Talk About Something Good Tuesday: Veterans, Little League & Local Wins

Community gets stronger when we show up for each other — and today’s episode proves it.

We kick off Talk About Something Good Tuesday with Rusty from Fishers of Men for Veterans, sharing how they’re helping local veterans with food boxes, VA enrollment, disability claims, and even tracking down DD214 paperwork. Their next outreach event is happening in Holbrook, and the mission is simple: remove barriers and serve those who served.

Then we share a feel-good story about a senior living “Hit Squad” in Texas building real friendships through chair volleyball with local high school athletes — proof that connection keeps us young.

Fire Marshal JD Pepper joins us with important wildfire safety tips as spring approaches, and Jason McCreery from Mountain Pines Little League talks registration deadlines, volunteer needs, and Opening Day excitement.

We even hear from Virgil the Cowboy celebrating six brand-new puppies — and Danny from Show Low wins Renaissance Festival tickets with some Little League trivia.

If you need a reminder that good things are happening right here in our community, this episode is for you.

Transcript

Veterans Outreach With Fishers Of Men

SPEAKER_00 0:00

From the Horn Auto Center Studios, Chris Bennett and the morning brew. Janine, you over there? Yes, I am. Hi there.

SPEAKER_06 0:08

Heck yeah, she's always there.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Of course I live here.

SPEAKER_06 0:12

Yeah. Janine Ford on Talk About Something Good Tuesday. You got anything good for us this morning?

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Well, I happen to have Rusty over here with Fishers of Men. Always good news. They're helping out our veterans. They're Austin. Awesome. Hi, Rusty.

SPEAKER_04 0:24

Hi, how are you today?

SPEAKER_06 0:25

Doing great, Rusty. Yeah, we love Fishers of Men doing amazing things for our veterans here on the mountain. What do you guys got going on good?

SPEAKER_00 0:34

We got an outreach outreach this Friday, right?

SPEAKER_04 0:36

Yeah, we got outreach coming up in Holbrook on Friday.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Yeah, where are they going to help veterans? You can show up up there and uh up in Holbrook and they give out food boxes and all that.

SPEAKER_04 0:45

Give out food boxes. We uh make sure they if they need their benefits requests so they can get disability through the VA if they need to get put into the VA because some of them come they don't have a VA card, so we access that for them if they need a DDD. We get that for them. Actually, we have we got a uh call from Jim down at Eli Crane's office, his sidekick. And we are the only organization or veterans that request like DD214. So far, we've d requested 90.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Wow, so you guys do great work, and they and that's what's so cool, Chris, because there's so many veterans that it's hard for them to navigate the whole system, right? Right. And so the the Fishers have been helping with all that.

SPEAKER_06 1:36

That's good. So this event is gonna be Friday, and where uh where's it gonna be and where can people go for more information?

SPEAKER_04 1:41

In Holbrook. It'll be Holbrook, it's at the church on First Avenue. Uh there will be signs out so they can see where, you know, direction which to go. I don't have the flyer with me. Uh wait a minute, hold on.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

It's all right. What was I thinking? But the church on first in Holbrook, and what are the hours? Do you know the hours?

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Ten to uh two.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Ten to two, there you go. The outreach. And they can help veterans with all kinds of things. And they have an outreach almost every Friday somewhere. Well, it is. Two Fridays a month.

SPEAKER_04 2:12

A Saturday, a Tuesday, and a Thursday.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

So go to their website and find out all the info. What's your website, Rusty?

SPEAKER_04 2:19

Uh, for f websites for Fishers of Men for Veterans dot com.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Fishers of Menfor Veterans.com.

SPEAKER_04 2:25

It's actually gonna be at the First Baptist Church of Holbrook, 361st Avenue.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

There you go.

