78. Casey O'Brien

WHAT. A. GUY. They don't get much better than this one. We visit with Former Golden Gopher Football player, Casey O'Brien. "Impressive,..Inspiring...Important." There really are not words to describe how much Casey's story touched us. Grab a tissue. We did.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

0:00

I owe my life to that place, you know, they saved my life on several occasions, so I feel like I could never do enough to repay that place for what they've done and continue to do for me, so. Um, I try to get involved with everything that I can, welcome to the Kindness Chronicles, where we hope to inject the world with a dose of the Minnesota Nice that it desperately needs. It is a new year. Happy New Year! Happy New Year, Steve. KG, you're on there. KG, you're not traveling? Are you not traveling this week? We did not do the game in Dallas. Uh, thankfully TNT had that, uh, thought of a game and we're looking forward to games Friday and Saturday in St. Paul and hopefully some better results. Yeah, that was not a, that was not a great one. It's rough. I would like to just start and I'd like to introduce our guest. Let's do it. So this is a guy that I have, admired for several years. I've got to know him as a result of the work that he has done with the Masonic. Children's Hospital his accomplishments will speak for themselves. In fact, the fact that he's with us today, when you hear what he's gone through this week, uh, also kinda speaks to the tenacity of this fella. We've got Casey O'Brien with us. Casey, welcome. Fella, thanks for having me on today. Excited to, uh, excited to chat with you guys. I Realized that I have another connection with Casey, a good friend of mine named Mike Dixon, not Mike Ditka, KG, Mike Dixon. Yeah, who works for, uh, he works for RBC, he's part of the, uh, the Lambert Dixon group, I would say very successful group at, RBC. wealth advisors. He's done some work for me and for some of the, uh, the organizations that I've worked with. I was talking to Mike and I, we were just talking about Cretan guys. Mike's a Cretan guy and I said, you know, what's going on with Casey O'Brien? Do you know him? do I know him? He works with me. what? And apparently, so Casey, take us back. How did you end up working for RBC? I know you went to the University of Minnesota, but can you give us just a, before we get into your, we want to hear the whole story. But yeah, before we get into your fame, how'd you end up at RBC? What a great gig. Yeah, absolutely. I, uh, studied finance at the U of M, but in my junior year, I was looking for an internship and my dad actually played college football with Mike Dixon at USP. Oh. Gave him a call and was like, Hey, you know, like looking for something in the business, you know, where should he be looking? And he said he'd be looking with us. Oh That's awesome Great opportunity got to learn from those kids for a summer and then headed back to school for my junior year and then After graduating them, they had a spot for me and it was I didn't apply to anything else I knew that was where I wanted to be Well, I think you picked a good one. I mean, all kidding aside, for starters, RBC is a fantastic company. And I think that the Lambert Dixon group is probably one of the top performers at RBC, so. Congratulations on landing that gig. That worked out. Now, who, your dad is a football coach, isn't he? Yep, he's coached at the college level, uh, Division 1, 2, and 3. Yeah, he's also coached. At several high schools. Which high schools? Which high schools? Yeah. East Coast, uh, the Mid East, St. Agnes, um, Vanille St. Margaret, St. Thomas Academy, Wait a second. And now Fuller Family. Hang on a second. He's not the old Brian that was the coach of St. Thomas Academy just a couple years ago, is he? Yep, that was him. Now how does a nice, he's a Cretan guy, isn't he? No, he's actually from a small town in southern Minnesota. Okay. He had no connection, so it wasn't, uh, it wasn't as, uh, tough a take for him as it was for me. Okay. Because, I mean, that is, that is like sleeping with the enemy, isn't it? Oh, no question. Yeah. take us back, to your, uh, your early high school days. You were a, a, a Cretan Raider, correct? Yep, exactly. Um, I grew up loving sports, played 3 4 sports all through middle school and grade school and, um, my fall of my freshman year of high school, I was playing quarterback at Creighton for the freshman team and, um, kept on having pain in my left knee when I was Drop back to past and we went to talk to several different doctors and meat specialists and