At The Plate with Danny Foxworth
A series of spirited discussions with people about their favorite baseball teams, mainly how and when they became fans of those teams. Favorite/least favorite players, favorite moments
At The Plate with Danny Foxworth
Burnt Ends With a Side of Wizard feat. Brandon Bruce
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On this episode, Danny chops it up with Missouri native/Diehard Cardinals fan, Brandon Bruce! They talk about their love of the Fiyastarter Podcast, how he became obsessed with Ozzie Smith, his favorite Cardinals players, the emotional toll of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, the greatness of Mo Vaughn, his ideal walk-up music, Kansas City BBQ and more!
Where to find Brandon:
instagram.com/the_dopedads_club
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
What is good, good people? You are now listening to another episode of At the Plate with Danny Foxworth. I am your humble narrator, Danny Foxworth, and once again we're joined by an extremely special guest. And it has been a long time coming, man. I finally got myself a St. Louis Cardinal fan in the mix. And for sentimental reasons, we're going to get into why I rolled out the red car perform to be on here. So this man here, father, baseball enthusiast, diehard cards fan, ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only Brandon Bruce, first timer at the plate. Brandon, what's good with you, bro?
SPEAKER_01Danny, first time, long time. We've been chopping it up over Instagram. Um, I've been part of the MCU. Um, shout out to Bomani Jones. Shout out to the Firestarter crew because that has been my favorite podcast for probably like since 2009. It's it's nice to see you in person, and it's it's nice, it's nice to be here. Baseball. I love baseball. There's not too many of us out here that that's into baseball like we used to be, and I'm happy to talk it and I'm happy that you got me on.
SPEAKER_02Right on. So, first and foremost, the Firestarter Podcast, because they're my favorite podcast as well. So, how did you get introduced to the to the Firestarter podcast?
SPEAKER_01Okay. Back in, I'm old, you know, I'm in my 40s, um, back in early or late um 2008, 2009, um, sitting in my corporate job. What are you what are you gonna do when you're sitting there on the on your computer? Listen to podcasts. And so I got hooked on to the Morning Jones. From The Morning Jones, I was listening to um Rod and Charlotte, Rodamus Prime. Um, from there, I got hooked on to um the black guy who tips. The black guy who tips back in the day from like you remember early black guy who tips whenever they played music under underneath it. Yeah. And um they had the games changed a lot. Um back when McNeese beef with Ray Sani and his wife, and they there, there was it was all um black guy who tips, where's my 40 acres, fill in the lane podcast? Shout out to to Rick. I'm I'm part of the universe.
SPEAKER_02Big shout out to Rick. And so what was your what were your first memories of the Firestarter podcast?
SPEAKER_01First memories of the Fire Pirate side, Firestarter podcast. First of all, my boy is K Bads. I love K Bads um and that Gidea. And it like shout out Gooch. Shout out Gooch. I'm I follow Gooch, I follow I follow Gooch on on um Instagram, I follow his Gooch um Enterprises, like everything he's doing. I don't even know him, but I feel like I know Gooch because of that Gidea. So I think I think that's what got me hooked. And I guess digging back to like when I was first getting into corporate America, that button, you know, going on mute, and I'm sitting here, um, oh my bad, that button. And it got to be where I had my um my my higher-ups and my boss like, oh, you hit that button again? Like, sorry, that button. So um it's it's been part of my like lexicon, and they don't know it. I mean, I kind of interact with them from time to time. I've sent them some some emails here and there, but I'm part of the community. So I I love that's probably my favorite podcast.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, mine too. And you you know they left an impression on you when you start using jargon at work. Man, the amount of times like a coworker says, How's that look? I'm like, that job look good. I'm like, they got me.
SPEAKER_01I started saying young in there for a little bit. Bro. I was I was working in DC, I was working in Fairfax, Virginia. And so when you say young, is like you from around here? I'm like, I know people. I got I got some older uncles.
SPEAKER_02Tight, tight. So um now we're going to get into some baseball. So share with us, Brandon. What were your first baseball memories?
