PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Celebrating out loud

Episode Date: June 21, 2022

On this episode, Derek is joined by MLB live content creator Danielle Cortez to discuss working as a transgender woman in baseball, the impact the Arizona Diamondbacks organization has had on her career and her life, and so much more!SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeWebsite: https://gophnx.com PHNX Locker: https://phnxlocker.com/Head on over to The PHNX Locker to pick up one of our new PHNX hats!SOCIAL: Twitter: https://twitter.com/PHNX_DbacksInstagram: https://instagram.com/PHNX_Sports Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now (https://bit.ly/3Jl1dMX), use promo code PHNX. New customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS on either NHL team to win their game, and get ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN FREE BETS no matter what.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisiscounseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.OGeez! is dedicated to creating innovative and memorable cannabis infused products that flavor life’s journey. If you’re interested in trying the amazingly delicious variety of flavors that OGeez! Brands has to offer, go to https://ogeezbrands.com.Join over 4 million men worldwide who trust MANSCAPED with this exclusive offer for you…. 20% off and free worldwide shipping with the code DBACKS at https://manscaped.com.Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. Just visit https://athleticgreens.com/Diamondbacks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to another edition of the PHNX Debax broadcast. Brought to you right here at PHNX from our friends at the Drafking Sportsbook app, America's number rated, number one rated sportsbook app. I am malfunctioning. I'm glitching right now. But of course, my name is Derek Montere. I am your mayor of PHMX. And I'm joined by my friend MLB live content creator, Danielle Cortez, Danielle Deneau.

Thanks for joining me. Of course. Thanks for being here while I'm breaking down. Of course, it's because I'm not with Jesse tonight. Sometimes I don't know what to do without Jesse. I'm sorry. I can't be here. No, no, no, no. I'm constantly looking for replacement for Jesse just in case anything happens for him. So this is part of the interview process. I didn't tell you about it. But Jesse's going to be very uncomfortable by this. But I am very excited to have Danielle with me here tonight. Of course, like I said, we are brought to you by the fine folks at the Draf King Sportsbook app, America's top rated sportsbook app. And of course, Jesse is still on his way here, but Danielle's here with me to talk a little bit about the Arizona Diamondbacks. And more importantly, I want to talk about you and just kind of the amazing journey that you've had. We've been friends for a long time. And I've always adored you. I've been very proud of you on everything you've done. So it's awesome to have you here.

And I wanted to first find out what the hell a live content creator is. It sounds like you wear a lot of hats is what it sounds like to me. No, it's actually quite the opposite. We have this long name. I take pictures. I take pictures, man. I take pictures and I take video. That's about it.

Well, and you do this for both teams for the Diamondbacks, obviously, but they can also do it. Yes. So I'm with MLB. So I do all of their, like, any of the counts that they need for, like, back in New York and whatever. And then also, like, O-A teams and players and whatnot. So, yeah. Does it ever get super complicated with like specific things that like teams are doing? Like you have to do like if they're doing like a funny, you know, kind of like set of pictures or something.

Yeah. It's funny. I kind of forgot about that. But like because the Rockies, you know, their social media is phenomenal. Right. Yeah, sure. They always happen to have like one of their theme games when they were here. So like one of them was like a typo game, which was my favorite.

So, like, we'd have to, like, I would have to come up with pictures for, like, thinking of, like, what they're doing and whatnot. But for the most part, I'm just kind of taking pictures, doing my thing. And, like, but there are, there are times where, like, certain teams want certain things. Yeah. But, you know, it is what it is. It's seen. I'm just going to baseball games and pressing a button. There you go.

Well, I know that. And I know, like, I know this is, like, your dream job. And so that's why it's so awesome to see you get to live your dream and to do this, right? because baseball. Baseball is incredible. Yeah. I mean, I think I've known you since before I even started working. Yeah. Like we've known each other a long time.

And so, you know, just getting to go to baseball games, right? Yeah. Doing what I love. I love taking pictures. And like it's so much fun for me. Like I want it's every single day. I'm going in and having a great time hanging out with my friends. And you know, just again, taking pictures.

That's really it. And it's so much fun. Is there something that you really like to shoot particularly like, I mean, I know I have my things that I kind of fall back on. But like I've noticed there's like trends in baseball. Like this year it seems like the baseball players ascending to their home planet picture seems to be like a trend in baseball. The jumping up high and high fiving but looking like they're going back to their mothership. Is there like something you like to do?

I really like the on deck shots for a couple reasons. One just like it's cool. You can get fun. Angos like, you know, I don't know if people know. I teach at Cronkite. I'm, I'm a photogic professor at Cronkay. And so one of the things I teach is like, be creative, be yourself. And with like the on deck shots, you can do whatever you want.

Like action shots, action shots. Like you only do so much with that. But like, on deck, you can do whatever that you want. And it's so much fun. And it's also just the way I can ensure I get everybody. Yeah. Well, I mean, and that's a good shot. Because you get a good shot of the player kind of in the in the pose and the baseball

pose. Yeah, yeah. Get their name and all of that in the shot and stuff. The fun thing about baseball is, can get a superstar and they might go over five that night. They might not do anything, not have a single ball hit to them. That's just kind of how baseball works. So I get in the on deck shot is how I make sure I get everybody.

Do you have to keep up on like photography trends? Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. Like I know that's something that we all kind of like deal with in the sport, right? Like especially with us doing social media and stuff. But is that is that, does that become like harder as kind of the longer you do the job? Or is that something like you're kind of in tune with? Well, it was hard to begin with, I think, because I wasn't a photographer.

I didn't go into this thinking I was going to be a photographer. And it's kind of funny. I took one photography class at ASU, which is now the class that I'm teaching, which is wild. So it's just an incredible full circle moment. And so, like, I just kept going. And then it's just like, okay, well, I'll just keep going until they tell me I'm not good enough. Right. Like, that was my mindset is that like, I'm going to do this until they inevitably tell you I'm not good enough.

And then I just kept having me back. and they kept having me back. And so now it's just like, I love this. This is my job. Like I want to stay on top of everything. Like I want to be the best there is out there. Photography is kind of one of those things that like, we all have this now with like 4K camera on it and stuff.

But photography still really is like a skill. Like you have to kind of, I think have an eye for it. And I think that's what kind of gets lost with like all the Instagram stuff and all the stuff like we can do with our phone. Yeah, yeah. everybody thinks they're a photographer until you get like an actual camera. Yeah, yeah. And then like that's kind of the fun thing, fun thing about teaching it, right?

