Latest / Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast / Catching Up with David Eckstein! Stories from the World Series MVP

Transcript

Catching Up with David Eckstein! Stories from the World Series MVP · Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

0:06
Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome to a special edition of Cardinal Territory.
0:11
Speaker 1: Because we have an outstanding guest. Before we get to him,
0:15
Speaker 1: we want to sell some stuff. We want to sell
0:17
Speaker 1: some merch. And let me tell you something. We have
0:20
Speaker 1: great merch. You like Cardinal Territory. I like Cardinal Territory.
0:25
Speaker 1: Get some merch. We got the hoodies, we got the caps,
0:29
Speaker 1: we got T shirts. Go to Cardinal Territory shop dot com.
0:33
Speaker 1: Get yourself some merch. Well, our guest today is I
0:39
Speaker 1: think a legend in Saint Louis. He is two thousand
0:43
Speaker 1: and six World Series MVP. David x Stein, by the way,
0:47
Speaker 1: a two time World Series champion, one in each league. David, welcome,
0:52
Speaker 1: how are you my friend?
0:54
Speaker 2: And thank you Jim. I'm doing great. Everything's going well
0:57
Speaker 2: right now. Everything's fantastic.
1:00
Speaker 1: So I think folks want to know what you're up to.
1:02
Speaker 1: I know you're back in Saint Louis every once in
1:04
Speaker 1: a while. Tell us what you've been up to these days?
1:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, so very fortunately I do. I have an alumni
1:11
Speaker 2: deal with the Cardinals, so I get to get back
1:12
Speaker 2: to Saint Louis probably at least six times this year.
1:15
Speaker 2: But I get to do the fantasy camp with them
1:18
Speaker 2: and just interact with the city and so it's actually
1:23
Speaker 2: really fun. Also, I'll be coaching the college freshman team
1:27
Speaker 2: this year for USA Baseball. The past two years, my
1:29
Speaker 2: brother and I we did the eighteen and under. Now
1:32
Speaker 2: we went up a level and now we'll be doing
1:33
Speaker 2: the college freshmen, getting our collegiate national team ready to
1:37
Speaker 2: go head over to Taiwan to get ready to play.
1:40
Speaker 2: I also do stuff with MLB International and so those
1:43
Speaker 2: are kids around the world I get to work with.
1:48
Speaker 2: And then also I'll be releasing a book later this summer,
1:52
Speaker 2: in September September eighth, So I'm very excited, very exciting summer.
1:55
Speaker 2: Can't wait to get it going.
1:58
Speaker 1: What is the book titled and is it a about
2:00
Speaker 1: your life experience?
2:02
Speaker 2: As, Yes, the book is titled Just Enough, and it
2:05
Speaker 2: is about my life experiences. Basically the number one question
2:10
Speaker 2: I always get, well, how'd you do it? And so
2:12
Speaker 2: this actually takes you from the time I was born
2:14
Speaker 2: all the way through the two thousand and six World
2:17
Speaker 2: Series and then you know, we concluded a little bit,
2:20
Speaker 2: you know, with my father and stuff. But it's something
2:24
Speaker 2: that I've been working on for about ten years and
2:27
Speaker 2: there's a pretty cool connection. My author is actually Jake Gronsky,
2:31
Speaker 2: who actually played in the minor leagues for the Saint
2:34
Speaker 2: Louis Cardinals, and I met him because of that, and
2:36
Speaker 2: so's it's something I hope the whole family will like.
2:40
Speaker 2: But it just kind of tells you the stuff that
2:44
Speaker 2: I went through, and hopefully it's a good story.
2:49
Speaker 1: It is a great story. I mean, you've already lived
2:52
Speaker 1: that story. Now you're telling it through words, and I
2:54
Speaker 1: think that's pretty cool. I look forward to reading that book.
2:57
Speaker 1: But you talk about you know just enough. That was
3:01
Speaker 1: one of your nicknames. I think X factor two basically
3:04
Speaker 1: because you're a five to six guy, right five to seven.
