The Introduction

Subscriber-only episode

Ever wondered what it takes to turn a lifelong passion for baseball into a podcast? Today, we're taking you behind the scenes at the Three Crows studio in Dandridge, Tennessee, where Dallas Danger and Brian Logan dive into the rollercoaster world of the Dodgers-Cubs series. Dallas is over the moon about the Dodgers’ stellar performance, while Brian vents his frustration over the Cubs' pitching woes and base-running blunders. We dissect the Cubs' rebuilding process, spotlighting rising stars like Nico Horner and Say Suzuki, and discuss what it will take for the Cubs to regain their former glory. Plus, would you trade a million dollars for your team never winning a championship again? We weigh the emotional stakes of being a diehard fan.

From failed baseball dreams to a wrestling contract, our journey has been anything but ordinary. Growing up in West Virginia with no home MLB team, WGN became our gateway to a lifelong Cubs fandom, even while practicing curveballs and wrestling moves. We take a nostalgic trip back to the 1998 home run race and its rejuvenating impact on baseball after the strike. From the rigorous practice routines imposed by our fathers to the thrill of discovering baseball and wrestling on TV, we share how these experiences shaped our love for the game and led us to where we are today.

As we shift gears, we take a closer look at the current state of the Los Angeles Angels and the impact Shohei Ohtani is having on the team and the sport. What's the deal with umpire ego in MLB? We discuss Madison Bumgarner's controversial ejection and the growing calls for automated strike zones. Celebrating Rowdy Tellez's recent accolades, we reminisce about memorable solo baseball game experiences and the serendipitous story of how our paths crossed through professional wrestling. Finally, we invite you to journey with us from our wrestling roots to launching a baseball podcast, while also sharing our excitement for future episodes and the classic games that reignite our passion for baseball. Join us, and let's keep the conversation—and the love for baseball—alive!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:20

Hello everybody, welcome inside the Three Crows studio here in beautiful Dandridge, tennessee. This is Two Guys Talking Baseball. I am Dallas Danger, of course, along with my friend and colleague Brian Logan. And Brian, we're still on speaking terms Barely.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Just barely, we're on speaking terms. Barely we're on speaking terms.

Speaker 1: 0:43

I'm referring, of course, to the fact that my Dodgers well showed up in Chicago and Brian's Cubs maybe not so much over the weekend.

Speaker 2: 0:54

It was a tough weekend. It was hard to watch.

Speaker 1: 0:58

That depends on your perspective.

Speaker 2: 1:00

I enjoyed Friday.

Speaker 1: 1:01

Saturday and Sunday myself.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Well, we had a couple of issues. You know, nico Horner had a bad outing. He made a little mistake there. That was, you know, one of the things that led to the morale, and it just wasn't the outcome I was hoping for.

Speaker 1: 1:22

Yeah, and if it makes you feel any better, we were both wrong, I mean, I think we both thought it was going to be a split series, no matter which way it went. Yeah, you know, I just I'm starting to think that maybe this Cubs team is not as competitive as I anticipated. I mean, I really thought, you know, I don't think anyone has thought this crew was going to win the division, or even necessarily break that top two of the Brewers and the Cardinals.

Speaker 1: 1:53

But you know, I thought this Cubs team I still kind of think they have a little bit more to them than they've shown so far. And you know, I think over the weekend the pitching for the Cubs just wasn't there. I mean, you know the Dodgers are tough. That lineup is relentless, and if you're not putting your best arms out there and they're not, you know, performing, you're going to have a rough day.

Speaker 2: 2:22

I mean absolutely. The pitchers did not live up to their best expectations. That's disappointing. I mean it's a rebuilding year, but the Cubs, every year is a rebuilding year. So you know, when does that excuse stop being an excuse? We just didn't play well. We didn't play well at all.

Speaker 1: 2:42

Yeah, and you alluded to some of the mistakes on the base paths.

Speaker 2: 2:48

You're not going to beat the.

Speaker 1: 2:49

Dodgers, you know when your pitching staff is underperforming and you're making those mistakes.

Speaker 1: 2:56

But you know it's got to be tough to be a Cubs fan right now. You know you're looking. A year ago you still had the core of the group that broke the curse and brought it home in 2016. And now you're kind of looking around, you know. I mean, even Brian, your wife Ashley, is kind of watching the games going. I don't know who any of these guys are yet.

Speaker 1: 3:19

You know this is a whole new crop of guys and there's, you know, there's some good pieces there. There's some good pieces there. There's some exciting players there, but I don't know. I mean, I guess if he pans out the way that they think he's going to say a Suzuki is a guy you can build around. You've still got Kyle Hendricks kind of as your anchor with your starting rotation. There are pieces there. I like a lot of the guys the Cubs have brought in Nick Madrigal, clint, frazier, jonathan Villar. These are guys that can really help a ball club. You've got to have some star power. You've got to have the one or two guys that you look to and say when they're on, we're on. When they're up to snuff, when they're playing their best, we're winning ballgames. And I don't know who those guys are for the Chicago Cubs right now.

Speaker 2: 4:11

Well also, I mean, we need a team leader. We've got a bunch of young guys who are there and are comprising the team and they're working well with each other, despite the outcomes that they're getting, but someone needs to step up and say you know, I'm the leader here and I'm going to motivate these guys to play as a better unit.

Speaker 1: 4:31

Yeah, I think Wilson Contreras can be that type of guy. You know, I think he's got it in him. I don't think he's ever been asked to be that guy before, so it might be an adjustment for him. But he's got to be in the same boat looking around going. Man, this is a totally new batch of guys, so you know, the Cubs might be a couple years away, but I'm optimistic for you, man. I really think there's something there I think David Ross has turned into a fine manager, and you know, I don't think it's going to be, you know, 100 more years before the Cubs get another one.

Speaker 2: 5:10

Well, I hope it's not going to be 100 more years, because I'm not going to make it that long. I'd like to see another one in my lifetime. Can you imagine that all the people that didn't see one, that if they you get to see two in your lifetime? I can't even imagine?

Speaker 1: 5:23

I mean that would just be amazing. I saw a post the other day that basically said you're offered a million dollars, but your team can never win a championship in your lifetime. Would you take the money and I'm sitting here going. I got to see the Dodgers get one and 2020 was pretty unusual circumstances, so I didn't miss an inning of the entire season. Dodgers win it all. Hmm that's a lot of money. I don't know, I kind of want to see another one.

Speaker 2: 5:56

It's hard, you know. It's hard to think that you're not going to see your team win a championship in your lifetime.

Speaker 1: 6:03

That's tough to think about, you know.

Speaker 2: 6:06

Yeah, I don't know. I mean I don't know if we take that money, I mean that would be a hard decision, a real hard decision.

Speaker 1: 6:14

We could do a whole hour podcast probably on what goes into the thought process of making that decision.

Speaker 2: 6:21

We could open our own league, a highly successful independent league.

Speaker 1: 6:27

This isn't the first time. Brian has pitched me starting a baseball league.

Speaker 2: 6:31

He wanted us to start our own little league a month or so ago. Well, they said get a junior home, run derby. And we looked into sponsoring that and come to find out you have to have a league. Well, I was like looks like we're going to have to start a league.

