Monday, January 6, Hour 1

This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services insure your most prized possessions.

Good after doing everybody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. Welcome back everybody, and with me today is a newcomer to this office and my show, Blake Eager. Tell me what your title is exactly, because I'll screw it up.

Yeah, thanks for having me. It's an executive director for Southern Arizona Sports Tourism and Film Authority.

Yeah. I would have screwed that up. Yeah, most people do. I would have lost you. Southern Arizona. What Yeah, No, that's cool. You've been there for a while, almost two years. Two years. You haven't been in existence for a long time, almost two years. That's my point. Yeah. Yeah, so yeah, no, I didn't know this until we were talking a lot in the summer, you know, communicating at least by the way we have our guy Juan here. I wouldn't be

We uh, first and foremost, I have to say thank you for your patients, because I think.

About forty yeah, forty text. I said, no, you're gonna have to give you a week, give me a week. That week turned into about three months. But we finally executed that contract and explain what we're talking about, because it was at the time and still is at the big At the time, it was big news because you were kind of it was like a pregnancy, come on, cove on.

So we were really working on three different channels, and I think I could say them now. I mean one of them was bringing stream spring training back, which hopefully we'll still have in twenty twenty six. Another was an affiliated team moving to Tucson where and.

I heard that was kind of like the strong that one was. Yeah, we that was really unfortunately you could tell those listening, You could tell us as much as.

You Yeah, it went really really really far down the line.

Yeah, and we I thought we had it. So yeah, and then this and now we're talking about the World Baseball Classic, which is a big deal because it was going to happen maybe three, four or five years ago. It did right before COVID, and so you know, the difference now, I think from then is that it's a lot bigger from a qualifier standpoint than it has been in the past, just because the overall Classic has gotten so huge. You know, people ask what it is. It's

Yeah, I mean, you look at the final in twenty three Japan versus United States, of America drew ninety nine and a half million people from a viewership standpoint. That's that's a substantial growth from where it started.

Right, yeah, no, no question, and it's going to be coming here as a qualifier, correct, correct. Yeah.

So we'll have Columbia, Germany, China. And why am I blanking now? Because yours? Because it's gracious. Like, let me tell you. When you get into the studio. Jay and I were in the studio, we blanked every time kwan, Yeah, can you attest? And we go on staring directly in my eyes like it's my soul.

I'm not forgetting everything. I'm saying that one team, so it's called getting old, you know, like blak, you know, come on, I can't pay at Miami. That's not right.

Yeah, so I'll say it again. Germany, Brazil, Columbia and China will be the four teams participating for how many days? I will be March second, March third, March fourth, and March sixth, so you'll have seven total games.

Yeah. In fact, you know, you just submitted some some advertising with us that will start here in the next day or two. So anybody's interested, we'll talk more about it now. You can listen to it obviously on the show every every two hours or whatever it is. So chances to get tickets, Yeah, you want to.

You want to go to ww dot www dot World Baseball Classic dot com, or you can go to our website which is SASTFA s A s t f A dot com and I'll share the link if needed as well.

Okay, and we'll talk more about this as we go along. You'll be on the show every now and again. I'll leading up to it to promote the event. It should be fun. I look forward to it. Early March, all of a sudden, we gets winter. Right, here's winter. I know it's crazy. It's gonna be cold the next few days, like fifty eight here in the next couple of days. The next couple of days, well we were one hundred and two. Yeah, I never welcome to Christmas. Yeah, it's

Uh.

NFL season's over. Uh finally, your boy, your boy caught me. I had a horrible weekend. Really, he's a half a game behind me. So we'll see what got interest with with one week left? Uh, Jay, we have a competition, so uh the NFL is going on. I think no surprises. Did you think yesterday was just one of those days where they didn't care, teams didn't care. Go ahead.

No, I was just gonna say, I think the biggest overall surprise to me for the season of Cincinnati not making the playoffs.

