This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services Ensure your most prized possessions.
Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Eye on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty on Steve Rivera and with me the day's Dave Silver. And we got a special guest here. I was with him for lunch, George Ferranti from the Elsne George, how are you?
And things are great up here in the foothills up two s on Arizona. We're just looking forward to the holiday season and looking for some of those football and basketball games.
You didn't know that we were neighbors.
Hey, I just saw you guys sign on the building and I said, hey, those guys moved up the hill.
Congratulations.
Really abow to find him too, right?
Right? No days with us? A big weekend. You're talking about you a sports big game tonight, right. I don't know how big, but it's a big game because there was only can't afford to lose right in basketball, and in about more than sixty hours, I think whatever it's going to be forty eight hours, not for sure, but it's about sixty hours Arizona faces ASU in another big rivalry game, So we'll talk Let's talk a little bit
about basketball now and then some up to date. So I'm not going to have any breaking news at the top of the hour, so we could talk about stuff that went on today. The women's basketball team lost again, right, David.
Yeah, they lost again in Palm Springs.
Yeah, to cal a team that they've pretty familiar with over their pack twelve years and wound if they had to play them again and they wind up losing. So for the second straight day back out there. It didn't work out too well for Idea's.
Team, right, and they missed one of their best players. I think today she was out for personal reasons or family reasons.
Yeah, that's what they were saying. So they were shorthanded. They've the name. I'm gonna have to look it up again. I hate to say. I yeah, I was watching that.
I was paying attention when I was at with with George eating some of his great food out there as Celias Soria Soria, I think it is. I can't remember. Anybody want to call, you can let us know, so it is what it is.
Yeah, I mean, you know, in these early season events you want to you want to win. I mean, hopefully you're kind of set up to win at least one of those games. And they lose e Vanderbilt, you know, I don't know how good they are, but they lose that game. And then today they you know, they come
up short against Cal. They've been they were ahead. They've kind of had this this strange trend of building a lead and then losing the lead, usually like in the second quarter, and then never being able to come back.
Right right now, we'll see. Have you been to a women's game in a while.
Probably not.
I haven't been to a men's game. I used to see quite a bit of the women's softball.
Oh yeah.
And then but a buddy of mine that was Ivy League are playing quite a bit of college ball. He says, Uh, finish up strong, they always they child in the how he drilled in my.
Head right right. That's in life too, that's in business, Like you got you finished strong.
You're telling me about it.
You know, you can't just go out there and set up and make a whole fan fade, pay the announcers and pay the supporting guys and then.
Have the great uniforms you've got to actually get there right, right, that's what makes a winner.
I think, Yeah, no, no, you're right, and playing hard. We talk about this all the time, Dave, Dave and I and everybody else will on the show. That's one of the issues. And we'll talk a little about a lot of different sports. For football, uh, Dave, and we've talked about this a few times. I just I just think that if Arizona played harder, and it's simple as that, and it's not as simple as that in football, that they could play more closely and have a better chance
of winning. I just this is what eleven games toll games now this weekend that if you haven't bought into Brendan's system by now, if you don't know me by now, you'll never never gonna know me.
Yeah, well, you know it's they're also now in the in the in the situation where this is it. You know, I'm especially for some of the guys we know are going to be leaving. You know, how hard do they want. Nobody wants to get hurt that kind of thing. You don't want to get injured the last game of the season, badly because you could.
Be out for an entire year ahead.
Sure, so it'll be interesting to see how they you know, how they come out, what kind of you know oom as you said, they're gonna want to give in this one game.
And both you guys have been here, George, you've been here forever, and Dave too, since the early eighties. And I was just on a show with Phoenix, the underdog in this game easily, not easily, but many times more often than not, wins the game. It was as an eight and a half point underdog. They have hope.
You know what I've seen mostly between good good teams and bad teams, or good games and bad games, mostly generated, you know, because it doesn't get You could have these Class eight teams and I mean D one League teams
and they're all playing to a top, top level. But the difference between them, I think that I see is breaking tackles and making tackles, you know, for the offense, breaking those tackles and really just giving it, grinding it out to the last moment and the feet and the legs and then on those guys with the hands and make sure that they get down on the defensive end.
Yeah. Yeah, Well, and this year, tackling has been an issue.
It's been an issue big time.
I Mean, there's been so many times where they've had a chance to end the play and it just gets extended by some poor tackling or poor positioning.
And that's been kind of the story of the of the year.
I mean, that had a great game against Houston a couple of weeks ago, but then they come back and play the way they did last week against TCU.
Well, let me ask you. You saw the Houston game, start to watching it? Yeah, so so in fact, one of the guys that talked about, yeah, they beat Houston, but Houston may have been beatable and they, you know, lost a lot of their own stuff. We got a call her already. Hey, hey, you're on the air and eye on the ball. Who's this? Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
I can hear you.
Yeah, who's this?
This is Jeff Amerschmid.
Jeff, Jeff, you're going right to that waiting to go to the waiting room.
Well there is no waiting room, Jeff. You want to? You want to? You're about ten minutes ahead of time.
I I yeah, usually to be early told me to kick my as. Yeah, Hey, I thought I was gonna sit and.
Now I was gonna sit and listen to you guys for a while, and then I then.
I, well, hold on, hold on, let's let's do this because where you have to go, I know you have to go. We'll take We'll take a break after we talked to about you know, three eighteen, and then let you go take a commercials and kind of move things around. How you doing whatever you want to do, Let's do this, Let's do this. You in Colorado? You in Colorado?
Yep, yep, okay, so you're.
