March 11, 2025 • 20 mins
Baseball season has arrived, and with it comes the stories that connect major league diamonds to high school fields across America. The heartbreak of Yankees fans learning that ace Gerrit Cole requires season-ending Tommy John surgery stands in stark contrast to the jubilation of Key West Conchs High School baseball securing dramatic walk-off victories against powerhouse programs.
The podcast takes you into the stands with Lisa Dibias as she shares her experience witnessing Cole's final spring training appearance in Tampa before the devastating injury news broke.
Beyond the professional game, we celebrate the achievements of hometown heroes making their mark in collegiate baseball. From Jacob Burnham making his Boston College debut to Kai Smith batting .485 with his first collegiate home run. These success stories reflect how baseball creates pathways for young athletes while maintaining ties to their communities. Perhaps most compelling is that former Conch players now coach powerhouse high school programs throughout Florida, including Joey Wardlow (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Miguel Menendez (Tampa Jesuit), demonstrating how baseball knowledge and tradition flow through generations.
From dramatic game-winning moments—"Roman rounds third like a semi coming down 95"—to the pure joy of watching youth baseball players develop their skills, this episode captures why baseball remains America's pastime. You'll be transported to the ballpark and reminded that baseball isn't just a game but a powerful vehicle for community connection. Share your own baseball stories with me and subscribe to catch every inning of baseball coverage throughout the season!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Joy (00:03):
Thanks for tuning in to the Bring Joy podcast.
We're in season five and it'sall about baseball.
I'm talking big leagues to thelittle leagues, yankees to the
Conchs and everything in between.
I'll share my joy for the gamewith you and, whether you're a
fan of baseball or goodstorytelling, you'll be
entertained and each episodewill bring a little joy to your
day.
So sit back and relax.
(00:23):
Let's do this thing.
Each episode will bring alittle joy to your day.
So sit back and relax.
Let's do this thing.
Let's do another this Week inBaseball bit looking back at the
first week of March 2025.
And I'm going to go AustinWells and get things started
right out of the gates with ahit.
The scoreboard showed bottom ofthe seventh.
Two outs Conks down by one.
That high sun was baking thefield and the fans all day.
(00:45):
We don't typically do day games,but there was nothing typical
about this week for the Key WestConch varsity program.
We'd already played two gamesby this point, earning a huge
road win against statepowerhouse and rival St Thomas
Aquinas.
The Conk boys put on a showbanging out 10 hits, playing big
league defense and gutsypitching by Christian Koppel and
(01:06):
JC Lampus-Gormley.
The fan cam spotted Conk alumniMartin and TJ Niles watching
little cousin Jackie and histeam play ball.
On the contrary, friday nightwe looked flat against
Westminster Christian who, well,let's just say there's no love
lost but much respect betweenthe programs.
High school baseball fansacross the country marked their
(01:26):
calendars for this matchup Well.
Taking the field Saturdayafternoon, our boys understood
the assignment we must win thisgame and split the series for
the standings and Kong Pride.
We jumped out early with a runin the first and two in the
second off the bats of CadenPichardo and Nelson Ong.
But the Warriors came to playand put five on the board and
(01:49):
had the lead going into thebottom of the seventh Five to
four.
There were runners on thecorner for Pichardo Jackson
Bernhard at third, Roman Garciaat first.
Bass Rapier scores one and wetied Anything harder.
Who knows?
Sammy Harlan was on deck andcall me foolish newish if you
want, but my money likes mychances right here, because this
(02:12):
team can play.
Kanan takes ball one high in thewave and he rips the next pitch
.
The left fielder dives to makea play on the ball but he can't
come up with it.
Jackson scores, roman istrucking around.
Second, the center fielder getsthe ball on the warning track.
Roman is gathering steam.
The coach is waving him homehard.
(02:33):
Roman rounds third like a semicoming down.
95.
The cutoff man makes a badthrow.
Roman dives headfirst to theplate.
The catcher lunges in the otherdirection to catch the ball.
Roman crashes into the catcherand the plate Umpire signals
safe, conks, win, conks, win.
Ha ha ha.
The press box reminds us fansthat this game two of the
(02:56):
doubleheader Gets underway at730.
Meanwhile, in the major leaguesthe Yankees are signing more
players to the injured list thanthe starting roster.
Pitcher Luis Hill, lastseason's American League Rookie
of the Year, is out indefinitelywith a lat or shoulder injury.
And Big G Giancarlo Stanton hassevere elbow pain in both arms
(03:20):
that may require seasoned injury.
Superstitious types tell usthese kind of things come in
threes and with that the coldtrain.
Gary Cole, the yankees ace andformer Cy Young winner, is out
for the year.
Cole pitched two games inspring training, the last being
last week in tampa.
My good friend and fellowyankee fan, Lisa Dibias, was at
(03:43):
the game.
Hello, lisa, thanks for jumpingon the podcast with me.
Sure, no problem, joy, excitedto be here.
Yeah, I was hoping to have youon an episode where we could
celebrate the Yankees together.
