Sammy Sosa on Sharing Chicago with Michael Jordan & Ryan Howard Relives The Phillies Glory Days

Our two guests today impacted the game of baseball with their hitting prowess in different ways. Sammy Sosa brought baseball back to life with his charisma and home run magic, while Ryan Howard embodied the modern power hitter, leading a new generation of sluggers who could change the game with one swing.

Sosa opens up about his journey from the Dominican Republic to becoming one of the faces of baseball in the 90s, competing with Mark McGwire, what it was like sharing Chicago with Michael Jordan, and the truth behind his iconic home run hop. He also reflects on his legacy, the toughest pitchers he faced, and his thoughts on today’s MLB.

Howard joins the show to talk about his rise from the minors to becoming an MVP and World Series champion, the brotherhood with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, the heartbreak of his 2011 Achilles injury, and how he’s carrying the game forward through media and mentorship. Two of the most feared hitters of their eras. Two stories that shaped modern baseball.

This is Sammy Sosa and Ryan Howard on ALL THE SMOKE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back, Pump Galla twenty twenty five. It has been
a great day, Jack. We got a dugout edition. Yes,
back to baseball. Super excited. Seven time All Star, n
L MVP, six times Silver Slugger, two time home run Champ,
RBI Champ.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Sammy Man, welcome to the show Man.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
We get get great.

Speaker 4 (00:22):
Jeff, I might ask that was me?

Speaker 3 (00:24):
That was you?

Speaker 5 (00:26):
Yeah, I love it sounds so pretty.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
You know, I think it's athletes. We never really because
we're in the moment so much, do we never really
when you kind of sit back and think about, like, damn,
I was a bad motherfucker. You think that now that
you're done?

Speaker 5 (00:39):
Yes, now now I do, because I mean, like you say,
when we're in the field, were just focusing. Yeah, do
some damage, get it done.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Recently reunited with the Cubs, breaking over a twenty year drought.
Do you mind sharing what the riff was and how
is it, you know, being back on good terms with them?

Speaker 4 (00:59):
Well?

Speaker 5 (00:59):
Time for me, I believe in the Lord once again.
Time It was perfect for me. Those twenty years that
I was out from Chicago. I was traveled around the world,
and you know, when you up there. Sometimes you do
things that you're not expecting to be the way you
want it to be. People sometimes got confused, and also

(01:24):
the ego that we cared ourselves sometimes go over the
hump and probably make you be intouchable. Then that was
my problem. But in that period of the time, I
connected with the Lord, and through that the Lord made
sure or he already did, to put my feet in

(01:45):
the ground. Thing that I see in the past like negative,
I was fighting for what was returning whatever it is
not anymore. I just let it go because I have
peas in my heart. So twenty one to go with
twenty twenty one year out of Chicago pretty much was
a long time, especially you know all the team that

(02:09):
I did in the country. I mean, they see I'm
sorry and combat what's incredible, unbelievable, right, couldn't imagine time
heal the wound exactly, beautiful thing.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Born in San Pedro say that for me?

Speaker 5 (02:22):
Therechy democraty, yes, don't San Pedro democaty.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Dominican Republican.

Speaker 6 (02:29):
I got infamation infamously known as the cradle shortstops. How
was it coming up from coming up and growing up there?

Speaker 4 (02:35):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (02:36):
I mean and Mike come through, Mike, Tom, you got
two things sugar king and baseball players care. Yeah, yeah,
one another exactly. So, uh, the thing for us is,
you know, I got to be basill players to be
my family for the life.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (02:52):
We were just talking about that with Dall Strawberry. How
baseball there is way more serious because it's it's exactly
what you said is either stay here, I'll play baseball
and get your family out.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Is it still like that today? And was that your
mentality growing up?

Speaker 5 (03:06):
It's still like that today. I remember, you know, and
you know, my dad died when I was seven years old.
And also I see my mom you a struggle and
the only thing that I have, you know, baseball. I
never I never liked basebort to tell you the truth,
I was faxing for two years. Yeah, and then my
brother tell my mom that I, yes, I was. I

(03:27):
was backing and I had to quick. And then my
brother took me to his friend and have a lettle
league and put me in left field and I shreamed Gray.
I stream couple of times and I missed when I
have my first contact. His friends said we had a chance,
we had a chance.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
I was fourteen, started fourteen too.

Speaker 5 (03:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (03:50):
Interesting, Give us some other names of baseball players that
come from.

Speaker 5 (03:55):
Your area all the time walking on do har Pedro, Garetro,
George Bell, Raughing, Ramiro me uh, Canon, I mean Ricoccardi.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (04:09):
Our further griefing, I mean, if you're continue I'm not
going to finish the night.

Speaker 6 (04:14):
Too many talk about your training. You took training series.
They trained with bottle caps that we see on social media. Now,
is it something crazy you did to get your bat?

Speaker 5 (04:23):
And it was well, bottom coups is one thing, but
also what we did was spectacular in the little corner
that you eat, you know, we just let him dry
and also we just demancl it and then you pick
each one of them in pitch.

Speaker 6 (04:37):
Yeah the oh yeah, the com say they picked them
things op to each other.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
That's crazy, that's crazy.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (04:49):
And that's how I mean. We tried everything because the
situation that he was in the country, especially in my family,
you know what.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
I mean, didn't have balls, and yeah.

Speaker 5 (04:57):
Anything, I mean my glow was milk to him, so
I don't have original glow playing the street with my friends.
But you know, other than that, you know, it's nothing
that I can say, you know there was there for us.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Like, now, when did you feel like, at what age
did you feel like I have a chance to play
baseball at the next level?

Speaker 5 (05:14):
Well, when I was fourteen. When I'm fourteen, I started
playing because my brother you know, helped me out because
he was the one to play in the in the house.
And two years later I got signed. I feel that
feeling two years later, lab it's insane.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
What was that like?

Speaker 1 (05:31):
Obviously coming you just said, you know, didn't have much
watch your mom struggle, lost your dad at an early age,
you pick up a sport and two years later you
signed to a professional baseball team, Like, what was that experience?

Speaker 5 (05:40):
What's good? But you know, the thing is that when
I signed, I signed to feel that if affiliate to
one of the scouts Sello, he owned the Winner Bowl
over there. But the problem is that I signed with it,
and also he got a problem with that. You know,
we feel like that if you and and feel like
if you reject all of us, you know, here we

(06:00):
go again. We go back to the free market through
the preeiency and then the same year I signed with
a Texas Ranger o Maaminaya.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Okay, yeah, who are some of your idols that you
looked up to growing up, since I mean you started late.
Was there anyone once you started playing that you looked up.

Speaker 5 (06:16):
To, well, you know, because we have our idol was
already established. Was George Bell, you know what I mean,
he was the theme and do hard twenty game. He was,
you know, the big thing. And also we see those
those I mean those players like that, but also they
show all that that whatever they made, they came back
to the town to help the family and helped the family,

(06:37):
and all of them do the same things. So pretty
much it's like a routine for us.

Speaker 6 (06:41):
Yeah, it's a lot of players too, Like y'all have
leagues growing up, and there's some guys that probably should
have made the major leagues in your home country that
never didn't. They talk about like somebody things like that,
like you always have some stars that never made it.

Speaker 5 (06:54):
Well, I mean we have a lot of people left out.
I mean, no question about it, because I mean not
Eve rather going to make it, especially to there. You know,
they give you signing one for five million in some
of those kids they never made it, but already you know,
already have five metre.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
So they're good don't care.

Speaker 5 (07:08):
No, that's right, right.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
So from the Dominican Republic to Texas, was that your
first time coming to America?

Speaker 3 (07:15):
What was that like?

Speaker 5 (07:15):
Well, it's this funny thing. I came out in nineteen
eighty six. That was my first year I came here.
I signed eighty six. I came in and I remember
came here to Plant City in Florida, and I went
there to spin training. We got everything spin table. Everything
was okay. But also, you know, never speak England, never
did anything like that, so everybody talk about me, donad

(07:38):
stuff like that. So like seeing me down it was
a big thing for us. So when I went to
the heard about me exactly. So I want to do
I don't know how to speak England and the lady
say can I help? I say, chicken.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
That's funny because when I went, when I told you,
when I went to Dominican Republic, I couldn't speak speaking Spanish.

Speaker 6 (08:01):
I'm pointing, stuffy, chicken.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
Did you have any rookie duties when you got up
and finally made it to the top.

