Tuesday, July 9, Hour 1

This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez Son Fox Sports fourteen fifteen powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions Katz R two SA and iHeartRadio Station. Gooy, Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Iron the Ball Hero on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. E's Chingen Sauce with us today we have Ryan, Got that right, Ryan, I deserve some kudos in the world of look good, play good. We

have another BS story today to begin. Oh the helmets. Yeah, and it's it's to me it's a non story story, but people are talking about how could they look except for one guy that I saw your brother. I

don't like him either. Yeah, yeah, what's the point? I mean, come on, it's My comment was, if you're gonna do that, you know, if you want to do something different, something with script and something like that, bring back the snake a from the from the from the seventies the mid seventies, which for those of you who don't know that it's a you know, well you'd have to go look it up. But I

don't remember snake A. You know, I'll send you. Oh yeah, the script a kind of like, well, yeah, it's it's like you I know, it was. That's that's the last time they went with the script type of right. That was the helmet that that they started when Jim Young got here. When then when they went to the royal blue uniforms, which was odd because the navy blue was the color. But they went to the royal blue uniforms, which I thought they look cool, but they weren't

the school colors. And then they had uh, then they had the snake a And at first there was a small thing on the logo on the helmet, and then it got bigger later on. Do that, you know, put it in red instead of blue or navy blue or whatever. That's a pretty cool helmet that's got some history to it. Look just say it. And my daughter wanted to slap me for saying this, but the cat's log this logo on the helmet looks to me like it belongs on the palm Line

jackets or something. Yeah. Yeah, right, well here we go again. We're generational right where the older group and they're not doing this for us. They're not doing this for us. But again, we're kind of the guys that spend money at these places, right. I know the kids do too, but they don't spend as much as you or me or whatever because they don't have it. They don't realistic, they don't have it. But to them it's cool and hey and new stuff, new stuff, But come

on, what does it matter one? And you know how I feel about that, and whether it looks good or not, I don't. I don't give a damn well. Look, I'm not saying here's the thing. I'm okay with some changes like that, but I feel anything you do like that, it always has it should hang onto a little bit of history, you

know. And and you know, like I wasn't that fond when they went from the block a that in the mid middle of the Dictomi Airs, that red blockade that they had on the helmet they went and what they call the academic a. I wasn't that happy with that, but it grew on me and it became the logo for the whole university. I'm like, okay, that's fine, and it looks good now, but and I you know, I like stuff like that, but it's got to be right, and to me, this is not right. And you know what if they wear it.

I really don't care. My personal opinion is you know, I'm not that fond of it. Like, okay, like the Arizona thing that you have now, the Nike designed right with the way the ours is kind of ah. You know when they first did that and I heard it was not the Nike that did that, I'm like, Okay, that's all right. If it means we get a bunch of money from Nike, fine go with it. Yeah, exactly. This cat's logo and script on the helmet, it's not new, is it. It's I've seen it before. I'm not

lying. You've seen it on the'm line and cheerleader jackets. That's where you've seen it. Now, I've seen it like years ago. And it might even be like the eighty eighteen had that as a small logo on their warm ups, but it was never on the uniform. I'd have to look at it, I felt. When I first saw this, I said, Okay, here come the kids with everybody's up at the at the Vegas thing with the big twelve, and I'm thinking, oh, here we go.

The kids are going to be all excited because again I wonder how many points are worth? Of course, then you know how I feel about Yeah, uh, and we'll see if they are worth anything. We'll see and I could give a crap what they look like. Just play card. Yeah, Well I just uh, I just looked up the seed that the logo that was on those on those warm up on those warm up jackets. It's not the same one. It's a difference, but it's kind of similar. But

it's it's a script. It's it's a script. It's a script, a script cats, but it's the S that swirls around and then underlines the logo, as opposed to this one where it's the ce the cats that underline. So let me, because you use the business stories and sort of way, how much do you think they put into paying somebody to come up with this new logo like they did for you Arizona the new the new brand that I rarely use. I'm sure we do in the business doing business, but that's

probably the only place I ever see it in Steve's a very Steve. We're using it, and I get that, but I don't see it anywhere else. And they put some money into this. Well, anytime they do something like this, whether it's major league sports or whatever, you always feel it's a grab for money to sell, right, And if that's what this is and it does that, then fine, I just I look at the I

look at it and it doesn't say Arizona Wildcats to me. No. And you know, the funny thing about is if they went back to the cactus logo, which I don't really you neither hear nor there, but everybody loves that. But the cactus logo has never been a helmet logo. It's never been uniform just to sell, just to sell, Yeah, because everybody loves that. Oh, they started doing a little bit of that. You can

