This is High on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio wipp Just Surgeon,
Hi on the Ball. Heay, welcome back, Join the ball, you
know, Fox Sports fourteen fifty on Steve Rivera, he's Jiginsaw's gonna go.
Eliams here. We got Jay with breaking news. This is II on the
Ball Breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right, we talked about
this just a little bit yesterday that Washington State and Oregon State, their non
football and basketball sports would be going in would be going into the West Coast
Conference. That makes sense. The vote of the West Coast Conference took place
today and it was unanimous to bring them in. Baseball is still up in
the air. They've given them some time to decide whether baseball is also going
to go in there. But the non revenue sports for Washington, Washington State
have Oregon State in Washington State have a place to go, and they're gonna
be in the West Coast Conference for now. So anyways, that's a thing
that's you know, just one thing, one of those things hanging out there,
you know, to me, what what ultimately the final things that happened
with the PAC TWELP to me is is interesting. So anyways, I don't
know. Well, that's good. At least some people found home for now,
you know, it'll be still continue to compete on the West coast and
stuff like that. It'll be all right. Along similar lines, the Florida
State A Board of Trustees is meeting Friday morning. People believe it's it's speculation
that this is going to be like a first step into getting out of the
ACC because they're just not happy with or get at the at the very least
getting the grand of rights that contract that goes to like twenty thirty six.
Getting out of that so they can freely try and you know, figure out
a way to get more money for their one of their foot all and whatnot.
They've been complaining, you know for months since you know, with all
this stuff going on, they feel like they're not getting their share. What
they want is they want more of a share of the football month YEA than
the other a SEC schools, and they can't right now because of the grant
of rights contract that is for another decade or more. So they're very unhappy,
but it's the first step to take in doing that. I was gonna
ask you a dumb question, like I asked dumb questions. It seems like,
and every generation has its issues. That college sports has never been more
complicated than it is now. And I'm not talking nil and all that stuff.
Everybody wants something. Everybody wants something. You know what about me,
I bring you more money, I want more money. And it's every man
for himself pretty much. And that's that's the thing. That's the thing that
bothers me more than anything. Well, you know what, you know what,
what happened to these conferences? You know, having to having some tradition,
having that be important to them and and kind of working together to make
whatever their whatever situation they think is terrible with them working together and make it
better. Instead USC and u c l A jump to the big ten for
for a big paycheck. How good is that gonna be for U c l
A. It's gonna be awful. Are they gonna be able to solve their
financial problems? Maybe? But that's a that's a big maybe for the step
that they're taking. And they just said, to hell with one hundred years
of what we've been doing. And let's go, let's go try and get
a bigger paycheck somewhere. And that's the thing that's most bothersome to me.
So then and then that, you know, and we'll go back further into
Oklahoma and Texas saying you know what, uh, you know, we're gonna
go to the SEC because there's more money for And that started the ball that
got the ball roll definitely. I remember that day and we were thinking what,
yeah, what and then all of a sudden everything else happens. Yeah,
so well, you know Florida State now and and obviously this whole thing
of getting you know, not get into the playoff as the ACC Championship as
AC champion is fueling this as well. But somebody said, okay, so
let's say you break the grant of rights. What are you gonna do?
You want to go to the SEC where now you're the king of the hill
right now in the ACC, you automatic bid to the playoff. You're gonna
get in the playoff every year if you stay in the ACC. Why would
you go to the SEC where you can possibly drop to six in the in
the SEC? Why would you want to do that? How stupid are you?
We'll go to Oklahoma, will come Texas with se Oklahoma, Texas,
LSU, Alabama, Georgia. Uh you know, I mean, why would
you? Why would you do that? Which I don't understand why Oklahoma and
Texas did that? You know, it's like, okay, good luck Steve
Sarkis and winning in the SEC. You know, if it took you till
this year to win a Big twelve conference championship, what the hell are you
doing? Makes no sense to me? Right anyway? So all right,
so there's that. Hey, Arizona got in the picked up another guy football
yep today yep, Redchard freshman out of Western Kentucky. He's a transfer in
Western Kentucky. He's a long snapper. It's name, Seriously, he's a
long snapper. Troy Notton played at thirteen games for Western Kentucky last year.
He's from Tucson. Played it out. Okay, so he's coming back home.
Not three years of avault ability. Nice to be a specialized to be
rescug nice. Yeah. You know, hey, man, if you can
get a scholarship or played for a college football team by doing that, man
more power too. You've got to love you. But I think long snappers
get all the chicks. So that's heard. That's what you've heard. Okay.
