This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jagonzal Fox Sports fourteen fifty
powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions Kati z R two
SAA at iHeartRadio Station. Yet. Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome
to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Riverta.
He's Jagan's Us. Got our guy Kevin in today with Eleon on the
substitution rotation we have It's bring your Kids to Work days Worthday, Bring your
kids to Workday a Leon. I'm more commonly known as Jeff Jeff there you
switch you here to call him? Yea. I think we're gonna just call
him Jeff. Okay, Jeff, much easier calling me. You can call
me. Just don't call me late to dinner exactly. Okay, guys,
Hey Tuesday. We have a pretty good show today. I think we do
pull the rabbit out of our whatever. You know, Terry Francon has been
a good friend of the show. You know, we get him when just
a third time we just called him and he says, yeah, ill do
it, and he does it. So Kerry frank Cone is going to be
joining us here at about three twenty. He's, uh, you know,
he's sort of retired. I've been reading uh, you know, a bunch
of articles he's he says, he's not actually totally retired. He's still probably
gonna be doing some stuff with the with the with the Guardians. But for
now, I think he's, you know, he's you know, he's he's
had continuing health issues, so I think he's going to make sure that he,
uh, you know, gets all that taken care of. But I
just read a story that he's he's making himself available to the new manager at
Cleveland, you know, sort of on an as needed basis. Well,
well, what are you doing? Cool? Well, we do know that
he's in Tucson and he's enjoying. The weather was nice, eighty two degrees
beautiful today. You look like you're for camping or something. You know,
I was chilly, imber, Look on, do you even know who I'm
talking about? Documentary? Yeah? Okay, cool, Okay, we got
anybody want to call? Please do We'll pay attention to the lines. Yesterday
we didn't do it so well. We were bad, well, you know
what, we were bad in a lot of respects. Yesterday we we we
kept we kept a guest waiting. You know, we were just we were
terrible. Yeah, it's okay. We survived another day. Today is a
new day. Yeah, five, two, four, one forty. Give
us a call. If you haven't ever called us, give us a call.
We'd like to hear from you. Yeah, let us know what you
think of our crazy show. And we're gonna make sure we do call Terry
Terry when we're supposed to Terry, did you already give him the old I
just tasted him and he said he's ready to go. Okay, great,
great, So see what happens. And then we have on the second hour,
who we are Alena Playo. Haven't you know she's been here five years
and this is the first time we're getting her on the show. So okay,
I think we're kind of jerks about this. But uh uh you know,
they got a huge game tomorrow. I think Texas is right, yeah,
fifth, I believe right, I mean coming in ranked fifth tomorrow.
Uh, to players on a here, it's a it's a it's a second
game of a home and home. Uh and and so uh, you know,
trying the women's team is trying to get a lot of Hike for this
game. It's a big game for them, Uh, you know, an
opportunity to make some Hey, you know, they they're winning games, they've
got a nice record, but they haven't looked great. And I'll just say
that they haven't looked great, but you never know, right They they dominated
San Diego last week. Uh. And I said on the show that defensively
they were unbearable. I mean, they just handcuffed San Diego. But I
just offensively, you know, I got some questions about this, So we'll
find out tomorrow. Texas is ten and oh coming in coming in to McHale
tomorrow. And Texas has that long time reputation. It hadn't it hadn't really
been in Texas that we've known of over the last few years. But now
it's coming back right right, you know. But Arizona's gotta they gotta they
got us. They look they got to work cut out for them. In
the in the PAC twelve u c l A's ranked second, USC is sixth,
Colorado was eighth, Stanford is ninth, Utah, Utah is eleven.
Well in the in the top twenty five. Yeah, yeah, no,
I that's that's crazy. And yeah, there's a lot of great players in
the Pac twelve. Yeah. I just saw one from Utah, Utah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was actually looking that up right now.
I saw her highlights. Y Yeah, me too, and they were raving
about right against South Carolina. Yeah, the USC has this fret true freshman
who's scoring thirty a games. So you know, they got the workout out.
It's gonna be. It's it's a hard league. I mean, you
want to talk about the hard league that Arizona had in football, It was
nothing like this sure, and so you know, and I think this is
you know, the Arizona's young. They you know, they're they're working in
some new players and I think ideas trying to you know, get get players
who are gonna stay and be and be developed. And she's talked about that.
So this may be a tough year for them as far as the wins
and losses goes, but she's hoping they make a lot of progress. Yeah,
Okay, a lot of a lot of turnovers still going on in Oklahoma
on here, or at least people coming in now right for you. Breaking
news about that. Yeah, we're doing some transfer stuff, some more transfer
stuff, players going in, players coming out going all that from all over
places. Washington just lost her Bet Cup. Quarterback he left, he's not
going to the game, So we'll see what happens. No one's happy.
Aren't happy anymore. It's you know, you see guys. You see guys
frans and who are playing. They're starters, they're on good teams. You
know, a bunch of Ohio State guys are leaving starters, including their quarterback.
You know, the starting quarterback at Oklahoma has left. I mean,
somebody else the offensive line. It's not just it's obviously not just about playing
time, but how much more money is there out there for these guys that
they're saying, Okay, I'm gonna throw you know, all the work I've
done over here to go play one year over there to collective page. Let
me ask you dumb questions because we have two kids in the room here.
