Latest / Foul Territory / FT at Blue Jays camp: Jeff Hoffman, Bowden Francis

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FT at Blue Jays camp: Jeff Hoffman, Bowden Francis · Foul Territory

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I definitely was vocal with it, you know, knowing that
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: this is my personality and how I want to.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Get into a groove. I knew that starting would be
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: more of my speed.
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: All Right, we've got Blue Jay's reliever Jeff Hoffman with us,
• 0:18
  Speaker 3: and you're back in Toronto.
• 0:20
  Speaker 4: It's been a minute, Jeff.
• 0:21
  Speaker 5: Are you excited to be back with this team? Yeah,
• 0:24
  Speaker 5: very excited. It's spent a long time.
• 0:28
  Speaker 6: But getting to kind of rekindle old relationships with staff
• 0:32
  Speaker 6: members and I actually haven't played with any of the
• 0:35
  Speaker 6: players in this clubhouse, but getting to rekindle old relationships
• 0:39
  Speaker 6: with former staff and stuff, it's been fun.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: How much has it changed because this wasn't here? No,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: this definitely wasn't here. This whole complex they have here
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: and you were traded People don't know for Troy Tulowitski
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: in twenty fifteen, wasn't it So? I mean, how much
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: is it different from when you were here geez, almost
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: ten years ago now to where you are now? Yeah?
• 0:58
  Speaker 6: Totally different building, even the same I mean we're on
• 1:01
  Speaker 6: the same street, but different, different structure.
• 1:05
  Speaker 5: But yeah, I mean this place has grown crazy.
• 1:07
  Speaker 6: It's uh, I mean, probably one of the better spring
• 1:11
  Speaker 6: training complexes in the league.
• 1:13
  Speaker 5: From what I've seen, so kind of gone from from
• 1:15
  Speaker 5: worse the first.
• 1:17
  Speaker 6: It's been nice to get to utilize all the great
• 1:20
  Speaker 6: facilities that have around here.
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we're exactly the same.
• 1:25
  Speaker 7: I was drafted by the Jays, didn't make it to
• 1:28
  Speaker 7: the big leagues a little bit differently, but then I
• 1:31
  Speaker 7: came back later quite a little bit differently. Again I
• 1:34
  Speaker 7: got back to to catch Dicky. But anyway, I remember
• 1:39
  Speaker 7: when you were drafted. We were in the Big League
• 1:41
  Speaker 7: clubhouse in Toronto and you were drafted, and it's good
• 1:45
  Speaker 7: none of those guys are there, because they were all
• 1:47
  Speaker 7: hating on you.
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: They were like, what, we took a picture.
• 1:50
  Speaker 7: We took a picture in the ninth pick overall, when
• 1:55
  Speaker 7: you were picked by the Jays, did you say, dang,
• 1:58
  Speaker 7: I don't want to play for those.
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: Loose they don't like me either.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: No, not really. I was.
• 2:05
  Speaker 5: I was super excited. I you know, I was just
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: excited to start my pro career. And I mean I
• 2:11
  Speaker 5: was broken at that time.
• 2:12
  Speaker 6: I had I had my Tommy John surgery that I
• 2:14
  Speaker 6: had just been recovering from, and so I wasn't even
• 2:18
  Speaker 6: I mean I had a year a year plus probably
• 2:20
  Speaker 6: to start playing still. So I mean I was really
• 2:23
  Speaker 6: excited because Toronto to me is it was a little
• 2:26
  Speaker 6: close to home, and you know it was better than
• 2:29
  Speaker 6: ending up, you know, somewhere on the West coast like that.
• 2:31
  Speaker 6: So it was it was a good day.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: You mentioned, can I see your zipper?
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Gosh, can we Is there a way we can close
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: up on that? Just just so anybody that says Tommy
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: John is not a big deal, can we can we
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: show this on his one camp? Jimmy put that thing
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: up there so we can, Like, for anyone that says
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: that Tommy John is not a big deal, I mean
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: I want you to be able to see that right there.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: That is nasty scar. So so nobody, nobody say that
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Tommy John is not a big deal. But then so
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: I got to ask you because you went through the
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: off season and you had some physical yeah question marks, right,
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: so you had deals you thought with other places? Do
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: you know what it was? Do they tell you they say, hey,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: this is why, and then you go back because I
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: don't know how this as a free agent, I never
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: had that come up. So do you go back then
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: with your agency? No, it's not this, he doesn't that
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: doesn't hurt or it's not a big deal.
