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
The Sheffield Files feat. Earl_91 from the Guessing From The Stands Podcast
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On this episode, Danny chops it up with host of the Guessing From The Stands Podcast, Earl_91! They talk about the origins of GFTS, coming from a family filled with Yankees fans, Gary Sheffield leading him to become a Yankees fan, why the '09 World Series Championship holds a special place in Earl's heart, the Charleston Riverdogs to Yankees pipeline, the greatness of Tim Lincecum, Earl's EXCELLENT walkup music choice and MUCH more!
Where to find Earl:
instagram.com/Earl__91
x.com/Earl__91
Guessing From The Stands Podcast:
https://youtube.com/@g.f.t.s.network?si=O_TPEDHS6QMl3xH0
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. Man, this one here is a long time coming, man. Man, the uh the head honcho or the guest from the stands podcast, Dalhardt Yankees fan, sneaker enthusiast, whole lot of things, man. The man wears many hats. Yes, I do. Pun intended. Yes, I do. So without further ado, we got the good brother Earl going at the plate with Danny Fox. Earl, how are you doing this evening, man?
SPEAKER_00I'm good, man. I'm good. I'm just hoping I get a good slugger percentage tonight, man. I'm hoping I do.
SPEAKER_01I appreciate you having me on. Absolutely, man. Hey, you're Bronx Bombers, man. They they're doing some good things in the American League. We'll get to that in a second, but first and foremost, how did the Guessin' from the Stance podcast, how did that start? Man, okay.
SPEAKER_00Well, who the true origins are? Growing up, my brother and I, we have a group of friends of ours that are all, ironically, all of us are two brothers. And uh we all went to church together. So growing up, they used to uh call us the Cold Pizza Crew. Because of course you remember back in the days, Cold Pizza was debate shows on um on ESPN. And after church, we would be, instead of just, you know, doing whatever, we'd be debating sports all day. And I'm talking about debating sports with um adults, with people our age, this, that and the third. And I mean, it literally has been a passion forever. One day, you know, we're just talking, and we really were like, yeah, you know what? We should just start recording this. I was like, Yep. Um, my boys Amp and uh and Devin were doing random acts podcasts, of course, back then. I I I know these guys, yeah, man. Of course. I was like, man, I know these guys that do this thing called podcasting, and we should get into it. We've been doing it. Um, our first infancy was 2018, 19, somewhere in that area. Yeah. And we're like, yeah, let's just get on there and talk sports, and we'll put it out there. And whatever the case may be, um, that's really where it started with, to be honest with you. The the purpose of it and kind of our goal was to not have such shock jock and such hot take conversations in sports, which has taken over sports over the last 10, 15 years, of course, with the popularity of shores like uh first take and undisputed and so on and so forth, but to have real conversations um about the games, whatever game we're watching. So you'll see a lot of times we talk more of X's and O's and what got us to here to the outcome of a game versus just this MF sucks. Like they're doing all that stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like it I try not to have those conversations. Yeah, we do get to it as far as you know, jokes and this standard third, but to be honest with you, it really is um just trying to bring something that's a breath of fresh air in the conversation of sports outside of bias and hyperbole. Like, what are we actually watching here? So uh I know it's a little long-winded, but that's really where we started.
SPEAKER_01Hey, that's all the answer I needed right there. Yeah, man. You described it in just so such great and succinct detail. So, where can the people find the guessing from the stance podcast?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we're on primarily on YouTube and X. That's really where we've been focusing and kind of shifting our focus versus just doing the uh audio output. We've been on YouTube and X for about a year and a half. I know we kind of were late to the game of that, uh, but you know, no time is better than now. So we're on YouTube, we're on X, uh, and I'm sure we can put a link in the bio or a link in the uh description to kind of connect people. But you know, our our main goal again is just to be able to have real sports conversations. Like my brother's a coach, I'm a coach. So I try to, uh Christian's another one who's a coach as well. Mike played so many different sports. So I try to have conversations from a on-the-feel perspective, on-the-court perspective, versus just um, you know, the we're entertaining people and our personality sell themselves. So I don't have to belittle an athlete or belittle a coach to have a conversation. We can have a conversation about the game and it'd be about the game. So yeah, but you can find us on X and YouTube.