Watching from Afar? Is your TV safe if things go bad?
My no, I'm sitting in my car outside of the where I have my meeting a little bit.
No, no, no, I'm talking about when you watch the game? Is your TV saying.
Oh yeah, no, no, my TV is not safe?
Ones and friends yea, yeah, loved ones.
No, I don't have any any of loved ones. My kids just run. They don't care about Arizona. So but my daughter's going to you Boulder, so she doesn't care. But my son has a little bit of an interest, and so I just like to.
Sit by myself and throw stuff at the Kimi.
You guys typically do what do you have you watched many games. It's not all of them.
I watched an well, yeah, every time you guys are playing, every Arizona's playing, it's I'm watching, and then it's you know, I end up going to I go to a couple of games at the Colorado State I kind of uh, there's some players and stuff that kind of tailgate and do some things. So I hang out with them, and and then I go down to see you Boulder and see my daughter and go to I've been to like
three or four games and my brother. My brother coaches at Oklahoma State, so they play Oklahoma State plays see you, So I I head down there and and I'll I'll head down there tomorrow. I guess Friday they play.
So in your coaching, I and and the things that you do when you're scouting from the past, what the hell's going on with Arizona? And yet don't cuss. I can't put you on.
No, I'm not and I'm not even and I tell you I'm not, I'm not. I don't judge. I have a terrible I will. I'm the most boring probably on asking that question because I've been I hate when people talk about what because they don't know what the heck they're talking about. But yeah, it just frustrates me because I because I just know. I mean, I know, I know Brent Brennan very well. I know his brother, I know Duwayna Keena of course and and uh Dino Babers
and they're all great brands. Cecil, I mean, god dang. So yeah, I will never say anything bad. I think whatever they're doing is I think it's it's great. I think they're trying. I think it's hard sometimes these days when guys are you know, I mean injury wise, but there's that portal thing guys don't in and out and it's it's you got to be on top of that. And I think that's the that's the thing that they don't. They'll they'll keep doing, everybody will keep doing, and they'll
be they'll be okay. So I go to it's good. I go to these days SeeU games and and gosh ding, it's like I feel like I'm at a I'm at a dance or something. People are singing and dancing on the field. They have the players, they who who here we go and it's like I'm like, it's just ridiculous. But they're winning a lot of football games. So they're start they're doing something right.
These days.
You know what, I am only I never met him, but I am. But Donnie Salem played with him, and Donnie can't say anything bad about the guy, says he's a he's a really a doubt standing guy. He just he just for marketing and being all that he does. He just he tries to be over top. He's not the same guy he is on TV. And he sounds like he's anyway, if Donnie likes him, I like him, so not to say that's my job, not just because Donnie, but it's yeah, I mean, I.
Yeah, So I go and I am.
And he he hired a great staff and and it's not usually it's it's it's who the guy can get around him.
And he's got a lot of people around.
Him that are really doing a good job. So so for this, yeah, I'm not. I'm not kind of a negative guy. But and I get mad at people online. So I start, I start texting late at night and I probably shouldn't, but I get mad. I get mad at people, and I'm like, this is ridiculous. But well, yeah, the story.
Down here this week obviously it's it's the end of the season, literally, and it's it's the big game that everybody kind of looks forward to. What are some of your your memories of this rivalry game? What was it like when you played here and uh, you.
Know, and how how much did it mean to you?
How much did it mean?
You know, it was it was a lot, It meant a lot.
I hate I I still don't like the Sun Devils. I won't let my.
Daughter go look at the school.
Just it's just I don't know, it's just that I think when we first got.
There, there was that they were so.
Good and they were this, and they were that, and and you just learned to hate them. And then a lot of guys that that I played with.
Were weren't recruited by him.
So that was the deal. It was like, hey, you know, they're not going to recruit We're not good enough for them. And it was easy for the whoever the coach was to jump in there and say, you know, hey, you know this this uh, this place is you know, they these guys are not are not nice people. We see j I'm doing better and but uh yeah, so it's uh, it's fun. I mean, by my first memory, it was it was. It was, uh, I think I was red shirting Tom Quinn's red shirt and we're all we're all
read shirts. Gary Costin was in the dorms with us. Gary kicked, you know. So it was the big game.
Which Chuck ran one hundred and six yard one hundred and seven yard touchdown and it.
Took him, you know, it took him. I think what was it for it? It took him a minute in eighty two seconds to run the link this field because he was never he was never super fast, but yeah, just amazing stuff like that, like that and James the bow just stuffing the guy at the goal line. But Chuck's Chuck's play was kind of like everyone's doing in the Facebook right now. It's like, what a memory. That's it.
That's the one play and it killed.
And I grew up in San Diego. Obviously we all went to Helix Chuck and then our rival school was Grossmont and Van Rapports was from Grossmont High School, so they even they even were the rivals in high school and stuff. So it's like you hated that guy and then you and then Chuck is makes that play and then the next year, this is the one I got to try to clean up. But the next year we go to play up there and this place is nuts in the student section. You guys probably all remember this.
But we go out for warm ups and a stretch and everything, and Chuck just can't help himself. So he turns us to face the student.
Section and he starts and he started just.
He just we do all of our jumping decks and facing them, and some guy, you know, some guy fires an orange because they were going maybe to the Orange Bowl or something. I don't know what they were doing, but they fired an orange at Chuck and he picked it up like one hot, scooped it and fired it back into the student section. Like I'd like to say he hit somebody, but I don't remember recall that.
But they were channing. I mean, they didn't like Chuck.
