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

The Day After…Sammy Sosa was busted Tuesday.  Long rumored as a possible steroid user, it was made official Wednesday when Slammin’ Sammy reportedly tested positive back in 2003.  Gambo wonders how baseball can “move forward” when these big-time, tainted stars are exposed one at a time.  He argues it would be better for baseball to release all the names at once, take the publicity beating, and move past this once and for all.  Ash is certain people “within baseball” knew who was juicing and turned a blind eye knowing these exaggerated offensive numbers were attracting people back to the ballpark following an ugly strike in the mid-90s.  Wednesday, news broke that a congressional committee will look into Sosa’s denial that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs in light of the report that surfaced yesterday afternoon.  White Sox slugger Paul Konerko won’t believe the reports until Sosa publicly comes clean.

Distracted?…ASU jumped out to a 6-0 lead Tuesday night against Texas, only to give up 10 unanswered runs and lose 10-6 in the College World Series.  The most shocking aspect of the setback was watching ace Mike Leake struggle after being staked with an early six-run lead.  Leake, picked 8th overall in last week’s draft, was 16-1 entering the game with an ERA under 2.00.  Gambo is wondering if Leake was more concerned about what he was going to do with new big MLB contract, than how to approach a Texas lineup which struggled most of the season.  Money talks, right?  John wonders if MLB would be better suited to push the draft back until the completion of the CWS.  Ash countered Gambo’s argument by pointing out North Carolina’s Dustin Ackley who went 5-6 in yesterday’s win over Southern Miss to become the CWS’ all-time hits leader.  Ackley was drafted 2nd overall by the Mariners.

Everybody DOES Love a Parade…Los Angeles donors have stepped up and will cover the cost of the Lakers championship parade after LA defeated the Magic 4-1.  With LA residents losing jobs left and right, the city will now no longer have to foot the bill.  The parade is expected to end in the LA Coliseum.

Award-winning golf author and good friend of the program JOHN FEINSTEIN joined us LIVE from Bethpage Black to preview the U.S. Open, which gets underway Thursday.  Feinstein has a new book, Are You Kidding Me?, which takes you inside the showdown at last years’ U.S. Open where Tiger Woods edged out Rocco Mediate for the title.  He said ASU-alum Phil Mickelson, with wife Amy fighting breast cancer, received an arousing ovation during a practice round earlier Wednesday.  He is expecting another great four days of golf at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

Tiger Watching…The U.S. Open starts tomorrow and G&A are looking forward to seeing how this plays out.  Ash is thinking there will be a repeat victory for Tiger Woods.  Gambo would not be shocked to see the sentimental favorite Phil Mickelson hoist the trophy on Sunday.  The guys discussed why the four majors are such a big attraction and draw even the most casual golf fans to their televisions.

One Month…Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth is getting 30 days in jail, must pay various fines and fees, and serve several community service hours after pleading guilty for killing a pedestrian for driving drunk in Miami.  Gambo is shocked Stallworth is getting off so easy for committing such a terrible crime-like killing a person.  Ash is also surprised, especially since some people get up to 10 days in jail for just a DUI, not manslaughter like Stallworth committed.  G&A debated what action Roger Goodell should take in terms of a suspension.  Will the NFL commissioner cut him slack for cooperating with authorities and showing remorse following the incident?

Arizona State Director of Athletics LISA LOVE checked in to discuss the Sun Devils’ disappointing loss Tuesday night to Texas and what to expect Thursday in their elimination game re-match with North Carolina in the CWS.

We caught up with our ESPN baseball analyst TIM KURKJIAN from ESPN who shared his thoughts on Tuesday’s breaking news regarding Sammy Sosa, high school phenom Bryce Harper, and the surging Dodgers who continue to run away with the NL West.  Kurkjian wasn’t really surprised with the news regarding Sosa’s positive test.

The Next Big Thing?…Sophomore Las Vegas prep baseball star Bryce Harper is attempting to skip his junior and senior years of high school.  Projected by nearly every scout as the top pick in the 2010 draft, the 16-year-old Harper is going to get his GED and play junior college baseball in Vegas.  ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian told G&A that Harper isn’t ready to make the jump at such a young age and this won’t set a positive precedence for future high school stars.  Gambo thinks Harper, who dominated high school baseball for the past two years, is mature enough to take this step and play against better competition and this will better prepare him for playing pro ball.  He argued the point that Harper has been playing against older competition his whole life so why is this any different?  Ash disagrees, thinking the big pro dollars will be there in two years and Harper should “experience high school” like the everyday teenager.  The guys agree we are seeing more and more stories of amateur athletes skipping stages to get to the pros quicker.