SPEAKER_01First, baseball memories. So I grew up in mid-Missouri, right in the middle of the state. If you're west of the Missouri River, you're a Royals fan. If you're east of the Missouri River, you're a Cardinals fan. Um shout out to the um the 85 I-70 series. Even though I grew up west of the of the Mississippi or west west of the Missouri, I'm a big Cardinals fan because I I still remember it was 1989.
SPEAKER_00I saw Ozzy do that backflip. I've been I've been hooked ever since.
SPEAKER_01And just like like the 80s and 90s baseball from just like all the black players from from back then. And um, I guess like baseball was my my first sport that I that I played and like my first love. So I love baseball. From the Royals to the Cardinals to the Monarchs.
SPEAKER_02Man, so um which which of the teams uh between the Royals and the Cardinals did you really latch yourself to initially?
SPEAKER_01Um, so my my family is all most of my family is from from Kansas City. So I got I've been to actually more Royals games than been after Kaufman. Shout out to Kaufman. Decay. Oh, I love it. I love it I was listening to a podcast earlier today, and CC Bat CC Sabathia said that Kaufman was his favorite stadium in the um Honestly, funny you mentioned that.
SPEAKER_02First Royals game I went to was in uh 2009, and it was against the Yankees, and Sebath and Sabatia just so happened to be the starting pitcher that day. Okay. And I think uh Bruce Chen was the Royals starting pitcher. Yeah, I remember him. I remember him.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, so I apologize, cut you off. Um so yes, just growing up, going to a bunch of Royals games, I was just a little before, I think it's Steve Bo Jackson, um, but I do remember George Bright. I know I remember a lot of like those early, the early 90s Royals players. Um I remember a lot of AL teams coming in. So I guess I'm an old school baseball player. Uh old school baseball fan first. I don't like inter league play at the beginning of this. I don't like interleague play like throughout the whole season. I I would love to say that for like a portion at the end of the season when they start that in like 1997 is whenever they saw inter league play in. It's just it feels weird. So I want anyways, I I'd love I I used to love a good old school like AL stadium. Um I still like it whenever the pitchers, like when the pitchers batted in the NL. Like I don't like all this new stuff. Um Kaufman Stadium, I love it. Running around there, this is what I was gonna say. I'm rambling. Um Cecil Fielder. First autograph I ever received when I was a kid. He came off the came. I love Kauffman Stadium. Cardinals is where I'm at.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, man. Kaufman Stadium, that's honestly, that's probably my second favorite ballpark right behind PNC. Okay. Ooh, that's a good one. Yeah, but man, it's just it's just got such a charm to it. And I never realized that it was like literally right next to Arrowhead Stadium. Like right there. Yeah. Right off of I-70, man. And shout out shout out to Kansas City, man. Gates Barbecue, go chicken go. Oh my God. It was one of my best friends in high school. He lives out of Noverland Park, so I usually try to get out there as much as I can. Shout out to my dog Ryan Haynes. And yeah, I I had a great time at the uh the road.
SPEAKER_01First time you're in Kansas City. I heard you heard you say Gates. And like, I mean, you feel like barbecue, that's okay. But Oklahoma Joe's, that's where you need to go. I've I've been there.
SPEAKER_02Been there too. There, um, this is it, Fiorella's Jackstack Barbecue. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Been there too. Shout out to uh, what is it, North? What's the mall? Is it North Park or North Lake? I haven't lived in Missouri in like 20 years, but yeah, North Park and then uh Great Mall of the Great Plains. I don't know if it's yeah, I don't know if it's still there or not. It was right off of I-29, but when I went there back in like 2010, it looked like it was on its last leg. They had a Burlington Co-Factory, shout-out to them. But yeah, it's it's been a minute since I've been back there. But let's get into the St. Louis Cardinals. You mentioned that uh Ozzy Smith was the reason why you became a Cardinals fan. So were there other players that um that you were really drawn to?
