Hold My Cutter
Memories and Melodies: Steven Brault's Dual Passions
Ever wondered what it's like to make your Major League debut and realize you've forgotten your glove? Former Pirates pitcher Steven Brault shares the chaotic and hilarious story of his first game on July 5th, 2016, where he had to borrow teammate Jeff Locke's glove, humorously inscribed with "Lockness." Join us as Michael McHenry adds his own memories and trivia challenges, making this episode a delightful trip down memory lane.
We also take you back to the Pirates' 2011 season, where our host relives their debut against the Cardinals. From facing off with Matt Carpenter to experiencing the emotional high of having loved ones in the stands, this chapter is packed with intense game moments and personal anecdotes. Highlights include the host's first strikeout, a dramatic near-miss double play, and a touching reunion with an old friend, all underscored by the sentimental value of cherished career memorabilia.
But Brault's talents extend beyond the diamond. Discover his musical journey, from singing the national anthem to recording a Broadway album and performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. We also explore his aspirations in play-by-play announcing, his memorable home run in independent ball, and the special bond he shares with fans and the Pittsburgh community. This episode offers a heartfelt tribute to a multifaceted athlete whose passions and stories are sure to captivate and inspire.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Ever wondered what it's like to make your Major League debut and realize you've forgotten your glove? Former Pirates pitcher Steven Brault shares the chaotic and hilarious story of his first game on July 5th, 2016, where he had to borrow teammate Jeff Locke's glove, humorously inscribed with "Lockness." Join us as Michael McHenry adds his own memories and trivia challenges, making this episode a delightful trip down memory lane.
We also take you back to the Pirates' 2011 season, where our host relives their debut against the Cardinals. From facing off with Matt Carpenter to experiencing the emotional high of having loved ones in the stands, this chapter is packed with intense game moments and personal anecdotes. Highlights include the host's first strikeout, a dramatic near-miss double play, and a touching reunion with an old friend, all underscored by the sentimental value of cherished career memorabilia.
But Brault's talents extend beyond the diamond. Discover his musical journey, from singing the national anthem to recording a Broadway album and performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. We also explore his aspirations in play-by-play announcing, his memorable home run in independent ball, and the special bond he shares with fans and the Pittsburgh community. This episode offers a heartfelt tribute to a multifaceted athlete whose passions and stories are sure to captivate and inspire.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Another episode of Hold my Cutter coming your way from Bern by Rocky Patel. Just a few blocks down from PNC Park, we are chatting with Steven Brault, the former Pirates pitcher. He's an analyst on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, along with our co-host, michael McHenry, and our first episode with Steven we got into the draft. When he was drafted. We got into a big argument. By the way, in case you have not heard or watched the episode, you can fast forward to instant replay. Almost went to blows, but we're talking about Stephen multifaceted, talented guy. Certainly as a pitcher, we're going to get into some other areas besides baseball, but we've not talked to you about. You made mention of your Major League debut, but you didn't go into detail July 5th 2016 in St Louis. What's your first memory of that?
Speaker 2:My first memory of that is always when I first walked out to the mound. Okay, well, okay, there's a lot of stories about this, but when I first walked out to the mound and I got on the mound and I looked at the home plate and it looked like it was about 90 feet away, because it was the first time I'd ever pitched with that big like the stands in St Louis goes back so far and then it goes straight up, right and so, like in the minor leagues, it doesn't go back as far anywhere and so it really throws off your depth perception. And so it looked like it was 90 feet away and everything in that stadium was red. All the seats are red, all the fans are wearing red, everything was red. And those are the two main things I remember. But also, about 45 minutes before that start, I was losing my mind because I realized I had forgotten my glove.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, yeah, I didn't bring my glove. Where's your?
Speaker 2:glove. I left it in AAA.
Speaker 1:No, you were so excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so excited that I forgot to pack my glove. Yeah, this is a real story. And about 45 minutes before the game I realized you know, I was just getting ready for the game I didn't have my glove, and so I panicked and I went up to Jeff Locke, who was on our team at the time, and I was like Jeff, I can't believe I have to ask this, but can I please use one of your gloves? And so my major league debut. You can look at video.
Speaker 1:That's great. I look at video that's I'm wearing a glove that says lockness on it. That is great. I remember that game because I said y'all you know steven brault uh making his debut nickname lockness uh, for some reason, we'll tell you about that later on, but hey, tell us about. Uh, did you know lock very well at all? No, what did it? What was his reaction? He laughed at me, okay yeah, he laughed at me.
Speaker 2:It is actually kind of nice. It kind of calmed me down, you know, made me remember yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1:I'm still the same guy. Great story, I'm still an idiot, you know like this is just I'm playing in the big leagues now I forgot my glove dude it's crazy still kids game what about what about the manager telling you you're going up uh well, I got dean trainer yeah, it was the manager.
Speaker 3:oh, what a beauty, what a, what a character.
Speaker 1:What is he up to nowadays? I have no idea. You've got to find out. He had been a coach for the Marlins years ago.
Speaker 2:He was. If you don't know who he is, he's very brusque. I would call him. His sense of humor is dark. I would say yes, yes. So we were in Toledo and I had pitched a game the day before in Indianapolis and I had pitched a game the day before in Indianapolis. We were in Toledo and after the game ended I had just come back from injury. So I legitimately thought there was no way. I was not expecting this in the slightest. There was no warning.
Speaker 1:What do you mean, you had just come?
Speaker 2:back from injury. I was injured for eight weeks with a hamstring strain. I threw one rehab start in low A. I threw a rehab start in like that was short season. One in low A. And then I made one start in triple A. It was it was three innings. I started in triple A for three innings. I got taken out of the game and I was kind of surprised I thought they were going to let me go like five. And then the next day we were in toledo and after the game ended, dean trainer, you know, whenever anybody was gonna called up, we always knew, because after the game dean would tell somebody to tell everybody sit in the clubhouse after the game. Nobody shower, nobody eat, just wait. So we knew somebody was going up. We thought it was glass now, because glass now was there too and he hadn't made his debut yet. And uh, and sure enough he. He literally said you know, they need a pitcher for for four days from now and I don't know why, but for some reason they want you, bro.
