Dexter Fowler’s AWESOME stories on Cubs World Series run, Bill Murray, SNL cameo | Lovable Reunion

Summary

The Lovable Reunion — Dexter Fowler’s AWESOME Stories on Cubs World Series Run

Podcast: The Lovable Reunion
Hosts: Anthony Rizzo & David Ross
Guest: Dexter Fowler
Date: May 19, 2026
Episode Focus: Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Chicago Cubs’ historic 2016 World Series, with special guest Dexter Fowler offering behind-the-scenes stories, clubhouse camaraderie, and the moments that defined the greatest Cubs team in a century.

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Episode Overview

This episode reunites key Cubs leaders Anthony Rizzo, David Ross, and Dexter Fowler, reflecting on the 2016 team's journey from drought-breakers to legends. Fowler—whose return for 2016 was a clubhouse and lineup game-changer—shares untold stories about clubhouse relationships, pivotal moments, and the unique culture that made it possible to break the 108-year curse. The conversation is rich with personal memories, humor, and deep insights into teamwork, leadership, and the bonds that outlast baseball.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Clubhouse Chemistry

[03:13–06:20]

• Rizzo, Ross, and Fowler recall being the “main circus ringleaders” of the team, lifting each other on and off the field.
• David Ross: "Part of being a good teammate is, like, remembering that freaking catch that Dex made...and you're giving love where love's deserved, and you're giving criticism when it's like: Hey, this is how we want it." (04:43)
• Fowler praises the blend of young and old, his role as the “middleman,” and Ross’s leadership as “the judge and jury.”

Dexter’s Arrival in Chicago & Becoming the Classic Leadoff Man

[07:28–13:39]

• Fowler was one of the last “true” leadoff hitters, recruited also because of relationships with hitting coach John Mallee and knowledge of Cubs’ up-and-coming prospects.
• The environment fostered by Joe Maddon allowed Dexter to “just go play”—critical for Fowler’s performance and confidence:
  • Fowler: “He put me in the office. He said, ‘Dex, all I need you to do is be Dex... Every day you come in here, you’re leading off. I don’t care how good you do.’” (12:27)
  • Ross and Rizzo recollect how important it was for players to feel secure in their roles.

The 2015 Turnaround, Building Brotherhood

[13:47–28:48]

• The group replays moments from 2015—late nights, karaoke after sweeping the Giants, and how Rizzo, Fowler, and others built unshakable bonds through off-field fun and honest communication.
• After the infamous wild card win in Pittsburgh, the team’s confidence and connection skyrocketed.

Dexter’s Nearly-Secret Return in 2016

[19:30–28:48]

• Fowler details the complex negotiations that led to his surprise re-signing—he was briefly reported as signing elsewhere, but a last-minute deal brought him “home.”
• The reveal at spring training was emotional:
  • Fowler: "That was the best day of my career, honestly...you feel wanted. Like, these dudes genuinely want you to be a part of something special." (25:00)
  • Rizzo: "When you came back, it was just: it all felt right in the world." (27:23)

Evolving Defense, Analytics, & Teammate Support

[28:48–31:00]

• The crew discusses criticisms of Dexter’s outfield defense, his own adjustments, and why player trust trumped analytics.
• Fowler: “I didn't give a shit about analytics, none of that shit. I gave a shit about my teammates.” (30:18)

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Story Highlights & Memorable Moments

Playoff Bonds, Rituals, & the Impact of Team Culture

[31:07–45:26]

• Stories from crucial turning points—the sweep of the Giants in 2015, wild card game in Pittsburgh, and epic team dinners.
• Fowler’s close relationship with teammates, whether supplying IVs or impromptu motivational drinks (Gatorade, or sometimes more).
• Rizzo recounts: “Out of nowhere, [Dex] walks up with a double cup of Gatorade… it was a Crown and Sprite. He knew, somehow, exactly what I needed.” (48:10–49:05)

Leadership, Accountability, and Giving Back

[50:25–53:34]

• The “playoff shares” meeting: the team’s generous giving of playoff money to staff, families, security, and especially the memorable debate about the “wives liaison.”
• Ross: “Every time I hear the number eighty, all I hear is your voice going: ‘EIGHTY?!’” (52:21)

Playoffs to World Series: The Untold Details

[59:11–80:03]

• Fowler gives an inside account of his approach—and nervous excitement—leading off Game 7, including the legend of the “speedball” (Five Hour Energy + bourbon) starter provided by Bill Murray.
• Fowler, laughing: “Bill Murray pulls out these little bottles… says ‘I call it a speedball. Brings you up and brings you down.’” (63:28–63:39)
• The significance of his leadoff home run in Game 7 and the feelings running around the bases, meeting his teammates’ eyes.

The Rain Delay Meeting & Epic SNL Cameo

[75:04–78:43]

• The emotional rain delay meeting—real talk, raw feelings, and Jason Heyward’s locker-room speech that “reset” the team.
• Fowler: “That was the reset that we needed. … J. Hey had the best mindset…we let it all out right there.” (75:47–76:09)
• The SNL after-party: An impromptu Vegas trip redirected to New York, a green room “like the World Series,” Bill Murray taking charge, and Jay-Z in the building.

Leadership Lessons, Legacy, and Brotherhood

[80:03–85:44]

• Off-field rituals, traveling together, old-school team dinners, and respecting one another builds lasting championship character.
• Ross reflects on leadership, how even the smallest acts of support (being present for anthem, off-days) mean everything.
• Ross: "I feel connection to my teammates… every day, bro. I’m rooting you guys on. …it matters. And, like, you’re doing—yeah, I think it’s—we appreciate that." (85:00–85:29)

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• David Ross [04:43]: "Part of being a good teammate is, like, remembering that freaking catch that Dex made... you're giving love where love's deserved."
• Dexter Fowler [12:27]: "He put me in the office. He said, ‘Dex, all I need you to do is be Dex. Every day you come in here, you're leading off. I don't care how good you do.’"
• Anthony Rizzo [27:23]: "When you came back, it was just: it all felt right in the world."
• Dexter Fowler [30:18]: "I gave a shit about my teammates."
• Dexter Fowler [48:28]: "I go, you'll be just fine." (giving Rizzo the secret drink during a slump)
• David Ross [52:21]: "Every time I hear the number eighty, all I hear is your voice going: ‘EIGHTY?!’"
• Dexter Fowler [63:28]: "Bill Murray pulls out these little bottles… says ‘I call it a speedball. Brings you up and brings you down.’"
• Dexter Fowler [66:17]: "Right over the plate. I said, yes. Got him, bro."
• Dexter Fowler [75:59]: "That is literally everybody needed to get it off their chest. Like, say what you fucking need to say. Let's get it done. It's zero. Zero. Let's go back."
• Anthony Rizzo [85:44]: “You literally taught me. And I brought this since the day you taught me in 15…”

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Episode Timeline

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:13–06:20 | Clubhouse leadership dynamics: Ross as “judge;” chemistry | | 07:28–14:07 | Dexter’s arrival, role as leadoff man, Maddon’s trust | | 19:30–28:48 | Fowler’s surprise contract return in 2016, emotional club moment | | 31:07–32:56 | 2015 sweep of Giants, playoff bond moments | | 35:04–37:57 | Wild card game vs. Pirates; “just give me one run” Arietta story | | 43:02–45:26 | All-Star Game, Cubs swagger, clubhouse energy | | 48:10–49:05 | “Crown and Sprite” story—Dex’s intuitive leadership | | 50:25–53:34 | Playoff shares meeting, the legendary “EIGHTY?!” debate | | 63:28–64:41 | Bill Murray’s “speedball”; prepping for Game 7 | | 66:17–67:09 | Fowler’s leadoff home run in Game 7, emotional reaction | | 75:04–76:42 | Rain delay team meeting; Jason Heyward’s speech | | 77:04–78:43 | SNL cameo, after-party with Bill Murray & Jay-Z | | 80:03–85:44 | Off-field bond, hospitality suites, Ross’s leadership lessons |

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Takeaways

• Chemistry Wins Championships: Talent is only part of the formula; trust, mutual respect, and team rituals built unbreakable bonds for the 2016 Cubs.
• Leadership Is Multifaceted: Ross’s honesty and ability to give both “love and tough love” made a difference, while Fowler’s humility and generosity helped bridge age and experience gaps.
• The Moments That Matter: While plays and stats fade, the off-field memories, shared adversity, and celebrations endure as the true legacy of champions.

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Closing Tone

Laughter, affection, and authenticity shine throughout the episode. The hosts and guest lean into honesty—storytelling with language true to the locker room, but always with warmth and respect. The vibes are brotherhood, gratitude, and marvel at what they accomplished together—a gift for Cubs fans and anyone who believes in the power of teamwork.

Transcript

[Anthony Rizzo]

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[Dexter Fowler]

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[Dexter Fowler]

Hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin.

[Nick Jonas]

And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Dexter Fowler]

We invented a podcast.

[Nick Jonas]

Well, we didn't invent it. We. We just contributed to it.

[Dexter Fowler]

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

[Nick Jonas]

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio

[Dexter Fowler]

app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Jonas]

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs Banter.

[Dexter Fowler]

Where does your group perform?

[Anthony Rizzo]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Anthony Rizzo. David Ross. Dexter Fowler. Welcome back to another episode of Lovable Reunion. Today is what I've been looking forward to as my favorite episode. We have Dexter Fowler here. We're talking 10 year anniversary of our World Series championship.

[Dexter Fowler]

Crazy.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Dexter was one of the. The most, if not important piece of the whole formula that we had to win in the World Series. And Dexter, can you believe it's been 10 years?

[Dexter Fowler]

I cannot believe it's 10 years. We, we celebrate our 10 year. A little bit of the 10 year, like the, the precursor of it.

[David Ross]

Little appetizer?

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, a little appetizer. And it got wild. And I can't even imagine, like during the year when we really do it, how it's going to be, bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And what I like, and I'm going to say it earlier here, is these three were the three main circus ringleaders of the clubhouse at all times. And when I look back at this team in our time together, the. You two are the two that I think about because we would just come in every day with some that we were going to do.

[Dexter Fowler]

Nobody is safe.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No one was safe at anything.

[Dexter Fowler]

Whether that's the owners, Joe, everybody. It's. It's.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We brag on each other and like, the, the thing I look back at most is if I was tired one day, I knew Dexter would bring it.

[Dexter Fowler]

Dexter, your style.

[Anthony Rizzo]

If Dexter was tired one day, Rossi would bring it. Like, if. If for some reason us three were off, we'd have stropier. Travis Woodbringing it, like. But us three were the main stalwarts. And that's like, I can't wait to get into these stories now.

[Dexter Fowler]

Y' all two are some of my favorite teammates. Honestly, like, just for that, like that fact that, I mean, y' all are great players but good in the locker room. Like some teams, you just go in and you just see like the magic and you see that you have the right people in line to be there. And I call Rossi, the judge, the jury, everything. It's like, Rossi, what is it? And he's like, this is what he says. And that's what goes.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, you were the boss. Yeah, you literally were.

