Wednesday, April 2, Hour 2

Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight, streaming live on the Ihearts Radio. While this is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.

Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera, your break Eager, your ray, and your one. Now we got some breaking news from both you guys.

This is I on the Ball, breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.

All right, keeping it local with the breaking news.

Starting off, baseball team lost in Phoenix yesterday, five to eleven to Grund Canyon.

Yeah against damn.

They have a hard time against Grand Cannon, Yeah, greenk that. I think the style of play is really difficult. What way I mean this is not I don't know.

They haven't.

I mean they get their butts handled, the last couple of them, Yeah, which makes no sense to me. Could have been an inner city rivalry right there. Sorry, I don't want a drummu be's halry. Keep going it?

Sorry?

Follow and that a little ad right there. Jada Williams committed to Iowa State.

Yeah. I saw that. I saw that. After there's gonna be a there's a there's a lot there's so many questions on that team, so many the one gives me a smile, agreeing with me, and there's few answers, And there's few public answers, if that makes any sense, once nodding his head, and none that I could give you, because if I throw a dart in the room, I might not hit it.

One's hitting this dark No, absolutely, no one's hitting this dark something.

I don't know.

How involved you are with women's basketball, but it's it's a trending thing on TikTok right now on TikTok.

Thanks God, I don't have TikTok, but tell me not.

Not that it's anything specific or really attacking the program, it's just kind of they're kind of amazed the downfall, want to call it that, from four years ago, you're in the national championship, but you're you're a basket away from winning that. Yeah, to almost every year you losing half of your all of your roster.

What the hell is happening? I think that's the that's the overriding question, what the hell is happening? And no one has answered. I know they have answers to that, you're not going to get them. Yeah, right, Yeah, I don't. I don't have any answers.

Yeah, I know there's probably a couple of players that I've spoken up. I haven't seen anything. That's why I'm like hesitant. So yeah, it's all very interesting, right. So that's to say the least interesting is the right word.

And you've you and I've had this conversation about idea. She's one of the most personal, reproachable people that I've been around from that level, and especially if she likes you. Yeah, she's made great conversations. So it just sitting there and listened to her talk, so.

It makes no sense, but it makes perfect sense.

Yeah.

I feel like everything around that, like whole situation program is kind of just a lot of rumors right now.

Yeah, and that's what you stud about with TikTok, and it's also internet, you know, Twitter and all that. Yeah.

Following up with some more transfer Portal news, Conrad Martinez answered.

Oh did what what did happen today? A couple hours? Wow? I didn't see that. Uh, not that I'm surprised, but I'm surprised. What do you want? Why don't you give me a face? Does it matter? No?

Probably no, I think they're looking for that backup point guard role. Uh and Arizona. Yeah, Arizona's looking for that backup point guard. Who's going to fill that? And I think we're at a point where it'd be taking a chance on Martinez. I don't think they want to take that chance. And he still has enough time to go somewhere else and make a name for himself.

Yeah, probably some more smaller. But let me ask you this. So we saw the game last week, great six days ago against the Duke. Martinez didn't get crunch time play all year, all year, and then he got some. He got some.

Yeah, I mean Bradley was in foul trouble. Yeah, absolutely, But I thought he did a great job with it, without question, which which lens. Why didn't he before when we talked about the physicality in the Big twelve. I don't know if he can. I don't know if that league is a great for his talent or a skill level.

He did exactly what he needed to and nothing more.

He had, That's who he is.

He had a turnover, he made up hit three to try the game. I think I think that was the tying, tying basket and then goes on a six nothing running ten seconds.

But I did not see this. I'm a bit surprised because, well I'm a bit surprised because I thought he found his place. But what do I know.

It's the world of nil.

No, I know, but I don't. Is he really going to get money to play somewhere? No, but I think he'll go and earn it. Yeah.

I don't know if he'll get money, but like once said, he's going to go somewhere and play more level enough right now where he doesn't want to settle for that maybe five minutes a game role.

He's not a he's not an Arizona guy. He's just not right. He might be a uh.

New Mexico guy one hundred percent was going to say New Mexico. Yeah, he strikes me as a New Mexico guy. Yeah, yeah, Caloro State, maybe in New Mexico.

Yeah, boys of state, right, Medica, no harm, no foulow, I mean good for you and good life. That one I understand. Yeah, I mean we had this conversation. I still don't. I don't understand the Henry one, like, but I get it. Whatever, Well, if he ends up North Carolina for more money, you'll say I get it.