3:08
Speaker 1: I think five to six, maybe five to five and
3:10
Speaker 1: a half.
3:11
Speaker 2: And I love it.
3:12
Speaker 1: And you were at one of the highest levels you
3:15
Speaker 1: could possibly achieve in Major League baseball. I think the
3:19
Speaker 1: league has gone in a totally different direction. Now we
3:23
Speaker 1: see shortstops six three sixty four, it's about launch angle,
3:27
Speaker 1: it's home run for strikeouts. Just your thoughts on what
3:30
Speaker 1: we're seeing with the game of Major League baseball today.
3:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's something that they they totally believe in.
3:38
Speaker 2: In sluck, so they believe that if a guy hits
3:42
Speaker 2: a home run, no matter what, that's a run scored,
3:45
Speaker 2: and so that's what they're going for and they're willing
3:48
Speaker 2: to suffer the strikeout aspect of it for that. And
3:52
Speaker 2: the way the analytics are working right now, it reads
3:54
Speaker 2: everybody as an individual, so there's no more team aspect
3:58
Speaker 2: to the game through through the eyes of analytics. That's
4:00
Speaker 2: why you see Otani leading off, because if he's your
4:03
Speaker 2: best hitter, he needs to hit first so he gets
4:05
Speaker 2: more at bat. So in the new analytic game, RBI's
4:08
Speaker 2: and run score me nothing. And so that's where we're
4:11
Speaker 2: seeing it. But you know where the trickle down effect
4:13
Speaker 2: has occurred is that we're seeing it at the at
4:16
Speaker 2: the level of the eighteen and unders. You know, we
4:18
Speaker 2: get the we get the country's best, and you're seeing
4:21
Speaker 2: it and and unfortunately we we had to make some
4:24
Speaker 2: decisions on guys that, you know, because when you play
4:27
Speaker 2: international pall, you're playing against Japan, Chinese, Taipei and Korea. Like,
4:32
Speaker 2: if you play that style of game, you're not gonna
4:35
Speaker 2: you're not gonna win. And like one of the questions
4:37
Speaker 2: my brother asked before we we took over the club
4:40
Speaker 2: was okay, how many how many home runs were hit
4:43
Speaker 2: last year at the tournament that they did not even
4:45
Speaker 2: you know, finish in the in the top three, and
4:47
Speaker 2: if you don't win gold, it's like you've really failed.
4:51
Speaker 2: And like, oh, we hit zero, So why would we
4:54
Speaker 2: take power at that level? So we took guys you
4:56
Speaker 2: know that could put back to ball that might not
4:59
Speaker 2: have been on every scout's list. You know, my brother
5:01
Speaker 2: took a beating from the scouts, and it just turned
5:05
Speaker 2: out that the guys we ended up picking, we won
5:07
Speaker 2: goal and I think seven of them became first rounders.
5:09
Speaker 2: So there's something to that, but it is it's hard
5:12
Speaker 2: to to make these kids understand we're losing the basic
5:16
Speaker 2: fundamentals of the game at an early age. And that's
5:19
Speaker 2: everything that we were brought up on is you learn
5:22
Speaker 2: the fundamentals first and as you grow into it, you
5:24
Speaker 2: grow into power, and we're just skipping that whole factor.
5:28
Speaker 2: And then on on the pitching side of things, which
5:31
Speaker 2: everyone's looking for velocity and so now these young kids
5:35
Speaker 2: are chasing velocity, which means they're chasing Tommy John and
5:40
Speaker 2: that that was the biggest thing. So like this past year,
5:43
Speaker 2: you know, we took kids that could throw strikes. If
5:46
Speaker 2: you couldn't throw strikes, we didn't take them. And in
5:49
Speaker 2: the basically we played nine games and nine games we
5:53
Speaker 2: had thirteen walks with eighteen and under clubs, and of
5:56
Speaker 2: course we won the gold as well. And so it's
5:58
Speaker 2: like one of these things, how can we teach these
6:00
Speaker 2: kids back to the fundamentals and as they grow up
6:03
Speaker 2: through systems, I think even in the minor league systems,
6:06
Speaker 2: we have totally gotten away from actually teaching the game.
