WEBVTT - Foster Griffin’s return from Japan back to MLB & pitching makeover 0:00:04.280 --> 0:00:06.920 Hey, I love these stories, and I'm excited that we 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:09.880 get to talk to Foster Griffin as free agency is 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.360 just beginning. He has been starring out in Japan and 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.640 he's back, not officially, but he will be back. Foster, 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:20.079 you are a hot topic right now. Great to have 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.360 you on the show. Thanks for joining us, and are 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:27.920 you excited to be back in MLB suit one hundred percent? 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:30.600 I had, you know, kind of a second shot, a 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.600 second chance, if you will, at my career to go 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:36.880 over to Japan, and I spent three years there, three 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:41.200 great years, and had an unbelievable experience, an unbelievable time 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:44.080 with the giants, and uh, I'll be forever grateful for 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:48.479 that experience. But I'm definitely ready to, you know, see 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:51.400 the things that I've done over there and changed to 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:53.800 see how that matches up over here. 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.440 Can you tell us more about your story. I always 0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.480 like when someone like you can intro up first and 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:01.840 then we'll have tons of follow ups. But your story, 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.680 both from a journey perspective and then also some of 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:08.160 the changes that you've made. I always look at these interviews, 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:10.520 these are big Foster, where we're talking now, and then 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:12.280 all of a sudden we could be talking about you 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.840 in October in a big playoff situation. We've seen many 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:15.720 stories just like this. 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:22.080 Yeah, I mean I'm not your typical you know, journey 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:25.160 through the minor leagues, I would say, kind of a 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:27.720 slow slower than most. 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:29.600 I guess it took a while to get to the 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:30.119 big leagues. 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:31.679 And then once I got to the big leagues, I 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:36.120 tore my UCL my debut, so that was kind of heartbreaking, 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:40.600 and then work my way back from that and got 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:43.120 back to the big leagues. But then from there I 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:45.160 was kind of just your typical four A player in 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:49.120 a way, bouncing up and down a bunch as a reliever. 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:53.320 But you know, someone's always watching. 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:56.200 As we always hear. And during that year in twenty 0:01:56.280 --> 0:02:00.240 twenty two, as I was bouncing up and down, US 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:03.040 had some Japan teams looking at me, and the Giants 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:06.200 were watching over in Japan, and the big thing for 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:07.800 me is they wanted me to come back and be 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:11.560 a starter over there. So that really raised some eyebrows 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.680 for me that that's something that I really wanted to do. 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:16.920 And then was able to go and kind of re 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.240 establish myself as a starter and really relearn how to 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.280 be a starter, and I think that was massive for 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:26.360 me and was able to really, you know, buy into 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.960 everything there and have some success. 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:32.040 Foster, I got a question for you. 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.760 Maybe this were you invited the Big League camp in 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:36.959 twenty fifteen with the Royals. 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:38.280 No, I was not. 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:40.160 Were you up there at all? 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.000 Yeah, you're testing my memory. 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:47.079 I don't. I don't think so that would have That 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:48.640 would have been my first spring training because I got 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:50.800 draft in twenty fourteen at a high school. I don't 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:52.480 think I would have. I don't think that would have 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:53.680 happened for me, to be honest. 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:56.520 Okay, when when I started looking you up and stuff, 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:57.640 when I found out you were going to be on 0:02:57.639 --> 0:02:59.360 the show, I was like, man, I feel like you 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.160 were over in that like section where they keep all 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.800 the young guys in camp that year. 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:05.720 But maybe you. 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:10.120 Never saw me. I was on field six, you. 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.960 Were away out there. You're the long the stones. Then 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:15.480 I want to go to I want to go to 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:18.960 your debut. I don't think we've asked anybody this. Maybe 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:22.080 we have on the show. But you debuted in COVID. 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.720 I always said, I always said, not talking about your 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:30.919 injury or anything. Debuting in COVID was either the hardest 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:35.320 or the easiest debut for people because you went from 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:38.800 minor league games where there wasn't that many depending on 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.160 where you played, to zero fancy. You're like, okay, a 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:45.840 lot less pressure, but nobody got to come and experience it. 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:48.960 So what was that experience like for you as we 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:50.960 moved then on into your big league career. 