Is that like, like, you're seeing these kids and they start off and they're like, oh, yeah, I got an Instagram page and they're all great. And then by the time they hit the end, you look back at their old pictures, then they're like, oh, God, like, I need to go back and delete some stuff. Do you, are like in teaching kids like that, are they more experienced now? Do you think? Like, I mean, obviously I haven't been doing it for very long, I assume. One semester.

Right. Okay. Well, I mean, I guess. guess the thought process is do you think that kids are farther along because like I didn't know shit about photography unless I was actually like you said taking a photography class when I was younger right now like we all have these phones that can take amazing pictures and it seems like it's such a big part of our world where it wasn't when I was younger yeah and it's like yes and no right like like there are people who have the basics down but then like Instagram and like their big phones

have made them things like oh I'm a little bit better than I actually am. So that was a fun hurdle. They kind of come back down to earth a little bit. Yeah, yeah. It's like, okay, like, this is a photo you think is great. Like, let me tell you what's all the things. All the things.

Yeah. Well, and like I said, I've known you for a long time and I guess I know how much of a dream doing this has been. So, oh, Josh Hunt in the comments. Let's address his comment. As someone going into video production and photography, what would you recommend

as a starter kit for photography Starter kit. Money's no object Josh. If money is no object Josh is rich beyond his means. Then Sony. Literally anything that Sony puts out there. Sony is the best. Well, it's wild because

I always see people like with like Canon and other stuff. I shoot Nikon, but because I'm poor. I love Nike. Like I, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm down with that I love what it does. I like it better than Canada. But like. Sure.

But if you're talking about it. If money is no object, then it's Sony. Okay, no, now I'm sorry, I have to ask. Because I've heard that it's like Sony is video, like specific video, it's great video. Do they make good photo? Like, really? They're incredible. Yeah, Sony masks pretty much everything.

Like, it is incredible what Sony's can do. There you go. There you go, Josh. Yes, yes. All right. Money, no object. Sony. And Emma is here.

Emma, everybody. Emma. The Chris has to yell. Emma. I know. Hi, Chris. But okay, so I guess with all of that, with like kind of, you know, I know how it goes. I'm kind of doing it too, right?

Like achieving your dream is kind of fun to live. Yeah. But, you know, what does it mean do you like to be able to do it now at this level? Like you said, you kind of, you know, you didn't really expect to be here as a photographer, but now you're it. You're the one doing it and you're doing a great job at it. Well, thank you. Yeah, it's a lot.

It's a lot to take in. Yeah. You know, we can get into it later, but, you know, there was a time where I didn't, I thought I was done in baseball. Yeah. So to be able to do what I do. Sorry, I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Josh is coming and just had me all in my ass. There's no way.

Is that you, Lord? Yeah. So, like, being able to do it as myself. Yeah. You know, looking down and seeing that picture of me, seeing my name. Yeah. And being able to do it.

I don't, honestly, I've been out for what? This is my third season being out. I don't know if it's sunk in. I honestly don't know if it's sunk in yet. Like, it's just, you know, I go to the place that I grew up in,

Chasefield, you know, I, the defects are my life, right? Like, you know this. I know.

You know, I have a purple and teal tattoo for God's sake, right? Right. Like, the defects are long enough to remember you like as a kid. And that's the thing. That's so,

special to me, you know, like to see you doing this. I was a literal child. Yeah. Like still in college. Like and that's what's so great to me, man, is that it's, it's, it's the fact that you do this now. And again, like, I know the love you have for baseball. But going back to what you said, that brings us back to like leaving your dream job after transitioning. Yeah. How, I mean, obviously it felt you felt like that was what you kind of had to do just at the time. I mean, how did how did that feel like that is? You know, it was, it was, it was tough.

So, so, so the, the last game of the Arizona fall week season in 2019. I remember just sitting in, in the, the Salt River Press Box and just falling my eyes out. It's like, this is it. Like, I'm done. Like, nobody's getting, like, there's no place for someone like me in baseball. I had never seen anybody like that. And then so fast forward to February of 2020. And they asked me to come back and I was like, you know, I can't, I can't do it.

Like I remember, I email my boss and I was like, I just can't do it. Like there's something I can't talk about right now, but I just can't do it. Sure. And then the craziest thing happened in 2020. I don't know if you follow the news. But in, yeah, yeah. Yeah, like late March or 2020. Oh, yeah, the wildest thing.

Yeah, I don't know if you've heard about it. I, the job market sort of stopped. It's like, you know what? This is what I love. Like, I have to come back. Like, I, like, so I email my boss again. Like, hey, so crazy thing. This is, this is me now.

This is why I didn't come back. Like, and if you want me back, like, assuming there's a season, I would love to come back. And they have me back. And ever since then, it's just been crazy. Yeah. It's been crazy. And you know, the, what, like two months that I was gone were some of the worst months of my life. Just thinking that, like, I'm never going to get to go, like, I'm never going to, I'm never going to get to go to, like, you know, do what I did before.

But also the funny thing was I was thinking, like, I'm changing. Nobody's going to recognize me. I can't even use my privileges of knowing everybody in the building to just sit wherever I want. So I had to deal with that, too. So, but I'm, you know, so grateful for them for having me back. Sure. And. Well, you got a lot of support from the organization.

They've been unbelievable. Just unbelievable from every level. I saw Casey Wilcox was, you know, obviously one of the first people to come up to you. Yeah. Tell you something incredible. Yeah. I'll never forget that day. So July 3rd, the first day of, of summer camp in 2020, I was walking in.

And I was terrified. You know, it's the moment I've always dreamed of, right? Like walking into Chase Field as myself. Right, right? Like, I'm walking in as this person that I've always known I was. And I was absolutely terrified. I mean, Casey walks up, you know, within like the first two minutes of me being in the building, Casey walks up and he goes, and he goes like, hi, Danielle.

And that was the first time I'd heard somebody outside of my house say my name because everything shut down. I didn't get to go outside. So like this is the first time I'd ever heard somebody outside of my house say my name. Which must have made that like so much more like made you so much more apprehensive when you were like out again. Right. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I'm coming out again.

I had mentioned with a to a friend before. It's like, dang. Like, if I wasn't so gosh darn delightful, I wouldn't have to come out to everybody. Right? No, I'm kidding. But like, so I'm sitting there and you could tell that I'm nervous. Right. I'm all like clamped up and everything and he goes like,

like, how are you? And I was like, I'm fine. He's like, why are you? And he stopped. He goes, why are you so nervous? Yeah. Like, you know, just like a like a concern like a like a like a concerned dad. Right.