[David Ross]

I get a lot for being a career.220 hitter on that team. But I look back, I did get a lot of credit. And I think, like, from leadership perspective and like, I'm glad that I had my piece. But the cool thing to me is I never told the media what I did or who I was. Like, that was all you guys giving me that love. And I say that in such a way, a positive way, because the special humans that we had on that team took my hard love sometimes and, like, actually listened to the message rather than sometimes I think I can be a little more aggressive, and you guys listen to message and still gave me love back. I tell a story all the time when I speak. Is that about knowing everybody, watching everybody, and rooting guys on? Like, it's stuck in my mind about, like I said at the top step. And you would make a diving play in center field for the first out, and then the pitcher would give up four more run. Four runs in that inning, and everybody's pissed off coming back. And, like, I think part of the. Part of being a good teammate is, like, remembering that freaking catch that Dex made when he comes off. So then if Dex dogs it down the first baseline, he knows I'm watching it all. And I'm giving love where love's deserved. And you're giving criticism where it's like, hey, this is how we want it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You know, Always take that after. Yeah, you would always do that.

[David Ross]

You're good at that, man.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And as I got older in my career, I always make sure to go over to someone good batter and different. Hey, man, nice. Like, hey, keep grinding or, nice play, bro. Like, giving them their love, because that means a lot.

[Dexter Fowler]

I mean, it's important that.

[David Ross]

And that's how you are able to criticize, I think. Or sometimes give tough love is because, like, wait a minute. This dude's always giving me love. Let me just least listen to this.

[Anthony Rizzo]

When you come at him with. With the tough love, it's like, okay, well, at least it's not out of.

[Dexter Fowler]

And that's the thing about it is, like, you have different pieces. Like, you were the piece on the field. Like, hey, look, like, we looked at Riz, like, picking shit. We looked at this platinum glover. We looked at this dude, and we saw his work ethic. We saw him out there grinding with his back hurt. But you see stuff like that, and, you know, I can go talk to him, and it's gonna be received well. Like, for me, like, being in a locker room with a bunch of different. And this is every locker room, but a bunch of different characters. Young, old, all over the world. That's why I said I was, like, the middleman. Like, so everybody. You would come to me or. Or Lester or Lackey would come to me. Hey, can you talk? You should talk to what's in that. But I would also bounce stuff off of him. Just. He was like my sounding board. Like, hey, bro, like, this dude's coming to me. I. I don't have all the answers. And I would be remiss if I didn't reach out to him because he's been on teams. He's. He knows how to. How it's done. Like, look, like you said, I had seven years in the big leagues at the time, and I was like, there's the younger guys, the older guys, but there was a big gap, right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

In that. In that locker room. And I was kind of just trying to fill the gap.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You got, you got. I mean, this is like, super underrated. We haven't talked about this. We talk about the pieces we brought in 15, and everyone instantly thinks Joe Madden, John Lester, David Ross. You got traded in 15. To us, that was Miguel Montero came traded and Biggie.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But we have a bona fide leadoff hitter coming in that the game. Like, you're like, almost like the last guy to be a leadoff hitter. Like, that's out, actually, what a leadoff hitter stereotypically looked like.

[Dexter Fowler]

No, I appreciate it. And it was funny because, you know, males kind of facilitated that whole thing, so. Males. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So John Mey is our. Our hidden coach.

[David Ross]

We interviewed males and ski.

[Dexter Fowler]

So males was my coach in. My hitting coach in Houston. When I was in Houston, and I remember going against. I was rehabbing. I messed up my intercostal. So I was rehabbing. I was playing for Oklahoma City and we were playing against the Iowa Cubs, kb I played against KB Solaire. Javier just got called up. Manny was down there. And we're playing a. We played like rehab three or four games, and we played a double hitter against them. And they are launching balls. Like, KB is going oppo. Like, we know KB does. Solaire hit me a ball. I'm playing center field and I'm like. I'm like this, you know, minor league baseball. Like, dudes hit balls, and it's not like the big leagues, like, when dudes hit balls and they. They do one of these. So he is like the one I

[David Ross]

hit you in Atlanta that took a left turn. We need to talk about that.

[Dexter Fowler]

So he hits the ball, and I'm running for the ball, and I'm like, I got this. And I'm like, whoa. And the ball hits off the wall. I feel it off the wall. I throw it in and I'm like, this is a grown man. Like, these dudes Are going to be really good, too. Males can gets the job over there. And I text males and I was like, mels. Like, no. When I came back, I told him, I said, I said, males. The cubs, they're gonna be nasty in about a year or two. These dudes coming up are nasty, like, ready. Like, bigly ready. And he goes, that's, you know, that's my city. Like, he gets the job over there. And I text him. I was like, bro, I need to be with you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I need to be there.

[Dexter Fowler]

I need to be with you. And he's like, you really want to. I was like, bro, like, yes, I'm gonna be a free agent, bro. I want to play with y'. All. Like, like, this team is going to be crazy. And so he ended up talking to the people and we they. But he started that conversation.

[David Ross]

Who did you get traded for?

[Dexter Fowler]

Do you remember Luis fal. Buena.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's right.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah. Was it Dan Straley?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Dan Shrayle.

[Dexter Fowler]

Bro, I remember.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, like, you getting traded, the only. We played you in the Rockies. Right. But the Rockies are smaller markets. Like, but you guys always raked.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You DJ Tul. Like, just Nolan.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Like cargo, everybody.

[David Ross]

Oh, cargo was a beast.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Matt Holiday, Dire. Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, Elton was there.

[David Ross]

Say you came. I was gonna say that earlier. Kb like, you came up.

[Dexter Fowler]

I was Holiday Hop. Yeah, that was. Those are my.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Brad Hop was the first baseman too, when I was.

[Dexter Fowler]

And then cargo came up. Like, cargo that traded over there.

[David Ross]

Spilly still on the team.

[Anthony Rizzo]

What I knew about you was like, your pregame, your pre at bat routine where you, like, do your little stretch, your groin stretch left. And Because I'm everybody else's. Yeah.

[David Ross]

Remember that?

[Anthony Rizzo]

And but to come over and instantly, year one, like, how it's not easy getting traded. You just got traded to Houston the year before. How are you able to come over and ingrain yourself so fast? And a team that, like, in 15 were like, yeah, we thought we could be good, but, like, we had to build that confidence.

[Dexter Fowler]

Honestly. Like, for me, which made me feel the most comfortable was Joe Madden.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Because I played on teams. Like, Joe was my favorite manager because Joe let me be me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yes.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, everybody else would be like, hey, Dex, we're need you to do this. I was like, bro, can I just go? Would you just let me go play? I like, I, I, I understand the game. I know how to play the game. Let me go play. And the best managers for me were like, hands off debts. Just go. Do you every day. Right. So when I First got to. I don't know if you remember this. When I first got to Chicago, I like, the first month, like, first bad battery game, I was punching out. Like, if I got punched out and I. I got the first half. I got punched out 19 times on balls.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Remember when we went in, we had the meeting with it, but this is a whole nother thing. So we're sitting there and

[David Ross]

you had a meeting with the umpires or mlb?

[Dexter Fowler]

No, but first Joe called me up in the office because I'm like, I'm leaning off. This dude's going to move me down. I know. I already know, like, just from PTSD of the years that I've started.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Psych battle, that no one realizes that.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right?

[David Ross]

Right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

When you grind and you don't have your right.

[Dexter Fowler]

So now I'm looking over every day,

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm like, am I going to be in the lineup? Am I. When is it done?

[Dexter Fowler]

Exactly?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Joe probably pulled you in and said, you're our guy.

[Dexter Fowler]

Joe pulled me in office, and I never forget this. He put me in the office. He said, dex, because he used to ask me, he goes, hey, what are you going to do first at back? And you know me, I'm like, strike out. Like, he started laughing. He goes, no, no, you can't think. Like, I was like, I'm just. But I'm saying, like. And I would sit there and he told me, he goes, dex, all I need you to do is be Dex. He goes, look, every day you come in here, you're going to be leading off. I don't care how good you do. And I said, look, and the hair is standing up on my eye. And I said, this is the first time somebody's ever told me that, like, I'm coming in every day. I don't have to look at the lineup. I know I'm leading off and. But you know, if we're not playing, they tell us the day before, hey, we're gonna give you a day. Like, all right, cool. Like, whatever. I understand that. But every day that I was playing, I was leading off, and I took that mindset, I was like, but you want to do well for guys like that.

[David Ross]

Right?

[Dexter Fowler]

Right, right, right, right. Because he believes in you. So I'm gonna play. I'm gonna run through this fucking wall for this dude.

[David Ross]

It's confidence, and you're also relaxed.

[Dexter Fowler]

Exactly.

[David Ross]

I'm not looking over my shoulder, and if I have a 0 for 5 game, I'm in there tomorrow. And then he proves that track record. It's like, oh, okay. I get to go have my say. I'm a free. I'm gonna go have my year.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right?

[David Ross]

I'm gonna have my year. And especially when you talked earlier about the.

[Dexter Fowler]

You on a paper chase.

[David Ross]

You on a paper chase. Pa. Get that paper.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, yeah, you got it. Well, everyone was at different points in their career. Joe, another thing, the five levels of a big leaguer, right? Like, right. Happy to be there, win, make money, win, whatever. And Dexton, 16, we're getting a little ahead, but was on his paper chase. We knew he was gonna be a free agent. And it's like as a responsibility, as a teammate, let's get this dude paid.

[David Ross]

Right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Like, that's what it's all about at the is winning and like setting up your life forever.

[Dexter Fowler]

Sure. No, for sure.

[David Ross]

And I say this as not really knowing, but because I left. But after 16, the questions I got a lot in 17, 18, and 19 were what? Like what? What is it missing? What is it missing? I think why. Why weren't they as successful? You know, it's like every piece matters, you know what I mean? Like, you being gone in that staple in the top of lineup is a big freaking deal, you know? And not that the people that took your place aren't good players. It's just like there's a bigger dynamic that kind of comes in with that. And you were such a. Such a. The personality outside of your performance and who you were and coming back, man. I think my favorite. One of my favorite moments as a player and so confused is watching you walk out to the field in 16 in spring training. And he's back, bro. Hey, I'm telling you, you can't get your head out of that phone.

[Dexter Fowler]

Get on that phone.

[David Ross]

Let's get some seat geek seats for Chesney at the Sphere. Unbelievable show.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Chesney at the Sphere, Rufus at Wrigley. Are you kidding me? Rufus De Soul. Oh, yeah. Let's go. If you want me, book a loved

[Dexter Fowler]

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[Lowe's Advertiser]

I love my VRBO for the location, good reason. Oh, and for the pool, cuz pools are cool.

[Dexter Fowler]

I feel the love book of vrbo that's loved by guests. If you know you've Erbo.

[Nick Jonas]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

[Dexter Fowler]

Huge news.

[Nick Jonas]

We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Dexter Fowler]

We invented a podcast.

[Nick Jonas]

Well, we didn't invent it. We. We just contributed to it.

[Dexter Fowler]

First people to do podcasts.

[Nick Jonas]

Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special.

[Dexter Fowler]

So how did we.

[Nick Jonas]

How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think it was on a call

[Nick Jonas]

about what we should call it and,

[Dexter Fowler]

well, we were thinking.

