This is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jakonsalis on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services. Hey sure your most prized possessions katz R two side at iHeart Radio Station. Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jagon's oss. Gotta got Jason in today because I sputtered to the end of the road for the week. I don't know what you guys.
I'm fired up, Steve. I'm all excited at juice. I'm ready to go golfing in the morning. You're sick. It feels like I lost forty pounds when I know I haven't. You know, it's fight funny should say that, because when I golfed the other day, I told it golfed on Monday afternoon, or yeah, Monday afternoon, just on a whim, just that morning and say hey, let's go this afternoon. We got one one fifteen tea time when played, there was nobody out there but us. They're
smart. I lost four pounds. Well that's I'm sure all water. I got back on the scale today and I got those four pounds back. I see, I see you try that drink, and well, I got to drink, had a couple of donuts. I was jonesy for the donuts. See, you shouldn't be afraid of my threats to tell your wife what you eat, because you tell her on the end. I know you know we're now. She loves you anyway. She's not listening to because we were. We've got the kids, so you got the kids. Okay, but remember
there's always a podcast. I know she doesn't go to Are you kidding me? She doesn't go to the podcast. She goes like, I hear you enough. I'm not gonna go hear you on the damn podcast. Don't listen to Jay, listen to our podcast every day if you're not listening normally. Yes, I'm fired up, So I gotta go drop some more, you know, go drop four pounds again and then come back and make it up with a big steak or so's that's it, diet of golf. Hey,
welcome to another day. But we're gonna talk about a lot of stuff locally and uh in Phoenix right uh. And and I've been wanting to have this conversation for a while there's a lot When we had Jay Perry who was who was the head of the Phoenix committee for the Final Four a while back. There's a lot goes into the putting on the Final four. Uh the it's
in Glendale next next year or you know, in in March. Um and Doug Tamara who is the sports information director at the Arizona State uh Arizona State is the host school, so he's got to run the media operation, and there's a lot that goes into doing that and how you handle these hundreds of media who come into one place or they're all a bunch of spoiled brats who expect all these things like free food and parking and all these things, and
all the logistics that go into running this media operation. That's why we get into the business man exactly free food in the parking. So Doug, Doug good a good friend. Um, he invites me and some other guys that I know to come and work the Final Four for free, which we do because we enjoyed working with Doug and work in the Final Four. And so he's going to come in and talk about just they're getting started, you know, at least starting to put the pieces together. Of the actual operation,
and so we're going to talk to him about all that. He's a great guy, even though he's an ASCU guy. He's a hard follow for me on Twitter because you know, in order to follow him, I got literally all the all the ASU stuff. But uh, a really good guy, a real good friend, and we've known him for a long time and he's been he's been at the ASCU for thirty years, which goes back to when you know, we were covering sports and stuff, so um been around a
long time, but really good guys. We're gonna talk about some of the backstage stuff that goes on at the Final four from the media operation standpoint. So I thought it would be an interesting conversation all that too. I'll would be the spoiler. There's a bunch of geeks. There's a bunch of excreting pretzels and bananas and asking dub ask questions popcorn don't forget the popcorn and sodas
and becoming more than well. And then there's the there's the um the drinking cup police that don't let you on the floor with the cup that doesn't have the double A logo on it. Some very funny stories about that all those all these exciting things that they don't need to know. There's there was one time a guy that nearly cried because we didn't let him take his bag of potato chips out on the floor because it was their logo. Yeah, there was a bag of lays. He wanted to take a big time bag of
lais out onto the paper. You got to put those in a paper couple. I can only put three chips in a couple. That's the way it goes. Those are the rules. Is very upset with us. But anyway, so a lot of stuff that goes on there, So I think it'd be an interesting conversation for our listeners to just hear about, you know, what's going on back there, and then when you're watching the final four,
just think about how the media stuff gets done. And we're talking everything from uh, you know CBS and t and TBS and every or whoever does the does the games all the way to handing out you know, stats to people and how the stats get done and that kind of stuff. So a lot goes into it, So that would be fun conversation. Yeah, okay, uh, yeah, it's only in nine months, I think, Yeah, it's come much man. It look, it comes fast, it does. It comes fast, it does. And then in the second hour, someone
near and dear to my heart to Carter gear right. Uh for a south point sell point. She's kind of like the the secret sauce behind. I was gonna say I was my over under on the first time, you're gonna say secret was at least going to be into her interview. Okay, so you got way under on so secret sell point success. They're churning out, they're churning out great athletes. Um. Uh, you know, particularly in football, and uh, she's obviously has because she's a she's a strength coach
for the whole athletic program, not just football. And uh, she you know, a former Olympian, she was, she's a Hall of Famer at the at the U of A. Uh and doing some obviously doing some great work over itself. And let's not forget the best student and the best the all time best athlete to ever come out of Sana Fania, Mexico. Saying a lot, let me say, let's say a lot. I played there, so I know I number two, number two, okay, my list in my list. It says a lot about you about her I'm not joking
