Streaming live on the iHeartRadio WAPP. This is I on the Ball with Steve
Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to
AY in the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's
Jay. Now we have Kevin with breaking new lots of This is I on
the Ball breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right, so let's
go ahead and start with the biggest news of the day in the sports world.
La Dodger stars Shoho Tani has spoken to the media for the first time
through his new interpreter, one that is not allegedly stealing millions of dollars right,
and he said he has he had no knowledge of the situation going on,
he has never gambled on baseball or any other sport, and that he's
pretty much clearly devastated by the news that his former translator and what we thought
was his best friend is now accused of stealing millions of dollars gambling and losing
it between illegal bookie in California. So ask the Dodger how he feels about
this story. I percent believe show Hey Otani that he had nothing to do
with any of this, that he was a victim of the whole thing,
and that he he he had a trusted uh companion who led him astray and
took his money, and that show hey, should one hundred percent be absolved
of any involvement in anything and allowed to hit this year for the Dodgers.
Yes, that's what and he was, that's the important In fact, I
just came up. There's a there's a bit he's throwing for the first time
today, So good on, show hey big, get rid of this distraction
and let the season commence. Had this story broken June of two thousand and
three, that's the no. Well, if Sho Hay was Yankee Pinstrick,
I would ban him from baseball a block, set him up over there next
to Pete Rose, and don't ever let him enter a Major League baseball park
again. That was my point. Let's move on. Yeah, definitely more
to that one. But there's there's nothing left. It's it's over some gambling
stuff. Also in the NBA today getting uh just dropping, just dropped twenty
minutes ago from Windhorse and Wojnowski. Uh. The NBA is investigating the Raptors
John Tay Porter, brother of Michael Porter Junior for betting issues involving two instances,
one on January twenty sixth and one on March thirtieth. Pretty much he
left games with with questionable or mysterious injuries. One was a reaggravated eye injury
and one was an illness. Both of those games, he went under on
all of his props, and all of his props were also the highest earning
props for DraftKings users on each of those nights. So so not only did
he do that, word got around obviously to some people, and he has
missed Saturday's game for personal reasons and tonight's game for personal reasons, as well
as the investigations going on. See he's guilty. There's just so much,
so much stuff with this, with this, well, well here's what it
is, Steve, though. So much of this it's because it's out in
the open now, right. A lot of this stuff has been going on
and people haven't been detecting it, right and now because there's so many,
so many people watching, and you've got all these you know, uh,
agencies that are hired by teams to keep an eye on gambling on those teams,
the stuff's more out in the open. Uh, And so I think
that's why we're hearing more about it. I don't think it's happening any more
than it was happening before. I just think that because we're hearing about it,
because things, stuff is getting out in the open. You know,
maybe some player, some obscure player maybe gets involved in a gambling thing the
NBA, they just, you know, the team just lets him. He's
gone and it's kind of forgotten, you know, I kind of swept under
the rug type of stuff, where now you can't sweep the stuff under the
rug because you have so many people who know about what's going on and it's
everywhere now. I don't know if you saw what the NBA league pass for
next year, as being proposed, is going to have lines live on the
side of the stream so you can watch the game and look at the lines
a lot. I believe. Closer to home, I believe the the Indoor
Football League is going to have that this year. Wow. Last I heard
they were setting up something like that where you can be able to make live
bets on the next play and stuff like that. They're trying to do that'lievable
and they wonder why they have problems. Yeah, because in the last three
weeks we had Temple and the UAB college basketball game flight for unusual betting,
the Rudy Gobert thing where he made the money, the money Man's el sign,
and the referees I'm playing, Hey, I think you have money on
this game. Well that was a fraudulent claim, but the claim was still
made. It's just it's just way more visible than it's been more some coaching
stuff in the n C Double A Utah States Danny Sprinkle has accepted the Washington
hoops job, a six year deal. According to ESPN. Yeah, we
live at a time where if you're the hot dude or hot dude, you
better jump on it. Go well, yeah, and the next one you're
gonna do. Kwonzo Martin as nearing a deal to return to the state of
Missouri, but this time at Missouri State University or he was before, right,
Yes, he was at Missouri Zoo. Yeah, no, but I
think he was at Missouri State too. Well maybe not, but he most
recently was at Kyle Smith. That's where you had success originally. Yes,
yeah, Kyle Smith is leaving Washington State for the Stanford basketball which you know
when when that rumor or when that word was getting around that that he that
he was their target. I thought Stanford's not a better job. But then
it's like, well, he doesn't have a conference in at Washington State,
so maybe it is. Well he's got he's going to the a c C.
But and he's got some history with he coach Columbia to success, right,
so you know, plus say, you know, Paolo alto Pullman,
where you where you want to live, you could buy a big, big,
big house. Yeah. In fact, if you well, if you've
got the money to be able to live in a place like Paulo Alta to
the Bay area, then then go there for sure. So that's cool.
