Expectations Beyond Rules and Eye Wash But Genuine Culture

We dig into how real team culture forms, why simple rules beat long manuals, and where leadership, assistants, and parent alignment make or break a season. A late drop-in from Ethan shows what buy-in sounds like from the players’ side, and we debate gold medal vs Stanley Cup.

• setting tone with simple rules: be safe, have fun, get better
• choosing assistants you trust to lead when you step away
• building rosters with a shared floor and different ceilings
• testing egos with pickup hoops to reveal instincts
• aligning parents with standards that travel beyond practice
• protecting arms and values over short-term wins
• scrimmaging on a blacktop and learning resourcefulness
• youth habits that stick: signs, focus, picking teammates up
• gold medal vs Stanley Cup and what meaning fuels effort
• dome access reminder and who will outwork everyone this spring

“Don’t be a stranger. The dome is open. Come in, get your work in, and keep getting better”

Transcript

New Basement Setup & Tennis Wallpaper

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Hi. His voice is back. And my voice is here. Well, it's almost back. It's like 75%. But my voice is still here, and we're glad that you're listening to one more episode. And I'm in Florida right now, but we released it for you right now. Hopefully, I haven't drowned in in the depths of the seas. I think I met a turtle. Also met a mermaid. I think I'm going to Disney World tomorrow, too. I'm going to let you know how that goes. I might pop by the Cincinnati Open, but that's in August. We'll give you an update in August. It'll be like 50 episodes in, probably, at that point. But strap in. Let us roll into episode 14 of the Good Man Show.

SPEAKER_06 0:46

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

SPEAKER_04 0:51

I feel like we need a fireplace right here, right now.

SPEAKER_06 0:55

It's a cozy little home here. It is a cozy little home here. New location for the show tonight. Yes. Had a makeshift location. Because we're on a different night. We're releasing later.

SPEAKER_05 1:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:10

We're in the basement. Mm-hmm in the brew crew household. Yes. First time Blood's ever come to the house.

SPEAKER_05 1:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:18

Didn't give the tour yet because we had to get right to business, but we'll get to it. But you did get to see one of my favorite parts about the house on the way down to the basement. What was it?

Bar Talk, Tennis Matches & Old-School Gear

SPEAKER_04 1:28

Your wallpaper. It's beautiful. It's Wimbledon-esque. Uh he to describe it as I walk down the basement, there are many players with tennis rackets, um, female and male, guy with an afro, um, woman with a full head of hair, and they're volleying back and forth, and there are a couple other players out there too, but it's just very picturesque, historic, and I don't know. I I feel like I would want my entire house filled with this type of wallpaper. It's great. I I for you guys that don't know, don't listen too often, we love the sport of tennis around here.

SPEAKER_06 2:06

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:06

Um, in fact, um when people ask me what's my favorite sport to watch over the past year, I've been saying it's tennis, and they're surprised.

SPEAKER_06 2:13

You know, your wife lost last night.

SPEAKER_04 2:16

Which one?

SPEAKER_06 2:17

Eva.

SPEAKER_04 2:18

Yeah, she's hurt.

SPEAKER_06 2:19

I know she didn't look herself.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

No, she's hurt. I know.

SPEAKER_06 2:23

Lily had a performance. No, this was Thursday. So Lily had a performance, and uh we went there and then they wanted to go to this bar for some pizza afterwards, and that match was on us. It just happened to be on right at the table. Did you build this channel up? It was great. What bar is this? This is a great bar. Stars and stripes right down the street. That's a great bar. New bar that just opened up, smart bar. It was Driftwood, turned into Sorento. Now um Stars and Stripe, but had the match on. I looked at one of the other dads sitting at the table. I was like, Who you like? I don't even know. I was like, It's Eva. Eva Yovic. I was like, I'm pretty sure the other girl's a Brit. I wasn't positive, but she was and she won. Who did she play? Toml, Toml Tomeljak? Uh no, she's I thought she's Russian. Tomolovic? She's a Brit with that name? Yeah. Because she played um who is she playing today? I'm gonna look this up actually, right now. I don't remember, but yeah, she is. But no, I I I appreciate the like of the wallpaper because uh when we bought this house, uh, that is literally like the only thing left from the original house. And your phone. Oh, and the rotary phone. And the yeah, that you need to hang back up there. I did. I showed you, you know what's beautiful about the rotary phone that I showed you to that I didn't show it to you, is it has the police station, the fire station, it has like all the emergency actual like numbers to those on it.

SPEAKER_04 3:55

I think they made stuff better back in the day.

SPEAKER_06 3:58

You don't have to think they did, you know.

SPEAKER_04 4:00

Um, they made houses better, they made uh cars better, they made uh people better. I don't know. Yeah. If you were born after 2000, I don't know. I got called an unk the other day. An unk? Yeah, but you're not an unk. Oh, to these people, I was. I guess if I'm seven years older than you, I guess I'm an unk. Man. He said you were unk, coach. And I said, Well, how? Because you were unk. You talking riddles.

SPEAKER_06 4:32

And I said, Did you say, well, you don't speak English?

SPEAKER_04 4:35

And I well, I had no response because you see, I have to be politically correct in this type of setting that I'm just saying kids.

SPEAKER_06 4:41

Clearly, this is a kid who said it to you. Well, this was a college person. A kid.

SPEAKER_04 4:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:46

They're still kids. They think they aren't, but they are. They're still young. They're not wise. A lot to learn.

Generations, Work vs Sports, Respect

SPEAKER_04 4:54

Uh side note, uh well, maybe we could talk about this later in terms of um college scholarships being raised or taken away based on performance. Talk about that later, but that was a conversation I had with these particular people.

SPEAKER_06 5:10

There's some schools that do do that.

SPEAKER_04 5:12

I know, and we were there was hypotheticals and it was going back and forth. I have my opinion on it, but you know, some people have their opinions on it.

SPEAKER_06 5:21

I think it's just like any sporting world that they always say it's a business. You're what is business, so you're b based on your performance. But it doesn't matter if it's a sporting world or just a general workforce. You are are you should be based on what you do.

SPEAKER_04 5:39

You see, they say they like bringing up that I'm your boss, but then all of a sudden that gets thrown. It it's all I hate when people start comparing the sports world to actual job world when it suits their convenience. And when sometimes it's a different world. I'm sorry. It some some yeah, some there's some parallels, but then others, there's no parallels. For example, for um I always love the one in terms of talking back. You know what I'm preparing you for? I'm preparing you for the real life, and one day you're gonna have a boss and you can't talk back. And then I want to say, well, usually in those types of companies, there's an HR department, and the way you talk, HR would probably fire you before they got to me. They'd get you before me.

SPEAKER_06 6:27

Or you'd find yourself in a in a field where the person who is your so-called boss doesn't treat you like that.

SPEAKER_05 6:36

Another hundred percent.

SPEAKER_06 6:37

Like that, like that is correct. It's like this people who walk around who have to claim they're an alpha or or say they're a certain whatever, there's a lot of insecurity there.

SPEAKER_04 6:54

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 6:55

If you have to say what you are, correct. If you have to say what you are, or try to enforce dominance because you can use a word. I I I what are words? They're words, actions speak louder than words, correct. So I think you and I agree. I think that's why we've always gotten along. Because even when you were just sitting there, I was sitting there, I was like, I don't know if I've ever once to any of you guys who work at the dome, tried to insert dominance as like I'm a boss, or even said that to you guys. I actually hate when you guys try like Earhart's done that before, where like, oh, this is my boss. I'm like, no, no. I mean, sure, technically with certain fields there, yeah, but no. Well, that's because I treat you guys. I mean, when we get to a respect factor, it's it's a friendship, it's it's we're co-workers doing things together with the same uh intentions of helping young athletes.

SPEAKER_04 7:50

And that's how we're here now. I mean, I'm we're sitting in your basement, you know, and so it's actually clean.

