GONE DOWN

I see it now. The Suns are not going to win an NBA title this year. The task simply isn’t possible. The Suns are good. On some nights, very good. But they are not quite good enough. When you reach the playoffs, only nine men can play effectively. And the…

THE LAST DAYS OF TAMMY GENTRY

The Gentrys have photo albums full of pictures of their daughter Tammy. In many of the photos, smiling, cute-as-can-be Tammy wears across her upper body a ribbon with the words “March of Dimes.” Her tiny legs barely dangle over the seat of her wheelchair. Tammy was 8 years old when…

ARIZONA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM IS READY FOR REFORM SCHOOL

This is an article about education reform in Arizona. It contains opinions on complex issues, profound sociological theories, colorful political bickering and, most impressive, statistics. For example, literacy researchers claim that less than 30 percent of Americans are capable of reading a long newspaper feature story to its completion. So…

SIEGE, SIEGE, SENOR

Residents along a sleepy stretch of Cochise County’s border with Mexico are literally up in arms over seven robberies by hooded, armed men who have broken into homes to terrorize and plunder. Politicos and a legion of border lawmen are clamoring to stop the marauders. Although nobody has been killed…

BATON ROGUES

Sarah Stephens had good reason to be confident on April 17, the day she auditioned to be a baton twirler with the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band. After all, the 18-year-old is a twirling champ–recognized nationally, secure in the upper echelon of her sport. During a competition just…

SUNDAY IN THE LOCKER ROOM WITH CHARLES

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. sign above Charles Barkley’s dressing stall Here comes Charles Barkley. He seems almost eerily calm. It is 90 minutes before the start of last Sunday’s fifth and deciding game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns’ locker room is quiet. On…

THE BOB CRANE MURDER CASE PART TWO

Victoria Berry had been touring for months with Bob Crane in Beginner’s Luck when the play landed in Scottsdale in June 1978. The Australia-born actress–then 28–had been seeking stardom for years, to no avail. As always, Hollywood had more than enough busty blondes, and Berry’s efforts largely failed, despite some…

A FINE MESS

Unpaid traffic fines? In the event you can lay low for five years, the Phoenix Municipal Court will clear them from your record. Didn’t pay your water bill? Stay out of sight of the water department for 150 days and you’re scot-free. The City of Phoenix regularly removes delinquent accounts…

THE MOST POPULAR MAN IN PHOENIX

I remember: All season long, the writers came from all over, from Germany and France and even New York City. They came from the New York Times, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Newsday and the Chicago Tribune. In the NBA, it was like a visit to Mecca. They all…

INDECENT PROPOSALS:

What if Fife Symington paid Annette Alvarez $1 million to have sex with him? What if Fife Symington paid you $1 million to have sex with him? What if Annette Alvarez paid Fife Symington $1 million to have sex with her? What if Ann Symington paid Fife Symington $1 million…

THE BOB CRANE MURDER CASE PART ONE

It is 1969, the year of Woodstock, a man on the moon, the miracle Mets and Chappaquiddick. Two middle-aged buddies turn on a tape recorder and discuss their favorite subject–women and how to snag them. The conversation is ostensibly an “interview” for a Los Angeles singles magazine. John Carpenter is…

HIGH-TECH’S MISSING LINK

James J. Dilettoso stomps bandy-legged through a field in South Phoenix. The sheer volume of his graying ponytail seems to bend his whole body forward as he puffs furiously on a cigarette. The field has been recently plowed under; there’s not a blade of grass clear down to the canal…

ARIZONA’S BETTOR SITES

You want action, baby? Arizona’s got it. From Prescott to Tucson, suckers are throwing their money away on slots, cards and high-stakes bingo. Some of the casinos operate round-the-clock. Others attract rotating hordes of bingo addicts from lunchtime til deep into the night. All are located on Indian land, just…

MURDER TRIAL? WHAT MURDER TRAIL?

Perhaps it has finally ended. I have some irreverent and possibly unprofessional things to say about this haunting murder trial: All during Max Dunlap’s trial for the murder of Don Bolles, the Arizona Republic gave more space and more enthusiastic coverage in its news pages to the Rodney King case…

CONTENDERS NO MORE

This is the silent season for Suns fans. It is a time for gnawing doubt and fear. Charles Barkley’s shoulder injury has revealed more than Suns loyalists ever wanted to know about their team’s limitations. Here’s what it comes down to. Remove Barkley from the lineup, and the Suns are…

READING THE RANGE

There is a new, Phoenix-produced television show that is witty, informative and, most surprising of all, telecast on KAET. The Valley’s PBS outlet, Channel 8, has long been recognized for its local lineup of dull talking heads. Is there a sauna bench in any YMCA more stultifying than KAET’s Horizon…