March 2, 2025 • 54 mins
Join us as we delve into more of the vibrant and thrilling career of Josh Wilson, a former major-league baseball player who has incredible stories to share. This episode shines a light on not just the glories of entering the big leagues, but the genuine hustle of transitioning through independent teams and what it means to play the game with heart and determination. Josh takes us on a rollercoaster ride through his most cherished memories, including his first big-league home run and the extraordinary players he had the fortune to team up with.
Throughout the conversation, we explore the profound impact of effective communication within a team environment and how the culture of camaraderie can elevate a player's performance. Josh discusses how each manager he played for contributed to his growth while emphasizing the necessity of support, mentorship, and trust at all levels within the sport. Listeners will resonate with emotions as he recalls high-pressure moments on the field while balancing the fun of being a player.
The episode also highlights Josh's insights into the Tampa Bay Rays’ impressive player development strategy, an excellent example of how a team can cultivate talent in a competitive environment. And as we reflect on the resilience required to navigate life's ups and downs, Josh's story is one filled with lessons of perseverance, joy, and passion for baseball. Don’t miss this captivating episode that brings you closer to the heart of the game, inspiring you to pursue your own dreams—on and off the field.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
yeah, that's, that's wild, because we were just
talking about how that uh we oh,we're on.
So yeah, welcome uh again.
Our episode here with.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I see what you did there.
I don't know what you'retalking about.
What do?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
you mean hold my cutter is what I mean and we're
enjoying we're enjoying the fatbottom.
Yeah, they're still fat, theyare, and uh brownie during the.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
During the break, you're showing us a dance the
the Fat Bottom Daddy, we'll getout there, don't you worry about
that?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
For those of you, watching on YouTube, stick with
it, or whatever platform.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You'll never believe what Brownie can do with those
hips.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, you have no idea.
Like and subscribe, and wesubscribe to the Josh Wilson
idea that you don't necessarilywant Deadwood on the field, but
you definitely want it.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, when you're smoking Stogies In the humidor,
yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
And we talked in a previous episode about your
baseball life, which is amazingEight years of the big leagues,
nine major league teams, 12organizations and how many years
total.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I played 19 seasons of pro ball.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So, one of those in the independent.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
In the independent, we're gonna get to york pa york,
pa york, pennsylvania I'm acentral pennsylvania guy, but we
didn't have a professionalbaseball team.
Then the york what revolution?
What are the york revolution?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
the revs.
Man, how did you get onto therevs and what year would that
have been?
Uh with that?
Uh, yeah, that was uh 2016,okay, 2016.
Um, yeah, I was working out, uh,in the winter time.
Um, our manager there in yorkis mark mason, uh, another local
guy, um, and uh, yeah, I wasout there at uh seaside sports
(01:41):
down in kansasburg it it was agreat facility run by Chris
Seidig, and so I was just in theoff season looking for a job
and there were no takers in theaffiliated front and Chris had
played for Mace with the WildThings and I don't know if he
had invited him out to work out,but we get together with some
(02:02):
of the guys I think Neil Walkerand DK Donnie would come down
every once in a while and workout there.
So, uh, mace came to to one ofthe workouts one time down there
and uh just got to know him, um, and he said you know, yeah, uh
, you know, we'd love to haveyou in York.
He said, if he can't get a job,um, you know we'd love to have
(02:31):
you there.
Uh, then you know, that was thatum one of the best experiences
playing baseball I've ever had.
Why is that, josh?
It's pure, there's just, it'sjust baseball.
You, it's win or go home there,um, you know, if you're not
performing, if you're not doingthe job, they just get rid of
you.
There's, no, there's verylimited politics in that league.
Um, um, you know everybody'sbasically, uh, you know, making
making the same amount of moneyor close to it.
(02:51):
You know, there there's,there's not much salary there,
so guys are just playing to play.
You know guys are playing thereto get better, hopefully get a
chance at at affiliated ballagain.
Um, and you have a lot, of, alot of young guys that you know
they're there, you know, becausethey love to play the game and
that's it.
And what was the age differencefor you?
So I was in my 30s.
(03:13):
I was probably 33.
I mean, I was done.
I think I was 36, my last year,in 2017.
So, yeah, that was a coupleyears before that.
So, yeah, I was 34, 35.
Yeah, so yeah, it was 34, 35.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, so it's April of 16.
You signed with York rightApril of 2016.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yes, and then the next year you go back and sign a
minor league deal with theTexas Rangers in April of 17.
Played that whole year in 2016.
Went to the playoffs, had agreat run there, absolutely
loved it.
Had a great host family therethat took really good care of me
.
My roommate was Micah Owings,another big leaguer, so Mike and
(03:51):
I had an absolutely fantasticsetup there with Tracy and Jim
Board Got to give them a shoutout.
They are absolutely wonderfulpeople.
Took wonderful care of us.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Those families are the best, aren't they?
Absolutely the best.
What town were you living in umso?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
this was.
This was in york.
Uh, it was.
The town that they lived in wascalled spring garden okay, I
believe was uh, was the littletown right, right outside of a
york country club.
Um, so I mean, yeah, we were.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We were very well set up.
Yeah, I mean, I'd say so that'sgreat I
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I got a couple rounds of golf in there.
It was unbelievable.
It was really unbelievable.
That made it all the better,having a great place to go home
to and good people to be aroundoff the field.
Going into 2017, it was thesame thing.
(04:43):
I was working out, I stillwanted to play um and haven't
had such a good experience inYork.
I was fully prepared to go backagain.
Um.
I went to spring training, uh,with York, um, which is not very
long, it's.
You know you get about three orfour days and then they say all
right you know, throw it outthere.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And that's.
That's not like you're notgoing down to Florida, Nope this
is right there in york, get acouple of scrimmages in against
uh, you know lancaster, or uhyou know somerset, new jersey
head over
Speaker 2 (05:12):
there, play, play a little scrimmage game, old
school, old school.
Hey, just you know, go getready and go play.
Um, but so it was.
It was still we hadn't evenstarted the regular season yet
and, uh, I get a call from theRangers.
I think it was actually maybethe first guy that had called me
was Jason Wood, who wasmanaging in Round Rock.
Jeez, another Woody and I wereteammates in Albuquerque with
(05:33):
the Marlins and they had had awhole slew of injuries Elvis
Andrews was hurt, rugna Nodorwas hurt, I think Will
Middlebrooks was in Round Rockthat year, doug Bernier, some
other guys, uh, and they justhad this whole rash of injuries.
So they were really shorthanded.
Um, you know, and, and I get aphone call and I said, yeah,
(05:54):
I've been working out all winter, I'm in spring training with
York, I've been playing, I'mready to go.
Just, uh, give me there.
So, um, yeah, they needed somehelp.
I went down to Round Rock andhad a good run down there.
I was there for a little over amonth or so probably, and
played really well.
But then the health startedreturning for those guys and
(06:16):
good for them.
They gave me a greatopportunity to get back into
affiliated ball.
But those Texas Rangersorganizations I thought were
really well run as well, um,really good people, and they did
right by their, by their guys,by sending me packing, you know,
despite how well I was playingat the time and and the guys
they had already committed tothey, they kept would be traded
(06:37):
to cleveland so I ended up yeah,I got traded to cleveland and
and that was where it all uhatedthere Spent the rest of the
season in Columbus.
