Streaming live on the iHeart Radio Whap. This is I on the Ball with
Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight. And welcome back
tying the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera, He's Jacknzosen.
Now I hope he has some breaking news. This is High on the
Ball breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight. All right, this is
for all the old guys out there, You, me, everybody else,
our listeners, everybody listens to us and waking up from their afternoon naps.
Brooks Robinson, the Hall of Fame third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles and in
my mind, the greatest fielding third baseman ever. You can say, Manny
Machado, you can say now Ripken, you can say a million guys.
WHOA to me will always be the when I when I when I want to
give a third base a third basement a compliment and say you know that,
I call him Brooks nice play Brooks. I don't say nice play, cal
I don't say nice play, Manny, I say nice play Brooks Uh to
me, the all time grades sixteen Gold Gloves eight eighteen time All Star.
He was a World Series MVP, an American League MVP. But more than
anything, he's the guy that they coined the phrase the human vacuum cleaner for
us to nice play Elis. He was tad, but you know, I
think people from our generations, Steve, I think would would would say you
know him, you know again, the newbies would say somebody like you know,
you know Manny Machado were one of those guys. But you know they
didn't. They didn't see Brooks Robinson. He played third baseman like players play
today, but he did it fifty years ago, fifty sixteen. You know
quickly. Couldn't hit, couldn't hit a lick, but damn could he could
he play the corner, which which makes you what do you play? I
mean, because now you need both yet, well, the third baseman has
to be a power, right, but you know he was so good.
He was so good. He was their third baseman. And I remember he
had he had the tiniest bat. He'd go to bat and he looked like
he was saying, with one of those souvenir bats, you get a little
the little clubs, you know. But but man, could he play?
And uh, okay, I hated him because I was a Dodger fan.
You know, I'm still trying to forget who you liked. Well, the
it was one of those guys that I hated, but I had great respect
for it because it was so good. Right, you know, the the
Orioles swept the Dodgers in the World Series in the sixty five and then you
know, like like sixties, early seventies, they were in the World Series
like every year, right they weren't. They lost to the sixties nine Mets,
then they wanted in seventy. Then they lost to the Pirates in seventy
one. And I was a National League guy, so I was reading for
the Mets, I was reading for the for the Pirates. I don't remember
who they played in seventy might have been the Rents, I think, maybe,
Yeah, but all time great And he was eighty six past way today
I just set my good friend who you know, fallowing Baltimore because of him.
Yeah, the message, Yeah, all right, let's see, Uh
what else? I had a whole bunch of stuff. Okay, so all
these coaching rants that happened over the weekend. Uh coaching rants. Jake Dicker,
uh kind of he didn't take it back. He just said he meant
no disrespect to lead Corso about the stuff that he said about about Corso.
Did he say he got it wrong? Did he say he didn't admit?
Yeah, I listened most of the video. I listened, didn't listen to
all of it. He never said I was wrong. He just said I
meant no disrespects. Yeah, well I was. Was I talking to you?
I was talking to somebody, oh maybe TJ today. So we live
in a time. We live in a weird time. Someone says something has
to apologize or not apologize. The guy on the other side has to come
back and get at him, and it's a back and forth of of guess
what jay, I said what I said and I meant what I said it
in let's move on. Speaking of that, Ryan Day and Lou Holtz is
still going out. I saw that right. Holt's basically saying you're a good
team, You're not great, and I'm not gonna talk about you anymore.
You got Pence Dave Michigan coming up. I'm not talking. Did you take
I think the people got took offense people in our business saying well, he
went after an eighty six year old man. The eighty six year old man
talked a lot of crap. Wow, he did talk some crap, and
he didn't know. If the eighty six year old man doesn't want to take
the crap, then do exactly. I'm not I'm not pissed about that.
I just didn't think that what Lou Holtz said justified the rant that Ryan Day
did right after the game when you should have been talking about how great his
team played instead of talking about the eighty six year old guy. Well,
so the next forty five minutes you'll hear nothing from me because I don't want
to piss anybody off. I guess somewhere lying line you already I don't know
where, but you did. You already have. But it's this is you
know, it's ours, it's our job, and I'm saying media as a
blanket, go he said this. Go check what there the guy says.