You think it's generational. And I say that because do you think it would
have happened twenty years ago as well? Give given the circumstances, I'm gonna
I'm gonna completely stereotype the the guys, young guys of today, because I
think I saw his head not so old. I refute that I you know,
I have a few of those that are around my house. You know,
it's this, it's this idea of you know, instant satisfactor. It's
been it's been for a while, right. It started with the millennial group
and then whoever whatever the generation blank is coming after that. But it's kind
of like been a you know, I want my job to be great and
I want to make a lot of money, right right, That is partially
true, but I do think that like if I mean, how many times
have we spoken to to former players and coaches who are like, man,
I wish I had that, n I l I would have you know,
let's get this call real quick. Partially true. Oh you're on the air
and I on the ball. You want to have to turn off your radio?
Yes, please turn off your radio. Hey, hey, thanks for
pay attention to the phone lines. I'm never listening when you guys a get
out the phone number. I felt lucky when you did a lot of ticket
or go fishing or something, right, and we get some of that,
We get some of that if you hit it. Yeah, yeah, hey,
I think ANFAA football man, I got to pay attention to the product
because a lot of these dudes jumping ship are going different places like that dude
from OU this is this would be a third school. But it's gonna start
tainting the product. Like who wants to watch a bowl game with you know,
half the starters on a previous roster gone Like it's it's uh, it's
gonna catch up pretty soon here. That's a good point. I agree with
that, because the bowl games are part of the product. They're they're historically
they've been fun. You know, people get sick. There's a lot of
a lot of opinion. People get sick of them. But I you know,
I'm I'm I like them, and I do I get disappointed when the
best players aren't there. There's a paradox in college football because it's like at
the beginning of the year, it's like, hey, we're playing for a
ball, we're playing to this, we're playing for that, and then once
bull season comes around, even the coaches are like, well, I don't
really consider this a big deal, Like come on, man, like what
are we playing for? Why am I supporting this team? You know,
why are we supporting this school? Are we what are we trying to do
here? So I think college football is is kind of existed in this kind
of paradox situation for a long time. And I think the fans are going
to start walking because you know it's too shifty. Yeah okay. And by
the way, you win the word of the day with paradox, so you'll
be getting your gift certificate in the middle. I appreciate, appreciate it.
Good points, good points, Yeah, good points. Well think about you
know, and and and actually, you know, the truth is that you
know, Bowl games aren't well attended. No, no, they're not right.
No even even you know, championship games or you know the New York
six year six games and stuff like that. If that team, you know,
how many Oregon fans are actually going to go to what are they in
the Cotton Bowl? No, they're in the festival and they're gonna play Liberty.
Yeah, well if Liberty might show up, but not Liberty is going
to show up, right, But how many fans do they have? Sure?
But like exactly what you said about the Liberty fans showing up, they
did not expect. They might not have expected to be in this position starting
the year. Oregon their goal is their national They didn't get to their goal.
Yeah, but that's the disappointing. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
But I don't think it's the fans that are like, oh, we have
too many transfers leaving. It's like, well, I don't want to watch
this game anyway. I'm disappointed. Right, Yeah, so back to your
back to the discussion. I think it's an opportunity thing for the kids.
Yeah. I think I think if the kids of the past had had the
opportunity the kids now do, we would just have we would have this exact
situation with less obviously money and stuff like that. But back then we would
have the adjustments now and be a lot more stable. I think so.
And you're saying, because we've talked to some people, they would have wished
that. No, I think that's true for any eighteen twenty year old.
Happened earlier. Yeah, in the twenty years now, but we're gonna be
more stable in ten years and are now sure. No, I both sides
have can be right, and guys have always transferred. It's harder to transfer
now that's so easy. Yeah, we're saying, Okay, it's it's easy
to do. So I'm going to the car. I don't think he got
his names, but to his point, who was the third time? Was
that the Oklahoma on the guy from uh, you know, Clemson, Oregon
State and he's headed back. He's visiting Florida State this week. Yeah.
No, it's a it's an opportunity to play and get a little bag or
when you can. Yeah, you know, we'll see what happens, because
eventually some of these guys aren't going to make it in the pros. We
all know that, right, Yeah, they're just not. There's not enough
opportunity there. So I don't fault them. But it's changed the landscape.
Well yeah, no, and and you're right, I mean what you know
part part of what's changed is ouh young lele Right, Okay, he's a
good he's a good quarterback, not a great college. You've said that alone.
He might, you know, he's going to get a shot at the
NFL. I don't know if he's an NFL quarterback, but if somebody's gonna
go ahead and pay him seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, you go quarterback
in Florida State, He's gonna take that because that'll he he can do something
with that to set himself up for life. Right, It's not. It's
not life changing money from the standpoint, he's going to live off the seven
to fifty the rest of his life. But you get you get a chunk
of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. There's a lot you can do with
that to set yourself up for life. And you know, if if he's
looking at that and saying, well, this is the most money I might
ever make as a quarterback, then he's gonna take it. I'm not faulting
these guys for any of this. I'm just saying, this is what's happening.
