Streaming live.
I mean, iHeartRadio Whip. This is I on the Ball with Steve Roberta and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteenth fifty.
Hey, welcome back to win the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Roberta. He's and the Lopez with me today and Ryan's had some breaking news. This is I on the.
Ball breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
I start a little bit of news out of University of Arizona. Former kicker Nick Folk set a record last night. He became the oldest kicker in the NFL history to make three field goals from fifty yards or plus.
He's with who he's with?
Titans?
Okay, okay, I don't even I probably knew that, but yeah they won. They beat Miami, right, they beat Miami. How old is he? Thirty nine? Thirty nine?
Yeah?
I remembers here. Yeah, I was coaching here. I remember well who the thought right too? He was pretty good here. But you know, when you're that all, you're out. You're out and joining your life. Yeah. I think I read an article he's like seventeenth or sixteenth all time scoring and uh the goals. Okay, yeah, good for him. Raiders are open to trading Davonte Adams for a second round draft pick and additional compensation.
Source. Oh yeah, and he's a good one obviously. Yeah, they probably Miami could use him. They need receiver. They well, they need a quarterback.
Ye I was going to say play quarterback.
Yeah, you need throw it to himself. I mistaken, right, you're right.
Well, if he goes to the Dallas could use him Dallas, Yeah, I mean Jets, Jets would be pretty good.
Oh yeah, but do.
You have a team.
No, No, I just like to look at abilities players.
Oh I was I'll ask you that later because I asked the coaches. How do you watch a game? How do you watch a game? Do you watch the game or do you watch people?
I like watching players.
Just if they've done do things right, I would yeah.
I like watching that receiver for the for the Vikings. Right now, thinking with Jefferson, I think yeah, oh man, I love watching him right now. I like watching Sam Darnold. I mean I just like watching like players play.
Well you know, and.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
Von Miller has been suspended in four games for violating conduct policy.
Did they say what it is? Is it team policy?
Or I just said he's violating the NFL's personal contact policy. Okay, he must must do something, Okay. MLB playoffs have begun today. Tigers silence fi Astros today three to one. Derek Scooble's six shut Because kid, it was from Kingman.
Okay, okay, I had no offers out of high school, went to Seattle University, made himself a player.
You see in baseball. You see that a lot.
Oh yeah, yeah, that's why I said, tell players all the time, Hey, phil is relaxed. If you're good, they'll find you. I say that all the team in Arizona.
I say that all the time. There's a few that don't make it. But you're there's no doubt in rhyme mind, You're you're exactly right.
Think of his yeah, think of his path to the big leagues and what he's gonna win the cy young I think he's the top, right, and your score tells me he probably went six or seven innes today.
There you go.
Okay, So King in Arizona's to Seattle University.
This is this is what peeps me coach, and I see it all the time because I've done it for a long time. Okay, So game happens. The guys come in in the press room and the first thing they do is read the stats. Read the stats. You know, what did I get? What did I do that hasn't been anything? If you're not if and there, you know, with the objective of having great stats, right, with the objective of going to the next level, because the NBA
people love stats. No, you don't, because if you're good enough, guess what they'll find you.
Oh yeah, without a doubt.
I'm here with They're not gonna say, extend went zero for three or zero for four in consecutive days and you just can't hit. It's a it's a process.
So so they find this young guy King Mi in Arizona. Well he goes to Seattle, so but still he's from king in Arizona. And there's a guy named Johnny Bench that I remember being a pretty good catcher from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
I remember his novel. I wrote it. I read about it when I was like eight years old.
Yeah, so I used to tell my players off, Hey, guys, don't work. If you're good, they'll find you.
Yeah.
The Royals beat the Orioles when nothing and the pictures doing.
Oh man, so's say that.
Again, the Royals Orioles one of them postseason, Man, that's it.
Yeah, but then you gotta get a offensive game. Right now between the Mets and the Brewers. It's four to four in the.
Okay, yeah, are you timing back? Guy?
I know Tory.
Oh, Tory's UCLA Tory Lavallo and so I know I'm known to over.
There's a lot of heat on him. Well there's well, because he's a decent job. He's yeah, you know, decent. Get you fired, coaches, you can't be decent in this world.
I guess you're right.
I mean he's come on the nationallygue West is a pretty vision.
Yeah, people, I mean people on the thing that I have in front of me, this computer thing. You could be very vicious being dearly, you know that.
Gosh, I feel man, I have to give Tori a call. Yeah.
Well one of my colleagues here in Phoenix said he needs to go. Oh man, he just went to the World Series. Yes, that's that's.
My point is I mean I texted him last year, Hey, great job you got into the wild card.
Hey we're lucky we're not on TV because we're as good as the last haircut.
I'm getting one to the morrow, so I'll come back after I hope you do, come okay, right.
And then the Brazen Padres will start later tonight. Well, they're really doing this, I guess. Uh. Detroit just kind of sweaks squeaked in too, didn't they into the playoffs?
They got hot at the end, and now they have the best record in the last part of the season.
Rights seven times. I saw that, right, right. I haven't paid too much, but I heard that. The good young players, a lot of good young players. I think the oldest guy on there was like twenty eight.
No, they're and you know what they and if you look at them, you can see they're really interchangeable because they're not in other words, they're very happy to be where they're at. They're in the big leagues down there postseason, so it's like, hey, I gotta sit tomorrow. That's okay, I'll be ready for the next day, you know. And that's probably not the case in a lot of those big league rosters.
Sovan, I guess I had a domestic incident, was it. Yeah?