Speaker 1: 6:48

So coming soon the 2GTB official junior home run derby. But yeah, we're still on speaking terms. Everything's gravy. We both understood, I think, going into the series, what that might entail. Good for me, not so good for Brian. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.

Speaker 2: 7:15

Sometimes it rains.

Speaker 1: 7:17

All right. Well, let's get things started with our segment. We like to kick things off with, so to speak, that's who you rep in and what we do each and every week, especially if you're on the video stream with us and you can see us. We like to bring our A-game with our shirts and jerseys and caps and such, and tell you exactly who we're repping and a little bit about our, our uh, attire our apparel, if you will. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna start things off.

Speaker 1: 7:51

Um, you know the t-shirt I went. You know I need to do laundry so I didn't have a lot to choose from. But I got my nice milwaukee beers shirt on from the movie basketball, which b Brian told me earlier he has never seen. We'll have to rectify that at some point. Great comedy, I guess it's baseball-ish. It's not really a baseball movie, but there are baseball themes in it and it's a laugher. And so I'm repping the Milwaukee beers on the t-shirt Shout out to Super 70 Sports.

Speaker 1: 8:22

Great Twitter follow. It also has a pretty cool t-shirt store as well, keeping me looking good and repping the beers. Today my cap is a little bit more important. It's the Johnson City Doughboys of the Collegiate Summer Woodbat Appalachian League. It's my home team.

Speaker 1: 8:42

I live in Johnson City, Tennessee, and I've been going to games at TVA Credit Union Ballpark for a few years now, ever since I moved to Johnson City. We'll talk a little bit later about what going to games has meant to me over the last few years, but Johnson City Doughboys is really my first home team. I grew up kind of in the middle of all the action in the Appie League but we didn't have a hometown team. So I kind of started going to games elsewhere and traveling to do so, and then when I moved to Johnson City, I was so excited because I was like man, I have a home team, I can see a game in my own hometown, you know, anytime I want during the summer. So I'm always trying to rep the Doughboys and shout out to everyone there. They do a great job If you're ever around and you want a great time at the ballpark. Great food options, plenty of diversity in the beer options as well, which I appreciate as a craft beer lover, but that's who I'm repping today. Brian, you are looking extra today.

Speaker 2: 9:49

Well, I am repping my Brewster Millions Monty Brewster, richard Pryor, jersey, if you can take a look at that right there, as you see from the movie Brewster's Million, which is a classic 80s baseball and comedy flick, yeah which I've never seen.

Speaker 1: 10:10

We didn't plan on repping movies that the other one hadn't seen. It just sort of happened. So we're going to have to have a movie night and again rectify the situation.

Speaker 2: 10:21

And then also I have my Tennessee Smokies batting practice. Alternative wear cap on tonight.

Speaker 1: 10:29

Yeah, it looks really good. I was just commenting, before we hit record, how nice that cap looks. We talked last week. If you haven't heard or seen that episode yet, it was episode zero. We really weren't planning on anybody hearing it, but we liked what we came out with, so we went ahead and posted it for everyone. So if you've not checked that out yet, please do wherever you enjoy your podcasts or at 2gtbcom. But we alluded to the fact that Brian part of the reason he moved here to Dandridge is because of the close proximity to the Smokies ballpark. But without further ado, let's take a look at the lineup for today.

Speaker 1: 11:09

This is what we're going to be talking about today we're really, for the most part, we're going to be talking about ourselves, kind of introducing ourselves to all you great listeners and viewers if you're on YouTube with us.

Speaker 1: 11:20

So we're going to be leading off with Life of Brian. We're going to talk about Brian and what he's been doing the last oh, I don't know 27 years or so, and what baseball means to him. Then we're going to come at you second with some quick hits. These are some things that are going on in the world of baseball that we couldn't stretch into whole sort of long-winded segments, so we're just going to rapid fire some things Got a lot going on in the world of baseball, especially here in the States.

Speaker 1: 11:49

Then, going through the Big D, I'm going to talk about myself, what I've been doing with my life and then what baseball means to me and kind of how I became a fan and all that good stuff. And then when Harry met Dally, we're going to tell you how we we being myself and tell you how we we being myself and Brian, how we met and what kind of led us to starting two guys talking baseball. So we're really excited to kind of share our stories with all of you. And I guess with that, brian, let's talk a little bit about the crazy world you've been a part of the last 27 years.

Speaker 2: 12:27

Well, I come from a professional wrestling world background. I've spent 27 years on the professional wrestling circuit and I've wrestled for all the major companies WCW, wwe, ecw, briefly in the Caribbean, also in Canada. I've been there, I've seen it, I've done it in the world of professional wrestling.

Speaker 1: 12:52

Yeah, got your start in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, which some people might be familiar with a short-lived promotion here, based out of the Knoxville area run by Jim Cornette. So yeah, it's just wild that we're kind of shifting gears here, which we'll get into later. But you know, talk a little bit about your accolades. I know it's kind of weird to talk about yourself, but you know you've held some prestigious championships and you've had a hand in the careers of some people that that, even if you're watching or listening, you're not really into pro wrestling you you might have heard of well, uh, I started in 1993 and I've held uh 27 championships.

Speaker 2: 13:38

That equals out to one a year, even though they all didn't happen like one a year they were multiple in a year but probably the most well-known as being the AWA American Wrestling Association world heavyweight champion. I did that in 2009, and that's what most people know me from, but they may also know me as when I was Disciple Damien in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where I was the in-ring trainer of guys such as Brock Lesnar, randy Orton and John Cena.

Speaker 1: 14:14

Yeah, not to mention Dave Bautista in there as well and countless others that came through the sort of the it's funny sort of the minor leagues at the time for wwe you were.

Speaker 1: 14:27

You were one of the guys you were kind of the crash davis down there. You were kind of bringing along the the big money superstar guys that were eventually going to get to the show, kind of waiting on your turn. That, uh, unfortunately never paid out for you, but but nothing to sneeze at, definitely something to be proud of, I would say. So let's go back a little bit further, brian. Kind of walk me through how you first got into the game of baseball.

Speaker 2: 15:00

Well, like many others, I started playing Little League when I could the youngest that I could play, and I played baseball throughout what they called minor league of Little League. And then there was Little League and then senior league, which was Babe Ruth ball, and I played every year. I loved it. It was my main sport. I wasn't a football guy at that point. Baseball was my life. And then I ended up going to Alderson Broaddus College to play a little bit of ball there and that's when I ended up getting my wrestling contract.

Speaker 1: 15:40

Yeah, you've kind of told me that had the wrestling opportunity not been there, you might have pursued baseball a little bit further a major flaw.

Speaker 2: 16:06

I played pretty well. I was pretty good defensively, I had a pretty good arm. I never was a pitcher but I had a strong arm and you know, playing in a little league is far different than playing in college and more serious ball. So the fact that I couldn't hit a curveball, I could get away with that in senior league but you know, the next year I couldn't get away with that.

Speaker 1: 16:27

Yeah, that'll put you out of the game pretty quickly if you can't hit the breaking stuff nasty breaking stuff, the further up you get through the ranks there. Well, you know we talked a lot last week and we've already, you know, talked this week a little bit about your diehard Cubs fandom. The entirety of the time I've known you, when the season's going on you're watching the Cubs every day.