And when when you think about, you know, what what studies have
said about you know, millennials and younger that. And I've seen it,
you know, I mean I've seen you know, friends, friends of my
kids. Sure, they take a job and they work the job for a
year and it just wasn't good enough and they weren't making enough money. So
they go to the next job, and the next job and the next job.
It's like, you know, I just remember working when I got hired
at the start, I thought I'm working here forever. Yeah I didn't,
but I thought I might. No. No, it's funny, but you
but you're right. I think one of the problems we have too. And
I tell Kevin and the kids who show up in this room, just because
you're going to school and get a degree, that means Nava, you get
a degree, You're not gonna automatically get hired by somebody. You gotta you
gotta have the scale, but you also have to make it. Making connections
is the number one thing you can get seized the rest of your semester or
whatever. If you're good at what you do, they're gonna find you.
It's just like it's just like the singers of the world if you could,
you know, if you're good at what you do, you'll get you get
drafted, and they'll find a place for you. Exactly. Yeah. And
I think today's point company loyalty, at least for my generation, is probably
at an all time low. Right, Like, once you get in the
door, you really they really have to make you love there, right,
once you get in the door. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's the
same thing with football, Like I mean, once you get in the locker
room, I mean it's on the coaches to make you love that school because
there's there's nothing you know, automatic and what makes you and what you know,
what does that playing time? Yeah, we have some good We saw
some good players here that have come and gone, right, well, obviously
most recently a few have come and gone. But you know, you think
about some of those players, and we've talked about it in a number of
times, and particularly that you know, the the the DeAndre Ayton group.
You know, none of those guys that I think we're here for Arizona.
They were here to get there without question, you know, get there,
get their time, and get get some get some visibility, and get on
their way. I didn't think I didn't think one of them cared about the
uniform or anything else. Uh, you seem you feel like Tommy's getting that
piece of it done. You feel like these guys like I think, you
know, Caleb Love who's going to be here one year, but I feel
like he really wants to make Arizona, help Arizona win. I think because
he's at Arizona sure that pleasure. I think he he and Tommy recognized this
bringing him in. Is he needs to change his not legacy, whatever word,
he needs to change his image, perception, perception of who he is.
Because he's doing that, he's going to be at the end of the
year, right, right, Let's see if it holds form, because I
think we talked about this yesterday or maybe even Bruce talked about it. Okay,
we're in December now. As we get and I've seen it, as
we get closer to March, the seniors or the guys leaving, I gotta
get mine. Numbers. Numbers matter, but if you're good enough for your
numbers don't matter. You can play it or not. Just that. Let's
say, let's say they're being talked about. Okay, this guy's a lottery
pick. Now, how hard is he going to work those last two or
three weeks of the season. You know, does the packed off turn,
the grind of the PAC twelve tournament mattered to them, Does the grind of
an NCAA tournament matter to them? Because I've seen players give it, you
know, give up in those you know, in playoff situation, because you
can tell they're just tired of the grind and they're ready to move on,
and they do that. Yeah, all right, let's take our break.
Terry Francona will be joining us. We'll talk about what he's doing in his
quote unquote retirement. See what he's up to he's been here in town.
We've seen him at a bunch of basketball games, and we saw him on
the road at where do we see him on the road at Michigan State.
No a duke. Here's a duke. So chairs awaiting for us to get
a call. So we'll givem a call and have to be back with him
right after the break stick around. For more than twenty years, the Window
Depot has provided the best price and the biggest inventory on in stock vital windows,
and now the Window Depot is more than a window store, offering homeowners
and contractors a one stop warehouse offering interior and exterior doors granted at courts,
countertops in stock, cabinatry, and skylights to finish your project. Their team
of professionals will help with everything from free kitchen design to custom orders from leading
manufacturers like mill Guard and Jildwyn. Order online or find a location near you
at a window Deepot dot com. 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. Give them a call at five two zero four zero zero four
two three three. Where do you buy exercise equipments Arizona Health Arizona Health Arizona
Health. Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes sense
to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone else.
At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you
need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve.
Arizona Health the lead madge and exercise equipment on twenty second just west of
Wilmot. At 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 voltpeteam dot
com, that's Volpe team dot com or call five two oh six eight five
six two six today in MLS three oh eight seven Arizona BKO nine two nine
four two equal housing Opportunity. How to commitment to lyndrixon credit rates and available
loan programs or subject to change the numbers. It's summertime and the summer leagues
are wrapping up. Volleyball, softball, baseball, swimming, and pickleball are
coming to their season end. Come down and visit the cool and relaxing Creative
Awards idea center to pick out your awards for the amps and MVPs. It's
also time to replenish your corporate apparel with new Polos caps and safety t shirts
with your corporate logo to make your team look sharp. Creative Awards also has
a large selection of brand names like Nike, Eddie Bauer, New Era,
and car Hard just to name a few. Believe it or not, its
corporate holiday gift season time for your clients too, with over one hundred thousand
items to choose from. Come visit Creative Awards, Inc. To twenty eight
West Drackman Street or online at Creative Awards az dot com. Did you know
sports cards that memorabilia are setting record sales last month of nineteen fifty two tops
Mickey Mantle SO for twelve point six million, Lebron James Rookie SO for five
points six Also, collecting cards is a family fun hobby that can be very
profitable. If you want to start a collection or expand your collection, check
out Showtime Cards. They are one of the leading card shops in the country
and have served our local community for twenty five years. They are located on
e Speedway. That's Showtime Cards. The Secret Savings Account from Pyramid Federal Credit
Union is an account you pay yourself and save oh right. It's set up
as an automatic transfer for any amount and the transfers add up over time.
