An Army of Normal Folks - The Matheny Manifesto

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill dives into "The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager's Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life." Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, everybody. It's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. Welcome to Shop Talk. Oh, look. Alex just walked in. Oh, look. Oh, look, there he is. You've got to stop this theater act of yours. It's a little cheesy. It feels like the, I feel like I'm doing like the 1930s, like, radio TV where everybody sat around and looked at a radio and just listened to it. That's what I know you're gone insane.

And you're up at 4.30 each morning, and, like, this is your way to, like, give yourself a little break. I know. Here comes Alex. You've been with me five days this week. You're over Alex. Hold it. Here comes Alex. The door's opening.

He's still ugly. That wasn't bad. It's pretty good. Anyway, how you doing, man? Good. We had actually an awesome premium members call last night. That was a lot of fun. If we had more premium members, it could have been more awesome.

Well, so there are 45 premium members. That's who can make the call. But we need 545 premium members. Just to be clear, though, we're putting it on pause for a couple months while we're sorting through some stuff. But we got some exciting plans. There's some announcements coming up. Yeah, there's some announcements coming up. And the premium members know it, but nobody else can right now.

That's the benefit of being a premium member. You get the inside scoop on what's going on. And trust me, y'all, there's some big news coming. And there's a lot going on. Sure. About to blow this thing. lying up. That's what we're going to do. We're going to blow this thing out. All right, let's get into it. Welcome to Shop Talk. We're going to talk about the Mathini manifesto. Mike

Mathini, and this is hard for me because I'm a huge Cubs fan, and he played for everybody but the Cubs, and he's really best known for playing for the Cubs nemesis, the St. Louis Cardinals. But anyway, Mike Mathini played Major League Baseball for 13 seasons as a catcher for the Brewers, the Blue Jays, the Cardinals, the Cardinals, and the San Francisco Giants. Let's see, not Kansas City, not in Carolina. So he played for teams not in fake barbecue cities. He then coast his kids. We've got to drop this.

The X getting old. Is it? I'll leave it alone. But that's the last one. Can we just leave that in there? Sure. Okay, good. He then, oh, look, somebody's barbecuing.

right over there. Do you smell it? Let's go get some. All right. He then coached his kids baseball teams after his retirement and then coached professionally as the manager of the Cardinals seven seasons and the Royals for three. So, you know, the guy spent about 25 years in Major League Baseball and Mathini was known as a really tough, really good player and a really good manager. Then he coached his kids, which I love. And when coaching his kids, he sent a letter to the team's parents that has since gone viral. And the letter inspired him to write a book about it called the Mathini Manifesto, a young manager's old school views on success and sports in life.

I'm going to read it to you. After the break from these generous sponsors. I'm going to, would you just sit behind your curtain and pull some levers? It sounded like you're about to read it. No, I'm going to read it to you, and I have read this probably ten times before, and every single time I read it, I'm inspired by it, and I think it's a great shop talk fodder. So, right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors, the Mathini Manifesto on Shop Talk, number 65.

American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy AF and they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history and I find the answers, including the nudge of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar.

And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon.

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide.

We'll see Buzz. overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin. Good luck to you. And become a true hero.

Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? Can you translate? On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where

you get your podcasts. When I became a journalist, I was the first Latina in the newsrooms where I worked. I'm Maria Inojosa. I dreamt of having a place where voices that have been historically sidelined would instead be centered. For over 30 years now, Latino USA has been that place. This is Latino USA, the Radio Journal of News and Cultura. As the longest running Latino News and Culture Show in the United States, Latino USA delivers

the stories that truly matter to all of us. from sharp and deep analysis of the most pressing news. They're creating these narrative that immigrants are criminals. This is about everyone's freedom of speech. Nobody expected two popes from the American continent to stories about our cultures and our identities. When you do get a trans character like Imidavetes, the trans community is going to push back on that.

Colorism, all of these things like exist in Mexican culture and Latino culture. You'll hear from people like Congresswoman, A.O.C. I don't want to give them my fear. I'm not going to give them my fear. Listen to Latino USA as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? Where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero cents, and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd.

