Wednesday, June 4, Hour 2

Breaking down all the apses and ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty eight.

Hey, welcome back to winning the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty I'm Steve Rivera. You're blake, eager, You're one. Is this your last one? You can do it? Okay? Breaking news.

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

Happy Wednesday to everyone out there, Yours truly Mihitolindo, Goodie two shoes, one last time breaking news. Let's get into it, starting with some Arizona athletics. We've talked about it almost all week. We talked about it with coach Lopez. Arizona plays in the Super Regional and Chapel Hill against number one North Carolina, no number one, number one in the region. But they're gonna play Friday at nine am.

So let me ask you this. Having played the game for a long time, I played my level, I can't remember home field advantage being that big of a deal in baseball. You play, you play right. And he talked about that, and he talked about that at least a well you pitch, you pee, blah blah blah is it.

I don't think so, I don't.

Listen, it's kind of you know, you have a routine at home, so it's a little easier, sleep in your own bed, it's a little bit easier.

But I tended to pitch better on the road. Yeah, I think so too. It's not really that big of a deal to me. But again, I'm not a player.

So it's not the same as basketball, right, it's not. It's not gonna be the same as football. It's I don't think that the crowd.

I don't think the crowd place a factor as well.

Maybe, but I don't think maybe. Maybe we'll see if Arizona travels a little bit, right, you just need a couple of fans behind.

Yeah, but if you're good, we don't worry about that crap. Like he said, I thought that explanation. Listen, that's what he's really good at. You know, Hey, if you're gonna beg for pitches, be better with those pitches.

Yeah, you've got to get out of jams there. I mean, they're they're I think they're ready to roll. I think Chipper's got them ready to go.

It seems like that type of team where they don't really care about any type of noise or really about the other team. They're just going to go and try out and do their own thing. So do they have momentum, But then I'm asking for a reason.

Yes, it does. North Carolina.

Yeah, they're well, they're one of the best teams in the country.

That's I think the momentum wise, I think they're expected to win and that can bite them in the butt.

And that's what what do you say fatal? Yeah success? Yeah, I love that too.

Yeah.

He comes up with, do you I'm going to use it? Oh yeah, yeah, me too. There was another one that he said when he was here. He said, I must get a hat for it. Be good yeah or be gone? Yeah, because you ain't good. Yeah, you're out there. Yeah I love that.

Yeah, it's phenomenal.

Yeah.

Yesterday, the Arizona soccer schedule came out. Uh, the entire month of September, they'll be at home the women's soccer team, women's soccer team. That's kind of a nice thing. The whole how many games almost theme almost a game to one to have six games in the month of September only one road game.

Oh so they do have a broad game. Well, you just lied, So he did a correction after.

It's because I saw a tweet earlier as said they don't they won't leave in the month of September, but.

I need a formal im that's like a prior statement.

You're good. It's a it's a correction on the front page. Correction, always corrections On a Wednesday.

Arizona Gymnastics has also signed Sadie Smith transfer from Arkansas. She didn't get to compete a lot in her first in her one season at Arkansas, but she will more than likely make an impact quickly in Tucson. They're coming in, they're going. How is the gymnastics program really good? I mean, I know I read a little bit about it. They've come a long way and they're they're pretty good this year for the first well they're good.

This got better.

Yeah, it's it's one of those programs where you just be patient and the winds will come.

It also helps not having U C, l A and USC and no Sanford Division anymore.

Yeah, I think you asked about this ripe of before we came back on. The College Softball World Series is happening tonight, Game one, Texas Tech and Texas all Big twelve showdown.

Yeah, final, well yeah final, Yeah.

Yeah.

Who you're taking I'm taking. I'm taking Texas the Juggernaut.

Yeah.

And you got the transfer, the transfer from Stanford. Here's something silly.

But I saw more softball in the last two weeks. Don't have all year, but I saw more softball than baseball the last two weeks.

Yeah. Because the one.

The games go fast and the girls are fantastic. I love watching its fantastic. I listen, We've had this conversation. I don't watch college baseball college. Yeah, and then just how they play, and she's a fantastic pitcher. You gotta go through. And I even posted on Facebook is who doesn't if you hadn't watched it, and you watched it, how could you not fall in love with his game?