Thursday we’ll break down first round play of the U.S. Open and be joined by former All-Star pitcher and all-around character Jose Lima at 2:10

 

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Bud Selig

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

Blame Game…The Lakers are on the verge of another NBA title thanks to some late-game heroics from Derek Fisher and mental lapses from Stan Van Gundy’s team.  Gambo thinks a bigger issue lies with superstar Dwight Howard, who snagged 21 rebounds and added 9 blocks, but missed two big free throws down the stretch which would have put the game out of reach.  John thinks the superstar center should take sole responsibility for costing the Magic a chance to even the series.  Superman never did in the post-game press conference.  Ash agrees with Gambo and wonders how the series would look with a made free throw, a couple defensive stops, and a Courtney Lee made lay-up.  One player, Derek Fisher, won the game for his team.  The other, Dwight Howard, lost it for his.

Thorny Rose…A picture of Bulls Rookie of the Year Derek Rose recently surfaced on the Internet with Rose flashing a gang sign in the photo.  How should David Stern react to seeing possibly a future face of the NBA in party pictures flashing gang signs?  The guys have mixed feelings on this.  Gambo is willing to give Rose a break on this.  Ash is fearful if there’s a real story behind all this.  What if Rose is running with gang members and he denounced his gang affiliation?  Gambo is amazed how trouble always seems to find high-profile athletes.  The guys compared this to the Matt Leinart hot-tub/beer bong fiasco from last year.

(Practice) Jersey Sales…Last week the Phoenix Mercury sold their namesake on their home and road jerseys to Lifelock and now, to a lesser extent, the NFL is following suit.  The Denver Broncos are exploring various ways to allow sponsors to have their logos on practice jerseys.  Reports say the Houston Texans could be just behind the Broncos - trying to find ways to generate more advertising dollars.  Ash is fine with this - as long as it stays on the practice jerseys, not the game uniforms.  Gambo feels, unfortunately, we’re on a path to seeing sponsor patches all over game-worn jerseys.  As an advertiser, what gets you more “bang for yer buck?”  Practice jerseys on an NFL team or WNBA game jerseys?  The guys debated and took calls.  The Cowboys and Jerry Jones could be the next involved with big-time advertising, likely with the Texas State Lottery.

Game 7…Pens-Red Wings Friday for all the marbles in Detroit.  Lord Stanley’s Cup will be hoisted high above heads and skated around the ice following the conclusion of the game in Hockeytown, U.S.A.  G&A feel this is the time for the NHL to shine in with no NBA game Friday and the College World Series not starting on the ESPN networks until Saturday morning.  Gambo loves playoff hockey and expects a great game.  Ash loves the sportsmanship where the losing team must stay on the ice and watch the Stanley Cup champs celebrate before the traditional handshakes.  Gambo feels NHL players who win a Stanley Cup take greater appreciation in their accomplishments than in other sports.  G&A agree the Stanley Cup is the most sacred trophy in all sports because when you win, every player’s name will appear on the trophy for as long as the Cup exists.

Moving On…The Falcons parted ways with suspended quarterback Michael Vick Friday.  Vick has garnered interest from several teams, but Atlanta cut him after no trade could be completed.  A one-time franchise quarterback, Ron Mexico has lost close to $100 million since being busted and jailed for dog fighting.  The guys know NFL teams want him, but will Roger Goodell lift his suspension?  Should he?  Ash has confidence Goodell will make the right decision regarding Vick’s future and knows teams must be careful of, from a PR standpoint, what Vick might bring.  Gambo thinks Vick is a despicable person, but did pay his dept to society.  The guys agree Vick lying to Goodell during the 2007 draft didn’t sit well with the Commissioner.

We caught up with our NBA analyst TIM LEGLER from ESPN.  “Legs” shared his thoughts on the Lakers big Game 3 overtime win Thursday night in Orlando, Derek Fisher’s clutch 3-pointer, Dwight Howard’s struggles last night, and said Cavs’ coach Mike Brown might be in trouble-even after being winning The Coach of the Year Award.

“Tribute Band”…Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey called Lakers star Kobe Bryant a “tribute band” when comparing the “Black Mamba” to the great Michael Jordan.  Ash agrees with Morrissey 100% saying Bryant does everything MJ did-from the way he walks to his shaved head, to his killer demeanor on the court with the game on the line.  Gambo doesn’t see it.  Mark is convinced Kobe shadows Jordan in everything - including the way he addresses the media.  John doesn’t think so.  Gambo took the “Kobe Challenge” (blindly identify a sound byte from each) and passed.  As Kobe closes in on another ring, the two are being drawn into the same spotlight once again.

