The Good Man Show

What If The Best Training Is Learning To Suffer Well?

• Joshua

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A hungry cold open turns into one of our most grounded conversations about performance, pressure, and the habits that actually hold under stress. We welcome Eric Steensma—former college pitcher, longtime friend, and now a professional working in law enforcement—who lays out a simple, tough blueprint for mental toughness: give yourself ten minutes to feel everything, then reset. That rule powered him on the mound and now guides him through high-stakes days where the law and real life can feel just as chaotic as a bad first inning.

We dig into the timing that matters most: why you should aim to peak at the start of the season, not the end. Eric explains how arriving 95% ready on Opening Day earns trust, gets you real innings, and stops the spiral of chasing form once the games count. We pair that with a candid look at soreness versus pain, the reality that pitchers almost never feel 100%, and the craft of saving bullets for when they matter. No fluff—just the unpretty truth of what it takes to play, progress, and stay available.

The training talk gets practical and a little spicy. Tennis as an off-season edge? Absolutely. The footwork, lateral speed, and rotational control translate cleanly to middle infield play and even hitting patterns. We trade notes on golf mechanics, college baseball streaming paywalls, and gear—plus details for our Caliburn Bats demo day so players can test profiles like the M110 and 271 and feel the difference. Then we trade movie takes—from Miracle’s goosebumps to Major League’s swagger—with a hot take on why Moneyball ignores Oakland’s elite pitching core that made the whole experiment possible.

Between laughs about shirts, haircuts, and neighborhood markets, the theme holds: pressure is daily, and the people who win are the ones who reset fast, show up early, and handle what’s theirs with clarity. Subscribe, share this with a teammate who needs a reset rule, and leave a quick review telling us your most underrated sports movie and your best off-season training hack.

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Cold Open, Burgers, And Theme Song

SPEAKER_02

Oh no brown cow. I need you in my mouth right now. I need a hamburger right now. I'm really hungry. I need you right now. So if you're out there eating, you're a blessed, blessed man or woman. And I love you for eating. But excuse me, because I gotta go right now with my friends to go eat a burger. Oh wait. It's time for the good man show. Maybe we can have some burgers and talk about why life was so good back in the day. When we all had burgers. Oh no brown cow. It's time to sing right now. And it's time to make the good man show, right now.

SPEAKER_04

Welcome to the Good Man Show with Bruce Aus and Lord Puck.

SPEAKER_02

I have no song today. They ripped the song from my soul, and now I'm just driving in the empty wind with no soul and no song.

SPEAKER_04

What were you singing tonight during Infield? I wanna know what love is by Foreigner. Hit me with it.

SPEAKER_05

I wanna know what love is. I want you to show me. I wanna feel what love is.

SPEAKER_04

And that's all I know. And you said you wouldn't sing. Well you know. Don't lie to the people.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, you're right. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_04

Hey, forgive me. We gotta bring a special guest in today. Surprise guests. You mentioned them earlier today, and then all of a sudden I'm sitting in my office during catching camp because you didn't need me, and all of a sudden I see this face pop up in my window. And you know who it was? TSA. Eric Steensma. Whoa. Steesma, welcome to the Goodman Show. Thank you. Thanks for coming in tonight. Not TSA.

SPEAKER_00

Not TSA.

SPEAKER_04

Not TSA, as Josh has told us. But Steensma, I've known you for 15 years. 15 years. Man, that's a long time. We used to hit together. We used to hit together, and you're you're one of my long uh standing hitting lessons that I remember throwing batting practice to and be like, man, this kid's a pitcher.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_04

Um 100%. Then no disrespect, but you know, he got to that point, went on a pitch at uh Tennessee Martin. Uh great kid, coached for us last year, has moved on to his next journey. Uh, but he's going to bring a lot of good insight here. So thank you for coming in.

Baseball Roots And Early Stories

SPEAKER_00

Oh, thanks for having me, Dan. You've done a lot for me.

SPEAKER_04

I appreciate that, man.

SPEAKER_00

You know, couldn't teach me to hit though.

SPEAKER_04

No. Well, hey, listen, there's there's some things you can teach and some you can't. I couldn't teach you to pitch though either. So you know, we have that.

SPEAKER_00

That's true.

SPEAKER_04

I could teach you to compete.

SPEAKER_00

And you did that.

SPEAKER_04

I've I've thrown two innings so far this uh winter, and my ERA is still sitting at zero.

SPEAKER_00

Really?

SPEAKER_04

Same with Josh. We both threw a big clean, we both threw a big clean inning last week.

SPEAKER_00

What's the go-to? Breaking ball, fastball, pitchesball.

SPEAKER_04

We have put we've punched everybody out on their fastball. Throw them the heater, Ricky. Oh, hell of the signs, Ricky.

SPEAKER_02

Just fired it in there. That's what we do around here, Mr. Steens, but you were a flying snapdragon, right? Flying snapdragon. What's you, T Martin?

SPEAKER_00

We were a Skyhawk. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I thought you were the you were. Didn't you call yourself Dragons? Sky Dragons. Yeah, the Sky Dragons. Sky Dragons.

SPEAKER_04

Hey, funny story about Tennessee Martin. First place I ever had a collegiate baseball game. Oh.

SPEAKER_00

You played there?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, we opened up with them my uh freshman year.

SPEAKER_00

Really?

SPEAKER_04

Hitting nine. Nine hole. Full circle moment. First pitch I saw, kaboom. Right over them trees in left field.

SPEAKER_00

Did you hit it in the huddle house?

SPEAKER_04

Um called it foul. Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Oh.

SPEAKER_04

It was fair. It wasn't.

SPEAKER_02

So what happened then?

SPEAKER_04

It wasn't fair because Um called it foul, but it was fair.

SPEAKER_02

What happened then at that?

SPEAKER_04

Got to 3-1, smoked a line, drive over the short stops head for a knock.

SPEAKER_02

Did you save the ball? No.

SPEAKER_04

Why not? Oh.

SPEAKER_02

You gotta save him.

SPEAKER_04

I got my first home run ball from uh Pro Ball.

SPEAKER_02

Oh did you sign it?

SPEAKER_04

No. Oh sits uh sits by my desk at home. I got it. Boom.

SPEAKER_02

For inspiration?

SPEAKER_04

It was a topspinner.

SPEAKER_02

Oh well you had those juice bats back in the day. So them topspin balls.

SPEAKER_04

I was using a pro stock for my first ever home run.

SPEAKER_02

Oh that's not what I heard. That's not what I heard. What did you hear? I heard from a guy back in the day. Oh, a guy. Let me hear about this guy. This guy, he apparently he gave bats to Barry Bonds, and he helped the Barry Bonds actually save a kid from leukemia. Apparently. Bert. I wasn't naming my sources.

SPEAKER_04

You talking about Albert?

SPEAKER_02

I'm not naming my sources. I don't reveal my sources. I'm no rat. I can see it in your eyes. Anyway, he says that back in the day, them wood bats in the 90s were juiced just like them other bats. Time out. The 90s? Mm-hmm. I didn't play in the 90s. They saved the wood from the 90s for you. Them low prospects, they get them 90s juice bats.

SPEAKER_04

Nah, man, the the woods, the Pro Stock bats, you'd take those things into the bathroom, you start graining them against the toilets. People would be calling in there. What are you doing? You're trying boning them down, man. Trying to harden these. Whoa, pause. What do you mean? These guys.

SPEAKER_02

So, Mr. Steesma, you've transitioned to civilian life. I have. Um, how one question how has baseball prepared you for civilian life? If it has at all, and maybe you're just throwing it to the weeds, and I'm assuming things.

Law Enforcement Life And Mental Toughness

SPEAKER_00

No, so I was actually thinking about it on the way here. Yeah. What has baseball done for me? It was a question that I've had a lot of people ask me ever since I stepped away from the game as a player and now just in general, boy. And it prepares you in a way that prepares you to be a good man. I'm just gonna be honest with you. Because let's think about it this way baseball is a game of hardships. Yeah, you gotta deal with hardships every time you walk out in the field. You can go four for four one time, go to sleep, wake up the next day, and go for four or four punches. Or as a pitcher, you can have one great start on a Saturday, come out the next weekend, barely make it out of the first inning. It prepares you how to deal with those hardships. And that's the thing that you don't get in a lot of other sports. You can be good at football all you want. And you can throw Patrick Mahomes, do his thing every single weekend, make$500 million. Baseball players, you can't do that. You gotta learn how to deal with that stuff on a daily basis and deal with it in everyday life because it sticks with you. Especially as a pitcher. I don't know about you hitters, because I obviously wasn't very good at that. But as a pitcher, you gotta learn to if you have a bad start on a Saturday, you better forget about it and move on to the next start.

SPEAKER_02

What mental tricks do you use? What was your biggest mental trick to get over that?

