This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions kat z
R two SAD at iHeartRadio Station. Good, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome
to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera,
He's Jagan ZAUS got our guy Kevin in today. Welcome to Monday.
I'm glad both of you guys came back and didn't take a job somewhere else.
I'm trying, like mister hurl, you didn't you know, if somebody
offers me, uh you know, from seventy million over six years. So
I'm taking the job. But that's just me. But I'm also not the
head coach at it gets up. I don't think anybody gonna offered me that
anytime. So the series and maybe I should have maybe tricked it with one
of the guys. You have them on the show. Maybe tomorrow. Uh
he's he's said that he was I want to say who this is, but
he said it was an were going to happen. It's just not that job.
It's just not that job anymore. It's not the job. And that's
that's a lot of the commentary you heard when this guy out that Hurley was
talking to them, that they were thinking, it's the job is not what
it used to be under the condition right your organization is kind of a mess
right now. They they've got they've had a run through coaches. It just
can't seem to get it done. You've got Lebron there who's like one hundred
and five years old, and now they want to bring in his kid.
I think, you know, there are probably just too many things that that
Hurley just didn't want to deal with. And are you actually the coach,
Kevin? You you know this better than both of us. Probably are you
really the coach when Lebron's playing, right? I mean it takes a special
coach like Eric Spolster. I think Eric Bolsher was actually able to do a
lot of coaching like during Lebron's time with you. But I think if you
look at a guy like you know, Dave Blatt, like he was,
he didn't have the standing in the league or in the game of basketball to
say to Lebron not I think we need to collaborate or this what we need
to do right. Yeah, been able to do that. I initially thought
he was going to take it. Even today when he didn't take it,
I was still a little surprised. But the more I heard, the more
I read, the more I thought, you know what, what what was
the what? What you read? Just that just that it's not the job
that that that it's cracked up to be, you know, it's not.
It's not the nineteen eighties Lakers job anymore, not even the nineties Lakers job
anymore, And that there were just too many things that when you're in the
position that Dan Hurley is in, you can get a better job. Do
you have to live in l A to coach? You can't do that remotely?
For sure. I got that I'm taking a jet into the downtown area
and getting out of there the jet exactly so, you know, all the
other stuff around you know, people saying, oh, if he takes the
job, college sports is through. And then now that he didn't take the
job, they say, well, what does it say about the NBA.
All it says is that this guy decided he did not want to move from
Connecticut to l A. He's making all the money he could ever want or
need, so he didn't need the money. He decided to stay where he's
most comfortable, and that's all it says. That's funny because I saw some
of the stuff you're just talking about. Uh, there's always a story,
right journalists or journalists today, if you didn't do this, this is the
reason why. This is always something right, gotta gotta evaluate, and it's
sometimes he just didn't take the job, and maybe that his wife just said,
you go, you're going alone. Well, I was gonna say,
Ultimately, it comes down to what you mentioned, Steve, it's the conditions
because at Yukon, his conditions are probably some of the most unique conditions of
any college basketball coach, and he created all He's on the precipice of a
three record, and he his conditions. The Lakers job are a little bit
more hectic. So why would you go to a more scrutinized position when you
have it so nice And he's in a place he doesn't have to compete with
with football. I mean, they got a football team, but it's not
even good. So he's you know, he's the big dog in you know,
at Connecticut. You know, I mean he's got to you know,
he's got to take a job where if Lake somebody like from a let's say,
uh, you know, an NBA champion retires and there's an NBA there's
a championship, a Steve Kerr job. You know, if Steve Barbo retires
Boston, you know somebody like that, you know it's gonna take you know,
the Lakers are a train wreck right now. Well, this is also
an issue I think that in our world, we we especially in our profession,
Jay, as we grew up, you get a job, you stay
there a few years, you get a bigger job. You can stay there
and you get a bigger job. Right, It's a transitional type of thing
where where okay, you work here, oh, in a couple of years,
you get to a bigger job and then a bigger job that doesn't necessarily
apply anymore. Uh, you know, especially here, like in TV,
you see the young kids doing it here and TV locally, and then they're
gone. And then they're gone because everyone not everybody wants or aspires to do
that. Maybe you feel comfortable and they treat you well. Imagine that they
treat you well and they pay you well, why would you want to leave?
Right? And again, when you're talking about a guy who's making five
million a year now he was going to make ten. I mean that's a
lot, that's double, But what the hell's the difference. You're not gonna
spend all of that anyway. You have money, You have money. Yeah,
So so I, like I said, I initially was surprised, But
the more I paid attention, the more I kind of dug into a little
bit, the more I realized, you know, maybe this was never gonna
happen. But he felt he owed it to himself to go through the experience,
right to go see what you know, what what does this entail?
What can you get right? How much control can you get? Well?
Plus plus this could be the start of something down the road where another team
comes and tries to get him, and I know that he's maybe available if
you would have said shut the door down, and then he says, well,
he's not available. Well, at least this kind of shows that he
kind of is maybe just not the right time, right place. I mean,
let's let's say let's say Steve Kurdi were to retire in two years,
because I think he signed a three year contract recently, so he's got you
know, and that that could be his last one, let's say in earliest
still winning. Wouldn't you rather be coaching the Warriors than than the Lakers?
