Malice at the Palace memories and Jack Flaherty’s World Series Celebration

Summary

Podcast Summary: Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara Episode: Malice at the Palace Memories and Jack Flaherty’s World Series Celebration
Release Date: November 21, 2024

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara, hosts Matt Leinart, a former Heisman Trophy winner, and Jerry Ferrara, renowned for his role in Entourage, delve into a mix of nostalgic sports moments and contemporary sports achievements. The episode spotlights the infamous "Malice at the Palace" NBA brawl and celebrates Jack Flaherty’s triumph in the World Series, blending insightful sports commentary with personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories.

Malice at the Palace Revisited

Nick Swisher initiates a reflective discussion on the "Malice at the Palace," an infamous NBA brawl that occurred in 2004. Both hosts reminisce about the event's impact on sports culture and its lasting presence on social media anniversaries.

• Nick Swisher [04:46]: "Malice at the Palace just came up again. I know, you know, everyone on social media thinks that the guy that tweets hits and then Jermaine O'Neal almost murders with the slide punch that he misses looks a lot like Turtle from Entourage."

• Matt Leinart [05:26]: "Did you... What year was that?"

They discuss personal experiences and the evolution of social media, highlighting how the event was initially joked about on SportsCenter before becoming a viral sensation.

Nick Swisher [06:00]: "It was 04, 2004."

Jack Flaherty’s World Series Triumph

The conversation shifts to celebrating Jack Flaherty, a World Series champion from the Dodgers, who joins the studio to share his exhilarating experience of winning the championship.

• Nick Swisher [04:20]: "He's a cool dude, too."

• Jack Flaherty [13:32]: "It's been a whirlwind. It doesn't feel like it's... just enjoying every little, every little part of it."

Jack recounts the joy of winning, the camaraderie among teammates, and the personal celebrations that followed their triumphant season.

• Jack Flaherty [15:48]: "The parade was great. If you've seen... I was asleep when they recorded this. I took a nice nap and then made it to Mookie's house."

Clubhouse Dynamics and Team Chemistry

The hosts delve into the importance of chemistry within sports teams, drawing parallels between locker room dynamics and their experiences in the entertainment industry.

• Matt Leinart [19:03]: "You just didn't expect any of that. It was from top to bottom. Everybody was saying, other than, you know, you get your certain rookie duties and that certain guys have to do."

Jack Flaherty [19:57]: "We genuinely looked like we were a tight-knit group. Every team says that, but ours really worked because nobody was above anybody else."

They emphasize that successful teams require trust, accountability, and genuine relationships beyond mere professional interactions.

Throwback Story: Top 3 Kobe Bryant Moments

In a segment dedicated to nostalgic sports moments, the hosts share their top three personal favorite Kobe Bryant moments:

Matt Leinart’s Top Moment

• Matt Leinart [48:16]: "One of my best is the lob to Shaq. It was 2000, conference finals against the Blazers. That moment still gives me goosebumps thinking about it."

Nick Swisher’s Top Moment

• Nick Swisher [52:25]: "My number one is the Kobe press conference when he was up two games to zero. That’s one of the best off-the-court sports moments because it tells you everything."

Jack Flaherty’s Top Moment

• Jack Flaherty [46:44]: "I’d love to listen and critique and think of three."

They reflect on Kobe’s legendary career highlights, fostering a deeper appreciation for his impact both on and off the court.

Personal Stories and Insights

Jack Flaherty shares his journey through multiple teams, including his rapid transition to the Dodgers and the challenges of relocating:

• Jack Flaherty [21:33]: "Getting traded was crazy. I just sat in the locker room, played cards with the trainers, and when it was confirmed, I fired off a text to my mom before it broke on TV or Twitter."

Matt Leinart relates his own experiences with being cut from teams, emphasizing the emotional and logistical challenges athletes face:

• Matt Leinart [25:11]: "I never went back to my Arizona house again. It was a little bad blood."

The hosts discuss the often-overlooked aspects of professional sports life, such as constantly relocating, managing personal relationships, and maintaining performance amidst chaos.

Clubhouse Behavior and Celebrations

The discussion transitions to clubhouse celebrations, particularly focusing on the tradition of popping champagne after significant wins:

• Nick Swisher [52:52]: "Is it too much also? Bringing the camera crew in, put the goggles on, do all that... Is it too much?"

Jack Flaherty [55:03]: "Having gone through it and won the World Series, it does not get old at all."

They debate the balance between celebrating achievements and maintaining professionalism, agreeing that while celebrations are a cherished tradition, moderation is key to preserving the significance of victories.

Reflections on Modern Sports Culture

The hosts express concerns about the current state of youth sports and the emphasis on metrics over genuine skill development:

• Jack Flaherty [38:19]: "It's all like numbers-based now. It's not like, what can you do against this pitching? It's all about how hard do you hit the ball, how fast can you run."

They lament the shift from holistic team-building and skill enhancement to a focus on quantifiable statistics and highlight the importance of allowing young athletes to develop naturally through diverse sports experiences.

Closing Thoughts

As the episode concludes, Matt and Jerry reflect on the evolving landscape of sports, the enduring legacy of iconic moments, and the personal growth that comes from their shared love of sports.

• Matt Leinart [68:26]: "We're getting into that age. We're now all this next generation of the stars that we watched their kids."

Nick Swisher [68:39]: "It's gonna be fun to watch."

The hosts extend their gratitude to Jack Flaherty for sharing his World Series journey and to their listeners, promising more nostalgic and insightful conversations in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes:

• Nick Swisher [06:00]: "It was 04, 2004."
• Jack Flaherty [13:32]: "It's been a whirlwind. It doesn't feel like it's... just enjoying every little, every little part of it."
• Matt Leinart [19:03]: "You just didn't expect any of that. It was from top to bottom. Everybody was saying, other than, you know, you get your certain rookie duties and that certain guys have to do."
• Nick Swisher [52:46]: "So why. That brings me to baseball for a second and I put this out on Twitter and I said it on the show and I got torched."
• Jack Flaherty [55:43]: "It doesn't get old at all."

This episode offers a rich tapestry of sports memories, team dynamics, and personal triumphs, making it a must-listen for sports enthusiasts and fans of the hosts alike.

Transcript

[Matt Leinart]

Ohtani like I don't know what these guys are unicorn. I just curious like what is it like in the clubhouse day to day?

[Jack Flaherty]

Like he just show his show. He's not my. I don't mean that like he's, he's, he's like showtime or anything. He just is like a, like a pretty much like a regular dude that's on the bus. And then it was also pretty cool to say that there was a billion dollars sitting in.

[Nick Swisher]

All right, welcome to episode of Throwbacks presented by cash app. Sending, spending, saving, splitting, donating, gifting or just typing numbers all with the number one finance app in the app store. That's money. That's cash app.

[Matt Leinart]

Matt, what's up?

[Nick Swisher]

Got me.

[Matt Leinart]

Look at you're here.

[Nick Swisher]

Got me back in la. We're in our studio for the first.

[Matt Leinart]

Time in the flesh.

[Nick Swisher]

In the flesh. We did a lot of stuff at your, your alma mater as a kid who never went to college. I mean three months of the community college don't count shout outs College of Staten Island. It was amazing walking around that campus with you and then seeing all the kids and realizing what that must have been like for you. Walk back in the day coming off to Heisman. I mean it's a real feeling.

[Matt Leinart]

It's. You know what it's, it's actually funny when I go back there now, it's kind of split because I'm a lot older. So it's like you get, some of them are like, like they grew up in the football fans and their parents were fans of our era. That's what I get now. I get a lot of these kids are the kids of like USC fans. It's just always like when I'm back there, it just always brings back memories. Right? It's just you go back and you're like man, like the run we went on, the history forever etched in USC football history, that run in that dynasty and it always brings back. It's just fun. It's fun walking around. We took, took you around, kind of give you a history and I think people forget like you're a sports head, right? You love sports. Yeah. So there's so much history of players that played there. Some of the all time greats, the all American walk, all the Heisman first.

[Nick Swisher]

Round pick, the first number one overall.

[Matt Leinart]

Most first round pick. So like it's always fun to be back. That was good to have you on campus.

[Nick Swisher]

It always feels good being our shootout videos coming soon. We're not going to tell you results. The shootout video will be out there soon. But you know what else was dope? We went to go have lunch, and it's like, oh, there's choo right there. We saw Jew.

[Matt Leinart]

You never know who you're gonna see.

[Nick Swisher]

On camera waiting online for food. Of course, I think we tried to talk to her. It's like, no, she actually has to go to class, right? But then you realize, like, that's the. You know, I'd say inarguably, the best women's basketball player in the country.

[Matt Leinart]

She's the next. I mean, like, it's just walking around.

[Nick Swisher]

Campus with a book bag.

[Matt Leinart]

Caitlin Clark. But, like, Juju Walkins is literally the next greatest thing. I'm sure he is. But the next. She's three. The thing that's crazy. She has three more years in college. She. They can't leave early. She's got three more years. She was right there. Like, I think she might have been on, like, her scooter something.

[Nick Swisher]

It was cool to get a glimpse of her in, like, full college mode. Not on the court, I could say years from now, like, yeah, I just bumped into her while she getting ready.

[Matt Leinart]

To go to class. I saw Snoop a little bit later in the day. He was.

[Nick Swisher]

He was big SC guy, right?

[Matt Leinart]

Big SC guy. So, like, that's the thing about usc. Like, it brings a lot of people together, but you'll never. You never know who you're going to see this.

[Nick Swisher]

Didn't Snoop used to hype you guys up?

[Matt Leinart]

Dude, drop it.

[Nick Swisher]

Like, it's hot when he come in. And.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, these. Well, he did. He grew up in Long beach, man. He grew up in la and he was a big SC fan. Still is. And he used to come around campus and rap. And I was. I was throwing him routes. Like, I threw. He routes.

[Nick Swisher]

You're all gonna see.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

So it's a big la.

