The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Lovable Reunion - Jon Lester on SNAPPING at Anthony Rizzo, EPIC Cubs World Series stories, David Ross standing ovation

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

Anthony Rizzo and David Ross welcome MLB legend Jon Lester to The Lovable Reunion podcast to discuss the star pitcher’s decision to join the Chicago Cubs after playing for the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics, the time he snapped at Rizzo for something he said to the media, surprising Ross with a standing ovation, why he took himself out of Game 5 of the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, the moment that changed the entire baseball season for Chicago, and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, 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. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guide. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. There's the worst singer in the group. The worst? Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard.

You only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard Yardt. They're open. Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

Since you guys are middle age, one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Humor me. I need some jokes to make me. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right. I'm nervous, Tony. Do you know what to do with your hands? Get to work. Let's do it. Ready? Lock it in.

I'm ready. I'm nervous. Do you know how you can start this? I'm nervous. I've been practicing this for three months, John. Yeah. Shouldn't you let the professional do the introduction? No, he's put a lot of work into this.

This would be good. All right. Fair enough. Thanks. I'm like the on candy. You're the talent. I'm they are. You're the truth.

Craig. It's not. All right, guys. Shut up. Y'all should have been rolling now. It is. Perfect. Perfect.

Okay. I'm nervous. Let's do this. Welcome to this week's episode of the Lovewell Reunion, three-time World Series champion, five-time All-Star, top five in the Cy Young, three different times,

200 career wins, and an insane four-and-one World Series record with a 17-7-ERA, and fellow cancer survivor, Johnny fucking Lester. Yes. Number 34 in your programs,

number one in our hearts. Just so you know. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. The left-hander. We got so many, we got so many nicknames for you, but we got to set the scene.

All right, we're here at John's Farm. Sanctuary. Sanctuary 31. Boston days. We think it should be 34, but hey, there was a time and a place when it was. He started making money early.

Yeah. Actually, on that note, John, how rich are you? Well, Rossi, I'm not rich. I'm wealthy. I have rich people that work for me. I've lived my life by that quote, and I just don't have any rich people really working for me. So I don't really know where I fit in that. I can't fully take that. I stole it from Josh Beckett. So I got to give him credit for that saying, I learned that a long time ago from him. Yeah. Your cast of veterans that you played with are so intimidating to me.

years later. Yeah. And like any time I ever see Tim Wakefield or rest in peace, Wakey, but Beckett, who is it, Josh, Tomlin, Tomlin? Oh, Mike Timlin. Mike Timlin. I'm just terrified of all those guys because of the stories I heard from you. And I walked into that clubhouse one time and Beckett was on the table when I was, when you're taking me around, which we'll get into. And I was like so terrified walking into that clubhouse. How do you think I felt?

Yeah, I know. I've heard all the stories. Johnny, you signing in Chicago in 15 was, it's the greatest signing in Cubs history. And what that symbolified for our team was the most amazing feeling as someone who was there who lost 100 games. And we stunk and we were getting better. And then all of a sudden we get Joe Madden that signs out of nowhere. And then the biggest free on the market, John Lester, comes and signs with us. and we're like, what is going on? Like, take us through that for agency process.

Take us why you believed in us because we stunk and you were the best pitcher on the market. So why? Why did you sign with us? How did that go? Man, I mean, it wasn't an easy process. It was a fun process looking back on it. I wish I would have kind of relished in it a little bit more.

It was, you know, at the time when you're going through all of that, it's very stressful. Because, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, I got traded to Oakland, and I wanted to go back to Boston, right? Like, hey, yeah, trade me. We stink. Make your team better, hopefully. And then we'll come back in a few months and make it right, right? Like, we'll go back to winning.

And, you know, it's kind of like you break up with your first girlfriend. She dumps you, and then she kind of gives you a glimmer of hope that you might get back together and then stabs you in the back again. Oh, yeah. That bitch. Been there. Right. I mean, I might say, anyway. But during the whole process, it was the Red Sox the whole time. And then we went up to Chicago, met with Theo and Tom and Crane and, you know, all the whole cast. And as you guys know, Theo, I think, can sell ice to an Eskimo, you know, and sitting in there and seeing what they were doing with Wrigley and Wrigleyville and the team and the vision and all this stuff. And no offense to. renderie, I don't know the man. But once they hired Joe, it was kind of like, all right, this is real.

You know what I'm saying? And, I mean, Theo made it hard not to turn down. I mean, what made it hard, John? Was it $187 million? It was 55. Okay, sorry. Was it the private jet hours that you threw into your contract? Okay, so I'll tell you a funny story about the top.

What was the? I'll tell you a funny story about. about the private jet deal. So we agree to the deal. Me and my family go out to dinner. We celebrate. You know, it hasn't been announced yet. I think they've only told, or like we've only told Theo or whatever, had two months a drink at dinner, go to bed, wake up the next morning, turn on MLB channel. And they're, you know, on the MLB channel, they scroll across the bottom, like the details of the contract. So I'm sitting there watching it, take kids of school, watching it. And I see 25 hours on NetJets. I'm like, huh?

Wait a second. Pull a phone, call my age, and I'm like, dude, I got 25 hours on NetJets? He goes, yeah, we kind of got that in there at the end. I had no idea that was part of the deal when it went down. But that was, I mean, to be honest with you, that was the best thing. Well, you had a hard time. I remember coming to the Christmas party you had. Yeah.

And San Francisco, you said, pitched a really nice buster and Boch came in. and pitch it and then you were like, hey, what do you think about Chicago? Yeah. And like from then on, you were just quiet and it was all working. But like that was a really big decision. I remember how much it was weighing on you. Yeah. And all your history, your kids growing up, being born in Boston and you had a house there.

Yes, we had a house there. And, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, I don't want to say the Red Sox made it easy just based on how they were operating at the time, but they made it. easier. The hard part of the end is, you know, when you're at that point in your career, you have a vision of kind of how long you want to play for, right? And mine was, I wanted seven years, however that looked, whatever, however structure you wanted. I thought, okay, seven years gives me the best opportunity in a city to hopefully win, do some personal things, kind of, you know, get your roots in that city. Build a legacy. Yeah, like you did. Get your roots in that city.

Austin and you have a legacy in Chicago and you have a small legacy in Oakland. Small, very small. And D.C. And even a smaller one in St. Louis. 200 ones. But, you know, San Francisco comes in and they're at six years, six years, six years, and all of a sudden they come and they go, all right, we'll give you the guaranteed seven. And you're like, hmm, I don't want to go back out to the West Coast.

Even though I'm from there, my family's here, you know, and it's like, how do you do this? How would you navigate it and all that? And then ultimately it was like, you know, we'll just play the cards and see how they fall. And hopefully I'm good enough at the sixth year where my option gets picked up. And we ride off into the sunset. You know, obviously that didn't happen. But, I mean, obviously don't regret the decision of coming over. So you go to Chicago.

You have your signing. A big group of you guys went out to celebrate that night. Yeah. I know where you're going with this. Can you walk me through? through what happened that night. So we go, I forgot even where we were. I'm assuming you were over served.

Bub City, I think. Bob City. Shout out Bub City. Best Fireball in town. It's homemade in case you guys didn't know. It's their own recipe. Really? Yeah, it's pretty sick. That's good plug. So we go to Bub City, it's Theo Jed, me, my family, my agent,

and we're sitting there talking and we're going over like, kind of new play, like what they need to kind of fill the roster for the team. And I'm like, y'all got a backup catcher? And they're like, they go, no. I go, you need to sign Rossi. And I forgot who said it. They're like, well, you know, his OPS and this and that has gone down over the last couple of years. And I'm like, yeah, but you need a veteran, veteran do that knows what his role is.

When he comes, when he walks through that door, there's no, I'm competing for the starting job. This is my job. I'm here to pick up. I think we had traded for Miggy at that time. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. I'm here to pick up Miggy when he needs a break, and then he would obviously catch me.

So I get to, I mean, I'm bugging the hell out of Theo. And finally he's like, it's two in the morning. We're the only people in Bub City. And he goes, you get him on the phone. We'll work a deal out. As a kid say, bet. All right. Your cultured, prove it.

Like, okay, here we go. Pull the phone. phone up. Three in the morning, Florida time. Yeah. Oh yeah. Forgot that. So two in the morning, three in the morning there. I called his phone seven time. No answer. I'm waking up going, oh, John's drunk. Yeah. Yeah. Like this is the, this is, hey man, what are you doing? Full call. But so I'm like, I go, Farah, do you have Highless number? And she's like, yeah, I go call her right now. How go, this is, that's, hey, Farah's calling me. Because I was like, who is that? I was like, it's John. He's hammered.

She said, it's Farrah. I was like, okay, I should probably answer this. What if you didn't answer? Think about how history is not written the way it was. Thank God for Farah. We can take her for a lot. Damn. So he answered.

Highland gives him the phone. I'm like, hey, bro, I'm sitting here with Theo. Do you want to come to Chicago? And he's like, fuck yeah, let's do it. So I'm sitting, he's like, I'm like, all right, what would it take to get you here? He goes, man, if you get me five and a half, that'd be great. Or six. You started at six.

He goes, two for six. he goes two for six so mind you and i don't remember bub city having these after the fact but theo had this mug like an october fest mug of beer and i'm on the phone in one of those booths and theo standing there at two a m at two a m okay and i go hey he wants two for six and theo starts drinking his beer he just goes he just keeps doing this over and a wouldn't say a word word just keeps going two five two five so i'm like uh rossie's saying two five he's like all right see me can give me five and a half i'm like you cave real quick i'm like i'm going with lester in chicago let's go i was like i was like dude theo he wants two he wants five and a

he just he's still this beer what a what a what a gee dude dude too for five just back and forth and i'm like damn it ross he's he's five dude this is one of the most established baseball executives of all time. Yeah. And this is how he's negotiating. Yeah. I'm going to start doing that for now on. And he,

dude, don't say a word. And he sits there and he just keeps doing it. And I tell, I tell Rossi, I go, man, he's two for five. He's like, all right.

And it's like silence. I think, I'm like, oh, it's still good. You got the phone. He goes, all right, I'll take it. See if you can get me a sweet on the road.

No way. I woke on the next morning. My agent was so, I said, I think I just came in, uh, we had the same age. I was like, I think we just came to terms with Chicago for two for five. He's like, what, what are you talking about? You're getting Theo in the phone with custom out, but, bro, you, that, that is like, that's like,

it's so funny how that went down to me. Like, nobody would ever, I don't think we've told that story. You came in, though, and you completely shifted the culture there. And we had great veterans before. I mean, Soriano, Stalin Castro, Edwin Jackson, Reed Johnson. and Jeff Baker, Dempster, great veterans. But when you walked in that door, it changed. And I don't know if you ever knew that.

I don't think you ever got the actual proper respect and runway that how much you changed that culture. But being there for the time I was there beforehand and you coming in was like, this is real. And we're going to win now because you're a winner. And you bring in soon-to-be grandpa, Rossi with you, and he's a winner and the respect you guys deemed, dude, that first spring training, that first day in 2015, I think you threw a live BP. And it was the most electric, intense live batting practice till this day I've ever seen. And I was like, holy shit. These two are legit. 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 called, 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, where 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 guide, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends,

me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan, to Bob Odenkirk, to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. There's that worst singer in the group? The worst?

Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard yard, but they're open.

Do you have a name suggestion? We're open. Since you guys are middle-aged, one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Humor me.

I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise.

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Listen to SportsSlice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian win.

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Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I. heart women's sports. I think that's part of, you know, growing up in Boston, though, too, right? Like, you get to Boston and the media microscope there and the fan microscope is, I mean, it's so honed on you that when you show up to spring training, it's not, like, I tell the story about Demp, Ryan Dempster, 2013, or 2013, so we're coming off 12. It's my worst year of my career, and we got our asses kicked all year. That was your boy with Bobby Valentine, right?

That was the whole disaster. Yeah. And so we get to spring training, and dude, I've been throwing bullpins for like a month and a half. And when I mean bullpins, like the last six bullpins I faced hitters before I left home and got to spring training. So first day of bullpins, you know, I'm telling the pitching coach Juan Niaves, at the time, I'm like, hey, dude, I'm throwing a 50 or 60 pitch bullpen.

Like, we're getting locked in. And Demp's on the other end of the six pack or whatever. And he hears me say that and he walks down. He goes, you're throwing what? He goes, this is the first day of camp, dude. I go, yeah, what about it? He goes, I haven't thrown off the mound yet. You know what I'm saying?

Like, nothing against Demp. He was a little bit older in his career. He knew it worked for him, and that's how he did it. But I was so upset about the way the year went before and got crushed and all that stuff for my performance, which I deserve. But it was like, all right, the accountability needs to be, I need to be ready. I need to be accountable for what happened last year. And I need to get off to a good start. Point I'm trying to make is Boston makes you think that way.