[Nick Jonas]

I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes, I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a

[Dexter Fowler]

bit for the podcast where people could

[Nick Jonas]

call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and Hilar. Various guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Dexter Fowler]

Where does your group perform?

[Anthony Rizzo]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying and nobody's telling you ex what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the Tik Tok Podcast Network on Tik Tok.

[David Ross]

This is why I want to give a sponsor shout out to seatgeek where we get our tickets. There's nothing better than getting on there and getting really good seats, last minute. That's how I roll.

[Anthony Rizzo]

With 35 million downloads, SeatGeek is a number one rated ticketing app.

[David Ross]

There are more than 70,000 events listed on SeatGeek, including concerts, sports festivals, and more. MLB is in full swing. The NBA and NHL playoffs are here. The NFL schedule is coming out soon, and you can now get World cup tickets on SeatGeek. And with SeatGeek being MLB's official ticket marketplace, your tickets are fully guaranteed and instantly fulfilled in your account after purchase. I love using SeatGeek, bro. I want to go to Chesney. You just get on the app. Go to Kenny Chesney.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We just saw him at Tortuga, too.

[David Ross]

We saw him at Tortuga. Was amazing. I want to see him in the sphere. It's going to be electric. Go to Las Vegas. Clip on Las Veg Vegas. See all the seats. We got to get me and you tickets, right? So let's pick right here how many. How many seats we need? Two. There we are. We got all the choices.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You're buying.

[David Ross]

I'll pay. Okay. Or we can call Kenny. We can call Kenny. Seatgeek has your back. Each ticket is rated from a scale of 1 to 10, so you know if you're getting a good deal or not. Look for the green dot. Green means good, red means bad. Pretty simple. Plus, every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee. And, of course, I have a code for you guys. You can use code LovableReunion10 for 10 off of your next set of tickets at SeatGeek. That's 10% off any tickets with promo code LovableReunion10.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you, seatgeek.

[David Ross]

Thanks, Seat.

[Dexter Fowler]

Dude, bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I remember talking to you, like, that week.

[David Ross]

I said, what are you doing? I'm like, where are you at?

[Dexter Fowler]

He goes.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He goes, dark on me, bro. I was so. I was, what the, bro? Like, we're talking every day for the

[Dexter Fowler]

most part, and this dude goes, you better. You know what he told me?

[Anthony Rizzo]

You're gonna sign with the Orioles.

[Dexter Fowler]

No. He goes, you better not come back. This is even before that. He goes, you better not come back and not tell me first. Yeah, Sounds like, yeah. He goes, dex, you better not do that. And I said, bro, I'm gonna let you know. I'll let you know, bro. You know me. I'm like, hey, bro, I'll let you know.

[David Ross]

Inside scoop. You gotta have the inside Scoop.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And then you come back.

[Dexter Fowler]

Well, the backstory on this, I want

[David Ross]

to hear the whole thing. Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

I want to hear like, yeah, a lot of people don't know the backstory,

[David Ross]

like, how all that went down.

[Dexter Fowler]

So I said goodbye to the Cubs. I remember we were building our house here in Vegas and like three days, two days before that or three days before that, we're sitting here and Baltimore, us in Baltimore were going back and forth. My agent in Baltimore and Baltimore was trying to make me pay for a. The draft pick. You know, I had the qualifying offer, so they were trying to make me pay for their draft pick. Once they get me, like, they lose a draft pick. They were like, we feel like the draft pick is worth this much. So basically I was going to pay for the draft pick. And I said, okay, if that's the thing. So they offered me a three year deal. Was kind of disrespectful at the time. And I was like, bro, I made more than that AAV before this. And I go, you know, we're having these talks back and forth. And then I said, all right, how about you give me X amount of dollars we can keep the same and give me an opt out after the first year.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And they said before, like, an opt out even existed.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right, right. And they were like, we don't do opt outs. And I said, and I'm not paying for a draft pick. So we're back at square one. So we're never going to get anywhere. Then I told Theo, Theo's like, hey, look, man, like, I want to offer you this amount. I forgot what the amount was, but we were like 2 million off, right? And I said, bro, I can't look at my family in the eyes and tell them, like, I'm going to take this to come back here. And he goes, I totally get it. I said, so I appreciate everything. Tell Joe I love him. Like, tell. Tell the Red kids family I appreciate it, like. And I said, thank you for everything you've done, man. Trading me over here, man. It's been the best career, best season of my career. Hung up the phone. I get a call back from Theo the next day. Theo goes, dex, we're a million apart. Like, let's figure this out. Was. I said, if we can figure it out. Then I'm back, like. And he goes, all right, give me a minute. Call me back. Like three hours later. It was like, hey, so we're gonna, like, let's. Let's meet at 13 and let's. We'll try to slice it any way we can, like to better you, and then you'll have a opt out. Whatever. However they did it, however they sliced it, they were like, but. And I was in the design studio, and right when he said, I'm gonna figure it out, Baltimore came and was like, dex is signing with the Orioles. Like, I get a text from Andrew McCutcheon. No, not Andrew McCutch. Yeah. And cutch is like, bro, congrats on the deal. That's awesome. Whatever. And I'm like, I call my agent, Casey, and I'm like, casey, what the are they talking about? I'm literally designing in the design studio in my house, looking at furnishes and all that. And he's like, don't answer anybody's calls. Let me figure this out. Let me call it. I don't know what. I don't know what's going on. So he's making calls and stuff, and my phone is going like, I can't wait. To Baldo Jimenez, who I played with,

[David Ross]

was in the Orioles with the Rockies.

[Dexter Fowler]

Manny Machado, Adam Jones. They're texting me like, bro, like, hey, you're gonna be sick. Like, you're gonna love Showalter. Whatever. Everybody's texting me. And I'm like, for me. I'm like, you know how honest I am. I'm like, I just wanna tell him that Brett, it's not true. It's not true. It's not true. That's true. But my agency said, don't say anything. So I said, does Theo know? And he goes, yeah, Theo knows. I'm already talking to Theo. Like, we're good. We're good on this side. He goes, but you can't repeat anything I said. Perfect. End up going. And Theo calls me back. He goes, dex, I'm gonna need to get you down here tonight for a physical. He goes, we can't tell him. We're not telling anybody. He's the only people that know is me, Jed and Tom and Jim.

[David Ross]

He's like, PJ Mainville.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah. And pj. Yeah, it was like, the only people didn't know. And obviously the docs and vj, Because VJ knows.

[Anthony Rizzo]

VJ knows everything.

[Dexter Fowler]

So we ended up going down there, kept it quiet, drove. I drove my car down there, took the physical at, like, 11:00pm no way. Yeah. Dr. Adams was. Yeah, he was talking. He came. He came there fresh off, right at dinner. Had to leave dinner early. I was like, I'm so sorry. And he was like, bro, it's good. Got the physical done, and he Goes, Theo goes, we're not gonna. We gotta. We got a surprise. We're not gonna say anything. I said. I said, I'm not. I haven't said anything. He goes, so I stayed at the Phoenician, came over the next day. He goes, I'll call you in the morning and I'll tell you what's going on. So he gave me the lay of land. We're sitting in my car, and me and Theo were sitting there talking just like, like, just shoot. Like, this is going to be crazy. Like, he goes, yeah, Joe's going to get everybody together, like a meeting and whatever, and we're going to walk out. He goes, give us five minutes. Walk in there. Walking out. And I, like, I said, that's. That was the best day. And I said this at the reunion. That was the best day of my career, honestly. Like, because you sit there and you look at, like, teams and I mean, mind you, in the off season, you signed J. Hey, you signed Lackey, you signed Zobey, you signed all these guys that we were missing in 15. We went to the National League championship series, and if we had those dudes, then we were all back to back, you know, it would have been crazy. Like, but we were just missing those. One of those pieces. And I saw we got J, he and I, me and Jaehy go way back. Like, I've known Jaeha longer than I've known Atlanta days. Yeah, Atlanta days. Jaehae's four years younger than me. And, like, we used to work out at the same place, hit at the same place, hit together in the off season. I love Jay. And then we find yo awesome human being. Awesome human being. So I told him when he signed over there, I said, bro, those are my boys, bro. You're gonna have a blast, bro. There's nothing better than, first of all, the fans. Then you're in the locker room with these guys, bro, you're gonna have unbelievable time. And so when I signed back, like, that was the one time that I was like, man, you feel wanted. And it's like, these dudes genuinely want you to be a part of something special. And it's like you sit at the lunch table by yourself and somebody's like, hey, come sit over here with us. They become your best friends.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Like, you don't get that. No, no, this. And they not normal in baseball. We are literally bred to not feel good enough as, like, whatever you do in this game, you're not good enough. Like, you can be the MVP and you struck out too much. You can be the player of the week. And there's someone's nitpicking you, right? So that moment of, like, feeling that love and wanted is like, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

I walked in. I'm giving everybody hugs and stuff.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And Rossi tells me. He goes.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Everyone starts going crazy. We're in this whole huddle in springtime uniform. He's walking in. I think you're wearing a white shirt and, like, black joggers or something.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, no, it was black pants, but I had the. The 12, actually.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he comes in, and if you want to say what you said.

[Dexter Fowler]

So I. So I get in there and I give everybody hugs, and everyone's like, what the. Like, what's going on? Yeah. Joe goes, welcome back. We got Dexter Fowler. And Rossi goes, wait, wait. He goes, are you just coming to say bye to us? He goes, are you going to Baltimore? You sign with Baltimore? I'm confused. Like, are you saying bye? I was like, no, I'm here, bro. Like, this is us.

[David Ross]

I was so confused. I remember, like, looking at him coming up like, what. What's happening right now? Like, what are we doing? And mind you, that happens in baseball. Like, you know, that never happens.

[Dexter Fowler]

Never. No. Everybody, there's always an insider. There's always an inside.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're a week into spring training, mind you.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're already talking about the world Series, but there is, like, this little cloud that's like, what's Dexter doing? Like, we don't have a lead off guy. Like, what do we got? And when you came back, it was just, like. It was almost like, all felt right in the world. Right? Like, we already, like, were in spring and in camp. Like, we just got swept in the nlcs. Like, we got so close in that playoffs, and we'll get to that 15 wild card game here right after this. But it's like, then you came back, and it was like, we built this such a brotherhood. And that 15 run, man, to get you back was like, these.

[David Ross]

Here we go.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The final piece of the puzzle that we needed to. To figure to.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

To put it on the board 100%.

[David Ross]

Especially before Chappie. Like, Chappie was like, oh. Oh.

[Dexter Fowler]

Chappie was like, for me. For me. Yeah, for me. Like, I. You know what? Retrospect. And I appreciate y' all saying that, and it means a lot coming from you guys. But, like, for me, I was just like, all right. Like, we got. Like, let's do this. Like, I already knew. For me, I already knew. Like, y' all were like. Like, the Cubs were gonna Win, like, especially how close we were. And we got. Like I said, we got those pieces. But, like, me, I'm just like, hey, I'm in there with the boys. Like, it was. I never thought of it like that, like, because I'm like, I know I'm

[David Ross]

a little play every day, but, like,

[Dexter Fowler]

at the end of the day, like, I didn't think of myself as being the guy.