I would live. I would live further south towards San Jose. That's kind
of a cool area over there, like Santa Clara of those places. Little
more low key. Yeah, just a little more lokey now as you're not
piled on top of each other the way they are in San Francisco. So
yeah, what's good move for him? Good move for him. West Virginia
named Darien d riz as their new basketball coach. He had he had Arise
had just led Drake to the tournament in three of the last few Drake.
Yeah, and he has won at least twenty five games in each of the
past four seasons, with a record of one hundred and fifty and fifty five
over six seasons at Duke or sorry Drake, you know you again, Steve
as you said, you know you're you're you're coaching a place like Drake or
you know, Utah State or whatever, and the big job comes along at
a major conference you have to take. You got to go to you're gonna
be making sure, you know, at a place like you know, Stanford,
you're gonna make three million dollars a year, four million dollars a year,
those kinds of things. You know, West Virginia is similar. You
got it. You gotta jump on those and you know, set your family
up for Yeah. The funny thing about it, you could be a hot
coach one year and decide to stay. Well, look at the guy from
FAU who was very hot last year, waited a year with a good team
and they got ousted. Now it's at Michigan five years. I didn't even
know what his contracts for five years, and I don't know how much talking
about Dusty May, Yeah, it's a five year contract and let me find
that number for you. But yeah, I mean, you know, he's
the head coach of Michigan now and at a place that's going to be bringing
in a whole ton of money, just under four million dollars a year.
Yeah, you know, No, I mean you have to take those opportunities
when they're there, and you know, hey, and shoot your shot,
right, I mean, is he good enough to be the Michigan coach?
We don't know to find out, but you'll find out. But you know,
shoot your shot. I think it's a it's a it's a thing you
have to do. And if you can make here, can make a program
like FA you seems as stable in his top level as he has. There
is promise that I mean, again not to beat the dead horse, but
I never I never blamed Jed Fish for taking the money to go to Washington,
right, the seven and a half million dollars. Uh, it's just
the other things that kind of made that distasteful. Yeah. Well then and
then he got well we talked about this then he kind of was this happened
last week with the ad movie. So so after five after five months months,
you know, you get a challenge, you get. You get a
traveler with another traveler through traveling. What the travelers do travel travel going all
over the place. Speaking of speaking of maybe going all over the place.
LSU has had quite the week between the tournament results and also their head coach,
Kim Mulky her comments recently about a Washington Post piece that has yet to
be dropped about her. She said she has come out and hired the best
defamation lawyers in the nation to I can't wait for the story there. We
don't even know what she's I can't wait for the story to come out because
you know what, if this was Joe Blow's basement website that was about to
come out with a hit piece, I'd say, all right, probably a
little shady. This is the Washington Post, Okay, it's it's taking the
guy two years. Yeah, two years. They do the work. Whatever
they're coming out with. Whoever called she called it a hit piece. You
know, the word got out that that there's this, that there's this investigative
piece coming out on her. I guarantee you they did the work. I'm
gonna believe every word of it because those guys don't mess around, you know,
They're not, like I said, They're not the guy in the basement,
you know, on his mom's website, on his mom's Wi Fi,
trying to get clicks. And it's a two year, two year deal.
Right. They've done, they been, you know, they it's checked,
everything's checked over and over and over again. That's how the Washington Post,
the New York Times they do those things. They're not the National Inquirer,
who are just kind of guessing and hoping they got it right. And she
knows that, and that's why she she's you know, she's uh, she's
you know, laying the gauntlet, but she's gonna look bad. Yeah,
And I was. I was also wondering what her strategy was. I would
like to know her thoughts on, like the strategy of drawing more attention to
the piece that has to even drop, right, because she doesn't even know
how many people are going to see it, but now everyone's gonna right to
see it personally. Before I didn't even know what was happening. I didn't
even if it came out, I might have skimmed it, you know,
if it was it was really salacious, I would have. Yeah, now
you have to read it now. If she dropped her coffee I want to
know, you know, I don't know, but yeah, I can't wait.
Plus I'm just I'm just gonna say it, Okay. I dealt with
her. She came, she was here for first and second round that Arizona
hosted, and she was the meanest person in the planet that week. She
was just she was just mean to everybody and just for no reason whatsoever.
