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Speaker 1: How's it going, Marlins fans? This is Eli Sussman here,

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Speaker 1: managing editor of Fits Stripes, where we cover your Miami

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Speaker 1: Marlins every day in our own way. I'm about to

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Speaker 1: tee it up for our own Noah Berger as he

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Speaker 1: releases another exclusive interview as part of his What or

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Speaker 1: Relief podcast series, this time with Lefty Stephen Okert. A

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Speaker 1: little bit of housekeeping to get to before we go

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Speaker 1: into that. I guess, first of all, if you're listening

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Speaker 1: get the video version of this Okert interview, as well

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Speaker 1: go live. We have a couple amazing guests lined up

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Speaker 1: for fish Stripes Live heading into the All Star break

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Speaker 1: Marlins series opener as a reference before fishstripes dot Com

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Speaker 2: Go to fish Stripes dot Com.

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Speaker 1: Heading into Steven Okert about to turn thirty one years

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Speaker 1: old on Saturday, and he is having I think he'd

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Speaker 1: have to say his career year here in twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: two for the Marlins, barely one year since he was

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Speaker 1: brought up from their TRIPAA affiliate. This year a two

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Speaker 1: point three six ro through thirty three appearances, he has

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Speaker 1: settled in as the eighth enning guy for this Marlins team.

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Speaker 1: Who could have seen that coming, but he's allowing only

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Speaker 1: about one base runner per ending this season doing a

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Speaker 1: phenomenal job, pitching as often as three consecutive days. We

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Speaker 1: get into that with the okret on this interview, somebody

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Speaker 1: that's just had a very unorthodox path as someone who

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Speaker 1: is off the prospect grid entirely early in his amateur

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Speaker 1: career after a few seasons with the Giants, winding up

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Speaker 1: back in free agency and didn't land with a team

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Speaker 1: until the Marlins in early twenty twenty one. Relying so

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Speaker 1: heavily on this nasty low eighties slider, he's been able

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Speaker 1: to dominate lefties and hold his own against righty's to

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Speaker 1: set him up in this position where he is handling

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Speaker 1: all these high leverage innings for the Marlins and having

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Speaker 1: a lot of success doing it. He's a master of

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Speaker 1: inducing soft contact and it seems pretty sustainable at this

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Speaker 1: point now that we have a couple of seasons, even

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Speaker 1: dating back to twenty twenty one where he was doing

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Speaker 1: this very well. He enters Thursday ranking in the ninety

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Speaker 1: seventh percentile in hard hit rate against according to Statcast.

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Speaker 1: So he has a role on this team, He has

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Speaker 1: a niche, and he is a key reason why this

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Speaker 1: team has been probably playing better than expected dating back

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Speaker 1: to June and so far here in early July. Okert

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Speaker 1: is a couple of years away from arbitration eligibility. He's

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Speaker 1: under club control through the twenty twenty sixth season, so

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Speaker 1: get used to seeing him because Okret could be around

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Speaker 1: a while in this Marlins Bullpen. It is the second

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Speaker 1: episode about What a Relief series here on fish Shripes.

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Speaker 1: Be sure to check out the Anthony Bass conversation from

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Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't already with

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Speaker 1: that said, buckle up for Noah Burger and Steven Okert

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Speaker 1: here on the Fish Drives podcast. It is What a

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Speaker 1: Relief Episode two.

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Speaker 3: Enjoy all right, welcome everyone to the second episode of

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Speaker 3: the Water Relief Podcast. I'm your host, Noah Burger. We're

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Speaker 3: back again. We're back again with another picture from the

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Speaker 3: Marlins Bullpen. Steven Okert is here with us today. How

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Speaker 3: are you doing doing good?

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Speaker 2: Thanks for having me?

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Speaker 3: All right, So we're just gonna go through your career

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Speaker 3: and I have a couple of questions, maybe a couple

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Speaker 3: of stories that I want to pull out of you.

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Speaker 3: So you were drafted back in twenty ten and twenty

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Speaker 3: eleven by the Brewers and you didn't.

