Stop Paying A Gate Fee To Watch

Baseball doesn’t care about your lead, your label, or your ego and that’s why it’s such a good teacher. We start with some clubhouse-style banter (songs stuck in your head, Yankees rules, and the comedy of modern fandom), then we get into the real meat: how teams fall apart when they relax, and how coaches can build a culture that doesn’t blink when momentum flips.

We unpack youth baseball coaching through a weekend lens: the joy of opening weekend, the frustration of sloppy innings, and the simple standard that fixes a lot of problems fast playing a full game with focus for all 18 outs. From there, we dig into travel baseball realities, including why round robins can beat the pay-to-watch tournament model, and why chasing AA vs AAA status misses the point. The best development environment is the one that produces competitive games, meaningful reps, and confidence that survives failure.

Then we go straight at leadership: how a head coach should treat assistant coaches, how trust and autonomy actually work, and what to do when you’re the assistant under a leader you don’t respect. We close with two “baseball nerd” topics that matter: handling the highs and lows (on the field and off), and the catching debate around one-knee setups, pitch framing, blocking vs picking, and teaching patterns that keep players safe and effective.

If this hit home, subscribe, share it with a coach or parent, and leave a review so more baseball people can find us. What part of youth baseball needs the biggest mindset change right now?

Transcript

Rough Week Opener

SPEAKER_04 0:00

It's been a rough week. It's been a rough month. I'm hoping everything can come to one screeching halt. Right after an hour of talking with you and yours truly. So please join us for the next hour, an hour and a half or so as we talk about this yin, the yang, the new, the corner, and everything else in between. Hope to see you at the corner on the good man show.

Songs, Stevie Wonder, Yankees Talk

SPEAKER_01 0:38

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

SPEAKER_03 0:43

How many special people change?

SPEAKER_04 0:46

How many lives are living strange? Where were you while we were getting high?

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Great song.

SPEAKER_04 0:56

Awesome song.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Great song. You were singing it before we started. I walked to my office and I started singing it. Just catchy tune.

SPEAKER_04 1:04

It is. It's a great, great song. I listened to it 20 times yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

That'll happen.

SPEAKER_04 1:09

I was in that type of mood on the way back home from something.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yeah. There's a song roaming around our house right now that gets a little catchy, and between my wife and I, we both start whistling it or singing it, or it ends up being played on Alexa on a repeat.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

What song's that?

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? It's Stevie Wonder, right? It is Stevie Wonder.

SPEAKER_03 1:37

He's not actually blind.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Do tell.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

I've seen some videos where I don't think that guy's blind.

SPEAKER_04 1:49

You're calling BS. Well, we do have one guy that partied with Stevie Wonder in the building. We do? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

I was gonna ask Bert to come on tonight, but I thought it was gonna be a little bit late for Bert.

SPEAKER_03 2:02

You gotta get some Bert special edition.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

I think we get him next week for episode 20.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

I think that's the play. I felt like after our conversation today when we talked earlier, that there was a little bit too much for us to bring Bert on. We need Bert next week, episode 20. You're gonna get some Bert strand.

SPEAKER_04 2:23

He's parted with the Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds. Any I'm he even knows Coco Golf.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Bert Bert was in the building today just passing out hats.

SPEAKER_04 2:38

What type of hats?

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Game worn all-star hats.

SPEAKER_04 2:41

He just randomly has those? How do you get those? Never know.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

I can't answer that question because I don't know, but he had texted me a couple days ago asking, hey, what size hat are you? I said, seven and eighth. What he said, ah, these are too big. He goes, I have game worn all-star hats. Game worn. Game worn all-star hats. No. Oh, no. What era? I don't know. I I he had an Angels one today. He had a Sox one. He had a I think a Yankee one. I don't know. He had like six six hats in it.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Yankees, that's a dumpster fire.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Yeah. It's uh jazz chisholm play. Which one?

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Oh, good question. Not the one where he gets picked off when trying to put the sliding mid on. It was bases loaded, one out, bottom of the ninth or tenth. It was an inning where the game is going to be over if he doesn't make this play. Ground ball at him. He boots it and he throws it the first winning runs scores. After the game, they ask Jazz, hey, what was your thinking there? He's like, Well, if they throw it the first and then throw it to second, we get him. Like isn't isn't that inning ending? And then Trent Christian overhears him and says, No, because the run would score before you tack him out at second base. He goes, Oh, I didn't know that. Some rule thing. And then Aaron Boone defended him the next day.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

I I still haven't figured out in playing within that organization. I have not figured out how Jazz has lasted there as long.

SPEAKER_04 4:24

How has Aaron Boone lasted as long?

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Oh, that's a good question. I I I actually don't mind Aaron Boone. I actually think I would have enjoyed playing for him. He's a type of manager I think I probably would have got along with. I like his style, I like his intensity. I do appreciate that he has his players' backs, even though I'm sure like he doesn't always want to. I think good managers will have their players' backs, and I think that's important. I also think it's important for you to, as the leader of a clubhouse, to take the heat sometimes for players, even though you probably want to blast them. And I'm sure behind closed doors there is some stuff that goes on. But I just even when Jazz went there, I I'd never have really understood that one.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

Derek Cheetah's out in this guy when Derek Cheater was over at the Marlins. And then now he's over here. Two separate players.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

But I also think the Yankees organizationally are more like lenient? Yeah, thank you. Are definitely more lenient than they used to be. Like when I was there, it was it was clean cut, clean shaven, dress code, you name it. Like you showed up in an out of collar shirt and jeans or pants, like khakis or whatever. Like that was 25 bucks right away. Whereas like you'd see when we played the Diamondbacks, it was always like a running joke. We'd all be getting off the bus or coming into the clubhouse if we were at home dressed that way, and then you'd see the Diamondbacks dudes showing up in just gym shorts and cut off shirts. And it was like, man, like those guys can wear whatever they want. We cannot. It was a standard, it was it was just the way it was. And they gave you their handbook when when you got there for spring, and you followed it, or you didn't survive there. And I just I don't feel I I bet it's still somewhat like still probably the strictest organization out there, but it just does not seem like it's as there's like you said, there's definitely more leniency going on now.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

It's not the uh it's not the evil empire anymore, it's more of the do what you want to do, laissez faire.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Uh I can't say that it's fully that way. It definitely is not as much as other organizations. Uh jankies win.

SPEAKER_04 6:53

Yeah, then they have that stupid roll call guy in right field.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

I would have loved to do the roll call. I had a great guy? I I I mentally, you know, because you never know. Never know. If you get called up, you gotta have the prep side. Well, you're waiting for the roll call. I I I would have loved it. I had a great salute to him, man. You were waiting, you had it prepped and ready to go. Absolutely. I was gonna give him a stone cold uh that was uh you know, you have to have these things played out in your head before you enter into it.

SPEAKER_04 7:27

Yeah, I did that for something and kind of backfired on it.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Well, sometimes your your your plan of attack, it's that's why they call it a lot of people. I got punched.

SPEAKER_04 7:37

I got punched, and then I didn't have a plan. And I'm kind of just on the outside staring in, wondering what went wrong. So many people change.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

So that's why you sang that song. Yeah, I get I see I did see what you did there.