And and so if they if they told me that she set a player on
fire, I would believe it. Well, at the end of the day,
mean people are people, mean people, traveling people, and right,
and and and if you're a mean person and you're gonna get called on it
a lot of times, and I'm I'm you know, I for one,
if they tell I mean, if they tell me she you know whatever,
I'm gonna get a stop stuff. But I'm gonna, you know, I'm
gonna believe she did. It's the old Dennis Green thing of they are who
we thought they are. Yes, So in the end, you think sometimes
generally is what it is. Yeah, And and again han't had that personal
experience with her, I have no doubt that that there's a lot of stuff
in there about just her being a bad person. I would have no doubts
about it. One more thing from the SEC Georgia running back brother of Travis
E. T N, Trevor E. T N was arrested on a on
a on a d U I. The charges are reckless driving, fixing materials
that reduce visibility, uh, failure to maintain lane, and improper driving on
the road. Do you y fitting right into the as we said, fitting
right into the Georgia culture over there of just those people, those guys in
their their cars. Yeah, I love it. The top sixteen. So
next Steve emailed me this list. Jay, We're gonna run it by you
real quick. The top sixteen coaches left in the n C Double eight Tournament.
Where do you think, Tommy LEI bet they have time? Like four?
Who the head? Who's the head? Uh? Dan Hurley? Uh?
Calvin Sampson Okay, I think? Oh? And Mark Few? You
have the top three there? Mark Few is at number one, Danny Hurley's
number two, Calvin Samson number three, Number four Matt Painter. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't put Matt painteryd so go ahead, well. Number five,
I would put him ahead of Tommy Lloyd either. And number six is shock
and smart, definitely ahead of Tommy Lloyd either Tommy light hasn't he hasn't earned
his chops. He's a third year coach, and so he's number seven.
He's not seven, but fair, go ahead and do the rest of them
because it's right. Yeah, he's three years fair. I'm an Arizona fan.
That's why I think he's been so. Number eight is gonna be Rick
Barnes of Tennessee, who could be ahead of Tommy Lloyd in fairness, he's
been in a long time, Okay, Okay. Greg McDermott of Creighton a
number another guy who's done really well. Rounding out the top ten, you
can bunch all those guys together, okay, okay, and then you kind
of those two guys are had kind of yea. Rounding out of the top
ten is gonna be Hubert Davis. Right. I don't think he's below him.
I think he's way back. Brian Dutcher at number eleven. San Diego
State's coach, Brad Underwood of Illinois coming in number two. Okay, Number
thirteen, we're gonna get t j Otsolberger from Iowa State, Right, he's
gonna be a good one. John Shire fourteen Duke Kevin keats n C state
number fifteen and rounding out the entire list is Brown or Brad brownel of Clesing.
Yeah, yeah, I think you can put Tommy in the you know,
in a in a in a pack right there in the middle, in
the eight nine ten range with those guys that are there. Yeah, that's
probably fair. I'm going there's a breaking news. Okay, perfect buzz right
at the buzzer. All right, let's get a hold Chuck. Coming up
with Chuck Culpepper from the Washington Post. Not talking about the Washington Post article
on Kimmulki. He was in Salt Lake City covering, uh, covering the
sub regional there. And he'll is he going to l A? You know,
I don't think so. He's in LA but I'm not sure if he
will. We'll ask, all right, we'll see, all right, stick
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schedule your free evaluation today. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera
and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Subscribe now to the podcast on
the iHeartRadio wapp just surgeon I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to
iin the Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jacinsauas.
Now on the phone. You have Chuck Colepepper from the Washington Post college
basketball guy. How are you? Chuck? All right, Stephen, Jay,
how you doing. We're doing fine. Good to hear from you.
I saw you over the weekend. Obviously. Chuck and I go back a
long time. He covered Kentucky as a beat guy many many years ago.
Right, I was a calumnist. But that's like being a beat guy there,
except our beat guy was extraordinary, so I don't want to it was
a calmnist. Jerry Tiptons. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a
well known guy. Jerry tipp He is a legend, Yes he is.
Okay, what what impressed you the most about the West or where we were
at, uh this weekend? The Zags. I mean, the Zags were
just so beautiful that you know, you have that bias of what you're seeing
right in front of you and you think it's the greatest thing ever and even
well, that's often very irrational. I hope I never lose like that that
capacity to because I've already liked into them into the title, you know,
and they've got a really tough game up ahead here. But they were so
beautiful against Kansas, and you know, the Jayhawks were tired, there's no
question, but it was just beautiful basketball from Gonzaga sixty point three percent.
How you know, how is that with the teams, the great teams that
he's had, I mean, what what is it about them that that sticks
out this time? This time around? So I think what happened is they
had the two key transfers in in the mix, and then they this is
what I was listening to them say in the locker room. They've learned each
other, learned to read each other. And the way that happens, and
uh, you know, the big man Graham k he said, he said
it it becomes like a flow, like water flowing, like a stream going
by that you can't stop. I was like, okay, I'll keep listening
to you as long as you like. You know, people, but people
just can't say that because we don't have streams and flowing and all that stuff.
Oh, I see those streams are no. I'm just kidding that.
