Thursday, February 27, Hour 2

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Steve now went five to two oh four, one seventy four.

Hey, welcome back to I the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera and with me today is Edgar Soto from Pima. I also said WBC, what's your capacity with WBC?

So, I'm the chair of the Southern Arizona Sports Tourism Film Authority. I was the one that kind of helped get it, started to create the bill that created the authority, which allows us, we're a political subbody, to stay but allows us to go out and try to bring economic impact here through youth, amateur sports, film tourism, work force development, that kind of stuff.

Okay, and then that's how you got my guy Blake.

Yeah, Blake Eagor. We hired him as our executive director. He's doing great. He's just doing great. He's a good dude.

And now we have Kobe with breaking news.

This is I on the Ball Breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Airs on a baseball team used a five run seventh inning to rally for an eleven to eight win at Royce on Wednesday night to start.

Tech the Texas road trip.

Nice cool, big win Arizona softball battles and comebacks versus l m U.

Yeah, that was a good game. That was a good game. Both of them, both of them are big wins. Yeah.

I was just on the phone. You remember Francisco Romero. Yeah, yeah, he's uh, he's on the show for the Moon though or whatever. Yeah, so he would say, Hey, I was just talking to Chip Hale because I guess it's there in Houston.

Yeah, yeah, cool, Yeah, he's gonna he's working with him. He went he's with the Astros, right so he was in Florida. So he left Florida to go watch the teams or help cover them. I guess in Houston where he's living right now.

Yeah.

Yeah, No, I've been out there to hang out.

My buddy, Craig Bjornson was a bullpen coach, and Brett s Froum was a pitching coach. We've gone out there, had some good times out in Houston.

Do you know how to find Britt Scrum, Yeah, you might. You might have to give you you might have to. You might get him on because he's no longer with the he retired. He's with the Pirates. He's with the Pirates now, Okay, okay, never mind.

Yeah, he's like the best pitching coach ever. Right, he's amazing.

Why remember him from the Toros, Poros and Sidewinders. Forever he was? Yeah, he was there forever.

Yeah, got a few World Series wings. I'm sorry, this is.

What we do. He talks, he tells us, then we talk.

Okay, Arizona Baseball ready for another set of challenges at Houston Tournament.

Who are they playing? Who they playing today or tomorrow?

They face off?

They played? They played the Astros on Sunday, I think, but I'm not sure who they play here the next couple of days. No on the wildcut Arizona. Yeah, Texas A and M.

We play Texas A and M on Friday and then Saturday versus Mississippi State Sun Divers Tennessee. Okay, okay, cool. Travis Kelsey plans to play in twenty twenty five. He says, quote, can't go out like that.

Yeah. I guess he was sick that day with the Super Bowl. I don't know what he had, but I guess they announce that he had been sick that day. Not that that would have prevented Philadelphia from kicking their ass.

Yeah, that was bad.

NFL set's twenty twenty five salary cap at record two hundred and seventy nine to two million dollars total. Okay, we got Greg Pavovich visits the Spurs, but he won't return this season as he's.

Yeah, he's suffering from he suffering. He'd a stroke, Yeah, he git a stroke, and then he went to visit the team for the first time, got emotional and said that he's just not coming back this year. Who knows what's gonna happen beyond this year. I think that was the case, right, Yeah, And what else?

The Travis Hunter is super important to get Travis Hunter is super important to play two ways, so he wants to be a two player in the NFL.

Yeah. I think he's projected go third to the Giants, at least that's what I had seen. And there's still t mac was not in the top ten.

Yeah, he fell in some mock drafts. Saw he was like twenty two or something. Right, Trace mcsorly returning to Penn stand as assistant QB coach.

I think there wasn't There was a lot, but there wasn't a lot. You got the Kelsey thing in there? Any games last night? I can't remember the issue.

Lost Miles Garrett not open to Brown's extension.

Oh yeah, he just wants to get the heck out of there.

Yeah, okay, I'm at the Pope's with the Pope.

I'm yeah, he's been ill. He's day to day like all of us. Yeah, yeah, yeah? Is that good? Are you done?

Are there called some good college basketball matchups to it?

Not?

Really?

There's some women it's women's duke places in North Carolina and I can't remember who the other top twenty five is? Uh in that in that situation, I know the Idea had a press converce today to talk about what's up up this coming week? Is that it?

