This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jakin Zaliz on Fox Sports
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Welcome to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm
Steve Rivera. He's jacomes Oss. We're here on Wednesday afternoon. Good show
today. You know, I feel like today is the first day that things
have kind of calmed down. Even outside it's not as hot. Yeah,
I know there's a lot of yeah, yeah, I know there's a lot
of stuff going on. But I feel like, Okay, we're starting to
like come out of this fog that we've been in for you know, over
over a year, that we can now see the sky again. We kind
of have a sense of what the landscape is, getting used to the idea
that you know, everyone's gonna be in the Big twelve next year and just
let's get ready to start talking about some you know, fall sports, particularly
football. Do you think in the next nine months, ten months that we
have left in the as witnesses of the Pac twelve? Uh, how do
you think it's gonna feel football wise, basketball wise, and other sports wise,
because you know, baseball was prominent for a long time in the Pac
twelve. Softball was one of the kingpins. Yeah, now it's now it's
you know, I don't know if it's gonna be like a farewell tour or
a year long memorial service. Yeah right, you know, is it gonna
be a farewell tour where you know you're gonna go through these games, You're
gonna go, okay, last one and everybody, you know, let's kumbayan
everybody, Or is it gonna go oh man, this is like somebody died
every game. The last time you're gonna play call, the last time you're
gonna play Oregon. Stay, the last time you're gonna play Stanford, you
know, the last time Arizona plays UCLA and basketball, you know, the
last time you play Oregon? Was they gonna is they gonna? Is it
gonna suck? Yeah? Well, I would assume I would assume that once
the season's over and they start handling the schedules for years to come, that
UCLA will be on the schedule. It has to be, and it just
has to be. Uh and some of the other sports too, But I
don't think that schools are going to be giving each other gifts, you know,
for the last time. You know, the mcguel Cabrera, you know,
Farewell tour. You know you're gonna give everybody a you know, a
nice shirt or you know, an award or a you know, a band
or something. I think there's gonna be I think there's gonna be, at
least among the fans. I think there's gonna be some huscility. Yeah,
well, what is it? What is it there? What is it there?
You want you mean to tell me that they're not gonna send Mike mccronin
on a you know, farewell give me a kiss and a hug exactly,
you know, I can I can only imagine what Arizona's fans are gonna do
to UCLA when they come and USC. You know both well, UCLA comes
here in football and basketball. USC know we go there. So I mean,
USC fan isn't gonna do anything to us, right because they're you know,
it's like, you know, who are you get away? We're in
the Big ten now, you guys are nothing. But when you sell a
basketball comes here, I think that's that's gonna be a little hospital as well.
I would expect, but you never know. You know, maybe I'm
not giving our fans enough credit. Uh yeah, you're probably not. You're
probably not. He's no longer. I was gonna see is it mac and
ten? He's not. He got in the draft Reportal yeah, yeah,
yeah, but I was trying to wonder where you were. I don't know
where he went. I don't think I haven't seen any Right, I'm pretty
sure you got into the draft. He did, he did, he did.
There's nothing else that it. Yeah, so you know, I don't
know, Steve. I mean, why what do you think? I don't
know. That's a good question, because a good question in terms of what's
going to happen. There's no there'll be no rocking chairs or whatever. You'll
see Bill Walman talking about the PAC twelve. The funny thing about it is
the reason why the PAC twelve is known for the Conference of Champions. Thank
you, Stanford, Thank you, Stanford, thank you. You see,
right to a degree with Stanford, two supposed that I have one all the
Africa and then all of a sudden they're the red headed step child. They
are because if you get Stanford, guess what you're the conference with the best
best sports department in the West, sports program, overall sports program in the
country, which might be why the ACC has decided to go at R I
mean, wouldn't you, Yeah, I mean, one you want you want
a school with that level of academics in your conference. Sure, and then
okay, maybe they're not a top school in football and basketball right now,
but they have been the capable and then all the other sports. I mean,
you know, they're they're they're you know, they're women's basketball team is
you know, right, is Blue Bluff. They're probably the ones most most
out there on a limb because they are one of the premier basketball women's basketball
teams in the country. Right. Well, so, I don't know,
I I think I think a sort of a tone for that will be said
when they start playing conference football games. Yeah, right, and where it's
teams that are going definitely correct. Yeah. Yeah. When's Arizona's first one?
Well, they have Stanford on the road. They go to Stanford right
after the U TEP game. Oh okay, then they come back and play
Washington. Okay, okay, so that'll be interesting. Well, it's always
gonna be every weekend. It's going to be saying how do you feel about
playing Wahington for the last last, the last time? How many times did
that question didn't get asked every time? Especially have the coaches every time?
