July 10, 2024 • 49 mins
In this episode of 'The Book of Joe' Podcast, Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci get prepared for the All Star break with Joe's memories and preferences for the game. Tom voices his support for Paul Skenes, but should be start? Cubs' pitcher Colten Brewer breaks his hand punching a wall, but that's not the oddest injury we've seen in baseball. Plus, after some memories of the Vista Cruiser and sitting in the 'way back', Joe explains why he was happy to get a speeding ticket.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Hey thereon welcome Back, You have found The Book of
Joe Podcast with Me, Tom Berducci, and of course Joe
Medden and Joe.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
We have a lot to talk about right now.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We're going to talk about injuries, like freak injuries because
Colton Brewer the Cubs got me thinking about this. He
broke his non pitching hand in frustration punching a dugout wall.
We're going to get into that. We're going to get
into one of the coolest cars ever made, and I
think both Joe and I have personal connections to the model.
(00:49):
But Joe, we have to start with the All Star Game.
It's coming up All Star Week next week, and I
would love to get on this podcast a guest who
has actually managed both the American League and the National
League in the All Star Game. They've only been ten
guys in the history of baseball who've managed both the
American League and National League team in the All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Joe, you know anybody who can get on with that
kind of experience.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
That would be very interesting. I think if we could
actually nail that one down. The fact that two different
leagues at that time, separately different set of rules. I think, yeah,
both games counted or did the second game not count
regarding did not right, the second one did not count
regarding World Series home court advantage, that kind of stuff. Yeah,
I think that'd be a great idea.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, well, if you know anybody from Hailton, PA with
that kind of experience, especially, that would be Hey, wait
a second. Of course we're talking about Jovin Street. He
has done it along with Sparky Anderson. I mean this
is these are luminaries, folks, Sparky Anderson, Dusty Baker, Yogi Bera,
Bruce Bochi's going to do it this year and join you,
Alvin Dark, Tony LaRussa, Jim Leland, Joe McCarthy, and Dick Williams. Well,
(02:02):
of course, you earn that honor by winning the Pennance,
and Joe is one of only ten to do it
in both leagues. And Joe, listen, I don't know what
your first one was like, but the players and managers
I've talked to have gone to the All Star Game
for the first time talk about that moment when they
walk into the clubhouse where it kind of hits you
(02:24):
that just the stars of stars that you're sharing this
clubhouse with, that you're part of this exclusive club, and
something about the physical nature of getting all those stars
in one room and you are a part of it.
I've heard the same story from a lot of guys
that really hits them. What was it like for you
first time All Star game?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
That's very prescient, It's true, first All Star game. I
don't remember the exact order of things, but I do
remember having to be the lead guy as President Obama
walks in the clubhouse, having a Greek President Obama, and
then he filters through the entire clubhouse and walks out
the other door. So you know, you take the lead obviously,
I had to point. I mean, there was not a
(03:04):
lot of interference with anything. I set the pitching set,
the lineup, set everything. It was able to pick the
replacement players. I remember choosing Sehn Figgins a little controversial
at that time, but I thought Figgy deserved and I
had been with them before. And sometimes, you know, the
spoils do go to the victors. Guys that you've had
in the past sometimes can get the opportunity to play
before somebody that you've not had. Just quite frankly, but anyway,
(03:27):
it was all these little, the little nuanced stuff. I also,
people don't realize this, but at that time there was
that controversy right before that regarding the All Star when
the game ended up in a tie, and I eventually
became something that mattered. And I had already set Royalitay
up for just one inning, and I had I had
spoken to all my pitchers in the outfield the day
before in the workout, went to every guy, told them
(03:49):
what they're going to do, what their role was. And
then all of a sudden, I get worried that the
commissioner wants me to pitch them two innings, just like
the Charlie was doing in the nationally because he was
concerned about running out of pitchers. But I had Wakefield
set up for extra innings regardless, and that could have
been ten innings and he would have been fine. So
that was part of that. That whole, the whole thing
that happened there is the fact that I had everything
(04:10):
set that I had to unset it. Okay, So that's
number one. We're two the lock in the clubhouse and
having to address the entire team, and I remember specifically
looking around there and Derek Jeter sitting in front of
me and among among others, all the Yankees and stuff,
and I remember telling them, this is a very daunting
experience for me, having to stand here and address all
(04:32):
of you guys. And I'm not only addressing the best
players in the United States, but the best players in
the world, because truly, uh, overall, obviously Major League Baseball
players are the best in the world. We infiltrated from
you know, the Dominican, Latin American of course Asia now,
but overall, the best, the best in the world. So
whenever you're a dressing a group that is the best
(04:54):
in the world, that it can be a little bit daunting.
And I felt that way, and I let them know
that I try to be very open regarding everything I
talk about with these guys, the ones truth sat and
said it at a time and I'll let him know.
And so, yeah, it was all of that a little
bit nervoso before it occurs. I remember getting to Saint
Louis the day before and they gave me this room,
(05:15):
beautiful suite overlooking Bush Stadium right out the window, and
I was, you know, watching all of that, just trying
and Bush Stadium was a big part of my history
in the past, even though this was the new one
and not the old one, because I was a cardinal
fand so there's all that. It said, Saint Louis and
I meet like all the cardinal greats, said, Shanus was there,
lou Brock was there, Whitey was there. All these guys
were there, Gibson was there. It's just overwhelming. So I
(05:38):
had to really pret deeply control myself. But I always
told myself in these moments, don't let it pass too quickly,
slow things down, really see this, take it all in.
And I did. That's it. And of course we won
four to three, so it was and Carl Crawford makes
a big catch, and I go on and on, but
that's it. It's a daunting experience to be the American
League manager of the All Star team.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That's great advice, especially in any kind of big moment
where or you didn't do tend to get caught up
in things emotionally maybe as you mentioned, nervousness, but making
sure you stop and take it all in and absorb,
you know, the good fortune that you have to be
in a situation like that, well earned, of course, but
nevertheless a thrill that not many people get a lot
(06:20):
of people have been in baseball a long time and
never get there. So that was two thousand and nine, Joe, right, correct,
the first time you were there. Yes, And then you
go back in twenty seventeen, and I guess that time
the game did not count as far as an establishing
home field advantage in the World Series?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Was that game? Do you think different? Without anything on
the line? Did it feel different?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah? Absolutely? And just to backtrack a second, that game
in Saint Louis was a National League game. They used
to go in America to National League rules. So I'm
an America League manager playing a National League All Star
game having to win a thing with all these guys
in an attempt to get them into the game.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Boy, that's a messy lightup card to get everybody in
under National League rules.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Brother, I I'm telling you, man, and it's like this.
You know it's happening like this your pitch. That's why
I wanted to pre accept the pitching, which I did,
although I had to give Royaliday an extra inning, but
I had a bump went Days, the pitcher from Colorado
at that time. He was not very happy about that,
but anyway, had to consider all of that stuff. So
the National League rules to me, in an All Star
(07:21):
game that counted not going on. There brother a lot
going on. Then you go to the American League game.
It was also a nationalgu game, but it didn't really
matter at that point because nothing mattered in Miami. It
really didn't matter. It was an exhibition, just like it's
almost like spring training. So there's a different attitude I
felt going into the game. Even from my perspective as
the manager, it was just more making sure that you
(07:43):
didn't you got any as many people as you possibly could.
I don't even know if I got everybody in or
not that night. I know we lost it on a
home run given up by my pitcher at that time,
way Davis. I think Cano hit it to right field.
So it's a different vibe completely. Actually, I kind of
liked the All Star Game counting, I do. I thought
that was a nice change. Did cut up and we're
(08:04):
of an adrenaline flow when you get to that game.
I like the idea of things counting and mattering, So yeah,
it was it was kind of neat. So I did.
And the other game I worked in was two thousand
and three with the in Chicago with the Angel staff.
Because I was the bench coach, I had a lot
of responsibilities in that game too, so she gave me
a lot of stuff to do, and I set up
a lot of different things. And I remember talking to
(08:26):
Hank Blaylock before the game saying be ready to pinch
it right around the time that he pinched it hit
that big home run in Chicago. So there's a lot
going on. So I'm an advocate. I like it. I
like when games counted, when things matter. I think it
really bared down a little bit more. There's there's no
doubt about it. So I would be all right if
that came back into existence.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, I feel the same way I liked it when
there was something on the line. But also I've gotten
used now to the fact that it is a pure
exhibition and just go have fun now because it was
sort of a hybrid game before. So I'm okay with it.
You asked me which I prefer. I do like, as
you said, having something on the line. And I will
say that as someone who's been part of broadcast for
(09:06):
the All Star Game, including in the Booth in twenty
fourteen and fifteen, it's a tough game. To broadcast because,
as you mentioned, Joe, there's so many guys, there's so
many changes who are coming and going in the game.
Pitchers tend to go right after hitters. Hitters tend to
swing early in counts. The game moves very quickly with
a lot of players coming and going, so there's not
(09:27):
a lot of time to get into stories. You really
have to be on your toes and just kind of
let things play out. And of course now with Fox
we have many of the players are miked up, and
I think fans have really come to appreciate that it's
good to hear these players and not just learn about them,
but hear them in their own voices. So I like
the All Star Game. Love the All Star Game. I
(09:48):
love the history of it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Like you, Joe, I grew up watching those events, and
back in the day is the only time you got
to see teams players play against each other from different leagues,
and that was cool. But it's a long time ago.
I get it. My question for you, Joe now is
about putting the team together. The manager. Basically, I have
no picks anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
The fans and the players are picking the teams, and
if there's any spots left the Commissioner's office. Will add,
I think they added one player to the National League
roster this year, so there's not a lot the manager picks.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
We can't blame managers anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
But in the picking process, there's always going to be snubs,
right And I realized before we get to the game,
there's pitchers who are not available. Maybe some guys get
hurt and take the break instead of the game, and
the players are added, so some of these snubs will
get added by the time the game comes around. But
my question for you, Joe is should every team be
represented in the All Star Game? You know, I'm thinking
(10:41):
specifically about the Mets edition.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Was Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I'm surprised they didn't pick either Brandon Nemo or Francisco
lindor both to me would have been better picks. But
you've got Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks who's snubbed in
favor of Pete Alonzo because the Mets needed a representative
on the team.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And Christian Walker is a great story. He deserves to
go to the game.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
He's thirty three years old, never been to the All
Star Game before, was released early in his career, and
it has turned out to be a really good player.
It's a long, hard fought journey for him to get there.
I'm sure he's extremely disappointed. Do you think every team
should be represented at the All Star Game?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Well, there's a lot going on there. First of all,
I think Walker's gonna get in somehow, because in a
situation like that, somebody gets injured, and he's the kind
of guy that they'll they'll just throw in there at
some point. So if I had a bet, I'm betting
he gets in this game somehow because he does deserve
it and somebody's going to back out or get injured.
I do like everybody being represented in the All Star Game.
I do, But I also like everybody wearing their own
(11:37):
uniforms in the game. That's another phone of contention for
me again, this attempt to make everything the same. It
might be a marketing situation, but I like, I love
when I was with the Angels, Rays and then with
the Cubs. You get to the All Star Game, team
picture shows up and then you see all the Cubbies
or all the Rays or all the Angels in uniform.
