Full Show - 7/26/2025

Full show from the Donovan & Jorgenson Heating & Cooling Studio: Saturday, July 26th, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And welcome into the Varsity Blitz. High school sports show
is always presented by your local Picket Save and Metro
Market stores on Fox Sports ninety twenty and your iHeartRadio
app coming live from the Donovan and Jorgansen Heating and
Cooling Studios. Any issues you have, I recommend the Maintenance
program because it's under two hundred bucks for the year
and they come out twice a year. One to check

(00:22):
on your air conditioner, one to check on your furnas,
clean it up, make sure it's running well, and they
find small issues before they become major problems. Largest who
play owned HVAC company in the state of Wisconsin. Go
to Donovan Jorgenson dot com. Second hour of today's show,
we're going to talk AAYFL talking youth football and we're

(00:42):
going opposite in the first hour, going completely opposite past
future is what I'm calling today's show. These guys are
laughing senior baseball guys that are playing baseball for a
while and still playing baseball. And I'm doing the show
because one of my brothers is in from Florida and

(01:03):
I love the fact when he comes in he calls
over the teams at the Rock and he's playing at baseball.
He's got like three four games. Well, he's in town,
and I figured we'd have John Arnold, Terry Tesky, and
my brother Tim mcgivert and studio to talk about the
love of baseball that these guys have. Timmy, how you
been good, brother? Yeah, from Florida.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
It's always good to see family man kind of.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Hey, So the league's up here a little different than
the leagues down in Florida. I mean they canceled the
game the other day, yesterday or the other day in
the twenty.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Nine believe in nineties, gonna be ninety, we would not
have a game down to.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Florida, you told me. And I don't know if this
is true. You said, I think John Arnold got this
canceled because he was gonna have to face meeting SAP
was taking that boy deep. And I didn't know what
I think Arnold got there, say, canceled because he didn't sleep.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
With my brothers. My brothers one of six. He's had
to talk his whole life.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
The talk is whole.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Pretty sure, John Arnold, did you did you cancel the
game because you were afraid of my brother?

Speaker 4 (02:08):
Absolutely? I've played with Timmy down in Florida, and I don't.
I pitched him, but I don't want to pitch him.

Speaker 5 (02:15):
When you're not taking your deep, you might slap one
to get out first and still second, but you haven't
slapped one deep in a long time.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Barbary Tony, it was the last time, Timmy.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Let me ask you this. You've been been playing baseball
now for a long time. What is it? You were
a multi sport athlete at Francis Jordan for a couple
of years, at Dominican for a couple of years. What
about baseball made you continue? And and now into your
seventies still playing.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
You know, I didn't play for a long time after
high school, you know, played brown deer, played for Landa
Lakes Minor and Major in Milwaukee, didn't have anything, went
in the army. Brother Jim said, do you play baseball anymore?
I was in my mid forties. I didn't have a glove,
didn't have a bat. Went over and looked at some
teams and I thought, wow, I.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Mean maybe I can do that.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Maybe maybe first game out, guy was throwing curse stric
I'm thinking I'm sixteen seventeen. Boom sat down after three
and it was like you go sit down, you have
no idea what's going on here? Which I didn't. Took
a long time to come back. Yeah, did you.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
The one question I get for you, and I get
a question when I talk about John Ord, I get
a question about his arms, shoulder, elbow. When I get
it talk about you, people ask about your knees, and
they talk about you being able to catch? Can you
can you catch more than a couple innings a week?
And I go, yeah, play he's catching like two games
a day sometimes. How is that? That's held up? Okay

(03:57):
for you? Held up good?

Speaker 2 (03:59):
So far? We're talking out there. These guys are a
little bit older, and they said every six months to
a year, things start changing. I'm holding on, Michael, I'm
holding on.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
You know. So far, so good. Hey, John, do you
know how many times I've told this story. It's more
than fifty times on this show. I had you on
at a different radio station number of years ago, and
I said, Hey, do you ice after games? And you
said no, I lift And I said what and you said, Look,
this is what I've done for years. And I tell
like high school coaches that story and they're like really,

(04:34):
and I go he goes home and lifts after and
he's he's really been healthy for a long time and
still throwing really well. Was that something you learned as
somebody taught you at an early age.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
No, In fact, when we came up, you know, baseball
players didn't lift right, they didn't lift and the iced,
you know. But then I saw a story at Nolan Ryan,
and that's what no and Ryan would do. He would,
you know, he would lift. And what that does is
it gets set the toxins out of your muscles. And

(05:06):
and so I found after doing that, I wasn't a sore,
you know, and so uh, in fact, I found out
just recently when we played with Timmy down the Sunshine Classic.
After I pitched, I went into the UH trainers and
I was going to ice, you know, because I didn't
have any availability to do any lifting, and they said,

(05:27):
now we don't do that, and now we put heat
really and he said and and I asked him why,
he said, well, he says, think about you want blood
flow through there to get you know, the toxins out,
rather than than icing it. And so he put this
heat pad on and I'll be done. If that really
really did help, the next day, I wasn't a sore

(05:49):
and you know, so I think they're kind of He
was the trainer for Golf Coast UH, Southern Florida Gulf
Coast University, and and he said, that's what they're doing
now at home. Now, I thought you might have a
couple of.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
Why do you have one on your shoulder as we speak?
I think guys are really important health wise elbow shoulder.
You've been knock on wood good?

Speaker 4 (06:16):
Huh yeah, I I I haven't had any major shoulder
problems at all. I did have an elbow issue, not
from pitching.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
UH.

Speaker 4 (06:28):
A strange story. I was painting, uh at my house
and got stung by a wasp in my elbow. Arms
swelled up. But we had a playoff game. Uh. This
was on a Wednesday, had a playoff game on Saturday.
So my arm was swelled up, but it didn't hurt
the throw well, so I pitched the game. After the

(06:50):
game was a different story. Terry can attest to this
because we've been playing together since high school and the
arm was really the elbow was really sore and ended
up that UH, long story short, I tore the tendon
in my elbow because of the swelling it put a
different stress on my elbow and so forth. So I

(07:11):
lost one year of baseball summer where I had to
play like first base and throw the ball kind of.

Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, and well, hold on, did you win the playoff game?

Speaker 4 (07:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (07:22):
We hold on.

Speaker 6 (07:26):
Actually that was a championship game. That was that was
that was a chance. Yeah, that was a championship game.
And uh, John never walks anybody, and if he does,
he tries to pick him off because he's so pissed
he walked.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
That goes back to those you know where we get
a little bit.

Speaker 6 (07:48):
But he walked on guys in that game and we
were down seven to two. Is a championship game against
the Mets. Uh and and they had a great shortstop
named Jay Sweet. Okay Sweet, and uh somehow we got
five runs in ah Andy, We tie at seven seven,
they get a run at the top of the ninth.

(08:09):
We come out on the bottom of the ninth and
they walk Our lead off hitter, Jack Baron Dave Globg
is a great hitter. He's up. He hits a routine
double play to Jake Sweet at short he boots it.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
Jake, if you're listening, sorry, that's too Yeah, we're sorry,
We're sorry. John.

Speaker 6 (08:29):
We took Jake. We took Jake with us, our arranger team,
and he got this ring here, so he can't be
too man.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, there's hey, Timmy. I'm overs kicking out of the
studio because these boys are wearing rings on just about
every finger.

Speaker 2 (08:43):
It's as clean as clean Anna. I'm still trying to
get with these guys.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
Hey, Terry, And I'm gonna ask both John and and
Timmy is the love of the game of baseball? Did
you have you played right through? Did you play Skipper
League and Langsy doors and keep playing or did you
take a break like my brother did.

Speaker 6 (09:03):
A very sharp break. So I started playing organized baseball
when I was ten and I was up at McGovern Park,
sure in his Miwaukee County Bantam League. Okay, so that
was ten and eleven. Then twelve, thirteen was Stars Yesterday,
which I played at Garden Homes Garden Homes at Titania.

Speaker 4 (09:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (09:23):
Then Skipper League at Wickfield for two years freshman sophomore
in high school and then high school and then at
when we graduated. John and I together played together in
high school. We played County Minor for three years, County
Major for three years. We won both those and we

(09:44):
went up the Langsdorf and played that for another nine years.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
And then just and it kept playing. When I saw
you at the mesh Moore Golf on it, I said,
how are you hitting? You said, I don't play as
much golf. I'm playing more baseball. And then's showing on
my golf score. Yeah, I'm hitting the ball better and
scoring worse. I can't figure it out. I just can't.
And I'm and I'm addicted to the sport of golf.
Right now, I'm playing a ton and I'm just I

(10:11):
used to really really be bad, and now I'm just
kind of bad. And so I can't hit the ball
a button. My sister's out driving me. My sister colleague
is really good, is out driving me. And it's a
little embarrassing.

Speaker 6 (10:23):
In golf, less is more. The less you think, the
better you're.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Going to the issue.

Speaker 6 (10:30):
You gotta just let it happen. You gotta just let
it happen.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
Is John Arnold a better golfer a better baseball player?

Speaker 6 (10:37):
Baseball golf's once a year and mess Boni.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
Even you guys both started laughing. Even Arnold was like,
you don't ask that that question. So your love for baseball.
Were you a multi sport athlete at mess work? Yeah?
What else did you? Okay? And look you could you
can play a little tag, you know, flag or muni football.

Speaker 6 (10:59):
And I did tell forty five.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Really yeah, man, John Old, Were you a multi sport athlete?

Speaker 4 (11:05):
Yeah? I played. I was on a basketball team where
we won the state championship in sixty eight, and then
I played baseball. So I played freshman football. Unfortunately I
was only five four ninety two pounds as a freshman
and so quite Yeah. Well actually as a junior, I
was only five foot six.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (11:25):
I grew six inches between my junior and senior year.
I went back to school senior year and people didn't
know who I was. And then I grew three inches
in college. You know, I played at I played basketball
and baseball at UWM.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
Okay, but I was what you call late bloomer pitching.
Were you always a pitcher?

Speaker 4 (11:43):
Yeah, I was always a pitcher. Funny story there. Coming
out of high school, Terry was playing on a county
minor team and I wanted to, you know, play with him,
and they said there was an opening at third base,
So I tried out for third base. The coach after
a couple of scrimmage games, came up and says, nah,
I don't think this is gonna work out. And I said, well,

(12:07):
I pitch a little. He says, well, I'll give you
a chance. So he let me pitch in a couple
of scrimmage games and ended up we won the County Minor.

