This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jaken Zalis on Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services. Hey sure your most prized possessions,
Katie z R. Two Side and I Heeart Radio Station. Hey, good
afternoon, everybody. Welcome to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen
fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jaken zos Gotta avoid Jason in this house.
Intern in training, intern training. Welcome, Jason, thanks for being
here again. Great. Great. He was at the spring game as well,
so he covered the game. We're gonna was hanging out with a bad
crowd because he sat next to you and me. Yeah right. We didn't
give him any information he didn't already know. You know, there's no peteering
in the press box, Jason, Yes, right, We actually just complained
in the press box. Uh yeah, like why are we doing? What
are we doing here? What are we doing to you? Heys, we're
gonna talk more about the spring game. We're gonna having him, honey right
here. He was at the game and his obviously his there's one of the
coaches I want to talk to about who he saw because all the lumps that
were here, right who was it cool to see? But then he has
him and his brother have a function over the weekend. Although we'll talk about
and then at the beginning, right, Pat Paris my my broadcast partner on
the Sugar Skulls uh YouTube streaming broadcasts. The Sugar Skulls have their home opener
this Saturday, six o'clock. It's a red out, so um, but
Pat and I are gonna bring Pat in to talk a little bit about what
he's seen from the diamond the Diamondbacks, I do that all the time,
and from the Sugar Skulls. Um. You know, I watched your game
on on Saturday and it was you know, it got dicey. But they
came back in one and they're three and ol headed into uh headed into their
start of their their home season, and you know, three games on the
road. So that's uh. I mean, not only are they three and
O the three and oh then gotten three road games out of the way,
so um, including beating the Rattlers. So um. We'll talk a little
bit about about the home opener coming up and what he sees and what we
all see. Okay, that should be good. Hopefully that the crowd or
the two son people will understand that. It's pretty good product, right it
is. You know, they're they're they're winning game. You know, last
year's team was built on offense, and uh, this year's team is a
little both. They haven't scored a lot of points, but they haven't needed
to score a lot of points. That they're winning with defense as well.
Okay, cool, okay, looking forward to that. Last time I saw
Pat was that the uh, I'm gonna say he was the jinks. I
saw him at Sacramento. He never covers a game up. It was his
fault. It's a quick trip to the TV guy. Okay, Well,
if you give him some crap about it, his fault there is on the
lost for instance. Yeah, I'll let him know that exactly. Sure,
it'll take that one. You know, TV guys either they're running for mayor
or the governor of the country or the president. You know these TV guys.
Pat's a fun guy. Okay. What else is going on? Anything
else going on? We have football over with. We still haven't heard anything
about recruiting yet. For you a basketball everyone's giddy and I can't wait and
come down around right. The Suns won last night. They bounced back and
they were losing pretty much most of the first half. It's losing bad enough
that I changed the channel. But I was I wanted to watch the Dodger
again. Clayton Kershaw was going for his two hundredth win with the Dodgers,
and he got it. It was a five nothing shut out. He went
seven inning. So but I was surprised to see at the end when I
went looking for the score, I was surprised to see that the Suns had
won the game, because I know they were down ten in the first in
the first half, I know they got You said they tied it by halftime,
but nothing I thought they were. I thought they were in trouble.
Nothing happens to the fourth quarter. Do you watch the final five minutes.
If you could go and barbecue, you can go out and do whatever you
want five minutes the last fourth quarter, you got the whole game in another
show. Let's disappoint you on myself because I wanted to take I wanted to
do three three team money line parlay on the three favorites last and they all
hit. I wouldn't have paid him paid much. I didn't do it.
Thank you for doing it. I think that's why we hit it, the
Suns will be zero two right now exactly. So, um I it was,
you know, good for the Suns. Um keep it interesting. Now
they go. Now they gotta go get one at the Clippers, right,
get to get home court back. Clippers are better than people think. Well,
Kawhi Leonard's playing great. He did you know he had a thirty plus
point game again last night, So he's playing great. So that's, uh,
you know it's gonna be good. Well, but you know, it's
what is it a four versus five? It's it's just four or three?