(11:57):
I thought that that's what it should be. The bastardization
of uniforms. I'm really not into them. Even the City
Connect stuff. There's that are kind of cool, but a
lot of them are just over the top sci fi
kind of uniforms and resembles when I played for the
YMPA versus the Star Cleaners, which always bothers me. So
Walker gets in. I like representation of each team I do,
(12:19):
and like I said, even like I remember the times
that I've done it, there's guys that probably are deserving
that don't get voted in, but somehow get in. There's
always going to be an exception, but for the most part,
you get guys in based on people back in out,
et cetera. So that would be my bet there. So
the manager's duties when I was doing it, there was
a lot of phone calls, a lot of phone calls
talking to different managers about their pictures, utilizing them or
(12:43):
not utilizing them. I remember calling Acito Gostin about Howiday's
starting him that kind of stuff, and how do you
feel about this? And would you tell him that for
me and ask him. There was a lot of phone
calls going on. The manager like anything else in today's
game compared to back then, the manager had much more autonomy,
much more going on now that's pretty much been taken
(13:04):
away from him, and everybody else wants to do it,
So there's a difference with all of that. So anyhow,
manager of duties have decreased incredibly. The fact that the
game doesn't count really causes you to breathe differently when
you walk into building on that day. So I do
miss but anyain, let me just I know the other point.
You already brought it up. All Star games. When we
were growing up, man, at one time. People don't realize
(13:26):
there was two All Star Games in one year, and
it wasn't for a long period of time, but there was.
But the All Star Game was a big deal, and
it was they were playing for nothing except that the
National leaguers did not want to lose the the American
leaguers and vice versa. And it was great, it was
absolutely great, and and I could not miss any of them,
and I wanted to see all of them. And you're
(13:46):
glued to the TV because it wasn't this ubiquitous nature
of watching games and seeing everybody all the time like
we have right now. It's kind of a special moment.
So there's so many differences obviously between then and now,
but even though the game didn't count, it counted to
those playing back in the way earlier versions of the
All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Yeah, I agree with you, but I have to say this, Joe.
The game is still great.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I mean, it is still by far the best of
any sports all Star games.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Players do play it at a very hot question.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I mean, I understand nobody's taking four or five at
bats the way they used to. Nobody's pitching, you know,
a second ending, nevermind three, But when they get out
there on the mound, they're bringing it. Man. It is
really I like it because, like I said, pitchers go
right after hitters. You're going to see the very best
of pitcher versus batter matchups. And these guys have pride.
(14:38):
You know, it's not pride in terms of winning for
the league, but it's pride for your family, for your team,
for yourself matched up against the very best. So I
think the level of competition is amazing in the All
Star Game. Yeah, there's not a lot on the line
in terms of home field advantage or league pride, but
I'm amazed at the level of competition just right now.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
It's player to player pride, and I like that.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
It's almost like a showcase event. I get it, yep,
but I what you mentioned already written that down. How
about an NBA All Star Game or an NFL no
All Star game. The Pro Bowl was also something I
used to dig on, and even the NBA games I did,
but that is really evolved into, you know, again showing us,
you know, what people think of these games or what
(15:23):
the athletes actually do. And and I agree with you,
the baseball players might take it more seriously, but it's
still it's a watered down version of the sport in
that moment. There's it's the pitchers go out there, they
throw their inning, they throw as hard as they can,
like they try to do during the regular season. I know,
I get all that, but at least, like you said,
and I agree, it's the last vestage of any All
Star performance. I think hockey is even somewhat different now
(15:46):
because these contact sports, they really don't want to get
hurt in these in these contact sports right now, So
it's different. It's just different. I like the idea of
the game, County man, I do. I like the idea,
and then you're really going to see some stuff going
on out there. And you're right, how about the days
when guys with throw they started with throw three innings.
He's starting all start pitcher with throw three innings, and
(16:08):
he was absolutely wanted to throw three innings, and sometimes
I think was even more than that on occasion. So
there's listen. I'm not trying to live in the past
by any means. I'm just saying it was. It was
interesting and even I was looking at like an old
video of you know, some of the days gone by
and the iconic players. It's different teams. Players did with
one team forever and you could identify with that team
(16:31):
in the city. There were so many things going on
that I think we're missing, and it comes right down
to guys staying with one team for a period of
time and actually retiring. More guys did that, and it
was an identification with teams and fan bases. That's another
subject completely, but it all reminds me of everything you're
talking about right now.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
The last couple of thoughts quick thoughts on the All
Star Game. I don't like the word snub because I'm
like you, Joe, there's probably some of these guys are
going to get added. In our society in general, we
focus way too much on the negative on what's wrong
rather than what's right. But for lack of a better word,
I do have to at least recognize players I think
deserve to be at the All Star Game who as
of right now, are not on the rosters. Start with
(17:11):
Bryce Terrang Milwaukee. Brewer is one of the most improved
players in baseball. He's actually in the top four of
the National League in wins above replacement, and the players
as the backup second baseman picked Luis Ares. You know,
I think the players are still looking at batting average,
but Terrang has had the much better year.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
There should be a way to get him on the roster.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And you know, I mentioned the Alonso Walker trade off
in the National League because of getting a Mets representative.
The same similar kind of thing happened in the American
League eat Zach Parades was the Raised representative. So there's
no Jordan Westburg and there's no Josh Smith. I just
wanted to recognize those guys of having really truly All
Star quality seasons and hopefully there's a way to get
(17:52):
those those.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Players to the game.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And as you mentioned, typically the things happen where they
do get there, and I hope that's the case. Finally
a question for you, Joe, And there's been something of
a controversy about this.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Paul Skeens was named a National League All Star.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
He has ten starts, and you've got a guy like
Jake Irvin of the Washington National has been out there
sixteen seventeen times in the top five in the league
in era.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Can a guy go to the All Star Game?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
He's going to wind up going as a starting pitcher
with the fewest innings at the All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
I'm actually okay with it.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Again, this is the celebration of the sport and the
best talent in the sport, and to me, Paul Skeens
is In that conversation, I realized it's only ten starts.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
He'll have an eleventh before the All Star Game.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
In nineteen seventy six, Mark Fidrich had eleven starts and
he started the game for the American League. Who didn't
want to see Mark fidericks the All Star Game in
nineteen seventy six and Paul Skeens, I'm not saying it's
Fidrich Mania, but he's sort of in that category. He's
won a handful of pitchers that you will buy a
ticket because you want to go see him pitch. So listen,
(18:57):
are there guys like Jake Irvin who have better quote
unquote numbers. Paul Skeenes is the first pitcher in baseball
history to have his first ten starts to go undefeated
with more than seventy strikeouts. So yes, I'm perfectly fine,
and I think he deserves to go to the All
Star Game. This is not just about, you know, the
fact that he is a popular pitcher.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I think he's actually earned it besides being very popular.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
I agree, I totally agree with that. I also believe
the Pirates are holding their breath. I would bet that
people in the Pirate front office don't like that situation.
It's like when you send different guys at the home
run derby and everybody holds their breath. No, he deserves it.
It's a different level. Like you said, he's a draw.
It's what the fans want to see. Urban has pitched well.
I agree, but quite frankly, they part of the All
(19:44):
Star Game is to put to you know, the ones
where they have the greatest amount of glow that people
really want to see, and he does. I watch him pitch.
I really I'm not sold on the armstroke. Yet it's
a little bit funky, and I would be somewhat concerned futuristically,
but to this point, I mean that stuff. Gosh, that
splitter was whatever the heck he wants to call it,
(20:05):
coming off his fastball, and his command is so good
and his arm is so busy behind him, and that's
what I'm talking about. So there's a lot going on
there with him. Yes, I think he deserves it. I
don't think it's just a fluffy thing putting him out
there for whatever different reason. He's that good. From what
I'm saying, he is that good. And again, these other
guys are going to get opportunities. People are going to
back up. The pirates are probably going to pitch Skeins
(20:28):
on a Saturday or Sunday so he can't pitch in
the All Star Game. I would absolutely believe that possibly
to be true. So all there's a lot of manipulation
is left to be done, and they'll be done. So
but your question was, is he deserved to be there?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
And I say yes, I agreed with you one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
We're going to take a quick break here on the
Book of Joe podcast and we get back when good
pitchers and players do dumb things, weird injuries.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
We'll talk about that right after this, Joe.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
A lot of people might not know this, but in
a lot of ballparks, behind the dugout you might find
something like a punching bag for players.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
To get out there frustration.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And I've seen it over the years where usually there's
also a toilet that's behind the dugout. And back in
the day they were made of porcelain, like most toilets,
until so many of them got smashed to pieces. Now
they're mostly stainless steel. But it brings up the story
of Colton Brewer a picture for the Cubs who punched
the dugout wall. Now, who's smart enough to use his
(21:40):
non throwing hand, his left hand. But still, you know
you're gonna be out for six to eight weeks. You
can't catch a ball, you can't field your position, You're
of no use. There's been a lot of weird injuries, Joe,
over the years. You know, things like Marty Cordova, the Twins.
Back in two thousand and two, we went into a
tanning bed and fell asleep.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
He literally burned.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
His face, and the doctor's orders were you got to
stay out of the sun now for a while. That's
pretty tough to do for a ballplayer, right, So he
went on the il I'm wondering if you've had players
who've done things like this, whether out of frustration or
just sheered bad luck.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Oh yeah, absolutely, this generation is there's nothing creative about
all this. I believe it was Johnny Orton, great catcher,
Jos still working, I think in the White Sox organization.
I love Johnny O. Johnny O's one but the best
receivers I've ever been around. I believe it was him
that after punch out, he took his might of him
him or Dante hit took his helmet and put his
(22:39):
helmet on his hand and then lunched the dugout wall,
thinking that the helmet would absorb the blow. But it didn't.
It did not. It's the break still occurs. So that happened.
I think it was j or Bisheer. Could have been
both of them. Then a picture in Double A in
the Texas leagu Rafael Piemantel great arm, great arm after
a game in Opasso. And for those of you that
(22:59):
may be listening that have been to El Paso, the
Dudley Dome God would have highlight court dis guise as
a baseball field or vice versa. We got beaten a
pretty big game. He went in there and appsolutely destroyed
a toilet with a bat. Oh my god. And that's
the thing is, these guys got to you know, He's
got to pay for stuff like that eventually. So yes,
I've seen a lot of guys do things under circumstances
(23:21):
where they get upset, punching walls or punching inside of
batting helmets into walls and beating up on toilets. It's
nothing unusual. Water coolers take the brunt of a lot
of this stuff. Paul O'Neill was very good at that,
all kinds of stuff. But yeah, that's in the punching bag.
We had it in Anaheim. This goes back to the
earlier days. Jimmy Abbott kind of dug on that, and
(23:43):
so did my man, Timmy Belcher Belch one of the
best baseball teammates and history of the game. Love Tim Belcher. Man.