finally ended up getting an MRI And there was a tumor the size of a softball on the inside of my left knee. Oh my god. could you not see it from the outside? Yeah, you could see there was a bump there. Okay, but you know people were telling us all Osgood Schlatter and, you know, throwing pains, all that kind of stuff. And, um, you know, if we didn't go get an MRI when we did, who knows what would have happened. Yeah. So that was your freshman year. Yep, exactly. So how did they treat that initially? Uh, they put a port in my chest the next Monday. Wow. And then was doing IV chemo, um, five days a week for, you know, I'd go for two weeks and I'd be in the hospital overnight. And then I'd be out for a week, and I'd be back in the hospital for two weeks, and then out for a week. Um, did that for about four or five months, and then had a total knee reconstruction, where they fully replaced my left knee as a 13 year old, and put a couple metal rods in there. Oh my god. And an eight hour surgery. You were 13? Yep. Okay. psychologically, I gotta ask you, at age 13, it's one thing for an adult to have to go through, Something as traumatic as you did, Casey, as a 13 year old, how did you cope and how did you handle the, um, the psychology of this whole experience? Yeah, it definitely was tough. I remember the biggest thing that I was disappointed about was not being able to play sports in front of fans. Because they were telling me, you know, you can play golf, you can, you know, bike, you can do that kind of stuff. And my dream had been to play high school hockey and high school football at Creighton. In front of the fans on Friday night, so that went away in a snap of a finger. And yet it didn't, because you came back. Yep. Which I think is the best part of your story. Just curiously, were you at the Masonic Children's Hospital from the beginning? Yeah, I've done everything there from the last, 11 years or however long it's been. You know, I've spent almost 400 nights there. Holy cow. Oh, man. Did you graduate from high school in 16? I graduated in 17. Okay, so you are the same age as, I have a son, uh, Jack, who played at Mata Midi. And, so you're the same age as my son Jack. And I just remember when you were speaking, I thought, If my kid could be half as poised as this guy. I'd be doing cartwheels. the story keeps going, man. Like, yeah, we got to hear more. I know I had to, you know, I interrupt, but I want to interrupt early on to 13. Are, were you a young freshman that seems young to be a freshman, right? Yeah. I was, uh, April birthday. So, okay. Got it. Surgery just before my birthday and got it. Okay. Was in a wheelchair for probably. Four or five months. Man, okay. Well, and he's probably of superior intelligence. Maybe that's why I'm asking. You were what? You were like 16? Yeah, I was like 17 when I started high school. So, the, the, the part of your story that I think really gets exciting for, for me is you came back to football. Yeah. Tell, tell us about that, uh, that adventure. Yeah. In my end of my sophomore year of high school, um, they had found a couple different tumors in my lung. And, you know, at that point I was. Uh, frustrated with the whole situation and wanted to figure out a way to go do what I loved. And so I petitioned my doctor to allow me to be a placeholder because it's supposed to be a flag if you get hit. There you go. And they were not very happy about it, but they nodded their heads secretly. I didn't know you could do that. That's pretty cool. I just want to interject that Casey just shared with us that earlier this week he had knee surgery. Yeah. And today he had a procedure on his lung, and he's still willing to come on to us tonight, so I Yeah, some of us have canceled with a common cold. Yeah, I wouldn't be talking to you guys. And he's willing to do the podcast with us. That's amazing. So impressive, man. Yeah. Hey man, I heard this is an important show. It is. Let's get that. Yeah, it is. That's very true. Um, yeah, if I have a bad lunch, I'm in the fetal position by about 4 o'clock. But that's, that's a whole nother situation. Um, so you, you were the placeholder for the Creighton team up through your senior year? Yeah, so my junior year was a little bit goofy. Um, so like I said, I was, yeah, I found those tumors in the end of my fourth or fourth year. So, going into my junior year, I was in treatment. So, um, I had a port in my chest and I was doing five days in a row in the hospital getting chemo. And then had two weeks off and in those two weeks off you're supposed to kind of lay alone and just rest and