Maybe all right? Following that out.

Well, here's the point with that North Carolina one. Did you say North Carolinrolina is much better than us? Well, it's North Carolina and they have money. Of course you're gonna go. I I did an argument in the debate that I've I've been making. I get in, I'm understanding and getting the nil. I get it right. I mean, we're all frustrated with it from a fan base.

I think that's across the country, no matter what, no matter what school you're at, maybe if you're doing right, I mean, just you're looking they're bringing in four or five stars next year. It's just a retention of talent that not a lot of people have capabilities. The problem I have is you have somebody and Tommy Lloyd and his staff that are able to develop the players at

Or am shit?

Am I thinking about long term success for the next ten years and the possibility of playing NBA.

Well, remember, you're an eighteen nineteen year old kid, twenty years.

Old, and he's not making I'm sure he's got I'm sure he's got people around him that are helping him make that decision. I just mean, from my own personal life, what's my happiness? Right, what's my happening? You're gonna go to North Carolina. You don't know what's gonna happen North.

Yea, No, you're right, you're right. What's my why? Yeah?

So I think to add to that too, it's like after after a certain point, you know, because he came from Estonia, I mean, how like how much is the difference really in Estonian currency?

Right?

I mean right, don't get me wrong. Difference in like a million is a lot. But it's like, you know, you're still making a million bucks.

Yeah, and we don't know how that works out too, because you know, Balla left, Balla needed to go. He was not going to do it. Yeah, but it was good for Paula. I think that conversation.

I think there was a conversation behind closed doors with him and Tommy Lloyd, and I think they both were agreed, like it go get paid for people to come out and say, oh, I don't view Ballo as a U of a guy anymore. What are you talking about? Like, he's one of our best front court bigs in the last maybe ever.

And his personality lends you a great kid us perfect And I'm not saying as a fan, not me. Oh you said it, we heard it. Yeah, it's breaking news. You said us you know.

Oh buddy, oh buddy, that was my astress.

I put it there to know that I say it that way. I love you, Mom, I really do. I tell you well.

Keeping it moving. Going into the MLB. Now, the Diamondbacks handed the Yankees.

There first loss, yeah yesterday? Right yeah, yeah Yankees. Am I a Yankee fan? Yeah? No, I'm a Cups fan.

Uh?

And then I mean, but like the dimon Backs lineup is the pretty stout. Uh Suarez is having what's hit a Grand Slam last night?

Right?

Yeah?

Once he got six home runs already, Like the guys, I'm like, don't pitch to them, Like, just I'm sorry, just don't pitch to them.

Yeah.

Following that up, uh Kettle Marte from the Diamondbacks agreed to a one hundred and sixteen and a half million dollar contract extension.

Yeah, good for him. Arguably the best second basement in the big leagues. Switch hitter, Yeah, great defensive player, good clubhouse guy. That's a good pickup for the Diamondbacks. That and then getting burns in the offseason. Okay, Yeah, it's good to see that team up. Norris like not throwing in the towel with the Diamondbacks and out West. Uh, it's they're going to be competitive for a long time.

No, And then that division is just tough. I mean, you got two undefeated teams in it right now.

Yeah, you got Padres, Your Giants are always going to stick around the Rockies or the Rockies. But I mean, yeah, I mean what Derek Hall has been able to do with that team and continues to do. Lots of respect for that man.

Yeah, I think it's really it's really nice to see teams that don't give up after they don't win a championship after a couple of years, like they have that kind of bounce back, you where you know things are a little down and then you know, fix themselves and get right back up.

I mean, Ray you know this. I mean, but Steve can talk to it. One can talk to it, probably a little bit.

But if I'm watching my neighbor build a house that's one hundred and forty million dollars and I'm going, am I gonna try to match that house? Like I don't have the money to match the house. I'm just gonna move to a different neighborhood or that's going to increase my property value. And I think that's what they have some terrible analogy. By the way, it's it's it's what the Diamondbacks are doing. They're increasing their property value right now.

So yeah, for sure, all right, following that up, but keeping it in Phoenix Cardinals signed Klays Campbelly yesterday.

It's a one year deal. Eighteenth year in the league.

Yeah, that dude's gonna have some injury prone problems as he gets older. Ten years and yeah, yeah, true. Listen, that's a league. And I'm I don't know how you guys feel about the NFL Players Union or association, but that's the only league I think in professional sports that should be guaranteed money. Maybe hockey, but the NFL. Every player should be guaranteed money. What they have to put their bodies through.