about her. She's fantastic when you're talking about somebody who's been in the Olympics, the Olympics, the NCAA champion, all that suff yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, And she did in the neighborhood. You know, it's been years since I chatted with her, since back when she was at the Obey, so it'd be good to get catching up with that. She went home for a while to work with the U and m's people and then decided to come back. It wasn't hot enough in Nomen Creoki apparently. Okay,
Hey, so that's that's our schedule today. I welcome back, Jason. We missed you, Thank you. We had a couple of screw ups, but we're okay. Who you Yeah, we cover. We left the phone microphone on and so we were taught. We were talking to uh to mat Mourdano during the commercials yesterday, you know, yeah, okay, what else is going on, guys? Victor Embanella debut debut tonight. If he's not being arrested by Britney, not the new The news about him is what's happened
with the Britney Sports. He's not being arrested. What was the last time you were wanted a domograph from a cube blonde? It's never happened, as it never exact. Yesterday was yesterday? Have you ever has anybody ask you for your Yeah? Yeah, but I've written my books. Oh your books, I forget you. But okay, outside of a book signing like at a basketball game or you know, or something like that, outside of your book signing, maybe maybe maybe maybe a long time ago. No, no,
I got asked once. No contact. I was that It was the eighty seven NC double a first and second round here here, yeah, here's the one that was in michale and a guy that I had worked with I did an internship at Juvenile Court, and I mean I was working there. I was not in the juvenile I was actually working there and he was a lawyer and uh, you know, I've worked with him and we kept in
contact. We sort of you know, side the well he had he had bought the UM the media guy that year's media guy UM and and Dick Vital was here I think doing that doing that set of games he was doing or he was doing a set again. Maybe it wasn't the regional you know what it was eighty eight, okay eight and he and that's what it was. It was Dick Vitell was here doing a game. He had bought the Media
Guy, because I can remember signing the Media Guy. So he had gotten Dick Vitel's autograph, and then somehow he thought my autograph would have value to the media guys. You diminish now it's worthless exactly. So he asked me for my autograph on the cover of the Media Guy that I signed it. If you're listening to that guy. Whatever happened today was Mike. I still remember. I'm not gonna give his last name embarrass him, but I did get asked for my autograph at that. You know, that's a that's an
exciting story. Eight. You know, want something right next to die. Somebody on the radio yesterday, I don't know where or when, a different show. As I was watching, listening, coming in or leaving, he says, well, we have some information back in nineteen eighty eight or something like that. I'm thinking, what a lot that was a long time ago. Does it feel like a long time ago? Not as long ago as the fields to other people? Eighty eight? You done it? You don't
because that's thirty five years to me. To me, Steve, you know that that time in my life was not that long ago, but it was. I mean it was. But but in terms of when I think about that time that year, yeah, I have really memory memory because it was important to you. It was. It was my first year. It was my best time as a as a reporter and sportswriter. That the eighty eighties little they know, you get out of it. I got out of it because of it, right, Yeah, you were old your death, like
forty seven. Um yeah, he was just nine at the time. Nine years old. Doesn't that make you hold feel old? It doesn't you know, because yeah, you get out a chair here and you're oh god, and I got a bed. I'm thinking what am I doing getting up? Um? No, that's just old it. Here's a you're a funny story because we were thinking about the fact that when seven seven seventy seven July seven, nineteen seventies, okay, supposed to be the lucky Lucky his day of
the century. And we talked to me, buddy of mine, we're texted, you remember where we were? Acting? Said hell, yeah, I remember. We were at seven seven seven seventy seven, the summer of nineteen seventy seven, I had just graduated from high school, and you know where we were a mood of gray Hund Park for that reason, for that reason, but couldn't bet or could you hold? Well, we did we we we had gotten we had gotten the ticket sellers to know us, and we
were a friend. The first time we went in, a friend of us was all enough to bed. Then we started bed and we would just go to the same person they let us bet. So, yes, I think it was probably a nice place. Then it wasn't very nice place. Yeah, it was. It was as much in terms of the building and the facility. It was a much nice place. In twoun Grahould Park, they only ran in the summer because at that time the law, the state law was you only had x number of racing days per county. So in p
MA County they used to bow the racing these two son Grahold Park. So in the summertime amode of Greyhound Park is just on the other outside of p MA County, on the other side of you went to them one. So it would go to a mottel in the summer time, just passed Green Valley. I've never seen they have a great hound park. There was. Oh they knocked it down over when they changed that law. Then it was year
around racing and Tucson and they ended. But never you wanted to bet the dogs in the summer, you had to go to a model about it. Thirty five minute drive from here. Hello, my name is Jay, and I'm so they were they were giving out these these coins that said seven seven seventy seven. And the buddy of mine that I was talking to you today, he said he still has his. We were thinking forty six years ago today that we were down there. Yeah, okay, seven seventy seven.