SPEAKER_04 7:53

I'm looking for my oasis.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

I hope you find it.

SPEAKER_04 7:57

Maybe coming tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Maybe the wonder wall.

SPEAKER_04 8:04

You are my wonder wall. Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you. Same album. I fully aware. Did you go see them? They came here this past summer.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

I did not. Oh, but I was a band that your wife seems. I was listening to that song when you were probably still in diapers.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 8:26

Speaking to me now.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Speak, it's it's grabbing you now, and I'm I'm happy that you're you're gonna pass to my kids if I get one. No, I'm trying to go to the Morgan Wallin concert. That's the concert that I went to. No, no, no, no. I will never No Bronco. No Bronco.

Concert Plans And Wrigley Rants

SPEAKER_01 8:43

I it's funny you bring up Wrigley. Yeah, one of my buddies texts me and then one of our other friends, and he's like, Hey, Wrigley's doing a it's like a glow-in-the-dark like golf thing or something. He's like, What do you guys think? I was like, No, why? And he goes, Why? He's like, I refuse to go to that stadium. Like, the only way I went a couple years ago. The only way I went to a concert and I've never been back since the Lumineers. Hey, yeah, name another song of theirs. Hey, correct poll. I stared at a poll the entire concert. It was annoying, it was brutal. I made it about three songs, and I looked at my wife and I said, I'm out. I'm I'm leaving the the concert. I don't want to be here. So I left.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

And where'd you go?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

We just walked across the street and sat in some bar and overpaid for stuff there. Your your wife stayed. No, she came with me. She had a good wife. But no, the next concert I want to go to, she my wife wants to go to see Morgan Wallen. So I'm gonna find tickets for Morgan Wallin. Soldier Field. Somebody's not really goodbye. Somebody's last conversation. I love country concerts, man. They're actually the only ones I'm the white women at Jesus.

Youth Baseball Opening Weekend Recap

SPEAKER_01 9:57

So on that note, uh great youth baseball opening weekend. I heard some stories. I'm not sure what stories you heard, but a little couple shout-outs. 14U Black win their opening weekend. A couple good dubs. Boys look good, played hard, get a win. Glad Aaron Earhurt got his win because that keeps it sanity. 12U Eater. Okay. Addition by subtraction, we call it. Definitely an improved roster, looking better. Couple big wins, wins the tournament. Happy for them. 12U Folts win out in Mont Prospect. Way to go. Love that team. Battling a couple injuries, fighting through some stuff, but well coached, good teams. Glad to see our 12-year-olds who have been here now a couple years, really start to build those rosters, coming out with some wins, man. But it's always fun. I love the opening weekend. We had a couple other teams make it to the championship, lose. But always good, man. Really excited about the youth.

SPEAKER_04 10:57

The youth is the lifeline and the blood to any good organization. You get what I'm saying? You can't, you know, a wise man once asked me, is it the flower or the soil that grew it? And I said, Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the soil. Because the soil can keep making new flowers. So maybe we have good soil.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Or is it the water?

SPEAKER_04 11:19

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

It's feeding the soil to make the flower.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

These are good questions. I don't have the answers. But I'm glad that those flowers are blooming early in April.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Me too.

SPEAKER_04 11:34

Because they say April flowers do bring May showers.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

We've had enough rain. No more showers.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

That's why I said April flowers. Yeah, but we've had April showers. It wasn't bad today, not too bad.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

It's gonna rain again tomorrow. Rain again Wednesday. You need turf weekend. Yeah, I know. We played Saturday or Sunday at turf. How did that go? Well, hey, now that you now that you bring it up, we could talk a little bit about the 11 Uh brew crew Rao Robin. Decent weekend, three and one. Talk about that one. Yeah, I mean, listen, let's see. We were up 10 to 0, headed into the bottom of the second. We were steamrolling. We were we were we were firing on all cylinders. Starting pitcher, first inning goes six pitches, four strikes, all three outs. Looked great.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

And then uh, you know, as I'm coaching third base, you know, looking in the dugout, kids are kind of backs turned, not as engaged, definitely think the game's over. Talking about slaughter rules. Next thing I know, we go to the third inning, it's 10 to 4. Six pitch inning to 35 pitch inning. Go into the third, we decide to have three terrible at bats, go to the bottom of the third. Now we are out there acting like the games we're we're losing, even though we're up by six runs. We made four errors in the inning, three that could have got us off the field and minimize the damage. We give up seven runs. Now it's 11 to 10.

SPEAKER_04 13:10

Now you got to walk me play by play and reaction here from you.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

We midway through the third bottom of the third, you know, because I don't really sit down much. I mean, I squat and I don't really sit. I actually looked at Scott and I said, Scott, I'm out sitting down. And he goes, Oh, that's never good. And I proceeded to push all their helmets that they have stacked up on the bench off my bench, and I sat down and I just said, figure it out. Like you do it doesn't matter anything we say right now. And I felt terrible for our pitcher because Cole was pitching. He does not pitch a ton for us, and in all honesty, it's probably the best I've seen that kid ever pitch. But he had no defense behind him. And, you know, like I said, we gave up seven, finally get off the field. Now it's starting to get dark. Umpire says, hey, last inning. Fine. I don't really care. We can end it now if you want, whatever. We get one run in the in the fourth, make it 11-11. Cool. Now we go into the bottom of the fourth. The best case scenario is we tie. So I brought Ethan in to pitch because he had not pitched. It was his slate to pitch. One pitch went out. Got to one-two on the big boy, then he couldn't throw a fastball inside. He kept spiking it, so then he walked that kid. Then the next kid got a base hit, got a head on the next kid, threw a changeup and then dirt. Then Evan decided not to block. Now it's second and third, two-one count. So I intentionally walked the kid to give us a force out at home. And a four-pitch walk. Done the game. Mind you, I will say this. Two of the pitches were strikes. I honestly think the umpires was just over it, which I didn't blame them. But yeah, it was it was as Scott and I talked about it, it was a situation that I'm happy it happened now. But we always find a way, for some reason, one game in April, to do that. Like they go up big and then they stop playing. It drives me insane. I preach all the time. Like you have to play 18 outs. The score doesn't matter. You have to play the game the right way. You have to keep your foot on the gas pedal. The moment you let up, you can let anybody back in a baseball game. Like that that's just the baseball gods who are looking down and gave them a piece of humble pie. I will say this. They responded the next day. We showed up 9 a.m. or yep, 9 a.m. game on Sunday, took care of business, and then we played napjack on the 5 p.m. game, and we played a normal nap brewer game, six innings, hour and ten minutes, throwing strikes. We turned two double plays. We scored two in the top of the six to go up three, two, and then we made our pitches and made our plays to end the game.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

You won three to two?

SPEAKER_01 15:59

We won three-two.