Yeah? It gives you all the feels.

Just Steve's favorite sport, hockey. The hockey rings.

The Panthers and the Oilers start game one at five o'clock as well Stanley Cup Final.

So I was prepared for this with you, and I said to myself, for your joys, I won't even if you asked me the guests, who's it, I wouldn't tell you. I couldn't tell you I wouldn't go.

Edmonton be the first time that Canada's won to Stanley Cap since nineteen ninety three.

Wow, bring it home. This is a match as well from from last year. So this is the second edition of oiler.

Who's gonna say something stupid about it? Well, I mean we'll publicly. You've been doing it all day? Why stop?

Now?

Why stop?

Now?

That's nice. We welcome to I on the Ball with Joe Schmoe starting tomorrow on you just got You're not leaving your show.

Careful that goes very real quick for you, Steve. Yesterday, the Diamondbacks played the Braves. I think I believe it was the game one of that series. They won eight to three, kind of trying to get out of a slump, trying to get momentum.

Yeah, that West is tough, right, I mean, you've got the Rockies. I'm just.

Right now.

Yeah, we had this conversation, would you rather go to? I mean, Miami played Colorado the other day. I don't know if you guys saw that. There was a I think they. I think the official sold tickets was twelve for that game.

I here's my opinion.

My opinion is that Florida does not deserve to have a baseball team Miami or Tampa Bay. Like you won World Series in Miami, the fans never you never drew fans. Tampa Bay has consistently had a playoff team and a good team and a great product, and they can't draw. They need to leave. I'm sorry, they don't deserve a team. What do you think the problem is? It's all transplants. I mean, and when I lived in South Florida, everybody was a Yankees fan. Well on the east coast Zona, yeah,

So no, no, no, Welcome to the University of Arizona. Yeah, where the natives are the natives, but the people are mostly from Iowa, Minnesota, YadA, YadA. They have no have no attachment to Ituville.

Yeah Louisville.

Oh you still wear your red over there. Hope you don't do it too much because you might be in trouble.

When I had this conversation, now you're gonna have to help me this. So I was having this conversation with Sarah Horvath last week. We were she's a director of Kenos Complex and we were on a we were on a virtual meeting and I said Louisville and she was looked at me like I was creaty.

She goes, what are you talking about?

I was like, Louisville and she's like and I was like, Louisville in Kentucky. She's like, well I She was trying to spell it and I was like, it's Louisville. I was like, do you not and she's like, it's louis I say Louisville and I was like, that is the most improper way to say the city's name. I also corrected my mom the other day for Prescott. She called it Prescott and she lost her mind.

Yeah, she's your mom. Whatever you say, Mom. We got a call.

Breaking the hold that hello you know the.

Air and night of the ball.

How did this happen?

Hello?

Hello? Who's this?

This is.

Dad?

Okay, oh my god? Love it?

Bring up? I get the tissue. Go ahead, Uh now for long.

I want to say very proud of him and thank you guys for the guidance and experience he's had with you. The one question I have is to you, guys, what is your mount Rushmore of interns. Oh god, his mama, and his mama says thank you.

Okay, yes, of course. By the way, did you have a graduation party? I was not invited. That that's pretty good. It's pretty good, rister Serrano. He does make he does crack the list. He does crack the well, let's clear the error. We have it on record. I am number one, hell number one. However, there be corrections on those last Yes, No, he was good. We loved having him, very bright.

Depending on the vacancy in Kentucky.

When you're right right, you know that's true, here's the number one. Then tomorrow, glad to have him. You raised a good kid, and I don't say that very often. You is a good kid. Thank you, thanks for listening to that's my listener. Good night, we got to go. Thank you. Thank you again. To continue with breaking news, No.

Not really quick. That was super sweet. You're you're probably a little embarrassed right now, but when you get older.

You definitely got hot in here right now?

Yeah, I told you, Yeah, no, but that was really sweet.

We other intens have done that.

Okay, uh so, can to continue with the MLB and the Blazing Rockies.

They won three straight.

I know they're hot.

First.

I think that's the first uh three games sweep since.

May of last year.

The opponents team, Hey, don't call them win straight, right, it's a hot straight right now.

They're on they've never gone you know what, they have momentum, they have a little run.