Another great group of guysplayed for Chris Tremmey there,
ruglis Odor who's Rugnit Odor'suncle, I believe and Steve Carse
(06:58):
were on the staff there.
Great people, all great guysyou know, had a really good
experience in Columbus.
That's a fantastic town, wasthis in 17?
17.
?
So we played against each other.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Probably Randy there I was in Durham.
Okay, we had the best pitchingstaff in all of baseball you
probably played against them in17.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, I told you, we were like this who was the guy?
Was Archer You're doing?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
the weave Was Archer before that, or was he?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
probably already in the big leagues.
At that time, we had BlakeSnell.
Okay, so it was Snell.
Yeah, we had a really goodstaff.
Yeah, torino.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I can remember J Pierre and Seabia talking up
Blake Snell saying he was goingto be the real deal, really.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, he came down.
He made the team out of camp,came down.
He was like a science projectfor us.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We had to be pretty decent too.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Columbus team was yeah, a lot of fun.
Tyler Naquin.
Um Richie Schaefer Uh, you knowwe had, we had some, uh, some
good pictures there.
Um, eric Kratz was, uh wasbehind the dish there.
Uh, yandy Diaz boy, yandy Diazwas that guy.
He took the most unbelievableBPs and I mean that guy is all
(08:08):
biceps.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I don't know if you've ever seen Yandy up close.
I mean, he is all biceps.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
He'd get in the gym after a game and it's just, I
mean it was triceps and biceps,I mean his arms were absolutely
massive and my goodness, hecould absolutely hit the snot
out of a baseball.
And then he'd get in the gameand it was all low liners and I
know he did something there andstarted lifting it and boy, he's
had a really good run.
But yeah, I mean Yandy wasgreat.
(08:33):
Eric Stamets was a shortstop, ayoung guy coming up, and
another really good defender,another guy who was a lot like
me, could pick it.
You could move him around.
Yeah, I had a great time.
I mean, columbus is such agood—the ballpark's great, great
.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Another good hitting ballpark.
Too Great place to hit.
It's a short porch.
He just nailed the hittingballparks, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I was very fortunate.
Awesome, not just goodballparks but good towns too.
I mean I really love playingthere.
The ownership there was great.
They treated players reallyreally well, took care of the
players.
I can't say enough good thingsabout Columbus.
That's maybe one of the mostfun places I've ever played A
lot of cities.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
This guy you too, Ford, I know you've played in a
lot of cities, not as many ashim.
I mean what Kane?
County, utica, portland We'vementioned a lot of them Portland
, jupiter, of course, whereverthe Charlotte club, is it?
Wilson or Zebulon, NorthCarolina.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Oh Zebulon, yeah, Carolina, there's Zebulon, yeah,
right outside Raleigh.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Albuquerque, colorado Springs.
You mentioned Pawtucket, reno,tacoma, gwinnett, round Rock,
columbus, Toledo, indianapolis,of course.
What an amazing run.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Did you have a favorite?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah, did you have a favorite town, you know?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
probably.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Minor leagues and big leagues.
Let's go both.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
The two places I had the most fun, probably
throughout my career, both onand off the field more on the
field, but with the teammatestoo.
But Carolina, raleigh is justboy, an unbelievable town for a
young 20-ish guy, with all thecollege and the nightlife.
And then we just hadunbelievable players.
(10:14):
We had Miguel and DontrellWillis I mean our team.
We won the championship therein 03, and we lost Miguel
Cabrera, dontrell Willis andAdrian Gonzalez off of that.
Those three guys were all onthat team.
They all, they all got calledup and Adrian got traded and we
still, we still won the Southernleague that year.
So I mean that was.
(10:34):
I mean we just had, we hadreally, really good players
there.
Um, so I mean that those yearsin Carolina, you know probably
about as as much fun as I'veever had as a player.
Um, and then Tampa, I meanthere's no, there's no better
place to play than St Pete.
Um, I lived on the beach.
Uh, I mean just this absolutelyphenomenal place could walk
(11:00):
over you know, jump in the golf.
Um, the Boca Ciega Bay wasright out the back window.
I could see right across overto Tropicana Field from over
there.
I mean you're on the beach andyou're in Florida and then you
go to the ballpark and there isno lower stress environment to
play in the big leagues thanTampa Bay.
There's just the media presencethere, almost none existent.
(11:23):
If you're the guy that has a badday there, you don't have to
answer questions after the game.
There's nobody coming to houndyou, you know, going hey, what
happened there?
You know why'd you do this?
Um, they go and talk to theplayers that had a good game
there.
Um, you know, at least for aguy like me, you know some of
the.
You know the James Shields andthe Casmeers and bj optin, and
you know those guys the carlospena.
(11:44):
You know those guys had toanswer the tough questions.
But you know, when you weresomebody like me that was a role
player.
Um, you know, they talked toyou when you did well and if you
had a tough game, you just, younever, you never got any of
that real negative energy.
Um, the fans there, you knowthey love you, no matter what.
Um, I mean, you know they.
You know Tampa is just, it'sjust an easy place to play.
(12:07):
You don't have these big crowds.
They're never going to boo you.
Now, that was 07.
Were they any good, you guys?
Well, you know we were young.
That team was really young.
We didn't win a lot of games.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
But you could see the talent coming.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I mean, they went to the World Series the following
year.
They made some moves and gotsome more guys in there, but
yeah, it was James Shields andKazmir, david Price and Longoria
were coming.
They weren't there yet in 07,but they were on the way.
Carlos Pena had broken out andjust had an absolute monster
(12:42):
year.
You know, bj, delman Young,some good names, some, some
really really good players,really really good.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
So how do they do it, josh?
Here's a.
Here's a former big leaguer,former ray, and a former scout.
How do the tampa bay rayscontinue to put out that talent?
Do you think what's thisformula?
Speaker 2 (12:59):
well.
You know they, they draftreally, they draft and develop
really well.
I mean, I don't think there'sany mistaking that they get good
players.
They had gotten a ton of goodplayers through the draft and
they developed them.
You know exactly how they didit.
The inner workings I don'treally know.
(13:19):
They definitely you know theanalytics and those type of the
new school things.
They definitely have theirthings that they like.
They've got their models orwhatever that help them compete
(13:40):
and acquire players that maybeother clubs don't want.
I have no idea what those are.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Prior podcast we talked about risk.
A lot of teams aren't willingto take that risk.
I feel like they're willing totake risks that most teams
aren't.
I feel like smaller marketshave to do that.
Do you feel that way?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Well, I mean, I think it makes sense.
I mean I think, just like fromthe player's standpoint saying
it's an easy place to play, Ithink it probably goes for them
too.
You're not going to get thebacklash you would get in Boston
or New York if things go wrong.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
All right, easy place to play.
Does that mean it's a goodplace to play?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
For sure.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I think for a player,the place where you can perform
your best is the place you wantto play.
You know there's probablyplenty of guys that are, you
know, brighter lights people andthey prefer to be in a New York
or Boston.
But as far as a low-pressureenvironment, I don't think
there's anywhere.