Like why are you so nervous? Because he's known you for. Yeah. Oh, he's known me forever. Like you may have known me even longer than you. Yeah. Like like. Like.

And he goes, why are you so nervous? We love you here. We want you here. And like, we have your back. And like, you know, just like, every fear that I ever had just melted away in that moment. Knowing that, like, I could be myself. I didn't have to worry about that.

And honestly, I haven't feared for anything since then. I, you know, I walk in that building. I know that they have my back. I know my boss is back in New York have my back. And that's just been so incredible. Sure. You know, that the D-backs and Major League Baseball, they don't care about me as an employee, right?

Like, they care about me as a person. Right. And that's just, I don't know, I don't, I honestly don't really even have words for it. Because it's not common with employers, I think. Yeah. And to be the Diamondbacks, the team that I love, to be major league baseball. Like, it's one thing if like, you know, freaking Dunder Mifflin, like, if I'm selling paper, is like, yeah, we have your back.

Yeah, like, okay, cool. middle, like some, some mid-sized, like, tiny little company, this is major league baseball. Yeah. This is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Like, this is. And let's be honest, the Arizona Diamondbacks at times have had, like, some things that, that people publicly have questioned about Ken Kendrick and other things like that. And it just goes to show how great the organization is. It's just such an incredible organization.

I, like, you know, and I'm, and like, I'm not just saying that because I work for them, right? Like, I just, they are just such an incredible organization. Well, it's, um, from top to bottom. I said this the other day just about like this time when I went to a baseball game when I was a kid, right? Like sometimes it's about what the people showed you, right? I went to go see the Dodgers and the Dodgers lost and got all boo-boo in their feelings and didn't come out to do their like normal Sunday autograph signing. So the expos heard that they weren't and the expos came out and signed a bunch of autograph. And it's like for a brief, you know, half of a season, I love the experts because of that.

Right. And it's like sometimes it's just about, you know, showing the. love and especially for you right like in that moment it's it's about knowing that this place that you're going to come to is supportive and you know safe i i guess you could say like just a place um but you know it is a little old white man around here just sometimes but more importantly i want to talk about like from that moment a year later uh just a little over a year ago from now you not only participated in your first pride night at chase field but you also throughout the first pitch yeah the picture you had up on the How did that go? How was the first picture?

Oh my gosh. That was that was something. I uh. Because I know I know you love baseball. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was it was it was something. Um, so I got the word, um, that I was going to do it. And the first thing is like, my first thought was like, boy, like, y'all couldn't find anybody else. Oh. Like how many people turned you down to get to me? Like no, but, but like, so after. After the initial, you know, I've joked with some of my students, it's like, I could teach a class on the imposter syndrome. Sure. So like, like, just thing is like, I don't. I'll come in and speak on that one for sure.

I'm like, okay, I got this. Like, this is great. And it wasn't like, in my mind is like, I can, I've thrown a baseball. I've played baseball my entire life. I can do this. And then, like, every single person I talked to just seem to be trying to make me nervous. Like, like, this is a really big deal. Yeah.

I told my mom and she was like, and she was like, like, do you know, like the impact you're going to have on all of the trans people in the, and it's like, mom, I just want to throw a pitch. This is history. Yeah. And then I, I, I, seriously, like, I talked to some people and they're like, you realize that you're the first person trans person to throw out a first pitch. And I was like, okay, well, now you're trying to get me nervous. And then I was just a person throwing out a pitch.

I was just, I'm just throwing out a pitch, man. Like, and then so, like, that day we got there, Billy Bean, not Moneyball, Billy Bean, the other one. My good friend Billy Bean was there and like we were talking and everything and we went around, did like a little like media tour and everything. And everybody just was trying to make nervous. Yeah, just adding levels on to it. And so like going back to like, God, like, he comes up to me and he's like, so you're nervous. And I was like, I would be nervous. And he's like, I was like, no.

I wasn't nervous until you said that. that. And then so we're in the back and Derek Hall calls me into his office. Oh, that's not intimidating. Oh, that's terrifying. Right? Like, not at all. And so, like, I walk in, and he had just gotten, like, finished a meeting with Mike Hazen. So it's like, he's calling and so like, like, what am I doing here? Like, what are we doing? Baseball business. And now I need to talk to you. What are we doing here? And then so he walks in and he's like, And I go like, that's how you're ready. He's like, oh, you better not balance it.

Like, I'd be pretty nervous. It's like, why are you all trying to make me nervous? Oh, but no, like, it was great. It was, he made me cry. It was amazing. So, yeah, the pitch went out there. I was great. And then, like, I wasn't nervous again.

Like, I'd calm myself down. I'm going to walk out. And then I looked up at the scoreboard. He was like, oh, God. Like, this is it. Like, oh, man. But it was just incredible. Just incredible.

to throw that out, you know. Sure. To be celebrated, you know, what we talked about this. I quit. I didn't think there was a place for me in baseball. And then to find out that there very much is, was, was, you know, like not even that there was just, there's a place for me. It's like, they're celebrating me.

Yeah. Like, I'm not just there. Like, I'm being celebrated. Right. Was just an unbelievable feeling. Especially when you have, for a long time. time felt like out of place and yeah you know not yeah celebrating that that side of yourself yeah yeah yeah you know i've never felt like i fit in anywhere i went um you know i played baseball growing up my

entire life um and i never had like close teammates um you know like growing up i was either you know either too mexican to hang out with like like some groups and then too white to hang out with other groups and then you know I get to baseball and I'm like oh I'm too girly to hang out with them um so I never had this this this close group and then they have it from the Arizona dime packs right and major league baseball is just unbelievable it's awesome um you know it's just something I'm never ever going to take for granted well and you've said in the past how difficult pride night was for you yeah right because of yeah because of not being out not feeling yourself yeah yeah you know I've known who I was since I was nine years old.

And starting in like 2017 was really the first time that I wanted to be out and celebrate pride. So 2017, 2018, 2019 were all really tough on me that like I wish I could be out. I wish I could be with you guys like walking the warning track. And you know, I've never told this story, but like I would like make sure to get pictures and walk out there just to make sure like just to be. a part of it, right? Yeah. And in one day, in 2019, I brought like a trans pride flag that I, that I had bought a long time ago. And I carried it and I was taking pictures. And then like, that was leaving the seeds, right? Like, I knew I was going to come out. And it's like, okay, like, I'm just going to see who picked up on this. Sure. Nobody did.

