WEBVTT - The Extractor

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<v Speaker 1>Before we get started, we asked that you please rate

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<v Speaker 1>and review our show. It helps people find us. On

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<v Speaker 1>this episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly, you can get from

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<v Speaker 1>Havana to Miami in eighty minutes by plane. For many Cubans,

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<v Speaker 1>the promise of leaving an often repressive life on the

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<v Speaker 1>island for a new one in the United States is

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<v Speaker 1>too great to ignore. It's even more so for elite

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<v Speaker 1>baseball players like say Sar Prieto, who could go from

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<v Speaker 1>a bike to a bend's if he makes it to

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<v Speaker 1>the big leagues. To complete his journey, Prieto would need

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<v Speaker 1>some help, though, and that's where the extractors come in. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>s I Senior writer Greg Bishop introduces the unforgettable Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Hastings and Billie Henderson and takes you inside of a

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<v Speaker 1>defection as it happens. I'm your host, John Gonzalez from

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<v Speaker 1>Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. This is Sports Illustrated Weekly.

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<v Speaker 1>You gotta ask yourself how many times you're gonna roll

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<v Speaker 1>the dice before the dice roll on the wrong side.

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<v Speaker 1>Billy Henderson circling the Miami International Airport. This little mission

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<v Speaker 1>red here and make everything else today ever dumb look

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<v Speaker 1>like Mickey Mouse targeting a baseball player. They referred to

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<v Speaker 1>him by the code name of Baby Jay. The initial

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<v Speaker 1>plan is to grab him at the airport. It's about

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<v Speaker 1>twelve seventeen um. They should be at any moment now.

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<v Speaker 1>Five minutes of every mission determine success or failure. It

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<v Speaker 1>is the bus. The target is over there, the green bus.

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<v Speaker 1>That is it. Minute four. I also got my nine

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<v Speaker 1>millimeter came that were down to three minutes. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>very dirty business, and it's a scary business. Two minutes left.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we're gone, one minute left. Jesus, how did that happen?

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<v Speaker 1>When I've seen with me eye contact. He already knew here,

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<v Speaker 1>he already knew what time it was. My name is

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<v Speaker 1>Greg Bishop, and I'm a senior writer with Sports Illustrated,

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<v Speaker 1>and a few years ago I was introduced to a

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<v Speaker 1>group of people whose job is to help athletes defect

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<v Speaker 1>from Cuba. First, I should give you a little background

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<v Speaker 1>on the characters. Let's start with Joe Hastings. She is

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<v Speaker 1>the mastermind of the operation Eastern Airline spight attendant. Then

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<v Speaker 1>I moved over to American Airlines for twenty seven years,

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<v Speaker 1>I flip houses. I opened up a restaurant. It's delicious

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<v Speaker 1>Habana Cafe and Gulfport Cream cheese flawing recipe that will

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<v Speaker 1>blow your mind. And if a kid calls me from Cuba,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll try to help them as much as I can.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, forgot, I'm a published author too. I've had

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<v Speaker 1>an interesting life and I wouldn't change anything. Joe's family

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<v Speaker 1>immigrated from Cuba when she was very young. I was

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<v Speaker 1>four years old when my parents brought me over, and

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<v Speaker 1>I thank God every day that they took the difficult decision.

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<v Speaker 1>I wonder what would have been of my life. You

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<v Speaker 1>see these kids, and the only way out is a

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<v Speaker 1>fast boat to either Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican, or a defection.

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<v Speaker 1>They're trapped. We're in the century. Those people are sixty

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<v Speaker 1>two years behind times. They're stuck. It's desperation. There's no

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<v Speaker 1>hope there, there's no future there. At the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the day, their future is here, and that's not even

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<v Speaker 1>for sure. My cousin was a photographer for the Pittsburgh

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<v Speaker 1>Pirates and there was a kid on that team that

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<v Speaker 1>was Cuban, and so my cousin brought them to the

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<v Speaker 1>restaurant and we struck up a friendship. He knew other

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<v Speaker 1>players that needed you know, people and what they call investors,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's how I fell into it. Joe gets the

