Wednesday, February 26, Hour 2

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 I as the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, You're Dave Silver. Now we have one with breaking news.

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

Happy Wednesday. Did everyone out there? Here's truly mister g D two shoes, Mihitolindo, look at starting breaking news, look ahead to some of the Arizona athletic events. When miss Tennis takes on BYU tomorrow at twelve o'clock to start their conference play, they'll be heading into conference play eight and four on the season. The Arizona baseball team is four and three on the season after four straight wins.

Dave, if you want to find out how good you are, what do you do. But good teams go play good teams. Yeah, although you know, Rice isn't as good as they've been. They've they've been pretty decent in the last decade, but apparently they're not up to a great start. But also

It'll be interesting. Texas A and M's number one ring number one right now. But they've lost two games on the season already. They lost to Texas State.

I saw that. I saw some highlights of the pitcher that was pitching against Texas. Did you see those? It was the dude pitching from Texas State, and he owned them. He owned them, and he was like going to mark the bird Fidrich. Oh, I think I saw highlights and he was going like talking to himself and then you know, we got you and here's the lefty. Yeah, and he you know, struck out the number one player in the country, YadA YadA. On any given day, baby, specially baseball basic baseb.

Arizona Softball's Devin Nets was named the Big Twelve Pitcher of the Week after her performance in the against teams like Stamford Texas.

Yeah they're a good start too, yeah yeah, which is refreshing for for coach because she needs this. Yeah. But you know, they generally start strong.

I mean usually they'll bring in, you know, a bunch of teams to play here and do well. But they did have some highly ranked teams this last.

Week to the To their credit, Dave, the PAC twelve wasn't easy. I sure either. I think this might be a little bit better for them. You know, the Texas texts of the world who they paid a million dollars for the Stafford transfers, right, so you're going to face them that still. But part of the problems that they do really well and then they don't, it's because the PAC twelve was pretty fantastic.

Yeah, you know, and they were the leaders of the pack for such a long time, and you know the rest of the Pac twelve, you know, all of a sudden, here's Oregon, you know, playing in the College World Series. Things like that, Oregon State, Stafford and all this, all the SEC schools with their big football money, we're able to put together great little softball complexes. So now they're, you know, ventually into the big twelve. I don't know what to expect there.

You really don't know. I mean, Oklahoma State is going to be good. You know who to blame for all that, mind, but the grandfather of all I don't know if there's that much tradition, Like say, at Kansas State, I didn't even play soft Some of the schools don't even play soft Iowa State doesn't play baseball. I mean, they're a big I think there will be a big powerhouse they should build eventually. Isn't that where the Iowa he was in there? That's right?

Okay, fifteen and two on the season. They take on LM you tonight six o'clock in Los Angeles, California.

So their football fifteen fifteen to two.

Thought, yeah, okay, women's basketball got a senior night win seven at six o'clock.

Yesterday Texas Tech came to town. They beat them sixty six or fifty seven. Yeah, I think the next couple of weeks are going to be very interesting. You look at me, and I look at you and smile smiling. Way boys eighteen twelve. They can get to twenty wins, that would be good. Yeah, how many? Two more? One more?

They got one more trip to Tempe Saturday at four o'clock.

That just should be interesting to say the least. Yeah. Yeah, then maybe get to nineteen and then who knows, maybe win a game or two. And the thing and well, the thing about it, it's not just here, it's you have to look at the rest of the landscape of the tournament, the tournament for everybody. It's like Arizona's really good, but you're not talking about another guys. The other guys, the other guys, everybody else is good too. Yeah, you know, and that sports growing. So you get a star like

Right, uh so, So we'll see what happens on Saturday. Tonight, seven o'clock, the men's basketball team takes on Utah. We've talked about that game. Any any worries tonight, I don't think so.

I think that he's probably got their attention. I think fifteen fifteen, it's a lot of points, but they're due for a good game, you know. They I thought their best game overall was the b y U game over there, because you know, the boy is good. We saw it in firsthand, and they played really well to beat them up there.

I didn't.

I don't you think of a better game. I can't know that. Well, Texas it was good. One game. The Baylor game there was good. Yeah, they played too. Yeah.

So yeah, I mean they've had some great, great highs and some weird lows and disappointing game. I mean the Houston game here they should have won or could have won.

Yeah, so you sel a game.

You c l a.