But unfortunately, breakingnews today, march 10th, our ace
(04:04):
Garrett Cole is havingseason-ending Tommy John surgery
later this week in Los Angeles.
Lisa (04:10):
Yep, that is not what we wanted to hear today or any day.
Awful, just awful.
Joy (04:17):
Yeah, it's crushing, really right.
Lisa (04:20):
Yep, our ace.
Joy (04:24):
Our ace is done for the year.
Yeah, I was.
I just recorded an episode lastweek with my friend Cookie,
who's another big Yankee fan,and we were talking about how
much better we've gotten and andobviously needing Garrett Cole
to lead the way.
And now what?
Four or five days later, it allchanges.
So what's interesting?
(04:47):
One of the reasons why I wantedto talk to you also is that
you're living now in CentralFlorida, so you're close to
spring training facilities, andyou went to Tampa to see the
Yankees play last Thursday.
Lisa (04:59):
Yes, we sure did.
And let me tell you, I was soexcited when I saw his name on
that roster to be pitching I waslike, oh my gosh, it it's gonna
be Garrett Cole that we'reseeing.
What a treat.
So, yeah, we were, yes, we were, we were excited, yep, yep, it
was all it was awesome.
Well, not the score so much,but just to be able to see him
in action, you know yeah and uh.
Joy (05:20):
How did he look?
I mean, was there any signs?
Because I know obviously welost you, you referred to that.
But how did he look?
I mean, was there any signs?
Because I know, obviously welost, you referred to that.
But how did he look?
Was there any signs that he wasstruggling, you know?
Lisa (05:31):
we really didn't think so.
I mean, it was unusual for himto give up so many hits and so
many runs.
You know he was throwing theball in there and I just kept
saying, well, he must be puttingit right down the middle
because they're hitting it, youknow, yeah, but no, nobody.
You know there was no word ofanybody thinking anything.
And you know they took him out,I think in the second inning
(05:53):
and we were like, well, that'sthat.
But then in spring training,you know, you can bring a
pitcher back in.
So we were shocked when he cameback in in the third.
We're like, oh, like, oh, okay,come on Garrett.
And you know, I think the firstor second guy homered off him
again.
So it just it wasn't good.
But nobody really had a clue,you know, and I don't think he
did either, from from what Iheard him say afterwards, until
(06:16):
the next day.
Joy (06:19):
So it was all a big shock for sure yeah, I remember, uh,
last season we we started thisseason without him, didn't we?
Lisa (06:26):
yep, yes, we did.
I think we went like a third ofthe season without him.
I think he pitched about 13games for us last year and he.
Joy (06:35):
He was so good during the playoffs yep, he sure was I
thought he's gonna have anothercy young type of year and uh, so
so here we are.
Here, we are here we are we'llprobably need to do a whole, a
whole separate episode justtalking about the Yankees, right
, and what this means, but umstill really exciting that
(06:57):
you're you're um able to go tospring training game.
What's it like going to springtraining game?
I haven't been since I was akid uh, it's awesome.
Lisa (07:06):
Um, I keep telling sue, it's like we hit the spring
training jackpot here because,um, we're in clearwater and so
that's where the phillies playin spring, in springtime, right
here in clearwater, so you know,10 minute drive.
And then the blue jays are indunedin, which is another 10
minute drive.
So we we saw them a coupleweeks ago against the yankees,
and then the Blue Jays are inDunedin, which is another
10-minute drive, so we saw thema couple weeks ago against the
Yankees, and then, of course,the Yankees are in Tampa.
(07:30):
So we've got three teams, allyou know, all close by.
So it's been awesome.
And you know, you get to seethe guys really up close because
you're right down there on theground level, you know, right
close to them, and just seeingall, all you know, all the guys
that you sit there and watch,watch on tv, it's just, it's
amazing.
I feel like a little kid allover again, you know, just in
(07:50):
awe, with my eyes wide open andmy my phone camera's shaking,
because I'm just so excited.
Joy (07:56):
And it's been, it's been really great no, I love that,
and I think that's one of thethings I love so much about
baseball is that it makes mefeel like being a kid again yes,
yep, for sure, and even evenout there when I'm watching the
boys at the recs I when theyhave a big game, I still get
autographs I got sammy hollandso far this year and caden
(08:20):
pichardo on a hat two seniors,so that's pretty cool.
And actually actually we gotaugie davila's signature.
I was.
I was just gonna tell you youbetter get that augie next.
Yeah, we actually good yeah, wehad him sign one of our caves
that we hang up.
Nice, that's awesome.
So, yeah, that was really cool.
Did you get any autographs whenyou were at the game?
Lisa (08:42):
um, no, we did not.
But speaking of autographs, afriend of mine that used to live
in Key West, way back in theday back in the 80s, we were
just at her house this pastweekend and so you know I'm
telling about, you know, we'vebeen to the baseball games and
her and her husband they're notinto baseball at all.
So she's just kind of sittingthere and I'm going on and on,
(09:04):
you know, all excited about thegame that we just saw, and she
just kind of casually says, well, you've heard of Joe DiMaggio,
right?