• 3:24
  Speaker 6: Right, Yeah, Yeah, I mean it's it's tough, right because
• 3:28
  Speaker 6: like everybody's got their doctors that they trust and that
• 3:30
  Speaker 6: they're that's their team doctor, and and you know that's
• 3:33
  Speaker 6: you know, they're they're paying them for that for that
• 3:35
  Speaker 6: reason and to.
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: Give them their their opinion, you know.
• 3:38
  Speaker 6: But at the end of the day, Uh, imaging is
• 3:41
  Speaker 6: is kind of a big gray area. So you know,
• 3:45
  Speaker 6: there's stuff that could show up in a picture that
• 3:48
  Speaker 6: doesn't really affect me on a day to day basis,
• 3:50
  Speaker 6: but it's there, you know, for whatever reason, maybe it
• 3:53
  Speaker 6: bothered me in.
• 3:53
  Speaker 5: The past or whatever.
• 3:54
  Speaker 6: But at this point, I'm healthy, and uh, you know
• 3:59
  Speaker 6: it's something that I'm I'm it's not even on my radar.
• 4:01
  Speaker 6: I've I've been going through a normal throwing progression. I've
• 4:04
  Speaker 6: been healthy the past two years. It's I'm in a
• 4:06
  Speaker 6: really good spot from a health standpoint.
• 4:09
  Speaker 7: After those of those things came back from your physical
• 4:11
  Speaker 7: whatever it was. Were you afraid when you agreed with
• 4:14
  Speaker 7: the Blue Jays, You're like, how long was it after
• 4:17
  Speaker 7: you agreed that you had to wait for them to
• 4:20
  Speaker 7: like clear your fifth goal?
• 4:22
  Speaker 5: Yeah, No, it was it was the deal with with
• 4:26
  Speaker 5: the Blue Jays.
• 4:27
  Speaker 6: You know, at that point, you know, the other two
• 4:30
  Speaker 6: had already transpired, and you know, we were totally out
• 4:33
  Speaker 6: in the open with with everything with the Blue Jays,
• 4:35
  Speaker 6: so they knew, you know, exactly what they were getting into.
• 4:37
  Speaker 6: They saw all the imaging and you know, it's like
• 4:41
  Speaker 6: I said, it's something that every team has their own
• 4:44
  Speaker 6: their own opinion on it. And you know they're, you know,
• 4:47
  Speaker 6: the same teams that you know that flag did. You know,
• 4:51
  Speaker 6: still had offers on the table. So it's not like
• 4:53
  Speaker 6: they completely pull out. They you know, it was uh,
• 4:56
  Speaker 6: you know, to read into that what you want. But
• 4:59
  Speaker 6: the Blue Jays were great and they you know, they
• 5:02
  Speaker 6: take it for what it is and just excited to
• 5:05
  Speaker 6: be here and.
• 5:07
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm healthy and I'm ready to go on.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: We got to show your arm again because your camera
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: got a little fuzzy. So let's let's see if we
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: can show. Don't tell me again that that Tommy John
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: isn't a big deal. Look at that thing.
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: That's nasty.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: That's one of them things. Looks like the guy in
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Jaws at his leg bitting off at some point, right,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: are you mad at the other teams that like, we
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: use Baltimore because Baltimore was the big team that was
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: out there for you, right, I mean you're in their
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: division now, So are you like give me the ball
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: every chance I get against Baltimore? Yeah? I uh yeah, Okay, good,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: that's good. That's not you can say that's fine, listen.
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: Is a good way to put it.
• 5:43
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean I I like the I like the chips,
• 5:45
  Speaker 6: I like the you know this kind of stuff, the smoke,
• 5:50
  Speaker 6: if you will, so I, uh yeah, I'm looking forward
• 5:53
  Speaker 6: to it.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: Okay, good, you better say that answer, you better say yes. Yeah.
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: So you're gonn to be the closer.
• 6:03
  Speaker 5: I believe so. I believe so.
• 6:05
  Speaker 6: So it'll it'll be fun getting to throw some pretty
• 6:08
  Speaker 6: meaningful innings against against everybody.
• 6:12
  Speaker 4: How close are close? Were you just starting? How close
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: were you just starting? Like?
• 6:15
  Speaker 7: Is that like the off season we heard some rumblings
• 6:19
  Speaker 7: about that. Did teams say nah, no, no, we want you,
• 6:21
  Speaker 7: we want you in the back end?
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: No.