Uh. And then Anton Watson was saying, it's become very effortless. So
they got a really hard game against Purdue, of course, which also looked
fantastic Sunday, but oh, both of them were great. Well, Purdue
certainly looks different because you know, they've clearly added some pieces that they didn't
have before. They just look they look I don't know. I mean,
I I don't see how anybody beats him, even Yukon with you know,
Zachi, he's just a beast and he's it's it's different from what we've seen.
I don't know what. I can't pinpoint it, but that's what I
saw. Yeah, and that glowing stat twenty nine assists that came out of
their box. And Utah State's a good team, was a good team.
So you know, I agree, and so I have to remove Gonzaga from
the place I put it in the champions seat on Saturday and wonder because you
know, there's this other thing about Purdue, which was I was there last
year in Columbus when they lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the sixteen to one game,
and that turned this sixteen one game on Friday into a nervous occasion.
I think, just like Virginia in twenty nineteen had the same thing and they
fell fourteen points behind Gardner Webb before winning the national title. So I think
once they got through that, I think they are really scary. Yeah,
well see, let's go there with Arizona. I'm not sure you could feel
the same thing with Arizona, but I could. Who covered the team where
there was a sense of relief in the first round and in the second round.
Oh that's right. Yeah, Because you know, I was looking at
this, I was noticing that the only double digit seed left is NC State,
and I thought, well, last year's tournament was wild. There must
have been a lot of them left, but there was only one and left
in the sweet sixteen last year, and I think Arizona fans could gloomly guess
what it was, but it was Princeton. But yeah, to get past.
I sensed a lot of joy after Arizona got through that second round game.
It was clear that there was kind of a relief built in that you
could feel. What did What do you see when you see Arizona? You
know, we again, we see him every day, so I think we'll
have our impressions. But somebody who maybe didn't watch them a lot over the
course of the season, what what did you see on Saturday? On Saturday?
Yeah, that's the first thing I think about that really strikes me,
is like, I wish that in life I was as bold as Caleb love
is. I could have really benefited from that during life. And I was
thinking about that. I was at the Final four in twenty two in New
Orleans, and we all know how he you know, he loves to shoot,
but I had forgotten just how much he loved to shoot. So he
didn't have a great percentage in the two games, as you know, but
there's something about him that I'd still I think one on my team, and
if he gets hot, then they're gonna they're gonna win. The whole thing.
I keep I'll be at all sixteen teams, but they're certainly capable and
Umar Balow. I just am intrigued with and I'm I'm floored that these guys.
You know, I was reading his bio and he was over as a
teenager and Mauritius in some tournament and get double double as a teenager, you
know. And I was for his national team, Molly, and I was
thinking, the journey these guys make is often underestimated, I think as very
young men. So with him, yeah, you just might think with him,
who knows, you know, there's there's just scenes. I guess you've
seen it close, but there's just growth in leaps. So you're funny because
in describing Caleb Love, you sell like Lester Holt to me, he comes
with some passion, turns the corner right, he has the gun in his
hand. He loves to shoot. I thought Johnson was terrific on Saturday too.
I loved his energy. Yeah, you did, hasensity for scoring.
All he knows how to do, all he wants to do. That was
your description, which is accurate. We'll see what happens. What else we're
going to go to a conversation we had Chuck and I talking about our discussion
about the blue Bloods. We'll do that better Okay, Well, here here's
the thing, and you know, you look, you look at the bracket
you just mentioned a second though, there's only one double digit seed in the
sweet sixteen, and everybody else is a six seed or higher. There's not
I think we all went into this tournament thinking there were a million teams that
were you know, there'll just gonna be total chaos. I don't. I
don't feel like there's been chaos in this tournament this year, and in fact,
a lot less chaos than since I can really remember. You know,
you look west, there's a you know, a one two, four and
six. You look at the at the East and there's a one two,
three and a five. Uh, you got the eleven in the in the
South, but with a with a one two and a four, and then
a one two, three and a five in the Midwest. Not the kid.
That's not chaotic in terms of a bracket. You know, I'm a
I'm a chalk guy. So I'm doing okay in a bunch of my pulls
because I take chok and chalk is more or less there except for North Carolina
State, which I took because I was impressed by what they did last year.
Do you do you, I mean, do you have that sense that
it's not as wild as we maybe expected it to be. Yeah, And
I've I've had the thought today and I'm not the first person who thought it,
because I saw other people think it out loud, but that maybe it's
perfect in that way because it had just these little bubbles of chaos through the
first weekend, and now it's got some pretty stunning matchups and possibilities left up
ahead with all the one feats right for left, all the ones in the
yeah, and the twos. I mean, and you look at that.
I think last year's final four was nine, four, five and five.