Especially for a player like methat kind of had the
(14:44):
introduction to the big leaguesthat I did, that a place like
that really helped me start tofeel that I belong there.
Ultimately, everybody wants towin, everybody wants to win a
World Series.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But if you're introduced to the big leagues in
that environment.
I've really never heard thattheory.
That's a really good one.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I finished my career in Tampa Bay and they called me
in the offseason.
They really weren't on my radarbut they gave me an opportunity
I hadn't heard yet and that wasto come in.
Competing against Ricky Weekwas was inevitably not a good
thing for me because it's rickyweeks, but to be a bat off the
bench against left-handers.
They wanted to try to pull outmy ops, which was always high in
(15:25):
the minor leagues and wasalways high in the big leagues
when it came to an average majorleaguer.
They thought they could give memore bat.
So they had this whole grandscheme of plans.
So I was like, yeah, and thenwe signed an incentive-based
contract and then I came intospring training.
First week dominated and then Isucked.
I mean, I don't even know if Igot a hit.
The rest of the time Playedgood defensively, but they had
already marked me as just a bat.
(15:46):
So I didn't get to catch a lot,so I didn't get to do my
strength.
They sent me to triple a and Ihad an opt-out every month you
know how that goes and theywould call every month and ask
me what it would take to staywhether it was at bats was a
couple more dollars.
They even got to guarantee call.
They did everything they couldto keep me there to mentor their
players and I I knew where Iwas at my career.
(16:09):
I didn't know if I wanted tojump ship.
All the time we had an rv and Iwas really, was really happy,
just kind of being a part ofthis squad and mentoring these
guys and then was going toregroup.
But they did a really good job.
They were paying me a smallfortune in minor leagues to show
up every day, to love on theseguys, to be an extension of the
coaching staff.
That's what I think, brownie.
(16:29):
When you think about smallmarket teams you can correct me
if I'm wrong they go a littlebit above and beyond to make
sure, hey, we want you there.
This is why yeah and what is itgoing to take for you to feel
comfortable that we're nottaking advantage of you?
And a lot of teams will do that.
One gm loved me, one gm didn'tyou know.
One gm saw it as I'm just anumber and I wasn't putting up
(16:50):
the numbers I could but I wasn'tgetting the bats, wouldn't get
the opportunity, so, as I waslike I don't want to be here,
but they kept making me feellike no, you're a part of it.
I went through the playoffs,didn't play, got apologized to
and it was just a differentrealm.
And I think, because they didthat, I'll always speak highly
on them because they shot mestraight.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, you know, I mean playing there, playing
there is great, you know, andthere's a lot, of, a lot of
factors, but the organizationitself probably has to be.
You know, really, you know, themore important thing going on
there is just the way they treatpeople.
And yeah, I, I, I'd have to saythe same that you know, Joe
Madden is probably another bigreason why it was so easy to
(17:35):
play there, because Joe was aguy that just makes you feel
good every single day.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Every single day, no matter who you are, but you get
positive reinforcement all thetime.
Positive reinforcement.
You know where he stood too.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Probably you knew where I stood, honest with you
Honest, absolutely 100% honest.
I mean from the day I got thereI showed up as a waiver claim
and immediately come in theoffice and he, flat out, he told
me right there, hey, I don'tknow if I'm going to get you in
tomorrow or the next day or whenit's going to be, but he's like
, be prepared, you're going toget in there, you'll be, you're
going to be in the lineup.
You know, some point thisweekend we're going to, you know
(18:05):
, check the matchups or whatever.
And yeah, you were, you werealways, you were always informed
, you were always informed.
Joe, always, you know, shot youstraight.
He told you, you know.
He told you.
You know, it's kind of like theoracle, you know.
He told you what you needed tohear.
You know, to get the most out ofyou yeah, you know he's that,
that type of guy, he just youknow he was, he was going to do,
(18:26):
do right by you, to do right bythe organization, to to get the
most out of his players.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
You know, yeah coming your way here.
Uh, Burn by Rocky Patel.
Hold my Cutter.
In case you hadn't noticed,You're joining us in
mid-conversation with JoshWilson.
We're enjoying another stogiehere.
And, of course, some of ourguests received gift cards to
David Allen Clothing in MountLebanon.
Check out their showroom, theirshop on.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Washington Road.
David Allen what a story.
He's an amazing guy.
He's an amazing guy.
He has an amazing story.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You will love that place.
Josh, stopping by theirshowroom, who gave you the
nickname the Paper Boy?
Some suggest it was Ken Griffey.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, so I think I could say confidently
popularized by a guy named KenGriffey Jr.
But I think actually it wasMike Sweeney.
So Mike Sweeney is the one whoactually came up with it.
For reasons you may be able toguess, it still looks like he's
13.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Did you play Paperboy when?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
you were a kid, you know I did.
I used to love that game.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Yeah, me too, it was an absolutely fantastic game on
the old nintendo uh I wish I'dbring paperboys back.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
But terrible, I'm a terrible video game player, not
good um so it was a good game.
It's a great game I I lovetrying I love trying, but yeah
it was not good, yeah so so,sweeney, sweeney, another after
another.
Uh, you know, waiver claim whenI show up in seattle, and, and
you know, sweeney being afteranother waiver claim when I show
up in Seattle and Sweeney,being the character he is,
starts chirping.
(20:00):
Who's this guy in the cage?
Looks like the doggone paperboy.
So yeah, then a legend was born.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
So how about we've mentioned some of the managers?
We haven't all the big leaguemanagers, but you just talked a
little bit about Joe Mann.
We talked about Jack McKeon inanother episode.
Uh, a little bit of time withmanny octa.
Uh, was it wakamatsu?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
in seattle, don wakamatsu, um, you know, in
seattle, uh, I love playing fordon walk, another just super
positive guy, um, you know, Ithat that second year uh in
seattle, so that was 2009 and 10, and, uh, we had a good year in
09, 186 games, uh, and nobodyexpected that we were not, we
(20:46):
were not expected to do verymuch.
It was it was a very much anoverachievement, um, but we had
good players.
I mean, there's the same kindof a similar deal with with
tampa.
There were some good youngplayers franklin gutierrez and
jose lopez, um, you know, andthen you had, you had the star
players and the vets too, uh, tocomplement adrian beltre and,
uh, you know, and junior,obviously, sweeney, um, so that
(21:10):
year, uh, heading into 2010, youknow they made those big splash
signings and get, uh, miltonBradley, cliff Lee, um, you know
we already had Felix Hernandez,obviously, so I mean on paper,
you know, sean Fagans also, youknow they made some deals and
thought they, uh, you know ithad made the moves to to get
that team over the hump, um, andit just, it just didn't work
(21:32):
out and unfortunately, yeah, wokgot fired that year, which I
don't think was his fault.
I think Wok did a great job.
But when you're on those teamsand you're expected to win,
that's the nature of the game.
Now, it has always been thatway, I suppose.
But Wok was phenomenal, treatedme great Same thing, always
(21:55):
shot me great Same thing, alwaysshot me straight.
Was a great communicator, youknow, and I played pretty well
for him for the most part and,you know, really enjoyed my time
there, you know, with Seattle.
And then Darren Brown took overfor him, who was in Tacoma.
Brownie came up, who's another,you know, all-time great, loved
Brownie.