Or is it three six? Three six? Six? Three six is the
four? Or five? It's four five five? Yeah, three six is
the Warriors. The Warriors are but it's a four five So it's supposed to
be close. But you know, I just don't feel like you can lose
the first game at home. But everyone's right, and everybody thinks that,
you know, I mean, the Suns are the Bucks have the Suns as
the favorite two in the West. That sounds of the better starting five,
but they have no ventage. Right, that's the big problem, right,
right, they go seven? Maybe who the two off the bench? You're
actually like us, we don't remember. I don't remember. But if you
can't remember their names, they're kind of yeah yeah, not not not worthy
of a name exactly. Yet they're big, like big star players. Are
they starting to five? Yeah, if one of them starting to five has
a bad game, they're gonna lose the game. Like yeah, And then
did everybody Okay, Well, well we'll see. I still like the I
made the bet, not the Denver I met, never not to win at
all, but Denver to win the West. Just winning the West. Yeah,
yeah, I thought that was the safest bet because no one's talking about
him. Still, no one's talking about it. But if Phoenix loses,
well, no, yesterday, Jody. I'm not gonna take stock in Jody's
predictions because he was awful never last year. The Cardinals were gonna be okay,
no, Jody, okay, but you know he didn't think that they
were gonna the Sons were gonna win it this year, right or because of
maybe Denver or because of the depth. But at that time, he also
didn't think they were going to get ran right or yesterday? Oh yes,
yes, oh yeah, no, he said he didn't think they were going
but I, you know, I they're a mystery to me because you know
what, one day it's one thing, one day it's another. You know,
that's how it is, Like, it's crazy, that's how it is.
That's why it's tough to bet on on an NBA because you just don't
know. Uh, it's it's so hit and miss. Yeah yeah, good
luck if you do. No kiddy, no kiddy. But then you know
the choc one, the other games, the other Calves one, but the
Celtics one, Celtics one big So you know, um yeah, well you
would talk to me, throw down with my head. Another happens, another
happens, We relax a little, it'll be fun. Yeah, so no,
I, um, I'll get interested in the second round, right,
Yeah, that's when it gets the nitty gritty, and then of course the
finals of the West and the East. Yeah, I still don't know.
I Well, it doesn't really matter. We'll see, we'll see matter,
it doesn't matter, It doesn't matter what else is going on on the campus
there. Um, you cover, you cover, you cover football specifically,
anything else. I was a cover of basketball and I cover a volleyball when
they're in season. Okay, so yeah, nothing's going on, right,
What do you think of the spring game we didn't have we didn't Yeah,
so, I mean it's a spring game. Nothing you know, to quatch
was going on in the game. But who have you seen that that?
Well? You well, you do the story. I asked him to do
this to asked him to send him me his story because he's gonna be writing
for all sports. Two son a little bit, I want to. I
guess you made an evaluation of the quarterbacks. Yeah, so I looked at
the quarterbacks, thought, because I went through almost all the spring game on
practices and I pretty much the other way the quarterbacks, and I think for
me, the biggest thing I saw was like the growth from each of them,
Like Jading Delor especially, I think it's maturity to command the entire offense
and the team has really grown his second year in the system. And I
thought the rest of the quarterbacks I've also you know, matured a lot more
and have learned Jetfish offense a lot a lot more. So I think in
the second season under Fish, they should all have like a better season,
um, you know, in his upcoming season. Basically, So when we're
talking about the quarterbacks, yesterday, I gotta I got a text message from
one of our listeners that they thought that the fourth string guy, yeah,
yeah, Tannebaum looked better than yeah, than the great the kid from Colorado.
Well it helps. Did you agree with that or was it just that
one path? I think it's the one path. Like I said, I
wouldn't take anything to like major from the spring game itself. I think you
really have to like look at how they performed during the practices and kind of
be with them a kind of their during the practices, kind of see how
they throw in the pocket, how they move around, how they valued right
during the scrimmages and whatnot. I think the spring game is just for four
for the fans to kind of just you see the team, how they look,
you know, see some highlight throws, whatever it may be. But
I wouldn't really take any like thing too made from the spring game itself.
Um yeah, where'd you get him? Oh? He already sounds smarter than
both you and not because he's a kid. That's why the features features.
Okay, I guess you have to hang out for a while, but yeah,
you'd really be your full while. Um yeah no, I again for
me, I mean, look, I had such a busy, busy spring
that that's the only time I see practiced during our times of practice. I
didn't get to go to any of the other if you if you watched the
quarterbacks all throughout the whole thing. Yeah, uh, some, at least
some, maybe a couple have said to me that the third string guy,
the freshman from Colorado U looks very good. Yeah. He has the size
and the strength and all that stuff that he could even supplant. Maybe uh
too, Maybe I think the field has gotten like a lot better people.
Maybe people don't agree with that, but I think he's matured a lot more.
He's a lot more confident with his throw is his decision making everything.
Jay Yesterdy said, he was just and we are impressed with the arm.
Impressed with the arm. Yeah, you know, the throws he was making,
even the ones that didn't he didn't complete, they were I mean,
he's got the rocket armys that that always helps, especially if you're a little
guy, right, you know, if you can get the ball out in
a hurry, well right there, you hit it as a nutshell, especially
because he's a little guy, right, that little guy is kind of the
problem. Yeah, at least from me, but but you generally don't expect
a guy that size to have that kind of an arm receiving. You know,
you think he, oh, he's not, that throw's not gonna get
there, and then it does. Yeah, definitely, Yeah, I think
his size definitely is a problem. But because of his like decision making,
he knows when he get rid of the ball, he knows that the right
throws to make, he knows when his scramall get out the pocket, move
around and whatnot. But I guess, you know, the biggest downside of
him is just his size. But you can't fix Where are you? What
are you gonna do? We're bigger cleats platforms. Yeah, right, we'll
see, we'll see what happens. I'm looking for to it. Even tho
I mister Grumpy, kind of was impressed with what I saw the limited text.