And that's a bing pong volley back and forth about okay, and then at
the end of the day, it's kumbaya. But we didn't mean to mean
you said what you said. Who care said? Yeah? And it's like
the landing stuff. He did what he needed to do to get the guys
fired up. Why should I apologize? Exactly? If you don't want a
court storming, Jay, you know what you do, don't let it,
don't let it beat you exactly exactly. All right. Okay, you're getting
such mixed feelings about about Dion Sanders. Okay, so one of one of
his players, who was, you know, a highly touted guy that had
committed to Miami, decided to go to Colorado, has barely played, hasn't
been any good? Yeah? Uh, and went to and Deon Sanders asked
about it. Why is this guy not played? He says, he goes
what would it take for him to place a study and prepare beyond time for
meetings, show up to meetings, understand the scheme. I check film time
from each player so I can see who's preparing. So if I don't see,
if I don't see that, you would you would be a fool to
put somebody out there who's not prepared that goes for all our players. That's
like you said, I don't care how good you are. That's the damn
work play right. Well, it's just like Jay, you have a guy
working for you, a TP or where you're at, and then what's up
with him. Harry's pretty talented. Well, if he doesn't show up to
work, how can we put him to work? So again, you like
he knows right, of course, of course you know he's good at what
he does. Again, you understand more than anything, More than anything,
he understands winning. Sure, right, And there's no I like him.
But the one thing is, I'm not sure she talks a lot of crap.
But he kind of does and kind of doesn't. Everybody does. Everybody
does, depends where the cameras are. Well, here's the thing. He's
just more open about what you got to say. He doesn't give a crap,
sure anybody think? Sure? Sure? And to say that though he's
a little bit sensitive, do you remember the stuff in the World series.
Well, I mean if you're gonna if if he says something that you're gonna
rip him for, he doesn't care if you're ripping. You'll pay attention to
it. Oh sure, right, and then he'll come back at you.
But he doesn't get his feelings hurt. I don't think. Come on,
dude, you were'd you grow up on the East Side. I grew up
in a place where if you didn't have your barbs ready to retort, you
were gonna get showed up. I spend enough time on the South Side.
Didn't know that. You know, I grew up that way. If you
didn't have your comeback ready, you were Yeah, no, absolutely absolutely,
all right. Hey, our buddy whose dad has been on our show,
a Roy Lopez defensive lineman, got signed to the or elevated to the active
roster for the Cardinals this week. I didn't know that he was not with
Houston because remember we were the texts text he was with somebody. Yeah,
well they must have picked the Cardinals, must have picked him up. They
put him on the active rosper Good for him up there. So that's not
three three yeo. A guys who were in the you know, on active
rosters. Gary Bradwell, you know he carried the ball a whole bunch of
the in the Giants game last week. I was listening to the radio and
then who's the other one one more there's a running back for New England and
yeah, yeah, the guy, I would say Morris, but it's not
more. Yeah, that guy, that guy Taylor. Yeah, what's the
first one, Yeah, Tylor Taylor. Yeah, that guy. You're asking
me questions. I don't know J J J J. So Roy Roy Lopez
just three? What about since he joins three other former wocats, there must
be one more. I can't think Cruke Chink nok Is he the one that
he might because he's been there for a while. Okay, Okay, you
don't. Why don't we talked about it? I heard this falls to the
Jets. Why not did the Colin Kaepernick or a letter to just put me
under practice squad see if I can play and then if I can't cut me?
Which why not? You know? Going going back to what uh you
know what's talking about with with Richard who called uh you know, I did
Washington maybe the best team in the country. Well they now have. From
a betting standpoint, the Heisman Trophy favorite Michael Pennocks has jumped over Caleb Williams,
which I think he's I think he's a better I think he's a better
pro prospect, and I think just as like I said, is a thrower.
He's a better thrower. But he's he's now on Draft Kings. He's
plus three sixty and Caleb Williams is now plus four. It's gonna all wash
out here in the next few weeks. Yeah, yeah, Well, all
those teams got to play each other, so you know, I mean Oregon
has to play Washington is pretty good too. He's pretty good too, and
he's moving up and no one's paying attention to Washington State. Yeah, yeah,
Cam, what's cam orton? Cam? He's doing really well and Cam
Rising hasn't even played over it and they're they're four now and he hasn't even
played. Hey, just everybody knows. We're gonna go a couple of minutes
longer the segment because we can get George Malulu in here and we'll come back
probably about four twenty four with with George when when we get him on.