Speaker 1 (12:15):
I was.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
I was ten and Oer had a one point eight
and won the pitching award.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
So but I was.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
But I was that close to not continue my baseball
career at you know, playing third base.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
So hey, your your son, Johnny, I've known a long
time and man on the basketball floor, he was not
only was he open, but he could hit shots from
the parking lot and you know what, he would let
you know that he was going to put forty on
you when he watched. He was more like me, a

(12:48):
little bit mouthy compared to you. Yeah, he was fun
to watch.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, he's a different personality than me. He was the
more people rided him, the better he played.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
He loved getting booted, yes he did.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
And and he brought it on. But uh, he's also
really a great competitor. I can honestly say I've never
hit anybody on purpose in baseball. I can't say that
about my.

Speaker 1 (13:15):
Son, your grandson, that Sessa Hamilton is a really good
multi sport athlete. And and the fact that he's a
catcher I find very interesting because your your son was
a pitcher, you are a pitcher. Your your grandson loves catching.

Speaker 4 (13:32):
He loves catching.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
There's something off about catchers. I've shared that with one
sit way.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
Yeah, no, from Lilan. My wife would you know, would
watch him at you know, as a as a baby
and so on. You know, uh, from about three or
four years old, he was asking her to put this
catcher's you know, we had some little catchers gear and stuff,
you know, on and off, on and off, you know.
So he you know, from little on, he was always

(13:59):
wanted to be a catch.

Speaker 1 (14:00):
I love that. And heck of a heck of a
football player.

Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, he's a really good, uh wide receiver.

Speaker 1 (14:07):
Timmy. The twins that we saw yesterday, those bookend Oh
they play Atsex. Hamilton's huge to twin boys.

Speaker 4 (14:15):
The lineman.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yes, yes, they're at the game yesterday.

Speaker 4 (14:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
And we're talking to the running backs coach for Marquette
and I go, man, those guys are they brothers? He
goes look at him there.

Speaker 7 (14:32):
And I knew they looked kind of like he had
two bookend offensive linemen.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
For sure. Do you like watching him play football?

Speaker 4 (14:39):
I love watching him play football. Uh what is his
first name?

Speaker 1 (14:43):
John?

Speaker 4 (14:44):
It's John. He's got my same name. He's John William Arnold.
My son is John Anthony Arnold. So but uh, yeah,
I call him j w Uh. He is outstanding hands
and that's maybe why you know he's a catcher or
or maybe he's a good because he is outstanding hands
as a as a wide receiver. But I mean, he
had a broken thumb that needed well surgery, had a

(15:07):
leaguement damage, he had a pin put in it. He
started out the season last year playing wide receiver with
a cast on his hand, and you wouldn't have known it.
He could, you know, he could catch the ball like
he didn't have a cast though. But his his love
is baseball.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Johnny. If I told you John Arnold as a senior
at Mesmer High School, if I if I went back
and talked to that guy and said, look, you're going
to be on a radio show. How how old are
you now? Seventy seventy five? Seventy five when you're seventy
five years old. And one of the first questions I
him to have is you do you ice her thrown?

Speaker 7 (15:44):
No.

Speaker 4 (15:44):
Well, you know, when I was in high school and
even college, but high school for sure, after I would pitch,
my arm was killing me. But if you ever saw
me pitch, I don't have the proper pitching form. And
every coach I have had. In fact, one of the
guys I played with in college, Kenny Anderson, who was
a great pitcher in the county leagues and at UWM, pitched,

(16:07):
threw a no hitter in at UWM. He came watched
his play a couple of years ago and I was
warming up before the game and he was there instant laughing.
He's saying, you know, every coach that told you that
you didn't pitch correctly is dead, and every player you

(16:28):
played with isn't playing anymore, you know, other than Terry,
you know. So uh, you know, I don't know, It's
just you know, the way I threw it didn't put
stress on my on my shoulder, but I did have
sore elbows, you know, throughout. But now once I played
started playing in the MSBL, when I you know older,

(16:48):
I was back terry and I started at forty two
playing in the in the twenty eight league. In the MSBL,
I didn't have sore elbows anymore so at all, and
I just talk it up as that I don't throw
as hard.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
How much did you hate playing first base for that year?

Speaker 4 (17:08):
Yeah? It was.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
Moving over.

Speaker 6 (17:12):
He was so depressed.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
Depressed right now just thinking about it.

Speaker 6 (17:19):
I said, John, at least you're playing basically, I'm a pitcher.
I don't want to play any other.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Fact that you went out of the mind to try
to throw any lefty was it just did not work
out well for for anybody. Guys, We're going to get
your break. I'm going to ask you, guys, for the
reason you continue and the love that you have for
a sport that look, I I it's a very romantic
sport to me, right, it's it's there's no time limit.
There's no well, now there's a pitch clock in Major

(17:46):
League Baseball, but you know what, yeah, yeah, you guys
don't have that. And there's something about baseball that guys
like you that absolutely love the game, there's something good
for the soul. I'm playing the game that that is
a kid's game. But you guys get to continue to play.
We're going to talk about that. On the other side
of the break, we're talking to three guys in their
seventies that are still playing baseball and playing a lot

(18:08):
and John. Before we get to the break, this was
years ago. My brother was in a tournament. I don't
know where it was, but I got a phone call.
He said, Hey, do you know a guy named John Arnold?
I go, yeah. He goes, do you understand that? And
where I played baseball all over the country in these tournaments.
He's the best pitcher in the country at this age.
And I go, Ray, can you hit him? He goes,

(18:31):
I don't know. I think I don't know. Try like
he's the guy that everybody wants on their team when
they're trying to win a tournament. And I go, that's awesome.
I did not know he was at that level. And
then I started looking up in about every two weeks,
you're on Facebook. Hey, I got this ring in this
Arizona tournament. I got this ring in this Forlorida tournament.

(18:51):
And there's like three rings on the table.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
The answer to that question, can Timmy hit me?

Speaker 1 (18:56):
The answer is yes, Yeah, I played strikeout against him.
Could hit me too well, You're you're a different animal.
Guys are talking senior baseball this first hour, and then
Greg Clark, the commissioner of the aa yfl the future
and the past. I guess that's why you gave me
a shot about you know whatever. These guys aren't the past,

(19:17):
They're still the future in the eighty five and underleague
coming out soon. This the Varsity Blitz High School Sports
Show presented by your local Picking Save and Metro Market
stores only on five Sports nine twenty and your iHeart
Radio app. Welcome back to the Varsity Flitz High School
Sports Show, presented as always by your local Picking Save

(19:38):
and Metro Market stores. Coming from the Donovan and Jorganson
Heady and Cooling Studios. Future in the past, that's what
we're talking. I'm doing the past first and then we'll
talk to Greg Clark about youth football coming up the
next hour in studio with me, John Arnold, Terry Tesky,
a couple of messmer boys, and then I guess it,
Dominican graduate. You let him in.

Speaker 8 (19:59):
My brother Tim, Hey, Tim that when you come up
here and play with with teams here at the Rock,
what's the difference between like the leagues or the teams
that you.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Play in in in in Florida, Is there much different
as far as the talent level and the way they're run.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Oh, the way they run up here is a lot
lot better, very organized. Ours is not that organized. The
teams and a lot of the guys down in Florida
play in tournaments like we all do, so that the
teams are very similar. But the structure the rock is unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
Unbelievable, John, Where did you guys play prior to the
rock being built? And we've got to give zimmer Mint
some credit. I you know, I think he built it
so he could play. You know, the one time I
had him in studio, he came in full uniform and
I loved it. He said, Hey, man, I've got a
game in twenty minutes, so I'm in uniform so I
could just get out of the car and go play.
Got to give him a lot of credit. That facility

(20:54):
is incredible for things like this.

Speaker 4 (20:57):
I think Terry can speak to this better because he
Terry has a steel trap mind on baseball. You can
you can talk about a game that was years ago
and he can tell you the score and exactly.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
Right.

Speaker 4 (21:12):
Yeah, which sometimes I wish he didn't remember somebody, but
he can tell you, you know better, the fields that
we played on and so forth.

Speaker 6 (21:24):
Where So the MSBL started in nineteen ninety three, Uh,
in the fall, and there was ads in the newspaper,
old guys three and over, do you want to play
hardball again? And Johnny called me up. He goes as
our new hardball league. And we hadn't played and I
don't know a few years, we had played some county minor.

(21:45):
Later we came back.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
We came back and played in the County Minor after
we had not been playing baseball for like four years,
and we ended up winning the County Minors. And so
then we were Then we didn't play fars. Then we
didn't play for a couple of years. Yeah, and then
this new league you know was started.

Speaker 6 (22:04):
So county parks like Lincoln, Yes, yes, So then it
expanded county parks like Lincoln. We played a lot at
Madison by Timmerman.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
We've played a.

Speaker 6 (22:13):
Lot at Rainbow. Okay, Uh, like you said Lincoln, we
played at Simmons and in the Rock.

Speaker 1 (22:21):
This is a whole different animal, right, I mean definitely
with the county parks, you never quite knew. What if
they got out there and raked it, and they got
out there and fixed they got it, lined it up
and got it ready to go. I would assume that
that now, playing at the Rock, you know you're going
to go into park. It's it's they're they're so nice, right.

Speaker 6 (22:41):
The it's so awesome playing on tur if you can't believe,
I mean, I played first base mostly now and.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
They what did you play?

Speaker 6 (22:50):
What was your I grew up in outfielder Okay, yeah,
I played outfield most of my life growing up, high school,
college and langsar Fleague.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
Where'd you go to college?

Speaker 6 (23:03):
I went to Oshcarsh.

Speaker 1 (23:04):
Okay, that's actually good for you.

Speaker 6 (23:06):
And I was so. I was playing with John right
out of college. We both just graduated, playing in the summer,
and our catcher, Joe Hanger, got a job teaching right
out of college, and he said, hey, guys, I can't
play with you this year. And I used to love
catching in bp pating practice.

Speaker 1 (23:25):
That's it.

Speaker 6 (23:26):
I never caught in the game.

Speaker 1 (23:30):
I'm not kidding.

Speaker 6 (23:31):
I said. I said, ship, ship, the ship's coming.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
Careful, We're not sitting there. You're not sitting in some
bar here, Pal we are live on the ear.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
A little dugout.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah seven second dumb button doesn't work anymore.

Speaker 6 (23:46):
So yeah, all right, I said I'll catch. So I
actually ended up being the catcher the next two years.
And in Langsdorf we had a lot of double headers,
a lot of them. We played weeknight double headers. And
one night I had to catch Tansky and John Becker
and they both have these you know, they spiked their

(24:07):
curves when they're up going too and and they're spiking
them all night long. And I'm catching a double header
and I'm getting battered. I mean every part of my
body is getting hit by you know, spiked curveball.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
I want to be out in the outfield, don't you. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (24:22):
After the double header, I went up to the manager,
Dick Kexbell, and I said, hey, Dick, I'd love to
go back to right fields.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Timmy, you caught since as long as I can remember, right,
you're caught in grade school, right, Saint Peter Paul cat
for the popes, all of the popes.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
Absolutely good memory.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
And and well I got cut from the I played
on the top division. Here's my favorite story of that.
You the guy who forgot the guy who cut me
Bob Shaw. Bob Shaw was the second base umpire in
the All Star Game. And I had two doubles in

(25:01):
a single in the All Star Game, and one was
I slid in the second there was a play he
said safe. And because I had a big mouth, I said,
I bet you, I bet you would wish you hadn't
cut me down right, And he said, I wish I
would have called you out. That is awesome. What about
that position? And and and it's a different position it is.