Sure, Sons lost yesterday.

Oh is that the same Sons that you talked about last week?

Yeah? Yeah, they lost yesterday.

What have they gone since the last time we spoke, like, I'd like giving you crap? Right, yeah I did, just you like give it back. There were like two and seven. I don't know what they could. No, it's they're on a four game skid right now. Yeah, yeah, Howard, that's to you.

You Ray, Ray, What do you think is wrong with the Suns? I mean, if you look at them them on paper, right, I mean, I know they're not deep and they lost their depth in those trades, but what is it a chemistry issue?

I feel like it is.

And then after after losing in the finals and then you know, giving up that that lead, and then and eventually getting blown out by the by the Mavericks a couple of years ago. Yeah, you know, it just looks like like they've thrown in the towel. Like also chemistry stuff too, but and that, and I mean they made it to the finals and then they fired Monty Williams, who's their coach.

Listen, I I we talked. I think we talked about this last week the court of the coaching carousel and the in the NBA is mind theming to me. But just to take it back, I mean, it's a similar when you're talking about similar aspects with you of a women's basketball team, right, they made it to the final. They made it to the finals. The Suns made to the finals. And then just yeah, steep.

Well you know this personalities you're you're a coach and a player. Yeah, if you don't have the right personalities, they don't fit. I don't care how much talent you have, it won't mean anything. I've seen that. I've seen that a lot. Yeah, if you had one cancer too, cancers your horse. You've you heard the philosophy from coach Lopez, right one yea, yeah, of course, yeah, which is perfect. Okay, Well you made a face, No, no, I was.

It was kind of a smirking face that you like I have, of course, of course. Yeah, keeping it going.

Corey Close won the twenty twenty five nas Night Smith Nice Nate Smith Women's College Coach of the Year Award.

Makes sense, I mean, U c l a.

Okay, Yeah, she's number their number one. Should be a good nice final four for them too. Yeah, for everybody. Yeah.

Absolutely, it's gonna be an interesting one.

I mean, take a team, take it with a lot of basketball history, maybe not on the women's side, but take a team to the Final four for the next time the first time. Following that up, Juju Watkins won the women's college Player Nate Naismith for the Years.

Yeah, she's fantastic back.

Yeah, that's true that man, Like, I know, you can't like control injuries and stuff, but man, it feels like it was like sports world was robbed from seeing I know they weren't gonna go gains directly each other too, but like them.

It was Monday, right, it was Monday night. It was a good game until it wasn't.

Yeah. Oh, Carmelo got elected to the Hall of Fame. Carmela Anthony happy for him.

Well what, uh how many years in the NBA? Was he twenty two? No? God, no, maybe sixteen maybe sixteen something like that. That sounds is it? Okay? Yeah?

I mean I didn't get to see him on the Nuggets. A little too young for that.

But speak speaking of the Nuggets, did you see the sixty one point performance from Joke the Joker last night?

Was he the one throwing the balls from all over the court and hitting shots.

I mean maybe, yeah, he has that ability. Yeah, but it's in a losing effort. You go to double overtime and you still lose. Yeah before sixty one? Yeah, sixty one?

Oh good? Are they are?

They?

What?

Third or fourth in the in the West?

Forty seven and forty seven, twenty nine, they're third in the third in the West.

Who's going to win the West?

I love it the look between the two of you, Like, who's going to win the West? I don't why you ask me, Yeah, I don't know. I don't know, Like over all of it, like, yeah, the West, Yeah, the number one. Who's going to get the one seed in the West.

Colahoma City, Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're pretty Yeah, they're they're stating far ahead.

I wouldn't rule out Denver though, coming back to take the one seed. I think. No, I'm saying, yeah, win the West. You mean I thought you could get the one seed? No?

Yeah, no, I did.

I've had my eye on Houston.

Oh really for a good while. He must be a heck of the coach. They're a young cores but have enough experience. In my opinion, I think.

Their battle tested enough to win the West.

I think they're scrappy enough.

Yeah, I mean I I would agree with Steve from a Denver standpoint, just because they've been there, done it, and they've got the best player in the NBA. I mean, arguably the best player in the NBA. And I mean maybe Oklahoma City's got the second best player in the NBA. Right now, are you gonna leave us at the forty?

