1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - 1-on-1 with DP live from Blur Events: June 18th 11:45am Segment 3

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

1-on-1 with DP live from Blur Events: June 18th 11:45am Segment 3Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We're not having any fun here, Marr. I just share it with the guys. So from the college game program, the buddy might send me one. And it's the thing that they do like a player profile and they put it in the game program. Bach, would you read what the scouting report said? All right, just to give the full context, Derek Pearson, outfielder, bats and throws right, height and weight 511-190 and major management accounting. Derek is the kind of ball player who likes to win and work.

works hard at it. A fair defensive outfielder. Derek makes up for it with his speed and hitting ability, graduated from Washington and Lee High School in Arlington. They had to make up for something there. I was a little angry because I had not seen the program. And my mom came to the first game. And she, you know, she got the program. Of course, she, she bought extra copies and wanted me to sign something to take home. and but my stepdad who knows me well the stepdad goes uh what's up with this uh very defensive thing and i said yeah didn't know about that he goes did the coach forget that you were like an all district defender i was like all region defender and so i said this is i'm taking it personal. I'm pulling a Jordan. I'm taking it personal, and I'm going to

be an all-conference defensive outfit. And that was, I excelled defensively. I learned to switch hit in college. And how I got in the lineup was learning switch hit. So the fact that they can put me in the lineup every day, that was how it happened. And he goes,

he saw me play switch hitting in practice. And he goes, I didn't know you hit left-handed. And I went, I don't. And he goes, Well, the weird thing is your left-handed swing is more natural than your right-handed swing. My left-handed swing was my average swing. Right-handed, I had power. Okay. And so they did that.

But yeah, it makes it fun. You go, just because somebody put in a game program, don't make it right. Like, don't make it fair. And, of course, Steve Taylor being the jerk that he is, he goes, you played at 190? Like, bruh, take shots. Take shots. Now, did you switch hit? Now I'm a little interested. Did you switch it based on the picture too?

I switch hit. I switch hit one. So I was a speed guy. And hitting left-handed, one, I hit line drives and ground balls. You weren't throwing me out from the left-hand side. You just weren't. If it took more than two hops, eat it. Take a bite out of it. You weren't throwing me out. And then it allowed me to bunt, which allowed me to move defenders around. If I fake bun, I knew I could beat the left, the third baseman down the line with a slap with a line drive down the line, or I could go 5.5 hole against anybody. And a short stop backhanding and then throwing across wasn't going to throw me out from the face. So you learn, again, along the way, and I didn't know, remember my high school coach, the late great Del Norton Orwood, came and saw me play my first college game. and I was in the lineup hitting left-handed. And he went, what is happening?

What is happening? You hit left-handed? He goes, why didn't you do that in high school? I was like, I didn't know. I could do it. Like, I didn't know until I learned. So you never know until you know. Did somebody bring that up to you?

That was just kind of you testing it out. Well, so I was a grown man baby. We would play wiffle ball in between games. And there was a short porch in right field. And so everybody would, if you were right-handed, you would hit the ball over the fence. But from the left-hand side,

you had to get some work and to get it over the right-field wall. And so we would all hit left-handed. And so from the time, nine years old to 18, I had a series of left-handed at bats in my resume. I just never put it to baseball. And then one day at BP, you know, my buddy Chip

Garland got signed by the Cincinnati Reds. He threw a drop-down slide. And at six foot five, a drop-down slider is a filthy thing to a right-hander. So I'm like, oh, I'll fix that. I jumped over to the left-hand side. He threw it. And I was hitting some, some lasers. And the coach is like, he goes, the sound of the ball coming off your back from the left-hand side sounds different than the ball coming off your back from the right-hand side. We need for you to do that. That's awesome. So, and yeah, I probably did. I hit at a much higher average.

Yeah. Eric, it's his thing. He goes, yeah, at one point, I was 141 pound wrestler. Not today. Hey, man. Hey, welcome to life. That'll be it for the first hour one-on-one. We'll go to break.

Come back hour number two from Blurterailgate. The corner of 13th and cast, stop by. Again, ticket spot for available today. We'll be here until 6 o'clock today. And then we'll be here Saturday from 3 to 7. They'll be here from three to midnight. Find your way to Omaha.