Every time, have the coach, what's your fondest memory of you know,
yours? The good thing is a lot of the coaches nowadays are are not
long term guys or women. They've been here briefly. The Rember Washington coaches
is his second year, very long Stanford coach is going to be his first
year. So you know, they're not Kendres who has a great history,
the LUTs who had a great history of being in the conference against Montgomery and
those guys lay so and and and what Fish said he had to go was
the last time I played a big ten, big twelve color? Oh yeah,
I was by two years ago and it wasn't and it wasn't a good
right right? I You know, man, I it's gonna be fun.
Eventually, it's gonna get be new something. You know. I'm sure you
go places at jail. What do you think about the big twelve? It's
the best move they could have done. I'm looking forward to it. I'm
gonna be sitting here going to the games, but sitting here talking about it.
It's no different. They're just playing different teams and it's gonna be fun
different because it's different. Yeah. Look, I have no hostility toward anybody
except USLA and USC. But I'm not gonna sit there and go up to
the fans and throw the finger in their face. No, you'd than that
than that, even though you were in your done. I mean, well,
I hung out my gloves a long time ago, Steven, so I'm
not. I'm not gonna be doing any of that. I'm mad at those
guys. But which team is this? USC? Uclase I'm not gonna kick
it out. I'm not gonna go up to their fans. And it wasn't
for you, but heads, we wouldn't be in there because in the end,
I like wears one while I'm up. Yeah, yeah, everybody's everybody's
everybody's fine. Right. Did you did you see Chip Kelly's quote where he
said that what what we need to do is set up a conference with sixty
teams and another conference with sixty a group of five conferences with sixty teams,
and both teams have their own national championship and I'm like, that's where I
think we want to end up sixty and sixty with two Division one Well maybe
it's four conferences in in you know, in the sixty team division, right,
two national titles and then they go out after that, No, no,
no two titlests two deaths. Yeah, but you know there's a there's
like a like a you know, a group of five national championship and uh
and uh like the power of five nationals? Okay, okay, okay,
right, what what what is the powerful? But but you know divided him
Now, he's got the number wrong because there's one hundred and thirty three teams
in in in Division one college football. So if I think it needs to
be more like sixty four and whatever, you know, seventy three you know
something like that, right, and then how lot them up in conferences and
both have a national champions How many games is the does the North dakost State
guys do? Because when they will get into their playoffs because they have a
four, they have a four week playoffs, four week playoffs, so it's
the sixteen team single elimination tournament. Sixteen team five weeks will be thirty two.
You couldn't go you couldn't go ten games in a season, ten games
in the season and then looking up looking up their football schedule to see how
many how many games they get in in a regular season, it's it's one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten, eleven. They have an eleven game regular season. Then
it's a four uh for four weeks, sixteen team four week tournament. So
you know they play fifteen games, which is what? Which is what?
Right? You know, but there're five that's for sixteen teams, right,
sixteen teams. That's a sixteen team tournament. The power of five schools played
twelve ular season games. They have a conference championship and then when the power
when the when the when the twelve team tournament starts. If there's three and
put max of three, what did you cut at to eleven regular season?
Right? And then go four weeks out thirty two for what they need to
cut and they won't. What they need to cut are the conference championship games?
Yeah, you cut those out right? Right? When? When the
when? When? When the when? The when? Your conference on the
field, you know by by you know, having the best record in the
conference. But the money grab for those is is too much and we know
that that's that's pretty much what and that's what that's the SEC sells out of
its game, the Big ten cells out of its game, the ACC sells
out of its game. I don't know if the Big twelve does, but
we know those three conferences they're not going to give up their conference champions.
Sure, sure, no, I think we're gonna get a call here and
it's okay, but you know, but but that you know, and he,
I mean, he said, let's do that, and I'm like,
there there's too many people who are too greedy and grabby. Yeah, I
think to let that happen, that's ideally what I would like to see happen.
And the schools are in so much debt just two three years ago,
look at the money. Would what would have to happen is that mainly the
Big ten and the SEC are gonna have to agree to spread out the money
more. And I just don't think they're gonna do that. Though. We
have a caller. Hi, you're on the air and I on the ball.
Yeah, Hey this Mike Quinn. How are you guys doing? Mike?
How are you? I'm doing great? What's on your mind? I
just I just want to circle back to your discussion on the you know,
how people are, how their teams are gonna feel about playing in uh,
playing for the PAC twelve last last time. I just don't you know.
So, I think that you know, guys like you, the media people
have been there a long time. The fans, they're gonna be really kind
of They may wax sentimental, but I get to feel I mean, these
football teams, the coaches, they don't care. All they care about is
the team they played next. Right, USC is playing for USC Utah.
