NEVER HEARD 2016 Cubs stories, BIGGEST PLAY of Game 7 & HATING the Cardinals | Lovable Reunion Ep 8

Anthony Rizzo, David Ross, Matt Caesar, Chris Coughlin, Albert Almora.
Take one.
Welcome back to another episode of The Lovable Reunion Podcast.
Today we have three very special guests, Matt Caesar, Chris
Coglin and Albert Almira, three huge parts of our team,
more on their role side, more not on the everyday side.
So it's going to be fun to be able to
pick their brains and see their vision of what twenty
sixteen look like and relive the memories Fellas.
Welcome to the show.
More relatable to my role than's everyday role. We're gonna
talk about. We're going to talk about what it's like
to grind and not make a lot of money and yeah,
and try to be a part of the team.
I think season starts with you. You were here. When
did you get drafted? Ten? Yeah?
Yeah, I mean Seas and I were workout partners every spring,
what like five thirty six am.
Sees would push me every day in the gym. He's
in peak shape.
Still on my grind, You're still on like a animal.
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think it was it was
you pushing me as well. I mean you came up
and I remember it was a twenty fourteen you came over?
When did you come over? Twelve? Twenty twelve? Yeah, dominated
triple A.
Yeah, I mean I remember dead lifting the house with you,
doing pull ups and stuff with Buttery.
Yeah.
I mean it was just you know, it's it's it's
so it's so relatable now because you're always looking for
a workout partner.
And I think that's what makes people better.
That's what made our team better is because everybody was
was there trying to get better.
They knew their role and they just wanted to be
the best of the role.
You know.
One of the things that.
Lester said to me at one time was like, you know,
it doesn't matter if you're number one guy on the
roster or number twenty five got in the roster. Everybody's
family here. And I think that that is a real
testament to why we won. White teams do win. Yeah,
That's what we've been talking about a lot, is every
single piece of the puzzle is a reason we want.
Without every single person, there's no way we win. And
I mean each one of you probably got I think
you may have gotten the most of bats that year.
In sixteen two hundred ish yeah, CC, you got traded
over at the deadline. AL you have you're a rookie.
Yeah, but you were missing.
They brought you back. No, that is that was awesome. Stinks,
and then it was awesome. I was so depressed, but
then I was so happy when I came back.
Alwhen you're a rookie, you're dracked in the first round,
young out of high school and you get called up
to this team. What do you think because you're coming
into the big boys, right, we're steamrolling everyone.
Yeah, I mean it all so coming into the show,
you you have this perception of like, hey, you're a
young guy, like stay quiet, stay of yourself, like don't
do anything now, just play baseball and go home.
And uh.
I actually shared this story with ROSSI yes show that
one of the full first moments that impacted me in
the league was first day, first game.
He sat right next to me in my locker and
he's like.
Hey, I don't care if you're a rookie, I don't
care if you have ten years in the show, Like
you're here to help us win.
Be yourself and act like.
Yourself and and just don't don't play with any pressure.
And that took so much off of me and just
let me be me.
And I'm quiet to to it's on its own, but
it let it just let me just go out there
and not be afraid to make mistakes. And it really
impacted my career.
He said, that means a lot. That's cool.
Damn, look at you.
I got a thrice choked up earlier telling me his feelings.
When I got called up in San Diego, I had
some veterans that were the complete opposite of that. And
I stunk in Sande at my time in Santing, it
was stunk, and I said to myself, I'll never be
like that as a veteran.
You had some good stories of veterans.
Too, say say, say I can't my coffee.
You already everybody knows who that is, who's that?
Well? You know so here and ROSSI said.
When I get called up to Chicago, Brian Depster does
the same exact thing to me. He goes, hey, man,
we stink like we're on our way to losing one
hundred games. And he's like, but you're gonna help us win,
and you be you and don't change a thing like
exactly what you said verbatim, And that helped me so
hearing that from you as well.
And over the journey of my career too, like coming
up and the oldest guy in the room, right, certain
guys were hard on you. Certain guys are your friend.
But the more I was in the league, you learn
like we need everybody to win, Like, so I want
the I want the guy that's the most insecurity to
feel the most comfortable so he can have his skill
set and help us win ball games. And you're a
better I was a better player. I was more comfortable
as we all are, right, and you you turn into
a kid again. So having that pressure of like you know,
trying to perform for your teammates are stuff outside of
just caring, you realize unhelp anybody. So that was that
was a lot learned because of how you know, you
get treated early on from some other guys and you're
like he still looking back, like I hated that motherfucker.
You know, there's some guys that we hated a lot
different too, Like the game changed so much, But I
do think on the teams I played on, it was
for sure really cool.
I thought we did such a good job welcoming but
still ribbing and never but not like hey, Cec, I'm
gonna freezer suit and cut your suit up and you're
not gonna get your clothes shaving cream your shoes and like,
hey me get in the back and dress like a
check can go serve everybody stuff and you're like, bro,
we're like ribbing somebody on the mic, and that's like ribbon.
But it was really good. I thought it was such
a good.
Uh cadence and balance at the same time where the
younger guys could come and feel comfortable.
That's so important, so important because you're so insecure when
you get up there.
Like you said, it really well, and I think think
all of our guys that were older made people feel
comfortable and the young guys balled out.
Well, I don't know how to secure you were You're
in the rek of the year.
So well I was in the beginning. Sure, I sucked
in the.
First We should have been an asshole to you.
There plenty of that from you, an so you were good.
So Ceci, you were here in fourteen when we got
into that scuffle with the Reds. We were talking about it,
just like how that through your vantage point?
What was that all about?
Well, listen, we sucked, okay, and I've been on some
sucky teams and I was like, I'm so tired of sucking.
And it was tough. You know, there's an evolution for me.
I wasn't a dude. It's my first year over here,
you know. But then once I was playing every day,
you know, my personality injected in and we just lacked leadership.
You know, you were there, but you were young, you
were still developing. You were the dude on our team.
We had a couple other guys, but we didn't have
that like veteran no forrid. And what I know about
sucky teams is they lack leadership. They don't have a
tone setter personality to be able to say this is bs.
