← Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
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- [00:13]
A
So let me tell everybody why I believe today's episode is very special. So not only am I interviewing, I don't even want to call this an interview, by the way. It's more of just like a family gathering. Yes. But not only am I talking to two of my favorite people on the planet. Okay. But we have somebody right here who is the manager, first time manager of the LA Angels. And then next to him is his son Kai, who, aside from being a really good baseball player, is also my godson. And so I'm honored to have these two on the podcast. But what I want to, I guess, get into today and for both of you guys to think about as you guys are answering questions is to think about. So. And because I know that you guys are these huge fans of my podcast because you've already told me, obviously everything that I do and everybody who I bring on, I want to make sure that I am giving something to the audience. Right? So whether it's helping them in their own journey, if it's a family helping them navigate that journey. So think about that as we're kind of going through this. Obviously I want to know about your guys specific journey and Kai to you especially, but think about it in the back of your mind, like, yeah, I wonder what I'm going through and how I could help some of these other people. So, okay, so let's get started, shall we?
- [01:24]
B
We weren't starting.
- [01:25]
A
We are now. All right, so I guess Kai, so think about this. And most of the time what I do is I have a question like this at the very end. Okay. I do what's called like rapid fire, but because I want to kind of get you ready to go. It's like going to the cage before a game, right. And we're going to take some swings. So I'm going to, I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I just want you to shout out the very first thing that comes to mind. Okay? You ready? All right, so number one, what's your favorite position to play?
- [01:57]
B
Catcher.
- [01:58]
A
Catcher. Good answer. Dad certainly approves. Number two, if your bat had a nickname, what would it be?
- [02:06]
B
Laser.
- [02:07]
C
Laser.
- [02:08]
A
I love it. What was yours be? Emma.
- [02:11]
C
I was gonna say that. I thought he was gonna say that.
- [02:14]
A
I love it. Okay, Kai, would you rather hit a walk off homer to win the World Series or strike out the last batter to win the World Series?
- [02:25]
B
Walk off homer.
- [02:26]
A
Walk off homer. I love it. Not surprised, by the way. Of course, I would say the same thing. And obviously, Zuke, you, you've You've hit homers in the World Series, but. Okay, so number four, who is your favorite teammate of your dad's in the big leagues?
- [02:42]
B
Patrick Sandoval.
- [02:43]
A
Oh, okay. Interesting ways to go at it. Tell us why.
- [02:48]
B
I don't know. Because, like, we're close.
- [02:52]
A
You're close. You got to know him?
- [02:54]
B
Yeah.
- [02:54]
A
Yeah. How old were you? When? When. So that would have been. That was a couple years ago?
- [02:58]
C
Yeah. 20, 21? 20, 22.
- [03:01]
A
Yeah. Okay. Favorite player on the Braves that your dad was teammates with injury and crt. Okay. In crt. Nice. What about the nationals?
- [03:12]
B
Hey, Turner.
- [03:13]
A
Ray Turner. Okay. Some good names. I love it. All right, what is. This one's going to make you laugh. What is one? Food a player should never eat before a game.
- [03:23]
B
McDonald's.
- [03:24]
A
McDonald's.
- [03:27]
C
After the mom.
- [03:27]
A
Oh, I love it. We're not getting an endorsement now with McDonald's, but that's okay. All right, if you were in the big leagues right now, what would your walkout song be?
- [03:38]
B
Probably me name Junior Gong.
- [03:41]
A
What is it?
- [03:42]
B
Me name Junior Gong.
- [03:44]
A
How does it go? I. I've never heard this song. You want to give us a little.
- [03:47]
B
No.
- [03:48]
A
All right, we'll.
- [03:50]
C
We'll.
- [03:50]
A
We'll take that. Okay. If you could have any major league players swing for one game, who would it be?
- [03:57]
B
Ronald Acuna.
- [03:58]
A
Ronald Acuna. He's got a good one. If you would have been your dad's hitting coach, what's one piece of advice you would have given him?
- [04:08]
B
Stay inside the ball.
- [04:09]
A
Stay inside the ball. I love it. All right, two more. Would you rather hit off your dad or would you rather strike him out?
- [04:16]
B
Strike him out.
- [04:17]
A
Okay. All right, last question. Last rapid fire question. If baseball didn't exist, what would you be doing instead?
- [04:24]
B
Probably soccer.
- [04:27]
A
Soccer. Okay. All right. Good job, buddy.
- [04:30]
B
Thank you.
- [04:31]
A
All right. See? Piece of cake. Um, all right, Zuk, I got a question for you. When do you think. And maybe we'll get a little bit more serious now, obviously, but when do you think Kai first realized what it meant that his dad was a major league player? Like, oh, kids are. You know, maybe it's the recognition from other kid. Like, oh, kids. Kids are telling me, like, my dad's a big leaguer. That's pretty cool. Like, when do you think. How old do you think he was when he figured that out?
- [04:58]
C
It was probably. Probably the world. The. 19. 20. 19. I think that was the first time that he was that involved. Like, if we were losing, he was sad, you know? Like, he knew. He knew the game. He knew the inning, he knew the score. He knew we were running out of time. If it was the seventh and we were like. He knew the flow of the game and he would be really sad when we lost. He'd be really happy when we won. When we was younger, it was like, hey, you know, win or lose, he's just happy to be at the field. And then when as probably 20, 19, maybe it's because we went so far, but I think I feel like that was the year that it was like distraught if we lost and extreme excitement when we won it. Obviously when we won the World Series, it was like. It was. We're actually. He was upset in the seventh before how we hit that homer, like crying that we're going to lose the World Series. And then to like extreme excitement after we won. Just like cheering and partying and hanging out with the guys and. Yeah, in Houston.
- [05:59]
A
Yeah, yeah, I remember that. I was there. Yeah.
- [06:02]
C
Doing the dances and stuff. And he goes, yeah.
- [06:04]
A
So do you remember when that was for you? I don't mean the World Series, but like, is that around the same time? Yeah, yeah. And. And what was that like? Because I. The reason I asked this question is I feel like so many kids listening are probably thinking to themselves, like, oh, man, how cool is it to have a dad who's a major league baseball player? Because you are able to be in the clubhouse with them, right. You're like meeting Ronald Acuna and Ender in c. Arte and you know, Patrick Sandoval and all these different guys. What was that like as a kid growing up with your dad being a major league player?
- [06:35]
B
Really cool. It was thankful for everything.
- [06:38]
A
Very nice. What, what's do you remember? Was there one moment that stands out as like the coolest in the clubhouse? Yeah. What about the clubhouse?
- [06:51]
B
So in the Angels clubhouse, they put a. A snake. A snake in my dad's locker. No, it's Dave Fletcher.
