Doggy Day Care, First Base Podcasts & CBA Negotiations | with Vinnie Pasquantino

Summary

Casuals with Katie Nolan: "Doggy Day Care, First Base Podcasts & CBA Negotiations | with Vinnie Pasquantino"
Release Date: April 17, 2025
Host: Katie Nolan
Guest: Vinnie Pasquantino, First Baseman for the Kansas City Royals

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan, host Katie Nolan welcomes Vinnie Pasquantino, the charismatic first baseman from the Kansas City Royals. Known affectionately as the "Pasquatch," Vinnie brings his firsthand experiences from Major League Baseball to the conversation, delving into a variety of topics ranging from on-field antics to off-field insights.

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Vinnie's Nickname and Team Dynamics

Katie Nolan: "We've spoken about you before on this podcast, the Pasquatch. Are you wearing the chain?"
Vinnie Pasquantino: "I am. I always have it on me." [18:32]

Vinnie shares the origin of his beloved nickname, "Pasquatch," likening himself to a Sasquatch—a mythical creature. The nickname was coined by a teammate, Ryan O'Hearn, and quickly caught on with both teammates and fans. This moniker has become a beloved part of his identity within the Royals' community.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "It was like, rumor has it there's been a sighting of a Pasquatch." [19:21]

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Life as a First Baseman

Playing first base comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. Vinnie discusses the pressure of making crucial plays and the personal accountability that comes with the position.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "It is not the most fun feeling when you mess up a play like that... It sucks." [53:20]

He recounts memorable moments, both triumphant and trying, such as scoring a home run and dealing with defensive mishaps.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "But it's great to be in the lineup." [48:32]

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Fantasy Sports and Unique Leagues

Vinnie is an avid fantasy sports participant, engaging in traditional leagues and more unconventional formats like guillotine and vampire leagues. He explains the complexities and thrill of these competitions, highlighting his strategic approaches and humorous anecdotes.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "Vampire League is awesome, too." [60:38]
Katie Nolan: "You bite each other." [60:43]

His enthusiasm for innovative fantasy formats showcases his deep passion for the game beyond just playing professionally.

---

CBA Negotiations and Player Rights

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations. Vinnie provides insight into the players' perspectives, the relationship with team owners, and the importance of maintaining player rights and mental health resources.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "I think the Royals are a really good organization. They actually give a shit about us." [73:35]

He emphasizes the support systems in place, including mental health resources, and commends the Royals' commitment to player well-being.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "We have a mental health person on staff. She's great. Yeah, she's awesome." [73:36]

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Technology in Sports: AI and Live Auto-Tune

The conversation shifts to the impact of technology in sports and social media. Katie raises concerns about AI integration on platforms like Instagram and the use of live auto-tune in performances. Vinnie shares his thoughts on these advancements, balancing skepticism with acceptance where appropriate.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "Live auto tune should be illegal... It feels like being lied to and I don't want to chat with stepsister." [02:34 - 04:06]

He articulates the potential downsides of artificial enhancements, advocating for authenticity while recognizing the evolving landscape of technology in entertainment and sports.

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Mental Health and Support Systems

Vinnie addresses the importance of mental health within the professional sports environment. Reflecting on stories like Jaron Duran's struggles, he underscores the value of having accessible mental health resources and a supportive team environment.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "If something was going on in any one of our guys' lives, we would know where to go to talk about it." [73:37]

This segment highlights the Royals' proactive approach to player mental health, fostering a culture of openness and support.

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Insights on Player Performance Metrics

The discussion delves into advanced baseball statistics, specifically Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Vinnie critiques the metric's effectiveness and fairness, especially for positions like first base.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "Big dumb idiot, basically. So, yeah, that's it." [52:15]

He voices frustration with how WAR can sometimes undervalue players based on their position, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of player contributions.

---

Relationships with Teammates and Community

Vinnie speaks fondly of his relationships within the team and the broader baseball community. His camaraderie with teammates, including humorous interactions and shared experiences, paints a picture of a tight-knit and supportive environment.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "If you don't like somebody, just don't talk to them." [67:21]

His approachable nature and ability to connect with others contribute to the positive team dynamics of the Royals.

---

Personal Life and Hobbies

Beyond baseball, Vinnie shares snippets of his personal life, including his work at a dog daycare and his love for television shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine. These insights add depth to his persona, showcasing his interests outside the diamond.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "I like 30-minute comedies... I've watched Brooklyn Nine Nine probably 100 times." [57:12]

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Closing Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Vinnie's optimistic outlook on the future of the Royals and his dedication to the team shine through. He underscores the importance of staying positive and supportive, both for himself and his teammates, amidst the challenges of professional sports.

Vinnie Pasquantino: "I think Shohei Ohtani could be the MVP... It's crazy and insane." [49:10]

His reflections offer listeners a blend of humor, sincerity, and deep-seated passion for baseball.

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Notable Quotes

• Vinnie Pasquantino: "Live auto tune should be illegal... It feels like being lied to and I don't want to chat with stepsister." [04:06]
• Vinnie Pasquantino: "It is not the most fun feeling when you mess up a play like that... It sucks." [53:20]
• Vinnie Pasquantino: "We have a mental health person on staff. She's great. Yeah, she's awesome." [73:36]
• Vinnie Pasquantino: "Big dumb idiot, basically. So, yeah, that's it." [52:15]

---

Conclusion

This episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan offers a comprehensive look into the life and thoughts of Vinnie Pasquantino. From the intricacies of playing first base to the broader discussions on technology and player welfare, Vinnie's insights provide a valuable perspective for both casual fans and baseball enthusiasts alike. His candidness and humor make for an engaging and informative listen, embodying the spirit of making sports enjoyable without the usual high-pressure environment.

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements, introductions, and conclusions as per the guidelines, focusing solely on the substantive content of the episode.

Transcript

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[Katie Nolan]

Hey, Isabella, did you see that Bill Belichick has filed for a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a number of phrases, 14, in fact, including Chapel Bill, Chapel Bill, Parentheses Bill's version, the Bella Straitor, and the Belichick Way. I want to zoom in on Chapel Bill, Parentheses Bill's version.

[Isabella]

Bill's version. I think I want it to be like Taylor's version. I would be curious to see what that would be.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, it's just like, call it Chapel Hill Parentheses Bill's version. If it's Chapel Bill, we knew it was Bill.

[Isabella]

Chapel Bill Jordan's version. Oh, what would that be? Oh, also, I totally forgot about Chapel Hill in general. So my first thought was like, is this a spin off of Chapel Roan?

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, that's fun. Yeah, that's fun. I wish. No, this is Chapel Hill. Chapel Bill. Do you want a sweatshirt when they come out? If I can find you one.

[Isabella]

Honestly, yeah, I would get it.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. All right.

[Isabella]

Speaking of sweatshirts and Bill Belichick, I saw a TikTok the other day where it just, like, showed. It was like, some cool music. And then they showed a bunch of Bill Belichick's outfits from, like, years ago. And I was like, he's got some swag.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Isabella]

I don't know what era it was exactly, but I was like, he was dressed pretty nicely.

[Katie Nolan]

I'm gonna assume he was cutting the sleeves off of his sweatshirts.

[Isabella]

I don't know if it was that, but it was just like, he just had Some really n, you know, hoodies. And like, he had like, on a little jacket with his little crew.

[Katie Nolan]

I would love to see what you were wearing.

[Isabella]

I can, I'll send it to you after this.

[Katie Nolan]

I need to see because I'm like trying to picture. I was talking, it's like, imagine what.

[Isabella]

Like is now being sold in, like secondhand. Like.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, what's funny is I was talking to Dan. I was like, bill Belichick's legacy is going to be these short sleeved hoodies that everybody wears now because he didn't want. He cut the sleeves off of his, but now they make them like that. And it looks so silly.

[Isabella]

I didn't know that about him.

[Katie Nolan]

It looks so silly. But I would love to see you. What you think is him getting off a fit.

[Isabella]

I. I was, I was like, okay, he's kind of fly.

[Katie Nolan]

I love this. Oh, God, I love this. Don't, please don't fall for him.

[Isabella]

I won't, I won't.