Feel-Good Story: Chair Volleyball Bonds

SPEAKER_06 2:33

All right, that is some good news. Fishers of Men for Veterans doing great things for our veterans here in the White Mountains and their outreach program this Friday in Holbrook is definitely a good thing. All right, Janine. Uh, you and Rusty gave me some good news. How about I give you some good news on this talk about something good Tuesday? All right. All right, here we go. Uh, what started Janine is just a simple chair volleyball game at a senior living community in Texas has turned into something way bigger than anyone ever expected. Uh, the residents at the senior uh living community call themselves the Hit Squad, and they regularly host friendly chair volleyball matches with the local high school volleyball team. And uh let me tell you, some of these seniors can get pretty competitive. Yeah, it uh but it didn't stop there. The seniors recently showed up to the girls' senior night volleyball game, cheering from the stands and surprising athletes with their own personalized goodie bags and uh just a really cool moment of full circle support. And now more student teams are lining up to join the fun. Even the undefeated basketball team wants in on the uh chair volleyball tournament, and the seniors say they're more active, more social, and feel a renewed sense of purpose.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Oh, I love this. The generations coming together, huh?

SPEAKER_06 3:56

Yeah, it's so cool. It's it's proof that friendship doesn't have an age limit, Janine. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

And sometimes and that volleyball net's a little bit lower so they can spike the volleyball into somebody else's face. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:08

And it doesn't hurt. It's a balloon.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

It doesn't hurt, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:12

Awesome. Well, that was my good news on this something good Tuesday, Janine.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

All right, I love it. Yeah. Love it, Rusty? Yeah.

Fire Marshal Minute: Wildfire Prep

SPEAKER_06 4:20

Thank you, Chris. Awesome. Thanks, best friend. Talk to you later. Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this?

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Hey, Chris. Good morning, it's JD.

SPEAKER_06 4:32

JD Pepper, holy moly, fire marshal with the Timber Mesa Fire Department. Do you have a fire? Do you have a fire marshal minute for us?

SPEAKER_01 4:42

I sure do. Hey guys out there, good morning. Uh, happy Tuesday. Um, hey look, weather's changing. We're uh we're gonna start coming into spring. Everybody knows what that means, and that means that the wind is gonna pick up. We've got uh, you know, we've got a little bit of moisture left in the air and left in the ground. Uh let's get out there and let's start doing that wildfire mitigation now on your property. At least at least getting the the fuels uh picked up, you know, the uh ladder fuels. Let's get those things cut down and get get them out of the air or um get them out of the yard. Uh we're we're gonna face summertime here, and and with that with that summertime and the lack of our our snowpack, we're we're gonna we're gonna face uh another uh another tough summer up here with the possibility of wildfires and clearing that stuff off your land now, especially before all the winds and stuff kick up, um, it's gonna help your property in case we do get something like that. Um it's just extremely important up here that we start now and getting that getting that done. Reach out to your local city, uh, your town up here, either Pine Top Lakeside or City of Shallow. See what programs they have uh for you uh to uh to possibly uh take that fuel uh that you cleaned up out of your yard. When I say fuel, pine needles, branches, trees, stuff like that. See where see if they've got a program uh in place where you can take that and dump it off. Um I know that uh the town of Pine Top Lakeside uh is uh working on that right now in cooperation with us. I and thank you so much for to them for helping the residents out of there in the city of Sherlock is doing the same. And the last thing I got again is just always, always, always check that uh smoke alarm battery. Or if you need a smoke alarm, please call us. We'll come out and put one and we'll put one in your house for you.

SPEAKER_06 6:26

All right, JD, thank you so much for your fire marshal minute, and uh we appreciate everything our first responders do for us, and let's do our part to keep them safe and keep them as bored as possible and do exactly what JD told us to do. We love you, best friend.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Love you guys too. Have a great one. You too. Bye.

Little League Registration Kicks Off

SPEAKER_06 6:44

I am so excited on this tackle about something good Tuesday to have a best friend in studio. It's Jason McCreary with the Mountain Pines Little League. Welcome aboard, best friend.

SPEAKER_03 6:56

Uh thanks, Chris. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_06 6:58

It's uh getting close to time to play ball, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 7:02

It's right around the corner. Registration ends uh Sunday, March 1st.

SPEAKER_06 7:06

All right, yeah. So uh how has uh registration been going so far for Mountain Pines Little League?

