It's pretty live on the iHeart Radio Whip. This is High on the Ball
with Steve Ribera and Jay Gonzalaz on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Welcome back on
the while I'm your host of the Dave Jay Gondalas. My buddy Steve is
out out of the office today. He's a Phoenix for a El Torty Tucson
event that just setting up a right up there, so he'll be back Tomorrow's
we could do our Friday football picks and with a loaded show with Yogi Roth,
Kevin Singleton, and Jake Fisher. I've got Danny Martinez here from the
arizon A Softball program. We've been talking a lot about the Arizona Washington game
coming up, but for now we've got some breaking news. This is High
on the Ball Breaking News on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. All right, Well,
something that just came across and uh, you know, we're always looking
for up to the minute breaking news, but it looks like the XFL and
the USFL are going to merge, which nobody's surprised right when they get I
mean one Spring league hasn't worked in the past, and then there were two,
and so it's always not. But they've the team's announced that they're working
on a merger. Yeah, you know, I gotta be honest. I
never h Neither really piqued my interest, neither the XFL or the USFL,
and the fact that there were two of them never made much sense. So
I would say, this is you know, this is for the best.
Yeah, but you know, you got I mean, there's it's another opportunity
for guys, you know, you know me and with my relationship with the
with the Indoor Football League, that's sort of the next goal for the players
in the league. They can get into the XFL or the USFL, then
they can now they're playing the outdoor game, then they might get a look
from NFL team. Not that many players are very few players to get an
opportunity to go directly from the indoor football to the NFL. But mostly it's
kind of like a middle a middle league for them to shoot for. So
I'm glad it's still around. I like you, I don't you know,
I'm busy watching basketball, yeah you know in spring. Yeah, yeah,
I mean it's good. You know, guys like Scooby Right, Scooby Rights
been playing Canadian But you know, you got guys that it's another chance to
keep playing professional flip. Yeah, but so that that just came across so
not shocking, but uh, you know, it's just one of those things
that you kind of figured what's gonna happen. I want to throw this back
because this is pretty cool. The story has come out. Sports Sociate did
a story Travis Hunter has been hanging out with the guy that nearly tores liver
out. Henry Blackburn, the the defensive player from Colorado State, got death
threats because of the hit he put on him. Two guys have struck up
a friendship. Apparently they went bowling yesterday that people can't win to that.
I mean, it's yeah, that I mean, that's that's very very cool.
I think that's that was a really bad situation. I mean, death
threats over you know, that's just absolutely ridiculous. And I think, you
know, both Colorado and color Orotto State kind of making the best out of
that bad situation. And and yeah, I think that this is a really
really good, you know move for books, you know, And every time
I want to, I want to think about Deon Sanders and this program being
all flash all, you know, arrogant. They do stuff like that,
right. I mean, Deon came out the day after the game said he
leave the guy a little yeah, right, you know. So you know
he talked this week. You know, he got asked about a player who
who's not playing. He said, you got a show, right, you
know. Just all he's seem like I want to make him a bad guy,
but I don't think he really is. So I feel too, especially
with the Travis Hunter thing. I don't know if you saw the video of
Travis Hunter basically saying, you know, I I'm ready to play. I
have to I'm gonna play this week, and Deon, you know, responded
to him and said, no, you have to take care of yourself,
you know. And you're right because I'm right there with you. I want
to hate them, but but you just can't. You just can't. You
try and try and try, and he keep giving your reasons to not hate
him. It's a yeah, I don't know, I know what to say.
Yeah, all right? Uh, last night, what's his name,
Ronald Laguna, Yeah, goes into the forty seventy club. What he's doing
before, it's incredible. What he's doing is absolutely incredible. I I saw
today that every month of the season. Every month of the season, he's
had over a nine hundred ops. That's I mean, he doesn't go through
slumps. He's just mister consistent, all while stealing seventy bases. Seventy Well,
you know, they had a four game series against the Dodgers, beat
him, beat him three one. But in the first game, he you
know, I turn on the TV and you know, automatically c the bases
loaded, and I'm like, who's bad? He is, said he's gonna
hit it, and he did, and I'm like, he's that he's got
those guys. Yeah, it really don't. And that's the thing is not
only is he that good, but that entire line up. I mean,
it's it's insane. But you know, one thing that I look at when
you go into the baseball playoffs is baseball playoffs are about getting hot. It's
just about who who can get hot in October. The Braves haven't, you
know, really played any meaningful baseball in the last So are they gonna be
able to flip that switch? I don't know, we'll see. But anyways,
it related that you see that the Cubs announcers got upset, Yes,
they got upset that they stopped the game for a little I wouldn't call it
a ceremony, but reckon, yeah, he did the thing, and they
were just that this is grap Yeah. I love seeing the you know,
local uh announcers reactions to things and yeah pretty funny. Yeah that that was
good. All right? Okay, so oh going back to Colorado. So
you know they've got USC coming to their place, all right, obviously a
lot of anticipation again. I think Fox Sports again is gonna do their their
big news show at at or their their pre game show in Colorado. Well,
Rick George, the athletic director, felt he had to put out a
statement to tell his students and fans how to behave I'll read the begas.