[David Ross]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, the piece. Like, the piece that was missing. Like, for me, I was just like, I'm added to the puzzle.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Type.

[David Ross]

But that's because you are who you are and, like, how you fit in with everybody and get along and also bring it every day on the field. It's like an on and off the field type thing. The thing that stood out to me, looking back, though, remember you were getting so much about docking for your defense because you played shallow. We talked about that so many. We. And I love, like, a shallow outfield. And then you backed up that next year, you're number one in the league.

[Dexter Fowler]

Everybody's like, texas changed this game. I was like, same game. I just moved back three. I just moved back five steps, whatever, politically.

[David Ross]

And now it's great. I'll never forget that about that year. It's like how they're docking decks for this and that. I'm like, yeah, he moved back five steps.

[Dexter Fowler]

I came up at Coors Field. That's what everybody doesn't understand. Like, I came up at Coors Field. So I played naturally, I played shallow. Just because every ball that's hit is. Homer is either homer is going to stay up enough for me to run up under. So I. That's. I was accustomed to playing shallow, but the pitchers loved it. Because the pitchers. And you could say this as a catcher, like, if you make a good pitch and they bloop it in, like, they're more pissed off than they make a bad pitch and it gets hit in the gap and they're like, that was a terrible. That's it.

[David Ross]

When I managed, I was like, I want to, especially with two strikes, like, push in. Like it's on the pitcher to execute pitches. I want them to make a good pitch and get rewarded.

[Dexter Fowler]

Not, you know, see, I didn't give a. About analytics, none of that shit.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, it wasn't. It wasn't that big of a deal in 15. Right. It was just getting introduced a little more. And it was like, now everyone, like, every organization has their system of like, you play here. Right?

[Dexter Fowler]

I gave a shit about my teammates.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Exactly.

[Dexter Fowler]

And I wanted my Guy on the mountain be like, hey, I want decks out there.

[David Ross]

Yeah, that's right.

[Dexter Fowler]

And that's all I can.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's like, you know, and that's all I matter. Because that's who really mattered at the end of the day.

[David Ross]

That's right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Is if. If you got burnt over your head for some reason and the pitcher was okay with it, well, then how it goes. But in 15, like, what we built in 15 was so special for me because, I mean, I was there for longer and we stunk. And you weren't on a very many good teams in Colorado either, right?

[Dexter Fowler]

I mean, we were on paper.

[Anthony Rizzo]

On paper, best April team of all time every year. The Colorado Rockies from 2013-21 was the best April team of all time. But like, bro, I remember after the turning point in 15, which I'll ask you what you think it is, I'm just going to end up saying it. When we swept the Giants in August. August in 15. And we went out.

[Dexter Fowler]

Samarja.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, we all remember. We all went out and we're seeing karaoke.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, yeah. At the country club, at Stanley's. Stanley's.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Stanley's. Stanley's in Lincoln park in Chicago. And we're singing karaoke and we're just like. It brought us together closer. Right. And then like we, we would go out, we would hang out off the field. And then as we're getting to the playoffs, like, we're starting to kick the fucking shit out of the Cardinals in the second half. Like, they hate us. They win the division, but we're the wild card. We have to play the Pirates, who also hate us because they were good and. But we're the.

[Dexter Fowler]

Mind you, the three best teams in the major leagues were us. Three.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. 97, 97, 98 and 100 winners. And we finished in third. Right. So we get to this wild card game and it's our biggest game of our, our careers.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

With Verbal's last minute deals, you can save over $50 on your spring getaway. So whether it's a mountain escape, a family week at the beach, or sightseeing in a new city, there's still time to get great discounts. Book your next day now. Average savings $72. Select homes only.

[Nick Jonas]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

[Dexter Fowler]

Huge news.

[Nick Jonas]

We created our own podcast called. Hey Jonas.

[Dexter Fowler]

We invented a podcast.

[Nick Jonas]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[Robert Smigel]

We.

[Nick Jonas]

We just contributed to First People to do podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. Starting a trend, but this one's extra special.

[Dexter Fowler]

So how do we, how do we

[Nick Jonas]

actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think it was on a call

[Nick Jonas]

about what we should call it and,

[Dexter Fowler]

well, we were thinking.

[Nick Jonas]

I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down?

[Dexter Fowler]

Yes.

[Nick Jonas]

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a

[Dexter Fowler]

bit for the podcast where people could

[Nick Jonas]

call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys. Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio

[Dexter Fowler]

app, Apple Podcasts or where.

[Nick Jonas]

Wherever you get your podcast, just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Dexter Fowler]

Where does your group perform?

[Anthony Rizzo]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on

[Anthony Rizzo]

TikTok, right like 100 blacked out at PNC loud. The Pittsburgh fans are absolutely ruthless area

[David Ross]

talking on Twitter before the game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, and like, bro, like that home run was like one of the monumental home runs in Cups history to, like, put us up in the wild card game. We won that. If we don't win that game, I don't think we have the.

[Dexter Fowler]

Well, it was funny. It was. You know what's funny is Arietta comes. You know, I brought my hyperbaric.

[David Ross]

Yeah, you always an IV guy. You brought your guy. Doc Adams is like, we don't.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We don't need.

[Dexter Fowler]

I told you. Hey. I told him at the 10 year. I said, hey, we get an IV's tomorrow. Yeah, I think you don't need that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think was it before the wild card game or maybe we clinched. We were all in, I think, Lester's big penthouse. And you got. We had IVs for everyone.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

So before that. So Arietta comes in my room to use the hyper bear. And I remember his wife was there, my wife was there. And we're sitting there and I say, snake, you ready? He goes, dex, just give me one.

[David Ross]

I said, just give me one.

[Dexter Fowler]

I said, that's how you. I said, that's how you feel? Look, I said, that's how you feel? I said, we gonna give you more than one. But, like, he goes, I just need one. Just give me one. Run. I said, all right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That was Snake.

[Dexter Fowler]

I said, all right, Snake. I said, all right, well, I'm gonna hold you to that. And I remember, I told him, I said. Cause, you know, I used to, like, what people don't know is, like, I go home, and I couldn't go to sleep without a game plan. So I would look at the picture for the night the next day, and I was looking at Garrett Cole.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And I said, all right. Like, this dude's gonna be throwing a hundred, right? He's gonna be amped up. But he throws that two seamer, and that two seamer is gonna go. It's gonna. Cause he's gonna be so amped up, it's gonna be running up and away. I said, so I gotta push him, like, middle end. So let it run back over the plate to be a strike. First pitch of the game. 100, right? And I remember, like, I ended up getting a hit my first step back.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. And I remember, right.

[Dexter Fowler]

No center, like, one hopper to catch, throws it in. And I'm like, this dude's fucked. In my head. I'm like, this dude's fucked because he.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Nothing better than getting a first at.

[Dexter Fowler]

But you know.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But you know how with house money, bro.

[Dexter Fowler]

And it was so loud in there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, when I went up the bat, it was so loud. I remember I Could feel like. I felt like the stadium was shaking. Like they had that blackout. And we got a hit. And I know how Garrett Cole gets. Remember, he used to. You give up a hit and go throwing his hands up so mad, like. So I was like, I got a hit. And I was like, this dude's flustered. And I remember I stole second. Schwarberg gets over one, nothing. And I was like, oh, quick.

[David Ross]

And then I would have walked by Snake. Like, there's your one. There it is.

[Dexter Fowler]

You know how Snake is for. Snake was like, locked in. You see his pupils like this. I said, this dude is locked. Remember he threw those no hitters. You. You hug him at the end and he's like this.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

I'm like, this dude is.

[David Ross]

Yeah, he's in. He's on.

[Dexter Fowler]

But that then and there I was. I was. I was like, we're gonna win this game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, in that moment, too, that bond of winning and clinching and then, like, beating the. Out of the Cardinals, right?

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We just beat our two divisions. We lost the first game. I remember we're in.

[David Ross]

Well, that was like the big brother.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We lost the game in St. Louis. First game off day.

[Dexter Fowler]

Jaime Garcia.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We all go to. We all go to. I think it was Ruth, Chris, Right. We all go like a big team dinner. We're just like, ah, it.

[Dexter Fowler]

We lost.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We already have a beautiful team dinner. Probably Lackey or Lester paid for it. And we were like, we're good.

[David Ross]

We're good.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And it was like, happen.

[Dexter Fowler]

We won the next one.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We won the next three, bro.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, we won the next one. But then when we.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I remember leaving St. Louis. Yeah. I go, we'll see you next year to the. The clubbies in St. Louis. Like, that's. That was our. Our attitude. Yeah. But building that bond and then going into 16, it's like we were rolling. You come back, right? Like, we get off to this insane start. Crazy, crazy start. I met my wife, Emily in spring training that year.

[Dexter Fowler]

Smoothie quiz.

[Anthony Rizzo]

She went to Arizona State. She was an intern. And how'd you meet her? Dexter. Dexter would always give me. Right. And it. This goes back to just like, bickering and bickering and me stirring a pot

[Dexter Fowler]

and poking the bear.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. So our second series of the year is in Arizona. And I go back and I go out with Emily.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think we had.

[Dexter Fowler]

Oh, my gosh. I still got these pictures.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It was on a weekend. Yeah. We had a. We'll get a picture on here. And she's going to Arizona State. She's a senior at Arizona State. And we go out and I. We go out one night and we just run it and I. We're basically.

[David Ross]

This is when you're after Anaheim in Arizona.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

This is like the fourth WAR got screwed up.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think this is when I got screwed up too. Yeah, I think this is when Lackey gave up like those four or five early and we came back and won.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, that night I stayed out till like 5 or 6 in the morning like running it. And I come in, I had to like jump this fence in Tempe, there's a train track, right? And like the fence was like a little like a opening of the bars and I couldn't fit through it, so I had to jump it. But I had the blisters on my hand because the second game of the season we were working out in Anaheim and we were doing monkey bars. So I had two big ass blisters on each hand. So I was trying to ass monkey.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's another thing we all used to work out together.

[David Ross]

That's right. Taking this morning, this morning trip.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So I'm. I'm climbing this fence and I, My hands are like killing me, so I slip, I slice my leg open, right? I'm talking like a gash, right? Like, definitely need stitches, right? We're, we're like a mess. They're trying to. She's trying to taper that night with like mermaid band aids, right? Show up to the field the next day, like completely like white sweats, white tea, camo sweats. Yeah, it was brutal. And he's taking pictures.

[Dexter Fowler]

No, no, this is bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he's taking pictures of me, making fun of me.

[Dexter Fowler]

And the first thing he does, he walks in and he puts his head down like this. I said, bro, what are you wearing? What is this? What is this you're doing?

[Anthony Rizzo]

So I go into the training room, like, get this thing. I don't show the trainers because I'm like, I can't. I'm like. Eventually I showed him like a few games later, I'm like, oh yeah, I hit it on my bed, right? So. But that day, right when I get into the field, I like immediately go to that like little auxiliary room.

[David Ross]

Oh yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

In Arizona. And I go on like this big green couch. I think it's still there. And I just pass out to like probably an hour before the game, right? Like it's a day game. I. I know my routine.