Host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind a movie pass, black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie pass the company that he founded. His story is wild, and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt,

They're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency. and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this.

It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise.

lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real, wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing. Listen to no such thing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Alex and I are chowling down on some good Memphis barbecue ribs. And I'm going to take a break and have a donut from Gibson's and read you this letter.

Because Memphis is also the home of the best donuts on Earth. All right. Letter from Mike Mathini. I've always said that the only team that I would coach would be a team of orphans. And now, here we are. The reason me for saying that is that I found the biggest problem with U-Sports has been the parents. I think that it's best to nip this in the bud right off the bat, and I think the concept that I'm asking all of you to grab is that experience is all about the boys.

If there's anything about it that includes you, we need to make a change of plans. My main goals are as follows. To teach these young men how to play the game of baseball right away, to be a positive impact on them. young men and to do this with class. We may not win every game, but we will be the classiest coaches, players, and parents in every game we play. The boys are going to play with respect for their teammates, opposition, and the umpires no matter what. With that being said, I need to let you know where I stand. I have no hidden agenda. I have no ulterior motive other than what I've said

about my goals. I also need all of you to know that my priorities in life will most likely be part of how I coach and the expectations I have for the boys. My Christian faith is the guide for my life, and I have never been one for forcing my faith on someone's throat, but I also believe it cowardly and hypocritical to shy away from what I believe. You as parents need to know for yourselves and for your boys that when the opportunity presents itself, I'll be honest with what I believe. That may make some people uncomfortable, but I did that as a player, and I hope to continue it in any endeavor that I get into. I'm just trying to get as many potential issues out and open from the beginning.

I believe that the biggest role of the parent is to be a silent source of encouragement. I think if you ask most boys what they would want their parents to do during the game, they would say nothing. Once again, this is all about the boys. I believe that a little league parent feels that they must participate with loud cheering and come on, let's go, you can do it, which just adds more pressure the kids. I'll be putting plenty of pressure on these boys to play the game the right way with class and respect, and they will put too much pressure on themselves and each other already.

You as parents need to be silent, constant source of support. Let the record stand now that we will not have good on powering. This is a fact. And the sooner that we all understand that, the better off we will be. We will have balls that bounce in the dirt that will be called strikes, and we have balls over our heads that will be called strikes. Likewise, the opposite will happen with the strike zone while we're pitching. The boys will not be allowed at any time to show any emotion against the umpire.

They will not shake their head or pout or say anything to the umpire. That's my job. I will do it well. I once got paid to handle those guys and I will let them know when they need to hear something. I'm really doing all of your parents a favor that you probably don't realize at this point. I've taken out any work at all for you except to get them there on time and enjoy. The thing that these boys need to hear is that you enjoyed watching them and you hope they had fun. I know that it's going to be very hard not to coach from the stands and yell encouraging things to your son,

but I'm confident that this works in a negative way for their development and their enjoyment. Trust me on this. I'm not saying that you cannot clap for your kids when they do well. I am saying that if you hand your child over to me to coach them, then let me do that job. A large part of how your child improves is your responsibility. The difference for kids at this level is the amount of repetitions they get. This goes with pitching, hitting, and fielding. As a parent, you can help out tremendously by playing catch, throwing batting practice, hitting ground balls, or finding an instructor who will do this in your place.

The more of this your kids can get the better. This is the one constant that I've found with players that reach the major leagues. Someone spent time with them away from the field. I am completely fine with your son getting lessons from whoever you see fit, The only problem I have is if your instructor's telling your son not to follow the plan of the team. I will not teach a great deal of mechanics at the beginning, but I will teach mental approach and expect the boys to comply. If I see something the son is doing mechanically that is drastically wrong, I will talk with the instructor and clear things up. The same will hold true with pitching coaches.

We will have a pitching philosophy and will teach the pitchers and the catchers how to call a game and why we choose the pitches we choose. There's no guessing. We will have a reason for the pitch as we throw. A pitching coach will be helpful for the boys to get their arms in shape and will be ready to throw when spring arrives. Every boy in this team will be worked as a pitcher. We will not overuse these young arms and will keep close watch on the number of endings the boys are throwing.

