Wednesday, July 30, Hour 1

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
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Speaker 10 (04:24):
Streaming live on the iHeartRadio while this is High on
the Ball with Steam Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Hey you good afternoon.

Speaker 5 (04:35):
Everybody looks like we're on right there, my guy one
in today. Sorrybody, we had a delay here. The computer
wouldn't let us get through and then the commercial started
so we figured we'll do it up to commercials. Eric Rhodes,
this is a one off Eric.

Speaker 11 (04:52):
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Speaker 2 (05:08):
This report is sponsored by Rapid Radios.

Speaker 5 (05:12):
So a ball and well there you are, right and
one Yeah, taking control trying to Yeah, we'll see we
commercials splashing. Oh it's flashing now it's not so we'll
see what happens with with one and everybody. If you
can hear us, let me know, text me to the
regular guys who actually.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Listen to us daily, the two people. Eric, I promise
this is an operation hopefully all good live TV. Yeah,
here we go TV. Yeah, it's been all good and
you and I have opened on to a talk to
our so we'll be fine. Right, Welcome to the show.
We're on, so we're good. I think people can hear us.

(05:52):
You must have done something with the commercials that are good.
So that's good, Eric, welcome to the show. Wanted to
have thanks for coming in. You're pinch hitting for my bla. Yeah,
uh so you know, thanks for coming in. Of course,
take you always enjoy it. Take you away from your
your office you're daily and now get to see a
little You know, this is downtown adjacent, I suppose from
our downtown offices, so I see another corner of the city,

(06:14):
and you know the new digs up here, not so
new anymore, but always pretty are your new digs.

Speaker 5 (06:19):
I didn't realize you moved from the downtown downtown area
to up up or south, a little uptown south.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, we were, you know, we were part of the
main library. Get there, and then we just moved a
couple of blocks over around the corner to the nice
colorful place, I think the former Laplacita, which is now
far hanging med cough Okay, And we're in the third
floor up there, so you get to look down on Congress,
watch all the people drive by. I will say, my
office window looks right down on Congress, so I get

(06:47):
to see in people's sun roofs. It's a little You
gotta be careful, folks. You never you never know who's
watching you from above that people pull up, you just
see him like, okay, there's there's a lot happening in that.

Speaker 5 (06:59):
So I'm assuming when you're not answering the phone. You're
actually by the window. Yeah, I mean, my my desk
sits right, you know, next to a window.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
I can look down on folks, and so, you know,
when I'm on phone calls and you know, talking to
a lot of people, I turn and look out the window,
and there's sometimes I wish I hadn't.

Speaker 5 (07:14):
But so, so you're telling me that the myth that
that you know, those big rigs when they passed by
cars with sun roofs, I guess they can.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Actually see what's going for sure. Yeah, you can look
right down. You know. It's pretty good funny. But yeah,
we we love our new building down there, and it's
I've always wait, wait.

Speaker 5 (07:33):
Wait, don't don't try to distract you with this story.
Here more bad days and good days. Apparently with the
sun roof, it's it's just it's entertaining, right.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
You can see like both people on their phones once taxing,
both are texting. A lot of nose picking. There's just
a lot of nose picking in the world. Somewhere else. Yeah,
there's well, there's there's that too, family showstage. Good for you.
Your name is meaning something in the.

Speaker 5 (07:58):
Town by root it here, right, So what is what
the hell you're doing here then.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Yeah, exactly. Well, I mean anytime you are the second
choice of Blake Eager, then you know.

Speaker 5 (08:07):
Yeah, they June July, so you got five months, five
months almost to the day.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, we're we're about one hundred and fifty days out,
which is crazy. Well, let's see, I'm a huge Christmas freak,
so I have an app on my phone. We just
passed out. So it's one hundred and forty seven days
till Christmas and we're one hundred and forty nine days
out from so we must be.

Speaker 5 (08:27):
We at the el Tour, it was about one hundred
and twenty some days yeah, from the event, because we're
the month straight of great things in Tucson. Yeah, yeah, no,
there's be a lot of it and everybody's in conjunction
with each other pulling the rope.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, a new new marathon coming this year. Dask will
be down there and then you guys with the tour.
Is always a great morning, a great day, and yeah, yeah,
sot lots to look forward to, right, I'm working on
an ELK Tour store. I'm not an tour story.

Speaker 5 (08:51):
There was a bold story for you got for a
bistous song yeauess how that first year went very successful obviously,
and he'll be back yeah, man himself the d a
double g.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, back in the back in the dirty tea. That
should be a song. Yeah. Give him the lyrics, he'll
put put them together and do what he does with it. Yeah, exactly, Yeah,
with a little jit and juice. Man, speaking of lyrics
and and unique things. Our boy Gimblet during.

Speaker 5 (09:19):
This, Yeah, stay out of that you were you didn't
stay out of the head you were working at that time.