Speaker 3:That is what he said that's perfect in front of the whole team.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh yeah, and my gosh. Yeah, and it was the coolest thing ever. The funny thing was Glassnow ended up making his major debut the day after me in St Louis as well. He was July 6th. Yeah, the day after me. Do you want to hear something crazy? He replaced me on the roster. I got optioned and he got brought up.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, you know who was in St Louis on St Louis on July 6th. This guy Were you. Yeah, yeah, no way I got called up that day before, would have been up, you know, maybe earlier on, but yeah, I was in St Louis.
Speaker 2:I'll give you $100 if you can name who the catcher was on my major league debut.
Speaker 1:In 2016. Eric.
Speaker 2:Fryer. That's $ bucks for mike. I was gonna say we'll split it fryer man.
Speaker 1:He was his first game with the padres or with the pirates. His first game was my first game was that we met through all the catchers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah in 2011, it was me and him. For a long time, we were in first place and they then they switched it all up. No big deal, no big deal, yeah, he was great.
Speaker 2:He was great, he was my. I had never met him before. He's got like 48 kids too, by the way. I'm not surprised yeah.
Speaker 3:Last name right, friar. Yeah, I mean, he's like a pilgrim.
Speaker 1:Do you remember all the catchers they used Cervelli, fryer, stewart, kratz. Good call, there was more, there was eight, I thought right.
Speaker 2:I should remember more. But honestly, I was only up there. I had three starts that were all spot starts. Fun little story I was telling him the other day. My first three starts were in St Louis get option for three weeks In Milwaukee. Get option for two weeks In Milwaukee, get option for two weeks In Chicago.
Speaker 3:Tell me that's not nuts.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh 16 in Chicago too, 2016,. Monday night against Jake Arrieta on August 28th and it had to be Monday night baseball.
Speaker 1:And it was Monday night baseball. It was national broadcast. Yeah, how do you fare?
Speaker 2:I went like 4.1, gave up two runs, something like that. It wasn't terrible Wow.
Speaker 3:And he said he didn't like facing Arrieta, which I was hitting off of Arrieta.
Speaker 1:What was?
Speaker 2:that, like I couldn't see the ball, I grounded out to him and I was so surprised that I hit the ball. I just swung and I just happened to hit the ball, but you know what's funny, the crossfire. He had a 14-pitch at bat against me. That game. Do you remember that?
Speaker 1:No, 14-pitch at bat.
Speaker 2:Because Cervelli kept calling sliders and then, once we got to 3-2, he kept fouling off fastballs. I think I threw him like eight fastballs in a row and he fouled them off all of them, oh my gosh. And then I finally threw a slider and I struck him out, but you know pitches 10 through 14, all 45,000 people in Wrigley Field were going absolutely wild.
Speaker 1:He ruined your whole day.
Speaker 2:He ruined my whole day. Yeah, he took an inning from me and won it back. Jake Arrieta.
Speaker 1:That's one for you guys to break down one of these days.
Speaker 2:We should.
Speaker 3:We should break that down, that would be fun.
Speaker 1:By the way, you were with the Cardinals then. Yeah, that's why you were up there, yep.
Speaker 3:Because I was. I saw there were some injuries in Pittsburgh and I had an opt-out and I was thinking man, maybe I go back and then I get called up with St Louis. We're playing Pittsburgh. I stayed for a month in St Louis, got two plate appearances, stole Louis. Got two plate appearances, stole your all signs. We won the series and moved on.
Speaker 1:But it was 2011 for you with the Pirates. 11 was my first. Yeah, that's when we had all the injuries. That's when we went through eight catchers that year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that year was another year, at 16, when they had five or six. Yeah, not more.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, in addition to how everything was red, also the first time you're going multi-level stadiums right, obviously it's the biggest stadium you've ever pitched in it just was so big man, it was crazy. First, batter you faced.
Speaker 2:First batter I faced was Matt Carpenter.
Speaker 3:Left-handed hitter.
Speaker 2:He grounded out. You owned him. I owned him In my career. I owned Matt Carpenter. Oh yeah, nice, but I got owned really. Oh yeah, nice, um, but I, uh, I got out of the first inning because matt holiday hit a ball about 180 miles an hour right to the first baseman with a runner on first. He just caught it. Tag first double play sweet uh.
Speaker 2:And then one of my favorite moments, something you don't see very often just a normal routine fly ball to right field and gregory palanco just clanked it. Man era dropped it. So I gave up two runs one of them was unearned uh and my first at bat was against mike leek. He was pitching for the cardinals. How about that two? Great athletes there and he went each other cutter strike one, curveball, strike two and try to go back to our o2 and I got a hit up the middle, your first at bat.
Speaker 1:You tried to go back door 02 and I got hit up the middle. You're first at bat. He tried to back door cut you. He tried to back door cut me 02. And I said no sir, I love it.
Speaker 2:And it was funny because the whole stadium was silent, except there were 17 of my family and friends that were there, and that was how I knew that they were there, because everybody was quiet when I got that hit, you could actually hear them.
Speaker 3:Except 17 people who went. That's awesome. You could hear them in that stadium. That's what's the best part about St Louis. It's like going to a golf event as cool as that stadium is and as great as the fans are. It is high and low.
Speaker 2:It's never like.
Speaker 3:Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1:They're not far away. It gets rowdy. It's never rowdy, it's just a good golf event Polite, very polite 17, by the way.
Speaker 2:How cool is that? Oh, it was great. Friends and family one. So the guy that I was telling you about, they couldn't bring your glove, they couldn't bring my glove. The guy that I was telling you about that just hung out with robbie and smakowski yeah yesterday he was there.
Speaker 2:So one college teammate was there, a bunch of my family, one of my friends that I had. He was my best friend when I was like four years old and his family moved to the St Louis area oh, what are the chances. And so I hadn't talked to him in probably 12 years. He was at my major league debut.
Speaker 1:That had to be cool. Oh, it was super cool.
Speaker 2:I saw him afterwards and I was like Mitchell, dude, it's so good to see you, Mitchell. Yeah, man, it was. It was like, uh, it was a crazy, and some of my best friends were there, you know. I mean, it was just an unbelievable experience.
Speaker 1:Was it after the first batter that you kind of settled in, or the first pitch? Or take an inning or two before you go? Okay, I can breathe.
Speaker 2:It was the first inning End of the first inning is when I settled down.
