Bussin' With The Boys - Bryce Harper On Being Called "Not Elite", Leaving Nationals For Phillies + MLB Salary Cap? | Bussin'

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Recorded: February 9th 2026 | On this episode of Bussin’ With The Boys, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan kick things off talking about the vacation's they are currently on. Will is soaking up the sun in Hawaii while Taylor is up in Canada. The boys dive into into debates about the worst TV endings of all time like The Sopranos and Game Of Thrones. Then Bryce Harper joins the boys on the bus before heads to Florida for the start of MLB Spring Training. The boys immediately dive into Nashville food scene and Bryce is on the side of Taylor, it could be improved. Bryce then gets into what it was like growing up being coined as “The Chosen One.” He gets into his journey in high school and how he decided to leave high school early to enroll in college so that he could be drafted earlier, which is a wild story. The guys get into some of the unwritten rules about baseball and how Bryce ended up fighting a pitcher which is a hilarious story. Bryce talks about what all went into him leaving the Washington Nationals and what lead him to eventually signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.   Bryce then brings up how the President of Baseball Operations called him "no longer and eliter player". He gets into how he felt about those comments and how that isn't something that really motivates him. He has also been very vocal as to why baseball should not have a salary cap and he dives into why he feels that way. The boys also ask Bryce how much longer he wants/plans to continue play and the answer may surprise you.  If you’re into MLB interviews, Bryce Harper highlights, locker room stories, free agency drama, and unfiltered athlete conversations, you will love this episode. As always, bug hugs and tiny kisses. TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro2:46 The Boys Are On Vacation16:45 Hating The Endings Of Shows34:08 Christian McCaffrey Chasing The Edges38:28 The Shop Has Mice43:26 Bryce Harper Preview47:43 BRYCE HARPER INTERVIEW STARTS49:23 Will and Bryce Used To Run Washington51:38 Philadelphia's Wild Fan Base54:02 Getting Hit By A Baseball vs Football56:43 Nashville Food Scene Is Eh1:10:26 Being “The Chosen One”1:20:47 He Wanted To Be A Two Way Player In College1:27:21 Unwritten Rules Of Baseball 1:37:21 Leaving Washington & Free Agency In Baseball1:48:02 Changing Positions & Tommy John Surgery2:01:47 Peptides Should Be Legalized2:12:31 Being A Dad While Playing 162 Games2:18:56 He Doesn’t Necessarily Want His Kids Playing Baseball2:28:49 “Bryce Is No Longer An Elite Player”2:32:42 Getting Out Of A Funk In Baseball2:44:14 World Baseball Classic 2:50:54 What Sport Has The Best Athletes?3:01:59 Bud Light Question3:03:12 Salary Cap In Baseball?3:07:17 How Long Does He Want To Play?3:12:26 Has Bryce Contributed To NIL?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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get started. How are we feeling, boys? Feeling great. We are the week. So as you guys are watching this or listening to this, we recorded this episode last week. We're also recording this intro from the previous week because the boys, we are going to be on vacation as you guys are listening. Yeah. You'll be up north, north of the wall in Canada. I'll be down in Hawaii, hopefully catching some rays, catching some sun, hopefully. If I could just, if I could switch with you, I would. So how did? How did? the Canada unfold? Because at first it was Canada

and then Canada was off. Right. Then you were talking, try to find maybe some sunshine. Yeah, so we... Yeah, so we... Yeah, so we... Obviously, we had that announcement

on For the Dads that is also coming out this week. Oh, yeah, yeah, you're on For the Dads. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I'm on For the Dead. By the way, round of applause for me. I'm on For the Dad.

First guest on Four the Dad. Shout out, PT6, all right, dude. Like, Shockway, taking place on For the Dads. But I had myself, a quick little announcement and one of the things about that announcement that Talon's had going on is this little kind of like tear type thing that's not dangerous but hey if it gets worse

than it could be dangerous we need to take a little peek ski at that and make sure everything's good so then it was are we going to go to Canada because we bought a house in Canada December 1st we closed congratulations thank you all right and a lot for me okay hell yeah good up so far I'm having a hell of a year vacation home yeah I like that's like that clean day um so we were gonna go up and then it's seemed like maybe we couldn't, then we got it checked. They're like, hey, you seem like you're in a good spot right now. And then with Super Bowl week, it was like maybe we just will drive somewhere and, you know, take the easy way out of all these things.

Get back from Super Bowl and I tell, Talen, like, listen, anything the family wants to do, I'm down. So much so that we actually looked up flights to Italy. Like, that's how we're like just trying to get somewhere. Iceland, Italy, somewhere. In my brain, you guys know me, I'm always headed towards the warmth. How do I get warm in the wintertime? kind of where my, my, my, uh, my brain kind of goes.

But, you know, as I always keep looking, it's like, why don't we just get to Canada? Get the house for the first time. See your family. Take the kids up to Big Bear or wherever it is. It's not Big Bear. It's some sort of mountain that kids can go skiing in. I'll stand there at the base and just be like cold, but like watching my kids and enjoying it a whole lot. Yeah.

So that's kind of how. I'll go try a local craft beer by the bar. Right. Right. Kids out there. Just sit there. Get myself a gym beam and lemonade or something like that. Pop it at Kevin's natural foods.

and just chill, sit back, while my kids learn new crafts in the snow. And they're like, Dad, you should do it. It's like, honey. I'm drunk. You guys. By the way, Jared Beeman's sitting in for Mitch Carlson. Let's give him a round of applause.

Yeah. Dude's got crazy. He produced for the dads last week, too. So he sat in and produced that as well. What can't Jared Beeman do? It's funny right before you gave me that shout out. I, like, cut to the wrong camera to that. chair and then you're like give it up for Jared I was like I just fucked up but yeah dude so we ended up

just booking a last minute flight to Canada we're gonna go up there hang out I'm fired up dude I'm fired up to go out there the cold not fired up about that what were you pitching other destinations oh yeah and then when it landed on when it landed on Canada you're like I'll bend the knee here's how it started I was like man I was like we should have just gone up to Canada and then it sounds like yeah but the way your schedule worked and how you were talking, I got to sat back. She explained all the things I did wrong and I go, so you're telling me there's nothing you could have done differently in the situation.

And then she started explaining, I was like, you're right. Absolutely, it's 100% on me, which it usually is. So then Canada's kind of off the table, but we spoke about it. For some reason, Cabo San Lucas is like not okay with kids, which I disagree with 100%. Then I'm thinking about 30A,

but the weather's not that great in 38. Then I'm like, hey, St. Bart's, we can just go there. That'd be sick to hit the islands a little bit. bit, get a little tropical on them. That flight was like the same amount of time it would take to get to Canada. Then I'm like, yo, Italy, you've been wanting to go to Italy. I will just get on a plane and go to Italy.

Italy and February. Yeah. So I start putting this in together, four people, this. I look at the price. I'm like, that's not bad. It's not bad for all four people. So I started like dialing it in. It's like, yo, first class is like this.

Like, we're going to be money going to Italy. Turns out that one price wasn't for four. It was per. and then the price was over $50,000 when I get to the checkout I'm like, hey, Italy is off the table. We are 100% not going to Italy. Iceland, but those direct flights don't stop open until April.

How long were you thinking about going to Italy too? Like Italy as well. Like, oh, when we were having this conversation, so my daughter, she's in piano class at a certain time and there's like a 30 minute break then she has an hour-long song writing class. So during the hour-long songwriting class on Monday, I'm just in the car, vegging out.

And I'm just like gone on the phone with Tailin and Willow. And we're just talking about what should we do. So this is the, the conversation took about an hour. But I'm saying, I'm saying the duration of the trip. Like how long are you going to be? When are you getting back from Canada? I'm getting back Friday. Okay.

And is that what it was like set? That was really Thursday back the next Friday. Back the next Friday. Get in, get off, get out. If you're supposed to go to Italy. But I feel like eight days is solid, right? Yeah. Eight days is solid time.

Are you talking about if you went over to Italy? Yeah. Yeah. It all depends too, like how much you're trying to hit or what. That's right. I forgot, you're like my idiot, you're my idiot, dude, you're my fucking dumbass.

You're my Italy, like if you're there, yeah, if you're there, I forget how long we went. Was it two weeks? Was it 10 days? I know,

something like that. I think it was just under two weeks. Because I want to say we hit like three different places. Right. So you're going for eight days and you chose two spots that you wanted to hit. Like, yeah,

that'd be more than enough. Because Taylorin, she's been Italy a handful of times. Her best friend is like her husband that's right. Off the boat Italy. So Taylor has like, like whatever connects in Italy to get to all these places so we could just go and rip.

But yeah, once I saw the price tag for flying there, I'm like, this is not going to happen. Yeah. Not going to happen. But we looked all over the place and it ended up on, let's just deal with what we know. And that's Canada. Yeah. Go to the wall. Defend the wall.

Defend the wall. Check out. Stick my claim. Look around a little bit, you know? Yeah. Get behind enemy lines for the Olympic state place. My favorite thing to do when I'm in Canada with Thielan's family is just talk about how great America is and then egg them on about becoming the 51st state yeah and then they

talked to me about just play the hits yeah play the hits and him with the hits the best of soundtrack what is that is that japan that's japan yeah this is that mount fuji that's all fuji all right yeah and those are the cherry blossoms around it uh this is the largest amount americans to travel to japan in the history of the world was this year it japan is like totally on the map now of hey where should we vacay. So I was just throwing it out there for you guys maybe. I do feel like Japan has been hitting the headlines, been hitting the priorities. Yes.

The priorities. You know what's crazy? When I Googled best, where is the best place to go this time of year in the world? It had like the sunny ones and it had the snow ones. I don't know where Japan's at, but Japan popped up and I, in my brain like I went to the website and I was like popped in like BNA to it. Japan.com. I went to Japan.com.

Japan.org. Yeah. And it was 23 hours of flying and that quickly was like, yeah. We're out of here, dude. We're not doing that one. I didn't realize that. Yeah.

So Japan.com, we need direct flights. Direct flights from BNA. I'll check out Japan.com. So, Japan.com gets us, dude. But clean take? Clean take? Yeah, that's beautiful. Warm weather vacation

in the wintertime is the move. That's a clean take. That's a clean take That's a clean take, right? But also I would say like snow spots in the wintertime Like if you want to go somewhere sick I don't even know where

I'm saying that group of people too I feel like that's a clean take for them Yeah if you're a snow person Yeah like if you want to hit the slopes Right if everybody had Breckenridge If everyone had Taylor Luan brain Clean take got to get to the beach

In the wintertime Yeah Clean take Yeah yeah yeah I'd rather be in the sun Yeah You get a pasty white Get a little gross looking. You can come back with like a nice pink on you.

I hope so. I hope so. Come back with a nice pink on you. It'll turn to brown about late fab. Yeah. It'll be dying off. Maybe two weeks. Yep.

Yep. You'll hit the second week of March. You'll look exactly like this again. Yeah. But you have a nice little story arc taking place that's what to happen with your skin, which is nice. Yeah. Yeah. Very excited.

Very excited. Flying out to the islands. Island. One individual. Yeah. I'm flying out to an island. But I'm saying islands because all the stuff going on right now in the world. You don't want to say I'm flying.

to an island. What island are you going to? I think the big one. Gotcha. I think we were going to. Is that the actual title? Kona. Is that an island?

Kona. Or is that a place? I know Kona is a pepper song and that's a great song. Mm-hmm. So think about that. Did you type in? I typed in the big island,

which is the island of Hawaii. Oh. See if Kona's on that island. Everybody listening to the bus in the voice. Where is Kona, Hawaii? We got. Washington Nationals and Philly fans listening like, who the fuck are these guys right now?

Look up big Hawaii. Yeah. Like we said, the year of the audience, we're getting smarter together this year. Yeah, yeah, we're learning geographically. I tell you what, step one is, so is it, the island, the big one? Big island for Kona.

The big island is commonly known as the island of Hawaii, but there is also... Type in, where is Kona, Hawaii? Not which island is the biggest in Hawaiian Island chain. How do you feel right now, Sean? Like I just said words, you're talking about words. Which one's the biggest island?

He's misspelled a bunch of shit on this thing. Which one's Kona? It looks like Kona's down on the big one. The biggest one. Kailuya Kona. Which one's the biggest? I don't know. I don't know.

Because you hit Maui, right? Last year? Dude, I've been, I don't know. I don't know. We don't know anything, dude. This would be our, what, fourth year? Fourth year going to Hawaii. Fourth year in a row.

Fourth year in a row. Third or fourth year. That's an absurd amount of times. Guy is gorgeous, man. No doubt about it, but like, that's a lot of flying. Got to go to LAX, sit there for four hour. What's the flight duration? What's the flight duration?

You know, you've been there four times. I think it's like seven hours. That's not bad. Say flight time from Nashville to to Gona. To go to the big island. 11 and 14 hours.

That don't sound right? Because you said seven, like it takes me seven to get to Colona, B.C. Then I stop in Calgary or Seattle or Vancouver and then I pop over. So ain't no way. I'm getting to West Coast Canada in the same time you're getting to the big island Kona.

Yeah, I'll have to do some math. They just did it. Hey, yeah, the math just got done. I got to do, I got to do. What is this? Oh, there we go. West Coast Canada. Yeah, that's direct, though.

I would love for Colonna and Nashville to have a direct. I would salivate the opportunity of that. Salivate. So you're a lot, ma'am. I'll be there back there in April for Easter. Oh, really? Yeah, dude, we just go. Oh, so for you to get up there,

you're traveling nine or ten hours. No, no, no, no. 7.13 is my timeline. I will go, in this trip, I'll go from Nashville to Vancouver, which is actually past Colonna and then to Colonna, which is like a 25, 30 minute flight, but the layover. Yeah, yeah. And then, but usually it's, the best one is 645,

and it's Nashville to Calgary, Calgary to Colona. That's when you're, that's when you're living nice. Got you. Yeah. Got you. Yeah, we don't want to fuck around with good flights. Yeah, I don't know. We love Hawaii.

We love getting out to Hawaii. How much? there's a little bit of suck with the travel but it's like I've been to bore bore you've been all over the spot yeah I've been we've been around the world we we travel around the world yeah I love that it's like there's like short-term pain with the travel and everything else yeah yeah but being there it's magical and for Rue and sky to sit there when they're you know in their 20s they're on a date and they're talking to the individual about like what you do as a kid like oh my parents would take me to Hawaii every year we would go fly

to Hawaii we go to Italy we go to this Destin. Yeah The American Italy We go to American Italy Over and over and over again Like that's kind of badass Yeah Like it's like like where'd you go Canada

Yeah Like four times a year Yeah four times Dude we go to Canada all the time It's like great Taylor's got family She's close with them Yeah she's got a lot of family up there

Yeah she's and the thing about Taylor And I wish I possessed this ability Which is like Checking in with people I'm so bad at it Like if I'm not If you're not in my day to day life I probably don't check on you very much at all

And when I see you, it's like, I'm expecting us to pick up where we left off, where my CTA brain decides we left off at. But she will call her family every single day. Grandpa. Grandpa wins on there. Nana, mom, Quinn. She's always talking to him. She's keeping up with the fan.

All day. Every day, man. You got to love that. Yeah. My Verizon bill is crazy. But yeah. You know, that I should go, boys. Come on, man.

You know, you know. I was been like 288 last month. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You get me having that. If you're trying to pregame Hawaii, Will, Chief of War is a really sick show. I feel like both of you guys would really enjoy it. It's a like period piece of Hawaii kind of breaking free of all of the tribes and trying to come under one king.

It's like Game of Thrones set in Hawaii. Oh, shit. That's all you had to say. Game of Thrones of Hawaii. That's all you got to say. I'll tell you what, I love you putting this wreck up, but I don't want you to give Will any wrecks until he watches entourage. Oh, okay. He's got to watch on tour.

That's fair. Because I do want to watch entourage. It's like stuff gets in front of me or gets in the way and I see, I see a photo. Right. And you get excited. Yeah. And since that's newer, if I go on Apple Plus and see that, I'll be, oh, yeah, I got to watch this show. Yeah, Sherman was saying we got to watch this show.

Have you guys seen Sopranos? I've watched two seasons of Sopranos. Okay. I have now last. My dad was a sicko. Sopranos sicko. Last night, tell your dad this, tell Billy this. She's actually watching right now.

I watched the finale of Sopranos last. night the last episode and buddy it makes I think it makes the whole show worth it people hated apparently people hated you were telling me in San Francisco that people hated the finale my dad was felt a little I gotta get his cup wasn't full I get on the phone with Bill if I can remember right when him and my mom were watching the finale when it was airing I remember coming out I think I was probably playing like you know WWE or something like that yeah yeah I'll take a little body break right and it seemed like they were kind of

Not in love with the finale. And I know Bill and I think similarly, except for now that I have the power of, like, true internet. When this show came out, the show ends last night. And Taylor looks at me and goes, do you get it? And I go, fuck, no, I don't get it. Like, what, like, that was terrible. Why would it end like that?

Does it have something to do with the gas station? Yeah, no. Is it like pulling up to a gas station or anything? In the last episode, there's a lot of pulling up to gas stations. All right. But the last episode, the last scene. I'm just trying to remember that memory. The last scene happens at a diner.

It happens at a diner with his entire family. And I mean, you're probably not ever going to watch a show, are you? Yeah, I'll probably watch it. You probably will watch it. I probably will watch Sopranos. After I love it. And it's definitely on a wave of what I love. It's a very slow moving now.

But the ending, the end scene, like the last four minutes, you can feel the intensity because you know it's the last episode, you know what's happening. And then when the show just abruptly ends, you're like, why the fuck would you finish? a show that people argue is the greatest show of all time like this. And then I like,

Louis for the next 20 minutes on YouTube, listening to the director and the reason why he did it and once he was putting the pieces together for me, I was like, oh, that's an incredible ending of the show. That is amazing.

What a way to end a show. Because I, my artistic brain couldn't fathom. That is the final scene right there. And buddy, it kind of rattled me where I had a harder time going to sleep that night.

But you know how invested I get into things, characters. Yeah, yeah. Arthur Morgan. They'll explain in Game of Thrones season eight. Oh yeah, you hated it. Yeah. I think everybody does.

Really? It's universal. There might be somebody in the comments and says, oh, no, season eight of Game of Thrones was good. And they might explain why, but they're wrong. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Majority of people hated season eight. Yeah. I've always been a guy that has started Game of Thrones, but then I get three episodes and I'm like, this is too much right now. A lot of different webs going on. Webs going on and I learn more that like that web, webs falter and break all the time. And then there's new webs that are coming in and then everybody dies and then nobody dies.

And then one person's alive. And then he dies, they die, she dies, whatever it is. It's pretty insane. It sounds pretty insane. But then I hear about season eight and I'm like, I don't even think I need to. And everybody hated the finale. Then why would I watch this? The only people I feel like might have enjoyed season eight is if they watch it all the way through in succession.

Like, you know, you wait until all the seasons come out and then watch it all the way through. Yeah, which is because the pain point where the, I would say the majority hated it is the majority lived in that like two year pocket of season eight being created with season, because season six, season seven, those finalies, those seasons were awesome. There's so many theories and so many things to break down. Like, that was one of the rare few times where I'm seeking out Reddit threads and other things breaking it down and talking about it. All the callbacks and the pictures and people would circle, oh, look at this from a, from an aerial view. This is a sign that was in like this. March that was happening.

Just every, you went down every rabbit hole imaginable on what we're about to see in season eight. And then for it to go the way it did, no real fight with the night king between John Snow and the night king, they sit there and stare at each other and you're like, this is the battle. And then the fucking Night King raises. There's a billion fucking White Walkers and somehow, you know, everybody in the castle surviving and kind of defeating them. And then the Night King dying just from, what's her name?

Aria. Aria, just from Aria coming out of nowhere and staff. So we're giving all of it away. Well, Game of Thrones, like that's like, she haven't watched it by now. Like, that's not, right. Or were you wanting to watch it? I, it's always on my brain too, hey, if I should watch a show,

should I put Game of Thrones on? That being said, spoilers don't ruin my day. Yeah, and even when you get there, like, it's like you won't remember all this happening, but when it does, you back, oh yeah, no, I see why that people did this. Now that you've explained to me the finale of Game of Thrones, can I explain to you the finale of Sopranos? You can, is there, and I want to ask this too.

I was kind of sitting there and I was like, do you, are you going to watch it? Because there's a part of me, in there a movie that got made that kind of showed the back part of that last episode of Sopranos? What? Because I want to say I feel like I've seen this scene that you're talking about. Were there in the, we're there in the restaurant? Yeah. For some reason, I feel like I've seen it. And if not, like, I'm sure I've seen it on the internet.

Is there? Because I was talking to Dave Luan and he was saying, wise guy, David Chasing the Spranos. That's a finale that covers like the making of Sopranos. will, but I'm not sure. There's something where I feel like I've seen this scene that Taylor's talking about. And then when you brought up the picture, I remember, I've seen this scene somewhere. And there's so many clips. Everybody uses so many clips of Sopranos.

You feel like you've kind of seen a lot of the show. You just don't know what order it's all in. Yeah, because the show is like, it's 21 episodes of season and every episode is like an hour long. Like you're really, you got to put in time to watch this show. And you get to the finale. And Taylor, and she said she's already seen the finale. Like she already knew what the finale was. So I'm kind of going into a blind while she knows.

So I'm going to tell you now if that's okay Go ahead. All right. So in the show, basically before they go into the diner, this ending scene, like his son's having issues, but his son's kind of like writes his issues

and he seems like he's on a good track. His daughter, he didn't agree with what she was doing, but then they have a dinner and he's like proud of where she's going. Carmela, his wife, they seem like they're in a really good spot. So you feel as things are going into this last scene, that like, oh, this is now a change that's happening. A new season of life is taking place for the Soprano family.

Instead of having dinner, which Carmela always cooks. They are going out for dinner because she just want to cook that night. They sit there. And there's this whole thing about he's there by himself alone first. And he's sitting at this diner. And he looks up. Every time the door opens, there's like a little bell, like old 90s bell. And he would look up and different characters would walk in.

Not you would know, but like races, ethnicities, people just walking in. And his wife walks in. He sees her. They have the exchange menus or whatever. And there's a guy sitting at the bar. And then his. son comes in, he's like, hey, where's Meadow at? Meadow is his daughter. And it kind of cuts to Meadow. She's trying to parallel park right outside the street. And she's like not getting it right.