They're playing for national championship in football, whether they're in the Big Sky Conference
or whether they're in the PAC twelve or whatever next year. Right. So
I just think that the teams, I don't see the team. Now you're
talking about the fans getting into it. Yeah, no, I agree with
that. I mean, I think the fans are gonna miss it. I
think the people with longevity, I think that, you know, I can't
wait to not have to listen to Bill Walton. But I think that the
teams, I think, are going to be very into it, just beating
the other team, you know who it is. I sat across the aisle
for a lot of years from the visiting section in Arizona Stadium. You know
how they're in the last section in section seventeen. We were on the aisle
of section eighteen, and we had our situations with their fans without any of
this going on, Like, you know, do you think there'll be some
back and forth where fans are, you know, within arm's length of each
other, sitting together at stadiums or arenas and stuff like that. I mean,
do you see or do you see him? They just get along and
say, well, we're leaving, You're leaving. Everybody's leaving getting no no,
no, So okay, so now you're talking about something different. Arizona
Arizona State. Uh. When Texas and Texas A and M had a divorce,
Uh yeah, I think that there were people that were really ticked on
both sides. Uh. Now they're getting back together again. Tex A and
M ain't ain't happy about that, right, But sure a few break up
rivalries like Arizona Arizona State, which is kind of you know, as much
as I'd love to leave Arizona as as one of the uh remaining people in
the Big Pact twelve, our Arizona State as one of that you know,
you gotta take them with you. And so Arizona, Arizona State staying together,
cal Stanford stayed together. Now the interesting thing is going to be things
like Oregon Oregon State, right, you know that's the Civil War, ain't
no more yea, And so it's that's so that's really where you're you're really
getting into that. I think there is going to be some issues with that.
There's gonna be certainly with fans. But I do think with schools and
uh, with players that they're gonna miss playing in those games. But let's
say the fan interaction at the two UCLA Arizona basketball games. Sure, bag
think I do think that there's gonna be that missing. I'm hoping Steve alluded
to that Arizona and UCLA wind up, you know, playing at home and
home or whatever it is during the season, because they would be good.
Because yeah, But but what I'm trying to get us, how do you
think their fans will let's say, for lack of a bed world, interact
with each other in these last couple of games this year. Why are they
pointing the fingers at each other? Are they going to be hustle to each
other? Or do you think they'll play nice. No, well, I
don't know if they'll play nice that we haven't played nice before. I don't
know why all of a sudden, we're gonna We're gonna give each other roses
and say say thank you very much. It's been fun. Yeah. Maybe
you're right. I think everybody's gonna everyone's gonna want to have one the last
time we played. That's yes, that's okay, that's for sure. That's
for sure. Yea, all right, man, thanks so hold much,
appreciate the call. Yeah, not a problem talk and you guys are great.
Thank you looking you're right, He's right. The fans haven't gotten along.
Yeah, for why all a sudden are they gonna? All right?
Okay, we're gonna get Kelly pierced here in about five minutes of Women's Soccer
Soccer, Women's national teams are and then in the second hour of Dan Walking
USA Today calumnist. Hell, I'm sure he'll have a lot to say about
all the realignment stuff that we've been talking about. So we'll get we'll get
Dan on. He's been a guest to the show in the past and always
a good perspective nationally, so we'll be right back with all of that.
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Rivera and Jacobs Sons they have their eye on the Ball on TUSS Sports station
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to Why on the Ball Here
on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera's jakins Ols. Now in the
poem, we have Kelly Pierce FC two, some women's soccer coach. How
are you, Kelly? I'm doing well. How are you guys? Welly,
thank you. We wanted to pick your brain about what the heck just
happened with the US women's soccer team. So many things even off the field
that may have affected on the field. What was your assessment? Well,
yeah, same things. Still trying to figure it all out. I think
it was really disappointing, you know, I think everybody was shocked with it.
But to be fair, going into it, I didn't I know a
lot of people had them favored to win, but I never really did just
watching, you know, the last couple of years, how they've been playing
and all the dynamics, like you said, on and off the field.
Well when you when you say that in terms on the field, I mean,
what what what was different about them? Or you know, what what
made you believe that maybe this wasn't you know a year for them? Well,
there are. I think there was a lot of things that went into
it. I think personnel was probably one of them, in my opinion.
Surprise and shocked at some of the people there. I know there were some
injuries and missing a little pew I think was huge, But just they weren't
threatening. I think the way they prepared for games, and I don't know,
it just seemed different than what we were used to seeing, you know,
dominating, and they just didn't seem like they were I'm not prepared.
I guess it's the best way I can explain it. It was disappointing.
