Hold My Cutter
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Hold My Cutter
The Mayor Speaks: Sean Casey on Baseball, Life, and Finding Joy in the Game
"Is there any chance you might have polio?" That unforgettable question from Terry Francona to Sean Casey after getting thrown out twice in two days perfectly captures the essence of baseball culture—where humor transforms frustration and builds lasting relationships.
Sean "The Mayor" Casey joins us for a captivating conversation that feels like sitting in the dugout with one of baseball's most beloved personalities. With infectious enthusiasm and storytelling prowess, Casey shares remarkable moments from his 12-year MLB career and his successful transition to broadcasting.
From growing up a Pirates fan to hitting the first home run at PNC Park (ironically as a Cincinnati Red), Casey's baseball journey has poetry written all over it. He remains the only player in MLB history to record the first hit in two different ballparks—Milwaukee's Miller Park and Pittsburgh's PNC Park—earning his bat a place in Cooperstown.
Casey offers fascinating insights into his brief but impactful experience as Yankees hitting coach in 2023, revealing why it might be "the hardest job in sports." His observations about the relationships between players, coaches, and managers illuminate how trust can transform careers. The way Jack McKeon's simple vote of confidence turned his rookie season around proves that sometimes leadership isn't about mechanical tweaks—it's about human connection.
What makes this conversation truly special is Casey's perspective on failure. "Failure is information," he says, "not an indication of worth." After 17 years at MLB Network—longer than his playing career—Casey's passion for baseball remains undimmed, reminding us why they call him "The Mayor" of the game.
Have you ever had a coach who transformed your confidence with just a few words? Share your story in the comments!
SERVANT LEADER (CASEY’S CLUBHOUSE)
Casey’s Clubhouse of the South Hills is rooted in baseball but offers much more, creating a welcoming space where individuals with disabilities can connect and grow. Through our programs, we provide inclusive opportunities that extend beyond the field, fostering relationships and building a stronger, more supportive community. Serving over 60 zip codes in Western PA, Casey’s Clubhouse strengthens connections between families, volunteers, and local organizations, offering a range of activities that encourage belonging and participation in the broader hometown environment.
https://www.caseysclubhouse.org/
MENTAL PERFORMANCE COACH (Break Through Pro)
Sean has been a long time mental and physical performance coach to coaches, athletes, entertainers, and high achievers, using the tools he employed during his highly successful baseball career, giving them access to their superpowers within.
https://www.seancaseylive.com/breakthroughpro
PODCASTER
https://youtube.com/@themayorsofficewithseancasey?si=0FtiYtTk5R0KbaGU
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
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welcome. Another edition of hold my cutter and we are here a very special guest, and you'll understand why we've gone for it. With the emerald is our featured smoke, the emerald ruby of an irishman on.
Speaker 2:yeah, the emerald, you gotta have the the Irishman Burned by Rocky Patel. We're here, just a few blocks down from the place my fellow Irishman.
Speaker 1:That's right, this guy used to call home PNC Park for a brief time, but Pittsburgh's been his longtime home, the mayor, Sean Casey. Sean, thanks so much. What's the hat, by the way?
Speaker 2:Oh, this is just a hat.
Speaker 3:Hey, you know I'm so happy you asked Am I supposed to be asking? I really like that hat.
Speaker 2:I really like that hat as a matter of fact, I'll tell you what it is. It's a buddy of mine down in it's Adam Dunn's agent. A guy named Joe Brennan runs a company named Truth Sports. Okay. So I guess, we'll give him a shout out. Truth Sports, is it yeah?
Speaker 3:True Sports. Thank you, send a hat please. Pnc Park, mchenry Mac. It was so funny.
Speaker 2:Every time I wear this hat, people are like dude love that hat. It's awesome, people love it.
Speaker 3:I couldn't tell if it was a T when they said you always say it's just a hat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm like it's just a hat.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh something, because people do love this hat.
Speaker 1:We're talking about your podcast.
Speaker 2:You do it every yeah, yeah, the mayor's office podcast with sean casey every day.
Speaker 1:You've been doing that for how?
Speaker 2:every day four, almost four years how many shows episodes? Almost 700 episodes. Ask me how much money we've made how much money we're down like 50 grand. Hey, proud of you. Got some money. I can borrow shares. I know you do it well. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:He'll throw you a loan out there.
Speaker 2:You and McKenzie get together and give me some cash.
Speaker 1:That's good. That's good, but hey, it's fun. It's fun, dude, I love it.
Speaker 2:I actually do enjoy doing it.
Speaker 3:You can tell Honestly you can tell Thanks, I always get it on my. You bring back a lot of what I had and I think you had, because I looked up to guys like you, because I'm just sitting here listening like oh, it's in the clubhouse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you bring back that clubhouse film? Yeah, so you want to bring back that. You know you get with the guys when you're with the guys. It's so good Especially. You get the guys on your podcast and you can kind of go back in the clubhouse got the good stories, stuff. So, yeah, he stands up. Yeah, I'm worried about this situation here. Yeah, you got two guys that could knock everything, yeah, in 20 minutes back and I'll be standing.
Speaker 1:You'll be, yeah, yeah what did you do when you were hitting coach? You couldn't have done the show yeah, we took two months I was the only time we took two and a half months off.
Speaker 3:I want to get into the yankees. Yeah, big time, because, yeah, when I was with the Yankees, yeah, I want to get into that big time because that was cool, yeah, when I was with the Yankees, that was awesome.
Speaker 2:And also, too, when you're in New York. Everything's so magnified so you don't want to say something so small on a podcast that just whoo.
Speaker 1:They run with it. Yeah, yeah, I wasn't going a hitting coach for the Yankees. Did you ever think you'd be a hitting coach?
Speaker 2:You know what I did think at some point and it just was the perfect opportunity. I mean, I've been asked by a lot of people over the years to be the hitting coach for some different teams, but just you know the grind of the year, you know, with having four kids and they were little, a lot of them were little at the time that I was asked. I just enjoy being home too much. I enjoy my job at MLB Network. It gives me flexibility. So when Aaron Boone asked me last year 2023, it was for the second half of the year they were firing their hitting coach and he brought me in to kind of help the guys out and help the staff out, and help him out in a situation they were just in it was one of the greatest two and help him out in a situation they were just in and it was one of the greatest two and a half months of my life.
Speaker 1:It really was? Was it like what you thought it would be, or was it more of a grind? Because they say it's the hardest job in sports. It's like the hitting coach of a major league baseball.
Speaker 3:I actually think that's true. I actually think that's true, there's no win, there's win, there's no win, yeah, no win.
Speaker 2:And I think one thing about being the hitting coach you know you guys can chime in too is that, like you know, you got all those hitters and you know if you're, if you're into, obviously, if you're into being the hitting coach and you're, you're into your guys and you want them to do well and at any point, hitting is so hard. You you never have nine guys hot at the same time. You got four hot, five aren't, and then you're insomniac about how do I get this guy unlocked. Then those four get hot, the other five get cold. You're like this is incredible, you know what I mean. So you almost feel like you're Bipolar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 3:You have a guy that just came up to the big leagues. Four for four, Everything went well. There's some dude that went, oh for four, four k's and hasn't gotten hit in two weeks. Yeah, and you can't sleep you know it's crazy, it's true I have. Yeah, I was wondering because your personality, like I, would love to have a hitting coach like you. Yeah, because, I feel like I'm invincible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you are all over that baby. You almost got it. You're the greatest fander out there. You're gonna get it going because going. I guarantee you, that's what he did.
Speaker 3:First time I met him. He's in Bones' office. We called it the therapy session. He'd be over there and you'd hear him. And I never took up much time, because you're always pouring into somebody which I love and I respect and I try to do that because I've seen that with men and you've changed people's lives, I'm sure. But you stopped. You go back and you tell you there was something I did and you gave me a compliment and I was like I love that guy. I walked away. I was like all right, let's go Put me in today, put me in. I was ready.