Oh, here's following up on that. On that Oregon State Washington State
thing. Their baseball teams have thirty days to let the w c C know
if they're coming. There's some conversation that they could take baseball to the Big
twelve and just play baseball in the Big twelve because their their baseball programs are
pretty good. Oregon State, you know, went back to back national championship,
so I think they would rather play in a bigger conference. But they're
splitting up the whole athletic department. It's going all over the place, all
over the country, all right. Uh shocker, shock, shock, not
shocked. Shoe a Otani the AP Male Athlete of the Year second time in
three years. And this is not baseball. This male Athlete of the Year
for two out of three years now, so just man, just you know.
And he's a Dodger now, so I think we're all happy about that.
Well, see he's not gonna pitch. You know, he can't pitch.
So is it nice to have that another bat like that? That wasn't
what kept the Dodgers out of this is answer, no question, here on
the state. I don't even know how me in Hollingwood, are you pregnant
or I'm gonna say they can, but I don't know this show hate being
in the batting that's not an answer. Of course they can show hate being
in the batting order doesn't it improves them. But they needed, they needed,
they need pitching, yeah, and they did. They have gone out
pitcher. They're trying to sign this other, this other Japanese pitcher that everybody's
after. Uh. If they get a guy like that, yeah, you
know, then they should. But you know they're the favorites again. Right,
I'm looking two years down the road to see when he comes when when
show hate, you know, is pitching as well? Right? Did you
know that the Detroit Pistons have lost twenty four games? Yes, they're horrible,
twenty four and then their coach we talked about this or who do we
talking about? Uh? With someone that we called, uh maybe one of
the Phoenix guys. And he's he's getting paid a ton of money. He's
one, he's the highest paid coach. Yeah, second one because the other
guy is bad too. Whoever's getting paid? Second? His business is not
doing well as well. But yeah, yeah, they're horrible. You barely
know any guys on the team. You get fired if you lose twenty four
games in a row. They just signed him, I know, they just
signed him to a massive contract. Yeah, is Stanley Johnson still with him?
More Stanny Johnson. I don't know where he's at. But they've got
they've got a game with the Utah Jazz tonight, Utah with a bunch of
guys out, including Larry Mark really who's not playing tonight. So there's a
lot of there's a lot of uh, you know, discussion that this could
be where the where the streak ends. It almost makes you want to find
that game and watch it to see what happens. Oh god, watching this
league. I don't know where Stanley Johnson is right now. Uh. The
Major League Baseball Players Association, there were some proposed rule changes out there,
nothing major. The biggest one was taking a couple of seconds off the pitch
clock, widening the uh the runners lane you know on the base past night.
Nothing major, but the Major League Baseball player said, nope, we
don't want any of that. We are, you know, let's just stay
where we are for a little bit and see how that works before making any
more changes. But because they had a bunch of rules changes last year,
that worked out. So here's a weird one ski for your Dallas Cowboys.
So, you know the Cowboys, you know, they got their butts beat
by Buffalo last week, thirty one to ten. It was an awful loss.
They just looked they just looked terrible. And there were, you know
a few players who stood out in terms of, you know, playing poorly.
So Cowboys fans went out and put like there's cell phone numbers and home
addresses on social media for fans to call and go and rip them, and
and and was some some Cowboys fans put their personal information on social media.
The players, oh, the players personal information on social media, Like I
think, uh, what's his name? That makes you wanted? What the
what the hell is going on? U? Uh? Juan Ye Thomas one
of the you know, one of the one of the safeties who had a
particularly bad game. They put they put his cecial number, So all of
a sudden, he's getting sext from fans or you know, pissed at him
and yelling at him. I don't know if there were any death threats or
anything like that, but It's like, what the hell, How stupid do
you have to be to do that? I mean, and I use that
word whatever, We use that word because it fits someone. It's like when
when the kids scouring missed the field goal and then you got people. Really
it's that important, yeah, that you have to do that. And then
one of the other players, Jay Ron Kurse, they put his home address
on social media, like go to his house and yell at him or something.
I'm like, what are you doing? Your speechless? Oh yeah,
I mean, come on, these dudes deserves something, and these dudes that
are doing this deserve something. Hanging by some body part uh, Thomas said
in the Dallas Morning He said, I can take criticism, but you do
cross the line when you start doing dumb stuff like that. For real,
it's a line you can't cross when you start sharing people's addresses and numbers and
stuff. At the end of the day, this is still a game.
People got to get a light. They do, I mean, honestly,
they do. He said he had to change his cell phone number that people
were texting me and calling me. I'm like, I don't even know how
people can leak your numbers. Well, I don't know if you remember this,
but it was a story that I did for the paperback in the day
and part of a book for Channing Fry back in when he was a senior.