I think that they did they change coaches already? Did they get rid of
the coach? Not yet, not yet happen. But you would you would
know. You would know this just as better as anybody because you want to
head coach of the self. Catholics very successful, two some women very successful,
and a lot of it starts at the top. If you have even
if you have bad inmustry or whatever kind of the coach, it's you point
to the coach, don't you. Yeah. And of course there's the flip
side of it. You know, when you're winning, everyone loves you,
and then when you're losing. You're terrible, I need to go. But
yeah, I definitely think he made some very bizarre choices, and lack of
subbing being one of them. And just like I said, the personnel in
the subbing situation was huge and we saw that building up though again, I
think he was getting questioned for a while now, so maybe it's time so
right, you know, right out of the box, you know, even
in the in the root, in the group play, you know, they
were being criticized immediately because it just didn't look like they had any I don't
left bounce in their step or something. Yeah, yeah, I mean was
that I mean, was that legitimate? I mean, did you do you
agree with the lot of that? We were watching out watch parties and like
losing our mind over it just because it looked like no urgency, no effort,
no heart, no passion. It just is very blah basically, and
we were I mean, it was. It was weird from the beginning,
and that's I think one of the things. That's just a lack of consistency.
And if you're going to go to the World Cup, you know you
have to play top notch every game. You're not going to have a chance
it's not what did you make of the former players who are now amitting in
the media, not ripping, but just being critical of the team. We're
probably speaking of. Carly Lloyd has no filter, So I I don't think
she was wrong to be honest. I know there's you either lover you hate
her, and you remove like who she is. But what she was saying
it was not wrong. I mean the way I think it got taken out
of context a little bit. She was referring to the extreme dancing and celebration
after the really scary tie they had that they dodged the bullet with the pole
up the post at the end. I think she was referring to that,
and I agree with her. I mean, as a coach, I would
have been moving my mind if my players were behaving that way and acting might
be just you know, mercy world the team. So I think it was
just frustration. She's not used to seeing that and that's not her mentality and
it wasn't the team's mentality when she played. She's old school, which I
respect, So I don't disagree with her at all. So when when you
when you hurt all that though, I mean you said she you know she's
not wrong, but it was kind of like, you know, how do
you see it seemed like there were too many people rooting against this team,
and then that maybe that gets to the off the field stuff, you know,
where you know some of these you know, some of these athletes are
you know, they've got opinions, they've you know, they can you can
cause some of them polarizing, you know, which I I you know,
my take on that is, you know, so often we want athletes to
use their platform, and then in this particular case, they were, but
some people didn't like their platform, so people were rooting against the team in
a lot of respects. Yeah, I mean, it's you can see on
social media how it seems like more people were happy that they went out than
not. And I think some of it when you know, we want to
use our platform when you can. But I think some types of politics,
I just think it overcome locates things and it can create problems within the team
in the chemistry because I can guarantee they don't all have the same belief about
everything, So I think it can create some issues and it probably did.
I think everyone knows Routino's one of those ones. And I think there's a
time to like speak on certain things and then there's just been obnoxious. And
I think she went to the obnoxious in my opinion, which I'll probably get
hate for that, but I think a lot of issues for the team.
No, no, I was going to ask you about her, and you
can speak to whatever you feel about her, but another polarizing person. And
she didn't play that much and then when she did, she didn't do what
you expect from her. Well, she did what most of us expected,
which was not much. She had her time. She was a great player,
and I think that's a huge thing. You know, I had to
do it myself. You have to know enough is enough and your time is
up. And I think probably went on a little too long because she has
been known to be really great at set pieces and she could place the ball
wherever, but it was very inconsistent, especially that last scheme. She couldn't
even hit a corner correctly, so underheating everything. It was just and I
think that also goes into lack of art and passion in my opinions at her.
Well, you've set up you know before we went on the air,
that you stayed up and watched all the matches and sounds like you're pulling your
hair out or just you know, it was tough for you. It was
a tough thing to do, especially when you're staying up that late. I
had some friends, you know, they were talking about Facebook. I stayed
up for this, and you know people were upset. Yeah, I mean,
I think that's what true fans do. You know, my mom was
up as well and some of my friends, and we're all on our couches
by herself, you know, texting back and forth, complaining and criticizing,
which is always easy to do from afar. So I think it was just
disappointing because you want them to do well, especially like the Julie Earth,
you know, you see her and even our goal Tieper. I think she
had a great game and she came up big, and it was just I
think it was a crush for a lot of us. So we see this
in other sports. We saw this in the NBA. Let's just use us
as an example for you. There was there was the United States was dominant
basketball. The coaches went out to Europe or wherever, and they began teaching
the sport. Thirty years later this year, these your parents are coming in
and doing really, really well. Has the game of soccer now reached that
point, especially in the women's where the other teams are catching up or was
it just a one off? No, I think it's a combination for sure.
