This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalad sound Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure your most prized possessions Katie z
are two SAG and iHeartRadio Station. Hey, good afternoon, everybody. I
hope you're listening to that out and joined this great weather. But if you
are, welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I'm Steve Rivera. He's diggon Zalez right, here's Jay. I have been
forgetting getting wety five years. We have the smart one in the room,
and Lisa is with us today, so make us look good at least please.
Of course, yeah, we're gonna check in on Analys because she was
that she was at the waste management open on Saturday, right, right,
experience, and we'll see we should actually go there. Let's go there because
we well, wait, are you jed fished out? I am? I
am I I you know, out of curiosity and just doing my due diligence,
right, because we are a sports talk radio show, and every he
was talking about this interview he did yesterday. I listened to it, right,
and then I said, okay, I'm done listening to it. Yeah,
yeah, I you know I didn't in my role, in your role,
in the same role, I wrote stories. I didn't get close to
him. I don't get close to him football people anymore because it doesn't really
matter. And I'm glad I didn't. I sure don't still don't know if
he's a good football coach. But didn't see enough. Yeah, did you
know? We didn't. I mean, we think he is right because he
did a really nice he did a great job. But again, you know,
it's it's easy to get a lot better when you were really bad.
True. True. In fact, well we know call yor two who said
who said they had a hard time dealing or accepting the higher from Brennan because
his record wasn't so great. Well did you accept Jeff Fish's before he got
here and after? Yeah? So yeah, So look, you know I
mentioned that because asked you if you listened to it. You did, I
did. I'm done listening to it. He didn't say here, I didn't
say anything new that the three minute thing, and then the Texas A and
M thing, right, and then I still believe there was one other job
that he had contact with somebody. He says he says no, but I
think there's at least one sure, But other than that, that's it.
That's not U c l A. Yeah. And now you know, I
kind of like on the way in, when I'm listening on the way and
I'm thinking, okay, I'm gonna paraphrase a line from The Godfather, I'm
like, you know, okay, good luck in your your new venture.
He's talking to that Salozzo guy, right, Vito Corleone talking to good luck
in your venture. I wish you well as long as your interests don't conflict
with mine. Yeah, No, that's good. That's good. I thought
there was you're dead to me or something that way. You got to get
right up to him, blow his brains out by being okay, get his
brains out over your IVY league. Unless something breaks for anything else, we'll
talk about him. But we're kind of done with him, right, he's
gone, he's up there. Good good luck to him. I understand why
you took the job, and I you know, move on. Sure,
sure, okay, So now let's go to the civilized sports of golf.
Yes, did you were you prepared? Was that your first time? That
my first? What did you prepare for? And what did you see.
Well, we knew it was going to be a party. We knew.
I didn't think it was going to be that crowded though. We got there
early too, and it was anywhere by the entrance or the first few holes
totally packed. You can barely move. The lines to get even a water
were just so long, Yeah, to do anything. And then they're like,
there's like only certain ways you can walk down, in certain ways you
can walk up. And they have started closing off different holes and stuff so
everyone could watch the same holes. Did you what was your purpose in going?
I don't know. I just wanted to go check out the golf tournament.
Okay, okay, did you it wasn't Did you see any golf?
I actually saw like I think maybe two two swings. That's my kind of
point. Go for the golf. You don't. You don't you don't go
for the golf. For this tournament. I don't even know how the players
focus. I mean, it's crazy. There's screaming there, couldn't focus.
Yeah, but I like every year, I'm sure it's the same thing,
but I heard this year was just the worst. We left kind of early
because it was just too two packed. It stop serving alcohol, and they
stopped even scanning tickets, so anyone could just come in and like, what
did I pay to pay for? But it was still cool to see.
Well, certainly a spectacle. Let's say. It was definitely a spectacle.
But you know, in the end, people want to go see the golf.
I mean, did you think that waste management? You think people paid
to see the golf? Some people they don't. They don't at the WASTA.
I would do it again, but I would buy VIP or something like
early or something to be able to sit and watch and sit at the sixteenth
hole or something and sit somewherehere you could sit and watch and not have to
like be running around trying to find a good place to see. I would
do it again, but I would do it differently. Okay, yeah,
yeah, you don't know too, you know, and yeah, no,
no, there's a lot of people that go for the party. Yeah right,
people watch the people watching to have the party. Yeah, yeah,
you know they do. But even that's not big of a party if you're
taking the lines to get beers, and I mean, yeah, that's the
thing. And that's why I was like kind of disappointment because I was like,
this is not how I thought it was going to be. I saw
a video of the lines at the bathroom, and I'm like, were crazy
expensive to get anywhere. They're saying it was taking you an hour or more
just to go to the bathroom. Well, if you're up there for a
few hours to watch golf and you gotta spend an hour of it in the
bathroom because you got to go, Yeah, you know what fun is that?
That's didn't you say last week you went to Pebble Beach a couple of
years ago US Open, Yeah, how was that orderly? Yeah? There
was no order. It was you know, it was crowded. You know,
Tiger Woods was playing in it, and the crowd following him was incredible.
But you watched that and we're in awe of it. You just thought,
I mean the guy wasn't ever even in contention that year. Yeah,
yet there were more people following him than anybody else, which meant you could
see uh Rory mcrel you could you could see you know, justin Thomas,
you could see all those guys. Yeah, because everybody was following Tiger.
Now we did, you know, like we got ahead of where a couple
of holes ahead of where he was coming, and we watched and we watched
him come through. We got good sea, but the crowd that followed.