And every once in a while, we'll cut back and forth or having a little, you know, back and forth conversation, whether it's like regarding the onion rings or regardless of AJ and what he's going to do. And the guy at the bar gets up and walks to the bathroom. My brain goes to, that's a godfather type of situation, which is like, hey, leave the gun, take the canoli type of situation, right? He goes away and like you see soprano kind of look and maybe your brain's like, does he recognize this guy? Does he not? But the visual of this man, you're like, I can see this guy being in the mafia based on everything. I've watched these six seasons.

And then Meadow finally like parks the car and he hears the bell, he hears the door open and the bell ring and he looks up, shows over. It cuts to black. And you're just sitting there like as I'm like, I'm like, my mouth's open. and it's like counting down Big Bang Theory or the Big Bang Theory show, season one, episode one. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, it's done?

That's just it. That's the end. And then kind of raises out of the bed. She goes, do you get it? I'm like, no, I don't fucking get it. Like, what happens? And then we start talking about it. I go down the YouTube and throughout the show,

Sopranos asked, Tony Sopranos, he's asked, like, what is it like when you die? What do you think it's like when you're, when you finally get taken? He's like, I think everyone, Everything just goes black. Like, I don't know. I don't really believe in nothing.

I just, you know, I think everything goes black. So the idea was he got killed. He got assassinated. And it's up to the viewer to think about what happens after. Because you see people in the show get killed in front of their wives, in front of their children. You see their reaction. And you're just left wondering to yourself, like,

how did Carmella Meadow and AJ react to all this? Because before this all goes down, this guy named Phil, who's like the mafia guy in New York, he's trying to kill Soprano and kills like his two number one guys or puts one guy in the hospital kills another one. And so they're kind of on the run. They have a secret meeting between families. They shake hands and the guy who's the right-hand man of Phil,

who's the New York mob boss. He's like, I can't tell you where he is, but you do what you've got to do. Like, we need to make sure this is all over. They end up killing Phil at a gas station. And you're like, oh, Supranos is going to win this thing. Like he's going to become like the next dawn.

You know it's the last episodes. You're not going to know how it happens, but you think, okay, he's in a great spot and then cuts to black. And it leaves you just wondering like, oh, the last thing Tony Sprino saw was his daughter walking through the door. And then what was his daughter's reaction?

What was all that? And I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep right after that. Like, this is fucking up my day a little bit. Yeah. That's a sign of a good finale, though. That's a good finale. Your like visceral reaction,

like that is a sign. And, dude, when I was watching something on the director talking about... I don't like it. I was watching I hated it at first I hated it at first and then I watched like the director and he's like the idea of it is he yes

he was assassinated he was killed but like if that finale left you feeling like confused angry empathetic towards the family which were all the things I was feeling in the moment he's like then I did my job

that's what I wanted the viewer to feel and then it's up to you it's up to you the viewer to decide what happened next that's like fuck art yeah art's crazy man or he just silver-tonged it to where you're like oh yeah I guess I felt all those emotions he just said that I had no doubt but you know how I work you can silver if you could silver-tonged

me in the bed if you hated season eight of Game of Thrones and you had this massive you know emotional reaction of anger and disgust and confusion then I did my job as a writer yeah yeah if you're sitting there watching YouTube yeah okay yeah I guess it was I guess it was brilliant hey he's silver-tonging me into hating the finale that's what's it's a happening right now because you're right so any direction could be like if you felt these things i did my job and it's like yeah you just say all the emotions the core four emotions he's like yeah i did my job you're like oh fuck i guess i didn't feel all of those things you're confused i did my job confused if you're angry about it if a piece of you feel it was happy it's like i kind of you're

hungry yeah yeah if you get hungry in the next 24 hours if you set up and looked over at your life and said what the fuck was that i did my job yeah that's exactly what i wanted you you to feel. Oh shit. He got me. A football coach has to do that after a really bad loss. Extremely bad loss. Can you explain that loss? Hey, if the fans just like, they feel like they don't want to be a fan anymore. They don't want to show up anymore. They're confused. They're crying. They're sad. Like, I didn't make the right calls. I did my job. They felt like we were predictable. We're doing our job. We're doing our job. Oh, shit. But yeah, it was

extend them. Hey, he, he's playing chess on us. Yeah, yeah. That's so funny. It brings up the Yeah, if I would have just said X, Y, and Z, I'm like, yeah, I bought it. And now I'm buying what we'll say. I'm back to fuck that's a preface finale, dude. Because I'm with you. Like, I haven't seen it, by the way, so I'm just literally assuming. But I would, like, if he does get, if he does get offed, I'd want that to happen. And then I would want to see the reactions.

Right. The family losing their mind. It's where they put a bow on it. Right. There's no bow. Not just like mystery. Or, hey, we ran out of budget. So did you like, did you like the movie Inception?

I kind of can't remember. Inception, the movie is when you go to a dream within a dream. But the last scene, so he's always fighting looking at his kids the whole entire time. And the last scene of the movie, he spins his dreidel or whatever the hell it is, his little thing that tells him whether he's in a dream or not. Because if it wobbles, he's not in a dream. If it stays up and doesn't move, he isn't a dream. But he spins it and he hears one of his kids go, Daddy, and he looks up and he walks away.

And you just see the thing, the end scene, it goes slowly down to the dreidel or whatever it is. And it kind of like does this. but then the movie cuts off and it's over. So it leaves you, the viewer, wondering, like, is he in a dream? Is it real? Was his psychotic wife? Was she right?

And she was in a dream? She had to kill herself in order to get out of the dream. Or was he correct and he finally got home, got to America, all the things in saw his case? Like which dream that you're in? Right. Are you in the reality dream? Are you in this dream dream?

So is there reality. I would say the difference there is the movie being inception and the whole concept of it being that, that's where it's like it could be left up for interpretation. Whereas the Sopranos, It's such a... I'll be honest with you, dude. Will took Alpha Brain the day.

Because the way he's taking these questions and being like, yeah, I really don't know. Like, he's just answering it. I'm like, fuck, he's right, man. The concept of the movie is to make you question things. Sopranos, the concept is not to question things. It's like the mafia.

Right. It's a game. Yeah. I got to watch shows with this man, dude. He's fucking... He's dialed. He took, what did you take, Alpha Black or whatever the fuck it's called, those pills?

Charles got in a shipment of this bulletproof. type of creatine. Bulletproof. You on my... You're on my colostrum coffee? I tried it this morning. Yeah? I put a little scoop in the hot...

You know, I heated up the hot water. Put a little... Maybe that's it. Maybe it's the bulletproof. No free shout. It's a bulletproof. I mean, dude, is it mold-free? Got to make sure it's mold-free.

I think bulletproof is a pretty good brand. They had a massive run back in... I felt like, what was it, the 2010s? Yeah, but it was... Everybody was on bulletproof pretty heavy. But bulletproof isn't a... It was a like you put in butter you put in certain things. Yeah, it was like a keto.

Yeah, yeah. This, you take this, it'll jump start your day because of like, what would you put like amino acids in there? Like ketones. Yeah, ketones. You put butter in there and you drink it. Because I was on that for a minute, kind of when I met you. That was when we were on the 1% edge chasing.

Yeah. Like Christian McCaffrey. Yes. It was back when we were like feeling in our primes of like, how do we just get there all the time? Oh, this coffee is going to help me be bulletproof. Yeah, I'll do that. We interrupt this episode. To bring you Olipop.

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Compounded drugs are permitted to be prescribed under federal law, but are not FDA approved and do not undergo FDA safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing review. For full safety information, go to row.co slash safety info. Let's get back to this episode. People love the CMC episode. People love it. You've been loving. I've been seeing the, people love the fart.

Everybody, a great fart. I'll tell you this, man. Will doesn't have sneaky farts. For whatever reason, that one was rancid. And I was in a position of discomfort for a while after it. I do apologize about that. Still funny, because it's hard to laugh. And it was stuffy.

And then, yeah, it was stuffy. And I go for the big inhale from my laugh. And it's all poop. Yeah, yeah. It's pooping my. mouth Christian McCaffrey chasing the chasing the one percent fighting being white that's what he's doing yeah he's fighting he's fighting the process of becoming white because he's doing a great job but at some point like it's not gonna be father time

that gets Christian McCaffrey it's gonna be being white they gets Christian McCaffrey yeah I love how I keep chasing edges though keep chasing it shout out no for shout it to chasing the edges yeah it's a clean tank I thought he handled the the power plan questions pretty well too that's what I was gonna ask was it was there any like off-camera conversations, like does the rabbit hole get deeper? I'll say this. Do you mind? I was going to say I'll say this, but go ahead.

I'll say this. You say it. Conversations always happen after podcasts. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that's why they happen after podcasts. Ooh. Yeah. Right? Yep. Is that a Kevin's Natural Food Clean Take?

That's Clean Take. That is a clean take. If someone tells you something in confidence, you keep it to yourself. Kevin's Natural Foods Clean Take, these conversations that happen post-pod are with Kevin's natural foods. And then when you're eating Kevin's natural foods,

you can't help to feel a little bit more authentic and dive a little deeper. Break bread. Into the clean day. Hell yeah. Clean take. I'll also say this. You sit there and listen to CMC break down everything he does,

whether it be in training, diet, chasing every edge that he talked about, whether it's grounding, hot, cold therapy, all the things, timing of the day, everything. you know that that group of boys was on to the power station. Clean tag. Clean take. Then that's not speaking for him.

I'm just saying like if we were in that 49th locker room in those parts that we're talking about with bulletproof and everything, bulletproof coffee and all the edges that we chase, the minute that starts to gain traction and make noise, us, guys like in our groups, we're excited about that because that's something that we would sit there and be talking about without question. Once it gains traction publicly, we're like, thank God, it's finally being talked about because we have felt X, Y, and Z because of the 1% chase. Yeah. And that's how you and I would be.

Not saying Christians like that. Just you and I would be that way. We're speaking for ourselves. Speaking for ourselves. Because we dive into it a lot too with Bryce on like with peptides and everything else. We dive into that conversation, the 1%. Why wouldn't owners want to pay or make this stuff legalize? And it's like, well, on the counter side of it, if your best athletes are going into their second

contract, third contract where the money is exponentially higher, they wouldn't want you to reach those deals. They want you to, yeah, they want to win the championship, but they also don't want to pay you money. They want to find bigger, younger, faster. Yeah, they wouldn't want all the money going into, we're talking about the Niners. So just using that example, but into like CMC, George, they want them to have as long a career as possible, but they don't want them to have every edge in the world that makes them play for 20 years because that amount of money when they're re-upping and getting new deals, they want to find the next generation. of George's and Christians

because they're, yeah, they're cheaper. Right. You got them on their rookie deal. You are, once again, handling business the correct way. But Bryce, yeah, the peptide game, the PPC 157, the TB 500, all those things like,

got to get those into sports. Gotta get those into sports. Yeah, I think TB 500 has been something that's been, I don't know enough about it. I just know the lure of TB 500 was almost like the peptide for like race horses. So that's always been on the list. But the new wave of peptides,

I don't think NAD is on the list. I think you can do NAD. You're right. I'm speaking in the fact of like just biohacking and doing it. Yeah. Optimizing your entire body needs to be more of like a promoted situation for athletes as opposed to being like, oh, you're taking a peptide and peptide has this blank. Yeah.

Like that's, you shouldn't do peptides. Yeah, yeah. And peptide being like almost coexisting with PED and steroids and everything else. It's like all the stuff that has all this data backed research is coming out. There are a lot of different people with the health 3.0 wave. It's like a lot of these things. that help you with longevity of life should not be seen as like some performance enhancing drug in sport.

Yes. We are gonna cooking right now. We are cooking, but I do have to leave. You gotta leave. I wanna have so much more fun. I wanna have so much more fun. I just got this thing to do that'll be announced on for the dads and I gotta get to it.

I have to. Oh, that is true. Yeah, so I have to go. I have to go like. There's a mouse in the office. Sherman, the team's gonna get it. They've been around the wheel of cheese. That wheel of cheese that Clay Matthews.

Office cat? Should we get an office cat? I can bring his biscuits up here. Should we get an office cat? We should. The mouse is currently in the stream room. Office cat can live in the stream room. We get a nice little tower for you.

Would you be down to get an office cat? An office cat? Yeah. Like an animal? Like when, yep. Yep. Yes. Feline.

Yep. Yes, Will. He was on fire before two. And he fucking lost it. You lost it. My mind is being like, at the ranch. At the ranch.

We want to have a pet animal around here? I'll take care. We would have barn cats. Like we'd have, there was three barns on our ranch, and we would have three cats, and they would catch all the rodents and everything and just kill them.

They just bring them to your doorstep. Be like, look what I did for you. Hey, and they just live, bro, they just live. I'll go to pet smart today and go get the cat. I'll wait for it.

Hey, listen, we know how Will works. He starts at no. We'll get him to guess. Right now it's not going to be the yes that we want. Hey, I got recommendations on automatic litter box. If there was just meke on the shots, first off,

first off, Buster would not be 30 animals around. I'd be 30 animals running and I'd be pissed off because now I have 30 animals in my house and I'm like why the fuck did I do this? I realized like half of these things I decided. We'd be billionaires though. Yeah. Just like hamsters and gerbils and everything.

I got a, you love, you had a rat crazed there for a second. Well, when I was a kid, yeah, I love, I had a rat. There'd be a rat. There'd be a rat. Quezer. Quezer. Yeah. Quezer.

Yes, I actually saved him. I saved him and he died. I cried for like three months. I love them. It's not important. It's not important. I saved him from being a snake, snake food. Elabrat.

I was at, I was in a pet co or a pet smart and a guy pulled it out. I'm like, what are you doing with that? And he's like, I'm going to feed this to my snake. I was like, not this one. And I bought it and it was like $3.85. It was like $3.85. Bought him, took him.

Dude, this rat would live with me. No, rat, true rat. He would follow me. I put him on the ground. He'd scamper across. I've told the story too many times. He would sleep on the pillow next to me at night. We'd watch movies.

He'd sit there, stare at the TV, and eat a half-eaten grape. That's how me and Quixer operated every day together. I would walk, he'd be on my shoulder. I was like, I was like the bird man of this rat, dude.

It was like Ron. I was Ratman. Ron and Scavas. Yeah, exactly. Except my rat was a pure, pure rat. He wasn't a piece of shit, dude. No, he wasn't.

No, spoilers. No spoilers. No spoilers. But he would never work for the Dark Lord. He would never work for the Dark Lord. Yours was a good dude. You're like more ratatooy. Yes, dude, I woke up one day.

I'll tough in it. I'll put a bow on this and I got to fucking go. I woke up one day. I get him out of his cage. He's bleeding out of his bum. I'm like, oh no. I'm in Loomis, California with my grandmother. We go to the vet.

The vet goes, he's got an issue internally. I was too young to know the exact words. It's going to be $2,000 to operate on this rat. I look at my grandma go, all right. Like, right? We're going to get this done. Yeah. And she goes, I'm not spending $2,000 to fix a rat.

On a $3 rat, I'm not doing that. So with a youth and I have. his ass. Oh, not queues. Fuck you, Glenda. And we, I remember my mom calls me and I'm holding the now hardened rat who's in my hand.

And my mom was like, hey, Tay, like, how's quezzi? I was like, well, I'm holding him right now. And he was dead and we buried him under a tree. And I did not recover from that. No joke years. I'm 34 and I'm still feeling affected by it right now. That rat...

Now that you're bringing it up in the full story, I'm sure. you are feeling i was fucked yeah it was really sad it was a very hard time in my life too a very difficult time and that rat was a good boy he didn't save me like i wasn't like that but yeah Kevin's natural i was all right clean take Kevin's natural food clean take having very fond memories of your old pets yeah great clean he's back that's a clean day he's that bulletproof is back in had a bit of a relapse for a second you're talking about a cat like yeah yep like an animal yes will that being said we should have an animal let us know in the comments if we should have an office cat for the rodents. We need to know. We will take

your poll very seriously. We'll take it very seriously. And enjoy Bryce Harper. I got to go. You can go. But to address a top priority for the audience out there listening, now that we are in week one outside of essentially the Super Bowl, we're done with the season. So we get the review, recap, do all the things, dive in. We will be cutting down automated ads on Spotify and audio platform. You will be doing that. We will do it. We will do it. We'll do it. We will be doing it. We will swing at whoever. We get a lot of counsel.

We get a lot of advice. We get a lot of suggestions. But over and over, especially after the variable one. And a couple people came up to me at the Super Bowl. People that I respect in the industry, talking about so many eyes on my dog, I keep seeing that, I keep reading it. And when I pop on the episode, you're right.

You're right. So we will get that shit corrected. Yeah. We got to get it for the audience. Who needs money? Not us. Not us. We actually, we all do.

We do. We actually. That's a lot. Bryce Harper's awesome. We need it if I had, yes. I'll tell you what. I've fucking saved him now. Bryce Harper is an incredible interview and just, I don't think we understand,

even sitting here with him. Like I was going back and we're having dinner last night and I was kind of telling Charles how awesome the interview was and everything else. And you're kind of just sitting there. It's like, yo, this dude was in such a different world. He's kind of like, he was kind of like a, I hate saying it because it feels kind of like, I don't even know. But he felt like it was a child superstar based on his upbringing and life just in the major leagues,

being coined as already the next like Babe Ruth, Aaron Hanks, just all the big dogs. It's going to be the greatest baseball player to ever live as a teenager to when he gets, he leaves high school, in the middle of high school. Just imagine that. And you have cameras in your face right away at that age with the expectation because he talks about, you know, he talked about thoughts of, you know, wanting to stop after his fall season the first time he was in Juko. Yeah.

We dive into all of it. It's a really cool interview. But I sit there and I'm like, yo, he ripped. bro. Yeah, he was awesome. And it's just nuts to think about, yeah, he's like, he was like a prodigy type baseball player coming up. And the thing that when people are in the limelight at such a young age, it's very easy to think, okay, this person is like away from reality a little bit. Yeah. This dude sat down and he was a bro immediately. Like he, even without having two years of the social experience of high school, he was extremely engaging. He was great to the boys.

He's just like, you'd be like, oh, this dude's been our friend for a while. Yeah, yeah. He's a friend friend of the show. Yeah. Friend of the show. When he datped me up, first thing he says, like, I'm surprised you got out of your driveway. Just knowing like he's a boy, like he's a fan of busing. We all are.

Content and everything else. I was just like, oh. But it's fascinating to me because he can you talk about the social life stuff. Like, I wonder at what age it started for him because we didn't ask that question. But just assuming like his social, his social stuff was just blown up from the get go. Absolutely. Whenever he's taking the mound and people are identifying like, hey, he's got that. and selling out crowds at Juko and everything else.

Like I would assume every kid who played against them and they're like, oh, that's fucking, that's the one. There's guys that are in on, those guys are like, fuck this guy. I'm just as good as him. Yeah, yeah. You get everybody's best shot every single time. Can I say one thing?

Please. I got to go. He's got to go. He's got to go. I got to go. I got to go. Enjoy the pod with Bryce Harper. We love you.

We appreciate you. Big hugs. Tiny kisses leave comments. Subscribe. Make sure you're following on all of our social platforms. Boys, listen. This episode, we are brought to you by Jim Beam. As you all know,

we have now entered what could be the worst time of the year. That's right. Football is over. What we are supposed, what are we supposed to do on Sundays now? Or Monday or Thursday. So much time. So little football. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy now. Just because football is over, the hang doesn't have to stop. Because believe it or not, there's still a ton of stuff to be excited for. Basketball, hockey, tennis, basketball, and really the big soccer tournament right here in the great old US of A, all to be enjoyed with a crisp, delicious and oh, so refreshing, Jim Beam, and lemonade. I get it. It's like you're taking the lemon of football being over and turning it into lemonade.

Correction. I'm taking the lemon of football being over and turning it to Jim Beam and lemonade. Because Jim Beam and Lemonade is always the right call. It's light flavor. It's refreshing. And oh, so, so delicious no matter what you are doing and watching with the boys. You're so right. Because at the end of the day, no matter what sport you're pivoting to this offseason, it'll be best enjoyed together.

Drink smart, Jim Beam, Kentucky straight bourbon whisk. 40% alcohol by volume 2026, Jim B, Beam Distilling Co, Claremont, Kentucky. All right, guys, before we get into Bryce Harper, just a reminder, massive shout out to Bud Light. Bud Light is the official sponsor of this interview. Bud Light is easy to drink, easy to enjoy, and always brew with four simple ingredients for a clean, crisp taste. Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the NFL, the NFL draft, and USC, which is now

on Paramount Plus. a lot of Bud Light partners. You've seen them all over the commercials. George Kittle, Peyton Manning, Post Malone, the boys, you've seen them all. Go to stock up on Bud Light now. Head to www.budlight.com slash locator to find a store near you. Let's dive in to this Bryce Harper interview brought to us by the cold iced Budlight. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

Huge news. We created our own podcast. Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down. Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another episode of Bustin with the Boys. We have a very special guest, a man who resists. in Nashville, Tennessee. He's an eight-time All-Star, two-time NL MVP, 2012 rookie of the year.

Four-time Silver Slugger. Can't wait to figure out what all those things mean during this podcast. Signed a 300 way. Stick with me. $330 million contract with the Phillies that runs through 2031. Please, ladies and gentlemen,

give a round of applause for the one, the only, Bryce Harper. Yeah. Bryce, we're fired up to have you on. Let me just tell a quick story. how we got connected. Gentleman goes, hey, I'm boys with Bryce. You were doing like a celebrity softball thing for Coach V.

He's like, we should connect to you guys, get you on the podcast. We start going for a little bit. And I'm like, hey, yeah, we should absolutely get you on. All of a sudden, you get busy. I don't hear anything from you. Clump, my boy over here who's a huge Bryce Harper's face, hey, what's going on with Hart? I'm like, I think it's just not happening.

I think it's like over now. Check in last week before you go to the Super Bowl. You hit me up. You're like, hey, I have two weeks. Do you want to do the show or not? And I'm like, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay, yeah, we could absolutely do the show.

Like, he's thinking the same thing. Taylor hasn't followed up like, who do I? Yeah, and it probably, if I would look back at those texts, I think history has shown it probably was on me a little bit. I'm a terrible text. So, I'm like, hey, we can hit Monday. 11 a.m. What do you think?