SPEAKER_06 7:56

I'm thinking thankfully, I incentivized the children about a week ago to clean this up because usually it looks like a tornado rolls through here.

SPEAKER_04 8:05

It looks fine.

SPEAKER_06 8:06

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_04 8:06

It looks like you have three kids. I like again, I hate when people be like, we gotta clean the house before company comes. Like, well, what do you what is this company? This company gives me$100,000 to walk in the home. If not, then you deal with my house the way it is, man. I'm like I and I expect the same thing. I walk in your house, I don't really care. It's your home, it's your domain. You work hard to live in here, so you can live however the hell you want to live in here.

SPEAKER_06 8:27

Agree. Now, I would I would say personally, I have some serious OCD. Now, the only thing comes to cleanliness in my home.

SPEAKER_04 8:34

The only thing, do not leave Legos on the floor. I will not like you if you do that to me.

SPEAKER_06 8:39

Well, don't go walk in Logan's room right now.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

Okay, don't do that to me. That's painful. That's worse than walking through a Hawaiian bed of coals right there.

SPEAKER_06 8:46

He actually was doing Legos in the living room a couple days ago and then stepped on one of his out of his own. And he goes, Ow! That really hurts. I go, Yeah, that's why I tell you, keep picking those up. He's a funny one, that guy. Oh, Logan's a good one. He told my neighbor today that I don't know if I should share this. Uh, they were talking about Lent, and he said that he, well, he's told my neighbor that he's given up saying bad words for Lent. And my neighbor goes, Oh, well, you know, that's good. He goes, and then he kind of like looks at me like, but only, you know, if I need to. And he was kind of like, Well, I don't what bad words does he know? I don't know. It's I say that's stupid since that kid. No, well, I've heard you know, anybody who's got kids has probably heard their kids say something that they're not supposed to. Um, but I will say this ever since he was a very young lad and started talking, he has always had a very interesting vocabulary compared to my other two. He caught on to a lot of words quicker. And I'm not just I'm not saying like bad words quicker, I'm saying like just words quicker. Like he was really good at having sent like conversations and saying sentences and saying big words that you're kind of like, how do you know these? Um, he's an he's a very interesting. I was wrestling down here with him tonight, too. It was fun. Played some NHL. Hecky. We won first game we won together. You know who you wanted to be?

SPEAKER_05 10:18

Who?

SPEAKER_06 10:19

Your your team. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_05 10:24

Avalanche.

SPEAKER_06 10:25

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_05 10:26

Oh. I hate that team.

SPEAKER_04 10:29

Say it. The sharks. You know it. I hate that team. I played because I play sometimes with my brother and HL2K and uh nah. Nah.

SPEAKER_06 10:40

First up with the sharks?

SPEAKER_04 10:42

Nah. Couldn't score in that game. It's hard to score in that game.

SPEAKER_06 10:45

Well, I changed the controller settings to hybrid.

SPEAKER_05 10:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 10:50

So that it's more the old school where like what squares slap shot or squares wrist shot, X's pass, circles, slap shot instead of trying to use the joystick.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

It makes it a lot easier. Okay, because I didn't know you can do that. Well, I'm using the joysticks help.

SPEAKER_06 11:07

That's because you grew up in the air of all these games making you guys play games like that. I grew up in the air where it was the buttons that made all the things do it. So I always go back to the old settings.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

My first game was uh I think it was EA MVP 2005 baseball. Manny Ramirez was on the cover. Wow. That was my first baseball game.

SPEAKER_06 11:29

I think my my first baseball game?

SPEAKER_04 11:31

Yeah, Manny Ramirez.

SPEAKER_06 11:33

I mean, Griffey, I mean RBI baseball came out in what 8087.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

Oh, you're going all the way back.

SPEAKER_06 11:40

Well, that's what I grew up. We grew up playing RBI baseball.

SPEAKER_04 11:43

RBI baseball.

SPEAKER_06 11:44

But our first our first game system we got as a house was Super Nintendo. With Mario and everybody? Yeah, but we didn't well Mooney played Mario. We more put it was like NH, it was either NHL 92 or 94, I forget which one. But if you took a slapshot from the blue line coming up the boards, it was a guarantee goal every time.

SPEAKER_04 12:04

Same thing. Um, I had uh two when 2K was making it. Um you would just slide in front of the goalie really quickly and then automatic goal. You'd win 100 and nothing. Glitches. Yeah, yeah, find the glitches in the system. I don't play video games that much anymore.

Florida Trip Plans & Schedule Goals

SPEAKER_06 12:18

No, today was the first time I played a game and a half, and I couldn't tell you the last time I played. Logan actually said that to me. He's like, You never play with me. I'm like, I don't really have a desire to go play video games.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

I heard um actually uh I was on the phone with someone today, a dear friend of mine. Uh he said for his stress relief he plays Fortnite and his wife cheers him on while he plays.

SPEAKER_06 12:44

See, I played that game twice. The first time I played it, nobody gave me any directions, and it took me about 20 minutes to get down to the actual map. I was just floating. Just flying around. And I was like, when does the game start? And they're like, dude, you gotta dive down. I was like, I you lost me already.

SPEAKER_04 13:11

Yeah, so uh his wife cheers him on, and it's a um it's it's it's a cool time for them. It's bonding time for them.

SPEAKER_06 13:20

Whatever helps a marriage or relationship work, yeah, go for it.

SPEAKER_04 13:24

Yeah. I was talking to him, I was at Aldi, and we were just talking about certain things. He's one of our uh youth coaches, and I I always appreciate my conversations with him. He's a good dude. Good, good dude, man.

SPEAKER_06 13:37

So I just want to say the new location, the wallpaper, I appreciate it. Like, I'm glad we're getting this in. But when this comes out, you're gonna be in Florida. Hopefully, you guys have had many, many wins by the time this comes out.

SPEAKER_04 13:49

No, I'll I'll be touched down. Like the time it comes out, I'll only be two games in.

SPEAKER_06 13:53

Two games in.

SPEAKER_04 13:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:55

Gotcha. So well, hopefully you're two and oh, but how many games are you guys playing? Ten. Ten in how many days?

SPEAKER_04 14:02

Five. Well, no, six, because one of them's an off day.

SPEAKER_06 14:06

Oh, you so you do have another day.

SPEAKER_04 14:07

Thursday's an off day.

SPEAKER_06 14:08

So you play ten games in five days?

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Well, six days, yeah. Six.

SPEAKER_06 14:13

Well, no, but you only play five days. You get a day off.

SPEAKER_04 14:16

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 14:17

Man.

SPEAKER_04 14:18

Uh, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday.

SPEAKER_06 14:21

A lot of games. All the same location?

SPEAKER_04 14:24

Yeah, it's the Space Coast complex out in Melbourne, Florida. Um, never been to this part of Florida. I've been on the Orlando side. I mean, we make our annual trip to Florida every fall. Yeah. Um, it's usually in the same spot, whether it be in the Fort Myers area or where's the other one?

SPEAKER_06 14:40

Fort uh Jupiter? West Palm.

SPEAKER_04 14:43

West Palm. I've never been to the Jupiter one. Maybe I'll come to the U.S. Jupiter and West Palm is literally right next to each other. Uh so those two have been with Nikki C every Florida there. So this is my first time in Florida without Nikki C.

SPEAKER_06 14:55

Nikki C, he loves you.

SPEAKER_04 14:57

Nikki C, I miss you.

Pitching Rules, Player Safety & Ethics

SPEAKER_06 14:59

He'll back the blue for you all. Actually, I retract my statement. He most likely will not be back in the blue. He'll be out as Jimmy John drun. I don't know if you guys knew, but JJ does not stand for Jimmy Johns. It stands for Josh and Jimmy.

SPEAKER_04 15:25

Um, so 10 games, what's the goal? In terms of wins? Seven? I'd love to go seven and three.