Yeah, that's it.

You can go back to Soto SOO time. Anybody who wants to call, anybody who wants to call, please do want to talk to Edgar. That's fine, five to zero for one, six seventy four forty Edgar. We might also get a call from my scheduled guests from last hour. She's here from the Athletic. She's here to a story on Tommy in the u of A SO and they finished practice in an hour early.

So yeah, no, no, no, I'm always a good you know, because yeah, I'm a good pitchitter.

Yeah, good dae.

You pitched? You were starter?

No, no, I was. I was an outfielder.

Oh I think.

Yeah, No, I wasn't big, but I was slow. So you know you were.

Yeah, when you when you're in the outfield, you're not slow. You can't be slow.

No, I uh, yeah, I was an outfielder. But you know what's interesting is because I've thrown so much batting practice over the years when I played this men senior baseball love and I did a lot of pitching because I was able to, you know, playoo ball whatever.

But you were the the nudge John Smoltzon, just what you could, just make sure you hit the corner, hit the spot. What do you make of the new computer? Uh?

Oh, I mean, so I know they had that in the uh Atlantic League of the Independent.

Are they implemented in minor league baseball?

And they they're doing it in spring training in spring training, right, you know, I've seen so many bad calls over the years, and so when we were playing Team Germany last week, the umpires had such a small zone it was like a shoe box.

Are they from Are they from?

No?

They were from here.

There were some local umpires and I and I actually pulled them aside. I said, guys, why is this zone? What's a professional baseball player? You know, professional pro zone? I was like, what's the like a zone should be a zone, like you know, you know, we we know the zone.

So I think, I mean, I kind of like that.

I hate because I'm a traditionalist, like I don't like to start in a second base and I like not having a d age because it just made you think more when everything. But but for some reason, there are it's a tough job to you know, think about it as an umpire if if you're you're watching two hundreds some pitches behind the plate and to be perfect on everyone, it's difficult to get a little help. I think, I don't think it's totally a bad thing.

You know, it's so.

What do you think about the changes, the going faster now, the speed count blah blah blah.

You know, I know they're trying to get just more fans involved, and baseball games are long. You know, I'm a baseball guy, but man, I would sometimes i'd be at a if I'm coaching or playing, no problem. But when I'm going to a game sometimes I'm a baseball guy and I'm like, man, this is taking forever. So you know, it got pretty bad in Major League Baseball. Guys weren't in and now the dugout. It was just

So my crazy friend here next door for the Chris o'garman who comes in and he's harasses me and it's just really loud. He was talking about, you know, no one likes baseball. It's going to be extinct in twenty years. I'm thinking enough already. But because he doesn't think anybody's interested because it's too slow. But I said, the changes are being made to make it faster. Right, it's two

I don't know, NBA.

I mean, but no one, no one used a crap about basketball anymore because spoiled athletes sports athletes let them do it.

You know, here's and I'm gonna share the Baseball is a romantic game, right, you know if you watch a bull Durham, I mean, there's so many things in there where you know I've seen and been part of. So I think it's also a thinking man's game. Yeah, it's a thinking man's game. But let me so check this out. So we're playing Team Germany. We're trying to put this team together. We got some really good pitchers, Chris Barraza, George Idias Junior, Austin Bryant pitched like some really guys

Well?

I run this program for you know, student athletes who've graduated looking for some guidance on life after being a student athlete, and said, tell me your story. Well, he played at Santa Barbara apparently his freshman year was All American and then had some arm issues so had nerve damage surgery, like they had to remove his rib, just crazy stuff, and he had to like teach himself to throw again. So here he is, thirty one years old, pitches once a week and does CrossFit and is touching

Did he pitch? Did he pitch against you guys?

He pitched against the Germans and shut him out? He shut him out, he struck out.

Could somebody like that find a spot?

So most of the time, So this is what's unique about this story. And this is why I say baseball is like a just just an interesting story. So he's thirty one years old. You know, he has his own business, Like he's not gonna go play independent ball and go through this thing, you know. So there's some like Mexican professional and maybe some Japanese they're gonna go watch him throw because he's coming back on Saturday throw. We're playing the Asian Breeze on on Saturday.

At two o'clock at Reed Park.