Let's lock it in. And sure enough, the boy shows up. So that's a big time of you, man. I appreciate you guys coming in. I know it's an off day for you guys. So, especially the Super Bowl weekend and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, we're about to hit a little break and we'll take a little vacation. Boys going to get some son.

Hawaii. I know, but they've been talking one of the one of the One of the islands Make you have that mic up to your face The mainland maybe Okay But they're talking about storms

Happening Be the Buffalo Yeah so You gotta run towards the storm Kawai really good Yeah Cool Fun fact

Bryce and I We used to run the city of Washington Back in like 2012 2012 Yeah That's right Did you guys just pass

Up across No No It's two different spots Two mafia families. His team kept reaching out. I'm like, guys, I've got to focus on football. Yeah.

I got to get off this practice squad. Yeah, same. They found out I was a Dallas fan growing up. They hated me even more. Dude, same. Same. I remember when I was on Peace Squad and we were knocked out of it, and I'm like rooting for Dallas.

There's a couple times I'm rooting for Dallas against us. Crazy to say, but this is before I was actually. When you were playing? Not when I was playing playing. Okay, I was going to say. But when I wasn't important. Like when I was on Peace Squad and then the next year, I only played like three games.

I spot started like three games due to injury and we weren't in the playoffs that was the year Des Bryant did he catch it but I'm like hoping Did you catch it? He caught it. Last game of the year is against us and I'm like Okay I'm glad they beat us because they need momentum Going into the playoffs is what I'm like my little kid fan in me is thinking like as we lost that game

So the first time you saw the Dallas star on the field It was incredible First time playing in Dallas and seeing the star and seeing everything Jerry's world all of it I'm like This is all the time. God. Is this big time? I've never seen it.

My dad grew up, big Dallas guy. Obviously we're huge Eagles now just because I'm in Philly and I know the guys and I root for him and stuff. But my daddy grew up, Emmett Smith, all those guys. The documentary on Netflix was sick. That's what he was saying. I haven't seen it yet. Yeah, it's the whole story.

Like you understand the madness of it all. When we were at a, we were at Samcom and got to meet Emmett Smith and I'm like, maybe I wasn't fumbling over my words, but I'm feeling. thinking that I am because I'm nervous to meet him and just trying to tell him how much he meant to me. I'm like, I know you've heard it all the time. This probably means nothing to you, but I pretended to be you out in the backyard with my dad and was telling him all this stuff. Was super nervous, but meeting him at Smith, bro.

Unbelievable. Unreal. Yeah, he's great dude, too. He held yourself well in that situation. I was right there watching. Yeah, and I was like, hey, if you ever come to Nashville, I'd love to have you. Hey, he started talking about Nashville. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He started to get it. All right. Okay. He was like having flashbacks, like PTSD war veteran flashbacks. I'm thinking like, oh my God, and this person. Yeah. Dude, obviously the NFL, the Eagles, the fan base is insane. Is that bleeding over to the Phillies as well?

Like, do you have the craziest fan base of all time there? Yeah, I mean, it's such a great city to play in. Obviously, it's a really hard city to play in for a lot of people. And if you're not ready to play there, then don't come. Really? Yeah, because, I mean, it can, it can, you know, chew you up and spit you out real quick. Obviously, they're very passionate and they work hard for their hard earned dollar. So when they come and buy a ticket force each night, if that's NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL,

they want you to go out there and then give it your all, no excuses or anything else like that. So I love that. I mean, obviously, I kind of feel like I grew up like that. My dad, no excuses. Like, go out, play your game. It doesn't matter how you're feeling or what's going on. Just play hard and have fun. But I love playing there just for the fan base and knowing that they're going to, you know, kill force each night.

They want to beat up the other team more than us. Do you think early in your career, you would have been able to handle it as well as you are now? Yeah, I mean, D.C. was such a different vibe. You know, I think it's just different. I mean, I think each fan base is different. So when you understand what Philly is all about, I mean, if you think about New York, Boston, Philly, like just the big places like that, that fans really show up each night, understand it. They live and die by, you know, if their team wins or not. When you kind of understand it in that perspective, like, okay, you know, I'm all about it.

I understand it. D.C. is just different. It's just different. It's just different. You know, I mean, it was just a different spot comparative to what, what Philly is. And I love it. I've said this numerous times. I wish I would have started my career there just because of the way it was. Chase Sutley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Abagnas, like all these guys. just that whole era of Philly's baseball was really cool and just seeing kind of the fans rally behind them and you know as an opposing player going in there there was there was nothing like it yeah it was always fun going to those uh caps games when they were in the playoffs yeah for

sure uh before we get in all the baseball talk because we bustle with the boys we're known for we're known for our baseball substance yeah we've had i mean we've had some people on one have we had anybody else other than coach b i don't think he's not anything he's had any baseball guys ever. No. Because I used to say my first love was baseball. Like I was a kid, Silverhawks, you know, might not know. Well, I mean, you grew up in Arizona, right? Arizona. Yeah. So I mean, it's big baseball state. But you quit baseball. I was scared of getting hit. He said, I grew up love. I know, like, that was like, that was like the first. You could have been the white Aaron Judge. I used to be six, seven, two hundred and ninety-nine. I had the Luis

Gonzalez. I had the Luis Gonzalez stance because I, I mean, that's when they, the downbacks won it. And you like step into the ball. I would just keep my leg out there. I was so afraid of getting hit. That's why I quit football when I was little. That's why I quit hockey when I was little. It's just scared. I don't know what my question was going to be.

Because you kind of rattled my brain. It's funny when the NFL guys come in. They're like, no dog, I ain't trying to get hit. But I'm like, guy coming over the middle. Like, you know? Something about that little ball just ripping by you at 100 miles an hour. I mean, I got hit in the face, shoot four years ago. And with 98, just bang.

And it was one of the probably the scariest moment on it. baseball field I've ever had and it took me a minute to come back but like I don't know like just coming across and Ray Lewis just absolutely dominating me like I don't I don't want no part of that I mean I've been dominated on a football field as well that's no fun yeah but something about you like yeah it's the little ball yeah just cruising in there and it does all these weird movements I can yeah what was going through your mind when you got rocked in the face I sleeping like is my eyes still there so that was the biggest thing so like I went to the ground and I pressed on my face this hard as I could just to see like it was broken and it wasn't and I mean I definitely had a guardian angel

over me because there's no chance like I mean I've seen guys get hit and just their face is gone you know like surgery here surgery there um I was I had nothing is that one where you're like you hit up the pitcher or something you're like what the fuck was that I actually felt bad for him he was a rookie and it kind of just got away from I think he was in year two maybe um but I actually texted their head their manager at the time it was like hey like tell him don't worry about it like it's not a big deal. I don't want this to like ruin him or mentally like mess him up or anything. I really felt bad for him at the time. Just, I mean, obviously it sucked getting hit in the face. But I was kind of worried about him just because I didn't want that to kind of determine like the rest of his career.

You know what I'm saying? He smokes Bryce Harper. Yeah. No. And the problem was too, he smoked the next guy too. So he was, I mean, the game just sped up on him a little bit. And they just got kind of crazy for him. So he got rattled. A little bit. Yeah. He's still pitching now. He's actually with the Phillies now. We just signed them, I think, to him my early deal. Have you talked to him about it? I haven't, no.

Yeah, yeah, that'll be a fun conversation. I have for sure. Hey, good to see, man. You see I'm still very handsome. So thank you for not fucking me up too. Yeah, no doubt. Being in Nashville, here's a doubt. You're going to want this doubt right here.

So, yeah, you were saying we're not going to talk about baseball because we got something else. There's something bigger. There's been some opinions in Bussing in recent weeks about Mexican food, food scene restaurants. So, start the first question. What is your opinion of the food scene in Nashville? I think it's okay.

I mean, it's not. It's not bad. He didn't say bad. Yeah, you're right. It's okay. I think I think it's good. I've fallen back on that, that opinion.

That opinion of mine was a too strong opinion. You're like, you're talking to the boys and you're on the walkers. And you're like, oh, I'm wrong. Yeah, yeah. Now I'm like, okay, I could see where saying bad is not, that's not what Nashville is. But Nashville has definite blind spots.

I won't say bad. I mean, I think it's okay. Like, I've been, I mean, obviously we've all traveled around the country. Like, I would say there's probably better cities. Yeah, with you being in San Fran was. I mean, San Fran, Scottsdale, L.A., Miami, New York, Philly. I mean, Philly's got one of the best food scenes in America. You get around and eat at a bunch of restaurants in Scottsdale. I mean, when I'm out there.

Yeah, because they do spring, you just being chair in Florida now. Yeah, but like, I mean, just traveling out there and playing and stuff. Right. So, but you've spent some time in Scottsdale? Yeah. Eating food? Yeah, I like it. Well, if I said the name Zips to you.

I don't know. Yeah. I'm sorry, man. I mean, how far are we into this podcast? Hey, Taylor, it's not even close, dude. It's not even close. He's got a couple more. Do you think that you can find good food in Mexican food in Nashville?

In Nashville? Yeah. I think there's one place that I've been to, and I had it last night for the Super Bowl. But, like, I mean, it was Berea tacos, and I thought they were very, very good. You know the name of the spot? It's in the gulch and they had a truck in East. I can't. On the top of my head.

Because, I mean, it was the first time yesterday having it. One of my buddies ordered it for us. Look up Gulch Mexican food spots. He talked about some of the best he's ever had. Kaii Taco? No. It was a, it used to be a tortilla factory, and now they changed it into a restaurant. The one's kind of white tablecloth a little bit, I think they said.

And then the truck in the east was really good, they said. But I think they're Michelin recommended, I'm pretty sure. Michelin recommended Mexican food to me. It doesn't. I agree. I agree. I agree. But like, this wasn't like, so.

this wasn't like sit down like white table like they have that type of restaurant for like they have like a steak there or like mole or whatever all that kind of stuff but the brea tacos were top notch okay yeah very good how you're looking at a beloved restaurant but everybody thinks about noco right and i don't like that beloved restaurant i don't like it with the boys is noco yeah partner cassay very good but the noco like everybody's on noco and i'm just not and you're like no it's overrated And just so we're clear, Noco is the East Nashville on the curve. That JP is talking about, right? Yes.

I don't want to piss people off in Nashville yet because I've only been here for freaking eight months. Yeah. I mean, they shouldn't get mad. Just like give you an opportunity. Like, hey, let's show you what it is. I mean, what's the best city in America for food, do you think? Dude, see, here's my problem is I have opinions.

Like, Nashville, I think there's blind spots of food, but I'm not like a foodie. Like, I'm from Vegas born and raised and like, it's decent. Okay. Decent. People go, I would go to Vegas is real class. Yeah. But like you're talking about the strip

and all these like, it's just like, high-end spots. Yeah, but it's, I mean, it's all the same stuff that you can get all over the place.

If I go into a city and I have one good place, I'm like, oh, this. Like San Fran best, yeah. Exactly. San Fran best Greek food I've had

is Kakari. Like, by far, my favorite. Like, you've been to Greek cafe in Nashville? No. I was telling them about that.

I was telling them about Greek cafe. They load your ass up. Yeah. I'll tell you what? Abba is a nice little spot over in, uh, no? You don't think so? You could just tell the way he uses it. Like, even restaurant lingo, he's like white cloth.

It took me a minute, be like, okay, white cloth, I think is nice. Do you realize, too? He knows, he knows food. How many different angles he just kind of hit around us? He's like, oh, one of the best, some of the best tacos I've ever had. What's your favorite burger? In and out. You do you like in out?

Oh, yeah. So you're a five guys? Oh, man. You're paying so much for five guys, man. It's all right. It's an incredible burger. All the toppings, everything else. That's not fast food.

That's fast food. There's no drive-through. So that's where the ease is fast food. Yeah. Okay. Where is your stance on the best burger? In and out. Yeah. I'll tell you, I think in and outs could.

Not great. We could eat together. But the thing about in and out, like, so the other night we were going to in and out here. And it was like a four hour wait or whatever because of the line. And I was like, I'm not waiting that long. It's not going to happen.

So I go up to the front, paid a guy like 100 bucks to take my order. He did it for me. But we got the wrong order because they were the first. first time at In and Out and we got their order and they ordered terror they got a double double playing with pickles yeah and so I'm thinking about like people love water burger and I'm like if waterburger has to have what a chicken like then if they to sell anything about burgers then it's not very good but like people in Texas will die on that they love people will yeah people in Texas

because their ketchup is a certain way to order in and out and everybody's always like oh you can't do it like that like you have to order like the actual burger with the fries like I think they have some of the best fries and people are going to kill me for that. But if you get well done fries from in and out, unbelievable. See, that's where I kind of fall back a little bit. That's where I bend the knee when the argument comes to in and out. It's like, yeah, the fries are, if you get well done fries, I'm telling you. These I rip with, the animal fries.

See, I don't like those. Okay. But like, but I like grilled onions on my burger. Nice. So I'll do like, so I do it three by one, grilled onions, pepperchinis on the side, mustard on the bun. That's, that's an order right there. being a DC cat, we'll vibe on a Shake Shack.

Hold on before you go to Shake Shack. What? See, not, I honestly, I kind of, you like their fries? Yeah, I'm not talking about their fries. I know, but their burger, I mean, it's, I'm not going to, I like their chicken. I like their, I like their chicken sandwich. I think it's good, yeah.

Especially if you're like, I'm not going to say like, I don't, I think they're, I think shake shack's good. I think it's good. But I'm not going to say like, oh, yeah, it's one of my favorites. But if I go to Shake Shack, I'll eat one of their burgers. I think they're good. The best argument for. I like their bun.

Okay. Yeah, little potato bun. The best argument for In-N-Out, if you had it, is you went to In-N-Out and there's a four-hour wait. You go anywhere in the country where there's in-and-out, there's always going to be some sort of a weight that takes place. And also the hit on a two is you talk about the A-plus customer service, known that he got a kind of a botched order. I think it's also part of the experience. But that wasn't my fault. The kids that ordered my food, they gave me the wrong bag. So it was the kid's fault.

Right. Yeah, the customers. You blame in children. Hey, we out here. We run an operation. And now we're known for this standard. Right. I'm with that. When it drops, you know what I mean?

You're not getting a full in and out. You're talking about a pedestrian that's sitting in the front of line. Bryce was like, hey, I'll give you a hundred bucks and order food for me. And those kids fucked it up. They have, they're not with In and Out. They got their moment. That was their Super Bowl. Right.

And they threw a pick. But their Super Bowl has nothing new with In and Out being the champion of fast food burgers. It'll always, it'll forever be an argument. But I think a lot of people don't like in and out. Like from like Arizona over like to the side of the kind of the country. country. I don't think people like in and out very much. It's because one they don't have it. They like one burger and shake shack, five guys. Like they love. I think everybody hates like the, the pompous that it is the best,

bar none, nothing's close to it. So then there's friction that gets created to talk about other burger spots because there are other burger spots that are just as good, if not better. Yeah, there's good burger spots. I mean, burgers in general are like, yeah, it's like, there's one in Barstow, California that is unbelievable. What California? Barstow. Barstow. Barstow. Right next to the pan. In and out in Barstow California. So you got, Oh, have ever been to Del Taco? Oh, yeah. You like Del Taco?

You ever have had their double Dell? No, I have not. Yeah, so their burgers are actually pretty good too when I was growing up. I mean, not anymore, probably. I haven't had Del Taco in, I don't know, 20 years, but. Strong food, strong food opinions. Strong food? I'm not food.

He seems like he's a well-versed individual with this food. Like, my range is like burgers to middle-class eats. So you start getting the upper echel of white tablecloth is what I kind of like. No, no, no. I'm not, I'm just saying, like, that. restaurant was a white tablecloth. They said. I've never been there. But like, yeah, that's my right there. Yeah, they'll talk. Well, you see how he kind of hit all these different angles. Whenever he said he had some of the best tacos or burritos you ever had. We're like dabbing him. Oh, Taylor L.

And then he's like, oh, Nashville. When you walked out, he's like, yeah, I mean, national food, pretty subpar. And I was like, oh, God. And then JP's like, hey, JP comes in like, hey, you ever had no-co? He's like, oh, God. I'm like, oh, my God. He's hitting all these different Yeah. I catch my hell. I walk out, I pretend to take a phone pole. I hear him say that. I got to get out here.

Walk out and he just proceeds to kill everybody else in the food takes. But like me too, like if you're having a steak, like, where are you going to go get a steak? Here? I think, yeah. Franklin Farmer's market? Kane Prime. Cain Prime. Yeah, I think Cain's good.

Roobes. I think Roobes is good. But like, you think you can. You think you can make it? Oh. See. I was just messing with you. I was just mad.

Hey, the scenery in bourbon's nice. Love the scenery, bro. Overlooking the city. Beautiful. And as far as like the apps menu and the shareable stuff, like it, you ever been to, the French fry apps? You ever been to down 40? Nice shot. Yeah.

That is about to suck the rest of the time. Dude, we did it, we did a part with Josh Allen. It was 25 minutes of us just like uncomfortably trying to get each other with dick jokes. And then we got done with the pond, we're like, this show was not very good. Yo, the Phyllis one was great, bro. Dude, the Phyllis. Poor Jack, thank God he's not here. He actually had to take the leave because of that.

Yeah, that was he had to take leave. Best, best cheese steak in Philly, which one? Angeloos. Is Angelo is the one that Big Dom was trying to put us on? Yeah, I think so. It was closed that day, right? Really good. I haven't been yet.

I haven't been yet. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think, I mean, I've been to Angelo's and I love it. And a pizza to Angela is really good. But the thing is like cracker thin, like crust pizza. And I mean, I think Angela's is really, really good.

Tachanelli's is great. What's your favorite pizza out here in Nashville? Folk. Folk, okay. Yeah. So they have like a sourdough. All right. It's really good.

You don't know what folk is, do you? I don't. I don't have it. What's your opinion about like Nashville pizza? I think it's the focal one is really, really good. Okay. But I haven't like, is that it right there? Looks like it.

It looks thin to me. Yeah, that's really good. See, pizza's another bar. It's like, the bar is so low for pizza. Like, you're going to have it. Yeah, but like, I think deep dish is terrible. Agreed. Yeah.

So like Chicago deep dish is awful. But like there's a, there's a place in Chicago. And they have cracker crust, like thin crust pizza. It's legit. You ever had Emo's in St. Louis? No. Cracker crust. It's thin.

Squares. Is it good? Yeah. Provalone cheese? Emos. I'll get you hooked up. All right. Sounds good.

We had a frozen shit. Appreciate you. When we were in San Francisco, we were going to Alcatraz. And this guy was just on the boat, asked people where they were from. And he's like, oh, I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. And the guy just shot. I said, voluntary had no clue. No clue.

He's like, what's close in? But this dude had like a, he was on the spectrum at, clearly and he just knew like you would say like a city what that's wrong well I'm just saying you said it and you did the thing you looked over at me for a second so I just held my face and then now that there's a crack it's like okay was that the keep going you got he was on the spectrum and his superpower was knowing cities and all the places to go and eat and that's what he was doing on the boat and he said emo's neck onward god damn bring up autism everyone's like oh shit that's a superpower I have

Abin autism. Yeah. Oh, he was murder. You ever once a movie accountant? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes.

Yes, I did. I've seen it recently. Unbelievable. Ben Affleck. Yes. There it is. Yeah. I was searching a movie guy.

I do love movies. Newer movies because of having kids and all that. I don't get it the way I want to now. Yeah. But yeah, I mean. I mean, I haven't been to a theater movie in a long time. That's, that sucks, man. Yeah.

Because theaters sitting down like my rookie year in Nashville, like, every like Thursday afternoon, I would go solo to the movies. during the season and just sit there and watch whatever they had and just popcorn big can of nicotine that was my i went a couple weeks ago is utopia how good incredible yeah amazing i saw house made houseman how on uh netflix no me my wife went it was really good it was gnarly something like that i thought it was on i thought it no it's on like you can get yeah you can get it have you has been on f1 yet uh movie yeah i haven't seen yes body watched it last one i watched like sport-wise in the movies though was uh ford versus Ferrari but that movie's incredible

yes that one probably edges out F1 but Brad Pitt in this F1 movie is unreal yeah so baseball yeah yeah yeah we don't have to uh really good how is it dude just just playing in the major league in jay major league major leagre major leaguer Grande Ronde Linger How is I mean you quit You quit high school You said I'm done

I'm gonna just grade out of this And be done because of baseball You were called the chosen one At one point in Sports Illustrated What kind of pressure is that like as a child? Yeah Your baseball is LeBron James That's what they said

Yeah I mean I think the thing was that So when we were going through it I mean I grew up playing football, baseball, basketball, snowboarding. Like, I did everything. Like, it wasn't just baseball all the time. And, you know, my first love was football.

Like, I loved playing football. And then, obviously, I got to high school and it was kind of like pick one. Like, what are we going to do? And I picked baseball and it was very hard to walk away from a lot of other stuff. But obviously, baseball took over and it was what it was at that point. High school baseball in Vegas just is, it's okay. But like as you go and play on travel ball teams or tournaments over, you know, over the summer, you kind of realize like, man, it's kind of hurting me a little bit playing high school baseball because I'd go to these other tournaments and I kind of would get dominated a little bit, but also like play well sometimes. And so me and my parents kind of sat down.

It was like, what could be the next step? Like, what can we do? I did really good my freshman year, did really good my sophomore year. And then we talked to a coach over at C.E. DSN, college of Southern Nevada, and I took my GED, tested out of school. And that was a tough thing for me too, because, I mean, you're giving up your junior and senior high school, right? Like, it's supposed to be the best years of your life.

Yeah. I was kind of a ghost in high school. I was kind of, I'd, you know, go to school, do my thing. I'd work out all the time. Like, I had early bird weights, lift after school, and then, like, have baseball practice and do my thing. So it's kind of, I wasn't really missing out on much besides hanging out on the weekends with my buddies and having that group of friends.

Yeah, you know, like I mean, but a lot of my friends, you know, played baseball, played other sports and went to a lot of different schools across the valley. So I'd go across town, hang out with them, come back to my school, all that kind of stuff. So, but the transition into Juko wasn't as easy of a transition as it kind of looked. It was probably the most pressure. I'd ever been under in my whole life, even now to this day, just because, you know, you drop out of school. And then it's like, you have to play well. Because if you don't play well, like, there's nothing else. And all these headlines and this idea of you was already there. For sure. When were those headlines starting? Because you talk about, I played all the sports and then you get to your freshman year and you have to pick one. I know in like in Arizona, people were like with hockey and baseball. It was like you get to like 10. Essentially you have to be like all in on one thing.