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<v Speaker 1>idea in her head that she can help athletes defect

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<v Speaker 1>from Cuba in ways that are safer, that aren't throwing

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<v Speaker 1>somebody on a speedboat in the middle of the nights,

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<v Speaker 1>that don't have people eating passports, that don't involve fake documents,

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<v Speaker 1>and all the usual methods that are used in this

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<v Speaker 1>type of extracting. The person that can help her the

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<v Speaker 1>most is the main character of this story. We call

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<v Speaker 1>him the extractor, Billy Henderson. Man. I do a whole

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<v Speaker 1>lot of stuff, personal training, security, babysitting, extraction. Well, I

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<v Speaker 1>come from a single parent household. Uh mom and dad

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<v Speaker 1>divorce when I was a baby. Baby life then was

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<v Speaker 1>was was tough. I grew up you know, fairly poor.

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<v Speaker 1>Um it was it was every day was a struggle.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, my mom trying to do the best she

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<v Speaker 1>can to take care of me and my brother, two

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<v Speaker 1>or three jobs and make sure you eat. I watch

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<v Speaker 1>my mom worked really hard. Kind of I thought, while

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<v Speaker 1>they do something to you, you know, saying her crying

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<v Speaker 1>to night, maybe because she came Bill bill, are we

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<v Speaker 1>sitting in the dark or we don't got food? You

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<v Speaker 1>know that kind of affect you a little bit. So

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<v Speaker 1>I remember, you know, I'm just saying, you know, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna do something to try to help my mom.

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<v Speaker 1>I was young. I think I was thirteen and going

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<v Speaker 1>on fourteen, but I was like, I have to do something.

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<v Speaker 1>So we went and probably like at least seven to

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<v Speaker 1>ten places at least. Then finally we came to the

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<v Speaker 1>harbanded cafe and he was on a bike and he

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<v Speaker 1>came in and he asked if I was looking, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>for help, and I could. He he was little, I

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<v Speaker 1>mean you see him now. He was this little guy

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<v Speaker 1>with this big head, and I'm like, son, how old

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<v Speaker 1>are you? He goes, I'm fourteen. I'm willing to do anything.

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<v Speaker 1>And then she was like, okay, kid, listen. You can't

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<v Speaker 1>say anything to anybody about your age, but you're hired.

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<v Speaker 1>She was like, come back to night at eight o'clock.

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<v Speaker 1>And I was like, I couldn't. I remember being so

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<v Speaker 1>extat static. I just I didn't know what to do. Man.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't stop thinking like, oh man, I got a

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<v Speaker 1>job to make money. I'm going to help my mom.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't wait. He has been with us ever since.

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<v Speaker 1>He is loyal, kind, caring. I've known him twenty five years.

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<v Speaker 1>Billy was a football star who ended up going to

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<v Speaker 1>South Florida on a football scholarship. He played running back

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<v Speaker 1>there and was climbing up the depth chart until he

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<v Speaker 1>injured his knee, and from there he went into the services.

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<v Speaker 1>He was in the Navy. He got placed in the Marines.

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<v Speaker 1>He worked as a combat medic. He came back to

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<v Speaker 1>Tampa eventually, where he was a police officer. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a beat cop, among other jobs, until he became a

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<v Speaker 1>private detective. He was part of groups that would hunt

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<v Speaker 1>what he calls the baddest of the baddest criminals. You're

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<v Speaker 1>talking murders, rapists, arsonists, you know, people that have done

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<v Speaker 1>really serious crimes. He worked undercover in that job. He

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<v Speaker 1>saw a lot of crimes, he was shot at, and

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<v Speaker 1>ultimately he was looking for something else to do. When

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<v Speaker 1>Joe sat him down one day, you know, about eight

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, to talk to him about her idea that

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<v Speaker 1>there had to be a better way to find athletes

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<v Speaker 1>and help take them out of Cuba. Now, Billy Audily

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<v Speaker 1>had the perfect skill set to help Joe with this endeavor.