I guess they didn't like Chuck because he ran over someone or something. But they kept yelling, truck you cecil, truck you cecil. And I couldn't figure that out. So and I was just a young kid, So I'm trying to figure out why the whole student section is yelling for Chuck to jump on at to truck somebody or they're gonna truck cecil. But they kept yelling, Chuck, truck you cecil, trucking you cecil.
And then he turns. That's when he he that's.
When he started. We started doing jumping jacks. He takes the orange, he fires it back in. I mean, he was. It was awesome. And then we go we're going in and this is my first this is my first time. We're watching this and going, holy couch, Chuck's really doing this stuff. He's nuts and uh and you build your hatred starts to go like crazy and then you you start like we go into the locker room and there's a there's a guy that's that's stand old guy. Old guy.
This guy, I don't know if he's fifty years old or something like me.
But he's but he's sitting there yelling and he starts.
Yelling about the truck. He's like, truck, you see some truck. And Chuck jumps up, grabs him, grabs him. He had a great vertical truck. But he grabbed this guy and tried to pull him out of the little stands in the back of the end zone by the scoreboard, and he tried to pull the.
Guy through the stands and we were all.
Like stopping it and we're.
Going we went but he is, Yeah, but then you.
Start looking at that and then you start building your own this and then coach told me would always bring in a speaker to talk about the kind of the rivalry and do all that. And it was. It was awesome. I mean it was, it was. It was a great rivalry. I can't I have a couple of friends that went to Arizona State, but it's one of those things that we still had were sarcastic for a while and then it's.
Like, yeah, I hate this guy and then you leave.
So it's it's yeah, it's it's a great rivalry. I love it, and it's uh and just a good hatred.
So that that was the That was the tie game, right the twenty four to twenty four when the guy dropped it.
Yeah, when we made it, they've dropped it.
The drop Yeah, they dropped very as game man.
Yeah, I was standing right behind the goalposts, I think when you know, I could so I could see the snap and what just happened.
I couldn't believe it.
Yeah, yeah, that was awesome when that when that thing they fumbled, and then yeah, that was that was the best the best tie I have ever been in.
Yeah. So Jeff, all these games are are are like that. You mean, weird stuff happens. Uh And usually usually and were you guys the underdog of times or a couple of times?
And we were I think about almost every time. I can't think of when we when we weren't, you know, I I don't know. They always had that with that arrogance about him, and they always had it steam like they always had some guys and and uh, I mean yeah, I mean it was even when when when we would when I came back and I was with Mike Stoops in that group, and I mean there was a there
was a good hatred going. I mean that's there's always Yeah, it was all, well how it goes, It goes all the way to it goes all the way to the time and then and and well Steve Kerr obviously with us, he was our group of people an athletes and the
athletics and and the McHale. But Steve Kerr goes up when he when his when his dad just got it assassinated, make and in an elevator and and uh in kuwait or something, and but they go when when Steve went that's when he came out of the tunnel and for the basketball, and they they're yelling, uh whatever, like who's your daddy? Who's your daddy? I mean just stuff like that. I love to tell that story because it gets me kind of rileyed for all though. But it's people can't
believe it, but it happened. I mean, it really happened. I mean you would think, oh, that's a little over the top, and then yeah, it's it's a. It is crazy and it's a close rivalry. It's and I've been I've been around, been fired and hired a lot of times. But it's but you know that that Indiana Purdue and just those type of fun rivalries, Montana, Montana State. Those are great, they're all great rivalries, but it really is
there's some nastiness and there's people don't like each other. Yeah, and I don't know if it's there's an arrogance there, and then there's a they hate Arizona and we hate them, and yeah, it's it's a but it's fun. It's fun.
Yes, who the Arizona is?
Yes? Right, so you.
Must I thought you had I thought you had a stumb devil in that air and starting I can start to feel that.
I'm like, oh, so you must be disappointed that you're not going to be down here for the game.
Yeah. Yeah, I'd like to be my my with my brother coming up here to play at Uh. I take the other taking the kids to go to the game against Boulder, so we're we're fighting a mighty d on and uh but I go, yeah, I go this. I go to this one sports bar and I'm the only dang guy in there with Arizona stuff. That's like at Alabama l s U. I don't even know who the conference is alreadymore so, I'm I can't even yell out, you know, Pack ten can't even yell out.
Yeah, I'm like, god, yeah, so I don't know.
I'm so I'm watching games on Saturday. I don't even know who I'm watching in terms of like league of these guys in and care about exactly.
Well, yeah, because I walk like or you're sitting there watching the game and sometimes you just go, you know what, I'm gonna root for the for the Pac ten.
You know, the U c. L a Is playing Wisconsin and I'm like, oh, wait a minute, No, They're both in the Big ten.
I can't even root for the.
Pac ten and you. The Pac ten is two people. I think it's Oregon and.
Oregon Washington or something like that.
So that's a heck. I mean, they're automatically going to go right to the conference championship against each other, so it's gonna be Yeah, it's crazy.
So so Jeff you you were were talking to Jeff Hamerschmith for you a coach, assistant coach and all that stuff. Former player back in the late eighties and nineties. So let me you were a coach, what type of coach were you won? And a lot has been made at least by me. We all know Brendan's not a fiery guy. He's he's a player's coach. As they say, Uh, how important is it to be centered like him or crazy like Stoops? You coached under Stoops? Right?
Yeah, so.
No, no, there's no there's no custing with anyone.
I mean, I mean the stories that I would tell with Mike and Mark Stoops together, that would be I'd have to cuss. But the but but no, Mike was Mike was. I mean, you respect him because of his knowledge and he's just got a great mind for football, and I think some of the players they and he hired a great staff. I mean, he had not me. I'm just saying before me.
