Name: Monday Opening Monologue: Kobe Bryant by The Christopher Gabriel Program in Monologues and Stories
Duration: 5 min 57 s
Description: Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash early Sunday morning, January 26th, 2020. We spent most of the Monday program discussing Kobe - his life on and off the court, including winning an Oscar several years after he retired. This was the open to the program.

Monologues and Stories

Paul Loeffler is the longtime Voice of Fresno State Athletics. He returned to the program to have a conversation on the state of Fresno State men's basketball, football and baseball. The theme: what is the bar for these three prominent programs?

Paul Loeffler, the Voice of Fresno State Athletics

Sean Highkin has covered the NBA for many years. He returned to the program to talk about 2023 free agency. The good deals, the not-so-good deals and the ones that may still happen.

NBA Writer Sean Highkin on the Good, the Bad and the Maybe of 2023 Free Agency

Dr. Mike Vasilomanolakis is a highly regarded cardiologist practicing in the Los Angeles area. He returned to the program to discuss how excessive heat and humidity stress the heart, how to modify your workouts because of weather and danger signs you're working your heart too hard.

Cardiologist Dr. Mike Vasilomanolakis: Heart Health in Excessive Summer Heat and Humidity

Kalen DeBoer has been setting records since his earliest days as a star WR at the University of Sioux Falls to an offensive coordinator at a variety of stops on his rise through Group of 5 programs to his current home, the University of Washington. The man wins, and wins and keeps winning. Coach DeBoer joined the program for a deep dive into conference realignment, the demise of the Pac-12, NIL, the transfer portal, the Apple Cup, Husky Stadium and still much more.

Kalen DeBoer, Washington Huskies: From South Dakota to Seattle, a Meteoric Rise Still Climbing

Several years ago New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein joined my program to talk about the coming of NIL, the transfer portal and Bobby Knight. Specifically with Coach Knight, how he got access to the legendary coach to write his acclaimed book, "A Season on the Brink."

John Feinstein: Five Good Minutes on How "A Season On The Brink" Came About

Steve Robertello is a 25-year veteran of college athletics having been an administrator in a variety of positions at Arizona State, Washington State, West Virginia, Villanova and Fresno State. Steve has served on the NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Committee and is currently the Associate Commissioner of the MPSF - Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. In an extended, sweeping conversation he discusses a variety of topics including the state of the NCAA, the dissolution of the Pac-12, "institutional control" as it applies to conferences and their decision-making and going inside an NCAA tournament selection committee.

Steve Robertello: The "New" NCAA and a Look Inside a Tourney Selection Committee

Kalen DeBoer left Washington to accept the head coaching position at Alabama several days after legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. That followed losing in the national championship game to Michigan which was just several days earlier. Here Coach DeBoer is asked if Washington had any realistic chance to keep him, the reality of following a legend and putting his signature on an already marquee program. He also discusses NIL, the transfer portal and being "taught" about rivalries with Auburn, LSU and Tennessee.

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: Leaving Washington, Following a Legend, Learning Tuscaloosa and the SEC

The CGP spent six years in Fargo, North Dakota and the program covered a lot of territory. It was interviews with newsmakers from all over the world spanning the arts to politics, there were college and professional coaches and athletes, live unplugged music, and.... the occasional smart and savvy 10-year-old named Mollie who captivated us with tales of turtles at the lake.

The CGP in Fargo: Mollie, Mayhem and Turtle Safety

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer joined KMJ's morning show to discuss his former boss at Fresno State, Jeff Tedford, stepping down as head coach of the Bulldogs. In 2017, Tedford brought DeBoer in as his offensive coordinator.

(photo: Tuscaloosa News)

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama, on Fresno State's Jeff Tedford Stepping Down

Everyone in Minnesota and North Dakota goes to... The Lake. But no one ever says WHICH lake.

The Lake

Being a greeter at a church, working at a renowned concert hall... both have..... unique, challenges.

The Greeter and The Preacher

Sometimes going to church has twists and turns one doesn't plan for... maybe the better title is "How to Make a Fool of Yourself at Church."

Confessions Of A Church-Goer

You've really not lived until you experience the NYC Department of Motor Vehicles. The first time I went to the DMV there, it was my entry into The Twilight Zone.

NYC DMV Story

Carson King is 24 years old, lives in Iowa and is a diehard Iowa State fan. He and some friends went to ESPN's recent College GameDay in Ames, there for the annual Iowa-Iowa State game, to have a little fun and try to get their sign that read "Busch Light supply needs replenished ~ Venmo ~ Carson-King-25" shown on television. What followed was well beyond anything King could have imagined.

An ESPN College GameDay Sign Asking for Beer Money Turns Into Something No One Could have Imagined

Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash early Sunday morning, January 26th, 2020. We spent most of the Monday program discussing Kobe - his life on and off the court, including winning an Oscar several years after he retired. This was the open to the program.

Monday Opening Monologue: Kobe Bryant

Award-winning radio host whose work has encompassed sports talk and news talk from Minneapolis to Fresno. Christopher is a four-time Golden Mike Award winner (Radio & Television News Association of Southern California), a two-time Best Morning Drive Radio Show award winner (The Business Journal) and a three-time Best Radio Show in the Region award nominee (The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead). Gabriel is a frequent guest and guest host on sports talk radio programs across the nation. He’s broadcast his program from numerous major sporting events including the CFB Playoff national championship game, multiple FCS national championship games, the NCAA Frozen Four, NCAA Regionals in hockey and basketball, the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament, the Las Vegas Bowl and regular season college football games at the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Guests have included Nobel, Pulitzer, Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winners, professional and college coaches and athletes, New York Times bestselling authors and even a barber doing a haircut in Jamestown, ND. A proud native of Chicago, CG offers big opinions, insightful commentary, a splash of satire and believes in discourse, not discord.

Prior to radio, CG was a classically trained actor performing on stages in the U.S. and Great Britain. He worked alongside numerous acclaimed artists, notably James Earl Jones, Julie Harris and John Barton, founding artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Every segment of The CGP on KMJ can be found on Apple Podcasts, the Audacy app, Spotify and KMJNOW.com.

Monday Opening Monologue: Kobe Bryant

The Christopher Gabriel Program

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