Or maybe more wonderfully, nobody cared, right? Because that's the kind of thing is at times I know being, you know, being the way I am, I'm very naive to a lot of stuff, right? But at the same time, I love everybody, man. And I'm, I'm so happy, like, not only for you, but I'm happy to know people are doing whatever they can to live their best life, right? But I also don't pry. So sometimes, like, I am seriously, like, so, so completely lost on that stuff. Because I don't, like, I don't care one way or another, you know what I mean? So it's like I don't see a need to go up to someone and ask them a question about, you know, their sexuality or anything like that.

Right. So, but at the same time, too, I understand how that can be to like not help, you know, to not help people feel comfortable. You're just saying, hey, I'm cool with whatever. Yeah. You know, whatever, however you are, right? Because I just want people to be themselves. And that's the beautiful part about this.

It's a beautiful part about Pride Night. Like, we got that the Saturday, right? at Chase Field. So make sure come out to Pride Night and celebrate. If you guys haven't done so already, also make sure to sign up for a membership over at go phnx.com. You can get an annual membership. You'll get an awesome free t-shirt over at the pHNX Locker.com. If you're not interested in the annual membership, you can get yourself a month-to-month

membership and you'll get your first month for just 50 cents. Regardless of your membership status, you will get membership discounts over at the PHNX Locker.com, as well as, you know, members of, access to members only Discord, which has been pop in during Arizona Diamondbacks Games. It's one of my favorite places to be. Thanks to you guys, by the way, this is not of my doing. I take no credit for how amazingly entertaining the Discord is, but I hope I'm still mispronouncing Discord.

I know it's I still can't get it right. So I don't care. I don't care to get it right. I hope I'm upsetting people when I say it wrong. But more importantly, I hope you guys join us, become part of the family over here at PHNX. not only do you have all those wonderful membership goodies, but you can join us for our outings. We're going to be going and doing some fun stuff all summer long.

We have the coyotes draft party coming up as well as some amazing things going on. So make sure to join us over here at PHNX. And also check out our friends over at Four Peaks Brewing Company. The Four Peaks draft room is an amazing place to go at Chase Field. If you haven't checked that out, they have an amazing variety of beers. and if Josh Hunt is telling bedtime stories, what's going on? I see, I'm not, Josh, can I have a bedtime story, please? Can I have one tonight?

Josh is here to tell bedtime stories in the Discord. So that's what's great about that. Get yourself a nice peach golden ale and then, you know, tuck yourself in and have one of Josh Hunt's bedtime stories in the Discord. But again, peach golden ale, I didn't even think I would like this. I love it. So now I'm of the belief that I will love any of Four Peaks beers. regardless of the flavor because, again, I'm not a peach guy, but look at me now.

Here I am. So make sure to try our friends at Four Peaks Brewing Company. They have some wonderful food if you go to their restaurant. But more importantly, if you're looking to try their beers, they are sold at a grocery store, convenience store near you, must be 21 or older and enjoy responsibly, our friends at Four Peaks. And we will be broadcasting live from Four Peaks next week. So make sure to join us here on all of our shows, because we'll be at Four Peaks.

all week long or not all week long i'm lying about that we're going to be there on wednesday but you know whatever i make up stuff and then i tweeted out and i get in trouble with people so i need to watch what i say but going back to this amazing person to my left uh daniel i wanted to talk about uh you know obviously you brought billy bean i and you and i are both a huge josh rowich fans we love josh and uh again he's been i think a big uh big part of both of our lives and you've had special relationships with both of those guys. So I just wanted to know what, what their impact was on not only

you sitting here right now, but your decision to, you know, come back to the team and, and, you know, be out and open the way that you are. Yeah,

I mean, we can't really understate what an incredible person, Josh Rowich is. It's ridiculous. It's incredible. Yeah. It's stupid how, it's stupid how great Josh Raich is.

He's an incredible person. Yeah, I actually took his class. ASU and that's pretty much the only reason I got, um, I got my original internship with a D-Back. Right, because he encouraged you,

right? Yeah. Yeah. I, I gave one of the worst interviews I have ever given. It was so bad. But he decided to take a chance on me. Um,

both he and John Pruitt, I would both, you know, for both of them, I would run through a wall for them for taking a chance on me. Um, and, and Josh Routich just,

he, he, he, he, you know, first of all, he encouraged me to work in baseball, right? And when I told him, I came out to him, he's like, like, we want you here. Like, we want you to be here.

We want like, we care about you. Again, going back to like, they don't care about me as an employee. They care about me as a person. And that, you know, that all starts with Josh Rowledge. Sure. And Billy Bean, you know, having his encouragement, I would love to just sit here and say it's all been sunshine and rainbows. I've had some incidents with certain

away teams, none with the debacks, but certain away one team. But him being there, letting me know, you know, I can go to him anytime. You know, I had an incident, you know, earlier in the season where I text him, it was like, it was a late game. And like, he's texting me at like midnight. Our time, he's back in New York. And like, just knowing that he has my back. sure um and just keeping me going and and being really a really a mentor to me um has just been

you know it's it's it's it's it's really special um to have i'm sorry is it just to get like advice on like the situation yeah yeah and and you know going forward he he helped me with my interview for um the athletic with jack began his article um i i remember i remember the call i had with him that day was like was like this is going to change your life and i remember things like billy nobody's going to read this like literally nobody's going to read this like like yeah thanks for all this but nobody's going to read this um turns out it blew up yeah um so so he may know a thing or two about these kind of things um i know what he's talking about and so just to have his direction and being public to you know i you can attest of this um i'm not the most extroverted person i'm probably

the most introverted person you'll ever meet. So having my story out there being so open, having somebody who's done it to himself, who is also an introvert, has really, really helped. And his friendship and all that has just meant the world to me. That's incredible. It's, I mean, it's so important.

It's the reason why, you know, we say, you know, the people as they get older should be wiser and should be able to help us out this kind of stuff, right? And I don't know. I'm getting pretty old myself. I don't feel any wiser, but I feel like experiences have kind of guided me to know at times what to do in the right way.

But again, like I just said before, I still can't stop myself from getting in trouble with my Twitter account. But that's neither here nor there. And talking about that, talking about that story from Zach Buchanan, how did that impact your life? Like how, you know, again,

you thought it wasn't going to be that big of an impact. Yeah, I mean, that story changed. changed everything. We said before we went on the air, there's just something about working in a place where everybody knows everything about you. Which is a little weird,

but at the same time, having the number of people who have reached out to me, I'm sorry, I keep looking at the camera because in this lighting, my hair looks phenomenal. Oh, it's great. Oh, yeah, you look great. You look outstanding. You're soaking it in.

