Streaming live. I mean, iHeartRadio WAPP. This is I on the Ball
with Steve Robera and Jake and Salez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey,
welcome back to Winne the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve
Roberta. Jay is out today. We've got Matt reynoldson former of KBA,
and then we have Henry's breaking news. All right, so the first breaking
news we got. Arizona softball left fielder Dakota Kennedy won the Gold Glove and
was also named a Third team and NFCA All American. And she becomes the
second Arizona player in the last years when the Gold Glove, as Ali Skaggs
also won it last year. Yeah. Yeah, so I'm sure you saw
a few games. Yeah. They were very good defensively, and that's proven
kind of with the awards and stuff. Put their pitching wasn't as good as
that needed to be to get further on. No, had they had a
couple of pitching injuries. I think that hurt them throughout the years. Silva
was, you know, never sposed to be the number one pitcher on this
roster, and you know she filled her role very well and up a ton
of innings. This year had some great outings, but you know, had
some ones that were a little tough kind of throughout. Miranda Sotddard had her
lumps and was, you know, very good. I think they were just
a little bit inconsistent from pitching that showed last weekend in the Super Regionals against
Oklahoma State. But this was a nice bounce back yere. Overall, we
love staff. I mean, after missing the tournament for the first time in
thirty five years, for them to bounce back and be right where they are
supposed to be and a top sixteen team in the country at the end of
the season in the super Regionals. I know this is a proud program.
I know fans have really high expectations for Arizona softball. But when you have
injuries like that and you still finish and the second weekend of the NCAA tournament,
that is a successful season and they have so much to build on.
Yeah, no question. In fact, I hope Vic calls me one day
here at the show again because she would have got into a last time.
But we're gonna go there with you in a bit. After breaking news,
go ahead, next breaking news the Timberwolves survive elimination and force game five versus
the Maverts. Anthony Verards had twenty nine and karl Anton Town's at twenty five.
This series should end anytime soon. So the Mavericks have been crazy good.
Yeah, but they finally the Timberwolves finally closed out a game. Felt
like the mass Gamelosers. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. We'll see
what happens with with the Mavericks. At some point they might lose another game
or two, but it should be a good series. Boston. I'm already
good. I already have them be into the final. It's exciting. So
we finally do have the two best teams and Awston's caked walked through there.
Yeah, the final still doesn't start for another weeks yet, but the series
doesn't untill like July fifth, I'm joking about. Next. Breaking news,
it was announced that the Tucson Roadrunners will be playing at least thirty games next
season at the Tucson Arena, and the team will still be based and practice
in Tucson and will only play six games in the tempt Yeah. That's a
that's big news. That's big news, huge, And you went to I'm
sure you covered a few of those games. I know your former station did
a lot of stuff last night with it because it's one of Arizona's last professional
sports things and it's pretty popular. This is so exciting for me and a
very full circle thing for me, because you know, I was right on
top of the breaking news when Alex Morello made the decision to sell the Arizona
Coyotes to the Salt Lake City based Smith Entertainment Group and all the fallout that
came with the Roadrunners of that. I remember interviewing Roadrunners head coach Steve Poppman
at about ten oh five before I had to be back in studio at ten
at and down at the TCC. And you know that was after Morello had
his radio appearance on ninety eight seven Arizona Sports in Phoenix and made that announcement
that he kept the Roadrunners and that he was going to move them to Tempe,
and you know, the entire mess of all of that, and to
see the petition come out to keep the Roadrunners at Tucson, to see how
much better they fit here than they do it molit Arena, who will host
the Suns G League team next year, I think This is just a win
for all parties. And it's okay if they lose five or six home games
to Muller Arena, you know, that's fine. I mean it just maybe
maybe make a midweek games. I don't care. But the fact that they
are keeping thirty home games means this professional sports franchise stays in Tucson. And
if you were at the white out for those playoff games, this matters to
the community and I'm so excited to see them stay. So so you've you've
been here a few months. The one thing about TWU song fans, if
you're winning, they will go, and they were winning playoffs, so they
went that. They just ran to a wall of a goaltender for Calgary.
So that was just such a tough series. But man, fun playoff atmosphere
down there, and I'm sure there will be plenty more, especially with the
guys they have coming down the pipe in this franchise. Yeah, okay.
Next out of breaking news, Caitlin Clark had our first thirty point game in
the WNBA last night. But they lost. Yeah, the one and seven
and seven, so I think Arian McDonald had twenty one point. They played
who did they play? La? It was yeah, Lly, so Aeran
McDonald who who played here obviously had a pretty good game with twenty one points.
So Kitlyn's won and seven. I just saw something that I guess that
the the Fever of their coaches kind of lost the locker room, which is
not a surprise if that's true given the Caitlin status. And then they're not
winning. Yeah, I mean the Fever had a number one draft pick for
a reason that there are a lot of exciting book point this season in the
WNBA. I mean, you look on the other side of that matchup,
obviously airy with the Arizona connection, but we saw Cameron Drink play here and
dominate the Arizona back January. They won by thirty. McHale, she what
does she do? Because she's leading the league. I believe in blocks right
now. She's a stellar player. I mean, you have Angel Ree for
the Chicago Sky, a number of other strong players that made deep tournament runs.
