Latest / Scene Projects Sports Network / Boom Ball Origins, Gameplay Innovations, and Future League Prospects with Michael Coco

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Boom Ball Origins, Gameplay Innovations, and Future League Prospects with Michael Coco · Scene Projects Sports Network

• 0:13
  Welcome into the Scene Project Sports Network.
• 0:16
  I am your host, Starts.
• 0:17
  And with me today from the brand new sports entertainment league, Boomball, my friend
• 0:23
  Michael Coco.
• 0:23
  Michael, welcome to the show.
• 0:25
  Thanks, Bubba.
• 0:26
  Thank you for having me.
• 0:27
  Oh, this is exciting.
• 0:28
  So when we did our discovery call, this wasn't even a thing, but this makes it even better
• 0:33
  knowing that you're got your hands all over this new league.
• 0:37
  We've been talking about it a lot off camera, we're and gonna get into all of that.
• 0:41
  I promise you guys.
• 0:42
  But, first, Michael, I I just want you to kinda give us a little bit of your background in the
• 0:46
  entertainment field, and then we'll bring it all forward to to BoomBall and everything you
• 0:50
  got going on this summer.
• 0:52
  Yeah.
• 0:52
  Absolutely.
• 0:54
  I've spent my entire career in in sports and entertainment.
• 0:58
  I'm a little I'm probably gonna date myself with that, but, I've been doing it for a little
• 1:03
  over twenty years.
• 1:04
  Started in college, actually, with a triple a baseball team at the time called the New
• 1:09
  Orleans Zephyrus.
• 1:10
  They ended up being the baby cakes, doing some marketing, and I kind of made my way into
• 1:17
  special events and really active entertainment and off the wall events for the company called
• 1:23
  Red Frog Events, out in Chicago.
• 1:25
  I did that for probably the bulk of my career.
• 1:28
  Was there almost nine years, and it's funny how things come back.
• 1:33
  Ended up spending a little time with AEG and Danny Wimmer promoting some concerts with them
• 1:38
  as I started Firefly Music Festival with Red Frog, and that got acquired by AEG.
• 1:44
  So I jumped ship and did some other events with them like Buckeye Country Super Fest, MoPop in
• 1:51
  Detroit, and helping out with a couple other projects here and there that popped up.
• 1:56
  And then ended up finding my way to the vendor side of of the space working with Select Event
• 2:01
  Group and MTD most recently, who, Bubba, you and I spoke about prior to on our first intro
• 2:09
  call who I left about a month and a half ago to to join Joe Reynolds, actually, who founded
• 2:15
  RedFrog on a new project called Boomba, which is really fun.
• 2:21
  Similar to Red Frog, yeah, off the wall entertainment baseball property, that, we're
• 2:26
  excited to to bring to fans this summer.
• 2:29
  Yeah.
• 2:29
  I thought we were gonna be talking water and and events and digging into the music side, and
• 2:34
  I I got a quick rebrand of the conversation for the sports network because this is exciting.
• 2:40
  We talk about it weekly, I I feel like, on seven, eight, nine, our Sunday MLB recap show.
• 2:46
  But we talk all things baseball.
• 2:48
  And a topic that often comes up is how is MLB going to survive the next strike or lockout,
• 2:54
  which is kind of inevitable for the league at this point.
• 2:57
  Yeah.
• 2:57
  Right?
• 2:57
  Like, the the they can't seem to figure it out.
• 3:00
  They don't move fast enough to keep up with the technology.
• 3:03
  Right?
• 3:03
  You're just introducing automatic balls and strikes when you probably coulda had it a
• 3:07
  decade ago.
• 3:09
  You're losing and kinda hemorrhaging fan base year over year.
• 3:13
  The game is slow.
• 3:14
  I and and I'm coming from a baseball fan.
• 3:16
  Like, I love it.
• 3:17
  I love going and spending some of my days during the summer going to Wrigley Field.
• 3:22
  Right?
• 3:23
  Like, that's the iconic.
• 3:24
  Some of my best memories of my childhood growing up around Chicago spent there.
• 3:29
  Yeah.
• 3:29
  But younger fans need it now.
• 3:31
  Right?
• 3:32
  The these kids and and I know that BoomBall is heavily targeting the six to 14, you know, the
• 3:37
  young men of this generation to build lifetime fans out of them.
• 3:41
  Yep.
• 3:42
  How do you keep the attention of an eight year old?
• 3:44
  I have kids.
• 3:45
  Right?