Speaker 9 (09:23):
I was.

Speaker 5 (09:23):
Yeah, I interviewed Gilbert a lot and uh Batman and Robin. Yeah.
Well I've said this often. I've said this often. In fact,
I texted somebody who told me and I saw it
two hours ago or whatever it was. Gilbert was a
strange character here is that that's probably a nice word,
fair statement, said crazy things. In fact, there was and

(09:45):
this this was the back in the day when we
were allowed to talk to them pretty much anytime, and
most times right Gaffer games in locker rooms, blah blah blah.
They didn't isolate. He was a headache for for Loot.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yeah. Remember those days when we went right in the
wa like we were actually in the locker room and
the guys fantast and he would say some crazy stuff
and guess what will we do? We'd quote him saying
some crazy stuff, and many times he would deny saying
the crazy stuff. But you had it on tape, We
had it on the recorder. Yeah, but this is that's
a camera in case you're doing.

Speaker 5 (10:18):
And it was all and then when Luke kind of
have to be backtracked with him and say, well, he
never well, Luke, he said it.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah. I mean you were around for so many of
the Loot years, You've written books on it. I mean,
there were so few characters like that, and Luke's stable
of amazing players and Gilbert is still in my opinion
probably top five talented players.

Speaker 5 (10:38):
Oh okay, I thought you were going to other places
in top in top five characters.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Well yeah, also that we gotta call if not higher,
we gotta quick hold that. Yeah, Hello you're on the air.
Nine on the ball. Hello, you're on the air, and
I on the ball.

Speaker 12 (10:52):
There is just saying the dirty tea and the deal
double g and and Jamie Juice, this this old guy
Ben gay Baby ask for and the show say.

Speaker 5 (11:06):
That, Oh, like you're you're maybe you're the age of
our boys. I guess you could be age of our boys. Well,
if you're throwing out ben gay, then you're you're saying
your age. I don't think that's been around for a
few minutes. It's icy hot now, man in shock?

Speaker 13 (11:18):
Come on now, no, no, no, because I pulled my
groin in high school. And if you put icy hot
on your growing right and then it gets to some
other parts in your body and you try to put
water on it, it's not a good situation.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
I know what icy hot is. I mean, I feel
like there's more of a story there. And wait, wait,
and before you cuss, and please don't come on icy hot.
You probably putting Vicks with Mama cured everything back, but
familiar I'm holding.

Speaker 14 (11:49):
Up to put.

Speaker 2 (11:53):
I'm not I'm not I'm not.

Speaker 12 (11:55):
Man.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Hey, are you guys doing? Man, there's been a minute, dude.

Speaker 12 (11:58):
It's it's that beautif full time of year, you know,
and there's the most wonderful time of the year where
football season is happening.

Speaker 5 (12:08):
Let me interrupt you real quick because my boy Juana
is wearing his Broncos jersey is whatever he calls it,
a T shirt, and I gave him grief about it,
so he says, my team's gonna suck. You know, I
don't have a team because I give up on your team.
How's your team gonna.

Speaker 12 (12:20):
Be my team?

Speaker 10 (12:21):
Paul?

Speaker 2 (12:22):
And that's why I'm calling you up.

Speaker 9 (12:23):
Man.

Speaker 12 (12:24):
I got a new podcast. It's in Spanish. It's called
Me and Podcasts Meets Cowboys Isspanol or everybody that wants
to listen. It's on YouTube tonight at eight o'clock. But
my team, well, Jerry's gonna be Jerry. He's gonna up
the price. Not paying MIRCA is good for him fiscally,

(12:44):
but when he talks about that salary cap and circumcising
mosquitoes with a chainsaw, he knows what he's talking about
when he talks about business. And the crazy thing is,
for the last thirty years, it's been mediocrity, and we've
had ray teams. And I just heard something this morning
from Mike Greenberg. As much as it's throw up in

(13:06):
my mouth to say that man's name, Penny Sewell, Jamar
Chase uh Rashawn Slater, all these guys that were in
Micah's draft class, and you could argue that Micah has
been the most productive or the best player out of
all of them. And that's for for debate. I'm not

(13:27):
saying that. I'm just saying for what he's done with
his numbers and what he brings to the Cowboys, he's
not getting paid and and and it's a slap in
the face, but it's just the way Jared Jarrah Old
Jarah Gerald Wayne Jones conducts business.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
That's all we do in Arkansas.

Speaker 13 (13:44):
We plunged you, we find.

Speaker 5 (13:46):
Oh you Hey, we gotta go. But thanks for humor
and Jack, we trust.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
Trust miss Cowboys.

Speaker 12 (13:56):
Tonight please eight o'clock, uh Pacific, time you to thank you?

Speaker 2 (14:01):
Love y'all bear down.