6:09
Speaker 2: They're teaching them just to try to create a launch
6:12
Speaker 2: angle and try to throw the ball as hard as
6:14
Speaker 2: they can, and then in time we'll teach the other stuff.
6:16
Speaker 2: But we're seeing we're losing a lot of kids because
6:18
Speaker 2: of that.
6:20
Speaker 1: If you're part of this country's developmental process with high
6:25
Speaker 1: level players, are you getting blowback? Because what you're saying
6:30
Speaker 1: makes a lot of sense, but it sure seems to
6:33
Speaker 1: be the opposite, you know, in the opposite direction where
6:37
Speaker 1: professional baseball's going.
6:39
Speaker 2: Well. Where we get blowback is when we cut the
6:41
Speaker 2: kids that end up our first rounders, you know what
6:44
Speaker 2: I mean, because they're on everyone's radar. But the problem is,
6:48
Speaker 2: we need you to play today, and we need you
6:50
Speaker 2: to be able to make contact today. We need you
6:52
Speaker 2: to be able to throw a strike today, you know,
6:54
Speaker 2: because our tournament is legitimately within five days after we
6:59
Speaker 2: have to select the club. And that's something we've been
7:01
Speaker 2: talking about with USA Baseball and I know now Mike
7:04
Speaker 2: Sosha is coming on board with us as well as
7:06
Speaker 2: we get in to kind of like do a roadmap
7:09
Speaker 2: for these younger kids because they're not hearing just the
7:13
Speaker 2: basic fundamentals of the game, how you build yourself up
7:16
Speaker 2: so when you get to that situation that you're you're
7:19
Speaker 2: ready for. Like everyone loves power, everyone loves you know,
7:22
Speaker 2: the power arm, But without the ability to make contact
7:25
Speaker 2: and without the ability to throw a strike, does it
7:28
Speaker 2: really matter? And and in our in our showcase world,
7:33
Speaker 2: we chase the numbers, we chase the number of exit velocity,
7:36
Speaker 2: and we chase the number on the radar gun, and
7:39
Speaker 2: that does not and usually does not end up being
7:42
Speaker 2: our best players.
7:44
Speaker 1: That's wild. So do you think at some point Major
7:48
Speaker 1: League Baseball and the minor league system which feeds Major
7:51
Speaker 1: League Baseball will change, because in my opinion, baseball is cyclical, right,
7:56
Speaker 1: Because yeah, things things that weren't important five years ago,
8:01
Speaker 1: suddenly important and then it'll circle back around. Do you
8:03
Speaker 1: think we're going to see at some point MLB go
8:07
Speaker 1: you know we needed more fundamentally sound players.
8:11
Speaker 2: Well, you mean you're starting you're starting to see that
8:13
Speaker 2: a little bit, because I know I do some stuff
8:15
Speaker 2: with the Angels as well, and I've been in the
8:17
Speaker 2: instructional league. Actually, they stole a lot of the former
8:21
Speaker 2: Cardinal minor league coaches and they're trying to bring that
8:24
Speaker 2: style of play to to to the Angels minor leagues
8:27
Speaker 2: where where it does matter, where you learn how to bunt,
8:30
Speaker 2: not that you might not not that you'll use it
8:31
Speaker 2: in a game, but you just know how to do it,
8:33
Speaker 2: and the fact that, hey man, on second, you might
8:35
Speaker 2: need to move a runner over because in the minor
8:37
Speaker 2: league it's all about that development. Because the only time
8:40
Speaker 2: that stuff is truly important at the major league game,
8:42
Speaker 2: it's it is in playoff baseball. And so yeah, so
8:46
Speaker 2: you're starting to see clubs and you saw the Toronto
8:48
Speaker 2: Blue Jays last year with back to ball skills, and
8:51
Speaker 2: so it just needs a team that wins, that starts
8:54
Speaker 2: filtering back the cycle. And yes, you know the one
8:57
Speaker 2: where we have gone. We went heavy on the one,
9:00
Speaker 2: especially analytics. Now it's starting to come back down where
9:05
Speaker 2: there's going to be a better mix. But the thing
9:07
Speaker 2: is the analytic department that runs the major league team
9:09
Speaker 2: runs the minor league teams. And that's where you hear it.