• 6:24
  Speaker 6: It was pretty much on a on a team the
• 6:25
  Speaker 6: team basis, you know, depending on what their what their
• 6:29
  Speaker 6: you know, roster look makeup look like, you know, what
• 6:33
  Speaker 6: their needs were at the time, and uh so Yeah,
• 6:37
  Speaker 6: that was that was real. Didn't didn't necessarily come from
• 6:40
  Speaker 6: me like I didn't. I didn't, you know, put that
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: out there that I wanted to start or anything. But
• 6:45
  Speaker 6: you know, I guess with the with the recent track
• 6:47
  Speaker 6: record of some of the guys that have switched back over,
• 6:50
  Speaker 6: it was an.
• 6:50
  Speaker 5: Interesting storyline, and.
• 6:53
  Speaker 6: You know, I was, I mean, I'm confident that I
• 6:55
  Speaker 6: can do whatever whatever is needed, so uh, you know,
• 6:58
  Speaker 6: it would be a it would be a fun challenge
• 7:00
  Speaker 6: to get back in another shot at that.
• 7:03
  Speaker 5: But at the same time, I'm I'm happy, you know that.
• 7:05
  Speaker 6: You know, I found something that I'm pretty good at
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: and I enjoy pitching at the back end.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: All right, what's your skit gonna be? What's your skit
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: gonna be? Is closer?
• 7:15
  Speaker 5: Like like the video?
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, like the video the music. You know, they turn
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: the lights and they make them flash. Are they gonna
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: make that bird come out and they let's go?
• 7:24
  Speaker 5: I don't know if they're gonna don't think they're gonna
• 7:26
  Speaker 5: do that.
• 7:26
  Speaker 6: I think I think there's something pretty cool in the
• 7:28
  Speaker 6: works though, you know, something maybe maybe Marvel themed.
• 7:31
  Speaker 5: Or something like that.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: You're a big Marvel guy.
• 7:34
  Speaker 5: Then I like it and I think.
• 7:36
  Speaker 6: The Blue Jays have a pretty good relationship with with Marvel,
• 7:39
  Speaker 6: so uh, we'll see how.
• 7:40
  Speaker 5: It turns out. The song always the same, It's it's
• 7:44
  Speaker 5: a live by k Cuddy.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: Okay, all right, I.
• 7:46
  Speaker 5: Don't really change that one kind of a yeah, that's the.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: One that can can the crowd, like I think. So, okay,
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: the Canadians do they know that song because sometimes they're
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: a little behind. Okay, I'm just kidding. I mean, look
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: at Crawts, he played there for years, like how behind
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: he is sometimes.
• 8:04
  Speaker 7: The Six the six likes the likes Drake, So I mean,
• 8:07
  Speaker 7: I'm not I'm not saying you have to switch it,
• 8:09
  Speaker 7: but like you can be there for three years either way.
• 8:12
  Speaker 7: But Drake, anytime Drake puts on the jersey, they don't
• 8:15
  Speaker 7: win the championship. So there's also that.
• 8:17
  Speaker 5: Yeah, maybe we can keep that part out, just not
• 8:20
  Speaker 5: the jersey on.
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: You know, well, we'll keep that out.
• 8:23
  Speaker 7: How much how much did you dominate Harper in those
• 8:27
  Speaker 7: live at bats that we all heard about because I
• 8:30
  Speaker 7: always talk about live abs and like who talks the
• 8:33
  Speaker 7: most smack? I know he was coming back and rehab,
• 8:36
  Speaker 7: I know, but essentially that's why you made the team. Essentially,
• 8:39
  Speaker 7: you were grinding with the Iron Pigs and you dominated
• 8:43
  Speaker 7: Harper And how much did you hold that over him
• 8:47
  Speaker 7: rest of the season and the rest of the rest.
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: Of the two years.
• 8:51
  Speaker 6: Honestly, I try not to bring it up. He brings
• 8:54
  Speaker 6: it up a lot. Yeah, it was one of those things. Yeah,
• 8:57
  Speaker 6: I mean I had a really good day on the
• 9:00
  Speaker 6: possible day to have that day, and uh, it was
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: one of those things where it was, like I've said it,
• 9:05
  Speaker 6: I've been on record saying it before that I kind
• 9:07
  Speaker 6: of treated it like it was the World Series that day,
• 9:09
  Speaker 6: and I knew that, you know, my numbers weren't great
• 9:12
  Speaker 6: in Triple A at that time, and I needed to
• 9:14
  Speaker 6: do something to kind of, you know, put some attention
• 9:17
  Speaker 6: on me and and get me a chance. So you know,
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: I took the opportunity around with it, and I got
• 9:23
  Speaker 6: him pretty good that day. It was, uh I got
• 9:25
  Speaker 6: I had like five at bats against them, and I
• 9:27
  Speaker 6: punched him out four times.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: So did he get a cut? Did he get a cut? Yeah?