Speaker 5 (14:02):
All right, we have to use Google Translate for some
of that language. Okay, hey, we got to call it.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
Ready.

Speaker 5 (14:07):
We got our guest, our first guest, Kevin Thomas. Kevin,
how are you good? You're gonna have a hard time
following my boy fat Bob that Mike, I heard it.

Speaker 15 (14:19):
I don't. I don't think I can. You're quite frank
with you, but I'm gonna do my best.

Speaker 2 (14:22):
You weren't you around when you was around?

Speaker 15 (14:25):
I believe so, but I don't know if I ever
got a performance quite like that.

Speaker 5 (14:28):
Good to have you on the show. I saw you
in Tucson yesterday. What was your reaction from the press coverence?

Speaker 15 (14:36):
It was great, you know, we just we just kind
of broke down on our show, like all our clips
we had from yesterday, and our biggest takeaway from specifically
breaking down the offense was just how to a man
everybody believes and what set Daggie is selling. And I
don't know the set Dggy portion of it, I think
is the biggest takeaway for me, specifically on the offensive

(14:58):
side of things.

Speaker 2 (14:59):
I agree with you.

Speaker 5 (15:00):
He was He's a heck of a salesman, right, And
I said this to somebody yesterday, you know, here's this
kind of savior and I asked him about it, the
savior on offense after last year's kind of like, holy crap,
what's going on? A good looking guy, young guy? Uh
says there pressure kind of being the guy or the
hero that you have to come and step in. He says,
not really, but but there's gonna be changes.

Speaker 15 (15:22):
No, yeah, And I think you know, we spoke about
on today's show, like the connection between No Fafida and
Oh Yea and how the intensity that Seth Daggy brings
to the table and his personality is a perfect mix
for what Noah fa Fida is focused on and what
he brings to the table. And I feel like we're
going to see the best version of no Fafida with

(15:44):
Seth Daggy. That's my, at least my preseason feeling based
on the relationship that those two guys have. And I
know that sounds wild considering the Alamo ball season was
an elite level that Noah Fafida was playing at. But
I haven't seen no Fafita have a relationship with offensive
coordinator like this one. And I also haven't seen an
offensive coordinator have this level of plan for how he's

(16:05):
gonna facilitate success for no Fafida in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (16:09):
Love that. Love to hear that. From the quarterback position,
I think the biggest question for all Wildcat fans is
are we need to be able to run the football?
We got? We learned yesterday that one of the top
expected running backs is no longer with the club. Are
we gonna be able to run the football? I hope so.
I think that I agree with you.

Speaker 15 (16:30):
I think running the ball is going to be a
huge portion of success for the offense.

Speaker 1 (16:34):
Right.

Speaker 15 (16:34):
I think at a minimum, No Fafita is going to
look great this year. The offensive line, there are questions there.
I think it's going to look a little better. I
think there's a little bit more of a concrete protection
plan for No Fafida in my opinion, whether or not,
you know, mileage may vary for how you feel about
the offensive line, but specifically talking about the running backs
and what Alonzo Carter has to work with, I think

(16:55):
he has a ton to work with. Ishmael Mahdi, you know,
to quote him as a home run and you know
his body type, his play style is something that Arizona
needs at the level that he brings it. If his
skills can translate into the Big twelve and transfer with him,
Arizona has a difference maker back there. And when I
spoke to Alonzo Carter yesterday, he really stressed how big

(17:19):
of a loss JCM was last year to Corey Crosseley Merritt,
because that guy went on to compete for a starting
role in the NFL in preseason training camp and to
lose that guy and to weekend week out for five
weeks be like, well maybe he'll be available next week.
Well maybe, you know, it wasn't last week, maybe this week.
That's hard on an offense, and an offense that Arizona

(17:40):
already was struggling within the first place. I feel like
Ishmael Body can be a real difference maker for Arizona's offense.
And that's before I even get to Keydrick Risano who
I mean, Steve, you saw him yesterday. The guy is
in shape. He looks ready for the big twelve season ahead.
And I think they have a good mix of backs
with speed and power, and you know, said Daggie and

(18:02):
Alonso Carter are guys that love to adapt to what
they have in the room, and they have a lot
of different skills in that room this year.

Speaker 5 (18:09):
It's funny you talked about I do not I would
have bran to that. I don't know enough of people
talk about it, and not to make excuses because as
Brett Brennan says, we're not looking to look back, We're
gonna look forward. That he was a huge factor why
they didn't succeed. They would have had at least two
more wins. I think at least two more.

Speaker 2 (18:25):
I agree. I mean, I think he keeps the linebackers home.
And you know, as Kevin's talking about home run hitter.
That's what it does. Keeps the linebackers in place, which
opens up more passing lanes, more routes have a chance.
I talked to my my my sources after day one
of practice today and they said the biggest thing that
stood out to them was a lot of four to
seven yard dink stucks. We're going to get yardage on

(18:45):
first down, which just opens up the playbooks so much
more and gets his numbers up. Let me ask you
a weird question, Kevin.

