Steve Ribera and Jacin Salis. They have their eye on the ball on two Sons Sports Stage shaft, Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.
Hey, welcome back to Eying the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve, He's Jay. Now we have Henry with breaking news.
It's now working.
Red Sox outfielder Jaron Duran has been suspended two games for saying an anti gay slur to a fan during yesterday's game.
I haven't heard what it was, but obviously something yeah, very bad. Yeah, he apologized and stuff. But you can't say that stuff. Dude.
It's best you just not say anything and just say, you know, what the hell?
Sorry?
Sorry, I make millions more than you. Shut up.
Well again, I hear thinks. You know, there was a there was a video of a fan at the Diamondbacks game screaming at Rice Harp and I'm like, who are you right? Well, that's called twitter, Yeah, I mean no, right, And the guy standing up and screaming and Bryce Harper turns around and just kind of gives it, throws his hands up kind of like you got nothing right, right? You know, I'm here, You're there, you got nothing.
Yeah, it's just what.
It's crazy. What the what these.
People think they're funny or something? They do it for attention. I don't know, what do I know?
Yeah, Mookie Betts, who is returning off the aisle today, is deciding to stay in Milwaukee. It is declining to stay in Alwaukee hotel with the team due to stories of being haunted, and is instead staying in an airbnb.
I guess he's done this before. So there's this hotel. The hotel they stayed is building like eighteen ninety three, and just around Milwaukee, people say it's haunted. It's been right, and so you know, he said he's never seen anything weird there, but he can't sleep because every noise he hears he thinks there might.
Be something it. It's in your head.
It's in your head, right exactly.
Have you ever stayed in a place like that? No? You never? Have you been to the Gadst?
No?
Oh, man, you got to go and stay at the Gadst and down in uh it's a little spooky that down in Douglas. Douglas. Yeah, No, I never stayed there. Take a trip, spend a day, see nice knowing you.
Never really that's it's a spooky, spooky.
So we're just hotel I've ever been in. Oh you you stayed in the uh and this is we stayed in uh Douglas at the motel. That was not that was not scary, but it was just right spooky.
Thing about that was it was next door to the EU I President. Yeah, that was spooky, you know, coming and looking in the back seat of your car to make sure there wasn't somebody in there. That's spooky. That's that's a different kind of spooky though than like thinking there's ghosts and stuff that calls coming from it. Now, Yeah, now that was that wasn't creepy. That was just scary.
Google the games here, we got a call hold on, we got to call.
You're on the air and the ball.
Yeah, hey, I didn't expect you to pick up the ring.
Hey.
Uh.
I wanted to make a mention here mentioned about uh, you know, people rooting against Washington or yeah, they just give it up and stuff and I don't live and die, but what Jeff Fish does or anything like that, you know, but there are teams that you wrote against.
Yes, so now there's they're a team that we root against. But my bigger point is that. You know, I don't get to listen to you guys a lot because I don't get off work early enough sometimes, but I did today. But I do turn in when I can. And but man, it seems like you guys, especially you see that you you rip on Bucsan fans or blumpus all together in one big pile, and and said, well, that's that's Tucson or that'suson Arizona.
Fans for it.
Who's who? Your name Bill? Bill? So there's Bill on the right side. Everybody else is on that.
No, no, I never said that, never said that. But but you you don't everybody together.
Arizona that's Arizona fan for you. I would say, that's not and that's you know, it's just I just thank god that we have podcasts now.
We have we don't have to rely on newspapers or one radio station to uh listen to sports. And it's just it's it's just irritating when when you get lunked in and your stereotype a whole group of people into one group.
Bill Miakopa, I'm not going to change my mind. Thanks for listening.
We do appreciate ch You don't have to you don't have to.
You just have to.
You can just not be informed and not be you know, uh, you can just be stereotypical. I'm sure you do that your whole life.
Thank you, Bill, exactly appreciated Bill. Thanks for calling. I love I love Arizona fans together all the time.
Is this my my theory wrong?
No, We're a lot of like, yeah, we did that, we get we get better about guys like Jetfish. You'd say that they found a better place to go about that, but Arizona fans are like, this is what.
I've done for what I've done for living, and you've done it from all time. I write stories, right, I've done it for thirty seven years. I think I think I could be wrong about this, but I have thirty seven years of writing about it and talking to people about it. I think I'm not a heart surgeon, so I don't do that. I do this so I think I know the people that I write about. Does it make sense?
Well, here's the deal, And I think Bill took this a little more seriously than he should. Right here. Here's the deal is that when we say stuff like that, we're making generalizations because we say Arizona fans are rooting against Jetfish. We don't mean every single Arizona fan is against dead Fish. But I bet if you went if you got ten Arizona fans in a room, I'll say this. You got ten Arizona fans in a room and you asked every Arizona every one of those fans, are you
rooting against dead Fish this year? Seven or eight?
I agree with that.