[Katie Nolan]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hello and welcome to Casuals, the podcast that's about sports. But is it. But is it though? I'm Katie Nolan. I'm your host. Got a great guest today, you guys. An active ball player. You love when you get an athlete who's currently in the league. We have Vinnie Pasquantino from the Kansas City Royals. He's the first baseman. He's here to chat with us. It's very fun and very funny and I'm looking forward to it. So we'll just hurry up with all the business up front. As always. You can email us casuals with Katie nolanmail.com Our voicemail is 646-801-0043. On IG and TikTok, we are CasualsThePodcast. Yap time. I'm just gonna yap really quickly and let me tell you, with it being Coachella, right? Coachella weekend one was last weekend. I had this take that I've been like, it's been bugging me, right? It's kind of AI related. And then I just opened up my Instagram and there's something even bleaker that's AI. So I don't even know where to start. But let me. Let's. This is maybe just a public service announcement. I opened up my Instagram and I clicked on my messages because I have self hate and sometimes I want to see, you know, the mean things people want to say directly to me and. But when I got a little pop up, you know when something new happens on an app and it's like, check out this new feature. And the new feature that was being advertised to me said, chat with AI. And I just feel like, I don't know, you know, on an app that's like social media. Why. Why is Instagram in the talk to fake people game? I don't think that's the move. But then even bleaker, if. If that's not bleak enough for you, when I X'd that out, instead of it taking me to my messages where people are screaming obscenities at me, it took me to a splash that was like, Discover AIs. And it has the list of the most popular, currently most popular AIs that people are chatting with. One of them is, I don't know. There's like a one called Kendrick Lamar, which. I wonder what the. Like, if he had to sign off on that. But the little about me section says, say Drake, which, I mean, it's okay that Kendrick Lamar did all the things he's done. It's okay that he went and he did the super bowl halftime show and called Drake a pedophile. I don't know if I need Kendrick Lamar's AI calling Drake a pedophile. That feels like, step a little bit too far. Then there's one called Emo boy rocking your world one chord at a time. Okay? And then there's one called Stepsister. What do we. What's that about? Is that a musical artist that I haven't heard of? I'm gonna go, well, maybe I won't Google Steps. There's one called Stepsister. Now, for context, Kendrick Lamar has 35,000 messages with. With people. Stepsister, 647,000 messages. What the fuck? The original. The original yap here was gonna be that. I think live auto tune should be illegal. And I think that's an important stance. So I'm still saying it. Even though that Stepsister thing rocked me and is gonna fuck up my whole day. Live auto tune, when did we start doing that? That should be illegal. If you are charging money for people to come see you perform music and you are incapable of performing music at a level that you're comfortable with, then you shouldn't be able to do that. You can't just go, well, I'll use a computer program that'll make sure I hit all the notes. I remember a couple years ago when I was in college. So it's probably like a decade. Ish. 20 years ago. It was a couple years ago, okay? In my brain, Auto tune itself, people were like, oh, that's controversial. Like you're making people who can't sing sound like they know how to sing. For anybody who doesn't know, and I'm sure you do, Auto tune is the computer program that basically bumps your notes to where exactly they're supposed to be when producing a song. So if you were a little flat, you aren't anymore. It sounds perfect. And it was a little controversial in the music industry, and I was shocked to learn that now they have the technology to do that live. And I feel like sometimes Dan and I will turn on like primetime regular TV just to see, you know, just to like, catch a glimpse of what happens on. What's the one where they wear the big mascot, masked singer. Sometimes we're just like, is this as dystopian as the commercials make it seem? Quick answer is yes, but I could have sworn on masked singer, they were using live auto tune. And it's like the point of masked singer is like, that this person can sing. And we didn't know that or that like, wow, what a great voice. On this live auto tune, it's like you can't. You're just up there doing karaoke with help. That's not. That shouldn't be allowed to happen. And it just feels like at a time when everybody loves to throw around that phrase industry plant. I don't know if you guys have seen that in comments on social media, but whenever a new artist gains a lot of steam, I'm specifically thinking of like, doi somebody will comment like, where'd she come from? Industry plant. And that's not how that works. But it does seem interesting to me that, like, at a time when everybody is trying to sniff out who the industry plant is, we're letting people use live autotune at their concerts and we're chatting with AI on insta. They could make a pop star. The industry could make a pop star and put just a body out there, they that can't even sing and people would pay money for it. That would be an industry plant. I don't know, man. I feel like it was just really scary watching coachella, watching people use live auto tune. Now listen, if you want to use auto tune as like a. Let's say the way t pain did it, you know, where it's like an. An artistic choice. It's like overly auto tuned to make you sound like a computer that's different, that's fine, I guess, if we. As long as everybody knows. But I think there are really people who are out there just to see a concert that have no idea that you're not hitting the not, you're faking it entirely. And listen, if you're insecure performing live in front of that large of a crowd, go home and practice. That's what the money's for. That's what the time is for. Instead of taking that brand deal where you have to go film a commercial, maybe stay home and practice singing, maybe spend the money on a vocal coach, I don't know. That's the gig. That's the gig. I can relate to not being able to sing in front of that many people. That's why I don't do it, you see. So I just feel like live auto tune should be illegal, especially with how much money they charge for tickets to stuff Now. I don't know, maybe that makes me crazy. It just is driving me nuts watching people be like, oh, I love this song. And just hear, you can hear it. You can hear it. I don't like being lied to and I don't want to chat with stepsister. Please stop asking me. All right, now that we've scared away most of the listeners, let's go ahead and get into our interview. This was a really fun one. This was a really fun one. We recorded it on Monday, so it feels like it was a week ago. And I've been waiting for everybody to be able to hear it because Vinny is a blast who accidentally ran into Dan, my fiance, like days before this interview. So it was a wild experience, but we had a lot of fun. So let's go ahead and get to that now. This is Vinnie Pasquantino, the Pasquatch from the Kansas City Royals.

[Dr. Horton Representative]

Now is your time to get into a new Dr. Horton home by taking advantage of their national red tag sales event going on right now through April 20th. Stop by any of their participating communities and find select red tag homes at incredible pricing. So whether you're buying your first home or looking for an upgrade, you don't want to miss the red tag sales event going on right now. Discover the Dr. Horton [e-mail] that's Dr. Horton.com Dr. Horton, America's builder and equal housing opportunity builder.

[Allmodern Representative]

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[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If you've been having your McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with an Iced coffee from somewhere else, now is a great time to reconsider.

[Katie Nolan]

In the Pacific Northwest, it's never too.

[Dr. Horton Representative]

Cold for an iced coffee in the morning.

[Katie Nolan]

Grab yourself a medium caramel, French vanilla.

[Dr. Horton Representative]

Or classic iced coffee for just 2.29.

[Katie Nolan]

Beverage may cause craving for McMuffin or hash browns. Prices and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer or combo meal. Vinnie Pasquintino, thank you so much for being here.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Thank you for having me.

[Katie Nolan]

Explain to me a baseball schedule because I assumed today you had off. I was like, oh, Vinny's coming in. They must have the day off. But you have a game tonight.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

And you just. And you said yes to this.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. We're in the city, you know.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Yeah. Come.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Just walk here. I didn't even have to. Just walked over.

[Katie Nolan]

When you play the Yankees, they put you up. You're in the city.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yep.

[Katie Nolan]

City proper.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Like downtown. I don't think I'm allowed to say where we're staying.

[Katie Nolan]

No, you probably shouldn't.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

People still find it, though.

[Katie Nolan]

Is it nice?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it's nice over by the church. The big church.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, that's.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

What is it?

[Katie Nolan]

St Patrick's stop saying identifying information about where you're staying. This won't be out till Thursday anyway, so you'll probably be out of there. Fun thing about New York is when you get a nice hotel, it's still a tiny.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Tiny room.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's still not great. Yeah. But you can go Get a bagel anywhere, which I like.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So come in late night. You can go get pizza or whatever. So that's nice. City still awake.

[Katie Nolan]

I take that for granted. What is your. So what's your life like on game day? Have you eaten today? Are you going to eat a bunch more? What's the food situation?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

New York's different because I go get bagels in the morning. Normally I don't do that, but. Yeah, this morning I had a pork roll, egg and cheese at utopia Bagels on 34th.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Shout out.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Went with a buddy of mine from. From college. We always go get breakfast when I come up here. So. Yeah, did that. And then I'll eat, I don't know, sometime at the ballpark later, like two or three, and then eat a little pre game.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's it. Easy.

[Katie Nolan]

That makes sense. And then you eat after too, or.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, after. Although I don't like eating directly after games, like within 10, 15 minutes. So I wait around a little bit.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, you got to let it settle.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, but if my wife's in town, I got to bring her food too. So then a lot of times I'll eat after the game and then double after the game. It's hard for me to say no to food. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

What's your. Are you. You're Italian, so I assume you like a nice Italian meal.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Lasagna is my go to Chicken parm's. Great spaghetti. I mean, really, anything you can't. It's hard to go wrong.

[Katie Nolan]

When I was little, I used to think that I wouldn't eat lasagna because Garfield ate lasagna and so I thought it was cat food. Yeah, I missed out on lasagna for like the first 10 years of my life.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I hated steak until I was like 25.

[Katie Nolan]

What was wrong with us? What were we thinking?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I know what was wrong with the steak. It was the way my dad cooked it.

[Katie Nolan]

Same all the way through. Yeah, it was like, gray.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Why is it so chewy?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, same thing with pork chops. I was like, mom, I don't think this is what these are supposed to taste like, but we didn't die from foodborne illness.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Never died.

[Katie Nolan]

Thank you. Never died. I've never died in my life. Random funny story I feel like we should tell. We've never met, but this weekend, obviously I knew you were coming in today and I got a text from my fiance who was on the road with Shane Gillis in Cleveland. I had just watched your game. That didn't go so well. Did not against the Guardians. And I got a text from my fiance, a picture of the two of you. And he was like, vinny says he's excited for Monday. And I was like, what? And so you must have. You're a Shane Gillis fan. You and everyone else, I assume. Shane Gillis fan.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yep. For me, it's a little bit more personal because everybody tells me I sound like him. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

What?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I don't know. I don't know. So, yeah, so we get a text being like, hey, you want to go over to see Shane Gillis show? We end up hanging out with them after. And Dan and I are hanging out, and I'm like, hey, here's a fun fact. I'm going to do Katie's podcast on Monday.

[Katie Nolan]

He was like, I was so excited.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it was great. Great night. Fun guys.

[Katie Nolan]

Fun time.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it was a blast. And the next day, personally went much better for me.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, you hit a home run.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Now, you may not know this, but that night you told Shane that you were gonna hit a home run the next day.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, Shane told me I was gonna hit a home run.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. He told you, but you might not know this part. He put money on it. Cause you told him, lock it in. I think you were just saying. You were like, I will do that. He put money on it, and then you hit a home run.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I heard about this.

[Katie Nolan]

So you won him a bunch of money.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So happy to help. Wherever I can.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, completely. He didn't know that. That's completely out of it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I wish I could know when I was gonna hit home runs. That'd be awesome. Yeah. But he called a shot, and of course I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm gonna do that.

[Katie Nolan]

So now you guys are best friends. I feel like that makes you best friends.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I think so.

[Katie Nolan]

It's pretty cool.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's cool story.

