Hold My Cutter
Email: Holdmycutter@gmail.com
Hold My Cutter
The Last Letter That Changed Everything
Baseball journeys rarely follow a straight path, and Sean Casey's story proves just how winding and meaningful that road can be. The man known as "The Mayor" opens up about the Pittsburgh mentors who shaped his career long before he reached the majors, revealing the profound impact of figures like Joe Ringel and Frank Porco who believed in him when college scouts weren't calling.
In this emotionally charged conversation, Casey takes us back to his teenage years when his father delivered the tough message that would change his life: "Nobody's coming for you." That lesson sparked a determination that led him to write 31 college recruitment letters—the final one opening the door that would eventually lead to a stellar MLB career.
The podcast captures several tearful moments, including a surprise live call to Joe Ringel, the man who took teenage Casey to Three Rivers Stadium for batting practice sessions that helped him develop into a .296 hitter against lefties. When discussing his trade to his hometown Pirates, Casey's voice breaks as he describes the pride of representing Pittsburgh and seeing his family in the stands.
Casey also shares fascinating insights from his recent stint as Yankees hitting coach, discussing the delicate balance between analytics and simplicity in modern baseball. His perspective on transitioning from player to coach to broadcaster offers valuable wisdom about life after playing days end.
Whether recounting borrowing Manny Ramirez's bat for his first MLB hit or describing the Pittsburgh dedication to community that shaped his character, Casey's stories illuminate why baseball connections run so deep. For anyone who understands that sports careers are built on the shoulders of unsung heroes, this conversation will remind you why we fall in love with the game in the first place.
Check out Hold My Cutter podcast for more conversations with baseball's most insightful personalities. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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We're just talking. We're talking here. There's a second episode of Hold my Cutter here. That's a burger by Rocky Patel Along with. They got great thin crust pizza here, Don't they?
Speaker 2:I'm good, I'm good, thank you, but they're just delicious, he already ate a couple.
Speaker 3:I think I already crushed pizza. No, he's a, just delicious. He already ate a couple.
Speaker 2:I think I already crushed pizza. No, he's a rib eye. He's actually a rib eye baby.
Speaker 1:Our featured smoke with Sean Casey. The featured smoke, of course, with the Irishman is the Emerald burned by Rocky Patel. Hold my Cutter, hold.
Speaker 2:My.
Speaker 1:Cutter. What a great name he just found out. This is the second time he's been on with us.
Speaker 2:No, no, no.
Speaker 1:The first thing he said when he walked in to burn my Rocky Mattel was my favorite podcast aside from my own is Hold my Cutter. And I said, well, welcome You're on, hold my Cutter, it is.
Speaker 3:Because, yeah, he actually. He was so humble. He said my podcast is maybe like six. Maybe it's a humble man, but it's like a six.
Speaker 1:We talked in the first podcast with you, with the mayor, about your hitting coach job. I never had a chance to ask you, though we did touch on kind of the philosophy. But what about you? Almost I would think again, you're a humble human. Career OPS in a dozen years in the big leagues 814, and a 302 career hitter in a dozen years in the big leagues 814, and a 302 career hitter in a dozen years. You know how few people, minuscule numbers of guys in the big leagues who played more than five years, let alone a dozen who hit 300, let alone had that career OPS of 814. So you've got the resume. You're a Reds Hall of Famer Legit. You come in now. You're a hitting coach. Do you have to almost humble yourself in a way, because some of these guys may not know your resume? They don't. Is that hard Did you want to say?
Speaker 2:like go check the Reds.
Speaker 1:You know what?
Speaker 2:No no. At some point you want to be like hey, I did this, by the way, I know what I'm doing. But I think what's funny is this generation knows me more from the network.
Speaker 1:They're like hey we love your work.
Speaker 2:And I'm thinking they love me. Oh man, great career. Hey, great demo you did last week.
Speaker 1:Did you ever play the?
Speaker 2:game. Who thought you could play? Yeah, and I think what the guys know, that you're there for them. The guys know I mean a big thing for me is I was on the top step every pitch. If you were hitting, you heard me. You know what I mean and I was in it and I wanted to get tossed. One time I should have got tossed, but I almost got tossed a few times because I was on the umpires too, about a certain One-day contract.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, you'd be the first ever One-day contract get thrown out. Walk away. Perfect, I know. Did you ever get thrown out?
Speaker 2:I should have. When I was in Florida one time I was yelling and Brad Wilkerson remember Wilkie. Yeah, wilkie was my assistant hitting coach and they're like Wilkie's gone and Wilkie's like me. I'm like, yeah, wilkie, you're gone you had everybody's back.
Speaker 1:That's what they loved about Casey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so I you know, I think the big thing about being a hitting coach is you've got to let those guys know that, like I know how hard it is, so that's more important than anything it is because you got to you.
Speaker 2:These guys got to know cause there's so much scrutiny, there's so much negativity especially in New York I the spotlight's so bright. You got to know when you look in that dugout there's, you know, at least you know the coaching staff has your back. But you know your hitting coach has your back. You know that he's cheering for you, he wants you to. You know he wants you to do well and you know I think that's.
Speaker 1:That was a big thing we talked to that earlier episode about Aaron Judge and his routine and how the ease helpful that is to have a star like that go through that routine, because you can always say, hey, look what this guy does. But what about guys that aren't the stars? And do you feel like you have to spend more time, obviously, with guys like that and milk them? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Those are the guys you spend most of the time with.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm not going to name any names, but there's many a guy that I was hitting with that wasn't the Aaron Judge of the world. They were like the guys that were in and out of the lineup at times. I remember when I first got there in Anaheim I hit with a guy for like two hours after the game and he was like I think it's my hands. I'm like all right, good, we hit for an hour. I'm sweating machine. He's sweating bullets Right when we're about. I go all right, bro, you're good. The bus has already left, it's, it spreads down. I'm like. I'm like are you good? He's like you know what? I think I figured something out. It's my back. I was like what?
Speaker 1:That's why you're not don't play.
Speaker 2:This is why you don't play, cause you're going to get your hands, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:But you so, you don't stop. You wouldn't stop. Well, it was early on, but in that situation I think it's by hands. You just let them go. You don't go. Ah, it's your hip.
Speaker 2:Dude. I let a lot of guys figure it out themselves.
Speaker 1:That's what I mean.
Speaker 3:I was going to say let me guess you, let them figure it out themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I wanted, If I hit enough feel yeah but if you're telling me four or five things and I'm trying to, in my mind I know that's not it, it's this. Okay, do that and let's see.
Speaker 3:If it is that, yeah, something that, like I think I I've seen and I love to do, is just ask more questions yeah I love going to hit with cuts because it's just not normal, right, like he does things.
Speaker 3:It's like he, early on, his approach is literally great, but like you try to get him to articulate something that he can't articulate because he's so good, he's so good and that's the best part about talking about, like with Mike Trout or somebody like that. They just don't understand how good they are. They make the worst hitting coaches but Coach over time, with his injuries, different things. Having learned how to DH, the dude's, become a wizard of understanding his body, start figuring out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it's so cool because now he can go to O'Neal Cruz and understand things he never could have and talk there, because he's really good one-on-one and it's neat to see that. But that's what it takes.