So it sounds like you were just good at everything. And you're like, I guess I'll just be great at baseball. No, I mean, I just think my dad wanted me to be an athlete. I think that was the biggest thing. I think that's what kids kind of lack nowadays. is like they all the parents think their next their kid's going to be the next mike trout or the next you know uh lebron or the next joe burrow or whatever you know it's i think they kind of lose the side of the kid you know of like letting them be a kid understanding that they have so much time to be

great at what they want to be great at you know maybe maybe the kid actually wants to play piano and he wants to be great at piano like you never know right and so i think that's the thing that my dad never pushed me to like do something. I always wanted, I mean, I come back on a weekend. I'd play six games and that Monday, I'm like, let's go get some work in. You know, like, I love the working mentality. Like, I love to get out there and try to get better at anything that I did. And so for me, like, just understanding once I got into high school, like, it kind of all started

when I was like probably 10 or 11 years old. By traveling around playing the travel bowl? Yeah. So, I mean, my first competitive game, I played at seven against 10-year-olds. It was just like I was very competitive from a very young age. And I wouldn't probably wish that on anybody because like obviously like I loved it, but I don't know if many people want to do it for that long. Some guys get burned out or they don't want to do it anymore by the time they're 16.

They're like, man, that's way too much baseball. I mean, I had so many buddies that were really good. They got burned out because their parents just hammered on them all the time instead of like hammer, hammer, love. You know, like I always think about that. Like my dad, like he'd hammer on me, but also he'd pull me a sign by, hey, I love you, kid. like this is what it's all about like this game might not last forever but you know we're family we're blood we're all this kind of stuff like so we're in this together kind of thing and so

you know once I got to that point um you know I got into to junior college and like you said like the Sports Illustrated came out and that's kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time it's really cool right like you want to be on a weed each box you want to have a tops card like what you think about growing no doubt like you want to be on sports Illustrated and all that kind of stuff but it comes with a sense of you have to be good. Like this is, this is, it is what it is. Like you have to show up or, you know, you're going to be the biggest story in sports. And you don't want to be a bust.

You don't want to be the next buster, you know, everybody talks about you for 20 years. Like, oh, hey, what if, what if, what if? What could have been with this kid? Right. And, you know, so I think getting there, um, I was playing against guys that were, you know, five, six, seven years older than me because there's a lot of, you know, J-CO dropback guys from, you know, D-1s. and stuff like that.

We had a really, really good team. So we had a lot of drop back guys from D1 that just couldn't make grades. And so I actually got dominated in the fall. Like just, and we were wood bat. So our division was wood bat. Everybody else was aluminum. And so it kind of gave me a sense of like,

hey, this is real baseball. Like we're playing wood bat. We don't have aluminum bats. And so, I mean, I kind of, I came back and said to my dad, I don't want to do this. I want to go back high school. And so we actually met with principal, AD,

my coach, everything. And they were like, you can't come back. You test it out. And so I was like, This is after your first fall in Juneau? This is my first fall in JUCO. And so they were like, you know, you can't do this. And I'm like, man, all right.

Well, I got to figure this out. And so obviously I figured it out and had a great year. But it was tough. It was probably the toughest year knowing that like either you have to be the number one pick or there's nothing else. Right. And so like you have to be the number one pick out of junior college. And thankfully, I had a great coach, great coach.

great guys around me. My brother played with us as well, so I had him all year. But I had a lot of guys that had my back. And I think that was the biggest thing going in and playing against all these other teams and all these college guys was, you know, I got chirped out a lot, which was great. I loved it. You know, that was probably the best time. But yeah, I mean, a lot of guys came in and helped me a lot. And so it was, it was nice to have a group around me that, like, kind of pushed me along as well, you know, because I don't think I would have got to where I needed to be without, you know. How did some of those conversations shift mainly for you when you're not around the group of guys? Obviously, you have a good group around you got your dad.

It seems like you have good people that surrounding you. But also when you go back home at night and you're thinking to yourself, like what were some things that helped you on top of that? Because a lot of that self-talk stuff that athletes have and go through, I would assume, too, it's like, yeah, you're around guys that are lifting you up and everything else. But when you're driving home and you're by yourself, like a shift has to happen like, you know, from within, from yourself. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, obviously I think. like motivation it comes and goes, right? But like having that determination to be great always has to be there no matter what. I think that's in life today too, right?

Like, I mean, there's certain times where you do a job or you do certain things. You're like, man, dude, I got to get in there again, got to get it done, get it done. I mean, you guys know, like season gets monotonous sometimes, too, doing the same thing every single day all the time. And staying consistent. For sure, you have to stay consistent with what you do. So, I mean, consistency is key to being great every day. And so for me, like, good day, bad day, I had to be the same guy because we had, you know, a thousand scouts at every game.

Like I obviously was 17 years old and made a lot of mistakes when I was 16, 17, 18 years old. It just is what it is, right? High school kid. On the field, off the field, like, it is what it is. But for me, like, understanding, like, this is what I have to do. This is a dream. If I don't do it, then I'll be working with my dad side by side, you know, building hotels. in Vegas and that's not terrible, but like it's not the dream that I had for for myself.

Yeah. So what was a that conversation? Like who came to who when you're in high school and you made the transition? Like who started that dialogue? Was it your dad that started that or was that you being like, hey, seems like the next step for me is this. Yeah, I think it was a family decision at that point. I mean, obviously my dad. So in America, you have to be out of school for a year to be eligible for the draft or you have to, excuse me, you have to test out and go to junior college. So I could either go and play in Japan. I could either go play in Winterball or in the Dominican or something like that overseas or I could go test out and go to junior college. And I played for a great coach in junior college. And so it was kind of, we went and met with him,

told him, you know, what it was all about, what we thought. And he goes, absolutely, let's go. Let's roll with this. And, you know, I looked at CSN. I looked at two schools in Texas as well at the time, I'm at school in Oklahoma as well. And it was just nice to be able to stay at home, being able to be around my family. I don't think it would have been a lot different if I was going somewhere else. So making that decision, we talked to my advisor at the time, Scott, now my agent. And the big thing for him was me getting out of school to have the opportunity to be on a big league deal once I got drafted. So after my year, it was minor league deals only.

And so big league deal means you're right on the 40-man roster and you have a chance to be up in the big leagues, within two or three years if you play well. And so that was the last year, me getting drafted was the last year for that. And so there was a lot of things that kind of went into our decision. And obviously there was a lot of people that were like, you're crazy,

you're robbing this kid of two years of high school. You know, he might not be this guy, you might not be this guy. But I love that notion. Like I love people kind of saying this about me or saying that about me and then, you know, doing my thing and not really worrying about it. But having the group around me that kind of helped me get there,

which is huge for me. Which is wild because you're in such a, it's like a, it's like a one-of-one type situation. You know what I mean? Like not going to high school, getting out. Do you ever look back and think like I wish I would have stayed in high school? Obviously, it's all worked out. But are there parts of you that's like, oh, man, I should have played football.

I should have done more sports knowing that maybe you could have still accomplished or been where you're at now. Yeah, I mean, my dream was to be a two-way guy. I met an SEC school, like, somewhere and being a two-way guy. Like, that was always, like, my dream, like, playing football somewhere, playing baseball somewhere. Were you a beast? I played outside line back until my freshman year. And I mean, I played well.

I mean, I'm not going to say I was the greatest. You could say that. But I was... We're all beasts of these. This is the best part. Yeah, yeah. When you're reflecting, no one can really argue. Yeah, yeah.

Like, yeah, were you nice on the edge? Or were, like, stand up. Oh, you stand up. Okay. So I was like Lawrence Taylor coming around the edge trying to kill the quarterback. Yeah, that's it. That's how you got to talk right there. So that was that.

Because you know people are going to doubt right now, white guy playing the outside. Yeah, that's fine. That's a linebacker. Yeah, I mean, you can say whatever you want. Yeah. That's okay. But, like, I, I enjoyed it.

Like, I absolutely enjoyed playing. I love hitting guys. I didn't like getting hit, but I love to hit. You know what I'm saying? So that was really hard for me making that decision of, hey, I can't do this anymore. I remember walking in going, hey, coach, like, I'm not going to play anymore.

And he was like, slap dick baseball player. That makes sense. That's all the football coach is all, man. dude like so mad and then my coach was sitting across the across the way and was like trust me in the spring you'll understand and so like he came and watched me in the spring it was like oh shit okay like this makes sense and so um but yeah i mean it was always like that like slap dick baseball player bro it's always like that especially when baseball starts getting you start playing like all year round and summertime you might be playing summer ball it takes away from whether it's

seven on seven no doubt got to miss workouts and i loved i loved hell weeks in the summer like i mean I mean, you know, I was in Arizona, the same thing in Vegas, like 180 degrees outside. Right. I love that, though. It was fun getting out there and like doing that and waking up. I mean, I still did early bird weights with the football team in the morning for high school. And that was just something I love to do. I mean, I wanted to be the absolute biggest guy in the weight room and do my job and stuff.

But I missed that feeling of walking out on a Friday night. Crowd going nuts. And I'm not saying Vegas is anything like Texas, Arizona, California, Florida for football. I love that you put Arizona in there. I love that. But I mean, the thing about Arizona, like back in, when you were playing, though, Chaparral, Horizon, Brofee. I mean, you hear them right now.

They're all good schools. You hear him talking right now. He understands Arizona football lore. She also understands. No matter, no matter what level you're playing at, no matter what state you're in, no matter the stage, doesn't matter.

Friday night lights. There's nothing like it. It's pure. Right. No doubt. Could be 100,000 people in your mind that are there to watch you play that night. But like, that's why I love watching high school football. and I love watching college because it still has that demeanor of like this means more than anything, you know, like there's nothing like this moment of walking out here and playing for our school, the tradition of it and not everything else.

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Lucy products are only for adults of legal age and every customer is age verified. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Let's get back to this interview with Bryce Harper. You talked about like being a two-way player at an SEC school, a bunch of SEC coaches just sat up in their seat watching this. Like, what was the school you wanted to go to? So early on, it's funny because early on I love Texas. So like I love the University of Texas.

Those orange uniforms were it. Unbelievable. And so, like, I love that feeling of like, oh, I want to go play for Augie Garito at Texas. And, you know, their football program is so historic. And Austin, obviously, a great place. I saw them Bunt Taylor T. Garden, their three-hole hitter to get Drew Stubbs to second base. And I went, I can't go there because I want to hit homers. And so anywhere from like LSU to Florida. I mean, I think any type of baseball school that like you're looking at has to be the right like approach for you. Especially nowadays. I mean, it's so crazy with NIL and stuff. But LSU was probably one of my top picks just because they were so legit at the time. Arizona State was really good at that time too.

So like staying close to home, but I didn't like the pack 12. just type of and the SEC baseball seems like it's the tops yeah but like when I was growing up it was like Irvine Cal State Fullerton Arizona State Stanford Fresno State like it was very like West Coast

more than anything I mean you had all your Cinderella stories in Fresno Irvine like all these teams coming in and at that time it was all Pack 12 baseball comparative to now where it's all SEC you know SEC I mean I would have love to play for Tony V

you know at Tennessee yeah I mean it would have been unbelievable playing for him just the way he got of his demeanor and everything like you want to coach like that you know you want to coach that is you know has your back and let's the kids be kids but also like he still teaches as well right it's just not like go out and play and like us not being like a big baseball like we don't know how long about baseball but meeting Tony v seeing like the bad boys like the balls the way they handled themselves like this cursing guys out talking shit like that that it juiced me up as a guy that doesn't watch baseball I'm like yeah I want to be a part of this but like it's so it's so gibberish to do that in baseball because it's such a classical sport. Yeah. Like,

that's what everybody thinks. And so, I mean, the old head heads in the game, it kind of, and I love the old headness of the game. Like, you know, being able to respect the people that, like, played before you and all the kind of stuff, 100%. Like, they paved the way. They did their job, but they're gone now. Just like in, you know, eight years or whatever, when I'm done playing, like, I'm done. So, like, the kids that are playing now, they need to understand that it's their game now. Like, they need to go out there and play their game and they're going to do it the way they want to do it. Like I can't tell the young kids coming up to not do it a certain way. Like I need that kid to help me win a World Series.

So like I want him to be his self no matter what. Whatever that looks like, I don't care where you're from, who you are, what you do, what the team you played for before, I don't care. Like if they liked you or not, I don't really care. Like I want you to come in here. I want you to be part of our family. You're part of our group. Don't be an asshole, you know, like obviously.

But like, you know, I want to. my rookie to come up and have fun and enjoy the first time he puts puts his cleats on the dirt on the infield or in the grass in the outfield or in the batters box because for us or for me if he's in a big moment on the field and we're in the playoffs and he doesn't think that we have his back then he's probably going to be you know shit and bricks yeah you know on on the batters box like it's just it's just not fun I mean I think all sports kind of are like that where they get so hammered down all the time it's just like guys hold on he's trying to help us win he's a He's a superstar.

Like, let him be that and be a guy, you know, for us. And let's win this game no matter, like I said, who you are, what you do, or where you come from. Like, I don't care. I just want to win. So you see a young guy crack one, home run and just start riding the bat? I'm being pissed. Yeah.

I mean, we're not doing that. You just said guys can be themselves. Yeah, but I mean, there's an extent to that. The thing is, though, if guy does that, he better be prepared that his next guy up, teammate, is probably going to get drilled. You know what I'm saying? There's unlawed rules of baseball. And so now I don't need that guy to come in the dugout

and break the guy's jaw. You know what I'm saying? Because he's pissed that he just rode the horse like Happy Gilmore on a fucking baseball thing. You know what are those like unspoken rules in baseball? Like how high is too high of a bat flip? Like what's a celebration you've done that might have touched the line a little bit. You've done a little something, haven't you?

You've got your boys in some trouble. To an extent, I mean, I mean, I think, I mean, I've, flipped my bat in DC when I came back. Are we talking boom? Then you stood there and you just flipped it on. I mean, I'll stand on stuff, but I'm not,

I'm not disrespecting the pitcher. Like, I don't, for me, like, I don't want to, I'm not going to look at the guy. Like,

when a guy, like, pimps it, looks at the pitcher, I think that's very disrespectful. But, like, when you make it about yourself and the team, like,

I'm cool with that. Like, you want to celebrate with your team and, like, have fun with that, like, and, you know, whatever to the dugout,

cool. Like, I don't care if any team does that. That's totally fine. So if a guy gets, cracks one, saddles the horse and then just faces his dugout and does it. I don't think he was going to ever saddle the horse. Okay, no.

So saddling the horse is just off limits. We just keep talking about saddling. I think one of the cooler ones I've ever seen was a walk off that Prince Fielder hit and they did the bomb at home plate. He jumped in the plate. Everybody explodes. And so I thought that was cool.

You know, but I love that vibe in football too when, you know, defense runs back and they do. the tush push into the end zone or like you don't love the tish push no one no I'm just saying like I'm saying like the celebration of it was really funny like seeing those guys do it or you know I think I rode the horse after a pick it was Russell Wilson actually I've seen the clip you showed me most of the horse acting like I was slamming me like I celebrated to the mask but I love that the camera

looked at it and winked but that's fun yeah you got to you got to have a little saviness and why these pictures getting so upset about stuff staring yeah But that when people brought up the stair, can you explain what is the stair? I think when people provoke. Like if you provoke, then like, I'm going to come right back at you. Like, I don't play that. Have you had a situation with the pitcher to where there's kind of some beef and then you've taken them yard and you're, you know, you give them like a Kurt Signetti? I think our biggest one was probably me and Strickland, but like I think that was so like overplayed.

Like it was just, it was dumb. Like, I don't think that should have happened. I mean, it was six years later after it happened and they drilled me and then we fought and then it was like over. you know like I mean when I charge the mound um the new one was that was crazy though because strick is he's a big boy yeah so I'm running out there halfway I'm like oh crap we're doing this you know like here we go I'm committed now I'm saying like I can't just run to first base now um but I think the big one was probably um in the playoffs in 23 yeah no short stop oh you caught you caught him yeah he snuck his ass right there he duff me man he duff me in the arm oh really yeah right when I came up

to get over top. He duff me and it kind of went sideways. Now when you're going up to bat right there, are you thinking to yourself like, he was going to drill me. You knew it. Yeah, I told Jada before we went up there. Because of something six years earlier.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is a crazy garage to have. We were like, we have no clue. I'm enjoying story time. Right, yeah, yeah. So when you're, when you're saying something, you're probably thinking like, oh, people notice. The helmet throw, though.

What is it? Damn. You guys are going. Hey, uh. Hey, that helmet throws like my first page. That's probably. Samarja. Samarja ran in right there. Jeff Samarja? Yeah. Wide receiver in Notre Dame.

So he-oh, for real? Yeah, he runs in trying to kill me. It hits Morse. Watch this. Oh, that's this. Bang! Oh, that's Samarja. The wide receiver from Notre Dame with a two-bar running back? Stud? Really good. Stud. Yeah. Stud. Love them. When you're running out there. When you're running out there, you think of yourself, how fast can my boys get out here and get my back? Yeah. So my problem, so your problem is you got, but the thing was is strict toll.

them before the game, I know this for a fact. So Strick told them before the game, hey, if I face Harper in this series, I'm going to get them. You guys need to stay back. That's why Posey sat back there and didn't stop me. And so you see Brandon Crawford and all these guys like sitting back and whatever. So look at Posey. You see Posey? And also, hey, Strickland, him. He's a big boy. Back up a little bit. Like ready to go. Throw him. Show them put that glove down. That shit was hard. That shit was all right. Oh, you want to do it? All right. Let's go. He's a big boy, dude. He's a big boy.

He's ready for smoke. No, no. So he tells his boys that he's going to get you. Yeah. And then they need to stay back, which is, by the way, it sounds cooler every single time. And you're like, I'm going to throw this home. I think this should happen more often in baseball because I think it would eliminate guys throwing at each other. Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? So it's just like hockey. Like, hey, you want to go? You want to go. And so I think it would eliminate a little bit. Dude, baseball would have a massive. viewership rise but like also like I think it would stop right and like this is part of the game like obviously I don't want to fight anybody in a baseball field like I didn't want to fight strickland or anything else but like there comes a time where it's like hey dude like you get drilled like it is what it is at that point yeah um and so I think that was probably one of the main ones that everybody talks about I have no bad blood with him at all anymore it that happened it was just like we're done yeah like not a big deal when that it was going to happen before the game started yeah yeah how did you because after the fact I was like, hey guys, like, why did you guys all sit back?

And so, like, I talked to some guys and they were like, well, this is what happened. Yeah. But again, like. So what happened six years before that? I hit a homer in the postseason. Nice. And some stuff happened. And then I hit another, like some stuff was said.

And then I hit another one against them. And I kind of stared them down at that point. Oh, so you're provoking. Oh, you just something happened before that. Yeah. That provoked me to do that. Oh, we're not. I don't talk about it.

It's okay. It's okay. But so. So. So. But then like the next one after this was Arcia. So RCA was talking about some stuff. Overheard it.

And so that's where the stare down came from. God, hard. Yeah. That's hard. It's a whole season too, by the way. Yeah, dude. I mean, that's. So you knew walking up you were going to get a hit.

Against them? Yeah. I think it was just like the moment of I got to do this. Like everybody's watching. Like this is what it is what it is. trying to have my back for myself as well. Give the people what they want. But again, like, all this stuff happens and, like, I have zero animosity towards anybody.

Like, it is what it is. Like, you have such a different demeanor, like, when you walk onto a football field or a baseball field or anything. And so, like, when I walk away from the field, there's no, like, I don't care about it. Like, it's just, it is what it is. Like, if I saw him in the parking lot, I wouldn't, like, you know, try to fight him. Like, I'd probably say, hi, though. Hey, man, how you doing? Have you spoke since this pitch?

Arcia? No, I've never talked to him. Really? I wonder if he feels the same way. I don't know. I just don't, like, it's just, it does nothing for me to, like, think about all this stuff. Like, it just, but again, like, in between the lines, I think it's just such a different demeanor. And then, like, you get out of the lines.

And, I mean, I'm a dad of four and husband, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. At some point, that's something like, for sure. Right. No doubt, no doubt. I mean, you got to flip the switch and understand, like, the game is the game. And then once you get away from it, it's just, it's life. You're, you're just like anybody else.

You can crack a cold beer with them, have some laughs. I don't drink, but yeah. Yeah. Olly pop. Are you guys sponsored? Yeah. Nice. Treple are good, dude.

Yeah, one of them. All the pops are good. Yeah. Bud Light, you don't know, but they're good. Yeah. Neutral's also fire. You had a teammate called Boo Light. Boolite.

These? No. Oh, Boolite. Boolite. Sorry, hit me with the Booleys. Yeah, everybody's got to catch up for a second. Boolite. Boo light.

Leaving, how was it during the either breakup or just separating paths with Washington? Is that a decision there where you might have made the decision that some people don't understand? Or how was that? Was that like a bad blood breakup? Because I know, I mean, you're in Washington. So I'm sure everybody was just hoping that you would stay with Washington. Yeah, I mean, Mike Rizzo, I loved him. He was our GM president at the time.

He was awesome. The team, we were great, man. We were always a pitcher away. And so for me, when we got into that offseason, I remember sitting on my couch in Vegas, and they had signed Patrick Corbin. And this was like November or December. And I remember looking at my wife, Kayla,

and I said to where I go, they're going to win the World Series this year. They finally got the pitcher they needed. And so they ended up going like 14 and like 27 or 14 and 36 or something in the first like 50 games. And they turned it around and ended up winning in the World Series. So when they did that, obviously, like, as a player, I rooted for them. I love the guys that I played with. I understood, like, I was with them for seven years and all

the guys that I made relationships with. I was very happy to see them do it. Obviously, I want to win one because I haven't yet. But organizationally, this was the best thing for me to go to Philly and play there. I think it was just time for me personally to get away from there and do my thing with a different organization. And I made the right decision. I absolutely. I absolutely. you love Philly. I enjoy it. The breakup, I don't know. I mean, I don't have anything bad to say about the fans or anything else. They boo me every time I go in there. You know, it's sports. It is what it is. It's kind of fun. Yeah, I mean, it's just weird more than anything, you know, just because, I don't know. I feel like I did a lot for their organization and their team and stuff, but at the same

time, like, it's sports. It is what it is. But I have no bad animosity towards everything else. I think of watching them win the World Series. No, because, I mean, for me, like, I understand the hard work that goes into it and understanding the guys that I played with and built relationships with. Like, I was so pumped for Trey Turner and Ryan Zererman and all these guys that have done it. And so obviously, I would have loved to have been there in one-one because we did get so close and understand we were such a good team at all those points of when I played there. I mean, we never had a losing record.

