1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Brett Jodie (Lincoln Saltdogs Manager): June 24th, 10am

Episode Date: June 24, 2022

Lets get to know the new skipper for the SaltdogsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's time to go one-on-one with DP. Coming at you live from the couple Chevrolet GMC Studios. Here is your host, Derek Pearson. Brought you by Mary Ellen's Food for the Soul on 937 The Ticket and the Ticketfm.com. Happy Friday, everybody. Thanks for hanging out with us on a Friday. Lots going on here in Lincoln. Lots to talk about 402, 464-5-685.

Sarder-Hamman text line, Honda Lig and Hotline, if you have questions or input. We've got a special guest that will join us here in a moment. I want to thank you guys for hanging out. Again, the Sardarhamman video stream is up. You can catch what's going on, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and now Twitter Live. Twitter Live, where you can see the show.

Those two words we keep mentioning, Ticket TV. The next greatest thing. Mark Onweiler, you had to look on your face. No, it's coming. I was just thinking we're going to be having some fun streaming some video later today too. Yeah, ticket TV. That's the plan anyway.

Yeah, weather permitting and conditions permitting. We'll go down and do BP with DP. Got Steve Taylor's coming down, Strik, of course, who is in the Marlins organization. Steve Taylor, who was drafted by the Yankees. I'll come down and take some hacks. I will try to resist. I make zero promises.

I make zero promises. The misses isn't in town, is she is, I am unsupervised. Yeah, that's bad. I am unsupervised, and it is a problem. It is a problem, I'm telling you. Superfan Jeremy is going to come down and take some hacks as well. So we'll have, and I think Brant Banks from the football team is going to come down. And as he said, I'm here just to beat up the cheap season in the berm.

He says, I'm just here to hit bombs. And it's six foot seven, three hundred and 15 pounds. I, you know, big Texas kid. He says he can swing it. So we'll see what kind of, we'll see. See what kind of rake he's got. But let on, let's get to our guest straight from South Carolina. And the new skipper of the Lincoln Salt Thoughts.

Let's bring him Brad Jody. Brett, how you doing this morning? Doing well, guys. How are y'all? We're good. We're good. See? Oh, he went straight South Carolina on us.

Oh, you went straight South Carolina. How are you all doing that? Look, that brings me home. So let's talk about it. Give the folks a little bit of the history, the kid from South Carolina, who ends up in Lincoln, Nebraska. That's quite the tour. Let's start at home in your career getting to college through Major League Baseball.

Yeah, it's crazy, right, to end up in Lincoln, Nebraska. And they have not spent too much time in the Midwest until the last two years and very fortunate to be here and love this place. But born and raised in South Carolina and stayed local, went to the University of South Carolina, had some choices to go out. outside of the state, but wanted to kind of help get that program back to where it could be and to help propel that. And then, you know, a little old boy from South Carolina, I got drafted by the Yankees in the

sixth round, my junior year, which that was a team, you know, not to go too much in death, that's a team that you just thought was kind of untouchable. You never really thought of coming from the South like that. You thought of, you know, maybe the Braves or, you know, the Reds or whoever, but you never really thought of the Yankees. That seemed like a team that, like I said, you know, Babe Bruce and some of these other guys played for, but not some guys from South Carolina. So that was a cool, cool experience to be drafted by them.

And, you know, went through their organization, up to the major leagues with them for a brief time, and was traded to the Padres, played with the San Diego for a little while. And then ever since then, pretty much I was collecting a couple of shoulder surgeries along the way. And career got cut a little bit short, but started getting into coaching. And I was in the Atlantic League for 15 or so years. And now they turned into a double-a affiliate for the Yankees. So last year I was looking for a place to manage and very fortunate that this job came available.

I've always heard good things about Lincoln and the American Association. So something that I really jumped at and got to know Charlie and Mr. Abel and their family. And it's been a pleasure of working here. And so that's in a nutshell, short little story about, I guess, me and kind of my path as far as in baseball. Brett, give me a little. How much time have you spent in Lincoln? And again, you take the job and you go through the training, but then you hit the road. How much time have you actually spent here?

Yeah, not a lot, really. I mean, last season, but you're on the road half the time. And, you know, with these bus rides and the travel and everything, everything's kind of a blur anyway. So you don't get too many days to actually experience Lincoln. When my family came out last year, that was when I probably did the most sight thing or whatever. I tell everybody I'm pretty boring other than that. I really don't go anywhere. I just kind of do my job, go to the field, and try to win a ballgame.

