Latest / The Layback Podcast / Brian Metoyer, New York Mets Org Right Handed Pitcher Ep. 78

Transcript

Brian Metoyer, New York Mets Org Right Handed Pitcher Ep. 78 · The Layback Podcast

0:00
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Lay Back podcast.
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Joining us today is Mets minor leaguer that at this point,
0:07
Brian McGuire. Brian has had quite the journey,
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which I'm excited to get into today.
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I'm not sure if many people can even begin to fathom the amount
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of hurdles that he's had to overcome in his professional
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career and give an injury mindset, all those things that
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he's been fighting through. But I mean, that's why we do
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this and I'm stoked for him to get into do it today.
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He said off air he's going to try not to get too emotional.
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So all of us listeners and I guess me on my side, maybe we'll
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keep our fingers crossed that we can get something good.
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I know for a fact we will. Brian, thanks a ton for joining
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us and I'm going to kick it over to you now.
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Just give us a few of the basic highlights of the bio.
0:49
I appreciate you bro. I'm glad to be here.
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We got a little, little history. You helped me out getting back
0:53
on the field and things like that with rehab and I'm very
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excited to get in here and, and, and shoot the shit with you and,
1:01
and talk about it and see where this goes.
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Try not to shed a tear. For sure, man.
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Well, you are a South Louisiana boy.
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So I wore my purple pearly shirt for you.
1:12
Just had to go raw fish on there.
1:14
I was running through the closet actually secretly I I was
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wearing a Padre shirt this morning.
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I was like, who can't be on the podcast with Brian wearing a
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Padre shirt? So let me let me switch that out
1:26
real quick and I this one came calling.
1:28
Yeah bro, I like the purple. That was my my favorite color.
1:31
Yeah. Hey, and you wore purple in
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college as well, right? So let's talk a little bit about
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the, I guess, the real baseball background, what it looked like
1:41
growing up for you and then ultimately moving on to college.
1:45
Ball. Oh yeah.
1:47
Well, first of all, my love of the game came from my
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grandfather. Actually, he turned me on to the
1:52
game at a very, very young age. So as far as I can remember,
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I've always loved baseball, wanted to have a ball in my hand
1:59
or a glove or a bat. And I grew up a Cubs fan,
2:02
actually. I remember watching the games
2:04
with him. Sammy Sosa used to be our
2:06
favorite player. Carlos Zambrano was our favorite
2:09
pitcher. So we was always excited when he
2:12
got to throw and watch his outings and everything.
2:14
But yeah, growing up, it was just baseball, dude.
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Like I remember my grandfather used to take me to the fields
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all the time with a bucket of balls and just go like, hey,
2:24
throw. And I would just throw baseballs
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as far as I could and then go pick them up and throw them
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back. That love and that fire for the
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game has always been there. And that followed me through
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elementary school, high school, and then eventually moving on to
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Eunice, LA, which is where the grind started.
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Big time. Big time big.
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Time grind started. Yeah, that was a place that I
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didn't necessarily think that I would end up.
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I didn't even know where it was, to be honest, until I talked to
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the head coach there. Coach Willis so get being able
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to go there and do that, that changed my entire perspective of
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baseball. You remember the scene, remember
3:01
the Titans? He was like, football is not
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fun, is it? That's kind of how it was going
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there. But in like, in a good way.
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I appreciated the small things and like I learned a lot about
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the game there and was able to carry that on past there.
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I still quote Coach Willis a lot, actually.
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I can only imagine. I don't know if you guys want
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any national championships while you were at Eunice, but I.
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Did not man, I was so, so like I wanted to so bad because I've
3:30
always heard about it. You got the years hanging up on
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the batting cages of the years they won and you know you want
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to be a part of one of those. It was it was tough, but I still
3:37
had it was a blast to probably the best actually.
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I can't say the best two years of baseball in my life, but it
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was definitely the start of like, something good.
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For sure. I mean, the talent you were
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around, I'm, I'm sure you were often thinking like, how were so
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many people so good at baseball here in Eunice, LA, sweating
4:01
their balls off on this grind? Like you said, like I, I have
4:06
friends that played at Eunice, hit myself, have played like at
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Eunice like in tournaments and different things like that.
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Like I mean, that's a swamp. Like it is, it is, it is muggy.
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There is no wind. That is one of the hottest
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baseball games I have ever played.
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Like, I mean, I was miserable. And you you did it my choice for
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a couple years. So more power to you.
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But I mean, everybody comes out of Eunice a better player
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because of what they went through while they were there.
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And also you bring up like seeing the years where they won.
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Like, I mean, it is seriously the years.
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Eunice is one of the most successful junior college
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programs in the nation. So I mean, what are what's maybe
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something that you took with you from your time at Eunice?
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Like I said, I, I quote Coach Willis all the time and he would
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always say that, you know, life's not fair.
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Things are going to happen and it's not going to be fair.
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So I took that with me, especially going through like
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the surgeries and the rehab and, and, and everything, all the
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setbacks and then this and that and not playing for so long.
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And then I would always think about, you know, life's not
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fair. It's really not and it sucks,
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but sometimes you just got to take it on the chin and and keep
5:20
moving, you know, and that's what separates the strong from
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the weak, you know, the ones who decide to keep moving versus the
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ones that decide to let their situation beat them down and
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then keep them down. Because I always said I owe you
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owe it to yourself to not quit. So that really that really stuck
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with me that the whole life's not fair thing.
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Not just that. I mean, it was, it was countless
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of quotes and, and everything like he would pull things out of
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you that you didn't know you had in you, Especially me being like
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how I was. I was like 145 lbs dude and
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everyone else around me is like 210 these big dudes and I'm this
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little kid and like it was very intimidating, but he pulled the
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a fire out of me that I didn't know I had.
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And that made me a better player in the long run for sure.
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Was that really like the first time that you felt you were held
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to a higher standard by a coach or a team or a program?
6:15
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Coming out of high school, you
6:17
know, I was going to like the best on the team.
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You know, you were the man. You were, you were the guy.
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Everyone, you know, when Brian McGuire pitch, he won the game
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type of thing. And then I got to Eunice and
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then so I got humbled really quick.
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I just had to find my place again.
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It was tough, man. It was tough.
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There was days I wanted to quit. Those days I didn't want to be
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there. Those days that it just wasn't
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fun. Stick through it and keep going.
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Keep grinding and good things happen to those who don't give
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up. So let's let's stick with that
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theme a little bit. Being humbled.
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But good things happen to those who don't give up.
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You're in your sophomore year, you're looking left and right,
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and you're seeing dudes on your team getting signed by LSU or
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getting signed by ULL and Southeastern and some of like
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the biggest programs in the state.
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Or maybe they're going across the country to go play.
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And you end up getting the call from an NAIA up the road that
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you end up playing out the string of your college career.
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So what was that like for you? Seeing some of your teammates
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sign these unbelievable scholarship opportunities at SEC
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schools or whatever, and you're headed over to an LSU satellite
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campus. Yeah, that wasn't the best like
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it was it was hard, man. It was really hard to see guys
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who, I'll say it, that I thought I was better than or brought
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more to the table than certain guys and they're going to play
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here and I'm not. And it was it was very hard.
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But then again, I love LSUAI love what it's done for me and
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what they've done for me and and where it's gotten to me.