Speaker 1:But it means a lot.
Speaker 3:Like I knew who you were.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you, brother. I appreciate that. I knew who you were too.
Speaker 3:I know you literally watched the game and gave me a compliment on something that a lot of people didn't notice yeah, yeah you know players that grind and work hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they know the guys that grind and work hard yeah, you know, and for me, uh, I think the one big thing is like this game it'll, it'll take your soul, you know I mean, it's so hard and and it so negative.
Speaker 2:And so I just always felt like you know anything I could throw out there that makes a guy feel like you know, let's go, even as a player. You know always looking to find guys to pick up and you know, you know cause you just got to keep charging. It's a. It's a. It's a game of a game of failure. 162,. You better be a hundred percent all in and you better be able to impact certain guys. I came up and I remember a guy like Greg Vaughn and Barry Larkin were guys like that for me. That pushed me. Jim told me when I first came up I just always thought to myself that's who I want to be. I want to be the guy that's making people feel like they can go run through a wall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you're different. You're a unique cat, but you are. You're a unique cat. She's amazing, but you are. You've got this infectious personality. It's just one of those. We talked on one of our shows with someone recently about Buck O'Neill.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Buck O'Neill.
Speaker 1:And Buck O'Neill was one yeah. Buck was great, okay, I mean when you walked out, Chuck Tanner, when you walked out of the room with one of those guys and you're like daggone I'm having a great day.
Speaker 3:Is that, maka? I feel good Might have been.
Speaker 1:But Sean.
Speaker 3:Casey is one of those guys. 100%.
Speaker 1:Every day is a great day. You're great. There's nothing, I don't care. Podcast costing 50 grand, we'll make it back one day.
Speaker 3:It doesn't matter. Yeah, yeah, but to be honest, like I mean, it is such a joy to do it, cause like being able to spend time with who I really respect, and Greg being on this side and being able to sit next to you.
Speaker 2:It's awesome it is. It's so fun. I love it. I love it, mac, it's great.
Speaker 1:And dude different.
Speaker 2:I just saw you the other day at Clemente Museum. I know it's such it is. He's like one of those guys, you can see him in an hour.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen him. He's like a puppy dog. You leave, you know. You leave, you come back Jumping on you.
Speaker 1:I just left to go outside and get the mail. That's Sean Casey.
Speaker 3:Sean, I just saw you. Yeah, you guys jumped on each other. The restroom. I come back. He's hugging me hey.
Speaker 1:Brownie, but so were your parents like that. Yeah, you know what Infectious personality you know?
Speaker 2:I'm probably a mix of my mom and dad. You know my dad's got a big personality, you know, just a really good guy and my mom is like my mom literally has the gift of gab. Oh, so good. But like you know not, she's one of those people you could spend two hours with Joan Casey and be like what an incredible conversation. Like what did we talk about? I'm not sure, but she can lead a conversation.
Speaker 1:I look back.
Speaker 3:I look you know where'd you get it from.
Speaker 2:Like my mom I was in. Everyone loves my mom and my mom's such a great friend to her friends and her family. You know she's the second oldest of eight, all her siblings oh my gosh always calling her to talk and she just she's the best. So, like, I've always given my dad a lot of credit for things, but my mom is probably the reason why that I, you know, probably nicknamed the mayor because you know, you know always talking to people, but I always feel like it's a good conversation. Nothing worse than we get the guy that's talking. He's like okay, this guy's really annoying. Yeah, I always feel like, feel like I got a high EQ where I'm like all right, this is a good conversation, let's keep it going, let's keep it going.
Speaker 1:She's the second of eight. Is she a Pittsburgh?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, no. Both my parents are from Long Island, new York.
Speaker 1:You were born in Jersey, weren't?
Speaker 2:you. I was born in Jersey. I was there for five years. Yeah Moved. What brought them here? My dad got a job with MoBay Chemical. Remember MoBay?
Speaker 1:Chemical yeah.
Speaker 2:MoBay Chemical. My mom's like. My dad's like, hey, I'm going to climb the corporate ladder, we're moving to Pittsburgh. My mom's like what she's like we have all family relatives are in Long Island in New Jersey. My dad's like I'm going to Pittsburgh, you know, and my mom's like this is incredible, I don't think my mom months.
Speaker 1:She didn't have the gift again. That's the only time she shut down was for those six months.
Speaker 3:She was not happy but it was the.
Speaker 2:It turned out to be the biggest blessing of our life. The greatest thing ever was the fact that we moved.
Speaker 3:So that's the thing you move into Pittsburgh, dad. Thanks for that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we're like you know, my dad made a promise cause we were all upset. You know, upset I was. My sister was seven.
Speaker 3:You're just mad. You couldn't play with your friend across the street. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:I remember the kid's name. His name was Spider Leghorn. No way, I'm like what about Spider Leghorn? He's got all the Star Wars figures. What are?
Speaker 1:we going to do Spider Leghorn? I think it was.
Speaker 2:Spider Leglord was his name.
Speaker 3:Leglord, it could be right. That's great. So he's in the lead, like this he did like Darth Vader in those Star Wars figures.
Speaker 2:But I remember coming and I remember my dad saying in the car we'll never move again. We'll never move again. This is the last time and we never did. My parents are still in the same house in Upper St Clair that they were in when we moved here in 1980. So great 1980, yeah, incredible, and I remember like oh, I got a quick story for you. No, there's nothing quick.
Speaker 1:As you know, as a podcaster, there's nothing quick, that's right.
Speaker 3:That's why he's the mayor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know you get to Pittsburgh and I remember I was just a big card collector back then.
Speaker 1:So we came in 80.
Speaker 2:The 79 buckles we were paying was still a big deal. It's just the beginning of the 80 season. Yeah, so you know I loved baseball at the time. I'd get all the cards and so remember, like Dave Parker and you know, going back, grant Jackson was one of my best friends growing up, which is crazy.
Speaker 2:I got some great stories there. No way, and yeah, I'd come down like Grant Jackson, like in sixth grade. His dad was Buck, was the pitching coach for the Buccos. I he goes, I'm here in sixth grade, I'm in the. I'm one of the kids with Grant Jackson Jr hitting in the cages during the game Get out. Yeah, it's incredible, and I tried to steal all the balls. I'm like look at all these balls, you're in the cage, you're in the cage.
Speaker 1:Yes, have you ever stayed in the cage 86. Like 1986.
Speaker 3:Nuts, I was in the cage in three.
Speaker 2:They're not as good as they are now.
Speaker 1:Touché.
Speaker 3:Touché so those old ballparks.
Speaker 1:They were just old netting.
Speaker 3:They nailed them to the walls, but there's no way any of them passed inspection.
Speaker 1:There's like a fire line there Over here there's like an electrical box.
Speaker 3:It's just like what's happening, Dude?
Speaker 2:nobody cared back then.
Speaker 3:Three.
Speaker 2:Rivers was about to fall down. But I remember Dave Parker. I love Dave Parker, the Cobra, and so glad he's getting in Cooperstown.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So deserving Yep, um. But I love the buckos and I remember in third grade they're like Dave Parker is coming to Johnston elementary school and I'm like let's go, like it's the day I've been waiting for. You gotta be kidding me. I'm so fired up so we get to the. You know, get to the assembly. We're packed house. You know, third grade, and they're like, ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for and they don't announce it as like Pirates, all-star, the Cobra, they don't say that I know yes so they're like let's give it up for Dave Parker.
Speaker 2:And out comes this 5'8 white guy. I'm like that's not Dave Parker and out comes this 5'8 white guy. I'm like that's not Dave Parker, that's not the Dave Parker.
