Streaming live on the iHeartRadio WAPP. This is I on the Ball with Steve
Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to
I on the Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, he's Jay.
Now we have Tevin with breaking news. This is Eye on the Ball,
Breaking News on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right, so we're gonna
start with the number twenty one Arizona Wildcast baseball team. I laughed because they
were. They were ten and thirteen exactly, so far from being ranked exactly.
And now because of an eleven game win streak, the nation's best win
streak actively, they are now the number twenty one ranked. It's kind of
unbelievable, to be honest. This is what that makes them twenty one and
thirteen, right, that'd be great, man. That's where we were eleven
mikals twenty one. If you using your toes and your I had that one,
I can do that one. And they played They played GCU tomorrow at
GCU. All right, Oh, okay, what's what's the pitching, clutch,
hitting everything? I mean, they you know, their their game on
Sunday, they're down five nothing going to the bottom of the ninth and they
rallied for six runs to win the game. I mean, I think when
you have an eleven game wins streak, everything has to be going well.
And I think that's more or less what it is. Yeah, and I
think pitching has been a big part of it. They have the eighth best
team e RA in the country, and across the last eleven wins, the
last eleven straight games, the pitchers have allowed more than three runs just twice.
Pretty impressive. So well, and they they've gotten you pitching coaches here,
right, So I see. So I think that that's obviously, you
know, having an impact. But yeah, I mean, you know,
they keep winning games. Who do they have this week? Did you have
you looked They're playing GCU tomorrow tomorrow and then their conference series this weekend.
I'll look for that. You go ahead. So we had a scary injury,
uh in this you have a Oregon softball game. I don't know if
we want to talk about that a little bit. There was a player that
dove into field and injured herself. Yeah. I was actually watching the game.
It was the it was a Saturday game, Saturday night game. Arizona
and Oregon. UH player handed al Godo center field of for Oregon. There's
this ball into the gap. She dives for the ball, and the ball
and the glove. The ball hits her glove as her glove and her head
hit the fence. I mean, she laid out and just basically ran headfirst
into the fence and then she just kind of rolled over and was clearly clearly
hurt and it looked bad. Not that it mattered all that much, but
you know, when she you know, you know, the ball clearly hit
in her glove and it looked like a catch. But when she kind of
fell, I don't know if she lost feeling or whatever. The ball just
rolled out of her glove. So it's called a hit and it was ended
up being a triple for Arizona. But it took a good fifteen minutes or
so. They took her off on a stretcher, took her out of there
in an ambulance, and as far as I know, she's still in Tucson,
because I think I saw something yesterday and that she was at the University
hospital that she was gonna be here for a couple of days. So it
sounds bad Oregon did release sus statement saying that they expect her to make a
full recovery. But we still don't know the extent of the injury. But
it looked it looked bad, Steve. You know, I mean, you
know, she all those things hit hit the fence at the same time,
and uh, and you know, and then when you you know, when
they hit the fence and then she just rolls over her back. And but
she was moving, she was moving her hands and stuff. So but yeah,
but nonetheless, it could be a bad injury. Arizona's Olivia DeNardo has
been named the PAC twelve Player of the Week for the first time this season.
She hit five hundred six for twelve with three home runs for RBI and
five runs scored UH to help Arizona sweep New Mexico State and then win the
series over Oregon. Yeah. Yeah, two out of three against Oregon,
which was you know, Oregon was little higher in the standards in Arizona,
so they kind of needed to do that. But yeah, they're a little
bit of a little bit better position and they are so both as we've kind
of football and I mean baseball and stuffle kind of got lost in the shuffle
of basketball and the things went on with football. But they're both ranked and
you know, so you almost see what happens going on. The w NBA
Draft has taken place in about thirty minutes here. Obviously, Caitlin Clark is
expected to go number one. I'm looking at the ESPN mock draft right now.
Uh, Stanford's Cameron Brink is expected to go number two. Camilla Cardoso
from that incredible South Carolina team going to project it go she's like six seven,
Yeah she is. She's really good. Yeah, she is six seven
exactly. Well, you're on you're on the ball today, are I saw
I saw her in the South Carolina game. Yeah. And then Alia Edwards
is expected to go number five. I looked, I looked at we were
talking about it earlier. There are no Arizona players projected to go in the
draft. Okay, I really thought, and I didn't see her very much.
You saw her a lot more than men that she could just play.
She could she can play. She could play, a very heady player,
very smart, very good. But but but this the next level, right,
Yeah? But and for five years she's she was tentative to shoot the
ball when she was one of the best shooters on the team, which makes
makes no sense. I don't know what it was, but you know,
look, she you know, she's from Spain. She'll probably get head back
home and go, you know, make a decent living, uh back there
somewhere, so good, you know, good first she probably got a degree,
maybe a couple of degrees. Uh and uh, you know she'll she'll
have some good things ahead of her. I really liked her, you know,
I liked her, you know from the from the day from her freshman
year. I I just thought, this is gonna be a really good player.