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But back then I had told myself like, hey, if LSUA is the only
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place I have to play, I'm going to hang it up.
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I'm not going to play anymore. And then sure enough, LSUA is
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the only place that I have to play.
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And then I ended up going there. But I feel like God will put us
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where we need to be, not where we want to be.
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So going there was definitely where I needed to be, not
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necessarily where I wanted to be.
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And again, it was, it was hard, man, because didn't necessarily
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have the resources I had at LSUA like the facilities and
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everything, all the pretty stuff, but definitely made it
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work the best I could. And, and even there, like I
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dealt with some injury stuff and kind of got set back a little
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bit and didn't have the innings under my belt that I wanted and
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some other things off the field, just dealing with the stresses
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of life and everything. And it was, it was hard.
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It was definitely tough, tough place to be, but I mean, it was
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like I said, it was where I needed to be.
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So I didn't know that at the time, but looking back now, I
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can say like, yeah, that was the right place for me for sure.
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So then how were you able to parlay that into professional
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opportunities with it being so hard on the front end of showing
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up at LSUA to then exiting getting popped by the New York
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Mets? Yeah, I, I credit that to coach
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Adams for sure. He was a, he was a big blessing
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in my life. He helped me out a whole lot
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with that. He got guys come out to watch me
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play and even the games that he had guys come out and watch.
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I didn't necessarily perform how I wanted.
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But I do remember this is after the season, bro.
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He called me one day. I'm sitting at home.
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He's like, hey, we're going to go to this pre draft workout
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with the Nets. I was like, where is it?
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He's like, it's in Jackson. I was like, oh man, I, I can't
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get there. Like I don't have a car right
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now. Like I can't get these.
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All right, I'm I'm coming to pick you up.
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Like right now we're going and pick me up.
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And we drove to Jackson. I think it was like 4 hours, 5
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hours. Threw a pen there and threw very
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well. And then like the reaction I got
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from the scouts and everything was not the reaction that I was
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thinking that was going to get. I didn't think I threw that
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well, but obviously they saw something that I didn't.
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And yeah, if it wasn't for that Coach Adams and that, then who
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knows, man. Like may not have gotten an
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opportunity. It already sounds like in the
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short or small look into the story so far, other people have
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played a really significant role, like these relationships
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that you formed, just your trust in them to help you get to where
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you are. Like people taking a chance on
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you for the most part. How were you able to, I guess,
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like open up and trust others? Obviously you've gotten to a
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point now where you value the relationships you have
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tremendously, but in your younger years that can be a lot
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tougher as a 18 to 2 year old. It was definitely tough to, you
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know, put your trust in some, some people.
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Like I said, God puts you in a place where you need to be, and
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He'll also put the right people around you getting the right
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resources around you to help you, even if you don't
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necessarily see it or understand it.
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I feel like his, his plan is always going to play out the way
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it's supposed to. And I feel like not even myself,
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not even I could have messed that up.
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I just put my trust in Him that everything is going to unfold
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the way it was supposed to. So fortunately, it did.
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Going into those workouts, were you already throwing as a
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reliever? Now you're a back end of the
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bullpen guy coming in slamming the door, throwing the
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competitive innings in the back end of ball games?
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Or were you a starter throughout college ball?
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I did a little bit of both. I did start like some midweek
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games, stuff like that. But for the most part, yeah, I
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was coming out of the pen as the skinny kid coming out of the pen
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and just gun slinging. But yeah, I had experience with
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with both. I definitely favored the
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reliever side of things more. I think that's where I had the
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most fun, being able to get your name called, come in, shut the
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door or put a stop to their other teams momentum.
12:00
Like, I love that you know that part of it.
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When you're in that position, are you super fiery with the
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grind of minor leagues? Like can't really see your pitch
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a lot. Occasionally I can see a
12:12
highlight, but those are usually cut pretty tight.
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Are you, are you like a yeller screamer or you just like all
12:19
business when you're out there? I'm pretty much all business.
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I'm a guy that like I have to like down regulate.
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Like when my name gets called, my heart starts pumping, bloods
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flowing. Like I get so amped up that I
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have to, I do this breathing routine where I have to calm
12:34
myself down and get the heart rate down again and like really
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settle. But yeah, I feel like I could
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be, I could be that yeller screamer, but I definitely have
12:42
to down regulate myself. It's like, I'll quote Coach
12:45
Willis again. He told us there's not many
12:47
things in the world that's going to put butterflies in your
12:50
stomach like stepping on the mound or stepping on the
12:53
baseball field will, other than like having kids or marrying
12:57
your wife, like it's not many things are going to put
13:00
butterflies in your stomach to like appreciate them.
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And dude, I think about that every time because I get my name
13:05
called to go out there and just my stomach is turning.
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I'm not there trying not to show it, whatever.
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So I'm a guy who has to calm myself down versus Ant myself
13:15
up. So even now, do you feel like
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every time you step on the mound kind of feels like the first
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time, like you still have those jitters?
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Yeah, absolutely. It feels like the first time.
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And then after being through everything I've been through,
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you never know if it's the last time.
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When I first went down in 2022, I didn't know if I would step on
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the field again. And that had haunted me for a
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long time, you know, thinking about that and having that in
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the back of your head because with surgeries and the setbacks,
13:44
like I said and everything, you just, you just never know.
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So going out there now, I appreciate every pitch, every
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second I'm up there. I, I really, I really cherish it
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a lot more than I used to, for sure.
13:55
Well, before we dive too deep on the injury side, I kind of want
13:59
to finish out this draft talk. You signing, you getting into
14:04
pro ball at the time, did you even know how hard you were
14:08
throwing? I know you said you were kind of
14:10
limited on resources. I think back to 2019, shoot, if
14:14
someone had a radar gun, they had a lot of technology at that
14:17
point. But like, did you even know or
14:18
were like, were you just kind of going to these workouts blind
14:21
and like somebody's telling you like, oh dude, that was 93 or
14:24
something like that? Yeah, yeah.
14:27
I've never wanted to really, like, pay attention to that
14:29
stuff. I remember going into my junior
14:32
year season at LSUAI remember going into it, coming back after
14:36
the Christmas break, whatever, And we had an inner squad game
14:39
and I was normally 919293. So we had an inner squad game.
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I threw and I get off the mound and my teammate goes, bro, do
14:47
you know how hard you were throwing?
14:49
I was like 2 to three, you know, like normal.
14:52
He goes, no, bro, he's like, you hit a 7 today.
14:55
Whoa. And I was like, really?
14:57
And so it it, it kind of just came out of nowhere.
15:00
I haven't been there back there since surgery, but definitely on
15:03
the way though. But yeah, it just kind of
15:05
happened. I don't know where.
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And like I said, I was never want to pay attention to any of
15:09
that. And I was just more results
15:11
based. But yeah, it was, it was nuts,
15:13
man. So then what was it like when
15:15
you ultimately got the call from the Mets?
15:18
Oh, dude, IA lot like this dude. Like I just I didn't know what
15:24
to think, bro. I was shocked because I was
15:27
watching my phone, watching the rounds go by, you know, and I'm
15:31
like, all right, it's it's not happening, it's not happening,
15:34
it's not happening, you know, and then 40th round thousand
15:38
pick 1190 Brian McGuire and I was like, man, no way.