But so, yeah, you're talking about, you know, a few months, I guess, is what I've actually been in Lincoln and tried to, you know, experience what it's about here. But like I said, the people, the people are a lot, are very similar to South Carolina, just as far as just being very nice. They love their sports, love Nebraska football, obviously, and they like to drink some beer. So, I mean, you can't really go wrong there. Have you, have you been by Memorial? have you gone and done the tour of the football stadium?

I've not done the tour, but I did go to the Garth Brooks concert last year, so I was able to look around with that. But no, I didn't do a tour. I did do a tour, though, and I'm not sure what the name of it is, but where the volleyball and gymnastics and all those things are. I did tour that facility, and man, it was amazing. That was something because my daughter's a volleyball player. She's actually playing in Orlando right now in some big tournament.

I think they're playing a team actually from Nebraska here in a little while, so it's kind of funny. But yeah, we tore that facility, and it was unreal, man. It's interesting now because the game of baseball is in that place where minor leagues are changing. The major leagues inclusion and its investment in the minor leagues is changing. From your perspective, with the guy that's been in, you've been in and around Major League Baseball for 20 plus years. For you, are you happy with the way business is being done from? minor league baseball in America?

Simple answer, no. I don't like the way it's moving. And there's a lot of different directions we can go with this conversation. Obviously, I think there needs to be some improvements in the minor leagues, which I think they're taking the right steps for that as far as treatment of the players looking out for housing, maybe some decent meals to eat, things like that. So I do think they're looking out for that. And I think that's a good thing because that's, I mean, I can tell you stories about what I came

through it. I came from SDC baseball in South Carolina, and it's probably a lot like Nebraska here. They treat you really well in the SEC. You go to the Yankees, which is a phenomenal organization, and it takes until you maybe get the AAA, definitely the big legs, but it takes a long

time before you actually see better treatment. I'm not talking about like the coaches and stuff like I'm talking about like food or taking care of you or getting the proper whatever, you know, whatever, nice facilities, whatever. It takes a little while to get those things. in Meyer League baseball.

At least we're talking about 20-some years ago, you know, so obviously now it's improved. So those things are getting better, and I think that's a good thing. But some of the other things, you know, some of the analytical things, how that's moved or whatever, and I like the fact they're bringing in computerized equations

to try to figure out who can play and who can't and stuff, but you also still need the baseball people involved. So I don't like some of those things. Then with the restructuring, you know, getting rid of some of the minor league, league teams and then the draft is only 20 rounds now there's a lot of moving and you throw COVID into the mix and it's been a it's been a whirlwind of changes and it's it's uh you know we're trying to navigate that landscape and it affects us as well with with

independent baseball and things like that so it's it's tough so there are some positives coming out of it there are some negatives uh I don't try to sit back and play armchair quarterback or critique much I just you know I'm looking at now because you ask me about it but I really don't They're going to do what they want to do, and I'm going to try to make the best out of it as I can and keep it a positive. But if you're asking my opinion, I don't like some of the movement that's going on, but other things are okay. Talking of Red Jody, Skipper, of the Lincoln Saw Dogs, and you're right. There's so much behind it. You talked about the analytics.

But for you, for former players who mentally never got to spend your bank account, right? You still, physically you had the surgeries, but mentally you still feel like you had some left. When you look at players and specifically pitchers, when you look at hitters, do you look at them as a former player? Or are you looking at them as management from the management perspective? Well, I'd say both probably. You don't ever want to look at it and kind of compare like yourself to them or whatever. But through my life experiences, through my experiences on and off the field. and through my encounters with a bunch of quality minds and coaches in the game,

I've been around some of the best minds ever, you want to be able to share that knowledge with people. So you don't make it about yourself, but you look at somebody and maybe they're going through, you know, my mental issue or a physical issue or just not pitching well, performance-type deal, or learning a new pitch or hitter struggling at the plate. I always say whatever separates these people,

it comes down to the mentality. A lot of people can have success, you know, for a little while, but can you sustain it? And how do you weather the bad spells, right? Like, how do you wear an O for 15 with 10 strikeouts in there and still come out to the park and you look like that confident guy and you're going to get it done that night? And that's the difference. That's what separates the big ligars a lot of times. So I enjoy that part of all the psychology major at South Carolina.