So you gotta you gotta be pro strategic about what you're gonna do, you
know. We we we decided that what we wanted to sit at the eighteenth
hole and watch the end of the golf tournament in the bleachers there. It
was gonna take us an hour and a half to get into the bleachers,
right, two people had to leave for two more people to go up.
Yeah, so said, screw it, let's go walk the golf course.
The lines for the stands were like hours, and I was asking, like,
how long do you think it will take there? Like three hours?
And I'm like, I'm not even planning on being here for three hours exactly,
you know, exactly, you know, if we need to go to
the bathroom. We went to the bathroom. We sat on a couple of
tea boxes and you could get a drink, right, We sat tea boxes.
We sat at some at some by the greens, and we got to
see the golf, which is you know, when you got a field like
a US Open field, you want to see the guys. You want to
see the guys that you go to see. You want to see Tiger Woods,
you want to see Rory mcka where you want to see. You know.
At that time, Dustin Johnson and a bunch of those guys who were
in live. We had a great time and it was it was an experience
of a lifetime. I can't even imagine what that would have been like over
the weekend. Yes, so we're gonna have somebody in about ten minutes of
getting some sense of all this, just getting her thoughts at least obviously Judy
McDermott, a former executive director of the Concuston now the president of the Tea
the Prestige. Yeah, she's she's seen it all and we'll have her thoughts
on this book while we're still on the subject. Her counterpart at the Thunderbirds,
the Phoenix under Bird, they're the that's their conquistators, who who who
operate and run the tournament. Their executive director who positioned that Judy held here
at the Conquistators. He's come out and here here's a questions in the ESPN
story, I think that you will see a complete operational change of how we
manage our Friday and really our Friday and Saturday, but the entire week.
We're very proud of what we've built. I think we've been Tournament of the
Year on the PGA Tour five of the last seven years. But we don't
like what happened on Saturday. The players don't like what happened on Saturday,
our fans don't like what happened on Saturday. So nothing is off the table.
I'm reading there's a headline here a woman fell from Friday Friday. Friday
Friday, a woman fell from from the from the sky one of the sweet
shop. It says she's got non life threatening injuries. But now there was
also so muddy, like everyone was covered in mud, like people were falling,
sliding down, like just the stuff that was going I saw another video
of a guy who wanted to get into a suite but not pay right,
so he jumped up and grabbed like a ledge, shimmied over and then pulled
himself up and over into the suite and they just let him, and they
just let him. And who does who goes to a golf tournament to do
that. It's it's it's not like classy golf tournament like you would think it
would be you know, it's like yeah, and and that that you know,
they got the reputation, they built their reputations being the one off that
isn't the you know, the stuff, the stuff, the stuff he stuff,
and that's fine, and they built a reputation on that, and that's
what the sixteenth hole is all about. Yeah, but like I said,
yes, it got out of here. Yeah, and you can you don't
know what's gonna happen until it happens. Although it was creeping, it's been
heading in that direction for a while. This is a shocker, not really
really. Yeah, it was overhyped in my opinion though, definitely over what
do you mean the golf tournament? People say it's so fun, it's the
best golf tournament ever, and it was too It was how do you have
fun being smushed with people and even pushed and like you don't even know where
to go, Like which way can we go where it's gonna be less crowdics
it's just crowded everywhere? Yeah, like should we go to like the beginning
holes? Like and everywhere? It was so so in your experience, what
would you get one to ten in your experience sounds like a three or four.
Yeah, I was gonna say like five like it was fun, Like
it was fun, like I had fun with my friends, and there were
other things that were fun about it, Like the whole day was a fun
day for me, But the actual tournament was not the highlight of my weekend.
Yeah, yeah, I saw it again. A video of somebody posted
that said it went he got it, gets to the front of the line
at a snack bar, a slice of pizza and a beer five thirty two
thirty two, eight fourteen for the pizza eighteeneen. I heard thirteen. Ye,
Well they stopped serving alcohol. Yeah that's crazy, that was but it's
probably smart that they probably how much your beers at the football game, I
don't know. I don't buy beer, okay, but I think they're twenty
airs in the stadium. But they're they're they're tall, Yeah, they're tall,
They're tall. Yeah. Still, come on, and then I wonder
where nobody goes. Nobody goes and they have a big screen at the house.
You know people you know, like the on the six thirty game last
week. You know, I had to go, you know, have dinner.
That's correct. Basketball game. I run in, I grab a couple
of hot dogs. It's fifteen bucks. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
because there're five then you getting soda, but ten fifteen but two hot dogs
just really seven and a half dollars and a half? Oh, how you
are you? Popcorn was five? I was wondering who my charges were.
Yes, okay, if it wasn't for the free sodas, we get in
that, I mean we get to go to the basketball games instead on the
floor for freeze. I have not come plaining, well, you cover a
decent team. I don't think I don't think they'll let you before all right,
I cut you off when we were going to oh yeah about our second
guest, So yeah, second guess. So I was thinking, you know,
we live in this world of craziness and media, social media, blah
blah blah. And we talked to Pete Williams all the time. I wanted
to give his take. What would be the reaction in nineteen eighty three,
eighty four when he got here with all the BS, with the BS posters
about his team back in the day, and how would he be handled it.