Speaker 2:I always will say this the first pitch I threw to Matt Carpenter was a fastball right down the middle, strike one. And I could have thrown it in either dugout and I wouldn't have been surprised. I could not feel my body at all, my whole body was just numb. I had so much adrenaline, I was so nervous. It was like 90 degrees and 180% humidity because it was St Louis in July, so I had soaked through my uniform completely already and I was just like I guess I'll just throw the pitch and see where it goes. And it went right down the middle and I was like, oh, all, right, nice, where is the the baseball? Uh, it is at my dad's house. My dad has all of my baseballs. He has my, my first pitch, my first strikeout, which was johnny peralta, which one of my best friends, tre Trevor Williams also his first strikeout, johnny Peralta, that's cool Baseball has a way of doing that, man.
Speaker 3:The baseball circle so cool.
Speaker 2:And then he has my first hit against Mike Leak, my first home run in Colorado and my first and my only complete game Last ball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's got them all. He's got them all. Good for you, I eventually will have them. Yeah, yeah, he's got them all.
Speaker 2:He's got them all. Good for you. I eventually will have them yeah.
Speaker 2:But right now my wife and I are still like decorating our house and so once I get you know I'm making an office and once I finish the office decoration then I'll get the baseballs and put them up in my place, but I'll let my dad. My dad has a bunch of bats that I use throughout my life, including a signed Josh Bell bat, because I used Josh Bell bats in the minor leagues when I first started hitting. He let me use his bats and I ended up using that model for my whole career. Did you really? Yeah, what was the model? Victus 271.
Speaker 3:Oh. Josh Bell used a 271?
Speaker 2:He used to that big lunker of a man he used to. Yeah, wow, a 34-31, 271. Wow yeah.
Speaker 3:So a 271, brownie I mean. You probably know but, like skinny barrel yeah. Yeah, it has a tapered knob. Like no surprise brought back control. Yeah, todd Hilton used a 271. Right, I didn't. Yeah, I think Lumberjack Victus 447. No matter what he would have in his hand, it would look small.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, September 1, 2019, since Sport referred to it. Not only that, home run 441 feet at Coors Field in Denver. Colorado, of all places where you went to school, at Regis University, right outside Denver. The complete game.
Speaker 2:Tell us about the 69 consecutive fastballs to start a game. Uh well, we just played against the rockies and elias diaz is now their catcher. He was my catcher that day. Okay, he was a guy that I played with a lot double, a triple, a coming up. He knew me really well by that time. In the big leagues we didn't even use signs. Most of the time if nobody was on base, we didn't use signs.
Speaker 2:If he wanted a fastball, he would just. He would just go like this with his hand. He would just go like that, because I because I almost never threw fastballs away, I only threw fastballs in pretty much. So if he went like this, it was just he was setting up in and I was throwing, it was a. If it was a righty, I was throwing a fastball in. If it was a lefty, I was throwing a two seamer in, and that was a righty, I was throwing a fastball in. If it was a lefty, I was throwing a two-seamer in, and that was it right. So he would do that Slider, he would usually just tap his glove on the ground, just put it down, get it down here, isn't that cool? And if I threw a changeup which at that time I wasn't throwing many he would just kind of put his glove up like that.
Speaker 2:Oh my it was really cool man, it was a lot of fun and, like we talked about beforehand, I told him and Ray, my pitching coach at the time, ray Searidge I was like, hey, I pitch in Colorado in college and my fastball plays really well here and my slider's terrible, so we're going to really rely on the fastball tonight. I wasn't saying we were going to throw only fastballs, but I didn't shake off Diaz a single time.
Speaker 1:He called fastball every single pitch. How was Ray with that idea, by the way? Oh, he loved it, he loved it. Hey, complete game. Oh yeah, I'm talking about going into the game. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It wasn't a complete game. I will say that I threw seven in. It was 69 straight fastballs which in my mind. It was like I don't know, man. I talked to Bud Black, actually, who is the manager for the Rockies, still is in an airport a little while after that and he told me, man, I was walking up and down that dugout after the third inning. That's great, mother effing my players going, man, he's throwing fastballs.
Speaker 1:Really he's throwing fastballs, yeah, well, what made you or Elias stop throwing it? The 70th pitch, why not a?
Speaker 2:fastball. It was Ian Desmond. He fouled off two fastballs that I think were literally over his head. Like literally I threw them up here and he fouled it off. And so we kind of looked at each other like Enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough, threw a slider. He swung over it, strike three, and he literally laughed Like oh yeah, he's also allowed to throw off speed pitches.
Speaker 1:Did you go back to the fastball then, right away, or no?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you started mixing it. I started mixing a little bit more, but yeah, I stuck with it pretty much.
Speaker 1:That was unbelievable. The way we were counting as it went on, it was fun. It was like a countdown, you know, or count up, and I got to break that game down oh really I told him like how fun that was for me, Because guys talk about it all the time.
Speaker 3:And one thing I can't believe that Colorado didn't draft you one and that you never played there, because everybody that pitches there like you said, I pitched in Coloradoado my fastball plays I. I think there's something to be said about that.
Speaker 2:I'm really surprised that never happened for you. Yeah, I don't know, man, I I think, as I played for the pirates I'm pretty much until my arm went kaput and then I had one more opportunity, yeah, and one more opportunity with the cubs and I was hurt for the first half of the season and then I threw really well for nine innings and then my arm went again. So it was just that, was that was it for me. You know, no, that the next offseason I was throwing lives, the next offseason in Arizona, sitting like 94 95 with the best slider I'd ever had, striking everybody out and nobody would sign me because they knew I was going to get hurt. And so I went and signed an independent ball with the plan to go pitch for a month and get signed. And I didn't even make a start in independent ball because my arm went in my first game out there, like first exhibition game we played.
Speaker 3:Explain that Explain that, like, what do you mean by your arm went? I think that would be really good for fans to understand it because I think I think that'd be really good for.
Speaker 2:so when I was in in 21, uh, in spring training I had signed first year of arbitration and it was the first time that I was I was guaranteed a spot in the rotation. They told me, going in, you got a spot in the rotation. Congratulations, do with it what you will, kind of thing. And uh, and then my like third or fourth start of spring training, I was feeling really good. I I was doing well.