• 9:31
  Speaker 5: He hit a grand ball a second No no.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: No, did he get a cut of your new contract?
• 9:34
  Speaker 5: Because uh no, no he didn't.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: The friendships there, Okay, good are you gonna do like
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: Soto didn't. But if you buy him like a car,
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: he goes. I mean not that he needs the money,
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: right right. You can buy him like one of those
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: little you can buy him a go cart. I mean
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: they're just like your golf car. They're just right down
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: the street.
• 9:52
  Speaker 5: And see, I probably do him something a little special.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Thousand dollars gift card to Best Buy. Crat slows when
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: guys give him that.
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: There you go.
• 10:00
  Speaker 5: Whatever your heart desires with that one.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: That's right. You may pick your own Dick Sporting Goods, Yes,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: there you go. Make bake. Bryce walk into Dick Sporting Goods.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: He's got the under armouror ole thing on the side
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: of the wall, and Brice can just be standing there
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: looking around, like I wonder what I should get here.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: Maybe if he's out there he's trying out the bats.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: But you know, in the middle of the store and
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: someone walks by and like, hey, I think that might
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: be Bryce Harper. It would be a great commercial.
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: So you're you're more of a four pitch kind of guy, right,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: You're not really the traditional Usually closers are like a
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: fastball slide or fastball change up. How do you keep
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: them sharp at a bullpen.
• 10:41
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I think just being diligent with with you know,
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: pregame throws and uh, you know, anytime, you know, maybe
• 10:49
  Speaker 6: you have the opportunity to get on the mound for
• 10:52
  Speaker 6: a side session because you haven't thrown a couple of days.
• 10:54
  Speaker 6: You know, I think just being diligent with that kind
• 10:56
  Speaker 6: of work and getting the most out of your catch play.
• 10:59
  Speaker 5: And you know, I think for the most part.
• 11:04
  Speaker 6: It's uh, you know, I'm out there just really trying
• 11:07
  Speaker 6: to feel one thing, and that's my hand and where
• 11:10
  Speaker 6: my hand's at in space.
• 11:11
  Speaker 5: And you know, usually if I if.
• 11:14
  Speaker 6: I lock into that and I'm I'm locked in with
• 11:17
  Speaker 6: with uh you know, where my hand's at, then everything
• 11:20
  Speaker 6: kind of takes care of itself.
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's one for me.
• 11:27
  Speaker 7: The facility, Now, when you were drafted, you saw the
• 11:29
  Speaker 7: old facility. They made that facility when I was drafted
• 11:32
  Speaker 7: in two and then in twenty when I quit, that's
• 11:37
  Speaker 7: when they built this thing. What is the coolest thing
• 11:39
  Speaker 7: because I've heard from some of the trainers.
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: You know, Voon Chung Voon's in there.
• 11:44
  Speaker 7: Voon was my first trainer, so you have a lot
• 11:46
  Speaker 7: of the same guys Posey's in there. What's the coolest
• 11:50
  Speaker 7: thing that you've never seen in any of your trips?
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: Oh?
• 11:55
  Speaker 6: Man, shoot, I'm this whole place is is spectacular. I
• 12:03
  Speaker 6: mean it's it's it's a it's a big league stadium
• 12:07
  Speaker 6: set up in a in a spring training kind of venue,
• 12:10
  Speaker 6: but it's.
• 12:12
  Speaker 5: I think the cool thing for me is.
• 12:17
  Speaker 6: Seeing the the recovery type stuff really make its way
• 12:22
  Speaker 6: into the clubhouse. Uh, and that start to get taken
• 12:26
  Speaker 6: a lot more serious because I think that was a
• 12:28
  Speaker 6: big thing for me when I've turned the corner in
• 12:31
  Speaker 6: my in my career getting healthier and able to stay
• 12:35
  Speaker 6: on the field and perform, you know, at the highest level.
• 12:39
  Speaker 6: I think, you know, that was something earlier in my
• 12:42
  Speaker 6: career that that you know, that.
• 12:43
  Speaker 5: Wasn't necessarily focal point.