All these guys needed some kind of an outlet at
different moments. So we was brought up. We need a big,
heavy bag. Heavy bag was hanging in the steps down
below the dugout in Anaheim for that purpose, which I'm
(24:06):
okay with. I mean, that's good because these guys get upset, man,
and they need some kind of a release. So you
want to make it as safe as possible. You'd like
to think that you wouldn't, but gosh, I mean, these
guys are really competitive. They care a lot about what
they do, and so sometimes this outlet is necessary. So
whatever we can do to make it a safer like
(24:26):
a safe room of sorts. But I'm here to tell you, man,
it gets loud and it's scary sometimes because guys get upset.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
And they can get hurt, even when celebrating. It's not
just being frustrated.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Chris Coglan was a guy you had with the Cubs
when he was with the Marlins. You know, back in
the day. You probably remember this when pieing one of
the players was a thing. You know, you say out
the shaving cream pie and you smashed it in the
dude's face. Well, Wes Helms and the Marlins had a
walk off hit and it was Chris Coglin who was
in charge of the pie that night. So he comes
out to smash him in the face for the pie
(25:02):
and he did it with so much much enthusiasm he
tore his meniscus.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I didn't know that one.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Yeah, a great story of maybe not a great but
Lance McCullers was injured during an Astro's celebration when somebody
popped the cork of a champagne bottle and it went
right into his elbow.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
I remember hearing about that. I do remember hearing about that.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And then remember Devin Williams with the Brewers they won
the NL Central, the usual you know, party going on
in the clubhouse, spraying champagne and maybe drinking a little
bit too much of it. Later that day he admitted
he drank too much. I got frustrated over something, punched
the wall and was unavailable for the next series.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
In the postseason, be careful celebrating.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, Kendrey Morales, right, he jumped on home plate, home running.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Kendrew Morales broke his leg jumping on home plate.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Absolutely, I was gonna say it reminds me a great
story with Derek Jeter. You remember, of course, watching probably
the mister November home run, the walk off home run
in the playoffs, right right on November one, Jeter jumps
on home plate, walk off at Yankee Stadium, and this
is in two thousand and one in the World Series.
And then I remember watching him go out to his
(26:14):
position for the Game seven in the last inning, and
he's hobbling around and Jeter had fallen into the stands
chasing the fly ball against Oakland early in that postseason,
and I could tell he looked compromise. And there was
a wild throw by Mariette Rivera he couldn't catch, just
couldn't stretch too far enough for it. So I thought
he had hurt his hip or something falling in the stands.
I remember asking Derek, and Derek was always he'd always
(26:36):
give you the same answer. If there was something that
looked wrong with him, he would say, was I out
there playing?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
That means I'm fine.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
He would never concede any sort of physical compromise anyway.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I asked him so many times.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Over over the years about that play in Game seven
of the World Series. Turns out, when he did his
documentary just a couple of years ago, he actually admitted
he pulled the Kendre Morales when he jumped on a
home plate when he hit that famous Mister November home
run World Series.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
He actually hurt his foot.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I'm not sure if something was broken there, but he
finally admitted and this is like two decades later that
he hurt his foot.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Jumping on home plate on that famous home run.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Yeah, I mean that became a thing, and you know,
front offices really wanted you to come down on that,
really discourage that. All this celebration. It's just a freak moment.
You brought it up. It's a freak moment. We're always
trying to guard against any kind of accident, and that's
what an accident is. Even sometimes the most innocuous moment
(27:37):
can turn out to be something Kendrick jumping up on
Hope plate and of course what Derek did. It's hard
to protect against everything. The punching a wall is different.
I think you don't really want to include that in
your routine regarding when things aren't going well. But it
is fluke. It does happen, happens to everyone, and it's unfortunate.
(27:58):
But yes, cut down on the really dumb things like
hitting walls, but other things are just gosh, it's just
the world's rotating. At that moment, you land wrong and
all of a sudden, it's because you jumped up a
little bit what you do all the time. Home Plates
could be tricky though. Home plates could be slippery. You
could get your spike and get caught. There's all that stuff.
So we had meetings to try to discourage that, and
(28:20):
for the most part, I think they've gotten away from that.
They kind of walk across home plate as opposed to
jumping on it.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I love the idea of meeting is to be careful
around home plate.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Yeah, I mean, it was like, honestly, God, it's like,
come on, guys, I get it. You know, I want
you to celebrate. I'm all about celebration, as you know.
And so it's one of those things that I just
try to be smart about it. It's just like your kids.
I mean, you got to watch your kids all the time,
and the biggest thing about raising any kid is to
keep them from hurting themselves. That's the main objective as
a parent.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Hey, Joe, I got one we can all relate to,
at least those of us old enough to remember DVDs.
Remember how DVDs were packaged in a shrink wrap and
they were like impossible to get off. Remember that he
actually started inventing a tool to open the darn thing.
It was the most incredible invention ever by man, the
(29:11):
way they shrunk wrap DVD's, so it was like impossible
to get those darn things open. So there was a
picture named Adam Eaton who was going through the same thing,
got himself a new DVD, can't wait to bust it
out and play it on this DVD player. Can't get
the darn thing open, so he grabs a knife to
open it. You know what happens next, stabs himself, stitches
(29:33):
can't make.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
His next start.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
We can all relate to that, those of us old
enough to remember DVDs.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Did you ever see the episode of Curb when Larry
David goes nuts on a something wrapped in packaging hard plastic?
He does He takes a knife out on the kitchen
counter and starts stabbing at this thing to open it.
It's hysterical only because we've all done that, and that's
we've all done that. So the DVD rap a little
bit somewhat easier to get into than that. But check
(30:00):
out the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry used to
start stabbing this plastic container that they wrap around like
tools and things. That is absolutely impossible to open, and
you're just encouraging somebody to get hurt.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
A couple more quick ones for you.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Wade Bogs Hall of Famer ones through his back out
putting on his cowboy boots. Famous one was in nineteen ninety.
I'm sure you probably heard about Glenn Allen Hill had
a nightmare. Now he had arachnophobia, fear of spiders. So
he has a nightmare about spiders. So he starts sleepwalking
(30:36):
out of fear with his dream about spiders, runs into
a glass table in his house, shatters the table and
now he's crawling on hands and knees to get away
from the spiders, and there's glass shards all over the place,
and he winds up cutting up his knees and elbows
and can't play iraq nophobia nightmare.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
That's extreme. I know, Glenn Allen he was listen. That's
one of the strongest humans ever to play the game
with baseball. Great guys. There's a video of him hitting
that home un across the street on the roof. Oh yeah,
in Chicago. Oh my god. It's like the moment it's hit,
you know it's going to be the part of the stormer.
You've ever seen in your life. But that is unfortunate.
It's funny but not funny. But that's it. I mean,
(31:19):
different things happen. We all have our different hang ups, foibles,
whatever you want to call them. But we try to
protect as much as we can, but it's absolutely impossible
to protect completely.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
How about Vince Coleman. This is a sad one too.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
He turned out to be okay, but I mean listening
got he got run over by an automated tarp. Right,
First of all, an automated tarp? Really do we really
need that? But starts raining at the old Bush Stadium
turf field. Here comes the tarp. Coleman's out there doing
some pregame stretching, gets a run over and wrenches his
knee and can't play in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
I remember that guy was His whole game was about speed.
His whole game was about speed. Remember that? Well, Vince
another good guy? Yes again, how do you protect against
all of this stuff?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, Vince Calemill, by the way, was also the same guy,
and you can relate to this Joe. He's got a
new golf club in the clubhouse, so he starts swinging
the golf club in the clubhouse and he smacks DWIGHTE.
Goodin in the shoulder good and can't make his next start.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
But Rocco Follmer brat Fulmer was a big batswinger in
the clubhouse. He smoked somebody I can't remember who, but
we had to talk about it. Call him Rocco. Rocco,
do not swing your bat in the clubhouse. Guys would
do that kind of stuff. I mean, they get so
wrapped up. Really, you have to understand when these guys
get in like this, this freaky zone where they don't
(32:44):
see or know anything that's going on around them. And
that's exactly what happened to Brad. Great guy, loved him,
big part of the Angels winning the World Series the
two thousand and two. But he was a bad swinger
in the clubhouse. Please, all your kids listening, never do that.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
I got one more for you. This is one of
my favorites. Dennis Martinez remember him president?
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Oh yeah, yeah, I think he's.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
With the Expos at the time.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Back in the day, you know a lot of players
have to actually carry their own luggage to the team bus.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
How dare they?
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:13):
I know the idea today of doing that, forget it.
So he's taking his luggage out to the bus and
he goes to throw it in the bin and he
hurts his shoulder. This is a picture throwing his luggage
out of the team bus hurts his shoulder. The best
part is the Expos said he went on the il
with a case of samsonitis.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
That's really good. I never heard that. That is outstanding.
I want to meet the man that coined that phrase.
He and I could work together very well. That's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
I think that was Rich Griffin, who was the old
PR director for the expos. He was also the one
with Dennis Martinez was matched up against another picture might
have been Pedro Martinez. He called it was an afternoon game.
He called it a too Martinez is lunch.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
That's good stuff, man, But samonitis is hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Samsonitis. That's air ful of samsonitis.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Beautiful.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Mante Hey, we're gonna take a quick break.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
I promised you we would talk about a very cool
car that Joe and I both have in common. We'd
love to see come back someday. We'll talk about that
car when we get back on the book of Joe.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Joe, you're a big time car guy. How many cars
do you have these days?
Speaker 3 (34:35):
I hate to say it, I'm just so pretentious. Up
in my garage my firehouse. I bought a firehouse in
Wolfsburg to store my stuff. It's a storage unit and
a car storage unit. Right now, there's six up there here.
I got Demand seven, Tahoe, eight, Chavelle nine. I think
it's nine or ten right now. There are some pretty
(34:57):
cool old cars. I mean, ranging from a fifty six
bel Air which is absolutely quick. The guy that build
out was in Phoenix did a great job with it.
My Chevelle. Joey was driving my Chevelle around yesterday day
before that. I have bob Aloo and blazon on the
back of my van. I have the cal State Fullerton
because my buddy Dug's leavette when in nineteen seventy six
(35:19):
years to drive me to practice at cal State Fullerton
when I first signed with the Angels in a nineteen
seventy six Dodge van and I was in search of
that thing for one hundred years. So I finally found
one on Craigslist. I found it on Craigslist of all things,
out of this little town outside of Pittsburgh. About it
at least ten years ago. And it's running. It's running
really well. Right now. I'm trying to get it tuned
(35:41):
up and set it up properly, and it finally getting
to that point. But yeah, I got some neat stuff
right up to my Hellcat. So yeah, I'm I. I
like bass cars when as a kid I could never
afford a new one. I didn't have my first new
car until I was twenty seven years old. I think
when I signed to scout and be a minor league
(36:02):
manager with the Angels, I was in Boulder, Colorado, and
that was the year they were giving them away. They're
le Ayacoca. They were giving those K cars away. I
think were K car was a TP TC three, little
Plymouth thing that I got. That was my first new car.
So I've always been infatuated with cars. My buddy Kas
and I used to drive around Hazelton and then Chevelle's
(36:23):
three ninety six and a three fifty three ninety six
with cal induction and ever since that was love at
first shift. You know, this Hazelton was a big Cadillac town,
a big Lincoln town. Used to be an argument which
is the better big car to own? So listen, it's
embedded and blazoned in my mind. I'm into it. I
don't apologize for it. I kind of love them.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I love the fact that you're a manager with a
starting nine of cars or ten if you count a DH.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
So that's very.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Cool, I guess I do.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
But I'm going to give you two words that are
just gonna make you smile. I know when it comes
to cars. Vista Cruiser. Oh yeah, I mean think about
the Vista Cruiser did something that it's really sort of impossible.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
It made the station wagon cool.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Now, I know station wagons are gone right there, Dinosaurs,
I got one.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I know you got one.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I'm talking about production these days or the last two decades,
if you will. Uh, there's no way there's been any
minivan which basically replaced the station wagon that's been cool.