She was a really good player. But there was that little thing about
not having the ability to pull the trigger when you thought she could or should.
Right, we still got to get a deal on I'm trying to get
on the show. I thought they they took the final four team to the
brink, not once, but a couple of times with the seven person roster.
How did that happen? I think it was inspiring, honestly, Yeah,
final you know they're they're fine. If you could get past the well
why is all this happening? And just watching them for who they were you
thought that they were. That was a very gutty gutty team that they that
they ended up with. Yeah right, no, no, no question.
Uh. She Rices and his friend Teddy Knox are being sued for one million
dollars in actual damages and ten million dollars in punitive damages in relation to the
crash, the six car crash. Oh yeah, that they started. It's
going one hundred and nineteen miles an hour or something like that, So fast
as you've ever gone. Not that fast. I've gone over one hundred on
the freeway. Why how does that feel? It was? It was when
we had a new car and I didn't know I was going that fast.
You know, on the drive from California, you know that just deserty gap
between blythe and and we took it in two weeks ago, you know exactly,
and you know I'm driving, I'm like it look like I'm going and
I looked down at the adomator I was going like so, I didn't even
know I was going that fast. You're crazy kids. If I don't know,
I don't know that, I would guess like once, why I like
once, like just to literally because you could, so just to do it
the same reason you're asking us the question I was asking myself the question,
what does that? What does that feel like? So I did it,
But it wasn't in a neighborhood or anything like that, nobody around. But
even I mean, what's it's like getting to call it too in the morning?
Nothing good, I know. But if you if you have a nice
car, okay, which we did at that time, it was it was
relatively new, and you've had a bad car, not a bad car,
but a car that you you could feel how fast you were going. Also
you got this cortage just glides and then you realize how fast you're going.
I've never been I think I've done eighty five minutes and did a couple of
couple of trips ago I think a year before last time the way to Vegas
for Uhi twelve pack twelve No, it may it might have been November.
And I got in a line of cars that was just going, so I
just stayed with them, and I'm just in the middle of the like four
cars in front of me, like four cars behind me, and we're just
going on that stretch between Wickenberg and uh yeah and the and the forty and
we're just going. And then I said, I look down. We're doing
like ninety five and that's not an easy road. That's just that's a narrow
road from Wickenberg to Well. It was one of the two lane you know,
where there's two lanes on each side. Okay, it's a small stretch.
Yeah, it's a small stretch. But I was just staying with the
traffic and we were we were hauling. But you too wish the death wishes.
I have quick reflexes. Oh yeah, see, I wasn't. I
was sure. I was never staying. You get up and I was going.
We went about that fast. I'm gonna say, a good twenty minutes.
What did I learn from today? A good twenty seconds? Ask me
a five o one? What did I learn from the show? Jay has
quick griefs as Okay, I've got a little bit of a lead foot sometimes,
all right. So the n c A Men's basketball transfer portal ESPN plus
Today rankings for the season, and Umaro is the number one transfer available right
now. I don't know about the other transfers, Jay, but this is
shocking to me. Maybe because he's too close, I can't see the But
you've seen more of him than others have seen. Correct, You've seen the
miss free throw. Yeah, yeah, I've seen her without her clothes on.
That's why she's my ex. We're gonna get go ahead and get cut
off here. But you know what I'm saying, I know you know more
about him than maybe some of the others. You know, they see a
seven foot one, seven seven you guy, big dude? Uh does really
well play? Yeah, you know, and and you know, I guess
people coming off of the whole Zach Eaty thing saying that college colleges can still
use guys like Umar, right, you know where Umar is, I was
probably not going to have much of a shot or maybe he will get some
some kind of a shot at the NBA. But yeah, we've seen We've
seen more of it than than some others have seen. Uh, okay,
I was gonna put you on the spot, Buty w Would you guys like
to guess where Colin Boswell ranked on that list of one hundred, one hundred
sixty five. Jay, I'm gonna put him in the forties twenty three,
twenty three, yell Stevie started, you know, he started on a team
that was I've seen number one in the country. I've seen him too much.
Yeah, no, I hear you, I hear you. We all
have you know, and we saw that. We saw that. We saw
the ups and the downs are not just the ups, right, It's like
we've seen more than his highlight d It's like the people that kind of not
ruined Arizona basketball season in November, this team could be a national title winner.
Yeah, honestly, isn't it the same thing when they never really saw
the complete resume? Yeah? No, you're right aboute absolutely correct. The
Sons and Grayson Allen just inked a four seventy million dollar extension. That's the
thing that happened today. I you know, I would never have that guy
on my king. You have a back bias too, Yeah, you have
a back bias. You could be a I don't really see him playing,
but you have a you have a back buyers. I just he's the kind
of guy I would not want on my king. See, but I don't
I don't think he might have changed. He may not be that guy anymore.