And the funny thing was in the seventh seventh dog in the seventh race was the favorite of course, must have been what he sucked? Everybody bet the dog. Oh I know, well, I know he didn't. I know he didn't come in the money because we all bet it too, and we know we didn't win that race. So but everybody beat it because you know, probably a bunch of people bad it. Just had ticket because I was back when you got the little tickets and yeah, yeah, sure, yeah.
So we went off on the tent things we didn't we like we always go off on tennis. Yeah, no, I was. I was. I was well, no, I was. No, I was old enough that by that I was. It was eighteen. It was thirteen at that time. At that time, you had to be eighteen, right, So it wasn't twenty one, and I no, I wasn't quite eighteen. I was a month away from But the guys, some guys I was with,
were obviously eighteen. But you looked like we were. Well I looked like I was twelve, But we were, you know, we were betting before we were old enough, just because we got to know ticket takers. So, kids, Gonzalez, kids, if you have anything you need to get now, refer to this dad. Well you did it when you were statue of limitations, many limitation. Yeah, but I mean seven seven seventy seven, not seven seven twenty three. Okay, your dad wasn't even born.
No, No, I was recovering from a double broke my leg in two places, trying to steal home and in an All Star game. Oh yeah, yeah, place thirteen thirteen, Yeah, summer of the broken. Yeah, my femur and then my ankle. Would you do steal at home? And I know, but would you do run into the catch you know, yes, yes, and you know back in the day they dug into the home plate was I don't know, like a hole, well exactly kind of spiking got in the hole and it kind of twisted me around. My dad.
I love my dad. My dad's the best. I said, no, it's not broken down, or your son, we'll take you over. So he took me home and it was so much pain. They took me to the emergency. It was broken into Hispanic, Hispanic father who loves don't I don't have insurance, Please don't be did that with my daughter. Man, she fell out of the tree and she said her arm hurt, and I said, we'll take you to We'll take you to the doctor. After the USC Arizona game, Yeah, she uses that on me all the time.
It's it's a requisite. Remember was a nine game we Arizona was at USC and I played him the week after a su well anyways, oh yeah, yeah, I remember that game. We were watching on TV and she kept saying her arm hurt and says, okay, well just give me a minute, and the game endo we twitty emergency room. Her arm was broken. She had surgery the following Monday. Father of the year he did not win Father Tha and he's still trying to recover from the Hey, let's take
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Call us at five one two nine six two five six six zero or visit our website hard works Concrete dot com. We'll put the work in for you, breaking down all the exes and owns. It's Steve Rivera and Jakin Summits. This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back to our on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jenkins Awesome. Now on the phone, we have Doug Cameral from Arizona State Sports Information. Doug, how are you good?
Guys? Good? Good, good to have beyond the show, Thanks for having me on. Jay Is has a little clean next yer. He's cry at a time or two giving the issue connection. But we're not going to talk about that, so I can't stand seeing Jay cry So, so you're a busy, busy man. This is not your first rodeo with the Final Four. No, it's not. I'll tell you what I've been. Um lucky enough that about fifteen years ago I was placed on the Final Four committee
by Bill Hancock and then when Dave Warlock took over. There's about six, six, seven eight of us that running each Final Four from the media relations part of it, and so I have a lot of experience doing in it, but again doing it obviously in two thousand and seventeen. You know, we have done this before. Arizona State hosts a lot of major events. We look forward to this one. Um. You know, the world has changed since twenty seventeen when we did it last time. But we're all in
on all those changes and excited to do it. And you know, we're just coming off hosting the Golf Championships for three years up at Greyhawk here in two twenty six we actually host the women's Final four downtown. Um, so we we're in the middle of a really busy period. Wow, that's crazy that all that additional stuff. I mean, did you kind of sign up for that when you got to ASU? Like what thirty years ago is.
