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

Mighty Mercury!…the Mercury are playing the style of basketball Alvin Gentry dreams of.  Sound strange?  It shouldn’t, especially after the Merc beat the Indiana Fever 120-116 in overtime Tuesday at U.S. Airways Center to take a 1-0 Finals lead.  11,617 people witnessed the highest scoring game in NBA history.  The guys know the WNBA is simply a sideshow to David Stern’s product, but feel the Merc’s high tempo offense suits their style perfect - especially with one of, if not the league’s most recognizable players in MVP Diana Taurasi.  Ash believes Dee alone is worth the price of admission.  John was so impressed that he’s planning on attending Game 2 on Thursday.  One game after Steve Kerr bought thousands of free tickets for fans wanting to attend the game, Gentry did the same for Thursday.

Worth a Watch?…WNBA Finals Game 2 is Thursday night at U.S. Airways Center.  Did Tuesday’s game sway your opinion about women’s basketball when it’s played at a high level like it was in Game 1?  G&A both say they watch the NCAA Women’s Finals so what makes the WNBA any different?

Baum-shell!…the Coyotes mysterious, pain-staking 2009 continued Wednesday when Judge Redfield Baum turned down both bids from the NHL and billionaire Jim Balsillie to purchase the team.  So, for now, the NHL will run the team and incur the near $60 million in lost profits which is expected from the Desert Dogs.  G&A are perplexed by the whole story - especially when the team is preparing for their season-opener this weekend against the Kings in LA.  Gambo believes this is the first time we’ve seen a bankrupt team about to play a full regular season schedule.  John predicts this will be the downfall of Gary Bettman’s tenure as NHL Commissioner.

Take the Money!…in short, the NHL is pulling the strings for the ‘Yotes this season.  This isn’t a good thing for the NHL, especially with other teams around the league struggling financially.  With no corporate sponsors, zero parking revenue and a pricey arena lease due at the end of each month, it’s easy to see why the team will continue to function in the red for the foreseeable future.  The guys debated the true value of the franchise and if moved to another city, like Kansas City or Portland, would it work?

Senior Associate Athletics Director DON BOCCHI checked in to preview the Devils game this weekend against Oregon State at Sun Devil Stadium and everything else making headlines in Tempe.  He also said schools need to be extremely careful when hiring high-character coaches who care as much about the student-athlete as they do about winning.  This comes on the same day Binghamton’s athletic director resigned after endless scandals and legal run-ins involving the men’s basketball program.

Hollywood Reunion…reports in The LA Times say former Coyotes’ coach Wayne Gretzky may be making a return to the NHL - with the LA Kings.  Granted, the conversations were “informal,” G&A know The Great One’s heart is still in the game, at some capacity if not on the bench.  Gambo thinks Gretzky should work for the Edmonton Oilers, but no other NHL team.

We were joined by our baseball insider TIM KURKJIAN from ESPN who shared his thoughts on the NL Wild card race entering the final weekend of regular season play.  Plus, he shared his thoughts on Mark Reynolds and how the great Mike Schmidt defended his high-strikeout total.

Eagle Fly Away?…after just a single regular season game with Philly, Michael Vick may be on his way out.  Reports say Kevin Kolb’s ability to run the offense in place of injured Donovan McNabb, coupled with Vick’s $5 million kicker in 2010 could lead to a trade during the season or next spring.  One team that could be interested is Tampa Bay, which has a crop of young, but untested, signal-callers and need a spark after a 0-3 start.

New York Jets Assistant Defensive Backs coach DOUG PLANK checked in to talk about his first season on Rex Ryan’s staff after playing for his dad Buddy Ryan during his career with the Bears.  The man who the “46” defense was named after will also preview the Jets showdown with the unbeaten Saints Sunday in New Orleans.  Plank told the story of how he used to keep smelling salts in the waistband of pants and just pulled them out on the field in the huddle when he needed them.

To Play or Not to Play?…a story in The New Times reported there’s a higher rate of dementia for former NFL players compared with the national population.  It is especially common for former players between the ages of 30 and 49.  Doug Plank, a former hard-hitting safety for Buddy Ryan’s Bears, told Gambo & Ash there are times now when he walks into a room and can’t remember why.  He certainly doesn’t suffer nearly as much as some he played with in the early 80s.  The buzz today circled around all-everything Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who says he hopes to play next Saturday at LSU.  Tebow suffered a nasty concussion last weekend against Kentucky.  The guys feel Urban Meyer needs to be extra cautious with Tebow, especially with a likely NFL career awaiting him.  The concussion problem has trickled down to the high school level where athletes are becoming stronger and thus, hitting harder.