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C
Fletcher.
- [07:02]
A
He put a snake in your locker.
- [07:04]
C
A fake snake. And Johe, it was fletched. And Shohei, they put a fake snake and he was doing something at my locker on the chair with Eli. And then he turned around, he saw this snake and he like jumped and they. They were all laughing. Shohei was laughing. Fletch was laughing. I think the. Alex Cobb might have been there laughing. And Marsh, Brandon Marsh was there. So he had a good. Yeah, he was.
- [07:27]
A
How important is that, Zook? Obviously you're a manager now. How important is it to have everybody kind of loosen up in the clubhouse?
- [07:34]
C
I think it's huge. And I. I was always a big advocate for having kids in the club. Us at the right time, obviously, you know, but like, when I was younger, it was like Matt Holiday's boys, Ethan and Jackson, would be in the clubhouse, you know, hanging out and. And, you know, as you got older, having kids around, it. It kind of puts things into perspective in like, seeing how. How happy they are around the clubhouse and how much they admire, you know, big leaguers and, And I think, know we can get caught up in the results in this game so much that it. It tenses us up or, or tightens us up or makes us like, overreact to something that might be a small thing. And then having kids around and, you know, I just think it loosens up because at the end of the day, we're role models for these kids and, and having them around might take our minds off of something that. That, you know, would have given us, like, stress.
- [08:29]
A
The.
- [08:29]
C
As un. Unneeded stress, I guess so to say. So I think having kids around loosens it up and it's very important because it's a long season, it's a stressful season. It's a game of failure. So to have that lighter mood in the clubhouse, obviously, at the right time, like I said, I feel like it's very important.
- [08:44]
A
Well, and Kai, for you too, and this is a question. Tell everybody how old you are, by the way.
- [08:48]
B
12.
- [08:48]
A
12 years old. So 12 years old, obviously, playing travel baseball. Right. I can only imagine. And I've witnessed, having seen countless players play the, the tense environment that you're talking about, even at the big league level, like, you notice it even with these younger kids, like, do you ever sense maybe that energy is tense out there on the field, like with your teammates sometimes? And so is there anything that you like to focus on or tell them to help them, like, calm down? Like, do you tell jokes?
- [09:21]
C
Right?
- [09:22]
A
Like what. How do you guys remind yourselves, right? How do you remind yourselves to, like, not take it so seriously and just go have fun?
- [09:30]
B
Or like, dancing the club hall and
- [09:32]
A
the dancing in the. In, like the dugout.
- [09:34]
B
Oh, yeah. So we were playing a tournament. Were we dumb? We're losing. And then we started rallying and I started dancing in the clubhouse and the dugout. And then we scored a lot of runs.
- [09:48]
A
Nice. Yeah. Like, what does that tell you? You gotta have fun, right? Sometimes when you're. When you're so tense and it's like life or death, you think, oh my gosh, if I don't get a hit here, like, oh, this is over. You're not going to show up performing your best, you're not going to be comfortable at the plate, you're not going to be comfortable on the mound. Right, Right. Obviously, it's kind of funny, Zuk, because you, you know, in the last couple years, you've obviously been working for the Angels in the front office, but you've also been, you know, running this travel program. How has that been? Because on one side you're dealing with the most stress, I'm sure in baseball that exists just working in the big leagues. And then on the other, you have something that is supposed to be so much fun. But is it crazy for me to say you're probably sensing even more stress?
- [10:39]
C
Yeah. I think you're abs like listening to him, you know, like, honestly, like to be truthfully honest, it's. Sometimes I get caught up because of the time and effort that these boys put into practicing and how much they care. You as a coach, as a parent, you get caught up in wanting them to be so successful, you know, because the hours they put in, the hard work that they put in, you know, you want them to be successful and sometimes you get caught up in stressing out and then it rubs off on them and sometimes you have to take a step back. And honestly, I, I'm more stressed with them than I was when I played because I don't have control over like me going out there and doing what I know I supposed to do. Right. Where they're learning what to do and we're teaching them. Right. But you know, I don't have control over them. Like I, I can't go up there and hit the ball for them or throw the ball for them or call like, you know, like do the play.
- [11:31]
A
Yeah.
- [11:31]
C
So it's almost more stressful. Right. Dealing with that. But at the end of the day, you know, win, lose, especially after a loss. Right. Ten minutes after the game. Yeah. They're distraught after because they're competitors, they work hard and then they're kids. Right. They're. They're back at home playing video games with each other and you know, we go out to dinner or something with each other and then they're kids. And I think that puts it into perspective of not saying that's how you need to be, but if you, the, the more you can keep that type of attitude where, hey, the game, yes, you just strawed after. But if you can let it go when you leave the clubhouse and just live a normal life and just be normal, I think it, it leads to more success because you'll be less stressed out. And I know it's easier said than done, and I've never managed before in the big league, so I don't know how it would be. But as a player, when I could do that, I was able to let it go and come home. And I think having kids definitely help with that, because I come home, I got to be a father. Right. I go in the backyard, I. I go swimming or I play catch with them or do whatever. Right. It just. It makes life so much better just knowing that there's a lot more to sports, to baseball than the sport. Right. There's family, friends, all this type of stuff that. That's kind of your. Your consistent, you know, throughout your life.
- [12:50]
A
Do you remember anything that your dad has told you on the baseball field as a coach? That's really helped.
- [12:57]
B
Yeah.
- [12:57]
A
What. What's something that he said?
- [12:59]
B
When I was catching, he told me to, like, get on my toes more because I couldn't, like, move that much.
- [13:06]
A
Yeah, you were. You're on your heels maybe a little bit too much. Yeah. And getting on your toes, obviously, that. That visual helped you get on your toes, obviously, but it helped you move around better behind the plate. Nice.
- [13:19]
C
Very coachable.
- [13:21]
A
Is he?
- [13:21]
C
Yeah. I got to be careful sometimes. Too much information, because he'll do literally every. Everything that you say.
- [13:27]
A
Yeah.
- [13:27]
C
So you don't want to clog the brain. You just let him be an athlete. And then you see bits and pieces here and there, like, just coaching him and. And his teammates, to be honest. Like, the players that I have, they're all coachable and they all listen and they're all athletic, and it's. It's. It's really fun.
- [13:43]
A
That's good. Yeah. You have a good thing going on. I mean, for a lot of reasons. One of them, though, is I think your. Obviously your. Your heart has been in the right place since you started, and, you know, one may say, I don't know, maybe you had that benefit because you're able to do it. I think a lot of times some people get in the travel, baseball world to make money.
- [14:02]
C
Right.