Speaker 5 (08:14):
Well throughout minor league a couple of times, I mean
the Great Minor League. But you know, my first thing was,
you know, make it to the major league. Nineteen eighty nine,
I got called by Texas Rangers. And then after that,
you know, my first home home run was again Roger Clemen.
You know person, Yes, yes, when I say you know,

(08:36):
when I hit a home run in Boston, I run
the basically running because he stopped looking at me.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
Jesus.

Speaker 5 (08:41):
I touched home. And then you know, you know me,
I went to the dog guy. I said, Toby, if
you hate the home run to this big time big stuff,
be careful the rest of them, because yeah, I got
the big fishing.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
I got the big fish.

Speaker 1 (08:54):
You debuted with the Rangers, but then traded to the
White Sox in the same year. I spent three years
there before were getting traded to the Cubs. Like, when
did you understand that this was a business and how
was that movement for you?

Speaker 5 (09:06):
Well, for me at the beginning, I don't understand pretty
much about how it works, how it worked. But also
one thing that I said to myself, I can play.
I have ability to do damage. And I played too
to like that. I mean, two years with the Chicago
White Sox and all of a suddenly I had to
say that I have one guy. I called him in
my guarded angel, which is Larry Hines. He's always he

(09:28):
trained me from the Texas Render to Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
Cup so putting, he's seeing me something that the rest
of us haven't seen it. So and also he was
right turned right.

Speaker 6 (09:40):
The nineties was wild time in baseball history. Tell us
about what the locker room environments was like during that
time in baseball.

Speaker 5 (09:46):
Oh my goodness, I mean I made it. I mean
the locker room was about about that side you know now,
you know, not that big, but you know now the
days like this is what.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
Man beer and cigarettes to the locker room all that.

Speaker 5 (09:59):
Well, I see, I don't know about that. But also
everything else I mean today, like for example, when we're
going to have an interview with the major leader. Back then,
all the reporter was in the cloud.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
Not anymore.

Speaker 5 (10:10):
They have a separate area. You know, if you don't
want to stuck to the reporter, you say no, no,
I don't want to talk to them. So they just
around your locker get away from can't get away exactly.
But today it's different, big, big, big difference.

Speaker 6 (10:23):
So let's go into your mind of you had the plate,
what you're thinking like soon as you're getting to play.

Speaker 3 (10:29):
What do you think? So as you get in that box,
what you're thinking.

Speaker 5 (10:31):
Well, I mean, my preparation was different. I was there
for one reason and one song only. I was there.
I don't want to be a mediocay player. I worked
double our card exactly and normally I was hungry because
this I mean to day and age when the Superstars
signed the contract, first couple of years when he had

(10:52):
the contract, he hopfully he do everything right to get
the contract, and soon he had the contract and then
you know, layor not me. I don't want people called
me and say, hey, you know you got paid in
doing you don't do. I had those let's say, I
had that empty inside of me, you know what I mean.
And everything that I did was hard. I mean I
was the first one to get to the I mean

(11:13):
to the cage. I was the first one to go
out there and do my things I really like and
never give up any of our bats.

Speaker 3 (11:19):
Today.

Speaker 5 (11:19):
You know, I see player strike out, they don't care
no me if you strike me out, coming back next time.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (11:29):
We talk about this and in all different sports about
having veterans, and we call them o gs when we
come into the game and give us game and to
help us filter through and learn how to be a
profession You have any ogs when you came in.

Speaker 5 (11:41):
I have a lot of them. I mean especially you
know Andrew Dawson was there. Man shone down right and
they passed away. Yeah, you know, I have Mark Gray
and I have you know, the whole thing going there
and helped me out sometimes when I you know, when
I'm doing that.

Speaker 3 (11:57):
You know.

Speaker 5 (11:57):
Also Billy Willer was there, Fergie Jiskins. So a lot
of a lot of veteran and I'm more way looking for,
you know, for our vice because they played many years.
You gotta you know, get you know, picking more than
our brain. Make sure that you do the right thing.
So pretty much it worked for me.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
My sophomore, junior, and senior year of high school. Was
your incredible late ninety runs against Mark McGuire for the
home run titles, particularly nineteen ninety eight. You hit twenty
home runs of the month of June, which is still
an MLB record. You finished the season with sixty six
and he finished with seventy. What was that battle like?

(12:36):
In competitive By the.

Speaker 5 (12:37):
Way, I hit twenty seven fouls, seventh foulds, seventy two
beat it.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
But what were those battles? I mean, I remember you guys.
To me, it was to me one of the most
exciting times in baseball. It was must watch TV every
time you guys played. You guys battles against each other
and kind of messed around when you guys are both
hit the home run. What was that time like for you?

Speaker 5 (13:01):
Well, for me, it was like you know, you know,
everybody always you know, dreaming big, but I mean for
me coming from Dominican Republic to this country and they
see Mark he was the man and normally myself competing
against it, and it was incredible. I had an awesome time.

Speaker 4 (13:22):
I was.

Speaker 5 (13:22):
I was happy. I enjoy every minute. I make a
lot of people happy. We shock the word by the
way you know me that year and also a lot
of people appreciate it because the situation that we had
with a strike and baseball other stuff, you know that.
I mean, not that many people normally going to the
ball party and we bring all those people and uh
and a man, I was that was great. One thing

(13:44):
that I like is not like we never hate each
other like people make Yeah, we're not just competitive competitive exactly.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
What was like life like off the field during that
time for you.

Speaker 5 (13:54):
Oh, man, man, I felt like every pressley go outside
and five people around that I got me. I can't
even go to to the you know, through the through
the hotel. I got ponded. People went for I got
to go on the back. I mean, all all the
all those service I'm I'm but I enjoyed it, you know.
I mean I'm always available to taking care of those

(14:16):
people autographing it.

Speaker 1 (14:18):
You know, you were in Chicago at the same time
as m J. You guys get a chance to know
each other. Did you go in any games? Did he
come watch any of your games?

Speaker 5 (14:25):
Yes, I mean I remember that, you know, me going going,
you know, make the world crazy. I mean I bring
a lot of people to the I mean to this
and he went there also. And J was something incredible.
We share you know city. You know, he was the man.

Speaker 3 (14:41):
I was the.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Person shared city, right.

Speaker 5 (14:47):
Yeah, but what's great man? I mean, and J was
you know, the time that was playing together was awesome.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
I thought on when he tried to cross over and
play baseball.

Speaker 5 (14:56):
Well, I give him a couple of eyes. I mean,
normally the transition that you had to make, you know,
it's hard. I mean, and I plugged to him because
I mean he went up there and tried for a
year or two and he pretty not bad, you know
what I mean, coming, you know, coming to be the
superstart to play baseball again. It's like a wolf kind
of hard.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
Another slugger home run hitter during your era was Barry
Bonds battling against him? Uh, you know another five tool guy.
What were those battles liking? Did you guys have any
personal relationship?

Speaker 5 (15:26):
Yeah, you know, we talk in and out ever until
we saw each other. Always sea show them any times
they spin training, because you know, we have a spin
training in Arizona. But also very well, was something else?

Speaker 1 (15:38):
I mean the guy something else?

Speaker 5 (15:41):
I mean I considered myself pretty good hitter, but he
was in top. I mean I chased so many bad pitches,
but he never chased any bad pitches. He wait for
his own pitching. And when when he has his pitch,
he never missed.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
What was your one pitch you knew you couldn't lay
off of, but you still swung at that ship all.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
The slide and breaking piece outside. I remember I remember
a man I remember parking on so say one day
that I can never hear breaking pe, not even with
a guitar exactly, and I'm making my judgement and then
when it's not, you know, when the same breaking said
I needed to write for you can say I made
a mistake. You can hear now that's right.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
That's the real thing going opposite field, You Bons Maguire,
players we grew up watching that were so instrumental and
bringing baseball back to life aren't necessarily recognized and respected
how you guys should be. How does that make you
feel when you look back on everything you've accomplished.

Speaker 5 (16:34):
Oh, it's a blessed I mean not not even we
made it to the top, but we never forget where
you're coming from. And that's and that is, you know,
and that's what makes me more grateful. Thanks to the Lord,
they gave me the opportunity ability to do them, especially
Mark Bury myself. I mean we we you know, we
need something, Like I said, we shut the water in

(16:55):
the high level com.

