December 18, 2025 • 61 mins
Jerry Lorenzo joins ALL THE SMOKE alongside his father, former MLB player and manager Jerry Manuel, making this the first father son duo episode in the show’s history.
They reflect on Jerry Lorenzo’s upbringing around Major League Baseball, the influence of his father’s career, and how those early years shaped his perspective. The conversation also dives into Michael Jordan’s unintended impact on baseball and what his presence meant for the sport and its cultural visibility.
Jerry breaks down the origin of Fear of God and opens up about the early moments that gave him confidence including receiving Kanye West’s stamp of approval, which helped solidify his belief in what he was building. From there, they talk about breaking through in fashion, what culture really means, and the decline of the Black American baseball player.
The episode also covers baseball players with the most swag, fatherhood, the best baseball jersey of all time, building Fear of God Essentials, battling imposters, finding the right collaborators, and carrying their family legacy forward.
This is rare multi generational conversation connecting sports, fashion, culture, and belief.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back all the smoke. Season six. Jack has been
a good run. It's been a nice three days and
we get to end it with family. Yes, welcome to
the show. One of the most prolific fashion designers in
the game and his Pops has been the Major League
system for fifty years. Close super old Triple og Man.
(00:23):
Welcome to the show, Jerry, Emmanuel and Pops. This is
a long time to thank Lauren. I know you're in
here somewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You made it happen. Bro. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We've been playing phone tag for almost two years trying
to make this shit happen. But it's it's here and
no better time. But now, how's life? I know fatherhood
is heavy with you and you're sitting here with your dad,
but how's life going for you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Right now?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Man, we're blessed and covered and you know, I just
got back from homecoming back of fam and man, I'm
just feeling feel and blessed. You know, everything is you
get to a place where you're finally okay, that you're
living in like what you prayed for. Sometimes you pray
(01:10):
for something, you get it, yeah, and you feel unworthy,
you know what I mean? And then you get to
a place where you you're like, Okay, you know I
did work. I worked for this. God met me in
the work, you know, and I'm following his purpose and
so I you know, I feel like I'm in his purpose.
So I feel good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Fear of God itself. I know you're very spiritual. Where
did the name come from?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
The name came from a devotion we were doing up
in Sacramento in one morning, me, my mom, and my dad.
I was up there visiting. We were reading utmost for
as high as Oswald Chambers, and he was talking about
the clouds and darkness around the Kingdom of God and
(01:57):
the clouds and darkness speaking to the layers to him.
And so I had a visual of what fear and
reverence really meant, you know, not a real fear, but
a reverence for God because of the layers to him
that you just can't comprehend. And so yeah, man, and
growing up in the church, you know, anything that was
(02:18):
tied to Christianity or faith just always felt like a
little softer like, you know, not his gangster. But then
I have this this, you know vision, I was like, oh,
fear of God like that, it sets what I'm doing
with intention and a greater purpose. And then and the
(02:38):
name itself just resonated so much of me, and I
think we got in the car later that day and
I was like, Dad, I think I got a name
for this thing. Called it out Fear of God. Yeah,
and moments Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Beautiful, you just did your MLB collab.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
It just dropped.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
How long has it been in the works for.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Since I was born? You know, Like the hardest battle
for me has been breaking through, you know, with a
luxury perspective, you know, from from the side of the world,
you know, and fighting to be respected at and seen
as that. But playing with sports and you know, athletic
(03:22):
appair on me, I feel like I can do that
kind of stuff, like in my sleep. It's just like
what I grew up, you know what I mean. So
when the opportunity came with baseball, you know, I just
felt I felt ready, you know, I felt like you know,
and then also like from a business perspective, I just
felt like I can't find a hoodie in the market
(03:44):
that well a team that I can wear without looking
like I'm going to it, you know what I'm saying, Like,
how do you dress to go to a Dodger game
and then have a date after and then not too
like you came from the Dodger came you know what
I mean. It just felt like a solution that was
kind of needed. So and I felt like I had
(04:04):
done the work where I understood my perspective and then
I could really just easily add at the game to it.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And love it.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I remember, probably the best part of my career was
when my twin boys, who are sixteen now, just got
to start traveling with me. What do you remember as
a youngster moving around the game of baseball with your dad?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Man, that's that's a lot. That's there's so many things
that come to mind. I mean, I used to love,
like is it you know, I used to love heading
to the ballpark and seeing the lights off the freeway.
That was one of the biggest things that just you
got excited about getting Yeah, it's getting close to the ballpark.
But I think just growing up with my dad, and
(04:48):
you know, my dad wasn't never he was never like,
you know, the Hall of Famer on the team. No,
And he was, however, from his position being constantly kind
of the last guy on the roster, always found a
way to lead his teams. And so I think what
I what I took a lot from from my dad
was just the ability to lead from a place of
(05:11):
like honesty and truth. You know what he pulls from
in order to move in is you know, you know,
before he'd head into the ballpark, he'd be reading Godda,
he'd be reading you know, Malcolm Max, he'd be reading
Martin Luther King and he's came after the losses that was.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Malcolm on at that point, it's.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
All good, go ahead, But you know, just watching him
also prepare you know, and knowing that these these truths
transcend all things that we touched at these men and
like how do how is he using these truths to
to move men, to guide his teams, And so understanding
(05:58):
that I could apply that to anything in life has
been been invaluable.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I can't wait for my sons to be in your
seat and me sitting next to you with my hair
and my sons talk about what they picked up for me.
So obviously it's an honor to you, Pops, the way
you raised you know, your son, and just the way
he speaks up for you in such a high regard.
I think that's a beautiful thing, Pops walking through your journey? Man,
where did baseball come in to play?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Where are you from? What's going on with your lord?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
If you have that much, now we got all the
time you need.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Well. Baseball started familiar with my dad. My dad was
played a little barn star and ball in the Negro
League and come to find out later in life, Uh,
you know, he wasn't he was a pitcher. They come
and get him, he go pitch, come back home, the
mom whatever. And then when she wouldn't let him go,
(06:52):
he would form leagues in Georgia Georgia that they played
each other, so he was actually managing and general managing
at the same time playing. So uh, that's kind of
what was infused in me. Was was that type of thing.
That's why strategy and in all sports it's kind of
(07:16):
important to me.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That's what I like. I like the strategy of the game.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
But at that time, growing up in our culture, we
had religion, we had uh, music, and we had baseball,
and we had fashion. Those was like the pillars of
the black community. They were they were big. If you
could find your niche in one of them pillars, you
(07:43):
you felt like you were doing culture. You you were,
you were, you were staying a part of culture. So baseball.
You know, my father was a military man, so we
travel We went from Georgia to Texas and uh played
baseball and football and basketball in those places. Then from
(08:04):
Texas we went out to Matha, Sacramentum. Yeah, and that's
how I got to California, played all the sports.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
That actually was the first.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Time in my life that I sit in the classroom
with someone other than my color was when I got
to California in nineteen sixty nine. That was kind of
an awakening for me, being a boy from Georgia at
that time and then sitting in the classroom was an
(08:33):
awakening for me. But it was probably the best thing
ever happened to me. Its shaped me differently than what
I thought, you know, life would be, or what my
space in life would be. But anyway, I traveled through
that and was drafted in baseball, had a chance to
(08:54):
go play football, had a chance to curst around.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Out of high school.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Out of high school.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Come on, don't need the little details out there.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
That's not that's not really that important. But anyway, anyway,
I went from from there and got into baseball and
spent a majority of my career was spent in the
minor leagues, upper minor leagues. I got to Triple A
baseball relatively quick. Uh went up and down, went up
(09:24):
and down, went up and down, and really uh really
was it was a journeyman player. Uh, you know, but
I knew the game. I knew I knew the game.
You know, I know the game. So eventually got in,
had a year of scouting, then got into management and
(09:46):
in the front office administrative stuff, and desides say, hey,
that ain't for me. I like to be on the field.
I like to teach, I like to develop, I like strategy.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
This is not me.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Uh, so they made me like a coordinative instruction So
so roll instructures for Montreal and then from there had
a chance to manage your team in Double A, which
was a which would have been a significant jump for
a first time manager and being black. So I took
the opportunity in Jacksonville, Florida, became the manager of the year.
(10:17):
And the rest is, you know, the rest is baseball.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
You know, speak to the big league. So you know,
I mean, go ahead, speak for Manager of the year
two thousand with the White So went on to manage
the mats in the big League. Yeah, well, you know
it's to me it's significant because you know, I'm watching
I've never seen at any sport a black head coach,
(10:43):
a black manager that was not a Hall of Famer,
that was not a big name. And so watching my dad,
you know, go up these ladders, watching him fast and
pray before interviews, and you know, like really leaning on spirit,
you know, really leaning on conviction. You know, he never
(11:06):
had a lot of homies, you know, went a part
of any any clubs, you know what I mean. He
wasn't jumping around with other coaches that could help him.
You know, he was really leaned on what he felt
like God put inside him, and that's where he found
his peace. And so to me, you know, watching him
do those things as you know as a kid, you know,
(11:27):
you know the reality of how you need to get
wherever you go is clear. You know, it was clear.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
You know, I watched him same principle as you can
apply to anything.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly, and him being a manager and a coach, I think,
just you know, watching him because once we got to
Chicago in the late nineties, you know, any any decision
he makes is on the back page sometimes, you know,
and so watching him deal with the media, watching all
of these things from my seat, you know, I think
I was in fan by that time. I was in college,
(11:57):
but you know, watching those things happen, I never realized
how that impacted me until I started doing my own
thing and being responsible to lead a team. So it
was just kind of like life training.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Jerry manual Foundation mission is to educate African African American
young men and train them on the fundamentals of baseball.
I mean, it's no secret I was a huge baseball
fan growing up. The black baseball player is damn near gone. Yeah,
why do you feel that? This has been a discussion
we've had with c C and Darryl Strawberry, Gary Sheffield,
(12:38):
you name it. We've had this conversation and know we've
getten different reasonings and why.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But why do you guys feel like I just said,
they just said it.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
They're not grooming the homegrown the kids right here in
the States, right there in New York, right around that
area that can play baseball, they can raise up, but
they don't the one who'll get it from the other places.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Right in my correct box.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
And and and also when you put a strain on
the economics, when when that becomes a part and you're
from a culture, uh a lot of times there's sixty
sixty percent single families. And then the as for that
type of economics of you, I mean you you guys
(13:21):
know that it's travel ball and that had that That's
a part of it. That's a part of that, ain't
the whole? Uh, another part of it. You're you're gonna
be surprised. I was talking to him about this on
the way over here. The evolution of Michael Jordan's changed
the landscape in our culture. And you know, it's ironic
that he went back to try to play baseball. Come on, now,
(13:46):
yeah with me? That that that that that that had
a lot to do because we stopped getting the six four,
the six seven, the six six baseball player, which was
evolving that we.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Got Judge, there's a bunch of him, though.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Come on, come on, then that's what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
That's what we try.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
So what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to find
trying to get us back there, you know, the culture,
back to the believing that, like I said earlier, this,
This is at one point a pillar in our community.
It's not that no more. It's basketball, it's football, then
maybe maybe soccer now you know, then baseball.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
You know, so which is crazy too, not to cut
you off, and it's and I think it's too. It's
you know why the MLB reached out to us and
have been working with us because I feel like it's
I don't want to use the wrong word. It just
needs some it needs some energy, It need some flavor,
it need some swag out. And obviously, if you sit
back and think of the logistics, I mean, longevity and money,
(14:52):
baseball is the best sport to play. Baseball and golf,
no doubt, you know what I mean, you can play
that ship until so it's just that it's always because
again I grew up a huge base I played baseball
all the way through my junior year of high school,
started when I was like six or seven years old.