SPEAKER_00

Gave myself 10 minutes after each start. If it was a good start or a bad start, either 10 minutes of happiness happiness or 10 minutes of I'm pissed off. And that's it.

SPEAKER_02

So what do you do now? What what okay, like give me an example of an obstacle you have faced that is relatable to a bad start in daily life now?

SPEAKER_00

Daily life, being confused at work, but especially with the career that I'm in right now, and I can't really talk too much about it, but let's just say it's something. Sure, let's go with that. Alrighty. It's something to do with law enforcement. Some people know what I do by the cops music in the background. Bad boys, bad boys.

SPEAKER_02

Uh no, what these are the names of the innocent. Yeah. They will be protected. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. What was that?

SPEAKER_04

Law and Order?

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Yeah. These are their stories.

SPEAKER_04

24 was is the best.

SPEAKER_02

That Jack Bauer? Boom.

SPEAKER_04

Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. Great.

SPEAKER_02

I thought that was the X-Files.

SPEAKER_04

I can't with you. I don't know if I don't know if I'm making it through the whole show with you today because we got some beef, me and you today. Just so you know. I got some beef I gotta settle with you here soon. I'm gonna let Steensman finish. I'm here to be a mediator between you two. Okay. But just so you know, I got some beef with you that came up with Infield while you weren't there because you were sitting on the ch your bucket. But don't worry, I got some beef.

SPEAKER_00

So to answer your question.

SPEAKER_04

So yeah, Steens, but go ahead, finish up, man.

SPEAKER_00

Because I'm excited for this beef. It's gonna be.

SPEAKER_04

I am. I'm staring at what I'm gonna say to you, too, just so you know. Send your little mini-me at me. Oh you'll you'll you'll find out. Go ahead, Steve. Finish up. I was enjoying what you were saying until Josh very rudely interrupted you.

SPEAKER_00

So a lot of my career nowadays has to do with law, and everybody knows that law is incredibly confusing. We had this conversation before we came in here. We were talking about it. It's incredibly confusing, and one of the things as a young 25-year-old gentleman, it is kind of confusing sometimes. And one day you can wake up on a Monday, like I gotta go to work tomorrow, and it's probably gonna be a really bad day. I'm gonna be honest with you. But you gotta forget about it because there's nothing you can do about it. You show up, you give your best, and you move on.

SPEAKER_04

Control you can control.

unknown

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04

It's exactly what you're saying about baseball, though. It's the little things, it's it's the everyday little things that you gotta go through, figure out, and fight.

SPEAKER_00

Then handle it. You gotta be able to handle it.

SPEAKER_04

Well, and mentally it's it's exhausting, I'm sure. But just like baseball, it mentally it was exhausting because of the waves you have to go through.

SPEAKER_00

There's always pressure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Handle pressure.

SPEAKER_03

What do you know about pressure? Pressure. What pressure?

Tennis, Cross-Training, And Rotation

SPEAKER_02

Well, let's get to I I hear it sizzling on the grill. It is.

SPEAKER_04

So it's it's a beautiful steak marinating. Okay. Like the same steaks I made last night.

SPEAKER_02

Ooh, where'd you get them from?

SPEAKER_04

Jewel. Ah, Casey's closed at four. I was gonna go to Casey's after Lily's basketball game.

SPEAKER_02

Wait, Casey's Casey's Market?

SPEAKER_04

Western Springs.

SPEAKER_02

I thought you were talking about Casey's gas station. I'm like, why is that guy? Casey's Market.

SPEAKER_04

For those who live near Western Springs or can get to Western Springs, if you're ever looking for a great little shop, it's a little overpriced. In my opinion, great stuff, great meat, Casey's Market, downtown Western Springs. Fantastic. All right. I got I I'm gonna I'm just gonna ask you out flat to your face. Why the hell do I have a kid ask me why I'm wearing this shirt and ask me why I'm wearing Josh's shirt? The same kid who asked me if I like his haircut and he got the Josh, wants to now ask me why I'm wearing your shirt. And I look the kid dead in his face and I said, What are you talking about? He goes, Yeah, that's Josh's shirt. He made it. Do you have an answer for this, or do I gotta take my beef up with like a 12-year-old?

SPEAKER_02

You gotta take the beef up with the 12-year-old.

SPEAKER_04

I had to really bite my tongue during infield at this kid. Josh's shirt. He's a funny dude. Some would say you're a funny dude.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sorry for laughing so much. You probably don't want me to hear me laughing so much.

SPEAKER_04

But this is for this guy does lessons with this kid too. So what tells me that happened is you were in the middle of lesson, probably wearing a shirt. Josh was like, Oh, yeah, you know, I made these shirts. You should buy one. And the kid was like, God, Josh has got a great haircut. Now he's making shirts, and then he sees me wearing one. He's like, Oh, you're wearing Josh's shirt.

SPEAKER_02

I think here's what I think.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, I can't wait to hear what you think. Whatever you say, I'm not gonna believe. I'll tell you that. But you go right ahead and spin it how you'd like.

SPEAKER_02

Because I think it happened in the one lesson I had with them a couple weeks ago, and I think I was wearing the shirt. All things that I just said, yes, go on. I was wearing the shirt. Your shirt. No, this is what happened. I was wearing the shirt. We heard you. And I don't think he knows that there's many made. That's what I think happened. So that doesn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_04

No sense at all. No, so the mediator of this conversation. Oh, that made zero sense. No, no. Hear me out. Yeah, hear me out. The shirt. We got it. Let's move to the next point in your debate here.

SPEAKER_02

You're debating stuff because they're obviously it is a debate because I'm trying to figure out why you would say something like that. I think I was wearing that shirt with the lesson with him. And again, the only way because I didn't even talk to him about the genesis of the shirt. Because why would I talk to him about the genesis of the shirt?

SPEAKER_00

That's a big word you're using right there, genesis.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and I don't really understand it's not originally the way you're coming at me, so I'm gonna get tough. I don't really like it.

SPEAKER_02

The origin of the shirt.

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna take it as disrespect. So watch your mouth.

SPEAKER_02

The origin of the shirt. Um, I and so I'm assuming that he's assuming that since I was wearing it, that it's my shirt. But again, there would be any zero sense to say that this is mine and Dan is worried my shirt.

SPEAKER_04

So now when the hats come out, is I have to deal with this kid being like, yo, why are you wearing Josh's hat? Is that the next step I'm gonna have to go through?

SPEAKER_00

You got some explaining to do here.

SPEAKER_02

This is a kid, and I can't I can't explain the fandom of myself. This is a kid for you listeners out there that came up to me a couple days ago and says, Coach, look at my head. And I said, What? Yes, we've talked about this. Yeah, and he and and he he said, I got the same haircut as you. This is a fan of mine. I can't fans view things as illogical as possible.

SPEAKER_04

This narrative, you know how you're always preaching narrative to the people? This narrative you got in your head that you got some fandom going on here. I have one fan. Listen, nobody's buying the brand that you're selling. You can't even sell your own brand. Just simply say you told the kids you made the shirts and we can move on. I didn't do that. It's because I didn't do that. It would make zero sense for me to say that. Steve's how long have you been gone now? When was your last day in here? July?

SPEAKER_00

July, yeah. So it's been so what's that? Seven, eight months? Seven, eight months? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I'll tell you what, in eight months, this guy over here has really changed.

SPEAKER_00

Really? I don't think so.

SPEAKER_04

He used to tell the truth, and now he's a liar. Oh, yo, yo, yo, I don't know about that. He shows up wearing tennis outfits.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, what's up with the outfit today?

SPEAKER_02

What's wrong with my outfit? You look like you're about to go to Wimbledon. I play tennis. I know you didn't call me Federer. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

How's the forehand?

SPEAKER_02

Forehand's great. He's got a good forehand. I'll give him I'll give you. My backhand's terrible.

SPEAKER_04

He's got a good forehand. His serve is okay. Not as good as mine, but he's got a good forehand. He keeps it low.

SPEAKER_02

So you can spin it. I do have good top spin on the ball.

SPEAKER_04

We're gonna have a mat, we're gonna have a match against each other at Pleasantale.

SPEAKER_02

He's gonna wear Pleasantale's great quartz. I just discovered that. Oh.

SPEAKER_04

You're welcome. Didn't know that.

SPEAKER_02

Well, yeah, and he told me that there's a light button. He's gonna go confirm that for me, though.

SPEAKER_04

There's a light button.

SPEAKER_02

You confirmed it?

SPEAKER_04

I have not confirmed. I'm I'm almost 100% positive though, because I remember being there one time with my kids and the lights went off, and I remember we pushed the button and it just went right back on.

SPEAKER_00

Great quartz. Place quick. I've never played tennis. You don't want me playing tennis.

SPEAKER_04

Did you hear about my serve?

SPEAKER_00

No. I haven't heard about nothing.