Yeah, right, and then they fired their defensive court. Ye are you a Cincinnati guy? No, I'm from here. I went to Flying Wells. Oh really, I've lived all over Okay because your name your name is, I didn't recognize a name.

Yeah, I've been really quiet about what I've done in the past. Let's not bring it up. Should not be here.

You and Jeff Hill and those guys would come and go and and return home right and turned the health Oh yeah, anything for you. Yesterday's Minnesota Detroit game, Holy crap.

Yeah that was that was a interesting game. I thought Minnesota was gonna put up a better.

Fight, but they did. They just couldn't score, which makes no sense. They owned that game in the first half and then even down. Yeah, I think that's credit to the Lions.

You know, they took advantage of the home field, the home crowd, and they wanted that the home field advantage for going into the playoffs, and both deserved.

I think my.

Biggest surprise from this weekend was the Patriots firing their head coach. Yeah when you're in Yeah, the rookie head coat. It is not like you brought some went in that had experience in the past. This was his first year as an NFL head coach and now it's done well.

The one thing that I'll tell you, I'll tell you a lot of things in this business. It's a business, yep. And you're as good as your last haircut. That's why I don't get haircuts. Right. Do you know how this businesses?

And you probably I've been through it in professional baseball. I understand it completely.

Yeah, right. Everybody everybody has expiration dated some yeah. Yeah, and you have to kind of reinvent yourself a lot of different ways. Yeah. Yeah. What about anything else, We'll get to the basketball. On the football. We're gonna have Bruce Pasco here in the first maybe in the next ten twelve minutes. I talked about you a basketball. The surprise win in my mind that they won that game, and then tomorrow. They played West Virginia, right, and I'm sure you follow them. I do.

Yeah, we go to every game, so I met, but we pretty much plan our whole life around you at basketball, and so you are too, So I am, and I'm a diehard. You've a basketball really since since when I think when I was eight. Oh, we started. I started going to games with my best friend. He had he had season tickets and so we woul get dropped.

So like nineteen eighty seven ish.

Yes, eighty eight, eighty nine, the first what was the first Fiesta Bowl that we had down here? Oh, it's been eyes. I can remember that with going with my dad when I was really small. Yeah, he's probably six or seven. Okay, so you're yeah, that's right, that's right.

Okay. So I started covering the team in ninety one. I got here in eighty seven. And you have my book. I don't, Yeah, shame on you, But do you have one that you can sign for me? One go back? I'm like mister Haney green Acres, I don't know. I have all my stuff and you know, hey, you want to watch Yeah, you got it like pizza. I won't say Pee Diddy, but I have you know, yea, I might try. I don't want to say no. In my truck, I have a bunch of stuff.

I lived out of my truck for about twelve years, so I know exactly what you're saying.

Yeah, yes, so I do have a book. Yeah, it was reserved from somebody else, but I can get them one later. I love that. Yeah, so human who any favorite player along those lines?

I mean right now, I mean I don't want but Vsar and Brian are really I think for me, the flow of the offense has turned completely with them on the floor, right you.

Know, everyone's everyone's saying that, and it's clear, So give me the lineup.

I think you stick with it even though. Who's your starting five? Though?

The ones that we have right now, they have right now, the one that Tommy always puts.

Out there, and then get those guys in. Yes, I think it's working.

And why would you screw something that's working right now?

So you wouldn't move them to the starting whatnot? Okay, I think you would. I don't know.

That's that's that's a tough question, right because I think I think it's depending on what you're doing right now, and I think the flow of the game has to dictate what's going to happen.

But I would probably move Visa definitely to the starting. So give me a five because I think that people who are just assuming, uh, you got Jayden, Yeah, you got Caleb, you have kJ, Bryant and Visa, right.

I think that's probably your your best five to start, start and finish.

I still think you start del Warso Yeah. I think kJ off the bench is a perfect spot for him right now. I think he's enjoyed it. I think he's been playing better in my opinion. He's obviously helping the team a lot more. YEA, what does still or so give you, hopefully six to nine points a game?

