Jake Arrieta & John Lackey on no-hitters, beer fridges & more Cubs World Series tales | Ross & Rizzo

Anthony Rizzo, David Ross, Jake Heritta, John Lackey. Welcome back
to another episode of the Level Reunion podcast, where we're
celebrating our ten year anniversary of the iconic twenty sixteen
World Series Championship. We're with two staples of our team,
John Lackey and Jake Arita. Welcome to the program.
The Horses.
Good to be here with you, guys.
Lack, this is bro. You're for celebrated ten years. You
just celebrate a twenty year a few years Bron Yeah, Yeah,
the originator of the ABC collection of Rings.
I look a lot better than that team Bill because
I'm the young guy and that team deal this one.
I'm gonna be the you know, the gray hair, old
guy in the back.
Well, that's what I say about you. You all, you got
the you started the alphabet of Rings Anaheim, Boston and Chicago.
The ABC's like, it's freaking impressive when you look back.
We were on the same flight our rookie year. You
had won the World Series. Pitch in game seven and uh,
I was coming from the daughters who went to a
union meeting up and.
Lock was playing with dudes that were born playing before
I was born. He was playing with guys.
Playing in the eighties.
That's sure.
Yeah, we had a couple of dudes. Yeah, I had
some great group of beats. Man took care of me.
It was cool.
You're young to me, You're forever young for me. Thank you,
my guy.
That's actually something that I think, like some of the
themes for these things are like how people influence you, right,
and like you came up in an old school group.
You know, first of all, you had all these guys
in Anaheim. Like what have you taken from your time
winning three championships and three different real teams as the
games evolved? Like what did you learn early age from
from your veteran play teammates?
The locker room matters, man Like, chemistry in the locker
room is a big deal. Like, you got to have
the right kind of veterans in there. You got to
have a good mix, man Like, you got to have
the young, young, hungry guys, and you got to have
the old guys have kind of been.
Around and and know what to do and know.
How to kind of harness the young guys a little bit.
And I think and all three teams that I've been on,
I mean, you were on.
Two of them with me. We had we had that mix.
It was fun.
Thanks for the rings. Thanks.
Yeah, you never lost fun. You never lost in the
final dance.
I mean, I told you on the plane when we when.
We were going to I have a second place ring sucks.
If you're going to get in there, you might as well.
That's what I was saying.
You know, what's most impressive, too, is the longevity, like
how long he played for and that's kind of something
that's probably not going to happen as much in this
game anymore. Sixteen years, right, yeah, I mean and as
a pitcher too or position player.
That's that's incredibly It will be harder.
I mean, guys are let's be honest, you guys are
getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
Man. These dudes are a million miles an hour.
The demand, I feel like the demand now is more
than ever as a bisball player and in general, just
to stress all the extra media, social media, all that
added pressures, I think is well, you guys.
I didn't have to worry about camera phones when I
first came up.
Now you're dating yourself.
Well, you guys, like seven innings was like what you like?
I'm just going out there, I'm trying to throw a
no hitter, but like seven innings is like, okay, I
feel like I did my job.
Now it's like five hundred pitches. Let's just get to
on that ninety.
I don't want a.
Success unless I want to least seven.
Well, don't you think that some of that is because
of how how good the guys in.
The bullpen are, not that they weren't before the game
is get you got seven guys down there. They can
throw mid up or nineties deeper probably.
Yeah, and they've got two secondaries. Now remember there's like
one guy maybe sinker slider down there, the velocity. But
to your point, it's like, no, there's like legit stuff
down there one hundred a lot of times and two secondaries.
And obviously we wanted to go out there and keep
the ball in her hand till the game was over
every time. And I think the guys now they also
want to do that. But do you think some of
it is I want.
To keep this guy healthy and preserve some of his
stuff for later in season.
I think the Dodgers blueprint right now is whatever one
should be striving or just be healthy in October, right
with the with the extra two wild card teams, it's
not as hard to get into the playoffs and wildcar
around or by you just roll.
Give guys like vacations.
Yeah, it's great.
They're just so they're ready at the end.
Keeping fresh.
Jake, you we were talking about longevity with you, Lac,
which is you've been just so consistent throughout your entire career.
You kind of had a different path with getting drafted
to Baltimore. I remember you getting traded at thirteen, and
it was like, this guy is a dude, but he
just hasn't really figured it out yet at this level,
and arguably the best trade in Cup's history. You and
Trophy for the.
Value of that. You too, it's not about me, You're.
It comes out everything because they get it can get
on rig.
But bro, you came over. You and Strophie. You make
two stars in Iowa and then you get back to
the big leagues and then I remember John Baker always saying, dude,
Aria is nasty. This dude's don't win a scion. You
don't understand how good he is once he figures it out.
And you've obviously figured it out.
Yeah, Well, and we've all seen guys that have incredible stuff,
and some of them just can't quite harness it and
figure it out. I was in a position where I
was trying to be somebody that I wasn't, you know,
and I was I was working really hard on making
some adjustments, and I just didn't feel like myself. And
so the first thing that I said to THEO and
to Boz when I got traded is I'm gonna come
over here and be myself and just let it all
hang out, like I know how to be an elite starter.
And I think I tweeted something like when I got traded,
or I might have got sent down from Baltimore and
I'm getting a lot of shit from from fans.
And as a young guy, you pay attention to that stuff.
Yeah, of course, for sure.
It's hard not to sure. So I kind of tweeted
back at somebody and said, one day being a lead
starter in the big leagues, you know, I just had
that self believe it.
Man.
Well, I just I just knew what I was capable of,
you know, And it was just a matter of time
before I, you know, was able to have some success
and just build off of that, you know, and going
to Chicago and having a support system and guys that
were in my corner was was what really made the
difference for me.
I remember facing this is like before I got Chicago.
But in fourteen, you almost threw a no hitter in Boston.
I played that game. You threw me a front hit
Cutter it like ninety three, and I'm like, what was
that sit down? And I knew when Lester was getting
courted over here and just talking like, okay, well they've
got two horses because I just faced this guy and
Johnny I knew what he was capable of, and you
were still in Saint Louis, but you're talking about like, okay,
you've got two number ones at the top of a
pitching staff, Like that's that's gold for a catchup.
Yeah.
Well, and it was.
You know, obviously, Lester had done his thing for a
number of years.
He was already that guy, and it was my job
to kind of get to that level, you know, so
we could continue to move forward and you know, stop
getting beat by Saint Louis.
It's like it's like we're talking about this with KB,
Like me, KB, I love him, but like I want
to be better than him. And it's like that inner
competition of brotherhood. That like, bro, when you guys were
rolling in sixteen, like every one of you was better
than the next. Yeah, when everyone was rolling and it
was like you you did your job, and then you
were like, fuck, I want to do better than that,
and then less you're like I want to do better
than yet. Carl and Hammill, it's like, well, it's all love.
The thing. That the thing when I look back on,
like you guys post, our staff posted like you guys
posted every fifth day. Like we didn't have any banged up,
real injuries to that staff. Like everybody stayed pretty healthy.
That year, if I remember, right, like if you yeah,
if you look at it, we'd have to check the
amount of starts. But I don't know if I don't
think you missed a start. I didn't miss a start. Hendrix.
The only start we can blame on his THEO when
he brought in the.
Madison. I feel he might have ended my career on
that one.
I had.
I had to warm up twice in the freaking bullpen.
Yeah during that yeah remember that because he I remember
we actually were talking to Madden about that unless time
everybody was mad.
Yeah, yeah, outside of a cup maybe a couple spots starts.
We were out there, Yeah, every fifth day, all five
of us.
Yeah, I remember that he did bring them up.
I want your perspective in fifteen because I tell the story.
The Cardinals were the cream of the crop. They're the
gold standard of a baseball division. Blah blah blah, fuck
the Cardinals. And they would come over when we stunk.
You probably remember this with old Wrigley. They come over
to the weight room and all their guys, Hey, ras,
what's up man? They talked to us like buddy, buddy.
And then the first half of fifteen, you guys were
beating us, but we were like, we're pesky to you,
but we didn't how to win yet. And in the
back half we started winning. You guys still won the division. Yeah,
we were ninety seven pirates or ninety eight? What what
was that like on this of because I feel like
on our side, we knew we were winning, like we
knew we I felt like we had your guys number,
not necessarily you, But what was that on the other
side or did you not even pay attention? Oh?
I mean, you know you kind of lock into your
don't think you know, trying to do a thing. But
one hundred percent saw saw you guys on an upward trajectory,
you know what I mean, Like you were getting better
and you know, obviously you know this this guy turned
into an elite dude, you know, and I knew, you know,
the big left handed that's that's my guy, I know.
I mean, I know, I've known him for a long
time and I knew what he was going to do.
He's a and this guy. You had a couple of presidents,
You had a couple of men in the room, guys
that came over and turned turned some of you young
kids and into pros.
And you guys started winning.
And that was one of the reasons I wanted to
come joined when I when I had the opportunity.
Yeah, because well, I mean fifth team. We'll go back
to basically really starting fourteen for me Boston was that
that was like I remember one snake's turning into his nest. Yeah,
and we were young, we stunk in thirteen, Like, but
we're building and you're part of that. You are especially
part of a way that's yeah, big more just started
a group like and then in fifteen we build and
you're doing your thing, especially that second half. I think
it's the best second half of baseball history.
Right literally, bro, we roll for now, We roll.
I was a part of in Atlanta. Chris Medlin had
had a run like that. Oh yeah, and I remember.
I think I was like this dude, like it was
one day. I mean for all our staff, but it
was like you guys at the top were like, oh yeah,
we're winning to day.
Yeah he went on a pretty nice run.