 

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

Magic Act…The Magic pulled away late and beat the Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night in Orlando.  It marked the first NBA Finals victory for the franchise.  G&A were impressed with not only how well Orlando shot, but their balanced scoring last night.  What were even more surprising were Kobe Bryant’s game-long struggles.  He missed 5 free throws and committed a key turnover late, which essentially put the game out of reach.  Ash isn’t sure what the Magic must be thinking - they played their best and had to hang on at the end.  Gambo is having trouble getting excited about this series and believes the title is the Lakers’ to lose.  He’s simply not sold on the fact that Orlando is a championship-caliber team…even after dismantling the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The guys discussed CBS SportsLine columnist Gregg Doyel asking Jameer Nelson to “shut it down” following last night’s win.

Cardinals head coach KEN WHISENHUNT shared his thoughts on OTA’s, which wrap up later this week in Tempe, the recent signing of Adrian Wilson, Matt Leinart’s new attitude and what he and staff are focusing on with training camp less than two months away.  Whiz, who has two years left on his deal, isn’t concerned about getting a new deal, even after leading the once punchless franchise to the Super Bowl this past season.

Too Early?…Ken Whisenhunt told Gambo & Ash he hasn’t thought about getting a new deal and wants to focus on re-signing the Cards players before himself.  G&A applaud Whiz for his selflessness, but would like Cards’ ownership to step up and get a new deal done now while the Red Birds can seemingly do no wrong and training camp about a month and a half away.  Ash thinks Whiz is insistent on following the Steelers philosophies both on and off the field.  Whiz says this (a re-worked deal) isn’t a big deal, but should it be?  We discussed.

Arizona State Director of Athletics LISA LOVE checked in for her weekly visit.  The ASU baseball team is off to Omaha, Nebraska for the College World Series.  They’ll open with North Carolina on Sunday.

Frozen Future…The future of the Phoenix Coyotes is uncertain as ever.  Season ticket holders are taking a wait-and-see attitude and the City of Glendale is pulling out all the stops to keep BlackBerry millionaire Jim Balsillie from moving the team to Canada.  Balsillie even has a website (www.makeitseven.ca) encouraging fans to design their own jersey for the possible new team.  Jobing.com Arena and the City of Glendale have their backs against the wall in this terrible economy.  Ash wonders if there’s that big of a need to bring a team to southern Ontario - especially since there are already six teams in Canada.  Gambo doesn’t think it looks good for the ‘Yotes to stay in Glendale.

Our ESPN baseball insider TIM KURKJIAN checked in to discuss the big Yankees - Red Sox series, as both teams are dead even at the top of the AL East, his thoughts on the MLB draft and if the Nats can sign Stephen Strasburg, the latest on the Diamondbacks, and Manny Ramirez speaking publicly for the first time since his suspension.

Dread(ful) Comments…Suspended Manny Ramirez spoke out publicly for the first time saying, “I didn’t kill nobody.  I didn’t rape nobody, so that’s it.”  Classy comments from a player who seemed anything but remorseful after being suspended 50 games for steroid use.  The guys concur Manny should have never spoken publicly - especially without consulting Scott Boras or an advisor within the Dodgers organization.  ManRam has done everything to stay out of the spotlight as the Dodgers have increased their lead in the NL West without Ramirez except making stupid, insensitive comments like he did Tuesday.

“Westy” heading west…The Sacramento Kings hired former Suns’ coach Paul Westphal.  Ash is somewhat perplexed why the Kings would go in this direction, but likely feels they made the hire because they couldn’t wait much longer after Lakers’ assistant Kurt Rambis turned down the job Tuesday.  Gambo is happy for Westphal and thinks the low expectations in Sac-town could work in his favor - especially with a high draft pick and some good young talent like Francisco Garcia and Kevin Martin.

We were joined by the great PETE ROSE.  The 3-time World Series champ, 1973 NL MVP and 17-time All-Star reflected back on his career and how the game of baseball has evolved since he played.  The all-time hits leader collected 4,256 knocks and had a lifetime batting average of .303 during his 23-year career.

Short show Thursday after day baseball at Chase Field…we’ll be joined by Hornets’ All-Star Chris Paul

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

Circus show in San Diego…The D-backs dropped the final game of their 4-game series against the Padres largely because of an Eric Byrnes misplay in leftfield.  Earlier in the game, Byrnes dove for a ball which he clearly had no chance of catching.  Gambo & Ash are tiring of this act.  Mark predicted long ago “The Eric Byrnes Show” would be more of a distraction than anything and now that’s certainly the case.  The $30 million man is hitting .213 as a platoon outfielder on a last-place team.  Gambo isn’t sure he can watch this for the next year and a half.  A part of John feels sorry for Byrnes because he isn’t a clubhouse cancer and his poor numbers aren’t a reflection of poor work ethic.  That being said, Gambo feels Byrnes best fit is as a fourth outfielder.  One caller suggested he change his name to Erroric Byrnes.  Ouch.