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:55.400 I would say just from I didn't have a whole 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:57.800 lot of experience like you guys were talking about, like 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:00.720 pitching in front of big crowds or big games or 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:03.280 anything like that. So I think it was easier in 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:07.320 a sense to where there's nobody there. You had expanded rosters, 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.080 you know, for the while, so it was a little 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:14.040 bit easier, I guess mentally, and not as like maybe 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.800 hyped up. Although on the other end of that, it's 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:20.600 a sixty game season, so there's like a real push, like, hey, 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:22.320 there's a lot of these teams that could maybe make 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:24.680 a run and sneak your way into the playoffs. So 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.480 there was that pressure of going out there and treating 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:29.680 every game of like, hey, we really got to win 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:32.520 this game. But like I said, that was pretty short 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:36.040 lived for me because I debuted and then my elbow 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:39.479 wasn't cooperating and had to get surgery, so that kind 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.239 of was short lived. But I have to answer your question. 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:44.320 I would say it was probably a little bit easier 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.719 in the grand scheme of things. 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.200 As someone that went to Japan. You were there for 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:52.440 three years. Do you speak Japanese? 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:55.800 Now? Are you? Are you multi lingual bilingual? Now? 0:04:57.279 --> 0:04:58.839 I know a little bit. I can. 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:02.720 I can have little conversations. I understand a lot more 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:06.400 than I can speak. It got to the point to where, 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.360 you know, picture meetings and stuff like that, I could 0:05:09.480 --> 0:05:12.440 understand what was being said. Now if they asked me 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:15.680 to then reiterate exactly what they said and speak it 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:17.840 in Japanese, I don't know if I could do that. 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:21.440 But I got to the point to where even my 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.680 translator was noticing that I was kind of picking up 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:25.080 on conversations and stuff. 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:27.560 How hard is that? How hard is that? 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:31.080 Because we see Shohe, and we see Yamamoto and Sazaki, 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:34.120 and before that each your row and Matsui and all 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:36.880 these guys come over. So you went over there, How 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:39.400 hard is it for you? That you know, grew up 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:41.760 in Florida, went to the first academy. We're going to 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:45.120 get to that, don't worry. And then you would go 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.360 to Japan to a place where you don't know the culture, 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:49.240 you don't know the language, and oh, yeah, by the way, 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:51.159 you have to play baseball and perform. 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.279 Yeah, that part's very difficult. I think it's harder than 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:58.160 a lot of people realize. And I think it might 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.120 bring to light a little bit of how hard it 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.120 is for some of these Japanese guys that come here 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:08.040 and perform and perform. Well, it's definitely it's it's completely different. 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:10.320 You know, you're going there, Yes, you have a translator, 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:12.880 but once you get into the game, like your translator 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:14.680 is not by your side on the mound, so you're 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.800 kind of having to figure things out on the go 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:18.279 and on and by yourself. 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:22.000 But I kind of went into it with an open mind. 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.120 I was like, Okay, I'm going to try and immerse 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.640 myself in the culture a little bit, learn how the 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.200 baseball is different, and how can I adapt to that 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:30.440 to make myself better. 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:33.440 How can I, you know, converse with. 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:35.359 My teammates in any way, because as you guys know, 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:39.400 with you know, Latino guys here in the States as well, 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.479 there's Baseball is kind of a universal language, and I 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.560 think that transpires over there as well, so you kind 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:49.000 of get to know how to speak the baseball lingo, 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.480 I guess in a way, even in Japanese. So I 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:54.480 was able to kind of really immerse myself into the 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.680 culture that way, into the baseball culture specifically, and I 0:06:57.760 --> 0:06:59.480 just kind of wanted to learn as much as possible 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:00.120 while I was there. 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:04.000 All Right, you said to yourself, you kind of gotten 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.840 to that four A player type of role. You went 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.960 over there and you had success. What's the talent like 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:12.360 over there? What would you what would you equate? People 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.000 ask me this all the time. I only went for 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:17.880 two weeks in like exhibition type games. What's the talent 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.840 like over there? Where would you equate it? Is it 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:21.800 a four A level? 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.320 Such a hard question I get asked all the time. Simply, yes, 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.640 I would say it's a four A. But it's also different. 