I think I can try to remember. And you know two years ago you
had I looked this up. You had four double digit seeds in the sweet
sixteen, counting Saint Peter's at fifteen. So, yeah, this is less
chaotic. But you know what, this kind of embodies what I think I've
come to think the fans want, which is a lot of we we love
our upsets, but not too many of them. Right, as long as
they're not you're you know, you're not involved in them, They're okay,
Well that's true. Yeah, So you had it to Detroit what's the storyline
now or did you write your Gonzaga piece already? Well, I did one
from Saturday, but it's that Purdue Gonzaga match on Friday night. Is is
just that's gonna be fun. Whatever you think something's going to beautiful. Often
one side just brounces the other. But the other game Creighton and Tennessee is
really interesting from Tennessee's uh never having gotten to the final four in Creighton almost
within an inch getting there last year. So some people I know have Creighton
as their sort of, you know, winking rye pick to win the whole
things. So I don't think they are because obviously, as I've stated,
four different teams are going to win the whole thing. But I think that's
a really good game too. A two three, okay, and uh,
overall everyone's receding the tournament, right, everybody's have their their thoughts. Where
does Arizona lie in this receding? And you're receding, okay, so I
put them below Gonzaga at this point. You know, so you did one?
Did you do one? No? I didn't. I didn't do one.
I'm just kind of looking at I keep yellow legal pad brackets. So
I'm looking at one right now. I guess they're around the middle six or
seven. They must not have impressed you on Saturday, because if you're the
first time watcher or second time watcher, it's hard to see that they're that
good. But they're that good with not putting that on the resume. I
think the PAC twelve game against Oregon. I was at that tournament too.
I saw you there too, and I think that maybe swayed me more than
it should have, because if you look at who they're playing, Clemson,
which was just wretched in the ACC tournament, lost by twenty one to Boston
College, which then lost to Virginia. So and they're playing really well and
they beat a really good team yesterday. So but I think I did let
that influence me a lot. That makes total sense, makes total sense.
Well, looking at the DraftKings as Arizona as the fourth favorite. They've got
the Yukon, Yukon, Houston, Purdue, Arizona. So I would put
Yukon and Purdue be Gonzaga now and kill. But yeah, I would put
May the Arizona ahead of Houston. I'd put Iowa stayed up there too.
Boy, that's a thing has looked great. Yeah, I guess Houston swayed
you yesterday. Then yeah, trade me the other way a little bit.
I was. I thought it was incredibly impressive though, to win that game
after suffering that shock at the regulation horn, you know, right right,
Welcome to March. That's just how it is. So we cornered each other
Friday. I think it was talking about you know, we do the show.
We talked about it and this blue blood blah blah blah that you and
I get to. And here's a neutral guy, he's very sensible, right,
So what did you think when I was telling you about Tucson and their
fans about thinking the rublet. I thought about it all through the weekend because
I thought about other places that have that kind of feeling. And the first
place that struck me was when I saw Texas A and M and I saw
their yell leaders and all those great traditions they have there and that sort of
self image they have there. And I thought around football mostly, but there's
not the record to match the way they they think of it. And then
I and that brought me but right back to our conversation, and then I
started thinking about all the places where that's true. You know, Texas itself
has won I think it's three football national titles, but you would think it's
twelve by the way they carry themselves, you know. And so yeah,
it really got me thinking about how that how that might be Like an important
component of fandom to people, is that pride and that ability to kind of
look at the beause you want to don't want to say fans are looking at
the bright side, but I think they do sometimes. So yeah, so
that is that your nice way of saying that you don't think Arizona's a blue
blood, I would say, just in that realm just below the blue blood
bloods. But that that about no. Final four since O one is a
jarring one. I was, I was. I hadn't given that thought before,
so I was kind of like, whoa, you know, I would
not have expected that. Yeah, No, and that's the that's one of
the criterion have won one title, ninety seven one Final four two thousand and
one, very good program. There's no undenying that or no denying that.
But but blue blood's a certain special word. Okay, do they fall into
a blue blood category if they win this national championship? Yes, I think
they they they enter into the zone of the blue Bloods by winning this national
title, I do you know. And it's much like Connecticut has, of
course that four national titles. You're five, right, ninety ninety nine four?
Yeah, fact, so much like they did in the late nineties.
But I think if you had two and then you had even the elite eates
that came up, shy are important. I think there's enough there that,
yeah, you would say not. We always talk about what Kentucky, Kansas,
the Tobacco Road, the two schools that hate each other. There we
talk about I guess U c l A. But they might be a case
of where you can fall out of it sometimes like blue Blood and Meritis down
well, Chuck, I appreciate your time. Good seeing you. It's the
great seeing you too in Phoenix when you come to Phoenix. Yes, I'll
be there in Phoenix. Okay, so we'll all be there. I'll introduce
you to Jay all right, okay, okay, beautiful. Appreciate it,
Chuck, thank you, thank you, thank you. He sounded like les
to hold you had that pretty funny? Did he turned the corner got not
knowing what he'd come against. You're funny. I love that. I love
that. All right, let's take our break, our last break. We'll
be back a little bit and we'll take your calls. Five two zero,
four, one, six, seventy four forty Does Arizona become a blue blood
if they win the national championship? Would love to hear your thoughts on that.