Oh yeah, must forget about you almost forget about November December and where you know, when we're living through it, like, oh god, the seasons it's terrible. And then you know they're going a pretty good run for a long you know, for a couple of weeks until the Gauntlet happens and you see, you know this and this and this. So do you think they'll go there? You got four games? Now, what are they going to go?

Two and two, three and one zero four? I believe they go three and one? Wow? Who do they beat? I believe they beat Kansas?

M hm.

Kansas needs that game at home, it's gonna be that's gonna be their senior day and all. It'll be a big deal there. And then if they're still skidding, they have to get ready for their tournament here in four days later. Let's be a tough game. Well it was all.

These but doable. I mean, even even though just those last three games. In general, you know, you go obviously you go to Iowa State, go to Kansas, but Arizona State here is going to be really interesting.

You never know.

We talk about kind of speculations with women's basketball, there's speculations with Arizona State men's basketball.

You know. So we'll see what happened, most.

Likely his last game, I would say, so Michale I would say, I mean, there's been so much talk about that and rumbling, and you know, there's easy they just need to catch up.

I mean, Arizona States, they should not be you know what at the bottom of the conference. You've been in town since eighty three. How many years have you said that? I don't know, but I you know, and they had a glimpse under a guess who, Bill Frader, It's true for fun years, yeah, ninety five, ninety six when they had Bennett Mario Bennett.

Yeah, but yeah, it's just been been hard, really tough, you know, and they want to do something that Arena there.

I mean, there's a lot of stuff around the.

Issue, and they're gonna do something with Arena. I mean, they may even just knock the thing down and build something brand new. And it's I wish they probably should do. I guess somebody can call me and tell me. But I think isn't that model they're modeled the same that.

And Michale and they're not the same era. Yeah, same time, same time, and one is just not up to speed. Have you been inside? You've been inside, right, Yeah, I was there for the It's just it's just a building, yeah, you know, with a few paint jobs and yeah, but there're also there's not a lot of history of success. No, there was one of you know, there's like nothing.

And maybe that's the reason to break it down start fresh. Yeah, true, didn't even I shouldn't asking you. I should know the answer to these questions.

But like Packard Stadium, they don't even play baseball on campus anymore. I think they're playing their home games even away from campus, kind of like the U of A does their facilities have not been really.

Yeah, into into some shockers in the college basketball world. Number three Florida lost to Georgia. Yeah, yeah, eighty eight to eighty three. Georgia needed that one. They're they're a bowl team, and I think they're a decent team five and ten conference, but you're in the SEC.

Yeah. Uh, and it's tough. We kind of talked about it already.

But Oklahoma State be Iowa State and not a fully healthy Iowa State team. I personally wasn't shocked by that for that result, you know, I was They'll They'll get Arizona on Saturday. I'm sure they'll be fully healthy then. And no, again that trapped trapped. Well, we don't have to play well against him, but come Saturday, we're gonna be ready.

Right, they will.

And then kind of a shocker, it's the Big twelve. Cincinnati beat Baylor yesterday and they're kind of on a lower low trajectory. Now we'll see, we'll see what happens with the Baylor Bears. Duke guard Tyree Proctor injured his left knee late in the first half or against in the game against Miami. He has imaging, has had imaging done uh, and there's nothing on it yet, but we'll see what happens with the Duke's uh star guard. Diannata Rossi the n B a W n B as all

I don't think she is. I think is she possibly because she's won. I didn't realize she's on three NBA titles, Phoenix W three, The Mercury. Yeah, yeah, I guess I thought they had won one. And she's been around so long it's hard to remember something.

All those all those Olympic appearances, appearances, Yes, some of those women have really done a good job too of just keeping a game alive. Sueer Bird, you know again, we kind of talked about podcasts. She's you know, she's out there talking all the time, and I don't know she's I'm sure Tarassi's knew the same thing. They do

The Los Angeles Lakers stick on the Dallas Mavericks last night and Luka Dunch's first game against his former team.

They prevailed, and all he wanted to do was sleep afterwards. Yeah, there's a lot of probably a lot of pressure emotionally, emotionally and mentally. Yeah, it's glad it's over. That's what he said afterwards, is pretty emotional.

Last thing I got is the Sun's lost to the Grizzlies last night, but kind of a interesting game, you know, final score one fifty five to ninety nine combined points. It's it's one of those new modern NBA games, right, two hundred and ninety nine points. Sons are tough to watch. I don't know about you, and I don't really watch them that often.

No, I know that was a good game. I didn't watch it. What I saw.

Yeah, I don't get it, you know. I mean, they got three superstars, but they're ever healthy.