I agree that in that context, I think we can say that in general, Arizona fans are going to root against Jeed Fish. Now Sean Miller is a different story, right, Sean got fired. He had a nice little run here. People don't hate him. Maybe they didn't like what happened at the end. And now that turned out. I don't hear fans saying I'm rooting against Sean Miller, and in fact, I hear fans rootal for I hope it turns out
well for it. So we're not bitter about everything. But I'll bet you that nine out of ten fans we're rooting against Larry Smith.
When you went to USC that said, do you think an issue I hate for you?
Ten out of ten?
Okay, nine out of ten. I was just say nine and a half out of ten.
Okay, there's gonna be one who says, well, my daughter went there, Sody, you're gonna have to get to like fifty to be able to break, you know, a half, right, because at fifty there's like forty seven and a half.
I get what Bill saying that, and he's he's okay to say that's me. I'm fine because generally that's how I am with fans, but I know the fans.
We generalize about the fans all the.
Time, especially in this situation, and.
Like I'll sit here and I'll say, Arizona football fans are used to bad things happening, right, and we are a lot of us are. Now there are some who haven't had all those bad things happen because thirty years old, so they don't have that. So, you know, it's an interesting conversation.
Well, and all you have to do, Bill just go to uh to read cheer or read some people on social media and they're they're not kind to the guy who and not just one.
Of them, all of them, all of them pretty much all.
Nine out of ten probably, So that's kind of like how but Bill, you're you're entitled talk whole.
We do help you we're happier listening. And if you don't like Steve, get a line of sometimes I don't like Steve, get a lot of you're.
At the back of the line. But if you don't listen to our podcast, yeah, maybe he was the guy that created the Facebook page could be all right?
Arizona Soccer kicks off their season on Thursday.
Forward.
Nicole Dallen has been named to the Big twelve preseason All Conference. Did they kick off one Thursday at I think?
Oh okay?
All right?
Calling man? How was how was back on Mars?
Fantastic? You know, how could you not be right? She's very bright, pretty straightforward. Good. We'll see how good they do or well they do? They people from all over the country.
Well again by all accounts. You know, the coaching change was a big change. You know, she does things way different from what uh Tony did, so you know sometimes those things take time to take root.
You know, sure, well, this is your could you for year four?
Fourth year?
Year four? We spoke to her the first first weekend that she was here. She hadn't even moved yet, well unpacked, but four years? I mean, how long does it take? And and then she said, you know, what the surprising thing to me is moving from the Pac twelve to the Big twelve. It's it's the same as football, same as basketball. It's less finesse and more physical. Yeah, so that doesn't change interesting, you know because now you have to be more physically.
Right Yeah, no, yeah, I mean it's a this is gonna be a big change for for everybody to you know, to just move because they're different types of schools. They're not U c.
L A.
They're not you know, USC and Stanford, who are just kind of pretty much in every sport, uh, you know, kind of a kind of ness, uh, you know, fess sports. So I don't know. Yeah, this is her fourth year.
Yeah no, she was great. Okay here all right.
Ju Rika Handy of the Los Angeles Sparks has officially fired a filed a federal lawsuit against Las Vegas Aces and the w n b A detailing the repeated acts of intimidation discrimination in last January, as the Aces traded her when she became pregnant.
Right, I remember that. I remember that. That's it's it's kind of old news, but it's new news for that right in Vegas doing it things differently. Every player gets one hundred thousand dollars paid by the city. So they're they're winning for a reason and the one they're good, and then they have incentives on top of that, right, and then the coach is pretty tough. I mean she's a good coach, a heck of a good coaches. Interesting, okay, okay,
all right, anything else you have? No, you know, just uh, you're not going to stay in a hotel.
Oh well, this just came up. The US gymnastical heel of Jordan childs uh uh losing her bronze medal. Bronze medal was denied not because the US couldn't prove that they got their appeal in on time, but because the rules don't allow an appeal of an appeal that's been ruled on. So because the decision was made to take the bronze away on an appeal, that ruling stands. No matter what, you can't you can't appeal. You can't keep appealing.
That it. That's it. Even if even if the proof that the US provided shows that they got their appeal in on time, and even though in the appeal it was ruled that they didn't, even if they can prove that they did that's it, it's done. Yeah, the US says they are. This is not over with. They said they're not gonna let this rest. They're going to keep trying to figure out a way to to uh see if they can get this thing turned.
If you're the USA gymnasts who finished third but didn't get third place in your mind, in your mind, did you finish third.
If you even should at the medal. But she knows she didn't finish third.
Well no, no, if you're the USA child, oh.
Yeah, she thinks she finishes third.
Okay, you finished third. Now you have to give the thing away. You want the medal, You want the medal, of course, but you finished third. I mean it's like it's like the U A or Washington or whomever gets their games taken away from them. Right, the USC usc doing as as well as they did with with the resibutional Right, did you just see the games? Yes, they want, they want, they want.