[Matt Leinart]

How are you feeling today, by the way?

[Nick Swisher]

I feel good this week, but I don't know how much better I'm gonna feel a little while because we have a World Series champion entering our studio today. I think we've had five ring champion champions on this show. Don Trellis.

[Matt Leinart]

Charles. No, Charles.

[Nick Swisher]

They got no ring.

[Matt Leinart]

Swish.

[Nick Swisher]

Sorry, Charles. We love you, Swish. Kurt.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

Kurt Warner. You count. You have. You have a national championship, bro. You have a national championship.

[Matt Leinart]

Kutcher's never won a ring.

[Nick Swisher]

Kutcher's never won a ring. But we have the great Jack Flaherty joining us from the Dodgers. I had Matt had to sit through my Yankee porn with Nick Swisher. Now I gotta sit through it with you.

[Matt Leinart]

So, like, one, as a Dodger fan, it's amazing, right? So, like, I'm excited to talk to.

[Nick Swisher]

He's a cool dude, too.

[Matt Leinart]

And by the way, he was a massive part of their run. Obviously, like, pitched two games in the World Series, nlcs, All of these things. Like, there's just so many, like, great, like, sh. And then like the, like Freddy Freeman's run and just like, celebrations and like, he grew up in la coming back to, like, there's just like so many great stories around the Dodgers and then having Jack being able to tell that, man, like, I'm excited. And you're going to have to sit through an hour of just.

[Nick Swisher]

I'm. I'm here to accept it. It's good vibes. So the other thing that we just passed a few days ago, not that this is a good anniversary, I'm not trying to say, wow, this fun one. But it, for me, it's always something on the calendar because I know my social media is going to be a mess for 24 hours. Malice of the palace just came up again. And I'm sure, you know, everyone on social media thinks that the guy that our test hits and then Jermaine O'Neal almost murders with the slide punch that he misses looks a lot like Turtle from Entourage.

[Matt Leinart]

It's uncanny. Did you. Let me. What. What year was that?

[Nick Swisher]

So that was.

[Matt Leinart]

Was that.

[Nick Swisher]

Was that 2006? Andrew, do you know off the top of your head? We'll find out.

[Matt Leinart]

So that was. Okay. So my question to you is, and I'm sure you did this because you still live it, but, like, when that happened and it started going viral or whatever, and you're like, did you play that up?

[Nick Swisher]

So you said, funny word. You said viral. There was no viral.

[Matt Leinart]

But here's what happened.

[Nick Swisher]

Here's what happened. It first was talked about as a joke on Sports center because there was no Twitter. There was no social media. So one of the anchors, I don't know which anchor it was, said, and then Jermaine O'Neal almost knocks out Turtle for.

[Matt Leinart]

They were dead serious.

[Nick Swisher]

They said it on SportsCenter as a joke.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, as a joke.

[Nick Swisher]

So it caught fire there. And then once social media comes around, forget it. It's over for me because everyone and I get millions of views. It was 04, 2004.

[Matt Leinart]

So, by the way, you play that up until you can't play it up.

[Nick Swisher]

Well, a few things.

[Matt Leinart]

That's one of the greatest fights in the history.

[Nick Swisher]

Turtle would never wear a Pistons jersey, ever. What works against me is the cameras were not nearly as good then. So the footage is grainy, so you can't even.

[Matt Leinart]

The guy was a little big too.

[Nick Swisher]

He had a beard. Yeah, but it was a big boy too.

[Matt Leinart]

He was pretty round.

[Nick Swisher]

But here's the ultimate thing of why I could tell you that's not me. My suit. I have a superpower. My superpower is I can tell you 30 seconds before a fight's about to break out, whether it's in a club, on the street, in an arena. I could literally say up who might want to start walking that way. They're about the brawl. And you could look at them and they're just talking. I. I would have known from the minute our test laid on the scores table. I said, babe, get your. We're getting out of here. Something's about to go down. Players don't lay on the scores table like that, staring up at the sky. We're getting out of here. I would have been so far. We out of that arena.

[Matt Leinart]

I feel Meta's a friend.

[Nick Swisher]

He's a friend. We're gonna get him on. I talked to him about it, and I believe he said he's reached out to that guy. And they've talked since. They've. They've made amends.

[Matt Leinart]

What a wild. Like, wild.

[Nick Swisher]

And that's something I hope we never, ever, ever see.

[Matt Leinart]

Trying to. I'm trying to think now of like the greatest. Like the. Like those fights in sports. That's the by far and obviously was terrible that it happened, but like some good player fight.

[Nick Swisher]

I was at a Knicks game.

[Matt Leinart]

Hockey fights.

[Nick Swisher]

I was at a Knicks game sitting next to Fat Joe when Junior Smith and Mellow was still on the Nuggets. Nuggets were blowing out the Knicks and they were still. Junior Smith was still doing 360 dunks. Nate Robinson grab fouled Junior Smith and grabbed him and they spilled into the arena. And that's the game where Mello sucker punched Marty Collins. And again, I knew I was already on the other side of the court. I'm like, we're not going anywhere near that. These guys are about to fight, man.

[Matt Leinart]

I don't think I ever witnessed. Oh, I did. I witnessed Andre Johnson fight. I was on the sideline.

[Nick Swisher]

Have you wait, the Andre. That's the Andre Johnson fight we get.

[Matt Leinart]

We'll get into that another day. That was like.

[Nick Swisher]

You've never thrown hands in, like, in full uniform, right?

[Matt Leinart]

No, I threw hands on fraternity row at USC once. It's got me suspended for football. For two weeks. But that's a story for another day.

[Nick Swisher]

Story for another day. And also, freshman, you're a lefty too, so you don't even see that southpaw.

[Matt Leinart]

N I really. I I, he. The guy grazed me. I. Long story. Grazed me. I kind of wrapped around to go to the front of the house and by the time I got up there, my boys have already ripped him down. And they were. It was, it was bad. It was. I'm not proud of. And then I saw that dude maybe a week later at the 9 0, which is where we all went.

[Nick Swisher]

I know I've been to party.

[Matt Leinart]

And by the way, we kind of like, we, we actually like. Sorry. Hugged it out and then we just went on our way.

[Nick Swisher]

That's the way it should be.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, that's the way.

[Nick Swisher]

All right. We had Jack Flaherty coming up in a little while. Right now we're going to do our amazing can't get enough sauce moment of the week brought to you by Wendy's. Big shout outs to Wendy's. We love. By the way, I'm going to get some Wendy's right after this because I am starving. I think we're in alignment on our player. We're going to focus on. So it's the first time we're going to co mingle on a. On a Wendy's player.

[Matt Leinart]

Have you seen Dalton connect play for the Lakers?

[Nick Swisher]

I have seen Dalton connect live in person. 3. I've been to three Laker games so far.

[Matt Leinart]

Okay, so he, he's my, he's my just saucy guy of the week. And he caught fire. This dude caught fire the other night. 37. I think it was a rookie, all nine threes or something like that of all time. And then, and then gave the. And I read, I was reading an article and I think he was talking about his bench was like, dude, you need to come up with a celebration or something. And in the moment he was just like he did the mday MJ shrug.

[Nick Swisher]

And he's young. I respect the young dude, by the way.

[Matt Leinart]

And LeBron came out was like, what.

[Nick Swisher]

The effort you got LeBron talking about.

[Matt Leinart]

How could he got. I think it was 17th overall. He was the SEC Player of the year, which is a good basketball conference. I think he made a run in the. He had a crazy run in the SEC tournament. And even I think, I'm assuming March Madness. I can't remember if he was but like he was dropping like 30 a game. And I'm like, he did it pretty far. And by the way, a little bit of like his head coach, J.J. redick, like a lot, a little bit. He's bigger and like probably more athletic than JJ but like a sniper and all that.

[Nick Swisher]

So do you think this maybe opens up some things for the Lakers to make a trade?

[Matt Leinart]

I think it opens up everything because this dude's going to be a star for them.

[Nick Swisher]

They got to give him some minutes like they got.

[Matt Leinart]

He's getting minutes though. Yeah. And like things with D low, like, they're just like he's earning those minutes, but he's also going to become a weapon for them because we always know as a Laker fan, it's like you surround LeBron with shooters. You surround him with shooters, let him facilitate ads playing lights out.

[Nick Swisher]

You're having such a big LA sports year. The Lakers go, by the way, Lakers. The Lakers go on a run. I might quit this show now. If he gets two rings in the first season of throwbacks, I might be out.

[Matt Leinart]

Lakers are on their best start and I don't know how long it's been tough the last couple years, like slow starts.

[Nick Swisher]

I want to hear. I don't hover around.

[Matt Leinart]

We hover on like 8th seed or like the playing and all this stuff.

[Nick Swisher]

You're talking to a Knicks fan, bro. You can't complain.

[Matt Leinart]

You can't complain. You guys are on a roll.

[Nick Swisher]

Thank you to Wendy's. I'm actually gonna go grab some saucy nugs. And when we come back, Jack Flaherty, World Series champ, entering the throwback studio. What if I told you there was a way for your favorite team to keep scoring points even during timeouts and commercial breaks? You'd probably be all over that, right? Well, we want to help you do the same thing with your money.

[Matt Leinart]

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[Nick Swisher]

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[Jack Flaherty]

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[Nick Swisher]

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[Matt Leinart]

So World Series man, a couple weeks ago. You've had some time to digest this and you do. I'm a, I'm a life or dodger egg. I'm a life or dodger. Oh, my God. Life's changed. Like, what's the last couple of weeks been like for you? I know it's probably been a whirlwind.