They get some of the players on that team too. I don't know, I mean they can't get any pitching. Their pitching is awful.

A little sidetracked into the w n B A some Arizona connection here with Aery McDonald and having some play good significant amount of playing time, uh and their win against the Washington Mystic eighty five seventy six. She had seven points, but her it was more of an energy presence with her performance.

Right, they rapped about her, not too many, but yeah, she was great because of Caitlin's gone. Right.

Yeah, they have a couple I think at least three that are in.

And they've made an exception for her. Just send her on an exception clause or whatever it was.

She Yeah, what pick did she go? She went third?

I was gonna say number two in twenty one. Would you say her w NBA career lived up to that? I don't know, because I don't know. I don't know the NBA has it finished. She's still super what I mean, she's what twenty eight? Well, here's the problem. Here's about Yeah, but I think here's the problem. But I think they talked about this last year when they had all these great, fabulous rookies, who a lot of rookies didn't make the roster because the rosters are so small.

Right, so there's a very Okay, they're good, they're good enough, but we don't have enough places to put down. Yeah, so you know, what do you do? You know, I only have a two bedroom house. I can put two people in there. Yeah, that's true. So but I do I think she's only four years, five years removed from what she does. And she's twenty six. She's pretty good twenty six, she's on her prime. Yeah, we'll see what happens. Well, she'll all be connected to the legacy here again. And

Tomorrow, Game one of the NBA Final starts, the Pacers visit the Thunder. Uh and Thunder are pretty favored almost at ten point.

Yeah, at point. But do you know what the odds are. I think I saw seven hundred minus seven hundred. It's not worth doing it. But the Pacers had a little little side trip. I think they're gonna I think they're gonna give them a game.

No, it's gonna be I think it's gonna be really good.

Serious.

I don't know. It might be over and five, but it will be a fun serious. Is there a prediction?

Six?

I said six, you said okay, see in six, Yeah, I wan'll do okay see in five.

Yeah, which is good. I'll be the J real quick Pacers and six. Yeah that is a J pick.

Yeah, I hope so t J.

Ben, Yeah, that's how I hope. Well, you were wearing red. That's all you're wearing.

Today's the block A big news, big news in Arizona. Well maybe maybe not to you, Steve, but the Sons have hired Cabs assistant in Geordia as their next head coach. So they did hire him, because that was the rumor this morning that that would do you.

Know who is I don't know me either, you either. I've tried assistant assistant from Cleveland, right in Cleveland. What is the background besides that you see what.

They have to me to me, and this is he's been an assistant coach since twenty twelve, rooted in principles of strong offense and defensive creativity.

Okay, whatever the hell that means, momentum moments. Yeah, well to me, and then forgive me for those who are big Suns fans, Howard that they're just rearranging deck chairs in the Titanic. It's continued to be a bad.

The turnover the coaching carousel in the NBA is wild to me. Yes, I mean the Knicks just fired their coach and they finished what they finished them.

They went to the final, Yeah, the first time since when the Suns well forever to two thousand, two thousand. So, but look look at the Suns. I think they've lost the fired three head coaches in the last three four years.

I thought it was four for four since the finals. That could be, yeah, because I think it was Williams. Williams had one year after that, they had that last next the next year where it was like a record of med DeAndre record breaking year they had thirtif.

I mean, it's the same thing we've talked about in one you and I and Ray and I had this conversation before, is that it's it's a player driven league, right, and it should be to the point, but they're making decisions now and they're they're saying, I don't want to player anymore. You're gonna have to trade me, Like that's wild to me. And so now they're saying, why I

Yeah, well that's I think your reasons for getting out. I don't know what your reasons are forgetting out. But you talked about the kid, YadA YadA. There's a lot of different things with parents, YadA YadA. I wouldn't I wouldn't deal with it. I just wouldn't one want to deal with it.

No, And then I think about it, I'm like, man, they still have to pay him out of his contract. He never has to work a day in his life ever again. Literally, I'm like, sign me up. Yeah, I'll figure out hobbies. I'm going to the record store every day. I'm play golf, I'm stupid pickleball.

If I have for most a show called Eye in the ball.

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm not coming in every day today.

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Okay, it's a good college list. Yeah, okay, this goal come back with Michael Love.