Yeah? Very much. So do you have to fly? Do you have
to you have to live in live in San Francisco, But you know you
can live you can. You can live over near the arena and just kind
of hang out there scheduling practice somewhere else. That's a nice area in Santa
Clara. Yeah, no, no, I I was not surprised, surprise
whatever you know the word is, because he's got a good job. He's
got it, like you said, a chance at three. Whether that happens
or not, very difficult. But uh hey, college basketball world is back
in order. He's going to be favored to win that. Yeah, yeah,
right, yeah, yeah, don't tell Tommy Lloyd that who just won?
I know you probably have freaking news. Who just won his his thing
beat Argentina for the U eighteen the America America Cup. Yeah, it would
have been It would have been a shame had he not wanted, given the
talent and all that, right, But that's the pressure that you live with
too when you're yeah, when you're coaching USA basketball. Can I stop for
a second, Yeah, that's an ugly ass jersey. Whoa, whoa.
It was a free jersey. First of all. It was actually one of
the promotional events like ten Weekends. Evan's got the Red. It's like the
red and teal red diamondbacks jersey black lettering teal teal outline. So you are
you on my shote or his side and look good? Play good? Oh
well whose side of well? I'm wondering. It's not gonna make you play
good. If I was a player, I probably would put up like a
one eighty. You like it either? You just I mean, it was
free, it was it would be comfortable. It doesn't mean you have to
wear it and Arizona things. I was like, you know, just signed
by somebody and put it up on the wall. Sorry, I just stop,
That's okay. I just I just looked at you for and I'm like,
you know, I'm a Cardinals fan. Anyway, That's that's what I
thought. I'm like, what are you doing? Was that the last thing
in your closet? And you do your wash pretty much? Yah know,
I have a bunch of clean clothes. I need to put away the thing
on top of that pile. Okay, all right, so you were next
time you see with the Dodger stuff, you say, look at that.
Yeah, there's you. There's nothing bad about Dodger blue. Nothing bad about
Dodger blue. That it's like my beautiful Celtic Kelly Green. Yeah. Part
part of it is that is that I'm just pissed that they went to the
red, the red change of colors. The red. They had such a
great uniform to go back to the Randy Johnson. Yeah, the the vest
with the with the purple sleeves was just a classic uniform. Okay, all
right, I'm done Digress. Okay, No, let's talk about who's we
have on. Yeah, so we're gonna talk some baseball today. We've got
Jack McGruder, h our our friend, former writer at The Star. Uh
works out of Phoenix. But he's you know, he's he's scoring for the
Rockies again. He's back as the official scorekeeper for the Rockies. Are writing
for Forbes Sports uh website. He's he's been uh. He was working with
the gambling site that he says he's no longer working for. But it's funny
because he was horrible at his picture. But he does he still does a
lot of sports writing. Does some stuff. Uh, just a lot of
different stuff. He's on the Baseball Hall of Fame voting committee, so just
a lot of stuff. We'll talk to baseball with Jackie's up in Denver as
we speak, so we'll get with him at about in the second or in
the first hour at three fifteen, and then Andy Lopez is going to join
us, getting to the College World Series, is getting ready to get going,
so you know, we'll just kind of go back with Andy and just
talk about his his days, you know, in the college at the College
World Series, he won two championships. Just you know what what's going through
their minds. They're getting ready. I know the sub regionals are still finishing
up, but the the World Series starts, I think on Thursday. So
we'll talk to Andy Lopez. He won a championship here in twenty twelve.
Yeah, any won with him. It's twelve years ago. It didn't seem
like it doesn't seem like the you know, you go to you go to
the you go to Michaale and Michelle, you go to High Corbett and you
know there's a big mirror not in miural, but like a window screen of
the of that team. You know with the handsOn Dyce to do you know,
the behind the bed, the no doubles thing and uh, and you
think you didn't feel like that, that was that long ago. But you
know, then you see a highlight and you go, here's here's here's what
threw it to me. Uh. There was a video, a highlight video
of Rob Refsnier making the diving cat. Yeah he's thirty three years old.
I know, yeah, I know he had a great highlight like you talk
about. I'm thinking, God, God, thirty three in baseball is kind
of already gain. They said, here's Rob refs and thirty three years old,
still throwing his body out there. And I'm like, he got old.
Yeah, what about us? Us? I'm two years away from whatever
I just went to. I just went to a new doctor today, Steve,
and she's thirty four. Oh then she gave me no over No.
Yeah, well that too, but I called her a child, and I
think she was a little offended by it. She would she would achieve.
And do you said, Doogie Houser she played with you know house she might
yeah, she might not know that. You know, Doogie Howser is heard
the name no idea and you and you are kind of like I was the
last you know some stuff. You're old soul. Yeah. Yeah, So
she's a uh, a very very nice lady. You know, my doctor
retired, so, you know, bad, bad time for me to be
looking for a new doctor, because I know that I got I'm gonna I
may be needing one quite often. But we got we got into a conversation
and she turns out she's she's a friend of a friend of my son's,
somebody my son grew up. Grew up with the fact. I was out
this weekend and I met a couple of years your friends. Your son's friends
played basketball. I didn't get their first names. I went to Gregory School
and uh, you know, you know, when you be us on the
table, what do you do? I told him what I didn't and oh
do you know do you know Jagins? Yeah, it's my partner. Oh
do you know your son Adam Adams. Yeah, yeah, we went to
school him. That instantly made you feel like six degrees of Kevin Bacon.