Speaker 5 (18:52):
You're here, you know, you a grad uh work for
phn X, do a great job up here. And your enthusiasm, which,
of course I like it. You're a young dud, you're
that old and grizzled like me.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
Are you?

Speaker 5 (19:03):
Are you a fan still or you're allowed to be
a fan at that place?

Speaker 2 (19:06):
Right?

Speaker 15 (19:08):
Yeah, of course I'm definitely still a fan, and I'm
lucky that my job permits me to do such a thing. Yeah,
I'm definitely a fan still. I try to walk the
line of being a fan and still giving decent analysis
here and there from time to time, but certainly still
a fan.

Speaker 5 (19:23):
Yes, okay, And they allow you to do that. You're
not like like me where I've kind of run the
middle of the road and maybe lean a little not
fan or I'm not a fan, so you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
No I do.

Speaker 15 (19:34):
Yeah, I think here at phn X in all city,
like it's encouraged for us to be fans and analysts.
And I think like that's, like I said, like the
kind of line that we walk, like for example, yesterday
at media Day, like I don't have my fan cap
on right, I'm asking questions. I'm not really you know,
worried about you know, my fan feelings. I'm more so
worried about how I can get the best content for

(19:56):
our audience and and tell you know, the story of
this this upcoming football team the best that I can personally.
So but then when when the games turn on, Steve,
I'm a fan and I want to see some wins.
And so we got to get there and I got
to prove.

Speaker 2 (20:10):
On the football field.

Speaker 15 (20:11):
But yeah, I'll never not be a fan for sure.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
Are you taking over five and a half.

Speaker 15 (20:17):
Oh wow, that's a great line.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
I think I would because I think we did our show,
we did.

Speaker 15 (20:21):
Our predictions on Monday show, and I have him at
six and six, I'll take the over there and I'll
be I'll be sweating it out for most of the year.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
I think, Yeah, No, I think I think that's that's
spot on it. Last time I was with you, Steve,
we talked about that. I think that's a great number, Kevin,
and I think, like Steve said, a couple of You know,
if these players and Seth Taggi can pull out some
a couple of big wins, then you could get out
a real nice season. And realistically, this team needs to
make a Bowl game to get that program for number

(20:51):
of reasons.

Speaker 5 (20:51):
For a number of reasons, right, let me ask you.
I know you would talk to two dese Ray I
did two for another reason. I'm doing a story on Brent.
But did you Does anybody know what season tickets still play?

Speaker 2 (21:03):
I do not. More time, one of the questions the
season tickets does Has anybody asked that question? Have they
produced anything? Because I don't. I'm sure a lot of people.

Speaker 5 (21:11):
Fell off the fell off the earth, or fell out
of Arizona Stadium.

Speaker 6 (21:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (21:17):
No, I didn't talk to doctor Desiree as Noah would say,
I didn't. I didn't talk to doctor desire about season
ticket renewals. I did speak to her about fan engagement initiatives,
and she did say that that more is coming in
the likes of the concession price changes, which I think
a lot of people were happy about and saw it
was a real positive change. So I think they're to

(21:38):
my interpretation of it, is they're doing a lot of
stuff on the on the outside that people have been
asking for for a while in hopes that that will
drive people back to renewing their season tickets, because ultimately,
her hands are kind of tied if the football team
doesn't win games, right, So I think lowering concession price
is making it less expensive to go to games to
watch the team in the first place, win or lose.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
I think it's a good start.

Speaker 15 (22:00):
And then if if they can come out and be
Hawaii and put a whooping on Weaver State, I think
then then you can really talk about like where's fan
engagement at, because we'll see it, We'll see the attendance
right there. So I didn't talk to her about season
ticket renewals, but I did talk to her about fan engagement,
and it feels like that is a real point of
emphasis for her right now in her job.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
You're both media credentialed members. I no longer am. I
am a season ticket holder and have been for several
years now. And you're a fan and you're a fan,
I'm a fan. Yeah, Like I get to be an
unabashed fan at this point, you know too, sun Native?
What my Wildcats? And uh no, actually no soccer guy,
I had to go somewhere else. They did race season

(22:43):
ticket prices for the second time in a row. Yes,
so for the purpose of paying the players. Yeah, and
I don't believe I don't. That's that's nationwide. That's not
just an Arizona thing. So if you want to pay
it just yeah. So it's nice to see some of
those concessions. We were talking about Kevin and some things
to bring fans back in the stand because it was

(23:03):
when they went, you know, that that ten win Alimobile season,
You're like, I get it. Strike while the Iron's hot,
move them up. It was a little harder to swallow
this year when they raised them again after four win season.
So yeah, I mean it's a season ticket holder. I
think most of the ones around me, we're all renewing,
and so I hope to see more and some of
the you know, the bare down bash and those other
things they've done well, and you're you guys are the

(23:26):
kings of uh of that? Right? Yeah, we uh we've
been saying a lot in our office. Imitation is you know,
the highest form of flattery, where like some of this
looks really familiar, which is great. I mean, we want
to be good partners and if if what we do
works in our community and helps all of us be successful,
we're here for it. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (23:43):
So so, uh, Kevin, we kind of go through this
roster or not rush drum, sorry that the schedule will
ever be known again maybe every three days. You said
six and six. How is it gonna come about the.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
Six and six?

