Rocky Mountain Tigers featuring Jake Renquist

On this episode, Danny chops it up with 1/2 of the Burnin' Daylight Sports Podcast, Jake Renquist! We lead off talking about tornadoes, favorite sneakers and our affinity for GM cars. Then, we discuss his grandfather taking him to Colorado Rockies games as a kid, moving to Detroit and hitching his wagon to the Tigers, being amazed at Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, his go-to places to pregame, Coming to America, favorite swings, should pineapple go on pizza and more!

Where to find Jake:

instagram.com/j_renquist

Burnin' Daylight Sports Podcast:

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ibjbtt7zWtP9KKKaQhNaA?si=SvQ7yf8KRJiAtIhhNj5Bwg

YouTube https://youtube.com/@burnindaylightsports?si=_G_m2-6ix3m7c3AI

Intro/Outro music-"Sound of Speed" by @infrared_krypto

Listener questions/comments:
foxworthpodcast@gmail.com

Instagram:
instagram.com/dannyfoxworth843

X:
x.com/dannyfoxwrth843

Bluesky:
dannyfoxworth843.bsky.social

YouTube Channel:
youtube.com/dannyfoxworth843

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:26

What is good, good people? You and I listening to another episode of At the Plate with Danny Foxworth. I am your humble narrator, Danny Foxworth, and on this episode, we're joined by another extremely special guest. Man, this guy, when I first saw his IG bio, I was like, yeah, I gotta get this guy on the show, man. He likes baseball, sneakers, cars, tornadoes, and sharks. I'm like, bro, every single one of those topics are in my wheelhouse, man. And so we got this guy here, Detroit Tiger fanatic, the good brother Jake Rehnquist, man. Jake, great to have you on here. Yeah, man. So how you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Doing good.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Absolutely. So before we get into baseball, let's delve a little bit into your topics of interest in the uh IG bio. So let's start with the um, let's start with tornadoes. So, where did your fascination with tornadoes come from?

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Um, I don't know. I mean, I I grew up in Colorado, uh, was younger. There's there's some tornadoes out in the plains, but um I don't know, just fascination with like the power of nature.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Yeah. And do you do you remember um witnessing a tornado in real life?

SPEAKER_00 1:33

I've never seen one in real life.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Man, that's that's uh that's right there at the top of my list. I mean, you know, granted it sucks that it does all that damage, but just like you, I'm just I've been wildly fascinated with weather and just nature ever since I was a little kid, and that's still one of the things I want to witness before I go is I want to roll with a storm chaser on a mission.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

I've been trying to do it, and it's just never worked out. Um but yeah, that's all my bucket list.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

And then um the sharks. Where did the where did the shark fascination come from?

SPEAKER_00 2:09

I don't know. I mean, probably from watching Jaws as a little kid. Um it just scared the hell out of me. Uh it just kind of always just kind of kept with me.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Fair enough, fair enough. Man, Jaws scared the hell out of me as a little kid. And um now, cars. Because I'm a fanatic about cars as well. So, matter of fact, what's your dream car?

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Oh, my dream car. I mean, uh maybe uh GMX. Ooh, good call. Yeah, um, yeah, it's uh like I worked at GM for a long time. Um I got a um Monte Carlo in the garage. Kind of been a project for a long time, but yeah, I just kind of always like those uh G bodies.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Man, I'm telling you, them I love them G bodies too, man. And I I always had a soft spot for the Monte Carlos, too. Uh, because I'm a GM guy. Like, with the exception of the first car I ever owned, which a Nissan, every car I've had since then was a Chevrolet.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Yeah, uh I said like my dailies, the Volvo, so okay. But part of that is just because uh American companies don't make too many cars anymore. Yeah, that's a real that's a real good point.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

I don't I like Stans, so man, and Volvos, I tell you what, if you take good care of them, they will last forever.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Yeah, I've had great luck with this so far.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Yeah, because one of my relatives, he has an 89 Volvo station wagon, and that joker's got like 400,000 miles on it, and it's still rolling. I was like, holy smokes, man.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Yeah, they're bulletproof.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

They are, and then we'll get into sneakers. So, um, where does your uh love for sneakers start?

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Ah, I mean when I was a kid, like I never had money for nice sneakers, and then I got a job, and I'm like, all right, I'm getting every single one I wanted as a little kid.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

You and me both. So what were the what were your holy grail sneakers as a kid?