SPEAKER_01Yes, sir, and I'll have all of that in the show notes. So speaking of sports, the reason why I brought you here is to talk about the great game of baseball. So let's do it. How did you initially become a fan of baseball?
SPEAKER_00Whew, okay. I am a product of the 90s and the thousands, early, all 90s and early 2000s. Growing up, I grew up in the superstar era. These guys, and this kind of transcends all sports, but just for baseball, these guys were real superheroes to me. Like, um my favorite player of all time is Gary Sheffield. And Gary never won a world championship with the Yankees. I really wish he would have won an 04, but it is what it is. I wish we would have won an 05, but it is what it is. But Gary Sheffield, to me, is the reason I love baseball. Second greatest swing of all time, only to Ken Griffey Jr. I think that I don't think that's debatable. Those two are the greatest swings I've ever seen. Um But what really has me encaptured was just honestly, I grew up in an era where I saw players that looked like me be the best of the best. Um, and that's really what did it for me. I wish that it was that way today, but uh, you know, really I grew up just watching players that look like me be real titans of the game. So, you know, that's really what started it for me.
SPEAKER_01Word. And so how did you hit your wagon to the New York Yankees?
SPEAKER_00Everybody in my family is a Yankee fan except for my grandmother.
unknownReally?
SPEAKER_00Everyone. My grandmother's a Mets fan. So all of y'all are in Florida? Yeah. But a lot of our family's based out of New York. Okay. Yeah. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. So, so when my folks retired, they moved to Florida. But everybody stayed the same with the teams. Yeah, I've been a Yankee fan since I was a little boy. Um, and no, that's a scratch. Not all of my family is a Yankee fan. My brother, again, growing up in the era, my brother is a St. Louis Cardinals fan. He's the only other one. Albert Pujol is the greatest thing to walk the earth, you ask him. But at the same time, he's a few years younger than me. So his formative years, Al was winning MVPs and one World Series, so on and so forth. Al's his guy. Through and through.
SPEAKER_01Wow. So what was that dynamic like with uh being in a majority Yankee family, and then you got the one black sheep rooting for the Cardinals?
SPEAKER_00I mean, it ain't no different than my grandmother. And my brother, my grandmother's kinship in sports really ties into tennis, which is another sport that we're really into as well. I don't get to talk as much because it's not as popular with sport with everybody, but tennis is the one thing that our grandmother introduced us to because that was what she played in college. Just like her, she's a Mets fan because they were living in Queens in the 80s and she saw all the whole Daryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, that whole night. Yeah, that that was her last year's working before retirement. And they were seasoned ticket holders the whole nine, but everybody else was Yankee fans. Yankees, Yankees, Yankees, Yankees, Yankees.
SPEAKER_01Wow. Yeah, so that's awesome. So um, who was some well, look, first off, what were some of your favorite Yankees memories? Oh, okay. Because it's quite a bit.
SPEAKER_00There's a lot. I tell you right now, there's no title that means more to me than 09. None. Because it was like finally. Like we went from 2000, we lost in 01 uh after 9-11, lost in 03 to the Marlins, we lost in 01 to Arizona, lost in 03 to the Marlins. But 09 felt special because I guess I would say that's my favorite Yankee moment ever. Well, there's two: 09 and 08. 08 being the team to host MLB All-Star Weekend in the last year of Yankee Stadium in 08, and it's not a Yankee moment by a player, but you can't tell me that there's any home run derby moment that you can mention without Josh Hamilton's performance in 08.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I know he's a controversial guy because of his struggles, but you can't tell me about the history of the home run derby and not mention Josh Hamilton's performance in 08.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, that 09 season when we acquired CC, because we originally tried to get CC in 07. And I thought the 07 was going to be the year. And of course, he did this thing in Cleveland and uh third, but we got a chance to battle Cliff Lee because it was like finally, because we should have been there in 08. And we really dropped the ball in the last season the Yankees did. But you know, the Philz did their job and they won the title in 08. It should have been Yankees Phil's in 08. We came back in, and it's the most, it's the season that means the most to me. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01No question. So what was it about that season that meant that meant so much to you?