• 12:46
  Speaker 6: And you know, I think it's really good for for
• 12:50
  Speaker 6: young guys to learn how to to keep themselves on
• 12:52
  Speaker 6: the field and to to prolong their careers and to
• 12:55
  Speaker 6: stay on the fields as long as possible, because it's
• 12:58
  Speaker 6: really hard to play this game for you know, one year,
• 13:02
  Speaker 6: let alone ten.
• 13:03
  Speaker 5: So uh, you know, you just I like to see
• 13:07
  Speaker 5: that that type of stuff.
• 13:08
  Speaker 6: Really, you know, make its way into the into the
• 13:10
  Speaker 6: spotlight and you know, help guys, you know, have a
• 13:15
  Speaker 6: longer career.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: What's you like having to take a bus though to
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: the park because you guys do everything here and then
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: you have to take a bus to the stadium. Is
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: that strange sometimes? And you guys have the double decker bus.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Are you up top or you a bottom bunky bottom bunk?
• 13:28
  Speaker 6: Keep it simple, okay, okay, uh no, it's it's it's
• 13:32
  Speaker 6: a little weird having to go over, you know, to
• 13:34
  Speaker 6: take the trip over to.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: To your home ballpark.
• 13:37
  Speaker 5: To the home ball park.
• 13:38
  Speaker 6: Yeah, that's a little weird, but it is only, you know,
• 13:42
  Speaker 6: a seven minute drive, so it's it's not too much
• 13:44
  Speaker 6: of a wrench in your day.
• 13:47
  Speaker 5: But yeah, it's a little different from what you're normally
• 13:50
  Speaker 5: used to.
• 13:51
  Speaker 7: One of the traditions, they used to have a huge
• 13:53
  Speaker 7: ball that was kind of like a dry e race
• 13:55
  Speaker 7: ball that was like all over the wall and people
• 13:58
  Speaker 7: would sign it when they made the big lees with
• 14:00
  Speaker 7: the Jas. Do they still have that and will you
• 14:05
  Speaker 7: sign it because technically you were draft It was only
• 14:08
  Speaker 7: for people who were drafted by the Jays and made
• 14:10
  Speaker 7: the big leaes with the Jays. So does this count
• 14:13
  Speaker 7: because if it does, I still haven't signed it, even
• 14:15
  Speaker 7: though it didn't work out the way that it was
• 14:17
  Speaker 7: supposed to work out.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: I think so.
• 14:19
  Speaker 6: I don't know if they still have the exact same ball,
• 14:22
  Speaker 6: but I think they have a list up on the
• 14:23
  Speaker 6: wall now. It's way more modern and fancy, just like
• 14:26
  Speaker 6: everything around here. But yeah, they have the list, and
• 14:30
  Speaker 6: I'll have to take a look if I'm on there.
• 14:31
  Speaker 6: But technically homegrown.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: So technically that's what I'm saying.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: Technically, Hey Scott, by the way, I have to wish
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: him nothing but the best, just for you An Kraut.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: You know why he was born in New York and
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: guess where he lives now, Orlando, Orlando, so jackpot for him, Yeah, exactly.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: So that's why he's a great interview. That's why he
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: got paid.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: Yep, that's right, that's right, that's the connection. Wow, your
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: AJ's new best friend. But Jeff is awesome. At the time,
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: I should say this to twenty twenty four all star
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: Jeff Hoffman with us New Blue Jay.
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: Thank you, Jeff.
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Great to see you, man.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: I don't know if I can sit next to this
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: man his name who is named after one of the
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: all time evil most evil persons in the world, most
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: evil peoples in the world. Yes, I am a Florida guy.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: So he's named after Bobby Bowden. So when you guys
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: are questioning how to say his name and I found
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: out he was from Tallahassee, I was like, oh, I
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: know exactly who he was named for. So I'm glad
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: that they named the stadium Ronzick Field at Tallahassee. So
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: thank you for that, mister Bowden. But yeah, so before
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: we digging, what did you think about what Travis Hunter?
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Because he was committed to Florida State until he wasn't
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: committed to Florida State, Right, that's so, did you see
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: what Travis Hunter said about him being he said, so
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: he said what he does in football is harder than
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: what O'tani does in baseball. That's a tough that's a
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: tough take, right, I mean, I think that's one of
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: the mistakes I've ever heard. Yeah, I can't be said,
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: well because Dotani also plays I mean, yes, way harder.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: He plays way harder, and he does it every day.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: That's to me is the difference. Travis hundred does it
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: once a week. Yeah, you play one hundred snaps Otani
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: throws a hundred pitches, gets five at bats one hundred
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: and sixty days a year, and then he's got a pitch. Yeah, exactly. Crazy.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: So imagine if you had to pitch five to six, seven,
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: eight innings and then all of a sudden, by the way,
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: you're hitting the next four days, and you're gonna pitch
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: it in. Yeah, yeah, you're scouting. Yeah right? How hard?