Hasn't. But he hasn't. That's the thing, and you'd expect that, but he hasn't.

I think a lot of people think he's a threat and that kind of draws a little bit of attention to him.

To free up for Caleb love for too, free up for Jayden Bradley Man, are you reading a lot into that? Yeah, you're hopeful about that, But he just hasn't been the guy you'd think that he would have been.

I mean, it's not thought that he showed at there are early stages of the season. You know, he had a couple of good showings in the Bahamas, but since then, you haven't really seen the sharp shooting that you'd hope for.

Yeah, no, no, no, And that's the lack of this talent this team. You have no outside shooting that's consistent.

Yeah, you need to be able to expand the perimeter, and I think that's what you're looking at. The last game right in Cincinnati. It's a road test in the Big twelve, your first road test against the top twenty five team. They go into Cincinnati and realistically without Bryant expanding that perimeter, but he had fifteen points. Yeah, and it's big threes, right, and then the expansion. If he

Yeah, no question. And you're not going to get that game from him all the time. But they needed that game from him then, right.

Yeah, And you might not get it from him, but maybe kJ gets that game the next time. You know, we've been reliant on one or two guys for so long. It's nice when you have some different options. And it's to Tommy's credit, this is the deepest team he's had since he's been at the u of A. So finding that lineup.

Sure, sure, that's what do you say that because it may be the deepest that I haven't really thought about that. Yes, but it's probably not the best one avall of them.

Yeah, I mean you can go all the way. I mean, Conrad could steal five to six minutes a game on most teams easily, you know.

Yeah, Yeah, he didn't get anything right because you already know who Tommy trusts in situations, and he'll go eight if he doesn't trust anybody else. And that's what he did. I think tomorrow it'll be another eight.

I mean, why would you change your game plan after West Virginia, I mean, after Cincinnati to go in West Virginia, you know, I mean that's you're gonna go back and look at film. You're gonna figure out what's worked and what hasn't worked. I mean, we question what's happening in that game, in game decisions and really set aside. But once you have a chance to really digest it and go back. I think it's probably going to be that

A little bit.

I didn't think Cincinnati had been that good they lost to previously. Yeah, and so I thought we had a chance. I thought it was going to if we were to if they were to win, it was going to be something of a they're playing a bad game. We're playing the bad game, but we just played a little bit better that day. They looks good.

Yeah, he's learning not to be a over.

I was a little surprised just because Cincinnati just lost to Kansas State, So you figure at home they were going to come out and that's a that's a tough house to play in on it, it.

Wasn't till it wasn't well. I don't know if you could detect that from the TV, because they seemed subdued until they went mid that rally. I mean we kind of gave it to him pretty early too. Yeah, and we all know that the league is going to be crazy every spot.

Yeah, you don't get it. I mean, it's not like you get a softball.

In there at all, you know. Uh So, so we'll see what happens tomorrow. It'll be different. Well, they played, they played well enough to win. They were fantastic in the first half. That easy, the first the best half of that this year. Absolutely. Yeah. And then and then here's the problem. You've seen this collapse before. It cost him a loss U c l A. Yeah.

We were at that game, you know, and that was probably one of the most depressed times in my life sitting there just because you're lost to UCLA, just because you're watching the flow of the game and you're actually seeing us change and evolve and getting mature, and you're like, we are that team. And then the last part of the game, you're like, we didn't score and the last we scored two points in the last seven minutes.

Yeah, no, you're you use the phrase that I like hearing, because it's true. The flow of the game. This team is a non flow of the game. For Timmy Lloyd. They go in spurts, right, and then they then they stagnant. It's stilted and very what the hell's going on? But in that stretch of ten minutes of UCLA just oh, I know this team. I've seen this team for a long time. Yeah, and then they stopped again. Yeah, that's it.