find the cactus slogan on some things. Now they need money, they should do a lot a bit of that, right, I'm looking at this now. It's fine if they they're gone with it. I mean it's yeah, sure, they've already said they're doing this, so it'll be fine. Does it get me jacked up and go that's so cool? No, it doesn't. What about you, senor the older group of the younger group, So they're gonna go with that. I would rather be the S, like you know, the the S swirls around and I did look at that helmet,

the old one. Yeah, the snake lego. That's cool. That's cool, right, And to me, that's a bit of history. It says Arizona. It's dated though, and that's probably why they didn't do something like that. Well on, just another shot at something that's gonna either make people happy, the people happy, and have the people say what the hell you

doing? Because they do. Remember when the snake logo came out. I would have been thirteen, yeah, seventy two, seventy three, when seventy three, when Jim Young got here, so I would have been fourteen, and I'm like, what the hell is that? But then you know, you saw it on the helmets, you saw it in games. I thought that's pretty cool. And then they you know, they they they like I said, it was pretty small, and then they made it bigger and it was very old. I thought that was a cool logo. Yeah, even

though it was the wrong color. So what did they change the color? No, they just left it because they left the uniforms royal blue. Okay, the uniforms were royal blue. I think. I think on the helmet it was just navy, but the uniforms were royal blue. Well, there you go. Sorry to answer to start the story to show that this way. But I thought it was interesting. It's, you know, something that

we talk about. You know, it's something that fans are going to talk about, you know what, Like when you think all these helmets that came out, particularly during the rich Rod time, right, they went to that. They got the chrome red helmet, they got the copper helmet, you know that when they had the white out for the cow game, they had the white helmet with a silver logo. You know, all those things.

Every one of those generated some excitement. There was the blue flat navy helmet, you know, the matte color and you know, with the red logo on it, and that came out. Oh that's really cool. But all of it was tied to something. This is tied to nothing. And that's to me the missing part of this. Does it look good and it looks all right? Does it saying? It doesn't say anything to me? You know, there's no there's nothing behind it other than somebody got on power Point

and started messing with fonts and came up with this. So it's kind of like the basketball jerseys that was the trans trans It's not transparent, but the the grade in jerseys. I thought those rugly as hell, and some people loved them, and what the hell. Look, I'll just tell you know. I'm on this thread with a bunch of young guys and then one old guy, you know, a dad, the two dads, and then a bunch of our kids and then their friends. They love, of course they

do. Of course it's new when it's fresh. And as one the guys, it's sweet, exactly, good for you, good for you, with you turn age. I told him I didn't like it in there like a shot. I'm wor shot, wor shot. We got a let's take this call. Oh you're on the air and I on the ball. Yeah, I'm just calling in to talk about the snake a. Okay, Yeah, what's your name? My name is Bernie. Hey, Bernie, what do you got? Well, you know they're talking about Jim Young started the snake

A. Actually, Bob Weber started to coach before Jim Young. Oh did he? Okay? All right, yeah, and at that time they had cardinal red helmet and stuff. But Bob Weber's the actual Sorry, okay, so the snake a was on the red helmet. Yeah, okay, I don't I don't football. I don't remember that. So let me ask you. You you sound like I don't need to tell you to get off my lawn, because you know back then, what do you think about the logo then new one. I haven't even seen it. I just put the radio

on and I'm describing. I heard that they were talking about the snake. Okay, you know Jim Young, he made it bigger and went to the helmets and those royal blue right a history history they were, but blue is my favorite color, so I was okay with them. Yeah, well thanks for thanks. Yeah, hey, Bernie, we appreciate that for the clarification. Thank you. Yeah, all right, cool, cool, Well let's

let's talk. We got about four minutes before we break. Well, if you've ever gone to there's there's a there's a website called the Helmet Project that lists helmets that go all the way back to forever for everybody, for all the college teams, all the NFL teams. Whoever put this together is like done some incredible, incredible research on it. So I'm looking back to see if they have the snake a helmet. Yeah, there it is. I

found it. He is absolutely correct. There's a red helmet with the snake a on it and that would have been yeah, in nineteen seventy two, and that was Bob Weber's last year, So then then kept it for they kept it. They kept it after that for seventy and there was a white helmet with a blue snake. A. Now I found out where the football

team was cursed. It started back then with that damp snake there. It is from seventy three to seventy six you had the snake A. It was, it was a it was ultimately was the navy blue with a red outline on a white helmet with blue face masks. So you know, to me, it's too much ado about NAVA, But hey, what do I care. I'm not I'm not a uniform guy again. But you said, you said the magic fresh. Yeah, you know they're trying to keep things fresh.

I mean, how many different logo helmets and helmets because Oregon had right and what are they known for that change? Yeah, they're known for that cool. They're known for their their their creativity and all that stuff. Right, let's let's yeah. In basketball they do very well, helps them a lot. Well, they don't wear helmets and basketball. You don't have to say jersey stuff. Hey, we got prettynum. Let's talk about today store.

