This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen, powered by Nova Insurance Services. It's sure your most prized prosessions kat z R two saw at iHeartRadio Station.
Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Rivera, He's Jagan Zalas. Gotta guy Henry in today for the next two hours. If you'd like to call us five two oh four, one, six, seventy four forty. Jay got one question for you. Okay, where were you in the middle of August nineteen eighty seven? Take your time. I want a passer fail.
I mean I would have been here getting ready to see uh Dick Tomy start his first season at Anerzon't why it's gonna have been somewhere else.
No, you were probably gonna get in line to watch Cam Buy Me Love Oh a debut now this time of year.
My two sisters were extras.
In that thirty seven years ago. They were extras in that they in the in.
The movie.
Yeah, one of them, my sister Lane is in a scene where there's a scene where there there you know, the guy. The kids, the guy they're in class and they're watching a movie, and so what's his name? Patrick Dempsey saying he's got his sunglasses on and he's asleep watching the movie. And his buddy is behind him talking to him. And my sister is right next to him in the shot. Yeah, yeah, she's in the shot. So she said so to to the left of of of
the buddy who's talking to Patrick Dempsey was asleep. That's my sister. And then my other sister is in the scene towards the end where they're at the party and and uh, the the girl exposes Patrick Dempsey that he paid for her stuff. And there's you know, a bunch of people standing there at the party, and my other sisters in in that group right in the front. So they're both. They're both, I mean, you know, they were in it. Yeah, movie start. That's when I moved. I
moved here get into movies right about that time. Yeah, no, I didn't realize that that's.
Got thirty seven years, thirty.
Seven years ago.
It's how long I've been tell thirty seven years.
That means that they were young when that was going on.
Oh very well, don't tell your age, but I just thought that was interesting. I saw that today. Okay, hey, welcome back everybody to Monday. Are you not going to be here Friday, Thursday, Thursday, or Friday. So it's a short week for you. Good for you. We'll see if I get some guests of the rest of the week. It's gonna be busy week for everybody. You're taking your daughter to San Diego. I'm trying to survive without you.
I hope I can't. And people I was trying to survive without me, see, I hope it op busily with you off. Oh by the way, by the way, you said a note to all of us Sunday, like three days after the fact about Jake's word. I didn't even think anything of it because I thought it was okay. I don't want to say I can't say that. You can't you can say a whole Oh, you can't say the whole thing. So you caught in the in the in the in the.
Yeah post, yeah yeah, because we looked at in the in the podcast.
Because I know you were flagging. You were flagging, and you're looking like it's okay, isn't it. I just know you can't say that's good to know.
Yeah.
I mean we've said I guess a whole is okay, but yeah, but you can't say the other one the whole thing.
Yeah, I said, I kind of lot this said, okay, what's the good.
Yeah, Jake doesn't do that very oft.
No, no, no, but we stirred him up a little.
Yeah.
Yeah, right, well another yeah, he never mentioned I didn't even ask him who the guy was who he thought. You could probably guess you can yess. But okay, So we get about ten days away from the big game here in New Mexico plays this weekend. Right, they're almost a ten point dog, right, who's an f C. They're an f CS team, but they're a good f CS team. They win the Nasty Champion. They're like North Dakota State.
Yeah, they're They're one of those teams in that in the hierarchy of FCS.
So that game is what Saturday is on Saturday. Okay, So I'm sure we'll see that somewhere.
I think it's on somewhere. I can't remember.
That's good to know. So we'll watch that just a preview what's coming up.
And actually that, you know, I think I think that helps Arizona to go to be you know, to get you know, a look at look at uh New Mexico, Uh, you know before because they're not you know, New Mexico's not gonna New Mexico is not going to have the tape of the Yeah, any kind of look at Arizona before they play. So I think that probably benefits Arizona more than anything.
Right, Well, it's not like they'll lead it because of a thirty point favorite.
Yeah, ab out there, but you know, any little thing you can help. Look, you don't want to be taking any chances.
No wonder Stupids was afraid of serving somebody on the on the ledge over there on six Street watching us watching Arizona. Any advantage the advantage.
Yeah, I don't know where that it's got to be on TV summer because it's only four games, right, you think somebody's gonna put those games on Now, there's a there's a there's an early game that the game that's in in Ireland, Georgia Tech and Florida State that you know that'll be nasturally televised. I know that Hawaii plays there, so there's like a nine o'clock game at night on that So I'm not seeing where that game. Oh it says it's on FS one. Okay, so Mexico Montana State.
And that's a big deal because I'm sure it's a payday for both people.
Right, and then the game with it with Arizona is an ESPN game that's a seven thirty game.
So okay. In the first week of school, we got Henry ready chomping at the bill to get to school. He's been bored all summer.
Yeah, he looks ready to go back to New York. You start like today from a week from today.