9:14
Speaker 2: You know, I have players within the minor league system,
9:17
Speaker 2: and you hear that. You hear the only way to
9:18
Speaker 2: get to the big leagues is to hit a home run.
9:20
Speaker 2: The only way to get to the big leagues is
9:22
Speaker 2: you got to throw ninety five and above. And so
9:25
Speaker 2: you hear that throughout the system. So I think hopefully
9:28
Speaker 2: over time that will that will start changing back where
9:30
Speaker 2: oh no, I need a picture that needs to throw strike,
9:32
Speaker 2: and I have a guy that has man He creates
9:34
Speaker 2: a lot of contact and as he grows into his body,
9:38
Speaker 2: he'll learn how to hit for power.
9:41
Speaker 1: As the father of a seventeen year old who's fastball
9:44
Speaker 1: could not break a pane of glass but never walks anyone,
9:47
Speaker 1: I say thank you, thank you, sir. I want to
9:51
Speaker 1: ask you about a guy on the Cardinals plays shortstop
9:54
Speaker 1: who I know you've had a chance to see who
9:57
Speaker 1: is fundamentally sound. Mason win is as good defensively at shortstop.
10:02
Speaker 1: He's blessed with a cannon for an arm uh And
10:05
Speaker 1: it's just fun to watch him night in the night,
10:08
Speaker 1: just your thoughts and what the Cardinals having that good?
10:10
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's something special, it's something, it's something
10:14
Speaker 2: that's amazing. Like I saw him, you know, I know
10:16
Speaker 2: he missed, he missed the first game of the series
10:18
Speaker 2: against the Pirate on Tuesday, but then he was back
10:20
Speaker 2: in there on on Wednesday, and like there was a
10:22
Speaker 2: couple of balls hitting the hole and he just went
10:23
Speaker 2: so smoothly to the backhand side and just rifled it.
10:27
Speaker 2: And you know, something I could never do. And I
10:29
Speaker 2: think I think you know, the tradition of shortstop at
10:32
Speaker 2: at within Saint Louis as it was, you know, set
10:36
Speaker 2: the standard by Ozzie and and I know the fact
10:40
Speaker 2: that Ozzie was able to take Mason underneath his wings
10:42
Speaker 2: as well, and you're just seeing a budding star.
10:45
Speaker 1: You know.
10:46
Speaker 2: The way he plays defense is just oh gosh. I mean,
10:49
Speaker 2: I just love watching lot love watching him out there.
10:52
Speaker 2: He makes it look so easy. And then you know,
10:54
Speaker 2: and offensively, you know, he's putting them together really good
10:58
Speaker 2: at bat so he's he is. He is the future
11:01
Speaker 2: of the club, you know, and it's just been so
11:03
Speaker 2: fun to watch.
11:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's so young, and he's so mature and talented.
11:09
Speaker 1: He's just scratching the surface. Our guest is David X time.
11:12
Speaker 1: When we come back, we're gonna take a short break
11:15
Speaker 1: here we will talk about six and what he did
11:19
Speaker 1: back then stay with us.
11:21
Speaker 3: This episode is brought to you by fan Duel Baseball Fans,
11:24
Speaker 3: the MLB season is in full swing and fan Duel
11:27
Speaker 3: is giving you a chance to call your shot with
11:29
Speaker 3: Daily Dingers. Joining the action is easy. Just make your
11:32
Speaker 3: free pick on who's hitting a home run in their game,
11:35
Speaker 3: and if you're right, you'll get a profit boost to
11:37
Speaker 3: use on your next bet for a chance at extra winnings.