Yes, she'll say that, she'll say, but un fortunately she wants the medal. She wants the medal hanging in her in her in her home or whatever that is. But here here's the here's a pair of it says, despite USA Gymnastics. This is from Sports Illustrated. Despite USA Gymnastics alleging to have video evidence proving Landy that's whoever appealed is submitted the challenge forty seven seconds after the ruling, well within the allotted one minute. The CIS, which is
the that's the ruling organization, the Court of Arbitration. The CIS indicated it cannot overrule the decision made by the arbitrary panel. So this got appealed to an arbitrary panel. Who stripped them, who stripped the metal, And once that decision is made, it's over, no matter what you can show. So even though they can prove it, they can't change the decisions what they're saying.
Right, that's even more power to That sucks, but that's more power to hear the saying we kind of know that you did you did the job and you finished third, but we can't change it. That just sucks. Yeah, yeah, hey, do you see that. Saron Rodgers kind of was felt bad that he had used the word he was immunized or not that he was immunized, because it's in a new book coming out by a friend of mine, you O'Connor,
and he regrets saying that he was immunized. If there's one thing I wish I could have a gun would have gone different, it's that because that's the only thing the critics could hit me with. Remember when two three years ago he said he was immunized, took a lot of heat and then he wasn't. Yeah, yeah, well he's a here's the Aaron Rodgers, talented guy. What kind of kind of yeah, kind of different to read.
And I'm not he got whack. He wasn't always that whack.
I'm not bitter about it.
I know what happened to him?
Did you miss that?
Yes, I heard. I'm just going right past he got he got weird. Well, he's the smartest student the room. Something happened to him. He eat that stuff that he.
Was well though, Yeah, yeah whatever, Yeah, that's what happened. No, I don't know, he's kind of always be smarter.
Than all Right, we're gonna take our break, We're gonna come back. We're gonna bring in Jack Magruder right for Forbes Sports Money. Uh. He did did a piece last week about the hot airs on the Diamondbacks, and he's got another piece out on the Western Division race, which is tightened up with the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks and the Padres. Dodgers started series tonight against the first place Brewers. Well, the Diamondbacks are playing the lowly Colorado Rocky, so there
could be a big change in the standings. You're coming up, So Jack McGruder coming right up. Stick around the windows.
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Steve Rivera and Jake and Saliz they have their eye on the ball on Tucsons sports, Stax yet Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live I mean IHID Radio wapp.
Hey, welcome back to I am the ball here, Fox wats fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's jaking sauce. Now we have Jack Marguder from Forbes Sports. Jack, how are you good?
Are you?
We doing fine? I just want to let you know that we're all ze zero and zero.
I'm sure we'll be better.
I'm sure we will.
So we wanted to get you on because I know you've been You've been focusing on the on the Diamondbacks, who suck. All right, there's one. You did a piece in Forbes last week about the streak that they're on now up to fifteen out of eighteen, including winning three straight from the Phillies over the weekend. I mean, what the hell are they doing?
Well? They're getting very healthy for one thing. As part of it. Meryl Kelly won yesterday and Wana Rodriguez one Wednesday in Cleveland. He didn't finch against Philadelphia, and I think that's a big plus. K Martes having a pretty close st MVPC. But I know the Dodger fans Jay are thinking Altany's gotta locked up and he and he might. Martey's having a heck of a year. And then they just played the right way. It's fun to watch them play.
They played good defense, they moved runner, They often protect believes, although that's been a little bit of an issue. They just know what they're doing.
Is Carol doing better. Last time I saw him, he was building like a book ninety or something like that.
Yeah, he's doing better. He's not the like I think twenty five. And the big issue where the big question was what happened to his sway? And he said he changed his swing a little bit in the off season and needs to get it better, flattening it out a little bit. But you know, it's it's sort of a mystery the way baseball goes. Right. You're great one year, great the next year. But he's work and he's running. He does a lot of the little things still, and I think his average is coming back to He's got
a little more. He's show a little more power lately. So in that regard to three them for optimism.
And this has all been without Christian Walker, right, who was just a big stud last year, because I know he was on my fantasy team last year and he had gotten off a pretty good start. I mean, he's and he's been.
Gone well since the trade deadline. That oblique issue, which is really trouble because he's a two great two way player, gold Gloves candidate, power hitter. But you know, I think another reason that the d Backs are kind of picking it up these days is Mike Haven is a just a terrific job at the deadline of identifying needs getting players to fill those needs. And Josh Bell's one of those guys. You know, Walker gets hurt, you can't replace it.
He's too good to replace, right, But Josh Bell is an established major league player, and it seems like he's a little bit revitalized coming to a contended team now. He's so that kind of thing. Haven has full the right strings the last couple of years. That I think that's another example of when they get close, they'll make the most to try to get better.
So what the Diamondbacks are doing now was it kind of like they did last year. Came on late and showed kind of who they were.