I definitely think the other teams are catching up, are half caught up,
I should say, and have become dominant. There's if you I don't
know if you've got to champ to watch any of the other teams, but
there's some really talents of teams. And that's why for us through like hardcore
fans like this cannot be the best you know, twenty something in the country,
Like I just feel like some of them are a little washed up.
And so I think that again, personnel played a role in it. I'm
probably the coaching and the decisions, and then you know, when you have
the rest of the worlds catching up to you, you gotta do better.
Okay, So we're making you the the czar or czars of women's US women's
soccer. What you know, what do you do? What's the what's the
next thing to do? And how would you if you want to say,
fix it or make it better or get it back to where it was?
What's what would you do well. I think it's a totally different generation now
and so things have changed and how you approach it I think is different.
And that's why I think, you know, the carly Lloyds are frustrated with
it, and even me like it's not going to be the same. You
have to approach it differently. I wish I had all the answers, otherwise
they'd be undefeated and everything. So it's hard. I think you may need
to reflect on the roster probably and look at the personnel that they chose.
I think we had really Obviously there's Alex Morgan, and you have Sophia Smith
and Rodman and all those players, and even Lynn Williams and Thompson. They're
all the kind of players that want to go at you. They like to
one to be ones, they like taking you on, but they're not like
a back to goal kind of players. So just getting more variety of those
players I think is huge because we had some possession, but possessions not going
to win the game. So I think finishing was a huge bust for us,
and that's where hurt the personality to start and probably the staff. Yeah,
let me ask you this maybe overstated at least I think it is sometimes
so these women have been icons for a long time, a lot of them,
and the little girls today, the ones you coach from a long time
for a long time, kind of idolize these these women. Maybe I'm wrong
there, Maybe maybe I'm right. Do they and and how does it affect
the little girls growing up wanted to play soccer? Or Am I overstating stuff?
No? I think it's totally does. I think a lot of them
idolize them. And I think not just little girls, but like older girls.
I think there's so many lack of better with fan girls out there that
really love some of these players. And I think it's good for the game.
I think them being off the field doing stuff is good for the game
and it shows them how to represent being a female on what it means for
female athletes. But at the same time, I just think there's a boundary
obviously when to overstep and you know where to keep your focus. I guess.
M okay, okay, real quick, you start with with the Cell
Point girls going after four or three? Which is it? Titles six?
I'm sorry, so Steve was counting on his hands forgot he had another don't
make me don't make me real naps please. So that's produced. Six will
come on now. And I joke with you, all you do is win.
But in another is there pressure on you to do that? Yeah?
I think so. I definitely feel it more pressure on myself than outside.
I think it's anyone that knows me. No, I'm my biggest critics,
So I think there's that. And then knowing all these girls, you know,
they come they expected. Almost anybody that's plays for me knows there's nothing
painted to you. And you know, just like I said, we're fucking
on the women's team, Consistency is huge. Whether you're playing a team that
hasn't won a game in two years or you're playing the Pharmer State champion.
You just got to rise above every time and step up which game. It's
funny that give me pressure. It's funny when we have coaches like you on
I say, there's one thing to get there, and to get there,
it's in a different, different dynamic. When you get there and you have
to stay there, and you've stayed there a long time, how do you
keep the girls grounded to say, Okay, you know this is a new
year, this is not what you did last year. Yeah, that's usually
the biggest thing is to humble them quickly and remind them no matter what's happened
in the past. If anything, it's gonna be harder for us because we
have a bigger target. Just remind me one day at a time, when
practice at a time, and again, everything comes through hard work and respecting
you, just being a good teammate and will reflect on the field. But
it's definitely a tallenge just because everybody watch so now keeping them a struggle sometimes
yeah, so so again, don't don't make me run enough out of this
question. So you one of those coaches that doesn't mind the adversity maybe a
loss and not that you're playing for the loss, but if you get that
loss, it kind of refocuses the group. Yeah, absolutely, that's huge.
I think it reminds them that everyone's eatable. I think it's a good
humbly moment. It's a good moment to test them and see their character and
same with me, to see what kind of adjustments we need to make.
You know, I obviously never like to lose, but it's early in the
season. It's not you know, it matter about the end. It's not
a sprain it's a marathon. So okay, okay, I'm glad you don't
have to make me run sprints or a marathon, and I'll be okay.
Thanks, ke appreciate you, thank you. Thanks right. Well, good
insight. It was kind of kind of the same thing that everyone's been saying.