Field one, if anybody wants to come out, and so you can see him throw and you know, hopefully his arm is feeling better, because when he threw ninety five the other day for the scout, he's like, and my arm was dead. Oh he threw for us. He just threw one in yeah, but you know he doesn't throw a lot. You know, he goes once a week and so he's got to build up his arm. But you know, he was trying to figure out how to throw again.

He was lefty. This guy's a righty.

But I'm just like, you know, I love like those stories, like just yeah, and you know, and I and I told the guys after the game, I said, you're going to see this guy playing in the big league some day, because he's got one hundred in there.

I know it.

Because if he's already touching ninety eight, he's really not even doing much.

Right right, And I don't know if he could be used for an inning or two and you know, he has to learn how to pitch again.

Right, Yeah, yeah, he's got he's got a.

Well.

No, he played like he was there for four years or whatever, but and then red shirted one year, so like five years, but you know, tried to throw, was just having arm issues and so it wasn't really able to do anything. So once they figured out what was really going on and he had the right surgery, you know, he got all fixed up.

But you know, so here here's the guy that you know.

He came, he came down for you, and now he's back in Phoenix working.

He's back in Phoenix working, doing his job. But he's gonna come back and throw for me again on Saturday and hopefully group of people. Oh it's a rag tag and it's they're so fun, you know, I don't know. My college roommate was a guy named Antonio Fernandez. If you remember that name, he actually played yeah yeah, no, no, not that guy that's.

Be sent that for Nandez.

Yeah, but so Antonio was an amazing player at University of New Mexico. With me, it was all American drafted by I don't know, it's a Podgers and Milwaukee Brewers and his son and condolences to his family because his dad just passed away, an amazing, amazing man. But his son, Antonio Fernandez Junior comes out and plays against the independent team and just big kid just hits a bomb, like and I'm just like, you know, I saw this kid growing up and just crushes the ball. And so it's

Yeah, No, cool, very cool. It makes you feel younger again, right, exactly what's up? Let's take a break. We might hear from Lindsay here on the other side when we come back.

Yeah.

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Steve Rivera, He's got his eye on the ball. On Tucson Sports station Fox Sports Sports em fifty.

Hey, welcome back to Winning the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. In with me today is Edgar so To. We got Kobe at the helm here. We're going to see if we hear from Lindsay here any moment. If not, maybe we'll just hang on. Uh what else will you? So you're you're busy with PA Pima doing because my days with.

You you were used to be with a D I was athletic direct? Are you?

Are you you you missed that stuff? Are you kind of over that already?

No?

I you know, I enjoy what I'm doing now.

I mean you probably know I ran for office, right I ran for County Pema County Supervisor. And I told people I took a silver medal because I didn't that experience that was such a cool experience. It was tough and that it was a lot of work, but the person going in I was a different person coming out.

A lot of growth took place, so that so that was really cool.

But I mean what I really want to promote is is uh baseball in Tucson and the World Baseball Classic March second through the through.

The sixth that's a Sunday through.

It's Sunday through Thursday.

Yeah, I assume these Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I think, yeah, Thursday would be the final game college.

Yeah, Thursday.

Well we're not calling it Thursday Thursday, but it's just college. But there's gonna be some really inexpensive alcohol there that I think two food.

Yeah.

But but the thing is that night the two teams that are playing, only one of them is going to go qualify because there's one team that's going to qualify after going through pool play and then the last team that's going to be two games.

So this is a big deal for the county. So what happens after this? So they qualified, then what.

They go to the so this is a qualified Then they go to the World Baseball Class in twenty twenty six. And that's the thing. So I mean, this like puts Tucson on the world stage. And so it's really cool because you know a few of these teams have major leaguers. Blake was telling me yesterday that Colombia has ten big leagues. Yeah, so this is just an opportunity for people to come out and it's not just a baseball event. It's a cultural event, really cool things. I know, we have the

Flowing, you know.

Now they're fit sixth graders. So it's going to be really cool. So I'm hoping for some interaction between the team China and our Veil students.

I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, that's when my son went to school for you went to Rutgers and I told you he was at the Institute in d C. The you talked about, Oh the Aspen that's a really cool and yeah, he was there with them after he was after.

Yeah, we did talk about that.

Yeah. So so yeah, no, that's school. You can have a lot of kids out there. Let me ask you because Blake is kind of hinted at it, and I'm not asking you break any news. Yeah, but baseball is important here has been for a long time. Uh, you're still trying to find teams to come here.

