WEBVTT - Mookie Betts (9-3-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now, an exclusive interview with David Basset for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, the vibes are high with Mookie Betts. I

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<v Speaker 1>saw the look in his eyes. Like Dave Roberts said,

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<v Speaker 1>he saw some look in his eyes in Denver. Whatever

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<v Speaker 1>it is, the smile is back.

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<v Speaker 2>Things are feeling good for him.

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<v Speaker 1>And the four-time World Series champion, Mookie Betts, is joining

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<v Speaker 1>us before tonight's game.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks a lot for the time. Appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 3>Of course. Thanks for having me. It's always good coming

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<v Speaker 3>on and talking to you.

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<v Speaker 1>I just got to put this on the table right now.

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<v Speaker 1>I guaranteed a win last night, and I told the

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<v Speaker 1>fans if you lost, I was going to walk home.

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<v Speaker 1>So fans were all over me last night to walk

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<v Speaker 1>home from here to the San Fernando Valley last night.

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<v Speaker 3>Did you walk?

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<v Speaker 2>From the curb to my front door.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, so what curb? Like the curb in front of

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<v Speaker 3>your house to the front door? So you didn't walk

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<v Speaker 3>all the way home. I guess you did walk home.

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<v Speaker 3>But it wasn't from here.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe I'll start on Ventura Boulevard around Topanga Canyon and

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<v Speaker 1>walk home from there. So you think I should take

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<v Speaker 1>that walk of shame?

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<v Speaker 4>I think if you put it out there, then yeah,

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<v Speaker 4>you got to stick to your word for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>How many miles do I have to, because I looked,

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<v Speaker 1>I Google mapped it. It was 12 hours from Dodger

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<v Speaker 1>Stadium to my house.

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<v Speaker 4>No, I think a nice 20, 20, 30 minutes. walk

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<v Speaker 4>would suffice. It should suffice.

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<v Speaker 3>12 hours is way too far.

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<v Speaker 1>It was midnight too, Mookie. The streets are dangerous in

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<v Speaker 1>Woodland Hills.

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<v Speaker 3>By the time you got home, you would have to

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<v Speaker 3>turn around and come back here. So no, you can't

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<v Speaker 3>do that. You can't do that.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, Mookie, I know obviously the first two games haven't

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<v Speaker 1>gone the way the team wanted. I know you guys

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<v Speaker 1>are not winning as much as you wanted, but it

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<v Speaker 1>feels like there's no panic around you guys and it

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<v Speaker 1>looks better than what the results are showing.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I don't know. It's kind of weird. I feel

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<v Speaker 4>like we're not playing that bad, but we're losing. It's

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<v Speaker 4>hard to explain. Guys are starting to get going. Teo's

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<v Speaker 4>starting to swing it. I'm doing a little bit better. Really,

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<v Speaker 4>the lineup is doing a little bit better. Obviously, with Sho,

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<v Speaker 4>we're not exactly sure. Hopefully, he's okay with everything.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know anything. at all, but if we get

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<v Speaker 3>him going.

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<v Speaker 4>He's the best player in the world, so of course

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<v Speaker 4>he's going to change us drastically, so we just got

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<v Speaker 4>to get him back going.

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<v Speaker 1>It feels like when he's going, when you're going, when

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<v Speaker 1>Freddie's going, the rest of the team has this air

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<v Speaker 1>of confidence about themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you feel that?

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<v Speaker 4>I would definitely say when Shohei's going. Maybe the rest

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<v Speaker 4>of us, but I know for sure when Shohei's You know,

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<v Speaker 4>he's going, you know, drawing his walks, which he's still

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<v Speaker 4>going to draw walks no matter what. But, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>he when he starts hitting the ball hard, it just

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<v Speaker 4>gives us this confidence like, OK, you know, he's ready

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<v Speaker 4>to go.

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<v Speaker 3>So we're ready to go.

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<v Speaker 1>Mookie, it feels like something's changed with you. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>obviously hits are going to come and go, but. You've

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<v Speaker 1>been hitting the ball hard all year long, and it

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<v Speaker 1>just feels like, I don't know, there just seems to

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<v Speaker 1>be a different spirit about you the last few weeks.

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<v Speaker 1>Am I reading that right?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean, I think so.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, it's, you know, kind of tweaking and making

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<v Speaker 4>some changes. But, you know, I'm just kind of, I'm

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<v Speaker 4>really just kind of proud of myself just for.

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<v Speaker 3>Continuing to keep going. You know, I could have easily.

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<v Speaker 4>Anybody really just could easily, you know, just kind of

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<v Speaker 4>cash it in and said, you know, it is what

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<v Speaker 4>it is. But, you know, I'm really proud of myself

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<v Speaker 4>for just keeping going, keeping trying to figure things out,

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<v Speaker 4>keeping my mindset of helping the boys. And, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>we've gotten, of course, we've gotten some hits to fall

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<v Speaker 4>here recently, but it's not really about the hits as

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<v Speaker 4>much as just about just the mindset of just putting

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<v Speaker 4>your head down and keep going.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, and the rest will be, you know, whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>Again last year it seemed like you got down on

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<v Speaker 1>yourself it never felt this year that you got super

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<v Speaker 1>down on yourself and you kept your confidence level at

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<v Speaker 1>a certain point how did you do that who did

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<v Speaker 1>you lean on uh.