Speaker 2:It was the first inning against the Orioles in spring training and I threw a fastball and I felt my arm. It felt like my tricep cramped, really bad. And then I threw the rest of that inning. I threw the whole next inning but my fastball velocity was down to like 85, 86. And they didn't take me out of the game, which is weird. But so after that inning I told them I couldn't go anymore and I went in and I did tricep tests and they're like, no, your tricep's fine, but that means we have to test your lat. And they did the lat test and I couldn't do anything. So my lat had torn, which is a very rare injury and very bad. And so it became a debate.
Speaker 2:I talked to six different specialists and doctors and three of them said get surgery. Three of them said don't, and it was because the surgery is basically a career ender. So I decided to try to go through with it. I was out for like four months. I ended up coming back that year and then from then on it was about four months of rehab, one month of pitching healthy. Then I'd get hurt. Four months of rehab, one month pitching healthy. It was tough.
Speaker 1:So you said that's what, even though you're throwing hard, they knew that you were going to get hurt. That's why you did get signed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually, I don't know how this worked out, but I actually went through a game against the Padres minor leaguers in the offseason before 23. And I threw three innings and I struck out eight guys and I was throwing 95 miles an hour. You were with the Cubs then no, I was with nobody. Oh oh, it was like a tryout. Oh wow. And everybody was there. Man, like all the scouts, gm was there, everybody was there to watch me throw and I was like that's it, that will get me signed, nothing. Oh, and that's when I mean I can't blame anybody.
Speaker 2:I went out to independent ball. I immediately got hurt and that's why I switched over to position player. I wasn't ready to stop playing yet, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to pitch. So I played as a position player for a whole season in independent ball Outfield, outfield, yep. I hit like 280 with seven home runs. It was really fun. I loved it. That's awesome. Why do you keep playing independent ball? Because I got hurt again. I got hurt two more times during that season as a position player.
Speaker 1:What were those injuries Same, oh really yeah.
Speaker 2:I also, though this is a good one. I missed a week because Dobidas Nevaroskis, former Pirate great, was on my team. He was pitching, I was playing right field in Charleston, the West Virginia Power Stadium, gosh, and he gave up a ball home run ball. I ran up and I robbed it, but my head hit the concrete wall and I was out cold. I got knocked out completely. I'm just on the ground with my arms up. You know like this Ball's still in your glove, though. No, it rolled out slowly.
Speaker 3:But they counted.
Speaker 1:Nope, they didn't count. Oh, no, replay.
Speaker 2:They didn't count it. So then I wake up bleeding from the head and get walked into the training room like uh, what happened? And yeah, so I missed a week for that. But then at the end of the season my wife was out visiting me and I took a swing and my whole lat locked up and I couldn't even extend it.
Speaker 1:Really Same hat.
Speaker 2:Yep, and I knew that was it. I was done Because I want to be able to play catch with my kids, play baseball with my kids, and that wasn't going to happen if I kept going. So it was time to call it quits, and I did.
Speaker 1:Tell us about that 441-foot home run though, what that feeling was like. Who was the pitcher?
Speaker 2:Jesus, Tinoco, yeah you don't forget those.
Speaker 3:No, of course not, he's in the book.
Speaker 2:Okay, here you go. It was 0-1 on a fastball, 0-2 on a fastball, 1-2 on a splitter in the dirt, 2-2 on a splitter in the dirt. So I was like he's 100% throwing a fastball right here. There is no way that he is going to throw another splitter and go 3-2. And so I sat 100% fastball and he threw it right down the middle 95 miles an hour and I could not hit a pitch any better Of all the years you played baseball.
Speaker 1:was there anything like that?
Speaker 2:No, how clean that felt. That was the first no-doubt home run I'd ever hit in my life, and it's in the big leagues, and it's in the big leagues. How cool is that, and I pimped it too.
Speaker 1:I was just going to ask you what did you do?
Speaker 2:My whole life I practiced Everybody practices their pimp job with like Whipple Bats and stuff you did the lay down. And I did the lay down.
Speaker 3:I'll never forget it, I'll never forget it.
Speaker 2:I don't remember, yeah.
Speaker 1:I, oh my gosh, that's so great. It was solo, was it not? Yeah?
Speaker 3:It was almost in the third deck, wasn't it? It was in the second deck, yeah, but just underneath that. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I played there for three years.
Speaker 3:That's a bomb, that's big boy territory, like even in Colorado, because everybody says the ball travels further. Yes, it does, but it's really the big field that matters. Yeah, the fact that he hit it like that, I mean I'm talking Carlos Gonzalez, todd Eldon, I mean you didn't see that a lot.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite things is there was somebody who put out like a stat of major league players who had never hit a ball that far, and there was like a list of a bunch of great players with good power and it was just really funny.
Speaker 1:It made me feel good about myself. What was the reaction in the dugout? Like I got a hard silent treatment. Hard silent treatment who?
Speaker 2:broke it Trevor. Trevor broke it and Clint broke it. But the best part about it was Musgrove and I were. You know we were vying for who was going to hit the first big league homer, because we went to the same high school and we hit together in high school, right. So we always were like who's going to hit the first one? And then he never even got one and he doesn't hit anymore.
Speaker 1:So I got him, I got him.
Speaker 2:He was sitting there at the top of the step throwing sunflower seeds at me.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's so good. We had a bet at the office. Yeah, musgrove took that. Bp showed off. Oh, yeah, it showed off off. So brault would be hitting back sideline drives at bp, musgrove would be teeing off. So yeah, you thought musgrove maybe run into one first, but you got him, I got him. Yeah, you got.
Speaker 1:When he comes in town we'll have to sign a ball to say gotcha yeah right, yeah, yeah, we'll be nice to show it on the uh on the scoreboard when they come to town that's a great idea, that in, yeah, just like you know just actually when they're taking bp yeah, I like, like that, I'm going to ask the scoreboard. Just sneak it in there, just throw it in there.
Speaker 3:The question is is he the last pirate pitcher to hit Homer?
Speaker 2:No, I don't think so. I think somebody did hit one after me, because that was 2019. In 2021, guys still hit, and I think somebody hit one in 21. Okay, but I don't remember. It wasn't Musgrove, though no it wasn't Musgrove who was a better hitter in high school. I mean, he hit for more power, I hit for higher average, you know.
Speaker 1:I was a three-hitter.