• 3:45
  Like, how are you able to take them to a game and to keep them engaged with and it's nothing
• 3:50
  against the tradition of baseball.
• 3:52
  I love it, but it's leaving the door wide open for new fresh ideas.
• 3:58
  And let's face it.
• 4:00
  The there are stadiums out there, baseball stadiums that are underutilized Yeah.
• 4:05
  During the season because these teams travel.
• 4:07
  Right?
• 4:08
  So why not, you know, use that space to bring in an exciting game?
• 4:14
  And it's not baseball.
• 4:16
  Right?
• 4:16
  Like, it's not the same, and especially boom ball.
• 4:18
  And we're gonna get into the nitty gritty of exactly what's going on, which I know is pretty
• 4:22
  fluid right now with this inaugural season, but, it's entertainment.
• 4:27
  It's sports entertainment.
• 4:28
  It's supposed to be fun.
• 4:29
  It's supposed to be a little off the wall, right, and to be different, but it's supposed
• 4:34
  to be fun.
• 4:35
  And I think that's the the key factor in all of this.
• 4:39
  Yeah.
• 4:39
  And you said it, Bubba.
• 4:40
  I mean, it's it's not easy to keep the attention of of the eight year olds out there,
• 4:44
  and I've I've got a few kids myself, so I understand, just as good as as anybody else
• 4:50
  does.
• 4:51
  But we're doing our best to try to to capture the the hearts and minds of those kids.
• 4:56
  And and you mentioned the the the young men, but we're, we're also trying to appeal to the
• 5:01
  the young women out there.
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  One of the unique things that we have going for us is we're we're a coed league, so we've got
• 5:07
  baseball players alongside softball players, playing the same game on the same field, which
• 5:13
  just makes it that much more fun and entertaining.
• 5:15
  And we'll we'll get into the the details of of some ways we incorporate the the softball
• 5:20
  players into the game itself.
• 5:22
  But, yeah, it just it gives it gives the girls out there just as much of an aspiration as the
• 5:27
  boys that, hey.
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  Look.
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  I can I can grow up and become a professional, and maybe that's that's not in a traditional
• 5:34
  overseas softball role?
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  Maybe it's at an entertainment baseball property like Boombal or like some of the
• 5:39
  other, show baseball leagues that are popping up out there.
• 5:43
  But, honestly, what we really try to do is, as you said, we just make it fun and and keep it
• 5:49
  fast paced because, again, it's hard to I think I I read the other day that the average
• 5:55
  attention span of, an American today is eight seconds.
• 6:01
  And funny enough, you compare that to the the attention span of a goldfish.
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  I think it's twelve seconds.
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  So goldfish actually has more attention span than the average American does today.
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  And kids, obviously, are probably half that.
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  They're probably four seconds.
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  So we gotta we gotta keep it fun.
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  We gotta keep it moving and and keep it entertaining.
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  And, one of the main ways we do that is to speed up the game.
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  So our game, the game of boom ball is only six innings as opposed to nine.
• 6:26
  So that the game is a a shorter game in general.
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  There's a two hour time limit on it.
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  So we're no matter how much play is going on, we have time limits on innings to make sure
• 6:37
  that we don't go too long.
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  And then there's also just some fun and entertaining aspects that when you're watching,
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  you never know what's gonna happen.
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  So we talked about it a little bit, but the real premise of it is we call it speed
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  baseball.
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  So as opposed to having the opposing team pitching to the batter, there's still nine
• 6:59
  players on the field, but the pitcher is for is with the same team as the batting team.
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  So there's technically only eight fielders if you look at it that way.
• 7:07
  So the pitcher is trying to throw strikes that the the batter can hit to get the ball into
• 7:13
  play.
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  So there's a lot more offense than you see in a traditional game.
• 7:16
  And then there's also the trick plays and just the the fun loving attitude of the players, and
• 7:23
  you can really feel their energy.
• 7:25
  Like, honestly, it's, we've said it multiple times.
• 7:27
  Like, it's contagious.
• 7:29
  And and you can when you when you get a chance to watch it, you'll see, like, the guys out
• 7:33
  there are just exuding excitement and confidence and fun, and it it it really does
• 7:38
  spread throughout the crowd.
• 7:40
  And it's, it's fun to see for sure.
• 7:42
  It's funny because, last week on our on our show, we were talking about some of the
• 7:48
  unwritten rules, in baseball.
• 7:50
  Right?
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  And and showing up a picture when you hit a home run or you know?
• 7:55
  But but a pitcher can get excited about a strikeout, and there's no consequences.
