This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jagin Zalez soun Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services. It's sure your most prized Possessions kt
z R two sad in iHeartRadio Station. Hey, good afternoon, everybody.
Welcome to I on the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera,
you're jagins Aus. Got our boy Juan in today. One and done
for the week. That's right. I like that. Good look forward at
the end of the week. You know what I do look forward to?
You want, I really do supporting the Jacob Man New Jersey today, Yes,
sir, very awesome. Love love seeing that. Okay, but you
gotta support us fellow students. You do, and but you also need to
go get a conference logo on that, and I do. I saw a
picture to day they're putting the Big twelve conference logos on on the jerseys.
Now, this is a good day. Yeah, you know, we talked
about this yesterday that you know, it's like, okay, we're in the
Pac twelve. I mean, we're in the Big twelve now, right.
We can stop talking to him, except we'll probably talk about it one more
time. Next week we get roxy burns, you know. But we're in
the Big twelve. It's time to start talking about Big twelve. You know,
being in the Big twelve conference in the seasons getting underway. It's gonna
take some use getting used to. It is it is, it really is.
But it's kind of fresh, you know, I mean it's new,
it's fresh. Let's see what happens. Okay, right, Oh you're doing
with their love fest? Here we are? We are? I do like
the jersey though, good look okay, no, cool looks good looks good?
Uh composition? Would you be playing? Hypothetically, I'd be a five
star water boy, come on, mantle More. Realistically, I'd probably be
at three star war Yeah. You have some wheels kind of fast, A
little fast, not fast. I can. I can get downhill, you
can, you can go up here? Yeah? Yeah, but you know,
I mean, you're you're, you're you're you know, you're you're a
big, solid dude. So you know, if you got to I've got
some wheels, you could you know, you could do that. Yeah,
I probably think I think I would just have trouble with the coverage. Yeah
that's about it. Yeah, I can go out and take some place.
Yeah. See, when I was four foot ten and ninety pounds, I
was fast as hell. There was no wind resistance or anything, so I
could I could move. I used to have a real poofy hair. Uh.
All my teammates used to joke like, hey, that's wind resistance right
there. You doing cut it off? Okay, sorry, Steve, that's
okay. Don't mean to forget about you. I'll let you. Let you
guys go Friday. Man, I'm excited about I'm excited about Friday. Okay,
going golfing tomorrow? You are one and ten? No, no,
I'm I'm wondering if it's even gonna be light. I have a six eight
T time. What's morning? Six o eight? Oh, that's plenty of
time. It'll only be ninety five. I'll be done by ten o'clock.
Then I'll probably come home and do some yard work. Honey, dews bag,
got to keep people happy. Yep, yep, yep. Yeah,
okay, cool uh and tuck tang. I'm going to the h what used
to be the Sean Elliott Burger. And oh and that's is thatmorrow? At
think? Okay? Sos and girls club boys and girls. Because the father
of the Year things. That's tomorrow night. I'm going to that. Yeah.
Yeah, we're busy. We're busy. Two Soldan's. We're all over
town, Steve, We're all over town. You can't you can't hide from
us, no, which is sad for the community. Sorry, guys,
if you see us out. I actually gotta put like a suit on tomorrow
night because is the burger thing is probably relatively cash. Yeah, I got
because it's it's for kids. You know, you've been there a few times.
We get the burgers and they get the stakes or whatever. I think
that is the case. Kids don't want stakes. They want if I you
know, if I if I went, I would trade. Yeah, And
that's what they do. That's like at lunch, you know in junior high.
You got you got Peter butter, Joe, I got liver. I'll
trade you exactly. What's what's liver? Yeah, no kidding, Okay,
so cool. Hey, welcome to the show Today Thursday, Friday. Ready,
Friday, we have the bill Mont tomorrow. We're gonna have some of
that today and then we have I think I've met your guy, Jerry Gostellum.
Yeah, I know, because I've seen him. I saw his picture
that side. I know him because he's everywhere or was. Now what's his
situation. Well, we've been talking about, you know, these kinds of
people that you know are in the Pema County Sports Hall of Fame. Jerry
Gostellem one of them. Just guys who have been involved in sports in this
community in a lot of ways for a long time. You know, Jerry's
been He's been a high school coach, probably coached some little league somewhere along
the line. He's been. He's been an umpire, a referee. Was
it was a packed Pac ten Pac twelve ref I think he still does.
I think he's still like or was until they maybe changed it, you know,
the video video replay guy at the stadium. I think they do it
now centrally, but you know, he did that for a while. So
I don't know what he what he does as far as that. I think
he's still umpires and ref's high school sports locally. But you know, I
had a long career doing that, you know, sort of in the Chris
rass Stadder range, except he was football when it came to the conference and
so you know, had a long career doing that, but just kind of
again, all over the place. As you said, if he If you
don't think you know Jadia Gastelle, you probably do. You've met him,
You've seen him, right. If your kids have played any sports in this
town at any level, little league, high school, middle school, or
whatever, you've probably run into Jerry. I think one time I ran he
was doing volleyball, you know, at a at a one of my daughter's
volleyball matches. So just a guy who loves doing that. We'll find out
why, because it's a thankless job, for sure. Yeah, no questions.
