WEBVTT - Skip Schumaker joins CT 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:09.000 The same with Cardinals are en route to Arlington, Texas 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:12.039 for a three game nder League series against the Rangers, 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:14.480 So naturally we have to bring on everyone's favorite person 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:17.640 to the show. Skip Schumacher, Welcome the Cardinals territory. I'm 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:19.000 thrilled to have you. How are you? 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:20.160 I am great. 0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:23.560 Everyone's favorite person's a tough that's a tough intro, but 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:24.160 thank you all. 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:26.120 I'll try to try to take that one. But I'm 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:27.480 excited to be on with you, of course. 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:30.120 Yeah, I know. It's always great. I know when I 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:32.800 always put out little feelers on which guest do we 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:35.400 want coming up here the series. Here are some you know, 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.199 favorite former Cardinals, and naturally you're on the top of 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:40.239 the list. So we just give the people what they 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:42.880 want here. What can I say? 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:44.919 Yeah, I guess so, So. 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:47.040 We'll just start a little bit about you know why 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:49.000 we're talking in the first place. Over the off season, 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:51.000 for those of you who missed it, Skip joined the 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:54.160 Texas Rangers as a special advisor to President at Baseball Operations, 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:57.880 Chris Young. It's a new organization for you. Skip. What 0:00:57.920 --> 0:00:59.160 do you like about the Rangers so far? 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:02.920 Well, I didn't know what was going to happen at 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:05.959 the end of the season, you know, with my situation 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.280 in Miami and trying to figure out the next steps 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.800 and not to jump to anything into anything too quickly. 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.200 I just wanted to be in a really good situation 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:18.319 around really good people. And see Why is at the 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:21.840 top of the list. He reached out right away. I've 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.000 known see Why for a number of years now, played 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.000 against him. I played against Sea Why in high school 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:27.559 at eighteen years old, so I've known see. 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:28.320 Why a long time. 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:31.360 And then obviously the people that he has around him, 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:36.160 Dayton Moore, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, like all the people 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:38.840 that I've Nick Hunley, that I've been around for a 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:42.039 long time are in that group. And I get to 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:44.760 learn from grow with, and that was the main thing. 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:46.400 And by the way, I get to learn from a 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:50.120 Hall of Fame Bruce Bochie is pretty special for me. 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:54.240 So it just all kind of worked out, and really 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:57.160 grateful for that. Also, my son is going to TCU, 0:01:57.560 --> 0:01:59.680 so it's like twenty five minutes away in a couple 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.480 of years, so I'm just very grateful for this opportunity. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.920 Have you learned anything about the Rangers so far? This year? 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:07.600 I'm going to have this episode double as a very 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.800 brief Cardinals Rangers preview. Is I'm still figuring out what 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:12.240 exactly the Rangers are. 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:15.320 Yeah, well, first of all, they're pitching has been so good. 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:17.799 They're starting pitching with the healthy Jacob de Gram. 0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:19.119 I mean, he's a unicorn. 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:22.480 He is when healthy, one of the best pitchers still 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:23.840 in the major leagues. 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:28.280 In Valdi, I didn't realize how good Evo was. 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:30.560 You know, you you kind of advanced teams when you 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.240 go in to play them and you only get three 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:34.720 game series maybe see him five or six times a year. 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.800 I didn't realize what type of leadership he had, you know, 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:43.280 in that clubhouse, the stuff he had, this real true 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:47.400 ace mentality that he has. And then obviously, you know 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:49.639 you're looking at the offense and you know, we've struggled 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.120 a little bit this year, been kind of these peaks 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.080 and valleys, and you're waiting for these guys to get 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:59.080 going and unfortunately how to make a few moves during 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:02.359 the season. But I think, you know, seekers coming back 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:04.600 here in a few days, which it's going to be huge. 0:03:04.639 --> 0:03:08.000 You need aircraft carriers. You've heard that before, and he 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:08.840 is that guy. 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.040 He's a guy that can just put a team on 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.440 his shoulders and you know, roll off a number of 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.720 wins and go into these eight, nine, ten game winning streaks, 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:19.120 which you know we're going to have to. 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:20.920 Get to to get back to where we want to be. 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.720 But when you have a leader in Bruce Bochie, he's 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:28.000 seen it all and is forty plus years in the 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.080 big leagues, So I think there's a lot of stability 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:33.239 in that organization, and I think there's it's only a 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:35.080 matter of time before these guys get hot again. 