Here’s what went down Wednesday on G&A.

Abbreviated edition following day baseball at Chase Field…

Good Finish - The D-backs finished off their homestand spanking the Cubs this afternoon at Chase Field. G&A are encouraged by what they’re starting to see on the field-more patience at the plate, stealing bases, playing with poise. Although few are excited about their 9-12 record, the Snakes are starting to see slow improvement across the board. Justin Upton is starting to hit - he batted .333 on the homestand with 3 homers, 2 doubles, and 7 RBI’s. We took calls.

We were joined by Cardinals 4th-round pick Greg Toler. Toler, from tiny St. Paul’s College in Virginia, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash in the wind and ran during his pro day, is expected to compete for the 4th cornerback spot after Rod Hood was released yesterday. He wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Toler talked about growing up without a father-who was in jail, playing semi-pro football, struggling with academics in high school, and making ends meet by working at JC Penney.

Making Ends Meet - G&A were beyond impressed by 4th-round draft pick Greg Toler. Gambo thinks this is the type of player sports fans root for-selfless, honest, and determined to make it in the NFL. Ash thinks Toler will fit in well here in Arizona having to compete against Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (maybe) in practice every day. Mark thinks talent can be found everywhere-even tiny St. Paul’s College. Gambo doesn’t know if Toler can play, but with blazing speed he’s worth a shot-especially in the 4th round.

 

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Here’s what went down Monday on G&A…

Pleasant Surprise - The Cardinals have a new running back and his name is Chris “Beanie” Wells. The former Ohio State star landed at the 31sr overall pick and Gambo & Ash are stoked. Although Ash hates Ohio State, he knows Wells will be a good fit and thinks this will take some of the pressure off Tim Hightower. G&A know this pick means the end for Edgerrin James and Gambo feels he could be released as early as Tuesday.

We were joined by the Cardinals 1st-round pick, Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, who was selected 31st overall Saturday. Wells rushed for 3,382 yards and 30 touchdowns-averaging 5.8 yards per carry during his 3-year career in Columbus. Beanie said he is going to play with a chip on his shoulder after sliding to the end of 1st round and is anxious to learn the Cards’ offense and get started at mini camp later this week.

Lack of Interest - The draft is over and Anquan Boldin is still a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The guys agree this must have been a tough pill to swallow for Boldin who hasn’t, as of yet, gotten the trade he requested. Ash thinks the Cards come forward with a new, salary-increased deal, he should take it without hesitation. Gambo believes this is a serious blow to Q’s ego-that no team, even the Titans with a late 1st-round pick, wouldn’t package together a deal for the Pro-Bowler. He has no leverage and really, as this point, no where to go for the next two years. G&A agree Q needs to play hard, try to avoid injury, and hope for a new deal in two years when he becomes a free-agent at the age of 30. ESPN reported this afternoon that the Bears made an offer for Boldin before the draft.

Gambo & Ash also caught up with 6th-round pick Will Davis from Illinois. The former defensive end will be moved to outside linebacker-his specialty is rushing the passer. Davis talked about playing against his now new teammate Beanie Wells in the Big 10. He discussed his career with the Ilini-where he started as a wide receiver, and hitting a bird while driving around this weekend before the draft-it was a cardinal. The bird lived.

Not-so Happy Homecoming - Randy Johnson made his return to Chase Field over the weekend as a member of the Giants. Big Unit struggled-walking 7 in a no-decision, but that wasn’t the big story Saturday night. The most famous D-back in franchise history was sort of booed-sort of cheered-sort of ignored when he took the hill. Gambo is outraged the 37,000 in attendance didn’t step up and “say thanks” for helping bring a World Series Championship to Arizona. Ash wonders if Unit, who never related to the fans here, might have got a dose of his own medicine on Saturday. We took calls.

