Latest / Foul Territory / Padres reliever Jason Adam joins Friar Territory: Weird Bullpen Rituals, SD Magic Touch on Pitchers

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Padres reliever Jason Adam joins Friar Territory: Weird Bullpen Rituals, SD Magic Touch on Pitchers · Foul Territory

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We have a very very very special guest joining us,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Jason Adam, one of the Padres top relievers and really
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: one of the top relievers in all of baseball. He
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: is joining us here from his hotel Verbon, Cincinnati. Jason,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining us today. It's great
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to see you.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Great seeing you guys. Thanks for having me on.
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah, my leisure.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: So we've got two you know again, We've got a
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: three time All Star closer here in Heath Bell, one
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: of the best relievers in baseball, and Jason Adam. This
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: show is definitely getting locked down today. Jason, I want
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: to start first and foremost. The Padres bullpen has been
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: fantastic all season long. Every unit, you guys have been
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: one of the best in Major League Baseball start to finish,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: and you've really been at the center of that. You
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: have the lowest DRA of any reliever in the Padres bullpen,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: and not only do you have the most appearances of
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: anyone on the Padres, you lead major League Baseball and appearances.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: You've really had a tremendous season so far from a
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: unit perspective. What has been the key to your guys' success?
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Would you say this year.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Man, I mean so much.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: It's such a special group to be a part of.
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: I think just like to encompass the whole bullpen. Though
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: there was an outing, I left the bases loaded. I
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: pitched terribly bases loaded. Suarez came in so we had
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: to do one and a third.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: For the save. He bailed me out. So I was
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: talking to him in the pen next day.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: I was like, brother, I was like, sorry to make
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: it come in early, like I sucked, and he goes, hey,
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: cover and move, man, and so like that's kind of
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: our motto is cover and move. And I think that's
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: just that's all we're trying to do when Chill calls
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: on us.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: We're trying to get the job done.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah. I got two questions for you.
• 1:31
  Speaker 5: One, what do you guys do down the bullpen nowadays
• 1:33
  Speaker 5: to have fun with each other? Is there any other
• 1:36
  Speaker 5: quirks that you guys down there. Certain people have rituals
• 1:41
  Speaker 5: like certain piece of candy or drink certain kind of
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: sodas or something like that.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: The I mean, yes, we're all it's a weird group.
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: I mean I think that's universal. The bulpit's always a
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: group of weird guys. We don't have a ton of
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: superstition or anything. It doesn't seem like if it is,
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: it's hidden. I know a lot of the guys like
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: to have competitions smashing red Bull can see who can
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: you know, get the most precise circle.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: But no, it's just a fun group.
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: It's you don't talk a ton of baseball the first
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: few innings and then you start walking it in.
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: Do you guys go down in that tunnel still?
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Yes, Oh yeah, yeah, that's that's the best spot.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: I mean, it's so bad under there, but it's it's
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: really yeah, it's I don't know what's wrong, but yeah,
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: it stinks.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Clarify what what are we talking about here?
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: Just to clarify, Like there's a little like seating underneath
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: a little seating area.
• 2:39
  Speaker 5: And in my day you could watch the game down
• 2:42
  Speaker 5: there at like field level at the dirt.
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: Now they move the fences in you can't.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but yeah to.
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: A red Bull fridge down there used to be a couch, TV, yeah, bathroom.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Yep, yeah, that's it.
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  Speaker 3: We still got all that which you can't you can't
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: see the game there, but we have the like for
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: head or delay feed.
• 3:01
  Speaker 5: So then here's the other question, do you guys ever
• 3:05
  Speaker 5: try to swing the bat.
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: Because you know, I just hit.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: I beg every day.
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: I'm like please, yeah, but no, apparently I hold I
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: held no authority in that situation I have.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: They won't even let me touch it.
• 3:19
  Speaker 5: But spring training, they won't let you guys take VP
• 3:22
  Speaker 5: before the guys show.
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  Speaker 2: Up, like nothing. Yeah.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: I got to take VP a couple of times with
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: the Cubs before the rule changes and that.
• 3:33
  Speaker 5: But now, my most exciting part of every spring training
• 3:38
  Speaker 5: was to get my bat with my name on it.
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, used it?
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah exactly, Yeah, yeah, you for sure never used it.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: But it's it's all about what could be, you know, Yeah.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Jason, I want to talk about, you know, weird
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: bullpen rituals, smashing red bullcan So I have to ask,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: first and foremost, who's the best at it? Who's the
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  Speaker 1: reigning champ?