Speaker 1: 16:57

So kind of talk about. It's funny, and I've never gotten to the bottom of this, but it seems like a lot of people in West Virginia, where you grew up, are Cubs fans, and I don't know if your story is the same as other people's or what, but kind of talk about how you became such a big fan of the Chicago Cubs.

Speaker 2: 17:17

Well, it was WGN. When you got home from school it had GI Joe Transformers and then either AWA Championship Wrestling or the ball game, or wrestling then the ball game. So you had the Cubs were right there almost every day back then because it was a superstation and it was able to pump into more homes and it was one of the three teams that played almost every day, the other two being the Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, because West Virginia is classically Cincinnati Reds territory but a lot of people watch the players on the Cubs because of the availability of the channel.

Speaker 1: 18:05

Yeah, you know, and I actually, growing up, watched a lot of Cubs games too for the same reason, because at the time they were with WGN and you know the Superstation sort of broadcasting those games nationwide. You know some of my greatest memories as a kid or as a preteen teenager watching baseball was those WGN in 1998, you know getting kind of that front row seat to that home run race.

Speaker 1: 18:38

You know, and with the Cubs and Cardinals being in the same division, not only did you get to see Sammy Sosa play every day, but a lot of Mark McGuire through that whole thing and you know those two in the same games. You know so many times that year I mean that was just such a crucial year. You know, say what you want about what we know now that we didn't know then, but you know I'll go ahead and say it. I'm a big believer that some of those guys from the quote unquote steroid era should be in the hall of fame. Because without that 1998 season, who knows what baseball would look like in this country now? Because you know coming off the 94 strike and you know baseball being sort of the last thing on everybody's mind, that just sort of lifted the game up and was this huge story each and every day that whole summer.

Speaker 1: 19:25

It was magical man and yeah, I mean availability. When you, when you grow up somewhere that doesn't have a home team you're not in a, you know, a major league market, so to speak you know that those superstations were were everything you know growing up for me, just like you're saying for you, um is there anything else in your background you want to?

Speaker 2: 19:48

touch on right.

Speaker 1: 19:49

Anything else you want to talk well?

Speaker 2: 19:50

yeah, you're saying that, um, like west virginia didn't have a home team and they were geographically kind of in the middle of nowhere. Um, west virginia is known for coal mines. They're known basically as a coal mining industry which is back into the hills and the woods is where the mines are. So the towns there in southern West Virginia, where I'm from, are not very big and Excuse me there for a minute, they're not very big. But you had a little bit of everything on TV in the 80s. So, just like with wrestling, baseball was the same way.

Speaker 2: 20:30

So I got all the best wrestling territories to watch as a kid and I got all the best baseball because we had Cubs on WGN, we had the Reds on Fox and we had the Braves on TBS, and then the Braves. If the Braves weren't playing, they would play an out-of-market game every now and then, and then we had the game of the week on the networks and then eventually Monday Night Baseball and all that. So we got the best of everything. Growing up, so my two favorite things were wrestling and baseball and I got to watch it constantly. I mean, thinking back now, I don't even know when I had time to go outside and practice, which I did.

Speaker 2: 21:17

I wrote a book called Worker, last of a Dying Breed and in that book it talks about my life and it talks about my relationship with my father, which we won't go into a lot, but it didn't turn out very well. But one of the best memories I have of my dad is is we went out every day and I shag balls, and I mean every day, and it wasn't from the time I was, say, say, eight or nine when I started. He didn't. He hit it as hard as he could. So I'm little and he's zinging them to me. I mean until I learned I was covered in bruises until I learned to stop the ball, and that's one of the things that I talk about in the book. The way he raised me hard helped me with wrestling, but it also helped me with baseball, and I shag balls every day. So I managed to go out and get that done, but when I wasn't doing that, I was in the house and I was watching wrestling or I was watching a baseball game.

Speaker 1: 22:23

Yeah so it's crazy that I don't know this. It's just been an accepted part of our friendship from day one that you were a diehard Cubs fan and I was a diehard Dodgers fan. So did you pick the Cubs up on your own? Was there somebody in your family that was a fan, or was it just? This is the team I like watching.

Speaker 2: 22:41

Well, they came on more. I didn't really like. I love the Cincinnati Reds because of Pete Rose. Pete Rose is my all-time favorite player, but just ahead of Ryan Sandberg and Andre Dawson just barely, but I don't know. Yeah, I started watching the Cubs more because they seemed to be on every day more. So it got to a point where the Cubs were bad in the 80s. So we would watch them and we would see how they would snatch defeat from the jaws. Of victory is what me and my dad would say. So we watched them to watch them lose every day and we would laugh and enjoy. And, like I said, I didn't have a good relationship with my father, but that is one of the one things that I cherish, because we watched the Cubs and we laughed and it was a bonding experience.

Speaker 2: 23:37

And so that's kind of how I fell in love with the Cubs was, you know, watching them lose and then starting to, as an adult, really really root for them.

Speaker 1: 23:48

Yeah, I mean, the Cubs have kind of always been those lovable losers. That's why it was so remarkable to see that run in 16 and you know this. That I mean, and I had it with the Dodgers in 2020, just from 30-some-odd years, 32 years. I guess it was between championships that release. There's all that pressure and pressure, and pressure. Year after year, year after year With the Dodgers. There were a lot of close calls and we got within an eyelash of doing it and coming up short. Just that release feeling.

Speaker 1: 24:24

Feeling wash off of you and it's just so funny you're telling that story it reminds me of um that 70s show the the grandma in the nursing home one of the last joys I have in this life is watching the box lose yes, absolutely well, that's awesome, man, that's great, so um yeah, man man, it's just.

Speaker 2: 24:46

I don't know man.

Speaker 1: 24:47

It bonds you with the team. When you go through the hard times and the down years you know it really bonds you. I tell people all the time. I get a lot of grief for being a Dodger fan now, but the thing I like to go to with people is like hey, don't give me shit, because I was here when Eric Karros was the best player on the team. Not to disparage Karros, I love him. He's a fine broadcaster now for some games for the Dodgers. I think he did some national games too, but that's a far cry from.

Speaker 1: 25:19

Oh, we just added Freddie Freeman and he might not even be the best guy on our team. Oh, we just added Freddie Freeman and he might not even be the best guy on our team. It's a long way from where we were through the 90s and problematic ownership and just hard, tough years. I mean that bonds you with your team and I think that's important to have an identity with your team.

Speaker 2: 25:40

Well, yeah, I mean I love the Cubs, but I like other teams too. I like your Dodgers, I like the Braves, I love going to Brave Stadium. And is it called Truist? Now, yeah, truist, it was SunTrust when I was last there.

Speaker 2: 25:55

Yeah, truist bought up SunTrust and it's a whole thing yeah, don't get me started on BB&T, but anyway, you know. So I love watching all those teams still that I grew up with. You know I love going up to see the Reds play and but nothing really tugs at my heart like I do the Cubs, like I enjoy watching the other games. I watch the Dodgers every day with you and I enjoy it. But I can feel the Cubs. I can feel them in my heart and I get more emotional and yell at the TV more when it's the Cubs. Yeah for sure.