I would go to school every day, practice every day and then play on those Friday nights. I joke with people that I played I think four or five games in my junior year of high school varsity football and missed the other four because the key was off. Oh my god. the story continues into college. So just real quick, in high school didn't you play golf? Yeah, I did. I think I read somewhere that, uh, you took up golf and like in the first couple of years you were averaging like a 79. Wow. Is that accurate? Yeah. So I took it up in my sophomore year, um, because it was right after my knee surgery and I needed to figure out a way to, you know, have a competitive outlet. Keep moving. You know, just missing. I just, I had a hole in my life. So I started practicing. Made the JV team as a sophomore and then in my first tournament shot like a 110 or a 112 It came home and was just sobbing because I just was so frustrated you know, this was supposed to be my new sport and felt like I embarrassed myself out there and You know, it was a good learning experience because golf is not an easy sport but ended up working through that and like junior year kind of being in the Mid to high 80s and, you know, getting the shot at playing varsity once, once every while. And then my senior year, I played number one and number two. Wow. Wow. All kinds of stuff I've never mentioned. Well, that's incredible. Like, and again, you're right, golf is one of those games where I don't care how good an athlete you are, it's going to humble you early on. I guess, you know, I just think of your everyday world, Casey, during your high school years. And I assume mom and dad are in that foxhole with you. Was there a sibling, a best friend? Who are the people that you leaned on, um, from ages like 13 to 18 when we're still young people and we're trying to figure the world out and you've been given all these hardships? And it sounds like you've overcome all of them. Who was in that foxhole with you that helped get you through day to day? Because I just can't imagine how hard that was. Yeah, well, I'm blessed to have a really, really great family. Um, you know, my mom was a great school teacher and my dad was coaching at the U of M. And so, my grandma, she lives in St. Paul. My grandma and grandpa would drive over. Sit there with me from eight to three 30 every day while I was in the hospital. And then I would get off work and be there from four until eight o'clock. And then my dad would spend the night. And we did that for 10 years. And, uh, my dad never missed a night. So that's something that, oh my God, pretty proud of. Um, but I also had a lot of great friends and coaches, and anytime I needed somebody to come down there and sit with me, lows, you know, in the hospital getting chemo, there was never a no, you know, I had. Teachers, coaches, classmates, you know, people who would come down and help me with homework and that kind of stuff, so. It definitely was a team effort. Incredible. I just love hearing these stories. Yeah. Um, I'm getting choked up as you tell this story because I'm a father. It's just, it's emotional to hear you speak, but you do it so calmly. I just, um When's the book coming out? I imagine you, uh, or the movie or both. We're only at high school right now. So we got a lot more. Yeah. Keep it going. I'm sorry. I just, I get emotional hearing these stories. Yeah. Tell us, Casey, tell us about how you moved into your, uh, your U of M days and kind of how that worked out for you. Yeah. So, uh, I finished treatment at the end of my junior year. And was cancer free and played my entire senior season, played every game, you know, as a starting placeholder at Creighton and, uh, was cancer free all through that time. And as I was going through my spring of my senior year of high school, I knew that I didn't want to keep, I didn't want to stop playing football because, you know, I'd have been so instrumental for me. You know, coming from the hospital and throwing out a helmet and pads, nobody knows that you're sick. You're just one of the guys. Um, so it was really important to me. And I wanted to play at a high level because I wanted to play in front of fans. You know, as an athlete, you want to play on the biggest stages. Yep, I can relate. And so, I sent my film to all these different schools down south because I wanted to go to the SEC. I got a lot of these responses back of, hey, you know, this is a great story. But, you know, we can't trust you to be on the field because if you take a hit, you know, you, you're going right to the hospital. And U of M was the only