So we're going a little longer on this segment. Speaking of quarterbacks, Uh
Trent and Bourgay is expected to start at at a s U. They've determined
that there's what's the other guy, uh, I can't think of it,
the freshman guy, the freshman no Drew pineh the guy from Notre Dame that
that that started uh for uh for ACU. I think last week he's quote
unquote out for the near future, according to Kenny Dilligan. So they're going
to Bourgay this weekend. So they've got Uh, they're at Cal, so
we'll see how that goes with them over the guy who started last week,
Uh is the only other healthy scholarship quarterback. I thought the brigadie must not
have been that injury. That was his knee. Okay, but we're Shota
and Drew Pine are not available again for ACU. They're going to Cal.
It's you know, it's just it's gonna get tougher and tougher run them.
Oh yeah, every every every weekends. I'm gonna be crazy. Yeah.
Our friend rich Rod got his one hundred and seventy fifth career win. Wow
on Saturday. Who'd he beat? They beat Eastern Michigan twenty one to zip.
What's his record? Now? They are two and one. They only
played three games because they must have a buy right away because it beat you
tap probably the first game you tap, they're they're one two, they're three
and one, three and one. Next sense they beat you tap, beat
East Tennessee State, lost to Coastal Carolina and then beat East what's that Coastal
Carolina game? They gotta be thirty to sixteen. Yeah, he's they're pretty
good. They're pretty good. Good rich Rod? You know whatever, anybody
wants to say he could coach, he can, he can, he can
get the guys a score. Guts to play for him. I just remember
being upset with him that they didn't hit the over in the But you mean
this year? Yeah, yeah, this year. There's get him on the
text him right now. He told us they pays attention to Yeah, no,
the Rams coach doesn't. Anyways, they got Sam Houston this weekend,
which is the other team that went FBS this year's he's fifty nine years old.
Let's assume Heim does really well. I think you'll get another shot at
him. Yeah he could. I could see him moving up to yeah,
back for one last chance, you know, team over in the South or
something. Yeah, yeah, I could getting another shot at it. But
one hundred and seventy five wins for rich Rot, so that's a lot of
wins. Seventeen years Indoor Football League added a team, the San Antonio Gunslingers,
so they are now up to sixteen teams for the twenty twenty fourth season,
so that's an interesting interesting deal there. Continuing to grow and continued the
Premier Indoor League, the Arena Football League. The old Arena Football League apparently
is restarting this year after the two indoor well, there's like there's two other
ones. There's like four of them. Oh yeah, but of the of
the ones that exist, the Indoor Football League is there is a better one
is the best one because better teams, better franchises, better ones are even
more minor league than the indoor football You know, people players from those teams
concerned move up to the Indoor Football League. So we'll see what the arena
football does, you know, if they get a TV contract of all this
kind of stuff. All right, Big Game Boomer, who we're trying to
get on the show this week, has Washington on serious upset alert, uh
this week, along with Tennessee, Notre DAMEE Texas, Georgia, Clemson,
Texas, and MTCU Missouri and Minnesota al though I don't know who Minnesota could
be playing though would be an upset. They got beat by Northwestern last weekend,
so I don't think any win over Minnesota is an upset. But he's
got some bigs in Washington and Texas, some big names up there and Notre
Dame. He comes on to twenty. You know Notre Dame. Remember last
year they played Wow, stayed really tough, and then the next week when
lost to Marshall. So I think they've got Duke this week. Duke is
really good. Yeah, they are surprisingly really damn good. So, hey,
did you know that Juwan Howard had some sort of heart uh issue,
and he hasn't been coaching. Phil Martelly, the guy from Uh Joe Joe
is running there is running the show's biggest fans one of them, he's yeah,
yeah, he was. He was one of lot, was one.
He was one of the lout's no reverse he I'm saying, we're saying the
sarcacastically. Yeah, yeah, the biggest fans. He was really upset with
her. So yeah, philm Martell, he's been running the show. He's
he was his lead assistant. Yeah yeah. In the story that when Joan
got the job, uh he he asked John Calipari, you know who should
who should I get as an assistant? And Calipari recommended Phil Martelli didn't know
him, well, Jowan Howard didn't even know him. He wouldn't introduce himself.
Hired him as his main assistant because Party told him, get a guy
like that. Let me help you. Let me tell you something. I've
sent this to to Josh too. He needed to get that guy. Yeah,
and he did. Somebody like that exactly, Somebody like that who knows
the rope right right, who can help you be the right hand man.