We want to remind you of our expectations of fan conduct during games. We
expect all our fans to refrain from vulgar language, verbal or physical abuse,
underage drinking, good luck with that, and overall intoxication. I think I
think they're probably talking, you know, the regular intoxication and the herbal intoxication.
Yes, true, this type of conduct will not be tolerated at our
home supporting events. And I've instructed out a game day staff and members of
law enforcement to enhance their monitoring efforts of our fans conduct. Consequences for such
behavior can can include expulsion from the game, bands on the TENDE, future
contest, student conduct investigations, and of course, if it's a long statement,
it goes beyond the does it not to rush the field? If you
know, if that opportunity comes comes up, it jeopardizes just a lot of
Well, okay, I will say I agree with them. Well, the
rushing the field I guess would make sense this week, But after they rushed
the field against Colorado State, I thought that was I thought that was the
most that was the most embarrassing thing. So that's the one part of that
statement that I can get. Rushing the field I guess this week would it
would be okay against USC, But overall, well, you know that that
game ended right after the Arizona game. So I was listening on my phone
and I was listening to Colorado State announced okay because I was rooting for Colorado
State, because I said, I'm trying to hate and yeah, so I'm
listening to Colorado Colorado State and they were like, really, I had to
feel kind of good for them. They're rushing the field against US. Okay,
you guys, we're rushing in the field after beating Colorado State. That
was ridiculous, all right. Speaking of the pregame shows, Ken Jong known
as mister Chow to me, he'll always be mister Chow from from the Hangover.
Duke graduate he went to he went to undergrad a duke? Did he
got it? He got he got his uh doctor's degree whatever at at at
North Carolina. But he's gonna be the guest picker game day on Saturday.
He's a great guy. He's a stand up comedian, so you know he's
gonna put on a but on a great show. I don't know how you
go from being a doctor to stand up comedian. I've wondered that about it.
But he's one of my favorite guys. Yeah, he was I love
hilarious and the Hangover I love him. So he's he's gonna be doing the
He's gonna be the guest picker. It's the first time the Duke has gotten
a game day. Yeah, that'll that should be an interesting game, especially
coming off of last week's com the two game days that they did at Arizona.
Wait, what did you have to work those or What did you do
for those dream first one I did not the Oregon game. I went as
a fan. I was a student at the time time. I was a
sophomore YEP, sophomore for that game, so I went as a fan in
the crowd, you know. Woke up incredibly early. The second one against
UCLA, I did have to work it both just awesome, awesome, awesome
experiences, so cool. That was really fun. At the first when I
got you know, my son Adam at that time was probably about two hundred
pounds. I somehow got him up on my shoulder at the beginning. I
was sore for my whole week. Did he get on TV? I don't
remember. Yeah, we got we did. Yeah. We did it kind
of in the background because we made a sign that they eventually took away.
We had a great sign. Our SIGNE said, no ducking way, that's
a great sign. A sign. I thought that was very cool. But
we had a professionally made It wasn't just like a handwritten sign. I took
it to a printing shop here in two sid I got the sign made and
we put it up and they took it away. They took it away from
us after we got it on. Okay, we got it on one time.
I thought that was very clever. In fact, I think I still
have it. I think, okay, I think it's still in my garage.
Okay, I want to talk to you about this because as a staffer
at at the U of A, you're very attuned to all the things that
go on related gambling. Got another gambling situation. The Air Force men's golf
coach bet two hundred and fifty dollars on six Air Force football games in twenty
twenty, using his girlfriends information to start an online account and he started making
making bet. So he's been uh I think I think he's been fired and
given a five year show cause bability over this. You know he bet?
