Thursday, April 3, Hour 1

Are you a while?

This is Tucson Sports Stay yet, Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight, breaking down all the axes and ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports fourteen fifty eight.

Welcome back to Alaball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera, you're Dave Silver. We have Kobe at the controls here, hoping you guys can hear us if you'd like to give us a quick call five to two ozero for.

Of that's really that's okay. I think we're okay.

You can hear the ads five two zero four one six seventy four forty. I'd like to hear from you. See what's going on when your thoughts on the transfer portal? Uh continue? Are you on Facebook at all? Do you follow like the women's The women's situation is worse than the men's. Yeah, and just you know, everyone's wondering what the heck's going on. I guess we won't know for a while, if at all.

No, I mean we'll players start coming here.

Women's hoops, I mean they've lost pretty much most of the roster, I guess at this point, and there's some question about who would be coaching them, I suppose as well.

Yeah, yeah, well though sometime soon and now do you still trying to get some players to come here?

So yeah, I mean she's basically lost seven players and no no one's been added. So yeah, you know everyone from you know, Cunningham, Skyler, Jones, Canavets, I can never pronounce her name, Kennazevich, Ross Swan, Jada Williams, and ay Yoakum all lost, all left, I should say so, And no one has signed, so the roster has not been replenished by any means, and who knows what's going to happen.

Yeah, okay, I think I think if you can hear us, I'm glad you can. I think it's online or in the radio. I think you can, but you can hear us. Kobe, You're good.

Yeah, we're all good.

Okay, So again, then we want to call please do five two zero four, one sixty. We'd like to hear from you. See what happens with the men's team. I'm sure that Tommy is out there chasing some players or two, and there's some pretty good ones out there, and Arizona still a quality team to come and play for him.

I would think so, and you know, we I think we have to kind of give him benefit of the doubt, knowing how he's gone to Europe and brought back players every year. You know, let's assume that's going to happen again. And none of us know who those players really are. We're not we're not really in the loop on those type.

Of and they're waiting for the word on Burisa. Oh, it's right, the recruit from there. I thought he was going to announce something on Tuesday. Tuesday, Nathan McDonald's game.

Didn't do anything.

You didn't do anything, because we would have heard by now. Of course, I haven't really written anything or I haven't posted anything. I don't have He is probably Horse Rivera with his stuff. But I've been wanting to write a column about all this.

But what can you say? I mean, what can you.

Say about this mess? You know that I'm glad I'm not Tommy, that you don't have to deal with this, because because it's the thing about it, he's not alone, He's not alone. No, no, And if you're not a final if you're not a Final four team, you have to deal with this. If you're a final team, you don't have to deal with this yet.

No, I mean just about every program in the country is reshuffled right now. And I mean basketball season not even over yet until Monday. Yeah, I mean teams are you know, already scrambling and looking to get players and people making decisions already.

Yeah. About what about school? Is that a factor at all? We talk about that all the time.

I think COVID kind of screwed everything up where now it's online.

Rarely do they go to class.

They can do a lot of the classes online or or you know, self pace or whatever. How many classes do you have?

I have two online and three in person in person? And how easy know the ones that are online? The online ones are easier.

Yeah, yeah, and that's you welcome those, yeah, because but don't you miss the interaction?

Yeah? I do in person because it feels more like a college life. But if you want easier classes online, definitely the way to go. Sounds like me, where was this forty years ago?

You got to go to class, had to go to class, had to sign up, and they had to take role your head?

Yeah, are you here? Take your name off? What's that answer of silver? Yeah? I don't know, I don't know. I didn't read the chapter. Ya yay, Yeah, college right right, Well, it's it's all the experience you put into it, right.

You know, And and I did. I don't know about you, but I once I got into my journalism classes, it was it was fun because that's what I wanted to do.

But yeah, college is it's great for most people, the best time of your life. Yep.

Until well who's uh oh, yesterday Ray was talking about that. How you know, he was in the army and he was he's a little older, he's twenty three, you know, a young kid too. He says, you know what, the real world is easier than the college world. And I'm thinking, what are you talking about? And he said, because you have a lot of things when you're in college. You have to worry about classes, and if you don't have

And I said, wait, do you get to the real world.