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Speaker 4: Sign with them. What went on there. What goes on

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Speaker 4: in that kind.

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Speaker 3: Of situation, Like take us into that as a player

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Speaker 3: being drafted at that age.

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Speaker 4: And making the decision not to sign.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, honestly, I had no idea I would even be

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Speaker 2: drafted and got a call from the Bruer scout and

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Speaker 2: they did kind of a summer follow up thing. I

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Speaker 2: played summer ball that year. They wanted to see me

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Speaker 2: play and then ended up with no offer. So it

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Speaker 2: wasn't really my decision on that one. So it's kind

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Speaker 2: of they just told me they weren't going to offer

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Speaker 2: and they go back to school.

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Speaker 3: Ah, So it's actually the team's decision in that one

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Speaker 3: was yes. So then in twenty twelve, you were drafted

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Speaker 3: in the fourth round by the Giants.

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Speaker 4: How is that?

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Speaker 2: That was awesome? We just got back from regionals in

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Speaker 2: Virginia and we got back late and I get a

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Speaker 2: call in the morning. I mean I didn't even I did.

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Speaker 2: They called and say congratulations, and I was just waking up.

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Speaker 2: I'm like for what, And you know, I didn't even

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Speaker 2: have the scouts number saved. And you know, then you

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Speaker 2: obviously told me I was drafted in the fourth round

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Speaker 2: by the Giants, and you know then I started getting

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Speaker 2: text from family and everybody congratulate me and stuff. It

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Speaker 2: was awesome.

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Speaker 4: That's that's really cool.

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Speaker 3: So going through the Giants organization, you made it all

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Speaker 3: the way up to the major leagues. You made your

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Speaker 3: debut in twenty sixteen. I think it was against.

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Speaker 2: The Cardinals the Diamondbacks.

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Speaker 3: The Diamondbacks, I had that in my notes right here,

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Speaker 3: and I completely didn't even look at it, and it

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Speaker 3: was the two innings pitched had that feel they just

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Speaker 3: get on a major league mound.

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Speaker 2: Oh, it was incredible. I'd gotten to throw a couple

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Speaker 2: of times and in the Bay Series game, so I

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Speaker 2: got the pitch there, but obviously not in the regular season.

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Speaker 2: So you know, getting up there, you know the place

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Speaker 2: was packed that we were on the run of, however

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Speaker 2: many consecutive home game sellouts. It was incredible. And then

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Speaker 2: you know, I get out there and I walk the

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Speaker 2: first guy and not such a good feeling then, so

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Speaker 2: but you know, the next guy hits a crushes the

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Speaker 2: ground ball and Crawford and panic turned two. And then

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Speaker 2: I get my first strike out for the next guy.

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Speaker 5: Wait, shit, that one strikes out, second strike out for

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Speaker 5: LAMB tonight, two down, that's the first major league strikeout

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Speaker 5: for rookie Steven Okerts. There are his parents.

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Speaker 4: That's awesome. So after.

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Speaker 3: Multiple seasons with the Giants up until I think it

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Speaker 3: was twenty sixteen twenty nineteen, you were granted free agency

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Speaker 3: and took two years off of baseball. It seems like

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Speaker 3: I can't find any stats for you what went on

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Speaker 3: during that time.

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Speaker 2: That wasn't by choice? Uh, you know, got free agency

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Speaker 2: and uh no, I thought, I have a few teams

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Speaker 2: trying to get me, and then throughout the off season

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Speaker 2: just no communication from anybody. No, no teams were interested.

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Speaker 2: Finally got some scouts to come out in January and

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Speaker 2: watched a couple of bullpens and really still nothing. And

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Speaker 2: then went through the Padres spring training facility like three times,

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Speaker 2: I think three really really well and still nothing, so

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Speaker 2: you know, and then Covid obviously hit and then nobody played.

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Speaker 2: But it was ah, it was not a good feeling

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Speaker 2: to not have a job. Have you know, all thirty teams.

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Speaker 2: I've reached out to all thirty teams and nobody wanted,

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Speaker 2: you know, because it was pretty.