Speaker 2:He was a four-hitter. He was an amazing baseball player in high school, was he really? He threw harder than everybody. He hit better than everybody.
Speaker 2:He was incredible really oh yeah, as a junior he was something like 96, 97 miles an hour. Wow yeah, it's crazy. And and that was back when people didn't really do that either. So I mean, he was just, he was unbelievable. He was a junior when I was a senior and our you know championship game, he threw seven shutout innings. He threw a complete game shutout and I went three for four with a single double and a triple and we won seven to zero. That's awesome. It was a good combo.
Speaker 1:By the way, tyler Anderson, I guess, took Marcus Stroman deep. I remember that Just a couple years ago, I do not remember that I didn't remember that either. So that's a good trivia question Catch partner of.
Speaker 2:Brault's Catch partner.
Speaker 3:What.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, really.
Speaker 2:Played catch in the offseason a bunch. Wow. Playing catch with him is the best catch you'll ever play. Why?
Speaker 1:is that he literally?
Speaker 2:hits you in the chest every single time. Really, oh, he doesn't miss.
Speaker 1:Besides you, let's say besides you, and so best pitcher-athlete, best pitcher-athlete In the big leagues.
Speaker 2:Woody Williams Wow.
Speaker 1:That.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 3:No, you've said it before. It's Tyler Glassnow.
Speaker 2:It's Tyler Glassnow. Tyler Glassnow is the best athlete in baseball.
Speaker 3:I would argue that no kidding, he made this argument recently and I couldn't even say a word.
Speaker 2:I watch Tyler Glassnow do the most incredible things. He is the fastest person I've ever met in my life, Right? I don't know if you noticed. His family does decathlons. Did not know that.
Speaker 1:On their way to work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, right yeah yeah, his brother is a decathlete. He does decathlons uh, so is his mom, I believe. And and tyler? I watched tyler. So we would run poles right from one end to the other and it was so easy for him. It was laughable. He was so fast. I watched him do 360 underneath the legs dunks easily in basketball. He had like a 40-inch vertical. Let's see what else. He hit bombs in BP whenever he wanted to. He couldn't really hit in games all that well because his swing was so long, but I believe if he had been a hitter he would have figured it out. It would have been incredible. He's the most amazing athlete I've ever seen in my life, that is something else that's good to know 40-inch vertical.
Speaker 1:That's ridiculous, that's insane. I'm going to have to ask him about this when they come to town. What do you think of Shohei Otani?
Speaker 2:Oh, he's the best, but also, like now, because he's not pitching anymore, he's all of a sudden the best hitter in baseball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And so now the question is like yeah, so the question is like does he pitch again?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I guess he does because he was that good of a pitcher, but like man.
Speaker 1:Wouldn't you wonder how good a pitcher he would be if he just bagged hitting, then Dude, probably the best, best pitcher in baseball yeah, it's, it's remarkable I don't know if we'll ever see anything like it again probably not. Maybe there's a guy at florida.
Speaker 3:That's doing it right now. He's got 22 homers sub one era. Last I looked. But I mean you think about it. He came over here and struggled a little at first, but man oh yeah, I remember that when we were all there was like.
Speaker 2:There was a time when we were all like, ah, he's a bust.
Speaker 3:He's not going to be good. Then he put that foot down early and just said nah, nah, nah nah, nah, nay, nay.
Speaker 1:All right, tell us about the music career and a pitch at Broadway that you performed. You cut an album. I did how that?
Speaker 2:came about Okay. So in 2018, I went up to Clint Hurdle and I asked him if he would be okay with me singing the national anthem before a game, because I did it in the minor leagues and I'd done it in college a bunch of times and it was something I really wanted to do. It was something I, honestly, my grandma rest her soul really wanted me to do. That's cool, and I was like you know what I would love to do it If you would let me, if it'd be okay. And he said yes, he was really cool about it.
Speaker 2:So I talked to the pirates and they set up a time for me and after I sang it, uh, it opened up a lot of doors for me and I I got to talk to a lot of people, do a lot of stuff with the broadway scene that I never thought I'd get to do, and one of them was I got to meet a producer who worked with Bernie Williams when he went into music and Bronson Arroyo when he went into music you know all those guys that did that and we did a Broadway album and I got to work with some incredible musicians.
Speaker 2:We recorded it in LA and San Diego over a few weeks in the off season of 2018 to 2019, I believe, and I mean it was, it was super cool, but and then I put that out and then that opened up some other opportunities where, you know, I got to sing with the Pittsburgh symphony orchestra at Heinz hall. I, I love music, I love singing. It'll always be a passion of mine, but I don't know if I could do it as a job. You know, now that I've gotten here, I think it's more of a.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I could do it as a job. You know, now that I've gotten here, I think it's more of something I love, a passion. It's really a fun hobby, but you don't dabble in it. It's professional is what you did, so you don't really do that much anymore.
Speaker 2:No, maybe I'll get more into it.
Speaker 1:What about doing like gigs?
Speaker 2:around town. Oh, I would love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, would you do that? Oh, yes, you Would you do that? Oh, yes, you have not yet Hit me up. Yeah, but that will happen. There are a lot of great areas in Pittsburgh. Oh, yeah, yeah, local bands and stuff.
Speaker 2:It was a. You know it started with when I was in middle school. I did musicals. When I was in high school I was in a rock band with some of my great buddies and we got to perform a lot of places. We were pretty good and I just kept it going, found out I was a better singer than an actor. So I started to focus more on the vocal performance, which is what I studied in college, instead of, you know, acting. And uh, when I did that, that thing with Broadway, it was like, you know, maybe this is something I could do. But I decided after I was going to be finished playing baseball. I don't really want to go to the bottom and work my way up again, you know, because it's just as hard to make it in music as it is in baseball, right? So I didn't necessarily want to start that whole process over. So maybe it's something that, as time goes on, I'll definitely do as a hobby, absolutely, in the off seasons I still play piano and sing.
Speaker 1:You do, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you take formal piano lessons or do you play by ear? I know piano well enough to play chords to accompany myself singing.
Speaker 3:That's basically it, Real quick. If you had to pick a genre, what would you pick? You said you did rock with your boys in high school. What would you pick now? Would you do Ronon burgundy style jazz flute?