I won't say what it was, but it's domestic basketball powerhouse. Gonzaga to join the PAC twelve for the twenty twenty sixth season.
So you you brought that up earlier, coach, Uh, surprise, now a surprise and I'll say what I say that to you afterwards. Surprise surprise different.
Hey, listen, I grew up as a I was in the six pack, you know. I played at UCLA in the seventies and there were six of us, and then to become the eight pack. Then it became this ten power of the pack Pack ten. When I came to Arizona's the pack ten then became the PAC twelve. You know, all due respect to those guys, you know, Freso State, Sannuel State, Boisse State, Gonzaga and Lors But I just can't. I don't feel good when somebody says PAC twelve and
I I see, I see those schools in it. I go, it's not the packed one.
It's not the PA. No, that's it. At the end of the day, it's not the Pack twelve. It's the Mount West with people. Come on, No, you know, my son's in New Mexico. He's a Mount West kid, so you know he's a coach there. So I'm all for it, even even if they if you actually went into back twelve.
No, I tell my son, Hey, guess what, it's not the Pack.
Exactly right.
No, I'm you know, and I'm the same thing to someone this morning. I'm happy that they're I'm happy that they're existing because in this world of television controlling everything with money, you know, I'm glad you know it's sorting itself out.
But this face fact, I've said, it's a lipstick on a pig. Come on, Yes, you got the title. That's how you got the pack. And it's not the PAC twelve anymore that we knew it or how we know it. Right, No, because they're somewhere else.
I don't know what it is.
You know, it's a college conference, and you know it's it's good for those young guys, the place for them to compete and play and move on if they get a chance to move on professionally.
But that's not the Pack. No, I know, you're right.
That's just my opinion, and no cares. It's just one man's opinion. But yeah, I understand what you say. So hey, good for Gonzaga.
NHL is getting ready to open their CBA talks starting twenty twenty five. One of the talking points is producing preseason games and expanding the regular season, kind of like the NFL is trying to do down the line. Yeah yeah, I don't see if baseball ever does that with like spring training, because oh yeah, I got a whole month of spring training games and then what you.
Play for six months?
Yeah? Yeah at hl.
Odell Beckham is said to have his first practice with the Dolphins.
But okay, that's yeah, welcome to the rescue. Right here comes the rescue. You can play quarterback? Yeah, quarterback again? Who is it? Hontley? Who's the Oh yeah he lost last star. Yeah, well he didn't do it well enough last night. It was a good game. The other game was pretty good this Seattle and uh Detroit. Yeah, crazy scoring game like those jerseys head Lions. Yeah, a new helmet through a perfect game? Right, didn't Golf throw a
perfect game? Wasn't he like eighteen for eighteen? Oh he did something?
Yeah, but I saw today he said he was eighteen for eighteen. I went, I threw a perfect game last night, my gosh.
And he had too. They had to score a lot of points. Yeah, I look at it real quick, let me see.
Yeah, but yeah, yeah, he was Golf was eighteen for eighteen with two hundred nineteen yards.
I think the record is like.
Two touchdowns he had, so he had two more touchdowns and he had incompletions. Yeah, that's a pretty good night, right right, Yeah, that's all I got.
Okay, So there's the news that came out today, Tyler Loop named Lou Groza Star of the Week. He's a fantastic kicker.
Well he's good. Yeah, yeah, he's legit.
Yeah, he's something the team needs to save. How can I say this, not say but to field positioned ball.
You know, I played high school football and then I coached for five years in frost Off level at Meer Coast at my high school. When I first started coaching life, and I'll tell you what, man, I mean, the biggest night from me was like run the field goal team out there. It's like, oh God, why no, let's go for it. And I worked at Florida when Steve Spurry was there, and he he would refuse to punt and field goal.
Like we're going for it, right you. No. I love those coaches.
Yeah, but but if you've got a guy like our guys, yeah, hey yeah you can kick from sixty Yeah, let's move the ball, and so.
Let me let me ask you a question I've never asked you, and I know my thoughts on this. What's the most important position on a baseball field?
Well, I was a shortstop, so it has to be fantastically good.
Okay for me, it's a catcher. I was just gonna say that.
Yeah, I want to say it's a short out because I was a short stop. But because everybody on the defense sees him, so if he's sloppy and lazy and careless, it kind of rubs off on a couple of resals.
I believe that.
I mean not everybody's intrinsically motivated. So if you've got a left fielder that really likes to hit but doesn't like to play the defense right, and he sees the catcher on his knees all the time and flipping the ball back and throwing it at the catchers at the pitcher's feet, and it just sloppy, and you know, he just sloppy. You know. I used to joke with some of the guys that, well, I guess it wasn't a joke, Steve. But when I had catchers, Ryan, when I had catchers
that wouldn't catch the ball on a consistent basis. I said, you're no longer a catcher. You're a chaser. You know, You're just all you do is chase. You chase the ball behind you.
You need a catcher for kids.
But anyway, but everybody sees him and he can really save you bound visits. In other words, you only have a certain amount of mound visits. So if I've got to go out in the first inning, I've already used them. I don't want to use them in that. I don't
use that. I want to use that mountin visit in the fifth and the Seventh's got to be smart, So he's got to go out and he's got to know what we've been talking about in the bullpen, about release point, about making sure his arm is in the right slot, making sure his grip isn't the right you know, he's got to coach a little bit in terms of getting these guys on track. So yeah, I always felt that if we had a good catcher, we had a pretty good chance of being successful.