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Speaker 3: Tough that that doesn't sound fun at all. So through

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Speaker 3: the Grape vine, I've found out that your agent is

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Speaker 3: former Marlin Tom Kohler.

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Speaker 2: Mm hmm.

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Speaker 4: How did that relationship come about?

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Speaker 2: Like I said, you know, we weren't getting any interest

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Speaker 2: from anyone, and you know, so me and my wife

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Speaker 2: talked and she ended up putting up a anonymous post

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Speaker 2: on Facebook, the wife's page, trying to get recommendations for agents,

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Speaker 2: and Tom's wife commented and gave his information and I

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Speaker 2: reached out to four or five different agencies and ended

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Speaker 2: up going with Tom. You know, the way he was

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Speaker 2: kind of persistent, asking me if we're ready to do this.

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Speaker 2: He's ready to get to work, and you know, obviously

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Speaker 2: he made good money his career playing baseball, so to

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Speaker 2: me it felt like something that he really wanted to

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Speaker 2: do and it wasn't just you know, him trying to

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Speaker 2: be an agent to make some money. And so I

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Speaker 2: go with him. And when he's non stop reaching out

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Speaker 2: to all the teams, he told me he's like, dude,

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Speaker 2: they're going to block me. I'm reaching out so much.

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Speaker 2: And you know, for me, it was just like, well,

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Speaker 2: you know, he's doing everything he can, so now it's

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Speaker 2: all to me to try to get a job. And

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Speaker 2: he's reaching out, he's getting scouts here, he's you know,

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Speaker 2: getting some attention, and so I just I felt like

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Speaker 2: he was a getting picked a good match for me.

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Speaker 3: So over the years, how much how much interaction with

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Speaker 3: him have you had, like since coming into the major leagues, Like,

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Speaker 3: how often do you see him?

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Speaker 2: I've seen him wise, I think in person. Obviously last

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Speaker 2: year through COVID, we weren't really allowed to do anything,

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Speaker 2: and this year it's much more open. But he text

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Speaker 2: me almost after every out. You know, him and the

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Speaker 2: owner of the agency, they both text me almost every outing.

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Speaker 2: But in person, I've seen Dave that he owns the agency,

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Speaker 2: co owns it. I've seen him once. I had dinner

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Speaker 2: with him in New York, and then I had dinner

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Speaker 2: with Tom and spring training and lunch one year last year,

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Speaker 2: one time last year with him.

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Speaker 3: All Right, So now we've gone through the history of

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Speaker 3: Steven Elker, I want to ask you, was there any

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Speaker 3: pitching coach or manager that you really over the years,

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Speaker 3: really connected with that you still go back to and

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Speaker 3: get in contact with and talked to.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I still talk to Steve Klein. You know, he

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Speaker 2: played for quite a while. He was I had him

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Speaker 2: as my pitching coach in low a double a enterplay,

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Speaker 2: so I had him for years, and me and him,

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Speaker 2: you know, since Lowe in twenty thirteen, we've kind of

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Speaker 2: been boys. So I'll still call him every once in

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Speaker 2: a while. And it's funny because some of the you know,

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Speaker 2: Ben and Rick, our trainers, were with the Giants, so

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Speaker 2: I'll call him and we'll talk to him and stuff.

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Speaker 2: But he's him, and and then there's one more he

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Speaker 2: Mike Cruche. He's was our short season coach for the Giants,

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Speaker 2: and I really connected with him, so I'll still talk

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Speaker 2: to those two.

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Speaker 3: It seems like you you you have a lot of

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Speaker 3: connections with that Giants organization because they brought you up.

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Speaker 3: Was there any other player that you've connected with over

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Speaker 3: the years from another team that you always have kept

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Speaker 3: in touch with.

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Speaker 2: I still talked to Chris Drapp and he's with the Pirates.