So just to see the fall off in our community,
and that's what we've been being able to interview the suite,
like our interviews with our guys from the late eighties
(15:12):
early nineties, is the nostalgia area. I grew up watching
these guys play and it was just like, man, I
remember when we were talking about bo Jackson led the
All Star Game off of the home run and Wade
Bogs follow right behind.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Them with them. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
It's just like you remember that kind of shit for
your whole life, and it's just like, man, we missed
that right right.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
I think we are on our way back though. The
things that they're doing in MLB, the develops program that
I'm a part of. We got a guy there, Tony
Reagan's ahead of that. We got we got pedigreed of
Gary Matthews, son Dale Matthews, Antonio Grissom. These kind of
people are running this MLB Develops things, and I can.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
See the Seeds, okay, being plan.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
I see the Seeds got say we go to these
tournaments like I could go to Anament with Jerry's son
to play basketball. I see nothing but else on the court.
I go to one of these major tournaments like in Jupiter, Florida,
first time, the first year I was going to about
ten years ago I started. We brought an all black
team there from where MLB. Yeah, MLB develops. That's part
(16:18):
of our little thing we're going to do, was to
go to the tournament and on the other teams all
white all the time. This lash just left the tournament.
We had so many kids on other teams playing and
I told him, I said this, they don't have to
play for as long as they play. And it was
a beautiful thing. I mean it was so I see,
(16:38):
like I said, the seeds out there. And again it's
these athletes that are built like Lebron that are playing baseball.
We getting those guys. They're not just playing football because
now the other part of the single family thing is
that the moms see their kids, but they also recogniz
(17:00):
is that that other sport could be dangerous. Yeah, and
mama's mamas don't like that. Dads have left the son
go out there, sony, you know, go on out there.
Speaker 6 (17:09):
Boy, But you ain't no boy there, Chiny Ray, come
back in here.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
So they playing baseball. Now we're getting that. We're getting that. Yeah,
I said, man, wished to some kids come out there.
And now I said, good Lord, where are you from Alabama?
I said, oh Lord, I forgot you. He said, Noah,
my mom won't let.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Me play a good deal, A good deal.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
With yours being a master leading men, what did you
take from those experience from him interfere God.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Oh man, I take all of it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I think it's one thing to be a player. It's
another thing too to be a head coach and to
be a manager, a leader, to know the game, you know,
from a different perspective. And I think in what I do,
I trust my instinct and my perspective of my point
(18:10):
of view in fashion that is uniquely mine, and that
provides the permission for me to be in my space.
And I watched him manage the game in a way
that only he uniquely could and also feeding myself from
the same source that gives you that conviction and that instinct.
And so yeah, man, I just I watched, you know,
(18:34):
because as he said, like he was either you know,
a coach in the big leagues or in the minor leagues.
And I watched him move within circles where what people
valued would be you know, what you're driving, what you got,
what you got on or whatnot. And you know, we
were always struggling to check a check family. He was
(18:55):
going to the ballpark with the same blue blazer on
every day. But there was something about him that everybody wanted,
and it was it was something you know, when the
wives are having problems, they would talk to my mom.
And there was something that my parents had that although
we didn't have what you know, the players had or
(19:16):
maybe the you know, everyone else had monetarily, we had
something else as a family. And so I've always known,
you know, what value really is, what cool really is,
you know what I mean, what it's like to be
respected and different from you know, what it's like to
someone to think that you're.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Cool, impressive, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
And I wanted to be you know what my dad
was and so you know you kind of asked about
on the field, but it was just all walks of life,
you know, just having an integrist example, and it's you know,
people ask, oh, you must have your dad was in baseball,
you must have had a good start. I'm like, no,
(19:58):
I came from.
Speaker 7 (19:59):
Love and and an understanding of who I am.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
That's what it allows me to do well in my field.
Speaker 7 (20:06):
The clarity and like who I am and what I'm
called to do, and that comes from the home that
I grew up in.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
And so that's the privilege that I come from.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Can buy it. This fashion game is it's crazy right now.
Everybody's creating.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Everybody wants to be in the fashion game, but your
son is one of the top guys. How do you
How do you feel watching your son be a leader
in the space.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
That's exciting for me. Uh, to see him be his
own It's what we trying to preach it home. You know, answer,
you be, You be the answer, don't you know, don't
don't don't worry. Don't worry about somebody taking something from
you or you having to go to someone else. You
(20:52):
run the thing. You're capable of doing that. You got
everything you need to do to do that. And uh,
it's it's really crazy what he's doing, you know, the
little one.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
I know, you know what I'm saying, dude, I know
you know crazy man, you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
I'm like, dang, look at this boy. What what's going
on there? These gonna work? Oh no, that ain't working, man,
Yeah they work they bottom So anyway, anyway, anyway, I
think the most the thing that I'm most proud of,
(21:38):
to be honest with you, is that he's recognized in culture.
That ways heavy for me. That's big for me. I've
been applauded by But what they say about you at home.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
You know what I'm saying, not only recognized, but moves it.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yes, yes, influencing it, influencing it. So that comes out
of all the things that we struggle with, or our
family struggle with on the way up. But keeping the
principles in place, trusting the principles, and that that was
the That was the key thing for our family, was
(22:18):
trusting the principles that we learn through those daily devotions
and things like that. You know, it was challenging because
that in itself sometimes.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Could take you where you.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Don't want to go.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
That doctrines that might not be you know what I'm saying.
So you have to find what the principle of the
thing is, where it's unwavering, and stay with that regardless
of what you say about it, and what you say
about it, what's the truth. And for him to come
through and and you know, go to that stream of
(22:57):
fashion and to do as well as he's doing, extremely proud,
extremely proud, and you know, he he you know what
I tell him, Hey man, just remain humble.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
I said this earlier, SA, that's just saying I said,
nobody wants you to be better than the more than
your father.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
You're right. You cheer your kids on, you play, you
play the game. When your kids playing the game, you know.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
I hate that boy, get the ball.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
You don't do whatever?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
You know, what are you doing? What are you thinking?
I watched him, I watch him with his son.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I said, you need to relax, man, what are you doing?
Speaker 6 (23:37):
How are you gonna make a shot but you'll ride?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
You need to relax. Tell the little jermy, come on, man,
let me. I got him, Jerry, I said, I got it.
He like keep playing and he can't playing.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
He can't playing.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
There as good as Jered telling him what to do
and watch what you want to show.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
We got to go to break show.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
But yeah, it's uh, it's it's it's it's rewarding.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
It's rewarding.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Like I said, the biggest thing, one of the biggest things,
honest for me, was when he went to the Malcolm
Ings thing and they honored him there. He was guy
read And I'm like, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
That that feels good to me, to me as a.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Father, Jay, what's your definition of culture?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Oh man, I haven't never really been asked. I think
culture is what is what moves people.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
It's like, you know, the common music that we listen to,
but what what we wear, what we share, we talk about,
how we talk, you know, it's that commonality amongst us.
You know what is that? And I think you know,
to me, that's culture. It's a it's a it's an
(24:58):
unspoken share experience, you know. And to your point, being
blessed to be in a position to have some type
of impact or influence on that on the thing that
influenced and shaped you is you know, it's it's it's
a very humbling experience or a very humbling place to
(25:18):
beg in, you know, to be able to just got
back from home, coming to fam you and like I
remember being there and you know, having all these aspirations
and not fitting in, and you know, to be able
to go back and a place where you were trying
to find yourself and to be celebrated and and your
(25:42):
people just being proud of you, you know, and seeing
seeing your pieces out there. And then I got, you know,
some of my frat brothers telling me how they shop
or their kids, and they so proud of me, and
you know they know me as Jerry Manuel, you know
what I mean, Like that's you know it was Jerry
Manuel Junior.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
This whole time, I was making all the ship cool,
like you come back, you go back to home, came like,
you know what, I was really the cool kid this
whole time, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
I mean I like to say that, but not. I
was still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Man. I was mentally though, oh yeah, you had all
this stuff in your mind already.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
You know what actually came out? Yeah, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure, because I knew I
didn't know how to express it, but I knew what
cool was, and you know what I mean, And to me,
it was always had to do with number one, who
you were as a man, what you believed, and what
you stood for, in addition to how dignified are you
(26:39):
presenting yourself? How sophisticated are you presenting yourself with ease?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I watched him be the coolest dude with the same
blue blazer every every road trip.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
We've seen him.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
We already knew it here.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
It ain't what's on what's in you? Yeah, and then
if it's on you to look out, if it's you.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
You can't tell the smoking like a true light skin guilty.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
We deal with.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
Guilty past the present. What baseball players do you think
have the most swag?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
The old school of the shields, the line of the shields,
I watched the line of the shields was the first
one with the high tops. I watched him, the first
one to play socks up like Jackie. I mean watching
him used to come and hit, hitting the cages in
the backyard like I mean, the guy his swag was
just crazy. I don't know if you remember. He was winning,
(27:42):
winning the for like a slam dunk contest.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
To get athlete like my hal and all them crazy.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
The line of the Shiels is by all time we swag.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Well, I think the guy that had the most swag
was Ricky Henderson.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You need to do it. First base.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
When he hit one and yeah and then pimple round
man with the big old lav.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That was my favorite.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Up he did with his gloves and he had the
lime green gloves.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah, he was out there.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
He was out there enjoying the game.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And speak to yourself in third person. Y third person
is crazy.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
He had he had a he had a nice little
hop after his home run.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Yeah he started that. He started that, Yeah he started Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
That.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
No, that's that's considered real swag right there. Yeah, sir,
that's the greatest lead off here, no question. Yes, about
the game, no question.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
That's the greatest, greatest one.
Speaker 5 (28:47):
Who when you do you know that you were going
to be in the major league when the fashion bug hit?
Speaker 2 (28:52):
When did you know you worked when the fashion bug hit? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Man, I've been working retail part time, man, helping myself
through like Grado, you know when got my MBA and
my part time was, you know, working at Diesel. But
I had just you know, I had a knack for
like understanding what people wanted. I think, you know, when
I started the brand, there were a lot of dudes
around me that have brands, and again, like I narcissistically
(29:17):
kind of felt like, man, I got a little bit
more swagyan these cats, I should I could figure this out.
And then yeah, man, first collection hit, some pieces got
to Yay. He picked up my white T shirt and
he was just like, man, I can and at that time,
yay was yay from a fashion He's like, man, like,
I could see all the thought that went into this
(29:37):
white tea. I was like, I knew I had it.
It was just a white team I was like, I
knew this is what people wanted, you know what I mean.
And it was it was in that moment where I knew,
I knew I had the conviction and the vision for
what I wanted to say because someone that I had
looked up to, you know, saw what I saw what
(29:58):
I saw and but yeah, I just you know, and
that was my first collection, and to have somebody that
I kind of looked up to so much at the
time see that, you know, I kind of I knew,
I knew it was gonna be what was gonna be.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Like anybody else, did you battle any self doubt? Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Yeah, I still have self doubt. Yeah, Like self doubt
is something we you know, we struggle with, especially as
kind of you know, black men, when you're when you're
told your whole life that you not something you know
and not not at home but by by the world,
and so yeah, you know, deal with that a lot.
(30:37):
And maybe maybe that's why the brand didn't start till
after I was thirty, you know what I'm saying, Like,
you know, I kind of feel like ohe sometimes like
how he started rapping late, right, he just kind of
came in with a different, different game than some of
the younger guys, right, And I just feel like I
just had enough life behind me and enough understanding and
(30:58):
conviction of who I am. You know, never never desire
to be a part of a fashion click or world
or society that I knew innately didn't really want me.
So I never even had that you know, that that
that it's to be validated in that way, you know,
(31:18):
which is kind of why we you know, we did
our first fashion show at the Hollywood Bowl in La
I felt like, why does our perspective always have to
live against a backdrop that's not ours to be luxury?