You can save for a down payment on a dream vacation or an emergency fund
and the best part for withdrawals. Your Secret Savings account can only be accessed
in branch or over the phone. Visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash Secret Saving
to learn more. Federally insured by NCUA. It's that time of year,
summer in Tucson. Time to take control with temperature control for all your air
conditioning needs. Will 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 sixty 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 loss. 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 ninety six y 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 specialists can't
run or hide from Arizona Pest Control. Then use only the latest and most
technologically advanced methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects on the environment.
Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of your bad bugs, termites, bees,
or rodents serving Tucson and southern Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to
azpest dot com. Scot joy your free evaluation today breaking down all the exes.
And oh it's Steve Rivera and Jacin Salviaz. This is I on the
Ball on Fox Sports fourteenth diff. Hey, welcome back to my the ball
here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Here's jacinsaus now on
the phone. We have two time World Series champs and Arizona Arizona Men's basketball
is biggest fan. Terry Francona, how are you coach? I'm good,
guys, How are you fine? Thank you? You're world Trevorer. I
saw you Durham, North Carolina. I saw you the last weekend. Man,
what a life? You know what when I said I was retiring.
I said I was going to start doing some things that I never did before,
and because I always felt like I had somewhere to be. And so
I took three of the coaches down to the Arizona Duke game, and then
the next day me and one of the other coaches one to the Penns they
Michigan football games. So it's I'm playing on doing some of that stuff now.
Well. And so obviously you're like a huge sports fan of really all
sports, cause first you're going to basketball games, You're going to football games.
You think you're gonna Are you sick of baseball? You thinking to go
to some baseball? I'm not. I'm not sick of baseball. I actually
love baseball. I just I just was running out of gas. And I
think there's a certain way you need to do the job. And I don't
think I was doing that my you know, doing that anymore. And I
didn't want to overstay my welcome. I didn't want to do it for the
wrong reasons. And so now it's time to maybe focus on like you,
Like I said, my next road trip will probably be going to see the
U of A play somewhere that's the extent of my road trips. Nice.
Nice. In fact, I think a lot of people would envy you,
especially in the profession of coaching and managing. You called your own shot,
and that doesn't happen very often. And you know, about in about June,
I was really starting to wrestle with you know how I felt about kind
of my longevity doing this, and I was kind of starting to aggravate myself.
I was like, okay, you know, ye in, ye out,
because the players don't deserve that. And when I told my bosses in
about the middle of August, it really helped me. It freed me up.
And I also told them, I'm like, hey, guys, you
guys have been so good to me. I said, go find your next
manager. You know, don't tiptoe around me. You don't, there's no
reason for you to do that. And and I wanted them to enjoy trying
to find the next manager, because, like I said, I I was
to the point in my career where I think I had enough. They weren't,
and I didn't want to penalize them. So and to their credit,
they went out and got a really good manager. He's young, he's going
to be really good though. You know, you talked about how you felt
like, you know, you weren't giving it what you thought you should be
giving it. But you know, in the end, did you do all
the things or get or you know, I don't know if achieve is the
right word, but sort of get to all the landmarks you wanted to get
to, both as a player, you know, and as a manager,
and you were like, Okay, I've gone as far as i'm I can
take this, and now it's time for me to go. I mean,
how did you feel personally about what you had accomplished in baseball? No,
you know, and I really never thought about that. I mean like,
as a player, you know, I got hurt so early in my career
that my goals drastically changed. I went from want to leave the wag and
heading to just trying to be valuable enough to be on a team. And
then as a manager, I would say, and every manager probably answered the
same way that unless you found a way to win every game, you didn't
fulfill all your goals. So, you know, and again, you know,
people talk about legacy. I'm not too sure I'm all that worried about
that. I gave everything I had, and I tried to do the best
I could. And I know I respect the game and I love the game,
and the game was so good to me. So again, I'm I
just thought it was time, and like I said, I didn't want to
do it for the wrong reasons. Hell, if you ever get to Boston
and you have to buy a beer, shame on Boston. Well you know,
I've been back there a few times and I've heard that, but I've
been not that is not the equition yet. So we're gonna have to see
you should Well you probably don't have to buy one here, that's for sure.
So okay, So aside from aside from you know, all the games
you're going to and that kind of stuff, you know, what are you
doing with your time besides that? Now you mentioned off air that this is
the time of year you wouldn't be doing a whole lot anyways, But you
know, what do you plan to do? Well? So when the season
was over, I had my normal, I had my shoulder replaced, and
I had a couple of hernias that were fixed. So and that that's that's
been something that I've done like the last four or five years, And it
really sucks because I was spending the whole winter trying to get healthy, and
then I'd go back and do the season again and get beat up. So
I want to get healthy first, and then I want to you know,
I want a golf. I want to go do some things that I've never
done. I'm I don't know how much I'm going to miss baseball, and
I won't know that until the season starts. But it doesn't scare me like
I'm you know, I hope I missed it a little bit. My goodness.