[Katie Nolan]

It's a cool best friend. I have. Yeah. I saw the comments. People in the comments saying that every interview I do discount Shane Gillis was one of the phrases.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I saw Walmart Shane Gillis.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. I don't see it. I might know him too well, but I don't see it. Is it hearing it? I'm supposed to hear it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I don't know. I don't know. But I'm sure somebody will comment on this.

[Katie Nolan]

Interesting.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

At least once.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Huh. Well, I guess compliment. You're funny.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Katie Nolan]

Also, I saw one that said hotter Shane Gillis. So that's a double compliment.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I appreciate that a lot.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, that's a very nice he should be upset about it, but you should be happy. We've spoken about you before on this podcast, the Pasquatch. Are you wearing the chain?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I am. I always have it on me.

[Katie Nolan]

Every day.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Every day.

[Katie Nolan]

One of the better nicknames in Major League Baseball. Currently.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's on here somewhere. Here it is. Which camera? Chris?

[Katie Nolan]

Which Chris? Can you zoom in? Hey, Chris, can you get that?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's right there.

[Katie Nolan]

Pasquatch. I. Where did this come from?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Who gave it to you so much like a Sasquatch? I have no idea. Yeah, I think it was Ryan O'Hearn who was a teammate of mine a few years ago. He's with the Orioles now. Or it was Alec Lewis, who was a beat reporter for us. Somebody at some point said Pasquatch. Like O'Hearn still calls me Squatch every time I see him. And then the team, I got hurt and then when I came back, the team posted like just this gif of a Sasquatch. And it was like, rumor has it there's been a sighting of a Pasquatch.

[Katie Nolan]

Great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And it blew up.

[Katie Nolan]

Great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then the team fully, like, the team fully bought in before I did. And then we did like a commercial where I was walking in the outfield like a Sasquatch and they posted that it did well. And then the next year, the first time I get on base, there's a freaking Sasquatch walking around in left field.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And that's when it really took off.

[Katie Nolan]

People love that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

People love it. So then I bought into it. Literally and figuratively. Like, I own it. Make sure.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, you had to like.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Trademark it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Smart.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So business.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Just trying to make good business decisions.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. So not me, but you. Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

I never made a good business decision in my life.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's crazy. And then it just took off. And so then I'm like, okay. Fans like it. So I'll. I'll go. I'll go with it too.

[Katie Nolan]

Do you feel like you can't ever shave your beard now? Do you feel like you have to stay like a hairy guy?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

This is new. Like, I've grown facial hair before, but I have terrible facial hair. I'm like three months into a beard right now.

[Katie Nolan]

It's not terrible.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's tough.

[Katie Nolan]

It's a beard, but.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And the hair was a negotiation from me with my wife. She hates. I don't know, my father in law's here. I don't know how you feel about my hair, but your daughter hates it. So for the wedding, I had to.

[Katie Nolan]

He's not saying thumbs up. So I feel like he agrees with her. Yeah, yeah, he's.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

For our wedding, I had to go clean shaven with short hair. And I told her, okay, but at some point, I'm growing it out like it's happening. And this is when I cashed in on that was this year, so. And it fits the character too, so maybe I gotta keep it.

[Katie Nolan]

You do. Speaking of which, you also have to get whoever it is that updates Wikipedias. Yours needs to be updated because I thought I had an ally in the long engagement fight. But yours just says that you got engaged. It never says you got married. But then I saw you did within a year the normal way you did it. Normal?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, we did it the normal way. She. She went to work and she got it done.

[Katie Nolan]

So, yes, she went to work. See, it's never. I would have felt if a. Sometimes you just want to hear a guy go like, yes. I also participated in the planning of the. I'm not organized. Planning a wedding stresses me out. I'll do it eventually. The Royals. Everybody talks about the Royals like they're the young, fun, goofy, young bastards. Is it. Do you feel that playing for the team? Are you guys having a good time? I mean, you play professional baseball for a living, so I imagine that's pretty fun. But are you this fun, goofy team that we think you are?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think so. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I think it more so stems from being younger. Just always assume that there's not a bunch of grizzled veterans in there. I mean, there's some. But I also think that Bobby is very goofy and that, you know, he's the leader of the team, so we fit his identity. And he's the goofiest guy I know, so that very much fits his personality. So it fits our personality.

[Katie Nolan]

And you guys are close. Yes. I saw a picture of you on your Instagram beating him in a race. I think we should let the record reflect there was a point where you were, at least at the very beginning.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I was ahead of him in a race. At some point.

[Katie Nolan]

You got a better start maybe than he did off the blocks. He's a fast guy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's actually ridiculous. And I have a front row seat because I hit behind him. So I watch some of the hits he gets. And it's incredible the way he. In the conversations I have with catchers, because catchers are also slow like me. And just. It's almost like once a day. It's. Can you believe that? I mean, that's just Unbelievable. And I'm just sitting there like, yeah, now I just feel awful because, like, all right, now I gotta. Now I gotta go do something cool, too. Cause what he does is just ridiculous.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, all you really have to do is put the ball in play, and he can pretty much score. That's so fast.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You just described my mindset at home plate. Just give him a shot to score. That's my job.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, that's. I mean, aren't you, like, nasty with runners in scoring position? I feel like it might be helpful that one of the runner who's ahead of you is usually a pretty fast guy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. The way we build our team is typically on speed and defense. Just throughout history, the Royals have built their teams like that. So me and Salvador Perez pretty much just clogging up the base pass, but everybody else can run, so we just put the ball in play and let those guys run.

[Katie Nolan]

Have you ever had a. A really bad experience running anytime in your baseball career where you're like, oh, I got in a. In the most embarrassing pickle that, like, will never leave my mind, that has scarred me forever. Or like, somebody was behind you running faster and needed to, like, push you because you were so slow.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So there's been a few. Last year, we were playing the Phillies, and I scored first at home on a double, and I thought I was going to die when I slid into home. I had to lay down at home plate for a little bit, trying to think. I got thrown out at second by Jared Kelanick a few years ago. I thought I could get this double, and he threw me out by a mile. That sucked. Probably the most embarrassing was in spring training this year. It was my last spring training at bat. All spring. I just been grounded into double plays left and right. So Salvi. So Salvi was so mad. Like, not really mad, but he's like, I'd be done with the game. It could be like the fifth inning or something. I could leave. He'd be like, now I got to stay and get another at bat. Because you can't just not hit into a double play. Last at bat of spring training, guy. At first. I know it's my last at bat. I know I'm done. I hit a ground ball to first base, and I'm trying so hard to beat it out that I pulled my hamstring.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, no.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So I started the season with a hamstring strain because I tried to beat a ground ball out.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, but that's hustle.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, but it's hustle.

[Katie Nolan]

That's what we're looking for.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's funny you say that because if you go online, which is a scary thing to do, don't do it.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It wouldn't do.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Goes both ways. It goes, man, look at this guy hustling like he's playing the game hard, which is like 10% of the comments. And the rest are, you know, you're slow as all get out. Like, why are you running any time at all?

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. But if you didn't run, then they'd be like, this guy doesn't care.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

This guy doesn't hustle.

[Katie Nolan]

This guy doesn't care. They want you to play the game the right way. I think it was cool. I think it's cool that you pulled your.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's crazy. Like, but the last at bat of spring training to. It's. I walked off the field. It was tough, tough scene. But that's all right.

[Katie Nolan]

How often are you be honest or don't. How often are you looking at Internet comments in regards to you on any forum?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

In regards to me, not that often. Like, I go. I go online, but my name is like, muted.

[Katie Nolan]

Good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, smart.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So I see some things. Like, if I follow somebody, I'll see it, but if I don't follow them, hard for me to see it. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Don't. Don't be out here searching your name.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. I. I got asked a question the other day, which my. I thought my response was just the question was, how much do you watch baseball? And I said, well, it depends on how good I'm playing nice. If I'm playing awful, I never watch because I can't take it. But if I'm playing well, I watch and be like, yeah, this is easy.

[Katie Nolan]

When you, when you finish a game, do you, like, watch? Like, are you guys going home and watching quick pitch after a game? Like, how do you get caught up on what happened?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's always on in the clubhouse.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

247 MLB Network is on. So. And then I think all the hotels we stay at have to have it.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Legally.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So I think there is, like, actually some sort of contract.

[Katie Nolan]

Give you like a login for good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. See, I. I put it on every once in a while just to see what's going around the league, but I check a lot of box scores just to see what my friends are doing.

[Katie Nolan]

I don't know if you'll want to answer this honestly, but is there like a. Are there players across the league that you like to watch?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, yeah, there's a few guys around the league. That it happens when I DH a lot. If, if pre game, when I'm getting ready, like 10 minutes before the game, we'll have another game on the tv. Certain guys are hitting, like I'll stop and watch their bat and then get back to getting ready.

[Katie Nolan]

Like who?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Harper is one of them. For me, it's a lot of left handed hitters. So like Harper, Jordan, Alvarez, Shohei, Freddie Freeman, those are probably the four. So if I'm watching the Dodgers, I'm basically just watching the whole game.

[Katie Nolan]

It's all people that look like baseball action figures.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Shohei Ohtani, we talk about him a lot. Isabella, one of our producers here, not a sports fan, but the whole goal of this podcast is to kind of try to help her fall in love with all the different sports that we cover. And we've talked a lot about Shohei because we feel like he's going to get her into baseball.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. I mean, he's gotta be a top 10 famous athlete in the world, right? Yeah, probably higher than that.

[Katie Nolan]

So good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's ridiculous.

[Katie Nolan]

Crazy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I did see a tweet last night actually that said Shohei Otani has been awful at the plate. So I was like, oh. So then I was like, oh, has he? I wonder what he's doing. So I go check the box score of the game. He was like 0 for 4 or something, but he's hitting.290 with like a.900 OPS, which. Isabella, that's very good.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Isabella]

Isabella, I was just about to ask, is that real or is that just a hater tweet?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's just a hater tweet. A simple hater tweet. So the positive you can take from that is if Shohei Ohtani is getting crap, then I'm gonna get crap no matter what.