No, and you reminded it reminded me of the Remember the Xavier game in sweet sixteen when we we had a terrible last eight minutes, right, yes, and I don't think Marketing got a shot off the whole time, and you're going, what it reminded me of that kind of flow where it's like that's a good point.

Yeah, that's a good point. But you know who the best defender of Marketing in that game was, Oh Ture?

Oh yeah, yeah, well I think well, I mean that goes with you say, didn't give them the ball, didn't give him the ball in the final.

That was a miserable game because they had every chance to get to the lead eight. Yeah.

We've had so many of those opportunities. So it's what I like to see. And I'll say this and we obviously it's just my two cents but it looks like the he just turned a little bit, hitting tough shots in tough situations. Like I think early in the season we probably would have folded in that situation when they come back and tie the game, but it looked like we we I mean, Bradley finding a way to just drive to the hoop and get a ball, you know,

And Caleb was not Caleb great first half? Right, So yeah, No, Jayden's so critical just because he gifts down hill very well. He's an aggressive guy, and that's how this team needs to play very aggressively in order for them to look how we've used to see him is very aggressive, going after, going after, and Jayden kind of sets that tone.

Do you guys, I'm gonna ask you both this because you're I mean, you're obviously much more involved into it. But without Mo on the floor, right, do you think that they built an offensive planned around Mo going into the season, and with the injury happening, they had to redevelop what their thought process was.

That's a good question. I don't know, and I don't think so. That's a good question to Tommy though, now that he's out, I think it's not that it's a good thing that he's out, but it helps the offensive flow, to use your word, and that's what Tommy is about. It's that flow to creep us is not is not that flow? You know what I'm saying. He's just a slower, prodding type of guy. Good question. I don't know to it, but I think they look fine without him.

Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm a little surprised of how well put together vsar is. I think that last year maybe red shirting and actually developing was hugely successful for.

I asked him that question six weeks ago. I think it was Was it a benefit? Was a in hindsight? Was it a benefit that you were red shirted? Not the circumstances of it, but but that he was red Schert started out, got to see you got to get bigger. He got bigger, right, uh, and smarter probably, he says. At the time, I didn't think that, but but here we are, and you know he's playing like you. He's going to be a heck of a player. Player. We gotta go. We're gonna talk to to Bruce on the

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Breaking down all the X is a ohs. This is High on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to Why the Ball Here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Bavera. In with me today is Blake Eager and now on the phone we have Bruce Pasco out in the cold country. How you doing, Bruce?

Pretty good? How's going?

Did you already hit the slopes? Do they have slopes over there?

The gentle ones? Yeah, you know, it's not like Colorado or Utah, but they do. Usually they make a lot of snow. But the other nations taking care of there right now.

I guess no. Cool? Cool, So now you gotta work. What are you doing? This is when we were on the road, it was a rare three day We never had like three days. Yeah, you have three days?

Yeah, I mean the Pac twelve started splitting up some of those they do like a Thursday Sunday, and you know, depending on where the locations where teams would either stay out or come back.

But obviously this.

Far away Arizona didn't really have much of a choice. So they're they're just here. And they actually the timing and worked out well from them because they were able to leave Cincinnati literally like an hour before the snowstorm hit, and they flew to West Virginia, where a lot of flights are still since then cancelled, and got in, got to their hotel, and I just started coming down and I guess, you know, they've gotten back and forth to their you know practices. Okay, they did do a good

You never know right right, no question, So let me ask you like I asked Blake here and uh and one did you were you surprised or or not surprised that they won Saturday?

No?

I thought that could go either way.

I mean, you know, Cincinnati I looked at since time. I mean, they're they're really good defensively, but you know, not a great shooting team, and they were balanced but not super deep, and so I just thought, you know, if they you know, it's kind of simplistic to say, but I mean if they just came out and played hard and.