Like what we do here that influences the world, it's
just as luxury here. So yeah, I mean I think
(31:38):
a lot of that just comes from again always knowing
whose I am, you know, my purpose, who I serve,
and who I am within this world. I was never
I was never unclear about that because of kind of
how I was raised. I think for your for your seventies,
that's what I told you, I said, man, you gave
(31:59):
me anything. Man, it was like I've always known who
I am. I think that's been my greatest asset.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I Mean, people don't understand how important that is because
there's people that struggle with that identity, their hohold, like
who am I? That don't know and understand? But at
an early age, knowing that is very important makes everything
a lot clearer, not easier, but it makes it clear.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Especially today with so many people looking to the outside
world of validation.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
You know it's right there, know who it's right in
the mirror.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Fear Guard being one of the most influent, influential, and
recognizable brands of this era.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Where do you get your inspiration from today? We're being
so successful already.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
I can't look at influence er sales or numbers as
like success. I just I'm really chasing purpose, And I
think my perspective is the same from what I started.
But each year, the ten thousand hours of my craft
is getting better, and so what I'm saying is is
becoming more clear. But I'm not really saying something new.
(33:00):
I'm just being able to articulate it through clothing much
more clear than I did last collection. And so I
feel like the intention and what I'm communicating this like
effortless elegance is That's what I'm always gonna say, you know,
That's that's my nice combination like that, and so like
that's how I move.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
So that's why I wear your ship so much effort, Pops,
When did you start, obviously, this is the vision of dream.
It started coming to fruition in what twenty eleven is
when things started? When did you start wearing the stuff
and feeling comfortable in it?
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I've always worn I'm supporting it, Okay, So anything he
put out, I have a baddy look on me. Yeah,
that's my son. Yeah, So I'm not don't I don't hesitate.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
But at the same time, it's a big I mean,
you're seventy here in your seventy one, so to be
able to have like that shit is flying, you know
what I mean. So to be able to be in
something that we move around in this and then that's
kind of again something that something like almost age appropriate,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
But it's still fly.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
So it's very comfortable. I've noticed that my generation ain't
quite there.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Yet because you're the same.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You're to say that we still think we got you know,
my dad.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Like that ship.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Yeah, but they ain't quite there yet because I can
tell when I go places or have something that he
is on and they want.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
It but they scared.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
You know, come on, you can do it's.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Good for you look as cool.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
That's not always say but but yeah, so for me
it's it's all. It's good because it's comfortable. And always,
even when I was young, I always felt that if
I could take my tennis shoes anywhere, I'm good the game.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Breakout, I can play if I can do it.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
You know, just but I can still look yeah, look good.
So yeah, I h every chance, I get everything. Every
time I put it on, I think I'm represent him.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
So that's that's what I wear.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
But you saw the void that that not many brands
have been able to do. I think obviously Jordan's able
to deal with shoes. But we always used to talk
about in the league, like we want to be able
to wear something in the game and then be fly
enough to go to the you know, and you talked
about that earlier way.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
It brought me back, like.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
I want to be able to go to a game
and then go after and not like, look I came
from the game.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You feel that void.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
And obviously you're still in the midst of your greatness
and I'm sure there's much more to come, But do
you ever kind of sit back and be like, yeah,
we're definitely on the right track with this, and this is,
this is, this is I'm needed.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Oh man, I've never said I'm needed. Man, I feel like,
but you are, I'm chosen. I feel like I'm I'm
an idiot, you know. But I never feel as if
I'm needed. I feel like God to take somebody else
if I'm not going to step up, you know, I
feel like, you know, you're not You're not answering the call,
like and so I'm humbled by it, you know what
(36:07):
I mean. I'm humbled that he chose me to answer
the caller, to or get a call, and I just
I chose to answer it. And I think I'm humbled
by that. But I never I never ever think it's me.
Never think it's me. I've never I've always known it's him.
Know where my ideas come from. You can't tell me
it's me. I know I know where you know.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
And I got to dance and it's right, you know,
I know he know that it ain't him dance telling
him that. But but but the key thing to that,
to that question, is that it sometimes it feels good
to the ego, but when you feed it too much.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
It could be very dangerous.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
And that's what I try to We try to put
things in place to where it ain't about you. They
don't get too big on me. Now, come on, let's go,
let's get back to I feed on solid grounds, on truth,
on principle. We just to enjoy and enjoy the benefits
of what's going on. But let's be careful, you know,
(37:13):
be careful because it's easy to get to.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
It's easy.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
And then you walk out there and where are you at?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
What happened?
Speaker 4 (37:21):
Who am I with that type of thing? But very
proud of what he's doing and what he represents. You know,
that's that that that's that's key he represents and that's
that's that's needed.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
The right way.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
One of the hardest things, and towards the end of
my professional career was feeling like I was missing out
on so much of my kids. First, with the twins,
I was always.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
On the road.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Obviously, your job had you on the road a lot.
Your job now kind of has you travel in the world.
How do you balance fatherhood and in family time with
the demands of both of your guys' careers.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I mean, the good thing about his career is we
always had him in the off season. So we always
had Dad at home from November until spring training, and
so we had like our good like four months with
Pops like full time. And when he was home, he
was home with fashion. Man, I don't have that off season,
(38:25):
you know. And so it's it's constant. And so to
answer your question, I struggle heavily. You know, my son's
eighth grade, it'll be a freshman next year. Daughters are
twin daughters are you know, going into uh seventh grade
next year and they're playing sports.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
It's in the water out here, yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
And it's just like, man, I feel like I'm missing
a lot. And sometimes I'm like, man, if I obsessed
over my kids the way I obsessed over his pair
of sweat fants, you know how different you know what
things be. And so now I'm at that place where
I'm like, man, I got I'm spending so much time
(39:09):
obsessing over shapes and like photo shoots and campaigns and
you know, everything that we're doing, and it's just like, man,
like what if I put just a little bit more
of this at home?
Speaker 2 (39:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (39:25):
And so to answer your question, Man's it weighs on me. Man,
it's heavy, you know, because you're believe you're doing what
you're called to do. But there's nothing more important than
being a steward over your family, right, and so finding
that balance is you know, it's tough. I'm trying to
figure it out.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
What about you, pops.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
I mean, obviously they said they had that four months
with you, but obviously there's eight months a year where
you're moving around.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I had a good wife. I have a good wife year.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Congratulations. I need to sit down with you. I can't
figure that. I'm over to at the plate.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Oh yeah, that's all right, that's yeah. So that's right,
that's right. You can play for the Yankees, you can
play for.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
The Yankees anywhere.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Yeah. That for me in my time, I had to
I had someone that believed in my dream and allowed
me to pursue it all those years and at the
same time take care of my children. So when those
four months came, I mean it was big for me.
(40:41):
I'm a pop up.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
I'm him.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
I gotta say I'm the best pop up in the world.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
I'm him.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
And so I like kids and to have grandchildren and
my kids. I told my wife when we got married,
I wanted seven. I actually I wanted.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
Oh boy, she said.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
She looked at me and said, why you ever, sister.
Speaker 4 (41:08):
You know, you know, we know you know how they
do it. But anyway, anyway, she was really the thing
that helped me get.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Through through that stretch of life, which was which was
really really, really really tough.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
I mean I'm talking.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
And I think that's a lot of things that people
don't talk about, Like we don't talk like, obviously, man,
you're the best, one of the best designser man, you're
in the major. Look like, Okay, that's great, but that's
not who It's a part of who we are.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Obviously.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Family is the most important. That's why a lot of
people like I played you know for fifteen years, but
walked away with two years left on my deal because
I just felt like, man, I'm missing too many first,
you know what I mean. And at the end it
became like a job because we were traveling so much.
You know, I'd won a championship, and I'm like, I
need to be I want to be able to take
my kids to school. I want to be able to
make their lunch. I want to be able to coach them.
(41:56):
I want to be able to just fucking hang out
with them, you know what I mean. And that's why
I initially stepped away from the g I stepped away
from the game period, was because I felt like I
was missing too much time with my kids. So it's
it's always an interesting it's funny your study. You're still
trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
It's hard.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
This is a good time for you because your kids
gonna appreciate that. They gonna appreciate that now you sacrifice.
You could have kept going and going and playing and playing,
but you you said, I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
This for you. I can't give you this, but I
can do this for you.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Yeah, Now I told me, I mean, I can't wait
to be in your side. If I'm blessed to be
able to get to see you, know your age and
have my kids say something like that, because I did.
I left the game. Yeah, I left the game to
be their coach, to be their chaperone, to be their teacher,
to be that you know, that mentor to them. So
it was it was important to me to do that
best baseball jersey of all time.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
In your guys' opinion.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
I gotta go with the Expos just because I grew
up and you know, you were with the Exposed the
longest right at Expos, man.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
The light blue one.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
I probably go to Home Whites.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
The homes with the red, white and blue.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Yeah, and the red, white and blue hat. I just
you know, something about the Expos was just super cold
to me.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
You know, growing up twenty eighteen, you launched Fear God Essentials.
Walk me through the process of having a luxury brand
but also making the essential side of it essential essential?
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Yeah, man, you know I was approach with approach, with
an opportunity to kind of created a fusion. In the
first year, it was it was fog. It was fog,
and it felt dishonest. It felt like a water down
version of like what Fear of God was. And I
never wanted to put anything in the market that was dishonest,
and so changed the name to Essentials and really just
(43:47):
wanted to create these perfect basics that you could wear
with Fear of God, you know kind of yeah, look,
Fear of God and Essentials kind of you.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Know what I mean, like together, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (44:00):
And how how can you you know, not be full luxury?
Right because I never dressed full luxury and so that
also in itself was dishonest. You know, there's always something
that's maybe like a Nike hoodie or a Champion sweatshirt
with you know, you know, some expensive genes or something
you know, always playing. And so it also was honest
to my aesthetic. You know, how I dress. The reality
(44:23):
of that is a little bit of this, a little
bit of that. And how can I do all of
that in and of myself without having to go outside
and and it be another brand or be something else.
How was that? You know, one honest proposition from you know, athletics.
You got the whole thing. Athletics. You're a god to essentials,
(44:44):
right like the sneakers you know what.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
I mean, snakers all episode. Besides, you wear pops.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
I might have to come up.
Speaker 3 (44:54):
When I was younger.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Jy react to this tweet you made in July of
twenty twenty one. If you have essentials on Amazon, you
did not buy essential.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
I mean that's just what it is. You know, if
you bought it on Amazon, that's not essential.
Speaker 2 (45:14):
Yeah, how have you?
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Obviously this is a copycat world. It's a form of
imitation and flattery, but at the same time it's taken
away from your business.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
Impost syndrome.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
Yeah, I feel I feel like you know that, Like
it's like that other side of me, right, like that
arrogance that I have to battle, right because if you
bought it on Amazon, the reality is and that's all
you could afford. Like, I'm humbled by that, you know
what I mean. I'm humble by the fact that there's
a lot of knockoffs. It means we're doing something right, right,
(45:47):
And you know, me and my wife, you know, we
talked about my mom, but you know, at first, when
the knockoffs started happening, she just said, well, do you
not have any more ideas? I was like, of course
I got ideas, Like all right, then.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Are you what do you what are you worried about?
Speaker 2 (46:03):
You know?
Speaker 3 (46:04):
And that just gave me even more confidence of the
well that I'm pulling from. It's like, you could be
a variation of a little bit of but you not this,
you know, And even though this may be really hard
to tell from what you're doing that looks like this,
the people I'm speaking to know, you know.
Speaker 5 (46:23):
It's still that taking my ship now, It's still that
in you right yeah, okay, yeah, okay, okay, they gotta
stay there.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
Jay, they gotta stay there.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
You know what I'm saying. That's that, that's the that's
the arrogance, that's the that's the competitive that's the growing
up playing baseball, growing up playing sports. Side that I
also have that, you know. I think I watched Ryan
Cooler talk about, you know, the fact that he played football.
That's his advantage over everybody. He knows he's gonna go harder,
you know what I mean. And for me, I'm dealing
(46:53):
in fashion and you know, nothing against anyone, but I
know how hard I'm gonna go.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
And so that that fight, you know he could he could,
you know, at least you know, I couldn't play, But
I have some fight.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
That's half right there.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Kobe talked about that though. I mean to have that
athlete mentality, the dedication, the work ethic, all that stuff,
and be able to apply that to what you know, business,
and you were able to mean, like we talked about,
the principles you learned from sports, you can apply to
life and be just as successful, if not more successful,
in life.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
We're in an age of collaborations.