Oh yeah, no, We'll always be trying that. So, I mean, I'm sure you shared with you. We were a signature away from having you know, six games here with the Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians. We were you know, and that was shut down by the Players Association for whatever reason. And then we were so close to having the Vicelia a ball team, which is the Diamonbacks a ball team, the raw Hide, I mean, and that was like Major League Baseball. They didn't want to break up the the

Strike I think I don't know if I asked like this, what was the turning point for this?

I mean, I think it had to do with our partnerships. I think the County and you know, Sarah harvorth And and Jane Lesher, Jan Lesher and Chris Carmine, the boys like I'll like, it was the partnerships, like them seeing us come together with the visit Tucson with you know, sasta Son. There is on Sports and Film Authority the county because the counties, you know, they they're really have a lot, you know, a big part of this because

We're all cooperating. We want to be but we all want to.

Help each other out because that way we have a stronger voice when we do things at the legislative level.

No.

In fact, we talked about that a lot recently, and even more on Monday or Tuesday when Grant was here and we had the Cold Guard Classic Chairman Aaron Crowley. Everybody's kind of pulling this weight the rope on the same direction with like the Arizona Bowl of you guys, the golf, the rodeo. You know what I'm saying. It's not a competition, but everybody's in Unison trying to get people to come here.

Well, I mean bringing the World Baseball Classic here and those other events. It's not about just the event, it's about bringing economic impact to our region, right because the reason this authority was created was to bring events and bring economic impact so we could have good jobs or Liverpool wages so people could live lives of meaning and purpose. That's what we're really doing, and we want to highlight everything that is great about southern Arizona and Tucson.

We're twenty twenty five. I think I started my show here in twenty nineteen twenty was COVID.

I think you had the WBC cover their teams are here. Yeah, that was that was happening. But yeah, COVID just through a wrench and everything going on, and then you know, here we are.

Did you have to redo the contract?

Well, you know, our authority wasn't established it, so that was all county doing that. But but it changed so much like the requirements to be a city to host a qualifier change a lot with those four years. So so yeah, so I wasn't involved in that day to day stuff the first time, but yeah, so yeah, it was a lot more difficult this time because there was a lot more requirements.

This after thing. What was it before? I know it was.

Called so and I think I might have shared this week and if I'm going too long or I.

Just I'll show it you cut.

Yeah.

Yeah, it was a Pima County Sports and authority and that's actually the original authority I was trying to get re established because that bill was going to sunset, so we're trying to get it passed so it become a statue like we have now. And then that's when we got tell you, this is why I love baseball. So I'm out. I'm still giving baseball lessons. Right, So I'm

She works at the state legislative level.

And we start talking about some some some educational stuff, doing Roman and all this other stuff. And then I tell her about this authority that I'm trying to do and she says, well, let me help you with that. So she introduced me to Senator Gowen. And Senator Gowen who's a Republican, I'm a Democrat and you know I'm moderate, and and so we connect on baseball.

You know, he's a Dodgers fan.

So I started telling him about my experience with USA Baseball, and I got to hang out with time and the Sorda. I showed him some pictures of Fernando Anzuela, so we connected on the baseball of all things.

So he sponsored this billing.

He's the one that had the idea of, hey, let's include six counties because we'll have more and then and then, and then, luckily we had a lobbyist like Darci Montone who was out there hustling. I mean, because the bill is only going to get passed if the legislators agreed it, so you need a really good lobbyist. And so luckily Darcy was passionate about it like we were, and she got the bill passed for us.

Well.

Cool.

So so they these guys have this year, Uh, do you have to kind of resmooth them for the next time.

Yes, we do.

So that's why it's important that we have to have a good showing here so we can show them that we could do this at on a on a grand level.

And we want to.

Get this every three years. Because here's here's the other thing, Steve that's happening. So with this happening, you know, we brought teams from Las Vegas, from a New York team, independent team, all coming to Tucson, staying in all our hotels, eating our restaurants, using our rental cars, all this economic impact, just residual stuff, right, and then you got families coming.

People's scouts could come out.

So so I'd love to do that for the next couple of years, and in the third year, if it comes back around and we host the WBC again, knock on wid hopefully we do. You know, we could play some of these teams as as scrimmagers, because baseball is a game where you got to play every day. You can't just show up and you know, I'll just put this on the shelf and get to later.

No, you have to see live pitching.