[Katie Nolan]

It makes sense. There's no perfect. Cause he's perfect. Is that frustrating to know a perfect baseball player exists or is it inspiring?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Both. Because you watch sometimes you're like, man, why can't I do that? Like it looks so we play the same game.

[Katie Nolan]

I think technically I have all the tools.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, yeah. It's both at the same time. He once beat me to first base.

[Katie Nolan]

I remember that. Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. That sucked. Yeah. There's an embarrassing speed moment.

[Katie Nolan]

What was that? It was a grounder.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It was a ground ball to first base in Anaheim in 2023. I took a bad route on the ball and he just straight up beat me to first base. Well, you know, that's also a Hit that I will never get.

[Katie Nolan]

Where you beat the first basement to first base.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it's tough.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, it is tough. But it's okay. Everybody has their strengths.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. And everybody has some sort of weakness.

[Katie Nolan]

That's right. What's his?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

He swings and misses Sometimes. Sometimes he does.

[Katie Nolan]

He doesn't hit every time. Yeah, Shohei. There's always room for improvement.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But then people would argue that he probably shouldn't. He should swing and miss. Because he's taken. He's taking his shots.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is he gonna pitch this year? Is he coming back to doing that?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, why not?

[Katie Nolan]

I mean, because it's crazy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Doesn't he have enough?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's probably his motivation is just being able to do stuff that no one else can do.

[Katie Nolan]

Amazing. Crazy and amazing. We've arrived at the part where we have to talk about the Jets.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yes.

[Katie Nolan]

You're a big vocal jets fan. I saw that. You were the first. Explain to me what happened with the Justin Fields news. Cause I saw you say you broke it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I broke the news.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Did you really break the news?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I broke the news.

[Katie Nolan]

Where did you get. What's your source?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Good insiders don't reveal their sources.

[Katie Nolan]

Of course it's good. Good insiders always say that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. So you just had. You came across.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So, okay, to be completely honest, obviously I had nothing. I had a few. I did get a few texts though, that morning from, like, people I trust. Not necessarily within the organization, but like. Like, what are your thoughts on Fields? What would you think about that? So it got to the point where it got. There were so many text messages. I'm like, he's coming to the jets for sure. So then I'm thinking in my head, all right, Madden, if I'm playing Madden, what am I? Like, what am I. What are me and Justin going to negotiate? I'm like, I don't know. You can't really give him like $50 million a year. You're probably not going to give him like 40, but you want to take a flyer on the guy. 2 and 35. That's what I'm going to guess. 2 and 35.

[Katie Nolan]

So full guess informed by Madden experience.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then I'm. We're in the clubhouse, we have a game that day. I think we were playing Cleveland and Bobby just goes, you should tweet that out.

[Katie Nolan]

Chaos Agent.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm like, I'm in.

[Katie Nolan]

Sure.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So Annie Rogers, who's one of our Pete reporters, she helped me word it.

[Katie Nolan]

Great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So, like, it would look more legitimate.

[Katie Nolan]

Perfect.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then I Tweeted it out and obviously, you know, people are like, haha, whatever. And I'm. I'm coming out of the shower and somebody goes, you nailed it. No, but what are you talking about? Like, Justin Fields to the Jets. It was like 2 and 40, whatever it is. And the dopamine hit, like, was. You couldn't. Nothing could have gotten me down that day.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because I'm. One of the better days of my life.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

When you just make a call like that and then you kind of are confirmed.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I felt like Babe Ruth calling a shot.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I mean, that's what it felt like. It was.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It was unbelievable. I got texts from people in the building after that being like, how'd you know? Yeah, like, how did you know? And like, don't worry about me.

[Katie Nolan]

Don't worry about me.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So people then assumed that I was friends with Justin Fields.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm not. Don't know him at all.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, well, I'm sure we can. This might clip this. We'll send this over to Justin Fields.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. A jersey I'm hoping will be on the way. I've got a lot of jets jerseys.

[Katie Nolan]

How many?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Too many, probably.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Well, one is too many.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well. So last year in the. Yeah. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Katie Nolan]

Just, you know.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Oh, yeah. You're a Patriots fan.

[Katie Nolan]

That's right. That's right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And they still stink.

[Katie Nolan]

Never forget. Well. And haven't we earned that? Haven't we earned the right?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, that's what you guys got to.

[Katie Nolan]

Stink for so long. Now it's the Patriots turn.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Maybe you can teach me what it's like to be a fan of an. Of an AFC east team that stinks.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's fun. Your Sundays will be filled with joy of watching other teams win games and wondering why your team can't. But not this year.

[Katie Nolan]

No. This is for you.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

This is a year for the Jets.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. You think? You really feel that in your bones?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. This is a year.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

A year.

[Katie Nolan]

A season will happen.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. I tried to make a draft pick for them last year. We were in Detroit when they were in Detroit for the draft. Showed up.

[Katie Nolan]

Where is it this year? The draft?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Green Bay. So I got no shot.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. Is it next weekend, too?

[Katie Nolan]

It's soon. It's definitely soon.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. The jets are going to take an offensive tackle.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. More inside information.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think. Because I think they're going to just start running stuff. Like the Lions.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They like offensive line.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh. Because isn't there. Isn't Your head coach. The.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And offensive coordinator.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then the GM. The GMs from the Broncos. So we'll see. We'll see what happens. I'll be there no matter what.

[Katie Nolan]

You don't think they're going to take a quarter? People were talking about they might take a quarterback.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. They're like, where's the camera? They're not going to take a quarterback.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, mark it down here. A lot of predictions.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. In the first round.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

In the first round.

[Katie Nolan]

Not going to take a quarterback in the first round. Yeah. How did you feel about the Aaron Rodgers of it all? As a Jets fan?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So I loved it at first.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Yeah. I had high hopes, I'm sure.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Very high hopes. Very high hopes. And then by the end, I was just worn down.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Just weathered. People always ask me if I liked the documentary. Did not watch it.

[Katie Nolan]

I didn't watch it either.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I got nothing against Aaron Rodgers, like, as a person, because I don't know him. That'd be unfair for me to have something against him. But by the end, it wasn't fun for me as a fan. I appreciate everything he tried to give to the organization.

[Katie Nolan]

That's nice.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It just didn't work out.

[Katie Nolan]

No, it didn't.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

No, it didn't.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, how. What was it like? That immediate first, his first season, the like, highs of, like, Aaron Rodgers is here to the like, he is hurt and it is done.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So I was hurt at the time. So I was at the game.

[Katie Nolan]

Was that your thumb or the one before the shoulder?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That was the shoulder in 23 and the team was in Chicago and they told me I could have the day to go to the game because I had season tickets. So I was in the middle of rehabbing. I knew I couldn't come back, so, like, they gave me the day. I went back the next day to continue rehab, but I went in that morning to rehab, then I flew out, went to the game, met Vinnie Testaverde. He's the reason why I'm a Jets fan, truly.

[Katie Nolan]

Just the Vinnie. Vinnie connection.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's the only reason.

[Katie Nolan]

When you're young, you really don't need much more than that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, that was it. Like, my dad's a Dolphins fan because of the colors when he was a kid. I love these colors. I like them. So my dad and I were.

[Katie Nolan]

Weird to pick a team in the same division against your dad.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's fine.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, that's fine.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But I kind of root for the Dolphins when they're not playing the Jets. Of course, you Know, respect to him.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, and now your dear friend Dan Soder is good friends.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Good friends. I heard about that. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So I'm sure.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah, you know, it's good. It's good. The Jets, I love them.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And that's really.

[Katie Nolan]

So you went to that. You said you went to that game.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Went to the game, met Vinny Testaverde. We were on the sideline. I was watching Rogers warm up and I was texting all my friends, being like, this is unbelievable. Like, cannon of an arm just looks good in the uniform, runs out with the American flag. And then the worst part is I had to sell signal in the. In the stadium.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So nobody knew what was going on. Everybody was just watching the blue tent. And then, like, you could hear, like, whispers of Achilles going around the stadium. So that's. Well, that's not good. No, that's not good. And then, then the. I'm going to come back this year. No, you're not.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Okay.

[Katie Nolan]

Medically, pretty difficult, but if there was.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

One person that would medically be like, I don't care. Yeah, I think it would be him.

[Katie Nolan]

It just. At least it's enough of a question mark that when he says it, you go like, maybe.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I mean, I was telling all my friends that he's coming back. And like, I am a die hard positive Jets.

[Katie Nolan]

I was going to say. So that's. That defines you as a fan, is you're the. Like, I'm going to cope.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

There's a tweet out there. I'm pretty sure I deleted it, but I said, like, Zach Wilson is going. I tweeted during 20, Zach Wilson will lead this team to future Super Bowls.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, my God.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And he's still got a shot. Technically, he's still in the league. So.

[Katie Nolan]

And that. And so why do you feel that is. Why is that your relationship as a fan with the team? Because I think it's fascinating to stay positive.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, what's ridiculous is how I act during the week. Like, I'll be talking to my wife. Like, it's like the biggest jets game in 20 years coming on this weekend. And I'll just be like, freaking out all week. Like, I go into workout, there's a few guys, a bunch of football fans. All we do is talk about football. And I'm like, yeah, dude, this is the week the jets are going to take off everything. And I think it's just because I buy in so much that I'm like, I got no choice but to be positive.

[Katie Nolan]

Right?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because if I'm negative. Like the Steelers game last year on Sunday Night Football. It was devonte Adams debut with the jets and then it went south quickly. But I'm always doing the math of okay, but if they can just get a quick score here, quick stop, quick score, like we're right back in this game.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then it's like you never are.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. You're never back in the game and that.

[Katie Nolan]

And you never hold that against the Jets. That's never.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No.