And there is no way that there is any s
u V which has replaced the minivan pretty much that
is cool.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
The Vista Cruiser made the station wagon cool.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
It is one of the most most incredible achievements in
the history of automobiles.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
If I can exaggerate a little bit.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
How many how many little windows are there up on top?
There is it?
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Thirteen thirteen?
Speaker 3 (37:50):
Yeah? People, these extra windows.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
You had the skylight. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Actually the inspiration Vista Cruiser was the observation cars on Amtrak,
and they thought, you know what, let's pile all the
kiddies in the car and everybody will have a quote
unquote Vista to look out on these long car rides,
because that's how you went on vacation. You didn't take
a plane to go on vacation. You piled in the
(38:17):
station wagon and you played games in the back of
the car and you were able to look out the
window and see everything. Thirteen ten windows around that Vista Cruiser.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Well, the Volkswagen bus came out with something, or they
think they might have been before that, like it was
twenty some windows on a I can't remember exactly number
on the Volkswagen bus for a bit, although I have
been in. I mean, Volkswagen buses are cool and all
that kind of stuff, but they're to drive them to
go somewhere. It's paint takingly, slow and annoying, but they're
they're absolutely cool looking. My van is a seventy six
(38:51):
Dodge and it could keep up the speed on a freeway.
My station wagon is an eighty five Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
in it's not standing. I just drove with the Florida
Back eighty five, great air conditioning. I put a Bluetooth
stereo system in it. It's extremely comfortable. It's got kind
of like that blurre seating that's never too cold, never
too hot, and steers and drives really well. Actually I
(39:11):
got a speeding ticket in Virginia going down to I
was very proud of that. Actually, the cop we got
together and I admit it. I was wrong. And so
I got a speeding ticket in my station Wagon driving
from Hazleton to Tampa last winter. I thought that was
kind of a badge of honor for that particular car.
But it's wonderful. It's a three h five, I think,
(39:33):
with a Ford barrow, and it really drives well. So listen.
Convenience wise, the tailgate opens up both ways like a
door and then just straight out. The seat does face
backward in the back, but it is it's truly a
comfortable vehicle. I and and if you're going to load
stuff and unload stuff, it's so much lower to pull
things in and out of. I I listen, they've come
(39:54):
up with similar things, like the Dodge wasn't magnum a
couple of years ago. I like the Ford Flex a
little bit. It has that kind of a groove to it,
so it makes sense and it's very very easy to
transport stuff. Again, I think you know that there's been
an attempts, attempts to do bring back old cars in
new ways. You know, the Camaro I thought failed. I
thought the Challenger they nailed it. The charger is not
(40:16):
really as good. So I'd love to see somebody's depiction
or bringing to life an actual station wagon with all
the amenities of today that actually feels and works and
looks like a station wagon. Now, that would be cool.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Yeah, I think they are doing that with the VW
Bus that you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah, they are the iteration to that. It looks pretty cool.
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
But you're right, the Vista Cruiser or the Custom Cruiser
would blow the doors off a VW Bus, not even close.
The original car had a jet fire rocket V eight
with two ninety horse power.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
You could get it even hard at that thing. I'm
telling you.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
If you thought you had a muscle car and you
pulled up at a light next to a Vista Cruiser and
you think you're going to just leave the guy in
the dust.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
No, the reverse, this is going to happen. That thing
could move.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
You could get hurt there. The other the other my
one of my most favorite vehicles that I have is
a nineteen ninety four fifty four SS Chevy pickup. I
was in uh So with the Rays. I was in
Port Charlotte and put to Gordon, and I thought I
needed a truck. So there was a bunch of several
like used old classic kind of used car lots around
(41:26):
that area. Was on a round forty one right Highway
forty one. So I'm driving down there and I just
pulling this place and I look in the back and
all of a sudden, I see this pickup sitting back there.
And I didn't even realize to what extent how valuable
these trucks were and how unique they were, and the
fact that there wasn't that many produced. I go back
there and I drive this thing. Damn, it's like a
it's a four fifty four. You know, it's really high
(41:47):
torque in the front end. It's really a light thing.
So once you get it going, it goes, it goes. Man.
So I bought it, and recently I had it totally
redone by this my son's friend out in Arizona with
this new deep black paint job and they redid the interior.
It's all original, but it's just it's been pricked up
a little bit. I love driving this vehicle. It is
the most comfortable, greater air conditioning, tremendous sound system. I
(42:11):
love this thing. And it's just talking about I need
to go take it out of the garage and drive
this around a little bit. It is, it sits high,
it's just and like I said, it's a kind of
a collector's item right now. The original sticker price was
eighteen thousand on it. Because the sticker is still in
the glove box. The original one you could get anywhere
from you know, thirty to forty to fifty thousand dollars
for these cars, these trucks anymore based on the shape.
(42:33):
And furthermore, it's only got sixty sixty one sixty two
thousand miles on it original from nineteen ninety. Loved this vehicle.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
So I am a Vista Cruiser kid growing up. I'm
also one of eight kids. Wow, So it was rare
for all ten of us to go anywhere at the
same time. But when we could go as a group
anywhere it was piling into the Vista Cruiser. Now this was,
as you mentioned, the cloth seats show. The other option
(43:01):
which we had was what they called moroc vinyl. Yes,
and man, that was smoking hot in the summer. But
what I remember is, you know, it was an older car,
Vista Cruiser, and there was something wrong with the front seat.
Of course, it was not the bucket seats, the coach
style seats all the way across, and the driver had
(43:22):
to have the seat propped up by a baseball bat
that was wedged behind him. So if you were sitting
in the second row, you had to climb over the
baseball bat to get in. But as kids, it was
always a fight to see who would sit in what
we called the way back, right the third row. I
got the way back, and you know it was the
smart ones were the ones who called that quickly enough,
and that included coming home. You had to do two things,
(43:44):
call the way back and call the first shower, because
you know, eight kids taking showers after going to the beach.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
If your last is it's not gonna be any hot
water left for you.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
So what memories of that Vista Cruiser being able to
handle us going back and forth in that car. But
the coolest part for me was always the way back.
Always wanted to sit in the way back.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
And you survived how many times you put that seat
belt on on the way back.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
There were no seat belts, Joe, there were no seat belts.
I think the fact that we were wedged in so
closely made it actually safe.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
You know, it was such an incredible time when we
think about it. You never wear a helmet when you
rode your bike. You never strapped into a seat belt.
And at that time, the dashboards were a lot right
prior to that, the dashboards were made out of metal.
Like if you see my I got this fifty nine
oh Camino and my fifty six belt Air, the dashboard
(44:35):
is absolutely beautifully painted metal. And there was never a
consideration they come to a quick stop. You know, there's
kids flying all over cars, and you know sometimes like
you know, your your mom or your dad might be
able to throw the arm out there in time they
keep you in that seat. But you never even thought
about it. You never did. It's incredible, it's incredible. Read listen.
(44:56):
I'm an advocate. I'm a big seat belt user. I
love seatbelts. I think it's great. But at the time, man,
we had no concern, no concern about that. At least
you would have like put a helmet on a kid
when they got in a car. But nothing, you know,
we just and you're bouncing all over the place. You're
very annoying to your parents. They're always threatening you as
you're driving somewhere to knock that off, and to pull over.
(45:18):
Don't make me pull over, don't make me stop. All
those things, man, hysterical.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
The Vista Cruiser well done. First one was nineteen sixty four.
I think the last one was, yeah, seventy seventy seven. Yeah,
nineteen seventy seven.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm going to look into that now.
You got me, You got me, because that is a
beautiful vehicle. You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
And Builton, Michigan, good old US made and did about
thirteen fourteen miles per gallon.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
That's a lot. I was talking about my four fifty
four that gets about ten miles to a gallon. My van,
I don't even know if it gets that much. That's
a three sixty. So listen, I know, I know a
lot of people are gonna be disturbed with all that.
And you want me to buy an electric car. I
really like to hear my car when I'm driving it
or my truck.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I love that too.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
I mean, like I said, you can get a faux
sound for your electric vehicle, but not the same I know,
no thing. No, the sticker price back in the day
and today's dollars would be about thirty thousand.
Speaker 2 (46:17):
Dollars, okay, which is not bad.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
I'd do it.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
I think it went for about five thousand back then.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Absolutely, I would do it in a heartbeat. If they
came out with the new wagon that had all the
stuff going on, that would be my next purchase. Like
you said, I mean, we talked about this. No more
Sadansby and built the United States. Correct. Correct, the Melbow
was the last one. And I really like when I'm
driving around. Like yesterday, I drove down to Bethlehem, took
my grandson ice skating down at the ice drink at
steel they called Steel City Ice Creak. That's right next
(46:43):
to the old Bethlem Steel plant. And if you've never
seen that, you got to check it out. It looks
like something out of an apocalyptic movie. They do a
lot of concerts and stuff down there. Really lehigh University
up on hill. I took him to Sea Loafayette two
beautiful really and I don't know if I remember ever
seeing that before, but the wonderful drive. And to be
able to do a drive like that in a refurbished,
(47:07):
brand new, air conditioned, great sound system thing that looks
like a Vista Cruiser of days gone by. Sign me
up because everything else looks the same. We've talked about this.
I'm driving back paying attention. Everybody's in the SUVs. There
was a couple foreign make sedan's going by us, whatever,
but everything is the same. I would dig on that.
(47:29):
I'd wonder what the actual desires would be of the
American public, but that would be something I would really
be into.
Speaker 1 (47:37):
Highlight and automative design. Olsmobile made a cool station wagon.
Why not tap into that vibe someway in today's market?
Speaker 3 (47:46):
Love it?
Speaker 1 (47:47):
I mean, Joe, it's time for you to take us
home here to close out this edition of the Book
of Joe.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
What do you got for us this week?
Speaker 3 (47:53):
You nailed it. You nailed it. You're talking about this
the original concepts, these old cars that are timeless. They
they never go out of style. I love universality. I
love timeless kind of components, whether you talk about the
composers of ancient times back Betoven, whatever, or the more
present composers with the beatles or the stones, whomever. The
(48:16):
timeless kind of stuff that never gets sold, that'll be
on old these stations one hundred years from now. But
this is from Herman Melville, and I love this quote
and it speaks to everything we've talked about in baseball too,
and you're talking about in cars and just society in general.
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed
in imitation. That's it. I mean, I've talked about saying
(48:36):
this and everybody wanting to be the same and everybody
copying everybody else's ways. I love this, and you know
the prescient I mean, how does Melville think about this
back in the day. You know, he's writing Mobi Dick
and all this other stuff. But it's better to fail
in originality than to succeed in imitation. I cannot agree
with that more.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
That is so important, because sometimes I think we lose
sight of that because we do want to copy so
much in the society. And I would think good old
harm would probably turn in as manuscript for more Moby
Dick these days, and they turn it back to him
and say, shorten it.
Speaker 3 (49:07):
It's too long, right right, like a brother version of
the Book of Joe.