I don't think in the seven years that I was there, made it to the playoffs, maybe five out of the seven. And so, I mean, just a great time. had a really good ride with them, but turned on the page to Philly. I mean, it's been unbelievable. How does the free agency in baseball work? And how did you end up on the Phillies? What other teams were involved? Yeah. So it was very quiet at the beginning, I would say. I mean, it was funny. So going back to the national. So we actually, so we had our last game in D.C. And then we went on the road that year to play. I think the final was in Colorado.

And so we were in a rain delay. It was like the sixth inning. And my coach walked over to me or my manager. I was like, hey, old man's in the office. And I was like, that's weird. So I go in and I sit down with old man, old man learner. And he's their owner. He was their owner.

And so I remember sitting there and he goes, he hands me an envelope and says, this is an offer you won't be able to refuse. This is during a game. Like middle of the game. Middle of the game. All man wants to see you. Middle of the game. Rain delay.

Rain delay. This is the right time to come to Bryce and tell him. It's time. And so I was like, what? I think, are we serious right now? Like, this is how it's happening right now. Obviously, my agent wasn't there. Had no idea this was happening.

Nothing. So I go back to my chair and I'm sitting at my chair in my locker. And I was like, hold on. So I text my wife. I'm like, hey, come down to the door. Like, I need to talk to you real quick. She's like, what? I was like, okay.

So she comes down. hand her the envelope. I'm like, he just offered me, you know, X amount of dollars. Like, she goes, he did this during a game. I said, yeah, isn't that weird? And so I call my agent and he goes, go down to the fine print. And so I go down to the fine print. And it's like 70% is deferred over the next 30 years of your life. And so it was like the deal with the deferrals of like 70% of it. And so he's like, yeah, that's not a good offer. And so I go back to my locker. But just the moment of that, like I was just like, that's wild. You know, like, what would make him not want to go through the agent.

Just in that moment, it was just kind of weird. Like it was just a- Feels like, well, you know, you watched the dock with the Cowboys like a Jerry Jones. Right. Like, it was just a, it was a really weird perspective as I was sitting there because, I mean, my season's not over yet, obviously.

Like, and I understand, like, you want to get a deal done. I get that totally. Like, I had people come up to me all year, um, throughout the whole year kind of trying to get things done, trying to get things done. And so that was different. I mean, obviously the, the, you know, when the off-season kind of hit,

you're not allowed to talk to anybody until the World Series is over and then you have like a brief period and then they go to GM meetings and then they got winter meetings and stuff. Winter meetings were in Vegas where I was so that was kind of cool like being able to go down and meet with teams. But I had some really good meetings. We had the White Sox, Padres, San Francisco, Dodgers came in late and then Philly talked to them as well at that point. So I had five teams kind of talked to me. My deal with the Dodgers was less money, but very similar to what Kyle Tucker's on right now that he signed. Obviously not to the extent of what Kyle is at right now, but very similar four-year deal, opt-outs, all that kind of stuff. I had one team offered me a one year for 48, I think it was, one year 48 or one year 50. And I kind of was like, I want to take that.

And the team that it was really good. And so I was like, man, I would have loved that. You want to say the team? I don't want to say. You know, he doesn't want to say it. Did the one team offer me, and I was like, I kind of want to go to that team. It's like, okay, what's the team? Did this team have pinstripes?

No. No. The Yankees were not in at all. Because you grew up a Yankee fan. I grew up a Yankee fan. Yep, I did. And they've never been in the loop with you? They were never in the loop at the beginning.

Were you hopeful that the Yankees would come into the circle? I think you're always hopeful for big market teams to be in, just because it drives money or anything else. Right. But I loved the pinstripes growing up. I loved all the players that played there and the winning mentality they had. But at the same time,

they had just got John Carlos Stanton from Miami. And so he was on a big deal. They had some young guys coming up that they believed in more than me and stuff. I told teams I could play first base and they didn't believe me that I could play first base. And so they all just wanted me to play the outfield, which was fine.

But now it's funny that I'm at first base and top three. in gold glove every year. But I don't know. It was cool to be kind of wanted, right? Like you kind of go into the situation and you talk to all these teams and it's weird kind of also sitting there understanding that you have to put your faith in these teams without even knowing these organizations besides what they tell you, right?

Like you can talk to anybody on other teams, but like, I mean, I talked to White Sox guys. They're like, oh, it's a great organization. These people are great. If I would sign with a white Sox guy, probably already been traded out of there because they've been in a rebuild for the last 10 years. or ever since Connerco left. You know, so like, I mean, it's been a, it was a whirlwind. I mean, making the decisions that I did.

Having the Dodgers come in late was tough for me, you know, because they're a really good team and you're sitting there and you're like four-year deal. And I was like, man, I don't really want to go through this again. I didn't want any opt-outs. Like, that was a big thing for me. So you were close to the finish line with the Phillies, and then that's when the Dodgers come in.

It's kind of like, oh, shit. Yeah, so I was close with, so San Diego had signed Machado, maybe like two weeks after my deal, or two weeks after I met with them. they wanted a third basement. They kind of told me that. They were like, hey, like, we want an infielder. We needed an infielder.

And so they went with Machado. But my best meeting actually was the White Sox. They actually came in. I believed in a lot of their stuff and their young guys. Jim Tomey was in there with me. And actually I said to Tomi, said, were you like hitting better, though? The White Sox or Phillies.

And he kind of was like, they're both great. You know, he's easy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know. But I asked point blank too to Bochi. I said, hey, is this your last year of coaching in San Fran? And he was very upfront with me and said yes. And so I was a big one for you.

I was very, I'm happy that he told me that because I would have loved to play for Bruce Bruce Bochy, obviously. Like he, one of the greatest managers in baseball of all time. But for him to be up front with me in that situation was huge for me in my career because I probably would have went and thought about San Fran a lot more because of Bochy comparative to, you know, anybody else. But, I mean, at the final stretch, I felt like it was always going to be Philly.

They offered, obviously, 3.30. San Fran was at, like, 315, and then at the last moment, they came up to 3.30. Every, every team was pretty much at 3.30. Like, every team, they were all kind of in cahoots about that and talking and stuff. They said they don't, but it is what it is. So, San Fran could have been a move.

It could have been, but my life just doesn't match that city. So. Well, hey, Tony Rattello there now. He's great. I mean, Tony V's the man. You know, I think he's going to do really good, good things up there. I think having a guy like that, just the way he coaches. He's got a lot of Tennessee boys on that team too, so it'll be cool.

I'm sure that played into it quite a bit. Yeah, right? Exactly. He's like a test subject a little bit, right, coming from college? For sure. I mean, I think he's one of the first ones to do it. Come straight to college and being MLB, I'm pretty sure. Yeah.

In your opinion, how big of a difference is that? Like, is it wild that he's getting this opportunity or is it kind of saying like, oh, it's kind of nice to see somebody take a chance like this because you feel like it'll work out? I think it's one of the best hires around. Like I don't think it's, I think Buster did a great job. I mean, Buster wanted them. I think the being able to have Buster as your president and GM, like there's nothing like it. I mean, Posey's one of the best to ever do it as well.

So I think the big thing for Tony was like, hey, I want to be able to come in and be myself. Like I don't want to have to change or I don't want to have to listen to this guy or this guy. And I think Buster was like, no, like we want you to be Tony V. you know because Tony v. What's got what's got you here. His path in baseball has been incredible. Yeah. And for him to go into Tennessee and change around that, you know, program.

And then, you know, every time we play them, I hope we beat them, obviously. But I wish him all the success just because of the person he is and who I know, you know, that's on that team. Like he's going to be great for that organization. That's awesome. Yeah. What's it like changing positions? Because earlier you were a catcher, then you're in the outfield. Now you're at first base.

and as a dumb baseball guy you watch Moneyball and Chris Pratt had the hardest time the hardest time going to first base that's Chris Pratt that part of that movie though because Ron Washington is the coach I don't know if guys knew that

but Ron Washington he's like he's one of the best to ever do it like infill coach wise and so they that's the actor that's playing or he's the guy that's playing him for Ron Washington and they go how hard is it

and Billy Bean's He's like, it's not that hard. And they look at Wash, and Wash goes, it's extremely hard. So Pratt's like sitting there like, oh, crap, yeah, I guess I can do it. You know, like, can't really throw anymore, but, you know, I got it. But no, I mean, just trying to be an athlete. I mean, I grew up playing the infield pretty much all through college, high school and then college.

I mean, I caught, but I played, you know, shortstop and third base as well. But it was nice to kind of get into something new, you know, I think when, you know, kind of gets monotonous just standing out in the outfield all the time. And now I don't have to hear all the people behind me yelling and screaming at me, there. So that's good. But it's been fun, man. I think just trying to be the best I can over there for my infield, understanding that I got guys out there that can win gold gloves, you know, because of me or not because of me, right? Like if I pick a ball, like I'm helping them out or if I miss a ball, like I just killed them. You know, it's an air on him, you know, so just trying to help them as much

as I can for them to be great. I think that's, you know, kind of what first base is all about. You know, I think obviously a young age, they kind of just put the young fat kid over there and they're just like, Yeah, go play, you know, but now it's... Yeah, you can swing the bat well, put him at first base. I swear all the... I swear... I swear... All of them were number 25, too,

because of Mark McGuire back in the day. Yeah. Yeah. St. Louis stand up. Yeah. Because you made the switch after... You made the switch after Tommy John's, right? Yeah.

So I had T.J. I love you. You got a nickname for your injury. T.J.? T.J. That's what they all caught. Got the T.J handled that business right there. How hard is that?

People say that you come back fast from that now, right? Like some guys come back better? Yeah, I mean, I think it kind of depends on like your rehab and stuff. I was super lucky. I mean, Ella Trosh did my surgery for me. Yeah, Elitrash, dude. He's the man. He's the best.

Yep, so didn't go see that guy in Alabama. I was just kidding. The guys that go to Alabama, stop. Hey, chill, chill, chill, chill. When I got my ACL done a second time to get it fixed, I was the Walker Bueller. And he just had the time. Tommy John. And El O'Shajosh is like, yeah, with these guys now with the surgery, like some guys like throw harder, better with it. Because you came back the fastest of any

player that has, right? Yeah, position player. So I came back in five months, which is pretty crazy. Like eight to nine. It's like an ACO. Or like for pitchers, it's like 12 to 14, depending. Just kind of depends on the guy or the player. But I was super lucky too because we had the DH. And so they just came to the National League with the DH or I would have missed the whole year. And so being able to kind of have the DH and it didn't hurt when I swung. And so I was able to play through it that whole rest of the year. And then had the surgery in the offseason rehabbed it and was back, I think May 1st. I had surgery November, like day before Thanksgiving had surgery and then came back home after that and started rehabbing it.

But I cut the cast off too. Really? and started moving it. And so I was like... Just like whole, what is it, Talldega Nights, he's just sawing off the cast. Yeah, it's crazy. I'm gonna get this thing.

Bryce Harper and Will Ferrell. I texted Elitross. I was like, hey, how quickly can I get this thing moving? And he was like, just hold on. Like, we don't want any infection. I was like, so the only reason I can't move it is because of infection. He goes, you really want to move this thing?

I go, yeah. And so I remember, dude, I was sitting there. I took the cast off and I was sitting there like this. I had him send me a video. And he was like, all right, so stabilizing it's your knee and just try to go down as much as you can. Like just like three or four times, hold it, you know, just like daily. And I think that really helped me, like, moving my body. But like I went on an extreme diet too, like stayed away from a lot of stuff and just tried to get my body moving, you know, the best I could.

And it crazy how obsessed you get with like, you know, when you get injured and you realize you're going to get a surgery. And the first question, how long does this usually take? And they might say six months. And then in your mind, you're like, I'm going to get back. I'm gonna fucking blow everybody's mind. Yeah, I'm gonna do it for sure. I'm gonna cut it in half. And you just gets obsessed with beating whatever the expectation is.

No doubt. Where you change your diet, you're like, hey, relax infection. You're like, so it's just infection. Send me a fucking video. I'm gonna get this thing moving. I'm gonna show everybody that I can get back. I think it's just like wanting to get back, right? And I mean, sometimes it's dumb.

Sometimes it's good. I mean, it's worked out for me. My arms felt great. I've had no pain. Yeah, yeah. And it's going to first base too. is that like in your mind like a longevity factor? Yeah, I mean, I think it's trying to pipe one in from the outfield versus, you know,

scooping them up. Pitcher gets a strikeout and you just whipping around the diamond. If I could be on peptides, I'd play for another 10 years, but can't be on those. So, no, I think, yeah, I mean, being able to, obviously longevity comes with understanding your body and what, you know, you want to put into it, what you want to do. I mean, I'm like 100% in more than 80, 20 with food or anything I put into my body or, you know, just everything. Yeah. It's just like all the above.

Obsessive. Yeah, very obsessive with what I do. Which is good and bad, right? Like, it's very hard for me to just go out and, like, eat a, you know, good meal. Eat some in and an hour. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Have a good burger.

Yeah, no doubt. Like, it's really, like, it's really hard for me, like, to mentally do that. And so whenever I can just like understand like you got to live to at the same time, right? When the family's when to go out where your wife's kind of age and get a little stirker, let's go out to eat. I just don't want to go out to eat. It better be really good. Yeah. Like it better be.

Oh, you know what? January. Really good. Yeah. Yeah. South Hall. Yes, bro. Yes.

I've never been to South Hall. Very good. South Hall is unreal. Is that? They got a couple restaurants. Is that the restaurant that we went to for your birthday or? Charles birthday? I don't think so because we sat right outside. There's like two restaurants. You know, it's like you got the main entrance of South Holland. You go in, they got the breakfast

food. That's the one that we did for dinner. We didn't eat at the restaurant called January. I want to say they rebranded it over the past couple of years. But yeah, January is. Yeah, there's like the breakfast spot you're talking about. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. January's legit. They got some good breakfast food too. Yeah. Oh, really? Yeah. Excuse me. It all comes from that farm too. Yeah. So that's awesome. Yeah. It's a farm disabled. It sounds like a lot. It sounds like a Blackberry Farms were closer. Have you been to BlackBerry Farms? Yes.

I heard it's awesome. It is, it is unreal. It's insanely expensive. Yeah. But like they have like the barn and like chefs from around the world will come and do like seasons there. And it's like a big honor, I guess, they go and do that. But they hit the food everywhere. It's awesome.

It's like the, have you guys been an almond property yet? No. So we went to Turks this off season and went to almond. And it's like the same thing, man. I mean, people just come in. I mean, this place that we stayed at in Turks was, I'll show you guys pictures. Like it was. unbelievable, unreal.

Like, insects. Gotta have it. We're talking about being extremely disciplined in your craft. And then going into what good food is in Nashville. In first base. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What, yeah, what was it, at what moment do you know, okay, I'm going to be able to come back in five months?

Was there like a day you're like, holy shit, boys, I think we're going to be able to do this. I remember getting to spring training and, well, take that back like I remember like going through the whole like first month and I felt great like I was moving it my PT was awesome in Vegas and we worked every day like we weren't I was like no we're doing this every day like weekends I don't care like we're we're working and so just understanding like what was good for my body and pushing through like when I needed to or sitting back when I needed to I don't do a really good job of sitting back you know but like when I needed to I did but understanding all the things away from it in a NAD IVs, cold tub, hot tub, staying away from all sugars. I mean, everything that I could do to get me to that point, I did. I mean, it wasn't, there was nothing else. Like, it was, this is how it's going to be.

This is what I'm going to do and I'm going to get back. A burtles that NAD drip. We should have done one on the bus. We would have been awesome. Well, how do you guys do it? Like, do you do the whole bag of NAD? Or do you guys do like the last like this little bit? Do like the 750 drip that takes like an hour of 45 minutes?

Yeah, I do I do really? I mean, how many bags? I do a half liter bag like the smaller bag. Yeah, but like how many like how much like 100, 200, 300, 300, 450. 450? Dude. But in the season, like we'd be running with Ayrtee. It wasn't it 750 militer?

I thought it was 450. So when I first met Bobo who owns Eritay, he had it. He was like just leaving to start Eritay. And he's like, you had this NAD thing. It's like the fountain of youth drug you can take now. FDA has done studies up to 8, 1850. So he would go over my house and for like three and a half hours. That's right.

I would do the introduction type like, here's where you start the NAD process. Yeah, 1850. I would do 1850 to take three and a half hours. And he and my wife would just put like Mario Kart while I just laid on the couch. Where do you fill it the most? My nuts. Yeah.

Dude. You're nuts? Bro. For me, with the 1850. See, I get so all my. I would get stomach and stuff. but I felt my sack was like vacuum sealed against my nuts.

That's how pain, like I was in so much pain. And I would feel them. And I'd be like they legit feel vacuum sealed. Like you just feel like each nut. Hey, I'm being dead serious. You got to be. It's horrible. It is the worst.

But as soon as you're done, it's kind of torturous. Yeah. It's like a slow, like, level of torture. It's like intermediate, but you feel like you're getting tortured. We had a guy named Roger Saffold. He would take a syringe, like with a,

it was like that big of a syringe. And he would just shoot. You guys are crazy for 50 or 750 whatever the number was that we would do and he would sit there dude for like two and a half minutes oh dude vitamin t is that that's every game we had crazy we'd have dichlofenac and we'd just be like yeah two dix a day it keeps doctor away like yeah die closed through the week and then game day game day is tort all i'd walk into the tree room no no clothes on at all completely naked just bend over let the doctor and then yeah you've all the all the bad pain goes away you know You get a good. That's gnarly.

So how much are you doing in the NAD? I mean, like, 450. So let's just say you're in 450 bag. That's when I'm at the highest. So, like, if I, I don't go any higher than that. Yeah. So we did that for a while and then we realized, like, okay, the study has gone this eye, but the most, the best is, like, the four.

Well, that's the thing. So, like, it's whatever's good for your body. And so, like, if you're at 200 and that's good for you, then, like, you do it at 200. You do it, like, biweekly or whatever. Like, any higher you go, it doesn't have any benefits for you after that. Yeah, but you know the psychopaths mentality. You know the psychopath mentality of like, more is better. Yeah, for sure.

All that. But Rod's before he even went into the syringe, like say the bag, they would stand over him and he would just lay on his back like this and they would just squeeze the fuck out of the bag and he'd get done in 18. He got done in 18 minutes. Like say a 450 bag or 750. Dude, that's gnarly. And his eyes would just be bloodshot as he lays on his back.

He'd be drenched in sweat and then like be quiet for like a minute and a half. And then he'd just lay there. All right. Football's different, man. You thought it'd be dead. I mean, that was, I've only seen that was it just Roger. Roger do it and then Nate Davis, but Roger was the only one ever sell out, do the syringe.

Where they legit, just take the syringe of NID and put it right in. Yeah, everybody else were bags around. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You lay around. Yeah. And then it'd be like, if you go over 45, guys are going to be like, really? That's, I put it at the bottom of the bag. Yeah.

I put it at the bottom of the bag and I get it in like 10 minutes. See, that, that to me, I would throw up. Really? Yeah, I think it was in my nuts at the 1850, and then at the 450, I feel chest. chest and like right at my stomach. So I get the stomach because that's where I keep all my like my inflammation and stuff. Really? Like all my inflammation and stress is at my stomach. And so like that's where it attacks the most, I would say. Yeah. Yeah, the NID is no joke. It seems like it's

involved and developed. Have you done, Eboo? What's Eboo? So Eboo is where they take your blood out of this arm and it goes through red light, oxygen, another filtration system and it comes back out and right into your other arm. So one third of your blood gets out of your body within the hour and it comes right back into your body. I've done a, um, that one's gnarly. It kind of sounds like, uh, some ozone, like another layer. Yeah. So ozone's like, so ozone is like, so ozone is just your blood.

You put it up and they put it back in. So this one, the blood is actually filtered, get through red light, everything and then comes right back in. So it looks like super dark, kind of like this chair, like a little bit darker as it comes out and then super red as it comes back. And you have to highlight it right. Yes, you got it. What?

You can get this in Nashville? I think, uh, I think Bobo does. He does 10 pass where like it goes up and there's like a, So it kind of like shakes like this And it puts the ozone in it and it goes back in but I didn't know about what's called Ebo Ebo or Ebo or whatever yeah I've never I've never seen that machine before I got that done It was cool Oh something I was up go ahead no you're good I was gonna say something I remembered do you

Do you want to I put you real quick I had a piece so bad? Well I kind of need you because he's one of the highest profile MLB players it's active right now I was just gonna say how much is it bullshit that we can't use peptides right? It's terrible because no seriously I know I Are you going to wait for him or? Yeah, we can wait. I don't care. We don't have to.

But like, yeah, I feel like peptides should be allowed and be able to be. Like, I feel like there's so much research on it now to where it's, there's, it's just, you get benefits. So why can a teacher, a pilot, you know, firefighter, a chef, why can they all do it? But athletes that travel the world or travel all over the country can't take peptides. Even if it's not, even if it's not a grow. So there's growth hormone peptide. Okay. And then there's non-growth hormone peptides that are good for your gut, good for healing, good for

recovery, you know, all that kind of stuff. Like, why can we not take that kind of stuff? Because longevity of that, they're unbelievable. You know what I'm saying? All from the stigma of thinking that it feels too close to PED. For sure. And everything, obviously baseball, they had their own thing. But it's been all sports, right?

I mean, I think that's a big issue too, though. I mean, obviously in the world today, like, there's so. locked in on, you know, so many different things like you, I don't know, there's just, you, you can't do wellness stuff that you really should be able to do in the States. You have to go somewhere else to do it. And it's like, what are we doing? Why can we not do it for the longevity of life, obviously? Obviously, there's other things that, you know, people believe and stuff. But for me, like, I want to be able to put stuff into my body and my system that work for me. And if that, if that works for me, then I want to do it. And the longevity.

of that, like I could be able to play. And I mean, when I'm done playing and I'm able to take peptides, like, I'm going to feel better than I was when I was playing. Yeah. You know, like we travel for 162 games across the, across the country, and we're traveling, getting in at, you know, three, four o'clock in the morning, have a day game the next day sometimes. And it's like, what are we doing?