school that cleared me to play. Wow. No kidding. And, and that was Coach Fleck, right? Yep, it was his first recruiting class. My son Jack, who graduated at the same time as you did. He was, um, on the Mata Midi football team and let's just say he, he was the backup pretty much everything. Backup quarterback, backup, uh, cornerback, backup kicker, backup punter. Yeah. And the team was pretty good so he got a lot of playing time. But he was, he was the placeholder. He had big hands. He was the guy that that held kicks. And what was really funny, Casey, is Um, his buddies put together a highlight reel. You know, one of the, one of those, uh, yeah, I like those highlight reel things. Yeah. Of him, on the sideline, there'd be a great play and then they'd like go to the sideline and they'd show Jack on the sideline, And then, then they would show him as the placeholder and like, they would fantastic. They would put the one that he fumbled the, the, the hold. Of course. Of course. Oh man. And he stands up to pass the ball and he just gets obliterated. Oh man. But what was funny is, is he heard back from several SCC schools that just said, I don't think that we have a place for you unless it's on like, uh, some sort of a comedy tour, but you know, this made our day and stuff like that. Oh my god, that's pretty clever. At some point, Casey, go to the huddle and look up Jack Schweitz. It's quite, you know, they got all that dramatic music. And these great big plays. And then they, it's him on the sidelines. They go to him on the sidelines. That's super smart. Now, you, on the other hand, actually got to play college. He was out there college football as a holder. Um, I just wanna read a couple of things about you that, uh, that I discovered as I was preparing for today. You gave the, keynote speech on behalf of the Big 10 football players at the Big 10 football kickoff luncheon in Chicago. What was that like? It was pretty crazy. You know, they, they usually pick. You know, the most recognizable guy in the Big Ten to do that speech, you know, it's been Kirk Cousins and Eric Decker and guys like that. And, uh, They had never picked a walk on before, and they had never picked a kid who hadn't played a snack. And so I knew that, uh, I had to go up there and do something pretty powerful. So, and we went down to Chicago for the event and, um, I was pretty nervous, you know, the night before the event. I was standing in the hotel staircase. Practicing my speech by myself, because, you know, they gave a kid a chance who nobody had heard of, so I wanted to make sure the crowd had sleep or something. And there were 2, 000 people there, TV cameras, everything like that, and, um, and I got into my first sentence and I had done it so many times that the rest just kind of became history. Wow. You also won the Disney Spirit Award as the most inspirational figure in college football? Yeah. And we got you on our podcast. What the hell? Yeah, yeah. We've definitely out punted our coverage. Yeah, we have out punted our coverage. No, he's, he's, I was reading that too, John. Casey, you, you, you've done a lot of keynote. Speaking for a lot of people, and they're all, um, have glowing things to say about your message and about your experience and your grit and, uh, It's pretty, it's pretty cool. you know, I'm blessed to have a story to tell that hopefully can help other people. Tell us about your relationship with T. J. Fleck. Yeah, more U of M. Because we see, we see the coach press conferences, we see him running on the field, we know what a tight knit That group that the Gopher football program is, but your relationship with him, um, I imagine kind of a father figure to you. Yeah, absolutely. You know, every three months I'd have scans and comics, and he was always the first call that I made, no matter good or bad. And no matter what the situation was, he always had a way to put a positive spin on it. You know, I'd tell him like, hey, you know, they found a spot in my right lung and I gotta start chemo again. And he'd be like, One spot in your right lung. It's not all over your body. Hasn't spread. You hit a triple. You didn't hit a grand slam. I guess you're right. He has been there the whole way for me. I still talk to him to this day and go over there and meet with him in his office. You know, I really look at him as a friend and a mentor more than anything just because I admire his positive spirit so much. when you watch this program. And the results on the field have been up and down. But I will tell you that the class that that program exudes matters. And I just