Even though it's day one of spring, there's 50 some odd media people sitting there and they're looking at you seeing how you throw your bullpen and how you go about it. It's another level. Yeah. And so coming to Chicago, you know, talking to him and a few other people getting there, it's like, hey, dude, just be yourself, dive into your routine, dive into what you do. Yeah, I probably wasn't the most sociable person, but. I disagree. Yeah. You just got to get break down the barriers.

Yeah, you got to get past the resting bitch face. But other than that, you're good. I don't get why don't ever get any compliments? Oh, yeah. He's like, why does everybody like you? I was like, because I smile at him, John. I just bro we were in whenever we went back to Boston I was with uh he was a Cubs employee at the time Jeff McGee one of our good friends and we were in like a little

dive bar with all his friends and they're from like Lowell Massachusetts so they have the thick accents and we're boozing a little bit it was after a game and his boys are just like we're talking about you and they're just pissed off that the Red Sox didn't sign you back and they're like there's no fucking price for Johnny Lester I should have got him when he was on sale, referencing they signed David Price and Chris Sale. And they just kept the whole, there's no fucking price for Johnny Lester.

You should have got him on sale. And like, bro, these thick, they're passionate fans. There's only so many fan bases like that. You've played for two. I play for two. You've played, you know, it's just,

it's different. It's different. And Chicago is one of those places as well. It very much is. And, you know, it's a little bit easier just because, the way I like to talk about it is you got the Midwest people a little more laid back kind of a little bit and then you got in the Northeast which is you know you cross the street wrong

and you're getting you know you're getting ridiculed about it well you guys had a Boston connection you should talk about well did the dude you signing too was like full circle moment for me because in 08 when I was diagnosed with cancer John was my was part of my inspiration it was Lance Armstrong John Lester yeah And I was in Boston and there was a rain delay at the stadium. And Theo had said, hey, you want to go down and meet Lester and Tito and see the clubhouse and stuff? And I was like, absolutely. So little does John know that he's bringing some minor leagher in that he's going to pep him up.

Like probably get worded, hey, this kid just got diagnosed with cancer. And he brings me in and changed my life. He tells me, hey, man, like, you're going to go through this. You're going to feel good. You're going to feel bad. On days you feel good, go out and be yourself. Go be a kid. And like I still send that message to every single kid I ever talk to because it's true.

Well, and especially with cancer, man, it's so hard because you're going through the treatments and you know the feeling of it where, you know, some days after treatments you wake up, you're like, man, I could go do my normal training and hit and run and do all that stuff. And then some days you feel like you can't get out of bed. Yeah, like you were just like to go to the bathroom is a damn, you know, spectacle. So you telling me that though and you kind of showing me that way. Was this before or after you fainted? Exactly. So I'm in, we're in. Yeah, bro.

Because I just had my first treatment like a day before. But your first one doesn't kick in for like two or three days. So we go to the game and I'm like trying to be strong. Right. I'm 18 years old. I'm on top of the world. Like I've got to show these executives that like I'm the guy, right? And he's showing me around.

and then we're talking, he's telling me all this stuff, and it's all hitting me like, I have fucking cancer. Like, I didn't even know what cancer was. And all of a sudden, we're in like this little hallway. Yeah. I just, like, drop. And John just goes,

can we get this kid of water? Bro, I'm not kidding. Like, I'm so embarrassed, right? And everything hits me, and I just fall down to my knees and, like, thought I was going to die. And he's like, can we get him a water? And then fast forward.

to spring training next year John is it's a spring training game I don't know the team must have been on the road he didn't feel like going or something so he's pitching on the back fields so I was back in camp and they called me over one of the minor league slap dicks to come over and

pace him and I was so excited and I got two at bats off John Lester I was like fuck yeah I'm pumped like I wonder if he remembers me there's no way he remembered me I get two at bats I see six pitches and I strike out twice. Strike one, strike two, strike three, twice. And I got home.

I got home and I called my mom and dad and I was so excited. I was like, guys, they picked me to face John Lester. Like, do you think you remembered me? No, you say that I actually, no, I do remember it. But now that you say that, it was the six pitches, I think that's where tech invented the front hip cutter. That makes sense.

Yeah, we've been working, you know, I've been, just thinking it wasn't for me. You've never seen that in the Iron League. Yeah. Brut hit guy. Lester Cutter. Never. And I think they called you over because you were a lefty and it was like, all right, we're throwing the front hand cutter.

Please, John, don't. This is why they say don't meet your heroes. Just give it to me. But then in 2014, we're at the same All-Star game and another full-circle moment for me, right? This is a guy I, like, leaned on hard through my cancer treatment. process and I like go up to him like hey like kind of remember me and he did or he played it off like he did I did you still play it off like I did and we're talking I'm just hey man like Chicago's a great place try to recruit him in Minnesota and then you sign it's just like it was the best feeling

ever but I left out after I fainted his very next start was his arguably most special start of your career, which I take full credit for. He threw a no-hitter. You remind me. He threw a no-hitter after he met with me. And the Italian family that I have, it's all numbers and signs. So him throwing the no-hitter was signs from the heavens. It was all for me.

He felt bad for you. Yeah. Yeah. A little fan in front of him. That's so great. All right. I want to fast forward to 16. All right.

We talked a little bit about that. I'm going to read off your stats. 19 and 5, a 202 ERA, 32 games started, 202 innings, second in the Say-Young, lowest ERA and whip of your career. Two complete games, three and one in the playoffs, six games, five started, 35 innings in the postseason with a 202. What's your favorite stat in that? Seriously. 200 innings. I knew you're going to say that.

You loved posting, bro. Why? I know why. If you would have read the starts, I probably would have gone one A starts and then one B innings. Because it means that I'm accountable for my teammates. Right. The hardest part of a pitcher, so like you guys, you know, later in your career you didn't play every day, but you had to post every day, right? Like you were there, something hits the fan, you got to go in the game.

You got to be ready. My ass for four days. go team I have no I have I don't know I saw your skip for those four days

and it was literally a dream golf come on now the next day was some sort of fast food in the clubhouse the myth is true

if it was a day game yes if it was a night game well probably you golfing but definitely pop eyes in the clubhouse

you know you taught me which you never even talked about this It was just by example and leading by example is you literally as a pitcher would stay out all night. You'd have fun and enjoy. But the next day, I saw you one of the first guys in the wait room busting your ass. And it's like, you didn't need to do that. Like your resume and your pedigree spoke for itself.

But to see you do that after the night out meant more than just to see you do it after a good start or something. Because that's what it takes to be a professional. And seeing you do that every day, and weekend and week out, was like, it was so cool to watch. Yeah. And, I mean, they learned that in Boston with, you know, with Beckett. And, you know, I kind of got thrown under his wing early in my career, early in his career. And Beckett was that way. It was just, hey, man, you got to out-prepare the other guy.

You know, and I never looked. I wasn't, like, Schill would always look at who he was facing in five days and be like, all right, I'm going to, he wasn't. He was big in the weight room, but not big in the weight room. He was more of a, I'm going to outstudy this guy. I'm going to have a better game playing than him. I'm going to last longer in the game than him. And I'm just going to outperform him. He was thinking, like, I'm competing against that guy.

I never liked that analogy I like, because I don't ever face that dude, right? Like, I'm not, I'm not going against him. He's pitching on the other side. I'm going against the team, right? And so, like, I learned that if I'm prepared and my teammates know I'm prepared, they're going to play harder behind me. Not to say that people take games off or plays off or whatever, but. No, we were ready. When you took the, when you took the field, like, you knew that I was ready.

We had you, we had you and we had him. So we knew, we were, what was the line you said yesterday with the three pound fishing pool? Oh, you couldn't get three pound fishing line on my ass. That was, that was all, most of the defenders. Like, everyone was on edge as far as, like, like, everyone was on edge as far as, like, like, like you better be fucking ready. And same with lack. You, you, the Cowboys demanded that respect.

And it was real. Well, when you guys, you, we watched you prepare. Obviously, like, I just caught you. But like, you had a, you were the most routine-oriented pitcher I've ever been around. I could take you through your entire routine right now. Yeah. It starts the day before you're doing your film. No.

Sometime before the game. After the game, the night before you start, you pour yourself a, a, stiff crowned and sprite. Right? As a sleeper. As a sleeper. You get in, you do your flush day, right? Like you, was that the treadmill?

No, this is the start day now. Oh, start day. You get in, you do your Bob Tewkesbury, shout out Tukes, one of the greatest sports psychologist. Put his headphones in. Headphones, do your cards, go over your scanner report again, take your little cat nap. And then you throw on, well, first of all, I forgot the superstitions, boxers. Are you wearing those today?

No, I'm not. John had these boxers that he wore. I had two pair. One pair I wore so much, the crotch got worn out of them. And I actually took them to a tailor. I remember you told me this? Had new fabric put in them. And then your lucky boxers. Yeah. I hadn't heard that one.

And then for Christmas one year, my wife got tired of seeing these holy boxers. So she got me a set. So normally I wear like the tight ones, the briefs or whatever they're called. Yeah, but on start day, they're like the loose. Yeah, they're the loose ones, okay? And so one Christmas, she gets me this box of three from Ralph Lauren or whatever and gets the sanctuary logo put on them. And they're all three different colors.

So in spring training that year, I had test runs. So like I wore this pair. Which one? If I pitched good in this one, all right, we're going to give this one another run. If it doesn't go well, I switched to the next one. And then by the season, I had a pair, and then I wore that pair the rest of the time. And the, and the camo. The camo.

Cammo. The camo, black camo. That was like, I remember too, like you being one of my guys I looked up to the most and I tried to get that. And you had to live strong cleats that one year. It was like. We did that a couple years. Yeah, that was cool. But then you do that, then you just start laser focusing in.

Yeah, yeah. But you're superstitions. Five o'clock. The five o'clock. Five o'clock is. I always had to go to you and do the scouting report because he'd be getting rubbed down on the table and we just go over the scouting board again for like you had already. done it and you were if you had anything it was it was like hey we won't throw this guy cutter in he'd be like no no no no babies no babies back door no babies back door no babies i was like okay

so we're throwing a backdoor cutter this guy it was you were you were you were as a professional of a player but also too like i realized at an early age with the routine you know i get kind of thrown in to game four of the world series in 07 you know i'm 22 years old and i'm in the bull coming off cancer the year before yeah coming off cancer i had no eyebrows i had less hair than i have now when i showed up to spring training and um you know go through the season up and down the season like just physically mentally get called up went down for a start yada yada got to get to the playoffs and you know luckily john feral i heard this later on he fought for me to be on the roster fought. He wanted me on the roster. He thought that I could be, you know, some sort of guy in the

bullpen that could help out or whatever. So I'm in the bullpen. Waky pitches game, I think it was game four in Cleveland and comes out because he's hurt. He hurt his arm. And so I get called in the office after we win and they're like, hey, you're going to get a start in this series at some point. Well, now I'm back to being a starter. So what do you do? You mean? fall right back into your routine, right? And I just remember being so nervous going out there, but I'm like, all right, I have, you know, leg kicks here. I have this stretch or I have this stretch.

And I just kept falling back to that, right? Like, I'd get to the outfield and I'd look around and start, you know, getting the jitters. All right, what am I doing? What is my warm-up routine coming back? And then now you start throwing. And first throw, you're like, oh, God, okay. all right, where do I go from here?

You know, I do 10 throws here, and then I go here, and then I, then you get into the bullpen, and now, like, my routine was so locked in for my warm-up that everything just went away. Now it's like, all right, three fastballs, three fast balls, this, this, boom, boom, boom. Now you get in the game. Now you're pitching. And so at an early age, I learned, like, oh, the routine actually calms you down. Sure. You know what I'm saying?

Like, so then from that moment on, I was like, this is what I'm doing. Yeah, as it prepares the best way to handle that. So what happened with, what got lost between spring training, all the PFPs and backfield work, what happened? Where was the routine on pickoffs? There was no routine? No, I know. I know. But we did it.

We nailed it. Yeah, we did. It took a very long time. We got it. But what the fuck happened? So I tell people this. If I knew I would fix it. We fixed it.

it though well it's easy when it's just like when you go you know i tell i have you know playing golf and stuff with people and you get to know new guys and you know they get they get a few beverages in them and they think they could have liquid courage and ask whatever they want and they ask about that and i go with all due respect with all due respect i'm like hey dude have you ever stood over a chip and you're like i got this and then all of a sudden you spasm and you can't hit it they go oh yeah all the time i go like it's the same thing what it feel like though when you we picked off time Tommy fan. I know it was a year later. The announcers were talking shit too. Oh, Tommy Fang, did you just steal? Or no, was it? It's Tim Carver. I'm over there literally like, John, I got you. Just throw it.

And I hate it when we started throwing over because I'm like, I love throwing these guys out there trying to run. He's like under a one to the plate, you know? Like, you're so good at that's the other part. That's the role in the running game. Yeah, like the reporters without throwing over. The reporters ask you about it. And I'm like, listen, you know, in life, if you're not good at something, you try to get better at something else. to basically negate that. Sure. Right? So I knew I was not good at that. Okay? Well, not good is probably not the right word to say.