SPEAKER_04

Dude, you missed it last Tuesday. Josh decided to give me a tennis racket during catching so I could hit pop-ups with tennis balls to the catchers. And every time he turned around, I was just lacing sp uh uh uh serves at him. And I was I was in the mid mid-court or mid-midfield on the multi-purpose. Josh was in the left corner, tucked away. I served over the lacrosse goals right into the little Josh.

SPEAKER_02

How'd you feel about that, Josh?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, he went down like a sack of potatoes.

SPEAKER_02

It got half and half and um sweet and low. You know, when I went to get coffee the next day, I was like, swing low.

SPEAKER_04

We got video proof. I'll show you.

SPEAKER_02

It's great. Swing low, sweet chariot.

How To Watch College Baseball

SPEAKER_04

I did also my first serve, I bounced right off his back.

SPEAKER_02

That was a bounce?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That hurt still. Well, that one hurt more than the actual the other one.

SPEAKER_04

I'll tell you what, your new racket you have, yeah, tip top shape.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. You went and bought a racket? I have two. You got two? I have a head racket, that's the name of the company. Okay, and then I have a Wilson racket.

SPEAKER_00

Oh.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And I have Wilson balls too.

SPEAKER_00

So you're getting into this tennis thing. The Wilson balls were free.

SPEAKER_04

There's a whole box of them in the back. Don't tell anybody. Don't get captured.

SPEAKER_02

No, I've been playing it for three years. Um, on a serious note, um, for all you baseball people listen out there, a lot of the footwork that is in that game can be applied to middle infield for baseball in terms of reaction times. And it's the same footwork. And honestly, some hitting stuff too can be applied in certain strokes. Um, I think if you're in the offseason, you should play a little bit. And don't say, I'm gonna play pickleball. No, no, there's a big difference. The distances you have to cover, the movements that you have to do are way different.

SPEAKER_00

Well, think about this too. You got the rotational aspect of it all, too. Correct. You gotta be good rotationally. What is baseball all of? Rotation. How do you manage it? How do you manage the rotation? Better get good at it. Exactly. Better get rotationally strong, better be explosive. Correct. So I like where you're going with this.

SPEAKER_04

But for baseball players who are really good at staying through the ball, you're gonna struggle getting that ball to top spin.

SPEAKER_02

Correct.

SPEAKER_04

You gotta get the hip to come up and out.

SPEAKER_02

Correct.

SPEAKER_04

I get it.

SPEAKER_02

But if you can do both, you're a great deal.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, well, it's like golf. A lot of baseball players, when they start playing golf, they'll slice the ball because their hands drag because you're so used to staying in and keeping it tight that you have to figure out a way to change the club head and stay through it. I got better at golf when I stopped playing baseball. I actually figured I had to go front side. Almost feel like I was just trying to hit a nice line drive right at the pitcher's shins. No?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah. Easy on the pitchers.

SPEAKER_04

Well, you know, sometimes you gotta tattoo balls at them. No, that's not fair. Either is you throwing a right on-right changeup. So that's the best. We could have that conversation.

SPEAKER_02

I heard that's the opposite. I heard a lot of pitchers that hate the right-on-right changeup. They're scared to throw it.

SPEAKER_04

It's an uncomfortable pitch for them. But a guy who has a good changeup who's willing to throw a right-on-right changeup, it's a death trap as a righty. That's the best pitch of baseball. It is terrible.

SPEAKER_00

I was watching the LSU Kent State game before I came here.

SPEAKER_04

This guy watched a lot of college baseball.

SPEAKER_00

Hey, I've all been at college baseball.

SPEAKER_04

And I'm gonna ask you this because maybe you can help me and tell the people how do you even watch college baseball? I can't figure out how to find a game. Let's start with that. Because it's not on TV, but yet middle of opening weekend of NCAA Division I baseball, and I try to turn on the ACC network or the SEC network or the Big Tent Network, thinking like, hey man, one of these games are gonna be. I mean, Michigan State was playing Louisville. I wanted to watch a game. And ACC network has, and this is no offense to them, don't spin this. They have a woman's lacrosse game on. It's like, great, good for you guys. There's no baseball game on. Where's the baseball? There's no every sport in college sports is on TV besides baseball. So if you could tell me how I could watch a baseball game, I'd be very happy.

SPEAKER_00

I will be glad to tell you the answer. And here's the short answer. You're not gonna like it either.

SPEAKER_04

Oh man.

Hats, Merch, And Local Life

SPEAKER_00

You're gonna have to pay for it. What? Do you pay for it? I do. Can I get your login? There's about like 400 people that have my login. So yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Well then what's another 401?

SPEAKER_00

I'm handing it to you. I'll hand it to you. ESPN Plus. ESPN Plus.

SPEAKER_04

I have ESPN Plus.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you watch it on there.

SPEAKER_04

But not all the games. Yeah. No, I couldn't get the big uh Michigan State Louisville game. Sure don't have ESPN Unlimited.

SPEAKER_00

I watched it.

SPEAKER_04

It said it was on the ACC Network Plus. Plus, yeah. Yeah. I have ESPN Plus. It wouldn't let me watch it.

SPEAKER_00

That's on you. I don't know. I don't know how to open you on that one. Because I watched all every single game that was broadcasted this weekend. About most of them. I was bored this weekend.

SPEAKER_02

Wow. Well, it's a good thing. This is civilization life right now. This is.

SPEAKER_00

Man. This is. It's boring as can be to be a civilian. But one of the things that's I have an issue with right now is ESPN. I don't like S Pen. I like the Ocho. That's the best one.

SPEAKER_02

We went off on ESPN last week.

SPEAKER_04

Did that's why I brought this up this week because it was literally the week of our having the conversation about this. And I got to this point. I was like, how can I not watch a college baseball game without having to pay some sort of extra money? I had ESPN Plus, couldn't get it on. Nothing's on regular TV.

SPEAKER_02

You got cable TV?

SPEAKER_04

I do. I have Xfinity.

SPEAKER_02

No, because we were talking last week, we were talking about MLB TV. Um to access MOB TV. Now you gotta pay for MOB TV and then you got too. Well, now you gotta get ESPN unlimited to watch MOB TV. Really? Yeah. Oh there are two paywalls that yeah, well you got. You have two paywalls you gotta go through. So how much is that gonna cost me?$300 annually? Because I think the annual subscription to ESPN Unlimited is$150. And then MLB TV is like$150-ish.

SPEAKER_00

Really?

SPEAKER_02

Mm-hmm.

unknown

Man.

SPEAKER_02

Cricks.

SPEAKER_00

I know. What also is sad too is that you had all those the Shiners classic. It's a big tournament. Golf? Huh? Is that golf? Baseball. Baseball. Shiners? Yeah. Sounds like Shoe Shiner. They play at Minute May Park or whatever, whatever they call it.

SPEAKER_04

Who was the first game of that?

SPEAKER_00

Uh it was that Vanderbilt? Oklahoma TCU were in it. Vanderbilt wasn't. I don't remember who the first game was there.

SPEAKER_04

The first game was at 11, too. That was another game I was, I forget who that was, but I was trying to watch that game.

SPEAKER_00

It was a good game. It was a really good game. And the problem is you would think that it'll be put on MLB Network because it's affiliated with MOB Network. I go turn on MLB Network, and guess what they had playing?

SPEAKER_04

Some 1990 game that is irrelevant. And it's it's that's this is my point.

SPEAKER_02

Playing the natural Hobbs.

SPEAKER_04

Hobbs did it! Hobbs did it. You know that. I know you know the natural. I do. For those who went to Lion Township High School back in the day with good old George Ushell as your manager, you watch the natural on a regular because you had to visualize at that school. A lot of visualization. I'll say this that man taught me a lot about visualization as a baseball player that I actually use a lot later on in my career that actually was very beneficial.

SPEAKER_02

You still use it now?

SPEAKER_04

We used to watch a video of Rod Carew. It was the same swing. Do I still use visual? Yeah, who doesn't visualize themselves seeing them do things, man? Like you have to see it before it happens.

SPEAKER_02

People. Because they think they're gonna fail.

SPEAKER_04

Talk about people.

SPEAKER_02

I'm serious. There are people out there that naturally think that everything's gonna go to hell and they don't they visualize it going to hell.

Demo Day: Caliburn Bats And Gear Talk

SPEAKER_04

They visualize a negative thing. Yeah, visualize positivity, man. Well, some people don't. You ever play you ever be on the field and you're sitting there and be like, all right, this dude's gonna hit a ball up the middle. I'm gonna make a nasty diving play, pick it up and throw him out. Yeah, it happens all the time. Yeah. Not anymore, because I don't, you know, now I visualize Cam up the middle, going, wham, wham! You should have seen the play that dude made this weekend or yesterday. Cam. Jack smoked a ball. I mean, smashed the ball off Ethan. We were going live. Ethan's pitching. Jack tattoos one right at Cam. Cam picks it, threw it away. Like, Cam, you had all sorts of time to throw. But the fact that he picked the ball off the turf, I was like, that is hard play for a kid. That's short. Yeah, where else would you play? Center? Second? Oh, yeah. I mean, he does do that. I've seen him play. Turns a great double play.