Sports 620 KTAR reporter Johnny V. joined us LIVE from San Diego to discuss training camp at the University of San Diego.  He said the Suns appear loose and relaxed under Alvin Gentry, as opposed to Terry Porter’s camp a year ago.  V. said one player to watch closely this pre-season is Grant Hill, who played all 82 games last season.

Getting Defensive…the Pac-10 is changing.  No, no teams are leaving or being added, but changing its’ football reputation and it starts right here in Tempe.  The Sun Devils are in the top-25 nationally for total defense.  They join a host of other Pac-10 schools who appear on the same list.  On the other side of the ball, not one Pac-10 school in the Top 25 for total offense.  The guys debated why this is the case.  Mark feels it could be the fact that coaches, particularly Pete Carroll, have really zeroed in on landing blue-chip defensive stars like Desert Vista’s Devon Kennard, who is freshman with the Trojans this season.  Carroll recruited Everson Griffin to USC from Agua Fria High a few years back.

 

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Here’s what went down Monday on G&A…

Colt 45ed…The Colts spanked the Cards 31-10 Sunday in Glendale in front of a national NBC audience. The guys weren’t shocked the Colts won, but know the Red Birds didn’t put up much of a fight. Ash marveled at the way Peyton Manning coolly picked apart the Birds’ secondary. Gambo feels once Arizona abandoned the downfield passing attack, the game was essentially over. Both agree Kurt Warner’s accuracy on underneath routes can’t be questioned, but he can’t seem to connect on deep balls as was evidenced again on Sunday. Both know they have plenty of work to do during the bye week.

Protection Plan…Warner was harassed and under pressure the entire game Sunday and G&A say the blame falls on the Cards’ coaching staff, not Warner himself. John knows Mike Gandy is a quality tackle, but questions why he got no help trying to slow down Dwight Freeney who finished with two sacks. Ash believes Beanie Wells isn’t playing because, not only did he fumble twice against Jacksonville, but he can’t seem to figure out the pass protection blocking schemes as proven Sunday when he missed a Freeney block which led to a sack. G&A are certain right tackle Levi Brown stinks and will never be any better than he is right now.

DRC now KFC?…Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who shined as a rookie in 2008 is having a much tougher time in 2009. DRC was burned twice on long Manning touchdowns Sunday. One listener e-mailed Mark and suggested DRC change his nickname to “KFC” because he gets deep fried so much. Ash thought the Cards let go of Rod Hood. John isn’t sure if DRC let his rookie success go to his head, but knows quarterbacks will continue to pick on him until he can improve his cover skills, especially on deep balls.

Bye-ing Their Time…The Cards enter the bye week 1-2 and Whiz knows his team has plenty to work on before hosting the Texans October 11th. John thinks the coaching staff needs to find ways to get the ball downfield to playmakers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Ash predicted a 2-1 record entering this week, but knows the 49ers are for real and any “slip up” from the Cards could come back to haunt them in the NFC West with Mike Singletary’s team playing such inspired football thus far this season.

Who’s Yer Daddy?…A.J. Green and Georgia held on to beat ASU on a last-second field goal in Athens. The star sophomore receiver consistently beat ASU’s cornerbacks and blocked the Devils potential go-ahead field goal in the final four minutes. This comes just a year after Green put himself on the college football map with his big game at Sun Devil Stadium. Green had eight catches for 153 yards Saturday.

Toughest Loss…Head coach Dennis Erickson called the loss to UGA, one of, if not the toughest in his long coaching career. He emphasized his team didn’t travel across country for a “moral victory.” The guys love the approach, but know saying you’re going to get a “statement win” and doing it, are two different things. Gambo felt ASU could have made a statement for their program, and the Pac-10, with an upset of Georgia. Ash expects big things from Erickson and is confident, with time and big-time recruits like Burfict, the goal can be accomplished.

Super Bowl Hangover…The Super Bowl champion Steelers fell to 1-2, as did the NFC Champion Cardinals. The guys compared the direction of both teams and which has brighter outlook in for the remainder of the season. The Steelers are struggling without their leader Troy Palamalu, while the Cards’ consistency on offense has left something to be desired.

We were joined by former Washington Huskies and NFL quarterback Brock Huard who called Saturday’s Georgia-ASU game for ESPNU in Athens. He shared his thoughts on the game, Dennis Erickson’s 2009 team, and how Steve Sarkisian has revitalized Washington football. He came away impressed with ASU’s defense, particularly stud freshman linebacker Vontez Burfict. Huard is a mid-day talk show host on ESPN Radio in Seattle.

Suns 2-time MVP and All-Star point guard Steve Nash checked in to discuss his off-season, the tough Western Conference, and how the team will adjust with Alvin Gentry now entrenched as the full-time head coach heading into training camp which starts Tuesday in San Diego.

Tuesday we’ll be joined by Suns star Amare Stoudemire (TBD), A.J. Hinch at 3:00, Diana Taurasi at 3:40, and ESPN college football analyst Mark May at 4:25.