Were motivated, I thought they could do it. And that's kind of what they did. I mean, you know, I think the biggest thing is they just showed that, you know, kind of resiliencies and a little bit of toughness, which they hadn't had all season. I mean, you know that, you know, losing in overtime to West Virginia, you know, you know, kind of not even really being all that competitive against Wisconsin and then UKLA giving away thirteen point lead.

Ay, Bruce, this is Blake. It's great talking to you man. Yeah, it's an honor. So so question on my standpoint, like, were you surprised how well we played against Cincinnati's bigs? I mean the links that they had. I think that's where the surprising part for me came, where the links that they had compared to us, it didn't didn't seem to give us as much trouble as I was expecting.

Yeah, no, that's a good that's a good point. I think, you know, I think Toby Walker had a tough game, and you know, Trey Townsend was you know, not really he missed you know, a couple of you know, makeable shots there inside and so this guy struggled actually a

Asking the question you asked me about the previous thing.

Yeah, do you think that, you know, as we start to see this team evolve and like you said before, that they're buying into their roles and I think you're starting to see some some people rise the top that you maybe weren't sure of. But with Bryan's you know, mature evolved, you know, evolving maturity and Visar stepping up the way. Did do you think that this team, the offensive flow was kind of based around Mo to start the season.

Well, yeah, I think I think. I mean, I think I think kind of basically they wanted that kind of inside out thing and kind of have that that two way feel like they have with Caleb Glove and Newmar Ballow, you know, and then back with you know, and Tabella's was there. I think I think kind of that was the goal. But you know, then it became this perimeter team without him and Love they would go as they as Love took him, you know, for the first twelve

So, so about two months ago, I'll give you a date, maybe November seventh, November tenth, around there. He made a comment to one of the coaches that I really like this team the way it was constructed. It looked like it had the right pieces and everybody had its situation, its roles. This is November, right, And I'm thinking, and then then they go up against some pretty good teams and then it's it's flawed, and I think it's flawed. Oh wow, And I still think it's flawed, but I

Think that would be the change, right, that would I mean, I think if you're going long term, you're trying to get your best five on the court.

Yeah, what would you what would you do?

Yeah?

What would you do with that story line up?

Yeah?

No, I agree, it's it's a really kind of a weird developing situation where the best players are the best combinations probably aren't the starters and so yeah, but they're getting good production with the guys coming off the bench as they are. Yeah. Yeah, And this is like a first for you know, Boyd's first three teams, it was clear cut who was who was doing what. I think

Different, Chris, you think you know, And I'm trying to figure out how to ask this in my head, but do you think it's more difficult coming from a men major school to a Big twelve school or coming from being in a high school McDonald's All American going to a Big twelve school.

Well yeah, well that I mean, adjustment wise, probably easier for the mid majors because they usually play a lot of high majors like Tray Townsend played really well in the tournament. Yeah, y too, you know, yeah, yeah, he was really I mean, everybody forget his name, but the guy who had the threes or whatever, Zach and they it was a lot of buzz about him. But Townsen played really well. But he's you know, he's he struggled a little bit against some of the high majors this year.

To rise up.

It's just you know, so you have a steeper learning curve, yes, but you're better your your floors, your ceiling, it is high.

Excuse me.

And that's what I think we're seeing with Brian is, you know, all in a span of thirteen games, I mean he's come you know, adjusted to different positions on the off the bench starting three four, you know, and boom, and now he's really looking, you know, starting to look like the guy that I think we all expect him.

He's got a little swagger out there. And that's why I like saying that's what he needed, That's what he needed. He's a high character individual young man, and you see him on the floor and I was telling I think I was telling my wife last week that it's he's a little jay now that he's got some confidence, and I like that.

Yeah, it took him.