SPEAKER_04 16:01

That's rare.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

I will say this. His team this year, another addition by subtraction, is low. They can smash, they can hit for an 11U baseball team. That team can hit. I mean, they have players all over the place, but his lineup is dangerous. My dude Connor, aka, the doctor, carved him up. He was locating his fastball on both sides of the plates, and his changeup was down and getting swings and misses and weak ground balls. And every once in a while he'd go, oh, change up. Just get him a little bit out front and get that little weak pop-up to the outfield. And like I said, we we played defense. We took care of the ball. I think we made one air, but it was it was a borderline one. But like it was it was good baseball. Good baseball.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Where are you at this week?

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Another round, Robin, out in Hamlin Park. We have going down to Hamlin. Yeah, we're going out to Hamlin. We're playing a Lions. Yep. This weekend it's four of the same teams and then one additional one. It'll be this this weekend will be even better than last because the other team we have coming in, I think, is better than the fifth team we had in this past weekend. But it's two Saturday, two Sunday. Dude, it's a gauntlet. Every game's tough. Like you get good pitching, you get good competition.

Round Robins Versus Tournament Fees

SPEAKER_01 17:21

It's it's what we all love because instead of going out playing a bunch of tournament fees and parents having to pay gate fees, like we have a set schedule. We know we're getting good baseball games. It's it's more competitive. It's just it's what I think we should all strive for for youth baseball is like this model instead of the corrupt tournament model of paying a ridiculous fee, and the poor parents having to go to these tournaments and getting hammered at gate fees to pay for their kid to play for travel baseball and then pay to have to watch them. Like these they're not professional baseball players, they they shouldn't have to pay to watch their kids pay. And it's a shame, but it's what it's become. And that's why we do these round robins to take that out of it. And I think the parents really appreciate them. And like I said, it's just good baseball.

SPEAKER_04 18:12

I want, I think you're in a Wednesday league, but I wish that there's a league of like 20 teams, good teams, and you know you just play the full-on schedule, local area. Because I we got really good talent here in the Chicagoland area, northwest Indiana, maybe even over the Wisconsin border too. If you can make a 20-league team, have everyone have their own park, play each other from April to end of July, have a little playoff at the end. That would be cool.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

I think people have tried to do it. I honestly do. I think people have tried to put it together, but like what ends up happening, in my opinion, is it's like you start with the good intentions of like, okay, let's create a not secluded, but a league that we're we're gonna pick who we want to come in, and then dollars become visible, and you start to say, Oh, if we add these four teams and these, and then people are like, Can we get in? And it's like, yeah, sure, if you want to pay me this, like there's value to it. So, like, that's how it all I think tournament companies originally started to build tournaments to have that intent, and then it's turned into a gigantic business because dollars have become real and they figured out that they could create it. I don't think it's any different than what travel baseball originally started as travel baseball originally started in that mindset of we're gonna create a more competitive environment for players who want to play more or put better players against each other, and then it's turned into what it's become now. Now, we live it, we're involved in it. I don't think it's a bad thing. I think if you have the right people at the home running it the right way with the right mindset and right direction of why they're doing it, then I I don't think there's bad in it, but there's there's always a perception of what we do, and it's not saying that what I'm saying about tournaments and what they're doing is all wrong. Like, I get why they do it, and it's no different than what we do. So they they have figured out their system. It's just like I said, I get irritated when a parent comes up to me and it's like you go to some of these big tournaments and they pay $50 for a gate fee for the whole weekend. It's like, come on, man, like that's that's absurd, that's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_04 20:25

I'm just I'm going through all the thoughts in my mind right now.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

You're just thinking, I'm glad I get that QR code and I don't have to pay.

SPEAKER_04 20:32

Well, there's only one tournament provider that I have to provide that QR code. Correct. And I'm not going, we're not going, I'm not seeing them this year. No, I know.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

I'm just joking.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

But even though, even though Graham Park makes me wear that stupid wristband.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

I've never worn it.

SPEAKER_04 20:48

I actually heard for you parents out there, you hack. This is a hack I learned this from softball parent. She would buy a collection of wristbands. And they figure out what color and they figure out which wristband, and then they'll save you some money right there. So thank me if I see you at the park and you're wearing the generic wristband off Amazon. I want a hug. Thank you, Josh. Love you, Josh. Miss you, Josh. Thank you, Lord Puck. You're welcome. Have all the Montini boys calling me Lord Puck now. They listen to the show. I I I told you I was gonna give you a shout out, Mr. Mandra, Mr. Mandra Panda. I love you so much. And then The Wagon, Mr. Thompson, love you, and then how you doing, Mr. Coyce? I love those Broncos.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

Amen. Yes, I remember, I remember Mr. Coyce.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

Yeah, so I told him I'd give him a hello.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Good kid. Yeah. Crazy to see how old he is. Because when I when I coached him or worked with him, he was a young lad. He's an old lad now. I I know. I'm trying to think, he's a senior. Oh man, I think when I first started with him, he was 11.

SPEAKER_04 21:58

On Blake Higher. Hi, Blake.

unknown 22:00

Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Blake hire.

SPEAKER_04 22:01

Yeah. Good old Blake. Yeah. Let's go for a complete game. On Wednesday there. Holmes.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

How's Blake's hair right now? Long?

SPEAKER_04 22:12

It's longer than his appearances.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Wow. Blake, change this guy. All right. Go have a good outing. Pound the strike zone.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

He has been. I just want to see for seven innings.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Well, you know.

SPEAKER_04 22:26

You know. That's all. Love you, Blake. Think you're we think the world of you.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

We do. Blake's a good kid. Another kid who's been here since I think he was 13.

SPEAKER_04 22:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Blake's a good kid, man.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

The bird.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Bird, bird, bird's the bird. Hey, our programming and infield camps are about to wind down. I think we have two more weeks of infield with Brew. I think we have one more week of Sluggers. Young guns. No, Sluggers ended last week. Oh. And I think spring training has two more weeks, if I'm correct. But I thought it was a very successful year of programming this year in the dome.

SPEAKER_04 23:10

Let me see. I'm gonna have to go through every camp.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Well, here, like watching.

SPEAKER_04 23:15

I don't think I got one complaint this year.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

No, you did you didn't. You made it through.

SPEAKER_04 23:22

Success. I was talking to my mom earlier. I was like, mom, they always come for me.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Mama Caseris, love you. Hope you're good.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

They always come for me. They're coming for me now, but they didn't come for me during the year.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

No, you had a good year.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Yes, no one came for me.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

But no, seriously, I was watching Infield tonight. Oh, I had one. They called me a jerk. Oh I did have one. We gotta retract that. You did have one.

SPEAKER_04 23:47

Yeah, call me a jerk.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

I don't think it'd be an off-season without you having something.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

No, it was a small one.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

But yeah, you did get called jerk.

SPEAKER_04 23:55

Yeah, that's all right. The jerk man.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

The jerk man.

SPEAKER_04 23:58

You are what you eat, and I ate some jerk chicken that night.

SPEAKER_01 24:01

Probably some fruit too. Some blueberries.

SPEAKER_04 24:04

Too expensive these days. They're pricing me out of the fruit market.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

You gotta go to Jewel and get the clip the deals.

SPEAKER_04 24:10

Yeah, I do. Do you know how much fruit I eat?