15:45
And I was grateful for the the opportunity I'd have went for a
15:49
dollar, but even to get a little bit of money was was shocking to
15:53
me. And I couldn't have been more
15:54
grateful. I still am, dude.
15:55
I think about that all the time, dog like little old me from
15:57
Natchitoches, LA, how I think how sometimes because even me
16:02
like I can't just put an understanding to how everything
16:06
unfolded, but it did so. I don't know if this is
16:09
something that you've ever wrestled with mentally, but is
16:12
it funky now to think back if the 2019 draft existed today?
16:19
You're yeah, 20 rounds gone at that point.
16:21
I mean, I wouldn't be here, dude.
16:23
Yeah, I, I, I, yeah, I wouldn't have got a shot.
16:27
It's nuts to think about how, like, how good the timing was of
16:31
it. It was just, it's like it was
16:32
supposed to happen. Like I said, like, no, I
16:34
couldn't even mess it up. No, not to have messed it up.
16:37
Like it was supposed to happen. Thankful, man.
16:40
Blessed. Who knows, There'd be a
16:42
completely different path. I'm sure you'd still be doing
16:45
incredible things, but just to think the difference a year
16:48
makes, next year's A5 round draft, and I think they went to
16:52
10 and then 20 after that. So just really insane stuff.
16:56
All right, so you get picked by the Mets.
16:58
What happens from there? Do you get sent down to Port
17:01
Saint Lucie? At the time there was the
17:02
Kingsport affiliate or did you go straight to Brooklyn?
17:06
I went down to Port Saint Lucie for a few weeks and then I did
17:11
get sent down to sent up to Kingsport, TN and that's where I
17:16
got my like true first taste of pro ball.
17:19
I did throw a couple innings in the Florida State League.
17:24
But yeah, going up to Kingsport, I got my first true taste of
17:27
like pro ball and what it was like.
17:28
And, and then the competition was, it was, I thought LSUA was
17:34
a grind, bro. Kingsport was a grind dog.
17:37
And when I got there, I was like, you know what?
17:38
I was prepared for this. I've never had like all the
17:42
fancy gidgets and gadgets and resources and stuff.
17:44
So like, I was, I felt comfortable.
17:46
I was right at home, you know. Heck, you probably had an edge
17:50
over a bunch of dudes when you're pulling up there and
17:52
you're like this is nice and you're you're probably with
17:55
dudes that went in the 1st 4 rounds that were at ACC schools
17:59
that are like what is this shit hole?
18:01
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
18:03
Man's crash, another man's treasury man.
18:06
That was exactly what I was thinking.
18:08
And did you finish out that rookie season in Kingsport, or
18:12
did you have any other moves from there?
18:14
Yeah, I finished that year in in Kingsport, Yeah.
18:17
OK, so then going into the first pro offseason, where's the head
18:21
at? Like where were you at coming
18:24
off the year? Were you feeling good?
18:25
How was the intro to pro ball? And then what was then the goal
18:29
from there? Like what was your plan that
18:31
first offseason? Being a 40th rounder, I knew how
18:34
disposable I was, so I knew that I was going to have to show
18:38
something, prove myself and flash some good stuff.
18:41
So going into that offseason was just pretty much put on a few
18:45
pounds, get stronger. Other than that was just
18:48
compete, compete knowing that I'm not going to have as many
18:52
opportunities as maybe the guys next to me.
18:55
I have less room for error. There's less mistakes that I can
18:59
make and get away with. That was when I developed or
19:02
adopted the mindset of like perfection, just chasing
19:05
perfection, you know, and, and, and not settling for anything
19:08
less. You know what I mean?
19:09
I could go out, put up a 0, but if I walk somebody, I was
19:14
pissed. I could go put up a 0, but if I
19:16
gave up two hits, I was pissed. I just wanted perfection and I
19:20
think that, I mean, obviously you're not going to get
19:25
perfection or be perfect all the time, but to be as close to it
19:29
as I could was my main goal. Did that wear on you?
19:33
I know we're jumping ahead a little bit, but that did that
19:36
wear on you over time? Just trying to be perfect in
19:39
such an imperfect game. Yeah, yeah, it definitely
19:42
stressed me out a little bit sometimes, especially if you had
19:46
like a couple of rough outings in a row that kind of strung
19:49
together. But yeah, it did.
19:51
But I think it helped me also, you know, to just not settle
19:55
ever. Anything not settle for less
19:58
than what I accepted. Right, Yeah, I know there's a
20:02
fine line there because if you're chasing perfection,
20:05
obviously there's no way you can ever become complacent.
20:08
So you're you're overcoming complacency, but then you're
20:12
fighting the potential demons of, well, what I do is never
20:16
good enough. So then it becomes hard to
20:18
celebrate the successes along the way.
20:20
I was just curious how you wrestled with all of it.
20:22
Yeah, I know. Yeah, definitely pat myself on
20:24
the back, you know, give myself props and tell myself that I'm
20:27
proud of myself. But I wouldn't ponder on it for
20:31
too long. Yeah.
20:33
Yeah. So that first offseason, then
20:36
you're smacked with COVID. So after, after one year, you're
20:42
already shoot, you're you're dealing with obstacles that you
20:45
probably could have never fathomed gets cut as an
20:49
affiliate. So then the Mets have mass
20:52
player layoffs. I remember I, I know a guy that
20:55
was one of your teammates, Corey Jaconi.
20:57
Corey was training with us at the time and getting ready for
21:01
his second year, had an awesome rookie year.
21:03
I mean, he went up to Brooklyn and won the championship that
21:07
that first year and pitched in the championship series in
21:10
Brooklyn. And then a few short months
21:13
later he's getting released. I mean, what?
21:16
What was that like for you, knowing that the pink slip could
21:20
have come and it would have been completely out of your control?
21:24
Yeah, I'll be. I thought I was gone, dude.
21:27
I thought I was out of there. I didn't think I was going to be
21:30
around after that, but I was and it was, it sucked, like you
21:34
said, because guys got banged and for something that was just
21:37
completely out of their control and that was a tough year to see
21:44
guys lose their opportunity over COVID.
21:47
It was, it was tough, man. It was, wasn't wasn't great.
21:51
2020 is on the shelf for you entirely.
21:54
Are you down in Nakatish? Where?
21:56
Where are you at to train and just try to save this game?
22:00
Yeah, I was down in Nakatish. I did go a little while without
22:04
picking up a ball. I did like workout and stuff,
22:06
but they go a little bit without, without throwing.
22:09
Got back into it that summer. It was, it was hard because you
22:13
didn't, you didn't know like when or if you were going back,
22:17
how ready you had to be, how much time you would have.
22:20
COVID was a different animal, man.
22:22
It was, it was hard to navigate. We did end up going to an
22:25
instructor at October. So we did have some time around
22:28
coaches and and players and stuff like that to still be
22:31
around the game and everything. But yeah, it was it was a tough
22:35
year to here and just not knowing a bunch of what ifs.
22:39
But hey, you, you made it. I know it's hard to look to your
22:42
left and right and see guys that you form friendships with just a
22:47
short year ago no longer be there next to you at that next
22:50
spring training. But when you ultimately arrive
22:53
at spring training 2021, how are you feeling?
22:57
What's the mindset? Are you confident?