• 7:59
  Right?
• 7:59
  And this kinda takes that out.
• 8:01
  Showboat that home run.
• 8:02
  Right?
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  Absolutely.
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  You
• 8:03
  know?
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  That's what you're trying to do.
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  And I just I I love what it's gonna bring to the fans.
• 8:09
  And let's face it.
• 8:10
  Right?
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  These leagues are probably never going to take over the Major League Baseball.
• 8:14
  Right?
• 8:14
  It'd be really fun to see it on a major in a Major League stadium, but we're not necessarily
• 8:20
  trying to tear down the institution of the MLB, but we're trying to provide something that
• 8:24
  brings younger people especially
• 8:27
  Yeah.
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  Into the game.
• 8:28
  And maybe that makes them Major League Baseball fans too.
• 8:31
  Right?
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  I think it has an advantage to the league, although they may never admit that outwardly.
• 8:38
  Think it brings people to the game, and then you get playing it.
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  Because you're not playing boom ball in in your middle school, high school.
• 8:45
  Right?
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  Like like, those things those things aren't happening.
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  But what a cool opportunity for players that, you know, don't you know, they played in
• 8:53
  college and they played, you know, both I love that it reincorporates the the girls, with the
• 8:58
  softball and these young women into the game to give them an option because what after the
• 9:02
  Olympics.
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  Right?
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  You know, what do you have?
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  Or I know they have that the softball leagues and stuff, but talking about a very small
• 9:07
  percentage of of the people that play at the collegiate level that ever get an opportunity.
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  And now you're providing more opportunities for these young women.
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  I think that's incredible as well.
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  So there's a lot of things you guys are doing.
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  Right?
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  I know that you're brand new.
• 9:20
  Right?
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  I know you're trying to get to a dozen games this year.
• 9:24
  You got some dates that we're still trying to fill out there.
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  So anybody that has, like, a 8,000 seat baseball stadium in your town, get ahold of
• 9:32
  Michael, and they'd love to put something together and bring it out there.
• 9:36
  You're playing in some cool stadiums this year, though.
• 9:39
  Talk a little bit about planning a tour and kind of the behind the scenes that I know you
• 9:44
  are as, you know, operations that it it takes.
• 9:48
  Right?
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  Are you cold calling every stadium in the country essentially at this point and be like,
• 9:52
  hey.
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  This is what we're doing.
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  We think we can sell some tickets.
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  What do you think?
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  There's there's definitely some cold calling going on.
• 9:59
  No question.
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  We're fortunate that we we have made some good contacts that have have made some introductions
• 10:04
  for us, so that makes it a little easier.
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  So we get some warm leads as opposed to just calling out of the blue, but, I I was making
• 10:12
  phone calls right before we jumped on, to another stadium that we're looking to bring the
• 10:17
  event to, later this summer.
• 10:19
  So, yeah, there's definitely a lot of that going on, and that's honestly priority number
• 10:23
  one right now because we've still got three more dates that we're looking to fill, that we
• 10:28
  haven't, quite locked in yet.
• 10:30
  We've got a couple options, but we we really have a we we've got a priority list that we're
• 10:35
  we're trying to to go from top to bottom on.
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  So we we're really hoping to get in touch with some of those folks at the top of that list
• 10:41
  that we haven't been able to talk to yet before we make our final decision.
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  But, yeah, we're excited to be able to to have have a few more added to the calendar and, be
• 10:50
  able to to highlight those and and get them out there for fans to start, to start booking.
• 10:56
  And, hopefully, we can we can have a pretty good tour put together in the next couple of
• 11:00
  weeks.
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  And then, after that, we're we're full steam ahead starting June 20 out in Jackson and
• 11:06
  pretty much going straight through with the exception of one break, until August 29.
• 11:11
  There's a potential we could add some in September.
• 11:13
  We're not quite there yet, but, we've had a couple discussions with stadiums that weren't
• 11:18
  open until then.
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  So there's a there's a few there's a few soft dates in September that we could end up going
• 11:25
  to as well.
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  But for the time being, June through end of end of August, we'll be, we'll be full steam ahead
• 11:32
  and jumping from city to city, which is, definitely presents some logistical challenges,
• 11:37
  but nothing that we can't figure out and that, we've got a pretty good plan in place that
• 11:41
  we've used for the first two events that seem to work pretty well.
• 11:44
  And, we'll tweak it just like we did the the show and make it better as we go along.
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  But, yeah, I think we've got, we've got something good in place, and, it can, it can
• 11:54
  keep growing and keep improving every week.