Speaker 15 (23:56):
Let me let me pull up my predictions right now,
because I do have them on me here. I look
for him, but I know I have obviously two w's
coming out of the gate there with Hawaii day one.
I think that's going to be a really underrated, good
test for areas. I know there's a lot of personal
connections on the roster obviously to that team and Riley Wilson,

(24:16):
for example. He spoke to how it's kind of a
full full circle moment for him getting to start his
career at Hawaii and then finish his career playing Hawaii
in the opener. So I have them beating Hawaii one
to nothing or not one to nothing, but going one
to oh after beating Hawaii football exactly two and oh
by beating Weavers State. I have them losing at home

(24:38):
to K State in a game where I predict them
to look really good but just come up short. There
were some moments last year where I felt they could
have taken control of the game, but that was a
team ac in Jonah. So we'll see what they have
this year. For K State, I always say that I
had them losing a tough road game there, falling to
two and two, and then picking up a win against OSU,
one of the least talented teams in the conference. I

(25:01):
think this game against YU is a tough one, right
because my co host Damon predicted it as a w
considering all the tumultuous circumstances for their offseason and Jake
Retz laugh and whatnot, But yeah, you could.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
I think that's kind of.

Speaker 15 (25:18):
The pivot game for the season, Like if they if
they beat b YU, I think that the tenor really
changes because that is a big brand in the big twelve.
Right now, I have him beating Utah going four and three,
now at that point, beating Colorado five and three, losing
to Kansas, falling to five and four, and then defeating
Cincinnati to go to six and four, and then losing

(25:40):
the last two games of the year to fall to
six and six, losing to Baylor, and then a su
at the end of the year. Unfortunately, that's what I
have to predict there.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, that's that's fair.

Speaker 5 (25:50):
I think the pivot game you talked about, is it
one good one?

Speaker 2 (25:53):
Who's after that? The one I would have flipped. I
think it's it's gonna be tough road against b Yu.
My pivot game, similar to you, Kevin, is Kansas, Like
I think that team is very much like us. Could
be good, could be not, like, not really sure, and
so I think that one's gonna happen.

Speaker 5 (26:09):
Here's the problem with you, You with me and maybe
other guys. I don't know, Kevin, We don't know enough
about the other teams, right. You know, if this if
this show was in Kansas, they'd say, oh, Arizona win.
If this is we talked about this yesterday, they're saying
the same, Arizona, it's a win, it's a win and
they I mean with every right.

Speaker 15 (26:27):
The same thing about Jalen Daniels that we're saying about No.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I mean had had a year where
he was great, had a year where he's like wait
what happened? And then who knows? Year three?

Speaker 5 (26:38):
Right, Well, the city's pulling for every everybody. What kind
of are you gonna be covering every day?

Speaker 2 (26:43):
Every game?

Speaker 15 (26:45):
Yes, every game. I don't know which ones in particular yet.
I'm planning on being in physical attendance for but definitely
doing post games for every game, popping out making my
face scene in Tucson at a couple of games this
year for certain, And I'm excited for it to kick
off because I think the Arizona is gonna surprise some
people this year.

Speaker 5 (27:02):
Well, I hope your parking tickets are paid. We don't
want to have your card booted from your back your
days when you were here.

Speaker 15 (27:09):
Yeah, correct, I don't exactly have a parking pass for
Cherry Garage anymore.

Speaker 16 (27:13):
Like I did when I was on campus.

Speaker 5 (27:14):
Right, Okay, well, thanks for your time. We jumped on
here a little late, but appreciate anything else you want
to add to what's going on?

Speaker 2 (27:22):
How can we find you?

Speaker 15 (27:25):
Yeah, head over to YouTube. Check out pH n X Sports.
It's just Phoenix without the vowels, and there you can
find the Azy Wildcats podcast five days a week at
two pm, doing what we do best, covering Arizona sports.
Follow me on Twitter at.

Speaker 2 (27:38):
keV O post k v O p O S T S.

Speaker 15 (27:41):
Sorry I couldn't talk about Icy Hot or Ben Gay.

Speaker 2 (27:45):
Don't be don't ever apologize for that.