Speaker 2:It's so true. I remember going to Ken Griffey Jr I'm like Griff, you're the greatest hitter on the planet. I've played with him for 60 years. I can't wait to hear this. I'm like man, you got that. Your hands are back, you're a great load. I go what are you thinking out there? Mechanically. He goes just trying to get the head out and he would just go like this and I was like well, that doesn't look like what you're doing. For six years I asked Ken Griffey Jr hey, you're raking right now. What are you doing? Just trying to get the head out. Oh my god, that's why he's the greatest. He couldn't explain it, it's. He just knew that this right here got all of it to work. Oh my gosh, it was incredible. It was absolutely great. So and like remember gary sheffield hitting with chef one time we were both struggling at the beginning of 07 chefs in there, you know, looks like yeah, yeah, he's having a seizure.
Speaker 1:He's like no way. So it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2:I remember one time he's like casey, do what I seizure. He's like bam, he'd be like this it was incredible, no way so. It was unbelievable. I remember one time he's like Casey, do what I'm doing. He's like just relax, he goes. Okay, Casey and he goes, do what I'm doing, Just relax. I go, chef, you look like the opposite of relaxed.
Speaker 3:You look like you're.
Speaker 2:You look, it's like these are some of the greatest hitters of all time. Johnny Bench would say, hey, just pull the ball, let's pull the ball. I'm like, really, I go what he goes. Yeah, just get up there and pull. And I'm like, wow, these guys could just do it.
Speaker 3:At the end of the day, it's crazy, there's so many stories like that is like, when I met Tulewitzki it took a while to get in. He was that mama mentality, like he kind of did his own thing, had his own hitting guy, but like I would just go sit and watch and not say anything and I learned that from Helton Like don't say a word, right, it was good for me. So just sat there, sat there. I was shy early on and what he would do, he would take soft toss. And what he would do, he would take soft toss.
Speaker 3:And I'm like I just taken soft toss, he just took 14 balls and watched him go back, watched him go back and then one day he hit shower shoes and I'm like this is it. I got to go talk to him and it changed my world because he said something I'm like whoa, I, I'm losing the ground. And then my hips were out of line. I was a biomechanics, right like thinker, and I didn't know it then. And it changed my world. He did it every single time he was in a bad place hit his shower shoes and his shoes would never move.
Speaker 3:So he was landing soft and it was clean. And I understood it because I was sitting there and I was like wow, and he never told me a word. And I went up to him finally, scared to death of him, because I thought he could murder me, you know, because he had a stoic face, never smiled.
Speaker 3:But then getting to know him like he wanted to win so bad he kept his circle small and I had to go to dinner, eat sushi with him and he just told me his entire thought process and what he was doing at time. He's hitting 390 in july, right before he got hurt. And man, he did it in a rocket science way. I was like if dude that talent understood that much like and he could stay healthy, he's gonna be the best player, right he stayed healthy yeah yeah, it was nuts.
Speaker 3:and then other guys like cory dickerson bro, that slider, I knew he's gonna throw. I was like cory, I'm hitting. He just threw you a fastball at 97. You had third deck. He had no clue. The smarter he got hitting-wise, the worse he got. The worse he got, I know, the smarter guys, get him.
Speaker 2:I'm like dude, the guys that could always hey Case. I got a tip, I got a tip, you want it, I go, you got. I'm just going to stay with what I do. I'm going to see it hunt the fastball and hit it okay.
Speaker 1:No, I don't want your tip.
Speaker 2:No, I don't want a tip. Go back and hit 206. I got a tip for you to think of another sport. Yeah, I got one.
Speaker 3:What about case? What about? Daniel Murphy did this to me. I played with him in the minor leagues and, like he was overmatched Velocity Overmatched Could not do it. Next time I saw him he was like a rocket scientist. I didn't even know what he was saying. He was like talking about inches and movement patterns before there's a track man and all this stuff I'm like. And then he crushed Kershaw. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I knew exactly what he was doing. He was like he was looking in an exact spot, an exact moment, and got.
Speaker 2:It was unreal but it changed his whole career. That's amazing. Guys can do that, Some guys I couldn't do that. Some guys want the yeah because he did that.
Speaker 3:And then he had a tip on Kershaw and I was like he's going to get him and it was nuts, but nobody knew. Delgado first half, awful Second half he had the tips. Yeah, and somehow Daniel Murphy figured out his system. Tips are a big part of the game.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, but Murphy was also huge on the analytics stuff.
Speaker 3:That's what turned his career around, yeah but he was way before it. Yeah, I understand Right, but when that came in I was like boom, he just went off because it was giving him his cheat code, like that.
Speaker 1:But we talk about it all the time about the numbers, and you mentioned that first episode about how they're important. But daggone it, it's such a fine line, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It's a fine line, man. It's a fine line. It really is. And I don't think more information is necessarily good. I really don't. I think the simpler you can be, I think complexity is the enemy of execution. Complexity is the enemy of execution. If you get too complex into your mind in this game, it doesn't work. It doesn't work. I'm not saying, oh, it might work, no, it doesn't work.
Speaker 1:It doesn't work. It does not work.
Speaker 3:Tactical game planning I got to sit in a meeting with some Navy SEALs and you think it's going to be this overcomplicated thing by the end of it it and you think it's going to be this overcomplicated thing.
Speaker 3:By the end of it it's the simplest thing ever, because it's not going to go down like this. Because as soon as the first bomb drop, somebody's going to panic. Something's going to happen and they talked about when they started training the Iraqi soldiers like that's baseball, right. Something happens that you could never imagine and you're so focused on. I know he's going to throw this 2-0, but you don't even see that his ball is cutting instead of sinking Right. You don't even see the like fly of the ball. Chili Davis once again said dude, it's not sinking, go up there and don't look for the sinker. It's cutting and sure enough, whap. Homer, I'm like whoa, whoa, like I wasn't looking down and in trying to box him this way, I was just like just see it there.
Speaker 1:See it up. That's true, man Sean. When you got the job with the Yankees, did they impress upon you that, hey, we want you to incorporate the number? We're going to give you a lot of the numbers. We want you to do it. Yeah, or they give free hand.
Speaker 2:No, they said do what to use the numbers. I mean you have to use the numbers to game plan, maybe for some pitchers. Some guys do want numbers, especially like horizontal vertical break and stuff like that. It's all new stuff for me.
Speaker 1:I'm like what does this even mean?
Speaker 2:Some of the stuff like that. But a lot of guys want the numbers and one thing you do is you've got to be prepared If you're a hitting coach or a coach in the big leagues. Those, those guys sniff out guys that aren't putting the work in.
Speaker 2:So like you had to, you know, had to sit down with the analytics guys. I had to sit down with the video guys. You know, and you know, get that team and make sure I wanted everybody to know there's enough to go around. You do your job, I'll do my job, you do your job, you do your job and let's be a team. Let's not be talking behind each other's back and stuff like that. To make sure that we're a unit, the hitting you is a hitting unit.
Speaker 2:He's in there, yeah yeah, that's the way to do it, and I think it was just like Brownie you have to be able to do it all.