It was grumpy, Okay, what else is going on before we take
the break? Um? Well, I mean there's a lot of stuff.
I don't want to blow all this for breaking news and stuff, but there's
a there's a whole Let me throw this one out because it's something we talked
about a little bit yesterday. The Arizona women's golf team went into into today
tied for first place, did not play well well all the way to fourth
place. Oh yes they were. They were nine over part today really yeah
yeah, um, you know, USC ran away with it. Arizona was
tied with USC at eight undergoing into today. USC shot seven under. Arizona
shot nine over, so a sixteen stroke difference between the two teams that were
tied. Yesterday. It went to USC Oregon Stanford. UM. Stanford was
the top top rated team going in their their player won the individual and then
Arizona. But you know, Arizona, you know, I kind of I
kicked the coverage. They were UH ranked twenty ninth going into the UH going
into in the power ratings or whatever those rankings are, and they finished fourth.
But they shot nine over today, finished the tournament one over. Um
uh uh, Laura and elimated come. They played their best golf, but
it just didn't come together. They're on the last day, so they finished
fourth seasons over. I don't know if they if they still qualify for nationals
if you finished fourth or what it is. Um, I think I think
it's like top four ago so but well, I'll I'll figure that out by
the end of the show. Okay. But uh, you know, just
in case you were curious since we brought it up yesterday. Again, you
know, they finished a little higher than than they were expected to and so
uh good good on the day. Okay, cool, we got about two
minute stuff, uh talking to Perish. Well, I guess we we shouldn't
ignore the Draymond Green things, right, Yeah, I'm gonna need to save
that for breaking news. But Draymond Green suspended four for Game three of the
Warriors a game tomorrow, stopping on someone during the game. Yeah, you
know, what did you? Could we talk about? What did you make
of I didn't like it? I mean, which, Yeah, but you
don't like him be suspended or you don't like I mean, I agree with
the suspension. I with this because not only did he stomp on on the
man, because he grabbed his leg like he didn't have to do that.
And then after he did that, then he started like yelling out the crowd,
started like to know the antics and the commissioners at the game, Like
he has to understand the moment and the environment he's in, you know,
that's who he is. We we kind of said that part of the reason
for a possible suspension or the dejection is because he's Jame Draymond Green, right,
and well and and and and uh um, I think it's Joe dumars
is the uh is like that was a yeah, you know at the works
that the NBA is kind of the spokesman on this, and he came out
he said, he said there were three reasons that that they pinpoint as to
why he got suspended, and one of them was his history, you know,
I mean, the one with the act itself. One was you know,
uh, the effect on the game, YadA YadA, and then one
was he's got a pass history. So so that that we talked about that
actually entered into their decision. Your uh there has nothing to do with this
case, but I guess it does. Yeah, yeah, so you know,
I mean, you know, somebody made the point today saying, you
know, if you if you get caught speeding and then get cut speeding again,
and then get caught speeding again, well then you know you lose your
license, right sure? As opposed to you or you who gets caught speeding
one time you keep doing it, punishment has to increase for you. And
he basically has been doing it and he should know this, right, he
should know that, you know the thing. The thing is the things bothersome
and I get you know, all the stuff is heat of the moment kind
of stuff. But he's been suspended for He's widely criticized for being suspended for
a happened seen a Costomer Champion. And that's what I was just gonna go
because I like the LA Warriors, and Kim kicking the guy of the noise
exactly costs the team. The chagink is gonna happen again. I see them
losing Game three because of Draymond not being there, Like, do you I
do get the heck? Yeah, I'm sorry. I think is and I
don't. I don't because i'll he's good and pivotal. I think that he
can't shoot. Yeah, no, he can't shoot. So this I think
they're gonna score. I think they win. There's a reason he plays,
Yeah, really good and he adds a lot to the team. I don't
doubt keep say with him, believe because he's kind of a problem. All
right, let's take our break right and come back. We're gonna have Pat
Paris from a keg on nine and uh my Sugar skulls uh TV partner.
We'll talk about the sugar skulls and the three old start will drive back.
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Breaking down all the exes and os. It's Steve Rivera and jakeenzmmits. This
is I Am the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen different. Hey, welcome back
to our in the ball. Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve
Rivera. He's jagn Zalis. Now on the phone, we have Pat Paris
Sugar Skulls played by play guy Pat. How are you doing well? Guys,
hope you're doing well. Is also at Beautiful day out yet me tell
Let me start off with a little something something. So we go to Sacramento.
