Visit the web site of comedian Bill Engvall and you’ll be greeted with a message proclaiming that you’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for squeaky clean standup. There’s no punch-line to that joke. The former sitcom star and Blue Collar Comedy Tour participant prides himself on a…
Arizona State University faculty advisor Michael Stancliff is as excited about social networking as that aunt of yours who just discovered how to put photos of her prized poodle up on Facebook. Stancliff says that “justice work happens along paths of activity and organization that are dynamically at work in…
Arizona State University faculty advisor Michael Stancliff is as excited about social networking as that aunt of yours who just discovered how to put photos of her prized poodle up on Facebook. Stancliff says that “justice work happens along paths of activity and organization that are dynamically at work in…
If you’re checking the NHL’s Western Conference standings, be sure not to blink. A couple of weeks ago, the Phoenix Coyotes were one of the top teams in the conference and were jockeying for home field advantage in the playoffs. After two weeks of mediocre results, the Desert Dogs now…
On paper, the only differences between Suns point guard Aaron Brooks and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets are about four months, half an inch, and ten pounds. It’s the gap on the court that has Brooks seeking to restart a once-promising career as Steve Nash’s understudy in Phoenix,…
Most people wouldn’t have any trouble fitting their entire life story into one autobiographical book. The fact that Maya Angelou has managed to write six autobiographies—while gathering critical acclaim for other endeavors along the way—is indicative of the life she’s lived. In her 82 years, Angelou has been (in no…
Whether you’re retired, on break, or just lazy, the middle of March is the perfect time to avoid work while checking out the Arizona Cactus League, which continues from Thursday, March 10, through Wednesday, March 16. Some standout match-ups include Friday’s Cubs-White Sox battle for Windy City supremacy at Camelback…
The stats say that the Phoenix Coyotes are average; they have an unimpressive goal differential and their performance on power plays has been mediocre. What’s put the Valley’s pro hockey team near the top of the standings is their uncanny ability to scratch out close wins. The Detroit Red Wings…
It seems like every November we swear off baseball for good, only to find ourselves excited four months later when the whole thing starts up again. This year’s respite between seasons is almost over. Pitchers and catchers reported last week, most teams’ first full workouts take place today, and from…
Forget the mystique surrounding October. February is the best month to be a baseball fan. Because by the time the fall classic rolls around, all but a handful of teams will have fallen by the wayside and you’ll be reduced to hoping that the Yankees don’t win another title. On…
There are a lot of unfair stereotypes about sports followers, but no group gets a worse rap than NASCAR fans. It’s said that if the left-turn circuit stops in your town, you can expect a bunch of truck-driving, chaw-loving country folk to show up on Sunday for the race. This…
It’s hard to hate on Channing Frye. The Phoenix Suns’ center is a local boy, and he seems like a nice guy. The ugly truth, however, is that Frye’s softness has been a liability to a team that has found itself in the thick of a playoff race, thanks to…
It seems like every November we swear off baseball for good, only to find ourselves excited four months later when the whole thing starts up again. This year’s respite between seasons is almost over. Pitchers and catchers reported last week, most teams’ first full workouts take place today, and from…
If there’s one thing that you can set your watch to in the NBA, it’s that the Golden State Warriors will live or die with an up-tempo offense keyed by a star guard. In the ‘90s, Tim Hardaway led the charge. In the ‘00s, Baron Davis. This decade, it appears…
When thinking of iconic basketball players, your mind turns to guys who hooped for the Lakers, Celtics, or Bulls. One team that doesn’t cross your mind is the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that’s likely to change soon thanks to Kevin Durant. The 22-year-old forward already has a league scoring title…
Super Bowl weekend is the most exciting time for Phoenix-area sports fans, mostly because jock and jockettes can spend four straight days drunk off their asses from the, um, professional sports entertainment that’s on display. This weekend, the Waste Management Phoenix Open goes off at the Tournament Players Club of…
When the Phoenix Suns traded for Vince Carter last month, many people (us included) assumed that the aging superstar was coming to the desert to die. Instead, the shooting guard/small forward has improved steadily since joining the team while being instrumental in helping the Suns piece together a respectable January…
The Jack in the Box Celebrity Shootout describes itself as “the gold standard of celebrity basketball games,” which, if true, is a good thing, because, you know, there are simply too many second-rate celebrity basketball games out there nowadays. The tenth-annual edition could also be described as the Schrödinger’s cat…
On November 20, the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Phoenix Suns 123-105. Watching that game, it was easy to predict that the Suns would be a different franchise (which they now are) by the time the two teams squared off again. What turned out to be a shocker was the change…
How big deal is the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction to Scottsdale? Important enough that Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane named the week of January 17 through 23 “Barrett-Jackson Week” in honor of the company’s 40th annual event. This year’s auction figures to live up to the honor. The shindig will…
It’s almost impossible to bring up the Portland Trail Blazers without talking about what could have been. Portland fans have gotten used to not seeing former top pick Greg Oden sit on the bench. Now, it appears that their star player – 26 year-old guard Brandon Roy – might never…
Chad Reed is the youngest over-the-hill superstar you’ll see in any sport not called gymnastics. Read just about any preview of this year’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championships, and you’ll get a strong impression that the two-time winner is in the twilight of his career. Hell, even the circuit’s official…