SPEAKER_03 7:10

It's been going good. We're about 500 kids so far. Um we're looking to get more, we'll take in more kids to have fun and enjoy Little League.

SPEAKER_06 7:18

Yeah, it's uh Little League was one of my favorite memories growing up as a kid. And if you want to sign your kid up for Little League, registration uh closes March 1st, and you could go to Mountain PinesLittle League.com to register. Uh, what are uh you know, uh what are some common questions people have when they're signing their kids up for registration?

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Um most questions are what division should my child play in? And we always ask, you know, what's their skill level? Is it their first year? Um we encourage the the kids that have played a little bit of t-ball to go ahead and start moving up and getting getting more skills and getting going in baseball.

SPEAKER_06 7:54

Nice, yeah. And uh uh you have a bunch of leagues. It starts as young as, like, how young can people sign up for leagues?

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Four years old.

SPEAKER_06 8:02

Four years old?

SPEAKER_03 8:03

All to 15.

SPEAKER_06 8:04

All the way to 15. I'm assuming four is t-ball and then all the way up to 15. So if you you have kids ages four to fifteen, sign them up for little league. Uh, it's a great way to make friends, to learn uh great life lessons, and uh to make great memories as well. Absolutely. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Get your uh registration in today at mountain pineslittle league.com. Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris and Jason McQuery from Mountain Pines Little League. Who's this? Hey, good morning, my friend. Heck yes, it's Virgil the Cowboy from Eager, Arizona. Uh Virgil, uh, I know you're a cowboy growing up. Did you ever play baseball or Little League? Uh you did. Oh, you did. Uh was uh were you good at it? Or not really what uh did you have a favorite sport growing up?

SPEAKER_05 8:59

Football.

SPEAKER_06 9:00

Football, heck yeah, nice. Well, what can I do? Uh what can we do you for today, Virgil?

Call-In Fun And Puppy News

SPEAKER_05 9:11

Talk about something easy.

SPEAKER_06 9:13

You have to talk talk about something good Tuesday, not just talk about something. Talk about something good Tuesday. Uh what do you have good for us today?

SPEAKER_05 9:22

She's all happy because her dog has Oh heck yeah, congratulations.

SPEAKER_06 9:30

What type of uh dog is it?

SPEAKER_05 9:33

I wouldn't know, but it's a foot long and close to the ground.

SPEAKER_06 9:41

A foot long and a close-that's the the mama doggy?

SPEAKER_05 9:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:47

And uh are you gonna keep any of the uh the puppies or what are you gonna do with them?

SPEAKER_05 9:53

I don't know what she's gonna do with it.

SPEAKER_06 9:55

Oh, you don't know. Maybe uh so your friend it's your friend's dog?

SPEAKER_05 10:02

The one that worked for me.

SPEAKER_06 10:04

What?

SPEAKER_05 10:05

She worked for me.

SPEAKER_06 10:07

Oh, the uh one of the the cowgirls that works with you. It's her dog. Do you uh do you want her to give you one of the puppies?

SPEAKER_05 10:14

Nah. I'm a lowrider. I want a four-by.

Little League Trivia For Festival Tickets

SPEAKER_06 10:21

You you want a what? I want a four-by, not a lowrider. Oh, you don't like little dogs. Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris. You are first caller. Who's this? Danny. Danny, where are you from, Danny? From Sholo. Danny from Sholo. Uh, Danny, uh, you have a chance to win two tickets to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Uh, we have Jason with Mountain Pines Little League in today. Registration for Mountain Pines Little League uh goes till March 1st. So if you have any kiddos ages four to fifteen, go ahead and sign them up for Mountain Pines Little League at what's the website?

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Mountain PinesLittle League.com.

SPEAKER_06 11:00

That's right. And uh so in honor of that, we're gonna do some little league trivia, Danny. You gotta get two right and you win the tickets. If you get three wrong, you're gone. You could get two right and two wrong. You don't even have to get a passing grade. Does that sound fair? Yeah. Alright, here we go. First question: how many players are on the field for one little league team at a time? Is it A7, B eight, C9, or D10?