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Speaker 2: I still talk to him, uh here and there. And

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Speaker 2: then Derek Law I want to say, I kind of

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Speaker 2: be wrong. I'm so bad. I could say he's with

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Speaker 2: the Twins. I can't remember he said, but I still

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Speaker 2: talked to them. They were I came up from low

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Speaker 2: Way all the way up with those two. So we

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Speaker 2: and then Tyler Rodgers. He I was with him for

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Speaker 2: years too. He's he's right behind me for all the

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Speaker 2: time appearance leader for soccer Minue I believe. So we

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Speaker 2: were obviously together for quite some time.

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Speaker 3: Wow, that a lot, all right. So you've told me

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Speaker 3: on in previous meetings that you are a gamer. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: what kind of games do you play?

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Speaker 2: I've been playing a lot of Rock League lately. I've

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Speaker 2: been trying Apex, but I'm kind of terrible at it.

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Speaker 2: I can get it and then see a thieves. It's

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Speaker 2: like a pirate game. Yeah, my buddies.

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Speaker 3: So how much gaming do you usually do when you're

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Speaker 3: during the season?

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Speaker 2: After games go back play for a couple hours before that.

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Speaker 3: So we had Anthony bass on last week two weeks ago,

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Speaker 3: and he was very particular about the first pitch strike

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Speaker 3: mentality and his that was one of his keys to success.

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Speaker 3: What's one of your keys to success when it comes

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Speaker 3: to when you're getting on the mound in a tight situation.

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Speaker 2: You know, I have to kind of agree with him

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Speaker 2: looking at the outings I've had, and the outings are

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Speaker 2: whoopings had as a whole. You know, everyone we get

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Speaker 2: in there it doesn't. I mean, obviously, first pitch strikes great,

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Speaker 2: but you know, first pitch ball, you gotta get right

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Speaker 2: back in there and get ahead. And you know our

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Speaker 2: numbers are when we're ahead, it goes our in our

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Speaker 2: favorite way more so, you know, it's something I've talked

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Speaker 2: about about. You know, what he's done different from last

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Speaker 2: year to this year, and and that's one of the

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Speaker 2: things that you know, he keeps just talking about, is

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Speaker 2: really trying to get that first pitch strike, really getting

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Speaker 2: the head of guys and then you know, staying aggressive

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Speaker 2: and putting away early and not you know, not messing

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Speaker 2: around getting deep earlier in the year. You know, it's

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Speaker 2: going three two to everybody, and you know, stressful, every

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Speaker 2: every at bat was stressful. So definitely getting the head

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Speaker 2: is huge.

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Speaker 4: What's it like pitching on three straight days.

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Speaker 2: Stuff. Obviously, we you know, we try to prepare for that.

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Speaker 2: We have the idea that that's going to happen. Ah.

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Speaker 2: So honestly, talking to Tabass and Tayner, we all felt

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Speaker 2: pretty good. So you know, that's a good thing. But

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Speaker 2: for me, I feel like the toughest thing was, you know,

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Speaker 2: facing the same couple of hitters three days in a row,

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Speaker 2: you know, then getting to see me obviously I'm gonna

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Speaker 2: throw a lot of sliders. They get to see that

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Speaker 2: a lot, and then I throw Bell a terrible one

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Speaker 2: and he gets it.

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Speaker 4: You know.

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Speaker 2: I feel like that's that's the toughest part, is just

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Speaker 2: those guys getting to see us that many times. That's

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Speaker 2: that in that many days.

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Speaker 3: You know, when a when a wacky play happens, or

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Speaker 3: in an error or someone boots the ball, how do

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Speaker 3: you get focused after that? How do you not let

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Speaker 3: that just completely take you off the rails of your pick,

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Speaker 3: of your outing.

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Speaker 2: I mean, obviously you hope it'll happen, but you know

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Speaker 2: airs are going to be part of the game.

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Speaker 5: Look at the action on this que shot.

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Speaker 4: Beer hand and Ochre dumps it.

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Speaker 5: Ruis smelling a closet plate first getting down the line.