(25:23):
And I think I think guys that that love to
catch want to be fully involved in the game. And
and and do you like catching much more even at
this stage than you do plane second or going to
the outfield much more?

Speaker 2 (25:36):
Because I have been not diagnosed ad D, I am
all over diagnosed. You did cover, you did diagnose me,
but my whole family's diagnosed. We just stay focused. There
you go.

Speaker 1 (25:52):
Oh, I love it.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
I love it. And especially the relationship with the picture.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
Yeah, because John Arnold does he shake you off at all?
Bring you see?

Speaker 2 (26:04):
You know I haven't caught John very often. Here's a
story on that. I called, we're looking for a you know,
picture for a tournament, and I thought, I'm gonna call John.
Now John's on top. He's on the top. Tap called John,
I said, John, would you be interesting saity? Yeah, I
said yeah. I called the manager.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
I called the guy called.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
We got John Urdle's or Michael exactly exactly. So he's
oh he is, and fun to catch him on to catch.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
Shake you off?

Speaker 4 (26:37):
I don't remember we had we had it going never
never shook Timmy off. And what's great about throwing to
Timmy is not only does he know what to call,
when to call, but the positioning behind the plate, you know,
inside outside you you know he's he's not standing ketcher.
I love throwing it Timmy.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
And I've said this flying. In fact, I used it
at the end of the home. We prove it so
I do. I asked him one time, I said, can
you can you still throw these guys out because they're seventy?
I can what happened and get these boys.

Speaker 2 (27:08):
The thing about the seventy, Now, i'll play to day
in fifty five, that's gonna be a little bit different.
I said, I don't need to catch. But in the
seventy they can't steal second in the in the tournaments,
they can only steal third. Okay, and there's a little
bit different rules.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
So yeah, Hey, some of the tournaments that you've played,
you've sent me pictures of, you know, playing Doug Flutie
and Don Tapa Shot and some of these guys that
I'm like, you're you're playing against Doug Flutie. Are you
kidding me? Yeah? I mean there are some guys that
played years in Major League Baseball that are that are.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
Playing absolutely and we were run into them, I know.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
You guys.

Speaker 4 (27:46):
Well, that's what's that's what's fun about playing in the
national tournaments in the World Series. You get to play
against a lot of these x major leaguers and obviously
in their prime and when we were in our prime,
they were better than us. You know, that's why they
were major leaguers. But the years take their toll, and
so that kind of is a factor that factors in

(28:08):
that you know, now you can compete with them because
you know, maybe the years have affected them more than
you know they've affected us, maybe because they played so
many more games.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Yea. The phone call. You've got to get those phone
calls like twelve times a week from people all over
the country going, hey, any interesting coming here.

Speaker 4 (28:27):
Well, I do get some calls, but I'm I'm very
loyal to the teams I play and I've been playing
with the la Athletics. You know. UH. He picked me up.
I played against him UH with the team from Milwaukee
UH in a national tournament World Series and we didn't
put a team in the next year, and so he

(28:50):
contacted me and I played with them. So you know,
I've played with the la Athletics, you know, you know
since maybe for twenty some years.

Speaker 1 (28:58):
But Terry, I'm gonna ask you this game, how hard
is it too if guys go, Okay, I'm done, I'm
not gonna play anymore. How hard is it to find
more players and to be able to field a team
for a year? Is it hard to get enough guys
for each of these rosters?

Speaker 6 (29:18):
So for some reason, with our Ranger team, good players,
no other good players, and guys retire. I mean it
happens every year. One or two guys will say, hey,
that's it for me, and well, I know a guy
and I know a guy like we got. We got
two guys from Janesville two years ago. You know, Freddie,

(29:40):
Freddie and Mark who are outstanding players, so good players,
no other good players.

Speaker 1 (29:47):
How many times a week? Did they drive in to
play baseball from.

Speaker 6 (29:50):
Jamesville twice twice or twice a week?

Speaker 1 (29:53):
And do you guys play one or did you play
doubleheaders on those days? Are one game? And how many
innings do you guys playing?

Speaker 6 (29:59):
We play nine inning games, but it's a two and
a half hour time limit. Okay, so if you only
get seven in, you get seven in if you get
in and.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
You get aid in. Uh.

Speaker 6 (30:08):
Yeah, So I play three days a week, so does John?
We play Saturday, Tuesday, Thursdays? Okay, fifty five, sixty two, seventy.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
And what the leagues you played on in Florida? What leagues?
What same thing?

Speaker 2 (30:22):
We can play playing a sixty two fifty five? And
then during the summer the older guys don't play, and
then you can get it jump in a forty five.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Forty And when you say jump in if you head
over look, I know Sundays you guys you play.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
Yeah, we played doubleheader both you know in fifty two
plays and then the manager manages both teams.

Speaker 1 (30:42):
Timmy, were you surprised? And let's go back to when
when our brother Jim said go play baseball and then
you started. Are you surprised how close knit and all
these guys look, you have interviewed me to people like
John Nelson, right, guys that that are from this Harry,
that you playing tournaments? Are you surprised from learning how

(31:06):
how many opportunities and how many guys that and friends
you've you've you've gotten through playing this.

Speaker 2 (31:13):
I had no idea. I played in the league for
a long time and then they'd be talking about tournaments.
I said, tournaments.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
I had no.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
Idea that this was happening. These guys were playing those tournaments.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
And so until you started getting on base, nobody invited
you to play. I didn't have a bad I didn't
have a to come play. That was a ball player.
Bring up?

Speaker 2 (31:39):
Why did you bring him up?

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Because he won All Conference the year I thought maybe
you were going to win him.

Speaker 6 (31:44):
But you know, you know was on my street. He
lives on and he's in my golf league on Tuesdays,
so I've got to know him a little bit.

Speaker 1 (31:54):
He's a fun guy, you know what. I see him
at the mess golf last year. I took a picture.
He said, Hey, this guy said he's All Conference and
you're not. Jimmy said, well, I think is he still
playing because maybe I'm better than he is now said
he's way better, but maybe I hit a golf ball better.
I go, oh, yeah, I've seen him in a golf ball.
You can hit it way better than that. Hey, getting

(32:16):
back to being able to find players, and then when
when guys go from from forty five to as they
get older than they're gonna want if they want to continue,
then you guys have a place for them.

Speaker 6 (32:28):
Right absolutely, it's it's yeah, it's it's a recruiting system.
So in fact, in the in the Rock League, they
they said, you have to partner up with a team.
Remember this last year. You got to partner up with
a team who you're gonna feed and then maybe another
team who's gonna feed you. And so they made us

(32:49):
actually partner up almost like a farm club, like a.

Speaker 1 (32:52):
Farm John getting the mic.

Speaker 4 (32:53):
I'm sorry, almost like a farm club.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
You know, you have a great idea. So you guys
have guys that are playing in the forty five that
eventually and who knows, if you think you'll still be
thrown when you're eighty five.

Speaker 4 (33:08):
I hope I'm wife, I hope I'm still alive.

Speaker 1 (33:11):
And well, you know what, and and all Kati said healthwise,
you're doing good. I know there was you know, a
couple issues there, and and my brother was was calling
me saying, hey, did you call my go? No, I
texted son, he's doing better. I'm not going to bother
the guy. I go. Why it was wondering interview. I wondered,
you want to know if you could play that.

Speaker 4 (33:33):
Yeah, it was a little issue not related to baseball.
You know, if if you google Mother of All Surgeries,
that's what they actually call it. So but no, I'm
doing fine now. You know one thing I wanted to mention,
you know, with the MSBO, the relationships you know that
you make with players around the country. When I was

(33:57):
sick and I had that surgery, I was getting emails
and messages sent from all over the country, players that
obviously that I played with, but players that I played against,
people I didn't even know, you know, I was you know,
it's like, you know, wishing me well, and you know,
it was like, I don't even know who this is,
you know, but you know, yeah, a lot.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Of people definitely a lot of people praying for you
during that time. No, I know I can tell you
that that I mean, I was getting calls from people going, hey,
do you know any guys did your son's friends? And
you know that Johnny's dad is, and I go, I
do when we've talked about it, and you know, certainly
a lot of per trains for that. You got a
chance to play with your son, right, How one was that?

Speaker 4 (34:41):
Of all the experiences I've ever had in baseball, that
was the best. We played in the thirty five League together.
I was sixty three and he was, you know, thirty five,
and we were playing in a playoff game and we
had another playoff. This is when another playoff game on Saturday.
We had predetermined that I was just going to pitch

(35:05):
part of the game. He was going to pitch part
of the game. Well, after five innings, I had a
no hitter going, shocking well, I walked the first batter
of the game on a three and two count. I
thought it was a strike walk the guy. Of course,
I always think it is a strike. And Johnny was
playing first base and there was one flair the teddy

(35:26):
outfield that I don't know how he made the catch,
but he did. And so fifteenning came and we were
I had no hitter going, and I said, okay, you
know I'm done, and he said, oh, you got to
keep going. And I said, no, you know, we got
a game Saturday, and you know I want to be
able to come back. So my son went in to
pitch and he had thrown two no hitters in college.

(35:48):
And he said, after the game, and obviously, I mean
he shut him down. We had a father's son combined
no hitter, which is the first father son no hitter
in MSBL history. Yeah, and only one. And the umpire
after the game said, jeez, you know he felt bad.
He said, if I would have known that was going

(36:08):
to be the only thing between a perfect he says,
it could have gone either way. But but that was
of all the things. I mean, I've been fortunately playing
a lot of great teams. You know, I've got thirty
nine World Series rings. But of all the things, now
that they'll come this year, no, but of all the

(36:29):
things of playing baseball, that was the highlight of my
life in baseball was being able to have a combined
no hitter with my son. The only thing would have
made it better if my grandson could have been the catcher,
but he was a little bit too young.

Speaker 1 (36:42):
Guys, we're going to get to a break, and I
didn't give you a heads up, So I want you
to give this some thought. I always ask us at
this question at the end of Faith in the Zone
another show that I do. All the uniforms you've ever
put on your entire life, you get to put them
all in that close and you get to pick one
uniform out to get one more game with that team.
What uniform do you pick? Who do you play against?