Speaking of of coaching candidates, the Athletic, Bruce Fellman at the Athletic ran
out a list of of coaches to replace huh Mel Tucker at Michigan State.
He threw out due coach Mike Elko, Lancelipold at Kansas who also did a
great job, Chris Kleman at Kansas State again coaching right the teams that haven't
been very good good now it's not official, No, it's still not official.
And PJ. Flack at Minnesota. Also throughout Willie Fritz, the head
coach at UH at Tulane, the Toledo head coach, Jason Candall coach,
who's anybody could do that here? How many coaches did he throw out through
out in our whole list? Bill O'Brien, who's the Patriots of Sport oh
Man, Sean Lewis, who's who's Uhn Sanders offensive coordinator? Just throw laundry
list of coaches out there. That's all just good luck go into that sad
man that's when I got good timing. That's the right time we got it.
Okay, we're gonna have George Malulu man expected. Yeah, should be
cool. So about six minutes. All right, we'll get yeah, well
we'll in the meantime, we'll get ready to take your calls after that.
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you. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeart Radio Whip
Just Surgery I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to Way on the
Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jackinsaws Stone if
on, we have George mellow lu the quarterback of the nineteen ninety two Big
Upset over Washington. George, how are you doing the fire may nobody listening?
That's true, George, that's true, George. I hope you're in
a safe spot out in California. Thanks for joining us. We kind of
want to revisit thirty two, thirty three, thirty one years ago. Does
that make you feel old? What does that make you feel? No?
Not really. When I see my kids, kind kind of lived with them,
so I think I'm still young and your kids are fantastic athletes. I
appreciate that. So, George, we've been this, jakeln Stiles, We've
been talking about this game already. The last couple of days. We did
talk to the guy who covers the team now for the Star. He wasn't
even born yet, but he seemed to know a lot about the game.
But yeah, we talked to Heath Bray yesterday. Let me bring up something
that that that we talked about with he You know, you guys had you
were on a roll at that time, but at some point during the week
there had to be some sort of a belief among the players, among the
team, among the coaches, whatever, that you guys are gonna win this
game. When when did that happen for you? Yeah, I didn't hear
that. Come again, when did When did it happen for you that you
felt we're gonna beat these guys because they had killed you two years in a
row, but you guys were on a roll. When when did you feel
like we can beat these guys? Man, to tell you the truth,
I mean that year, that year, we we came close to beating Miami
in Miami, so we had it in us. It was just a matter
of you know, who was gonna who's gonna show up? And sure enough
we showed up and uh, you know, we made history and beating the
number one team in the country. We should have beaten two number one teams
in the country that year. So you know, I knew I believe that
we were gonna be able to do something special, and we sure did.
How was it from your mind being the quarterback? Pressure? No pressure?
What? No pressure? Because I mean the pressure was on them they had
to win. We didn't. So I mean, just going into the game
like we usually did was just man. As long as I knew I had
the defense behind us. I mean, shoot with Rob and all those other
guys there, I mean, I knew we were gonna be in good position
because they're gonna definitely give us the ball when we needed it. So and
as you saw, we were able to kind of control the ball and you
know, come up with the big w Well, was there any I don't
know what the right word is for this, because not only did you know
Washington beat you guys really bad the two years before, but you took a
physical beating in those in those two games. Any angst on your part?
Uh? You know, how did you personally approach that game in light of
what had happened the last two years against them? Well, I had it
just definitely just kind of put it to the side and not even think about
those two two years because those two years were I mean, God, at
least you have that man just kind of looking at you, staring in you
in the eye and saying, I'm coming and down keeping side. I'm saying
to myself, Yeah, I know. Well, at the same time,
you just to go out there and just you know, just overcome you know,
a lot of adversity that comes about and what happened was we came around
with a lot of good plays, keeping the fall positive and not giving the
fall away. You know, we stayed together as a team and we wont
as a team. We don't see this too often, George, here in
Tucson where it's sold out, it's crazy. The guys are staying in the
in their seats. How was it that day, because I know it was.
It was packed. Man, that was probably the most packed stating that
i've you know, just in the in the years that I was there playing.