Terrible at that. And I knew, okay, in order to hopefully fix this of some capacity, also shout out to Joe. Joe was great with it. If there was any other manager, it would have been way worse. We would have been an issue and it wouldn't have been handled properly. Joe handled it great. and he's the one that taught me, he's like, if you're not good at something,

get better at something else. So I said, okay, I'm going to, in today's game with the pitch clock, obviously it would be Nolan Boyd. But I got better at holding the ball, very in my look, slide stepping. We implemented the modified pitch out.

You know, you did things over at first base, having hobby at second base with the tags. Oh, no, we may do. Yeah, we may do. But like, so 2015, per example, think gave up like 40 stolen bases led the league and that so I had to come to jesus in the offseason like all right if i'm not good at this what can i do and worked on those things i think the next year we gave up 12 yeah and i stonked to start it too like i wasn't throwing good i remember start that

season had to had to do a lot of that was just you know you found you we worked on it in spring train i remember we started like the bounce pass yeah on some of the bunts and different stuff like but it was we knew they were going it was like and you were so fast it was funny we had like Like you said, we had Riz and Hobby. It made it a lot of fun. I want to go back to, we talked about those stats, and I look back on 2016. Do you have a favorite start outside of the – let's put the playoffs aside. Do you have a favorite start that year?

Because you got off to a little – you put so much pressure on yourself. Yeah. You came in there. I remember coming in the dugout one, it was like a third start, and you were just okay. And you came up in the dugout, and you were like, you got anything? You see anything? and I would lost. I was like, compete.

Yeah. I was, just fucking compete. I was losing my mind. Because if you got taking out of the game and didn't do good, I didn't get to play. Just so we know, I didn't get my last abat if he came out of the game and wasn't any good. I don't remember where it was. I didn't get to play. If it was the bus or if it was a hotel room or if it was in the club out, I think it was in the clubhouse,

because I think you kind of embarrass me in front of everybody. But he comes in and one of those mediocre starts. And, you know, I think we're all, we end up. winning the game we're all high-fiving afterwards doing the party thing and he comes in and he goes i damn it john he goes if you would pitch better i could get more at bats he goes if you stink i don't get to hit i remember it oh solid point right that's a great point but you said the story about uh was it coming into 13 being like accountable and i know you weren't happy with your 2015 year which ended up being a really good year it was just a it was a grind for you all year right it was like

peaks and valleys but end up being a solid year and we get swept by the Mets fucking daniel murphy still have nightmares but we come into spring training in 16 and everyone's like we're we have already won the world series and that really started with you you're like we already won just press play yeah like the script he had shirts for us made i was about to say literally with duck boats on them right that's a that's a johnny gomes thing yeah to go back before i answer that to go back to your question. There's two starts that stand out in my mind. One ended up being a good start, didn't start out very well.

The other one was probably my favorite one because I didn't expect to get the opportunity to finish the game. But we had a late season game in Pittsburgh, tight race, two to one game. I get in a jam in the eighth, end up punching out the dude that Coglin broke his leg. The shortstop. yeah yeah um south korean yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah um and struck him out

big situation i'm out already at like I think I'm at like that hundred mark fist pump fuck yeah let's go give it to the closet like I'm walking off the mouth thinking because Joe usually didn't let you go especially a close game I get in the duggan and I sit down I'm like somebody

come shake my hand I'm like, boss? Joe? Nobody? All right, here we go. And then boss comes down with like one out or two out. He's like, hey, you good? I said, yeah, let's go.

And we end up finished in that game. And I was like, not that I was happy he gave me the opportunity, but I was happy he gave me the opportunity to finish that game. Then the other one. September, too. And we're probably already clinched about that one. No, we were on the verge. Yeah, it wasn't quite there, but it was a big game against them.

and, you know, one of those deals. The other one ended up being a good game. And they went seven or eight day game in Atlanta. Home? Was that the Freddie Freeman Day? Oh, my gosh. So I'm in there getting rubbed down before the game. Rossi comes in.

We're going over the thing. And I'm like, hey, I like. First of all, he hometown, like lives in Atlanta, wants to beat him bad day game. I was a brave. You always want to beat your former team, right? Like it's just kind of natural. So we're locked in, day game. It's hot as heck.

It's 164 degrees. Yeah, yeah. You're seven feet from hill. At Old Turner, right? Old Turner, yeah. So actually, that wasn't 16. That was 15 then. 15, yeah, yeah.

So anyway, sorry, got the meters wrong. Played so many, John, I understand. So we go over the thing and I'm like, hey, I like two strike breaking ball to Freddy, like Chase. He goes, no, you cannot throw a strike breaking ball to him. Yeah, you can. He murders. Well, yours is 47 miles an hour. Of course. Of course you can.

Of course you can. It's not about me. It's not about me. So anyway. So first inning, something happens. Guy gets on second base. Two outs. Freddy's up. And I'm shaking and shaking and shaking.

And you can see Rossi. He's just sitting back there going. It keeps throwing stuff down and he won't put down curbel. Time. He looks at me. He goes, Curbball? Like, yep.

don't bury it. Base at the right, we're down 1-0. We come in the dugout. He yard sales his whole catcher's gear. He goes, fuck it. Just throw whatever you want. I remember this. Just throw whatever you want.

I'm not putting down any more signs. You throw it, I'll catch it. And I'm like following him like a lost puppy dog. Come on, bro, don't give up on me. He's like, don't give up on me. I meant to bounce it. He goes, but I told you no strike breaking ball. John, we just went over it.

We just went over. It's his first inning. Do you think I did it on purpose? He goes, no, but throw whatever you want. So we sit down. We're in the air conditioning. We're all drinking our water. Three outs.

We go to run out. He goes, all right, we're good. You had to get a lot of your challenge. Dude, you were so angry. It was so mad. I was so mad. I mean, it was hot. It was all the stuff.

But you pitched, you did pitch well. We ended up winning the game. We get off to a historic 27 and 9 start. We're rolling, right? Is that what it was? Yeah, we were. we were rolling yeah and everyone i mean spring training we already had the mindset of we're winning the world series there's no one stopping us and we get off to this start for me there was a few games

that stood out early on but i want to know from you what stood out on that team early that was like holy shit we're gonna we're gonna do this i just feel like we were relentless early you know what i mean like when we had a chance to step on somebody's throat we stepped on it early and we made a point and joe joe was harped on it i remember joe spring training you're He's like, all I care about, y'all get off to a fast start. That's all he talked about. Quick start. Because if you don't get off to that quick start, there's going to be a team that does, and now you're chasing.

And that's hard to do. But I just remember we freaking, we came out, and it was like, I mean, we were in L.A. And it was like. The Angels. We had a team dinner. How much did we spend at that team dinner? What we talked about last night. I thought it was more.

but I think we agreed it was 15. It was over 15 because I think Theo had told us like, hey, we're going to give you this much money. We're coming from Vegas. Let's lock it in. So we have two spring training games in Vegas, which we blow it out on. But they'd only wanted us there for one or two nights, not the third night. We had it off behave. So they're like, all right, we're going to, like, they're forcing us to go to Anaheim when the whole team wanted to stay in Vegas because we all wanted to enjoy.

And so Theo and Mr. Ricketts agreed that they would buy. us a huge team dinner, which once John came over, he was usually the one. Him and Lackey would fight for who's paying for the team dinners. And we have this beautiful team dinner. And then we go out, we roll. LA, I mean, we roll. Angels. It was the Angels.

Yeah, it was the Angels. We take, I think, two out of three. No, it was just two. Or I'm saying from the Diamondbacks. That's where Shoreby got hurt. Shorby got hurt. Lackie gave up like five or six early. And we ended up winning that game.

And we ended up destroying them in that game. He gave up a lead off Homer. Yeah, he was. He never does that. First fastball, here it comes, and nobody ever swings. Yeah. And he gave a home. But where were some things just being relentless? Yeah. And then, because getting off to the good start was key. Well, I thought the messaging and spring training, you're talking about Joe, the messaging and spring training was so like, expectations are good. Embrace. Yeah. Right. Embrace it.

Brace the target. Which the targets on our back because we went so far. And everybody came in hungry. So that was the most fun spring training. came back we had a dex remember that i was retiring guys were making fun of me we had all the skits with bussy yeah yeah calikami singing the the kawasaki doing the karaoke the karaoke yeah play drops of jupiter on the piano it was a good time it was a good time i want to go back you brought up something that i'm we're just thinking about stories here but you said pittsburgh yeah i want to hear i want to hear the pittsburgh story when you came in yelling at riz oh bro We, so that was right before the All-Star break. Right.

And we saw. The Sunday morning before the All-Star break, keep in mind now, we have two birds, because there's 12 of us going to the All-Star game or whatever. We have two private planes waiting for us after the game. The morning of the game, we roll in, we lost 9 of 10. We're getting shelled. If the offense does well, the pitching sucked.

The pitching does well, offense sucked. I'm riding high. I go into the All-Star break. raking. I'm like 14. I'm like 12 for 15 in that series, like on a high. The game before John gives up three or four runs, we end up losing. I go four for five in the game. I think I gave up six. With a homer. Yeah. Homer shy of the cycle. It's not about me. Oh, okay. That's what it was. I have the quote. It's not about me. Not that he remember. Well, I remember this because I'm in the wait room Sunday morning before they all started. And I knew that night when the quote came out,

I was like, fuck, I texted I met the relations guy, Peter Chase, and I was like, hey, this came out wrong. Like, is it that bad? He's talking me off the ledge because I know what's coming. Can you read the quote, please? Yeah, I have the quote here.

You don't mind. Well, before you read the quote, do you know how I found out about the book? Oh, I know. Okay. Mattie Maddie about the law. I didn't know. Oh, I know.

Okay. This game isn't easy, said Anthony Rizzo, who went four for five and was a home run shy of the cycle. Feel myself. It's impossible to boat race the whole season like we were doing. We just have to clean up our pitching a little.

We're talking, we're walking too many guys, and that's not the formula. We've had a formula playing good baseball, and we don't have it right now. Maybe we have to mix a few cocktails together and figure it out. But that's what it comes down to. I knew right away when I said the pitching. Also, if you read the whole thing, it's not as bad. But John comes in. Woody showed me.

John comes in the next day, start before the All-Stra game. He's not pitching the Austin game, right? No, I didn't pitch that one. So he's had a good night. And I'm in the wait room. We're watching, me and Tim Bus are watching Joel Osteen, right? It was like our Sunday morning. That was not.

They were trying when we were losing. They have a small weight room with a tiny little screen, and Joel Osteen's on or one of the shows they're on. And I'm foam rolling on the ground, like socks, just shorts, and like maybe a shirt. and foam rolling in such a vulnerable position and John comes in after Travis Wood runs up John look what Anthony said look what Rizzo said like your little brother and he comes in

I've never seen him this mad face beat red lip quivering standing over me if you ever fucking talk about our pitches staff again I'll fucking kill you and I was like I'm so vulnerable like in submissions It wasn't the best choice of words that I said, but obviously the night before was my start. So I was still pissed. Like I said, if you read the whole, when you just read that off, that's the first time I've ever heard the whole thing.

Of course, because Woody's. It doesn't sound as bad as when Woody just shows you, we need to clean up our pitching staff. If you, we need to clean up our fucking, you never fucking talk about it. And I'm just looking at it. I'm like, and I just remember the only thing I said to him, and he, he, He couldn't do anything about it. He says, I'm sorry, John. I messed up.

And he didn't know what to do, and he just kept quivering, and he just walked out. And, like, the whole, later on, we hugged it out and calm down, but I was so scared. But part of that is when you bring over winning players and reestablishing culture, right?

It's like, you know, we used to get pissed if somebody was always there in front of their locker in a good game, you've got to be there in the bad game. You know what I mean? Like, you've got to talk to the media. Like, that's the thing you're establishing as winners. And that's basically as a veteran, a guy with two World Series rings coming in and going, hey man, we don't bash each other.

And we're, we don't bash each other to the media. Like you got, like, no shit I wasn't any good. Yeah. You know, but that's the standard you were brought up with in the winning culture. And it's like, that's how, I think that's how winning basically. You taught me a lesson that day. Yeah. Yeah.

That I carried with me for the rest of my career. Exactly. And by doing that, I grew up. And I became a better leader. And when it was my turn to go talk to someone, I didn't scream at them because as I got older, the culture changed and you can't do the old school cowboy stuff. But I also knew at that time in our relationship, in our friendship, in our friendship, I knew that by me saying that to you, in five minutes, you would be fine with it. And in five minutes, I would be fine with it. If I did that to another player, it would be a season-long thing.

You know, like I knew, and also, too, I knew if I did it loud enough, that somebody out here might hear it and be like, what did Anthony say and look at it and go, oh, okay, I need to pay attention to what I'm saying now, right? I hate the fact you were the guinea pig on it, but it is what it is. I was so, you'd take that for the rest of your career.