So I think this is a really good turning point for professional women's basketball
with this rookie class, and then paying attention to some of the veterans as
well, Asia Wilson with the Las Vegas Aces. So many of these other
stellar players. The New York Liberty is loaded. I think it will just
be a fun season and a fun summer, especially as more people grow a
general interest in the women's had no point in my lifetime has this been that
relevant. And I remember going to Phoenix to cover the opening games with Tim's
and all that. This twenty five years ago whatever was and now it's talked
about a lot. Yeah, you know, the Cat and Clark factor or
whatever, But the other rookies that are in the league and the change that's
being made, it's fantastic, absolutely, And you see him around all sorts
of franchises, Phoenix as a stellar rookie, and Sophie Cunningham, Seattle Ast
stellar rookie, and Nika Mule. I mean, these these players are obviously
the ones that have built this league to what it is. Are the veterans
in the league now one of the greatest of all time, Dana Tarassi still
playing in Phoenix. But you know, this league is really becoming mainstream,
and I think that's so important for the growth of the game. And you
know, we saw charter flights implemented for the first time this year. I'd
love to see it continue to grow because I think it's great for women's sports
in general as it continues to evolve into you know, maybe a more equal
playing field as far as interest goes and as far as TV rights goes,
especially because we know in both college and professional sports that drives the bus.
I was just gonna add Cameron brink A twenty wow wow stellar, just so
good for Stanford last year. And I hope it's not cyclical, because sometimes
it is. I guess we'll know after this next year or so. But
uh, and then and then the thing about it, the w w NBA
players are there now don't want to lose their jobs to the rookies now,
and the rosters aren't that big. They're not and that's part of the problem
because the rookies, who may be very very good, some of them don't
make the teams that get drafted. Yeah, we saw both as Mary Martinez
and Atlanta Pueo from the University of Arizona get cut from rookie rosters this year.
There was pretty second second round draft picks, and both had stellar careers
and uh, pretty good training camps from all from all accounts, but really
hard to beat out these veterans with those small rosters. Right, and then
the last thing I have it's kind of Arizona related. Uh, Brownie James
declined workouts with every team besides the Lakers, and the song right right,
and he's not gonna be he got him, he put he's keeping his name
yet in the dress, so he's not taking it out, and we'll see
what happens. It's smoke screens, James Jones or James Jones and Matt Ashbia
just kind of playing puppet master here, trying to get the Lakers to trade
up to twenty two, maybe take Beale's contract off of them. I don't
know. I'll just figure out some sort of flexibility because this team is really
really jammed up against free agency, jammed up against the second apron of that
salad and the luxury tax for next year. I mean it feels like,
look, there could be likes to this. They could want to draft Brownie.
At the times I saw him, I thought he was a pretty good
player. You know, he moves and sees the floor well, and you
really only see that from that baseline level as opposed to be a team broadcast
exactly exactly. So I think he's gonna be a good player. But I
think part of this could just be a maybe a long term play, maybe
a long term Domino's played by James Jones and Matt Eshbia for the Phoenix Suns.
We'll see because it is interesting with him specifically because obviously his dad,
he was prolonging his career and see where he goes. Maybe it's a ployed
to get Brinnie to get to Phoenix. Maybe, So who knows. I
heard that one as well. Let me ask you something because I say this
every now and again to journalists or whatever. I used to be in the
newspaper business for a long time. So you get here, and just by
your tone from a previous question, uh, you get here. No ties
to Arizona, right, you know, I don't ties. You didn't go
to school here, You're from somewhere else, a little bit of family ties.
And so I've been a fan for a long time. So did you
notice and even did you notice anything when you were at the press conversation that
it was the media here watching the games asking the questions were a little bit
pro team, you know. I think that's pretty standard in a college market
a lot of times. And I grew up and got my teeth media wise
in Lincoln, Nebraska. So when it comes from where you went to school,
where you went to school, yep, and your probably were in the
house or the college coming from in the house ye because you covered it from
inside the house exactly. And there's a when it comes to football there which
drives the bus for the entire state. You know, you'll get game days,
you'll get spring games, you'll get practices that have sixty media members at
them, and you know you can't just be in that environment. You can't
just be a homer. It just doesn't work. But there is always sort
of a slanted objectivity when it comes to covering college programs because you just don't
treat student athletes the same way that you treat professionals because it's just, I
mean, they have a lot, a lot of other stuff going on,
and you know, you are there's almost a responsibility to some extent to not
protect them but also just not tear them down as they continue to develop as
individuals and as athletes. Okay, so you think that will change? You
think that'll change given now the climate of the money the nil. Yeah.
Yeah, I think it already has to some extent. But I think the
difference with college programs and professional sports, which I covered extensively in Wisconsin,
is that there is there's somewhat of they it's still hesitation to really push the
buttons when it comes to college sports because these are communications professionals and other people
that you're going to have to see on a day to day, day to
day basis. Again, and your credential can be pulled. And if your
credentials pulled in the NFL, then the Writers Union and other troople are going
to come after the teams. But we also saw, and I think this
would happen more often than not, what happened in LA with the with the
USC guy with the Orange Kenny Register who they didn't like what he was asking,
they didn't ask what he was writing, like what he was writing,
and they tried to limit his access, and that blew up in their face.