We'll not putting up with this. Y'all need to toe
the line and stop acting like cupcakes and so man.
When we were getting drummed, I hated.
I hated the Cardinals, and I hated they would just
come up and want to hang out and come give
you a hug and whatever, and then kick your teethail that.
I'm like, I'm so tired. I don't even want to
see those guys. I don't eve want to see them
in our locker room. I don't even want to go
shake their hand. And then it was finally with the
Reds when he threw at sure.
Well it was over his head twice.
Yeah, and I still remember we were so pissed and then.
Like I just lost it and you're lost on a level.
But and then when I got out to left field
and we were like gloves were off, I was. I
still get jacked up telling the story. It was a
moment for me that it was like a tone setter
that I'll never forget because it was like, we're not
going to keep sucking. I felt that after that, we're
not going to get punked around anymore. And then fifteen
we go get some dudes, and then then the story
and the narrative starts changing, and that's just a big
moment for me, you know, from fourteen to fifteen, and
then obviously fifteen sixteen.
Was there a time in fifteen that you guys remember
It's like, oh, we're good. And I know you didn't
get up till sixteen, but like fifteen you remember that, Yeah,
which when we started.
Rolling, I did.
I just maybe because I hated the Cardinals so much
that it was like and it was a respect for
him you know, it was like they were big, they
were a big boy in and they were they earned
it right, Like I mean, you mad respect. I mean,
I'm friends with dudes on that team. I mean I
didn't want to see them because I was like, I
remember when you said, hey, bro Se, see we wear blue,
we don't wear red route here.
Do you remember that?
Yeah? Oh yeah?
And I was like, all right, we're moving the train.
We're moving.
People are starting to notice little things about winning that
nobody ever noticed. Fourteen and I think when we beat
the Cardinals a couple of times, it was no biggie
to them because it was a regular season, but in
my mind, they can't beat us and I and then
we play them in the division.
It was like, I can't wait to play the Remember
I remember Joe Sam taking you got to take the
ball back, you know what I mean, You go on
the playground, get go, get the ball back when you
want to play. He was reverencing Saint Louis. And to
your point, Riz told a story about you know, the
Cardinals coaches and guys coming into the weight room, Huggy
and all friends, and then we started kicking their butt
second half fifteen and all of a sudden, they're not
showing up.
That's right.
Nobody says hello, yeah, okay, yeah, it is so good attention.
Yeah, it sees you were I mean yeah, I mean, dude,
when I think of clubs Cardinals, I just I think
about you screaming the locker.
Room like clubs.
Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean dude. Fifteen it was was
it death like from being there, from from like the
Jim Hendry's perspective, Yeah, to get because Jim had you
draft you right correct.
Yeah.
So it was like a complete, you know, three sixty change,
and the culture just changed, and I think it really
started with you, and then for fifteen. I remember, like,
you know, Areata just fucking dominated Dominator and and it
was like we're winning every game. Yeah, and it just
every game, like you know, he's gonna go and he's
going nine innings and he's throwing a two hitter and
we're it didn't matter. And I feel like just people
started to like buy into we're winning every game. And
like I remember ROSSI we be coming in because my
locker was right there. If we lost, it was like
fuck it, we're gonna win tomorrow. And there was never
a point in my career fourteen, fifteen and sixteen, when
I when I thought we're gonna lose a game, I.
Thought that was the important the good teams out be
in on and we had that in Chicago, and I
took that into managing. Was like, we slept fine because
we didn't mean ourselves right. We may had it, we
make out, we didn't get the big hit, or we
may got out pitched one one day, but it was like, oh,
we'll be back tomorrow because we've got Lester the areata. Yeah, Pammel,
you know the boys are coming back. And I thought
that was such a good thing that I learned later
in my career too. It's like, yeah, and Joe we
were talking yesterday about his twenty minutes. You know, lose hard,
win win hard, and then move on, right, And the
good teams I've been on, it's just like, yeah, we did.
As long as we don't beat ourselves, we'll be back
the next day doing it doing the same well.
And I think it starts from the top. You as
a leader, you know, Lesser Lackey, you you guys. Not
beating the team up because we fucking lost. Yeah, helps
everybody be like, so what we'll get on tomorrow, you know,
and that's that's why you win.
You forget as a veteran, how much impact, Like looking
back when all you guys tell these stories, bro that
I used to say that when I address the team
every spring trains. Like the one thing I remember from
retiring was we would go and I would see guys
around and they would never talk about the big hit
or the big pitch. Right, we'll talk about those today.
Were talking about how yeah, yeah, how is he good?
This he affected my career this way. He bought me
a suit, he took me to dinner, He told me
how to be a big leaguer. Like, that's the stories
people tell. And I would tell my team like, that's
what your responsibility is really going to be as veterans,
because everybody's watching and you can impact somebody and let
them ember all the career.
When I got when I got traded to New York.
You know here, I'm I was here for so long
and I was and if there was a problem with
anything on or off the field, I was the one
who went to either the front office or VJ whoever
had to be the bad guy, right, So I get
traded over to New York and my first day, we're
stretching on the line of Brett Gardner is just ripping
someone on the Yankee staff for like the music wasn't
loud enough of BP or something, and I just sat back.
He was like my first home game in the York
and I was so relieved in him to.
Just launching that. What are you talking?
I loved it, but I loved seeing someone else do it,
and I was I loved being back behind the scenes
in that role and just seeing it. It was so relieving me,
like seeing a veteran like that take control.
Of other people. Well, the accountability was what we had
in that team.
Right, Well yeah, and it starts, it starts from the top,
goes down to the bottom.
For sure.
It started with jo Want to tell you this one
story you're talking about fifteen You just made me think
about darn Cardinals again. But my one of my favorite
stories with you. There's several of them. But you remember,
you know what I'm talking about When we had to
go to that event what who.
Oh, yeah it was it was a Jason Motts event.
Yes, yes, yeh, list it's great. He's a great story.
So you know, the Bears just you know, he's in
there and they put that like pad on you.