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:37.600 Yeah, I think it'll be a good matchup for the Cardinals, 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:39.600 who I'm you know you follow along. How could you 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:42.240 not so many of your friends are on the coaching staff, 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:45.280 and also I know you just have a an appreciation 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.119 for the organization. But for Saint Louis coming in after 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:50.760 their series against Baltimore, I mean, this is a team 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:53.360 that's played the best defense in baseball, So I wonder 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.080 how that, combined with the Rangers lack of offense is 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:59.160 going to vote for Texas's bats, and they've been pitching. 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:01.880 The Cardinals have really well. We've talked about on this 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.040 show the sustainability of it, whether or not it can 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:06.800 last throughout the entirety of a season. But right now 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:08.760 those guys are throwing the ball well and they're executing, 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.320 so we'll see. I think the Cardinals are one of 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.760 the surprise teams in baseball so far. I know, coming 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.360 into the season, my personal expectations were rather low. If 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:20.279 you've watched the earlier episodes of Cardinal Territory, specifically the 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:22.799 spring training vibes. I wouldn't say I with the most 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.840 bought in person on the active roster, but they've done 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:28.960 a very very nice job of turning things around. What 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:30.240 do you make of the Cardinals this year? 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.880 Yeah, well, first of all, to your earlier point, the defense. 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.200 Texas has a really good defense too, So they remind 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:40.000 me a lot of each other right now as far 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.880 as like the defense and what they valuate their values of, 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:44.000 like pitching in defense. 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:48.080 The Cardinals, I think. 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.560 It started with Nolan Ornado showing up to spring training 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:54.359 and just being that dude and not making it a distraction, 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:57.560 letting the media and the teammates know, like, I'm here, 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:58.760 I'm ready to win, let's go. 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:00.880 Whatever happened in season happened. 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:03.960 But I think it starts with him and him having 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.560 the ability to say I'm a Saint Louis Cardinal. There's 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.000 a tradition here. I'm still want I still think we 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:12.800 can win. And then him going to the front office 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.200 or all even saying I'm willing to hit six just 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:17.960 shows you where he's at in his career and that 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:21.440 winning is the most important part of his day, which 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:23.839 just you know, it's not surprising to me knowing Nolan 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.479 for so long, but I think it's just been really 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:30.360 cool to watch his maturation throughout the years. Olie Marmle's 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:33.120 done a fantastic job with that club. I think I've 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:37.600 had Brent Brown as my hitting coach. He is phenomenal 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:39.640 at game planning and getting the buy in that you 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.400 know those guys need. We know who John I know 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.960 who John Jay is and Descalzo obviously there's some street 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:49.400 cred where they know what winning looks like in that clubhouse, 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:51.400 and you know, those young players can go to them 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:54.200 with just about anything because they've seen it all. And 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.040 I think when you have a staff like that, it 0:05:56.200 --> 0:06:01.000 just goes a long way and they have fun. There's accountability, 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:04.240 there's stability now and I think not enough. I know 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:06.160 you probably have talked about I know you have. But 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:09.920 Brendon Donovan is an absolute stud and it's somebody that 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:10.799 you've mentioned, Katie. 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.440 I've watched you speak because I think you're really good. 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.040 I think he is somebody that you can really build around, 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.120 and that is a franchise type of player. He's a 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.960 cardinal type of player who plays the game right. You 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.120 know what you're going to get every single bat, first, left, first, right, 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.280 middle of the infield, he can play the outfield. He's 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:33.960 just a special player that, like everybody can look too 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.120 younger player, older player, like that's how you should play 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:37.520 the game. 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.000 I'm glad you brought that up about Brendan Donovan in particular, 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:42.960 because he reminds me of the type of player that 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.520 would have thrived on your Cardinals teams when you and 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:48.279 Scalt and j were there in the twenty tens. Because 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:50.800 he is so gritty. I've said this before on the show. 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:53.800 He's like your textbook Saint Louis cardinal in terms of, 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:55.480 you know, he wants to play every day. You can 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:58.160 play him everywhere, and he's more than serviceable no matter 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:01.480 where you put him offensively, in defensively. And coming into 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:03.560 the season, Donnie was one of those guys that was 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.159 kind of caught in between from an identity standpoint. He 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:08.839 wasn't an established veteran with the club, but he was 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:11.400 a little too old to be in the I don't know, 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:14.400 we're not supposed to say rebuild, but the transition part 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.160 of the club. They knew that they were going to 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.320 count on him for the future, but they just didn't 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:21.200 know to what extent. And instead of being confused or 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.440 unsure about his identity, I think Donnie just came in 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:24.840 and said, well, I'm just going to play and make 0:07:24.840 --> 0:07:27.040 sure they know exactly what they have in me and 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:29.000 what we're seeing after the first fifty games or so 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:31.760 was you're seeing exactly what you said someone the organization 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:32.920 can build around in the future. 