We're gonna talk a lot about the Big twelve media day through the eyes of other people. We have a local guy, Troy Well. We couldn't be there you and I, so we're doing the next best thing. We're talking to people who are there. Troy is one of those. He's been on the show a lot. We got a lot of stuff from him. He's there with some of the other local media guys, so we'll get his thoughts on on on media and what happened today. I watched some of it.

I miss Brett your Mark's comments on it, and they didn't. They've posted the video of all the other coaches press conferences, but not his. But he said a lot of things. But the thing I like that he said the most was that they really want Vegas to be a part of what

they do. If appropriate or a p applicable to the point of wanting to, you know, when the next holiday Vegas Bolt contract, they want to be a part of that, so that you know, if that if that's a if that continues to be a bowl game for the conference that we're in, I'm all in, Well, they will have to wait for basketball because it's been that's booked up to three Yeah. Yeah, basketball. I don't expect to see that there ever, because they rely so much on travel of

the whole conference. Whereas you're in the Vegas Bowl. You only need one team's fans to go, and I would go, you know, I would go in a heartbeat if airsone's in the Vegas Ball. Okay, So Troy at the three seventeen hour and then four seventeen would have Michelle Gardner from the There was Only Republic. She's busy up there as well, covering issue with

other things. Right, So we'll see what their world sounds like. Rights like Kenny Dillingham, ASU coach at his press conference today, so we'll get her impressions of him there. And then what I want to hear from both of them, Steve, is what's what's the vibe? You know, what's the conversation not just among the coaches and the players, but among the media. You know, what's the what's the vibe of this first media days? You know, the new kids on the block with the four schools, you

know what the what's the media saying about all this? How are they reacting to all this stuff? Excuse me? That's going on. So that's I'm interesting. I'm glad I'm out there. I mean, honestly, we've gone to so many of those things and sometimes it's a waste two days. Well yeah, but the first one would have been good, but it's Vegas, so yeah, we've find other things to do as well as that. Okay, so let's take a break, all right and come back with Troy.

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Sawaz nown to Phi, we have Troy Hutchinson from Goasycats dot com. Troy, how are you? Do you need me to venue vinmou any money yet? No, I'm all good. I'm good. You know I'm actually here in Tucson. Oh, we'll be out there tomorrow. Matt Marina will be there for us tomorrow when Arizona goes. Oh, we thought you're out there.

Okay, So your impressions what you saw today? You know, I thought your Mark, when asked about going to Vegas and having more events in the Vegas kind of I don't want to say, danced around the question, but you could tell that it is a want from the Big Twelve. But how much so, I don't know. And then I thought he did a good job of handling the Arizona Kansas question, which I believe Javier Morales asked him about as well. What did he say, I missed, I missed

the press corse, what do you say that? You know, scheduling is very difficult and it's more like a matrix. I'm kind of summing up the word there, but matrix where you know, you got to work on it and it comes out the way it is, and that hopefully they'll be able to adapt to that moving forward, since those are the two bigger brands in basketball when it comes to the Big Twelve conference. All right, well again, somebody should have been able to fix that. That should have been like

put purposely on and didn't do the rest exactly. Yeah, set that one and then yeah, then do do do all the other ones? That was my thought. I agree with agreed, So let's go to your Mark, because you know he's he's been sort of the guy that's out there doing stuff making you know, uh, you know, he says a lot of things.

What's your impression of him? I think he's very business like. You know, George Khalil Coff seemed like that guy that obviously knew what he was doing business wise, considering he was head of mgm uh, but more you know, kind of happy, go lucky and I don't want to say buddy buddy, but kind of down to guy. I don't know much about your mark, obviously, I haven't met him yet in person, but he was very business esque and understands what it needs to be done to kind of keep

a conference running. Compared to what we saw on the pack call the last couple of years. Yeah, no question. I was to ask you he did say that. And I don't know if you saw this, Jay, how the Big twelve will be the most completely You got the rop to bottom, top to bottom. And I have to agree because we talked about the

SEC is strung at the top but not much else. Big ten is really two teams well four now you would say, but yeah, no, I agree with you, Steve, but I think I saw it pretty much all the coaches said that, you know, there's no easy games in the Big twelve this year. Yeah, you know, I would have to agree with you guys. When you look at the Big Calve Conference, I think the the top portion maybe not as strong compared to the SEC or the four teams

in the Big Ten. But when you go top to bottom, there is no Vanderbilt, there is no Rutgers, There's no you know, games like that where you could schedule and an easy win on your schedule. You know, you do have your bottom half of the conference that needs some work. As U b y U. I think was pointed to be near the bottom of the conference Colorado, but even those teams showed improvement last season and their