Yeah, you have to see and you want to see quality quality pitching quality, and so nightie guys, guys that are gonna see what you're going to see when you're actually playing in WBC. So we could create this opportunity because a lot of things have come out of this.

So there's a lot of good that can come out.

And there's it's baseball Heaven here you know, Phoenix, this area.

They have a team here, Yeah that that's an independent team and they've done a good job of trying to keep it going. But it's tough when you're not an affiliated you know team, It's it's tough to do it. I mean the funding and paying players and all that stuff.

Yeah, no, no, but it's a life's passion. Obviously, you've made it that way. A lot of people. Mike Fader has done that here. There's a lot of you guys.

Well, Mike Vader, Yeah, and Francisco Gamaz the Mexican Fiestas, and and Mike is just you know him and Zucker. Jay Zucker I think was owner of the Sidewinders and they were great to me. When I was coaching baseball at Pima. I would come through batting practice of the Sidewinders and hang out with him.

Tom Spencer was a manager. That's another good one to get.

On the show. On the show.

He's been on the show.

So yeah, So I mean, here's what I'm gonna say, you're gonna come out to these games. You're gonna have a great experience because we have fireworks on Sunday night, we have Military Night, we have you know, youth amateur sports night. But you're going to see future major leaguers, current major leaguer right out there.

But I know, I don't think you can or will take uh tidbits from the Mexican Baseball League. That's just a party there happens to be baseball at the same time. You know what I'm saying, Yeah, it's the music, is the dancing. Will there be some elements?

Well no, So WBC they they said, hey, we want that kind of atmosphere. Now you know anything we do, like if it's between innings, you want to have somebody sing.

Or do it performance.

We've got to get it clear through Major League Baseball because you know, people want to focus on the game. So I don't think we'll go as extreme as with the Mexican fiestas. But you know there's gonna be some cultural components to this and show show all the cool stuff.

So so my first experience with the WBC, I was covering the Arizona basketball team in Miami Loots final year two or I think it was with russ and Russian Dounea and they played in Miami and Francisco took me him and his guys took me to the Miami Stadium wherever the Marlins played or whatever, and it was like, holy crap, look at this. People in flags, people celebrated.

Did you go to the Caribbean World Series?

It was maybe he was in Mammi whatever it was. Maybe that's what it was.

It was fantastic or was it just Mexican teams or was it Cuban was in Puerto Rican? Yeah, oh that's the you're probably at the was It was like fun, I said this, you're probably at the Caribbean World Series.

Yeah, And that's the thing.

So like, you know, we're trying to get a Mexican team here right, like a professional that you know, there's a there's a league called the Pacifical League, which is where a lot of Major League Baseball players or I feel, you know, organizations send their players to go get more quality at bats.

You know, what if we had a team that could.

Play internationally like we do it in you know with Canada and Toronto Blue Jays and hockey and all the different things going on, like like there, there's there's opportunities. We have a beautiful field here, let's make the best use of it.

Sure, sure the weather and you can't be destitious now, I mean you guys dialed in perfect timing because it's going to be in the seventies.

Yeah, I hope. So I've been looking at the weather.

Yeah, and going a little warmer, I like eighties and when you were here to play baseball.

Well you might play it by the end of the week, it'll probably be there, be there, and uh, do you know what the tick sales are? Like interesting?

Yeah, I think we're we're a little north of you know, sixteen thousand, I think, but so we're we're doing okay. So you want to buy your tickets fast, you know you want to. You want to get on there. You want to go to World Baseball Classic dot com and you can fifteen dollars tickets, but you know you want to.

This is going to be an amazing experience to get it there.

Per game or is it for two games because you played at one and six, right.

Yeah, I think it's per game.

I think it's there's we played eleven am and and six.

It okay, maybe I could check right now, you're the guy.

No, but that doesn't mean anything. Yeah.

Yeah, well I know you're doing a lot of run so but that's good. That's cool. I mean, uh, especially if you have kind of small parties out there.

Goodyeah, we're gonna have good food, good parties. Shane Folsom's are our guy that's doing all the food and stuff, and we're gonna have some. You know, we have the skyboxes up there.

I know Dave Silver is going to be part of it too, my well sometimes his partner here.

Yeah, he's going to be the year MC or you Yeah, no, we so eleven am and six.

Yeah, you're right.

I was right, but man, I.

Was you're pinchingting and you already hit it at home run nice yeah?