Uh well said he it says in totally. They then head golf coach wager
two hundred and fifty nine on NC double A or professional sports, including two
hundred fifty dollars on six Air Force football games. You can't often do they
talk to you all the time. I mean they it is hammered home to
us all the time. Do not gamble on any any sport that is NC
double A sanctioned, college or professional. So we we are very very well
aware, So you can't. You can't bet on professional triathlon, right,
that's correct, Yes, that is correct, no betting on on triathlon college
or pro. But yeah, I you know, I'm assuming all schools are
like us. Yeah maybe, you know, our compliance department is is very
on top of everything, but I would assume that that's a thing everywhere just
here. Yeah, yeah, so he's he got caught, he got flagged
by the by the online uh you know thing and they said, okay,
you're out of here. So in trouble. So that's too bad. I
you know who who knows how much? The Airforce men's golf coach. But
it was his job right now he doesn't have it right, it's a bummer
for him. Yeah, all right. A couple of uh injury and injury
Deebo Samuel and and uh is this Juan Johan Jennings both wide receivers for the
forty nine ers or I still have not practiced, so he might be out
this weekend. So you may want to stay away from the forty nine ers
this week. Yeah, all right. Here's one a little closer to home.
Former Suaro High football coach. He's the wrestling coach for a long time.
He was one of my pe teachers at Swaro goes all the way back
to where he was a football coach for my brothers down in the Sunnyside School
district. Howard Bryaning, they're naming the suarheis is naming their football field after
him. Well deserved guy. He was a I think it was like an
All American wrestler at Arizona. A great character. I love the guy.
Tough guy, like a bowling ball. I don't know if you ever saw
him or met him. He he played football in high school. Yeah,
I think he predates me. I don't recognize that name. Yeah, I
played at Sabino so I but yeah, not doesn't ring any bells for me.
Legendary wow, okay, he uh. He coaches the war from seventy
nine to ninety four, but then after that, I think he coached to
rink On and and I don't know where else, but again, a legendary
wrestling coach as well. Swar was was a wrestling power in the state when
he was the coach there and again during during my time. He was an
assistant football coach when I was there, came the head coach after I left,
but one of the coolest guys. But man, one of those guys
that you Yeah, I didn't want to say you were afraid of him,
like you know, he walked in the room and you're afraid of him,
but you didn't want to piss him, all right, you didn't ever want
to piss him. You had like that. Yeah, old school coaching,
right, So anyway, so they're gonna do that November three in their game
against Pubble, which should be a lot of fun. So good congratulations to
Howard Bryani. I wonder if he would be around to come on, come
on the show. It'd be very cool. Let's see what else I think
those one. Oh we'll go to talk about a man's basketball here in a
minute. But October twelfth, there's an open women's basketball practice for the public
to go and check out the women. Their media day is on Monday.
I think I will be here for that. Gotta go. Are you going
to the wedding by the day, Oh yes, yeah, yeah, we're
gonna be up in Denver for a wedding of another I guess you would call
him a friend. Yeah, another kid that you guys grew up with,
we've known forever. But uh, but Monday is the Women's Media Day song
I think it's Steve report on that, and then they've got an open practice
on October twelve, if you want to mark your calendars and go see what
they look like. All right, man, that's it for breaking news.
We've got Bruce Pascal coming right up. We're to talk about the the Red
and Blue Showcase whatever I want to call it now. I used to call
it the Red and Blue Game. And we'll talk to Bruce and then we're
gonna get done to talk in some aras on the softwall. If you want
to stick around that, we will be right back, our hands up like
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the xs and as. It's Steve Roverra and Jagan Sammis. This is I
on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen Different Welcome back time the balls here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Jaylon Dallas. I got my substitute buddy in
here, Danny Martinez from Beat Arizona Softball program. Steve is out for the
day, and now we've got Bruce Pasco on the phone, uh as a
day to star Beat Rider covering Arizona basketball, getting ready for all hell to
break loose for Bruce with the Red and Blue game starting tomorrow. Bruce,
how are you doing? Oh? Pretty good? How are you good?