(37:04):
And why give that some thought because it could be
mess but it could be literally could be you know,
days at McGovern park or what you're doing now. But
give that some thought, and we're gonna find out on
the other side of the break, what uniform these guys
would pick. Tim McGivern, John Arnold, and Terry Tuesky are
in studio and we could. Had I known that this
was gonna be this much fun, I would have had

(37:25):
Greg Clark come in next week. Because we keep going
this whole future and past thing. These guys are not passed.
They're still they're still playing hardball, and I give them
so much credit. And it's the love of the game.
It really is the love of the game and still
competing and and trust me, when I ask these guys
if if they still get competitive, I go see that

(37:46):
some of these games, they do still get competitive. They
they're a little bit slower than they used to be,
but they still get competitive. And when John Ardle tells you,
I thought it was a strike, I've seen that side
of him too. I've definitely seen that side of him.
This is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, presented
by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores,
only on Sports Radio, Sports Radio only on five Sports

(38:09):
nine twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Welcome back to the
Varsity Flitz High School Sports Show, presented by your local
Pick and Save and Metro Market stores. I am Mike
mcgiverern and we're talking to three guys still playing baseball
in their seventies. My brother Tim McGivern in town from
tarp And Springs, home of the Spongers, tarp And Springs, Florida,
John Arld, Terry Tesky, a couple of Messmer grads. Hey, guys,

(38:32):
this question that I asked at the end of Faith
in the Zone has gotten me some answers that it
was a throwaway question and it's either Hey, I hit
seven threes in a game, and I'd like to get
that feeling again. Or I had a pastor from San
Diego played with the Indianapolis Colts for five years, and
he said, my junior year in high school uniform because

(38:52):
I fumbled twice on the one yard line in the
state championship game and I can't look these guys in
the eye to this day and we lost by six.
I'd like that game back. So I'm going to start
with you, Timmy, all the uniforms you've ever put out,
from the Popes to Saint Peter and Paul, Chargers, France
Stuur and Dominican all the way through, if you could
get one uniform out to get one more game. I

(39:16):
got to Michael, Yeah, I'll do too.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
I'm going to go back to my senior year in
high school, the Dominican Knights, Dominican Knights night game, baseball baseball,
Mesmer High School, Lincoln Park pitching or what Jimmy, Jimmy,
Jimmy's listening, hopefully Buzz Laturski he's deceased, God rest his soul.

(39:39):
But uh, you guys, the Baumban brother I mean, yeah,
Dominic Dominican Messmer beating four to three, Lincoln Park.

Speaker 1 (39:47):
That's the first one.

Speaker 2 (39:47):
Great game, but the one that I think about with
Johnny here.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
Yeah, yeah, that game down in Florida.

Speaker 2 (39:56):
He was he was coming out of some major and
so we're in the last game championship. We didn't know
if he could go. He says, I don't know. So
the manager Kenny down there, we had a good team
Tampa Storm. That uniform which I still wear. He's going three.
He's going, Hey, we don't know how much further you

(40:18):
can go. He said, let me give it a shot.
He goes seven. We win it. So that uniform with
him pitching, that's most recent too.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
That's why not for that year he played first base,
we wouldn't call him the goat over in the first face.
We would call Look, you've told me plenty of times
that John Arnold in the fun in the neighborhoods you
run in in this to you right.

Speaker 2 (40:43):
Well, here's another story. Here's another story. Probably Bobby's listening now.
Bobby heydershot best best sixty and over, he's seventy's a shortstop.
Our manager didn't want to get another pitcher, Gary Fritch.
Gary Fritch is one of the best on with him
and I said, call John Arnold, see if you should

(41:04):
pick up Gary said, we got plenty of pitching. John,
take it from there. Please take it from there.

Speaker 4 (41:10):
I said, you pick up Gary Fritch. He was worried.
Ken Gurley, who was the manager, was worried that I
would be upset because you know, I might not get
as many innings. I said, I'll give up as many
innings as you want to pick up Gary Fritch because
in my estimation, Gary Fritch is the goat. He is

(41:30):
an outstanding, outstanding pitcher. You know, if you have a
chance to pick up Gary Fritch for your team, you
pick up Gary Fridge.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
Look at what what what he just said? And I
have conversation with coaches a lot that guys had to
get their first head job seemed to hire assistance that
aren't as much knowledge as and I As a head coach,
I was one of the assistant coaches that were way
better than me. Right, that's what I'm looking for. And
look at what John or just said, I'll give up

(42:01):
innings if you bring this guy.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Well, here's the thing, Terry, John, Bobby, all those guys
play with the Minnesota Bees, Minnesota team, right, they're the
top yeah.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
Hey, John, your your answer for this? All the uniforms
and you've put on. Can you imagine how big that
closet would have to be, all the uniforms you ever
put on. If you could pick one out to get
one more game with that team, what would.

Speaker 4 (42:26):
You want again? I'm like Timmy, I would have to
Mine would be going back to my junior year in
high school at Mesmer. I pitched one game, I think
it was against Notre Dame High School. We won it,
and then I got mono nucleosis and I was out
for the rest of the year. So I would have
liked to go back to be able to complete that

(42:47):
junior year, you know. The other one would be my
Ranger team that I played with in the fifty five
after my surgery and I had lost that summer of
a baseball I was in twenty twenty three and my
goal was to get back to play in the World
Series in October. Well, in September we had the championship

(43:09):
game for our fifty five league with the Rangers, and
our manager Mickey Priefer at that time before the game
said you're going to close the game. I hadn't pitched,
you know, all year, because I was out and I said,
let's see, let's see what the what the you know,
score is at the time, or how we're doing well.

(43:29):
Luckily we had a big lead and he put me
in and you know, got out of the inning. And
I'll tell you what they say, there's no crying in baseball.
That was the first time I had tears streamed on
my eyes, just from being able to get back on
the mountain and pitch the game.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
Yeah, right now can I And look, what a weird
question to ask somebody your age, But were you nervous
before that? You get nervous before games? Were you nervous
about getting up in the mount for that one?

Speaker 4 (43:57):
You know? That's funny. A player that I play with,
Mike Drilling, who's a really good baseball player, he always
comes up to me before games, is you know? He says,
how come you never get nervous before games? I get
so nervous before games. But no matter what game I'm playing,
I don't care if it's in the seventies the sixty two,
I don't care what game it is. I don't care

(44:19):
if it's a championship game in the World Series or
if it's just a local game. I always am nervous.
I don't show it, but inside I am nervous until
you throw the first couple of pitches and you're in
the game, or you get your first at bet. But
if you're not nervous, I think something's wrong with you.

Speaker 1 (44:38):
You know what, as a basketball coach, even teams that
we knew we were gonna beat by thirty, I would
get nervous. And what that tells me is keep doing
it right because you care so much about it. The
fact that you might get a little bit nervous. Terry,
I'm gonna move the microphone. All the uniforms you put
on it about as many as John Arnold as I'm
sure all the uniforms you've ever put on. What for?

(45:00):
What would you pick out and get another game with
that team?

Speaker 4 (45:03):
Well?

Speaker 6 (45:05):
Number one, I would say, the Rangers to the team
I'm on with John. That team started nineteen ninety three,
the first year MSBL came to Milwaukee, and there was
six teams. We played a fall schedule. We played in October,
and you know I got I chose my favorite number

(45:26):
just twenty four and John had twenty and the Rangers
have gone on and won twenty one championships in the
MSBL here in Milwaukee, in Milwaukee local twenty one local championships,
and John and I've been on every one of them.
The guys on the team. Now we're seventy. I'm gonna

(45:48):
be seventy five. He's seventy five. We still played fifty
five Rangers. They Mickey calls us the two pillars, like
we built the Rangers, and we did. We built the
Rangers and we have all these so that would be one.

Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (46:02):
My second favorite game was a few years ago. I
played with John on la Athletics for a long time,
two twenty years, and talk about being nervous. I always
felt nervous playing for Bob because he never He's a
different kind of guy. He never would say nice game,

(46:24):
you know. He and you felt he had so much
talent at his fingertips, and you felt like if you
didn't perform, he was gonna bring new guys in and
you're gonna be out.

Speaker 4 (46:36):
Well.

Speaker 6 (46:36):
He never pushed me out, but and I always got
to play, and for that I'm thankful, and I told
him that. But I decided to leave the la Athletics
a few years ago and play exclusively with Minnesota in
Arizona and Florida, and so we were the Bandits, the

(46:57):
Minnesota Bandits, and we end up playing who in championship.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
John, I knew it was.

Speaker 6 (47:02):
Going to come to that, and and I did not
expect to win that championship, no way, no how, because
we had run out of our good pitching to get
to the championship and they were they were loaded with pitching.

Speaker 1 (47:17):
And do you bring up the fact that you beat him.
I'm surprised he didn't bring up that uniformed and he
didn't throw.

Speaker 6 (47:23):
High inside it, he didn't pitch the game.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
Would he throw one high inside?

Speaker 6 (47:31):
He pitched a semi final, I believe for them to
get to that game. So we beat Danny Pollock two
to three to one in a championship.

Speaker 1 (47:39):
What a great game, man, Tesky. I'll tell you what.
You might not know your nieces and nephew's names, but
you sure remember all this other stuff. Guys, I can't
thank you enough. Timmy, thank you so much. Cal It's
good to see you. Terri tell was good to see you. Yeah,
I really appreciate it. And I'm glad that you guys
don't get a set with the future in the past
line that I've come up with. Look, I can tell

(47:59):
you this that when my brother comes in town and
I get to go watch him play, I understand why
this thing is so successful. First of all the facilities,
and I thank Zimmerman for this to be able to
have those facilities for these guys, but the love they have,
and look, they're competitive, but man, when somebody gets a
good hit from another team, guys are slapping in five.

(48:20):
It's just really fun to go out and watch these
guys continue to compete at a high level with with
you know, sixty five fifty five and look, I get
pictures from my brother all the time. Hey, we just
won this tournament in Florida. One thing again, it's Terry Golake.
This with your hand by the microphone. You hear all
those rings on his finger. Next time you get in here, boy,

(48:42):
and you better have one of those to put on them. Guys,
that's so good to see you again. On the other
side of the break, Greg Clark, he's the commissioner of
the aa YFELA. It's the biggest youth football league in
the state of Wisconsin, and they are coming back as
a sponsor of my show, and we're gonna talk a
little bit about that and how we name a team
of the week, and I want to thank Greg Clark

(49:04):
and some of the things they do for these young
kids to fall in love with the game of football,
and we'll get to that on the other side. This
is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show presented by
your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores, only
on Fox Sports nine twenty and your iHeart Radio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show
presented by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores.

(49:27):
Coming from the Donovan and Jorgansen Heating and Cooling Studios. Man,
I cannot think John Arnold, Terry Tesky, and my brother
Tim enough for coming in for an hour to talk
about senior baseball guys. That you know, these guys are
all in their seventies still playing and that movie the
love of the game right for the love of the game.