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Speaker 2: I mean how many times you look at window the

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Speaker 2: other day with the hold he got out for me

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Speaker 2: for cruise. I mean, that ball is smoked, That ball

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Speaker 2: shouldn't be caught, you know, and he catches it. So

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Speaker 2: it's like, obviously they're picking us up a lot on

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Speaker 2: great plays. You know, everyone the whole our infield, our

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Speaker 2: outfit has been picking us up. So it's like the

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Speaker 2: air is going to happen. I hope it doesn't. You,

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Speaker 2: you know, take a second, then get back up there

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Speaker 2: and try to get a ground ball, turn to try

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Speaker 2: to you know, get a quick out, get us back

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Speaker 2: in the dugout. But really you just try not to

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Speaker 2: let it even affect you.

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Speaker 3: So you're out in the bullpen then for hopefully seven

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Speaker 3: innings before before you go out there, when do you

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Speaker 3: usually start to get ready.

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Speaker 2: I'd say like mid fifth I'll start really rolling out

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Speaker 2: and stretching, and then sixth inning I'll play catch with outfielder,

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Speaker 2: and then through the sixth and seventh just kind of

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Speaker 2: moving around a little bit, trying to stay loose and

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Speaker 2: tell the phone.

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Speaker 3: Rings, So you say till the phone rings. A couple

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Speaker 3: I think a week or two ago, the Rockies were

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Speaker 3: in town and I think bass was past pitched the

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Speaker 3: seventh and nobody was on the mountain of the bullpen

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Speaker 3: during the bottom of the seventh, and the end of

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Speaker 3: the seventh happens and you come out and you're like, what, wait,

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Speaker 3: what me?

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Speaker 4: What happened there?

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Speaker 5: I'm not sure what uh was the purpose for that,

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Speaker 5: to be honest with you, but it's going to be

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Speaker 5: Steven Oker to pitch, So maybe it was just to

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Speaker 5: announce the pitching change to the umpire and crew. I'm

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Speaker 5: not sure.

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Speaker 2: Not much to say about that. It was just a

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Speaker 2: little miscommunication, so, you know, it was a little confusing.

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Speaker 2: But you know, like I said, luckily, I you know,

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Speaker 2: stay ready from the fifth on, so it wasn't too bad.

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Speaker 2: You know, I get some fileballs in and stay pretty lose.

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Speaker 2: So just a little miscommunication.

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Speaker 3: You guys spent a lot of time out there, just

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Speaker 3: the eighth review. I think there's that's how many bull things.

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Speaker 3: What kind of stuff are you guys talking about out there?

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Speaker 3: What kind of stuff are you guys doing to pass

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Speaker 3: the time?

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Speaker 2: Oh god, the first few innings, it's honestly just random stuff.

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Speaker 2: I got Painters sitting next to it, and he just

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Speaker 2: got popping out everywhere. Yeah, he is your same thing.

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Speaker 2: Thoughts are just going everywhere. But we were joking yesterday

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Speaker 2: that I'm you know, usually it's like the first three

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Speaker 2: innings and then guys kind of start locking it in

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Speaker 2: a little bit. We're joking on sandy days that the

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Speaker 2: whole bullpen's just checked out. You know, we don't got

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Speaker 2: to do anything. It's it's sandy day, so we can

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Speaker 2: just all hang out and miss around.

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Speaker 4: Guys. Ever take naps out there?

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Speaker 2: No, definitely not that. Oh god, we'd be all over

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Speaker 2: social media for that. That would be a good thing.

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Speaker 3: How much how much do you enjoy interacting with the

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Speaker 3: fans that are in and around there, like around the bullpen?

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Speaker 3: I know here there's the sports lounge right next to

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Speaker 3: the bullpen, and places like Philly.

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Speaker 4: You got them right behind you. What's that like?

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Speaker 2: Philly's tough. You know they're they're out there just wearing

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Speaker 2: you out the whole time. Uh. Here, you know we don't.

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Speaker 2: The sports lounge is they got that music so loud.

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Speaker 2: So those people are in there in the world there,

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Speaker 2: they don't look really talk to us or anything. Mostly

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Speaker 2: it's just the kids above us, just screaming ball at us.

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Speaker 2: We'll get them away, tell them how they just continue

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Speaker 2: to screamball. So that's most interaction we get out there.

