about, the smart money is on the new and improved Phoenix Suns to reclaim their status as the big dogs of the Valley’s sports landscape. Just months removed from…
In October 1998, 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die in the town of Laramie because of his sexual orientation. The incident, which made headlines the world over, hit Tucson-based filmmaker Beverly Seckinger especially close to home. A…
Tue 11/2 For politically active artists (redundant, we know), the presidential election is a bit like the Super Bowl, sans the beer commercials. Perfect time to gather like minds around the tube with some snacks, sodas and, in this case, a night full of satire. While election-watching parties on Tuesday,…
10/23-10/24 Perhaps it’s because we appreciate the sheer everyday practicality of their design, or maybe they just appeal to our Wild West mentality. Whatever the case, Arizona has always served as a sort of unofficial Ground Zero for monster trucks and the people who love them. It’s all about the…
Sat 8/21 Existence, the Buddha says, is suffering; proof positive according to students of Eastern mysticism that he spends his Sundays moonlighting as an Arizona Cardinals fan. Despite an unrivaled string of losing seasons, hope once again springs eternal in Redbird Country, for from the ashes of the Stallings, Bugel,…
Sat 6/19 In the era of the ever-shortening attention span, what better sport to nominate as our national pastime than one that is over and done with in 10 seconds? Add in some righteous speed, cars that run on the equivalent of rocket fuel, and the ever-present potential for disaster,…
6/12-6/13 Even the most diehard gearhead would be hard-pressed to endure four hours of outdoor racing in the scorching furnace that is the Valley in June. But what if the action were moved indoors for 120 miles of driving — in which the competition was heated, but the climate remained…
Don’t abandon the links just because they’re hot. Night Clubbing Not long ago, an anonymous genius came up with the inspired idea of inserting a chemical glow stick into a golf ball, and in that moment night golf was born. In addition to cooler temperatures, night golf offers a more…
5/29-5/31 Save for Randy Johnson’s perfection, baseball fans in Arizona are in need of a Diamondback Fan Suicide Hotline. But as we head toward June and the D-Backs’ apparent swoon, we have an opportunity to remind ourselves why we loved America’s national pastime in the first place. Leave the $8…
Thu 5/20 Remember when the motorcycle was the ultimate symbol of outsider rebellion? Those who’ve grown up with a perception of the motorcycle as only slightly less threatening than the Toyota Corolla might be surprised to know that, once upon a time, bikes and those who rode them were actually…
4/30-5/5 Ask 10 revelers what event Cinco de Mayo pays homage to and, chances are, 11 of them would have no idea. Why sweat the details when the party extends from one end of the Valley to the other, and even underwater? The action promises to be bigger, better and…
Wed 4/21 “I prefer to write plays that fuck with the audience’s mind on the drive home afterwards,” says Chris Danowski, writer of ApoCalypso, Theater in My Basement’s latest surrealistic production. “I know when I see a play, I like to be bombarded with a lot of ideas, emotions and…