You know that because like and lay.
Well, John Lackey fucking drilled me the night before, on purpose,
on purpose, and we retaliated, right. I think Joe said
we were gonna help twice something great. It's great because
he wish Lacky was here right now in the room. Well,
the thing is, I don't have a single hit off
John Lackey. He dominates me. But at the time we
were still figuring out that I couldn't hit him, and
his pitch coin was high, and he.
Freaking drilled me right into the sweet spot and I
was hurting.
So when you get drilled right there, you can't like
extend your arm allway because there's too much swallowing.
So he's got his pink pad on, you.
Know, and and uh we're like, I'm like, rin is
he goes, bro, he's taking it off. He can't swell you,
And I'm like, bro, what are you doing? We got
to play tomorrow.
It's like, I can't let Lacky know that he did
he drilled. Screw that guy. I knew I loved the bear.
This guy's ripping the pink pad off just for an event.
So he doesn't show any weakness where we were in
the like TAXI show no weakness.
Think Jason Mott did a cornhole event, I believe, and
that was still earlier in fifteen where they were still
kicking our ass.
Yeah, I didn't he want to go.
We didn't want to go.
We're like, where are we going?
And it was mid Jason Mott came from there.
Yeah, it was really you know, he was kind of
the bridge. But it was like, why are we doing this?
And we're doing it for a good cause, but we
were like, we gotta do this with the Cardinals.
Let's fast forward to sixteen. I want to think about
that team and the first thing that comes in the memories,
the stories you tell your friends about that sixteen team,
what are they start with?
You olt just a family. It's just being so close knit.
You guys playing freaking Mario Kart like and during the
World Series. I always tell the sort of you guys
big lead the was it Vince Vaughan or Vince Remember
when he showed us to the He showed up to
the club, he say what's up, guys, and everybody's just
locked in. I was a young guys just looking I'm
like holy shit. And then Riz got up after the
gates like they us they had a Vince and so
it was things like that, just how close knit we were,
and uh, I would really cared for one another, care
for each other's families like that was huge, man, Like
being a.
First year guy, just gotten married, having a kid, and then.
Your dad was going through some stuff.
Yeah, got cancer at that time, and yeah, just seeing
how much everybody cared and was really in it for
the right reasons. And there was you know, being on
different other organizations and seeing how guys go about their
business where they they're pros, right, they just go into it,
but they work and they go home. The cubs there
were guys were staying after the games. We were even
with losses, We'll have a little light music playing, like
knowing that the next day we're gonna come on and
beat everybody's ass. Like it was things like that that
really sat with me and and I wish I would
have got to really experience winning a year or two
after lou feeling losing, what it is like to lose,
getting into it and winning our first year. So I
was like, we're gonna winever, We're gonna come in seventeen.
We're gonna beat the shit on everybody, and then we lose,
and we see how that feels, and like, how how
you know we're not gonna see each other?
A lot of guys are going.
Different paths, Like so I wish I would have got
to experience that a little later in my career. But nonetheless,
like what a great experience, what a great deal about you?
I mean, the same thing, man.
That's I literally tell everybody all the time that we
were family. Like we didn't just show up to the ballpark.
We did stuff outside the ballpark, like with the families too.
It wasn't just like you know, the boys going out.
It was hey, bring your family, bring your kids, you know.
And I just think that's that's what separate It's the
good teams from the bad teams. Is like, yet, it
is your job, it's work, but I mean you can
you can be a family outside of it too.
It's like Cogs you got, you got kind of the chef.
We're all excited, the Dexas bag and Cogs out of
the door, right like I mean to start and then
you come back to somewhere you had been for.
A while and get to get on the run was,
Like I said, there were so many emotions for that.
I don't know if you guys probably remember, So, yeah,
there was such a unique time because I had just
gone with THEO on like all walk to like and
he's like trying to feel me out, and I'm thinking,
what I've.
Never what are we going on a walk?
I'm like stretching at six in the morning, and he's like, hey,
can I talk to you? He's like, we'll get it
after you work out, and I'm like.
No, I'm pretty sure. Let's just go. Let's go right,
I've been around the loss, Like, what are you doing there?
Leave me with that dude six in the morning. I'm
not starting by morning. This is in sixteen.
This is spring training, Like we're about to start spring training.
The first day we get decks, so he pulls me.
This is two days.
Before I was early at camp.
I kind of wanted to always be ready, and so
we go for this walk and we have the talk.
I won't go through all the details of that.
One, you know, but I'm like, yeah, man, I'm whatever
I got to do, you know. And I hadn't really
given my heart to another organization because I got cut
in Miami, my art when I gave so much when
I had all those surgeries, and so I swore I
was never going to do that again.
I was always just going to look out for my
career and play for the boys and my family.
And I was like, yeah, I'm cool if I need
to be the fourth outfielder. Well, sure enough, the next
day they pulled me off stretch, you know. And I'll
remember this, y'all were all and I was excited.
For Dex too.
But so I had texted Decks two days before or
one day before. I'm like, hey, man, hang in there,
because he had gotten the arbitration.
And sure enough we get Decks, right. Dex is kind
of like being a little bit like vague with me.
Yeah, same that time.
Bro, And I'm like, what's the d So they pulled
me off stretch and they call me in.
I'm like, what the heck? I get traded.
I'm I'm like, really, I don't want to say devastated,
but I'm like really hurt and bummed because I'm like,
I'm never gonna win a world series. That's that was
what I said my first direction. I'm like, what are
you kidding me? I just told you I would play.
I would go to the fourth outfield like, well, you'll
find out. So when he when when they pulled me in,
I was just like, oh my gosh. And then we
walk out of the meeting. I'm like, oh, wait, who
did you trade me?
Athletics.
I'm like, I'm everyone's gonna hate me the cards in
the athletics. I'm like, the athletics, are you kidding me?
They suck.
He's like, we think you'll get more playing time. See
you later, you know.
And I walk out and here comes Dex. And I
hadn't put it together. I'd just gotten fired, right, and
and I'm.
Like, Dex, what's up? What are you doing here?