Speaker 2:what would you do, no, I would do blues rock. Blues rock would be is my favorite comparison for fans that may. I love music like uh, the black keys, uh, or you know, I mean there's, it's. It's kind of hard to because I don't want to go full blues you know You'd be a hybrid.
Speaker 3:There's no way you wouldn't be. Yeah, I'd be a hybrid.
Speaker 2:But the Black Keys would be like the number one influence. I love that type of music where it's still improvised and it's kind of like a jam kind of feel, but it's got the rock with the distortion and everything along with it. That's where my niche is at I like it.
Speaker 3:I like it.
Speaker 2:Because then I can sing weird and raspy and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:I like doing that. That's cool. Do you have a favorite go-to song whether it's an old musical song To sing? Yeah, if somebody said hey, stevie Wonder, steve.
Speaker 2:Warner, just really stuff by Stevie Wonder.
Speaker 1:Oh, stevie Wonder, yeah, yeah, yeah, I have a high-pitched voice like him. It plays well with your. It plays well with your, yeah. Did you decide that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you match the rhythm and that's how you kind of decide that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, like I was a tenor in music, which means you're the guy who sings highest, you know. So really, in rock music most guys are tenors. You're really not going to find any baritones or anything like that. Like Elvis was a baritone, right. So that's the kind of I could sing that. But it's not quite as adventurous and fun. There's no like risk of your voice cracking and you sounding like an idiot, you know. So it's just not as fun, you know what I mean. You like the risk, I like the risk.
Speaker 1:I love it. Where do you think you get your self-confidence? Did you always have it, even as a young kid?
Speaker 2:Or or did you? Yeah, I think so. You really did. I think so. Yeah, I think I made. My dad instilled it in us that you know it was like if you do something, no matter what it is, you have to put 100 percent into it because no matter what your name is going to be on it, right? And he taught me this from mowing the lawn. One time I mowed the lawn but I didn't edge. You know the outside of the grass that amazing. And he was like I know that you did this and you did a bad job.
Speaker 2:You're okay with me knowing you did a bad job oh, that's and that was it really flipped the switch in me where it was like no, I'm not okay with that, because even though it's something I don't enjoy doing, I don't want somebody to think that I'm not good at it, you know what I mean and so I always put a 100% in everything I did, and I think with that comes confidence, and also confidence to fail I think comes from baseball.
Speaker 1:You know one of the things.
Speaker 2:I love about baseball is that you learn from a very young age that you're going to fail most of the time, and so it teaches you that even when you fail, you can learn from that, you can get better. You know you can progress even though it seems like it's really bad at the time, and so I think baseball has taught me a lot of that too. But also, like you know, we are who we are when I was a kid. Still now, my most of my best friends are super nerds. We game, we play, we talk about pokemon and we talk about you know whatever nerd. Lord of the rings is my favorite movie series.
Speaker 3:That's great.
Speaker 2:It's like I'm me and I'm confident in being me, and I think my family distilled that in me when I was a kid and something you'll respect being with him over the last month and a half.
Speaker 3:His work is impeccable. He's prepared every single day. You really don't know what to be prepared for it a lot of times on light TV. So right If it is like. I mean just just his notes, the way he does it. It it has rhythm, it has reason and it's really really good Thanks man.
Speaker 3:We talk yeah, really it's awesome, but we talk about it really, guy, the one thing that makes anybody who they are in this industry is their prep, especially when it comes to announcing everything else. But, like, that's been fun to watch, thanks yeah, so you'd really.
Speaker 1:What made you get into that? By the way, have you always wanted to be on always, always and on tv, yeah, I mean not just radio I love radio too, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:I would love to do radio as well, um, but there's something about narrating the game that this is why I've always wanted to be play-by-play. I love color, I love doing the studio analyst, but my dream is to do play-by-play, because the idea of narrating the game. I'm so jealous of you. I have a question for you, by the way.
Speaker 1:I'm jealous of you pitching in Colorado and putting home runs in Colorado and 421 put home runs.
Speaker 2:It was a always, when I was a kid, I would watch baseball and my favorite part was the announcers talking through it and explaining what was going on and talking about the game and little things that happened, you know. I just think that's so cool and kind of getting to narrate what's going on. Being the narrator has always seemed really appealing to me. But now here's my question for you Do you have like a call that you're really proud of that you think you absolutely nailed?
Speaker 1:That's so funny. You say that because nobody asked me that, nobody asked it that way. Yeah because nobody it's so funny.
Speaker 2:You say that Because people are weird about making people brag Brag about yourself.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, it's not even bragging?
Speaker 2:It really isn't. He hates, no, no, no, he hates. It's not even bragging.
Speaker 1:It's just. There was a game I think it was opening day. I don't know what year it was. I don't know what team it was.
Speaker 3:It was like At PNC.
Speaker 1:Park no, that was at.
Speaker 2:Wrigley, I think Did you do it twice.
Speaker 3:You did it twice.
Speaker 1:I think that was at Wrigley, I think it was the Twins, but anyway, the point of the story is this it was a walk-off home run and I think it was the bottom of the 10th at PNC Park, but going into extra innings and bob walk was on the radio with me and as walker's coming to the plate, we had talked about for some reason, we had been discussing old time calls and how they would talk about extra innings, and so so we got into bob prince, who was the hall of fame broadcaster for the pirates, nicknamed the gunner, and at one point bob said something about what would the gunner talk about? Well, we need a bloop and a blast or something to that effect. Just then, walker, there's a fly ball to right field, you can kiss it goodbye. And that's all I did and no one ever like I mean I'm sure some people realize the tie-in that was Bob Prince's home run call you can kiss it goodbye.
Speaker 1:I didn't call, I didn't do it like the gutter. He had the gravelly voice, right, that's how he used to do it and I said drive the right field, you can kiss it goodbye. And laid out, and the place went crazy opening day and I thought to myself in my mind. I thought that's the best call I've ever had subtle. So anyway, long story that's great.
Speaker 3:Yeah, was that, just like in the moment it was just the timing.
Speaker 1:It was so perfect because we've just been talking about.
Speaker 3:You could have been thinking about that.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, you're not because I mean, just that's the great thing about baseball is you guys know better than anybody but that the timing, the, the when, when things go right, whether you're on the mound, whether you're behind the microphone, whether you're up at the hub, and just everything flows everything, and it just so happened we're talking about it. He hits the ball and of course I knew the gunner's call was you can kiss it goodbye, and just the timing worked out, that's great. So you would still love to do play-by-play.