Speaker 1: 26:34

By the way everybody Brian's book Worker Last of a Dying Breed. You can still get that on Amazon. Fantastic read. I'm not just saying this because I know him, because I read it when I didn't know him quite as well as I do now, and it was one of those that I started and I had to finish before I could put it down really good read, fantastic story about Brian's life and career in wrestling and yeah, I recommend it to anybody so whether you like wrestling or not, I think it's a good read.

Speaker 1: 27:06

There's a little plug. I know Brian probably wouldn't feel comfortable plugging his own stuff, but I will for him. Oh yeah, I'll plug it.

Speaker 2: 27:16

There's also a documentary version on Amazon as well, that you can rent or purchase.

Speaker 1: 27:21

Yes.

Speaker 2: 27:22

Check out the Brian Logan Collection on Amazon.

Speaker 1: 27:25

Yeah, absolutely. Again, it's a great book. All right, brian, so you ready for some quick hits, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 27:32

Let's take a look at them.

Speaker 1: 27:34

All right, let's start things off with Shohei Otani's Big Week. And it's so funny I start these notes a day or two before we record and I swear every time I'd get this portion of the notes done and he would do something else. So last Thursday, as we're recording, he was the first pitcher to hit in the first four spots in the lineup at Fenway Park since Babe Ruth another kind of feather in his since Babe Ruth cap Got two hits to help his own cause, 11 strikeouts pitching. Then Sunday he drove in two runs to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and subsequently scored the game-winning run.

Speaker 2: 28:17

Anthony Rendon driving him in.

Speaker 1: 28:19

The following day, on Monday, two home runs, including his first professional Grand Slam. Didn't even do it in Japan. First time as a pro he'd ever hit a Grand Slam. Brian, your AOMB pick is looking pretty good, right now.

Speaker 2: 28:33

I told you last week to agree with me. We're showing here. So far, so good. He's coming out as a powerhouse. He's doing it all, man, he's hitting, he's pitching. He's doing it all, man, he's hitting, he's pitching.

Speaker 1: 28:49

He's just, he's a world beater at this point. Yeah, he's fantastic. I mean, when you can be teammates with Mike Trout and people are saying you're the best guy on your team, you're just doing remarkable things. And you know, I saw a quote the other day, I'm sure it was through a translator, but Shohei said something along the lines of he was having the most fun right now because this is a competitive team. Now. He kind of had some diversity, getting to the point where he was able to play both ways.

Speaker 1: 29:13

Last year had a monster year as an individual, but Trout was hurt, rendon was hurt, the pitching wasn't there. As a team he wins the MVP but you know it's like, okay, where are the Angels going Now? This year this is a contender, you know, and you picked him to win the AL. I went a different direction on MVP and the pennant just to kind of not be boring and agree with you. But it's hard to bet against the Angels right now. You know. Just you know the other night.

Speaker 1: 29:41

Reed Detmer is a 22-year-old rookie who's thrown 60 pro innings, throws a no-hitter. They put 10 on the Rays Wren Doan comes up to bat left-handed. He's never batted left-handed in his life. He's facing a pitcher in Brett Phillips who's generally a position player, but he goes yard On the other side of the plate his team. It just seems like they can't do anything wrong right now. We touched on it last week. They're getting contributions from unexpected places, like Taylor Ward is just blowing up right now with the bat. Shohei is great for the game. I think we're going to start to see more and more position players from Japan. I think we're going to start seeing some other two-way players, because I think Shohei.

Speaker 1: 30:26

While he's doing remarkable things that seem once in a lifetime, there's a lot of guys coming up through the ranks, there's guys in college, there's guys in the minors that are two-way players. All it takes and Shohei is kind of displaying this now all it takes is to get the opportunity. Some of these guys might be able to do this. You know, all the way up in the majors, like Otani's doing. It's remarkable and I'm happy we're allowed to see it. Man.

Speaker 2: 30:55

Absolutely. It's a great time to be watching, and I mean he's phenomenal.

Speaker 1: 31:00

All right. Next up, mad Bum. Madison Bumgarner is fascinating to me, so he gets a little squeezed. On a call. He comes off the mound going towards the dugout, the next inning.

Speaker 1: 31:11

This umpire is, quote unquote, checking his hand for sticky stuff never, looks at the hand, is staring Mad Bum down the whole time, and then words are exchanged because of course they were, because it's Madison Bumgner. He's kind of a powder keg to begin with, but you squeezed him on a call and now you won't let go of his hand so he can go get in the dugout. This is getting out of hand with these umpires, brian.

Speaker 2: 31:32

I know, I mean, I'm telling you. I mean, how are they going to check it when we have the robot ups? What are they going to do there? Are you going to have to have your hand uh, you know like lasered to see?

Speaker 1: 31:44

Yeah, yeah, you'll insert your hand into the body of the seven-foot umpire.

Speaker 2: 31:50

Right, a robot umpire and it scans the hand.

Speaker 1: 31:53

It scans the hand for the sticky stuff.

Speaker 2: 31:55

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 31:56

And you either get a green light or a red light.

Speaker 2: 31:58

And if you get the red light, then it'll actually wash it and blow dry it.

Speaker 1: 32:04

If you don't know what we're talking about, folks check out episode zero. Brian went on a tear about robot umps. I'm not sure he quite grasped the concept, but that's okay because it made for good radio.

Speaker 2: 32:16

Well, I'll tell you, in this instance, what was the umpire thinking. I mean, why wouldn't he?

Speaker 1: 32:24

let go Well with some of these guys. Now in the majors it's becoming the ump show. It seems like they're trying to make the game about them. When you know you say it all the time If you know the umpire's name that's calling balls and strikes in the game you're watching. It's a bad thing. You know some of the better umpires Joe West.

Speaker 2: 32:48

Joe.

Speaker 1: 32:48

West Angel Hernandez, you know, I mean, there's guys that just we know who they are because of how bad they are, and this is why people are clamoring for automated strike zones and things of that nature, because my argument against that was always the human element. I liked the human element, but I'm starting to think that maybe the human element's the detriment, that the ego is getting in there and the id is getting in there and it's just, it's just getting out of hand, it's getting bad. Man, we got to get a, we got to get control of these umpires. Because that, that, that madison bumgarner situation and I'm sure the first thing that came out of madison bumgarner's mouth was not nice, um, and under normal circumstances should have gotten him ejected. But if I was in the same boat I'd have looked the guy right in the face and probably said something about his mama, you know like well, yeah, absolutely I mean it's just it's getting out of hand.

Speaker 1: 33:41

We got we to. You know, manfred, we got to do something about these Zombs.

Speaker 2: 33:45

They're out of control or things he does to other mothers. That might have been the word. I mean, we all know what the word was, because that's the word to get you thrown out every time.

Speaker 1: 33:57

Well, I heard something the other day. You know you can talk about the call, but when you get personal, that's when you're going to get ejected. When you get personal, and I think it was worth the ejection.

Speaker 2: 34:10

See, that's why I wouldn't have made it either. Let's say, I could have hit the curveball. There would have been no way I could have put up with umpires.

Speaker 1: 34:18

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 34:19

It would have been horrible. I would have got kicked out for inciting a riot.

Speaker 1: 34:24

All right, moving on A little happier note, a little lighter note.

Speaker 2: 34:27

Major.

Speaker 1: 34:27

League Baseball has reached an agreement with the city of London. We're going to have regular season games in England in 23, 24, and 26. Brian, this is great man. They did this in 2019. They did some games in Japan. They did some games in England.