He went to Seattle, Seattle and played in Washington. I think there
was a senior year with Hassan Adams and them that they the kids knew he
was dating whatever, and he got his ad they get it his phone number
and started yelling to see blah blah did it to the whole game. So
he thought it was kind of funny. He admitted after the game that it
was not the right number. He said that, no, but it was,
but it was, it was. He was trying to get people off
right. He was long, and he said he got the funniest messages after
the fact, because you know, the people left their messages. Yeah,
come on, I know, Steve, I know, I know. I
mean you and I sitting here going what the hell are you doing? But
fans are fans, and there's dumbasses out there who do that. So yeah,
dumbs, that's a good word. You don't even have to you don't
even have to push the dumb button on the all right, Okay, couple
mores last day, probably compo conversation here, big game Boomer coming up with
another ranking. Did you see this one the best shooting guards? Nope,
top fifty best head football coaches of twenty twenty three. Oh, Jim Fish
is to number five. Where do you think? Five? Five? That's
a little high? High or low? You're high? Take a little lower?
Ten, eight, eight? He comes into eight. Who's one?
Washington, Kalin Debor Washington, Steve Sarkisiana, Texas, Nick Saban Alabama,
Jim Harbaugh Michigan, Mike Norval Florida State, Kirby's Smart, Georgia Eli drink
wits at Missouri, and then Jedfish. What's what's the criteria? What's the
label? Just said? Oh, top fifty best head coaches of the twenty
twenty three seasons. So the rest of the top ten is Brent Vennables,
who's facing jet Fish and the Almo Bulls, and then lang Kiff. Nothing
that I want to disagree with that, Paul. What I just want to
just so if you were doing this and that's the criteria, wouldn't you think
And I'm not defending the jet the job that he did. He was expected
to finish eighth ninth in the league. Apples to apples, Yeah, apples
to apples. He was probably the best guy there. I think you put
yeah, I think you put him up Hire killing deer boor you know that's
Washington. Okay, yeah, I mean he's in my top five, you
know. I mean, how good of a job did Harbor do? He
barely coached the game right, he missed he missed another another. You know,
Kirby Smart, how much coaching did he really have to do? Right?
I mean equal parts equal parts there? Sure? I mean, yes,
okay, do you give Kirby Smart credit for bringing in those players that
he's winning with? I guess if you're doing that. But but really,
if you look at it, you know, drink with the Missouri coach and
Jed Fish, the Arizona coach, are the first two programs outside of the
quote unquote hierarchy of Collor. And I say this, we only have a
few seconds. But if Dion Sanders came or did what Jed or does what
Jed does or did, yeah, he's he was mad at the year four
Sports Illustrated. What the hell did he do? Get? Where do you
think he was in the ranking? Twenty? No way down forty six?
Oh, just made the list, barely made the list. So apples to
apples again. Yeah, and what time? Just this year? Is he
a better coach than that? He should be ranked maybe, but for this
year. Yeah, that's where they put. Okay, all right, let's
let's take our break. We're go come back. John mordech old friend of
ours from the back in our media days. Uh well, my old media
day skips, still a media guy. But we'll be back and talk to
John. Get some history from him. There's some great story. All right,
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Sommames, they have their eye on the ball on Tucson's sports stage chef Fox
Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to I'm the ball here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Barbera. He's Jacin Sauce. And now on
the phone we have good old buddy Powell, John Mortgage from the Tucson Citizen.
How you doing John, I'm doing well. It's great to be what's
you guys again? Let me say this, I'm gonna sit you up here.
So now he works as as a big boss for a corporate type of
retailer. And what prepared you for this job that you happened? You know
what? I honestly think about that after we talked today at our Citizen luncheon
is honestly as I never had. I'm an at home which is an at
home home four store. There's one store there in Tucson. There will mods
and speedway. I believe it is. And there's six and Phoenix, So
I mean, here's my plug. Honestly, I had no magic experience,
as I had to leave, leave the turtle and get into the retail world.
But as somebody that never really managed a whole lot of people before I
went back to the coaches that I've had to cover a great length and honestly,
I see a little Dick Tomy. Uh, honestly, I think you've
gone back, but I do, and a lot of the look at their
individual traits I am doing right now. So I thought, I thought that
the Macavic prepared you for the bad, for the bad clients, for the
bad you know what. I'm sometimes yelled at black customers. So that reminded
me of all, like get part of my So you know, it kind
of didn't wrap up that, Okay, Honestly, you know lut dolphins organization,
Uh, Dick Tomy's ability to foster culture and loyalty, and Andy Lopez's
disability to kind of motivate people, those those things honestly consideration, Yeah,
all of those things stick. And and you know, for sure, I
think you know, we've we talk all the time about you know, the
experiences that we've had, whether it's you know, you know, mine was
out. It was out of sports writing after I kind of got sick of
being around all you guys for all that time, being on the road with
you and everything. But you know, those things do stick and you remember
stuff. John be there. You're breaking up a little, breaking up a
bit. Yeah, sorry, Well I try to pull over your Yeah,
try to do that. Yeah, you might be in a in a bad
spot, but that's that's fine. Let me ask you something. You covered
football for a long time for the paper. Did you ever imagine that the
program would be what it is now? We don't have to We're gonna have
to wait for us. Yeah, hang on, thirty seconds. I can
pull it up right here and get on the better okay, okay, all
right, so he covered the team and we'll just come well, okay,
John John's history. I mean, he was he was well, he was
at the Daily Wildcat and when I went to the yeah yeah, and then
and then the and then the Citizen. But you know, i'll tell this
story when when we get him back on about the time we we white he
white knuckled it with me from one from Corvallis to Oregon, the rain.