11:40
Speaker 3: It's just another reason why fan duel is the home
11:42
Speaker 3: of home runs. So are you ready to play your game?
11:45
Speaker 3: Head over to FanDuel dot com Slash podcast to get started.
11:49
Speaker 3: That's FanDuel dot com Slash Podcast. To opt in for
11:53
Speaker 3: Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who's hitting
11:56
Speaker 3: a homer. Playball and swing for the fences on fand
12:00
Speaker 3: an official partner of Major League Baseball. No purchase necessary.
12:04
Speaker 3: Opt and required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens.
12:08
Speaker 3: Restrictions apply, including any token expiration and max wager amount.
12:13
Speaker 3: See terms at sportsbook dot FanDuel dot com. Gambling problem
12:17
Speaker 3: call or text one eight hundred gambler.
12:21
Speaker 1: Our guest is World Series MVP David X. And he
12:24
Speaker 1: did that with the two thousand and six ball club.
12:28
Speaker 1: And David, I want to take you back a little while.
12:30
Speaker 1: So that team finished eighty three and seventy eight. As
12:35
Speaker 1: I recall, you had two eight game losing streaks. I
12:38
Speaker 1: think you had a seven game right, seven to seven
12:41
Speaker 1: game losing streaks too, right.
12:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we had three. We had three seven
12:47
Speaker 2: or eight game losing streaks. Yes, we we kind of
12:49
Speaker 2: set a record.
12:50
Speaker 1: I think so at some point. My thing is when
12:54
Speaker 1: you think about that season, because then you storm through
12:58
Speaker 1: the playoffs and yet you went seven with the Mets.
13:01
Speaker 1: But when you think about that season and that magical
13:04
Speaker 1: run for a team that had talent, also dealt with
13:07
Speaker 1: a lot of injuries that season that people probably didn't
13:10
Speaker 1: think would get to the end, what do you think
13:12
Speaker 1: about when you think about that year in that ball club?
13:16
Speaker 2: I think it was something that was magical because the
13:19
Speaker 2: first two years, I mean for first two months of
13:22
Speaker 2: the season, we were the best club and then all
13:26
Speaker 2: of a sudden, the injury bug hit. And coming off
13:29
Speaker 2: of that five year and that five year was almost
13:32
Speaker 2: a gut punch, you know, because I thought that by far,
13:34
Speaker 2: that was the best club I had ever played on,
13:37
Speaker 2: you know, team wise, and so now we're going to No.
13:40
Speaker 2: Six and we start off so hot, and then it
13:43
Speaker 2: was a struggle. It was like, I know, we almost
13:48
Speaker 2: were the club that had the largest lead to actually
13:51
Speaker 2: not make the playoffs. And so on that final day
13:54
Speaker 2: when luckily the Braves beat the Astros that got us in,
13:58
Speaker 2: it was almost like a big relief for all of us.
14:01
Speaker 2: And then we headed into San Diego and you know,
14:04
Speaker 2: Piazza drops a ball, Albert hits a home run, Bellyard
14:07
Speaker 2: makes a play up the middle, and it was on.
14:10
Speaker 2: It was on, and it was something that we knew
14:14
Speaker 2: we were good. We just needed to be healthy. And
14:18
Speaker 2: that's that kind of propelled us throughout the rest of
14:20
Speaker 2: the postseason.
14:22
Speaker 1: So as I recall, because I was there clubhouse, right,
14:27
Speaker 1: you guys are waiting, you guys had finished your season
14:31
Speaker 1: and are waiting to find out.
14:35
Speaker 2: Right, no, no, no, So it was it was it
14:37
Speaker 2: was a seventh inning. We were playing the Brewers. It
14:39
Speaker 2: was a seventh inning, and it came across the board
14:42
Speaker 2: that the Braves. The Braves had won, so we were in.