Yeah? Okay, so real quick, because give me, give me some Uh, we're gonna go after this. Who you gonna pick for the Final four and the championship because I'm not gonna see you guys until I mean, my Brad could say Houston, but if I could change them, I would change them to Duke because they played so well. Yeah, I just think.

I mean I've watched both teams, and I think Houston still is able to find a way to win, and they'll be able to punch Duke in the face a little bit more. Right, But Duke's talent, I mean, I mean, people talk about one player, but they've got three players. They're gone a draft in the top seven, right, and they're they're so deep. I don't know, I think it's gonna be tough real quick. Yeah, I'd say Duke too. I got Florida overall, but I think Duke, I.

Got Florida and Houston in the championship, and I think I'm gonna go Florida.

That's what exactly what I have. You still keep it? You still think Florida wins? Yes, I bet I'm dead three months ago and we don't think Texas texture to won that game. Probably, but they didn't, I know, But I'm just they had their chances.

Yeah, I remember you kept saying, Oh, Duke's gonna lose to Alabama. I didn't say that they're gonna lose to They're gonna lose to Duke. I mean Houston, Duke. It's gonna be a great game. Okay, we gotta go, We gotta go. Are you ready ready to discover your soul, your.

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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app just search I on the Ball.

Hey, welcome back to WY on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in today with me Blake Eager. Now on the phone, we have ken how can we I'm gonna call him slash at baseball coach at Pima and the ad at Pima. How you doing, Ken, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. Yeah, you guys are rocking and rolling over there. What's going on?

Well, we're just trying to win games, you know. I mean, that's it's a tough, tough season, and you know, we're just trying to win.

That's that's what.

We're trying to do.

Let me tell them, thirty five and nine, nineteen to nine in the ac AC and rank sixteenth in the country. So I'm sure coaches are always thinking about being better than what they are. So, how do you like where you're at?

You know, I like where we're at.

I mean we're obviously you know, I'd like to win every game and so with all of our players, but we understand it's a long season, but we put ourselves in a pretty good position. We have a really important series on Saturday. We play the number one team South Outa who has been, you know, our rival over the past few years, and they they beat us twice earlier in the year, so you know, we're looking forward to getting out there and playing them again.

Hey, Hawke, it's Blake. How are you, man? What's up, Blake? How are you man?

I'm doing good?

How are you?

I'm good?

Hey?

Hawks kicking butt on two different I mean, he's the head coach of the team and he's an ad right now of one of the best jcs in the country.

So big props to Hawk out there. Thanks for being in Tucson. You know.

One of the things from a fan base, we were just talking about that going out and watching and we continually talk about a sports town. I mean, you get a chance to go watch Pima, especially play in South Mountain. There's gonna be there's gonna be professional players on that field, and you're gonna see great baseball.

So yeah, yeah, it's uh, it's fun week to week. There's as you know, Blake, there's some you know, baseball in this conference is full of great players. And it doesn't matter what team, what school, there's a lot of people. There's a lot of really good players. And uh, this conference, from top to bottom in baseball is really hard. Uh, you know, it's tough. It's tough to win games. You know, you got to be playing well to beat a team even that has a bad record, because there's good players

I would agree with you completely.

I mean you look at you know, the storied programs uh in the conference, the constant competition that you have in the conference where guys go after the JUCO level from that conference. Uh, I mean, it's it's incredible. So you just go ahead, definitely. Ay, he's got seven going to four year school.

No, that's what I mean. I mean it's high level. It's high high level baseball. And two to U of A. Can you talk about those guys?

Uh?

Yeah, we've got we've got to uh two of our two of our players that have signed with the u of A. One is a left handed pitcher by the name of McClain Roberts. Uh. He's from New Zealand actually, which you know, New Zealand is not a big baseball country, but he ended up here and he's done a great job. He's a great student, just a great kid, and so he's good. He's signed at the u of A. He'll

That reminds me of a former Pima Community College player named DJ Carrosco, who helped shape the New Zealand team. So I'm sure he played a role in the development of the lefty Shane and he went he went to Pima as a hitter, and then I think Edgar pretty much forced him to pitch, and he hated him for it. But I mean, I don't think he hates him anymore for being the big leagues as long as he was. So, yeah, that's pretty interesting.

DJ was a great player and he spent a lot of time in the big leagues. And I'm sure he's thankful for ed Or making him a pitcher.