SPEAKER_01As a child, I had Ozzy all over the place. I was running around doing backflips. I think I got a cameo when I turned 40 a couple of years ago from Ozzy Smith. Um, from my buddies, being like, oh man, he can still do backflip. And he's like, You do still do backflips? So Ozzy, first and foremost. Who do we have? We had Lee Smith. He was a picture, a pitcher back in the day. I used to jump around and say that they were related. I guess my my old age with my kids. I'm kind of drawing a blank from my childhood. But from my high school era with like Rick Ankle, he's one of my favorites. I loved him as a pitcher. I loved him when he came back as an amazing center fielder and he was hitting them bombs. Um X dying, because he's the Midwest. I'm I'm a shortstop, so I like good shortstops, and he was a good tryhard. David Freeze, my favorite. Like he healed a special place in my heart. Yeah, whatever. That guy. We'll we'll get into that a little bit later. To pull holes to Molina to all of them. Like, like I have I can't I have a Cardinals favorite from every era.
SPEAKER_02Um, Yadir Molina, oh my, he's one of my favorite players ever. Man, he was a dog. Yeah, he was. Oh my gosh, yeah, he was. And I really like during that same era when Ozzy Smith was there, I was also a big fan of Willie McGee, too. Ooh, yeah. Willie McGee, that I used to love watching him play, man. So um, what were some of your favorite Cardinals moments?
SPEAKER_00Um, Cardinals moments. Let's see here.
SPEAKER_01I remember 2006 when we lost to the um to the to the Red Sox. Was it 2006? 2005. No, 2006. Um lost to the Red Sox. I was there for game, the second game, when we got swept. Even though that's that's not good. That's not a good memory, but I was there. The 98 home run chase with um with McGuire and Sosa. Yeah. That was a special place for my heart. I think I still got some McDonald's baseballs from from from when they had from whenever whenever uh McGuire uh like 52 to pass. What else? Sitting in the green seats for the green seats are are the first row of seats right behind the plate. I I got those for my birthday whenever I turned 24. So I sat sat right there behind the plate. World series. But I guess my my favorite World Series is 1111. I was living in Chicago at the time. I felt that we were gonna lose. And just World Series once. I feel like every good childhood moment in the summer, or like even in my adulthood, has been has had the Cardinals have been included, with the exception of these past three years, because we've been terrible. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I've been to one Cardinals game. They played, who did they play? I believe they played the Pirates. Okay. And I went there in St. Louis. This was like 2011. No, this was 2010.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, so that's old Bush.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So that was that was my first time, and I just I immediately fell in love with Bush Stadium, man. And I gotta make it back to the new Bush Stadium.
SPEAKER_01You you have to make it back. So it's so much nicer now. So now they have it's called Ballpark Village, and then that they built up or around the stadium, and there's there's so many attractions. There's so much to do. And you always got the Cardinals. So it's good. You gotta get back there. I'm gonna ask you this question. How did you become a Rangers fan? I've heard it in the past, and because I do listen to the podcast, but I mean, outside of Dusty Baker, because you know, I kind of wanted him to win so he could be the first black um manager and back in 11. So I would have been good either way. But you know, outside of Dusty Baker, but what made you a Rangers fan?
SPEAKER_02So this was 93. And the reason why I root for all of the sports teams I root for is because I just wanted to pick a team that nobody else was rooting for. And, you know, I'm in South Carolina and I'm in the middle of Atlanta Braves country, and especially like in the early to mid-90s, you know, they look at you, they're looking at you like you got an arm growing out of your head when you tell them you're a Rangers fan. But what happened was we ended up getting a satellite dish. And um there was a rate, there was a TV channel, there was a TV station in Dallas, I believe it was KTVT, if memory serves me correctly. And every Saturday they would have the Rangers game of the week. I was at that time I was a big baseball card collector, and I remember getting Nolan Ryan's card and flipping around seeing the stats, and he had like 5,714 career strikeouts, which is still just hard to wrap my mind around. And he got the start that Saturday. And uh he didn't have a particularly good outing, but I'll tell you the player that made me a fan of the Rangers was Julio Franco. And it was because of that batting stance because I'd never seen anybody take the barrel of the bat and basically point it towards the pitcher. Yeah, and he flat out raked that day. I'm like, this is the team I'm hitching my wagon to, and it's been on ever since.