You can run, but you can't hide from myself. Crap. Well,
that was the same thing. You know, she's friends with my with with
a good friend of my son. That he grew up with them, So
I'm like, how old are you? She's actually a little older than him,
but not by minch. Yeah, so it was it was kind of
cool, but it's it's funny just you know, you get you get to
that point. Yeah, I just don't get sick. Yeah, that's it,
that's it. You know. I'm doing all right. I'm doing although
you know what I you ever get Do you ever go to the doctor?
Do you weigh yourself at home? No? You have a scale or anything?
I do? I did, but I got tired of I I do,
you know, And and I don't get on the scale every day because
and that fluctuates so much. You know, I can fluctuate three four pounds
a day, right, depend on how much? Why their scale had me
five pounds over? Is that? Is it a thing? The doctor's offices
all time is broken? I know those doctors things are broken. I got,
you know, I get on the scale and I hit the number like
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa? This is after take it
out my wallet, my keys, yeah, put my wallet, my keys,
my phone, my you know everything. You know, I said,
it all down and then don't get on the scale, and then I said,
you know, I'm wearing my heavy shoes today. And when they measure
you that you're always shorter than you really are. Well, you get to
our age. You shrink, drink, we're shrinking. I'm not five nine
anymore. I used to be. I'm five eight and change. I think
I was only five nine once. Yeah, I was five to nine for
quite a while. Yeah, yeah, the way down. I was five
to nine for quite a while. And then I went one day and they
measured me at five eight and the doctor comes in and says, how you
doing. I said, I'm shrinking. He goes, yeah, you probably
are. I'm like, what he explained it to me. Yeah, your
spine starts to compress and so you shrink. Yeah, so that's a bummer.
That's again, I'm not talking about this. I don't really know.
I don't really radio. It's all because you're a thirty four year old doctor
exactly. Okay, Well, well you know we have the Jack all right,
I've got Jack and then Andy Lopez. So we're gonna yeah, let's
go and take our break. We're gonna come back. Jack McGruder, we
joined us. We'll talk some baseball. Ask him about his Hall of Fame
ballot, so you see who he voted for and what he thinks of this
year's class, and just kick it around with Jack. He's always a lot
of fund, so stick around. The Window Depot has everything you need to
create the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams. Frowsyisles of instock cabinets available in
a variety of sizes and configurations, and instantly elevate your space. Today,
visit a showroom and let our experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for money
to go designs or creating a custom masterpiece. We can help you select the
perfect wood, type, color and style and top it off with unique hardware
to complete your look. Find a location near you at the window deepot dot
com. 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 and 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. We'll 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 to serve
the best you deserve. Arizona Health will lead it in exercise equipment on twenty
second just west of will not We're into twenty twenty four and it's time to
think of recognizing your employees, salespeople, managers, team members and agents with
a 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 Drackman 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 promoetional products and premium gifts for your special clients.
Give Creative Awards a call today five two oh eight A two eighty six
seventy seven. Nova Home Loans. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy
the independence that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi 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 Volpe team
dot com. That's Volpe team dot com or called five two oh six one
eight five six two six today in MLS three oh eight seven Arizon A b
k Ninez two nine four two Equal Housing Opportunity, how to commitment to Lindrix
Syncredit Rates and available loan programs are subject to change with U notice. Did
you know sports cards at Memorabilia are setting records sales? Last month of the
nineteen fifty two tops Mickey Mantle sold 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 least eating
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. 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. That really insured and CEUA. 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
Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert pest
management specialist. Tests can't run or hide from Arizona Pest Control. 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 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 streaming live, I mean iHeartRadio app. This is I on the
Ball with Steve Rivera and Ja Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey,
welcome back to ID the Ball hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera.
He's Jakinsauce. Now on the phone. We have Jack Good, writer
performs magazine and online. I'm sure Jack Hawaii great. Steve. How you
doing, We're doing fine? What a what a dream job? As we
all get older, you want to have jobs of you you have a nice
one. Well, it's it is fun. It's it's part time, which
is also nice when you get a certain age. I like your joy.
You guys have the great chat. Well they're on the sports all day.
Yeah, that's true, you're right nine answers. Hey, let me ask
you. So you go to the games, and you know, we always
kind of aspired to be that guy. Just go to the games, watch
a game, and you go home. But is there how much I'm skilled
would's and how much pressure is there to make the right calls? And I'm
sure if you don't you hear about it. Yeah, I mean there isn't.
I mean there's internal pressure because you want you want to make sure you're
doing the right thing. Like everything else. You know, you don't want
to exkew you the record incorrectly. You don't want to kind of be known
as a guy who favors the home team rather than a visitors that kind of
thing. But like you guys, we've seen enough baseball a week kind of
have an idea of what a hit and what an air is and right,
they have a process where they can appeal calls. Players can appeal calls for
seventy two hours and that's a great process. You know, do you go
through that? If they don't like a call, they can appeal it to
a committee and then the committee takes a look at it. There's up or
down, right, But it's pretty basic for our listeners. Jack is the
is a is an official scorekeeper for the Colorado Rockies. So you're up in
Denver right now. So yeah, I mean, you know I did that
once for a Arizona Baseball regional and it was. It was nerve wracking for
me. You know, you know he said hitters in the air. Everybody
looks at you like, Okay, it's like you're Julius Caesar, right,
You're sitting there putting thumb up or thumb down. It's like I thought.