[Jack Flaherty]

It's been a whirlwind. It doesn't feel like it's. I was at dinner on Saturday night and you know, somebody there was like, didn't you guys win like three weeks ago? And I had to, like, I just sit there and I like, pulled up the calendar. I was like, how long has it been? It feels like it was like just yesterday. And then, then he said it and I was like, maybe it has been like a really long time that I've been celebrating this thing. And part of that was in my head. I knew, like, okay, we had started to get back into okay, we got to get ready for next year mode. And like, was enjoying, had been enjoying myself just like celebrating it, talking to the guys, talking with everybody about it and like trying to bring like, take in all those emotions and then. But yeah, it's, it's, it's been crazy, I think three weeks since, since we won it and just enjoying every little, every Little part of it. Like, it's been. You had.

[Matt Leinart]

You had a great. Just Post game celebration, man.

[Jack Flaherty]

I think so. Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

You've been labeled something, man.

[Jack Flaherty]

We did. I did a. I did a signing, and people were bringing me bottles of tequila, and I was like, I don't know if this is the reputation that I really want. Like, it was. Look, I. The parade was great. If you. If you've seen. Recently, Mookie just. He released his podcast.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

Of all the guys at his house. I was sleeping when they recorded this. I took a nice.

[Matt Leinart]

You were just.

[Jack Flaherty]

I had a great day. And if you listen to Walker talk, like, that's kind of where I was at, but I was asleep, and they were like, where are you? You come. Eventually, I made it to Mookie's house, and we continued on from there. But, yeah, I was like. They started bringing me down. I was like, I don't know if this is.

[Nick Swisher]

Did you see.

[Matt Leinart]

Did you see when you did the parade? But the. The. It was, like, with local news or something, and you kind of stumbled off the chair. Oh, yeah, by the way. Well, I'm talking about, like, post camp. I was so. I was so. I watched that, and I swear, I was like. I was like, fuck, yeah, dude. I was so proud. I was, like, proud of you, dude. I was like, that's what you.

[Nick Swisher]

You just won a World Series.

[Matt Leinart]

You balled out in the whole playoffs, obviously. And, like, did you just beat the Yankees in the World Series? Like, I'm gonna get hammered. I'm gonna enjoy the shit out of this because you earned it.

[Nick Swisher]

Junior Smith still hasn't put his shirt back on the championship. The dude took his shirt off. He never put it back on.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, it was. It was one of those, like, everything was really, like, buttoned up from September, October. We enjoyed after each round when we. When we won, like, team would get together, we go out, have some drinks and whatnot. But then it was like, once it was all over, it was like, everything was just like, thank goodness. Like, we got it done. We. We won. Like, let's celebrate and enjoy it. And I may have enjoyed it a little bit too much, but some may say, like, I did it right. I'm not sure.

[Matt Leinart]

Speaking of shirts off, you know where I'm going with this Kershaw dude? So, like, what happened to Kershaw, man?

[Jack Flaherty]

What do you mean?

[Matt Leinart]

No, he's the goat. I was telling these guys, I'm like, clayton Kershaw will be one of. Go down as one of the best pitchers of all time. In my opinion. But just like, he put some weight on.

[Nick Swisher]

Talking about his body, it doesn't.

[Jack Flaherty]

If you can go out, it doesn't matter. Still pitch the way that he can. And what he was still trying to do at the end of the year, I know with the pain that he was in.

[Matt Leinart]

He had back, right? Was it.

[Jack Flaherty]

It was his. His toe was destroyed. He, like, messed up his side a little bit. He was. I mean, he was grinding through his. His toe. Like, it was like. I don't think they really let on how bad it was. And. But if you can, it doesn't matter. You look in there and you look in the locker room, everybody wants to point to him. You look at some of the other guys, it's like baseball. It's all like. It's just different. I know. Shapes, sizes. You got curse. You got glass. Two guys that are some like four, right? Yeah. You got two guys that. Some of the best in the game of what they do. They look completely different. You look at it. So, you know, Kirch can do whatever.

[Matt Leinart]

I just was. So I was. I was. Because, like, I got a dad bought, and I never. I was like, rocks, Rocks it. But that's like the first time I've ever seen it. It's kind of like when Patty Mahomes, he had a shirt off last year, and they're like, this is the greatest player to ever live. And he kind of looks like just the average Joe, which. Which I think adds to the allure of Kershaw even more.

[Nick Swisher]

That's why I like golf, too, man. He's put on a golf shirt. Nobody knows what's going on under there. If you can hit the ball, no one cares what's going on under there.

[Matt Leinart]

I hope he gets healthy, man, and just go. I mean, he will.

[Jack Flaherty]

He's a stud. He was so much fun to be around. And, you know, I grew up watching him be. Being in LA and everything, and to be able to be his teammate and talk to him and talk baseball and then after big starts in the playoffs, get a hug from him. Like, it was. It was. It was pretty cool.

[Nick Swisher]

Well, that's what I'm. Full disclosure, Yankee fan, very happy for you. But in that three weeks you're talking about it. We try. You felt like it went on for. You felt like it went on for a long time. I forgot about it, right?

[Jack Flaherty]

Moved on to free agency.

[Matt Leinart]

Wait, we had.

[Nick Swisher]

Real fast.

[Matt Leinart]

We had Swisher, Nick Swisher on, who's a buddy of ours and a Yankee guy before. Right before the world Pod was swish and it was an hour of just Yankee talk and like Sodos.

[Nick Swisher]

We made math through Yankee porn. And I think that's what also helped you guys.

[Matt Leinart]

I was like this dude. My boys are.

[Nick Swisher]

No, but the thing that stuck out too watching that, I knew the Yankees were in trouble. Besides just a lot of the on the field stuff. Like you, you guys really do look tight. I know every team is tight but you. Because every team says that you guys genuinely looked like you were a tight knit group.

[Jack Flaherty]

There was a bunch of, a bunch of teams in baseball are and I think it was what was crazy about the Dodgers was if you look towards the all star game, people are making a big deal about them not staying for Tay Oscar winning the home run Derby and people tried to make a big deal out of it. I never really bought it. Being on the other side and knowing some of the guys in there and then coming over, seeing how close that they actually were and guys really giving up family time during the playoffs. Like it was kind of a point of emphasis. Like guys, we're, we're going to dinner. Yeah. We're hanging out, we're, we're getting together. We win the NLCS against New York. We all went out in la. Like I was, I was, I was genuinely shocked how many got. It was like no, like we're going out, we're getting drinks. Like we're going to enjoy this together. And it just like continued on. Like we would spend all. We spent all day at the stadium and those guys just, they pulled for each other especially how much that they had all kind of been through the last couple years.

[Matt Leinart]

I think people like, I mean in all sports, but even like on a set we were talking like how the chemistry on your show and entourage, like you guys probably didn't know each other. Go in and you have an eight year run or nine year run. Like people don't understand how important like off the field stuff is. Like you gotta be trust, accountability. You gotta be there for those guys in all sports. Baseball, football, like the locker room to me was like. Is like the most sacred place in the world. Like those are your, those are your boys you're going to battle with. You gotta get a gnome. You got like. It's just like that goes a long way in winning. I think it really does. Especially when then you have players.

[Nick Swisher]

The lightning in the bottle. Like with sets you can't cast a show and say we're thinking you guys are going to have lots of chemistry. You the habit. I feel like sports is Similar.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

You put a bunch of guys in a room who are all top, top of what they do. And it doesn't always mean that just because they're the best of what they do, they're going to figure it out on the field.

[Jack Flaherty]

Especially when you get three guys who have four guys have MVPs and Mookie, Freddie, Shohei and Kirsch. You get all them in a room, you get these guys with huge contracts and everything and thinking there's going to be huge egos all around and coming over there. I didn't really expect it because I've known Mookie a little bit. I've heard great things about Freddie from Max, who had played with him. I heard about Shohei from G Lito who played with him and known Kersh a little bit. Like you just didn't expect any of that to be the case. It would. They. Nobody was above anybody else. It was, it was from top to bottom. Everybody was saying other than, you know, you get your certain rookie duties and that, that certain guys have to do. But it was. That's as close knit as. As I've seen.

[Matt Leinart]

When you, like you just mentioned coming over when you got traded to the Dodgers, obviously hometown, all that, I'm sure you had some excitement to you, but what, just like, what is, what is that? Like, Just like you get a call, you're like, I gotta go to LA the next day. Like so process.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah. So the trade deadline was I think on a Monday or something, and we had a weird day game and so I lived like 30 minutes from the stadium in Detroit and our game got done at 4, I think the deadline was at 6. And I was like, I'm not going home. Like, I'm just. We were. I was waiting during the game. I was like, you knew that you were potentially. I knew I potentially was.

[Nick Swisher]

You never know.

[Jack Flaherty]

I loved being in Detroit. I loved it there. I knew that team was really good and we had lost some close games and you saw what they did in the playoffs. It was fun to watch and. But I just. I was like, you know what? I'm just going to sit here. I just sat in the. Sat in locker room, didn't pack anything because, like, I don't want to go home and then come back and pack. And a couple of guys stuck around, a couple of the trainers stuck around. Scubal stuck around with me. We played cards for about an hour and at that point they were like, all right. Like, I gotta. He's like, I gotta go home, see my wife, like she's like, where are you?

[Nick Swisher]

What are you doing?

[Jack Flaherty]

And so I just sat there, waited, and it got down to like 10 minutes before, like 30 minutes before, AJ, a manager, he comes in and I look at him, I go, you got anything for me? He just goes, no. And I knew he was full of it. I knew he was full of it. He had a very good poker face. But I knew he wasn't just coming in there to just sit with me for the next. And then my agent texted me that I was going to daughter's right before the GM walks in the room. And so my only thoughts then were, how quick can I fire off this text to my mom to let her know before it breaks so she's not seeing it, like on TV or Twitter.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

And that was my only thought, was, I gotta get this text off to her. And I'm like, conversation with gm, be like, I gotta. I gotta like. I know. He's like, you know, we're going. And I was like, yeah, la. I gotta fire. I gotta send this to my mom real quick.

[Matt Leinart]

I mean, she had been just over the moon, right?