Can we do a photo shoot before we go? Man, this looks really great. No. So anyways, the article, that's what we're talking about. So, yeah, it blew up. It was just crazy. Something about everybody knowing, but at the same time, the number of people that reached out to me that said that,

like, I've always wanted to work in baseball, but I didn't think there was a place for someone like me. You know, I cry every time I get one. And the fact that I got. I've gotten more than one. Like I've gotten, I can't even count how many I've gotten. It's just been,

you know, I grew up in a place where I thought I was the only person like this in the entire world. You know, growing up out in the East Valley, very conservative districts. Sure. I felt like a freak. I felt like I was the only one who felt this way.

And so to show others that are, that may have been in the same situation, that they're not alone. Like being trans doesn't exist. exclude you from doing what you love. It doesn't exclude you, like, it doesn't disqualify you from anything has really been the biggest impact, I think. Oh, that's not true. The biggest impact that that article had is it got me the job at ASU. Hey, there you go. Getting that money. That's the biggest impact. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you told me a pretty incredible story about a guy that we both

like quite a bit. Tori Lebello reaching out to you. Tori is my ride or die. I just, I know I wanted to kind of get you to tell that story and again how much Tori has meant to you throughout this whole process. Yeah, yeah. You know, again, with the article, like, didn't think anybody would read it.

Sure. And my phone was blowing up that day. Right. Like, I was on like 20% battery at noon, right? Like, it was just going crazy. So these were people you knew, but you were. I knew, but I also hadn't talked to in years. Like, they didn't, I, they didn't know I was out.

So, just going crazy. And it was around like seven o'clock. So my phone, it started to die down. I was getting ready. My family and I had like an Among Us night over Zoom. So we were getting ready for it. And I got a, I got this, this FaceTime. This random FaceTime from a number in LA.

And so I'm thinking like, absolutely not. I am not taking this. There are two options of this and neither of them are great. Right. So, like, I'm not going to do it. And then. And especially of FaceTime. That's incredibly personal.

Like, I could know you and I'm not going to answer a FaceTime if you have not. Oh, yeah. I'm probably not even going to answer a call. FaceTime each other. Yeah. Yeah. So I get this FaceTime and like absolutely not. On the day that this article dropped, no way.

So I immediately decline it. Sure. And then. Understandably. Yeah. Not even 30 seconds. later. I get this text that says, hey, I'm so sorry to drop the random face time on you. This is Tori. I just wanted to tell you face to face how proud I am of you.

So like if you have time, I would love to talk to you. And I text them back of me. He's like, Tori, I have time. I will make time for you. Yes, I have plenty of time. And so he, we face-times. He told me he made me cry. Tori makes me cry all the time. Um, and we talked for 45 minutes in the middle of a baseball season. We just sat and talked for like 45 minutes. The manager of a major league baseball team telling him, and we didn't even talk about baseball. He was just sitting there telling me how proud of me he was.

Um, yeah, just, he's just such an incredible human game. Um, just a special, just a special person. And there's a reason everybody in the organization wants it. Right, right. And they've said he's a player's manager, but he's like an everybody's manager. Yeah, yeah, right? You need him and know him. He, it's hard not to.

Right. Like, there's a reason all 25 guys on that roster are going to run the role for him. Yeah. Yeah. Without question. Without question. Yeah, yeah. He's made me cry to the point where, like, I've, I've joked like, I can't talk to this

guy. Yeah. Like, I just can't talk to this guy because he's going to make me cry in the best kind of way. I mean, he makes me feel feelings about my shirts that I wear. Yeah. right like and that's the most meaningless thing in the world is my stupid button-up shirt right so i know i can only imagine and he really does it it's about caring about people and it's you know that's what you've expressed i think the most today is that you know when when you're coming out

and and you're doing something as big as this for your life the support is so important right and i mean that's that's the one thing that kind of is a bit unexpected in this kind of a macho world of sports. I'm sure that's the reason why other trans people don't feel comfortable. I mean, it's hard enough just to be a woman in baseball, right? Let alone a transgender woman. And like Saul said, I don't think people really understand how incredible Tori is. He just gets on so many levels besides baseball.

And that's what it's all about. That's really what it's all about. That's what the entire organization's support really feels like for you. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And, you know, another Tory story. Ryan. This spring training, my first game back,

I'm sitting over on the warning track, waiting to get a picture of one of the players who asked for a picture. And Tori comes over after the game while he's waiting for the media interview after. And he goes like, hey, how's it going? And I've had conversation with players and managers where, like, you could tell they could not care less.

And he's sitting there, you know, eye contact, all that great stuff. Just, you know, he cares. And he goes, after I tell him all the amazing things that happened over this off season, he was like, I am so proud of you. Like, and just like just the most caring, like fatherly. Yeah, he's like, like, I might start crying again. But he's like, I need to, like, I need you to know that you are a part of this team.

You are a part of me. You have made me a better manager. and I need you to know that. And I'm just sitting there like, Tori, like, I'm in public, man. I can't do this. And I'm just sitting there bawling my eyes out. And then he's like, he's just such an incredible, special person. Yeah.

And I know, I know exactly where you're coming from. It's refreshing to see what, like, a normal human being he is in this world of sports that doesn't typically have that, right? Yeah, and it's hard to put in the word sometimes, but he's just an incredibly caring person. Yeah. I guess I'm very thankful for you to have had this, you know? Like, I care about you a tremendous amount.

So it's special to me to know that you were supported so much in this whole thing. And again, you and I have been friends for a long time. We were, you know, D-Back Nation back in the day, right? It's been a long time, man. And supporting this team. And, like, I get exactly. what you're saying sometimes, you know, again, kind of with some of the stuff I've been doing, having the support just from them, just, I mean, like, I don't expect it at all in any way,

like to get text messages from them telling me, like, I'm proud of you for, like, doing this thing at PhD, all that stuff. Like, it's, it means so much even when it might be the smallest gesture. Yeah. It's, it's someone like the organization thinking about you. But yeah, I mean, especially for you. I know, I know it's hard to think about this or maybe it's, At times it might be too much, but you're making history. And like to you and me, you're just you. You know what I mean? Like, but it's still historically important some of the stuff you're doing because it just

makes it, you know, so much easier for other trans people to be able to be a part of the sport in whatever the way they want to be a part of the sport. And it's wonderful what, what you're doing. I mean, that's what keeps me going, right? Like I've said, I am very much an introvert. Yeah. I know you are. I know how uncomfortable this right here.