That's when the pressure begins. You have to be good at what you're doing and have a high quality of work.

And if you have a family, exactly, there's that to worry.

Have you seen that that comedian I think it was he's a juggler and he's juggling one thing.

You only have one thing to do.

Then you got school, and then you got kids, you got a house, and you're juggling five try to keep them all in the air at the same time.

It's true. Life sucks. That's the way it is.

Yeah, enjoy college while you're in it because because reality comes and next thing you know, you're you know, like Rebecca, she's raising the kids and she's coaching and she knows a lot a lot going on there.

Right. Well, good for that program because it deserves that success. It's been fantastic over the years. Hit all lull here for a little while, and now they're back.

Yeah.

I mean when I was working, we would we would try it out there, especially during playoff time.

They were always in the playoffs. They were always successful.

But you got a bunch of a bunch of Tucson girls were on the team, you know, so we all sort of knew some of them, and you know, we all we you know, it was it was a good local story.

Well you pull on a name with Stacey because she was fantastic. The right, she was the bank Candrea of Pila.

She it was interesting how her career worked.

I know you've probably had her on the show a few times, just her talking about you know, she was with Mike, she was on her own. She went to Yava Pie for a while when I think they won national championships at both Pima and Yava Pie with her and comes back to the U of A. And I think she just wrapped things up a couple of years ago too. But yeah, and so many women and girls, you know, had a chance to play for her and for Rebecca and for her dad. Yeah, so you know,

And she's relatively young to be doing this right and find a nice career. She doesn't have to leave anywhere, especially when you're successful.

Yeah, and it was always a good little story with the with the you know, the dad and the daughter kind of coaching together.

So yeah, you know, he was he was great. It's just you've never met a story. I've never met him it must have been a very good coach back in the day.

Yeah, I mean, you know that little flowing Wells period. You know, early two thousands, there were a couple of state championships that came out of that program.

So, okay, anybody else again, if you want to call five to zero, four one, six, seventy four, forty, I'd like to hear from you. In the second hour, we're gonna have some breaking news from Kobe, and then we're gonna have it Orosburg here at about four seventeen, talking about what's going on in the major leagues, and maybe talk a little about Arizona because I know he's a big fan. He's always sending me questions, what am on ye are they gonna win tonight?

What do you think that is?

That?

Is that into it? What do you think about the transfers? And he says, I don't know right now, it's too fluid.

I hate to say it.

I just haven't had a chance to concentrate on you of a baseball yet. I see some of the highlights in some of the games. I guess I'm not a good, good super FANCI just yet. But you know, we're getting into the nitty gritty of their season and their conference games are playing teams none of us, none of us really new much about it.

Well, they got beat yesterday, two days yesterday, and two days ago by Grand Canyon. They they don't want to play Grand Canyon anymore because they's four in a row. Really that they've lost to him. Yeah, yeah, they have trouble with that school. They're pretty good.

Yeah. Well didn't they knock them out in the playoffs last week?

So yeah, they were. I know they've been here for the playoffs at least a couple of times. Yeah, but that's a good babe. Cobe can look that up for his breaking news. Grand Canyon Baseball baseball. You a baseball because they're good. Obviously, there's certain teams that just have your number. Yeah, but it's good. The games are you know, they're available there. You can find them on if you have ESPN. Plus a lot of the games are on TV, so you can down and see them.

I haven't paid attention. I kind of forget.

I don't know about yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know about other people. But it's like, oh yeah, they are on television.

ESPN plus, I haven't watched any of it. I should go out there. I do want to go watch PEMO men's baseball because Ken Ken how comey yesterday was talking about the roster and a couple of the players on his team. He had the Japanese picture that he has. He's the closer. I will dare say his name because I'll butcher it. But he's on the Japanese World Series, Little League World Series champion. He was a pitcher, and he's seen he said, he's never seen a picture with the spin rate.

That he's that he has.

Wow, which is saying a lot, right, especially in today's age when people pay attention to stuff like that.

It's good. I mean uve A, I mean not to go back to the u A.

But twenty and eight so far and they're playing great at home, fifteen and two at home, so they're doing doing well. But they have lost their last game and it was Greg n eleven paying No, they're not playing a ISSU issue coming up? Yeah, ASU, right, So the weekend series there and then they're back home for New Mexico State.