Yeah, I would have said, that's a key position, your shortstop position. So what position makes better coaches? I think catchers really, yeah, really say shortstop? Well, I think the smartest dudes on the field or second basement.
Now, I say this, I always said this that if we don't have a good second basement, we don't have a chance to win a national championship because because they got to turn a big pivot in a big game, in a big situation, they've got to turn a pivot where a good second basement turns that pivot and gets you out of the seventh inning a really close game, and an average second baseman turns it and guess what,
the guy at first is safe. A good one turns it and the guy first is out and you're off the field.
Yeah, that makes sense, I think too. There's a lot going up that going on up the middle. Yes, and you have your shortstop who's kind of assumed he's the good player, he's athletic, all that, but the second basement is kind of underrated and he has to do almost the same amount of things as the shortstop thing in terms of okay, this situation, but baseball's.
I'll tell you the value of shortstop though, quite honestly, if you look at for example, if you look at the twenty twelve national championship team in Arizona, ready Seth Maheus Breen was our third basement good player short stop in high school. Alex Mheil was our shortstop shortstop in high school. Trent Gilbert was our second basement short stop in high school. Brandon Dixon was our first basement shortstop
in high school. Robert Restneider was our right fielder shorttop in high school, and Johnny phil was our second, our left fielder.
Shortstop in high school.
And you and you made the switch.
Oh yeah, let you tell them, come here and compete for the shortstop position. Come here and compete. So tell me if you're gonna be if you're best shortstop, and you'll make it. But if you can't, we're gonna fit.
You in another sh And then how receptive were they? U? Has this story been told? Are you sure not?
No? I was a big person.
Get as many shortstops as you can, really, yeah, because they run the show defensively, and they're athletic and they got arm strength and if they can swing it.
Robert Refsneyer, come on, yeah right.
Many people don't know this, but Robert Refsnuder was rafted by the Yankees and they trying to make up second baseman. I just talked to Robert two weeks ago, and and he stopped. He stopped hitting because he was so mentally screwed up trying to play second base. And when the Boston got him and stuck him in the outfield, boom he took off. They love him, They just love the guy.
But yeah, I used to tell guys, listen, I don't I don't know if you can play shortstop, but if you want to come here and compete to play shortstop, we've always recruited this kid me here, we've already recued.
But here's me. But and they're gonna compete for that spot.
Sure, but if you want to come and compete, I'm gonna let you compete, because you know what. All I know is what I'm gonna see, And the game is gonna tell me. And if you're honest, the game's gonna tell you. Steve, if you say to me, coach, I'm your best shore up, you know what, the game's gonna tell us that. The game's gonna tell that. I don't need somebody tell The game is gonna tell.
Did you have I'm sure you have guys leave because of what Yeah, he's talking about.
All the time.
Yeah, yeah, that's but that's that's part of our life.
That's part of the fallout.
Yeah, we got about a minute. We're gonna talk more about the nil stuff and people leaving and jumping and how much you go home every day gis your wife and say, thank God, I'm not doing this anymore. I ain't God, I don't deal with any Just take the break and get ahold of mister Donny Salem.
Your chance to win one thousand dollars. Just enter this nationwide keyword on our website. Check that's check, enter read right now, Foxsports fourteen fifty dot com.
Are you ready?
Ready to discover your soul, your wild side, your passion, your joy and excitement.
From the latest slots in table games, to award winning dining, to world class entertainment to.
A luxurious resort.
Discover all this and more.
Discover with Soul Casino del Soul, the Soul of Tucson.
Are you ready enterprise so Fasco Yucky Tribe.
The Window Depot has everything you need to create the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams. Browseyisles of instock cabinets, available in a variety of sizes and configurations, and instantly elevate your space today. Visit a showroom and let our experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for money to go designs or creating a custom masterpiece. We can help you select the perfect wood, type, color and style and top
it off with unique hardware to complete your look. Find a low key near you at the window Deepot dot com. The window Depot more than a windows store.
Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorato Rock Materials. I needed a lot of gravel for my driveway, so I called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount and color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at a great price. How do I know radio commercials work? I heard one of his on the radio. Dorato Rock Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential
and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen years. We'll call at five two zero four zero zero for two three three. Where do you buy exercise equipments?
Arizona Health Arizona Health, Arizona Health.
Of course, to feel better and look better. It makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve.
Arizona Health leading edge and exercise equipment. I'm twenty second just west of will Not School and the fall sports season are in full stride. Time to get that special student athlete a creative.
Award for his or her efforts they are deserving.
It's also time to rejuvenate your fall apparel with a Chris looking embroidered school corporate logo on caps.
Shorts or long sleeve follows.
And why not get some fresh looking promotional products representing your school or corporation or just giveaways for the upcoming twenty twenty five season for over one thousand fun items of choosroom come visit Creative Awards at Creative awardsaz dot com or see our Idea Center at two twenty eight Westrackman Street at.
Nova Home Loans.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option that best fits your needs. Whether you're a first time or veteran home buyer or want to get cash out with the refinance, Nova has a variety of home loan programs to meet your unique situation.
Visit voltpeteam dot com, that's volpe team dot com or call five to two oh six eight five six two six today n mls three to eight seven on a b K nine to two and nine four two equal housing opportunity, How to commitment to Lyndrixson credit rates and available loan programs or subtech to change don't notice?
Did you know?