Speaker 2:Nowadays, you can't just say, hey, this is how I used to do it, and this is the old school way, because guys don't want to hear that. They want to have the information. And then, like you said, how can we navy, seal it and simplify the mission? Yeah, give me all the information. What's your job? I want to know what's going to happen. I want to know every scenario. Now let me take the information and dumb it down to he's going to throw, uh, the first pitch 70, 62 percent of times, gonna throw a four seamer away, or he's gonna. This guy's a big slider guy. One thing I learned about the big leagues nowadays is even the guys that are throwing 98, 99 they might throw more sliders yeah, they might throw 52 sliders.
Speaker 2:That that blew me away. That was one thing.
Speaker 3:I was like, wow, man, there's more more of that than ever, and in the percentages, I think, are awesome. Wouldn't you love to know that? Yeah, every time a guy's on second base, he's probably gonna throw off two pitch right. 80 percent of the time, yeah, right good but your brain, you're like that, 20 percent back in the day, but now it's a certain that that helps. Yeah, no doubt, no doubt is it something there?
Speaker 1:you, you put it in, you did the hitting coach thing and you're you're saying you know glad I did it yeah but that's it, I'm, I'm happy to have done it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting brownie, because I'm glad I did it but that was.
Speaker 1:But you're whipped after that, aren't you?
Speaker 2:It was yeah, it was, it was the grind. Is real the grind?
Speaker 1:is real.
Speaker 2:What you guys do is real.
Speaker 1:You know, and you know even for you dude, well, yeah, but hitting coach, no, but no, but no Life's not easy.
Speaker 2:It is, it's tough. How did you?
Speaker 3:get to the ballpark. Dude, Derek Sheldon. That was the first question.
Speaker 1:Noon 1. 1 o'clock Incredible 1 o'clock. I know.
Speaker 2:For a 7.05 game yeah.
Speaker 2:Although the one good thing was the Yankees had two of the best chefs in the world and I was like guys are and fish on every buffet and then they'd have, you know they'd get the latinos would have the plantains, the rice beans on every bump. I mean, I love latino, but I was like this is incredible. I was like this isn't, this isn't good for anyone, especially if you're a coach where you're not like throwing going through three shirts of sweat like you're on the player, like you become a slob quickly.
Speaker 1:So you stepped away from MLB. You did that and then did you know, like, at least I had that to fall back on. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, the MLB was great and, like you know, those guys are, you know, the head guy, noah Garden's a great guy, and he was, like you know, mark, hayafa, the guys are the. You know, the head guide, noah gardens, great guy, and he was like you know, mark, I offer. The guys are there, like hey, if you want to come back, your seat's waiting for you. So I'm so glad I did it. Brownie, and I also think my two. I had two daughters that were one was a senior in high school, one was in eighth grade. Now my, my daughter's in now at randomly, she's at Fordham in the Bronx, which is crazy and then my, my other daughter's, jillian, is a, is a freshman.
Speaker 1:So I, you know what I, I I actually think at some point maybe I would like to try going in and seeing what it's like Maybe when the kids are all all get back at it and see, like for a full, give it a couple of years, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a couple of years and see what it's like. I do think about it.
Speaker 1:I love it. Yeah, absolutely love it.
Speaker 3:When you did it, I didn't know what was going to come of it. I didn't know if it was your dream, yeah, and watching you go out, I was like man, I can't wait to hear that story. Yeah, because Mac it was awesome but it's.
Speaker 2:Yankees too. It's the Yankees, it's the Yan. Had it been any other situation, any other team, I wouldn't have done it.
Speaker 1:You see, you were so close to Booney.
Speaker 2:Booney's a great friend. We played six years together in. Cincinnati. We came in together playing against each other in the minors.
Speaker 1:He's such a great guy.
Speaker 2:Played with his brother Brett.
Speaker 1:Bob was my manager Played for Bob, his dad. Bob was my manager for three years.
Speaker 2:So, like you know, it was just when he asked me too, I was like, okay, there's a good friend asked me it's the Yankees. I've always, I mean, if you play major league baseball, you want to suit up with the pinstripes, you're hoping to do it at some point. So for me to do it as a coach was just incredible, and you really are. I mean it's a different animal man. I mean everywhere we went was sold out packed. I mean you know, it just was incredible, it was an experience.
Speaker 1:Were you surprised when you got the call? Or you had an inkling that you might get the call from Aaron Boone, or was that out of the blue? I was definitely surprised.
Speaker 2:Booney had asked me before to come on the staff, so you know that. I wasn't surprised about, but I was surprised that it was the timing at the All-Star break.
Speaker 1:We talked to athletes, talked to former players. You talked in your first episode about how you just knew your last year with the Red Sox. First time you were off the bench and you were just dude, that was going to be your last year. Still talking to guys that have now taken Michael McHenry, bob Walk, neil Walk these guys it's interesting to watch them change from that competitive fire that they had, going into a clubhouse every day and having a chance to impact a game, to win or lose it. Now to go up to a booth or to be in a studio and not be able to impact the game. So how do you get that? How do you fill your drive? That void?
Speaker 2:You don't. Was it tough for you? Because it seems to be tough for a lot of these guys to walk away from. I must admit that first couple years when I was done playing, I struggled.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear, but I figured I struggled.
Speaker 2:I mean, listen, we're creatures of habit, you're routine. You're off-season working out, getting the cages, working on your swing, taking ground balls, getting your sprints. In all that stuff For 15 years that's boom, boom, boom, boom. Even moving three times a year was part of it. Moving, know, moving here, moving there, boxing up the house, having kids, and all of a sudden I'll never forget it I retired.
Speaker 2:And I remember standing in my living room in Pittsburgh it was in Upper St Clair, it was like noon. Kids were at school, I was by myself. I looked up on the screen. It was ESPN News and at the bottom it said 12 year, three time all-star. You know Sean Casey retires. And it just gosh was gone. And I remember looking at it, going that's it, that's it, that's it, man. All these years, all the time, all the hard work, all the routine, everything you put in your life is baseball. And you get on the ticker on ESPN News runs it by and says Sean Casey retires. And who's next Life moves on, baseball moves on. That doesn't mean it's easy for you to move on. And I remember being home all the time. I was working 50 days that first year at the network. It was not easy, not easy. I don't know if you had the same feeling. It was awful. Yeah, no one really prepares you for it either.
Speaker 3:No, you're retiring.
Speaker 1:How's it going.
Speaker 2:It must be great. I'm like, ah, great.
Speaker 1:I'm very. You don't know what to do with yourself.
Speaker 3:I don't know what to do that right there would have changed my life throughout my entire career because I would have been in the moment. I would have stopped, like you did with Van Slyke, and said, bro, I look up to you. I regret every single day. I played catch with Javi Lopez and I was Marcus Giles, who is my guy because we had Atlanta. He's putting on soccer shin guards, running around with just a jockstrap on he's high energy and I'm like go talk to him. I never did and it's all those regrets like. It's like I didn't want to have any regrets on the field, which I didn't tell you. What I wanted to. But not being in the moment is everything that I'm like why did I not do that? It's because I didn't know anybody. I was so naive, right?