Speaker 1 (16:57):
Must watch TV consistently. You're signature home run hot when
you get out of the box, up the first baseline,
where'd that come from?

Speaker 3 (17:05):
Swag?

Speaker 5 (17:05):
Yeah that's right baseball, that's right. You know, listen, I
was doing so many things for my mom. You know,
first one I hated her to touch my you know,
my helmet for my money, and I said, I had
to find something that she feels great. And also for
some reason, one day I was watching under Galla Raga.
He did it perfectly. Big, yeah, big, And I'm telling you,

(17:28):
every time I do that job, everybody know the anxiety.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
Yeah, there you go. I love that. Two thousand and
three Steve Bartman gang walk us through what happened on
that left field line.

Speaker 5 (17:39):
Man we should do. I mean, we had we have bopen,
we had everything down, and we had everything. I mean,
I mean, for some reason we call him Dejabu. I
don't believe in that, but Djabu, I guess you know
in two thousand and three, I think moist. But I
mean he put the hand in. I mean, the poor guy.

(18:00):
You know, he's out of the contown. Maybe he's in
cool way right now. I don't know. His life never
been it's like, never been the same. But also, you know,
we could have come back. But I mean in baseball,
you cannot give a chance to the opponent.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
When any sport one a quick era.

Speaker 5 (18:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
What are your thoughts on the current state of Major
League baseball a lot of major changes, like speeding up
the game for the fans analytics. As someone who came
in kind of an old school era, what are your
thoughts on what the new improvements they try to make
to the game.

Speaker 5 (18:28):
Well, it's a different era when we play. We don't
how you know that, you know social media today today
it's about it's about timing, and I think the adjustment
that they makes at the right time because they pay
enough money for them to do that. I mean one second,
two second, probably not going to affect those players. But
also they have to do some change it because I mean, uh,

(18:50):
that's why they you know, reclaimed. But I don't. I
don't want to bout the time when I'm there. I don't.
I don't care about you change the time. Don't know.
I'm looking at focused exactly.

Speaker 6 (19:03):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
Some other legendary outfielders, uh during your era that we
wanted to touch on, first of all, King Griff r
Oh the kid.

Speaker 5 (19:12):
Yeah, it's also the sweet sweet Oh, my goodness, sweet.
I mean, great guy.

Speaker 3 (19:19):
I love it.

Speaker 5 (19:20):
I love it, great guy. I mean the way Also
he came onder it also he was he was incredible
cash feel hitting man. I asked him. I mean, how
do you do it? He's like, right there, sweet sweet
swinging left field right for I mean he was, he
was amazing. Tony Gwynn, Oh my goodness, the Emperor, I

(19:41):
guaranteed to get a hit. My god, my guy, he's
just like wow. I mean, it's the crazy. I have
an opportunity also to pick his brain.

Speaker 3 (19:49):
You know.

Speaker 5 (19:49):
He was one of the guys that hard. I mean,
I mean the work hard every day. Even he goes
three for four the night before the next day, he's
in the case. Make sure that he continues. Man Ramirez,
I meeting the captain. He's good, He's goot me. He's uh,
you know what I like about money. You know, he's required,
he's away when he goes to that. He set him

(20:11):
up pictures. He set him up pictures. So I mean
everything he throw these pictures he never meets. But he
was one of the great right handed hereter that I that.

Speaker 4 (20:18):
I see.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
What do you think about these young up and coming
or not necessarily young, but just younger Japanese players having
such a big impact on Major League Baseball these days?

Speaker 5 (20:28):
Remember they're a Japanese but they can play, yes, and
that's and that's the tool that you know, let's say
this Kyle or the you know, they're major League looking
for especially I mean he said Joe old Tany. I
mean this guy is he's come for another world, you
know what I mean. And also if you have talent,
doesn't matter if you're Japanese or they find you.

Speaker 6 (20:47):
But if you a baseball fan, you know that they
are always in the runnings for the goal in baseball
every year.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Bro, the team is good every year.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
Yeah, he's good.

Speaker 6 (20:56):
So that's why they have so many players coming over
now because they can actually play the game.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, lockdown, Yeah, yeah, he saw mister baseball. Was that
Tom Selleck former teammates of yours, tell us a little
bit about him.

Speaker 5 (21:14):
Carlos Brano, Oh, Man Brano. He was, I mean he
was Incrediblebrano. I mean he can teach, but he can hear.
And I like every time he was in the mill
because I mean he always asked me, you want me
to knock somebody down? Yeah, because he was hard. Yeah,
he's incredible. Nolan Ryan, No, Ryan, that was another guy

(21:36):
that was He was the old school and I remember
hit home brown against him and I think it was
speech train at the next piech. It was brush you back. Yeah,
I was afraid. I was afraid.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (21:55):
Greg Maddox the guy that changed that guy, I mean
it was he was. He was some great email also,
you know he was you know, he was one of
those guys that also made me chase some pitches. But
when I learned my strikes on and they stayed back
with a bowl. I remember he threw me a change
over there in Atlanta and I hit a home run, right, like.

Speaker 4 (22:12):
What's going on?

Speaker 1 (22:14):
I heard he was a prankster too, off the off
the field in the clubhouse. I heard he used to
pull a bunch of Oh man, he's pulling on you.

Speaker 5 (22:23):
Ship here. I was the favorite because you know, I was,
you know, I was the man that they making with
some games. Yeah, bull up here. Frank Thomas incredible. I
mean this guy, I mean we played together. I played
together a few years with them over there. He just
not to the first day that he came out. He
just did not throw the power and this up six seven,

(22:45):
I mean something pretty good here.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
Carrie would and Mark Pryor tough one.

Speaker 5 (22:50):
Too, Yeah, tough one too. That both was great, but
I think carry Wood was a little bit more on it.
He was more gamer. Think with Mark gret I mean
prior we probably was awesome too, but you know you
can see the difference. So carry, would you know, I'll
take carry?

Speaker 1 (23:06):
Would Sean Dunstan?

Speaker 5 (23:08):
Oh, my boy, my boy selling he's he's unbelievable, pretty good.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
What is some of the biggest unwritten rules in baseball?

Speaker 4 (23:20):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (23:20):
In your opinion, something that people may not know? What's
an unwritten rule in baseball that people may not know?

Speaker 5 (23:26):
Well, I have to say, well, you got me that one.
I mean I don't know. It's something that we do with.
Look how to keep a secret.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
I guess underwrap don't.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
Strike out?

Speaker 6 (23:39):
No, don't hit a ground ball and said double playing
with two hours, one one out we got.

Speaker 5 (23:48):
Yeah, that's right, I don't do that. You don't do
that exactly.

Speaker 1 (23:50):
That plays the MLB of the show. And he's over
here talking like, I know you do.

Speaker 5 (24:01):
I mean you don't want to do that. I mean,
I mean, man on Thurday, I mean, that's your money
right there. You don't no, no, no, you got to
bring that guy in.

Speaker 1 (24:08):
When you sit back and look all of you accomplished,
Like what do you what do you think made it
out of the American Republic great baseball player. When you
kind of sit back and reflect, like, what are you
most proud of?

Speaker 5 (24:19):
I'm more proud of that. Every time I walk in
the street, people came through me and say you was
a good player. You are You're a great man because
of me. I don't want to be a great player
and then people hate me. Yeah, I don't want to
do that. And normally I'm a likable guy. You know,
I make people laugh and this see my gift that
God give it to me and I will continue to

(24:39):
spread it through the world.

Speaker 6 (24:41):
The best gift athlete, and I mean the best complement
the athlete can get is like, you're a great player,
but you a better.

Speaker 5 (24:46):
Human being exactly.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
That's one of the best compliments.

Speaker 1 (24:49):
What was your favorite season in your career?

Speaker 5 (24:52):
Well, ye, yeah, which that was? You know, that was
the year. That was the year they got me into
the through the White House. I mean yeah with a
bit of me, mister Bill Clinton. That was the year
they got me to the Hero or the Canyo over
the New York That was the year that Sammy really
really you know, yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:13):
I remember I was in high school. We'll cut cut school,
go take bond with and want you go to work.

Speaker 5 (25:18):
Yeah in New York right now, and New York people
was watching the taxi, the people taxing New York. They
put the number in the car and have to follow.
Yeah that's awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
Uh is making the Hall of Fame something that's important
to you?

Speaker 5 (25:36):
Uh, it's important for every player. I think, you know,
looking forward, maybe one day you know things changed. I
can been changing recently, and you know myself Barry Bone
mar maguire claiming can make it there.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
I deserve it for sure.