The other teamers are good too. Memphis is like the second best team in the West. Yeah, that's true. Run and whoever else they have.

I mean I looked that box score. I mean, like you said, two hundred and whatever, two ninety nine. That's pretty crazy. And there are a lot of guys scored a lot of points. I mean they're like four or five guys over twenty.

Yeah, it's all for breaking news. Okay, maybe we got about two or three minutes. If you guys want to call anybody wants to call them, fill in the time real quick. Glad to hear from you. We heard from Gabe the other day. Was it yesterday you, Gabe?

No?

Maybe yesterday. I don't think it was just two days ago, Gabe. You were here with Gabe? Right? No, maybe today's Wednesday. I think Monday, wasn't it, Gabe? You remember Gabe?

Right?

The guy's kind of upset about everything. Gabe, Well, who isn't It's welcome to two right, or to every to the world, you know. Yeah, a couple of stories here about Gronkowski. Have you seen this? He's done?

There's all the rumors of him he may do another comeback. Apparently he was on some show this.

Week, was the Raiders. I don't know what the Chargers. Wherever he's living these days, he's like thirty two is thirty eighth, four time Super Bowl champs. How old he's got to be? In his mid thirties? We got a call, We got a call. Okay, Hello, you're on the air. Nine on the ball. Who's this? Hey, Steve, this is done? Don go ahead. You got about two minutes, I dave. Okay, two quick things.

You know what I'm gonna do tomorrow morning after the game tonight, No, I'm gonna wake up to a sunny tuc Sunday.

Oh man, you and hopefully Ben the others.

Well, everybody's gonna wake up to it. How they deal with it is something else.

We'll see what.

Uh.

The other thing I wanted to say is I keep hearing about, you know, the remarks that were made after postgame and everything at the U A and and what I got to say about that is the closest people.

To the situation that should have.

Apologized have done so, and that that should basically end the conversation. The BYU Students section is not above reproach. It wasn't but a couple of years ago that they did they hurt some I read I read or heard someplace that they had done some set some racial things to a predominantly black women's basketball team up there. These things happen, like we've been saying about our players and everything. These are young people that do stupid things sometimes and hopefully they learn from it.

You're right, right, good call, done, appreciate it, good call. They're right. I mean there's no right answer. I mean, there is the right answer, but they did.

There is the right answer, and it's still next stupid.

Yeah, and it's exactly what I was going to try to say.

Yeah, I mean the EYUS fans went after a duke. Yeah, volleyball player. Yeah, I remember that three or four years ago. That was pretty nasty.

Yeah, it's a world where yeah, it's just kind of strange. Well, thanks, don I appreciate your call. We got to go to take a break. Take care, guys. Thank you. We have Jason Barr on the other side, and we'll get ahold of him and then talk about what's going on in the world. We walked after the game to their cars after the game, and I can't remember he brought up a point. I'll see if you can remember what it was.

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Breaking down all the xs a os. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to light abou dare to Fox Sports Sport teen fifty. I'm Si Rivera. In with me. Today's Dave Silver. Now on the phone. We have Jason bar from KIGUN nine. Jason, how are you good?

Steven Dave? How are you?

We're doing well? Thank great. I was telling Dave Dave here that you and I are leaving to our cars on Saturday night, I think it was, and you brought up a point and we got to the car and I can't remember what the heck the point was. Do you remember what we were talking about?

Well, yeah, you know, I was just talking about some of the flaws that this Arizona basketball team has. You know, it doesn't mean that they can't go far.

But obviously it's it's not a great shooting team, right.

You know, we see that certainly with Caleb Love, who.

Runs hot and cold. Jayden Bradley is not a great shooting point guard, maybe not a great dribbler, right, And then you.

Know Tommy Lloyd has criticized Anthony del Orso a little bit, and he does want to shoot more. And you know that's you're kind of your starting one, two and three. You know, we seems some really good improvement with the big men, but you know, area's on the basketball team that's probably just not at the upper echelon of the Auburns and the Dukes and the Saint John's and frankly the Houstons of the college basketball world right now.

And then in your observations, I think that Tommy's admitted that it's just not a good shooting team, so they have to be better at a Yeah.

Yeah, there's no great news bullets in there.

Yeah.

And he was saying how they were kind of casual coming into the game, which isn't really a good sign for any team. Did you notice that just watching that, they just didn't seem like they were like the caret is maybe at the beginning.

No, I really think it was BYU's offense was was really good. I mean, yeah, you could make a case they were running maybe some of the same sets and Arizona should have had an answer later, but that's a really good offensive.