Good due too, Yeah, really good due, you said. I
don't know if I've had a longish conversation with him, but the funny guy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So we should have some fun with him.
Yeah, he's a crack up. We should have fun. He's in
he's actually in Houston today. I had to talk him into coming on the
show and you know, interrupting whatever he's doing there to come on the show.
So he'll be on in the in the in the at about three twenty.
Then we'll spend about fifteen minutes. So I'm just talking about the stuff
he's doing. Yeah, okay, cool, it'll be a lot of fun.
Uh, so hey, how about them Celtics, About them Celtics yacht
see like I said last night, man, well like I did it two
books. Yeah, I I won't. No, I won, h I
bet ten bucks. It was a two teamer. I tease the point spreads.
I think I won twenty four dollars. But you we went down on
that way. Yeah, I teased it down to two and a half.
And then I had the under. Oh the under okay, yeah, yeah,
that could have been. It didn't jumpre He didn't look good at halftime.
It didn't well, I should say that it didn't look good like about
the middle of the second quarter, because I thought the Celtics were going to
get get to the number by themselves. It was they were just and you
know, they they had fifty points like early in the second quarter, and
I thought they're gonna they're even get They're gonna get to two hundred. But
then it just kind of slowed down and and I hit a nice little a
nice little two teamer, just again, just just for the Jews. I'm
not winning a bunch of money on these things, but I'm just having fun.
Juice is gonna kill you, Well, that's what it hasn't so far.
I've got a little juice on the Yankees Dodger game. You know,
the the Yankees and the Dodgers of the two teams UH picked to you know,
buy the oddsmakers to get to the World Series. Dodgers are a plus
three hundred. Uh. The Yankees are plus five hundred to win the World
Series. And then it's the Phillies and the Braves, Oreoles, Mariners after
that. But they got a three games set up in open Yankee Stadium starting
today. Juan Soto is out, but it's not a what happened to He's
not a serious it's a it's a it's a it's a something strange. I
don't know what it is. He's not going on the IL or anything like
that. Very well. Yeah, oh yeah, and I uh, you
know, I ran into Chris in the in the hallway and we were poking
at each other about that. Sorry about that, and then I, uh,
but I told him that, you know, he's he's a Yankee fan
and he told me one SODA's you know, not playing. I said,
it's because he's on my fantasy team. He's Dusty together us as we get
hurt, but should be a fun series. First game is for four or
five tonight they're on the Apple TV app and then they're on Fox tomorrow and
then ESPN on Sunday. Not not that I've been paying attention to that.
We are your official Dodger station unofficially. Hey man, Mookie Bets trying to
get out of his slump. He was. It was one for twenty six
going into the game yesterday went two for four with a three run homer.
So if he's if he's out, the Yankees are big Dodger, said Cardinal.
That's right, Cardinal. Good. So this conversations boring you too.
We've got a lot of Dodger fans good to know. Well, a lot
of things going on. Uh In, No, not really. Brennan has
his camp or he's finishing up a camp. Yeah, he's got a he's
got a string of camp camps. I know that Tommy Lloyd has had his
camps too, but he's not down right, he's out out coaching. Uh
So a lot of things locally, stay out of the heat, kind of
maybe do some things. Yeah, you're going golfing, which is great?
Is he and what else? In Hills? Just bet tomorrow? Yeah,
he hit a little something tomorrow. It's gonna be chalky choky tomorrow, chalky,
chalky, very chalky tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know whether
to believe you or not. No, No, I'm sure that she'll say
the same thing, chalky tomorrow. And and Bob Baffort doesn't he doesn't have
a horse. They're not running the horse that should have won the Preakness,
So you know, because of the distance, it's a long distance. Yeah.
And Saratoga at Saratoga what now, because they're refurbishing Billmont. Okay,
Yeah, they did a lot to Churchill downs this year and they're gonna so
now they're doing the same thing. Too old, because these places are old.
They are like old old. Yeah. Church is what like one hundred
and fifty years old? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it.
So they went through a lot of changes last year and they looked very different.
But the Saratoga track isn't as long as the Bellmont tracks, so they're
gonna have to like run laps or what are they doing. It's the same
distance, just just they're going to run the mile in half. But if
the track's not as big, then they just go start start way in the
back. Ye, Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Should be fun.
But shierral Lean is gonna probably kill you think, so, yeah, right,
it's gonna be chalky, Okay, cool? Uh what else anything else?
No, you know, just you been paying attention to stuff. You
know more Dan Hurley, Dan Hurley suspense, you know I did this.