I've did it for forty four years and I and I love it,
but I just thought it was time. And I I know I'm not the
smartest person in the room, but I gave it a lot of thoughts and
I felt pretty good about it. So I asked this of coaches and players
all the time who have kind of gotten out of the business. Uh,
cause you your competitors. So that's what you do in YouTube, competitors at
the highest level. So what are you going to do to fuel that fire?
You know, everything I've ever done, Like when I go play golf,
I try to win, or you know, if I swim in the
backyard, I try to compete against myself. That's probably never going to change.
But but again I think I was actually looking forward to to not having
that hang over my head because again, forty four years, man, that's
a long time, and sometimes it kind of burns you out a little bit.
And and I think that's where I had gotten. Oh well, I
think I heard in one of the press conferences when you when you did announce
your retirement that you're looking forward to, you know, getting around to about
spring training and not having or even before that, and not having to worry
about you know, players, a roster, you know, you know who
you're signing, who you're not signing, all that kind of stuff. So
on the one hand, it's probably very stressful, but then you know that
was part of your life for so long. You know, you're not sitting
here worried about, you know, should we have gone and tried to get
Show or Juan Soto or something, and now you're kind of like, I
don't have to deal with any of that. Well, just to be completely
honest, I don't think those two guys I would have been really really worried
about anyway. I don't think that was probably going to be in our wheelhouse.
But I get your point. I mean, I'd be driving, you
know, somewhere in Tucson during the winter, and I'd pull off the road
and make a note of something I knew I wanted to say to our team
in spring training, and I didn't want to forget it, so I'd pull
off. And so it's always not too far from the front of your mind.
And now I'm able to let go for the first time. Well,
so like when I went to the Duke Arizona basketball game, excuse me,
guys, I was able to fully enjoy it and take it in and not
think, Okay, when this game's over, I got to go make this
phone call or I got to go do this, and I really enjoyed it.
Well, if I'm correct, one of the last times we spoke to
you were headed to to get with the team is during COVID. Remember we
cut you on the road somewhere en route to Cleveland I think it was.
And then did that help you kind of me? You realize, hey,
being away from baseball is kind of okay. No, no, it really
didn't. I just the last couple of years that started getting harder, and
some of it was probably some of my physical you know things that were happening
to me that that didn't make it easier. But again, I just it
just I think it was just time I started to feel where again, like
a burnt out feeling. And and and I guess said, and they were
paying me so well, and I loved the guys I work with, and
I loved our players, But like I said, I just didn't want to
do it for the wrong reasons. Yeah, yeah, So this is something
I like to ask because you know, I'm a native from here. Uh,
you know, been here my entire life. You were actually in school
at the U of A at the same time. We're about the same age.
You're a few months older than me. But you know you're from somewhere
else. But yet you know you're here, You're here in town. You
know your your dad played baseball, so you know you've probably traveled a bunch.
Why Tucson. Well, I grew up in western Pennsylvania in a small
town called New Brighton, and it was a great place to grow up.
I mean great, you knew everybody, and and and I wouldn't change it
for the world. And you know, when I came out here as an
eighteen year old, it took me a little while. I mean I was
homesick and took me a while, but once I got used to it out
here, this kind of became home. And for a lot of good reasons.
I mean, it's a it's a wonderful place. I like the idea
that just about everything revolves around the university. I think that gives the city
of Tucson less of a kind of a snarky attitude, and I think it
permeates throughout the throughout Tucson, and I really like that. I was on
the internet today and just randomly saw some clips whatever it was, and it
was it was the Boston New York rivalry of all the fights and stuff.
Could you talk to me real quick a guy who have no idea of how
that was, How big of a rivalry was it, and how crazy was
it? Well, I'll tell you it was so big that Jon Joe Torre
was their manager who I really respected, but we would never talk on the
field. I would always go meet him out behind in the tunnel because fans
did not want to see that. And so again, I you know,
it was what I thought was so good about it? What were the players?
The players on both sides were so good and I got a big kick
out of that, but I didn't get you know, and unless they start
rewarding you for extra credit when you win, or you get docked more when
you lose, it's still well, you know, we didn't change our rotation.
We didn't do things like that because I just didn't believe in that.
Do you do you have any kind of an ongoing relationship with Dave Roberts because
we don't know about the you know, the role he played in that,
you know, in that ALCS when you guys came back to beat the Yankees.
I mean, you know he's a manager. Now did you run across
him much? Do you guys? Ever? You know, reminisce and have
a beer over over all of that. We haven't had a beer. But
every time we play in spring training, you know, when the game's over
and everybody's kind of walking out through right field, I put my arm around
him and we have a good laugh together, and I mean a warm,
good laugh because that is something that will stay with me my whole life.
And he is such a good I call him a kid. He's a man,
and he's doing a great job. But he's just such a good person
that you know they say good things happen to good people. Well he kind
of lived that out. So you say that, bring it up, because
right we talked to Matt and Meilboch a couple of weeks ago. We had
Pete Williams here last week. We're going to talk to Curve soon. And
you you let me say this, all good guys who have this competitive fire
in them. Just because you're good guys doesn't mean you're not pain in the
next beat. Does that make any sense? And I hope so? And
so I don't you know, I think you have to be true to yourself,
and I think you can be a good person and find ways to be
honest with players without beating them over the head or making them feel, you
know, like crap. I watched the Kurr all the time, and I
have so much respect for how he does things and the things that come out
of his mouth. And I see Matt mull balk out of the games all
the time, and I marveled that, you know, he went his whole
career and never lost the game at McHale and he's just such a joy to
say hello to. So that's you know again, they're they're good people.
