WEBVTT - Adam Ottavino 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:05.840 Welcome to the No Sports Report, a production of our 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:14.040 Heart Radio Entree Fork Media. My name is Jensen Carpet 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:16.160 and I'm a sports fan. How do I know this 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:18.960 because today I visited one of those fantasy betting sites 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:21.920 and contemplated betting on Moscow Liga Pro before I even 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:24.599 knew what it was. It's table tennis, by the way, 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.400 in Russia, and yes, they're actively The proposition is getting 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:33.200 the most action site wide because the other option is darts. Guys, 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:35.600 if I end up betting on darts, kidnap me and 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:39.760 take me to gamblers anonymous, promise me. Okay, thanks. I 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.199 knew I could count on you. But for now I'm 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:45.320 talking to athletes and sports industry professionals about what they're 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.040 doing in quarantine, helping to figure out if famous competing 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.559 as much as I miss watching it. This is the 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:56.480 No Sports Report. Adam Mottavino was a New York as 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.600 buying a heat lamp Street Pretzel. Born and raised in Brooklyn, 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.440 his grandfather founded a stone and granite company in the 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.720 city that helped build landmarks like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:08.679 the Monument at Babe Ruce's Gravesite, and the base of 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.280 the Statue of Liberty, and not shockingly alongside the story 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.520 passed with the City that Never Sleeps is a die 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:17.200 hard fandom of the New York Yankees. Sure, when he 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:19.880 was drafted in two thousand six by the St. Louis Cardinals, 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:22.360 his major league baseball dream came true. And when he 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:24.680 was traded to the Colorado Rockies and clock thirty seven 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:27.920 scoreless appearances and thirty one innings a franchise record, it 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:30.479 was obvious he was becoming a bona fide bullpen superstar. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.160 But there was always that real fantasy in the back 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.040 of his mind, the goal of becoming a New York Yankee. 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:38.800 And in two thousand nineteen, when he became a free agent, 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.600 it all happened, and now he wears pinstripes. The hometown 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.479 boy returned and put together an extremely effective first season, 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:48.560 but continues to fight through some postseason roadblocks that threw 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.200 him right into the fire storm known as the New 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.240 York sports media. And so while he should be participating 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:55.880 in another year of achieving his childhood dream, he's now 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.760 stationed at home with his wife and two kids, waiting 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.040 for the call to get back to her. We chat 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:03.720 about his d I y mentality, hanging out with Garrett 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:07.680 cold during lockdown, and finding safety from obsessive thoughts. We 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:10.400 get into this and more with Adam Ottavino, the New 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:21.839 York Yankees number zero on this No Sports report from 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:26.760 Adam Atavino to accept Press one. Hey, how's it going? Man? 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:30.040 Hey going good? Thanks for having me. I know you 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.799 are extremely New York through and through, so I think 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.040 I know this answer, but I have to ask everyone 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.080 where have you been quarantined? And with who? We live 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:40.520 north of the city, New York City. Um, and just 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:43.120 been with my wife and my two daughters. And how 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:45.600 old are your daughters? Four and a half and one 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:49.640 and a half. That's quite an attack. Yeah, we're in 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.040 the we're in the trenches. But we love each other 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:54.960 and they're cute, so it's okay. I know if they 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.320 were cute, it would be torturous. What have you done 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:00.520 for fun to keep them entertained? That an age, it 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.560 has to be watched at all times. What are you 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:06.400 doing to make the time pass so? Um? For fun? 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.520 You know, we have a yard and chace them around 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:12.720 out there, put them on swings. Um. We inflated a 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:15.960 bounce house in the basement. So they can jump around 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.280 down there and I play music rell out, We go 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.520 on family walks, you know, we watch a lot of 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:22.919 movies and read a lot of books, that sort of thing. 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:26.240 But you know, that's about it. They haven't seen anybody 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.239 in a really long time, just through zoom and things 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:31.520 of that nature. Yeah, it's like it's a sci fi 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:34.119 movie at times. At one and a half and four though, 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:37.120 that is a very repetitive movie age. Are you at 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.440 least getting them to not watch Frozen over and over again? Yeah, 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:43.520 we moved on from Frozen to a while back. But 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.120 it's true what you say. I mean, um, usually whatever 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:49.640 they're into it gets played three times a day for 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:53.320 about a week until it switches. Right. So right now 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:57.640 we're currently on the mixture of Inside Out, Ugly Dolls 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:02.560 and my older ones and so this teenage musical zombies movie, 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.320 so we're into that now. Well, there's worse things in 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:07.240 inside Out. I'm into that. I'd watch that a couple 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:09.160 of times a day. Yeah, yeah, I mean that's that's 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:11.360 a good one. There's there's been something ones along the way. 