22:59
And I guess that year, were you assigned to Brooklyn then at
23:03
that point in 21? That year was a lot like the
23:07
draft year in 2019. Just I knew that there was
23:12
minimal mistakes that I could make.
23:14
I knew that it was go time. This is the time to really just
23:18
take off and just go off and go berserk and really struggle and
23:22
put up some good numbers and, and really show you what you can
23:25
do and all while keeping fun into the game. 2021 was the best
23:28
year I had in pro ball. It was amazing.
23:31
Put up some good stuff. It was insane.
23:35
Actually. It was nuts.
23:37
It was nuts. It was a long year, though.
23:39
Very long year. Yeah, the most ball you've ever
23:41
played, I'm sure. Doing a full professional
23:44
baseball season for the first time.
23:46
Yeah, then I went on to play in the fall League that October,
23:50
November. Yeah, I didn't even know that
23:52
you. So you played in the Arizona
23:53
Fall League. Yeah.
23:55
Yeah. I mean, that point you had to be
23:56
thinking like, oh, I belong because I mean, that's where
23:59
that's where the prospects go. Yeah, yeah, it was, it was that
24:02
was a fun experience. That was nuts.
24:05
And to see how my stuff played against like higher level
24:08
competition was amazing too. Felt like I could breathe, you
24:14
know, trying to prove myself, prove myself.
24:16
And then went there, put up some flash, some good stuff.
24:19
And like he was like a like a deep breath.
24:21
It was nice. Was that the first time that you
24:24
thought to yourself, all right, I'm not getting released?
24:28
No, no. That was the first time that I
24:31
was like, OK, I, I know I can pitch at the highest level, you
24:35
know, not just low a high a AA, like I know I can pitch at the
24:39
highest level and have success. So that was the like the first
24:43
time that like real confidence kind of set in.
24:45
The real like positive aha moment.
24:48
Yeah, way better to be in that mindset than to be thinking
24:51
about the negatives like I brought up.
24:53
So good on you for that. 2021 for for the most part, like I I
24:58
know it was a grind for you, but I mean, it was a breeze.
25:01
It was walking the park. I mean, at that point, like
25:05
there is not like major adversity.
25:07
You haven't faced the injury bug.
25:09
When did that pop up for you in 22?
25:11
Or were there inklings of it in the offseason?
25:15
No Went through the offseason clean and strong and healthy and
25:20
then spring training come around, same thing.
25:22
Felt good. I think it was like the first
25:24
week at the camp broke in 22. We were playing in like 2030°
25:30
weather dude. It was cold, raining, wet.
25:33
It sucked. Conditions sucked.
25:35
What affiliate were you at? I was in Binghamton and I had
25:39
never played anything that cold before.
25:41
Dude from the Deep South. Like I'm used to the heat.
25:44
And then if it's if it's in the 50s, I'm cold.
25:48
Like, you know, they're playing in 30° weather and it's raining
25:52
wet dude. So playing in the cold was
25:54
definitely a big shift for me. But yeah, there's a couple weeks
25:59
in, I noticed that my my V low starting to drop a little bit.
26:04
You know, it's cool, whatever, it's cold, you know, whatever.
26:07
Then it starts to drop a little more and a little more and then
26:11
the pain starts setting in. And then eventually it's like,
26:16
hey, I can't straighten my arm out.
26:18
Like I'm pretty sure this isn't normal.
26:20
That's when the the bad thoughts started to creep in and kind of
26:24
take over the brain after, you know, like I said, I was so
26:27
confident and in a good positive place.
26:30
And then that's when the bad thought I left the bad thoughts
26:34
in. The 180° turn, that's so brutal
26:37
coming off the high of 21 today, right at the start of 2022.
26:43
You're in AA, you're climbing. You know, you're thinking like
26:47
the world's my oyster, right? Like I got to seize this.
26:49
Like I'm on the rise. Yeah, I was thinking, this is
26:52
the year, this is the, this is the year we do it.
26:55
And then, you know, baseball happened, right?
26:58
It happens. Now let's get into the injury
27:02
story. I I recognize how hard that is,
27:07
like kind of riding that high to them being slapped in the face.
27:11
But you, you obviously had this slow progression of injury.
27:15
It wasn't like some people say, like they threw the pitch and
27:18
explosion right there for you is like this slow creep that you
27:24
had to deal with. And I'm sure to an extent that
27:26
might be harder because every time you pick up a ball, you're
27:30
you're beginning to question what's actually happening.
27:32
Right. Yeah, it was, it was nuts, man.
27:35
Like you said, it was gradual. I never felt, I never had the
27:38
the blowout moments where I was like, oh, I felt it pop on that
27:42
pitch or I felt it go on this pitch, You know, I never had
27:45
that. It was kind of a gradual thing.
27:48
Like I said my below is dropping and my control was I did not
27:53
know where the ball was going. Just non existent.
27:56
Just non existent. I had 0 control over the ball.
27:58
I remember talking to one of the trainers and I was like, I think
28:03
I need to get an MRI. They're like, you think so?
28:06
I was like, yeah, I'd I'd sleep a whole lot better if just
28:09
knowing. And so went to the local
28:13
hospital, got an MRI. And the crazy thing is they were
28:16
like, yeah, man, like UCL is good.
28:19
Not even a grade one. Like you're fully intact.
28:23
And I was like, really, You know, that shocked me because I
28:26
was like, there's no way in the back of my head I know something
28:29
was wrong. I was kind of denying it.
28:30
But like, I, I kind of knew at the same time tried to PRP it,
28:34
ended up going to HSS, getting a second opinion.
28:37
They did see a small tear. So we tried to PRP it and just
28:42
didn't work, man, which they told me like PRPS are 5050, you
28:46
know, they work for some folks they don't.
28:47
I was just trying to do everything to avoid surgery at
28:50
that point. But then ultimately you had to
28:53
bite the bullet and. Get the.
28:55
Operation. So how much later from the
28:59
instance of injury or from the instance of asking for the MRI,
29:03
did you end up having to get the surgery?
29:05
That happened in May. I got the MRI in May that year.
29:09
I didn't have surgery till August, so it was a while.
29:13
We tried everything, but just avoid surgery.
29:16
Didn't work, Didn't work at all. Looking back, sometimes I wish I
29:20
would have just went ahead and done it instead of wasting, you
29:23
know, five months, six months or whatever.
29:26
But but yeah, I had surgery that August and that was surgery #1.
29:33
Right, TJ number one at that point, was it, was it TJ?
29:37
Was it UCL repair? Yeah, it was the full
29:40
reconstruction. OK, All right, full.
29:43
Recon were you even informed of what the official like ligament
29:47
tear was like what degree what the quality of the ligament was
29:52
or is just like, Nah, we we can't get right, we got to get
29:54
surgery. Yeah, I didn't really know the
29:56
extent of the tear. I do know after, after the first
29:59
surgery, talking with the docs, they were like, yeah, man, you
30:02
were there. Like you were, you were pretty
30:03
banged up in there. Like they said, it didn't look
30:06
good. Like they're like, you
30:07
definitely needed it. Like it wasn't anything you
30:09
probably could have avoided. That made me feel a little
30:12
better actually, knowing that it wasn't just for nothing I guess.