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 24:14

They only allow me one coupon.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Yeah, that's true. Well then you buy some blueberries, some raspberries, some blackberries, some grapes.

SPEAKER_04 24:22

I eat that in a day.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Why not you eat all four of them in a day?

SPEAKER_04 24:26

Have you seen me?

SPEAKER_01 24:27

You gotta stop eating so much fruit.

SPEAKER_04 24:29

Why?

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Eat eggs. I do salmon. I do. Cheeseburgers.

SPEAKER_03 24:37

Only from Folko da Chow. Yeah, we gotta go this week.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Are we going? Yeah. When are we going?

SPEAKER_04 24:44

Maybe tomorrow. I'll can't do tomorrow. I'll be New Lennox. I thought the game was at Carmel or at New Lennox.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Oh, against LT?

SPEAKER_04 24:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Plays my Almer Mada tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

I know.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Who's pitching for LT?

SPEAKER_03 24:58

That guy.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Slight him? Yeah. Oh, doctor.

SPEAKER_04 25:02

You in trouble. The Bronco will rise as a Phoenix.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

The lion's gonna roar. The lion, lion. So no. Maybe Thursday.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

Thursday, I'll be here. I can do Thursday.

SPEAKER_04 25:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we might have to celebrate things too.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Thursday, yeah. Thursday. Hey, that could be a thing. We maybe we go Thursday night after uh after lessons.

SPEAKER_04 25:29

Anniversary. And we're gonna have an anniversary.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

We can't talk about that.

SPEAKER_02 25:38

It's gonna blow. Them fireworks are gonna rise.

SPEAKER_03 25:46

The British are coming.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Oh Jesus.

Caliburn Bats Shoutout

SPEAKER_01 25:50

On that note, let's talk about Caliburn bats. Love Caliburn bats. Caliburn bats. You know what I really like about Caliburn bats? I like their new logo. We haven't talked about that yet. Or maybe we did. We did talk about it. We haven't put down amazing. But I really like the new logo. I got a lot of compliments on the good man fungo. Yes. Come with the boy Cam. Coach, love your fungo.

SPEAKER_04 26:14

I bet when you start going on the circuit too, people are gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

I'm gonna be carrying around all over the place. Yeah. Wore my good man shirt out on the Wednesday Joliet League. But hey, listen, I'm gonna say it. I always say it. Caliburn bats, Don Erickson in Downers. You're looking for wood bats, go get them, man. Season's coming stock up. Okay. If you're a coach or a dad and you like to have a fungo to hit some ground balls or fly balls, your kid, or you need it for your team, once again, Downers Grove. Go see Don, my guy at Caliburn Bats. He'll take care of you. Make it happen. Let's go. Go see who? Don Erickson, Caliburn Bats, Downer's Grove. Get after it.

SPEAKER_04 26:56

Man, the best fungals a man can buy.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

I have six of them. I actually counted that a day. I have six Caliburn bat fungos though.

SPEAKER_04 27:03

Wow. Can never have too many.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

No, no.

SPEAKER_04 27:07

No, I have three. I have the muffin man, I have my blonde one, and then I have the monkey. Everyone loves the monkey.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

The space monkey one's good.

SPEAKER_04 27:17

The space monkey. I'm still waiting on my polar bear with my culverse burger, though.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

Because you backed the blue.

SPEAKER_04 27:25

I backed the blue.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

I need that one.

How To Treat Assistant Coaches

SPEAKER_01 27:27

All right. Topic one of the night: how to treat an assistant coach. Okay. So many times they're there, you know, you got to look at this and say, okay, if I'm a head coach and I got guys working under me or or girls working under me, how do they how how do I treat them? How how can I be a leader here? Teach them ask them for help, provide them some leadership, right? You have to make, in my opinion, as a head coach or a leader of something for your assistance, you have to make them feel relevant. When you make them feel irrelevant, right, you create a bad environment, right? What responsibilities are you giving them? What trust are you giving them? All that stuff that helps your assistant coaches pull the same rope as you. You are creating a culture, you are you are the leader of the ship, you are leading the narrative of the squad, right? If you treat your assistant coaches poorly, it is going to trickle down, right? And I say this I've been on both sides. I've been an assistant to people, I've been a head coach to people, I've been a leader inside of an organization, I've been a second or third person inside of an organization. So I I've kind of experienced both sides of it. Like I know we talk about this all the time, and I know this is something you want to talk about. How I treat Josh and all the other guys here. Like none of them ever have come to me and been like, you know, we're mistreated or we feel a certain way, they they all feel welcome. And I think that's a very important thing as a leader in a role is to allow your assistant coaches to really blossom and and excel and and help them grow into a better coach.

SPEAKER_04 29:16

I think they it needs to be an extension of the head coach, and the way that you want you just want to make people feel valued. I was talking to Luke on the way out today. It's really not that difficult. We're in the people business. We talk about this all the time. You're dealing with people, you're just trying to uplift people, and the assistance, you're you always want to make them feel valued and and that their voice means something and that you're listening to them. And that's constant communication. That's saying good morning when you see them in the morning, good night when they leave, saying hi, hanging out. I think the one of the biggest things that really creates synergy amongst the staff is hanging out outside the field. But if you don't have the personality to do that, then you shouldn't be in leadership. I'm sorry. And then I don't care how good you are, X's and O's, if you are terrible with people and you think you're smarter than everybody, it's just not gonna work. I don't care what you have, what talent you have, and what can compound that, if you have a terrible personality and you don't know jack about the game, find a new job, and that's a job that's not dealing with people. Because you're just you're just ruining the players' lives, you're ruining the assistants' lives, and this is supposed to be a game.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

It's also you have to wonder, okay, to an individual that, like you're saying, like a person who is a head coach or leader who leads like that, how did they get to that point? Like you have right place, right time. That's what I'm saying. You have to start to wonder how they got to that place. And I think there's like I can think of an individual right now that I'm trying to figure out how this individual is a head coach at a school, and I see things, I get things, I watch from afar, and it blows my mind seeing what's happening and what's being said, that's like, is it are they just really good at talking to administrative people to make them perceive that they have their hands on the the the right direction of that ship, and then they buy whatever they're selling, and then they do just terrible when they actually have the team and the coaching and the baseball and the knowledge of the game. Are they just really good at reading the tech or or pretending like they know how to do the tech or talking about the tech or talking the game off the field? But when you actually get them in the setting, are they just that bad of a coach? Right? I think there's a lot of those out there that people are really good at that game now and not the actual game. And I think individuals who have played this game, understand this game, live this game, breathe this game, there's just intangibles that you can't really teach, that you just have instinctually that you're able to process and adjust to and and just see things happening before they happen. I think when you get head coaches like that that can surround themselves with assistant coaches that are very like-minded like that, you create something that's special. My question to you would be okay, how does one be a good assistant to a bad assistant? Meaning, right? Everybody who goes in as assistant is kind of like, okay, you don't always want to be the assistant. Like everybody's striving to be the head coach or be the leader. And okay, if you are the assistant, like how do you fall in line? How do you buy into things? What if you disagree with stuff? How do you voice this? Is there a threshold that that when you feel like okay, I've hit my breaking point, like, is enough enough? Like, how would you say you approach that type of dynamic amongst being an assistant coach to the head coach?