[David Ross]

We're headed home.

[Anthony Rizzo]

This dude starts this inside joke with us and I hope I could Tell this. Like, so it lands. He puts a bottle of Brute on me. Like, Brute aftershave. For some reason, I. I don't know

[David Ross]

why, like, gashed it or put the bottle.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, I put the green body.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he's, like, taking pictures of me sleeping on the couch. Just, like, literally dead, right? Literally gone and gone from that day on. Like, me, him and J. Hey, for whatever reason, that's where the

[David Ross]

bruise, it was like.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yes.

[Dexter Fowler]

It was like, you're like shoes.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You know, you put it, like, smearing off ice. You get ice. Like, we would. Got him with the brute one.

[David Ross]

That was the same.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Got him with a Brute one random day you'd find in your bag. We just pack it everywhere in our glove.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, I brought it out, put it in his glove, right out the first base.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I was like, I played within my back pocket one inning. But, like, this is the third game in the fourth, fifth game of the season. Like, these are the. The bonds that are starting so early that, like, for you and me, I just felt like it was so good because we got each other and we were able to talk, like, more than baseball.

[David Ross]

Well, then the thing I love about you, your memory of, like, how it all went down is so great. In fact, you remember what he was wearing walking in?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bro, he has pictures of me in Miami. Like, in Miami, I would dress up. I wear, like, the Tommy Bahamas shirt.

[Dexter Fowler]

Remember?

[Anthony Rizzo]

He had the hat on, khakis.

[Dexter Fowler]

What do you call it?

[David Ross]

Fedora.

[Dexter Fowler]

I was like, bro, what the fuck is this?

[David Ross]

Who are you?

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, what is this?

[Anthony Rizzo]

You have to switch it up and break up the monotony. And that's what I would try to do. Joe would.

[Dexter Fowler]

But you thought you looked hot.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I did look fucking hot. Take a picture.

[Dexter Fowler]

I can't wait till he poses.

[David Ross]

I can't say that I painted my toenail. My daughter painted my toenails. For that trip when Joe let us go to Miami.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And then, like, during that year, we build, and then we all make the All Star Game. Yeah, that's your first All Star Game. And it was like, bro, like, there's seven of us there. Like, we fly on two different private jets. The Cubs got us two different private jets. We flew together. We're on, like, G5S or something. Something.

[Dexter Fowler]

But I mean, like, starters. It was our whole.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The whole team. Whole Enfield infield.

[David Ross]

Me and Alville, Addie, KB And Mike.

[Dexter Fowler]

Bryce Harper. Was it Bryce Harper and somebody else with left.

[David Ross]

You and who's the second Z?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Z at second, right.

[Dexter Fowler]

KB at third and Addie.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Lester, Arietta Lester, Arietta. And we roll in there. Like, we had this arrogant. It wasn't arrogant. I would just say this swagger to us of, like, we were the best, but, like, we were the best for us. Like, we weren't trying to be everyone else. And I remember rolling into to that San Diego clubhouse in the All Star Game, and, like, Lackey and Lester have, like, the cooler of, like, drinks, and there was a dry clubhouse, and the league wouldn't let us have drinks in there. Lester or Lackey and area. Go ahead. I'm sorry, Lester and Lackey or Lester and Arietta have the cooler of drinks. They're, like, getting beers for everyone, like, and we're just in there, like.

[Dexter Fowler]

But everybody gravitated towards the Cubbies. They were like, bro, y' all have. So we know. Like, y' all have. Obviously, we had the most guys here, most guys in the locker room, but everybody was literally under us. And whether that. Whether you had five All Star games or you had eight All Star games, everybody was with us. It was like, hey, we go. We want to be around the Cubs.

[David Ross]

Remember the energy that our dugout had, like, talking about just, like, that presence in the league. Like, I just remember people hating us because of all, like, we're like, three, two counts. We're like screaming positivity on a base, on a base, on a base, on a base. Remember that?

[Dexter Fowler]

All that crazy.

[David Ross]

Like, we were like a softball team at some time so much. But it was like, for us and you guys, the personalities, though. But you talk about people gravitate to you guys because. And, like, Arietta and especially Lester, like, had been to these All Star Games. And so it's like, yeah, those are the dudes and everybody wants to hang out with because you guys had your own own little. As your own little team there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, bro, I remember. Was it 16 or was it 15? When Joe famously said, you go, we go. And like, that was our motto. Like, literally.

[Dexter Fowler]

That was after. That was after I went in office, bro, you went.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You let's.

[David Ross]

After you went.

[Dexter Fowler]

After I went in the office and I talked to him, he was like, yeah, I don't know if you know this. And he was like, but when you get on base. He told me this. He goes, when you get on base twice, we win 80. Like, 80. It was something. Something ridiculous. Eddie goes, when you don't, we lose this. I was like, no pressure. Yeah, no pressure. But I was just like, but I'm gonna run through the wall for this guy anyway.

[David Ross]

That confidence of what he told you and also, like, okay, here's my plan. I just gotta get on base as much as I possibly can.

[Dexter Fowler]

100%. I just try to get on base. And then you leave twice a day,

[David Ross]

and you lead the team twice.

[Dexter Fowler]

I don't care how it was if I got hit, if I buttoned, I don't. Hey, look, I'm just trying to get on base, like. And the rest happened because it was supposed to happen, but, like, whether I hit a triple or I go. I hit a homer or whatever, but it would happen. And I was like, that's one. I have one more.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Isn't it crazy how we win and we win. How many.

[David Ross]

When you change your mindset to. When I was a backup backing up bmac, and I didn't want him in Atlanta, and I didn't want to. I didn't want him to have to try to get him in the game. When I had to pinch hit, all I did was say, okay, if I'm winning, he doesn't have to come in and pinch hit. So when you move that to all I want to do is win, then it, like, changes your whole kind of, like, mantra throughout the game.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's why they say baseball like, you. If. If you look, try to do these other stats, focus on the game, and the game will take.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The game will tell you what to do.

[Dexter Fowler]

It would take care of the. Exactly what you need, what needs to happen.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think. I think it's crazy how many mottos we had within our team. Like, we are good. You go, we go. Try not to suck. Embrace the target. Like, all these things that, like, looking

[David Ross]

back, do simple better.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Joe, Joe, simple, better respect. Where it's like, everyone always asks, like, how do you guys not feel the pressure of 108 years? The goat, the curse, all this? It's like, because we had all this stuff inside where we were themed. Themed road trips, circus magicians, animals. Like, all these things where it was, like, playing was, like, almost the easiest part. Yeah, there's so much.

[Dexter Fowler]

Remember, we were 15. It was like, it's magic.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. It's ma. Yeah. Oh, it's magic. Yeah.

[David Ross]

Riz got. It's like a triple. I remember he's like, it's magic.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Looking at the dugout, it's like the numbers on the field were what they were, right? And it's the bonds that were created during that for me. And there was a time we were in Cincinnati and I was, like, off the rails, struggling. I was, like, grinding. I stunk. I was never gonna get another hit. I was going through it. You go through it a bunch of times a year, and it's hot. And we're in August, and we're playing a bunch of games in a row. And I'm sitting in the dugout. I'm like, 0 for 3, right? And I'm sitting there, literally, just, like.

[Dexter Fowler]

I remember this.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Staring at, like, nothing. I'm, like, literally staring at nothing. I'm just like, I'm never gonna get another hit again. And he walks out to me out of nowhere, bro, With a double cup of Gatorade, hands me a cup, and he goes, here, man, drink this.

[Dexter Fowler]

I go, you'll be just fine.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I go, what is it? And he knew exactly what I like to drink. It was a Crown and Sprite mixed up perfectly with, like, their nice little crushed ice. And I took a sip. I go, I needed that. And, like, we just sat there, and, like, I had a few sips. I probably drank most of it, honestly. Sure enough, my next at bat, I hit a fucking missile. And, like, from there, like, I went, like. Because, like, I was so in my own head. And my guy comes up to me randomly out of nowhere, and he's like, guy, you need this. And I take it. I'm just, like. I didn't, like, just trust me.

[Dexter Fowler]

Just, like, just.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And it's like, obviously, you can't do that. You can't do that every day. But it's like, he knew me at the time and, like, our friendship. So for him to be able to, like, in Aug, I want to fucking kill everyone.

[David Ross]

Right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm not getting hits. Like, it sucks, right? You're.

[David Ross]

You're at the finish line in August, like, trying to push. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You're almost seeing September.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So I always look back to that. I'm like, bro, like, just out of nowhere, like, that's. That's my guy.

[David Ross]

I love that story because it's like, I feel like you're so in tune with other people. The unselfishness about you is what also makes you a great teammate. But my favorite story, and I'm going to get into this week, when you. When you make the playoffs, you're going to make the playoffs. You have a little meeting where you split up the money that you're going to make playoffs. How far you go, It's a playoff. So the further you go in the postseason, the more money you get. Right? So we're have a team meeting. It's only the guys who have been there all year. We have a team meeting, and you divvy up, like, okay, everybody that's here full time gets a full share. Coaches get a full share. But then you have, like, security and the chef and the clubhouse guys and the wives liaison might be an important, important part. And the generous person that we all are. I think we set a record for giving out the most amount of shares that year.

[Dexter Fowler]

And we would have set more of a record.

[David Ross]

We would. But there was one discussion in the meeting that where Anthony is giving full shares, which turned out to be 420,000.

[Dexter Fowler]

Okay.

[David Ross]

So.

[Dexter Fowler]

So we knew we were going to

[Anthony Rizzo]

win the World Series. We're having these shares meeting, like we're winning the World Series. Right? Right.

[David Ross]

That's the only. We didn't think we were making the first round and getting five grand.

[Anthony Rizzo]

This was the only shares meeting to my. In my career where I can legitimately say that Cheers meeting was about the final share.

[Dexter Fowler]

The final share, 100%. And we had the number.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So we. This was a meet. This was like an hour plus meeting. And Dexter and I, who are usually always on the same page, of course we're on the same page on this one. And they wanted to get. So we're giving.

[Dexter Fowler]

Everybody's just throwing out because. Because you. You kind of get. You kind of get.

[David Ross]

You kind of to get, like, you

[Dexter Fowler]

get, like, full half. Yeah, full half. And you don't really get the dollar amount on how much that really is. So everybody just throws out, like, hey, this guy. Full share. Hey, this guy, full share.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Most of them deserve it. Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And I'm like, you realize half is like 200. Like, that's a lot of money for anybody.

[David Ross]

Right?

[Dexter Fowler]

Right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So we get to the wives liaison, who took care of the families, right. The kids and stuff. And I didn't have kids. Right, Actually, you had kids, but you didn't really use her. Right? You didn't know who she was, you

[Dexter Fowler]

know, because everybody has nannies, too.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Great person. I'm trying to give the. Well, I don't want to say that. I'm trying to give, like, people in the neighborhood shares, like. And they're like, dude, do that shit on, like, donate that yourself.

[Dexter Fowler]

Oh, wait, we're gonna give this guy this. I was like, sorry. A fool.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So we get to the vote on. On the wives liaison, and it's like a quarter share. And me and Dex are like, I go, bro, why don't you guys just tip her yourself, like a quarter share.