Good? You sound you sound energetic? You're not. You don't sound like
you've been worn out yet? Just getting started, you know, I mean,
I took a couple of easy weeks here, and you know I'm lucky
I don't have to do anything with football, and so I'm just kind of
gearing up, and you know, it's still it's still kind of a you
know, time to time to gear up, you know, kind of slowly
towards the season. It's still six weeks off. Well, are you really
until they get going? Are you shaking your head that you know, we're
gonna be at McHale with you know, guys on the court in September,
with a crowd in the whole bit. I mean, it's a little crazy
that it's you know, starting in September. Now, yeah, it does
seem kind of early, and you know it's still being one hundred degrees out
and all that, and and but I think, you know it's nowadays they
can start six weeks in front of their first, you know, the first
regular season game. And I think because there was a football game, and
also because I think a lot of the top recruits are going to be on
the USA Basketball camp next weekend, they pretty much had to do it this
weekend. It's just the way it worked out. Yeah, all right,
So over the years, I mean, you've been to a million of these
and you know, back when they you know, you you know, made
a big deal your midnight madness and all that kind of stuff. Yeah,
what have you taken from the Red and Blue game? From the scrimmage?
Do you do you see anything of value when you watch these guys? You
know, it's funny Jay, not not that much. Really. You kind
of have to temper your expectations a lot because there's a lot of guys.
I was just looking at the two years ago Kim Makin was like four or
four from three point line and have seventeen points or something, and you know
he was gone by December, and you know played a little bit rule.
But you know, there's there's lots of stories of guys like that who kind
of rise up. I think, you know, pretty much the only thing
I usually like to see is just how these guys look, because typically there's
not a whole lot of access to him before the season gets going, and
so you don't know, like who's gained weight, what do the freshmen look
like? Are they are they do they look like they're ready? Are they
are they having fun out there? Or do they look nervous? Whatever?
You know, there's this little sort of little things like that is what you
get out of it, and then I think since Lloyd, Tommy, Lloyd's
been doing it. The interesting thing to me is that in the second half
of both of the first two games he's started, he's gone this what will
be his starting lineup in that second half, So, you know, that
kind of shows where guys are stacking up at that point too. So I
asked Tommy at the press conference on Monday if he saw anything unexpected, uh,
you know on the uh, you know, with the ten practices and
the and the overseas trip. You know, did did you see anything that
surprised him? He didn't really, he almost didn't answer the question. I
mean he kind of said, not really, but did you see anything that
that kind of surprised you? Well, I think not really in the sense
that, you know, it looked a lot like his first two teams did
as far as uh, you know, the not great competition and just a
lot of playing together, a lot of passing, you know, sixty percent
of the baskets set up by assists or whatever, and and really high scoring
and that's kind of been his signature, and guys are bought into it.
I think maybe the slight difference, you could say, maybe with this this
time and that trip being so early, you know, you know, they
trained in janet July and went over there and August. I think the difference
was the Yeah, a lot of a lot of newcomers on that team,
including of course Caleb Love, who led North Carolina and scoring last season,
came over here and you're like, where is he going to fit in on
a team that already has a lot of good guards as well, and he
and he appeared to fit in pretty well. And he wasn't the leading score.
He didn't take too many shots that weren't part of the offense, and
so that's that's kind of I think that, you know, if that continues,
that's that's what they need, and probably it'll be better for him in
the long run. So there's a there were some little subtle things like that,
but you know, it was it was hard to judge off of the
competition level. And I do know that Lloyd did not want any of us
speculating about what those games meant as far as who's doing what or whatever.
And but you know, you can make your own observations, and I think
we all are. Yeah, you know, he talked a bit about his
depth. Uh, you know, he's got more guys. You know,
do you see this being a group that goes eight, nine, ten deep?
Uh with it with the guys that like said they got they got a
bunch of guys in guard, right, Caleb loved, Jaden Bradley got uh
you know, a Boswell, you got all these guys. Hey, he
has to go deeper, right, Yeah, you you would think, and
I think and and he's referred to this. I think he did the other
day when you're there, Jays. He he was a little burned last year.
He went down, he cut down to seven and that for the most
part was okay, worked pretty well. I mean he and in some sences
you could argue maybe he didn't have a choice because he wasn't getting what he
needed at Henry Baso and Adama ball et cetera. So he went with these
seven and they played pretty well. But the bottom line is they lost score
the last tense, including a game against Princeton in the first round that you
know he did, you know, and that just and you could argue that
those seven guys got a little worn out, and then on top of it
they had injuries. Do more Ballo and Kara Crisa and you know those are
injuries that might be surmountable if you had an eight or nine mam rotation,
but they didn't. So I think, combined with the fact that he's got
more guys you know, that that they should go you would think at least
eight, maybe nine deep or maybe eight. What I could see is because
this roster does have the flexibility to go bigger, smaller, to tweak itself
depending on the matchup. You know, they could have eight plus two,
you know, and maybe maybe two other guys or key rotations in certain matchups.