Well, that's late, isn't Usually it starts it would start like like day right.
Yes, the traffic already out there, traffic sorry on Speedway, you know, everybody coming in the pack and too after kids go and be relieved at home.
Yeah you know.
Okay, So what else? Practice for football was again today they were back. I didn't go to practice or to scrimmage on Saturday or whatever it was practice on Saturday. Yeah, I mean I texted, I knew you weren't going to go. I was gonna kind of go if I was encouraged. Anthony decided not to go, and I think, what can we look at? And we're looking at stuff but we
can't write about it, right, so what's the point. Yeah, And I get the people that go because they have to go, you know, the Justin Spears world.
Like that, Steve, I've been so busy with this, you know, move with my daughter and stuff like that that I've just not I have no idea what's going on right.
Now right, I haven't read the storylines myself. But the good thing is it looks like t Mac is back uh competing, so that's always and uh and the quarterback and no is doing really well, so we'll see. We'll see what happens with that. Uh. And then the mind the Olympic sports. The other sports, we're gonna have someone tomorrow, right the golf, we have voy volleyball, so that.
The second year of volleyball coach at Arizona, she's joining us over talk to her. They get their season kicked off. I think next week as well. I think I've got an exhibition coming up this week.
I think they had the Red Blue.
They had the Red Blue over the weekend. So we'll just see what what things are looking like for her in her second year.
Yeah, so I wanted to talk to too, Oh God by yourself. The former volleyball coach Dave Rubio. Did you see what he's doing.
He's on like a bike ride across the country.
Or something from north to south. Yeah. He started at Washington, like Vancouver, Washington, coming down to the Mexico you know, to San Diego border.
Wow.
So he's not really a typical but maybe I don't think I.
Don't think he was, Like he's too busy to be like like all the time.
See what you look forward to when you retire? You can do whatever you damn please exactly, So we do. I wanted to kind of reach it, reach out to him and get him on the trail, but we're gonna wait till he comes back. Okay, so when he's a little rested, because you know what, why would you do that?
Two?
How cool was it?
Three? What are you thinking?
Yeah? What are you thinking? You know? How fun? I'm sure there were times in the middle of the things?
What that?
What?
What do I get myself into?
Yeah, it's like you doing?
Have you have you seen how long it was? It's going to take them.
Well they're in southern californ right now. Okay, so it's been like three four weeks. I mean, they're really that long. They're taking chunks like sixty miles a day.
Oh, okay, two, but then they hang out and go golfing in between her.
Three rest man, it's like, what did you do after thirty two miles a cycling?
Threw up?
Okay for thirty twice? Try to do that for a month. Trying to do that for a month. So so that's what we'll try to track him down to get that journey. To get that journey.
Yeah, I've been seeing pictures and stuff. I realized that he was doing some kind of a long term by excursion whatever you want to call it.
I just didn't see exactly what it was. But you know, because I've been, you know, seeing.
The pictures and stuff that he's been posting, but not interesting, you know, do something like that, you know, I once covered a uh I guess it was a competition where they rode from here to the Grand Canyon and oh.
Yeah, they have that. They still do that. I'm not too sure what they do have. Yeah, when I've done when I was the editor tail, when we used to do that story with people who did that often. And they have the race across America from one end of America to the next and the one you described. Uh, it's, uh, you have to be a hardcore to be have to be something wrong with you.
Competitors are too loose to do that.
They're tough competitors. Man, it's it's it's an adventure. Uh that then, did you ever cover? And then we're kind of going off track as usual. L walta. That was that was a lot of fun because there you go to Bisbeean and what's all over the place for freaking going past and drink here? Right right? Okay, again, let's talk about today's guests.
Yep, we've got Kevin Guy, head coach of Theirs on the Rattlers on the side. He's one of the owners of the teas on Sugar Sculls, but as head coach of the Rattlers, they won their seventh.
Championship. Uh he's uh, you know it. We'll have to ask him.
Because they got off to not a great start. I think they were two and two at one point.
They were having some quarterback issues, but they obviously got things figured out, went on a stretch, got the number three seed in their division, which was kind of unusual, but then from there went off and won the won the championship and beat the hell out of Massachusetts like fifty nine to thirteen or fifty nine to sixteen or something like that.
It was something awful. They were up a whole bunch at that.
They were shut they're pitching a shutout at halftime, which is unheard of in the indoor football league.
So they've won.
They've won a championship. So we'll get uh, well, we'll talk to him. And also just asked me, you know, well went on at the Sugar Sculls look simple? They had revolving doork quarterback.
Sure.
So no, No, it's funny, you said, because you're close to him, I like to tease him, as you know, Yeah, gonna try to do and I'd like to tease her, but he's not in the room.
That's the best time because what it wants the best way.