Exactly a day or so later, it was revote. You know,
they said sorrykoplah blah blah blah. But I think that's more. I think
the threat of being pulled is more of just the threat of being pulled,
right, It's just a threat. It's it's not the reality of because there's
too much negativity, negativity if they would actually do it. And I've seen
it more at the pro level than I have at the college. But I
think it's it's the implication of the possibility of that. And I think for
the bigger thing for local media is we don't necessarily maybe push as hard as
some people nationally do. I mean, you've been in press conferences where people
nationally come in and just throw fireballs. Sure, and I know your reaction
to that has been you know, Okay, maybe those questions needed to be
asked, but maybe they didn't do it in the most respectful way, whereas
us with relationships with these people are asking it in maybe more respectable way without
question because the one they're just flying and flying out they don't have to deal
with on the day to day basis. You talked about that, I've seen
it for thirty some years now where and those guys to the national level are
the ones that cat parachute in and kind of throw the bombs, like you
said, to throw the bombs and get the goods, if that makes any
sense, Or maybe the locals have the goods, they just don't act on
the goods exactly. And I mean we've we've covered things and we've had sources
on certain things and sat on those sources because the bigger thing is is you
want to be right and you want to be fair and they so it's I'm
not making any example out of Pete Famil, but he is the biggest name
in college football reporting right now, and he's a fantastic reporter and rarely,
if ever wrong. But if he is wrong, I mean, does he
really face as many repercussions from an individual program as somebody at the local level
would. That's kind of the assertion I'm making is that he can go with
things with one source, whereas we may have to check three or four different
things because we have to see somebody tomorrow that used to be journalism one on
one back in the days, right a lot, because he just gets the
inside of and people trust him just like they trust you or I. But
it's how we use the information. But my point was my point initially was
you come in and you feel that I don't not urge or whatever to be
kind to the locals, right right, because you kind of have to.
But I'm part of the community too, and that's that was important to me
coming in was not just I'm going to do my job and be a journalist
here. But I love being here. I love being part of this community.
I'm on TV and talking to you like I'm in your living room,
like I live here, and I'm invested in the same things that you are.
So while I may not be, you know, donning the A and
rooting for the same things in the same way, because I'm covering the team
and being an objective observer, I have interest in this team doing well,
in these programs doing well, and these athletes continuing to develop as humans and
being part of the community. Like I tell Jay all the time, it's
easier to cover winning team than it is to cover a losing team. I
covered a lot of them in the in the world. Just to go into
a locker room that's a winners yep. It's tough to go into a losing
locker Okay. With that, we're going to take a break, gonna get
with Randia Seta here on the other side, The Windows Depot is more than
a Windows store. The Windows Depot is a one soft warehouse with everything you
need for your complete Homer model shop. The aisles of pre built cabinets in
a variety of colors, granite and courts countertops, sinks, skylights and hardware.
To complete your project, need a custom order, we can help.
Our designers offer free designs services and can special order everything you need for your
kitchen or bathroom remodel Today. Shop the window Deepot dot com or find a
location near you. The Window Depot more than a windows store. Steve Rivera
here to talk about Dorato Rock Materials. I needed a lot of gravel for
my driveway, so I called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the
amount and color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at
a great price. How do I know radio commercials work. I heard one
of his on the radio. Dorato Rock Materials provides a wide range of landscaping
materials, including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for
residential and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have
been around for more than fifteen years. Give them a call at five two
zero four zero zero four two three three. Where do you buy exercise equipment?
Arizona Health Arizona Health, Arizona Health. Of course, to feel better
and look better, it makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people
who know it better than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is
to help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals. Your health
and fitness deserve the best you deserve. Arizona House the leading edge and exercise
equipment on twenty seconds, just west of Wilmot. Did you know sports cards
at Memorabilia are setting record sales last month of nineteen fifty two tops Mickey Mantle
So for twelve point six million, Lebron James Rookie So for five point six
Also, collecting cards is a family fun hobby that can be very profitable.
If you want to start a collection or expand your collection, check out Showtime
Cards. They are one of the leading card shops in the country and have
served our local community for twenty five years. They are located on e Speedway.
That's show Time Cards. At Nova Home Loans, we believe everyone deserves
the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpei is
ready to help you find an option that best fits your needs. Whether you're
a first time or veteran home buyer, or want to get cash out with
the refinance. Nova has a variety of home loan programs to meet your unique
situation. Visit voltpeteam dot com. That's volpe team dot com or call five
two oh six one eight five six two six today n MLS three oh eight
seven Arizona BKO Ninez two nine four two Equal Housing Opportunity, how to commitment
to Lyndrixyn credit rates and available loan programs of subjects to change with un notice.
We're into twenty twenty four and it's time to think of recognizing your employees,
salespeople, managers, team members and agents with the Creative Award for the
great job they did in twenty twenty three. Come visit Creative Awards beautiful showroom
with over one thousand items to choose from, located the two to twenty eight
West Drachtman Street, or visit their website at Creative Awards az dot com.
Celebrate fifty years in business and see all the creative products they carry, from
recognition to promotional products and premium gifts for your special clients. Give Creative Awards
a call today five two oh eight A two eighty six seventy seven. It's
that time of year, summer in Tucson. Time to take control with temperature
control for all your air conditioning needs. We'll keep you cool during all the
hot streaks. All you have to do is stay in control with Temperature Control
where we handle everything you need with prompt response, affordable pricing, and sound
solutions. We also excel in plumbing and electrical work. We handle everything you
need. Give us a call at five two oh eight one five five six
six' five or visit our website at tempdash con dot com and remember,
stay in control with temperature control. Need concrete, hard Works Concrete has it.
We have more than twenty five years of experience with all things concrete.