Speaker 1:I know, wait a minute, it was a different guy named Dave Parker. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:He was going to teach us how to hold a pencil. No, yeah, and I still remember the song Finger on the paint thumb on the side, three fingers in the back, trying to hide, don't pinch. I'm like this guy is a fraud. When you're in third grade, do you think there's only one, dave Parker, in the world? He plays right field for the Buccos, not some guy that came out to teach me how to hold my pencil.
Speaker 1:We've gone from Hold my Cutter to Hold my Pencil. Podcast. Wait a second. You mean to tell me there was really a guy named Dave Parker? You can't be that out of touch. Come on man. What a terrible introduction it was so bad?
Speaker 2:It was no. What I'm saying is it hurt my childhood. I understand it hurt my childhood.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would have never used a pencil again.
Speaker 2:Ever.
Speaker 1:I still revolt, I still hold my I hold it like this Because I'm like I ain't doing this, I'm not doing the Hold it on the left. Don't use three fingers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you had to learn it too, because that was giving you a trauma.
Speaker 1:I'm coming off his Dave Parker's words. That is an unbelievable story In third grade too. So did you ever get a chance to tell Parker that story?
Speaker 2:You know what? I don't think I ever told Parker that story. That's hilarious.
Speaker 3:I've had some great times with Dave. What if he played the fast one? What if he played the fast one? What?
Speaker 1:if he's the guy that played the fast one yeah.
Speaker 3:He's in the back like are you going to ever say anything?
Speaker 2:The one thing about Parker was Dave came into, I got a chance to see Parker because he lived in Cincinnati, so I'd run into him a couple times, it was so good.
Speaker 2:Then the Reds Hall of Fame. We'd run into each other at those events, which is really cool. And you know one thing about Parker I got a chance when I first was at the MLB Network. He came in and we got a chance. I got a chance to talk hitting with him and he was like me and you know I was talking about Pop, stargell Pops, and I used to use 37, 38s 37, 38s Are you?
Speaker 2:kidding me, Gosh man, I mean guys are using that on 33 and a half, I use something like that to clean my windows.
Speaker 3:Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2:Matt, can you imagine trying to get that through the zone 37, 38 and buggy whipping some stuff?
Speaker 3:No, I can't believe it. Did you? Obviously you held it. Did you ever hold one? Was it thick handle?
Speaker 2:too yeah.
Speaker 3:That's not fair.
Speaker 2:Way thicker handles than we used.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You two yeah that's not way thicker handles than we used, yeah you know, when you're like, yeah, yeah, one bat for his whole career, yeah, yeah he's like that's a paul bunyan.
Speaker 2:That's not credible, credible so you get a chance to talk hitting with parker, which is incredible you know what one of the coolest things about the job at mlb network and I've been there 17 years you believe that that's incredible I play I've been there five years longer than I've played the big leagues what? Yeah, that is wild. So some of the conversations I've had on hitting, you know, when you think about Dave Parker, you know Mike Schmidt, you know just, I mean down the lines of Hank Aaron. You know down the lines of talking to these guys, hitting with these guys, but it sticks out because I love talking to him. You know we love we talking to him. You know we love we get started.
Speaker 3:We can talk all day long.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like when you get a guy like that, then you'd hear he's all good. Then he starts telling you about pop star Joel and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just incredible no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Did they come to college? No, 2008. I was with the Red Sox. I knew I was retiring because I was off the bench. I was kind of ready to be done.
Speaker 2:It was game five. We're playing the Rays at Fenway and Harold Reynolds is doing the game for TBS. He comes down on the field. He's 8Ks. He comes out. I'm in my hitting group. I come out and he's like what's going on? You know what's going on. I said hey, man, how Harold, how have you enjoyed being a studio analyst? And he's like oh, I love it, man, I love it. And I was like, oh, it's cool. He's like why? He's like are you thinking about retiring? I was like I go, I am retiring because I'm, you know, just ready to kind of be done. I was coming off the bench for my first, the first year. And he's like hey, you would be great on the network. Mlb network is launching in january. You hadn't launched yet and we'll be like they just hired harold's, like they just hired me, you'd be great on it. And so a couple days later, tony patiti called me. I went up, auditioned and they hired me that day and I've been there for 17 years wow, incredible.
Speaker 3:One of the ogs on that network how often do you have to?
Speaker 2:go to New York I do like 60 days a year.
Speaker 1:The greatest gig ever. That's great.
Speaker 2:Over 12 months. It's the greatest gig ever and you get paid to talk Like you guys.
Speaker 1:You guys get paid to talk, but you also do some color. You did for a while. Yeah, I do some color.
Speaker 2:I've done some color for the Reds.
Speaker 1:And yeah, Reds and I've done some Fox games. What do you like best?
Speaker 2:I love the studio work.
Speaker 1:You do. I love breaking down like.
Speaker 2:McKenna, it's also too. It's like March Madness we go in and out every game. So you're like, if you're on there for three hours, say, the game starts 7 to 10 or 8 to 11, you're bouncing all kinds of games and stuff.
Speaker 1:It's exciting. Yeah, it's exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really exciting.
Speaker 3:It's a lot of fun. And I want to go back to when you retired, cause I love hearing guys stories. You're hitting that Well. Yeah, of course everybody from now says what's he?
Speaker 1:doing Right, right right.
Speaker 2:You do know? Yeah, I knew, and also too. Like well, first off, when I went into Boston, I was a career 301 hitter at the time, starting my whole career.
Speaker 3:I was going into Boston as a guy off the bench. Now the average is like 235. Bro, can you imagine? Can you imagine? It makes me better every year, though.
Speaker 1:Every year I get a little bit better, right, right. Yeah, keep going boy, Get a little bit better.
Speaker 2:That OPS helped me out right there, baby yeah the batting is just going like this in major league baseball, but I was hitting 301 going into that year and I'm thinking to myself, if I come off the bench and hit 220 and I'm a 299 career.
Speaker 1:I might kill somebody. I might kill somebody.
Speaker 3:So one year off the bench.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was the only year. My last year in Boston was my only year.
Speaker 3:That's the next question, but I won't talk at all, my only year off the bench and I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:but I did get a lot of the bats because Euclid's got hurt a little bit, mike Lowell got hurt a little bit so I ate him, getting like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly so it was like I just knew before this.
Speaker 2:But I knew during the season and coming into the year I was like I'm gonna do one more year. This is, this, is it, and, uh, and I'm so freaking grateful. I was just talking to a guy recently, uh, who was asking me some questions about that. I just said I really feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I mean, I got a chance to come up with the Cleveland Indians the Guardians, but they're Indians, played eight years with the Reds and was fortunate to get into their Hall of Fame, with all the history they have with Bench and Rose and Perez and Joe Morgan all those guys. I mean the fact that I played eight years there was incredible. I get traded to the Pirates, which is like when I grew up. That's the only place I wanted to play.
Speaker 2:I thought the Pirates were the only team in the big league. It's like, you know, I just want to play for the Pirates and that's it. You know what I mean. So to play for the Pirates in 06 was incredible. Then I get traded to the Tigers, which I got Leland Lamont, you know. Raphael Belliard, don Slott was my hitting coach, lloyd McClendon was the bullpen coach, andy Van Slakes, my freaking first pitch. I'm like these guys have no idea how excited.
Speaker 2:I am. And then my last year I get to play in Boston. And you know, mac, when you're in the big leagues, you want to play in Boston. You want to have. One year I got a chance to play in Boston when it was Big Poppy and Manny and they had just come off a World Series title, and it was incredible. So, like I am just, and then from that year on 2009 to now, I've been at the network, so it's just been incredible.
Speaker 1:Well, okay, but you're see, he's also, in addition to everything else, he's incredibly humble.
Speaker 3:But he's not answering the question. You're a bench player one year, yeah.
Speaker 1:Most of the time it takes a long time you hit 320.
Speaker 3:How, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Tell me the approach my man. It's unbelievable. That guy could hit.