• 4:01
  Speaker 6: Not me?
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  Speaker 3: I played a couple of times and got embarrassed, so
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  Speaker 3: definitely not me.
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  Speaker 2: Man, I can't pick if I pick one of those
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: guys that are going to be.
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: Upset, who's the top three, who's the time?
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  Speaker 3: I think, uh Morehane's pretty good at it, Estrada is
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: pretty good at it. And then I gotta leave out
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: sores or wandhy. I'll put SoRs in there.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, there you go. Three of the four
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: big horses there. They're out great and crushing red bull cans.
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  Speaker 2: So that's all that matters.
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  Speaker 4: It gives you.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: It's right.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Aslee Jason, you talk about interesting bullpen rituals, asking what
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: I want to ask about yours? You do somersaults in
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the bullpen. Okay, yeah, a little bit. It's certainly one
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  Speaker 1: of the more unique ones. I know you mentioned when
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: you first came over, guys were giving you.
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: Sata like what is this, dude, this is really weird.
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  Speaker 1: When did that start? How did that start? That's certainly
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: unique ritual you don't see from a lot of relievers
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: in the game.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so that start, I guess last season was the
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: first season I started doing that, and uh so it's
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: stemmed to the previous off season. I was talking with
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: my trainers back home in Kansas City and was like,
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: you know, it's like, hey, like I'm at the time,
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: I'm thirty one, thirty two. I'm like, I'm I think
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: I'm strong enough. Like I don't think I'm gonna benefit
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: a lot by adding thirty pounds to my deadlift. You know, like,
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  Speaker 3: so how do I But I am going to benefit
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: if I can move well and I can you know,
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: maintain strength, inflexibility and all this and if I can
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: just stay healthy. So they kind of came up with
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: and they operate in that world obviously, like a lot
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: of my prep for my lifts was crawling, rolling, you know,
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: getting into weird positions and trying to be strong in them.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: So I did it all off season and I felt great,
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: you know, like started waking up and like nothing felt
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: tight and so like I kind of feel like I
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: can roll out of bed and feel good.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: So I just was like, you know what this looks.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: It was a lot easier in Tampa because we had
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: a back room to stretch in, so like nobody really
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: noticed the summer results. But now here we are just
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: doing them out in the mount, in the open, rolling
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  Speaker 3: around like a five year old.
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  Speaker 5: I thought, maybe you saw them at the park. At
• 6:15
  Speaker 5: the park, I could do that.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: And I.
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: Absolutely yeah.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: No, I mean, hey, whatever works, and clearly it's been
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: working for you, Jason. I want to go back a
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: little bit. I don't know if people really appreciate just
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: how much perseverance you've had to show throughout your career
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: to get to this point. You had four elbow surgeries
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: as a minor leaguer, missed two full seasons. You persevere
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: through that, make your way to the majors, and then
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: when you're in Triple A with the Cubs, suffer a
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: horrendous ankle fracture, you know, the bone jutting out from
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: the skin. I mean, after four elbow surgeries, a major
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: ankle fracture that was just really, really tough. Was there
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: ever a point where you were just like, man, this
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: is just too much. The surgeries, the rehab, the toll
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: on your body.
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, one hundred percent, and not necessarily the physical toll.
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  Speaker 3: The weird that with the missing the two and a
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: half years, it was kind of like I never had
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: to go through like what a lot of guys with
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: Tommy John go through where it's like, hey, you're not
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: You're not going to see a game for over a year.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: For me, it was like, hey, you're just gonna rest
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: for two months, and I'm like, oh, I can do
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: two months, And then like two months would come and go,
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  Speaker 3: I'd still be hurt, like, all right, we're gonna do
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: two more months, two more months and we just kept stacking.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: So in some ways that was hard, obviously because I
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: kept getting disappointed. But I also didn't have to do
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: the huge like hey, you're going to be.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: Out for a while, because if it upfront they would
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: have told me two or three years. I probably be like,
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: all right, I'll go get a real job then, you know.
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  Speaker 4: But uh, you know, w Yeah, now I'm.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: Putting that off as long as I can. But I
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: think no, so yes, there's it crossed my mind often
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  Speaker 3: like should I should I even be doing this? And
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: it was something that like my wife and I would
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  Speaker 3: talk about and pray about, and I felt very convicted
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: and had peace about continuing to play. It felt like
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  Speaker 3: is what I was supposed to do, and so I
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: had peace about it, even though friends and family well
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: meaning were being like are you sure you want to
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  Speaker 3: keep doing this? And I probably would have said the
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: same thing on the outside looking into but I had
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: peace about it. Still a piece about it, and it's
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: a conversation we revisit every year because.