[Jack Flaherty]

I think that's when it hit that I was going to la. And, like, it's something we had talked about, obviously, like, will it ever happen? Will I ever get the chance to come home? And never something we really ever thought was going to happen. Spent seven years in St. Louis and went over. Was in Detroit this year. And, you know, getting on the phone with her and talking with her and hearing, like, her excitement and, you know, she was just like, it's crazy. You know, you grew up, like, I grew up taking you to these games and going there as like, as a. As a baby and spent like, you know, my teenage years there and growing up. And that's just why I, like, that's why I fell in love with you in baseball. And so it was cool. It was awesome playing there as a visiting team, as like the road team. Coming in there and playing and seeing family and everything and going against those guys and then playing there, being on the other side, it was different. But, yeah, and then, I mean, I get on call with the travel agent. It's, hey, can you meet us in San Diego tomorrow? And I was like, sure. I had had two bags packed just in case. Like, just in case. It was like, it happened. I had two bags packed. Just having been through it a year before, I'll be like, I'm gonna be so. I.

[Matt Leinart]

So I was so. I think it's fascinating, man, because when I was in Arizona I was four years, and I met with the co. I got cut. So I was like, hey, we're gonna cut you. I kind of knew what was happening. And literally an hour or two later, I'm on with my agent and like, houston's gonna sign you Texans. And I was like. I was fired up because it was Kubiak. It was like a good team, whatever. And I literally went home. I packed, like, maybe a little carry on, and I just went. I never set foot on my Arizona house again. I never.

[Nick Swisher]

I never even say a problem.

[Matt Leinart]

I didn't even go back to Arizona for, like 10 years. It was a little bad blood, man. I was f these guys. I was a little pissed, but different. Probably different than baseball, but, like, I just think it's fascinating. So, like, you've bounced around a little bit. You've been a couple organizations, like, the last two years. What is like, peel back the curtain of that. Because I was. People will ask me, like, dude, I never went back to my house. That was where I lived. I loved it there. And I'm just like, the next day, I'm literally in on practice squad for the Texans, like, learning a brand new system, trying and trying to, like, you know, like, get along with the new team and all that kind of stuff.

[Nick Swisher]

Fans don't think about, like, oh, Matt's also got to, like, sell his house, get his stuff, find a place to.

[Matt Leinart]

Live, like, this lifestyle. Like, we make good money. We were professional athletes. All this, like, it's hard, man, moving around. Sometimes it's hard. And you just said, like, I'm going to San Diego. You're probably suiting up like, a couple days now, all of a sudden, you're pitching to Will Smith. You're like, you got it. It's like all this.

[Jack Flaherty]

It was. It was. It was crazy. So, like, having been through it, going to Baltim, coming to LA was a lot easier for the sole reason that I had family here and.

[Matt Leinart]

Right. Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

Like, I just. When I came to la, I just. I stayed at my mom's house for like a week while I was looking for a house. And then buddy of mine is like, our neighbors are renting their house out. Do you want to rent it? I was like, absolutely, like, so it was a lot easier. Whereas I think. I think that's a rare case. Whereas going to Baltimore, getting traded from. You get traded from St. Louis. And, you know, I think it's a. It's a Tuesday, and I'm on the phone with manager, and he's like, you think you can pitch Thursday and then they're in Toronto. So I'm like, I mean, yeah, like, I'll.

[Matt Leinart]

For the other, for the new team, Baltimore.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, damn. And so that one, like, I get traded and flying to Baltimore on Wednesday or flying to Toronto on Wednesday, like, get there at like five, like two hours before game time, have like a quick meeting, whatnot, do some stuff to get ready for the next day, and then like, go in and pitch the next day. Like. And they do. They did a whole thing where it was like, player of the game has to give a speech. And I'm like, look, I don't know any of you guys names, but, like, we'll get, we'll figure that out. Like, I just appreciate being here where. And then going to la. Like, I get on a. I have two bags already packed. So I come home, get on call with my friends because they're, they're, they're excited.

[Nick Swisher]

That's what, that's where I'm going next.

[Matt Leinart]

And then.

[Jack Flaherty]

And it's like I'm on a plane the next morning to San Diego doing some work, then flying with the team, then fly with the team up to Oakland and then pitch two days later. And then, and then it was on back to la. So it was just a lot of moving around and then getting my stuff from Detroit to la. Luckily I had some, some people, people who helped me out a lot and moving around. But, yeah, it's not easy.

[Nick Swisher]

We were talking right before we were ro. About power, right? So I did entourage for years in la, and then I got the chance to move back home from New York. Power shoots in New York. And I was very excited. But then when I got back home, it's like, oh, I'm definitely very accessible now to, like, kids I grew up with. And. Hey, can I come by set next? You know, I have 14 meatheads by set.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, my God, everyone's coming to set.

[Nick Swisher]

So I early on was like, look, this is great because I used to. I would go see my mom for dinner every night and I always wish that, that when I would bring my mom to set, but there were times. And also it's very easy to get distracted in New York. Just like it is la.

[Jack Flaherty]

There's a lot going on.

[Nick Swisher]

A couple times I said, I gotta do a little extra effort to make sure the main focus is I'm back here to work. So at any point for you, you have, you grew up here, you got a lot of friends. I'm not saying negative distractions, but, you.

[Jack Flaherty]

Know, it's yeah, it's.

[Nick Swisher]

And you're on the road a lot.

[Matt Leinart]

But I'm sure everybody wants to take playoff tickets. Yo, hook me up.

[Nick Swisher]

How many playoff tickets do you have?

[Jack Flaherty]

Everybody asks about is tickets and playoff tickets. And I think what we did, my mom honestly did a really good job of this, my rookie year of pretty much letting people know, like, don't bother him for tickets, right? I'm gonna leave tickets for my close, immediate family, and if you want to come, you can buy your own. And I just kind of kept that all throughout my time. St. Louis, whenever I'd come to LA and then even coming over now, it was a little bit different. It'd be like, okay, on days I pitch, my close core group, they knew they had a ticket and I would. We had our own thing. I was like, hey, let me know if you guys want a ticket. I'm pitching on this day. And I would make sure that they had their tickets left. And anybody else who asked me for days on I was pitching wouldn't really matter now if they asked on a random day, hey, you have extra tickets? Like, yeah, I'd leave them. And then playoffs, it was like. It was. I mean, it was like my mom, my brother were taken care of, that. My agents took care of them on days I pitched. And then it was my close core group, my mentor and his family, like, because I, like, I've loved them for. I've known them for. Since I was like, 8 years old. And so it wasn't. It could have been crazier, but I'm appreciative of my friends who allowed me to say no and be like, look, I just. And I. And I also just didn't have any more. Like, my guy. It was like. It was like my family and, like, immediate, like, close. Like, I had it for them. And then it was like, do you have any more? And I was like, I really just don't. I don't have any more. So I was appreciative of them not giving me a hard time and letting that happen. And then in terms of, like, my time and availability, it would be, you know, when, you know, they just. They'd come to the house and they make it. They'd make it easy, like, come to the house, hang out. I could see them whenever they'd come to the games, they. I think they were happy. They didn't have to wait for me after games because for me, I take forever after I pitch. I'm like, my mom's like, are you ever going to come out? It's like, we're an hour hour.

[Nick Swisher]

And I wouldn't be in a rush to leave either, man. I would take my time 100%.

[Jack Flaherty]

But also, and for me, I learned quickly that guys were either out of there really quickly or they were sticking around in LA because you're still dealing with the traffic of trying to get out of Dodger Stadium. So, yeah, I always took my time.

[Matt Leinart]

What are you, what are you like on game day, like, in the world, in the World Series? Because a lot of guys have superstitions. A lot of guys, like, do, like. I feel like pitchers too, because I always watch you come in after no one talks to you, right? You're just locked in. Like, what. What is Game 5, World Series? Like? What's that day like for you?

[Jack Flaherty]

I mean, everybody's. Everybody is different. And me, I'm. I'm the same all the time where I'm just don't talk to anybody, right?

[Matt Leinart]

Okay.

[Jack Flaherty]

Like, I don't. I don't talk to anybody. I. I go. I didn't even go down for breakfast. I think I ordered some breakfast to the room, ate, took a nap. I mean, game five, I didn't pitch well, but, like, it'd be the same Game five versus Game one. Same exact thing, same routine. Like, come in, you know, get out of my car. Come in. Like, head nod. Everybody, hey, how you doing?

[Matt Leinart]

And they know tree, right?

[Jack Flaherty]

They learned. They learned quickly. Like, oh, he doesn't want to talk to anybody. Like, they learned start one in Oakland.

[Matt Leinart]

Like, you're locked.

[Jack Flaherty]

Like, oh, yeah, but see, it's not like. It is, like, for me, that's what I have to do to get locked in. Some guys are, are chilling, playing cards, doing that, and that's how they are, and they can still get locked in. I tried it. It just doesn't work for me. And I'm like, I don't. I'm not, I'm not talking to you. I don't talk to anybody. They learned in Detroit quickly. I was the same way. Baltimore, St. Louis, it was just like, you know, like, I don't really. The headphones are going to go in. I'm just going to kind of chill. Maybe on certain days where I'm a little. Where I just, like in there, like, I'll talk. There's very few people that I will talk to. I would talk to one of the trainers in Detroit. I would talk to one of the trainers in St. Louis. And that. That was like, kind of it. Occasionally I talked to some of the, some of the players and Pitching coaches but have a short little five minute meeting and otherwise like I'm just, I'm.

[Matt Leinart]

How about our boy Bernie? Bernie Lee?

[Jack Flaherty]

Oh man, he's the best. But he knew I wasn't going to talk to him. I was out. It would be. It just. I go through the training room a couple times head not everybody and just go on, go on with my business.

[Matt Leinart]

Bernie is. I've known Bernie for like 10 years because he was tied in with the guy at usc and I got two fake hips this year. Dude, that's.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

And so Bernie was like one of the first guys to work on my hips like 12 years ago. So he run. He's like the head pt guy at the Dodgers now, but. And by the way, he's my ticket guy for the Dodgers. I'll text him. Burn. Can I get a few tickets this week?