And that's what makes it more fun. Well, and then now you have
a school coach a lot like that. I'll tell you what. They hit
a home run, man, they they hit a home run. This guy
is I mean, you know when loud Olsen came here, I got season
tickets in nineteen eighty three. In fact, I was telling Steve Kerr that
the other day, and they were up a little higher than they are now.
But with Tommy here, they are in really good hands and it's exciting
and I love it, man. I mean I know when they're playing,
and my schedule will revolve around that. That's cool, all right. So
I got to ask you, what do you got to do to get the
seats more towards the center over there? Because it's here, like you're like
four seats in from the end, and so we all know that, you
know, more towards the center costs more. So you're gonna buy those out
from those guys? What are you going to do there? Way? And
not to be too silly, but I think he had to wait for somebody
to pass away, or you know, those seats are hard to get.
I'm pretty happy with one. I'm at I love It's one of my funnest
things to do. And it's just a treat that I kind of treated myself
because me and my buddy Bill have been going to these games, like I
said, since nineteen eighty three, and it's just really special. And with
Tommy in town, it's gotten special again and it's exciting. You might want
to just give him a hint that you have a name a facility named after
you at High Corbett. Maybe that gets you in a little bit. Yeah,
you know, you know, Tommy came. I don't know if he
told everybody, but he came to Cleveland for a couple of days and in
September, and he said he wanted to kind of watch how we did things.
In the first game, we got to beat so bad our backup catcher
had to pitch four innings, which had never happened before. But we stayed
there till about two thirty in the morning, and we talked and we talked,
and the coaches just ate him up. They couldn't get enough of them.
So his personality, he's pretty infectious. Yeah, no question, they
are in good hands. There's no doubt about that. We'll see what happens.
So just what do you think about the team itself, because you've now
witnessed them against Duke and now with Wisconsin. They are so incredibly deep that
because you know stuff's gonna happen. It's a long year and guys get banged
up and things happen, but they seem to me to be situated to handle
that. And I mean, I give them credit, man, this is
not a powder puff schedule. They're getting after it. I mean they got
to go. You know, they Purdue on the road, they got some
games that are at neutral sites, but they're playing really good teams. I
just think I just think it's exciting. I mean, nobody has a crystal
ball, but that's kind of the fun of it is to watch the journey
and just see how these kids do and and it's exciting. Man, Yes
it is. Well, Terry, thank you very much. Appreciate the time.
But we'll see you at the base of the basketball games. You better
believe it. Thanks guys, haven't been week okay, you too, Thank
you much. Thank you. Last time I asked him how do you get
a baseball? So if he knew that, I guess he'll still be exactly
yeah, exactly, good great guy. I'll always always pray to us.
You do see him around, you know, around the basketball program and just
all the sports. Right, you're about the same age by sixty four,
what are you now? She's four. He's like four months older than me.
But I think he's made a little more money. He's in a different
tax break. Yeah, a little bit, yeah bit. Okay, all
right, thanks, thank you Kerry for joining us. We'll be back.
We'll take your costs by zero, four, one, six, seventy four,
forty. If you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's been
successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era
in my new book, Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love
through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give
insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them,
and inspired them twenty five chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's the Loved
Coach. Lessons from Newton is an insight to how he built the program into
a national powerhouse. Want one email media Steve dot Rivera ninety five at gmail
dot com. Hey, Walcat Nation, Jake Fisher, Here, I got
to tell you about my winning team. Over at Arizona Health Insider, I
was able to get a custom private health insurance plan with no deductibles, no
copays, nationwide coverage, and I get to pick my own doctor for less
than two hundred dollars a month. If you want to avoid getting gouged on
the exchange and you want real health insurance, call Arizona Health Insiders five to
two zero eight, five zero six eight sixty six five two zero eight five
zero six eight sixty six. Bare down. 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 aid available,
it's time to earn the degree or certific to get 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 now to the end of the year. With purchase and installation of a
new AC and heating system, We'll give you a one thousand dollars piece a
gift card to help with all the expenses. Merry Christmas or Picture Eyes.
Fall season is upon us and fans are bearing down for our new and improved
Arizona football team. I know Edmund Marcus is He's a huge Arizona football fan
and of course a University of Arizona graduate. If you don't see him at
the football game or you a sporting event, go see him at All State
Insurance on Campbell and get a quote for your car and home insurance and more.
Visit Edmund markets All State Agency at twenty seven nineteen North Campbell or give
him a call at five two zero three two three nine three three three.
You are in good hands with Edmund Marcus All State Agency. Do you want
to be part of a winning team? A Team Security is looking for friendly,
outgoing event security guards and event staff to be a part of our team.
We've been providing our outstanding services to some of Arizona's biggest sporting events and
concerts for over twenty years. We want you to join the action. A
team offers a fun and exciting opportunity to work in the sports and entertainment industry
with flexible schedules that are perfect for those looking for a part time job or
a second income. Come be a part of a winning team. The A
Team apply online today at a teamsecurity dot net. It's put Shangha time.