SPEAKER_02

I know. Your team does turn some double plays. Oh, we're gonna turn a lot this year. His team's ranked high in the rankings.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I know. I watched him play last year. I watched him practice.

SPEAKER_02

Are you the guy that's making those rankings then?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. That's what I do about the show.

SPEAKER_04

You're the guy on the nine new players to watch.

SPEAKER_00

Did you see? We found him. There's a dude on Twitter. I was scrolling through Twitter today. Yeah. And one guy was like, yeah, there's this kid in the Dominican Republic. He's getting uh scouted by Pro Ball. He's 10. They're already giving them lucrative contract offers. I said the dude throws 55 miles an hour.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe we're off the spectrum and we need to get on the spectrum.

SPEAKER_00

I think I needed I don't know what I need, but that's wrong. But what are we doing recruiting?

SPEAKER_04

If you go on that, you're you're out. Huh? As soon as you go on that, you've you've you've left home. No. If you do that, you've left home. You are no longer a good man, sir. Phone. Phone E.T. Oh no.

SPEAKER_02

How many kids do you think in this program they've seen E.T.? Oh, that was a late 90s movie, am I wrong? Early 2000s.

SPEAKER_00

That is E.T. Yeah. I thought it was early 2000s.

SPEAKER_02

Might be 2000s. It was a Spielberg movie, right?

SPEAKER_04

First off, that movie was way before 2000. Was it?

SPEAKER_02

That was before I was born then.

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna Google it. I was born in.

SPEAKER_02

I can't tell you where I was born. You might steal my identity, and plus I'm sitting next to the CIA right here. My bad. It's okay. Um, what's the most uh has anyone come for your head yet?

SPEAKER_00

Not yet. Surprisingly, not yet. Hold on.

SPEAKER_04

When do you think that movie came out?

SPEAKER_00

Well, since he's bringing it up, it's definitely not in the 2000s. So I think we need to adjust our 1995? No, hold on. 1987.

SPEAKER_04

1982.

SPEAKER_00

Are you serious? Wow.

SPEAKER_04

Yes. That's why when you said that, like, there's no way that's even remotely.

SPEAKER_00

82? Wasn't there a remake? There's gotta be a remake or something.

SPEAKER_04

Who cares if there's a re but that's all that people do in cinema now is remake everything because it's like, oh, what should we do? Ah, let's make our 19th Superman and maybe we could do another. I will say this though, the new uh Mario movies coming out April 1st. Logan is jacked.

SPEAKER_02

I can't wait. Okay, if you had a movie. Well, well, you'd make a movie. I mean, you'd deal with a lot of stuff. What movie would you make?

SPEAKER_04

You can't just say like a move put on the spot movie? You're a visualer. Yeah, but I'm not like my creative brain for movies, isn't it? That's not me.

SPEAKER_02

I have one. Of course you do.

SPEAKER_04

What do you have, Mr.

SPEAKER_02

Me and Nikki C's life?

SPEAKER_04

I can see you being in a documentary. Rotten Tomato rates it a 3.1. Well, you'd all be in it. And then it just goes up to a 7.8.

SPEAKER_02

Because he and I were talking yesterday. He was going out on a date, and um he just he? Not but not with a woman, not by himself.

SPEAKER_04

Wait, man. Sometimes you ask. I don't know about Nikki C. You didn't talk when he came here.

SPEAKER_02

But no, he's he's like, I'm gonna let her come to me, Josh EC. And I'm like, what's that supposed to mean? Apparently he thinks that a woman has to push the envelope and make the first move. And we just kept going back and forth about this.

SPEAKER_04

It's all a cat and mouse game.

SPEAKER_02

And um, who's the cat? Who's the mouse? Who's the bird? Who's the bee? Who's the ABCs? What is the ABCs of this of this game we call life? All right, Mr. Steinsburg.

SPEAKER_04

Here's some advice for you, okay? Stop playing a game. Okay?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

The more you keep playing games, the worse the game gets. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. Cool. Just move on. I heard my father-in-law said it great at our wedding. He said short-term memory, forgive, forget, move on.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Hey man, that's good advice. Steens was happily married.

SPEAKER_00

I wasn't not married.

SPEAKER_02

I thought you like you got married at a farm. Horse stable.

SPEAKER_04

This man got married and we weren't there. I'd be there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I was gonna say, you know you'd be there.

SPEAKER_02

I met her. She came to one of their catching camps. Uh she came to her.

SPEAKER_00

I met her when she came in here.

SPEAKER_02

You are a beautiful couple.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, thank you.

Sports Movies: Miracle To Moneyball

SPEAKER_02

I mean, if there's ever a couple that's on the magazine of Western Suburbs, House and Home, you two will be on the cover.

SPEAKER_00

I take that as a compliment.

SPEAKER_02

It is a compliment. No, that's a great compliment. And next to his shop of steak, what's it called? Casey's. Casey's.

SPEAKER_04

There's already a magazine in Western Springs, and people around it have never seen Steve's. Yeah. Well, I've made it yet.

SPEAKER_02

I'm giving you the recommendation.

SPEAKER_04

Unfortunately, in that town, I'd you know, no offense. I don't think you're making the cut.

SPEAKER_00

No, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_04

He gets it though.

SPEAKER_00

Because I'm from we're from there.

SPEAKER_04

From there.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, you don't have to do it.

SPEAKER_04

Where'd you grow up? Where'd you grow up?

SPEAKER_00

Right next to St. John of the Cross.

SPEAKER_04

Springdale?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

You're a Springdale kid?

SPEAKER_00

Kind of. Or a Forest Hills Street. Forest Hills.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, that's not Springdale. I mean, it's closed. It's close.

SPEAKER_00

Some people don't know where Forest Hills is. I do. Well, I know you do. Forest Hills? Yes.

SPEAKER_04

Josh was supposed to come to the basketball game at McClure on Sunday to the show.

SPEAKER_02

I said maybe.

SPEAKER_04

You missed it, dude. Lily went off.

SPEAKER_02

I said maybe.

SPEAKER_04

Where did you go? Hey, best game I've ever seen her play, too. Oh, yeah, yeah. How many points? 10. At least. I mean, she, dude, she went on. She could have miss at one point. It was actually impressive. Threes? No. One of their girls took a three, though.

SPEAKER_02

Is it taboo to take threes at that age?

SPEAKER_04

In third grade?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04

When our girls shoot beyond 15 feet, it's like, yo, come on now. But someone did. Did she make it? No, the other team. No. You know, some if you were mean, you'd be yelling, air ball, air ball. But nobody's doing that in the game. We did have our first ever on our Saturday game. We did have our first ever technical. No, it was not me. I know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_00

That was my first question.

SPEAKER_04

It was not me. It was not our team. It was the other coach. She got teed up for calling a timeout and she didn't have any timeouts.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, that's the worst one. It is. That's the worst one.

SPEAKER_04

And the ref comes over, and these refs we had on Saturday were not very good nor friendly. And they were they weren't like when you ref a third-grade girls' basketball game, like you need to teach the girls. Like they're gonna make mistakes. Like I get it by now, like traveling, all that stuff they call, like not strict, but enough. But like there's teaching moments for these girls. Um, this ref calls a technical on the other coach and then storms into our huddle and goes, We need a girl on the court right now to shoot the free throws. So then, like, the girls are all freaking out because they're like, What's going on? Never experienced this. So I looked at the you know, the five that were on the court, and one of our best shooters on there. I was like, You're gonna go take two free throws. And she's looking at she's going, Why? Why? I'm like, the other team's coach got a technical, you're gonna go take two free throws. Two to make one, all right? And she's like, What do you mean? I was like, and nobody's gonna be out there, like just shoot like it's normal. But like now, all the pressure's on the girl, the eyes are on her. And she gets on the line, and our whole team starts chanting her name. I'm like, no, no, no, no. Shh what happened?

SPEAKER_02

She clanked them both.

SPEAKER_04

Poor girl. It was two of the worst shots I've seen her take, too.

SPEAKER_02

Like, she this is your best shooter?

SPEAKER_04

She's a girl who I draw up plays that like I try to like double screen and block windows like from 15 feet out. She'll she'll drain them. I'm also trying to teach her like a dribble off like a screen and a nice little you know, step back. Yep. She did it this weekend, she drained it. Wow. She's good, man.

SPEAKER_02

A basketball coach is in your future.

SPEAKER_04

Head coach. No, I'm not a no, no, no, no, no, no. I went back to my assistant coaching spot this weekend. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it was much better. I like teaching the defense and the hustle.