Speaker 1 (25:54):
Smartest picture you've ever faced, smartest, slash, toughest, smart, great minded. Okay,
I said that, David Justin he said that, or Gary
Sheffield who else? Or someone else said it too? With
a justice here?

Speaker 6 (26:10):
Best uh, worst ballpark you ever played in in in
the Major leagues.

Speaker 5 (26:14):
Worst ballpark the old San Francisco, Yes, right in the water,
yes yeah.

Speaker 4 (26:21):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (26:22):
Craziest clubhouse story that you could share with us. You've
seen a lot of ships, Sam, give me something.

Speaker 5 (26:29):
It's coming on hand, give me something.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Come on now, you've seen a lot.

Speaker 5 (26:34):
Of ship Well, I remember in Texas, me and full
of Franco. I get to mention hulo Frank they got
this bad and I tried wrestling with them and they
got me like that, and they came up with all
the shade older store and toy to me. I remember
how my Gary call that.

Speaker 1 (26:54):
Jerry Carrol Carol love question, where's your Jerry curl?

Speaker 5 (27:00):
Wet or dry?

Speaker 1 (27:01):
That ship dripped or.

Speaker 5 (27:02):
Just high a lunger, buddy, Yeah, it was long. I
was creeping.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
He used to shake that ship, that's right.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
I didn't notice.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
He used to jump out the bars ship, used to
flip the ship in the home up the box, flipping
on him if he was in the game, and the
bitch is cleared.

Speaker 3 (27:31):
Name three players that you would want to fight with
you who's.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
On your side but was in my side?

Speaker 5 (27:35):
I have some brano color brano was there to uh player?

Speaker 3 (27:40):
I have?

Speaker 5 (27:42):
Let me see you, EDDI yeld it? What's a crazy
guy yelling? Yeah, yelling at uh in Chicago?

Speaker 4 (27:50):
And uh?

Speaker 3 (27:50):
Well? What else? What else? I have a well?

Speaker 5 (27:53):
Maybe Frank Thoma, Oh Frank Tom, Yeah, Frank, I'm looking
to build my walk hurt.

Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yeah, I'm gonna behind you, behind you, that's right. Who
is the greatest player of all time in baseball history?

Speaker 5 (28:11):
In your opinion from my era? Or from this period
period period, Well, I had some few. I have to
say that bay Rue and I have to say ah
and and yeah, and also Roberto Clemente vertical.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
Of course, what are you up to post retirement?

Speaker 6 (28:33):
Any business ventures, anything that you want to tell people
so we can get that you get their support.

Speaker 5 (28:38):
Yes, are you? I you have some few business some
few a you know, real estate business doing it right
now and in the States. Are back at home. No,
that one is in Panama. But also we're looking out
something here to stay. Oh yeah, and also a couple
of financial you know movement.

Speaker 6 (28:57):
I would love to come and hang out with you
in d R one day.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
Let me know they love me. There have some kids
there to look.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
For your kids.

Speaker 3 (29:04):
I might have a couple of years.

Speaker 1 (29:05):
You're gonna help you look for you Sammy and Stack
down the street.

Speaker 5 (29:09):
Kids support coming, Yeah, it's coming.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
Well, well, I was there a long time ago.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
They bout twenty three, twenty Yeah, the statues limitation. Now
may your son for the.

Speaker 3 (29:25):
First time.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
My fault, my fault in the current major m LB
best player in the league.

Speaker 5 (29:35):
You feel like, right.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
Now, wow, I have some few Maybe I'll maybe him
the two or three.

Speaker 5 (29:41):
Yeah, well, you know, I have to say, I'm sort
uh it's one running like yeah, these people there are
they are going to make the lead, so I know
the level. I mean, with the respect of the rest
of the players, but this the for do there are

(30:01):
corner spec Yeah, and then and I mentioned one solo
because nobody will give you seven hundred and sixty five
million because you're a nice guy, right ball exactly, you
deserve it.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
So god, seven hundred and fifty million, all right.

Speaker 4 (30:21):
Contracts and play themselves.

Speaker 5 (30:25):
Well, I want them to give a billion two billion,
You know what I mean, because I remember when I
was coming up. Now, I was that I was that
much money. But the the vending opened the door for us.
So now you know, the baseport is different, new era.
People making money, especially when when I play, let's say,
play making seven hundred thousand dollars. Now the five and
seven million, ten million sit on the bench, so everything

(30:47):
changes money for everybody.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
Now, yep, if you can.

Speaker 6 (30:51):
See one Major League Baseball guest on our show, who
would it be?

Speaker 3 (30:56):
But you have to help us get your answer on show?

Speaker 1 (31:00):
So who are some of your friends? You think she
would be on our show?

Speaker 3 (31:02):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (31:03):
Well I think send me up Pedro Martinez. Yes, yeah,
pretty good. I also Arbor Poolhole.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
We played in the game. Super cool dude.

Speaker 5 (31:16):
Yeah, and you know maybe also he was out here, lady.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (31:23):
I mean a lot of them. Yeah, you know they
can come through your show.

Speaker 3 (31:26):
And you know, are you in Big Poppy cool?

Speaker 5 (31:28):
Oh yeah, Poppy, Yeah, I know.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
Thank you Big you see Big Pop Sammy.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
We appreciate your time, man, you you you feel my
childhood with amazing times and just an honor to be
able to sit down with you man, and thank you
for coming on our show to thank you.

Speaker 5 (31:47):
Appreciate that you thank you.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
That's a wrap, Sammy. So so you can catch us
on All the Smoke Productions YouTube and the DraftKings Network.
See y'all next week. Peace so he Welcome to another
edition of All the Smoke Dug Out Edition. We're here
in Atlanta for the MLB All Star Game twenty twenty five.
My man sitting to my left put in a lot

(32:13):
of work two thousand and five Work of the Year,
two thousand and six, MVP, three time All Star home
Run Derby Champ World Series Champ with the Phillies in
two thousand and eight. Actually recently in the media space
now too.

Speaker 3 (32:26):
Man.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
Welcome to the show, Ryan Howard, Sir, appreciate you.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
Man.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
I'm going to jump a little bit because it's something
that happened to you. Is heavy in the NBA sport
right now. You tore your achilles, yes, Sir, on the
last play of the season in two thousand and eleven
Alds and obviously pretty much ended your guys' run to
say the least. But talk to me about that injury

(32:53):
and what the recovery process was like physically. But I
also want to hear the mental side, because the mental side,
I know, is more draining than the physical.

Speaker 4 (33:00):
Man first and foremost, it was Yeah, as you mentioned
the last play in the postseason against my hometown team.
I grew up watching man.

Speaker 7 (33:11):
The Cardinals, man, and it was just one of those
situations where when I hit the ball and I went down,
I just thought I got hit in the back of
the leg right and I was like, oh man, what
you doing the balls and right field?

Speaker 4 (33:23):
You gotta get up and go got up boom foot
and went flat, went down, felt the tingle go up
my leg and I was like, okay, something some made right.
But it was one of those things to where you
know it. Just when it happened the comeback.

Speaker 7 (33:40):
I was like, all right, I'm still young somewhat and
I'll be able to come back do all that. It
took a lot longer than I had ever expected going
into twelve thirteen. It was one of those things for
me where you know, as a player, you want to
get back faster because you know you're thinking about, hey,
me at sixty.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
Percent is better than a lot of dudes got.

Speaker 7 (34:03):
So I'm like, let me just get good enough to
be able to get out on the field as opposed
to really getting like one hundred and ten percent. And
that's what I tell cats now, you know, kind of
watching what happened in the pot in the playoffs in
the NBA, the first thing I tell guys when they
have any kind of injury, bro, make sure you're one
hundred and ten percent, not one hundred percent, one hundred
and ten percent, because that extra ten percent is that mental.

Speaker 4 (34:27):
Physically you'll feel good.

Speaker 7 (34:28):
But mentrusting was like, yeah, trusting it and just being
able to say, oh, the minute you feel something just
like a little ache or tweet, you're like, oh shit,
there we go again.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
So how long do you feel like physically it took
you to get back? And how long did it take
you mentally to get back?

Speaker 4 (34:43):
I mean for me, I felt like it took a
couple of years because.

Speaker 1 (34:49):
That that next year I toe injury.