You know, it could be something like that. It'll be really interesting
to see, I think, more so than these first two seasons under Lloyd,
where it was pretty much clear who were the top five and then the
top seven or eight guys, this team is going to be different. Pelly
Larson again, to me, it seems is like he's got to be really
good for them to be really good, and he really never got there last
year to the point where you ended up not starting How key is he going
to beat? Do you think? Yeah? I mean well, and I
think, you know, it's interesting. I mean, he didn't quite get
there, and I think that's probably why he turned around quickly when he did
sort of test the draft there. I think he realized he had a long
ways to go. But he's already been, you know, arguably the most
versatile player, might even be their best defensive player. You know, can
our power forwards and he can guard point guards. He's you know, you
know, got a lot going for him in that self. But that said,
you know, it gets to the NBA you really need to have some
you know, just superlative talents and and you know he's probably got to,
you know, excel a little bit more offensively. And you know, we
may see this, but it'll be interesting to see with him this offense how
it works out. And you know, he may not average that many more
points, but you know, if the whole team is more balanced and he's
more efficient, that's going to bode well for him too. And and here,
right, he could be a key to see how how he kind of
does he kind of become the glue to that engine, so to speak.
Bruce, Danny Martinez here got a question for you. Do you think do
you see that the off season has been kind of ramped up at all with
the way that the non conference schedule plays out. You know, a lot
of teams at this point in their season are just kind of ramping up toward
where a conference play is the bulk of their season. Arizona schedules kind of
flipped where the majority of the big games are going to be early in the
season rather than in conference play. Do you think that that's changing the way
that they're going through, you know, preseason workouts or anything. Well,
that's that's a good question. I don't know if it's changed their workout,
and I think because they had I think the only thing that maybe kind of
changed it was the fact that they did have so much time in July and
August to really work on things, so they're a little bit ahead of the
game that way. But but I think in general, it's certainly, you
know, they they've cranked up the schedule. I mean, they're playing Duke,
They're going at Duke and their second game of the year. I mean,
and it's not just that, but then they got you know, five
other teams that could be in the top twenty five before they even get in
the league, and that that's really you know, we haven't seen that since,
you know, since lud Olsen's you know, hey days. Really,
you know, when they maybe even you know, comparsis to some of his
toughest schedule, and that was back when the Pac ten as it was back
then, wasn't even that strong, so he kind of loaded up. And
then it's just interesting because I think Tommy Lloyd brought in, you know,
he came from Gonzago, where you also have to load up because your conference
is going to be weak. And yet he's still kind of loading up this
year. And they gotta play the PAC twelve, which is, you know,
may not be the best pack towel, but there's there's four or five
teams that are could be ranked in the Pac twelve as well. So it's
really a daring schedule. And you know, I think he's banking on the
fact that he's got a lot of veterans and uh, you know, wants
to topping them up and and and you know, get a little more out
of the team in the long run. How to look, uh, in
the overseas trip, well, I think you know, he didn't. I
think he didn't look as good as he maybe was expected to. I think
some of it was just kind of uh, you know, matchups that were
a little strange for him, you know, and there was part of that,
and I think part of it was, you know, Lloyd was mixing
the matching linus and all that, so I didn't really you know, look
at it one way or another. I mean, you know, he he
you know, he had some injuries towards the end of last season, but
he uh, you know, he really was, you know, the first
two months of last season was you know, really on the top of things.
And so you know, we'll see. And that's kind of the bar,
he said. And I think he I think he can give back to
their of the season. I don't, you know, but it remains in
the same I don't think we can really judge too much one way or another
on that trip. Well, that leap he made from his first year here
to a second year year was tremendous and so would be interesting to see,
you know what kind of a ye this time now Colin Boswell is you know,
he's his name is getting you know, thrown in as a first round
draft pick, YadA, YadA, YadA. Is he is he elite?
Is he going to be you know that guy that you know gets national attention
and you know people are talking about him on game day and that kind of
stuff. Yeah, I think so. I mean I think so. I
think he you know, he had an interesting outing with USA Basketball in the
U nineteen teams, and he was a point guard for that team, and
they ran into some troubles. They didn't meddle, and that's you know,
if you're playing for USA Basketball, even though it's tough because you just you
know, they always have a hastily assembled roster compared to other countries. You
know, it's a tough deal, but you know it was It's hard to
judge much on that. He did show some pretty good defense. I think
he was pretty solid there. He certainly, you know, he looked good
on the exhibition trip, and you know, I think it kind of goes
back to where he would have been if he didn't get hurt, you know,
coming at his junior year, what became his senior year in high school.