SPEAKER_00

So you do have some head coaching experience.

SPEAKER_04

I had one game. It was arguably our we won, but it was arguably our worst game we played.

SPEAKER_02

Just learning experience, scrolling pains from. I think if he got a couple more games in, I mean, he's a natural-born leader. I think if he just trusted himself.

SPEAKER_04

I don't like being on my feet. I like sitting on my I sit at the end of the bench, I keep to myself.

SPEAKER_02

I think if you wore a suit, I wore a polo.

SPEAKER_04

I wear my polo.

SPEAKER_02

Or a suit.

SPEAKER_04

No, I wear my wildcat polo, or I wear if it's colder out, I wear my I wear my uh quarter zip. Your tiger one? Nope.

unknown

Nope.

SPEAKER_04

I did have them on though.

SPEAKER_02

Now that makes you look like you're gonna go play tennis.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, if we play, I'm gonna be in those. And then every point I'm giving you is Happy Valentine's Day. You're gonna call me Daniel Tiger. There is, there is a show. No kidding. Why do you think I said it? Jeez, dude. I know you had a long day, but I know you're not that this guy.

SPEAKER_02

We have a long week coming up. We do? A lot of games.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, you do.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, gotcha.

SPEAKER_04

I was like, I don't feel I'm just I got like a week and a half left, and then it's smooth sailing. I love March. Not me. March is great. All I got is my living you. Oh when's your first game? Butcher. March 8th. Benny? Benny the Butcher? Benny the Butcher. No. Oh no. Benny the Butcher. Butch, man. You know Butch. Oh, my guy Butch. Yeah, butch. It's half-the school. We're gonna play it. We're gonna play the butcher. March where? March 8th, Ruby Field. Ruby? If it's too cold, we're gonna come inside.

SPEAKER_02

Where's Ruby Field, Mr. Steinsman?

SPEAKER_04

Melrose.

SPEAKER_02

Not a clue.

SPEAKER_00

Oh. Never heard of it.

SPEAKER_04

Melrose Park, right?

SPEAKER_02

Are you umpiring?

SPEAKER_04

No.

SPEAKER_00

I should though. That'd be kind of fun.

SPEAKER_04

Not my field.

SPEAKER_02

Not my circus, not my monkeys. One of the best lines I've ever heard.

SPEAKER_04

My uh wife's aunt said that to me.

SPEAKER_02

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

SPEAKER_04

We were at a wedding and something happened and and family kind of scuffled and one wandered away, and I was standing next to her, and she goes, Not my circus, not my monkey.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm like, I love that one.

SPEAKER_04

Never heard that. You're the second person I've ever heard say it.

SPEAKER_02

A kerfuffle happened?

SPEAKER_04

A who?

SPEAKER_02

A kerfluffle. Spell that. A kerfluffle. Three syllables.

SPEAKER_04

Just so you know, all of a sudden you show up and this guy starts using all these big words.

SPEAKER_02

I use two words. Just so you know, consistent kerfuffle.

SPEAKER_04

Just so you know, the high school kids who are listening to this, 99% of them have no idea what you're saying. Them high school kids. That's why they that's why they understand me.

SPEAKER_02

No hacky. And that's why I'm gonna tail them. You haven't talked about hockey tomorrow. Yeah, we haven't talked hockey. Oh, this guy right here, he knows hacky. He had to bring it out of me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I did.

SPEAKER_02

I remember this guy, we'd sit there for four hours on Saturdays just talking hacky. We would. He has this original six hat. I should have worn it today. Yeah, it's a cool hat. And I know, hey, I go, hey, Steen's. You talking about hats? Talking hacky? I'm talking hats. Are we talking hats? You're talking hats? I think we're talking hats. Not that hats, but the talking hats.

SPEAKER_04

We're talking hats?

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

Who knows last week I brought the hats up.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

Readiness, Peaking, And Pitching Reality

SPEAKER_04

And I told the good people that listened to the good man show that we'd have the hats. And then I talked to the guy. And the hats aren't gonna be here for another like six days. What? And now we're another week behind on this routine. It's like if we can't find the production of getting these hats in, do we gotta go somewhere else? So we gotta go where we wanted. I'm a patient man. Patience is a virtue. For those who go fishing, fishing takes patience. You're gonna have to be patient with the hats. But they're coming, I promise you. And if they don't come, well they're not my hats. There's gonna be some consequences and repercussions. They're not my hats. No, but once I wear one, this kid's gonna ask me about why I'm wearing Josh's hat, and I'm not really looking forward to it. So just so you know, the hats are supposed to be on February 22nd. Josh, you know what we're selling them for. What are we selling them for? We're selling for$29.99. Oh,$25.$25, right?

SPEAKER_02

$25.99. I thought there was a tariff on this, so we added uh we added$4. What's up with this gas prices? One day it's$2.40, the next day it's$3.19.

SPEAKER_04

I went to Mariano or uh to BP the other day. Like if you use Marianos, right? You're employable, yeah. You got your card number with them, you can plug that thing in a BP.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Dude, I filled up for like a buck seventy because I had like a dollar ten off a gallon. It's awesome. Wait, trust me, it cost me like what was it,$38 to fill up my tank. Okay, it was a good thing.

SPEAKER_02

Made me feel like I was back in high school. It was a dollar seventy at per tank. Yeah. Oh, I thought you filled up for these.

SPEAKER_04

It was a dollar seventy-nine a gallon after I used my little You went to Marianos? I use Marianos.

SPEAKER_02

You go to Marianos a lot? Remember? Western Springs. We talked about this. Uh well I had to good people. I mean, yeah, I know I worked.

SPEAKER_04

A long time ago.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Even when we we started, you were working there, and you never told me.

SPEAKER_02

No, this was no, I was dumb before we met.

SPEAKER_04

No.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, I'll tell you the story. Ready? It was Easter of March 2020. We met again in August of 2020.

SPEAKER_04

That's not true.

SPEAKER_02

It is. It was Easter.

SPEAKER_04

The dome opened up in 2019 of the fall. No, yes. COVID hit in 2020. I wasn't here in the fall.

SPEAKER_02

Look this up. Look this up. How am I gonna look it up? You're gonna have to look it up because it was 2020. I met Taylor. Forgive me for saying that name. Let's move on.

SPEAKER_04

I don't even want to talk about it anymore. I'm out. No, no.

SPEAKER_02

I ruined a woman's Easter.

SPEAKER_04

You ruined my night.

SPEAKER_02

I ruined a woman's Easter.

SPEAKER_04

My night's been ruined since 7:30 tonight. The kid ruined your night. You need the food. You ruined it because you influenced him with your stupid narrative of telling this kid that these are your shirts and then he's getting your hair cut and he's coming at me. I'm only talking to Steensman the rest of the night. You're out. Oh no. I'm just the mediator. Yes. Yes. This is why you brought him here today. I know what you were doing.

SPEAKER_02

No, he's um he texted me in the afternoon.

SPEAKER_00

It started with you, though. You're gonna blame Steensman. Look at this. Nah, he did send me something pretty funny, though.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, but you started the conversation. And you said he he text me.

SPEAKER_02

About to come on here, he started the conversation. I texted, I text him randomly, probably like once every couple weeks, about some random stuff. And I texted him some random stuff today about the odds being in my favor for one particular thing. And then he carried it on to this, and then here we are.

SPEAKER_04

May the odds be ever in your favor. Yes. Yes, yes. But the hats are coming. The hats are coming. Okay. Hats are coming. You know who else is coming tomorrow night?

SPEAKER_03

Santa Claus.

SPEAKER_04

No? Oh. Got a big demo day tomorrow. Talk about Caliburn bats. Caliburn bats is gonna be in the house tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen. Demo day coming in. Don Erickson bringing his crew. Like we've told you, family owned since 2003, located in Downers Grove, Illinois. Don is a good man. Got his wood bats. He's got fungos. He's got shirts when you buy bats. I know that. You get a bat. Sometimes you get some hats. He's gonna be here tomorrow. Text me, called me today. We talked on the phone. He just texted me what time he's coming. He'll be here for some of the youth kids who will be around like six to eight. And then uh eight to ten, he's gonna have his own cage. Players are gonna be able to try some of the bats, see what they think, see what they feel. Uh, he'll be back on Thursday for the next session of high school, guys. So look at boys, you're gonna need some wood bats. Talk to my guy, Don. Do the right thing. You can customize your own, you can get some that he's already got. He's got a pretty cool pinball bat. Uh, you can get the torpedo, you could get a C243, a 271, a 141. You want me to name them all? M110. Favorite bat, M110. Best bat around. This guy knows all his numbers. You gotta go through a lot of wood bats. Wow. Worst bat, the G, what is it, the G141? Terrible bat. Too thin of a handle, like right where your hands, like just after you finish holding the bat, gets too thin. I used that bat one time. I squared a ball up perfectly on a barrel, my barrel shattered. That ball should have been tattooed. Man, you weren't visualizing. M110. M110. What was your favorite?