respected conferences at the time. Yeah, what did you want? You watched the whole thing, I'm assuming yes, Okay, So the coaches, what coach caught your eye today? You know, they're only what the word eight of them? You know, any coach that caught your eye in terms of nothing what they said, but just their approach. They're dealing with the media, they're all that stuff. You know. I think Mike Gundy caught my eye, and you know he's a guy that really has stood out throughout the

years being in the Big twelve Conference. I think the Pac twelve last season in the last couple of years kind of looked at Kyle Winningham as the savvy veteran coach that's been there a long time, knows the conference. And now Mike Gundy is that guy at the Big twelve. And obviously Winningham is one of the older guys as well, but you know, he kind of has

that presence of being the big coach in the conference. Maybe not exactly like a Nick Saban or a Pete Carroll type of personality, but he knows what his program's about. They know what they do well, and they go out and do it. And I think there's a very open and honestness about him about how they go about handling their business at Oklahoma State. Yeah, we'll see, we'll see. And that's a good point because he's been there forever. Right. Yeah, he's the forty year old man. I'm forty,

Come after me, Sunny Dike's interested me a little bit. I saw him this morning. Well, you know your your thoughts on him. I mean, he's an old packed you know, he's an old Pack ten guy, Pack twelve guy. So you know, he knows he probably knows these guys as well, the new the newcomers, as well as anybody was in the

National Championship game a couple of years ago. Your your thoughts on him, Yeah, you know, I think it's nice to see coach Sunny Dyke's back in the same conference as Arizona. Obviously, you know, being the Cal head coach and there is an offense coordinator Arizona is somewhat familiar with him. I know it's completely different from when he was that Gal and Arizona, but you know what he's gonna run. I mean, you know, it's gonna be very similar to Mike Leach with his own twist on it. And it's

just nice to see that consistency out of his programs. Uh, have been very good throughout the year. I know TC was a little bit down last year, but that's one of those programs where their recruiting classes may not be high, but that coaching staff and him in particular, seem to get the most out of their players and they're always very competitive. So that's gonna be one that's gonna be interesting, and just seeing how that game day and kind

of game week happens. I think it's the Thanksgiving weekend and just kind of reminiscing probably a little bit about his Arizona days with Nick Foles, Mike Stoops and whatnot during that time in tusson to both of you guys, what would you think that Brendan would have to do tomorrow to impress those that haven't seen him yet at this at this situation, well in the conference one and for us too in this stage, because he's just he's just a dude. Yeah,

he's not a He's not gonna say Wow, that dude's impressive. You know what I'm saying. He has got a stage. He's got a stage. Now, can you use it? You know? I think he needs to go out there to have confidence in his program, confidence in himself, and confidence and his players. And I think that's the biggest thing he needs to show is that Arizona isn't here just to be a part of the Big

Twelve and oh, we're so happy to be here. He needs to show that Arizona is looking to win the Big Twelve conference and make some noise this season. I would say that's the biggest thing. But you know, being around coach Brennan and doing a couple of interviews with him during this time already in Tucson. He's just not that, you know, I don't want to say command room guy. He's just a very laid back guy that seems confident, but he's not overly confident. He's just a very laid back and happy

to be doing whatever he's doing at that moment kind of guy. So that said, Jay, does he have to do the thing I just asked? I I know, because I don't think anybody expects that from him. Okay, Brent Brennan doesn't light up a room, be you right, bren Brandon doesn't light up a room when he walks in a room, not like a you know, a Loot Olson or maybe you know whatever coaches have been around that they walk in the room and you know when they walked in the room.

Brent Brynant's not not that guy. And I don't think he's ever going to be that guy. And he doesn't particularly need to be that guy. When you're there is on a football coach, when you're there's on a basketball coach. Maybe, But even Tommy Lloyd isn't really that either. But he's you know, he's done okay with that too, so I don't think so. You know, I'm looking at the list right now the coaches who spoke

and outside of you know, Sunny Dyke's Kyle Whittingham. Of course, I paid attention to Kenny Dillingham, you know, the SU coach, and Mike Gundhy. None of the other coaches were to me, they were all the same guy right now. Every one of them came in and they seem confident, they like their teams and every you know, you look at that list of you know who spoke to the TCU of Kansas State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Utah a SU, Oklahoma State, Iowa State. Every one of

those coaches think they can win the league. Of course it's right. Probably the only one that probably can is as UN. They cannot is as U. But even Kenny Dillon Ami was saying, you know, he feels very good about his team. So to me, that's the thing about this conference. Nobody's looking up at an Ohio State and Michigan in this league, and that's that's I think the big deal this time around. Yes, yes, you agree there, Senor Troy, Yeah, you know, I agree with