I was a beating a dog after that. I was so scared. But again, and then after we go to the All-Star game and we have a great time. I mean, ten minutes later, we're fine. Yeah, because that's what that team was. That was the bond. we had. And then we go into the All-Star game, and then we go into the end of July.

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 called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. 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 the name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call, about what we should call it. Well, 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 where 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 guide. Not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. The worst singer in the group. The worst? Yeah.

Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard Yardt. They're open. Do you have a name suggestion?

We're open. Since you guys are middle-aged. One erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You burn me. I did some jokes to make me seem funny. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world. right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. We're playing the Mariners. Sunday night baseball. Oh, my God. We have a huge, I mean, I'm talking the biggest road trip of the year coming up, right? that's been playing out for numerous reasons for numerous reasons that we're going to get to after

the this play and theo calls you guys into the office yeah with joe with joe and they're playing seattle they're playing seattle sunday-night baseball and they want to give the starters a rest right and i think we had won the first two games we were going for the suite oh bro we were rolling we were rolling we were back we were rolling so we bring up a starter to do a spot start and also nothing against bryan mattis It's not Brian Mattis's fault. No, it's just our team. All the respect. Okay, just reiterated.

Our team was so solidified, right? There's nothing that can break us. Well, we bring up for a spot start to give the guys a rest and everyone's like, why fuck with, why fuck with us? Like, this is working. And he ends up giving up a bunch of runs early and we come back. And that comeback was like probably the biggest moment, I think, of the season for us of like, nothing can stop us. Because I know the starters were all kind of pissed off. Like, you're skipping my turn.

Like, you're messing with our routine. You guys are creatures a habit. When it wasn't only that, it's the fact of, it's almost like when you're rolling and Joe's like, hey, I'm going to give you a day. No, no. No, it's not the time. It didn't happen. Didn't happen. You know what I'm saying?

Like, no, now it's not. When I'm rolling, you roll me out there until I don't have it anymore. And that's kind of the starter because we had pitched so bad leading up to the break. And we all came back and it was like. We're back. They were pissed. Yeah. Well, I remember the starting staff being like legit math.

Yeah, it's because we were back. We were rolling. Everybody was, it was, we were feeding off each other. It was going. It was good vibes. And we all knew we had that off day coming up. And then you just follow the off day, right? Everybody just gets that extra day.

Well, they wanted to give us two extra days. Yep. Go ahead. Sorry. No, no. It's, and so we come back in this game on Sunday, at the time was the biggest deal to have Sunday night baseball and we're rallying right and the old school way when you're rallying the starters are in the clubhouse throwing back some pops having some rally beers so not only did you have a suicide squeeze but I want to know a

suicide squeeze to win the game I still got my shirt I should brought a bunch to win we we we bring lester in it was like the 10th or 11th is it extra in 12th we'll we'll check the 10th For a suicide squeezed, walk off wind, like big comeback. Had to be a few pops deep because you were always for the boys. But it was such a significant moment for us looking back because of the unity that we all came. And afterwards, what happened afterwards is something you never see and you probably will never see again with walking into the clubhouse with Theo. Yeah. I got so much respect for Theo.

I do too. I mean, I had respect for him before. And in any profession, you're going to have disagreements with your bosses, right? Like, that's just nature, that's life. But for him to come down and be like, hey, that's on me. He was apologizing to our team, to the whole team. And it wasn't anything against Brian Mattis, great dude. Yeah.

It was just what our team was building. And then he just, he kind of, they claimed a lot of waivers. Yeah. And he came up for just a spot start. And it was like, him saying that to us was like, wow, like this is. this is another reason why we're so special, another reason why we're going to win the last game of the year. Yeah, his accountability in that moment was...

Which you just don't see. He's Theo Epstein. He's a Hall of Fame. Yeah, he's a Hall of Famer. Yeah, he's a Hall of Famer. And he's incredible. So come to find out the next trip, which we all knew was going on,

Mr. Lester, the most generous player I've ever played with in my entire career. The greatest road trip of all time. Of all time. We're going out west. We're going to Oakland. We have an off day in Oakland, Thursday, off day.

So we fly out Wednesday. Wednesday night. We land, or Wednesday day game, we land Thursday at San Francisco airport. John has a private plane for all the boys, eight of us, to fly to Pebble Beach, to play Bebble Beach, two nights day, right?

Yeah, we got in that night, played the next day. No, we flew out after. Yeah, because that was the whole point of the, of the, of the, of the, why I got mad of the pitching change. Okay. Yes, we were rolling. personally I was mad because I was supposed to pitch the following day, I think, the second day in Oakland. But because of the pitching change, my day got, no, that doesn't make sense.

I was supposed to pitch the Wednesday day game. That's what it was. And because of the start on Sunday, I get pushed back to the Friday game in Oakland. So Theo tells us this, this is before the whole Sunday night baseball game. and I go, I just, I raised my hand. He's telling us, I'm like, eighth grader. Hey, Theo, I have a question. Listen, I have set up a round at Pebble Beach for eight dudes.

Okay, we have hotel rooms for staying there. I've got the rounds taken care of, and I got a plane picking us up. And dropping us off. And dropping us off. Mind you, it's a 27 second flight. And he looks at me and he goes, so you're playing golf on Thursday? I said, well, that's my question. I'm supposed to pitch on Friday now because you fucked with the rotation.

You fucked with my golf game. No, not my golf game. You fucked with pebble beach. Yeah, true. And all the boys. And all the boys. And I'm like, Theo, I can't possibly sit on the plane and watch seven guys get off the plane and walk onto a plane and fly down there. That I'm paying for.

Yeah. And he goes. Or Tom was. Yeah. Good point. The flight he was. And I go, Theo, dude, like. What do you got?

He goes, are you good to play? Your body fine? I said, yeah. He goes, go play. I love him. I was like, all right. He goes, when are you guys getting back?

I go, well, we'll be back as soon as we're done. We're flying back. We'll be in, we got back for dinner. We went out to dinner then. Yeah, John paid for. Yeah, we're all together. This is John paid for him. This is now August.

Like, we're together forever. And we go to Pebble Beach. We play. We hang out. All night there, like to the wee hours of the morning there, we play golf. Breakfast on the on the patio right there. Fly in that night and we still go to dinner. That's how much we wanted to be together.

Yeah, yeah. And we were there. John, as great as he was, he sometimes cut some corners. And he not only did he buy us all eight rooms, but I was the guy who kept him in check. He got us partial view rooms. And it was like, John, if we're going to. to do this you got the plane you're gonna need me a partial view like a partial view sweet it was a sweet but partial view partial view so i'm just wearing them out right partial view partial view and we get there

the partial view is like there's a little parking lot and then it's all ocean and cliff it was a view of a parking lot with a little bit of ocean over the top of it no it was more ocean than but i panned and like made it look like john this partial fuse bullshit like look at these rooms and he wore me out and I wore him out about having to walk, but that trip, I still have that picture of all of us in the sand trap. In the sand trap. Me too. I got a favorite of the house. Everybody's posing, skis posing.

It was me, us three, Miggie, KB, Hensky, Arieta. Arieta, Blackie, right? And us three, unbelievable. And we left there. Go to dinner. Go to dinner. Wind. Beat the shit out of Oakland Friday night.

Day game Saturday. Meanwhile, we're in the middle right now of what turned out to be 13. out of 14. And this was, we went 11 over it. This is all the stuff that's going on off the field. Saturday, we have a day game. We beat Oakland. John's got a boat racing. We've got a sprinter van that sends us down to San Francisco 49ers.

Big up to VJ police escort. Police escort. Kenny Chesney concert. Met the head coach walks us around the facilities, party with Chesney. Sammy Hagar's there. We're hanging out backstage. Go back. sweep Oakland on Sunday and head home. Like that was like literally the best road trip. That was a good one.

It was a straight. That was the best one, bro. It was, I tell that story. I think what people don't understand is how much we enjoyed life that year off the field. Yeah. Like it was like we got to the field and we were excited to play together. And we were equally excited for what was about to happen.

Yeah. Well, I don't think Joe gets enough credit for the mindset of which he created of be your, have fun off the field and you're going to be better at your job when you come to work. Like that was such a different kind of mindset than a lot of managers like living and breathing baseball 24-7. It's nice like coming to work every single day knowing. It's like, yeah, we've done a lot of fun stuff and off the field that when we come, we still want to hang out. And now we're a tighter-knit group when you come together and want to get to work and and play hard and focus for them. And to your point to that, I think Joe did a really good job with the schedule and

the times of which we got to the field, right? Like, on a random Tuesday, and we've got a 7 p.m. game, and he's like, all right, little league week. Yeah, yeah, American Legion week. Shout out to Davey Martinez, too. Joe handled the media so well in us, but Davey ran that asylum of communicating. You love the asylum. Prisoners run the asylum. I've set up my, from my whole career. It's true. If they don't, it's not a good team. If the team's not controlled from within, it's not a great team. But Joe, but I remember coming in one day, I think I was at your house or something, and we were just pounding wine. I think what was the screaming. I look how all your stories start with this.

You opened up a screaming eagle for us or something. Yeah. A crazy bottle of wine. And I thought it could have been the potatoes or the steak that we had that night that made me a little fuzzy the next morning, but it's always the steak. Yeah, it could have been the wine. I go into Joe's office, and I'm able to have a conversation with. with him like a friend and i'm like joe last night we're at lesters i believe it was there and i'm we drank so much wine he's oh brother he's like how you feel today i'm i'm good like he's yeah

just get through it you'll be fine i go out and have a great game but like how can you say that to your manager because that's the environment he created sure you know what i mean it was like there's nothing better than that i want to get to one of my favorite games because i've never asked you the story the last game of the season sunday night baseball st louis we're going to the postseason and Joe takes me out of the game. Joe comes out. You're carving. We're up.

Three to one. Three to one. Like the seventh, right? I mean, it was late. And you still had your pitches were down. Joe, I think we got one out. And Joe,

here comes Joe out of the dugout. I look over. I'm like, we got two out. We got two outs. I'm like, what the fuck's he doing out here? Johnny's rolling.

Like, so I'm like on one of my piss. Like, mad, right? Like, I was definitely... Oh, we know. We know. I know. I get this reputation of like, oh, Rossi's so nice. Grandpa, blah, blah, blah. These guys hated me when I played. Just so everybody knows. I loved you. It's... But it... He's coming out and I'm on one of my rants to the mound and you're just, you're staring at me and I'm thinking, what's he doing? What's Joe doing? And you're like,

he's taking you out of the game. Or Joe grabs me. He's like, hey, I've never done this before. You went in his office and told him to take me out of the game. I want to know how that whole thing went down. And I appreciate that. But I've never heard how I can imagine a player coming in my office and going, hey, we're going to take this guy out of the game. So night before, I sit at home, you know, Farron and I are just talking or whatever. And I look at her and I go, hey, what do you think about this?

I said, if everything goes well tomorrow, having Joe, taking Rossi out of the game before he takes me out. I was like, but it's got to go perfect. It can't be, it can't be the fourth inning when I've got 87 pitches and we're losing six to three or whatever. I said, it's got to go perfect. And she's like, yeah, go talk to Joe, see what he says. So I get there early the next day, planning on having to talk to Joe for like 30, 40 minutes, right? Like give him the whole spiel, he's going to talk me down off this ledge and analytics say you can't do this or whatever. And I go into Joe, I go, hey Joe, I got an idea. He said, yeah.

I said, now, same thing. If everything goes perfect tonight, what do you think about taking Rossi out for his last game before you take me out? Let him get, let him walk off the field, get his love. Because I love it. That's all he said. Any idea you ever brought to Joe, he was like, I'm Paul. And I was like, I just can't imagine how that. That's it?

He goes, yeah, I love it. I remember starting to pull him ass down, starting to cry right in front of you. You guys. I was like, you took a mom or that game. Joe's like this. He's like in your face. And you got your mask off and you're like, looking at me and looking at him. And he goes, taking you out of the game.

And you didn't know what to do. And I'm like waiting for like a hug or like a bro-dap or something. And you just go, I love you guys. I was out. I was about to melt down. Like I saw all the look in you guys' face. And you were just like staring through me. And I'm like, oh, I love you, I'm out.

I almost forgot to hug Joe and everything. It's another example of the things that John did for us that no one knew about. Exactly. No one knew that John did that. Like, no one knew that you went to Joe's office and pulled him out. And nor did you want the credit for that afterwards, too. But these are all the things behind the scene that make a championship team that it doesn't, you can't quantify it. It just happens.

Right. And for Joe to do that, for you to be able to have the. confidence to go tell Joe this, right? It's just all of these things come together to make it where the reason you want to do that for him is because you guys were brothers on the field and you care about him and you got your runway of your 100th home run, the grandpa Rossi, the whole thing, the whole retirement tour. It's not about me. No, it's not about you, but let's get back to Joe. No one gives the standing ovation to a backup catcher. Great point. You know what I mean? Great point. Great point. But I don't even get to get all of that bats. Right. Exactly. Because of John.

