Here’s what went down Tuesday on G&A…

Sinking Fast - Your Arizona Diamondbacks were embarrassed last night by the Reds at Chase Field to fall to 13-20 on the season  - dead last in the NL West. Ash thinks the season is all, but over. Gambo thinks there’s still hope, but AJ Hinch’s squad need to string together some wins. John is encouraged by the progress at the plate of Eric Byrnes, but knows it’s time for someone to step up and kick some motivation into this team. Mark is disgusted by the Snakes play, and Valley sports in general, sans the NFC Champion Cardinals. This team has given us nothing to be excited for in the first 33 games. Is it safe to say this season is over? We took calls.

Good friend of the program, former Diamondbacks voice, now Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman joined us. He shared his thoughts on Cincinnati’s solid start to the season, the play of Micah Owings who came over in the Adam Dunn deal, and where it all went wrong for the D-backs in the first month of the season.

Homecoming - Former farmhand and D-backs pitcher Micah Owings is scheduled to take the hill tonight for the Reds. He was part of the Adam Dunn deal last year. Owings has been known more for his bat than his arm, but are the D-backs having second thoughts about letting him go? G&A agree Owings need to develop more as a starter, but wonder if the Snakes will regret this trade in a few years.

Suns head coach Alvin Gentry joined us to discuss becoming the club’s permanent head coach, the upcoming draft, the team’s offseason needs moving forward, and the on-going playoff series around the NBA. He said he will stress better defense, but won’t slow down the “Seven Seconds or Shaq” approach. He also hinted Amare Stoudemire might still be a Phoenix Sun next season despite all the trade rumors.

No Challenges Yet - The Cavs completed their second consecutive playoff sweep-taking out the Hawks last night in Atlanta. Some feel these “easy” games will come back to haunt Cleveland as the post-season unfolds. Gambo doesn’t seem to think. Ash feels LeBron and Company is destined to win it all. If they don’t, will Shaq be on their offseason radar? Deadline rumors back in February had Shaq headed to Cleveland for Wally Szczerbiak and/or Ben Wallace and a 1st-round pick. Would the Cavs been this dominate with O’Neal in the lineup? The guys debated and took calls.

Rocket Launches - Embattled pitcher Roger Clemens spoke out today on ESPN Radio saying he never used steroids and the allegations against him are false. He also said friend and former teammate Andy Petitte “mis-remembered” their conversation about drugs. Clemens said he would never touch steroids because his family has a history of heart problems. One person is The Rockets’ step father. Oh, that makes sense Roger. The guys agree he’s a joke. Who is he fooling or in this case, trying to fool? Will a lie detector test help prove his innocence? If so, would you ultimately believe him or still be skeptical?

Post-Season Drama - The Nuggets-Mavs series has taken a bizarre twist with a series of off-the-court sub-plots including Mark Cuban threatening Kenyon Martin’s mom and Nuggets executive Rex Chapman calling the setting “hostile” and comparing the atmosphere in American Airlines Arena to a game he once attended in Belgrade which included throwing chairs and setting off flairs. Although Cuban apologized (in a blog, of course), Gambo is sick of the circus act surrounding the Dallas owner. The novelty has worn off. He feels K-Mart should not accept his apology and olive branch of having Martin’s family sit in his personal suite if the series extends to a 6th game. Ash says the best way for K-Mart and the Nuggets to end all this controversy is to end the series in Denver tomorrow night. He also thinks Cuban is frustrated by his teams’ recent lack of success-especially in the playoffs.

We were joined by Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton. “J-Up” hit a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. He is hitting .307 with seven homers and 18 RBI’s. He talked about playing for AJ Hinch and how, even during his recent tear, he’s still learning from at-bat to at-bat. Upton has also shown great strides in the outfielder.

Compare and Contrast - Justin Upton is starting to develop into one of the best young players in baseball. G&A hope he remains grounded even with continued success as his game matures with more MLB experience. Gambo thinks the kid is for real. Who does Upton remind you of? We took calls.

 

 Justin Upton [10:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (36)

 

 Alvin Gentry [13:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (34)

 

 Thom Brennaman [12:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (32)