It does seem like he has matured in whatever way that might meet.
He does seem very level headed now. And I don't know, I don't
know. I wouldn't pay anybody more than two million dollars, So I don't
know. Yeah, we were talking about how the NBA none. We were
saying, we didn't really pay attention until it's starting to kick off. Well,
they actually have averaged a record eighteen three hundred and thirty two people in
attendance per game. That is one and a half percent up from last year.
The NBA is booming, apparently, even though it doesn't. It doesn't
feel like any we're watching. No, there's some man, there's some arenas
that look pretty empty if you ask me, Right, that's what I'm saying.
That's kind of how I feel. Well, it's probably because the other
teams, the Nicks and the Oklahoma that they just filled it up every because
they're winning, right, they're winning, especially somebody like the next have been
so bad for so long, all a sudden they're winning. The Kings as
well, the playoff team again, you know, they were so bad for
Golden State. Usually does the Phoenix playe to us? The average? What
did Phoenix end up at six? What do they do? What? Oh?
Was it wasn't It wasn't a list. It was just so Yeah,
but there there's sixty sixteen. People in Phoenix are really down on these guys,
the three the three games, so close to an NBA championship, and
they thought that the Big Three, the Big Three quote air quotes, you
know, we're gonna we're gonna take them to the promise. They're talking.
I was spends a lot of what eight days of the last two weeks there,
they're just the chemistry is bad, they're not playing together, all these
things. What's wrong? No one's really saying, because you can't really identify
it until you see it. Let's get Jody tomorrow. Uh yeah, yeah,
that's fine, right, Yeah, with the playoffs getting ready, all
right, last thing from me obviously with Calipari moving into our and saw he's
losing or Kentucky is losing all of their commits. Yeah much. They've lost
three five stars, a four star. Three players have transferred out, like
all in the last week. So you think it's because of color Party going
to they're playing They went there to play for him. Yeah, they're going
to Yeah, they're following him. You know, Mark Pope comes in Kentucky.
Guy, did you see the the Yeah, no, dy, I
saw the entrance was that was was crazy very smart, Yeah, very smart,
very cool. But you know what the think is ninety six. Well
you know what to piss you off a little bit, It was I one
in ninety seven. Those dues are old, man. Yeah he was on
that team. Those are old. And that's like another Well. I saw
Tubby Smith, who remember he took over Kentucky. He was at the year
after uh you know, in ninety eight, and I saw him at the
final four. That dude is old. He said, right behind us,
yeah, right behind us, and it was yeah, he was old,
which means that we're old. Three three year old. Dang. I saw
that entrance, which Jay okay, so so cal party has this reputation right
bringing athletes here. He's oh, I'm gonna change, nothing's gonna change.
He's got the same coaching staff. They're gonna do all. They're just picking
up and moving it over there, and they think it's gonna work. Right,
We'll see, we'll see, we'll see. Yeah, well, well
we won't do it again. Yes you are, because that's what you know.
Yeah, well yeah, you know, and they're going to play for
you in Kentucky. Fan I think is just happy to say, okay,
that didn't somebody right and see what happens. So good on them. All
right, We're gonna take our break when come back and talk some hockey with
road Runners. Uh head coach Steve Potman will be joining us. They're in
the playoffs. They start on Wednesday. I believe here in Tucson they're hosting.
They've got a three game series and all three games will be here,
So stick around and we'll talk some hockey with Steve pot Fin from the two
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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 iHeartRadio app
just Surgeon I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to E on the
Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jaco Zalaz
Now infoe. We have Steve Pudlin of the Twucson Roadrunners, the head coach.
How are you, Steve. I'm doing well, Thank you, Thanks
for having us on. Yes, no, great, you guys are rolling
here at the end the end of the season. I go ahead to Jay
with your discas I'm going to say, so, you've got a nice position
of your regular season isn't over yet, but you've already clinched the playoffs.
So tell us a little bit about, Hey, your approach this week and
then what you're doing to get ready for next week when the playoffs start on
Wednesday. I previously said I thought they were this Wednesday, that a week
from Wednesday in Tuson. But tell us a little bit about between now and
then. What's going on with you guys. Well, we'll between now and
then, we have we have three more games. We've got a pretty good
rival that we're heading up the interstate to play in Coachella, the first place
team, and so they've you know, they've sort of set the standard,
so we're looking forward to that matchup. We had a good practice here today
and take a bus ride up there tomorrow, and then we finish at home
against San Jose and we play them twice before we head off into the playoffs.