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: How hard would that be? I don't understand it. Could
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: you hit? No? Okay, so that's what.
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: You and not a nine hitter either.
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: Age.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: I want to make sure this part he's emphasized to
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: he was a top three hitter in the sport last year,
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: being asked to carry the team on his back at
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: times during the season.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: Rehaving right, he did really happy Scott fifty fifty physically?
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: How you do that? But you haven't had TJ yet.
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: I mean, okay, no, I come, sorry.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Sorry, screw you.
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: No. I hope, listen, I hope he'd be one of
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: the few that doesn't. I really hope all right that
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: you don't. But I'm just we had I'll spoil it.
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: We had Jeff Hobman in here, and he'll run the
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: interview in a little bit, but his scar. He showed
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: his scar. It's nasty. And I was like, people that
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: think TJ is easy to come back from, show your
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: arm and the whole thing was like itok, like a
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: shark bite.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: Nowadays it's like, you know, it's not a big deal,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: but it's still a big deal.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: Guys.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: Just being out for that long and being away from
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: the team, it's it's tough.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: Mentally, I guarantee it, but I don't know. I wouldn't
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: want to go through it. I just get bored. I
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: didn't know that. I know, I know the holy crap
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: at all my teammates because I wouldn't know what to
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: do because I mean, I can't play and I'm sitting
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: there with the little thing on my brace, you know,
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: my arm, the big brace on my arm, and I'm like, hey, guys,
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: look at my brace. I can move it one more degree. Today,
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: you guys.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: Noticed anything exactly?
• 18:00
  Speaker 7: Hey, what what kind of conversations did you have to
• 18:02
  Speaker 7: have with the org and schneids to be able to
• 18:06
  Speaker 7: get into rotation? Because now you've solidified it. I mean,
• 18:09
  Speaker 7: you're just you don't give up a hit before the
• 18:11
  Speaker 7: eight before the ninth inning, so you're just like ah
• 18:14
  Speaker 7: mine as well. What kind of what kind of conversations
• 18:17
  Speaker 7: did you have to have or was it like I'll
• 18:19
  Speaker 7: just bide my time, pitch as good as I can
• 18:21
  Speaker 7: and not really say anything.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: It was a little bit of both, but.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: I definitely kind of was vocal with it, you know,
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: knowing that just my personality and how I want to
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: get into a groove, I knew that starting would be
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: more of my speed. And you know, I told them, obviously,
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: I want to do whatever. I want the team to win,
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: I want to get established, but with I just I
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: told them that I knew I'm going to start at
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: some point in my career and I want to do
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: it here.
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: And I just want to kind of.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: Be in the role that I'm been in through the
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: minor leagues and I'm most comfortable with. And you know,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: the trust just slowly started tinkering, and now it's at
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: the point where they're telling me that, you know, take
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: the screen training, get my work in and get ready
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: for the season.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: It's gonna be a long one.
• 19:22
  Speaker 7: What did they say? I mean, we know you what
• 19:24
  Speaker 7: you wanted, but what did they say? Because when AJ
• 19:27
  Speaker 7: played and when I played, if you went to like
• 19:28
  Speaker 7: front office or managers, and you were like, hey, I
• 19:31
  Speaker 7: want to do this, they'd be like, piss off, we'll
• 19:34
  Speaker 7: take care of it.
• 19:34
  Speaker 4: You just go out and play.
• 19:35
  Speaker 7: How did they respond to you when you said, look,
• 19:38
  Speaker 7: I'm gonna pitch. I'm going to start one day for
• 19:41
  Speaker 7: this organization, and then you're not going to take me
• 19:43
  Speaker 7: out of it.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: It wasn't I wasn't trying to step on it.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: In toes with that, I said that I will be
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: whatever role as long as I as long as they
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: want me to, but as long as I.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: I'll do any role as long as I get to start.