These girls kind of got full of themselves. They did and didn't and
didn't. They played thought they played good, but they didn't or play well
right, and then again the off field stuff, you know, whether whether
the impact was you know, from the outside with what people were saying about
him and maybe felt like they weren't or then inside the locker room Jay twenty
eighteen two leus and eighteen basketball. Yeah, you think you're better than you
are in another Buffalo team show up and then you show up and boom,
you say, what happened? Well, that happened, Yeah, that happened.
Later, gat, yeah that happened. Then you you cry and you
said, well we'll be back. Well you know you had your opportunities.
Yeah, okay, cool, cool, Thanks Kelly. Let's take a break.
You want to take a break, Now, take a break. Get
some costs. We'll take some costs. Five two zero four one six seventy
four forty Dan Walking from USA today coming in the second hour, and as
of course breaking is the top of the hour, so I'll stick around for
all that will be right back now. Take a look back at the lud
Olson 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
love and coach. Lessons from Loot is an insight to how he built the
program him into a national powerhouse. What one email me at Steve dot rivera
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net. Steve Ravera and Shaken Salaz they have their eye on the ball on
two Suns Sports Big chap Fox Sports fourteen fifteen streaming live on the iHeart Radio
Aaby, welcome back to the ball Fox Sports fourteen. Good to young Steve
Rivera. You're jakin zalis and we're gonna call it a day. If you
were listening during the break a couple of conversations, I don't know what we
said. I don't know to go find out when I when I put up
the podcast, see what it sounds like. I think we said anything bad
for the most I mean, I'm sitting here trying to get more stuff for
breaking news. I'm actually Oh, I talked about the Chaston Yeah, okay,
Yeah, that's pretty much. Okay, cool. Hey if you want
to call in, please do We already had one good call for the Mike
Quinn. Anybody want to call five two zero four one, six seventy four
forty, give us a call, give us a call, give us your
thoughts on whatever's going on. How much attention did you pay to the women's
soccer stuff? I didn't. I followed him just because I mean I didn't.
I didn't watch the match, but I know that when the when the
Sweden match rolled around the game it out the match had already been played when
I got out, and but it was on on on delay and I started
watching it. But then I wanted to, you know, started looking through
Twitter like shot pretty much every morning, and you was gonna come up.
So instead of you know, I wasn't looking for the score to see what
happened, and I thought they lost. Yeah, So then I watched.
I watched the end of it to see how how it happened. But you
know, I mean, I don't watch a ton of soccer. I pay
attention to the world up you know, uh, you know around super Bowl,
you know, we make a shot, we'll make a bet that has
you a soccer bet tied to a super Bowl bet. But I don't watch
it. But I got interested because again I was hearing so much. Right,
well, I thought they would win it, There's no questions about that.
When they didn't beat somebody the first team three when but they didn't kill
the first team and they were supposed to They won three zero, and then
the next one they struggled I think it was, and they tied, and
then they tied again. They tied. It was just like, what's going
on? They just can't score on what's going on? And you should and
Kelly talked about you know, the people on the on the team, the
rush back. Uh, this didn't have any strikers, they didn't have any
scores. Right. It really really struck me when Carly Lloyd ripped on him
because I know who Carly Lloyd is. Yeah, and when she ripped on
like, no, wait a minute, there's something bad on him. Let's
take this call higher on their own on the ball. How's it going today?
What's up? Right? I'll just call about at twelve and their fans
and how they feel about it. Okay, and your thoughts. I think
most fans would rather stay in the packet, right, you know when if
Ucla USC you know, this was not done on the backs of the fans.
This is done because the schools needed more money. And that's it,
no question. But do you think do you think the fans? Do you
think the fans like, say UCLA and Arizona in basketball, Uh, Arizona
and let's say USC and Ucla or whoever in football? How are they going
to react to each other when they're near each other at games and stuff.
I don't think there's gonna be a problem because the fans didn't make this decision
Okay, you know, I don't think the guy I said there going,
oh you guys, you guys did this whatever, And I don't think it
shouldn't matter the fans. You know, the schools decided to do this,
and I'm sure the fans from California love to come here or the Phoenix,
you know, when they play in their game, whether football or whatever.
Instead of traveling all the way, you know, to the Midwest, they
would rather stay right where we're at. And I think the U of A
fans are basically looking at it the same way. We would rather go see
a game at UCLA or USC or Stanford organ whatever instead of traveling to Waco.
But unfortunately, reality is we can't do that. So, so,
Brian, I know you're we have to live with we have. So,
Brian, I know you're a big fan. I was with some fans last
night and they said, well, how can they can't move the thing to
bigg assistance. They're not going to do that. That's you know, It's
like inviting me to your house and then ask into your house and then me
saying could you with the furniture? No, I don't think so, but
we we've already said Brian that the Arizona fans don't travel, well, they're
already at these events. Do you know fans that that travel? Do you
know fans that actually spend money to travel in the regular season, not so
much the postseason. Yes, I do. Yeah, only the California schools.