Collecting sports cards is one of the fastest growing hobbies around. Whether you're looking at this chart or expand your collection, Showtime Cards is your ultimate destination. As one of the leading card shops in the country, we've been serving our community for over twenty five years with the best in sports cards and trading card games. From rare fines to
the latest releases, Showtime Cards has it all. Check them out at Showtimecards dot Com or visit them on East Speedway and discover why collectors everywhere truy Showtime Cards for their passion.
Ready to save but not sure where to begin? Take the Pyramid Federal Credit Union ten thousand dollars Saving Challenge and we'll guide you along the way. Save five hundred dollars over six months as a member and you could win big.
Watch your savings grow.
To help you reach goals like buying a car, owning a home and more.
Visit Pyramid FCU.
Dot com Slash ten k challenge to get started today.
That really insured and cuay got bugs, termites, fees or rodents. Arizona Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert pest management. Specialist tests can't run or high from Arizona Pest Control. They use only the latest and most technologically advanced methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of your bad bugs, termitespees, or rodents.
Serving Tucson and Southern Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest dot com to schedule your free evaluation today.
Selling your home want to get more money for it? Well, Danny Roth can help you. He told me about as you Flip the Home you Own program. The program allows for a homeowner to fix up their home to sell without using any of their own money. They will be able to sell the home for a much higher price. Danny Roth with Armny Holmes International is the real estate
consultant in Tucson that offers this program. He has consistently been the top agent in Tucson for the last thirty years and has sold over ten thousand, five hundred homes. For more information on this program or just buy are selling a home of Danny Roth at five to zero four nine zero four thousand.
Steve Rivera and Jake and Salaz they have their eye on the ball on Tucson Sports Stag yet Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live. I mean iHeartRadio apps.
Hey, welcome back to I in the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in with me the days and the Lopez. You have a national title guy one year there and one year in Florida when a Pepperdine and now we have Brian. We're waiting for Donnie Salem to Polis. He didn't answer on our try, So let's go to Let's go to it, and I
just because we'll talk about it anyway. Uh, waiting waiting for Donnie, uh your eight year nine years removed now right, Yes, And I'm sure nine years ago you were talking about being flipped. The guy's flipping, right, that was a big concern, that was deconcerned back there. Yeah, that was that was nothing compared to now. Holy folks. Yeah, it's a different animal.
I mean, the landscape is just the landscape of college athletics.
Just it's like it is.
There are days when I feel like I didn't do it, Like I wasn't a part of it. Yeah, like I wasn't a part of this. Yea, you know. I mean, aren't you lucky? No, I wasn't a part of it.
I was in a hold. I did.
I did something and a whole another world. Yeah, I really did.
And that was just a few years ago.
Yeah, nine twenty fifteen was my last year. And yeah, I feel like I'm telling you my son, I mentioned a couple of times here. He's an assistant coach at the University of Mexico and he's a mid major excuse me, and he's up there with Todd Brown, another Arizona Wildcat, and Sabine a Wire. Yeah exactly, and he'll tell me stories and I just I can't believe it, you know. And I talked to him three four times a week.
My son will call me three four times a week just to check in and say how things are going on, what have you. But yes, the landscape is completely different.
It's just for me personally.
It's something they better control of.
It and got to do it soon. I'm sure it's not gonna happen soon. But Andy, this is the thing that concerns me. And not that I'm going to lose sleep over it, because I don't. But places like New Mexico, where your sons are or your son is, where they're not with the Joneses. They're not a Jones and Arizona's not a Jones You know what I'm saying. They're on agree with you, and at some point the Jones run out of money.
That to me is you know, I took a job in nineteen eighty nine and when I when they called me for the interview.
It's called Pepperdine University.
They called me for the interview, and they you know, and I sit in there and there was about four There was athletic director Wayne Wright and three other people. And this is a true story. And so I go in and I'm I'm thirty four years old. I'm thirty three. Here at thirty three years old. Yeah, come on, I'm a crazy Mexican from Sam Peter at thirty three years old. And they said, well, coach, if we give you this job,
what do you think you can do here? And I said, well, if we work real hard and we recruit the right guys, we'll play for a national championship. And there was a guy on a committee left that snicker and I caught him out of the corner of my eye and I went, huh, okay, So I found out later who he was.
He wasn't there.
My fourth year, four years later, we win the national title and I drove us literally. I played the Omaha video that the ABS that the ANC double they would send out from the previous College World stays. I played it every day in the clubhouse. They had to watch it every day in the clubhouse, and I know they didn't, but I just shared it every day every day, every day, and we talked about home, We talked about it, and we go to Omar.
We win the dang thing, right, Okay?
Is a d there at the time?
Yes, yeah, And that was my goal.
That was our goal, sure as it should be.
I talked to my son today this morning about something about pitching, because he's a pitching coach up there, and and I said, Michael, what you know what I always did is I worked backwards. I wanted, what do we do? What do we want to look like in the College World Series? And now let's start working back and how what do we look like today? I always worked backwards.
That was my hopefuls backwards, I said, Michael, I don't want to break your heart, but the way the landscape is in college baseball right now, in college athletics, you're crazy to think about Omaha. New Mexico's crazy thing about Oma. You ought to think about getting to a super regional.
That could be your Omaha.
That could be your Omaha because money's directing everything. Even if you win a regional, Michael, they're going to send you to Clemson, or they're going to send you to LSU, or they gonna say they're gonna send your place where it's fifteen thousand people and they got a two million dollars, Well, they got a million dollar salary over there.
They got thirty five guys over there.
In between them all there's a million dollars invested in them, right, And what do you got right?