[Jack Flaherty]

He's got you?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, he's got.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, no, they. I don't talk to anybody.

[Nick Swisher]

We were talking about, you know, I. When I first moved to la, I spent a lot first couple of years in Burbank and I'm looking at like your, your pitching rotation you had in school coming up. Is this real or am I being lied to?

[Jack Flaherty]

No.

[Nick Swisher]

So you have Max Freed.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah. And Lucas. And Lucas G. Yeah, they were both. So they were both 2 years old.

[Nick Swisher]

Did anyone ever hit you guys?

[Matt Leinart]

You guys had to win a national.

[Nick Swisher]

You gotta have a title, right?

[Matt Leinart]

So what happened?

[Jack Flaherty]

We didn't win it that year. So Max and Lucas were two years older than me.

[Nick Swisher]

Right.

[Jack Flaherty]

I was a sophomore. They were seniors. Lucas got hurt oh his. Our senior year and I feel like I can tell the story. I don't think I've ever given actual like details of it, but like it's safe place.

[Nick Swisher]

We've cut it.

[Jack Flaherty]

He was, he was potentially going to go 1:1 that year and he gets hurt mid game and we have to have a whole like meeting the next, like I come in, pitch right, pitch after him. We win that game and we have a whole meeting like a couple days later because it's like, hey, if anybody ever asks, you can't say like it's. You can't say it's a tear. Like just say it's whatever. And we're like, okay. I don't think anybody's ever gonna like it's a bunch of high schoolers. Anybody's gonna ask any of us.

[Nick Swisher]

Right?

[Jack Flaherty]

And so we. He tries to like rehab and try to pitch that like for. He doesn't try to pitch for us, but he got ready to Pitch for. For scouts and everybody, and. But so what ends up happening now? It's just. It's me and Max, and we've got a bunch of guys who are junior sophomores and a couple freshmen. And, I mean, we got beat in playoffs that year. We lost a game, like, two to one, and then oddly enough, the next year, we ended up winning it when it was. The team was all juniors and seniors and.

[Matt Leinart]

Who'd you guys lose to?

[Jack Flaherty]

A school called Placentia Valencia. They had some guy come out. Absolutely, like, just shoved it on us, and we were like. It was one of those days. Like, we lost 2 to 1, and it was just like.

[Matt Leinart]

Were you po. Or did you hit two?

[Jack Flaherty]

No, I played. I played third, short, center. Freed played right and center. He could have gone. I. I still tell guys to this day, like, he could have gone played the outfield and. And he's. I mean, he's gonna. He's unbelievable. But he could have gone. Played the outfield. In the big leagues, I love.

[Matt Leinart]

Like, we talk. Like, I think what I want to ask you about Shohei, but, like, hitting pitchers, like, obviously in. In the league, it's. It's just hard. But, like, so Max was.

[Jack Flaherty]

You think Max was a stud? Yeah, Max.

[Matt Leinart]

I feel like all you guys were stud hitters, but at some point, you just have to make change. Like.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah. I mean, dude threw 94, 97 from the left side in high school. It was like. But he also, like, I think I've lost two races in my life, and one of them was to Max.

[Matt Leinart]

Really?

[Jack Flaherty]

And. Yeah, he.

[Matt Leinart]

So you could run, too?

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, so could he, though.

[Matt Leinart]

It was like, you look like a football player, dude. You could have. You could have been like a. I.

[Jack Flaherty]

Think I get around people and feel like, oh, you're bigger than I thought you would be. And I'm like, I don't. You know, I don't know. But Max was. Max was an athlete, and then. And Gia was. Was throwing 100 in high school, and he is that. Yeah, it was. It was. It was crazy having. I don't. I don't know. It was crazy watching the two of them, because I didn't know anything in high school about. I didn't know you could. Coming in. I didn't know you could get drafted and go and sign. I didn't know. We didn't pay attention to anything. And I meet Gio. He's one of the first guys I meet when I'm a freshman. Then he comes up to me, like, summer going into my freshman year, says, Hi. And everybody's like, oh, this guy's a huge deal. I was like, I have no idea who this dude is. He's signed to UCLA and everything. I was like, like, I don't know a single thing about high school baseball. I'm like, I just didn't. And then you start to learn everything and then you watch and then you see the scouts come and they're watching them. And so for me, I got very lucky. Where I never had to go do. I had to do very little of the, like the self promotion. Yeah. The self promo, like the showcase type type stuff because I just got to play with two guys who in the first round.

[Nick Swisher]

So there was a way.

[Jack Flaherty]

They're already watching me. They're watching another guy, Arden Pabst, who went to. Went to Georgia Tech. Our first basement, went to usc. So like we were loaded around and people were coming to watch them. Them. And then they're like, I just got noticed and I didn't have to go do anything else. It was just like, oh, okay, you, like, now we've taken notice of you. You know, colleges come in and it was scouts and whatnot. But watching the way they handle scouts was.

[Nick Swisher]

That could be a blessing and a curse though, because you're still only a sophomore. You're a kid and now all that attention is there. Could have like a half bad year and all of a sudden scouts are already making labels on you as a, as like a sophomore. Like, oh, you know. Yeah, it's just a lot. It's just a lot. It's good. I think it's a good thing that you didn't play into the self promotion game or had to. I just think you probably just focus on what you were doing.

[Jack Flaherty]

It's tough now. I like, I know, you know, I run into people now and they talk about how it is and where baseball has gone in terms of like the showcase and right in travel ball and everything is, is in a really. It's in a very strange place that kind of needs to get figured out because it's just not.

[Matt Leinart]

Do you think, do you think that's. So I have this conversation. My oldest is 18. He just committed for football. But like, I've always been on the fence of like club. It's a lot more competitive now. It's just, it's different. But like, I don't know, like your advice, like you, you had the route of like, hey, if I'm talented, if I get seen that you got seen, you lucked out and all that kind of thing. And it is a blessing. I think it's just like. Do you think it's like in baseball, do you think it's necessary for these kids to go to all these showcases and like, it's not half of them.

[Jack Flaherty]

Aren'T good enough to do it.

[Matt Leinart]

And that's the thing. It's like more than half of them are never gonna make it.

[Jack Flaherty]

Which is the problem is, is that I don't even know how we got on this car. But the problem is that it's all like numbers based now. So it's not like, what can you do against this pitching? It's like, how hard do you hit the ball, how hard do you throw, how fast can you run? And this and that. So it's like, that's all the showcase stuff instead of like, how do you actually compete against these guys? So like, now it was different when I was growing up. We didn't like, it wasn't as big of a thing. I played little league baseball with my best friends from 7 until 12, 7 until 11. And then I like skipped my last year to continue playing with them because I played up. And we were playing, we were playing travel ball. And during that time we were playing travel ball. But when it was winter, fall and wintertime.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, you were playing.

[Jack Flaherty]

We were playing basketball, we were playing football, like, like volleyball, whatever it was. And that's, that's just, that's how we did it. And I think it helped every single one of them. A bunch of those guys ended up going to D1 schools. And like, just randomly out of, out of nowhere, we all end up going. Like some of the best high school kids. Like you look in the Valley, you look at the names. We all played on the, on the same team coming up. And we all went, we all were at Sherman Oaks Little League. Like, that's just, that's just what we did. And now it's like none of that really exists. It's all, you know, traveling here, traveling there for, for games and club ball. And I get it to an extent, but it's. But I'm like, I wish it was the way it was when I was growing up, because it was. I just felt it was better.

[Matt Leinart]

Sherman Oaks Little League is still fire. I mean, so we played Manhattan beach with Joe Verbon. So one of his agents kid and my kid are good buddies. South Bay. So we did the whole Manhattan Beach Little League trying to get to Williamsport. And Sherman Oaks Little League is always in the regional. Like, we played them same tournament three years in a row. That's A really good doing it.

[Nick Swisher]

I only have one like athletic almost claims fame. We were one game away from.

[Matt Leinart]

Was it this week when I was throwing you catches and you. Yeah. We had a team out of Brooklyn pull the squad.

[Nick Swisher]

We were like the Bad News Bears. We had this rag tag group of kids that they formed like the super team in New York. And we almost came out of the east and made it to Williamsport. We got Right. You know what I remember that messed us up. No, we got. Tell me what you think of this because it stuck with me since I was 10 years old. Bunch of kids from Brooklyn never left Brooklyn. We go to the tournament to get to Williamsport. It was in Connecticut, in the suburbs. Right. We get to the hotel, they had an indoor pool. No one ever saw a pool inside before. Like, whoa, there's a pool inside. So check. Stay with me for a second.

[Matt Leinart]

Swim on game.

[Nick Swisher]

We came in there as like the worst team in this conference. We're going to get rocked. So we really didn't care. We're going to have fun. We're playing in the indoor pool. How great is this? We go out, we win game one. Other teams talk a trash. Oh, you kids are from Brooklyn. You can't play. You don't even have a field.

[Jack Flaherty]

This is going on.

[Nick Swisher]

We win game two. I'm a 10. Nine lilies, nine or 10. Oh, we're trash. So we get to the final game, winner goes to the Little League World Series. Our coach tells us no one goes in the indoor pool today. I don't want anyone getting hurt. I don't want you guys getting tired. And all of a sudden we got tight.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, you can't.

[Nick Swisher]

We got nervous. We weren't nervous till that. No, none of us were nervous till that point. And all of a sudden coach says you guys can't go in the indoor pool. I don't want anyone getting hurt. I don't want any horsing around. And we're like, like, oh, this game must be important if he's saying that we got rocked 111 the next day.

[Matt Leinart]

And we were scared. So you're blaming it on the coach and the pool?