No, I love being on studio. This is great. I had my own radio show at ASU is phenomenal. I missed it. I love this. But, you know, just being out has, has, it's been a challenge. It's been a challenge.

And, you know, again, like I said, there's something about being somewhere where everybody knows everything about you. You know, I thought I was going to die with the secret. You know, everybody knows it. Right. So. Well, and you could work at a place with Chase Field. where you kind of stay very confined and don't really let people in to your world outside of.

Yeah. Right. So now it's like you let Zach Buchanan and now you let us in and P.H.N. Right. Now you're letting all of these people in, but we, we love to know about it. You know, and knowing that it's if it were to impact, I've always said, if it were to impact even one person, then yeah, I'm going to do it. I will be the one to do all of this so that somebody else doesn't have to. That's wonderful. And, no, I'm not the only trans person to baseball anymore. Yeah.

So it's, it's, you know, that's why I do it. Yeah. Well, I'm so happy for you. And before we talk about the team and this season, I want to remind everybody that our friends at OG's brands just launched their first ever limited edition seasonal flavor, Pena Colada. I've been talking about it for months because I've just been eating them.

They sent me the non-medicated ones, whatever. But anyway, you got to get down on either the 10 milligram or the 3 milligram microdose. The non-medit, they were delicious. I wouldn't have even known. I just enjoyed them so much. The euphoria of the flavor made me think that I was eating medicated gummies. But of course, it's a perfect pineapple and creamy coconut blend. That's just in time for the summer, right?

And summer road trips, they put summer road trips in there. But I'm going to tell you, don't eat your gummies and drive. Just wait until you get to your place and then eat your gummies. And speaking of pool parties, that's another. other big thing. OGs is taking over the Maya Day Club coming up here very soon on June 25th. And let me tell you, I'm dragging Jesse to it, whether he wants to go or not. And he's just going to be red-faced the whole time, either from embarrassment or the sun, take your pick. But you be sure to stop by if you're going to be at the Maya Day Club and say what's up to us. Some of our

Ph.NX crew will be out there. And of course, if you're looking for OGs brands, make sure to check out OGsbrands.com at OGEZBrands.com or on Instagram at OGsbrands.com. You can find their products at your local dispensary must be 21 or years or older to purchase and enjoy responsibly, much like the four beaks. Go to OGs.com to find OGs near you. Yes, Jesse is going to burst in the flames. He has been in Seattle where I don't believe the temperature gets above 67 degrees at any point. It's like the temperature in Seattle is what I keep my hotel rooms at at all time. But yes, we're dragging Jesse. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Saul. It's on. Jesse at the Maya Day Club. It's going to be amazing. And I think he might combust, but it's going to be fun.

We're only going to get to enjoy Jesse for like a week, but I'm okay with that. And of course, we need to talk about the Diamondbacks because I know. Yeah, I know. Nobody wants to talk baseball with me. Talk about you. We're done talking about you, but I want to know your thoughts on on this team, right? Like, are you pleasantly surprised with the way they've been playing? What are your, we've kind of talked about them overachieving just a little bit. Like, not a lot, but they seem to be better than many of us expected them to be this season. See, I don't know if I would go that far because.

Okay. Last year was just such an anomaly. I know. See, you're like me. You're like, everybody thinks like, oh, they're going to like be an improvement, but there's no way they can win more than 20 games. Like, they lost 110 games. They had eight starting pitchers on the IL last year at one time.

There were five starting pitchers in the rotation. I don't even get you started. Like last year, it was never going to be as bad as it was last year. I feel like I'm taking like crazy pills, though, because people seem to always think like that was a true reflection on what this team was. No, absolutely not. Not that they were this huge injury. Like, see, I feel like this year, they are playing up to do the expectations of preseason last year.

Yeah. Last year, everybody said they were going to be like a 500 team. probably won't make the playoffs, but blah, blah, blah. That's exactly what I think we're looking at. Yeah, there's a 500 team that probably is just going to miss the playoffs. But. And a lot of young talent. Yeah, a lot of young talent.

You know, I firmly believe that all that, not all the players, but like the players for the next great deback team are on this team right now. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I don't, I honestly don't think they're that far off. No. So, you know, I. Look at how well Alex Thomas is playing.

Look at how great these young guys are. It's incredible. How good these. Yeah. And I am so high on like Josh Rojas. Oh yeah. Josh Rojas is incredible. And he's from Arizona.

Like, come on. I know. I know. How are you not amped up about that? Yeah. So this is honestly, this is kind of what I've expected all the season. Yeah. It's just like this is who they are.

They fight. They're going to be in more games than they're not. And who, you know, they're not going to win them all. But that's baseball. That's how it works. Yeah. And they're still not good enough to consider them a contender of any kind. but that doesn't mean that they're not getting close.

Yeah, you know, like I said, the players for the next great debaq team are on this team. So, and they're also just such a great group to be around. Yeah. Like, I love them all. They don't have many, like, big, like, personnel, media personalities that people would like, but they're all just such genuinely nice guys. I just love being around them.

I love them so much. David, David Bralitha still to me is just an incredible person. personality, right? Yeah. Yeah, he's really the only, like, when you think of, like, big personality. Yeah. Like, he's really the only one. Yeah.

But I love seeing Josh Rojas mic up. Yeah. Oh, he's like, and that's the thing that I love about that, that whole thing is that people don't realize just how much fun these guys are. They're just so much fun. I love them on such a personal level. No, I'm with you on that. Especially no way Ramirez. No way is just the sweetest human being.

People, people don't really get to see aside. He's somebody I would like. love to have on this show because noe is incredibly funny uh very very uh very good interview yeah when you when he has great answers it's you know i don't know it's kind of like what you said like sometimes with baseball players i get it right like what more answer can you give to some of the questions yeah his media asked right like you're only going to get canned answers but no he has always seemed very uh very authentic yeah and he's so thoughtful and he's just he's just such a great guy oh well i love you know i love I love this team.

I love them so much. I know, like, I'm a member in the media. I'm supposed to be on, but no, I'll freaking love this team, man. They're just so much fun. Heck yeah. We're very biased in this house. Yeah, I got that purple teal tattoo. That's right.

We don't care around here. So I guess who do you view as like all stars? Who do you think could could crack it? Like obviously we're going to have one. Zach Gallon seems like a pretty obvious canon. I think at this point, maybe Josh Rojas, third base is pretty stacked in baseball. I don't know.