Yeah yeah, I want to I want to ask a
quick just to follow up with the relationship with Lester,
like you got to give the bat that bat he
gets his first hit, right, first hit off? You pitching
mad as hell?
You're so bad man?
What was the bad?
But we had we had, you know, drinks, We're gonna
hang out. I was going to his house after the game,
no matter what, you know what I mean. So yeah,
and we had Uh I forgot the exact bed, but yeah,
we we had some action on it. But I went
over to his house and drank a nice bottle of
whiskey of this house and got it back.
So it was good.
Good first knock off? You think that made it?
Then I looked.
I looked over there and he was trying so hard
not to look at me good because I was I
was just gonna yell at him, and he was like
looking down like this. He was like, He's like, I'm
not looking at him and not because he was trying
not to laugh.
Yeah, it was pretty hilarious.
We when we get in the playoffs fifteen, I want
to read this verbatim. Whatever helps keep your hopes alive,
just know it doesn't matter.
Isn't that great?
The best We're playing Pittsburgh and Snake sweets just the
day before the game, the wild card game saying basically,
all the Pirates fans, fuck you, It's over.
I was just in that in that place, you damn right,
everything was locked in dialed, you know, the the week
leading up to my start, like everything was perfect, you know,
and I was just trying to see because you know,
at some point like that's it's not gonna last forever,
right of course, but in that moment that that stretched.
But what what made you stress that?
Just ultimate confidence, you know, and did have ultimate ultimate
confidence well, and it helped help about to say that
my teammate. And it wasn't coming it was coming from
a place of of ultimate preparation too.
You know.
I would not have done that if I didn't believe it,
you know. And so the fun the funny thing is
we're on the flight out there kind of walking up
and down the plane aisle with a glass wine and
just telling everybody, Hey, get me one.
That's what yesterday.
Give me one and the game's over. You know. That's
that's how I felt. And when s Forberd hit that
Homer was.
That was it?
That was the game.
That was it?
Bro, What about when Tony Watson hit you?
I think, you know, I haven't heard this from any
guys on their side. I think they were trying to
get me out of the game.
Of course.
I think they're trying to Bro, They're trying to cause
some sort of situation. And I knew it too.
I was fired up, yeah, but you were calling about it.
I was pretty relatively calm, and he hit me in
the belt.
So it was like probably the best spot to get
very professional, very professional.
I think that like looking back, and obviously I'm not
we're not Cubs historians here, but like as far as
like turning a franchise around and what the expectations were
and how big that moment was, like that's the biggest
game in Cubs history to Mene.
But with his confidence gave you guys confidence. You guys
kind of needed that to push because y'all were on
the edge of like are we there yet? Right in
that confidence might have pushed you guys over the edge.
Yeah, well we I mean we get uh, Joe Madden, Lester, Treyford, Dexter,
you're blossoming. We had kb all the young guys under
twenty five, twenty six years old or you know, we're
all going and our division was a gauntlet that year,
So you set the tone there and then we roll
into Saint Louis and we're like, we're gonna fuck these
guys up. And then we were under this guy who
goes what seven and a third I think maybe one
run on us and one they shove it up our ass.
Me and les I think, right, yeah.
And I remember that like after that game, we had
an off day and we all went to dinner at
Ruth Chris and Saint Louis and we were like, I
was like nervous. I'd never been in the playoffs, had
one game. I'm like, damn, like what do we do?
And like, you guys were so common, like we're type
were the next we win the next three and it's
like we just beat the Pirates who were really good
at the time, and then the gold Standard and was like,
we're winning the World Series this year.
Yeah.
I was heartbroken when we got swept in fifteen, but
that belief in that game was like, Yeah.
That's our dude, right, like the dude that carries you easy.
We're having especially the second half, like you have that
confidence and then when the horse, when you have the
horse on the everybody's just more confident. That's why he's
starting pitching so important because you guys just set the tone.
And uh, speaking of setting tones, uh just go back
like your standard. Have you ever thrown a first pitch
of the game breaking ball or anything but a heater?
I remember talking. I remember boz or Joe coming to
you talking about, hey, Arizona, they jumped you for a
first pitch homer and uh, and they're trying to talk
to you say, hey man, you throw that fastball. They
know it's coming. You're like, I'll give me ship.
Yeah, that's that's like how but that's who you know
you're playing behind, Like you're playing behind your guy.
Here we come. Yeah, I'm not I'm not going to
show you that I'm scared of you first pitch, and
that's the mentality. The way you pitch, bro is like
it sets a tone.
Well I know for a fact, like I give up
two first pitch homers in my career.
That's it.
And ship I know because I did keep to the end.
I can't tell you how many times they got out
on the first pitch, right, yea, so I probably, I
guarantee mathematically I won that.
One.
Yeah, the leadoff guy, Kansas City. It was at home
in uh, it was in Wrigley, the little little Latin
guy leadoff.
Was it a first patch? Yeah, but still like I'm
not I'm not throwing a break the ball first patch.
Yeah.
Wow, I'm gonna throw you a heavy sinker and if
you want to take a chance of getting out.
Go for it.
But hey, before we get too far away from the
Pirates game, my favorite part of the game, other than
being carried by you on your shoulder at the end
of the game.
Can't punch in the ribs.
I got hit by.
Watson, I get the first base, Hyder leans over to me,
goes steal second.
No, what all right?
I love that?
Still a second base, I forgot, I I got. Having
a stolen base in the playoffs is probably.
One of my favorite things.
You have a CG shut out, a stole by pitch
CG when they were people gogs and a homer.
Well, and there was a but it wasn't even in doubt.
He was. He was sure.
We had one situation. I think there's bases load in
the fifth and then next play double play.
Yeah, that was huge, he said. He told the story
of like that's as nervous as loud as he's ever been.
After they booted that ball, bases loaded, one out and
you got that double play.
Well, what's the first time. That was a lot of
them when Raja hit the home run for me because
my first time ever in that first they're blacked out
there all the fans, they're screaming at us, like miserable
Pittsburgh people just screaming and went playing there went silent.
Did you see they had posters of Brittany no posters
of hers, and also from the tweet, they had the
big signs that said we do matter.
Yeah, you're you're you haunt.
That well and in those situations, you know you you
guys can probably you know speak to this too.
Nothing.
The noise the fans didn't matter. At a certain point.
It was me and the guy at the play.
And the guy I'm throwing too. That's it. The noise
kind of the noise helped me or.
Someone like that.
You helped.
You didn't hear, Ship, Bro, you had and you can
feel the vibration from the crowd, but it's not.
It's not a negative, but it was never a negative thing.
You were always so locked into, like with what you
were doing that it was like even talking to you.
I feel like I always talked to the pictures for
the most part, not so much you lack.
But he's just the one to play behind.
He was so locked in with like, yeah, I just
threw a bad pitch. That's sucking whatever, I'm onto the
next And I was like so laser focused. Probably was
one of the most laser focused.
Well, I think it's because I had such a hard
time with that early in my career, you know, So
I was so concerned about the hit or the hit
by pitch or the walk. I'm like, oh, Ship, can't
do that again. It's like no, I mean things happened.
Let's let's toe the toe the rubber and this is the.
Only one that matters.
It's cool you flipped it.
Yeah, well, and we were talking about it before. You know,
he didn't He didn't need a lot of the mental
game stuff. He kept it super simple, like my job
is to execute this pitch.
If I don't, I'm gonna execute the next one.
For me.
And I think it had to do with kind of
the progression of my early years of my career. I
needed some of that. I needed I needed kind of
a strategy to deal with that. Yeah, And for first, first.
And foremost, it was preparation was number one, you know.
And I think what was most impressive watching you and
watching Lester is like how prepared you guys were with everything.
He had a checklist pretty much without actually having it
on paper. I gotta do ABC X y Z, throw
my bullpen, take care of my shoulder, do my routine,
and then I know when I tole the rubber on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
This is the fun part.
What was your five day I want to hear both
of you guys five day routine without without the alcohol drinking.
Oh no, I want to hear all of it.
Like day like the day after.
It would always be like a long, long cardio session
and legs like lift legs, and then uh, second second
day would be usually throw a bullpen upper body and
then like some interval work kind of deal and a
lot of shoulder like you know, gets your shoulder tight,
you know, all those you know, little weights, all that
maintenance stuff. And then uh, the third day was kind
of kind of like a full body like kind of
kind of like just a little light day light on everything,
you know, it's kind of moving around and run a
little bit. And then fourth day was mostly just sprints
and like I would do hot cold punch, especially like
my last few years when I got a little older,
I felt like the hot cold punch made my body
feel better the next day kind of stuff.
So you're bullpen second day, second day, how much alcohol
would you consume after the game?
And then well, I mean, let's be I mean, you
guys know I had a bar next to my locker
get to the but uh yeah, I mean, like, let's
be honest, I'm either going to celebrate the w or
I'm gonna drown my sorrows after the game.
When one of the dudes co Be is going down,
well that.
Throw playing behind you and beginning to be your teammate
was like so awesome because you see the laser focus,
like you see the intensity, and then you also see
the switch turn off into like the nicest human being
in the world. Where it was like in baseball. It's
really hard to do that and there's not a lot
of guys that can do that.
Tell him why, I tell him, you're honestly, Honestly, God,
I wasn't good enough to be be happy on the mountain,
like like my my freaking I was. I was decently talented,
but I didn't throw ninety eight with all the crazy
you know stuff.
I had to be a little angry and had to
be a little fu you know what I mean.
Yeah, but always telling you I got I gotta go
to a dark place.
Yeah, I have to that.
But then after the game, right, he's I tried.
I tried to leave it in enough where we're going
to dinner.
Yeahere we're going. Let's go, I'm buying.
Yeah, I'll bust thanks.
Let's get it.
We we after we get swept. You signing over with
us was another like momentum for us who recruited you?