Speaker 2:That monster was my friend that monster was my friend, I just was peppering it, although I did get thrown. Monster was my friend, I just was peppering it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, although I did get thrown, I got a great story. Oh yeah, that's a good story. I hit a ball.
Speaker 2:I hit a ball, we're in ball. We're against playing against Baltimore. I just come off the DL Strained hip flexor and it wasn't really healthy. But I'm like I'm coming back because I'm not sitting the DL.
Speaker 3:I'm going to play. That's the advantage of being a veteran somewhere is like you know yourself. Yeah, you're there, I'm good, leave me alone, I'm good, I'm good. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome this is fine.
Speaker 2:So I was peppering that wall and so this one game against Baltimore. Just come off the hip flexor DL, I hit a ball off the monster. It's like I can't remember what they they call like the, like the ghost out there, the ghost field. You don't see, he just throws the ball in, you're like wait, the ball, the ball so I remember I hit the ball at the box. So I'm running to second base and I'm like right, when I get halfway there I'm like, oh my God, I'm going to be out there.
Speaker 3:So bam boom I'm not like 15 feet. I'm coming on. The fans are like you're slow, staying first. I'm like I thought I had it. I thought I had it, you know, so I came out of nowhere, it just popped out.
Speaker 2:I was like my god second, like you don't realize how close that thing is. It's like 300 feet away. It's like you're at like upper side, so so the ball comes in, I'm out, so I'm like, oh you know. So next day comes up facing I can't remember what we were facing I get a fastball, I hit a bullet to right center. Now in Boston, dude, that's not a great, it's huge, it's huge. Because, everyone's like what about pesky pull? I'm like pesky pull is right here, and then it jits out to 280.
Speaker 1:It.
Speaker 2:So I crushed one in the gap and I'm like that's gone right. So a lot of my balls. I hit on lines. It was a street and liner. I'm rounding first and I'm like, oh, I got this one. So a little bit of a pimp job, a little bit of a torn hip flexor and a lot of being slow, so it was like all three of that combination did not fare well, so I hit a ball.
Speaker 2:This is right, center. It hits the low wall there off the top of the wall. Now I'm rounding first because I'm like at least I have a double and every part of you is going. Every part of me did that little pimp dude, then I'm like I gotta get going.
Speaker 3:I gotta go.
Speaker 2:So now I got. So nick marcakis is playing right field. He's a rookie at the time, oh no he barehand, the ball ricochets off, marcakis barehands it, and now I'm like we got a situation because I can't turn back right, because I'm already committed and I'll probably blow up both hip flexors if I stop turn back so I just like bad running technique.
Speaker 2:Like I'm ice skating, quick sand just across the body. Come flying, I come flying, I'm out by like legit 10 feet. The place is booing me out. Did you get a good slide in? That was like a bad slide like I wish it was basically. So I'm out and that's two days in a row.
Speaker 2:Two days in a row so off the monster, then off right field, I go in the dugout. I'm sitting down, you know, obviously no, tito's one of the greatest now. So terry francona, big char and levi garrett maybe a little clue in there with some gum. He's as unhealthy as six blood clots in his legs. This guy's unhealthy as can be. You know. He looks over at me and he's like Case, you know, and I'm I mean, I actually am mad at myself. Now I'm in the dugout, I'm like dang, this is ridiculous, you've got to stay in first.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's a lot of yard work. Brownie and Tito looks over at me.
Speaker 2:Hey Case, can I talk to you real quick? I was like what's this asshole want to talk about? So I go over like yeah, what's up? What's up, tito? He goes. Hey listen, have you been to the doctor recently and I go? No, why he goes? Is there any chance you you might have polio?
Speaker 3:Have you ever gone back and looked?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. I mean I'm starting to think I might. I gotta go back to the Dr A's house. Is there any chance you might have polio?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh you had to just start laughing. I start dying laughing.
Speaker 3:That's real feel for a manager though, oh my gosh. That's good, because you're mad at yourself, probably the first time in your career.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was mad at myself a lot. I was a closet snapper.
Speaker 1:I was a closet snapper. That's Leland-like, that's okay. Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh no, that line drive to left. Yeah, that was just, you were with the.
Speaker 1:Tigers. I was with the Tigers, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was with the Tigers. That's a big ballpark too. Oh, that was a huge ballpark.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the line drive to left.
Speaker 2:That was the only 5-6-3. 5-7-3. It hit Creedy's glove, bounced to the left fielder and then they threw me out about polio at that point, which was incredible. But you know what's funny? Oh man, the great managers have a way to keep it funny, like Leland was so good at that. He was so good at like keeping the humor there. Tito was so good at that. Kevin Cash is good at that.
Speaker 1:Is he yeah? You know, there's just guys that there's something about them. They got the it factor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, they control a room.
Speaker 1:They feel it, they control a room, they know yeah, exactly, they've been there.
Speaker 2:Everybody feels seen. Everybody feels seen, yeah.
Speaker 3:Whether you're doing bad, good, it doesn't matter. It's like they know when to go in yeah. Leland going after Bond is one of my favorites.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, and Leland told me he said that he goes. I love going after them and I saw it. I did see it a couple times in Detroit.
Speaker 1:That's like being in the yard in prison.
Speaker 3:That's like being in the yard in prison, right, yeah, yeah, you got the big bopper right here. You got the guy that's on the field every day right, it's a star.
Speaker 1:Yeah, who's going to go, who's going to go, who's going to? Those are a couple of memorable moments, but what seriously is your?
Speaker 3:finest. So, did you get tested for polio though? Yeah, yeah that's true?
Speaker 2:No, because my career I was last year in my career it didn't matter. It didn't matter. I can't even think of polio. I can live with polio.
Speaker 1:But what about your finest moment?
Speaker 2:Oh wow, you know I have a couple of finest moments. And I think it's worth kind of looking at. But one of my finest moments was when I hit the first hit and home run of PNC park. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as a Cincinnati red, you didn't feel bad doing that. No, we, we, we were so angry.
Speaker 2:I know you were, I know you were, but I liked it All the years of going to three verse stadium with my friends and with my dad, you, to have a day game season ticket pass, the only only we could afford the day game season ticket package on the third base side so they could watch the lefties hit.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 2:Bonilla and Van Slyke and those guys cool, Spanky was cool. So you know, I think for me like I've had that day circled Um, just I just want an opportunity to get the first hit. Really not, I didn't know I was gonna homer, but you know that day I was hitting fourth bob boone. I come in the lineup. Usually I hit third. I'm like I'm hit fourth I was like I don't want to.
Speaker 2:Usually you're hitting usually was hitting third and it was like, for whatever reason, it was like larkin, michael tucker, dimitri and then dimitri young, and then I was hitting fourth. And I remember coming into that game on a little side note of baseball trivia the series before at Miller Park I got the first hit ever at Miller Park.
Speaker 1:I remember that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it was like so, here I was coming to PNC, like hey, I just got the first hit ever at Miller Park. Might as well, do it here.
Speaker 1:How cool is that? It was so cool. Two ballparks, it was so cool.
Speaker 2:Cooperstown took my bat.
Speaker 1:Incredible. I that Dang it, only player ever to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, only player ever to open two parks with a hit.
Speaker 3:That's why baseball is so romantic. Yeah, because of that stuff. There's so many little things like that. Like who would have thought you never could have drawn that out?
Speaker 2:Never, ever, ever. So we're facing Todd Ritchie that day. He gets Larkin and Tucker out. I'm on deck. He gets Todd Ritchie. Todd Ritchie gets, uh, demetri on 0-2 and I'm like, oh my god, I'm not gonna get up. And then the Pirates gonna get up, someone's gonna get first hit. And then Todd Richie comes in with a cutter to Demetri and it hits him. I'm like, well, here we go, demetri's on first. I'm like at least I got a shot to get the first hit. I just wanted a shot and I think I got a 1-1 cutter from Todd Richie that stayed up and I just covered it and freaking off my bat. You know, when you hit one good, I was running to first. I'm like that's gone, holy cow, that's gone. And I had left 70 tickets for the game. So many people you know, my buddy, tim McGarvey, his whole family, my dad, my hitting coach, frank Porco, so many wonderful people, my parents, it's your home.