30:18
Yeah, if you're if you're going to feel hurt, it's weird, but
30:23
it's like probably better to find out that you actually are
30:26
hurt. That would be tough to deal
30:28
with. Like there's no way I'm the soft
30:30
like this. Like if, if this if there's
30:34
nothing wrong here. Like this is bad.
30:36
Like I got to get right somehow. Yeah, yeah, that's that was my
30:40
first thought, like, OK, especially when they told me
30:42
that it wasn't torn. I was like, OK, then I don't
30:46
know what's going like you're thinking like, I don't know,
30:48
dude. The wheels returning, it was it
30:50
wasn't good. Great.
30:51
And then I'm sure you're questioning every single thing
30:53
you do, like how you sleep, how you eat, what your mechanics.
30:56
Are like the weight room stuff like, OK, well it's got to be in
31:00
the weight room, like something I'm doing or not doing enough of
31:03
or this or that. And dude, it was, I was
31:06
stressing myself out bad trying to think about what it could be,
31:10
you know? Yeah, well.
31:11
You got the confirmation. I mean, unfortunately was the
31:14
surgery, but you got the confirmation.
31:17
And then I know rehab certainly wasn't the easiest thing because
31:25
I mean, I definitely want you to get through the progression of
31:28
this first rehab. But I'll kind of, I guess
31:34
unveiled the the breaking news here.
31:37
The rehab didn't go so hot and you had to get surgery again.
31:41
So yeah, I had the first TJ in August and you going into it, I
31:45
didn't know what to expect. You know, it's my first surgery
31:48
ever. I didn't know what it was going
31:51
to be like. And so, you know, I'm asking
31:52
questions, talking to all my teammates who've had it before
31:55
and everything, getting their advice and they're like, hey,
31:57
bro. And the answer I kept getting
31:59
was it's not fun. It's going to suck.
32:02
Like it's terrible. You're going to wake up some
32:04
days you're going to feel bad, like you're not going to feel
32:07
good. It's going to be a while before
32:09
you, you know, get some good momentum going.
32:11
And so I understood, understood that part.
32:14
The first few months were were, I don't want to say easy,
32:18
easier. It was just kind of working on
32:20
getting range of motion back, stuff like that, you know,
32:23
strengthening the small muscles. And so that part wasn't wasn't
32:26
bad. It was when I started to throw
32:30
was when I knew something was wrong.
32:32
So I started with the plyo ball routine for a few weeks before
32:37
picking up a actual baseball and going into that they were like,
32:40
hey, man, like it's probably going to hurt.
32:43
Like it's not going to feel good.
32:44
You might break up some scar tissue or something like so, you
32:48
know, a couple weeks supply of went OK like I was I would get
32:51
really sore. It would feel like I threw 100
32:54
pitches, dude. But anyway, you know, power
32:56
through it got got got through it got to the throwing stage.
32:59
I'm at 60 feet, 60 feet was OK, like just lobbing the baseball.
33:04
Nothing really crazy there. Got out to 75 feet was when I
33:08
started to really notice something I would throw and just
33:12
didn't feel good for lack of a better word.
33:15
It just hurt. Like it really just hurt.
33:17
You know, I would communicate that to the PT use and
33:20
everything. And I would say like, hey, man,
33:23
this doesn't feel good. And they're like, yeah, you
33:25
know, like you're going to experience some pain throughout
33:28
the process. Like it's a painful process.
33:30
You know, it's normal. Kept going, kept going.
33:33
Get out to 90. No, did I get out tonight?
33:35
I don't think I made it out to 90 feet.
33:37
And they got through for a couple weeks after that.
33:40
And and that was when I kind of was like, hey, I know for a fact
33:45
that I'm not supposed to be feeling like this, that this
33:48
isn't normal. They thought it was the nerve
33:52
that was causing all the pain. Cause just had surgery, right?
33:55
They're like, there's no way it's the UCL.
33:57
Yeah, it's got to be the nerve or something else.
33:59
So, yeah, I wish it was the nerve, but yeah, man.
34:05
Yeah, that was that was that was thinking back on it's.
34:08
Just. That was just oh bro.
34:11
All the work you did to get to that point for it to come
34:15
crashing down. For it to come crashing down,
34:18
dude, yeah. And then so went into HSS and
34:23
we, we were going to schedule a nerve transposition surgery,
34:26
whatever. So, you know, I'm in there with
34:28
the doctor going through like the pre op meeting and stuff.
34:31
And he asked the question that I knew he's going to ask, but, you
34:36
know, hoping to avoid it, but guess you couldn't really.
34:39
He's like, hey, man, if I go in there and worst case scenario,
34:44
if it's worse than we think, do I have permission to, you know,
34:47
fix it? You know, I was like, absolutely
34:50
like, I want to come out of this healthy.
34:52
And, you know, and so we like, they prep my leg and everything
34:56
cuz that's where, if they needed to, where the ligament was going
34:58
to come from. I went in there thinking, you
35:01
know, really just not knowing what was going to happen, hoping
35:03
and praying for just like move the nerve, get out of there and
35:06
be all good. And then I woke up from surgery
35:10
that immediately looked down at my leg to see, you know, and I
35:13
saw that my leg was all wrapped up and I, I kind of knew at that
35:17
point, like I just hit the reset button on DJ and I was, that was
35:24
tough, man. That was tough.
35:26
And that was what, like 5:00-ish, maybe six months into
35:31
rehab? That was March, March 9th of
35:34
that had surgery, that first one, that August, that March 9th
35:38
of the next year I had it again. That was one of the hardest
35:41
things I had to go through, man. Like in life period, you know,
35:44
not just baseball. That was that was hard, dude.
35:46
That was hard. Right.
35:48
You begin questioning everything, I'm sure, because
35:51
you're not just questioning your career at that point.
35:53
You're questioning what even means anything to me.
35:57
Like what am I doing? What's my purpose?
35:59
I, I get it, Like I, I mean my experience, I'm not going to try
36:04
to compare it to yours by anything by any means, but
36:06
shoulder surgery retair, PRP, retair, PRP retair.
36:12
Like I begin questioning my own identity, let alone my life as a
36:17
player. Like this happened to me in
36:18
college, not in pro ball, but I I feel like I can at least
36:23
empathize with the situation that you're going through.
36:27
And then, you know, the worst part of it was, you know, it's
36:29
just nothing that I could have done to prevent it.
36:33
I won't say his name, but the doctor did the first surgery.
36:36
He didn't do a good job. And I wasn't the only one.
36:41
He messed up. It was about 7 or 8 other
36:45
players also. It was, it was just a tough
36:47
situation, you know, cuz like I said, it was, it was inevitable
36:51
for us to have it again. It was tough, dude.
36:55
It was tough. He was spoken so highly of.
36:58
Yeah. And then we trusted this guy,
37:00
put our careers in his hands. And then for that to happen, it
37:03
was, it was tough. It was a hard pill to swallow
37:05
for sure. And to have to hit the reset
37:07
button, dude, after putting in all that work was tough.
37:11
It was tough, especially because, you know, have surgery.
37:14
Then you set a, you set a end goal date, right?
37:17
Look forward to getting to that date, that one year mark.
37:20
Hitting the reset button was tough.