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:13.560 But we're doing all right right now? Good do you 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:15.560 have to home school the four year old is there 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:18.719 is there even a curriculum to follow. So her nursery 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:22.240 school does zooms money through Friday. Just it's just like 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.240 half an hour though, and then she has some extra 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:26.840 curriculars that she's able to do the internet as well, 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:30.679 Like she does her ballet and her chess and guitar. 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:33.799 But that's it. The little one's got one little learning 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:35.599 thing that she does once a week for a half hour, 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:37.520 and other than that, we just kind of read to 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.680 her and try to do you know, colors and letters 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.279 and all that all that good stuff. Well, chess in ballet. 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.480 I was like at that age, I was like picking 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:48.279 my nose in Little League, Like those were my two hobbies. 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:51.760 That's a very smart kid. Yeah, we really threw our 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:54.440 oldest into everything. We had an apartment in the city 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.719 up until recently, and so we were there most of 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.800 the time, um the last year or two, and you know, 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:02.279 she it was running between a lot of extra cogeler 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:04.960 she had two ballets a week and that's her favorite, 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:08.520 and then she was doing guitar, chess also, like extra 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:11.520 learning class, gymnastics, just a lot of different stuff because 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.160 we wanted to keep her busy and stimulated as much 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:17.160 as we could. Yeah, true New York Renaissance women. Uh, 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.960 what's been the most surprising part for you? Being with 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:22.960 your family seven when you've mostly been on the road 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.320 at months on end. But this has been probably a 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:27.840 new thing for you. You know, it's kind of similar 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:30.120 to the offseason for me. Uh, we carve out the 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:31.640 time of the day that I work out and do 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.000 my training and all that. But you know, the big 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.320 difference right now is that we're stationary. So I wouldn't 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:39.760 say anything it's too surprising. I mean, it's kind of 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:41.880 what I expected it. But we're doing well. I mean, 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:45.159 we haven't had too many horrible days. You know, it's leundane, 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.320 but I think for the most part, we're doing well 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:51.320 and we still like each other's that's good. That's that's ideal. Uh, 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:52.920 you are no stranger. And this might be one of 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.400 the reasons that you don't feel it's too different is 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:57.880 that you know that do it yourself mentality that a 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:00.640 lot of athletes and just nor me's have had to 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:03.400 adapt during the pandemic. In the past, you rented out 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.320 a storefront in Harlem to get your training in. Can 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:08.719 you tell people about what this pitching layer that you created. 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:10.599 In the past, you had your own like bat cave 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:13.360 for athletics. Can you tell us what that was like? Yeah, 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:14.960 you know, in the past, I had trained with a 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.360 group and I was out on Long Island and I 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:19.920 just became you know, when my throwing partner moved away 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.920 to Tennessee, and um, it just became tough for me 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.360 to really um budget the time well and I feel 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:28.400 like I was rushing. So you know, we were able 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:30.479 to get our own space in Harlem and I just 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:32.800 kind of put everything I needed there and I was 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.360 able to train, you know, morning or evening pretty much 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:37.800 whenever it made sense that day and kind of get 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.840 away from everybody and rebuild myself on my own and 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:42.600 just kind of, you know, take a day by day. 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.040 But it was really nice to have that private space 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.280 to kind of do what I needed to do and 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:49.119 keep my mind in a good place. And it's playing 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:52.040 off now because all that equipment from that place which 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.159 has gone now I have here. So we've been able 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:57.880 to do stuff in my basement and and outside. And 0:06:57.960 --> 0:06:59.360 you know, there's some stuff that I thought I would 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:01.440 never use again because I had had been training at 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:04.200 Yankee Stadium the soft season, but that's off limits. So 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:06.240 here I am using that stuff again. So it's kind 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.279 of nice. So what was the size? Was it like 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:10.720 a Best Buy size or something. The storefront, well, I mean, 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.280 I'm imagining like a bodega, and that's that's a crazy 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:18.000 thing to think. It was eight ft long wide, very 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:21.120 much where a bodega would go. The previous tenant in 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.720 the space was a nine West shoe store. It was 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.880 right outside a bus stop Subways on the corner. It's 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.760 on a very traffic block. It was on the sink 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:33.160 list between one and Harlem, still block away from the Apollo, 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.360 so it's exactly what you would expect. Luckily, the ceilings 0:07:36.360 --> 0:07:39.400 were about twelve ft so I could do throwing out 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:42.080 to the eight feet without