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Speaker 4: Every major league ballpark is different.

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Speaker 3: Some bullpens are way out in center field, some are

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Speaker 3: but are separated, some are together, some are down the

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Speaker 3: lines in Tampa, what's your ideal set up for a bullpen?

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Speaker 2: Oh man, just anywhere not on the field. I thing.

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Speaker 2: I think Colorado's got a cool bullpen. But by the

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Speaker 2: time you run and you're tired, you know, so far away.

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Speaker 4: Isn't that the one with like the rock, with like

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Speaker 4: the forest out there.

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Speaker 2: It's got the little water, the little pond and stuff

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Speaker 2: out there. It's a pretty cool one. I like Atlanta's

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Speaker 2: because it's got a quiet room. You get a little

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Speaker 2: bullpen room and it's I don't know what kind of

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Speaker 2: glass is, like bullproof glass. It's silent in.

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Speaker 4: There, fan proof glass.

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Speaker 2: You open the door and it is just so loud, screaming.

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Speaker 2: You walk in there, and you get away and get

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Speaker 2: a little quiet time.

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Speaker 4: Sometimes I wish I had a room like.

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Speaker 2: That, right right, But I mean, just anything not on

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Speaker 2: the field.

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Speaker 3: So to finish up, well, you've got to throw teammates

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Speaker 3: under the bus. Oh god, What kind of practical jokes

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Speaker 3: have you witnessed over the last few weeks, whether out

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Speaker 3: in the bullpen or in the clubhouse.

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Speaker 2: There haven't really been too many, honestly. Obviously, you get

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Speaker 2: called up and you gotta sing or whatever.

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Speaker 4: But have you ever had to sing for the team?

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Speaker 2: Not here in twenty sixteen, I did, I had to

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Speaker 2: sing we are friends in low places whatever. That's It

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Speaker 2: was great because I need the song. So twenty seconds

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Speaker 2: in the whole bus for singing. So that helped me.

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Speaker 2: But the mic slowly went away.

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Speaker 4: Who's the guy in the bullpen that likes to cause trouble?

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Speaker 4: Stir the pot?

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Speaker 2: Just gonna have to He's not gonna like it, so

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Speaker 2: can he'll put me back on there?

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Speaker 4: But I'll say, yeah, I remember you guys saw.

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Speaker 2: Things out, you know, like you see that. I was

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Speaker 2: gonna say, tanner.

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Speaker 3: You guys yesterday we're having some fun in the clubhouse

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Speaker 3: with the interviews they were doing, and I'm I can't

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Speaker 3: wait for Valley.

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Speaker 4: To put up.

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Speaker 2: Do you know the NL reliever who happened to lead

402
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Speaker 2: the league and wins right now? No, I couldn't tell

403
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Speaker 2: you nationally relievers and the victorious spot question. No, I

404
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Speaker 2: didn't get any I have no idea.

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Speaker 3: No, I do not know.

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Speaker 2: I tell my had him guessing it's somebody a couple

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Speaker 2: of lockers down the bold guys.

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Speaker 5: No, no, no, it's the long haired guy.

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Speaker 2: Steven had no idea. You didn't know, no, no clue.

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Speaker 5: That's how it goes some times, right, Yeah, you're tied

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Speaker 5: with Pablo Lumpez with five victories.

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Speaker 2: I don't know that shouldn't happen. Yeah, guys, going six

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Speaker 2: to seven, eight innings, I gotta get one, and I

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Speaker 2: mean I could take some of those. I got plenty

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Speaker 2: of else on my record.

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Speaker 3: All right, do you have any final thoughts, any message

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Speaker 3: for the fans or anybody out there.

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Speaker 2: I mean, just thank all the fans. Keep coming out here,

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Speaker 2: keep back in the place. You know, we're having a

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Speaker 2: great time.

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Speaker 3: All right, Thank you so much, Steven Oker. This has

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Speaker 3: been the Waterleaf podcast on the Fist Drivers podcast channel.

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Speaker 4: Thank you very much for listening and watching.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, guys,