Yeah, you'll say, well, Steve, what tell you ask me these questions? So but you know, it's it's gonna be fun because he hadn't you hadn't won one.
It's in the twenty seventeen.
Yeah, so that for him, that's long, that's a drought. So yeah, we'll talk to him about how that felt.
Well, especially when the drought is because you've been bringing bringing in as a part of the inn Footballague, bringing in all these teams who kind of passed you, right, you know there's some new teams that have won. You know, Bay Area won the championship last year. I think Massachusetts won a couple of years ago. So in expansion and good,
that's the goal to bring in quality. Well, they brought in teams that have won championships, so it's made it harder for him, but they come back and win one.
So uh.
So he's a I called that them Mike Cadrea syndrome, right right. You know, you create this monster. Everybody wants to be that monster and eventually create what you don't want. You know, you created your opponents that are pretty god damn.
Good exactly, and that that's what he did. So we'll talk to him a little bit about that.
And then at at four fifteen Ken Hockey, Uh yeah, athletic director still the baseball coach, right right, and athletic director. New athletic director we placed uh uh Jim Monico at Pima talk about the their their school.
Ye're getting started.
Yeah, see how he feels about it. He got some tutoring obviously from Monaco. Now this is his yes, this is his baby. Now how does he feel coming in and you know, confident or whatever?
How much more is there to do too?
Right?
Right?
And what does he plan to do anything? Make changes or whatever? So okay, we'll check with him on that.
Yeah, should be a fine fun conversation.
We have the lude Olsen camp this week. Uh So, a cool lineup this week coming up this week Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday coming into town, Kenny lofton uh and uh are we coming? Are we coming?
Uh?
And and there's no Craig this year. Pete Williams of course, uh, Donald Harris, I think Benna Davis and some of those guys. So Shawn's never attended Kenny and and howve you have? So that should be a lot of fun. So if you see them around town, there's a reason.
Let them have their dinner.
Yeah. Uh so, And Seawan doesn't make you know he's been busy see him on social he was he was sting.
The word out about all this effort to h for kidney disease and stuff. So been a spokesperson for that. So he's obviously out there doing a lot more.
Of that I didn't.
I didn't realize. I'm hoping always speak and maybe half yours were listening. His daughter played volleyball, I think at Cal or something like that.
I didn't.
Uh yeah, I think so she's getting married now or she did. I'm just kind of making a father in law, mixing my metaphors or mixing my ideas, which is not a not a not a strange thing. But yeah, I think I saw some things that were where he's do you know what that means? We're all getting old?
When when when the kids are becoming you know, others, and a lot of stuff like that.
Curs was you know, at his play can Cal and playing and that was a coach with him. I think, so, you know, we're not young anymore. No, thirty seven years ago. We can't buy me long young A long time again. I can't believe that.
I still watch it every once in a while.
I haven't seen it.
I just love seeing that.
You know, I'll not go back and see your Yeah, yeah you'll see you'll see her.
So all right, let's take a break. We're going to come back.
Kevin Guy will join us a head coach of the IFL champion Arizona rattlers and we'll just see how they did it.
So stick around.
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Today.
This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jaginzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app just searching I on the Ball.
Hey, welcome back to Winning the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. He's Jiggens Sauce. Now, if I only have Kevin guy, I'm the champion Arizona. How you doing, Coach Kevin?
They're great guys. How you doing.
We're doing well. So you've won a number of them. Jay, we'll kind of get into that. But you're you're a older man compared to the when you won the first one. How does this one feel?
You know, I like the way he.
Put that, I'm only ten years older than the first you know, the the uh, you know, this one feels great. I mean just we we had so much adversity this year, especially the first half of the season. You know, it kind of started with our our head athletic trainer had a had a really serious car wreck and at the last week of training camp, and and and roder car uh you know, four or five six times had a serious head injury went out, you know, for the year so and then the very next week we play our
first game. You know, we went out in free agency and signed Dalton Steed, the quarterback that won the championship the year before for Bay Area, and and and uh he got he gets hurt the first half of the first game of the season, and he's out for the next six weeks. And then we have a rash of injuries that that really a lot of our middle pieces. You know, when you build a football team, it's it's it's your quarterback, your center, you know, you're running back
on defense, it's your nose, your linebacker, your safety. And it seemed like every one of our middle pieces got hurt. And three of them were MCLs that were out they were gonna be out four to six weeks. Just just uh, anything that could happen could happen. You know, our our defensive line coach, or especially was coordinator Jeff Jernigan. He uh had heart failure and uh I knew something was going on with him, and and his health wasn't you know,
uh up to speed. You know, just he was allowing some things to happen as a coach that he normally wouldn't allow his personality changed. And finally I kind of saw it after the Iowa game and and you know, and I just told him, I said, when we land, you're going straight to the burger's room. I got to find out what's going on with you. And he did, and and uh, you know, he's having an heart failure. And Doc said he probably wouldn't have another, wouldn't last
another week if he didn't come in. But wow, you know, so he uh, you know, we had that and and uh, you know, uh, we had to move on from a couple of players. There were some guys that just weren't happy with their role and and uh, you know, I didn't really like how they were were being used and and you know, you can't make everybody happy, but if they weren't going to be happy, I wanted to get
them out of here. And we we kind of moved on from some guys from a character standpoint, and and you know, and then we started to get healthy and and and you know, it all started coming together and and it was it was almost like we were in the playoffs from misdeed to don because we the Western Conference was so competitive this year, we couldn't really afford to drop any games or we're going to miss the playoffs.