• 11:57
  It's it's so interesting to me because, you know, I barely know you.
• 12:02
  We've had a couple conversations now, but the position seems so tailor made for someone with
• 12:07
  your background and your skill set and all the things that you've done have kinda led to this
• 12:12
  moment.
• 12:13
  Does it feel like that's you where you're like, oh, Mike, I get to use all of my skills from
• 12:17
  all the jobs and all the positions that I've ever held.
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  Now I get to use all of that experience in this one thing, and it's just gotta be extremely
• 12:25
  gratifying.
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  And I'm sure that, you know, with the success of the league over the years that you're gonna
• 12:30
  look back and be like, it's crazy that, you know, all those festivals and all the tours and
• 12:34
  events that I plan has led to this because I see this doing nothing but growing.
• 12:38
  I I think this show, baseball, and especially because you're working in the females that it
• 12:44
  it gives you a little bit of something different over some of the other leagues,
• 12:47
  right, most notably Banana Ball and what they're doing out there.
• 12:51
  But you're bringing in something that's totally different, and I think you're really gonna
• 12:54
  bring out those female fans.
• 12:56
  I see this as being a destination now for softball teams on a on a Monday.
• 13:00
  Right?
• 13:00
  You're kind of field trip of the of the year becomes, hey.
• 13:04
  We're gonna go watch this league and and see a future, for these young women and the young men
• 13:10
  as well to say, hey.
• 13:11
  I don't have to just be, you know, on the road or stuck in the minor leagues.
• 13:14
  Like, there are other avenues to go play a sport that you love out there and, to to have a
• 13:20
  lot of fun doing it.
• 13:21
  I think that's the, the fun both on the field and in the stands.
• 13:25
  Yeah.
• 13:26
  Yeah.
• 13:26
  Well, and that's honestly like, we've heard it so much from our players, and and we're
• 13:32
  currently in the process of of signing all of them to long term contracts because, they
• 13:38
  initially came on just for the first two because we weren't even sure if we this was
• 13:41
  gonna catch on and that we'd be able to do more.
• 13:44
  So we we were cautious about it, obviously, and just signed them to the first two events at
• 13:48
  first.
• 13:49
  But we're very happy to say that most of our guys from the initial two are gonna and girls
• 13:54
  from the initial two are gonna be coming back, and we're gonna be adding a few additional
• 13:57
  players as well.
• 13:58
  So what's so cool about that is, like, I think I mentioned it earlier, but it shocked us how
• 14:05
  to see how much fun and how well they all, like, gelled almost immediately.
• 14:10
  Because you never really know.
• 14:11
  Like, you're putting a group of guys and girls together that don't know each other, and and
• 14:15
  I'm sure they've got some common ground and that they they all play baseball and softball.
• 14:19
  But aside from that, I mean, there's different personalities from different areas with
• 14:23
  different backgrounds, and, it was really cool to see them all come together and, like, really
• 14:29
  kinda get what we're trying to do and and and fully buy into it.
• 14:34
  So we love seeing that.
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  And then, I I mentioned earlier too, you can it's evident on the field, and they they've
• 14:40
  told us multiple times they love it so much because they get to do the things, as you
• 14:45
  mentioned earlier, Bubba, that they in traditional baseball, it's frowned upon,
• 14:48
  unfortunately, because you you can't have too much fun.
• 14:52
  Again, not not to knock the MLB.
• 14:54
  Like, I understand there there's a reason that there's rules and regulations place.
• 14:58
  And, obviously, they they there's a need for that in a lot of cases, but, we're fortunate
• 15:04
  that we just kinda get to throw that out the window and let these guys and gals be
• 15:08
  themselves and just have a good time and and really act like kids again on the field.
• 15:13
  And I think that's another reason it's so appealing to kids because they they see
• 15:16
  themselves in these players, and the players see themselves in the kids.
• 15:19
  So, it's a really cool experience, and I I definitely think it's something that's gonna
• 15:24
  continue to grow because I I feel like we've got a good formula in place, and we're just
• 15:28
  gonna continue to make it better.
• 15:30
  Yeah.
• 15:30
  I mean, if you can hit a ball 475 feet over a fence, you should be allowed to flip the bat
• 15:36
  and do a backflip if you want to.
• 15:38
  Now I've never hit a ball that far.
• 15:40
  I've never tried a backflip minus off the diving board at the city pool.
• 15:45
  But I tell you what, if I jacked one over the fence in one of these stadiums in front of a
• 15:49
  packed house, I wanna let that energy out.