It was a lot of pressure the especially those regionals, right, everybody's so
into those. Yeah, yeah, so you're so you get to see a
lot of baseball with this, you know, your thoughts so far on on
what we've seen so far. There was a great series over the weekend with
the Dodgers and the Yankees. You know, the Phillies are playing out of
their minds. I know the Rockies aren't aren't playing that great, but you
know, there's there's been a lot of interesting stuff this year, a lot
of interesting stuff. It's been a lot of fun. We might have seen
the World Series preview, I think last weekend with the Dodgers and the and
the Yankees at least direct because if I can look like that, it's it's
fun to watch. You know what the Yankees have done with their pitching staff.
You didn't think they you knew they would probably hit, but Lucas Gill
and Clark Schmidt and those guys. Marcus Stroman has been a nice Carlos Rodon
has pitched as he has in the past. That's fun to say. And
the Dodgers, I'd love I know you guys, Jay, I know you
you're a partial to the Dodgers. That first four that's Osani, Uh,
Freeman, Freddy Freeman and Smith. How do you get through that? You
got to face that four times a game at least, that's a that's a
pitcher's nightmare right there. I love that first four. Weez has been as
good as anybody the last, the last something like that. That said,
and Jay, because I'm not following the Dodgers and I just don't care.
But are they are they? Are they better than you thought? Right now?
What are they overachieving? Under achieving or the Dods? Yeah? Well,
you know, with all that payroll, you'd thought they'd win one hundred
and fifty five games, right Yeah. I think they're right where they should
be, right, I think they do. I think they're a little short
because I don't think you know, they're pitching had you know, they don't
have good, great pitching right now. So many of their pitchers, you
know, are are are on the shelf. I would have expected them to
win a few more games. I mean, I mean, you followed the
odds and they they're supposed to win every game, right, I think that,
I literally, I mean I think only maybe three or four times all
year have been have they been on the plus side on the money line,
which is nuts for baseball. Where they were the last weekend they were they
were on on Sunday and then they got b you know, they were like
plus one oh two or something like that. But they're expected to win every
game, and you know, obviously they don't. They're you know, they're
I think they're playing about six hundred balls. I think they're a little less,
but mostly because of the pitching, because you're right, they've got an
unbelievable, uh batting order. I guess Bueller is not quite back in and
the form, you know, he'll right after the surgery'll it'll take him a
while, but once he gets back, they still got a strong rotation glass.
That was a really good picture, really good, you know. Yeah,
and Otani will be back next year. I suppose. I guess he'll
be pitching again next year. I mean, this is if you get to
catch the Dodgers. Maybe this is the year because Otani's not on the mound
and Dealer's hurt and all that stuff, but they're still awfully formidable. Them
in the Phillies. I think the Phillies are pretty strong. Phillies are crazy
good. They too. Yeah, yeah, they're crazy good. They're playing
really well right now. They're really good. Well, what do you think?
Two weeks ago I wrote something on forb was about them that, you
know, they had the best start in franchise history, and they're looking back
to twenty twenty twenty twenty three and they're frustrated about the way the season ended.
They they didn't actually come out and say it, but I know they
felt that the are the better team than the Diamondbacks. Maybe somebody actually did
say that. I can't remember. But they were fueled by that Game six
and Game seven loss at home. Terrial guys said, you know, we
that that shouldn't have happened. We got to recover from that, and that's
what they're That's why they're kind of motivated now. Motivation is a hard thing
to hold for one hundred and sixty two games. But their talent is strong,
that's for sure. Yeah, what do you What do you think of
them going to play a couple of games in London the way they did over
the weekend. Do you like that? You're not like that? You think
it disrupts things a little too much. I mean, because that's there's a
lot of recovery time in preparation time for you. I'm not a big fan
of that, but nobody asked me. But it's all money, right.
We saw with the pack, we saw with the pac twelve MMLB wants to
expand its market. MNLB wants to have more global, global interest and global
following, so that happens, just like the NFL and all those other sports
league. Yeah, I don't. I don't protect we care for it myself.
I don't even they play. They played Wembley Stadium, Yeah they Yeah,
they played in Wembley and they they made it a baseball stadium. It
looked like the baseball stadium. Uh and you know, and it was full.
It was full, uh and and you know, but you know it
also came on at like nine o'clock in the morning our time or something like
that. Is weird. Yeah, I'm just not a big fan of that,
But you know, anymore, these guys travel all the time. What's
at six hours to England or whatever it is, So I think that's maybe
not as big an issue. But just they're trying to expand the market.