SPEAKER_06 15:33

Man.

SPEAKER_04 15:33

Love, and obviously, common answer would be like 10-0. But we play a couple tough opponents. Um, we're five and five.

SPEAKER_06 15:40

I mean, nobody's going down their ten and all.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

No, we're going down the five and five. Um, coming off a couple uh a couple, you know, inch um interesting games. We're gonna bounce back, and you know, that's pretty much it.

SPEAKER_06 15:51

Six and four pushes you under the the positive column.

SPEAKER_04 15:54

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 15:55

So that's that's bare minimum.

SPEAKER_04 15:57

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 15:57

We're gonna get the six and four bare minimum, correct, and I think we will. Seven and three. Get the sticks going. That'll be easy.

SPEAKER_04 16:04

You know, pop off seven in the first season.

SPEAKER_06 16:06

Here's my advice.

SPEAKER_04 16:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 16:08

Get on base, create some havocs. 100%. Right? Maybe a hit by pitch here and there, walk, the tough, a 10-pitch tough at bat. Those are great. I that's hey, get to the bullpen. I don't know if that's really how that one works, but no, they no, they get to the ball. No, they have them.

SPEAKER_04 16:27

I mean, I know they do, but actually, in this one, you want to get to that one quicker because usually there's just one. Maybe two. Yes, one and a half that are standing in your way. Yeah, you want to get to the pitch. And then once you get past one and a half, you're in.

SPEAKER_06 16:41

Is there is there a pitch limit? No. There's no restriction on a lot of pages.

SPEAKER_04 16:47

You can bring them back in.

SPEAKER_06 16:49

I'm serious. Oh, that's right. I can take somebody out and bring them back in. All right, now I'm gonna tell you a funny story.

SPEAKER_04 16:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 16:56

Okay. When I the spark when we first started.

SPEAKER_04 17:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:02

So this would have been 2019, because I'm trying to think. It was Cash's freshman year years at Montini. And I went to his game. It was 2020. Okay. It was I don't know, March 13th.

SPEAKER_05 17:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:21

It was 40 degrees tops out at Joliet uh Slammer Stadium. They were playing um, I want to say they were playing Mount Carmel.

SPEAKER_04 17:34

Yes, you've told me that's one. Right?

SPEAKER_06 17:36

They were playing Mount Carmel, starting pitcher, probably threw I don't know, that kid probably threw 85 to 90 pitches. They were up 4-1, going to the seventh, Montini 7-8-9 coming up, blooper, walk, walk. Coach called time, walked out to the mound, took the relief pitcher out, and re-entered the starting pitcher. And I knew that was a rule in high school baseball, but I've never seen anybody do it. And then as I was watching that game, I realized the kid got the win and the save in a game. One of the most messed up things I think I've ever seen in in high school baseball.

SPEAKER_04 18:24

It's commonplace in softball.

SPEAKER_06 18:26

If I was that kid's father, I would have my kid would no longer have gone to that school after that day.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

So you're saying you would pulled them the next day?

SPEAKER_06 18:45

Take him out of the game and and tell him he's done, and then remake that kid get hot and be good on his arm.

SPEAKER_04 18:52

Would you have been okay with it if it was um state final game?

Tryouts Begin & Coaching Standards

SPEAKER_06 19:02

Um. Okay. No. I get it, but not at that age. I get it for a World Series. Those are grown men, they're making their decisions, they're the ones who are collecting a very high paycheck to play that game and getting paid to do it, and they're the ones who are then risking their careers. That is a young kid, like, and I'm sure the kid wants a ball, but I think as the adults and the coaches and of that timing of those, that you have to make a choice that winning a state title is not worth that kid's arm. College if I if it was for the national championship and he was a senior um I could arguably be persuaded, but he'd also be 22 to 23 years old. And if he's not been drafted by that point, his window of opportunity has shrunk. Um not saying that you can't make it as a senior sign, but the likelihood goes down, so I guess I would sway um to try to make a judgment call on that one. If he was a junior and a first round draft pick, no. Because you'd be jeopardizing that kid out of millions of dollars and and a and a potentially of multi-million dollars in a career.

SPEAKER_04 20:52

Not worth it. And then plus, like if we're gonna go down that route, might why even take him out in the first place?

SPEAKER_06 20:59

Yeah, I mean, I understood why he took the kid out of the game I was at. It was the right decision, seven, eight, nine. But if you load the bases, you better have somebody else to go, not back to that kid. I mean, I understand why he would want to go back to that kid. He was very good and he was lights out that night, but like I said, it was March 13th, it was it was 40 degrees out tops. Like it's what if he's still there? The coach? Yeah, I'm not sure. I know the kid who uh the pitcher I'd know he's not throwing and had arm issues as he got to college. So but with high school baseball talk, it starts Monday.

SPEAKER_05 21:43

It does.

SPEAKER_06 21:44

When this comes out, it'll be first day of tryouts, second second day of tryouts. Second first day of tryouts will be in the books, second day of tryouts will be happening. I thought you gave the kids because I could not Tuesday and Thursday, I could not give the ending talk to the kids. Kids. Josh had a step up per usual. He knocked it out of the park. Gave the kids some great advice, but I thought your advice to the kids the same advice you gave on the show of hit the ball off the back wall, hit the guy in the chest, play catch the right way. I actually appreciate what Duckhorn said at practice on Thursday. Uh a duck duck, long time guy, been in the game, good dude, man. Been working at the dome since the start of this year. Fits right in, man. I've known Duck since I was a kid. Uh appreciate what he does, but the fact that he's been working with us for that short amount of time and said what he said to the kids about the Sparks brand and what they represent and how it what it means to me and means to you and just the culture of everything that was going on, I thought was uh a very positive message to those kids headed into tryouts.

New Coaches, Culture Fit & Hiring

SPEAKER_04 22:53

Duck, like you said, I've I've just known Duck now for what, six months or whatever how long it's been. But um a guy that can be misunderstood if you take him at face value, but if you spend a few minutes and moments and actually hear him out and see him in action, you see a guy that cares and a guy that actually um wants to be there. You know what I'm saying? And he might be a little rough around the edges and blunt, but if you actually step back and think about what he's saying, he's actually right, usually more times than not. And and in terms about what he was talking about, the brand, um, that's a uh an outsider's view because he hasn't been here that long, and that's what um the brand stands for, you know, and so I yeah, I appreciated that as well. And I always appreciate, I've always gotten I was talking to your brother about this, I've always gotten along with older people, and uh I get along with Duck really well. And I don't know, maybe it's because they're just blunt and brash, and they don't really care what they're gonna say.

SPEAKER_06 23:58

A couple of our new guys, Duck, Steph, yeah, all those guys. I remember first day. Yeah. This guy over here, I don't know about these guys. I don't know about these. I was like, every guy I've ever brought in here, you say you don't know about. I said, let's see what happens. Let's let's see are they good guys? Will they show up? Are they hardworking? Do they buy into what we do? Let's see what happens. I'll tell you what, we've had another good off season of hires. Yes, another like we had another good off season. I mean, Kanji says it every Sunday. He's like, man, every year you guys find new guys that are just good dudes. I'm like, yeah, and they stick around. Burt, Burt's, Bert's been one of the greatest pickups ever. Love Burt. He's just trying to get the young kids better.

SPEAKER_04 24:49

Burt, one day Bert's gonna come on here. Uh I can't wait. I let's set that up next to the show.

SPEAKER_06 24:57

We're gonna we're gonna need about two hours.

SPEAKER_04 24:59

Two episodes.

SPEAKER_06 25:01

Oh, it's gonna be a to be continued.

SPEAKER_04 25:03

Yeah. Of Bert.

SPEAKER_06 25:04

I can't wait.

SPEAKER_04 25:05

And imagine Bob and Bert.