Team, and so on that case, I don't really.

Think they were casual. I didn't really see that. I think maybe you could say, well, Okay, they went at BYU, so you know, they go to McHale where they almost always win, and so they were probably going to have their way there, but I don't think so. I mean, they had a twenty two to seventeen lead if I'm not mistaken in the first half.

Yeah. Yeah, how are things that channel line on you? You're busy one man bean pretty much, and you get into.

A v I get a videographer. When a videographer is available, I get one. And that's not always the case for sports people right now in the country. So the station's been good to me. But yeah, you know, that's more of the business than k Gun is probably.

The one man band, no situation.

But you're doing the same things. You know, like I tell you the last time you were here, you're more of a storyteller. At least that's what the station's doing.

Now, how's that going, No, that's going really well, thanks for asking.

I mean, yeah, so basically, you know the sports news of the day. You know when Dave was doing it. I mean, you needed Dave Silver to get your sports news, and you wanted to get your sports news from Dave Silver, right if I had to have really good self awareness. Right now, I'm not sure you need Jason Barr to get your sports dues. Okay, you can get it from the internet, Twitter, you have a website, right So to try to stay relevant, what we're doing is just telling

Story maybe on Friday, so.

We'll see how it goes. And just kind of doing stories like that and just kind of getting really deep in the community because you just don't need to tell you that Lebron James is forty years old and.

Is having big games. I mean it's just, you know, I just can't do that better than anybody else.

You know.

The cool thing too, I remember about this time of year, and you're right. I mean it's always fun to do the you know, these stories away from the main games. But February and March used to just be like, oh my gosh, when am I going to sleep? I mean, there was so much going on. Of course, we've lost Spring training, but we've got the WBC coming for a week.

That's going to be fun for everybody.

We just had Rodeo, but we have you know, we used to have the golf tournament right around that time, So the February and March and then you know they start weaving in, you know, the NCAA stuff alongside softball and baseball going So these months are kind of the heyday for local sports from at least from what I remember.

Yeah, coul of.

Guard will be here with the World Baseball Classic, Yeah, next week, so we had that, and of course you don't gear it up to March badness. So so yeah, you know, we certainly of that. A lot a lot of that going on, and sports and Tucson is is I'm sure you know, David, I don't think we ever.

Talked about this, but boy, you know, it's very very seasonal, right.

We don't have a lot here going on in June, and you got so much going on in November with the overlap. So you know, Steve, I'm sure you've kind of felt that way too, but so we you know, really what month you're in makes a big difference here in Tucson especially.

That's why June and July and August.

I leave for a couple of weeks in June.

I do every year, yes, yes, no question. So so what do you you talked about the men's basketball team. What do you make of the women's basketball team.

You know, they're a scrappy bunch and I think they play hard, but I don't think we're seeing the five star players that we were seeing a few years.

Ago when after that she recruited from the championship game appearance, and you know, I think that this team and these players really reflect a Da Barnes and that they're they're play hard defense, and they're scrappy, and maybe they were some of a couple of them were overlooked. But there's a part of.

Me that's like, ah, you know, we are those.

Five stars that we thought we were gonna get that he was recruiting off the championship team.

So, you know, I'm a little bit mixed, and I don't really know if that's the situation or if it's an nil situation that they just don't have the budgets of some of the other women's teams.

We don't really know what's under the hood, you know, because I think that maybe we were got a little bit greedy and thought, Okay, they were gonna go to the championship game, They're going to be a top ten team every year, and I don't know that that looks like that's going to be the case. So I'm interested to hear your opinion on the on the women's situation. But I'll tell you what it's. It's it's a good product. It's an enjoyable situation to watch. And boy, they had

Maybe not when yeah, no, it was when Naya Buds was here. Yeah no, there was not a lot of people here.

No, I mean that was just I would sometimes go to the games and we sometimes didn't didn't even really cover them, so maybe show the score, right Yeah, yeah.

No, David, I didn't.

I didn't cover my first few years here, and uh, you know I I was a.

Little surprised, and somebody called me up and They're like, no, Idea building something really strong, and I'm like, oh, I believe I want to see it right And then sure enough that was the case, and.

And so so, you know, the good.

Stories and good to cover. I think I just got a little greedy and was hoping that they were going to be top ten every year.

Yeah, no, it makes for a good story. In fact, when they had the the n I T W N I T whatever it was, and I went to a couple of games just to be as a fan of never Ever and I said this a lot during that time. Never ever would have ever thought that that place would have been fool like it was for that. And then they just continued, It just continued because they love Idea.