SPEAKER_00 4:09

I mean, I love Jordan 3s. Um I mean I probably got like 25 pairs of Jordan 3s. Uh that's what that's all that's always been my favorite.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Was there a particular sneaker that you weren't particularly a fan of as a kid, but then as you grew older, you started to develop an affinity for that sneaker?

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Um, yeah, I mean, I guess I didn't really like 11s when I was younger.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

I'm weird to say, uh, but yeah, now I'm a big fan.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

And what about the opposite? Like a sneaker that you loved as a kid, but then as an adult, you're like, man, these sneakers ain't as hot as what I was what I once thought they were.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Jordan 1's, and it's mostly because they just they just don't fit me right.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Um yeah, it's uh that that's I mean, that's the only reason. I love the look, but fair enough.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Yeah, yeah. It's you know, comfort, aesthetics is one thing, but comfort is especially as we get older, you know, you gotta have a shoe with comfort. I mean, yeah, look, I got I got flat, I like I got cast iron skillet feet. They're they're like super flat. And yeah, I feel you with that, man. I gotta, it's like I got you sacrificing comfort for aesthetic. So I definitely feel what you're saying there. So now let's get into some baseball, man. So I'm assuming you grew up in Detroit or from Detroit?

SPEAKER_00 5:32

No, I grew up in Denver. Um I've been I've been in Detroit for like what 13, 14 years or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Okay. So um, what were your earliest memories of baseball?

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Uh going to the games with my grandpa. Um you go to the Rockies games. Uh they got the the rock pile is like way out, way up high above uh center field. Um, but tickets were like four dollars. Uh so you go out there and watch the game. Um that's really where it started.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

Man, and four dollars to get into a major league game, that is man, man, listen. Golly. So um what was do you remember the first Rockies game that you attended?

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Uh honestly, I don't know if I can. Um, I mean, like, I remember we used to go to uh uh 4th of July games with like all my cousins and my grandpa, and that was always like the highlight of the summer. Um, but I can't really remember like specifically the first one.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Okay. And then when you moved to Detroit, and was that when you officially hitched your wagon to the Tigers?

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Yeah, uh, pretty much. Uh the Rockies were real bad then. Um it's not just that they were bad, uh, their ownership just like we're not gonna spend money to put together a real team. I'm like, all right. Um, and then I mean I just like baseball, so I just got uh started with a guy um who was big into baseball. We ended up going to a bunch of the uh playoff games um in 2013. Um they had a nice run that year, and then we've uh next year we got season tickets and I've had them since then. Tight.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

So um what was the first Tigers game you attended?

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Oh, it was probably the uh I think it was the um against the A's first round of playoffs in 2013.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Answer that's wild. Like your first Tigers game was a playoff game. Boy, that's you you set the ball high, man.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Playoff baseball game, October baseball, man. It's it's nothing like it. And I still have yet to witness it like live and live in color, and that's still something at the top of my bucket list that I want to do. So kudos to you for I mean, your first game was a playoff game, man. Not many people can say that. So, who were some of your favorite Tigers players?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Oh, uh um, I mean Miguel Cabrera, uh, definitely uh it's so so much fun to watch. And I even when he was like older, not as good, is it's so much fun to watch him just because at any point he might just turn on one. Um yeah, and then uh like Burlander. Um and like especially with like when the tires are getting real bad, like Sunday at home, Burlander's on the mound, like that's a fun time.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Oh yeah. And then especially with uh Cabrera, I never thought in a million years that I would actually see somebody hit for the triple crown in my lifetime. Oh yeah, and to see him do that, man, that's that's like a uh that's like some Haley's comet shit right there.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that first that was like the first year that I was in Detroit. And I mean, it's just incredible to watch that.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

So for you, it's just like uh just a non-stop chain of of like like like mind-blowing events between the playoffs and then be getting your first year in Detroit. That's the year that he gets he gets the his uh triple crown. And then you bringing up Verlander, no, he was left the Tigers and now he's he's come back home.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

So is is this gonna be his last year?

SPEAKER_00 9:26

I think so. Um I mean, he's 43, which is just crazy to think about. Still playing that uh at that age. But I mean, when you're back at home, I mean I I think uh this might be it, which is I'm I'm glad to see it.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Yeah. You know, you you you finished where you started, man. And that man, he's had a hell of a career. He's got like what, 3,300 career strikeouts?