Yeah, yeah, you know, I mean, if anything, I think that's true with with a bunch of these guys that they almost sometimes are too nice and you know they're they're generally I think this team actually is pretty high character guys and all the way up and down and you know, and you know they're not, but most of

Think last week or two weeks ago I speak to someone about that. I don't remember an all American and McDonald's all American for that matter being not was it with you one that that they're not cocky or they're not have a chip on their shoulders? Yeah, you know what I'm saying. And we've we've covered a lot of them, Bruce, right, you know they have had thirty Yeah, and I can't remember one thinking Oh, he's kind of shy or he's kind of reserved. I mean, they don't do that.

Yeah, there, I mean they've got the same personality traits similar I mean, that's what gets you there as part of the Yeah.

I mean, I right, I agree with you. I think the only guy I could maybe think of like that would be Chase Bettinger and kind of good, also a southern California maybe a little beach in him, you know very much, and come out in his volleyball career. And Carter Brian you know he's from Riverside and that you know, you know there's some tough guys that come out of there and and all that. But you know, you played,

The mean streets of Newport Beach. Wow, okay, you know, just like from your area, Bruce, the mean streets of Sam hughes.

Man.

You know.

Yeah, I don't know so that he's getting there. I mean maybe in that sense, you know, the big twelve plane in this you know, competition and against guys from you know, all kinds of all over the country and playing all playing games all over the country. You know, maybe it's taken him out of that comfort. And in fact I heard today I don't know if it's true because I couldn't talk to him, but I heard today is the first time he's actually seen snow, like snowfall.

Right right. One quick question got about a minute. Uh, they win tomorrow, what are you sends tomorrow?

Wow? You know, you know, the thing I'm getting it is that both these teams are americanly different than they were just what five six weeks ago when they met in the Bahamon. And you know, West Virginia doesn't have Tecker de Gradge. He's been at He's the guy who hit eight of twelve three who's just insane in that game, and they kept breaking him free of these little screens at the top of the key, and they, you know,

Really, I know you didn't, you didn't answer my.

Questionry, but but I definitely think Arizona could win an In fact, I'm looking at KEMPOM right here. They KEMPOM has West Virginia winning by one, and that's yeah. I mean, I think it could be one position game either way.

No wonder if Timmy only gets frustrated with you, you don't answer questions. You didn't answer mine.

Some sometimes sometimes he doesn't either.

You're right, we're not supposed to sit next to each other next time. So that's okay, Hey, take care.

Of Oh yeah, I know, well, no, I know, but it's all you know, he likes to joke around.

I know, I know.

That's kind of universe freshing and sometimes it can actually be interesting. You learned something through you know what what people are joking about. You learn how they are and sometimes but they're sometimes what they're really thinking and what's important all that.

Okay, Well, enjoy West Virginia, stay warm, and we'll see you next weekend. For this week, thanks right, Thanks Bruce. We'll do as Bruce Pascal from The Daily Star, we got to go. We're a little over. We'll talk more about the hoops team here on the other side. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now. Take a look back at the Ludelson era in my new book, Lessons from Loot.

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Streamy live on the iHeartRadio app. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rovera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to join of the ball here on Fox Sports team fifty on Steve Rivera. In with me today is Blake Eager from the Southern Arizona Sports Tourism and Film Authority SASTFA. SASTFA. You can get tickets there to go see the WBC in early March, two months away, right already?

Yeah, yeah, don't Yeah, We're ready to go. Let's get everybody out there.

Anything anybody want to call, please do five two zero four one six seventy four forty talk about the basketball team right now. We'll talk more about football here on the other side with the Matt Modeno about four to seventeen. Just to get an update on who's coming, who's going on, all that stuff. You know what's going on right hold on so you'll get involved with that. I wanted to ask anybody want to talk about basketball? Anything else about basketball? You think no.

I's just gonna tell Bruce. I mean, I've spent a little time in West Virginia. Whether that's fortunate or unfortunate, depending on how you view you West Virginia, but I literally had the best I say this all the time, I had the best apple cobbler of my life. Like I never thought I was a cobbler guy Charleston. So we were playing against West Virginia Power, which I think that was a ball team for the Brewers of the time, and I think they had Ryan Brown on it. But yeah,

Yeah, I'm not going now. I'm not crazy. My son played soccer out there in West Virginia. It was really cold. I'll hill you know.