It was. It was amazing. And for them the rush of the
field afterwards, and to be on the field with some of my siblings and
my cousins and just Is celebrating the whole. Uh, the win itself was
was amazing. So that's something I definitely cherished. And then I just hope
that we'll have a couple more this year that you can go ahead and celebrate
the same way. Well see, you know, Steve and I have talked
a number of times about, you know, basketball games, when you walk
into McHale Center and there's a buzz, right, there's a feeling, you
know, when Duke is there or when Ucla is there, a couple of
times, you know, maybe North Carolina went. You know that you walk
into the arena and it just feels different. Did it feel like that,
you know, on that because it's such a bigger place, right more people
went? Was there? Did you sense that kind of buzz in the stadium
when you guys took the field, there was always a buzz, especially with
you know, Jeremiah Fire. I mean a lot of the big wins that
we came about, whether whether it was on the road or whether it was
there, I mean, those are special. Those are a special sense of
camaraderie amongst the team. I think we we were a family, and we
played like a family. And regardless of you know, who is down defense
or offense, you know, you always got picked up Ruski coming out the
field and say hey, come on, let's go. Just that a little
pickup will definitely kind of carry you up and over. But nowadays I'm just
kind of just seeing what they did at Stafford. You know, even though
it was a one point win, Man, give me the win. I'll
take the win any day, and I was. I was really happy to
see and if you uh know, if your feets are going out there and
getting the call, making the making it happen and doing doing what needed to
be done to get the dove. Yeah, I know he's got a lot
of points. Let me ask you, George, because told me was so
subdued. He was kind of like, you know, you nothing really rattled
him. You didn't really show emotions. How was he after that game?
Would you? Guys? Course, Tommy was always I mean, he didn't
know what You didn't know whether or not to talk to him at times.
You didn't know what to you know, what to say at times because he
was just he was very even killed. But at the same time, when
he needed something that he said he will say it right then and there and
and everything will help to hold and you know exactly what needs to be done
at that particular time. But the confidence that he had in us, I
believe, I mean, just kind of coming off the field and just kind
of getting a word or two from him kind of made you feel as if,
you know, hey, I got coach to coach Stone got me back
so too that I don't need any other anybody else to go and let me
just say anything else to me, So I know, I got I got
to me man. Uh, kind of pushing me from the backside. You
know, I think I'm thinking back to how many times I've seen the tape
of this game or the video of the game. You know that touched on
you scored on the quarterback sneak and you ran off the field and if I
recall, you went and gave him a huge hug. You know, do
you recall saying anything to him at that point, because that was when you,
guys clinch the game, game was over when you scored that touchdown.
What you know, what was to be said to him at that time?
I don't see me. I don't think we said anything. Just just knowing
that we went up on that sport was more than enough to you know,
I need the access spoke louder than words. So just kind of holding them
and knowing that was my senior year and kind of bringing in that presence and
that ambiance too to Tucson was I think some special that I think we captured
in that moment. So did you you were senior then? I think Desert
Swarm was kind of starting keeps perriculating. Did you see that that was happening
with the defense? I knew it. I mean I've seen them every day
and just seeing how some other programs had some some issues and trying to you
know, move the ball. I mean I saw that defense every day,
so I knew that they had problems, especially you know, whatever whatever scheme
they brought up, you know, I know coach Ellison and coach Akina,
and I mean they and they designed a defense that you know, they still
speak up today. Yeah, So, how how often do you think of
that game? You know, I mean, you had a great athletic career
high school, college, How often does that game come up? You know
out of nowhere, you know, in your mind and your memory that kind
of stuff. You know, when when some of the guys, you know,
we talked when we come back to Tucson or we're on the phone,
and it just kind of discussed some of the things that you know there we
see today. Just so that these guys can kind of see and feel that
that that that that joy and the teamwork it took in order for us for
us to get to that point. I see it happening, and I'm just
I'm just I'm just uh enthused to see when that day comes when you know,
they do take down a top ten team and everybody celebrates the same way.
Yeah, not to go poo poo on you. But so you win
that game, then you play USC and then as U and then Baylor.
What was it so high that you couldn't recover or what happened after that?
You know what I think what it was, It is just that we uh,
you know, certain plays that needs to be made and at those particular
times that needed it needs to be done. It wasn't done each one of
those games. There was there was a two, two or three plays that
was done and performed differently I think would have been a different a different outcome.