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

That that's just it's rare that a pitcher, you know, reaches that three, three, that 3K milestone, but just to add, like, it's basically it's like extra credit homework with all those like 3,300 strikeouts. That's just that's so hard for me to wrap my mind around. Because as far as like modern-day pitchers, it ain't too much. It's like him and CeC and like Scherzer.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Scherzer, yeah. Those are the only ones like Kershaw.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Oh, yeah, Kershaw did get 3k. And um, yeah, I'll tell you one of my favorite, um, one of my favorite Tigers players I used to love was watching Maglior Donia's.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

He would he golly, he was one of my absolute favorites, man. Him, um, of course, Prince Fielder.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Prince was fun. Um, I mean it's it's kind of too bad that he ended up getting rid of him, but it was fun for while he's there. Yeah. Um especially that you get Biggie going moving over to third, and it's kind of fun to see too.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Yeah. And man, I'll tell you, one pitcher during that time period who I just had high hopes for, but he just could not stay healthy. That was Joe Zemaia, y'all's closer. I was like, that man had a I mean a flamethrower for Arm, but he kept, it seemed like every other year he was blowing his elbow out and happened to get Tommy John.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah, definitely. Uh, you know, I mean like Tigers is just a string of closures that you know makes me want to have a heart attack every time they get up there.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

So who what are your um what are your uh expectations for the for your squad this year?

SPEAKER_00 11:30

Oh I I mean, made the uh playoffs the last two years. Um I mean I I want to pen it, you know. I mean who knows if Scooba's coming back? This is it, like maybe, you know, let's go all out.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Um yeah I didn't even think about Scooba. As far as pitches go, it's Scooba's world and everybody else is just living in it. That man can he just does whatever the hell he wants on the mound, and it's just it's always must see TV with him.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Oh, yeah, definitely. Um, I mean, he he just he also reminds me so much of Erlander, too.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

You know, big guy throws hard. Um yeah, you gotta watch Rings on the Mound.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

Man, and speaking of of uh Comerica Park, what are some of your favorite uh concessions at the stadium?

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Um honestly I don't really get too many concessions. I mean, like we go to so many games, like we kind of we usually end up getting like a couple beers before the game. Um and usually don't, yeah, unless we're going out afterwards, usually don't drink before uh getting my teeth before just because it's kind of expensive. But um, I mean personally, like if I'm eating there, uh it's the hot dog, uh, or like they got the little Caesars like deep displays.

SPEAKER_02 12:55

Of course. I mean, you can't it can't be Detroit without little Caesars. So actually, let me let me backtrack since you say you pre-game somewhere else. Like, what what places do you really normally hit up before the game where you like eat or or partake in in uh dining and some uh dining on some vittles before you enter the ballpark?

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Um yeah, we usually go to Easter Market. Um it's about like a mile away. Um there's a couple bars over there, and like you usually go get grab a slice of pizza, then go to uh Thomas McGee's across the street, um, grab a couple beers and then head in.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

Okay. Now uh what does Tom was uh Thomas McGee serve?

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Oh, it's just it's just a bar. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No food.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

So all right. And then since we talked about your favorite Tigers players, I want to talk about, well, share with us who you some of your favorite non-Tigers players are. It can be past and present.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Oh, I mean, uh Kim Griffey Jr. is my favorite player growing up. Um yeah, I mean that's number one for me. Um I mean I loved watching CC Zabathia pitch. Um uh I was kind of a bit of a um Mary's fan when I was a kid. Um, so I I always liked A-Rod 2 and Randy Johnson's uh um big unit. Yeah, so um, and then currently uh I mean um Bobby Witt, uh he's just uh we get to see him quite a bit just being uh in uh in our division. Um it's kind of rough watching him because he just he's so good. Um and then like Ellie de la Cruz.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Um man, listen.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

I swear every single time I watch him do uh play, like he's making some incredible throw or you know hitting like a rocket. I it's just yeah, it's always it's always fun to watch him.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Yeah, he is must watch. I actually took a trip to Cincinnati to see him play back in uh 2024, and he didn't he didn't really do much that day, but just just seeing just his frame in person was extremely impressive.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

Absolutely. I mean it's it's surprising, like how big he is, and he's still just so agile and fast, too.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Yeah, oh my god, he's fast. It's ridiculous. Man, um so now we're gonna get into the five questions segments. So the first and last question I ask every single guest I have on here. Questions two through four, 100% random. So question number one: what were Jake's go-to school lunch items?