Tuesday we’ll be joined by D-backs’ skipper Bob Melvin, Cubs’ analyst Bob Brenly, and ESPN baseball insider Tim Kurkjian

 

 Beanie Wells [12:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (81)

Here’s what went down Thursday on G&A

Goodbye Prom, Hello Europe - Top high school recruit Jeremy Tyler is skipping his senior year and will play professionally overseas before entering the NBA draft in 2011.  The 6’11 center from San Diego, who signed with Rick Pitino at Louisville, is expected to be a top pick in 2011.  Gambo & Ash wonder if this is right decision for several reasons.  Why can’t Tyler play one more season and “experience” high school before playing at The ‘Ville for a season and cashing it in in the NBA?  Ash wonders if Jeremy is mature enough to handle playing overseas at the ripe old age of 17.  Will this start a trend which was initially set by former UofA recruit Brandon Jennings?  What’s next-skipping all four years of high school?  Will this help mature Tyler-or simply rob him of playing for a great college coach (Rick Pitino) in a great conference (The Big East) for a season or maybe two?  We took calls.

We were joined by James Tyler, whose son Jeremy, made national headlines yesterday when the high school junior declared he will skip his senior year at San Diego High to play professional basketball in Europe.  The 6’11 Tyler, who initially committed to Louisville, is expected to be a high-lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  He said this was strictly a basketball decision and feels his son is ready for a more mature playing, and living, environment, overseas.  Tyler said that if we can send a kid overseas to fight in a war, why not to play basketball?

Former UofA assistant, now the head basketball coach of the Memphis Tigers Josh Pastner joined us.  The 31-year old takes over for John Calipari, who left for Kentucky.  Pastner, one of the best young recruiters in the country, discussed his first head coaching gig and yesterday’s news that top prep player Jeremy Tyler will skip his senior year of high school to play professional ball in Europe.  Pastner helped recruit fellow prep star Brandon Jennings to UofA before he chose a pro career in Italy.  He said he learned how to coach “the right way” from Calipari and Lute Olson.

ASU Director of Athletics Lisa Love checked in to share her thoughts on Tyler skipping his final season of high school to play basketball in Europe, the 29-8 Sun Devil baseball team - who plays a three-game series at Cal starting tomorrow, and everything else making news around Tempe.

Busted - Former Jags receiver Jimmy Smith is in trouble-big trouble.  He was pulled over and busted in Jacksonville and found with crack and pot.  Nice.  He was initially pulled over for excessive window tint.  Smith faces multiple drug charges, on top of the fact that he was driving with a suspended license.  G&A wonder why Smith didn’t just do drugs somewhere else…like his house.  Gambo, the almost-former-New York cop, says a luxury vehicle with extremely dark tint is a red flag for officers who are on duty.

Our baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian checked in for his weekly visit to discuss the latest news surrounding the Diamondbacks, a possible Cliff Lee trade from Cleveland, the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals, Gary Sheffield’s Hall-of-Fame chances, and what’s going on with David Ortiz in Beantown?

Small Papi - David Ortiz is struggling.  The Red Sox slugger has yet to hit a homerun this season after a poor postseason performance last fall.  Tim Kurkjian says Ortiz can’t do what he once did better than anyone in baseball - hit the fastball.  He is coming off wrist surgery, but G&A wonder if he can’t get in better shape and how much not having Manny Ramirez in the lineup is hurting him?  Is the 33-year-old already on the downside of his career?

Mr. Big Shot - The Nuggets are cruising right now after spanking the Hornets again last night in Denver.  The guys debated if Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith and the gang can put a scare into the Lakers if they meet in the Western Conference Finals.  They also previewed Thursday’s pivotal Celtics-Bulls Game 3 in Chicago.  Gambo is slowly gaining interest in the playoffs after initially thinking otherwise.

Tim Legler from ESPN broke down the first round of the playoffs including Chauncey Billups’ impressive play for the Nuggets, the intriguing Chicago-Boston series, and told us what makes Rookie of the Year Derek Rose so good.  One word-maturity.