37:22
It was tough. Maybe we'll step away from some
37:24
of the emotion just for a minute and talk about about someone who
37:28
I know was a key player in this process for you, and that's
37:32
Carrie Lampkin. But this will be just like a
37:34
brief break maybe from the the emotional toil of the
37:37
conversation to talk about a guy who I know helped you a ton in
37:41
the process. When were you introduced to
37:44
Carrie? Was that during this first rehab
37:46
or is that during the 2nd? And then I just love for you to
37:50
kind of talk about your relationship with him and.
37:52
Kind of what he's So I met Mr. Carrie when I was at LSUA.
37:58
OK, Yeah, he, he had unlocked training performance and that
38:04
came down to the school to do like some force plate testing,
38:07
stuff like that with the players.
38:09
And that's where I first met him.
38:10
We hit it off right off the bat, you know, good dude.
38:13
Like, man, that's such a good guy, bro.
38:15
He'll he'll he'll do anything for you.
38:18
So when I got drafted, he knew that I was going to need place
38:21
to train and place to go. So he opened that door for me.
38:26
And he's been a huge, huge blessing and in my life and my
38:30
baseball career. And he's been in my corner since
38:33
day one. Like I'm forever indebted to
38:36
him. He's the man.
38:38
He is the man. He cares so much, dude.
38:41
And and you know, it's hard to find people like that.
38:43
He's a big blessing for sure. What was he?
38:45
Saying in the rehab, the first rehab, did you have any time
38:50
with him during that first TJ or were you just in Port Saint
38:54
Lucie for the entirety of it? No.
38:56
So I guess I had surgery that August after I got my stitches
39:00
out. I think it was like late
39:02
September, October, you know, I got to go home and I spent some
39:05
time down in Lafayette. I was going like 3 * a week into
39:09
the clinic, but so it was very early on in the after in the
39:14
rehab process. So like I wasn't throwing, I
39:16
wasn't doing much. It was more just like I said,
39:18
getting like range of motion back and stuff like that.
39:21
So I was very strength. Training.
39:23
The real, like, pain symptoms weren't really there yet because
39:26
I wasn't like physically throwing a ball.
39:28
So. But yeah, he was, he was.
39:29
He was a big help. He was.
39:31
He's the man who he's the man. The second one, he helped a
39:34
whole lot. I got to spend more time there
39:37
and actually like throwing and stuff like that during that
39:40
second one versus the first one, Yeah.
39:42
I know we wouldn't be talking today if it wasn't for Kerry.
39:45
I mean, that was our connection because I know he he was
39:49
interested early on in what we were doing with Flex Pro and he
39:53
had been telling us about you, the story that you have and just
39:57
the fight that you were on. And we were like, yeah, man,
40:00
let's go. We got this.
40:01
So I I know he's been great. He's been awesome to work with
40:04
from our side, but you obviously have a completely different
40:07
relationship with him than we do.
40:09
So I just knew that man needed a shout out and needed some love
40:12
on the. Podcast man.
40:13
Absolutely, Absolutely. Mr. Curry's the man.
40:16
Yeah. So you get the second surgery.
40:19
Sorry sorry to go back to this but I.
40:23
Guess that's. I guess that's what we have to
40:25
do, right? You volunteered your services
40:27
today, so we got to do it. But you get the second surgery.
40:31
Obviously life kind of slapped you in the face again.
40:34
It, it was the bad news that you didn't expect or maybe you had
40:40
it in the back of your mind or something like that.
40:42
But you look down, you see your leg from there.
40:46
Do you just go home? Do you go back to Louisiana and
40:48
just kind of like take some time to figure things out or, or your
40:52
head out at that point? Yeah, I told them for my sanity
40:56
I need to go home and be around family and and be in a good
41:00
place. I need to get out of Saint
41:01
Lucie. But yeah, dude, after that I
41:03
went to a dark place. I went to a very lonely dark
41:07
place to and it was, it was hard to navigate that and, and be
41:12
positive. I didn't went to like I didn't
41:15
talk to people for a while. I was just being a loner.
41:18
I didn't want to see anyone. I just wanted to be alone, you
41:21
know, And and it was it was hard, dude.
41:23
It was hard to navigate. Yeah.
41:25
It was hard to to to have the motivation to want to keep
41:29
going. It was it was tough.
41:31
How'd you find it? Man, really just knowing that
41:35
like there's people out there that has it way worse and like
41:40
people would the people would have killed from my situation
41:43
and I had teammates that I was rehabbing alongside of that had
41:47
it worse than I did. They were going through way
41:51
worse situations than me. And to see them like go about
41:55
their business and keep their head up and, and not complain
41:59
and, and just put in the work. That's what really kept me
42:01
going. Because if a guy next to me,
42:03
he's got it worse than me, he's not complaining, he's not
42:06
quitting, he's not hanging his head, then it would be
42:09
disrespectful for me to do that. Initially, it sounds like the
42:14
will to get back on the horse was even more extrinsic rather
42:18
than an intrinsic. It took you seeing the drive
42:22
from others for you to convince yourself that you could do it.
42:26
Right. Yeah, yeah, 'cause there's a
42:28
time. Yeah, there was, there was a
42:30
point where I like I had been. So I've been away from the game
42:33
for so long that I didn't even know if I still loved it.
42:36
I didn't know if this is something that I still wanted to
42:38
do. There was a point where I was
42:40
like, hey, babe, let's have the goal be just to be a regular
42:43
human being, to be able to play catch with your kids in the yard
42:47
one day, to be able to just do normal everyday stuff again.
42:51
Like not even just think about baseball.
42:53
Like let's have that be the goal for right now.
42:55
And eventually, and that was, you know, that was just the goal
42:58
to just be normal, to be able to brush my teeth with my right
43:00
hand again, reel and go fishing, dude.
43:04
Like, you know, do normal stuff. That helped ease the pressure a
43:08
little bit and then eventually along the way I did find that
43:12
love for the game again and, and that fire and that passion
43:15
because you know, like a competitor is a competitor, man.
43:17
Like it's hard to bring take that away from a person.
43:20
Was there a moment that you found that drive again, or was
43:23
it just the slow exposure of like, hey, I can brush my teeth,
43:29
that's awesome, What's next? Right.
43:31
Yeah, I can cut. I can cut a steak.
43:34
Like what's next? Right.
43:36
Yeah, that's exactly how it happened.
43:37
You know, it was definitely small baby steps and
43:41
appreciating those small things like, oh dude, like I get to
43:45
take the brace off today, I can go fishing.
43:47
I remember the first day they told me I could go fishing.
43:51
Dude it was the one of the best days.
43:53
How long were you out? There all day, literally all
43:56
day. It was an off day and I was
43:58
there from probably sun up to sundown, but it was awesome.
44:01
And like you said, like after that it was like, OK, what's
44:03
next? Like then it's it's like
44:06
throwing a ball and then it's 90 feet and then it's 100 feet and
44:10
then eventually it's OK. I'm looking forward to that
44:13
first bullpen mat, like first session, mound session after
44:17
that, dude, it just came pouring back.
44:19
I started to love where I was at, love what I was doing.
44:22
And that passion came back very quickly.
44:25
And I quickly realized that, you know what, I still love this.
44:27
I still like doing this and still who I am.
44:30
You know, it's like you said earlier, you question like your
44:33
identity and who you are and, and stuff like that.
44:37
Especially going through all that tough stuff and to be able
44:39
to find that again was crazy. It was awesome.