Nice? Yeah.

Do you miss those stays of playing and competing?

I mean, I love playing, but now that I'm fifty five years old, it's.

Are you not playing the major in the older guys?

Yeah, I'm going to play this year with Ben Grainger, but I was playing before. I was playing a fifteen over slow pitch softball with all my buddies. No, it's fun, like it's the camaraderie that's the stuff, you know, you know, and that's why I played. You know, I played on this team that gaspily mowing coach. It was called the A's and we we were really good. We win a lot of championships out there. But it was more the fun and the joking and the you know, kind of harassing each.

Other, giving each other grief.

I mean, gosh, it can mostly Hispanic case. I asked for a reason because in our culture, the more we give you grief, the more we like you.

Yeah.

Yeah, you's pretty I would say the team that I was on was probably about seventy percent Hispanic.

Yeah, yeah, you're right about that. That was fun.

But that's why they give us nicknames like Flucko and Gordo and yeah, yeah, that's in term of endearment.

And then yeah, you're not you're not teasing them, You're just showing them some love. No, but it's fun, it's it's it's great.

Yeah, right, Okay, we gotta go take a break here and come back onto the side. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years.

Now.

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Ball and welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, you're Edgar Soto, and you're Kobe. I'm not sure we're gonna hear from Lindsey, but maybe if we're not going to get her tomorrow, So cool, good stories, Edgar. Anybody want to call? We have this time to tack a caller to five two o four one six seventy four forty. Do you want to say hello to Edgar? You know somebody already did offline?

Yeah, and no, I I you know, I love I've got a lot of stories, a.

Lot of wh Who's the best player he played against and with I played against?

Then you said, holy crapt this dude's good. Yeah, I'll tell you that.

Probably the most talented player I've ever coached, well we also, I'll go USA. So the most talented player for coach was a guy named Delman Young who played in the big leagues for Yeah, he was the first round first pick for the I think Florida Marlins.

Him special.

He just had crazy power.

You know.

We we were playing in the World CHAMPIONSHSIP in Sherbroot, Quebec, and he the record for home runs in that World Championship was three and he hit nine. I mean, it's just incredibly threw ninety four. He was He was from California, I think, but he played for the I want to say he got drafted by the Florida Marlins.

I don't know.

Maybe he could look it up Delman Young, but Dimitri Young. He had a brother, Dimitri Young. So yeah, so that that was probably talent wise. And then I you know, Jeff Frank, Core, Houston Street, Chad Billings League, Houston Street, Tasmir, Yeah, all those guys were incredible.

Yeah, when they had the USA Baseball here was special because you saw the kids and he saw the kids of kids and the players. What's his name, the lefty big dude? What do you mean for the he played for? Just a big dude.

Uh, he was a did pitch in the big leagues.

No, he played. He was a slugger too, godreal, talking about big dude, big dude. He was playing here recently in the big leagues.

In the big leagues and left handed hitter.

Yeah, not not.

Because the big Did he play at Pima, No, no, no, no, okay, just he played for He was just a kid then, like fifteen seventeen's like that.

Oh wow.

But his dad was one of the big sluggers.

What was it.

Oh, I know who you're talking about.

Yeah, that's it.

No, No, not Vladimir.

You're talking about Ladimir ge Edel, the son, the son, the son. No, you're talking about Prince Prince Fielder, field fielder.

Yeah yeah, telling about fielder. Yeah.

No, it's been really good, you know, And that's why this WBC is so exciting to me, because you know, back then, like we get to see all these really up and coming players, current players. So back when spring training was here, we had Reggie Jackson was playing for the California Angels at the time.

Hits a ground ball.

I get the foul ball of Reggie Jackson and then I'm walking through the annex over at Reath Park. I was probably eleven, maybe ten, and then the ball is signed by Rod Crew. What you know if you guys are older. Yeah, so Rock Crew was one of my idols, and so he hung out there and talked with us.

It was so cool.

Yeah, one of the good guys. I did a story on him. He was fantastic. One of my favorite guys to ever talk to was Jim Abbott.

Oh, Jim Abbot. Yeah, what a great story. Yeah, I heard him.

I've seen him his talk on YouTube and stuff. He's a what an amazing story.

Right right, So you got why did do you Tmosa or USA Baseball last year?

You know, I just like everything you know with with when you have those type of teams, I think we've learned you got to continue to nurture those relationships, continue.