But you know, we were we were involve you know, all three
of those games. It's just that, you know, just like you said,
two or three, two or three plays, I kind of bounced in
the other direction. Yeah, well real quick, because we're having fun in
the last few days because of the Hunter kid at Colorado playing playing both ways
or or you know, up until you got hurt, you played you played,
you know, with two different hands. Who in your time would have
been able to play both ways both ways as far as throwing no defense and
defense, Chuck Levy was probably the only one that I could think of on
our team. It's kind of looking around on the league, you really didn't
or around the conferences. I really nobody just really stick shout that could really
do what the hundred kid is doing. I mean, that's that's unheard of.
I mean, to play on that level and to play both of them
both ways. I think that it was the first or second game. I
mean, I forgot how many snaps, but he had a hundred and on
forty or fifty snaps. I mean, that's that's crazy. Yeah, yeah,
yeah, that's that's nuts for him to maintain that level of competition and
just going out there to compete. And I kick my hat because uh as
a special kid. Well, and when you think about you know, the
physicality of the game today versus you know, just the way that you know
the athletes are, the speed, the hitting to be able to do that,
that's got to be quick, the faster, the stronger. It's just
it's just, uh, it's just a whole different I mean, either the
training just kind of seeing how my my my sons and I think go through
their different training. It's it's night and day from what we we're doing back
back in the day. Well, we'll talk about that a little bit and
what you're seeing differently and how kids your high school age and so on are
getting ready, you know, to go to the next level. It almost
feels like high school kids are what college kids used to be. Right,
So, say, for us, you look at these seven on sevens,
these tournaments, these easy events. I mean, if you look at the
datises and the nikes, they've really kind of transformed putting their brand on kids
along with the actual event itself. So you look like you have an MTV
kind of a rock and Jock DJ, and they're just kind of really having
the the announcer on the sideline, just really kind of bringing that seven on
seven appeal to the masses, you know, online and through through videos.
So and these kids are getting our scholarship offers on seven on seven games.
It's it's a whole different, whole different ball game. Yeah, no,
no question. Did you see the year before in ninety one, right,
you guys didn't have a great year but then saw a turn a huge turn
around the next year. What happened in that year, Well, no disrespect
to the staff, but you know, I know there was some changes that
the staff had to make, and they brought coach Acquina to the officsive side,
and when Coachequina came to the officieve side. I mean you could tell,
even with him being back in Tucson the type of enthusiasm and energy that
that coach Acquina brings to either side of the ball, and just having him
on on the officsive side, my officive side of the my senior year was
it was it was a great plus. But at the same time it was
it was a it was a nice little fresh twist to what we were doing,
you know, between my sophomore junior compared to my senior year. Well,
he's back on the field over here, so what do you think,
Well, can they take Washington on Saturday? I believe so. I will
always say I believe so. But at the same time, you know,
people didn't uh anything we were gonna do her back then. So I'm gonna
go ahead and go with the cast and just say, hey, we'll probably
beat on by ten. Yeah you go, I know, we don't have
a couple of minutes stuff that I just wanted to touch base with you and
your family, Uh and your girls who have done well, are they still
playing? Just give me a rundown? So all they gotter Chloe. She
plays for the Okay Sparks. She's playing professional softball right now. She graduated
from Mississippi State A number two, which is uh Tessa. Tessa is the
third baseman for UCLA and she has two more years this year and next year.
And then my boy Jordan, he's the senior at Lambs Pauly. He's
already committed to Fristal State. Wow, he's a wide receiver TB. And
then my youngest who who mistaking uh uh my, she's taking the quarterback spot
and he do it quite well. We just came back from Maryland and played
the top East Coast team last weekend and he came up with the W And
he's definitely going to be better than me. Your wife must have had some
very good talent. She does. I'm telling you, she's a winner.
I think I won out when I picked her. Nice. Nice choice.
Nice choice, George, Hey man, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks a bunch for joining us today. Nice Thanks, take care of her
now, thank you you can get back to work. Thanks George. He's
one of the good guys. He is. He was such a good guy
when he was here. I loved him, you know. I still again,
I still remember the time he blew out his knee. He played a
couple of plays after he blew out his knee and asked him, how did
you do that? Because I wanted to win that I wanted to win,
and his claim to famous he could throw with both hands, with both hands.
He never let him do it right in the game. I think,
I think you do a couple but like on a scramble, right, But
he never, you know, he never purposely, you know, took a
snap and went back it through with the other hand. Right, Okay,
cool, all right, that was fun. We'll be back. We'll take
your calls at five to zero, four s forty. We'll wrap it up.