And we were just in a different mindset and and uh, you know, we really got hot towards the end and went on a run and and our guys figured out a way to finish it.
Well, we made Steve mentioned, you know, I'm looking at your schedule. You guys were off to one and three start while all that's all that stuff was going on. You only lost two games rest of the way. Is there always, though, especially with the you know, the indoor football league where you know, you get a lot of turnover and stuff like that in teams a period to kind of settle, uh, your your your rosters, settle your
your team. Sometimes it goes well, maybe sometimes it doesn't, and but there comes a point where things kind of get in order. Is that Is that a correct way to characterize that?
Well, you know, I guess it comes down to the organization, the coach and and and and their philosophy. I'm I'm I like to have my answers coming out of training camp. I don't like making a lot of changes. I think this is a developmental league and you want to develop players. And but there's coaches out there that make changes you know, uh, if they don't feel like these guys are playing up the par But you know, we try to make ear
at the ratlers. We try to make training camp so competitive that we have our answers come out of training now. We unfortunately for us, we felt like we had a lot of the pieces in place. Now we still we added two or three pieces as the year went on, but a lot of that was because some other guys got hurt. But we felt like we had the pieces, and then you know, we started getting injured and then it forced us, you know, to bring some new guys in.
But there was a period of time too that our rosters are so small that you know, when you have these injuries. That's kind of while we went one and three there in that little those first four games, because you know, we kind of got roster locked. We couldn't make any moves. You know, you're not allowed to cut injured players, so you're kind of they're kind of stuck on your roster. You know, you only get four injured
reserve spots, so you got twenty nine spots. Well, you play with twenty one and we had about nine hurts, so you know, it was it was touch and go there for a while. But but yes, personally, I like to have all the answers in training camps so we
can develop our players as a year goes on. I'm not a big you know, make a lot of changes, you know, we like to develop it or you know, some chemistry with our with our team and and uh, but some you know, there's some coaches out there that do it, and and uh, they've been successful with it. But I also think that, you know, are you built for the long haul? That's why I always look at it. You could there's times that people do it and it works,
but are you built for the long haul? And and and you know, because anybody can catch lightning in the bottle. But I've always liked to take the other approach that.
Said Jay was saying, it's been about four years since the last one. How long since last seven? I mean we kind of joke with you, but you're used to winning. I mean, honestly, you you and you love win. You're good, You're good at it. How did that feel seven years later?
Well, you know, you know, we still had some successful years in there in the in the five years that we didn't win it, but we we went to two championships. During that five year, we made it to the championship game, but we lost. I mean we we in twenty one, we lost to Massachusetts, who we just beat this past weekend for the championship. But you know, we lost to them on the last play in overtime. You know, we had the ball first and overtime, we fumble on the
one yard line. They get it and kicked the field goat and beat us in overtime, and and that's how we lost that one. In nineteen, we were undefeated. We were undefeated. We were the New England Patriots. Where we went undefeated and we played a team that we've already played twice in regular season, and uh, you know, we wound up losing that game in a close game and and uh, I believe we lost by three and we all st kicked and got it and a guy that wasn't even supposed to be in there or not even
a part of the play was off sides. And that was how that game ended. So you know, it was it was tough. And then you know the last two years that we got beaten in the semifinals and in
the first round we just turned the ball over. And last year you know, I had to do some soul searching because you know, we got beat in the first round and we haven't been beaten the first round and in almost fifteen years, and and you know, we turned the ball over six times, and I just you know, Drew Pyele was a great player for us, and and uh,
you know, he had a rough night. He turned the ball over six times, and and uh, you know, I just felt like, hey, this is the way we've ended it for three or four years now it you know, he's a three time MVP. A lot of coaches, I know, would have probably been scared to pull the trigger, but I was just like, you know what, for whatever reason, it's not working for us. So we got to move on. And uh, you know, we we were able to get Dults.
Dult Ste grew up here in Arizona with the high school, at the Horizon High School, so you know, I know he wanted to come home and we had an opportunity to get him, and we got him. And then obviously when he got hurt the first first game of the season, I was like, man, this whole thing's about to blow up. You know, we just kind of kept our heads down, kept working and stayed the course and it all worked out out.