Speaker 5 (47:32):
What goes through the process of you're picking up picking
out who you're gonna collabor with.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Oh man, it's changed now. I done been through a
lot of tough collabse I think now, Man, I'm more
and more trying to again be complete in and of myself,
you know. And there's some brands that we're you know,
collabing collabing with, whether it's like you know, eyeglasses that
(47:57):
come out next year or some some uh some bags
and backpacks and things. And these are best in class
companies that allow me to extend my perspective through through
through a through a product or a category that I've
yet to to master right in they and I bring
(48:18):
a perspective to them and I help, you know, and
they allow me to play in the area that I've
yet to really be able to play in. And so
for now I'm looking for, you know, collaborations that can
just help extend, you know, the the language and the
honesty of who we are. And that's why I like,
(48:39):
you know, Baseball, the NBA, you know, NFL that's coming out.
These are natural parts of my life, you know what
I mean. And so I'm looking to, you know, extend
the honesty of what fear of God is through a know,
an honest.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
Partner legacy obviously is something that your dad's started, uh
in sports, and you've ck up and taking it to fashion.
What do you want the Lorenzo name to represent?
Speaker 3 (49:07):
Man, It's it's funny, like, you know, Lorenzo is his
dad's first name. He's Jerry Manuel. I'm Jerry Lorenzo Manuel.
My son is Jerry Lorenzo Manuel the third. I never
had an intention to have a Lorenzo legacy. I was
in I was in Hollywood throwing parties, and he was
(49:27):
managed in the White Sox, you know, probably led the
league and getting thrown out of games, but never cursed
at an umpire. You know, it's had like a different
level of integrity to the Manual name.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
You really got to saying something to get kicked out
and not be cussing. So you gotta be really saying something.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
What were you saying?
Speaker 2 (49:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
What you talking about their mamas? And that's what I'm saying. Yeah, well,
well well well let me tell you, oh, man, I
didn't want to go here. We ain't got to if
you don't want to.
Speaker 2 (50:08):
But yet to not get kicked out.
Speaker 3 (50:11):
And let the league and getting tossed, well, a lot
of my.
Speaker 4 (50:18):
Leaving was due to h yeah, me going off, but
I had sensed a level of disrespect.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
That's where that's where you come from, first and foremost.
Speaker 4 (50:30):
You come from. Where you come from.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
You can disagree, yeah, but I respect.
Speaker 4 (50:36):
So and being minority, not well known, but I'm in
the same office, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, so
give that to me. And when you don't, that blows that.
That's where I blow off. And I don't have to
curse that you. You think I'm cursing that you, But
(50:56):
I'm on a whole different level.
Speaker 5 (50:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's that's that's a different level of
the game.
Speaker 3 (51:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
I didn't want to I don't even know if I
want to master that.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
That's sary.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Like I said, I enjoy getting my I can cuss
no out referees. I don't get fined twenty five hundred.
I used to get fined twenty five hundred for it.
So now when I cuss reps out, it's just right.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
It's free.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
And I was arguing to call too.
Speaker 2 (51:19):
Yeah yeah, but but the spirit of like how you
talking to me?
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Yeah, come on now, yeah now.
Speaker 3 (51:26):
You now you know, you know it was it was unfortunate,
But I say that to say the manual name, how
to how to set the bar, set a bar. And
so when I was throwing parties in Hollywood with Hennessy
bottles in my hand, I knew I couldn't use my
(51:48):
last name.
Speaker 1 (51:50):
Because of what it came.
Speaker 3 (51:51):
That's because of what it meant. I knew it meant.
I couldn't have somebody looking up Jerry Manuel and it's
me and the club turned and he's you know, you
know what I mean. So I mean, he'll tell you.
I mean, that's that's that's honest. So I would like
(52:13):
the legacy to be manual. And it's funny. I went
back to fam you know, uh, graduated in two thousand,
saw some of my frat brothers and some of my
baseball players, and they was all just, you know, Jerry Manuel.
You know what I'm saying, Like they knew me when
it was Jerry Manuel. You know, it wasn't with how
the world sees and something about that. Man just felt, Man,
(52:37):
your brothers know me for me, you know. And so
at some point, man, I hope this legacy becomes comes
back to Manuel, comes back to you know, Lorenzo Manuel,
his father and mom's parents, and you know, it's our
family legacy. It's you know, it's Manuel.
Speaker 2 (52:56):
Have you guys ever done an interview together?
Speaker 3 (52:58):
This is our first time.
Speaker 1 (53:02):
Because the way you guys sit and look at each
other when the other one is speaking, it's so dope.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (53:10):
Anything you're working on that we could you could talk
about that we should be on the lookout for.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
Well, we just launched Women's in Paris and that that
will release and in January I was, I was exciting,
and then you know, we just spoke a little bit
on the NFL that's coming towards the end of the year,
you know, through Essentials, and we have a lot of
other collaborations coming next year. I don't think I can
speak on them just yet. But you know, like I said, man,
(53:36):
it's it's fashion. It's always something coming. Man, it's all
set today shooting, you know.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
So I'm gonna put you on the spot right here.
We need to be the first podcast. But let me
tell you.
Speaker 8 (53:48):
This is why that got us here, man, This is
why this is why we winning, bro, because I was thinking,
it's the whole show, my brother.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
We need to talk, man, we need to We need
to be the first all the Smoke sponsored by in
collaboration with Really Easy. Come on, man, were already freshest.
It makes sense and we whip as if needed. So
it's just it is what it is.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
But I love it.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
Quick hitters.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
First thing to come to mind. Let us know, Pops.
I'll start with you. Greatest MLB baseball player of all.
Speaker 4 (54:29):
Time, Willie May.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
You're going with his guy son? Who you got?
Speaker 3 (54:35):
I'm going Barry Yeah, nice, I'm going Barry Bonds. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (54:41):
Yeah, best trash talker in Major League Baseball history, I say,
Dave Parker. Dave, he was a big boy too. Dave
Parker was a big boy.
Speaker 4 (54:51):
He's turned brown. I'll be wearing my third crown.
Speaker 1 (55:01):
Talk back there was more like players ship. It was
like yeah, it wasn't really like it was like, yeah,
it was on some stuff like that. Yes, he said,
when the leaves turned round, I'll be winning another batting
crowd crowns, childhood crush.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
Oh man, what's her name from?
Speaker 4 (55:19):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (55:20):
Purple rain Vanity? Oh my god, that's the coldest, the
coldest of all time. Her and Lisa Bonnay Cosby show.
Speaker 2 (55:38):
Okay, Pops, toughest toughest picture you ever faced.
Speaker 3 (55:42):
He faced a lot. All of them are tough.
Speaker 4 (55:45):
Yeah, yeah, right right.
Speaker 2 (55:51):
The people to be your old people.
Speaker 4 (55:54):
Your name one that you hit.
Speaker 1 (56:01):
Bob Gibson, my solns be talking so much other people
with my son, I'll smack the ship.
Speaker 4 (56:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
One album this for both, the one album you guys
can listen to on repeat together or no, just you
Your at Aliens is.
Speaker 4 (56:17):
My favorite Aliens anything by Curtis Mayfield.
Speaker 1 (56:20):
Curtis Mayfield, Yes, yes, you guys can rank these individually
or together. M J Kobe Bron.
Speaker 3 (56:28):
It's how you said it, m J. Kobe Bron's I mean,
and I got you know, maybe maybe somebody else the number.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
Three, But who you got three?
Speaker 3 (56:34):
I gotta go Curry Steph and then and then and
then I go magic and then I go Bron.
Speaker 1 (56:42):
Yeah, yeah, okay, that what about you?
Speaker 2 (56:46):
I leave it like it is, that's right, that's right.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 3 (56:50):
Don't fix I could go back and get Oscar.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
Yeah yeah, you know, but hey, timple double King, I
don't know if Oscar wanting problems with them three.
Speaker 4 (56:59):
Though, right, right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 5 (57:05):
If you can see one guests on our show, who
would it be, but but you have to help us
get your answer on the show.
Speaker 3 (57:10):
I'd like to see Obama.
Speaker 2 (57:12):
Oh that's.
Speaker 1 (57:14):
So, that'll that'll come true, Pops.
Speaker 5 (57:16):
Somebody from your era, you know that, somebody from baseball
that you would like to see, you know, kind of
kind of blend in with the younger generation that's still
you know, with valid and sports right now, especially baseball side.
Speaker 4 (57:27):
Well, you know what would be interesting for this show
would be to listen to Bob Kendricks the Negro League Museum.
Speaker 2 (57:37):
Okay, Bob Kendricks, yes, yes, write that down.
Speaker 4 (57:40):
His storytelling and what if you've ever been to Kansas
City and go to the Negro League Museum.
Speaker 3 (57:46):
It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
It's it's amazing for him to speak on that helps us, Yes,
move forward.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
We got a chance to play what feel that played
at oh Rickfield? Rickfield? Yeah? We got playing Rickfield?
Speaker 4 (58:02):
Oh he did?
Speaker 2 (58:03):
Yeah, we played I Want MVP. He won VP. Yeah
you know you know softball Yeah yeah, okay, yeah, that game.
Speaker 4 (58:12):
That was in Birmingham. In Birmingham was.
Speaker 1 (58:15):
With uh we want in the game though, yeah, because
they played the game there after us.
Speaker 4 (58:20):
We also game I meant Lewis.
Speaker 2 (58:24):
Reggie jack Jackson.
Speaker 3 (58:25):
Okay, yeah, yeah, they.
Speaker 2 (58:27):
Got to let it out, let it all out.
Speaker 3 (58:29):
It is rick Wood, rick Wood, rick Wood, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:34):
We'll play there. Our youth group will go there and
play in front of scouts.
Speaker 3 (58:38):
Forty four.
Speaker 4 (58:39):
We have a thing called forty four which in reference
to Hank Aaron and we play a game at the
end of our seminars that we have and we played
in Rickwood forty four Black Kids, twenty two on each team, prospects, prospects.
Speaker 1 (58:57):
We're jumping into the MLB space starting next season heavily.
So if there's anything we could do to help get
information out, help help be a part of anything you
guys have gone in the growth of obviously just getting
back in the game, please please let us know.
Speaker 4 (59:10):
I will will, I think I think we start with
if you can start with with Bob Kendricks, that would.
Speaker 3 (59:15):
That would be huge.
Speaker 2 (59:16):
Coch that would be huge.
Speaker 4 (59:17):
And then you know, the players you've had on here
have been been outstanding. I mean c C is legendary,
those those of us.
Speaker 2 (59:30):
We got one coming and dropping you.
Speaker 1 (59:31):
To yeah really.
Speaker 3 (59:37):
Good luck he's coming and.
Speaker 5 (59:47):
Yeah coming, oh man, deal we got one coming from
all right?
Speaker 1 (59:53):
Sure, what happened when he just kind of yeah, but
he's coming back. He's almost our color now again.
Speaker 4 (59:59):
So even have the steroid guys not being in the
Hall of Fame, I think they should be in there.
I mean, what Barry Bones there was, he ain't in
the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame, all the fame. Yeah,
the best player of that of all time. And it
doesn't mean that those that are in there weren't doing.
Speaker 5 (01:00:16):
Nothing and that like everybody, just come on, everybody didn't
do it, but majority of everybody.
Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
Second, guys didn't get actually caught.
Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
That's it, that's right.
Speaker 3 (01:00:27):
But also it was the last guy on the roster
that shouldn't have made the big league team that also
was juicing, you know what I mean, people that didn't
even have an impact.
Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
It was so I don't want to say his name,
but there was a lefty that played for the Orioles
and all of a sudden, one season he had fifty
two home runs and yeah, okay, buddy.
Speaker 4 (01:00:50):
Yeah that's think I think. So that's my opinion. Yeah,
that's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (01:00:55):
Man. That's a wrap.
Speaker 3 (01:00:56):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Thank you guys for your time. We finally got this
continued success and and everything you guys do. We're huge fans.