Installing sidewalks and patio floors are our specialty, and handle masonry work and retaining
walls. We're locally and family owned. Just let us know what you need,
how you want it, and we'll take care of it. Leave the
hard work up to us. We're Hardworks Concrete. Call us at five one
two nine six' two five six six zero or visit our website Hardworksconcrete dot
com. We'll put the work in for you. Got bugs, termites,
bees, or rodents, Arizona Pests Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest
Control is your complete desert pest management specialist's can't run or hide from Arizona pests
Control if they use only the latest and most technologically advanced methods of pest elimination
available, which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get
rid of your bad bugs, termites, bees, or rodents serving Tucson and
southern Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest dot com to schedule your
free evaluation today. Hey Tucson, it's getting hot out there, which means
it's time for the coolest charity run in town. Randy A Setta here inviting
you to join us for the TMCE Meet Me Downtown five k Night Running Walk,
coming up on Saturday night, June first, and featuring the free Raising
Caines High School Mile, a free Kids Mile, and rock and roll on
the main stage. This is Tucson's biggest running party. Seerun Tucson dot net
for all the details. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and
Jay Gonzalez sound Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the
iHeartRadio w app just Surgery I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to
One on the Ball. Here a Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve ROVERO.
Jay is up today. We have our guy, mister Matt Reynoldson from
FORMERINGI of KBA and Henry. Now we have Randy you set that from run
Tucson. Randy. How are you, Steve? I'm good. Thanks for
having me today. Yep. Yes, we just saw your commercial. I
heard your commercial. A big deal going on this weekend of Saturday. How
many years now? It is the eighteenth annual, eighteenth year right, and
through the years, I'm assuming you've had at least maybe twenty thousand people run
it over the years, Yeah, something like that. This year we have
seventeen hundred and ninety one signed up at this moment. Back in two thousand
and sixteen, I was doing some history. It was our biggest year with
almost three thousand people signed up with COVID, and now we're climbing back.
So what was the big deal in twenty sixteen? Was it like a tenth
year or something of that anniversary? I tried to do something cool. Actually,
we did a Friday night what we called a Friday Night Festival of Miles,
and we put up about four thousand dollars in prize money, and then
Saturday we had the run. Because the run is on a nighttime, Saturday
night, most of these ratess, as your listeners probably know, are early
in the morning, so this is the only night we run in town.
That year. We did a Friday night and a Saturday night, and we
put a bunch of prize money up, and now we're just back to Saturday
night. Randy matt here, and you know that heat kind of hangs in
the air on Saturday nights, but especially in the evenings this time of year,
after those one hundred degree days. Yeah, I think one of the
big things that I'm wondering is just how do you recommend that people just stay
hydrated, stay locked into being healthy with this and not going with some of
the or not risking some of those heat related injuries that sometimes come with the
events. That's a great question. The mile start at six pm, right,
It's still sunny then, so we have an open mile with about forty
people, and we have a high school mile, and then a whole bunch
of kids, about two hundred little kids are doing a free mile at six
point thirty. So for those people, we definitely suggest water. We've got
a company called Scratch Labs, which is a Gatorade type thing, and they'll
be out giving pre rag drinks with electro lights. But then the five K
with all the people is at seven pm and it's getting dark at that point,
so it should be a little bit cooler. But to be more specific
answering your actual question, if people hydrate during the day and on Friday the
day before, that cuts down the core temperature. So drink four to six
ounces every two to three hours throughout the day with a extra lights, and
you should be well hydrated for the event. So last year I was at
the event, obviously with TJ, so I was I don't know if I
was surprised or I should have been surprised about the money. You guys dole
out some money. You know. I used to be not a very fast
runner, but an okay runner, and I made some money in my day,
and I always appreciated people giving money for local heroes, regional heroes,
and so over the years we've put up about four thousand dollars a year and
more in prize money with the hope of bringing people to Tucson supporting local speezers.
We've had Olympians, a run Olympic trials athletes, and it's just a
way to give back, give back to people who are trying to be good
at something. So is this more of a competition or actually you're out running
and enjoying the night and being athletic with it. Everything in between, Steve.
We have people who will walk it in about twenty to thirty minutes a
mile. There's a group in town called Achilles Track Club. They go by
and it's mostly blind and visually impaired, with people leading guiding them. And
so they'll be walking or jogging at fifteen to twenty minutes a mile. And
then we'll have people who are trying to make the Olympic team next month and
they'll be running four and a half minutes a mile. So everything in between.
Wow, yeah, Randy, how with this run? Obviously this is
one of the good events to promote recreation in southern Arizona, to promote it
in the greater Tucson area. But you know, outdoor activities and you know
in health and recreation are such a big part of living in this community.
How do you see your part in the larger grand scheme of that, especially
because you know it's the time of year, maybe more in the mornings and
the evenings that people get out on the trails and really embrace recreation heading into
these summer months before it gets to the one tens, you know, you
ask really good questions. We found run Tuson with the idea of making our
hometowns better through running, so you ask, like, how do we see
ourselves sitting in We try to put on races in super cool locations downtown,
Sawaro National Park, Old Tucson, the Biosphere up at a mountain, and
we just want to invite people to come exercise again, walk run, but
just come on out. We all have a beer garden and an after party
at Hotel Congress. Just come on out, have fun and then go have
fun. That's the whole point of all this stuff. And a band plays
during the run. They're called Legion of Mario and they play uh uh Grateful
Dead and Jerry Garcia cover cover band and they're pretty cool actually. So they'll
be at the stage in front of the children's damn friends of mine. We're
on the Tucton Mariachi festival and they're putting a mariachi together. Uh one of
the high schools. But I don't know which one yet over at five points,
so we'll have Mariachi's out on the course. We'll have a band at
the finish. Fine. Yeah, So I just want to let Matt You'll
never be invited back. You never overshadowed the host with those questions, so
you know this is your last and over the day. Yere yes, Steve,
Steve, you're doing You're doing great. I'm just trying to learn from
you every minute. All right, what's the average age and what's the average
stage? When did you when did you, guys realize, given your long
term with all this running, did you did you realize that you had something
going? You know, I'll tell you this. Eighteen years ago. I
came up with the idea for this race. In February. I had taken
my girlfriend at the time out on a date in downtown and there was nothing
to do, and I'm like, well, downtown sucks, let's go do
something. And I figured the only thing I was good at is throwing parties.