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.080 He's exactly what you're looking for in a winning team. 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.600 And you know, whatever they wanted to say, you know, 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.000 they wanted the younger guys to play, or the rebuild 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:45.640 or whatever transition period they were in, it doesn't matter 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.600 what phase you're in in an organization. You want Brendan 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.720 Donovan on your team because he knows what the work 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:55.880 should look like. During batting practice, you see him, he'll 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:57.920 put a screen in front of first base if he's 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:00.760 not hitting the bag right and just rep and rep 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.160 it and rep it. Just these little things, these little 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:06.320 details that he cares so much about, that like win 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:07.120 the margins. 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.240 And when you have a team that doesn't have. 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:13.320 These like you know, Aaron Judge or Showhey or these 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:16.480 like incredible superstars, but you just have some really good 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.200 talented players that are trying to find their way. But 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.160 you also have a Nolan Ernando who's going to be 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.840 a Hall of Famer, Like, how do you win the margins? 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.160 And you have guys like Brendan Donovan That's how you 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:28.840 do it. And my guess is Brendan Donovan, now at 0:08:29.000 --> 0:08:31.760 his whatever third fourth year in the league, is probably 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:33.720 telling these young guys, no, you hit the bag with 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:35.760 the right foot, or now this is how you take 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:36.720 your secondary leader. 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:38.560 No, you should be taking early VP. 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:42.199 I think he's probably got that in him now and 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:43.600 he's always had it before. 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:46.320 But you're right, he's not like, you know, this ten 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:47.800 year vet. He's not this rookie. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.360 But I think he's so respected that I'm guessing he 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.240 commands some of that in the room. And again, it 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:56.640 just goes back to that coaching staff, the coaching staff 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.360 has been really good in developing these guys. 0:08:59.400 --> 0:08:59.600 All. 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:03.080 He has been a developer his whole career and it's 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:05.200 just a testament to what he's done with that club 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:05.600 as well. 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.800 Perfect segue to our next section. I would really like 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:11.040 to talk about the coaching staff, because, like you mentioned, 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:13.360 you are familiar with so many of them. But before 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:14.720 we get to that, we've got to take our first 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:16.640 ad read of the day. So let's hear from Spot 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:17.959 and Tango very quickly. 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:24.160 Krats, my pup was picky, not anymore with Spot Entango unkibble, 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.720 and it is about forty percent less expensive than frozen food, 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.120 so we're saving in the wallet and we're making our 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:32.000 pups happier. 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:34.199 Let's go apples to apples. 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:36.480 I'm not cheap, but I don't want to waste my 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:38.880 money on something that's good for my dog. 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:44.160 This is perfect. Yeah, they are very excited, both Bella 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:48.680 crats Is pup and Penelope my little pup. For Spot 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:51.439 en Tango, you can get your pup excited too, and 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.319 there's no more guessing how much to feed your dog either. 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.439 Spot and Tango creates a custom plan based on your 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.760 dog's age, weight, breed, and activity level. It's a nice 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.880 little survey. So upgrade your pets bowl with spotan Tango 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:06.200 un kibble for a limited time. Go to spotantango dot 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:08.600 com slash foul use code foul to get fifty percent 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:12.280 off your first order. That's spot in tango dot com 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:15.520 slash foul code foul for fifty percent off your first 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.920 order spotantango dot com slash foul code foul. 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:21.920 I love that Scott has like the world's smallest dog, 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:23.160 so fitting for him. 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.320 I wasn't gonna say anything, but yeah, So. 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:32.120 Let's from an over arching view. You know so many 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.599 of these Cardinals coaches, not just from playing time or 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:37.040 from your time on the Cardinals staff, but an or 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:39.120 for your time in Miami really that I feel like 0:10:39.160 --> 0:10:41.000 you were one of the best people to talk to 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:44.280 about just what they've accomplished. And we'll start with Ali Marmel. 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:46.080 You were s Benge coach in twenty twenty two and 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:48.240 lots to like about what happened in twenty twenty two, 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:50.680 except of course the very end of the season. But 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.040 that was always first year as a manager, and you 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:55.000 guys were just kind of in it together and figuring 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:57.280 it out. How have you seen him grow from year 0:10:57.360 --> 0:10:59.400 one to year four. Now and why do you think 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:01.480 he had he's seeing the success that he is right now. 