SPEAKER_06 25:08

No, you can't do them together. Stop that.

SPEAKER_04 25:13

Neither of us know neither of us would talk. So so I came in, I was actually thinking about this. Uh, I came in after practice, um, it was 10 in the morning. I come in out of the field and I walk into the locker room, and it's only me. Obviously, at the time, it'll just be Bob and John in there, and it was only Bob in there. And Bob just started talking about hitting. I looked up at the clock when he was done. I walked in there at 10.05. Do you want to guess the time when I walked out? And I got probably 10 to 15 words in.

SPEAKER_06 25:46

Uh I feel like I'm gonna lowball it, but I'm gonna say 1051.

Stories Of Mentors, Hitting Philosophy

SPEAKER_04 25:50

1050. And that was only because I said, Bob, I have to go. He murdered, and don't get me wrong, it wasn't a slog of 45 minutes, people. Don't misinterpret me. It the the the 45 flew by, but that's how much knowledge is in Bob Lasante's brain. And I've compared Bob early on when I first met him. For you people that have watched Winnie the Pooh, the owl at the at the top of the tree that just talks, and that's Bob. And we love him for it. Yeah, but no, he could he would murder an hour easily here.

SPEAKER_06 26:25

I uh I I've told you this before, and I actually brought up to Bob the other day. We were laughing about it, but the last spring training I was at, that Bob came to visit me. I was his he had like four or five meetings that day. So I was his first one, and it was like one o'clock. So we did lunch, and we did this restaurant that was literally because I didn't I it was walking distance to my hotel, so it was great. So I walked over, had lunch, we finished. He's like, I have another client coming in like 20 minutes. He's like, You're welcome to stay. I'm like, I got nothing to do, I don't really care to sit at the hotel. And I can sit here and Bob's, you know, take care of the tab. Like it's on, it's on, it's on the company, right? So it's great. So I sat there for the next meeting. That meeting came and gone. Bob looked at me, he goes, You want dinner? I said, sure. Ordered some dinner. Next client came in, sat there through that meeting, came and gone. Bob looked at me, he goes, Want another drink? Sure. Next meeting shows up, came and gone. It was Bob and I at the end. I looked at him, I was like, I'm home. I was like, I enjoyed sitting through all your meetings today. But it was funny, like the kids were. I was I was one of his older ones at the time, and like like still in minor leg ball, and and the younger kids coming through, and two of them brought their fiancés or wives, and I'm sitting there and they're like, Who's this guy? And he's like, Oh, he you know, this this is Danny Powers. This is Danny, he plays for the Braves, and yeah, I've had him for a while, and all this. And they're like, What's he doing here? He's like, Well, he just he's staying at the hotel right there. It was great. It's uh like you said though, I sat there and Bob just is able to talk, and the knowledge that comes out of him and what he knows, and how he talks about it, and connects to people and players and all that whole industry. Like it's it's fascinating to listen to.

SPEAKER_04 28:24

I was intimidate, I'm telling you, the first time I showed up here, I met Bob Lasante. I told myself, I am not in I'm not supposed to be here.

SPEAKER_06 28:33

It's wild.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

That was the initial thought. I did not want to open my mouth at all because I'm like, nope. Uh-uh. I I was in a depth that I haven't been in before. And and that's the thing in terms of people be like, you gotta be coachable, you gotta be, you gotta be able to listen, you gotta be able to be led. But then the majority of people I've run into, they don't know Jack, and you're only supposed to listen to them because you're supposed to. But then you run into a guy like Bob, and you're like, oh, this guy knows his stuff. And when I run into people like that, I don't do a lot of talking. I still don't do a lot of talking. I've known Bob for going on six years now. I don't do a lot of talking.

SPEAKER_06 29:15

Yeah, but now that you've earned his respect when you do talk, he listens.

SPEAKER_04 29:18

He does, but I still don't, I don't need to talk.

SPEAKER_06 29:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 29:22

Because it's because like you he and I joke, because I have not deleted so our text thread is six years long. Of the amount of hitting stuff in there, we he and I joke we can make books and books and books about what's in there right now. Like, even right now, we're talking about yaw. For you out there, yaw is the golf concept of the bear going behind the head, and it's just an in-depth conversation. And Bob Bob's willing to text you at one in the morning about hitting. That's what I appreciate about it.

SPEAKER_06 29:53

Well, now nowadays he's not up as late as he used to be. Midnight's usually the cutoff. He used to be honest, when I actually first started the year I was in Lockport, Bob and I would text till like one, two in the morning at times. And now he's he won't, he's not up as much.

Youth Teams, Habits & Parent Buy-In

SPEAKER_04 30:09

Yeah. He's up early. I think he's in the dome earlier these days.

SPEAKER_06 30:12

Yeah, he is very but I'm excited for high school baseball. I'm glad it's starting. I'm glad our offseason's over, like we talked about. It was a good one. I'm excited. I'm excited to watch. Yep, I got my youth boys. Some of them are at the dome tonight, getting some extra work in. Um got a big uh last basketball tournament of the year with with the third grade uh Wildcats going on this weekend. So I can't tell you in this episode what happens because it hasn't taken place, but I will share in the following episode of how we end up. But big game tomorrow at 9 40. So really looking forward to that. Lily's Lily's getting her good night's sleep. But hey, sold a hat the other day. Yes, got my hat on. Yes. I wore my hat all day. I had my hat on while driving today. Multiple people today. Evan and the dash. Multiple people. Nice hat. I like that. What is that? I said, Oh, that's the good man. So, what do you mean? The good man. Then I turned it sideways. I said, It's the good man. They're like, what is that? I said, That's my podcast.

SPEAKER_05 31:20

It's a good man.

SPEAKER_06 31:21

Some of the guys in the neighborhood. They're like, huh. They're like, I really like that hat. Like, who is the guy though? I go, I don't know. That's just the good man. But listen, man, you all gotta get your hats. I'm gonna wear it in Florida. And I'm gonna wear it on the airplane. I wore it at practice the other day. Yeah. I've been wearing it all over the place. I don't like wearing hats inside. I don't either. But I've been popping this one on because I'm oh, you gotta get her broken in. Get her feeling right. Nice trucker hat. It's beautiful. You know, it's a beautiful hair.

SPEAKER_04 31:55

Aaron Earhart. He hooked me up with some shoes today, too. That guy. Double A. Yeah. Good man.

SPEAKER_06 32:00

Beep, beep. Right? We also got to talk about our truly our favorite, the man, the myth, the legend, Don Erickson, Caliburn bats.

SPEAKER_04 32:08

Well, you're also showing me in your house that you wanted to take a lot of bats and put them up on your staircase here and use it as a uh a guardrail. Correct.

SPEAKER_06 32:16

So the stairs going down to my basement uh from the original house only had one railing going down. And once you get about halfway, it opens up on both sides. So, you know, having little kids, we've always said we should probably put railings up. Originally, the idea was I bought some wood bats, Don spun them, Caliburn logos, and I was going to put a railing with caliber and bats going down my stairs. So for those looking to do home projects, not only can Don get you bats to swing in the summer, in the spring, and in the fall, but my man can take care of you with some home projects if you're looking for Caliburn bat. Whether you want to put a bat on your kid's wall, maybe put a bat on the stair rails. Hey, I don't know. Find creative ways. Maybe something in the porch, something looking good, a little silver slugger, Caliburn bat. A gift. Who knows?

SPEAKER_04 33:08

A gift gift, anniversary gift. Something. Use it for your gender reveal. Hey, yeah, there's an idea. Yes, I have a gender reveal coming up soon. What? Yes. Joshua? Yes. Is there something we need to talk about? Talking about my dogs. My dog's having babies. Your dog's having babies? Yes.

SPEAKER_06 33:31

I thought you had something else to share.

SPEAKER_04 33:35

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm on the single, single path.