We're here for the support and man again, thank you
guys for your Jerry Manuel Junior and Senior. You catch
this on the draft keys never getting all this productions,
all the smoke productions.
Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
You two.
Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
See you guys next week.
Speaker 5 (01:01:16):
M mm hmmm, mm hmmm
Welcome back all the smoke. Season six. Jack has been
a good run. It's been a nice three days and
we get to end it with family. Yes, welcome to
the show. One of the most prolific fashion designers in
the game and his Pops has been the Major League
system for fifty years. Close super old Triple og Man.
(00:23):
Welcome to the show, Jerry, Emmanuel and Pops. This is
a long time to thank Lauren. I know you're in
here somewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You made it happen. Bro. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We've been playing phone tag for almost two years trying
to make this shit happen. But it's it's here and
no better time. But now, how's life? I know fatherhood
is heavy with you and you're sitting here with your dad,
but how's life going for you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Right now?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Man, we're blessed and covered and you know, I just
got back from homecoming back of fam and man, I'm
just feeling feel and blessed. You know, everything is you
get to a place where you're finally okay, that you're
living in like what you prayed for. Sometimes you pray
(01:10):
for something, you get it, yeah, and you feel unworthy,
you know what I mean? And then you get to
a place where you you're like, Okay, you know I
did work. I worked for this. God met me in
the work, you know, and I'm following his purpose and
so I you know, I feel like I'm in his purpose.
So I feel good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Fear of God itself. I know you're very spiritual. Where
did the name come from?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
The name came from a devotion we were doing up
in Sacramento in one morning, me, my mom, and my dad.
I was up there visiting. We were reading utmost for
as high as Oswald Chambers, and he was talking about
the clouds and darkness around the Kingdom of God and
(01:57):
the clouds and darkness speaking to the layers to him.
And so I had a visual of what fear and
reverence really meant, you know, not a real fear, but
a reverence for God because of the layers to him
that you just can't comprehend. And so yeah, man, and
growing up in the church, you know, anything that was
(02:18):
tied to Christianity or faith just always felt like a
little softer like, you know, not his gangster. But then
I have this this, you know vision, I was like, oh,
fear of God like that, it sets what I'm doing
with intention and a greater purpose. And then and the
(02:38):
name itself just resonated so much of me, and I
think we got in the car later that day and
I was like, Dad, I think I got a name
for this thing. Called it out Fear of God. Yeah,
and moments Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Beautiful, you just did your MLB collab.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
It just dropped.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
How long has it been in the works for.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Since I was born? You know, Like the hardest battle
for me has been breaking through, you know, with a
luxury perspective, you know, from from the side of the world,
you know, and fighting to be respected at and seen
as that. But playing with sports and you know, athletic
(03:22):
appair on me, I feel like I can do that
kind of stuff, like in my sleep. It's just like
what I grew up, you know what I mean. So
when the opportunity came with baseball, you know, I just
felt I felt ready, you know, I felt like you know,
and then also like from a business perspective, I just
felt like I can't find a hoodie in the market
(03:44):
that well a team that I can wear without looking
like I'm going to it, you know what I'm saying, Like,
how do you dress to go to a Dodger game
and then have a date after and then not too
like you came from the Dodger came you know what
I mean. It just felt like a solution that was
kind of needed. So and I felt like I had
(04:04):
done the work where I understood my perspective and then
I could really just easily add at the game to it.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And love it.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I remember, probably the best part of my career was
when my twin boys, who are sixteen now, just got
to start traveling with me. What do you remember as
a youngster moving around the game of baseball with your dad?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Man, that's that's a lot. That's there's so many things
that come to mind. I mean, I used to love,
like is it you know, I used to love heading
to the ballpark and seeing the lights off the freeway.
That was one of the biggest things that just you
got excited about getting Yeah, it's getting close to the ballpark.
But I think just growing up with my dad, and
(04:48):
you know, my dad wasn't never he was never like,
you know, the Hall of Famer on the team. No,
And he was, however, from his position being constantly kind
of the last guy on the roster, always found a
way to lead his teams. And so I think what
I what I took a lot from from my dad
was just the ability to lead from a place of
(05:11):
like honesty and truth. You know what he pulls from
in order to move in is you know, you know,
before he'd head into the ballpark, he'd be reading Godda,
he'd be reading you know, Malcolm Max, he'd be reading
Martin Luther King and he's came after the losses that was.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Malcolm on at that point, it's.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
All good, go ahead, But you know, just watching him
also prepare you know, and knowing that these these truths
transcend all things that we touched at these men and
like how do how is he using these truths to
to move men, to guide his teams, And so understanding
(05:58):
that I could apply that to anything in life has
been been invaluable.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I can't wait for my sons to be in your
seat and me sitting next to you with my hair
and my sons talk about what they picked up for me.
So obviously it's an honor to you, Pops, the way
you raised you know, your son, and just the way
he speaks up for you in such a high regard.
I think that's a beautiful thing, Pops walking through your journey? Man,
where did baseball come in to play?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Where are you from? What's going on with your lord?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
If you have that much, now we got all the
time you need.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Well. Baseball started familiar with my dad. My dad was
played a little barn star and ball in the Negro
League and come to find out later in life, Uh,
you know, he wasn't he was a pitcher. They come
and get him, he go pitch, come back home, the
mom whatever. And then when she wouldn't let him go,
(06:52):
he would form leagues in Georgia Georgia that they played
each other, so he was actually managing and general managing
at the same time playing. So uh, that's kind of
what was infused in me. Was was that type of thing.
That's why strategy and in all sports it's kind of
(07:16):
important to me.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
That's what I like. I like the strategy of the game.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
But at that time, growing up in our culture, we
had religion, we had uh, music, and we had baseball,
and we had fashion. Those was like the pillars of
the black community. They were they were big. If you
could find your niche in one of them pillars, you
(07:43):
you felt like you were doing culture. You you were,
you were, you were staying a part of culture. So baseball.
You know, my father was a military man, so we
travel We went from Georgia to Texas and uh played
baseball and football and basketball in those places. Then from
(08:04):
Texas we went out to Matha, Sacramentum. Yeah, and that's
how I got to California, played all the sports.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
That actually was the first.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Time in my life that I sit in the classroom
with someone other than my color was when I got
to California in nineteen sixty nine. That was kind of
an awakening for me, being a boy from Georgia at
that time and then sitting in the classroom was an
(08:33):
awakening for me. But it was probably the best thing
ever happened to me. Its shaped me differently than what
I thought, you know, life would be, or what my
space in life would be. But anyway, I traveled through
that and was drafted in baseball, had a chance to
(08:54):
go play football, had a chance to curst around.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Out of high school.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Out of high school.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Come on, don't need the little details out there.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
That's not that's not really that important. But anyway, anyway,
I went from from there and got into baseball and
spent a majority of my career was spent in the
minor leagues, upper minor leagues. I got to Triple A
baseball relatively quick. Uh went up and down, went up
(09:24):
and down, went up and down, and really uh really
was it was a journeyman player. Uh, you know, but
I knew the game. I knew I knew the game.
You know, I know the game. So eventually got in,
had a year of scouting, then got into management and
(09:46):
in the front office administrative stuff, and desides say, hey,
that ain't for me. I like to be on the field.
I like to teach, I like to develop, I like strategy.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
This is not me.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Uh, so they made me like a coordinative instruction So
so roll instructures for Montreal and then from there had
a chance to manage your team in Double A, which
was a which would have been a significant jump for
a first time manager and being black. So I took
the opportunity in Jacksonville, Florida, became the manager of the year.
(10:17):
And the rest is, you know, the rest is baseball.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
You know, speak to the big league. So you know,
I mean, go ahead, speak for Manager of the year
two thousand with the White So went on to manage
the mats in the big League. Yeah, well, you know
it's to me it's significant because you know, I'm watching
I've never seen at any sport a black head coach,
(10:43):
a black manager that was not a Hall of Famer,
that was not a big name. And so watching my dad,
you know, go up these ladders, watching him fast and
pray before interviews, and you know, like really leaning on spirit,
you know, really leaning on conviction. You know, he never
(11:06):
had a lot of homies, you know, went a part
of any any clubs, you know what I mean. He
wasn't jumping around with other coaches that could help him.
You know, he was really leaned on what he felt
like God put inside him, and that's where he found
his peace. And so to me, you know, watching him
do those things as you know as a kid, you know,
(11:27):
you know the reality of how you need to get
wherever you go is clear. You know, it was clear.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
You know, I watched him same principle as you can
apply to anything.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly, and him being a manager and a coach, I think,
just you know, watching him because once we got to
Chicago in the late nineties, you know, any any decision
he makes is on the back page sometimes, you know,
and so watching him deal with the media, watching all
of these things from my seat, you know, I think
I was in fan by that time. I was in college,
(11:57):
but you know, watching those things happen, I never realized
how that impacted me until I started doing my own
thing and being responsible to lead a team. So it
was just kind of like life training.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Jerry manual Foundation mission is to educate African African American
young men and train them on the fundamentals of baseball.
I mean, it's no secret I was a huge baseball
fan growing up. The black baseball player is damn near gone. Yeah,
why do you feel that? This has been a discussion
we've had with c C and Darryl Strawberry, Gary Sheffield,
(12:38):
you name it. We've had this conversation and know we've
getten different reasonings and why.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But why do you guys feel like I just said,
they just said it.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
They're not grooming the homegrown the kids right here in
the States, right there in New York, right around that
area that can play baseball, they can raise up, but
they don't the one who'll get it from the other places.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Right in my correct box.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
And and and also when you put a strain on
the economics, when when that becomes a part and you're
from a culture, uh a lot of times there's sixty
sixty percent single families. And then the as for that
type of economics of you, I mean you you guys
(13:21):
know that it's travel ball and that had that That's
a part of it. That's a part of that, ain't
the whole? Uh, another part of it. You're you're gonna
be surprised. I was talking to him about this on
the way over here. The evolution of Michael Jordan's changed
the landscape in our culture. And you know, it's ironic
that he went back to try to play baseball. Come on, now,
(13:46):
yeah with me? That that that that that that had
a lot to do because we stopped getting the six four,
the six seven, the six six baseball player, which was
evolving that we.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Got Judge, there's a bunch of him, though.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Come on, come on, then that's what we're doing.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
That's what we try.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
So what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to find
trying to get us back there, you know, the culture,
back to the believing that, like I said earlier, this,
This is at one point a pillar in our community.
It's not that no more. It's basketball, it's football, then
maybe maybe soccer now you know, then baseball.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
You know, so which is crazy too, not to cut
you off, and it's and I think it's too. It's
you know why the MLB reached out to us and
have been working with us because I feel like it's
I don't want to use the wrong word. It just
needs some it needs some energy, It need some flavor,
it need some swag out. And obviously, if you sit
back and think of the logistics, I mean, longevity and money,
(14:52):
baseball is the best sport to play. Baseball and golf,
no doubt, you know what I mean, you can play
that ship until so it's just that it's always because
again I grew up a huge base I played baseball
all the way through my junior year of high school,
started when I was like six or seven years old.
So just to see the fall off in our community,
and that's what we've been being able to interview the suite,
like our interviews with our guys from the late eighties
(15:12):
early nineties, is the nostalgia area. I grew up watching
these guys play and it was just like, man, I
remember when we were talking about bo Jackson led the
All Star Game off of the home run and Wade
Bogs follow right behind.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Them with them. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
It's just like you remember that kind of shit for
your whole life, and it's just like, man, we missed
that right right.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
I think we are on our way back though. The
things that they're doing in MLB, the develops program that
I'm a part of. We got a guy there, Tony
Reagan's ahead of that. We got we got pedigreed of
Gary Matthews, son Dale Matthews, Antonio Grissom. These kind of
people are running this MLB Develops things, and I can.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
See the Seeds, okay, being plan.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
I see the Seeds got say we go to these
tournaments like I could go to Anament with Jerry's son
to play basketball. I see nothing but else on the court.