(49:49):
If you watch these guys and watch their facial reactions
as they start talking about playing baseball and still competing
and competing at a high level, getting the butterflies and
wanting to compete. I love the fact that they're still
playing baseball and absolutely love it. And look my brother

(50:10):
brings his gear in and he calls teams over at
the rock and says, look, I'm coming in. You need somebody,
and they're like, you can catch. Yeah, how many Indians
can you give us? I can catch the whole game.
And they're like, no, no, we need you to come on over.
And I like to go over there and watch him play.
And the smiles on these guys faces. It's pretty incredible.

(50:31):
It really isn't. And I think those guys a lot.
Had I known Terry Tsky could talk like that, I
would have done two hours and kick Greg Clark out
of here. Greg, how you been I've been good? Good
the past. In the future you were talking future now
the aa YFL, it is the All American Youth Football League.
And a year ago, Greg, you had contacted me and said, Hey,

(50:55):
how do we how do we kind of come together?
How do we get our you know, tie our our
wagon to you and some of the things you do
on the air and and and the amount of stuff
that that that, and you had said, this amount of
stuff you do in the high school world, how can
we get you to do some stuff with us? And
we sat down and talked about it and came up
with the plan and and to be able to have

(51:16):
me promote games that are going on that week in
different markets, and then for us to pick a aa
YFL team of the week, and then I go out
to the practice and present to the plaque. And we
laughed about it because we both had the same There
are times where I'm like, I don't really want to
leave my couch and I'm driving to Burlington or I'm

(51:38):
driving to mcgwanago and I'm thinking, oh boy, I don't
know if I want to do this tonight. And then
I get there and and then it's like, it's awesome
watching all of these kids and these coaches and the
amount of work these kids are putting in, and the
fact that I get to address the team right everybody
on one knee, take your helmet off. That part of coaching,

(52:01):
and to be able to talk to these kids and
they get pictures. And as I get I get in
the car to drive home the guilt I feel about
how I felt about having to leave my couch, and
you said, Mike, I feel the same way. Sometimes I'm tired,
and then I get out to a practice and I
just start smiling because the teams that are playing in
the AA YFL are getting these kids prepared to maybe

(52:24):
play at the next level. But Greg, it's so much
more than that.

Speaker 3 (52:27):
Yeah, it is.

Speaker 9 (52:28):
And to kind of go back to what you talked about,
is how we can hitch our wagon to your show
and be part of the Varsity Blitz show. We're preparing
these kids not only for to play in high school
if they want to, but for life, like life experiences,
life lessons, and the.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
Thought that you're not going to like everybody you work with.
So same thing with teams and as an organization. Sometimes
you win, sometimes you don't. How do you react to it?
I look the practices I've gone to and I'm I
get a chance to listen to the coaches coaching these
kids up. And it's not just about you know, state

(53:06):
pad level and you know what, make sure that you're
blocking it this way. It's way more than that. And
I have a lot of respect. I didn't know a
ton about the A and YFL. I mean, I knew
you guys existed. I knew that you guys were pretty
big league. I didn't know the biggest league I think
in the state of Wisconsin. What I've learned about it
was the way it, and it coming from the top,

(53:28):
coming from you and Dan and Steven, those guys. It
is you believe that this is bigger and it has
more to do with everything plus football. And I like that.

Speaker 3 (53:40):
Yeah, And you know we have the and I agree
with you.

Speaker 9 (53:43):
The more I go to the practices and visit the
teams and the programs, it's amazing the amount of work
these coaches put in their game planning, their their practice schedules,
everything they're doing. It's it's a pretty heavy part time
job that they're putting in and the effort and and
then the kids. The kids, they put in a lot

(54:04):
of work and trying to get them motivated to play
their position and to do all that. It's it's harder
now than it was, you know, ten years ago.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
This year, this year will be the forty ninth Yes,
that this league has been around. And the fact that
you guys are up to one hundred and forty six teams, Yeah,
thank goodness that that. You know, you can go on
the computer and somebody can put the schedule together. You
don't do that to you. Yes, I excuct too, and
I know that that's where I'm going there, because that's

(54:34):
got to be one of the more difficult things to do.
You have the template so you can do that, but man,
oh man, that part of it's going to be hard.

Speaker 3 (54:42):
Yeah, I had, we had the first part down.

Speaker 9 (54:44):
Now it's the lower levels we're putting together and I'm
a little behind schedule.

Speaker 3 (54:48):
Hopefully I'll have it out this weekend. And so it does.

Speaker 9 (54:50):
It takes a lot of time and making sure that
everything is in place.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
Hey, with one hundred and forty six different teams, think
about all the moving parts, right, not only the players,
but the coaches, then the people that are running that
like the Brookvie League youth football, then parents they you know, come,
I would assume right now you're pretty busy, but come
two or three weeks, it's going to get a little

(55:16):
bit nice.

Speaker 3 (55:17):
Yeah, it's almost like a wedding.

Speaker 9 (55:18):
You know, you're really busy right up two and then
once it's once it happens, you're like, well, there's not
much more I can do because everything's in place, and
you just got to let the pieces fall where they may.

Speaker 1 (55:27):
Hey, how much how difficult is it for you to
get referees?

Speaker 9 (55:33):
We have eighteen crews right now that Dan works with
scheduling and they've been some of them been refereeing and
AOIFL for.

Speaker 3 (55:42):
Over thirty years. So we have a core group.

Speaker 9 (55:45):
There are some now that are looking on retiring, so
we're looking to get more in. And it's a great
point you brought in because now we've we're working on
implementing a scholarship for young guys to come in and
the league will help supplement to pay them.

Speaker 3 (56:00):
To train to uh foster them into being referees.

Speaker 1 (56:04):
Man, we have to get creative, right And and look,
I I talked to more basketball coaches and basketball officials
about it, but but it's getting scary. Yeah, And and
what happens a friend of mine who's a basketball official,
he had his daughter wanted to she's a junior I
think in high school, wanted to to do it. And

(56:26):
after one weekend of tournament, she said no, really yeah,
because of people yelling, parents yelling at her. And and
he made a perfect clear look, this is she's gonna
run with me, right I I will I, but but
just don't do that to her, and and after one
weekend said this is not for me. I don't have

(56:46):
thick skin like you, dad, And that that you know
what I I feel bad because as a basketball coach. Look,
I was different as I got older. When I was young,
I was a jerk and Greg I I got to
be honest and I learned because somebody videotaped me a
parent of me on the sidelines, and you want to

(57:07):
talk about an eye opening experience to go, that's me.
That's what I sound like. I was embarrassed. And so
for me to be able to have a rough come
up and say, look, this is my daughter. So if
you've got any questions, come to me, man, I would
thank her. But you know, in today's world, parents, everybody's
going to the show and we got it. Yeah, it

(57:29):
gets a little bit more difficult. I love the fact
that you guys are trying to think of ways to
get young people to become official. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (57:36):
I think it's really important, extremely important, because there are
guys that, like I said, there's some that are retiring
and we came together and what kind of ideas can
we do. And I'm going to give a shout out
to Brian Smith who is refereeing for us and he
had his son, brought his son up and Noah Smith
has been a great addition and he's going to be
refereeing this year too, but that was one of our

(57:58):
first young guys to kind of come in. Wes Band
has talked about having some young guys coming in, and
you know, then we started coming up with ideas to say,
how can we get more people interested?

Speaker 3 (58:07):
Do you get young people?

Speaker 1 (58:08):
You guys will train them?

Speaker 9 (58:09):
Yes, So what will happen is we have four man
crew and then there'll be a fifth kid or a
fifth trainee that will be shadowing all the positions, and
then the AIFL will supplement that to the program to
pay that kid person to referee and to train and
to learn.

Speaker 1 (58:26):
If somebody has interest her they have a son or
a nephew or a niece, right that has interest in this.
First of all, it's a great part time job. Oh yeah, right,
you're making making a little bit of money and you're
able to get outside and still be part of football
or to learn to be part of football. Can people
contact the AYFL to get more information on this? Yes.

Speaker 9 (58:48):
On our website if you go to the Board of Directors,
you can email. Click on my name. I have my
email addresses right on there. You can email me and
I'll put you in touch with the local freeze that
are in that area, so you don't have to travel
very far and we'll get you set up from there.

Speaker 3 (59:06):
But that's a great idea.

Speaker 1 (59:07):
Yeah, I think it's important. Look, everybody, you know, I
now have a fifteen year old grandson and they did
a lot of traveling summer. But they were like, hey,
we need to he need to start thinking about a
part time job. Yeah, and he played youth football. He'd
be perfect. He would be perfect. And and what do
referees get paid in your league?

Speaker 9 (59:27):
The referees get paid seventy five dollars a game for us,
and then the in training will be paid fifty five
dollars and they do two to four games.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
Yeah they can. They can do up to four games
on a Saturday. Yeah. And you know that's not bad.

Speaker 3 (59:42):
Yes, that's not bad.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
You take old retired grandfathers. Because I just can't run much.
Can I just stand in the fifty and make the
call from there. I've seen a few guys try to
do that. I know. I'm not ripping any officials. I
don't do that. It was a joke. That's me being
a com median since nineteen seventy seven. The All American
Youth Football League is Wisconsin's largest and it it look

(01:00:08):
I'm not saying anything. I don't believe it's the premier
league in the state.

Speaker 3 (01:00:12):
Yes, yeah, I would think so.

Speaker 9 (01:00:14):
I mean maybe I'm a little biased, but I think
the things that we do, the organizations that are part
of the program of the league.

Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
They do an amazing job.

Speaker 9 (01:00:24):
They're very organized, they're a lot all about the kids,
and there's great examples of the programs growing like oh Creek.

Speaker 3 (01:00:33):
Oh Creek has grown.

Speaker 9 (01:00:35):
After talking to Adam Martin, or League president, and what
he's been able to do over the years to grow
their program and some of these other programs that have
just started to grow and grow, and it's amazing the
work that they put in. And I just wanted to
mention so I saw forty eight years now, that's quite
an honor for me to be part of this. I mean,

(01:00:56):
we're going on fifty years's and to be true in
this position.

Speaker 3 (01:01:01):
Is a big honor.

Speaker 9 (01:01:03):
And I didn't realize it until I read that on
because this is a revamped website.

Speaker 3 (01:01:07):
Then they put that up in it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
Let it hits you by the way, it looks good.
Thank you for doing it, because it does. It looks good.
Gives a really nice history of this league, and you know,
it talks about the guys that were the founders. And
this is really well written and I learned a lot
from reading it, because again there's been changes in some

(01:01:28):
controversy and stuff like that throughout the years in every league,
but they really spell it out. And I think, I
don't know what you guys you want to get through
this year, so I'm not putting the cart before the horse,
But for the fiftieth, let's make sure that we celebrate
that and do something to bring some of the guys
back who maybe started it, some players who played in it,

(01:01:49):
stuff like that. I think there's some great things that
you guys can can do to let people know that
you've been around fifty years and then thank people for being,
you know, part of what you do. Some of these
some of these schools and programs are from the first year.
They've been with you for the whole time, which says
something about, you know, you haven't been the commissioner for

(01:02:11):
you know how many years?