SPEAKER_06 33:39

Good man.

SPEAKER_04 33:39

Yes, yes. Good man. The good man. The good man. Who's that guy?

SPEAKER_06 33:44

Who's the guy in your head? That's a good man.

SPEAKER_04 33:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 33:47

All right. We're going to talk a little team dynamics in sports. Ooh, I love this talk. I know. That's why I hope. And I hope I hope our special guest arrives in time for this. I'm kind of curious where he is. Where is he? I don't know. A man afar.

SPEAKER_04 34:09

Do you want to take an ad break and call in and check in on him? No, he's a he's we have an ad sync ready in.

SPEAKER_06 34:15

He's in good hands.

SPEAKER_04 34:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 34:16

I mean, if you'd like to go into the ad, otherwise we can just talk teen dynamics.

SPEAKER_04 34:21

Well, I mean, we could like take a 10-second break and send it to an ad, and no, we'll be okay.

SPEAKER_06 34:27

What's the difference of 10 seconds?

SPEAKER_04 34:29

I don't know. You can give the people, you can check on where he is.

SPEAKER_06 34:32

So here's my question.

SPEAKER_04 34:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 34:34

Okay. What makes a good group and what makes a bad group?

SPEAKER_04 34:40

You want to go first or me? No.

SPEAKER_06 34:42

Me? You?

Gold Medal vs Stanley Cup Debate

Special Guest Ethan On Team Culture

SPEAKER_04 34:43

All right. Um, what makes a good group? I believe it takes it starts with the leader, and the head coach sets the entire environment. The experience, because we're here to share experiences. I tell the kids all the time, this we're here to make memories. That is purely what we're here for. And if you remember that, it kind of shapes everything that's gonna happen. So if we're here to make memories, the only things that remember, and I tell them this at the beginning, I said you're either gonna be really, really good or you're gonna be really, really bad. And I love both. Just don't be in the middle. All right. And then if you're gonna open your mouth, say something that I'm gonna remember. So don't say, don't give me coach speak. Don't give me what you think. Don't think, don't give me something that you think is the right answer. Just give me what you think is right, not what I think is right. So as the coach, you gotta set that. So it starts with you, and then find an assistant that you trust that can be alone with the kids when you're not there. That's number two. Meaning that doesn't mean they have to be the the technical master of stuff. They just need to be an offset of you in some way, but responsible enough where they respect them enough, but also they can still lead the ship in your absence. So once the leadership is set, then when the team is structured, you I always say you need a base level of talent. Everyone needs the same level, base level. Ceilings vary. Ceilings will vary in this city. I mean, look at the Chicago skyline. Willis Tower's huge, Hancock Towers there, got the Field Museum. You need to find all your buildings that make up the great city. And I think people sometimes think that you need to find everyone with the same ceiling, and that's that's just not gonna work. So, but if everyone has the same base level, you know what that removes? People snapping on each other thinking that kid sucks. Like that guy sucks. You can't say that because we're all at the same base level. That guy has the same base as me. I can just do some of these things better than you, but we can't say that's a person sucks. And I think that's when someone thinks that someone's inferior to them physically, causes dissension in the team. And you can pick on people quick. But if everyone has the same base level of talent, you get rid of that stuff, and then um, and then you got to make sure that the same that egos can fit with each other. And I've always I've talked to your brother about this. Baseball, it's kind of hard to judge egos because it's an individualized game, it's not so much a team game half the time, especially in tryouts. You don't know what you're going through. So I've always I have a theory when I have my own program one day. A basketball game will be included in the tryout portion. Why do I say basketball? Because you know a lot about a man in a basketball game, especially pickup basketball, in terms of he's willing to pass, who's willing to shoot in the tough moments, and who's willing to get other people involved. You find your hogs real quick. I'm telling you, in pick-up basketball, the guy that don't want to pass that ball, he'll translate in the game. He's the guy willing to take a 3-0 hack and be like, what, coach, what's what's going on here? And then in contrast to the guy that's worried about if everyone else is getting fed, more times than that, that's your team leader on the ball field. More times, hopefully it's your catcher, your shortstop, and more times that they're gonna they're gonna help lead the ship. And so once you have all those combined, the personalities, the base level of talent, you got good leadership. I think I'm not saying you're gonna win every game, but though that will allow you to steer through the tough times. And you always I think you always gotta build a team in preparation for the sky falling. Not it, we're gonna go 50 and oh, depending on how many games you play. It's about can we can we stay together personality-wise when it gets tough? And so that's pretty much how and here's the thing don't stockpile talent. Worst thing you can do.

SPEAKER_06 38:50

Well, if you have a collection of the right talent with the right buy-in to the right culture and the right leader, then stockpile as much talent as you want, but make it the right talent.

SPEAKER_05 39:01

Correct.

Ads, Merch, Caliburn Bats & Community

SPEAKER_06 39:02

Because we talk about it all the time. The best talent and best players are not always the right players for us, correct? And we're okay with that because we do not cater to the player, we make the players play our way because we are the leaders, and this is what we see and how we want to develop kits. Do we accommodate and do we work with each individual case to pull out the most? Yeah, but there's respect lines that if you cross respect lines and it becomes entitlement or selfishness or all the bad things you were saying, then that is what ruins the team dynamic. I go to this and it's crazy. I coach high school kids, I've coached our highest team with the Jupiter team of all 18-year-old kids of uh low to Division I talent, um and I've coached all the way down to T-ball of three to six-year-olds. And I find no matter what team I coach, uh I always keep the same three rules. And it's be safe because if we aren't taking care of each other and we aren't looking out for each other and we aren't protecting each other, and you aren't making sure yourself is safe, like you got chaos. Have fun. You're playing a game, right? It should always be a game, and games are fun, and you grow up playing in the backyard or with your dad or whatever, and that's how you fell in love with the game, is because uh you you had passion for it. So you must always remember it's a game. And then this last one I find so simple is just get better. Like if you do those three things, and I have 12 guys on a roster with that same mindset that those are our three goals, everybody pulls the same rope. It creates a dynamic or culture or whatever you want to call it and label it, um, as a positive mindset and influence. And I think there's times as leaders that you have to chew the team out if they're not playing to those standards or your expectations. And I think us as leaders, as your team is evolving, that our expectations must always continually rise and be higher than what the players' expectations or team expectations are for themselves, because we should always be trying to push them to reach a ceiling, as you called it, and every player's ceiling is going to be different, but you should be able to figure out how to maximize their ceiling. And usually when they feel like they've maximized their ceiling, there's more to it. It's just can you find those places to go to to get there? So, like I said, I I've coached a lot of different kids so far in my life, and I know I'm gonna keep coaching more. Um, and I don't know when this journey will end, but I've been very fortunate. I find parents are always like, I can't believe even in T-ball when I do T-ball, like every team we always play against, the coaches are always like, your team's the most organized, the most structured, like kids are actually doing what they're supposed to be doing. It's like if you come to a game of mine with T-ball, like when we're hitting, the kids are all lined up and there's no swinging bats and there's no climbing fences, and like we're gonna nip that in the butt and we're gonna keep this contained because if I don't, you'll have a kid. I'll watch other teams. You have a kid six feet in the air on a fence, shaking it up. Another kid sitting there slamming another kid in the head with it. It's just like, oh man, stop that stuff from the start. And then obviously, with my my little guy team, like when they were eight, that's what I established. I don't really have to establish that with them anymore. They kind of know the expectations and they know the crowd work. I actually think it's funny now. Sometimes my boys will go play with one of our youth teams, or they go play, they all like three or four of them will go off and play fallball together and they'll play with a neighboring like group or whatever, because we don't do fall stuff yet. And uh dads or parents, moms, whatever, will call me or text me and be like, you'd be so proud at the game today, like some of the boys were doing this, this, and this, and the coach happened to yell at the all the other kids and were like, Look at the sparks kids. How come they're always doing this, or they're they're locked in and they're paying attention? Or uh, you know, another one of when they go play with our teams of you know, he doesn't miss signs and he he's paying attention to the game, he's he's working everything he can. Like, why can't you guys do this? Or like when you get to high school, those are the expectations with Brewer. And like it's rewarding because I do so much with those kids that when they go play for somebody else, and that's the acknowledgement and The respect that they're getting amongst another team where they could clearly they could they could go do whatever they really wanted. Like, I'm not there, but they make conscious choices that they've learned to play the game that way and then they go do it. I think that's one of the most rewarding parts about coaching young kids when they go off and they're viewed as the individuals doing things right. And I think that's ultimately what makes teams great, like or or cultures of teams great. Like I love my young team, but I also have a great group of parents that aren't afraid to approach me if they have questions, but they also let me do my thing with the kids. They've entrusted me with their their kid to to mentor them and teach them. And all the parents, it's it's funny, it's rare. And I can't say that I feel a certain any any parent on my team roots against a kid or doesn't cheer for another kid when they're pitching or hitting or anything. Like I they're all so positive for all the kids on the team, and I think that is what's truly special.