Speaker 4 (34:51):
Right, Yeah, well, well that.

Speaker 7 (34:53):
Next year I had to get my left knee scope souse,
my left achilles and then my left knee. So really
being a left handed hitter, this is my push off side,
this is my drive side. So it was tough kind
of getting those back and sync.

Speaker 4 (35:08):
So it took a little bit.

Speaker 7 (35:09):
And like even still to this day, like this leg
is still a little bit baker, a little different, so
I could.

Speaker 4 (35:14):
Still feel it, but you know, it's just continue to
try to put that work in, man, get that thing right.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
You've been in the media space for a little bit
six one one podcast with your brother Jimmy Rawlins. What
made you jump into the the pod space?

Speaker 7 (35:28):
You know what, Jimmy and I just have this rapport
and you know, we were like, man, let's let's go
on down here and go give the people what they
want and uh and getting out here doing the sixty
one one podcast. At first, it's it's a funny play
because when we came up with the name. We didn't
realize what what the extra was to it. So my

(35:49):
number was six, Jimmy's number was eleven, and then obviously
playing in Philadelphia, well six eleven is like the exit
for broad Street, Main Street, and you realize it it
was meant to be, all right, Yeah, it's meant to be.

Speaker 1 (36:05):
Yeah, So how has that been? I mean, there's not
a lot of ton there's not a ton like I
feel like the basketball space has been saturated with them.
There's still not a lot of former players in your
profession doing what you guys are doing. So you guys
are you know, somewhat pioneering this space. But how how
how has it been?

Speaker 3 (36:19):
How have you enjoyed?

Speaker 4 (36:20):
It's been great.

Speaker 7 (36:21):
It's been fun, thoroughly enjoying it, you know, trying to
come through give like a baseball perspective on different things.
But you know, just just as what you guys are
doing over here, just touching on the outsides of different things,
because I think when people look at baseball in general,
they're thinking one thing, and so we're trying to kind of.

Speaker 4 (36:41):
Change the stig narrative, yeah, and change the stigma.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
On retired life. And I've been at it for eight
years now, you've been at it to pretty much the
same or pretty close. What is retired life for you
like these days?

Speaker 3 (36:53):
Man?

Speaker 4 (36:53):
Retired life is good, bro good.

Speaker 7 (36:55):
I mean, first and foremost, always being able to just
kind of hang out with the family. My son who
was a little bit older, but three girls, you know, ten,
eight and five, so chasing them around.

Speaker 1 (37:05):
What's it like being a girl dad? Because I got
old boys?

Speaker 4 (37:07):
Man, it's you know what, it's different.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
It's cool because you got an older son.

Speaker 4 (37:11):
I got three girls, yea, so it's different. So dance,
so we got we got a lot of dance taking place.
So that's it.

Speaker 1 (37:19):
They never they ever get daddy dressing up or going
to tea parties with them, anything like that.

Speaker 4 (37:23):
I've done that, done that, gotten the nails painted, the
make up, did all that stuff.

Speaker 1 (37:29):
Daddy duty.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
Oh it is it is.

Speaker 4 (37:31):
I'm out numbered.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
I'm a number a lot of female energy in the house.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
That's it.

Speaker 4 (37:36):
I got to pick my battles.

Speaker 1 (37:37):
There you go, born and raised in Saint Louis here
from southwest Missouri state becomes how to become one of
the greatest power hitters of all time? Out there?

Speaker 4 (37:50):
Man?

Speaker 3 (37:51):
You know what?

Speaker 4 (37:51):
Uh my story there was was interesting, you know, like
you said, born and raised Saint Louis, Missouri. Out of
high school.

Speaker 7 (37:58):
I was actually rooted by like larger schools and was
looking at going to Arizona State to go play.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
But I didn't pass my act And so what was
your senior you house go to cut you off?

Speaker 4 (38:13):
Ninety eight, graduated ninety eight.

Speaker 7 (38:15):
So back then that was where you could still not
have a scholarship by your senior year and still have
an opportunity.

Speaker 4 (38:21):
To get a scholarship. We're here. You got to commit
by seventh grade.

Speaker 1 (38:26):
They're paying you to stop your recruiting process exactly.

Speaker 7 (38:29):
So it was it was one of those things where
the way I wound up at SMS, which is now
Missouri State University, it was funny. So I was kind of,
you know, in limbo because I wasn't able to get
a scholarship to go to a SU and was looking
at a few different schools late and I got to

(38:49):
go down to SMS at the time and meet coach
Keith Gutting, And what I loved about I loved the campus.
I loved g because he was straight up and he
just told me he looked me dead in my eye.
He said, look, we'd love to have you. You'd be
what we would say, it's like a recruited walk on.
And he's like, but I can't guarantee you any playtime

(39:10):
because you'd be going up against two junior college transfers
and me at the time, I looked him dead in
the eyes, like, where do I sign?

Speaker 4 (39:18):
So because I wanted. I wanted.

Speaker 7 (39:20):
I wanted the thrill of that competition, because wherever it
was that I wound up, I wanted to go to
be able to play as a true freshman to see
how good I was.

Speaker 1 (39:27):
How did that work out?

Speaker 4 (39:29):
Them two dudes were sitting on a bench.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
Okay, so it worked. How long did it take feet
to crack the lineup?

Speaker 7 (39:34):
I mean I made it from from fall camp. So yeah,
so from fall camp going into the spring, they're like,
all right, you got it.

Speaker 3 (39:43):
We led the.

Speaker 7 (39:44):
Country and home runs. I was fourth on the team
and home runs that season with nineteen as a freshman.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
Who were some of your heroes growing up in the
in the sport ooh.

Speaker 7 (39:55):
Man, so growing up obviously being a Cardinals fan, we
had Willie McGee, Aussie Smith, Coleman, t Pendleton, all those guys,
my idols, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, King, Griffrey Jr.

Speaker 4 (40:14):
Man, I'd say, Jim Tomay, big stump, big stump in
the left.

Speaker 7 (40:19):
And then I gotta throw righty in there. My man,
big hurt. I'm being big hurt. Frank Thomas, you got
the big my boys.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
My boys used to call me hurt in school.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
Okay, So that's that's dope. Minor league grinds. I know,
the baseball grind is unlike any other What was your
minor league journey?

Speaker 7 (40:40):
Like, minor leagues was fun, bro. We used to say
it all the time. Man, It's like when you get drafted,
you going to bushes, going to jungle. Everybody the master
your first round or fiftieth round or whatever. Everybody going
to bushes. And so I just remember my my journey
was a little bit different because my first full season

(41:01):
in the minor leagues was two thousand and two.

Speaker 4 (41:03):
I was drafted in OH one.

Speaker 7 (41:04):
The Phillies had just signed Jim Tomy in two thousand
and two to like a six year deal. So I
was sitting there like, damn man, they just signed Jim Tomy.
Like standing me was like, yo, that was dope. Then
the player in the organization was like, damn, they just
signed Jim told me. So that's when I made up
my mind where I was like, man, I just got
to do what I gotta do and try to take
it out of their hands and try to play my

(41:26):
way up to the big leagues, whether it was in
the Phillies organization or whether it was.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
Someone else else. How many years did you play in
the minors.

Speaker 4 (41:31):
I was in the minors for three years, three and
some change.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
And then you come up and what happens with So
I came.

Speaker 7 (41:41):
Up, had my call up in four September four, started
back in Triple A and five, and then so in
Triple A Tommy gets hurt.

Speaker 4 (41:50):
I go up for like two weeks and then he
comes back off the.

Speaker 7 (41:55):
Injury reserve DL, and then I go back down to
Triple A and then he gets hurt for the rest
of the.

Speaker 4 (42:00):
Season in five and I just kind of just did
my thing.

Speaker 7 (42:04):
And I remember I remember being asked by the media
when they said Tomy was gonna be out for the
rest of the season.

Speaker 4 (42:10):
One of the people was like, hey, so, what's it
like to, you know, have to fill Jim Tomay's shoes.

Speaker 7 (42:16):
I said, I'm not Jim Tomay, And I said, you know,
if I go out and I go do me and
I know what I'm capable of, I think we'll be
all right.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
Philly fans are a little different.

Speaker 3 (42:28):
They are.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
How did what was what was kind of like you're
welcome to the team. When did you know that they
were really rocking with you? Man?