This is kind of it's almost like this could be the most watched coaching higher
in the history of sports. So it's just because people are listening to their
minds, you know. Mike Greenberg Greenee on ESPN goes on and says,
if Dan Hurley goes to the Lakers, this is the end of college sports.
As we know what you said that. That'sn't exactly what why did he
say? What was his backing for that? Just that you know you got
these you know, you got Harbaugh, you know, won anstal championship.
Left you got you know, then if Hurley leaves, you won anastional championship,
like these guys have left for the pros. Of course forever Saban left,
Yeah, Platino left. I mean, it's not ending anything, you
know it. Anytime those guys have left. Guess what everything went on?
Is it changing? Yes? Do you listen to these people to get pissed
off or to get they can't help but see it. You know, well,
well, the reason the reason I I, you know, I'm a
little more afired of about it is because then, you know, Mike de
Corsi, you know who's been on our show a number of times, wrote
a column. They're basically telling Greenee in a nice way, you're a dumb
ass. Yeah, because it is, because that's a stupid thing to say.
Yeah. In fact, in fact, we talk about this all the
time, Jay, or maybe not all the time. Sometimes the people who
love Arizona love Arizona for what reasons? The players? The players? Yeah,
no, no, it's the universe, w Right, the red and
blue and the winds and the you know guess why, because the players come
in they rot and come on right, come on? Do you even remember
who the Jeter was? Jeter Jeter, the big dog from the Duke.
What's the first thing I don't remember it? Chase Chase Jeter. Okay,
do you remember hearing Barcel? These guys remember that he you know what I
remember about him? You can think his pants, that was stupid, the
way he touched his shorts. And I'm like, what are you doing?
But my point is these guys are conve Yeah, they come and go,
and coaches do too. And yes, coaches, it's like when Seana left,
Oh, who are you gonna get? How could this happen? We're
gonna You'll be fine. I mean, the implication that a coach leaving makes
is he's bigger than the whole sport is just stupid. The last I checked
twenty some years ago, Chizwsky almost left to the Lakers too, right,
and guess what we survived and he came back and if he had gone,
so what lo what ha said? Maybe I have a good chance to win
it? Now now I get it to say that things. You know,
you know these some of these coaches are leaving because of what's happening in college
athletic. Sure, but it's not ending college j athletics. And is it
gonna be different? Of course it's gonna. Well, this is probably a
guy who doesn't doesn't live the college basketball or college world, right, you
know, he's in the pro world. He cares about the Jets, he
cares about, you know, the New York teams. You know, he
talks about the pros. You know, you're sitting here in twoson Arizona,
and Dan Hurley goes to the Lakers. You go, okay, just don't
take Tommy Lloyd as your coach, you know, yeah, don't let time
me load go to Yukon. That's all you're thinking about. And Yukon people
are saying, Okay, we're gonna be tough, but who's gonna go get
another guy? Go get another guy? Right? Probably just as good,
if not, maybe not better, but just as good. I'm saying it
was just an overreaction that we always seem to get, you know, in
situations like that. Sure, I mean, yes, you're right. If
guys are gonna be leaving because of this, it's gonna change things. But
it's not gonna end thing though it's not. There's always somebody else. Sports
college sports are just gonna be different, and we've got to come to grips
with that. You ever miss a bia, You ever miss a bus?
Yes? Did you catch the next bus? Yes? And you lived?
Okay. Yeah, this was not like all My Sugar, No, not
on My Sugar. Buffy and Jody, which show was that show Buffy's Family
Affair? Family Affair where they got on the wrong bus and they went to
Mexico. Do you remember that episode. Well, you missed a bus.
Guess what, there's another one that pick you up and you take you where
you need to go. I fell asleep on the bus one time and miss
my stop and I was it was the Broadway bus. I was probably,
well, I wasn't driving yet because I had taken the bus to go.
You were old enough to like not be I was probably fourteen. Yeah you're
not like yeah, I said, oh god, how back? I had
to you know, I was on the Broadway bus, so I had to
get off at the next stop, which was cold, go across the street
and catch the next bus. I have never I can honestly say that some
trends. I have been on a Tucson bus. Buses scared me, did
they they? You scare me? Yeah? Yeah, bus like a local
trends. Yeah. I used to ride the ride the bus all the time.
Yeah, no I haven't. I've been on a Greyhound nostick for hour
to get somewhere. Yeah, but no, no, scare me. A
bus phobia for that reason. Who knows who's on the bus kind of scary
to me at least. Sorry city, Sorry Sunshine, just take a break.
