Latest / Bleacher Report / Gavin Lux & Mookie Betts on Shohei Ohtani Heckler, Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift News | On Base, Ep. 41

Transcript

Gavin Lux & Mookie Betts on Shohei Ohtani Heckler, Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift News | On Base, Ep. 41 · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to on base presented by Geico. Get More Baseball,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Get More with Geico. I am your host, Mookie Betson.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Today we have a two time World Series champion and
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the Reds utility man. Yeah, my boy, Gavin Lux.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Appreciate you for having me, mo.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Man, thanks for coming on. I you know, it's it's
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: been a long time coming. We We've had a really
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: good relationship, you know, this whole time, and so getting
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: to have you on the podcast is the.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Things that'll be a lot of fun, no doubt.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: So okay, so first I want to start with an update. Guys.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: The iPad made it. I did, you know, For those
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: who don't know, I dropped the iPad and the thing
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: it was like glass, bro. It just it was so
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: fast it was impossible for me to stop. And you know,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: once you have there's nothing I can do about it now,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: so you just watch those with will right.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah. I saw a clip of that on Twitter.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so iPad. Honestly, the screen saver saved the screen.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: But the back was kind of dented up a little bit,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: but you know, it is what it is, but it
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: made it. I did get a I was able to
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: switch my switch some money from my savings to my checkings. Okay,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: and we got a new one so we're good now.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: So all right, So first I want to start with
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: a game called on base off base. It's whether you're
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: in or out. So the first thing is the Travis Taylor,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Travis Taylor Swift, Travis Kelsey, Taylor Swift. That engagement is
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: the biggest ring of Travis's career. Are you on base
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: or off base?
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: On that? If I say I'm off base, Miley's gonna
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: kill me. Okay, So but winning a world championship or
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: a super Bowl, you know, with your boys, I feel
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: like is I don't.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: I mean, I agree with you. I feel like this
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: is a tough one because if you're married to Taylor's right,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: I mean, it can't get No, it doesn't.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know I'm gonna go off base because I
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: still think winning a world championship is okay. But god,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: the Swifties are gonna probably You're gonna smoke.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Me probably, but I mean it is what it is.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm gonna go with off base, though, with all
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: due respect to to Taylor.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: That's huge, bro, Mary Taylor's Yeah, that's crazy. But you
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: got engaged, Yes, to my home girl, Molly, the congrats
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: on that. How were you nervous when when you did that?
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: Bro, that was the most nervous I've bet I was
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: more nervous for that than like during the World Series
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: and all that. Okay, it was during spring training. So
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: I kind of just told her we were going to
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: go get dinner, and uh, we kind of went to
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: a place in Tempe kind of like just like a
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: little like I don't know how to explain it. It
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: was like a little forest, kind of like secluded area
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: and I just dropped a knee right there.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: Dropped the knee.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And then like afterwards, I had all my boys,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: they're all her her family friends. Did they know?
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Did they knew?
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: She didn't know? Ok yeah, yeah, we kind of flew
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: them all in secretly. They had to turn their location
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: off because the girl, Okay, for sure. For so it
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: was a good surprise. But yeah, bro, that was I
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: was sweating.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: I was sweating, Okay, all right, So next skyline Chili
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: is incredible.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: I'm off based on that too. Yeah, I mean have
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: you had it?
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: No, I've just seen it, and I mean I.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Mean it's chili, it's fast food chili.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Oh, it's fast food chili. Yeah, I mean so, but
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: what what like if people love it?
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: They're people. Yeah, and since it's like it's like everything,
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to think of what what's big out in
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: like l A.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Whatever is big in l A and whatever other city
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: that is chili?
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: They love it?
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, so that.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: It's not bad, but like I'm not going to like
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: gass it up like it's it's like the best food
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: I've ever had. It's fine.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, So next is, uh, Wisconsin is the
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: number one recruiting site for baseball.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: I'm off based on that.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: I mean, there's a lot of you guys that have
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: come that have come through Wisconsin.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: It's gotten a lot better, but you're still going up
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: against Cali, Texas or Florida.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: So, like, I know, there was the number one pick
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: this year or our first round pick this year it's
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: from Wisconsin.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: Was actually two okay, yep.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: And I guess there's a Gavin Klein.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Killing Yes, that's his name. Yep. I saw him like
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: kind of same travel team. So he when he was
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: like nine, all the way up until he was you know.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: So did you speak to him after?
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Do you give me any advice or anything.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, man, I just I just told him, like you know,
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: like how you always told like like these guys are
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: like we're here to get get work done and get
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: try to get better every day and like, you know,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: be a good teammate all that stuff. And he's good
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: kid though, normal normal stuff. Yeah, nothing crazy.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: I mean, there's nothing really you can tell someone right now,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: especially at eighteen years old, Like they got to go
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: through their experience exactly.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: You got to be in it to know how it is.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Right, Okay. So, uh, if you're from Wisconsin, you have
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: to be a Packers fan on base or off base.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: I'm off base. I'm a Bears fan. There's a lot
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: off basement. I got to get on base one time. Yeah.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, how did you? How are you a Bears fan?
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Both my parents were Bears fans, so like in our
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: household those Bears. Plus I'm like way southeast corner, Wisconsin,
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: So I'm like forty five minute Chicago Green Bays, like
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: five hours. Oh, so you're closer to the way closer
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: to Chicago.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Okay, and so did you guys, did you go to
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: many Bears games?