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:36.360 So their lineup construction, the way I would translated is 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:40.240 more old school baseball. Okay, your first couple hitters are 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:43.920 probably going to be most likely left handed and most 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:48.600 likely speed center field, shortstop, second basement contact. Get the 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.840 guy over, not going to strike out? A lot on 0:07:51.880 --> 0:07:55.240 Your three, four, five, six, depending on the team might 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.440 fall to seven, are going to be your RBI, have 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:00.800 some power, have some pop, and then your eight nine 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:04.240 guys are going to be probably your defensive specialists. Also 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:07.760 contact guys that aren't going to strike out, but also 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:11.840 can play many positions, as they still have after next 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:13.440 year they're not going to have it, but in one 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:15.960 of the leagues they still have the pitchers hit, so 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.800 they do some double switches, and guys that are more 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.880 versatile when it comes to playing different positions. They have 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.040 those kind of guys laid out there in the eight, seven, 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:28.520 eight nine spots. So the lineup construction I would say 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:32.440 is not to repeat myself, but more old school baseball, 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:37.040 as I would say, And that's kind of where I 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:39.160 would say, it's a little bit different, And that's kind 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:41.360 of as a starter where I kind of learned to 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:43.800 navigate through lineups a little bit and kind of have 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:44.800 my cues. 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:45.800 Of where I'm at in the lineup. 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:47.760 Are they about to do a pinch hitter, are they 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:49.880 about to do a double switch, and kind of have 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:51.360 that little bit of extra knowledge. 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.680 Foster, You've we've seen guys come over recently that go 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:58.760 over to Japan and come back and they get nice contracts. 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:04.480 What's your expectance, your expectations for free agency and what 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:07.240 are you looking for? And would you like, let's say 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:08.720 that you don't get a deal here, do you have 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:10.280 the ability because I don't know how this works, do 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:13.360 you have the ability to still go back to Japan 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.480 and pitch again? Or once you say, hey, I want 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.880 to be back to the MLB, then you lose that, right, 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:19.320 I don't be cause I honestly I don't even know 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:19.800 how it works. 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.320 No, not necessarily, not necessarily. I think right now I'm 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.719 a free agent, and that's a free that's an international 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:27.800 free agent. So I have the ability, I think, to 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:31.920 sign over here as well as entertaining any offers that 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.880 would come from any Japan team as well. 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:41.400 That's great. So what's better? Yeah? I was gonna say 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:42.439 which one was better? 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:46.240 I mean, I I you know, I think for me, 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.120 it was never like I think for some guys they 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:54.480 really want to go to Japan, play a year, come 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:55.440 back and get their deal. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:56.800 Right For me. 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:00.960 That I put that so far back in my mind 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.840 because I really felt, like I said earlier, I got 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:07.480 a second chance at baseball, and I was able to 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:09.559 kind of make a mini career out of it, if 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.680 you will, in Japan, and I changed so much and 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:14.520 I feel like I grew so much as a picture 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:18.800 that at this point in time, if the opportunity came about, 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.120 I'd like to really test what I did and how 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:24.760 the much those changes improved me, because I feel like 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:28.240 they really did, and see how that plays out here 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:29.840 at the big league level, because I really think I 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:32.959 can do it. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:35.880 at at the moment. But like like I said before, 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:40.480 I'm technically an international free agent. So if an opportunity 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:44.240 weren't to come, which I hope it does, but you know, 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:45.400 Japan would still be open. 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:47.720 What did you change? 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:51.440 What's the one singular thing that was the biggest change 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.439 for you, besides the fact you probably came back with 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.520 like nine pitches, so the catchers back that are hitting 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.640 all the buttons boo boo boo boo boop. 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:02.320 Yeah, I definitely added some pitches, and I would say 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.960 that's probably the biggest thing for me. 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:06.920 One thing. 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:10.599 As I moved on the rubber, I moved all the 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:12.920 way to the first base side, so a little bit 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:16.959 of crossfire for lefties. And then I added a splitter, 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:20.200 which everyone throws over there. I feel like if you 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:22.760 go over there as a pitcher, that's probably one thing 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:26.199 you're gonna see is all these guys getting swing and 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:28.200 miss and so many ground balls on these splitters and 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:30.800 fork balls, as you guys have seen probably in the playoffs. 