We're gonna take with Jerry first. Yep, Jerry's coming up. He's
uh texted me he's ready to go, and uh we'll get him on cool
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free evaluation. Today. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and
Jay Gonzalez soun Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the
iHeart Radio app just Surgeon I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to
Wying the Ball here in Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's
Jaconsaus. Now on the phone, we have Jerry Castellum. Then you're one
of the newest members from the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame. How are
you, Jerry. I'm doing fine. I'm in Houston. What are you
doing in Houston? Visiting my son family? And I grank it. Say
hello to our boy Francisco Romero for us. Wait, we don't. I
try not to talk to him because he works for the Astros and we hate
the Okay, So, Jerry, congratulations on the award. Very cool,
very well deserved. You know, we've been talking to some of the you
know, people going into the Hall of Fame, just talking about you know,
some of those people who you know, maybe you aren't a Major League
baseball player or an NFL player, but you were just involved in sports,
you know, in this community for a really long time, doing a lot
of different things, and you know, consider you one of those guys.
But for just first, what did the award mean to you? Well,
you know what it means a lot because being a from Tucson, being raised
there and uh, I have a family there, and uh, I just
I just I'm overwhelmed. I should say, yeah, it must be must
be fun. I'll ask you some questions about athletes that you've seen throughout the
years. I'll ask you now, so you've had the previous the previy,
I've seen some great athletes throughout the years. Anyone the strike strike you that
think, Wow, I'm watching the game when this guy is playing. Maybe
like the Rodney Peach that you talked about. Yeah, Rodney Peach. Uh
Sean Elliott. I mean he was a student of mine at Choya. Yeah,
I saw him as a freshman and uh and then he went on to
play the NBA and stuff, and it was it was a great In fact,
he was for the first couple of years until his sophomore year, he
played baseball oh wow, okay, then he can he completely quit and he've
been focused on basketball. But he was a good baseball player too. Well.
He knew he was a soccer player, right because that's where he blew
out his knee. So kind of a three sport athletes, which you know,
people don't seem to recognize. We mentioned Rodney Pete. You know,
he was a you know, a really good baseball player, played basketball and
you know wound up you know in the NFL and football. When you see
a kid, a kid like that at that age, do you do you
know, do you know right away this one's special? No, you don't
really did, Okay, you know until he played basketball in his junior year,
then I knew he was special. U huh? What What are your
first memories of sports? If you can recall maybe as a kid playing Little
lea for my dad, Yeah, my dad was coaching. We played.
I played when I was nine ten eleven years old. I played for Porters
Tucson and they were when that was part of the American League and we used
to play at Government Heights that was our baseball field. And then I remember
playing Junior Indian baseball. I don't know if you guys remember that we played
at We played at Terry Field and that was our place. Lout Farber was
my umpire, our umpire, and there was oh god, I can't tell
you. There was just so many memories of when I was a kid,
you know, little, my first strikeout and when I cried to my dad,
I struck out and when I couldn't, I couldn't throw strikes and I
was seen, of course, and I was crying. There was a lot
of tears. That's where'd you go to high school? You went to Pueblo,
Okay, So a lot of history there as well. And I know
a lot of you guys, my brothers and those guys. All you guys
know each other from all those times competing against each other. But when you
were playing high school sports, what what you know? What were the things
that stuck in your mind that led you to kind of continue to be involved
in sports and whatever way you could. My coaches, yeah, uh lets
Neil was my freshman and sophomore coach, and then Jim Estrada was my varsity
coach. Arda Costa. Those those those types of people that are the ones
that that they gave me an insight as too. Hey continue playing baseball,
you know. And during the time, and you know what, during the
time when I was at Pueblo, I used to get help from Eddie.
Eddie he had helped but he throw. We'd go to Pueblo Field and have
batt in practice and uh and if you remember Eddie Southard in him too.
So there's a lot of people that helped me through my baseball career that there
were an influence on me. I wanted to be just like them, you
know. I wanted to be like Eddie John you know, and being a
good failder and good hitter. And so let me ask you, so,
at what point in your life or maybe career, because apparently and I didn't
notice that you're an instructor or a teacher an educator that you wanted to continue
with your sports career. When I when I graduated from NAU, I was
coaching volunteer coaching at Pueblo. I did football, and then I volunteered with
my brother Richard, who was a head baseball coach at Pueblo at the time.
And uh, that continued that helped me continue to be And then when
I was coaching, I said, you know what, I've got to do
something else to make some money because I was volunteering. So I decided to
get into officiating. Yep, and uh, there we go. I went
from there, and I was a decent official, and I had fun,
and I'm playing. I officiated baseball the first year, and wrestling because I
was a wrestler in high school. Okay, would you believe it? One
hundred and three pounds? We all have. We were there. We all
were there at one point. And then uh, and then baseball, of
course, and I had I had a fun career in baseball. So so,
okay, the first game you ever umpired even as a you know,
did you like as a kid on fired little league games or anything like that,
or was it once you started doing some high school baseball? No,
when I was in the summertime, when i'd come back from any of you
remember, hired me for the county to do softball. So I was doing
softball at I can't remember the name of the park. It's way out there
at the end, Prince and Country Club or something like that. You know,
I can't remember the name of it, but I remember some of the
players that that played. Was one of them was glorious, you know,
she was a good softball player, Tina Rios. I mean, there were
some good softball players back that I was umpiring, and I enjoyed, and
that's what got me started. But then at some point you took it seriously
enough to become like, you know, a high school umpire eventually getting into
college. And I guess you know, my brother Jean just texted me a
little bit and said, you actually did some games in the NFL during a
during a strike. But but first talking about I got to do a couple
of games, and I went to Denver and I went to Dallas. We'll
talk about it at what point because you're you know a lot of guys umpire,
you know high schools, right, and in fact there's usually not enough,
but you know, people empire, men and women umpire, you know,
high school sports, basketball, volleyball, baseball, football, whatever.