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah? We I got to go to a quite maybe
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: like three or four as a kid, and then I
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: got to go back again a couple more times. Uh,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: you know, post like high school graduation, and.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: You're still in Wisconsin in the office.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: You're still in Wisconsin.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Do you don't go to like why don't you hit
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: up the Bears and say, I'm a fan? Just go
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: to games. It's cold.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: It is cold. It is so cold, and you go
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: to like Green Bay games and it's like, you know,
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: it's so you have you been to you kind of
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: got Have you been to Lambo yet?
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: No, I'm not going.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: I know. Yeah, it's too cold, too cold for you.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: It is cool though, it's it's.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: And nobody cares about it being freezing.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: It's no. They're out there and hunting gear and snow
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: pants and it's it's kind of it's wild.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: I'm off based on that, Okay, So all right, So
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Ellie de la Cruz is the fastest man in the
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: game on base, off base.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: When he's healthy, like fully healthy, I'm gonna go yeah
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: really yeah, yeah.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: So like because you got Buckston, you got bucks Chandler.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Now, I know, I know it'd be close. I think
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Chandler might Chandler might take the take the.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Care because you're saying Mike is crazy because Chadler he's
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: crazy fast and Ellie is that fast he is and
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: he's six or five bro, Yeah, he's.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: He takes like five big leaps and he's a second
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: you know.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: And you see him when you see him as short,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: it just feels like he just clogs up the whole
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: short because he's so long.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: He's long, bro, you know, yes, yes, it's like O'Neil Cruz.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: I'm like, I don't know how these guys are six
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: six six five short. It's it's crazy.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: So uh okay, so let's switch gears a little bit.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: Something that's really neat is uh, you're getting to play
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: with Tito. Yes, So tell me about that. I mean,
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: I know obviously he's a legend. I mean I didn't
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: get to he was, man, I think he was gone
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: right before I.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: Got too, did you guys overlap?
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: We never over that, but we I've obviously played against
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: him for you know, forever. But yeah, tell me about it.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Telling me about him.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: He's great. I mean, uh, kind of similar to Doc
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: where you feel like he like he genuinely cares, you know,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: he wants everyone to do good and like he almost
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: feel like he's your your uncle, like you're playing for
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: your uncle almost, but at the same time, like he
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: demands that we play hard, you know, like if if
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: you don't run out ground balls or fly balls or
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: play hard, and he's gonna let you know. But you
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: feel like that genuine love and he wants you to succeed.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: And and he's also one of the guys man, I mean,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: he's he fits in. He was born for the clubhouse.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: I mean he's he's a one on one. I'm sure
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of good Tito stories out there.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: But yeah, has he told you? Has he told you
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: any stories about like when he was because I think
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: he managed Jordan too.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: Right, Yeah he did. I haven't heard any Jordan stories yet.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: I'm sure if I ask him, he's not gonna tell me.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: He's not just going to throw it out there. But
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: if I ask you, I'm sure he'll give me some
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: good ones.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: But he hasn't, like just during a rein delayer or something,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: to tell you stories.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Nah.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: So he just be chilling, chilling, And he has a
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: seat right, Yes, it's from his boat. Yes, so he
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: took a seat from his boat and put it in
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: the dugout.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, because he wants he wants to sit and the
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: way our dugout is, it's kind of like, I mean,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: he's he's a little older now. He's had a lot
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: of like different surgeries, so like sitting down kind of
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: on that bench right there. It's no good for his
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: back and all that. But he's I mean, he sits
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: on that chair and he don't miss a pitch.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: So he's locked in on his that's from his fishing boat.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: I don't know if that one's from his boat, but
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: the Reds like got a fishing boat seat and then
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: through it and there. I think in Boston he might
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: have had one from his actual boat. But OK, yeah,
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: that's he's the captain of the ship, baby, He's the
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: captain of the ship.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: That is hilarious. So I I did notice that. I
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: guess during a pitching change or something, Ellie went up
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: and put on put on his glasses like he Tito
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: likes playing and not having fun like that too.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt. He keeps it loose. He keeps it loose.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: I think he said, Ellie, what is wrong with you? Man?
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: But and he'll do like Ellie's thing, you know, Aunt there,
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: he'll come in when when after Ellie's scores or hits
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: a double triple and comes around Homer, you know, he'll
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: dab him up and then he'll do he's like this
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: like you don't really he don't really know how to
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: do it, but uh yeah, he's he's special man, He's
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: he's I've really enjoyed playing for him. I love it.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: I feel like, like you said, you know, when you're
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: playing with him, he like gives you some type of
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: confidence or security or something that you're good or everything
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: is gonna be okay. And is that like a feeling
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: that you get.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. After after I got traded over there, Bates
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: actually text me and that's what he said. He was like,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: I mean he's like, you're gonna see what I'm talking about.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: But when when you guys play for him, they it's
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: like you do you feel comfortable and not like a
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: oh I can do whatever I want way, but like
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: you know, you got some some leeway to to to
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: mess up and and you know all that, but everything
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: is going to be good. It's like if he's he's
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: like playing for your uncle. Man, that's cool. I don't
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: know how, but you feel you feel the love, you know.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: Okay, so I do want to just talk about Ellie
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: for a second, because obviously we know everyone loves Ellie.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah right, and so tell me, tell me about him,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Like when did you know? I mean, obviously you know
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: that he's an athletic freak, right, especially being on the
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: other side, But now that you get to see it
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: every day, Yeah, Like, what is it about him that
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: nobody really gets to see every day? Like, what is
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: it that's that's cool?