He had Tim Kish, and he had some.
Guys on his staff, his brother Mark, and obviously Mark's doing really well at Kentucky. And but he had a good group of guys that were that were special and and and he was bonkers at times, but you kind of like, that's just Mike, you know, that's just Mike. And he's but he's around the players. He has that you know, holy he knows what he's talking about on defense, and and so those guys, you know, I'm not like Mike.
I'm more coach tomy ish.
You know, you would. With Mike you almost play. You play hard because you're scared to death. He's gonna maybe hit you, punch you. But it's but with like with Coach told me, you play. And it's like with Dwayna Kena And it's like with Brennan, you know you're playing and because Coach told me. Obviously you guys know Brennan's been around him for a long time, and it's like
you play for you you would. It's one of those guys you die for, you know, like from a coach told me standpoint, it's like you're you're, you're, you would kill for that man right there, and you every one would point the coach.
Told me, you know, and coach told me, you wouldn't.
Want anyone to kill anybody. But he's just you have that, He's just that father figure and just has that holy cow. And I think I told the story last year or something that when first he didn't even know me at all, Larry Smith just left us and incomes Coach told me and we're trying to move out of the dorms and he meets me and for the first time and hey, coach, nice to meet you. And he's like, what do you need.
I said, well, I'm looking. We're trying to track down one of the players for a truck, and he talked me his keys. He said, hey, take my truck. Shoot, go ahead, you let me know when you get back. They don't like this guy is okay, And then it's you just kind of build that, but he will get after your ass.
And what she did with me a few times and it's.
Like you you you just kind of oh, man, he can he can? You know, I don't want him to get on me what he does. It's cool.
That's the funny thing, because you know everyone says, well, Brendan's he's a good guy on the sideline, bah he collaps. But do you think he gets on his kids like that or even a little like that?
You know, I think he does. I mean I I seen him. He was he was Brent is a good coach, like a good position He was a position coach. When we're It was with me and David Sipp and we were we're all at San Jose stood coach told me and and uh, he's his guys play hard for him. He's really good with his with the with the receivers. Uh, they played, they play their their their nuts off. And and so then it was like they, yeah.
He had he has that.
He has that. And I think Dino Babers is there has it. I call of course coach a Keina. They all kind of have that about him. I don't think you could put a Mike Stoops into that that staff and make it work, but I think with Brennan, I think they'll it will happen. I mean, I text a little bit late night once in a while, and uh, and I kind of get after some people that are who I've never heard of, and I'll just be like, you know, you guys don't understand, and I get killed
all these things, so I don't. So I stopped doing that because I just I'm making a fool of myself. But but I I get because I just get. So I just feel strong about Brennan and and I know him and I know what he's gonna do, and it just it just takes it takes time. And these days with the portal and guys are leaving and worried about, you know, the play. You got to get your group of guys you that you recruit, whether you recruit him out of the portal or not. It's like it's like
the guy at Indiana. I coached at Indiana and we were god awful, like we were.
Bad in the Big ten and there's no way.
And now that guy is recruited in the portal.
He's recruited up.
So he took all of his guys from Northern Iowa or wherever he was before, and now they're all playing at Indiana and they're beaten teams like Michigan and some stuff. But he is that guy, he is he's a real I don't know what he's like at all.
I don't know the signette or whatever, but yeah, I don't he but I know.
He got a lot of.
Of solid players nothing And I.
Remember back in Arizona days, we had a bunch of solid players. We don't we didn't have a we didn't have the big time recruits, but we had a bunch of solid guys that will play their ass off. I mean, Chuck ran like a five four forty, but he had but he had it, but he had a vertical jump that was like forty eight inches or something. I mean, just those guys and Chuck had so much heart, and just the guys play with this, you know. But if we were in the portal days, those days, Arizona State
would have been losing all their portal guys. Uh. Now, actually they've recruited a bunch of kids into the portal but just but nowadays nowadays, Yeah, so it's it's Arizona's just gonna it's gonna take time. We're gonna it's gonna be the portal days. It takes a little bit longer because you got to build a team and you got to get the right guys in there. And they got the right staff, and I just I just feel that strongly.
But who knows.
I mean, if people get crazy and they start talking about, well, we got to get rid of them, and you know, I don't. I think you just gotta have patience.
But Jeff, we gotta go, We gotta go, you gotta, I gotta go.
I got a financial meeting, and you tell me I'm broke. I'm gonna come into your trash cans.
You can in that show, So.
I'm gonna go right right into the fidelity. Guys, at least get out a couple of bus.
We'll see you guys. Don't wrap me on fun anytime, but we.
Got to go. We're way over, guys, so let's go and come back on the other side.
Site Bent from the latest slots and table games to award winning dining, to world class entertainment to a luxurious resource.
Discover all this and more.
Discover with Soul Casino del Soul, the Soul of Tucson.
Are you ready enterprise so Fasco Yuki.
Try The Window Depot has everything you need to create the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams. Browsey aisles of instock cabinets available in a variety of sizes and configurations and instantly elevate your space. Today, visit a showroom and let our experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for money to go designs or creating a custom masterpiece. We can help you select the perfect wood, type, color and style and top it off with unique hardware to complete your look.
Find a location near you at the window deepot dot com. The window Depot more than a windows store.
Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorato Rocket Materials. I needed a lot of gravel from my driveway, so I called Eric at dot. He found out the amount and color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at a great price. How do I know radio commercials work? I heard one of his on the radio. Dorato Rock and Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential
and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen years. We'll call at five two zero four zero zero for two three three.