Blacktop Scrimmage: Grit Over Comfort

SPEAKER_04 45:20

At that age level, I think that's probably top three most important things, the parents being aligned with you, because at high school, the kids are able to drive and they spend a decent amount more time with us than they do at the youth level. But at that age level, they're with the parents the majority of the time. And if there's not buying at the house, they get at home, and there's a huge disconnect. And if there's a huge disconnect, it doesn't matter what the hell you do with them because if the parents are fighting at home, you can completely forget about it. So to your point, it's all about parent buy-in, coach, parent being together, and the parent letting the coach do what he's allowed to do. But that also comes from your you how many years you've been doing this and them trusting you in the reputation that you've built up, etc.

SPEAKER_06 46:13

So yeah, and I listen, when I first started doing this, like that wasn't always the case. And not every team I've coached have I had that buy-in, and it's taken a lot of time to learn and adjust and make mistakes, and you learn from your mistakes, and I still do it. And I, you know, last year I remember going off of my team at one point, and probably way too excessive for kids that age. And I'm human, I make mistakes. Like it wasn't anything that was bad intentions, it's just you have expectations for these kids, and you know what I'm saying? Like, you feel disappointed or upset, like unfortunately we lose it. I just as a parent, like there's there's times I unfortunately yell at my kids or do things or say things, or you know what I'm saying? Like you have to uh discipline your children and punish them or whatever, you know what I'm saying? Like they make mistakes and then you do things and you react. And I think as parents, we always second guess everything you do, right? Like those are young kids that you're influencing, and everything you do can have a positive or negative impact on them. And I think as as leaders, we're trying to be as positive and influential as possible.

SPEAKER_04 47:28

So and sometimes you just let it rip.

SPEAKER_06 47:32

How much how much time we got left?

SPEAKER_04 47:34

Uh we got about like 15, 20. You want to take an ad break?

Keep Working: Dome Access & Closing

SPEAKER_06 47:38

Well, you know, it's okay. He's not gonna be back for another 15 minutes. We can pause. Well, I want to talk about this next topic really quick. Okay. I had an interesting um I had an interesting conversation today. About that uh about you know, hockey. There you go. And uh one of my neighbors asked me a question that I thought was pretty interesting. He said, Um, do you think the NHL players that played for team USA would be and I this I don't know if this is exactly how I word of it, be more excited to win the gold medal or win the Stanley Cup. And when I heard the question, I was like, gold medal. Like USA doesn't win the gold often. We haven't won since 1980. Happens every four years. Like you get to play for your country, like I don't know, all those things is kind of like felt like checked. Like I think it would be more meaningful to win the gold medal. And uh he has some friends that are pretty high intense and all hockey individuals, and he said every one of them said Stanley Cup. And then another guy I was with reached out to a friend of his that also is a high-end hockey person, and he said 100% Stanley Cup. And I found it interesting, and maybe it's because we didn't play hockey, or maybe I because I didn't play hockey, but I didn't play hockey. I asked you this kind of I asked you this question before we went on, and you said right away too, gold medal.

SPEAKER_04 49:19

Because I'm I'm thinking going back to your wallpaper, um the great Novak uh played in the Olympics, the Summer Olympics, was it two years ago? And he was able to win the gold medal in tennis for um Serbia, and the amount of emotion that graced that man's face, and he was playing against the great Carlos Sakras, who he hadn't beaten for a little bit, but him playing for his country somehow pushed him over a threshold that he hadn't reached that level in a long time. And then also like the world baseball classic that's coming up, guys that are gonna hopefully win that gold medal, whether it be for Japan, Puerto Rico, or America, like they take that thing seriously. Um, football really doesn't have a comp for their country because it's an American sport. Um, but I know soccer when they get together for the World Cup, they take that thing real seriously more than anything else. So I'm really surprised that um that would be the answer for hockey.

SPEAKER_06 50:20

This was also the other question I got. Okay, if team USA played in the NHL, right? And and this isn't saying that like okay, all the guys from Team USA then wouldn't play for their actual teams. Like you'd basically have just duplicates, yeah. Right? Would Team USA win the Stanley Cup? I say no. And you said no, and I said, that's interesting. I think they would. But I I could see arguments against why people don't think they would.

SPEAKER_04 50:50

But because I mean you got some other teams loaded up with some team guys from other countries that would give them a run.

SPEAKER_06 50:55

Yeah, I get it, but I just don't think they're as deep top to bottom.

SPEAKER_04 51:00

True, but you know, I don't care who the hell is going up against the sharks. I'm messing with messing with you. Um the sharks. No, um, like how many Americans are on the avalanche? I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 51:20

I'd good Americans, I'd have to go do more digging, but I just thought it was an interesting question. It is because I answered again once away right away, but then hockey people all say no. And I'm like, maybe I'm just thinking about that differently than I really should.

SPEAKER_04 51:37

Hockey's a different world, I will tell you that.

SPEAKER_06 51:39

Um Logan loves playing it. He's like, you know, you can get on fight, you can get in fights.

SPEAKER_04 51:44

Man, maybe you should put him in.

SPEAKER_06 51:46

He's like, you know how to get in fight. We've been playing roller hockey in the in the driveway.

SPEAKER_04 51:50

Ooh. Yeah, I will tell you in field hockey and all I did play a little bit of roller hockey, I was good. Couldn't afford to get on the ice, though. Yeah, you know, who knows what would happen if I got on the ice. I think it's one of those sports where if you let some other people in, kind of like the NBA was in the 1950s and 60s, if you let a couple people in, I think that would change the game a little bit. Could. No, I know it would. Could you know? I know because all the ones that you do that seep into the cracks, they're all good.

SPEAKER_06 52:23

You know? Okay, we got a special guest in the house showing up late into the show. Welcome in, my very own blood, my son, Ethan Brewer. Welcome to the show, bud. Hello, hello, Ethan. How are you doing? Yeah, how are you? Good. What'd you do tonight?

SPEAKER_01 52:45

Um, I went to the dome, practiced for a little, and then I went to beat ups with a couple people.

SPEAKER_06 52:50

Who are you with?

SPEAKER_01 52:52

I was with Jack and his dad and Austin and his dad.

SPEAKER_06 52:55

Gotcha. A couple guys from our team?

SPEAKER_01 52:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 52:58

Cool. So here's the deal. Josh and I talked a little bit earlier about team dynamics and uh what makes a good team and what makes a bad team. And we talked a lot about our team. I kind of told him how I uh always coach all of our teams with three rules, which are what be safe, have fun, gotta have fun, get better, and you gotta get better, right? So we've had our team for four years now. Yes, yes. Uh have you enjoyed your time with our team? Yes. Okay, what has been your most favorite thing? Or I shouldn't say not what is, but what what do you enjoy about our team? Like what makes our team great?