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: I mean as a as a person, like he's you know,
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: he plays with some flair and then you get to
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: talk to him and he's very like quiet, soft spoken.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Humble, and so that's like the alter ego kind of
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: for sure.
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean he plays with like, you know, that
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: little bit of Dominican flair and you know he's got
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: the bright colors right exactly. It's good for baseball. But
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: then you know he's a great teammate. He's the same
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: guy every day. You never know if he's struggling, and
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: he's only twenty three. Like why, I know, it's wild, wild,
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: but I mean I'm sure for me when I was young,
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: like I rode the roller coaster pretty good and it's
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: hard not to. But I mean he's the same dude
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: every day, and from athletic standpoint, I mean just on
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: defense like stuff, he if he's got to go back
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: on a blooper and the like, no, there's no way
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: he's getting to it. No, that's in no man's land.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: And then yeah, he's like not camp thunder.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: But I mean he's boom Yeah.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean he can change the game like real fast.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: And then from both sides of the plate. Yes, he's
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: got thumped. Yeah, has has he Has he hit any
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: balls this year? You're like, has he hitten over the
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: over the the stands?
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: The stands? Uh? Not yet No, but I think like
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: the first series of the year he hit from the
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: right side. I think it was I mean it's cold, bros,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Like thirty degrees rainy, and I think he hit one
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: like off the middle of the batter's eye. And since
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: he from the right side, which is his I think
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: worst side.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: And I was like, oh my god, So it's been
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: and you've gotten to play with some pretty good short stops,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Trey Ellie, you whatever, stop I do all right? He
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: uh seeks you know, So if you were to being
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: all these guys, if you were to build a shortstop
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: that you've gotten to play with, like like, use attributes
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: from each person and come up with one who like
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: your arm, the speed, the glove, yeah you know whatever.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Oh that's a good that's a good one.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: The guys you got to play with.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: Can I do I count you? Can I count you?
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: Or no?
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah you can count me?
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: All right, Glove, I'm gonna go you nice, Okay, all right, Speed,
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: I think you can go Trey or Ellie, but Trey
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: little now sorry Trey. So I'm gonna go Ellie on
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: the speed. Power I'll go. You can probably go. I
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: feel like you gotta go Seegs stuff. So I'm going
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: I'm going Seegs on the power. Glove. Hey, that play
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: you made last night, that was nice.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: That was a nice play.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: If you played shortstop your whole.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: Life, I mean I think I would be. I mean,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: you know, I I've always known I could do I
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: just never really learned, you know, I never really learned
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: how to do it, and so I got to learn
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: this offseason. So it's been it's been good so far.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: You look nice out there than you and then I don't.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: Even know the last one.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: Speed Ellie, you gotta choo.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, So I do want to talk a little
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: more about the postseason the Reds in general. You guys
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: are I think you're like a game or so back
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: in the postseason, chase the race or whatever, and so like,
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: do you realize or do you feel how important it
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: would be for the city, you know, going through making
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: a postseason run, a substantial postseason run, Like, do you
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: feel that?
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think we all do. I think since he's
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: a baseball town, you know, it's not like a big,
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: big city, but they definitely they love the Reds there,
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: and I don't know the last time they went to
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: a playoff series, not including COVID, might have been like
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: twenty thirteen. Oh a minute, it's been a minute. And
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: the last time they want a playoff series I think
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: maybe it was all the way back into the nineties
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: or early two thousands. So I think it's been a
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: little bit of a drought. So I think, you know,
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: we all want to do it, obviously for for us,
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: but then you know the fans kind of they deserve
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: it as well.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: So so what what do you feel like you guys
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: need to do in order to accomplish that?
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: I think probably just like the little things like situational hitting,
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: you know, like guy gets on second base lesson lesson
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: or nobody out, like we got to get him to third,
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: you know, like stuff that you guys preached to me
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: last year and coming up when I was younger, And
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: situational hitting and just like cleaning some things up, you know,
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: all around on defense, throwing on the right basis, keeping
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: guys off second, all that little things. You know, we're talented,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: we're just young.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: That's I think to your point, that's a huge thing
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: that gets missed. Like everyone sees the home runs all
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: these other things, but like the intricacies of baseball is
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: what winning baseball, of winning baseball is what to me
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: is not taught at as a kid anymore. No, you no,
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: like you just even in the minor leagues, I don't
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: think it really is taught. Like just I know, coming
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: from Boston and it feels like so long ago. I
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: guess it was kind of a long time ago. You know,
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: player development was good, and I'm not saying, you know,
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: anything negative about that, but like they really taught you
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: how to play the game, like how to win the game.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: And it's like really like you said, moving guys over,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: throwing to the right bases, working at bats in the
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: fourth and fifth inning versus just trying to go up
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: and hit homers. And all the time those type of
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: things and those type of things lead to the homers
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: or lead to wins and whatnot that that matter. So
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: now I feel like, yeah, you know it. So now
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: it's your just your I guess, your duty to spread
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: it with the boys. Not that they don't already know it,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: but sometimes it's good to be reminded.
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: You know, you said it.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: All right, So let's let's pause for a second. It's
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: time to bring relief and get more baseball, get more
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: with Geico. We we got some moments that were caught
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: on camera. This kid at a Mariners game had a
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: big bag of popcorn. I guess he was going crazy
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: on it. Usually uh our producers. Yeah, there you go.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: He was going look at that.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, good for him. He's not even using the hands,
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: he just nose diving straight in there.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: Hey, that's gonna be you tuned up right when y'all
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: get married, yea popping out kids. So as as a dad,
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: when you see this happening, you just let it happen.