Oh, he doesn't know. He doesn't now because because he follows me
and I post off and he says he defends me or whatever because he reads
all of it. Yeah, and he's that guy. He's but he's very
good in how we because he's a diplomatic dude and no one's going to mess
with the Pope. No, he would fight people, oh yeah, yeah,
he at least I think he at least would engage. Yeah, so
in eighty five, eighty six, So I wanted to ask them, and
obviously ask about the team, Yeah, because he follows him closely for sure.
But no, I'm I've been wanting to talk to Pete for a while
because you know, I want to you know, like I want to ask
him about you know, the how the center who plays with us back to
the basket, the DeAndre Aids have been devalued, the zach Eaties, you
know, those guys, they've been devalued in the NBA. Now that you
know, if you're even if you're seven foot two, you got to be
able to step out and hit a three. And you know, because he
was even though he was six seven, right, he was a back to
the basket center. You know, he was the guy that went in there
and he just you know, he he but he was very physical with people
and that's why he was. He was so good. Sure, okay,
you know, we'll talk about all that. It was always good to have
Pete was always good to talk about basketball. Yeah. No, that the
Wellcats are back my breakfast guys. Man, they're all back on board.
Everybody was back on back on the vandwig. Those guys are they looked really
good. Yeah. I don't think you guys predicted they were going to win
this weekend. No, we were all. I said a split. I
thought they would split. I thought, okay, I predicted uh, and
I thought I had it right. But I predicted a Utah win. And
then I thought they'd lose to Colorado, you know, the second game of
the weekend thing. And then especially after they went three overtimes, I think,
yeah, they're for Sugar to lose. They're just gonna be out of
gas. Yeah, but they sure didn't stay through. They did. It
was very nice. So all right, let's go and take our break,
right, Yeah, and we're gonna come back with Judy McDermott, former director
of executive director of the Tushock Conquisa Doors, currently the executive director of the
local First te Uh. We'll just get talk some golf and some more stuff
about you know what it's like to run a tournament like that, and then
sure, how you keep it from getting out of hand? And then some
other things. Yeah you said, she the la grats. We'll see how
she likes what's going on over there. So all right, stick stick around,
make the right choice for your home when it comes to windows and doors.
For more than twenty years, the Window Depot has provided the best price
and biggest inventory on in stock windows and doors. The Window Depots open to
the public, so whether you're a homeowner or a contractor, you can shop
the enormous warehouse. Browse the shelves with over one thousand vinyl windows, interior
and patio doors, and skylights and several varieties and sizes available to go home
today shop the Window Depot dot com, i'm or find a location near you.
The Window Depot best price, biggest inventory. Steve Rivera here to talk
about Dorato Rock and Materials. I needed a lot of gravel for my driveway,
so I called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount and
color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at a great
price. How do I know radio commercials work? I heard one of his
on the radio. Dorato Rock and Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials,
including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential
and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been
around for more than fifteen years. Give them a call at five two zero
four zero zero four two three to three. Where do you buy exercise equipments
Arizona Health Arizona Health Arizona Health. Of course, to feel better and look
better, it makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know
it better than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to help
you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness
deserve the best you deserve. Arizona Health leading edge and exercise equipment on twenty
second, just west of Wilmot. It's twenty twenty four, a new year,
and it's time to think of recognizing your employees, salespeople, managers,
team members and agents with a Creative Award for the great job they did in
twenty twenty three. Come visit Creative Awards beautiful showroom with over one thousand items
to choose from Creative Awards is located at two twenty eight West Drackman Street and
Tucson, or visit Creative Awards website at Creative Awards az dot com. At
Nova home Loans, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that
comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option
that best fits your needs, whether you're a first time or veteran home buyer
or want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety of
home loan programs to meet your unique situation. Visit volteteam dot com, that's
volpe team dot com or call five two oh six eight five six two six
today in a last three oh eight seven arizon a BKO nine two nine four
two Equal housing opportunity now to commitment to Lyndric Cyn. Credit rates and available
loan programs a subject to change with U numbers. Did you know sports cards
at Memorabilia are setting record sales last month of nineteen fifty two tops Mickey mantal
So for twelve point six million, Lebron James Rookie So for five point six
Also, collecting cards is a family fun hobby that can be very profitable.
If you want to start a collection or expand your collection, check out Showtime
Cards. They are one of the leading card shops in the country and have
served our local community for twenty five years. They are located on e Speedway.
That's show Time Cards. Oh how road trips hit different when you borrow
better with one rate. The one Rate Auto Loan Program is a quick and
easy process for affordable auto financing one rate for everyone, so ready to hit
the road. For details or to apply for your one rate auto loan today,
visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash one rate. Pyramid Federal Credit Union is
an equal opportunity lender really insured by NCUA. And it's that time of year,
Summer in Tucson. Time to take control with Temperature Control for all your
air conditioning needs. We'll keep you cool during all the hot streaks. All
you have to do is stay in control with Temperature Control where we handle everything
you need with prompt response, affordable pricing, and sound solutions. We also
excel in plumbing and electrical work. We handle everything you need. Give us
a call at five two oh eight one five five six six' five or
visit our website at tempdash con dot com and remember stay in control with temperature
control. Need concrete, hard Works Concrete has it. We have more than
twenty five years of experience with all things concrete. Installing, sidewalks and patio
floors are our specialty and handle masonry work and retaining laws. We're locally and
family owned. Just let us know what you need, how you want it,
and we'll take care of it. Leave the hard work up to us.
We're hard Works Concrete. Call us at five one two nine six two
five six six zero or visit our website Hardworks Concrete dot com. We'll put
the work in for you. Guy, bugs, termites, bees, or
rodents, Arizona Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your
complete desert pest management. Specialist tests can't run or hide from Arizona Pest Control.