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:04.880 Well, I think you're always, you know, each year you 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:09.960 learned something either from your experience, your coaching staff, former 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:14.400 guys you know, or different players. I think he's he's 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:17.920 grown into a manager that who he really. 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:18.200 Wants to be. 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:18.520 Now. 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.600 I had him his rookie year. You know, we were 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:25.240 I was learning Ali, he was learning me, and we 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:27.760 kind of grew into this like really good friendship and 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:30.079 uh that I'll you know, I'll be friends with Ali 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.520 forever just because of how much I respect him. I think, 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.360 you know, as a former manager, you always look back 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:38.800 and think about how you could have done things better, 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.880 whether it was you know, how you're getting guys better, 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.000 how you're talking to him as a group in the clubhouse, 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.800 how you're reacting to media. All these things you're learning 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:51.080 as you grow, uh into the manager you're trying to become. 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:55.040 And he's he's gotten to the playoffs, he's. 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:58.040 Taken young teams, you know, to places where a lot 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.440 of media members didn't think they would get to so far, 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:04.000 and it's been it's been really fun to see him 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.880 also acquire the staff that he thinks is ready to 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.160 take this group to the next level. In my opinion, 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:13.760 you have to have a really good coaching staff to 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:17.600 cover your blind spots because you don't know everything about 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.560 the game. I feel like you should hire the expert 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:22.959 in hitting, and the expert in pitching, and the expert 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:26.800 and infield play because you don't know everything. It's impossible 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:28.680 to know everything. And I think he's done a really 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:32.080 good job of acquiring the experts in a lot of 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.720 these areas in the game, and it's really helped them 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:38.720 take that that that organization to the next level. You know, 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.040 Stubby Clapp is one of the better infield guys in 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:44.120 the league. Knows base running. Him and Pop Warner can 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:47.679 dissect the pitcher as good as anybody. And obviously I've 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:50.480 talked about you to you about Brent Brown and what 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:52.040 I think of him and what he did for us 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.440 in twenty twenty three in Miami. You know he is, 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:59.400 He's relentless. He gets guys to buy in. So there's 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:01.000 a I could tell all day about. You know a 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.440 lot of those guys on staff, but I think they're 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.200 in a good place. They're in a really good place, 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:09.480 And I'm just happy for Ali because you know this 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.160 was I'm guessing haven't talked to him about it, but 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:16.920 like a lighter off season for them with the whole 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.880 Aeronauto thing, you know, you know, hanging over the off 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:22.520 season and hanging over his head most likely, and then 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:25.120 to get him to like become like bought in is 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:26.560 pretty pretty impressive. 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:28.800 So I'm happy where he's at. 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:31.920 I mean, you know firsthand what it's like to come 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:34.160 in as a manager and take a club that people 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:37.360 had relatively low expectations for and guide them to success. 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.560 I mean, you were the twenty twenty three mL Manager 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:41.640 of the Year with Miami for a reason, and you 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:45.640 took a young, inexperienced ball club and made them playoff contenders. 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.839 Can you see this Cardinals coaching staff doing that same 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:49.480 thing this year? 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.199 I can, because I mean you think about who's on 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:58.719 that staff. Daniel descalzos on a winning person. First of all, 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:02.079 he's a really good person, but he's one in Arizona. 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:06.000 He's one a Saint Louis as a player. John Jay 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.080 has one as a coach. He's one as a player. 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:10.360 Brent Brown has one as a coach, one as a player. 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:13.240 So you think about all these guys that through their 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:17.440 experiences with young teams and really and veteran teams, they've 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:20.400 they've seen it all. So you can only go back 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:23.840 on what you've experienced. And I've said this before, I 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.440 only know everything I know is because I've learned it 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:31.240 from somebody, and they have been in. Brent Brown and 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:34.560 the Dodgers organization learned a ton I'm assuming, oh, I 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:37.040 know that for a fact. But he's also really good 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.880 about with his own ideas, and Olie Marvel has been 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.680 in this organization a long time, but they also, in 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:46.560 my opinion, got guys from other organizations finally that were 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:51.000 I can give you new ideas and implement them and 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.560 then take this place to it to the next level. 