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah you know what, are you gonna tell him stop?
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: You know, like you just catch it.
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: On camera and he's enjoying him. So he's loving it.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: Oh I remember. Okay, so this next one, this guy,
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: because I'm on deck when show hates hitting. This guy
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: was talking so much stuff.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: I saw that.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Oh man, he was led to show hey have it,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: and I'm in my head, I'm like, show, hey, please
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: shut this guy up, please, because he booked him and
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: he hit it, and I turned around and I stared
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: at the guy and I didn't even I didn't hit
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: the home run. I just stared at him, like, okay,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: you can be quiet now, because what did he say
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: to him right there? I don't know what he said.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: I was up there, but this dude, I mean, obviously
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: he was just talking stuff and he was a good
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: sport about it. Yeah, yeah, you know he was.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: He was also, yeah, I'm hop on a Dodger podcast too,
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: maybe the Dodger Nation one.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: You made it about that the Heckler.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: Oh, they got him on a pot like a live stream.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, so he was talking. He was the whole game, bro,
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: the whole game. He was like, show, hey, you're over
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: ten or over eleven. He said, don't worry, throw it
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: down in the middle. I'm like, shure, he please hit
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: all please, and he did so. But the guy, like
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: I said.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: He was a good sport a game though.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: He was all game, all game. Okay. So and then
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: Kyle Rawley he made he made history this weekend hitting
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: forty nine. That I'm not saying like he wasn't good
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: or anything before, because Kyle's always been a really good,
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: really good player. But to go for a fifty yeah,
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: in oh my gosh, in Seattle.
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: As a catcher, what yeah, I mean, it's crazy.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: And it's not luck like this is not this is
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: from both sides of the plate. It's every day not cheap. No,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: like he's he's hidden and it.
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: Didn't he want a gold glove last year, two years ago,
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: but I'm pretty sure he's got one. There.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: You go, well he's this is this is crazy, bro.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: I mean to switch hit like it's as you know,
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: it's from once from one side of the plate. It's hard.
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: You got to go two sides of the a plate
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: and your pictures meeting and your hitters meeting.
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: Yep. Got to put down the right fingers, you know,
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: what I'm saying, like, yeah, that's a demanding position.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: That's a demanding position.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: And it's even crazier in Seattle.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: In Seattle is what is what changes the whole game,
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: because yeah, he did one and go glove last year,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: so he's about to win still like he gonna win
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: a bunch of awards this year for sure.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: So all right, so I want to talk a little
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: bit about you returning home. You know, you uh got
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: your ring. You know we got to win us a
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: ring last year. You played a very uh important role
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: with that. How was it receiving your ring yesterday?
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: Bro? It was great? Uh you can see I got
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: a little emotional right there. I fought it back though
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: I thought about so I held it in. I held
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: it in, but no, I think you know, it was
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: cool just you build the that family, the bond that
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: you know you always have with every team. But then
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: when you make a run like that and win a
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: World Series like I mean a lot of guys don't
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: get to experience that. And seeing all you guys walk out,
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: I mean that was that was the coolest part for me.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: It was feeling the love from you guys, and you know,
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: I miss you guys, and not that I love the
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: Reds as well. You know, when you get traded, you know,
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: those guys become your family as well.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: But it's different, like a you spent I don't even
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: know how many years with us, and then going through
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: like going through a postseason run to the World Series
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: with a group of guys, like the trials and tribulations
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: that you go through, like you can't really explain.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: No, No, we spent so much time together.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: And last year we made it a point to spend
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: more time exactly.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: I mean we got in where was it, New York?
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: Where we got in at like eleven eleven o'clock at night,
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: and we had a game the next day, and we
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: were like, no, we got to go to dinner.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: Yep, we gotta still go to dinner. We gotta take
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: care of what we need to take care of. And
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: we were I remember us talking about like, you know what,
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: everybody was cool with arguing with their wife. Yeah, everybody
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: was cool with arguing with their wife because we were
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: that committed to spending time together exactly.
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: I think it made a difference too.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: I think it made a difference.
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: And so we were in the trenches together.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, every pitch exactly, and so you know, obviously that
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: showed there, you know, oously you know coming out there,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: that's where their emotions I would assume from, you know,
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: and absolutely obviously you're gonna have to build that with
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: the with the boys now and you it's just different
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: once you get into the postseason. There's you can't really
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: explain that relationship and so you'll get there and of
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: course you know developed that that relationship. So can you
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: talk a little bit about the trade and like where
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: were you?
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: I was at home. Uh, it was late late in January,
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: middle of January, and it was like kind of late
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: at night, and Gohmer texted me, is like, hey, give
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: me a give me a shot when you get a chance,
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: and I was like I kind of yeah. I'm like,
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: you know, middle middle of the night, kind of in January,
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: and like what other reason Gomer be telling me to
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: call him? So yeah, I mean I was at home.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: Were you sad?
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: Initially? Yeah, like, you know, we just won the World Series.
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: You know, it's still fresh, not that you know, anything
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: can always happen. I don't. I wasn't really expecting it,
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: but then again, you never know, you know, anything can change. Fast.
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: So yeah, initially I was sad. But then you know,
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: once I found out, like, oh I get to play
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: for Tito too though now and you know kind of
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: have a little bit of a different role, you get
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: excited then too. But initially, yeah, man, I.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: Was, I was a little sad and so and then
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: you got to write during that sadness, you got to
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: write a little goodbye or see you later or whatever
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: to the Dodger fans, and so can you can you
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: talk a little bit about going through that right and
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: that and like kind of what Dodger Stadium or the fans,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: how they kind of played a part in in you.