Speaker 1: 34:42

I think this is awesome man Grow the game and there's a bit of a budding baseball scene in England right now that you're starting to see like kind of town ball club teams like there were back in the day. Here we might be heading to the point where there's a English version of Shohei Ohtani that comes over here and just British invasion style man takes MLB by storm. I think this is fantastic.

Speaker 2: 35:05

I think it's fantastic too, and I think that it's great about, uh, how you can go to different places and then experience baseball, uh, where there may not have been baseball or it's just upstart, but also go to a place like, maybe, say, mexico at some point, uh, where it's, it's a big deal. It's the world series and it's always been said that, well, who wins it? United States wins every year. Well, maybe, just maybe one day that you know the world cup, is that what they call it, the world cup tournament?

Speaker 1: 35:39

Soccer, no, no, not inside the baseball, the world baseball class world baseball classic, maybe, no, not inside the baseball.

Speaker 2: 35:45

Oh, the World Baseball Classic. World Baseball Classic. Maybe we will see that, as you know, the World Series champion takes on these other countries. I think that would be something that would be awesome. So I think baseball in other countries is great and plus it's going to be a cool look to see different venues and watch games at different venues.

Speaker 1: 36:09

For sure, and you know after all, depending on who you ask. But if you like facts and things that are based in actual history, baseball came from an English gang known as Rounders, so you know there's ties there and it's kind of weird to me that baseball is not more prevalent there. But again, it's budding. I mean, the scene there is really starting to get some legs and I mean I think this is fantastic and this is only going to help that. You know, these series in London are only going to help grow the game of baseball in England, and that's of course, a good thing, because more baseball means more for us to talk about and watch and also talk about and watch and also talk about the game rounders.

Speaker 2: 36:47

I mean, have you ever researched what those games are like?

Speaker 1: 36:51

Not really. I mean a little bit here and there, but I haven't really like done a deep dive on it.

Speaker 2: 36:56

Well, I was just reading about this last night. They actually would take four posts, well, three posts and a plate, and that would be the bases. And then they would. Some games bounce the ball, some didn't. But every time that a guy hit the ball and the runner moved to a base, that was a hit. So if you had a runner on first, you hit the ball, he moved to second, that was a hit. So some of these games would end at 132 runs to 124. And there was no set innings until they came up with the first set of rules. So the innings could go 9, 12, 16. It could be whatever they played that day or the curfew, with them losing the light of daylight. So I would have liked to have seen that game. That would have been really, really wild, and that was in the mid-1800s to early 1900s.

Speaker 1: 37:53

Yeah, maybe even before that. I mean there's evidence that rounders existed, you know, in maybe like the 14 or 1500s from literature. You know there's not real documentation of how the you know the nuts and bolts of what they were doing, but there are references in literature around theirs that go even further back than that. So yeah, it'd be fascinating. It's like when you hear about things that happened in the majors in the 1800s or the early 1900s. It's like man. I would love to have been able to see that with my own eyes.

Speaker 1: 38:28

you know what the differences were. All right, moving along, we talked about my Dodgers still in first place, but every team in the division, every all five teams in the NOS above 500, brian, does this change our outlook and our opinion of the Dodgers?

Speaker 2: 38:44

season.

Speaker 1: 38:45

It ain't over yet baby, it ain't over yet.

Speaker 2: 38:48

No, that just goes to show you how strong the division is. They're all playing great, but again, like we said in episode zero, on multiple topics it's all going to come down to who's the healthiest. So, yeah, they're all playing great right now. Topics it's all going to come down to who's the healthiest. So, yeah, they're all playing great right now. But let's put this this time after the all-star break, will who's going to be healthy? Who's going to still be in there? Who's still going to be playing 500? Who's going to be 10 games ahead of 500?

Speaker 1: 39:16

you know, that's what's when it's really going to matter yeah for sure, and I think there's depth on the dodgers that maybe doesn't exist with some of those other teams. You know, to me the Giants and the Rockies are already starting to cool off. They just were so far so many games above .500 to start that they've not crept down close to that line yet. I mean, the Diamondbacks kind of had the same start last year and then had one of the most abysmal stretches to end the year in history. It just worries me past the regular season for the Dodgers because I think last year you know, when you win 106 games and you don't win your division, by the time you get through a wild card game and a really tough series, you know in the division series you just got nothing left in the tank. So it does worry me a little bit. But I've kind of thought from the word go that this Dodger team was going to eventually put some distance between themselves in second place, and I still believe that.

Speaker 1: 40:20

You know I'm watching this team every day, seeing how they're approaching the game and just knowing that depth that goes all the way down into AAA. We've got major leaguers in AAA just clowning guys right now, waiting for their opportunity, waiting for that injury or whatever happens to get them up to help the ball club Today, as we're recording Ryan Pepeo making his major league debut a young kid, you know, not a major leaguer per se, but you know, a guy who is going to become a pretty good major leaguer by all accounts. So I think the Dodgers still got it. It's just, man, you look at their standings every day and it's like come on, give us some help, we could use some help. We won 106 games last year. Couldn't win the damn division.

Speaker 2: 41:07

It's going to be tough. I mean, that's what makes that division look so good and you know it's worth watching every day just to see where they go. Do you think maybe we should have changed our? We should change our pick to the Padres?

Speaker 1: 41:23

Absolutely not, because here's the thing about the Padres. They're going to play great right now. They're going to play great in June, but they've yet to prove that they can survive 162. They just bring that Game 7, world Series energy too early and new manager and a proven one in Bob Melvin. But I'm still seeing some of the same problems with the Padres. They're playing every game like it's do or die, win or go home and it's a marathon man, not a sprint. So until the Padres can prove that they can bring that intensity for 162 and stay healthy, I'm not worried about the Padres. I'm more worried about the Rockies than I am the Padres, because I think the Rockies are a team on the up and if they get everybody healthy and back in the lineup you know Chris Bryant, I know how you feel about him, but he's a difference maker for them and you know I'm more concerned about them.

Speaker 1: 42:18

You know they have the pitching, maybe not quite to the level of the Padres as far as the hype and the names and even the statistics, but you know, yeah, I'm not worried about San Diego.

Speaker 2: 42:30

Well, ok, there you have it, no worries about San. Diego, we're sticking with the Dodgers.

Speaker 1: 42:35

All right, brian. Last quick hit Rowdy Tellez. I love Rowdy Tellez. He reminds me of the villain from the movie Rookie of the Year. I posted a while back on Twitter the side-by-side of him and that guy and I swear they're the same person. He had 12 RBIs last week, including a franchise record 8-1 game for the Brewers to win the Player of the Week in the National League the week after his teammate Willie Adamas. Can the Brewers break the dreaded curse of the NL Player of the Week, brian?

Speaker 2: 43:05

I don't know, we're going to have to see, but I think that if he does go down, if he goes into a slump, if he doesn't continue his winning ways right here this week, there is a curse.

Speaker 1: 43:18

Well, I mean, we kind of laid it all out. Say a Suzuki wins it, kind of tails off, cody Bellinger wins it and takes him a week to get another hit. Willie Adamas, rowdy Tellez, it's on you to break the curse, man, and I know Brian would love nothing more than for the curse to be real and you guys to just go completely cold.