I mean, he was a guy who was supposed to play high school
basketball last year, wanted to play high school basketball, wanted to be McDonald's,
all that kind of stuff. He's you know, he's talked about that
and then but he got hurt, and he knew he was going to be
better off rehabbing here at Arizona and and maybe getting a chance to play.
So it was kind of like last year was kind of a bonus year that
you know, now now he's becoming what he would have been. What because
if he had stayed on the track and had gotten all American high school blah
blah blah, he would have come in as a really hyped by star freshman
this fall. And so in a way, that's kind of what he is
now. He's just a sophomore who who happened to play, which which in
the long run makes him you know, potentially even you know, more capable
of contributing, especially right away because he doored have been through it. Right?
Is this his team or can it be any one guy's team this year?
Oh that's a great question. I'm kind of wondering that myself. I
don't think he's maybe not quite as vocal as some of the guys, but
he's certainly gonna have the ball in his hands, and I think he will
be a leader. I think he saw that a little bit again with that
USA team. He's kind of that guy. I think, you know,
I think teach at Johnson could be. He's a very you know, outspoken,
likable guy who's been through a lot of the wars, so to speak.
And you know, I think he can be a kind of leader out
there as well. And you know, we'll see there. It comes from
a couple of different areas yet. And then you know, I think Larson
for sure, although you know, you know he's he's been around a bunch
too, and how how he kind of developed that way? All right,
Bruce, Well it's time to get the ball rolling. No no pun intended,
but you know it. I'll you know, blue game tomorrow, man,
and then the next thing, you know, they're playing games. Yeah,
I know. And they got two exhibitions this year too, so we'll
see them. We'll see him a few more times. That's where they get
going. All right, sounds good, okay, man, we'll catch you
there tomorrow. Have fun, all right, Thanks all right, thanks for
being with us. Appreciation those, Bruce, Pascal, but be right for
the start, just trying to pick his brain on what we might see and
you know them. What do you think, Dan? Yeah, I'm really
really looking forward to this basketball season. I think we talked about it earlier.
The depth I think is going to be completely different than than what we've
seen in Tommy's first two years, and I am so excited to see them
play this schedule. I'm I'm yes, it's very excited. You're gonna go
to Vegas? Yeah, yep. Now then I've got a little, you
know, a little more time on my hands. Yeah, I'm gonna go
to some games as fans, which I haven't experienced in a long time.
So yeah, very cool. All right, let's say, let's take our
last break of the day. Well, it would love to take your calls
five to zero, four, one, six, seventy four, forty if
you want to call and ask some softball questions for Danny. We'll be talking
softball here after the break and as there in fall practice and Kaitlin Low getting
ready for her thirty years head come, so stick around and we'll be right
back at a good sand rolling in that she's on five. If you're an
Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years.
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Extreamly live on the iHeart Radio whim. This is I On the Ball
with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on the Box Sports fourteen s been days.
Welcome back to On the Ball. I'm jagon Zala's my regular host. Co
host Steve Rivera's out today, so I've got Danny Martinez from there is on
a softball program. I've been wanting to talk softball stuff, so so but
you're talking about I've been going so fast. Been a great show. We
had Jack McGruder on earlier. Bruce Pasco just spent time talking about the Red
and Blue game tomorrow, which kicks off airs on a basketball season. So
hope looking at it. You know, just so far the reviews are good.
You know that they've got a lot of guys, so we'll start to
see what that looks like tomorrow. But I wanted to I wanted to talk
to Danny, but you got you got a new job, the director of
operations. After ten years of sports information director when it did a little bit
of time in the marketing area and digital media, now you're the director of
operations. What does that me? So, I mean to be totally honest
with you, I'm kind of still learning as we go. I'm on.
I think I've Yeah, I'm about a month in so far and loving every
minute of it. So basically, the just all day to day you know,
operational stuff, you know, I'm in charge of. So right now,
this is our big recruiting season, So all the visits, all of
the you know, when the recruits come here, when our coaches go there.