But it doesn't they don't go to that next step. When did the next
step of doing like college become a reality for you or something that you thought,
I can do that and how did that happen? Well, I was
becoming a high school football official. I got involved, or I got surrounded
by good people. Jim Vogeltans Marty Herman, Bob Beal, Bob Row.
Those people like that got me going. I I was a young kid,
you know, I was, I was, I was. I was on
JV and freshman crew, and I said, you know what I can I
can go on and be a referee. And I saw see those guys at
football games warming up, you know, and they in the end zone throwing
the football at each other playing catch. I said, you know what,
I want to be like that. So what was it going to take.
I got involved with good people and I listened to them and they should the
ropes. Was it a fun job? Oh yeah, I enjoyed. You
gotta enjoy it. I mean, it's a officiating You've got to have fun
at it. You got to enjoy it. Otherwise you would be You'll be
miserable because the uh fans yell at you. Yeah. Yeah, that's why.
Yeah, you gotta You've got to learn to put that out of your
mind and say, you know what, I'm enjoying the game. These kids
deserve to get the right call and get it done right. So did you
have many friends growing up? Uh? Yeah, I had my wife and
I love her so that it was great. Did your kid did your kids
yell at you for like bad calls or anything like you said, Dad,
you missed that call in that game or anything like that. No, they
didn't. They knew better than to do that. What Let me say,
how about the wife? She would say, doesn't you feel bad because he'd
called that kid out? Nobody said, you say, the car you drive
hunt, that's for That's what I'm doing right, That's what's paying the bills.
So you were in that, you were in, you were back then,
they were paying the bills. I was just putting the gap in the
car. So you you were in the you know, you were doing college
for a long time. I know you did the PAC twelve, but or
Pack ten? I guess it was. Did you do other leagues too?
Or was it just just the Pack ten? Before? Well, junior college?
I did here in here in Arizona, the A C C A C.
And then I did the league Rocky Mountain League. I did some games
in New Western New Mexico. So that's what got me going. That's what
got me into the into the pack. I was able to get spotted.
I should I say, I kind of what's the word I'm looking for somebody
anyway, somebody saw me, and I wrote my letters, did what I
had to do, and I got a chance to to work and gurl Sorgan
came to choose on and interviewed me and so and then I got into the
pack and it went from there. This is a dumb question, but I'm
assuming you would do it all over again. Oh yeah, would you do
anything? Would you do anything differently in terms of how you approached it?
Is there like a formula to do this? Trying to think of that there's
a formula, you know. I I think I would work a little harder,
spend more time with my family so that I spend a lot of time
officiating that it took me away from from family, took me away from my
kids, It took me away from my wife and just and I think if
I would I have taken more time with my family, I think I would
have had more fun officiating. Is there are there games or a game or
a venue maybe, or a coach or somebody that sticks out from your time?
You know, when you're doing major college major college football, you know
a game that you worked that was just like unbelievable that you find yourself on
the field going I can't believe I'm here. There was a couple of them,
but the one I enjoyed the most. And then I'll get to the
one that I couldn't believe where I was at was I went to Notre Dame.
I had the Notre Dame Washington game when Brock Heward was a freshman quarterback.
Wow. Okay. And so when I see when I see Heward at
the announcing games at fu of A, I remember, I remember those games
when that day that he played, and when my wife went with me,
my neck, my aunt went with me to Notre Dame. It was just
it was a great place to be. Yeah, very cool. And then
the game I couldn't I can't believe I was at was I had the Apple
Cup Washington Washington State, and there was I mean, we were down to
the nitty gritty, it was. It was close, and I said,
I can't believe that I'm I have there's a play that could I could determine
that the winner of this game, and it's gonna be worth a million dollars
to some of these kids, you know, right. I think that that's
that was the fun part. I think just knowing that every call that you
make is work is going to be somebody's livelihood. But no, well,
congratulations on this because it's a it's a big deal. Well, I I
I'm trying to I'm trying to get that in now. I'm still still can't
believe it. Yeah, still can't believe it because there's being from Tucson and
stuff. It is just pint and race right. Well, yeah, and
again, you know, just one of those guys that you know, everybody
knows around in sports, and your your family too, you know, your
brothers. You know, it's just there's just a group. And I,
you know, I was I think I'm a bit younger than you because I
think you're closer to my brother's age. But you know, I remember growing
up and seeing you guys playing in you know, the city league baseball game,
you know, on city league baseball teams, watching you guys play baseball
in high school and stuff like that. And I didn't know you at the
time, but over time you've gotten to know each other. And I remember,
you know, you hung around with all the guys that you know,
my brothers hung around with and played baseball with, and all that is just
right. If you've grown up here, everybody knows everybody. Yes, that's
true. You know it's true. That was before you came on. I
was saying, well, yeah, yeah, Jerry, I've seen him all
over the place. So do you get this because of your past? You're
at the grocery store and says I know you from somewhere. I know you
from somewhere, but I don't know what. Do you get that a lot?