Speaker 3:right you think it's gonna last forever you do and then it's over.
Speaker 2:I remember ray knight saying to me um, my fourth year in the big leagues, fifth year in the big leagues he was he very frustrated with some of us and some of the guys how was he as a manager?
Speaker 2:ray was great. He wasn't my manager but he was my hitting coach. It was with bob. He was on bob boone, that's right. That's right, yeah, and, and ray was great, and ray was. Ray was big on, like. I remember him saying one time he goes, guys, appreciate this, he goes. It's gonna go by like that, he goes. I've been out of the game now and whatever. It was 12 years, it seems like yesterday. I was just and I'm like I remember thinking like who's this old guy?
Speaker 1:you know he like. What's this guy talking about?
Speaker 2:and here I am, like, 17 years later, being done with the game, selling wow was he right?
Speaker 1:did you actually say you were retiring? I mean, did you actually announce? I I called, I think. I just wondered, because some guys don't announce it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think I talked to the uh oh, the reason I did is because I got hired by the network oh, that's right.
Speaker 1:So they had to like make an announcement. So I made an announcement.
Speaker 2:Told the red really a lot of the reds guys and then, yeah, you know, then I came on that I was joining them that's right so yeah, that's why I had to do it.
Speaker 1:Okay, how about going back to the? You touched on it, but, but I wanted to hear the story. Uh, december 5th of, I guess it was 2005. How you found out? You're traded to the pirates.
Speaker 2:Crazy. I was at, I, I was in a. I just had my first daughter, carly. She was seven days old. Jeez, I wasn't thinking much of anything. I knew the winter meetings was going on, but I didn't think much. I thought I was going to be a Cincinnati Red for life. I knew I had a few more years to go and I was going to be done. And I get a call from Hal McCoy. You know Hal McCoy, right, one of the greatest Cooperstown writers ever Dayton.
Speaker 2:Dilley News. Ever Dayton, dilley News. Good friend of mine called me at 8 in the morning.
Speaker 1:He's like hey Case, he's like I think you're getting traded.
Speaker 2:I was like what To who? He's like I think you're getting traded to the Pirates. I was like, wow, it was like that stage of my career. I'm like if I was getting traded I would like to go somewhere to win. The Pirates were struggling at the time and I was trying to get Joe Randon, jeremy Bernice to try to do well. So I was thankful for Dave Littlefair for that, but I couldn't believe it. But I don't get a call again until 5 pm. It's Dan O'Brien who's the GM of the Reds.
Speaker 1:And he's like day long. You go the entire day. You just start making some phone calls saying, hey, I was so uneasy for the rest of the day.
Speaker 2:I was so uneasy I bet you were not Dude nine hours and I didn't think I was getting traded.
Speaker 1:I was like I'm getting traded. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I must admit, because I thought it was the Pirates. I had always dreamed about playing for Pittsburgh, so I had that back of my mind, but I just never thought I was going to get. It's so true.
Speaker 1:We love that.
Speaker 2:We love it.
Speaker 1:It was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. Yeah, save it, Nate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Save it.
Speaker 2:He's like we had to go get started pitching. Now I must admit I was thinking the Reds do need pitching. I do love the Reds and if they get a good picture I get it. You know what I mean. And I was about to make $8.5 million. So I'm like I'm thinking to myself this is a salary dump, is what it is. You know what I mean. So I'm like all right, well, who'd you get for me? And he's like we got Mike Williams. No, dave Williams.
Speaker 1:Dave Williams. I'm sorry, Dave Williams.
Speaker 2:We got Dave Williams. And no disrespect to Dave Williams, no disrespect to Dave Williams, but I'm like I think I see the Dan, I go, dave Williams, dan. I go, there's a fight at the Bat Rack to face Dave Williams. You didn't say that to him Did you? That's great, I said there's a fight and I love Dave. I don't know, dave Williams, how about be the GM?
Speaker 1:and the guy says it to you, I go dude just tell me you're dumping my salary. Dan.
Speaker 2:Don't tell me you're trading me for a guy that we're fighting at the bat rack. That is great, that is so great. So then I got traded to the Pirates.
Speaker 1:So then, at that moment, then what happened? You hang up the phone and now what?
Speaker 2:At that moment I think I cried for a second because I was overwhelmed. And then I was excited and I called my parents. I was like hey, guess where I just got traded to. I'm like where I'm coming home to the Pirates.
Speaker 1:I'm coming home. I just got the chills Coming home. I just got the chills. I'm coming home. I just got the chills.
Speaker 3:So did I. Yeah, I got all of my money Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:He's done it a couple times, pirate, and I was so proud to be there and I I still you're wearing, yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not watching the podcast, you're listening. Uh, sean Casey is here wearing a 21 Clemente hoodie and I when I remember that there was.
Speaker 2:I remember that opening day, I mean the, I mean I was so I was so grateful to be from Pittsburgh and have the opening day and be announced and to come out to the cheers and my buddies and family and friends. I was, you know, the box, the box where everything for me, man, and like I remember, I remember, I remember um standing on deck a couple of times and this is the true story Looking down at my shirt says Pittsburgh and pirates and thinking, like you know, I represent the city I grew up in and, I must admit, because we didn't win, it bothered me.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It really bothered me. I bet it bothered me so freaking bad that we didn't win, because I wanted to win. So bad in Pittsburgh for those guys and playing at PNC Park, I mean, come on, I mean it was. I used to love after the games going to the car you know the players' lots underneath the right field Bleachers love walking across the field at night and just walking to my car with the city in the background. It was just incredible.
Speaker 1:Talk about soaking it in every second Big time. Can you believe it?
Speaker 2:I want to give a shout-out to a guy I don't know if you know him, brownie. Back when I was in high school and then college, there was a guy I don't know if you know him, brownie back when I was in high school and then college, there was a guy named Joe Ringel. Oh yeah, remember Joe Ringel? I still talk to Joe, the lefty that throws batting practice. Oh my God, joe, he just moved out of Pittsburgh and he was crying because he was moving out of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:He and his wife they moved down south. I cannot wait to text him and tell him, joe Ringle, that'll mean more to him. You cannot imagine you doing that. I get the chills thinking about it. So think about this.
Speaker 1:Mac.
Speaker 2:Joe Ringle was a guy that threw.
Speaker 1:He was kind of like a scout. He worked at Bell AT&T but he threw great.
Speaker 2:He made AAA as a pitcher. Got hurt, never made it, but he threw BP as a lefty to the Buccos whenever they needed it. Joe used to bring me down to Three River Stadium when I was in high school and throw me lefty BP. No, I swear to God.
Speaker 1:I never knew that story.
Speaker 2:I was a career 296 hitter off lefties. I honestly think it was because of Joe Ringel. Joe Ringel used to throw me BP. He was nasty.
Speaker 3:He could cut it, he could throw a slice.
Speaker 2:But Joe was incredible and people are like man. Why do you hit lefties so hard? I swear to God.
Speaker 3:Have you ever been able to tell them that Not really, I've never really told that story, I just feel.
Speaker 1:He's such an under-the-radar guy, so humble.