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<v Speaker 1>And at first, when Joe brings in this idea that

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<v Speaker 1>they can help athletes affect from Cuba, he reacts the

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<v Speaker 1>way I think any normal person would react, and he says, what,

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<v Speaker 1>that's not gonna happen, man, It's not just like that,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I mean? You just can't go down

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<v Speaker 1>and get somebody. And I was like, what you want

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<v Speaker 1>me to do? Get a helicopter, throwing out a letter

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<v Speaker 1>and and and try to get the boy, and she

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<v Speaker 1>was like yeah. Maybe. I was thinking like, okay, hey, listen,

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<v Speaker 1>what if I get caught, or what if you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I get hurt? Or what if a bunch of different

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<v Speaker 1>what is? But then I started to think. I said,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what, and sometimes in life you gotta take

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<v Speaker 1>a chance, and for me, like taking the chance to

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<v Speaker 1>actually like living life, because I feel like if you're

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<v Speaker 1>not taking the chance, you're not you're not living. You're

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<v Speaker 1>living in the box. And I was like, you know it,

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<v Speaker 1>why not, let's let's do it. Let's roll the dice,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, this little mission ready here and make everything

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<v Speaker 1>else today ever dumb? Look like Mickey Mouse. You know

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<v Speaker 1>what I'm saying, It's not gonna be easy. It's gonna

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<v Speaker 1>be really challenging. We got a plan. Stick to the plan,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I mean, and that's how we're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>get through. They set up a plan with the athlete

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<v Speaker 1>in question. They have pictures sent from that athlete of travel, documents, visa,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, all the pertinent information. And then they look

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<v Speaker 1>for a country that's generally friendlier in extradition laws in Mexico, a, Guatemala,

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<v Speaker 1>and Ecuador, and they tried to take the athlete there.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they can live there temporarily, help them get the

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<v Speaker 1>necessary paperwork to enter the United States, and then bring

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<v Speaker 1>them in legally. What was different this time is that

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<v Speaker 1>they were targeting a baseball player. They referred to him

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<v Speaker 1>by the code name of Baby Jay. They tried to

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<v Speaker 1>get Baby j and Mexico, and ultimately it came to

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<v Speaker 1>look like they were gonna end up taking him in Florida,

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<v Speaker 1>which is unusual. I asked them for something else. I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted them to film the mission with a GoPro camera

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<v Speaker 1>and we would not only be able to hear them

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<v Speaker 1>recap what it's like to help someone defect from Cuba,

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<v Speaker 1>but we will be able to see it and hear

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<v Speaker 1>it with our own eyes and ears. All Right, we're

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<v Speaker 1>the airport. It's about twelve seventeen. Um, they should be

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<v Speaker 1>at any moment now, um, so we here, so now now,

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<v Speaker 1>I was just a waiting game. Billy Henderson circling the

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<v Speaker 1>Miami International Airport. This is after Billy and Joe had

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<v Speaker 1>gone to Mexico to try to get Baby J, their

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<v Speaker 1>code name for the baseball player they wanted to help

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<v Speaker 1>defect from Cuba. They know that he's in the air

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<v Speaker 1>and that he's gonna land soon, and that he's on

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<v Speaker 1>his way from Cuba to Miami, and the initial plan

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<v Speaker 1>is to grab him at the airport, you know, so

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<v Speaker 1>that he can walk away from the team, run away

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<v Speaker 1>from the team, whatever he must do to get away

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<v Speaker 1>from the team. So Billy's driving around the airport, he's

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about Baby J. They've been planning this mission, which

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<v Speaker 1>is what he calls it, for weeks and months, and

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<v Speaker 1>he just hopes that everything goes as planned. But there

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<v Speaker 1>is one problem. Nothing ever goes as plan in these

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<v Speaker 1>there's always some sort of thing that happens. They're always

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have to react in the moment, and they're always

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<v Speaker 1>gonna have to look for the five minutes of every

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<v Speaker 1>mission that will determine success or failure. Now, Billy doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>know when those five minutes are, he doesn't know when

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<v Speaker 1>they're gonna be. But that's where his training as a

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<v Speaker 1>private detective, undercover agent, all of these things come into play.

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<v Speaker 1>And so that's when the plane starts to come down

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<v Speaker 1>in Miami, and here we go, another caper is beginning.