Or did you? Well? I get that from some of my former
students, junior high students. They said, remember me, mister, And
I said, God, they tell me, mister, still, this is
forty years ago, you know, and they still remember. So that was
that. Those are fun times. Remember the time you didn't pass me because
I was a cranky guy. Hey are you are you still doing? Are
you still umpire and refing in Tucson? Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
They asked me that. And do you remember me, sir? Remember
me? I played baseball at Sunnyside? Yeah? What I could, But
I don't remember you. I don't remem I don't remember names. I remember
faith. Okay, what can you still do? Refing? Umpiring wise?
Because we know, you know, you're getting along like the like the rest
of us are. What what can you still do. What do you still
enjoy doing? Okay, I still do high school football, okay, wow,
okay, a referee, so I really don't have to run a lot.
I just have to follow players where the wings got to be ahead of
them, and so on and so forth. But I do a lot of
middle school. You know, there's always room for anybody that wants to become
an official. There's plenty of middle school to be done. Middle school is
always looking for officials, And in fact, I scheduled some of the officials.
I work in the Northwest, which is anti school district uh Helleen,
the Foothills Marana. You know, those those school districts need officials and there's
always a chance for them to start working. We'd be happy to train you.
You know, I was gonna say that I do basketball, so okay,
wow, okay, I don't know that I could run up and down
a basketball court, even even in middle school middle school games you have half
court. Yeah, yeah, that's still a lot, Jared, that's still
a lot. Well, thank you, Jerry, Hey, Jerry, thanks
a bunch of again. Congratulations on the award. You know, just again
one of those guys who's everybody if you don't know. It's because you don't
know. We all know you. So we appreciate all the stuff you've done
here, and thanks for coming on. I appreciate it, all right.
Take care, Joy Houston, Joey Houston. I can't even imagine how hot
it is in Houston. Now, get escalated quickly here. I went out
and took the garbage cans in today and it was like, dang hot.
But it's a druy heat. Yeah you're not Yeah, you're not dry when
you get back out of the heat, that for sure. All right.
Thanks to Jerry Gastalan for joining us today. If you missed it, you
can catch it on the podcast when you post it tonight. So'll be sure
to give a listen to Jerry. He's just one of the great guys around.
So let's take a break. We'll be right back. If you're an
Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years.
Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era in my new book, Lessons
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state up to sere. Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Honey? I always think you're hot, but it's June and we all
know it's going to get hot in Tucson. It doesn't have to be hot
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They have the solutions for us for all your air condis she needs call
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picture rockscool dot com. Jasus x Y and Crowning Steve Rabera and Jacob Salaz.
They have their Eye on the ball on Tucson's sports stage cheat Fox Sports
fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Jay. Got one with us.
We got thirteen minutes. Would you'd like to call five to zero four one
six seventy four forty nice to talk about. Did you don't know him right?
Do you know him? Ja? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah again.
He He's one of those guys that I'm just probably I think Jerry's probably
close to seventy easy the late sixties or early seventies. He grew up.
He was around the age of my older brothers, right, that whole group
of guys that when I was a little kid, I would go to their
high school baseball games and stuff like that, or they played football or whatever,
and so they were like that, you know, older level of guy.
And there's a whole bunch of those guys that you know he mentioned,
you know, you know some of the some of the guys that you know
he hung out with, and and they all knew each other, whether he
played at Pueblo, Sunnyside, Tucson High wherever, you know, they they
they ran into each other. They play in city leagues, whether you know
city league basketball, city league baseball. A lot of them would would would
get together and and and play and they just all knew each other from around
town. Well, let me ask you, because I obviously didn't grow up
here. I got here in the late eighties. I'm curious. Uh,
back then, it's totally different. Now that I see photos, it's kind
of totally different than it is now, right right, obviously, But how
was it? How was it? And I know you played a little sports
you can't play as you got older. How was the the rivalries in sports?
Because now everybody plays travel ball with each other their friends or around friends.
But when they played each other, they really hate each other. The
rivalries were real and how but this school it was like a because fewer schools.