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: I told them like, I'm open to whatever.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: But I just told them basically like, I know I'm
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: going to start in my career.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: I don't know if it's gonna be here or wherever.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: But I just know in my heart, and I'm like
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: and my body, I know that I'm a starter at
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: the end of this. And I just told them that's
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: just like where my goal is. I guess I was
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: just opened with my goals. And then they listened to
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: me and eat screen training. They gave me an option.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: I mean, they gave me a shot to do it,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: and it's just tooking time, but I'm just grateful for
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: the time they gave me, and I thank them all
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: the time forgive me the opportunity.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: Okay, last year, two no hitters into the night. We're
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: you nervous? First of all? What happened? Like we got
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: to get one here right eventually? So were you nervous
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: the first one? Were you nervous? The second one? Is
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: there any part of your brain that started going like, man,
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: I might actually get the no hitter because I've been
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: on the other end of catching no hitters, but I've
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: never been in the mind of a picture as the
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: no hitters.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: The second one, I was thinking more about it. I
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: was like, all right, this is actually the it's actually
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: the one. The remember who gave up a hit? Who
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: gave up a hit? Who was it? Lin door got
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: me the second time, But the first one was the award.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: But the first one, like, you know, I just felt
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: like I had a I just was grooving. It wasn't
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: like a good flow. I didn't overthink it. I mean,
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: I just knew that my pitches were up there. But
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: I just kept telling myself, don't change, keep doing the
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: same thing, keep attacking. But and then I went out
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: there for the ninth and that I mean, the crowd
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: was going nuts and I just started feeling like Jello
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: out there. But the second one is like, I was
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: more dialogue in my mind, Like I kind of felt
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: more real because I've been through It's a couple of
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: starts before that and the same exact thing happened. But
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: it's just crazy that the guys are it was. It
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: was something to laugh about, but it was frustrating at
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: the time, but I knew that like games like that,
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: it's you gotta just smile by him no matter what.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: But it was crazy.
• 22:22
  Speaker 7: What off season story or narrative did you follow the
• 22:26
  Speaker 7: most and you thought was the most exciting for the
• 22:29
  Speaker 7: Jase in the sense of, okay, could they get Rokie?
• 22:33
  Speaker 7: Is Gladdie going to re sign?
• 22:35
  Speaker 4: Whoa?
• 22:35
  Speaker 7: I'm hearing Pete stuff that you followed the most or
• 22:39
  Speaker 7: was most exciting whichever.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: I mean.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: I heard Santander like early and that was my like,
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: my favorite pick I thought for us to get and
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: it's funny that was the one we got. But just
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: facing him last year, like even screen training, he's always
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: given the Blue Jays a hard time. I like the
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: way he plays and power from the left side. It's
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: rare in the game. And obviously, you know if Lattie
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: is a big one, and that's gonna be always a
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: talk this season, but it's you know, we have this
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: whole year for him and it's gonna be his decision
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: and it'll be it'll be cool to watch. The big
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: one was Anthony. For me, it's not a distraction now.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: The way he goes about his business and stuff is
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: it's never gonna be about him. And you know, I
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: could I can even tell the minute he walked in
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: the building. I mean, if you would have told me
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: that he signed or not, I wouldn't know, It'll tell.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: It was seamless.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: And the way he is in the dugout during the
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: games right now, he's all about the team.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: It's it's like he does a really good job of.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: I guess harnessing that and separating all that off the
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: field type stuff out of your bow Am I picking one?
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you can't say both. I'm just kidding, because the
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: look on your face named after Bobby Bowen, He's got
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: to get some tough questions, Okay, So the look on
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: his face was priceless. So he's like I don't know me. Okay,
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: So you're a big yoga guy, right, big yoga. I
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: mean you have no shoes on, so you're obviously trying
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: to ground yourself. I hope you don't step on one
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: of these wires and electric l Tell me about that.
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: Tell me about that. Does that help you in your starts?
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: Because you meditate, right, you do a lot of things.
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: I see you have the ring on. How does that
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: help you not only your starts, but just in life. Yeah,
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: I just I just realized, I guess growing up and
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: going through.
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: And getting like I don't know, I just realized there
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: was I just went down rabbit holes when I was
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: not as good as a player as other guys around me.
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: So I just tried to research a lot about the
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: mind and flow and the body mind body connection and
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: how to put that all together. And then you know,
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: I was like in lower levels and I would have
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: roller coaster starts. I would either strike out ten or
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: I would give up ten hits, and it was like
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: an emotional So I just did some deep diving and
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: try to figure out how to be more even keel
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: and figure out how to be more present. And it
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: just kept coming back to the breath and kept coming
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: back to people talking about like the mind body connection
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: and how to how to become more of a flow state,
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: and yoga's with a like really ties into that, and
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: then meditation ties into that. How to harness guys around base,
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: second and third two outs, how to not worry about that.