So I came up with this idea, like, put on a running
race and we'll throw a party. And we did it at old La Placita
and we got We advertised it for about two months and we had six hundred
people and I'm like, dude, this is a good idea. Let's keep
doing this and so right away. But eighteen years ago, the woman that
I went on a date with it worked out, okay, we ended up
getting married, having a couple of kids. I got a head off to
a soccer game. You might have seen in the paper today. There's a
women's pro league in down semi pro league and my daughter plays a point and
she's on this team. So we got to go watch that a little bit.
That's Tucson, Right's tson. No, she is with RSL okay,
so she was must be very good, Yeah, very good. Yeah,
and your wife and your wife still loves you and she's still with you.
I you know, it's funny that we're talking about this today. For some
reason, I got to be in uponnet and looked up the average length of
marriage in America and it's eight point two years. And uh, we've more
than doubled that. So I'm feeling pretty good about my should get a cash
prize just for that. I know, go ahead, Matt, give him
one of your great questions. Oh gosh, well, this one's h this
one's not gonna be too hard, but actually, you know what, it
is going to be a little bit in the weeds. How'd you pick the
path through downtown? I mean, there's so many great spots down there,
especially with Rio Nuevo and and what they've done with Congres Street in the downtown
area. How did you pick the path through there? And what did you
want to showcase with that? So, yeah, that is good. Another
good question. You got to keep this guy, I'll stick I'll sticker out.
You got to tell Jay then I'm okay with it. The first three
or four years, we did it at lave Plessy, the village, and
I wanted to go through that Court Street area. We went in front of
El Chardo and around and remember the foot break that goes over Congress and Broadway,
went back and forth on that and around the convention center, and that
was a disaster once we had six seven, eight hundred people, And so
then I tried to do it on Congress and Broadway. But back then we
put on one race that went right down Congress and under Fourth Avenue, but
then they did we now have that streetcar right, so you can't put a
race on on that. So the best I could do was Armory Park Children's
Museum. And then you just go ride a bicycle around and measure cause it's
got to be perfectly measured. So that was the best I could do with
there's a wheel that you that you and I'm not good at this. I
hire people to help me with it. And we rode around and we found
this big basically a big m shape down Fifth Avenue and back six and out
Stone and Convent. You know what, I've always kind of envisioned people measuring
out a racetrack and doing it just step by step, like you put one
foot in front of the other, just walking. And it takes like seven
hours to do a five You have to do it by bicycle, and you
need I'm going to make this up, but it's close to true. You
need two people to measure the same course two times. And then if some
form of really good record is set, like a national record, you got
to go back and measure it again afterwards. Interesting. Interesting, Let me
ask you you you run a five k in a mile a couple of times
with a few groups. Uh, do you think that part of the success
is it's not a it's not a grueling ten mile, it's not a groeling
twenty five mile. You know what I'm saying, it's it's a greasy thing.
This is the most popular. We call it road rays. Right,
it's on read race in town, and it's because everybody could do it.
You could. We have all those little kids and parents and grandparents. This's
very cumbersome phrase, Steve. I was really trying to promote what I called,
uh intergenerational exercise, which really doesn't help as much as bring your grandparents
and your kids out and I'll go run. But yeah, everybody can do
it between the mile and the five k. So tell us, So tell
us, how can people still join? Can they still join? Yeah?
We we have an online registration platform and people can find that link at our
website, which is run Tucson dot net. But the next two evenings we're
going to do in person registration at one of the local stores in town called
the Running Shop over on Campbell between Glenn and Fort Lowell the Running Shop and
people can swing down there to register, or at the Children's Museum Saturday night,
and real quick, we got a minute or show. You're also connected
to el Tour and we'll talk about that, right race real quick, But
do you have something in between now and then oh yeah, we have a
Sawarrow Labor Day run over at Swarrow National Park, another run over at Pima
College, and then an a Mountain half marathon. We go up to the
Grand Canyon to do put on a race up there, and then we got
El Tour, the El Tour five k run on Saturday, November twenty third.
I think this year. Yeah right, okay, well you're gonna be
you can't wait for that. Keep running, keep being married, continue to
break that record. And I got to get rid of my guy Mattie.
Thank you, Randy. I appreciate you. Hey, Steve mad it's been
a pleasure. I have a great night, Yeah very much. Yeah,
well that was fun. That was great fun. Hey, let's go because
we're gonna come back, and we're gonna come back and get ahold of Chip
Hail and talk to him about this weekend's games. 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 a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former
players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man
who led them, competed against them, and inspired them. Twenty five chapters
for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Lout is an
insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. Want one email
me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi, this
is formal Wildcat Lemanhnely with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change your
health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need
to transform your personal space and your life. We off a complete line of
cod you machines, multi gms and freewaight equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and
technicians will set you out with coright equipment and training to get you started to
keep you going. Visit our shure room today at twenty second in Wilmot.
Arizona Health the leading edge exercise equipment. What's your goal a new career or
career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college. PEMA Community College
can help you make Someday today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule.
With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial laid available. It's time
to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the career you want.
PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's right
for you. Learn how at PIMA dot edu slash someday Right, I don't
have to tell you it's hot. Hi, this is ron for Picture rocks,
cooling, beating, and plumbing. Make sure your home is cool and
comfortable all summer long. Routine maintenance can often prevent major breakdowns. Call us
before the first sign of trouble. All today by two zero four nine two
zero seven forty eight or Picture Rockspooling dot com takes rosy and coming. Ready
to save but not sure where to begin. Take the Pyramid Federal Credit Union
ten thousand dollars Saving Challenge and we'll guide you along the way. Save five
hundred dollars over six months as a member and you could win big. Watch
your savings grow to help you reach goals like buying a car, owning a
home, and more. Visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash ten k challenge to
get started today. Been really insured and seeing you way. Do you want
to be part of a winning team? A Team Security is looking for friendly,
outgoing event security guards and event staff to be a part of our team.
We've been providing our outstanding services to some of Arizona's biggest sporting events and
concerts for over twenty years. We want you to join the action. A
Team offers a fun and exciting opportunity to work in the sports and entertainment industry,
with flexible schedules that are perfect for those looking for a part time job
or a second income. Come be a part of a winning team. The
A Team apply online today at a Team security dot net. Steve Rivera and
Jacob Salmas they have their Eye on the Ball on Tucson's sports stag chat Fox
Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to my I on the Ball here
a Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. I have Matt Reynoldson in
today, got Henry with us, and now we have Chip Hale, coach
of the Miracles. How are you, coach from the Arizona baseball program.
How you doing? I'm good? Thanks for having me guys. Well,
we had ancona on yesterday and I'm very impressed with your what you're doing at
the school and what you're doing with the guys, and he says, you
know, you come to a point where there's good things happen and it becomes
contagious, where things happen and things happen for a reason. Do you feel
that, Oh, yeah, no doubt about it. People. I think
that was asked in the media the other day. You know, I have
you ever seen that before? And I saw it a lot when we won
the World Series in twenty nineteen with the Nationals. It's just, you know,
you find a way to win games, and all of a sudden,
guys get confident at it. And you know, we talk about it today.
It's like, you don't want to always depend on winning in the ninth
inning, but it's a good feeling when you feel like you're gonna win the
night right on. One of the big things about winning in the ninth inning
is you're pitching staff keeping things down. And Kevin Vance told us earlier in
the spring that his philosophy was two one, two or die, trying your
guys throw a lot of strikes. I mean, how much has that been
a key to this run late in the season. After that, you know,
eleven game pack, twelve win streak and just kind of turning things around
at that midway point of the season. Yeah, that that was everything and
has been everything, because, yeah, we haven't started off great, you
know with our offensive late, and those guys really held him down and giving
us give us a chance to score runs late in the game. So without
that you kind of get buried. We've had some games in Torgan State where
you know, we didn't start hot. They they kind of increased to lead
me at a hard time. So as long as they can keep it close,
I think our guys feel really good about the last three or four innings.
Yeah, the one thing that they can't say about this team that you
guys are gritty against USC. You got their starter out and then you guys
made that come back and that's not a surprise. What eight walkoffs. You
must be feeling good about that too, Yeah, no doubt. And yeah
that you know, he had thrown a great game coming on short rest.
I had no hitter for six innings, so obviously we weren't seeing him very
well and we finally got him out of the game and good things started to
happen. But again it would not have happened without Cam Walkon, you know,
holding it down for us. Yeah, well, Cam, Cam's gonna
be a big part of this weekend for you guys. Clark candy Otti is
also going to be one as well. He's you made the decision today he's
going to start the Friday night game against Grant Canyon. He'll face GCU sophomore
left handed Grant Richardson. What are you seeing with that pitching matchup and what
made the decision to move Candiyatti from his usual Saturday role to start a regional
for you guys, Yeah, I mean he was he'll be on regular rests
because he pitched last Friday. You know, he's just been He and Cam
have just been really good of late. And and you know, Jackson has
not been where he's been in the past, and he's having a little more
time now two more days to work on some stuff and throw an extra bullpen
and we feel comfortable with him throwing the third game of the of the regional.
So you know, you got to go with your hot hands, whether
it's offense or defense. And uh, we feel at this point Clark's our
best matchup with with Grand Canyon. That's gonna happen Friday night. We've got
something we want some people to go see. You guys play at six o'clock.
Did you deep down a chip, real realistic. Do you think that
you're going to host? I did. I really did feel it was it
was it was a good possibility if we won the tournament. Now, after
we lost to Cow in the second game, I was like, wow,
we got to win these next two to give ourselves a chance. But it's
so hard. You know, we're a Pac twelve champion both regular season and
tournament. I just think it was really hard for the committee not to do
it. And you know, Oregon State, another really really good team from
our league, got the host. Now you know Oregon was the only other
team. It just seems it seems odd that we only had three teams from
such a great baseball conference over all these years to make the regionals. You
know, I've got California that deserved to make it. I thought UFC the
way their late run could have been something like we did last year. But
the three of us will get in there and we'll do our best to show
the Pac twelve is power conference. You know this last year and absolutely the
conference deserved to regional hosts, and as you mentioned, Cal probably definitely deserve
to get in. But you know, there is there is a little bit
maybe that the committee is maybe not watching as many West Coast games, but
now they will be because you guys got loaded up with a great regional,
a regional that really reflects your non conference schedule as well. You guys have
the number one non conference strength of schedule, and of course that included a
couple of teams you guys will see this weekend in GCU and Dallas Baptist.