Yeah, I would agree. At least his bank account's thankful, right, Yeah, absolutely, so a lot of talent. He talks about the seven going to a four years school and then people the younger group coming up to good good mix.

Yeah.

I like our recruiting class. I mean we got to you know, one of it might be the best, uh group of players that I've seen come out of Tucson and UH and we've signed you know, almost all of them. You know, a couple of them got away obviously, that happens. But we got guys, you know, coming from Tucson High and CDO and Walden Grove and South Point and Desert View. I mean, we got a whole bunch of uh, you know, twenty twenty five graduates who will be here as freshman

You get a couple of my babies. I think Cooper Cruks coming there, right, Yeah, yeah, that's a Cooper. He's a dude.

Yeah baby.

Yeah.

So we got some cat foot guys. It's it's I'm telling you, Blake and you you probably already know this, but this group, this twenty twenty five class is good of classes I've ever seen in Tucson. It's special.

I haven't seen that kind of class and Tucson in probably ten years.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's I mean, like like Hawks saying, it's across the board, and it reminds me of those you know, I call them the Golden Days where every team had one to two bro guys on it.

But I mean that's that that could be it.

Oh yeah, no, they and you know, like I said, fortunately we got the majority of them. So it's it's gonna be fun to watch them grow and you know, watch them all. You know, they're they're obviously competing against each other, you know, every week, playing on different high school teams. But it'll be fun for them to all play together and and see if we can win a Championship as you know, a lot of two sons, uh, you know, working together and and and trying to win.

You also have a World Series within are already.

A World Series winner already?

Who's that?

Oh?

Yeah, yeah, we do.

Little Little League World Series.

Yeah.

You know, if if you look back, it's funny.

Uh.

I pulled up a video I think on YouTube, and he was pitching in the championship game.

And you got to see this guy.

I mean, he's five foot six, he's from Japan, I mean he but he spends the baseball like no pitcher I've ever seen. And so I pull up his, uh the video of him in the Little League World Series and they're playing the championship game and he gives up a home run to the first guy and uh, and then he shuts him down. The rest of the game, they don't score another run and they win the Little League World Series.

Yeah. How do you find these guys? Do they find you?

Guys like that found us? I mean, he you know, it's kind of a funny story. He uh. You know, all these guys have people that help him get to the United States. And there was a guy guy that played at at the University of Oregon A couple of years ago. He was a player, Japanese player named Riku Nushida, and uh, he ended up getting drafted by the White Sox and one of our players that year here at Pima got drafted by the White Sox and they became friends.

You know, we ended up with this kid.

So he's been great for us. He's our closer, and he's got you know, he's got like a point four e r A and he's he's pretty special. He's signed to go to University of Hawaii next year.

So you know, it's it's been good to go see this kid.

The Rainbows. We need to get down and watch them play. They're really really good. I want to see this guy pitch is he is.

He a reliever. He's a closer, so.

He'll come in to finish the reliever.

He's our closer. So okay, he comes in.

You know when we have the lead at the end of the game and we we watch him go to work, that's go ahead.

No, I was just gonna say, hok It's interesting because I've I've been talking to Steve a lot about the Japanese pipeline and Korean pipeline, and the Japanese pipeline for sure. Now trickling down to the collegiate level with Sasaki at Stanford. Do you think that that starts to starts to change the perception of high school players from Japan getting to the United States to play college baseball.

I absolutely do. I think there's more and more kids that want that opportunity to come to the United States and go to college and see what they can do, whether whether it means going you know, getting drafted and playing professionally or are just getting to college education here in the United States and playing good baseball. So you know, some of them are taking the Juco route. There's a lot of them, you know, need to be just because

Let me ask you real quick. In a couple of minutes we have left. Uh you you've done really well at least the school has. You're the a D there. What a fantastic season so far with the soccer about men's and women's basketball, right, you know.

What it's it's been. It's been awesome to watch and I'm so fortunate to be able to work with the quality of coaches that we have here at Pima. It just makes my job so much easier because they all just do a great job.

They know, they know what, they know how.

To coach their team. They recruit great kids, their kids go to class, their kids graduate, they have great GPAs and uh, you know, obviously when that happens, it really helps me, you know, provide what I can to help support them. You know, that's kind of my job is just to help support their needs and you know, let them.

Do their thing. Yeah, and then I didn't even mention softball. I'm gonna have Rebecca on tomorrow and she's uh, she's founder found her groove here because they've done really well. Yeah, we grew up together.