any problem. And you know, 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:44.800 we turfed half of it and I put a net 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:46.760 dead at the end like a screen so I could 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.280 throw into the screen. And we just kind of figured 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:50.960 it out as we went along, Like we dealt with 0:07:51.000 --> 0:07:54.320 some lighting issues and some other issues, but overall it 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:56.760 was it was really awesome. Cameras all set up, that's 0:07:56.760 --> 0:07:58.640 basically what you brought out to your house. Now, so 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.360 what is the current set up at home? So my 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.160 gym's in the basement. I have like all the workout 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:06.200 equipment there, and then I have all my throwing stuff 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.000 in the garage and I just pull it out and 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:10.760 throw in my yard. I have a bullpen catcher for 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:13.400 the Yankees that lives about half hour away, and he 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.600 drives over and we we throw, you know, my yard 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:20.280 and throw off the mound once a week, and I 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:22.440 have my cameras and all that set up, and you know, 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.000 we just try to make the most of it, trying 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:26.600 to stay ready so that when we hopefully figure something 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.120 out and get going here, then my build up won't 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:31.240 be too long. I can just kind of get right 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:34.199 into it. And you've involved others. The Yankees made a 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:37.480 massive offseason move picking up a Scarrett Cole, and you've 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:39.120 been lucky enough to be able to train with him 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.120 a little during quarantine. How did that come together? I 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:44.640 saw an Instagram pick that showed him at your place. Yeah, 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:46.840 we just throw a bullpence together that one day a week, 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:49.720 So we just try to align our throwing to match 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.760 up for that day every week. And he throws most 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:54.640 of the time with with our manager because they both 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:57.320 live up in Greenwich, so they throw together up there 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.680 in Connecticut, and that's about fifteen minutes from here. On 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:03.520 the day of the Bullpens, we come down. I mean, 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:05.720 I have the turf mound that I had from my gym, 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.440 and that's kind of the difference maker of why I 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:11.319 ended up posting everything. But um, yeah, it's been great. 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:14.439 I mean it almost feels like a game day, bullpen day, 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.720 you know, he comes rolling in and we challenge each other. 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:18.520 We try to make each other a little better and 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:20.880 work on our game together, and it's been nice to 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.080 get to know him during this time. Yeah, did you 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:26.040 know him before or was it just like a sort 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.000 of set update for you guys to work out, never 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.080 meeting and stuff. Well, I knew him a little bit, 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:33.760 and um, I knew him from like some Players Association 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:37.440 meetings and uh competing against him and I had we 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.040 had some mutual friends. And then um, this year when 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.320 he signed, you know, I was at stadium during his 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.720 press conference because I was training that day at stadium. 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:48.559 And right before spring training, he uh moved in in Connecticut, 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:50.520 so we trained together for about a week at the 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:53.040 stadium before heading off the Tampa. So really it just 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:54.560 kind of been in the right place at the right time. 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:56.839 It gets to know the guy. And and then when 0:09:56.880 --> 0:09:59.080 we got broken up from spring training, we talked and 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:00.840 I told him, Hayley, like, I have them mount at 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:04.080 my house, and let's let's utilize that, so you know, 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.240 whenever you're comfortable with we'll figure it out as we go, 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:08.559 but um, let's not be strangers. And so we've kind 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.440 of kept that up. And also, you know, his wife's 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.800 with him and she's pregnant, and she comes and just 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.000 kind of hangs with my wife and they watch from 0:10:15.040 --> 0:10:17.520 a distance, and I think it's nice just to see 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.560 some other people. Yeah, it does seem We interviewed Zach 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.080 Plisack and he had the same kind of relationship with Clevinger, 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:25.040 Like it seems like some guys have paired off who 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.040 lived near each other, who can sort of bunk up, 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:30.240 uh and and get some practice in rather than just 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:32.360 I think it's throwing against a wall or hitting into 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.400 a net. So that's good. Yeah, And also you know, 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.720 he's really smart, So I mean, ultimately we kind of 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:40.800 vibe in that way because we're both into the same 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:44.400 stuff with baseball, and so it's nice to be able 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:46.800 to kind of feed off of each other and it's 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.560 made for a good time. You know, it's nice to 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:52.680 get to see one of the best up close like that. 