Okay, yeah, so around that time, let's say when I was
in elementary school. But when these guys in the in the late sixties,
early seventies, or when my brothers were in high school, you know,
the the you know, the schools were I can't even name all the high
schools. You know, you had Tucson High, amphisal Point, Sunnyside,
Pueblo, Catalina, ringcon Ceo, Floying Wells, and then Sowarro opened in
nineteen sixty nine, Sabino opened, several Sabino opened when I was getting to
high school. So to talk about the time, you know, at that
age for me, late sixties, every seven, those were the high schools.
Now there was. You know, there was no Gallas Douglas. Uh
you know that you would occasionally play. So those were all the schools,
you know. Santa Rita wasn't around yet. Sabino, No, none of
tho schools were around here. Dad tell me, like the goodle tell me
what the good old days were like. But those rivalries were real. And
those rivalries started in junior high because there was junior high tackle football at all
the schools at all the at all the now Sunnyside had one one junior high
was Sunnyside Junior High. And then when I was getting ready to go into
into middle school or junior high, Apollo opened up. But Sunnyside had one
one one high school, and and the and the junior high school and the
junior high school very freely the famous for was the was the was the football
coach at Sunnyside Junior High. My brothers played for him, you know.
And that's so that's we're talking. I'm talking about Howard Brining. Howard Brining
uh uh and and uh and and freely were the coaches at Sunnyside. My
brothers played for those guys, so everybody knew everybody, and the rivalries were
real, but then on the side they'd be friends. I mean Sunnyside and
Tucson High. Tucson High was it at that time. You know, they
had guys going going to the pros and stuff like Curly Culp, famous Kansas
City chief, played in the he went to to On High. You know,
guys like that. You know where they were going to, you know,
big colleges and stuff like that. Tucson High was it. Yet Sunnyside,
who never beat Tucson High in anything, was a big rival and it
wasn't really a rivalry because Tuson I kicked their asses. Everybody wanted to be
there, but everybody wanted to be Tucson High. And the Tucson High AMPHI
game every year there would be eight ten thousand people at the game because Tucson
h I had that stadium that they have now over there on Sixth Street.
I mean they had a stadium. It wasn't just a field with bleachers.
It's a stadium, right, And then AMPHI had had a big facility.
That game every year was a big deal. So the rivalries we were cool,
like now, you know, not having my sons played obviously, but
the rivalries in Northwestern it's not I don't know how are they today? I
should ask, I should ask a life. The rivalries to me seemed to
be more limited to those schools within the same district. Amphi and CEO is
a big rivalry, right, Micah Mountain and and Sienega big rivalry to the
region's right. Yeah, to the these were city wide rivalries. You know
that that you know, if a team beat you, you wanted to beat
their ass the next year, right. And and you know my family,
my brothers all went to Sunnyside, so their huge rivals were Tucson Hai,
Uh and uh and uh and Peblo. I mean this is before CHOI open.
If anybody wants to call, please do five two o four one,
six seventy four forty. Let me know is and one of us know what
you feel about that because I didn't experience it growing up. I was I'm
a little behind you in terms of age. But back in my place was
two schools and and pretty much they hated each other, but we were friends.
Yeah. And I mean you picked up the Saturday morning newspaper day football
season, you picked up the Saturday morning newspaper and there was a story on
every game, right, there was a story on every single game, pictures
and box scores and the whole bit. And you know you were excited if
there was a picture and you were and you know you were in there.
I remember my brother, uh my cousin was a running back at Sunnyside and
uh my brother was a was alignment and there's to this days to remember this
picture. You know, my cousin's in the picture, right, you know
the pictures of him running the ball, but my brother's in the background,
you know, having made a block or something. And we cut that out
and we put it up on our refrigerator. Sure it was a big deal.
Those were those days when you had a newspaper. Yeah, but yeah,
they you know it was there's it's it's what you would imagine. I
mean, it was what you would imagine, like Texas football is, like
you know, I mean people went to the games, you know, all
the parents, you know that the games had the bleachers were full of were
full of fans. When did that get lost? I'm not really sure.
I'm not really sure. Let's take this call. High are on the air
and I on the ball. My god, jam, you're gonna have to
turn something off in your background. We're getting a lot of feedback, much
better. What's up? Yeah, we can hear you better. Now go
ahead if you allow me. The woman I was telling you about, they
gave me the hard founds. His father was Joel Favera Joel. Yeah,
he was the coach at at the Sunnyside. He won a state championship there.
Not at Sunnyside, but somewhere before that. He was a high school
All American running back at Tucson High Yep, yep, yep. And he
still holds some scoring records. I don't know how, but he does.
Yeah. No, My brother, my brother Jean, played for him when
he went to coach at Sunnyside. Okay. And and he is also in
Pat Narcy's PAMA Hall of Fame. Oh okay, all right, so that
all ties together. So, Jim, did you grow up here too,
No, when did you get I didn't move here until nineteen eighty three and
old, and I was like seventeen years old. Okay, Okay. I
just wanted to get a gauge of the rivalries back in the day, you
know, how it all started or whatever. You know. I heard a
lot about those things just from He was a great guy. We had a
great relationship. We went to the we went to the two thousand and one
World Series game, the second one. Spooky Ray Charles is the thing that
Ray Charles and the bombers. It took both to get everybody out of there.