SPEAKER_05 11:29

Is it seven?

SPEAKER_06 11:31

Is it seven? No, no, no. Correct answer? Nine. Yeah, C. Okay. So you got one wrong. Don't worry, don't worry. All right, here we go. Um the Little League World Series is played in A, Cooper's Cooperstown, New York, B, Omaha, Nebraska, C, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, or D, Dallas, Texas. What's your guess? I guess A. A. Cooperstown too wrong. Oh my gosh, correct answer. Williamsport, Pennsylvania. That's right. Uh our uh our little league teams have done really good the past few years. Haven't made it to Williamsport yet. No, but we're we're on our way pretty soon. I feel like it's gonna be this year. I'm feeling lucky. All right, you got two wrong. You get one more wrong, and you are gone. All right, let's see. Let's see if you can stay alive. What's the maximum pitching distance in most Little League divisions? Is it A 40 feet, B 46 feet, C 50 feet, or D 60 feet? Uh, let's go with B. B, as in 46 feet. He is still alive, Jason. He is still alive! Danny has one right, two wrong. The next answer will determine whether you win these tickets. You get it right, you win them, you get it wrong, you move on. Pick a number from uh uh six to twenty. Seventeen. Seventeen, here we go. Umpires in Little League are usually A, paid professionals, B, former MLB players, C, volunteers, or D, high school teachers only. Uh volunteers. It is volunteers, dude. Danny, you were sweating it, buddy. You were up at the plate with a full count, and you just hit a grand slam. Congratulations, you won two tickets to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. You ever been? Uh yeah. What's your favorite part?

SPEAKER_02 13:34

Um, probably the I mean food for sure, and then I used to like the crystal sticks, but I haven't seen those in a while.

Coaches Clinic And Volunteer Needs

SPEAKER_06 13:45

Yeah, yeah. They they always mix in new shows throughout the uh the years, but they always have some awesome shows. And you're going compliments of what station just hooked you up.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Uh Q Country 92.5.

SPEAKER_06 13:58

You know it. It is time for me to let my guest go for the day. For the day, it has been Jason McCreary with Mountain Pines Little League. Thanks for having fun with this, best friend. And uh the registration for Mountain Pines Little League is ending when?

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Sunday, March 1st.

SPEAKER_06 14:16

Sunday, March 1st. Uh, if you have kids in the area, Lakeside, Pine Tops, Show, you can go to Mountain Pines Little League.com and register there. Yep, register at Mountain Pineslittle League.com and we're taking all kids. And uh uh in addition to uh kids, obviously we need the players so uh we can have a great season, but we also need volunteers. We also need coaches. You guys have a coaches clinic coming up uh that people can sign up for?

SPEAKER_03 14:43

Yeah, we have a coaches clinic this Saturday at Sholo High School. Um, the great Billy Kehoe is uh doing the clinic. He is the hitting coach for Brandon Nemo, who plays for the New York Mets. Um it's gonna be a fun time. And uh yeah, if you want to volunteer, we we'll take it all volunteers, whether you want to coach and or just help out.

Closing: Why Little League Matters

SPEAKER_06 15:03

And uh they also will need uh umpires as well through the season. And so just for more information, check them out on Facebook uh at Mountain Pines Little League or online at Mountain PinesLittle League.com.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Yes, sir. Thanks, Chris.

SPEAKER_06 15:16

All right, thank you, best friends. Opening day is gonna be April 11th. I'm excited to be a part of that again this year. We'll be hosting that, so put that on your calendars. And uh if you have not or uh signed your kids up for Little League yet, or you're on the fence for it, let me tell you, Little League uh was uh some of the best times of my life as a kid, some great memories. I made some great friends, and it was just a lot of fun and learned a lot of great uh life lessons as well. So if you're looking for something good for your kid to do, I highly recommend Little League and I highly recommend Mountain Pines Little League. Uh check them out at mountain pineslittleleague.com. Jason, thank you so much, best friend. Hope to see you soon. Thanks, Chris.