Speaker 7 (42:34):
Like when I got called up in September of four,
my first big lead at bat. I had a really
good year in Double A and Triple A that year
going up, and they would always kind of play like
the down on the Farm type stuff where they would
show you know, what guys are doing on and so
everybody was hearing about this kid, and now everybody was
ready to see So I remember we were actually playing

(42:55):
the Braves in Philly and I was standing on deck
circle and I was like nervous as hell, Man, it's
less And then they announced my name and the crowd
like went crazy, and I was.

Speaker 1 (43:04):
Like, what's that feeling like? Like walk us back? Because
I mean, I know, you get chilled. Just what was
that experience like that first time they called your name
in the whole stadium?

Speaker 3 (43:12):
Man?

Speaker 4 (43:12):
It was it was surreal.

Speaker 7 (43:14):
It was surreal because I was like, Okay, I'm here,
I'm here, I'm here, Like, let's let's go, let's do.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
It's a dope fifth round pick. Obviously one of the
rare guys that spent his entire career with one organization.
Is it true at one point you were mistaken for
Jimmy Rolins bodyguard?

Speaker 4 (43:32):
This is affirmative. I can affirm that.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
Let me hear that story. I need to hear.

Speaker 7 (43:37):
So I'm a rookie and there was this bar that
was attached to the ballpark to the to the stadium there,
and it was McFadden's and so like we used to
go over there and go kick it like every once
in a while after the games or whatever. So I
go over with Jimmy and Jimmy's like sitting at the
bar and I was just kind of standing next to him,
and this girl comes up.

Speaker 4 (43:56):
And she's like, oh my god, Jimmy Rols like and.

Speaker 7 (43:58):
It stopped and like looked up and looked at me
and she's like, oh, I'm sorry, are you his security?
And I was just standing there like we both looked
at each other just started laughing because I had.

Speaker 4 (44:08):
Just kind of burst on the scene.

Speaker 1 (44:10):
So that's funny. Any run ins with any other Philly
sports legends McNab man, all of them, really, all of them. Man,
what's it like me for the first time?

Speaker 4 (44:20):
Man, dope, little dope dope. But you know he pack
a punch. Yeah, come on, man, pack a punch.

Speaker 6 (44:26):
Man.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
He was. He was so cool.

Speaker 7 (44:28):
He was first time I met him, right, So I'm
I'm me still kind of making my way up coming
into the leagues and stuff like that.

Speaker 4 (44:37):
Ai s Ai and he's like, man, I was like,
a I Man, what's up?

Speaker 3 (44:41):
Man?

Speaker 4 (44:41):
He's like, yeah, you that you're that big? You're hitting
all them home run I was like, I was like,
I was like, what dope.

Speaker 3 (44:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (44:53):
So it's like it was cool man.

Speaker 3 (44:54):
That was a really cool yeah.

Speaker 1 (44:56):
I mean again, Philly sports are there, finicky, but they
love their players and if you're a good player, they
love you to death. What was just the fandom light
in Philly getting again being the guy that got a
chance to spend his whole career one spot.

Speaker 4 (45:09):
It's dope, man. I put it to people like this
who've never played in Philly.

Speaker 7 (45:13):
I mean, obviously as a as an opposing player, they
know they know how tough it can be, but being
a home player, it could be tough.

Speaker 4 (45:20):
At time too.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
So I say, Santa Claus, they did, they did, but.

Speaker 7 (45:25):
Always tell them, I say, you know, Philly is known
as the city of brotherly love. Like you love your brother,
you fight with your brother, but like you know, at
the end of the day, get along. But at the
end of the day, it's like they love you. So
I mean, they're just they're just very very passionate fans
and it's keeping you honest because it's a blue collar

(45:45):
town and all they want is a blue collar effort.
So when you go out there and you bust your
butt every day and hustle, control the things you can control,
like they can respect that.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
They can respect that fastest player to ever hit one
hundred home runs three hundred and twenty five game also
the fastest to reach two hundred home runs six fifty eight.
You get forty five home runs four years in a
row from six to nine. Talk about that run right there.

Speaker 4 (46:09):
Man, it was it was unreal. It was like putting
up video game numbers.

Speaker 7 (46:14):
And you know, it was one of those things to
me whereas like I just knew what I was capable of,
and I just wanted to go out every single night.

Speaker 4 (46:22):
And try to do what I could to help my
team win.

Speaker 7 (46:24):
Man, just put them on my back and uh whenever,
just pick up, Chase, pick up, Jimmy, pick up Shane,
pick up all those cats.

Speaker 4 (46:33):
Just go out there and then like looking at it now, right,
hell did you do you?

Speaker 1 (46:39):
That's what I wanted. That was my next question is
obviously in the moment, we're just in the moment where
each you know, each day, each of bat, each game,
we're living in that moment. But when you get a
chance to kind of sit back, like, yo, forty five
plus going straight, I.

Speaker 4 (46:52):
Can't tell you.

Speaker 7 (46:53):
So like two thousand and six was my MVP year
and looking back at it now and it's like fifty
eight home runs, like one hundred and.

Speaker 4 (47:01):
Forty nine rbises insane, bro, And I'm just thinking to myself, like,
how the hell did you? How did you do that?
And I remember having a conversation with Jimmy one time
where it was like I hadn't hit a homer.

Speaker 7 (47:12):
In like a week or two weeks, and I was like, damn, man,
I'm struggling, Bro, I ain't hit a home run and like.

Speaker 4 (47:18):
A week and Jimmy just looked at me like that,
like what you talk A week? I think I went
out hit like two home runs a night.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
So where was your Where was your where'd you like?
And where was your powers?

Speaker 3 (47:29):
On? Where was your you? What?

Speaker 7 (47:30):
I was a guy who I liked the ball middle
middle away, and I stood off the plate like away
from the plate ext I had.

Speaker 4 (47:39):
Her long back. I had a longer bat.

Speaker 7 (47:41):
My bat was thirty five inches thirty four ounces, and
so by me standing off the plate because of how
long the arms were with my bat being the extension.

Speaker 4 (47:51):
It made this whole thing look real good at the pictures.

Speaker 7 (47:54):
So anything they threw away was like all right, I
got play coverage there. But anything they through middle middle
in and they missed on the inner half. For me,
I wanted everything to feel like it was away so
I could work the middle of the field and if I.

Speaker 4 (48:08):
Pulled it, I pulled it.

Speaker 7 (48:09):
But like I was, basically in a sense kind of
setting them up because I wanted everything away so I
can get my arms extended and kind of stay up
the middle too.

Speaker 1 (48:18):
I don't know if you remember this, because I just
remembered it just right now. Jamior Nelson's front is from Philly,
and we came out. He used to have this little
summer camp in Philly. We came to one of your
guys before your game, and we took batting practice on
the field, and you gave me your batting gloves. And
I had the motherfuckers for like three years because I
played traveling softball in the off season. I love softball,

(48:38):
but I remember you gave me your your batting gloves,
and I was me and one other person were the
only ones that hit the home run during batting practice.
But I remember particularly you gave me your bat and
goes like, damn, that's right, all right there, that's dope,
a little fan mom, But forgive me, let me get
back to let me get back to business. PD era
big numbers. Did you ever get a used or lumped

(49:00):
in with people that were well, how was it? How
was what was that like? Because again this is kind
of pre social media, you know what I mean, so
kind of stigmas and this and lies could get stuck
on people that aren't.

Speaker 7 (49:13):
Necessarily Yeah, I mean it was tough, man, because it
was you know, obviously growing up in Saint Louis.

Speaker 4 (49:18):
I was there my senior year school.

Speaker 3 (49:21):
Yeah, we're all.

Speaker 7 (49:22):
Watching the whole Mark Maguire, Sammy Sosa, back and forth.
So it was tough because it was like anybody who
put up big numbers kind of outside the ordinary, where
especially for me, you know, this is my first full
season in the big leagues in two thousand and six,
so they're like this kid bursts on the scene his
first year and he hits fifty eight home runs.

Speaker 4 (49:41):
Like, oh, he's got to be on something.

Speaker 7 (49:43):
And I remember, like media was asking me that, and
I just remember my response was I played at like
two fifty two fifty five and I said to the media, dude,
I was like, bro, I'll lift my shirt up right now.
You ain't gonna see no abs.

Speaker 3 (49:57):
You know.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
So it's like that country boy strength.

Speaker 4 (50:00):
Yeah, it's just like I got a keg right here. Bro,
that's it.