They use only the latest and most technologically advanced methods of pest elimination available,
which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid
of your bad bugs, termites, bees, or rodents serving Tucson and Southern
Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azpest dot com to schedule your free
evaluation today, Dreamy Live. I mean, iHeartRadio WAPP. This is I
on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jacobzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey,
welcome back to are on the ball here Fox Shorts fourteen fifty. I'm
Steve, He's Jay, and at least with us to day, we have
Judy McDermott ready to call in any second now, talk about golf, talk
about a lot of things going on in the world sports. Obviously Judy is
in touch with here we go. Do you sell the ruins? Judy McDermott,
Is this you am? I blocking you? How dare you? You're
my favorite woman in this town? No, Judy, it's it's our It's
ours are like our nineteen sixty five phone system over here. So she's seen
it. Yes, we're working on squirrels today. Yeah. Wait, we
have a party line, so somebody else, may you all of a sudden
start talking in your ear? But hi, Judy, if there's a woman
in this world, I know to settle this golf problems, this fun and
games, I'm gonna call Judy. What do you make of what's going on
in Phoenix or what went on in Phoenix. Are we are we on the
air? Are on the air? Yes you are? Oh goodness, what
do you make of it? Well, it was all bound to happen,
wasn't it. Yeah, that's kind of what we were saying there. But
in their defense, they make a ton of money for charity and that's what's
amazing. But obviously the PGA Tour for years has been on them. And
now that the players really came out and used some interesting language back at the
fans and things, it's time. It was. It kind of an accepted
thing though too, that this that the Phoenix Open was going to be sort
of that that one off where people can get a little looser, you know,
the a lot of the players participated in, you know, the things
going on around at the sixteenth hole. It was kind of like, we're
trying to have some fun different from what we do at all the other tournaments.
And it's okay, right, absolutely, and all and all the players
know that, and that's why, you know, as you know, it's
not like, you know, Tiger played there every year. He quit playing.
So sorry I'm getting echo that slim. Yeah you're good though, we
can hear you find good is the caller there anyway, for years they have
been warned and with the PGA Tour, but obviously the tournament is a force,
and you know, it's great for golf because you're just attracting so many
eyeballs on golf that week, and like you say, and they make a
ton of money for charity, and so you can't argue with that. But
obviously, between the weather and everything that happened with having to get everybody on
the cart paths and stuff, they just were overrun this week. And it
just sounds like from what I saw on TV, I didn't go up,
but we're down, I guess. But the players just the players had it.
Yeah, well something like that. As you said, I think you
alluded to that, you know, the fact that Tiger used to play that
he doesn't now other players do. There's some golfers who just say, yeah,
I want to go do that, I want to have fun, and
then others who just said I want no part of it. Correct, correct,
you know, and you know, and the money still there, and
you know, it's a great golf course and the Thunderbirds treat all the players
well and and everybody knows it's good for golf and it's a little different,
but it just, like I say, it just it just you know,
it used to be just on sixteen on the rowdy holes and the spectators were
just wild everywhere. This this past week, I wonder why you want to
be here to well part of it too. They had the delay and so
then everybody's still drinking. So it's it just was a force that just you
know, turned into one big volcano. Obviously. What were some of the
tougher challenges that you had, you know as the director and running that and
running that tournament that you know, we're kind of out of the unusual.
I mean I remember you were you still the executive director when they when it
snowed over up a time. Yeah, so you know you had that stuff
like that, right, you know what I mean? Was there anything that
was a really hard thing to deal with like that or was it just kind
of like, Okay, the weather's bad and that it is what it is.
What were some of the tough things you had to do? Well?
The year the year at snowed on the match play, it actually made it
centure the title sponsor really happy because we basically made national international news picture pictures.
Well, you know when you're a title sponsor and you're spending all that
money. You know, they were thrilled, and and obviously we had the
benefit because it was match play in a limited field. We were able to
get the tournament in even though we had so much snow. And the next
day, you know, we didn't tee off until late in the afternoon.
Let me ask you this dumb question. But you expected from me. I
know you have a great life. I want you to adopt me, but
but do you miss your old role? I missed some parts of it,
but it was it was just time to do this. I don't. I
don't miss it. And with what's going on with Live Golf, and and
obviously you know, the Cool of Guard Classics move into La Paloma this year,
so Jeff and his team and the Conqui stores, you know, they
have a lot of work to go to a new site. It's going to
be exciting. And the routing of the eighteen holes is using all three nines
at La Paloma, so that'll be fun to see the routing and see the
players play a different golf course. Well let's talk about that, because I
don't but I don't, but I don't, I don't miss it in that
regard, because we're doing so many great things with our junior golf programs and
our first two programs and the kids just you know, putting putting golf clubs
in the hands of a kid that never ever would have had the opportunity to
do that, it's pretty rewarding. I want to talk about that in a
second, but let me go back to the you know, the golf run
and being at La Paloma this year. It bounced around a couple of places
while you were while you were running the show over there. How hard is
that to you know, move the venue and kind of do everything all over
again and just kind of start from scratch and build a whole other infrastructure and
all that type of stuff. How tough was is that? For these guys?