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Streaming live on the Ihearts Radio AaB This is I on the Ball with Steve Raverra on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to my the ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty oder Steve Rivera and with me today is Blake Eager and now on the phone we have there was one a daily start callingist Michael lev Michael, how are you good?

How are you guys?

We're doing well? Thank you? You'd come in from Oregon, take a shower and got to get out on the road again.

Basically, yes, I'm leaving day.

I'm leaving the house at three forty five am Thursday.

So it's pretty much like that.

Yes, what a life are.

You flying out of? Two enter Phoenix, Phoenix?

Yeah, yeah, okay, what do you do?

A long day? But it's all good.

Yeah, what did you see? We had Andy Lopuz on earlier and talked about, you know, there was on a cut of break right, Oregon loses to and know the kind of the road got a little simpler. What do you think of that? One of their chance what they did over the weekend and their chances moving forward.

Well, I mean they did get a break in the sense that the Post lost in pretty controversial fashion on Friday night.

But you know what, you can only control what you can control. They can't. They have nothing to do with who they play.

They just play whatever team is in the opposite dugout Kyle Poly was pretty tough, but you know, you're in such an advantageous position when you win win. They had a very fresh pitching staff going into Sunday, and they ended up, you know, over the course of the weekend not using a single pitcher more than one time, which is almost unheard of great for a weekend situation like that.

So it just feels like it feels like everything is clicking at the right time.

Out you know, that can change at a moment's notice when you're facing someone like Jake Knapp, the face for North Carolina, who's got ridiculous stats and hasn't lost the game all season, right, Like, momentum is the next day starting pitcher kind of thing. But I think they're feeling really confident right now. They're feeling really loose, and the vibes are back that were kind of missing towards the end of the regular season.

Yeah, and I think they have an advantage.

And it's like we talked about earlier, but you're going to North Carolina, They've got a kind of an few mentality right now, they've got some momentum, they're playing well, the breaks are following their way, and it's the best of three series, right.

Yeah.

I don't think they care where they're playing or whom they're playing. You know. I was happened to be on the same flight as some of the guys who are coming back, and I was just talking to them at the airport.

You know.

Oh at that time, we didn't know where they were going to go because the other game was still going, the North Carolina Oklahoma game, And they didn't seem to really care if they played at home or not. Sure they would have liked it would have been fun to, you know, play at High See one more time. But they've just kept They've embraced the road. I mean, they've

Who stuck out to you on this team in the regional as somebody to watch is when they play North Carolina.

There's a lot of candidates for that.

I would say that the top three guys in the lineup right Brandon summer Hill has been kind of disappointed with himself a little bit since he's come back. He's hitting only two eighty since returning from injury, which a lot of us would take that for him, it's, you know, not what he was hoping for, expecting. He still has had an on base percentage over or fifty. But you know, someone who can really cause a lot of damage from

Valley cal Polly seven for eleven in the.

Two games, four home runs. Another guy who can really run well. So if those two guys are on the basis, it's it's difficult for the opposition, And if one of them is on first base, you can't pitch around Mason White, who bats third. Cal Poly they pretty much didn't give Mason anything to hit on Sunday, and can you blame them? I mean, he had three home runs on Saturday. And

Yeah, to me, he's just amazing. Let me ask you, you've covered the team a while now a number of years. Give me your top four or five players, and is he among them?

I would say that he has worked his way into that conversation.

I mean, jeezus, he's seeing number two all time in home runs. I think he's number one in extra base hits.

He also has become a pretty good shortstop, not on the Nick McClary level defensively, but very reliable over there.

Has improved his range quite a bit.

You know, best players I've seen or covered over the years, if you go back to twenty sixteen, I would say Bobby Dolbeck was probably the.

Headliner on that team.

He is a really good pitcher, and if he didn't dislike pitch so much, I think he could have been really successful as a major league closer. You know, he decided to go to hitting route, and it's been up and down. He was in the majors for a while and then back down. I've had during my time a really good run of catchers, starting with Sazar Salazar, who's also been up in the big leagues with the Houston Astros. One of the strongest character guys you will ever encounter.

And then after him came this fellow named Austin Wells. May have heard of him hitting bombs for the New York Yankees.