Yeah, they're they're doing great. The softball team, I mean, I honestly believe that they're gonna win. They're gonna win the championship. I think they're better than Phoenix College, and I think when it comes down to it and comes down to the playoffs at the end of the year, I think that we'll come out on top. She's got a really good team full of kids from Tucson and they're fun to watch.

Well. So in this year, what a fantastic year. First year is an a D. And now your baseball team, so you know you're doing something right.

Well, We've got a lot of great coaches. I'm not going to take a lot of credit. I'm gonna, you know, give a lot of credit to the people that hire, the people that are in place, and my job, like I said, is just to help support them and give them what they need to make sure they can do their job.

Well, I got to check out your schedule because I want to see that team work and maybe get a chance at the seeing the reliever go in there. Thanks coach.

Okay, hockey was great.

It was great talking to you.

Good to good to talk to you. Blake. You're you're doing a great job and we appreciate what you do for all the Tucson so vice first of my friend, thank.

You, thank you very much.

All Right, you guys have a great one.

You too, good luck.

Uh.

I got to figure what the hell you're doing. I don't even know who the hell you are. I'm just paying for your lunches.

That's I mean, you should be more appreciative of everybody else because of that you did one.

We'll work well on the momentum for others. Ye down the yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. One's right. This is twice you said our team in my team. It's not a word in this context, buddy. It's a lucky Wednesday, for it is a foot in the mouth Wednesday for Steve. You feel like going to sleep too, So let's do it.

Well.

Thanks for joining me on there, mister Bleak. Yeah you're taking off. Yeah, I gotta take off ray one. Steve is always at the pleasure, guys, and I'll see I'll see you next week. Yeah, all right, I'll see you guys. Okay, thanks Mane. Take care today.

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Breaking down all the X is a ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox sportsporteen fifty eight.

Hey, welcome back to Why in the Wall here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera.

In with me.

Now is one and get ready to control. If you guys want to call five two zero four one, six seventy four forty, we can go back to the is tucsona sports town? And what do you what do you feel about that? If it's not, if it is whatever I think? Did we say it was a sports team talent? Like, if you have your following team, you follow that team and maybe not all the other teams. Yeah? Yeah, uh.

You know, if you're a Sugar Skull fan or even a road Runners fan, you're not following the other's team. Yeah, even though they're all Tucson, right right, You're not. You're a road Runner fan, not a Tucson fan, Yeah.

I think I forget who made the point, but I think either you one of you guys made the point of uf A being like a good team that everyone can follow, even if they are transplants.

Yeah.

Is usually if they are a transplant, it means that they probably went to to the to the university.

Well, and they're good. If they weren't any good like the football team, right, they wouldn't show up. But they're good even when they're not good. And you've seen this, right, they don't show up. We saw that for a portion of these this year because you and I would scan the arena and it wasn't. It wasn't. We weren't used to seeing it.

Clearly, those were the two best teams in the cost they showed up.

Yea.

And even then there's still there's still a lot of empty seats in that upper ring. Yeah, and even even then the lower bone, that's that's a different story.

Right right. No, I've always said this, and I've written them a few times when I was at the paper, two sons of fickle Fickle Town, USA. Is because if you're not winning, and I'm sure that's every place, right, it could be every place. If you're not winning, they don't follow you or don't care. Look at the fan base. The fan base was brutal on the guys until they started winning.

Exactly, and maybe that's some of the reasons they left. Well, well, I say this in one specific instance of kJ Lewis, he got a lot of it because he was one of those, well, if not the top player coming back, one of the top two coming back, and a lot of fans think he underperformed.

Yeah.

I don't necessarily think he underperformed, but I just think he within this specific team, needed to find his role and it took him a little bit more.

Yeah, I agree with that. I'll also say that he did underperform to what you think. But is it the fans duty, your right or whatever to be that pissy about it.

To the extent they didn't know. They do have a right because they and they're part of the team, point blank period. Because Arizona basketball wouldn't be what it is without the fans. So there is a certain right to criticize, even to the amount they did.

Absolutely not. Yeah, Well, the thing about is the squeaky heel wheel gets the grease, and it's the loud one percenters or ten percenters whatever that that talks on Twitter or Facebook or whatever. That that's what you notice, right, because if you have something nice to say, you're probably not gonna tweet it or you're not gonna do You're just gonna watch him say congrats.