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

The Great One’s Gone…Wayne Gretzky officially resigned as coach of the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday.  “The Great One” finished his coaching career with a 143-161-24 record and failed to make the playoffs in his four seasons on the ‘Yotes bench.  G&A could see this coming for months, especially with Gretzky’s inflated salary and partial ownership in the club.  Ash knows Gretzky put the Coyotes back on a national level when he was hired, but failed miserably as a coach.  Gambo places total blame on Gretzky for surrounding himself with under-qualified close friends within the organization and never making the commitment to be a full-time, hockey-oriented coach.  John reported well-respected Dave Tippett, formerly with the Dallas Stars, would likely replace Gretzky as head coach.

What’s Next?…it’s been a trying summer for the Coyotes and the road got a little rockier Thursday when Gretzky stepped down as coach.  The Desert Dogs will stay in Glendale this season, but the future is quite cloudy moving forward.  Gambo knows the Yotes are worse off now than when Gretzky arrived nearly a decade ago.  The franchise is bleeding money and rumors are the team has less than 2,500 season ticket holders.  Ash isn’t certain even the NHL can keep the franchise in Glendale judging from the hockey fan apathy.

Mirror Images…the greatest player in hockey history failed as a coach following his playing career, but Gretzky’s certainly not alone in that category.  Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player in NBA history, but failed miserably in his management role with the Washington Wizards.  Need a reminder?  Think Kwame Brown.  The list doesn’t stop there with Pete Rose, Kevin McHale and others lumped into that same category.  Ash knew Gretzky never had a chance - especially after a myriad of poor trades and wasted draft picks.

We caught up with Coyotes’ captain SHANE DOAN who discussed Gretzky’s resignation Thursday, his replacement Dave Tippett, and what his future with the team is.  Doan said Gretzky wasn’t a bad coach and players may have underachieved during his four year-stint.

New Coyotes coach DAVE TIPPETT sat down with Gambo & Ash after the press conference to explain why the Coyotes job opening intrigued him and how he plans to approach this season - which may well be the last for the Desert Dogs in Arizona.

Blowing the Whistle…something may just not be the same when the NBA regular season starts in late-October.  The union-backed NBA refs are having issues with the league and are planning on striking the beginning of the season.  One former ref, Michael Henderson, is planning on crossing the line and calling games with the other “scab refs” this winter.  Henderson was fired after blowing a call back in 2004 and was defended by his fellow refs who turned their jerseys inside-out and etched Henderson’s #62 in the back.  G&A have absolutely no respect for Henderson, who clearly doesn’t hold the same unity towards his former co-workers as they did for him.

Friday we’re LIVE at Sanderson Ford.  We’ll be joined by Brandon Lang at 4:25 and ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth at 5:25.

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

Dolphin Flip…Just when you thought the Dolphins wrapped up an impressive win on MNF, Peyton Manning struck again. Manning’s 48-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon capped the comeback in a game Miami dominated nearly wire-to-wire. It was Manning’s 38th come-from-behind win in his career. Gambo is still trying to figure out how Indy won the game. Ash knows the Colts are deadly, but feels playing a late Monday night game where their defense was on the field nearly the whole game plays right into the Cardinals’ hands this weekend in Glendale.

Wild over the Wildcat…The Dolphins shredded the Colts defense for 239 rushing yards. 12 of those plays were out of the Wildcat formation made famous by Miami and Ronnie Brown last season against the Colts. Mark wonders why, in this NFL day and age of great athletes and even better schemes, how the Dolphins have so much success. John feels a really good defense (the Ravens) can neutralize the Wildcat and knows the formation started in college and eventually landed in the NFL.

ASU senior quarterback Danny Sullivan checked in to preview the Devils big showdown with 17th-ranked Georgia Saturday afternoon. Sullivan has completed 32-55 for 385 yards and a touchdown in wins over Idaho State and Louisiana-Monroe. He is confident ASU can move the ball on Georgia’s defense and won’t be intimidated in their first road game of the year.

Between the Hedges…ASU will head to SEC-country Thursday as they prepare for the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend. This will be a true test for Sullivan and the Sun Devil offense. Gambo knows the Bulldogs’ young defense, which has been exposed against Oklahoma State and South Carolina, is ripe for the picking. Mark pointed out that next weekend the Bulldogs host unbeaten LSU and could be looking past Dennis Erickson’s team. Ash isn’t certain this Sun Devil offense is build to light up the scoreboard.

Mark Sanchise…Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is taking the NFL by storm and has the Jets off to a 2-0 start with wins over the Texans and mighty Patriots on Sunday. Gambo, a big Jets fan, thinks Sanchez has the chance to be a special quarterback. Ash isn’t ready to anoint Sanchez the next Joe Namath, but knows he is only going to get better with more experience.