Who do I happen to see Pat Paris on the trip? Now?
I think I blame you for this first round loss. Back in eight ninety
one, my first trip to me, they lost the East Tennessee State.
That was my first trip on the with the team. On a post game.
They blame me, so we all have to get initiated. I don't
I don't know what to say to that, Paty, I you know,
I'd like to say it was me, but I think it was that,
But I tend to blame that. Yeah. I well, when Steve said
that you were there, I'm like, oh, oh oh, I think
I think we have something here. So I don't know, so Pat,
so man, they're three and those Sugar Sculls are three and oh three games
on the road. Um. I know, when I looked at the schedule
when it came out, I thought, you know, if they can come
out of that, you know, two and one, they're in really good
shape. One and two is probably about what you can expect, and then
they go three and O. I mean, what are your thoughts. My
thoughts right away is, yes, it's early in the season, but this
is a different Sugar Skulls team. Let's be honest. We we saw them
have have some some moderate success their fierce first few seasons in the IFL,
but this is just a different team. This is the most balanced team we've
seen, not only on offense, running, passing, but on defense.
I mean, their defensive units just as good as their offense, right,
So I think that's what's encouraged as they're three and oz and they look really
good doing it, I mean very good doing it. You know what I
saw Saturday night was the first game I sawt start to finish and watch the
game. I was just looking to see, you know, what do they
do? And they're just as you said, first of all, the defense
is really good and I wasn't expecting that. Um, you know, I
mean Hurtis is you know, he's been in an offensive coordinator as an offensive
guy, but he's got his guys playing. I mean, they're they're they're
only giving up thirty one points. Put it this way, the total points
that are being average in the Sugar Skulls game is what the Sugar Skulls were
scoring last year nearly seventy, right, and then they and they didn't win
some of those games. So it's been crazy to see, as you said,
how balanced they are averaging forty one points giving up thirty one points or
three and oh and I also thought Jay that that game that first half was
terror I mean, they played kind of bad in that first half. Let's
be honest. I think they had a little hangover from the win over the
Rattlers, but there was a confidence about them that they could turn it around,
and they did. They scored right before half and then they came out
just dominated the second half on both sides of the ball. So yeah,
it's been impressive to see. There's a lot of football to be played,
and as you guys both know, the season isn't one in the first three
weeks. Teams get a lot better as the season goes on. So if
they continue to improve, we'll talk about a team that can make a deep
playoff run. But right now, let's just enjoy this. I guess,
well, you guys sound like a well Doyle machine. You guys, let
me say this. So is it better talent, better coaching, or what's
the deal to me? Steve, I think it's all of the above,
and that's a that's not a knock on Dixie wooton. I think Dixie's real
issue is Dixie's an offensive guy and he was coaching the defense and it just
for whatever reason, maybe it was recruiting wise or whatever, they just weren't
getting the players. They have some of the same players this year, they
have a different head coach and Hurt his chin who's focused on the offense,
but he also is is there to recruit for the defense, and I for
for whatever reason, the players they've added are just better. And that has
a lot to do with coaching and maybe reputation as the head coach and and
uh, you know it just it just seems to all be working right now.
So I guess it's from top to bottom, from the top of the
organization down to the to the bottom. They've got it figured out. And
maybe it's just the way it goes with a team that's an expansion team and
in a league that is a lot of turnover, and you finally get a
coach that maybe has just enough of the right connections around the country to bring
in some of these guys and it's working right now. Well, what are
your thoughts on on the quarterback Ramone Adkins so far? I mean, he's
not spectacular, but he's would I would use the word solid. He doesn't
really do anything stupid. I mean, he's had a couple of picks that
you know, he's not put the ball on the ground. Um, he's
certainly not the runner that de quon Neil was, but he's also seems to
be a better and I think, you know, we had Carrington Thompson on
last week he said, what Alex about Atkins is that he stays in the
pocket more and he throws the ball more. Yeah, I think that's it.
I think he's instead of a you know, I'm gonna run if in
three seconds my first or second option aren't open. And that's what we saw
the last couple of years. And I think what you see now as a
guy who's gonna let the guys have enough time to run their routes. Early
last week in that game at Bay Area, it costs him. He got
a lot of pressure because the line, you know, they lost one lineman
to the USFL and so they needed to, you know, make some tweaks
on the line. But they got it figured out by the second half.
But I agree with you. I think he's a better passer, maybe not
as good a runner. But then again, last year with Duke City,
when he came in as a rookie, he lit up the scoreboard. I
think it's in him if he needs to. But right now they've got it
figured out pretty well. With obviously you've got Mike Jones running the football,
and you've got Carrington Thompson. I mean, who doesn't just love that guy?
To me, he's the MVP of the league right now already, even
though you and I both know Jay they almost pick, always picked quarterbacks for
that award. But Jarrington Thompson's got to be in the running here early on.