[Katie Nolan]

You've never been like, I hate this team.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. Not once.

[Katie Nolan]

Not publicly.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because I love them.

[Katie Nolan]

You love them?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I don't even. And the only reason is because of Vinny. Tessa Verde.

[Katie Nolan]

But I feel like it's very tenuous, if I will, a very tenuous relationship.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You know, I'm. How old am I? I'm 27. I've given 25 years of my life to this organization. I'm not, I'm not going back.

[Katie Nolan]

You were two.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

You were two when you fell for this team.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

And you trust your two year old judgment?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I trust myself.

[Katie Nolan]

That's pretty.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If you don't trust yourself, who can you trust?

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, so give me the positive spin on finding out your team was using Madden ratings.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

To be honest, just kind of like I get it if you're. Because let's say you own a team. Right. You probably just like the sport or you like money. So.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You don't really know.

[Katie Nolan]

Or your daddy liked the sport and then you got it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Fair. Fair. So you probably don't really know a whole lot about like the ins and out. Like I feel like football, IQ wise, I'm in the same spot as a lot of owners, maybe a little higher. Oh, that's rude. That's rude. But like, but they're so rich.

[Katie Nolan]

They've got all these resources, they've got.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

A lot of stuff going on.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, yeah, but this should be one of their bigger things that's going on. They should put most of their time into, I don't know, this.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You would, you would hope so. But. Yeah, then it's like you have kids that play video games and you're like, I just thinking about how the conversation went of just like, we can't trade for him. He's a 77 overall.

[Katie Nolan]

It just doesn't feel. I remember when I saw the news feeling like that's not supposed to happen.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It just seems like the best organizations in football, the football people run the football park.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And the owners take the rewards for it.

[Katie Nolan]

Right?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Enjoy what their expertise brings you like.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

How is it going for Jerry Jones?

[Katie Nolan]

Not great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Not great.

[Katie Nolan]

Not great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Do you think Jerry Jones plays Madden?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. No, I don't.

[Katie Nolan]

But it would be pretty fun to play against him, I think.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Kick his ass.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Sorry, Isabella.

[Katie Nolan]

No. What?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Sorry, Chris. Sorry. Cussed.

[Isabella]

Why are you apologizing to me?

[Katie Nolan]

Yes. She's got a sailor's mouth. Also, in defense of Madden, it. It helped you become an NFL insider.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So you said it.

[Katie Nolan]

You can do.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

These games are getting real realistic.

[Katie Nolan]

I know. That's when I stopped playing them. When they became too. I liked it better when I was just. Just mashing buttons. Now I've got a.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That Friday night, playing video games with Dan.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. What you guys play?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Fusion. Fusion Frenzy.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Apparently that's. I don't know that, but I guess it's like a very social game.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I didn't know what it was until the other night. Very fun.

[Katie Nolan]

Fun.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Cuz for a while they were doing like ufc.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They played that as well.

[Katie Nolan]

Was the game that they're playing. And that's too involved for a green room when people are coming and going.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Right.

[Katie Nolan]

So you got to play a social game like Fusion Frenzy, which sounds like an app, like a phone app. What is it? Is it sport related?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, there's like 90 mini games and that's all it is.

[Katie Nolan]

It's like little arcade games.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, exactly.

[Katie Nolan]

And you were good. You did good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, no, no. Shane's assistant. Very good though.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Unbelievable. Grace. Grace. Unbelievable at that game. Yeah, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Interesting. She smoked you.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Like, it wasn't even close.

[Katie Nolan]

Damn. I hope she's telling everybody she knows.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

That she did that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then when she told people that, they'd be like, who are you talking about?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah. Like, you know Pasquatch.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

He's famous.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Are you? What? So you were a Jets fan because of Testaverde? Who? Do you have other. Do you like hockey? Are you a hockey fan?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I live in Nashville, so I kind of follow the predators.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Yeah. Have you ever thrown a catfish?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I have not seen it a lot. Never done it.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Looks fun.

[Katie Nolan]

Does it? No, the throwing of it, I think does. The bringing of it to the stadium. Does not.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It blows my mind that it's like even allowed.

[Katie Nolan]

I know. Well, I think it's not.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

You know, but like.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But it's fun.

[Katie Nolan]

But it's a. It's a fun, weird thing and then.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Somebody'S got to clean it up off the ice. Yeah. I don't understand hockey. Why with hat tricks, everybody throws their.

[Katie Nolan]

Hats since I was young. I was like, what are we doing?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because that's your own hat. I know now you don't have your hat.

[Katie Nolan]

When you have a cheap dad, you just. He. He just fake throws it. And then at the end of the game, this was like when in, like, youth hockey, they would throw their hats too, and they would, you know, collect them or whatever. And then at the end of the game, he would just wait by the bin of the hats and if people didn't collect them, new free hats. Mike Nolan. So that was. I was always raised on pretend to throw your hat. Yeah, but. Yeah, it does.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, you can't put your hat back on after you do that. Where do you put it? In your jacket, I guess.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, I guess he did hide it because you can't.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I mean, you can't fake throw the.

[Katie Nolan]

Hat and then have a hat on. Well, what if you brought a second hat?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You didn't.

[Katie Nolan]

You could bring a catfish. You could bring a second hat.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I don't think you're bringing a second hat.

[Katie Nolan]

He wasn't bring. We didn't. We weren't allowed to own two hats.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Real cheap.

[Katie Nolan]

Really cheap. Guy did not want to give up the one family hat. What about basketball? Are you a basketball guy? It's okay to not be. You can say, no, I don't have.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Really an NBA team, but I like basketball.

[Katie Nolan]

So you're recruitable.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm recruitable.

[Katie Nolan]

He's recruitable. Basketball, somebody could send you a jersey. You could become a huge.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Could be any NBA teams out there that need a professional athlete fan.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Here I am.

[Katie Nolan]

He's recruitable. Did you, as a, you know, part of the Kansas City sports landscape, when the Chiefs are doing their whole thing, you're. Even though you're a Jets fan, I assume you partook a little bit in the Chiefs of it all.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm a Chiefs adjacent fan.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I support them with everything I got.

[Katie Nolan]

Not with every.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It can't be everything when they're not playing the Jets.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, good, good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So been to some playoff games? Been to some games there. It's a blast.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

It's a fun atmosphere.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And I think I take it for granted that the team right next to us always goes to the Super Bowl.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because we got invited to the super bowl this year and said no. I think just thinking, oh, they'll be back. Yeah, we'll get invited again.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay. Listen, you can get used to it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Like, I always think about, like, what if, you know, just like the Raiders were going through this run Right now, I'd have no affiliation with any good football team. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Mm. Mm. The Raider. What if.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

What if?

[Katie Nolan]

What if?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

General baseball stuff. Torpedo bats seem to be the big talk of the season. I. I don't know if I care.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You shouldn't.

[Katie Nolan]

I shouldn't?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No.

[Katie Nolan]

It just feels like. Like a technological innovation to help somebody who isn't hitting properly.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, so the original purpose, from my understanding, was to measure where a person hits the ball on the bat, then make that part of the bat bigger, therefore increasing their opportunity to get better contact because of where they hit the ball. And now they're just making these torpedo bats with no science to the person behind them.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So it's just a different way to make a bat.

[Katie Nolan]

Like, you shouldn't be able to just pick one up and use it. It should be based off of your.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

From my understanding, how they talked about it after opening weekend.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It just feels like a. Where'd it come from? Why is it here now?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I guess it's. Has been in the works for years, and people were using it last year, too. I mean, everything gets inflated when it's the Yankees, and then everything gets inflated when they do what they did the first weekend.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. And everybody's like, whoa.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They haven't done that since in terms of hitting that many.

[Katie Nolan]

And not everybody who did that was using a torpedo bat.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Like, Judge doesn't use one. I thought his response to a question he got about it was amazing.

[Katie Nolan]

What'd he say?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They asked him, are you using this? And if so, like, if not, why not? He said, well, I think my. My last year speaks for itself.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Like. Or my career speaks for itself. I don't know his exact quote, but it's like, yeah, good response.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. I don't think I need it. I. Yeah, I hit quite a few on my own.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. I don't know. It just feels like it's not cheating.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Like.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's what I thought was funny about it is after the first weekend, it's like, oh, my God. Like, here's the. Here's the answer to all my problems is the torpedo.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. You still got to hit it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's like, yeah, you still have to hit it. And now you. You know, there's some ways where it's like, now you've made your sweet spot down the barrel a little bit. What if they start pitching you away? Now you have.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, yeah. Now you have to. Somehow.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Now you have less bat at the end of the bat. So do I start crowding the plate If I'm using a torpedo bat to then try to hit it off of that spot, like I haven't done enough research on it because I'm not changing my bat.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. It feels to me like you should just fix your swing. If the barrel is not where the ball's usually hitting, change your swing. But I don't know anything and I.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Don'T know enough about that specifically.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, you know about hitting.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I know about hitting.

[Katie Nolan]

You're quite good at it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Thank you. Yeah, I try.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Let me ask you this, a Raphael Devers based question. If you found out that you were only ever gonna be dh, would you miss first base a little bit?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Dhing sucks.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

DHing, like I thought the way that was handled was a little bit, you know, interesting. Same because especially once you've been paid.

[Katie Nolan]

It'S kind of like you're getting paid a ton of money to be our third baseman.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But you also, you know, when you're a guy like that, you've been the guy there and then all of a sudden they sign somebody else to play your position. You were never really told anything because, like, why would they tell you anyway? Then it's, it's all. It might have felt like a slap in the face. Yeah. So I understand that. But there's also the piece where you just do what the team needs you to do.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. And where like Bregman's so good as a third baseman that it's like, okay, the numbers do reflect that you're the better choice. But I understand being like, I don't want to just hit.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So DHING is. I've never met somebody that like falls in love with DHING because you just kind of sit there.