SPEAKER_01So you guys had some good years. Like I was a big Josh Hamilton fan.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You have some good players, yeah. And Josh Hamilton, he actually got his start. For those of y'all listening, like I live in the Monks Corner area, which we'll live in Monks Corner, which is like a half hour from Charleston. And so Josh Hamilton literally got his professional start with the Charleston River Dogs. Okay. And um back in '98, he was the first overall pick. And man, just seeing him go from that and then have his setbacks with the with the drug with the drug addiction, and then bring it all the way back. Yeah, bring it and then just bring come back full circle, you know, getting drafted by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft, I think in 2007, then getting traded to the Rangers. Then, gosh, I mean, just tearing the cover off like 09-010, like between 09 and 2011, that man was just playing like he played like his hair was on fire. And he was just, oh man, he was just he was must-watch. Like every time he came to the plate. But speaking of the Rangers and the Cardinals, hard to peel that scab, man. But as a Cardinals fan, one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to get a Cardinals fan on here was so we could bring, give our accounts of which was which is, in my opinion, the absolute worst sports moment of my entire life, which is game six of the 2000 series between the Rangers and the Cardinals. And that damn David Freeze. Man.
SPEAKER_01I'm telling you, if he's ever around me, he doesn't have to pay for anything.
SPEAKER_00And anywhere.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, lucky I'm putting I'm putting something in his drink. God, that thing crushed my heart. I remember I was sitting, I was at my parents' house watching it. Like whole time I'm on edge. Like my heart was beating through my chest. And then I think uh Kobe Lewis got the start in that game. And um who do you remember who the starting pitcher was for um for St. Louis?
SPEAKER_01I just watched, like I told you earlier, I just watched the the highlights again today, and I don't remember. Um, but I but I I remember you guys jumped out to a 1-0 lead, and it was it was a good game from the very beginning. Yeah, and then y'all tied it back up.
SPEAKER_02And I can't was it was it uh freeze to hit a solo shot?
SPEAKER_00The tied up one? No, that was Lance Lance Berkman. Lance Berkman hit hit that shot.
SPEAKER_02Man, I can't believe I still keep forgetting he played for the Cardinals. I was used to him being with the Strodes for so long. But fast forward to that bottom of the ninth inning. Dude, my Rangers were not were one strike away from being World Series champions. Not once, but twice. Neptali Feliz was the closer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Now with Neftali Feliz, he's a hard luck pitcher. He'll throw he can routinely throw into the triple digits, but he is wild. And he has some Rick Ankyl in him. Very much so. Boy, boy, Rick, poor Rick Ankle, boy. He had the yips, man. It was it was tough, but it was good to see him bounce back. But um I just remember it was uh bottom of the ninth and then David Freeze.
SPEAKER_01Dude, there was hit there were two people on base. He hit that he hit that double or he had a triple to score for him. No, no, no, no, he hit the home run. So so he hit that triple in the seventh inning to tie it up. And then he hit the home run in the ninth to to win it.