So the quarterback is from I'm gonna be doing a feature on him for
a paper in New Mexico. He's from their small, small school. Um,
so it kind of shows you that if you can play, you'll find
the player, but he will find you. Yeah, you don't have to
be this crazy athlete or whatever, but if you say, he's very consistent,
that's kind of all you need in this league, right And that's the
great thing about this league is these are the quarterbacks that you find. These
are the players you find. It's these small schools. What is it Highlands
or something in New Mexico is from I've never heard of its Mexico. Yeah,
but but remember heardis Chen played college ball in New Mexico. And I
think he, you know, has some ins and and understands the workings over
there. And clearly Dukes City found this guy first. To give them credit,
but you know you've got to scour all of these smaller schools because these
are the guys that nobody's ever graded these guys before. You know, we
see these guys that make it to the XFL or the USFL, and they're
they're a little bit above the guys that we're seeing here. Although sometimes some
of these guys go up to that level, but those are all guys that
are coming out of Ohio State or whatever that just didn't quite make it in
the NFL. But these are the guys that never even got graded by by
NFL scouts and they're getting an opportunity and now they're getting graded. And as
I said, some of them make the jump up to the USFL or the
XFL and every once in a while a guy gets a cup of coffee in
the NFL. So defensively, again, that's got to be a huge story.
Their second in the league in fewest points allowed. Um, there's you
know, some familiar names, Mike mintor Rashi Hodge who was here at the
U of a couple of guys like that, but there's there's a lot of
new faces on the defense, and it looks like they may have put something
together. I think you're right, and I think that again, this league
comes every year. Well, it's like it's like college sports. Now you
got to recruit everybody every year, right, You even have to recruit the
good guys on your team because they may go to another one of the of
the IFL teams because they're getting recruited. So you're recruiting the guys that you
had from last year that you want to keep, and then you're recruiting guys
off of other teams or scouring to find guys that can fill in some of
the positions. And I think that's where Hurdis Chin and company have really done
a great job knowing and identifying the biggest hole that they had last year,
and frankly, probably for the existence of this franchise is on defense. They
can score, but can they keep the other team from scoring consistently? And
I think they found the guys. I think they plugged in some guys that
were already there along with some of these new guys. And I've been really
impressed with the amount of pressure they're getting on the imposing quarterback, the ability
to play this y. You probably saw it. They're playing these these like
zone defenses where you basically leave a guy opened underneath briefly and then you charge
to the football. If he gets the gets get the path, but you
got to make the tackle right away. And they're making the tackle right away,
which we didn't always see that the path. Yeah, you saw,
I saw a lot of that, or a lot I saw. I saw.
I thought I saw a lot of late blitzes. You know, the
quarterback is standing back there looking around, and look around, nobody's open.
All of a sudden, here comes the middle, linebacker or somebody you know,
blasting up the middle and messing things up. And you know, as
you mentioned, they played, they played just said, they played awful in
the first half on Saturday. I mean with a minute left, they still
in the half, they still hadn't scored. All of a sudden, you
know, they put the clamps on. These guys, scored twenty one straight
points and went on and won. And something, you know, something happened
or something change or maybe nothing changed, and they just stopped. You know,
they the offense finally got itself going, but they looked bad in the
first half of the game, and I thought, like I thought, okay,
they've got a little bit of a hangover. It's a third road trip
you know, it's a longer trip because it's the Bay Area. U it
didn't look good. And then they you know, they wanted going away.
It was a trap game, Let's be honest. It was a trap game
because they had just upset their arrival in Phoenix. They as you mentioned,
you go all the way up to the Bay Area in San Jose and and
that's not an easy trip for guys that aren't used to necessarily taking long road
trips. And yeah, they they were sleepwalking through that first half. But
during that time, I didn't think the defense looked like they were is out
of it. It looked like the defense had had a plan. But credit
Dixie Wooton, who was the offensive coordinator there for Bay Area. He had
a plan too, and they were able to put up a couple of touchdowns.
But then and don't forget Jay the special teams, right, they blocked
an extra point and they blocked a field goal that set them up in great
position to go down and score as well. And I think that, you
know, it's those kinds of things that you're seeing that the or the organization
of that coaching staff is such that they can work on all three phases and
they're excelling at all three phases. I've been really impressed. A lot of
season to go, but you remember, after Saturday Night's game, we're a
quarter of the way through the season. We just haven't seen them yet.