[Katie Nolan]

It's not like you're not like playing games on your phone. You have to stay engaged in the game. Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm lucky because I DH'd in AAA before I came to the big leagues.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Cause they kind of told me that's gonna be your role, at least for the time being. So I learned how to do it. So my DH routine is dialed in. Now what is it? I get to the park a little bit later, I start getting loose for the game a little bit later. And like, I don't necessarily lock in any less to the game, but I know how to move around during the game. Go to the weight room a lot of times I get my lifts in during the game when. So then I'm still moving. Because a lot of the times you just, you'll sit there and then you get Cold. Then you try to go get loose again. And it's just, there's a, it looks like it's just like, oh, it's good to go hit four or five times a game. But there's a lot of body, like prep to do because you just go sit around for 40 minutes to an hour and then it's like, oh, oh, I got to go hit again.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But it's great to be in the lineup.

[Katie Nolan]

Of course. It's always a blessing to be there.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So it's just one of those things where you ask somebody what would you prefer to do? The answer is almost never de aging.

[Katie Nolan]

Right. It's also like, if you're not getting a hit, then you're like, I'm not impacting them in any way.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

The only way you can help the team is if you hit. Yeah. If at bats like 1 through 2 through 3 go bad, it's like. But if at bat number one goes good, you're on top of the world.

[Katie Nolan]

Because that's like, like, I did it. I did what I had to do today. The rest is house money.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's, you know, it is what it is.

[Katie Nolan]

A lot of pressure to just like.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That'S why like Shohei Otani winning the MVP as a DH last year. Crazy is insane.

[Katie Nolan]

Crazy. And like inventing the 5050 club, it's like crazy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. I also think too that one thing that gets lost is people like playing baseball. So when you're only playing half, it's like less fun.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It really is like a perfectly, in my eyes, a perfectly designed game. It's like a, it's fun to play. Everybody has the right amount of like having to do it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. But it's not all you versus like even pitchers. It's all about you for one day as a starter.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then relievers, it's all about you when you're in the game.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But then on offense, it's all about you when you're hitting. But it's not the whole game.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You look at football, it's like, okay, the quarterback's gonna get the ball every single play. Basketball, whoever your best player is going to get the ball. But in baseball, you're right. Like it's very evenly distributed and it's.

[Katie Nolan]

Like a team sport but with a lot of one on one moments.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, and this is where I get frustrated with some of like the, the technology piece of the game. The analytic part of the game is like they put us all in the same buckets in terms of war, but we all play different positions that mean different things that, like, help the team in different ways.

[Katie Nolan]

But then talk to me about war, because I know Isabella has no idea what that is.

[Isabella]

Like the card game.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So Isabella, war is wins above replacement. Replacement is. Would be like, you're. I. I don't even know if you can say average, because if you can be an average major league player, you'll play for 10 years.

[Katie Nolan]

But it is technically, right? The average.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Technically, your average player will be a zero. I think you're so zero. So it's on a. It's just like a counting scale. You play good, you have a positive, you play bad, you have a negative. Goes game by game, basically. And it's a total buildup at the end of the year.

[Katie Nolan]

They're trying to.

[Isabella]

Katie, is it kind of like what you explained to me with the video games? Is it like the KD like that?

[Katie Nolan]

A little bit. A little bit like, basically, I think the point of this stat. And please, if this is way off, I think what they're trying to calculate is how much better than the guy who could replace you. You are. So it's like, is this guy worth the money that we're spending when we could get a replacement player and he would only get us 0.8 more wins than that guy? It's just kind of constantly being chased by a ghost of a person that could replace you. Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Then they say that if you're a two WAR through the course of a full season, you're a starter. If you're a four, you're like, good or all star or something. If you're six, you're in the MVP range. Chris, you might know more on that than me.

[Katie Nolan]

He's like, nope, I don't.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But it's basically saying, like, how good are you compared to who could replace you at any given time?

[Katie Nolan]

Scary. Shouldn't exist.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. And the way they do it is like different positions have different positives and negatives towards war. So there are some positions that you take quite a hit for playing those positions. And there are some. You get points for playing those positions.

[Katie Nolan]

What are the ones that are better for points?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think in order, it goes catcher, shortstop, center field.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then on the negative side would be dh, first base, left field, or right field. One of the two. So, yeah, I have a personal vendetta against four. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Dumb stat. What do they have against you? Why are they so mad at you?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Big dumb idiot, basically. So, yeah, that's it.

[Katie Nolan]

So we love big dumb idiots.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's a Just. It's just a personal attack on me.

[Katie Nolan]

I know.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Look, I'm sick of the first base slander. Playing first base is difficult.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Well, no, technically. Not technically. Technically speaking, it's the easiest thing to do in sports, I think.

[Katie Nolan]

All of sports, apparently.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. That's what they like to tell us. Who they?

[Katie Nolan]

They.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They.

[Katie Nolan]

The big they. Capital T, they. I think first base is hard because if you don't catch that ball, that's tough. Somebody makes a crazy play and you don't like. Tristan Costas the other day dropped an amazing play by Trevor Story. It was a couple days ago, and I remember being like, if I were Tristan Kostas, I'd be like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna jump off of a bridge. There's no chance.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's how it feels. That's how it feels.

[Katie Nolan]

What am I like? Do you apologize? Do you say sorry? Or are they just like, don't talk to me. You dropped the ball.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's tough situation. You gotta read it player by player. It is not. It is not the most fun feeling when you. You mess up a play like that.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because it's just your fault. It's just straight up your fault. Just catch the ball.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It sucks.

[Katie Nolan]

I hate that. I hate the thought of that feeling.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Is brutal.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

And yet you go out there, and.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Then sometimes you'll be at a stadium where, like, there's white signs in left field or something. So when the shortstop throws you the ball, the ball then blends in with the sun. I'm just complaining now.

[Katie Nolan]

This is good. What's. What? Stadiums. We should put out a notice so they stop doing that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'm trying to think of some of the.

[Katie Nolan]

Not. Not Fenway.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Not Fenway.

[Katie Nolan]

That Green Monster is nice to find that ball.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. But then there's some stadiums, too, that have, like, lighter seats. So then if nobody's at the game, you really can't see during the day. It's great. I'm again, just complaining. Very grateful for my job. I love it.

[Katie Nolan]

Totally. All that goes without saying. Put the disclaimer on the screen.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

So grateful and happy to be here.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

But if you had to say which stadiums you hated the most, I mean.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

My least favorite is the White Sox.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Guaranteed.

[Katie Nolan]

It is the worst stadium. It's just right now, they got rid of the guarantee, which is hilarious to me. They somehow made it worse.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

The Cavaliers just did that with their stadium. It used to be, like, Rocket mortgage stadium or something. Right. And now it's Just Rocket or mortgage something.

[Katie Nolan]

Just one. Which is mortgage stadium. Yeah, that. That stadium. It needs to go. That's a mess. Like, internally a mess.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, the people who work there are great.

[Katie Nolan]

Great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

The people are great. Great stadium.

[Katie Nolan]

Just a mess.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

A really bad mess.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Do you have a second least favorite?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, I am 0 for, like, 27 in Milwaukee, so.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So I think Milwaukee's on that list.

[Katie Nolan]

Is that where the. They have a slide? Is that the one that has a slide? Yeah, they have a slide.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, they have a slide.

[Katie Nolan]

Damn. You can't hit in Milwaukee.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Can't.

[Katie Nolan]

What's that about?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Literally, cannot hit in Milwaukee. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

What's that about?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No idea.

[Katie Nolan]

Maybe you need beer.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Maybe. Maybe it's worked this week.

[Katie Nolan]

It's possible it could happen. Seeing Vlad Guerrero Get $500 million to play your position, does that get you. You getting excited?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Does that mean you're up next?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If I could be, at this point in my career, if I could be five years younger, with, like, a second or third MVP place and a few more career years coming, I'd be in a really good spot.

[Katie Nolan]

I think you're in a good spot right now.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think I'm older than him, which. That makes me sick a little bit.

[Katie Nolan]

Not by much, if anything. Not by much.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It can't be by much.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think Chris. Do you know he's 26? Yeah. So I'm a full year older than him.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, well, and I'm a full 10, 11 years older than you. So we have no value as we age.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

None, actually. You hit 30, apparently, and that's when the cliff comes.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. That's what they say to us as well.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Women and baseball players, we have a lot in common. But you're. But you're. But you're doing well. How does that feel, as a player? Do you feel that coming up? Do you. Are you like, I have to get to a certain spot by the time I'm. Are you just out here playing baseball?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Both.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think there's times where you go back and forth of how you feel about things of like, oh, I want to get paid, or it doesn't matter. I'm playing a. Playing a kid's game. But there's also a piece where you want to help set your family up, you know, for as long as you can.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So there's a little bit of added pressure that. But, like, my wife doesn't care. Just go play sick.

[Katie Nolan]

She was an athlete.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

She was an athlete. She played soccer at Old Dominion. But, like, sometimes she doesn't even know we have games.

[Katie Nolan]

I mean, you guys have games every.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Day, which is hilarious. Yay. Spring training is the worst because I'll be like, hey, I'm going out to the game. You have a game today. You probably feel the same. You have no idea what. You know. You always know. Yeah. You always know we have games. Yeah. So she's the best when it comes to that. Like, she takes the pressure off. She's like, okay, you didn't get any hits tonight.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. So.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So let's watch. Let's watch tv.

[Katie Nolan]

What are you watching?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Currently I'm ripping through Modern Family.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's kind of random.

[Katie Nolan]

Not expecting that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, that's what I'm. I like 30 minute comedies. I've watched Brooklyn Nine Nine probably 100 times. That's what I fall asleep to.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. That's like 30 Rock in our house. It's like our fall asleep.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It used to be the office. Parks and rec. Wife doesn't like parks and Rec. So we're on Brooklyn Nine Nine. It's been going on since 2023.