And I really enjoy the mental part of it. I enjoy trying to be more well-rounded. I'm not just exes and those where we're hammering out baseball in there. I want somebody to come in my office and talk about some issues they may have at home, and I want to see if I can help them with those things. And I've had those myself. So I'm not just one-dimensional. I try to be well-rounded where you really help develop these guys into great players,

great people off the field, and just help them with any issues they may have on or off the field. That's kind of what I take pride in doing. But that's why I'm doing it. I feel like I have a lot to get. given that sense. And like I said, God has blessed me with a lot of, a lot of, to be very fortunate to be around so many great minds and, and have great, great experiences myself and have success and have failure and have pain and have, you know, have it feeling good and stuff like that. So I have all those things so I can, I'm relatable, I guess, with these guys. And again,

not to make it about me and I don't talk about myself, but it gives me the knowledge and insight to be able to help these guys because I've felt what they've, they're feeling now, I've been through a lot of things they're going through. And everybody's unique and everybody has a different story, and you have to kind of meet them where they're at. You know, they're not quite ready, maybe sometimes to be where you're at. So you've got to go to their place and treat them as an individual because that's who they are and handle them that way.

And that's the fun part about it. I really enjoy that aspect of it. Coach, I'll ask the question because usually it helps me identify who coaches are. You spend more time on the good or on the bad? Yeah, I'm very positive. I like to focus on the positive. So whether there's some bad that's happening or whatever, we're still going to find the silver lining in that

and talk about the positive. And if there is something bad, we try to make light of it a little bit. We do need to talk about it so it doesn't happen again, but we kind of make fun of it or make it a joke a little bit or have fun with it so they're not taking it so hard. I'm not in for somebody. I don't want them to turn around and have their head down and walk away. you want them to feel good about things.

So obviously there's tough love, and you've got to be honest, you can't just act like it's a dug-on carnival all the time. But you need to tell them the truth, and they didn't learn from their mistakes. But there's a way to approach it and talk about it where they still feel positive and still feel good about things when they walk away. I always say that you need to let people walk away

feeling good about some things. So you might give them a couple things to work on, but then you pump them up about some things they did really well or some things you really like or whatever. So I always try to play that. you can read their by language and look in their eyes and stuff like that and kind of see, you know, how they're accepting that information as well. And then you decide, you know, can you give more?

Do you have to back off or whatever? So that's something that I enjoy as well. Coach, how do you deal with the injury situation? You guys, I mean, you've got, it's tough being an independent, you know, working with salary caps and budget issues and trying to get the right players in, the right fit in, the right type of personality to fit into your family. family. You've had some injuries on this up and down this roster. How are you getting through? I'll tell you what, it's a good question. And it's independent baseball is one of the hardest things you'll ever do unless you experience it yourself. See, minor league baseball,

major league baseball, yes, everybody's trying to win, but you have a farm system. You can pick up players. You have basically unlimited resources so you can go out and do whatever you need to do or spend money on whoever and you have people in your organization. Independent baseball, you have the team you have and you're really not in this league you're not allowed to have really over that amount it's tough to kind of keep extra players around and and so you you know how do you weather that storm when guys get hurt or picked up you know and it's very tough you got to constantly be looking for other players you know to to fill in if there are injuries but then what do you do with those injured people you only got two dL spots and like I said some of the league rules make it kind of tough and then yeah

you're talking about a budget as well. Well, not to get to all the X and those of it, because it gets kind of complicated, but if the guys aren't on the DL long enough, they still count towards your budget as well. So you're taking a hit on your salary cap. And by the way, the salary cap is not very high. It's extremely low,

and that's tough to get top-knott talent for not a lot of money. So it's an extremely tough job. It really is. I'm not saying that just because I'm doing it. I just know it, and I wish a lot of people could experience it to see, you know, how hard it is. I remember I had a fan in Somerset one time, you know, yell down there and say, Brett, you got to get this guy out of there, man.

And I'm like, and talking about a pitcher on there on the mound that's getting hit around a little bit. And I'm thinking to myself, he's right. Like, I want to, but I can't because I have nobody down there. I have zero people down there to pitch. And then he said, well, at least make a mound visit. And at the time, we weren't allowed to make mound visits in the Atlantic League. So I was like, he's right about that, too. So I'm sitting there laughing at the rail.

Like, listen to this guy yelling at me behind me. And I'm like, he's exactly right, but I can't do anything about it. You know, so there's times that those things happen where, yeah, I know I need to make a pitching mover. I know I need to get this guy out of the lineup, but I can't because we don't have anybody else. So it's a never-ending process. It's continual. Very rarely will you ever have the team exactly how you want it.