Gonzo! - Pro-Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez is now a member of the Atlanta Falcons.  The former Chief was dealt for a 2nd-round pick in next years’ draft.  Gambo is bummed because he thought the future hall-of-famer would be a perfect fit in Ken Whisenhunt’s offense.  Ash loves this deal for the Falcons, who are now even more of a Super Bowl threat in the NFC.  Whiz told G&A earlier in the week that he’s been happy with the progress of the club’s receivers.  The guys discussed how this may affect Todd Haley’s first draft in Kansas City.

New Trade Prospect - The Tennessee Titans now have Anquan Boldin on their radar.  They are “monitoring” the situation with the draft just two days away.  The Titans have 10 total picks this weekend, including the 30th overall.  John would like to see LenDale White in a Red Birds’ uniform if the trade is done.  Ash thinks the Titans would be a good fit for Q because they need a go-to receiver and assistant head coach Dave McGinnis drafted Boldin back in 2003.  Ash is thinking Anquan will eventually land in Philly.

Friday:  Complete draft coverage…we’ll be joined by ESPN’s Mark May & Mark Schlereth 

 

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 Tim Legler [11:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)

Here’s what went down Tuesday on G&A …

One Game at a Time - The D-backs got back in the win column last night beating the Rockies 6-3. The guys are somewhat encouraged by the fact the bats awoke-at least for one game, but are only cautiously optimistic playing well against a below-average team like the Rockies. How long will the learning curve take at the plate for younger players like Chris Young, Justin Upton, and Mark Reynolds?

Diamondbacks 3rd baseman Mark Reynolds checked in to discuss their 6-3 win over the Rockies last night at Chase Field. Reynolds went 2-3, including his 3rd homer and first double of the season while driving in two. He said staying patient at the plate and getting ahead in the count is going to important for him to raise his average, and hopefully, cut down on his strikeouts.

Fantasy Basketball - You are starting your own NBA team and you can hand-pick any player in the league. Gambo said he might take recently named Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. He cited his freakish athletic skills and improving range around the hoop as his game develops. Ash is a big Howard fan, but likes LeBron James’ game just a little more. John says youth and defensive skills are important when thinking about building around one player. Mark still thinks no one beats BronBron. We took calls.

No Easy Layups - Dallas center Erick Dampier reportedly told Spurs point guard Tony Parker before last night’s game that his first foul on Parker would land him on his butt. G&A love the tough, playoff-intense attitude of Dampier, even if Parker went off to score 38 and the Spurs evened the series at one apiece. The guys agree this was the type of mindset the Suns needed in recent postseason match-ups with San Antonio.

Florida high school pitcher throws 4-straight no-hitters - A Tampa Bay prep pitcher has signed with the Florida Gators but may jump straight to the pros. The guys wonder if Patrick Schuster will turn out to be a great pro pitcher or the next Danny Almonte or Brien Taylor. The latter two were high school or youth pitchers who were hailed as the “next best thing” only to flame out later.

Former UofA offensive tackle Eben Britton joined us with the upcoming draft just around the corner. Britton is expected to be a 1st or early 2nd-round pick and has been compared by scouts to the Browns’ Joe Thomas. The All Pac-10 1st-teamer led the conference with 111 knockdown blocks and was penalized just 4 times in 2,461 career snaps with the ‘Cats. He said he was happy to help put Arizona football back on the map this past season and “might cry” when his name is called Saturday. He has taken visits to Buffalo and Minnesota among others.

Shut Up and Play - Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown wants more money-even though he has multiple years left on his deal. Brown either wants more money or to be traded-it appears Eagles management will do neither and Gambo loves it. Ash agrees Philly is smart not to be bullied around and wonder if the Cards will take the same approach with Anquan Boldin. Ash is OK with the Cards ripping up his deal and starting over-as long as it’s within reason. Gambo can’t see this happening because Q is still under contract with Arizona.

Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt joined us to discuss a possible Anquan Boldin trade and preview this weekend’s NFL draft. The Red Birds have the 32nd overall pick in the first round Saturday. Whiz will broke down the “need” areas for the NFC Champions-specifically running back and speed rusher and when asked if Anquan Boldin would be a Cardinal Monday, he said “yes.”