• 15:51
  And I think it's really awesome that you have these players and just getting to go celebrate
• 15:56
  it to the max.
• 15:57
  And to be not just, you know, not not not frowned upon, but golden to do so.
• 16:03
  Right?
• 16:03
  Right.
• 16:03
  They're like, go go bigger.
• 16:05
  Go harder.
• 16:06
  Yeah.
• 16:06
  I think it's awesome.
• 16:07
  I can't wait to catch a game this year.
• 16:09
  We've had the dates scrolling along the bottom here.
• 16:12
  Some real good ones.
• 16:13
  Going back to both of our roots a little bit, playing outside of Chicago at the old King
• 16:18
  County Cougars stadium.
• 16:20
  That's so, like, I have vivid memories of being at that stadium as a kid going with my aunt and
• 16:26
  checking out the games.
• 16:28
  And now to think that, you know, my friend Michael and his crew are gonna be out there
• 16:33
  playing boom ball is just really cool.
• 16:36
  Let's get in a little bit of, like, actual the the gameplay and stuff.
• 16:40
  So you got the girls playing out there too.
• 16:42
  I know you mentioned that some of them are are pitching fast pitch softballs out there as
• 16:47
  well.
• 16:47
  So is it played with a softball?
• 16:49
  Is it played with a a baseball?
• 16:50
  Did you guys make your own ball?
• 16:53
  Yeah.
• 16:53
  I'm interested.
• 16:54
  We
• 16:55
  we actually discussed making our own ball, believe it or not.
• 16:58
  Unfortunately, didn't quite have the time to be able to to pull that.
• 17:01
  Yeah.
• 17:02
  R and D being what it is these days.
• 17:03
  It's expensive and time consuming.
• 17:05
  Maybe next season.
• 17:06
  Yeah.
• 17:07
  Exactly.
• 17:07
  But, no.
• 17:08
  We mostly play with the baseball, and the the girls are comfortable with that.
• 17:14
  They they they're not scared of it.
• 17:16
  They're they wanna be out there doing their thing just like they would with a softball.
• 17:21
  But as you mentioned
• 17:22
  Well, you don't have somebody buzzing at 90 some miles an hour at you either.
• 17:25
  Somebody's throwing batting practice, essentially.
• 17:26
  Correct.
• 17:27
  Yes.
• 17:28
  Exactly.
• 17:28
  So that that helps, obviously.
• 17:30
  But, I mean, when these when these guys hit the ball, it's still coming off the bat at a 110
• 17:35
  mile an hour exit velocity.
• 17:37
  So it's it's coming to them fast, but the the girls, like I said, they they have taken it in
• 17:43
  stride.
• 17:43
  Doesn't doesn't affect or bother them one bit, and sometimes they'll even they'll, they'll
• 17:49
  show up these guys, which is makes it even more fun.
• 17:52
  But we do have one inning, the fifth inning specifically dedicated to, we call it our
• 17:57
  softball innings.
• 17:58
  So we have one of our one of our softball players, Sona, jumps up on the mound and, well,
• 18:04
  right in front of the mound and shows what she's gotten.
• 18:08
  Honestly, of the out of the first two games, not one player, even the softball players
• 18:13
  haven't been able to get a base hit off of her.
• 18:17
  So she's, she's definitely a a a force to be right there.
• 18:21
  Fifth inning is a spotlight on.
• 18:23
  What'd you say her name was?
• 18:24
  Well, so so Sona pitched for us in Atlanta.
• 18:27
  We actually, had a special guest in Phoenix for the first game, Dallas Escobedo, who was a,
• 18:34
  Mexican National Olympic, player for, I can't remember what year she was in the Olympics.
• 18:40
  I think it was, one of the more recent Olympics.
• 18:42
  But she came out there and, yeah, did the same thing, struck out the side, without, anybody
• 18:48
  barely even touching the ball, to be honest.
• 18:50
  So it's fun it's fun to watch.
• 18:52
  And these guys, like, they're jokingly upset that they can't do it, but they're also really
• 18:56
  a little upset.
• 18:58
  So it's it's fun.
• 19:00
  It's definitely fun for the girls out there to see, to see somebody they can look up to just
• 19:05
  striking out these guys.
• 19:07
  Well, for the young fans too, the girls out there to see these big, you know, hulking guys
• 19:13
  that you've been watching, you know, smack baseballs, all of a sudden go out there and try
• 19:18
  to hit a softball that's a bigger ball coming at you underhand and having no clue.
