Here’s what went down Thursday on Gambo & Ash…

Welcome Home…The Diamondbacks announced they, along with the Colorado Rockies, will be moving their spring training facilities to The 101 and Indian Bend in north Scottsdale.  Both teams will begin Cactus League play there in 2011.  Gambo reported the state-of-the-art stadium will seat 11,000 and feature plenty of practice fields.  G&A love the move, especially with easy access from The 101 in several different directions.  Ash questioned if the team may miss the “bonding time” of playing in a different city each February and March.  Gambo is happy spring training will be out of Tucson in the next couple years.

Fields of Dreams…Not only will the Diamondbacks new facility be great for the team, but it will help the community, as well.  First, it won’t cost taxpayers a dime and second, the practice fields will be used to host little league and Pop Warner teams from around The Valley.  Ash loves the fact that Maricopa County is now the predominant home for spring training fans everywhere, especially with the addition of the Dodgers in Glendale.  In 2011, The Valley could host up to nine spring training games a day.

TW atop the leadership…59-year-old Tom Watson is near the top of the British Open leaderboard after 1st-round play Thursday afternoon.  G&A are fascinated by how the cagey Watson has resurfaced on the scene.  Both agree it will be extremely tough for Watson to continue this pace over the weekend, especially with the weather not expected to cooperate like it did Thursday in Turnberry, Scotland.

Tiger’s Troubles…Tiger Woods had a rough opening-round day at Turnberry, shooting a 71 which - included 4 bogeys.  G&A concur although Tiger is off the pace, he will certainly make plenty of noise by the end of the weekend.  Ash knows he’ll be watching closely to see how Phil Mickelson performs since the British has never been too kind to “Lefty” in the past.

Suns Summer Watch…Although the Suns lost their Vegas Summer League game Wednesday, the club was encouraged with the play of rookie Earl Clark - who made his debut with 13 points and 12 rebounds.  John is keeping a close eye on Robin Lopez.

Looking for Work…The latest on the NBA free-agency market including how Lamar Odom and the Miami Heat could be reunited.  If Odom leaves, the Lakers could shift their focus to Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith or Drew Gooden for front-court depth to complement Pao Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Two Games for Taurasi…Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA star Diana Taurasi was suspended the next two games Thursday stemming from an extreme DUI arrest in central Phoenix earlier this month.  Gambo applauds the suspension, knowing Taurasi must pay the consequences for her poor decision - especially with a two-game suspension.  Ash compared Taurasi’s DUI to Suns’ guard Jason Richardson’s, who got one game for excessive speeding and not having his three-year-old in a car seat.  Although both acts are unacceptable, Mark feels J-Rich’s may have endangered more people than Taurasi’s.  He knows the stand up Taurasi will learn from her mistake.

We caught up with Goldwater Institute Attorney CARRIE ANN SITREN who is working closely with the Coyotes and the city of Glendale.  She explained how the possibility of the Coyotes leaving could hit Glendale taxpayers extremely hard in the coming years.  Citren said we may know as early as mid-August if a new ownership group intends to keep the Desert Dogs in Phoenix on a long-term basis.  You can go to goldwaterinstutute.org for more information on the developing events.

UofA TV…It was recently announced UofA will be starting their own sports television network this fall.  An extended schedule of Wildcat games will be televised including football and basketball games that won’t be picked up by ESPN or Fox Sports Net.  Mark knows this is going to cost the school plenty (around $1 million a year) which may lead to a bumpy start.  On the flip-side, UofA could be looking at long-term financial success if they lay the foundation properly from the start.  Gambo feels this will benefit ASU as well because Sun Devil fans won’t have to compete with conflicting UofA games in the same window on networks like Fox Sports Arizona.

Fox Sports Arizona Senior Vice President MIKE CONNELLY joined the guys to discuss UofA’s decision to branch off of FSA and develop their own brand of television.  Connelly said the network could only offer UofA so much and knows successfully starting and running a sports television network is no easy task.  He expects the new network to be hit hardest when their games will only be seen in parts of Arizona and not regionally like they were on FSA.

Power Struggle…The Cardinals announced they will run concessions at University of Phoenix to help save money for the TSA.  This makes John Junker and the folks at The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl none too happy.  Gambo feels this is a shrewd move by Mike Bidwill and the Cards stand to pockets millions from this development.  Ash, a long-time Cardinal season-ticket holder, knows this really means just one thing:  higher food and beverage prices at the games.

We were joined by former Chandler Hamilton High and Arizona State star, now Pro-Bowl linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, TERRELL SUGGS.  “T-Sizzle” discussed his new 6-year, $63 million contract he signed Wednesday, being a key part of the Ravens’ devastating defense, his affinity for movies and former teammate, the late Steve McNair.

Terrell Suggs told Gambo & Ash Thursday that Cards’ linebacker Karlos Dansby would be smart to stay with the NFC Champions if the two parties can reach a fair deal.  Gambo says the Cards may have to deal a piece (Darnell Dockett?) to free up salary space to re-sign Dansby.  The Ravens had to part ways with linebacker Bart Scott to clear salary space for “T-Sizzle.”  Mark is certain Dansby would like to be courted like the high-profile free-agents usually are.

Nash News…Gambo reported the Suns and Steve Nash are closing in on a 2-year extension.  John is thinking it could be an $11-12 million extension for the 2-time MVP.  There has been a number of offers and counter-offers between the Suns and his agent Bill Duffy.  Ash is fine with the reported terms of the deal because it’s fair value for a quality player like Nash.  That being said, Mark still feels it would be in the club’s best interest to deal him while his value is still relatively high.

 

 Carrie Ann Sitren [11:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (13)

 

 Mike Connelly [7:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (19)

 

 Terrell Suggs [13:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (15)