Speaker 15 (27:48):
Try I'll try to have some stories for you guys now.

Speaker 2 (27:52):
Sorry to say.

Speaker 5 (27:53):
One day you'll have your time to talk about them. Yeah,
good old days, Little in Plasma.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Guy led with Ben gag Man. Come on, thanks man,
Thanks Kevin, talk to you soon and see you soon. Yeah,
all right, you welcome. All right Kevin Thomas from pH
Ennix without the vowelves, without the valves. I love that. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (28:13):
Yeah, okay, let's take a break at me on time
now kind of back. I will come back and just
maybe take some calls. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan,
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Speaker 10 (32:15):
Com breaking down all the xys it ohs. This is
I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Box Sports
fourteen fifty.

Speaker 5 (32:28):
Hey, welcome back to my the ball here on flot
Sports fourteen fifty gun Steve Rivera, you're Phil Bueling.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
What did you call me? Phil Bueler? Okay, I know,
I know to feel a little bit and goodness gracious
Eric Rhoades. Of course.

Speaker 5 (32:46):
You you get that from Who's the Guy on? Who's
the Guy on the Uh? Uh careful where you're going here? No, no, no, no,
it's gonna have to Joe Bueller Bueller from the movie Eelerler,
Ferris Farris and the Guy Who's on two and a
half been John Cryer.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
Don't you always get that? Aren't you? Aren't you? Aren't you? Yeah? Actually,
you know a funny story. Phil and I were both
weekend nkers at the same time. So Phil was at
Keke on nine. Uh. Todd Grisham, who's gone on to
boxing crematory fame. Yeah, he's also the guy who said
back TV journalism a few years with his skis on

(33:28):
Friday nights. Yeah, I mean listen, it drew a bunch
of ratings. So so its Todd, Uh, Phil and myself.
We're all covering an Arizona a SU basketball game up
in Timpee. We're all there doing our live shots for
the news, and you know, it just gets monotonous, and
so we're like, we're gonna mess with him, and we
all just moved one camera over and it took producers

(33:49):
way too long to discover they were looking at the
wrong guy. And then finally somebody gets in there, like
what's happening. So Phil and I definitely got mistaken for
each other. Let's and good looking dude. I kind of
had the uh, but I could it could be it
could be worse. Could have called me Dave Silver. We'll
talk you about that.

Speaker 5 (34:08):
We'll talk about that next hour with Dave, because because
I do want to time him and him in the
studio with us with you and talking about some good stories,
the stuff that we've covered and.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
Say've got called my dad once. Well, don't hold mister
Will talk to We'll talk to him about that. He's
probably listening, right. Uh So, So do you do you
miss this part? I didn't know the I already know
the guys. Do you miss this stuff? Yeah? Sometimes for sure?
I mean I miss it when I watch you guys

(34:41):
at media days. I miss it. Like on game days,
I miss being in the press box and the kind
of that banter back and forth with sports nerds who
are like me and we talk about just stuff from Okay,
this stat compared to this stat, and you know it's
different when you're sitting in the stands. The few of us,
they're fewer of us. Yeah, they It doesn't exist as
much anymore, you know. I mean Willis is one of
my favorite people in the world, and like he and

(35:02):
I will just go on these random like rain like
just deep dives into weird. He likes that stuff. Yeah,
he's like Elias, He's like two sons Elias. But when
five point thirty in the afternoon hits and now I
don't miss it, and holidays and I'm at home now
I don't miss it. Yeah, can you choose. It's a
different world now. I mean it's these these these people
who are on the news have to work so so

(35:24):
much harder than we did. Sure in the fewer of them. Yeah,
I mean it's they're just running. These and I call
them kids because I'm old man now, but they are.
They're running a ragged I mean, Tucson used to be
to get to Tucson, you would have to add two
or three different jobs before you were on air here.
Now it's a lot of their first jobs, and which
is great. I mean they're talented young people. It's just

(35:45):
it's so hard to learn this community and Tucson is
so ingrained in the history of athletics.

Speaker 5 (35:50):
You mean, are athletics, But are you meaning to learn
the community? So if there's an accident, I love Canada
on the Canada and yeah, they don't really know if yeah,
Lachala and La Canada.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
Yeah, it's uh yeah, so I yes, and no, there's
sometimes I do obviously, I've mist sitting in press road
that had a lot of fun. Ye yeah, now, I
mean except for December problem, Yeah, that's outside of December.
I mean, there's a reason I still work in sports.
I love it. I love being around it. I spent
the last two weeks in Las Vegas with the Mountain

(36:24):
West media days, and then last week I was in
Detroit with the Mid America in the MAC. How different
are those two? Oh? Very It's incredibly different. I mean,
the Mountain West is going through a lot right now.
Right I literally got off the plane as Ross Dollinger
was tweeting that they're going to trial with the six
who were leaving the conference, the Mountain West Conference who
are going to the PAC twelve that was in mediation,

(36:46):
And then as I was giving off the plane, Ross
Aaldery tweeted, oh, it's going to trial. So as soon
as I got to the twel immediately ran into Gloria
and Navarrez, commissioner of the Mountain West, and she just
laughed and shook her head, and I was like, long day.
It's like, yeah, I mean, college sports is you know,
we've seen this coming for years. The business the college
sports is now is a little scary. So I'm just

(37:10):
so looking forward to like playing football. It was you know,
I saw the tweet this morning, happy opening day of
camp to those who celebrate, and I'm like, God, thank God.
Can we talk about football.