I'm like, well, yeah, of course.
And she says, well, I gotsomething for you.
So she goes back, seriously,comes back into the room with an
autograph on a little coasterfrom the pier house.
Wow, an autograph on a littlecoaster from the pier house, wow
(09:25):
, and it's in a frame.
There's like a little small,you know, clear frame.
And she says, oh, I was in thepier house, you know, back in
the 80s, and my friend wasbartending and he just walked in
and so I got his autograph andso here you go, you can have it.
Oh, my goodness, I got thechills right now, right.
Yeah, oh, my goodness, I got.
(09:45):
I got the chills right now,right and, and what a classic
autograph on a pier housecoaster yes, it couldn't be any
more yankee fan key west yeahyou gotta frame that thing.
Oh, yes, for sure, yep, that.
So that was really cool, thatwas exciting, yeah pretty wild,
very special.
Joy (10:03):
So are you going to catch any more spring training games
before they head back for theregular season, unless something
?
Lisa (10:10):
pops up Right now we don't have any set plans to, but you
never know.
Every now and then we just jumponline and we're like, oh, you
know what, let's do it.
So you never know, we'll see,we're what.
I guess we're about two weeksout, two and a half weeks out
from the season.
Joy (10:27):
So, yeah, so yeah, I guess that's one of the advantages of
leaving the Keys is now livingon the mainland.
Lisa (10:41):
You're not three or four hours away from baseball or any
other big event.
Yeah, and the funny thing thingis we didn't even know that
when we moved here.
You know, obviously we knew wewere close to Tampa, but I had
no idea about the Blue Jaysbeing so close and the Phillies,
you know, they're literally.
The Blue Jays are a 10-minutegolf ride away.
Golf cart ride, you know.
Hop in the golf cart and go tothe Blue Jays games.
Joy (11:04):
That's really cool.
You know there's a Key Westconnection with the Blue Jays,
Billy Wardlow works for the BlueJays, he's one of the equipment
managers.
Lisa (11:18):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Okay, I know the name.
I don't know him, but I knowthe name.
Joy (11:21):
Yeah, big Wardlow family, big in conch baseball.
Okay, for sure, and he's had.
I think he's got 25 plus yearswith the organization, so pretty
cool story.
Wow, I'm hoping to get him onthe podcast with me, but he
knows I'm a Yankee fan, so nowmaybe you could see him up there
(11:46):
and put in a good word for me.
Lisa (11:48):
I'll have to do that.
I'll look for him Definitely.
Joy (11:51):
So listen, I want to talk to you more about the Yankees,
but, like I said, we'll, we'll.
We'll probably need to doanother episode after after the
season gets started and we seehow the rotation uh plays out
but, before I let you go, I'mcreating a list of the best
baseball movies.
So what's your favoritebaseball movie?
Lisa?
Lisa (12:12):
all right, I'm gonna have to say field of dreams oh yes,
that's a good one you know,especially because then they
went and they played it out.
You know they, they played itout in real life, kind of in
iowa, yeah you know I missed itlast year, but oh, okay, yeah, I
think they're gonna do it thisthis year.
I don't think they did it lastyear, but I know a couple years
ago they did that so that'spretty pretty cool that is a
(12:32):
classic.
Joy (12:33):
That's got kevin costner who did one of my other favorite
baseball movies bull durham ohokay, yeah, have you ever seen
that one?
Lisa (12:44):
I think I have I think so a long time ago.
Joy (12:47):
Yeah yeah, look that up, and when we talk again we'll
we'll put a list of baseballmovies together all right that
sounds great joy.
Hey, well, listen.
Um, I know we're all gonna haveto get over this.
Um, you know losing cole forthe season, but I've got
confidence that the Yankees willshow up strong and win the East
.
Lisa (13:07):
That's right.
Next, man up.
You know, that's all you can doNext man up.
Joy (13:10):
That's it.
It's somebody else'sopportunity to shine.
Lisa (13:13):
For sure, for sure.
Joy (13:15):
All right, Lisa, thanks for joining me.
Take care, I'll talk.
I'll talk to you soon.
Lisa (13:19):
Sounds good.
Joy (13:29):
The bad news will travel fast and I'm sure many will
count the Yankees out, includingmy boy, haig Smith, who is part
of the Red Sox Nation.
He's been telling me the Soxare going to make a run this
season.
I don't want to hear about theRed Sox right now, haig, but I
do want to hear about your boy,kai Smith.
In his junior year at CIU inSouth Carolina he's off to a hot
(13:49):
start, batting .485 with 16hits, including his first
collegiate home run.
It could go, it will go all theway, hey.
And how about Jacob Burnhammaking his first collegiate
appearance with Boston Collegeon March 1st?
I was happy to be tuned in andstreaming the game.
My neighbors might have thoughtI lost my mind cuz I was
(14:12):
hooting and hollering with everypitch, just like he was back at
the Rex.
And Lucky Barroso is dealing onthe mound early this season
with three wins and 12strikeouts.
K-crew's throwing up caves foryou, fellas, keep dealing.