You know, I'm I'm booking flights, I'm booking hotels, you know,
all of just the day to day you know, the logistics of everything
I'm kind of in charge of. And I think, you know, my
job is going to be very different in the fall than it is in the
spring. So yeah, just got my hands in a lot of different things
with everything related to the program. You mention right now, you're big recruiting
season. I know they're in fall practice. Yep, we're gonna start playing
games, yep. But you know what, you know, what's the day
to day stuff that you've got on your plate right now? So we practice
every day Monday through Friday. And I so during practice, I'm I'm taking
stats. I'm you know, keeping all of our live at bat statistics,
scrimmage statistics, stuff like that. So during practice, I'm I'm working,
I'm I'm keeping the stats, and then outside of that, I'm sometimes it's
ordering food for the team. Sometimes it's booking flights. Sometimes it's right now,
we're we're getting all of the uh, all of the travel set for
the spring. So we'll have all of our flights, all of our hotels,
all of our buses, everything booked here in the next couple of weeks
for the spring. So doing that, you know, if if something goes
you know, if there's something that's not working at the field or something like
that, you know, I'm in charge of getting that thing to work.
So it's it's a lot of different stuff every day, which is great.
How does the different role feel, because you know, as as the as
the sports information guy, media relations guy, you're basically dealing getting information.
I'm dealing with the media, all that kind of stuff. You're really not
a part of the day to day operation of the program, correct, right
now? You are? Yep? I mean you can you can say some
of the things that you do, if you don't do them right, they
can affect the team. Yep. Exactly is that you put your head on
the pillow at night, going what the hell no, I actually I love
that. I for some you know, I played sports all all my entire
life, and I you know, I was on teams my entire life,
and and I loved that, you know, being a part of that,
that my high school basketball team. I love that. And then the second
you graduate high school, for the vast majority of us who don't go on
to play college sports, team sports are done. Teams, you're you know,
you're never part of a team again, and you you miss that kind
of feeling of kind of what you just described, like, you know,
you're you're part of this family, and if if you mess up that,
you know, the affects the team or or something like that. And I
like that. I like that. That's kind of my speed. I learned
that I'm not the kind of guy who likes to sit at a desk and
being meetings all day. You know that. That's just kind of what I
learned from my you know, my my last job. So I mean you're
out on the field, yeah, yeah, and practices, yeah, games,
still gonna be doing the p announcing, yep, still doing PA announcing.
So I'll be you know, in game, my my duties will will
remain the same yeah, I remember you asked me to. I went and
did a fault game one time, and I'm like, I was intimidated by
this because I'm like, I'm feeling in Danny Martinez. I mean, I
gotta do this right. I can't mess this up, you know. And
I've been to enough games I've heard seeing your style and stuff, and you
know, you and I are different. But it was like it was a
little it was I was intimidating. I'm not gonna loe it really was.
But you've been the voice for a long time. Yeah, yeah, I've
been the voice for a while. Actually, Adam, your son, tells
a good story. I had him fill in one time for me because during
when I was the SID, I was also the volleyball SID, which means
during fall games. You know. That's probably when I had you fill in.
Is I had a volleyball match that I couldn't make the softball game,
and so one time I had Adam fill in, and Adam did his announcement
and the fans turned around and they booted him. Okay, well they didn't
boom me, so I get that. That makes me feel better. They
might have turned and said, who the hell is that? But I didn't.
I specifically remember, I didn't get boot That's good funny. Yeah,
he was like, man, I'm just out here doing this for free,
just helping out Danny and foods pretty much. I love when he tells that
story. That's pretty funny. We had Dave Hicky on yesterday and I said,
Okay, you've got like a handful of coaches that this is their third
year. Yeah, Caitlyn lows one of them, Tommy Lloyd, uh Jip
Hale, I think Bernard Legott, Yea beckhamar Becca. The third year is
kind of like that year that now it's mine, right, You're not the
new coach anymore, you know, Caitlyn is you know, I mean kind
of settling into you see that you see a little bit for that. I
do, yes, I think I would totally agree with you with what you
just said, especially when you're replacing someone like Mike Andre I mean, obviously,
in year one went to the Women's College World Series, first coach to
ever lead their team to to the Women's College Worlds World Series in their first
year as a head coach. Last year some difficulties, and I think this
year it has a totally different feel and I think it's exactly what you just
said. It's it's this is Caitlyn's team. This is you know, is
on a softball twenty twenty three, this is it has a totally different feel
than last year. So and yeah, and you you would kind of expect
that, you know, I mean, I mean, I'm assuming you sit
in on meetings and you know, player meetings and stuff like that. What's
the I don't know, I don't know, not the expectation level. I
don't want to see that because we always know yours, We know what the
expectations are. But you know, there's there's gotta be you know, after
missing the tournament last year, there has to be a sense of hey,
guys, you know, yeah we can't you know, we gotta got there
our game. Yeah, I would say that in you know, in May
of twenty twenty three, missing the tournament was the worst thing to happen.