I don't know. I guess they need it, but I guess they think
they did so, so you know, I know, you're just gonna get
to the Hall of Fame stuff in the second. But I went to my
first game in a while about a month ago. Uh, I'm curious to
see because you see guys come and go into the rosters and and at the
ctitium. Who has been maybe a player or two that you've been really impressed
with. Don't talk about Dodgers. I'm retired of. Yeah, we don't
need to talk about that. We know we're impressed by all. I want
to throw a name at you, just in case he's talking about just this
year. He's well, specifically the Reds guy, Deyla Cruz. Have you
seen himyet in person? Oh? My, he's pretty impressive. Yeah,
I saw him, and I saw he's in the middle of the slump when
the red came up here was like he was actually one for eighteen during a
one for eighteen slump, and so the second, the game of the series,
of course, he hits a four hundred and forty foot home runs the
center field. He's phenomenal. I mean, he'll make mistakes because he's a
young kid, he's twenty two. But you can see the tools I think
he had when they were here. He had thirty two stolen bases, which
led the majors. I haven't followed him recently. I don't know if he's
got more. The new rules really helped him, and he's smart enough to
apply it too. Yeah, and it's funny because he looks up but he
doesn't have the manager. He does a great job with that young team too.
It's fun to watch the way they play because they play hard. They
played like like like you should. They played like the Diamond Bicks did last
year. They just everybody all for one and one for all, and they're
He's quite talented. I feel like he he I feel like if Ken Griffy
Jr. Had been right handed and an infielder, that's who he is.
He's like, he's like a Ken Griffy junior for the infield, just you
know, fast, incredibly athletic, ahead of everybody. Like he's so smooth
and he's so athletic. I think that's a great call. They or maybe
they'll move, maybe Ellie'll be an outfielder eventually. But man, that's a
that's a good call because Griffy was special, we know, right, and
that's what anybody else, anybody else, you know. Uh, the more
you watch Bryce Harper and I know he's uh the fans are he does.
He does all the little things right, just like he plays hard. He
plays the way to he plays to win. He's uh. Now he's an
old timer, right, and we all know how good he is. Lookie
wise, they've got that pitchure Ranger Suarez who's off to a great start.
I think this is since thirty here he's ten and one. Now he's he
throws strikes. You know, he's done a really nice job. He looks
good too. The Rockies have a really nice young player in Ezekiel Tovar,
the short stop. They signed him to a long term deal this spring and
spring thinning when they were down in the Phoenix. He's pretty solid too.
He does it on both sides. He's a really strong defender and his bat
has really come around. It's fun to watch these young kids and he's a
guy I'm going to try to keep it. Pay attention to the as the
years go on, just to see how how he improves. So speaking of
the Rockies, they've got a guy going into the Hall of Fame and Todd
Helton, who I you know, I hated watching that guy hit because he
could hit so well. I mean as pure a hitter as as you can
imagine, right, just a guy who just knew how to hit. Not
not quite to Tony Gwynn, but certainly in that neighborhood. Just walked up
to the play and thought, this guy's going to get a base hit every
time he you know, he's going in with Adrian Beltray, Joe Mahuer and
Jim Leland. I can't believe Joe Maher is already Hall of Fame, you
know level, because I still think of him as a kid. I right,
he was a kid. Hey he talking about Healton. You're right on
that Tony gwyn comparison, because he could drive that ball to left center,
a double to the double of the wall and left center for a left handed
banner, that's not easy to do it. He was so good at picking
his spots and going pulling it at at inside, taking it the other way
of the top side. He's I understand why as a Dodger fan you would
hate him, but he could really hit. The guy could rig. Did
did you like this class? These four guys? Did you vote for all
of them? Well? I hate to I didn't vote for all four of
us. I think Beltray was obvious to me, and and Helton. I've
been voting for Helton for the whole time. I can't recall this is I
think this is Beltray's first year. I don't recall Joe Mauer. I did
not vote for and I look at his number and they just didn't jump out
at me. He's a good player, they just didn't jump out of me.
Especially I think he caught for six years and then he played first base
for another six years. And if you look at those numbers compared to a
first base when they're not there as a catcher there as a catcher there,
you know they're they're pretty good. And I know he's a great guy and
another good hitter that could go all the go both ways. I just didn't
vote for him this time. I probably would have gone around to it.
Who who do you have on your ballot? Now that you feel needs to
get in. Garry Sheeffield got screwed for ten years. He's to me,
he's the best player who's never been in the Hall of Fame. He's got
I don't know. I didn't even look it up. I'm this was his
last year and people didn't vote for him, so he's not. Now he's
got to get the Veterans Committee. He's got three hundred homers and three hundred
stolen bases, a long career, a lot of a lot of postseason and
plenty of plenty of leadership qualities there. I just don't understand why people messed
him up. Well, I do understand because I think he was mentioned in
the in that rapport. They can accuse him of anything, but his name
was dropped and some people. But he's got great numbers. Some of the
other guys, Bobby Abrad who has great numbers, he doesn't get a lot
of the Moore He's got great numbers. Andrew Jones is probably the best defensive
center fielder of our generation right but sometimes that doesn't hold as much weight as
as strictly offensive numbers. You know, he might have a chance later on,
but right now he's kind of on the outside looking at Those are the
guys that kind of to mind for me, and I'm sure there's others.
Do you pay attention to the American League? I follow a team now that
i'd never followed before of Baltimore because he continued to be pretty good with a
bunch of young kids. That's pretty impressive. Yeah, I do follow them.
That's fun to w because every every week they're bringing up some new kid
from the miners and he steps right in and and does a great job.