that. There's no House state. There's no Alabama, there's no USC back in the day or in Oregon now, so it's kind of a wide open race. But I do think those there's about well, we'll say, three, maybe five teams in the league that can make a case for winning the Big twelve. I think the Rats you're fighting to get in the bowl game. But I think those three to five teams have a legitimate shot of winning the conference of everything falls into place. So did you vote for the media

or did did what? I don't do that. No, we did not have a media vote this season. The hell right, I don't know what they're doing. You need to send them some money. They didn't a lot of people, and they ask people that I don't know if they'd be biased, but I think they'd be biased to some of the Well, I hope they had more than you know, three from here, a couple from here, right right right, and there's a lot of media. If they did, I think they would have finished better in the polls. Yeah, I

agree with that. We're talking to Troy Hutchison from Gooiseycats dot com. Okay, Troy, we're gonna talk to you Michelle Gardner about him. But Kenny Dillingham. He's got his work cut out for him. He's got a while to go, you know, to make some steps. Your your thoughts on a SU, Yeah, you know, I think they did a good job in year one kind of establishing what kind of culture and what kind of program they want to be in bringing his style of coaching to Tempe. But you

know, you lost your five star quarterback, he transferred out. You lost some other guys that transferred out, some guys to graduation. Yet again, it's another case where you've kind of been depleted even when you didn't have much to go off of. Uh, they're recruiting classes coming along together. But to me, a SU is definitely gonna be near the bottom of the league. If they could get to that four or five win mark, I think

it would be a great season for a SU. But it's a long haul right now, and it's going to be it's going to be a process. It's going to take some time, and they're probably going to take some months along the way. Yeah, I agree. Did did the commissioner say anything else that struck you while he was on the podium. I think one of the things that he said that kind of struck me. Is that just really the statement of the Big Twelve of being a football conference top to bottom.

I think we already talked about that as well, but also wanting to be a complete conference and acknowledging the basketball side of this conference. Again, it is a football media day, but still with that you've had acknowledgement of basketball, so you kind of see where this conference is going to have its bread buttered in a way. You look at Big twelve basketball, it could rival

old school be East days. So even though it's a football media day, he wasn't shy or doesn't didn't hesitate about talking about Big twelve basketball and how excited they are for that as well. Yeah, you know, it's I

don't know, I don't know. As you said, I don't know this guy anymore than but it's refreshing to be in a conference where you feel like the commissioners he knows what he's doing, and it's going to go out there and try and kick some ass to you know, to do something with your conference instead of, as you say, you know, kind of be friends with everybody and sit back and let things happen, which again, you know, the presidents of the PAC twelve universities as much to blame as George klavkov

and and Larry Scott. But you know, you feel like Bret Yormark is trying to do things. He's trying to do things for the good of the conference, and he's not going to take he doesn't want to take a back seat to anybody. And I think that's it's kind of kind of cool to be in a conference with a guy like that. Yeah, and I think

it's kind of an important time for the conference. Yes, it's a brand new conference in terms of sixteen teams, but in the next three to five years, somewhere in that time, college athletics could look very different, and you want to be one of the conferences that are gaining twenty twenty two teams as that ACC eventually probably disbands at some point and you're left with three mega conferences. So you don't want to be on the outside looking into that.

Troy, I'll ask you this question. You are a little older than twelve years old, so give me your thoughts on the new Cat's logo with that helmet. I honestly love it. I think it's great. I love the cursive cats, which kind of does a little much to the Curse up Ua

back in the seventies. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the red block a back in that, you know, late eighties, early nineties kind of Larry Smith Dick tell me, look, but I think this is a very good job by Arizona. A lot of the times when you see teams roll out and you helmets, you uniforms, most of the time you're wondering, what the hell are you doing? Like that looks terrible? Why

are you going away from your kind of colors in your tradition. But Arizona did a great job of embracing its pass and you know it's going to be an alternative look for Arizona and kind of in the mix. So it'll be exciting and I can't wait to see the person. Yeah, I heard it in Vegas that h it's going to give everyone six more points to start the game. Well, I don't know about that. I'm no expert when it comes to betting. I don't know. I'm shaking my head and discussed.

I'm shaking my head and discuss that was That was a very typical Steve comment on something cool that the uf A is trying to do he looks really good? Give him six extra points to start to get shut up, maybe to play good. Right there you go. Maybe they do get six extra points because maybe they get a recruit who thinks that the helmet is cool. Because we know how shallow those guys can be about some right, Look how good it's done to this right, Hey, Troy, thanks for joining us.