look back at some of the uh, kind of the stories behind the scene. You know, he's on the radio here locally on I'm Kay Fan with Paul Allen, and you get to kind of go behind the curtain a little bit when it's a conversation, and I can tell, as I mentioned, you guys are really together. he and his wife are also very strong supporters of the Masonic Children's Hospital. Tell us a little bit about the time that you've spent, Masonic Children's Hospital, and how you've become a hero of, frankly, of fundraising there. I would imagine through that process you've had the opportunity to meet some pretty special people. Can you tell us a little bit about that journey? Yeah, you know, it's uh, I owe, I owe my life to that place, you know, they saved my life on several occasions, so I feel like I could never do enough to repay that place for what they've done and continue to do for me, so. Um, I try to get involved with everything that I can, and we're lucky here to have so many great, you know, athletes and celebrities that want to be ambassadors for the hospital. You know, you got Jason Zucker who doesn't even play here anymore and still comes back and does, you know, different appearances and things like that, fundraisers for the hospital. Kyle Rudolph opened a special wing of the hospital for, you know, kids to have a place to go play during the day. You know, you can go down the list with all the different teams that stop by. The Vikings come by, the Wilds come by, a bunch of different gopher programs will come by. And, you know, it just, it makes me happy to see the community embrace the Hofstede because it's such a good place. I have to ask, did you know Walt? I did. Can you tell us a little bit about Walt? I mean, he spoke last year at the Wine Fest and I was just so impressed with the guy. Walt who? Tell us who. Walt McGrory. He was a patient at the Masonic Children's Hospital and he passed away back in December of last year. Yeah, I got to know him pretty well through his journey because we're going through the same type of cancer. A lot of similar doctors. Um, and the biggest thing that struck me and I'll never forget about him is how positive he was through everything that came in his direction, you know, even a week before he passed away when he was in hospice, he was still talking about, you know, the story that him and I are going to tell when we both get through this thing. Um, so, you know, I feel like I lost a friend and a brother in this journey, but I'm happy that he's in a better place. No longer in pain. if you guys don't know, he was a basketball player at, uh, UW Madison and, uh, I think, was he Edina? Edina High School? He was at the leading score at Edina High School for basketball. Oh my goodness. So he was a young guy as well. Yeah, 23 years old I believe. Yeah, and normally when we bring up Udina High School, I would say something sarcastic, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna hold off on that. Not today. Not today, you know. So, let me, let's I might actually say something sarcastic about you Creighton guys too, but, you know. Nope. I'm a Hill Murray guy and Steve's a Hill Murray guy. Oh, shut up. And, uh, we just like to We do. That's true. We do, yeah. some of my Creighton friends will say, your parents just didn't love you enough to send you to Creighton. very much. KG, where'd you go to high school? Uh, God's country, down in Burnsville. God's country. My dad is a proud 1957 graduate. of Creighton High School. So I can't wait to call him when we wrap up, Casey, and, and tell him about this, uh, this fun podcast and, uh, Creighton's Best who we're talking to tonight. So I, it's, uh, this is an honor. And I, I mean, I am overwhelmed by your story. And I, uh, I just, I love, um, just the way you carry yourself. You are an impressive young man. And I know because of my background that, you know, public speaking is, um, it is fricking hard. Like I can stand it from a camera. And do the stuff I do with the wild or out of Canterbury in my sleep. And that's one thing. But when you stand in front of a group of hundreds, if not thousands, like you mentioned at that event in Chicago for the big 10, that I, it's not something I can do. Like I am, I struggle. Um, and I think a lot of people struggle. So, uh, you, you just have a, just even hearing you tonight on our show, you just have a real comfortable way about you and, uh, obviously your strength. It's been shown throughout all the, uh, different hardships that, uh, that have come your way and, uh, we're just, we're proud to have you on and I, I, I know, um, uh, this