So we go into playoffs And playoffs And you put us on your back bro Like I mean we had Obviously our whole pitch staff was really good And yeah and Arietta was on a two year run that like I've never seen And you're different in the playoffs right Like what is that like I think people need to learn from your mentality

And you're talking about routine You're talking about your experiences I always have a lot of a lot to do with that but bro you're dominant in the postseason looking back on it i think a little bit a little bit of it is like i said i'm not i never looked to see who i was pitching against i didn't care right like adam wayne right annabel sanchise joe shit the barber it doesn't matter right like i'm not competing against him but i'm not pitching against him so that in my mind never scared me you know what i'm saying and then i'm I just, I loved when it mattered, right?

Like, the season gets so long. Beginning of the season, you're so hyped. You're ready to go. You're amped. You feel good. You should be somewhat locked in with your stuff. You get to the middle of the season. It's kind of dictating which way the year's going for you, whatever.

You get to August. You hate everybody. Sure. Angry August. Angry August. You hate everybody. You hate your family. You hate your teammates.

You could say whatever you want, and it's. You hate everybody. everybody. September comes around. You get that little boost where you call up the young fellas. They're there. They're getting to, especially in our situation, to 16, those young guys got to experience some first for them, which is cool. You're in a playoff hunt. You're in a playoff hunt. We clinch early. When you clinch early, it's good and bad because then you're like, all right, I'm preparing, I'm still trying to win the games, but I'm also not trying to get hurt. Yeah. You know, so you're kind of dodging and weaving your way through.

September. Now those lights come on and the weather changes. It's getting dark early. You have flyovers all of a sudden. You know, you got the big flag for the anthem. People are there. The stadium's filled before the, yeah, the stadiums filled before the first pitch. Everybody's ass is in their seat before the first pitch because they want to see playoff baseball. The crowd is into it first inning, two outs, three, two, right? Like now your senses are amped. It's so romantic, it is, right?

You're really, you're getting me going. That's why I love baseball, though, especially, like, I got spoiled early in my career to go to the playoffs so much and be a part of it and have responsibility. You know, I wasn't a fourth. I wasn't, you know, the... You were the guy.

Yeah, yeah. Here's game one. Go get them, kid. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We've created our own.

podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... 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. And... Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers... This is how you...

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 where 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.

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Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Let's talk about game one, because it was cold. It was windy. Which game one? NLDS, 2016. Oh, at Rigley? At Rigley, we're playing the Giants. The Giants are coming off their even year, what is it, three years in a row?

Three even years in a row. So we're now 16. This is going to be their fourth. They won in 14. And that's real. And it's real that we have 108-year curse over us, too, which we hand out. handled really well. But that shit was real because we didn't win. And you get asked about it all the time. And you just add a little bit of extra juice. So we go into game one and John shoves. What do you go?

You go eight innings, five strikeouts. We end up winning the game one nothing on Javi's home. Bobby hit a six mile homer that hit the basket. It barely got in. I mean, him's the fuck out of it. And I still don't think he's touched first base. He's still standing at home. We all knew it was a home or two. And it barely got over and we win one nothing but the tone that you set for that game set the tone for the rest of the playoffs because we do we we boat race pretty much all season we have a little hiccup in july um we have a great second half we kind of start amping up for the playoffs and then game one boom we get hit in the face with quato and we win one nothing but that game set the tone that the energy there.

We had a backpick there in game one that no one knows. This is how fearless we were and this is how amazing Joe was that he trusted us. We do a backpick in game one where the guy's bunting. I come up in the guy's face.

The guy at first takes a big lead. Hobby comes around on the back. Back pick him. And you trust Hobby. You trust Hobby. John, you trust in four guys there to do their job. And we get a huge,

backpick there that just another example of us playing fearless us being too young what would you say yeah we're too dumb to what would you always say about saying young and young and dumb young and dumb yeah that was john's favorite line because we were all i think 26 or 25 and under we did second youngest team but that sets the tone we win then l dyes we go into game one of the nLCS dodgers and you said the tone again there you remember what you did there I remember game five more than I remember game one. Let's see. One of the NLCS, six innings, one run.

We went eight four. Miggie Montaro, Grand Slam. Joe Blanton. Joe Blanton. That was sick. That was the chess match between Joe and Dave Roberts. Biggie. Remember that?

McGee, and we'll get to this when we talk to Miggy, but the whole team, if you weren't playing, you had a mission, and that was to get runs. And how do we get runs, John? a little something we like to call rally beers. Rally beers or shots. Because in 16, I believe it started in 15, when we swept a series, the boys would take shots.

And if we ever got into a little rut and we were kind of grinding, those shots became instead of after the game, sometimes they were before the game on occasion. On occasion. Not very often, but it happened. It did happen when we needed it. You can't go to the well too much or it doesn't work. And the crazy thing about Miggie is, I think earlier in that day, he couldn't walk.

He just got a cortisone shot that day. It was that day, right? Yeah, and he was still rallying for the boys. So he comes in, and it's that grand slam. I don't even think he really knew his name at the time. Joe should have thrown the heater. Yeah. He hung the slide.

I was crushed. But that was electric. Yeah. I mean, dude, the whole playoff scene, like, whether, and don't take this the wrong way, but whatever side you're on, whether you win or you lose, you will never forget. being in the playoffs. You're right. Never.

And the further you go, the more electric and the more your senses are awake, like you're hyped. You get to the field, you're hyped as soon as you get there. The closer you get with your teammates, the closer the families get

because all the families are rallying together too. Well, the fans, you're getting out of your car, the fans are there. What's that? In the playoffs. Like, you're getting out of your car. Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, I'll never forget,

I'll never forget game five. I'm jumping ahead of the, of the, CS but game five of the world series you know not very often at rigley do you walk out of the of the dugout to go warm up which was if I think what we play seven o'clock games during the play yeah because Chicago's oh and I're behind so seven so I'd be out there at 620 walking out the dugout right you couldn't see a seat in that place really special and they were I mean bro that and I don't see us everybody was standing but you couldn't see seats you know I'm saying Like it's for warm-ups.

We hadn't been to the World Series in 60-plus years. No, I get that. I know it's the World Series. No, I'm saying we in that L.C. Yes, we haven't at that point haven't gone. So when we win, you win game five, right? And then game six, we win. We beat Kershaw, double play to end the game.

To go back to game five, I think probably one of the best postseason games I've ever thrown. Bro, you dominated. That's, that was, like, I knew going into that game, I was locked. I want to talk about that. Let's walk the, I think, like, you got a 4-1 record in World Series games and the one loss in Cleveland, game one. We went, I went, us together, so heavy scouting report. And what did we say after that game?

Like, you were having to throw it in a Dixie Cup by the second time through the lineup because we're sinking away, we're change up, back door, trying to cut it in off. They were giving up on the end. And your bread and butter was I'm going to establish, I remember we got an argument in Boston about it. I'm going to establish my four seamer in. That's when I'm at my best.

That locks me in mechanically. And that gets everything, everybody looking in for my, and then I can go cutter off that. I can sink away. Everything works after that. And I learned that over time and then got to the World Series in game one. And we went so heavy scout report.

Remember everybody, everybody was like sink down the way, no strike breaking balls, change up, different things like that. And you had to grow, We grinded through that game. You grinded.

You just said something. It reminded me, and I don't know if you remember this, the reason I said that to you is because the very first time you caught me in 2013. Yeah, I know. You came back. He was on a Hawaiian vacation all year with his team. I had a good question. He had scrambled brains.

Easy, easy, both of us. I wasn't there for years. He didn't know what planet he was on and went to Hawaii. He came back all tan. You know. The tan line, I'm not going to lie, the tan line was a little weird when we got in the shower. That's all I'm saying. It was a little awkward.

You guys don't wear a thong? I didn't know what kind of bathing suit he had on. So 13 started out really good for me, and then I hit a lull, kind of like we're talking about in 16 for us in July, whatever, struggled. Beginning of September, we're facing Detroit. Do you remember this? Facing Detroit. I know I'm getting off topic. We'll get right back there.

Never caught me except for spring training. Comes in Detroit. This is when Detroit's rolling. They got Shrews, Sanchez, they got Prince Fielder, Tori Hunter, Burlander, Victor Martinez, Miggy. Omar and Vante was a really good player. Like murders Row, okay, no disrespect to the Yankees. But so we get in there and I'm, dude, I'm like, I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do.

Like these guys. Plus, Victor Martinez, Tori Hunter, and Miguel, Krober. or is OPS against me is a combined seven million. He never played. He never finished going to go again. He loved when you pitched seven million. Okay. So we sit down and I've got all my fucking notes and I look at Rossi and he goes, hey,

this is what we're going to do. He goes, every bit of film I watch, everybody's kind of dicking off with these guys. They're going backdoor breaking ball. This, this, this, this. They fall behind, 2.1, 201, 3, then guess what happens? Potakaya, right? Like, now that's where the damage comes. He goes, we're going to come out and we're going to throw the ball as hard as we can.

And we're going to throw it right at their hands. Till they make an adjustment. Cool. The only left in the lineup was Prince Fieler. All right. Here we go. Rossi sat back there. Heat her in.

Just over and over again. It just the first three innings, and like I was pissed, like I was still trying to figure it out. I was blowing. win like 96, 95, 96. Damn. Miguel's jumping out of the way. Next thing you know, got curb ball under, chase. We end up winning the game.

They're swinging at the cutter. What that did in 13 was then, all right. To go back to your point about establishing your fastball, establishing your cutter, which made everything else. And it locked you in mechanically. We learned later on, too. It's like just, just. So we roll up game six at Wrigley for the NLCS, right?

You just win game five. you go seven innings, I think one run. We have a chance to go to the World Series, and we fell short the year before. We have first ballot, Hall of Famer, Clayton Kirshall on the mound, and we roll him, right? Kyle Hendricks deals.

Yeah, the professor went. Deals. Our whole staff. He dealt two games. He got the loss in game two. Yeah. Well, we were down to one in that series. That's right.

Yeah. So we went off Kirschall, the double play, And I just remember Riggily being so loud and that celebration. And you winning the MVP, call MVP, of that series. And it's like, what does that mean to you? You sign there. You have this massive deal. You put so much pressure on yourself in 15.

We exceed all expectations. We're going to the World Series. Jobs not finished. 108 year curse. You're the guy. You just win MVP. Like, what are you feeling? I feel like I'm feeling at the time like I'm doing my job.

You know what I'm saying? Like not to downplay it, but I feel like I'm doing what I was supposed to be doing. You know, I think in 15, I know we're jumping around a lot, but in 15 I felt like I needed to win the World Series in April. Yeah, I remember that.

You make sense. Like, yeah, you're trying to live up to that contract. Yeah, I'm trying to make, I'm trying to make all. You're still new. You're all so grumpy and non-approachable and all these things.

Alleged. but yeah I mean all those things thanks for us but yeah I mean I feel like at the time you're like all right

I'm on a personal level you're like all right I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing right like the pieces are falling now at the end of the day I'm just throwing this out there I'm three for three on World Series

okay I've never gone to the World Series last I just wanted to black black's famous line I got two rings. Remember he said when we got to the World Series, he said, hey, Tony, I ain't never been to a World Series. I hadn't won. Thanks. I have.

Fuck. How's that second place ring? Anyway, so. What an asshole? That line. So anyway, I just feel like at the time, I'm like, all right, we've accomplished half of the goal. We've got to the World Series. Right?

Sometimes that's half the battle is getting there. All jokes aside. But we've got there, okay? We've accomplished goal one of getting there. Now goal two is to win the motherfucker, right? Like, we didn't come here for to lose, right? We came here to win, right? Probably in my, obviously I'm biased to this,

but I think one of the greatest World Series in the history of the game. Oh, hands down, hands down. There's not even... The ups and downs. The droughts, both teams. Both teams. Both teams, the cat and mouse game, two great managers going at each other as far as game planning, pitching matchups, you know, all this stuff, starting pitching, offense, stolen bases, everything.

Like, then it ends up at game seven, which is my first game seven. It was incredible. Oh, does. It's roller coaster of emotions. That's not skip out. you win the MVP of NLCS. That night, that party at John's House was elite. Okay, basically the whole team's there.

The whole city's rioting. Everyone's just happy to be back in the World Series. We still know we have a job to do, but we celebrate, celebrated everything that year. It felt, I don't know how you guys felt, when we won the CS because we had lost it the year before, I felt like, boom, That was a sense of relief for me.