SPEAKER_02Well, no, he hit the home run in the 11th. In the ninth. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. He hit it the the yeah, in the in the bottom of the ninth. So he hits a one out to the warning track. And I'm thinking, all right, Nelson Cruz, you got one job. You got one job. Catch the ball, and the Rangers are world champions. You gotta remember, I've been a fan of this team since 1993. So I legit have been waiting, just doing the math in my head. Well, it's been a long time. And uh, yeah, he mistimed the ball on the warning track. And I'll never forget the Gulf Gas Station logo on the uh on that uh right field wall. Him running right into it and not catching the ball, and the ball just run is the ball rolls in front of him, and he's running to get it, and two run score and tie it up. I'm like, you gotta be kidding me. And this point, like, my heart is like this. I'm like, bro, let me tell you something, Brandon. I had my phone out, I had my Facebook post typed. All I needed for Nelson Cruz to do was make that final out, and I was about to hit send. Like I had everything typed in all caps, and I had to erase all of it. I'm like, you gotta be joking me. And then in the 10th inning, if memory serves me correct, I think Josh Hamilton hit a solo homer. Yeah. And then y'all end up tying it up again. So then we get to the bottom of the 11th inning. And real shit, Brandon. When I saw that Mark Lowe was taking the mound in the bottom of the 11th, I immediately turned the TV off. Because I knew exactly what was gonna happen. Because that man is a he is a walking gas can. And he did exactly what I thought he was gonna do. I went, I cut the TV back on and it's pandemonium in St. Louis. I'm like, he did exactly what I thought he was gonna do. And that completely stripped all of the fight out of the Rangers, and basically that carried that that uh momentum crusher just stayed on their backs into uh game seven. And uh they ended up losing that game as well. That was a my god, that was a heartbreaker.
SPEAKER_01My heart stopped so many times. Like I caught my breath. Oh my gosh. That that's probably like the last time I've been like in, I mean, because I got kids now, I've been really invested into like allowing myself to get that emotionally invested into a sports game. Yeah, like there, it's to me, it's the best, the best championship I've ever witnessed. And like growing up a Chiefs fan and how much we sucked or how much we would get the first, um they be first in the or have have the best um record in the league, and then lose first round first round in the playoffs, no matter what, to the to the Colts. I've had so much heartache. And like all these these um these Chiefs championships, it doesn't matter. Like that 11 and 11 is the best championship I've ever witnessed.
SPEAKER_02Man, so um I can only imagine what your reaction was when the Cardinals got the final out in game seven to win it all. Share with us how you felt whenever he got that final out.
SPEAKER_01Alright, so I'm living in Chicago at the time and down in the city, and um we get that final out. I screamed. I screamed, I run outside, I'm yelling. I mean, because there's there's a lot of cart um baseball fans up here because as much as I hate the Cubs, they're they're still baseball fans. And and they're and they're still like watching, like they care about baseball. And so they're watching the World Series and they're all rooting for for for the Rangers. And I just I ran up and down the street. I used to live in Bucktown at the time. I was running Cardinals! I had all my Cardinals gear. Oh, such euphoric. I I felt like I won that championship.
SPEAKER_00Went down to the parade that year, too.
SPEAKER_02Nice man, and I know I finally got to uh experience the uh the joys of them winning the championship 12 years later, and I didn't see that coming at all because I mean they basically limped into the playoffs and they just got white hot at the right time. I mean the Rangers the Rangers didn't lose a single game on the road that entire playoff run in 2023. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They were like 11-0 on the road, which is just this is getting into my dad times, or you know, this is after I had kids, and so I stopped following so closely with all with all the playoffs, but it's kind of come back to me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So what is your your favorite baseball moment in your life?
SPEAKER_02Ooh. Rangers winning the World Series because I literally waited 30 years for them to win a World Series. And what was so cool is that actually happened while I was a guest on the Firestarter podcast. Okay. And like I was just I decided like I wasn't gonna watch the game. This was uh game five, and I decided I wasn't gonna watch the game, and then I took one I took one peek at my phone while we were recording just to see the uh score, and I think it was like I want to say it was still uh scoreless, and like going into the usually the fourth or fifth inning. And then while we're in the middle of recording, K Bat is on the uh he's on the uh wake your ass up update. And then I start getting all these text messages and uh shout out to uh shout out to Jameson and um man, R.I.P. Charmaine, but she sent me a text with just the um like the the the googly eye emojis and I'm like hold on Then I started getting texts from more people. I'm like, your Rangers, bro. Hey, they might do it. And then one other, I can't remember who it was. He sent me a text. He's like, bro, Seeker just went yard. He tied it up. I was like, are you serious? And then Dolis Garcia did what he did. And then um I still wasn't all the way invested. And then in the middle of after K-Bear finished his segment, and uh Tom was like, Danny, you can let it out, man. The floor is yours. It was November 2nd, 2023. I'll never forget it. I actually ordered a copy of the Dallas Morning News with them uh with the uh front cover with the uh front page of them with uh celebrating the championship. I got it hanging on the wall in my house. Okay. Man, I gotta go back and find that old episode, man.