He finished up the season, sohe finished up as the big league
(22:18):
manager and then Eric Wedgecame in and was hired in the
offseason.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
He's the number two Brownie in our hearts.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
All right.
So you also played for BobMelvin, didn't you?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Played for Bo Mel yep , and so, yeah, I got to play on
two teams where I got managersfired.
Bo Mel, yep, and so, yeah, Igot to play on two teams where I
got managers fired.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Bo Mel was the other one Sure, it's all your fault,
you know, hey, you just don'twant to hang around me too long.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I can play bad enough to get you fired.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
No, no, no.
If you play long enough, you'regoing to see enough guys leave
yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
But I mean, you know, bo Mel, he's one of the most
respected guys in the game.
Beau Mel, he's one of the mostrespected guys in the game.
I'd have to say you know, he'sright up there at the very top
among the best managers in thegame.
And you know, I mean geez, hehad just won, he'd won a manager
of the year.
I think the year before, ormaybe it was two years before,
but you know he had already hadhis credentials and so, but
(23:13):
there was just was some musthave been, you know, some sort
of falling out.
Uh, I, I don't know the detailsof that, but um yeah, bowmel
bowmel was let go and aj hinchuh came on for his first uh
managerial experience.
So I got to play for bowmel andaj there and in arizona his
first season and uh yeah, it'slike he's playing crap.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I know crap, I know he keeps getting he may be
getting these guys fired, butthen they keep bringing in
better ones.
Come on, let's recycle, bringsomebody else in.
Yeah, yeah so that's real.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
I mean gosh, they might be the two best guys in
the game right now.
I mean and they were, you knowboth the 2009 D-backs manager.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Did you play for Ron Washington at all?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
And I played for Wash .
I played for Wash in Texas.
Another guy that.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Was there anybody you didn't play for?
I mean Leland.
I never got to play for Leland.
Did you play for Bud Black too?
A little bit I played for BuddyBlack.
And Clint Hurdle.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
And Clint Clint just in spring training.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, but it still counts.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, didn't get called A little bit of Brad
Ausmus, maybe too Brad.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Ausmus in Detroit.
Yeah, you start going bitchcoaches too.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You get weird.
Oh yeah, well, we'll stick tothese managers.
Josh and you've talked a lotabout Madden, a little bit about
Melvin.
Is there one common thread?
These are a lot of successfulmanagers with whom you've played
, but is's one thing that standsout about their managerial
abilities or their personalities?
Speaker 2 (24:40):
um or both you know, there's communication, for sure.
They, you know, is that numberone.
You know, I I think it's yesthat that's a separator, that
that ability to communicate, toplay or relate maybe it's to
relate to players, individuals,individuals because it's a lot
of personalities a lot ofpersonalities.
(25:00):
Um, yeah, and I think you knowjoe joe is maybe the best at
that ron washington.
Why was he the best in yourmind?
Because he was.
He came out every day.
He never, he never wasintrusive, he never came off as
disingenuous or fake.
He took an active interest inguys, not just what happened on
(25:21):
the field, but he made therounds.
There's just something abouthis presence.
It didn't seem forced, itdidn't seem selfish in any way.
It's probably how he treatedeverybody.
Didn't seem, you know, selfishin any way.
You know, when you were on.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That's probably how he treated everybody.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
I'd imagine so.
I mean, when you were on hisclub, you know he'd come up,
even if it was just like, sayhow you doing?
I mean it felt like he did itbecause he wanted to, because he
knew it was going to help theclub, you know, and everything
that he did was going to be forthe benefit of the team, and
everything that that he did wasgoing to be for the benefit of
(25:57):
the team.
And you know, if you benefitthe individual, you benefit the
team.
I mean, that's, that's just howit's going to be.
And and Ron, ron was like thattoo.
Ron told you straight up, youknow he didn't mess around.
You know I loved Wash becausehe was brutally honest.
I went to Round Rock and gotcalled up there, you know, to
the Rangers.
Um, you know, and he told meflat out, he said you cannot
(26:19):
take anything for granted.
He said these guys are going todo the first.
You know the the first.
They're just waiting for areason to snatch you up is what
he said.
He said they are just lookingfor a reason, so don't give them
one.
You know, and you know he wasencouraging in that way, you
know, but he, he shot youstraight, but it does.
(26:40):
He's just going to be honest andtell you like, hey man, like
you know your role on the team,you know where you stand, you
know it's going to takeeverything you got to stick and,
and you know, to his credit, hewas going to do everything he
can to help you.
I mean you, you've all seen thelegit.
(27:00):
I mean he is, boy, one of thehardest working guys.
I mean he's out there for earlywork and spring training every
day, down on his knee, hittingthose fungos, getting his pad
out, getting you through thedrills, and he's running through
with everybody.
It doesn't matter if it's yourfirst big league spring training
or your Adrian Beltre, elvisAndrews, elvis Andrews.
You, you're Adrian Beltre,elvis Andrews.
You know Ozzy Albies now,whoever it is Like, it doesn't
matter, you are going to be outthere working with him and he's
going to get out there to makeyou better.
(27:21):
And you know, as a player, Imean you can't help, but just
respect the heck out of that.
You know that this guy is goingto get out there and get on the
dirt with you and try to help.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
That's where you gain a lot of respect for guys.
A hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And that's that's that's one where where all those
guys, um, you know and Washtakes it to a different level,
you know, in that regard, asbeing hands-on, as a manager,
you know but all all these guys,in their own way, we're going
to communicate.
I mean, bo Mel did the samething.
Um, you know what you were goodat.
He let me know I mean, he'dalways let me know that you know
, my defense was going to carryme.
(27:56):
Um, you know, he said I trustyou to go out there and catch
the ball.
I mean, he was going to let youknow the things that you did
well and the things that heneeded you to do.
Um, bud Black was was the sameway.
Um, you know that that's whatthese guys really do well.
Uh, you know, they relate toplayers.
They communicate with players,you know, and they, they do
everything they can to to getthe most out of you.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
The best player that you've ever played with or seen
with a uniform on you haveplayed with Miguel Cabrera seems
to be the obvious choice for myend, but Beltre was really good
.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I mean Griffey Ichiro , I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
I'm sorry, whoopsies, whoopsies, I forgot.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Hall of Famers.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
As far as the, most Baker does in Hall of Fame?
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Yeah, yeah, there's been quite a lot.
I mean even Justin Verlander onthe pitching side.
I mean there's guys that arejust unreal players.
I'd say the most dominant guy Iever saw was Miguel, when we
were in AA, right before he gotcalled up.
I've never seen a player justabsolutely control a baseball
(29:06):
game the way he did and he was20 years old.
I mean this guy was 20 yearsold and he's hitting
420-whatever 10 home runs andleading the league in RBI.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Did you say 420?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
He was hitting 429.
I think when he got called upon it was June 20th, the day he
got called up to the MarlinsWith power.
With power, I mean yeah, he was429.
He was leading the league indoubles homers OPS probably all
of it walks.
He's playing video games, justliterally playing video games,
and I mean, the Southern Leagueis not a hitter's league.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
That's the one place, and it's so hot.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
It's hot, it's humid, the ball's not carrying, it's
big ballparks and it's double Aand I mean that's really back
then and the game has definitelychanged a little in that regard
.