So to just to let everybody know, this is your second championship in the i FL, and you got five in the old Arena Football League, so you've got a total of seven. Do you have like rings for all of these and like you have a picture of you wearing like all the rings, like Joe Montana does or anything like that.
Well, I'll tell you what I gotta be. I gotta be honest here I got I've won five as a head coach and two in the i f L, three in the AFL. But I would I would like to claim those other two. You tried to get them, Okay, so you did. I probably we we you know, I've lost. You know, this was my ninth trip. So we won five and lost four. So I've lost four championship games. But we've had a good run over the years. I do have rings. I do have rings. I keep them,
I keep them locked away. But you know, uh, this one, I don't think I've ever won a championship that We've had this much adversity and so many different areas of the organization throughout the season. But you know, the one thing I could the two or three things I could point to that was different this year about this year's team was one our character, our mental toughness and poise.
I think those are the three things that that jump out at me when I look back at this team that, you know what some of the things that they had that we needed to do to be able to accomplish what we accomplished.
Well, I asked the coaches all the time when that come on, and I think you'd be a perfect gut to ask. So you just mentioned three things that are important at least this year. And now you have some athletes and you're very good at what you do. What's what's the driving force? Very good coach or very good players? Well, because you know, sometimes you can't have both, right, you know.
You know, in in pro sports, I would say it always starts at the top. I think this. You can say this about any organization. It starts at the top.
You know.
It's arts with ownership. And ro Ron Shirtz is the owner here of the Arizona Rallers and he me and him have developed a partnership and it was you know, he has really put a lot of trust to me and just kind of given me the keys to run the business side and the football side, and and if I need him, he's there for me. If not, he lets me run with it. But you know, he you know, I think I've learned a lot of things from him, you know, and how he does business, and it's helped
me in my business world. But you know, I think now from there, it starts with your head coach, and then it goes to quarterback. And you know, I've never seen teams win championships that didn't have all three. I mean, you've got to have those things in line, right, and and so you know, if they did, they caught lightning in the bottle. You know, I mean, it can't happen. I'm not saying it can't happen. But if you're built for the long haul, I think you've got to have
all three of those in line. And you know, and then and then you know, you got to have some pieces down the middle on defensive side. But listen, you can't win championships without players. You got to play. But I think a coach is so important for structure organization, holding people accountable. Uh, given the vision of the whole organization, and and and uh and and you know, I think you got to have good play callers. I think you've got to have people in place that understand play calling
and how to use the weapons. You know that you have to the strength. You know, if you look, I mean for me, you know, I I adapt to my players. I adapt to the strengths that they got. I don't try to come in with the system and say, Okay, you're gonna run the system no matter what, and we'll plug you in and play. I'm not big on that. I you know, I look at what I got in the room. Let me see what kind of end I
got dealt here, and then we're gonna change. We're gonna the offense will evolve as the season goes, based on the strength of the skill sets of the players.
Arizona when they had a little take coming back, but that's a whole nother story. I'm not bitter about that though, givin at all. We're talking to Kevin.
I'm always wanted I've always wanted to coach him.
By the way, have you.
Tried, well that say, have you tried to get him?
You know what? Uh? We did look into him, uh a year and a half, and I want to say he was he was on someone's roster when I looked in to see where he was at. And then and then to be fright with you, we've you know, we really wasn't looking to make a move until this past year and then Dalton came available and we decided to go with him.
Wow. Interesting all right?
So, uh, Kit, we're talking to Kevin guy, head coach of theirson, the Rattlers, but also we want you to put on your owner's hat for the Sugar Skulls had a really tough year.
Uh.
I think, well, you tell me what you chalk that up to, because you know, you guys have been a great organization, done well, You've been a winning organization, but it was it was a struggle this year.
What what how do you how do you analyze that?