[Nick Swisher]

No, no, I'm just wondering if there's anything to with kids, like just let them play like to like Jack's Point. Like just go play with your friends and like be who you are and don't get so serious.

[Matt Leinart]

Save your nine year old's legs.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, that's also the thing is you're like 9, 10, 11. Like some of our guys might have.

[Nick Swisher]

Been 15 years old, by the way.

[Jack Flaherty]

That's.

[Nick Swisher]

That's possible. I'm not saying. I'm just saying it could have been 50.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, but at night you're a bunch of K. Like you're going to have plenty of energy no matter what. Like that. Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

Just wanted to go.

[Matt Leinart]

What position. What position were you playing?

[Nick Swisher]

I played well. Left field a lot. Little second base. Little left field. I got a hot bat toward the end.

[Matt Leinart]

Does this guy not look like Jose Altube?

[Jack Flaherty]

Second baseman.

[Matt Leinart]

Second baseman.

[Nick Swisher]

I spent my Halloween costume for five years. Jose Altuve. Although I hate the Astros.

[Matt Leinart]

I hate the Astros, too.

[Nick Swisher]

Hey, look, Detroit knocked him out, right?

[Jack Flaherty]

They did.

[Nick Swisher]

Props to Detroit for getting rid of the Astros.

[Matt Leinart]

I was at. I was at the World Series when they beat the Dodgers. And the whole cheating thing, man, that still pisses me off to this day. How is that. That's crazy, right? You don't need to comment on it, but like banging trash cans and stuff.

[Nick Swisher]

What?

[Jack Flaherty]

Hey, you know, there was a lot of going on. There was a lot of things going on at that time in baseball and. Yeah, that just happened to be the most egregious of them.

[Matt Leinart]

Sign stealing.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, there was a lot of things going on.

[Matt Leinart]

We had that in college football. Michigan sign, Ste. Anything.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

Which everyone does anyway. It's like everybody.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, every. It feels like everybody was.

[Matt Leinart]

Dude, my dad back in Little League was like, oh, my goodness, he was the greatest decoder. So he would have anyone signs in literally eight pitches. We had that, like, you know, first name fastball, last name curveball. Like, let's go liner. I'm like, all right, it's curveball coming.

[Jack Flaherty]

That was high school.

[Nick Swisher]

So you cheated. You cheated.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

I don't know if I could show anymore.

[Matt Leinart]

Cheated in the bush push apparently too, because that was against the rules. Allegedly.

[Nick Swisher]

How old were you for the bush? You remember the bush?

[Jack Flaherty]

I was on my 10th birthday, actually. Actually, I remember it very vividly.

[Nick Swisher]

You're big. You.

[Matt Leinart]

Where were.

[Jack Flaherty]

Where were you? I was at a. It was probably the only birthday party I ever had. Like, swear there's no offense, like my mom. Lover.

[Matt Leinart]

Like I was gonna say, damn, that sucks.

[Jack Flaherty]

No, we were just always playing and for some reason on that day, we. I don't know, we. We had games and then we were out of bowling alley and we can remember watching it with. With everybody and it was like, that was the most. That, that's. I mean, and that and the one other game where that was the most nerve wracking game. And then the other game was the most Depressing game.

[Matt Leinart]

Were you a big Reggie fan, I'm assuming? Yeah, that dude is still to this day, man.

[Nick Swisher]

I had the pleasure of going to USC with Matt yesterday to shoot some stuff. And as a guy who never really went to college, my Lord, though, seeing Matt walk around and, like, on that campus, it's just. I'm like, I should have went to college. I wouldn't have had math experience, but I should have went to college.

[Matt Leinart]

We would have been our entourage, dude. We would have been hanging.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah, I could have. I could have been, like. I could have been some kind of equipment manager or something. I could have helped out. It was cool. It was cool to be on that campus with you, though.

[Matt Leinart]

I feel like growing up, like, in that time. And you're a big Kobe guy, right? Lakers.

[Nick Swisher]

Oh, we got talks.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, we have a Kobe. Like, that's my. I mean, sc, but, like, Dodgers and Lakers, man, Kobe was my favorite athlete. I think if you grew up here, just, like, had to be.

[Jack Flaherty]

It was. It was. It was Dodgers, Lakers, and SC for me, growing.

[Matt Leinart]

And that time, too, because, like, we all. Because at that time, there were no NFL teams and we were. We were. And like, I remember as you were.

[Nick Swisher]

The NFL team, well, Kobe and Shaq.

[Matt Leinart]

Kobe and Shaq went on that. That run, and then Shaq left, and then that was when we kind of took over. And the Dodgers, I think, were kind of up and down at that point. Like, so we were like. It was like the team. But then we got Gasol, and I say we because Lakers, but Gasol came, and then that's when we went on the other run again.

[Nick Swisher]

Did you see Kobe play, like, go a lot of Laker games as a kid? You see. Do you get the chance to see a lot of. In person or not?

[Jack Flaherty]

I didn't. As I. As I got older, I got to go a couple times, but, like, we. I definitely spent a lot more time going to Dodger games, right? And I don't even. I think, like, sc, we watched all the games. Never really. Never really went. And then even for Laker games, like, I'd watch the games on TV all the time. I just. I can't remember going a whole lot. A whole lot down there.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

And then as I. As I got older, like, go down there, I got to see him, like, especially towards the end. The end of his career. But, yeah, we didn't go to a whole lot of Lakers games, but this was a lot.

[Nick Swisher]

Well, we do a throwback 3 every episode where we, like, just pick a old school topic. List our top three. We were going to do Kobe moments today. If you want to participate, you can. Or you could just listen and critique ours.

[Jack Flaherty]

I would love to listen and critique and think of three.

[Nick Swisher]

Do you want to do it now or should we wait?

[Jack Flaherty]

All right.

[Nick Swisher]

We do our throwback story. We just pick our three favorite personal to us, Kobe moments.

[Matt Leinart]

We've done like video game.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah, we've done like, best sports video games.

[Matt Leinart]

Sports. Actually, sports video games would be fun.

[Nick Swisher]

Best fictional gamer.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, the best. Oh, my goodness. But I only. I only do. I only do sports video games.

[Matt Leinart]

No, we were like, what sports video.

[Nick Swisher]

Games you play When I.

[Jack Flaherty]

Well, it's a lot of 2k.

[Nick Swisher]

I might be able. I mean, incredible. I might. I might be able to house you in 2K.

[Jack Flaherty]

I would love to see it. I would.

[Nick Swisher]

I managed to nick two K league, league, team. I was a GM for it. Matt, don't. By the way, I have a championship ring, bro. I have a championship ring. What are you talking about? I'm the only banner in MSG in the last 50 years. Do you.

[Matt Leinart]

Do you stream?

[Jack Flaherty]

No. Oh.

[Matt Leinart]

We'Ll stream 2k.

[Nick Swisher]

I'm so glad.

[Jack Flaherty]

College football.

[Matt Leinart]

It's awesome.

[Nick Swisher]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

It's like, so we. So now we're all.

[Nick Swisher]

No, I went all.

[Matt Leinart]

We did like Mike Tyson's punch out. Just old school. Like the, like, nostalgia.

[Nick Swisher]

We didn't do Madden.

[Matt Leinart]

NHL 94 is like the greatest hockey game ever.

[Nick Swisher]

He's young for that.

[Matt Leinart]

He's young Madden. But like, what else do we do? Like, Tony Hawk was one of my own.

[Nick Swisher]

Tony Hawk was a good one.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah. For me It'd be like MVP baseball with MVP Ramirez on the COVID If that's 0405. I always forget Manny.

[Matt Leinart]

Manny was a dodger.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah. It was the Madden with Vic on.

[Nick Swisher]

The COVID You want to do our Kobe throwback 3. You want to go first?

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

So I'm going to save my personal one for first. So I. My. One of my best. One of the best is the lob to Shaq.

[Nick Swisher]

The lob to Shaq.

[Matt Leinart]

I think it was 2000. You weren't even where you were like 4, 5. So I was 17. Whatever. I remember that was like the prime. It was. It was 2000 conference finals against the Blazers. That was Scotty.

[Nick Swisher]

Shaq's face was the best.

[Matt Leinart]

And it's just like. And that was like them, like then knowing what we knew about them. Pretty much like, hating each other at that time off the court, but then on the court, like. Like that lob in my mind. Still to this, it's like Reggie Bush highlights. You go watch the reggie bush highlight 20 years later. Like, I watched that highlight still, and I'm like, I got goosebumps thinking about. So that moment that led to the.

[Nick Swisher]

To the Finals, I'm so bummed out because my number three is like, we got to film entourage courtside at Laker games, which no one else ever really did. But we did it twice. Both games we did it. Kobe was out. So game one, it was like smush. Parker put up 21. And game two, I honestly. And I could name almost every NBA player. I didn't even know half the guys on the league. That's how injured they were. Chris Mim, But Kobe, so. But yeah, my first is the Kobe All Star Game when he was young and he got to go up against mj, and that's where all the really saw that this dude is kind of different because he wanted to go at Jordan.

[Matt Leinart]

I think that was in the doc, the mj. It was in when he was like, hey, this, this kid on the other side is going to go hard.

[Nick Swisher]

The Laker Boy. The Laker Boy is going to try to score 50.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

That's sick. My second was his last game, the sexy one, man, that was like, I, I, I think I might have had an opportunity to go. Like, I was one of those things, like, I should go buy tickets to go to the game. And I just, I was like one of those, like, I'd rather just watch.

[Nick Swisher]

One of our guests in the future episode had courtside tickets and did not and decided to do something for him and missed it.

[Jack Flaherty]

Are you serious?

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah. Well, you think about it. It's like, oh, you want to go watch Lakers Raptors on a Tuesday night in Feb. Whenever it was. It's like, last game, I got plans.

[Matt Leinart]

And then he went off for 61.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah, that was good.

[Matt Leinart]

That was just sad, man.