It will be a quarter of the way through the regular season. So guys,
one of the things I've heard in the three four years they've been in
existence is how well the guys treat their players, or the Tucson franchise does,
and I would assuming they do the same in Phoenix where they take care
of their players. That's got to play some part. Finally, well not
finally, but you're seeing the results finally. Yeah, And that's that's what
you have to do when you're in the recruiting process and word gets out which
one of these franchises and it's it's things that people probably don't even think about,
but these guys need places to stay. So they get him. You
know they Jay knows better than I do because he worked in the front office
there. But you've got to you've got to make a deal with one of
the one of the local companies that has apartments to rent so that we can
get these guys housing. And then you've got to make deals with all the
restaurants in town and you give them some trade so that you can you can
feed these guys every day. And you know, and it's it's the ability
to have a nice facility at at Keno to practice. Yeah, it's outdoors,
but most of the team's practice out doors. You can't you can't practice
all the time against those boards who get hurt. But you know, it's
those kinds of things that set franchise franchises like the Arizona Rattlers and the Two
Sons Sugar Skills apart. Is the attention to detail and credit Kevin and Kathy
guy for knowing how to do that and that it's a it's a it's a
big selling point for guys like hurt his chin to go say, hey,
ask your buddies who played in the league. Who's what's what's the top two
teams in the league as far as taking care of their players, And it's
it's Tucson and it's Phoenix. Yeah, no doubt, because I you know,
I all the way back to the first year. Remember the Sugar Skills
had two quarterbacks that you'll switch back and forth, and I've already forgotten their
names, but the quarterback who came in late um he said, you know,
he was having a tough time with the team he was on. He
feared he wanted to move into the into the indoor Football League. And I
said, I said, how did you get here? He said, the
first thing I did was I looked up which teams ares Kevin Guy running,
Kevin Kathy Guy running, and he'd be put in a call to Kevin said,
well, we don't have a place for you at Arizona, but we
might have it. There might be a place for you with the Sugar Skulls.
And he remember Marcus Coleman was a coach. He gave Marcus Coleman.
He came in, he came in. He said, I came here because
I knew I was going to get a decent place to stay. I knew
they were gonna feed me. And he taught. He told some horror stories
about places where they would get ten bucks a day. You know, they
get fed three times a day by the Sugar Skulls. So that's right,
and so that is a big deal. You know. It's it's kind of
like, you know, do you have the fancy football facility, like you
know, or the fancy weight room. You know that the college football teams
have to have. It's it's it's it's not that different, yeah, and
it's it's you know, this is a you're not going to make a lot
of money. It's in this league. So the last thing you want to
do is you're taking your check each week and having to dig into your own
pocket to pay for meal. And you know, you just you don't want
to have to do that or dig in your pockets to worry about where you're
going to be staying. And so I think it's a huge part of it.
It's a reason why Kevin Guy has been so successful with the Rattlers,
and now you're starting to see some success at the sort of Skulls, And
it was only a matter of time. I you know, you guys are
doing a great job of pumping up this product. And I try to do
the same thing with Jason Barr and I on Kega nine. But this is
a this is a product that if you go, it sells itself, right.
And if you start learning the background of these players and you start learning
what they go through and the sacrifices they make just for one shot, it
maybe a long shot at that of maybe making it to the next level sometime
that that you really appreciate it, and you'll you'll want to keep coming back
and keep coming back exactly exactly. Okay, so it's a red out on
Saturday. Well, I was going to ask you, I've got like eight
red ties. I mean, I'm an Arizona guy, right, so I'm
just deciding which one I'm gonna wear. So, yes, that will every
red that's exactly the right. So many red ties we could choose from,
all right, And so six o'clock, a thousand jerseys, a thousand red
sugar skulls jerseys, adults jerseys being given out. So I guess we gotta
have red on right, Yeah, you gotta have red. And that's a
I mean it's a good Lee and I both think that that red is a
really good lie. I think you had something to do with that, right.
Well, I'm just gonna say it was my idea because Kevin wanted to
have nothing to do with red, because you know, they wanted the Steelers
colors and stuff. I gu said, Kevin, you're in Tucson, Arizona,
University of Arizona, red cells, red cells. So yeah, we
had a we had a red out schedule for the twenty twenty season when it
got canceled. Yeah, that's right, but I'm glad. I'm glad that
they have it. It's a sharp, sharp look. And I know that
Ali Farhang wants Steeler colors because he's a Steeler guy work in Pittsburgh. I'm
a Steeler guy too, but we can have red every once in a while
because I'm a wildcat through and through. So I agree, Jack. So
now you're off the hook for the first round. Thank you, hey,
Pat, Thanks a whole bunch. I'll see you Saturday, all right,
looking forward to it. Thanks for having me on. Guys, all right,
take care. So Hill and I are going to heaven just for you
know. I may go a red shirt. What do you think, a
black jacket, red shirt, and then maybe I don't know, maybe a
black tie or something like that. Red on red should go red. I
don't know if i'd I don't know if I'd look like a big blood plot
or something, though, I'd be a little worried about that. All right,
So let's let's head out. We're gonna come back and we'll do uh
take your calls five two zero four, one six seventy four Friday. I
love to hear if you're thinking about one to the Sugar Sculls game on Saturday,
and if you're interested. If you're not interested, think about it because
it is a lot of fun. So we'll be right back. You're an
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called it Hey. Streaming live on the iHeart Radio WAP. This is I
on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteenth fiftday.