SPEAKER_00Because we were quote unquote older and we're supposed to have been counted out. A-Rod had already been through his issues of having the PED scandals. He had won MVP in 07, but you know, he just couldn't get the big one. He finally had his October moment. Um, and a lot of a lot of players, a lot of people coming when A-Rod came into the Yankees, you gotta remember at that time, that gravity was near, was similar to, if I could compare it to anything, Braun coming to the Lakers and Kobe fans accepting him. Because you were either a Jeta guy or an A-Rod guy. Even though A-Rod was clearly the better player, that tension in the air was there for us to have finally overcame everything. I mean, shoot, Johnny Damon came over in 09. You know what I'm saying? Like, like, like Johnny Damon was on that team. Uh Tashera was on that team, even though politically, whatever, but I'm talking sports here. Um, for CeC to have been there. Joba Chamberlain, one of my favorite Yankees ever. I mean, it just goes on and on. Just that team, I know we quote unquote bought that title, and that's the last title under um Big Big George, but that more than anything, because you know, growing up from 96 to 2000, we worked hard, but those titles were seen as gimmies. You know what I'm saying? Like, like we obviously we won. Um, it was us and the Braves, and the Braves won 14 uh division banners at that time. So it was like, all right, we're gonna run into each other. We went one and one in the uh in the um the World Series, but you know, there's nothing that means more to me than 09. Nothing as far as game. There's no title that means more than me.
SPEAKER_01Man, that's a that's a salient point. So uh who are some of your favorite Yankees players?
SPEAKER_00Gary Sheffield is my favorite player. I know he is not Don dependent. I I get that, but Gary Sheffield is my favorite Yankee ever. Um Jeter, obviously. Mo CC is my favorite Yankee picture of all time. I'm a CC guy. I know he made his bones in Cleveland and he had the Milwaukee. I get it, but CC's a Yankee. CC's a Yankee through and through. I'm a really big, I really, really appreciate Giancarlo Stanton. I think people will, once he's gone, appreciate who he's been as a player. Aaron Judge, that's a gimme. Oh gosh. Hadeki Matsui, another one.
SPEAKER_01Um God's.
SPEAKER_00Um, very, very, very appreciated in Yankee lore. Just that guy, man. You know what I'm saying? Like just a dependable Swiss Army knife every time. Um yeah, those are just some of my favorites uh that have played there. Uh obviously, you know, my Yankee fandom really started about '96, '97 when I'm a kid. But yeah, those are my guys specifically. Uh above all, Gary Sheffield is I I I would bow down to Sheffield.
SPEAKER_01Like he is my he's the guy who got me to love baseball. Super solid choices. And I want to tag to uh tag in because you know, for a good it was a 15-year run where the local my local team, the Charleston River Dogs, they were a Yankees affiliate. So they were a fit, they were affiliate from uh gosh, I want to say it was like 2020.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it just ended at COVID. I think they kind of switched things around um post-COVID. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and just being able to say that like I literally saw Aaron Judge start his professional baseball career in Charleston. And just seeing like all these other Yankee fans like him and like Phil Hughes played there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Gosh. Did Luke Luke Weaver? No, Luke didn't get a chance to play down there, I don't think. Luke Weaver didn't. I don't know. Who's somebody else? Because uh I don't think Stanton would have came through there. Maybe on a rehab tour, he may have played down there. No, A-Rock came down for a rehab. Okay. Okay, yeah. But uh uh that was 20, what, 16? So when he when he uh hurt his shoulder post-13, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um goodness gracious, yeah. It had to have been some some pretty decent. And what about uh pitching? You remember any any pitchers that came through at that time?
SPEAKER_01The one that stands out for me the most is uh Phil Hughes. Okay, okay. Phil Hughes, because Phil Hughes was like the ace on their squad.