Speaker 2:He's probably just like him Doesn't want the credit, but there's a point in your life where it's Lies, to say it, because it really helped me out a lot. Man, this lefty in the tunnels of Three Rivers. He had the key, take me down in the offseason, no one's here and he'd throw me BP. I was like 16, 17 years old. Wow, incredible.
Speaker 1:If you're calling to see if my arm is in shape to throw. No, Now I've not talked to Joe in well over a year. This is Joe Riggle. Joe, we are actually recording a podcast right now at burn by rocky patel on the north shore, two blocks away from pnc park. I don't even know if you stop, stop by here and our guest and this is this is live right now. I'm not kidding you our guest, our guest is a guy who said I think I hit over 290 against lefties for my major league career. He goes. I don't know if you know the guy. Do you know a Joe Ringel? Do you know who that might be? Who our guest is? He said he picked you up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he used to pick me up. He picked you up, took you to Three Rivers, he said would that be?
Speaker 1:Sean Casey, that's unbelievable. So, awesome.
Speaker 2:Isn't that incredible? That's unbelievable. Isn't that incredible? That's crazy.
Speaker 1:I was like 17 or 16. Sean said he was about 16 or 17 years old. How did?
Speaker 3:that even happen, were?
Speaker 1:you like family, friends.
Speaker 3:Is that wild?
Speaker 2:Joe. He went to school with his daughters. Wow, you're the best, joe.
Speaker 1:Hey Joe just real quick.
Speaker 2:We're right in the middle of the podcast and we've got Joe Ringel on the phone down in uh, I think he moved to North Carolina but he's not talked to Sean Casey since Casey was probably uh early on in his big league career man. I was just that's unbelievable. I was sitting here and he's just about growing up. That's gonna be to him all. You popped into my head and I said he's, he's, he's right now. He's speechless. I really believe I hit lefties so well in the big leagues because Joe Ringel would take me down to Three River Stadium and throw in the new batting team down there. He and his wife moved down to North Carolina. It was incredible. But, bro, I just wanted to say this. He's crying when he left. Oh yeah, he's overwhelmed. Right now we're doing this podcast. I just want to give you that shout out.
Speaker 1:Isn't that so great. I love the fact that Sean Casey would remember.
Speaker 2:Joe Ringel. Thank you so much. Man Love you, buddy. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:You're unbelievable.
Speaker 2:Oh dude, but isn't that great, it's people like that, that's. Pittsburgh, it's Pittsburgh, it's Pittsburgh. Dude, Joe Ringel's, like, I'll pick you up and you know when you're the guy that throws BP he had a bucket of big brown balls you got like five of them and they're like they just come off your back, they just Boy. He used to have a bucket of balls and I'd be like, oh my God, I'm hitting big league balls.
Speaker 2:He would tell me about, and it makes you feel like this yeah, oh dude big time he would tell me about throwing the bonds.
Speaker 1:What was it like throwing the bonds?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Because Ringel threw to Bonds a lot and he would you need a book. You need a book. It is Peter Pan. Joe Ringel would tell me you know Bonds is looking to take that ball middle Left center. But it just. Thank you, joe.
Speaker 1:For real. Thank you for remembering. That tells you all you need to know about Sean Casey. He's running through his Rolodex in his mind, do you remember?
Speaker 2:It's unbelievable and I could never tell that story outside of Pittsburgh. I've never told the story of Joe Ringo outside of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3:But that's why I moved here. Yeah, I was about to start crying hearing it, because, think about it Somebody that you impacted at some point in your life called you. Yeah, I don't know how long that's been. Yeah, the last time you talked to oh, maybe. Yeah, I was gonna say maybe, maybe decades. A bad place.
Speaker 1:You just changed incredible his morale, for who knows?
Speaker 2:you know how many people he's on the phone calling right now I guarantee you he's calling everybody, he knows it's just like my heart's just an amazing so back to the the trade, though.
Speaker 1:You get told in december and you talk about going to pnc park. But what about even the first spring training? Yeah, because I don't know where are the Reds trained. Were they in?
Speaker 2:The Reds were in Sarasota. Dude, I was in Sarasota. No, they were in Sarasota I used to stay when I played for the Reds. I'd live in Bradenton.
Speaker 1:Unreal.
Speaker 2:When I played in Bradenton it was like the whole year.
Speaker 1:It was incredible. It was incredible.
Speaker 3:Listen, this just isn't normal. This is not normal it was incredible.
Speaker 2:Lived over there in university. I think Lamont and Leland lived down there. Yeah, yeah, they did, but you know I loved going down to Bradenton and playing with the Reds and playing with the Buccos, so that was good. So that was really not a big change, and also, too, that spring training there was an 18-year-old kid hitting absolute bullets and I was like who's this kid? They're like Andrew McCutcheon.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, it was Cutch's first spring training. He was 18.
Speaker 2:He weighed like 12 pounds. Dude, he was so skinny but he had some juice dude the nicest kid.
Speaker 2:I remember, kind of like I wasn't able to take him under my wings because he was pretty gone quickly, but he was there. Those guys were great man Freddie Sanchez, jay Bay was one of the toughest players I've ever played with. Jack Wilson was one of the greatest fielders I've ever seen Playing with Bernitz on his way out. The Joker, joe Rand there was a lot of good dudes. Zach Duke, paul Mahalem had good stuff. Just a lot of good people. Jimmy Tracy, jimmy Lett you know, jeez, jim Lett, who else? Jim Colburn.
Speaker 1:We had a lot of Jims. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why we had a lot of Jims, a lot of Jims who the hitting coach was then, and the hitting coach was Mickey yeah yeah, mick, mick.
Speaker 2:Manto who, when I got called up to the big leagues in 1997, that night I got my first ever big league at bat. Johnny Goro comes down and goes hey, you know he called everybody Moyan, hey, moyan.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You're going to hit pinch hit for Dave Justice. I'm like, oh my God, that's incredible, when we had just come from Buffalo and our equipment didn't have nothing. So now I'm scrambling. I'm like, oh my God. So the first guy I go to is Jeff Manto, because I knew him. I go, mick, I go. Can I borrow your batting gloves? Can I borrow your batting gloves? I go. I'm about to get my first big league at bat and I have no equipment.
Speaker 1:He's like no problem K.
Speaker 2:So leagues are like we got the single flat. You probably didn't even know what to look for. No, it's incredible. So I'm going, going, going. I find seven and a quarter. You know, lefty helmet, it's Tony Fernandez. So I don't know any of these guys. So I go through the bats and that's the key. I pull Jim Tomy's out. I'm like man, this is an oak tree.
Speaker 1:right here I bring a swing, that's with two of me.
Speaker 2:I put it back in. I start going through the bats and I find a T-141.
Speaker 3:Right now. Where, like are you supposed to be on deck?
Speaker 2:Oh dude.
Speaker 3:I'm about to be.1 Manny.
Speaker 2:Ramirez.
Speaker 1:So I go up to Manny. Oh, my Good pick.
Speaker 2:That was one of my favorite hats. No way, so I use Manny Ramirez T-141, Jeff Manto's batting gloves and Tony Fernandez's helmet.