- [14:02]
A
And so, all right, we have to have so many teams, and we've got. This is a huge business, and we've got to continue to, you know, grow it. And you. From the jump, it was just like, I want to coach my kids, and I want to help these kids, obviously, get better, and I'm sure on some level, I have something to provide to them that's going to help them do all that stuff, but I've seen you really go through this last. The last couple years where you're like, you're enjoying it. And it's funny I say that because so many other coaches that I know are like, I mean, they enjoy it, I guess, compared to what else they could be doing, but they need to be reminded also, like, why am I actually in this? Why am I doing this as an agent? I think that's an important conversation, right?
- [14:41]
C
Yeah.
- [14:42]
A
So for me, it's something that we all can remind ourselves of, is like, hey, man, we're only here one time and we've got to be aware. Right? This is a. This is. I mean, here's what's funny is like, Kai, have you ever heard the term the good old days?
- [14:55]
B
Yeah.
- [14:56]
A
Right. And. And most adults, when we talk about the good old days, it's always like, oh, yeah, you know, when I was a kid, those were the good old days.
- [15:04]
C
And.
- [15:04]
A
And recently I have been trying to remind myself that, like, no, to like, the good old days is right now, wherever now is just in the present. Because there's going to come a day where you're going to be like, oh, man, remember when I was 12 years old playing travel baseball, playing for my dad? Right. I wish I could go back and do that again, you know? Yeah. Do you enjoy it? Good. I love it. Kyle, what's something about travel ball that you would say is hard? Is it the travel? Is it facing pitchers? Let's just say that maybe you've never seen before. What's the hardest thing you think?
- [15:44]
B
Probably, like, it's either the pitchers or, like, what they do after. Like, they, like, strike someone out or like, they hit home run.
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A
They like. Yeah, they celebrate. And you want to. You want to get after them a little bit, don't you? I love, hey, you're just like your dad.
- [16:01]
C
But he gets mad because I tell him that's not how we act.
- [16:05]
A
Yeah.
- [16:05]
C
You know, so we were doing funny. We were doing the Easton photo shoot, and they're like, all right, this last one, I want you to swing. And we wanted to get you to pimp it. And it was probably the worst pimp job ever. Jobs from all of them, because it was unnatural.
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A
They're like, we don't do this.
- [16:20]
C
What? Because they know. They're like, we don't know how to do that. They're like, wait, what? You know, it was kind of one of those things. It was pretty funny. But because, I mean, that's something that, you know, we teach and, you know, it's. Yeah, we have Fun. And I'm not saying don't. I don't like to say the word pimp, a home run or whatever, but it's like you do it in a way where you're not showing the other team. Yeah. You throw your bat down and, you know, it's respect. Yeah, it's respect. You. I mean, how would you feel? Right. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying that's something that I believe. I wanted them to have fun, but at the same time, it's respecting your other team.
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A
Yeah.
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C
Respecting the game. And there's ways you can do it where you can still celebrate and do all the fun things about baseball and, like, let the kids play, have fun. But at the same time, you know, I want them to understand the importance of respect and how to carry yourself on the field.
- [17:11]
A
Yeah, I agree with you. I think. And I want to ask you a question about this, but I think, you know, obviously I want people to have fun playing the game of baseball. I want him to have a blast playing baseball. But I think when you start to attach. Oh, fun is like, showing up the other team. That. That is, like, that's a lack of respect. Right. And so there's a world in which you can have just as much fun by actually showing a level of respect. Celebrate all you want. It's like the movie Major League. Have you seen the movie Major League? Probably not.
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C
No.
- [17:44]
A
No. Yeah, not yet. There's a scene in the movie where Willie Mays Hayes finds out he doesn't get cut from the team. And remember, he's like, go celebrate outside. So he literally goes outside to celebrate. And so there's always a time and a place to go celebrate. Just don't do it right after you hit the homer off the guy, like, in his face.
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C
Right.
- [18:02]
A
That. That's the message for me. All right, so, Kai, here's my question for you. So I think everybody listening to this who doesn't have a dad who played in the big leagues is probably wondering, I wonder what his training schedule is like, because if Kai's training schedule, you know, again, looks a certain way, it's because his dad's making sure that he's doing all these various things. So not to set that up, that you're doing a ton or not doing enough, but, like, what's your. What's your schedule? Like, when do you hit? When do you go to practice? What does that look like?
- [18:37]
B
So, like, every day. But if I don't have practice, I probably like hitting the Backyard, like throw.
- [18:46]
A
How, how, like, how many swings are you taking?
- [18:48]
B
100. 100.
- [18:50]
C
About 100.
- [18:50]
A
Are you like, t. Work?
- [18:52]
C
He's a switch. He's switch hitting. So it's. Yeah.
- [18:55]
A
So just both sides, like a hundred each?
- [18:57]
C
Yeah. No, no, no, no. Like total.
- [18:58]
A
Okay, 100 total. And so what's your, what's your thought process as you're hitting? Are you like, hey, I just want to loosen up. I want to get my. Like, what. What are you thinking about when you're doing this?
- [19:08]
B
I just clear my mind.
- [19:09]
A
Okay.
- [19:10]
B
And just get the barrels of the ball.
- [19:11]
A
Nice. I love it. He's got. Dude, he's. You did good, man. So. So you do that for a period of time every day, no matter what, whether you have practice or not. What else, like, what else are you doing in a given day?
- [19:24]
B
Is there anything else, like on the weekends?
- [19:27]
A
Just what. What else is going on throughout the week?
- [19:30]
B
I probably, like, run outside or like play like basketball or soccer outside.
- [19:36]
A
The reason why I'm bringing this up is because again, I feel like so many parents, dads who think, you know, 12 year old do more, do more, they should be doing more. And the whole point is you want him to have a childhood, right? You want him to go enjoy himself, right? Part of what this is for you is just being a kid. So I love that you're still gonna go out there and like, run around and play soccer and just do other things other than baseball. And the reality of this is because I get a bunch of questions all the time where they're like, hey, you know, my son is 8 and it's a very, very specific question. And part of my answer every time is always, let him, let him just be a kid. Like, at some point, nobody knows whether this kid is going to be a big leaguer or not until much later, right? Years and years later. And even in the best scenario where a kid is like showing everything that he's got, everything it takes, but he's still only 17, he's never been drafted, and he's not in professional baseball yet, we still don't know. And so the worst thing that any parent could do is say we want to take his childhood away from him and just make him look like this robot, you're going to do him a disservice more than you're going to help him. So thank you for sharing your schedule. The whole point being is like, you're still a kid, right? And you're still having fun. You're having fun, right? Yeah, I love it. All right, Zuke. So this is for, I would say, a lot of the parents. How do you switch between dad and manager? Now, I know you're just kind of getting into the manager thing, but maybe when you, like when you're coaching, right? With. When you're coaching him, how do you. How do you switch between dad and coach? Because I think a lot of the listeners are these dads who also coach.