44:42
It was awesome. But I even know from here it
44:44
wasn't all sunshine and rainbows on the second rehab.
44:48
Like, you know, you got to a good place and you had a hiccup
44:51
and then you're rebounding. You have another hiccup.
44:54
Can you take us through some of those hiccups?
44:57
Like, did you get back to the point of like, Oh yeah, I like
45:00
we're dialed, I got this and then obstacle.
45:03
Yep, that's exactly right. Yeah.
45:05
I would feel good for a while and then I would have like my
45:09
nerve would flare up or like my pulmonary would flare up.
45:12
And then so I would get to a point where I'm feeling good and
45:15
I'll get shut down from throwing for a week or two.
45:18
And then at some point where it was longer, it was like 5 weeks,
45:21
6 weeks. And so I had hiccup after
45:24
hiccup, set back after set back. And like I said, you had that
45:28
end date, that goal set to work the day you want to be back.
45:32
And that just kept getting pushed back and push back and
45:34
push back. My goal was to have some innings
45:38
in that 2024 season because I was my free agent year.
45:42
I was like, man, I got to flash some stuff.
45:43
Like, I got to show them that I can still play at the level I
45:47
was or it better, you know, like, I have to show that I'm
45:50
still that same guy. And so that window of
45:52
opportunity to get back in games, we're getting shorter,
45:55
shorter and shorter to eventually it wasn't there.
45:58
They were like, hey, man, like, you're not going to be able to
46:00
throw in games this year. Sorry.
46:01
We're not going to push you just to show up in the game.
46:04
And then something happened. Our goal is to get you healthy.
46:06
And I understood it. And it was just, like I said, it
46:09
was hard. But yeah, power of not giving
46:11
up. Dude is so powerful that I
46:15
really don't think a lot of people understand that how
46:19
powerful it is. But yeah, it's it's it's more
46:22
powerful than we can fathom do the power of not giving up is
46:25
immense to. And then what do you credit?
46:28
Is it just like whoever decided to give you a chance being a
46:33
good person, but getting that next year?
46:36
Because like you said, 2024 was your free agent year and you got
46:40
signed for another year. You're you're getting to show
46:43
who you are this year, which is awesome.
46:45
How do you think that even came about?
46:48
Dude, I have no idea. Just being a good person, like
46:52
do you, do you like credit? Just being a good person and
46:55
showing your integrity and character through rehab.
46:59
Yeah, showing how I, you know, dealt with the whole thing.
47:02
That and the good Lord, man, just bless.
47:05
I mean it's some things I I can't explain and I feel like
47:08
it's all right to not know the answers to everything sometimes.
47:11
I I'm sure there was probably this feeling of surprise in the
47:17
best way when you got the when you got the extension.
47:22
Yeah, I would have to think like, I mean, I don't want to
47:25
put thoughts in your head, but I would have to think you weren't
47:29
expecting to get 2025 to show who you were.
47:33
Yes and no. Yes, I always believed that I
47:36
was going to get the opportunity, but I, I would have
47:39
understood if I didn't. You know, it wasn't going to
47:43
like, it wasn't going to like make or break me.
47:45
But yeah, I was, I was, I was content with whatever happened,
47:48
whether I got resigned or whether I didn't.
47:51
I was, I was good with it because I was, I was proud of
47:54
myself for just making it out of rehab.
47:56
Remember that the day I got fully cleared off the IO, dude,
48:01
I cried like a baby. I was so proud of myself for
48:05
sticking it through and making it to the end.
48:08
No matter what happened, sorry to interrupt.
48:09
That was October 26th, I believe of 2024.
48:15
I think that was the day I officially got cleared as fully
48:18
healthy and and the tears were flowing through flowing.
48:22
Man, I was so proud of myself because it was a lot to go
48:25
through a lot. I was just proud to part of
48:29
myself sticking through it and not giving up.
48:30
Man, after that day, I was like, you know what?
48:33
I'm I'm good with whatever happens.
48:35
And then you finally got to go to camp as a healthy Brian
48:39
Metwire. Yep, Yep.
48:42
It was night and day, dude. I was smiling every day.
48:46
You know, it was, it was nuts. It was.
48:49
And how much fun were you having doing PF, PS and like?
48:53
Doing most fun. Little things that most people
48:56
hate. I used to dread PF PS I used to
48:58
hate PF PS I used to hate like shagging for BP Yeah dude, I
49:04
used to not like all that, but now they're like, I appreciate
49:07
all of it. Like I said, 'cause you never
49:09
know if it's the last time or is the small things matter so much
49:13
more now it's. The grass smells different.
49:16
The grass. Smells different, the food
49:18
tastes different, like it's just no place I'd rather be bro is
49:22
there? They're like a weird one.
49:24
Like I know I joke about the grass.
49:26
You said the food. Like is there legitimately one
49:29
that you thought you would never actually enjoy that now when it
49:34
happens you're just like, wow, this is the best stale hotel
49:38
coffee. Oh, probably.
49:40
Like I would say, oh man, that's a tough one.
49:44
That's a good question. Maybe, maybe you'll ponder on it
49:47
now I'll just have to text you in a week or so and we'll we'll
49:50
attach that in there. But yeah, maybe maybe that'll be
49:53
my challenge to you. Just like looking at looking at
49:56
your career. Is there something that you
49:58
never thought you would actually enjoy or something that would
50:01
never make you happy that now it's just like when you see it,
50:05
you smile? Yeah, I'm definitely.
50:07
Yeah, I'm have to get back to you on that one.
50:10
It's a bunch. It's a bunch.
50:12
It's a bunch. I just got to narrow down my
50:14
favorite. For sure.
50:16
Well, I mean, dude, we, we've talked so much about the
50:19
struggles, the past, the things that have kind of shaped who you
50:23
are. I do want to ask one more kind
50:27
of maybe more difficult question and then talk about the exciting
50:30
times that you're going through now.
50:32
So that last kind of more difficult question that you
50:36
maybe have to figure out how to knife your way through.
50:40
Do you feel you were able to find your identity again?
50:43
Not just the joy of loving the game, but do you feel that in
50:47
this process you've really figured out who Brian McGuire
50:51
is? No, I haven't.
50:52
I think I'm still in that process, haven't figured it out
50:55
yet. And I think that's OK.
50:57
I think it's going to be cool when it does finally click.
51:02
But yeah, I think I'm still navigating that part, which is
51:05
OK, but I do think about it everyday and ponder on and about
51:09
who I am and and what I want out of this.
51:13
But right now it's just day-to-day, literally
51:15
appreciating everyday I get to go to the football field.
51:17
But yeah, I'm still thinking about that one.
51:20
Hey, take your time. People live lifetimes trying to
51:23
figure out who they are, but the fact that you are even at a
51:27
point where you can look at that and ponder the question
51:31
positively instead of with a negative connotation, I I think
51:37
just shows the evolution of who you are and how you've been able
51:41
to digest everything that you've been through.
51:44
Absolutely appreciate that man. Yeah, no problem.
51:48
Heck, if you, if you ever want to have those conversations, let
51:50
me know because I I definitely fought through it for a while.
51:53
But thankfully, yeah, thankfully I feel like I came out of
51:57
surgery and all that stuff better than who I was before.
52:02
And I'm absolutely you feel the same.