That interesting? That interesting? You know, maybe all right, we'll
be right back. Good. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you
know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at
the Ludolsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot, it was
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Team apply online today at a Team security dot net. Steve Rivera and Jacin
Saliz they have their Eye on the Ball on Tucson Sports Station CHET Fox Sports
fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to Eye on the Ball, you know,
Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve. He's Jay. We got a
call, all right, tack this call. Hi. You're on the air
and I on the ball. Yeah, Hi, this is Jill. Had
a question. I've been one to ask you guys for quite some time,
actually since after the Super Bowl. We guys talked a lot about all the
different types of bets that were put on the games. This is just about
this is about sports in general. Number one, does this change your approach
or how you view or the enjoyment of watching the game when you have money
on it. That's a good question. I don't do it as much as
Jay does daily or whatever. I you know, well, here for me,
it makes it makes a game more interesting to me, right, a
game that I might not care about. Now NCAA tournament, I love watching
the turn you know, I've watched as much of the tournament now as I
watched before. But you know, if I've got five bucks on a game,
it's like, you know, I get tense at the end of the
game if it's you know, if it's depending on what's gonna happen. So
it for certain things. I mean, like I might watch a college football
game that I might not otherwise watch because I put ten bucks on it.
But I've you know, but I'm a I think I'm a sports fan that
likes to watch anything, you know, more or less that's for me,
not so much. Let me give you though, example of what happened Thursday
night was the Sanford Kansas game. I don't know if you guys watched it,
but it was a fantastic game, and I'm thinking, hey, you
know what, In fact, I've covered a few of these games. There
was only losing in the last second like that, and I'm thinking it totally
feels totally different as an observer than a guy that you got to write about
it, right, because I'm not involved in terms of allowing to how to
think about writing it. But I was enjoying it because it was such a
great game and Sanford had a chance to beat him. Yeah. So now
ye to your point about the Super Bowl. I had almost stopped watching the
Super Bowl until we started gambling on it, because yeah, I mean seriously,
you know, I've told the story where that Super Bowl where Scott Norwood
missed the miss the field goal for Buffalo. We were actually having a Super
Bowl party, but we were playing poker during the game. We stopped watching
the game and then all of a sudden, I looked at the team and
I said, wait a minute, they're about to take a field goal to
win the game. And we started and we watched that he missed the field
goal. We went back to our poker game. So, you know,
it just depends. It just depends. Like I said, I'll watch n
Cuba tournament start to finish every day, and that's you know, that's why
I did over the weekend. I'm kind of spent from that. So it
just depends on what it is. I got it. Yeah, that makes
sense, all right, Thanks for thanks that question. I appreciate the call,
Thanks for listening. Appreciate it. No, he makes a good point.
I mean, like I had something on Houston last night and they were
well you said minus eight and a half. Oh yeah, and they were
covering. They were up thirteen, you know, kind of get up a
minutees like, with just about three or four minutes left up by thirteen,
I'm like, all right, I got this. And then all of a
sudden, here comes here comes Texas saying, am, Well, the funny
thing about it is I was watching it. Now there this fantastic game,
miracle happens, and uh there was thirteen you said thirteen they were up to
Yeah, with probably much more like four minutes. Okay, So then I'm
thinking, well, this was happening. If this is a lot like Arizona
Illinois, Yeah, they had a huge lead. It was comfortable, and
you're thinking, okay, they got this, make the phote calls were moving
on, and then you don't right, and then you're not gonna hear the
same kind of narrative with Houston when you know they wanted the game, but
had it happened, who knows? Because Arizona had the Illinois game locked.
Yeah locked, but you know, even but two but I don't even have
to have something on you. If I know a line, all right,
and I'm watching a game and I know what a line is, I'm just
I'm interested to see what's gonna happen. And I can guarantee you Jay,
and you're not gonna be tell me I'm wrong. When they made the when
they started covering with three points and with miniature thinking, I hope you guys
lose. You're that three you're saying, yeah, oh yeah, well yeah.
Once they knew they weren't going to cover, I was rooting. I
was rooting for Texas, A huge Texas A and M fan last night once
I realized they weren't going to cover, because one, get them out of
get them the hell out of the tournament too. If you can't, if
you can't cover that, get the hell out, hit the road, get
the road. But you know, and but and I love to see funny
things that will happen like one of them that that happened to me, and
it hit me the other night I had I had an under Saint Peter's.