To Trade or Not to Trade - When asked by Ash this afternoon if Boldin would be a Cardinal Whiz said definitively “Yes.” He said the club has fielded several calls, but no concrete offers. Gambo still thinks a deal will get done, but Ash isn’t so sure. That being said, John only wants Q gone if the deal makes sense for the Birds. Ash wonders how possibly re-signing Q will trickle down to other player contracts who want more cash (Darnell Dockett). We took calls.

 

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Here’s what went down Monday on G&A

No O - The Diamondbacks fell to 4-8 following yesterday’s 2-0 loss to the Giants. The D-backs scored a grand total of 2 runs in the 3-game series. They’ve scored just 6 runs in the last 53 innings. Dan Haren is 0-3 with an ERA of 1.89. Gambo is annoyed at the approach of the Diamondback hitters - especially the younger players like Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton, and Chris Young. Ash knows the young kids are pressing and that’s certainly not helping matters but with the Dodgers continuing to win, the time is now, even this early in the season, to start stringing together wins before the season is lost. Mark wants to see more fire from this team-starting with bench coach Kirk Gibson. Gambo thinks some of Josh Byrnes’ recent deals (Carlos Quentin, Emilio Bonifacio, among others) are coming back to hurt this team-especially the Quentin deal who continues to rake for the White Sox (7 homers already this season). He went so far as to say bringing Luis Gonzalez and his steady bat back to the D-backs’ lineup might help the team and, in essence, the younger players around him.

The 500 Club - Gary Sheffield hit his 500th career homerun Friday night as a member of the New York Mets. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian says Sheff deserves to make the HOF-but G&A question how much steroids (Sheffield says he didn’t know what he was taking) will play a part in all this. Both agree Mark McGwire has no chance of making it, but Gambo thinks Barry Bonds will make it. The guys conclude Sheffield is a tough call for Cooperstown. We took calls.

Do You Care? - The NBA playoffs tipped off this weekend with some intriguing results including the Bulls shocking the Celtics, the Mavs pounding the Spurs in San Antonio, and the Sixers upsetting the Magic in Orlando. The only glaring omission from this postseason is your Phoenix Suns. Gambo is only half-heartedly interested in the postseason. Ash did watch several of the weekend games, but didn’t re-adjust his schedule to do so. Do you care Suns fan? We took calls.

Still Waiting - The Anquan Boldin trade watch continues. Reports say the Ravens are still in the mix and may pony up former ASU tight end Todd Heap, along with a draft pick or two for Boldin. The Eagles are also believed to still be in the mix even after pulling off a monster deal for Jason Peters late last week. Gambo is intrigued by bringing former Sun Devil and Valley native Heap back to Arizona because, although injury-prone, he would be a huge upgrade at tight end. Ash doesn’t think Anquan went about this the right way although he respects Q on, and off, the field. The guys debated if the Red Birds may be asking too much for Boldin. They concur the Cards are in control of the entire trade front with Q having two more years left on his current deal. Gambo is certain good teams need two quality running backs and an aging Edgerrin James doesn’t count as one. We took calls.

We were joined by former UCONN star running back Donald Brown. Brown, expected to be a 1st or 2nd round pick in this weekend’s draft, led the nation in rushing with 2,083 yards-adding 18 touchdowns. Thursday he will hold the first annual Donald Brown Player-to-Player Leadership Conference in Red Bank, New Jersey aimed towards helping high school athletes thru football experiences-both good and bad. He said he’s looking forward to the draft and would love to play for the Cards should the situation present itself.

Brown Bagged? - The Cards need a running back with Edgerrin James decline and likely release. The guys were impressed with Donald Brown-both on the field, and off. The former UCONN star seems to have direction in his life, even after his football career. He seems to be a Ken Whisenhunt-type of player and may be there at number #31-although the Eagles like him, as well. The guys like the idea of selecting Brown depending on how the draft plays out. We took calls.

 

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