SPEAKER_01You make me want to go back and listen to it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, whenever I find, if whenever I find it, I'll send you the um I'll send you the link. But yeah, that was that was easily the most the happiest, most euphoric moment I've ever felt in as far as baseball goes.
SPEAKER_01Dude, it it makes you feel like you're part of the team, right? Like like when that lasts out, it's like we're champions. We're we're world champions.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And then to see how they won it just on the um Josh Spores, he threw that um he threw that curveball and buckled the hitter for strike three. I was like, that's it, man. The pitch, strike three, the Texas Rangers win the championship. I'm like just replaying that over and over and over in my head. It never gets old. But um, yeah. Favorite players outside of the Cardinals. Who are some of your favorite players?
SPEAKER_00Favorite players.
SPEAKER_02They can be they can be past and present. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um big so I'm a big 90s baseball player guy. I mean, Griffey. Yeah. As you saw my post today.
SPEAKER_01I'm I'm big into batting stances. Do you remember Mo Vaughn for the uh Do I?
SPEAKER_02Played for the Sox and the Angels and the Mets. He has such a violent uppercut on his swing.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, he did. He was one of my favorites. I was a switch hitter when I whenever I was a kid. And Mo Griffey. But Mo Griffey and Mo Vaughn were the ones who like made me want to mimic their batting stances whenever I switched with lefty. I grew up playing shortstop, so no I'm drawing the plane. You you got me on the spot. Like let me think about let me think about great outfielders like Fred McGriff. Um I love Fred McGriff. Um, Kenny Lofton was my boy. David Justice, ooh, Bobby Bonia. Every time he gets paid, I think that's my boy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Legend of the bank. Mm-hmm. Um and Royals great. Bo Jackson. Absolutely. I saw him in one game for the Royals. And um, I saw him more whenever he saw him like a few games when he played for the White Sox. Basically, anybody black. I'm out here rooting for everybody black.
SPEAKER_02Man, and two things. Number one, I was I didn't realize until maybe two weeks ago that Movon had played college baseball at Seton Hall.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And then number two, bringing it back to the Royals, sometimes I randomly think there was a time period where the Royals outfield was Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, and Carlos Beltron. It sure was. And then every single one of them went to the Yankees.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And they just and just balled out. That so back in the 90s, in like early 2000s, the Royals used to be the Yankees' farm team or like farm system. They they they would just like pluck, pluck players off there.
SPEAKER_02That's that is wild. So now we're gonna get into the five questions segment. Now, the first and last question are the same question I ask every guest I have on here. Questions two through four are gonna be 100% random. And since you already talked about the batting stances, I'm gonna switch that one for another question I have on the fly. So, first question What were Brandon's go-to school lunch items?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, good one. Good one. Go-to school lunch items. My mom always used to make my lunch for me. And so I always had a nice little sandwich in there, and I always had chips. And I always put them chips right on my sandwich. So they were lays, put my chips on there. So every day, I unpack that lunch box, put my chips on my little sandwich, and crunch it. That so that that's a go-to. And I I can think about that from like my early years and going through high school. So what kind of sandwich was it? Turkey, always like like some kind of smoked turkey breast and American cheese, a little bit of mustard, never mayo, and then chips every time.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Money. Question number two What would your walk-up music be?
SPEAKER_01I think about this all the time. So having coached multiple travel baseball teams and had to having to like arrange the walk-up music and you know, it it has to be funny. Let me let me go with magic stick. Oh, okay. I'm strutting up to the to the uh no, here's what I'm doing. It's gonna be magic stick. I'm holding the bat by the barrel of it. I'm staring the picture down when I'm walking up.
SPEAKER_02You know, theatrics. I love it. Question number three. It was going to be the batting stances one, but since we already covered that, I'm gonna improvise a little bit. What's your favorite fire starter tank? Yeah, the favorite tank.