I go to one of these major tournaments like in Jupiter, Florida,
first time, the first year I was going to about
ten years ago I started. We brought an all black
team there from where MLB. Yeah, MLB develops. That's part
(16:18):
of our little thing we're going to do, was to
go to the tournament and on the other teams all
white all the time. This lash just left the tournament.
We had so many kids on other teams playing and
I told him, I said this, they don't have to
play for as long as they play. And it was
a beautiful thing. I mean it was so I see,
(16:38):
like I said, the seeds out there. And again it's
these athletes that are built like Lebron that are playing baseball.
We getting those guys. They're not just playing football because
now the other part of the single family thing is
that the moms see their kids, but they also recogniz
(17:00):
is that that other sport could be dangerous. Yeah, and
mama's mamas don't like that. Dads have left the son
go out there, sony, you know, go on out there.
Speaker 6 (17:09):
Boy, But you ain't no boy there, Chiny Ray, come
back in here.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
So they playing baseball. Now we're getting that. We're getting that. Yeah,
I said, man, wished to some kids come out there.
And now I said, good Lord, where are you from Alabama?
I said, oh Lord, I forgot you. He said, Noah,
my mom won't let.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
Me play a good deal, A good deal.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
With yours being a master leading men, what did you
take from those experience from him interfere God.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Oh man, I take all of it.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I think it's one thing to be a player. It's
another thing too to be a head coach and to
be a manager, a leader, to know the game, you know,
from a different perspective. And I think in what I do,
I trust my instinct and my perspective of my point
(18:10):
of view in fashion that is uniquely mine, and that
provides the permission for me to be in my space.
And I watched him manage the game in a way
that only he uniquely could and also feeding myself from
the same source that gives you that conviction and that instinct.
And so yeah, man, I just I watched, you know,
(18:34):
because as he said, like he was either you know,
a coach in the big leagues or in the minor leagues.
And I watched him move within circles where what people
valued would be you know, what you're driving, what you got,
what you got on or whatnot. And you know, we
were always struggling to check a check family. He was
(18:55):
going to the ballpark with the same blue blazer on
every day. But there was something about him that everybody wanted,
and it was it was something you know, when the
wives are having problems, they would talk to my mom.
And there was something that my parents had that although
we didn't have what you know, the players had or
(19:16):
maybe the you know, everyone else had monetarily, we had
something else as a family. And so I've always known,
you know, what value really is, what cool really is,
you know what I mean, what it's like to be
respected and different from you know, what it's like to
someone to think that you're.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Cool, impressive, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
And I wanted to be you know what my dad
was and so you know you kind of asked about
on the field, but it was just all walks of life,
you know, just having an integrist example, and it's you know,
people ask, oh, you must have your dad was in baseball,
you must have had a good start. I'm like, no,
(19:58):
I came from.
Speaker 7 (19:59):
Love and and an understanding of who I am.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
That's what it allows me to do well in my field.
Speaker 7 (20:06):
The clarity and like who I am and what I'm
called to do, and that comes from the home that
I grew up in.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
And so that's the privilege that I come from.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Can buy it. This fashion game is it's crazy right now.
Everybody's creating.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Everybody wants to be in the fashion game, but your
son is one of the top guys. How do you
How do you feel watching your son be a leader
in the space.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
That's exciting for me. Uh, to see him be his
own It's what we trying to preach it home. You know, answer,
you be, You be the answer, don't you know, don't
don't don't worry. Don't worry about somebody taking something from
you or you having to go to someone else. You
(20:52):
run the thing. You're capable of doing that. You got
everything you need to do to do that. And uh,
it's it's really crazy what he's doing, you know, the
little one.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
I know, you know what I'm saying, dude, I know
you know crazy man, you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
I'm like, dang, look at this boy. What what's going
on there? These gonna work? Oh no, that ain't working, man,
Yeah they work they bottom So anyway, anyway, anyway, I
think the most the thing that I'm most proud of,
(21:38):
to be honest with you, is that he's recognized in culture.
That ways heavy for me. That's big for me. I've
been applauded by But what they say about you at home.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
You know what I'm saying, not only recognized, but moves it.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yes, yes, influencing it, influencing it. So that comes out
of all the things that we struggle with, or our
family struggle with on the way up. But keeping the
principles in place, trusting the principles, and that that was
the That was the key thing for our family, was
(22:18):
trusting the principles that we learn through those daily devotions
and things like that. You know, it was challenging because
that in itself sometimes.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Could take you where you.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Don't want to go.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
That doctrines that might not be you know what I'm saying.
So you have to find what the principle of the
thing is, where it's unwavering, and stay with that regardless
of what you say about it, and what you say
about it, what's the truth. And for him to come
through and and you know, go to that stream of
(22:57):
fashion and to do as well as he's doing, extremely proud,
extremely proud, and you know, he he you know what
I tell him, Hey man, just remain humble.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
I said this earlier, SA, that's just saying I said,
nobody wants you to be better than the more than
your father.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
You're right. You cheer your kids on, you play, you
play the game. When your kids playing the game, you know.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
I hate that boy, get the ball.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
You don't do whatever?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
You know, what are you doing? What are you thinking?
I watched him, I watch him with his son.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I said, you need to relax, man, what are you doing?
Speaker 6 (23:37):
How are you gonna make a shot but you'll ride?
Speaker 4 (23:42):
You need to relax. Tell the little jermy, come on, man,
let me. I got him, Jerry, I said, I got it.
He like keep playing and he can't playing.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
He can't playing.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
There as good as Jered telling him what to do
and watch what you want to show.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
We got to go to break show.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
But yeah, it's uh, it's it's it's it's rewarding.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
It's rewarding.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Like I said, the biggest thing, one of the biggest things,
honest for me, was when he went to the Malcolm
Ings thing and they honored him there. He was guy
read And I'm like, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
That that feels good to me, to me as a.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Father, Jay, what's your definition of culture?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Oh man, I haven't never really been asked. I think
culture is what is what moves people.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
It's like, you know, the common music that we listen to,
but what what we wear, what we share, we talk about,
how we talk, you know, it's that commonality amongst us.
You know what is that? And I think you know,
to me, that's culture. It's a it's a it's an
(24:58):
unspoken share experience, you know. And to your point, being
blessed to be in a position to have some type
of impact or influence on that on the thing that
influenced and shaped you is you know, it's it's it's
a very humbling experience or a very humbling place to
(25:18):
beg in, you know, to be able to just got
back from home, coming to fam you and like I
remember being there and you know, having all these aspirations
and not fitting in, and you know, to be able
to go back and a place where you were trying
to find yourself and to be celebrated and and your
(25:42):
people just being proud of you, you know, and seeing
seeing your pieces out there. And then I got, you know,
some of my frat brothers telling me how they shop
or their kids, and they so proud of me, and
you know they know me as Jerry Manuel, you know
what I mean, Like that's you know it was Jerry
Manuel Junior.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
This whole time, I was making all the ship cool,
like you come back, you go back to home, came like,
you know what, I was really the cool kid this
whole time, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
I mean I like to say that, but not. I
was still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
Man. I was mentally though, oh yeah, you had all
this stuff in your mind already.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
You know what actually came out? Yeah, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure, because I knew I
didn't know how to express it, but I knew what
cool was, and you know what I mean, And to me,
it was always had to do with number one, who
you were as a man, what you believed, and what
you stood for, in addition to how dignified are you
(26:39):
presenting yourself? How sophisticated are you presenting yourself with ease?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I watched him be the coolest dude with the same
blue blazer every every road trip.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
We've seen him.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
We already knew it here.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
It ain't what's on what's in you? Yeah, and then
if it's on you to look out, if it's you.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
You can't tell the smoking like a true light skin guilty.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
We deal with.
Speaker 5 (27:13):
Guilty past the present. What baseball players do you think
have the most swag?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
The old school of the shields, the line of the shields,
I watched the line of the shields was the first
one with the high tops. I watched him, the first
one to play socks up like Jackie. I mean watching
him used to come and hit, hitting the cages in
the backyard like I mean, the guy his swag was
just crazy. I don't know if you remember. He was winning,
(27:42):
winning the for like a slam dunk contest.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
To get athlete like my hal and all them crazy.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
The line of the Shiels is by all time we swag.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Well, I think the guy that had the most swag
was Ricky Henderson.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You need to do it. First base.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
When he hit one and yeah and then pimple round
man with the big old lav.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That was my favorite.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Up he did with his gloves and he had the
lime green gloves.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah, he was out there.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
He was out there enjoying the game.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And speak to yourself in third person. Y third person
is crazy.
Speaker 5 (28:28):
He had he had a he had a nice little
hop after his home run.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Yeah he started that. He started that, Yeah he started Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
That.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
No, that's that's considered real swag right there. Yeah, sir,
that's the greatest lead off here, no question. Yes, about
the game, no question.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
That's the greatest, greatest one.
Speaker 5 (28:47):
Who when you do you know that you were going
to be in the major league when the fashion bug hit?
Speaker 2 (28:52):
When did you know you worked when the fashion bug hit? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Man, I've been working retail part time, man, helping myself
through like Grado, you know when got my MBA and
my part time was, you know, working at Diesel. But
I had just you know, I had a knack for
like understanding what people wanted. I think, you know, when
I started the brand, there were a lot of dudes
around me that have brands, and again, like I narcissistically
(29:17):
kind of felt like, man, I got a little bit
more swagyan these cats, I should I could figure this out.
And then yeah, man, first collection hit, some pieces got
to Yay. He picked up my white T shirt and
he was just like, man, I can and at that time,
yay was yay from a fashion He's like, man, like,
I could see all the thought that went into this
(29:37):
white tea. I was like, I knew I had it.
It was just a white team I was like, I
knew this is what people wanted, you know what I mean.
And it was it was in that moment where I knew,
I knew I had the conviction and the vision for
what I wanted to say because someone that I had
looked up to, you know, saw what I saw what
(29:58):
I saw and but yeah, I just you know, and
that was my first collection, and to have somebody that
I kind of looked up to so much at the
time see that, you know, I kind of I knew,
I knew it was gonna be what was gonna be.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Like anybody else, did you battle any self doubt? Oh?
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Yeah, I still have self doubt. Yeah, Like self doubt
is something we you know, we struggle with, especially as
kind of you know, black men, when you're when you're
told your whole life that you not something you know
and not not at home but by by the world,
and so yeah, you know, deal with that a lot.
(30:37):
And maybe maybe that's why the brand didn't start till
after I was thirty, you know what I'm saying, Like,
you know, I kind of feel like ohe sometimes like
how he started rapping late, right, he just kind of
came in with a different, different game than some of
the younger guys, right, And I just feel like I
just had enough life behind me and enough understanding and
(30:58):
conviction of who I am. You know, never never desire
to be a part of a fashion click or world
or society that I knew innately didn't really want me.
So I never even had that you know, that that
that it's to be validated in that way, you know,
(31:18):
which is kind of why we you know, we did
our first fashion show at the Hollywood Bowl in La
I felt like, why does our perspective always have to
live against a backdrop that's not ours to be luxury?
Like what we do here that influences the world, it's
just as luxury here. So yeah, I mean I think
(31:38):
a lot of that just comes from again always knowing
whose I am, you know, my purpose, who I serve,
and who I am within this world. I was never
I was never unclear about that because of kind of
how I was raised. I think for your for your seventies,
that's what I told you, I said, man, you gave
(31:59):
me anything. Man, it was like I've always known who
I am. I think that's been my greatest asset.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
I Mean, people don't understand how important that is because
there's people that struggle with that identity, their hohold, like
who am I? That don't know and understand? But at
an early age, knowing that is very important makes everything
a lot clearer, not easier, but it makes it clear.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Especially today with so many people looking to the outside
world of validation.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
You know it's right there, know who it's right in
the mirror.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Fear Guard being one of the most influent, influential, and
recognizable brands of this era.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Where do you get your inspiration from today? We're being
so successful already.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
I can't look at influence er sales or numbers as
like success. I just I'm really chasing purpose, And I
think my perspective is the same from what I started.