I will not be throwing so much info at these boys that are going to suffer from overload. But eventually, they're going to get it. I'm a stickler about the thought process of the game. I will be talking nonstop. about situational hitting, situational pitching, and defense of preparation. The question they're going to hear the most is, what were you thinking, what were you thinking when you threw the pitch? What were you thinking during that at bat?

What were you thinking before the pitch was thrown? Were you anticipating anything? I'm a firm believer that this game is more mental than fiscal, and the mental may be more difficult, but can be taught and can be learned by a 10 or 11-year-old. If it sounds like I'm going to be demanding of these boys, you're exactly right. I'm definitely going to be demanding their attention. And the other thing that I'm going to require is effort. Their attitude, their concentration, and their effort are the things that they can control.

If they give me these things every time they show up, they have a great experience. The best situation for all of us is for you to plan on handing these kids over to me and the assistant coaches when you drop them off and plan on them being mine for the two or so hours that we have to plan on. have scheduled for a game or the time that we have scheduled for practice. I would like for these boys to have some responsibility for having their own water, not needing you to keep running to the concession stand, or having parents behind the dugout asking their sons if they're thirsty or hungry or too hot. And I would appreciate it if you would share this information with other invited guests

like grandparents. If there's an injury, obviously we will get you to help. But besides that, let's pretend they are at work for a short amount of time that you've been granted the pleasure of watching. I will have them at games early so we can get stretched and loosened up. I will have a meeting with just the boys after the game. After the beating, they're all yours again. As I'm writing this, I sound like the Little League Nazi, but I believe that this will make things easier for everyone involved. I truly believe that the family is the most important institutional lives of these guys. With that being said, I think that the family events

are much more important than the sporting events. I just ask that you consider the rest of the team and let the team manager and myself know when you will miss and to let us know as soon as possible. I know that there will be times where I'm going to miss either for family reasons or other commitments. If your son misses a game or practice, it's not the end of the world.

But there may be some sort of repercussions just out of respect for the kids that put in the effort to making it. The kind of repercussions could possibly be running, altered playing time, or position in the batting order. Speaking of batting order, I would like to address that right from the top as well,

seeing that next to playing time is the second most complained about issue or actually tied for second with position on defense. Once again, I need you to know that I'm trying to develop each boy individually and I'll give them a chance to learn and play any position they're interested in. I also believe this team will be competitive,

and when we get in a situation where folks in a winning like a tournament, we're going to put the boys a position that will give the team the best opportunity. I will talk to the boys individually and have them tell me what their favorite position is and what are the position they'd like to learn. As the season progresses, there's a chance your son may be playing a position they don't necessarily like, but I will need you to support their role on the team. I know that times have changed, but one of the greatest lessons my father taught me

was that my coach was always right, even when he was wrong. The principal is a great life lesson about how. things really work. I hope that I'll have enough humility to come to your son if I treat wrong and apologize. Our culture has lost this respect for authority mostly because the kids hear parents constantly complaining about the teachers and coaches of the child. I need all of you to know that we're most likely going to lose many games this year. The main reason is that we need to find out how we measure up against the local talent pool. The only way to do that is play against some of the best teams. I'm convinced if the boys put their work in at home and give me

their best effort, that we will be able to play with just about any team. Tom will tell. I also believe that there's enough local talent that we will not have to do a large amount of travel, if any. This may be disappointing for those of you who only play baseball and look forward to being out of town, but I also know that this is a relief for the parents that have traveled throughout the United States and Canada for hockey and soccer looking for better competition. In my experiences, we've traveled all over the Midwest and have found just as good competition right in our backyard. And if this season goes well, we will entertain the idea of travel in the future. The boys will be required to show up ready to play every time they come