Yeah, they're certain a little you know, they started very well last year, remember, and then they hit a slump. Actually about this time last year, they slumped and they were even under five hundred if memory service before getting back to it in September. This is this is the best they played. I think since the postseason, they've won twelve out of fifteen or twenty five and ten I believe since early July, and they I think they've got that the building on that confidence that they gained in
the post season and they're starting to get healthy. It's a good mix.
How much of a key is Toy Levolo because I mean he almost got fired a couple of times and even last year that you know, there was when they went into that slump after the All Star break, there was a lot of buzz and then they turned around then the National League champions. What kind of a guy is he and how does why does he fit this organization?
You know, he's a He's a perfect fits for the organization. I think I could take issue with almost getting fired. I know there was a lot of heat in the Twitter sphere and in the.
Well that's what I'm saying, yeah, show right, But he was never.
He was never going to get fired, right. Mike Hazel was smart enough to admit that he made some mistakes. Every years ago, he gave Toy a team that really was not competitive. And the guy that he is, the man that he is, he didn't plave Toy he played himself. But getting back to Tori, I mean he's a great
fit as a with the player. He relates to them well, he tells them specifically what their job is going to be, what their role is going to be, and he doesn't debate from that, and that really creates a sense of he's doing what's best for me. I'm going to fight for him, you know, I'm going to make this thing work. And he's you know, he's a guy that didn't have a great measure league career. Obviously, he's picked around the majors then was a the famous college player. I severed
him in college. He was a remarkable college player. But he knows also what it's like to be the twenty sixth man. He doesn't. He doesn't relate to everybody on the team, and that I think that goes a long way.
So I've asked this question a number of times to a number of coaches recently, in fact, So how important or what's the percentage of importance to a manager like Lavello or anybody in in pro baseball? You know, we have basketball, college basketball, and the talent to coaching ratio in terms of importance, what's that in this team, or maybe in baseball itself.
Well, yeah, you're right, the supporting staff is very valuable. The manager makes the call, no question, but he's got an able staff behind him. You know the guy from my candidates slipping my name now, the Banks coach is a former manager of Houston who won with Texas rather than won the American League. Jeff Banish, one of the American League with Texas. His pitching coach is a tremendous veteran coach. These guys. He gives them the ranks, the
ray instance, get his groups, get their groups going. But he has a final call. And it's valuable to have those that are guys, no question about it. They benefit from that too.
I'm talking more. Okay, so you have talent, they say wins the day, right, But what if you have talent and coach it's not very good. But you have a coach that's good and the talent is okay, you know so so, but he makes those guys play better.
Yeah, I think talent does take the deat. I mean, there are certain tweets you can make, right, and a savvy especially a saving pitching coacher, staff can tweak a certain guy's delivery and add a pitch or subtract a pitch and do a little better. But I think it's still talent that when the when's the win's the dead.
Well, Dodgers are talented, right, the Yankees are talented. Where do the Diamondbacks rank in terms of talent?
Oh, I don't know if they're certainly in that group. They play with a lot of togetherness, which helps a lot. You know, the Yankees are probably more talented at the top, although the back of their line there isn't all that strong. The Dodgers have had so many injury it's a shame. You know, Mookie's one of the five best players of baseball, and without him you can survive a little bit for a little wady, you can't compensate for the loss of him.
You can't compensate for the Lasa Yamamoto, who's a key to their starting rotation. So injuries have hurt them a lot. They've got a lot of talent, I mean, there's no question about it. Freddy Freeman great player. The Diamondbacks aren't quite there, but they you know, they make up there. Jock Peterson may not be Freddy Freeman, but Jock Peterson's having a nice year, and he can contribute and do his and that's just as good.
Almost.
Well, you mentioned that, you know, the injuries to the Dodgers, and some of those guys are coming back. Movie comes back tonight. I think Yo motives on the edge of coming back. He was throwing the other day. Maximunths he comes back next week. But and the Dodgers just hung on. Right, it's a three and a half games spread. You were You talked about that in a in a piece you did today about the division. These guys, all these teams spent a bunch of money and now they're in a
hell of a race. It's three and a half games separate, you know, the three teams. How is this race gonna stay like this to the end, even with you know, both all the teams getting their guys back as we get on in the season. Look, I'm I'm I'm one of those guys that does don't think that a one dimensional hitter like show, Hey, who's only a d h should be the m v P. I don't. I don't think that. I don't care if you hit sixty homers. I think you got to play, you know, do more
than that. Now he's over the top when he's pitching. I'm not you know, I'm not voting for him for for m v P, although I'm glad the Dodgers haven't. But anyways, getting back to the race, what do you think about this race? You know down the stretch where it's you know, we're almost ad mid August. I mean, this is this is this is gonna be fun.