But each year, the ten thousand hours of my craft
is getting better, and so what I'm saying is is
becoming more clear. But I'm not really saying something new.
(33:00):
I'm just being able to articulate it through clothing much
more clear than I did last collection. And so I
feel like the intention and what I'm communicating this like
effortless elegance is That's what I'm always gonna say, you know,
That's that's my nice combination like that, and so like
that's how I move.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
So that's why I wear your ship so much effort, Pops,
When did you start, obviously, this is the vision of dream.
It started coming to fruition in what twenty eleven is
when things started? When did you start wearing the stuff
and feeling comfortable in it?
Speaker 4 (33:37):
I've always worn I'm supporting it, Okay, So anything he
put out, I have a baddy look on me. Yeah,
that's my son. Yeah, So I'm not don't I don't hesitate.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
But at the same time, it's a big I mean,
you're seventy here in your seventy one, so to be
able to have like that shit is flying, you know
what I mean. So to be able to be in
something that we move around in this and then that's
kind of again something that something like almost age appropriate,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
But it's still fly.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
So it's very comfortable. I've noticed that my generation ain't
quite there.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Yet because you're the same.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You're to say that we still think we got you know,
my dad.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Like that ship.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Yeah, but they ain't quite there yet because I can
tell when I go places or have something that he
is on and they want.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
It but they scared.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
You know, come on, you can do it's.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Good for you look as cool.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
That's not always say but but yeah, so for me
it's it's all. It's good because it's comfortable. And always,
even when I was young, I always felt that if
I could take my tennis shoes anywhere, I'm good the game.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Breakout, I can play if I can do it.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
You know, just but I can still look yeah, look good.
So yeah, I h every chance, I get everything. Every
time I put it on, I think I'm represent him.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
So that's that's what I wear.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
But you saw the void that that not many brands
have been able to do. I think obviously Jordan's able
to deal with shoes. But we always used to talk
about in the league, like we want to be able
to wear something in the game and then be fly
enough to go to the you know, and you talked
about that earlier way.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
It brought me back, like.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
I want to be able to go to a game
and then go after and not like, look I came
from the game.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You feel that void.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
And obviously you're still in the midst of your greatness
and I'm sure there's much more to come, But do
you ever kind of sit back and be like, yeah,
we're definitely on the right track with this, and this is,
this is, this is I'm needed.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Oh man, I've never said I'm needed. Man, I feel like,
but you are, I'm chosen. I feel like I'm I'm
an idiot, you know. But I never feel as if
I'm needed. I feel like God to take somebody else
if I'm not going to step up, you know, I
feel like, you know, you're not You're not answering the call,
like and so I'm humbled by it, you know what
(36:07):
I mean. I'm humbled that he chose me to answer
the caller, to or get a call, and I just
I chose to answer it. And I think I'm humbled
by that. But I never I never ever think it's me.
Never think it's me. I've never I've always known it's him.
Know where my ideas come from. You can't tell me
it's me. I know I know where you know.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
And I got to dance and it's right, you know,
I know he know that it ain't him dance telling
him that. But but but the key thing to that,
to that question, is that it sometimes it feels good
to the ego, but when you feed it too much.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
It could be very dangerous.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
And that's what I try to We try to put
things in place to where it ain't about you. They
don't get too big on me. Now, come on, let's go,
let's get back to I feed on solid grounds, on truth,
on principle. We just to enjoy and enjoy the benefits
of what's going on. But let's be careful, you know,
(37:13):
be careful because it's easy to get to.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
It's easy.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
And then you walk out there and where are you at?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
What happened?
Speaker 4 (37:21):
Who am I with that type of thing? But very
proud of what he's doing and what he represents. You know,
that's that that that's that's key he represents and that's
that's that's needed.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
The right way.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
One of the hardest things, and towards the end of
my professional career was feeling like I was missing out
on so much of my kids. First, with the twins,
I was always.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
On the road.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Obviously, your job had you on the road a lot.
Your job now kind of has you travel in the world.
How do you balance fatherhood and in family time with
the demands of both of your guys' careers.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I mean, the good thing about his career is we
always had him in the off season. So we always
had Dad at home from November until spring training, and
so we had like our good like four months with
Pops like full time. And when he was home, he
was home with fashion. Man, I don't have that off season,
(38:25):
you know. And so it's it's constant. And so to
answer your question, I struggle heavily. You know, my son's
eighth grade, it'll be a freshman next year. Daughters are
twin daughters are you know, going into uh seventh grade
next year and they're playing sports.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
It's in the water out here, yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
And it's just like, man, I feel like I'm missing
a lot. And sometimes I'm like, man, if I obsessed
over my kids the way I obsessed over his pair
of sweat fants, you know how different you know what
things be. And so now I'm at that place where
I'm like, man, I got I'm spending so much time
(39:09):
obsessing over shapes and like photo shoots and campaigns and
you know, everything that we're doing, and it's just like, man,
like what if I put just a little bit more
of this at home?
Speaker 2 (39:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (39:25):
And so to answer your question, Man's it weighs on me. Man,
it's heavy, you know, because you're believe you're doing what
you're called to do. But there's nothing more important than
being a steward over your family, right, and so finding
that balance is you know, it's tough. I'm trying to
figure it out.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
What about you, pops.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
I mean, obviously they said they had that four months
with you, but obviously there's eight months a year where
you're moving around.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I had a good wife. I have a good wife year.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Congratulations. I need to sit down with you. I can't
figure that. I'm over to at the plate.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Oh yeah, that's all right, that's yeah. So that's right,
that's right. You can play for the Yankees, you can
play for.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
The Yankees anywhere.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
Yeah. That for me in my time, I had to
I had someone that believed in my dream and allowed
me to pursue it all those years and at the
same time take care of my children. So when those
four months came, I mean it was big for me.
(40:41):
I'm a pop up.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
I'm him.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
I gotta say I'm the best pop up in the world.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
I'm him.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
And so I like kids and to have grandchildren and
my kids. I told my wife when we got married,
I wanted seven. I actually I wanted.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
Oh boy, she said.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
She looked at me and said, why you ever, sister.
Speaker 4 (41:08):
You know, you know, we know you know how they
do it. But anyway, anyway, she was really the thing
that helped me get.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Through through that stretch of life, which was which was
really really, really really tough.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
I mean I'm talking.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
And I think that's a lot of things that people
don't talk about, Like we don't talk like, obviously, man,
you're the best, one of the best designser man, you're
in the major. Look like, Okay, that's great, but that's
not who It's a part of who we are.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Obviously.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Family is the most important. That's why a lot of
people like I played you know for fifteen years, but
walked away with two years left on my deal because
I just felt like, man, I'm missing too many first,
you know what I mean. And at the end it
became like a job because we were traveling so much.
You know, I'd won a championship, and I'm like, I
need to be I want to be able to take
my kids to school. I want to be able to
make their lunch. I want to be able to coach them.
(41:56):
I want to be able to just fucking hang out
with them, you know what I mean. And that's why
I initially stepped away from the g I stepped away
from the game period, was because I felt like I
was missing too much time with my kids. So it's
it's always an interesting it's funny your study. You're still
trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
It's hard.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
This is a good time for you because your kids
gonna appreciate that. They gonna appreciate that now you sacrifice.
You could have kept going and going and playing and playing,
but you you said, I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
This for you. I can't give you this, but I
can do this for you.
Speaker 4 (42:28):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Yeah, Now I told me, I mean, I can't wait
to be in your side. If I'm blessed to be
able to get to see you, know your age and
have my kids say something like that, because I did.
I left the game. Yeah, I left the game to
be their coach, to be their chaperone, to be their teacher,
to be that you know, that mentor to them. So
it was it was important to me to do that
best baseball jersey of all time.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
In your guys' opinion.
Speaker 3 (42:52):
I gotta go with the Expos just because I grew
up and you know, you were with the Exposed the
longest right at Expos, man.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
The light blue one.
Speaker 3 (43:03):
I probably go to Home Whites.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
The homes with the red, white and blue.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Yeah, and the red, white and blue hat. I just
you know, something about the Expos was just super cold
to me.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
You know, growing up twenty eighteen, you launched Fear God Essentials.
Walk me through the process of having a luxury brand
but also making the essential side of it essential essential?
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Yeah, man, you know I was approach with approach, with
an opportunity to kind of created a fusion. In the
first year, it was it was fog. It was fog,
and it felt dishonest. It felt like a water down
version of like what Fear of God was. And I
never wanted to put anything in the market that was dishonest,
and so changed the name to Essentials and really just
(43:47):
wanted to create these perfect basics that you could wear
with Fear of God, you know kind of yeah, look,
Fear of God and Essentials kind of you.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Know what I mean, like together, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (44:00):
And how how can you you know, not be full luxury?
Right because I never dressed full luxury and so that
also in itself was dishonest. You know, there's always something
that's maybe like a Nike hoodie or a Champion sweatshirt
with you know, you know, some expensive genes or something
you know, always playing. And so it also was honest
to my aesthetic. You know, how I dress. The reality
(44:23):
of that is a little bit of this, a little
bit of that. And how can I do all of
that in and of myself without having to go outside
and and it be another brand or be something else.
How was that? You know, one honest proposition from you know, athletics.
You got the whole thing. Athletics. You're a god to essentials,
(44:44):
right like the sneakers you know what.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
I mean, snakers all episode. Besides, you wear pops.
Speaker 2 (44:51):
I might have to come up.
Speaker 3 (44:54):
When I was younger.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Jy react to this tweet you made in July of
twenty twenty one. If you have essentials on Amazon, you
did not buy essential.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
I mean that's just what it is. You know, if
you bought it on Amazon, that's not essential.
Speaker 2 (45:14):
Yeah, how have you?
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Obviously this is a copycat world. It's a form of
imitation and flattery, but at the same time it's taken
away from your business.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
Impost syndrome.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
Yeah, I feel I feel like you know that, Like
it's like that other side of me, right, like that
arrogance that I have to battle, right because if you
bought it on Amazon, the reality is and that's all
you could afford. Like, I'm humbled by that, you know
what I mean. I'm humble by the fact that there's
a lot of knockoffs. It means we're doing something right, right,
(45:47):
And you know, me and my wife, you know, we
talked about my mom, but you know, at first, when
the knockoffs started happening, she just said, well, do you
not have any more ideas? I was like, of course
I got ideas, Like all right, then.
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Are you what do you what are you worried about?
Speaker 2 (46:03):
You know?
Speaker 3 (46:04):
And that just gave me even more confidence of the
well that I'm pulling from. It's like, you could be
a variation of a little bit of but you not this,
you know, And even though this may be really hard
to tell from what you're doing that looks like this,
the people I'm speaking to know, you know.
Speaker 5 (46:23):
It's still that taking my ship now, It's still that
in you right yeah, okay, yeah, okay, okay, they gotta
stay there.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
Jay, they gotta stay there.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
You know what I'm saying. That's that, that's the that's
the arrogance, that's the that's the competitive that's the growing
up playing baseball, growing up playing sports. Side that I
also have that, you know. I think I watched Ryan
Cooler talk about, you know, the fact that he played football.
That's his advantage over everybody. He knows he's gonna go harder,
you know what I mean. And for me, I'm dealing
(46:53):
in fashion and you know, nothing against anyone, but I
know how hard I'm gonna go.
Speaker 2 (46:59):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
And so that that fight, you know he could he could,
you know, at least you know, I couldn't play, But
I have some fight.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
That's half right there.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Kobe talked about that though. I mean to have that
athlete mentality, the dedication, the work ethic, all that stuff,
and be able to apply that to what you know, business,
and you were able to mean, like we talked about,
the principles you learned from sports, you can apply to
life and be just as successful, if not more successful,
in life.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
We're in an age of collaborations.