Not Pitcher Perfect…12 pitchers have been selected #1 overall in the Major League Baseball draft.  The draft started Tuesday.  Ten college pitchers and two high schoolers have a combined MLB record of 805-827 with just 3 All-Star appearances.  Former Yankee pitcher Brien Taylor never made it.  San Diego State right-handed power pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the 1st-overall pick by the Nats.  Top NFL and NBA draft selections have gone on to stardom, as have baseball position players like Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Chipper Jones, Joe Mauer and Adrian Gonzalez - but not nearly as much success for pitchers.  Odds are against hard-throwing Strasburg becoming a perennial All-Star-who happens to be represented by Scott Boras.  The guys discussed why top-flight pitchers have had such little success at the big league level.  G&A are convinced it’s more of crapshoot to find diamond-in-the-rough pitchers that become stars than in other sports.  Ash went over some of the worst #1 MLB picks of all-time.

“I don’t have a problem”…40-year old NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely after reports say he failed a random drug test back on May 1st.  The drug was meth.  This story took G&A by complete surprise not because he failed a drug test, but what drug he was allegedly taking.  Ash paints meth users as the “lowest of lows” because of its’ ravaging effects on the body and extreme addiction rate.  Gambo wonders if the meth not only endangers other drivers, but gives Mayfield a competitive advantage at the same time.  Mayfield suffers from ADHD and said the positive test is from Adderall XL which was prescribed by a physician.

Diamondbacks skipper A.J. HINCH joined the guys to discuss the struggles of Byrnes, the resurgence of Jon Rauch, and nearly getting kicked out of last night’s game in San Diego.  He is excited to get back home and start their three-game series against the Giants tonight at Chase Field.

ASU junior lefty JOSH SPENCE joined us to discuss his Super Regional-clinching complete-game against Clemson Sunday, which secured the Sun Devils spot in the College World Series this weekend in Omaha.  The Australian gave up two runs on just four hits, while striking out 10 to improve to 10-1 on the year.  Devils open play Sunday against North Carolina.  He looks forward to his first trip to Rosenblatt Stadium and the amazing atmosphere which surrounds the CWS.

Leaving Los Angeles…Breaking news Tuesday afternoon as USC head basketball coach Tim Floyd resigned just a couple months after having second-thoughts on the then-vacant Arizona coaching position.  Floyd wrote a letter to AD Mike Garrett saying he “could no longer offer the level of enthusiasm to (his) job.”  How quickly it has gone south for the Pac-10 tournament champions losing a bunch of players to the NBA draft and several blue-chip high school recruits, as well.  G&A agree the person who is breathing the easiest right now is UofA AD Jim Livengood.  Wildcat fans can further celebrate the hire of Sean Miller who lured former Trojan recruit Solomon Hill to Tucson.  Gambo wonders where it all went wrong for Floyd and feels he may have been forced out.  Ash feels the USC job has lost plenty of luster-especially now with no players and the prospect of coaching and recruiting against UCLA and Ben Howland just down the street.

Cardinals starting safety ANTREL ROLLE checked in to discuss his offseason, OTA’s which wrap up this week, and what summer movies he recommends as Gambo & Ash’s official “NFL movie critic.”  The former 1st-round pick out of Miami was second on the team last season with 89 tackles, while returning his one interception for a 40-yard touchdown.  Rolle said he is feeling more and more comfortable at safety and is happy Adrian Wilson got a new deal.  He also expressed interest in returning to the Cards after his contract expires at the end of this season.

Hotel Reservations…As if we weren’t sick of Brett Favre enough, the latest news is Favre’s family has made hotel reservations in Green Bay for the weekend of November 1st.  The Packers happen to host the Minnesota Vikings that same weekend.  Hmmm?  G&A are annoyed at this story that just won’t go away.  Gambo is disgusted that Favre would sign with the Packers’ chief rival and, in essence, turn his back on the franchise that gave him so much.  Later Tuesday news broke that the Vikings are backing off Favre.  Coach Brad Childress demanded Favre show up for OTA’s today and when he didn’t, the Vikes “temporarily suspended their pursuit.

Randy’s Big Return…Randy Johnson will return to Chase Field Wednesday, but will not be starting in this series.  The Big Unit says Jeff Moorad wanted him to “pitch for free” a couple years ago and bolted for the Giants because of the “low-ball” offer the Dbacks extended this past winter.  Gambo isn’t a huge fan, but thinks he may be a little misunderstood.  Ash is curious what type of reception Unit will get Wednesday night-especially after his so-so greeting when he pitched earlier this year at Chase.

Wednesday we’ll be joined by Cards’ coach Ken Whisenhunt at 2:10, ESPN baseball insider Tim Kurkjian at 3:35, and Pete Rose at 5:10

 

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