Speaker 3 (01:02:12):
For you bet I'm on my fourth year right now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
Okay, you put a lot of time in is your
wife okay?

Speaker 3 (01:02:19):
With all that, it's funny y'all picture coverage.

Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
I told you that.

Speaker 9 (01:02:22):
Well, we were on the walk the other day and
she's like, she turns to me and she says, well,
I think you go out for reelection this year.

Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
She knows more.

Speaker 1 (01:02:29):
About Does she get Does she get involved with it too?

Speaker 4 (01:02:32):
No?

Speaker 9 (01:02:32):
No, she She's definitely my support system. When I have issues,
I go to her and she kind of helps put
it in perspective and bounce things off for her. When
I'm sending emails, she's my proof reader. And so yes
she is.

Speaker 1 (01:02:47):
She's not. You won't see her name on here, but
trust me, and you know what she look if she
wasn't supportive and wasn't what is her first name by
the way, Kayla, Kayla. If Kyla wasn't supportive and didn't
understand the passion you have for this, because you do
put in a lot, there's some sweat equity that has
to get Look. I came and spoke to the to

(01:03:09):
one of your board meetings and looked at all the
people there, and the board meeting was set up and
you had the people that you do your fundraiser stuff with.
Thank you for letting me go ahead of that guy
because he was gonna go along Powell and what a
good guy. Liked him a lot, but he was going
to go along, and I didn't have to go along.
And people that are listening to are surprised that I
wanted to only talk for ten minutes and not go

(01:03:30):
you know, when I was in fifth grade over at
Saint Peter and Paul Parri's type stuff. But you know,
I love the fact that you guys get together. How
often do you do you guys get together with the
people that are running the lake country in Greendale and Franklin,
Cedarburg and all these different communities. How often do you
guys get together?

Speaker 9 (01:03:47):
I think it's we have eight meetings a year, and
they're all in the off season. Once the season starts,
we don't have any meetings every and all their communications
use an email on anything or or if we have
to meet in person, we will, but most of it
is during the season and once the season starts, you know,
kind of like I said the wedding, there's not much
we can do after that.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
The schedule's done.

Speaker 9 (01:04:06):
And then Dan and I and other board members visit
the sites random sites.

Speaker 3 (01:04:12):
Each week. We pick out a few sites and go
to the games.

Speaker 1 (01:04:14):
And Dan Snell, he's been in studio. It's me. Yeah,
he's a good guy. He everybody that you've introduced me
that on the board and we've had this conversation. I
work with a couple of communities, and what happens when
I have to work with a board is if there's
twenty people on the board, seventeen could care less. Yeah,
two hopefully really like it, and one doesn't like it

(01:04:37):
at all, right, and the one who doesn't like it
at all is the loudest. So I understand the politics
that being part of the board, being the commissioner is
a little bit different because you're kind of yeah, you're
the head guy, yes, right, so you can kind of
niff some of that in the butted times. But everybody
that's on this board cares deeply about youth football. And look,
when Tom Swootele and I started doing the w FC

(01:05:00):
show years ago, it was because football right now, and
I believe this to my core, is safer for young
people to play than it's ever has been because of
all the lessons we've learned, not nearly as much hitting.
When I tell people back in the day at mess
for you know, two days and they wouldn't give us
water breaks, you'd have to take a salt bill. And

(01:05:22):
every day it was you know, a bull in the
ring and nutcracker and all those drills, and people wonder
why I twitch and I don't remember my nieces and
nephews names. But the safety of kids that are playing now,
would you agree is safer than it's ever been?

Speaker 4 (01:05:37):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:05:37):
I think so.

Speaker 9 (01:05:38):
And the we are part of USA Football and Unity USA.
All our coaches have to go through USA Football certification.
So yes, the education that the coaches have now, I
mean when my dad was coaching me back when I
was younger, and the things we would do there there,
you wouldn't even think of doing that. And so the
coaches are much they're much better informed of what the

(01:06:00):
safety precautions are and and then when kids get hurt,
they know.

Speaker 3 (01:06:05):
What to do.

Speaker 9 (01:06:06):
There's there's protocols in place. We have ads on the fields,
all coaches, I shouldn't say all coaches, but everyone that
practice has to be seaper AER certified, So we have
all these precautions put in place. So yes, I I
think the game is as safe as it can be.

Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Look, it's a physical sport, it's you know what it
is it's a physical sport, there's no doubt. But back
in the day, a lot of guys got got hurt
in practices and they got hurt in in you know
you go full scrimmages, full hitting and scrimmages. And I
can tell you that that a lot of that stuff
that guys my age did, they're not doing that anymore.

(01:06:48):
In a lot of teaching and a lot of keep
making your kids are in shape and getting ready for
the season. But the idea of just putting the pads on,
putting your mouthpiece in and go hit people, those days
are over. And I recommend to parents, if you have
kids that want to play and you haven't been a
part of this, or you remember back in the day

(01:07:10):
what it was like and you don't think your kid
is big enough or tough enough to do it, talk
to guys like Greg Clark. Talk to the people that
are running into Berlin west of the you know condom Walk,
such as Hambleton, Cedar Grove, Belgium. Talk to the people
running those programs about what practices are going to be
like for your fifth grade, and then you'll get a

(01:07:30):
feel for it, and it's okay for the parents to
come to practices.

Speaker 9 (01:07:34):
Yes, we encourage that. We want them to see how
their kid is doing on the practice field. And you
made a great point. Promoting the league is one thing,
but promoting the programs, we want kids to be signed up.
And I know you and I have had this disagreement.
I think football is the greatest sport. It's the greatest
team sport. I know you like basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:07:55):
I know, but I.

Speaker 9 (01:07:56):
Feel like football teaches you so much more than just
the game.

Speaker 3 (01:08:00):
You have to work as a team.

Speaker 9 (01:08:01):
If one person doesn't do their job, it falls apart,
the play falls apart, you're not going to succeed. And
if you go to AIFL dot org and then click
on the teams, we have links directly to the programs
that you can reach out to them and sign up,
and we feel that that is the best way to
promote our league and to promote each program.

Speaker 1 (01:08:24):
Is there still time for kids to join? Yes, they're
very important. Understand what we just talked about. If go
to AAYFL dot org and take a look at the
clubs and you'll see if there's a club in your community,
in your school district, and there is still time to
sign your kids up. How are the numbers by the way,
before we get your break numbers good this year.

Speaker 9 (01:08:46):
Yeah, our numbers are good for i'd say ninety percent,
but then there's still some programs struggling. And I will
say for us Wakasa North, we kind of went through
a couple down years. We're up now, which is great,
and hopefully we'll be at our full capacity, full teams
by next year. But yes, it's you know, we've done
a great job of promoting, but this is going to help.

(01:09:08):
This is another reason we wanted to be partners with you,
is to help promote our league because we feel that
this is giving kids a chance to not only get
off the couch, but be part of a team and
to learn.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
Look, we threw some things at the wall last year
because neither one of us had ever done anything like that,
and I think it worked and we'll make some tweaks
to it. But I really appreciate your willingness and everybody
with the AAIFL to have me back and to do
the things that I got to do last year, which
is promote your games, promote your league, promotes these kids

(01:09:40):
and players, and then pick a team of the week
and go out there and the smiles on these kids'
faces and the pictures that I get, most of them
are smiling. Some kids try to pretend they're real tough,
and I go, smile, don't look like that. He is
great Clark. He's the commissioner of the aa YFL. Go
to aayfl dot org to get more infom on a

(01:10:03):
youth football league that's been around out for forty nine years.
They're doing something right and if you want to know
more about it again, AAYFL dot org is where you're
going to want to go. This is the Varsity Blitz
High School Sports Show, as always presented by your local
Pick and Save and Metro Market stores, only on Fox
Sports ninety twenty and your iHeart Radio app. Welcome back

(01:10:25):
to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, presented by
my friends at your local Pick and Save and Metro
Market stores. Coming live from a very icy Donovan and
Georgians Katy Coley Studios. You know my special guest, Greg Clark.
He's looking at me, shaking my head. He's in shorts
and a T shirt. I got jeans on and socks,
and I got a space heater from my house that

(01:10:46):
I brought in and you know it's cold in here
when our producer says, boy, it's getting a little cold
because he's got a flan a long sleeve on. Hey,
Greg Clark, the commissioner of AAYFL again, I want to
thank you for being again consoring this show. And we'll
have coaches on and I'll do commercials to highlight games
in different communities throughout the area. Hey, there are other

(01:11:09):
conferences in the state that are doing some different things
where they're not full contact. And I had to coach
buddhas on from I can't remember from where. Man one
of the best all time great coaches in the state
of Wisconsin. But in his community, they don't hit until
freshman year. And he said, look, if I've got twenty
five kids that come together in fifth grade, and I

(01:11:31):
have twenty five kids in eighth grade, I got twenty
five kids coming out for freshmen because they're not afraid.
They know the game and now we're going to put
a helmet and pads and teach them how to tackle correctly,
and they're not afraid of it. Some kids, when they're
in fifth grade, they get hit once or twice and
they go, I don't want to play anymore. What's your
feeling on.

Speaker 9 (01:11:49):
That because of the safeguards we've put into place, what
I my feeling and I think our board of directors
feeling as well as that. The later we pushed that off,
the kids that want to play at that next level
are'ntest prepared as some of the other kids. And we
feel that because of all the things we put in place,

(01:12:12):
that we would stay with full contact from fifth to
eighth grade. There are some programs that start in first grade,
they go first through fourth grade full contact.

Speaker 1 (01:12:22):
Let me guessigo Franklin, Arrowhead.

Speaker 9 (01:12:27):
Maybe mcguanago, Oh yeah, And and right now we only
have fifth through eighth, but we're looking possibly to expand
to add in first to fourth aifl from first to
fourth grade. There are a handful of programs that do that,
and you look at the success rate. I mean, you
can't argue that they have the participation because they're getting

(01:12:49):
the kids involved.

Speaker 3 (01:12:51):
A little earlier. You know, I don't, I don't know
the right answer.

Speaker 9 (01:12:54):
That's what we've decided as a as a board of directors, that's.

Speaker 3 (01:12:57):
The way we want to keep it.

Speaker 9 (01:12:59):
And we been doing it for, like you said, almost
forty nine years, and you know, we got to be
doing something right, keep these kids involved and engaged and
the success of the programs. You guys do fundraisers, Yes, yes,
we actually have a fundraiser right now with dick Sporting Goods.