Speaker 1 (50:03):
So but you still look like you sa Are you
someone that like slims down.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
If you don't, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
Do you feel players that use I mean, how do
current excuse me, how do former players look at guys,
because you know, we you guys kind of like we
knew what was going on our league. You knew what
was going on in your league. How do players that
didn't use it look at guys that did.

Speaker 7 (50:25):
I mean, there's always gonna be that that little bit
of disdain because guys just try to do it and
did it the right way. Where guys either did it
and and they got paid. A lot of time dudes
were doing it. It was a contract year, so it's like,
let me go ahead and do this so I can
go ahead and get paid. And then where the guy
who didn't do it tried to do it the right way,

(50:47):
he got screwed. So there's always gonna be that bit
of disdain. But I mean, I knew for me, it's
like I didn't do it, and I'm like, all right,
if you're gonna do it, that's your prerogative.

Speaker 4 (50:57):
But my goal was always beat your ass.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
Anyway, period.

Speaker 4 (50:59):
So it's like, even if you're on PDS, I'm gonna
do it the right way. And still trying to.

Speaker 1 (51:04):
Take me through some of your your your teammates Chase Utley,
who was a Bruin, talk to me about Chase.

Speaker 4 (51:10):
Yes, sir, Chase, Chase is sneaky man.

Speaker 7 (51:13):
Like people don't get it, like they see the hard nose,
like on the field, like when we played, like Chase
didn't talk to people, and he didn't really talk to
guys on other teams and stuff. That was just kind
of the mantra of how it was when we were
playing and like always played the game hard, played the
game the right way. But like off the field, that
dude is like sneaky bro, sneaky man Chase. He can

(51:36):
be a little prankster and like put you in some situation.
He tried to put me in some situations.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
He tried to put you in the trick bag, try
to put me in some situations. Jimmy Rolins Young James Man.

Speaker 4 (51:47):
That that was the young James was was more than
the vocal piece he was.

Speaker 7 (51:52):
He was that verbal leader. We had guys that were
all leaders in different facets. Jimmy was that vocal guy.
I mean where he was, I mean he was. He
was the swag. He was the swag of our team
and everything. And my man came out two thousand and seven.
We hadn't won shit. He came out in two thousand
and seven, the Mets had won, the Braves had won,

(52:13):
you know, the division. We hadn't won a division. And
he came out in two thousand and seven and say, hey, no,
we feel like we're the team to beat. So we gathered,
we rallied behind him, and you know then we started
that little run.

Speaker 4 (52:24):
We went on.

Speaker 1 (52:27):
Roy Holiday.

Speaker 4 (52:28):
Oh man, that dude, work horse, Roy Man, like he was.

Speaker 7 (52:34):
He's one of those guys that on the days he
was pitching, like I walked in the clubhouse, I was
just like, hey, what's up, doctor, and then kept moving
like he'd be so locked in.

Speaker 4 (52:45):
But then on the days he wasn't pitching, he was
like a big kid cool. Yeah, he was a big kid.

Speaker 7 (52:49):
I remember one day, our traveling secretary on payday would
give everybody their checks, and so he would always try
to find some kind of funny way to give me
my check. And so he had Roy was always into
like toy airplanes and stuff, and so he had Roy
fly on his model airplanes and and fly my check

(53:11):
and deliver it over to my.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Locker and bring check. Was it the fly in Hawaiian
Is that what they called it?

Speaker 4 (53:18):
Yeah, my man sugar shamee Hawaiian man Shane Victory.

Speaker 7 (53:22):
Never seen him eat a normal plate of food but
heat candy sweets. That's why he's bouncing off the walls
all the time. That's why they play.

Speaker 4 (53:33):
Yeah, yeah, just flying all over the place.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Man. Love.

Speaker 7 (53:36):
He was actually my roommate, and we were roommates in
Triple A and Scranton in like four oh five.

Speaker 4 (53:42):
And man, one of one of the greatest guys.

Speaker 7 (53:45):
I mean, like just just just one of those dudes
where he just knew how to go about playing the
game doing all that good stuff.

Speaker 3 (53:51):
Man.

Speaker 7 (53:52):
But like all these guys man, just great human beings.
Pedro Pedro, Pedro Martinez, Oh my god, dude, PDP bro
loved him, loved him. He uh, he was one of
those guys when he comes in, Man, his whole aura
just changes the entire room. Like just one of the
most genuine people will ever meet. Great teammate, come out there,

(54:14):
go throw, go play. And uh it's funny because my
brothers and I used to have a we used to
have like this little inside joke and I was told
I told Pedro, like, man, Pedro gonna be good.

Speaker 3 (54:25):
Bro.

Speaker 4 (54:25):
He got that you got that curl working to day.
Actually you got that extra the day, got that activate.

Speaker 1 (54:32):
Was he someone that you guys could joke with and
have fun or was he was Did he talks ship
a little.

Speaker 7 (54:37):
Bit like days days that he was pitching because everybody,
every starting picture has their own routine and so like days,
you know, usually as a position player, you don't mess
with the picture that's starting that day. We did have
guys that you could talk to like you would have
never known they were starting that day, But like Pedro
every other day, he's like out there, he's a prankster.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
Love that.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
Uh yeah, I mean you guys went to five straight playoffs,
won a World Series, and eight went back in on
nine unfortunately lost. What are some of your fondest memories
about that run?

Speaker 7 (55:09):
With that that that core of guys, I think the
biggest thing was was that we all had one thing
in common and that we all wanted to win. We
all expected to win, because it was like when we
showed up to the field, everybody wants, everybody wants to win,
everybody hopes to win. We expected to win. So there's
a big difference there and being able to have those runs.

(55:31):
We just knew we were better than everybody else. Like
even in on nine when we lost to the Yankees,
we still felt like we were better than they were.
We had gone to New York earlier that season and
took two out of three in New York against the Yankees.
So I mean I felt kind of like we just
we just ran out of games. You know, they just
they just got us.

Speaker 1 (55:51):
What do you think the scattering report on you was.

Speaker 3 (55:55):
Run?

Speaker 4 (55:55):
But I think I know what it was. I mean
Scott report.

Speaker 7 (55:58):
They were just Everything they would try to do is
just give me go on soft away and try to
get me to roll over and hit it into the
shift at the time which now no longer, So it
was just everything kind of soft away, you know, a
little bit hard in, but like mostly just try to
get everything away so they can get me to try

(56:19):
to roll over. If they were if they did come in,
like I say, it was gonna be a ball, if
they threw like something off speed, hard in, off the plate,
jammy and whatnot.

Speaker 3 (56:28):
They just tried.

Speaker 4 (56:29):
They wanted me to try to pull everything and just
get me out that way.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
And then on the flip side, when you're stepping in
the battle's box, what is your thought process?

Speaker 7 (56:36):
My thought process is I wanted to stay up the middle,
so I learned in college. My college coach taught me
how to hit the ball to the oppos the field.
So out of high school I was a dead dead
pool hitter, and so.

Speaker 4 (56:51):
He opened up the entire field to me.

Speaker 7 (56:54):
So he changed my mindset where my foul poles were
basically right center and left center to stay up the
middle of the field, and so that just kind of
slowed everything down for me. So you could take the fastball,
and you can take that and go from one hundred
and have it be like ninety four ninety five, and

(57:14):
then the change ups and all the others pitches like
you could see really really well and then be able
to stay back and they stay back.

Speaker 4 (57:20):
Up in the middle.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
That's interesting because we asked Garay the same thing, and
when he locked in, he said it seemed like everything
took maybe five miles an hour off that pitch.

Speaker 4 (57:28):
So that's how it's a trip.

Speaker 7 (57:30):
When you tell people to like way to figure out
how to crazy ball down and people are like coming
an hour.

Speaker 4 (57:37):
It's just you just got to be looking in the
right spot.

Speaker 8 (57:41):
The smartest picture you ever faced, ooh, smartest picture I
ever faced. I mean, I probably say the toughest picture
I'd ever faced was Sureser Max Shirs.

Speaker 7 (57:57):
I mean, he was one of those guys that he
didn't care, he was gonna throw anything in any the
times at the Nationals with the time, and it didn't
matter what he threw.

Speaker 4 (58:06):
He would throw anything in any count.

Speaker 7 (58:08):
And even if you slapped one of his pitches before,
he'll come back with the same pitch like he didn't
back down. So that was that was one of those
things where smart pitcher, they knew what they wanted to do.
He was just able to go out and go execute.