Appreciate it. It'st out of trouble over there, said Okay, yeah, yeah, money coming their way. That that stuff for the uniforms is gonna get me all betile. I'm sure Philly and San Diego is loving it too. Anything else before we take off, then we're good. I don't have anything else to say to you the rest of the day. Lucky me. If you let's take a break and maybe get some calls on the other side. Okay, if you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's been

successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them. Twenty five chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from LUT is an insight to how he built the program

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It's not hot flashes. We're calling Pictu rocks cooling, eating and plumbing right now at five two zero four, ninety two zero seven or eight chips plumbing. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app just Surgery. I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, You're Jay who get Ryan with us

today seventeen minutes and a bonus two minutes. If you want to call us, please do. I got a note from somebody about the block Running A Running A. The movie A that was the Tony Masoneers with the White Yea it had the shadow on the left. They called it the moving a movie at least that's Tony Mason called it when he when he came in and that was the that was when they went from the royal blue uniforms back to red for for his teams. They had the red helmet with the with the A.

They called it the movie A. This is the Tony Mason. How did that helmet go? How they got into the festival with the damn it? And then what happened? Well, then he got fired. He got fired because he broke some rules party and rules now that they were okay, Look, Tony Mason did a good job because he got us to Larry Smith. Yeah. Yeah, it's like Sean Miller did a good judge as you

Temmy Lloyd. You know, Steve, when you're when you're an Arizona fan, particular an Arizona football fan, you got to take the little victories. I'm serious and you you kind of agree with me. There was a there's a cloud over this football program. It's what a course. There is a curse, A curse. Yeah, yeah, we feel cursed. I have to go back and read the you know, they fought like wildcats, but I read it, and I said, there's something there. Something happened,

like in the early sixties. We truly feel curse that does something happened that you guys got to kill a goat or something or something maybe not a goat. Yeah, well one of the things could be in this. Anybody who's my age or around it will remember this. So Arizona goes eight and two in nineteen sixty eight, I believe it was, and the Sun Bowl came calling, and I think ASU at the Arizona was eight and one at the

time. So the Sun Bowl came and was asking, you're talking about Arizona and before the Arizona State game and a su was also very good as well, had been kicking the hell out of Arizona for a while, and Arizona demanded, they said, if you don't, if you don't offer this bowl game now, we're going somewhere else. And they call. So they played, and so the Sunbowl said, okay, you're you're in the Sun Bowl. Before they played ASU, well as you've lost its mind and kick the

crap out of Arizona in the rivalry game. And they called it the Ultimatum Bowl because Arizona gave the Sumble and Ultimatum. Arizona lost go to the sunbol and lost that to Auburn as well. And you're sixty eight sixty okay. I was nine years old and I remember that. Okay, So that sticks out to me as a time when Arizona got too big for its breeches and essentially since then been saying that you don't. That sounds about right, Yea, that sounds about that. That's you know, that's the Boston Red Sox

goat for Arizona. That sounds about right, because I remember the reading the book, and I'm thinking it was in the sixties. Something happened that he says, no wonder the team is like it is. Yeah, And I think you hit the phrase on the head too big for its breeches, right, because we've said this, at least I have, and you kind of nod your head when I say it. Sometimes that happens with the fans,

right, and the teams. Yes, uh, you know, settle down, don't get carried, don't get ahead of yourself, don't get yourself right. But they still do it. We always get ahead of ourselves, Steve. You know the only time I didn't get ahead of myself that I can recall was last year, the aironly kept winning games, and I kept thinking, this is going to crash any moment, you know, somebody, Yeah,

and then it didn't. I didn't realize they won their last seven games during the seven game winning streak, they got the second longest winning streak in college football behind Michigan. Well, you know, and I'm like, wait a minute. You know, it wasn't until the last there was the Utah game, and then they then they beat ASU and then when it was it took until the Utah game for me to realize that this team was actually pretty damn good. And so, yeah, you know, we do get ahead

of ourselves. We got ahead of ourselves in ninety four when Sports Illustrated put him as the number one team in the country, you know, and it went on to crap you know, mid season there, and then the ninety ninety nine season, coming off the twelve and one season, and we got ahead of ourselves and well, there's the only guy ahead of itself and said let's go play Penn State. At their play. They weren't ready for that, right you know, you know, if they hadn't, I wonder if

they hadn't done that. They had just said, let's let's play our schedule. Let's go beat the hell out of NAU in New Mexico and play a good non a good huh non conference game and get into our season. How that might have changed everything, right, But that game, that game, that Penn State game, had about a five year impact on Arizona. Because ninety nine was bad. Then it's spilled into two thousand. Dyck Ptomy's gone after two thousand and then we've got two and a half years, three years

of John mcovic. Think about that, that first game that had a five year impact, you know on Actually even more than that when you think about how long it took Stoops to get it going. If they don't, if everyone doesn't get ahead of itself, then let's go play this. They say, you know what, we're new at this. Let's yeah, let's just go do our season. I was gonna say this dumb question, I'll ask it anyway. So what was in the PAC twelve PAC ten at the time?