Somebody is yeah, they'll taco, they'll taco sponsorship, someone's got a deal at uh yeah, yeah, yeah, Riley or somewhere. Yeah yeah, no, no, I hear you.
So it's just not realistic. And that's sad to me. That's sad, right, because the Yeah, it's sad.
It's sad. And here's the other thing.
In twenty twenty two, by the grace of God, I was inducted at the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. And in my induction speech, I said this. In twenty twenty two, I said, you know, I know I'm being brought up here because of the success I had as a coach, and I'm really thankful for that. But I want to talk about something other than my successes. I want to talk about something that I think that really made me. If I'm a good man in any way,
it's not the successes. It's what I overcame. Like I over that's why you have a good book in there. I know you have a good book in there. No, but I want to tell it. I said, I overcame some things that I thought I couldn't when it happened. I can't do it, and then guess what I did it? And I got more confident, and then another I can't do this, and I got on. Hey, when I was at Pepperdine, my first month at Pepperine, Steve, I will tell you I was the most intimidated human being on
the campus. Yeah, I felt like I didn't belong here. Why your mom and dad are from Mexicello. I didn't read this language. You got no come on, what are you doing it?
Sure?
These kids are pulling apologetic, These kids are pulling up in BMW's. I got a Volkswagen Jeda. You know, I mean, what am I doing here? And I said, you know what, this is wrong. I belong here. I belong here. I'm gonna do a good job here.
You let me tell you you you screw up your story. You're the best story teller I know. Let me tell you why you didn't tell me what happened to do to Stickard. You know what I would have done. I would have sent the national title something to wherever he was, because I know you Protty followed him wherever he went, and you said there I got what I said. I would get you didn't do. I know you wouldn't do that. You took it a guy for that, but you obviously
notice him snickered. I would have said he got fired. Well, you know there, you gonna have fired. Timer's a bitch.
You got fired at the beginning of that school year.
The same year after being on that early wonted, okay, he got fired. You know.
I walked in the office with Dare. I said, hey, word, I won't say his name out of respect. Hey where's Jim? I asked our secretary, Hey, worre's Jim?
And she was.
She was the secretary for the all of the for all the coaches. You know, it's Pepperdine rights, three thousand students. There's no football team. And I said her name was Roxanne. Roxanne, where's gym? I said, oh, you didn't hear coach? And I went, no god, I thought, oh my god. To get an accent. She goes, they let him go last week. And I went they let him go. She goes, yeah, his workload, his work was not.
Then I went, is that right? Well, that's what I would have done. More power to you, you know, because you knew what you needed to do or wanted to do, but at a place that you know.
And see the nil now is again if if my son's got a real good picture at New Mexico.
Yeah, he's New.
Mexico next air Force. Look at the kids all schemes. I saw him, Steve. I saw him in person his last year at air Force. I went to Albuquerque to watch a series Air Force New Mexico.
Friday night. There's a guy pitching. I move on.
I'm always off to the side. I can get far away. I just like to watch my you know whatever. But I'm going, whoa, This guy's pretty specially about the fourth things. So now I sit up in the stands man home plane. There's not a big crowd there, and there's three or four scouts to that. Hey, loaves, what's going on? I said, Oh, my son's a pitching coach here. Oh okay, I say, can I just sit here with you guys?
Yeah, what's going on? Tell me what you're doing? Da da da da dah.
As I'm doing that, I'm seeing their radar goings go up, and I glance over ninety eight, ninety seven, ninety eight, I'm going, holy smokes, well they win. Air Force wins. I go back to my son's apartment. I stay with my son and I go, Mike, that guy's pretty good. He goes, yeah, Dad, he'll catch on Sunday. I said what he said, Yeah, he'll dch tomorrow and then he'll catch on. He DHD the next day hitting in the three hole, and then he caught. He was the catcher
on Sunday. Right next year, he's at LSU. David Asker, coach of Stanford baseball coach, he and our dear friends. And I told David, because they were going home all that year, I said, David, anybody that has Paul schemes is going to win the national title this year.
That's it.
And you were right, anybody right? And they were LOADEDO man. But that's a good example, you know. I mean, yeah, if you've got a good player, if you're a mid major and you worked hard to get this guy and you got them right. And I did that at Pepperdine. Yeah, you work hard to find these guys under the rocks and you get them.
Okay.
Mark Wazikowski my assistant coach, ex player. He was our third basement of the ninety two national championship team. He's the head coach base of baseball at Oregon. We talk all the time, all the time, and I said, I said, waas think of your teammates in nineteen ninety two, the national championship team. Right there are five juniors. I said, would they have been at Pepperdine their junior year if we had nil at that time? He goes, I love your lopes And guess what, No, they would have been gone.
So there it is. We don't win a national championship pe in NLI world.
No, Man Rodriguez is going somewhere, a chef is going somewhere, Melinda's going somewhere, Montgomery's going somewhere. And Wallet, there's five guys right there. They're not at Pepperdine.
All these places now are dressers for the next year. Yeah, it is sad to see. I get it. It is what it is. People here. Look a singer went to La Tour the USC that was at Utah and people, he said, you say that, you say, and you know the Peter principal. You all level up to the to the level and you're good enough. So some people do make it, some people don't. But you know, it's a tough job.
And I'm all for people getting money I wish I could have got money at U C l A. You know, but but I think we're missing out on again letting them fail and overcome so that they get some confidence, because you know what, there's still a very small percentage they're gonna have careers in the big leagues at any level, NFL, NBA, there's it's a small percentage they're all going to be like you and I, Steve, going out and working.