It's a different kind of cold too, Like we talked about cold that that Midwest you know area.

Cold goes right through your bath, Yes, it blows. Yeah, how very much layer you have? You don't? It doesn't matter right right right, So let's talk real quick baseball.

So you I didn't realize you. You must have been a pretty good player. I was decent. Yeah, what position? I was a starting pitcher? The old picture Yeah.

Okay, okay, figured for maybe your build, maybe a short stop, third basement.

It's definitely not a short stop build. It's maybe more of like an eighties catcher build now.

Uh yeah, but you know, twenty five years ago, probably a lot thinner, you know, taller. Uh no, Okay. As in fact, somebody sent me a note someone you probably know, what was your experience coaching, Uh, Robbie Mohen. Yeah.

So Robbie and I had the you know, we It's kind of crazy because Robbie didn't really know of me before because he's an older.

Guy and he and he was he's a Flooring Wells kid, like we grew up almost neighborhoods, right. Yeah.

So he went to Walter Douglass. I went to Homer Davis. I'm across the street from Floring Wells. He was down the street. So it's like, you know, we're a tight knit community. Like I tell people like that Flowing Wells group is like we take care of our own. So it was crazy. I didn't get to meet him until we stepped when we were in Moscow coaching the Russian

All the time. Yeah, yeah, No, he was a stood duck. He met his wife over there too. Oh really Russian? Yeah, Russian woman? Oh okay, okay, And you were a coach. Yeah, we were coaching the Russian national team. Okay, how did that tribe? How did that happen?

Yeah?

I was coaching like I had international experience because I coached the Swedish national team and their junior national team, and I have to have some No, I might have no Russian. I have a zero Russian play. Coach Dick called me one day and he's like, hey, do you want to coach the Russian national team? And I said, let me check with my family and make sure it's okay, and they said, yeah, let's let's do it.

Sold. This is sixteen twenty, sixteen thirties. Yeah, yeah, but it was a great experience. Did I bet I didn't realize you were like this nationally internationally. Guy, listen, I'm just a kid from Flooring Wells. Well yeah, sure, but you know cool. Good for you. So so you played ballot in Florid Walls, you played balet.

No, I went to Eastern Arizona. I didn't have any scholarships come out of high school. I was fortunate enough to have, like I don't know if you spend a lot of time in Flord Wells or am file and give you a little story since we've got probably some time to kill, right, So I I had no scholarships.

I was.

I was fortunate enough to or offers at that point. I'm six three, Okay, yeah, so I but I mean we I'm not going to say what I was going to say there, but we'll move on from there. So I was fortunate enough to take some pitching lessons at that time from Brent Strom, which where we talked now, especially at your sold is really close with him, and we're very fortunate to have him in two hund right now.

And he had taught to the juve.

And then I had a friend of my dad's had had played the U but he had reached out to coach back now at Eastern. So coach back now, it's a summer at that point, still no offers nineteen. This is two thousand, two thousand, going in two thousand and two thousand and one, I had no offers. So coach back Noew comes out to watch us play Amphi. So I don't know if you know Amphi and Flowing Wall's Amphi High School and Flow Wells High School probably don't

Because let mean, guess you have two options, go help your teammates or stay out of it. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, so I hope you stayed out of it. I did that. Yeah. It was a long let's just say it was a long summer. But at that point I stayed out of it.

Yeah.

Did you get grief for the teammates that you were No?

No, no, no, no, no, Yeah, they understood the situation that I was in. I think I was only I was the only place person to go on to play college. Hey that group, Hey one, I have a due here. You want to smoke it? Yeah, but there's there's you know, acts or tomorrow. You know what I'm saying, Either you say yes or you say no.

Yeah.

Well one's a smart one though, I mean yeah what I'm saying, Yeah, yeah, one could probably do that. You could probably, But what's the thirty two on the acts with your eyes closed?