I mean, the the leaps now arebigger at the higher levels, but
you know it used to be to getout of a ball was a much bigger
deal.
Um, you know, and so back thenI mean you had, you had talented
(30:02):
guys, you had quality playersat double a.
Um, you know, and older players, veteran players, and not just
veteran players but good playersthat probably were going to get
some big league experience.
Um, you know, it wasn't justbecause you big experience, you
know, it wasn't just because youknow they needed bodies and the
guy got drafted and you knowyou had to put guys there.
I mean, you had to really earnyour way to double a and Mickey
was 20 years old and just I meanmaking it, making it look like
(30:22):
wiffle ball, like you said, Imean, and that's that's the most
dominant performance I'veprobably ever seen up.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
But, um, you know, go to go to belt trade, because I
had him in texas and, without adoubt, the lead ability he had I
don't know a better way to putit, but he could lead- a team
and yes, jeff bannister allowedhim to lead the team.
Yeah, I think that made thatteam a separator.
But like talk about thatpresence, because I don't know
if Miguel had that.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
No, definitely different personalities.
I mean, well, they both love tohave fun.
I mean, everybody's seen theantics of Elvis and Adrian on
the field and having their fun,and Miguel loves to have fun on
the baseball field talking toguys when they come to first
base and all that.
They're both characters.
(31:19):
But yeah, adrian was a littlemore, probably a little more, of
that vocal leader when he hadto be.
He could take on a little bitmore of a serious tone, I would
say.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
But both leaders A little scary at times too.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, very, it could be very scary.
I mean, he's a monstrous guy,yeah, yeah, and he could have.
He could get a look on his facethat you knew you didn't want
to mess with.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Yeah, like he may shift you yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Yeah, if Adrian was a little upset about something
certainly a guy you didn't wantto get on the wrong side.
Just by looking at him to geton on the wrong side, uh, you
know, just by looking at them.
But, um, yeah, there was.
Uh, the thing I'll say aboutAdrian too you know his, his
brand of leadership was also,you know, really by example, and
especially on the field, um,this is probably the toughest
(32:08):
human being I've ever seen.
Um, so the reason I had gottencalled up uh to seattle in the
first place because adrian wasstill there.
He's playing third base and, um, you know, adrian famously or
maybe not so famously didn'twear any protective layering you
know what I?
mean, um and so, uh, he had alittle injury and uh, you know,
(32:32):
the man parts got got beat uppretty good there and he had to
little injury.
And you know, the man parts gotgot beat up pretty good there
and he had to, he was out, hehad to go on the DL and this guy
stayed in the game though thatday, I mean, he stayed in the
game and he's playing, he hadbig cojones.
Yeah, no pun intended.
Yeah, and you know he justplayed through it and I mean,
you can imagine the pain thatyou know he might be in.
(32:52):
Yes, I can and just stayed inthere.
And then, you know, likewise,when I ended up playing with him
again in Texas, you know, Imean, you know it was like he'd
get to the second half of theyear, you know, and all of a
sudden both his quads are, likeyou know, half torn, and that's
when he started turning it on.
I mean it was like if his quadsweren't torn, you know, he
(33:14):
didn't start hitting until youknow, until then, and it was
like it was just double afterdouble after double, and he'd be
playing with these, you knowinjuries that would, you know,
put guys you know out for youknow, a month, most guys you
know or more, and he would justgo out and battle through it.
And you're like, this guy'sjust, he's a, he's a different
animal on the field, you know,and that that's another form of
(33:34):
leadership that just, I meanthat raises your whole team,
yeah, and when you see that guy,yeah, what can you can?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
The kick that cares that much.
No, well, yeah, what are yougoing to do?
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
You know, it's like just get out there, man up and
go play, you know, and that hadtheir run and were, you know,
going to World Series.
You know, just they took on,they took on that mentality.
You know, and that is so hugefor a club when you just got
guys that are just going to beselfless and give everything
they have to the last drop, like, like he would.
I mean that's, that's whenteams can get really special,
when you have the type of talentthat they did.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Did you play with Jack Wilson?
Yeah, I played with Jack.
Three different organizations.
So I played with Jack thespring training I spent with the
Pirates and then in Seattle,and then we spent a spring
together with Atlanta.
At the end so yeah, threedifferent stops Got to play with
Jack.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
So how would you describe your game and his game
defensively?
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Similar yeah, probably a little similar.
Jack was more athletic.
Jack had a lot more flash.
I think I don't know if I wasthe flashiest guy Jack could do
some things athletically that Ijust couldn't do, and he's
probably a little quicker, alittle stronger.
His body control just some ofthe playmaking ability Jack had.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yeah, he was a playmaker Was.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I mean just unreal.
He's probably one of the verybest.
He and Alex Gonzalez you knowthe Marlins' Alex Gonzalez are
probably the two best playmakersthat I ever got to play with or
against.
You know, obviously Vizquel'sprobably just overall the best
guy that maybe has ever playedthe position.
He almost made it look too easy.
He just made it look too easy.
But as far as the arm strengthand the quickness and then the
(35:24):
body control and the ability tojust make plays all over the
field and play fast, I mean, boyJack was pretty close to being
as good as it gets.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Josh, we haven't talked yet about your first big
league homework.
Who was it?
Speaker 2 (35:39):
against.
My first big league homer wasin Camden Yards oh what a great
place to enter your first homer.
Yeah, first one dead centerfield, it was on the mound for
the Orioles.
It was Jeremy Guthrie.
It was like a 95,96-mile-an-hour heater, and
velocity was not my thing.
That was when I started tostruggle is when I started
getting the velo.
I could hit the sinker ballersand and do okay there, but those
(36:06):
guys got three.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
You know he had that good fastball and the high spin
at the time.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Yeah, and I don't know what happened.
I caught one right man and, uh,cory patterson was playing
center field and I think hemight have got a piece of his
glove.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
He ended up losing his glove over the center field.
Oh really, yeah, he almost.
No, no, no, you knocked hisglove off.
I mean knocked his glove off.
I mean, yeah, it was a rod.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
I mean I hit it pretty good.
It's probably about as good asI've ever hit one.
To be honest, what was it like,that feeling?
I mean I was sprinting, yeah.
I mean, yeah, I had no clue itwas going to leave the yard.
(36:46):
I mean you know the ball wasout and you know slowed it down
a little bit, but I mean it was.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
I mean you can't you know, so hard to describe it is
so hard to describe.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
You can't, you know, are there flashpoints.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I'm wondering third base coach, who was it?
You know, because there's thefirst guy to greet you.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
So our third base coach.
So when I was with Tampa, so itwould have been Tom Foley.
Oh my gosh, george Hendrick wasour first base coach, so yeah,
foley's over there.
Yeah, Foley's over there atthird Silent George.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Hendrick was your hitting coach.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
I mean, who knows?
I Silent George Hendrick wasyour hitting coach.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Who knows, I might have been around.
Third, I might not even likethat.
I was running so hard.
You got to pick up your speed,right.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know, I got in there.
Yeah, we had so out there inBaltimore.
The bullpens are out there inthe outfield, so our bullpen
corralled the ball.
They come in after the game.