Well, I'll tell you this. I I'm gonna I got to take some ownership is in and in the small part that I play in in the Tuson Sugars Coast because when we hired our when we hired our coach, we let them run it because I don't want any conflict of interest between the Ratlers and Tucson and the league. And we've always let the head coach kind of run the football side of it. But you know, in the small part, and what I enjoy is I enjoy coming
to I enjoy the relationships in Tucson. I enjoy doing business with people in Tucson, and and and and uh and I really enjoy a lot of the people that I've got to know down there. What I wasn't ready for this year. And I'll you know, I'll take my my part of the blame of it. But uh, we moved the Rattlers from you know, our practice Cilly was in Masa. We've been playing downtown for thirty years in Phoenix. We moved everything out to Glendale, and we made that decision,
you know, in late in the fall. It kind of carried over into early January, February and then and then we had to make the move, like literally move furniture, move facilities, everything during one of our bye weeks at the beginning of the season. And I underestimated how big of a move that was. Okay, I underestimated how big of a move that was. I really occupied a lot of my time and because not only was it about the move, I had to negotiate the contracts for us
to move into into Glendale. And when you go from being number four in the building in downtown Phoenix where the Suns come first, to Mercury a second, any big time concert that comes in as third. You know, the Rattlers were always fourth in the building, you know where we moved out to Glendale and we're the number one tenant out here. You know, it was it was the right move for the Arizona Ratlers, but it did take some time away from from when I come down and
do business. Now we we we really felt like we hired a really good coach and Billy back if you go look, Billy has had the best winning percentage of any coach in the league over the last two or three years. And and you know, and I was second in that space. You know, I was second in that space. He was first, and and uh, you know, there was some things that went down. Uh you know, at the end of season year before, everybody thinks like we keep
letting go of the coaches, that's not the case. You know. Uh, hurt Us Chain came in. He had some personal issues going on in his life and he wasn't coming back, okay, So uh so we were kind of forced to you know, we had heard us sign to a three year contract. You know. Uh, hurt Us reached out to us after the fact. Hurt Us reached out to us after the
fact and had gotten some of the stuff worked out. Uh, he was you know, he wanted to get back into coaching, but we weren't, you know, And I told Kathy, I said, you can't be held hostage by this stuff. The business has got to keep going, you know. Uh, she made a decision to go get Bill, and uh, it is you know, listen, it's not always who you want, either is who's available. And we were lucky that Billy was available.
And you know, I just don't think when you look at I just talked about what to go about having an ownership, head coach, quarterback all that's kind of line. You know. I think Billy did a great job of getting the first I thought the quarterback that he started the season was was the best rookie quarterback in the whole league. You know, For whatever reasons there was, it just didn't work out between those two. There was some some some form of conflict there and I'll leave it
as that. But you know, at the end of the day, you know, Billy made the best decision he thought was for the organization. You know, Tucson Sugars Culls. The record doesn't look good, but listen, the team was very competitive. They lost ten games by less than a touchdown. Okay, ten ten games by less than a touchdown. So you know, I think that, you know, from an ownership standpoint, Billy
had everything that any coach that was there before. He had the same things in place, if up better, you know, because you know, what we do as ownership, and this is how I look at it is, you know, hey, you got to go out and get a head coach that knows the game. Then from an ownership standpoint, you you know, you want a head coach that can recruit.
And then from you know, from a from an ownership standpoint, you want to make sure that they got facilities, which Keno I'm gonna tell you right now, Keno's practice facilities are as good as anywhere in the league. Okay, they rank up there with anybody in the lake. Then it comes down the player housing. You know, uh, you know, our player housing is very good. I would say it's in the top three or four in the league. Okay.
And then and then you know, and then it's about setting up there Uh, you know, it's part of their contracts. They get housing and food, and we set up their mill deals and the bill deals was the best that we've that we've done since we've been in Tucson. So all that stuff was in place for the players, and then then it's on on the coach and the players
to go get it done, you know. And and and uh, certainly, you know, as as a leader of the organization, you know, Kathy's you know, I certainly helped get Tucson set up originally, but the plan all along was for Kathy to take it and be the face of it. And and and certainly, uh, you know, the things were in place for them to be saying. But sometimes, you know, sometimes I don't like I'm not a big changing I don't like change, you know.
But but for every reason, you know, for every time that there was a the only coach that we really moved on from was, you know, it was Dixie. And I'm gonna tell you something, Dixie. Dixie had a conversation with me this offseason and and I bumped into him and he said, he came up to me and he said, Kevin, I want you to know I love you, and Kathy.
And this is what he said to me. He said, I want you to know I love you, and Kethy, he goes, I didn't get the job done, okay, And he said, the best thing that ever happened to me was me getting fired. I had to go look in the mirror. I had to go address some things that from his personal life. He wanted to get in better health and put him in a better mindset. And then you know, he he became a student of the game, and he and and it's made him a lot better coaching.
And quite frankly, you know, he's been the offensive coordinator at Bayry last two years they've had you know, they won the championship the first year. This year they were the number one seed in the playoffs. And and he, uh, I just helped him make a phone call. You know, I won't I won't, you know, say where, but he's
up for a head coach a job. And I certainly made that, made that phone call to that ownership, and had had a conversation with him about Dixie because I got a I got a lot of respect for Dixie and and and Dixie has been told he you know that you know, uh, when the job opened last year. He was the first phone call I made, and and and and uh, you know, and me and Dixie, we both got a respect for each other. And I think he's one of the best coaches in the you know,
in the league. I think Billy's Billy Back's one of the best coaches in the league. For whatever reason, it just didn't get put together this year. So uh, you know, listen, nobody's trying to pass the buck. Uh, we got to be better and uh, but you know, some of the positives. We sold more season tickets than we ever sold last year. Okay, and and and you know that's one of the positives.