Speaker 5 (37:19):
Well, there's so many things I want to involve Juan
with because he's, you know, just out of college. He's
looking for a job blah blah blah, and the difficulty
in finding them very difficult.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
Yeah. I mean, my my daughter works for the road Runners,
so in in the sports world, and you know, all
she's got some some colleagues who are like, I'm leaving,
and I was like, you might want to tell them
to hold up, because having a job it's a great
thing right now. And I know that's very parental of me,
but like, and especially in sports, I mean, there's there's

(37:50):
a finite number of sports jobs in the country. I
was sitting with Brad Cesmat yesterday after Media Days, who
was a longtime Phoenix sports caster and he teaches, he
create and he created his own he created his own thing.
He's doing like a high school. So it's Arizona Sports
three sixty with Jordan Ham and he teaches at Kronkite
and he said last year they turned out fifteen hundred

(38:11):
students from the journalism school. And I was like, there
and he made a great point. He said, there's not
fifteen hundred sports jobs in the country, no like and
just Kronkite turned out fifteen hundred kids and like the sports.
I'll tell you more off the air. But that's the thing.

Speaker 5 (38:25):
And I think some of the parents, and I know
that because I have interns here and at my other place,
that if you're a parent and you are, did you
started get a degree?

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Yes, she went to Grand Canyon and got her communications.

Speaker 5 (38:37):
Okay, so she so she's kind of in this world, right, yeah.
That the parents now are saying, okay, to get into
this world of sports and journalism whatever it says, what
are we paying for? I mean, are you going to
get a job afterward? There's probably no guarantee you're gonna
get his job, and you're paying And we talked, we
had this discussion, right once is out, you pay the

(38:58):
parents maybe one hundred fifty thous and I don't know
what it is anymore. My son what Rutgers and you
and you say, what did you learn?

Speaker 2 (39:05):
Son? What did you learn? Well? I mean I had
this conversation again with Sessma yesterday. I was so happy
to hear the guy like him is teaching because and
this is nationwide. This is the Arizona ASU or Green
Cane din or any it's it's a nationwide thing that
you have people teaching who just never left school because
they couldn't get a job, and so they stayed in school,
got their masters. Well educated people, but there's difference between

(39:26):
well educated and having spent you know, a furious seven
minutes after doing all your interviews trying to transcribe, get
it to a deadline so we can get there, you know,
I mean, and all that stuff, or you know. One
of the best things I learned as a very young
person being on the news is like, hey, listen, it's
going on. Whether you're ready or not. Sure, No, no,
you're hitting at ten eighteen pm. Whether you're ready or not,

(39:48):
you better be standing there, ready to talk, looking at
your side. And so that that really taught me, you know,
a valuable lesson of you know, what is if you're
a perfectionist, much much like many of our kids are.
And I was like, hey, perfectionism is great to an extent,
but preparedness is bigger. Just being ready to do it.

Speaker 5 (40:08):
And we talked about this with one too, because he's
going to be doing some stuff for me another place,
and he does it here, does it for easy desert.
For him, there's no better And I think he'll like,
there's no better experience than having covering games.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yeah, yeah, no, I said immediately. I interned for Danny
harden and at KPUA when wow, back in the day,
he's not that much older than is he? No, he was,
you know, he was him and Brian belt Trauma and
Rivera when I was there, and those guys were your mentors, Danny,
Danny specifically Brian bel Trauma was a big guy in
my wife. And then you said Andrew Rivera, who was here,

(40:43):
was like, yeah, so I worked with Andrew. So I
was in the number three in that department. When I
ask your age forty nine this year, so you are,
I thought you were like forty three. Yeah, I appreciate that. Well,
I called you a yeah. But to Jan's point, I
always said, I mean college, it was great. I had
some great professors, but I learned more in my six
months of interning than I did in four years of wed.

(41:07):
We talked about that in multitudes more because I'd go
out and I was I was handed a, you're going
to these three high school games. I need highlights, I
need names like and again, you didn't have the choice
to not do it. You had to get it. Like
I mean, if you're listening, you can hire one the
best thing you can do. He's doing it right now,

(41:27):
like he's actually doing it right. You do you do?
You know how to swim? Yeah? How did you learn
how to swim? It took lesson. I was like one
of those kids that you know now would almost be
child abuse, and I think it was like three and
they just kind of threw me in.