Yeah, oh yeah, she is, uh you know, she's the program and uh and for sure, yeah, she's you know, without her, goodness, gracious, we might go back to where we were before. And it looks like we got a little tired relief last night. I don't know if you saw, but Montea Do went down, and you know, she's the player who tore ACL a year or so ago. Also lost her mom kind of at the same time, and she was carried off the court, but she came back and apparently in the postgame Idea said that it's not

Yeah, twelve right right right.

You know, it reminds me to again, I guess maybe just harping back to when I was there with softball. I mean, we didn't know anything about softball up until they kind of won a national championship, and then next thing you know, we're covering them every year. So it's kind of similar. You have you go back like thirty years as to what happened with that program, because nobody nobody in their right mind was out there covering them.

And then next thing, you know, talk.

About a tenants.

I think softball I lead in the country in attendance. Now I don't know that that was sans per game, but I'm talking about this year. I don't know that.

It's stands per game.

I think it's total fans, and they've had a bunch of home games, but I saw a statistic where they would leading the nation in attendant.

Yeah, and it's a different crowd, but it's a fun crowd and always enjoyable games that when you're winning and you're fifteen and two, guess what they do? They show up and the game's last an hour and a half too.

Yeah SOMETI Well, yeah, that's a really enjoyable I mean, now baseball basically baseball is kind of fixed it with the pitch clock and everything like that, but it is refreshing to watch those softball games.

They pitched and then they get back in there and you know, it's a it's a clean game, it's a it's a good product.

So so I can't remember where you came from, ad Jason, did you when you first got here and you're in this market did you think that, Okay, I'll be here a couple of years and move on to the next road, because that's typically what you guys do. But you must love Tucson.

Yeah, I probably thought.

That was going to happen. You know, it's you know.

It's very petitive and and and the station's treated me well and and so here I am still going until be thirteen years in April, so you know, it's uh, you know, there's definitely a lot worse places you could be, for sure. I mean, you know, Dave stayed it for a while, and you know, you got a big twelve team here, you know, Packball formerly a big twelve team year, and you're you're one hundred miles from Phoenix, and uh, you know, there's a lot going on. So it's a

That was kind of your situation too, really very much.

So, I mean I stayed because I was I was happy covering what I was covering, too. It was it was an easy place to live, and there was a lot going on. I think teams good teams to cover, you know, Hall of Fame coaches in a lot of different sports, and there's a lot two suns of a lot going for And again this is you know, a while back. So things have changed, and the town's grown and there's you know, the university's grown. I wish there was a little bit more professional sports. That's a shame

Yeah, you know, I had an opportunity a few years ago and it was like a sports director job, top thirty five market or top forty market, and you know.

What, I looked at the whole situation and I'm like, this isn't really better than what I'm doing right now, you.

Know, And so I kind of took myself out of the running of that, and I think I was runner up for a couple of big time things. You didn't get it, you know, you don't hear about the person who doesn't, you know, here about the person.

Who gets it right. So so yeah, no, I'm still here, and frankly, I'm lucky to be here. I mean, I mean, look at what happened in Channel four. They laid off their sports director. You know, thirteen's down to one guy, and you know, it's it's not a you know, it's not a great situation at a lot of places because, like I was saying before, you don't need the guy

So in the last two months, I'll give you two months time frame here, what have been your top two stories, Probably not involving probably anything that we know, because it's always something quirky or out of the box.

We covered Cleo Robinson's final game as a high school referee.

After forty seven years.

We had him on. He was fantastic.

Yeah, so you can get it's on kagun nine dot com.

And we miked him up for the fourth quarter. We miked him up for the fourth quarter and we kind of did that story. So that was a lot of fun.

And the one I'm working on now, which is going to air tomorrow, I think we'll be good on Jaden Agasy And you know, of course, I think let me let me read my script here and what I say it's.

Something like, oh yeah, it's a question. He's been asked dozens, well maybe hundreds of times, but he was nice enough.

To answer it again today. Why is Jaden Agassy.

The son of Stebbie Groff and Andre Agacy, a baseball player?

And I'll tell you what his answer was.

I won't make you know, uh, I won't.

The answer is he picked up a tennis racket and he tried to hit you know, was a little kid, of course, and he tried to hit the ball as far as he could instead of keeping it between the lines.

So he said.

