Brad Cesmat
ESPN’s Hubie Brown: “You can’t fall asleep against Minnesota.”
T-Wolves crush the Suns in Game One 120-95 Saturday afternoon. It’s just one game, but the T-Wolves look younger(they are), fresher, deeper, and just play ball rather than looking at referees after anything that resembles a foul Anthony Edwards went right at Kevin Durant(33 points), 
and Durant returned the favor(31), but Devin Booker was held in check by the T-Wolves tremendous defense. Booker finished just 5-16 shooting, scoring 18 points. Grayson Allen suffered a sprained ankle, and the Suns bench wasn’t in the same league with Minnesota, outscored 41-18. The highlight was hearing Hubie for two-and-a-half hours. He’s so good. It’s just one game…
The late, great Pedro Gomez imparted this wisdom to me through our years of shows(I’m paraphrasing): “You can’t win a playoff spot early in the season, but you can lose it.” Where would the Diamondbacks be without Ketel Marte to start this season? With Corbin Carroll struggling (struck out three times on Saturday) and hitting just .224, Marte has been the MVP of the team here in April. Who had Blaze Alexander hitting .340 with three home runs after twenty games? Minus Geraldo Perdomo, who’s on the IL, Blaze has been more than adequate to start the season with more good things to come. While the hometown nine has been treading water in the win/loss column, they’re a win streak away from being atop the NL West…
I’m not in the business of selling tickets, but the Dodgers and Padres are in town starting a week from Monday(April 29th)…
This week, colleagues Craig Morgan and Barry Bloom did exceptional work on the Coyotes’ departure stories. If NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had not been alongside Alex Meruelo during Friday’s press conference, I think Meruelo might not have made it through the questions and answers. 
Morgan and Bloom brought the sledgehammer(as they should) but did so professionally, laying right at the feet of the Meruelo. Owners, presidents, or franchise leaders who come up for air in front of a microphone only on positive days are not good leaders. Owning a franchise is a public trust, not just something in a portfolio. I don’t know Alex Meruelo other than when he came to the Valley. I asked a few times early in his tenure for a one-on-one and then saw the same mistakes that previous owners of the hockey franchise made. So, hearing Meruelo stumble around on Friday shouldn’t come as a surprise. Do YOU believe he can get an arena deal done?…
Good things happen to good people. Zach Alvira of the Tribune made his verbal commitment to marriage and is off the market. A five-star person has met his soul mate.
I can’t wait for the great Jon Wilner to jump on Monday’s show at 10:15 a.m. to chop it up on the NCAA statement on Always Something University penalties. This line from Dr. Crow in the statement ASU released on Friday was laughable: “ASU took quick and decisive action upon learning of potential violations.” Right, and Desert Financial Arena is “completely functional. It’s actually a fine facility and just needs some updates.” as he said in a radio interview in 2023. I think today is day 160 without an athletic director(though for the last six weeks, I’ve heard the same name(as most of the media in town) as the next person in-line. Perhaps it will be announced sometime before the next solar eclipse…