is going to be, um, for us. That's just an unbelievable way to start the, uh, the new year on our show. Yeah, I think, John and I both concur. I want to remind the audience that first of all, you're recovering from surgery today, and you're talking to us, you're, and you're 24 years old, right? Are you 24? You're 24 years old, years old, you're already an accomplished public speaker, motivational speaker, nonetheless. Um, we are pretty much in awe that when I was 24 years old, um, this is not where I would be, you know, I just, it's so, um, impressive and amazing and, um, the compassion and kindness and the things that you exude are all about what we're trying to do here and show people and highlight and celebrate. So thanks for joining us. And I, I just want to say, is it true that your grandfather is the, uh, the legendary Mal Scanlon? It is, it is. So your mom is a Scanlon? She is, yep. No kidding. And he was a legendary coach? Yep. Wait a second. Coached for probably 40 years, uh, high school football. He actually was, uh, sitting with me this morning. Before I went in for surgery, just like old times. Has he gotten a haircut? That's his brother, Mike. Mike is the one Oh, Mike is the one with the bad hair. Hey! So Mike was also a coach, right? Yeah, they coached together for many years and had a lot of great players come through, so His stories. It's special. Mel was, he was the coach at St. Thomas, wasn't he before Caruso? Yeah. He's the head coach at St. Thomas. Yep. Absolutely legendary athletic family Is Dan your uncle Dan Scanlon? Yeah. So Dan, who's that? Dan and Kevin McMahon. Kevin's a good buddy of ours. We went to high school with him. Oh, yeah. And he and Dan 87. Casey, didn't you have something to do with this, uh, this new technology that they've developed, WAVE? Yeah, we're, uh, trying to, you know, connect hospitals to, you know, people who want to be, you know, supportive and influencers and send messages to people who are in the hospital. Like, you know, teens, you know, if they're on the road and they want to send a message to a kid that, you know, is going through surgery. One, you know, create a platform that makes that easy to do for them. Cool. the worlds are colliding. I talked to Kevin McMahon last week about having him and Dan on the podcast, not realizing that you were a Scanlon. And that, and when I talked to Kevin McMahon, uh, yesterday, he said, yeah, Casey's part of this WAVE thing. they came and talked to me about WAVE early on, I think this is such a brilliant idea. Can you just tell us a little bit about WAVE and it's teeing up the, uh, the interview that we're going to have probably next week with Kevin and Dan. It really started from the pandemic and, knowing the impact that the relationship that I had been able to create with some of the people I looked up to in the area meant to me. And when they, put the restrictions down and said you only have one parent there and no visitors and things like that, it just didn't sit well with us. Cause we knew how much, a positive boost from someone you looked up to could mean. Yeah. We've been working on a platform where, if an athlete wants to send a message, they're not going to have to release their personal phone number or any information. It's going to come from the team, all the requests are going to go through the team. Having to look at your DMs all day and getting back to people. Um, so really just trying to streamline that experience. when I hear WAVE, I think of, what they do at the University of Iowa with the Children's Hospital down there. Was that Yep. taken into account when you guys came up with the name for this thing? Yeah, that was really kind of, uh, the inspiration for the, for the platform because You know, that boost that that stadium gives to those kids, you can't replicate. Yeah, and Steve, are you aware of what they do down in Iowa? No, Of course you're not. Casey, can you explain what they do at the Children's Hospital down in Iowa? Yeah, tell me, Casey. Yeah, at the end of the, uh, first quarter, I believe it is. Yep. They have, uh, every, so their Children's Hospital overlooks the stadium. It's so cool. They have a game, a lot of, a lot of kids will go into the windows of those rooms and watch the game with each other. Um, and kind of build some bonds in their hospital rooms. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Again in the first quarter, everybody in the stadium turns and waves at the kids who are up there in the room, and they all wave back. And you let me say things like that, and it's really cool. I have a daughter that goes to Madison, and you know they do that jump around silliness at the end of the third quarter. Let's just say Iowa's got it figured out a little bit, uh, a little more meaningful. That is really cool, really cool. I did hear a funny thing about the wave, uh, in Iowa. the offensive coordinator. happens to be the head coach's son. And the Iowa offense was not very strong this past year. And I heard somebody joking about the fact that even the kids wouldn't wave at Kurt Ferencz's son. That's funny. Thumbs down. It wasn't very nice. That's not very nice. I just, uh, it's kind of funny after seeing their quarterback play, I don't think it was the coordinator's fault. No dad's fault for not recruiting better Yeah, they certainly had some issues. That defense is awfully good, though. No doubt. Yep, no problem. The quarterback, I feel like I was in better shape than the quarterback He looked like the Vikings hunter He struggled. So Casey, I know we're at the tail end and we want to let you get some rest. You had surgery early today. I'm just curious what you do for fun. I know in the summertime you probably golf, but in the dead of winter here in Minnesota, when, um, you're not doing all the great things that you do and you're not fighting the battles you fight, are you a book guy? I'm a movie guy. Maybe you're a movie guy. What do you do to kind of get away and give yourself a little, uh, at least for a couple hours, a mental vacation? Yeah, um, I, I wish I was more of a book guy, uh, trying to get there. Now you don't. I have a hard time sitting down and opening a book. But, um, a lot of times it'll be, hanging out with buddies, getting together to watch football or sports or, um, throwing on a show or a movie and just kind of hanging out. Nice. And, and of course, wealth management. Right? So just curiously, have you gotten any of that PJ Fleck money? Are you managing any of his dough yet? Have you made, have you made that ask? No, I need a, I need a little bit more grain in my hands. Okay, there's a lot there to, uh, to connect with. I, I, I just want to tell you. That I felt most connected to you when you mentioned that you shot a hundred and ten. Uh, in the golf. And then when you started talking about, but didn't you feel a kinship with him when he said he shot a hundred and ten? I thought, now there's my kind of guy. And then you just went and wrapped it. Then he got good. Yeah, and he went and shot the 70s and ruined everything for us. Oh, good for you! I want to recommend Go ahead, Casey. I think the cops spent a few nights outside after that one. They liked the time out. I love that. So, KG, as we always have a Kramer reference, what are you thinking about right now? Sam the caddy. Sam the caddy. When Kramer came in and he threw his clubs on the ground and then he kicked them. And he said, I don't need these anymore. Have you watched the Seinfeld episodes? Casey, have you watched Seinfeld? Yeah. Okay, good. We always ask, we can tell you if you're our kind of guy. If you've watched some Seinfeld over the years, it's already a 30 year old show, but it's a classic. It's a classic. I agree. I agree. They're all answered at some point. It's one of those nine terrific seasons. There's something for everybody with Seinfeld. It's amazing. It's always on in the afternoon. Um, cause I, I tend to work at night and the afternoon I'm kind of getting ready to go to work. I always have. It's on usually from, on Comedy Central for a three or four hour block in the middle of the afternoon. I always have it on, and it's amazing how thirty, geez, thirty years later, um, That show can still be kind of relevant. It's, it's remarkable, but it's, it's, it's timeless. It really is. No question. Well, I haven't, I was actually a little nervous before this interview because I am such a huge fan of Casey. And, you know, you're just a guy. You're just like my kid. We should, and we should recommend all of our listeners to look him up, Google him and see all the different, really, we're just touching on some of the stuff he's done. Yeah, this is 40 minutes. This isn't enough. Trust me. Yeah. It's pretty, it's pretty, uh, remarkable. Um, I want you to do one thing for me, as a dad. And I'm gonna get a little choked up here. When you talked about your dad, spending all that time with you. God. Yeah. As a dad as well, it's, uh, I can't imagine the, the bond you have now, but what it took to, to get through that you and your dad, your family. What a hero. Yeah. All right. With that, I'm going to quit crying and off we go. Thank you, Casey. Yeah. Thanks for the effort.