Yeah. No, it ain't easy working right, this is easy, but it's uh, let me ask you. We have a call? No, maybe not maybe? Yes, Okay, we'll wait for this. He's young or whoever? Can I can you what was your relationship with the previous baseball coach? Can you say? Hold that thought? Sure? Okay, you're in the air and eye on the ball, Donnie Salem. Holy crap, we've been trying to track you down. Man, How are you I apology? No, that's fine. Did we catch you napping?
Hey?
Do you? Let me let me ask you this Ken. We're finishing up this segment. It would have been your segment, Donnie. But I won't yell at you. Uh can you can we call you back in like in five minutes? So we can use some of the more time with you. Yeah, okay, we'll go, we'll take him off and then we'll come back with him after the break. Is that cool?
Right?
Okay? So great coach, great coach, one who went to l s U oh J Johnson. J Johnson, a fantastic coach. Obviously had a baseball has a baseball mind. Uh. A lot of people don't like him because of what happened. Uh, it's a business. I'm not gonna alibi him. I'm not gonna but this is what happens these days. You're good, People want you, you go. Did you know him?
Did you like that?
No?
I didn't.
I met Jay for forty five minutes when Greg Burn asked me to meet with him. Greg Burn asked me to meet with him? Uh, which which you which? You know you always do that? I did it every I did it everywhere I went to And you go over the roster, and you go over scholarship allotments and who's leaving, who might not leaving, and incoming recruiter and you know, hey, Jay, you need to really make sure this guy doesn't leave on you. This guy's this guy's a real deal, and
this and that. So I had never met him, and he was a baseball guy. Yeah, I never met him. I never met him.
He was at Reno, he's at San Diego, and I never met him.
I had heard through through through my assistants and things, you know, fanatic, recruiter, fanatic, obviously fanatic, just.
Off the charts.
And and I've heard that.
I've heard that part of him. And and then I was doing PAC twelve network at the time, baseball on lists. So when I do games at Tucson, or you hear at Tucson, I go before the game and talk.
To them a little bit.
Yeah.
But you know, we now we've all we you know, we were always very cordial and all the rest. You know, I heard I heard some things, and you know, to this day, I hear things.
Yeah, you know, and hey, I won't ask you what you've heard.
Everybody does it differently, differently, Yeah, yeah, yeah, let me ask you.
I also use this as we talked about a chain. I did, Uh, you have a good coach, mediocre coach, whatever. You have a coach, uh, And you have talent, mediocre talent or whatever. What's more important when you want to win? You have a good coach. But if you have good coach, mediocre talent, or a mediocre coach super talent. I've seen it all, played for it too. Okay, what's what's the key element? I think?
Okay, I used to say this to my teams constantly. A good team that plays hard is really hard to beat. Okay, a good team by a good time. I mean they are talented. A good talented team that plays hard is really hard to beat. A good team, talented, good team that doesn't play hard, We'll find ways to beat them. Yeah, we'll find ways to beat them. I put that responsibility on the head coach to play hard. Yeah, to play hard. Yeah, No,
I totally agree with you. There's something I know. You were an intense dude.
And if the if the players don't respect you in some form some form, uh you you, you aren't going to have a good team, no matter how.
My last year here, my last year and a half, I had that you know, bypass surgery. This that I was horrible, horrible as a what sense? Well, I I the surgery. They they pop to hernias and I still have them. I't fix but I they hurt like crazy. I never had a herney my life. They hurt like crazy, and prior to my heart surgery or my bypass surgery, if anybody went out there, I threw batting practice every day for an hour and twenty minutes, and I mean
I got after it. I mean I challenged them and I would say things like, are you kidding me?
Somewhere in America?
I'm fifty three years old and I got a bad back, and you're not getting You're not hitting line drives off of me. What are you going to do on Friday now against Smith who's supposed to be a first round draft pick?
Are you kidding me? Get out of the cage. And then the next guy.
This is after after the surgery, this is before, and then if I want, I would demonstrate based running. I would demonstrate that I would. I wasn't a CEO type of guy. It was very intense and very animated and hands on. I have the surgery, I go back and I'm not scared of the bypass thing, but the armis were killing me.
Yeah.
Man, I couldn't throw VP anymore. I couldn't demonstrate anything, and it was very confusing for me. And it was really confusing. Yeah, I had a next player tell me that when you came back. We would leave practice everything and go like who is this guy? So it was my wife told me don't go back. I'm the one that said I'm going back, and.
I show show you you changed. Uh did you lose their respect or is.
That what it was.
I don't know if I lost the respect, but I know I confused them because you were not to Yes, I think the biggest thing, say, I was really intense, but my guys knew this guy's going to get after today, like Coach Lopez gonna be like you better be ready to go.
Because he's coming after it. And that last year or so, I was like, yeah, who is it?
I don't know. Was it a case too we gotta go? Yeah, we gotta go. Was there a case now where the players when they when you were intense and toime, didn't want to disappoint you, so they played their ass off and then when you came back, well that kind of shifted.
Just a real quick answer, Yeah, I think, yeah, I know you heard it right on the money. Yeah, yeah, things were different and and and so it was time.
For me to leave.
Well you knew when I mean, it was more than just the flipping and the floppy and all that Yeah, Okay, we gotta go come back and get a hold of Doney. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now. Take a look back at the Ludelsen 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 into a national powerhouse. Want one Email me at Steve dot Rivera ninety five at gmail dot com.