Was it in over its head in football? Not basketball? Over its head for most of the time because it was not gonna win a title, although it did kind of once or twice. Would it would have been better to stay in the Whack or whatever, just because it would have won more titles? No, No, because here here's the deal. While they were in over their heads again, you know, having to go up against U got CN at that time, U c L. A. Washington to a degree or later Orgon later. No, you know, if that stayed in

the Mountain West, they would be New Mexico. Yeah, they would be. They would have been. If they stayed in the Whack, they'd be in New Mexico. They you know, No, I I they absolutely made the right move in doing that. Was there zone in over its head of football? It absolutely was. From the standpoint of being at the top. Yeah, immediately, Arizona was in the middle of the pack there, Okay, in the pack call. They were in football right right, football.

They were up there with I know, you got to a Rose Bowl in eighty six, eighty seven Rose after they sixty I know all that. But Arizona was close. And Arizona was in that neighborhood with at that time Oregon and a SU and Stanford. They were that was their neighborhood. They weren't in the Washington U C. L. A, USC and they stay neighborhood. And they just stayed there the whole time, you know, And and that was fine. No, I I know it was a dumb question.

I knew of I asked it. But but see, but see that that's what a SU was thinking. They wanted to stay because they would have because they were the big dog. They were the big dog already. You know, they they started a bowl game for them. So let me ask you this, If they were the big dog back then, why didn't that translate into better fortunes? To this day, nobody knows why because that was when

the sleeping giant thing was born. But when Arizona, when Arizona, as you got into the into the into the into the Pac ten became the Pac ten, people were thinking more about a SU and it's football program than they were thinking about Arizona and it's football. People were saying, oh, here comes to a s U. They're gonna because before right, I think season or two before Arizona a SU went into the Pac ten, a s U beat USC at their place. They got they got a non conference game up

with USC and beat them. So people thought, oh, here comes a s U. These guys might add something to the they're going to be in the in the high in the high Rent district, in in the in the Pac ten, and they never were. They got up there a couple of times. They went to two Rose Buls, but outside of those two Rose Bowls, they were never contenders. Well, they won the Packed Off South one time. But you know, they were like Arizona. They were the same as Arizona as far as all that goes, you know, so,

uh no, the Arizona made the right move in doing that. What what what it was was that they just never caught up. They never caught up,

you know, on a consistent basis, right right right. In fact, I would say that in football, of all the teams that went into the Pac ten, Pac twelve, Utah made the most impact in football in football, yes, absolutely absolutely, And that to me, that that puzzles me, okay, because if there was a if there was a program that was most like Arizona, it was Utah Utah, Right, So how did

they do it? And Arizona did not coaching No, because they went hire freaking John mcvick who killed the program, you know, and they were still coming out of that, you know, when when when Utah came. With all due respect to Dick told me, and we all loved Dick told me right, he was not going to be that guy. He was not going to get because he had had a lot of chance. That just didn't happen, right, right, And he was right there, but no, yeah,

and we talked about the coaches since him. No, that hasn't happened, right, But coaching, I'm talking about coaching at Utah, he's made the difference. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Kin Kyle waiting Ham, Well, let's let's not forget that. It was it was a urban Meyer who got them today, right, and then he left after that undefeated season, and Kyle Whittingham, you know, kept it going. You know, that's what happened. Arizona didn't get that guy. And I I to this day,

and look, you know I loved Jim living Good. I know you do too. We love having my on our on our show. To this, Dad don't understand why he hired him. Hired Well, he went to you know how it is you you go the opposite of who you have because that way wasn't going. And and and Dick was the father fight again. He gave a lot of leeway to his guys. He loved his guys. So what do you do. You go the opposite way, the guy who's the strict, the strict dude who's not gonna let him do anything, and

he overcorrected. Yeah, it was like, you know, it was the same things as with Kevin someone. The day Arizona hired John mcvic people were texting, not texting, emailing me and saying, you are gonna hate this guy. Well, because they had already had to take it. They had they had their time with him. He had been at Illinois, he had been at Texas, he'd been in the NFL. I hadn't been here too at a time. Well, he was an assistant coach under Larious Smith.

You know who he Well that's it. But see, and that's why Jim liven Good hired and we thought, okay, he was here in Larry Smith, people who love him. The guy was a turn from the day he got here. Yeah, he changed everything. I mean, he spent a lot of money in the offices, blah blah blah and do it my way yeah yeah, which of course everybody does, but he did it the wrong

way. Yeah. He was so caught up in who he was as opposed to just being a good football coach running a program and needed a good leader, and he he just wasn't that guy. Yeah, yeah, no, And you've seen what we counted them the other day. We did stories or did conversations about him. Four or five since since then, Yeah, him stoops through someone rich Rod the fish now. Yeah. But getting getting back to the curse, I don't know, you know, I mean, I'm