And the best thing is that, you know, it's been six years
since we've been able to play in front of our fans, so we're looking
forward to it. Coach, I think, can you wet here maybe refresh
my memories, but I think you guys started out very well at the beginning
of the year, and did you kind of see that or set the tone
then to what you're seeing now. Yeah, No, definitely we started out
really well. I thought the middle part of the season we did a good
job of maintaining and then just recently we've you know, emerged again, and
I think the guys rallied behind each other and pushed each other, and really
they were, you know, very looking forward to the opportunity. A lot
of guys have been called up, and we've had some injuries, so some
guys have been really you know, waiting for an opportunity to get a little
bit more ice time and put into different situations. So they've been really thriving
under that that ice time and the pressure of trying to secure your home ice.
Well, what's the big what's what's the toughest part of that challenge in
terms of as you said, you know, guys going up and down and
and that kind of thing to kind of keep sort of a you know,
a team sort of intact and with a with a level of I don't know,
cohesiveness or whatever you want to call it, you know, to be
able to play well enough to get to the playoffs. I mean, how
hard is that when you've got guys moving around like that, you know what
it's it's I think it's it's harder to imagine, but I think when you're
in it, you know, we've got so many good players and so many
good people that they're they're ready for it, and it's just part of our
business. They understand it. Of course, a lot of the players would
you know, like to be the ones that are called up and are you
know, are getting the opportunity. But if you look at our season,
there's been a lot of call ups, and I think the players all feel
valued and they all feel that there's there's an opportunity, and you know they're
they're not far and you know, we just try to maintain focus on what's
important right now, but also keeping keeping in mind what their long term vision
is. So it all comes for you know, it's all, it all
comes down to a long term vision. If they want to play, they've
got to remain you know, with a positive attitude and keep on the on
the right page in order to give themselves the best. Well, I was
going to say, so, do you see that with guys who know they're
close or maybe they did go up and they say, okay, I got
to get back there. You know, do you see a difference in how
they approach things as the as the season goes on, and you know,
they get a little more bounce in their step when they know they're that close.
Yeah, you know, I think so, you know, it can
it can go both ways. Sometimes guys come down and it takes them a
couple of days or you know, a week to kind of get over it
a little bit. And then once they settle back in, Yeah, they
get right to attack mode and they understand that hey, these next future games
are going to impact their their future, and so they they definitely dive into
it and they look forward to the progressions, you know. And so sometimes
guys come back and they see that it's it's such a cap or it's such
a they're they're capable now, and it's it's not they're not that far man.
That just builds a lot of enthusiasm and they can't wait to get at
it. So was this your second or third year? I think it's your
third year? Correct with these guys, it's been six years with the organization
or eight years with the organization. This is my third year of being the
head coach, and prior to that, I was the assistant coach. Without
the third year, is there sanchie maybe some consistency with a coaching situation where
the guys know you, they know your system, and they know what to
expect from you, because three years is very a long time now. Yeah,
absolutely. I think the guys that have been here with us understand the
process, there's no doubt. And you know, then those players help out
with the new players that have, you know, just coming in that they're
starting to understand our process and it's good to have some players that were here
that can help with that. Is there a good mix, good mix of
past and be present? Oh yeah, yeah, we've got a good mix
of players that have been here at least you know, for two years or
some of them have been here as long as I've been here, So that's
very helpful. So I'm going to assume that you're probably like most players or
coaches, right, you want to get you want to get to the bigs,
and uh, I'm just going to make that assumption. But what's what's
the challenge? How different is the challenge at this level? Then maybe what
you think you would see, uh in the NHL. You know, I
guess in the NHL that's a little bit more predictable. You know, you've
got certain guys getting paid certain amount of money, So those guys get a
certain amount of minutes, and they're typically you know, in line with the
first position in line of you're making the most money. You're probably in one
of the first lines, you know, and so on and so forth.
I think there's a little bit more predictability that way. Here in the American
League, we're a lot about developing development, and so you know, the
young guys are going to play and they're going to have to earn their ice
time, and you know the vets are going to have to do the same,
and they're they're expected to help guys, the young players and you know,
hopefully they involve as they help the other players develop and grow as well.
So do do you coach them different? I mean, are you are
you spending more time you know, individual coaching with these guys trying to make
them better as opposed to coaching schemes and things like that that you would need
to do at the at the at the higher level. Yeah, we teach
from from both sides, and you know, we've got assistant coaches and skills
coaches that help out with that as well. So you know, I think
the guys get a pretty good balance of structure and skills. And you know,
what we try to make sure they also understand is that we're trying to
create leaders and build leaders and you know, both on and off the ice.
So there's a there's a pretty good balance there. And we always say
that they start out as prospects and then they turn into pro players and then
eventually they turn into men. Yeah. Well, being here three years,
I'm assuming that you've noticed this that it in Tucson, if you win,
they will come right. How has that been for you with the fans?