But we're hearing Yeah, yeah, we weren't hosting Final four is but uh, you know we We've hosted a lot of things through the years, but yeah, this Phenix is kind of blown up as far as a place to go. I mean, you know, people throwing the fist the balls and the Super Bowls and all those kinds of things, and we do it. We do it. I think we do it really well. Um. You know, where we live, the weather allows us, like Tucson allows us to host a lot of softball and other events, and it's kind of in
our blood. That's what we do. So um, you know, we enjoy it. Um. I know the restaurants and the bars and the taxis and the ubers and the rental car places are really happy that we do these. It's when you you bring that up. And I brought this up to the executive director of Jay right, which, yeah, Jap Perry. The one thing and you've been too many I've been to a number of them. Um. The one thing I don't like about Phoenix, and this is just
me being Steve, and the or is that they're separated. You know, Glendale's the Final four obviously, but then everything's downtown. It's not like San Antonio where it's one spot. I know, and I feel that, you know, I feel the same thing. That's the one bummer about our place. Um, you know, you wish things could be closer and for the women's Final four and twenty six that actually will be right, you know something like that. And yeah, that's that's the tough part. I think we
get around a lot. I do know this that Monday night traffic to the stadium from the championship game is a little rough. I will tell you one thing that everybody loves is with us being on I know we say, mom standard time, but let's let's be honest. It's Pacific, right, I mean we're three hours behind the East coast. When that ball tips at six o'clock local time, everybody in everybody that works the Final four is so happy
it's not nine twenty East Coast right. Absolutely. It's just that that's really a big breath of fresh air for everybody that's involved with the Final Four because you know, when we do it in Atlanta and Indianapolis, I get which time's on there on because they're on like seven of them like us. Um, you know, it's it's tough. It's tough. I mean nine twenty tip East Coast when you're on site, that's not a lot of fun.
Yeah, so this is a good variety. So so it takes a lot and a lot of time to put to put a final four operation together. You as you said, you've got the media part of it. So what's you know, what's on your plate today? And you know maybe in the next several weeks or a couple of months that you've got to you've got to get get going on. And then you know, how how did things ramp up you know into uh, into the actual event, right, and and you know the first thing for us, for me is to read over the
manual and see what's changed since twenty seventeen. UM. You know, you're you're allowed so many volunteers to help you with all the media media roles. UM. One of the things is you know, getting all your volunteers credentials photo id UM cleared through security because you know, you just don't, I don't just give them a list and they give me, you know, string
passes. This is a process, UM. And then we'll start visiting the stadium UM and just going over where things go and you know, some of the things won't change from year to year or from seventeen to twenty four, but there there are some big changes that they made. Um. A little A little thing for the media is you know when when they go to the locker rooms for media interviews, you know they're pretty close um to each other. Um, there's not a lot of walking once you're in the dome.
UM, so that helps. UM. But yeah, there's there's there's all kinds of things like that that we you know, the Final four committee will come in town. We still got to find a media hotel. Um. You know, we'll do our best to find a marry out to keep everyone happy. Um. But you also you also got to find one that's you know, if you can get a media hotel that doesn't acquire a media shuttle,
that's a big that's a big release, you know. I mean, you know one of the little things you think about is you know, when you put the media shuttle, you got to have bus people to drive those and those are volunteers. So you know, you got it for five or six days. You got to come up with volunteers only to drive the media shuttle. So there's all kinds of little volunteer opportunities that are available to people all over the valley. I mean, how many volunteers does it take to
do this? You know, for what I do, it takes probably forty to fifty. You probably overall it probably take This is just a strict estimate. I'm going with about probably five hundred. I mean, you know, if you're talking, you know, you're talking the whole week volunteers downtown at the festival downtown, the different things that you do, I mean part of the final four processes, you put in a new basketball court at one of
the local elementary schools. There's all kinds of little events that go along with it that you do that are really really cool. It's also a chance for Phoenix to you know, brag about itself. Um you know, the bid process had a video and things from different people talking about it that you know, it wasn't just basketball. It was Anthony Roeblis, it was our national championship wrestler and such an inspiration to many. And you know, we we
had Bill Walton talking about Phoenix, you know how great it is. Um. So it's it's a big, big process and we're we're excited to host it again. I assume that they're paying you tons of money just for hazard pay, just for just for hazard pay. Don't get ahead of my jokes now, don't get out a bunch just for the fact that you have to do with Beg Meddo. Uh yeah, well yeah, well we're pirate fans.