[Nick Swisher]

81.0, man, 81 point game is my number two. Yeah, the Raptors 81 point game is just bananas. I don't know if you're gonna know.

[Matt Leinart]

My number one, so my number one is awesome. So. And I got to know Kobe a little bit off the, off the court. We have mutual friends down in. He lived in Newport beach, so we had mutual friends down there. And I'm at a barbecue on maybe 4th of July. We're at the beach, and it's me, Cole. My oldest is 18, so he's probably, I don't even know, nine at this time or whatever. Whatever. And so I'm like, this With Kobe and his family and getting to know them. And they were just talking. He was talking about players. It was just awesome to see him in that light. And by the end of the night, I. You not. We're in. We're in Emerald Bay. I don't know if you've ever been to Emerald Bay. It's like a private community. Small is like 50 homes in there. And we're in a golf cart to go from the beach to whatever house we were going back to. And we had. It was a six seater. And we. I'll never forget this. Kobe's driver, man. I'm in the front. Cole is like, we had. I.

[Nick Swisher]

You.

[Matt Leinart]

We had 14 people on this golf cart. And Kobe's driving Kobe's. And people are hanging on the side, kids.

[Nick Swisher]

Like, I just would keep going. Kobe.

[Matt Leinart]

No, it was. And my. My best friend still. My best friend from high school still. And he's like a die hard Kobe. He's like. He might be like Turtle and entourage. He was like, my boy, kind of funny. Like, he. He was like. And he's like, yo, dude, Kobe's driving a golf court.

[Jack Flaherty]

Like, oh, my God.

[Matt Leinart]

And I'm just like, keep it cool, dude.

[Nick Swisher]

Like.

[Matt Leinart]

And Kobe starts just wheeling like this. And I'm like, he's trying to get. It was just like the funniest thing ever. I'm like, surreal. And then it was just like. And then I ran into him. So that's my number one. Then I. Then we just became like, you know, acquaintances. They see him and say, what's up? And then he followed my sons. And then I'd actually, like, I'd. I'd seen him at a basketball tournament before the track, like, three weeks before he passed, man. And. And he was talking to Cole. We talked about that. Cole had grown. My son's six four. So like, he was like. This was eighth. That was like, whatever, right before he passed. So a couple years ago. And I was like. And it was just. Every time I saw he was. He meant so much to me. But that moment, man, I'll never forget. Like, just the laughter. He was just trying to, like, get people off the golf cart and stuff, man.

[Nick Swisher]

So my number one Jack's gonna lead me to a question for you that I've gotten a lot of heat about. And you're probably gonna say, like, shut up, old man. You're being a hater.

[Jack Flaherty]

Interesting.

[Nick Swisher]

But number one is the Kobe press conference. When they're like, you're up three gu games to one. You gotta be feeling pretty good.

[Jack Flaherty]

He's like, up two games zero, by the way.

[Nick Swisher]

Two, zero. He's like, why should I feel. Good job. The job's not finished. Press conference. To me, that's what that is. One of the best off the court sports moments. Because that tells you every single thing. We don't really see that anymore.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

So why. That brings me to baseball for a second and I put this out on Twitter and I said it on the show and I got torched.

[Matt Leinart]

Such a bad take.

[Nick Swisher]

And by.

[Jack Flaherty]

I don't know if I've seen this take.

[Nick Swisher]

You definitely didn't see it. Take, take. I understand when you, like, clinch a division in baseball, you pop some champagne. For sure. I get it. Long season, it's a lot. Baseball's a long season.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

Or even if, hey, we got a wild card. Champagne, Papa Cor's, light, whatever. I get it. Bringing it all back. But then first round wild card teams, you get w. All right, boom. Now we're in the divisional round. Pop champagne. Now we're in the ALCS population. Too much. I'm not saying don't celebrate with your team, but like to bring the camera crew in, put the goggles on, do all that. I'm not saying don't do it. It's a public event. And then when we get to the World Series, like, you know, when we pop champagne, it's like, all right, we've seen it five times already. Just asking, is it too much also.

[Jack Flaherty]

Okay, I've had this conversation before.

[Nick Swisher]

Okay, so it's not.

[Jack Flaherty]

No, but it came from a basketball player.

[Nick Swisher]

Oh, all right.

[Jack Flaherty]

So. So I'll say. I'll say this, though. Having gone through it and won the World Series, it does not get old at all. It does not for sure. Every single one. And then The World Series 1 was just like. That was. Yeah, it just was a build up. It was. Yeah. The World Series 1 was. It was just.

[Nick Swisher]

No one's saying job's not finished. No one's saying job's not finished.

[Jack Flaherty]

So one of my family friends, Robert Orey, he. He brought this up to.

[Nick Swisher]

Wait, Robert Ori.

[Jack Flaherty]

Robert or.

[Nick Swisher]

Oh, my God, you just suddenly dropped that. You talk about big shot Bob.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yes.

[Nick Swisher]

That's amazing. One of my buddies, seven rings, right?

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, he's got seven of them. He brought it up to me. He's like, interesting. He was like me and. Why do you. Why do you guys pop champagne after it? Why do you guys do this after every round? Like goggles and everything and. And do this? And I didn't have an answer. For him. I go, I don't know, man. It's just the culture. He's like, yeah, it's too much. Like it really is. And I was like. And I, and I, and I actually like kind of listen. And I was like in my head, like when it was the one game wild card. Right? So it was a one game wild card. So you would have a team like pop champagne to get into that one game wild card and then pop champagne right after the wild card and then division series. Right? And like, I get it. You want, you celebrate after every, after every single one. Do I think you have a point where maybe we, we do it.

[Nick Swisher]

I got labeled the, I got labeled the fun police. That's what they're calling me on Twitter.

[Jack Flaherty]

You don't see it in any other sport, which I think is why in baseball it just like, it is what it is. It's part of it. It's a long series and everything. You don't see it in, in, in the NBA. You don't see it in the NFL after, after that. You see it after the big, after winning it all. Like I, you have a point where there is a lot of it is. There's a lot of it and I can't disagree. There's sometimes like now when you get in there and you're in that moment, that never crosses my mind at all. It is like, and how much champagne can I spray on somebody else?

[Nick Swisher]

I don't know, like tons of MLB guys. But I know a few or not like texted a few on the side and they were just like, look, you're right. But also gotta remember there's young guys who've never been there. There's old guys never been there. There's guys who might not ever get back there.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yes.

[Nick Swisher]

Long season. So you're also doing it because of that. It's not just like, hey, we're going to be here every year. Let's.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yeah, there's the one awkward one that goes on. So there's a. I, I, I'm with that. Of, of there's, there's not old guys or there's old guys that may not get back there. And I'm all for doing it when you clinch to get into playoffs.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

For sure.

[Jack Flaherty]

And then when you go round by round, I, I can be like, you know, treat it like it is how we do any other series where like in la we, we'd get together, do a little speech, tequila shot, everything.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

You want to have some beers, hang out? Like, I'm, I'm all for doing it that way. I like the one when you get in, there's always the one awkward one that, that. That goes on where certain teams handle it differently. Where. When you're trying to clinch the division. Right. There's always a point where you get that postseason birthday.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

Oh.

[Matt Leinart]

And so.

[Jack Flaherty]

And then it's like, do we celebrate the postseason birth?

[Nick Swisher]

That's a big deal.

[Jack Flaherty]

Certain teams do it differently. But you have. Do you celebrate the postseason birth or do you celebrate clinching the division? And so like la, we didn't celebrate postseason birth. Like, cool. We're in the postseason, but we gotta win the division.

[Matt Leinart]

Right?

[Jack Flaherty]

We can celebrate that.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah. That's cool.

[Jack Flaherty]

And that was. That was the big thing. So, like, I've enjoyed every single one of those that I've been a part of the World Series. One hit. Different. Different. Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

As long as it still hits different for you, then. All right. I forego my fun.

[Jack Flaherty]

Thank you conversation before.

[Matt Leinart]

So before. We're gonna let you go soon, man. But the last one. Quick thought and on is it Honeycutt, right? Honeywell.

[Jack Flaherty]

Honeywell.

[Matt Leinart]

Guy's awesome.

[Jack Flaherty]

Awesome.

[Matt Leinart]

I think he gave the greatest postseason speech of all time.

[Jack Flaherty]

That dude is awesome.

[Matt Leinart]

He's just awesome, right, Ohtani? Like, I don't know what I was. These guys. A unicorn. I just curious, like, what is it like in the clubhouse, he hurts his shoulder. Are you guys like, oh, shit, you know, like.

[Jack Flaherty]

Well, I think the story's been told of the text he sent to the group of. Like, it was. I. I don't remember what it was verbatim. It was like, you know, in 2020, Bellinger hurt his shoulder and he came back this year. Like, it'll be me. Like, I'll be fine. And he. And we. We were all flying. We were getting on the plane to fly to New York and just won the first two. And we were all supposed to. We were all gonna go out to dinner that night. We knew he wasn't. He wasn't going to be there, but it was one of those, like, we knew show was going to be fine. Right. No how fine he was going to be.

[Nick Swisher]

Right.

[Jack Flaherty]

But I mean, day to day, like, he just show his show. He's not. Like, I don't mean that. Like, he's.

[Matt Leinart]

He's.

[Jack Flaherty]

He's like Showtime or anything. He just is like a. Like a. Pretty much like a regular dude that's on the bus. Like, and I think he just gets on the bus, sits there, reads his comics, chills, like, hangs out, does. Does what he does Reads his comics, sitting in his chair, goes about his business, goes about his work. Got a smile on his face whenever you see him. And isn't. He's not like, he's just not big time at all. Like, we had a couple instances where we're on a. Whether it's a bus ride like to the stadium or leaving or we're leaving the stadium to go to the, to the plane and, and you know, you've got a hand. Everybody's there are certain guys have their own seat right on the bus.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Jack Flaherty]

And Yamamoto was one of the last guys on this. Happened a couple of times. And you know, you've got guys offering up their seats, but. And then he goes and sits next to next to Shohei. And Shohei doesn't. He's like show his. And show his. Much bigger than, like, much bigger. He's just sitting on the the inside or on the inside next to the window and Yama's got the whole aisle and everything. And that's just like, for me, that depicts like who he is where he just like, he does. He's just like, whatever. Like it's not, it's not a big deal to him. You, you'd have a bunch of other guys with big egos that would do that. And then it was also pretty cool to say that there was a billion dollars sitting in two seats right there. Dude, I like, legitimately.