Speaker 3:It was my home. It's where I grew up. I'm a pittsburgh man, I'm, you know and so like I'd sit here, yeah and pop starge will pass in that morning yeah, it just was a very emotional day and what's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he passed away that morning, yeah, that morning.
Speaker 2:And what was funny was, you know, no one nobody on the reds knew. They knew I was from pittsburgh, but you know what I?
Speaker 1:mean yeah, I know it's way different it's something about.
Speaker 3:yep, they look at you like you're crazy because I call myself a yalzer. Now, yeah, yeah, in Tennessee.
Speaker 2:Yalzer, you combined it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we did. It's a special place. No, it's a special place. Hearing it, I'm thinking about the emotion, and how did you even handle?
Speaker 2:that, yeah, dude was the center fielder, because the ball ricocheted. I hit it up right center, about 10 rows back, and it ricocheted onto the field. Wow, and I literally was. I think I yelled to Adrian Brown throw it in.
Speaker 2:I have to have that ball Throw it in. So I'm rounding the bases and he throws it into the stands right and I end up scoring. I was so excited and remember I think landing for Terry's call was like Pittsburgh's own Sean Casey Probably. You know you probably did Browning too. You probably didn't know I was from Pittsburgh?
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably not. How about this? A kid with polio hits a first home run. It's a remarkable story, sean Casey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, my God, it was incredible. So that's one of my most incredible moments because just because of I'd never know I'd be able to feel the emotions that I felt that day.
Speaker 3:Do you remember walking to? Like? You're on deck, he gets hit, goes to first base.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you trying to like soak?
Speaker 3:it in as you get there, because you're high energy.
Speaker 2:right yeah, we're all three high energy.
Speaker 3:There's moments where you don't understand how everything slows down. Yeah, is that what?
Speaker 2:happened. Yeah, I think I was such a big process guy when I hit that I was like, okay, he blacked out. I got to just take a breath. I got to slow down here. I got to make sure I get into this at bat. I'm going to hunt a fastball, I'm going to push him out.
Speaker 3:I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah and he put it right out where I was kind of looking for it. So like that's end up. You know, mac, that's how you're successful in this game. If you let any moment get into that that box, you're done.
Speaker 3:You know you've got to be able to slow things down. I caught Todd Ritchie you know way down the line.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he'd leave it and I'd be like oh no, oh, it's not cut, it's cut right away.
Speaker 3:You couldn't see that cut very well Like and, but they would go. No slow down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was like, oh yeah, I was like, oh, that music started playing. You know, and I think that the other, the other moment for me was when I was with Leland and those guys in Detroit, you know, when I homered in the world, I homered in game four of the world series and and I remember rounding the bases and it literally was like a whiffle ball, backyard whiffle ball moment where you're, like, you know, mike McCantry, homers, but you're by yourself, homers in the World Series.
Speaker 1:Sean.
Speaker 2:Casey homers. I remember rounding the bases in St Louis. That was playing in your head it was just like a yeah, it was like I felt 12.
Speaker 3:I felt like a dreamer in the dream.
Speaker 1:Yeah right.
Speaker 2:Like I couldn't believe it. I was rounding bands. I just homered in the real world scene. You got to do it. Yeah, and Jim Leland's my manager.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he said Pirates Fantasy Camp.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's what it was. I didn't even put that together when you started naming the names. I'm like holy shnikes.
Speaker 3:Before game two You're a fairy tale.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's a total fairy tale You're not the he's Tinkerbell. Yeah, he's Tinkerbell, he's Tinkerbell, he's Tinkerbell.
Speaker 2:Easy. We got rained out after game two. Game three was rained out in St Louis and Andy Van Slyke got me and Donnie Slott got me, so locked in A couple weeks before the season ended, van Slyke was throwing me BP in the cages as hard as he could throw and he had a cannon, so he was throwing like a hundred, seriously, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then, and the drill was, you know, yes, yes, yes, till your eyes, tell you no, yes, yes, yes, you're swinging till your eyes, tell you no. And he caught me, locked in I'd face, like granky was throwing like 97, 98 the end of the year, zach cranky.
Speaker 3:I was like that looks like nothing compared to any man's like bp under the tunnel right it was, it was incredible and I remember that we rained out the dim tunnel.
Speaker 2:The dim tunnel. Yeah, game three. Before game three, it was rained out. So I stayed with Andy in the clubhouse Everyone. The bus went back and I was like Andy, can you throw me some? I want to stay locked in. So we're hitting in the cages just me and Andy and Donnie. And I remember stopping. It's my ninth year in the big leagues. I, I remember stopping. It's my ninth year in the big leagues. I stopped Andy for a second and I said hey, can I tell you something? No-transcript. And I said I'm having a moment right now and I can't believe I'm getting ready for game three of the World Series in the big leagues.
Speaker 2:You don't know this, but you're one of my idols and you are getting me locked in and throwing me BP to get me ready. I just had to stop and say that to you.
Speaker 3:That's crazy. That was going to be my question, because I don't believe you could have swung and missed every time. Yeah, that was going to be my question, because I don't believe you could have swung and missed every time. And that moment was probably so big for you because I was just thinking, like Indy Van Sleck threw him BP. They wouldn't let a guy get behind the screen. Now, this guy is like one of the best players in baseball. You're going up and he throws you BP.
Speaker 2:He's trying to get me ready.
Speaker 1:And he would have thrown forever. He took his shirt off too.
Speaker 2:He's the man. He's trying to get me ready. He's like Unbelievable and he would have thrown forever. Think about the power of that. He took his shirt off too. He's so jacked.
Speaker 1:I'm like Andy, why are you so better? Why are you the most jacked guy on the team? He always did that. As long as he could take that shirt off, whatever he could. That brings him up even higher.
Speaker 2:Oh man, you can't. That's amazing man, those moments were incredible.
Speaker 3:That's what. I miss about the game so much, yeah. And being the hitting coach like you don't I know you don't see that yeah, and that's probably the hardest part, because like, yeah, like that, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's crazy, man, it's crazy, it's crazy.
Speaker 3:But, like, those are the teams that win, like, I think, hitting coaches I'm going to go back to that for just a second. It's like you, you would be the best hitting coach in my mind, cause your personality just fits, cause you make me want to run through a wall but, like, correct me if I'm wrong and I know you're going to say it's right those guys are always the hitting coaches.
Speaker 3:If you can get everybody to take ownership of who they are, they have a role and they have a place, that team just takes over and you're sitting back filling in the gap, because then you don't have nine guys, you just have one.
Speaker 1:You just have two because Andy's like come here. Ron's grabbing it.
Speaker 3:You're doing it and you're like watching it unfold, like whoa, yeah, this is cool. That's my favorite part about being an analyst.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So much you can see. It's like, well, if this starts to go, what's going to happen? Oh, this is happening, and it's neat to see how personalities start to match yeah. And then you get that the culture changes.
Speaker 2:No, it's great stars. You talk about bonds, van syken, those guys like a guy like aaron judge man, like you know, you talk people, people ask about what does he do so well? What does he do so well? The fundamentals. This guy hits off the t twice a day. He comes in at four, hits off the t, comes in at 6, 30 hits off the t. He goes you know like and and and. Then all of a sudden you know you start watching him work and then you then then volpe starts working that way, and different guys. So when you're the hitting coach sometimes you're like, hey, watch how he does, watch his BP. Aaron Judge doesn't pull a ball on BP until like the last round. You know what I mean. He's right center, right center. There's a reason. Then you see some of these young kids come in pulling everything in the air and I'm like, hey, I just want to let you know, if you keep doing that you're going to be out of here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's going to go right into your back Just watch Aaron judge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, watch what he does.