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I kind of grew up in that
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: org and you know, made debut at twenty one and
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: kind of you know the fans, those are great fans, man.
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, to pack it out fifty thousand
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: every night, and you know, when you play one hundred
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: and sixty two games, that energy helps get through a
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: lot of days. And you know, so you know, I
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: just wanted to let them know how much I appreciated them,
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: and you know, through when I blew my knee out,
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: like a lot of the fans were really supportive through
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: that with me. So I just had a lot of
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: appreciation for him. And you know, you don't want to
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: write a whole essay, you know, but there's a lot
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: more words you want to say, but just to let
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: them know that you appreciate them, and you know you
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: love them, love those fans man, you know.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: So, and I want I want to go back to
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: to young young Gavin. You, like I said, you grew
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: up in Wisconsin, hooped, Yeah, play baseball any other sports?
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: No, just basketball baseball.
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: And so did you get recruited to play basketball?
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: I didn't know. I didn't end up playing long enough.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: Probably I stopped after my going into my senior year
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: all baseball, all baseball. Then I was worried I was
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: going to like break an ankle or something come down
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: on someone's foot, you know, I didn't want to miss
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: my senior year baseball.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: And senior year you hit like five sixty or something, right, Yeah,
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: I mean Wisconsin baseball competition a great five sixties five Yeah,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: you're right, you're right. So how was there a process
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: of going through like the draft, Like was it fun
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: for you? Was it stressful for you?
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: How was that I enjoyed it? Kind of I was
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: a little bit of a late late riser. I guess
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: I was kind of expecting to be in the third second,
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: late second round, and I was like, I might have
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: to probably go to school, which I was going to
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: go to ASU, So that was kind of where I
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: was thinking I was going to end up. And I
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: kind of shot up late. And you know, obviously, if
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: the Dodger's drafted in the first round, you're not gonna
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: say no. But it was not stressful, you know. I
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: just enjoyed my senior year playing those the last time
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: you get to play with your boys you grew up
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: with in school. So I just looked at it like
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna have fun playing with my guys, and whatever
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: happens happens.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: So then you get drafted and then you get into
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: pro ball. Being from Wisconsin and what little I'm not
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: gonna say little baseball, but it's definitely not the same
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: as playing in a warm weather city. You go and
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: go to the minor leagues. This has to be a
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: complete culture shock for you.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. You know, it's the first time you
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: get around different Latin Country guys and that's a whole
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: different culture, you know. And yeah, I mean I was
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: eighteen Wisconsin. You don't really know what to expect until
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: you walk in the clubhouse and it's like, okay, I
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: got some learning to do, you know.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: So yeah, and so how were your minor league days?
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: Were they find or like kind of a grind?
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: Enjoyed it? Man? Yeah, I mean kind of the same
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: as high school. You know, it's the guys you most
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: of the time you get drafted with, and you kind
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: of come up through the system together with for the
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: most part, with you know, not all your guys, but
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: some guys move slower, some guys move faster.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: But you just developed relationships with those guys that cause
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: you're just you're literally in a grinder with them every day.
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: Like the minor league's is a grind. It's not fun.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: I mean, like it's fun because you're with your boys,
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: but like getting on a bus for eight hours, I
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: mean the food, like you don't really get good fu
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: like ham and cheese sandwiches.
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, staying at rough hotel cities aren't great until maybe
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: you get to triple A. Yeah, you know, yeah, it's
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: a grind, man, grind, it is staying at the Red
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: Roof in in Lake County, Ohio, where am I right now?
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, and I still have actually have a
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: lot of friends that I played minor league ball with
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: that didn't that I didn't make it, but you just
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: developed relationships and then you just become boys with them,
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: and so you still have a lot of lot of Yeah.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: Uh seven seven of my best men. Three of them
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: are my guys I got drafted with that I played
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: with for years in the minor league. Yeah.
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: That's that's that I'll tell you right there.
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: So then you come up. I actually remember seeing your
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: your first hit. I was in y'all were playing a
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: day game. We had a night game, and I seen
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Gavin Lux that I mean, everything you know around it
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: will be network. It was just going crazy your debut
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: and your debut and and it was first pitch, right
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: your first pitch you saw you had a single.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: Of the middle, single right off the end of the bat,
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: soft served to center. Yeah.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: I remember seeing it, and I'm like, I guess, I mean,
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: I don't remember what I thought, but like, I just
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: remember watching it and then uh a couple that was
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: in what year was there, September? Yeah, So then the
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: next year I was there, so yeah, exactly. So I
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: remember seeing it and uh, it was it was cool.
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: It was cool. So and then in twenty twenty, that
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: was a different year for you because you were in
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: the alternate site for.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: A little while. Yeah, come up half of the season,
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: and then you came up and.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: Then through playoffs. I don't even remember through I don't
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: even remember a whole lot. It It all kind of
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: kind of runs blends together. We had like a thousand
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: people in the dugout.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I was on the DS roster. I
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: think the CS and World Series roster. I wasn't. Yeah,
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: I was there, like I was still.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: I remember seeing you there. And do you do you
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: think that being there had anything to do with helping
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: you through your career?
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: Really? Yeah? For sure. I mean twenty two I got
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: to see you know what it took to win a
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: World Series, which you know takes it as you know,
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: it takes a lot. It takes every single person in
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: that dugout. So but just to feel like the unity
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: in the clubhouse every day, in the in the in
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: the dugout, like everyone's pulling for each other. Just the
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: culture you know that it takes to to win a
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: championship and because if you have a bad culture in
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: a bad clubhouse and bad dugout.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: Energy like ying, it doesn't matter how much talent, you know,
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: y ain't gonna win. Yeah, it doesn't matter, you know.