superstitious on a lot of stuff. Do I feel cursed, yes, because I feel every time something bad had happened for Arizona to not get to the top of the mountain, it happened. Right. Is that a curse? Is it bad luck? You know? Is it whether just coaching mistakes and

those or player mistakes in those situations. I don't know. But after you know, since being in being in the in the in the Pac ten slash Pack twelve since nineteen seventy eight, and we're still sitting here without a football championship, it feels like something there's something else going on there that really did all that. Yeah, well, well you got to get over at some point something's going to happen to kind of correct. Maybe. I don't know,

if I have to get over it. Maybe well not over it, but you have to I'm not you guys, but the program has to do it has to get Yeah, you have to figure it out. There was the thing in the exercist. Got to get one of those dudes that kind

of bringing the water the water and give a seance or whatever. Well, I will say that my head has spun around a number of times over the course, over the course of following Arizona foot and I can very well tell you probably had a few too many tequilas that have some green stuff fly. Yeah, I'm certain of it, you know. And and look, look there have been some great times, but the great times have never added up to to you know, a great gayer like feeling like you got to the

top of the mound. I think though, that this will be this league. Get into this league, better things are gonna happen, more consistent winning, more hope if that's the right to praise, more hope, to be having a shot at a decent right playoff run. Well, I feel like, you know, every season, unless you know, you lose so many players that you have you got nothing left. I think every every season in

the Big twelve, everyone should expect to contend for a championship. Whether they do or not is another story, but at least at the beginning of the season, you'll feel like you have a shot because again, there's no organ in the way, there's no USC in the way where you're stacked up against somebody who just has some built in advantages over you. None of the other schools in the in the Big Twelve have built in advantages over Arizona, None

of them out Oklahoma State, not Utah, not TC, nobody. Every team in the league is basically Arizona, at least that in my mind, you know, in football. Yeah, no, I agree. So we'll see what happens. This could be and then you might have to thank you and some people who don't want to thank Fish for this happening, yeah, because you know, it's kind of like the string that happens, and he was part of it and he got you to some straight wins. We do. I thank him for what he did. Yeah, I also didn't,

you know, kick him in the narts for what he did. Yeah, you know, in the way he left. But in the end, yeah, I'm happy that he was here. Well, he's the guy that brought because he did this hero Ban and maybe Brendan's got it right. And he did this, he put Arizona in this position. Uh. And and now you got not only do you have a good a good team with you know, good talent. Now you've got to coach. It looks like he wants to be here. And and who's who's built for Arizona? Uh And maybe

you're you've got something there. You know, we'll see you know when you look at what's his name the mullet, Yeah, Mike Gundy. How long he's been at Oklahoma State? They wont some championships. Yeah, you know they've been competitive, right. They were in the Big Championship last year. Remember a couple of years ago they needed to win, They needed to win, get a two point conversion to get into the into the college football playoffs, and you know, got stuffed at the goal line. They were that

close to being in the four team college football playoffs. So you know, he's done a good job over there. To me, that's that's the school that's as comparable as any to Arizona. Who is Oklahoma State traditionally there Arizona, Yeah, pretty much pretty much. Yeah yeah, yeah, not in the football, yeah yeah, in football, right for sure, when they have this great year, you notice something is you're not used to it. You're not used to it. They can't. They kind of come out of

nowhere. And he's been there for a long time. He's he's a coach that fits with who they are, right and so to me, that's kind of what we what I see initially after watching these coaches today, especially I see initially with Brent Brannan, I feel like, you know, yeah, you know, there's kind of a fit there that maybe there hasn't been since really going all the way back to Dick Tomey, who's been a fit since then. None of them, not Macovic certainly, Mike Stoops didn't want to

be here. Rich Rod had one foot out the door of the whole time he was here. Kevin someone was a pos and then you know, and then the funny thing about it that fish got here for you know, on his way to somewhere else. Yeah, the funny thing about it with rich Rod, and we like rich Rod, He's been on the show a number of times. We enjoyed talking to him. He would have done very very well here had he not wanted to get the heck out of Dodge, right, Yeah, because yeah, because he he was a to get the kind

of players that he could win, he could win with. And if he would have kept trying to do that instead of kept trying to figure out how to get the hell out of here, who knows Wherizona would have been that twenty fourteen team. You know, you could put that team up against any of their other great teams. You can put it up against Desert Swarm, you put it up against the ninety eighteen a chance to move the ball because because they could score on anybody at any time. You know, defensively,

they had their moments. You know there was that Cow game where they were behind by eighty points and came back and won the game. But you felt that every time Arizona got the ball when rich Rod was here, they could score. Every time. We gotta go, We gotta go because my guy here is gonna have breaking news here in a little side. All right, right, you're ready for this? Ready to go? All right? Man?

You got me ranting, Steve good We went through seventeen minutes. All right, we'll take our breakaway back with breaking news