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  Speaker 2: I love this game.
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  Speaker 3: I love playing, but yeah, it's you have to evaluate
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  Speaker 3: always what's best for you and your family, and right
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  Speaker 3: now this is definitely seems to be what's best for us,
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: and we love it and I want to do it
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  Speaker 3: as long as I can.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: Just to follow up on that, having that experiences, how
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: has that shaped your perspective on being a major league
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: baseball pitcher and not taking it for granted and knowing
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: just how special it's an opportunity?
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: This is?
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: How has this shaped your perspective of the game.
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that, I mean, you kind of hit it on
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: the head. It changed everything for my view, and it's
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: made the game a lot more fun. I mean, if
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: I go I go out there every night saying this
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: could be the last time I ever get.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: A touch of baseball? Is that the most likely thing?
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: No?
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: But you know, you never know you could take it.
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: I'm always like I could take a comeback or off
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: the throat and be done, you know, like it's just
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: like it. So it's a it's a fleeting game, but
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: I love it and I love getting a play. So
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: when I play, like, hey, this could be my last game,
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: it brings some of the child like joy back and
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: and it makes.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: You play a little harder, work a little harder because you.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: Want to really want to enjoy and maximize on the
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: opportunity that you do have.
• 9:34
  Speaker 5: So what a little quirks or what do you do
• 9:38
  Speaker 5: that people don't know about?
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: You know about in in game or in or like impressive.
• 9:46
  Speaker 5: Just in life, just in general, Like are you a
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: big base Do you collect baseball cards? Do you the
• 9:52
  Speaker 5: you know you watch a big movie guy?
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: Like No, I used to get a lot of bas
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: all cards. I pin them all to my wall as
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: a kid. So I probably defaced some very valuable baseball cards.
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: But no, I mean honestly, but like I am very
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: we I joke with Fritz, our bullpen coach, because I like,
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: I know nothing about baseball outside.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: Of my job.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: You know, He's like, because I go home and I
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: just completely shut it off. I mean I'll watch and
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: I see a buddy playing or something I'm not against,
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Like I love baseball, but I'm all into like the
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: girl dad mode when I get home and like to
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: the point, we'll be like having our meeting and first
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: of Jason, we're playing the Reds today.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Like, just joking with me, but where Cincinnati?
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Remember this beautiful city? Yeah, So I think that that
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: is fairly unique about me. Is I turn it off
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: pretty quick? But I think that helps me enjoy it. Too.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: When I'm there, when I'm in, when i'm at the field,
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: I'm all in. And when i'm away from the field,
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: but I'm out.
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: And if what's your favor what's your favorite bullpen for?
• 11:09
  Speaker 5: That's a great question, especially like on the road and stuff.
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, on the road, so under.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: One of my favorite home bullpens was was Tampa. Kind
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: of I love being on field, which no one else does,
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: but I was like, I felt like I was actually
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: part of the game. But her favorite road bullpen, gollye,
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: that's New York's the Yankees. Is pretty good because you
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: can either sit out. Yeah, the best best road bullpen
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: is Toronto.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: They renovated it. It's awesome.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you can sit up top with the fans now
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: and they're all over you.
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: And then you can go under and they have a
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: whole area to like prep.
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: Apply a wall everything and you can get back to
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: the clubhouse the back way so that they they've got
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: they check all the.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: Boxes right there.
• 12:10
  Speaker 6: You have Canada as well, but I was when I
• 12:13
  Speaker 6: was playing, a lot of the teams were on the field,
• 12:15
  Speaker 6: and I've they've reno rated a lot, so I need
• 12:18
  Speaker 6: to check the bullpens out since it's been.
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: This. I'm checking the last one off my list. This
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: roa trip. I haven't done Philly yet, so I'm excited.
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: Philly's fun.
• 12:28
  Speaker 5: Did you know in fact, that you didn't know about
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: Philly is the visiting bullpen. The first home stand was
• 12:34
  Speaker 5: actually the home bullpen. The fans got so mad at
• 12:37
  Speaker 5: their home home guys, they flip flopped them. We can't
• 12:42
  Speaker 5: have yelling at them for eighty literally, so that's why
• 12:45
  Speaker 5: they're down below away from the fans.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Oh that must be nice. Yeah, I love it.