Speaker 2 (49:14):
That man, that's a lot of fun. Joe. Let's do
it again.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Thank you, Tommy, have a great week and have a
great All Star Game two YouTube Bye bye bye.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Hey thereon welcome Back, You have found The Book of
Joe Podcast with Me, Tom Berducci, and of course Joe
Medden and Joe.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
We have a lot to talk about right now.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We're going to talk about injuries, like freak injuries because
Colton Brewer the Cubs got me thinking about this. He
broke his non pitching hand in frustration punching a dugout wall.
We're going to get into that. We're going to get
into one of the coolest cars ever made, and I
think both Joe and I have personal connections to the model.
(00:49):
But Joe, we have to start with the All Star Game.
It's coming up All Star Week next week, and I
would love to get on this podcast a guest who
has actually managed both the American League and the National
League in the All Star Game. They've only been ten
guys in the history of baseball who've managed both the
American League and National League team in the All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Joe, you know anybody who can get on with that
kind of experience.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
That would be very interesting. I think if we could
actually nail that one down. The fact that two different
leagues at that time, separately different set of rules. I think, yeah,
both games counted or did the second game not count
regarding did not right, the second one did not count
regarding World Series home court advantage, that kind of stuff. Yeah,
I think that'd be a great idea.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, well, if you know anybody from Hailton, PA with
that kind of experience, especially, that would be Hey, wait
a second. Of course we're talking about Jovin Street. He
has done it along with Sparky Anderson. I mean this
is these are luminaries, folks, Sparky Anderson, Dusty Baker, Yogi Bera,
Bruce Bochi's going to do it this year and join you,
Alvin Dark, Tony LaRussa, Jim Leland, Joe McCarthy, and Dick Williams. Well,
(02:02):
of course, you earn that honor by winning the Pennance,
and Joe is one of only ten to do it
in both leagues. And Joe, listen, I don't know what
your first one was like, but the players and managers
I've talked to have gone to the All Star Game
for the first time talk about that moment when they
walk into the clubhouse where it kind of hits you
(02:24):
that just the stars of stars that you're sharing this
clubhouse with, that you're part of this exclusive club, and
something about the physical nature of getting all those stars
in one room and you are a part of it.
I've heard the same story from a lot of guys
that really hits them. What was it like for you
first time All Star game?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
That's very prescient, It's true, first All Star game. I
don't remember the exact order of things, but I do
remember having to be the lead guy as President Obama
walks in the clubhouse, having a Greek President Obama, and
then he filters through the entire clubhouse and walks out
the other door. So you know, you take the lead obviously,
I had to point. I mean, there was not a
(03:04):
lot of interference with anything. I set the pitching set,
the lineup, set everything. It was able to pick the
replacement players. I remember choosing Sehn Figgins a little controversial
at that time, but I thought Figgy deserved and I
had been with them before. And sometimes, you know, the
spoils do go to the victors. Guys that you've had
in the past sometimes can get the opportunity to play
before somebody that you've not had. Just quite frankly, but anyway,
(03:27):
it was all these little, the little nuanced stuff. I also,
people don't realize this, but at that time there was
that controversy right before that regarding the All Star when
the game ended up in a tie, and I eventually
became something that mattered. And I had already set Royalitay
up for just one inning, and I had I had
spoken to all my pitchers in the outfield the day
before in the workout, went to every guy, told them
(03:49):
what they're going to do, what their role was. And
then all of a sudden, I get worried that the
commissioner wants me to pitch them two innings, just like
the Charlie was doing in the nationally because he was
concerned about running out of pitchers. But I had Wakefield
set up for extra innings regardless, and that could have
been ten innings and he would have been fine. So
that was part of that. That whole, the whole thing
that happened there is the fact that I had everything
(04:10):
set that I had to unset it. Okay, So that's
number one. We're two the lock in the clubhouse and
having to address the entire team, and I remember specifically
looking around there and Derek Jeter sitting in front of
me and among among others, all the Yankees and stuff,
and I remember telling them, this is a very daunting
experience for me, having to stand here and address all
(04:32):
of you guys. And I'm not only addressing the best
players in the United States, but the best players in
the world, because truly, uh, overall, obviously Major League Baseball
players are the best in the world. We infiltrated from
you know, the Dominican, Latin American of course Asia now,
but overall, the best, the best in the world. So
whenever you're a dressing a group that is the best
(04:54):
in the world, that it can be a little bit daunting.
And I felt that way, and I let them know
that I try to be very open regarding everything I
talk about with these guys, the ones truth sat and
said it at a time and I'll let him know.
And so, yeah, it was all of that a little
bit nervoso before it occurs. I remember getting to Saint
Louis the day before and they gave me this room,
(05:15):
beautiful suite overlooking Bush Stadium right out the window, and
I was, you know, watching all of that, just trying
and Bush Stadium was a big part of my history
in the past, even though this was the new one
and not the old one, because I was a cardinal
fand so there's all that. It said, Saint Louis and
I meet like all the cardinal greats, said, Shanus was there,
lou Brock was there, Whitey was there. All these guys
were there, Gibson was there. It's just overwhelming. So I
(05:38):
had to really pret deeply control myself. But I always
told myself in these moments, don't let it pass too quickly,
slow things down, really see this, take it all in.
And I did. That's it. And of course we won
four to three, so it was and Carl Crawford makes
a big catch, and I go on and on, but
that's it. It's a daunting experience to be the American
League manager of the All Star team.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That's great advice, especially in any kind of big moment
where or you didn't do tend to get caught up
in things emotionally maybe as you mentioned, nervousness, but making
sure you stop and take it all in and absorb,
you know, the good fortune that you have to be
in a situation like that, well earned, of course, but
nevertheless a thrill that not many people get a lot
(06:20):
of people have been in baseball a long time and
never get there. So that was two thousand and nine, Joe, right, correct,
the first time you were there. Yes, And then you
go back in twenty seventeen, and I guess that time
the game did not count as far as an establishing
home field advantage in the World Series?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Was that game? Do you think different? Without anything on
the line? Did it feel different?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah? Absolutely? And just to backtrack a second, that game
in Saint Louis was a National League game. They used
to go in America to National League rules. So I'm
an America League manager playing a National League All Star
game having to win a thing with all these guys
in an attempt to get them into the game.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Boy, that's a messy lightup card to get everybody in
under National League rules.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Brother, I I'm telling you, man, and it's like this.
You know it's happening like this your pitch. That's why
I wanted to pre accept the pitching, which I did,
although I had to give Royaliday an extra inning, but
I had a bump went Days, the pitcher from Colorado
at that time. He was not very happy about that,
but anyway, had to consider all of that stuff. So
the National League rules to me, in an All Star
(07:21):
game that counted not going on. There brother a lot
going on. Then you go to the American League game.
It was also a nationalgu game, but it didn't really
matter at that point because nothing mattered in Miami. It
really didn't matter. It was an exhibition, just like it's
almost like spring training. So there's a different attitude I
felt going into the game. Even from my perspective as
the manager, it was just more making sure that you
(07:43):
didn't you got any as many people as you possibly could.
I don't even know if I got everybody in or
not that night. I know we lost it on a
home run given up by my pitcher at that time,
way Davis. I think Cano hit it to right field.
So it's a different vibe completely. Actually, I kind of
liked the All Star Game counting, I do. I thought
that was a nice change. Did cut up and we're
(08:04):
of an adrenaline flow when you get to that game.
I like the idea of things counting and mattering, So yeah,
it was it was kind of neat. So I did.
And the other game I worked in was two thousand
and three with the in Chicago with the Angel staff.
Because I was the bench coach, I had a lot
of responsibilities in that game too, so she gave me
a lot of stuff to do, and I set up
a lot of different things. And I remember talking to
(08:26):
Hank Blaylock before the game saying be ready to pinch
it right around the time that he pinched it hit
that big home run in Chicago. So there's a lot
going on. So I'm an advocate. I like it. I
like when games counted, when things matter. I think it
really bared down a little bit more. There's there's no
doubt about it. So I would be all right if
that came back into existence.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, I feel the same way I liked it when
there was something on the line. But also I've gotten
used now to the fact that it is a pure
exhibition and just go have fun now because it was
sort of a hybrid game before. So I'm okay with it.
You asked me which I prefer. I do like, as
you said, having something on the line. And I will
say that as someone who's been part of broadcast for
(09:06):
the All Star Game, including in the Booth in twenty
fourteen and fifteen, it's a tough game. To broadcast because,
as you mentioned, Joe, there's so many guys, there's so
many changes who are coming and going in the game.
Pitchers tend to go right after hitters. Hitters tend to
swing early in counts. The game moves very quickly with
a lot of players coming and going, so there's not
(09:27):
a lot of time to get into stories. You really
have to be on your toes and just kind of
let things play out. And of course now with Fox
we have many of the players are miked up, and
I think fans have really come to appreciate that it's
good to hear these players and not just learn about them,
but hear them in their own voices. So I like
the All Star Game. Love the All Star Game. I
(09:48):
love the history of it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Like you, Joe, I grew up watching those events, and
back in the day is the only time you got
to see teams players play against each other from different leagues,
and that was cool. But it's a long time ago.
I get it. My question for you, Joe now is
about putting the team together. The manager. Basically, I have
no picks anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
The fans and the players are picking the teams, and
if there's any spots left the Commissioner's office. Will add,
I think they added one player to the National League
roster this year, so there's not a lot the manager picks.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
We can't blame managers anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
But in the picking process, there's always going to be snubs,
right And I realized before we get to the game,
there's pitchers who are not available. Maybe some guys get
hurt and take the break instead of the game, and
the players are added, so some of these snubs will
get added by the time the game comes around. But
my question for you, Joe is should every team be
represented in the All Star Game? You know, I'm thinking
(10:41):
specifically about the Mets edition.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Was Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I'm surprised they didn't pick either Brandon Nemo or Francisco
lindor both to me would have been better picks. But
you've got Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks who's snubbed in
favor of Pete Alonzo because the Mets needed a representative
on the team.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And Christian Walker is a great story. He deserves to
go to the game.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
He's thirty three years old, never been to the All
Star Game before, was released early in his career, and
it has turned out to be a really good player.
It's a long, hard fought journey for him to get there.
I'm sure he's extremely disappointed. Do you think every team
should be represented at the All Star Game?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Well, there's a lot going on there. First of all,
I think Walker's gonna get in somehow, because in a
situation like that, somebody gets injured, and he's the kind
of guy that they'll they'll just throw in there at
some point. So if I had a bet, I'm betting
he gets in this game somehow because he does deserve
it and somebody's going to back out or get injured.
I do like everybody being represented in the All Star Game.
I do, But I also like everybody wearing their own
(11:37):
uniforms in the game. That's another phone of contention for
me again, this attempt to make everything the same. It
might be a marketing situation, but I like, I love
when I was with the Angels, Rays and then with
the Cubs. You get to the All Star Game, team
picture shows up and then you see all the Cubbies
or all the Rays or all the Angels in uniform.