Grant Balfour was one of ourbullpen guys, so he presents me
with the home run ball.
You know, I forget he ended uptrying to, you know, pull like
(37:50):
two pranks the first one, Ican't remember what the exact
one said, but he like drew awhole diagram of like where it
went.
It was like wind blown on it orsomething.
Oh, that's great, and I'm likelaughing, I'm like okay, you
know, it's like funny.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
So then he writes the next one and the next one he
like writes real you know, likereal nice handwriting, and the
date and he writes Craig Wilsonas the name you know first.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
First first home run and he's like no, he's like,
he's like what he's like well,you're not Craig, that's
tremendous.
Yeah, so they, yeah, so thoseguys, the bullpen guys, you know
, had a little fun with me andyeah, that was awesome.
I mean having good teammateslike that that are going to, you
know, give you a hard time and,you know, bust your chops a
little, that's another one ofthose things that makes a game a
lot of fun, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
When we talked about your first big league hit.
There's your first big leaguehome run.
Those two obviously stand out.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
And anything else you recall, so really being one of
the top moments.
If I have one record in the bigleagues, so it might be that I
hit a home run in old yankeestadium and I gave up a home run
in new yankee stadium.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
That is so I don't know.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
I don't know if anybody else has done that that
is cool.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
That may be my one claim to fame that against
another former teammate chrisyoung.
Chris young hit a home run,that's course it was against a
former teammate.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
That's crazy.
Well, you pretty much playedwith everybody.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Yeah, just about yeah .
There's like that six degreesof Kevin Bacon.
I'm sure it could probablyconnect to just about anybody.
Yes, wild man, you hit one at.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yankee and you gave up one at the new Yankee.
Yes, we will be bringing thatup the next time we play the
Yankees.
How about you?
Do you have a memorabledefensive play?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
I mean, I know there are a lot of them, but one in
particular A few.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
We're a couple.
You stole a couple hits from me.
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, I remember that one.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
That one.
No, I mean the one inparticular.
Oh yeah, the one in the gamewinner.
Not that one.
He robbed you.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Yeah, exactly Diving.
Stop up the middle behind thebag.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Absolutely Line drive bullet there were some of those
I tried I wasn't Jack.
I tried to put a little of thatflair on it when I could.
But no, I was no Jack Wilson.
But I had a couple triple playsIn, involved in two triple
plays yeah two Come on, and Ibutchered a third.
My chance at my first one.
I butchered.
I was playing third in TampaBay and former teammate Josh
(40:10):
Willingham hits me a chopper.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Who also you broke his bat.
Broke his bat.
Yep, it's signed, absolutely.
Blew him up.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Absolutely blew him up with like 87.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Take that.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
I mean just cheese hammer, so up with like 87, I
mean just cheese hammer.
So there's a chopper to third,chopper to third.
I mean it's literally right ontop of the bag.
I mean I'm standing on thirdbase.
When I catch it.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
I mean this is like as tailor-made as it could
possibly and willingham is oneof the slowest slug players in
baseball can't run at allshortest arms and legs in the
history of the big leagues.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
That's for him.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Yeah, big time pop, though no speed, big power.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'm kidding, yeah, and so make the play.
Catch it.
Step on third.
Ty Wiginton's playing secondand I just spiked it.
I threw it straight in theground.
Oh, I mean, this would havebeen.
I mean this is Wow.
I mean this would have beenlike the easiest triple play
ever.
And I just threw it right inthe dirt.
Did you get two?
(41:04):
No, nope, Didn't even get thesecond out.
Yeah, Wiggy couldn't pick it,Short hopped him and yeah, he
didn't pick it up, so just aone-out play.
So the other two were one inDodger Stadium.
It was Casey Blake hit me a linedrive.
I think it was.
Uh, Casey Blake hit me a linedrive.
Uh, I think it was a three, twocount.
(41:26):
You're playing where I wasplaying short.
Um, yeah, three, two count with, I forget if it was the bases
were loaded or just first andsecond, but uh, yeah, the
runners were moving on the pitchon a three two pitch and Casey
Blake hit a line drive.
So it was, uh, yeah, easy, easytriple play.
Um, but yeah, the best one, oneand this is probably the most
(41:47):
memorable play.
Uh, not because of the tripleplay itself, but because the
play before.
So it was a.
We're playing the dodgers inmilwaukee.
And uh, I was playing secondbase this time and uh, matt kemp
is on first base and I can'tremember who the hitter was, but
it's a hit and run, it's a basehit to right field or center
(42:09):
field and I deked him, Went down, faked the ground ball and Kemp
didn't know where the ball wasand he stopped at second base.
So it should have been a firstand third.
But stopped Kemp with a dekeand got him to stay at second.
So we ended up having a chanceat a triple play.
And then next hitter is abackhand, up the middle
Backhanded it gave a littleglove flip to Uni Betancourt he
(42:33):
turns the double play and thenKemp, who's on second base, is
trying to round third and scoreand Prince Fielder completes the
double play play, turns, firesa strike to home plate to get
the third out.
So, um, there's a cool tripleplay.
But you know, more important tome as a defender and as a
teammate, it was the play beforegetting camp to stay at second
(42:55):
base and it really mattered onthat play that he should have
been on third base and it shouldhave been a run for him and
instead it turns into a tripleplay that's probably somewhere
around his mvp.
Yeah, oh he was boy, he wasanother guy that was really
dominant at that time.
Oh, you couldn't get anythingby him could not get anything by
him, boy, and he could.
He was strong, he could hit theball out to all parts of the
(43:16):
field.
No movement that really easyinside out.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Yeah, just looked like he was ready to shoot you
the other way, but if you made amistake, I mean he was gonna do
a ton of damage I used to watchbatting practice and uh,
especially when I was younger,and I used to love watching him
take batting practice he just italmost like he'd scoop toss
balls out the right side, didn'tmatter what ballpark yeah,
that's scoop, that's I describedthis.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
That's like how his swing looked.
It was like yeah, it was like alittle flick and a little short
uppercut scoop.
It's unreal, it's unreal.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
You think you could get him up.
But if he could take that pitchand you had to come at that
belly button below, it was gameover, Game over.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Josh, when you decided after the 17 season you
were going to move on frombaseball, that had to be tough.
All the traveling you did, allthe years of playing
professional ball yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
So yeah, it hit 22.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I know that.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
I mean, yeah, jeez, yeah.
So I mean it had, uh, yeah, ithad gotten to the point where I
had spent at the time.
Um, you know, at the time I wasdone, I had spent more years in
the game, you know, than I hadout of the game beforehand.
So I was 18 when I signed anduh, you know, so, yeah it was 19
, 19 years in the game and, uh,you know, 18 years of life prior
(44:29):
.
So, um, yeah, I mean hard, harddecision.
Well, I mean, you know,officially I'm not retired.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Oh wait, a second Hold on the paper boy.
Yeah, so paper boy, I can stillcatch it.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
What a story this is going to be.
Read that paper.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
Josh Wilson goes to spring training in 2025.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
I'm sure I still can't hit and I can't run.
I can still catch it.
If I hit it, I think I canstill catch it, but no, I have
no desire to get back on thefield.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
I always say I didn't retire, I just don't play
professionally anymore.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
That's a good way to put it.