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<v Speaker 1>Billy's circling in a dark suv. Joe is inside and

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<v Speaker 1>she's waiting with a group of Cuban fans who are

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<v Speaker 1>downstairs at Baggage Claim, and essentially they're there because the

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<v Speaker 1>Cuban team is arriving and they want to cheer them on,

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<v Speaker 1>and so they're already thinking this could be problematic, the

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<v Speaker 1>huge crowd that would see if Caesar Prieto ran away

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<v Speaker 1>from the team, if he'd affected right in that moment,

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<v Speaker 1>and so they're starting to grow concerned. It gets even

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<v Speaker 1>worse when the Cuban team does not come out in

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<v Speaker 1>Baggage Claim, but in the arrivals area, and someone happens

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<v Speaker 1>to notice this, and all of a sudden, we hear

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<v Speaker 1>this yelling, the Cuban team is up here. The Cuban

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<v Speaker 1>team is up here. There's some screaming and shouting, and

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<v Speaker 1>all of a sudden, this entire crowd of reporters and

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<v Speaker 1>TV cameras and Cuban baseball fans and Joe Hastings, who's

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<v Speaker 1>hiding in a wig and flip flops all disguised, has

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<v Speaker 1>to run upstairs because that's where the Cuban team is.

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<v Speaker 1>So already this looks like it's not going according to plan. Man,

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<v Speaker 1>they're good, community. That is the bus. The target is

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<v Speaker 1>over there, the green bus. That is it. So the

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<v Speaker 1>GoPro cameras on and the terminals packed, and Billy makes

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<v Speaker 1>a split decision right in that instant. We can't do

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<v Speaker 1>this at the airport. We're gonna have to do it

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<v Speaker 1>at the hotel. We're good a minute, Altaire, But Laddy,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if I'm getting the closer. Now. The

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<v Speaker 1>Cuban national team was staying in West Palm Beach, so

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<v Speaker 1>they start following the bus with the Cuban national team,

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<v Speaker 1>and at one point Billy notices and Joe notices another

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<v Speaker 1>agent that regularly signs Cuban players was doing the same

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<v Speaker 1>drive they were, so they know they're gonna have company.

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<v Speaker 1>Timy trust that's after Baby, that's Timie get behind him,

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<v Speaker 1>and they know they need to get to this hotel

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<v Speaker 1>and get him that day, or else they might lose

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<v Speaker 1>out on all the work they've done to get him

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<v Speaker 1>over here. And so they decided that they're going to

0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.440
<v Speaker 1>go to the hotel, and what they needed was for

0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.480
<v Speaker 1>someone to block the exit. There's only one way in

0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.320
<v Speaker 1>and there's only one way out. So Billy makes a

0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:29.440
<v Speaker 1>couple of really critical decisions right in that minute. The

0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.080
<v Speaker 1>first is that they're gonna take baby j They're gonna

0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:35.880
<v Speaker 1>help him defect right that day at that hotel. He

0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.840
<v Speaker 1>figures that they'll be at their most vulnerable right when

0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:46.640
<v Speaker 1>they arrived. They want to call one of Joe's friends

0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:49.840
<v Speaker 1>from her flight attendant days, and this person another form

0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:55.560
<v Speaker 1>of flight attendant they need a favor from. They want

0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:58.800
<v Speaker 1>the friend to block the exit of the alleyway so

0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:00.880
<v Speaker 1>that they can go out the end. Prints Billy has

0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.280
<v Speaker 1>decided it's going to be easier to point his car

0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:06.480
<v Speaker 1>toward the entrance because people won't be expecting him to

0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.640
<v Speaker 1>go that way and the bus itself won't be blocking

0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:12.960
<v Speaker 1>the alleyway. So once they've decided that, they settled in

0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:15.400
<v Speaker 1>front of the hotel, and they know they have to

0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:20.880
<v Speaker 1>think quickly and act. Ultimately, Joe's friend does as they asked,

0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:25.280
<v Speaker 1>pulls up to the hotel, gets to the alleyway, parks

0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:28.360
<v Speaker 1>between the lobby and the parking garage, and now there's