You're yeah, I don't claim to be naggy, but hey, do you ever go to the issue baseball here and there?

Gosh, A long time ago, not not since they've been in the Phoenix Muni Stadium all of the games at old Packard State.

Well, tell me because back in the day when I was in school in first year, they told me that it used to be crazy.

It was.

I can't say I was there very many times, but you know, it's right, very similar to Sanset Field or Sansett Stadium was right on campus. So it was right there, you know, kind of the same similar complex where you had you know, baseball and softball and track everything right swimming all together next to next to the arena and football stadium. So it was a good little area and it's gone. I saw a picture recently. I think it's

It's it's it's a city. It's huge. It's huge. Yeah, it's sprawling, full of scoture.

I was going to go there as a freshman out of high school and I went to register and all that, I'm thinking, holy crap, and that's back then now it's like, holy crap.

Yeah huge.

Now it's a big place, big place, and you know, a lot going on around a campus too. That's what I liked about Timpe was just there's so much to do, restaurants and stuff like that. It's a destination right place you can just you don't even have to go to the campus. There's places to eat, places to just you know, hang out in Tenpedes.

Fun.

Right, we went early, Right, we went early, So that's our last commercial break before the hour, so we have plenty of temper.

But I just want to reminisce about Yeah, no, god, we could. That's and that's what this shows about.

You were back in the day. There's a great old time. And when Luke let me ask you this, when lut when Luke first got here and he came here and talked about, you know, buy your tickets now, YadA YadA, and he had this you know lines, you know, yeah.

What'd you think? What'd you think? Was he kind of you thought it's gonna take him a while? Yeah, you know what, It's funny.

Just today I was talking to somebody about that, about that moment. Our good friend, the late great Dave Sitton, I'm quite sure where he was working in eighty three, but he tipped off one of my friends about Luke going to be hired. Was you know, right around the final four whenever you remember the time, Oh, all that sort of happened.

I can tell you because.

Cedric went to Philly, I think it was Philly to go talk to him, and they happened to lose that game. Hanson missed the free throws and you know he pulled them aside, and yeah, all that story.

But so really so this guy he was telling me literally this this that's funny.

You've been breathing this up because this was earlier.

Today and he was saying, yeah, Dave sitting you know, told me that, you know, this great coach of Maya was coming out and he's going to take the job, and he's gonna, you know, he's gonna try to get everybody to buy season tickets. And this guy went and bought season tickets like way before, way before, and he.

Has them still. Really, he's eight rows behind the ben.

How old is he he's probably late sixties, maybe a little.

Secay, so he must have been he was about he had to have been, uh, but thirty thirty ish thirty is the time.

So he bought tickets just just like that.

That's funny.

I was not here yet for that announcement. I got here later that year in October. But you know, it was one of those things I was like, oh yeah, remember just the seasons about to begin, got to roll out.

That video of lout you know, warning everybody to bicycles is not Favier's. I think he's listening.

Javier would know this because he was back to the student, no a kid, you know, following all this stuff. I think it might have been in eighty three, right, So that's what forty two years ago, forty two years ago, almost to the day, I think April fifthish, April thirdish, because the thing that I had written in the books a number of times was that they flew him out, him and Bobby and he stayed at the Westward back then, and he went to go he went downstairs to go

If I've heard the version I heard was that maybe there was a convention of people.

Maybe maybe she.

Was part of that, but everybody from Iowa lives here, you know, they live here.

And then she saw him in the gift shop.

Was it just looting and Bobby on that the kids were here and they didn't come to take a look yet? No, because yeah, because that had to be a big deal to move the whole family out because they were all, you know, high school ish age.

I was, but that was the appeal because they were, you know, mostly from the West coast. And he kind of not that he wanted out of Iowa, but he had already been overwhelmed by the people that he couldn't go to dinner, he couldn't do anything because they overwhelmed.

Him or them.

Yeah, and luckily it came to and he turned into but he was he understood it here because it wasn't as bad.

It wasn't as bad it was. I've never been to where Iowa city. I was city, so I don't know the culture there. I'm sure it's just really you know, they would know Dave Silver if he was out in the streets because.