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: And so then going through I think in twenty three
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: you were starting to shortstop and I don't want to
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: like bring up negative things, but that was that was
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: kind of like a tough year for you.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, twenty three, twenty three, Yeah, And.
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: I mean and going through that, what was it that
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: helped you mentally through that.
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: Twenty three when I after blew mic Yeah, I mean, honestly,
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: Molly helped me a tone. I mean, she she was
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: a pizez, she's a at, you know. So she kind
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: of helped me, not only with my need, but then
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: I mean, when you got all this free time all
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: of a sudden, when you're used to being around your
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: guys every day, playing every day, and then all of
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: a sudden, you're like, man, it's twelve o'clock, I got
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: nothing to do, and your head, you know, the wheel
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: starts spinning when you're just sitting in the house you can't.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: So she helped me a lot. Man. She was really supportive. Obviously,
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: my family friends. But so you got me through.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: What is that?
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: Like?
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: You know, and obviously I know you just kind of
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: explained it, but it like you since you were what eighteen,
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: this is every day every day? Yeah, and so you
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: essentially like had a year off.
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's it's wild. I think
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: you did.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: You find any hobbies? I mean, I guess you couldn't really.
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: I couldn't really. I couldn't like do anything physical. I
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: played a lot of video games, man, I crushed TV shows. Yeah,
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: but yeah, man, it was it is like you can't
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: do much.
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: Man, and that that that probably is what made it worse,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: because no.
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: You're just sitting there. You just sitting on the couch
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: a in a you know, a brace and crutch it.
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: And I watched you guys a lot, you know, I
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: was around the dugout and I was happy they let
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: me come watch as many games as and be around
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: as much as they did. So that helped me too.
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: And then coming into twenty four, what was your what
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: was your mindset? Because I feel like it wasn't one
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: that I'm back, I have to do this to any
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: other It was almost like from from my perspective, it
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: was almost like you you didn't really know what to do,
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: like you know, you didn't know, like I just had
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: a year off, like I don't even know where I'm at.
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: I don't need, you know, especially physically, Like I remember
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: my first hit in spring training. I mean I was
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: kind of scared to run the basics. Oh really, yeah,
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: I was like going, I went first to third and
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: it looked like a baby giraffe running And I was like,
• 32:35
  Speaker 2: you just I didn't know physically, like what I couldn't
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: couldn't do, like you're still hesitant, you know, I'm changing directions,
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: I'm like playing defense, and everything was very hesitant, you know.
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: And so that was when at short.
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: Oh I struggled.
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: I struggled as short. Yeah, and that that played a
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: big part, I'm assuming.
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think it definitely played a part.
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: I mean I didn't really have much time to prepare
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: baseball wise. I was just trying to finish my rehab
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: so I could play that year at the start of
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: the year, which I'm not going to use that as
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: an excuse. So, I mean most of my errors were
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: you know, lawn darts and how you hold that. But yeah,
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: I think physically I just didn't really know where I.
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: Was, man, And that's that's hard because like playing taking
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: a year off, Yeah, that is because you got to thing,
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: we're all still playing and so we're still staying in motion.
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: And when you stop, that's usually when you kind of
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: are out of the game. Like if you stop for
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: a year, you're probably not gonna be able to keep up.
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a lot of russ you got.
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: To knock on a lot of and then so I
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: feel like going through the year, you were playing a
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: year like essentially relearning or not even relearning, just giving
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: yourself confidence that you can move because because the accident
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: was like a freak accident. Yeah, take me through that.
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: When you when you got like if they were throwing
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: it over your head.
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: Right, it was a ground ball to third baseman. I
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: was on second, so I was running to third and
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: I was kind of like, you caught it in kind
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: of the lane I was running, So I mean it
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: kind of I don't know if it would have hit
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: me in the grill, but I mean I saw the
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: ball kind of coming out of his hand right at,
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: you know, head high, so I tried to duck out
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: of the way and my cleat kind of got stuck
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: and I rolled my ankle and then this just one.
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: Of Okay, so you were just trying to get out.
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: I was trying to like duck out of the way
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: of the ball.
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: And because it happened so fast, Yeah, and you didn't know.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: I mean, you would think he's not going to throw
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: it by your head. But right, so you as a defender,
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: I'm throwing it right out.
• 34:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're thrown to the base. Yeah, you know, it
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: is what it is. But yeah, I just kind of
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: lost my footing and freakd thing, man. But I knew
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: it right away.
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: Oh did you?
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah?
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: And so how long did it take for you to
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: kind of accept it except that you're going to be down?
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: And it took it took a little bit a couple
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: of weeks, man. But Freddy, that initial after I blew out,
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: he was like, you got one day, man, to be
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: sad and sorry for yourself, and then your job is
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: to rehab and get back as fast as you can.
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: So is it different being, you know, obviously being with
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: us right you had kind of myself Freddy kersh. I'm
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: trying to think of all other vets. I don't even
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: I can't even think of everybody, but then going to
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: the Reds, it's a different veteran presence for sure, and
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: you're kind of one of them.
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we're young.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: You guys are young.
• 35:39
  Speaker 2: We got a couple of pitchers that have been around,
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: you know, like Dick Martinez, Brady Singer. But on the
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: position player side, I think the only guys with five
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: or more years are me, Austin Hayes, and Trivino.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: So you guys don't have and obviously great players not
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: knocking eye.