It felt horrible. But now in September of twenty twenty three, us missing
the tournament last year was actually the best thing to happen to us because they
have that chip on their shoulder, they have that Us against the world mentality.
We never ever ever want to feel what we felt on that day ever
again and so yes, at the time it was horrible. Obviously we wish
that that that that was different, But now, right now it's the best
thing that could have been. Some changes on the coaching staff, right,
So the new coaches you know, fitting in yep, but you know some
of the personalities, I mean, are you are you seeing any cohesively?
Yes? Yes, yes, I think that this coaching staff is really,
really, really good. I really like the new pitching coach, Christian Conrad.
And then so this year you can pay a third assistant coach, so
we brought in Josh Bloomer, a hitting coach, and I think both of
them have first of all meshed very well with the staff, with the players,
with the team, everything like that. But also I think are going
to take their respective areas to the next level. I really like both of
their personalities as well as their capabilities as coaches. So yeah, well and
you know, and oh we got Well let's take this call. Hi,
you're on the air and I in the ball Hey you guys, this is
gay Roll. How are you guys? How are you? I'm doing pretty
good? Hey, I want to talk to you guys about the game on
Saturday. Jay, I just I listened to your show last night and you
kind of made me chuckle when you kind of made fun made fun of Michael
Luke. So that comes in my face. That was well, okay,
I'm not gonna say that wasn't intentional, but okay, So what's up,
Gay? What do you guys for the game on Saturday? So I think
so, I think do we know who's gonna be starting? Or basically Jeff
Pitch basically holds his cars to his check it's a game time decision. Jane
Delora is not practice or he did not practice yesterday. He said that you
know they're gonna work him out and see what he looks like on Saturday and
then decide. So we don't know who's who the starter is, although he
did say he'd be comfortable with either one. Okay, well before so what
before I give you my thoughts about what's the score, who's gonna win the
game? How are YouTube feeling about the game? I feel just because it
was such a close game against Stanford and they just didn't play well, I
feel less confident about about them. But I just think, you know,
we've been we've been down this road before. Where everyone has had a you
know, not look great and then they shocked the world the next week.
So I wouldn't be shocked if they won. I'm not expecting them to win.
Yeah, I'm I'm very curious. That's how i would describe it.
I'm very curious to see how how we perform. Okay, well, for
me, I think whoever is a far back, they gotta play hours their
mind. Good. For the offense, they need the score on every single
possession, and for defense they need to bend but do not break and try
to limit how much points does Michael Peanut of Panics and IS and the whole
watching coaching staff ten score good good news. Is is in Tucson, so
and so. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna be able to make the game,
but I'm gonna be watching it on the on the television, and I'm playing
to go to to Arizona football games of UCLA and the Oregon State. But
I'm just kind of distracting it. But I think Arizona, I'm I think
that somehow, some way that Arizona can win the game. All right,
I think they can. I do just because there's so many other you know,
the wild card is Washington never plays well in Arizona, you know,
yeah, are they gonna, right, are they gonna come down there and
do that again? Because if they do that, if they come down,
if they don't bring their A game, they can lose for sure, right,
just like Arizona didn't bring their A game last week and gould have lost
its stand for sure. Yeah, all right, all right, Gabriel,
thanks a much. Man. Well, we know you'll be rooting for him.
Give us a call after after the game next week. Okay, thank
you, Beer down Arizona, go cop, trusty Gabriel. Man, he's
big fan. Yeah, he's up in the he's up in the Fresno area.
Okay, always calling in. He likes to rip on the sukay good.
Sometimes you have to hit the dump button because anyways. All right,
well Danny, we're out of time. I appreciate you being here today.
This is a lot of fun. I hope you had fun. We'll have
to do it again if we get a chance. And good luck with the
job. Yeah, thanks, thanks, good luck with the team. Everybody.
Spring Falls Softball game, first game real Yeah, first game is next
Friday, next Friday, October six, at six pm against Central Arizona.
All right, there you go. Hey, Thanks Jin Danny and we will
see you later. Thanks Jake,