I can't remember who they were playing, all right, I have to know
you can't remember that. I can't. I can't remember who they were playing.
But I had Saint Peter. I had the under and it was I
don't even remember what the number was. And it's close, it's coming up
right on it. I mean, I need, I need this game to
end right now. And at Saint the game's over. Basically, Saint Peter's
getting killed. They substitute Saint Peter substitutes their starters, all right, gets
it, gets the guys out of the game. One of their starters,
as he's walking off the court miles off to one of the players on the
other team. They tee him up and the two free throws put it over.
Yes, No, was that a bad beat? Yeah? Whatever.
I think the number was like one thirty and a half or whatever, and
it ended at one thirty one or one third without those free throws. The
undercovers was game No, it was Saint Peter's and somebody No. No in
the tournament No, this was this was NCAA tournament Saint Peter's played. Uh
yeah, no is gonna comes up and give like Saint Peter's basketball as the
women's team. So the schedule where they see Tennessee, it was it was
it was Tennessee. Why would he pop off? He's getting his butt kicked.
That's what I'm saying. Just get off the court. And then I'm
yelling at the ref too, like why why was it? Why was it
necessary to call that technical foul right there? Could he possibly just say it
was just completely unnecessary. I have to buy a new TV. No,
no, I don't throw things. I'm just like, I kind of have
to do it quietly, because you know, if you don't want my wife
to know that I've got money on that game. You just listened to the
show. Maybe yeah, So okay, I'm looking at the score. The
score ended up at at one thirty two, and I think it was one
thirty and a half, and so the two free throws, you know,
put it? Oh yeah, they let's go back to let's go back to
uh Chuck's observation, one win one title moves him into the because now you
got two championships. Yeah yeah, but twenty some years yeah, twenty seven,
gives a crap? How long ago it was, Deve. People don't
care how long ago it was. GUCLA one one. You had a hard
time putting Yukon in there with five because yukon' because Yukon hadn't Yukon hadn't been
doing it for as long. That's what I've been doing. I know they're
blue they're blue blood. Yeah, they're in. They're in Okay Because to
me, Yukon came along in the nineties, okay, and Arizona came in
in the eighties. There's a different there's a line right there. At nineteen
ninety, Taani is not in trouble. But but Yukon has had some bad
years in there too. Arizona hasn't had really bad years. They were they
were propriation, they were Stop, you're just making crap up. They're not,
I know, but you're reaching for reasons. They're legit reasons. You're
Look, but I don't know. I mean how many you know, No,
I don't know. We'll see. Look, Yukon's you know, you
can't argue about you cannot not being a blue blood. They are. They
absolutly. They won so many championships one for sure. I think, I
don't know, it's close. I mean maybe if they win two in the
next five years, Now Arizona's a blue blood something like that, because then
they would have three. Let's say, when Tommy wins a couple in the
next five years. Yeah, if he does that, it's fantastic. Yeah,
he'll become the new mayor of Hotel. Yeah, party already could be
who do certainly close, Maybe he should be, who knows, but he
was. He was good. I love how he answers the questions on the
podium because he's just did you read my story on him? Just a simple
dude, but a simple smart dude, like calculating. Well, he knows,
he knows what he wants to say, and it's there's but he still
answers the questions. Not Sean. He's not shut. Sean says. If
Sean says that, there's no purpose for him saying if you ask Sean,
if you ask Sean, Sean is the sky blue? He would talk about
the grass. You talk about the grass, and then he basually say,
yeah, maybe blue, but that you know at the end. But Tommy
kind of says, well, we know you have an agenda, then you're
gonna have something to write about. And then he answers the question he answered,
which is fantastic because he knows exactly where you're going. He doesn't want
to go there, but you'll go there anyway because you're asking the question.
I like him, and I've liked him from the start, but you know,
I see him in those you know, and the and in these press
conferences. He's he's dealing with national media as opposed to when we see him
and it's just us. Yeah, right, he seems he's just he just
comes across as incredibly likable. Yeah, so incredibly likable that you say,
I really, you know, if you're an immediate person, doesn't really know
me to go, I like this guy. Yeah, yeah, And that's
kind of the gist of my story, or at least I tried to make
it. His parents were great in terms of the stories they told me,
but just a normal dude who kind of just loves to play watch coach basketball.
Yeah, yeah, you know, And I mean the whole story he
told about him and Dan Monson, you know how he you know, he
gave him his chance, but then he never even coached with Monson, you
know. And then they went out to dinner and Monster told me he was
putting in the Princeton offense. He said, he said something like, well,
I'm glad you're putting in some offense, you know. Stuff. It
tells me that he's he's kind of a guy who's just uh as low key,
not as low key, but as unstressful as you can be in a
very stressful job. Yeah, well, at least that's how it appears in
public. Uh. He might have a different thing behind the scenes, but
very much so, very just a normal dude. Yeah. You know,
well you said to me, he's They say he's an incredible competitor. Yeah,
and I could see, you know, but to be in this profession,
you have to be an incredible competitor, to be at this level.