The Noles and the Gators areranked in the top 10, behind
teams like LSU and Tennessee.
My guy, victor Gallardo, tellsme we better keep an eye out for
(14:34):
the Vols freshman sensation,Levi Clark, who's tearing things
up already.
He's got six home runs, 23 RBIs, batting over 500 already, and
he earned SEC player of the week.
I'm thinking seriously aboutgoing to the College World
Series this year.
Spend a week in Omaha.
(14:55):
Last year me and my nephew Claywent to Tallahassee for the
regionals to cheer for thehatters.
We had a great time.
I can't imagine how the WorldSeries would be.
Lady Conch alumni ScarlettNiles and Marina Goins are
making a name for themselveswith their colleges.
Scarlett's in the Ivy Leaguelineup with Dartmouth and
(15:15):
Marina's showing that scrappyConch spirit.
At Linn University in Boca, theK-Crew is tracking Conk Batboys
Lincoln and Cam over there onKennedy Drive.
We see you striking out thebatters.
Let's go.
And how about that 12U Conkbaseball team?
They hit the road for battingpractice I mean another
tournament and brought back thewinner's trophy.
(15:37):
The boys scored 71 runs against12 over the weekend and are
undefeated this spring.
Cooperstown get ready.
We coming in hot this summer.
And the JV Conchs, coached byby Frank Fernandez, is playing
good ball.
Trent Thomas is tough on themound and at the plate.
And how about Daryl Tremenioand Caden Serveda?
(15:59):
The Conch batters are stackinghits.
They better stay hot because Isee the Marathon Dolphins on the
schedule soon and Coach JoeyGonzalez will have the Finns
ready to compete, as he'scommitted to building a winning
program at mile mark of 50.
And just up the road at CoralShores, high Donovan Theory
grandson to my mentors Ken andFrankie, St James, is a dominant
(16:23):
player on the Canes roster.
Come South, kid.
Let me and the crew hang someKs for
you.
Remember I said the Conchs hadanother game to play after the
thrilling walk-off win againstWestminster Christian.
Well, what's better than onewin two.
And why not make it dramatic,give the fans something to talk
about.
During the week, the SpanishRiver Sharks rolled into town
(16:47):
ready to play and the scrappyteam out of Boca put four on the
board.
With clutch hitting andaggressive base running.
The Conchs had chances,scattering hits and free passes,
but none crossed the platethrough five.
For a minute it looked like theSharks would defeat the Conks
I'm just kidding, you know myboys don't quit and had two more
(17:09):
bats to get it done.
Cruz Holmes had started thegame and went 5-2, any which, if
memory serves, is the longestouting by a start of the season.
That's one of those victoriesthat doesn't show up on the
scorecard but pays off down theroad.
Holmes was relieved byshortstop Augie Davila making
his first appearance of theregular season.
(17:30):
The Sharks were leading by four, two outs and two runners on
base.
Auggy sits the batter downlooking on a nasty pitch, firing
up his team, the Conch fans andthe Conch bats.
Caden Maltz singles and scoreson a hit by Pichardo.
Sammy Holland drives a walk.
(17:52):
Auggy steps up and lines asingle, scoring Pichardo.
Sammy Holland drives a walk.
Auggy steps up and lines asingle, scoring
Pichardo.
Let the comeback commence.
It's 4-2.
Now you heard that.
That's the Conks knocking onthe door.
Javi Perez drives a walk toload the bases for action.
Jackson Bernhardt, who sends afly ball down the left field
line, scoring two 4-4.
(18:12):
We got us a ball game folks.
Jackie Niles and Nelson Ongknocking a run apiece.
The Conks are leading theSharks 6-4 and heading to the
7th.
Davila closes it down like asalty veteran getting a pop up
and two strikeouts.
Conks win, conks win, conks win.
That's three huge wins in fourgames for the week.
(18:33):
For the good guys and folks,all I can say is this team is
special.
Before I wrap, let me tell youa little story about Conchs
pride and how this week inbaseball it was overflowing.
You see that St Thomas Aquinasteam is coached by Joey Wardlow,
a Conch and star player of the1984 state championship Conchs
(18:56):
team.
His mama and daddy, dennis andAnn, still live in Key West and
never miss a Conchs game, unless, of course, they're in Fort
Lauderdale watching their boylead one of the top programs in
the state.
Well, joey tipped his hat tohis mentor, coach Ralph
Henriquez, and shook off theloss quick because he had to get
his team ready to face thenationally ranked Tampa Jesuit
(19:17):
Tigers, coached by another Conchalumni and 1995 state champion,
miguel Menendez.
Son of my good friends andfellow Conchs, jose and Monica
Robbie, is off to a solid startin his senior year.
His dad, known to most as BubbaJoe, was a standout on the
(19:41):
tough 1982 Conch team that felljust short of the state
tournament.
Pretty cool, right.
Conch's own baseball on and offthe island and it's baseball
that connects so many of us andit's with Conch pride that we
recognize and celebrate thoseconnections.
Baseball season is just gettingunderway.