Joe Mantiply. Oh, yeah. I would say that's, I mean, Joe Maniply, I don't think anybody really knows what Joe Mantelopee is doing. Yeah, no, nobody nobody understands how good he has been this year. Yeah, I would definitely put

Catele, obviously. What about Christian Walker, aka Christian Homer? Christian Walker. Do you think he makes it into the home run derby? He better. Right? He better?

I mean, it seems like it seems like it's. He should be hitting like two, at least, at the very least two 60. Yeah. The way he is hitting the ball, he just had. Like it's an anomaly. They've actually said he's had one of the worst luck of any hitter in baseball this year. And baseball is just such a dumb game sometimes, right? Like I love, I love baseball more than anything.

It's my life. But man, is it a dumb game? Yeah. Just some things just don't make sense. He literally. It almost has as many home runs as singles, by the way. Yeah, and how Christian Walker is hitting only 200 is just no. It doesn't because it's like it, you know, the thing is,

is that he only seems to be hitting home runs lately, right? So it's like if it's not a home run, it's a line drive street. It's a 150 miles an hour. Yeah, 150 miles an hour. A guy makes a diving play on. Like, it's just ridiculous. All right. So I guess you kind of answered this, but what are your predictions?

Do you think this team finishes like right around what we're seeing? Yeah, I mean, is this where we're at? A handful of games, maybe under, maybe a game or two over at the mic. I would say within five games of 500 either direction. Okay. Do you think it'll be good enough for the playoffs if they do finish five games above? I don't want to care. Like, do you not want them to make the playoffs?

Of course I care if they make them playoff. I know we care for a completely different reason, right? Do I care if they make the playoffs? Well, it's one of those things that, I mean, I guess it goes back to the Mark Grace, I think, adage of it's not about who you play, but when you play them, right? So as long as you can catch fire at the right time, anybody can do whatever. When was the last time the best team won the world? Not in mind. I honestly can't think of the last time the best team in baseball won the world series.

I mean, look at the giants. They were never even in the top five of the teams who made the playoffs. Yeah. The years they made it. Yeah. And they've won three World Series. They just got hot at the right time. I'm not saying, well, listen, I'm not saying the Vex Girl in the World Series.

I'm just saying I want them to make the playoffs because of who knows. Yeah. No, that's exactly it, right? And, you know, and again, who knows? Like, they might make the playoffs. Yeah. And to be honest, I'd be pretty devastated if they didn't. But that's just me.

Yeah. So I'm just, I'm just always sad. I'm just a fan. So, like, I'm not expecting it, but, you know, they can surprise. surprising people. The guys, they're only going to get better this season. Right. With a young team.

We've seen glimpses, right? Yeah. I've seen the starting rotation be really good. Lately, the bullpen's been pretty damn outstanding. So it's like, I don't know who this team is at times. I really don't. I just don't know their identity. And they're just young.

I think that's it is that young teams struggle to find an identity. Right. If you have a really young team, not everything's going to click at once. Yeah. That's just how baseball work. It's just how sports work. Sure. And so time is, time is really all that we need at this point, honestly.

So, you know, be patient with this team. Is what I tell everybody is just be patient. Like, they have the potential to be really good. Do you like Mike Hazen's idea of, well, no, I know you love my case. I'm never going to say a bad thing about my case. In Mike Hazen, we trust, and Tori we trust. This is a Tory and Mike Hazen house. But I guess, you know, the thought process of not going out there and getting any free agents

and leaving some of these positions open for these young players to come up and do what we've seen them do this year. Yeah, because when you get a young team, again, like we said, you never know what you're going to get. They could have all the town in the world and they just don't have the time. They don't have the experience yet. So if you were to go out and get some big name free agent and that guy's lighting it up while the young guys are still trying to find it, then you kind of miss your window. Or you're competing and you can't really wait if a young guy comes up and is struggling. Yeah.

So you kind of have to move on because we can't afford to lose games. And right now the Diamondbacks don't seem to really care that much. I say that based on game two of this series against fucking twins, when Tori left Luke Weber out there for long, they don't care about losing games. And I'm not saying they're not competitive, but I'm saying there's times where you're just like, well, I mean, this is your team, this is your game.

This is your game. And if it's going to continue to go this bad. You know, I love that. I think, you know, we saw it with the sons, right? they went out and they just said hey go play have at it and now here we are um so i i really like the not trying to like patch things up with with a couple you know superstars here and there when we have potential here we have room to grow here i just think baseball is such a crazy game where you can pay a dude literally like 10 million dollars more than another dude and all

he's going to do is hit like 10 batting average point higher And maybe, like, have, like, five more RBI, like, two more homebonds. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He'll get, like, 30 more hits. Yeah, right. Over the course of the season. Over the course of, like, 900 point appearances. Right, but you paid him $9.5 million more or whatever, right? Baseball makes no sense. It does.

It's ridiculous. And that's why I love it so much. I know. That's why we're laughing about them struggling against the teams they struggled against and then coming out here against the twins. And then swing and the wins, the braids. The braids before that. Like, like, that's just, you know, that's just a young baseball. team, right?

And again, going back to the suns, you know, in what, 2019? That's kind of, 2019, 2020. We sort of saw that when they were sort of starting to feel it. But then, you know, they play down to opponents. They play up to opponents. They're showing flashes. And so, you know, that's kind of where I feel like the debacks are, honestly. And if they're going to add free agents, I would much rather wait until they're at that

point, right? Yeah, yeah. Adding them is going to have that big impact. Nothing against Chris Bryant. I love Chris. I would have loved to add Chris Bryant. But like, you know. he's not going to do anything for the team right now.

Well, look what happened with the Rockies, he's right? He got injured. You know what I mean? It's all been all over the place. Yeah, and that's the thing about baseball is you can, you know, look at the Dodgers for so long. It's just thrown money into the first and hope something picks up. Yeah, yeah. And like.

They can afford it. They can afford it. But also, like, it's just kind of ridiculous. And like, okay, this guy is, like, this guy's going to work out. Now this guy's getting work out. So we're just going to keep trying. And so the thing I love about, what the T-backs are doing is that they're letting their young people be themselves.

Right. Which is the theme for today. There you go. They're letting the young players be themselves or letting them learn. And I think that's really going to pay dividends and a lot sooner than a lot of people might think. I agree with you. Yesterday was Father's Day. And I know your father had a big impact on your life.

And I know your father was a big part, very supportive through your journey. So I wanted to ask how much is that meant to you to not only live your life, you know, now freely in the way that you've kind of wanted to, but to have that support from dad. Yeah, you know, just my whole family, just in general. I haven't had a single bad experience with anybody in my family. That's awesome. And, you know, growing up, I was, I was just, I, it's interesting you bring up dad, right? Because it's just, there's something about coming out to your dad. You guys were always together, too.