SPEAKER_00

What was your favorite ball to throw? College balls. Those are the best ones. A huge. The seams are huge. The Rawlings when they changed the Rawlings recently. Yeah. Yo, you could spin that thing.

SPEAKER_04

It used to be like a running joke in the valley. The valley balls, like the seams were like dudes threw nasty breaking balls because they're the seam, they just script them.

SPEAKER_00

See you. You got significantly better when you went and played in the valley. Significantly better.

SPEAKER_04

Then you're in a pro ball and there's no seams.

SPEAKER_00

Even the SEC's got no seams now.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, because they're they're the SEC.

SPEAKER_00

They do whatever they want. They got different balls too. They do whatever they want.

SPEAKER_04

They got a lot of different things. So Caliber and Bats is here. Tomorrow. Good. Coming in. Don't a good man. Come see him. I'm telling you. I can't wait to see Don. I love when he's here. He's awesome. I do too. I miss J Todd. J Todd texted me. Chris Clark. Well, did you get on this push-up challenge? No. You didn't even get invited, did you? No. I hope that tells you something. What does it tell me? That you should stop telling kids that you made these shirts. And if you think that's the last time I'm going to mention it tonight, you're crazy. I might even call you when we leave here and tell you and then hang up my phone.

Soreness vs Pain And Playing Through Discomfort

SPEAKER_02

Keep spreading the news.

SPEAKER_04

No, start spreading the news.

SPEAKER_02

Start spreading the news. Don is back in town. Can't wait. Yes. Steens was back in town too.

SPEAKER_04

It was a great surprise. I looked, I saw his face. Boom. Window. Steens. I'm usually five.

SPEAKER_03

Back in his IU hat. Yeah. Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_04

Hoosers. Hold on. Let's talk hoosiers. Oh, I love talking hoosiers. You know what we're gonna talk about?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

A poor soul. Steens like that.

SPEAKER_02

I don't think he's poor. I don't think he's poor anymore.

SPEAKER_04

We were talking we were just I just, you know, talking baby. Baseball and I was like, Did you did you see the Saturday Hoosier game? I did. And he goes, Yeah? Poor kid's got the yips. I go, Josh thinks he threw it.

SPEAKER_02

That's no yips. You don't have yips game one of the year. It's game two. Game two of the year. You don't have yips.

SPEAKER_04

I said that poor kid. If I'm coaching that team when he shows up on Sunday, I'm like, hey, but uh go ahead, just leave your glove in your bag today. Let's just take a breather from throwing the baseball.

SPEAKER_02

I don't believe in all that nonsense. You don't? Not on that stage, not on that level. College? The coaching staff. Okay, you don't think the coaching staff's privy to that?

SPEAKER_04

Chuck Chuck Knobloch just was fake yips?

SPEAKER_02

Someone there weren't any yips in his pockets, probably. I'm gonna tell you. Rick, yeah, Rick Hank. We can be a pitcher though. He didn't even pitch. I swear he was a pitcher. He was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It didn't last very long. And then he went to the outfield. Because he had the Y-word.

SPEAKER_04

I used to have him throwing BP.

SPEAKER_03

True. And what happened?

SPEAKER_04

I started doing a lot of scap work. Made my shoulder feel better. I remember used to have a dead shoulder.

SPEAKER_03

Could be like two years ago. Yeah, I fell off my bed and my shoulder's on the floor. My back's on the bed. Two years ago.

SPEAKER_04

I thought I literally I'd throw it. I'd be back, man. I can't feel my arm hurt. And then last year it got a little bit better. Now it feels great. I was telling Bob that I was throwing, I was like, man, my shoulder feels great. And we've thrown two innings, and I haven't had any issues with my arm. I mean, knock on everything I can because if you I know it's still torn in there, but we're gonna go ahead and just keep protecting her.

SPEAKER_02

No, that guy threw the game. I'm serious. I mean, that that uh you can't explain something like that.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, it was an ugly looking throw, though. Oh, I just I can't I can't get around it that says he threw the game. I just I can't.

SPEAKER_04

Did you okay? So I actually watched the the video of it. The best is when they show the kid then rounding and going to second base. Cooper was playing shortstop because Cooper plays short at Indiana and he's just standing there. He's just like like his face was just like stunned, like what just happened?

SPEAKER_02

You don't honest question, you don't think serious? This is serious, you don't think one that thought crossed one of those guys' mind on that field. No, you're whack.

SPEAKER_04

I think it crossed the mind of some of the pitchers in the dugout 100%.

SPEAKER_00

Because pitchers are ruthless in the dugout.

Closing Thanks And Sponsor Shoutout

SPEAKER_02

The most ruthless pitcher I've been around is a guy in this organization, or once in this organization, his name was Jack Calcagno. He'd bring out stuff from the gutter. The gutter, personal stuff.

SPEAKER_04

I thought that team was gonna brawl their 17-year-old year in the dugout. Then that them dudes were ruthless towards each other. But and you know who the ringleader was, don't you? Yeah. Good old Jackie C. Yeah. Love Jackie C, though, man. Oh, he is.

SPEAKER_02

He has a restaurant. Well, his brother has a restaurant in Elmhurst. Good restaurant. Giving him plugging it up here.

SPEAKER_04

Old man Cal Cogno's a good dude.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Good man.

SPEAKER_02

They are all good men. Good at tail.

SPEAKER_04

That was a fun team when we were 14 years old. That was a fun team to coach. What year was that? They're all sophomores in college now. So what was that? Six years ago? What year was that? That was was that the 2020? Yeah. What year was that? 2020. Oh, funny. That's when you were here.

SPEAKER_02

They were 14. I came in when they were 15.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you were here. You've been watching USA hockey. I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_01

Oh boy. Oh brother. Oh bother. I need some honey. Oh boy. I need more honey.

SPEAKER_04

You want pool bear.

SPEAKER_05

Pool bear. What's wrong?

SPEAKER_04

Somebody I talked to one of my buddies who listens. He's like, hey, tell tell your guy you do it with that he sang for 12 minutes last episode.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's not.

SPEAKER_04

I go, and if you notice he didn't sit down, I told him within the first five minutes or so he wasn't gonna sit down. And you said, yes, I will. And then who never sat down?

SPEAKER_02

I'm sitting down now. You are it's been a long day. My haunches are done.

SPEAKER_04

Can we actually talk about something that I'd like to talk about today?

SPEAKER_03

I mean, I know that you can have a lot of talk about everything else.

SPEAKER_04

I know I know that, like, you know, it the small talk and wherever the wind takes us was what we talked about, and clearly the wind uh took us all over the place. But I do think I want to talk about this. What greatest sports movies ever. Oh. I had a yesterday, you know, we're here doing our stuff, and uh, you know, my wife texts me and she's like, Oh, I invited our neighbors over because it was beautiful out, and we're gonna just hang out on the patio and you know, maybe have a beverage, grill some food up. I was like, Great, I want some steak, talk to my neighbor, he bought some chicken, it worked out perfect. I was just gonna be the four of us. It tended to turn into like six couples, everybody's family. I mean, we had a ton of people at our house last night. When it went like crazy, sitting on the porch, which I love. I finally got to you know, clean my porch off and sit out there on the couch, turn some TV on, and we turned on the movie Miracle. That was my favorite sports movie, and I have to say, like, if I think about it, I think Miracle is my favorite and go-to sports movie that I could watch at any time.

SPEAKER_03

Hacky.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, Herb Brooks again, God respect the whole movie. If you watch it, it's it's the goosebumps, the chills, like the storyline, the Boston accents.

SPEAKER_02

You know that's a remake of this guy. I didn't know that. No, just a funny fact. I actually learned that a couple weeks ago. I've never seen the original. I know, I I didn't know there was an original one. I I learned it from this guy named uh Duckhorn.

SPEAKER_03

Duck! He said, Hey JC.

SPEAKER_02

And I we were talking about hockey. He's like, JC, do you watch the original? And I'm like, There's an original, and so I looked it up. There's an original.

SPEAKER_04

It's it's such a good movie.

SPEAKER_00

What are your thoughts on Mighty Ducks? Oh, that's one too. Which one's the best? I think the first one. The original. You can't go wrong with the original. I know, but two is good. Two is good, but you can't go wrong with the original. I know, but two is good. What about hardball?

SPEAKER_04

I love it when you call it. Oh, we big pop. Throw your hands in the air. G Baby, man. That was a real Amy. Amy, I don't think, can watch that movie. The last time she watched it, she like when G Baby dies. I mean, it was oh snow, spoiler.