But you know, the other thing is where we got to do a better job is we've got to do a better job selling groups and getting more people in the building. And that's something that we're putting a plan together to see, uh, you know, to work that part of it out. The other side of that is, you know, we've been working to get the uh, you know, the gaming license, and we've been working very hard, Kathy and I and we spent a lot of money on attorneys and and fighting with the state over that. And we
really want this for Tucson. We're really you know, it was it will certainly stabilize a lot of things in Tucson if if if we could get that and you know, but for whatever reasons, you know, it seems like you know, uh, you know, you know, whoever's that you're doing business with up in Phoenix is always trying to screw Tuson and it really it really gets me upset and gets me going, right and and and listen, We're we're fighting this thing
tooth and nail. Ali Farhang has been involved. You know, we've we've kept him abreast but with everything that we're doing, but you know, we're trying to get that game and license and you know, uh four two son and and uh in some way, somehow we're going to make that thing work.
Okay, So that was good.
Leading to my last question then, because I think your five your initial five year contract was up after this year, right, it sounds like you're staying.
Well, well, no, you know, I have no plans to move it.
Uh.
It's it's America, right, I mean, listen, I've probably had ten people call me and and and and asked me about buying okay, and that that's just business in America, right, so you know, everything for sale, you know, and and so you know, it just really comes down to the right conversations. But you know, I've had people, I mean, I've had people in the last few weeks that's reached out, and it really comes down to you know, hey, you know I always ask Kathy, Hey, you want to do this, kin.
We committed to five years. We committed to five years when we came to Tucson. We've done six years, okay, And you know, every year I go to Kathy and I told I told everyone I was not gonna have any conversation. I even told Kathy I don't want to have any conversations about Tucson to I get through with my season so I can turn around and focus on, you know what I need to focus on. And you know,
we love Tucson. I told you if I I plan on retiring in Tucson, but I plan on having a house up in those mountains somewhere because I really I really enjoy Tucson and I love the relationships down there. So you know, will I will, Will I own and run the Tucson Cigar Skulds forever. Nothing's forever, you know, And you know, but but at some point. You know, we want the team in Tucson, and we always wanted
to stay in Tucson. And that's why we've been working on the on the game of license very hard over the last three years. And you know, it seems like we've been dealing with some corrupt stuff, but you know, we're letting our attorneys handle it, and we're going to address it even if we got to address it all the way to the Supreme Court.
All Right, fair enough, all right, Kevin guy, We appreciate it. Appreciated role Bama.
Roal tie ro time.
Maybe it's all about that time. That's the other thing too. You know, we have a son that's being recruited in college football and and you know he's already got three offers, and so you know, that's another thing in our future that we gotta.
We gotta evaluate.
You know, our daughter just graduated from the u of A, and she's getting ready to go to law school. But you know, our son's getting ready to graduate this year from high school and he's he's gonna be playing college
football somewhere. So you know, we got to take that into account of what's our life look like over the next three or four years and there's just a lot of decisions that we we got to make, you know, and uh, you know certainly, uh but but I will tell you this, you know, we we you know, whatever happens with us, we plan on having the Tucson Sugar Skulls in Tucson.
All right, man, thanks man, that's be minding here, Kevin, thanks so much. Congratulations again.
All right, guys, we appreciate it, Thank you very much.
Thank you.
We having to take off.
We got a head out. Well, let's just jump out of here real fast. We'll be right back.
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Steve Rapera and Jacin Salaz. They have their eye on the ball on Tucson Sports stag Chat Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Okay, welcome back to arian about you know, Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, You're Jay. You got Henry with us. We've got a short time window here for seven and a half minutes for any calls pot two zero four one six seventy four forty. So so I'm not sure he answered my question. Jay, you know him Patty Well, I would venture to guess that he's savoring this victory just as much as or if not more quite a bit because it's been a while.
Well again because he's you know, they came so close. I you know, twenty nineteen was that was the year that that was my first year with the with the Sugar Skulls. So they were undefeated and they were so good that year, and you know I went up to that game. It was play you know the at that at that time, the top seed in the game each
game hosts. So they hosted the game at a full house at at at the Arena up in Phoenix and got beat and got beat and uh, I know that was that was a tough one to take because that team was so good.
What let me ask you again, I want you to be honest and critical if you have to be. What makes him successful?
I think I think he did say a little bit about that. It's the organization that he puts together, because he's right in this in this league, look in the NFL, you get you go at great players and you can run. You can be a bad organization, but have great players and you can win championships because there's so much more to the organization. As you mentioned, talks about your facility. You know, are you an organization has a great facility? You have all the other things that draw players here.