Was it, oh Lester?
Was it ROSSI I didn't actually I didn't really tell
you what dude Lester called me seriously every day for
a couple of weeks like like or like tax, like, hey,
where we at? Like and obviously I feel we had
a we had a relationship from signing with Boston and
I had obviously had some other teams that are pretty
interested and ended up taking less money to come join
you guys because I had boys there and I saw
the the trajectory you guys were on that it was
a chance to win and winning beats money all day.
Well, because you came in and like instantly like we're
like part of I remember at sixteen, like we were
talking about winning the World Series right away you were
part of that.
That's not easy.
I mean we just you just we just beat you guys,
So that another's hatred.
I hated you.
They I also star. I have one hitoff lack and
I stunk off.
Uh.
So, like the fact that you were able to come
in and just start breeding that championship mindset as well
was huge for our young group.
That's one thing we did in Boston too. We talked,
we talked about it from day one, and we kind
of kind of followed that that that playbook a little
bit like we'll start talking about the parade right now.
It's been it's been a theme in these conversations, like
guys that like KB and DEX that hadn't been a
lot of winnings, Like we we talked about what it
was going to look like and like foreshadowed and when
you've got you know, guys, the talent we had and
the experience that we had in the room mixed in
with good talent young guys. I mean obviously, like looking back,
like there's a so much talent in that room from
a young perspective, and the championships that that were in
that room. I think we had such a good mix.
But you you're such a you're such a good example
of piece to the puzzle, a great teammate. And then
when I go to work, I go to fucking work boys,
like it ain't we ain't fucking around now, like it's
it's you know, and I I you know, I get
I was angry on the days I played because of
like I don't want to not on my day, you
know what I mean, not on my day. I get
that you have something to Yeah, yeah, well it's like
I get to I get you know, I joke all
the time. Lester stinks I don't get my fourth at bat,
you know, I like to play the whole nine innings.
But like, yeah, it's like there is a that sense
of that sense of like, you know, I just don't
want to be the guy that lets the boys down
my day. Yeah, we don't want to win on that day.
What were you thinking? Because from a position player we
had with you know, Shobert, Addie, Hobvey, KB, we had
all these dudes, Decks Jay, we signed ja to that
off season.
Zobrist.
You were there when we stunk. You were there when
the pitching staff wasn't very good. Now we have you.
Lester carl is shoving and turns into a may young superstar.
We get lack we Hammel, like, what are you thinking
from the pitching side and.
The leader of well, you know, you look at the
front office does their job and now, hey, they gave
us all the pieces necessary to get it done, you know,
and we we've.
Talked about it a lot.
It's like we had the perfect storm of young talent,
veteran leadership.
You know, guys like myself and and Hendrix and.
Some role players, everybody performed.
Everyone.
I just can't great coaching staff.
I mean everybody, training staff, coaching staff, the support system,
the people behind the scenes that don't get recognized. Yeah,
I mean he's kind of the glue, right, Yeah, always
talk about that.
But you know, and as a starting pitcher.
We have one out of five days to show our
team why we're here and what we're capable of. And
there was so much more on the line for us
because then if I should, we shit the bed. We
got to sit here for four days, and you know,
and you're out there every day, right, and if you
go for four you're doing it again tomorrow.
Right.
If I give up six and three innings, it's like, fuck,
I let us down. Yeah, you know, we got to
have four or five guys out of the bullpen come
in and changes the complexion of the game completely. And
if that's a loss, like I wear that. I don't
think it's pitch thirty thirty two games a year. You're
out there in one fifty five or however many so
on sixty.
One that year.
But it's not okay, fine, like the league the league,
but like that's that's that's why, that's why guys like
us went to a certain place because I'm not going
to allow any bit of being unprepared determine.
Whether we win or lose.
Yeah, Like if I get if if we lose the
game that I pitch, it's because I just wasn't. The
guys on the other side were just a little bit better,
and sometimes that happened, right, I would. I never wanted
to give the opponent too much credit. But I heard
this a long time ago. It's like, you have to
recognize that the guys on the other side get paid
a lot of money to play too, Right. That doesn't
mean hey, if I lost, like so what, No, it's
just that guy's making twenty million.
He's really good too. Right.
Oh yeah, I learned that a great manager moment that
just pops in as you say that. It's like I
got a day game in Atlanta. I was playing for
the Braves, and I faced Roy Holiday and up there
grinding and mccamn plays Brian McCann's you know all Stars,
sick time silver Slugger. So I've got the day game
Roy Holliday. I'm over for four four punches. I'm dragging
my back back like I'm the worst player on the
planet and Bobby Cox goes, man, that guy's really good today, ROSSI,
And it was like one of those like changing the mindset,
like how your manager can like make you see stuff
a little bit different, but you're right when like we're
all out there competing. And the thing I like about
our fifteen and sixteen team, we didn't beat ourselves. Somebody
may y'll pitch us every once in a while, or
they may get the big hit we didn't get, but
I didn't never felt like we left there and Boston
was like that a lot, like we never left there thinking, man,
we gave that one away nine times out of ten.
That team just happened to get it was their day.
I think that's a credible joke. Honestly, in Joe's mindset
for us young guys like do simple better. That was
his first thing. He said, like, just make the routine play.
You didn't care if we messed up. It was a
mental defensively he would he would get mad, but then
he let everyone be himself. So you have your manager
kind of doing that and trickling down to these young
position players that like you're already established. I'm pretty much established.
You just want to sy young you're well in your career.
But these young guys, all these young guys like Joe,
let me be me that group, Hovey B Hobby, KB,
Blossom playing the utility, having Zoger. So it was like
we did simple better and that made us better.
And you noticed the evolution of Joe. You had him
and Anaheim when you yeah, that's crazy, like and see
how his journey went and the things he's learned and evolved,
like it's it's you look back on some things, man,
it's like it was a it was a special time.
Yeah, yeah, you know we also did really well too,
and Joe kind of establish this.
But the older veteran players, we made the young guys.
As comfortable as possible, absolutely from day one, you know,
the old school veteran kind of bullshit, like you got
to earn your stripes, like don't you can't, shouldn't be
in the training room all all that crap.
No, Like I need KB and Schwarber and Wilson and Hobby.
I need them to be.
Comfortable, comfortable and as prepared as possible because that helps us.
It helps me, it helps you, It helps our team
win baseball game.
I feel like it takes one bad egg to to
and like, bro, you got called up an O two.
Same with you, you guys. I know for a fact
you guys were getting absolutely annihilated as probably rookies and
or or such. Some point.
I definitely had a veteran I hated, I want to kill.
Well, it's not to say there weren't. There were great
ones too.
Totally black was the old You're probably the oldest on
the team, right, and you were the nicest honestly like
you you were able to talk to guys. So I
was oestionally yeh, look.
This is way more gray, more miles on that body.
But the professionalism that you demanded was in a way
of like I almost felt like encouragement, like yeah, you
got pissed off my guys and at times like it's
stressful playing, but it's because you're demanding the best out
of us.
My thing I love the most. And this is like,
if I can sum up John Lackey in one sentence
of the example you said is like I didn't come
here for the haircut, right, Like that's an iconic moment
in sixteen that's like what are your expectations? You know?
And you got to verbade them. It's like, I came
here for jewelry. You know what is it? What it is?
I don't know.
I don't think I wrote it.
I did come here for the haircut. I came here
for jewelry, right, like you know what I mean. And
and but like the simple you said earlier, like his
simple formula of like I'm gonna go out here, I'm
gonna give my all and I'm gonna try to you know,
I'm a fuck all these guys here I.
Come, and everybody in the room knew that.
Yeah, you know, he's kind of a zipart ass response
really to a asked you what were your expectations?
Yeah, I mean yeah, well the hell you think we're
trying to win the whole damn thing? Yeah.
But like hearing that though from your your bulls, yeah,
as a young guy is like to another shot of
confidence that is leading to this.
It's a great point because instead of just trying to
stay in the big leagues, like no, we're trying to
I'm trying to be an All star, I'm trying to
be a World Series champion yep. And that kind of
elevates your confidence a little.
Bit, you know, and setting those goals. You don't like
relax when you get to the postseason like, oh, we
made it in or we made it to the DS
or whatever, Like no, no, no, we we saw last year,
Like what it in fifteen, what it took to get
to the Championship Series and got swept. It's like, no,
we we're going. We'll go to dance and like that's
just a product of experience and being around. But you've
got that such a young age and like the veterans
that carry that confidence and pass it around and speak
it and is real and I think it just it
bleeds into young guys and gives them, gives them more
confidence and along with letting them feel comfortable.
Yeah, I like in sixteen thinking about when we knew
we were really good, which we knew from the get go.
But I always go to your first start in Arizona
and you gave up six in like I think three innings,
and we on an offensive side were like it doesn't matter,
and we ended up boat racing them. You ended up
going six innings, which is like unheard of nowadays.
Yeah, I think the who was our pr guy?
I think it's the most rules hitter chase, most runs
I ever gave up my career and still won.
Really yeah, Oh Schwarber went down that game though, Yeah,
that's right, and like that right there was the start
of our start to that season. Really was our third
or fourth game. But I look at that game from
an offensive standpoint and just from a team standpoint, no
one flinched. Yeah, and like at all it was your
first start for us, dude.
Our lineup was we're never never out of it.
My favorite got another Lackey line, which is while we're
doing them all because I feel like this guy they
just come is like Rossy never lost with twelve and
airtight defense never Yeah you love his handle the wrist. Yeah,
I'll handle hit all you guys. Give me twelve runs
an airtight defense. I've got yall problem.
I think we were good as far as like really
believing like that group.
I mean, for me, it was in the off season
of after fifteen. Yeah, knowing the guys that we have
coming in, the young players that are that had been
there and the ones that are right behind them right
right then still got it like on paper, yes, but
we had you know, I won the of fifteen, like
I knew things were continuing to move forward.