0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.040
<v Speaker 1>only one way out. When the bus pulls in with

0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:34.440
<v Speaker 1>Joe and Billy driving in behind them, the exit is

0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:36.840
<v Speaker 1>now blocked. That means the bus doesn't park in the

0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:40.960
<v Speaker 1>alleyway instead of parks on the street off to the side. Meanwhile,

0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:43.560
<v Speaker 1>nobody notices that the SUV that have been following the

0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.800
<v Speaker 1>bus does pull in the alleyway, but it pulls around

0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:53.880
<v Speaker 1>and points the wrong way. Billy knows, hey, I have

0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.680
<v Speaker 1>got to get this guy now. So remember the five

0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.720
<v Speaker 1>minutes that are critical to every mission. He knows that

0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:06.240
<v Speaker 1>that clock starts right then, So here's how the five

0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.520
<v Speaker 1>minutes go chose In the car, She's worried that they're

0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:12.280
<v Speaker 1>pointed the wrong direction. She thinks it will be obvious.

0:16:12.960 --> 0:16:15.680
<v Speaker 1>She yells at Billy and says, Billy, this is a

0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.960
<v Speaker 1>one way street. How obvious is that this is minute five?

0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:24.680
<v Speaker 1>Roughly minute four? Billy ignores her and he opens his

0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:26.800
<v Speaker 1>car door and he says, hey, you got to climb

0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.720
<v Speaker 1>in the driver's seat. I'm gonna go get Baby J.

0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:32.720
<v Speaker 1>He walks to the bus as she gets around and

0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:39.480
<v Speaker 1>gets Inky. Now we're down to three minutes. Baby J

0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:41.720
<v Speaker 1>is getting off the bus at this point, as is

0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:44.360
<v Speaker 1>all his friends from the Cuban national team. He hugged

0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:45.800
<v Speaker 1>one of them, and I thought this was really kind

0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:53.760
<v Speaker 1>of a poetic anecdote. The one guy, he turned around

0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.560
<v Speaker 1>to him and he said goodbye to him, and he said, hey,

0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:03.360
<v Speaker 1>he took out like a hundred Cuban pacos, and he goes,

0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:06.160
<v Speaker 1>I won't be needing this anymore. He says, I want

0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:09.879
<v Speaker 1>you to have it. He looked at him and he said, go,

0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:14.119
<v Speaker 1>I wish I would have done what you are about

0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.760
<v Speaker 1>to do. I wish I would have done it when

0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:21.600
<v Speaker 1>I had the opportunity. They all know, they all know it.

0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:26.760
<v Speaker 1>So it's about two minutes left now. Baby J is

0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:29.920
<v Speaker 1>lingering on the fringe of the group of Cuban baseball players.

0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:32.320
<v Speaker 1>He's sort of near the lobby and sort of near

0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:35.480
<v Speaker 1>the alleyway, and Billy makes sure to make eye contact

0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:38.000
<v Speaker 1>with him. He wants a quick and stern look so

0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.879
<v Speaker 1>that they're clear. I'm Billy, I'm Baby J. This is

0:17:41.880 --> 0:17:46.639
<v Speaker 1>about to happen. It gotta be not That's what I

0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.720
<v Speaker 1>kept thinking. Let's go. There's goal time, man, Yeah, that's

0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:54.040
<v Speaker 1>what I like. Right here, come on, brand get Baby

0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:58.119
<v Speaker 1>Jay nods at him, He nods back, and it's really, really,

0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:02.359
<v Speaker 1>really about go time. One minute left. Baby J is sprinting.