SPEAKER_01 53:40

Um, like everybody's good friends with each other. We all have fun together and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_06 53:46

Yeah. So like tonight, like you guys went out, you had a good time. Yeah. Went to the dome, played a little baseball, got some dinner.

SPEAKER_02 53:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 53:53

You guys will have some sleepovers periodically. Right? What what do you think helps you guys be the team you are? Like, why do you think you guys have been successful so far in your young playing days?

SPEAKER_01 54:07

Probably like people pick each other up, never mean to each other, and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_06 54:13

So, okay, how give me some examples? Like, what what do you what do you guys do to help pick each other up?

SPEAKER_01 54:18

Like if somebody missed the ground ball, like we tell them, you're good, come on, get the next one. Um they strike out, same thing, all that stuff.

SPEAKER_06 54:29

So you guys all pull for each other, yeah. Right? So even if you're pitching and and you have a teammate making error, right? You find yourself looking around and saying, hey, get the next one, instead of what?

SPEAKER_01 54:41

Instead of being like, stop missing ground balls, come like that's bad.

SPEAKER_06 54:48

Kind of showing them up, yeah. Yes, so and I think that was what we talked about some is just things we see out of players that okay, take the ceilings, for example, and you know, we're trying to build a base of all players. I think that is ultimately to, like I said earlier, what makes our team so great is we didn't tell him anything about what we were gonna say or ask him, and he comes out and says exactly what you and I talk about is what makes teams great. And I think that's what's so great about their team is these dudes love each other. Uh they pull for each other, they they they someone makes an error and they are literally there picking each other up. Ethan, um, how do you like playing for your dad?

SPEAKER_01 55:30

I like it a lot better than when I played for a different coach.

SPEAKER_05 55:35

Why is that?

SPEAKER_01 55:37

Um, I mean, he's harder on me, makes me work harder than all the rest of the kids.

SPEAKER_04 55:43

Oh, so he's extra tough on you.

SPEAKER_01 55:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 55:46

And you like that.

SPEAKER_01 55:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 55:47

That's good. You see, I coached my brother for a decent amount of time, and I was kind of like that with him too. And um it's something I'm just gonna tell you, you're gonna really, when you get older, you're gonna look back and you're really gonna appreciate it. You know, you don't I I don't think you you're gonna obviously I know you appreciate it now, but when you get older, you're really gonna be like, whoa, you're gonna really value that time. And so I'll just tell you just soak it up as much as you can, even though he might go off on you on one particular day where you'd be like, Man, that guy's a monster. But just remember the monster always cares, and there's a reason. I always say this a person has to care that much to become a monster like that for those couple minutes. You just don't naturally become a monster if you didn't care about it. Does that make sense? Yeah, so especially when you especially get in your teenage years and you want to rebel. Um, remember that I told you that, all right.

SPEAKER_06 56:39

All right, and uh, here's here's what I I love about coaching him because I'm hard on him, I'm hard on all the kids, but he has always bought into my rule that like, what can you not call me on the field?

SPEAKER_01 56:53

Dad.

SPEAKER_06 56:54

And if you do call me dad, what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 56:56

Run laughs, right?

SPEAKER_06 56:58

Like, and that has been established because I my father did that to me, and it's a sign of respect that if I'm going to coach you, I have to treat him the same as I treat the other 11 boys on the team, and he has to treat me the same as the other 11 players on the team. And it's I I truly appreciate that he has bought into that at such a young age because I think that dynamic has helped our team tremendously, being the fact that I can do the same things to him that I do the 11 players, like there's no difference of Ethan to Jack to Austin to Bennett to whoever is on the team. All the other kids are all the same, and I think I appreciate that, bud. Um I appreciate you saying you like playing for me. I do. I love coaching you, man. You're you're a heck of a baseball player. We were in the garage the other night doing some late night work.

SPEAKER_04 57:52

Oh, you're in the garage. I heard you weren't.

SPEAKER_06 57:54

Oh, he hasn't been, but he's been better. Oh he he listened to the call of he needs to get some working, and he's been getting his work in. What have you been working on?

SPEAKER_01 58:06

Um, like not going like low when I hit, like not dropping my body hips, and like oh, especially like I have to land first, then start my swing. I can't start my swing before I land.

SPEAKER_06 58:24

Yeah. Like stay in a strong position, right? We gotta get our hands with the ball, catch the ball out front, right? What else are we working on? Staying what? Not letting ourselves come up with staying what?

SPEAKER_01 58:38

Staying through the ball.

SPEAKER_06 58:39

More down through the ball, right? So we can hit the ball and create backspin.

SPEAKER_01 58:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 58:43

Right? And and I'll say this, ever since he was little, he's always had a good swing. And at our old house, we used to have uh, I actually broke, you know, little kids have little brooms and all sorts of stuff. And I remember I broke one and he used to just swing with the wood handle, and I'd toss him like little mini golf balls, and he would just roast them into the of the wall, and I'd just do rapid fire and shit, whap, whap, whap. And it was uh it was funny. Good old days when you weren't 11 years old running around playing football for four hours.

SPEAKER_04 59:17

Yeah. Sitting on his watch. Oh, I heard someone had to get up at the crack of dawn to get you into that today. Is that true?

SPEAKER_06 59:25

Oh, well, I had to sign him up for tackle football this morning. Yes. He probably doesn't even know I signed him up for tackle football today.

SPEAKER_04 59:32

Yeah, he was up at the crack of dawn. Yep.

SPEAKER_06 59:34

6 a.m. had to wake up and sign you up because the registration closes fast. Yes. So you're all signed up for football again.

SPEAKER_04 59:41

So um who's your NBA comp? Because I know you play basketball, Ethan.

SPEAKER_01 59:48

Um probably breakaway.

SPEAKER_06 59:51

No, he means he means who who is your like who would you compare yourself to who plays in the NBA? Like your basketball game. Oh. Who would you compare yourself to?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:05

Maybe like an Anthony Edwards.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:08

Oh, that's that's that's because he passed the ball off. Oh, he don't pass the ball yesterday. So yesterday, you're the guy you just mentioned, um, his coach told him to pass the ball, and Mr. Edwards said, No, I'm not passing the ball. So there are two guys up in his face in the corner. He's faded away into the into the bench and he hits a three and he goes running up to the coach saying, I'm not passing the ball.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:34

Well, then never mind, not Anthony Edwards.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:37

He when he said that, I kind of laughed. I'm trying to think who I would compare your game to. Austin Reeves? Nah. No. Uh, maybe a little bit. Reeves, Reeves plays a little tougher defense.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:51

Oh, you don't play defense.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:53

No, he does. He play, he plays different stuff. I'll say this. I I I when he plays basketball, I stay out of it. I let him do his thing, and I really like his basketball coach he had this year, and the other coaches he's had previously have all been great and treated him great, and he loves it. And I think that's the most important thing. Um, and I stay out of it because I enjoy coaching him in baseball and letting him be coached by other people. But um the one thing I've always harped on to him is I just think he plays soft defense, but that's also because he's a lot better at scoring than I was, and I could only play defense, so I played a lot of in-your-face type defense. He plays a lot more sitback defense where he does not try to get steals uh up top or from the guys dribbling. He is more of like a sneaky little like biggs will get the ball, or he sneaks underneath and swipes balls away from guys that I've started to notice. Like he plays good help side defense and he plays a little sneaky defense under low, uh like down low. I think if he learns to play a little bit more scrappy or up top, he might get some more steals and breakaways. But hey, I I like I said I I don't I stay out of it for the most part. Okay. How about your NFL comp?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:07

I I've only played tech football for a year, and I really don't know because I mean it's weird, like our run plays, like they wouldn't really be like NFL.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:24

Gotcha. It's like Christian McCaffrey. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:28