Speaker 2:Is that kind of your ultimate? That's, the ultimate goal for me is play-by-play yeah.
Speaker 1:I think I've talked to Fort about this. Do you know Jeff Brantley at all? Not personally.
Speaker 1:He was a former closer in the big leagues and the Cincinnati Reds. I think he does color some, but you're the first person I've heard since him. Years ago, when he first got into the business, I was talking to him after a game. We were in Cincinnati and we're walking us to the elevator and I'm talking about how he got into it. I said you're doing play-by-play. Now he goes. Yeah, as a matter of fact, I wanted to be a play-by-play announcer way more than a baseball player, and he went to the All-Star game one year I think it might have been in St Louis and he said I wasn't looking for all the other all-star players. He was a pretty young player in his career but I wasn't looking for other all-star players to meet up with him and say I was looking for Jack Buck the broadcaster. I couldn't wait to meet Jack Buck. So it's interesting that you've got that want to and you did a little play-by-play in spring training. I did, yeah, did you like it? I loved it? Yeah, did that give you?
Speaker 2:the taste that you wanted to do it. It gave me the taste it did. It was really cool because you know it was Joe and Bob and I and the best part about that day was it was in Lakeland, we were playing against the Tigers and Bob picked me up from my hotel it was like an hour and a half drive and we drove up together. So I got an hour and a half just bob and I talking about broadcasting and preparing and all that stuff and then we called the game. I did color most of the game and to the point where it made me feel really good because both bob and joe left during the game at some point just gave us like one or two inches just the other two of us okay and so when joe was gone, I did play by play with bob doing.
Speaker 2:I see, and we, you know, it was really fun. And then afterwards Joe got in the car with us and we took the long way home and it was like an hour 45 minute drive through the countryside of Florida, just the three of us talking about preparing and that's you know. And Joe taught me how he prepares, you know, in getting players and keeping everything so that you can look back on it. And I've taken that and I've ran with it, so I have game notes for every game the Pirates have played this season in a folder on my computer. It's actually on the cloud so that it's definitely not going to get lost.
Speaker 1:It's not going anywhere and not like your glove Exactly.
Speaker 2:And so now I can look back on it, you know, and I can use that experience and all the notes that I've taken on players. I won't I won't have to go find them somewhere else, you know, I won't have to go lose it and find it somewhere else and it's been really helpful already. So I mean, I feel like in my first month and a half that I've been doing this, I've gotten so much experience and learn so much from you and from Joe and from Bob and from you, because we so much experience and learn so much from you and from Joe and from Bob and from you because we talked before I even got here on the phone you know, and just like all these conversations that have really been helpful and I've developed some incredible connections.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean, when it comes down to it, my, my dream is to be able to. I want to be there along with the big moments. You know what I mean. Like, I love doing the analysis of games, I love talking about the game before and after the fact, but I want to be along for the ride while it's happening. That's my dream, and to be able to narrate it to a point where people can, you know, feel good about it. I remember Ted Leitner and Jerry Coleman growing up in San Diego, right, I remember listening to their voices and thinking like this is baseball For me. Joe Buck is playoff baseball. You know, those are the voices that I attached to all that and I want to be one of those voices for somebody else. That's kind of the way I think about it.
Speaker 1:You won't be like Jerry Coleman saying things like I've got Kevin Fulkers is throwing up in the bullpen yeah, he's throwing up in the bullpen, let's see, you can hang a star on that baby.
Speaker 2:You can hang a star on that one.
Speaker 1:There's a fly ball to center field and Northrop goes. Oh, he bangs his head up against the wall and it's rolling back to the infield. Yeah, that's so funny.
Speaker 2:You know that, call, he's got a lot of them. Yeah. I'm lot of them, yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure, I will, you know hopefully have a long career.
Speaker 1:Those are. That's the fun part exactly, and I talked about that. There's a door in check. Our radio engineer has a recording of he's kept it and I. We got to play it sometime of the bloopers because they're hilarious some of the mistakes we've made over the years, doing that with us over oh yeah, yeah, because, yeah we have a lot of fun. Well, we have plenty tattoos. We've got plenty of it too. What was the first tattoo and why?
Speaker 2:The first tattoo is actually on my chest. It's basically like this, but it's on my chest, and I got it for multiple reasons. One I always wanted tattoos, but my parents would not pay for them. I love this. So as soon as I signed, it was like I have my own money now. So I got a tattoo on my chest. And then I also got it on my chest just in case I hated it, so that I could hide it.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's good, that's a good call.
Speaker 2:I remember the first time when I this was the first forearm tattoo I got and I remember as soon as he started putting the ink to skin, I was panicking dude. I was like I I'm never gonna be able to hide this unless I wear a long sleeve shirt. And luckily, times have changed where it doesn't really matter anymore, you know, but um, I always, you know, I always wanted tattoos and I I didn't want any meeting with them, I wanted just to be art on my, there's no meaning at all, there's no meaning oh, just how did it come to be like you walk in?
Speaker 3:so I love this process.
Speaker 2:I walked in so I found a guy online, uh, and I liked he did geometric shapes and so I went to him to do, you know, this stuff. And then I basically was like I want something really colorful on this side, since we're going black and gray on this side. And he suggested the fish scales and we could just do a rainbow fish scale design and do as much color as we could. And so we did that. And then I have traditional japanese going up on my shoulder and on my chest and it's just. I always just wanted the designs. I am going to get a leg sleeve over time. That's just going to be a bunch of random tattoos of stuff I like, um, so I guess those will have meaning, but not real meaning. It'll be like, you know, mario and then like Zelda and then some Lord of the Rings stuff and then stuff like that. My nerdy leg It'll be my nerdy leg.
Speaker 1:Nerdy leg. I like that. I like that. Is that how you get squid? What's squid from?
Speaker 2:Squid is from Stan Kiles, stan Kiles was a. Aaa pitching coach when I was there who, by the way, is one of my favorite pitching coaches. I've ever had Nevered mechanics, only coached mindset. Really, really, really great coach. Um, why did? You like that so much because once you get to that level, how much how much more?