0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:05.240
<v Speaker 1>He's running away from his teammates and towards Billy. In fact,

0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.320
<v Speaker 1>he ran so fast that he ran into Billy's back

0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:10.399
<v Speaker 1>on the way to the car. A matter of fact,

0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:13.399
<v Speaker 1>was so scared and nervous man, because I had I

0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:15.240
<v Speaker 1>had just a little bit of head starting on, and

0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:19.119
<v Speaker 1>he ran me down and pushed me into back. But

0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:23.040
<v Speaker 1>that little run, man, was a representation of for everything

0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:25.160
<v Speaker 1>that he could have won it. So I couldn't imagine

0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.600
<v Speaker 1>what he was thinking. You know, he probably thinking, man,

0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.440
<v Speaker 1>and I'm running for my life, for my freedom, for

0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:33.560
<v Speaker 1>my future and everything else. In that moment, all that

0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:38.919
<v Speaker 1>came together in that moment, just that little ten second window,

0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:43.840
<v Speaker 1>just that changed his whole future. Eventually they separate, they

0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.600
<v Speaker 1>make it to the car and they both climb in.

0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:50.679
<v Speaker 1>And it happened so quickly and so early into the

0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:54.320
<v Speaker 1>journey of the Cuban national team that basically people in

0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:56.240
<v Speaker 1>Cuba couldn't believe it. They were like, this is the

0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:00.399
<v Speaker 1>fastest defection in the history of Cuban athletes defecting. No

0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:03.320
<v Speaker 1>do do do? Do do? Billy looks in the back

0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:07.840
<v Speaker 1>seat as Joe screams, we're gone, and Billy turns and

0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:11.240
<v Speaker 1>looks at him and he sees Baby Jay smiling. He's

0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:14.840
<v Speaker 1>free and says, our Prieto is now ready to begin

0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:18.480
<v Speaker 1>a baseball career in the United States. Jesus, how did

0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:21.240
<v Speaker 1>that happen? When I've seen with me eye contact, he

0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:24.440
<v Speaker 1>already knew he are, He already knew what time it was.

0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:29.560
<v Speaker 1>After the adrenaline and everything wears off from these incredible missions.

0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:32.399
<v Speaker 1>Now they have a Cuban athlete to take care of,

0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:34.760
<v Speaker 1>and while the Hastings take care of the expenses in

0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:38.800
<v Speaker 1>the paperwork, Billy becomes something of a minder. He's a chef,

0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:41.800
<v Speaker 1>he's a trainer, he's a chauffeur. And this is where

0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:45.360
<v Speaker 1>Billy's existential crisis comes in. He knows that he's taking

0:19:45.400 --> 0:19:47.680
<v Speaker 1>a lot of risk. Joe knows that she's spending a

0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.720
<v Speaker 1>lot of money, and so far they haven't quite had

0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:53.240
<v Speaker 1>a guy that reached the level of stardom that all wanted,

0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:58.160
<v Speaker 1>but there is something always that brings them back. It's

0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:00.680
<v Speaker 1>really just an interesting story to me because it sort

0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:04.320
<v Speaker 1>of looks at the duality of being a real life superhero,

0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:06.960
<v Speaker 1>because on one hand, you're doing something that a few

0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:09.359
<v Speaker 1>human beings in the world could ever do. Your life

0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:13.680
<v Speaker 1>is exciting, there's adrenaline, there's impact, and yet at the

0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:17.320
<v Speaker 1>same time, I think it's kind of sad because you're

0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:20.480
<v Speaker 1>taking all this risk and you're making all this change,

0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:23.920
<v Speaker 1>and yet your own life, Billy's own specific life isn't

0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:27.119
<v Speaker 1>exactly what he wants to me, that there's a gap

0:20:27.200 --> 0:20:29.840
<v Speaker 1>there that he must close. I've talked to him in

0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:32.560
<v Speaker 1>the weeks since says a crushed it in high a

0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:34.840
<v Speaker 1>ball for the Orioles. He ended up getting promoted to

0:20:34.880 --> 0:20:36.959
<v Speaker 1>Double A, where he's playing for the Bowie Bass Socks.

0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:40.560
<v Speaker 1>Billy is living with him, Joe is running a restaurant.

0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:43.720
<v Speaker 1>Billy insists that he's done, that this is it, that

0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.040
<v Speaker 1>he's not going to do it again. But I do

0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:48.280
<v Speaker 1>wonder if there's not a future for him and Caesar,

0:20:48.600 --> 0:20:52.320
<v Speaker 1>if Caesar doesn't make him some sort of manager security guard.