I think they're doing it. And signing Corbyn Burns to me, was one
of the greatest. He's one of the best pitchers the majors. And signing
him while this team is young and then it's prime and learning to win really
gave them an ace at the top of the rotation. I think they'll get
to give the Yankees a little bit of a run. We saw him last
ye remember last year, I think you know, in the first round last
year. Yeah, they were not quite ready to win yet, and their
rotation wasn't quite there. This year with Burns and Grayson Rodriguez is pitching wall
this year, I think they'll get the Yankees and run for it. We'll
see what happens. You know, the Yankees still have to they still have
to prove to me that a guy like Lucas gill can make it through the
season. And you know, pitchers like that. I like that. I
liked watching they was a little bit like the Diamondbacks last year with all that
young talent that kind of seeps its way into the lineup and fun to watch.
So if it's not the Dodgers and the Yankees in the World Series,
who do who do you? Who do you look at? You know,
aside from those two teams on each side, I look at the Phillies for
sure. Phillies and Dodgers are gonna have I would look at Atlanta, but
akun is down now, and yeah, it's hard. I don't see how
they overcome him in the long run. I mean they'll they'll still have a
good year, but you know it's up to replace. Okay, Philly's Dodgers
in the NLCS, I think. And however, however that breaks and Balermo
with the Yankees, I don't I don't see too many other teams. But
Waukee's having a nice year with Pat Murphy as the manager. They're doing they're
doing a nice chap here. But I think those four teams that we just
mentioned are kind of a class of baseball right now. What about having a
nice year too? But I'm not sure if they're quite up there. What
about the Rangers, I mean, they're they're the defending champs. They're struggling
though. Yeah, their pitching is down a little bit. It's hard to
be It's hard to be the defending champ, right Yep. I've never been
a defending champ. So I don't know. Next week season, six week
season, that's longer than everybody else, and pitching gets tired and you get
tired. He's a great manager and maybe they'll be back. But I kind
of like, see, I don't actually, yeah, they've got a real
strong rotation, and they might. I don't know. We've talked about this
before. I think I really look at pitching as a as a big deal,
and they've got a real strong rotation. Well, Jack, appreciate you,
hey, as always, Jack, A lot of fun. I always
have a blast make the right calls, Okay, I'll uh you know,
if you're doing a Dodger game, I'll text you during the game until you
got it wrong. And we look forward to hearing from you during the old
Picks Weeks football. I can't wait. That's that's that's good for then you
know who not to Yes, thank you all right, Jack, appreciate it.
Man, be well, Jack's one of the good guys. The ball
the ball, Yeah, okay, all right. So that's that was fun.
So Jack mcgridor from calling in from Denver. So we're gonna take a
break. We've got Andy Lopez coming up next hour. Top of the hour,
we're gonna have Algama's called you Keith. Kevin. Kevin is going to
be doing breaking news, a lot of breaking news. But we will take
your calls in this next segment five two zero, four one, six,
seventy four to forty we're Bret back. 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 Loudolsen 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 Luton 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 normal
Wild get Leman Huntley with Arizona al Imagine a Hoonji can change your health,
your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need to transform
your personal space and your life. We offer a complete line of cardio machines,
multi gms and free rate equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and technicians will
set you out with the right equipment and training to get you started to keep
you going. Visit our shareroom today at twenty second in Wilmot. Arizona Health
the lead edge and 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 in 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 PEMA dot edu. Slash someday. Is it hot
in here or is it just us? Me? Honey? I always think
you're hot, but it's June and we all know it's going to get hot
in Tucson. It doesn't have to be hot in our house. Honey.
You should call Picture Rocks Cooling, meating them plumbing. They have the solutions
for us for all your air condition needs. All today by few zero four
ninety two zero seven four eight, or visit us at picture rockscool dot com.
Djemming 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 app Just Surgeon
I on the Ball. Heay, welcome Buck joining the ball here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve, you're Jake. Good to talk to Jack
if there's wisdom on the baseball field. I have a quick question though,
Okay, Kevin, what would it take for you to cut that those long
locks of yours? Mister Sampson was the Delilah I should have been thinking about
this question. I don't know. They would have to either gets so long
that they're like too heavy, or like I would have to be taking like
not good, not very good care of them. And so if an employer
said, hey, I'll give you the job, but no, yeah,
I'm not doing it, okay, what if it maybe change your mojo?
That mean? Oh, like yeah, that is the thing people some people
believe in that. Well, look who might have changed his mojo exactly,
mister cale Love. There's a video of him in a in a U of
a workout that's circulating on social media, and and he cut the dreads,
cut the dreads to see if it can make him a better shooter. Look
good, play good. So what are you gonna say, mister Gonzales,
did you say you say that didn't look good? Last year? Well,
there were times that I wondered if maybe he was getting dreads in the eyes
and that's why he was missing shot. Did it affect your schoolwork and all?
No, not my schoolwork. That's why I put them up at the
gym so I don't have like sometimes I am watching like the NBA because they're
really popular in the NBA. Now I feel like good. But I feel
like there's some guys like Jamn Brunson with his he has he has braids,
there's different, but he still lets him hang down in his face and I'm
like, why would he do that? I've never gotten that, or like
Emmanuel Quickly, you know who bother me? The football players like Larry Fitzgerald
who have the long braids and dreads hanging out the back of them, and
that stuff's gotta be heavy? Does had you would feel it? Like you
know, I didn't play football, especially didn't play when I had hair like
this, So yeah, but I feel like with all that you know,
weight and like all the stuff you got on, I feel like you wouldn't
wouldn't even it doesn't make a difference. Do you remember Oscar Gamble? You
remember that guy with the giant afro, A giant I mean I'm talking a
massive afro, Kevin massive. And then you put a baseball cap on.
