In this week's issue, in his own, um, unique way, Tom Danehy weighs in on the Tim Hardaway/"I hate gay people" controversy.

Well, on ESPN.com's Page 2, NBA commentator Scoop Jackson—a longtime friend of Hardaway's—interviews Hardaway about his comments. It's a fascinating, revealing interview. If this is an issue you care about the slightest bit, I recommend you check it out.

News crews apparently flocked to a closed KFC/Taco Bell in NYC after people noticed rats havin' a grand ol' time through the restaurant's window. Watch the video; it's pretty disturbing.

Here are some events that were received too late to be included in our print issue:

• Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24

  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

  UA Modern Languages Building, Room 350

  UA Mall west of Cherry Avenue

  Improv Festival. Tucson's Gila Monster Improv Festival features artists including ColdTowne, JoKyR's WyLd, Bob Fisher, The Charles Darwin Experience, Comedy Corner and Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed. Free. Donations benefit the Tucson Community Food Band. Visit http://street-prov.com/gilamonster for info.

• Friday, Feb. 23, at 8:30 p.m.

  The Screening Room

  127 E. Congress St.

  Free Screening. Mustang Ironheart: Preludes of Iron, a 45-mintue satire of B-action movies, screens. The writer, director and actors will conduct a question-and-answer session. Visit www.mustangironheart.com for info.

• Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

  Beavers Band Box

  4570 E. Broadway Blvd.

  Musical Instrument Swap Meet. Bring all of your musical gear you want to sell, along with your own tables and chairs. Free. Call 325-1509 for info.

• Sunday, Feb. 25, from noon to 4 p.m.

  Jane Hamilton Fine Art Gallery

  1825 E. River Road.

  Painting Demonstration. Susan Evans will demonstrate her classic oil painting technique. Free. Call 529-4886 or visit www.janehamiltonfineart.com for info.

Something apparently went terribly wrong at the Tucson Rodeo Parade this morning, and as a result, a 5-year-old died. Here's coverage from the Star and Citizen.

I got an e-mail from a PR person yesterday that was interesting.

The e-mail touted Fon, a "Madrid-based 'social router' company." I took a quick look at Fon's Web site, and here's how (I think) it works: You buy a wi-fi router from Fon for about $30, and safely allow anybody nearby to use it for free. That way, the parts of the world with free wi-fi continue to grow. Nice!

The e-mail was specifically touting a different effort of Fon: Fonbucks. Fon is apparently giving free routers to people who live near Starbucks locations. Then, the router holders can charge Starbucks patrons $2 ($1 for Fon, and $1 for the router holder) to use their series of tubes Internet—whereas Starbucks can charge a ridiculous $10 or so.

Please keep in mind I have not verified any of this, so caveat emptor. I just thought it was interesting enough to share in a noncommittal sort of way.

Hey, kids: The new issue is online and ready for devouring! And if you have any readers' rants, by all means ... the comment section is yours!

OK, we all know the UA men's basketball team has been blowing chunks lately. They've lost two in a row, four of their last seven and are 5-8 since starting 12-1 and being ranked No. 7 in the country. They're now tied for fifth in the Pac-10 with an 8-7 conference record. They're as close to eighth place as they are to third place.

Yikes.

So ... what do the alleged media "experts" have to say about their tourney chances? Here are several opinions.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com's Bracketology has the UA as a No. 9 seed. Andy Glockner, ESPN.com's "Bubble Watch" writer, says:

Let me start off by saying there's no way Arizona would miss the NCAAs if selections were made today. That said, after getting swept at home by the L.A. schools, Arizona's now 1-7 against the four highest-rated Pac-10 schools (UCLA, USC, Wazzu and Oregon) and 5-8 in its last 13 games, including the disaster against North Carolina. The SOS is tops in the country, which is a huge part of their No. 10 RPI, but the final three are on the road. Arizona State is 0-14 in league play, but its last five losses are by a total of 20 points. Then 'Zona goes to the Bay Area. 9-9 probably is more than enough, but what happens if that also includes a quarterfinal loss in the Pac-10 tourney as a 5- or 6-seed, meaning the Cats would have lost 11 of their last 17? This has been an ugly ride for a team that beat UNLV, Louisville, Memphis, San Diego State and New Mexico State in nonconference play. Again, they deserve to get in, but what's the limit on benefit of the doubt?

