Here’s what went down Wednesday on G&A…
Third Best?…Steve Kerr told Doug & Wolf Wednesday morning he feels, behind the Lakers and Spurs, the west is wide open and that includes the Suns who could finish as high as third in the Western Conference. G&A certainly aren’t as optimistic as Kerr with up-and-coming teams like the Blazer, Nuggets, and Hornets. Both know another team to keep your eye on is Dallas with their new-look front-court that includes Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden.
Center Shopping…The Suns, with center Robin Lopez sidelined for another several weeks, are in the mix to add another big man before the regular season starts later this month. Gambo reported two players to keep your eye on are Jared Collins who could be released by Utah and veteran big man Melvin Ely. Ash would prefer former Sun Jake Voskuhl who will likely get cut by the Mavs and fits the teams’ up-tempo style better than the slow-footed Collins and injury-prone Ely.
Railroaded…Rush Limbaugh will not be allowed to place a bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Dave Checketts, a point man in the Limbaugh group, made the announcement on Wednesday. Gambo thinks this is a joke and feels Limbaugh shouldn’t be held accountable for his comments regarding “black quarterback” Donovan McNabb made back in 2003. John wonders why it’s OK for Roger Goodell to bring back Michael Vick, Leonard Little, and other criminals, but not Limbaugh.
Priced Out…Reports say families who make under $75,000 can no longer afford to take their families to professional sporting events. Baseball is down 6.5 percent across the board with the D-backs down 15 percent in Gambo paid $650 to take his family to see a game at the old Yankee Stadium as a “one-time experience” for him and his family. Ash says, with a little creativity, you can take a family to a sporting event, but don’t expect to sit in a suite or on the 50-yard line. He equated it to buying steak. Sure, you can get a $10 steak at Denny’s, but it won’t taste nearly as good as a prime cut from a steakhouse. That being said, a Denny’s steak is still a steak. Gambo feels the value in sports for families is baseball because there are so many games, the ticket prices aren’t nearly as steep as the NFL or a marquee college football game.
We caught up with Arizona State Director of Athletics Lisa Love who previewed the Devils showdown with Washington Saturday night in Tempe, look ahead to tomorrow’s ASU basketball media day, and everything else making headlines in Tempe.
Running From Your Problems…Ken Whisenhunt spent the bye week preaching about improving the run game. That dream was short-lived Sunday when the Red Birds abandoned the run after struggling against the struggling Texans. G&A are wondering if the Cards “are who they are” (a pass-happy team) and that’s just the way it is. Gambo believes they have to run the ball a little, but by no means need to be a dominant run team to be successful.
Hurry Up…The Cards will face several challenges this week in hostile Seattle, but one they haven’t seen yet is Matt Hasselbeck’s new hurry-up offense which has been lighting up the scoreboard in recent weeks including Sunday’s 41-0 blowout win over Jacksonville. Gambo feels the Birds best bet may be ball-control which, judging from the Cards run game this season, may be tough to accomplish.
ESPN baseball insider Tim Kurkjian broke down the AL & NLCS which start tomorrow in LA with the Dodgers hosting the Phillies. The Yankees-Angels start their series Friday afternoon in Anaheim.
Final Four…The NLCS starts tomorrow and ALCS is set for Friday. The guys broke down both series and shared their thoughts on the matchups. Ash knows, on paper, the Yankees are clearly the best team left playing. That being said, the best team on paper doesn’t always equate to a World Series Championship. Gambo feels the Yankees will prevail in a close series, but knows going to a three-man rotation is risky. If the Angels advance, John knows the Yankees should have made a run at Roy Halladay before the trade deadline to further bolster their rotation.
Final Four…The Dodgers open their series with the Phillies Thursday at Dodger Stadium. Ash is hoping LA advances because he’d love to see Joe Torre and Don Mattingly return to Yankee Stadium in Dodger Blue. John will take the Fightin’ Phils because Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw is 0-2 this season against Philly.
Wildkitten…The Dolphins are running the wildcat to perfection as they showed on Ronnie Brown’s game-winning touchdown against the Jets on MNF. One of the biggest splashes this off-season was the Eagles signing Michael Vick specifically to run the wildcat. Through the first part of the season, Vick has run the wildcat nine times for just 29 yards this season. He has been a complete non-factor in Andy Reid’s offense. The guys wonder if Tony Dungy (Vick’s mentor) may have second thoughts about telling Vick to steer clear from the Raiders who have had endless issues over overweight and underperforming JaMarcus Russell.
Scrimmage…New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce stomped on the Raiders’ grave saying, “We’re playing that game the other day and, honestly, it felt like a scrimmage, like a practice. It felt like we were going against our offense as far as the tempo.” Ouch. The guys concur the problem with Raider Nation starts at the top with Al Davis and trickles down to Tom Cable who is in hot water of his own after assaulting a former assistant in training camp back in August.
First-year Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian discussed his club’s 3-3 start which includes wins over conference power USC and UofA last Saturday in Seattle. He talked about why he took the job in Seattle and how impressed he’s been with the Sun Devil defense. The Huskies face ASU Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.
Thursday we’ll be joined by Cards defensive coordinator Bill Davis at 4:10 and “The Snake” Kenny Stabler.
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