14:46
Speaker 2: So it was during the game because we lost that
14:48
Speaker 2: final game as well. Yeah, And it was one of
14:51
Speaker 2: those things because I was coming off injury. So the
14:55
Speaker 2: week before I had talked my way in the lineup
14:57
Speaker 2: and and Larus was like, you could only play two
15:00
Speaker 2: out of three. And I did very well because we're
15:02
Speaker 2: playing against Houston on the Friday Saturday game and the
15:04
Speaker 2: Sunday night we were playing against Clemens, and I asked
15:09
Speaker 2: to you know, I can play, and so Tony wrote
15:11
Speaker 2: my name and lineup. In my third at bat, I
15:13
Speaker 2: hit a ball and I got on it and I
15:16
Speaker 2: pulled my hamstring. So I was coming off of that,
15:19
Speaker 2: so I only could play two out of three games
15:21
Speaker 2: the final weekend against the Bruise. Of course, I picked
15:24
Speaker 2: Friday and Saturday, thinking I could talk my way in,
15:27
Speaker 2: and Tony wouldn't let me play on Sunday. He didn't
15:29
Speaker 2: let Jim Emmons play on Sunday, and we held Chris
15:31
Speaker 2: Carpenter back, and I think that was probably one of
15:34
Speaker 2: the bravest moves you It just shows that's when a
15:37
Speaker 2: manager is a manager, because he wanted to make sure
15:40
Speaker 2: that we were healthy, especially if we had to play
15:42
Speaker 2: the extra game, that we would be and in turn
15:46
Speaker 2: we did lose, but since the Braves won, that gave
15:49
Speaker 2: us the two days rest time and we went into
15:52
Speaker 2: San Diego with our ace on the mount and Jim
15:54
Speaker 2: and I ready to go.
15:57
Speaker 1: I remember too, like all the injuries you guys dealt with,
16:00
Speaker 1: you point out they kind of sapped, you know, what
16:03
Speaker 1: you guys could do at certain points in the season.
16:05
Speaker 1: But Albert was a monster. That forty nine homers hits
16:09
Speaker 1: over what three point thirty one he hits. I mean,
16:12
Speaker 1: you got a front seat to watch that. That guy
16:14
Speaker 1: was a machine, wasn't he.
16:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know that's what that was why they called
16:17
Speaker 2: him the machine. Like like Albert Albert legitimately the best
16:22
Speaker 2: I always say end zone hitter I've ever played with,
16:25
Speaker 2: because I got the opportunity to play with Vladimir and
16:26
Speaker 2: Vladimir's best out of the zone hitter. But like it
16:30
Speaker 2: was just unbelievable, Like at that point of his career,
16:34
Speaker 2: it was just you know, it's it was an honor
16:36
Speaker 2: to play with like And what people didn't realize is
16:40
Speaker 2: actually the work ethic. You know, I say it all
16:41
Speaker 2: the time, like what he did on the offensive side,
16:44
Speaker 2: how he truly trained underneath to try to be the best.
16:48
Speaker 2: But the biggest thing was the adjustment at first base
16:50
Speaker 2: where he he him and Oseo Kendo really really you
16:55
Speaker 2: know worked. He wanted to win a Gold Glove and
16:57
Speaker 2: he was able to do that. It was like something
16:58
Speaker 2: that was that was you know, some of these great players,
17:01
Speaker 2: they just show up and stuff like that. Albert did not.
17:03
Speaker 2: Albert showed up. Albert showed up to win. And I
17:06
Speaker 2: always say this, when your best player is the one
17:08
Speaker 2: that wants to win, you always are going to have
17:11
Speaker 2: a good club.
17:13
Speaker 1: When I think about that season, outside of you holding
17:16
Speaker 1: the world's you know, the MVP chophy, which was great,
17:22
Speaker 1: I think of Yachty's homer in Game seven against the Mets.