[Katie Nolan]

Wow.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Have you ever seen. Have you watched Veep?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No.

[Katie Nolan]

Veep's Good. Is that 30 minutes? Might be an hour. I think it's 30 minutes.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

30 minute shows are the best where.

[Katie Nolan]

I don't really have to pay attention four times. It's a good show.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I guess I went through suits pretty good.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Oh, I never watched suits.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

It's a lot of seasons, isn't it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

A lot of seasons?

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It's too deep for me to go all the way back into. But always interested to know what baseball players are watching on tv. What percentage of what you watch is, like sports content in the off season?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

All the time.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, all the time.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Football?

[Katie Nolan]

All the time.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

During the season? Not so much.

[Katie Nolan]

Are you in a fantasy football league?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Are you in a number of fantasy football leagues?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I'm in a few dynasty leagues. And then we get We. The best one I'm in is the. We do a guillotine league with the Royals, which is amazing.

[Katie Nolan]

What's a guillotine league?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, first we do a regular league and then we do a guillotine. The guillotine is 18 players join who you don't play anybody, but whoever has the lowest score at the end of every week, you're done. You get whacked. Guillotined. And then those players go into free.

[Isabella]

Like literally.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes. They kill them. Isn't that crazy? Isn't that crazy?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So then those players go into Free agency. You get a certain amount of money every year, and when you spend that. So then you, like, auction style. Whoever bids the most money gets that player.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But then when that money goes out, you don't get any back. So when you get to zero dollars, you cannot make any moves. And every single player, even if you just picked them on waiver wire, cost at least a dollar.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So that when you're out of money, you can't make any moves. So somebody bid. I think last year, ours was $200. Somebody bid $150 on Christian McAffrey after week one. That sucked.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Wow. That's complicated.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it's not that complicated, but it's probably like craps. It feels really complicated until you know.

[Katie Nolan]

How to play and then you're like, this is easy. It makes sense.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

And did you. Have you ever won that? The Guillotine League.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I finished fourth last year.

[Katie Nolan]

Damn. Not good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

My team was stacked.

[Katie Nolan]

Not stacked enough.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Not stacked enough.

[Katie Nolan]

Not stacked enough. What about the regular, boring, old regular fantasy league?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's not even fun, really. I've never won that. That one ends up not being fun.

[Katie Nolan]

You've never won it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No. Well, I've only been in the big leagues for four years, so it's a lot of years. But this will be. This will be fantasy league number four this upcoming year.

[Katie Nolan]

And you've never. This is your year, I think.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think so, too.

[Katie Nolan]

When you draft your fantasy teams, do you, like, let your fandom get in the way? Like, are you taking jets players or are you, like, separation of church and state?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, I'll take the players if I think the value's there. Yeah, but, like, last year, I took Breeze hall at 4. I thought that was going to be, like, the pick of the draft.

[Katie Nolan]

And was it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It wasn't. No.

[Katie Nolan]

All right. I've won my fantasy league. Here's the problem. Once you win the next year, you're like, I don't really want to do this anymore because now I got to go backwards. Once you win, you're like, I did it. I'm not going to win again. It was a fluke, but I'm going to pretend it was. You know, all my hard work paying off.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. I was in a league once, a Vampire League. I won that league.

[Katie Nolan]

What's a Vampire League?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Vampire League is awesome, too.

[Katie Nolan]

You bite each other.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Crazy.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's freaky.

[Katie Nolan]

You gotta have a taste for blood.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So 12 people, 11 teams draft. One team does not draft. That team. Then using the waiver wire after the draft picks up all the scraps, essentially all the rest of the players.

[Katie Nolan]

How many team. There can't be that many teams in the league for there to be scraps after the draft. Has to be like a 10 team league.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, 12 teams. But then if you. If you're the vampire, that. If you're the vampire, you're the team that doesn't draft. So you pick up all the players. If you beat a team, I can have any of your players.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, any of them.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So one year I was the vampire, I think it was two years ago. And my waivers, like, puka. Like, guys who didn't get drafted hit big.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And then all of a sudden at the end, I called my team. That was fun. I called my team the Avengers. It was awesome.

[Katie Nolan]

That's actually kind of really a fun idea.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's fun if the vampire can win.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If the vampire doesn't, then it's like, oh, it's just a normal fantasy.

[Katie Nolan]

You're also kind of rooting for injuries.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I feel like never root for injuries.

[Katie Nolan]

But, like, the nature of that league.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They don't hurt.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, they do, but they don't hurt you.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. It's crazy.

[Katie Nolan]

You are so into fantasy that, you know, leagues I've never heard of.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I'm dialed in. I mean, like, for instance, I have time to do this podcast today. We have some time on our hands.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah, it's true, I guess. And you've got a group of guys baked into your job. You're a team, so it's like, it's.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Basically like just being around. If you count staff too. It's like being around, like, 60 guys every day.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Just doing nothing but hanging out.

[Katie Nolan]

Are there any. Any teammates you have that, like, don't like sports that obviously like baseball but aren't really into?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, it's a lot of, like, the country Southern guys.

[Katie Nolan]

Really.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That don't play fantasy football, you know, don't really. They just want to be at a farm somewhere.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Baseball, farming.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Church.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Those are their hobbies. Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

What do you talk to them about?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Just life.

[Katie Nolan]

Baseball.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Baseball. How's. How's the arm feeling? You know, how's the swing feeling? All right, I'll see you.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, good. Good talking.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

I'm wondering if I care about how you feel about robot umps.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I actually kind of don't hate it because it can for me. I don't think you should be able to, like, if a. If a ball is like a centimeter outside the zone or inside the zone. I don't think that's to be changed, because do we even know that the technology is correct? But I like it if it's just an egregiously bad call, which every now and then it happens.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And the guys will admit, like, the umpires will be like, I don't want to mess up calls.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'd like to get them right, too. But sometimes I see things and perspective gets changed. Like, so I like it for that aspect. But I do think it'll be funny when it comes to the big leagues because some guys are going to be so bad at it that think they're going to be so good at it.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Like, teams are going to have to ban guys, like, specific players.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Like, you are no longer allowed to challenge because every time you do it because you get two. Or at least that's what it was. Right. You get two, but if you get it right, you keep the one you've used.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

But so, like, pitchers should never be allowed to do it because they think everything should be. We had a reliever in spring training come in, and we had kind of talked about it being like, pitchers shouldn't do this. I swear to God. It was his first pitch, and he challenged it, and it was like 4 or 5 inches out of the zone. It was crazy.

[Katie Nolan]

It's like, you don't even know where we are in the game. You don't even have a sense of the umpire yet. You can't say he's squeezing you first pitch.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

The catchers are pretty good at making things look like strikes, but maybe just trust that guy. If he's not challenging it, then you probably shouldn't either.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Huh. Do you think. You think they're gonna go full robot ump at any point, get rid of the.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, I don't think so, because I think the umpire union would not like that at all. So they have to. We have to negotiate with them, too.

[Katie Nolan]

I would also argue you need the body. You need the physical body.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well. And if there's no umpire, then the value of a catcher will then be very discussed.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because. Because that's what those guys, they. I mean, they grind all offseason to be better at. At making pitches look better.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So then all of a sudden you could make the argument that, okay, then we should just put anybody back there, because if they just have a good arm, we're just using them there to throw people out, which I think would be massively unfair to the guys who are really good at that part of the game.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Because it's a skill.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It's a skill.

[Katie Nolan]

An interesting skill. Fascinating skill.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

And that would be getting rid of part of it also. I just feel like umps do more than make calls. They also get screamed at. You need a person. You need a good argument to scream at.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You need a good argument.

[Katie Nolan]

Yes, I need to be able to. Schwarber needs to be able to get in somebody's face.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If he can't, then what are we doing this for?

[Katie Nolan]

And you don't want to get him in the. The, you know, the catcher's face. That's. Then it's between the two teams.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

You need a third party.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I actually think there would be somewhat more arguments if there was a robot. Like, if. Especially if we were doing the challenge system, because you could be like, all right, I'm challenging this. I'm telling you, this is going to be a ball. And then if it's not a ball, the umpire looks at you and be like, told you.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And now all of a sudden, now it's getting personal.

[Katie Nolan]

That's true.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because it kind of gets personal sometimes. It feels like anyway, but it certainly does.

[Katie Nolan]

It has to.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. But I get to talk to him at first base. So, like, I. One of the things I love about first base is I get to see everybody at their best.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because when guys get hits, they, you know, they get to first base or they walk or something. So I get to see them when they're feeling.

[Katie Nolan]

They're on base. They're feeling themselves.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And the umpire at first base isn't locked in on calling strikes and balls. So he'll talk, too.

[Katie Nolan]

Huh.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So it's interesting, like, playing first base is so much fun because you just get to talk to everybody.

[Katie Nolan]

It looks like a podcast.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, it basically is, like, it just.

[Katie Nolan]

Looks like you get to chat with whoever's there. Do you ever get people on first base who just don't want to talk to you?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, there's some guys that don't. Don't like to talk. And I. I swear, once a game, I'll hear from somebody. Man, I needed that hit. That's great. It's like, yeah, we all need them. We need them every time.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

If I get hit every time, I would. I would still need that hit.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

It's like, you can relate to them. Even though they're your enemy in that moment, you're like.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

You could feel them, like, relax sometimes if, like, it's been a tough, tough week or something, they kind of, like, they'll bloop a hit in or something, and you kind of see their body, like. Like, thank God.

[Katie Nolan]

That's relatable. That's so sweet. Also, must be great. Just a great environment for jokes. Jokes must really kill.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

With guys who are very happy and just got a hit. You're probably killing at first base.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Oh, yeah, it's. I mean, it's a blast sometimes because you can just. Especially once you start to get to know people around the league, too. And then you see him multiple times and it's. Yeah, it's probably my favorite part of the job.