0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:56.280
<v Speaker 1>Uh YouTube filmer, because the two seem to have a

0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:59.680
<v Speaker 1>really strong bond and they're still together many months after

0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:03.520
<v Speaker 1>says Are was able to defect from Cuba and begin

0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:06.760
<v Speaker 1>his career as a professional baseball player in the United States.

0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:10.480
<v Speaker 1>So I think what what connects these two guys is humanity,

0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:13.960
<v Speaker 1>you know, um, being able to help people and help

0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:17.760
<v Speaker 1>each other under really difficult conditions, Being able to see

0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:20.840
<v Speaker 1>in someone who's not like you at all, some things

0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:24.400
<v Speaker 1>that you see in yourself. And to me, that's kind

0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:28.000
<v Speaker 1>of the core of it. This um superhero who can

0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:31.280
<v Speaker 1>be sad and can be happy, and this baseball player

0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:33.280
<v Speaker 1>who's about to embark on a life that looks like

0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:36.280
<v Speaker 1>he could be pretty bountiful. And what they share is

0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:39.679
<v Speaker 1>a humanity and a faith in each other that I

0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:42.560
<v Speaker 1>think overshadows all the concerns and all all the risk

0:21:42.680 --> 0:21:45.160
<v Speaker 1>and everything else that they've done and taken. I think

0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:49.960
<v Speaker 1>it's human beings. We get so stuck on me me ah,

0:21:50.000 --> 0:21:53.879
<v Speaker 1>you know, sometimes we gotta get outside of that and

0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:56.919
<v Speaker 1>you gotta you gotta help somebody, you know. That's that's

0:21:56.960 --> 0:22:00.600
<v Speaker 1>pretty much what I've been doing all my life. You know.

0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:06.919
<v Speaker 1>Part of my professional careers is help people military police source.

0:22:07.640 --> 0:22:10.679
<v Speaker 1>Being on the team, you know playing football, you know

0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:14.240
<v Speaker 1>you assist you, you help your team, MASA. The number

0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:21.879
<v Speaker 1>one thing is help help somebody. Greg Bishop is a

0:22:21.920 --> 0:22:24.399
<v Speaker 1>senior writer for s I. You can read his article

0:22:24.440 --> 0:22:28.240
<v Speaker 1>about the Cuban extraction caper on SI dot com. Will

0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:32.199
<v Speaker 1>post a link in our show notes. Thanks for listening,

0:22:32.200 --> 0:22:34.320
<v Speaker 1>and a reminder to please rate and review our show

0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:38.199
<v Speaker 1>that helps people find us. Sports Illustrated Weekly is a

0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:41.600
<v Speaker 1>production of Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. For more

0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:45.040
<v Speaker 1>podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,

0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:49.040
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. And

0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:52.040
<v Speaker 1>for more of Sports Illustrated It's best stories and podcasts,

0:22:52.440 --> 0:22:56.399
<v Speaker 1>visit SI dot com. This episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly

0:22:56.440 --> 0:23:00.240
<v Speaker 1>was produced by Jessica Armoski, Jordan Rizzieri, and Isaac Lee,

0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:03.960
<v Speaker 1>who was also our sound engineer. Our senior producer is

0:23:04.040 --> 0:23:08.200
<v Speaker 1>Dan Bloom. Our acting senior producer is Harry sward Out.

0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:12.920
<v Speaker 1>Our executive producers are Scott Brody and me John Gonzalez.

0:23:13.520 --> 0:23:16.800
<v Speaker 1>Our theme song is by Nolan Schneider. And if you've

0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.040
<v Speaker 1>stuck around this long, we leave you with this. I

0:23:20.080 --> 0:23:22.040
<v Speaker 1>had changed my clothes in the car and I had

0:23:22.080 --> 0:23:25.800
<v Speaker 1>put a wig on, and it was so fast. Before

0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:28.399
<v Speaker 1>I knew it, Billy was pounding on the car, go

0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:31.639
<v Speaker 1>go go, and I went like this, I looked like

0:23:31.680 --> 0:23:35.320
<v Speaker 1>cousin it. The wigs smashed, and my shoe, my little

0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:37.160
<v Speaker 1>flip flop, fell. I left it there