Speaker 3 (01:13:17):
They have if you go to our website, there's a
coupon on there for.

Speaker 1 (01:13:23):
On the website, is it? You know?

Speaker 9 (01:13:24):
If you go on the homepage and you scroll down,
it'll there's there's a link to it if if.

Speaker 1 (01:13:31):
You're right, I'll find it. Hey fel yeah, dot Org.
I'm on your website, so I'm I'm on the history side.
But there is a coupon and what what is the
coupon good for?

Speaker 9 (01:13:41):
It's good for twenty percent off at Dick's Sporting Goods
for this weekend and it's all the local uh uh
Dick's Sporting Goods from Greendale Brickfield. You click on that
and you show that at the register and you can buy.
You can use it as many times as you want
in a weekend. There's no limitations on it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:00):
And and and you guys get some of that back.

Speaker 9 (01:14:03):
Yeah, yeah, And dick Boarding Goods is great to us.
We have a United fundraising who we partner with. We
do football Fantasy cards with them that helped bring in
a lot of money for programs and the AIFL it's easy,
it's uh, they pretty much run it all for us.

Speaker 1 (01:14:21):
So, man, you gotta love that again. Today and tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (01:14:24):
Yeah, today and actually no, today, tomorrow and Sunday Sunday yep.

Speaker 1 (01:14:27):
By the way, if my brother still listening, and man,
tomorrow's his birthday. Yeah, he was in studio. We forgot
to I forgot to wish my happy birthday. Yeah. Look,
Dick Sporty Goods, you can, uh, you're gonna, you're gonna
buy stuff, right, you're going anyway, So let's go help
this this league health wise as far as number of
kids and financially, you guys are doing fine.

Speaker 9 (01:14:50):
Oh yeah, we have upwards of thirty five hundred kids
total in our organization. So yeah, it's it's it's a
healthy league.

Speaker 1 (01:14:58):
I'll only have to go to one youth football game
this coming now because my last year I'd go to
two freshmen. Now Logan's gonna be a freshman. He was
at Brookfield East and now Beckett is going to be
in sixth grade. He's going moving for Brookfield, Silver Lake
Country Lutheran. Where's two older brothers go to high school

(01:15:20):
and he'll be part of that program, so I'll be
heading over to those games instead of the Brookfield Least games.
But because of our partnership, I get a chance to
meet a lot of these kids, a lot of these coaches.
And I can't tell you how many coaches when I ask,
how did you get involved? Well, when my son was involved,
I got involved. Is he still playing? Oh no, he's

(01:15:43):
on varsity and you're still coaching. Yeah. I thought I
would be done after his eighth grade year, but I
love doing it and I'd love giving back and coaching
these kids that I went back to fifth grade. My
wife wasn't all that happy, a couple of these coaches said,
But now she's okay with it. And now I'm going
to take a class where I don't have a kid,
and I'm going to take that class all the way

(01:16:04):
through eighth grade. And the amount of coaches that told
me that tells me something about the league.

Speaker 9 (01:16:10):
Yes, And that's a great point because even some of
our board of directors, they don't have any kids in
the programs. Patrick Schuster from Greendale. He's been part of
Greendale football for as long as I can remember. And
he has no kids in the program. He coaches, helps
coach at the high school. He runs the youth program
Brandon over at Germantown. There's just a lot of guys

(01:16:32):
that do that as well as then they're coaching. The
different programs have guys that coach. Matt Snell, who's on
our board of directors, is coaching and he doesn't have
a kid on the team over at Sussex. So yeah,
it's great, and you know they they find the league
is well. I mean that's a testament to the league
as well that they get that satisfaction and knowing that

(01:16:57):
what they're doing makes a difference.

Speaker 1 (01:16:59):
Hey, the thing I love most about the website that
I just saw is the fact that you got you know,
you have the big nine to twenty. I'm gonna get
your new logo by the way, because there were Fox
four nine twenty now. But you can listen to any
of our past shows, every one of them. You can
click on from their website aaifl dot org. You're gonna listen.
It goes right to you know, to Fox Sports nine

(01:17:21):
twenty and it goes all the varsity Blitz shows And
I love that. Last year was fun you know, we
we and I think we're gonna do something similar where
we're having you in this week. You guys open camp.

Speaker 9 (01:17:33):
Went August fourth, is when season starts. Here we go
and that's practice. So we have four weeks of practice.
They have two scrimmages in those four weeks, and then
we start our first games a week after Labor Day.

Speaker 1 (01:17:44):
Man, it's right around the corner. Yeah, yeah, the boys
and fall are right around the corner, right, yeah. And
the facts of what we did last year, and I
think we're gonna do something similar where you know, we
have you in before like now, and then once once
you know, probably three weeks into camp, we'll have you
and and maybe a couple of coaches join us. And
then in the middle of the season we have you

(01:18:05):
guys back to see how things are going. And at
the end last year, we had the the the winners. Yeah,
you know, a couple of the coaches who had won
championships come in and man, they were still you want
to talk about guys with smiles on their faces. What's
what was funny to me is these guys are all
they're all champions and they had they had competed. A

(01:18:26):
couple of them throughout the year. These are all guys. Look,
as coaches, we probably won't talk to the coach we're
gonna play, we're going to compete against, you know, before
the game. But man, these guys are all friends. They
they all want the league to be as good as possible.
And look, and that's what's what's happened with the AIFL.
If you're going if you need any sporting goods, this

(01:18:47):
is the weekend today and tomorrow go to Dicks twenty
percent off your entire purchase. And the AIFL gets gets
that money. Correct, Yeah, how much do you get from it?

Speaker 3 (01:18:56):
You know, I'm not sure, Yeah, but a percentage, yes of.

Speaker 1 (01:18:59):
You getting not only do you get twenty percent off
as a customer, but the AYFL they get some.

Speaker 3 (01:19:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:19:05):
Have you guys been able to keep the prices for
these teams in these programs relatively flat so they're not
paying too much more?

Speaker 6 (01:19:12):
Yes?

Speaker 9 (01:19:12):
Yeah, the registrations have increased minor over the years, and
there's a long time where they didn't. So that's not
really what the league is about. We just want to
make sure that we get enough teams and everyone gets
a fair chance to play each week.

Speaker 1 (01:19:30):
Hey, one of the things that you always do when
we talk and I commend you as a commissioner of
the league, but you say, hey, look man, I have
a team, our group that does all this. And we've
talked about a couple of these guys already, but there's
a number of people on the board that you always say,
look at them, they're they're doing a lot of the work.
Can we before we get to a break, can we

(01:19:50):
think a few of those people on the executive board
when you're talking about Steve and you know, certainly Dan
and some of these other guys.

Speaker 9 (01:19:58):
Yeah, I h the Board of Directors will ask me
and I kind of go back to my wife. She's like,
do you want to do this again? And I said,
if it wasn't for the executive Board, I would not
I would seriously think about not doing it because it
is a lot of work and you put up with
a lot of stuff week to week. But I have
the support of the board and Dan. A huge shout
out to Dan Snell, who is the administrative executive administrator

(01:20:21):
who basically is the glue that keeps it all together.
Steve copper Smith from Sussex is an amazing treasure. I
don't have to worry about any of the numbers. He
just tells me where we're at.

Speaker 1 (01:20:31):
I love that. Yeah, obviously Steve didn't go to a
Catholic grade school. You know.

Speaker 7 (01:20:36):
If he's good with dumbers, he ups and went to
one of those public schools.

Speaker 1 (01:20:40):
But Steve copper Smith and I've gone back and forth
with him with invoice stuff like that. You're right, he's phenomenal.

Speaker 6 (01:20:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:20:46):
And Matt Snell redid the website, Brandon Brandon Price from Germantown,
Patrick Schuster from Greendale, Adam Martin from Oak Creek, and
u Chad Ywani from key Oscom. It's just been amazing.
And then we have another Snell, Mason Snell, that's on
the board as well, and he's helping coach at Arrowhead

(01:21:07):
and he's been They've all been phenomenal. When things come up,
I send out emails to all of them. They all
give me their feedback, and then as a collective we
decide certain things.

Speaker 1 (01:21:18):
Last question I promised you before we get to a Bork.
As the Commission of the aoifl what keeps you up
at night?

Speaker 9 (01:21:28):
I would say just making sure that everyone does what
they're supposed to. Do, like if what phone call am
I going to get? What emergency happened? Or one of
those things that's the unexpected.

Speaker 1 (01:21:39):
That I why why is the Brookfield Lease team over
at Arrowhead when they're supposed to have a home game?
Those kind of yeah, those for me too. Wait, I
wouldn't be good on the board. Don't ever ask me
to be part of the board because trust me, that
would not be a great space for me because I
had a little bit too disorganized maybe for some of it,
but the fact that at that part of it again,

(01:22:01):
the leader, the servant leadership heart that you have. When
I ask you what keeps you up and it's not
something for you, it's like I just don't. I want
everything done correctly and done right so that we don't
have all these phone calls in there aren't issues that
referees aren't where they're supposed to be, or teams aren't
where they're supposed to be, and stuff like that.

Speaker 3 (01:22:22):
And a lot of it.

Speaker 9 (01:22:22):
I think when I look at it's the parents put
so much into this. I want everything to be in
line because they have so much going on that if
something was off or screwed up or something, that's what
would bother me. I want because they put in someone
to get in kids the practice, to get into their games,
to make sure they got everything, and then for something
to be screwed up on that end, would that bothers me?

(01:22:45):
I want to make sure because it's for the kids
and for the parents too.

Speaker 1 (01:22:48):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Hey again, I want to thank
you and the board for renewing what we did last year.
And again that was new for both of us. Had
no idea if that thing was going to work and
how it was going to work and how well it
would be accepted. But I know when when you make
the call to a head coach or you pass along
the phone number to say this is you know, let's

(01:23:10):
here are a couple of choices and we talk about it.
Who should you know? Here are the teams that that
are in the running for our a YFL Team of
the Week. And then I get a chance to make
a phone call to a head coach to say, hey,
can I come out to practice for an at five
point thirty and I'll present, you know, present this plaque
to the team. They are jumping up and down. They're

(01:23:31):
really excited about it. So what we came up with
and the board came up with worked and again we'll
make a couple of tweaks, but I thank you guys
for believing what I do here and being a part
of it. And I can't I look forward to whoever
that first year last year is brook Phillies. I got
to give it to my grandson, which is awesome, you know.
And I knew when when you guys named the brook Philies,

(01:23:54):
I knew who's going to get the plaque since Logan
is my grandson. He wins on that and he was like,
I get to hold it. I go, absolutely, you get
to hold it. He is Greg Clark. He's the commissioner
of the aa YFL. Again, go to AAYFL dot org.
On that de homepage slide down to the bottom. There
is an event for today and tomorrow Dick's Sporting Goods.