Hi, this is formal Wildcat Lemanhindly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need to transform your personal space.
And your life.
We off a complete line of cardio machines, multi gms and freewate equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and technicians will set you up with the right equipment and training to get you started to keep you going visit our share room today at twenty second in Wilma, Arizona Health the lead to edge and exercise equipment.
What's your goal a new career or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college. PEMA Community College can help you make Someday today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial laid available, it's time to earn the degreeer certificate you need to prepare for the career you want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's right for you. Learn how
at Pima dot edu. Slash Someday.
Hey Tucson, Steve rivera heir, and I've got a tip for you. Want to be in good hands while cruising the desert or kicking back at home, then you need to call my friends at the Edmund Marcus All State Agency. These guys are the MVPs of home and auto coverage. Whether it's a fender bender or a leaky roof, they've got you covered. Don't fumble your chance to say call them today and score big on your insurance with the Edmund Marcus All State Agency. You're always in good hands.
Visit them at twenty seven to nineteen North Campbell or call them at five two zero two three nine three three three.
Ladies, have you ever dreamed of playing the main event at the World Poker Tour. The Royal Rebels is a ladies only poker league and we are looking for new players to join us this fall. We have a new poker season starting October third. We will be playing seven games online and the winner will represent us in Vegas at the World Poker Tour. This main event seat is worth ten four hundred dollars. For more information and to register, go to www dot Royal Rebels Poker dot com.
Steve Rivera and Jagin Salles they have their Eye on the Ball on Tucson sports station Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here in Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. In with me today's former UA baseball coach Andy Lopez. Now on the phone, we have Donnie Salem, former football player in the late eighties. Donnie, how are you hey?
Doing great?
We're doing We're doing fine.
Thank you.
Tell me what are your thoughts? On this football team that you've seen now four games.
Yeah, I mean it was pretty uh you know, obviously the offense played great the first game defense didn't, but I think they caught us off guard a little bit. That quarterback and that receiver were really good. And then the second game, defense played well even though it was just an AU and the offense looked a little shaky. The third game on either side looked that great. But I was really upset with the refs in that game.
But you can't can't always blame it on them. Sometimes you've got to be good enough to beat the other team and the refs. We've we've had our share of moments with the refs. I just didn't didn't like all the calls that were going only one way to start that game. And they've had a few make up calls late in the game, but it was it was out of hand at that point. So but then, you know, Utah game, We're good enough to beat any team in
this conference. If we play like that every week, then we got a chance to, uh to beat everybody you know that's left on our schedule.
But uh, you know, I I just I don't know what changed so much.
I know, some of the play calling changed, and that the whole team seemed to really be hyped up and uh ready to prove everybody wrong. That was jumping off the bandwagon. That's what it felt like to me and sometimes felt it feels like we've always kind of played that underdog role a little better than the uh than the ones who are supposed to win and be great. We've we've seen that over the years, time after time,
and and I like being the underdog. You know, that's uh, you know, playing like that with your hair on fire, and those that defense and and Fefeita seemed to be really in sync with a lot of the guys. It leads to a lot of that game I think, you know, like I said, I, if we can play like that, we can beat anybody in this conference, and that would put us into the end of the playoffs if we
play like that every every week. And it seemed like this last game we picked up where we were at last year, and we're really playing hard, nos tough football and flying to the ball and everybody excited. You could just you could feel the energy on the sidelines just even watching it on TV.
So, yeah, hey, DONI, this is Andy Lopeauz I baseball coach here for fourteen years with you of A and so I had a chance to watch the program and I got along with Mike Stookes extremely well and what have you. But you know, the one thing that I really I've told, you know, neighbors and things about because again, after the first three games, You're right, people were going, oh my gosh, what's going on and this and that with the football from I said, you know, it's hard
to do the expected, right. I mean, I was a head coach for thirty eight years at the college level, and you know, when you've got a good team and that team comes back, I mean, you don't sneak up on anybody anymore. Like you you are a real target now on someone's schedule. And uh and so they're not. You know, they've they've you know, for the to their to their credit. I mean, I agree with you. I've watched the games too, and and uh, hey they played
well this weekend. But you know, they they you know, that's probably the realization they have to come to, is they Hey, we're not sneaking up on anybody. I mean we we're legit, and we need to go out and play legit type of football every single weekend.
But I agree with you, but they're good this weekend. Yeah, coach, and yeah, nice to me.
I've met you a couple of times in person, just briefly, but uh, I agree one hundred percent, you know, and I've I've always said it. You know, with football, if you've got an average team that's really really ready to play, and a and a better team that's that's flat or thinking they're just gonna win the game, you've got a game. You know, that's it's not not uh, we can't be asleep or or thinking we're in a position where we're just gonna mow anybody down. And you see it even
at the highest levels in the SEC. If you've got a team that's uh, it's one team's ready to oh and the other team is flat or just thinking they're going to walk in and get it handed to them. You got a game, and a lot of times those are big upsets past weekend, right.
Yeah, no, no, yeah, well you talked about that, you donnie. I'm sure and I covered you guys back in the day. You guys went through this too. You get to Oregon State, I think maybe an Oregon where you just okay, we just got to show up and play and you and that doesn't happen. It just can't happen.
Yeah, Cal, I mean, Cal, you know we jump on them twenty one zip and think the game's over and.
Then you know, these guys got pride and they're they're great, great, great players as well.