SPEAKER_04 33:20

I've learned you have to risk you have to have a respect coming in for the head coach, and that means that you've had to spend some time with that person. So any decision that you might disagree with, you're going to give them the benefit of the doubt because you respect that they've put in the time, the effort. Like, for example, Bob Lasante. Bob, when Bob talks, I automatically listen. Why? Because I know Bob is putting a lot of man hours. Bob's a smart guy. First couple minutes talking to Bob, you know what you're getting into. And if he has an opinion, I'm gonna follow. I'm not like that with many people. I'm like that with you. No, you've had experience, I'm gonna listen to it, we're gonna roll with it. I like that with your brother as well. I'm like that with a couple other people in this place. I'm like that with a couple people outside this place as well. But I've spent so much time with these people, and it's either you have spent a lot of time with the person or they are so good that right off the bat, you know. You just know. And there are a couple people that you might be on the fence with, and uh, if you're ever on the fence, just jump off the fence. That's what I've learned. Don't don't give them the benefit of the doubt because the real ones you can tell. So, and then with the good and the bad, you just if you disagree, if you respect them, you'll still flow with it and still work it out. You might talk to them behind closed doors about it, but if they disrespect you and you disagree and they treat you like trash, the team's gonna see it. You're gonna make it apparent, and you're not gonna fall in line. And that's just natural human nature because this person obviously don't give a damn about what I'm about to say. I think it's they're stupid in what they're about to do, and the team thinks it's stupid team uh will automatically see it too. And I'm not saying because I've coached some teams that initially thought that some of the some of the stuff I did were whoa, this guy's off his rocker, but eventually they start buying in and whatnot, because again, you gotta show the results, and I I heard about uh a football comparison. The Bill Belichick coaching tree is not that good because you've had guys try to copy him, and you only can really act like that if you win.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

That that's an interesting point, and to your earlier point of like you have to have your own style, but you also have to like learn from ones, right? You and I have very different styles coaching teams. We have a lot of similarities, but we have a different style of game flow or or methods with some stuff, and not saying it's like drastically different, but I I'll I'll never forget because obviously, like when I bring all you guys in and I have guys coaching, like yes, I am an individual who likes to have my hands on that stuff, but I also have to give trust to guys because I cannot be at everything, and I always remember like I would show up to your stuff, especially early on, and like some things this guy does, it drives me nuts, but I'm trying to let him do his thing, I'm trying to let him build it. Like, I want to see how this goes because it's important for me to be like, hey, I didn't like when guys told me how to do things, like I wanted to have my own style of stuff, and I think everybody is different in this sport. I think that's a system that like you have now been here so long that you've earned the trust and and built what you've built, and it's proven now, like you have a proven track record of what you've done. That I don't think your style is wrong. I think it's just your way of doing it and teaching and relating to kids and coaching kids, but it's very like-minded with Jake and myself. Like, I think Jake and I are very, very similar with how we go about things, but that's not a surprise because I grew up watching him play and I basically learned a lot of my stuff from him, and I think him and I are so much alike that it just kind of goes outside. We still have some differences with what we do, but I just I think as a head coach or a head of an organization, you have to give your coaches or assistants the autonomy to have their own flavor or own spin, and you have to build trust. Now, if you were to do all this stuff early on and it wasn't working, or there were complaints coming in, I think there's a the right time to step in and and share advice and and give opinions and then take it for what it's worth. But you if you have a person in charge who is a leader who you respect, you you welcome that type of stuff. If you have a person in charge who is a helicopter on top of you, demanding all sorts of things, leaving you in the dark, not letting you kind of coach your way or or not giving you direction, like that is when I think it becomes a problem amongst a team. And that is when I think you take assistant coaches and you waste them. Like, and I think that's the worst thing you can do. If I have a team and I have two assistant coaches, like I want to maximize those assistant coaches as much as possible because I can get the most out of my team, players, practices, games, all that stuff. Like that, that's how you build a team and a dynamic and a culture. Like it's not that simple, or it's not that difficult. Like it's it's pretty common sense, in my opinion. I think some people are just too hell-bent that they have to have leadership in everything, or it has to be their way, it's their way or the highway. That that's or I think people get fearful that people underneath them are going to come take their jobs or try to take their jobs.

SPEAKER_04 39:42

That they that's that's the big one.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

That they start to spin narratives or spin directions against them to try to run them out of places. I actually think that happens a lot in college sports, uh in whatever, like all of it, that I think head coaches start to feel assistant coaches are out for their jobs or trying to do things, and the dynamic changes because of that.

SPEAKER_04 40:05

Yeah, no, going back to when we first started here, and then just like talking about you in general in terms of how you've I hate to say use the word grown, but as you just, you know, been in this for so long, like yeah, you've been a little bit more like a I don't know, not lenient is the good word, but you let people let me be me. You let people be me. And you know, that's that's what you that's one of your great qualities about you. So, and yeah, I mean you just I I told Nikki C this. Like Nikki C is my longtime assistant. Going on this for about 10 years now. Nikki C possesses traits that you know that are invaluable in terms of being able to connect with the children, understanding. He's more Nikki C walks in a room and he can tell about personalities if a team's gonna be if guys are gonna be good or not. And I'm not a lot of people are like that. They just look at the exes and always Nikki C looks at the personalities, and that's where it jives. And he's a good yin to the yang, and like you and Jake also I've seen can be yin to the yang. And I've worked with Jake many a game too. And we just all worked well together. And like with Jake, if I can trust you alone with for a practice, let's say I get sick, that's when you know you got a good assistant.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

I don't have to come in when I'm it's to be honest with you, I say it at home all the time. What's made like my home life significantly better, especially as my kids have gotten older and are starting to do more things, and I hate missing their stuff. Like, I I hate missing their games, their basketballs in the winter or or football in the fall. Like, I I I want to be there. My my old man used to get to as much amount of stuff, and I think that's important for me as a dad for my kids. And I probably would say that this winter is the most I miss, and I probably miss what four times. Wasn't a lot, you know what I'm saying? Like, I I I miss four times, and I feel like I've missed too much because I want to be here and I love being in the trenches with the boys. I think that's why we have such a good dynamic in this place is our coaches want to be in the trenches. I believe wholeheartedly, if you want to get the most out of your players, you better be in the dirt with them and teaching them and getting that tough grind with them. But having you, having Jake, it it allows me that peace of mind that if I have to miss a practice or I need to be at home for something, like we don't skip a beat because the players in here also respect you guys just as much as they respect me. I think that is what we have built here over time. That, yes, while I get it, I'm the the head and leader. There's never that feeling that like you guys are beneath me and I'm above you, and kids respect all of us in here and and they see it, and I think that feeds into them of why we have our teams the way we have them, because they understand like this isn't a one-man show, it is a it is a family. We have a lot of coaches here who care about the kids, they they listen to you guys, they respect you guys, and I think that's just speaks a lot to what you guys do on top of it, though. Like, I it's not just coming from me in the world, it's just all of us together.