- [21:20]
C
I think the. In this goes for both major league and I feel like 12. It's. When we're not in it, we forget how hard the game is. And. And especially being 12 years old, they're still learning, right? And sometimes I stay. I step. I have to take a step back, too, because, you know, I've been with him for three years, his team, and I almost expect them to know, like, you know, what a bunt defense or where to go on a bunt player, cup pitcher got to cover first base on this play or whatever it is, right? Because we've taught them before, and we have to realize, like, I. I actually was going through this the other day today. I was talking to one of the. The parents, and I said, they're like, oh, we got to work on this. And I said, listen, I said, they're nine. And the same thing that we are talking about. I actually just talked about this in minicamp, making sure that these Major League baseball players in spring training go through PowerPoint to understand where they have to be in a bunt defense, on a cut and relay, on a first and third defense, like, where they have to be on these plays. And we're talking about the best players in the world, and, and we still have to go over it in spring training to make sure they know where to go. Because, you know, other than that, it's. It's. It's madness when you're doing the joke. Guys don't know where they're going, and it takes forever. So I think if I was to explain dad and, and. And coach, it's. It's to realize that the game is hard. And I remind them that the game's really hard, and you have to understand that. And I. And I say this in a way that is confusing to them, but they kind of starting to get it. It's. When you're practicing, you're preparing. The fear of failure needs to light that fire when you're practicing, right? Like, they hate failing. So when you're practicing, you're thinking about, I don't want to fail. I better put in more harder work, focus, effort, whatever. It Is I said, but then when you go on the field, you can't be afraid to fail, right? And it's whatever they call it, oxymorons, right? And. And I told him that the first time. They're like, huh? But then as I keep, I keep saying it, I keep repeating it, they start to understand that the practice is the focus and the pain and the sweat and all that stuff. And when you go in the game, it's go out there and play, right? All the preparation gets done at practice. And when you go in the game, they all look forward to games. It's fun. Games are fun, right? It shouldn't be. Yeah, we coach a little bit, but when they go on the games, it's like, hey, man, go out there and, and show the fruits of your labor.
- [23:49]
A
I love that you did.
- [23:50]
C
And it's like I said, it's easier said than done. But the more we can emphasize that to the kids, to the parents, coaching them, it's realizing how hard the game is and understanding that their preparation is going to allow them to go on the field. When it's game time and it's, hey, dad, when are we playing games? That's their fun. Yeah, right. Go let them play and go let them have fun and, and not have them really worry about anything but performing.
- [24:18]
A
You know what I love about what you just said is, and this is why I think you're going to be a really, really good big league manager is we've all been around the game so long, I feel like I have heard every line that's been said. And so I've always thought about, like, how do these. What makes a good manager and a bad manager, right? Like, and there's many things, right? I don't know the half of it, but there's many things. But the fact that you can take something that, by the way, is a very, very basic idea of, you know, the practice is the time where let fear motivate you. But the game should be fun. But the way that you said that, like, it, it clicked in my head. And to somebody who's 12, right, like, that is the lesson they need to learn. That is what they need to hear. Because if you have a coach that's the opposite of that, where it's like, they're going to put the fear of God in you in practice, but then also in a game, if you don't get a hit every single time, what do you think happens to the kid? Right now the kid is trying to be perfect, and now, of course, he's going to be hard on himself or if mom and dad is the one that's doing it after the game, in the car on the way home. Right. What do you think you're creating within the kid? So I love that you're teaching these kids, like, go have fun in the game.
- [25:28]
C
The games should be fun. I think parents get caught up, like, not to get going on. On this, but parents get caught up in the game's the most important part. Right. Like, well, my son, like we talked about, my son needs to play this position. Or he. Why isn't he getting more reps at this position when in actuality, let's say they're getting a thousand reps at practice. Well, that's. That's their reps. Like, in the game, it's just, you play right. When you're at practice. That's where you're getting your, hey, I got to be here on this play. Hey, we're doing situational things. I got to be here. Right. People think when you get reps. And don't get me wrong, the speed of the game during a real game is different in practice.
- [26:06]
A
Yeah.
- [26:07]
C
But, like, I always go back to what Kobe Bryant said when I practice. He's taken a thousand shots. Right. So when he goes in the game, it's just another shot.
- [26:17]
A
Yeah.
- [26:18]
C
Right. And I know the stakes are heightened. The game might be on the line, but if you do it enough times, you get into that game and you are so confident because you've done it a thousand times at practice. And that when you go in the game, it is just another shot with heightened stakes. Yeah.
- [26:32]
A
Yeah. So what? I. And I just had this conversation. I've talked about it on the podcast. I asked a player, I said, what brings you confidence? Like, do you know what it is? Right. And I think everybody who hears that, they probably assume, like, do you know what brings you confidence, Kai? What?
- [26:51]
B
Mental.
- [26:52]
A
What about it?
- [26:54]
B
Like, you could, like, flip the switch when you're, like, ready.
- [26:57]
A
Exactly. The reality is that what brings you confidence is something that you control. And the people that feel like, maybe unconsciously, that I'm not the one that brings confidence, it's. I'm confident when something happens, and, well, everybody's confident when they're 4 for 4 with four homers.
- [27:16]
C
Right, right.
- [27:17]
A
But how are you in the World Series or in the most important game you've ever played when you're over four with four strikeouts? But here's your next at bat.
- [27:23]
C
Yes.
- [27:23]
A
Right. And so what you just said, Kai, which I love, is you have the ability, right. To create the confidence within yourself. And it's not a shirt that you just try on that brings confidence. It's not. No, it's. It's the way that you think about the work that you've put in. Right. And if people can recognize that it's the work that they're, they're having, the work that they're putting in in practice that's ultimately bringing them that confidence. Perfect Guy's gonna be your assistant coach soon, man.
- [27:55]
C
He, he is. He, he, he does Good.
- [27:59]
A
Okay, Zuk, what's something that you don't ever say to Kai after games?
- [28:11]
C
Well, I think we go over everything what I try after games. I, I definitely.
- [28:17]
A
What's, what's like a line you won't cross after a game.
- [28:22]
C
It's probably, we need to go hit some more.
- [28:27]
A
Okay.