There's plenty of baseballahead.
So wherever you're tuned infrom, go catch a game in your
(20:03):
hometown.
Cheer for the kids.
I bet you a ticket.
You'll be glad you did, as MelAllen used to say that's all for
now.
Folks See you next week forthis Week in Baseball.
I'm Joy Nulisch and Iappreciate you tuning in to my
podcast.
My purpose is to bring joy intomy life and the lives of others
.
If you enjoyed this episode,drop a review, share and
(20:25):
subscribe, because there's a lotof good stuff on tap.
You can also follow Bring Joyon YouTube and Instagram and
check my website at joynewscom.
Now go bring joy to the peoplein your world.
Until next time, much love.
Thanks for tuning in to the Bring Joy podcast.
We're in season five and it'sall about baseball.
I'm talking big leagues to thelittle leagues, yankees to the
Conchs and everything in between.
I'll share my joy for the gamewith you and, whether you're a
fan of baseball or goodstorytelling, you'll be
entertained and each episodewill bring a little joy to your
day.
So sit back and relax.
(00:23):
Let's do this thing.
Each episode will bring alittle joy to your day.
So sit back and relax.
Let's do this thing.
Let's do another this Week inBaseball bit looking back at the
first week of March 2025.
And I'm going to go AustinWells and get things started
right out of the gates with ahit.
The scoreboard showed bottom ofthe seventh.
Two outs Conks down by one.
That high sun was baking thefield and the fans all day.
(00:45):
We don't typically do day games,but there was nothing typical
about this week for the Key WestConch varsity program.
We'd already played two gamesby this point, earning a huge
road win against statepowerhouse and rival St Thomas
Aquinas.
The Conk boys put on a showbanging out 10 hits, playing big
league defense and gutsypitching by Christian Koppel and
(01:06):
JC Lampus-Gormley.
The fan cam spotted Conk alumniMartin and TJ Niles watching
little cousin Jackie and histeam play ball.
On the contrary, friday nightwe looked flat against
Westminster Christian who, well,let's just say there's no love
lost but much respect betweenthe programs.
High school baseball fansacross the country marked their
(01:26):
calendars for this matchup Well.
Taking the field Saturdayafternoon, our boys understood
the assignment we must win thisgame and split the series for
the standings and Kong Pride.
We jumped out early with a runin the first and two in the
second off the bats of CadenPichardo and Nelson Ong.
But the Warriors came to playand put five on the board and
(01:49):
had the lead going into thebottom of the seventh Five to
four.
There were runners on thecorner for Pichardo Jackson
Bernhard at third, Roman Garciaat first.
Bass Rapier scores one and wetied Anything harder.
Who knows?
Sammy Harlan was on deck andcall me foolish newish if you
want, but my money likes mychances right here, because this
(02:12):
team can play.
Kanan takes ball one high in thewave and he rips the next pitch
.
The left fielder dives to makea play on the ball but he can't
come up with it.
Jackson scores, roman istrucking around.
Second, the center fielder getsthe ball on the warning track.
Roman is gathering steam.
The coach is waving him homehard.
(02:33):
Roman rounds third like a semicoming down.
95.
The cutoff man makes a badthrow.
Roman dives headfirst to theplate.
The catcher lunges in the otherdirection to catch the ball.
Roman crashes into the catcherand the plate Umpire signals
safe, conks, win, conks, win.
Ha ha ha.
The press box reminds us fansthat this game two of the
(02:56):
doubleheader Gets underway at730.
Meanwhile, in the major leaguesthe Yankees are signing more
players to the injured list thanthe starting roster.
Pitcher Luis Hill, lastseason's American League Rookie
of the Year, is out indefinitelywith a lat or shoulder injury.
And Big G Giancarlo Stanton hassevere elbow pain in both arms
(03:20):
that may require seasoned injury.
Superstitious types tell usthese kind of things come in
threes and with that the coldtrain.
Gary Cole, the yankees ace andformer Cy Young winner, is out
for the year.
Cole pitched two games inspring training, the last being
last week in tampa.
My good friend and fellowyankee fan, Lisa Dibias, was at
(03:43):
the game.
Hello, lisa, thanks for jumpingon the podcast with me.
Sure, no problem, joy, excitedto be here.
Yeah, I was hoping to have youon an episode where we could
celebrate the Yankees together.
But unfortunately, breakingnews today, march 10th, our ace
(04:04):
Garrett Cole is havingseason-ending Tommy John surgery
later this week in Los Angeles.
Lisa (04:10):
Yep, that is not what we wanted to hear today or any day.
Awful, just awful.
Joy (04:17):
Yeah, it's crushing, really right.
Lisa (04:20):
Yep, our ace.
Joy (04:24):
Our ace is done for the year.
Yeah, I was.
I just recorded an episode lastweek with my friend Cookie,
who's another big Yankee fan,and we were talking about how
much better we've gotten and andobviously needing Garrett Cole
to lead the way.
And now what?
Four or five days later, it allchanges.
So what's interesting?