Speaker 3:Success leaves clues and do what he does, and the best part is he's hitting off a tee. Exactly so that you take the ginormous six, eight, right, right, Right. Two 80 and the shred and it's away. He's creating everything himself. Yeah 9,000 feet, which he does.
Speaker 2:Everything's off the tee. Yeah, that's amazing, with a purpose, you know.
Speaker 1:But okay, is it hard? Maybe not for you, because you're different, as they say, you're a different cat. He's a different breed For a guy. I mean a Reds Hall of Famer, a legit Reds Hall of Famer. We talked about an OPS career 814.
Speaker 2:Say it again Brian, A couple of 99 RBI years.
Speaker 3:Couldn't I get that one more RBI? I know I was thinking about that, you know, at some point they should just go back like one more I can find one.
Speaker 2:I only swung at one 3-0 pitch my whole career. That's ridiculous too. I wish I would have Now. I wish I would have swung at more 3-0 pitch because I always felt like 3-0. You got to come back to me 3-1. So, and the only 3-0 pitch I ever swung was in 2004's at 99 ribbies. We're playing the Pirates with like 3 or 4 games ago Mike Gonzalez comes in. I hadn't had guys on base like in 10 days the lefty closer because Ryan Friel had gotten hurt.
Speaker 2:yeah, the lefty closer, gonzo, comes in to face me, gets me 3-0, and I took a rip. It was at my face, I took a rip. It was the only 3-0 pitch I ever swung because I was like I need one more RBI.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I've never seen you see 3-0. I was like I don't think I ever had. I didn't realize I hadn't swung 3-0 until I got to the network.
Speaker 1:That's unbelievable. That was you. 3-1? You did, I was so pissed. Unbelievable.
Speaker 2:I had 99 ribbies there with 11 games to go and I couldn't, so I got you'll appreciate this. That's terrible, I got no one in scoring position. The only time I had runners in scoring position was that day, so then I started trying to hit homers, and my swing went in the tank.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:So I was like, all right, I'll do it myself. Oh, yeah, that doesn't work. Okay, it's one RBI. Yeah, I need one more.
Speaker 1:So 11 games a guy in scoring position once, and that was when Gondo. So in that respect, are RBIs overrated, because that's what they say these days. No, no, that's so ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I'm glad to hear you say that there's a knack to it.
Speaker 2:There's a kn can do it Absolutely Like Leland. I remember asking Leland when it was Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout for the MVP and I was like Mike Trout's got all the sexy numbers and he did. But Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown and he had like 135 stakes and so I called Leland. I'm like dude, what's the argument for Cabrera? He goes. What's the argument? He goes Case. When the media comes in after the game they say what happened tonight, and when we win I say hey, we got the big hit. When we lose, I say we couldn't get the big hit Miguel Cabrera gets a lot of big hits and wins a lot of games for us.
Speaker 2:That's why he's the MVP and that's why not everyone can drive. I can't stand that. When people say, oh, the RBI is a team stat, stop that. You've never been in the box, you don't know what it's like when the energy and adrenaline comes up, and tell it there's a skill to driving runs. Yes.
Speaker 1:And you want the. You can feel it on your team.
Speaker 3:You know what it means for the RBI guys you want them up there, the RBI guys, they're real Get me up.
Speaker 1:I want him up there now hey.
Speaker 3:I pinch hit a lot for a catcher. I think I had like 70 or 80 at bats as a pinch hitter. I hit 125. Till this day because of being really good. When I played as a big hit guy, people think I was a good pinch hitter. I was awful, right Like awful, but you got big hits but it mattered because we were winning. Right, I was getting hits when we were winning.
Speaker 2:Right right right, and there's a.
Speaker 3:I didn't have the knack that you guys had, but there was moments where it elevated what people saw because it won the game and you're exactly right. That's all that matters and that's what they remember. Because you win three more games, you're in the playoffs. Right, right, three hits Right. So, true, Anybody that says that like you can have a team like the blue Jays.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they got a lot of guys.
Speaker 3:Yep, yep. I didn't see them in the playoffs. Right, exactly Right, and it's so dumb Like there's a person in that box that's doing something that you cannot calculate with any computer Right?
Speaker 2:No analytic can do it. What was it like now that I got you here?
Speaker 3:What was it like playing, so I had Clint in two different places.
Speaker 2:I saw two different people.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay.
Speaker 3:So in Colorado he had, he had Helton, he had right. It's always came in after Matt holiday, but he had holiday at Brad hop Mike almost not the guys that were there in the early nineties when it started, right, but like he had some of the biggest bops of bangers, yeah, right, and a lot of different personalities, but almost a little bit psycho personality.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like hell of a psycho.
Speaker 3:So I grew up, he was my idol.
Speaker 2:That's because.
Speaker 3:Tennessee. Yeah, I got called. Here's your romantic story. I got called up to the big leagues, went to big league spring training. Where's my locker? Oh, next to Helton, right next to Helton. He had like seven lockers Right and forget. He put his check. My first big league check I opened was Todd Helton's.
Speaker 1:Really Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:It was 400-something thousand dollars and I was like now I'm going to have to open mine, like I lost the joy of seeing $16,000 for the first time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're like oh, I was like it was motivating.
Speaker 3:Those millions I got to get those. I was like it was motivating those millions. But he also like slid a picture because he had a million dollars in his ranch house that had been there for a year, oh my god, that was the cool part for me because like he kind of bullied me like a big brother.
Speaker 3:That's cool, that was Roman romance free. But I saw Clint trying to figure out how to manage those guys, right, and when he came here he had a completely different animal. All those guys were young and new and I thought that was better for him, right, right. But then when the AJ Burnett's and guys came in, he had an idea to just step back, right right, because he was always in. And then he stepped back and I was like whoa, that was cool. And now I'm close, talk to him today.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And he's thriving more now than ever before. He's a true just leader of men, yeah, and I thought that was the gift he had. And if he kind of found that out like he does now, you should hear some of the people in baseball that I respect, like Jerry Weinstein. He's like Clint is like salt to the earth, like he comes in and he says what he means, ultimately prepared, and he's not trying to over-talk, he just sits back, yeah, which he can be intimidating.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's got a loud big present.
Speaker 1:Big voice. It's like he's read every self-help book in the world.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, so he can kind of throw you off. But yeah, two different guys in 12 and 13, his field a step so far back and let the guys go was one of the reasons why we won, because he let the players live.
Speaker 2:I think he did an incredible job when he was here. Man, I really do. It's not easy to win here in Pittsburgh. Completely different in Colorado.
Speaker 3:He was hard, was he Right? Like Jim Tracy was a veteran first guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, If you're a rookie.
Speaker 3:I didn't feel like I existed. Yeah, yeah yeah, he was my manager of the big leagues too.
Speaker 2:Well, you played for Tracy, I played, you play for Tracy. I love Tracy, I do. I love Tracy, but I understand what you're saying you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:There's no doubt it was no knock to him.
Speaker 3:Everybody has a personality, like I didn't exist. I was in the porta potty in spring training, right, but Hurdle there even would grab guys and you could see that he wanted to kind of touch, yeah, but when he got herele he has a presence and it's hard not to want to have that presence. Yeah, yeah, it was fun to watch that change. That's awesome. That was a great question. I took it over because, no, I love he's done a lot of really cool things for me off the field.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and he called me when I was 21 years old. Wife's dad passed away, wow. And when you, and let me stay for two weeks the rockies organization in him. And he called multiple times this is a big league manager, wow, right. And terry francona, when I got traded, the pirates called me he doesn't know this, but no other manager when I got traded called me when I was in the minor leagues or in the big leagues, wow. So think about that. Like when you think about that, when I got designated here, hurdle called me neil didn. That tells you.