He Says, He Says…Just when you thought the Lane Kiffin-Urban Meyer war-of-worlds was over, the first-year Tennessee coach shot back at Meyer’s comments regarding the number of his players who suffered from flu-like symptoms and thus, didn’t play up to par against the Vols. When asked Sunday if Kiffin was concerned with his players getting the flu, responded “I guess we’ll wait and after we’re not excited about a performance, we’ll tell you everybody was sick.” Ouch. G&A like Kiffin’s attitude and feel going toe-to-toe with SEC bully Meyer will only help his team in the future-especially if they play well against the mighty Gators like they did on Saturday.

We were joined by our ESPN college football analyst Mark May who shared his thoughts on Washington’s upset of USC, Virginia Tech’s last-second comeback win over Nebraska, the war of words between Urban Meyer and Lane Kiffin, and how the Sun Devils might fare this weekend against Georgia “between the hedges” in Athens. “MayDay” believes the Devils have more than a punchers chance this weekend because of UGA’s shaky defense.

Thanks, But No Thanks…The Diamondbacks have reached out to injured ace Brandon Webb and “Webby” isn’t buying the sales pitch. Reports say Dback team officials reached out and inquired about re-structuring the deal and Webb wouldn’t budge. Gambo knows the D-backs can’t afford to possibly throw away big dollars on Webb-especially if they buy out Eric Byrnes’ deal which is expected. Ash isn’t certain Webb will ever return to his Cy Young form-especially when dealing with a shoulder injury like he’s facing.

Wednesday we’ll be joined by Georgia head coach Mark Richt at 1:40 and ESPN baseball insider Tim Kurkjian at 3:25.

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

Taking the Show on the Road…still reeling from their season-opening loss to the 49ers Sunday, the Cardinals head east this weekend to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Cards had little success traveling back east until shocking the Panthers in the playoffs in January.  Mark doesn’t want to hear excuses because the Birds aren’t playing an NFC power (Giants, Eagles, Redskins) and don’t have to worry about poor weather.  Gambo thinks this is a very winnable game against a decent, but certainly not marquee team.  That being said, the Jags are 11-1 against NFC teams at home.

Must-Win, Again…the Cards are only one game into the 2009 season, but critics are saying this is still a “must-win” game for Ken Whisenhunt’s team with Payton Manning and the Colts looming next weekend in Glendale.  Gambo is convinced the Red Birds’ Super Bowl run wasn’t a fluke, but knows the offense needs to step up quickly.  Ash feels the NFC West is improved and the Cards won’t sneak up on anyone this season.

A Familiar Face…remember Dirk Koetter?  The former ASU head coach is currently the offensive coordinator with the Jags.  Gambo hates Koetter personally, but knows he is a well-respected “offensive mind” who is a better fit in the NFL than college.  Mark believes Koetter should have never left Boise State, where he built the program and laid the foundation for Dan Hawkins and now, Chris Peterson.  Gambo is certain Koetter left because he knew he couldn’t recruit the top-tier players to Boise, Idaho.

The return of “The U”…don’t look now, but the Miami Hurricanes are taking their place among the best teams in college football again.  After beating Florida State in week one, the ‘Canes throttled 14th-ranked Georgia Tech and are now preparing for next week’s showdown in Blacksburg against Va-Tech before returning home for a showdown with Oklahoma.  John isn’t ready to anoint the ‘Canes as a national champion contender, but loves quarterback Jacory Harris and his talented, young skill players.

Trash Talk…the Jets face a steep test Sunday when the Patriots visit The Big Apple.  New York safety Kerry Rhodes helped stoke the fire by saying Rex Ryan’s team was looking to “embarrass” New England.  He later back-pedaled, insisting he was only hoping to break the Jets’ long losing streak to Bill Belichick’s club.

We were joined by Arizona State Athletic Director LISA LOVE who previewed the Devils’ game Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe at Sun Devil Stadium and everything else making headlines in Tempe.

Our ESPN baseball analyst TIM KURKJIAN analyzed the final three weeks of the regular season, the NL Wild Card race, the streaking Boston Red Sox who have won seven of their last 10, and the uncertain future of Chipper Jones.

World renowned sports handicapper and good friend of the program BRANDON LANG broke down all the marquee college and NFL games this weekend.  He likes the Utah Utes and New York Giants, among others, to “cover the number.”

Our ESPN NFL analyst MARK SCHLERETH shared his thoughts on the Cards’ disappointing season-opening loss to the 49ers and what he expects Sunday in Jacksonville.  “Stink” thinks this is a must-win for the Red Birds.  Plus, he broke down this weekend’s feature matchups including the Saints at Philly, the Bears hosting the Steelers, and regular season debut at “Jerry World” in Arlington between the Giants and Cowboys.

 

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