So you know, usually around that time it's the opening day of the season, so we both think we got a chance to make the playoffs. There's always hoping. There's hoping that in the early April you got happy beg Neddo. And by the way, the hotels, of course, everyone's an insight joke is some Mere points, best sports writers, either SODA's, free
food and Marriott Points. That's all we live for. That's exactly. You know what's crazy now everybody's looking to those AIRB and b's, you know when they do these kind of long trips and we do catch a break, you know, around the first week April, the hotels and everything go down. You know, that's one of the reasons, you know, when we when we try to host women's basketball we've done it, or wrestling or other events
in March. It's it's really hard to get hotels. But that first week in April kind of lightens up a little bit, so we do catch a break there. What makes you the most nervous about getting everything done? Are there certain aspects of the stuff that you've got to arrange or is it just wondering are we going to get it all done? I tell you it's it's not so much. It's just that you really don't want it to take away
from your your regular job, right. I mean, you know, when I'm going to our meeting in Glendale in October or September, and you know our football is, say that's on a Friday afternoon or a Thursday afternoon, and you know you've got a football home game coming, and you know you're preparing for that. You know you're away from your ASU job, right, Um, And and for that week, you know I'm not an ASU sid,
I'm I'm you know, the media director of the Final four. And I got a fantastic assistant named Connor Smith that um will be working right alongside me. And he's a lot younger than me and has a lot more energy, So he'll be doing a lot of the stuff that that I would would
try to do but run out of gas. Um. But that's that's my main concern is, you know, we have a lot of sports going on here in March and April, and you know, I don't want to lose track of making sure that we all do our jobs for them as well. So you've been to another You've done this ten times. I think, what did you say? You know what? I started in an O five and m This will actually, when you count them all up, this will be
my twentieth final four. It'll be my nineteenth of working as a member of the NCAA committee, and then my twentieth one was actually I was the intern at Cincinnati in ninety two. U traveled with Basketball Lucky Enough with Nick van Exo and Coach Hugg and squad to the final four. We lost to the Fab Five, but we actually stuck around and I got to watch Duke beat Michigan for the national title with Bobby Hurley. So there's a there's a full
circle. Yeah. I tell Bobby I was in that. I was in the arena when you won the national title against the Fab five, and he's like, what, wait a minute, you were in the Metrodome. Uh, yeah, this will be my twentieth. Yeah, So I was gonna say, among those, which has been your your your favorite? Uh, your favorite? I'm thinking back, you know the one when Butler missed a shot at the buzzer. Yeah, um, bubbler being the home team being
there like in that Indianapolis, that was just wild to me. I just Jim, Jim McGrath was on our committee and he had to jump off the committee because he was his team was in the thing. And then to see Butler almost pulled that off was just thrust incredible. I mean it was it was just the shot. I was actually watching the shot on the video board because I was at the bench and I couldn't see the other court because the
court is raised and I was down below. So I turned and watched the shot on the video board and like it was like a split second late, but you saw it. I didn't look like it was going in, like you look back, you look up, you look back, and it was like, oh my god, that's right online. So yeah, that was that one kind of sticks out and then, um, probably any of them in the New Orleans just because it's such a great place. And I got to see Kiss concert next to the hotel one night, so U some sometimes
simple things make it, make it fun. So so this one coming up, you know, and you were talking about some of the differences and stuff like that. It was that dude to like some of the COVID and things that are doing differently. What what what are some of those things? You know, And it's probably slipped back a little bit. I mean, you know, two years ago, they didn't have locker room access at you know, at the Final four. Um, you know, there's there's there's just
such a bigger emphasis now on digital. You know, I always say it this way after the game. You know, normally I'm on the floor, um, helping with postgame interviews, and there was like one postgame interview and now there's like seven, like between all the TNT and the TBS and the CBS Sports and the you know, the radio now uses video and there's just so many things going on you can't get out of the way of a TV camera now. Um, So just all that stuff's been magnified as to as
to how much you have to do. Um. The COVID stuff's probably gone away, but um, you know there's there's still some measures that they take, you know, behind the scenes to make sure you're okay. Um, but just the way the world's changed in seven years. I mean, you know, there's there's just more expected of you when you host. You know, that's the bottom line, and you try to try to stay up, stay the pace. So let's transition real quick. We have a couple of
minutes to your new job. You've moved over a one seat and now are the head guy there. How has that been for you? It's been good for me. I got a really good staff, including um, Jeremy Hawks in our office, who's a U of A grad for Tom Tuttleston and uh, he does a fantastic job. And I also have Steve Rodriguez in our on our staff who's actually a two son guy. So we got so bud and our office and came on both. Kenny Dillingham has been absolutely fantastic.