Speaker 2:You had a little bit of all of it For my first big-league bat. Go out there. Jim Casey and Joan Casey came to the trip they're behind the dish Used to do the fist pump with my dad, Always growing up in St Clair, you know, look at him, He'd always give me the fist pump, you know. So I'd go out on deck and I kind of just I'm trying to play it cool, but I'd look up at my dad. He can't, my parents can't believe that I'm on deck in a big league game. I remember that we caught eyes and it was like, oh my gosh bumping. He double stands up, double fist bump.
Speaker 1:Unreal Chokes me up, unbelievable. What city you?
Speaker 2:were in Chicago, in Chicago Gosh darn it. Double sorry, I didn't know it was going to come no that's great. Double fist pump Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:You almost stood up, by the way. Yeah, but I almost stood up, you didn't stand and then I got a 2-2.
Speaker 2:I remember getting a 2-2 slider from Jeff Darwin, danny Darwin's brother. I singled to the right side, got to first base, looked up at my dad and my mom. Those feelings are like we did it, my mom and just you know you. Just those feelings are like we did it, like the Joe Ringles and then Frank Porcos and the all the hits in the cages and the, you know, not having a college scholarship offer and trying to figure out your way. And you know Jack McKeon you know well, jack was next year.
Speaker 3:But all these guys, casey McKeon, guys that believe in you, I was like, if I don't get another hit in the big leagues like it's, it did it, this moment is all I need. We did it. We did it. Unbelievable story like think, think about what just happened. Brownie, most guys, he's trying to find batting gloves, then that's the helmet and the bat is the big, like he says the big, thing, yeah, in a t141. I have a manny ramirez bat. He changed it up.
Speaker 3:He didn't swing that like I got it but like the fact not many guys, that's a. A lefty model is what I used to call it, because I never saw many righties do it. But like you get that done, then somehow you lock eyes yeah I mean, think about how romantic this game is. And now you're, you're shaking, you maybe fist pump, I'm sure you're like, yeah, almost like it's a shake but then your dad all the work, yeah, because it already happened to him right, yeah?
Speaker 1:Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:I need you guys to take a moment. He's crying, I mean.
Speaker 2:Incredible yeah.
Speaker 1:It was incredible.
Speaker 2:And I remember, on a quick note, I remember my dad when I was 14 years old, I didn't play my freshman year. You know it's funny these. I remember my dad when I was 14 years old. You know I didn't play my freshman year.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny, these guys there's freshmen that want to play as varsity. I didn't play on the freshman team at St Louis. Good, my ex is the last. The freshman team, yeah.
Speaker 2:I came home I was like Dad, any chance you could go talk to the coach. He must not have been watching 12-year-old travel baseball Me, Grant Jackson, and so I asked my dad to go talk to the coach and you talk about conversations with their dads and their sons.
Speaker 2:I was like, can you go talk to the coach and tell him that I deserve to play? He's like you know what, sean? He's like. It's not how life works. He goes I think you're better than the guy that's playing ahead of you, but you're not glaringly better. He goes and until you get glaring, opened up in Bethel Park. He's like why don't you go to Grand Slam USA? He goes, I'll make, I'll give you, make you a deal If you. If you, I'll buy you as many tokens as you use. And he goes and the deal is if you.
Speaker 2:Once you stop hitting the deals off and I knew it was a lock and my dad made like 33 grand a year as aaringly better. I started hitting every day and I met a guy named Frank Porco who was my hitting coach down there at the Grand Slam USA. Every Tuesday night I'd give Frank Porco $20, 530 to 6 o'clock and he would show me some of the mechanics of hitting and I fell in love with the swing. But then I would hit every day. After that, for those seven days in a row, my mom would drop me off at school when I'd hit, I'd hit. I hit, played jv, my junior, my sophomore year, varsity to my junior year and then my senior year. I played varsity and I ended up.
Speaker 2:You know I didn't get. I didn't. I got one offer. The only offer I had to college was the university richmond. But the point is, had that conversation with my dad never happened. That you're not glaringly better. You've got to put the work in like nothing's given to you in life, nobody's coming to help you. You've got to help yourself. And I think when I was standing on first base when I got that hit, looking back up there at him, like I thought of that conversation in 1988 or 89 when he was like I'm not talking to the coach and you either get better or you don't. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And all that comes to fruition. That moment, that moment was like.
Speaker 2:I didn't care. I remember thinking if you look up Sean Casey, big league player, you'll always see 1997, late September. I got a hit.
Speaker 1:You're there. You're there, you've arrived yeah.
Speaker 2:And on one side note, manny Ramirez was still all over the place with his bats the next day. He taped all his bats and I wanted to have that bat. I go. Hey, manny, where's that bat he goes? I don't know.
Speaker 1:He taped them on it I was like so I don't have the first bat I used. That is another classic the bat. The bat is taped. You got the ball. Where's the ball? Where is it?
Speaker 2:now it's in my room. I do the mayor's office, the podcast, which is it's in that, it's in that room.
Speaker 1:How many of the over the years of mementos did you, did you try and grab as many as you?
Speaker 2:could you obviously could tell that I'm a fan no like I'm a fan. I didn't see. I was the guy setting up with the green tree marionette, 14 years old, buying a table with a couple buddies and selling cards and all that stuff. Seriously, were you really? I remember meeting Barry Bonds at one of those shows and I was like so excited and he like couldn't have big league to me anymore. I'm like this guy just big league me like no surprise, what started that no? Surprise.
Speaker 3:I just what was the moment like baseball.
Speaker 2:I just loved hitting. I loved that I could hit. I loved my dad loved it. You know what I mean. I just felt like I had a good skill hitting. But I just loved it. It was so fun. My buddies loved it and what was funny was I loved cards and all that stuff. And when I got my first 96 Tops card I remember thinking too like I don't care if I make the big leagues. I got a 96 T mayor. I did have a lot of great conversations at first. Over the years I collected 350 baseballs and 180 bats holding guys on. I remember Tony Gwynn. I was so nervous I was like, hey, tony, any chance you could send me over a bat. It's one of the coolest bats I have. It's a 32, 32-inch bat. We were 37, 38.
Speaker 3:Yeah, really, yeah, really, danny.
Speaker 2:Parker with a tennis grip, with a head tennis grip on it.
Speaker 1:Holy cow, that's what he used Really.
Speaker 2:Nobody was using those. Yeah, this is like early late 90s. I remember Jim Tomey sent me one after he hit his 500th homer McGuire, an early Rawlings one in 98, 99. I have 180 bats of guys each year. Jeez, all these conversations. But I was such a member really started it my first year when I was like I was sucking so bad I'm like they're gonna sit me down too. Let me see what the autographs are gonna be like bro sit over balls, so I have so many balls and bats and cool things, because in that room I do the mayor's office podcast and I have a lot of it in there.
Speaker 2:Um all, I collected most of it myself that's unbelievable.
Speaker 1:So you got all at your house I kept all my house.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, we have that in common, my friend do?
Speaker 2:you did dude I didn't even know that why wouldn't you day one? Why and why wouldn't?
Speaker 3:you, my uncle got me a ball when I was a kid I think I was seven and it was a johnny bench ball he got because he was a golf pro. Yeah, and now I do it for his son. Oh see, that's great dude. Yeah, it's amazing. That's so great.