I mean the STA not Stanfurger now you ula usc okay, because it's
you know, it's like eight hour drive and there you are. Yeah,
but that's not that bad. But that's it. But the other one is
to Washington and Oregons. I don't think so. I don't know that many
people who make that trip exactly, they get the charter, has its charter
and it has its boosters and has its you know fans that way, maybe
a hundred or so whatever. But outside of that, no, I will
say that the only the only road trips I've taken where that I wasn't part
of a booster trip or something like that. I went to Washington once.
I probably went to cal maybe three times. That was on your own.
And I went to Stanford one because just to go. I love San Francisco,
right was always cool, you know, trip to Scomas and all that
stuff. Went to the Bay Area, I mean went to went to uh,
why it was a long time ago too, That wasn't all of those
were in the Dictomia year. Yeah, so that's a long time ago.
Not too many Britton. I mean, they can talk about travel blah blah
blah. They don't you have a bunch of lombs? Do you have a
bunch of loans in those in those locations? Right? You know? And
I really think that once, you know, we get situated in the conference,
maybe we'll develop some rivalries. Besides possibility of the Arizona Danzas basketball.
That may be the only rivalry I can see basically happening right off the bat.
But otherwise we're going to have to develop some rivalries. I don't know
what they're going to be. Well, well, Ka fans hate everybody.
We hate everybody. I already already hate the fans. They may find up
hating Baylor more than they do. You're right, I actually think this will
ellerate the b YU old by u Utah West. I think this will awaken
wind up probably playing a cow I mean a cow Colorado by u Utah a
s u you know, and and on our on our group or whatever.
Maybe we won't have to travel to Central Florida or West Virginia for every three
or four years. Yeah, but I mean they're smart. I'll do it
that way. Yeah. I think that. I think the BYU rivalry revs
up again because you know, we've we've played them over the years, and
you know, nobody likes each other, and it's going to be interesting.
And now we're back in the same conference with them for the first time since
nineteen seventy seven. Yeah. I just don't think there's going to be much
animosity between fans because they're really this is not the fans decision. This is
the school's decision. I know. But I'm going to go out and create
something because I well, that's because that's who you are. You know,
you're always trying, You're always trying to find a way to pick a fight.
He says, Oh, I'm out of that game now, he's out
of the weight class. You know. I can just see it. The
first conference game we have at home, I'll be at probably in the first
quarter, I'll be hauling some guy off. It's gonna be Jay. What
happened to Wow? Some guys, some young kids just came over and clocked
him, all right, Brian, Hey, thanks so much. Man.
You know again, we've hung up our gloves. We're not We're not doing
that. You know. It's funny because I at at this breakfast club that
I worked for. Then I go on Tuesday morning. There's a guy in
there, a retired guy who played football at Oklahoma in the fifties, all
right, and so I see him for the first I walk into the I
walk into the breakfast for the first time, and he's there, and I
just he always comes up and helps me with the steps. He comes talking
to me, said, I'm mad at you. You're mad at me?
What did I do? I said, you and your crap school started all
this. It's your fault that the pact PWEL was dead. He was looking
at me like I was serious. So we had a funny conversation. You're
you're part of that group, and in my mind it's it's an upper group.
It's an upper people group. People with money. Yeah, so do
they do they travel? People with money travel, and they have traveled from
here to there? Yeah, not not USC. I'm talking other than the
USC and uc LS. Well look, look, uh, the Bay Area
was always a fun trip. You know, any game in the Bay area.
There were a lot of fans there and a lot of fans traveled to
that because fans from two it's not love going for the weekend, for the
weekend, for the for the weekend. And so that was that was one.
But you know, I don't know so much about you know, Oregons,
the Oregons and the Washington's, even the Utah's in Colorado. Now,
we did travel to Colorado, did you know a fan trip to Colorado scoops
last year? And the reason for that couple of reason. One, we
wanted to go to Denver too. We had a very close friend that was
living there that you told us with bars to go to and where to stay
and what to do, sort of a host for us. So we had
that connection. She was great, she had she had gone to school at
Colorado and then stayed you know for a job, and so she showed us
around and we had an incredible time. It's a horrible game. It was
thirty below zero. It's freezing. Would did you know you wouldn't gone.
It was freezing, it was windy, it was cold. It was a
day game, but we froze. But we had a great time before the
game. We had a great time the night before the game, We had
a great time. After the game, we still had a great time.