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:55.800 And Aaron Boone stopped by you said that he practices 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.360 a lot with with Cole. Are you in touch with 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:01.600 your teammates pretty much straight through this endemic? Yeah, we 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:04.240 we have group chats going and we had we had 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:06.760 one zoom with the whole team. You know, like I said, 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:08.640 I see the bullpen catcher. I seen her and Boone, 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:11.000 so chat a little bit. And you know I have 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:13.360 friends obviously that I texted the all time. So yeah, 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:15.200 we're in touch. You know, most guys did go their 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.839 separate ways. They're still a group in Tampa and we 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:20.840 get checked in with the training stats almost every day. 0:11:20.920 --> 0:11:23.000 So I feel like we're together as you could be, 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:25.760 considering we're all a part. Yeah, well, who's the funniest 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:27.560 in the group chat? Who's the funniest Yankee? I have 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:31.120 my money on Luke Voit. You know, it depends on 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:33.120 the type of humor. Like I think, just the biggest 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:38.600 overall ridiculous characters, Tommy Kinley's and other relievers just insane 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:41.400 bundle of energy. But you know, Brick Gardner is really funny, 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:44.720 all right, tells he tells great stories, and so I 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:46.199 really like to be around him. But we have a 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:47.320 good group. I mean a lot of a lot of 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:49.520 funny guys. There's not one dude just hitting the memes 0:11:49.559 --> 0:11:52.400 over and over in the group chat. No, I mean 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:55.000 it's not really. I mean a little bit here and there, 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.320 but overall not really. Let's talk about the pressure of 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.360 being a Yankee. It's certainly different than Colorado because even 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.000 during the coronavirus when I was researching you, the media 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.480 is like wildly concerned about how you're keeping warm, and 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:09.960 all your teammates, like you get your own articles like 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:13.400 here's how Adam is keeping fit Like that definitely wasn't 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:15.800 happening in other markets for you. How do you deal 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.320 with that difference in scrutiny. Well, I think I had 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.600 a good advantage just because I grew up a Yankee fan, 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:24.080 so I kind of know what that side of it is. 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:26.480 I was a die hard Yankee fan growing up, and 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:30.600 I understand that they're watching everything that we do. And basically, 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:32.440 the thing I always tell my teammates is you just 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:34.679 have to understand the Yankee fan perspective. Like all they 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:38.040 really expected and I'll start every position and for and 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:42.400 for perfection with your performance, so you know, the expectations 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:44.040 are what they are. But I think a big key 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.400 for me was I matured a lot during my time 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.719 in Comarado and ultimately realized when I came over here 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.320 that I needed to tune it all out and just 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.000 kind of focused on my craft my own way and 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:56.600 left the chip while what they may. And you know, 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.160 I think it's an honor to be scrutinized as much 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:00.839 as we are and wanted to be a Yankee and 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:02.880 wear the pin stripes. So I just tried to enjoy 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.439 my teenmates and focused on the game that we have 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:07.280 that night, and I think it worked pretty well for 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:10.080 me last year. Yeah. I mean, you have quite a 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:12.599 background and a family tree of people. I mean I 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:14.559 think it was your grandfather who helped build New York 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.760 City in general. Uh. I wonder what it was like 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:19.960 for the first time walking into that stadium as an 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:21.920 actual member of the Yankees. I mean, that must have 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:24.800 been a real pinch moment. Yeah. The craziest moment for 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.040 me was right after I signed a contract, got called 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.840 in to the stadium for like some head shots and 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:33.040 some stuff that I had to do there. So I 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:35.319 went in and when they told me to step for 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:36.960 the head shot, I needed to wear like the jersey 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:38.840 of the hat, so they had me put on the 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.760 hat and the jersey for the photograph. So I commented 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.200 right away to the clubhouse manager like that this jersey 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.160 felt heavy to me. I never felt I could kind 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.000 of feel the weight of it, you know, like the 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:51.520 weight of being a Yankee in that moment, And you know, 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:53.720 it definitely felt different than any other moment my career 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.280 because I wore a Yankee stuff obviously growing up, but 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:58.600 it was more like fashion. And then all of a sudden, 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.600 It's like, this is what I'm gonna be wearing for work. 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.280 So that was a moment where I felt that type 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.480 of things for real. And then, you know, I think 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.199 I got a lot of the other feeling out of 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.280 the way during training, getting used to being a Yankee 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.680 and having these teammates and you know that media coverage 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:15.320 all that, and then by the time I got to 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.240 the actual season, I felt pretty comfortable and so was 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.160 kind of a bonus, I thought, hand with a single 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:22.400 digit number, Yeah, yeah, that was a whole another thing. 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:23.520 I mean, I didn't know if that was going to 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.160 happen or not. Funny that that ended up going down. 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:29.640 You had a tremendous below to e r A last season, 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:31.480 ran into a bit of a snag in the postseason. 