• 19:23
  I mean, the mechanics are different.
• 19:24
  I watch our high school team play, and I'm like, I don't think I could hit that.
• 19:28
  And they're Yeah.
• 19:28
  The throwing is 75 miles an hour from 45 feet away.
• 19:32
  Exactly.
• 19:33
  Yeah.
• 19:33
  I think I I read somewhere some of the collegiate softball players now are pitching
• 19:39
  what would be the equivalent of, like, a 112 miles an hour if you factor in, like, the
• 19:43
  distance difference and and all those the the different, physics of it.
• 19:48
  So it's
• 19:49
  The reaction time.
• 19:50
  Yeah.
• 19:51
  It's, it ain't easy.
• 19:52
  I can tell you that.
• 19:54
  And it and and it's and our guys are like, they're they're former semi pro and collegiate
• 19:59
  players.
• 19:59
  Like, they're they're it's not like they they can't hit the ball.
• 20:02
  They'll you'll see them hit the baseball, and they can they can get ahold of it.
• 20:06
  But it's
• 20:07
  I wanna see the celebration when someone finally gets ahold of one of those.
• 20:11
  They're you
• 20:12
  get a base hit.
• 20:12
  It doesn't even have to be a home run.
• 20:14
  Yeah.
• 20:15
  I don't I don't know if they'll be in shock, I think.
• 20:18
  They won't know what to do.
• 20:19
  But, yeah, it it'll happen, I'm sure, at some point during the season, but they're they're
• 20:23
  not quite there yet.
• 20:24
  So, but yeah.
• 20:26
  So it's six innings total, as I mentioned.
• 20:29
  The first inning starts out as just a kinda set the tone, like, a speed inning.
• 20:34
  So it's just the opposing pitcher, or the the the batting team's pitcher pitching to the
• 20:41
  batter and trying to get as many runs in as you can in nine minutes.
• 20:44
  So four and a half minutes each side.
• 20:46
  So after four and a half minutes, the field switches, and then same thing on the with the
• 20:51
  other team.
• 20:51
  So we have two teams, the Lucky Llamas and the Chaos crew.
• 20:55
  The Lucky Llamas are always the home team, but they are not always the winners.
• 20:59
  They did win the the first game.
• 21:01
  They, we actually came came down the swing off, which, I'll get into, in a second.
• 21:07
  But, essentially, it went to extra innings, if you will, in our second game in Georgia, and
• 21:11
  the chaos crew, pulled it out at the very end, during the swing off.
• 21:15
  But so, yeah, the first inning is kinda set the stage.
• 21:17
  Like, this is this is boom balls, a speed baseball game that, is similar to baseball, but
• 21:23
  different in that it's it's a lot faster paced.
• 21:25
  And I like to think it keeps keeps everybody's attention, that much more because of that.
• 21:32
  And then, the second inning for Atlanta at least, because I mentioned we actually changed
• 21:37
  the game from Phoenix to Atlanta a little bit, Probably will change it again.
• 21:40
  So these these may not hold exactly true.
• 21:42
  But Yeah.
• 21:43
  The rule book's in dry erase right now or crayon or whatever is available.
• 21:47
  That's right.
• 21:47
  But the second inning, we dedicated to trick plays.
• 21:50
  So same idea of as the speed inning, but in order to get the batter out, you have to do a
• 21:57
  trick play.
• 21:58
  Otherwise, even if it's a routine pop fly, if you don't do a back flip when you catch it or
• 22:03
  catch it behind your back or, do something a little different, it doesn't count as an out.
• 22:08
  So, that really encourages the the trick plays at least three per side per inning, but we end
• 22:15
  up seeing more than that because it's inevitable.
• 22:17
  Especially if you get a fast line drive coming at you, it's kinda hard to to try to do a trick
• 22:21
  play to catch that.
• 22:22
  Yeah.
• 22:23
  But they do their best.
• 22:25
  So it does lead to some some unforced errors, I suppose you you could call them, but that
• 22:31
  that's all part of the fun.
• 22:32
  Right?
• 22:33
  So the third inning we go to is the obstacle inning, which I alluded to a little bit
• 22:39
  earlier, but that that's essentially there's an obstacle between each base.
• 22:42
  So, it's speed baseball, but in order to get after you hit the ball instead of running the
• 22:46
  first, you gotta get in the go kart and ride the go kart to first base.
• 22:50
  And then between first and second, you'll encounter balance beams that you have to
• 22:54
  traverse before you get to second base.
• 22:56
  Between second and third, you have to climb some, jump boxes.