Great athlete, someone who probably you know, shouldn't have come to Arizona, but he had an arm injury in high school and it kind of you heard his draft stock a little bit, so came to the u of A. Played the twenty nineteen season. He was unbelievably good, and he would have played the whole twenty season, but of course that season got shortcut by the pandemic. And then after him, Daniel Sussack comes along, another first round pick

Photographic memory, tons of power as well. So those are just a handful of the guys who come to mind, and there's been a lot of them.

That's a wild run for catchers, though, like h you called, you know a BA basketball's point guard you. That's catcher you status, Like you don't find that anywhere else in the country to have back to back to back.

I mean we're in big league guys behind the dish.

Yeah, a Donnas Guzman has no stocks either.

He was a very very highly rated prospect coming out of high school and someone who's definitely draftable. Has improved a lot as a hitter as after coming over from Boston College with the reputation as kind of a glove first guy.

Did have a little bit of arm fatigue arm pain during the season.

It kind of threw his throwing off, but like he's got one of the best pop times in the college game, and as someone who's definitely on the radar of MLB teams in this upcoming draft.

So let me ask you a dumb question. So, who was the the center fielder a few years back that was fantastic covered a lot of ground.

You're talking about Dante Williams.

Dante Williams, Yeah to me, Like, to me, the dude was fantastic.

He was. Yeah, Dante was a great fielder.

Number one, I think probably probably the best defensive center.

Fielder that I've covered in my time here.

And also really good at getting on base like he could, like greatly off hitter like a draw walk, get hit by pitches a lot. I'm surprised he hasn't done better in professional baseball.

There actually have.

Been several hitters from Arizona who struggled in pro ball. I don't know if it's you know, maybe there's some sort of a elevation slash ballpark bump that you get some playing down here with with the conditions at High Corbett. Maybe you know, some of the guys, you know, were coached by Jay Johnson, who's a tremendous you know, offensive coordinator, and you know, sometimes when you when you leave your your league coach, you know, you struggle to find your form.

Yeah, so does what do you think there are chances are wait? Wait, so they started with February or January whatever, Did you think that this team had what what you see now? And was there a time in the season, maybe late maybe a month ago where you said, I don't know if this team's going to make it to this point.

Yes and yes, I mean I thought before the season started that this was an Omaha caliber team, and.

It was looking that way for a while.

I mean, they were in great position, and they had that skid.

It late in the regular season.

I mean, they lost two out of three at home to Utah, which was the last place team in the league.

Then they lose the first game at Houston.

Therefore, they lost five out of six in that stretch, and it was looking pretty rough. And I have to admit, like I kind of jumped off the vandwagon at that point, like I just wasn't the vibes weren't right. I have a story coming out today about how the Vibes turned around and what was behind it. I highly encourage people to check out that story. It's something that one of

And the tagline for that is going to be viben right.

It's actually okay, I'll give a little bit. It's actually toy story.

I like it.

Tagline I love it. Yeah, well you see where that goes.

But you know you're doing here, You're just teasing the audience. We're all ready to go. This is amazing.

You know, we were talking about it a little bit earlier and I didn't bring it up, But what do you do you think you know, just reading about it, the two preseason tournaments or pre conference tournaments that they played, and they played SEC teams, They've played some high caliber teams and you're seeing that obviously Tommy Lloyd's and now

And I like the odds. I like where they're at right now.

I agree with you one thousand percent. This has been Chip Hale's scheduling philosophy since he got here. He wants to load up the preseason with elite opponents. He likes playing in these neutral site tournaments, you know, best of the best, and he feels like it, you know, it prepares them for what's to come.

It toughs them up.

They got their asses handed to them that first weekend of the season, like, they got absolutely pummeled, and a lot.

Of guys have said, you know, it's like a kind of a slap in the face. It was a wake up call and they've been a lot better team since then.

I Mean, the other thing about it is, you know, it's good for the players, right It's exciting for them to play against those teams. You're in the spotlight, you might be on TV. You know, a ton of scouts are going to be at these games. So that is a formula that has worked for Chips so far, and it's it's one that he's going to continue to pursue.

Okay, so let me say we got only two three minutes, but let me say this. You talked about Dante Williams. I might have been thinking of Chase Davis.