SPEAKER_04 43:17

Yeah, and then last point in terms of like we might have different styles, but I in terms of the style, in terms of where we ask kids to make the routine play and do it to the maximum to their ability, we're all on the same page with that. I I mean yeah, I mean we differ in a couple things, but that's just personality wise, but in terms of the way the game's played and approached, all of our teams at the at all the levels are play the same way.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

The the expectations are all the same.

SPEAKER_04 43:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Our expectations for our players are high demand for for what we expect them to do when they show up from start to finish, how they get on and off a field, all the little things like yes, no brainer. Everybody's the same

AA Versus AAA Development Reality

SPEAKER_01 44:01

on that. But so topic two, we're gonna talk a little double and triple A levels. I'm gonna let you take the lead on this and go off on it.

SPEAKER_04 44:10

I was talking to a dad because I was recapping the weekend, and he was like, Man, I think we're just a double-A team. And I was like, Well, in my head, I because I returned back to youth baseball last year for a year, and we played some double A, then we played some triple A tournaments. Back back in the day, I think it was called gold, silver, platinum. Now there's double A, triple A. There's all these new configurations in terms of talent-wise. All I'm all I really wanted to say, and I told him this, it doesn't really matter if you're playing at AA, triple A. We prefaced this earlier with our conversation. Make sure they're playing at a competitive level where you want the most one run games. And what does that mean? You want the margins to not be that wide, very thin between you and the other team. And if you're playing that way, and and here's the thing: well, we're we're a good double-A team, and then you feel like you were disappointed. You know, not be disappointed. That's just where you're at right now in 12 and 13U, and and that's perfectly fine. You're playing 90, 95% of the time, the games are competitive. What do I mean by games are competitive? One run, two run, ball games. You're not getting blown out, and you're not blowing the other team out consistently. Now, you might have a one game, or you might blow a team out, you might get blown out, but 80% of the games are competitive where the reps are meaningful. And I think parents they get caught up so much in the triple A, single A, and A. And then it's oh, well, my kid, we didn't play a lot of double A tournaments. We weren't very successful. Like, well, maybe you're not that, man. Like right now, you're not that. But again, what's the end goal? The end goal is, you know, having a and people, and I'm gonna stop saying this. People like, the end goal's high school, the end goal's uh college. You might not play high school ball, you might not play college ball, but for the current moment, the end goal is for you to have some enjoyable memories. And I and I believe the enjoyable memories come from having competitive ballgames. You're gonna remember some of those things. You're gonna hey remember that time when you were 11 and 12. You might not make it to your high school team, but you played some good ball at 11 and 12 and you enjoyed it. And at the end of the day, hey, and now if you want to take this conversation to high school, yes, people hit puberty differently. That kid that was on the triple A team at 13 is not starting on his high school team. And I'll even do you one better. The all-state kid in high school, the PBR top 25, doesn't get one inning in college ball because you had some late bloomers that beat him out.

SPEAKER_01 46:48

Well, I'm gonna speak on that and then I'm gonna touch on something else. But Tyler Bell, who's a shortstop in Kentucky, he didn't play here, he played in Lockport. When he was 15, I believe he was on, I don't know if he was a red or white team. Maybe he was on the white team at 15. I know at 14 he was on their second or third team, and then was a high school draft pick.

SPEAKER_03 47:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:13

So, like, you know what I mean? Like, it's a hundred percent. You don't know where these kids are gonna end up. We talk about inside these walls all the time. Why are these why was this dome built to provide opportunity for kids to excel at the game of baseball and have an opportunity to to challenge themselves as much as they want. That's why all of our players here have memberships to the dome because they have access to this place and come in here and get better, right? But to your point, know who you are and what's the end goal. And and if you're 12 years old and you're a double A baseball player, well then go play double A. Like, because if you go play triple A or majors or elite, whatever they want to call it, and you hit a buck fifty, what joy is that? None. Oh, I want to challenge they want to challenge. I get it. I fully aware. I I I totally get it. When I was 12 years old, right? Now, mind you, my case was different. But I was 12 years old, I played on a 13-year-old travel team that ended up playing in a 14-year-old league. And I hit definitely well under 200 that year, right? Was it valuable for my long-term baseball career? Yeah, probably. And it was very challenging, and I got pushed, but I probably would have been better served for more success and mentally at that age of either playing 13-year-old baseball or even 12-year-old baseball. I was an undersized kid that just got pushed along, but I also had older brothers that kind of pushed me and I was used to doing that stuff. But what I'm saying is, like, you don't know where you're going to go when you get older, or when you hit puberty, or when you're gonna hit puberty. We all have that kid who, when he was 12 years old, was the biggest 12-year-old and was the greatest little league player, and then either stopped playing, come varsity season or varsity time junior senior year in high school, or was a very average baseball player in high school because he stopped working, he got passed up, the game caught him. Like, all those things happen. Like it's just you talk to anybody in the game of baseball who has played this game long enough, you usually have a story about that somewhere, right? So the question then becomes is when's a good time to challenge and when's a good time to stay even. Like, I think that is the million-dollar question that everybody's always searching for. And I believe that you always need to challenge yourself, but you also have to find success, right? And and that's just the fine line you're trying to figure out is when's right, one's wrong. I'll take my my little guy team I have. When they were eight, we played eight you, and we used to pound teams, and it was great. We won 40 something baseball games and everybody had a great time and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And your team's so good, it's like, yeah, but we didn't get challenged. So then the next year, when they were nine, I actually pushed them to play in the 10U, but we did 10U double A instead of 10U elite because if we would have done 10U elite, like we would have played some teams that would have absolutely smashed us. But playing 10U double A, it's like, okay, we're playing older kids, they're second-tiered at their age, like this should be a better competition, and it worked out beautifully. Like, we still won a lot of baseball games, but we definitely got challenged. Games were more six to five or eight to eight, six, you know what I'm saying? Like they were one, two, three run games, so there was more competitiveness. You had to play six innings, you had to find if you could win late and in games. If you were down early, could you come back? Like all those things that I think are valuable instead of being up 10-0 after inning and then steamrolling again, getting five more in the second, you know, it's then it's just now eight U is tough, but as you get older, you kind of figure out like, okay, what is my team dynamic? Where should I be? I think unfortunately, there's a lot of parents out there who have a misperception of their child that think that their child is an elite baseball player at a young age when they're actually not. I think that perception in high school is even greater. That people are always like, well, if we're playing this schedule, like we're not playing the best schedule. It's like, well, if your kid's not ready for the best schedule, then or ready to be recruited, then they probably shouldn't be out playing that schedule, right? And I get they all want to be challenged, but it's just one of those things that, like, when they're ready to be challenged, that they're ready for that environment, like we'll put them in that environment, or they'll find a way to get into that environment. I think an interesting thing that I always hear from parents, especially at the high school level, is when teams are made, or when parents are coming over here and trying to decide if they're gonna come with us or somebody else, and they're asking the questions, they're always like, Well, what levels do your like your teams play? Like, I know you have your top team and then so on, like what levels do they play? Like, when you get to high school baseball, there is no like that's a triple A tournament. This is like they're just high school tournaments, you just kind of know where certain events are better than others, right? And it's hard to explain that to parents because they come in from the youth into that where they've they've lived that, but that's really how high school it is. There's no such thing as a high school, like tiered out tournament. No, so but yeah, I I agree with you. I think me and you talk about this stuff all the time. Of like, I know this John and Bob and I talk about it all the time about you know, we don't we yes, we have a very elite organization, but not every team we have in here, especially at the younger ages, is a top-tiered team. Like we have double single-A teams in here that whatever, they're 10, 11, 12, 13-year-old kids. Like, yeah, we have this couple 13 or 13-year-old team that sure, they if they went and played an elite tournament, they'd get smashed. What whatever. They're 13-year-old kids. 90% of their team hasn't gone through puberty at 13 years old. So, okay, there are a lot of late blooming kids. What happens when they all go through puberty and fall in love with the weight room? But they come in here five, six days a week and they're working on their craft and they're just behind. What happens then? Well, those kids have a good work ethic and have something, a chip on their shoulder because they've had to work harder than others, and who knows what happens then?