to the field. Church tucked in, hats on straight, and pants not drooping down to their knees. It's not an excuse for lack of hustle. There is not an excuse for lack of hustle on a baseball field. From their first step outside the dug-up, they will hustle. They will have a fast jog to their position, to the plate, and back to the bench when they make an out. We will run out every hit harder than any team we play. We will learn how to always back up a play to help our teammates. Every single play, every player will be required to move to a spot. Players that do not hustle and run out balls will not play. The boys will catch on to this quickly. The game of baseball becomes very boring when players are not thinking about the next play and what they possibly

could do to help the team. Players on the bench will not be messing around. I will constantly talking with them about situations and what they would be doing if they were in a specific position or if they were the batter. There's as much to learn on the bench as there is on the field if the boys want to learn. All of this will take some time for the boys to conform to. They're boys, and I'm not trying to take away from that. But I do believe they can bear down and concentrate hard for just a while during the games and practices. We'll be right back. Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't.

Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin. Good luck to you. And become a true hero.

Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me. Tom Lithgow. Can you put it through? No, can you translate?

On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy AF, and they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline. the show where you send us your questions about American history, and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says,

the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When I became a journalist, I was the first Latina in the newsrooms where I worked. I'm Maria Inojosa.

I dreamt of having a place where voices that have been historically sidelined would instead be centered. For over 30 years now, Latino USA has been that place. This is Latino USA, the Radio Journal of News. As the longest running Latino news and culture show in the United States, Latino USA delivers the stories that truly matter to all of us. From sharp and deep analysis of the most pressing news, they're creating this narrative that immigrants are criminals. This is about everyone's freedom of speech.

Nobody expected two popes from the American continent to stories about our cultures and our identities. When you do get a trans character like Imile Perez, the trans community is going to push back on that. Colorism, all of these things like exist in Mexican culture and Latino culture. You'll hear from people like Congresswoman, AOC. I don't want to give them my fear. I'm not going to give them my fear. Listen to Latino USA as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network,

available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9, it made zero cents and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Richard Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind a movie pass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie pass the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into

how culture connects us. When you go to France, Are you go to England? Are you go to Hong Kong? Those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like.

They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine that you're on an airplane.

and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control.

And they're saying like, okay, pull this. Do this, pull that, turn this. It's just... I can do it my eyes close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of, questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack

expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to no such thing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know this works because this is how I was taught the game and how our parents acted in the stands. We started our little league team when I was 10 years old and a little sub suburb of Columbus, Ohio. We had a very disciplined coached that expected the same for us. We committed eight summers to this man and we were rewarded for our efforts.

I went to Michigan, one went to Duke, one went to Miami, two into North Carolina, One went to Central Florida, one went to Kent State, and most of the other smaller division one or division two baseball. Four of us went on to play professionally. This was coming from a town where no one had ever been recruited by a single college. I'm not saying that this is what's going to happen to our boys, but what I do want you to see is that the system works. I know that right now you're asking yourself, if this is what you want to get yourself into and understand that for some of you, it may not be the right fit. I also think there's a great opportunity for these boys to grow together and learn some lessons that will go beyond

their baseball experience. Let me know as soon as possible whether or not this is a commitment that you and your son want to make. Thanks, Mike Mathini. Holy moly, we don't have two hours for shop talk, but this kicks helicopter parents right in the pants and the end of it reminds me so much of when Bill Wooden, I mean, Bill Walton, showed. up to practice after being gone a summer for Coach Wooden. And Coach Wooden's rules were cropped haircut off the collar, which Walton did as freshman year. Comes back his senior software year does again, junior son.

But by then Bill Walton was all American and all everybody. And so he comes back his senior year, having been up in the Pacific Northwest, with a redhead full of hair halfway down his back. and sideburns everywhere. And Coach Wooden said, hey, Bill, you know, what's up with all the hair and the sideburns? And he started talking about how he'd grown, he'd matured. He was now a young man. Clearly, he didn't say it, but in the back of his mind, he's like, you can't live without me.