SPEAKER_00You did say Phil Hughes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I can't rem I can't remember which year that was, but I just remember I remember him just being lights out because before the like their prime years was uh well really it was like before there were a Yankees affiliate, they were Tampa Bay Rays affiliate. So I actually got to see the aforementioned Josh Hamilton. He got his start there in '98. He was the first overall pick. Then after the uh partnership with the Yankees ended, they went back to being a Rays affiliate. And they ended up rattling off like three straight Carolina League championships in like 21, 22, and 23.
SPEAKER_00Carolina League has played all the way to Augusta, right? And as far west as Tennessee. It's not as far west as Tennessee. Let me see. I know they played some games for Carolina League in Augusta. I've been to one, so I know I know that they played them in Augusta. Which I mean, it's literally North Augusta is across the river. So, you know, that that's a Carolina.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So yeah. And I mean that's that's where the ballpark is. I still gotta, that's still one ballpark I haven't gone to, but yeah, you know. They're in the Carolina League. I'm trying to think how far north it stretches.
SPEAKER_00I want to say Wilmington. Probably so. Probably so, yeah. Because I want to say the Bowie Bay Sox were an affiliate at one point. I want to say I know, oh gosh, this is taking me back now. I know in the 90s the Bay Sox played a Carolina team because I went to it again, but I just can't remember who it was. Yeah. But I do know that Bowie at least played them at some point in that during that time. Um because when I was uh when my folks are married, we were living in uh in Maryland. We used to go to Bowie Bay Sox games all the time. That's where, to be honest with you, as much of a Yankee fan as I am, the ballpark I live closest to was uh was the Orioles Park. So anytime I saw the Yankees a lot of times, and I've been to Old Yankee City, but I haven't been to the new one yet. I still haven't been to the new one. Um I saw the Yankees every time they came to Baltimore.
SPEAKER_01Camden Yards is still on my list. Oh, you haven't been yet?
SPEAKER_00Listen, if you can get there this season, take your time and enjoy Baltimore. Try and get there for a good series. Um, I'd imagine the Texans probably play, or the Texas Rangers probably play at least a series there. At least I would go. I really because you'll enjoy the city in general. You really would. So you ever have time, make your way out there. Trust me. It's it's it's something.
SPEAKER_01So what other ballparks have really um stood out to you that you visited?
SPEAKER_00Okay, I this is where the snob in me comes out, right? I've been to Steinbrenner in in uh in uh Tampa, which Steinbrenner I I would consider one of the better ballparks. Uh I was here for the construction of Cactus Ballpark with uh that is a uh an affiliate for the Astros, because I live in Palm Beach. So the Astros, the Nationals, and uh Marlins. Uh obviously I've been to Marlins Park. I've been to uh I cannot remember the name where uh the St. Lucie Mets play, but where the Mets do uh spring training. I've been there. When I lived in central Florida, we used to go to Braves games at Disney's Wild World of Sports every year, which is one of the most amazing venues out there possible. Now that Wild World of Sports is it's it's baseball Valhalla for the South. It really is because everybody wants a chance to play in Orlando. Um just because of the amount of vacationers that come down, it just everyone comes to play there. So um let's see. Uh Jacksonville, what was their team name before they were to Jumbo Shrimp? They were the uh The Suns. The Suns, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Uh Jacksonville Suns. I am, again, going back to my uh to my snobbism. I do not care for the new Braves Stadium. It's beautiful, it's nice, really is. But I am a Turner Field guy. I'll always be a Turner Field guy. Um Turnerfield is probably the place I've seen the Yankees play the most in person. Um and that let me tell you, I know Atlanta's a Braves town, but when the Yankees come in town, any Yankee fan that's moved down or just was there already, everybody's there and it's a half and half. It's almost like uh Raider fans in LA or Niners fans in LA or vice versa. Like it's just is what it is. But Turnerfield is easily my favorite ballpark outside of old Yankee Stadium because it's not up anymore. But I guess neither's Turnerfield. But let me see, what else have I been to? Um obviously I mentioned Camden Yards, old Yankee Stadium. A lot of East Coast, because I haven't really traveled further west for baseball up past Texas, so I really couldn't. I've never been to Chicago or anything like that. Um, but along the East Coast, I've done every major ballpark there probably is to do from New York all the way down. Um I'm actually going to a Phillies game when I'm in Philly this uh week, so I'm gonna scratch that off my list. Tight. Phillies. We're on Philly in a few weeks.