Yeah, because if you're not, then you're you're you know, you can't
you can't survive this. So even if and you have to have a certain
there's a point of being a good guy and being a jerk, right,
you have to find that fine line. Yeah, because you're a good guy.
You don't win games. Guys don't play hard for you because I don't
think they have to. And we know those guys. Yeah, you and
I know those guys, and you can't be such a such a jerk where
you think, God, would you want to play for him? Yeah,
So there's a fine line in there. And we know those guys too,
exactly, we do, We absolutely do. So, all right, we
got about four minutes, Steven, I want to bring this up. Okay,
I'm tired for first place in our bracket pool the world, everybody,
I'm sorry to tell you the world is ending soon. If you have your
mens to make, make them today, tell the people you got them.
Well, if this guy's not falling. We had twenty eight entries, but
really only twenty four because there were four entries where the bracket entry did not
get finished, so there were the completed entries. There's there's twenty four.
Who do you have winning it? I have to look at it because I've
done some no wonder I have, Oh I have I have Yukon and Purdue
in the final with Yukon winning it. I have. I have Arizona in
the final four. I don't know why it's got Arizona marked off as having
lost because they haven't lost. This is really stupid. We're not gonna use
these guys next year. It's got Arizona crossed off as having lost. But
anyways, I've got Arizona in the final four, which so the credibility of
this. We got to check the leaderboard, you know what. We may
have to do these standings manually. And I've got Duke and Purdue on the
other side, and then I got Purdue and Yukon in the final. It's
a it's a name tournament now it's well, yeah, well look at it,
you know again. You know we were talking to Chuck. I was
looking at the bracket itself. You got Yukon Ia State. Iowa State's really
good. Yukon needs to watch out. They are They are better than people
know. Illinois, North Carolina, Alabama, and Arizona in the west along
with Clemson. You've got San Diego State in the East, and you've got
you know, A one, A one, two, and a four in
the in the south where you got Houston, Marquette and Duke, right,
Houston Duke. That's gonna be I think that's gonna be really good game.
I think Marquette might get Duke. Well first, Duke's uh, Duke Houston
gotta play each other. Who's he Houston plays Duke. Marquete's got North Carolina
State? Oh okay, yes, the duke in Houston play first. Yes,
Oh, Houston's gonna kill I don't agree he's gonna kill I I you
know, I don't agree. They won't be physical, they won't be they're
gonna get man handled. Where's this? When's this Thursday or Friday? Uh?
I hope it's not Thursday. It's Friday. Good because I can watch
Friday and then and then on the other side, you've got a one,
two and a three Purdue Tennessee and in Creighton and the you have Gonzaga in
there. So it's I I if you're if you're somebody who just likes to
see a tournament where everybody's got a shot, this is a great Sweet sixteen
because there's no Saint Peter's, there's no Princeton, and there's no you know,
Fairleigh Dickens. I mean, all these teams are legit teams. And
I know people love the upsets and stuff like that. But as everybody says,
the upsets are great until you get to the Sweet sixteen. You got
a crappy matchup. You know. You know, somebody somebody brought up the
fact had had what what game was it? Had Oakland? Had Oakland Beaten?
Uh? Who did Oakland play? Yeah? Yesterday they lost, you
know, after upset and it was a good game. Yeah, but you
know, had Oakland won that game, now you got Oakland in the Sweet
sixteen. They don't, they don't, they don't belong there. Yeah,
it was fun. Last year was fun. Yeah, because you don't believe
that's happening, and it's happening. Oh, it was Oakland against Oakland.
Oakland lost to North Carolina State. I'd rather have North Carolina State in there.
North Carolina State and you don't know much about North Carolina except for that
big guy, the big and the run that they made. I do wish
Indiana State would have made it because you would have been able to see the
goggles. Yeah. Yeah, just Kareem abdul Jabbarareem kareamream Cream Cream Dream Abdul
Jabbarabbar. Yes, yes, nickname. He didn't give himself the nickame.
All right, So Steve is going to be gone the rest of the week.
Week, well, but you're gonna be on the phone with us,
so we're gonna talk to you. You can't you can run, but you
can't hide. Haven't figured out if we're bringing in some some uh guest hosts.
We've got some good stuff coming up over the next couple of days,
so be sure to follow us. And we're not going to do a show
on Thursday, so you don't have to, you know, listen to us
while the game is on. So all right, we'll see you all tomorrow.