And he looks at me and I'm like, oh, that's
the news RS to find out.
And I'm like, I'm like, he's like kind of not.
He can't look me in the eye right because he
already knew what was happening. I'm like, hey, man, you
didn't do anything. It's all good. I'm happy for you
and your family. I get to my locker. They had
already cleaned up.
My whole locker. Decks is already in my locker.
I look at I look at Danny I'm like, Danny,
who's in my locker?
He goes, oh, Dex. I'm like, Danny, I haven't even
gotten fired. Two minutes. I got nothing in a while.
He goes, well, your boxes are over there. I'm like,
my box, can I get dressed? I'm still in this thing.
Wow, I talk about ten years later.
It is and I walk back out and now I
walk out of the locker and here comes Dex and
THEO walking together.
I'm like, the guy just fired me.
Everyone's all.
I was like.
The news is everywhere, so im I shower. I'm by myself, shower.
And I get out and it's all in the news.
Everyone's excited, and I'm happy for every one of you
guys and the whole team.
And I'm like, wow, this is so sobering, Like I
was there and now I'm not.
Now I'm getting a taxi with my boxes, and I
got to call my wife, who just got fired, and
we're moving Oakland.
We just went from first place way baseball. Well, that's
a good it's tough.
That's a good kind of tail baseball in general, because
someone's getting called up, someone's losing their job all times,
and as a professional, you have to balance that because
as excited as we were for decks, we're also losing
a brother that his whole family's about to get rocked, right,
Like that's what people.
Don't understand getting traded.
You get rocked quick, you know, getting sent down, Like
you're part of the team, especially the pitchers. Right, you've
guys been up and down a few times, right, you
weren't eyes up and down as.
Much I went.
Yeah, I went down twice.
Yeah, fifteen, I was up and down nine times. So
it's like, yeah, they did somebody. You can't even do
that anymore because of it's wow. Yeah, so it's like
every every two three weeks, I was up and down.
Yeah.
So like you're excited for someone to get called up
and then you see someone getting sent out. So it's
like these emotions are crazy. But speaking of that, you
guys were with us for the most part. You got
called up, but you were with us all year in sixteen, right, yeah,
I think you got sent down once. And speaking of
roles and being happy for guys at the deadline or
during July, we get you back, CCEE and you guys,
that's going to cut from your playing time, right, We're
getting another outfielder. It's like, how do you handle that?
Because you weren't already playing every day. You were getting
decent at bats, but you weren't every day guys. And
then we bring in another guy, You're like, what the fuck, Like,
how do you handle that? Because it's not easy, right,
it can't be easy. Yeah, personally, well, I mean it's not,
of course, you know. It's like, yeah, so it's like,
you know, you got to control what you can control.
And I think one of the things that I always
kind of hung my hat on was just working hard
and trying to do things right.
I stayed in my lane.
I didn't really you know, fuck around or do anything
out of the ordinary, like got my workouts in, got
my train in, took BP, shagged hard.
You know.
When I played, got the opportunity, I just tried to
ball out.
So control what you can control. You're fucking the man
on the ski.
It's just, you know, you got to be positive because
you want to be you want to you still want
to win, and you don't want to be a cancer
in the organization because one, Noy'll Bey likes you, and yeah, two.
You just don't want to bring the team down.
I think That's one of the hardest things to do though,
as a young guy, especially when you have expectations or
high round guys. You want to come in and you
really want to play, and also it's not it may
not be your time yet, you know, and being patient
in that and continue to work hard and not well.
Yeah, the competitive edge.
I mean, I still always think that I'm because I
put in the work that you always think that you're
better than people because you're like, man, I should be playing.
I'm the bad teams.
Yeah, and the bad teams you have the guys that
are bitter.
That's every day exactly as.
Anymore, right, And I played with a lot of guys
like that, and there's no disrespect to them. But then
when you get on the good teams, you know, you
weren't young like making young service time, but you bring
the big leads at fourteen up and down fourteen, fifteen sixteen,
So now you were younger, Yeah, did you know any better?
Like what was your emotion?
I was so you know, oblivious to it all. I
was just happy to be and try to help whenever
I get the chance, Like I.
Knew that your stage one with Joe, Yeah, but.
But it really I knew that sixteen there was something
specially gohing.
I remember I got called up when I think when
solaire So I heard his hamstring in June, and I
knew I was going to be there for a time
or living a time, and I just wanted to, you know,
take the most of it and do my best and
be prepared. But I knew what was going on. We
were like twenty games up in the in the division
at that time. I just wanted to help and not
you know, mess anything up. But I knew that I
was going to be a role player that year. I
wasn't even though as an athlete, like you know, see says,
we know we could play, We know he could be
in there every day. But I was just taking it
all in and just helping as much as I could.
Yeah, what give us some of your guys's favorite things
that popped your mind when you talk about like plane rides,
bus rides, behind the scenes.
Do you remember when we were driving and the girl
had a cast on?
Yeah, I tell that story. Nobody knows that I was.
From dinner.
Oh my gosh.
I jammed into a many a taxi minivan and it
was like eight of us in there big.
I mean we were in Colorado. I think we went
to Elways. I think, yeah, that's right, that's right, that's right.
I guess I'll tell this story. So this we were like, yeah,
in a car and there was a girl next to us.
I don't know if she had a cast on, and
her hand was like this, and Russy gives her like.
You were next. I rolled down the cab window and
she had a cat you know, she had a whole
wrist cast so it's like you know how it goes
over here, and she had it on the edge and
was holding the steerwheel like this. So I rolled down
the window and I get her attention and she like
looks and I'm like.
Due.
It was like we made him funny.
It was the most random thing ever.
I believe you remember so good. I mean, dude, it's
just puts into perspective. Everybody's just normal people, right like
you know, and people don't look at it like that.
But that's a good one.
Yeah.
I think there was one war was I always tell
the story about the gump when Yeah, so you know,
we were slaping everybody's high five high five after after
when yeah, and you know, I was a bench player,
so I'm always at the end.
Rossie wasn't catching.
That day and we stand next to each other a lot.