SPEAKER_02 53:18

Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 53:19

Correct. That's the beautiful thing. Okay, here. Ben Zobras was an NAI baseball player and played in the big leagues for a long time. Do you think when he was playing NAIA baseball, people were like, oh, that dude's been playing in the big leagues?

SPEAKER_03 53:33

No.

SPEAKER_01 53:33

You think when he left high school and went to Olivet Nazarene, people are like, oh, yeah, that dude's been playing in the big leagues? No. But he bloomed late, he learned to do some things that helped his game, and then he had a nice professional career. I I missed the MLB draft when it had as many rounds as it had because statistically, like those top round picks don't always make the big leagues, they aren't always the best players. And you put them in an environment like professional baseball that is a messed up environment, it's very challenging mentally, physically, emotionally. A lot of those dudes crumble. They they they don't they don't transition well in that. Then you take a guy who's a 40th round draft pick with nothing to lose, and he's just got some huevos, and he just fights, scratches, calls. He he takes every opportunity he gets, but he's got a fight gene in him, and he finds his way to the big leagues and then becomes a Hall of Fame baseball player. Like it just it got taken away because of all that, and it's a shame, but like it's just it's wild, man. It's wild when you really dissect it all.

SPEAKER_04 54:43

Comparable to a team up 10-0 in the second inning. You want those guys that are used to playing those one-run ballgames? This guy.

SPEAKER_01 54:51

I'm serious, fighting words.

Handling Highs And Lows

SPEAKER_01 54:55

It's time for a cup of brew.

SPEAKER_04 54:58

Brought to you by Newman's Corner Pub for all of your food, drinking, gumbling, and meeting a woman or man needs. Go to Newman's Corner Pub. Tell Jeff Naraki we sent you. We love you. Love you, Jeff. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 55:16

All right. Today for a cup of brew, we're talking lows and highs. Highs and lows. Highs and lows. How you how you want to look at it, but how to deal with the highs and lows in the game of baseball, in the game of life, right? Sometimes you gotta know when to hold them. When to hold them. So use this a weekend, for example. Okay. Can I start the story? Well, no, you can't start the story. It's my own story.

SPEAKER_04 55:45

Well, yeah, I'm including it. Fine, go ahead. You can start this story. Okay. It's late at night. It's a Friday night.

SPEAKER_01 55:52

Saturday night.

SPEAKER_04 55:53

Was it Saturday night? It was a Saturday night. I'm writing some senior letters on a table, writing some stuff out. I get a text from a man named Dan Brewer. And what did you say, Dan?

SPEAKER_01 56:06

I love Igor.

SPEAKER_02 56:07

And I go, who's Igor?

SPEAKER_01 56:09

Igor is a good man. He's a man on the San Jose Sharks for 92, my new favorite hockey player. But Igor took me from the highest, from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. Tough, tough, tough loss. I laid into my kids a little bit after that loss. My wife even said, Well, you were nice and loud out there. I said I walked all the way to center field, so you guys couldn't hear me. I was not very happy. I also spent the entire day Saturday raking, dragging, and fixing the field in between games. I did it six separate times. I was at the field at 7.15 in the morning to make sure it was ready. And then I didn't leave that park until like 7:30, 7:45 at night. So I was exhausted. I was tired. It's cold. I was crabby. I was upset about the loss because I can handle losing, but I don't like bad losses like that. You know, so I'm sitting on my couch, 11:30 at night. Everybody's asleep. I'm writing my lineups for the next day because I always do it the night before. Get my two lineup sheets ready.

SPEAKER_04 57:15

No one does, and I've heard someone they write lineups five minutes before that.

SPEAKER_01 57:18

Yeah, you can't do that. So, you know, I was just preparing and then, you know, just just you know something happened that took me to a very exciting moment in life. What happened? And and really changed my night and turned it around. What happened? All I'll say is ego, the San Jose Shark, is a good man. I like ego, and he's my new favorite hockey player.

SPEAKER_04 57:44

He was on a hat-trick watch that night.

SPEAKER_01 57:46

And I just say this, but I'm gonna relate this to my baseball career of highs and lows, because I think it's important for kids to understand this, right? At one point in my baseball career, my first year in double A, 2010, I was hitting like 280, 285 throughout like the first month of the season. Thought I had it figured out. Next thing I know, I went four for 58. If you do the math on four for 58, you'll come to realize it's not very good. And I will tell you, I did not have a single day off through this stretch. Right now, you'll ask and say, Well, how'd you break your four for 58 streak? And I'll say, Well, it's simple. I know exactly how I broke my four for 58 streak up in New Hampshire. We were playing the Fishercats, Lord Farquhar. That's not his real name. You remember Farqua, the dude who pitched for the White Sox who had the brain aneurysm? Yeah. Okay, he was pitching with the Blue Jays. He was the Blue Jays. I faced him coming up my like whole career. Very good pitcher. At this point, he'd throw from top and bottom. He'd drop his arm slots, right? So he gets me O-2. He goes fastball away from the top, slider from up top. So now I'm 0-2, and I am not happy. I couldn't see the ball. It looked like a pebble coming in. Like I said, I'm coming in from four for 58. Bags are packed at this point, and I was in I don't care mode. I'm swinging no matter what. He drops down sidewine at about 92.93, outer half. I swang. I thought I fouled the ball off. In all honesty, if you want my honest opinion, I looked back and to the right like I fouled it over the first base dugout. And that ball went flying over the right field fence. This is how off you were. This is how off I was. Went flying over the right field fence for a grand slam. And I'm not kidding, dude. That that that helped turn the old beat the streak. It helped beat the streak. I went to five for 59 on a grand slam in New Hampshire that really took me from my low to a new high and changed my mindset. You have to find when you're in a low place, whether it's life or the game of baseball, you gotta find something that takes you to a new high to change the narrative and flip the script. You're welcome. I'm looking for my hero. I need a hero.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:10

Might be myself tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:12

Could be. Mine was ego. Igor. And that's a couple. How much time we got left?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:21

We got enough.