Baseball is a sport for me. So that that's the answer. But then it goes into you know, you know, more more in depth than that. But I think that's going to run tomorrow.

I don't want to promise it, just in case things change, but but that's kind of a fun one. Yeah.

His mom has become quite a pickleball player. I understanding tickleball now.

I saw there's a league or something. There's a saw.

I think both parents are.

I think I saw Agassy talking about that and I say, you know, in tennis, you try to end the point as soon as you can. And you know, pickle ball is a little different. I I you know, I respect pickleball, and.

We've done a lot of tickleball stories, but I still prefer tennis to get really honest.

Yeah, you've said about Augusty, So did you have a could you explain why are you doing the story? Because I know why you're doing the story, but obviously you had a chance to talk to him.

Because yeah, So he's playing for Germany in the World Baseball Classics, in the qualifiers. So the qualifiers coming here next week. It's four countries vying for two spots, China, Brazil, Columbia and Germany. And restrictions are pretty loose, right, so if you just have one parent who's born in a country, you can play for that country. So Team Germany called

Yeah. No, Well when you have that name, you can get open doors somewhere, So that's good. Good for you, Jason, thanks for joining us.

Yeah, my pleasure, Steven.

Good to chat with you.

And we'll see soon.

We'll see maybe the night. Are you going to the game?

I'm not. My coworker Erond's covering.

Oh okay, great, okay, good, We'll see you sometime soon. Thank you. Jesso.

Definitely be at THEASU game.

Oh yeah, of course, don't be yelling at Bobby.

Tell you what imagine if Hurley and Padilla.

Are there and they get into it to.

Bage, what that see is going to be like a Vicale center.

You might have to you might have to write about do that story.

Then that's right, right, that's right.

Thanks Jason, appreciate you guys. All right, take care. Let's take a break here, maybe get some time for some calls. We got a lot of time on the other side. 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 Lute, 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,

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Streaming live on the iHeartRadio while this is Eye on the Ball with Steam Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to About your Sports sporteen fifty. Steve Rivera, your name Silver, You're one. We got about thirteen minutes, so we should I just saw that we haven't get baseball. Baseball creditis football credentials for the spring practice. When the spring practice start of March eighteenth. That's pretty soon. Yeah, wow, already three weeks.

So now they got to find a new defensive coordinator coordinator.

But we did yesterday briefly that it happened kind of in the day. Yeah, yeah, it was kind of like overnight or whatever. Yeah, dwinne Keina leaving and he had been so all over being back, right, the thrill of being back, you know, and all that. But I'm assuming money, money talks, money talks, I know what Texas. Mine doesn't talk to me, not at all.

I haven't spoken in twenty two years.

You'll be the voice for the voiceless.

Yeah, Money, it's pretty interesting though, I mean, you're right, and he because he had such a you know, a long history here and then he comes back and they made such a big to do when he was here, and to go back to Texas again, what did they win the national championship when he.

Was there with May? Was he part of that, Vince Young don't.

I'm not sure exactly, but I know that he was on some winning teams with that, with that program.

And then when Jetfish was he he s out of yes to Texas. Yeah, yes, he was part of it. He was from and one to twenty thirteen. Yeah, it was a long run. Yeah. And when Jed left and everyone talked about, well, why not just give the job to Dwayne. You know he's got that guy. He's more of a good assistant. Yeah.

That has always been his role, right, And in fact, there was a point I think when he was here years ago, I think he was even an offensive coach at one point. Yeah, he flipped from offensive defense and back and forth. Yeah, and his kids went to Mountain View and played you know, high school football and stuff, so they were kind of in the news from that generation as well for a few years.

It was kind of fun for him to come back. Yeah, and I enjoyed when I covered the team in the late eighties, he was part of it, and you could see why. Then we talked a lot, obviously, and you did two with him, but you can easily see, and this is part of my coaching matters that if you have a good coach, you play your ass off for them, and he was that guy that they played their ass off for him. Tough on him, but they played played hard for him.

Yeah, they had some good teams, had some I mean that obviously this last year wasn't great, but a year ago that was a pretty good defense. He was you know, one of the he was was was a Johnny Nansen or I guess that was a couple even further back. But you know, they did pretty well, had some good dbs. I think to Caario Davis, who unfortunately left to go up to Washington, I'm sure he was part of his growth and maturity, and there were a few other defensive

Also, who do you think fills that spot? Yeah? Any idea? No, I don't know. But they won't be that dynamic. I mean maybe they will, but it's like when you I'll never find the girl, You'll never and then you just what you find one. You won't find one that's uh yelling at you from across the other side of the field.