(11:57):
I thought that that's what it should be. The bastardization
of uniforms. I'm really not into them. Even the City
Connect stuff. There's that are kind of cool, but a
lot of them are just over the top sci fi
kind of uniforms and resembles when I played for the
YMPA versus the Star Cleaners, which always bothers me. So
Walker gets in. I like representation of each team I do,
(12:19):
and like I said, even like I remember the times
that I've done it, there's guys that probably are deserving
that don't get voted in, but somehow get in. There's
always going to be an exception, but for the most part,
you get guys in based on people back in out,
et cetera. So that would be my bet there. So
the manager's duties when I was doing it, there was
a lot of phone calls, a lot of phone calls
talking to different managers about their pictures, utilizing them or
(12:43):
not utilizing them. I remember calling Acito Gostin about Howiday's
starting him that kind of stuff, and how do you
feel about this? And would you tell him that for
me and ask him. There was a lot of phone
calls going on. The manager like anything else in today's
game compared to back then, the manager had much more autonomy,
much more going on now that's pretty much been taken
(13:04):
away from him, and everybody else wants to do it,
So there's a difference with all of that. So anyhow,
manager of duties have decreased incredibly. The fact that the
game doesn't count really causes you to breathe differently when
you walk into building on that day. So I do
miss but anyain, let me just I know the other point.
You already brought it up. All Star games. When we
were growing up, man, at one time. People don't realize
(13:26):
there was two All Star Games in one year, and
it wasn't for a long period of time, but there was.
But the All Star Game was a big deal, and
it was they were playing for nothing except that the
National leaguers did not want to lose the the American
leaguers and vice versa. And it was great, it was
absolutely great, and and I could not miss any of them,
and I wanted to see all of them. And you're
(13:46):
glued to the TV because it wasn't this ubiquitous nature
of watching games and seeing everybody all the time like
we have right now. It's kind of a special moment.
So there's so many differences obviously between then and now,
but even though the game didn't count, it counted to
those playing back in the way earlier versions of the
All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Yeah, I agree with you, but I have to say this, Joe.
The game is still great.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I mean, it is still by far the best of
any sports all Star games.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Players do play it at a very hot question.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I mean, I understand nobody's taking four or five at
bats the way they used to. Nobody's pitching, you know,
a second ending, nevermind three, But when they get out
there on the mound, they're bringing it. Man. It is
really I like it because, like I said, pitchers go
right after hitters. You're going to see the very best
of pitcher versus batter matchups. And these guys have pride.
(14:38):
You know, it's not pride in terms of winning for
the league, but it's pride for your family, for your team,
for yourself matched up against the very best. So I
think the level of competition is amazing in the All
Star Game. Yeah, there's not a lot on the line
in terms of home field advantage or league pride, but
I'm amazed at the level of competition just right now.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
It's player to player pride, and I like that.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
It's almost like a showcase event. I get it, yep,
but I what you mentioned already written that down. How
about an NBA All Star Game or an NFL no
All Star game. The Pro Bowl was also something I
used to dig on, and even the NBA games I did,
but that is really evolved into, you know, again showing us,
you know, what people think of these games or what
(15:23):
the athletes actually do. And and I agree with you,
the baseball players might take it more seriously, but it's
still it's a watered down version of the sport in
that moment. There's it's the pitchers go out there, they
throw their inning, they throw as hard as they can,
like they try to do during the regular season. I know,
I get all that, but at least, like you said,
and I agree, it's the last vestage of any All
Star performance. I think hockey is even somewhat different now
(15:46):
because these contact sports, they really don't want to get
hurt in these in these contact sports right now, So
it's different. It's just different. I like the idea of
the game, County man, I do. I like the idea,
and then you're really going to see some stuff going
on out there. And you're right, how about the days
when guys with throw they started with throw three innings.
He's starting all start pitcher with throw three innings, and
(16:08):
he was absolutely wanted to throw three innings, and sometimes
I think was even more than that on occasion. So
there's listen. I'm not trying to live in the past
by any means. I'm just saying it was. It was
interesting and even I was looking at like an old
video of you know, some of the days gone by
and the iconic players. It's different teams. Players did with
one team forever and you could identify with that team
(16:31):
in the city. There were so many things going on
that I think we're missing, and it comes right down
to guys staying with one team for a period of
time and actually retiring. More guys did that, and it
was an identification with teams and fan bases. That's another
subject completely, but it all reminds me of everything you're
talking about right now.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
The last couple of thoughts quick thoughts on the All
Star Game. I don't like the word snub because I'm
like you, Joe, there's probably some of these guys are
going to get added. In our society in general, we
focus way too much on the negative on what's wrong
rather than what's right. But for lack of a better word,
I do have to at least recognize players I think
deserve to be at the All Star Game who as
of right now, are not on the rosters. Start with
(17:11):
Bryce Terrang Milwaukee. Brewer is one of the most improved
players in baseball. He's actually in the top four of
the National League in wins above replacement, and the players
as the backup second baseman picked Luis Ares. You know,
I think the players are still looking at batting average,
but Terrang has had the much better year.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
There should be a way to get him on the roster.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And you know, I mentioned the Alonso Walker trade off
in the National League because of getting a Mets representative.
The same similar kind of thing happened in the American
League eat Zach Parades was the Raised representative. So there's
no Jordan Westburg and there's no Josh Smith. I just
wanted to recognize those guys of having really truly All
Star quality seasons and hopefully there's a way to get
(17:52):
those those.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Players to the game.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And as you mentioned, typically the things happen where they
do get there, and I hope that's the case. Finally
a question for you, Joe, And there's been something of
a controversy about this.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Paul Skeens was named a National League All Star.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
He has ten starts, and you've got a guy like
Jake Irvin of the Washington National has been out there
sixteen seventeen times in the top five in the league
in era.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Can a guy go to the All Star Game?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
He's going to wind up going as a starting pitcher
with the fewest innings at the All Star Game.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
I'm actually okay with it.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Again, this is the celebration of the sport and the
best talent in the sport, and to me, Paul Skeens
is In that conversation, I realized it's only ten starts.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
He'll have an eleventh before the All Star Game.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
In nineteen seventy six, Mark Fidrich had eleven starts and
he started the game for the American League. Who didn't
want to see Mark fidericks the All Star Game in
nineteen seventy six and Paul Skeens, I'm not saying it's
Fidrich Mania, but he's sort of in that category. He's
won a handful of pitchers that you will buy a
ticket because you want to go see him pitch. So listen,
(18:57):
are there guys like Jake Irvin who have better quote
unquote numbers. Paul Skeenes is the first pitcher in baseball
history to have his first ten starts to go undefeated
with more than seventy strikeouts. So yes, I'm perfectly fine,
and I think he deserves to go to the All
Star Game. This is not just about, you know, the
fact that he is a popular pitcher.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I think he's actually earned it besides being very popular.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
I agree, I totally agree with that. I also believe
the Pirates are holding their breath. I would bet that
people in the Pirate front office don't like that situation.
It's like when you send different guys at the home
run derby and everybody holds their breath. No, he deserves it.
It's a different level. Like you said, he's a draw.
It's what the fans want to see. Urban has pitched well.
I agree, but quite frankly, they part of the All
(19:44):
Star Game is to put to you know, the ones
where they have the greatest amount of glow that people
really want to see, and he does. I watch him pitch.
I really I'm not sold on the armstroke. Yet it's
a little bit funky, and I would be somewhat concerned futuristically,
but to this point, I mean that stuff. Gosh, that
splitter was whatever the heck he wants to call it,
(20:05):
coming off his fastball, and his command is so good
and his arm is so busy behind him, and that's
what I'm talking about. So there's a lot going on
there with him. Yes, I think he deserves it. I
don't think it's just a fluffy thing putting him out
there for whatever different reason. He's that good. From what
I'm saying, he is that good. And again, these other
guys are going to get opportunities. People are going to
back up. The pirates are probably going to pitch Skeins
(20:28):
on a Saturday or Sunday so he can't pitch in
the All Star Game. I would absolutely believe that possibly
to be true. So all there's a lot of manipulation
is left to be done, and they'll be done. So
but your question was, is he deserved to be there?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
And I say yes, I agreed with you one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
We're going to take a quick break here on the
Book of Joe podcast and we get back when good
pitchers and players do dumb things, weird injuries.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
We'll talk about that right after this, Joe.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
A lot of people might not know this, but in
a lot of ballparks, behind the dugout you might find
something like a punching bag for players.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
To get out there frustration.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And I've seen it over the years where usually there's
also a toilet that's behind the dugout. And back in
the day they were made of porcelain, like most toilets,
until so many of them got smashed to pieces. Now
they're mostly stainless steel. But it brings up the story
of Colton Brewer a picture for the Cubs who punched
the dugout wall. Now, who's smart enough to use his
(21:40):
non throwing hand, his left hand. But still, you know
you're gonna be out for six to eight weeks. You
can't catch a ball, you can't field your position, You're
of no use. There's been a lot of weird injuries, Joe,
over the years. You know, things like Marty Cordova, the Twins.
Back in two thousand and two, we went into a
tanning bed and fell asleep.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
He literally burned.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
His face, and the doctor's orders were you got to
stay out of the sun now for a while. That's
pretty tough to do for a ballplayer, right, So he
went on the il I'm wondering if you've had players
who've done things like this, whether out of frustration or
just sheered bad luck.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Oh yeah, absolutely, this generation is there's nothing creative about
all this. I believe it was Johnny Orton, great catcher,
Jos still working, I think in the White Sox organization.
I love Johnny O. Johnny O's one but the best
receivers I've ever been around. I believe it was him
that after punch out, he took his might of him
him or Dante hit took his helmet and put his
(22:39):
helmet on his hand and then lunched the dugout wall,
thinking that the helmet would absorb the blow. But it didn't.
It did not. It's the break still occurs. So that happened.
I think it was j or Bisheer. Could have been
both of them. Then a picture in Double A in
the Texas leagu Rafael Piemantel great arm, great arm after
a game in Opasso. And for those of you that
(22:59):
may be listening that have been to El Paso, the
Dudley Dome God would have highlight court dis guise as
a baseball field or vice versa. We got beaten a
pretty big game. He went in there and appsolutely destroyed
a toilet with a bat. Oh my god. And that's
the thing is, these guys got to you know, He's
got to pay for stuff like that eventually. So yes,
I've seen a lot of guys do things under circumstances
(23:21):
where they get upset, punching walls or punching inside of
batting helmets into walls and beating up on toilets. It's
nothing unusual. Water coolers take the brunt of a lot
of this stuff. Paul O'Neill was very good at that,
all kinds of stuff. But yeah, that's in the punching bag.
We had it in Anaheim. This goes back to the
earlier days. Jimmy Abbott kind of dug on that, and
(23:43):
so did my man, Timmy Belcher Belch one of the
best baseball teammates and history of the game. Love Tim Belcher. Man.