The Barstool Sports Arizona bo is thrilled to bring two powerhouse programs, the Toledo
Rockets and Wyoming Cowboys, to Arizona Stadium on December thirtieth. But but Shungo
Week is more than the football game. It's Tucson's own end of year park
that doesn't stop until the Taco touchdown at the Taco Belt New Year's Eve Downtown
Bowl Bash featuring fireworks presented by O'Reilly Chevrolet. Start your Putshanga journey and get
your tickets today at the Arizona Bowl dot Com streaming live. I mean iHeartRadio
WI. This is I on the Ball with Steve Robera and Jay Gonzalez on
Fox Sports fourteen to fifty. Hey, welcome back to the ball, Gerol,
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Jay, get Kevin got
Ilion ilion elyon Early on Ellion ellon eleon he as we say, that's taking
piece out for me I'm from northern New Mexico. Jeff, you got a
twelve minutes if you guys want to call five two oho four one six four
forty. We already had one good color and maybe make it a second one.
Yep, yep, talk about whatever you guys want to talk about.
Great to talk to Terry Francone. It was great. He's again always uh,
you know, just generous with his time with us. We've had him,
you know, over the years. You can tell he's enjoying life right
now, just hanging out, going to ball games. I mean, how
about that trip right he said he went to the Duke game that went up
to the Pencil Michigan football game. You know, that's that's why he worked
as hard as he did. Sure that you know, in the end,
he can do whatever he wants to do, and you got to respect,
you know, a chance to do all that. It's very cool. It's
always it's always great having him back in the building for basketball games. It's
all the famous alums coming back. It adds it adds a palpable buzz to
the building. Well yeah, I mean because you think, Okay, here's
this guy who's done all these things and he's here to watch. Yeah,
you know your team you must think where something this year? Yeah? So,
but yeah, he sits in the he's in the front row. It
helps to have a schedule like they have to be. You know, Skurt
would not have come had it not been for Wisconsin. He would not have
gone to Duke if it wasn't Duke, obviously, which is great because it's
going to continue to be this way this weekend. I'm sure there's gonna be
some people Purdue. Well, this stretching three games, Steve, I mean,
do you recall actually, let's come, let's say four with Wisconsin,
you know, yeah, I mean outside of outside of a Nancy Double a
tournament, but or or a Maui Classic or something like that. Just r
a stretch of four regular season games like this. Well, you can push
the five FAU coming up in Alabama, we had Colgate, Okay, then
okay, then it was Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Uh, Wisconsin, Purdue,
Alabama FAU. Well back in ninety seven eight, Well, we'll talk about
it. We'll take this call. Hi, you're on the air and I
on the ball. Hi, guys, it's Jim. What's up? Jim?
Well, I wanted to call while you were there and and fess up
for my bat against you daw lit a while three weeks ago. But he
thought Utah would dominate the line of scrimmage and they did not. Yep,
they did not. And that's where that's where the game went for Utah.
They got they got man handled, and I didn't expect that. Yeah,
I mean, and and nobody's dominated the line of scrimmage against Arizona all year
long, now, nobody, not USC Washington. I'd say line of scrimmage
was you know, a push. But they had Michael Pennix, who should
have won the Heisman Trophy and they and you know, and they won that
game. Mississippi State didn't dominate them. In fact, it looked to me
like they really dominated Missippi State. They just made too many heirs. USC
didn't dominate anybody all year long, so you know, uh that that's what
set this team apart from the others. Yeah, it was a little bit
hard to tell where that line was going, and I mean the line in
the stand. But it's obvious now that the University of Arizona football team owns
the line of scrimmage for now, right you know, they right now they
have that yeah. Because now the other thing I wanted to get out a
little bit is, you know, watching all these developments with the FACT twelve
going in the way of history, I've got a chink that two or maybe
three five star players and what we've gone to immense expanse of real estate here
that isn't covered by very good opportunities. What do you mean by that?
I think two or three five star players are going to end up at the
University of Arizona that wouldn't have otherwise. If if it's back twelve, it
state in back Oh yeah, yeah, Well that's been the question from the
day that USC and UCLA announced that they were leaving the PAC twelve. It's
like, okay, you're playing in l A. You got all these players
that play and they love playing on the West Coast and their parents get to
go to games and stuff like that. How many of them are going to
want to travel that were all their all their road games are the closest one
is miss is Nebraska. Yeah, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be anxious
to lead son in Arizona to goes sit in the stand a foot of snow
in my butt. Yeah, you're right. You're right, correct. I
think that boat. I think that bodes well even more so for Jed and
his recruiting average. And I think it'll take a while for us to see
how that develops. But I think that's a thing. I think it's already
developedment. I think things are moving at the speed of thought. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I think you're right. I think you're right. Thanks
from thank the momin All righty man, thanks for calling. Appreciate it.
See you. So to go back to your question to me about the scheduling,
there's two times that I can remember, but it does include the Maled
Classic. So in ninety seven ninety eight, after they won the title,
they had everybody back right, and it was the preseason number one they came
back from from the Maled Classic. They lost to Duke in the championship game.