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: And it's so much easier said than done.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: So I think just working on that stuff off the
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: field has helped me tremendous for me to toe the
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: rubber with guys on and know that it's about this
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: pitch and it just helps me kind of get into
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: their groove.
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: As the most inflexible person on the planet. I used
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: to do yoga and it would. I'm sure your yoga's
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: much sometimes much smoother than mine would.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: The body is one, but the mind is a whole
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: other component that we don't even think about when we
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: think about yoga. Some people just think about it's about stretching,
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: but I try to think of it about eighty percent
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: of it's more mental than the body.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: I think.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: If you build like they say, if you build a
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: strong mind, the body will follow. So I just try
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: to really think about that more.
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: Mad And I have a question for you, so yoga's
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: about controlling your breath or that's part of it. Right,
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: Did you find any solace in the last couple months
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: of the season and being able to control your schedule more? Right,
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: because you go from reliever. You never know when you're
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: going to be used. You have to be ready at
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: all times. You can really set yourself for that one
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: big day that you're about to have and just kind
• 27:24
  Speaker 3: of leading also into what changed for you as a starter.
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: It's not like you hadn't done it before, but did
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: you feel like you learned something about yourself that enabled
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: you to consistently take down hitters better than ever in
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: that roll down the stretch.
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a big build up with starting, and that
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: whole day of you get to the park and there's
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: it's just a slow build up. It's not the same
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: in the bullpen where it's kind of sitting around and
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: then all of a sudden.
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: Your name is called.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: But having that whole day to prepare and let that
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: slow burn kind of go until the game time, it's
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: my favorite part. Yeah, and it's about game planning and
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: visualization is big for me. So I'm just going through
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: the lineup and just slowly figuring out how to navigate
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: that and use my arsenal to the best I can.
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: That's been fun for me is just.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Figuring out how to optimize my arsenal and kind of
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: game plan because it's more of like a checker's I mean,
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: more of a chest for me than that because a
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: lot of guys can just kind of blow heaters by guys,
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: but I'm gonna have to be more crafty and.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: Kind of use all my pitches.
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: So it's it's kind of fun for me to game
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: plan and figure out what's best for me.
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: I like it. I like it. By the way, we're
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: gonna show your shirt you have on You were born
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: in ninety six, by the way, so you have how
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: do you have that shirt? It's a repeat three last
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: time the Blue Jay's one World series back to back,
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: But how do you have that shirt because you weren't
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: born even when they won those two World Series. I
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: do a lot of thrifting and stuff.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: There's great, that's a chops in Toronto, So I try
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: to scope them out, but I don't know.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: I just try to wear stuff like this because.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: Guys see it, and then I feel like we're manifesting it,
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: trying to bring a trying a ring to the city,
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: and I feel like I trying to see, uh if
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: guys can catch on to just law of attraction.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: I guess thrifting. Thrifting, so that's where you get a
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: lot of your outfits. And what's your go to thrift
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: store like bell Bottoms, you know, corduroy, Because when you
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: walk into a thrift store, what do you I mean,
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: there's a bunch of different things. I like old shirts.
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: I like like old dicky pants are fun to Torontuh,
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: some old button downs I try to get fun with
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: on the plane rise and stuff.
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: Have they had a bout in France's dress up day
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: yet where they everyone has to dress like you?
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: No, we had a chappy one and it's similar basically.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: But guys are they like to wear their bounding shirt
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: Some days they'll be like, look at me, guys, guys
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: find it funny.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: But yeah, they like it, so you can pull that off.
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: I'm not. I'm not just doesn't look good on me.
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: You're you're more the skinny model type. I'm more the fact.
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: What's this guy wearing that shirt?
• 30:38
  Speaker 4: Forward?
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: Look rocket? I don't know. Next time I in Toronto's
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: gonna take me to the thrift store. We see what
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: we can find there. You go.
• 30:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I like that.
• 30:46
  Speaker 3: He's got the tats too, So Bowden's got the look.
• 30:49
  Speaker 4: I like it. Man.
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: Well, appreciate it, dude.
• 30:51
  Speaker 5: Great to have you on.
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: Love the shirt, love the attitude, and we'll do it
• 30:55
  Speaker 3: again sometime this season. But appreciate the time, dude, and
• 30:58
  Speaker 3: good luck for the rest of spring.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: Appreciate man, Thank you all for having me.
• 31:02
  Speaker 5: Thank you