To make it a suation, spoil them.

You got to spoil them a little bit, and you got to have a really wide lens and vision that says, Okay, we might lose a little bit here with some of these you know, accommodations or giving them a little but the big, the big thing is gonna come there. We're gonna have events here, We're gonna have a lot of teams here, and they're gonna bring economic impacts. So you really need leaders that have that wide lens there, see, and the macro kind of lens that sees everything.

So right, that makes total sense. Sometimes you try to save a penny and you lose them to dime.

I tell people all the time, you know, we trip over and nickels to pick up pennies and it doesn't make sense. So yeah, I know that that's something that and then there's a balance there. You gotta have an r O I right, you gotta have a return on the investment to make sure that what we're doing is not costing us taxpayers money.

Well, you're chasing that now, and a lot of people are. You have the not the sugar sugar skills, sugar skills who now have the Alstar game here. I know that they chase that down and got that over to see. So there's a lot of tidbit type of stuff, you know, the Arizona Bowl now, uh and and the events like this, Yeah, coming in and trying to make two sounds southern Arizona.

Well, I think what's interesting is and then let's I know, this is a sports show, but let's throw in film. You know, we had Major League Baseball that was that was filmed here in Tucson at High Corbett, right, that movie Major League and so but you know, we used to have a robust film industry here Old Tucson, and we had a lot of movies that were made here. And that's the other thing is we've got a couple of bills that got passed that are statues now that

So well, you're you're And I talked to Blake about this because he talked a little about that last time or two weeks ago. Uh, your place where you went to school, Albuquerque in New Mexico, Northern Perfect Film they give a lot of tax breaks. They're one of the headquarters now for films. Yeah, and Breaking Beads kind of set that city up.

Well.

Breaking Bad was originally supposed to be in Tucson in California. It was originally it was going to be in Tucson. From what I heard, I don't know. That's I've come around a lot of film guys these days, so they tell me stories a lot.

Yeah.

But Albuquerque embraces that culture too though. Yeah. You know, now just they're just trying to sell the house now for the first time because people go by that house so often that get the people who live there got tired of it, you know. But the Albuquerque in New Mexico film industry is killing it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Those are some of the things that, you know, anything of significance that wants to be done, it's got to be done at that legislative level.

So it's important with the right people in office.

I don't mean to get political on a sports show, but if we if we love our sports and we really want to show everything that's that we are as sports town, you know, there's things that our leaders need to realize that's what we want, you know, we want

So all this stuff intertwines, and it's.

Well still potential or possibility that the northwest side would get something like that. There's plenty of space up there.

Yeah, I mean, I think there's possibilities of a lot of different things, you know.

You know.

The thing is now that our bill is passing as a statue, now, we're ready for it, like we can pounce on anything if it comes through. Back then, the bill had wasn't a statue, it was just a bill going through the legislature.

So I think we're ready for anything.

Yeah, you know, major League Baseball coming, Maybe we'll get some games here, but we're not gonna be able to build a stadium. But you know, who's to say that in five years? You know, they add two teams to the major leagues, which has been talked about. They talked about putting a team in Mexico City, a team in Salt Lake City, team in North Carolina.

Well they're gonna have to spring team somewhere. Whatnot? Why not in you know, their Marana, you know.

Because it's it's got to be close to Phoenix because they don't want to travel, you know, all that far.

But let me ask you something that might be controversial, and people probably because I don't know what your actual will be. But I've been here thirty seven years. I love Tucson. I have had a chance to leave a time or two, but I love this place. Was it a mistake? And you can go with this answer however you want to go. Not to put that stadium downtown, Oh, without a doubt. I think, given why was it a mistake? Then to put it there? I mean, what's the big deal of han't it there where it is?

Right now?

Yeah? What's the issue?

What the goal was when we wanted it out there? Was was what you know, a couple county supervisors, legislators. So they thought it was it was gonna there was a lot of space out there, and they thought it would bring you know, economic impact to that part of town and all that stuff. But if anybody knows that if you look at models throughout our country where those type of minor league teams have been successful, like you go up to Sacramento, the river Cats, you you know,

Then then how would then why was it a mistake? I mean, if it was that simple of the information.

Why why didn't we do it?

Yeah?