• 23:01
  What are those called?
• 23:02
  The the the workout boxes that you
• 23:05
  jump box close enough.
• 23:07
  Yeah.
• 23:08
  You gotta run up up and down those, and then we had them in Atlanta pedaling a trike a trike,
• 23:14
  like a giant tricycle after they get off the boxes to third.
• 23:17
  And then between third and home, we had Zorb balls, which are like those giant inflatable
• 23:23
  balls you get into, and you had to roll your way to to home plate from third base.
• 23:27
  So that one, there's some differences between fielding because in order to give the batters a
• 23:34
  chance, because, obviously, it takes longer to get to base if you're going through obstacles.
• 23:39
  We actually start with no fielders on the field, so all the fielders are on the foul
• 23:44
  lines on each side.
• 23:45
  And as soon as the ball is hit and put into play, they can run to retrieve it.
• 23:49
  So that gives the runners a little bit more of a chance to to make it on base.
• 23:53
  So, again, there'll probably be some tweaks to that for for our next one coming up in Jackson,
• 23:58
  but, that's how we ran it in Atlanta.
• 24:01
  And seemed seemed to be a hit.
• 24:02
  So I'm I'm sure we'll still have some form of that of obstacles.
• 24:06
  We the obstacles may just change a little bit from event to event, which is part of what
• 24:10
  makes it exciting.
• 24:11
  Right?
• 24:12
  The fourth inning, we actually we made a change, believe it or not, the day before the
• 24:17
  game.
• 24:18
  We originally intended to do, oh, what do we even have?
• 24:24
  It was I can't even remember what it was supposed to be.
• 24:32
  But we switched it literally the Friday before during rehearsals, to backwards base running.
• 24:38
  So instead of going to first base after you hit it, you gotta run the third base and then make
• 24:42
  your way around the opposite way, which ended up we weren't sure how that was gonna go
• 24:47
  because it was kinda, like, thrown together last minute because we just didn't like how
• 24:50
  what we were rehearsing was was playing out.
• 24:53
  It it wasn't fast enough.
• 24:54
  So we switched it up and seemed to work.
• 24:57
  But we'll probably end up doing something different for that one in our next event in
• 25:01
  Jackson as well, but we'll see we'll see what we come up with.
• 25:04
  And then the final inning concludes in a home run derby.
• 25:09
  We did that as a glow in the dark home run derby in at the first game in Phoenix.
• 25:15
  It was more difficult to see the the bat and the players and the balls even with the glow in
• 25:20
  the dark stuff than we thought.
• 25:22
  So we switched that up in Atlanta, and it was more traditional home run derby.
• 25:29
  We've got some ideas to tweak that a little bit, to make it even more exciting and and fun
• 25:33
  and quicker, for the next game in in Jackson too.
• 25:37
  But we we're definitely keeping the the home run derby aspect but adding a a few little fun
• 25:41
  elements to it.
• 25:42
  So
• 25:42
  Yeah.
• 25:43
  I just yeah.
• 25:44
  Every seventh ball is an exploding one.
• 25:46
  Right?
• 25:46
  Or there's an
• 25:46
  exploding ball.
• 25:47
  We've talked we've talked about exploding balls.
• 25:50
  That's definitely gonna make its way into the the game.
• 25:53
  Well, dude,
• 25:53
  that's the most exciting part about this first season and why I would encourage anyone to go
• 25:58
  out is because it's brand new.
• 26:01
  Right?
• 26:02
  It it's a it's a baby right now.
• 26:04
  It's learning, and it's evolving game by game.
• 26:08
  And I think that's what makes it incredibly exciting for the fans and to the people that
• 26:13
  are gonna, you know, invest their time into it now and watch it grow.
• 26:17
  And I'm just excited for all you guys that are getting to work on it, the players, and
• 26:22
  everyone behind the scenes getting to because you'll never have this experience again.
• 26:26
  Right?
• 26:26
  Like, next season is gonna be totally different because you you're not gonna have that same,
• 26:31
  energy to it, but the newness of anything like this.
• 26:34
  And I I started smiling as soon as you as soon as we got on the call today because I was like,
• 26:40
  oh, this is just it's gotta be so fun.
• 26:42
  Right?
• 26:43
  And for you who's done thousands of events probably in your career and and everything from
• 26:48
  sports and through music and big ones and small ones and everything.
• 26:52
  Like, this has to be the most interesting because there is no, like, perfect.
• 26:59
  Right?
• 26:59
  Like, perfect isn't even the goal at all.