We both have an organ Okay, okay, cool, I haven't heard that
one. Yeah, I'm not sure you've heard mine. That's just funny there
yet, can you guys hear me that much much better? Now? A
right? So I went to a rest area just as I got here.
Now I have experiences with both you guys. Jay as a student newspaper for
the Aris little Daily Wildcat, he helped me out a lot of a young
club just kind of feet wet. I remember being in Washington State and the
game in freel Court or whatever it is called back there got out of power
outage. They couldn't right because of a snowstorm, and we had to go
with some small bowler gym that seated three thousand. Somehow six thousand people ended
up showing up snowstorm. Jay goes, I'll give you a ride, and
I don't know if she had ever driven in snow before, but it scared
out here as he's trying to drive around, and you go, oh,
I'm on the spot, and he passed it up. He spun the car
around and pulled it in just like a cartoon character would. There was a
perfect, perfect spot, and I'm going, oh, my gosh, If
I can survive this, I can do anything well along those lines, I
was just telling you. Mine was I remember you. I gave you a
ride from Corvallis to to to Eugene after a basketball game in the rain,
and I drove like the Tucson guy drives in the rain. I just hauled,
asked because I didn't think it was a big deal. And I just
remember that you told somebody I don't know if it was Steve or one of
the other guys, that said how scared you were at the way I was
driving and you basically white knuckled and I didn't even really notice. But I
I found out from somebody else that I scared the crap id of you on
that drive. Yeah, I gotta, I gotta. I got a thing
here. I have two stories, right, and I know you were going
to bring up that story. They both deal with your driving. So should
we should we apply anything with that? I was a bad driver. I
was a Tucson weather driver. I just didn't give a crap or or it
was Steve. Steve's a car where I'm suffering a kidney stone, where I'm
in severe pain. I'm having to go to the hospital at two o'clock in
the morning in Eugene and I go Steve. We were rooming together or something.
I'm like, Steve, I got her. I think I got to
the hospital. He throws me the car keys and says, just bring just
bring, just bring it back. That's that's kind of true. That's kind
of no. No, it's absolutely the circumstances of the events. We were
staying together. He was working with the cat Tricks at the time he stayed
with me. Uh, he was after a game, he was not feeling
well, he had a kidney stone, and I was tired. I was
late and I was tired. I was just writing. Yeah, but the
rest is pretty much true. Then I get out of the hospital eight hours
later and he goes, are you gonna come to Portland so we can see
Stottormire together? Like, I'm in a lot of pains. Oh, don't
be a woof this go too funny. So don you know again, the
you know, the all those years that you did cover sports and and you
know football, you went through some you know, some some bad, some
good. How much do you still pay attention to what you know, what's
going on down here? Twos? I mean your U of A. Guys
a lot. You went to the U of A? Right, are you?
Are you like a are you a nut job kind of fan? As
as Steeve is implying, I am a. I am a different person now
than I was when I covered the sport. Yes I am. And Steve
gets it on a on like seven, eight, ten, twenty five text
turn a game, Oh one of those. Yes, I'm one of those
now, you know. I was like, what the haff? Why is
he going away from his own with two minutes left when it's got you back
in the game and produce. You know, why are they running the football
here when you got a quarterback and throw the football? So yeah, I'm
I'm I've become one of those guys that that wants perfection. You're not satisfied
for anything about a w How okay? How did okay from being? I
know you again? I know you went to the U of A and all
that, but you're a reporter. Had to be impartial, you know,
as I recall, you are pretty good at not showing your colors. How
did you go from that to where you are today? I went to retail
and needed an escape through the reality of life, and I really want two
hours where I'm not looking at business recaps and sales and and great customers,
poor customers. You know, are you going to read the bottom line?
So I'm looking for two hours of escape or three hours of three and a
half hours of escape during football season. So I look at sports completely different
now because then it was my business. It it just it just took over
my life, as it does when you are you are in that business.