Then they played Kansas here if you remember they lost. They went to
Texas and they won. No, not that year, they lost ninety seven.
That year it was a great game. I remember that game. They
went to Texas. One there at Baylor they won their How I remember the
Baylor game was the Tuna Fish Girl. What's her name is Jessica Simpson?
She sang the national anthem. Wow, she was eighteen nineteen at the time.
Okay, And then that year and then the twenty twenty two thousand and
one when they were really really good, probably my best team that I thought
they were. They had gone to Maui, they had won Maui, They
went to Purdue, they lost to Purdue. Out there. It was just
like a whirlwind trip. I remember going to Hi, coming home real quick,
going to Purdue, and then they played at Connecticut. And remember the
Connecticut game. Yes, that was the Bobby that was the Ludolfsen didn't show
up for the game trip and that was the goaltending called by Barristeros Palastos and
with Lauren Woods. So that was the significant significance of that. And they
played l a shoe one. So in Illinois. They went to Connecticut,
loss and played at Illinois. So that was a crazy time. Yeah.
So it's back to those fun, great, great times, right, and
having a bunch of games like that in a row right where it's where it's
the norm. It's not right, right, I mean, this stretching game
is crazy, No it is. But guess what, they're the best team
of the country. They really are right now. So no excuses. Yeah,
you know, no excuses. Every team wants to beat them now.
Yeah, well interesting because you know, I was talking about this article that
came out Sports Illustrated today and uh who wrote Kevin Sweeney, right, yeah,
Kevin, Uh yeah, Kevin Sweeney. Okay, there are seven unbeaten
uh yeah, you know Power five whatever basketball teams. Arizona is one of
them. So he was he was picking, okay, who when is each
one gonna have its first loss? And he picked their little news to to
to produce score? Does a score? No, he just said, you
just said that the you know, uh he said first loss, you know,
December sixteen versus Perdue. But you know, saying that, look,
they've done all this and if they win all of those games, you know,
they could be undefeated for quite a while. Sure, you know,
because U C L a USC are are showing that they're just crapped. Sure,
right, And there isn't anybody in the league but you and I and
you said this is gonna lose a game. You're gonna lose a game.
No team has goun undefeated in the Pac twelve or Pac ten. Ever,
there was only another three twenty games seventeen and one. I was seventeen to
three times, right, an, there's twenty games. Yeah, you never
know. I mean, come on, remember the USC game when they Bibby
and and Miles and all of them went to USC and that that shot that
Spanish hit, Yeah, and it should have gone out and it popped in
and fell and they they won. I was at one of those, the
ninety two team. Uh they were. They were in the Bay Area the
last weekend and they had Calkel and I my wife and I remember that game.
I remember that the guy that Todd Boseman, the head coach, he
just got in trouble. He had just gotten the job because he got got
fired. Yeah, and they and they lost that and I remember being at
that game. I was at the Why maybe I'm the guy because I was
at I was at the one loss in the in the conference loss in the
eighty eighteen Obviously that was covering the team that lit and that team, so
you know, it's hard to do no, even even good Stanford teams that
had a chance to do it. They I said that to Montgomery, I
don't know, fifteen twenty years ago, you have a chance to go on
and he looked at me like, shut the hell up. What are you
bringing the scrap for? You know, how gonna happen? Because you know
it's a it's a dumb question, but it's a legit question. I mean,
there's just a game that just things don't happen. For travel, you
got to get to the somebody plays out of their mind. You know,
you see it all the time. But you know, this game with Purdue
though, this is fun, you know. I know. I got kind
of way late at my breakfast meeting this morning, like how do you get
Peacock? You know, because the game's on Peak, you know, And
I Toldally, I said, if you're a Comcast customer, if you're expindited,
and I think if your cocks as well, you get it as part
of your pack. He had no idea, he'd never even been on it.
And I'm like, you know, and then you got, excuse an
older dude, what what is it. I'm a big Peacock dude, because
because I can get all the datelines I could ever want on Peacock. And
then Dan Patrick's on Peacock, so it's like the first it's like the first
streaming network on all my TVs. So so you have a lot of people
at the house this week, and we might we might actually we do because
we're we've got I got I got things going on this week. I got
a graduation this week Saturday, well it's actually Thursday. Then we're throwing the
party on Saturday during the game after and then we've got a first birthday or
my grandson on gon to be a Gonzales. We're gonna be feeding a lot
of people. Man, this is like, dang the familiar you never even
knew exactly coming in. They're coming in, man, coming in hot,
because coming in hungry. Well open the food. I mean, I mean
we're talking back to back party. So well, one's at our house and
one is at my son's house. But we live in the same neighborhood,
so okay. So but yeah, it's like trigger treating in the Gonzales.
Are that Julian man, He's he's gonna be a year old on Saturday?
Crazy crazy crazy, Okay, So good, good first hour, Yeah,
very good. A call or to yep stick around. We're gonna get Helena
Playo. Got it again. I can't believe she's in her fifth year here.
We're gonna get her on and talk about this big game they've got with
Texas tomorrow, tomorrow, right, and then we'll take your calls after that,
five two zero four one, right, breaking news here at the top
of the hour with excuse me, with Kevin. He's all over, right
back, all over on the ball. Just fin don't believe, just win,
Believe, Believe,