I'm the All-American. And said that he just felt like, you know, he had the right to express his individuality, to which Wooden said, Bill, I am so proud of you for feeling so strongly about your individuality. I appreciate the way you've communicated it, and, you know, I respect your decision to do what you want to with your hair, and UCLA basketball will miss you this year. Walt went straight into the locker room, cut his hair, shaved his sideboards, and went to practice. In other words, there's a certain way this team's going to handle themselves and

handle their discipline. And this is what expected to be part of this organization. And I understand if you don't want to be part of that, you're free to go. But this is how it's going to be. Because in the real world, there are simply things you're going to have to do that you may not want to do. And that's what Mathini is, not only teaching these boys, but these parents. I coached so many years, and he is so, the, he's convinced that the only thing he's ever going to coach is orphans because the real problem with coaching kids is the parents. It's so true. Rarely can you not reach a kid. Rarely, very rarely in 33 years. Have I ever had a kid, I'm just like he's uncoached, but I can't deal with it.

But there have been... Even Chavis, you got there. Yeah, I mean, even Chavis. But, I mean, young kids do. And in girls basketball, the same thing. But, holy smokes, I'm not going to do it. I could name... I could name 20 to 30 parent situations that I thought there's no way I'm ever going to get these parents to see things for how it's supposed to be.

And Mike Mathini has done a beautiful job in trying to explain to parents. I'm going to do a great job for your sons if you'll stay out of the way and be a parent and let me coach. And the helicopter parenting thing, the individuality thing, the commitment to your teammates, all of it. I think it speaks volumes. And the proof is in the pudding. when you read the list of where all of those kids, after eight years, ended up playing in college and four professionally off that little team out of Columbus

that had never ever had one single baseball kid recruited. That's not just about talent. It's also about attitude and approach. And that's basically what the Mathini Manifesto is about. This was Alex's idea. for shop talk so i'm going to allow him to speak now but that was pretty cool you're going to say so nice about me for once actually is a great idea and i've read it a hundred times before and actually i use some of this and my own coaching especially when talking about team discipline and selfishness and

stuff and um also there's a small line in there where he says he's hope he's humble enough to apologize when he's wrong i say that to all of my teams too because i'm him being and i'm being and I don't make the best calls all the time and I make mistakes. And sometimes I get on the wrong kid and the humility as a coach to apologize rather than to think that that shows some kind of weakness is a poor coaching technique. And the fact that he even says that in this letter is awesome. I mean, if you want to coach, read this letter, follow this manifest. You want to be a good parent.

Yeah, if you want to be a good parent, read the letter um it's great stuff it is when did you first read it uh i probably heard about i went viral and i think i shared with you i got to spend a day with him which is cool so my my friend runs the school and they were looking for good speakers and i had a connection to mike so i got to book him for for the school and got to spend the day with them it was pretty cool that's pretty cool as he is as he is cool a guy as he seems yeah he's great um yeah the only thing i'll add is on the travel use sports i don't know we talked about this before but Jack Marucci, my friend who accidentally created the number one selling baseball bat in the country.

It's a funny story. You know, don't tell a little story. Maybe we do that for a shop told. Yeah, okay. But just remember Jack Marucci made some bats down at LSU. But he said, like, his kid ended up playing college baseball, but he knew early on that his son wasn't going to be in the major leagues. So it was like a little kid.

He could tell, like, you do not have the God-given talent to play in the major leagues. You're good. You're fine for high school ball and even college ball, but you just don't have that. And so he said, we're not doing travel ball. Yeah. This is a waste of time and money. And he also talked about how it took away from the love of the game. Like, when you do that, you're treating these kids like they're going to work and a job,

whereas they can't enjoy the pure fun, enjoy a baseball, and the kids who didn't do the travel and just had a great summer and they're coming back and enjoying playing the sport. Plus, you can put some false impressions in these kids' heads. And, I mean, it's not very cool to be 16 or 17 years old and finally come to the recognition that you're not good enough to go play pro ball, although you're a really good high school player, maybe play some college ball. But, you know, when you do too much of this stuff starting at 8, 9, and 10 years old, I mean, you run the risk of depressing an 18-year-old that should really be celebrating

his fun baseball seasons. It kind of reminds me of if we should close, wrap on the shop talk, it's a long one. But there's someone really rich who I interviewed once who said, like, you know, we do not stay at fancy hotels as a family. We're going to like stay at the holiday and like an I don't want to set my kids up for failure, like the expectation of like, hey, you need to make all this money and live this lifestyle. And if you don't live this lifestyle, you're a failure.