17:25
Speaker 1: So I'm in the bowels, right, I'm in the bowels
17:28
Speaker 1: of the ballpark because they had a monitor. It's the
17:32
Speaker 1: only way he could be able to get on the
17:33
Speaker 1: field and see the game properly anyway, So I see,
17:37
Speaker 1: you know that I see all of a sudden, after
17:39
Speaker 1: Yachty Homer's they start wheeling the the ice champagne and
17:45
Speaker 1: carts from the Mets lock room over to the Cardinals,
17:48
Speaker 1: and yeah, I saw them do it, and I knew
17:51
Speaker 1: at that point it was over. Just tell me what
17:53
Speaker 1: you recall about that moment where it seemed like, all right,
17:57
Speaker 1: it's destiny.
17:58
Speaker 2: Now, yeah, yeah, no, it was. It was it was
18:01
Speaker 2: like that Ninth Inning going up. And you know that
18:04
Speaker 2: was the one thing that was Yachti's coming out party
18:07
Speaker 2: on the offensive side. You know, he he destroyed the
18:11
Speaker 2: playoffs for us and not at bat I think it
18:13
Speaker 2: was against Billy Wagner, you know, like legitimately sending us
18:18
Speaker 2: to the World Series. It just shows like what it
18:22
Speaker 2: was like almost a look into the future of what
18:24
Speaker 2: YACHTI was going to become. And you know, and you know,
18:28
Speaker 2: Saint Louis was able to enjoy that for you know
18:31
Speaker 2: how many years, but like that that was the leader
18:33
Speaker 2: of the captain that was was being born during those playoffs,
18:37
Speaker 2: and yeah, I just be able to be there with
18:39
Speaker 2: Yachty to see him and then watch what he ended
18:42
Speaker 2: up to be and then you know, come on, hitting, hitting, hitting,
18:45
Speaker 2: a home run in Game seven to continue to the
18:49
Speaker 2: World Series. I think that's something special.
18:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was unbelievable. I want to ask you too
18:55
Speaker 1: about your relationship with the folks in Saint Louis. You
18:58
Speaker 1: mentioned you guys are back a lot, and you see
19:03
Speaker 1: it now like the Cardinals went through a little down period.
19:06
Speaker 1: Now they have a young ball club. They're rebuilding. You
19:10
Speaker 1: see the fans are back. But I know the fans
19:13
Speaker 1: in Saint Louis never forget. And I don't care if
19:16
Speaker 1: you're Gary Bennett or you know, Scott Spiezio or what
19:21
Speaker 1: maybe someone who had a lesser they never forget. Just
19:24
Speaker 1: your impressions of what Cardinal baseball fans are all about.
19:28
Speaker 2: I mean, they're the best in the game. And you
19:31
Speaker 2: said it, you know from I always tell this story.
19:35
Speaker 2: So my mom came to watch us in the five
19:39
Speaker 2: playoffs and she was able to go into one of
19:42
Speaker 2: the department stores and she handed her credit card and
19:45
Speaker 2: the lady read the credit card last name. It's like,
19:48
Speaker 2: are you related, you know? And she's like, yeah, I'm
19:51
Speaker 2: his mother. And the lady behind the desk just started
19:53
Speaker 2: crying and goes, I've been praying for you and your
19:56
Speaker 2: family because I was at the time my father needed
19:58
Speaker 2: a kidney transplant. And that's like I always say that
20:01
Speaker 2: the Cardinal Nation not only wrapped their arms around me,
20:04
Speaker 2: but they wrap their arms around my entire family. And
20:07
Speaker 2: now going back like I it's just it's just amazing.