We'd go to every game together, right? I mean, when I met you and you were younger, it was always you and your dad. Yeah, yeah. And it's like, how do you tell your dad that you're not the son he thinks? And that for me was the scariest thing. I just, I was just positive. There was going to be some bad experience in there.

But he has just been so supportive. My dad's always been such a strong supporter of me and anything I do. You know, it was always a joke growing up. It's like, if I ever got in trouble, just send my dad down there and I'll be out of it. He's got your back. Yeah, which I mean, like, I say jokingly, but like, it was 100% true. Like, if I ever got in trouble, I could do whatever I wanted at that school, right?

Like, and I didn't take advantage of it. But like, like, if I were to ever get in trouble, my dad would go down there and take care of it for me. And so, you know, just having that support. And, you know, I'd be remiss if I didn't have mentioned my mom as well. Yeah. My mom has just been so incredible. I mentioned before. I have mentioned, but like I joke with friends, like, early on in my transition,

like, my mom was, like, supportive to a fault. It's like, let's go do this and do this. Like, mom, I'm not quite ready yet. Like, let's pop the brakes. She was like, come on, let's go. And so you need no clothes. What do you need? Whatever you need?

Yeah. And it's like, whenever I need clothes, like, hey, mom, I want to go shopping. He's like, yes, let's go to it. And so just, you know, my whole family has been just incredible. and that's another thing that drives me, right? It hurts me to know that so many in my community don't have that. And to be so lucky to have nothing about love and support from every corner, whether my job or my family,

I would not be able to look myself in the mirror if I didn't use this incredible privilege that I have to help make things better for other people. And I always say, I'm not, I'm never going to stop. I'm never going to stop being open. I'm never going to stop fighting, fighting for what's right until I'm not considered one of the lucky ones until I'm just normal,

where this is just the norm. So, yeah. It's difficult. Like you said, it's difficult. And that's why you're so inspiring. You know, it's people need to know sometimes that they might,

they might get that support. You might not know, right? You might expect it to be a much more difficult conversation. Yeah, yeah. And that's the biggest thing that I learned was that there are so many people out there who want to be allies. Yeah. They just, you know, they haven't had the excuse, you know, the excuse to be an ally. I told you.

I wanted to show up. I was an ally because I had a stupid flag war on my life. It's like just seeing people put stupid shit up on their house. Maybe you'd be like, nah, you know what? I'm going to go order a flag from, you know, I'm going to go order a flag and put it up and show that like, my entire block isn't this ignorant and isn't this unwelcoming. I don't want a potential neighbor to move into my neighborhood and feel like the neighbors around them hate them.

Yeah. It's like, yeah, no, it's just that jackass down the street. But the rest of us are pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. And it's funny you mention that because I think the vast majority of people want to be support. They want to be allies. It's just the people that aren't very loud.

They're very well. They are very loud and it is, you know, it's the thing they care about most, right? Like, so, so just showing that there is this love and support out there for, for trans people, for anybody, anybody in the LGBTQ plus spectrum is so important to me because I've had that, that's so, I've had such incredible support and love from every single direction, whether it's my dad or my mom or, you know, my brother or anybody. it's you know like I said I come from such a I hate that I come from this privilege I hate that this is considered a privilege and I don't want it and so I'm working toward it not being a privilege so that everybody has that I get what you're saying because because it isn't it isn't easy and there's always this feeling that you're disappointing people I imagine you know and in reality it's like honestly so many of us want I think our family members our friends

our loved ones to be happy, you know? And honestly, some people still have a lot of growing to do, you know, and it's unfortunate sometimes that, like you said, the worst ones are the most vocal, you know, the ones with the worst opinions about it are most vocal. But I love you. And I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad that you got the support that you did. And I'm so glad that you're doing what you're doing for the community because it's important, right? So of course, we thank you guys for joining us. And before we go, I got to let you guys know that you can go as a new customer of the Draft King Sportsbook. Of course, Stanley Cup finals are going on.

The Colorado Avalanche are just smashing the Tampa Bay Lightning, which was unexpected, but go Colorado is what we're saying. We're Aves fans in this house. So download the Draft King Sportsbook app now. And when you use our promo code of PHNX, you as a new customer can bet $5 on either NHL team to win their game. You will get $100 in free bets no matter what, win or lose. That's code PHNX at the Draft King Sportsbook,

an official sports betting partner of the Stanley Cup final. Must be 21 or older. Arizona only, new customers only, minimum $5 deposit required. Restrictions apply C. Show notes for details. And I just started betting on hockey this season because I would bet actively against the Arizona Coyotes because they were so bad.

I learned about puck lines and I learned about like how the odds were. It's like, you know, I was so used to betting on football that like hockey was like stagnant. It's like it didn't move all crazy because there wasn't all this action on it. So, like, betting on the coyotes, man, I made a small mint off of it. I'm not going to lie. And I'm not, there is no, no shame in my game for betting against coyotes. Because remember, like we told you guys, just because your team loses doesn't mean you have to lose. I'm not telling you who to bet on when it comes to the Diamondbacks, the Padres.

I have no idea how the hell this series is going to go, just like this entire season for this team. It's like you said, I think we're seeing this team play right now, right about what, who they are. I mean, hopefully they'll still continue to figure things out as the season goes. Yeah, yeah, they're a team that fights until the very last out. Right. Who knows what that means? It's been fun to watch. That's the one thing is this season versus last year.

That's another theme of this year's, but at least these games are fun to watch. Right, right. But yes, we thank you guys again so much for joining us. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at Cap underscore Caveman with a K. You can get Danielle at Aberrake. Yeah. Right. Is that right? All right. Aberadabra, but Abercaddy. Adventure time, deep cut.

There you go. Nice. But of course, you can follow us on our account at PHNX underscore Dbacks, but all roads lead to at PHNX underscore Sports. That's on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. If you're watching us right now on YouTube, make sure to subscribe to the PHNX Sports YouTube channel. Sign up for notifications. That way you don't miss any of the live content. We go live whenever the hell we want to around here. So you never know when it's going to go live. Sign up for notification. You won't miss any. of it. Also, if you're listening to us right now on your favorite audio podcasting app, subscribe to us if you haven't done so already and leave us a five-star review because this woman

next to me is a five-star woman and she deserves it, even if I don't. So we thank you guys so much for joining us. Thank you for joining me on behalf of Danielle and myself. We appreciate your time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but baseball is so much more fun when you accept everybody.