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:31

That's what I would say last year. Watch him. What is this? I'll say this guy. I'll say this. Dude, the dude was pretty good on defense. How many pick sixes did you have last year? Three or two?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:42

Three.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:43

Oh, so you like Kyler Gordon? Mike Brown.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:47

Mike Brown.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:49

Who?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:50

Mike Jones.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:51

Nah, Mike Brown. Love that guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:54

Mike Brown.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:56

Mike Brown. Do you know who Mike Brown is?

unknown 1:02:58

No.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:58

Oh, he's an old-time bear.

unknown 1:03:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:01

Usually a pick six. He had a huge pick six in a playoff game. Huge in overtime, right? It was the people of overtime now. Ended quick.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:14

Yeah. They weren't supposed to come back, I believe. They did come back that game, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:17

Yeah. But thank you, Ethan.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:21

You're a good guy. And thanks for coming on, man. Do you have anything else you want to say say?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:28

Uh no.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:28

Are you looking forward to this year?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:31

We got games coming up soon.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:33

What tournament are you most looking forward to this year?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:35

Omaha.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:37

Oh, that was quick. That was quick. Why are you looking forward to Omaha?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:40

Oh, I want to see the College World Series. Um, I think there's probably gonna be lots of good competition.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:49

And I'm just excited for it.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:51

You're media trained, man. You sound like you've been media trained. He's been prepping you for this. Are you excited to go to Indy with the high school boys again?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:58

Yes. Oh, that was off pretzels.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:03

And your and your steak.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:06

Oh, that was a you're I forgot. You're walking around with me this time.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:11

You're walking around with me. Will this be your second year or third year? Fur to go to Indy with the high school.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:17

Second.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:17

This will be second year? Last year was the first year?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:20

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:21

I remember I was gonna go. The year before, but I had a campaign mom signed me up for basketball.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:28

Yeah, this year when we were looking at summer camps, I said, no, no. You're coming. He's gotta come out as truck.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:34

You're coming, Mr. Brewer.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:35

Although I will say this, we just got our Wednesday league schedule. And you know who we play the Wednesday when we're in Indy?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

Nah, bro.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:45

No. Who's the other team we play in the Wednesday league that we had a lot of good games against?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:53

I forget half of the gym.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:54

Gem.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:55

Oh.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:56

We play a gem at a 7 30 game in Inward. J-E-M. Yeah, so depending on depending on our high school schedule, there's a small chance that we might be driving back Wednesday night for that game, and then I'll come back to Indy.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:11

And are you coming back?

SPEAKER_06 1:05:13

I don't know. We'll see. We gotta get dinner at the same spot. Hopefully we don't get rear-ended this time. Yeah, no kidding. Don't need that ad again. Well, I I'm looking forward to the year, bud. Uh it's gonna be fun. So I I I really truly enjoy coaching you, dude. And uh thanks for coming on and sharing some insight to the team. And uh we appreciate you, dude. Thank you, Ethan. So go on up, man. It's now time for a cup of brew.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:49

Brought to you by Newman's Corner Pub for all your gambling food and drinking, and maybe find a friend in the late night hour just for the night. Go to Newman's Corner Pub. They love you. We love you. Love you, Jeff.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:01

Love you, Jeff. Yes, you're a good man. And hey, speaking of Jeff, when Jeff saw my hat, yes, he goes, You did the guy on the front. I said, I did. You know who gave us me the idea?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:11

Huh?

SPEAKER_06 1:06:12

Was Jeff Naraki. Jeff's a smart guy. He actually is the one who said we should put the guy on the front. And then we came up, Earhart came up with the idea of good man on the side. But that is how the hat was created. So thank you, Jeff. We appreciate you. Yes. And we appreciate Newman's Corner Pub. But today I'm going to tell a story. Um, because college baseball is underway and high school baseball is about to start. And I think sometimes people think that, like, you know, you go through all these training or you go out to high school baseball or college baseball, and it's you're training all these great places or do all these things. And I I I'm not even sure if I've told this story before on here, but I'm gonna tell this one because I don't think I have. My freshman year at Bradley, where I went to college and played baseball. Okay, a week before we were supposed to open, it was decent weather, so our coach said, We're gonna go outside today, we're gonna do some scrimmaging. I was like, Great. Thinking we go to our field. Say, here's the address you all gotta meet us at. Okay. We pull up some elementary school. And we go to the back of the school, and there's a blacktop that goes into a wide open field, not an actual baseball field, but just wide open grass space. That's probably three, four hundred feet out there. So we have the blacktop as the infield, and then the grass is the outfield. There's soccer goals deep in right center, there's basketball hoops down the third baseline, and we drop down a portable mound, we mark out bases, and we played a legit live scrimmage game on the blacktop. On the blacktop in the back of an elementary school. And I remember sitting there and being like, This is Division I baseball, and we are playing a live scrimmage game on the blacktop of the elementary school, and it started to make me think nowadays, and thinking of the story as we were going to the show of how lucky and spoiled these kids are to play on turf fields all over the place, to have the dome to come training, uh, to opportunity to get better as players, and just the different landscape that they are provided is much significant. There's significantly different than what we played on. And I know this. I played at a Division I school, and that's the only school I played at. I know you played at a junior college, and I know my brothers played at junior college, and the stories I've heard about what they've had to go through for preparing and getting ready, it's just mind-blowing. I know there's still places out there that have to do these types of things, but listen, it is what it is, man. I think sometimes when you get thrown in those situations as players, it uh it makes you really appreciate what you have or what you're trying to get and where you're trying to go so that you don't have to be in situations like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:06

And also keeps you a good story to tell afterward, you know? 100%. And we're here to tell stories, and you know, sometimes you gotta do something a little whack. Now, I would not advise people to um do this, put it upon themselves just for the hell of it. But if you just so happen to get in those situations, just like you said, look to where you want to go and use that as inspiration, but don't self-impose this on you to try to be cool. As some people try to do.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:37

Cheers up.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:39

All right, last question I got for you tonight.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:42

As we finish up here in the beautiful tennis basement, okay? You said this to players Tuesday and Thursday about how the dome is still open.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:55

And the dome is accessible to every single player.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:58

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:58

And do not be strangers.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:00

Correct.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:01

Who do you think will be inside the dome the most this spring within the high school division? What player?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:10

Quinn champion.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:14

Quinn champion.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:16

Yeah, easy. That's an easy answer. He's already in there already the most. That's that's why Quinn's Quinn.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:24

Fair. Quinn put up some good numbers.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:26

Or uh Maddox Tobecson.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:28

That was my pick.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:28

That's either Quinn or something.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:29

Now Maddox is dealing with a little bit of a back issue right now, but still swinging through it. So I think he's going to dip the first start of it. My other pick, the click would be well, I gotta throw three in there together, to be honest, because they tend four. Um and to be honest with you, all four are seniors, but Luca, Evan, Charlie, and Jacob Conover.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:53

I wasn't counting them, but yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:55

Probably the one.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:56

But like those seniors, like I'd leave those ones. But like, I I think you're yeah. Champion one, I was gonna pick Maddox. Yeah, Quinn. Fair. Fair. Uh listen, I hope we're wrong, and I hope there's a surprise.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:13

I hope there's a sleeper.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:14

I hope there's a sleeper who comes and gets us. I will let you know. And then we can let you know. But as Josh said, don't make the dome a stranger, man. Do not come come utilize your resources, get yourself better. If you're in tryouts right now, and I know you are, keep working. Get there early, do your thing. Good luck to all you boys.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:36

And a good night. An ending grace from Lord Puck. I'm in Florida right now. I'm probably looking out at the sea and saying, Where am I sparks? You should be trying out and working hard. We'll catch you next week on another episode of the Good Man Podcast. Thank you for listening. Good night. Bruce Hoss, Lord Puck out bye Ethan.