Oh, it's been great, it's been great. You know, I think
COVID hurts a lot of that process. I think, you know, obviously
it kind of set us back a little. But we've had a successful season
and you can see the fans are turning out more and more, and you
know, hopefully we can get them back and you know, getting we want
them addicted to the sports. So they do, they do come back,
and when they do come and watch, most of the times you can see
that there's you know, there's going to be some goals, there might be
some fights, some heavy hitting. It's an entertaining game. Yeah. So
all right, so let's talk about the weekend coming up, your last home
weekend. You've got, as you said, you got San Jose coming in,
You've got a fan appreciation night. What do you want that? What
do you want the fans to know about this last series coming up? And
you know, to get them out here. Yeah, you know, we're
we're excited about heading into the playoffs and we want to try to finish as
high as possible. So of course, anytime the stadium is full and they
get behind us and they bring the energy, it's so helpful for the guys
and we so appreciate them when when they're tiering the guys on and you know,
it really makes an impact, a serious impact. It's like having a
sixth man, seventh man on the ice. Yeah, okay, maybe one
of the last questions is there's all the talk and fetix about the team moving
what you're probably not even concerned because you have a team to coach, you
know what at this point, Yeah, we want to give our guys the
respect and the do and our fans the do of this season. You know,
our guys have worked hard to put themselves in this position, and you
know, unfortunately, there's not a lot of information out there that's coming from
internal sources. You know, it's we don't really have any information on any
of it, and so we're doing the best we can to focus on on
the on the players, our team, and our fans. To be honest,
Well, maybe you can bring home a title title here for the two
sons that have been loyal to you, and then well Tucson needs one of
these titles. Yeah, yeah, Well, thank you all. That would
be a lot of that would be a lot of fun. That would be
great. That's our that's our vision. Great. Thank you, Steve,
good luck to us, you appreciated, good luck, good luck. This
week and in the playoffs. Thank you, fellows. I appreciate being on
sure, thank you so much. Cool. Yeah, and you've been part
of it, Jay, You've seen it all your life, all your life.
I've written stories many years ago, and I can't remember the teams,
remember the teams that have come and gone, coming, gone, coming,
gone, coming, gone, And we can say the number of times.
Yeah. Well, and you know you brought up the thing at the end
of night. You know, I think we feared there wasn't gonna be a
lot that that he Steve could say about what's going on. But you're hearing
that the Coyotes. The NHL is actually forcing to move the Coyotes to to
Salt Lake City. Uh, you know they had they don't have an arena.
Uh, they're supposed gonna play in the in the or they've been playing
in the the a s U's small five thousand seed arena. There's a plan
to build an arena for the Coyotes, but you know, you're talking about
an arena that's not gonna be done for four or five years, and the
NHL doesn't want to wait for that, so they're looking at making the team
move to to Salt Lake City, and then the trickle down effect of that
might be that the road Runners then possibly move up to Phoenix and play in
that arena that's more suited to a minor league balk, What does this mean
to Tucson? What is it in the grand scheme of things of teams coming
and going or whatever. Well, you know, there's there's not a hell
a lot that I think Tucson can do in a situation like this. Right,
the NHL is forcing this. If this happens, it's happening because in
spite of in spite of the right, it's happening because of the Coyotes.
Arizona has nothing to do with this, right, and and so Tucson has.
You know, Tucson is just kind of like, what can we do?
Yeah? You know, now, I've you know, seen some comments
that you know, the owner of the road Runners would like to keep them
here, but you know, operationally, you know, if if the big
club is in is in Salt Lake City, it would make more sense for
the minor league club to be in Phoenix for easy you know, back and
forth, for players to come and go and those kinds of things. There's
a brand new arena that they can play in and those kinds of things.
So I don't, you know, I don't know, I don't know.
In this particular case, there's much you can do. This is not like
spring training right where, you know, I mean, there were a lot
of things Tucson could have done better, like built a downtown stadium and those
kinds of things. But in the end, you know, spring Training left
because the major league clubs didn't want to piss off their their one hundred million
dollar players and make them take a bus down to Tucson for games. Even
if they would have know that you say, downtown stadium, even if have
they built that many years ago, it probably wouldn't have prevented them from leaving.
No, but I but I but I do think we would have a
minor league, a triple A. It was a downtown true, y true,
I think that. Yeah, you know, I don't know that,
uh, spring Training would have stayed here because you know, you had you
had a team playing a high corbett and two teams playing at the at the
spring training facility. The bigger, the bigger issue there was that you couldn't
get the so called stars of these teams to come down to split their squads
and all the Double A guys would come down for the games here, and
fans got tired of seeing that. You know, Barry Bonds wasn't coming down
here, and you and all the all the big big players from those teams.
Why Tucson can't have anything nice? You can't here in your in your
lifetime, now that we have some time, you know about two minutes.