Speaker 1 (58:22):
And there's the difference we wanted to do it and
doing it best stuff. Who had the best stuff?

Speaker 4 (58:27):
Oh, best stuff, I would say again Sureser and Strasburg
in there. Strasburg was was filthy when he was healthy, nasty,
he was a monster.

Speaker 1 (58:41):
How did you get out of slump? So what was
your routine to try to get out of a slump?

Speaker 4 (58:44):
For slumps, it just depends on what I was going through.

Speaker 7 (58:47):
So I really just kind of take my time and say,
you know what, these next two or three abs, I'm
gonna jam myself and try to let the ball get
as deep as it possibly can and just track it
all the way into the back. Track it all the
way because it's easier to work from here this way

(59:09):
towards the mount as opposed to working their back. So
That's why I was like, if I jammed myself and
not worry about what happened, what the result is, then
all of a sudden, I'm gonna start getting my timing
to be like, Okay, let me get a little little sooner,
a little sooner. Boom, I'm back here now, I'm now
to do my thing.

Speaker 1 (59:28):
Superstitions, superstitions.

Speaker 7 (59:31):
I didn't really have a SUPERSTI actually, you know what,
I just realized this the other day. If I was
chewing gum and the other team was hitting, I would
chew my gum on the left side, or actually, if
it was an out or whatnot, whatever the inning was
that started where my gum was and we got an out,

(59:52):
I had to keep chewing it on that side until.

Speaker 4 (59:55):
The inning was over.

Speaker 1 (59:55):
There any wild superstitions some of your teammates may have
that you can share, old.

Speaker 4 (01:00:00):
Superstition, Nah, we didn't have any. We didn't. We didn't
have any, Joe Booze.

Speaker 7 (01:00:08):
I mean, I think everybody just kind of had their own,
but uh yeah, nothing nothing too crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:00:14):
Why do you think there's such a drastic drop in
black American Major League players?

Speaker 4 (01:00:21):
You know, I think one it's I mean, you just
I think you gotta market more. You gotta market to
it more.

Speaker 7 (01:00:31):
Because I remember growing up man, like I said, the Cardinals,
Willie McGee ven's Coleman, Terry Pendleton, all those guys. But
you saw on TV and they were being marketed. I think, one,
you have to market to the black community and black
kids and show them there's another opportunity there too. The
other thing about it is to me is like baseball
is a very expensive sports.

Speaker 4 (01:00:52):
It's tough. It's tough. I mean showcases as you know,
like coaching coaching kids. Well, right, it's all.

Speaker 7 (01:01:01):
These different showcases in these tournaments. That stuff costs money
along with the gear, along with the travel. Like I mean,
it's it's tough to be able to try to get out.

Speaker 3 (01:01:11):
There and do it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
But a lot of families are priced out.

Speaker 4 (01:01:13):
Yeah, all the families are priced out.

Speaker 7 (01:01:15):
My man Jed Lowry said it you know best, and
he was like, you know what you don't want is
you don't want baseball to become a country club sport
to where you're not getting the best talent.

Speaker 4 (01:01:26):
You're only getting the best of the best who can
afford it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
You made some cameos always sunny in Philadelphia and entourage, Sir,
How those come about? By the way, one of the
greatest shows.

Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
Man, that was so much fun, so much fun. Yeah,
just through my agency.

Speaker 7 (01:01:41):
Man, they hit me up and I was like, man,
this would be something outside of mind, my norm, and
so I would.

Speaker 4 (01:01:47):
Love to do it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:48):
You got to hang with any chase? Was that you
got to hang with any chase?

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
No, man.

Speaker 7 (01:01:52):
So when I shot that scene, that was actually in
my backyard at my house that I had in Philly.
So at that time when Turtle, it was the episode
when Turtle was trying to get investors for a that
was alcohol.

Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, so he came to you.

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
Yeah, so he came to me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:14):
All right, man, quick hitters. First thing to come to mind.

Speaker 3 (01:02:16):
Let us let us know.

Speaker 1 (01:02:17):
You just mentioned that worst ballpark he played in.

Speaker 4 (01:02:20):
Worst ballpark I played in probably RFK, the Old Mash. Yeah,
it was best, best ballpark I played in.

Speaker 3 (01:02:33):
Man.

Speaker 4 (01:02:33):
I always loved I always loved playing in Atlanta. Okay,
I always loved playing Atlanta. Turner Field.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Picture that was really good. But you loved to face him?

Speaker 4 (01:02:42):
Oh a picture? Oh Johann Santana.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
Oh he had his number.

Speaker 5 (01:02:46):
Yeah, John, I.

Speaker 7 (01:02:47):
Just remember when they signed him, and they were talking
about it and they were like, oh, the Mets because
they were already.

Speaker 4 (01:02:53):
Good, like they just signed Johann Santana. I was like,
all right, yeah, we're.

Speaker 1 (01:02:59):
Gonna see the craziest clubhouse story or or or or
just team story you can share.

Speaker 7 (01:03:05):
Probably craziest clubhouse story was the time that my teammate
Kyle Kendrick they played like a massive prank on him
that he got traded to Japan for.

Speaker 4 (01:03:16):
To for Kobyashi, the hot dog eating guy. So, I
mean they had everybody in it. They had my man's
agent in.

Speaker 6 (01:03:24):
On it, like.

Speaker 1 (01:03:26):
Everybody, So tell me about it. Hold on, tell me
about that little bit they called him up.

Speaker 7 (01:03:30):
So he had just gotten called up not too long ago.
And Brett Myers was the one, uh that that put
everybody up to it. And uh they called him in
the office, had the GM, the manager and everybody, and
they were like, Kyle Man, Hey, we appreciate everything you've
done for us, but uh, you just we just decided that,

(01:03:51):
you know, for the organization, what was gonna be best
for us is that we're going to trade you, trade
you to Japan for Kobyashi. And uh, he's sitting in
there Aaron like if and if you knew Kyle like
he's he was very gullible as a young kid there
and it.

Speaker 4 (01:04:05):
Was just like this whole world just ripped up from
underneath him. They brought him back. He walks back into
the clubhouse. Media is in on it. They come over
to his locker and start interviewing them. I mean, they
were going all in. He goes.

Speaker 7 (01:04:19):
He calls his agent, his agents like, he's like, can
they even do this? He's like, yeah, unfortunately they can.
So I guess you know, we gotta get you on
a plane out to Japan and the whole I side.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Oh god, Bro, like this is crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:32):
So who finally let him know it was Brett.

Speaker 4 (01:04:35):
Brett came up. Yeah. He was like, Bro, you got
traded for a hot dog guy. Bro, Like, think about it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
That's crazy. You're going to get the bench clearing brawl
you plus three former teammates and.

Speaker 4 (01:04:49):
Three who gets Therebina. He just had that looking like
he's nuts. My man, Marlon Bird and I'll probably take Shane.

Speaker 7 (01:05:00):
Even though he may lack in size, he can get
on somebody's back off for just a second.

Speaker 1 (01:05:05):
He's gonna put some kind of grappling hole on.

Speaker 7 (01:05:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:05:09):
Yeah, he'll lock somebody up just long enough.

Speaker 1 (01:05:11):
Who's the goat?

Speaker 4 (01:05:12):
The goat, it's got to be buried.

Speaker 1 (01:05:15):
It's got to be very best player in the league
right now.

Speaker 7 (01:05:17):
I mean, it's so Tommy. It's based on what he
could do both hitting wise, speed wise. I mean, he's
the only player in the history of the game fifty
and he didn't even pitch right.

Speaker 1 (01:05:29):
Crazy. So one player you'd like to see on this show.

Speaker 4 (01:05:32):
One player I would like to see on this show.
Chest chests would be good chat, good show, he'll be good.
What's that ooh the goat skipper Man. I'd probably have
to say Boshie Boshie Man, Bruce, he's in Texas.

Speaker 1 (01:05:56):
Yeah, Ryan Man. We appreciate your time, graduation on the law,
successful career. Thank good luck on continuing the girl, Dad
and your oldest son and uh man, that's the lug.

Speaker 3 (01:06:05):
What everybody got.

Speaker 4 (01:06:05):
I appreciate you appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:07):
That's right, Maryan Howard. You can catch up on all
the slow productions YouTube and the draft Ks Network. See
y'all next week.

Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
M hm

Speaker 5 (01:06:21):
Mm hmm.