[David Ross]

I go with kids.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And we're like, breaking it down. I was like, that's $80,000, bro. Like, that's 80, bro.

[David Ross]

The amount of times that Dexter Fowler at a high pitched voice goes, 80, 80.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like she's getting you trying to hear. At first they said half. They're like, we'll give her a half. I said, half is crazy, right? A half is ridiculous. Like, that's out of the question. And I will stand on everything. That half is crazy.

[David Ross]

We're changing people's lives. But it was definitely. I don't think any. I had three kids and I didn't even know the wives liaison personally. So it's like one of those. It was just. Was funny that. But every time, wherever you are, we love you. Yeah, we love you. And we're so thankful. Our wives are thankful. But every time I hear the number 80, all I hear is your voice going 80.

[Dexter Fowler]

So we ended up. We stopped on 80. And throughout the whole rest of the meeting, everybody's like, that's crazy. That's crazy. Crazy.

[David Ross]

We still do it. And we gave her whatever that quarter share.

[Dexter Fowler]

We know it never saw again.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Mind you, too, though, what you doing now? Mind you too. It's easy for people to probably look at. Oh, they're, they're selfish. We gave out the most playoff shares in history. Yeah, we were given to everyone.

[David Ross]

I didn't want to tell that story because of like, it hit like it was just funny because we gave it. I mean, we had so much security. The Cubs ran in first class.

[Dexter Fowler]

Class first.

[David Ross]

Everything was first off. Theo took that. The one thing I've experienced, like playing around the league and going to Boston, everything being first class and going to Chicago, like it was run the right way. But just that. That story, to me, I had to bring up because, like, that's one of my, one of my, my favorite moments. Just when I hear 80, it's like it never sticks. I go back to that meeting. When you look back on that season and even postseason, like you got a favorite game or one you tell everybody about. Or moment.

[Dexter Fowler]

Moment.

[David Ross]

I mean, I'm sure the walk.

[Dexter Fowler]

I mean, there's multiple moments, but they're off the field.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

Honestly, like, I don't.

[David Ross]

That's even better.

[Dexter Fowler]

I don't really don't remember the games. I mean, if we look at them, I remember the games. Like, if we go back, you're like, oh, remember in Pittsburgh, this, that and the third? I'll be like, yeah. Remembering Milwaukee where this, that and the third, I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, I remember that.

[David Ross]

I think that's crazy about what I tell people all the time. Like, I don't remember. I don't remember what this guy did or that. I remember how a guy affected me.

[Dexter Fowler]

I remember the times together.

[David Ross]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

The times well spent together. Like when we were in St. Louis, when we went to the country bar, Remember? I remember. I remember the times when Riz and I went out and he told me that it was gonna be. It was raining all day, and, like, the Chesney concert. The Chesney concert. Like, I remember stuff like that. Like, it was yesterday. Like, I. And I relived that in my head all the time. And you kind of get spoiled. Like, I got spoiled. Like, you go to another team. You didn't go to another team after that, but, like, you go to another team and you're trying to recreate that, right? Yeah.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

You try to talk to Snake about it. Snake's like, bro, I'm trying to get

[Anthony Rizzo]

the Phillies to have fun, bro.

[Dexter Fowler]

There to do what? Like what we had. Because you're trying to match that up for the rest of your career, and you're chasing that.

[David Ross]

Wow.

[Dexter Fowler]

You're not even cha. Because you realize that that makes you. That takes you over the top, makes you better. It makes you better. Like, it makes you. It takes you over the top, because that's what Mitch is like. Good teams can be good teams. You can be good on paper, but the teams that have that. And you talk to every championship team, everybody you talk to, they're telling things off the field. It's off the field. It's in the locker room. We were this. We were that in the.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, we were singing karaoke with our president of base. Like, field.

[Dexter Fowler]

And it starts at the top.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Honestly, karaoke does start at the top. You know what I mean?

[Dexter Fowler]

It starts at the top.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Get into the field later and like, dude, yeah. Oh, you went out. Hey, Joe, I drank wine last night. Oh, nice.

[Dexter Fowler]

What'd you drink?

[David Ross]

Hey. Hey.

[Dexter Fowler]

You remember.

[David Ross]

What is it called? American Legion week? When he's just like, hey, clubhouse locked till 5.

[Dexter Fowler]

This is a testament to. This is a testament to. To Tom Ricketts, honestly, like, to Tom and Theo and Joe and everybody that was in the front office that. Because, I mean, if you sit there, you remember before the.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The.

[Dexter Fowler]

The world. I mean, before the playoffs, where we sat in. He had the Head Bulls meeting.

[David Ross]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And we're sitting there, and it was the veteran guys, and we're sitting in the meeting. Theo was there, Tom was there, Joe was there. And I was like, look, look, the boys need to be the boys. I said, I talked to my wife. Remember? You don't remember. I talked to my wife, and I was like, hey, look, I forgot about this. The family trips are our worst trips. Not just because. Not because everybody's so special. Yes. And. But we're. We're creatures of habit, right? So we're on the road. We're on the road, and we. Like. I don't care if my wife tells me, hey, go in the back and. And be with the boys. I'm still gonna be up there like, hey, you good? You're good on the plane.

[David Ross]

There's a guilt.

[Dexter Fowler]

There's a guilt. And I said, it's the fact that when we're on the plane and we're hanging out as boys, we want to be boys. Right? We want to go get off the plane and go to dinner together, all of us. Like, everybody's there. It's like, oh, my wife. We're kids. We got the kids here. It's easy to.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It's easy to say no.

[Dexter Fowler]

So remember, I was like, hey, look, we need a separate plane for the families. We always have an off day. When we first get there, we can go to practice and you can fly in somebody else. I said, can we make that happen? Without hesitation. Tom rigging two planes. Done.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He did three planes, dude. He flew. He flew the whole Cubs, like, staff and everyone to the games in Cleveland. Yeah, for all the games.

[Dexter Fowler]

But that's what I'm saying. So how do you not want to run through a wall for this guy?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Sure.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right. How do you not. Because when we got off that plane.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Because it's family.

[Dexter Fowler]

It's family. Like, we're all a family together.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He took care of the family.

[Dexter Fowler]

Nobody else does that. You try to chase stuff like that, and it's. It's never been done because he didn't care.

[David Ross]

He. He realized a special moment. But the thing that. That does for you as a player is like, I've got nothing to worry about but focusing on performing the best I can and stay into my regular routine with the boys.

[Dexter Fowler]

100.

[David Ross]

Everybody else has got my family. Right? They're. Got them.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You know, we know they're taken care of. I don't have to worry about.

[David Ross]

That's right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You guys okay?

[Dexter Fowler]

You guys should take it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

All them, like, flights delayed. Yeah, I think. I think, honestly, that's a very good point. People like that watching, either if there's players right now or kids coming up, it's like the. The camaraderie is what makes you who you become. Like, everyone, when you get to a certain level, is as good as Everyone else, how are you going to get that much better? And it's by investing in your teammates. It's by pouring in to the person next to you and making them feel love. You came over, bro. You felt like the guy, right? Because we made you feel like the guy. And by making you feel like the guy, you became the guy. You were over there. You came over, you demanded disrespect, and you were this instant presence. It was like, we talk about this with everyone. It's like without every single piece and character, there's no way we went 100%.

[David Ross]

I got to jump to lead off home run game seven. Like. Like, how we starting this? We're going deep. Okay. Is there a better feeling? And you turn around and hit first place. Bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, bro, Bro, I'm sorry.

[David Ross]

I just got excited about that moment. I know you may be jumping ahead.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No, no, no.

[Dexter Fowler]

Hey, this goes right. This gets right into it. Okay? All right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Okay. Okay. So what. What? When did it start? In the NLCS or the World Series?

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[Nick Jonas]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

[Dexter Fowler]

Huge news.

[Nick Jonas]

We created our own podcast called hey Jonas.

[Dexter Fowler]

We invented a podcast.

[Nick Jonas]

Well, we didn't invent it.

[David Ross]

We.

[Nick Jonas]

We just contributed to First People to do podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, Pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special.

[Dexter Fowler]

So how did we.

[Nick Jonas]

How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think it was on a call

[Nick Jonas]

about what we should call it, and,

[Dexter Fowler]

well, we were thinking.

[Nick Jonas]

I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down?

[Dexter Fowler]

Yes.

[Nick Jonas]

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a

[Dexter Fowler]

bit for the podcast where people could

[Nick Jonas]

call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey, Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs. Banter.

[Dexter Fowler]

Where does your group perform?

[Anthony Rizzo]

We do some retirement home.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who lift them. Listen to Sports Slice on the I Heart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the Tik Tok Podcast Network.

[Dexter Fowler]

On Tik Tok, I think it was the nlcs. Bill Murray.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Okay, so Bill Murray is in our clubhouse. Nlcs. I think it was before game five. Five or six. Five. And we're, We're, I think game six because we were game five.

[David Ross]

And it's funny when all the celebrities start showing up that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No, they are.

[Dexter Fowler]

But he's always.

[David Ross]

No, he's always there. Yeah, yeah, we.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We welcomed in everyone.

[David Ross]

That's what I mean. Like, Joe was good about Eddie Vedder,

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bill Murray, you name it. Scottie Pippen.

[David Ross]

I just, I just. I saw Scotty in Tallahassee shout out. Efficiency, hoops.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Really?

[David Ross]

Cow. Yeah, I got a. I got a. I got a throwback posted with. He was at the game. We got a picture. And then I've got one from 2016 where he was in the locker room.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's fire.

[David Ross]

Yeah, it's not about me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bill Murray's in there and we're talking to bill. This is 45 minutes before the game before first pitch. Game five, six of the NLCS. Yes. He goes, here, he pulls out these four little bottles. He goes, take this to me and Dax, what is it?

[Dexter Fowler]

Five Hour Energies.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He's like, it's a Five Hour Energy. But here he takes out a little airplane bottle of Woodford Reserve. He goes, woodford Reserve and a Five Hour Energy. He goes. I call it a speedball. Brings you up and brings you down. My. It like right where you need to be. 1. One little thing's not going to hurt, right? We take it. We go off right crazy. And for the rest, every game before the World Series, me and him are.

[Dexter Fowler]

I got three hits. Yeah, we're going at it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. World Series.

[Dexter Fowler]

And we had forgotten about it because we didn't do it again until game seven.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, well, no, I did. Every game I did it.

[Dexter Fowler]

No, but game seven, remember, it was a good. So we go. He goes, dex, speedball. Like, let's go. I'm with it.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bill Murray.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah. I'm like, all right, so we take the Five Iron Energy, the shot of Crown. We had crown, because I always drink crown. So we had the crown. And I go out there and I remember because, you know, I'm leading off so like LeBron, everybody's there, and it's loud, and it's like. It's game seven.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And so I feel my heart.

[Anthony Rizzo]

My heart's.

[Dexter Fowler]

And I'm like, what in the is going on right now?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Launching.

[Dexter Fowler]

Launching.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Adrenaline.