Where do you buy exercise equipment?
Arizona Health Arizona Health, Arizona Health of course, to feel better and look better, it makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone else.
At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals.
Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve.
Arizona Health the.
Leading edge and exercise equipment on twenty second just west of Wilmot.
School in the FAALSE fourth season are in full stride. Time to get that special student athlete a Creative award for his or her efforts they are deserving. It's also time to rejuvenate your FAE apparel with a Chris looking embroidered school corporate logo on caps. Shorts are long sleeve follos, and why not get some fresh looking promotional products representing your school or corporation or just giveaways for the upcoming
twenty twenty five season. For over one thousand fun items to choose from, come visit Creative Awards at Creative awardsaz dot com or see our Idea Center at two twenty eight West TrackMan Street.
At Nova Home Loans.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option that best fits your needs. Whether you're a first time or veteran home buyer or want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety of home loan programs to meet your unique situation.
Visit Voltpe team dot com. That's Volpe team dot com or call five two oh six eight five six two six today in MLS three oh eight seven Arizona b K nine two nine four two Equal Housing Opportunity, how to commitment to lindrixyon credit rates and available loan programs of subject to change the NUNT notice.
Did you know?
Collecting sports cards is one of the fastest growing hobbies around. Whether you're looking at chart or expand your collection, Showtime Cards is your ultimate destination. As one of the leading card shops in the country, we've been serving our community for over twenty five years with the best in sports.
Cards and trading card games.
From rare fines to the latest releases, Showtime Cards has it all. Check them out at showtimecards dot Com or visit them on eat Speedway and discover why collectors everywhere truy Showtime Cards for their passion.
On a road trip or just around town. Driving a car you can afford is more important than ever. At Pyramid Federal Credit Union, our one rate auto loan is for everyone. One rate offers a single competitive rate no matter your credit score. You can borrow better with hearing them. For details or to apply online, visit Pyramid FCU dot com slash one rate. Pyramid Federal Credit Union is an equal opportunity lender federally insured by NCUA.
Got bugs, termites, mees or rodents, Arizona Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert pest management specialists. That's can't run or hide from Arizona Pest Control. They use only the latest and most technologically advance methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of your bad bugs, termitespas or rodents. Serving Tucson and Southern
Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azpest dot com to schedule your free evaluation today.
Want to build your business better, There's no better place than the Arizona Business Networking Conference. December tenth through the twelfth at Casino del Sol. Meet thirty five premier speakers, including newa All American Ricky Huntley, Hall of Fame coach, Mike Hendrea, CEOs and more. Expand your professional network, explore new opportunities and learn from industry leaders. Get your tickets at Tucson Business Networking dot Com Slash Conference once again.
That's at Tucson Business Networking dot Com Slash Conference.
Streamy live on the iHeartRadio AP. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to my on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Bavera. You're Dave Silm. Now we have George Barante with us as well, sitting in. He wants to know what the hell we do for a living. This is it, George? All the excitement we get guests that we hope don't cuss. He might have snuck one in there in there and I didn't catch.
Right.
Yeah, that was okay. I think that's okay.
He was pretty good though. Yeah, he was very saying that's the way, that's the way. When you would interview him, we couldn't get him.
To stop we could, right, he was great and then what did he just say? Yeah? What did you just say? But that's what we want. We want excitement. It's a big week. Of course, we're gonna be on the line here for about I don't know about six minutes before we take a break because we went along with Jeff Hammershman.
On the next hour, we're gonna have a very good guest, Like like Hammershman, we're gonna have Jay Dobbins talking about those good old days back in the mid eighties and he was part of some pretty big games like those games right well, just a.
Little bit before Jeff, So that was that little stretch from eighty eighty three through ninety one, I think when they didn't lose and had the tie with that he talked about.
You remember the uniforms.
Oh yeah, I just came running out.
Of the.
What the hell are they were kind of yellow?
I was.
I'm trying to ask you, guys, is what it takes to be a coach like that that caliber, right, or a leader?
We talk about we talk about this, and we can talk about what you do for a living. But I still believe it, and I think Dave and I we talk about this. Do you have to be stern? You have to be stern, and not that you have to be a jerk about being stern or being you know, a pain in the us, but that command of respect that you need for the players to play hard, especially today, especially today, because the kids have a different way of being grown up, of being raised.
Dave, Well, I remember, and I need to look back at this. I'm going back in my memory, which is falling, falling short sometimes. But wasn't he the son of a coach, Jeff, Yes, So there's that too, that that sometimes happens here. You know, you're in you're you know, the next generation in your
in your restaurant business. But sometimes you could see it when they were playing, you know, the announcers would say, oh, you know, he's a son on a coach, he's a leader on the field, he's got all these intangibles that you know. So then sometimes that carries over to the next part of his career because he didn't really play much professionally, if any, and he launched into a big, long, you know, collegiate coaching career, which is great for him.
Well, it's like you getting stuff from your dad.
I'm actually the son of a you know, a very professional golfer.
You didn't get into golf play.
I've been playing since I was able to walk. And I played for the U of A.
I won at the Rincon High School champions State championship, and I played for Pima College.
And I played for U of A for a one semester. But that at that time they.
Weren't really looking at the local guys to play at University of Arizona.
They were looking to play import quite a bit of fellas to make the team.
A little bit the Games of the World.
Robert was heavy out of state, out of country recruiter, and so that didn't work out for me.
I chose to play insisted on the bench.