It is gonna be very fun, n I think. Can I think all the teams involved are talent enough to stay there. Well, we know baseball, we know peaks and valleys, ups and downs. The Dodgers are on a down. Arizona, San Diego, even San Francisco they're on or not. So you tend to think it's gonna the Dodgers still up by three and a half, you tend to think it's going to balance out. It's going to even out. The Dodgers will start playing better, the other teams will hit
a little bit of a lull as often happened. Now it doesn't have to happen, but looking back at history, you would think that would be the case. But you know, you look at these teams. The San Diego has Michael King and Dylan Tis at the head, of the rotation. I think Joe Musco's back tonight. That's a strong free The Giants has Loaded Webb, Robby Ray, Blake Snell at the top of their rotation, right. I think all these teams have the pitching that can lift them even through
a poor offensive spurt. I would expect to raise to say a little better. I think Dodgers had a better schedule the last fifty games or so last sixty games, because they don't. They're done with San Francisco and the rest of the division. They've got two series against Colorado and one against San Diego and one against uh, what else is in the race? They don't have different The Diamondbacks difficult to schedule and with the with them health,
you know, you got to like them. They've got great players. Dave takes a lot of great day Roberts, but he does a nice job of keeping that team to get it. I think he's a valuable Talking about managers, I think he does a great chat too.
We're talking to Jack McGruder from Ford Sports Money. Jack, you know, looking at this and just right now, these next three days, you've got the Diamondbacks have Colorado while the Dodgers are playing the first place Brewers. I mean, this lead could change in the next three days, three four days. I mean, it's scary. If you're a Dodger, it is, it is for sure.
But at the same time, maybe the Diamondbacks, maybe the Rockies take two out of three and things change. It's it's hard to predict this game. It's just hard to predict.
Well, you're the scorekeeper for the Rockies. How bad are they?
Well?
There who said we are? What the record said? Somebody said that, some coach, and that's about what they are. They've got some good young talent. This guy's Letton Doyle that not too many people have heard of, the center fielder on the Golden Globe last year. He's already twenty twenty. He's already twenty homers, twenty stole the basin their shortstop. That's very good, as Vikiltba the third base and Ryan McMahon could win a Gold Glove and he's that good.
You watch him play every day and he makes all the plays. They just are hurting, you know, they're hurting like they always kind of are. On the pitching side of things, They've had some starters hurt their both pen of struggles and it's just such a test to pitch up here. And I don't know if the beats guys down, but it's just hard to do.
It's just hard for and this year specifically, what everyone's going through injuries, I mean everybody. Atlanta just lost a good picture too. What's going on with that?
Yeah, I don't know, that's a that's a good question. The pictures, I think it's the pitch block. The pitchers think that they're being forced to pitch too quickly, and then they're all going for velocity now you know, they're all trying to get ninety six nine, seven, ninety eight, and those two combinations of trying to throw hard and trying to throw a little quicker, they think is an issue. I'm not sure if everybody believes that. I'm not sure
if the industry believes that or not. But Pictures sure think that.
Yeah, I've heard it.
I've heard it.
It's just crazy injuries, Akuda, all these Michael Harris Junior. The Grays work just up here last week and they're devastated by injuries right now.
All right, So who wins the West? You still think the Dodgers win it?
Daughters?
You think so?
All right, But I think, you know, I wrote today, you could have this will happen, but you could have the Dodgers or or Arizona anybody. Dodgers women the division down the back from Podres and as two of the three wild cards, and the Giants are only game and a half out of the third wildcards. That would be wild to get the same division in the playoffs. I mean, I probably won't happen, but it's hard when they go there playing each other. You know, somebody's got to lose.
But that would be a lot of fun. But I you know, you got to go with the talents, and I think it probably in LA right now. Although you Jay, you know that you gotta worry about their starting pitching, Alam big.
Time worried about the Dodgers starting pitching. Modor's got to come back strong. I don't know where the hell Walker Buehler is, right, Kershaw's not doesn't seem right, So I don't know.
He's not the same guy. Yeah, he tried, he compete, but he's just not the main guy.
So are you still in Colorado?
I am, yeah, sitting in the back porch here doing the fantasy football research.
What a life? Jack I'm not bitter, I'm not better work.
That's a.
Nice nice So where can we find his such?
What's the what's the website for your for your stuff?
It's uh Forbes worts money, sports money is all one word or sports money. I think you just go to the basic Forbes website and uh, you know your name or got Google. They just search for Diamondbacks or Dodgers. There me and you'll find you'll find.
That's Jack mcgooder.
Great, all right, Jack, stay cool up there and then bring your butt back to Hoddle Phoenix.
Man. Jay's going with the Dodgers for fifty bucks to win the web.
Don't get don't get me on that. I can't wait to get back there. Guys. I love it down there, you know.
Yeah, Jack, thanks a bunch fun fun the bull, all right, yeah, we gotta go the bull. All right, we gotta go. We're gonna take a break. Five two zero four one six forty. If you want to give us a call. Talked about a lot of stuff. Do you have in the National League West race? And do you like Arizona's ranking at number twenty one in the preseason college football ball stick around?