It's really hard. You know, it's a ton of meetings and a
ton of meeting with the vendors and then obviously meeting with the site. You
know, you're putting up these massive tents and scaffoldings that are going to do
some damage to the golf course, and you have to deal with all those
things, and you know, you're trying to please everybody. You're trying to
please the volunteers. You're trying to please the spectators. You're trying to please
the host golf course, You're trying to please the PGA Tour, You're trying
to please the players. Obviously, the charity piece is so important, you
know, you know the Conquis stores here locally, you know, we put
the tournament on for the community to have something professional here because obviously we don't
have a lot of professional sports in Tucson, per se. And then also
in turn trying to make money for charity, to make as much money as
you can. So it's a fine line of how much you spend on what
you know to do it. I'll tell you a story. I mean,
everything's just getting more expensive. My little cousin is he's now the operations director
for Tiger Woods Foundation, and they run the tournament at Riviera in la where
Tiger's playing this week, and their costs have quadrupled to put up tents and
scaffolding at that event. And you know the same holds true here in Tucson.
So and the thing is, you need that stuff. You need it
right, So you need it. You have to pred corporate entertaining, and
you know, to make a different than just you know, walking down the
roads. And you know that's that's what it's about, you know, the
everyday spectator walking the golf course and watching people play. It's fun too.
And but but you got to have the scaffolding and the hospitality suite, sure,
you have no question. I know we deal with it a tour where
you know, the barricades and the cops blah blah blah. And they don't
talk about that for funding, right and they don't. You got to find
a way to find them. You got to cover all that. You gotta
cover all that. Well, yeah, it's it's a it's a fine it's
a fine line. But uh, you know, for the for the Color
Guard Classic, La Paloma has been a wonderful partner for them. Yeah,
it was a good move for the tournament. And ask you what do you
think of that movie? What do you think of La Paloma as a place
to host a tournament like this? I think change is good, you know
a little different. And you know, obviously some people are saying, oh,
it's hard to walk and this and that, but it's not like it
is the Phoenix Open, so you know there'll be plenty of room to move
around and walk down the cart paths and see people play, and the players
are going to enjoy the golf course a lot. And and it's you know,
more of a desert style. So when you talk about the national and
international broadcast on television, it's really going to showcase showcase tu Son, you
know, in a really nice way with the desert style golf course. And
the audience is totally different then we'll obviously up in North up in Phoenix,
it's that civilized crowd, you mean, all nice to you and me.
There's still some partiers that go to the cold that class. And I'll go
to the concerts Friday night, but you know who can go. There's nothing
on the scale of what happens in Phoenix. I know more. I know
that there's more than a few people. There's more than a fe people that
I know who are a little disappointed that there's no Grand Slam tent. Right
the Friday night tent with with both the band Uh duck soup. I was
thinking something duck, but it was duck soup. Yeah, you know what
I mean? That that was? That was I really am, I really
am, you know, stop it. I don't know what to tell you,
I mean, Judy, I mean, don't don't take this wrong,
but there were years that I only went to the Grand Slam tent and didn't
even ever go to the golf because I just, you know, get off
of work ahead to the concert Midlands performing for them. They're going to have
that at Retol on Friday night. It would be fun. It would be
fun, a little bit of something for everybody, obviously, So let me
pick your brain. What's going on with the Bruins And are you happy?
Fascinating, isn't it. I was starting to I was starting to worry that
we might lose coach from Arizona, Brandon going over to U SKLA since he
played there. But don't even start a rumors and this town will go crazy
crazy. But uh but wow, U c l A and I hold them
in high regard only because of the basketball program. But now they're going to
the Big Big ten. What do you think about the move? First of
all, you know, I'm not happy about it at all. I mean,
I can't stan seeing the Pac twelve doesolve. It breaks my heart.
And honestly, I mean, you just look at you know, you just
look at women's basketball, and you know, and how competitive competitive it's been,
you know, this season with the Pac twelve. So it just it
just breaks my heart that it's breaking up. And you know, you can
like Chip Kelly or not chip Kelly, but you guys probably saw that,
you know his comments on everything he's he said in an interview, you know,
the football should be all on its own, and he said, it's
the damn shame that UCLA and Arizona are not going to play each other in
softball anymore, right now, right, And he's right, and that's coming
from you know, a football guy, right, No, his his,
he's spent two three minutes on it and everything he said, I told you
read, Yeah I was. I was really impressed, you know with that.
So yeah, no, absolutely. Can I ask a real quick questions?
So you played golf that you see here? Right? I? Did
we talk about or people talk about the the minor sports or the Olympic sports
having to travel all these distances? Now Big ten, the Pac twelve is
going to go to the Big twelve. You know what I'm saying, Is
it that much of a difference for the for the minor sports, if you
will, going and traveling and coming back, and how it'll affect them academically
and otherwise. I'll be honest, I haven't studied the schedule enough. But
you know, on golf was always a little different the way the tournaments were
structured because it wasn't like you were just going to play one team. So
it's not quite the same as the softball team or the basketball team. You
know, you know going over So so I can't really say, not knowing
how the actual schedule is going to work, but you know, it sure
seems like it's going to be pretty complicated to me and a lot of traveling.