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.120 And I think that's where John Jay has been really 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:59.720 beneficial and Brent Brown's been really beneficial, and obviously Scalzo, 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:01.880 you know, seeing what Arizona has been doing for a 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.080 number of years. I think when you see all that 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:05.480 coming together, this is what you get. 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:08.480 Let's talk a little bit about John Jay because a 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.960 big talk about this Cardinals team, like we talked about earlier, 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:14.760 has been the defense, specifically the outfield defense and when 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:18.240 you ask the players, when you ask Ollie, it's easy 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:20.680 to see just how much the outfielders have bought into 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:23.240 the John Jay school of outfielding. Really, and we'll start 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:25.360 with Lars Neubar, who was never a bad outfielder by 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:27.800 any means. He was above league average, but he's managed 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.320 to take significant strides forward. Going to what I think, 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.480 you know, one of the most effective left fielders in 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:36.680 the National League, Victor Scott the second always had the talent, 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:40.480 you always had the raw ability, but his John Jay's 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:43.320 ability to unlock something with Victor to turn him into 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:46.160 the next level of center fielder, a Gold Glove caliber 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.640 center fielder after less than a year in the major leagues, 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:51.080 is super impressive. And then, of course, what has been 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:53.600 going on with Jordan Walker to take from where Jordan 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:55.680 was in the last couple of years offensively and to 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:59.400 bring him to league average, and to see the everyday improvement, 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:02.880 whether that's first step, whether that's sprint speed, whether it's 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:05.320 the read off the bat. The Cardinals have one of 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:07.480 the better outfields in baseball one because of the work 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.720 the players have put in. But they're not buying in 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:12.640 unless they believe in their coach with that messaging. You've 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:14.320 known John Jay Fair a very long time. He was 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:17.400 part of your staff in Miami, longtime teammate of yours. 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.240 I know you're not surprised about the results here, but 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:22.640 what makes John Jay so effective as an outfield coach. 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.440 Yeah, well, first of all, we talked about Brendan Donovan 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:27.560 being so good and someone you can build around. 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:28.840 You mentioned Lars Newbar. 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.160 I was so impressed with the year I had with 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:35.080 watching Lars new Bar in that clubhouse and getting guys better. 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:39.239 And he wants he himself wants to be great. 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.600 And when you have that quality and then you implement 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:45.160 a John Jay and like I can make you great, 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:46.200 I want to be great. 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:46.800 Here we go. 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:49.600 That's where you know you get from good players to 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:51.840 great players. And I think Lars Newbar can be a 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:53.080 great player in this league for. 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:53.640 A long time. 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:57.560 You don't see many outfield coaches actually take reps in 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.840 the outfield with the players. Right is taking three groups 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:05.840 of reps of shagging getting these guys to show exactly 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.480 how it should look like with the first step where 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.240 the positioning should be, the routes to a ball, because 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.359 he's actually taking the flight balls with them, which you 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.680 just don't see in today's game. It's a lot of 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.080 like here, put in the machine, shoot it and go 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:23.119 get the ball, where John's like having somebody else do it, 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.760 and he's repping it with them and talking it through 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:29.600 him and the reasons why. And I think he's, uh, 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:32.520 he's really good for the veteran guy. I guess, I 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.240 don't know, I guess large as the veteran guy yet, 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:38.720 but but the older of that, I guess that group 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:40.600 of you know, compared to the other guys that are 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:43.880 on uh, in that outfield. But he's really good at 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:46.560 teaching it and simplifying it and having like the message 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:49.600 be simple. And when you can have simple messaging that 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:50.800 these guys can relate to. 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:52.359 It just goes a long way. 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:56.359 And I think that John Jay Uh, you know, he's 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:58.520 good in anything that you give him, Like he could 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:00.119 be really good at base running, and he could be 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.680 really good at you know, whatever you give him, he's 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:05.680 gonna dominate in because he's an all in type of guy. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.720 He's like obsessive, Like you see him probably skateboarding all 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.120 the time, like I'm gonna just try skateboarding. And then 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:12.919 he's just like gonna be obsessed with it and like 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.240 try to dominate that. Whatever it is, he's gonna try 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:17.680 to be great at it. And what's great about John 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:19.960