Speaker 2:mechanics. Do you really need you know? Like you, you know how you throw. So now it's about how do you actually get people out. So he didn't believe in trying to change mechanics and stuff unless something was glaringly wrong, but most of it it was just mindset and how to attack hitters and stuff like that, uh. But he told me that growing up. Uh, they would, he would. You know the kids he grew up in chicago and when they thought somebody was annoying they would call him squid oh my god, and that's how you got it yeah.
Speaker 2:And then he told me he's like I just want you to know that whenever I call anybody else squid now, it means they're acting like you. But what were you doing to annoy him? I talked a lot, man. We had a great relationship. That's great. We had an awesome, really close relationship. I still talk to him every now and then, but you know, it was just. It was something that you know he was like. He was like my, my baseball dad.
Speaker 2:You know, when I spent so much time in AAA, understand Kyle's and learn so much from him and we got really close. But really all we do is talk crap to each other all the time. You know that's how two guys bond right, there's no doubt.
Speaker 3:Exactly, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So all we would do was just, you know, ironically butt heads all the time. And so, you know, there was a time that, now that I'm retired, I can say this when I, you know, I had to throw a bullpen on an off day. And then we were, you know, and we were in Indianapolis and I had gone out the night before, you know, and I was a little hungover and I threw a bullpen in just shorts because there was nobody else in the field. So I was just wearing cleats and shorts, shirtless, no hat, nothing like that. And Stan came up to me and he goes hey, you know, I'm going to have to videotape this and send this to the Pirates, right? And I was like, but do you, Stan? And he's like, yeah, and so he videotaped it.
Speaker 3:And as far as I know sent it to the Pirates. We need to find that film. Nobody said anything about it.
Speaker 1:You didn't hear back, wow.
Speaker 2:One of the best bullpens I've ever thrown. Wow, it was crisp.
Speaker 1:Really, it was really good. Well, that wasn't because of what you were wearing, it was because of how you felt.
Speaker 2:Yeah, probably.
Speaker 3:He was free that day. Yeah, exactly that mindset was in play.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2:So I mean, I just love Stan.
Speaker 1:He taught me a lot. Why is it special someplace special? Do you think that's one of the things, the theme that we have here on Hold? My Cutter people always seem to somehow find a way to migrate back to this great area.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what. When I was growing up, we went to PNC Park when I was a kid, when I was 12. We drove through here to watch the Padres play against the Pirates and it was like one of the first years of PNC Park. You know, it was like one of the first years of PNC Park. It was very new and it was immediately my mom's favorite stadium. She immediately fell in love with it and I'll never forget.
Speaker 3:Ryan Klesko was playing for the Padres at the time and he tossed his batting gloves. Man, I haven't heard that name in a while, I know right.
Speaker 2:He tossed his batting gloves out to me and the guy next to me stole them from me.
Speaker 3:Bad experiences Bad human beings, bad experiences. Bad human being bad.
Speaker 2:you're a kid again, right yeah, she got a ball taken away. They hit you with Tony, yeah, golly, uh. But but I mean I just fell in love with it then. And then when I got drafted, so you know, and then I was playing for the Orioles, I traded the Pirates. Like I said, it wasn't a team I knew anything about and I, you know, I went to, I came to Pittsburgh the first time to to actually be here, and I just fell in love with it. Man, it's just a feeling of home. It was a feeling of home like pretty much immediately.
Speaker 2:I love the people here, I love the passion for the sports teams here. I love one of my favorite things about Pittsburgh, and my wife's favorite thing too, is that all the teams are black and gold and so, no matter what team you're wearing, you're always wearing a Pittsburgh team's colors, and I think that's really, really cool and I cannot believe that more places don't do that. Right, it's crazy to me, now that I've experienced it, it seems so obvious. Yeah, you know, yeah, but since I got to live here for you know, five seasons, I just fell in love with it.
Speaker 2:I lived in Lawrenceville, I spent most of my time in downtown, but I drove around everywhere. Now I'm living up in Cranberry. I just love everything about this city. It feels like my second home. It really does, and I don't know. It just seemed like everybody was very welcoming to me when I was here, and they're even more welcoming now that I'm back and I couldn't be happier to be here. I don't know, it's just. There's nothing really specific about it that I would say is the reason. It's just. I have a very good feeling of home when I'm here.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like the fans embraced you rather quickly?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, the fans here are awesome and they make it so much more fun because they care so much. I get that sometimes it's hard and sometimes baseball's tough and we weren't good when I was here. That's just the truth and I understand all of that. I wish I could have been here in 13, 14, and 15 when the team was crazy and the stands were rocking all the time, but none of that stuff ever fazed me because I knew when I went to you know a restaurant or something here and people would just walk up to you and not they're not weird, they're not crazy, they just hey, I'm a really big fan and I really enjoy watching you pitch and you know stuff like that.
Speaker 2:They have some specific memory. You know you signed a ball for my kid. You know you signed a ball for my kid, you know, two years ago, and that really means a lot to us and and they remember that stuff and to me that's that's that camaraderie that you get with the city when you play here. That is unusual and not common for other cities.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And the longer you're here, what is it? Six years, five years. We talked about five years.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you it what?
Speaker 3:is it six years?
Speaker 1:five years.
Speaker 3:We talked about it Five years, five years. I'm telling you. It's like it encapsulates you in a different way, because I felt the same way. I knew nothing about Pittsburgh except Barry Bonds. Because I loved Barry Bonds as a kid, I knew he played here. That's about it. So I showed up and I'm like there's a lot of bridges, oh, so many bridges? Yeah, so many bridges, but yeah, you walk in that stadium. You're like whoa, like this is way, way cooler than I could have ever imagined and it is the prettiest stadium.
Speaker 2:By far. It is, there's no question, and San Diego is pretty, but there's nothing like PNC. It's not PNC.
Speaker 3:And it's been cool to see some fans come up and brace him. They have his jersey on. That's when you know it means more. That's right, and a lot of times you you see guys like yeah, but like with him, you see, it lights up. He cares about the fans, he cares about the city and he wants that. He wants what we want browning. Yeah, he wants winning baseball more than most. Right, and that's really cool to see and I'm lucky to work with him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hey, as a niche guy.
Speaker 2:If I see a guy wearing my jersey, that's a fan right there. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like that's and a great thing also what's your favorite podcast? Uh, hold my cutter, thank you, and with that we thank steven bro on hold my cutter, join us next time.