Right. You know, like, why can this not be regulated to an extent? Like, every guy should be able to do this. Like this is a thing you know that you know they can find ways to regulate it. Are you guys on BPC? Haven't got there yet. I was like, how much bullshit is it that we can't use peptides? Like I remember before BPC 157 got banned, I want to say what year was it?

Maybe 2019, 2020. I think, yeah, 2020, 2021, I think was like, it was like this decade. Yeah, because in 2016, I started doing it because I listened to like a Ben Greenfield podcast where he was on Rogan and then I started listening to Ben Greenfield. And I'm like, all this stuff's out there. And he's talking about it's not on these lists. Like BBC 157 is a, what's it called? like body protection compound yeah so I started doing it it helped with my injuries no

doubt and then when it became ban you kind of feel like you're a badass because you found something from the system yeah you found like a podcast a few years ago from people who think in the health 3.0 or the new wellness stuff that goes on and I'm just thinking how can they not give guys access to this stuff because you know it you know it helps you well it's good for the longevity of life yeah it's not just for sports like it's longevity of life I was saying him like pilots can take it. Teachers can take it. Shiffs can take it. Police, firefighter. Like, anybody can take it. It's great for you. Like, why can professional athletes not take this product? It's not a PED. It's not a steroid. It's not like I'm going to G&C and grabbing the best thing I can or, you know, going

somewhere else and getting something illegal. Like, no, this is something that's very, very good for you. Right. And you should be able to take it. Going to a GMC as a kid, though. Nothing like it. Something. Get like C4 or something. You see like all the stuff behind the class. No explode. Do you You guys remember no explode? Oh, yeah. I was a no-spload. I never did Jack-D. I never did Jack-D-D, but I had no explode.

I had the nitricks that came with it as well that was like for like blood flow. Because I had the, it was like red with a silver cap, right? Yeah, I remember. I'll be on all that shit. I remember go to my buddy's house. I was like, yeah, dude, this is my brothers. It's like blue raspberry no explode. I'm like, yeah, dude, let's do it.

Oh, dude. We go to like, we go to like, we go to 24-hour fitness or whatever and we're like, you know, pump in, whatever. Like five minutes go by, dude, I got to go back. Like it's just like bang, like I'm out. You get that beta aline. I was going to say, like your body. That beta aline hits your system.

You get that little bit of it's going. You know it's working. But isn't that crazy? Like you take the littlest thing during season or something. You're like, oh, I feel like an absolute monster. And it's just like the lowest level of something you can put into your system. Right. You know?

And then like people get on BPC or whatever, any peptide. And they're like, I feel like an absolute animal. Yeah, the BPC thing was wild to me because when Will came over from the Redskins, He put me on BPC and it was kind of the first couple times like taking a needle and drawing it and put it in you're like I don't know I'd mix it and everything I beg this is it Yeah This is the move like yeah Hey come here don't yeah exactly you take it pinch it put it in just do and I'm like yeah just you just you say you do it

Will why do you have a lighter dude Yeah yeah exactly a spoon I had like an ankle my ankle I got really swollen I rolled it and it was like a Wednesday I was like I don't know if I can play this week and I put B in there like twice a day like acutely right in the spot by Sunday I felt fine yeah I was like oh this is it really does help in the TB 500 which I was never big on that well TB 500 is something that you would that would show up you get like pop for it but now that we're done you mix like BPC 157 and TB 500 it's kind of like got you know fucking racers yeah I saw a list

I don't know maybe like two months or maybe like two months ago about peptides and it wasn't on MLB's not approved list or approved list but if you test positive for it you're in trouble You're responsible what goes in your body. It's like, well, it's not, well, it's not FDA approved. Gotcha. Oh, so that's why? Like, that's why, you know what I'm saying? Right.

I don't know. It's wild. Then you start thinking, like, do these owners, do they want us to be on pepties? Well, I think they do. Well, that's the thing. I think, well, the thing is is I think owners do want it because they are paying a crap ton of money for all these players and they're a little bit older. Like, why would they not want players to be on peptides?

Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think this should be in our bargaining agreement coming up. Like, peptides should be in it. Right. I really do think that's a big thing for players. Well, older player, and many you get into another free agency cycle,

the market's always higher. Whereas, you know, you want to get younger, especially in NFL, like I know you guys play a lot longer than we do, but you want it to be a younger crop because younger is cheaper.

Yeah, no, for sure. So that's part of the conspiracy where I put the tin foil on. It's like, yeah, you'd think that,

them paying you $3, $3,3 million, they want you on, whatever you can. And it's like, okay, when he comes up again, if he's still at the top of his game,

we can't find him, whoever the next price of it. No, you're right. I think there is that type of... That's what BPC does for you. Who is that? That's me. I'm just calling. Oh, goodness.

Hey, you see them top two, polka? I love telling you. Top two. Diled. Traps look crazy, too. I was going a little hard right there. What year was that? When was that?

That was at a surviving bar stool last year. Oh, shit, for real? I know. I'm looking at it. I'm like, man, I've really fallen out. What's the heaviest year I played out? You two. 2. 37?

Yeah. I was, the heaviest I ever was was like 318, but that was, like, in the summer, and like I drink a gallon of water. I threw up right after. I was like, always got to have to gain weight. But I played between like 308 and 3.12. How terrible that feeling your body? Dude.

How great do you feel now? I feel way better now for sure. Like, I, like, I didn't know how much pressure that was in my body until I lost weight. Like, once I knew I couldn't play anymore, like in three weeks, I was like 285. Because if I didn't eat and it wasn't like seriously working out, I would lose weight so fast. And then once I hit like the 260, I'm like right around 250 now. But once I hit like that 260,

I was like, oh, I can definitely tell these things that I thought were just like a part of life, like wearing tear of life. It's way different. Go for a walk, you're out of breath. I'd say, yeah. I'd say for me, I've more of just, look at that.

Look at that. I'm like, I feel like that too, I'm not to feel incredible. You say what? I say, I feel like more for me, I've just kind of chosen not to feel incredible. Because I see some of the old photos of playing and just taking 35, or 325, 335,

335 on a ride for six, And I can't even, yeah, that was the strongest I ever got. 335%. I don't think you're like that. That's my bad, I don't know your game was like that. And now it's, you know, you got the low back issues. A little sciatic. It sucks too.

L-1-X-1. Yeah, and then hearing about the E, yeah, yes, the S-I and the L5-S-I. Yeah, absolutely. L-1-L-2, Maltipidae. Yeah, that'll get you. That is the big, a big win about being so big when you play. It's like, people are like, ah, it looks so great. I really don't do much.

I just don't have lost a lot of weight. And then Will has stayed the same weight, but he's not this crazy. Hang on, I've lost, you know, I'm down around 220, so I haven't like lost that much. But as far as the way my body feels, I just haven't even come close to taking care of it the way I did when I played,

which is a massive red flag. We look the same and you. We're the same. Yeah, yeah. You listen, you talk about that Eboo. It was like, yeah, I kind of need to just get back in the game. Yeah, but it's all about taking that step. We got this thing.

It's always about the first step. I talked the alone goes up. I'm like, let me take this. I had the same thing happened this morning. 6 a.m. alarm goes off. I'm like, fuck this, dude. No shot.

Should text me and say, hey, never mind. Yeah. Yeah. My wife wakes me up at 8.30. She's like, hey, on your calendar, it says you have something in 30 minutes. I'm like spring up. I'm like, oh my God.

Because I hit the, I didn't hit snooze. I just took the alarm off. And I'm a guy that if you're like, hey, Taylor, you sleep as long as you want. I'll sleep till noon still to this day. Yeah. So our season. I'll tell what, there's a new chapter's turned.

Because I got the plunge now. in the room. I saw it. Nothing like the plunge, right. Nothing like it. Yeah, nothing like it. Your son is top night.

Hit the shockwave this morning and got in a little hot hole. How good is the shockwave? What is the shockwave? Is that the clickers at the horse thing? I'm talking more Papa Team 6 lure. Shockwave. I hit the roller coaster.

Oh, okay, got, I got it. I was saying, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dude, so the shockwave, you're talking about the shockwave therapy? Yeah. Ben Greenfield, when he's talking about boosting T levels,

he talked about getting like injections, like in his piece, in his pipe. You're talking about Ben Greenfield? Yeah. Jeez, dude. In his piece. You see the guy that just died a billionaire? Yeah, like two days ago,

probably you can find it. From shockwave therapy? No, because he was trying to get his piece bigger in it for, yeah, billionaire. See you later. See, what do you check? Crazy? You're a billion.

I want to say Ben Greenfield put stem cell in this. That makes sense. And then was doing shockwave therapy to, like, give it some more, you know, vascularity, get the blood vessels back alive. I get stem cell and like PRF into my eyes and stuff like that, like my face. Oh, really?

Yeah. Like in your eyeball. Yes, no, like you down here and stuff. Oh, got you got you. What does that help with? Like my recognition? My raccoon eyes, man. Getting old, you know, I'm getting old, so.

Oh, yeah. We didn't talk about the, uh, well, you'd have like viral videos going on. People would talk about, people would talk about your eyes. I'm like, man, my man, needs to get some sleep. I don't sleep. I got four kids. What do you mean? Yeah.

I got a six-year-old, five-year-old, one and a half and newborn. Oh, fuck. I'm in the thick, bro. Yeah. What do you mean? You were fired up to come to this podcast. Yeah. I'm out, well.

Where are we going after that? You're going to go on at 6 p.m. I'd be the longest podcast to my life. They'll probably have to cut four or five hours. You should have to text. Hey, buddy, I got two weeks left. We're trying to hit this by guy. Hey, yeah.

It's all coming together. There's probably around 7 o'clock in night when the little one's like, no, I'm not going to bake you. Bro, buddy. When we do this five? Both of my kids were born in July. And my first one was born July 20th. Appreciate you. It's awesome.

But it was when I was playing. And I remember, like, when my kid was born and camp would start like July 25th. So those five. days like by the 50 I'm like oh my god I had to get to football because it's so exhausting yeah the newborn stage now I'm about to go through it all over again man yeah it's crazy man it's uh yeah yeah there's nothing like it's a war uh yeah it's a war and a half you have to understand that you really love your wife yeah yeah you know like it's hey it's me and you against them yeah exactly like who's dying first yeah and you got four of them things just ripping around oh yeah

two-on-one one everywhere everywhere no matter what's like in baseball season for you as a dad it's got I mean You're talking about all the traveling. You're gone all the time. It's got to suck, right? Yeah, so, no, you're just saying. I'm absolutely right. There's pockets where he's probably like, you know, I'm just, okay, I'll talk, I'll talk for myself. I'm sure there'd be pockets you're traveling.

Okay, this would be a nice little break. But then there's got to be sometimes like, man, I kind of like, it sucks having to be on the road all the time. Especially when you're talking to your wife, you're hearing what they're going through. When you are home and present and doing all the things, you didn't get a perspective on knowing what they go through all the time. So then when you're on the road, you kind of feel, you probably the dad guilt kicks in. I think about all the shit we did from a week to week standpoint, like Monday to Sunday, just getting ready for the game. And I would come home.

I mean, Will had his kids after his career, but like my kids were young in the middle of it. And I'm sitting there like, yeah, I want to hang out, but I know I have all these things I need to like mentally check off a box to know that I can be ready for Sunday. Yeah. No, I think the biggest thing for us, man, is like we play 162 games and 180 days or something like that. And so we're, I mean, even I think maybe 175 days, something crazy. But you have to understand.

And like the hardest, for me, the hardest job in the world is being a stay at home mom with your kids. Because like cortisol levels, stress levels, like, everything is through the roof. Could you imagine being at home all day with four kids or like your kids? And all of them need you. Need you. You know, 24-7. Like, and so I'm very lucky I get to go to the field and play baseball. You know, because I get the, you know, hanging out in the locker room and that's not my wife, but.

There you go. That's funny. But no, I mean, I think just having that perspective of like, you know, understanding what their job is to, you know, they have a job to do as well with four kids at home and keeping them alive and understanding like what's going on. But I have them travel with me as much as possible. Like I love them being with me. Obviously, it's tough with a newborn and, you know, one and a half year old and going through

season with that. Like, you don't sleep. Like, it is what it is. Like, you got to be dad too. Like, you can't just, like, I don't want to look back on my career, obviously. and sit there and like, man, like, I wish I would put more into my career. I put a lot into my career. But also, I don't want to miss these stages of life for my six-year-old, five-year-old, one-and-a-half

and newborn. Like, these are all stages I want to be part of, you know, because one day I'm going to look back on it. And my kid's going to be, you know, 15, 16 years old. And I'm going to want to want to, you know, I'm going to want to hold them again. And they're not going to let me, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's no greater feeling than having your kids. There's a song by Luke Combs called Front Door Famous. Yeah, fathers and sons that album.

And so, like, hearing that and understanding, like, Like, no matter what I do at the baseball field that day, when I walk through that door, my kids are going to be screaming and yelling daddy. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's no greater feeling than that. There's no better job in the world than being a dad, you know, so. Spitting right now. No, I mean, I think there's one thing that somebody talked to me about it the other day,

and they were like, what's the thing that you think hold you back the most in your career? And I would say my kids, because I do have that. And it's not a bad thing. Like, I love it. Like, I love being a dad. But also, like, I have dad guilt a lot because I don't want to go. go and work out every single day because I want to help my kids. I want to be around them, right?

But also there's a give and take with that where I want them to see I'm working. I want them to see the work that I put in because one day I want them to be able to do that as well. Those are my niece as a nephew. Just keep pulling up photos. That's hilarious. But like, I mean, I think like understanding, obviously I only have, you know, a couple more years left of this. I want to enjoy it and I want to love it as much as possible. You know, it was a big thing for me and I want to enjoy these moments with them.

But, you know, at the same time, like baseball isn't just, you know, my world. You know, it's just something that I do. And, you know, I'm very fortunate to have a great career and be, I'm super grateful for it. But my family, you know, means the world to me with that stuff. Nothing shocks you out of main character syndrome more than having kids. Like, you realize, okay, like, we're partners in this whole thing. We're going to go and get it done together. But once a kid comes in to the fold, it's like all the things that seems so important, like,

whether it's the game or how you feel about your practice that day, like, it's the weight is much less because you feel like this this thing is so much more I may need to make sure I have time with no doubt and I think I don't think people realize that with professional athletes either they're just like whatever figure it out right you got this you got that and they're right like we're very fortunate and I have a lot of things right but I still go through the same problems everybody else just like you know somebody down the street with family or friends or anybody else you know so but realizing like being a dad is the greatest job in the world is something that I love to do because like you said, like the game's going to be the game. Obviously, it's not

going to be there forever and I'm not going to be Bryce Harper, the baseball player forever. Yeah. I'm just, you know, in the next year's. And not taking away to that like your wife isn't number one, but when you're you guys, when you get married and you both know what each other does, you, you both essentially understand what you're signing up for in this life of professional sports, anybody's career. Then when kids come in, it's like with football or baseball being like a number one When your kids come in, you start, your perspective starts to shift that I want fatherhood to be such a number one priority too. So it starts to, it starts to pull from you a little bit in your career or in your sport because you realize how precious those moments are. How much? I'll give away every single hit. I'll give away every single hit just to be able to have my kid be successful at baseball. You know what I'm saying? Like if he plays baseball or plays another sport, I hope he doesn't play baseball. I have no desire for him to play baseball. But like at that moment, like sitting over and watching him play or. play any sport or my daughter or anybody, I will give away every hit, every MVP, anything that I've

ever done in the game for him to have the success, you know, that you have? 100%. Why do you have no desire for your kid to play baseball? Is it the, you understand all the pressures that took place that you had? I think it's just more of I want him to be his own, you know, and I want it to always be, oh, you're Bryce Harper's kid. Right. You know what I'm saying?

Like, I want him to have success. If he wants to play baseball, he loves baseball. He does. He loves baseball, hockey, football, like everything. right now. Um, but and also like I don't want him to get so locked in on one thing. You know, I want him to be able to just go and do his own thing. Like he plays piano right now. And, uh, he loves it. Like he's all about it. But like he loves hockey too. You know, like he wants to go out there and crush kids and, you know, like it's, it is what it is. But, um, I don't know,

I just want him to kind of make his own decision and not think that because dad does it. He has to do it. You know, and he's going to, to a fault. Like he's going to sit there and go, well, you know, I want to play or. Well, yeah, because you were hearing. You're, you're hearing. For sure, no doubt. Man, that's nice, too. He's got piano in his bag. He's going to have some game. No doubt, no doubt.

Imagine walking into like a hotel and being able to play the piano. Oh, dude, I know. Absolutely. Right? Wasn't that such a, like, crazy thing growing up, though? You were like, bro, you're in band? Yeah. What's wrong with you, bro?

What are you? Jeez. Hey, you don't play piano? No, dude. What the fuck? You're trying to say? Piano. Yeah.

Then I see CMC doing it at a Yeah. That was sick. Zach Brian's like, dude, I did not know he could do this. No, nice. If I could go back in my child and do two things differently,

we'd learn a different language and play an instrument. No doubt. And if you could do those two things, God, well-rounded. Very well-rounded. Yeah. Well-versed.

Yeah. Midwest dads, you want to do what? You want to play piano? Hell no. Question for you. What if your son had this similar ability that you have and he was at that spot sophomore year high school oh man I don't know I'm

really not sure I don't I mean it would take all of me to try to make that decision with them I don't I don't know I really don't have an answer for you because I mean I'd probably call my dad yeah you know and like hey what do you got you know like what do you think like what should I do um I would never want to give up on my kid like of like yeah I don't think you can do this you know so I'd want to like But it's such a hard place to be. Like, I, I've never talked to my dad about this, actually. Like, what, like, what if it would have not gone the way we wanted it to? You know, like, that would have been, like, crazy to think about.

Like, he had to have had those thoughts with my mom or, like, people, right? Like, I hope we're making the best decision for him. No doubt. Like, it's probably, yeah, that's crazy. I've never thought about that. Just like, forgo high school. Right? Like, that's-

Put all your eggs in one basket for real. And the fact you try to go back to high school, too, and they're like, Yeah. Just nuts. Hey, buddy, you can't. Yeah. Just nuts. Hey, buddy, you can't.

Yeah, I wonder what that conversation is like with your, with your wife. Like, if I'm your dad, like sitting there just laying in bed being like, this kid better fucking pain. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's the football player? It was Morinovich. Marinovich, yeah. Yeah, right. What happened?

Like, wasn't he like the, like, all time? Yeah, he's supposed to be like, basically his dad was kind of like stretching him from the crib and was just trying to molding him to be like. It's kind of like spike from. Giants, little giants. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Morinovich.

Goat's milk on the calves. Yeah. All the training. Yeah. But he would just train him. No, I have, oh, come on, man.

You didn't see a little giant. I saw you peeked over at me. I'm like, oh, he saw me. You guys were laughing. I'm like, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. In the corner. You, that little look you gave me. I'm like, he knows.

He fucking knows, man. Spike don't play with girls, bro. I know that line. I know that line. Icebox. Gotta watch little giants. I got to watch little giants. too. But you've got to watch the rock. I got to, yeah, I got to watch movies too.

As a football guy, not seeing a little giant. You got to watch entourage. Yeah, I do. Entourage. You're right. Yeah. Yeah. Which fair movie? That's a great question. You don't watch movies. Will. I'm just kidding. Favorite comedy does, wedding crashes. Oh, really good. Bar none, without a doubt. But like, favorite movie? When I was like eight years old, I was obsessed with the movie Titanic. Really? He came out in VHS at the two VHSs. Dude, I thought those two, I thought the two actors were real. When I watched that for the first time when I was younger. Yes.

That's a real story 100%. It has to be. Yeah, and it wasn't. We all say our first boob. Leonardo gets me every time. That was the first boob I saw. Yeah, same. Yeah, I was in Lomis, California, and I saw with my grandmother.

And she's like, I want you to paint me like one of these French girls. I don't know what the hell he's saying. But the next scene, she's naked. My grandma's like, cover your eyes. And I'm like, oh, my God. You got to be kidding. Oh, yeah. Favorite move?

First boob. First boob was Titanic. Yeah. in a movie theater but favorite movie I don't know I hate putting up that type of pressure on favorite movie I hate

Rocky the Rocky series is up there okay man you should play for Eagles redemption the dark night when we went out to Philly I got out of those but I did love those movies

highest box on it I saw it on TV the night I just watched the rest of it I mean Dresick Park free willy Heath Ledger in that movie was insane and they killed them

when he passed away and everyone's like it's because of his role the Joker was so like torturous to him it just makes that movie that much like oh my god this guy truly the best part was when he has the little thing trying to blow up the hospital you know he ad lit that right yeah yes

that's crazy it didn't go off right it was supposed to go off from the first click yeah have you seen have you seen the extended scene of this when he gets in the bus and it stays with you on the bus for like a minute yes and he just stays in character the whole time and like the scene's over It's nuts, ma'am.

It's crazy. You see some of the interviews. What's your favorite movie? The town. Okay, great movie. Who's called we taken? Yeah, who's called we taken? No, I love anything Ben Affleck, man.

I think he's unbelievable. Argo. Have you seen Argo? Have you not seen that. I haven't seen that. See the accountant, though. We already checked that box. You were a football guy growing up

with your favorite football movie. Remember the Titans. What's two? Man, I don't know. The replacements is hilarious. Replacements is nice. I haven't seen the replacements. Why?

What's yours? remember the Titans and Friday Night Lights is great yeah because since you were coming what year were you born 92 92 okay so you'd have been like you'd have been in middle school or something when Friday Night Lights came out I just remember I went to the varsity team yeah the boys

the seniors kid picked me up from my house because we rented out our coach rented out the theater and we all watched Friday Night Lights together in that movie what would you guys spot after the football game on a Friday night is that dairy queen Dairy Queen? I was just Sonic yeah yeah yeah Derry Queen I remember catching like full

cramps in the booth I played both ways yeah you're bad dude I mean all-American you were bro I mean why not you know a town of 500 right mentally all-american 4,000 yeah yeah dude dairy queen was my I went to two high schools the first one was the first one was Dix after every game go to Zips hey who's having a party at you know what's going on yeah they're gonna be girls yeah well what's zips like a I mean what's Zips like what is it oh no He's like the greatest. If I was on death row,

and you had one more meal, it would be for Zips. So this is it. Yeah, Zips, the origin of Zips is Goldies is a, it's right next to a bunch of baseball diamonds in Arizona. You would love that. You can go play baseball and then go.