SPEAKER_01And uh actually, Turner Field is still around. I just remembered they uh the Georgia State uses football.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. They use it for football, but it's not baseball no more. I don't I am not a fan. The battery's nice. The battery's beautiful. Have you been yet?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I went um I went last year when they played the weekend series against the Mets back in August of last year.
SPEAKER_00It's beautiful. I'm not taking anything away from the architecture, it just doesn't feel completely like the Braves yet. Yeah. It's very uh and this could be me sitting on the lawn. I could be the old man wagging the stick on the lawn. But it just it just doesn't it doesn't feel like it. You know, it doesn't feel braves as yet. And they won a World Series in that park. But Turner feels special, man. Turner feels it's just special. Truist is it's just so far out. It's in Cobb County. Yeah, it's in Cobb. Like, and I get the reshaping and redistricting, but that is Cobb through and through. Atlanta, you know, when they built Mercedes-Benz Stadium, okay, they put it next door to the Georgia Dome. So at least you're in the area. And and I've been in the Georgia Dome many a time. Um my sister graduated high school in the Georgia Dome. But it just, I don't know, it doesn't feel the same. And I think it's too far out. It's I can tell you this. The feeling there is the feeling that a lot of people down here have for Marlins Park versus when they used to play a pro player or um well what would now be um Hard Rock Stadium. The the feeling is very similar. The Marlins just don't feel like the Marlins down here. Um and I know that and really to have gutted um the Orange Bowl and that neighborhood that they did to have built it, it just doesn't feel the same.
SPEAKER_01It doesn't man. A shame.
SPEAKER_00So how far is it from uh from uh Hard Rock in traffic a good hour, but distance-wise, probably probably 20 minutes maybe 20 minute drive? Still, yeah, but it's it's still that's a ways away. It's gone. Yeah, it now I will say it is, however, to their credit. Marlin, so where they used to play in Pro Player in that's how long I'm where they used to play in Hard Rock Stadium now, that is North Miami. So it's not in the city. It where it is, is smack dab in the middle of the city. It's closer to where the Miami Heat play at American Air or Casey Center. Um so right, it's closer to Bayside, but it's still, you know, there's them renaming as the Miami Marlins makes sense because they're not on the edge of Broward County like where they were previous. So it does feel different. And it's crazy. I'm not a fan of their logo today. I actually like the first logo, the Art Deco logo. I really was a fan of that one. I'm not a fan of this new, but they're they're they're testing. I think we're gonna end up getting the Florida Marlins back within the next five years because they've been testing the idea of that lettering and that design over the last few years. The City Connect last year, they brought back the throwbacks on Friday two or three years ago, and now they wear them on Sundays. They're testing because the city wants them back. The city wants the teal, the teal back. It's just there was so much money invested in that rebranding that they had to make it pay for, but now it's it's coming back. I can see it. In the next five years, we'll have the Florida. Yeah, we need that.
SPEAKER_01That's an iconic uniform.
SPEAKER_00Very much so. Very much so.
SPEAKER_01I agree. So, who are some of your favorite non-Yankees players? It can be past or present.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, uh one of the greatest players I've ever seen. Um, no quite no question, Mike Trout. I could watch Mike Trout play baseball all day. King Griffey Jr. A lot of names that people will name. Obviously, Barry Bonds was a superhero and a legend of me. Uh let me see. Ryan Howard is one of my favorite players to watch.
SPEAKER_01Man, talk about it.