In the right direction. I knew the young players that
were coming coming up through the system. It's like, this
is this is our chance, you know.
The camaraderie was like time. Lester set the tone when
in fifteen, I feel like he came in with the
big contract. He was so generous for all of his
bost cowboy boots, all the Team Dinners. And then you
get there and it's like, I remember, I think it
was in Saint Louis or we were somewhere early and
he went to pay for the bill, but you already
pro move gave it to the hostess when we walked in.
I don't have to do that.
Yeah, yeah, that's but that was the first time I
had seen that done, and I was like, all right,
lock and they like our Team Dinners were the Team
Dinners because it was like we knew that it was
going to be this.
We have some good ones. Yeah. Yeah.
It was like we didn't have to pay for any
Team Donner.
I didn't pay.
I'm still riding these guys hotel.
Yeah, well, like that's I think you're.
Just when every other one for a while is yeah, literally,
you guys will be fighting over who's paying for this.
Probably eight to ten downs.
But you but you were brought up that way.
That's the way it was. Yeah, it was not a
big deal.
Yeah, you've got three rings. I think about sixteen and
can you look back on the championship teams you've been
on and like what stands out that's similar in each one.
Of the locker rooms, the way we got along off
the field, Like uh, like the team dinners, Like Boston
we had twenty two man team dinners, just like we
had had in Chicago Anaheim, like we had we only
had a couple of rookies there.
That was back when the game was a little different.
You know, it was more veterans and a couple.
Of rookies, right, but they they took care of us, like, man,
I didn't I didn't pay for a freaking lunch my
whole rookie year.
It'd be like kid be downstairs in fifteen, you know,
like just just.
Pros the hotel phone.
Yeah yeah, it really loves the hotel phones exactly.
But knocking.
Yeah, well, you know what really helps to the camaraderie
and chemistry is getting to know your teammates significant significant
other or girl or kids.
Right like when we walk in the club. I was like,
how's Emily or whatever? What's up with Christina and the kids?
Like that, It's like this guy cares.
You're pulling for a gun on a personal level in
the fight because you've hung out with him, You've got
drunk with him, You've guys partied all night, or we
you know, we went to a charity event that somebody
was having, and you just got to know. I think
that's the little secret of like, no, I'm lackting this
guy's at back because I care about it. Yes, yeah,
and we care like everybody cared about each other on
that team.
When you're doing that on a personal level, like you said,
that's when you went in my opinion, because there's a
lot of teammates that were just teammates that you know,
And it's really hard throughout my career, all our careers,
like how many guys do you really stay in touch
with now that you're done playing? Probably small, Like I
cannot talk to you guys for five years. As soon
as we see each other, it's picking back, right, yeah,
right back, because of that bond that we that we
put together in our investment in each.
Other and even obviously a lot of us were much
closer than some others, which is normal natural. We all
have different backgrounds. We're not going to be best friends
and get along all the time. But that's one of
my guys.
I don't. I don't.
It doesn't brother for life.
It doesn't matter if we view things differently and we
were from different continents er countries.
Like, we're in this together, you know.
Let's get into you guys's no hitter since he right, since.
The bucket list. You gave me a bucket list, bro,
that was well.
You guys are you guys are in the matching matching watches?
Yeah, check the watches. Let's go.
Oh yeah, I saw that. I saw that he had
it on, so I had to pull it out.
I wc right here, pretty pricey area to hook man
with it. First of all to watch the amazing, but
like to play for as long as I got to
play mostly a backup and be in, I'd get to
catch a no hitter. I was so fucking nervous. We
got the game was like fifteen nothing, sixteen sixteen nothing.
It was beat down. It's a third game since the
sixth inning. I'm stressed. We got no hitters. I'm like,
don't funck this up rossly, you know. And I distinctly
remember like going to a lot of cutters and off
speed stuff and you shaking like no, I'm pumping heaters.
I'm pumping. He was like the sixth and seventh inning,
like I'm bringing heaters. I'm bringing heaters and guys are
rolling them over and popping them up, and I'm just
like like, I felt like it's funny. I've always pictured
a no hitter as this pride thing that I called
this amazing game, and I felt like he held my
hand like no, no, no, I've already got one of these.
Come with me. Don't be a big boy. Because I
had to watch a lot of people. Remember Lester, my
wife had at the time, had a emergency section. I
flew home. I wasn't in LA for the one Miggie
car that you threw there, and I was watching it
on my phone in as my you know, daughter daughter. Yeah,
but she was like a pound and a half in
this incubator and I'm like watching this and you're out
there carving in LA and then getting to experience that
was well, it was a.
Much different game than LA. Obviously we won sixteen nothing.
It didn't I mean it felt like a no hitter
as it progressed into the past the sixth, But my
stuff wasn't tremendous that night, la.
It was like video game. Wherever I wanted, it didn't
matter since it was like something that baseball game.
But so it was April twenty first, you know, in Cincinnati,
and it was just the stuff was moving like crazy,
but I couldn't command it that well. So I knew
that I'm just going to throw this sinker in the zone,
try and try and elevate it a bit. And I
think I had five punch.
Outs that I remember.
It moving wasn't a lot of punch outs.
It was just weak contact, miss hitting the ball, missing barrels,
and it happened. Dude, I got crazy crazy well, and
you know it's I was always told and how long
this has been a thing forever? Right, It's like, you
don't know, hitter, you buy it, you buy the catcher.
Yeah, yeah, it's a grave from the back of the
d the score where I was like, so, so it's
like this is my when I dress up, this is
the one I wear.
I've got.
I'm glad you're wearing the man lesser.
Oh I brought it for this Lessard gave me a
role like for at two hundred win and I guess
I had caught the most And it's like I wear
those the two watches I wear, it's like this one
when I dress up and his kind of mind you
free ship jewel two rings.
Guys, it's way different style, Like this is kind of
our style, right, yeah.
Yeah.
The one that I bought Miggy was a brightling with
a bunch of diamonds.
And was perfect to get a little Latino flare to.
Yeah, he's got a little style too, but that was
that was a.
I remember hugging you and telling you thank you at
all that and you were like.
That's a huge deal.
As a catcher, bro, Bro, I obviously guy's a picture too,
but well, the preparation that the catchers go through is probably.
More, I don't want to say more than anybody else,
but just watching the catching corps and the catching coaches
go through video and break down scouting reports, it makes
our job so much easier.
I have said this for years, and I did this
for my career. I studied catchers a lot of times
more than pictures. I knew what you guys were throwing.
But like with YACHTI with you, it's different because you're
a veteran. But with Yadi Molina catching, there's no young
guy shaking him. Yatti's calling the game.
So if you did, nobody shook.
If you did shake, I had to in my in
the box real quick start programming like okay, oh fuck,
this is rare, right. Wayne Wright never really shook YACHTI.
If it was too quick shakes, it was I knew
YACHTI was calling the fake shape. So, like studying catchers
was a huge part because bro, if you guys don't
have it that game, who's gonna help maneuver you through
that game?
Him?
What's the pitching coach? And a con say, hey, you're
doing no it's yeah, And.
That's my favor. That was my favorite part of the
game was the we had a moment in game six
the World Series where we clinched in Boston where I
threw au It was a two two breaking ball they
got by me and I think we're only up a
couple of runs and the guy went to second and
there's two outs and I went to the mouths I
hate my bad and he's like, no big deal, just
gave it a minute, went back and called heater because
I was like, he's not gonna trust me to block
this ball, and he was like, nope, threw down a
breaking ball. He's like, yep, through another one in the
dirt out block. It punched the guy out and we
get out of it, and I credit I told him
after that. I was like, Bro, I'm so glad you
shook to that. That gave me confidence in myself and
he had the confidence to trust me to do that.
Like that's the stuff that that off the field stuff
we're talking about and going to bars and to dinners
and out.
Dude, and also my guy, I knew how much effort
and time you put into the game. Yeah right, Like
if I give it a homer, you're not pissed at me,
You're just pissed that it happened.
Yeah right. I talked about the Lester relationship and what
we had was like, Bro, that was my brother. Like
when he sucked, I sucked. You know, we're in this together,
you know, so you're you love your brother, but you
get mad at your brother and do those You're you're
pushing your brother to be great because it makes me great.
Like I his success is my success.
Know.
That's that's how I took them.
That's quick no hitter story Alec Mills years later, through
a no hitter to Victor. I managed that, and I'm
giving Cartini ship like bro Mills is on a rookie deal,
like you're gonna get a fossil watch. So literally a
week later, I ordered a fossil watch and I took
like the printer label and I just put no hitter
and abled the back of the watch and I put
it Cart's locker.
That's great, That's loved it.
It's kind of a tough spot to be in, though,
you know.
I'm honestly looking back now, I do it. I should
have bought the watches from so but it's a picture
catcher thing.
But I think the Cubs gave us then after your
no hitter first one right that the Nola watched.
They gave one to the entire team. They gave me
a Cardier one year, and then a Carl Booker watch
I got.
I got a couple of one of my favorites. I
got two things that are hanging in my house. Everything
else is like in my garage, in my kind of
man room. But I've got my hundred home run jersey
that they gave me and then they gave us. You've
got the rubber from the from the no hitter. Yeah,
I've got the plate frame and it's it's like, what
a cool thing to have that it has got all
the spike marks from people the wall. Yeah.
So I gave the fucking ball back. You gave that,
kept it and sold it. Let's go back to our
locker room. M hm, do you I'm going to kind
of paint the picture where were you at? You were
you were right next to them, to.
Do you walk?
You walk through the tunnel right like you're coming back
from the game. Yeah, it's just directly on the other side.