Now I'm watching as as a fan that wants to be entertained. And but
in Phoenix, it's especially when I first moved up to you know, you
know twelve thirteen years ago, Juve wasn't very good in anything, and uh
I took a lot of hits from a lot of a s U people.
And you know, to this day, I will pay attention to football,
basketball, golf, anything if they're playing HU and the next day if Arizona
one, they're gonna hear that Arizona b d A s U. So yeah,
it's it's been a complete turnaround of trying to be unbiased and you know,
cover the sports. And I think I did a pretty good job at
it back and in doing that to now I don't have to I've got a
u A add on today at the lunch and a uve A shirt. I'm
a I'm a wild cat and in wildcat Land in sun devil Land. That
you know that the watcats are starting to take over because they issue has nothing
to be proud of. No, you're making a ton of money of having
a green life. Do you do you miss you miss I'm in those I'm
in those box weeks. I don't know where where you think I'm living.
I'm texting you from my couch, remember, So do you miss it?
Do you miss the craziness? I missed? Uh, I missed like we
were at a lunch the I missed the people. I missed the journalism aspect.
I missed journalism when it was journalism and I loved writing. I still
love writing, so yes I do. But you know you have to evolve.
You have to go onto the next chapter of your life. And that's
what I've done well. And me ask you would you want to be doing?
Would you want to be a beat writer like at a Arizona Republic or
a Daily Starts today with all that they have to do the social media,
the twenty four to seven aspect of the restrictions, right, and then that
the lack of access that we had, you know, the biggest thing.
I think I can live with everything, but the lack of access. I
love doing in depth features and stories and get to know the human side of
the athletes, their family and you know, we did a lot of that
cat tracks and as there and then the Tussuan citizens and I love that aspect.
I love getting to know the people. And I think the fans back
then were bought into the athletes more because you understood their background, where they
came from, what they were things, and they just weren't a jersey or
number. So that's that's part of change, and I think it's a sad
part of the change, especially you know with the changes of NIL and the
transfer portal. You know, now they're just they're you know, they're they're
an athlete. They're part of the team for a year or maybe two.
But I, yeah, I like I missed the access and I would have
a hard time with that because you know, there's more than just baskets and
field goals and then touchdowns. So you talked about covering the Macovick and stoops.
Uh do you did you ever think that they would be or oh that
Jeff Fish would put you put the team in this situation three years in because
they were pretty bad. It was it was embary something bad back here.
I mean, you know the did you get back in the car we lost?
I think I think we dropped the car. I think a coyote got
him in case grond Yeah, okay, that's not good. You back John?
Oh no, no, okay, we might have to say goodbye.
Yeah, drop the call. We might get him text texting a call back.
You know, let me ask you. I'll ask you this because and
look, I know you you've continued to you know, to be in the
media Steed. But let's go back to pre. Let's say pre. Yeah,
oh you're good. Are you there? Hey? John? We love
can you hear me? Yeah? We got you Now it looked like it
just dropped you. We left you an embarrassedly bad So, yeah, it
was embarrassing. Had and what what coach fishes? John has been amazing.
Wait, it's I love the aspect that he's brought the alumni back together feel
part of the program. I think that lost a big turns back pick and
go with dos So I think it was a big part of getting the culture
back and going a little bit Dick Toby way, where you know, you
you can bring bring people from the past and bring people from the shirt so
they can unite together. Right now, when did you when did you leave
the journalism side? When did you get out of the media? About fourteen
years ago? Okay, all right, the paper Okay, so okay.
Think back when you think of the time you spent as a sports writer,
whether it's you know, starting at the at the Daily Wildcat and beyond,
and you think of the characters that that you covered and outside of the obvious,
you know, outside of Lout, outside of Dick Tomy, maybe even
you know, a mac of Acro some of the obvious. When you think
about that period of time in your life that you were doing this, who
are the guys that you think of, or maybe a couple of guys that
come to mind, say, I'll never forget this guy for doing this or
whatever. I'm going to go back to my first couple of years. They're
they're a lot of the ones. Unfortunately, uh, Steve Kirk, Sean
Elliott, they're still my all time favorites. Yeah, you know, they
just these guys that will always be be special because that's where I first got
into the business, and they treated me well and kind of got my foot
of that. You know what, this is really what I want to do.
I want to associate with athletes like this and coaches like that, you
know. And then uh, you know Keith Smith, I love as a
quarterback for the Wildcats and just dealing with him and talking to him, and
you know some of the guys from the obviously the ninety seven championship final four
team. You know those guys. Those guys are special and not because they
wanted title, but because of the charisma in their style. So, uh,
ninety seven, Uh, you just beaten North Carolina. What do you
do on Easter Sunday? You know what I'm trying. Oh, come on,
we're losing you again. This is a great story. Dang it.