Welcome back to Find the Balcano Fox Swarts fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera, you're
Jagnzos. We have about eleven minutes. Do you guys want to call?
Please do the number one, I say seventy four forty four thirty four.
What I say, he said seventy forty four, seventy four forty one five
zero four one six seventy four four. I just put us in your phone,
call USI on the ball and you know, and just give us a
call. Yeah, when you want to what do you want to say?
You want to talk about something? Um, Uh, the Sugar Skulls.
So say, Oh, if you're gonna be going to the games, if
you want to, yeah, you know, Um, I'd love to hear
if you're interested in the you know what's going on with the Sugar Skulls.
Look, we all know that we're a winner's town, right. Everybody loves
a winner in this town. Everybody loves the winner pretty much anywhere. But
there's some places where they even like losers. Um, this town loves winners.
And right now the Sugar Sculls are three and all. So, uh,
you know, think about you know, come and check Come and check
out a game tomorrows as good I mean Saturdays, as good a day as
anything to do it. You might be able to get a jersey if you
get there early enough. Um, and just check it out. Uh,
you know, from what I've seen of the team, they're they're fun to
watch. They play some defense, which has been as as Pat Parris said,
not really the thing for the first few years of the of the franchise.
But um, you know the games are exciting. You know, Saturday's
game was exciting down to the end. Uh and uh, but you know
most of them are aren't taking and all that stuff. Well, the thing
is, you can you can score so quickly you're never out of a game,
right. I mean, there's a minute left in the game on Saturday
and the Sugar Scalls were up by two scores and it wasn't over because if
they if if Bayery goes down and scores a touchdown, you can get an
onside kick and you can score in the first play. So they did go
down and score, Sugar Cloves got the ball back, ran a couple of
plays, scored one more time and that was that. So, um,
you know, it's it's fast, it's loose. You know, it's fifteen
minute running clock for the for the for the Hals. It stops you know
for touchdowns and timeouts and things. But it you know, it's get a
quick game. You know, it's a two two and a half hour game.
And uh, and again a lots you know, lots going on.
Uh. They do a good job at the arena, at the Tucson Arena
of uh, you know, trying to keep things going, you know.
Our Again, as miss Pat, I was part of the front office when
we were you know, setting up our games. We just we do want
we do not want fans. We did not want fans just sitting around with
nothing to do. There's always something going on in the arena. Um,
That's that's what they try to do. So it's always fun to go.
There's deals on tickets and stuff. So we're really trying to pack the house
on Saturday. Okay, yea. And we should have charged for that advertising
right there. Should we should have? Yeah, we should have. There
should be a sponsor. Yeah yeah, Pat Parashaw every we youtubo every week.
Yeah yeah. And and Pat and I again, I shouldn't tell you
this, but we're gonna tell you that. You know, all all Sugar
Skulls games home and away are are streamed live on YouTube. So Pat and
I call the game, you know, like a TV broadcast, and it's
on YouTube. Wait. Wait, even on the road, well, we
don't go on the road. The home team has to do. It's a
it's a league rule. The home team has to do a streaming broadcast of
the game. So if you watch the Sugar Skulls on the road, it's
with the home team's announcers and you get in the same game. So and
then you know that one of the things that that does, it makes Pat
and I, well, you know, we leaned, We leaned Sugar Skulls
where you know, get more excited for Sugar Skulls plays. We try to
keep it as as as as even as we can, because you know,
part of your audience is the other team's fans, so you don't want to
be you know, we you know, we highlight them as well. So
that's that's that's part of what we try to do with it. Your homers
would not that much. Yeah, a little bit, that's what I got
out of it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Okay, not not a
total homer, not like at those ASU homers Kyle Dodd and those guys.
Yeah, but he was good with us. Scott's my friend. Now,
I you know, I saw him at uh, you know, I had
some beers with him at the PACU tournament. Yeah, you know what at
the first night that We were there the night before the first game start.
Um, there's always a little soiree at that uh that bar and grill that's
right next to the arena and that they cordon off a part of it and
it's for you know, pack twelve people at you know, administrators and stuff
and uh you know, median whatnot. We were there and so, you
know, cool Kyle came by. We had had a few beers, had
some beers with Mark Harland, the Utah A d. Yeah. I gave
him some crap because I remember, I you know, I was. I
yelled at him for having gone to two rose balls when Arizona still happen.
So I told him, I said, you know what, I'm really glad
to see you here on Tuesday night and that you've got a game on Wednesday
and don't have a box. He took that really well. You took it
really well. But but you know Kyle god who, like you mentioned when
you know, he was the annoying point guard that Kirk Greasa wasn't everybody else.