Yeah, yeah, Lesser Lackey areata? Is that right?
Yeah?
And between them.
In between them though, is an empty locker with a
beer fridge. Yes, it's a nice size fridge. Yeah, it's
it's the bar. It's basically the team bar. Like it
was fun with all that after the game, you guys
we have drinks or after your start you see you
guys having a beer and whatnot. But I feel like
the significance of that to like show young guys that,
like you can lock in and do all this hard work,
but it's also okay to just relax and enjoy life
a little bit too.
That was one of the things that I wanted to
have fun too off the field, and one of my
favorite things to do is take out young guys. You know,
we can hang out at the hotel bar, maybe shut
it down a little bit, and I try to be
the first one there, like I'd want to be sweating,
yes when they walked in, just let them know they
gonna do it on both sides.
Here, We're gonna have fun last night, but it's time
to grind.
Now, Well, what's the quoe You got to earn your party?
Yeah, you do, got to earn your party.
And I had had an old vet to leadership, bro.
Yeah, if you're gona say hoop with the eyes, you
gotta get up sore the Eagles.
Old vet told me that.
Well, and that's that. The stuff that you're talking about.
This is what I think, like this thing that I
kind of talk about a lot is accountability. You're holding
yourself accountable by saying I'm gonna be the first motherfucker
there because I was out, I was partying as hard
as everybody else in that room. I'm gonna be the
first one there sweating. So when they walk in, I'm
like I had that with d Lo. Dlo would would
would run it hard, and you know what, six am,
he's out there in stadiums. I'm like the hell in
spring training? You know, Like that's the accountability that I
feel like. That's a good leadership example from from veterans
that goes unnoticed a lot of times.
Well, because if you if you partake in some of
the fun ship, you don't show up and do your work,
you lose the trust.
Yeah, you have your of your team.
Well, the thing is when you do it together, you
show up because you know you have to fucking right.
You saw me at me, you know whatever, I was
doing something yeah right, or we were up till four
at the at the in the hotel and it's like ship, like,
these are my guys. You guys may not be playing,
but I am, and I can't be doing that and
not gaining your respect by not showing.
I don't know if there's a team that I had
more fun on.
To be honest, well, bro, like, let's talk about our
fucking trips we did in.
Season the the.
Pebble Beach, Tebble Beach, Kenny Chesney, Pebble Beach to Kenny Chesney.
That was like on vacation while playing.
We landed. We had an off day on Thursday in Oakland.
We're going to play the A's and we had a
Wednesday day game flew and we're gonna spend the off
day on the West Coast. When we landed in Oakland,
Lester had a private plane that flew us to Pebble Beach.
We all had our own room at Pebble partiall suite,
partial View loves it, he loves barls View, play golf
all day, get back on the PJ Win Friday Day
game Saturday one Saturday party bus to the job, the
forty nine Ers football Stadium, Kenny Chesney, backstage.
Hanging out, Kenny Chesney, Sammy Hagar.
Smmy Hagar. Old Dominion was there and I remember like
have a party, go back, beat the shit out of
Oakland again and head on, head on back home. It
was like one of the best trips I think we've
ever been out. We got some good photos like that.
That's that's the thing I say about Leicester, like doing
some of those things as a veteran with the perks
and the contract and the whole things like he and
Joe led us but like having that fun its pro Yeah.
Well those are opportunities.
You can't go back and do it again, you know,
Like and then Leicster was you two like we're gonna
take advantage of this opportunity.
Were looking that we played Houston and you couldn't go
because you had a pitch. But we went to TCU
watched the football game, remember that over was on TV.
That was awesome.
It was all, well, it broke up the season of
like we grind, grind, but it's like what kind of
fun we're gonna have too? Right, And it was like
that fun made playing fun because the playing fund made
the night more fun, right, And it was like, you win,
you can keep doing that. As soon as you start losing,
you could still do it, but it's a lot harder
to feel good about what you're doing because we're so
focused on winning.
Winning cures all for sure. Yeah, I'm sure we had
a lot of off the field fun in sixteen, Like
I remember vividly, and it was my last year knowing
on retiring, but playing with Dempster and Boston his last
year and watch and him experience fun, then going and
doing things in cities, taking advantage of moments like you
were that you were an outdoor to get like you
would get up and go on walks and cities and
do that every day every day. Like those things made
my end of my career a lot more fun. With
winning and also like going to New York and I
took some of the media guys on a helicopter tour
and like doing the Rocky Steps and going to get
Philly Philly's Cheese Stakes in the middle of the night
in Philadelphia. Know, just little stuff like that, And I
don't I wish I would have done that more in
my career. But the fact that I recognize that late
and and you're a lot of pressure early on is
of sure. But yeah, trying to establish yourself.
I always told young guys this, It's like, how many
times are you going to go to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee.
You know, I'm I'm not gonna just probably not going
on vacation in Milwaukee anytime soon.
No, but experience a city, get get up.
I mean, I'm not telling you to get four hours
of sleep and get up and go walk around town
and go play golf.
But see what, see what, see what it's all about.
You would go down in Pittsburgh, go to like he
would come back with these juices and I'm like, where'd
you find that?
I'm like everywhere.
He's like, bro, I'd go walk in here and I
found this spot.
Like you just like that was well because I'm not
going probably not going to Pittsburgh, you know.
Yeah right, but I love Pittsburgh. I enjoyed Cincinnati. Milwaukee
was cool, you know, and Kansas City whatever the city is, like.
I'll find your little spots right right.
Instead of sleeping in until one thirty on the field,
like figure out some things to do.
Sure, you know, sure, let's let's get rolling into the
playoffs here. And so yeah, we clinched in like August, right,
we still roll. We clinched. Early September, we clinched.
I've got a story actually about the beer fridge and
the I remember we clinched and the next day a
lot of those guys were there. Was like soon after
we had clinched, we had some of the rookies up
in September, We're playing Milwaukee. We're an extra innings and
do you remember when I came in and car washed.
The locker room.
It was it was Lester. They're at the beer fridge,
it was Lester, Sutcliffe, Lackey Areata And I'm going around.
I'm I'm human because nobody's on the bench. I'm looking around.
I'm not playing. Nobody's on the bench.
We had a great bench sixteen. Yeah, the bench was
the best part of our team.
Yeah, anyway, like nobody celebrate with these guys have been
playing all the time or back in the grind And
I walk in and I'm like scanning, and I'm getting
madder as I scanned, I was like, I can't yell
at him. I can't ye, I can't yell at him.
And then packs guy on my list was Robzi, Like Robsy,
you rooking fuck your ass out here, and cheer the
boys on. It was like I was like car washing
the whole the whole locker room, and all the boys
came out.
You guys got the picture. But it was like one
of those like supporting your teammates and all that and
me having one of my Grandpa ROSSI fucking angry moments.
But all you guys came out and we ended up
winning that It.
Was right, you guys be out there to support these
guys support.
Sun Cliffston tells me, I was like, bro, I remember
you coming out. I was scared down. I was like, well,
I was scanning the room and who I could yell at.
And the first guy came through it with Robsie.
It was great, you know the right thing.
Yeah, they were all throwing poff down or like the
eleventh it's like, hey, position.
It's hard. Like you get on the bench, you're grinding,
it's July August and no one's out there, and you're like, yeah, yeah,
these guys are like, oh it must be fucking nice.
Go throw your four, five, six seven inings and.
Right eight or nine eight or nine right elev Well.
The later in my career got shorter, but it's like
it must be nice, like we're out here grinding. But
then when the team is on.
The bench, it's like, yeah, it's been supports underrated man,
the guys panics. We were talking a little bit about
guys on ipass and all that stuff earlier. It's like
the guys paying attention on the bench is so valuable
and rooting those guys on. I think it's just like
one of those another you know thing that it goes
goes unrelated. But let's get to the playoffs.
Yeah, well we were rolling right, yeah, And for my
my vantage is like, damn we got We had the
Giants the first round, like they're on their even year, right, ten, twelve, fourteen,
Now it's sixteen, Like we're rolling through them. We go
Game one, was it? I believe it's Lester, Lester, cause you.
Pitch Game three and hit the home run a bum gardener, right,
you pitched Game two? Yeah, I've got to hear Game two.
I think it's like a little a little fuzzy seven innings,
two runs. Yeah, yeah, classes we won. We won that game,
but you you seven seven, yeah, seven and two.
But that first game at Wrigley, right, like send a
tone for us. A lot of pressure though, Like, yeah,
one hundred and eight years, we're rolling, we lose the year.
Before we win.
I think we win one nothing right on the hobby
fucking best team. Yeah, mammoth Homer.
That lands in the battle. Yeah.
That's the only thing I was worried about was the
we had that time, Like we had so much time
in between clinching and playing.
That was the only But I think Joe did a
good job. We did some scrimmages, you know, did some
stuff like that, scrimmages.
Let's get back to the scrimmage. I was so bad
off John Lackey, I owned you so bad in my
career that we're again, we're scrimmage to lock you in.
I know, we're scrimmaging before the game. He feels so
bad for me. Honestly, I was like a makeup kid
in this. He's like, here, I'm gonna throw you a
fastball down the middle, telling me what's coming, and I
still couldnt.
Even touch the ball. I think I popped it up. Yeah,
I don't know about that, but you did lock me in.
Yeah eventually.
Yeah, Oh guys, we're killing it.
We we go and one thing that sticks out is
your home run off. That was Game three, bro, we
put us up three. Nothing so good. Greatest bum guard,
the greatest postseason pitching all time.
Don't sleep on his VP. He's got sick pop.
Crazy pop I was.
I was telling David before we got in here, hitting
VP in Wrigley Field, and maybe it was monotonous to
you because you're doing it every day. It was the
most fun I had playing baseball, I think, and Bob
actually do. When those window wind was blowing and one
was going.