Yeah, we lost you again. I'm not sure. He's probably between two
Rocks and Casa Grand. Well, he stopped, so it should be good.
In and out right. Yeah, that's okay, we're right out.
Wait wait are you back? I'm back, guys. I'm sorry. Okay,
so we got a minute, so go ahead and go ahead and tell
us you're you're you're It's Sunday. Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday. It's cold,
it's rainy, it's late. We've written all day and we're trying to
I did it again, all right. We gotta get you a better phone,
Yeah we do. Okay, all right, So what's the story.
Here's the story? All right, this is the night. So we're writing
all day, right, eight o'clock, nine o'clock, ten o'clock. Three
four stories a day of getting ready for the juneship. What are we gonna
eat for Easter Sunday? Hooters is the only place open, am I?
Right? Yep? Yeah, okay, Well that's it. That's all we
can hear you say. Yeah, that's all we got. Guys, John,
thanks for joining us. Appreciate you. John. If you can hear
us, thanks so much. Give me that friends and family discett at home,
Come do home. We have a lot of good there's the plog.
Hey, John, thanks about man. Good to talk to you. Yeah,
he was funny. I didn't know the stories with you guys. Yeah.
He must have been like twenty years old. Yeah he was, he
was, he was. He was a kid. And it was the funny
thing about that drive from from Corvallis to Oregon. He didn't say a word,
all right, and I'm just thinking, I know, is he thinking
about his ride or whatever. He didn't say a word. We at home,
and I don't remember who went and told. He might have told.
He might have told Greg Hanson, or he might have told something. I
scared the crap out of him on that track because I was just holly button.
It was dark and it was rainy. Would you ever drive there in
that area during the winter, not in Oregon, in just in, just
okay, in Oregon, the black ice. It scared the poop out of
the man. Just in Uh, you're that drive that is. But we
remember we would stay in Moscow to go and then so he's talking about I
gave him a ride to to Washington State from Moscow and that was the time
that the stock sure sure, no snow, snow and all that. You
know, Okay, it is what it is. Let's go, Lea's take
our break. We're going to come back. We got fab five Friday picks
coming up. So I know it's Thursday, but there's on the last show
with the week of the year, So stick around for the picks. If
you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty
years. Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era. In my new
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at the Arizona Bowl dot Com. Steve Rivera and Jaken Salez they have their
eye on the ball on Tucson Sports Stage Chef Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Oh,
they'll talk Streamy live. I mean iHeartRadio warms. Hey, welcome back
to Why on the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's
Jay, and now we have some picks. We'll give you some other things
that we if we can get this done, some of our top stories of
the year, since we're not coming back, right, last last show of
the year today, So we didn't we didn't care much of anything. You
have a hail Mary, Mary, I don't, but yeah, I think
I'm mathematically NATed, Steve. It's September exactly. All right, let's let's
give our picks. Uh. We got got some Bowl games to work with,
some NFL games, So I'm gonna go and start. I'm gonna take
a I'm gonna take a bowl game. I'm the the Armed Forces Bowl.
I'm gonna take James Madison giving two and a half to Air Force. James
Madison, you know, just been money all year long. Uh. They
do have a bunch of guys going into the portal, but they're all playing,
including Jordan McLeod, the former Arizona quarterback who's gonna jump into the portal.
But they're all gonna play in this game. He's going to the portal
two yep again, yep, yep, yep. And so I'm gonna get
I'm gonna take James Madison give the two and a half to air Force.
Okay, okay, I'm gonna go tonight's game. I really played a Thursday
game. But I like the Rams minus four over the Saints. All right,
at home they've played six, so that's something like the last eight times
or something the home team has won that won this game. Yeah, and
that's why I'm going to Rams in Saints. So that's good. Good thing.
I didn't want to take a game tonight because I'm not gonna be home
to watch it. I didn't take this, So moving on, up standing,
it's good to know. There you go. Stand on the college side.
I'm gonna take Utah in the Vegas Bowl. They're giving six and a
half to Northwestern. I just I just think Utah Kyle Whittingham is a guy
who's not gonna let his team not be ready and up for this game.
I think I like going there. I think they're gonna go in there and
just they want to win this game. You know, finish, you know,
finish the season on a good note and and get ready for next year.
I just think Waddingham is the kind of coach is not gonna take any
crap from his guys not being ready or not wanting to play in this game.