Yeah, all right, so we've only got a couple more how things
going over at the first he still a lot of a lot of little kids
playing golf in more and more, how's it going? All? All kinds
of kids playing golf? And we run all the competitive tournaments and we introduced
kids to the game. We got almost a thousand kids in the program and
about two hundred kids a player junior competitive tournaments. And one of our kids,
James Lebucus, who he became a caddy at Tucson Country Club through a
new program we helped them start for the Evan scholars Program. He actually was
awarded the Evan scholars and so he's going to get a full ride scholarship to
the school that he ends up getting accepted to. He's already been accepted to
several but he hasn't chosen yet full scholarship. So everything. So I did
the room board tuition, you name it. Great kid, and so we're
really excited for him. I did a little piece in BIZ Tucson about that
Tucson Country Club had a special section and I did a little bit about that
Evans scholarship. I mean that is that's just something that's really cool for you
know, these kids to have a love of golf, but you know,
get get a chance, and a lot of these kids don't you know,
might not otherwise get that chance. Yeah, it's based obviously on financial need,
but and then how many loops you get. It's it's a great you
know, it's been in it's out of Chicago, and it's amazing. We
have a new college scholarship program and so our applications are going out for our
kids for college scholarship. Obviously based on need and all those things, but
it's not a full ride. It's just you know a little bit of money
here. So so that Evan Scholar and our partnership with two Cuntry sub with
the kids Caddy and it's just been dynamite. Is it. Is it a
program that's continuing to grow or or or or what? And how many kids
do you have in their program? What's that? Is it still growing?
And how many kids do you have in the in the program in the First
Tea Program? Yes? Yeah, we have almost a thousand kids in the
First Tea Program on a calendar year. So wow, it's amazing. Okay,
I'm I'm and like to say about two hundred kids that play our competitive
tournament. Okay, I'm a ten year kid. I've never golf before.
You know, my parents don't have a whole lot of stuff. I go
to school. I love sports. Talk talk me into being you know,
joining up with First Tea and being uh, you know, being a part
of that program. That's what's so great about what we do is you know,
we're more than just golf and everything is is group lessons and it's not
like when you come here you're just coming out. It's almost like recess.
You know, you're going out and playing golf on recess and you're not but
you're not holding up your hand waiting to be the last person to be picked
to be on the team. Everybody's treated equally no matter what your skill level,
and so much of what we do here is we teach them how to
you know, set goals, stay in school, work on goal laddering,
you know, just give these kids, you know, a sense of belonging
and a place to go in a safe space. And then, you know,
and if they want to move on and do more things competitive leave golf,
we have that too. We kind of run the gamut with what we
do here and introducing them to the game on up to getting them true,
true golf lessons if that's the direction they want to go. But what's nice
about what we do with You don't need your own clubs. We provide everything,
and once you stay in the program a little bit, we'll give you
clubs if you want to take them home and practice. Other time. I'm
going to cheer up. I'm going to cheer up. You're a good girl,
Charlie Brown. Thank you. Judy is always thanks for, thanks for
She came on into last minute. I appreciate that, Judy. She even
jokes with me, are you desperate? Or she knows she knows. She
knows me already. Don't let him know that. Don't let him know that,
Judy, don't let me Thank you as always appreciate you. She's one
of the best. But yeah, thank you. I think the world is
very cool, very cool, you know what. And you know, the
golf here, this community was a ton to her. Yeah, I still
have golf. Yeah, we still have pro golf. You know. One
of the things that she didn't say that, And you know this, finding
a sponsor is just not easy, man, that's the and that's the biggest
thing they'd try to chase down. Yeah, all right, thanks, thanks,
let us and exactly all right, Okay, we're gonna take our break.
We're gonna take some calls if you want, five to zero, four,
one, six, seventy four to forty. I'd love to here if
you were out out at the waste management in your experience, and did you
see, you know, people sliding down the hills in the mud. Did
they show us stuff like that? Oh yeah, I didn't see that.
I didn't see a ton of that stuff. And or if you want to
talk anything else, obviously you have a basketball is a hot topic of conversation
with through wins over the weekend, So stick around give us the call five
two zero, four, one, six, seventy four forty. 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 Loudolsen era in my new book,
Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty
five former players, coaches and friends to give insight to the coach and the
man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five chapters
for his twenty five years as Arizona's the loved Coach. Lessons from Lut is
an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one
email me a Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. Hi,
this is formal while get Leman huntly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM
can change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is
everything you need to transform your personal space and your life. We off a
complete line of cardio machines, multigms and freeway equipment. I'll certify fitness experts
and technicians will set you up with the right equipment and training to get you
started to keep you going. Visit our share room today at twenty second in
Wilmot, Arizona Health the lead edge and exercise equipment. What's your goal a
new career or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college.
PEMA Community College can help you make Someday today and reach your goals affordably on
your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from in financial laid available,
It's time to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the
career you want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the
field that's right for you. Learn how at Pima dot Edu slash Someday with
picture rocks, Cooling, heating and plumbing. Heating is our middle name.
Call us at five two zero four four zero four zero six nine to make
sure your furnace is running efficiently. Yeating and clumbing. Do you want to
be part of a winning team? A team? Security is looking for friendly,
outgoing event security guards and event staff to be a part of our team.
We've been providing our outstanding services to some of Arizona's biggest sporting events and
concerts for over twenty years. We want you to join the Action. A
Team offers a fun and exciting opportunity to work in the sports and entertainment industry,
with flexible schedules that are perfect for those looking for a part time job
or a second income. Come be a part of a winning team. The
A Team apply online today at a teamsecurity dot net. Breaking down all the
exes and ohs. It's Steve Rivera and Jagins. This is I on the
ball on Fox Sports fourteenth Phi. Welcome back to the ball, you know,
Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve, He's Jay. We have at
least today with us. We have thirteen minutes. If you guys want to
call you gont check about hoops, just call golf, whatever. Football,
Let's not go there. We're done with football. Where do you guys think
about Pele? And after that performance? Well, I think we he's like
the basketball team in November December. Wow, they're good and then just don't
go away. Yeah, because that's what that's what we see he's capable of.