SPEAKER_00So many, so many actually, you get a hard question.
SPEAKER_01You get you get three tanks. I most of the time, and here this is a direct term, I'm cooking and I'm I'm laughing so hard. It's all like I I can't come to just one. Um I'm I'm on the spot. I I can't think of just one.
SPEAKER_02But like I'll get I'll give you time. I'll share some of mine. So anytime they say this next email is from Brian, I'm I'm buckling my seatbelt because I know there's gonna be a good damn Martino tank in there. That her that Herschel Whitaker gets me every single time, bro. Herschel Whitaker.
SPEAKER_01What's my um that that Casey Stork, he he's he's throwing in some good ones.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Lawrence Fish Brown.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's a good one.
SPEAKER_02That's one of my all-time favorites. I think one of I think my favorite one was um Rodson and uh uh uh tank submission and um Karen called Michael Clark Duncan Eric Tyson Jr. I remember that one. That's my absolute favorite one. But um the queen, the the queen of tanking. Yeah, first ever name. So I'll tell you what, favorite, well, if it's not tanks, what's your favorite Firestarter moments?
SPEAKER_01Favorite Firestarter moments. One, that gide up. That gide up but hey, what I want to hear the story from Gooch. That that that is my all-time favorite. Bro, yes. When y'all gonna have Gooch on, have him on. Like, let's hear the story. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I still got I still got that episode on my hard drive on my old computer too. It it was episode 100.
SPEAKER_01I love it when they when they start when they when they get on K Bad's about being a Star Wars fan. Me being a Star Wars fan as well, and like I get it, and it's like, no, it's palpatine, and there's a difference. And like I get just as mad as like K Bads, I'm I'm there with you, bro. I'm I'm right there with you. So so when when I get on K Bad's for that, and when Ba seems like he just like, is he asleep? Is he out of it, huh? He he botracks me up. Anytime he comes on, nah, young.
SPEAKER_02Man, these kids got me sick, young. That bob voice, bro. He's like, yeah, the way these kids acting, young, I can already tell you I ain't gonna be on here long, young. I feel like I'm talking to him. Yeah, that that that dad duty be it be cutting into his his recording time, man. That's that's the shit that'd be that'd be cracking me up, man. It was another one. It was another five-star moment I was gonna bring up. But and we'll, you know, I'll have you back on and we'll we'll we'll we'll uh get into that some more. Question number four. What are your food non-negotiables?
SPEAKER_01Food non-negotiables. If I'm gonna have a steak, it has to be medium rare. You know, like I've done that whole well done. I can't do it anymore. I can't go back. So that's a non-negotiable. I recently, not because my because my body failed me. I had to go gluten-free. So anything that has gluten in it, can't do it. Um really, like anything. Like I'll I'll eat anything that hasn't gluten in it. So I love a good steak, and I love a good, I don't know, man. You you threw me off. Like I'm sitting here thinking about I'm I'm about baseball mode, I'm sitting here thinking about tanks, I don't like food. Barbecue. That's what we're we're sitting here talking about Kansas City, barbecue.
SPEAKER_02I will eat anything barbecue. Yeah, you and me both. It's been a while since I had some burnt ends, man. Oh my gosh, burnt ends.
SPEAKER_01All right, so here we go. Um, you being from North Carolina, South Carolina, right? South Carolina. South Carolina. What's your favorite barbecue in the nation? Where's that? Where's it located? In the Carolinas, you like Texas barbecue? You like the best that there is, Kansas City? Like, what do you think?
SPEAKER_02I ain't gonna hold you. I'm partial to KC. Like the first time I went there, and like Haggates, and then like the next day, that's when we went to um not Oklahoma George, that's when we went to a Fiorella's Jackstack barbecue, and I was like, oh my god, this is bro. Because I'd never had burnt ends before. Okay. And like when I walked in, like as soon as I walked in, and the place is just smoky, and I'm like, okay, this is exactly where I need to be. This is exactly where I need to be. Because Carolina, we do pulled pork. That's our thing. With like with hella sauce on it. But with the the burnt ends, you know, they don't really have to overdo it with the sauce. You don't need it, you don't need it at all. Yeah, and so yeah, I I left Kansas City. That plane ride home, I could not stop thinking about them burnt ends, bro. Yeah, so KC gets the nod as far as big favorite barbecue.