If Goldie calls, I'm in.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
That's it Independent .
Speaker 2 (45:05):
Leave the door open.
Yeah, leave it open, all doorsopen.
You never know, you never know.
Hey, like Julio Franco wasplaying when he was like 50.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That's true.
Did you ever think about doingthat?
Playing beyond the states?
Speaker 2 (45:16):
No no no-transcript.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Not really, they were looking for power, the middle
guys.
You had a hard time.
There weren't many of thoseguys that got jobs down there,
If you didn't pitch, catch orplay outfield, you probably
weren't getting by or hit bombs.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
You were going to have a tough time in those
leagues.
But, yeah, I worked out thatwhole offseason.
I mean, I was prepared to goplay in 2018.
I was looking for a job and,yeah, it just didn't come.
So, yeah, I was not ready tohang it up by any means, I
wanted to keep playing.
It just didn't materialize.
So, yeah, that's when I startedhaving to try to figure out
(46:11):
what was next.
I talked to some of the localscouts the guys that I knew from
the area from growing up and mydad being at Duquesne.
I had good relationships with aheck of a lot of scouts because
you know they were always aroundto, you know, watch his, his
players in the fall and duringthe season.
So you know I'd cross pathswith them and you know I knew
him from the time I was fairlyyoung and so I started making
(46:34):
phone calls and you know, by thetime I started doing that, the
season was already gettingunderway.
So you know there weren'treally opportunities, but you
know getting underway.
So you know there weren'treally opportunities but you
know, started throwing thosefeelers out there to let people
know that I was interested inyou know, some other aspects of
the game if I wasn't able toplay anymore.
Um and uh, you know the, the,uh, the fine people at it was
Fox sports at the time, you knowwere were nice enough to let me
(46:56):
come in and fill in for Fortwhen, uh, you know when, there
was a need on broadcast.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
That was my first year Yep, did you?
Speaker 1 (47:03):
like that Did you like doing it.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
I had a great time doing it.
I mean it was a blast.
Yeah, getting to like I said, Imean getting to go and watch a
baseball game.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
With Rob King.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
With Kinger Kinger.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
You know I got to do I think I got um, which was, I
mean boy.
You know I mean he is anabsolute legend.
Yeah, um, you know, so that wasthat was an incredible
experience.
Uh, just to get to hang aroundhim and you know, uh, do a show
with him was was a whole lot offun.
Um, yeah, but just, I mean any,any opportunity to be around
the game is amen, is unbeatable.
Um, and especially that when,when you get to show up, you
know watch, watch a ball game,break it down.
You know talk shop with theboys, talk shop with guys who
(47:48):
also love the game.
There's nothing better thanthat.
That's something that was fungig if you can get it.
Getting to show up to a majorleague ballpark in any capacity
is truly one of the biggestblessings of my life, and to get
(48:08):
to be around it for so manyyears now has been just a
complete joy.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Did you realize how difficult a job broadcasting is,
though of all the things youcould do in life, how hard I is
hard.
I don't think people realizehow tough it is.
I'll tell you to broadcast.
I mean a camera looking at youand trying to talk talking to
the camera.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
Man, it's a little stressful.
It does take getting used to.
I mean, I'll tell you that itis not uh, you know my nose is
already big.
Usually talking to a to aperson's, you know you're
talking to a friend or talkingto a teammate.
You know you're looking atsomebody in the eye.
It's easy.
But I'll tell you, the camerais a little different story,
does take a little getting usedto but we're spoiled, I'm, I'm
(48:51):
gonna throw you right out there.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
Your humility will make you crawl into a hole, but
you know, having guys like stanand greg brown and rob king and
the yeah, because you'reliterally just talking about
baseball.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
We did that for over a decade if not more.
You almost did it for two.
After a game you break it down.
I mean, it's kind of part ofthe course it's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (49:12):
It's so much fun I mean being around the game and
especially I mean talkingbaseball, because there's no
pressure in talking baseball.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
You don't have to make that triple play.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
No, you don't have to be out there making sure you
catch the ball and make a goodthrow and turn around a good
heater.
I mean, it's a low-stressenvironment and you still get to
be around the game, which is,for sure, the best part.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Hey, Josh, a couple things.
First of all, this baseballtown.
It is a baseball town.
It's as good as any in thecountry.
I've said it forever it's awinner's town.
This is not blasphemy, it's thetruth.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
It didn't just accidentally become the city
champions.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
When teams win, it's like every city pretty much.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
When teams win, people support it.
Well, you talk about hisfavorite year.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
They won.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
They won.
I mean they were good.
I mean they were good.
I mean so, you know it was kindof really cool.
I mean the 2013,.
I mean those years, those 2013,when they had the resurgence.
You know I went to thoseplayoff games.
I came down, was at the Quadogame, you know the Cubs game the
(50:19):
following year.
You'd never seen anything likeit.
And from the time I signed, youknow, to up until that that
season, you know I'd come homein the off season and it was
just Steeler stuff and Penguinstuff.
You didn't see anybody.
You didn't see any Jolly Rogers, you didn't see any pirates
gear, nobody's flying thoseflags.
And I came home that year, um,let's see 2013,.
(50:40):
I would have come home from, uh.
Um, let's see 2013.
I would have come home from, uh, from reno I guess, and uh,
there's pirate stuff everywhere.
I mean it was unbelievable.
I mean it was the first timereally, like as an adult, um,
that I came home to a city thatwas in love with baseball again.
Um, and it's absolutely true,the, the people here love a win.
(51:03):
I mean they don't just love awinner.
I mean they love their teams ingeneral.
But when you perform on thefield, I mean, you are going to
get love unlike any other place.
Speaker 1 (51:11):
They embrace it so much, so much.
Speaker 2 (51:14):
And the atmosphere at those games I mean absolutely
tells the tale.
I mean we went down there acouple hours before those games
and I mean it's just a flood ofpeople.
I mean the Clemente Bridge isjust shoulder to shoulder
Outside the stadium.
You can't move.
Wear it all black.
I mean wear it all black.
I mean it's just it was.
The atmosphere was as cool asanything I've ever really got to
(51:38):
witness as a player.
At that point I was just a fan.
Speaker 3 (51:44):
Was that cool for you just being a fan because you're
playing?
Yeah, yeah, oh, for sure forsure.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I mean, you know the season had ended, I didn't, you
know I I hadn't gotten called up.
So, um, I was a free agent.
I had no, uh, no allegiances atthat point.
So I got to rock, rock someBuccos gear and head down to the
ballpark just as a fan againand cheer on the Buccos and that
was I'll tell you what man.
That Quato game was justsomething else, I mean it was
(52:12):
something else.
I mean, it's one of the coolestthings I've ever witnessed as a
baseball fan.
Speaker 1 (52:17):
I have people, including John Wainer and others
, say Wainer went there as a fan.
It was a radio-only game.
I think Walkie and I and TimNeverett did the game so John
could go with his family to thegame and he said of all the
games, he's a real yinzer now.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
We've argued this.
You're not.
Don Kelly's not, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (52:37):
Mount Lebanon, St Clair.
No, no, You're not Yenzer.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
We're going to have more.
We're going to bait what thatYenzer means.