Speaker 5 (41:40):
No one party knew where I was going to go.
Is exactly that's what this world is. You know, I
love your son. You want to learn how swim? Yeah,
I mean back to the edge.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
Yeah. They were always right there. Yeah, Like my dad
was there. I mean he was with me. But I
mean I think maybe I had a straw, like it
was like learn how to bubbles and then here we
go right, or or they had you like some parents
have their kids on a string or those little things
bouncy things and walks around, but you can bring just
just go right. I mean, it's if you have multiple kids,

(42:12):
the youngest like your first one, I was like, okay,
let me help you walk, let me help you stand up,
and the like the second or third, you're like, oh,
you're fine, Nick, right, and you turn around all of
a sudden you're like, wait, where did he come from?
How did he like he wants?

Speaker 5 (42:23):
Well, you see it too, You see it too because
we see it here at the press conferences. I thought
I was not underwhelmed yesterday with the press court because
there's not very many. I didn't ask any questions because
I'm not a football guy. I had my specific reasons
for being there. But it's it's it's Wan's, it's Wan's
now in those disrespect ones, they're all half your age,
a lot younger than me. They don't ask questions, they

(42:44):
don't know the feet, you know, because they don't want
to make a mistake or look silly, right because we
were all there at one time, but now it's just
a younger group of I don't even.

Speaker 2 (42:52):
Know what to word well. And you also have a
lot remote you know, like when times to Kevin who
said he he's going to cover every game, He's gonna
do a good job covering every game, but only be
in person for a few whereas it back in our
old man days, like you were there, we traveled, we
were you know, we were freaking in the polue for
that game has changed. Yeah, And and to to the

(43:13):
defense of those young people, I've seen more and more
and more of coaches kind of attacking who asked questions
that they don't like or as you know, loot. And
you know, even back in the day where you're Larry
Smith's told me those guys like they would have come
up with an answer that was pointed, but not like
that's a ridiculous Dare you like that one time with

(43:35):
the su kids, right, I don't think it was. I
think it was crunky. I do remember that why did
you what did you do this? And this is what
do you want me to do? Yeah? Just call them
out like and that's I think that's gotta be terrifying
for you. I would have been terrified at that. I mean,
if coach calls you out and all that stuff goes
viral so quick now, I mean my favorite one of

(43:56):
those is still Sean Miller. When they were going all
that stuff, it's guy came down is no comment. You
can drive back now, appreciate it. You can drive your
ninety bites back and get in the car and enjoy.

Speaker 5 (44:06):
Does that look because we're in this POSI, does that
look good or bad for Sean or.

Speaker 2 (44:12):
The news people? I think for those who weren't in news,
you don't get it.

Speaker 5 (44:17):
Like are people are cheering them on to say, yeah, good,
you got it?

Speaker 2 (44:21):
Well yeah, the news person is they are being your
Your assignment director is saying you asked this question, yeah,
because they're trying to get the story. So what Look,
what a lot of people don't realize is that's maybe
not that kid's question. That's their news director, the assignment
editor or their sports director saying you need to ask
this question, and so they're just doing their job. I

(44:42):
think I get both sides of it. I mean, I
get what the coaches are, but also listen what the
public may not know that you and I know the
coaches get a nice little chunk of change for doing
those press conferences, and so listen, that's your job, like you,
I'm sorry, but that's part of your job to sit
there and go what you.

Speaker 5 (45:00):
Talked about reminds me of I forget her name now.
A former CBS the talking. You know, the interviewer after
ash Roy Williams, are you going to North Carolina? And
he says, I don't give it. And he says, I
don't give it. I know that's not your question. You
have somebody in your ear asking you to ask that question.
But then he goes with it, I don't give it. Yeah,

(45:22):
And then was it North Carolina about three weeks later,
right right, yeah, yeah, yeah, And and so I think
it's it's tough because if you haven't been in the business,
you don't know that that often people are like, okay,
Mountain West Media Day is a great example. Gloria gets up,
does a great kind of state of the Conference speech.
They do all right, well, now have questions, and they have,
you know, microphones walking around media rows, and there's a

(45:42):
kid right up front. I'll go really quick with this,
raises his hand and his first question, this is football media.
The first question of the first question, first question of
the first question is about the trains volleyball player going
back in the law firms and that that the lawsuit
that's going on there. And Gloria just looks at him
and goes and shrugs her hand, throws her hands.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
Up it was just like, okay, next, that's not the
first question. Yeah, that's the last question, and this is
football media Day. Yeah, it's just it's just a different world.

Speaker 5 (46:11):
Yeah, you know, your time and time and circumstance maybe right, Yeah,
okay one, take us out.