Speaker 2: 43:39

Oh, absolutely Without a doubt. Without a doubt, that's what we need. We need that for sure.

Speaker 1: 43:47

All right, Brian, Well tell everybody about that I understand, there's a new product at 2GTBStorecom.

Speaker 2: 43:57

There are now hats in and you can check that out on our Facebook and maybe our Twitter at some point, but the hats are in. The baseball hats are in right now in two colors. They will be in five colors, but they're in black and also in red and blue and they're very nice fitted caps with our brand new logo on the front.

Speaker 1: 44:21

Yeah, that's great Added to an already fantastic product line.

Speaker 2: 44:25

t-shirts, hoodies a really nice jacket.

Speaker 1: 44:30

If you're wanting to spend a little bit more to support us and help us out we've also got some oddball items I should say some stuffed animals, plush toys, things like that, a really cool Bluetooth speaker phone cases. I mean, you name it. We've got it with that great 2G TV logo on it at 2GTVstorecom. Help us out, man. This is the best way to support us directly. Throw us a bone, get you a T-shirt, get you a phone case, you know, a hat, whatever it is that you like over there. I mean, we've got something for everybody, brian.

Speaker 2: 45:06

We've got women's wear as far as women's T-shirts and T-shirt dresses that are very nice and were helped to be developed by my wife, so it wasn't two guys just picking out. You know clothes for women. It was actually got a woman's opinion on it and she approves of all of the women's merchandise. You know clothes for women. It was actually got a woman's opinion on it and she approves of all of the women's merchandise. And also, as the puppies have come into the studio, don't forget we have pet wear over there. For Bark in the Park, we have collars and bandanas and a pad for whether they want to lounge on it or if you want to set their food on it. A pad for whether they want to lounge on it or if you want to set their food on it. But we've got it for every species you can get with puppies, maybe even for the kitty, cats and the humans as well that's what I'm talking about something for everybody at 2gtbstorecom.

Speaker 1: 45:58

again, throw us a bone, help us out and also get you some stylish wear with our nice logo on it.

Speaker 2: 46:05

All right, this is going very well this week. You know, we wanted to introduce each other and Dallas. It's now your turn to going through the Big D. Dallas, tell us a little bit about yourself as I open up another beverage. Fantastic, brian's wife is not going to be happy with the amount of Red.

Speaker 1: 46:25

Bull. He's drinking today, but that's another story for later on, after we're off the air.

Speaker 2: 46:30

Must have must have.

Speaker 1: 46:32

So I guess the place to start for me is since about 2009,. I've been at some level, a working musician, a singer-songwriter, I've done three recordings, including two full-length albums, and played a lot of shows here in our region of the country, through Virginia, west Virginia, tennessee, north Carolina, you know, and I found in, you know, I guess, 2011,. I started getting back into pro wrestling, which was something that I was really into as a kid and then, you know, like a lot of people, just sort of outgrew it when girls became a thing. You know, it wasn't cool, girls didn't like it, you know, so it wasn't cool, but I kind of got back into it and wanted to find a place in it. So I did that as well, and for several years I was kind of doing both.

Speaker 1: 47:35

And it was wild to be a part of two really unique worlds. And yeah, man, I mean that's really been my life for the last you know 15 years. At this point almost is kind of just being an entertainer and a gig worker, so to speak. So I mean that's the biggest chunk of it. As far as what I was doing, you know, immediately before we kind of settled in and doing this podcast, Well, tell me a little bit about your baseball.

Speaker 2: 48:09

How did you get into baseball? And tell me a little bit about who your favorite teams were growing up. We know the Dodgers, but was there anyone else? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 48:20

So growing up, I'm the oldest of three boys and sports was a predominant theme in our house.

Speaker 1: 48:31

We watched sports, we talked about sports, we played outside all day until mom had to beg us to come inside and get washed up and do our homework and eat dinner and all that sort of stuff. So sports was a big part of my upbringing and I tell people that you know, my dad kind of instilled in us to be more like, you know, larry Bird, the famous Celtics sharpshooter, and Cal Ripken was a big one. You know, because Cal Ripken showed up to work every day and he didn't take the day off because he was tired or he was hurting. He never complained, he just showed up and did his job and that was sort of the work ethic my dad had and we were such big sports fans that I think that was the easiest way for him to instill it in us was to kind of be more like Cal. So as a very, very young man I was kind of an Orioles fan, because you know, my dad was an Orioles fan and Cal Ripken was you know this huge deal.

Speaker 1: 49:31

That was like almost like a deity sort of in my house. And then, as I got a little older, my aunt who's no longer with us, but she's actually part of the reason. My name is Dallas, which is a whole other story. I'm named after the Cowboys, the football team, because my dad and his sister, my Aunt Tammy, made a bet when they were younger whoever had a boy first got to name him Dallas for the Cowboys. And she had a big crush on Steve Garvey back in the day when he was a part of the greatest infield of all time there for the Dodgers, and I kind of just picked up the Dodgers from her. I liked the aura of the Dodgers as a kid. They had a history that not every team had. They had a history that not every team had. There was this majesty, you know, vin Scully, and Dodger Stadium. And you know, sandy Koufax is this.

Speaker 1: 50:34

You know, this mythical being for me as a kid, so I kind of picked up the Dodgers there, as I kind of alluded to earlier, not a lot of good years for me growing up as a Dodger fan and you know when you're a kid you don't necessarily want to do what Brian was able to do and latch onto a team that's not being successful. So I was a little fair weather with my fandom growing up.

Speaker 2: 51:03

I actually spent some time rooting for the Cubs you know, during the Sammy Sosa heyday.

Speaker 1: 51:09

And you know, again, they were readily available. You know I couldn't watch the Dodgers every day. I had to kind of keep up with the.

Speaker 1: 51:16

Dodgers in the newspaper and on SportsCenter, but I could watch the Cubs every day because they were on WGN, you know, and so that intrigued me, and as I got older, I started to appreciate baseball more and more so, and just understanding what makes baseball the great game that it is compared to other sports. So, as I grew up and got older, baseball separated itself, and so then that's when I really started to latch onto the Dodgers, and it's like you know, this is my team, this is you know again taking that identity with a team.

Speaker 2: 51:53

Absolutely Well, tell me, did something happen at the 2016 Durham game?

Speaker 1: 51:58

Yeah, okay, so what Brian is alluding to? So 2015, 2016 for me. I was going through some pretty rough stuff, a very dark place for me. I won't bore anybody with the details or dredge it all back out, but suffice it to say that being a man and being a victim of domestic violence is a whole tangled mess. Psychologically, we do not exist in a culture that is conducive to recovering from that you know, if you're, if you're a man, if you're, if you're, if you're a male, and so I was dealing with all that and I was just in this really dark place and I'll never forget the summer of 2016.

Speaker 1: 52:53

One of my younger brothers was living in Raleigh, north Carolina, which is really close to Durham, which is where the Durham Bulls famously are, and the whole family went down to visit my brother and his wife at the time and we all went to a game and I got to sit in between my two younger brothers at a Durham Bulls game and I'll never forget it because it was like the sky kind of opened up and the light shone down and I was like man.