SPEAKER_02

Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_04

If you haven't seen Hardball by now, I guarantee you're not watching Hardball. Just a just a theory.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's sad.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. Name another one of your favorites. We talked about it. Um I put it on my list.

SPEAKER_02

You did for you. Oh, Field of Dreams? Nope. Oh, we did talk about it. Let's talk about Field of Dreams.

SPEAKER_04

Hey Dad, how about a catch? How about a catch?

SPEAKER_02

Oh bad news bears. You said that. Love bad news bears. If I ever have a bad game, I go watch the bad news bears because I can always say there's there always can be something worse.

SPEAKER_04

Could be.

SPEAKER_02

Major League. Major League. I love Major League because it's serious but non-serious, and it's about the the Cleveland Indians, and you know, teams that you know just what was the other one I said? Friday. Friday, oh yeah, Friday Night Lights. I think just the the tone of that movie, the way it's shot, and Billy Bob Thornton in certain roles for me. I don't think there's a better actor. In certain roles that he's cast in, you just Yeah, he does a good job. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Very good. So I said for love of the game. I really love the movie for love of the game.

SPEAKER_02

It's Kevin Costner, right?

SPEAKER_04

Clear the mechanism. Little bit, little love story to it. I should say a lot of love story to it, but just a great baseball movie.

SPEAKER_00

If you're talking about that, you gotta put money ball on there, too. You can't go wrong with money ball. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I struck a nerve.

SPEAKER_04

This guy wants to talk money ball, Josh.

SPEAKER_00

Whoa.

SPEAKER_04

We talked money ball last week.

SPEAKER_02

We talked money ball probably once.

SPEAKER_04

Hey, Steensner, you're a pitch, you're a pitcher. I am. Okay. You watch the movie Moneyball? I did. They ever mention their pitching stuff?

SPEAKER_00

Not at all.

SPEAKER_04

Why not? I don't know. How many pitchers, how many pitchers uh on their team won like 18 games that year?

SPEAKER_00

I know Barry Zeta was on it. Great. Hall of Famer, no? Yeah, he should be if he's not. Tim Hudson? Tim Hudson. Hall of Famer? Yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Mark Mulder.

SPEAKER_00

Hall of Famer.

SPEAKER_04

But never mentioned in the movie because the team was built on the offense and Billy Bean's style of oh, I'm gonna change the game. BS. Your pitching staff was nasty. You had three dudes in their young prime that were lights out. They were good. And you also had a juiced out of his mind, Billy Coch's closing, who was at the peak of his career. But hey, what do I know? Never mentioned. I will say this though. My guy, my favorite hitting coach and potentially favorite coach I've ever had in my life, Frank Menacino, is very small mentioned in that movie, but played on that team, and that dude was awesome.

SPEAKER_00

You know Jermaine Dye was on that team too. I do know Jermaine Dye was on that team. I didn't know that until I watched the movie. I thought the White Sox drafted that.

SPEAKER_04

Chavi was on that team too.

SPEAKER_00

Chavez. Eric Chavez. Eric Chavez.

SPEAKER_03

Eric Chavez.

SPEAKER_04

Bow legged.

SPEAKER_03

You're bow legged.

SPEAKER_04

Correct. Bow legged guys stick together. I got to play with Chavi in spring training. Because he was he was in camp in 11. Good dude. Gave me one of his bats.

SPEAKER_02

Was it that bat you were referencing? That broke in your hands?

SPEAKER_04

No. Chavez didn't swing that. He swing a, I think it was a piece of battery.

SPEAKER_02

How did you get your hands on one of those then?

SPEAKER_04

Um Bob, my agent. Oh. Great man. Good man. Yes, good man, Bob. We're gonna bring Bob into the show at some time. Uh I forget why, but he sent me uh half dozen bats, and Bob sent me that model. I forget why he got them.

SPEAKER_03

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_04

But I didn't order them. He just he's like, hey, I got some of these bats, try them out. And I remember I tried one and I was I texted him and I said, Don't ever send me that one again. Those bats, not for me. Um and if I recall, they were pink, which was or salmon, I should say. They were a salmon color. Good color. The only time I swing a pink bat was on uh Mother's Day. And I think I only got one hit ever with the pink bat.

SPEAKER_00

Did you keep the ball?

SPEAKER_04

No, but I gave the bat to my host mom uh in Mississippi, who my uh host family in Mississippi was awesome. I love those people, they are still family to me. I still the kids are all like grown and married now, and I still talk to them. But um you play long enough, you live like you live with host families. Like it was great. But then when I when I stayed with them, their kids were 12, 10, and like seven. The daughter was seven. And uh I remember the host mom when I was talking to her because you were trying to figure out where you're gonna live. She's like, Um, will there be no uh shacking? I'm like, well, no worries. I'm happily engaged. My fiance will come visit, but when she came to visit, they would not let her sleep in the same room as me. True story, denied, which, like, whatever, man. Like, I'll follow your rules. Some guys would live with host families and like go against them. I'm like, I don't get it. You the the family is opening up their home to you, like you need to listen to what their rules are. Like, that seems like common sense, but some guys didn't think that way. The boys, great family. Love them, love you, boyds. Love them. I'll never forget my host mom. I we were on a night off Sunday, and we had Monday off. We had a day game on Sunday, and uh, she had to go run an errand, and I was hungry, so I was like, I'll come with you, but can we stop and get some food? She said, sure. And we pulled up to a Wendy's, and uh before I ordered, I told her, I said, You can't judge me. She says, What's she goes, what's that? I said, I said, You are not allowed to judge me with what I'm about to order. And she goes, Okay. And then I ordered and her eyeballs lit up, and she looked at me. I was like, Oh no, no judgment. I wasn't three double stacks and three junior bacon cheeseburgers.

SPEAKER_00

You ate all that in one sitting?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, in about five minutes tops. What was wrong? I don't know, that's what I thought. What was wrong? What was wrong with me? I was hungry.

SPEAKER_00

Wow. I got nothing to say. Me neither.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, when you played and you were athletic and uh a baseball player at that time, the amount of calories we could intake and it was perfectly fine was not that big of a deal. Plus, I didn't play like in your guys' generation where you guys all lived by the motto, like, oh, you gotta eat healthy and you gotta put salmon and chicken into your bodies. Like, we played in an area where like, I don't know, dude, you just ate whatever.

SPEAKER_00

Are pitchers athletes?

SPEAKER_04

No, no, no, like our pitcher athletes.

SPEAKER_00

Are pitcher athletes?

SPEAKER_02

No, I'm just that's just all we can talk about that later.

SPEAKER_03

That's in any era. That's just a lot. What's that? That's a lot of meat. That's why I said she wasn't allowed to judge me.

SPEAKER_04

You're judging me now. That's a lot of meat. The guy who told some kid that you made the shirts. Ay, yay, yay. You don't want me to judge you, but you're gonna sit here and judge me. I didn't tell anyone I made the shirts. Listen, I grew up with three older brothers who, when I was late to a dinner table, I didn't eat because they ate it all.

SPEAKER_02

So were you late to the dinner table? And that's why you need to.

SPEAKER_04

No, I learned not to be late to the dinner table. It's like when I go to my family uh uh dinners with my wife's family, I'm always the first one up getting food. Because if you're late to the dinner bell, dude, you don't get to eat. So don't be late.

SPEAKER_02

So you're the first one in the drive-thru at Wendy's.

SPEAKER_04

Hey! Hey sometimes you gotta get the goods.

SPEAKER_00

Get that frosty?

SPEAKER_04

No, I told you. Three double stacks, three junior bacon cheeseburgs.

SPEAKER_00

And get nothing to drink?

SPEAKER_04

Who needs something to drink? You just grab a glass of water. Actually, they had some great that she made the best sweet tea. Sweet tea. People say that all the time. I don't like their sweet tea. No. What's wrong with it? I don't know. But I'm not really a big sweet tea person. Except for hers. It was, it was whatever she did, it was great. She also made these protein ball things. Good woman.

SPEAKER_00

So you're thinking over there. You got some stern.

SPEAKER_04

I'm I'm I'm uh he's thinking about what he's gonna tell that kid next week during their lessons. Like, hey, listen, I'm gonna get this new hat. And when it comes in, yeah, I'm gonna get you one, and then you're gonna wear them be like, hey, why are you wearing Josh's hat? I got Josh's haircut, I got Josh's shirt, I got Josh's hat, and then Dan's wearing them. Why is he wearing Josh's stuff?

SPEAKER_03

Whatever.

SPEAKER_04

All right, let's talk about our boys. We got two weeks left. Sparks North has been killing it all offseason. We've talked a lot about it. Semis were this past week. And they were fun. Games were good. I think there was one game that got a little four-nothing win from somebody, but everything else was a one-nothing. We even had a 0-0 game through four innings, which was great. Pitchers threw strikes. Uh, we had a three-pitch inning. Josh Landry, 27, right hand pitcher, threw a three-pitch inning, went first pitch, pop out. Next pitch, base hit. Okay. Third guy comes up. Let me tell you something. If you're gonna swing on the third pitch, you better not hit him to a double play. He smoked a line drive at the third baseman. Dude snagged it out of there and doubled him off at first for a three-pitch in.