Speaker 2:You just keep passing it down. Yeah, the little kid, the fact you're selling cards. Yeah, dude, I'm 15 years old. I just turned 50. The little kid in Joe Ringle pops into my head like I'm 16, 17 years old I'm a mess over here. I feel like I'm 16.
Speaker 3:Hey, you got to think both of you guys, you kind of look back and you start to remember things and the people you're thankful for. Yeah, and I think it's the coolest thing that that happened. And you do have that little kid in you, right? I see it in you all the time. Yeah, you're over here and you're a huge fan.
Speaker 1:Yeah Right, we're both fans of this guy. I never played the game.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I'm just sitting here like is this real? It's incredible.
Speaker 2:I remember opening day when I hit the home run at PNC Park. I was so grateful to get Frank Porco, who never played college baseball. He was my hitting coach at the Grand Slam yeah. He was my hitting coach forever.
Speaker 1:How did you? Was it happenstance? You got him at Grand.
Speaker 2:Slam. It was happenstance. I just he was the guy giving direct. Nobody was doing that then and he was giving lessons and I was like, yeah, I'll do it and my dad extra 20 bucks. My dad was a lot of money, jeez. So he was such a great hitting coach. Though that's what you go to sell. You get some of the big le of my career was I got him on the field before game one at PNC Park. I got Frank down there so I have a picture with Griffey, me and Larkin and Frank Porco. So when I hit that home run and I was rounding the bases, you start thinking about Frank.
Speaker 2:Frank Porco popped into my head All the lessons. When I would, I wouldn't, I just hit. I wasn't listening to him. He turned the machine off. I was like go home. You know Pittsburgh love, like get out of here, you're not going to listen. Go home. He would send me home sometimes if I didn't listen.
Speaker 2:So whenever, whenever he would say stuff to me, I would just turn and look, turn the machine off and we'd have those conversations. But guys like Frank Porco and Joe Ringel, guys that no one knows the story about my career, they'd just think, oh, this guy was a 300-year-old, this guy, this and that.
Speaker 1:No, there was a lot of people, people involved to help you get there.
Speaker 2:And Pittsburgh people.
Speaker 3:Pittsburgh. People, you make so much more sense. She's weak.
Speaker 2:You've never made sense before.
Speaker 3:But like no wonder you love people so well. Like I'm about to start crying because I just had a very like, crazy two weeks. I'm sitting here and I'm like I didn't have any of that and I didn't have any money and I did all the work at work. But one you know, a man can change your life like that. You have no idea of the impact that that just had on my life it's like it, it matters somebody doing something that they feel for the right reason.
Speaker 3:Bro, like no wonder, no wonder you're the mayor. I hope every kid gravitates towards men like you, because that's stupid. Love you, buddy, Appreciate that man, I haven't seen you in years.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I saw your son. And every dude I see, I think about what I didn't have. And I love my dad.
Speaker 2:He had issues, he's got cancer right now.
Speaker 3:But he wasn't that man, he didn't have that. But because you did, your son came to me and said I know, you know my dad blah blah and sat there and talked to him for an hour.
Speaker 2:He told him Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:I was there for one night in Johnstown first time, had no clue for Faith Night, and his son came up to me. And that all makes sense now, because he told his son he was struggling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I did not know that story.
Speaker 3:And he came up to me and asked, and we just had a long conversation and that led because they looked up to his son because he had a presence. It wasn't because of the name, he had a presence there because he was a leader, because his dad was on and I was sitting here like appreciate it whoa, that whole thing makes sense. And then he came up and thanked me at the end yeah, after the game, because I stayed for the whole time.
Speaker 3:He's like I was hoping you're still here. We got lost and I didn't get to say. I was like I don't leave until I feel like I have to, and usually it's when the lights turn out, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Thank you, bro. Yeah, like that meant a lot to my son too, Thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, what you just did meant a lot.
Speaker 3:And I hope a lot of people listen. Thank, you.
Speaker 2:I'm appreciative. I didn't know where we were going to take this podcast, but you know, I think honestly I've been on a million podcasts. This probably might be my favorite one, because I can really express Pittsburgh and figures in my life. You know and like even my high school baseball coach, jerry Malarkey, like I remember. Just one last quick story.
Speaker 1:No, it's not Again, it's not quick.
Speaker 2:When I was a senior in high school, you know I talked about freshman year.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to make the team the freshman team, not the varsity.
Speaker 2:But senior year now I'm one of the better hitters. I've hit a lot and now I know myself.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, now you know.
Speaker 2:And I can't get. I got no offers from anybody. Division III II I come home one day to my dad. I'm like Dad, where is everybody? I got all these buddies going to different schools Penn State, bucknell I go where is everybody? I'm good enough to play Division I baseball. Where is everybody? They're not coming. And he goes. And my dad said you know what, sean, he goes.
Speaker 2:A tough lesson to learn in life. It's no one's coming for you. No one is coming for you, nobody cares. Nobody cares, he goes if you want it go, if you want it bad enough, you got to go to them. So he's like tomorrow he goes if you want it bad enough, you'll come sit and sit down and write 30 letters to the schools you want to go to. And I sat down. I came home. I wrote 30 letters. Penn. I remember writing one to Penn state, clemson, worcester, moorhead State, john Carroll I mean, whoever would listen? Whoever would listen? I wrote 30 letters. I get up. I get up and my desk is hey, sit down, Write one more letter, come on. University of Richmond sent you a brochure.
Speaker 2:You know there was no like there was no.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, back then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, university of Richmond sent you a brochure. Write one more letter. So I sat down, found out, coach Atkins. Dear Coach Atkins, my name's Sean Casey, I'm a hard worker, I would love to. So boom, that's in like January. It's the end of May, my senior year. All my buddies are going where they're going. I'm about to go to John Carroll, just to go to school. I'm not even. I asked the John Carroll coach, has anyone ever been drafted out of here? And the guy goes well. Don Shula went here, I go well how the hell is that going to help me for baseball.
Speaker 2:So so, so, so, about five games ago in my senior year, we're playing Montour. First at bat, bases loaded. I hit a rocket, left center, clear, clear the bases. Next at bat, another couple guys on rocket to right center. I go four for four, eight RBIs, four doubles and Jerry Malarkey, who I just a wonderful, wonderful man, great, was my coach all these years. He grabs me for the last inning. I'm about to run up to first and he's like hey Case, he's like man, you've had a great game. How many hits you got? I got four hits. How, man, you've had a great game. How many hits you got? I got four hits. How many doubles? I got four doubles. How many RBIs? Eight RBIs. And this wise chokes me up again too. But he goes. That's incredible. And he grabs me and turns me. He goes. You see the guy behind the plate. I go. Yeah, he goes. That's the University of Richmond coach.
Speaker 1:He, he sees the great when you talk about divine intervention the greatest game I may ever play is the day that one coach from the third day the last letter you wrote because your dad said sit back down.