It was like, okay, now we're going to the World Series. Just roll it all out there, whatever. But getting further than we did in 15 to me was so important because of the steps we had taken so fast. And especially for the young guys, it's like confidence. Right. Right. Like you feel like, and I know there's guys that have done this

where it's like I can't get past the DS. Right, right. You know what I'm saying? It's like there's like there. And once you break that roadblock, it's like, oh. Oh, we're here. It's still the same game. we're good yeah so funny story after game six we win celebrate all that stuff drive back to that i mean

you know i lived a mile from regalia wife calls me says hey there's a group of people in the front yard tepeeing our tree i remember this pull around we've got a alleyway that you pulled into the garage burtoe that we lived on was a one-way street going that way pull around go down the one-way street this way pull up i'm like hey what are y'all doing Oh, we just wanted to celebrate. And I go by tee peeing my tree? Didn't you invite him in for a beer? Yeah, I go, if you guys want to celebrate, I go, you guys want to celebrate, knock on my damn door, I'll come have a beer with you.

That's great. And the one lady goes, we are so sorry, we'll start cleaning up. They cleaned up all the. You came in and had a beer? Well, I parked and came out and we cheered and had a drink and then went back. Well, that party was, first off, I have to tell you, set the scene on John's house. John bought, not only did John buy a house, he bought the lot next store. It was a house as well. He knocked it down so his dog famously quoted, and I quote, I knocked it down so my dog had a yard to shit him.

That's the type of. I may have just told you that, but. Okay. Not anymore. Not anymore. This is what the, this is what the people get, John. But John has this party, and we're all there, and we're all celebrating. And next thing you know, we're on the back patio. Rossi's playing the guitar. My dad's there playing the guitar. Eddie Vedder's there. Start jamming out for us in the backyard. Like, I think he's saying, what, the Cubs go all the way, right?

Yeah. Someday will go all the way. Yes. And he's just doing an acoustic. Rossi's playing. My dad's playing. It's one of my greatest memories because my dad loves playing the guitar too. and all of us coming together there

and just knowing that the job's not finished but we got this. Like we were so together. And then we roll into game one. Well, because I, because me and your dad were playing, our thing now is we open for Eddie Vedder just so everybody knows. Yeah, you did.

I opened for Eddie. You're an opener. You're an opener. I'm an opener. And we go into game one of the World Series. You're setting the tone for us. didn't do a very good job we don't we said to tell me that was my fault i take the full response but me and me and borzzo borzello yeah we went so scouting report but then in game five

you came out and we you fucking punched out the side going i'm being me i'm being me game five was the hardest game of the series hands now game seven was its own fairy tale but game five but let's go back to game three at the first game at rigley in what 60 plus years yeah the atmosphere there was so like dead coming off the NLCS and everyone partying and celebrating it was like we get there in game three we're tied one one and the atmosphere was almost like everyone was just so

nervous like they were nervous I don't know if it was just me and I was projecting on the fans but like the energy in the stadium was flat we didn't really give them a lot to cheer for granted but we go down we lose game three we lose game four and we're like fuck like we just got swept a year before

we ain't doing this and you come out in game five and we get i think we give you an early early lead how could you at home well you got us through the first an early lead is the first three innings john oh my bad i thought you went like on the first day b hit a homer no it wasn't until the fourth or fifth inning um third baseman hit a hit a homer okay early second inning remember we went in so much and finally i was like okay we've established in when um ramirez ramirez yeah hit hit hit a home solo home run we went heater in second one heater in homer i was like okay now we've established that game was a that game was a gauntlet we won three two you go six innings one run chappie comes in i think goes

two plus yeah i'll tell you this i don't want to say it's the only game but i think it's one of the only games that i have looked at the pitching coach and taking myself out of the game you're gas was realistic with oh shit yeah was realistic with myself. Thank God. Yeah. Because sixth innings one running.

We're riding. You're a bull. I had just given up the second run. I grinded in the sixth. Okay. And somebody hit a base hit up the middle. They scored. And I want to say it was,

no. Yeah, Lindor got the base hit up the middle. And then you threw him out a second to get out of the inning. And we got down there and Bosn came to check on me. I was at like 90-something pitches. And I go, boss, I said, I can.

can give you as much as you want next inning. I remember you did it. But also don't put me in there. And if I give a base hit, take me out and have that reliever come with somebody on. I said, if you guys are questioning it, give that guy a clean inning. And he's like, all right, fair enough. And so he went. There's so much emotions leading up to that game.

There's so much. Well, we knew we win game five. We're going to roll in game six. That was our mentality. Because we saw Tomlin. he kind of diced us up a little bit in game maybe the wind was growing out and it was him and hendricks and i was like oh take the over in this game yeah yeah and game six

two one yeah it was like two to one two to one in game six no game six no game six oh game six after we won game five was a huge exhale like oh fuck we're gonna roll game six game seven's a crapshoot right right and we did we came out erietta was we came out in game six and we popped off and we're all celebrating early and I remember Rossi being so pissed off that like we're all like happy and games are fucking over pacing up and down the dug I don't even know I don't even think you were playing I wasn't yeah exactly no and relax we go up the whole way to go it I was it the seventh or eighth inning I think and they brought in again this podcast is not about me it's about the reunion

but I had a home run world series home run and we go up like five five or six runs and Joe left champion and that was like the first real time first time where like, you know, during the year you get a lot of bicker in. Everyone questions the manager at some point. Yeah. But that was the first time where like the whole dugout came together and was like, Joe, get this fucking guy out of the game. Like we, this game's over.

Chappie's still in. Like, let's get him out. Your Homer made. Get Travis Wood up. But your Homer made it over it. When you hit the Homer, boom, got it. Like drop. Yeah.

And I dropped the bat too. Again, it's really not about me, but I did drop. It's a good picture. I have it in the office. Shocker. But that's like the first time where we were like, get him out of the game. Yeah.

Right? Because Chappie was our dog. He was our dog. He came over at the deadline and just, what he did for us, the respect I have for him. Yeah. And then we go into game seven.

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 called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to... 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.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. 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 for 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 guide, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk,

to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. There's the worst singer in the group? The worst? Yeah. Me.

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard Yard. They're open to change. Do you have a name suggestion?

We're open. Since you guys are middle. Just one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Huber me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

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We're all ready to go, right? Baskets of emotions in that game. Bask, bro, that game was. But what was your mindset, like, coming in? Because you just pitched. You're kind of on short rest. Well, me, you lack in area to go down. Well, before that, hold on.

Game six, we win. Joe calls me in the office. Hey, how are you? Fine, what do you need? This is what we're doing tomorrow. Kyle's going to go five. and you're going to either four or five, and you're going to bridge to Chappie.

And then hopefully we got the trophy, right? That was Joe's what Joe said. I said, cool, skip, I'll be ready, and I'll be ready whenever you need me. Cool. So now I'm going to bed knowing I'm pitching, which I think looking back on it was a blessing because now your nerves go down.

There's no question. There's no question. Yeah. Like I'm not walking down there and going, when the phone rings. Is it me? Right, right, right. You know, so like that helped.

So go ahead. Sorry. No, but, well, going down there and I went down there with you guys. And I remember. You were like the actual, he was like the really decision maker. Right. Yeah, you got down there and just started like throwing a little bit. You want to take a while to warm up.

And I remember catching you and getting ready. And then I was going down early and you were still going to be warmed up. And Noble was catching you. And I'm watching you. pitch, I'm like, he's still on BBs. Like, if this goes too long, he's going to be gassed. It's with my mind, right? Like, he is down.

Did you call down? Boom, boom. No, I went in at the end of the inning. And Joe and Baz came out to me. It was like, how does he look? I'm like, he looks great. But I wouldn't just extend this was my advice. I was like, I wouldn't have him sit down there and throw bullets.

Like, the bullets are coming out good. Whenever you're ready to bring him in, he's ready. Like don't wait, two innings. Well, you're supposed to come in on a clean inning. Supposed to come on a clean inning. And you come in with, what, run around first and second? Where it all went on first. Where all went to arrive was the third inning where Kyle kind of gave up a little bit of hard contact and they scored the run.

So it was 1-1. And the next, they called down then and they're like, go, get ready. Mind you, before all of this started before the game, I told Travis Wood, I said, Woody. I don't know what fuck I'm doing down there. Okay? I said one. I know he's doing the bullpen. I said one, it's the World Series.

Two, I'm in the bullpen. I have my routine that I'm going to try to stick to. But you can't because it's a damn. Game seven of the world. Once the phone ring, it's a hundred and a day. It's a last game of the season. And then once the phone rings, their grenade goes off. And everybody goes everywhere and you're like, what do I do?

Right. And so I told Woody before the game. I said, if you watch how many pitches I'm throwing, if I get to a point where I've thrown too many pitches, I want you to stand directly in front of me where I can't throw another pitch. So you leave. Imagine that. Imagine on the broadcast, Woody's saying.

I wish it's like, no. John. I wish they would have got it. But there was a point where when you left and I was down there and it was just aimless throwing then, I was just throwing to throw. You were loose when I left. Woody came over and literally stood. Not like, not like, not like face.

face to face. But like he kind of stood off to my side to where I knew, okay, I'm done. Damn. And he stood there and then like if I went to throw, he'd be like, nope, uh-uh. He's like, when that phone rings and they say that you're coming in, you fire three or four as hard as you can and then you go in. And that's what we did. And then you came in and I fucked it all. And you died. Bro, he died twice. He died. He almost fucking killed me, bro. Kipness. What was it, a swinging bunt or did he bunt? Swinging bun. Swinging bunt.

Two-strike cutter away. It went seven feet. It went like this. I bust out. I think I blew a hammy in the process. Spin, throw, air mail. Kipnis runs into him. I'm like, I just got it.

Kipnis is a bowling ball, bro. He's short and compact. Yeah. And I always said, too, as a first baseman, because when balls go up the line, like, when it really matters, I'll stay in there. I'll stay in there. Yeah, you hung in.

And I felt so proud afterwards because I actually did. But that, bro, he ran me over. Yeah. And I'm feeling great. I just got in this thing. Then no strike breaking balls. We got a theme here. No strike breaking balls to Lendor.

You shake to the breaking ball. And I'm like, all right, he's going to bounce this. 47 feet and literally kill you. You died. All the mass. Roll, roll my ankle. Go to get up. Doc Adams think I'm concuss.

I'm stumbling everywhere. Two runs score. Two runs score on a passball. probably never happened in World Series history before. And I'm thinking, I just got into saying, I'm the defensive guy and I just fucked this all up. Like, what happened?

But then you let off the next inning, right? Was that your last event? Second, second. I think I hit second the next inning. Okay. Is that Andrew Miller? Andrew Miller? Andrew Miller.

And I was, everybody said, why do you show emotion? I'm like, thank God I got one back. It's let in, too. I was so down. You fucking threw what, three and a third? What was it? Two and a third. Two and a third?

To bridge the gap. To bridge the gap. It's such happy. Yeah. And I wish he wouldn't have taken me out. Because Jose Ramirez does have good numbers off me. I think he's only got the one homer, but he's got some hits. But we had two outs in that inning and we're up six to two or three at the time.

Yeah. Six to three. Well, yeah. So I would, I understood. I mean after the crazy inning, we came in. I had to hit and I'm taking off my stuff. And you looked at him. He's like, look at him.

I was like, bro, you're fine. your shit's great i fucked that up like he's like looked i was like bro you're throwing great just like like other than a 47 foot curb ball that killed him but he had nasty stuff you were other than that you were locked you were locked yeah it was good i mean and then and then we win right chappy comes in raja davis hits the homer we go down let's go before we've you heard that story have i told you that story when roger davis hit the homer oh god no no but i do know that which no one knows sorry to cut you short you grandpa that feels aggressive you the finger point

I'm attacking you or the trust tree you didn't call a slider yeah all playoffs 12 or all this Chapman well so like going back one of my one of my things that I held was I got taken out a lot when Chapby came in and he would do miggy or Wilson and so I didn't the The client report for Rajay was the slider coming into him was bad and changes for good.

Well, I had never caught Chappie Splitty and I didn't trust to throw it myself, right? Especially with runners and scoring position. So I was just like, and in San Francisco it worked great. I just threw heaters down and it was punchy, punchy, punchy, or whatever it was. And so I'm just like, guy at second, I look at his bat. He's choked up. He's this far. This far up on the bat.

And I'm like, he's got to pop one of these heaters up, right? It's 103. Like back then, nobody threw 100. Yeah. And I'm like, he's got two people. Yeah. And I'm like, so I'm just keep throwing down heaters. And I'm like, I remember getting in.

I was like, to Mike Borsell are catching guys. I was like, fuck I should have thrown a slider. He's a slider wasn't the pitch. Should I don't split. I'm like, I was like, it sounds like Borsi. But I'm like, well, I have never even caught. I didn't catch him that much. So it was like an insecurity of mine.

Yeah. of coming out in that moment of not knowing what to do. And all the credit to Rajay, like. Yeah, I was to say, also, let's call a spade of spade here. Chappy threw the perfect pitch with him choked up down to his bat path that he hit perfectly for a home run. Sure. You know what I'm saying? But you're right.