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel also has them as a No. 9. He has this to say about the Pac-10:

What a bizarre week it was for USC (19-8, 9-5 in the Pac-10), which last Thursday scored its first win at Arizona in 21 years, then followed it up three nights later by falling at No. 230 Arizona State, which had entered the game on a 15-game losing streak. That one loss dropped the Trojans 13 spots in the RPI rankings, to No. 60, and from a five seed on my bracket to a No. 7. The Pac-10 isn't looking quite as imposing as it did earlier this season. While UCLA and Washington State remain solid top-three seeds, both USC and Stanford figure to fall somewhere between five and eight on the bracket, while Arizona and Oregon are in danger of falling into the bottom half.

What does this all mean? The UA, as of now, appears solid for making the NCAA tournament—but a collapse over their final three games (none of which will be easy: a road game at ASU—which beat USC three days after the Trojans throttled the Wildcats—followed by road games with Stanford and California) could doom them. Losing two of three would leave the Cats with a .500 conference record, and a sweep would have them 8-10. Then comes the Pac-10 tournament (something which I hate, by the way), which could save—or doom—Arizona's NCAA hopes.

Keep your fingers crossed, Wildcat fans.

Ray Ring, a former reporter for the Arizona Daily Star, is among the winners of the latest crop of George Polk awards. Ring, the "Northern Rockies Editor" for High Country News, won the political reporting award for a story on a campaign to destroy land-use planning through "takings" ballot initiatives. High Country News is a bi-weekly magazine that reports on the West's natural resources, public lands, and changing communities. The George Polk awards, among America's most coveted journalism honors, memorialize CBS correspondent George W. Polk, who was killed covering the civil war in Greece in 1948. Ring is also the author of a trio of noir-ish novels, Arizona Kiss, Telluride Smile, and Peregrine Dream, which can be found on the shelves of the local library or used bookstore.

WILLIE NELSON

DIAMOND CENTER AT DESERT DIAMOND CASINO

Sunday, Feb. 18

Willie Nelson was on my List of Performers I Want to See Before They and/or I Die before I attended his show last Sunday. Not only is his music legendary, but his willingness to stand up for righteous social causes (i.e., the promotion of biodiesel and drug-law reform) makes him even greater in my eyes—so much so that I can forgive him for The Dukes of Hazzard movie and for being a shill for the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain.

Now I can cross seeing Willie off my list, and while I can't say his show was flawless, I can say that I got goosebumps several times while watching the legend perform.

The median age of the crowd at the long-sold-out show at the Diamond Center was probably somewhere in the mid-50s, and they were a pretty mellow, albeit appreciative, bunch as Willie came on stage and launched into "Whiskey River." Cameras flashed all around the arena as Willie and his backup band—highlighted by the amazing Mickey Raphael on harmonica—played their set. Nelson seemed to rush the lyrics on a number of songs, as if he were in a hurry to get back on the biodiesel bus, but that didn't stop the aforementioned goosebumps on my arm from rising when Willie sang "Crazy," arguably Nelson's best-known song, thanks in large part to the late Patsy Cline.

Several more goosebump moments followed during the 100-plus-minute concert. How can you not be awed listening to Willie—as he strums his beat-up guitar, Trigger—go straight from "Blue Skies" into "Georgia on My Mind"?

While the classics delighted the audience the most, Willie seemed happiest while he was singing some of his newer songs, such as "Superman" (a humorous song off his 2005 iTunes Originals album, in which the now-73-year-old sings about trying to do too much with the help of "too many pain pills, too much pot") and "Back to Earth," which appears on last year’s Songbird and will be on Last of the Breed, an album by Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price slated for March release.

If you're kicking yourself for missing these goosebump moments, there's good news: Before the concert, it was announced that since this show sold out so quickly, Nelson will be back at the Desert Diamond Casino on Tuesday, May 1, with tickets going on sale April 2.

It appears that XM and Sirius are merging. I am cool with this, as long as they leave baseball and the dance stations on XM alone, dammit.