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Extremely live, Honey, iHeartRadio WAFT. This is I On the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports sporteen fifteen.
Hey, welcome back to On the Ball here a Fox Sports fourteen fifty of Steve. You're Jane at Henry That sixteen minutes, Uh, Jack Selly's fun to have. Yeah, it's been good show today with the with the little league coach.
Yeah. Yeah, a lot of baseball and softball and softball. But that you know, the Bay, the baseball races are heating up, but they're gonna be good. I mean, I'm I'm I'm a little disappointed that that the that the National League West is heated up because the Dodgers have been comfortably ahead, you know, all season long. But you've got a good You've got you know, that's a good race. You've got a good race in the in the Central where the Guardians and the Twins and the Royals are
duking it out. And then the Astros and Mariners tied for first in the Al West. So it's a couple of good races. Someone get you know, gotten away from from up them. But and then you got your oars and the Yankees duking it out. So a lot of good stuff. It should be fun down the stretch. And then with the you know, added wild card spots, it should be good a lot of a lot to play for during the last stages of the month.
So I haven't only been paying attention to moch of but except for the West because of all the good baseball that's been played.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So see what do you want looking for for football season?
Guess question, I don't know. I haven't been out to practice. What what am I I don't know. I think that I'm going to see I think, you know what, they're gonna win. So that'll bring out the fans, uh, there'll be very supportive of of of new coach, which of course the Tucson should should be because uh again, no disrespect to to I'm I'm I'm a fan of Fish. I mean because he's done well, he thought this, he did what we asked him to do. Yeah, so, Bill, I'm not sure where you're getting that.
He did what he was asked to do. Sure, and and yes, and fans, well, here here's the thing, Steve, fans are pissed at him because he did well and then left.
Yeah right, why are we good enough?
Exactly? So that's why, you know, but he came and he did what he was asked to do, and he did it way faster than you could have expected him to do it, no question. So now what has to happen is that you know, we always say the fans come out when you win. Okay, well they won, especially here, they won. They want they won ten games last year. So I don't care if it's New Mexico or you
know what some other What time is that game? It's a it's a seven thirty or some other you know, crappy team, get your butt out there because that's what you've been waiting for. Well it's too hot, Well, it's the summer, it's Labor Day weekend.
And you're pooing on it, right, And then I don't want and I hate that. I don't want you to sound like you're being negative. No, but you're being.
Truthful, but truthful into what our fans do.
And you've been doing this for how long?
Okay it was it was two years ago, right when when Arizona started winning a few games and people were bitching about the games. They're all, they're too late, and then they got them a day game and then and they didn't come out because they said it was too hot. Yeah, that's what our fans.
No, no, no, And you're being you're being negative or you're being critical or whatever the word.
I'm being truthful.
Exactly, And that's what I that's and that's what you know right right? You go to the game, you see it, right, I go to the games and I write about it and how that's Maybe it's two fans that don't feel that way the ones that show up, right, but there are a lot like that.
Yeah. New Mexico is a seven thirty game.
Yeah, so it's gonna be hot, perfect, it's gonna be hot, but it'll get you.
You don't want it at noon or what August for sure. I mean, we all remember that San Diego State game. Brutal two years ago.
Brutal.
Where were you? I was in the sun, I was in the end zone. Did you go underneath the overhand? I stayed for the whole thing was.
It was brutal.
We took we parked downtown or near downtown and took the train trolley in so going home, going back after the game, everybody we're at that. We're on the on the platform for for the for the train. A lady passed down. They an ambulance came for her, you know, she just passed out.
Well, I remember people going onto the under the auning on both sides.
It was.
That was the weekend.
My car got wind, oh got broken into yeah, you know, but yeah, we went up and the we went up in the shade half. They ran out of water at the snack bars all that stuff. But you know, we got it out and we stayed to the to the end and and it was you know, it was it was really the start of something good, you know when they won that game. And I remember thinking, man, you know, we didn't expect this. I mean I remember I had taken.
I bet well it was two and a half, was the over under for that year, two and a half for that year. And I put a hundred bucks on it, and I got and we hit that. I'm like, I got this.
Yeah.
I tried to tell my wife the good news, said, you know, gap, I put one hundred bucks on the air Zona go over two and a half.
Why did you bet that much money? We've all we're gonna win.
We've already got a win.
Oh yeah, that's screw.
It didn't matter. I just got my mush out.
That was exactly. But it's called marriage.
I know it is.
I know it is.
We could have paid the rent with that. We're gonna pay more rent with it.
You put the water out exactly.
But you know, yeah, So Arizona they open on the thirty first, it's seven thirty game. The NAU game the next week is a seven o'clock game.
Yeah, it's gonna be hot.
It's just those are gonna be hot.
Yeah, it gets nice at nine o'clock. Maybe, you know, let me say this, here's not a generalization. Okay, we talk about the fans, and I'm gonna Bill picked on me, So I'll just say what I know, halftime, what do fans do? They leave?