Okay, I've seen I've seen this guy's baseball car before. Just how does
that sit up there? Well, it's like your guy, your guy bollow
remember when he took the thing and he had his hair afro for a little
bit, right, and then Bruce for an angle. You think that's gonna
make you play matter. I know it's a question, but it's a cute
question, you know, because it's all part of the story. To me,
it's about stuff like that. It's about distraction. I feel like sometimes
that's I don't sometimes I don't understand how it's not a distraction. And guys
play, you know, however, they're comfortable, right, and that's fine
to me. It's it's distracting to me when I see guys with the you
know, the super long dreads hanging out of a out of a football helmet
and and now you know, now it's not too hot, it's not too
heavy. Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the Me personally, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't be bothered by like if I had a football helmet. For me,
it's like, as long as out of my eyes and out of my
face like my forehead, we're good as if I'm doing something athletic. And
that's what you're used to. I mean, that's who you are. You've
done this all your life, I'm sure, so you know it's a little
different for for you. You have a lot of I've got I've got the
helmet. Steve Steve. Steve had a mullet for the longest I was for
the girls. Did you say girls for the girls? For the girls?
Oh my god, I had I had the helmet here. So you know
when my friends sent send me a picture of a promo shot that we had
when I was uh first started in sports at the at the at the Star.
And it was me and Bill Baddington, remember Bill and Danny White.
We were the high school sports guys. And there's a picture of that.
It literally looked like I had a football helmet on with my with my hair.
I was like eighty five is probably eighty five, nineteen eighty five,
and uh, but yeah, I've always had the helmet going on. So
okay, so maybe maybe maybe the switch would love will help. Well,
you know, guy guys just you know, sometimes you just like to change
things up. You know, maybe we're some different socks, maybe a different
shirt or whatever. You know, just something to just change change the motive,
change the juice. Uh, people do that, you know. You
know there are guys, like in baseball, there are guys who one day
they're wearing their pants long. Then they go into a slump, so they
pull the pants up just you know, below the knees. You know,
different things like that, so or they or they change your socks. You
know, the Jason Terry sleeping in his in his cat socks and always having
to have his cat socks with him and those kinds of things. I mean,
look, if it if you think it affects you, then it does,
is the way I see it. You know, if you if you're
on the court and you're thinking, I gotta have these socks on, then
it affects you. Yeah, there's no question, in fact, in fact,
because this is your decision, right and and change your mind. In
fact, if Kevin Leman was listening, maybe you can call in and talk
about that psychology of the sport where you if you believe in it, it's
going to be true, right, whether it's true or not right, but
you believe it. Yeah, yeah, like like like, uh, you
know, when I was coaching high school baseball, my son's on the team
at Saint Gregory. He had to have the Carolina Blue sleeves because those were
those were coach. He had to have the sleeves. And like one day
he forgot his sleeves and it was like a mess. We had to get
his sleeves to the school before the game, and we did. But you
did that? Play fine? Because this ruins me. Jason Gardner uh,
the Pac twelve tournament Pack ten tournament at the time, forgot his jersey.
Forgot his jersey. They had to scrabble to find it. He had a
horrible game. They lost to ucl A member there's a number one seed.
Uh And and people are saying that was great because they lost, they could
rest for the tournament. But but I get it. You you freak out,
you do you have you have. It's it's more about routine than anything
else. And sports, you know, athletes have routines, even if even
for me when I'm not a you know, elite, I'm just playing city
League baseball. I had a routine when I put on my when I put
on my uniform, right, how did that go? Right? Sock,
left sock, right shoe, left shoe. Sometimes good. Well, I
just did it all the time, so I never, I never, I
never did not do it. So I don't know what would have happened if
I didn't do it. But it was just like that. That's how I
felt. I Mean, there were times I'm getting dressed in the car,
you know, on the way to the game. I'm at stop lights,
you know, put in my uniform on and I still went left, right
sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoes. I never, you
know, I put on I put on my you know, I put on
my undershirt, then my pants, my jersey, you know, and it's
just either I just put it on and let's go. You know. I
was gonna ask you, is that something that you like did because it came
from within your own brain, or was it something that you understood like,
Okay, this is how you like, it's a superstision helps people. That's
just how I That's just how I got dressed. I'm telling you. I
started doing that in literally in little league. It was just a thing.
I was very superstitious about stuff. You must you must have learned that from
somewhere. You had to. That's that's one of my questions, like did
you learn that from think it was just an order, you know, and
then it became a conscious order. And you didn't do that with like going
to school, like if you were going to school, No, I do
it. I still I still when I get dressed to this day. Right
sock, left sock, right, she left you. Now, every once
in a while I don't because because maybe I drop my sock over there and
I gotta go pick it up. But I still go right sock, left
sock, right sho, left shoe. You think you're more bizarre than yeah,
I just hope to get sock. I don't care the white I It's
just it's just the thing we ask people. Are you that way to guys?
Anybody want to call police? I get it. You know, what's
his name? He used to call us look good, play good, just
play. Just put him on and let's go, let's go, just get
a double gets to each his own. Man. It really it's reaches own.