Speaker 5 (47:32):
What goes through the process of you're picking up picking
out who you're gonna collabor with.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Oh man, it's changed now. I done been through a
lot of tough collabse I think now, Man, I'm more
and more trying to again be complete in and of myself,
you know. And there's some brands that we're you know,
collabing collabing with, whether it's like you know, eyeglasses that
(47:57):
come out next year or some some uh some bags
and backpacks and things. And these are best in class
companies that allow me to extend my perspective through through
through a through a product or a category that I've
yet to to master right in they and I bring
(48:18):
a perspective to them and I help, you know, and
they allow me to play in the area that I've
yet to really be able to play in. And so
for now I'm looking for, you know, collaborations that can
just help extend, you know, the the language and the
honesty of who we are. And that's why I like,
(48:39):
you know, Baseball, the NBA, you know, NFL that's coming out.
These are natural parts of my life, you know what
I mean. And so I'm looking to, you know, extend
the honesty of what fear of God is through a know,
an honest.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
Partner legacy obviously is something that your dad's started, uh
in sports, and you've ck up and taking it to fashion.
What do you want the Lorenzo name to represent?
Speaker 3 (49:07):
Man, It's it's funny, like, you know, Lorenzo is his
dad's first name. He's Jerry Manuel. I'm Jerry Lorenzo Manuel.
My son is Jerry Lorenzo Manuel the third. I never
had an intention to have a Lorenzo legacy. I was
in I was in Hollywood throwing parties, and he was
(49:27):
managed in the White Sox, you know, probably led the
league and getting thrown out of games, but never cursed
at an umpire. You know, it's had like a different
level of integrity to the Manual name.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
You really got to saying something to get kicked out
and not be cussing. So you gotta be really saying something.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
What were you saying?
Speaker 2 (49:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (49:52):
What you talking about their mamas? And that's what I'm saying. Yeah, well,
well well well let me tell you, oh, man, I
didn't want to go here. We ain't got to if
you don't want to.
Speaker 2 (50:08):
But yet to not get kicked out.
Speaker 3 (50:11):
And let the league and getting tossed, well, a lot
of my.
Speaker 4 (50:18):
Leaving was due to h yeah, me going off, but
I had sensed a level of disrespect.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
That's where that's where you come from, first and foremost.
Speaker 4 (50:30):
You come from. Where you come from.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
You can disagree, yeah, but I respect.
Speaker 4 (50:36):
So and being minority, not well known, but I'm in
the same office, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, so
give that to me. And when you don't, that blows that.
That's where I blow off. And I don't have to
curse that you. You think I'm cursing that you, But
(50:56):
I'm on a whole different level.
Speaker 5 (50:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's that's that's a different level of
the game.
Speaker 3 (51:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
I didn't want to I don't even know if I
want to master that.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
That's sary.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Like I said, I enjoy getting my I can cuss
no out referees. I don't get fined twenty five hundred.
I used to get fined twenty five hundred for it.
So now when I cuss reps out, it's just right.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
It's free.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
And I was arguing to call too.
Speaker 2 (51:19):
Yeah yeah, but but the spirit of like how you
talking to me?
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Yeah, come on now, yeah now.
Speaker 3 (51:26):
You now you know, you know it was it was unfortunate,
But I say that to say the manual name, how
to how to set the bar, set a bar. And
so when I was throwing parties in Hollywood with Hennessy
bottles in my hand, I knew I couldn't use my
(51:48):
last name.
Speaker 1 (51:50):
Because of what it came.
Speaker 3 (51:51):
That's because of what it meant. I knew it meant.
I couldn't have somebody looking up Jerry Manuel and it's
me and the club turned and he's you know, you
know what I mean. So I mean, he'll tell you.
I mean, that's that's that's honest. So I would like
(52:13):
the legacy to be manual. And it's funny. I went
back to fam you know, uh, graduated in two thousand,
saw some of my frat brothers and some of my
baseball players, and they was all just, you know, Jerry Manuel.
You know what I'm saying, Like they knew me when
it was Jerry Manuel. You know, it wasn't with how
the world sees and something about that. Man just felt, Man,
(52:37):
your brothers know me for me, you know. And so
at some point, man, I hope this legacy becomes comes
back to Manuel, comes back to you know, Lorenzo Manuel,
his father and mom's parents, and you know, it's our
family legacy. It's you know, it's Manuel.
Speaker 2 (52:56):
Have you guys ever done an interview together?
Speaker 3 (52:58):
This is our first time.
Speaker 1 (53:02):
Because the way you guys sit and look at each
other when the other one is speaking, it's so dope.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (53:10):
Anything you're working on that we could you could talk
about that we should be on the lookout for.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
Well, we just launched Women's in Paris and that that
will release and in January I was, I was exciting,
and then you know, we just spoke a little bit
on the NFL that's coming towards the end of the year,
you know, through Essentials, and we have a lot of
other collaborations coming next year. I don't think I can
speak on them just yet. But you know, like I said, man,
(53:36):
it's it's fashion. It's always something coming. Man, it's all
set today shooting, you know.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
So I'm gonna put you on the spot right here.
We need to be the first podcast. But let me
tell you.
Speaker 8 (53:48):
This is why that got us here, man, This is
why this is why we winning, bro, because I was thinking,
it's the whole show, my brother.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
We need to talk, man, we need to We need
to be the first all the Smoke sponsored by in
collaboration with Really Easy. Come on, man, were already freshest.
It makes sense and we whip as if needed. So
it's just it is what it is.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
But I love it.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
Quick hitters.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
First thing to come to mind. Let us know, Pops.
I'll start with you. Greatest MLB baseball player of all.
Speaker 4 (54:29):
Time, Willie May.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
You're going with his guy son? Who you got?
Speaker 3 (54:35):
I'm going Barry Yeah, nice, I'm going Barry Bonds. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (54:41):
Yeah, best trash talker in Major League Baseball history, I say,
Dave Parker. Dave, he was a big boy too. Dave
Parker was a big boy.
Speaker 4 (54:51):
He's turned brown. I'll be wearing my third crown.
Speaker 1 (55:01):
Talk back there was more like players ship. It was
like yeah, it wasn't really like it was like, yeah,
it was on some stuff like that. Yes, he said,
when the leaves turned round, I'll be winning another batting
crowd crowns, childhood crush.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
Oh man, what's her name from?
Speaker 4 (55:19):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (55:20):
Purple rain Vanity? Oh my god, that's the coldest, the
coldest of all time. Her and Lisa Bonnay Cosby show.
Speaker 2 (55:38):
Okay, Pops, toughest toughest picture you ever faced.
Speaker 3 (55:42):
He faced a lot. All of them are tough.
Speaker 4 (55:45):
Yeah, yeah, right right.
Speaker 2 (55:51):
The people to be your old people.
Speaker 4 (55:54):
Your name one that you hit.
Speaker 1 (56:01):
Bob Gibson, my solns be talking so much other people
with my son, I'll smack the ship.
Speaker 4 (56:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
One album this for both, the one album you guys
can listen to on repeat together or no, just you
Your at Aliens is.
Speaker 4 (56:17):
My favorite Aliens anything by Curtis Mayfield.
Speaker 1 (56:20):
Curtis Mayfield, Yes, yes, you guys can rank these individually
or together. M J Kobe Bron.
Speaker 3 (56:28):
It's how you said it, m J. Kobe Bron's I mean,
and I got you know, maybe maybe somebody else the number.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
Three, But who you got three?
Speaker 3 (56:34):
I gotta go Curry Steph and then and then and
then I go magic and then I go Bron.
Speaker 1 (56:42):
Yeah, yeah, okay, that what about you?
Speaker 2 (56:46):
I leave it like it is, that's right, that's right.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 3 (56:50):
Don't fix I could go back and get Oscar.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
Yeah yeah, you know, but hey, timple double King, I
don't know if Oscar wanting problems with them three.
Speaker 4 (56:59):
Though, right, right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 5 (57:05):
If you can see one guests on our show, who
would it be, but but you have to help us
get your answer on the show.
Speaker 3 (57:10):
I'd like to see Obama.
Speaker 2 (57:12):
Oh that's.
Speaker 1 (57:14):
So, that'll that'll come true, Pops.
Speaker 5 (57:16):
Somebody from your era, you know that, somebody from baseball
that you would like to see, you know, kind of
kind of blend in with the younger generation that's still
you know, with valid and sports right now, especially baseball side.
Speaker 4 (57:27):
Well, you know what would be interesting for this show
would be to listen to Bob Kendricks the Negro League Museum.
Speaker 2 (57:37):
Okay, Bob Kendricks, yes, yes, write that down.
Speaker 4 (57:40):
His storytelling and what if you've ever been to Kansas
City and go to the Negro League Museum.
Speaker 3 (57:46):
It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (57:48):
It's it's amazing for him to speak on that helps us, Yes,
move forward.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
We got a chance to play what feel that played
at oh Rickfield? Rickfield? Yeah? We got playing Rickfield?
Speaker 4 (58:02):
Oh he did?
Speaker 2 (58:03):
Yeah, we played I Want MVP. He won VP. Yeah
you know you know softball Yeah yeah, okay, yeah, that game.
Speaker 4 (58:12):
That was in Birmingham. In Birmingham was.
Speaker 1 (58:15):
With uh we want in the game though, yeah, because
they played the game there after us.
Speaker 4 (58:20):
We also game I meant Lewis.
Speaker 2 (58:24):
Reggie jack Jackson.
Speaker 3 (58:25):
Okay, yeah, yeah, they.
Speaker 2 (58:27):
Got to let it out, let it all out.
Speaker 3 (58:29):
It is rick Wood, rick Wood, rick Wood, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:34):
We'll play there. Our youth group will go there and
play in front of scouts.
Speaker 3 (58:38):
Forty four.
Speaker 4 (58:39):
We have a thing called forty four which in reference
to Hank Aaron and we play a game at the
end of our seminars that we have and we played
in Rickwood forty four Black Kids, twenty two on each team, prospects, prospects.
Speaker 1 (58:57):
We're jumping into the MLB space starting next season heavily.
So if there's anything we could do to help get
information out, help help be a part of anything you
guys have gone in the growth of obviously just getting
back in the game, please please let us know.
Speaker 4 (59:10):
I will will, I think I think we start with
if you can start with with Bob Kendricks, that would.
Speaker 3 (59:15):
That would be huge.
Speaker 2 (59:16):
Coch that would be huge.
Speaker 4 (59:17):
And then you know, the players you've had on here
have been been outstanding. I mean c C is legendary,
those those of us.
Speaker 2 (59:30):
We got one coming and dropping you.
Speaker 1 (59:31):
To yeah really.
Speaker 3 (59:37):
Good luck he's coming and.
Speaker 5 (59:47):
Yeah coming, oh man, deal we got one coming from
all right?
Speaker 1 (59:53):
Sure, what happened when he just kind of yeah, but
he's coming back. He's almost our color now again.
Speaker 4 (59:59):
So even have the steroid guys not being in the
Hall of Fame, I think they should be in there.
I mean, what Barry Bones there was, he ain't in
the Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame, all the fame. Yeah,
the best player of that of all time. And it
doesn't mean that those that are in there weren't doing.
Speaker 5 (01:00:16):
Nothing and that like everybody, just come on, everybody didn't
do it, but majority of everybody.
Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
Second, guys didn't get actually caught.
Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
That's it, that's right.
Speaker 3 (01:00:27):
But also it was the last guy on the roster
that shouldn't have made the big league team that also
was juicing, you know what I mean, people that didn't
even have an impact.
Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
It was so I don't want to say his name,
but there was a lefty that played for the Orioles
and all of a sudden, one season he had fifty
two home runs and yeah, okay, buddy.
Speaker 4 (01:00:50):
Yeah that's think I think. So that's my opinion. Yeah,
that's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (01:00:55):
Man. That's a wrap.
Speaker 3 (01:00:56):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Thank you guys for your time. We finally got this
continued success and and everything you guys do. We're huge fans.
We're here for the support and man again, thank you
guys for your Jerry Manuel Junior and Senior. You catch
this on the draft keys never getting all this productions,
all the smoke productions.
Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
You two.
Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
See you guys next week.
Speaker 5 (01:01:16):
M mm hmmm, mm hmmm
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Stephen Jackson
Matt Barnes
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