SPEAKER_00Man, Ryan Howard is one of my favorite players to watch. I actually went to what do we I went to middle school with Jacob deGram. And I tell you a funny Jacob deGrom story. Funny Jacob deGram story. We went to a middle school. Jake, Jake played baseball, but I'm telling y'all now, and I want to tell all your listeners. Jacob was a basketball player. I tell this all the time, uh, whenever it comes up. Jacob was a basketball player. Jacob playing baseball surprised the heck out of me. Because Jake was a really great basketball player. Like, if I could compare his game, he played very similar to Devin Booker. Wow. But Jake was a basketball player. I knew he was going to Stetson for basketball. And even playing baseball, he didn't pitch in high school like that. He really didn't. Um we fell out of touch after middle school. He was a year ahead of me. So I went to a different high school. He went to different places. But yeah, nah, Jake was a basketball player. We played basketball together every day for a few years. Um every day. Jake was a basketball player. Jake was not a baseball player. And I'm not discrediting his baseball talent, but I'm just like, what he was the man at? Yeah, he's a basketball player. 110%. Yeah, man. A little mind-blowing fact of the day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's what's he, 6'7, I think? Jake? 6, 6'5, 6'7, somewhere in that area. It's a reason why.
SPEAKER_01Somewhere in that range.
SPEAKER_00There's a reason why. Jake was a basketball player. 100%. But um I never knew that. Yeah, let me see. Other players. Andrew Jones, Chipper Jones. Shoot. I became an A-Rod fan when he was on Texas. Or on uh Texas Rangers. I keep saying Texas. On Texas Rangers. Obviously, he was the best player in baseball, no question. No Mark Garcia Parra, who was another one. I was a really big fan of his game. Mookie Betts. Listen, Mookie Betts has played for the Mortal Enemy, but let me tell you something. I was happy for him getting a World Series when he was a Red Sox. But him going to the Dodgers and winning the amount of titles he has now, I can guilt-free be happy for him winning championships. Mookie Betts is one of my favorite players. I think that, and I want to be careful with my words here. I think that the San Francisco Giants and Tim Linsicum had one of the most dominant runs of sports I think we've ever seen in our lifetime. And Tim Linsicum was, as uh Stephen A. Smith will put it, box office every time you watched him pitch. Tim Lensicum was so good at baseball, and the next generation is never gonna know who he is just because he didn't make the halls. I hope they do. But because of the injuries and everything, it's gonna kind of be more hurtful. But Tim Linsicum, one of my favorite players to ever watch, play baseball. No question.
SPEAKER_01You and me both.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he he was different. And because they played in the same frame, you'd have to, especially us being East Coast guys, that game wasn't starting until 9, 10 o'clock. But I'm watching Tim pitch. Who is he, 5'10, maybe 6'0?
SPEAKER_01On a good day.
SPEAKER_00He threw, and my favorite player, my favorite pitcher ever is Randy Johnson. Rocket, my favorite pitcher ever, but let me tell you, Tim threw with that kind of power. Like flat out. He he he was different, man. Different. So I'm a really, really big Tim Lindsky fan. Um, it's a myriad of guys, but that's just a few um of some of my favorite players that played. And I'm sure others will come to mind in due time. But yeah, I mean, Wade Boggs, another one. Um gosh. Yeah, again, baseball players were superheroes to me. They they truly, truly were. Uh it was just different back then, man. It's great today, but man, gosh, man, the game has just been good.
SPEAKER_01The game's been and you bringing up Tim Linsicum, and I remember seeing a video on YouTube talking about how him and his father basically came up with his pitching delivery and like drills that his father would have him do, like reaching down to pick up a dollar.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And at the end of the video, he was like, listen, he was like, the pitching, he was like, it's basically it demands your entire body. Yeah, but that's what shortened his career. He said it's a full body movement, your arm is just along for the ride. Mm-hmm. And that that's the thing.
SPEAKER_00Uh him, just like Randy, would pitch from his feet up. You almost push yourself into the pitch. And yes, because I guess because Randy was a taller guy, his body could take the impact more. But the way that he pitched. And he was getting K's left, right, left, right, left, right. Yeah. Just just the way that he pitched the baseball, I could watch him all day. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01It was such a such a violent delay. It was violent, man.