Right now? Yeah?

Simple this guy goes to one of the best high schools in the country, So that's cool.

So then so then you get that situation or opportunity, right, Yeah, I went to Eastern Yeah.

And then I remember like our winter meetings after the fall, which I thought I had a pretty good fall. I remember Coach Backnell pulling me in the office and kind of saying like, I don't know if you're going to make the team. You might be a red shirt. We don't really know where it's going to go. And I was kind of surprised at that conversation. And then so we go into spring and final roster, doing final cuts, and I remember we had a left hander that was

Oh wow. And I was in my mind, how do you not Honestly, I don't know. I'll call that a jetfish moment. Yeah, how did you not see that? You don't see what you don't see? Right?

So, I mean, I don't know, but I was fortunate enough. So then I went on. I played summer. I played summer ball in the Northwoods League, and the coach from Coaches College, Todd Engelhart, was like these coaches around and I said, that's why I'm Southern Arizona kid, because all these people like help me out got me to in NORTHWOODSLEAG, which is the second best college baseball league. Summer league had an absolute blast. I was telling you earlier we went on one time, we went on like a fourteen

It was so great.

And then I got drafted by the new or comerats, you know, and how what happened from that? Then I played with them, I got you know, and then I ended up having labor and surgery six years in and I chose to go.

Have you talked have you listened to us when we had Andy Lopez? Yeah, of course I know Andrew He's yeah, I know Andy very Those stories that he tells was fantastic. So you he talks about and he talks about the people involved. I think he's had some like take a fork in the road, right, Yeah, you're thankful, You're you're thankful for one dude, two dudes probably, well, one dude that I just the stories. The dude who got arrested, Yeah, well.

Too dudes, right, my Jeff Stanley, my dad's one of my dad's close friends, because he got me if it wasn't from him. I remember getting inducted to the Hall of Fame at Flord Walls and I didn't think my high school coach, and I probably should have. That was really I do regret that, but I mean, this guy is the one that gave me. Who was the dude that got arrested? You don't have to biz, I don't, Yeah, I don't. He was just a left hander. He was

Oh okay, okay, serendipity.

Yeah, I mean, listen, I'm fortunate enough that in the right place, right time, I guess.

Right, right. So how long did you stay in the system? Yeah it was six years? Really? So what you you kind of you're living? You lived my dream of getting to play, you know, and come on, you you're a pretty good player. Blah blah blah. You got the circumstances, but it doesn't happen by accident either, although maybe he kind of did. Six years, there's no accident. Yeah, and I I mean, you know, I was fortunate. Let's just say, what was your record eventually, like overall pitching record.

I don't look at stats. I don't want I mean you can look that up. Don't look at seven. That was my that was my that was my I got hurt O seven.

Eight. I remember what you said about the haircuts. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we don't want to look at the fast six years of either faking it well or they liked they saw something in you.

So how far did you go? I had to double a yeah, and then I mean that's when I tore my labor. But I got to go to Hawaii and play winter ball. And I mean it's funny my winter ball team. I think every single guy that played in that league went to the big leagues in the next two years. So you and you probably know some of them. Oh yeah, I mean the guys I played with Dreubuterra. I mean you you know him, dextra Fowler. I mean you've got huge names.

Did you at the time? At the time, you think what am I doing here? And how cool is this?

Yeah?

And we got two days off a week. Oh no, I was like lived the lights. It was the greatest like that, that was the greatest thing ever.

Goopy's chasing you. I don't know about that, Drew. I'm writing this story. I've seen it. I've covered by the league. Basically, you have to refresh my memory. I don't know what group you. Sorry, I saw bulld Uh. There's some truth to that. I wouldn't know, but I've heard, of course there is. Okay, we've got time, We're really go. Yeah, let's let's go. We'll get some breaking news from you, right, and then we're gonna talk to men with anyone on the other side.