Small town get an autograph yet.

Whatever, there's the kicker that he said, I hate to bother you.

But yeah, and then you eventually bother you, right. He but he was a good sport. I never saw him. I mean he he got to the point obviously late in his life and late in his career where the U of A used him to go do those things.

You know, Hey, we're doing an event in you know, San Diego. Weren't you was any colleague of yours? Well, in a way, I mean we would you.

When I worked at the Foundation, the Foundation, you know, had an office for him, and they would set up dates for him to go, Hey, we're gonna go again. He would go to San Diego all because he was there. He was in Cornado, so they'd just bring him out to some party.

And he was great.

He loved doing the fans just loved it, even to the you know, his final years when he would just come to you know, something where he could just sign autographs and smile and that was he was an attraction.

And reminisce about the good old days, just like we're doing just.

Like, yeah, they're gonna be calling us someday. In fact, Steve, when did you write that book? Yeah?

In fact, I got a call today from someone I've been trying to get on. I've had him on before, one of your buddies. I think Bill rome who I wanted to have him on yesterday and I left him a message and I can't come on today. He's he's too busy and he's gonna come in next week. But you know, he was one of your time too. A lot of people showed up in the mid eighties. I saw Bill Romer not long ago.

Just golf course. No, no, he just he was just at some breakfast. I was okay, he was there.

So we haven't seen each other in ages, Oh really yet, but he you know, he was, he was right there. We were colleagues basically the beginning when I forstot he was on TV.

Yeah, he was on Channel thirteen. He's also on Channel eleven.

I think doing I think he was doing play by play for Arizona Baseball. I want to say the nineteen eighty championship year was Roamer doing play by play?

I'm not good. Yeah, I don't know.

He'd have to tell that whole story. I thought there was some affiliation though.

So maybe we'll get him on next week when you're back. We talk about the good old days, because he's had like you and I or me for sure now that the paper closed. All these different type of jobs, and he had a lot. He was the voice guy at the dog track, Hey, it comes.

The corner.

He was the.

Guy in the booth at the spring training for the Indians games. I'm not sure if he was still doing it with the Rockies came, but in those early years that I was here, it was you know, Bill Romer at the high covered field, in the High Court.

Well Toros too, obviously, I think, yeahs yeah, So a lot of the people listening, what are they talking about? Yeah, the good old days. But that's what listens to us. So people, the older people, good old, good old people. Thank you very much for being with us. Anybody want to call mess with this conversation, we'd appreciate it. Five to change the subject for us five two zero four one six seventy four forty uh yeah. Any rumors I think that kJ might might be looking at Georgetown.

Why why is that? Is there some relationship he's got with I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. It seems like a weird fit. Yeah, I mean, but but.

The money, if the money's there, yeah, or I'm sure there's money everywhere.

Yeah, you wonder how these money deals even and are rolled out to these guys like you know, heyky, we have X amount of dollars, you're gonna get this much.

I just don't know. You know, we got a call, Thank god, Hello, you're on the ear.

Who's this, hey, Steve? This is done?

Hi, Dave?

Who Hey? I wanted to tell a little bit of a season ticket story my dad, who got season tickets in that eighty five eighty six season when they first sold out. We had gone to a few games before. We were at the Washington game when dead Less Shramp and the other big german were on that team, and it was it was packed to the rafters. We were in the last row with our head up up against the seatings, and my dad was hemming and hauling about getting the season tickets. Now, I don't want, he goes,

To get locked out, right right, how was the sure enough go ahead? Go ahead? Well, have you gone to recent games.

I went, I was at a game or I see, was it last year I went last year?

I didn't know.

This is the reason I asked, is how do you compare the crowds then to now and and and the craziness. If there is a craziness, it's a little bit.

It's not a little bit, it's it's a lot more corporate now with you know, with with the activities every time out, you know, and then it's so dark in there. It reminds me of I went to a game in Orlando, a playoff game with the Orlando Magic and UH and the seventy six ers one time, and it was it was a lot like that. You know, they you know, they stopped the clock and they have to do something.

And then as as.