Where's that? I don't know where the Goldies is. Or if it's Ballpark USA or whatever. No, no, it's not that area. But Zips, there's 16 locations of Zips.

And recently, they just got raided by Homeland Security because they're allegedly forging social security numbers. That's not important. $15. You're gonna buy them. Yeah. I tell you what, if they let me, I'll get it,

I'll get a team together right away. But Zips, dude, it's a, it's a, it's a classic sports bar. You can go there, play shuffleboard, do all the things, but you're gonna go, you're gonna walk in, you're gonna tell them, I want the Monaco Faccia

with extra jalapeno dip and sauce, half and half with the onion rings and the fries. Wow. And then you're gonna get the golden wings medium, extra crispy, extra sauce, extra ranch on the side. Are you ranch or blue cheese guy? Ranch. That was a test.

That meal, buddy, I'm telling you, Like, one of the best moments of my life, that picture doesn't even do it justice. What is that? That's the Ficcasha. And that's not the Monaco. That's not Fricotia. That's a Faccia.

It's like the bar food type facacia. Okay. It's a bar fecasia. Not the white tablecloth. There's your moniker right there. If I said need your eyes. There's your monico right there. That's the one, buddy.

You eat that. Looks like an Arizona cheese steak. All right. I'm just kidding. The fear of it. I have is you paying it as the greatest meal of all time and he might go at some point. It's it's you have to go to the one on, uh, via Linda and Hayden. You know that one.

Okay. You're, you're not going to be disappointed at all. But one of my favorite moments was all the boys we went out to Arizona. And what we do? Was it Super Bowl? Uh, the spring. I thought it was a spring game. Oh, is it Arizona State?

Arizona State. And I've like, I've been talking up Zips way more than I even have on this podcast. And we go there and all the boys were like, we understand the hype. They elite. Really? Really. Elite. Really?

Really. What fucking there he is. I've always been there. I've never left. You've used different different verbiage. Elite, elite you haven't used in a while but it is he's correct it's elite. Wow. Get a zip. I don't know about elite things because I'm not elite anymore so. Hey. Oh yeah. Shit. Hey. Hey what the fuck? I don't know man. Was that the GM? It's a good word right there. Was that the GM that said that? Uh, president. The president comes on. He does a press conference he says Bryce is no longer an elite player yeah it is I mean what are you gonna do well hold on you so you can play great instead of good but stay great instead of good it's

something like that but that feels like it's like unheard of for anybody that high of a level to come on kind of talk about a player like that yeah I don't I don't think it's I think there's things within the organization that you probably shouldn't say in an outward like expression right like if you if you had a problem with you I'd probably you know if you were on my team I probably bring you to the side and talk to you um and so I think that was one thing when I signed there was like hey like we don't say anything about the organization outwardly or anything else like make sure it's behind the closed doors and if you have a problem like we'll talk about it so no doubt and so I think that's the kind of where it rubbed me the wrong way a little bit with that kind of stuff

like I respect Dave and everything he's done in the game and everything else he's great at his job and stuff but you know I think for me personally like if you have a problem like you know you can talk to me and have an issue with it like the way I'm playing or whatever Like it's not gonna motivate me. Like that's the thing. Like anything that people say like that, like that doesn't motivate me. Like kind of just like.

But that kind of transparency is always helpful like within the relationship. Yeah. No, for sure. Like no one, you know, just us being on the same page. You're doing like exit interviews or something like that. Yeah.

And they're like, where do I stand? Like hey, this is how we're evaluating you right now. It's obvious to change your mind. And I don't even have exit interviews. You know what I'm saying? Like it's something in baseball. Like, I mean, some guys might have them,

but we don't. But like, again, like if he had something like that to say, like obviously I want him to say it to me. I assume he has your phone number. Yeah. Okay. So that's probably, that probably be a good way to go about it. I think the tough part is like it's just a story that doesn't need to be out there.

So like when we get to spring training, it's going to be a story. Like people are going to talk to me about it. People are going to ask me about it. It's just like it doesn't need to be a story. Like there's no. That's my boot. I do like a good rip. But like I think that's the thing.

Like there's, you don't want stories like that in spring. Like you don't want that to be right when you get there. Like, hey, what do you think? You know, like great. This is what I have to answer besides. Everyone's got their opinion onward. Yeah, exactly. Where were you when this took place?

I assume you just found out like everybody else. Or somebody might send you a link. Where did I see this? I don't know. I can't even remember. I was just shocked. More than anything, I was just like, that's kind of wild. It's a wild take.

Yeah. You know? Obviously, I didn't have the greatest postseason or like the year that I wanted to have. But if they want to talk about like, you know, what stats mean or anything else. Like they have their numbers. Like they know where I'm at, like number wise for, you know, the tier of the league and stuff like that.

Like, it's still there. You know, so. Yeah. Was there any beef with you guys, like, throughout the season to where it could have led them saying that? No. No, like that's the thing. Like, I have a good relationship with, you know, Dave. So it was just like kind of weird, you know,

for him to even, you know, speak that way. So I was just shocked. Yeah. Makes you wonder, like, what would make, We'll go through his mind and he's like, yeah, this is the appropriate time to bring up a comment like this. Yeah. I mean, again, like obviously we didn't have the postseason we wanted to. We got beat.

It didn't end the way we wanted to. And I know all those things. Like, and if you want to blame somebody, I don't mind you blaming me. Like, I didn't play well. You know, like I didn't have my best series. And I'm totally fine taking the blame for anything that happens. Like, it comes with, you know, the territory and things like that. But things like that just don't motivate me to the extent, like, you know, I know I need to be better.

Right. You know what I'm saying? Like I get that. Like I need to have a great year this year and I plan to do that. Like I don't plan to not have a great year. So we'll see. Where does your mind go when people like obviously people reference baseball as a game of failure? Like if you hit three out of 10 like you're an all star, you're a stud. When you get into these situations where you maybe don't have the best year and you know you have to have a great year this year. Maybe it doesn't start the way you want. Like what is the superstition? Like how do you get yourself out of those mental funks? Yeah. My dad always says it's a season for a reason for a reason, right? Like you play the full season. You have six or seven months of baseball. And so if you have one bad month, uh, it doesn't really mean anything in baseball, right? Like you have five more months to be great. Um, the years that I won the MVP, I didn't have a really good, you know, month and a half or, you know, I lost out on two months or something. And then bang, I bang for four months and I'm the, you know, hottest player in the world and best player in the world and there's the MVP. You know what I'm saying. So I think just having a plan for yourself, understanding like what works for you, you're not going to feel great every day like but dust and prodroy always just say too like you rake like any given day like

you rake and raking means like you're the best hit around the planet yeah you know like you rake so it doesn't matter how you feel in the batters box doesn't matter how you feel in the cage doesn't matter anywhere else like you rake so just understanding that you're a really good baseball player a really good football player or you know anything that you do like be great at it and don't lose that motivation or that confidence to be great at it even if you're going through a little bit of a lull and staying as even kill as you can throughout the whole process of that. How hard is it when you're in it,

when you're reminding yourself, you rake, or it's a season for a reason and it's you might be in week three and it's like walking on glass every day. Where you're like, fuck man, like I keep, you know, I'm trying to get out of this thing,

but it seems like it's not coming together. Right. Yeah, me, coach over there, your turn out of, yeah. Then you feel good, then you go out there and you're still thinking like, man, you know, is this, am I who I think I am?

Right. Am I still, you let a little bit. And the superstitions, like when we went to that Cardinals game where I threw that first pitch, the catcher, he had like a bat in the corner and I went to grab it. And then I think somebody was like, you probably should ask. And I asked him, I was like, hey, can I touch the bat? He's like, no. You can't touch it. Like there's so, there's so many, like things you have to get right or superstitions, I guess. But yeah, Will's question.

Yeah, no, I think for me, like, every day you come in, like, you can feel good or you can feel bad. Like, I mean, there's days where you feel great in the cage or in BP, you go over four or three punchouts. You know what I'm saying? So, like, there's no. there's no get like you can't buy in so heavily on BP or heavily on you know feeling good like I could feel my worst and have a great series and get nine hits in a series with you know two homers and I'm like dude how'd that happen you know but you can go a good month and a half and then you lose it for a week and you're like where'd it go like what what just happened yeah you know and that's just how baseball works like you run in some good pitching and you know you face paul

skeins on a Friday and then jerry Jones on a Saturday and then you're facing somebody you know out of the bullpen, a lefty out of the bullpen, throwing 98 to 100, and you're like, uncle. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, what are we doing? Like, give me the average white righty that throws 91. You know what I'm saying?

Exactly. Like, what are we doing? That's what I'm talking about. That's what we needed today. You know, like, geez, Louise. But, like, there's so many good pitchers nowadays. There's so many, you know, different type of pitchers lefties, right? He's throwing a, you know, a begillion miles an hour.

I mean, or all this Chapman is the fountain of youth right now, and he's throwing 104, you know, 105 like it's just it's crazy that's disgusting your god can't have that pet tides what's worse like being in a being in a slump or like making a crucial air that might lose the game oh man I mean the crucial air sucks because you never want to lose a game for your team but if I'm in a slump I'm probably losing more from my team in a slump than I am at first base making an air for one game does that makes sense yeah yeah you know because I'm not doing my job in the batters box so we're probably not doing very good as a team um and not I'd say I'm everything to this team.

But like if I'm not playing well, then that's probably not very good for my team. So I'd probably rather make the air than go on a prolonged slump because if I'm hitting, we're probably winning a little bit more. What's the self-talk like like when you're in a slump? Are you just verbally abusing yourself mentally? Yeah, I mean, all the time. God, you fucking. How are you even here?

Me and me and Trey Turner, we play shortstop for us. We just sit next each other and just like, should we just go home? This is stupid. Like, we shouldn't do this anymore. We're the worst freaking guys on the team. Like, we are absolutely terrible. You know, like, you suck today. Good job.

We always do that. We'll, like, walk in and go, hey, nice game today. Yeah. You suck today. You got the yips, buddy. God damn. It's so funny because that's exactly how football goes to. You sit next to your boy and you guys are both having a bad game.

We're like, we fucking, we're terrible. How do we even get to this position in life? How do they let us fake it this long? Yeah. Just mentally. But isn't that crazy? Like you probably never thought that in high school or college. High school, I thought this is.

You know what I'm saying? I've ever done to my life. So that's how I think to myself, though, I'm like, dude, I want to think how I was in high school or college. Yeah. Like, I want to- Endurance is bliss. Like, you kidding me? Like, I'm the greatest player in the world.

Like, there's nobody better than me tonight. Like, no chance this guy's getting me out tonight. Yeah. Now it's like, fuck, dude, I'm going to face that left. He throwing a hundred out of the pen. Yeah. Oh, he's on today too. That's over.

You want the first couple guys go before you and you're like, God damn, he's really on right now. He's going to throw me a sinker and break my bat. I'm not going to swing. Wack. Break's my bat. Roll out the first base to get back in the air out. Told you guys. Yeah. When I struggle in college, I'd literally go back to the rival site and watch my highlight tapes in high school.

I felt like I used to be good. Like, how did I move like that again? I'd never stressed in high school. Well, high school I was just bad until my senior. Then I was all of a sudden good. But college, I never stressed. I was like, this is like, in the NFL, if you have a two-minute drill and you're an offensive of Lyman, that's when your heart rate's the highest,

the anxiety's the highest, like, you just gotta make sure you keep your boy alive. When I was in college, when you have a two-minute job, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna get all pluses on this right now. It's not, like, this is gonna add to my grade tomorrow. And then you go in, a couple spin moves having by Whitney Merciless and you're like, how the fuck do I ever, if a man puts another spin move on me, I'm done, I'm dead.

It's just crazy, man. It's crazy. It's wild. And like, guys that can kind of get through the mental, like mental grind of the, of the year or the game or anything, like those are the guys that you see that are at the top because, you know, like baseball, man, it's,

it goes downhill quick, you know, it's like quicks, I mean, it's just like Shane Falco said in the replacements. Yeah. And more and more you try to climb out of quicksand, bro, the deep view you go. I'm sure it was a great movie. It was awesome.

Yeah, I'm sure it was a phenomenal scene. No, I mean, just like... You haven't seen the replacements? No, that's what you're saying. I adjust that. Little Giants and replacements? So that happened on this show. I know.

I must not have caught the replacement. That's crazy You know me for Eight years Shane Falco man Ohio State Hey dude That's why I didn't watch it

Yeah that's why I didn't watch it Yeah Have you ever been around a guy That like Doesn't worry about a thing I've been around players That like are stress free And I'm like how

I think that's BS dude I think that's so I don't I do man There's no way In anybody that had Like again College

I remember Rex Burkhead It always felt like He kept himself So poised Yeah where I feel like there's mental warfare happening in my head. Hey, shout out to Rex Burkhead, man. Shout out to Rex Burkhead.

He won me a fantasy league on a, on a, whatever on the, what's it called when you? Fantasy football? Yeah, but, uh. PPR? No. Duttsdown? She's the way. Championship.

I sound like an idiot. It's okay. It's okay. He's only going to see that. Sorry on the waiver. You picked him up on the way. Got it. 11th and 12th week for the Texas.

He put up like 50 points back to back week. Yeah, bro. He's a monster. But I always felt like he always kept himself so poised. I'm like, hey, is there anything that you do? And he ended up giving me this book called The Mental Edge by Kenneth Baum. And he's like, read this. And I will say reading that book, it was a whole different perspective.

It was like four agreements or the fifth agreement where you just have this whole new perspective on using your brain as something that could be an advantage or helping you versus how you learn about yourself where you just talk to you talk down or you have so much doubt and how to compartmentalize. And it kind of just opened my mind up. but Rex was a guy. I always saw himself the way he carried himself. I'm like,

what does this guy fucking have? Like, I need whatever. It seems like he's posturing to me, but it seems real. I always think what the Trent William story, you tell, and how he's sitting at breakfast.

But that's the guy who had the same mental that you had in, like, college and high school. Like, he just still had that. Right, that's what I'm saying.

Like, guys have that. Like Trent Williams, when he goes to a game, he's like, man, I'm a ball today. And I was always like,

I hope I don't get found out today. Yeah. He was a dude. that just was, he was so dominant. Taylor was referring to a time after practice where me and Logan Paulson, a couple white tri-hards are just like, fuck, man, like injuries.

You just talk about practice being tough and everything else and surviving. The original exciting whites? Yeah, yeah, exactly. The original, the OGs. And Trent came and sat down and he was kind of participating in the conversation. He's like, man, I'll be honest.

I'm just waiting for a day that somebody walks in those doors and challenges me at practice. And he said in a way of not like us laughing or being arrogant or he said it's so innocently where it's like, that dude just has the fucking juice. Right. And did he say it right in front of Brian O'Rakpo who we go goes against every day?

Yeah, yes. Right for the rack. But I think that's how you came up too. Like, that's how like the people that around you to kind of put you in that like in that light. And then like, I mean, I don't know. My dad did such a good job of like building my confidence. Like unbelievable job of building my confidence. And so I think it's kind of just carried over to where I am today. Like I feel that way when I walk into the clubhouse every day like nobody's better than me. Obviously like when you're going through this, you know, through a funk or anything else. Like it sucks. but at the end of the day, like when I walk out on that field,

like my name's still my name. Yeah. Like, you know what I'm saying? There's a guy that always says that before we walk out on the field. He always like, hey, everybody remember your name's still your name. And so like that's the thing that I always think to myself like, man, you're right. Like your name's still your name as you walk out on the field. What are some things that your dad would do to instill a type of confidence in you?

I mean, for me, like, this might sound weird, but like he would always buy the best baseballs. Like I grew up in, you know, lower middle class. Like we, we couldn't afford pearls all the time. But like, he would always go out and get like the best baseball. So when I'm hitting, balls would fly. And so the confidence there like, you know, I'd hit on a, he would always tell me when I was younger, I'd go to, you know, hit on a baseball feeling back. Oh yeah, this is only like 250 feet. Like don't even worry about it.

And I'm like, all right, like whatever. It'd be like a 300 foot fence. And I'm hitting balls over it at like, you know, 11 years old. And I'm like, dude, this is nuts. And my dad would be like, hey, today that actually was a 300 foot fence. And so like he would always like give me that demeanor. And I'd be like, are you seriously? But yeah, like this is what we do.

That's awesome. You know what I'm saying? So like, I mean, we did so much stuff, man. He was such a good, um, just, you know, I don't know. He just, he did such a good job of kind of motivating me and my, you know, my brother and my sister as well. And, um, he grew up tough man. And so for him to be able to go right where my grandpa went left like was pretty

incredible. So, um, I mean, yeah, just really, really good motivator and all that he did too, like, I mean, he ran job sites of over, you know, 500 guys and did a great job doing that and was able to just like, he was a, you know, builder of men in that type of work. You know, he'd get 18, 19-year-old guys in there with him. He'd have to build them and they loved them, you know, just because, you know, the way he was. So, and he did that as a dad, too, so. That's cool, man. Yeah, really good.

You got the Team USA, if you're about to do the Olympics? Yeah, this is a hockey. This is one of the hockey ones. Winter Olympics. Yeah, yeah. We was watching some of the skating. The World Baseball Classic. I'll tell you what I was sitting there,

laying there last night with Tailing, and there was like, I don't know what sport they were in, but some guys were asked, like, how do you feel about representing America? That's crazy. And the way they answered the question was, like, because of the stuff happening in America,

like it feels weird to wear the flag. And just that patriot me was like, hey, I know there's stuff going on that we're not all excited about, but like to represent your country, regardless of what country you're representing, if you're from there, like you should be so proud.

I mean 100% you just said it like obviously there's things that are going on in the country that you know aren't good or people don't believe in or whatever right like politics aside like for me when you're going and representing your country you're representing your country man like yeah block all that out like it's sports like we want to put something on the TV that is happy and good and just great for everybody to watch right like and so representing your country there's nothing greater than representing your country there's really nothing I mean Think about your relationship with your wife. Like I'm sure there's things that you guys have arguments about sometimes.

You're like, I wish she did this different. I wish she probably thinks that about you. It's like we all like in a relationship want different things sometimes. Like the same thing goes to your country. Like there's things that happen in America that I'm not like super fired up about. But I still love America. For sure. I still love being a part of country.

I mean, you're not going to go out when you get a moment on the pod to be like, yeah, I'm, you know, there's, I don't always feel the best to have the last name of Luan right now. And there's some things that we can fix at home. Right. Coop. This is, by the way, this is a rare. siding of Cooper Comstock or graphics designer on the bus He never comes on for any

interviews. Yeah, Coup like he lives in the shadows He's a graphic designer. But he loves baseball. So, Coup, I just want to give you the mic for a moment. I don't know if you have a question for Mr. Harper here. I kind of have I mean, I'm about to sound like a reporter after all that. You love baseball, I do love baseball. I want to know,

I mean, we're kind of talking in USA. Like, you didn't get to play in the WBC what, three years ago? I think it was same time as the T.J. Yep. Like who are some guys you're looking forward to playing with, maybe against? Yeah, I think Judge is probably my favorite. I'm really excited to play with him.

I mean, he's an absolute stud. Has had a couple unbelievable years. He's a horse, too. Yeah, just really excited to play with him, you know, talk to him, be around him. But, yeah, I mean, first time I represent my country was when I was 18, or sorry, 16, and then in the Junior Olympics, and then 18 the year after. Being able to kind of do it now and put USA on my chest, I'm really looking forward to it.

So it'd be a lot of fun. See, that was a reporter question. I just pictured him being in Florida or Arizona for spring training, and that's like one of the first questions. So you know, Aaron Judge, I'm excited. You know, get around him, rattle some bats with the boys. Now, I'd be sick. I'm excited.

Get after a lot of good guys out there. It'll be dope. You brought up Judge, torpedo bats. Torpedo bats. Wow, you do watch. We a fan. What? Yeah, yeah, I caught what on there.

That headline did come across last year. Yeah, it came across my timeline. Yeah, I'm not a fan. Okay, fair enough. Not a fan of torpedo bats? Why not? It's kind of like no-go to me. Overrated?

So you think torpedo bats are just overrated? You don't think it's like, you know, to where you're just out there. If it works for somebody, then that's great, but I don't think. Have you ever put your hands on a torpedo bat? Yeah, yeah. And you've swung it? And it's not like, it doesn't do as much as you think. What?

You struck out. He struck out. He struck out. He blamed in the back. He blamed the bag. I probably did. It's piece of shit. I mean, isn't it crazy, though, to think,

Like in the next six years, I can strike out 1,200 times. Yeah. Yeah, it's nuts. With a torpedo bat, it'd be like 14. Like, I hope it's not that because that'd be crazy. But, like, it's like, if I, I could strike out a thousand more times in my career. How many abats would be over the next, however many years you just said. Where you could have 1,200 strikeout.

Do the math. 600 times six? 3600. Right? Yeah, somewhere in there, probably. Yeah. 3,600 abats. And still be a beast.

Yeah. Strike out a thousand times. maybe. So we don't like the torpedo bat. Yeah, I just not into it. I like the model I swing. The model I swing? The model I swing.

Like the bat model? Gotcha. Yeah. Tadda badass name. How about the old, I'm trying to fuck with ice swing? How about the old TPX? Bro. Hey, I used the D-Marini voodoo, but...

Nice. Yeah, but I grew up using like Omaha gold. Yeah. And then like the, uh, try to think of the air response, the Air Gen 1X.X. Yeah. And then I switched to double wall, Vexam, D-Marini. Which one we were using for the 500 foot home run in high schools?

And is that true? Because you've never hit one at 500 in the MLB. Yeah. No, no, no. I'm saying like it. Wow. No, no, no. No, no.

No. No. No. Is it true that you had 500? It's never. It's true because that did not happen. You've literally never done that. He's had.

Dude, what a piece of shit. That was crazy. That's a feeling right there, buddy. The next question's even worse. That's a fucking lie is what he is, man. You actually hit. 500 feet or was that just kind of fake because you're in the MLB and you've never done that. Well, because the metal bat is like...

Yeah, it's different. Yeah, that's the D-Marini voodoo actually. But yeah, I mean, I hit it pretty far. Was it 500 feet? This one? They said it was. It was on like the track man stuff that they use now. So that one's like 504, I think they said.