52:04
Absolutely. I think I learned more in rehab
52:06
then I have my years of playing for sure.
52:10
For sure Learned my body, learned myself.
52:13
Still learning. It was a lot I had learned that
52:16
I wouldn't have learned otherwise without going through
52:18
that. Definitely some good to come out
52:20
of it. A lot of good came out of it,
52:22
actually. There we go.
52:24
That's the tough stuff. Now, the fun and exciting.
52:27
Dude, you're dealing this year. That's pretty cool.
52:30
That's awesome. Awesome bro.
52:34
It's such a good feeling. Yeah, I mean, just talk about
52:38
being on the mound, man. Like, I don't really have too
52:40
much of a question there. It's just like, not only are you
52:44
playing again, knock on wood, you're playing pretty well.
52:47
Yeah, dude, I remember the first time I got on the mound this
52:51
year. First game backs from well, I
52:54
had some spring training games, you know, but this is like my
52:56
first like affiliated ball game. And you're back in Brooklyn,
53:00
right? Back in Brooklyn, we're at,
53:02
well, we're at Aberdeen. OK, but you're with the
53:05
cyclones? With the cyclones, yeah.
53:08
And dude, I was so nervous too. I was so nervous.
53:14
But yeah, I think it was, it wasn't the the cleanest out.
53:17
I think I did give up a run. But it was so fun to get back
53:20
out there and and and play again, slap high fives when you
53:24
walk back in the dugout. And it was just surreal, bro.
53:28
It was surreal because like I didn't think I was going to get
53:30
back there again, you know? And to do it was was amazing.
53:34
And like I said, dude, I like I get butterflies already when I
53:37
get on the mound. That day was so intense.
53:40
I would come set, feel like my legs were shaking.
53:43
I feel like I was. Trying not to block.
53:46
Trying not to block, Dude, it was, it was nuts.
53:50
I was, I was insane. And yeah, this year's been nuts,
53:53
dude. Like it was, it's definitely 10
53:55
times better than I could have dreamed in my head what it was
53:59
going to be. Yeah.
54:01
Just super thankful. Do you have a couple of outings
54:04
right now that kind of stand out to you on the year?
54:07
This is probably going to be a crappy question because the
54:09
simple answer is, yeah, literally every outing feels
54:12
like the best outing I've ever had just because I have this new
54:14
lease on life. But are there are there outings
54:19
that you can recall where it's just like, man, I threw that
54:22
slider and I knew I'm back? Or like I I let that heater RIP
54:26
through backdoor sinker and like, dude, yeah, like I'm back.
54:31
Yeah, there was a few outings, dude, cuz it's like a curveball
54:35
has been my bread and butter, right?
54:37
That's that's been my pitch for forever.
54:40
And early in the year was it wasn't there, you know, it
54:43
wasn't snapping how I wanted to. I couldn't really locate it.
54:47
I can't remember where we were. It might have been a home game
54:49
actually. But dude, I let one RIP and it
54:53
just felt like it felt like center of the club face 350
54:58
yards down the fairway. It felt perfect.
55:01
And then it like clicked that day and I was like, yeah, we're
55:04
back. Like we're back.
55:06
We're here. No one can touch me like I'm the
55:09
best in the world type of thing. Like it was amazing.
55:12
It's a good feeling. I know you're not too much of A
55:14
metric guy, so maybe you cover your ears for this when I share
55:17
it for the audience, but Brian's ripping the Breakers over 3000
55:21
RPMS, guys, so this thing has some serious bite to it.
55:26
Yeah, I don't even know if you know that, but like, that's
55:29
good. Yeah, I get, I get told every
55:31
now and then how much it's spinning.
55:33
Yeah, for the longest I didn't know what was the first time
55:37
someone told me like, dude, you threw that 3000 dude.
55:40
I'm like, is that good? What is that?
55:43
That's a that's a good place to be living Ignorance is bliss can
55:47
be a very peaceful spot to be. Dude, yeah, you know, I'm like,
55:51
bro, is that good? Like, OK, cool, let's keep doing
55:54
it, man. All right.
55:56
So separate from some of the baseball stuff, what are what
55:59
are a few of the things that you've enjoyed now being back at
56:03
affiliate? Yeah, I know it's kind of like
56:04
the question that I asked earlier, but is it as simple as
56:08
just being back in the locker room and like being with the
56:11
guys again? Being with the boys, man,
56:13
there's, there's nothing like it.
56:15
There's nothing like being with the boys, you know, and just the
56:18
camaraderie of everything. You know, like you said, the
56:21
relationships you build and, and being with the team and knowing
56:24
that you're all grinding together like you're not alone
56:26
in it. Everyone's behind you supporting
56:28
you. Everyone knows what you've been
56:29
through. You know, everyone wants to see
56:31
each other do well and it's just amazing, dude.
56:35
Like to have that group of guys in your corner the way they are
56:38
and, and it's nuts. It's awesome.
56:41
Did you know that going to Binghamton was in the cards this
56:44
year? Was that part of the player plan
56:46
when you were going out? Like, hey, like ideally we want
56:49
to get you to AA this year. Or was that a complete surprise
56:53
when you got the promotion? I had no idea.
56:56
I was hoping to start here at the in the beginning of the
56:59
season fair. You know, I didn't
57:01
unfortunately, but got to go to Brooklyn, which is a place, my
57:04
favorite place to play, which is awesome.
57:06
I was for, for lack of a better word, going off in Brooklyn.
57:10
And so I kind of knew it was coming.
57:12
And yeah, that was been my whole goal really since this year, was
57:17
to get back to the bingo, at least where it all stopped, I
57:20
guess not started where it stopped at, you know, getting
57:23
back to that point. For sure, and I know now it's
57:26
hard to look forward when you've now found this incredible place
57:30
where you can just live in the moment and be so thankful for
57:33
every day and enjoy what the game brings you.
57:36
But are there any goals now that you have set for yourselves or
57:41
objectives that you're trying to reach, whether it be for the
57:44
rest of this season or as you look forward in your career?
57:47
Not really, no. No goals.
57:49
Just kind of let the chips fall while they fall and, and and get
57:52
to the show. I mean, get to the show, baby.
57:55
That's it. Do what you can every day to
57:58
make the dream a reality. That's it, that's it.
58:01
Get better. Don't let the bad beat you down
58:03
too much. Know that it's going to happen,
58:06
but handle it how you're supposed to.
58:09
Thank you so much for your time today, Brian.
58:11
I really do appreciate you getting vulnerable sharing your
58:14
story. Hopefully this changes the
58:17
mindset of someone or is able to impact someone is, as you know,
58:22
Tommy John effects so many people.
58:24
That's why we do this. We're just trying to build the
58:26
community and tell people's stories.
58:29
Right, for sure man. Absolutely appreciate you for
58:31
having me though. Of course you're getting to
58:34
talk, bro. That was awesome.
58:36
Of course. Man, it's been a pleasure and I
58:38
look forward to following you the rest of the way.
58:40
Good luck as you finish this season out and holding out hope
58:45
that maybe we can make another jump up.
58:48
Hey all, he's going to happen. Control is what you can control.
58:52
So just keep crushing it every single day, man.
58:55
I'm proud of you. Thanks baby dog, I appreciate
58:57
you my guy. All right.
58:59
And to all the listeners out there, thanks for laying back
59:01
with us.