It was funky. That's too funny. That's too funny. That's a
that's a fun I just looked him up on the Sports Hall of Fame website.
Yeah, my brother played for him at the for I think his senior
year. Joe Favara took the job at Sunnyside, if I recall correctly,
something like that. He was the guy and nobody wanted to tackle. Yep,
yep, yeah he was. He was big and strong and thick.
Yeah, and he just yep, yep, yep. That's that's him.
That's him, all right, Jim, thanks a whole much, man,
I appreciate the memory. Thank you. So so you listed off ten eleven.
I think there was eleven high schools back in that day. I'm maavia.
If you want to call us let me know or text me. How
many high schools now twenty something? Oh god, there's a ton of them,
right, I mean, she's there's like there's there's three or four just
in the Vale School district. You've got I think four high schools in the
Anti school district now with Mountain View, and then there's Marana. A funny
story about Morana Miranda Junior High. I remember my going to see going to
Miranda Junior High for a football game that my brother was playing in. And
there was this guy I can't remember his name. He would my brother would
remember his name. Who The running joke was that he drove to the game.
Yeah, he was man among boys and I can't remember his name,
and he was just you know, and like he played like four years of
junior high football and then like eight years of high school football. I can't
remember his name. Somebody will know, but you know, it was just
funny those things like that. You remember the bad news bearers and the guy
came up rolling in the motorcycle. Yeah yeah, it was like smoking,
yeah and all that. Yes, yes, absolutely say something along those lines.
But uh, you know they said he had kids. But anyways,
uh, you know, but and you knew you got to know those guys,
you got to know these players. I think I got corrected curly Capp
I think was from Yuma, but he played at a s U and he
went. But but Tucson I had guys like that because I had not heard,
but Tucson I had had had guys like that, and guys who would
go play at the U of A Mike, Mike Dawson h and Bill Dawson,
both guys out of you know, because I think both of those guys
went. Those dudes were I think it was Mike claim that mild mannered,
very good dudes. Yeah, yeah, but you know, guy guys like
that that that you got to know those guys, you know, they they
had their stories in the newspaper. Uh, you know, and and and
you got to you got to read about those guys. But uh, you
know it was just U, I don't know, just fascinating that that you
know, the coverage is right now Yeah, well but yeah, and you
know, but you know these guys now they as as we talked about with
uh who were talking about playing one sport, These guys play one sport.
Now you don't see yeah, you don't see him. You don't see them
in football, then the basketball season, then the baseball season, right like
you used to back in those days, Like you know Jerry's talking about.
I didn't even know Sean Ellie played baseball, right, We knew he played
soccer, but only because we knew about his knee injury. That that's when
he injured the knee. So Javier chimes in the biggest rivalries football rival Morano
versus Mountain View, Sabino on Suarrow, Sunnyside and Desert View, and the
last couple of years Ceo and Mike Mountain because yeah, Mike co mount because
of the former coaches. Right, all right, but you know, uh,
you have a chance more. Tavier, send me the number of high
schools as well. But back then the rivalries were about neighborhoods, right.
The Sunnyside was a big rival with Pueblo because they, you know, the
districts butted against each other, and some of those kids played against each other
in little Let's take this real quick, Hi, you're on the air and
line the ball. You got to be real quick. You only got about
a minute. All it's Richard, I'll be fast. I've lived here in
eighty six. You know fo oklahol Ilkahoma has a big, big Okloba fan.
Anyway, talk football, low and my nephew, Matt, and he
decided I'm going out for football for Ampire and he made the ninth grade team
and then he played for three years for Burne Freeley. Yeah, and I
went every practice, in every game, and we had Mario Bates and we
were a fantastic and went all the way to state finals and uh. On
the meantime, there were just a lot of great games at a great time.
But going to the practices, it was like right out of nineteen fifty
nine almost with a coach free and Wernikee Yeah, yeah, no, I
mean it was hilarious. It was the one hundred five degrees out there watching
practice. We loved it. Yeah, very awesome. And Freely a legend
in Tucson. Just just a legend, legend. All right, Richard,
Hey, thanks a bunch, rich appreciate it. Well, you know,
you know, really, I mean he was you know, I mean probably
I don't know if you can name a better high school football coach, you
know, than Vern in Tucson. Right, yeah, So all right,
we're at the top of the hour. We're gonna take our break. We're
gonna come back once loaded it up with breaking news. There's lots of it,
and we'll and then we'll kick this. We'll kick this around some more
if you guys want to. But let's go and take our break, and
then we're gonna be talking some horse racing in the second in the second hour,
so stick around