It really is. It really is. But to me that that was
the thing, and I you know, it was just it was just it's
what made my routine feel right, and it just made me Okay, I'm
done. Well, I've got my I've got my uniform on, I'm ready
to play. So let me ask you and I'm we're talking personal stuff now,
which I really don't like to do it. But so you're on this
baseball team with told me, you know that was there a guy on on
the team that didn't give a crap, and I'm sure he was pretty damn
good. There were some guys just didn't put on a paraclets and yeah,
just give me, give me the ball and let's go. There were some
guys, but there were a lot of guys who wore their uniform just so
and there again and it's to the individual. Yeah it is Dick tom me
right, he just put on his uniform. But he was pretty good.
But he's pretty good baggy pants. You know, sometimes he wore sleeves.
Sometimes he didn't. You know, that's my guy. You want to put
me, I'll be you know, whatever cap you got, just give me
a cap. Right. But you know when we when we actually had uniforms,
you know, he wars uniform, but you know one you know one
one pant leg would be up and one pant leg would be down. Right.
I get it, I totally because that's what that's what he wanted was.
He just wanted to write that's who, that's who he wasn't bring up.
I should ask you that question a long time ago. It was eliminated
look good, play good, because that's what it is. It's individuals and
some people kyo left field. He doesn't look part of the team. Well
he's pretty damn but he's pretty good. Yeah, no, yeah, I
mean, it's it is. I mean, and that's the way it is.
So it just, uh, it just depends. But again I'm just
I'm I'm very routine oriented as far as stuff like that goes, and and
I'm superstitious when he comes to well, it was like obviously the late great
you still lead coach wouldn't when he when he started practice first day, learn
how to put it on your socks right, so you won't good callouses or
whatever you get blisters and blah blah blah. The guys, coach, you've
been through this, we're gonna do it again. Yeah. Nothing, everything
had reason and and and and there are reasons for for all that stuff.
But it just again, it just depends on the individual. But I that's
that's me. I believe in that. And uh, but I will say
that when when I was coaching high school, Okay, I told those guys,
you're gonna wear your uniform like you're supposed to wear your uniform. Now,
you know, the uniforms fit differently on everybody, right, And when
you're when you're saying, Gregory, if if all you have left is an
x L and the guy who's getting the last guy to get a jersey needs
a medium. That's just the way it goes, right. But you know,
there was an expectation that you're gonna wear your uniform properly. No,
I get it, because you're the boss, right, and I'll have to
listen to the boss. Well, there are some people who we got about
three minutes who said, well, okay, all right, but they did
it right. They did right. Yeah, And and I mean that's to
me, that's part of being on the team, and that in that case
I would have done the same thing. Yeah, you know, I would
have. I don't know if I would have resented him. But this wasn't
a recreational team, right, This was a high school baseball team. So
there was an expectation that you were your you know, your uniform. Everybody
wears the uniform the same that we did the same thing with softball. Let
me let me tell you a quick story. So Little League All Stars twelve
years old, we're playing in the state tournament and we're playing and we lose
a one zero in our in our in our game. Uh. And the
president of the league, whose son was pitched, pitched the game lost.
We lost. He was so upset because you're the president. His son lost.
Comes to me, and by the way, you didn't cut your hair
short enough. You didn't cut your short because you all required to cut your
hair, you know before, you didn't cautch. I mean, he wanted
to lady and everybody who you know, and I was thinking, we lost.
Come on, guys, just lost. I heard it. Why.
I think it might have he could have, but it wasn't. You know,
you just kind of like you and you and you and we lost.
Yeah, you know again, everybody's got their thing. So very funny.
Okay, So next hour we have coach Lopez. We had coach Andy Lopez
coming up. Well, it's getting ready for the Cold World Series. I
think there's one more Super Regional going on today and I can't remember who's left
who's playing. There's one more that needs to be decided. The other seven
spots in the World Series have been decided. And then so we'll talk to
him about, you know, getting ready for the Cold World Series where these
teams going through, right, and then talk to him a little bit about
the cats. You know, what he thought of them this year. You
know what, what's Chip Hale going through? Right, He's he's got this
thing now on his back about about postseason where it hasn't gone well for him.
He's spoken to him, Get right, what kind of advice can you
if you haven't spoken to him, what kind of advice do you want to
give him through our show? Yeah? Right, so it'll be you know,
it should be a good conversation with Andy always a great guy. You
know, ask him, would you have taken the Lakers job? So let
me ask you or a big job? Don't ask some We had about a
minute after you cannot explain to our listeners because we don't do this often enough.
Someone approached me astery, what's the up with the with the two minute
airtime? Right right at the top of the hour. There's a two minute
of blank dead air. That is it. That's a block of time that
the National iHeart Office gets, so obviously they apparently they don't fill that with
anything. So if you hear dead air going into going into the second hour,
it's not us, and we'll uh uh, you know, we come
on right at the top of the hour, So don't hang with us,
don't run away, just you know, go through it. Maybe go to
the go to the restroom, you know, go get yourself a sandwich or
maybe a beer or whatever, and then come back to us at the top
of the hour. All right, let's go and take our break. We're
gonna come back, uh and top of the hour we're gonna have breaking news,
and then Andy Lopez, let's stick around.