I call it. I think it's 12. We should go back counting like 12 heaters and run. What did you think when he hit that? But then when Miggie came. man he threw almost all sliders you remember that chabby stayed in another inning and threw it yeah on the sliders the fact that chappy got through the ninth is is the unsung hero sure of the entire game well imagine imagine your your emotional baggage bro you just gave up the game tying homer

and now you got to go out for another inning and try to get three out bro every every time as a kid watching that 10 out 10 out of 10 times the guy comes back out he's gonna give it up he's gonna give it up 10 out 10 so the fact that he was able to do that and that's what i don't like those everybody wants to talk about Chappie giving up that homer to tie the game. Let's let no, forget that. Let's talk about him coming out and going one, two, three the next inning. Because that takes some freaking cahones. Bro, we rode him.

Like, they rode him. That and Almore are the two biggest moments of that game. And if you talk to baseball people, that was the wrong thing to do. It's bringing back out. No, no, no, Amor tagging out. Yeah, it's. And a baseball, like if you talk, like, no, you don't tag up on. that and Almore tagged up and got the second.

Al Mora tagged up on a deep fly ball by KB. Yeah. Which earlier in the game, the wind turned around, which would have been a home run. I thought Keeb clip that. And Al Mora, who was a rookie, had the wits about him to read where that ball was going, understand that it's either a homer and out

or probably a homer and out how high it was. Everybody contributed on that. He goes and tags up and gets to second base. And then the rest of the- Most coaches are gonna tell you halfway. Yeah. And he went back and tagged up. Yeah, which is, and then they walk you with the base open, walk me and they goes over us,

and the rest is history. But the fact that Chappie can get through that, then we have a 17-minute rain delay. But when Raja hit that home run, what did you think? Before Roger hit the Homer, after, you know, because kind of the rule of thumb is if you, as a pitcher, if you get taken out of the inning and you have a runner on, that's yours, you have to stay in the dugout until that run scores or they get out of the inning. So I gave up the hit to Jose Ramirez. Who was there, damn, Guyor?

Brandon Guyor. He could hit a damn cannonball. As long as that cannonball is coming from the left side, he could hit it. Hits a ball in the gap. Jose Ramirez scores. So it's six to four now, right? Roger had a two-run homer. Yeah, right?

Yeah, so he hit the double. Yep. So he hit the double. So I'm like, all right, I'm good. I'm going to the clubhouse. Well, I go into the clubhouse. You know Cleveland's clubhouse. You got to go down five stairs and up 342 stairs to get up there.

Well, I get up there. They've got the damn champagne. Oh, my God. Fuck. They got the signs, World Series champs. They've got the- I walk through the clubhouse too. They've got the damn, what you can call it, the saran wrap over our lockers,

the whole thing, right? So I kind of come in and I'm like, this is weird. You know, so I go to back. How were you going in there? I'm just curious. Because I was done and I was going to go get out of my stuff and then come back down. Really? Well, and I have a pop too.

Okay. I'm done for the day, dude. Literally, your job is complete. I'm done. Your season's over. My season's over. I cannot reenter and there's no game eight. Okay?

So I get in there and I'm taking my, I take one cleat off. I get my ankle tape off. And, you know, Rage's got pitched. 37 from Chapman that he keeps filing off or whatever and I go to untie my second shoe and I hear the crack and I look up and I just see the ball going over the fence. I take my shoe off. What was the clubby's name? Willie. Yeah, Willie. I take my shoe off and I, they had the entrance right there. I didn't know he was coming around the corner. I throw my shoe as hard as I can at the entrance. I go, will he

comes around the corner of the cleat missed him. No way. By this far. That's great. I go, get this fucking shit down. There was people that came out of places in that clubhouse I've never seen before. Champagne gets put up saran wrap over the top,

signs down, the whole thing. And so I change and I come back down to the dugout. But he was not happy with me. I apologize to him. the fact but what what do you remember when we had the rain delay where were you at first we know were you in the wait out so when you came into the wait room was it after the fact when everyone was coming in or like what what's your biggest i followed everybody in there um so we all went in there and i remember

it kind of being at first a little somber you know everybody kind of got in there you all it was almost like a simultaneous deep breath you know um sorry And I remember sitting there for a second and kind of, you know, one of these like, all right, like you're kind of, you went back in your corner as a fighter. You know what I'm saying? Like I got my breath. I'm going to get a drink of water, maybe a middle of light. And I just remember Jay Hay. I remember Jay Hay start talking.

And at first it really surprised me because Jay Hay doesn't talk, right? Like Jay Hay is not a vocal guy. And I kind of set up and I looked at him and I don't remember. I think him speaking surprised me, you know, like, holy shit, what's he saying? What's he saying? But I don't remember the words of what he said. I just remember him saying, all right, fuck it, guys, we have a restart. We're zero, zero.

It's kind of what I remember. I don't know if that's exactly what he said. You guys can correct me. And then the best part of the whole meeting was they're like, hey, they're pulling the tarp and Schwerber's leading off and he walks out and he goes I'm going to get a hit you drive me you you fucking drive me in to whoever he was talking to yep he got the lead off single yeah he came by me on he was sitting on the bench he had his back gloves on and it was shaw was pitching me the cutter guy and he goes if this guy throws me a fucking cutter in I want to knock off ball got out of it

right in my faith I was like let's call this is fucking uh second year Kyle Schwerber broken knee just came back third game of the season yeah came back as like the fact that they let him come back I think speaks volumes to us too because our belief in him yeah yeah right like if we didn't I think if the the boys didn't believe that there's no other young guy no way that would have come back no and been allowed in that clubhouse like swarver was and he he hit that ball so hard kibniz was in the grass with a shift and I swear it's like a foot to his right or left yeah and he didn't move yeah yeah so we reset I remember in the dugout in the ninth um when we were hitting in the ninth

everyone was fucking white as a ghost, bro. Because I was like, even me, bro, I'm sitting there at first. I'm like, this curse is fucking real. I'm just playing with dirt. Like, I couldn't even hear myself. I couldn't hear anything. I was literally numb. And we get in the dugout and everyone's white as a ghost.

And then Chappie gets us through it and we get the rain delay. And then we ended up going out scoring, winning. Another one that Miggie doesn't get enough love, that second base hit. Yeah. Yeah, that never really off. Yeah, because they ended up scoring a run in the ninth. Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? Roger was on first.

I'm like, he's fixing a steel. Going back to that, I remember that home run. Like, usually I can turn the page really fast and like, okay, on to the next thing. Like, I was legit, could not get that out of my head catching for the rest of that inning. Like, it was just like. That's my life, bro. Damn. I mean, I know we won, but I still see.

Rajay was a special assistant for MLB, and I saw him a lot, especially when I was the Yankees. bro every time i saw him i got like you know what i mean and we won right like right so we win again let's go back kb gets the ground bro i got i catch the last out where are you what are you thinking this is now your third world series championship

108 year curse i was not well in the dugout was not well um you hit side note i hate sitting the bench. He like, he can't handle the nerves, right? You'd go to your routine

during the game. One of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. Just does not like to sit the bench on a actual serious note, dealing with his own demons of like nerves,

routine to get him in the one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, Hall of Fame pitcher. And everyone goes through that. Also, you know? I didn't like,

so I played in two incredibly historic stadiums. Okay, for the majority of my career. Even when Wrigley redid their dugouts, two of the worst places to sit in the dugout and watch a fucking game. You're... We're in Cleveland, John.

Well, I'm just saying, well, hold on. I'm talking about normally. I'm talking about normally. Rigley is four and a half miles from home plate. Okay. Fenway is 27 feet from home plate, and you can't see anything. All right.

Yeah. I know it looked as if I wasn't a great teammate, but I liked being able to see what was actually happening. Because you know how it is. You sit on the bench. The guy gets rung up on a call. The guy goes, oh, that's not a strike. Now everybody in the dugouts like,

get your shit together. Right? Well, when you're sitting in downstairs and you watch the TV, you're like, that was a good pitch. So you were downstairs when we wanted to know? No, hold on. I was just saying. I got to know, John.

This is why I was not well. I was up there. We bring in Carl, Edwards Jr. To finish the game, okay? I'm going back. The only way to calm my nerves is I'm going to Borsey and I'm looking at the Scouting Report with Borsey.

Like, all right, I know this dude only throws cutter curveball. What do we got? And he'd be like, all right, we've got X, Y, and Z. Mike Borzello was our scouting report, catching coordinator. Strategist. Had game game calling. He had such good game calling. So that's Borsey.

I should have said that first. But, so anyway, I'm going to him to where I'm like trying to call the game. trying to take my mind off of what's going on. And I'm literally pacing from him to the end of dugout, him to the end of the end of that I got. So Carl gets two quick outs, and I'm like, let's go. We got to get one more infield pop-up.

Let's just make it simple, okay? I think he walks somebody. Walks on. Now we bring him Mike Montgomery. The closer. No offense to Mike Montgomery. Okay. But I look at Borsey and I go,

what are we doing? I'm like, we got no offense. I said, no offense. We're in the tree. Stropey, Rendon. We closed for us for three quarters of the year until we got Chappie. We got Woody. We got other.

Arieta and Lackier down there. Yeah. Arieta, like, we got these people. Once again, Mike, no offense. But we're, I love you. I love, Mike. We've got, he was one of their bench players. Michael Martinez.

Michael Martinez. Yep. First of Battle of the World Series. First of Battle of the World Series. Mind you. Because they made a switch when he brought on the lefty. Remind me to go back to that. Hold on.

Who was it? Coco. Coco. Coco Chris. That's right. He took Coco out. We did something. I can't remember what we did.

We made a pitching change. They brought Coco in for that guy. Coco only was hitting left-handed. And then we brought in Mike Martinez. So they took Coco out. Mike Montgomery for Martinez. Martinez in. So anyway, I literally take one step.

I come off the rail. I take one step to Borsi. He goes, don't worry, we have spin. And I'm like, that sounds like, I go, oh, Montgomery has a badass curber ball. We're good. Let's go. First pitch curveball, roll over to KB. I did everything I could to hurdle that thing.

I went to jump, and I was like, nope, and put my foot down, and then jumped. And then as I did that and landed Jason Hamill faceplants right next to me, and I'm like, I am so glad I put my foot on the rail, because that would have been me. Oh bro, that celebration. The celebration that night was special. We party, we pop champagne, we fly back to Rigley. We get, we're all blitzed, right? And I remember getting off the bus at Rigley.

Well, I remember on the field giving you this big hug, bro. It felt so good. Like, you win the World Series and first off, you're gas. Run a two-year run, for me at least. Like, I just learned how to win in 15. all my energy now is winning the World Series this year. It's like a lot. Make or break.

So Game 7 of the World Series, I actually remember talking to Kipness at second base at some point during the game 7. I'm like, bro, thank God the season's over tomorrow. Like win or lose, right? We're still at the heat of the battle. But to be able to just turn off for a second, talk to him.

Giving you guys a hug, right, is the best feeling in the world. We party with our families. The plane ride. You have great pictures of my parents. And Emily, my girlfriend, then, soon-to-be fiancé. and that wife, baby mama, love her.

But just the celebration with the families, and then we get home to Wrigley, and I have the trophy. So I walk off the bus with a trophy, and there's fans outside of Riggly, and it's great. And I look at VJ, our traveling secretary, I'm like, hey, like, what do I do with this? I don't know.

So I just took it home. I took the trophy home. I did it make it so mad? Not only did it make it so mad, I get home at like 6.30. We lay down for like, I don't know, an hour and a half. Like that's the only sleep I have for like four days. No sleep.

I get a text or a phone or I'm up and VJ's like, hey, John's pissed off. You took the trophy home. And I'm like, how the fuck? First off, how the fuck does John know I have the trophy? It's seven, eight 30 in the morning. And I'm like, I don't really care. Like, the trophy's in my bed overlooking the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Right?

So I'm like, fuck, John's mad. me, right? I'm like, all right, so I get up, which was a great reason to get up. It was love, Matt. Yeah, no, I know. It wasn't like Pittsburgh Mad. Bring the trophy back to Wrigley. And then I think it was like 930 or 10 a.m. Emily and I got to the bar, bottled blonde. Our guy, Eric Farone, opened it. I texted him, hey, he could open up. He's a big Cubs fan. And we sat at the bar from like 10 a.m. to like 2 a.m. And then from 2 a.m. We went to underground and just went to like the next morning and like throughout the day everyone started coming and partying but for me it was like

it was just I was in heaven bro it was like my dream came true right and I'm with all my friends and family but where what were you doing after what were you doing that you texted at 830 in the morning saying you were mad at me for taking the trophy I don't know if I went to sleep at that particular time fair was pregnant with now sigh sigh Elizabeth. It was soon to be nine. Soon to be nine, which is crazy. So I don't, I don't, there's a little bit of a blur there.

One, sleep deprivation, two, some beverages were involved there. I just remember, I don't know how I even came to about it. I was like, somebody might have said something to me, and I was like, where is the trophy, B.J. and he goes, Riz took it home and I got mad. Fucking right I took it home, bro. I was there with the 100 lost team.