Uh. And you're a sports guy kind of kin, kind of which you
were as a kid. Any of the teams that left save you the most,
because you've had some volleyball, you've had some baseball, obviously, You've
had a lot of different things that have left that the fat bitch, you
know, unfortunately, Steve, I wasn't a big you know, they're like
that. The Tucson Gunners basketball team and the volleyball team. It was it
was like it wasn't even a G league. Well maybe it was a G
league kind of you know kind of for whom was it have no no they
it was its own. It was an independent league. You know, the
guys from there would were trying to get into the NBA. So teams like
that. You know, I've never been a hockey guy, so I didn't
you know really follow the hockey. Went a few Ice Cats games, but
you know, so really none. I was sad when when the sidewinder slash
tw I grew up with them, you know, and you know my kid
like going to those those games. We'd like taking the family of those games.
And could we have gone more from sure, but we went to as
many of them as you know, we felt, you know we could.
It was the thing that we would do. Those teams leave. That team
leaving was I was saddened by that. Yeah, and I think that's probably
the most impact because it's recently and there's still a lot of people. I
mean, it depends on the elementary school when they got here. Yeah,
you know when the Tucson Toals, I think nineteen sixty nine, right when
the Indians, you were already here for spring? Can the Indians have been
here since the late forties. Okay, let's take the break and maybe we'll
get some calls. What team left that saddened you when they were here?
I didn't know how good the Gunners were, because they were good. I
think they want a league championship. If they were names will bring those names
up. I don't know who played for them. Yeah, all right,
we'll be back. Give us a call five to zero four one, six,
seventy four forty. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know
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Steve Rivera and Jacob Salas they have their eye on the ball on Tucson Sports
Stage Chef Fox Sports fourteen to fifteen, hy welcome back, joining the ball
here on Fox Sports Fortune fifty M. Steve, He's Jay. You got
Kevin with us? We get fifteen minutes. If you want to call five
two zero four, one sixty Yes, I want to make sure you get
pos You got it right. So what did you get from me? The
gunners or the okay? Well, it was one year. They were here
for one year. The Tucson team won the championships for the Old Western Basketball
League championship. It was the seventy seventy nine Trophy. I don't know.
Maybe the coach who was a guy named what the heck was his name?
I had it, I had it here. Herb Brown, a guy named
Herb Brown was the coach. Her Brown. Yes, Gerald Henderson was a
player who got to the NBA. UH. Phil Taylor, who played for
Fred Snowden was on that team. There was another NBA guy named Bob Carrington
who got to the NBA. It was a six to five UH. I
guess a forward at that time. Oh one more guy somebody named Norm Cook,
a guy to Kansas who went to the NBA. James Lee, a
player out of Kentucky, played for them. But I remember they played the
games of Catalina High School because at that time Catalina had the best gym,
high school gym in Tucson. That's where people remember the old Tucson Sky Volleyball
Pro Volleyball franchise. They played at Catalina. That was the best best gym.
And in fact, when the Sons came down here and played an exhibition
game for their first season, that's where they had that exhibition game. Really,
this is that's in late sixties Slid Droit Pistons play. Uh, the
Sun's there and that was the only that was the only Sons game I'd ever
been to until I went to one probably in the nineties. You didn't go
to the one here when the Sinton was the what with Barkley, Well know
that, but that was that wasn't a Sun's game. That was San Antonio
played. Uh. I thought that was in the Sun. I think so.
I think so I did go that. I did stats for that game.
Yeah, and then the Sons came down here. Will work out maybe
ten years ago, whatever it was. I did stats for that game,
and that was weird too, because stats for you know what, you san
Antonio versus somebody, because you know why I remember this Lucas who was the
coach at the time. It was a jerk. He was a jerk.
And then that's how I remember San Antonio. Yeah, but I didn't think
it was the Sun. Yeah, somebody might be right in San Antonio for
sure. I thought, yeah, okay, yeah, I remember where that
was. But I remember doing that people whatever, you remember that game was
here? So that was really going to a Sun's game, like you know,
you've been to one since? Wow? One game? Why well,
I've never been that interested in the NBA, and so therefore I was even
less interested in the Phoenix Suns. But you're going they've never you know,
I might have had to go to the bathroom. I don't know. You
know, the Sons have just never been a thing. I know there's some
Suns fans and fans in Tucson, right, but they've just never been embedded
in Tucson. None of the Phoenix teams. The Diamondbacks were for a while,
but the minute they high tailed it at a time after spring training.
Do you find a lot of Diamondbacks fans that do so for the World Series?
Yeah, you don't. I mean I remember one year, not too
long after the the the Cardinals had gotten here. I wanted to take my
son to a Cardinals game. I couldn't find a place to get tickets here
because when they first got here, they used to sell tickets at the Diamonds
or Dillard's box office. Remember you could get so I'm thinking, I was,
you know that's where you I went to Dillards and I said, you
know, stood in line, get to the front of the line. I
said, I need a couple of tickets to the Cardinals. Said, we
don't sell tickets to the Cardinals. They're like, what you know, we
stop selling. This would have been well, you know, well you know
who Jake Plumber was playing for, because I remember we had because we ended
up going to a game your son more than ninety four, ninety three,
So it hit mean about ninety eight, yeah, late nineties because his last
Jake plumbers last season with the ACU was ninety six, so was after that
and you couldn't get a ticket, and so you know, I actually called
the Phoenix Suns I mean the Cardinals ticket office and said where do you buy
tickets in Tucson. They said, you can get them out of a vending
machine at a Safeway on the northwest side and one on the east side.