Out, we're trying to hit him over the street. But
Bos was awesome too.
He you know, I feel like some pitching coaches would
be like, just stop trying to hit over the fans.
Get your work in. He wanted to see how.
Far he encouraged it.
He was three times where we're waiting to hit because
they're just launching balls. All right, guys, get off. They're
having so much fun, like we're stretching next to you.
Guys liked it.
I wasn't launching.
I was I was old and sometimes didn't even hit
because I was sore. Loopers over seconds I get.
Out of here.
It was really yeah when Lester would really let it
loose and you were always letting.
Lester had juice.
Yeah, he could hit the game here.
He was pretty good though he actually worked on it.
It was it was pretty good. And yeah, but that
home no man.
Well, so I tell the story a lot.
I don't remember the exact count, but he was pitching
me in like up and in, and I just happened
to I'm like he's coming up and then.
Again the heaters like heaters sold out for the angle
it's like, yeah, just sold out for the heater man
and your reaction in the dugout.
My favorite.
And I'm going around first base and I hit Hider's
hand because it was kind of a line line shot,
so I'm getting out of the box. I never knew
how to pimp a home run. I didn't hit that many,
but I wish I wish I could have, you know, I.
Wish I could have. There's a time to do it.
Stood there for a second and take a look and
then go. But Hyder hits my hand and almost spins
me around and almost fall down. But then I kind
of see you a little bit out of the corner
of my eye, and a Cubs fan actually caught it,
like the only Cubs fan.
That's sitting in that entire section, So that was pretty good.
Didn't get the ball, no, No, I mean I probably
wouldn't given it up if I was hamming either.
My story, I tell is the the old guy that's
always worrying when you hit that ball, are dugout, you
would have thought we won the World Series at.
That we did. We were on our way.
They were they were going ape shit up and down.
I'm like, oh god, come on, keep grinding, keep grinding, boy,
because it was like the third fourth inning early there
was second cat.
It was.
It was my first day.
Bro. The dugout was like so excited and like the
old school version of me was just going like they
calm down, stay focused, shut up.
Yeah, but it was we were right. We lost the game.
Yeah, we did an extra well and usually was right.
I think the coolest part about it so so Bumgardner
at the time hadn't given up a run.
In the playoffs.
Bro. He was yeah, like six years or Yeah.
You couldn't believe it. I mean I couldn't really, no
one could.
Yeah, bro loud Bro.
That team who had to win. Bro. They were three
time World Series champions on that team, like they were
battle tested.
Yeah, Like the fact that.
We won in game four was like to come back.
The only weakness on that team was their bullpen, and
we exposed it, thank god, because we quato waiting in
game five if we had to go to game five,
which who knows on that, but that series set the
tone and then we got to go played the Dodgers,
who are always good.
The home run that Hobby hit was it off Quato, off.
Bomb, you pimped the fuck out of it in the basket.
In the basket beah, yeah, it barely went out, went out,
We went one nothing like. It's just like, but that's
what our team was.
Like.
I felt like our team was always we had so
much character and like swagger, like, but we never disrespected
the other team no, which is absolutely like.
I felt like our dugout was like a softball team.
We had like chance and cheers and ship, like we
talked about the hitters like remember when you get to
three two, we're like positativity on a base, on a base,
on base, like send good vibe.
Yeah, es.
Well, so we beat the Dodgers and clinching it's our
first time going to the World Series. Your guys is second,
your third, Like, where are you at emotionally like on
all of it? Well, so you're invested more. I feel
like in the Cubs being for longer.
But I think that because of the games that I
pitched previous, it didn't matter that it was the World
Series to me. I mean it did in the sense
of one hundred and eight years, everything that's on the line,
But for me, it's like I'm ready for this moment.
It's just another game for me, you know, and Hendrick's
pitch that game against Kershaw, Right, Oh yeah, game six.
I was supposed to pitch Game seven, and just being
able to celebrate and not having to play again because
then I knew that I got I would get.
To pitch because Lester was going to go in one one.
I was game two.
So not having to play that seventh game was huge
for us, especially in your own individual journey.
Well sure and.
Focused and then all of a sudden we were right
well and just I mean, the euphoria after winning that
game was just insane.
And did you guys feel that? Did you like because
the Wrigley euphoria, Because for me it was like I
was a little annoyed after just personally, like the Cubs
fans were celebrating, like we won the World Series, and
I was like my head, I was like, we didn't do.
Shiit sure, but you can see why.
Totally just getting totally I'm saying after like, looking back
a little bit, I was I remember in the moment
one of my goals, knowing it was my last year
and the fact we were going to the World Series.
I thought that was one step above where we went
the year before war. So that's a bet, like you
just keep stacking, yeah, right, climbing the ladder. And I
felt like the year before we lost in this Championship series,
So going to the World Series to me was like, oh,
it's gravy now.
And also think about from that was my personal view
from a fans perspective, getting past the Dodgers and then
going to play Cleveland, No disrespective Cleveland, but beating them
was probably more of a challenge than having to be
think Cleveland, which you're thinking now turned out to be
more bet.
And the Giants and Dodgers, right, they're both like road.
The road to that Pennant was not easy, not at all,
and then you're having to go West Coast multiple times too.
It was just that that's another actor that doesn't get
really talked about at all. But then we run where
are you at? And that like you don't want to
finish second?
Bro?
You're fucking two times?
No, I mean, like like he said, like we were
both at a point in our career. I was trying
to enjoy everything a little bit more.
You know what I mean?
Like I didn't I knew I had at least one
more year brand you're getting towards the end of it,
and you know, you got your family, got kids involved.
Like just it's it's it was awesome to you know,
to share those sort of things. It was it was cool.
Perspective is I mean, that's my perspective is when I
was still with the Yankees in twenty four, it was
like I told my parents that year, told Emily even later,
I was like, enjoy this, Like I don't know what's
going on at this Like let's really enjoy this run. Yeah,
we go to the world who's gonna win, But.
Like it's nice to get to that space in your
career too. They played long enough where you can like
you're not stressed by anythings, like we're just trying to win,
but like, hey, let's let's take this all in.
How many great players played for ten plus years never
played in the postseason A lot?
I know, it's crazy.
So like it you know, you might like as good
as we were, you know, fifteen. It's like even though
the trajectory, like John was saying, looked like we were
going to go past that, you never know when you're
gonna get back, right, So like not being complacent but
also still allowing yourself to enjoy it.
Yeah, fun.
We did the parties Leicester, Ye dude, my dad playing
the guitar with Eddie Vedder like four memories in his backyard,
just partying like it's just like all the families were there.
It's just so happy.
And that moment, the story I tell is because I
was sitting with your dad and I was showing member.
He got me the harmonica for a retirement gift, so
I'm showing him the chords I learned and was kind
of playing this thing for Uhrizz's dad, and then Eddie
walks in and grabs a guitar for me and starts playing.
I'm like, I opened for Eddie better than that.
Perfect.
I didn't get any freaking good, but those like throw
That's that's the best part about the run was the actors,
celebrations of it and winning and the parties after we
went to country club. I think, yeah, a lot Lester's
backyard then obviously the big celebration, but.
We're Lester did a good job. And this is like
side note, but Lefard did a good job, like David did.
Every time we won, he would throw a party and
everybody's invited. It doesn't matter we're going to bring food,
where we have alcohol. We've got everybody's safety like cars,
like David Ortiz did that in Boston and it was
like such a like a cool thing, like I'm bringing
you know, friends and family to David Ortiz's house and
he's showing them their silver slowers. Like Leicester was like that,
everybody's invited.
We're going to miss Chicago PD out. Yeah, you need
it right home, just like what we talked about, like
passing things down. He learned that from Bit and he
nailed it and we had a great time.
When we go down three to one, what what what
gave you any belief, if anything at all that we
can do that?
Man, just come back. We were good, man.
We had we had I knew we had enough enough
firepower and we had and we had dudes that could
that were coming up pitch and that that had been
there and done it. And at that point you can't
you just can't look too far ahead. You got to
win the next one. Just win the next one, get
to the next game, and we just all we had
to do just win the next one and then see
what happens after that.
In the moment you said after the game I actually
got a quote because you're started to go well through
game four and you said, everything's fine, win tomorrow. Yeah,
everything's fine, win tomorrow. Right, And that's the veteran like
when you have this like he's not wallering on his
like it doesn't matter what I did. That's over. Yeah,
here we go on to the next well.
Because then we had Lester, myself and Hendricks, right, we
were lined up if.
We won game five.
Because it was that was my favorite game.
Game five for me, it was our hardest one because
I knew we would roll in game six versus Timlin. Right, Yep,
he shoved against us, but it was Tomlin. Sorry, he
shoved against us, but we didn't really we hadn't seen
him before, so like it was easier to register.
Was an overpowering dude.
Exactly heard of Klueber and it was like all right,
and then we see Kluber for the third time, Like, yeah,
I like our odds. Right, But that game five was
a gauntlet. I mean we won three two.
Well, for me, at no point did it feel like
we're down three one. No guys in the room, it
fell well, I mean maybe maybe for you.
Sure, I was selfish because I knew I got to
play Game five, so I was like, I can't wait
to start a World Series game in Wrigley. That was
my kind of incentive.
On the hitting side, it was like it was it
was a ben Zeb's bunt in the NLCS that kind
of turned our entire offense around because we were grinding
in like the DS into this. I didn't really get
my I don't think I got I didn't get going
in that playoffs until like the third or fourth game
of the CS.
Yeah, you started, you start to carry you and the
hobby started carry us in the CS, Addie too, and Addie,
I mean yeah, Addie.