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:34.520 And then I added a sweeper, which I threw a 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.440 sweeper when I got traded over to the Blue Jays, 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:43.160 and I didn't really refine it. And then once I 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:45.920 got there, I really kind of found a grip and 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:48.800 found a que that really helped me, and I started 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:51.720 getting a lot more swing and miss to lefties, both 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:53.960 on the splitter because I didn't throw my change up 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:56.360 to the lefties, so that added an extra wrinkle the 0:11:56.440 --> 0:12:00.560 left handers. And then so I was real and then 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:03.080 as well as a sweeper, I was able to really 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:04.679 command it, so I was able to throw it back 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.640 door to rioty's which expanded the plate on the other side, 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:11.160 and then you know, moving away from a lefty with 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:11.920 a sweeper. 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:16.120 All right, So you mentioned grips, and you mentioned this 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.040 and that, but Japan has a tacky baseball. She'd a 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:21.200 US find your way to have a tacky baseball, and 0:12:21.559 --> 0:12:24.199 can you replicate that grip in that movement with a 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:29.080 US Baseball or Major League Baseball baseball, because it's just 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.680 a different ball and with different seams and different grips 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:32.920 on it. 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:33.280 It is. 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:33.679 It is. 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:37.200 But I think you have seen enough guys from Japan 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.360 come over here and still utilize it very well. So 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:42.760 I don't think that, And for most all of the 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.719 offseason accept my bullpens because I play catch with other 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:47.440 guys that are here in the big leagues. I played 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:50.200 catch with the Big League ball and then before I 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.679 head to Japan for my bullpens only, I'll use the 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:57.720 japan ball that they give us or the Japanese Japanese ball. 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.880 But I don't think that would be an just because 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.760 one I played here for so long and they implemented 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:05.760 the big leg. 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:06.480 Balls into triple A. 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:09.720 I think that was twenty nineteen, so I pitched with those. 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:10.080 For a while. 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:12.920 But you know, to reiterate, I don't think that would 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:16.400 be an issue. Do I think they should add it. 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:21.000 I know there's a lot of talk about it. I 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:23.080 feel like Major League Baseball could come up with a 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:28.760 way to do it. Safely. Just it all comes pre packaged. 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:31.440 It's the ball is in a package and then you 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:32.400 tear it open and. 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:33.000 It's ready to go. 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.839 There's no rubbing, there's no mud, there's nothing they got 0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:40.880 to do to it. It's pretty universal, I would say, 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:41.840 throughout the whole league. 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:43.720 But I don't know. 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.360 I'm not on the committee to give any more than 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:47.120 that onto it. 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.400 All right, Well, now now it's time to dig into 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:53.800 the real crux of the problem, all right. 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.640 So, I don't know if you can see this or not. 0:13:57.880 --> 0:13:59.920 So I got a funny story about you and TIAF 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:00.959 to begin with. 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:04.480 Okay, first of all, I never I've never seen you 0:14:04.520 --> 0:14:08.000 at TFA ever, I know, and I was there for 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:11.240 years as a coach, and you never showed up one time. 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:14.000 Nor have you ever donated any money. You're the Eric 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:17.320 Kratz of the first Academy. He has never donated a set. 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:18.280 I don't understand. 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:25.160 Well, so, I don't know when what year did your 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.040 kids start going to TFA twenty twelve. 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:29.640 My kids have been there since they started in a 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:31.120 pre K so they went all the way through. 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:32.080 My kids went all the way through. 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:37.040 Okay, So the story I have on that is I 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:38.680 think it was twenty twelve, because I think I was 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:43.360 a sophomore. Were you did you just leave the White 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:45.000 Sox at the time, or where were you at in 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:46.040 your career at that point? 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:47.960 Twelve was my last year with the White Sox. 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:49.600 Okay. And then this adds up. 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:53.520 So we're just about to start our season and we're 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:57.280 in the locker room and our coach comes in with 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:02.560 about four boxes, boxes, and he just drops them in 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.280 the in the locker room and they're all black and 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:10.920 white custom aj Persinsky Nike cleats, boxes full of them. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:15.480 And what what size did you? What size fleets did 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:15.800 you wear? 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:16.720 Twelve? 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:19.080 Okay? So I was eleven. 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:24.200 I wear eleven still, and I played in a size way. 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:27.440 I played in your cleats for twenty twelve, thirteen, twenty fourteen, 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:30.880 the last three years of my high school career, and 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:33.280 they were definitely too big. I definitely shouldn't have played 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:35.480 in him, but I thought that was the coolest thing 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.000 ever that you know, there was like three of us 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.880 that were rocking your cleats for that time period that 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:46.160 were probably all too big. But that was your generous donation, 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:51.320 I guess to us. And I always remember that because 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:52.600 I don't know if I still have a pair of 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:54.960 my parents' house still in Orlando. 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:54.800 But. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:16:00.520 Yeah, I just I remember that vividly, that that boxes 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:02.400 of cleats being dropped off, and then I played in 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.320 those for the rest of my high school career. 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:07.440 Hopefully you and Hazley Adam Hazley also won because. 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:10.200 Hazey was rocking them as well. 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:12.560 Now I've seen Hazley around, so I mean, I don't know. 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.520 Maybe Mike cleats is fitting better. I don't know, but 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.360 I've seen Hazley come to games support the boys. 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:18.680 Right. 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:20.800 But what I want to know is, you know, twenty 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.840 twenty one, my son's in eighth grade state champs. Right, 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.120 So just in case you're wondering, I got another one 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:28.360 here from twenty twenty five where we won again. 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:30.240 So sorry, sorry about it. 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:31.840 Yeah, I think we always fell short. 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:36.680 Yeah I can't. That's my question. You guys had two 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.000 first rounders, two. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.120 On Bendeluzo and Bendaluzia. 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:45.080 Yes, the three big leaguers on your team, and you 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:46.080 guys couldn't win. 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:50.280 Was it coaching? Was it pressure? Was it Will Cohen? 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:51.880 What was it? 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:54.760 You know? 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:59.680 There was a time I remember our best year talent wise. 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.200 I think was my junior year because Ben was still there. 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:08.600 Ben was a senior, and I remember I I could 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.320 be totally wrong in this, but I remember we were 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.720 in that weird scenario of like, Okay, we're winning this game. 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.240 I started, we were winning this game, but he took 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.920 me out after four because on pitch count, he could 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:26.199 maybe save me for like the later round and like 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.120 for the playoffs, if that makes sense. So he took 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:31.919 me out and then I think I don't remember what 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:33.720 team it was, but they ended up coming back and 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:35.639 we ended up losing that game. So that kind of 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.359 stuck with us a little bit of like we should 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:40.040 have just you know, we got to win this game 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:43.480 to move on. But then when we tried to kind 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:47.280 of say pitching and play looking forward, we ended up 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.080 losing that game and got knocked out. But our senior year, 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.480 you know, not to we didn't win the state championship, 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:55.040 but we did win the nhs I. 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:02.520 That's a that's a lo that's a loose national championship. 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.960 You were like, look at the champion. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:06.520 Look at the talent. 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.000 Go look at the teams and the talent guys that 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:11.160 got drafted out of that team. 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:13.560 You did have two first rounders on the team and 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:15.760 another guy to play in the Babies. But and Kyle 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:17.720 Connell who's a scout for the Astros too, So you 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:18.760 had we beat. 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:25.000 Dylan one zero, but it's not a big deal. Else 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:25.600 was in there. 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:27.840 There's a lot of a lot of Mike, just a 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:29.280 lot of good guys in there. 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:33.159 I heard about I heard all about this team until 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.879 twenty twenty one, and then we actually got it done. 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:37.520 Fair enough, I think you have that. 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:40.959 Twenty five, we got it done again. So I mean, 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:41.680 I'm sorry. 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:43.920 I think you guys dropped a couple of classifications if 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:45.919 I if I'm going to really argue here. 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.040 But we want real that A was it is it 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:49.920 still three A Okay? 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.320 The night team because okay, but there it is. 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:54.720 The team. 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.119 The team we beat in the state final was ranked 0:18:57.119 --> 0:18:59.240