Well Chase, Yeah, I mean Chase primarily left field. Okay, which which they which they actually considered to be the hardest position to play at high Corbett because of the dimensions. But yeah, I mean Chase, Chase was ridiculous. Another first round draft pick, and I think it was it was the third.

One in a row.

Tremendous power, big wide stance, big leg kick, and again another guy like really high character. Is someone who very very easily could have transferred because he was a Jay Johnson recruit. He didn't have to stick around for Jack Hale, but he did, and you know, the rest was history for him and the boys.

So I'm gonna ask you to be your unbiased self. I know you're good at this. What do you think happens this weekend?

My only prediction for this weekend is I think this series is going to go the distance. I think that they're gonna split the first two games. I couldn't tell you what's gonna happen in.

That third game.

But like I said earlier, I think Arizona is feeling really confident right now, like they can beat anybody. You know, it's like success breed confidence, and they obviously have had a lot of success in all aspects of the game.

They're pitching has been stellar.

The power really showed up in Oregon in a major, major way. Their defense has been nearly flawless and I think just had one error in the last five or six games. But North Carolina it's a pretty good They're an exceptionally good pitching team. So I think these games are going to be tight, low scoring, well played baseball games.

Three to two, four to three could go either way.

I think they're going to split the first two and they're going to play, you know, for all the marbles on Sunday.

Okay, good prediction. We'll be watching obviously, you bet. I can. I give you a suggestion, Sure, go to bed now you have nine good hours of sleep, and then you can't. Then you can't.

I have work, I have work to do, and my son has a baseball game at seven o'clock, so that will not be happening, but I appreciate the advice.

Yes, okay, we'll have fun. I know you're going with Brian, so'll have here. My condolences for that, but go have fun. Good luck, Thank you guys.

See Michael, Yeah, let's go.

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This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

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The podcast on the iHeartRadio app just search I on the Ball.

Hey, welcome back to twice about here a Fox Sports bruching cookie or Steveveran. You were Blakey here you're one. So how's your last name?

Don't know?

Sorry, mister so I apologize. I use it twice, You use it twice. It has been this week. Hey, we don't Socially, we don't people chasing you, will, paparazzi bothering you at you know, at your place. I'm only known as the Scooby Right guy. Scooby Right. We had a call. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, what is that Scooby Right guy? What an idiot it.

Is because of what you said that that was the one thing that you'd buy if you had all the money in the world.

I will stand by that for all right.

Can we can we remember we talked about that. Yeah, but how much time.

Do we have left? Thirteen?

Okay, what are you too?

Go ahead, I'm gonna start with because I want to start it the first time we had, like I was on the show with one. Uh So I want to end our last show that I'm on with you by talking about we started with and that's U a basketball?

Right?

So you've a basketball this season coming up. I know you've been following it. New recruit yesterday? Right, how are we? What is the what do you think the starting five is going to be? And how deep do you think this team really is?

Oh?

We got to call hold that hold that thought. Oh you're on the air and nine on the ball.

Who's this? What's the word?

I just wanted to call and say by the wan and telling me the freaking stud for.

Putting up with you all this, thank you, thank you so But but I did have one real quick Andy story and I'll get off the air.

Last week, one of my buddies from California calls, and he's a mutual friend. He played right field for Andy at Pepperdine and his kid was a big time recruit out of Loyola High School and he got hurt his junior year, he had taken trips to Washington, Notre Dame, that's how.

Big a name he was.

And he got hurt and everybody kind of jumped off the bandwagon. So he kind of had no place to go. He was going to go to JC Route in Texas and gets who steps in Andy Lopez calls Pepperdine and he signed his letter of intent and he'll be a Pepperdine wave next year. Yeah, last week this happened.

Yeah, people know how much how many times Andy's done that? Right, there's a there's a couple of especially.

If you have an endorsement by a guy like him, right, yeah, he speaks.

Heck. Yeah.

So anyway, I just wanted to throw that little Lamby kid been in there and yeah, I just love when you have him on their Steve.

I was just gonna ask you had to listen, because every time he's on you, he could tell you can read me the Bible and I'll be.

Okay time like you, guys, I doubt my daughters at thirty and I tell him the one, two, three, and every other thing under the book.

Man, right, right, Okay, Well, thank you, Vick.

Take you guys, take care.

Guys, Okay, back to your question of the best.

