Last April’s playoff series between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Detroit Red Wings was a Rorschach test for Coyotes fans. For glass half-full types, the fact that Phoenix managed to take a perennial powerhouse like Detroit to a seventh game was proof that the team is finally heading in the…
There’s not much reason to think the Arizona Cardinals will win today’s game against the New Orleans Saints. When the teams met in last year’s divisional playoffs, the Saints knocked the Cards out of the postseason with a 45-14 drubbing. Since then, practically all the Redbirds have done is replace…
The question of whether Amar’e Stoudemire is a franchise player has divided basketball fans for years. While his ability to score has never been questioned, critics have always panned Stoudemire for his apparent inability (or unwillingness) to consistently pull down rebounds and play defense. This season, Phoenix Suns fans find…
It may be a German creation, but Oktoberfest fits right in with contemporary American culture. Most Americans already spend their weekends drinking beer or eating meaty foods, so a festival that provides a convenient excuse to do both is a pretty easy sell. This weekend, check out Tempe Oktoberfest. In…
If anyone has a right to hold a grudge, it’s Eva Mozes Kor. As a young child, Ms. Kor and her twin sister Miriam were victims of Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele’s barbaric experiments at Auschwitz. And yet, in spite of the atrocities committed against her, Ms. Kor has carved out…
If there’s one thing uniting the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s that neither team has accomplished much on the diamond this year. The Dodgers’ 2010 season will be best remembered for the uncomfortably public legal battle between owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife Jamie McCourt. This…
The Oakland Raiders have been arguably the worst team in the NFL for the last seven years. Plagued by a series of terrible draft picks, ill-advised free agency signings, and mediocre head coaches, the Silver and Black have averaged just 4 wins per season since their loss in Super Bowl…
At this time last year, most pundits predicted that the Phoenix Coyotes be a mess both on and off the ice. But against all odds, they banded together and made an improbable playoff run that would have made Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn proud. This season, the Coyotes appear to be…
If the Arizona Diamondbacks can improve next year, it will be fitting that they open their last homestand of this miserable season against the same Colorado Rockies that started Arizona’s recent downward spiral. Ever since the Rockies swept AZ in the 2007 NLCS, things have been downright painful for the…
You may not be a fan of the sexy vampire/werewolf/zombie genre (otherwise known as contemporary fantasy), but it’s hard to hate on the “Smart Chicks Kick It” Tour. Too often, book signings are overt money grabs, so it’s refreshing to see one that isn’t. Organized independently by a group of…
It’s easy to talk about what Arizona doesn’t have, but sometimes it’s good to focus on the positive. On one hand, Arizona lacks things like salt shops or fall. On the other, the state is blessed with a vibrant professional wrestling community. The crown jewel of that community is Elite…
Because folks take politics personally, that makes political activism a tough sell. However, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange’s “Fight Censorship Month” is that rare political endeavor that you can openly support without weirding out your friends and family. On top of that, supporting the shop’s stand for free speech is as easy…
Because folks take politics personally, that makes political activism a tough sell. However, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange’s “Fight Censorship Month” is that rare political endeavor that you can openly support without weirding out your friends and family. On top of that, supporting the shop’s stand for free speech is as easy…
The Arizona Diamondbacks may not win a lot of games, but they understand how to serve revenge. In July, the D-backs had a chance to damage the playoff hopes of their hated rivals, the San Francisco Giants. The fact that the Diamondbacks proceeded to drop four straight games to San…
With real unemployment hovering near 20 percent, there is nothing in sports more accessible to the common fan than the last game of the NFL preseason. While the established stars don baseball caps and feign interest, the men on the field know that one big play or horrible mistake could…
Rob Dyrdek spent 6 years trying to revolutionize skateboarding and he’s confident that the end result “will redefine the way skateboarding competitions are done forever.” Said innovation is a real-time scoring system that he promises will keep tensions high as it forces the skaters to use more competition-savvy strategy. Dyrdek’s…
Celebrating Mardi Gras is fun, but the annual debauchery in New Orleans (and resultant shame) can be a bit much. The key to toning things down is celebrating months in advance. Clean the puke and blood stains out of your best Mardi Gras outfit and drive out to Salt River…
Three years ago, Carlos Gonzalez was one of the most prized prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system. Today, the 25-year-old outfielder is one of the few true five-tool players in baseball. He leads his team in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, runs batted in, home runs, and stolen…
Phoenix native Joe “Diesel” Riggs has seen his share of ups and downs during his fighting career, but most of them have come at his weigh-ins. The Cactus High School alumnus has fought as a 300-pound heavyweight, a 170-pound welterweight, and at virtually everything in between. “Diesel” – fighting at…
The Arizona Cardinals are an unknown commodity this year. The lynchpin of their offense, quarterback Kurt Warner, has retired, leaving former golden boy Matt Leinart to step in. There’s no guarantee that the Cards will be the gun-slinging team they once were, which is why their preseason opener against the…
If there’s one thing Phoenix sports fans are great at, it’s making excuses for our teams’ poor play. We’re all too happy to believe in the Boogeyman, whether he’s described as a substandard stadium, injuries, or – in the case of the Arizona Diamondbacks – a low payroll. The San…
It’s always wonderful when something thrives in a hostile environment — that’s why you’re especially fond of that one cousin who turned out normal even though your aunt and uncle are both fat and weird. This is also why we’re watching the Arizona Rattlers’ regular-season finale against the Iowa Barnstormers…