(01:24:16):
Every Dick Sporting Goods in this area a little fundraiser
for the aa YFL. And if you know your you
need back to school shoes, you need, you need new cleats, right,
you need a mouth guard? This would be the weekend
to do that at a at Dick Sporting Goods and
the A and that conference. You're in the league, You're
in the AIFL will then get a benefit and make

(01:24:37):
some money for that. We'll get to a break other
side of the break will continue our conversation again with
Greg Clark. He's the Commissioner of the AA y FL.
This is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show presented
by your local Picket, Save and Metro Market stores, only
on Fox Sports nine twenty and your iHeart Radio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show

(01:24:58):
presented by your local Pick and Saving Metro Market Stores.
Coming from the Donovan and Jorganson Heating and Coolian Studios.
I highly recommend their maintenance program. I've got both of
my kids and their families on it. My wife and
I are on it under two hundred dollars for the year.
They'll come out twice a year and just clean up
your air conditioner, clean up your furnace, make sure everything's

(01:25:20):
running properly. The largest employee owned HVAC company in the
state of Wisconsin three locations Mcgwantago, New Berlin, and West
Dallas and they'll take really good carry You go to
Donovan Jorganson dot com. Greg Clark, who is the Commissioner
of the AA YFL go to AYFL dot org to

(01:25:41):
get any information. If your son's looking looking to play football,
you're not sure where if you can still join they
you still can sign up for these teams and you're
in different communities throughout south east Wisconsin. They've got one
fundraiser going on this weekend at Dick's Sporting Goods, and
you could get all the information on that website AAYFL

(01:26:03):
dot org on their homepage and just scroll down to
the bottom and all the information you need on Tick
Sporting Goods. And you're telling me during the break a
fundraiser for Waksha North going out.

Speaker 9 (01:26:15):
Yeah, they have a mattress fundraiser, which is to me
kind of odd, but I guess the choir had done
it a bunch of years ago and it was a
huge success. So at Wakasa North today from ten thirty
to four they will have the mattresses there and you
can try them out and order them and fundraiser for
the football program. And vinci Ono over there, I think

(01:26:36):
he's in his fifth year now, has done a phenomenal
job and has really helped prop up the program since
Matt Harris had left. Matt and Matt did an amazing job,
and unfortunately we lost them to Arrowhead and now we
have Vince over there, so he's done an amazing job.
And this is a huge fundraiser for us.

Speaker 1 (01:26:53):
And that that fundraiser we did sell and broughts and
stuff out at Bayview Shade and Blind. I think it
was yeah, yeah, it didn't go as well as I
had hoped it would. I know some of the young
boys got some brods to eat it there, but we did.
We raised a little bit of money for you, and
I like, look, a lot of these programs are flushed
with money. And I told you that the Mike Bush

(01:27:15):
Franklin New Football Program story during the break. But these guys,
a lot of them do these fundraisers not because they
need these kids, not for the money, but they get
these kids, they understart to understand that they have to
do a little bit of work. You're back to the
community and go raise some money. With the AAU basketball

(01:27:37):
team that I used to run that my son was
a part of, we did car washes because I wanted
these kids to work. I wanted them to get that
feeling of look, I'm paying for my trip, parents don't
have to pay for it. I washed fifteen cars and
that that's going to pay for my hotel room when
we go to Minneapolis or go to Indiana. And I

(01:27:58):
think that's an important, poor important part of what some
of these programs in the AOYFLA are doing.

Speaker 9 (01:28:04):
Yeah, and I'm also a parent and fundraising. When I
hear that word, everyone's like, oh my gosh, fundraising.

Speaker 3 (01:28:12):
I don't want to I don't want to do it.

Speaker 1 (01:28:14):
Frozen pizza.

Speaker 3 (01:28:14):
Yeah, but a lot.

Speaker 9 (01:28:16):
You're right, the programs need to keep our fees low.
We have to do some kind of fundraising to supplement
to buy new paths, new helmets, and all these prices
are going up and finding other vendors and doing all
this stuff. Otherwise it would be unattainable to have these
kids paid initiate or sign up fees. And so the

(01:28:37):
fundraising is important. It's extremely important.

Speaker 7 (01:28:39):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:28:39):
The other part of that is is a lot of
these programs ask parents to volunteer, right, to volunteer a
couple hours in the concessions. What I love about it
is if your son is playing at ten am, we
don't want you at the concession stand at ten am.
We want you to watch your son. What Yeah, but
at eleven thirty, Come on over because we need your health.

(01:29:01):
Years ago, when I did a youth program, a youth
sports program, people in youth football always talked about the
Franklin Youth program like it was this this luxury ship
that never hit a wave right. And so the first
youth program I did, I brought them in. And when
I asked the woman who ran the Booster Club, what
keeps you up at night? She said volunteers. She goes,

(01:29:23):
we have like one hundred dollars buyout. If you give
us one hundred dollars, you don't have to volunteer. I don't.
We don't need the money I need, I need the hours.
I need you to help us. And I said, well
make that. Make the fee five hundred, and she goes, well,
we can't do that. I go, why make it five hundred.
I would buy out of one hundred, but I wouldn't

(01:29:44):
buy out a five hundred. And she said, I just
don't think that we're going to be able to do that.
But she she gave me a line, and I wonder
if you'll agree with this. She said, being part of
a youth football program is a lot like church. We're
ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the.

Speaker 9 (01:29:59):
Work, yes, one hundred percent. We talk about this. I
was just at another volunteer meeting that I was at
and the parent way all of us were talking. It
was all the same people that I'm on other committees with,
And You're exactly right. It's that small percentage of doing
a lot of the work, and when somebody needs help,
you know, those same people are showing up. And we

(01:30:20):
hate that when their kids graduate, because there's.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
A lot of they're gone and you got to find
the next person that's willing to do that. In fact,
I had the Curtis family. Oh you did, I did.

Speaker 9 (01:30:33):
That's who I was thinking of when you were Diane Curtis.
I will put a plug for her every time. One
of the best people I.

Speaker 1 (01:30:41):
Know, Mike Curtis, told me that you should have me
bring my wife in because people are watching the north
wall of her a lot more than me and I
go what. I met him and I met his son
a j. At Ironwood. I was playing golf and when
there was three basketball officials, him being one on two
of them, I think had tedb up at one point

(01:31:02):
my curer and Mike I didn't know. And then Mike
and I got to talk as we waited on the holes,
and I asked him to come in and he goes, okay,
but I think I should bring my wife because the
people at walker Shop North really like her a lot
more than like me because I have a big mouth
and she just works. And we brought them. I brought

(01:31:23):
them in in the parking lot. It was very funny.
Greg he goes, you want to go play golf? I said,
I'm gona be out of town next week, and so
where are you going? And I said up in the
Lake Arrowhead area. And him and his wife licked at
each other and they go us too. So we went
out and played golf. I went out with Mike and
his two boys and they hit the ball twice as
far as I do, like literally hit the ball way

(01:31:46):
farther than than both Mike and and But it was
really fun. I can tell you this that that Diane
is now, she's she's stepping back. But she had nothing
but good things to say about being part of the
booster club and being as in the booster club for
Walks North.

Speaker 9 (01:32:01):
Yeah, she's been around, well, she went to Wakston North
and she's she's ingrained in the culture.

Speaker 1 (01:32:09):
And he's an Ohio guy, so he does things a
little different. I went to the baseball I went and
sat with him during the last game AJ played. They
got beat by Msquigo went on to win the state championship.
And I went and sat and and he thinks he's
saying things under his breath, but he's as loud as
I am. And I'm like, man, you're kind of lout
with that. He goes, do you think anybody else heard that?

(01:32:30):
I go, oh yeah, oh yeah. But his passion for
the sport, for sports is I would go golfing with
him every day to tell stories because him and I
a lot are on the same page on a lot
of things. And he said, look, a lot of people
disagree with me about how holding kids accountable. Then maybe

(01:32:50):
I'm a little tough. I said, Mike, I'd love for
you to be a parent of a kid i'm coaching,
because you would allow me to to to put my
foot up this kid backside a little bit to get
him going. He goes, absolutely, as long as we're doing
it correctly and trying to win. And then I said,
I agree with that. So she's she's going to be

(01:33:12):
missed over there.

Speaker 3 (01:33:13):
Oh, yeah she is. She's still doing some stuff. When
I want to try.

Speaker 1 (01:33:17):
To keep her, come up with that.

Speaker 4 (01:33:19):
I've had her.

Speaker 9 (01:33:19):
Travels a ton for work. But there, you know, Connor
the last one going through. And I think Connor would
have Connor Connor, not AJ played against Moskego Connor.

Speaker 1 (01:33:30):
Yes, I apologize Connor. And he's the one who hits
the ball farther than a Connor.

Speaker 3 (01:33:35):
And they're both great kids.

Speaker 1 (01:33:37):
They're phenomenal kids. Yes, you know what, phenomenal kids. And
and AJ played golf with us though he was up
on their trip and it was really really fun. Hey,
last year, you guys, you guys videotape, you guys air
your game the championship Championship. You doing that again this year?

Speaker 3 (01:33:54):
Yes, we are. We are.

Speaker 9 (01:33:56):
So all three games the Division one, two, and three
will be on streaming on our website. And we actually
do need a I think we as the color man
the play by play, and I think I was supposed
to ask you if you're going to be available.

Speaker 3 (01:34:10):
Huh November.

Speaker 1 (01:34:11):
I'm a pretty good sideline reporter. I don't know color. Hey,
here's what I don't understand. Channel twenty four keeps bringing
me back. Have you ever seen other than Terry Tony
Saraguca any other sideline reporter that looks like me. I
just don't understand why Rocky the guys over there keep
bringing me back, but they do. Hey, we got to

(01:34:32):
get out. Thank you so much for your partnership with
this show and with what I do. I really thank
you so much for that. I tell people all the time,
you guys kind of took a flyer on this thing,
and hopefully we're doing I think we're doing well because
you're coming back, So thank.

Speaker 3 (01:34:46):
You, Thank you too.

Speaker 9 (01:34:47):
We appreciate it, and we're looking forward to a great season.

Speaker 1 (01:34:50):
Yep. And I'll have you that you or some of
the guys on the board, some coaches in three four
weeks just to find out how things are going again.
He is Greg Clark. There's a fundraiser going on for
for the AIFL Dix forty goods. Go to AIFL dot
org for more information. And then a mattress fundraiser for
Walkshown northwards at the school right at the school, yes,

(01:35:11):
starting right now, yes, right starting right now, So head
out there and uh and make that program some money.
This is the Varsity Plates High School sports show presented
by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores,
only on Fox Sports nine twenty in your iHeartRadio app