What did you learn in February and March about this team facing all of those
good teams, even starting off with a team like Northeastern that's a perennial regional
contender. That taught That taught you that these guys could evolve to this point
and play postseason baseball when the margins are so tight. Yeah, we're hoping
that that helps us. That's why we do it. You know, there's
a couple of reasons. Somebody asked the other day, We're gonna always play
the best non conference schedule week in schedule, just because these kids come for
the experience of having a great experience as a student athlete and to go to
the tournaments we go to to go to play really in tough environments. I
think will help us in conference play number one, and then this should help
us in the postseason. So it'll be interesting. I mean, we saw
Dallas Baptists at their best. We played them. You know, it was
a one run game. I believe you saw West Virginia last year. They
came in here, They're very dynamic, they have one of the best players
in the country in weather Hole at second base. And then Grand Canyon has
given us fits all year. So it's going to be as I know a
lot of people have said it's the toughest regional going. Well, you know,
Coach Lopez talked to the team earlier in the year and he said,
hey, you got to punch the bully. So it's time for us to
punch this bully, all these bullies and come out swinging. Because if we're
going to win it and go where we want to be, you have to
beat the best team. Yeah, no question. In fact, if give
me the advantage of playing in Tucson compared to going somewhere else, and I
say that because if you went somewhere else, you'd find ways to drum up
some philosophy about winning that. But what's the advantage here, Well, obviously
our crowd is going to help us one hundred percent. Our weather. You
know, people were playing a big ball park. I know West Virginia's seen
it. They were here last year, so they're used to it. But
the other Grand Canyon obviously seen it. But Dallas Baptists will be new for
them. There's a lot of room in the outfield and different most college parks
you go to, you guys prioritize midweek games, maybe unlike some other programs
do. And I know that you guys quote unquote lost the season series against
GCU this year, but it felt like you guys got the win against the
Lopes at the time when you needed it most, at the time when that
midweek game was going to spark you guys to a really good pack twelve run
Now you lost one at the end of a win streak. That was a
really tight game up there in Phoenix. And then you know, obviously the
twenty four run game was you know, maybe a little bit of a black
mark on the schedule. But what'd you learn from your team and those three
very different points of the season that that could maybe give you a glimpse of
how your guys are going to approach GCU on Friday night. I think you
know, we're kind of stuck here with the midweeks that you didn't obviously unbelievable
midweek challenge for us playing him three times a year. This year we played
him twice once uh Phoenix, and next year will be the opposite, So
there aren't a whole lot of teams we get a chance to play. You
know, we've added New Mexico State going over there, which is a tough
trip for us, and they're just getting better also of the program, so
it's tough. You know, you get a lot of your your pitchers that
don't get the pitch on the weekend, you get to look at them a
little bit. We get to starpen up our relievers, so they're important.
But it's tough to get teams to come down here at Tucson. I'm sure
you've got asked this question, and we didn't have a chance to Jan and
I earlier. But winning the league obviously, and then winning the tournament and
becoming the first player to to ever win Player of the Year and Coach of
the Year what does that mean to you? Well, obviously it's an honor
and it's a staff. It's a staff for our staff, Kevin and John
of the Pigeon in Toby with a hitting a trip. Obviously with the recruiting,
it's it's it's an honor for me to to win it. You know,
we our team earned it and players earned it. But also the staff
members did such a great job of preparing this team every day. So obviously
the player of the year and then now the coach of the year, that's
pretty cool. I have to be honest with you, I think that's that's
neat and I'm excited about it. But I'll be more excited about it if
we can take this thing to Omaha. Well, gives you a reason to
tell the kids that you coach. You know kids, I used to be
pretty good for this game back in the day. Yeah, you know,
no good congratulations and it's gonna be fun this weekend. I hope people get
out there. They we're gonna have, We're gonna have. I know we're
gonna have great crowds and I'm super excited to see everybody out here. And
let's make a high Sea rock. Steve and I'll be out there certainly as
well, get into ten watching you guys some win some games. Chip,
thank you very much, Thank you guys. Good luck. Good look man,
uh Chip Hale, Chip and the Miracles. What happens to Cardiac Cats
as we'd like to call them, eight walk offs on the year. At
one point they had it like four out of the last six game. I
had board of a six game stretch at High Corbett where they walked it off.
Yeah, when they win, it sounds good, feels good. But
when you're watching the game as a fan, you're thinking, another time,
come on, give us a break here. Yeah exactly. I'm not that
guy, but I haven't seen very many games, but the two I watched
they were fantastically good held up. But for the fans, I'm not sure
they can take it anymore. That Oregon State game regular season, now,
it was just an absolute roller coaster. I mean they were down one going
into the bottom of the ninth, down one or two going into the bottom
of the ninth, and came back, tied it, won it. There
was that walk off against Louisiana Tech where they scored five in the bottom of
the ninth to tie it, and then the sixth to walk it off.