Um, I think we're in I think both our football programs are in good hands in the Pact well right now. I think they're they're doing the right things. The energy is there and Kenny Kenny was the perfect fire hire for us at the perfect time. What do you what do you like about him? Because that's all you hear is good stuff, right, Uh, you know, yeah, doing the work and all that kind of stuff. He
gets it like he got here. And first of all, he didn't have to explain to him the good and the bad and the tough and the heart of Arizona State. He understands it. I also, I just love the energy he just he's just getting after in every way. And I had a good chance to spend about two hours with him the one day at the Golf Championships. He came up and we just showed him around and I could tell that he cares. That he invests in every person that he meets. He
doesn't just shake a hand and walk away. He wants to get to know the person. He wants to know what makes them a Sun double, a year that graduated where, you know, etc. And he just he's just been really good to be around. And I also love that he hired a staff that has about four or five former head coaches in some way, whether they be high school or you know, college. He caned. He doesn't claim to know it all. He doesn't claim that. He doesn't claim to
come in here and say this is how it should be done. He's come in and say this is how I would like to do it. What you know Is that the right idea? And that's been really really refreshing. Yeah. Nice, So I agree with you. There's a lot of to look forward to for a shot football off the wall question, how would you like to be Don Sanders s id Man. There's a lot going on there, there's a lot. But you know what, good for Colorado. They're on
the map. You know, they're doing some some stuff that they made, they felt they needed to do. And I tell you what, like when we host them in October, there'll be more people buying tickets for that game than they would have been if he's not their coach. So um, you know, I think as as a PAC twelve school, you hope he does well. You hope to beat them. There you go. Yeah, that's it in a nut shout. Well, thanks a bunch, dog, Doug, looking forward looking forward to it. Man, Well, I gotta say
forks up here. I'm like, I can't say those two words. So you got to take care of anytime you need me on any to talk ask you or anything. You give us a holiday, all right, we will, Dog, thanks a much, appreciate it. Well, thank you to Let's take a break. We're a little over, but that's a good conversation. Yea very good. Okay, we'll be right back. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for newly forty years.
Now. Take a look back at the Ludolson 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 beloved coach. Lessons from Loot is an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one
email me at Steve dot Rivera ninety five at gmail dot com. Hey, Walcat Nation, Jake Fisher here, I gotta tell you about my winning team. Over at Arizona Health Insider, I was able to get a customed private health insurance plan with no deductibles, no co pays, nationwide coverage, and I get to pick my own doctor for lessons two hundred dollars a month.
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time job or a second income. Come be a part of a winning team the A Team Apply online today at a Team security dot net, streaming live on the iHeart Radio WAP. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to One on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, he's jaken'zaws. Be about thirteen minutes. If you guys want to give us a quick call. Five two zero, four, one, six seventy four forty
give us a quick call and let U snow what's going on? Tell me again? How how many final fours have you covered? Eighteen? Just a year I did when I was a three paper the paper might one that I went, Okay, When why would they send you just because they just felt because of the basketball fans here in town? Yeah, and then H Hatfield Hatfield, and then h Hatfield and then when might just just agreed and then they sent me to It was this cool one? Which was your favorite?
Good question? When when when you say eighteen? When when? Uh, nineteen ninety one, my first one in Minnesota. I think he was one of the Duke ones nine, the duke Uh right, Well, I was ninety two. That was I was gonna say that was that was in New Orleans. That's when he called the time out and there had no time outside Okay, that one was a pretty cool one. Um. It's hard to say, but I agree with him, San Antonio, New Orleans. The
destinations were that's what that's what made it for you. Yeah, yeah, Becau as opposed to the team's right right right Indiana playing with with Bobby Knight thinking ninety five. I can't remember what year was. Uh, those eighteen My last one has been the the Shoe one, that one, the one twenty seventeen. Yeah, but there's a lot of fun because you get to see all your colleagues and you're fine, you know Wilner, some of them.