Yeah, but guess what it may not be as consistent. Yeah,
does it make sense? Uh huh? Jay? Yeah, No, they
and we've been saying. You know again, Evan Makawa turned us on to
him that when he plays well, they play well. Yes, and when
he doesn't play well, they don't play well. And he's he you know,
he's it's weird to think that he's the the lickxir. Yeah, like
as you say, the magic potion, you know, the secret sauce,
the secret sauce, secret, the secret sauce, and and and so you
know the fact that that you know, he I mean, he had he
earned the Player of the week and they swept on the road. Yeah.
But you know what, we kind of pointed out this yesterday because you said
that he's been overtaken by h. Bradley. Bradley, but the guy and
we said this kind of strangely, Okay, so Pelle right, he does
really well, the team plays well. The guy that played really well,
Kylon Boswell, Arizona needs him. Uh and then you come up with Baba
they need him. So it's kind of like everybody needs to have their piece
of the pie to make this team go well. And to your point of
Bradley, I totally every point that you made, totally agree, except that
he doesn't pass the ball as much, And I was thinking about this coming
in today. The success of this team is the passing of the ball.
The ball finds as open many and sometimes that doesn't happen. When a couple
of guys get the ball, right, that's one of them. Right,
you've been paid attention at all. Right, so if that was to continue,
I don't have to pay attention too much to see that. And how
many times, Jay, maybe you at least do you say, and he
shoots the ball from wherever? You think? No? No, yeah,
yeah, now you know. Let's say, let's see what happened with the
year. And as you said, Steve, it's gonna it's every every week.
It's gonna be a wait and see. Okay, let's see what they
do next. It is a wait and see. You never know because they've
been as you say, you know, you say you can't trust him.
I say, they're just unpredictable. I was just gonna ask, because you
haven't been with us for a while, I haven't brought this question to you.
Do you trust one of your questions? Do you do you do you
trust this team to win every game or to win when they should? Yeah,
just the rest of the year. I don't know. I don't think
I trust them, That's that's what. No, I don't I think that
people who have seen enough games love this team, but they don't trust them.
Yeah, they are, they're unpredictable. Yeah, but I mean this
weekend you get a little bit more trust in them. Now, sure,
until you don't, I know, because remember we were saying, like again
I actually said this the other day on UATV, that it was amazing that
they could come back from Stanford and UCLA, even though they should never be
down in the first place. But we were saying, like they were at
home, like they probably wouldn't have won if they weren't in McHale. But
then they did this at Utah and they had the fight in them. Actually
they gave up, they gave up, I know, but you know they
played till the end. Yeah, yeah, it is what it is.
I mean the things, they're eight strong, they're a good When they play
really well, we see what they're capable of. When they struggle, we
see what they're capable of. We have and don't forget Jay in the tournament,
how many bullets do you get? You get one, get one and
six day trying you know, you got to hit the bulls eye every time,
right right now? I get yeah, I understand. You know,
there's I'm not trying to poo poo or anything. I mean, those you
are, but that's okay. Those are the legitimate things I'm not trying to
do. You guys think it's going to be looking good in the tournament team
oys, Yeah, that's what we really don't know. Well, how about
how about what Kansas did? Yeah, you texted right away. Yeah,
twenty nine point loss. It's crazy, unranked. If you're if you're a
canvas guy, you trust them, You've lost your mind. You know you've
lost. Do you trust? Does your mom trust Duke? I trust?
Yes, because they're always more solid, though they're more consistent. They almost
lost the weak for us at home last night. They won, though they
almost lost. There's a lot of teams that are out there that aren't.
You don't know, even Purdue come on as good as they are. Do
you really think giving their tree? I don't trust that exactly exactly. It's
just when these players are so young and unexperienced, that's it's hard to win
March madness like that. But Arizona is more experienced now, so you're trying
to go away with a diploma and some luck. You need a little luck
to you need a lot of luck, luck and health and all that stuff.
We'll see what happens. I'm not try trying to poo poo and it's
just what I see. My eyes aren't lying to me. I don't think
no, no, you're right. I mean it's you. I mean you're
you're a hum percent correct. I mean if you're thinking, okay, everything's
fixed, then you haven't been watching them all year long, right, right,
because it's day to day, it's game to game, right, you
haven't you haven't been paying attention. So yeah, you know you have to
you know you have to kind of just take it day by day. That's
what it is. I mean, that's it's it's a stupid cliche, but
you have to do You really do have to take them one game at a
time. Who thought that ACU was going to come in and beat them last
year? Then they did? You let them hang, Let them hang,
You let them hang. Then they hit a half court shot to win the
game. If I said last Saturday morning and said, okay, Jay,
here's a hundred bucks, uh, put it on. Put it on.
Utah or a issue. What are you doing, I'm going to Utah easy,
right, he's easy man, easy money, and so well, because
it's you never know, give from on any team. Yeah right right,
no, so that's you know, and that's so that's where we are with
this team. And no matter what happens, Steve, you know, they
can want a winning streak. They can win three more games in a row,
right they you know, they they've got I think the Washington schools commit.
So let's say they win these next three home games they should, which
they should, right, they should. Right, let's say they do.