• 27:02
  It's like, how can we make this the most entertaining it can be?
• 27:06
  And to me, that's such a cool proposition to walk into any event with.
• 27:10
  It's like, no, man.
• 27:10
  We're just gonna we're just making it fun.
• 27:13
  And we're making it fun not necessarily for ourselves, but for the fans.
• 27:16
  What are
• 27:17
  they gonna like?
• 27:18
  And, yeah, the the the seventh inning is a fan's choice.
• 27:22
  Right?
• 27:22
  Everyone gets to put their vote in.
• 27:25
  We've actually talked about doing that too.
• 27:27
  So, yeah, it's that that one's logistically challenging a little bit, but, there's no doubt
• 27:32
  in my mind we'll figure out some kind of variation to that.
• 27:34
  QR codes, man.
• 27:35
  QR codes and something on an app, buddy.
• 27:38
  We can get those votes taken care of.
• 27:40
  That if it goes to extras, right, Everybody's gotta put their, everybody's gotta put their
• 27:44
  vote in real quick, and the fans get to decide how the extra innings are going.
• 27:49
  I dodge.
• 27:49
  I you don't need my ideas, but I'm more than willing to throw them
• 27:52
  out there.
• 27:53
  I I think I love them.
• 27:54
  I think it's awesome.
• 27:56
  Well, Michael, anything you wanna cover before I let you go?
• 27:59
  We got the dates on there.
• 28:00
  You guys make sure you're checking those out.
• 28:02
  You can go to boomballtour.com to get there.
• 28:06
  There's gonna be some updates, obviously, to everything, some more dates being added still,
• 28:12
  not just at the back end of the season, but some open dates right now.
• 28:15
  So anything you wanna add before I let you go today?
• 28:18
  No.
• 28:18
  Again, I I appreciate you having me on.
• 28:21
  I I hope I can see you and and some of your listeners out at one of the games this summer.
• 28:27
  I didn't mention, but there is some other fun elements that we we program into it.
• 28:31
  There's a a big pregame party that we call BoomFest, that starts an hour and a half before
• 28:37
  the game kicks off.
• 28:38
  So or or the first pitch.
• 28:39
  So we're, we got four game game the fun.
• 28:42
  Stadium.
• 28:43
  Let's go.
• 28:43
  Yeah.
• 28:44
  Yeah.
• 28:45
  So we're we're excited about it and looking forward to to seeing some of you guys out
• 28:49
  there.
• 28:49
  And, yeah, love love to hear the feedback and any ideas.
• 28:53
  So feel free to fire anything my way because, that's what it's about.
• 28:57
  Right?
• 28:57
  We're we just wanna make it better and and make it more fun.
• 29:00
  And if if somebody's got an idea on how we can do that, let's do it.
• 29:03
  Yeah.
• 29:03
  We're gonna need some highlights.
• 29:04
  This is gonna be a topic of conversation on seven eight nine, weekly at this point to keep
• 29:09
  up with you all and what you're doing.
• 29:11
  So we don't mind dedicating a little bit of our time, to covering the league, and I I think
• 29:16
  it's incredibly exciting.
• 29:18
  It's it's interesting, and it's funny because we've been talking about it week after week of
• 29:24
  just, like, what is going to happen?
• 29:25
  Where does the evolution of baseball come from?
• 29:28
  And maybe it's not from the MLB.
• 29:30
  You know?
• 29:30
  Maybe it's just more of these leagues to keep it fun to bring in new fans.
• 29:33
  And, you know, we're not trying to reinvent the the wheel with the Major League Baseball, but
• 29:39
  we can go just make new wheels.
• 29:41
  Right?
• 29:41
  Like, we
• 29:41
  can just go make whole new vehicles for the sport and to bring in fans and and to help
• 29:47
  these stadiums that, you know, are empty half of the season because the the home team is
• 29:52
  traveling.
• 29:52
  So I think it's awesome what you guys are doing.
• 29:54
  I'm really excited for it.
• 29:56
  I can't wait to see the action in person.
• 30:00
  I got August 22 already circled on my calendar.
• 30:03
  At least right now, that's as close as you guys will get to me.
• 30:06
  Although Chicago, I got roots there.
• 30:08
  That that may happen too.
• 30:09
  So we'll see.
• 30:11
  Michael Coco, thank you for being a a part of this incredible new venture with BoomBall, and
• 30:17
  thank you for being part of the scene.
• 30:19
  Well, thank you for having me.
• 30:20
  I appreciate it.