[Dexter Fowler]

Adrenaline. But my mind is slow. And like I said, I did. I did my game plan. I had my game plan.

[David Ross]

And Kluber was nasty.

[Dexter Fowler]

Game one, he was nasty.

[David Ross]

That front hip, two seamer.

[Dexter Fowler]

Well, you know what was crazy is my last at bat against Kluber at home. I don't know if y' all remember this. They played this for me at the 10 year. And they were, you know, the moments thing they had. And they were like, this was your last at bat before your game seven homer. And he threw me a curveball, and I got him at home, but the wind was blowing in and he caught mine at the, you know. You know, my hop. Like, I did my hop. I was like, oh, I got it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And he caught mine at the track, and I was like. And I don't like. I think that would have been my first hit against Kluber. So then fast forward to the game. So they had the umpire's heat track.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Remember that? Shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

So they had that, and it said, he gives a little bit off the plate. And, you know, My eyes were crazy. So he gave a little bit off the plate to lefties away, but inside, it had to be on the. On the white and couldn't be on a black. He was balling it. It's like, perfect. First pitch of the game. Hip shot, Ball. No, no, I'm sorry. First pitch of the game was away about this far, and I was like. I looked at him. I was like. It was a little out. No, he's like. He said something. He was like, that's all it is. I was like, I appreciate it. Next pitch, hip shot, black ball. I said, this guy's. I said, he's. Next pitch, up and away. Next pitch. I said, he's coming right back at it. The hip shot. I said, but it gotta be over the plate. It's gonna be. You can't give me three 1.

[David Ross]

Right.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right over the plate. I said, yes. Got him, bro.

[David Ross]

The way you turned around and looked at your team, like, there's so much.

[Dexter Fowler]

So. That wasn't planned either. So the way I did that. The way I did that. I hit that ball so high, like. And I was like. And I saw Raj going back like this. I was like, you know, when you hit a homer, you're like, I got him.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And he was going back like this, and I was like, no way. No way. So I'm watching it the whole time,

[Anthony Rizzo]

and Hyder's very dramatic. Home. Yes.

[Dexter Fowler]

And Hyder's here. Hyder's here. And I'm looking. And soon as it went over the wall, I was past Hyder. And I usually like, yeah, we high five him. And so I hit first base, and I look at all the boys, like, yeah. And I'm like. And I'm looking at height, and I'm turning.

[David Ross]

I'm like, that's one of my favorite pictures, is that I've got a. For my home run is the dugout.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Like, when the boys are home for

[Dexter Fowler]

you and going like that, it's a feeling you can't explain.

[David Ross]

Roger was silenced. His mind up too. I'm like, if this dude catches this ball, I'm running right.

[Dexter Fowler]

It was way over, so I was like. I was like, we're losing this game. He catches.

[David Ross]

Exactly. I'm like, I'm quitting right now. I'm just going right. Because I just let in those two runs that got him back in the game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

This is game seven of the World Series, right? We're down three one.

[David Ross]

We.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We come back, we win five, win six. We're in the. We're in the clubhouse. We're talking about this with kb, but this will be its own separate episode. We're playing Mario kart.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Up 45 minutes until the game. This dude is pissed off.

[David Ross]

I'm a mess.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We have.

[David Ross]

We have Mario Kart.

[Dexter Fowler]

What are y' all doing?

[David Ross]

What are y' all doing?

[Dexter Fowler]

I said, rossi, we'll take it from here.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're playing Mario Kart like he did in these Mario Kart games. And then after Mario Kart, we turn on the rocky theme stuff. And then I stripped down and started dancing, right? And that's what locking it was for this team. Like, we knew, like, we were ready, like, we were prepared. And. And no one was like, look at these guys. Like, you can. You can get like that on teams. Like, you can get like, oh, what is he doing? What is he on this team? If anyone had an issue, they just come and talk like, oh, we'll take.

[Dexter Fowler]

Hey, Rossi, how about. How about. Speaking of homers, Your home, your last homer.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, that was.

[Dexter Fowler]

I remember I came to him and I go, bro, this dude's tipping his pitches like Andrew Miller. He's tipping his pitches like crazy, dog. Like, he hits twice. Hey, what is a slider? I said, he hits once because I had. I taken him deep the other time because I was like another in my head. I'm like, another slider. This. I don't want to trust it because I'm like, he's going to blow it away with this fastball slider. I hit a homer on him. He was untouchable. Well, then I told him, I said,

[David Ross]

bro, watch it, watch it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

When I had done, were you on the tip? Because I remember you. No.

[David Ross]

Well, I had good numbers against Andrew Miller when he was in Florida. He stunk, and then I caught it. He was different in Boston.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Reliever.

[David Ross]

Yeah. Became reliever. It's nasty. And so I remember doing my homework and him shaking. You had the tip and him shaking. Me and Brian McCann had talks about that, too. This is like. This is like post game, right? But so I did my homework. Every time he shook, he shook to heater. Because as a catcher, you're like, I'm calling his slider, like, every pitch, right? And I remember trying to look for the tip. The first pitch, I was like, I'm just going to see one. And it came out. And I. I think I swung at a back foot slider or something. So I was, like, abandoned that and was like, just fucking see the ball.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Just fucking see the ball.

[David Ross]

So I got two strikes on me, and then he, he threw me. I was in my two strike approach. He threw me a two strike heater up and away. I was like, oh, I saw that. Like, I saw that. And he had just come set and

[Dexter Fowler]

then, yeah, he only pat.

[David Ross]

Yeah, he would pass. So. And then the, the 12 pitch, he shook. And I was like, sell out to here. And he threw it right in the loop. Right in the loop. And he got him. But it was funny. He's like, my mind was running two things at one time. Trying to like one calm myself down because I just got in the game and also trying to like, okay, remember. And then he shook. And I remembered watching video going, he shakes a lot to fucking heater, man.

[Dexter Fowler]

But, but the thing you know what a good team does is like whether it was you, whether it was somebody. If you weren't playing, you were watching, you're watching, talking, talking, talking the game. Hey, Dex, how'd it look? Hey, I come in, bro, like, if I took members from, like, I took like a 15 pitch at bat like to start the game, ended up, I forgot what happened. But anyway, I come in, I'm like, hey, bro, he's going to. You were great about it.

[David Ross]

You're so good.

[Dexter Fowler]

Hey, make sure you get this over here. He can't throw this over here. So just.

[David Ross]

That's got to be up. Singer's got to be up 100, you know what?

[Dexter Fowler]

But everybody did that. And I love that.

[David Ross]

But trying not to be. That's what I respect about when I watch Freddie Freeman play. Sits at the same seat. Seat and watches. It drove me. I was trying not to be the old school guy that hated the iPad. But like, when I was managing and you look back at the bench and guys are just like this. It's like, man, he'll tell you what he can and can't do if you watch. Oh, bro, I'm trying not to be the old grumpy guy.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Almost positive in my career. It was you who said this to me. You were like, you're hitting third. If you come in and start telling everyone that this dude's got a nasty side. What the a guy think hitting seventh to think, yeah, like, you're the best hitter on the team, right? Someone said that to me once. I think it was you.

[David Ross]

Imagine playing with my swing.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Exactly. So for so long in my career, for so long in my career, even if he, even if that pitch looked nasty to me, I would just tell guys, like, no, it wasn't that good. He just hit a spot, right? Because I never wanted to make the guy.

[David Ross]

Make the guy seem invisible.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But, like, even those conversations is like,

[David Ross]

well, the worst hitting coaches. Like, you feel like you leave them the meeting, and it's like, I can't hit. I can't hit. This guy's the best pitch on the planet. Rather than. Here's what he does. Well, this is how we're going to attack him. And he's going to leave one here. He misses over middle a lot. Look middle. Something like that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Because in 2016, the analytics started coming down a little bit more, and I personally hated the st. Like, the numbers part. Like, he throws this pitch 30 of the time. So Melee would try to run these numbers out, and I would wear him out. I'm like, males, just enough with the numbers. Tell us how he's going to attack us.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And, like, he would try to always creep the numbers. I'm like, stop with the numbers. Like, no one on this team wants. If they want the numbers. Because we didn't have a lot of hitters meetings. Go tell them on their side. Yeah, but quit throwing out these numbers that are psychologically messing with us.

[Dexter Fowler]

Just give me the vlog.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's it.

[Dexter Fowler]

And what it says. Out pitch.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's it.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's all.

[David Ross]

That was David Ortiz. Dave Ortiz.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Simplicity.

[Dexter Fowler]

I need to see how hard he started. Like, hey, 93 to 96. He throws this. He throws this 70% of the time. Like, don't give me 70%. Just, what's his out pitch. If I got two strikes, what am I?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Where's he going?

[Dexter Fowler]

Where's he going?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Which is the beauty is, like, they knew our routines.

[David Ross]

Center field, you have the best view outside of, like, pitcher, catcher, right? Like, what was it like watching game seven, Raj go deep and then us getting that last out.

[Dexter Fowler]

So Chappie's on the mound. Chappie was unhittable.

[David Ross]

Yeah, he's nasty.

[Dexter Fowler]

He got thrown every. Like, if we know Chappie, Chappie's good. Chappie's there in the seventh inning. Chappie knows his job.

[David Ross]

Exactly. Finish the game.

[Dexter Fowler]

Chappie knows his fucking job.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Literally.

[Dexter Fowler]

Hey, look, I'm here to close this shit out, period, point blank. And this is what I do. And we had him in early, right? And I remember he. I'm sitting there watching, and Rajay's fouling off, and I'm like, just throw him the. You throw 105 miles an hour. He didn't have that then. He had 100.

[David Ross]

I kept calling heaters. I'm like, somebody's gonna pop it up. Like, surely, like, it's a hundred, right? Nobody threw 100 then.

[Dexter Fowler]

And then he. I was like, what? So before. So before this. So I'm a Jordan guy, obviously. And they told me. I was like, hey, can I wear the Lebanons in the world Series? Like, I want to wear. Like, everybody wants to wear the World 11s. So I'm like, can I wear the World 11s in the World Series? And they were like, hey, look, if you win the world Series, you can wear any elevens you want. And I said, really? And so we were up.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We were up center field.

[Dexter Fowler]

I'm in center field. I'm like, I'm about to get these elevens. This is crazy. I'm about to get. I said, this is gonna be shoe game. I was like, this is gonna be crazy. And he hit the homer. I went like this. If you. If there's a vanish sporting of me, he hit it. And I went like this. And I was like, you were thinking. I was like this. I was like this. I was like this. I. You know, I went up and he hit it, and I went like this. And I put my head down, and I was like, holy. And I was like, this just took away my Jordan. He took away everything from us.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right. He got us all this, bro.

[David Ross]

I was depressed for a minute. I was still catching. Going, like, I shake things pretty quick, and that shit rattled me.

[Dexter Fowler]

But then. But then we had, like. All those tears came down, bro. All the tears came down, bro. It's crazy.

[David Ross]

What do you remember about that? What do you remember about the rain delay speech?

[Dexter Fowler]

Well, I remember what I was doing before the rain delay speech. And we were doing another speedball. We were upstairs like some degenerates in the corner.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We really weren't degenerates, too. I know, like, the stories that we say sound like it, but.