And if you do that and you don't keep your foot on the gas and keep that excitement way up, then, uh then things turn turn south on you real quick. And so I think you know, hopefully this staff, you know, and the team knows it. Uh, that exactly what we're talking about. We've got to come out with our hair on fire every single game, every play until that last whistles, you know, until the game's over. It could go to z Zuro, you know, I mean, you know, the coach
told me. You just talk about it all the time that you know, that's one of the reasons you love baseball is it wasn't over till that till that twenty is the twenty seven outs, right, you know, and and that's that's you know, with football, you've got to show up, you know, and NAU is going to be super excited. They're going to be ready and you're looking ahead to
Kansas State or what have you. And I'm not saying that's exactly what happened, but it felt like it because even you know, we all expected it and uh and you know, then you're in a battle and you you know, we come out on top. But uh, you know, the the the mindset, especially at college level and high school and younger whoever's ready and got their you know, I call it hair on fire, you know, running down, you know and ready to absolutely be in a fist fight.
And you know that team's going to have an advantage if the other team's flat. And you know there's there's times when you, uh, when you can be really good if if your if your mindset's right.
I felt that way last year.
I think, you know, our team kind of lost a few games we shouldn't of That SC game turned the whole season around, you know, and then obviously Fafita getting in there.
Uh you know, next thing, you know, you're rolling and and and you're ready.
Every single game you're going out for you know, ready for a fight, and especially in football, and it's just a mindset.
I imagine even in baseball, you felt that coach that.
You know, sometimes you guys, you know, just kind of lacka days ago, not totally dialed in, and a couple of breaks go the wrong way, and the momentum is is everything and football, you.
Know, you got to keep that that, you know, what is it? Uncle Moe?
He needs to be on your side because if the other team gets it here, you're fighting to.
Get it back, you know.
Yeah, I agree.
Now there were many days I'd be sitting around in the fifth inning looking at my team, thinking, are you guys going to play here soon? Because we've been walking through this thing for the first five innings and now we got our hands full of fellas.
And then by the ninth you're saying, what the hell just happened?
Oh, I'd say it fellas.
You know what, we've allowed these guys to be confident. Now they did not show up confidently, but now they've got some confidence.
And guess what, you got your hands.
And Donny, you brought up a point. And I've said this earlier this week and maybe all the time because I've covered basketball too, where Arizona loves to play as an underdog. I think they lead the nation in beating teams ranked when they're not ranked, but when you become ranked, it's because you know, whatever reason you get.
Beat Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know I heard that at the end of the game, where we've beaten more top ten teams unranked than anybody else in the country, And oh my god. You know, we've always had a way of you know, we fight, and you know, like when we played Steep I think until last year, we beat five ranked teams when I was a senior in eighty nine, and you know, we'd show up for that games.
But we laid an egg against cal And in Oregon, and you know, and you know that you got to show up for every game and you got to have that that mentality and hopefully has a good lesson learned those first three games, and we pulled it all together, you know. I mean, I was just hoping to be real competitive and have a great game and of course wanting to win, and then we should.
Playing like we were. I didn't sit down the entire game. I stood right in front of.
My TV just going crazy because it was it was Arizona football that you know then and as you know, Steve, in the eighties and nineties, we didn't win.
Every game, but you were in You were in a fist fight. You were in a fight.
Right, That's that's what I call it, Donnie Salem game. One of those SIFs. Hey Donny, we got to go. Man, thank you for joining us real quick and last minute. Appreciate you.
Yeah, thank you very much.
Guys, he was talking. He's one of those guys, the tough dudes. And I'm sure you had guys like willed your team not to win or not to lose. Yeah.
Oh, you could just tell by his language.
Yeah, I mean he was hair on fire four or five times and fist fight two or three times, like, yeah, this guy was not a church mouse.
No, no, no, you get linebacker. Oh yeah, he was kind of Scooby before Scooby was Scooby.
He sounded like a linebacker.
Yeah. Yeah, how you doing? Kick your ass? This sound like a punter. You know. But you I'm sure you went through this too. Good teams get beat by so show teams. Getting the guys to get up for a games is very difficult.
I said it forever, I said it for thirty eight years. It's a game played by young people and you don't know, man, you just don't know what happened last night. You don't know what happened last week? You know, it's a game played by young people. Yeah, and you just don't know well. And I've said this a number of times on the show. Emotions play a huge factor in college sports. Could have lost a girlfriend, could have found a girlfriend, could have
a class was bad, whatever, could be anything. The triggers game played by young peop people. They're not professionals. A lot going on, No wonder you had heard issues? Yeah, exactly, Like I said, I can almost name the four arders that got plugged up.
Why what?
What?
Whats the Minga's Hills? Yeah I can. I can go through it for you right right. No, But you know, thanks for joining. What a great life. I hope you come back. I hope you. I wish you know you can come back and be a regular guest for me every now and again.
I really had a good time doing it.
You get a hold of your wife. I have to talk to her.
I had a good time.
She runs the show at your place.
I can see why they get you, like you get paid six figures for this, and now that I've been here with you, it's easy to see why you're.
A six figure. Are you adding the point zero zero figures?
I now understand why you have like three or four people handing your finances. From what I after being here with you for two hours, you need that. You need to here a little bit of that. Sally with Ryan show, he's running the show.
Don't say that he's going to talk to his attorney in fact, to have borrow tabox. I'm going to via Mora to have me some some spaghetti or something. Yeah, thanks for joining moping. I'm sure you don't know.
I will.
We'll talk about it. We'll talk about a great time. Guys, you can jog over here. Jo back. Yeah, thanks so much. It were good to go, Okay, great, Thanks everybody,