So we're you know, hitting is so hot and cold,
and it's like we're down. We're down one nothing in
the fourth inning of Game five and it's like fuck
Bowers on the mount, he's shoving, the wind's blowing in,
and then KB hits that Homer to tie it. It
was like all right, like yeah, and we relax and
then we somehow I think Chappie what it was an
eight out save? Who's at seven or eight out save
and felt like he came in game yeah, and the
game six, you go out set the tone. We roll
quick I feel like you.
Shoved in the World series.
Bro Well, it was someone shove.
I played with you, But like hold.
Well, was it really the field contrast from game two
to six. Game two I remember being like in the
thirties or so.
Yeah, yeah, well that's where it was. The game two
those freezing.
So for me it was like, I just got to
keep this hand warm, and I knew if I could
do that, it'd be fine. Struggle with some grip issues
a little bit. In game six it was like sixty degrees.
You were, you were two and up, you had two wins,
you registered those two wins.
Yeah, but game two was rough.
Game two you were, you were good, But I remember
you were at a.
Very I think we have bases loaded at some point.
I think it was Tyler and Naquin was at the plate.
Punched him out that.
Once I got through that, then then we were all right.
I had a few walks. Was erradic, but when one
needed to make a big pitch, was able to.
When it's cool, though, like I said, it's hard to
feel the ball.
Hard to feel it.
Yeah, a little control can be an issue.
Ye. Yeah, you were cruising Game six. It felt like
you were in a rock and chair back, like you
know when you were locked in.
You guys remember when again it's not about me, but
I hit the home run a little bit about you
a little bit late in the game, and uh Joe
kept Chappion for the night, and I remember the dugout
was like what the fuck are we doing? Like that's
Travis would in the game, get him up because uh,
Chappie was like gassed right and we all knew it.
I just remember the dugout and it was like that
was the first time we the dugout kind of uproared,
like Joe, we got to get this guy out of here,
like get fucking bough.
Well, you hit your homework with two outs, and it
like I think it sped up real quick sometimes like
managing your like oh shit, I wasn't expecting that.
Yeah you got that.
It goes from four to six quick and you're like,
oh shit, I need to get somebody else up. There's
two outs. The next guy rolls over the first pitch,
you know, you're like kind of scrambling.
Yeah, we talked.
We talked to Joe about that and he was like, yeah,
he like looks back on that.
What he was saying.
He was like no.
He was like it was it was fast. You got
to get to game seven all this stuff. But he
is so how he maneuvered that, like no one being
the manager of my opinion is the hardest thing because
no one, not everyone loves you.
He's really accountable. But saying like I would either we
got to get to game seven kind of thing, and
then you know, obviously like Chapi out of gas and
all that. Like he he walked us through the whole
his thought process and what he was thinking, and then
you know, you pop that too out to run Homer.
It was kind of late. That mean I could get
pretty quick with you.
So what so we go to game seven? What's your
your I know you were hot, like yeah, we made
stuff available.
Well I went, Yeah, I went into Joe's office pretty
early in the day and just wanted to make it
known like hey, I'm I've been warming up.
Feel fine, I'm down there. You know you were down
I'm ready.
Yeah, but I knew I was probably an extra inning
kind of guy.
You know, we walked meet you and Lester us three
and Lester walked down to the bullpen together and like
the third or whatever, and I remember, do you guys,
remember that. I remember walking Yeah, yeah, I was freaking.
I think I was just security for you guys to
get when.
I felt I felt like the guy because all you
guys are so big. I'm like walking down there, heart
rates going up. It's such a different view from the
bullpen or being in the dugout when you're trying to
like grind with the boys.
It's just at that point too, it's the last game
of the year. Like I whether I threw one hundred
of the night before, it doesn't matter, running off adrenaline.
It's for I'll give you what I got, everything that's
on the line, like counting year made me one out,
one inning, Yeah got you.
I'm here.
Yeah.
When when Raj hits that home run, you guys are
down in the bullpen. We all are numb. We have
we have the rain delay. We're you guys are you
were down there?
You I came back and we think it went deep.
I was thinking, I was thinking of things.
Yeah, I was just thinking at that point, like it's
a coin flip now, like you just you're not sure
which direction it's going.
To go because nobody expected that.
Nobody nobody expect there's so weird because the remember there's
there's like there's like fans in front of the bullpen
and behind you like we were like we were like
surrounded by Cleveland fans and they were.
You know.
You just kind of give us the bird.
He just kind of like he was lacky is to
my left and we just kind of look at each
other like, oh fuck, where is this going?
Yeah?
I was catching it Yusually I can turn the page
really fast on the next I kept going yeah, yeah,
like man, like just negative.
Fact that Chap he got through the ninth inning though,
such such balls.
Yeah what he did? Another insane man?
Then the raindo lag You said you were getting red.
I was getting ready. I was kind of towards the
tail end of the speech.
And then you were in the I was in there
and there what do you remember about that?
Man?
Obviously Jay get up and saying what he said. But
then I still thought there was a there was a
pretty good vibe with the boys. I mean, we we
didn't come this far just you know, to come this far,
were still we still had a great opportunity and and
I think the boys still believed.
Yeah coming out of that, coming out of there, Yeah,
what were your thoughts Like during during that I would
always go to Bussy with everything. So I'm talking to
Bussy Dexter and I had just re upped on our
five hour energy and would reserve cocktail Myers Speedball we
called it from Bill Murray, and uh, We're just like
no fucking way, like we're gonna fucking win this, like
just kind of like trying to psych ourselves out of
what just happened, because I remember when that happened looking
at our dog out getting a temperature of our guys
was like pale as a ghost. I remember even looking
at like THEO because he was kind of like in
our peripheral there off the dugout. He was like a ghost.
So it was like getting through that ninth and getting
the reset was huge. And then obviously we all.
Come to reset's a good, great word.
It was like we all come together like and and
and Jay Hay that gets something.
Guy that doesn't do a ton of.
Saying stuff, and he had people that people that don't talk.
A lot, when they do say something, it means something sometimes.
Yeah, I mean he was always a guy that showed
up in the right moment to say the right thing.
He's one of the most pro guys I've ever ever
and not the most vocal guy, and we all know that,
but when something needs to be said to the group's paying,
he was the guy for the job he's paying.
Has got a really good feel for people in moments
and stuff like that.
But I think to the fact that like that was
our team too, like we are so close. So the
fact that it almost happened organically that meeting, and then
he did call some guys in, but like we were
all there getting closer anyways too, and it just all
happened the right way. Dexter, he said it perfectly. He
was like at seventeen minute delay was the tiers of
all the fans, like one hundred and eight years of tears,
just like, no, that's.
Good, right, So that's pretty that's awesome.
But coming out and then getting those hits and winning,
it's like that celebration is is I've only done it once.
I don't know if ever doing it again could match.
The only bad part was it was in Cleveland. They
have such a small uh, it'd been better for it
to have been home Way, bigger clubhouse, to have a
good times, a great point and there's a million a
million reporters and stuff in there, like hell in there,
they're trying to get in our way where we're trying
to you know, have some cold beers and stuff.
Yeah, but like that the magnitude of us winning. Did
you your first year there, that's your second year, did
you guys think that that what you saw transpire afterwards
with Cups fans? Probably to this day you guys see
Cups fans.
Well, for me, I didn't understand exactly how significant it
was until more time has passed.
You guys experienced that to a little bit.
Droyd told me that we were partying in Boston and
we're sitting there and he's like, Ross, how you feels
like I don't feel anything. It's just like I'm happy.
But he's like you won't for time has to pass,
and like saying like they that city treated me like
I was. You guys like have the backup catcher, you know,
and that like the carried.
You off the field.
Right. Well, it's not about me about me either, but
it's like that kind of stuff and the love you have.
You're talking about the brothers for life, and like the
fact you go into restaurants and you get like standovations
and these things. It's like people are just so generous
with their love in that city. It's because of that.
Well, the stories right, like my great grandparents or grandparents,
it was their dying wish to see it, and they
passed away a month or two months later, like and
the stories continue to crazy.
That's my favorite. When you run to fans in the
Game seven story and then they started in on all that.
That's my favorite part.
Was a baseball fan that year. The story of the
World Series was, you know, the Indians hadn't won in
like sixty something years. We hadn't want The fans were
actually like enjoyable the entire because they were so happy.
It was not a big rivalry or anything. And the
fact that we came out on top and then hearing
all those stories is like, this is like we knew
it would be monumental. But then the parade five million people.
Was wow, that was nuts.
You guys almost died. You were on that flow right
off my face.
He was almost cut his head cut off.
I was right behind him.
We were with Lester and we had that that thing
hit It hit you across Remember the little the screen
that we walked through from the players parking garage too,
so that netting they had a wire up top well
our the cameraman that was filming. It was like we
were on the very back, sitting on the top of
the bus and he's got this thing and his camera.
Nobody told us to duck. His camera hit that wire
and it like pulled and then it flew down and
that thing whipped all three of us. Lester, it missed Lester,
hits you. You had a hat.
I had sunglasses gone they were out on the street somewhere.
Yeah, hit me, almost ripped my not. I was like,
noses bleeding, get my hat a full on like whammy, right.
It was like no skin on my nose. And I
think it hit Woody, missed Lester, but it hit Woody
too somewhere.
You know.
It was shirtless and he was already three sheets. But yeah,
we went on that that parade. That wouldn't stop on us.
We still partied. Just it's just hard in that getting
up on that stage. I got all the feels on
that stagehere. I could barely go so many five.
Million people, that's crazy. I look at videos all the time.
It was just like people saying, I just remember people
like seeing like the sea of people and then the
tops of trees. You know what I mean. It was
like it was as far as you can possibly see.
My little daughter's been born. I was carrying my daughter
like it's cool.
But as we would continue to have blocked the block,
you just see the wave of people following us.
Yeah, I couldn't even see the streets, right, incredible.