You know, at players and coaches. Right do you have Are you in a good place? You have you know, a good as you said, good housing for the players, you have good meal plans for those things matter a lot in this league because you know, these guys should make a lot of money. Okay, all those other things have to be in place to get the good players and the good coaches.
So let me ask you, I'm assuming in your capacity for a few years you were with them, did you travel too many other places? No?
No, as A as A as A as A front office person, No I went. I went to one road game, so I went to the very first one. The very first game was in San Diego. I went to a couple of Rattlers games because they drive up the street.
So the reason I was going to go there was because, Okay, so facilities accommodations, like you're talking about, does Arizona really fit in that where it's always I'm so, yeah, Tuson really fit in that upper echelon group because you know you're dating, you date a nice looking woman. You're thinking the British girl in the world. Oh, I just missed that one because that one's even pretty. You know what I'm saying.
Yeah, you're always gonna say you're you got a good no I had. I had players tell me because I would ask them, you know, why did you come here? And they said, oh, because of Kevin Guy.
Okay, okay, so I would say that, okay, But so it's not about facilities, no, no, no, but but no.
But in the in the sense that they're because of Kevin Guy, because I know he runs a great organization. We're going to be treated well, we're gonna get paid on time, or you know, we're gonna all these things that he puts in place.
That's why.
You know, again it's the organization that he runs. And I think you know, certainly the Rattlers have been that kind of an organization. Tucson's been that kind of an or because I you know, these are two sugar skulls that I asked that why did you come here? And say, because I know Kevin guy runs a great organization. And so that's why I'm here because I know that I'm
going to have a decent apartment to live in. I know I'm gonna get fed well, I know I'm going to get taken care of, you know, trainers and whatnot. So in this in this sport, in the indoor football league, that's the most important thing because that gets you players. Then the talent comes with that.
So the other places don't do this, don't Steve like, for instance, I can tell you how in the hell do they compete?
I don't know. Some don't. They're not very good.
Look, look, you know a couple of players that I said, well, how bad it is the other places. You wouldn't believe some of the places they get us to live. He said, we would get you know where one of the things that that the Sugar Skulls do and probably the Rattlers is they arranged for local restaurants to be sponsors and
provide meals for the players. And they get they get meals, they get Brother John's, and they get Hooters, and they get you know, Mexican restaurants, you know El Charm, all these great places to eat in Tucson, and those are the meals that they get, right, Olive Garden, I mean all that stuff, Mama Mama Luisa's.
Those were those were food sponsors, meal sponsors.
When I was working there, I heard that there were some organizations that they give you a twenty dollars Roger per day. Well, these guys have to eat three times, right, what's twenty dollars gonna get you? And this is their job, right, And this is their job, right. They can't have another Well, they do have other jobs, yeah, some of them do,
but still off season or during the season, during the season. Yeah, the guy the guys, you know, that's why, for instance, they practice early in the morning so that they if they need to go work a job, they can go work a job.
You remember Cam uh.
Yeah from Psidio, right, yeah, yeah, no, he was at he was at Siana Okayan.
No no, no, no, he was a defensive back. I can't remember his da or they can't remember his name, but you know he he was a waiter, you know, in the in the evenings.
Uh. You know.
So they they set practices so that they have the rest of the day to go make a living because they don't make a lot of money.
No, no, no, I in fact kind of kind of well guess what, they don't, but who has them here?
Yeah, but they're chasing the dream and that they choose. They choose to chase the dream. But they have to they have to sustain as well. And and you know some of these players, you know, it's tough for them. So those things become essentially really important and and those and and so players gravitate to the organizations that provide that. He was so that's why organization is so important.
He was talking about stuff that you know, I'm not another athlete at that level. I would have never been, never will be. But these people who get involved or have conflicts with the coach at this level, Okay, level, when this is it. If you don't make it here, you ain't gonna make it anyway. You can't get along right right right doesn't doesn't make sense to me, Steep and there because because you're playing a sport that people wish,
but you could also be tired of it. But you know what I'm saying, here's an opportunity and you piss it away.
Yeah, no, I hear you. I don't understand, even at.
Whatever payment you're gonna get. Now what, right, go find a job.
If you're here, allegedly, if you're playing in the indoor Football league, it's because you really love the game, you really want to try and make this work. And then to get in there and be a malcontent makes no sense whatsoever. Why are you doing Wait a minute, they don't need you, you need them. They can go get another guy just like you. There's a lot there's a lot of guys who can play at this level who aren't. So there's guys out there, So you know, I don't I don't know why.
They do that.
Cam Gannis, thank you, we sent that off. No, I think you went to see Enega. Okay, I'm pretty sure I will correct us if we're wrong. Yeah, okay, good. First hour, A lot of stuff on sure, so we have breaking news, right and then we have.
Ken hackemy can speak of me athletic director at People will be joining us to talk about the start of their academic year.
And then we get some calls at the end of that.
Sounds great, We're right back