And that's what some of us, as in the writers, the reporters, that's what we have to do say after after a K. I'm using kJ just because we're talking about him. kJ Lewis has a three game span of not playing as well, and then he goes and has a decent game. No one's gonna say anything. They're gonna say, well, yeah, he did his job finally, right, No, he played a good game. And that that's what we're having to do.

Even even last week when we had Tommy Lloyd on the Zoom call, I mentioned kJ says, you know, it's it's kind of nice that he's played very well the last stretch of his last three games whatever it was, and he says, Tommy being Tommy, he kind of defended him, saying that that's overstated that he had not been playing well. But yes, he's playing better or you know, doing his job because most of the things that he does don't

And that's where it gets tricky, the new world of n I L and all these deals and okay, what about there are still kids. You're still getting paid so much to this it's the yes, you're getting paid. Yeah, you're your year removed, two years removed from high school. Yeah, you didn't even think about this. Two years ago. You were just worried about passing your classes and getting that diploma. And now you're dealing with a whole different world.

Well, I guess, go ahead.

Well I think also, if you know, if you have aspirations to make the NBA, you're gonna have to You're gonna have to do this.

Yeah, yeah, eventually.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well one of the things that I've said and I've noticed and I've written about you guys today and partly my day too, and I just don't remember. One are the big issues in college for students in themselves. Anxiety, Anxiety you're probably going through now you're gonna finish your senior year, right, Anxiety, trying to make your parents proud of you, get your stuff done so you don't have to go back and redo classes. A lot of that. And you guys are just normal students.

Uh.

And and there's there's more normal students than student athletes, that's for damn sure. And that they have to do deal with that, right, Anxiety and sleepless nights and things like that. And uh and these kids kind of have that too, not kind of they do in addition to playing in front of the public.

Yeah, I'll always go back to one of the conversations we had in the summer last summer when I was first here. It was first getting on with the doctor.

That she had.

Uh, you don't realize the psychologists, Yeah, the psychologists, they don't. Fans don't realize what some of these players go through. At three o'clock in the morning when so maybe some of the classes are getting to them, but then they have this big game coming up and they've been underperforming and the fans are criticizing them. No one sees that, no one, No one talks about it.

Yeah, because yeah, and then the people that do in the pick pic pic don't care, no.

Not at all, and that that's an issue that needs to be addressed. And I think there's been a little bit more of a a better job of that. You know, before the games they say bear down with pride or whatever the slogan is for whatever school, because it's it's it's needed, it's needed for these athletes to to not be so much so criticized. Yes, there's a point of criticism that they need, but not to where it's to shoe where they're up at three in the morning with different thoughts.

Well, we don't know this. We saw this one two three weeks ago when Bollow finished his career at Indiana and he's talking about getting death threats and and all that. And we don't know if that happened here. I know we did ten years ago with Casey Scawn when he missed a field goal. Uh, and you're thinking, and he's a friend of mine now he lives in Scots Stale. I'm sure it happens more than we know because they don't make it public, and.

Especially now with social media, how much access everyone has and gambling and gambling that that's an issue that's that's being starting to be addressed finally.

Yeah. Yeah, they're doing the commercials. Have you seen the commercials before the games? They'll do you see it this weekend?

Winners win, losers lose something like that, right Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I mean it makes it tough, you know, when you put when you have money on the line, I mean, when.

You have money online, but they don't. Don't you know the solution to that, don't?

Yeah, no, totally, because I like I remember I think when and online betting first became legal here, I just turned twenty one, and so like I was able.

To do it, and I did it for like a couple of years.

After a while, it's just like you can't even enjoy the game anymore because it's like when you want your part lace to hit one, like you know what I mean, Yeah.

That's give you that's stress and you're twenty one, right, and that's money that you could have in your pocket or whatever. You don't mind preaching about all this night And I dabble a little, not like Jay, but but you know what I'm saying. I mean it's like, oh, you know, either I eat pizza tonight or not eat pizza tonight. Yeah.

Yeah, And it's like man like, and that's kind of why I stopped, and like, you know, like for fantasy leagues, like you know, still like you know, a little ten dollars buying. It's nothing crazy, but it's like I don't want to put any big money anymore because it's like.

I'm just stressing the whole time.

And it's like, you know, when you're watching like a team that you like, I know you probably won't get it because you say you're not like a team guy anymore. But it's like when you're watching a team that you're like, you're gonna stress regardless.

Yeah. I don't see one day you'll have kids and a wife and you won't give a crap. Yeah, you'll just watch for the entertainment.