20:11
Speaker 2: I was on the flight the last time I came
20:13
Speaker 2: in and you know, and everyone was saying hello, and
20:16
Speaker 2: they're so respectful. Then also, I have the partnership with
20:21
Speaker 2: mid America Transplant and you know this past year on
20:24
Speaker 2: transplant Day, we were able to sell out the whole
20:26
Speaker 2: themed ticket. It's one of those things that these Cardinal fans,
20:31
Speaker 2: they love their Cardinals no matter who they are. I say,
20:35
Speaker 2: I say even now, I got to say the twenty
20:37
Speaker 2: six man, but back when I was playing, was only
20:38
Speaker 2: twenty five man. They treat the twenty sixth man as
20:42
Speaker 2: an A list celebrity. When when when you have the
20:46
Speaker 2: birds on the bats on your chest, these these fan
20:49
Speaker 2: base really shows the love for you. And it's not
20:52
Speaker 2: repeated anywhere else that I've seen in MLB.
20:57
Speaker 1: All right, last thing the new thing against the tarpsof
21:01
Speaker 1: I'm sure.
21:01
Speaker 2: You've seen it with them.
21:05
Speaker 3: The other night.
21:06
Speaker 2: That's great.
21:07
Speaker 1: So and I get that because look, you got to
21:10
Speaker 1: get the young fans, you know, into the stadium. Young
21:13
Speaker 1: fans are the energy and everything. But I think also
21:18
Speaker 1: the Cardinals have to understand too that all their fans
21:21
Speaker 1: are great, and you get sometimes the older fans they're
21:24
Speaker 1: just as important because to me, Cardinal Nation is a
21:28
Speaker 1: blend of all of that, right it is. You want
21:31
Speaker 1: the young guys to come back and be and bring
21:33
Speaker 1: the energy, but Cardinal fans you've seen it. They come
21:36
Speaker 1: in all ages.
21:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's it, and it's and it's and you
21:40
Speaker 2: you pass it down through through the generations. You know,
21:43
Speaker 2: when you go into Cardinal Nation, it's like, oh, my
21:46
Speaker 2: grandfather who took me to a game, with my father,
21:49
Speaker 2: with the you know, with my mother, you know, my sister,
21:52
Speaker 2: Like it's everybody and that's it. You know, because my
21:56
Speaker 2: my mother in law used to be a school teacher
22:00
Speaker 2: over in Saint Louis, and you know, opening day was
22:03
Speaker 2: almost it was almost considered a day off everyone if
22:06
Speaker 2: they came to school dressed in Cardinal red. And it is.
22:09
Speaker 2: It's one of those things that that from top to
22:12
Speaker 2: bottom and what I've been told and I've learned it
22:16
Speaker 2: now once you if you're born in Saint Louis, you
22:18
Speaker 2: kind of stay in Saint Louis and and and it's
22:22
Speaker 2: passed through the generation. And so yeah, that's one thing
22:24
Speaker 2: about it is and the thing about it, especially when
22:29
Speaker 2: I came to Saint Louis, the understanding of baseball from
22:33
Speaker 2: the fans, Like they understand like what's supposed to happen,
22:37
Speaker 2: Like we were talking about a little bit earlier, the
22:38
Speaker 2: fundamentals of the game. They are up in the stands
22:41
Speaker 2: and they see that and they understand that's winning baseball,
22:44
Speaker 2: and and that's something and they respect the game and
22:46
Speaker 2: that's something fun to play for.
22:49
Speaker 1: David Exellen, if I had my way, I'd immediately appoint
22:53
Speaker 1: you commissioner of Major League Baseball. I gotta tell you,
22:57
Speaker 1: it's always great to talk to. I appreciate you coming
23:00
Speaker 1: on Cardinal Territory, and I will say you clashed up
23:03
Speaker 1: the joint.
23:04
Speaker 2: So thank you, well, thank you, Jim. This is has
23:08
Speaker 2: been so fun and it's such a pleasure.
23:10
Speaker 1: David. Next time, we appreciate it. That's gonna do it
23:13
Speaker 1: for this edition of Cardinal Territory. We'll see you next time.
23:16
Speaker 1: Hopefully that episode won't suck