Now they're on a six game winning streak with momentum, right, and you
are you thinking though, right, are you thinking? Okay, there's after,
there's after, who's after? Then they then they go to say,
oh see, you see it. That's even because you see, right,
isn't that very well at the end of the end of the regular season,
Uh? Yeah probably? And U c. L A Is I think the
last game of the year, and you're looking, oh no, because they're
playing really well. Yeah, so you know, I'm looking up here real
quick. I've got on my trusty calendar because yeah, you got you've got
the Washington Schools here next week. Then they go to oh no, they've
got uh uh uh, they got a s U on the twenty eighth Wednesday.
Up, that's right, And then Oregon comes here. Then they go
to the there's still a lot of basketball left, especially issue up there,
because you know how crazy it is, Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.
Then they go to the LA schools and then who's first u USC or UCL
C l A is on Thursday? Okay, the US is the last game
of the season. Yeah, so they beat U C l A on Thursday,
and then guess what that downer game that you always have to worry about
is that Saturday. Yeah, because there's always playing down to a team that
you know what, a USC is so bad. Yeah, they're so bad.
Oregon State wasn't very good, but no US is even worse. I
mean they're the last place by a lot. USC and Arizona were supposed to
be the top two of the pack twelve. This season. Washington State's been
the big, big surprise. I was excited for these USC matchups and now
it's well, you kids booing BROWNI just I was not Bannie. I was
working that game. Students. You guys, you guys. No, yeah,
so I mean, I mean you look at their schedule. You know,
they got a SU should be a win. They got Washington State,
should be a win. They got Washington should be a win. Then they
got a SU again, didn't They lose to Washington this year at Washington State.
But in Washington state's put there. They're gonna come here and they're gonna
Arizona's gonna be passed and then and they're gonna beat them. So you may
have a seven game winning streak heading with Oregon coming to town. Now you
make it eight and then you go to U c l A and USC and
you're thinking, Okay, what can go wrong? The traffic, the traffic
just to get to the games? Get what can go wrong? Well,
sid who is it that head? That was it Oregon that had that trouble
at U C l A. There was a presidential motorcade that kept them from
getting the arena. Corey Williams was doing the game him and and what's his
name from the b area. Well, you know, whenever they play US
U s C, it's going to be the stars are going to be out,
especially probably in l A. Yeah, with Brownie playing, the stars
were out here. Kevin was here, right, they were out last night
at the u A women's basketball game. What's his name? The funny guy
Curdy here? Twins? Twins? Is it the you know who it is?
Early hair, funny guy short. You know he was in the brother
Brothers, Brothers Brothers. That's a well Farrell, Yeah, that's there.
He was on the sideline. There a few people there there, he was
there. Is there a lot you know, if it's out usc, it's
going to be And what's your name, Jude? You watch it is fantastic.
I saw a lot of I saw, you know. The one thing
I saw her play. I thought she looks like a deal. She plays
like a deal. Smooth, very smooth on the busket. Yeah, she
plays. She plays a different game than the rest of them. She definitely
does. The woman played well last night, it could. I mean they
were hanging pretty well into the game and then they weren't down by that much.
Then it got away from him. I feel for a deal now that
it's almost over whatever, seven players, how are you going to survive,
man, whether it's injuries or craziness or whatever. Gilbert was back and she
played well. You know, they all played well. It's just us.
It was just too much for him. Yeah, no, I I I
watched enough. I turned it on and it was towards the end of the
first quarter, right, they were at the end of the I'm like,
wow, there's a little something going on here. And then they hung with
them and they were down what four, four or five at the half.
I thought it was like more like ten, but you know, I mean,
but they were there. Actually in the middle of the second quarter,
they were still hanging and then I mean had I think at a four or
five point lead at one point in the second quarter, and then the game
got away, got away. You know that's to be expected. Yeah,
but you know, Idea's gotta she's got to kind of evaluate, you know,
how her program's going, the players that she's bringing in, right,
and you know she's doing that. I mean, I mean, she she's
going to I mean, she's she and all of a sudden become a bad
coach. Yeah, she's she's well, she's evaluated it for the last two
years, right, and then it's just not just not working, you know,
and she's and maybe she's you know, she's adjusting to the things that
you know need adjusting in this day and age of of of uh you know,
of coaching and that in this uh you know in college and it's like
some people just to well some people don't you got you know, your your
athletes can be all nutty and you don't know what to do with them.
And so, uh, she'll be fine. I think she'll be fine.
She's still a good coach. Yeah, listen, I think right right,
Okay, I was, I was talking to somebody today, how would you
handle in a l as a coach? That'd be so always so tough,
knowing that you're gonna lose players to other schools. You don't have a choice.
If you got it, you've got to embrace it, and you've got
to figure out ways to help. I mean, your livelihood at at stake.
If you if you if you, if you think I can ignore it
and continue to be competitive, then you're not going to have a job for
very long. Yeah, you have to embrace it. That. Plus you're
in Tucson, Arizona. Uh, and you're asking the local companies to give
you money, especially now with a you of a the school in trouble here
and then you have n I l here and then you have the Athletic Department
here all asking the same people, same questions. Can you give us some
money? You got? You have to embrace it. Absolutely do and you
had no choice. And if you don't, then then you need to do
what Chip Kelly did and go somewhere where you don't have to to do with
it. Take a job that you don't have to deal with it. I
bet you that was reasons could be a reason when you did that. Yeah.
Absolutely, I've had enough of this. I don't need it anymore.
Okay, let's take our break. We're top of the hour. We're coming
back and and a list will have breaking news and there's some good stuff coming
up, so stick around.