So let me ask you, because you worked for your dad or your co partners, was is he a coach to you? In terms of this?
So I got two lessons my entire life. Well, one lesson I kind of say.
I was at the Senior British Open in Europe hitting some balls on the range and after hours when my dad was playing in the in the championship and Gary Player walks down there and he says, oh, you're.
Hitting a pretty good son.
And then he says, but you're never gonna make it unless you get your thumb on the shaft. And at that time I was real kid, and my thumbs, my hands weren't big enough. So I did it right away though anyhow, And so we're walking up the next day to hit some butts for my dad to warm up, and he says, oh, look, here comes.
All the stars. Oh look here comes Gary playing one is autograph. I says, no, not he is. He said, I'm never going to make it. So that was my big lesson.
But we always learned from watching and imitating. That's the way I learned my sister and how to play golf.
Right. Well, what about your dad in terms of being a was he a coach.
Like getting life lesson and mentor definitely? You know, my dad always has high moral fiber, you know, and is just entrenched in principle honesty, you know, patience and kindness towards our staff. You know, we never throw tortillas in the back or you know, grab them by the air, nothing like that. And we're you know, we give them a chance. And we really have a culture of familiarity
and a family. In the restaurant business, we've had our staff for some of them from up to thirty years to a minimum of ten years.
Yeah, So it's really to.
Keep the team coherent in cohesion that really helps, is we I talked to the buses, I said, you know, you guys are the ones that see my customer the most, even more than me.
Right, You're more important than I am to the front line, the front line. So David describing a coach, your ideal coach, what are you looking at?
Oh, gosh, organized, that's kill delegator, A delegator, I think, I think all successful. You look at all the great coaches that you all have great assistance working for them, especially nowadays. You got to look at the size of these football coaching staffs especially they've got twenty people, you know, pretty much helping them on the front line. So you've got to hire the right people and just be a good communicator. And there's so many other things now that
are involved with a job. Talking to the media, talking to the boosters, talking to the nil people. Now, I mean, there's a lot you've got to be able to do. And you know, have your you know, your day organized, have a good you know, administrative assistant who can put together your your schedule.
Yeah right, No, you've got to be a GM, a salesman, you've got to be a pitchman. You've got to be a lot of different things. And all the while, the kids or the students of student athletes need to respect the hell out of you. Yeah. If they don't, they ain't gonna play hard for you. They're just not like your co workers. If they don't like you, George, if they hate.
The job, well, for me, I don't show up. You know, they're like, what are we doing this for? You know, where's the owner on it? So that my first priority is to show up right for the team. But you care for the for the game time, you know what I mean? Because we have game crunch is between five thirty and seven thirty on Fridays and Saturday nights.
That's crunch.
We're like, you know, backed up fires, the orders and all this stuff's going on, and people are screaming and yelling at each other, and the customers are screaming and yelling at us, and we're like, just go get them, you know, And so we just organized and everybody's full throttle, you know, right, and if if the if the head
cheese doesn't show up for that type of stuff. Yeah, or if in practice runs, you know, just normal days to take care of the books and make sure we get everybody gets paid and everything is clean and organized, all the food is there for the for the final show, then it's not going.
To work out so much.
Yeah.
I mean you look at even as just I mentioned football, but basketball now too. You look at an NBA bench and there's usually like what four or five coaches behind the bench that are you know, not not good enough to be in the front row. Right, it's just and you got to hire the right guys, and sometimes they're younger coaches that are trying to learn the business.
Yeah, especially in that league where if the players don't respect you or think highly of you, they're not going to play for you. I mean, that's why college coaches don't really succeed at the next level, Yeah, because they just don't you know, you're not what are you doing here? You know, you're not one of us. Yeah.
It's interesting how many kind of hit it big, maybe with one great season or a couple of great seasons, move on to the next job, and it doesn't work sometimes, Like you know, you wonder about the Indiana situation here. They are no one has even paid attention to them forever, and they have this great year, new coach. What's going to happen next year? If they if they the Pacers, no in the univers football.
Well football, Yeah, you know you could tell that. I've seen him interviewed. He looks like the real deal. Yeah, because he's got that chin and he's he's he's he speaks with authority and if you cross him, he's gonna make you pay. I saw it. I'm thinking that that's the guy you want to run through a wall four, you know.
I mean, Data speaks volumes. Obviously, I think.
Too, And I hold that thought, hold that thought. We're gonna take a break and remember Data because I don't know what the hell you're gonna say all that work, because we got to take a break. If you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now. Take a look back at the
Ludelsen era In my new book, Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them competed against them and inspired them. Twenty five chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's loved coach. Lessons from lut is an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. Want one Email me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com.
Hi, this is former Wildcat Leman Huntly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need to transform your personal space in your life. We off a complete line of cardio machines, multi gyms, in freeway equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and technicians will set you out with the right equipment and training to get you started and keep you going. Visit our shureroom today at twenty
second in Wilmot. Arizona Health the lean to edge and exercise equipment. What's your goal a new career or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college.
PEMA Community College can help you make Someday today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial laid available, it's time to earn the degreer certificate. You need to prepare for the career you want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's right for you. Learn how at pima dot edu. Slash someday, Hey Tucson.