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: I love it.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: I love when they're on us. I think it makes
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: it so fun. Bullpen is the new Wrigley Bullpen by far,
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: the least favorite. Well's you're in like you're just underneath
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: the stands. You can't hear the game, you can barely
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: see it through the windows.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: And so yeah, it's just like, yeah, if it's cold outside,
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: you're warming up.
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: It's like seventy five degrees in this bullpen, and then
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: you go outside there, oh my gosh, it's freezing.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: They just don't feel like you're part of the game.
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: I like feeling like I'm part of the game.
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: No, agree to you, that would probably suck, right, there.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Jason, it's been almost a calendar year now that
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: you've been a member of the Podres organization. You required
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: last July at the trade deadline. You've pitched for a
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: lot of different organizations again, Kansas City, Toronto, Chicago, Tampa,
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: now San Diego and the Miners you're in Minnesota system.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: You statistically are having the best stint of your career
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: with the pod Rays, and that's not uncommon. A lot
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: of pitchers come to San Diego and perform the best
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: they ever have or get back to their prime form.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: What is it about the pitching infrastructure in San Diego
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: that has allowed you to be so successful and really
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: everyone around you to be so successful. What's different and
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: unique about what they do in San Diego?
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, it's it's an awesome, awesome group, I think. Uh,
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: obviously Ruben Ruben leads the charge and he's brought in
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: fantastic people. So Ruben and Fritz I've gotten just in
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: the year I've been here, it feels like I've known
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: them for a long time, just how invested they are
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: in each of our careers. So for me personally, I
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: think they just came over, you know, and I revitalized
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: my career in Tampa. I really like gave myself, you know,
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: like started a career in Tampa and learned so much.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: And they so I first got here, they're like, hey,
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: they just left me alone. They're like, hey, just do that.
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: You know, we're not we don't want to mess with you.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: We acquired you because we like what we see.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: Keep going.
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: And then they slowly introduced like some of their philosophies
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: about how to approach hitters, and so they I think.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: So they're very they're brilliant people from top to bottom.
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: I meant, Ruben Fritz, Peter Happy like, we got an
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: awesome team. So they're brilliant. But they're also what I
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: think is even more important is they're really good about
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: knowing when to say something and when to just keep
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: their mouths shut because.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: We are every guy's different. I'm a tinkerer.
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: I always want to adjust, I always want to like
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: and that that can be good or bad. And so
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: they know when they just shut up, like nope, just
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: keep doing that. And they also wanted to say, hey,
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: you're getting a little out of yourself here, you need
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: to do this or what were you thinking on this pitch?
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: So I think it's a combination of they're really smart,
• 15:33
  Speaker 3: but they're also like really like what's like emotionally intelligent
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: and like like how to handle they handle their guys
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: in each of our unique weird personalities really well.
• 15:47
  Speaker 4: That's awesome. Yeah.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and great catchers too.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: I mean, like we got two catchers who are working.
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: On the game plan NonStop.
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: So I like, I'm like, we're already talking about like
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: I'm kind of dumb, but they know the game plan
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: really well, so I can kind of go up there
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: and know what I'm feeling and then there then I'm
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: also benefiting from them knowing that hey, this guy, the
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: hard slider's better to him, or the change ups.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: Better to him. I can kind of just go out
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: there and throw.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: You know, a lot of people don't realize this is
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: actually your second stint in the Potters organization. You signed
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: with the team as a minor league free agent back
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen, didn't last very long. You were released
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: mid season. It was when you were coming back trying
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: to rehab. What are your memories of that stint? What
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: was what was Jason Adam like at that point, because
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: you were still coming back and obviously not one hundred percent.
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that was Yeah, that was the tail end of
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: my rehab stint, and I honestly fond memories. Like at
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: that point, we had been in rehab for over two years,
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: so like we're at first we were in rehab, we
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: would try to like not even be present where we
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: were at. We're like, we're gonna be out of here
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: in two months, like my wife, and we're just gonna
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: like stay to ourselves and get out here. And then
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: by then we're like, all right, well, we're just going
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: to assume we're here for the next ten years and
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: we're just gonna like buckle up, make friends and so
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: like some of the like most fun. It was like
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: one of the most fun seasons of my life because
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: I made some like lifelong friends. I was at a
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: good place where I was like I was doing everything
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: I could to get healthy, but I was at I
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: was starting to become at peace with like one as
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: soon as I get healthy, they're probably going to release
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: me because I've just been a work comp nightmare. So
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: I'm just gonna do it, like I'll try new things,
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: I'll try out this, I'll do whatever. And I ended
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: up that's how I ended up getting my throwing motions.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: I was like, see if this doesn't hurt. So I
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: was in a I was in like a really good place, like, hey,
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: like I want to do this forever, but this could
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: be it, so I'm just gonna enjoy it. And then
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: I escaped rehab, got healthy, pitched, and then got released
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: and we and my wife and I just kind of
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: looked at each other and laughed like all right, we'll
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: see what see what's next.