You know, he's like a close friend. Good luck with It's pretty
funny. Be careful what you started to bring it in. I know,
I know, I know you just gotta be a little careful. Yeah,
so we have six minutes. We're gonna be talking to Lamont Huney here and
on the other side in another half hour, maybe talking about the spring game
and see what he's up to. Hiding him on the show when you were
gone. Yeah, him and Ricky. Yeah that was a good I listened
to some of that about the childhood and stuff. Yeah, that was a
gotta call. We gotta call. All right, let's take this call.
You're on the airline the ball. Hey, guys, this is done.
How are you? I just want to pick up from yesterday. You guys
are talking about how some people were frustrated with uh, Tommy Lloyd and the
transfer portal and what are they doing and everything else. Um. One thing
that people got to remember is Tommy Lloyd is still learning how to be a
head coach. Yes, yes, yeah, absolutely. You're not a head
coach until you are a head coach. And so you've got to You've got
a transition from being an assistant and having your tasks and your responsibilities laid out
for you to being the head guy and laying everybody else's responsibilities out and all
that stuff on top of learning to navigate this dang portal, right, because
I remember, I remember back to when Mike Stoops got the job here at
the U of Age. He was learning to be a head coach. His
baby brother was learning how to be a defensive coordinator, and Mike Canalis was
learning how to be an offensive coordinator. So everybody in the staff was learning
how to do another job. So I warned some people around me, it's
like, hey, man, baby steps, because these guys are all learning
too well and that, and plus you know, it's just the timing of
things right now. People are frustrated that they haven't seen Airzon a sign signing
guys out of the portal. Who is right, There's been a handful of
people players who have committed, but for the most part, all the players
are in the portal. They're all still looking around. It takes time,
it does. And then what the thing is is though, that people heard
how fast Jetfish and the football staff was on Jadeen Delora because they had gotten
they had gotten wind he's going in the portal, right, So as soon
as his name was in the portal, his phone was ringing from Arizona.
And so people are thinking that's how easy. It is, but you know
that was that was kind of lightning in a bottle for jet fish. And
so I mean, you gotta be careful on who you get out of this
portal because why is this guy leaving where he is? Right? No,
no, we talked about you know, it doesn't always look sunny at the
other side, right going and coming? Yeah, because you could you could
go in the portal and have no place to go and then oh your spot
got filled behind you and you got no place to go back to either,
right, yeah, no question, no question, you know, So so
you go go play nia ball. Then so are you are you um being
patient or you what? You know, who called the yesterday incident in God?
In God and Tommy they trust? What are Carl Carson that? Yeah?
Yeah, so how were you trying to be I'm trying to be patient.
But it's you know, for for several years, we never got a
chance to know who these guys were, with all these one and duns and
such that I don't I mean, I have no idea who's on the basketball
team. And I said it, I said it last week. You know,
it's kind of frustrating to see there's all these blank faces at the end
of the bench that we'll never see. We'll never know because you know,
they'll never get in the game because of the guys that are coming in and
playing in front of them. You know. Whereas back in the olden days
and we had the Gumbies, we knew what was coming, right, and
we were looking forward to those guys coming. Now it's just a spinning,
revolving door. And that's and that's it, and that's the bottom line,
because I mean, think about it, what Harvey Mason have stayed he could
if he could have left and played about sitting out of year, any one
of those guys, any one of those guys, all those guys, you
know, like with Harvey, chances are he not of stage. He would
have gone on to play at Loyola Marymount because he'd be a lot, heck
of a lot closer to all the music stuff in LA you know, Yeah,
yeah, sure, absolutely, you know he he would have doubled up
on everything, he'd have gotten his long term career going, and he would
have still got to play basketball exactly. And then at that time it would
have been fun because that would have been with Paul Westhead. Yeah, that
was crazy. That's crazy crazy group. Yeah, all right, don Hey,
thanks so much, man, I appreciate the call. Thanks, guys,
No, he may he makes a good point. Yeah, you know,
and we've said that, you know, in a lot of different ways
over time. You know, it's just different now. And I get again,
Tommy's out there recruiting guys. It's not like he's not recruiting guys.
It's not like as soon as the Craton guy when into the portal, I'm
guessing Tommy was one of his first calls. The fact that he hasn't decided,
that's not on Tommy, right. The guy's looking around, he's trying
to get his best well, he's trying to get the best n IL deal
he can get. He's trying to get the best situation where he knows he
can play. Yeah, we have a call, but we're not gonna be
able to take your call because we've got to get to a break. Please
call us after the break, after the break, we'll take it during breaking
news. We just can't take it right now because we've got to get to
our top of the hour break. There's no no fudging on that. So
if you're the caller calling in, please call us back. Right after the
break, we'll be uh, we'll be able to take your call. In
the meantime, let's go ahead and get out here for now. We'll be
at back top of the hour with breaking news, so stick around.