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<v Speaker 4>I mean i think just from experience really um you

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<v Speaker 4>know going through it it wasn't the first time so

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<v Speaker 4>being that it was another time i feel like i

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<v Speaker 4>gave myself another chance to choose a different perspective and

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<v Speaker 4>it's all a choice.

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<v Speaker 3>Right you know um.

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<v Speaker 4>Last year I chose to be down on myself instead

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<v Speaker 4>of choosing to fight through and, and, and, um, and

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<v Speaker 4>just try.

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<v Speaker 3>And create a new perspective.

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<v Speaker 4>And so going through this year, I felt like I, uh,

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<v Speaker 4>I made a good decision in, in, in changing my

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<v Speaker 4>perspective on it. And, um, you know, really just the guys,

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<v Speaker 4>the guys kind of, uh, really just kind of stayed

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<v Speaker 4>in my corner. They were in my corner last year,

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<v Speaker 4>but you know, just, I just made the wrong, wrong choice.

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<v Speaker 4>And so the, the guys have stuck by me the

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<v Speaker 4>whole time. And I think it was, um, mostly just

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<v Speaker 4>a personal decision to keep going.

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<v Speaker 3>Love it.

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<v Speaker 2>We always have that decision.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes a little harder to pick ourselves up, but you

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<v Speaker 1>got to find it. And Mookie Betts certainly has. And

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<v Speaker 1>you have the unique perspective of talking to so many

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<v Speaker 1>guys on other teams. You have your on-base podcast that

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<v Speaker 1>you talk to players on other teams. What is the

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<v Speaker 1>feedback you get from other players when they play the Dodgers?

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<v Speaker 1>Are they admitting to you that they're giving you the

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<v Speaker 1>best shot they have out of everybody?

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<v Speaker 4>We don't really talk about that a whole lot, but

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<v Speaker 4>I think it's– I would assume, yeah, I mean, that's

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<v Speaker 4>definitely it.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, I would say us, the Yankees.

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<v Speaker 4>Padres, teams that have names, I would say you could

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<v Speaker 4>probably go– probably look up stats. I mean, guys come

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<v Speaker 4>in and automatically are– three four mile per hour harder

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<v Speaker 4>with fastballs and really everything um i mean you can

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<v Speaker 4>see passion when they're when they hit homers and and

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<v Speaker 4>one of the ball games which is nothing personal or

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<v Speaker 4>anything you can just see it which is totally understandable

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<v Speaker 4>and um we just have to match that.

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<v Speaker 1>Energy you've had the biggest names on your podcast from

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<v Speaker 1>aaron judge to fernando tatis you had miggy roe recently

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<v Speaker 1>is there a bucket list player that you want on

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast that you haven't talked to yet.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm available. I'm not a player. I'm a player. Room 112,

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<v Speaker 2>you have to find me where the players dwell.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, my gosh. No.

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<v Speaker 4>I feel like most of the guys that I wanted

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<v Speaker 4>to get, Bryce Harper was the one I really wanted

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<v Speaker 4>to get, and I was able to get him this year.

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<v Speaker 4>Verlander was on there. You know, probably somebody like Garrett Cole.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, probably some of the, some of the guys

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<v Speaker 4>that I played against for 10 plus years are probably

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<v Speaker 4>the guys, you know, a lot of the new guys

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<v Speaker 4>coming up, I don't really know them. And, um, you know, they, uh,

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<v Speaker 4>they have their place in their time that I'll, I'll

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<v Speaker 4>probably get them at some point. But like you said, dream,

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<v Speaker 4>dream guys would be guys probably been playing against for

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<v Speaker 4>a long time that I've never really gotten to speak to.

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<v Speaker 4>I got, had Verlander when we were in Detroit and, um,

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<v Speaker 4>I never have gotten to talk to him. I've shared

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<v Speaker 4>a locker room with him a couple times just in

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<v Speaker 4>the All-Star games, but you don't really get to talk

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<v Speaker 4>much there. So that was really the first time I

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<v Speaker 4>actually got to really have a real conversation with him

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<v Speaker 4>and get to know him.

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<v Speaker 3>And, you know, he's an awesome dude.

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<v Speaker 4>And so I'd like to meet some of the other

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<v Speaker 4>guys I've been playing against, you know, for my whole career.

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<v Speaker 2>I love hearing that.

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<v Speaker 1>And I could hear the sound in your voice that

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<v Speaker 1>you truly are genuinely excited to talk to some of

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<v Speaker 1>these guys in the Harper interview. There were so many

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<v Speaker 1>good things that came out that we didn't know about

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<v Speaker 1>either one of you. I know it's about them, but

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<v Speaker 1>we find out about you, too.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I mean, that's really that's really kind of what

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<v Speaker 4>it is. I mean, you know, just getting to know

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<v Speaker 4>guys and getting to know the players and Because, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>we really don't have that kind of outlet. You know,

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<v Speaker 4>we're playing constantly. And then, you know, the media, when

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<v Speaker 4>we're in the media, we're answering questions about the game.

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<v Speaker 3>Negative or positive, whatever.

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<v Speaker 4>You're just never really getting to know who's taking the field,

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<v Speaker 4>who the guy is.

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<v Speaker 3>And so that's the point of the podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks a lot for the time. Appreciate it. And the

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<v Speaker 2>next time we talk, we'll be smelling like champagne. How

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<v Speaker 2>about that?

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely. Let's do it. Let's do it. All right.