Like, why would I do that to my kids? I love that. It's good stuff. All right. So that's shop talk number 25, the Mathini Manifesto. I read every word of it, but obviously you can Google it and read it again if you want to pick up some nuggets of wisdom out of it. As we close, I want to say this. On August 20th, we're hosting a live recorded podcast in Memphis with Peter Mudebazi.

Is that it? That's right. That's right. who is known as, get this, the foster dad flipper. The reason why, Phil just, you know, he's not flipping kids. That's not why he actually took on so many kids. He was trying to figure out, like, what can I do for work that would help me have like a flexible schedule. So he quit his normal job and started flipping houses.

Is that really it? Yeah, so it's the combination of his two things, the foster dad flipper. I got it. So that's who we're doing a thing with. he's the most famous foster dad in all of America. He's fostered like 47 kids. He's fostered almost as many kids as we have shop talks. He's adopted three.

He's about to adopt three more. And this radical love he has for children has gone viral. And he's got 2.5 million followers on social media. So come to it. Do you know what's going to be? Yeah, so we are doing it at Agape, Child and Family Services Office. They're co-presenting the event with us. Isn't that cool?

Makes complete sense. So, RSVP on August 20th, Fosterdadflipper. Dot Eventbright.com. Fosterdadflipper. Dot event bright. com live recording at Memphis on August 20th. What time? 1130 to 1.

So we're doing it as one of the lunch and listens where you feel free to bring your lunch there too. Yeah. Bring your lunch. Listen. Meet this guy. hear the story. Peter Mutabazi. Pretty cool. Then we're doing another one. I'm doing another live event. This one's in Oxford, Mississippi, otherwise known as Camelot, God's Country, and the best place on Earth, because that's where Ole Miss is. It's on August 28th. Alex is working me to the

bone. So we're doing this one with Sparky Reardon. Sparky was the Dean of Students when I was there before and after. It's been a long time. Sparky was a huge, huge mentor and inspiration to me, remains an inspiration to me, and I would dare say he's my friend. There is a lot that went on when I was at Ole Miss that he helped me with when I was down there. I took a class from him on leadership, and so much of what I learned from him in those days, I still apply in my life today. So Sparky wrote a new book. It's called the Dean memoirs and missives and uh sparky is one of the funniest guys he's got a thousand stories some are hilarious some are inspirational some will tug at your hearts there's no way you can

sit not sit and listen this man for an hour and a half and learn and laugh and grow so august 28th what time is this thing uh it's like 630 where uh at the end at old We're doing it with the Old Miss Women's Council for Philanthropy. There you go. We'll go over his book and have a good time with them. So you can come to that. So RSVP for that, which is SparkyWridden. Dot Eventbrite.com.

Sparkywarden.com. Guys, please RSVP to these two things. Come, have fun. Go to both. But definitely RSVP because these things are starting to get popular and spots do fill up. So that's Shop Talk number 65. That's the, that's kind of the work we've got going on. And if this shop talk has inspired you to get involved, do so.

Lots of stuff you can listen to on an Army of Normal Folks to get involved on. If you have any ideas for Shop Talk or an Army of Normal Folks, let me know. You can write me any time at Bill at NormalFolks.us, and I will respond. If you like this Shop Talk, share it with friends and on social, subscribe to our podcast, rate it, review it, join the Army at normalfokes. Us. Help us grow this thing. The more of you working, the more of you talking, the more of this community we have, the more impact we can have on our country. Alex, ain't anything else?

No, we got to close this one up. Is there a clock on it? It was a clock on your schedule. You got to go coach football soon. That's right. All right. That's shop talk number 65. We'll see you guys next week. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, a different type of podcast. You, the listener, ask the questions. Did George Washington really cut down a cherry? Were JFK and Marilyn Monroe having an affair?

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