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: But the superstars. This veteran you.
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: Know, it's so how how is that having to essentially
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: kind of step into somewhat of a leader role.
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: I've enjoyed it. You know. Obviously we do have a
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: lot of good players, we're just young, and uh, you know,
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: they're they've been like they a lot of it feels
• 36:16
  Speaker 2: like everyone wants to to learn and and to do
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: the right things and play winning baseball, which is has
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: been great. But I've I've enjoyed kind of being you know,
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: having a little bit of a voice and and these
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: meetings and uh, you know, just trying to help guys
• 36:31
  Speaker 2: because I you know, I mean I'm not a superstar
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: by any means start nothing. But I think a lot
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: of the stuff I've been through in my career, uh,
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: you know, injuries, I've struggled, I've done well, I've kind
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: of anything in between. I think I can kind of
• 36:45
  Speaker 2: help be an open book for a lot of these
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: young guys that haven't experienced a lot of the things yet.
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: You know, and you have two World Series rings, which
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: nobody over there has that that kind of experience, and
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: so you also bring that to the tape for sure,
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: you're able to speak from that lens. Have you have
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: you gotten to speak from that lens? Have you gotten
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: to talk about that a little bit?
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt. Just kind of like what we keep saying,
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: what it takes to win a championship, and what we
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: got to do every day, and and our mindset, what
• 37:13
  Speaker 2: our mindset has to be, which is play team baseball,
• 37:16
  Speaker 2: you know, unselfish and uh, you know, I got it.
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: I was really lucky I got to learn from you,
• 37:21
  Speaker 2: Freddie j T. Yeah, you know a lot a lot
• 37:26
  Speaker 2: of I was lucky, man, you know, I was really
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: lucky to to learn from from you guys. So just
• 37:30
  Speaker 2: trying to take what you guys taught me, you know,
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: over there and.
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: You'll you'll have you'll put your twist on it from
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: your your experience. So that's good. I'm I'm I'm happy
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: for you.
• 37:39
  Speaker 2: Man.
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: It's uh, just embrace, embrace that leadership role. Don't be
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: afraid to be wrong sometimes sometimes you.
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: Don't want to say the wrong things, you know.
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, And it's okay if you do. If you do
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: say something wrong X, Y, and Z, it's okay, you know,
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: because at least giving giving them a direction, whether it's
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: wrong or right, it's okay.
• 38:03
  Speaker 2: You know, better than it's better than direction.
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: And no matter what you say, they're going to have
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: their own experience with it.
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: Anyway.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying and.
• 38:12
  Speaker 2: So and it's coming from the right place coming and
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: they know that, right, everybody knows that.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: So before we before we wrap up because we got
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: to go to work, I got a a memory test
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: for you.
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: Oh boy.
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: Uh So, now that you're a utility man kind of
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: playing different positions, I have some some situations here and
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: I want you to want you to answer me what
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: position you were playing at the time of these events.
• 38:41
  Speaker 2: Okay, all right, all.
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: Right, So we're gonna start your first homer at great
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: American Ballpark as a read was a Grand Slam. Yes,
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: what position were you playing?
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: I wanted was it left field?
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: D How you don't remember this?
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: God?
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know your first home or did you
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: get you got the ball? No, you didn't get the ball.
• 39:06
  Speaker 2: I didn't get the ball. Look at that? What No,
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: I didn't get the ball. It was against the d
• 39:10
  Speaker 2: back So I do remember that.
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we're excited.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: I was happy, man, I was because we were kind
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: of I mean, I didn't I don't remember what month
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: it was, but you know, everyone says the ball flies
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: and sins, and I'm like, God, I don't got a
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: homer here yet. Still, So I was like, okay, I
• 39:25
  Speaker 2: got that one out of the way, and I still
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: only got five.
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: Okay. So the next one is from twenty twenty one.
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: It's a go ahead, three run Johnson against the Mariners.
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: What position were you playing?
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: Second base? Yep?
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: Okay, you remember that.
• 39:44
  Speaker 2: I do remember.
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: You remember that.
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: I was a little happy to that. Yeah. A lot
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: of frustration is that.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: That's when you looked at Is that when you looked
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: in the dug the dug out? Yeah, I think we
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: felt that.
• 39:53
  Speaker 2: Look at that I was so mad because I was struggling,
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: you know, and I was struggling for a year and
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: a half. So I'm like, there was a lot of
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: anger in.
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: That one, and it came out.
• 40:03
  Speaker 2: It came out, yeah, because you know, I don't show
• 40:05
  Speaker 2: a lot of crazy emotion ory. And that's really the
• 40:07
  Speaker 2: only time.
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: That's really the only time. I mean during the postseason,
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: like you know, we get excited, right not but not.
• 40:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the stadiums have full an early season game, it's.
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: Like, okay, up next. We got a Grand Slam against
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: the Giants in twenty twenty one. Yeah, what position were
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: you playing twenty twenty one? A granny against the Giants?
• 40:34
  Speaker 2: Second, was that playing left short? Was Sieg's hurt? Siegs
• 40:40
  Speaker 2: had to have been hurt.
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: I had to be hurt. He had to be Yeah,
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: he was.
• 40:44
  Speaker 2: I think he was because I did have I played
• 40:46
  Speaker 2: short for maybe like six weeks.
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: I think he had a hand. I think that's when
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: he went out with a hammy.
• 40:51
  Speaker 2: Either hammy or he got hit in the hand. Oh
• 40:54
  Speaker 2: it was one of those two. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but
• 40:56
  Speaker 2: I should have known that.