The program grew, he kind of he came out as a shot of adrenaline. But I mean, I think to me, it seems like it was crazier in the old days because it was a lot more.

Collegiate.

Yeah, there you go, collegiate. I was going to say high schooling, but it was more collegiate. It was more college like like football still is. Football is still college football compared to when you go to an NFL game, Well, you.

Know what, what are the criticisms? And then spend this way.

Since I've been here, Dave and and you and you have the blue hairs, everyone talks out how old is Well it was the case when I got here in eighty seven. They're always talking about nothing, just kind of the same people who have the tickets, right, the same family members. Do you feel the same thing done where back then it was old people.

Or no, they're the ones that had the money for the tickets.

Exactly, No, exactly. That's kind of my point, and it's never.

Gonna change it now. And now you know who's the ones that have the tickets The children of those same blue hairs, But now they're.

The blue hairs look at us, exactly.

I mean, I'm I'm sixty now, but my kids were too young when when my dad passed away and I got I had the tickets for about five years, and I you know, it was just too hard because I mean, I havn't seen them tickets. It's like being on the team. I mean, you got twenty games to go to. You know, it's a lot. It's it's it's a it's a big it's a big responsibility. That's the way I felt about it is It's just it was it was just too much.

What I was gonna say is my memories of those years, those early years, was it because it was so new and all of a sudden, here we are, you know, all of a sudden Arizona's ranked in the top parts of the country. It was amazing and no fans just didn't know what to do, but they went crazy.

You're exactly.

I think that has a factor, a place, a factor, because it was so new.

It was fresh like it. Yeah, it was joyous, you know what. I when I went to a women's game, I guess maybe not to maybe it's not fair to compare. But like a few years back when Aery McDonald was playing and started, you go to some of those games, it kind of felt the same way. It's like fans were just glad to be there. They were cheering everything. Yeah, every made basket was like a huge celebration. But that's the way it was back in those early years with

Is turning to this older sports car that you're kind of spoiled by driving an all the time. You want a different one, and you kind of try to refine that magic and it's sometimes it's not there.

Yeah, I mean we're not there.

And then the program has been in such a place, you know, it's been visible. I'm not you know, elite ish. You know, they've always been up there in the rankings, always in the conversation and everything. So therefore I think that a lot of people think that anything less than a final four is a disappointment. Yes, yes, And then like and like what I was, you know, I was here through East Tennessee State and Santa Clara and back in those days, if that was loot, today they don't want it them fired.

Yeah.

Yeah, you know, you lose two first round games in the beginning, but that was the beginning, that was the infancy of the program. So we you know, we suffered through it, you know. And then there's so many people from somewhere else in Tucson, so you got peace for it in your home town. But but now, you know, after all this time, Arizona's been so elevated that anything less than a final four is a disappointment. And to me, they get out of the first round, Okay.

We're playing with house money.

That's the way I feel about it. See how far this goes.

Well, you're you're you're kind of a lone ranger in that because I think anything less than Sweet sixteen. And then you know, the way they played in the Sweet sixteen now kind of saved them again. You know what I'm saying. They played with heart, they played with energy. Had they not, had they been blown, like twenty five people here would have been pissed.

Oh that, yeah, they'd have been upset. And then the thing is is they played their butts off to get there. Yeah, yeah, it was it was an accomplishment to get to the sweet sixteen. And I remember when getting to the Sweet sixteen was a big deal. And and I think it it's it's kind of gotten dulled because of the real much success. Yeah, it's it's it's become routine. And it would be I think it would be neat if the games got more collegiate and it was more joyous. But

Yeah, it's too It is what it is now because they just got to find a way of being more entertaining somehow.

You would almost need we would almost need like a homegrown kid that stayed that you know, that got there, led the team, stayed a while, kind of Sean Elliott like, you almost need something like that to kind of reinvigorate the fan base, social media and everything. There's so much negativity even even during the positive stuff that it's bad.

Yeah, even if you're good, though, are you gonna are you gonna stay or are you gonna yeah, transfer or that's the problem.

Yea, Yeah, we gotta go, We gotta go. Thanks down for the call. Take care of it, Take care of a good weekend, you two. We gotta go, come back with some breaking news and then have ed vospergu on the other side.