Though.

Yeah, he's the old guy that I pissed him off. Yeah, you could be chewing gum wrong. He'll call you out for it. Right. Well, here's the thing. Do you think they'd bring uh oh gosh, I don't know.

I don't know if he's got the hunger, if he still wants to coach, I mean we have to ask him.

I would assume, so timing and circumstances and all that, right, I mean, I mean the doors open maybe right there for him if he wants to. We'll see what happens. Because Ricky settled, I think in his role of you know, kind of like being the shake hands kiss babies blah blah blah. You know, hello on Ricky. Any one of those jobs do you have? Okay? Everybody? That costs? Oh, Dave?

You men.

I was a kid and you were doing this show and I saw you at the Brick Center and the bus.

Right.

They don't say, Steve, a you remember me? This is you know what was me? This is what was me? Time? Why do you have you here? Dave? Me right now? Man, it's spam, just spam. Likely they're not calling the show. They're just calling. Yea, we do have a call, though, we do. Hello, You're on the air line of the ball Who's this? Who's this? Hey?

Dave?

Hey, Steve Howard.

Okay, hey, here's a question for Dave. Does that forty four years include like your internships at college or whatever?

No, my first my first day on the air was February fourth, nineteen eighty in TV.

And then no, you're like, so you're like Jay's.

Age, right, So then again, if you think about it, the only thing that always reminds me is that the Miracle on Ice happened like two weeks later, like right, it just happened the anniversary we just had it. So that was like, oh my gosh and again people ever, I don't know if anybody listening remembers, but you know,

That's kind of a cool way. When I was eighty four and the boycott of the Olympics. Olympics, Yeah, it was discordy strange what I.

Got forty four years in, like Dave, but I didn't only grind it for like thirty eight when you're the boss is done on the construction site and besides playing doing construction like mad and I just I did too much just to break my body. I played basketball, Danny Ross, you know, like twenty years ago and fifteen and twenty three years ago at you'd all. So when you're in construction and then you're playing basketball too, that's quite a beating.

So let me ask you that Dave asked you this question because he asked it earlier and you might be able to answer it. Don't go too long with it. You asked about the sounds. You asked what the Suns.

Okay, I'll tell you what.

It was great last night.

Wait wait wait wait, So they have these three guys, why and why are they so just?

I mean, you know, you think with the nucleus like that, there'd be a little bit more success, and they've been.

There's gonna be.

You still, it's a five man team, right, and there's more to it than that. And then that bull has he got rid of nerd chic. But Ball was coming to his own. All of us on Facebook or acts ever, were saying, why is it he playing Bowl? I mean he's young, and you take a young Any.

Center needs to have more seasoning, you know what I mean.

They're not gonna unless you're around natural like yo kick the best player in the world. You need until you get really good.

If you're not just like.

An Anthony Davis, you know, a prodigy, it takes them a good amount of time to think about it. Bo Bowl was only in college for what one year?

And he was injured?

If that right, Steve, yep, And so he's only like twenty four.

He is really good.

The Sons had four players at twenty points and then they got the fifth, and who do you think the fifth was? Durant. Four people had twenty points before Durant. Wow, and and and and then Booker fouled out and Bobol had twenty and it's like it was a great game, even though he came up short. It was we just played fantastic.

You may be you know, you may be the only one or two people I know in Tucson pix Suns fan.

Yeah, but I'm the biggest Suns fan. And not only the biggest, because you know, I had a record. I don't until Dave's gonna learn this from the time they went they left the McDowell matt House to McDowell till they're the new Digs. I had a streak and I'm not rich. Twenty two to twenty three years in a row, I went to at least one Son's game in person. So your other person, you know, has no record like that.

About getting in the hot water. Two years in a row.

I got going now and I want to go this year. But you know, they're they're still good. I think they're going to get it together in the year, but you know, it's they're too far in a hole.

I mean a lot of us kind of you forget that they were the only game in town in the valley for forever really until the cars showed.

Up, you know.

And yeah, yeah, the Diamondbacks are good. But I always said when they won their twenty twenty, they mortgage their future twenty five years. I don't care if they made the World Series a year or two ago. They ain't kind of getting near there again for another ten or fifteen years because you're just not good enough with the Dodgers. The Dodgers, you know, they they'd just hire everybody, they get everybody good.

Yankees.

You know, my Cubs will get there way before them.

And I don't think the Cubs are getting there for ten years.