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you played short. Uh, that's how many positions you've
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: been playing? Up?
• 41:01
  Speaker 2: Throw me wherever. Man, I'll give it my best. Can't
• 41:04
  Speaker 2: make promises, but I got one more.
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: Twenty twenty one, you hit a triple against the Reds.
• 41:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah at home?
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: What position were You're playing?
• 41:18
  Speaker 2: Left field?
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: This is this is yep because.
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: I remember this because I got I got recalled back up,
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: I got optioned, and then I think months or someone
• 41:28
  Speaker 2: got hurt and then I had to learn how to
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: play left field on the fly. Yeah, so I was
• 41:33
  Speaker 2: picking your brain crazy.
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: I remember talking to you, and I remember, you know
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: what was crazy wash. You know, obviously you're not gonna
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: forget it. But when we had when we did the
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: tape outline for you and left I love that you
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: ran into that wall. Oh my gosh, did you even
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: know the wall? Like you didn't feel it?
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: You just I mean I felt it smacking my face.
• 41:56
  Speaker 2: And then I wake kind of like you know, blackout
• 41:59
  Speaker 2: for a secon. I look up and A J. Pollock
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: is over me. He's like, hey man, you okay, okay,
• 42:05
  Speaker 2: and I'm like, Sures is going to kill me, man,
• 42:08
  Speaker 2: because Sures was pitching. Sure is gonna kill me.
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: You straight into the wall first boom.
• 42:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah man, yeah bro you scorpions after Yeah, that was embarrassing,
• 42:26
  Speaker 3: and then they left it up for the game during
• 42:28
  Speaker 3: the game, like two games, and I'm like, can we
• 42:31
  Speaker 3: take it down?
• 42:32
  Speaker 2: Man, it's embarrassing.
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: Okay. We got some chat questions, bro, what what's one
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: position that you haven't played that you'd like to play?
• 42:44
  Speaker 2: Hmm, you throw me at first.
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: I think I would like to try first.
• 42:49
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't. I would like to try first catcher, No on,
• 42:52
  Speaker 2: I'm good, No, first base. I think I would like
• 42:55
  Speaker 2: to try first.
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: I'm sure t will let you.
• 42:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, throw me over there if you really need somebody,
• 43:02
  Speaker 2: throw me over.
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: See what he says. All he can say is now, Okay,
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: So who's the funniest team that you've ever had?
• 43:09
  Speaker 2: I feel like the easy answer is probably key k Yeah,
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: I think that's that's hey. Ki is probably probably an
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: easy answer.
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: I think yeah.
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: Jose Travino, Oh man, he has me rolling.
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: All the Really he seemed like he a good dude,
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: but you know, obviously I don't. We don't ever get
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: to talk.
• 43:26
  Speaker 2: He's kind of like Barnes where he stirs you stir
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: the all day pot stir all day, which you need
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: that guy. You do need that that guy to get
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: through one sixty two.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: Okay, So closer entrances have become a big thing. So
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: who do you think has the best entrance?
• 43:45
  Speaker 2: Duran? Johann Duran. The one that he just had in
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: Philly was was crazy.
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: Okay, so tell me about it, Ken, can you take me?
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: I haven't seen you.
• 43:52
  Speaker 2: I haven't seen it. You gotta. I mean, they shut
• 43:54
  Speaker 2: off all the lights. They got the flames coming around
• 43:56
  Speaker 2: all the like the bands around the stadium. There's like
• 43:59
  Speaker 2: a spider they got crawling.
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: Through it really on the screen.
• 44:04
  Speaker 2: It's it's kind of sits wild. What song is it?
• 44:07
  Speaker 2: You know?
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: It's it's Spanish on it it is?
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: What song is it though?
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: Is it a banger?
• 44:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah? No, I mean it gets you, It gets you going.
• 44:16
  Speaker 2: I can't remember what song is it? Is it Gasoline Gasolina? No?
• 44:21
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: So they cut off the lights that got the spider. Yeah,
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: he comes in and you know he's pumping one O
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: three cheese. Speaking of one O three, bro, everybody now, dude,
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: Hunter Green was throwing as a starter as a I mean,
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: you know, and it makes it okay because like everybody
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: in the bullpens throwing a hundred, So at least you
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: prepared for it.
• 44:42
  Speaker 2: But like, bro, no, I know it's not even like
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: back in. You got middle relief guys coming in.
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: Everybody. If this is the new wave of game, I
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: got like a couple more years.
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: I hear you, I can't hear you.
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: You know this game is I hear you. Gotta move
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: the mounds back something, you know, make it fair for everyone. So, oh,
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: the spider is called the Durantula. Hello, hey, that's kind
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: of knee slapper.
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: That's kind of sick. It is.
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: Durantula. Okay, so gee, thanks for coming on, man. I
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: know you got to go to work. I gotta go
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: to work. We got to go to work. But thanks,
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: Like I said, thanks for coming on, man. And you know,
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: from the day I got there, you always was super
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: cool to me. We developed a relationship that wasn't one
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: that we had to do a whole lot of talking,
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: but it was like comfort in just being around each other.
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: We could talk to each other, We did talk to
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: each other, We bonded a lot, especially when we started
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: playing infield together. So that was that was super special man.
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: And so you've always always been dope man. And I
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: wish nothing but success for you, and and the rest
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: of your career. Obviously, we'll be doing this thing together,
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: so if you're going back, thanks for watching. On base
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: presented by Geico. Get More Baseball, Get More with Geico,