0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:33.360 And I know that you've changed up your delivery and 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:36.200 improved your off speed stuff. You had a very good 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:38.560 spring before it was shut down. How antsy are you 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:40.800 to go back out there and prove yourself in a 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.440 new season to these Yankees fans? You know, I'm not 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:46.160 really thinking about it from that perspective. I just know 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:48.240 that our team has a really good chance to do 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.360 special things if we can get back on the field. 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.080 We have a really good group coming back. So you know, 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:54.240 I just want to go out there and do my 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.520 singing and then get another opportunity, you know, in the 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:59.080 post season. So you've got to get there first. I 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:01.080 don't want to short chance the process. You gotta work 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.240 really hard to get to that opportunity and then try 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:05.760 to see the moment. Yeah, and as a middle reliever, 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:09.240 your workload is always monitored to avoid over usage. Does 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:12.440 a lighting season with less games does that excite you 0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:14.480 at all? Or does that does that kind of frighten 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:16.920 you for for what they normally watch you. Innings wise, 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.160 it doesn't really scare me. I trained the throw more 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:22.560 than they end up having us pitch, and I feel 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.160 like I've been pretty well conditioned the last few years. 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.080 But I do think that if people think that you're 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:30.600 gonna throw maybe less because of the shorter season, I mean, 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:33.600 it could be naive because they might use it as Okay, 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:35.640 there's less games overall, so we can push you a 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:39.440 little more often. And I think that's totally reasonable considering 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:41.320 if we do play a half season and each game 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:43.960 would be double the value. Though, I'm just gonna try 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:45.920 to go for it. I think one thing. As a 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:48.960 relief pitcher, especially somebody who pitches towards the back end 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:50.800 of the game, you kind of take pride in taking 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:54.200 the ball and always being ready. So I think that's 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:56.720 the mentality we'll take when we go in with double headers. 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:58.240 Mess you up with that, I mean, I was trying 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:00.520 to think about that. No, I mean, you know, I've 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:02.240 pitched in both ends of a double header a few 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.200 times in my career. It's fine, it's just like then 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.760 you can't pitch the next day, so you know, I 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:09.920 think luckily for our team, we have so many good 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.440 pitchers and we have some good young ones coming that 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.400 we were able to help each other out and lighten 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:17.520 each other's loads and get us where we need to 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:19.440 get to to be fresh for the playoffs. I thought 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:21.280 they did a nice job with that. Last year with us, 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.880 nobody really got burned out too bad, and so I'm 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.000 sure that would be the same plan unless you know, 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:29.720 obviously things change and situation is a little more dire 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:31.360 and then we have to get the foot down. But 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:34.880 I feel good about our our overall, our overall team. Yeah, 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:37.440 and you guys have a stack bullpen. Really only Chapman 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.120 is locked in for a role. All you guys can 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:42.680 come in in any inning. I think like there seems 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:45.240 to be a lot of versatility on the staff. Is 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.440 that something that you've noticed and there's something maybe the 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.760 Yankees organizations went out of their way to not have 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:52.720 this is the setup, this is the this is the 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:54.640 one pitch guy. This is I mean, is it is 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:57.400 it on purpose? By committee? In that way, I think 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.440 that the team tried to just get as many elite 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:03.320 arms as they could, and then I think once they 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.200 were already had a good baseline of that. Then maybe 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:07.199 there was a little more like, Okay, we're lacking a 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:09.400 little bit of a special scan one way or another, 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.080 Like I know what I got signed. You know, one 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:13.919 thing I was communicated to me was that most of 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.360 their pictures in the bullpen were actually better versus left 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:18.960 handed hitters the right handed hitters. Obviously I'm better versus 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.280 right handed hitters, So that was kind of where I 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:23.800 was initially thought to fit in and with this group. 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.480 And I think the other thing that's awesome about our 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.600 group of relief pictures is that pretty much everybody on 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.800 our team could be a closer anywhere else most other places, 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.800 but everybody's kind of put that to the side. You know, 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:39.200 Britain was All Star closer for several years with Baltimore, 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:41.400 and for him to come and accept a different role, 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:43.359 that just shows what kind of guy he is and 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:45.480 what he really values. And that's kind of the way 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:49.119 I felt. That's great more with the Yankees, Adam Ottavino 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:58.000 after this. Right now, Feeding America is working tirelessly to 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:01.000