Give us a bus. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you
know it's been successful for newly forty years. Now. Take a look back
at the Ludolson era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot. It
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Jac SMAs. They had their I on the Ball on two Sons sports
station Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. They welcome back to I in the Ball here
on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Jake. Got about twelve
minutes left and if not, actually about nine nine minutes. We went along.
Oh no, no, because you were the key came on like,
yeah, that's cool, that's cool. Oh yeah, we went along in
the first se Yeah, it's good, it's good. It was good,
good, good time with him. Yeah. No, I love you know,
I love having those guys on because one we know them a little bit,
even though it's been a long time, but we covered them, and
so we knew them when they were when they were just growing up. And
you know, there's a lot of history and you know, that was a
time in Arizona football where things were good, right, and you're good and
just starting. Yeah, and it's just starting that you know, that kind
of that early night in the time. You know, got the ball row
and they had the ninety three season, but they went to the festival.
They had the ninety eight season where you talked about you talked about who covered
the team for the Star is Anthony? Uh there was another paper. I
know you don't recognize that, but I don't know if it was Dave or
it wasn't John. It had to be protrusted, it had to be for
a while. Yeah, maybe I can find him. Awake up, Parky
on the side. Yeah, you were doing two years into basketball, so
yeah, no, maybe we talked about that because those were those were up
and down times, right they want they went six and two and then they
went six and two. They beat Washington and then they lost their next lost
the next three games. Yeah, I remember they were all terrible losses.
They just close. Get a seven six loss, I get breaks the long
run in the game where you know, like I remember being really upset at
that loss because of because because they were been done. I mean that that
Washington Glow last lasted a couple of weeks. You had to be he had
to be really damn good. And then they go loose to as bad as
was close with the with one win score. Yeah, and then they went
to the ASU and then they lost in the in the in the sun and
we went a whole group of us went to the to the USC game,
did you yeah, you know, after the watching game we got I mean
I think we had thirty people went, you know, and as a group
and went to the USC game. And then they lost that game. And
then we come back and then the a SU game was here and they lose
that game by that was a crap. And then they went to the Sun
Ball and I'm not even gonna go. My brother ended up going at the
last minute. I think it might have cost him his marriage. So not
always not always lost, and he went to that game and then they lose
that game. Yeah, and then they didn't have a good next year.
They didn't have a good next year, and then they started breaking the next
check out check out the next year, was the ninety three was the score?
Oh yeah, that's right, you're right. Yeah. The next year
was the ninth, the ninth three year that they went to the Fiest Bowl
and you know, yeah, you know lost what was there? Seven and
what was it? They went? They went ten and two? They lost
too. They started they won what seven? They were seven and Ozero eight
seven and Ozer got their asses kicked by UCLA. Uh beat or beat the
hell out of Oregon and then lost lost to create that crazy game where they
were twenty to nothing at the half. The beat Asu. If they beat
Caw, they're in the Rose Bowl. Yeah, and then they beat the
Miami. Yeah. And then they beat Miami and the you're right, you're
right. I was thinking about the year before, but that was a start
at that period of time. Then, you know, in ninety eight they
had that great year. They go twelve and one. You know, you
go twelve and one and one of the when of the rare times that anybody
ran the you know, ran the table in the pack in the pack ten
and UCLA did it that year. Hurricane then went and crapped the bed at
in Miami in a game the cost Arizona Rose Bowl so there's that. So
anyway, do you believe in destiny? I've got you just before. I
don't think you do. I do. I believe in what goes around comes
around. Okay, but do you believe in because what if it's a sense
that erion just not destined to go to the Rose Bowl given these weird circumstances.
No, no, I just I believe in curses. They're cursed.
I firmly believed that. Again. I mean, I sit here and think
of I think of losses that Arizona had. Their were inexplicable. I couldn't
explain them for anything. That man so much. You know, I told
you that lot that lost to cal in ninety three, a lot that lost
to Oregon in ninety four when a terrible past interference call that called it Oregon.
You know that game. I can't believe you. I can't know.
I can't believe you because you remember the stuff, and then you don't remember
the post the podcast. I'm the same way. But but you know,
I think about you know, the the UCLA Miami game where they that's the
fumble where the Kay McNown was on his knees and the ball rolls out and
they called it a fumble and it shouldn't have been a fumble, and that
cost him the game. The other way around two a time or two the
hill Mary, the Arizona never gets there. Okay, okay, they got
the Hill Mary. But but in the end, what did it mean?