And so I'm kind of happy. That's sort of like the only road trip
that I see myself taking in the future. I don't know that I want
to go particul to go to Salt Lake City. I'm certain I'm not going
to Provo. I'm pretty certain I'm not going to Wake Oh. I don't
think I'm going to love it. You know, the only road trip I
see in the PAC twelve going forward for me as a fan is Colorado,
right right, right, And that's in football specific, and that's football specific.
And let's assume this, no this for a second from basketball, which
you're gonna have even better rivalries and better better games. There's only a number
of tickets. There's only a certain number of tickets, right, So if
you have one hundred tickets, those babies already gone. Well, you know,
people think they're all gonna go to the go to the Kansas game.
You know who's gonna get the visiting tickets to the Kansas game? The booster
playing sure right, sure they're gonna you know, everything is going to create
a package, and they're gonna take a hundred boosterswever many tickets because you don't
get a bunch of tickets for basketball, Paul Gallen, is it you?
You know it's not twenty one thousands? So you know everybody, Oh,
I can't wait for you. Yes, you can get you. You'll be
able to come to the home game if you're a season ticket holder, but
good luck eating in your hand on the ticket if you're not sure, and
those tickets may already be gone. Yeah, yeah, so you know,
but it's you know, you realize that you're paying on how the schedule falls.
In twenty in the twenty twenty four twenty five season, we might have
Duke and Kansas at Mchale'll be fantastic. Would that be in the year Steve?
You say, oh, man, I can't believe you sang that.
I remember when that song came out. And it's gonna be. It's gonna
be, but you know it's gonna be. It's gonna be fun. Look,
and I'm gonna enjoy seeing Arizona play different teams and stuff like that.
I'm gonna miss the old one. But you know, to me, to
me having covered basketball all these years, it's a step up. It's gonna
be a fun step up because the league itself is gonna be fantastic. You're
not gonna say, oh, okay Oregon State Kims, kims. No,
No, you're gonna see Taylor's coming. Uh, Houston, Houston's coming.
If he's still there. Kellvin Samson returns here. Uh, great story there
because people in the mckill used to love him. Yea great guy. Yeah,
so you know it's gonna be a lot of great story here. But
he was a great guy. No, it's all cool, fine, right,
it's all forgotten. But no, I think that again, getting back
to the original. Uh, the original discussion is that how the fans were.
Yeah, the fans of the fans, and and outside of the students,
outside of the students, and maybe some two or three behind you,
they're they're okay, okay, and you play if you're listening, you know,
well, there's a reason we don't sit across the aisle from the visiting
fans and work because we just couldn't do that. You know, we're far
away from them. Now, we occasionally get some fans and there was I
think it was God, there was a Washington game that I'm football football Arizona
didn't win the game, but was in it up there up here. They
were like four guys behind us who they started out really rowdy and we're kind
of obnoxious, and then we were like, you know, guys, we're
not you're you know, you're not in the Washington section, you know,
because they were being brought and they're kind of a little bulgard and stuff.
We just turned just in general. They were just loud and obnoxious and f
bombs and we just gotta say, hey, guys, you know, don't
come down just a little. There were Arizona guys. No they're oh they
said, okay, yeah, they're watching guys. We said, hey,
can we just you know, and they were great and then we were friendly
with them and we talked on them, you know, and stuff like that.
And that's that's kind of what we look for. You know, everybody
wants to have their funds. Did you look for the people that sold their
tickets to these guys? Yeah? You know, well see, up until
up until this year, there weren't a lot of season tickets around us.
I did go looking because I needed one more season ticket for my daughter,
and I looked all the seats around us are sold for this year. Yeah,
yeah, no, that's great. There's someone told me they were looking
for me to come back. They were coming back because they'd like the future,
and they said there's still plenty of good seats available for good spots.
Yeah, we're we're on about the ten yard line on the west side.
The north ten yard line is about where we are, about halfway up and
the you know, you go on to try and get a season ticket in
our section and they're not there. There's a few, but they're we're we're
row fifty six and there's some behind us, but not a ton. Not
a ton. Yeah, okay, good, that's a good that's a good
problem to have for Arizona. I mean, they're not selling out like the
Colorado, but they're gonna if he wins. Yeah, two sons, one
of those towns. If you win, they'll show up. Yeah they will,
they will. Okay, all right, let's take our break. Where
to come back. There are some breaking news and uh, still a lot
of commentary on the on the what do you call pack four pac twelve whatever,
on all of that. There's still a lot of comments be made about
that, a lot of follow up, a lot more you know, people
are still you know, plucking away, trying to come up, you know,
you do things, and so we'll, uh we'll talk about some of
that, and we'll uh cover up what else. We've got some more nominations
or Arizona football players, a whole bunch of those as well. So all
right, we'll be right back and stick around saying swear