SPEAKER_02

Our pitchers threw well on Sunday. And I'm looking forward to the final on this Sunday. But um, hopefully they're they're not peaking, but they're progressing. And so that's what I'm really happy about. And going into our last couple practices here Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. Um I think everyone got better in some fashion. Whether it be was many, many steps, many gains, but we're we're not even at the top of the mountain, we're at the base of the mountain, and we're just gonna keep walking up. But I'm glad we're at right now. This I will miss the Sunday practices. I I do enjoy telling people I'm going to bed early on Saturday and waking up on Sunday. Um, I only have one more of those for baseball as I transition out into the softball realm. Because we do have a game on Sunday this actually uh this week after our spark stuff. So we'll see how it goes, Mr. Steensmill. When's the perfect time for a pitcher to peak, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_00

Peak? Yeah. I mean, the everybody answers at the end of the season. That's the wrong time to peak. From experience, I've peaked at the end of the season, and then before you know it, it's over. And then what do you do? The right time to peak is right when the season starts. Oh wow. Right when the season starts. Whenever the season starts, so obviously college baseball opening day was February 13. You better be ready to go the first day. Because think about it this way you have a couple bad outings, you rattle off two really bad days, you're out of the rotation. You're out of the coach's mindset of being able to play. And then you're gonna sit there and wonder, why aren't I playing? And then you're gonna go sit in the coach's office, and you guys are gonna have a nice chat. It's not gonna be very nice. Because it's not gonna go the way that you want it to. So what do you do? Be ready opening day. Doesn't mean you have to be a hundred percent, but you better be close. You better be close. You train all offseason to do what? Throw a hundred innings. And the pros, it's you know, two hundred or whatever they say it is nowadays. If you're lucky, you get 200 innings. But in college, you better be ready opening day.

SPEAKER_04

These dudes throw four innings and get oh, analytics say you gotta come out the game.

SPEAKER_00

I got my own opinions on that.

SPEAKER_04

You I think your opinions lie the same way my opinions lie. Oh, they do.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, they do.

SPEAKER_04

But go on, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00

No, well, think about it this way. You get to the fall season. When? I don't even know when to get there. September, October, something like that? Late August. Late August. You don't have to be ready then. You don't have to be ready in January. But February 13 comes around, you better be ready to tow the rubber and ready to go. When does high school season start? March 1st. March 1st. Better be ready March 1st.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, games will start like March 13th if the weather's alright, but they start practice March 1st, which means like you said, you better be ready to throw live in cages or swing or field ground balls or take everything and be ready to go. Because you gotta earn the the trust of your coach.

SPEAKER_00

Not saying you gotta be 100%, but you better be 95% ready. You gotta touch and fine-tune a little things here and there. But you don't need to do too much. Coaches will have you throw a bullpen every once in a while. That's where you make the fine tunes. You don't do anything crazy because if you do something crazy, you're making too many adjustments before the season started. You should have been making those adjustments in January and December.

SPEAKER_02

This is why we miss you.

SPEAKER_04

This is why we miss you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Because kids have these things where they can peak halfway through the season and then they're expecting to continue to gain playing time. I've seen it in my playing career, and it never works. You might get lucky and really rattle off some hot starts, but it never lasts. If you're ready opening day, you never have anything to worry about.

SPEAKER_04

If you're always ready every pitch of every game and every every day, you're you're prepared. Every day. You gotta be ready no matter what. You gotta be ready for your opportunities, you gotta be ready for your windows. Um sometimes you don't get many opportunities. So like you said, you have to be ready. Whether you're 100% or not, you better be close to it all the time.

SPEAKER_00

And even if you're not 100% healthy, I get this question. I had this when I was here, I'd have a lot of people come ask me, well, my arm's sore, I'm not feeling the greatest. I could rattle off on my hand, probably on one hand, how many times I was 100% when I touched the rubber to throw a baseball. Better be ready to learn how to throw in discomfort. Some sort of discomfort. Kids don't understand that nowadays.

SPEAKER_03

That's valuable.

SPEAKER_00

It's just the truth. It's hard. You can ask any professional pitcher that's done this thing for a long time. They'll all say the same thing. You're never 100%. One of the guys that got that information was a former White Sox reliever, Kendall Graveman, who pitches with the Diamondbacks, I think now. He's I asked him one time, I said, Hey, how's your shoulder? Because he was about to go into labrum surgery. And I was like, Hey, how you feeling? He goes, I feel awful. He had some other kind words, or no, not so kind words, I'm not gonna say. Don't you say those? I'm not gonna say them. It's a family show here. It is a family show. And uh he's like, Yeah, I'm heading for labrum surgery. And I said, Oh, I gotta get mine repaired too, and all that kind of good stuff. And I asked him how many times he's played in the big leagues for 10 plus years or however long it's been. I said, How many times you felt good on the mountain? He said, One time, one singular time in his big league career. And he rattled off the start that he made with Toronto when he was with Toronto. He's like, I pitched seven innings and I'll never be able to replicate that again. Wow. Because everything hurts. Welcome to pitching. Pitch is our athletes, Dan. We have our moments.

SPEAKER_04

Sometimes. Some sometimes. I think that's what you're saying. I think there's a lot of truth behind. Because I I mean I obviously played for a long time as well and talking to pitchers or just position players. Like you'd throw balls. And I remember late in my career we would take in and out before games sometimes or serious. And like we always argued with our our managers about it. Like, and they'd be like, Oh, you have to take it, and we have to do it X amount of times a year. And we'd all be like, dude, nobody wants to throw the ball. Like outfielders, we'd all be like, We're good. And then it basically turned into like you'd catch the ball and just lob it to the cutoff guy. And they'd be like, You gotta show it off. It's like, for who? There's nobody in the stands watching us.

SPEAKER_00

My dad's gonna be proud though.

SPEAKER_04

And and just so you know, I got about two bullets in the chamber today, and like I might need those late in this game, so I'm not using those because I'm gonna throw a ball at some point, and my whole arm is gonna go tingly, and I'm gonna shake it out in the outfield until it stops tingling, and then we're gonna move on because you play this game long enough, you throw against the unnatural motion. And like I get it when you're younger and you have arm issues, and I had arm issues when I was 12 and had a tear in my uh rotator that then had to heal, and I could I physically couldn't throw a ball more than 10 feet though at one point, and uh but I'm with you. I think for whatever's going on, like kids will have arm issues or or things will happen, and growth plates seem to be a lot of what's going on, and it's like I know that's always a double-edged sword. Like, do you throw through it, do you not throw through it, and then you risk injury, but like call what it is, man. The the people who are diagnosing this stuff, like there's money that's involved when there's rehab or things that they have to do, so can it be skewed for sure?

SPEAKER_00

Would you say there's a difference between soreness and pain?

SPEAKER_04

100%.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04

There there's they're 100% of there. So when I played shortstop at Bradley and and at LT, like every time I let a ball go, my bicep would have soreness in it. But like I never had pain that I couldn't still throw a baseball, but you are throwing against an unnatural motion of what your arm is supposed to do. There's going to be pain behind that, and it's I get it, it's not a clamorous thing to say or or praise thing to be like, yeah, your arms are hurt when you throw, and people health don't want to hear that, but like that's the truth behind it. And the people who are willing to I guess the best word I could say is deal with it. Pain management. Yeah, we'll figure it out. So um this guy's over here making hand gestures at me. One one minute? Oh man, what a show. Right. Steensma before this cuts out on us, man. I'm just gonna tell you, dude, um we appreciate you having like coming out here.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_04

Everything you've done for us and this organization, the kids. I know a lot of people miss you here. You are welcome here anytime, dude.

SPEAKER_00

I miss them.

SPEAKER_04

I just fun watching you grow up, dude, and seeing where you've become. So keep doing your thing. I appreciate it. A lot of it goes to you. And we we will have you back though. But this it's a shame this one's gonna get cut short on us, blood. The the gone with the wind really went to the wind.

SPEAKER_02

I liked where we went. Thank you for coming. Oh, thank you. I love you. I love you. Good guy. You're a good guy, too. You're a good guy. Hit us with the ending, Grace. I love Steensma. Everyone should be more like Steensma. Thank you for listening so much. Be like Steensma. Be a good man. We'll talk to you next week. And Newman's Corner pub. Oh, and this was all brought to you by Newman's Corner Pub. For your gambling, eating, and drinking needs, go to Newman's Corner Pub. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04

Bruce Sauce, Lord Puck. And Steensma. And Steensmo. Out.