[Katie Nolan]

You're never, like, talking wild shit to the people at first base, are you? They're never, like, getting to the base, and you're like, I hate you. You stink.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, if you don't like somebody, just don't talk to them.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Has anyone ever tried to talk to you and you shut it down because you're not into it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, I don't think so.

[Katie Nolan]

Too personable of a guy. I could tell once I asked that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I'll say, I just like talking.

[Katie Nolan]

You'll talk to anybody.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Like a golden retriever.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, exactly. Thank you.

[Katie Nolan]

You're welcome. Good. I'm glad you took it as a compliment. What kind of dog do you have, by the way? Bear. German shepherd. German shepherd. And in the pandemic, you worked at.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

A dog rescue at the end of the pandemic and then going into the next year, I worked at a dog daycare.

[Katie Nolan]

What do you do working at a doggie daycare? What is.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I mean, essentially the job description is don't let the dog fight and pick up their poop.

[Katie Nolan]

And poop.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, that's, you know, like having a dog. Don't let it fight, pick up the poop.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Same thing.

[Katie Nolan]

Those are the things.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

All right, before you go, I know you're a big professional wrestling fan, and we got WrestleMania coming up. I. Look, I try my best to stay up to date on what's going on. I'm not a pro wrestling fan, but I'm obviously married to a. Or about to be married. Someday I'll be married to a gigantic pro wrestling fan. So do you have any predictions? Since you are an insider who, you know, has exclusives, do you have any thoughts about what is gonna happen at WrestleMania?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Are you talking about the main match.

[Katie Nolan]

Or any of the match? I have them all here in front of me, and of course, I have them memorized. I know everything about them all. But, like, AJ Styles and Logan Paul.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

On Night two, no offense. Couldn't care less.

[Katie Nolan]

Really good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Like AJ Styles. Not a massive Logan Paul fan.

[Katie Nolan]

You don't say.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Really a Logan Paul fan?

[Katie Nolan]

What about the other Paul?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No, not really. They make money. So good for them.

[Katie Nolan]

They sure do.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

And they've duped me into buying some of their fights before, so.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, same. I thought you're going to say it like some of their products.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

No.

[Katie Nolan]

Like the Lunchables or whatever they're called. No, no. Good. Smart. I think we're on the same page when it comes to the Paul's. You don't have to be. I'll shield you from the honesty.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They're fine.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, sure.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, they're fine.

[Katie Nolan]

No, that's. Maybe we're not on the same page then. Are there any matches that you're fired up for?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I mean, the main one, the Cena versus Cody, of course. And it's mostly from my childhood fandom of John Cena, so I hope he destroys him.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, I think we're the only people who want that. Everybody's kind of rooting for Cody Rhodes.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, they should be. He's the good guy.

[Katie Nolan]

Sure. But at the same time he. That awful tattoo on his neck.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

I was watching AEW when he came out with that tattoo to that song. That awful song and the awful tattoo.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, It's a tough tattoo.

[Katie Nolan]

It's tough, yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Good for marketing maybe.

[Katie Nolan]

I guess. I guess.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Bad for getting a job in the 1990s probably.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. Bad for doing anything other than what he does.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

But I guess you don't have to worry about career. Yeah. But yeah, I say go John Cena as well.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, go John Cena. I hope. Yeah. And I want to see a bunch of shenanigans too.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, like what?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I want the Rock. I want just everybody to kill Cody Rhodes and then he can win the title back later in the year. I'm just in for the story. The Cena story.

[Katie Nolan]

No, you don't care about Roman Reigns. CM Punk, Seth Rollins.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I think it's good too. Yeah, I think it's good.

[Katie Nolan]

I also like it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

The Roman Reigns storyline is amazing. And then CM Punk's pretty good. When he came back, I popped, like, legitimately, like, stood up when he came back. Yeah, I thought it was gonna happen. I was supposed to be at that event.

[Katie Nolan]

What event was it?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

It was. It was Survivor Series In Chicago in 2023, maybe.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah, yeah. You were supposed to go and you didn't go.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

I was supposed to go, but we had union meetings in Vegas, like the next two Days or something. So I was like, I don't really want to fly all around.

[Katie Nolan]

Those sound fun.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Union meetings.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Union meetings are very fun. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Just trying to get on the same page, of course. Because we've got a big fight coming in a few years.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, yeah. How. When's that?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

After next season. Yeah. And they've already basically publicly said they're going to lock us out, so.

[Katie Nolan]

Good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So that's in terms of public negotiating. Yeah, that's been. That's been pretty awesome to see that. They don't really have an interest in negotiating.

[Katie Nolan]

No.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Lock us out. Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Wow. Something to look forward to.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. And then what's really funny is the owners are really good at, like, public perception. For some reason, all the fans, like, side with the owners, and I think it's.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Because they don't see the owners.

[Katie Nolan]

We have no idea who they are.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So they just take it out on.

[Katie Nolan]

Us and say that we're too selfish.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Too selfish? Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Selfish. Yeah. I think that's something sports fans need to work on. I've been kind of banging this drum across all sports.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

It's been kind of like a. You know, when a guy gets paid, they're like, oh, he didn't. He wants more money. He's being selfish. Well, he's. Well, what's loyalty when you really think about it.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So it's just tough. Like, I don't know. That was a weird thing for them to come out and say. They're saying some crazy things like, we're gonna get a cap. We're gonna do this, we're gonna do that. It's like, well, you're just saying that publicly.

[Katie Nolan]

Right.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Cause we're not gonna give you just things that you want.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It's gotta be a tactic. This is why I hate business and negotiating at all. Because people who do it all the time do something that I go, that feels crazy. Why? And then you find out that it's because it's there. They've got some sort of next level reason they're doing that. And you're like, I just want to play baseball.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Right.

[Katie Nolan]

Can I just play baseball?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Well, so then that would be the argument that fans would make to us of just being like, well, you should just go play baseball.

[Katie Nolan]

Where would I. Why? How would. Well, like, oh, instead of locking out, instead of like standing up for your.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

They think that we should just, you know, accept any. Any offer. Well, that's like, well, there's a reason that there's a union. It's to fight for player rights. And it's not just about what's happening today. It's what happens when we retire and things like that.

[Katie Nolan]

But that's the lives.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

That's the piece that doesn't get talked about because, you know, we're actually trying to negotiate, not publicly just shame the other side.

[Katie Nolan]

Well, let me ask you one thing and then this will be it and we can go. But Jaron Duran in that, in the. I don't know if you watched the Red Sox documentary that they did for Netflix, but the big conversation around it was Jaron Duran coming out and admitting that he had struggled with thoughts of suicide and even had attempted to take his own life at one point. And I, I just want to make sure that like, as a baseball player, do you feel like right now if you were going through something, you have access to resources that the team provides. Because I. They say a lot of teams are like, we have a mental health person on staff. Do you like, do you know who, who that is? Like in your mind, do you know who that is and how you would reach them and do you feel supported in that way?

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, ours travels with us.

[Katie Nolan]

Oh, great.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Her name's Melissa. She's with us.

[Katie Nolan]

Shout out Melissa.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

She's great. Yeah, she's awesome. So, yes, like with us, I would know where to, where to go.

[Katie Nolan]

Good.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

First off, shout out Jaron Duran for being willing to talk about crazy because it's, you know, it's intense.

[Katie Nolan]

Very difficult to talk and hearing him have to do interviews and you can tell he kept being like, I, I really didn't want to talk about it, but not talking about it is part of the problem. So he's like, I'm trying to help, but please stop asking me about it. And I get that.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah. So, yeah, I think, to be honest, I think the Royals are a really good organization. I'm not just saying that because I'm in the organization, but they actually give a shit about us, which is super cool. Like, we just talked about the owners for a little bit. Like, I know our owner pretty good. I think he's trying to do good things for the game of baseball. He is not on the owner committee anymore. Like the. I think there's probably a reason for that. But yeah, so I think we do things very well. I think if something was going on in any one of our guys lives, we would know where to go to talk about it. And the union does a good job with that too. From the player side of. We have people too. Agencies are doing a better job. So mental health is definitely something that teams and, you know, guys, individual teams are paying to, paying attention to more, which I think is really helpful for everybody because it's a, you know, you go for four, and then everybody hates you and you go four for four, then everybody thinks you're the best player alive. So there's just a lot of range of emotion that I think as you get older, within the game, you learn how to control more. Because it's like, I could go over 16 and then go have a really good game and we're going to be okay. Yeah. So it's just one of those things that you kind of have to get through to understand. It's just one of those things you got to go through the mud a little bit to be able to really be able to get out on the other side.

[Katie Nolan]

Yeah. It's also funny because, like, as a kid who played youth softball, we were always told, 90% mental. The game's 90% mental. And then it's like, you. That's what mental health. Like, that's. Then we should have 90% of the resources of the baseball team towards your mental. And it felt like it was such a. Took a while for sports to go like, oh, we also have to care about their brains.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Right.

[Katie Nolan]

Some sports, you could argue still don't. But it's good to see baseball doing better. Doing better. Good. Okay, cool. Thank you for coming here today. Thank you for coming. This was very cool. And now you're friends with my fiance and I, which means both of you guys, if there's a wedding, I think you're coming.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

So thank you.

[Katie Nolan]

Get ready.

[Vinnie Pasquantino]

Yeah, I'm in.

[Katie Nolan]

Okay, everybody, that's. That's it for Casuals for the week. Thank you so much for listening. If you want to email us casualswithkatienolangmail.com you can call us 646-801-0043 or you can comment on IG and tick tock at Casuals, the podcast. We will see you back here on Tuesday. We love you and we mean it.

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[Allmodern Representative]

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