And it's like, man, it's just something to do, you know, like it's it's a Sunday, you know, just what this red zone like all day or something like that.

That's stress. That's stress. This way, well, it's a good game, good what's for dinner?

Yeah, yeah, exactly, And it's like you know team loses, oh well, yeah, there's next week, there's next season.

Yeah, well it's and you've seen them, you've met them. You see them at the Uba, at the Michaeale, the over zealous fans that are you know.

The fans after the BYU game to the right, to the right of you, they're you, they're students.

Yep, Yeah it was.

That was a rough look.

Yeah, it's not. It's not rough looks a good good word. Rough is because I'm sure you were embarrassed.

Yes, absolutely, any Arizona fans should be embarrassed because, yes, those are your students. That's that's probably the biggest attendance that usually comes to a game the Zona Zoo and then they go and do something like that because of a loss.

To a good team a Sweet sixteen. Yeah.

Yeah, for the record, I will always choose the pizza over gambling.

I want to put that on the record.

That's why I don't gamble. I go into my pizza.

Sometimes they it's like extra cheese, but you could have two pizzas. You want pizza just a can of beans, you know what I mean? No, and then I don't know, like like you guys talk about like that.

Yeah, Yeah, it was a super super bad look against them against b YU, and it's like you don't even know how like the further implications, not even like just who who's at that game or like you know, like we all got you got that email.

I'm sure after like the next day or something like that.

Down with Pride, Yeah, and it's like, you know, you don't want to you don't want to make just like you don't want to make the brand look bad either.

Well that's the thing. I mean, I don't know if it's probably coming on right that the new cycles are done, but at some point maybe when you go find a job or look for a job or would you graduate from Arizona? Did you were you have game that this came up? Yeah, but I wasn't in the I wasn't in the stands. I work with the media. Much disappointed. Actually wasn't at that game. You weren't.

It was Rodeo weekend.

I was.

I was out riding a bull. I'll say that, okay, pizza giving a pizza on a bowl exactly.

No, But I mean, like I remember it was like that in the military too.

It's like, don't you know, don't do anything too crazy because it's like when it comes back, but it's going to reflect that on the milit like on the military as a whole, not just on you worry about.

And this isn't the first time something like this has happened where the students at the u of A look look bad.

Well U c l A.

Yeah, with the name is normally that there was the f you Tiger. After that, they think it was mid Yeah, the Lebron Lebron's son that he got booed every time he touched the ball. I didn't get that one. I was I was actually shocked that they were doing him.

Yeah he had. All he was was is Lebron's son exactly. Guess who's coming here next year. And everyone's gonna love him. Everyone's gonna it wasn't gonna love him. If you're not with us, you're against us.

Yeah, And then I always think about, like there's that infamous like scene of that kid who dressed up in the in the ref uniform during a football game. Oh yeah, yeah, you know it started.

In two thousand and eleven against you ran the field, He ran as a fake ref. That was actually my first streaker one too, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that was was my first sporting event. Ever, that's what got old thirty thirteen, fourteen years ago.

Eight. Yeah, and some strangers in there too, exactly. It got me hooked. Mom.

No, I was imagine my eight year old mind seeing this. I'm like, why they stop in the play, I'm waiting for the for the call. He goes running down one end, starts taking his clothes off, and then he looked at the word at the other end, and the two teams are.

Fighting the scuffle.

Yeah, why would why wouldn't I want to come back?

That was great? Yeah, I went to a football game and a rusting match started. Craziness started. Actually, Yeah, and that dude, that dude back then, I think you know why he did it. If I can remember quickly, he wanted to be on a reality He was like trying out for a reality TV show.

I never heard about that.

Yeah, I caning of you google it would say that he wanted to be noticed for that and.

That that was a crazy game too, because that was that was a year where Arizona was down. They had just fired stoops. Yeah, stoops. They go and play Ucla. They're up forty forty two to seven at the half against Ucla. You know, one of the better programs in the country. I don't know how they were that year. I don't remember, but you're anytime you're up forty two to seven on U c l A, you're pretty happy. Yeah, and they'll be pretty frustrated.

What he wanted. I don't know what happened since, but then he wanted ton't be noticed standing, Well, he got noticed. We gotta go.

Yeah, yeah, I got fifteen seconds.

Okay, no cool. Thanks guys for being finishing out the show with me. I'll see you guys next week, sir. Yeah, okay, thanks guys,