On the bench and he's like, hey, watch this. He
spits has gone out.
He throws it.
He throws it to the fan fans like.
Like, dude, He's like, they love me here, they love
me here. It was incredible. It was incredible that.
Where you're like right next catch it in their mouth
or like.
Feed the animals. There's so many things that go on
behind the scenes. My god, just no one knows, even
the camera memory.
That's great.
Real gum took it out of his mouth and lost it.
I don't know if the guy threw it in his
mouth or not, but he caught it and he was
like it was yeah. I'm like, this is this is
the greatest thing I've ever seen.
He's He's got a piece of gum out of David
Ross's mouth. He's like he's posting about it.
I like the plane, love the playing rides, especially as
a young guy.
We had the beer, carrying the beer, and then the
back of the plane was you less Lack and all
those guys, and I, you know, I was sitting on
the front. I would sitting behind you. It was KB
you and then me and then uh I whenever I
hear lesser you know, our beer, and I would just
want to go back there and just want to be
in the back of the guys. And there's a lot
of experience back there, you know what, even as a
young guy, wanted to see how how they acted, How
was the show? How how is it being in the show,
And uh yeah, those those are the memories that you
take with and just the plane rides of bus rides,
the picking on, like you know, the mic stuff, the.
Mic stuff fun, yeah, good good good mic guys like
always always key, always key freaking.
Was like John.
In Boston. Yeah, our teams would get on there and
it's Latin act like fellows fellows.
Bus rides whenever we're traveling and.
When we land in the city.
We land in the city, sometimes on the way, but
there's always a mic guy on the bus. So John
Lester was our guy and and John had to get
some liquid courage to really get going. He was going.
It was it was must watch entertainment. There was a
light show and we had Miguel Montero and like doing
running his car the whole the whole cast of Carrot.
No one was safe, nobody and uh but John on
the mic wasn't.
Talking about that.
How like you as your career progresses, it's nice to
be a veteran when you start to get creep back
on a team and get the back of the plane
like that is. It's a real status thing, right that
nobody ever talks about. But you get to pick your
own seat unless I mean you said it front. I
was in the Huh you couldn't go little deep, little.
There's a couple of reminders.
You threw some breadcrumbs, Little deep, little Joe would come back.
I'm like, little deep mad, you're a little deep.
Let's get Let's get to the World Series. Yes, I
mean we rolled through the playoffs. We have this amazing team.
We get to the World Series. Really three different scenarios here,
all in one. You got left off the roster and
you were chapped, and I remember and I was chapped
for you because you were such a big part of
our of our culture, of our team, right, and you're
on the bench the entire time fucking being like the
best person there is.
That's why everyone loves you.
Didn't change a bit.
That's that's that's that's you know what am I gonna do?
Right exactly? Am I going to be a fucking asshole?
No?
No, I want my team to win exactly.
Like even though I wasn't on the roster, you know,
I still you were every bit on that roster.
Yeah, Like I want to say.
Something real quick, because you really were.
Like I'm gonna get sentimental, but it is really cool
to see. Uh, it's so rare, you know, like for
yours because you like change your swing that year you
were hitting some pumps. You were a different dude offensively,
and to see you do that and then it is
so hard. I can't imagine. I wasn't in that shoe,
but I mine was different. But like you were a
pro pro dude and that you deserve mad respect for that.
Yeah, I mean the.
Genuineness that it shows your heart and your character.
That's that South Jersey and the well you know real
like here's here's like a stat I'm not a stat guy,
but I you know, led the league and.
Bets.
Yes at the All Star break, bro, you were like
our best and like you and Mastella, so I don't know, yeah.
Yeah, control right, Like am I bitter?
Yeah?
Obviously want to play, but you know, I wanted to play.
But I think too, what's cool about this room, in
this group is like everybody recognize that, and the fact
that that if I look back and people ask about you,
this is you right here. Every day you're just saying
right now, I follow you on Instagram. Every morning you're grinding,
and yeah.
I just I think it's it's really you know, like
I just want to be consistent and I don't want
my career, my life to go down, right, Like my
first thirty three years of my life was a fucking
really special time. So you know, as I'm growing older, fans,
your kids, friends, like I want them to see like wow,
that that dude is fucking still doing it right. And
I want to do that because I I don't want
the kid down the street that wants my autograph when
I'm forty five years old and we're doing the twenty
year anniversary and I look like a fat slob, like, Wow,
that dude was a really good athlete. You know, I
want to be able to like show and lead by example,
right like what I tried to do on the field,
Like I want to do that forever.
Yeah you well you always have you always.
I was working out a little extra hard just for
this reunion because I'm like, I don't I don't want
the boy to be like.
You, Like you're you're you're at the peak performance, you're
the highest level.
Why like not be be at that or close? Sure
you know you can?
Oh you you're on the roster, right, And then CC
started game one, started Game one, which is again in baseball,
you're fucking pump bro.
You're starting game one of the world's Chicago Cubs, but you're.
Also starting for our yeah, our guy, right Jay, Hey,
who was the right fielder. It was that was a
very I remember when Joe pulled that trigger and started
game one. It was like whoa right, And it was
like you're excited, You're happy. There's also like, oh ship,
Jay is not playing. Jay's played, Like Jay just signed,
he's one of our guys.
It was it was hard because they were texting me.
I'll give you an inside. It was Davy, you know,
and he's texting me. He's like, hey, you're going to
start game one. This is before you know how we
send the lineup. Yeah, And I'm thinking, like you know,
like what I mean, I'm like my role was like
to pinch hit and like the picture come in and
then I walk off, or like I will walk That
was kind of like my role.
Right, I'm not clowning it. I mean that's just really
what I was there to do.
I understood that matter, so so I'm like okay, and
again the dog in me is like, oh, I can't
wait right, Like I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna shock the world.
Then this clown started. What happened to Jays? He like lost?
And then I felt for Jay hey, because everyone did.
He was that was a tough year.
Do you want to talk about another guy with character
that posted under tremendous pressure and wait didn't have the year?
Mad respect for that character that he just towed the line.