Starting five you a basketball team and how deep are they?

And man an the roster that.

I really don't know. I'm not going to be able to answer how deep they are starting five?

Starting five, you're gonna have to start with obviously Bradley number two. Uh, burres Co Pete, I'm not sure. I'm not saying he's a or whatever. But starting five, Uh, you're gonna have to start a waka mm hmm and mo you want do you think he's gonna be too bigs?

Yeah, youa be fine, Yeah, it'll be fine.

Deep.

Yeah, I don't know because he didn't go deep. He says he will, but he doesn't.

I know that you've got twelve You've got I mean, he's yeah, twelve deep?

Yeah, So what are you what are you implying? Are you trying to? Is this?

This is like the most excited I've been for a team in a long time, I think because of the recruiting class. But did you watch the video of the kid that's coming in. He's from Germany's good, he's legit. Well here's the issue. Well, I knew that they're getting somebody. I said this in the show a number of times, but when when what's his name? Was the right when he when when what's his name is going to declare? Which he did this week.

But he was always going to go that he had somebody waiting in the wings, and yeah, yeah, you know he didn't. He told people that I knew that he's going to be good, fantastic, YadA, YadA. Okay. So now in the revised uh twenty five from people, there was Almos still number eighteen in the group of top teams, right the transfer portals the incoming freshman. Yet yeah it's still eighteen. That's surprising me because you don't know, you don't know the seventeen above. I mean, really, what do

Also just don't know it's going back to the starting five. Is he gonna want to start that young the young core, or any of them? Really, because you also have Evan Nelson, the Harvard transfer who comes with experience.

Yeah, we'll see. I think he will. I think he has no qualms of about doing that. There was just something I was gonna say, you still have Delorso, Yeah, Delorso, Right, and he was never really a starter or shouldn't have been, but he just was because of the situation. Imagine too, kJ had come back and Henry would have come back. Then then dude, then.

If those players came back, this would be a deep topic, more than likely deep run for Arizona. Yeah, they won't even win, they won't even win the Big twelve.

Yeah, we'll see. I'll take a take a This is it.

I'm saying, really competes a different sure? No, no, no, that's not sure. Best recruit I think we've had since Aaron Gordon.

Okay, okay, here's no issue, Blake, and you know this, you know this should be haven't been an athlete. I've been through a lot of these recruiting Yeah, yeah, this teams are going to be fantastic. Blah blah blah. My only thing is how many final fours have they been to. No, I'm not saying I'm not just great things team go to the final four. I'm just saying it's the deepest team for my money for Tommy Lloyd. But legit, like Copete for me is watching the videos and watching the

That is for my money? And what are you trying to say? What are you trying to say? I just I think there's a lot of potential. There's a lot of potential. But I think what I was getting too steeve to get to the point was you said it right now? I want to know how deep this team is because I don't think Tommy's going to go It's going to be eight players exactly. You're going to have

So who's your eighth guy?

Then it's got to be the backup point guard that we got from Harvard, the Tucson kid, right, you still have.

You and the rush the Russian front y. Yeah, well I'm trying.

It's most of it, Dwayne Aristote. I mean, and even the starting the starting five we just mentioned. You don't have Pete in that. It was the two bigs JB Cop Pete's number three berries and then it was it was the thing, it was someone I don't remember.

It's Bradley.

And then not maybe maybe we'll do something this year, but Bryce James.

Yeah, yeah, anyway, So now let's go back to the Mount Rushmore. Okay, all right, I just wanted to have that conversation with one so I could text him when he goes to Kentucky about you play basketball.

Okay, we're gonna do Mount Rushmore overall Mount Rushmore individually.

In terms of sports, let's go overall.

Overall Arizona athletes of all time, all time. Okay, Sean Jenny Finch, that's two baseball and so so is this Arizona career or overall career Arizona careers on a career.

Yeah, it's gonna be Arizona because I mean, then you can talk about we talked about the soft air, but you start putting kidting loft in on that and he didn't play baseball.

Really, yeah, you go out. You can do that off the off the You of eight schedule, because you know Steve, Steve belongs on that. The other one, Yeah, absolutely, Bob Afford because he didn't do anything in Arizona.

Yeah.