All these guys needed some kind of an outlet at
different moments. So we was brought up. We need a big,
heavy bag. Heavy bag was hanging in the steps down
below the dugout in Anaheim for that purpose, which I'm
(24:06):
okay with. I mean, that's good because these guys get upset, man,
and they need some kind of a release. So you
want to make it as safe as possible. You'd like
to think that you wouldn't, but gosh, I mean, these
guys are really competitive. They care a lot about what
they do, and so sometimes this outlet is necessary. So
whatever we can do to make it a safer like
(24:26):
a safe room of sorts. But I'm here to tell you, man,
it gets loud and it's scary sometimes because guys get upset.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
And they can get hurt, even when celebrating. It's not
just being frustrated.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Chris Coglan was a guy you had with the Cubs
when he was with the Marlins. You know, back in
the day. You probably remember this when pieing one of
the players was a thing. You know, you say out
the shaving cream pie and you smashed it in the
dude's face. Well, Wes Helms and the Marlins had a
walk off hit and it was Chris Coglin who was
in charge of the pie that night. So he comes
out to smash him in the face for the pie
(25:02):
and he did it with so much much enthusiasm he
tore his meniscus.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I didn't know that one.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Yeah, a great story of maybe not a great but
Lance McCullers was injured during an Astro's celebration when somebody
popped the cork of a champagne bottle and it went
right into his elbow.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
I remember hearing about that. I do remember hearing about that.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And then remember Devin Williams with the Brewers they won
the NL Central, the usual you know, party going on
in the clubhouse, spraying champagne and maybe drinking a little
bit too much of it. Later that day he admitted
he drank too much. I got frustrated over something, punched
the wall and was unavailable for the next series.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
In the postseason, be careful celebrating.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, Kendrey Morales, right, he jumped on home plate, home running.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Kendrew Morales broke his leg jumping on home plate.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Absolutely, I was gonna say it reminds me a great
story with Derek Jeter. You remember, of course, watching probably
the mister November home run, the walk off home run
in the playoffs, right right on November one, Jeter jumps
on home plate, walk off at Yankee Stadium, and this
is in two thousand and one in the World Series.
And then I remember watching him go out to his
(26:14):
position for the Game seven in the last inning, and
he's hobbling around and Jeter had fallen into the stands
chasing the fly ball against Oakland early in that postseason,
and I could tell he looked compromise. And there was
a wild throw by Mariette Rivera he couldn't catch, just
couldn't stretch too far enough for it. So I thought
he had hurt his hip or something falling in the stands.
I remember asking Derek, and Derek was always he'd always
(26:36):
give you the same answer. If there was something that
looked wrong with him, he would say, was I out
there playing?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
That means I'm fine.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
He would never concede any sort of physical compromise anyway.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I asked him so many times.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Over over the years about that play in Game seven
of the World Series. Turns out, when he did his
documentary just a couple of years ago, he actually admitted
he pulled the Kendre Morales when he jumped on a
home plate when he hit that famous Mister November home
run World Series.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
He actually hurt his foot.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I'm not sure if something was broken there, but he
finally admitted and this is like two decades later that
he hurt his foot.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Jumping on home plate on that famous home run.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Yeah, I mean that became a thing, and you know,
front offices really wanted you to come down on that,
really discourage that. All this celebration. It's just a freak moment.
You brought it up. It's a freak moment. We're always
trying to guard against any kind of accident, and that's
what an accident is. Even sometimes the most innocuous moment
(27:37):
can turn out to be something Kendrick jumping up on
Hope plate and of course what Derek did. It's hard
to protect against everything. The punching a wall is different.
I think you don't really want to include that in
your routine regarding when things aren't going well. But it
is fluke. It does happen, happens to everyone, and it's unfortunate.
(27:58):
But yes, cut down on the really dumb things like
hitting walls, but other things are just gosh, it's just
the world's rotating. At that moment, you land wrong and
all of a sudden, it's because you jumped up a
little bit what you do all the time. Home Plates
could be tricky though. Home plates could be slippery. You
could get your spike and get caught. There's all that stuff.
So we had meetings to try to discourage that, and
(28:20):
for the most part, I think they've gotten away from that.
They kind of walk across home plate as opposed to
jumping on it.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I love the idea of meeting is to be careful
around home plate.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Yeah, I mean, it was like, honestly, God, it's like,
come on, guys, I get it. You know, I want
you to celebrate. I'm all about celebration, as you know.
And so it's one of those things that I just
try to be smart about it. It's just like your kids.
I mean, you got to watch your kids all the time,
and the biggest thing about raising any kid is to
keep them from hurting themselves. That's the main objective as
a parent.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Hey, Joe, I got one we can all relate to,
at least those of us old enough to remember DVDs.
Remember how DVDs were packaged in a shrink wrap and
they were like impossible to get off. Remember that he
actually started inventing a tool to open the darn thing.
It was the most incredible invention ever by man, the
(29:11):
way they shrunk wrap DVD's, so it was like impossible
to get those darn things open. So there was a
picture named Adam Eaton who was going through the same thing,
got himself a new DVD, can't wait to bust it
out and play it on this DVD player. Can't get
the darn thing open, so he grabs a knife to
open it. You know what happens next, stabs himself, stitches
(29:33):
can't make.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
His next start.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
We can all relate to that, those of us old
enough to remember DVDs.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Did you ever see the episode of Curb when Larry
David goes nuts on a something wrapped in packaging hard plastic?
He does He takes a knife out on the kitchen
counter and starts stabbing at this thing to open it.
It's hysterical only because we've all done that, and that's
we've all done that. So the DVD rap a little
bit somewhat easier to get into than that. But check
(30:00):
out the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry used to
start stabbing this plastic container that they wrap around like
tools and things. That is absolutely impossible to open, and
you're just encouraging somebody to get hurt.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
A couple more quick ones for you.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Wade Bogs Hall of Famer ones through his back out
putting on his cowboy boots. Famous one was in nineteen ninety.
I'm sure you probably heard about Glenn Allen Hill had
a nightmare. Now he had arachnophobia, fear of spiders. So
he has a nightmare about spiders. So he starts sleepwalking
(30:36):
out of fear with his dream about spiders, runs into
a glass table in his house, shatters the table and
now he's crawling on hands and knees to get away
from the spiders, and there's glass shards all over the place,
and he winds up cutting up his knees and elbows
and can't play iraq nophobia nightmare.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
That's extreme. I know, Glenn Allen he was listen. That's
one of the strongest humans ever to play the game
with baseball. Great guys. There's a video of him hitting
that home un across the street on the roof. Oh yeah,
in Chicago. Oh my god. It's like the moment it's hit,
you know it's going to be the part of the stormer.
You've ever seen in your life. But that is unfortunate.
It's funny but not funny. But that's it. I mean,
(31:19):
different things happen. We all have our different hang ups, foibles,
whatever you want to call them. But we try to
protect as much as we can, but it's absolutely impossible
to protect completely.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
How about Vince Coleman. This is a sad one too.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
He turned out to be okay, but I mean listening
got he got run over by an automated tarp. Right,
First of all, an automated tarp? Really do we really
need that? But starts raining at the old Bush Stadium
turf field. Here comes the tarp. Coleman's out there doing
some pregame stretching, gets a run over and wrenches his
knee and can't play in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
I remember that guy was His whole game was about speed.
His whole game was about speed. Remember that? Well, Vince
another good guy? Yes again, how do you protect against
all of this stuff?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, Vince Calemill, by the way, was also the same guy,
and you can relate to this Joe. He's got a
new golf club in the clubhouse, so he starts swinging
the golf club in the clubhouse and he smacks DWIGHTE.
Goodin in the shoulder good and can't make his next start.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
But Rocco Follmer brat Fulmer was a big batswinger in
the clubhouse. He smoked somebody I can't remember who, but
we had to talk about it. Call him Rocco. Rocco,
do not swing your bat in the clubhouse. Guys would
do that kind of stuff. I mean, they get so
wrapped up. Really, you have to understand when these guys
get in like this, this freaky zone where they don't
(32:44):
see or know anything that's going on around them. And
that's exactly what happened to Brad. Great guy, loved him,
big part of the Angels winning the World Series the
two thousand and two. But he was a bad swinger
in the clubhouse. Please, all your kids listening, never do that.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
I got one more for you. This is one of
my favorites. Dennis Martinez remember him president?
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Oh yeah, yeah, I think he's.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
With the Expos at the time.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Back in the day, you know a lot of players
have to actually carry their own luggage to the team bus.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
How dare they?
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:13):
I know the idea today of doing that, forget it.
So he's taking his luggage out to the bus and
he goes to throw it in the bin and he
hurts his shoulder. This is a picture throwing his luggage
out of the team bus hurts his shoulder. The best
part is the Expos said he went on the il
with a case of samsonitis.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
That's really good. I never heard that. That is outstanding.
I want to meet the man that coined that phrase.
He and I could work together very well. That's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
I think that was Rich Griffin, who was the old
PR director for the expos. He was also the one
with Dennis Martinez was matched up against another picture might
have been Pedro Martinez. He called it was an afternoon game.
He called it a too Martinez is lunch.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
That's good stuff, man, But samonitis is hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Samsonitis. That's air ful of samsonitis.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Beautiful.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Mante Hey, we're gonna take a quick break.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
I promised you we would talk about a very cool
car that Joe and I both have in common. We'd
love to see come back someday. We'll talk about that
car when we get back on the book of Joe.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Joe, you're a big time car guy. How many cars
do you have these days?
Speaker 3 (34:35):
I hate to say it, I'm just so pretentious. Up
in my garage my firehouse. I bought a firehouse in
Wolfsburg to store my stuff. It's a storage unit and
a car storage unit. Right now, there's six up there here.
I got Demand seven, Tahoe, eight, Chavelle nine. I think
it's nine or ten right now. There are some pretty
(34:57):
cool old cars. I mean, ranging from a fifty six
bel Air which is absolutely quick. The guy that build
out was in Phoenix did a great job with it.
My Chevelle. Joey was driving my Chevelle around yesterday day
before that. I have bob Aloo and blazon on the
back of my van. I have the cal State Fullerton
because my buddy Dug's leavette when in nineteen seventy six
(35:19):
years to drive me to practice at cal State Fullerton
when I first signed with the Angels in a nineteen
seventy six Dodge van and I was in search of
that thing for one hundred years. So I finally found
one on Craigslist. I found it on Craigslist of all things,
out of this little town outside of Pittsburgh. About it
at least ten years ago. And it's running. It's running
really well. Right now. I'm trying to get it tuned
(35:41):
up and set it up properly, and it finally getting
to that point. But yeah, I got some neat stuff
right up to my Hellcat. So yeah, I'm I. I
like bass cars when as a kid I could never
afford a new one. I didn't have my first new
car until I was twenty seven years old. I think
when I signed to scout and be a minor league
(36:02):
manager with the Angels, I was in Boulder, Colorado, and
that was the year they were giving them away. They're
le Ayacoca. They were giving those K cars away. I
think were K car was a TP TC three, little
Plymouth thing that I got. That was my first new car.
So I've always been infatuated with cars. My buddy Kas
and I used to drive around Hazelton and then Chevelle's
(36:23):
three ninety six and a three fifty three ninety six
with cal induction and ever since that was love at
first shift. You know, this Hazelton was a big Cadillac town,
a big Lincoln town. Used to be an argument which
is the better big car to own? So listen, it's
embedded and blazoned in my mind. I'm into it. I
don't apologize for it. I kind of love them.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I love the fact that you're a manager with a
starting nine of cars or ten if you count a DH.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
So that's very.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Cool, I guess I do.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
But I'm going to give you two words that are
just gonna make you smile. I know when it comes
to cars. Vista Cruiser. Oh yeah, I mean think about
the Vista Cruiser did something that it's really sort of impossible.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
It made the station wagon cool.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Now, I know station wagons are gone right there, Dinosaurs,
I got one.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I know you got one.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I'm talking about production these days or the last two decades,
if you will. Uh, there's no way there's been any
minivan which basically replaced the station wagon that's been cool.