Steve rivera heir, and I've got a tip for you. Want to be in good hands while cruising the desert or kicking back at home, then you need to call my friends at the Edmund Markets All State Agency. These guys are the MVPs of home and auto coverage. Whether it's a fender bender or a leaky roof, They've got you covered. Don't fumble your chance to say call them today and score big on your insurance. With the Edmond
Markets All State Agency, You're always in good hands. Visit them at twenty seven nineteen note Campbell or call them at five two zero three two three nine three three three. Selling your home want to get more money for it? Well, Danny Roth can help you. He told me about as you Flip the Home you Own program. The program allows for a homeowner to fix up their home to sell without using any of their own money. They will be able to sell the home for a much higher price.
Danny Roth with Army Holmes International is the real estate consultant in Tucson that offers this program. He has consistently been the top agent in Tucson for the last thirty years and has sold over ten five hundred homes. For more information on this program or just buying our selling a home of Danny Roth at five two zero four nine zero four thousand.
Breaking down all the axes and ohs. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports foteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to Ying the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. In today with me is Dave Silver. We also have special guests George Ferranti from l C STAN up in the Foothills. You're talking about I already forget the word.
Yeah analytics.
Yeah, I think that you know, if the right data and analytics drivers and your wiz kids behind the bench, behind the all those stats, they're not.
Going to be able to create a full package for you.
Yeah. You're into that, right, you young kids, you young whippers, now that I know your age, we try.
To use that in marketing and advertising for the business. You know, my dad says, well, you got to spend fifty you got to spend advertising dollars. Yeah, fifty percent does me any good. Fifty percent doesn't do me any good. And the trouble is, I don't know what fift is.
Well, that's how you figure it out, right.
Today we try to get the people were spending some money with and or the players that were spending money on yeah, to uh to really produce and and gather the data and make sure that they're producing and creating that return on investment.
For the team.
Yeah.
The ROI or is important back back for me and I'm old older Dave, you're older starting to tell you, uh, is we worked off gut. You know, you kind of analyze this guy's gonna hit to the right side fifty percent of out of time. You do that, but you still, you know, you got to play the game. And was your gut tell you well, let's play them this way.
Yeah.
Yeah, Well, I don't know about you, but when I would put together a sports cast back in the day, I didn't have any analytics. No, I mean it was my job to kind of have an idea of what I thought was important. I know it's probably changed but you know back then, it's like I got to fill you know, three and a half five minutes whatever, what am I gonna do with it?
And that was But isn't that that isn't that job? Well, well, at the end of the day to both of you, isn't You're in a people business, right You're trying to make sure that the people are happy with what you watch. So your gut would tell you this is what it is. Same with you, George, where you have customers and you know you've been in the business alone time and with the analytics. I know what the people like and what they want. Be nice, serve well, give them good food.
We're good game on?
Yeah, am I right?
Yes, sir? I think you know. One of the things I use is I give them the the vraj of picks.
You know, you have chicken, beef, pork, seafood or vegetarians, and then we just tone them down to their specific likes.
And you can do that with a the team too right hand or better or left handed better? Or are they all short? And then we hold them down to get well, we need to fill the order.
Right, I think you know, I think year two because it's it's your your guys business, so you have the power. Whereas in our businesses where we were in sometimes when things weren't going right, and that's when the analytics would come into play and all of a sudden the consultant would come in. It's right, you know, the newspaper doesn't look right. Something's wrong. We need more high school we need less you of a let me same thing to us.
Okay, so yes, did it?
Did it?
Was it truthful or not truthful? But was it accurate? That means this guy needs to get a haircut, you guys, that's their job is to come up with But did it beat anything?
Well? Not really, you didn't.
Yeah.
I mean maybe in the back of my mind, I go, you know, maybe we're doing too many high school stories and does anybody really care besides their moms and dads?
Right?
Family?
Know what what we have a ton of today and that we don't need much more as creators and influencers, right, people that actually get to work and put out a story and do on a day's work.
Do you follow that?
I follow us a tidbit of it, you know, But I mean, uh, that's what it sounds like.
Steve's jumb was mic jump was was creating a story and creating an influence and trend and getting something to talk about, getting something to go home and have a conversation at dinner with your kids.
So you're not just looking through your phone all the day long.
Well you talk about that stuff, Dave, do you follow trend? I don't follow Lebron selling me sell it up. I'm not gonna worry about stuff like that or TikTok blah blah blah. I don't go looking for.
It, but it will pop up on things that I may be looking at at around, like you know, threads or Twitter or whatever I'm looking at these days.
Don't think about radiators because then they'll they'll pop up on the phone. You think about somebody that pops up and they.
Know they're reading my mind. I think that's a Facebook thing. They're listening to me.
They always got the microphone on.
Huh yeah, yeah, this thing on Alexa listening to our conversation.
Right.
No, so I guess maybe you know, I'm you know, kind of older generation now, but I'm still aware of that stuff a certain extent.
Let's go back to on sports now, are you going to the game on Saturday. No, I'm not because we've got other things to do. You and the rest of Tucson. You're going Georgia Hill they got big crop. Well they are. You don't why we got to call yesterday. It doesn't It makes total sense that the ticket prices have gone pretty high, pretty high relatives to what they are. Guess
who's getting them? Fans Isshue fans. Yeah, they're coming for a party, but typically Arizona's messed up that party over the years.
It just that advice first, what happened last year?
Yeah?
Yeah, but Georgia're going, Yeah, I said, under the overhang.
On the on the east side, on the east side, Yeah.
And then I get the popcorn and next to the locyt.
Yeah, Lottie Dodd, George, can you adopt me? I hate to.
Say, aren't you going to be in the sun? Are you gonna be Okay?
I think it's better than to be in the boost And then on those other the new towers.
I don't know.
It's just it's you get to feel the the ambiance of the air, and then you know you're out there with the players.
Students are right there.