It's an interesting game to be anyways. A seven thirty game, excuse
me, five thirty game two sometime in the Vegas Bowl against Northwestern. So
that's that's my second pack. Yeah, okay, my next game, I'm
going all pro. So I'm gonna take reluctantly. I'm gonna take the Lions
minus three and a half or three over the Vikings. I think the Vikings
are just bad. The Lions at some point have to realize they're good and
they have to continue to win. Yeah, at some point, I'm zero
and three picking the Lions, and I'm okay with them. I like two
and one, but they're so if he they're they're No, you're not touching
them, right, No, I'm taking them. Oh damn it, that's
my next pick. I'm taking them. I want the Lions. I should
let you pick on your first five. First Well, well, they weren't
going to be my next pick. Anyway. So but but they are now,
so that is my next pick. I am taking the Lions giving the
three to the Vicus. I'm with you, Steve, mean they shouldn't be
losing game. No, they're good, play like you're good. Yeah.
I don't like the fact that this game is on the road, but it's
indoors. Lion's playing doors. They should just they should just win this game
because they're better. There's and it's a three point spread, so just win
the game. Okay, that's twenty years. So I'm gonna go with Indy
has been good to me. Maybe not two weeks ago, but I'm gonna
take Indy. Uh where they uh cool, they're giving one and a half
to the Falcons. They're in Atlanta. Yeah, okay, I'm gonna take
it. I'm telling I'm telling Clio Robinson that you're betting against his grandson's team.
They were disappointed last week. He should have had a better game than
they did last weekend, so they're sat that thing that he did. Uh
he went and gave a ball to a kid like you know at the catch
with them after the game. I think I don't know if before but just
sometime was that game that I lose. It's a it's an early game,
so it's one of those ten eleven o'clock games our time. All right,
Okay, I'm not taking the Colts, just so you know. I am
taking the Dolphins. And I don't know why I got off the Dolphins.
They're three and oh for me this year. They covered for me every time
I've taken them, and for some reason I didn't take them. Last year
they beat the hell out of Last week I took them. They were one
of my bets. So I've got I got the Dolphins giving a point and
a half to the Cowboys. They're in Miami. Uh. The Cowboys looked
really bad last week, but I think the Dolphins are just good and they're
good at home. So I'm taking the Dolphins. Somebody already texts me you're
taking an alliance. He's a Minnesota fan. So okay, So I'm gonna
my best bet or my lock is gonna be Jacksonville. Oh. They faced
Tampa Bay last week. They totally screwed because I had the perfect score going
and they couldn't score the points. So I'm gonna take them this week.
Hopefully that changes. They played Tampa minus one for that. That would be
a reason for me just to not take. Yeah, I know, but
you're fifteen. You have fifteen points. I hold grudges, they do hold
grudges. And then you have no teams left. I don't have any teams
left, all right, And then we've got to both pick the forty nine
Ers Ravens game, possibly a Super Bowl preview. It's a huge game,
the last game of the week. It's on Christmas Night, the last of
three games that are playing on being played on Christmas Day. The forty nine
Ers are giving five and a half to the Ravens. It's in Santa Clara
or the forty nine Ers are at home, and I am taking the forty
nine Ers. Tough game, tough game, but I'm doing the same thing.
I wouldn't be surprised if Baltimore wins this. Yeah. San Francisco is
obviously clearly the probat of the best team right now. But I'm gonna stay
with the Christmas Day Yeah, you know, yeah, five, Okay,
I got five? All right, I am going to lock. I'm going
to lock, Utah. I'm gonna luck you. It's gonna pick you.
You might finally have something there, would you decide to lock the Colts Jackson
with the Jacks. Okay, Jacks, yeah, okay, So real quick
wrap and then we'll get into the about five minutes of this. I've got
James Madison, Utah, the Dolphins, the Lions, and the forty nine
ers with Utah as the lock. He's got the Rams, Lions, Colts,
locking the Jaguars, and then the forty nine ERSI good luck to you,
Steve. I'm rooting for you. Yeah you are, Hey, I'm
I have a good chance to still make sure he's all right, Okay,
okay, okay. So I wanted to talk to real quick about about the
end of the year top stories involving the stuff that we talk about, right,
Okay, once you go first of you if you well, I think
I think that I think the story of the year has to be, uh,
what what happened with the conference and with their oh okay, going to
the Big twelve. It's changed everything. It's it's it changed how we're gonna
watch sports, you know, college sports going forward. Uh you know,
I mean, I'm like, okay, is it obviously it's you know,
the football team, yes, but no, I mean, you know,
this is a life changing thing for people in this community, and that you
know, those of us who follow you know, Arizona sports. We're not
going to l A on road trips. We're not going to the Bay Area.
We're not going to Oregon. We're going We're going to Waco and Lubbock
and and uh and it's still water and in those places, you know,
Manhattan and Lawrence, Kansas. It's changed everything. Steve and the chaos that
that that happened all summer. With that, I think that has to be
the story of the year. No, I didn't even think of that big,
big picture. I did not, But I agree with you. I
agree with you so mine without thinking that one UA football the way football is
my tough speed. Who would have thought that they'd finished nine in three?