One-Knee Catching And Framing Risks

SPEAKER_01 1:00:22

Alright. You want to talk catching?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:24

Yeah. Hit him with it. Talk some catching. Yeah. I've been debating, you know. I I do some of the catching stuff here. One knee, two knee. Alejandro Kirk just broke his thumb. Catcher for the Blue Jays. Bob and I were talking about this. Did he break it at the Sox game? Maybe. No. Was it? But he took a foul. But he took a foul ball. It was framing. He was trying to frame.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:49

No, I was at the game. He broke his thumb.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:52

That was a foul, but that was foul tipped into him. Because that was in the what was that? That was in the ninth? No, it was in extras. It was in the tenth. Because that was opening day for the Sox. They walked him off. Hayes fouled the ball off. It went off his thumb. They took him out of the game. And they put in their backup catcher. Because I even said it to Ethan. I said, that's a tough position because that catcher's coming in now cold. He got like six throws just catching it.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:25

You're right.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:25

Okay. And then Hill came up after Hayes struck out with two outs, laid down a bunt, and the catcher had to field the ball and he threw it away. I'm looking at he was set up and he caught a foul ball, but we're talking more about the setup.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:41

We were talking about setups and how catchers are trying to steal these horizontal plane pitches, and I'm talking like left to right, and it's really not mattering anymore. And the cost, risk cost benefit of this, Bob and I both agreed that the low strike is a premium, yes. But this has got to the point where we're I've seen some catch instructors instructing catchers trying to rip the thing back in. And then if I can't do this through an audio, but they have their catchers receiving with their arms fully straight out. And then in the same breath, when they're trying to throw someone out, the cat that same catch instructor will say, let the ball get deep. Okay, we're we're saying two contrasting things here. So I'm gonna let the ball get deep because the ball travels faster than me, but in the same frame, I'm gonna try to rip the pitch back in with a straight arm. So you tell me, and then now what I've been cueing it up, when do you ever see a shortstopper second base receive a ball at shortstop or second base on a double play with their arms fully extended out to 180 degrees?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:50

Never.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:51

Never we have to make a harder throw. The catchers have to make a harder throw. So why would I instruct my catchers ever to start receiving balls 180 and trying to rip balls back in a horizontal plane and then with risking balls flying to the backstop? So one knee, you know, yeah, there's a place for it, but you know, might go back to two knees and you know not trying to rip balls back in. That was pretty much all I had to say today.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:19

I and I'm happy to hear you say that because I think I'm a big I know you'd be happy to hear me say that. I know I I am saying Ethan actually asked me the other day. He's like, hey, if when I'm catching, if nobody's on base, can I catch on one knee? I said, yeah, absolutely. I said, I don't like you guys catching from one knee with runners on base because you're young and you guys need to be able to throw the baseball. But you know, they're they're young. I watch guys at the pro and college level do it from one knee, and I think they're really good at doing it, and it's gotten better. But to your receiving point, like, yeah, receiving a ball as a catcher, like I don't ever catch a ball as an infielder fully extended. I mean, unless the throw is terrible and I gotta reach to go get it. But if I get a good throw, like I have to work in my little window because that's where I'm softer, that's where I'm better to like brace things. Like, I can't break, it's just like hitting. Like, if I bar my arms out, I have no power, I have power connected tighter to my body. Right now, there's a fine line. If I get it too deep, well, it's not in front of my eyes anymore, but I have to have that feeling of frame or connection with my body. I always say it's it's your hand, elbow into your chest. Like you have to have that brace going into your body. So the whole catch it out front like this. Well, go ahead, do that, and then watch a backswing and break your hand, right? But then the idiot who tells you to do that, and then you need to catch to throw and receive in. Well, that's that's that's I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:50

I always I I try to train them. I need you receiving the ball every time as if a runner is going to go.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:57

Just so can I yeah, can I oh sorry, finish and then I'll ask you.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:00

Just so when it does happen, nothing's changed. It's a get and it's a go. And let the ball get as deep as possible to your point, and then get it in the window. And any ball that's right or left, like eight inches off the plate, that's a ball. Leave it. Stop trying to insult the guy behind you and think that he's a dummy. I'm gonna rip it back in. You better go. No, and then you have some idiot pitching coach, hey, we're not getting those calls, call it both ways.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:30

Shut up.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:31

So let me ask you this.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:34

Because I feel like I watch a lot of pro catchers now, and I don't feel like I see guys block as much as pick.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:44

Like, what's your take on that?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:47

Runner on first pick, runner on second or third block.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:51

So runner on first pick.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:54

Runner on second and third block.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

That's what's taught?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:58

Pretty much. Is that because of the the the Because the thinking is if you're going to block it anyway, he's probably going to take second on you as it is. So give yourself the best shot to throw him out at second base. Now you don't want to risk that with runners going to or first and second don't want to risk it. Second and third don't want obviously you don't want a run scoring you trying to pick something or trying to get the third.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:25

Oh yeah, for sure. If a guy's on third base and and you're doing that, I think that's just pure laziness. Correct. I also think the pitching is hard as these guys are throwing. Blocking has gotten significantly harder.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:39

People forget that. But I still do believe that it's gotten lazier behind the plate because of the one-knee setup with guys on base. Because it's almost like they've conceded to I'm just gonna kind of play with my hands. Now it's hard to say that because if you watch short stops and balls that are short hop-like, doing this if you do it right, you can handle it, but you don't have a normal glove on, you still have a catcher's mit on that is not the easiest thing to pick a base. Like if who what's the hardest glove to pick a ball with? Like if you gave me a panel of gloves, I'm not pick picking the catcher's mit. Right? It's just it's just an interesting thing that I watch the catching cycle and dynamic, but I think that's anything in the game of baseball. If you watch hitting, like I I always say hitting is a cycle, like it goes in fads. High, low. It's it's like correct, right? And then pitcher pitchers are the same way. Like, okay, they they adapt to what the swings are being taught. Swings started getting taught to to launch angle. What'd they do? They spun the ball and pitched up in the zone. I think hitters are working down. Well, I think hitters are starting to make that adjustment of saying, fine, you want to throw the ball up here, I'm gonna get my hands above the ball and work down to it. Watch, here comes the sinker slider guy. Like it's it's just working in in cycles around what you're just counteracting what everybody else is doing and you're playing the game. But I think sometimes too many people try to play the game instead of trusting what they're really good at. Like the best advice I could give a baseball player that I thought I got, okay, if I'm a hitter and I'm really good at hitting an outside pitch, and I'm not as good as hitting an inside pitch, right? Okay, work on the T of hitting both. But if I spend more time just working on the inside pitch to get that a little bit better, but my outside pitch gets a little bit worse. Am I really enhancing myself as a as a player? Like continually improve what you're really good at and try to improve what you're weaker at, but understand you're gonna be better at certain things than other. So that's all I gotta say.

Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_01 1:08:44

Hit me with the ending, Grace.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:47

It's always darkest before the dawn. There will be a new dawn tomorrow. Says Lord of Puck. I'll keep you updated for next week.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:00

Usace Lord Puck out.