And then I was like, where am I playing? He's
like left field and I'm like okay, cool. Five minutes later, Hey,
what do you think about playing right field? I'm like,
are you kidding? I haven't played. I hadn't started. I
don't know how many days it's been, what is it
like thirty days between like well, I don't even know.
It's probably been two months since I started a game.
And I was like, uh, yeah, wherever you want to
play me right. He's like, well, Zoe wants to play
it stay and left. I'm like, yeah, I'll go play right.
I don't know the last time I played right field.
I was like, whatever, dude, I'm ready to roll. And
I got nervous.
Yeah. I just kept saying.
Doc used to tell us all the time when you
get scared, it's the same emotion as being excited, but
they manifest too total different ways. And so when you
feel that butterfly antsy feeling, just tell yourself how jacked
up and excited you are. And I started doing that
in fifteen, and like it changed my career, Like wow,
I couldn't swing at the first pitch of a ball
game when I would delete off because I was afraid
to get out.
For seven years, I couldn't do it. Go look, it's
just pumped.
Strike wad and I had to go say that story.
And then I hit one and I'm like, oh my gosh,
this thing works. So that's why I just kept telling
myself every three seconds, I'm excited, I'm excited into.
Me, Please hit it.
Meanwhile, it's like twenty degrees in Cleveland. The wind whirling
fans are crazy. We we go down three to one, right,
and everyone. This is why I we love doing this
is because people want to talk about sixteen like KB
won the MVP. Lester's just finished second, the cy Young. Right,
we have a lot of big names, but without the
role of seriously, you three in particular, so there as well.
I put myself in that boat. Yeah you're in that
boat too. Yeah, I was once a week and you
know what, you were a role player who taught.
A lot of I don't know, I just mean like
I can relate to that and how hard it is
to pinch hit to not play for a month, and
you know I hadn't I had four days off and
if Lester sucked and came out in the third, no,
I get your man out of there.
But we had we had Tommy Lstell on the team.
Tommy quit at some point home they sent they sent
Tommy down, which was bullshit, right. We were pissed that
they sent Tommy down because it was for it was
like a paper move and they needed a spot and
Tommy Lestell had an option and Tommy was like fuck that,
like I'm your It was it was you two that
were like yeah, right he was. Tommy was the left
off the bench and we they banged off the bench.
They were our guys. So when they sent Tommy down,
Tommy was like, fuck this, I'm going home, and like
Tommy went home. I remember, I was so mad that
they sent him down, and I was so mad at
Tommy for like quitting on us.
But in the end, he didn't quit on us. He
was just he was so upset.
I was in triple A when that happened, and I
remember texting Tommy, Hey, you know, it's not that bad
down here, you know, coming out grind, you know.
So I'd come back. I'd gotten what I had. I
had no bleak in New York. I shouldn't have kept swinging,
and I was an idiot. But anyhow, so I come back.
You guys have been hitting off the bench, and uh,
I don't know what's gonna happen.
I'm just taking doing So I come. I come back.
So great for you, Roussille, You'll get a good laugh
out of this. So I come back, and then I
see the news and it's the same thing.
Right.
I've been on the other side of that coin like
so many times, and I know people, all of us
are so tight.
It's like we got.
I mean, we were the best in the world because
we had so much talent, right, And it was like, man,
you only got twenty five spots. There's only so many roles.
So he gets sent down and I felt the same way.
I felt bad. I texted him.
But then I was like, the quitting thing, really really,
I've never seen that, and that really bothered me. So
but I was in a really tough situation because I
was the cause of it. So we're playing the Mariners
the first game and Joe hits me lead off and
do you remember we had a.
Scouting Do you remember this?
So we finished the scouting thing and you come over
and we're walking out of the room.
I hadn't been there.
Twenty minutes and he pulls the ROSSI right, he cocks,
come here.
He goes, if you screw this up? Mother, right, mother,
you screw this up? We just sent a really good guy.
Do you better get your stuff together? And I went
in the face, I'm dead serious. I come back. It
ain't many times I wanted to go toe to toe
roll and I was like, are you really coming at
me like that right now? And so we played the game.
I go I think it was two for four of
the walk, I hit a two run single.
We win the game, and you're like, great game. I'm like, bro,
freaking don't talk for like I.
Had when I got traded.
When I got traded here Andrew Cashner I got who
I got traded for was throwing like throwing one hundred
in San Diego, and Jeff Baker goes, hey, Riz, you
better fucking pan out because cash is over there in
San Diego throwing a huntress. And to this day, remember
remember but Tommy ended up addressing the team when he
came back and was just like he like through his
own personal thing. And Tommy's one of the my favorite
teammates I ever had.
It was a big deal. We had team meeting. It
was it was. It was like a lot of turmoil.
Remember that that was within the season, within the greatest
season of like the history of this organization. Right, so
we we go down three to one, Right, where where
do you guys feel like we have we can win this?
Like, where is your guys motivation?
Because not being the everyday guy, are you guys just
like fuck?
Like do you feel helpful for me?
When we went down three to one, I said to you,
I was like, man, these movers have been asking me
when to come pick my stuff up, and I.
Know when to send him because we're winning this thing.
Do you remember when I yeah, I thought we were
going neighbors.
Wanting to come grab myself because we're going seven boys
and winning.
So we're down three to one.
We win game five, we go into game we roll
in game six, we go into game seven. Let's get
right to the rain delay. Where where are you guys
at raj hits.
This home run? Right?
All these emotions where I know where I was at
on first base? Where are you guys at on Game seven?
After Rajer hits the home run? What's going through your minds?
I mean, I like when they took Kendrick Sala, I
was like, what the fuck's going on? Like that's that
was like my west where my head was at, and
you know that's where I was.
He led the league in era that year.
Yeah, I know, and he like, don't And there was
like there's like statistics that go through you know, third
time three one right, yeaheah one.
Until I got in and fucked it up.
Yeah, So yeah, that that was kind of where my
head was at. And then we get to the rain delay,
and and uh yeah, I mean I think Jay was
just speak his mind what everybody thought.