Oh the because I told you the Ray Roods, the story when it was really stormy in Indianapolish a bunch of sports writers in the building and it was like bad, like the tornado type thing, and just, oh god, this is the night that I'm gonna die. And they're gonna say, um um, Jim Nace and fifty other sportswriters died tonight. I've never mentioned your name, you Yeah, who's there? I don't know, and I'm interviewing you now, right, So in those eight you know, how have
you seen in those eighteen years how it evolved? Because clearly a bigger deal now to day then even the one in ninety seven, because the one in ninety seven in Indianapolis, that was before they were put in the court in the middle of the statia, right where it was on one end, and so it was basically fifty thousand people could go right now you get seventy. I was going to ask him that because you were there and I was there. I think there was like seventy two thousand people in Phoenix, and yeah,
yeah, it's almost too many people. Yeah, I would did not and be the guys with the tickets at the top because you could barely see the bottom. Yea, um, but that's not my money, so they're spending it. We had you had the perfect seat, you right there. No, I didn't have a perfect doing your stuff. I was. I was a flour photo marshal, which meant I was in charge of making sure that photographers didn't get on the floor. But you know what are the photog
You know how the photographer sit on the end? So I was just responsive the three D are the three D deep. But as you know, a Doug mansion where I sat was on the floor and the court is raised. I couldn't. I did not watch the game live. I watched it on And that's the one thing I don't understand because it's a risen floor, it's a race floor, and it's like if you fall off the edge, right, I sat behind the photographers show on the floor. You can't you only
see the legs the game. Let see the legs. I see nothing. I had just had to watch the game. Sometimes that's the best place to watch the game because you can't see the game. And we had seats, you know. I was on the not on the sideline, but on the end zone end zone, and and a little far away away. And I didn't like that. It was too many people did, too many media were
too far away. But you know, and and here here's the thing is that you know, I like if you go around by where the benches are, you know, the benches are on the floor, and then you know the court and you look you see the seats behind them. You know, in the first those aren't the best seats. You know, if a player stands up, you can't see and the court is up, so you really can't see. Like it like where I sit at say the PAC twelve tournament,
I'm behind the bench, but I'm I'm kind of a button. So they stand up and they block, but I can still see pres because you're raised right when they stand up in front of you. At at the Final four, you can't see. But I also did. I also did something at that at that Final four is I I took the elevator and went to the top to see what it looked like from the top of the sea. And I'm like, how do you see? You don't see the game. You're you're gonna watch it on the screen. You're there, but you're gonna
watch it on the screen right for a big price. Now That's how I felt. But otherwise it's a lot of fun. Like I said, unless your team is in it. Unless your team is in it, because then you don't eat or sleep, you know, when you're just too busy. I told you that we ate at tutors for for Christmas Easter Easter Sunday because there was nothing else open. After writing pipe stories a day, all of us, it's just were It's not a whit. Yeah, I know that.
The Final four and uh again in eighty eight, I mean, you know, all all my buddies were going out to the bars and stuff, but I was covering the dam. By the time I got there, they were going home. People don't understand that. Yeah, you're trying to figure out a lead. And they were well compared to that one. And you know this better than me because I didn't cover eighty eight. But it's the venue is totally different. Then. It was what how big? Oh that
well that was the last time. Well, there was only one more, but they said after this year. It was one of the they said, after this year, all the final fours are going to be in stadiums. Yeah, they did have one in Charlotte, but other than that, they've all been in stadium since then. And the reason they had it there in Kansas City because it was the fiftieth anniversary and that's where the first one was. That's why they had it there. It was it was like fifteen thousand
seats. It was mcay and that's the final four. Well they said that two in eighty three when Albucruze held at the pit remember eighteen, and they said, well, this is not gonna take it anymore. Five years later they're doing it again. They said, yeah, they did it there, but because I do know that, Uh, the next one in eighty nine
was in the Kingdom. Yeah, and that's when you know, but that was when they would put the court at one end, put up some temporary bleachers this one side, then the horse shoe you know, around the other side would would be the rest of the seat and then be able to get forty thousand people in there. Right. No, No, I was in Indianapolis in nine, San Antonio, all these places. No, it's it's a great event. Obviously, have a lot of fun, all the tourists
from all everywhere. Well, you know what got me was the fact that it's the final four, right, you walk in there. This was when I work because I went as a spectator to the Indianapolis, right, you got that field, right, I went to it as a spectator, so
I will, you know. But working the one up in Glendale in twenty seventeen, you know, we had to work the day before the games and for those practices, and my job was to be standing on the court, up on the court during the practices to make sure that the photographers were we're not going where they weren't supposed to go Sunday on the Sunday on on Friday, on Friday before the Saturday game Friday, because that's open media, opened
media, the pub the practices are public. They come and practice for an hour. And so I actually did stand on the court, uh and just monitored the photographers. That was my job. Sure, so Sunday and that was cool. I work on Sunday. Probably not because we didn't have to do didn't have to do anything. We didn't have to do it because the yeah they got to practice on the court, but no media got to go
got to go into practice school. But on that Friday, I remember walking out to the to the floor into the state and for the first time, and I thought, Okay, this is really cool. This is the final
four. This is a big deal. You know. You walk out there and I got up on the I got up on the floor, you know, and Jim Nance and all those guys in there because they're they're they're doing interviews and they're preparing their stuff for the next day, and like, you know, and see all these guys and I'm standing next to them, right and it was very cool. Yeah, I just thought it was really need So just the spectacle. Yeah, the final four, Sure, I think
that was I hadn't been to one and I was seventeen. The last one before that was two thousand and nine when the paper closed after that one, and I had seen the change it was, especially when they put it in the center and then let more people in, right, you know, I can't remember. I think it was fifty four to sixty thousand for Indie if I'm correct. You know they have the big thing, the big poster ninety seven one, um, and then two thousand and one was in Minnesota.