And that's the only place you could get Cardinals tickets in Tucson. I mean
that was before you could get buy tickets on the internet, so otherwise you
had to just go to Phoenix and get a ticket. Now, it wasn't
like they were gonna they were selling ot or anything. Were playing at Sun
Devil Stadium, and we went to a September game and it was one of
the worst football experiences I've ever had, and worst of all worst, worst
of the worst. I shouldn't tell this piece because somebody to make fun of
him. My son made him buy me a chick. My son made me
buy him a Jake Plumber jersey. I hope not. I hope not.
Okay, But it was the point being that the Phoenix teams have never embraced
Tucson ever. They tried. They've tried to. They tried to do that
with the Diamondbacks by doing spring training here, and that was the intent.
But then again, as soon as they couldn't you know, somebody built him
a nice stadium up there. They said, we're out and Phoenix for the
least whatever years. And you know this better than me being a native,
they've kind of always poop pood Tucson. Yeah, always No, it's just
a monster, you know. And look, the son's Philip, the Phillip
their areena. So they don't need well the Philip because they're winning, right,
there was a time when they weren't winning there nobody's going yeah, but
when a he was playing at sun Devil Stadium and drying crowds of forty thousand,
you know they needed well you know what. In fact, Jay,
this is a topic when I was driving up and I spent a lot of
time, I just said in Phoenix, Uh a issue? Would they because
the the guys at the radio show. Now I'm gonna forget go ahead right
now, let's take this call. Hig you're on the R and I on
the ball. Hey Jay, Hey, what's going guys? Hey, J
I just found out your brother plays golf with my father. That's pretty cool,
man, because that must mean he's really is your father really old?
Because my brother's really old, My father's really old. Yeah, over seventy.
But yeah, no, but it was just funny. Your your brother's
got his name's got to be it's not j but it's like that, it's
it's Gene, It's Gene Gene. Yeah. I don't know. It starts
with that that like wow, yeah, yeah, I know, jing gons
dolls And I was like Jacobs All like no, Jinginsalls, I'm pretty sure.
Yeah, on the radio, and he called your brother and your brother
picked up and he's like, yeah, no, my brother's on the radio.
Yeah, I don't know. I thought it was kind of funny.
Yeah, no, he's any No, what are you going to say is
that you didn't call just to tell me your dad knows my brother, did
you? Kind of but not really. Guys wanted to what you guys thought
about the Coyotes being shipped out. Yeah, you know, it doesn't register
for us. I don't think, you know. I mean, I think
it's meaningful for a lot of people if the Roadrunners leave with them, right,
because there's I know, there's a lot of Roadrunners fans in Tucson,
so I mean, I'm not specifically one. I've been to a couple of
games, but I think there's a lot of a lot of there's still some
hockey fans here and you know, you know, I mean the ice Cats
used to drop big, but I think that I think the Roadrunners have a
pretty good following. I I think it'd be a lot of disappointed people if
that, if that happened. I mean, if if just the Coyotes go
to Salt Lake City and the road Runners are still here, I think there's
minimal impact. But if the road Runners high tailored out of here too,
I think they'd be So are you calling because you're a fan or are you
just curious? I'm just curious what you guys like if you guys are more
in the know that I'm in the know. I heard that that that the
that the mayor of Scottsdale kind of shut it all down, and I guess
that's why it's all happening. Yeah, you're not He said, you're not
moving to our place, and he kind of softened it a little bit.
But it's not gonna happen though, kind of like it's kind of like they
well and I don't know if there's something with the with the with the Coyotes
organization that rubs people wrong up there, or because they they basically got kicked
out of the Glendale Arena. Uh, you know, they asked them to
leave. So I don't know, I don't know what the deal is on
that. Well you can come. You guys were just talking about, you
know, like how like Peenage kind of rubs people the wrong way down here.
How you were talking about, hey to go to Dillard's to wait in
the line to get tickets. Yeah, like they don't seem to bring us
two into their market, like we have to go out of our way to
go get there, right and to go see their teams. So yeah,
I don't know, it's that came up in my head. Yeah, you
started talking about that, how it's hard for you to even go there or
even want to go to a game or anything like that. I mean,
that's the that's the issue that I've had forever here, you know, I
mean I grew up here. So it just it just didn't seem like the
Phoenix organizations really it kind of felt like they didn't need the Tucson fans.