SPEAKER_01All right, good. I like you better already.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I'm not even saying that because you're here. I've I've let that be known several times, and I get funny looks from a lot of Carolinians, but you know what? That's how I feel. But uh last question. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
SPEAKER_01Last thing that really made me laugh. Sitting here talking, thinking about before before we got the recording going, just talking about like how we came together. And it is the Firestar crew. Like, dude, they crack me up. Like they they get me through like my weeks. Like I've gone through to I've recently gone through a divorce and like just like listening to them. Um I've lost my grandparents. I don't have any grandparents left, and like like listening to their podcast have gotten me through it. I like Rod, I feel like nothing's wrong if it's funny. And I laugh at anything. And uh, dude, I'm on there cooking, like just like sweating, sitting, sitting in my all right, I used to sit in my in a in a cubicle now. I work from home, but I'm just sitting at the house, just like just dying, man. So anything that the Firestar crew does. That's a great call, right there. I'm right there, I'm right there with you. Especially when they clown on Bomani. And Bomani's my boy, but like they it cracks me up, bro. It cracked me up with the fingers. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02Dog, God bless the creator of uh FCU Presents. And they he did the um the illustration of Bomani and his fingers were like like dying. Man, that was that was my favorite shit ever. So, man, Brandon, this is a long time coming, and I'm glad you could, I'm glad you could pull up, man. This was a lot of fun. And anytime you want to hop back on, you let me know and we'll make it happen.
SPEAKER_01Hey Danny, thank you, man. I was a little nervous here at first. You know, you usually I'm I'm a little quicker with it with it, but dude, I can't wait to come back. Thanks for having me on. Um I was I was preparing by like I was I was reading, I was reviewing like last night's like box score. Like, I'm an old school baseball hit. Like I'll go to a baseball game myself, I have my headphones on, Lance Berkman style, whoever that guy is, who who Steve Bartman. Steve Bartman. That's what I was thinking about. I'm thinking about the home run now. Steve Bartman.
SPEAKER_02That's a tank.
SPEAKER_01It is a tank.
SPEAKER_00Turn me in, turn me in.
SPEAKER_01I will go to the field after I, you know, smoke a little bit, sit there, have my box score, and just like do it myself. I love baseball that much. I don't need anybody else. So I appreciate you having me on. I'll come back, I'll talk baseball with you anytime. And thanks, bro. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, man. Where the where can the people find you? If you have anything you want to plug and promote, the floor is officially yours.
SPEAKER_01Hey, so I used to have a podcast back in the day, Dope Dad's Club. Whenever I heard my first kid. So I guess we started it 11 years ago. And one of my neighbors, we would sit in my backyard, smoke a little bit, and talk about our kids. So it was a little double entendre because I feel like I'm cool. Dope Dad's Club. So we don't do the podcast anymore, but you can find me on Instagram, basically all socials as Dope Dad's Club. And I'm out here making jokes about baseball or something. Dad Giddy up.
SPEAKER_02I'm out here. See, now you gonna you're gonna make me dig up that old episode too. And send it to me, please. Yes, we'll do. So thank you for uh being a guest on here, and thank y'all for tuning in. Make sure you like, download, or subscribe to at the plate with Danny Foxworth. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, tell a friend to tell a friend about it. You can find my YouTube channel at Danny Foxworth843. And uh you can find videos of every episode of this podcast, as well as since we last spoke with Danny Foxworth, uh my candle podcast, The Wicked Good Time with Danny Foxworth, and Grown Up Low Country with Liz and Danny. And for Brandon and myself, this has been another episode of At the Plate. And until next time, y'all be good.
SPEAKER_00Three strikes.