That one right there. We're watching right now. Yeah. But I don't know. It was pretty deuce. I always had a coach that said it's not how far. It's how many. Hey.

a bar yeah i go the way you want to clump yeah well outside of my dumb outside of my terrible question what's the meanest thing a philly fan has ever said to you that you remember and you walked away like what the fuck man like meanest thing of philly fan has said um had to been early in my career so i probably don't remember um yeah i don't really remember he blocks out the noise yeah yeah who's one of the who's one of the best trash talkers you came across in the MLB that's a great question trash talkers I don't know It's so weird in baseball man Like they don't really like

You can't really like talk from across the dugouts Like it's kind of just like You know what I'm saying? Yeah but you're at first guy hits a single He's sitting over there Maybe you trip him a little bit Hey nice shoes Or maybe after a game when you shake hands

You get a little pat the head comment Yeah we don't do that either You don't shake hands after a game No we never did We've lost our we've lost the point Yeah we've lost our edge Where's the sportsmanship in baseball man Who do you think holds the best athletes?

Oh, man, we're going to have this conversation right now? A little pro sport. Baseball. You think so? I mean, can a football guy come onto a baseball field and do it? 100%. I just decided. You think that a football guy can come on a baseball field and hit a baseball?

Yeah. Really? Yeah. We can fuck do it. We had a... You want to face Paul? You want to face Paul Skeens or Scoobel? I'll stand in there.

We'll take Paul Skeen's yard. That's nothing Hey, actually, show them a Hey, this is a, that's Willie C right there Show that again, yeah Just make a play And you see the cleats too Like that was when I was on Washington

I mean, what kind of athletes are we talking about? That's one of, so this is the thing Like, are we talking because The best athletes in the world are Olympians Hold on, hold on Will's showing you right now It's him doing y'all's job And this man was on practice squad

His first year in the league. No doubt, no doubt. Maybe you should have picked baseball, man. Pays better. No, I'll have this conversation because like, I think there's always these conversations about like what's the hardest sport. And I think baseball is the hardest sport to play. And it's not even close because if Deon – You don't think it's even close.

Deion Sanders paid both, right? Bo Jackson. But Deion Sanders always says there's nothing harder than hitting a baseball. And I really think – I don't think there's anything close to hitting a baseball. Your argument that you're having right now is not between baseball and football or basketball. It's between baseball and hockey. That's your argument right now. the hardest to do, like the barrier of entry is the hardest.

So like skating backwards and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Using a stick. Like you're going from hands to now you have an extension of your hands and that's how you have to operate. For sure. How can be easy, bro. Yeah, I'm with you. I'm not, but I'm just trying to support you saying something like that.

I don't know. Wait, you see this pitch? Let's watch Taylor. You tell me this shit's not hard. 50 cent. I'll tell you, that chick in the yellow, you can go back. She was saying some mean shit to me before. Yeah, I had to.

This piece of shit, too. Watch this pitch. This is right after I talk of baseball. Can NFL players play? Got the pitch I liked. Sinker. Bang. Bang.

You like that? Grounded out a second. You got me. Bryce, what would you have done with that pitch? Probably ground it out the second. No, what do you think? I mean, what's the hardest thing to do in football? Play.

Every snap. You're right. You have to have durability. You have to have athletic ability. You have every shape and size on the football field. Guys have to cover dudes. One guy knows what he's doing. The other guy doesn't know just has to be reactive.

Another guy has to put a ball in a place that only the guy he wants to catch the ball is going to catch it. I would have to stop these guys that are 280, 4% body fat from getting to a quarterback. Yeah. I mean, coming across. I mean, yeah, 100%. Toughness coming across the middle. Guy running a fourth. You got running a 4-3 and he's 285 pounds.

Yeah. Yeah. Covering Jermere Gibbs out of the backfield? I mean, yeah. Come on, man. Oh, that one didn't do it for you? What that was you did? Like hitting a baseball is hard.

Yes. No doubt about it. Field? Is it that hard? You got a track. You got a track. You're trying to hit a ball 150 at you? I mean, I don't think.

You're scared of the baseball, right? Was. That was when I was 12. I mean, like, how, how, How many times you think you can get a hit in like 100 at bats against like Jacob de Grom? One. You really think you can get a hit off him in a hundred at bat? Yeah, I think enough.

Yeah. Well, you played. So, yeah. By rep 95, I'm like, I've had enough in the tank here to make connection. So the first 15, those balls are going to buy so fast. I just think, I think everybody talks about just the heater, right? Everybody always just talks about like 102 or like 101. Like they're not talking about the slider or the change up or the curve ball or the 100 and one minor cutter that he throws.

this or this, you know, 96-mile or slider that he throws too. Or like, or like, I'm at my bag right now. Zach Wheeler throwing a, you know. We get it, dude. You play baseball. I mean, he explained it to me.

Damn, bro. He starts cat out there. Here we go. He just starts cooking us without our, you know, all right, we get it. You play baseball, buddy. We get it, man. We get it.

I mean, I couldn't imagine, like, guarding a guy, obviously. Like, it's just, I mean, being out on the edge and trying to, you know, get somebody out of the backfield. Like, you know, you know, I mean, that's tough. What MLB player you think could play in the NFL or get closest to playing in the NFL? I mean, John Carlos Stanton was an all-time California wide receiver. What's going to USC?

Aaron Judge, same thing. Aaron Judge kind of got the, he got the, he got the, I mean, J.T. Real Muto was a quarterback going to Oklahoma State. Archie Bradley was an Oklahoma guy going to Oklahoma. Oklahoma. You think Tray Turner could? Trey didn't ever play, so I don't know. I feel like Trey would get kind of broken in half.

What's his photo? Is that right? No, you're right. What's this photo? That's Judge. Oh, I thought that was Bryce in the middle. What the thing? Not even closed him.

Got his ass. The smallest in the photo. Oh, my bad. I thought that was Bryce. Damn. Oh, that good way you want. That's funny. Yeah, okay, get it. Baseball players are good.

No, I mean, I think every sport has something, right? But, like, I mean, I think it just depends on what you call, like, athleticism and, like, who has the best athletes or, like, whatever, like, maybe. Yeah, it'd be hard to argue, like, like, what track and field, right? You know what I'm saying? Like, so, I mean, if it's, if it's straight down the middle, like, what are, like, if it's how, who can run fastest, who can jump the highest, like, all that kind of stuff. Yeah.

Yeah. Stronger faster. You know what I'm saying? Just a little bit different. Yeah. But, like, I mean, if you have to be an athlete to play baseball, you think? Yeah. Are baseball athletes?

Are baseball players? Do you have to be an athlete to play baseball? I'd say no. No. There's some headset cats out there. It's like they ain't. Yeah, there's a athletic cat's football. But as far as hand-eye and playing the game at a very high level, the hardest sport to play.

I would say it's not like you have to be like an all-world athlete, a world-class type of athlete with as far as like genetics and bigger, faster, stronger and all that. What is what like it's the hardest I would see yeah baseball I'd say is the hardest craft out there So you agree argue with how yeah, I'm just trying to fucking stir the pot as far as like Hardest thing to do take into account again. What about what about what about what about Luge? Who? What about Looge? I'm just kidding Like illusion? Oh my like going down the street. Yeah look at my man right there Yeah, yeah yeah Lusion curling this guy That's that's that's a chef. That's no that's a doesn't it look like action Bronson.

That's a big-ass boy. What that is? You know what I'm talking about? Action Bronson? Give me your ranking of the core four. So hockey, baseball, basketball, football. Hardest to easiest. God, I'm going to get crushed. Baseball is one for me.

Okay. Hockey's two, football's three. NBA's four. Nice. I'll take that. I'll take that. What do you think? I was thinking, it just all depends on the argument we're happening. Well, that's what I'm saying. So, like, there's so many arguments you can have about

the sport. Like running, jumping, changing direction. So like, is there any better athlete? Okay, who has the better athletes? NFL or NBA? Oh, you'll get a little cut up on this. But like, that's what I'm saying. I would say NFL too.

But like, okay, so are guys in the NBA because they couldn't catch? Or like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, I don't know. Like, you really think that? I think, yeah. So like LeBron like probably one of the greatest, like one of the best athletes, right?

Like speaking just athlete, right? He was in what he was all state? He was all state and football. He was all-American. right so like could he have went and played football at Ohio State or like you know what I think so yeah you know he's an outlier I feel like as far as barrier to entry NBA is the hardest because you have to you have to just be you have to have some barrier barrier of entry basketball is the easiest NBA you're saying is the hardest highest barrier of entry is the NBA oh well that you're talking about entry you're talking about oh entry and ceiling entry is like just to play the game it's the easiest game to just play from an equipment standpoint I'm talking about just getting in playing oh but also like if I ran on a court right now they put me

a pretzel yeah yeah you know what I'm saying lowest barrier of entry is baseball no point at him what you're talking about more people can play baseball the basketball it's easier to go and play basketball from a just an equipment standpoint how much it cost to go do it how much like baseball diamonds are harder to find than basketball courts yeah yeah I i i don't know I enjoy this conversation because I don't like I respect all athletes. So like I respect everybody that does their craft the right way. But like we never like that's why I always go back to Dion Sanders or Bo Jackson. Because Dion and Bo always say that baseball is the hardest sport to play.

And those are a couple of big trump cards. You know what I'm like? Yeah, those are big trump cards. And so for me like what NFL player is going to come onto a baseball field and play? Like and be like be really good. Like I feel like I could take a baseball player that was. an All-American. It's a completely different game.

I'm not saying this at all. Right. I understand what you're saying, though. But, like, give him a camp or a year to get ready for the NFL, and I think he could probably remember how to go play. Be more successful faster than a football party. For sure. Like, you think Aaron Judge can go be a tight-in at 6-9 and 275 pounds in play?

Yeah, you probably could. Right? Like, can, I mean, I don't know. Michael Jordan wasn't able to do it. Yeah. No, you're right. You're right. You're talking about.

Trem of the crop in the NBA. trying to go play some baseball he couldn't do it but like you take i mean matt stafford he probably played all the way through high school right baseball probably so like so like you know i mean can he come out after a month in spring training and come face to grom and be well tim tibbo did it but like couldn't play at the highest of levels because he was like but we've seen footballers go from a football to going in and shaking the world in the MLB oh oh jacks was an awesome examples yeah are there Any examples? There's no examples of just like...

A baseball player going to play football. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or a basketball player going to play football. I mean, Brandon Whedon, is that? Yep. Right? Quarterback? Oklahoma State.

So he got drafted, played in... Myerley baseball. Russell Wilson, same thing. Minor League Baseball. Kyler Murray. Like, no chance. I don't want to do this. AJ Brown.

You know, like, guys are... Yeah. Guys are like, I don't think that's for me. Yeah. And they come back in the NFL and they're superstars. That's a good argument. Yeah. It's a good argument.

Oh, Grog has any answer? The hardest sport is boxing. Okay. Yeah, yeah. You could see how AI distilled. What is that? Chat GBT. Yeah.

That is, that's not it. You want to hit him with the Bud Light question? Yeah, the boot light. The Boo light. Bryce, you know, anyone would do anything for an ice, cold, crisp, bud light. What is something that Bryce Harper would do anything for? Can't say family. World Series.

That's the only answer. That's the only answer. I like it. You have to think about it too much. Be real. How far would you go? Oh, I would do it. Yeah?

Oh, yeah. You know, yeah. You would even take half you do the whole thing? If we're talking about it, then, yeah. I mean. I was thinking. And the way he looked at me, he's like, I'll do it. Something else needs to be said.

Yeah. I mean, Jeffrey Simmons said he'd kiss another man. Yeah. Bryce? World Series Game 7 You're in there getting ready Some guy in a cloak comes up

And he's like hey You can win But the only way you're gonna win Is if you kiss This man right here Will pops up For the boys That's how you get it done

This was a great episode It was a great episode I hope we asked All the baseball fans Sooner They're gonna be mad about something They're gonna We're gonna get off this pod there

But why didn't you ask About the salary caps I got one more Oh yeah, why don't you guys have a salary cap? That's kind of crazy. You're kind of leader of it, too. She's not going to happen. If I was a player, I'd be fired up that you were going on there being like,

we ain't getting no fucking cap, dude. Yeah, cap. Yeah. Guys like 3.30. No cap. I just feel like for our game and the way our game is going and how much, I always say this. Like, I'd rather be an owner than a player. Like, and there's teams lining up, like, or there's people.

lining up to buy teams so like we must be doing okay you know what I'm saying like there's so many things that like the Rockies were bought for two hundred and you know fifty million dollars or something crazy like that and now they're worth you know two or three billion you know I'm saying so like yeah teams are making money right and obviously like everybody has down years and things like that but at the end of the day like players need to get compensated the right way for the longevity of their career so in a way you could be saying like all the organizations and people that kind of complain about the

separation or the gap, it's like there's owners that can be out there if you want to get in this game this way, the organization can kind of approach it better than what they're doing. I think too, like, that's why I say the Dodgers always do so good, right? Like, I'm not saying like, I want to be a Dodger, right? Like, everybody's, oh, you know, that's crazy.

No, like, they do it the right way because they draft well. They get guys in their organization that are Dodgers. Like, there's teams that, like, you know, like, oh, yeah, That's a cardinal. Like he definitely plays like a Cardinal. Oh, this guy plays like a Dodger. This guy plays,

you know, like a Philly. Like, there's certain teams and certain individuals you get into your organization. You're like, he's going to be a guy for us because he matches the mold of our team,

our city organization, right? And so when the Dodgers go out there and do their job, like, and yeah, they have more money than everybody. Like, I get that. But you still have to put pin on paper and go out and play.

Like, you can't just be like, oh, yeah, we're better than everybody. Like, no, you still have to go out there and do your job and play well and whatever. And so for me, like, they still have to show up.

They have to do their job. And they run it the right way. They run a business. They're smart. They understand what they need to do off the field, on the field, in their clubhouse, you know, management, everything. And so they do it the right way. And so I don't think they should be reprimanded because they go out and spend money

more than Colorado or wherever. Like they're just, I don't know, they do it the right way from the ground up. And I think more organizations can learn from them how to run their organization. because they do draft well and they do things the right way in their minor league systems that make their players great too. They have some random guy.

They have some random guy that comes in and throws six innings in the postseason like it's nothing. You know what I'm saying? Like some guy that was sitting in Arizona, I can't remember the guy's name. Probably not. I don't know.

There was a guy that... Shouldn't you find that guy's name? Random guy postseason six innings for L.A. Dodgers. I can't remember who it was. No, but seriously, like he was sitting in Arizona. He got the call and then came in and threw like six shuddy

against, I don't even know who they played in the second round. They played Milwaukee? They played the Brewers in the second round? Yeah. Is that what it was? Cooper would be the guy. It was in Milwaukee?

Cooper shaking his head, yeah. I don't remember the guy's name, but. No, not oral. He'll find it. He'll find it. No, but I mean, he just like, he came in and just did his job, and everybody was like, who is this guy?

And he dominated. But, like, that's who the Dodgers are. Yeah, they have all these great players, but also they have guys like that just come in and absolutely dominate. They draft, develop. 100% and they sign exactly you know so like I can't I can't be mad at them for what they do you uh you brought up something talking about watching a guy play like oh that's a cardinal

that's a philly have you ever gotten the the title of hey this is a guy that plays like this franchise for me yeah I feel like I'm very Philly very Philly he's a Philly oh yeah he's got the Philly head on it what makes a Philly guy he don't know yeah no I think just hair on fire hard nose like passion passion blue calls blue collar type of mentality. Bracing the fans when they boo you, but they cheer for you. Yeah, for sure.

How much longer do you have to play? I want to play it on like 42, if I can. That's like the number I want to get to. I mean, at the end of this deal, I'll be 39 and I'll have like a couple more months to 20 years. Yeah. So I'd love to get to 20 years for sure. Gotta get to 20 years.

Yeah. When you reflect on your career, is there a moment, a decision you made, a conversation or a situation that and that you look that you look back on and wish you would have handled it differently or you felt like i kind of failed in this instance i think for me growing up you have to learn from what you do and so i'm glad everything's gone the way it has just because i've learned from each situation i've ever put myself in for that kind of stuff like on the field or in the clubhouse or anything else so

the decision i make in the clubhouse or that i've made prior to being in philly or in philly or whatever um has really helped me go this way instead of this way and so the things that I've learned from guys over the years, good and bad, has helped me, you know, with guys around me or giving them talks or anything else. Like, it's, I think everything I've done has got me to where I am today. I love that. Yeah. I feel great.

This is awesome. Awesome, Bob. Cool. One recommendation for people in Nashville to go eat. Where would you put them on? Pass A. If I had that name of that place yesterday, I would say that place. Really?

Because it's a Mexican spot, and, like, there's not many Mexican spots in Nashville. Yeah. Fair enough. Best restaurant you've ever been to in your life. In my life. In your life. Oh my gosh. You're like, man, if I could have one meal again, it'd be this meal.

What's your zips? Oh, my zips. Probably kakari, man. What is kikari? So it's a Greek place where they got like lamb chops and all that. San Francisco? In San Francisco. Kakari is very good.

And it sucks that we were just in San Francisco two days ago. I know. I mean, Uchi is very good. Sushi. Where's that at it? So Denver, Colorado. Really? Crazy, right?

Denver. Is that wild? Yeah, that's wild. Yeah. There is a place, Argentinian steakhouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bangin. All right.

Yeah. Unbelievable. I can shout out Minneapolis. You got to travel the country, man. That's crazy. We got to travel the country. You know what we got to get off our asses when we travel. Yeah.

We just go and do what we're supposed to do and then go to the hotel. Sunday Monday, Sunday, Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. Shoot. I don't want to screw this up. I think it's Friday, Saturday, Sunday in Philly. Whoa. Very good, too. Yeah.

There it is. Is that it? I don't know. I don't think that's it. No, not Brazilian. Argentine. Yeah, you've got to get to Zips, man. What parts of the year are usually back home?

Right now. For how long? So November till I leave Saturday. September or Saturday. I'll have to get up to next year or to the end of the year. Do what? We'll just have to get the boys back together. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We need some food or something. We're Philly fans now. We're Philly fans. We're Philly fans. That's it. No, Carnals. Cardinals. This is it.

This place right here. What's it called, Sheram? It's called Porzana. Porzana. Moly, Minneapolis. Very good. What's your guys favorite hotel? Like, chain.

The graduate. Graduate is fun. Yeah. I like the graduate. Any college town you go to, they have like, the culture of the, you know. the school there. We didn't talk about any college football, man. I'm so sad. You didn't talk any college football or anything. This is a new willy flavor, but I've been in a few four seasons and they do. Hey, four C. A. Hey, thank you. Hey, four Cines.

Elite, bro. Is it that good? What? Oh, yeah, bro. Oh, four Cesar. First one I went to is the one on, uh, on our honeymoon. Where we go? Where we go? Bora, Bora, Bora. Bora. I hate that I know this man's life. They say the one in Philly is the number one rated four seasons in the country. In Philly? In Philly? In Philly. Bora,

Bora was fire, bro. Some hi. See, I got to do that. You must have not liked it too much if you don't remember. He remembered. That's just the CTE bringing it. All meets it together. But that was fire.

And a funny thing, too, bro, he talked about Bora three weeks leading up to it after. I've heard about Boer Bora a shitload. And this time he's just his brain just stopped. Crickets. Yeah, it just stopped. Yeah, it happens. Lights flicker. Here's a problem with this place, man.

That place is too damn far away. It's way too far. You like to fly? But it is amazing. I don't mind flying. Yeah. Like, I enjoy flying with my boys here and talking about the plane going down every time we fly. See, I don't care about crash and burn.

Yeah. Like, I'm just, it's like, what are you going to do? You die. Hey, man, it's been fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I just think about, like, if you're up, if you're up like 35,000 feet and it starts to not

go well, how do we handle that last 90 seconds? Are you grabbing the steering wheel? Oh, I can get us out of there. I've done 20 hours. Really? I've landed a plane. Wow. Yeah, so.

Grabbing the steering wheel. I'm just trying to get a tweet off. Hopefully got Starling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You said you were bumming and talking about college football. What, uh, no, I just, he's Ohio State boy. Oh, which. I owe, NIL.

I mean, there's so much stuff. Like, it's just, it's crazy. It's a crazy world, huh? It's crazy. Oh, no. It's crazy that. Have you put any money into some NIL? And how are you Ohio State guy?

I don't know, maybe. You have? I don't know, maybe. Ohio State. How do you think Jeremiah Smith stayed there last year? Yeah, right. Not that much. A 4.5.

Oh, yeah, no problem. How are you Ohio State guy? My wife went there. She played soccer there. That's a good type. That's an okay type. So hang on, hang on. I'm an honorary member, you know?

Be your own man. Hang on, hang on. Have you put toward the NIL fund for Ohio State? Not for the football team, no. For the baseball team? Girl soccer. Girl soccer. Women's soccer.

Noble. How'd they do this year? They made it to the lead eight. Yeah. I think Michigan won it. Or final four. Actually, I don't know that at all. I don't know.

Four of state actually won it and they're nasty. Really? They got two girls on a team and they are. How's Nebraska? Legit. Probably just big and... Whoa. Shots are girls, man.

That's not a bad way. They played different soccer, man. The Midwest is different. Probably just big. It's hilarious. Midwest, dude, it is what it is. No doubt. There's a type of soccer that they play, bro.

Compared to like the Pac-12. Yeah, I mean, it's just different. I remember when I was in college and there's a softball. It is. Picture of this is a bunch of big girls right there getting after it. There's a softball player. She just walk around with a can of Copenhagen in the pocket.

I swear to the guy, put a lip in. We'd be at the cafeteria. I kind of did. These softball players don't fuck around. They don't. We had Michigan softball, dude. They went hard. We had a pitcher that was like three-time All-American.

We went and did some BP with them one time. Terrifying. Still stepped outside the box. You think you could hit a softball? Hey, you did the, Hey, you hit a softball. You hit the argument is like, softball is harder hit than the baseball.

Is it? I don't know. He's scared. He's scared. He's scared. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know, guys.

You're saying, man. I don't know. Let's, uh, let's, uh, let's, let's, uh, let's get out. out of here. What do you say? What do you guys say, huh? Yeah, my ass is sweating, my low bag. Let's get a round applause, Bryce Harper, man. Making the time right before he goes to Springball, man, big hugs. Please subscribe, tiny little itty-bitty kisses. See you. That was awesome. Thank you. I appreciate it. 21 plus and present in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star

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