Yeah, wanted to win for the boys. It's do you
guys have everythink a curse or any of that pressure.
As soon as Roger Davis hit it, yeah, oh yeah.
So this is what it's like to be a Cups fan, like.
Wheting with two year old guy.
I was like, we're up through seven, seven to three
at the time, whatever, and then he hits a homer
and I as loud as the stadium was the dugout.
If you could hear a pencil drop, we were.
Ghost and that dug out.
I heard Rob just yelling a fuck, you know, and
I'm just like, no way, like, no way, We're about
to lose around and then yeah, the rain delay and
I'm walking in right before.
You know, Jay calls all the guys into the weight room.
Davy pulls me aside, and he's like, hey, when we
picked this back up, Shoreber's Shoreber gets a Shober hits
a double. His initial, you know, plan was like, he
hits a double, you're gonna pinch it. If it's a
base hit, he's gonna stay out there. So like all right,
I'm I'm walking into the weight room as Jays like
all right, and then Davy wants to walk in and
he's like, no, no, no, remember I remember that?
Yeahs the boys And I was like, oh ship, And
then seemed.
And I got him from the bench. Mary he was
only I went and got him from the bench. But
I got to the bench and he's sobbing on the
bench his head and like, you know, he never showed
that kind of emotion and this giant of a man.
I'm like, yeah, I'm chill singing about it. I'm like, bro,
come here, but we're not even we're not even sniffing
this game, and you're not on our team, you know, right.
Yeah, I felt like it was the greatest thing because
when we when he did it and I said something,
I say something of the Jay Hey, I randomly saw
him at Jackson Hole and said the same thing like
years ago. It was like, uh, bro, it was just
so well timed and authentic and Jay Hay with everything
that Jay Hay had going on, just him, but the
layer of the team of course, but like it was
so authentic again and genuine that it was like and
I get shivers every time sometimes I get choked up
because like when you see Chappie and you're like, do
this guy, it's the man who was everything.
I mean, he's got no more bullets left. The guy
hits three stummers, hits a round ball, round bat off
a round pole, three and fifty.
It's like and then we went out there and thumped
them and it was like amazing. But I did have
the emotion when he hit it off the thing. I
vividly remember Lebron James jumping up and yeah yeah, and
I'm like, I freaking hate the cabs, right, And I'm
like and the next thing I thought is my jaw
was like this as he was running around, and I
remember the cameras. I'm like, if they catch a glimpse
of my jaw. I literally was thinking this, this is
going to be on the front page or something. I
look like an idiot. And then I was like, then
the rain.
Delay happened, and then it kind of reset, we need
to get a list of teams. You actually like organization? Yeah, yeah, yeah,
you got.
But bro, the biggest, the biggest, the biggest.
Play in the World series in my opinion, other than
Chappie getting through the ninth on the offensive side as
you you.
Got to walk us through. I've thought about this so
many times.
Make the picture.
Yeah, I mean Schwarves gets on and you pinch run
for Swarves.
So tenth inning, tenth inning, Game seven of the World Series.
I'm in the you know, I see Sharves on leadoff rocket.
No, it wasn't a double. So I'm like, oh, I'm not.
I'm not there yet. But I'm like, I'm like peeking over.
You're changed his mind.
You're like, right away, we got it over. The manager
does change.
That's like that's a different like story too. Now you're
you're like, oh, show.
But I'm like that see him on first and I'm
peeking over at Joe and he's talking to Davy and
you could like I could read his lips and he said,
I'll moral And then as soon as he said that,
Davy turns around, looks at me. We lock and he's like, go.
I was like, oh, Ship, you know what I mean.
Game seven and Tygers we're an extras. Like I remember
being the most nervous I've ever been on a baseball
field on those four steps getting out to the field,
I was like, oh shit.
I don't even want I didn't want a trip.
I just wanted to get the first.
The moment I got the first and I looked around
and I saw like the stadium packed to the gills.
That's a big stadium that holds a lot of people.
And Nap was on first and uh hiders there. I
don't remember, honestly, I know. I think he was like,
just don't get picked off. I think what was going
through my mind as well. But I remember making a
comment to that it's like this just pretty cool, huh,
you know, like trying to calm myself down here, like
through through you know, through little comments here.
And he didn't say anything. He was a kind of
a mute over there to he didn't say anything. And
when he didn't say anything, was locked. It's it's so yeah.
And Seaw was pitching.
He picked over a couple of times and came he
was hitting it, and I, you know, I knew I wasn't
gonna steal.
I looked over the second base and it looked one
hundred feet away.
It looked so far, and so when he hit that
flat ball, obviously no outs. We're taught to tag, but
in that moment, I was more reading Davis as the
way he was coasting to the ball, and as an outfielder, like,
I know when that's happening, it's either a homer, like
he's either it's either going to be over his head
or for a homer, or he's going to make the
play he wasn't full.
Of if that's if that's an hour earlier, or it's
over those bushes, it's a home. Yeah, rushed up because
the wind turned around and started blowing in from there.
So it was it was when I knew it was
either going to be a home or cot.
I was like, I got to get back because if
it's caught, I got to be on second. And if
it's a homer, like, he's going to break and we're
going to jog together and it's going to be sick.
So yeah, I just went back.
To be able to do that at twenty two years
old as a rookie is like insane. And what people
don't understand at home is that's not how we're taught
to play. You're taught to go halfway three quarters and
then you go tag up with no outs at first base,
but your instincts taken over, got you the second and
then the rest is history.
Well, and that's why I think it's so important, every
little detail we talk about that when you the biggest
games of your life, and the fact of you learn
that a long time ago in player development and why
why coaches are important and why you know, learning throughout
and growing and seeing certain moments and you go and
you do that, and like I wasn't even thinking about
I was thinking about the homer. I wasn't even thinking
about that. And you tag up and go, and then
they walk Riz and then Zoe and I.
So I tag up and I get the second and
obviously I felt so long to get there, and then
I slide and Lindor just like kept trying to like
tag me and tag me, just like you know, he
wanted me to like to step off in that excitement,
and I've made sure all I gotta have.