Speaker 2:They would say you gave me a brochure. At the Keystone State Games they come up, they offer me a $1,000 scholarship. They go to Richard. It was like 30 grand a year, I think that paid for two books, you know. But we, but we got. I think my dad took a second mortgage out of the house, financial aid or whatever. I went to Richmond and then I was really able to work on my craft. I hit every day underneath the basketball stadium. We called it a dungeon. It was like this little rinky-dink cage. I'd play Pearl Jam 10 album and back in black, play both albums hit off the t all night long. Try to hit that left center corner. You know, rock a rock, a rocket.
Speaker 2:And and I was a friend I started my freshman year uh, freshman all-american sophomore year went to the cape, beat out helton beat out helton starting the cape and that's when I looked at I saw that I hit 340 with and led the league in rbis and then and Helton was the main guy there and then I was like I got a shot to get drafted because if Helton, if I'm beating out Helton my junior year I won the NCAA batting title and then I was the second round pick of the Indians. But the point is, had my dad not had that conversation with me? He's like no one's coming for you, nobody cares, go do it yourself. And if you go do it yourself and put the work in and it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But don't look in the mirror and be like you know what I didn't do enough, jeez man, that's unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's an amazing story the last letter.
Speaker 2:You write Last letter 31st letter None of the Division III schools called me.
Speaker 1:How about that? I swear to God.
Speaker 2:I must have had 15 Division III schools there. No one, it just takes one. No one reached out.
Speaker 1:It just took one guy to come up Sean so this coach at Richmond drove six hours to see you that day. Yeah, was it something about the letter that you wrote or just the fact that you wrote?
Speaker 3:Because you sat down and you talked about.
Speaker 1:I'm a good kid and stuff like that. It's something.
Speaker 3:Did anybody ever write a letter? I don't know how, about that? You need to find that out.
Speaker 2:Think about this nowadays with letters.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, now, they don't write letters at all, they don't write letters. I just wondered, I wonder, what it was.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, you know what's funny.
Speaker 2:This is part of the story. The McGarvey's I don't know if you remember TJ McGarvey, pittsburgh the mcgarvey's are a big pittsburgh family and, um, mrs mcgarvey's father was a was pap was a big uh scout for the pirates and I had put down I think my dad on the letter was like write down you know, uh, you know some things that they references and I think oh okay, um, uh, mark McQueen called Pap to ask him about my bat and he loved me and he was always like, don't worry about your speed If you can hit.
Speaker 2:And he told me. He told Mark McQueen he thought my bat was draftable. Meanwhile I couldn't get a Division III scholarship, so no one did, but a scout. The eye of a scout saw the hands that I had. I struck out once in high school so that I was bat to ball. I could put the bat on the ball. It was that.
Speaker 1:But you were hitting by your senior year in high school. Obviously you were hitting.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was raking. I think I was up there in the Whip Heel. We won the Whip.
Speaker 1:Heel Championship in 92. I was up there in the Whip Heel and we won the Whip Heel Championship in 92.
Speaker 2:There was no sniff of a draft no no 1992,. We won the Whip Heel Finals and it was the worst thing ever. The Post-Gazette went on strike.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. So it killed the publicity.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, so all we had was the National Choir, eleanor Bailey, the National Choir, just writing locally no way to get it out, no way to get it out, no way to get it out, wow yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I just winding down. You've been so gracious with your time.
Speaker 3:I don't know if I can take any more. Right now I honestly don't think I can, but I did want to the homecoming.
Speaker 1:you're at PNC Park. You've already played for the Reds the career. You hit the first home run ever in the history of PNC Park in 2001. Then you traded December 5th 2005. Then, in the middle of April that year, 2006, you have a back injury. I broke my back. Okay, how did that happen?
Speaker 2:Jose Castillo, remember him? Yeah, I had a ball earlier that I didn't pick and it pissed me off if I didn't pick anything, if I didn't pick the ball, and Jose Castillo throws me, gets a routine ball and throws me a pick and you know always expect a bad throw. So I was ready for it and I went to pick it and I picked it and it shot it straight in the air and I was like so pissed I was like I'm picking this, like I'm not coming on the bag, and the ball was like spinning in the air and I went to grab it and right when I go to grab it, john Mabry's running down the line with the Cubs.
Speaker 2:I believe, and he was like heads up Case and he put an elbow right into my back and broke my two transverse process and Dr DeMeo is one of my favorite guys, he's the greatest Just such a great friend and such a great doctor, but I remember him.
Speaker 2:I went down and then there was a guy on third so I stood up and it felt like somebody took a samurai sword from my neck to my foot in a diagonal direction, jeez. And I was like, oh, I heard that's so painful. Oh, it was so painful. And I remember walking up the steps with Dr Mayo and he was like I think it might be a cramp, and I remember saying some choice words this ain't a cramp, this ain't a cramp. I think I've broke every bone in my body. This is not a cramp, a cramp. Yeah, I felt like my, but I was in the hospital for like five days, uh, over here, uh and uh, you know, with a broken back, and then I came back from it like six or eight weeks later, which?
Speaker 1:is crazy. And then, at the end of July, they traded you yeah, they traded me to the.
Speaker 2:Tigers, and then, a couple months later, I'm in the World Series, were you surprised they traded you the Pirates yeah.
Speaker 3:No, but the whole—. Were you surprised you were playing after a broken back the same year?
Speaker 2:Yes, You're talking about rotational sport. Eight weeks later, I was on the field. What was crazy was the one regret I love this guy, the one regret I had.
Speaker 2:I had the slightest, it wasn't even that big, it was like I don't even know if I had obliques at the time then you know what I mean. I had like a slight something in my stomach and they kept me out that night, dave Littlefield. So I had a Sean Casey bobblehead night. It was at the end of July, sold out PNC, you know, incredible. Well, dave Littlefield called me in that day of my bobblehead and said listen, casey, you can't play tonight because I have a trade lined up for you. He goes, I can't tell you who it is, but you're getting traded either the next day or the next day. So I come out. I still have people tell me to this day.
Speaker 1:So you didn't play the night of your bobblehead, no, and I still have people, to this day, no feel. Yeah, no feel, no feel.
Speaker 2:And they're like we're still pissed. You didn't play your bobblehead night. We all came, we got them. So I didn't play on my bobblehead night, but I got treated the next day or the day after to the Tigers and Dave Little was hurt. I wouldn't have any more of these stories.
Speaker 1:It was worth it. We're glad you got hurt. It was worth it Wow.
Speaker 2:Sean Casey, I tell you you are absolutely incredible. Appreciate it, man. You're the best Amazing man, great stories I've got to have you on my podcast, the Mayor's Office, soon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you do you got a podcast? You've done a few of those, yeah we've done a lot, remember I said we're 50 grand in the hole. Other than that, it's going great. We're going to contribute to that. Other than that, it's going great. We're going to help the cause. Enjoy it, like and subscribe, as Michael McHenry always says, and download.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and download you need to download.
Speaker 1:Hold my cutter. The mayor says so. Right, yeah, you need to download it.
Speaker 2:That's how you start making some cash.
Speaker 1:Okay, do that. I haven't figured that out yet.
Speaker 2:Please go to the mayor's office by Sean Casey.
Speaker 3:Start subscribing and downloading it's only been four years and no one's seen that much.
Speaker 1:That's good, oh my gosh. Unreal, unbelievable Shoot.