Speaker 1: 53:26

I can't remember the last time I was this happy, just like in a moment, just not worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, like living right in the moment and just being completely content with where I was and, you know, growing up my brothers are four years younger than me, so we had always said growing up that the year, the summer after they graduated high school would be the summer after I graduated college and we were going to try to take that summer and just road trip to as many minor league games as we could and see all you know, see all the see, all the famous teams that we read about and seen on the Internet the Durham Bulls we were big on the Peoria Chiefs because we liked the branding and just all these other famous minor league teams and that was as close as we ever got.

Speaker 1: 54:16

Unfortunately, life gets in the way of those big dreams and everything but you know from that moment on. I talked about it earlier in the, about the cap, you know, and having a home team. That sort of started me on this journey of the ballpark being. I mean, that's my sanctuary man, that's my church, I mean, that's where I go to feel good about myself and kind of regroup mentally.

Speaker 1: 54:49

And you know, it's just my happy place and it all started there at that game in Durham in 2016. And so ever since then, I've been going to as many games in as many places as I can, because it all kind of takes me back to that same feeling, and you know just that happiness, you know, no matter what else is going on, no matter what yesterday was or tomorrow is going to be. In that moment it's just this great feeling.

Speaker 1: 55:20

And yeah it all kind of harkens back to that for me as far as um yeah, just what baseball means to me, man, and uh, what it's gotten me through.

Speaker 2: 55:29

Because, because it got me through literally the worst time of my life fantastic I mean that that's the kind of stories you like to hear about baseball, that it transcends the game, whether it's bringing people together or if it's just making you be peaceful. There's something poetic about the game, the sport, that just tugs at the heartstrings.

Speaker 1: 55:56

Yeah, and I think I'd be doing a disservice if I didn't say a couple things here. First off, folks, you've never been to a ballgame on your own, just by yourself. I know that can be a little trickier for women feeling comfortable, but if you feel so inclined, I think it's a great experience for anybody. Again, it can bring people together.

Speaker 1: 56:21

Like Brian just said, it's a great group outing, it's a great date night. But, man, some of the best times I've ever had were going to a game by myself and, just you know, making a new friend or striking up a conversation. You know, I told the story last week about the oldest gentleman in Asheville that just noticed my cap and we struck up a conversation and I remember it to this day. I also remember I was at a game by myself in Salem, virginia, for the Salem Red Sox, one of my favorite ballparks out there just a great place to see a game, and talking to some of the season ticket holders there it was. I don't remember what year it was exactly, but it was the year that the All-Star game was in Salem and they were talking about how they were going to have the home run derby at the Old Park and they told me stories from going to games at the Old Park before they moved. Where they are currently.

Speaker 1: 57:18

The name escapes me Again, with these corporate names they change so often it's hard to keep up with. But yeah, man, going to a game by yourself is fantastic if you feel comfortable doing that. If you don't go with a friend, it's just as good. But I think everybody should experience the ballpark on their own at least once if they can.

Speaker 1: 57:38

And also, you know, if you're going through something like I went through and again. I know I didn't go into detail, but if any of what I was talking about kind of tugs at you a certain way and you're going through'm, I'm never shy about talking about my experience and trying to help somebody that might be going through the same thing. Um man, woman, um non-binary, it doesn't matter to me. We're all humans and we're all just trying to do our best to get through this, uh, this life, and uh, yeah.

Speaker 1: 58:16

I'm always. I'm always, I've always got two ears and I don't mind to listen. So if you're going through it and you just need somebody to talk to, you know, just type away at me, because because I'll read every word and try to be as receptive to what you're going through as I can, and maybe even offer some advice for how I got through my hard times.

Speaker 1: 58:37

And yeah, you know, just know you're not alone and know that there's this great baseball community out here and I've met I've met a lot of people, just on baseball Twitter even that are fantastic and bring so much joy to my life. So so, yeah, I just felt like that was that needed to be said right there. So so yeah, man.

Speaker 2: 59:00

Well, that is a fantastic message, and it's time to explain how we met each other. Oh gosh, when Harry met Dally yeah. Okay, Wow, I mean that that's what we're going to call this segment.

Speaker 1: 59:16

Can you?

Speaker 2: 59:16

tell who names the same.

Speaker 1: 59:18

Yeah, come on. Okay. So who gets to feel this?

Speaker 2: 59:23

story. Well, let me start for a second. Okay, so I had a local promotion in professional wrestling and we had a spot show, which means you just go to a show and you put up a ring and it's not necessarily TV, but for this spot show we were recording. So we were recording to try to practice for an eventual pay-per-view and we needed a commentator. So a guy had suggested this other guy and I said sure, have him show up, thinking well, you know it's a trial run, and you know it's a trial run and you know we'll check this guy out. And lo and behold, here comes this guy in a suit which impressed me.

Speaker 1: 1:00:09

Three-piece suit. I walked into the seediest bar that maybe exists, at least in this part of the country, in a three-piece suit.

Speaker 2: 1:00:21

And looked like a million dollars. So immediately he had had my eye because I'm a big fan of suits, and so we gave him. We gave him the try on and he called the show and I didn't really have a chance to hear it because I didn't we didn't run the sound to the back, so I just knew that he made it through the show. So he got it on tape. So that was good. But we needed to do some post tapes where we were doing some interviews, so he had to go back in the back. Well, he does this first one and he's like can we do it again? And I'm like, no, we don't do second takes here, we're not paid by the hour. But I let him do the second take. You take over from now.

Speaker 1: 1:01:06

As Brian tends to do when he tells his story, he's mixing a couple of different occasions. I had seen through a friend of mine who was a wrestler that this event was going on and it was at a bar and they were going to be live streaming it and I just sort of said, hey, you think they need another? Uh, announcer another commentator.

Speaker 1: 1:01:34

And he said, well, let me check. And that kind of got me in touch with Brian and his group and I did show up in the three-piece suit. I want to reiterate that Now. Listen, I didn't know what I was walking into. Had I known what I know now about that bar, I probably would have shown up in denim shorts and a cut-off T-shirt.

Speaker 2: 1:01:55

But, anyway.

Speaker 1: 1:01:56

So we go through that and Brian, after the show we got to talk a little bit and he was kind of telling me about his company and what their plans were, and it was really similar to a vision I had had for what I thought a pro wrestling company should be trying to do, and so we connected there. Then, at a later date, there was another show and, yes, we were doing some promo stuff post tapes, as we call them and I did kind of stumble over a word and I just stopped, and you know the gut reaction no hesitation was, we don't do second takes.

Speaker 1: 1:02:41

Here We've got baseball to watch at home. So yeah, and from there we kind of we had this professional relationship, this working relationship, which grew and evolved over a course of a few years, but we really bonded and like connected as two people over baseball?

Speaker 2: 1:03:05

Absolutely. I believe I said also I don't want to be your friend here at work. This is work. I know other promotions are like that, but if you want to be my friend, come watch baseball with me in my living room. And not even thinking that he would, just thinking you know, okay, that sounds cool. And uh, lo and behold, he shows up. And now you're stuck and he never left and, uh, that's great. So and we?

Speaker 1: 1:03:35

we were sitting there and we were trying to think of something to do life after wrestling yeah, so we, um, our, um little mom and pop promotion was relatively short-lived, you know, we, we hit some obstacles, some some that were definitely out of our control, some that maybe were a little bit more in our control, but you know, that's neither here nor there, we excuse me.