And if you do, it only lasts for a day or two usually. Like I said, I can count on one hand how many times. I've had the team exactly how I won it in all my years of coaching. So it's the never-ending process. It's very tireless, and it's tough. But it also makes it fun, especially if you're rewarded for it by winning some games or, you know, accomplishing a playoff berth and obviously, you know, winning the entire thing. It really comes to a climax then, and it's all worth it.

But that's tough. You know, you're talking about one out of 12 teams that actually are happy at the end because only one team is going to win the last game of the year. So it's tough. Coach, it's interesting. I mean, through 35 games, you don't have any players who've played all your games. That's how much management you have to do that you haven't been able to put the same any player in the lineup every day.

That's remarkable. Yeah, there's been a lot of changes. I've said, I feel like we're, you know, 135 in right now compared to last year, even. And I've had years like this. And I told our assistant coaches last night, I'm like, it's going to be like this all year. I've been here, I've done this, and that's just how it's going to be. It's not like it's going to fix itself and we're going to be fine the rest of the way. Like we're going to have to keep scrambling and keep making moves and doing what we have to do to make this thing work.

And then our guys are working hard and we're trying to make that happen. And our players are playing through a lot of bumps and bruises and injuries. I mean, we have guys that can steal bases, but they can't run right now. And people don't know that either. Why are they jogging the first? Well, because that's all they could do right now, you know. but they're really good hitters. Like they got a chance they had a home run at any time.

So it's been tough to navigate, and the pitcher's the same way. I think we got, we have maybe three college guys in the starting rotation right now that we just picked up recently. And I say college guys, I'm not saying how to make fun of it. They are good quality arms that we're hoping might get drafted

still coming up and they're doing a great job for us. But that's just what we've had to do lately to make up for somebody. I think we lost three or four arms last week. so it's been a lot of making up and a lot of learning on the fly and we're trying to do the best we can coach can you take us through you guys just came off the three games set on the road and you get in late and then you've got you're you know another homestand sitting here waiting for you from travel and meals and that sort of thing give us can you give us a little bit of the last 12 hours for you guys so we play the game last night which was actually really quick because we didn't score so we lost one nothing last night which wasn't you know what wasn't good but on getaway day if you're gonna get shut out that's when you want to do it's on getaway day so and then after the game I think last night we had you know we're in Sioux Falls we have you know hamburgers hot dogs and french fries which anybody knows is a nutritious dinner for for athlete you know so

So we have that. So we're going on that. And we get in about 2 or 2.30 in the morning, which is not bad at all. That's actually pretty early. And I was able to go to bed at 4 and I got up at 7. So I'm well rested this morning and everything's good. And I'm actually doing some laundry right now. And I'm trying to watch my daughter on Baller TV play some volleyball.

And I'm trying to found an outfielder at the same time. That's kind of what's going on. I haven't eaten breakfast yet. I probably won't eat my first meal until about one or so. And that's kind of just the last 12 hours, I guess. I might have given you more than that. I don't know it all runs together, as you can see. Oh, no, Coach, I was just thinking about it.

I was just thinking about it. I've been around it long enough to go, this is not a good stretch, which is why truly I wanted to say thank you for you making time this morning because I know you are just dog tired. Man, actually, you just kind of go on adrenaline. And look, when you get back home, that's when you can kind of recharge the batteries a little bit. You get in your own, where your so-called own bed. You eat a little bit better.

You get on a better schedule. But it is tough. I mean, the trip up to Winnipeg took us 16 hours. So we played a night game. I don't remember what night. I think it was Thursday night here. And we get on the bus. I think we left at 1145 from Haymarket Park.

And we got into Winnipeg. I want to say three. 3.30 in the afternoon. And we play that night. So, and we're on a bus. And it's not a sleeper bus. It's a bus. It's a regular bus. Not a school bus now. It's a charter, but it's a bus, you know.

And if you've been on one of those things, I'm sure you have, they're not great. They are not fun, man. But you know what? I mean, that just shows the resiliency of these guys. And you got to want it, man. You got to get after it. And you got to embrace that, too. That's, you know, one of my speeches at the beginning of the year.

You got to not just enjoy the good times and when things are going great and things are easy, but you've got to find a way to enjoy that long bus ride and get out there and improve your manhood and go out there and get it done on the field. You know, and the guys are used to that and they do that, but it's tough. You know, the older I get, the tougher it gets. I mean, it used to be pretty easy now. My back's hurting, you know what I mean? Yeah, there's some recovery required.

That's right. That's right. That's right. But it is fun, man. You know, I'm painting this certain picture. because you're asking those questions, and there's a lot of good things involved, too, and a lot of memories in the locker room and all that stuff that we haven't got into. But there's definitely some behind the scenes.