- [28:28]
C
Right. We need to do more. Right. If he had a rough game, it's almost like, like just explaining to him, reminding him how hard the game is. Right. But if you say you're over four, hey, we got to go to the cage and hit some more. Right. It's not, you have to do more. I think that's where I draw the line. It's like, it's not more, right. And it's, there's almost sometimes when he has a game like that, I almost wanted to not take a swing or not throw a ball or field a ground ball for days to almost forget.
- [28:56]
A
Yeah.
- [28:57]
C
How to do it. So then when we start, it's like you start fresh. So like, that's the one thing that I'll never do to him. It's. And he'll do it. He'll be like, I need to go, I need to practice more. I was like, no, no, no. I was like, you're good.
- [29:08]
A
Yeah.
- [29:09]
C
I was like, it's not more like, I will never say we need to go do more after. You know how some parents are like, we're going, we're into the cages. You just went over four. We got to go to the cages, hit for an hour, you know which. You do it in the major leagues. I've seen guys do it. But like for a 12 year old kid, right, it's, it's almost like I want them to forget almost because they're kids and they're so fast and learning that it's like, hey, forget it for a couple days. And then we can come back and, and start again. And then his swing will be perfect because he'll forget and be mechanics. He will, he'll forget mechanics and he'll just go up there and start hitting again. Like being an athlete, a super athletic kid. Right. He has that luxury of he can forget and then come back two days later, and then everything will be, you know where. I think that's definitely a positive trade. I don't want him to, to lose. I want him to understand it's. It's not about working more. It's about, it's about understanding what happened. Like, understanding. I. Oh, I ask him, I'll ask him, like, hey, did you swing at strikes? He'd be like, no. I said, well, it's hard to hit. Hit the ball good if you swing at a bad pitch, you know, so try to look at more, less mechanics and more mentality of the game and I'll. So I guess to answer your question, it's. It's never, hey, let's go work some more. Know, It's. It's more breaking down the good and the bad. What he did in the game, staying away from. We got to do more. We got to do more because that's when they get burnt out, right?
- [30:35]
A
Yeah.
- [30:36]
C
Like, if you had a bad game, you think he wants to go hit for another hour in the cage. Like, he's distraught. He wants to go play video games or he wants to go, you know, hang out with his friends. Like, that's what I preach. So, like, I draw a line of like, no, after a tough game, go hang out with your friends.
- [30:51]
A
Yeah, right.
- [30:52]
C
It's not. We gotta go do more. Like, that's kind of where I, you know, I kind of understand, you know, that part of it.
- [30:58]
A
Well, it can also get dangerous. I feel like too, because all of a sudden, you know, the player who thinks, oh, there's more I need to do.
- [31:06]
C
Yes.
- [31:07]
A
That never ending.
- [31:09]
C
Right, Right.
- [31:09]
A
And you now, you're like a mad scientist in the cage and they're. You're never perfect.
- [31:15]
C
Yes.
- [31:15]
A
Right. You hit 100 balls and then you top the last one and you're like, oh, man, I got to keep going.
- [31:21]
C
Right.
- [31:21]
A
It's like a sickness, in a sense.
- [31:22]
C
Yeah.
- [31:23]
A
And so what's interesting about that is I almost wonder, what are those kids chasing when they think? Or what are the parents chasing when they think? The answer is to go do more, there's more to do. Like that. That's a dangerous thing because there's never enough. There's always time in the day to be hitting more and doing more.
- [31:40]
C
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's, that's the, the most important part of that whole, you know, deal.
- [31:49]
A
All Right. So on an episode that I did with another client of mine. Do you know Zach Cole is with the Houston Astros? You do?
- [31:59]
C
Debuted last year, outfielder.
- [32:01]
A
Yeah. Your dad's going to know about him this year.
- [32:04]
B
I will sign.
- [32:06]
C
He's in the. Yeah, you'll know him.
- [32:09]
A
So he was on this podcast, the reason I'm bringing him up, and he said something that I felt like was profound, but also something that I want to pay his parents a compliment because he said, my parents never made me feel like my identity was baseball. They always did such a good job where they never treated me a certain way because if I went and had a great tournament, I wasn't better in their eyes. Right. I was. I was more than just a baseball player. And he had this comment and this thing that he said is, he says, baseball is what I do. It's not what I am.
- [32:44]
C
Right.
- [32:44]
A
And I love that. And so when we talk about identity and Kai, I guess this is a question to you. Do you ever feel like you're playing and sometimes you're like, oh, I want. I want everybody to know how good I am. Or are you playing because you love the game?
- [33:05]
B
I'm playing because I, like, love the game. And it's like. It's. It makes me, like, more calm when
- [33:15]
A
you play because you love the game. Yeah, agreed.
- [33:18]
C
Right.
- [33:18]
A
And that's. I'm sure on some level comes from you, too, right? Because that's how you were.
- [33:21]
C
Right? I want to like the player. The kids, especially kids, right. I want them to understand that. That you need to be playing because you love the game. And, and as you. I told him, as you get older and it becomes more of a business, you lose that because you're. You're playing for. For financial security for your family, for the future, for your future kids, right? You're playing for. There's more at stake when you're a kid. And I say this, like, in the most respectful way. It's, what are we chasing? I. I tell them all the time, like, what are you guys chasing? I said, I said, you want a ring? I said, I want you guys to win rings also, because it's fun for them, right? But I said, the real ring is when you make it to the major leagues. I said, that's the ring that you want to chase. I said, right now we're chasing fun development and definitely teaching them how to win. Like, I feel like it's teaching the boys how to win is a skill. Like, winning is a skill. I always tell them, right. I remind them that it's not what you do individually. Like, you go four for four and the team loses. I said, your day is not a success. I said, you can go 0 for 4 and the team wins. I said, your day is the success. I said, you're measured by your team, you know, and. And obviously, as you get older in the big leagues and college and stuff, not so much. But as kids, if they can learn that at a young age and take that with them higher, the higher they go, you don't have to be the most talented player to go to college or to get drafted or to make it to the major leagues. You don't have to have that. That special skill set. If you can understand what it takes to win and be a team player, you don't have to have that, like, ungodly talent. Like, you know, the Harpers and the Strasbergs, like, those guys are so talented, and they're great teammates, which makes them even, like, you know, one in a million players on the planet, you know? But, like, if they can understand this, then you could. You could be a less talented player and make it very far in this game because you're doing things the right way, and you're doing things that a lot of guys, coaches, front office guys love, and that's a winner.
- [35:30]
A
Yeah. You were fortunate, obviously, to win a World Series, Right. You won a college World Series. Kai, question for you, buddy. So you've obviously won, right? I've seen your. Your rings in your pictures.
- [35:49]
B
Yeah.
- [35:49]
A
And you've also played really, really well.
- [35:52]
B
Thank you.