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Oh, I I always love Cheetos. That was like that was always my snack for lunch when I was a kid.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

And uh what do you have any beverages that you that you uh wash the Cheetos down with?

SPEAKER_00 16:00

No, not really. I mean, it's usually just water, but okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

Um, question number two What are your three favorite swings from players not named Ken Griffey?

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Oh, um Carlos Gomez. Um wow, cargo. Yeah, uh I mean I I I just love like he's got this little bat flip where he just kind of you know he swings and then just kind of tosses it. Yeah, it's just so fun. Um I mean, Miggy, obviously. Um and then Otani. Um oh man. Yeah, he's he's got kind of like an interesting stance. Um, and like it's just kind of I'm always surprised like how much power he can generate, um, just from where like from where he starts.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Yeah, it's it is insane.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

It's such a quick swing, too.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

It is. I remember when I was at my uncle's house when he had that um thing he was six for six, had like 10 RBIs, and we were just sitting there, just like it got to the point we were just laughing every like after every at bat. I'm like, bro, what in the hell are we witnessing right now?

SPEAKER_00 17:12

I yeah, I mean, that's another guy who does something amazing every time he's that bad.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

I mean, I mean, yeah, for real, for real. And uh question number three. What's your favorite restaurant in Detroit?

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Oh, that's a good one. Um, I would really like the wings at um at uh um O'Toole's uh bar in Royal Oak. Uh just a little north of the city that is as I sort of the best wings in the city. This is it's just kind of bar food, but they got the wings.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

Okay. What what flavor wings do you order?

SPEAKER_00 18:02

Uh I mean, I just like the classic hot buffalo. Okay. Um maybe some lemon pepper.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Can't go wrong with either. Keep it simple. Uh, question number four pineapple on pizza, yay or nay?

SPEAKER_00 18:17

I was always against it, but I'm coming around a little bit. Okay. It's alright.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Man, I love pineapple on pizza. And as a kid, it just made no sense to me. And then just on a whim, I had it at a pizza spot down here, and I was like, oh, okay. Just added a different of different uh flavor profile. I was like, wow, okay. I think I might get this a little more often. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yeah, definitely. Especially with like a little bit of hot sauce, you get like a little bit of sweet, a little bit of hot.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

Mmm, I might have to try that. I never thought about doing it that way. Um, then the last question. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Um, I was watching uh Coming to America when I was working on my like this week.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

I mean, I was seeing it you know a hundred times, and it just always makes me laugh.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

What's your favorite scene?

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Uh The Barbershop.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Oh, of course. Of course. Hey, never met Martin Luther the King. Racquamasciano, Racabasano. Oh, that whole scene. That just that whole movie. You know, I gotta go back and watch that. I hadn't seen that in a lot in a hot minute. But yeah, I'm 100% with you with that movie, man. Uh, so um we're gonna about to wrap the show up. So before we go, tell the people where they can find you on social media.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

All right. I do I do get my my boy to give me this. Um, so uh you find me at uh J underscore Renquist um on uh Instagram, and then um you can listen to uh um my podcast, um Burning Daylight Sports on uh Apple, Spotify, uh YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

I did not know you had a podcast, man. I would have I would have let off with that.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

I I'm kind of I'm I'm kind of bad at uh pushing it on IG. Um but yeah, we've been doing uh weekly podcast with uh one of my friends from college uh for the last like maybe four years. Wow. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Yeah. So what's what's it about?

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Um I mean it's so we kind of started out uh doing like talking about benton football. Um is pretty much uh like every Sunday we're just texting, talking about football. Um, and we're like, oh, we should just do a podcast. He's got a couple other podcasts too. So we're like, oh, let's do this, and then realize that actually baseball is really what we like for. So yeah, it's mostly about baseball these days.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Um okay, man. Hell, I didn't know. I'm I'm about to subscribe after we log off.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

So um, again, thank you so much for being on here, man. This is a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 21:05

Good time, and uh, yes, sir. And thank y'all for listening. Make sure you like download and subscribe to At the Plate with Danny Foxworth, subscribe to my YouTube channel. You can find me at Danny Foxworth843. There you can find videos of every episode of this podcast, as well as my other podcast since we last spoke with Danny Foxworth, Growing Up Low Country with Liz and Danny, and my candle podcast, The Wicked Good Time with Danny Foxworth. And for Jake and myself, it's been another episode of At the Plate. And until next time, y'all be good. Three strikes.