Well? True, true, but you know it wasn't got the the onside
kick. Everything that everything that happened in that game was weird. That that
was a weird one. And again and I remember walking out of the saying,
that's the game that Arizona never wins. I don't know, it was
a home It was weird. It was they never win that game because they
never can never get all those that happen. Sure that happened, and that
scour and missus another one of those weird ones. Right, Uh, let
me tell you the a shoe I think the kid mentioned this, the blocked
extra points extra Yeah again, but that was that was that that was just
an ace lost. I'm talking about games that meant something like where the Rose
Bowl was on the line. You know the two times that happened in ninety
eight, No that that happened in ninety eight, that happened in eighty six.
You know they've reading the hell out of UCLA up there and Gaston Green
goes off in the second half and they lose that game, and that would
have put him in the Rose Bowl. Uh, you know all kinds of
things they like that that just just never wins that game. That means more
than any no question, that you guys are are are cursed. And let
me say this, after reading they fought like wildcats and going up to seventy
two, I think it wasn't. And I'm reading it with no with no
reason not to read or whatever. I'm thinking, there is something that happened
that you need to kill a goat or something. I don't know what.
We talked about the seventy five SU game with Bruce Hill, right, you
know, John Jefferson makes this catch. Half the people thought it was a
catch, half the people thought it wasn't, and it went. It went
against Arizona, and the next thing, you know, you know, As
was in the fest Of Bowl instead of Arizona playing Nebraska in the fift one
instead of Arizona, And who knows how that would have flipped at that time
because those were the two best teams maybe that the Whack had ever seen,
and they were playing each other, and they played to the to the death,
and the assue wins a game on a catch. It to this day
is disputed by a lot of people, and it went against it Arizona upon
further review. Uh yeah, no, you guys are cursed. There's no
question. The thing about it is hoard is it? Or did it start?
After reading that book? I read it. I said, you guys
are cursed. I just don't know where it begins. Yeah, around the
time I was born. You know what? No, no, no,
that explains it. That totally explays it. What what you what? What?
What time? What time of the year? It's like now is born
in August to fifty nine? Oh, the s the fall of practice of
football practice was starting the nine that's would it probably not be funny to go
back and review you have the book, I'll go back to it last.
That's funny because that and it's sixty four years of a lot of people might
say that's all my fault. It's funny because really, I mean thinking,
you know so many of those games, right, I mean, okay,
when they when they beat Washington, if they if they win their last two
games, I think they go to the Rose Bowl. That year. So
Jay, if someone said to you, Jay, will pay you not to
attend games, not to attend games, just because only if they could guarantee
me that there was a Rose Bowl at the end of it and I could
go to that game, I would not go. I would give it up.
I'd say that's what it takes, and it gets them in the Rose
Bowl, and then I still get to go to the Rose Bowl. Then
I'll stop coming. Go ahead and boosters start raising them. This may cost
more than the stadium itself. Steve, It's just you know what, it's
bizarre. The life has been a lifetime of that. Again. You know,
I remember I was. I was nineteen years old in Arizona's first year
in the Inn, and I'm still sitting here waiting for that damn Rose Ball.
Well it's not gonna come. Well your dad, your dad waited a
lifetime. I mean, if they be Washington now, you know, the
possibility is still there, but I just don't see it happen. No,
No, the Rose is the playoff game. There's too many there's too many
grenades or too many landmines in this season forfame. So they're not going to
that. They've already lost some mission stake, even if they're four. No,
they're not going to that. We'll see, we'll see what happens.
We got the less than a minute. Now. As we get closer and
closer to the game on Saturday night, should be a packed house. I
think it should be fine. I hope it's a packed house. Yea,
And I looked again. You know, be there, you know, Averyzone
to put out a graphic today, Be there at six forty five. Get
in the stadium, and and and and get the place buzzing before the game
starts. That's the only way, you know, you know. Heath Bray
talked about how meaningful that is. I mean, take it from the word
you know of a guy who would play there. It adders and and our
fans are terrible about this. We are you just are just I shouldn't say
we because I'm there. I'm in the stadium a half an hour before kickoff,
which is why I know that the band doesn't have an entrance, which
fisses me off. We'll get away the phone, run okay, Hey,
we'll be back tomorrow with more stuff getting ready for that Washington game. Come back tomorrow