When you guys look back on like the body of
work of your careers, where like from a leadership standpoint, right,
we all have different styles. Where Like, what are you
guys proud of, Like looking back on that team, your
two team, you go in and play with the Phillies,
everything you learned, you had bounced around a little bit
with San diego back to the Cubs, Like where what
are you most proud of looking back on ten years later?
I think I'm most proud of getting everything out of
my potential that I possibly could have. You know, it
took me a while to get going to kind of
hit my stride and figure things out, but I left
it all out there. And that's why when I get
asked like do I miss it?
I miss you guys.
You know I do miss some of the competition, But
I did everything in my power to performed the best
that I possibly could.
So I think showing young guys and even even the
veteran players like, hey, when when I'm out there, they
know that I'm doing everything in my power to.
Help us win a baseball game every every fit day,
you know, for you definitely.
For twelve years, you know, and even when I wasn't
very good early in my career, I was still trying
to be you know, I just didn't I just really
hadn't really found my stride yet, you know, Black.
I just really like, I think I got what I
could out of my out of my talent. I think
I I worked hard, I respected the game. Hopefully I
took care of people, you know, even outside the team,
like you know, the clubhouse guys and.
People like that.
Hopefully you know, they say good things about me en up,
and hopefully when guys walked into the locker room they
saw my name on the lineup, they thought we had
a chance that day.
It's about it, well said, yeah.
It's uh, And that's all that true.
It's really two different career paths, honestly, because you are
we're a career path of like resilience of obviously. Well,
I had to face our adversities. But sure, like you
were close to like fringe, right, I add, there's a
lot of guys that are out there right now at
any level, any kid playing sports of like, man, am
I that good? Or I feel like I'm good, but
I can't figure it out? And it's like you did
figure it out, and you like figured it out to
the highest in a big, big way.
Well I was rusted yourself.
Well, sure, sure, you know I did.
I had to do a lot of soul searching and
look in the mirror and conversations with with Brittany when
Cooper was this big and you know, close to get
being pregnant with Palmer, It's like do I want to
drag my family around minor league hotels?
You know?
Yeah, you know.
I was at a point in twenty twelve and.
Thirteen like I might go back to school and finish
my business degree, start a business, like those are real thought.
I was kind of at I was at that spot.
Bring I had a long conversation and she's like, you're
not done yet, and I felt that in my heart,
you know, but I was, you know, and and guys
go through that every year.
We said it difficult, said it sucks to suck. It
sucks to suck because there's so much on the line.
I uh, well with you, you could. You were so
consistent for your entire career.
But like you said, okay, I have to make a lot.
I relate to you because guys I played with, like
the superstars I played around, they were so much more
talented than me. I'd seen these dudes hitting bombs, and
like for me, I always thought like right here was
like the end, all be all right because everyone's talented.
And then ROSSI you were you grinded for you know,
you play everything a little bit.
But yeah, yeah, no, like you try to start and
you try to you want to do this. I became
better in Chicago, I mean in Atlanta. Back on, Brian
mccannon realized, like, man, I'm just gonna I love the
support staff role and like I want to play a lot,
but like I could, I couldn't handle a lot of
the mental side, Like I've let oh for twelves turn
into for twenty fours, you know what I mean, and
trying to hit four home runs in a bat. So
I'm very thankful for the teams I've been on the teammates,
the people that it affected me made me a better
person and teammate that affected me and winning teams, you know,
and so getting to Boston and taking that to Chicago
and doing that with John and how he treated me
and all my things I've learned about what a big
leaguer is. I get to manage with no experience, Like
there's a lot of great shit that baseball has given
me and it's all because of my teammates and things
I've learned of just paying attention to Wow, this guy
makes me feel this way, you should treat people this way.
Stuff like that, and trying to grind on the day
I played.
You were unbelievable and talking like kind of being where
those guys were, like you could talk to people, you
know where they were at, like you could you really
related to everyone.
Well.
But I think the blessing looking back on being able
to do that because I had a bunch of different
roles I started for like a year and a half
I had. I've been in the backup. I know how
hard it is to pinch hit. I know what it's
like to suck a lot and have some success and
win and lose. So like being on that bounce around
a bunch of different teams. See good managers see bad managers,
is like, you know, you get perspective. Perspectives I think
is a powerful thing in our game. Even being a dad,
like you'll be able to teach Cooper and tell the kids,
like you're able to tell everybody, Oh no, no, I'm
doing my daughter right now. It's like no, no, no,
Like trust me, I know how hard it is mentally
to beat yourself up, but like you need to talk
good to yourself, you know, stuff like that, little little
things that change the game.
Well, and like with with ROSSI he's not having the
longevity of the career that he had without that sort
of character, right and and being that kind of.
A teammate right, Like that's extremely rare.
I've hit all of those too though, well sure sure,
but his ability to not say no, I should I
should be this this guy or that guy, like I am, oh,
I am sure, that's right, and I'm gonna be the
best at it, that's right, And you are You're.
The best I can. Yeah, yeah, get the best out
to you out there in here. That's the other day.
But as I, hey man, as I got older in
my career. It was like I enjoyed the cloudy days
more on the sunny days because like I would just
sit in my locker sometimes I'd laugh, like, dude, this
is so fucking hard. Yeah, but this is what makes
those sunny days so much better, no doubt. Right when
that sun comes out, it's a perfect day in Chicago
or New York. It's like, this is why you do it.
And the struggle would really make me like embrace the
success more because I.
Was like, but at the end of the day, you're
still one of the best undred players on the planet.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Yeah perspective, that's.
Like twelve or thirteen hundred guys a year to get
to play in the big leagues or whatever the number is.
Yeah, but now one of them. Now I sit and
watch like the World Series or games with with people
or friends or family, and the guy takes one right
down the middle or fouls off heat right down the
They're like, why did he miss that? I'm like, easy, bro, easy, Yeah,
that's a lot easier.
I'm definitely not the one who says it to you.
I'm like, you guys are your I'm the same way, bro.
I look, I'm like this is easier and not I go, no,
let's know, way how they hit that?
No, yeah, they're better. Everybody throws a million.
Like when I first came up, there was like three
guys in the league that threw one hundred, right, every team,
that's three guys.
Yeah, Ganye was like the guy and he's like ninety
six right now. Ninety six is a.
Starter and it had game over on the fence when
he came in.
Exactly on that note, I got a question for you
because you played played for a long time, and you
played when guys you saw some mid upper nineties, not
very many, but then towards the end of your career.
Saw a lot of it.
How did you make those adjustments, like as a as
a hitting staff, how did you how did you guys
make those adjustments or was it just like you see
it more and it just well just hand eye coordination or.
The league started turning in like seventeen eighteen, that's when, Yeah,
I started throwing a lot harder, right, but they didn't
know where it was going, so it would be hard
and down the middle. So it was like, all right,
you can gear up. They didn't have the secondary stuff yet,
and then over the last six years, it was like,
guys are not only throwing hard, but now they're doing
all this different pitch sequencing that like has been new,
the upper the high fastballs that I think the Dodgers
started seventeen and it was like, all right, now we
gotta we gotta make that adjustment up top. So and
then the last few years it's like, dude, there's these
guys are all throwing one hundred miles an hour with
ninety three mile an hour sliders and change ups, and
it's and spotting it and spotting.
And landing secondaries behind on the count. You're like, wait
a minute, two oh, there's no no sitch as a
fastball count anymore.
So the preparation had to be you had to really
dive even harder into the prep. There wasn't the days
of two to oh fastballs were gone, right, They might
not see it fastball exactly, so you really had to
do your homework more. Actually, Shorter said this to me,
which makes so much sense for him as a player.
He was like, for him, he thinks hitting is a
lot simpler now because guys strow the ball down the
middle more, which is true. They don't hit their spots
as good as like you you relied.
On you guys relying, and we came up.
You had you had to power stuff, but like we
relied on your stuff right where He's like, guys, now
miss so down the middle and his eye is so good.
He's like, I just swing it the stuff over the middle,
which regardless of the pitch, regardless of the pitch. Yeah,
And I'm like, well, for you, that makes sense because
you strike out a lot looking and like you have
such a good that's why he walks one hundred plus times.
It was hard for me as a manager to start
buying into catcher setting up down middle because of the
way I was brought up in fastball command and on
the edges and stuff that when we were coming in so.
Like we did that a lot, though.
Yeah, we know because of my stuff, because your stuff,
because it went because it made.
No sense for me to have you set up on
the outside corner, inside corner and I missed this far off.
It's a ball. It's like, if my stuff's doing this,
take my chances.
Yeah, But the evolution of the game is evolution of
the game. Yeah, the numbers and the analytics and all
that is I think amazing if you know how to
use it the right way. It's great information. But like
anything in life, if you're oversaturated, then you're gonna be
spinning too much.
Well, this is this is our this is our process
of like saying thanks to our teammates and having fun
and putting this in a in a series where we
get to tell all the stories. So it's been really fun.
So thank you for your time. Thank you for my ring,
my two rings. Wow, and why okay all of jewelry.
We love you, guys death. I love you guys to death. Man,
you guys are the best. Thanks for opening your home
for us and taking your time and final thoughts.
Do without we say this without you guys, Without everyone
on that team, that puzzle isn't complete. And like our relationship,
our relationship, it's like forever. And I love you guys,
And seriously, without you, how much you both have taught me.
I'd say ross all the time, but you have taught
me as a person, as a as a player, as
a as a dad. Now I was like, I take
for the rest of my life.
So thank you awesome ultimate team game man, like you
can't couldn't you couldn't have done it without really love
your dad.
Yeah, that is a rat.
That's the rat boys. Thank you, good word, good stuff.
God right boom.
You guys inhaled It.
I love what you guys are our tower support