So they just so what's your name real quick? You're calling it George,
I'm talking oh yeah, yeah, or your voice, Well George, you
can call us Gene. You can call us Ray, just don't call for
dinner. You guys have a good day, man, appreciate we're making your
family favorite. Well, speaking of my brother Jean, who does that with
me, he just texted me it was the Suns that played in that exhibition
with Barkley was on that case because Sidon had to have some connection to the
Suns. Yeah, but it was so it was the San Antonio and the
Suns. So so go back to the thought I had real quick. So
I was up there listening to Bicley and all those guys, and and how
back in the day there was only the Suns and ASU right right, And
that's probably where I thought. Maybe that's everyone said it was a sleeping Giant
because people went because there was two options right right for the pro Now it's
a major league city with so many options. But now they're losing this h
And now that makes sense how a issue is kind of dwindled because of the
dollars A SU had seventy two thousand seat stadium that they filled up every game.
You couldn't get tickets to the total sense now and and and when the
Cardinals came in, When when the Cardinals came in. You knew that that
was going to be the end of that, and it was. It makes
total sense, but it was put piecing it together. And there were you
know, because because Phoenix comes off as a as a major because hey,
we're we're poop poop poop, right, we're a major league city. This
is another chink, uh, not a like a what do you call it,
a king or in the in the armor of being the hostel. Yeah,
yeah, we're they're leaving, right, which is they're not as major
league anymore. Yeah. No, so I you know, again, if
they if they needed Tucson, they would they would come out sure, and
I think the Diamondbacks kind of felt they did initially and they did. You
know, they they established a lot of Tucson fans in that time, but
then they left and now maybe there's still some of them around. Like my
sister is a huge Diamondbacks fan. But you know, if you're ten years
old, but she's she's also up there. No, she's here laying my
sister and she was here, she was up in pieces. Yeah yeah.
But you know, if you're if you grew up here, let's say you're
fifteen years old, you've never been to a spring training game in Tucson,
so you don't really care about the diamon. Right, So you're a Dodger
fan, or you're a you're an Angels fan, or you're a Yankee fan
or whatever. So and there was another thing, Uh, the two teams.
I just lost my thought again as usual, Uh, of the importance
of oh when when the Cardinals finally got here, right, they weren't the
Arizona Cardinals they were, and that pissed people. Pissed people. Yeah,
that really because because when they when they were coming here, they talked about,
oh, we're gonna be Arizona's team, and then they named themselves the
Phoenix Cardinals. Well that alienated all the Tucson fans. So that that was
that. So you know again, it's just that was just very typical of
what what what Uh, you know, those teams have done and those organizations
have done. And that's fine. If you just want to be Phoenix,
then be Phoenix. But don't don't get pissed off if you're not being supported
by Tucson fans. You know, well Tucson never supports as well because you
never supported du Sure, of course, it's it's a chicken and egg thing,
right, Yeah, but they've always felt that way, even even today.
You know, where are you from, Tucson, Okay? So whatever,
And that's probably at least in the schools, in the school systems why
they hate each other so much in the big city Phoenix in Arizona. Yeah,
yep. So I don't know, you know, And it looked it
may may all sound like sour grapes to you know, to Phoenix people when
we're talking about it. Oh, you don't love us. Well, yeah,
he's got to be real, you know. There has to, yes,
exactly, there has to be a give and take. You know.
I think I've told this story before when I was when I was the two
Sound Electric Okay, and I had been involved with the Diamondbacks, and the
Phoenix Suns felt like they wanted to come down and establish a presence here.
The Cardinals wanted to come and establish a presence here. And they sent uh
Michael Bidwell down here with a couple other you know, cardinals, and they
met with some people they thought, some community people, sports minded community people.
And I got called in to this meeting and they came down here and
said, well, we want to do this. We want to do this,
And I said, look, if you want to, if you want
to Son to support you, you've got to come down here. You got
to come down here. Maybe come practice for a week, maybe play an
exhibition game, do some stuff in the community. Okay, they did that
for one season. They came down here one season, one preseason, held
a few practices here, made a couple of appearances, never played an exhibition
game here, and then they never came back again. And so they asked
and we told them, and then they kind of you know, I have
this cut in my leg. What should I do for it? Can you
tell me? And then I don't do it? Yeah, put a band
aid on it. Well I don't really like band aids. Yeah, you
know whatever. There was a phrase for that, but I don't want to
see that. All right, all right, Well it's good to be back,
Steve. I'm glad you came back different. So we're gonna gout.
You know, we'll have plenty of stuff to talk about. This transfer portal
thing is just something new every fifteen minutes or so. Caitlin Clark did did
draw the number one pick in the draft. Cameron Brink went number two.
Cameron Brink the Stanford player number two. So all right, we'll be back
tomorrow three o'clock. Give us a call, follow the podcast and we'll see you tomorrow