Speaker 1:So like those impacts.
Speaker 3:To go a little bit further, that's really cool and still to this day, I'm on a thread that's got 15 men and me, and I'm about 20 years younger than all of them.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 3:So he saw something a long time ago and it wasn't because I played, it's because he wanted to grab ahold of me, and that's what I remember.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I realize I'm probably A true leader of men, true leader of men, and he just happened to be a great manager too. Yeah, Speaking of that, the guys that you did play for different personalities, all of them Did you play for Jack McKeon, oh man.
Speaker 2:Jack McKeon. Well, on a side note, you know Trader Jack, who I just texted with recently, he's 95. At Jack, who I just texted with recently, he's 95. At least Still walks like six miles a day, the good Lord's with him.
Speaker 1:He goes to. Mass every day of his life.
Speaker 2:Every morning, Jack. Mcgee goes to Mass he still goes to Mass Every day Unbelievable. Doesn't miss, he's the best.
Speaker 3:Does he walk there? Because he can't walk. He walks there.
Speaker 2:I think he walks to Mass and walks back that, but he smokes his cigar every day. He's just such a good guy. But a funny story with that was the scout that drafted me was Casey McKeon his son.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, drafted me with the Cleveland Indians. Here we go again. He's 94, by the way, and sure enough, there's no doubt.
Speaker 2:I think as I went up, I hit .350 in the minors with the Indians in three years, and so I think, Casey.
Speaker 3:McKeon was like you got to get this guy you got to get this guy, you got to get this.
Speaker 2:And so when the Reds traded for me, jack was the manager. I'll tell you what. Here's a quick story about Jack McKeon. Jack, I had an eye. My third day I got traded, opening day 1998, to the Reds for their number one, starterave burba. So everyone was like, who's this casey guy? Well, four days into it I got hit in the eye and I got an orbital fracture, four hour surgery, out six to eight weeks. So that was it. Was that a teammate throwing? The ball damian jackson, a bp, threw it and hit me that's crazy so crazy stuff anyway.
Speaker 2:So I come back. I go three for four. My first game. I'm like, oh man, this big league, stuff's easy. Then I go three for my next 37. I couldn't hit water from a boat. I was so bad Like this guy's terrible, so they sent me down because I'm like I actually needed it. I came back to this.
Speaker 3:I went down for three games.
Speaker 2:I was like I need to go down, like I need to get some at-bats, I need to get my eye right. So I came back up and I'm struggling. I'm hitting like a buck 85. That's what I was hitting with. And Jack McKeon calls me in his office and he's like hey, listen, I've watched you play, you can hit, you're going to hit. He's like I'm going to keep putting you in the three hole. Meanwhile I was embarrassed because I'm not doing well. Barry Larkin, these guys are on the TNF. I'm like who's this third for me? He goes I don't care if you hit a buck 90, the rest of the year you're gonna play. And I was like, oh my god, that's what I needed.
Speaker 2:And I ended up hitting 300 in the second half, seven home runs, and I started to feel like I belong, but only because my manager had the faith they had me and that's why I tell people like, careful with some of these young guys, careful with how you treat people, because you could ruin a guy's career or you could elevate a guy's career, do you remember?
Speaker 1:I?
Speaker 3:almost stood up. That was almost a sin of mine.
Speaker 1:To that point and I mix up years, so I don't know if you remember Chad Hermanson, kent State. Okay, I don't know what year he was in.
Speaker 2:No, I played with.
Speaker 1:sorry, that was the other, hermanson, dustin Hermanson. Oh, that was the pitcher.
Speaker 2:Chad Hermeson and I played. Remember I talked about the Arizona Fall League in 97 when Casey McKeon, jack Hilton he was my teammate, chad was my teammate.
Speaker 1:Big righty pop, I mean. Should have been a 10-year big one, Woody Heike famously longtime Pirate Minor League manager, great baseball man famously said and he never talked about prospects, ever. He just wouldn't say anything. But he came out, quoted as saying this guy can walk on water. He had it all. He was five tools To your point. They got him up to the big leagues and he didn't start more than like four games in a row.
Speaker 3:Wait, wait, what, and?
Speaker 1:then they'd sit him and then the pirates, and he's never done that in his life guaranteed no, no, yeah, all of a sudden.
Speaker 1:So I can't imagine what's going through his head. And I remember walking to the clubhouse at three river stadium watching there's a hitting coach over there talking. There's another coach, talk to him. He'd be at the cage, somebody else be talking to him. I'm thinking, man, this is a heck of a thing to do this kid. But then, you know, it goes four straight games. I swear to you he didn't start more than four straight games that whole year and it just messed him up, messed up his whole career to your point.
Speaker 2:That's what I mean. And if somebody was like hey, dude, you're going to hit, you're going to play.
Speaker 1:We're going to keep you in that line. You're going to go, Just go you. I went back.
Speaker 3:I've gone back and looked back at my career and I could literally tell you the same idea. No, somebody believed in me and told me it wasn't a lie and it happened Right, and the trust that I cause, like oh in other words, like this is what we're going to do, and they do it, they implement it, right yeah?
Speaker 3:It was. It was like okay, cool and I my best year in the big leagues. I had 315 off the bench and it was like I'm a backup. Glenn Allen Hill goes, let's be the best backup. I asked to go down. They were debating on bringing me to the big leagues right away. I went down, played every two games. It's a two on, two off. I went up and did okay, needed to come back down and then I went off. It was because I just put my brain there and glenn outhill said if you're putting it there, we're going all in right, and they wanted me to play every day in the minor leagues. Why I'm gonna go up there. That's my job, let's do that, do that?
Speaker 2:yeah, it changed everything and that's you need to your point. Yeah, I think that's incredible. I've seen kids be ruined like a chad hermanson. Just like you know, I remember I had such an incredible lesson in 1995 when I got drafted by the Cleveland Indians. I was the second round pick. I had just hit 461. I led Division I baseball.
Speaker 1:University of Richmond yeah, University of.
Speaker 2:Richmond I was the number one hitter in Division I baseball, so I come in. Well, there was a great guy not Billy Williams with the Cubs, but it was just Billy.
Speaker 1:Williams. It was a great guy. Not Billy Williams with the Cubs, but it was just Billy.
Speaker 2:Williams. He was a minor league coach and he was like, hey, he's like. Now, when you get to the pro ball you're like these guys must know something. I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and if you're sitting on the bench, you're like, if he tells me this and I do it, I can play, I can play right.
Speaker 2:So I come up and he's like hey, you know, I'm 6'3", I want to be tall, that's how I would go coming down on the ball, compressing it. And so Snap, hook, yeah, just wham, just hands. And so he was like you got to get your legs more. So I started squatting down my legs. I mean, you want to talk about going to a funk For one week? I think I got two hits. I actually was terrible, but I about he's a piece of professional coach.
Speaker 2:I have to listen, so, joel skinner, remember joel, yeah so joel skins was the best and skins was up my manager at low a ball in watertown, new york. He pulled me aside after this one game after he saw me scuffling and, uh, he's like, hey, man, he goes, stop. I don't know anything about you, but I know that you were drafted in the second round. Why do you think the indians drafted you in the second round? I was like because I, because I can hit. He's like, exactly, because you can hit, what'd you hit in college? I said 461. He goes, okay, he goes.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Yeah, my bad, my bad, he goes he goes.
Speaker 2:I don't know you, but what I want you to do is, tomorrow night, I want you to hit exactly how you hit Whatever you did at Richmond. Do that. So the next night I stood up tall, started. In that way, I ended up winning the batting title in watertown, new york.