SPEAKER_00It was like a knockout punch. It was just violent, man. That's exactly what. Yeah, it was. It was. It was. It truly was. Man, Tim, I'm telling you, I will never let his name die out. Like I'm I'm telling you, I will forever sing his praises, man. Because Tim, woo, boy. Yeah. Special, special. Special.
SPEAKER_01Slat our dog. So now we're going to get into the five question segments. So, first and last question I ask is the same question I ask every guest I have on here. And questions two through four are 100% random. So, question number one: what were Earl's go-to school lunch items?
SPEAKER_00Woo! Okay. A warm chocolate chip cookie out of like, because we used to have the chocolate chip cookies. They were fresh. They would bake them daily. And you knew in there, and a blue powderade. I know. Today it will probably throw your stomach like Tim's in a dryer. But let me tell you, back then, a fresh, soft, gooey chocolate chip cookie and a blue powder, hey man, I'm good. That blue powderade, boy. That's man, man, listen. With a little bit of ice just to keep oh brother. Listen, I'm gone. Nektar of the gods. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_01That's it. That's it. So question number two. Okay, and you actually you actually named two of the players, but I was gonna say, question number two. What are your three favorite swings from players not named Ken Griffey Jr.? Okay, so swings.
SPEAKER_00Obviously, to me, Gary Sheffield. No question. I don't have to like just fire off names. I can think about this, right? Okay. I think for his power, Aaron Judge's swing is so compact, and it's the same swing every time. Yeah. And another one, Andrew McCutcheon. Beautiful swing. Beautiful swing. He's got a good swing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Man, those are those are three. Those are three real good picks. Yeah. Question number three. Okay. What would your walk-up music be?
SPEAKER_00You know what? I'm gonna take it old school. And I'm I'm an old soul. I'm only 35, but I'm an old soul. Special ed, I got it made. It's cool, bruh. It's cool. I'm putting the hat backwards. If I if I'm doing a home run derby, my hat is backwards like Ken Griffey. I'm swinging like Sheffield, and I'm playing I Got It Made for the whole time. And if he stops rapping before I'm done, just play it, just play the instrumental. Special Ed, I got it made.
SPEAKER_01Good boy, that's a good pool.
SPEAKER_00I'm knocking it out.
SPEAKER_01I mean, just hitting tanks, man. That's it. I'm your idol, the highest title.
SPEAKER_00Because I feel like if I if I listen to something too high or too low, I'm gonna be up there, right? But that confidence of how he rapped at 16 years old. I got it made, I'm gonna swing the same way. Just cool. I'm just gonna be in my zone, just me in the picture. I don't even want to see, I don't, I don't, I wouldn't even see the background. I just know, oh, that's out. That's out, that's out, that's out, that's out. Ah, that was a foul. That's out. Yeah. And just I got it made. That's it.
SPEAKER_01That song still, I still want to taste alligator souffle.
SPEAKER_00Listen, man, I I don't care what nobody says today, tomorrow. Ain't too many 16-year-olds that can rap, I got it made. It's no, no, no, no, no, man. No, no. He's special levels. Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Special.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. Question number four. If you woke up tomorrow and looked down and you had webbed feet, what's your next move?
SPEAKER_00I'm seeing how fast I can swim in the Atlantic Coast. Flat out. Flat out. I'm getting somebody to take me to the middle of the Atlantic coast, and I just want to see how fast I can swim. I'm scared of water from not being able to see. If I can see, I love it. But the way that water and what God created underground, you know, it's beautiful. And when we get lights down there, there's so many colors that we don't even have on the color spectrum. And I'm getting down there and I'm swimming the whole time. And I want to see how fast and how deep I can swim. I just have web feet, I'm gone. I'm gone. In the bluest of waters, I'm gone.