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think San Diego does that to a lot
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: of players.
• 18:00
  Speaker 5: You just make you feel like you're at home and comfortable,
• 18:02
  Speaker 5: and yes, do weird stuff like Releasha and then sign
• 18:06
  Speaker 5: a couple of years later.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah. And I actually I ran into a j when
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: I was with the Rays playing here two years ago,
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: and I remember going out to our bullpen catchroom, like
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: if I forget traded, I think it's probably gonna be
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: the Padres the guy just after talking to him so
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: like a just I don't know if he was thinking
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: it then, but at the time, like it just seems like, yeah,
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: maybe I'll end up there.
• 18:30
  Speaker 5: So really quick, last question for me is do you
• 18:33
  Speaker 5: think AJ is going to go and try to trade
• 18:35
  Speaker 5: for somebody this year, or is he going to say, hey,
• 18:38
  Speaker 5: this is the team we got and maybe we can find,
• 18:41
  Speaker 5: you know, something in the minors if we need a
• 18:43
  Speaker 5: little bit more offense or whatnot.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: What he's always he's always working. I mean, I honestly,
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: I'd take the team we have to battle. I think
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: our best baseball's ahead of us, Like we we have
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: a we're doing like we're in a fine spot, and
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: I don't think we've been playing anywhere near.
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: As good as we should from top to bottom.
• 19:02
  Speaker 5: Of myself, well, you guys don't play that well until
• 19:04
  Speaker 5: the second half.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: So yeah, so we're there. Yeah, we're there. It's time
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: to turn.
• 19:09
  Speaker 5: I feel like you're ahead of the game already.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: So yeah. So, I mean, honestly, it wouldn't be surprised.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: I know Aj is always the hardest worker in the room,
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: so we'll see what he does.
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: But honestly, I feel great about the team we have
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: and excited to see what these guys all do down
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: the stretch.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: Jason, I know you got to a head to the
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: ballpark here soon, but I have one final question for you.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: Mentioned having a feeling that Aj Preller would acquire you.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: I want to go back fifteen years. You're in high
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: school senior at Overland Park High School in Kansas. You
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: thought that the Rangers were going to draft you. The
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Royals did, but you thought the Rangers were drafted in
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: part because AJ Preller shown interest. So take me back
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: to twenty ten. What was that dynamic, like how you
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: met Aj and why did you think they were going
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: to draft you? How did that all play out?
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think he just showed.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: He was around the most, I guess, so like he
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: of all the teams outside of probably maybe Kansas City
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: was around a lot too, because we were in Kansas City,
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: but I got those two. It was them too, that
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: were he was around all the time, keeping in touch.
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: And now I know that's like now I know he's
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: just he.
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: Is always working. He's like he's incredible.
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: So like I now I know like maybe he was
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: just that just he was around a bunch because he
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: just pays that all the time.
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: But at the time, we would guess and we're kind
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: of like, I think.
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: It's like I think it's going to be Texas, you know,
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: like it just it just seemed like that was the fit.
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: Then obviously I got to go to Kansas City which
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: was awesome and love that, but uh yeah, and then
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: just in the fact that he, I mean, he scouts
• 20:45
  Speaker 3: how many people every year? And then when I ran
• 20:47
  Speaker 3: into him that many years later, or when I ran
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: into him in seventeen, whenever seventeen, when I was back
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: with the Padres, he was like, Hey, how's it going.
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: I'm like, God, You're like that was like eight years ago,
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: but uh yeah, his mind is sharp.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Hey, he wanted you in twenty ten, then he
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: signed you in twenty seventeen, he brought you back twenty four,
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: so clearly.
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: Fourteen years later we made it happen.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: Absolutely all right, Well, Jason, thank you so so much
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: for your time. We really really appreciate it. Congratulations on
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: the great season you're having, and we look forward to
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: seeing what's to come.
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: Thank you, guys, thanks for having me on