Okay, not all fans, not off, but a lot of them. But that's the general enough of them that it makes a big difference in what the stadium.
Correct And that's not you, that's not me. The fans leave, whether you want to be lumped in that thing or whatever. Yeah, the fans leave. Not every fan leaves, but a lot of fans leave, correct. So what are we gonna say, Oh, maybe just a smattering.
No, No, it's not no, it's and especially those games people get people get wiped out, halftime comes, they say, they go into the shape, they go in the shade or whatever, and they go, you know what, I'm not going back out there.
They call it a night, right, and it's just the way it is, what it is. Yeah. Yeah, it's like we were talking to mcmaon mcmaamon last week, right, he gets he gets criticized or whatever. He says, I'm just telling you, yeah, telling you how what I feel. But I know and if people don't agree, well that's just the way it is exactly anyway.
So you know, it's been a while since I've been this anxious to get a football season. Yeah, I just want to.
Know how anxious it's still kind of because we haven't been out there. We don't know, but we've been in here. How anxious? Give me, give me the love, give me the level. What do you mean anxious? Eight to ten, eight to nine seven? Because maybe anxious is.
Not the right word. I'm just excited to get it started because I'm curious. I want to know. I want to see them put a forty five up on New Mexico.
Someone asked me about my prediction today when I posted the forty eight to thirteen.
Yeah, if I see something like that, then I'm okay, we've got something. And then they then they should they should try and score like one hundred and five against an Au for beating him a couple of years ago. No, not bitter about that one. You know, run it up, keep the starters in, get to one hundred and and I'm good with that.
The last memory of that any of you game, we were in the press box and the coaches were giddy. Then you told me that we own Arizona. I think it acts like you've been here.
Yeah, well they haven't.
And then they want again somewhere they hadn't been there, and they and they thinking, oh man, what have they and then they went to they were terrible that year?
Yeah, they were awful that year. But uh no, I you know, I'd be okay if they put like eighty five on them, I wouldn't have any.
Problem with them, and that would be called Saturday. Won't do that, though, No, I don't think so well, who knows?
How?
Who knows?
I mean, I mean there was that time what stoops team put a seventy or on Idaho State I think it was, and then he without even trying. I mean, they weren't. They didn't keep trying to score. They just kept score.
How do you prevent court? Start?
Yes, win the game right, stop them, stop them? But I just want to see I want to see the team. Mac is healthy, right, and he's running around out there and doing all the things that TAC shows. I want to see the norf Flafida got better, even though he's really good last year. I want to know that he got better. I want to know that all these guys got better. I want to see what this running game
looks like. You know, with these all these guys, the only one we know is Speedy Luke, right, and Speedy is just not you know, he's not had the opportunity to to showcase all the different things he can do. I want to see what they're gonna do with him. I want to see what Jacob Mane, who looks like is he going to be one of the best linebackers?
Uh?
You know that Arizona's ever had.
I think guys like that, like Jacob, you are who you are and if you're good, it's like Scooby and and those guys. You're just good. Yeah, you're just good and it's hard for you to unless you got fab but you got to get better. Yeah no, no, still got to get better. I think you're gonna definitely see that. It's like the offense, Like you don't know about the quarterback situation because there's a chance, you know, you don't
have the same compliments of players or whatever. But if you're a linebacker or that guy, you're just gonna kick some asks.
Because that's what you do. I want to see justin flow. I want to vary its that guy. I want to see you have this incredible talent, is incredible body?
What are you going to That's the that's like the big mystery because you you saw him, we saw him. He first showed up here the Holy crab, who's this dude? But then he's kind of got a bottle of excitement that you need to kind of restrain because that's his issue or learning the program or whatever the because we asked, we asked, what's the what's the thing? Well, he just needs to play within the game, within the system, yeah, or you know, just let him loose on third down.
So there's a there's a lot of stuff like that that I want to you know, I want to start seeing. And it's we're stilled a few weeks away, but I really want to start seeing this stuff. That's that's what's got to be fired up about this. And then just the college football season as a whole, with the college football playoff and how that's going to play be playing out towards the end.
Because there's a lot to play for, right right if they do really well to get to the playoffs and then come on, this is but.
All the races are going to be you know, you know, teams trying to you know, wedge their way in there, and there's gonna be a lot of games that matter.
So at the end of at the end of the day, August twelfth, eleven, twelve, twelfth. At the end of the day, do they make the.
Playoffs Arizona, Yeah, just out Yeah, I think I think they'll finish even if second or third in the league. I think I think they're going to have a tough unless here's the only way the Big Twelve gets two teams in the playoffs, they get their champion. Right now, if Arizona win, you know, I think Arizona can win the championship. But I don't think they will, Okay, I really don't. I think I think Arizona can even win ten can go ten and two and not be in
the championship game. But maybe they can be. But if they're ten and two and in the championship game and some and they say that's an eleven and one team and they lose, now they're ten and three, they're not going into yeah, right, so they almost have to Well, obviously you win the league you're in. But let's say there's two eleven and one teams in the playoffs. I mean, in the in the Big twelve championship game, the loser is probably out right, so you you pretty much have
to win. I was thinking all along, you you finished first or second you're in. That's not the narrative that you're hearing right now. It's it's going to be taken over by the SEC and and the Big ten. They're each going to get four teams in. A CC gets a team, Big twelve gets a team, there's a group of five, and then there's one more spot.