SPEAKER_01Love it. And last question. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
SPEAKER_00My daughter. My daughter, she is a character. Um, and she's she's four now, she's just turning five. So she's getting personality. But yeah, my daughter, every single day. I mean, just the thing she says at four, four going on five years old, it's ridiculous. Um, I can't even mention it because everything that she says with with Sass just with with with like aren't you four or five? Like, what aren't you supposed to be this young? Like this, like we're we're on the way to school. We say our prayers every morning before we go to school. So we're in the car, and in between pairs, I didn't, she's snapping her fingers in between what she's thinking. So thank you for the sun. Snap, thank you for this guy. The little attitude, man, she's ridiculous. Now try not to laugh, but man, that little girl is a comedian.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. That's awesome. So, man, anything you want to plug or promote, let the people know where they can find you. Tell us about the podcast.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. So, you know, again, like speaking on the podcast, first of all, thank you for having me on then. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Um, anything that that that comes down to the game. When it comes down to what we try to do at GFGS is talk about the game in an entertaining way, but I want to talk about the game. Um, so I definitely want to plug us. I want to plug uh, you know, where it all started for me in podcasts was Random Axe Podcasts. I mean, flat out, those are some of my guys, uh, those are my guys, like just some of the most important people in my adult life. And I know that that may sound cliche or whatever, but just to see what those brothers did have done over the last 10 years. I tweeted the other day, like, man, I've been listening to Random Axe podcast for 10 years. It's crazy. Those are really my guys. Like, we knew each other for a long time, and yeah, I just got inspiration that I could do it from them and have always had support and this, that, and the third. Uh so definitely want to plug them. Uh, shout out to you know, everybody, um, the union, you know, uh, shout out to of course show your work, good brothers over show your work. Uh, you know, I know you've been over there a couple times, and Danny, we gotta get you on with us. We gotta, especially in the dog days of baseball, we gotta get you on with us. Like, I'm in. We got to. We need to set that up. Hopefully, we can get that going in the month of June. Um, okay. We can definitely schedule that out because I know everybody trying to get to a baseball park in June, but we're gonna we're gonna talk some baseball. Uh just talk any sport you want to talk. Doesn't matter. Um, we're gonna do that for sure. Uh, but yeah, and again, uh, I got a shout out to my brothers over at the new GFTS man, R Dell, who we started it with. Uh, expanded out to Mike, Christian, Mo. You know, we've been here. Um, even you know, Jeff, uh, who used to be with us, he's a coach now, so unfortunately just don't have the time, but uh, uh, it's always love, brother. And shoe. Y'all can find us each and every week on YouTube, on X, talking everything from the uh world of sports and everything going about it. We do go on summer breaks where we start to record every once every other week for summer break. So we will be doing that, and thank goodness for it, because for us, it starts a football season, then we pick up baseball and well, we foot when football season starts, we're carrying the load of football, baseball, women's basketball, both college and pro football. Um, and then it picks up to basketball, picking up college and uh women's and men's basketball, along with playoff baseball, the WNBA uh finals. And then we go into the dog days of the NBA. Uh hockey picks up in the fall. We don't stop. If there's sports, we talk about it. The summer we kind of break. My brother's a football coach of high school, so we kind of take a break. So yeah, man, we we we go. So y'all can find us each and every week. Um, I'm sure the link will be in the description. And yeah, man, we're we're here. We'll be every week until the end of the NBA finals, take a week break, and then we're back getting ready for all-star with baseball, take another week break, and then you know, we're getting ready for offseason basketball OTAs. Like, we're literally going to training camps and the whole now. Like, we really, you know, we're doing it. So, yeah. It don't stop.
SPEAKER_01It don't stop. It don't stop, man. So, Earl, man, the pleasure was all mine, bro. Absolutely. Thank you so much for being a guest on here. Thank you for having me, bro. This was fun. Yes, sir. And thank you all for tuning in. 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 podcasts since we last spoke with Danny Foxworth. A wicked good time with Danny Foxworth, which is my candle podcast and growing up low country with Liz and Danny. And for Earl and myself, it's been another episode of At the Plate. And until next time, y'all be good. Three strikes. Amen.
SPEAKER_00That was fun.