It's a lot of tough things these guys have to go through for a little bit, you know. For the love of the game. For the love of the game. That's it. And that chance, man, that opportunity, right? Everybody sees a guy on TV making millions. Well, there's that chance, and some of these guys are not far away from that, but it is a process and it is tough.

Man, it's different. For the listeners who have not made it out to Assault Dogs game, give them a couple of players that they can look forward to seeing if they come out this weekend. Josh Altman's a guy that's very exciting. He led our team last year with 29 home runs, plays a good middle infield, played in the Rangers organization. He's a lot of fun to watch.

Really our lineup, Toddle, Randy Norris is a guy that's high, you know, high energy and one of our outfielers, he leads off a lot of times for us and has been doing a good job for us. Ryan Long, he can hit a home run at any time. So that's some of our, you know, hitters and stuff. And obviously a lot of the guys bring high energy and just really care. Love the fans, love the, love the team, love the organization, just want to go out there and put on a good show for everybody and win ball games.

And then Stefan Moore is a guy that is a relief. before us and man he's he's been dominant he gets it up to 97 miles an hour from the left side uh we're hoping he gets you know get the chance to get back to affiliated pretty soon which he's been getting some attention so hopefully he gets uh gets a chance of that uh and then kyle kynman the guy's been with us for a few years local guy from omaha uh he's he's starting tonight he's on the hill and uh man he's he's i think he was i know he's pitcher the month last year i don't I don't know if he's pictured the year or what, but he led the league in ERA, I believe, and looking for him to give us a good chance tonight to win the ball game,

so he's always fun to watch. So, yeah, there's a lot of good thing, a lot of fun things. You never know what's going to happen out there either. You know, it's exciting. And heck, I'm excited about watching you guys take some BP today, man. I hear some of these resumes. I may be trying to find some of you guys. Hey, Steve Taylor and Strick.

Strick and still, I know he can go yard from the left-hand side. Taylor was drafted by the Yankees. Yeah, and me 40 years ago. We could have talked about it before all the pins and screws took place. Coach, when will you make a decision on whether you guys are going to take BP? Because the thunderstorms kind of came in and they said there may be some more. How do you make that? How and when will you make that decision?

Yeah, I stay in touch with Kyle Truitt, our head grounds keeper. And I look at the radar as well, and we kind of come up with a game playing. and it's always on until it's not. So we'll plan and move forward like we're going to do it. I've already announced to the whole team that we're going to do it, and we're excited to see you guys out there and take some BP with you guys and cut up with y'all. So looking forward to it.

So, yeah, it's on until it's not. One thing I've noticed, though, about this, you're not having too much time in this Midwest, but man, this weather's been crazy this year. Yep. I think we finished the game the other night. Last pitch was thrown. We're walking off the field,

and the tornado sirens go off and have the teams looking at me. like, what is that noise? I think that's a tornadoes are. And so not to laugh at it. It's not funny, but it's just the weather's been really crazy. A lot of thunderstorms. We had hail on the field the other day, and, you know, it's been crazy. So nothing surprises me, but hopefully we can get it in and everything's fine.

And like I said, we definitely look forward to it. 7 o'clock first pitch down at Haymarket Park. Coach, thank you, guys. We'll see you around for this afternoon. Sounds good. Look forward to it, guys. All right. Good stuff from Bradshaw.

Yeah, that's going to be fun. It'll be fun. I'm going to try to resist, Mark. I make no promises, though, because my- You really should make that promise. My inner 12-year-old is just like, no, you got to go. Yeah, but as Rico likes to say, you're more machine than man at this point. Yeah, yeah.

So I'm pretty sure Becky will call me at like 350 and just... Just give you that last reminder. Well, what she's going to do is she'll send me a video of them with my bicep open. Yeah, right. and then with the two splintered ligament out pulled out, just to remind me of how much I went through just to get back to pseudo-normal. You can keep that video to yourself, by the way.

She keeps it on her phones. Like, she's got it ready. She's like, yeah, just so you know. And oh, by the way, she goes, I've got pictures of you from your spinal fusion surgery. So, you know, she's prepared. She's prepared. She knows her husband.

but he's a bit of an idiot. And yeah, he'll have to be talked off the lights. So we'll throw it to break. Good stuff from Brett Jody from the Lincoln Salt Dogs. More 101 when we come back. Download our app by searching 93.7, the ticket in your app store. You're listening to One-on-One with DP on 937 the Ticket in the Ticketfm.com.