You got the popcorn, the peanuts, it's it's a it's an old fashion.
Have you gone to most of the games this year?
No, I haven't.
You haven't because I was to say, how fun were they going to because there were I went to two and let me tell you, they were not fun to watch. And I have no skin in the game.
Yeah.
Well, I mean I think we talked about this before the program aired has started, as you know, what the what is the impact that they've had on on so many losses over the season, right, and people giving up season tickets, not just in football, but even basketball since some of the chaos sets ensued from the Miller Hill.
Yeah, stuff like.
That, do you have yours? Do you have yours in basketball? Do you have basketball tickets? Well you can say no, you can say yes.
The family gave gave the tickets up. Yeah, because of they just it just wasn't a cup of tea to get in that type of mixed total politics anymore. Yeah, mix it and they ain't cheap.
I'm probably probably sure about that. I just the tickets were handed to me, so I said, okay, I'm.
Going Oh you said about this weekend no for the bat basketball?
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, it.
Makes such a big deal too, And I think it's important as the fan experience. And you know, you I've been to I think maybe three or four football games. It's a long day or night. And honestly, eight thirty eight o'clock starts. You know, you're getting home at midnight. You know, I understand it's not going to be every game, but it's a long day. It really is, so Dave, and I'm spoiled. Would forty two year old day be saying this, Oh forty.
He'd be there the game, covering the game.
But if I was just a fan, probably it'd probably bring the kids, you know, if they wanted to.
Maybe, if they were interested at that point. But it's a long day.
Those TV commercials they bring the sign out, they tell you they're two and a half minutes long.
You got the weather as well.
Don't forget, don't forget the TV. You talked about TV commercials, Well, we're gonna review this play. We're gonna review this play. Yeah, we're gonna review this play to commercial line all the time. Yeah, I mean, come on.
Man, that's you know, not much you can really do about the commercials. That's that's yeah, you know, it's paying the bills.
I don't know.
We can.
We can moan and groan about capitalistic systems and the way we have to pay for certain things that we indulge in, but at the end of the day, we have pretty nice roads to drive on and good health care to keep us.
Health George, you you took it right now you're on the political front. Welcome to Welcome to medicare. I'm happy to be honest. We got only got three four minutes left on this segment. We'll come back with more talk on the other side and then have Jay Dobbins. I forgot to say that. Jagan's also be on the show later in the day to make his fantastic picks. We'll talk about the situation where who's leading, who's not leading, and all that when he comes on about three forty five.
So good to hear from Jay. So we'll see you're not going, you're going. We'll see how long you last at the game. I think it's gonna be like for you going, I'm going because I'm covering it. I'm covering it, and I think for me it's gonna be important to see what Brendan says, win or lose about the season. You know, as you reflect on the season. What do you think And I'm not sure if I'm having enough to say this, but what do you think went wrong? What do you think went wrong?
Injuries?
Who knows what he'll say. He'll probably be nice about it, obviously he does want to alibi it all the way. But what went wrong? It's being interesting what he says.
Yeah, I mean, did he You know a lot of people have written about the lack of depth, but you know, they had all these injuries, and they just weren't our players that were ready to step in. I mean, it's always next guy up, you know, all that next guy might not exactly be ready. He might be a freshman,
might be a red shirt freshman's barely played. So I mean, we haven't looked at it position by a position, but they'd lost you know what, five or six starters, almost the entire defensive backfield, manu their best linebacker, a couple of linemen on the offensive sides.
We got only kind of a couple of minutes at the most. So let me ask you, Dave, we know what the situation with the transfer portal. We'll see you again next week and the week after. Give me an over under on the people you think will be gone be gone just well t MA Mac Yeah, yeah, but you know what I'm saying, he's going for a reason, right, just the guys who have a reason to go somewhere else.
I don't know, I mean who knows.
I mean maybe some of these guys that had a chance to play and they look over their shoulders say, oh, you know some and so it's coming back next year. He's going to take my position. So maybe one of those guys leaves. Maybe somebody who's just barely had a chance to play this year sees that, you know, the whole DB's are all going to be coming back.
If they do. If they come back, well, but this was their opportunity to play. This is when you had a chance to prove that you could play here. And maybe they just didn't prove that they could play.
Here, right, you know.
Okay, let's let's uh, let's take a break here. I think we got another minute. I just want to make it shore we come back too early on the four o'clock hour.
You were asking earlier about who didn't play for you. Of a women, it was Bria Cunningham, that's it. Bria used to count.
Yeah. So we'll see what Uh do that have one more game? Is it a two game? Name or a three game?
I think that's it.
Okay, So ever's gonna play tonight at five thirty. They started five thirty. They played tomorrow maybe at the same time, and then again Friday at the same time. Maybe they so they won't they won't play them.
That was the thing they all kind of start.
I was going to go to this weekend be for that reason, because you think realistically that they'd played each other. I'm sure they relieved that that's not going to happen because Tommy did not want to play now his former.
Boss well and plus omar Balo is playing for Indiana.
Yeah too.
I was watching some of that. They got destroyed.
He got he only had eleven point six rebounds. I mean, this world that we live in is not what it perceives to be or seems to be.
All I remember was men's basketball. Some of the toughest loss, isn't that.
Marsh Madness was about Gonzaga, you know, always got him, got him again.
Oh my gosh.
Maybe the greatest game of all time when THEAH one in Salt Lake's and.
Salt Lake City Blake step into that shot and they move on.
Luke Walton, that team.
Yeah, just remember it. Well, hey we got to go. Let's go and come back on the other side. Thanks.