- [35:53]
A
Have you ever had a game that you struggled but your team won? And what did that feel like compared to what he was talking about, of maybe you having this great game but you guys lost?
- [36:07]
B
Yeah. I mean, I always think about, like, not about me all the time. So if I have, like, a bad game and the team wins, I'm happy. But if I go, like, four for four and, like, we lose, I won't be like, yeah, like, I just hit four for four.
- [36:23]
C
He will not be happy if he loses. It doesn't matter. I. Yeah.
- [36:28]
A
Yeah. What's interesting about that, too, is because everybody wants to, like, go four for four, right? Everybody does. But when. When you experience that and lose, it feels. It almost feels like it reminds you of, like, how selfish it is. Like, I'm celebrating because I did good. Maybe this other player didn't, and they're bummed out, maybe because we lost, but also because they didn't perform well. And here I am, like, celebrating it. Like, it feels weird and when you and I, I, I, I get bummed out sometimes for guys because there are some players that I know who, they've never actually been on a winning team, right? All throughout maybe high school, really good players, right? And so then you see it. It's like, it's not that they're not winners. They just were never taught how you have to be in order to win. And if I could think about one of the things that I've noticed from guys who are on these winning teams is it truly is this, like, selfless act where you have to figure out how to. Like, there is this organism, the team, and it needs something from everybody to, like, grow. And if everybody doesn't give it the thing that it needs to grow, you're not going to win. But if one guy does it, you're not going to win. If two guys do it, you're not going to win. You literally need everybody. And, you know, you on this World Series team, we've obviously talked about this before, but is there anything that comes to mind where it's like, maybe this particular player, he wasn't the guy that was in the lineup every day, but let me tell you what this guy was doing, and like, that added to the energy and the team camaraderie and like, the confidence we had in order to win. Is there something that comes to mind like that?
- [38:09]
C
100%. And I, I feel like it's hard to be a superstar, you know, in the major leagues, at the high, at any level, right? In, in college and high school and, and major leagues, right? It's hard to be a superstar because everybody's counting on you, right? So I feel like when you have those special players and we had, I feel like to be on a winning, I'm not saying every time, but to be on a winning team, you have to have superstars, right, that are, are talented and, and can do that, that job of being a superstar. But you also need that supporting cast. And the supporting cast is just as important as a superstar, like you said, because if the superstars are there and you don't have a supporting cast, you're not going to win. Like you said, you've seen it happen, right? And vice versa. You can have all the supporting cast and not have the superstars, and you're not going to win. So you have to have that perfect blend. And I feel like a lot is luck because you don't know when it's going to mesh well to go to, you know, win the World Series. But when you have that, that Click when it clicks. And you have, you know, the Strasbergs and the Scherzers and the Rendon's and the Sotos and the Zimmermans and those type of players. And then you have, you know, the older guys, like, you know, when I was there, John Gomes, Brian Doer. And for me, for me, like the most important one was the Howie Kendrick. And for me, that was probably, if not like my favorite teammate that I, I look to as, as the guy that, that kept everyone together.
- [39:41]
A
Why? What did he do?
- [39:43]
C
He was the pros pro. And when I say that, because everybody says that he's a pro, right? What's a pro? He held guys accountable. He made sure he did all his work. He came to the field wanting to help the team when he didn't play every day because he knew he couldn't and he knew he would, you know, whether he got hurt, you know, he got hurt sometimes and stuff. But he came to the yard every day ready to work. And it was something that, even me being an older player and coming up with Howie on a different team, obviously, but playing against him throughout my career, just watching how he went about. He wasn't flashy, you know, he wasn't the guy that made all these crazy ridiculous plays. But at the end of the day, he was two for four with two ribies, three for four with the rbi. Oh, he got a walk off hit. Oh, he did this. And you're like, man, this guy is just amazing. And I try to be just like Howie because I really did think that this guy was the most important part of your team. Filled with superstars, with the, like I said, the Turners, the Rendon's, the Sotos. But Howie Kendrick was for me, the guy that I feel like. And if you ask Trey, if you ask Rendon, if you ask Strauss, if you ask all those guys, they'll. I promise you they'll say the exact same thing. Howie is the guy. When he talks, you listen. Because he doesn't talk very often. He wasn't very loud. But when he talked, everybody was like, okay, like we, we gotta do this.
- [41:09]
A
See how important that is? I love that story.
- [41:12]
C
Yeah.
- [41:13]
A
Cause I don't think anybody would say if they looked at that roster. Oh, that guy, that guy was the guy that Zuke was trying to be like.
- [41:21]
C
Yeah.
- [41:21]
A
Or the pros pro as you described.
- [41:23]
C
Oh, man, it was. And I, I still talk to this Howie to this day, you know, and, and he's, he's definitely one of the, I think around the league, the players Know that he's, you know, obviously one of the most respected guys that. To ever play this game. But being able to be his teammate and see it on a daily basis for a couple years, I mean, incredible. Great, great person, great family guy, too, with his boys. Yeah. Just everything about him, you know, was just great to. To have around.
- [41:54]
A
Zook, is there anything that you, as a player, maybe. Did you. You never figured it out? I guess what I'm trying to say is, is there something that you hope that maybe he figures out earlier than you ever did as a player?
- [42:09]
C
Yes. Yeah. No. So everything I try to teach him, right, and he can explain to you the same thing is what I teach them is the mistakes I made. Right. Whether it's. He's. He's very emotional, you know, same as me. That was one of the. I guess you can say the knocks on me is I. I wore my heart on my sleeve. You know, people knew when I was frustrated or upset, and it was something that had to come with. With like, I guess, experience with age, because as I got older, like, I still got upset, but I had to learn how to control it and funnel it in the right way, you know, where. That's what I'm trying to explain to him and the rest of the players. It's. They're so used to success, right, that when they fail, it's like the end of the world, right? And I'm showing them. Instead of pouting and then bringing your whole team down, like, channel that energy. Whether it's. You get upset that you. You hit a bad hit, sprint as hard as you can down the line and get your energy out in the right way where you can make a positive impact on a negative play, right? And it's. It's a mistake that I made, you know, that's. I guess this is just one mistake. There's a ton of them that I teach them, and I. I tell them, I said, what I'm teaching you today is stuff that I made a mistake on. And I'm teaching you at 12 that I had to learn at 22.
- [43:30]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [43:30]
C
You know, so, like, like. And they. It's hard for them to understand now because they're like, oh, what he's teaching me? And it's like, no, I. I want to teach you this now because I wasn't fortunate enough until I was older. And, you know, luckily I. I was in, you know, professional baseball, but I had to learn while I. You'll never stop learning to. I guess to my point is what I'm Trying to teach them is the mistakes that I made. So when they come up through the ranks of high school and all this stuff, they understand what a professional baseball player, the mistakes that I made. So I try to teach them so they don't make the same mistake. And I know they will. And I told him, I said, trust me, the game is going to force you to make these mistakes because it's just part of failure.