[Matt Leinart]

Were you, were you there when Reggie threw the first pitch? Were you on the team yet?

[Jack Flaherty]

No.

[Nick Swisher]

He was super excited to meet you. Ohtani. Right?

[Matt Leinart]

Well, I don't. He had no. He had no. So, So I saw. So I tell this because I met him and I was like, I just, I became like a fanboy because I like, I was. So Reggie was throwing. It was right after he got his Heisman back. So he was throwing the first pit pitch for the Dodgers. I caught it in full catchers gear.

[Jack Flaherty]

Nice.

[Matt Leinart]

I was down the clubhouse, so I, I, I got to know Mookie a little bit and some of those guys. And I'm, I'm, I'm down there. And Walker had walked by me. I'm full geared helmet, getting ready to. I'll show you a video outre. And I'm talking to Mookie. He's like, he's like, dude, what the you doing here? I said, I said, yo, I'm catching Reggie's first pitch out there. This was like five minutes before, you know, he's like, oh, I'm gonna come watch that. And then Walker goes by and then Shohei Just comes out of nowhere. He just walks up to me. He goes like this. And I was like. I was like, literally out of nowhere. I was like, he had no clue who I was. He was. But to your point, he was just like the nicest human being in that three seconds. And I looked at the camera. I'm like, I'll show you, Toddy. It was like the coolest moment ever.

[Jack Flaherty]

He was.

[Matt Leinart]

And then I caught the, you know, out there. Lefty catch.

[Jack Flaherty]

Did you catch it?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, But Reggie threw. No, he threw one. It was high.

[Nick Swisher]

But that's another thing we maybe need to re examine. We'll do that. Another episode. Celebrity first pitches. I don't know if we need it anymore. I don't need to see 50 cent throw 50 yards left.

[Jack Flaherty]

It shows how hard it is to just throw that ball over the plate. You guys can't do it.

[Nick Swisher]

I've never. I did it one time in my life. Well, twice, but one time off the mound. I did once at Dodger Stadium, but I did it with the other entourage guys. So they didn't. We couldn't go on the moun because there was four of us at the same time. That wasn't so bad because you had cover. I did it in Cleveland from the mound, and I don't think I've ever been as nervous in my life. And I literally said. They said, hey, come back and do this again next year. I went, no. Yeah, absolutely not. Why do I need this in my life?

[Matt Leinart]

Where your kids were there, too, right?

[Nick Swisher]

That was the best part, was like, the kids were there, but also not the best way to bring your kids to a first game.

[Jack Flaherty]

You should, like.

[Nick Swisher]

Because now they think that's like, yeah. Oh, dad, why can't we run around center field? I'm like, because you're not allowed, dude.

[Matt Leinart]

I was. When I was catching, my kids were on the field with my wife, and that was their first game because they're like 5 and 3.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah, mine too. Mine are 5 and 3.

[Matt Leinart]

Of course, my two of my kids are crying because they wanted to come see me and my wife. Josie's like, this is literally on the field. And I'm like, could you, like, get. And then my kids. I'm like, dude, this is going to be terrible. Cameras everywhere. But, man, you're the best.

[Nick Swisher]

We will not hit you up for tickets, but very, very happy for you. That was an incredible run.

[Jack Flaherty]

I don't know if he means that.

[Nick Swisher]

But I. I do. Look, I'm not. I accept loss as well. I really do. Like, I'M disappointed but I, I, there's no doubt about the fact that you guys are the better team. There's just zero doubt, zero doub. I just that's how I hey, real quick.

[Matt Leinart]

You're a free agent. I want to throw you on on but Dodgers, man, let's, let's, let's get something back. We want you back. We, we need you back.

[Jack Flaherty]

I, I love to hear that. I love to hear it. Appreciate it.

[Matt Leinart]

That's it. That's all you need to say. Appreciate you man.

[Nick Swisher]

Coming out, dude.

[Matt Leinart]

Thank you.

[Jack Flaherty]

Absolutely.

[Nick Swisher]

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[Matt Leinart]

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[Nick Swisher]

Which means Silverado EV helps you carry.

[Matt Leinart]

Carry large, bulky and oddly shaped items up to nearly 11ft in length. Chevrolet together. Let's drive. Visit Chevrolet.com to learn more.

[Jack Flaherty]

My dad works in B2B marketing.

[Nick Swisher]

He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[Matt Leinart]

Not everyone gets beat be but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com campaign to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com campaign terms and conditions apply.

[Jack Flaherty]

LinkedIn the place to be.

[Matt Leinart]

To be.

[Nick Swisher]

All right, coming back Jack. You guys are boys now.

[Matt Leinart]

You gonna hit them up for tickets. I'm not man. I. Trust me. I wanted to say like when I was in Arizona I used to get hit up for tickets. But by the way I had to buy them. That's how cheap they were. It came out of my paycheck. Yeah dude, I was pissed. So I, I know what that's like. I knew when he was describing that I was like I've been there. That's a great system he has right to just like one. You allow other people to handle it for you or you just set the boundary from day one. And if it works out, it works out.

[Nick Swisher]

So I love that you had to buy your own tickets while it was the team you played for. That's money. We're gonna do some money moments now. It's time presented by our friends over at Cash App. Sending, spending, saving, splitting, tipping, donating, gifting, or just typing numbers or Matt buying tickets for the team that he played for. Whatever you want to do. That's money on cash out. We're going to do our money moment. What's our money moment for the week? We're aligned on this one because this hits us in two different ways.

[Matt Leinart]

Kyan Anthony.

[Nick Swisher]

Kyan and Kyan Anthony going to Syracuse. What that will mean for Syracuse. He's a good player. He was second choice from what they say was usc. So I don't know if you're a little muscleman and Kyan would have been good combo.

[Matt Leinart]

I mean, I think UFC was fighting Carmelo and Syracuse and his.

[Nick Swisher]

The building's named. I mean it's.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Nick Swisher]

What is it? Andrew Mello, the Mellow Center.

[Matt Leinart]

You know, listen, happy for him. I. Look, I, I think it's a bigger conversation of just like, like I'm living a little bit not to, not to the status of Carmelo and he's an all time great. Obviously Bronny's living it with his dad on the same team, which is like, like it's just one. I'd say this. Like, I always try to put myself in my son's shoes and his headspace and what that must feel like. So for Kyan too, like put yourself. Your dad is Carmelo Anthony. Your dad won a national championship for Syracuse one and done gone like change the course of them, you know, like, whatever. And one of the best NBA players of all time. Like, like a lot of these kids, man, like my son is, is like they're, they're strong mentally. I think they understand. Like, like, like it's their path and it's their journey and I, and I, I would credit Carmelo because I'm sure I don't know him that well, but I'm sure he's a great dad and he's obviously had a big impact in his son's life and hoops and all that. Like, but for his son to go there and go to Syracuse and follow his dad's footsteps, like, like, that's amazing, man. It's a great story. And like whether he becomes whatever that, like, like that's really cool.

[Nick Swisher]

It's a major accomplishment. And I always knew this Day would come for me at as you know, now I'm starting to watch the kids of the players I idolized what that I watched as like. And I was even like a year older once I became older than every player in the NBA. When Vince Carter retired, I was officially older than every player in the NBA. I knew I'm gonna start seeing the.

[Matt Leinart]

Kids, the next generation.

[Nick Swisher]

Funny thing about K, Like, I don't know him well, but I worked with his mom, with Lala on power on Think Like a Man. So I would go to a Knicks game and this is when Melo was on the team. And then Kyan, who I was at that time, taller then because he was a kid, would run up, be like, my mom says hello, she's sitting over there. And then he run back over. First of all, I'm like, that's so cool. Like, this is kind of like your house. Your dad's playing on the Knicks. And then I would see Lala over there, and he was shorter than me. And now he's developed into this really good player. And I think this we even heard with like Dion and Shador. And I don't know, it's all rumors with the Cowboys and stuff, but we're starting to see the father son stuff.

[Matt Leinart]

And by the way, bigger way we're going to see more because my. My. My oldest is 18 and he was on this club circuit of hoops. We were, you know, six, seven years ago. I was talking about it with Jack, you know, with. With the Kobe story and stuff. And it's like, the next wave is Gilbert Arenas's kid.

[Nick Swisher]

Right. He's ball.

[Matt Leinart]

The next wave is Trevor Ariza's kid.

[Nick Swisher]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

Who is an absolute ball.

[Nick Swisher]

We're gonna see it.

[Matt Leinart]

Those kids are all like, class of 26 or 25. Those kids are all going to be making their commitments. They're coming and like K. And it's just like. Like to your point, old man. Honestly, I feel old, too. When Cole committed, everyone was like, damn, I feel old. That was it. I was like, you're right. We're getting into that age. We're now all this next generation of the stars that we watched their kids. And there's more of them. You know, those are just kids on the west coast are all now entering college, which is wild.

[Nick Swisher]

It's gonna be fun to watch. So, yeah, that's. I guess that's what we leave. I gotta say, again, thank you. Jack Flaherty, you are awesome today. Andrew, Rich, Adam, everybody. First real full episode in the studio, buddy.

[Matt Leinart]

As move back here, by the way. As our colleague Mark in Ingram would say, in the flesh. You're in the flesh.

[Nick Swisher]

Flesh. Thank you, Cash app. Thank you. Wendy's. Let's go.

[Jack Flaherty]

Yes.