But the final four in a issue or in Phoenix was massive, And I think, God, this is what it's come to. Because if you're gonna sell the tickets, people are gonna buy them. Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. But I wouldn't buy a ticket that's way up there, because how are you going to see it? Yeah? Um, I'm looking at the Sorry was looking at the wrong Um. I should have it in the media, just the other people. But it's crazy. If you ever want any has a chance to go, it's a great place. Hey, Arison,
And here's the Piers A. Rub In twenty seventeen. I was working for Fox Sports Arizona at the time. No one one of the media people and a su they had a chance to get there. I mean this was this is the one they had, the final foreign Phoenix. They could have got there. They had one of the better teams. You got beat too, Xavier. Remember they gonna beat to Xavier. H when the Arizona Oh, I said a su yeah Arizona. No. I was pissed off that
they didn't get there. I'm still mad that they didn't get and then we but you realized that how they beat Xavier. They were good. Yeah they were after the fact, after I calmed down after they lost his Xavier and I you know, we saw that Wait a minute, you know what, they weren't going to beat Gonzaga they even as good as they were. And
I don't know if that would have been more or less disappointing. Um that they you know that that that Gonzaga was uh you know it was gonna be that that hard to beat because everybody thought, oh, yeah, you know, this is Arizona's thing. You know they can beat uh, you know they can beat uh Gonzaga. And I'm like, I don't know, man, I don't know that team was really That team was a bunch of old
guys. Yeah right, and Arizona was, well, you know, they had it not been for cheer, not patching the ball, the marketing, and they could have maze maybe gun maybe if a few times. Yeah, absolute, I'm still trying to find that. But that the attendants that box score for which one for for for ninety seven and it's like fifty four if I remember. Uh, that's how it's changed the most, and the distances from one place to another, because and you've been there in New Orleans and
in San Antonio, it's all one great party place. How was yours when they went the when the girls went to the women went to San Antonio the final four, I think your son was still Yeah, that was COVID. There was nobody there. Oh that's right, you know, but they had there something. They're like a couple of oh they had some no, because it was like James went, James went, and some remember sometimes when James went, he got in the car went or one of our callers, Are
you right? I guess, I guess I think it was they left. It was still limited though. Yeah, James, if you're listening and give us a quick it was forty seven twenty eight at the ninety seven final forty seven, see less than fifty thousand. I thought it was like a little sixty thousand and fifty four thousand, uh, and then that's almost then in twenty seventeen, what about two thousand and one, by twenty seventeen at seventy
seventy seven, seventy seven. What about two thousand and one when Arizona went and played Duke that I think that was like fifth That was in Minneapolis, right right, um, And that was still when they still had it up against the thing was forty five nine forty five. Well, I just remember Minnieapolis being freezing. Yeah, oh no, wait a minute, wait wait wait no, then oh that's that's something else. Yeah, so then they open it up. I seventy two thousands, a lot of people, seventy
seven. And I do remember sitting there during the game, you know, and I'm sending in my seat below the courts. I'm not watching the game, and I just remember looking around to get a feel for how many people were here. And I thought, well, imagine this. Do you remember the Fiesta Ball and you were there, right? Did you you went as a fan? Right? Which you guys? Oh yeah, in twenty four what was the tenants there? It wasn't seventy two thousand. I don't know.
It had to be. I'd say fifty thousand at the most. I was. I was in the media with the media at the time and a lot of people there. It was. Remember that night, it was cold, it was freezing. It was cold. It was cold in the room. Well they didn't close the doors. Sixty six sixty six thousand, so that was pretty good. Yeah, I don't remember it being that much. I just remember being cold. It snowed that night. Yes, it snowed the day before, and then it snowed that night. It snowed on on
the way home. Yeah, on the way home. It was we had we we charted a bus to take our crowd and pulling and getting into twoson just because we got into the town. It started just right. Okay, So we're gonna take about you. I'm sure you have a lot of a break. We'll have. I guess you have a We're gonna talk to Carter Garrett in the second half, and then we're gonna have a thing, a
question. We're gonna do a really fun thing in the in the last in the last second where the athletic has put out a college football fan survey. So we're gonna we're gonna answer the fan survey. Well, there's a bunch of funny and interesting questions that we're gonna answer, so we'll do that, and if you want to call in during that and give us some of your opinions, we'd love to do that too. So we'll be right back with breaking news.