Yeah, because I think, uh, you know, you know there was some forecasting, Hey we do this, you build it, then they'll come. Then you'll get more business, you'll get industry. And back then downtown wasn't as vibrant as it was now. Like I think, had downtown been like it was right now, there's a space, it would have happened, But downtown wasn't that.

Very much different? Would life be had it been downtown?

Oh man, we we'd probably be like like have you been downtown San Diego or some of those places, or Sacramento. I think you just have a lot going on, and those bars and the restaurants would be filled for people.

And because you have the side winders, you have the the sidewinders, you have the Tugger Stulls hockey, you had baseball, especially in the summer when it's kind.

Of you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, South Tucson has changed a lot too. There's a lot of businesses.

If you go down Parked, Irvington, Valencia and you know all those places.

Oho, there's a lot of So it's growing. It's a different place. So that's why like the Mosaic Quarters with Frank not have you had him on here yet?

We did originally when they first came up with the idea.

Yeah, yeah, so that's you know, that's gonna what's the progress on that. I mean, they broke ground. I mean it's been phase one.

Yeah.

I want to go out there and just look. But you know, he's man, you talk to him. That guy is brilliant.

Like I know, he's thought this stuff out and people are thinking it's gonna, you know, fail whatever, but no, this guy's this has been well thought out. We just got to make it happen, and it's going to bring people from out of state, out of country to come participate in, you know, a tournament and an ice hockey tournament whatever.

Right, right, No, Okay, we'll get a call. Okay, let's take the call. Hello, who's this on there? You're on there?

This is This is Kathy.

I one.

You asked him if he thinks a thing like banana ball whatever works?

Oh, oh, Savannah bananas you mean?

Oh yeah, I think this would be an ideal place. They could train in the winter, they could tour when it's really hot. But even that Tino Stadium, the way it's positioned, even when it's really hot, it's still not bad down there.

Kathy, that that you know.

So, Kathy, I thought you were just talking about bringing them here and and and I love that idea because we've been talking to them and where it's goods coming there.

They are coming.

We got to get through this, WBC. But you just said for a place for them to train, and that's even better to see. This is why we need to have these calls, because now you got a whole group here that people from all over and they yeah, I think we should probably reach out to them and say, hey, what are your thoughts about bringing the Savannah bananas and making this their home.

I love it making the other team instead of the party animals at a.

Third team to it. Yeah, yeah, I think that's a great idea. Have you guys. I've never seen him live. I just saw him on.

HBO, but I hear that they sell out. Yeah, we're going to have him here soon.

We're big time and the tickets are really expensive. And not only that, but the guy who started it. If you you saw the HBO special, yes, you seem to comaraderie, you know, the camaraderie, his business philosophy. Oh hell here.

Yeah, he actually played, I was a coach or played at South Mountain Community College.

Really.

Yeah, so we've got a lot of our uh my coach, my our head coach Ken hockey right, No, Pima knows him well.

So No, we've been communicating with him and we did.

The timing was just off a little bit because of the World Baseball Classic and stuff. But they're going to be coming. But Kathy, I'm gonna I'm gonna talk to him. I want to make this their home.

Just a rate that would be wonderful.

We've got a woman here wants you guys to come. You better come exactly.

They could stay at her place and then they need a.

Y.

You got to get to dinner ready.

Yeah, that's funny, awesome. I can make it.

I could make Chaka dredded green chili.

Well, you got to get a health perman. Now that's changed.

I don't know if you know about that. No, Kathy, are you going to come out to some of the World Baseball Classic games?

That's my question for Actually, my son has a friend coming in from Virginia and they're going to a couple of the games.

Well make sure you come out also and bring all your friends.

I like you.

Well, come find me when.

You're there, because I want to get you with our executive director and talk about your idea that it's sprung here on the Stephen rivera show and we're going to be the.

Home of the Savannah Bananas.

Right, Edgar, I was born here, so I know your name.

Yeah, thank you, Keathy, appreciate the call. Thanks for listening to you, Thank you, thank you right up against it. Yeah, good call, Thank you, Kathy, Thank you ed for coming in. Now this is come more often.

Tell me, I'm I'm you know, I'm always us now. Yeah, okay, I'll be your. I'll be your.

Somebody doesn't show up on her line in line, that's all right. That's how I got every job.

I got Youngersoda yet five exactly coming in the pinch hit, batting above the Mendoza line. Thank you Kobe for getting me out of here.

Thank you this for