Well, that's not my fault. It really is all about him. It's not my fault. You got to pick better timing. Agreed. Agreed. Whatever, John. Anyway.

Let's get to the parade. 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 called, 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 Jim Gaffigan to Bob Oden, to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. There's that worst singer in the group? The worst? Yeah.

Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard yard, but they're open. Do you have a name suggestion?

We're open. since you guys are middle-aged. One erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live there. them listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast and for more follow timbo slice of life 12 in the tick tock podcast network on tick tock the french open is one of the toughest tests in tennis and i know firsthand because i competed there myself i'm rene stubs and on the rene stubbs tennis podcast i'm breaking down everything happening at roland garris every match

every upset and what it really takes to win on clay jen she win i mean she went down a three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open.

Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. What happened? Rossi almost died. We're on the bus. Well, Rossi, lack, and Woody almost died. I'm on the second last bus with KB and Dex.

And the country cowboys. You had to get right here, didn't you? Yeah, I had my nose almost got ripped up. So we're pulling out a Wrigley. And we're getting like these, look, granted, meanwhile, this is the first time the Cubs have ever done a parade, right? Like, no one knows what the last parade was like. So we have the buses, the double-decker buses,

and we have like our guides on there. to interrupt you but do you remember when we got to the clubhouse and i had that whiskey i never told you this i had somebody date that whiskey it was from 1908 no shit really i had a whiskey too from that i took a shout with my dad after we won so that remember that whiskey in my locker i had yeah the old bottle it had the messed up thing it was from 1908 and you you your dad my dad oh yeah yes and we all took like the cork was like dissolved in it and we're like well we're either going to That moment at Wrigley where we were all there. Yeah, that was cool.

Everybody's family. I had a guitar signed by all the boys with the World Series patch that. That's what I've got. He gave that to me. He gave me. That's my favorite thing I've got. Everyone was there. And it was just so special.

And we get on the buses and we have our almost tour guide on the bus, basically giving us like a tutorial like, hey, when we get out of Rigley, the power lines, the power lines. So there's going to be a few times you have to dock on the power lines. We didn't get that message. No. We had a camera crews on ours, okay? And these wires that pulled a sheet so we could walk from the parking lot to the stadium. So there was these steel wires that held the curtain up. Well, everybody had forgotten.

They didn't tell us this, but everybody had forgotten. Well, everybody's excited. You're seeing fans right there. We're pulling all, yeah, how are we doing? It comes. We go into that. And the camera guy was facing us, having a camera, shooting us on the back of, the buck there's footage and imagine getting that footage i've never seen it i hadn't seen it i hadn't seen it

but the i know the camera guy got hit first his camera caught and the thing pulled really taught right as we're driving and so his camera goes boom and falls and then wits the line right across lackey's hat sunglasses went off he got hit across the face i got hit right in the nose nose bleeding thank god if it would hit me here we're done the back yeah we're off the back dead we didn't fucking slice you. I probably would have got a statue at regular. And I don't know. And I don't know what happened, but I kind of went like this. Like, I don't know why. You escaped?

I escaped. I had a damn gouge in the top of my head right here for like six. I remember seeing you guys bleeding because I was in the bus in front of you. That was. I had my wife at the time breaking out tampons and stick up my nose so it stopped bleeding. I could wave to the fans. I was a train wreck. Five million people. Five million people. people. Stage was crazy. I'm sure the Boston parades were insane, the duck boats and the passion.

It wasn't. Bro, our parade was like, it went forever. And the fans, and then we get on stage, what, like, what's your, what do you take away from all that? So I'll say this, when we were on stage and they were, like, calling people up there to, like, say something, when you're standing there and you're with your boys and you're, like, kind of away from, you know, you're there, but you're removed. You know what I'm saying? like you're not having a microphone in front of you and having to talk you're like damn that's a lot of

people you're kind of like that's a lot of people there's people in fucking trees that's all i remember was heads and then the tree tops but 50 deep so remember crossing the chicago river yeah what that it was they died the river blue yeah so big jim's like hey john you're next i'm like yeah cool man i've got enough liquid courage we're good i don't like talking in front of people and five million people five million people have million and he calls like somebody talks i think it was you i think it went after you and he's like hey you're up let's go well stumble up there get up to the podium and you look up and i was like uh i don't know what to say it's a lot there's a lot of damn people out here from five feet right you're standing with your boys like you're good you no problem you're like damn that's a lot of people you get up

like, holy fuck, what is this? It's so emotional. And then all I said was, how about this shit? That's what came out of my mouth. That was my speech, Tony. How about this shit? And of course, as soon as I say it, I look right there and there's like a nine-year-old kid just looking at me later. Once again, the asshole.

Sorry, we won. When you win, you can do anything. Yeah, you can do. I should have said. I mean, you used to always tell me, though, winning solves everything. Solves it. When you win, and I tell us all young players that I play with, especially now in the social media air days,

like winning solves all your problems. And you said that. Where it's like you can come up and have this whole social media following and do all this stuff. But when you win, that's how you make the real money. Like, because when you win, you can do whatever you want. That was my saying, being a backup catcher, it's like, everybody wants a winner.

Everybody wants a winner. You're on a winning team. You're just going to, you know, It solves everything. And the guys that, you know, like you're looking at Scherzer Verlander right now, like they're 42, 40, whatever, 41, 42 still pitching. Well, they're pitching because they've won. Right.

And I'm not saying they don't have good stuff and they shouldn't be pitching. They still have good stuff. But teams want those jokers around because they've won. Right, right, right, right. Right. Like, if you win, people want you. There's a lot of knowledge and winning and experience and having that, no doubt. I want to know because we're going down that road,

looking back at everything, right? You're retired, you've been home, raising kids, enjoying your life. Like, looking back 10 years ago now, what would you tell John Lester then that you know now? Enjoy it more? Yeah. You fucking enjoyed it, though, man. I did enjoy it, but I didn't relish in it.

You know, like I had this conversation with Rossi one day, and I'm kind of envious of, like, the relationships that he has, which obviously, a little different personalities, okay? Like, like, more vivacious, like. Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, like, you know, you know. Dancing with the Stars lives in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, I mean, but my thing is, it's like, and I'll never forget this. So it's game one of the 2013 World Series, okay? Fenway Park.

me and you are getting ready to go out and their wait room was upstairs and where the lounge area to hang out was upstairs. While I walk through and I come up the stairs and I hear music playing. It sounds like the radios is playing in the or the, you know, speakers playing in the weight room. And I get up there and fucking Kenny Chesney has like 10 dudes around him

just jamming. Big green tractor. And I look at those guys and I'm like, man, that sure looks fun. I had to go hop my ass on the bus. bike and get ready for game one, right? Point of what I'm trying to make is I'm not saying that's the time to relish in it, but the times that Dabo comes into the clubhouse or Brett Eldridge comes in the clubhouse

or Eddie Fed or Bill Murray or whatever. Taking 10 minutes and going over there and talking to them, stopping what I'm doing and going and talking to them. But also, too, I know in the back of my head, if I stop what I'm doing, I'm not going to go back and finish it. Yeah. You know, so. But that's what made you great, too.

So it's like, I definitely, I definitely get that. But I do wish I would have put just a tick more effort into some relationships in my, when I was playing. That's good feedback, right? That's good. That's what's all about, right? We're talking about all these stories we're going to tell throughout this series is, like, it takes a group of special men to come together and you create, or brothers

for life, right? And so those relationships are special and I think they grow. But when you're in the middle of it, you're just in the middle of it. You're doing you, bro. You're doing, you're, you're, you, you're, you, you were brought in at a high price tag to establish what winning is. And this is how we go about our shit. And Theo recognized that because he had been around you and you had been around great players. And that's the great thing about being a veteran and passing that stuff down. So the reason why you get the ball in game seven and we're all, I mean, game one of each freaking series, it's like, this is the or die dude that's putting us on our back this is a motherfucker that here we come right and after him we got another good one you know and we got another good one john you single-handedly i said it at the

beginning you're the best free agent signing in cubs history you brought winning single-handedly to an organization from your leadership on how you went about your business from how you treated everyone else from how you were like a giant teddy bear at times but also a prick as well so generous Spought every team dinner like all my cowboy boots are from John on John's dime. I have two pairs of these You know Rolex 200 win Rolex private jet hours you flew me and Emily home on your dime Flew me home my grandma passed away like all of these things just created so much love and within and grow through 162 Also too man like you're my boys like you know what I'm saying like you cheat everyone like yeah but like everybody's my like if you're on my team and we're doing like we're we're we're supposed to be in this together i spend more time

with you than my family right so i didn't care if it we're in the tree no offense i didn't care if it was your grandmother or if it was the 26 man on the roster's grandmother if you need to get home i've been blessed with this perk right yeah i put in the work and i got it and whatever but at the end of the day, that's not, like, you should go home. And if you got to go home at midnight and get on, you go. Like, that's the way I look at things. And I didn't do it because I wanted the fucking story on ESPN. No, you never, ever have. John. I did it because I loved every, I loved you guys. I showed my love in different ways. True. Wasn't the nicest person sometimes. But I cared about what I did and I cared about you guys and I cared about fucking winning, dude. Like, you played fucking sports.

to win he said that's right bro play to just go participate yeah in an air of in an air of social media all the things you and phara and your family have done are it's like instagram versus reality right you have people who put stuff on instagram and think they're living this lavish life you lived it behind the scenes and you have done the coolest things that nobody's ever heard of doing yeah and literally you changed my life on that because Because when I was younger, it was like, you know, you want to flaunt a little bit. Like, I'm in the big leagues. I'm young.

I'm single. That way. It's different. And then I see you in 15 come over. And it was like, from that day on, like, I rarely ever post anything I'm really doing because of how you went about it. And like how you shape my life as a 25-year-old. Now I'm 36. You know what I mean?

So it's like, I don't think you really understand how much. John? I'm sorry. I don't think you understand what you mean to me. All right. I got one question too, because he asked about the 10 years, if you can go back to that season, playoffs or regular season,

what's one moment you go back to? That stands out that's like you'll never forget. The whole season? The whole season. Spring training, regular season, postseason, whatever. I think the feeling I had walking out of the dugout with Rossi in game five of the World Series. Damn.

That was cool. And like stepping on that top step, it was the old dugout. I always went out on the left side and stepping out. I always tried to make it a point when I stepped out to look around. And I got out and I started in the left field and I looked. I didn't go behind me, but I looked all the way as I'm walking. I looked as far as I could look this way. And I was like, there is not an empty fucking seat in this place.

Wow. Like that feeling. That's a badass feeling. Your fucking song came on. I was so emotional. I was singing Jason Aldine. You're nowhere here at the top of my fucking lungs behind my mask. Just so you could lock in.

I was a wreck. Because I was just like, my heart was on another level and you're out there just like here we freaking go. I think I was on like pitch three. And it's like a point where like the drums come in or whatever. And, you know, I had my little routine that I did. look down or I do this look down I never put the ball on my glove and then I'd lift my leg tap the ball or tap the glove and I'd look home and Rossi is back there before I throw the ball and he's I had to get out my motion.

It was crazy. We've had a couple of those. That was like that we were talking about this last night. That moment like I'll that moment is like ingrained in my head and then the other moment was we were talking about last night. Team World Series for game one. This is fun. And National Anthem plays and the flyover

was late. And, you know, I'm getting ready to throw a pitch. And all of a sudden, you just hear, you know, it's pitch black. And the bullpen before the game. So Mary J. Blige wails. Yeah. And then this flyover. Fly over. All you see is the afterburners

is they pass Fenway and just do this. And it's loud. And you just, like, you could feel them. And I was getting ready to throw a pitch. put my foot back down and I love planes. I love flyovers. And so I'm like looking for them, just trying to see what kind of planes they were or whatever. And I, you know, kind of dig back in and I look down to Rossi.

Rossi squatted down. He's like, yeah. I'm just like, but like at the same time, it's like, you know, like you're having fun. You're having fun. It's a grind, but it's the best, man. Like when you're in that moment, I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade that. Yeah. For anything.

Cheers. Johnny Lester. Ten years. Ten years. How about that? Hey. Oh, by the way, this is John's famous line. Hangovers are temporary.

Legends last forever. And for us winning, we last forever. Fuck yeah, Johnny. Yeah, man. After a wrap, I think that's all you guys are going to need to the podcast. That's four. How long are we been talking? Seven hours.

Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own. podcast called 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. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. 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 Jim Gaffigan to 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. There's the worst singer in the group? The worst?

Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yarn birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard Yard, but they're open. Do you have a name suggestion?

We're open. Since you guys are middle-aged, one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Human me! I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me.

This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why are we all so obsessed with romance? On the Radio 831 podcast, join us, Sanjana Basker, and Tyler McCall. As we unpack all the trending tropes, fuzzy adaptations, book talk drama, and celebrity love stories with hot takes and sharp guests.

Each episode digs into what these stories reveal about desire, fantasy, identity, and how we love now. Listen to the Radio 831 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.