Uh, football either, it's gonna be Titty Bruski, Ricky Hunley. Hey, well even the guy that just left team.

Mat Yeah, the highest draft pick out of I think, highest offensive, highest offensive draft pick.

Baseball. Francona, Oh, you said Chip and you said yeah, I said Chip.

Because he holds all time hits record. The people back.

Then who covered them would probably be able to tell me, Yeah, I don't know. You know, you go back a certain area and an era and who else.

There's been a lot. That's a tough one.

Yeah, give me the give me the Mount rushmore baseball specific to baseball, Uh, Francona, Yeah, what's his name? Michael f gave some big names just in the last That's.

What I mean. You put those guys in that conversation as well.

But you had the eighty five years, you had the earliest years that were.

Fan seventy seventy six, eighties eighty I'm sorry, seventy six.

Yeah, he would know because he's seen him. He paid against it. He's I'm playing golf with.

Uh, I'm playing golf with a couple more that might be up there tomorrow, Robbie Mowen, George Arias and uh Willie Morales. Okay, yeah, so I mean those three guys aren't you carry duncan carrying their bags?

What are you doing?

No, Robbie is he's the smallest one out there.

What's he doing? Is he coaching down south?

He's in Dallas right now? Oh Dallas?

Yeah, as you moved back to Dallas. So uh, he was, he was, he was at he was at the garment event last night. I had him come from Dallas. Yeah, he's in town obviously playing golf with him tomorrow. Do you think I'm traveling to Dallas. Well, you can get him on the show tomorrow. You may get Robbie on the show. Are you coming tomorrow? What's tomorrow? I came in today. I wasn't supposed to be in. You guilted me into coming to day. Did you have a good time. I had a good time for a portion of it.

This is just a roundabout cross yeah, well just so too difficult.

I mean we talked about our Erry McDonald, right, She would personally she would be online. But then you start talking about Olympians, right, so now it's in the same category because those I mean Beard, Yeah, so the ones I mean you have arguably two of the best women's golfers of all time.

Yeah, how could you not put them?

Yeah?

Sure? So, isn't it that wealth of pretty good from you? A twound la, get some get some salsa, get some salsa and watch some college sports.

Yeah.

No, it's this Grace is a place, great place. It's it's not a huge city, which is great. It's a college town. I was gonna ask you what are the faults? So I don't want you to go there.

I'm not gonna I'm gonna recuse myself of that conversation.

I don't even think I've stayed here for thirty seven years. I left the US today for a while and came back. I mean, this is a great town.

Steve let me and I'm you know, it's it's maybe short sighted, but you know the garment event that I put together last night, you had you have the arts community there, you had the film community, at sports community, at private and public sector, and they all came out and they all got along. They all taught to each other. That's what's great about too son. To me, it's a melting pot, without question. I think that's what's phenomenal. We're kind, Yeah,

You know what. You're exactly right because if you need a charity of anah blah blah blah, they show up, yeah to help. Yeah, yeah, there's no question about that. Great people too, great people. Yeah, people you would never think. Really sure, thank you, good to meet you. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah. Okay, we're losing a good one in one though. Yeah, he'll be back. I'll be back. He'll miss the burritos, and that's the goal called the kessel in the summer, come

It's like what am I just handing out jobs?

It's like when I was interviewed somewhere since, So what do you see yourself in five years? Since I'm gonna have your job, what about what about me? You'll be on the beach having a fun time, You'll be you retire.

I'm gonna make so much money for you that you're gonna have to retire. I'm like, yeah, I'm man, what we're going through interview processes and somebody says that to.

Me, I'm like, damn man, yeah, a little wolf your replacement. Just you know you. I'll make a lot of money for you. Exactly. You got the point. Thank you One. Good to see you. Good to have you on my show forever. I'm gonna miss you, but you'll call in hopefully you have me back. You'll have I'll be with desert.

Yeah, yeah, se I'm gonna be I'm still covering Arizona from AFAR.

Well, you lucky young kids don't know how to sleep, so it doesn't matter what are you doing. I want I'm trying to find a story here Arizona. Arizona football just lost. I have to write a story. Sorry, yeah, thanks one, Thank you think it is always. Thanks appreciate letting me be calling. And of course Candy Lopez and and Michael.

And thanks One's dad.

Thanks right,