- [44:14]
A
Well, and Kai, this is a great little message, I guess, right here. Zuke, how did you ever learn that something needed to change is making by
- [44:23]
C
doing it, Making the mistake, making a mistake, making a mistake.
- [44:26]
A
Right. So when, when, Kai, when you, when something happens and maybe there's some failure involved, right?
- [44:33]
B
Yeah.
- [44:33]
A
We all know it's an opportunity. It's an opportunity now for you to learn this lesson. And we're all people and oftentimes we, you know, we could be told something a thousand times. We gotta go through it ourselves and we've gotta learn the mistake ourselves. It just happens. And so it's, it's, it's a reminder when it happens to be like, oh, yeah, this is one of those moments. This is one of those moments where I have to. It doesn't feel good, but it's ultimately gonna make me a better player. Yeah, right?
- [44:59]
B
Yeah.
- [45:00]
A
Okay, Kai, what, what are your goals for this year?
- [45:08]
B
This year?
- [45:08]
A
Yeah.
- [45:10]
B
Probably be a better teammate and to get better. And when it's like, when we like fail, it's probably like an opportunity to get way better.
- [45:21]
A
And smart man.
- [45:22]
B
Motivation.
- [45:23]
A
I love it.
- [45:24]
B
So the next time you could be like, you're ready and you feel ready.
- [45:29]
A
I love that. Zuke, what are your goals for the year?
- [45:34]
C
I would say not get fired, but no, honestly, like, I don't want to get too like, obviously long winded with these answers, but the opportunity that I have in front of me doesn't get. No, a lot of, I'd say a lot, not a lot of guys. I think that's even making it an understatement. Right. Not a lot of people get this opportunity to manage a Major League baseball club. And my goals is, is to really. I love teaching. Right. I love coaching. Like, that's one of the things that I loved even when I was playing. I feel like I was a coach.
- [46:08]
A
Right.
- [46:09]
C
So I guess my goal is to always help the players get better. Right. And I can't control if we're going to make the playoffs or how many games we're going to win. Yeah. We have a young team, we have some talent on the Roster, the only thing that I can control is help the players get better. And if, if, if me, my coaching staff, if we can do that, I deem the year a success. Whatever happens, if they're not happy with what we do, like, that's fine, right? But, but our goal in the beginning of the year set out is to prepare the players for games and to help them get better every single day. And, and if we can make an impact on these, these guys like this and to help set them up for the future. Being a younger team, that really is my goal. Yeah. My goal is to, to help the players get to a point where they feel like they've improved, right? Because at, at this level, that's the hardest thing because you're playing the best competition in the world. So we, when you think of guys, oh, you had a bad year, right? It's like, oh, I didn't improve. But if we stop looking at the numbers and just thinking about improvement and just kind of keeping it simple of whether it's offense, whether it's defense, whether it's mentality, and learning how to fail, if, like, if you did have a. Not your best year, but you learned how to h. Handle failure in the right way and, and picked up some things to become a better baseball player in the future, that's our goal, right? Is in a game of numbers, in a game of the statcast era and all these type of things, right? We get caught up in these things. Instead of what's baseball, right? Baseball is a game of failure. Baseball is trying to improve every single day. And like you said, right? What are we chasing? Right? Yeah. We're chasing rings and we're chasing all these things, right? But for me, if we can keep it simple, just like how I teach them and I tell them this, I said, I tell my major league players the exact same things I tell you. Guys chase improvement every single day because they're talented enough that if they improve every single day, who knows where. Where the limit is, right? Who knows how many games we're going to win if they each come to the yard every single day with the mindset of I'm going to get better, whether it's in the weight room, whether it's on the bullpen, whether it's in batting practice. If we can just focus on improving every single day, let's see where we are at the end of the year. And we might not be where we think we should have been, but the thing that we can control is coming to that park and having that mindset. Because that is the hardest thing for me. That's the hardest thing to do is. Is having that mindset when you're over four. Like, do I want to come to the park? Like, is it a grind? Like, I don't want it to be a grind. I want it to be an enjoyment, knowing, okay, I'm going to work on this today to get better. Yeah. Because that's the way I looked at. I wasn't the best player. I've had some really rough seasons, and I learned from that. And when I got to the. Towards the end, when, you know, we won the World Series, I had some good years in. In Atlanta, Washington and stuff. I was excited to come to the park every single day and improve, and I was there to enjoy myself, have a good time, and just let the results be the results. But my preparation and all that stuff was something that I focused on. I wasn't focused on the results.
- [49:30]
A
Yeah. And think it was. I was told this many times, but I think it was like, Joe Morgan, during, like, the Big Red Machine, was asked the question, like, you know, what makes a winning World Series team? And he said something to the effect of a World Series team is when you have a bunch of players having their, like, career year during the same year. Right. And what's interesting about what I'm hearing you say, because I do agree with everything that you. That you've said about it, is if you think about winning more as a byproduct of doing other things, well, I feel like it would take so much pressure off of, oh, man, I've got to go out there today and do this thing. Right. Because that. Whatever that thing is. Oh, I've got to get a home or I've got to, like, get a knot. Everybody in the big leagues and you know this, they all want to perform the best they possibly can. Like, it's so personally focused that how can you make all of that stuff interconnected and a byproduct of doing, like, the fundamental, controllable things at the highest possible level. Things that you literally been doing since he's, you know, your age.
- [50:38]
C
Exactly.
- [50:39]
A
He's like, you guys have been doing this literally since you were 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old.
- [50:44]
C
Yes.
- [50:45]
A
The same thing. So how do we do that at the highest level?
- [50:48]
C
Right.
- [50:49]
A
Really well. And then everything else is a byproduct of it. Right, Right. It just simplifies. It's like, oh, okay. Because part of that is also being a good teammate, working hard, showing up on time, being a man of your word, doing what you say you're going to do. Right? All of that stuff.