(04:47):
One of the reasons why I wantedto talk to you also is that
you're living now in CentralFlorida, so you're close to
spring training facilities, andyou went to Tampa to see the
Yankees play last Thursday.
Lisa (04:59):
Yes, we sure did.
And let me tell you, I was soexcited when I saw his name on
that roster to be pitching I waslike, oh my gosh, it it's gonna
be Garrett Cole that we'reseeing.
What a treat.
So, yeah, we were, yes, we were, we were excited, yep, yep, it
was all it was awesome.
Well, not the score so much,but just to be able to see him
in action, you know yeah and uh.
Joy (05:20):
How did he look?
I mean, was there any signs?
Because I know obviously welost you, you referred to that.
But how did he look?
I mean, was there any signs?
Because I know, obviously welost, you referred to that.
But how did he look?
Was there any signs that he wasstruggling, you know?
Lisa (05:31):
we really didn't think so.
I mean, it was unusual for himto give up so many hits and so
many runs.
You know he was throwing theball in there and I just kept
saying, well, he must be puttingit right down the middle
because they're hitting it, youknow, yeah, but no, nobody.
You know there was no word ofanybody thinking anything.
And you know they took him out,I think in the second inning
(05:53):
and we were like, well, that'sthat.
But then in spring training,you know, you can bring a
pitcher back in.
So we were shocked when he cameback in in the third.
We're like, oh, like, oh, okay,come on Garrett.
And you know, I think the firstor second guy homered off him
again.
So it just it wasn't good.
But nobody really had a clue,you know, and I don't think he
did either, from from what Iheard him say afterwards, until
(06:16):
the next day.
Joy (06:19):
So it was all a big shock for sure yeah, I remember, uh,
last season we we started thisseason without him, didn't we?
Lisa (06:26):
yep, yes, we did.
I think we went like a third ofthe season without him.
I think he pitched about 13games for us last year and he.
Joy (06:35):
He was so good during the playoffs yep, he sure was I
thought he's gonna have anothercy young type of year and uh, so
so here we are.
Here, we are here we are we'llprobably need to do a whole, a
whole separate episode justtalking about the Yankees, right
, and what this means, but umstill really exciting that
(06:57):
you're you're um able to go tospring training game.
What's it like going to springtraining game?
I haven't been since I was akid uh, it's awesome.
Lisa (07:06):
Um, I keep telling sue, it's like we hit the spring
training jackpot here because,um, we're in clearwater and so
that's where the phillies playin spring, in springtime, right
here in clearwater, so you know,10 minute drive.
And then the blue jays are indunedin, which is another 10
minute drive.
So we we saw them a coupleweeks ago against the yankees,
and then the Blue Jays are inDunedin, which is another
10-minute drive, so we saw thema couple weeks ago against the
Yankees, and then, of course,the Yankees are in Tampa.
(07:30):
So we've got three teams, allyou know, all close by.
So it's been awesome.
And you know, you get to seethe guys really up close because
you're right down there on theground level, you know, right
close to them, and just seeingall, all you know, all the guys
that you sit there and watch,watch on tv, it's just, it's
amazing.
I feel like a little kid allover again, you know, just in
(07:50):
awe, with my eyes wide open andmy my phone camera's shaking,
because I'm just so excited.
Joy (07:56):
And it's been, it's been really great no, I love that,
and I think that's one of thethings I love so much about
baseball is that it makes mefeel like being a kid again yes,
yep, for sure, and even evenout there when I'm watching the
boys at the recs I when theyhave a big game, I still get
autographs I got sammy hollandso far this year and caden
(08:20):
pichardo on a hat two seniors,so that's pretty cool.
And actually actually we gotaugie davila's signature.
I was.
I was just gonna tell you youbetter get that augie next.
Yeah, we actually good yeah, wehad him sign one of our caves
that we hang up.
Nice, that's awesome.
So, yeah, that was really cool.
Did you get any autographs whenyou were at the game?
Lisa (08:42):
um, no, we did not.
But speaking of autographs, afriend of mine that used to live
in Key West, way back in theday back in the 80s, we were
just at her house this pastweekend and so you know I'm
telling about, you know, we'vebeen to the baseball games and
her and her husband they're notinto baseball at all.
So she's just kind of sittingthere and I'm going on and on,
(09:04):
you know, all excited about thegame that we just saw, and she
just kind of casually says, well, you've heard of Joe DiMaggio,
right?
I'm like, well, yeah, of course.
And she says, well, I gotsomething for you.
So she goes back, seriously,comes back into the room with an
autograph on a little coasterfrom the pier house.
Wow, an autograph on a littlecoaster from the pier house, wow
(09:25):
, and it's in a frame.
There's like a little small,you know, clear frame.
And she says, oh, I was in thepier house, you know, back in
the 80s, and my friend wasbartending and he just walked in
and so I got his autograph andso here you go, you can have it.
Oh, my goodness, I got thechills right now, right.
Yeah, oh, my goodness, I got.
(09:45):
I got the chills right now,right and, and what a classic
autograph on a pier housecoaster yes, it couldn't be any
more yankee fan key west yeahyou gotta frame that thing.