It's just on the very next pitch. I mean, this team has some
magic. As you talked about with Tino yesterday, and as you talked about
with Chip there, there's something about a baseball team that has a little magic
going into June. You know what. I think it happens more in baseball
than it does in football or basketball. And Chip has seen this before he
was the coach that he was on the Nationals coaching stuff. They were like
nineteen and thirty the yeah on the world. Yes. And it's weird how
baseball is different than the other sports because once you catch fireing baseball, and
I don't believe the momentum. I know you, I don't know if you
listen to me and Jay, I don't believe in it because every game is
a season. But baseball is just different this way because once you get some
confidence and you get some pitching, timely hitting, it just kind of all
of what sudden steam rolls. It is. It's a it's a ball rolling
downhill. And that's the big thing about baseball is it's there's a reason why
they're superstitious because they feel the trends too. It's very unique sport, very
unique, especially at the college level. You know, I think one of
the unique things about it is that these guys have the emotional swings maybe that
we do as the fans, where maybe in Major League Baseball you don't within
one hundred with a one hundred and sixty two game season. College baseball,
it's every weekend your season's on the line. And this weekend, Arizona's season
is definitely on the line because it's regional baseball time, regional baseball in Tucson
for the first time since twenty twenty one, and they'll hope they get a
similar result against GCU as they did in the twenty one opener in that too.
You know, did we want to did you have some breaking news we
talked about? So we're going to talk about Arizona landed USC defensive line transfer
Stanley Taufu. Yeah. Defensive line, right, yep. That's huge to
build a depth for that group because when you lost Bill Norton uh in the
spring, and you know, he went to an opportunity that probably better fits
him at Texas being a stop gap defensive tackle. Uh. Now you have
somebody that can fill that gap as well. They brought in a couple defensive
line transfers in the post spring time. I think that was a big question
coming into the summer with this Arizona football team, is would they be able
to hold up on the defensive line as they did as well as they did
last year, especially with all the departures both in the winter and in the
spring portal period. And I think they've done a nice job to fill those
gaps. But now it comes down to fall camp. How much coaching chops
does this new group have. They built a lot of equity in the spring,
but what kind of true coaching chops does this group have, especially on
the defensive side. Does Duyna Keina still have his fastball? Does d line
coach jos Omalo? Is he ready to build this quickly and get them to
ingratiate themselves into this defensive system and into this culture so they can be a
dominant defensive team like they were a year ago. I believe a top twenty
five unit in the entire country. Yeah, yeah, I was gonna ask
you something, so you'll be here tomorrow maybe yes, yeah, absolutely,
Okay, course talk more sports. There was also something else, and you'll
have to get used to this because I forget stuff, Jay, and I
forget stuff all the time. It's the end of the show. We're running
on tangent at this point, playing Oh, so this is your first year,
and I know you're not gonna finish out the year, but you've been
here long enough. How would you rate the rate the overall UA athletic department,
how it did athletically? Gosh, nine, I mean, this is
I think that's about right now, but it wasn't there until recently because of
what's going on. I just think the consistency across all sports. I mean
you look at the you look at the rankings, you look at the Capitol
One Cup standings or Director's Cup standings or whatever they call it now, and
you look at the consistency throughout the athletic programs for these teams, I think
they really stepped into stride with how well balanced the rest of the PAC twelve
programs are, because what do you know about the Pac twelve? Right For
most of my life it has been post USC's run. It has been disappointing
on the football field, and it has been great in everything else. I
mean, really stellar in women's sports, really stellar in Olympic sports. I
think that's going to be a long term legacy of the PA of the last
two decades of the Pac twelve is just being stellar in those Olympic sports,
being well rounded athletic programs, and I think Arizona reflected that very well this
year. I think Dave Hickey, you know, unfortunately he got let go,
but he did a great job, you know, getting those programs up
to snuff. And I think Desiree Reed Francois is stepping into a great situation.
I think she's a fantastic leader for these programs and will continue to give
the coaches and the student athletes the tools they need to succeed. I think
it's you know, I think the athletic department is well financed, good facilities,
great fan support, elite fans support, some of the best in the
country. So I think we you have all of those pieces in sort of
that holy trinity, you can continue to be successful in every sport. If
football has momentum, football rises all tides in an athletic department. I'm googling
Holy Trinity just so the hell you're talking about Triangle three. No, No,
I agree with you. It's it's one of the better years or seasons
they've had in twenty some years back. We talk about this thirty almost thirty
years yea, in the nineties when best, when basketball, football, everything's
all the stars aligned, right, it just kind of worked, you know.
I mean, like women's basketball, they were playing most of the season
with seven players and they that was unbelievable. Yeah, with three freshman starters,
and you find a way in the NCAA Tournament win a game. I
mean, baseball was dead in the water halfway through the season. Now they're
hosting a regional first. And then the football came back and did well,
like you said earlier, but for basketball, women's basketball, you're thinking,
what the hell's going on with the program? You know, there's people leaving,
they're unhappy, reportedly this, reportedly that. And then she gets this
group of seven to on the brink of beating USC not once but twice,
and USC is good enough to get to the final four, right or that
close? Were that close? And we had we had coach on Barnes and
we're thinking, what are you doing? How did you pull this off?
And they blew a late lead against Syracuse in the NAA Tournament, but Syracuse
almost knocked off Yukon, which went to the final four. You know,
see this is the time, this is the time. And I asked you
this a month being giddy because I don't people know that in the show.
I don't get giddy. I just don't. I've been here too long.
I'm too jaded. Even Keel even try to be at least, but you
gotta have at least some really high respect for what's been done. Says they've
done a heck of a good job for straight n SNUAA tournaments, for women's
basketball program. And I mean I think next year they're going to be good.
That team in two years, that's a bona fide Final four contender.
If the keep the rosterga. You know in this business, you give me
cars business. You sold me eight cars this month. Guess what you gotta
do next month? Sixteen? Sell be more, double it, double it
double next week. We'll see what happens. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow,
Matt, absolutely here. You're not back. No next week, next
week? Okay. Cool, A good show today, Thanks everybody for for
listening, Thank you Gabe for calling in. And we'll try to do this again tomorrow