And there is no way that there is any s
u V which has replaced the minivan pretty much that
is cool.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
The Vista Cruiser made the station wagon cool.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
It is one of the most most incredible achievements in
the history of automobiles.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
If I can exaggerate a little bit.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
How many how many little windows are there up on top?
There is it?
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Thirteen thirteen?
Speaker 3 (37:50):
Yeah? People, these extra windows.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
You had the skylight. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Actually the inspiration Vista Cruiser was the observation cars on Amtrak,
and they thought, you know what, let's pile all the
kiddies in the car and everybody will have a quote
unquote Vista to look out on these long car rides,
because that's how you went on vacation. You didn't take
a plane to go on vacation. You piled in the
(38:17):
station wagon and you played games in the back of
the car and you were able to look out the
window and see everything. Thirteen ten windows around that Vista Cruiser.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Well, the Volkswagen bus came out with something, or they
think they might have been before that, like it was
twenty some windows on a I can't remember exactly number
on the Volkswagen bus for a bit, although I have
been in. I mean, Volkswagen buses are cool and all
that kind of stuff, but they're to drive them to
go somewhere. It's paint takingly, slow and annoying, but they're
they're absolutely cool looking. My van is a seventy six
(38:51):
Dodge and it could keep up the speed on a freeway.
My station wagon is an eighty five Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
in it's not standing. I just drove with the Florida
Back eighty five, great air conditioning. I put a Bluetooth
stereo system in it. It's extremely comfortable. It's got kind
of like that blurre seating that's never too cold, never
too hot, and steers and drives really well. Actually I
(39:11):
got a speeding ticket in Virginia going down to I
was very proud of that. Actually, the cop we got
together and I admit it. I was wrong. And so
I got a speeding ticket in my station Wagon driving
from Hazleton to Tampa last winter. I thought that was
kind of a badge of honor for that particular car.
But it's wonderful. It's a three h five, I think,
(39:33):
with a Ford barrow, and it really drives well. So listen.
Convenience wise, the tailgate opens up both ways like a
door and then just straight out. The seat does face
backward in the back, but it is it's truly a
comfortable vehicle. I and and if you're going to load
stuff and unload stuff, it's so much lower to pull
things in and out of. I I listen, they've come
(39:54):
up with similar things, like the Dodge wasn't magnum a
couple of years ago. I like the Ford Flex a
little bit. It has that kind of a groove to it,
so it makes sense and it's very very easy to
transport stuff. Again, I think you know that there's been
an attempts, attempts to do bring back old cars in
new ways. You know, the Camaro I thought failed. I
thought the Challenger they nailed it. The charger is not
(40:16):
really as good. So I'd love to see somebody's depiction
or bringing to life an actual station wagon with all
the amenities of today that actually feels and works and
looks like a station wagon. Now, that would be cool.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Yeah, I think they are doing that with the VW
Bus that you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah, they are the iteration to that. It looks pretty cool.
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
But you're right, the Vista Cruiser or the Custom Cruiser
would blow the doors off a VW Bus, not even close.
The original car had a jet fire rocket V eight
with two ninety horse power.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
You could get it even hard at that thing. I'm
telling you.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
If you thought you had a muscle car and you
pulled up at a light next to a Vista Cruiser and
you think you're going to just leave the guy in
the dust.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
No, the reverse, this is going to happen. That thing
could move.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
You could get hurt there. The other the other my
one of my most favorite vehicles that I have is
a nineteen ninety four fifty four SS Chevy pickup. I
was in uh So with the Rays. I was in
Port Charlotte and put to Gordon, and I thought I
needed a truck. So there was a bunch of several
like used old classic kind of used car lots around
(41:26):
that area. Was on a round forty one right Highway
forty one. So I'm driving down there and I just
pulling this place and I look in the back and
all of a sudden, I see this pickup sitting back there.
And I didn't even realize to what extent how valuable
these trucks were and how unique they were, and the
fact that there wasn't that many produced. I go back
there and I drive this thing. Damn, it's like a
it's a four fifty four. You know, it's really high
(41:47):
torque in the front end. It's really a light thing.
So once you get it going, it goes, it goes. Man.
So I bought it, and recently I had it totally
redone by this my son's friend out in Arizona with
this new deep black paint job and they redid the interior.
It's all original, but it's just it's been pricked up
a little bit. I love driving this vehicle. It is
the most comfortable, greater air conditioning, tremendous sound system. I
(42:11):
love this thing. And it's just talking about I need
to go take it out of the garage and drive
this around a little bit. It is, it sits high,
it's just and like I said, it's a kind of
a collector's item right now. The original sticker price was
eighteen thousand on it. Because the sticker is still in
the glove box. The original one you could get anywhere
from you know, thirty to forty to fifty thousand dollars
for these cars, these trucks anymore based on the shape.
(42:33):
And furthermore, it's only got sixty sixty one sixty two
thousand miles on it original from nineteen ninety. Loved this vehicle.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
So I am a Vista Cruiser kid growing up. I'm
also one of eight kids. Wow, So it was rare
for all ten of us to go anywhere at the
same time. But when we could go as a group
anywhere it was piling into the Vista Cruiser. Now this was,
as you mentioned, the cloth seats show. The other option
(43:01):
which we had was what they called moroc vinyl. Yes,
and man, that was smoking hot in the summer. But
what I remember is, you know, it was an older car,
Vista Cruiser, and there was something wrong with the front seat.
Of course, it was not the bucket seats, the coach
style seats all the way across, and the driver had
(43:22):
to have the seat propped up by a baseball bat
that was wedged behind him. So if you were sitting
in the second row, you had to climb over the
baseball bat to get in. But as kids, it was
always a fight to see who would sit in what
we called the way back, right the third row. I
got the way back, and you know it was the
smart ones were the ones who called that quickly enough,
and that included coming home. You had to do two things,
(43:44):
call the way back and call the first shower, because
you know, eight kids taking showers after going to the beach.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
If your last is it's not gonna be any hot
water left for you.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
So what memories of that Vista Cruiser being able to
handle us going back and forth in that car. But
the coolest part for me was always the way back.
Always wanted to sit in the way back.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
And you survived how many times you put that seat
belt on on the way back.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
There were no seat belts, Joe, there were no seat belts.
I think the fact that we were wedged in so
closely made it actually safe.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
You know, it was such an incredible time when we
think about it. You never wear a helmet when you
rode your bike. You never strapped into a seat belt.
And at that time, the dashboards were a lot right
prior to that, the dashboards were made out of metal.
Like if you see my I got this fifty nine
oh Camino and my fifty six belt Air, the dashboard
(44:35):
is absolutely beautifully painted metal. And there was never a
consideration they come to a quick stop. You know, there's
kids flying all over cars, and you know sometimes like
you know, your your mom or your dad might be
able to throw the arm out there in time they
keep you in that seat. But you never even thought
about it. You never did. It's incredible, it's incredible. Read listen.
(44:56):
I'm an advocate. I'm a big seat belt user. I
love seatbelts. I think it's great. But at the time, man,
we had no concern, no concern about that. At least
you would have like put a helmet on a kid
when they got in a car. But nothing, you know,
we just and you're bouncing all over the place. You're
very annoying to your parents. They're always threatening you as
you're driving somewhere to knock that off, and to pull over.
(45:18):
Don't make me pull over, don't make me stop. All
those things, man, hysterical.
Speaker 2 (45:22):
The Vista Cruiser well done. First one was nineteen sixty four.
I think the last one was, yeah, seventy seventy seven. Yeah,
nineteen seventy seven.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm going to look into that now.
You got me, You got me, because that is a
beautiful vehicle. You're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
And Builton, Michigan, good old US made and did about
thirteen fourteen miles per gallon.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
That's a lot. I was talking about my four fifty
four that gets about ten miles to a gallon. My van,
I don't even know if it gets that much. That's
a three sixty. So listen, I know, I know a
lot of people are gonna be disturbed with all that.
And you want me to buy an electric car. I
really like to hear my car when I'm driving it
or my truck.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I love that too.
Speaker 1 (46:02):
I mean, like I said, you can get a faux
sound for your electric vehicle, but not the same I know,
no thing. No, the sticker price back in the day
and today's dollars would be about thirty thousand.
Speaker 2 (46:17):
Dollars, okay, which is not bad.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
I'd do it.
Speaker 2 (46:18):
I think it went for about five thousand back then.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Absolutely, I would do it in a heartbeat. If they
came out with the new wagon that had all the
stuff going on, that would be my next purchase. Like
you said, I mean, we talked about this. No more
Sadansby and built the United States. Correct. Correct, the Melbow
was the last one. And I really like when I'm
driving around. Like yesterday, I drove down to Bethlehem, took
my grandson ice skating down at the ice drink at
steel they called Steel City Ice Creak. That's right next
(46:43):
to the old Bethlem Steel plant. And if you've never
seen that, you got to check it out. It looks
like something out of an apocalyptic movie. They do a
lot of concerts and stuff down there. Really lehigh University
up on hill. I took him to Sea Loafayette two
beautiful really and I don't know if I remember ever
seeing that before, but the wonderful drive. And to be
able to do a drive like that in a refurbished,
(47:07):
brand new, air conditioned, great sound system thing that looks
like a Vista Cruiser of days gone by. Sign me
up because everything else looks the same. We've talked about this.
I'm driving back paying attention. Everybody's in the SUVs. There
was a couple foreign make sedan's going by us, whatever,
but everything is the same. I would dig on that.
(47:29):
I'd wonder what the actual desires would be of the
American public, but that would be something I would really
be into.
Speaker 1 (47:37):
Highlight and automative design. Olsmobile made a cool station wagon.
Why not tap into that vibe someway in today's market?
Speaker 3 (47:46):
Love it?
Speaker 1 (47:47):
I mean, Joe, it's time for you to take us
home here to close out this edition of the Book
of Joe.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
What do you got for us this week?
Speaker 3 (47:53):
You nailed it. You nailed it. You're talking about this
the original concepts, these old cars that are timeless. They
they never go out of style. I love universality. I
love timeless kind of components, whether you talk about the
composers of ancient times back Betoven, whatever, or the more
present composers with the beatles or the stones, whomever. The
(48:16):
timeless kind of stuff that never gets sold, that'll be
on old these stations one hundred years from now. But
this is from Herman Melville, and I love this quote
and it speaks to everything we've talked about in baseball too,
and you're talking about in cars and just society in general.
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed
in imitation. That's it. I mean, I've talked about saying
(48:36):
this and everybody wanting to be the same and everybody
copying everybody else's ways. I love this, and you know
the prescient I mean, how does Melville think about this
back in the day. You know, he's writing Mobi Dick
and all this other stuff. But it's better to fail
in originality than to succeed in imitation. I cannot agree
with that more.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
That is so important, because sometimes I think we lose
sight of that because we do want to copy so
much in the society. And I would think good old
harm would probably turn in as manuscript for more Moby
Dick these days, and they turn it back to him
and say, shorten it.
Speaker 3 (49:07):
It's too long, right right, like a brother version of
the Book of Joe.
Speaker 2 (49:14):
That man, that's a lot of fun. Joe. Let's do
it again.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Thank you, Tommy, have a great week and have a
great All Star Game two YouTube Bye bye bye.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
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