All they did then was make it to twelve, expand the SEC opportunity that's ten. They didn't really make it mill available for everybody else.
No, that's exactly what they did.
They just heard more pieces of the pies for you guys.
That was the plan the whole time.
Yeah, money, money was the plan.
Now, let's say let's say a Big twelve team is undefeated, and then and the second place team is eleven and one, and let's say the eleven and one team wins, they got two two you know, heart to twelve and one teams. They both got to get in. It's gonna it has to be something like that. But I don't see a two loss Big twelve team getting in over say three loss SEC team or a three loss Big ten team. I don't.
Yeah, well, there's no such thing as fair, right, and that's not gonna happen.
The a SEC and the Big twelve are happy that they've just got an automatic bid.
Yeah.
And and not only an automatic bid, but the first round by you know that they get that, they get to play, you know, in the second round no matter what. But you know, it's got to play out. It's got to play out.
If they can get there, they're gonna be Kansas State because it's got to be kansasity.
Do we do either one of us think Arizona's going to lose only two games?
No, no, no, But they could surprise. I mean they could. I mean the chances not happen are not very good, but they could surprise even more than we think they could.
Look again, if they go do something ridiculous, it start.
Four and all Kansas State, right, you know what state in Utah? Wow? Wow? And then right it gets what will happen? You'll have fifty thousand people in the state. Yeah, consistently for Texas Tech. Yeah, for that opener, And guys like Henry will not be drunk because he can drink, but he'll have fun.
Go to every game.
You show up and you hear your brothers from the fraternity house, you must be excited about this.
I think it's good that the Kansas State game, if they lose, it doesn't affect them in the conference. So I think as long as I think the Utah game is way more important.
So and who knows, again, win the league and then you're in and that's it. That's it.
Not that this is being all whatever. But they beat Utah last year. That's got to help going up there. Hey, we did it before no one thought, and we can do it up there.
And you got to beat us. We've already kicked your ass.
Yeah yeah, but then but then you know how Pistol going to be.
They are going to be mad, and and if cam Rising is is there right right right, and who knows what they've got, right, and that's what they've got.
They're like the one day eleventh in the twelfth, yeah you know.
Yeah, twelfth and thirteenth. I think in the two poles.
They'll deserve me. That's deserve me.
Yeah, you know. But again, I just want to get I just want to start to see what it looks like. You know, I got that feeling walking into the stadium on Saturday night.
You know, well, we'll probably end up going to this weekend to watch them play the Sunday. They don't practice on Saturday. I don't think they practice on Sundays, So I don't know when the first scrimmage is going to be. Did you see the new schedule? I looked at it, but I haven't really paid attention. Okay, yeah, I think Jeff sentence.
I have not seen it.
So we'll see what happens with that, because it'd be nice to see what we need to see before it starts. And there's a lot of storylines, so as long as they stay healthy.
All right, Well, the last schedule lining has there? Is there been a new one since.
I think Jeff or whoever else?
The last night I got was August first? Is that the one?
No?
I think they sent the new one. I have to go find it. Kind of revamped revamped schedule.
All right, Well, tomorrow they're practicing at the stadium. Yeah, they're doing and then Saturday there's a practice Saturday at seven thirty Saturday night. Yeah.
Okay, so they moved that the Saturday Saturday. Yeah, so that might be like a scrimmage stuff.
Yeah, and then then they actually the next two Saturdays they practice at seven thirty at the stadium.
Is what I see.
And that's the last schedule that I got from UH, from Jeff back on August the first. So let's see. You know, you gotta go see a couple of those. I just haven't been able to make those nine to practices. There's just too much stuff going on. But they do play practice at seven o'clock tomorrow night at the stadium. I can't go to that.
This is I got one dated Yeah August first, I guess, yeah, it was just last week. Yeah, okay, in fact, I don't know if I made deadline for my credential.
Well, you might not get to see any game.
No, I'll go in. But day game, the game I think, which.
Is you know you're just gonna be a big painted the butt.
Yeah, this is.
All right.
That was it.
That's it. Thanks to Jack mcgrudor for being here. Thank you to Patrick McCumber from the will Cox uh A little league softball team. That was That was a great interview, had a lot of fun with him. Congratulations to those coaches and those girls. Good future ahead for them.
Yeah, that was fun. That was different.
So tomorrow we know everybody lined up yet for tomorrow.
We'll find something. We'll find somebody.
Exactly all right. Thanks everybody for being here. We'll see you tomorrow.