Oh, yes, for sure, yep, that.
So that was really cool, thatwas exciting, yeah pretty wild,
very special.
Joy (10:03):
So are you going to catch any more spring training games
before they head back for theregular season, unless something
?
Lisa (10:10):
pops up Right now we don't have any set plans to, but you
never know.
Every now and then we just jumponline and we're like, oh, you
know what, let's do it.
So you never know, we'll see,we're what.
I guess we're about two weeksout, two and a half weeks out
from the season.
Joy (10:27):
So, yeah, so yeah, I guess that's one of the advantages of
leaving the Keys is now livingon the mainland.
Lisa (10:41):
You're not three or four hours away from baseball or any
other big event.
Yeah, and the funny thing thingis we didn't even know that
when we moved here.
You know, obviously we knew wewere close to Tampa, but I had
no idea about the Blue Jaysbeing so close and the Phillies,
you know, they're literally.
The Blue Jays are a 10-minutegolf ride away.
Golf cart ride, you know.
Hop in the golf cart and go tothe Blue Jays games.
Joy (11:04):
That's really cool.
You know there's a Key Westconnection with the Blue Jays,
Billy Wardlow works for the BlueJays, he's one of the equipment
managers.
Lisa (11:18):
Oh, I didn't know that.
Okay, I know the name.
I don't know him, but I knowthe name.
Joy (11:21):
Yeah, big Wardlow family, big in conch baseball.
Okay, for sure, and he's had.
I think he's got 25 plus yearswith the organization, so pretty
cool story.
Wow, I'm hoping to get him onthe podcast with me, but he
knows I'm a Yankee fan, so nowmaybe you could see him up there
(11:46):
and put in a good word for me.
Lisa (11:48):
I'll have to do that.
I'll look for him Definitely.
Joy (11:51):
So listen, I want to talk to you more about the Yankees,
but, like I said, we'll, we'll.
We'll probably need to doanother episode after after the
season gets started and we seehow the rotation uh plays out
but, before I let you go, I'mcreating a list of the best
baseball movies.
So what's your favoritebaseball movie?
Lisa?
Lisa (12:12):
all right, I'm gonna have to say field of dreams oh yes,
that's a good one you know,especially because then they
went and they played it out.
You know they, they played itout in real life, kind of in
iowa, yeah you know I missed itlast year, but oh, okay, yeah, I
think they're gonna do it thisthis year.
I don't think they did it lastyear, but I know a couple years
ago they did that so that'spretty pretty cool that is a
(12:32):
classic.
Joy (12:33):
That's got kevin costner who did one of my other favorite
baseball movies bull durham ohokay, yeah, have you ever seen
that one?
Lisa (12:44):
I think I have I think so a long time ago.
Joy (12:47):
Yeah yeah, look that up, and when we talk again we'll
we'll put a list of baseballmovies together all right that
sounds great joy.
Hey, well, listen.
Um, I know we're all gonna haveto get over this.
Um, you know losing cole forthe season, but I've got
confidence that the Yankees willshow up strong and win the East
.
Lisa (13:07):
That's right.
Next, man up.
You know, that's all you can doNext man up.
Joy (13:10):
That's it.
It's somebody else'sopportunity to shine.
Lisa (13:13):
For sure, for sure.
Joy (13:15):
All right, Lisa, thanks for joining me.
Take care, I'll talk.
I'll talk to you soon.
Lisa (13:19):
Sounds good.
Joy (13:29):
The bad news will travel fast and I'm sure many will
count the Yankees out, includingmy boy, haig Smith, who is part
of the Red Sox Nation.
He's been telling me the Soxare going to make a run this
season.
I don't want to hear about theRed Sox right now, haig, but I
do want to hear about your boy,kai Smith.
In his junior year at CIU inSouth Carolina he's off to a hot
(13:49):
start, batting .485 with 16hits, including his first
collegiate home run.
It could go, it will go all theway, hey.
And how about Jacob Burnhammaking his first collegiate
appearance with Boston Collegeon March 1st?
I was happy to be tuned in andstreaming the game.
My neighbors might have thoughtI lost my mind cuz I was
(14:12):
hooting and hollering with everypitch, just like he was back at
the Rex.
And Lucky Barroso is dealing onthe mound early this season
with three wins and 12strikeouts.
K-crew's throwing up caves foryou, fellas, keep dealing.
The Noles and the Gators areranked in the top 10, behind
teams like LSU and Tennessee.
My guy, victor Gallardo, tellsme we better keep an eye out for
(14:34):
the Vols freshman sensation,Levi Clark, who's tearing things
up already.
He's got six home runs, 23 RBIs, batting over 500 already, and
he earned SEC player of the week.
I'm thinking seriously aboutgoing to the College World
Series this year.
Spend a week in Omaha.
(14:55):
Last year me and my nephew Claywent to Tallahassee for the
regionals to cheer for thehatters.
We had a great time.
I can't imagine how the WorldSeries would be.
Lady Conch alumni ScarlettNiles and Marina Goins are
making a name for themselveswith their colleges.