But I knew what was going to happen.
They were going to walk you to fase and Zoe
was the hottest hitter in that whole series, you know,
and uh, and I know a little bit of you know,
play Withooden Door a little bit in high school with
one of those USA teams, and I look back at him,
I go this is a bad decision because you know,
to walk him into fase. Oh and uh and he
was also very quiet, didn't say anything to me, and
uh yeah the rest.
Yeah, that's I mean, that's well, that's the little that's
where we talked about.
And it's been the theme of everyone.
Were you thinking when you when that happened? Right when
he finish his tagging, you're walking up. You want to
be the man you want to around.
I'm starting going through my whole fucking data data mind.
Well give it. I want to hear it.
I'm like, all right, or are they going to pitch
to me? If he does pitch me, he's gonna be
aggressive with me. Am I swinging early? I know he
throws the cutter and he likes to do it. Do
I swing early? The situation is there's one out maybe,
So I'm running all these numbers through my head as
I'm taking that little walk to the dugout, and I'm like,
they're probably gonna walk me, but I can't show that
they're gonna walk me. And I get up there, I'm like,
I'm gonna fucking take my bat and drive this run.
And the next thing you know, I see the four oh,
the intentional walk. I'm like, fuck right, Game seven of
the World Series, which you dream of, I selfishly wanted
that moment.
Yeah, when you were locked in and you had a
home run the night before, Like, yeah, you were, you
were swinging a good Yeah.
Well we didn't even get into this, which we need
to pivot. Game four three or four of the NLCS,
I was. I was stunk in the DS. I was
irrelevant the first three games of the DS. I also
or CS. I also stunk. I was irrelevant to our team.
I was just playing defense, and I switched over to
the Matt Caesar bat.
Remember that?
Yeah?
That literally like I got hot with that. It was
a thirty three and a hal half three and a
half thirty one. Well, I think I think you did
that like during the season.
I've done it well because with so I would choke
up with two strikes, So instead of choking when I
my swing got long, I would go to your bat
because it was shorter, so I would keep me tighter.
But I switched to your bat, and I took off
in the playoffs, and I wrote that the whole way.
I remember Ken Rosenthal asked me in the World Series, Hey,
I noticed it was in a different bat, and I
told him the story, but I was like, Ken, please
do not break this because like I don't want them
to know I'm using something shorter, because I don't want
them to adjust. They're they're scanning, and like that's what
I believe. I like, I literally believe I didn't use
your bat with your name on it.
If it had my name on it, I did it.
I think the World Series, I was.
Like, you know, just the fact that you change something up,
you know, it helps put something in your brain.
It's funny how mental.
Yeah, it really is. But throw that bat was.
Like, and then you went off.
I went a went off, hid homer in the I
hit a homer with it in the CS. I rolled
in the World Series. But if I don't switch to
the Mats season model Marucci bat, you say you still
have it on your back maybe one seventeen, have it
under my bed in case I got was it was? It?
Was it for that Christmas? You signed me one? Yeah,
your dad had sign me a bat for Christmas.
I still have a house. Yeah.
I mean, dude, there's there's a lot of like coincidence
is with that too, because that was the which is
this is just crazy. The same day that my second
sixty came out was the day you switched to the
bat no ship. Yeah, and so you did that that
recoup of the recap of the bow Marrow donation, they
almost kind of like did it around twenty sixteen season
and then they released it that day and then you
changed your bat and off, So like that's I just
really don't think that there's things like full circle. Yeah, yeah,
wild you know, because you battle survived cancer. I donated
bone barrow to help somebody survive cancer. On that day
that it was released, you changed your bat.
Damn. I didn't know that.
And so it's like I don't know, Well, it's the
power too of like zeus, Yeah, our friendship was thinking
about it, our friendship working out. Like if if we
didn't work out together, if we weren't comfortable and we
didn't build that relationship, I'm not touching your bat ever,
you know what I mean. It's like all these things
have to come together for us to win, and then
we do.
And what are you guys thinking? How you score that run?
We win? We got a little hairy, but they got
one back. We gets that big hit to give us
the second one, right.
He'll let you know.
I don't think I agree.
Even that grand slam and uh.
Yeah, that's that was one of my favorite moments in
the season. That grand slam he hit was epic with
all the chess match with Joe and Dabs and bringing
Blanton and Switch again. And it wasn't one were two,
he was O two.
I was hitting and I was wanting the same spot.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm
gonna get my glory. This is great.
I love your mental talk to yourself, this is me,
You're good.
And then hitstagram sound like that's such a better situation.
Yeah, No, dude, Maggy came up so big for us,
and I feel like he does well.
And I'm from a catcher standpoint, and I can't wait
to talk to Meggie because just all the catching side
of it. But the fun thing for me is like
when I came out of the game, I got I walked,
got pitched in four, and then he came in the
game and got chappy through that ninth and he spun
it a lot, right, he spawned, He spawned my gun
like he was in there and locked in and it
just shows like, like we we used on our twenty
five men roster. I think we used like twenty four
to twenty three against from from a position player standpoint.
So but yeah, I go back to to Miggy getting
those outs from a catcher standpoint. I was like, Oh,
he's a perfect fit right now, even though you don't
want to come out of the game, You're like, oh,
this worked out perfectly because how he called his game
so much differently than I did. He was champion.
There's been so many teams throughout our careers right where
it was a great team, special team. A lot of
memories you make and go down the roster of guys
we've all played with, right, Oh, this guy was a
great dude. I missed this guy. But winning in sixteen
forever links us and no matter where we are in life,
no matter up, down, high, low, whatever, We're always going
to be linked because we won. And that's the coolest
part about winning a championship that I don't think you
realize until you win. Like all the guys I played
with before this, I love to death, right, But the
bond and friendship I have with my teammates from twenty
sixteen is everything.
Family.
I really appreciate you guys coming on and joining the pod,
and I can't wait for this release.
We'll party a little bit tonight. Yeah yeah man, thanks boys.
It's a rap.
All right. That was nice.
That was awesome story. I got you like