[Dexter Fowler]

But we were literally in the corner like this. We were like this. Cheers.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And somebody was like, we got this, Dex Riz.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, we're having a meeting. And we were like, yeah. And went down to the meeting. But we were in there. We're like, hey, it worked the first time. Let's do it again. And we go down in the meeting, and, you know, you got guys in there like, that are distraught, crying.

[David Ross]

Like, I mean, Chappie was on tears. Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

In tears. Like, rightfully so. Like, we sat there and we looked each other in the eyes, and, like, we were talking about telling the truth. We let it all out right there.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

And that was what we. That is literally everybody needed to get it off their chest. Like, say what you fucking need to say. Let's get it done. It's zero. Zero. Let's go back.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're the best team in the world.

[Dexter Fowler]

We're the best team in the world. And that's. You know, everybody said their. Their. Their spiel. You spoke. You spoke. I spoke. J. Hey started off J. Hey had the best mindset in that, like, because I. No one ever thought to, like, bring everybody together. We all knew how we were feeling, but nobody would get us all together at that time. And when he did that, I was like, okay. Like, that's when I honestly, that's when I knew it was a reset. And that was the reset that we needed.

[David Ross]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And we. When we win, obviously, the celebration is what it is. The parade, we're on the same float. Like, the party, like, it was just non stop. And then blackout. We go. We go to snl. Oh, man, that was. And like, bro, you're talking about, like, you win the pinnacle of the series and you get to go be on Saturday night.

[David Ross]

They brought entourage.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's what I said. Buddies.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, originally. Originally, okay, my child, like, my adult vision of winning the World Series. Like, you celebrate, you party and then you go to Vegas, right? Like, come and celebrate. So I had a plane all lined up to go to Vegas with all my friends from back home that I grew up with. And like, all his.

[Dexter Fowler]

We were rolling with buddies.

[Anthony Rizzo]

All my buddies. Well, no, because the parade happened and everyone was going home. So I was like, no, I'm burning.

[David Ross]

I'm going this. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You know, hard. And Saturday Night Live NBC calls and like, hey, we want you on snl. I'm like, holy. How can you turn down Saturday Night Live, right? And then come to find out, you guys. So we redirect the plane from Chicago to Vegas to Chicago to New York. And I'm like, well, I have all. My friend, like, bring them. And we go do the.

[Dexter Fowler]

Remember, we did the rehearsal and we come back and the green. The green room, it looked like the world series again. 30 people, we couldn't even sit out. I was like, hey, hey, everybody.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I went back, like, a few years later just to see a show, and the lady that had a talent there saw me. She's like, till this day, you had the most people ever here. I was like, damn.

[Dexter Fowler]

I was like, hey, guys, it's cool. Is it cool if our wives sit down? Like, me and Rossi's wife is cool.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But we were like, bro, that was the master magnitude of. That was one of the most watched.

[David Ross]

No doubt. No doubt of all time.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right?

[David Ross]

We just like to give you about it. We wouldn't be good teammates if we.

[Dexter Fowler]

I got the picture at the house.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're all in there twerking. Bill. We're singing with Bill Murray.

[Dexter Fowler]

Like, remember, he came in. He came in everything. We did the whole. We did the whole thing. And we're nervous, and we're like, okay, cool, cool.

[David Ross]

We got the script down.

[Dexter Fowler]

We got the script down. And he comes in, he's like, nah, scratch that. We're doing this. I'm like, so everything will be just ring. Her first is now done.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You want to talk about a rock star? Is when Bill Murray walked into Saturday, everybody's like, OG cast member. And he basically said, no, no, this is how we're doing it. And everyone there is panic, but it's Bill Murray. So we. Everyone did it. We don't know any better.

[David Ross]

Yeah, it was fun. We end up grinding up on that grandma. That one scene.

[Dexter Fowler]

Hey, how about. We were walking out. We were walking out. Y' all remember this? We were walking out and we hear, oh, yeah. And he was like, they got y' all walking out in this. And it was Jay Z. Remember?

[David Ross]

Yeah, I remember that. We had that after party.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Was. Was the musical host.

[David Ross]

Yep.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, bro. I mean, that's what winning does. Yeah, that's what winning. And that's why we get to talk about this, of these stories. Because without all these bonds with all this, the off the field stuff, there's no way we're performing on the field without you coming over and handing me a drink when I'm grinding, where it's like, that's not what we're doing all the time. But it's such a long grind that you need to break it up.

[David Ross]

And that's what your teammates knowing you and how close we were because of all the stuff we went through on that journey. I. I tell everybody, it's like the journey starts in February, bro. Like this spring training. And, you know, we got to play till. Till November 3rd.

[Dexter Fowler]

You know, now that we're sitting here talking about it, like, do you guys. Like, I already. Like you said. What do you remember again? I remember the times we had because at every. Every road city, we had a suite. We had a big suite.

[David Ross]

Shout out J. Hey, gave me one.

[Dexter Fowler]

No, but I'm just saying, like, V.J. remember? We had, like, the hospitality.

[David Ross]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dexter Fowler]

We're all. All the team. After the games, we would all go in there, whether we were sitting there having some Drinks together, talking shop, talking the game. Dudes were playing video games, but we were all hanging out at all.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Every team dinner, every team dinner, everybody went, yeah, yeah. I always thank Lester Lackey for that, because it's like, you knew they were pain, and these dudes were old school. So it was like the want. Everything was like the seafood towers, first class. And it's like, that's what built the championship brand of the greatest.

[Dexter Fowler]

You got to know who's next to you. You got to know who's like your brother. Like, I could talk to this dude, like, maybe I can get on, but nobody else can.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's right.

[Dexter Fowler]

Right. Nobody else outside this locker room can get on this guy.

[David Ross]

I always feel like when you know each other off the field, it helps. Like, when I go hang out with the pitchers and we have a night, I also know when they're grinding the six trying to finish. I can say what the I want to that guy in that moment that I'm feeling.

[Anthony Rizzo]

As long as you say, all due respect.

[David Ross]

Yeah, I can say with all respect, say whatever I want.

[Dexter Fowler]

Speaking of this, remember. Do you remember the time you came in the locker room, wore us all out?

[David Ross]

No.

[Dexter Fowler]

No. You do. Wait, because he. But so he comes in.

[David Ross]

That's how can we clinch?

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah. So this dude comes in. No, because my hamstring was torn.

[David Ross]

Oh, that's right. That's right.

[Dexter Fowler]

That's right. So we're in, and it was a doubleheader. And we come out, and I had a torn hamstring. So I go out to the first game, and the second game, that national anthem starts. It's hot out, and I'm getting treatment, but there's guys in the locker room that are literally just at their locker rooms on their phones. Yeah, a bunch of rookies. And Rossi comes in, and Rossi goes, what in the are y' all doing? And starts killing everybody. Get your ass. How many times do you. How many times. How much time do you have? Get your ass up there. And I'm in the locker room about to go get some treatment. He goes, dex, get your ass up there, too. And I'm like.

[David Ross]

He was happy.

[Dexter Fowler]

I was like, all right, all right. So I go. I go get my treatment. And I'm like, hey, Rossi, I. I was like, hey, Rossi, I floated out of tunnel. I was like, hey, bro, I get what you were doing, bro, but don't talk to me like that.

[David Ross]

I'm gonna be.

[Dexter Fowler]

I'm. Be honest. Like, I know, bro. I, I. I did it. When he starts seeing red, he Goes. He goes, I did it because I did it. But I had to include you because you were like. Like, that's how. Like, a good. I said, bro, I understand. I said, I understand, bro.

[David Ross]

I did that to Stalin Castro in 15 and, like, had to. I apologize later because I was just like, same thing, bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He did it when he missed. When he was.

[Dexter Fowler]

Man.

[Anthony Rizzo]

When he was managing. He called us in. I think it was in 21. Oh, my God. We were grinding. And he goes off, right? Like, he's screaming at the whole team. And I'm sitting there, and I'm just like, this is hysterical, right? Like, I know him.

[David Ross]

He's going to start laughing. I am screaming at seeing literally compete.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I'm doing everything in numbers.

[David Ross]

All of them are free agents.

[Anthony Rizzo]

All I'm doing everything in me. Like, Rossy, chill the out. It's like June. Like, relax, right? It's a long season. And I go into his office, like, before he even gets there after. And I just go to him. I go, bro, I go, I love you. I go, that took me everything in me.

[David Ross]

Not to video.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Not to video.

[David Ross]

I was pulling out my camera.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

I, like, proudly killed you. I would have killed you. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, bro.

[Dexter Fowler]

I love that. I love when Rossi gets like that because he cares so too much. No, it's never too much, bro, because we all need that. But at the end of the day, like, nobody takes offense to it. Everybody's like, bro, like you. We respect you because we realize, like, the skin you have in the game, like, it's. And I'm not. Don't get me wrong, like, I'm not trying to. Like, you weren't an everyday player, right? But you were there for us every day. So we figured you out as an everyday guy.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You literally taught me. And I brought this since the day you taught me in 15. I had a day off in 15. I think it was really late in the season, too. And I wasn't out there for the anthem or something. And you got on me in a nice way. But you were like, hey, dude. Hey, bro. He goes, these guys are out here every day for you. Every day they're on the top step cheering for your ass. He goes, the one day you have off, you can't be out here showing them that. Your appreciation. And like, bro, I took that with me forever. And like any everyday player I've played with, I've told him that, man.

[David Ross]

I learned that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You know how much that means, like, 100.

[David Ross]

I learned that early age Man, I actually like Nap tells me I ripped Nap. We're in Boston, and Nap played first. But, like, I started, and we had clinched, and what I didn't know, he had got a cortisone shot in his foot, which I didn't know. So it was like another one of those. Like, somebody's getting treatment. I'm the. But him and Lackey were up there. I walked in the game because I. I don't know. I feel connection to my teammates.

[Dexter Fowler]

Yeah, you're out there every day.

[David Ross]

Every day, bro. I'm rooting you guys on. And then the fact they were up there watching, doing fantasy football or whatever the time, watching. I. I went up there. Get a ribbon. I was shaking. I was so mad. I'm like. And I almost started crying because I was so mad. I told Nat. I was like, hey, bro, I'm out there every day rooting you on. And the day you have off, we clinch, and I'm playing. You're not out there. I was like, that's. And I just walked off. And he walked down there. I always started crying. It's like, it, you know, I'm getting emotional, but it was those things. I don't know. It's just, like, it matters, bro. It matters. And, like, you're doing. Yeah, I think it's.

[Dexter Fowler]

We appreciate that. Yeah. Well, it's thoroughly appreciated.

[David Ross]

Yeah. Well, I love you guys, and I, I. I'm thankful for my rings for both you guys, and I'm glad we're brothers for life. And I consider you guys that. I'm so thankful we get to tell these stories that everybody gets out here.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Thanks for coming up.

[David Ross]

A special time, bro. I love you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm happy you get to wear those 11s, too.

[David Ross]

That's. That's right. That's right. Thanks for your time. Good stuff. That's a wrap.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That is a.

[David Ross]

That's a wrap on Vegas.

[Dexter Fowler]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.