Speaker 1: 1:04:05

We closed shop and we we talked. We talked about podcasting, um, for a long time. Um, you know, and uh, brian is very well versed in a lot of different media formats. He's sort of self-taught on a lot of this stuff that I just still can't wrap my head around. And so, you know, there's a lot of different projects always ongoing with Three Crows Entertainment, and we always knew we wanted to do a podcast, or podcasts plural, and we just never. I don't think? It's kind of funny to me, because podcasting has been done to death in the wrestling genre. I don't know if that's because one of the pioneering podcasts back in the day was Art of Wrestling and everybody just sort of spun off of that, or if it's just that the fan base in wrestling is so opinionated and so vocal or what, but it feels like wrestling podcasts have been done to death and there's nothing new to do there. There's no ground to cover that's not already been covered. And with baseball, even though it's much more popular now than wrestling is.

Speaker 1: 1:05:32

I think it feels like there's still ground to cover in the world of baseball as far as podcasting goes. So we never really had a concept, and then wrestling is sort of becoming more and more like a thing in the rear view for both of us and it just sort of clicked one day. Why don't we do a baseball podcast? I mean, what was your perspective of that whole process?

Speaker 2: 1:06:03

Yeah, we had been talking. I knew I wanted to do a podcast for a while, but we didn't know the topic. Like you said, the wrestling platform or formula for podcasting is a little old hat at this point. You had texted me one day and said, hey, let's do that podcast. And I was like, great, what are we going to do it on? He's like baseball. And I was like OK, and you basically said, let's just do what we were doing on the couch yesterday while we were watching the game, let's just record it. And I said that, said that's great. You know, a lot of people say that but they don't actually record it. We recorded it and and thank god that it was actually listenable, if that's a word, we have the technology to make it listenable yeah, yeah, well, and you know from there.

Speaker 1: 1:07:00

We just once the idea was out there, we both got so behind it. If you're on YouTube with us watching the video stream, you can see the studio and this was all kind of redone, I mean all the way up until right before we hit record on episode zero last week I mean, this is a brand new, new, really fresh, fresh coat of paint on this studio and um I'm excited. I think that this is a topic that brian and I both will never get sick of talking about.

Speaker 2: 1:07:37

No, no, actually for me, it has rekindled my love for the game even more, because I found that I've been going back on YouTube, where I used to get up and watch wrestling in the mornings. I've now started watching old baseball games on YouTube, the games that I loved as a kid the 88 playoffs, National League playoffs, you know, stuff like that, Going back as far as seeing the 1970 World Series in black and white. So, where I used to study wrestling, I find that I'm studying baseball and I'm the type of guy that studies for enjoyment. So you know, if I'm learning and being entertained at the same time, then that's great for me. And I found that with baseball, my love has just been rekindled and I'm checking out all this older stuff.

Speaker 1: 1:08:27

I just thought about something Brian, I shield for your book to try and help you out.

Speaker 2: 1:08:34

Yeah, we didn't shield for your records.

Speaker 1: 1:08:36

Yeah, you didn't. You didn't, you didn't tell everybody how great my music is. They should go check out my album.

Speaker 2: 1:08:42

Well, they should, but you're going to have to tell them where it's at, because I don't know where it's on.

Speaker 1: 1:08:47

Spotify. Yeah, it's on Spotify.

Speaker 2: 1:08:49

Oh, thank God, I got that right.

Speaker 1: 1:08:52

Anywhere you listen to music. Just check out Dallas Danger On most of them. When you search it I come up Some of them I don't. It's just a whole thing with not being popular. I was really just giving you grief. But, yeah, so we're really excited to be here. We love the new look of the studio.

Speaker 1: 1:09:19

And this is almost all we talk about now is, you know, the podcast and what we're going to talk about on podcasts and just the game of baseball is something we've always talked about since the day we met, obviously, as we kind of laid out and all those stories and everything. But you know, we're happy to, we're happy to be here and, you know, be be talking about it into microphones nice, nice fancy microphones that make us sound real good. Absolutely, yeah, man. So that is the story of Brian Logan and Dallas Danger and how we came together and how two guys from the world of professional wrestling started a baseball podcast because we're probably a little crazy, brian.

Speaker 2: 1:10:02

Well, of course we are, but that's what makes life interesting. I mean, I've always been the type of guy that says let's just go out and do it instead of sitting here talking about it. So we're out here doing it.

Speaker 1: 1:10:12

And he lives that. He's not. A lot of people say that Brian means it when you bring an idea to the table and he likes it. If you blink, he's already started the project I mean I started the studio the night.

Speaker 2: 1:10:27

I got home from getting the text yeah I just we had to get all the pieces in and everything but I was like oh yeah we're going to redo the studio, we're going to need new equipment, we're going to need all this stuff, and that you know. And so we hit up the store and and was like you know, let's go. And ashley was like, oh god, here we go again. And I said I promise you, honey, it'll be different this time. So we totally lied to her.

Speaker 1: 1:10:58

Oh, who knows who knows who knows, but I've got high hopes. I'm optimistic about where we're headed. We've got a lot of great ideas for the future. We've talked a little bit about movies. We're going to talk about movies on the podcast. Some Brian alluded to watching some old games. We've been doing that and I think we're going to incorporate that into the show a little bit moving forward.

Speaker 1: 1:11:23

And then also, you know we're right in the thick of the season and we're going to keep talking about everything that's going on, anything of note that we find from baseball anywhere. I'm not an avid follower of baseball outside of the United States it's probably a flaw. I'm a firm believer that Major League Baseball is not the only baseball. There's all kinds of baseball out there Japan, korea, even Taiwan. During the pandemic I got into getting up early and watching Taiwanese baseball, which was a whole different experience.

Speaker 1: 1:12:02

I got a lot out of it, but I'm not an avid follower. I probably should be more than I am, but yeah, I mean, if you're listening or watching us, and you see or hear something? From the world of baseball that you think maybe we haven't seen. Send it our way. You know we're at 2GTBpod on Twitter you can go to 2GTBcom and there's links to all our social media there.

Speaker 1: 1:12:30

If you're not into the Twitter, I'm on the Twitter all the time, pretty much 24-7. So that's probably the easiest way to get my attention or our attention. Um, but we're, we're everywhere. Um, that's also got links to all of the platforms where our podcast, uh, audio version is, and then the YouTube where the video version is, where you can see who we're repping every week and, uh, we're, we're, we're still a work in progress I have, I have decided and uh, committed to filling up this desk space with with friends, for, uh, my great Jackie Robinson here and little Jack and little Jackie that we we added this week.

Speaker 1: 1:13:15

I think that's. I think that's the concrete goal is to add something every week until we we have to start taking things away in order to add.

Speaker 1: 1:13:24

Yes so yeah, we're thrilled to be here. We hope you all have enjoyed this little glimpse at who we are and what led us up to this point. Just you know we both come from crazy worlds and baseball has that potential to be just as crazy, so we're looking forward to um, what's in store, moving forward and and everything here. Brian, you got anything else you want to cover this week?

Speaker 2: 1:13:51

no, I think we're good. We'll see you at the field all right, everybody for brian logan.

Speaker 1: 1:13:56

I am dallas danger until next week. Happy baseball everybody.