- [51:04]
C
I, I think a great example is, and I, I shared this with them is the Indiana football team. Yeah, the Hoosiers. Right. I mean, last year they talked about them as a Cinderella story, right. And this year they're undefeated, won the national championship. I was like, okay, it's not a Cinderella story. So why. And you see all these interviews and, and you listen, and you listen to the interviews that, you know, the Coach Signetti talks about, right? And we talked about this with my staff, with the front office. It's. What, what are they like, what's the special sauce like? Is there's got to be a secret. I mean, you go from a losing season to making the College Football Playoff and then winning the national championship the following year. Like, there's got to be a secret. St. Are they getting transfers? What, what, what are they doing? And it was funny when you, when you hear his interview, it was, we do the fundamentals really, really well, right. They make the, the fewest penalties, right. The, the fewest drop catches. They never do any trick plays. They, they, they just play the game how the game should be played. They don't try to reinvent the game. Right. And so I think something to take away off that is like what you exactly just said. It's how can we do the fundamental things that we did when we were 12 years old and do it at the big league level and do it really, really well. Right? Because at the end of the day, your margin for error becomes smaller. When you get into that, that level of, of major leagues is the, the margin for error, you have to be almost perfect with the things that you did when you were 12 years old.
- [52:37]
A
Yeah.
- [52:37]
C
And people forget about the things that we did when we were 12 because we're chasing Homer's, trying to throw his.
- [52:43]
A
You're playing a different game in the big leagues. You think, yes. Yeah.
- [52:46]
C
Yes. You're like the pitchers are trying to light up the radar gun instead of, oh, I'm just going to execute a perfectly placed fastball in a good spot or I'm going to execute my off speed pitch or, or I'm not just going to try to throw this hard. I have a reason why I'm throwing this pitch. Or, okay, this bunt defense. I know this is my job. I've done it a hundred times. I'm going to do it again and just get an out.
- [53:06]
A
Yeah.
- [53:06]
C
Just, just get it out. Don't have to do anything fancy.
- [53:08]
A
Well, and I think the backbone of everything. Funny enough is we talked about confidence earlier, is it's the belief in Signetti. He knew they were gonna win. Like, he believed it, right? And if he didn't believe it, all the other things may have been true. But maybe Mendoza's having a conversation. He's like, you know, he kind of sounds like he's surprised we're here, and then maybe he starts to feel like, oh, yeah, if he's surprised, then I should be surprised.
- [53:35]
C
Right?
- [53:36]
A
But instead, Signetti was the one who's, no, we're winning. Like, that's just what's going to happen. And so for you, I feel like that is such an important thing, is if you're not going to believe it, then why should anybody else? Right? And so I don't care if you guys are 0 and 10 with 10 losses in the last 10 games. Doesn't matter. Doesn't change anything, right? And just like individual players is, if you don't believe that you're going to go out there and have success, well, the game's not going to just let you have success. Right? Right.
- [54:07]
C
I try to tell them you're not playing against the other team.
- [54:09]
A
Yeah, right.
- [54:10]
C
You're playing against yourself. Can you execute? Can you execute a play on defense? Can you execute the play on offense? Can you execute a pitch? Right. If you don't execute, it doesn't matter who you're playing against, you're going to lose. Right? But if you're executing against yourself and knowing like my execution against myself, I'm not playing against Aaron Judge, or, or I'm not playing against Max Scherzer facing Max Scherzer, right? No, it's. I'm getting my pitch that I'm my strong suit and I'm executing my swing on it and the results take care of itself. Right? But if you start worrying about like, oh, I, I gotta beat this guy or I gotta do this, then you lose track of what you're trying to do. If you just do what you do. Again, I said play against yourself. Cause we play against some big boys and they're always the smaller ones. I said, that's fine. I said, just worry about what you can control, and that's with yourself. I said, you guys beat yourself, you're going to lose. It doesn't matter if it's the number one team in the country or the last place team in the country. If you fail to execute, you're going to lose.
- [55:06]
A
Yeah. All right, last two questions, and they're not coming from me. Kai, is there a question that you want to ask your dad on this podcast, that you think other. You'd like other people to. To hear his answer.
- [55:21]
B
What did you have to do to get to the Cauldron series?
- [55:24]
A
There you go.
- [55:24]
C
Good one. There's.
- [55:28]
A
What's the. What's the first thing that comes to
- [55:29]
C
mind that, like, stands out is adversity overcoming adversity. You know, we started 15 and 16 that year, and we're on track to be the worst team in Fullerton history. And. And we had to overcome that, and we had to do it together as a team. And it wasn't easy. And it's something that I always tell guys that was. It was very similar to my Nationals team. We overcoming that start of, what, 19 and 31. We were 15 and 16. Right. But how can you overcome that? You got to pull together. You know, you pull together as a group and you fight together instead of guys could have easily. Ah, I'm just going to do this because I'm getting drafted. You know, I just got to worry about myself. And then you lose it. Right? But if you come together and you pull for one goal, and that's the year I got drafted. Right. So it's like if I went off to myself, who knows how good of a year? But I did it together with my teammates, and I feel like they had a huge impact on. On my success because we did it together as a group instead of everybody just going their separate ways because we were 15 and 16, we just gave up. Right. We came together, we overcame adversity. And our statement that our motto that year was, think how good it's going to feel. And everybody writing us off, think how good it's going to feel. If you looked at the replay of the Ken Reva series that game, Ken Revizza. There's a piece of tape in the dugout of athletic tape, and it said, think how good it's going to feel. We wrote that in every single day and we looked at it. Think how good it's going to feel when we do reach that top after where we started.
- [56:58]
A
I love it. What's a question that you want to ask him?
- [57:01]
C
Ooh.
- [57:02]
A
And this is the last question of the podcast. Make it a good one.
- [57:07]
B
Okay.
- [57:08]
C
Kind of vans. Do you want. No, I'm kidding. So a good question. Here we go. What do you think success is?
- [57:19]
B
Success is, like, probably like a hard
- [57:24]
C
question, but I think you can answer it.
- [57:25]
A
There's no wrong answer. That's the beauty. It's whatever.
- [57:28]
C
Whatever you think success is.
- [57:30]
B
Success is maybe like, you do a good thing in life and you, like, let's say, like. Like, if you had a bad game, for example, and you wanted success, you had to overcome that and then become like, think about how hard you worked to get that success, and it'll feel good.
- [57:52]
A
Yeah.
- [57:52]
C
Perfect.
- [57:53]
A
Yeah. I love it.
- [57:54]
C
Hard work.
- [57:55]
A
That's good, buddy.
- [57:56]
C
Not too well, buddy.
- [57:57]
A
Guys, I appreciate it. I love you both. Did you guys have fun?
- [58:01]
B
Yeah.
- [58:02]
C
Yes. Are you nervous, though? No, Uncle Matty. Thank you.
- [58:05]
B
Thank you.
- [58:06]
C
I love it.
- [58:07]
A
Well, I appreciate everybody for joining us. Hopefully, everybody is one step closer to being a stronger player or a stronger family. So thanks, guys.
- [58:17]
C
Thanks, baboos.