Scarlett's in the Ivy Leaguelineup with Dartmouth and
(15:15):
Marina's showing that scrappyConch spirit.
At Linn University in Boca, theK-Crew is tracking Conk Batboys
Lincoln and Cam over there onKennedy Drive.
We see you striking out thebatters.
Let's go.
And how about that 12U Conkbaseball team?
They hit the road for battingpractice I mean another
tournament and brought back thewinner's trophy.
(15:37):
The boys scored 71 runs against12 over the weekend and are
undefeated this spring.
Cooperstown get ready.
We coming in hot this summer.
And the JV Conchs, coached byby Frank Fernandez, is playing
good ball.
Trent Thomas is tough on themound and at the plate.
And how about Daryl Tremenioand Caden Serveda?
(15:59):
The Conch batters are stackinghits.
They better stay hot because Isee the Marathon Dolphins on the
schedule soon and Coach JoeyGonzalez will have the Finns
ready to compete, as he'scommitted to building a winning
program at mile mark of 50.
And just up the road at CoralShores, high Donovan Theory
grandson to my mentors Ken andFrankie, St James, is a dominant
(16:23):
player on the Canes roster.
Come South, kid.
Let me and the crew hang someKs for
you.
Remember I said the Conchs hadanother game to play after the
thrilling walk-off win againstWestminster Christian.
Well, what's better than onewin two.
And why not make it dramatic,give the fans something to talk
about.
During the week, the SpanishRiver Sharks rolled into town
(16:47):
ready to play and the scrappyteam out of Boca put four on the
board.
With clutch hitting andaggressive base running.
The Conchs had chances,scattering hits and free passes,
but none crossed the platethrough five.
For a minute it looked like theSharks would defeat the Conks
I'm just kidding, you know myboys don't quit and had two more
(17:09):
bats to get it done.
Cruz Holmes had started thegame and went 5-2, any which, if
memory serves, is the longestouting by a start of the season.
That's one of those victoriesthat doesn't show up on the
scorecard but pays off down theroad.
Holmes was relieved byshortstop Augie Davila making
his first appearance of theregular season.
(17:30):
The Sharks were leading by four, two outs and two runners on
base.
Auggy sits the batter downlooking on a nasty pitch, firing
up his team, the Conch fans andthe Conch bats.
Caden Maltz singles and scoreson a hit by Pichardo.
Sammy Holland drives a walk.
(17:52):
Auggy steps up and lines asingle, scoring Pichardo.
Sammy Holland drives a walk.
Auggy steps up and lines asingle, scoring
Pichardo.
Let the comeback commence.
It's 4-2.
Now you heard that.
That's the Conks knocking onthe door.
Javi Perez drives a walk toload the bases for action.
Jackson Bernhardt, who sends afly ball down the left field
line, scoring two 4-4.
(18:12):
We got us a ball game folks.
Jackie Niles and Nelson Ongknocking a run apiece.
The Conks are leading theSharks 6-4 and heading to the
7th.
Davila closes it down like asalty veteran getting a pop up
and two strikeouts.
Conks win, conks win, conks win.
That's three huge wins in fourgames for the week.
(18:33):
For the good guys and folks,all I can say is this team is
special.
Before I wrap, let me tell youa little story about Conchs
pride and how this week inbaseball it was overflowing.
You see that St Thomas Aquinasteam is coached by Joey Wardlow,
a Conch and star player of the1984 state championship Conchs
(18:56):
team.
His mama and daddy, dennis andAnn, still live in Key West and
never miss a Conchs game, unless, of course, they're in Fort
Lauderdale watching their boylead one of the top programs in
the state.
Well, joey tipped his hat tohis mentor, coach Ralph
Henriquez, and shook off theloss quick because he had to get
his team ready to face thenationally ranked Tampa Jesuit
(19:17):
Tigers, coached by another Conchalumni and 1995 state champion,
miguel Menendez.
Son of my good friends andfellow Conchs, jose and Monica
Robbie, is off to a solid startin his senior year.
His dad, known to most as BubbaJoe, was a standout on the
(19:41):
tough 1982 Conch team that felljust short of the state
tournament.
Pretty cool, right.
Conch's own baseball on and offthe island and it's baseball
that connects so many of us andit's with Conch pride that we
recognize and celebrate thoseconnections.
Baseball season is just gettingunderway.
There's plenty of baseballahead.
So wherever you're tuned infrom, go catch a game in your
(20:03):
hometown.
Cheer for the kids.
I bet you a ticket.
You'll be glad you did, as MelAllen used to say that's all for
now.
Folks See you next week forthis Week in Baseball.
I'm Joy Nulisch and Iappreciate you tuning in to my
podcast.
My purpose is to bring joy intomy life and the lives of others
.
If you enjoyed this episode,drop a review, share and
(20:25):
subscribe, because there's a lotof good stuff on tap.
You can also follow Bring Joyon YouTube and Instagram and
check my website at joynewscom.
Now go bring joy to the peoplein your world.
Until next time, much love.
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