Let's Diamondbacks are now, you know, talking about their stadium issues. I mean the place was built obviously when they you know, when they cut it downtown.

Ninety two, it was ninety two, ninety eight, No, the.

Diamondbacks was ninety oh yeah, yeah, yeah, ninth nine, yeah, ninety eight nine.

Whatever.

Yeah, So they're you know, they're already talking about you know, some stadium problems.

Moving that three years ago. Yeah, resolutions knows how that's gonna play it, Frank.

And they're trying to trade the Cardinals.

They're trying to trade the jockey.

That's my good friend.

We call Kyler Murray the jockey, you know, because you're short. We call him the jockey.

And he had season tickets.

Until the jockey's gone.

He's not getting them again.

Howard, if you have to explain the joke, it's not a joke anymore. Thank you, bye bye, We'll see you. Thank you, thank you, good call. Thanks to hours for calling. Always appreciate you. What the Cardinals? What I don't? Cardinals have the draft coming up? You know, something looking forward to? So yesterday, who's surprised the hecad of me? I guess, uh? Kiper has a team a going twenty second. I thought he was like a top five. It depends on really is that low?

Yeah, that's what shocked me, huh, because I saw one where he was sixth, like to the Raiders, the.

Raiders right, something right, right, and all of a sudden he's the twenty second.

I guess a lot of it really, Honestly, when you think about it. I mean, they're the ones that are looking at really closely. He's been like, what do these teams really need? Did you need a receiver to some of these teams even need you know, something like that that they got to pay a fortune to.

Or are you verifying me? My sorcers? I can.

I was looking as we were talking about the Cardinals. Uh, that the nfl PA grades came out. The Cardinals were dead last in grades. What's Pete Player Association? Oh, in terms of what facilities?

Blah blah blah. I'm getting the whole, the whole. They're cheap. I think they're cheap, aren't They were known for being cheap, and they're notorious. Are being sued too, I think at for whatever reason. Yeah, I'm not sure. Let's go ahead and see if we can find I could be wrong. I apologize. Oh yeah, number sixteen in the first round. They're here too. If the Cardinals have that's okay. I was thinking about that.

Pics for a second every round actually number sixteen overall, so they.

Can Yeah, we'll see. You know, I use a Cardinal FA.

No, I mean only because they're on, but nowadays you can I don't know, just everybody's on.

Sure, Yeah, how do you watch a game? I usually do red Zone. That's all I do. Honestly, that's all I do.

I mean I almost forget that the games are even on, and that's why I'll look, oh, that game's on Locally, I don't know, it just depends, but usually the red zone.

That's why one of the reasons why I have a d D because you have all these games and move them every two seconds. Yeah, you know the ticker, you know, that's why everybody does. I mean, you have the flashing lights and the please enough.

Yeah, I mean there were times I don't know about what the work environment was like at the paper, but in TV you really sometimes had to be doing like three or four things at the same time, whether it's recording a game or writing a story or you know, doing a phone call. I mean sometimes that's kind of how your day goes. And as I got away from the business, that's sort of the same thing.

Watching games.

You're also you know, playing with your laptops or whatever during the game.

I'm the same way. Everybody knows groomed that way, except not on Twitter. You are still on Twitter because of that x X formerly known as Twitter, anybody call, we know we've got to you got no more time? Right about a minute? About a minute? No, No, have fun at the game. Good luck. Hopefully the fans are good. They'll be good. You know they'll be good. Do you think they'll be bring back story. I don't think it'll

Yeah?

Upper deck? Right, We talked about that.

It's disappointing from a student's standpoint that that thing should never be not filled.

Hmm.

Yeah.

You know, like if you're like looking for a ticket like this afternoon, those tickets are available up in those bar reaches in the corner.

And once you see people outside saying hey ticket really, yeah, they still do that. Did you do a story? You did a story about that last year. When I see you talking to the fans outside.

It was the beginning of the season, just talking to I talked to them about the dynamic of oh women's playing that day to start the season.

Expectation they did it again, not read long. I think I think they got a double header. Yeah, the double they had. No, they had one, uh noon and then six or whatever.

Time.

You give a quick shout out to the w b C the Baseball Classic. I'll be out there doing public address, which I've never really done. So it's going to be interesting. Your voice of Dave Silver inside Keno Stadiums. So that's got coming out names. I'm practicing, are you? I got the names last night? Looked at him just what did I do myself? I've got China, we got we got China. We got Brazil and Colombia and Germany. So it's going

Thanks everybody.

Thanks