Not me, maybe Jake Fisher, but not me. Not me. I
don't know ninety five percent of the people in this city. I mean,
how many times did we sit here and try and count six? And it
was hard, It was really hard to do. I left that people were
sitting seven. Yeah, you know, and I apologize to her. I
think everybody, but hey, great job, and they might win ten.
I mean, I'll tell you a secret. I'll tell you a secret.
I really didn't think they were going to get six wins. I really didn't.
Now they could say that I'm saying that now. I really didn't,
you know, when we when we said, when we made that bet the
over under, you know, five and a half, and you took the
under and I took the over. I didn't. I did not. I
truly did not believe in it. Yeah. I thought there aren't six wins
there, you know, and then they got nine, you know, I
mean I bet on it and the whole bed, but I didn't think they
were gonna get it. I really had a hard time finding those six wins.
I didn't I didn't think that they could beat uh. I didn't think
they could win even one of Oregon State, Washington State and in U.
C. L A. I didn't think they could. And you know,
I thought they'd get you know, uh, the three that they got early,
you know, the two non conference games and then Stanford, and I
thought they could get Colorado, which we didn't know about Colorado. And I
truly believed that they would beat Arizona State. Those were the five wins.
Yeah, and they got and they got nine. So yeah, that's it's
a close second. But I think, to me again, you know,
the conference thing is the biggest next and well then I you know, I
think, I think you have to go uh you know Arizona basketball, And
what are you doing again? Well, okay, you went there. Yeah,
because I think I think beating Duke has set a tone for this season
in that, regardless of how good Duke ends up being, I think people
believe that because they went and beat Duke at Duke, that people think this
team can win the Natal Campion. I went with the basketball team for the
opposite reason, losing to Princeton in the first round that being the storyline for
the year. Well that's because you think of bad things and I think of
good things. No, you're the bitter one three phrase. Yeah no,
yeah, yeah, I think that has to be there because that was a
big deal and it and it hung on as ah. You know, you
had this scab all through through the summer. But I think Duke helped start
to heal the cab. Sure, sure, and we'll talk here in three
months. It's already going to be three months that it's all over or not.
Yeah. So okay, so that was mine just for a different reason.
Yeah, yeah, I think that that's you know that, I think
that's a huge story. Okay, you know it's kind of there's a whole
bunch of stuff after that, right. You think about you know the high
school uh, you know some of the high school sports and stuff that we
Daniel a couple of us. There's a there's a state champion. There's two
and that was my too. We have two states champions, right, two
state champions. I think of the churn of what's going on with women's basketball.
Yeah, you know that's kind of like I'm not sure what's going on
there? Right? Is it good? Is it bad? Totally? Uh?
You know what what's going on with with Arizona women's basketball? Okay,
So my final one and it's it's the sports slash non news two hundred forty
dollars two hundred and forty million dollars. Yeah, you know, it affects
a lot of people. Keep hearing Dave Heke say that all is fine in
the athletics part. He gave a talking to to an alumni group or something
like that. He said, we're doing fine in athletics. Well, do
you have to figure mister must have figured it stood out they come they had
to have come up with the planets. Well, how how long has the
institution been here? You ain't going to go away. It's not going anywhere,
right, They're going to have to figure it out. Yeah, they
have to figure out to figure out. But yeah, that's a big deal.
It's a really big deal. So that was my my three UI football
the personal loss, the Sabino Ceo victories in the state football, and then
and then the two hundred and forty million. I thought your your your Pac
twelve thing was pretty good too, And I guess you know part of it
again growing up here, you know, they got into the pack, you
know when I was in high school, and how a big deal that was?
How big a deal that was? You know our family, you know,
we were big fans. We were going to get to play USC and
U C l A. And we did it for all these all those years,
didn't get to a damn Rose Bowl, and now it all change.
We have a minute. How do you overall forty some years, how did
they just want to represent itself in I thought they represented well. They were
competitive and in the big sports. Obviously they were the thing in basketball,
so I thought I thought they did well. They just didn't get to a
damn rose bull stage. The only they did everything else, they just didn't
get to a rose ball. All right. Hey, thanks everybody, it's
been a great year. We hope you've enjoyed what we do. We enjoy
what we do. You've listened, you've texted a us, you've emailed us,
You've said we sucked, people say I suck all the time. You
followed us on social media, you followed the podcast. We thank you for
doing all of that. This is our last show of the year, So
Steve, Merry Christmas. You e Merry Christmas. Thanks for being here the
last few weeks, and we'll be back on January the second. So uh
follow us on the podcast. We'll let you know how to find us.
Sarah, keep an eye on us on social media. Thanks for being here.
Stard listening. Now you'll see your local holiday