Speaker 2:No, mark shapiro think I'm talking about director mark shapiro was the ceo of the blue jays. Now, yeah, was the minor league director at the time. I'd noticed for a fact the next off, the next season, they're coming into this season 96, into my second high, a ball year. I'm moving up from watertown to kinston. He got, got them together and said, hey, listen, it might not be exactly how you think it should look, but this guy can hit Nobody. Talked to him about hitting Nobody and I swear to God, he told them to stop talking.
Speaker 2:I don't want anyone talking to Sean Casey about his swing, his stance, just let him hit.
Speaker 1:It's not a beautiful story.
Speaker 2:He did 331 that year, 380 the next year and then was in the big leagues. But the point was, leadership came through and they set bright lines and they said don't touch this guy, touch this guy, this guy, don't touch him. Had guys not like that, put those barriers up. Who knows?
Speaker 1:I may not need to talk for a minute because that's the way it should be, but it was Joel Skinner that started it. Joel Skinner right.
Speaker 2:And Joel Skinner says something he goes hitting's hard guys. He goes. You know what he goes. I played 10 years in the big leagues. One year I started one year and hit 180 for the whole year.
Speaker 3:But so I've heard that story, especially on the pitching side. So much right, right and I love pitching side. So much right, right and I, I love movement. I absolutely love movement and how biomechanics, everything else but like, your body moves a certain way right and you can watch someone even in the way they walk. I spent a lot of money to figure out why I kept getting hurt with the joint specialties came in from taiwan, so it wasn't love that dude yeah, I'm sure they help you.
Speaker 3:Uh it, it made everything make sense, but it didn't help anything right, right, but I think I just need an answer, because I had two weird surgeries that weren't baseball costs.
Speaker 3:But all that to be said is I've heard that so many times and like when do you get a chance to fail right? And what is that number that allows you to fail right, like we're so fast to say no, we got to do it different. But the reason why is never sat down like this Right, and said, all right, so what's your approach? What made you play the game? Right? Right, because maybe you had a dad that told him something that would bury him in the sand, right, and that's where you went to. And now you're that little kid that couldn't hit again.
Speaker 2:No, you're right, You're exactly right. It's so mental and they look so defeated. Yeah, it's just. It's one of those things where, like you know, at the end of the day there's a reason that you've got to where you're at.
Speaker 3:And it's your career. You did a lot of things right.
Speaker 2:And I used to say to myself I tell guys, if you're going down, go down your way.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean At the end of the day.
Speaker 2:I remember being with a lot of guys in the big leagues have their hitting coaches on the side in the offseason right, all of them do so. When I was hitting coach for the Yankees, I'd go up to the guys you know, to Volpe or whatever. Hey, man, what's your hitting coach telling you Exactly?
Speaker 3:What are your keys?
Speaker 2:So I can just speak the same language. I don't want to come in here and be like you got to do this.
Speaker 3:That's the last thing tell me, and then like reinforce, let's go, they're already doing right, like dave maganin was one of my favorite favorite hitting coaches in boston another guy that could hit?
Speaker 1:yeah, max could hit 2008.
Speaker 2:He comes up to me, goes up to every guy. Big poppy, uh, jay bay when jay bay came over to, uh, the red sox in 08 and raked um.
Speaker 2:But he came up to every guy at the beginning of spring training say, hey, listen, case, he had a note card. What are, what are the three things you do when you're going? Well, oh man, I got my hands back. I'm nice and easy. I have a left-center approach, okay, great, boom. What about when you're struggling? You know what? I'm a little geared up, I'm out front and I'm stuck on my back side. Okay, good, well, bam. Whenever I'd be going. Well, he would just reiterate man, your hands would back.
Speaker 1:well, look how slow you are.
Speaker 2:It's hilarious.
Speaker 3:You'd always have to go to him, right, I'm like this guy knows me, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then when I would struggle, he'd be like hey.
Speaker 3:You told him, I told him and he had every guy on a no card.
Speaker 2:And I thought that was great.
Speaker 3:That's what I tried to do with the positive. You know how to hit. That's all you got here. Go back to this. The trust is the hardest part. It doesn't matter what you've done, right? Right, most of these guys have no clue because they're scrolling on social media, right, they don't go back and do research. So you have to get trust. It doesn't matter if you're on mlb network, right, like a ride could walk in or anybody, it doesn't matter. Doesn't matter because they're like I'm him, be in there, just give me some time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to be in there, yeah, but like the trust factor.
Speaker 3:Think about that. If you can't, you do it every single time. We do a podcast, brownie, you come in and you're prepared. Yeah, like that means something every time.
Speaker 3:But like this guy doing that, it's incredible. Chili Davis did that for meseason hey, what do you think about Mossy? And I finally asked him what made you do me? He goes you do the same thing. Every great hitter I've played with you just sit there and listen and ask some questions. And I hadn't seen that in pro ball. And I said yeah, because I had no identity. Everybody just told me what to do my entire career. But when I got into pro ball, I was the best hitter on my team, with power to left center.
Speaker 3:I hit 22 numbers, Then I hit 180 because they changed my swing and then I went back to it. I was the same story, but then the next hitting coach because, like I had enough, to where they're like, ooh, if it's just this little more, yeah. And then finally, you know, you put that stamp down and I'm in the big leagues, not playing every day. I've never done that.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I always have that empathy watching those guys. Jack Sawinski for us last year broke my heart. Yeah, like I love talking to that kid, he's a believer, I'm a believer. We'd sit there and talk about life and then he'd open up about his swing and he knew his swing as good as anybody. But he had a hitting coach here. He had 18 people talking to him here. You could see him just going. Who am I? Right, right and he's just, he looks hollow and it's so sad. Yeah, and guys like you are the ones that pulled me back.
Speaker 1:you're my michael kodaira like michael kodaira made me understand.
Speaker 3:You have to do these things and understand these things, but you have to try them where you can. So you have to do bp to figure out how to hit that soft lefty, because you can pull a bullet. And i'm'm like why hasn't anybody told me that Right, right, right. Why have I hit 180 against these guys?
Speaker 2:They throw hard, you know. One of the things, too, is that, like I think, nowadays there's so much video, there's so many analytic guys in the game, which is good. You should have information, but in this game it's paralysis by analysis at times, because one thing we lose sight of as hitters is you're trying to hit the baseball, yeah, and you need to cover. The only analytics you really need to know is 17 by 8 by 12 it's the size of the plate. You got to be able to put your eyes out over that plate where you could cover the baseball. And I actually think guys think so much now about their swings they forget you're still trying to hit the ball. Where you're in the backyard playing wiffle ball, you're not thinking about anything but crushing the ball. There's something to that. Just dumb it down at times. Dumb this game down.
Speaker 3:When you said cover, that's all I was thinking. I don't know if I've heard that in 10 years.
Speaker 3:Honestly God think about that. I was just with a kid that's very, very talented Yesterday. I have a giant cut man, I'm throwing a BP and I was like, all right, I'm just going to throw harder and harder, see if it works. And I was at the top and he was struggling, Right, because he's a low ball hitter. He didn't get mad, but he just kept going. I'm like what are we doing? Are you going to make an adjustment? What are we doing? Yeah, and it was a moment he turned ball right and it's because he was like I wanted to fail. I wanted to keep going through it and try to do different things that we've talked about for years. Yeah, and I was like so you just became your own hitting coach in another way.
Speaker 2:Oh and and and the and the relationship to failure. Yeah, failure is information, failure is feedback. Who fails the best wins like failure is not. You're not a bum, you're not. You win or learn. Win or learn like that. Failure is information for me, like back at my career and you can get into coaching. Come on, man, let's have a different relationship with failure. Just because you failed, that's good. Where do you think you're getting your information from? Where's the first positive?
Speaker 1:Your mistakes. That's so good. How much time do you?
Speaker 3:got. I'm so excited, do you have?
Speaker 1:some more time. Yeah, I got time, because this is just the first episode of Sean Casey of Hold my Cut.