Speaker 1 (52:43):
That's the Yenzer.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
But of all the events , all the Super Bowl, Stanley
Cups, there was nothing like it.
That event was unlike anythingthey've ever experienced.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
It was so cool Guys like Weiner it was unreal.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Well, it was a treat to have you, your dad, chip off
the old block here.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Legend.
What a baseball man.
Super energy yeah, he'll have aheck of a lot of good baseball
stories from him.
He's been doing it a heck of along time and boy, he's done a
lot, from coaching in college tothe Fed League to helping out
with Team USA.
There's a whole lot of goodstories in him too.
Speaker 1 (53:17):
How about Duquesne not having baseball?
That was so sad, isn't it?
It's a little bit of a drag.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
It's a little bit of a drag yeah, used to be
resurrected, yeah, that would begreat.
It was great the run that theyhad and you know I got to work
out up there.
They used to put that bubbleover the football field.
I had a great advantage gettingto have a whole college team
and an indoor facility to workout with in Pittsburgh all
winter, that's amazing.
Fortunately there's some ofthose good spots now around
(53:45):
where guys can still get theirwork in in the wintertime.
But yeah, I had it really goodwith those Duquesne Dukes years.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
And Josh now has also experienced his greatest
podcast ever.
He's never been involved with apodcast.
Speaker 2 (53:59):
My first one.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
Hold my Cutter.
Speaker 2 (54:01):
Don't say that, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
This is your first of this week.
Speaker 3 (54:05):
You've been doing podcasts for years, but this
Hold my Cutter, we're first iswhat he says.
Yes, number one yeah, the best.
Speaker 2 (54:17):
You get the play on words right, hold my Cutter.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
You got it.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
Okay, I do like it, I need to throw it.
They didn't.
Speaker 1 (54:20):
That was what I tried to go to Chris and Hunter.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
You know, it was that , yeah.
Speaker 3 (54:24):
Well, it's okay If it makes you feel better.
I gave up a grand slam and athree on Homer.
Three on Homer is a PedroAlvarez Trying to throw a cutter
.
I tried the Quaito.
I'm shaking up top.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
Tried to go 78 at the top.
It didn't work.
My heat's not quite majorleague material.
What a treat.
What an absolute treat.
Speaker 1 (54:42):
Hold my Cutter with Josh Wilson Enjoying more coffee
here at Burned by Rocky Patel.
Like and subscribe, pleaseenjoy.
Hold my Cutter Pretty, pleaseyeah.
yeah, that's, that's wild, because we were just
talking about how that uh we oh,we're on.
So yeah, welcome uh again.
Our episode here with.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I see what you did there.
I don't know what you'retalking about.
What do?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
you mean hold my cutter is what I mean and we're
enjoying we're enjoying the fatbottom.
Yeah, they're still fat, theyare, and uh brownie during the.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
During the break, you're showing us a dance the
the Fat Bottom Daddy, we'll getout there, don't you worry about
that?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
For those of you, watching on YouTube, stick with
it, or whatever platform.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You'll never believe what Brownie can do with those
hips.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Oh, you have no idea.
Like and subscribe, and wesubscribe to the Josh Wilson
idea that you don't necessarilywant Deadwood on the field, but
you definitely want it.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, when you're smoking Stogies In the humidor,
yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
And we talked in a previous episode about your
baseball life, which is amazingEight years of the big leagues,
nine major league teams, 12organizations and how many years
total.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I played 19 seasons of pro ball.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So, one of those in the independent.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
In the independent, we're gonna get to york pa york,
pa york, pennsylvania I'm acentral pennsylvania guy, but we
didn't have a professionalbaseball team.
Then the york what revolution?
What are the york revolution?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
the revs.
Man, how did you get onto therevs and what year would that
have been?
Uh with that?
Uh, yeah, that was uh 2016,okay, 2016.
Um, yeah, I was working out, uh,in the winter time.
Um, our manager there in yorkis mark mason, uh, another local
guy, um, and uh, yeah, I wasout there at uh seaside sports
(01:41):
down in kansasburg it it was agreat facility run by Chris
Seidig, and so I was just in theoff season looking for a job
and there were no takers in theaffiliated front and Chris had
played for Mace with the WildThings and I don't know if he
had invited him out to work out,but we get together with some
(02:02):
of the guys I think Neil Walkerand DK Donnie would come down
every once in a while and workout there.
So, uh, mace came to to one ofthe workouts one time down there
and uh just got to know him, um, and he said you know, yeah, uh
, you know, we'd love to haveyou in York.
He said, if he can't get a job,um, you know we'd love to have
(02:31):
you there.
Uh, then you know, that was thatum one of the best experiences
playing baseball I've ever had.
Why is that, josh?
It's pure, there's just, it'sjust baseball.
You, it's win or go home there,um, you know, if you're not
performing, if you're not doingthe job, they just get rid of
you.
There's, no, there's verylimited politics in that league.
Um, um, you know everybody'sbasically, uh, you know, making
making the same amount of moneyor close to it.
(02:51):
You know, there there's,there's not much salary there,
so guys are just playing to play.
You know guys are playing thereto get better, hopefully get a
chance at at affiliated ballagain.
Um, and you have a lot, of, alot of young guys that you know
they're there, you know, becausethey love to play the game and
that's it.
And what was the age differencefor you?
So I was in my 30s.
(03:13):
I was probably 33.
I mean, I was done.
I think I was 36, my last year,in 2017.
So, yeah, that was a coupleyears before that.
So, yeah, I was 34, 35.
Yeah, so yeah, it was 34, 35.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, so it's April of 16.
You signed with York rightApril of 2016.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yes, and then the next year you go back and sign a
minor league deal with theTexas Rangers in April of 17.
Played that whole year in 2016.
Went to the playoffs, had agreat run there, absolutely
loved it.
Had a great host family therethat took really good care of me
.
My roommate was Micah Owings,another big leaguer, so Mike and
(03:51):
I had an absolutely fantasticsetup there with Tracy and Jim
Board Got to give them a shoutout.
They are absolutely wonderfulpeople.
Took wonderful care of us.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Those families are the best, aren't they?
Absolutely the best.
What town were you living in umso?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
this was.
This was in york.
Uh, it was.
The town that they lived in wascalled spring garden okay, I
believe was uh, was the littletown right, right outside of a
york country club.
Um, so I mean, yeah, we were.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We were very well set up.
Yeah, I mean, I'd say so that'sgreat I
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I got a couple rounds of golf in there.
It was unbelievable.
It was really unbelievable.
That made it all the better,having a great place to go home
to and good people to be aroundoff the field.
Going into 2017, it was thesame thing.
(04:43):
I was working out, I stillwanted to play um and haven't
had such a good experience inYork.
I was fully prepared to go backagain.
Um.
I went to spring training, uh,with York, um, which is not very
long, it's.
You know you get about three orfour days and then they say all
right you know, throw it outthere.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And that's.
That's not like you're notgoing down to Florida, Nope this
is right there in york, get acouple of scrimmages in against
uh, you know lancaster, or uhyou know somerset, new jersey
head over
Speaker 2 (05:12):
there, play, play a little scrimmage game, old
school, old school.
Hey, just you know, go getready and go play.
Um, but so it was.
It was still we hadn't evenstarted the regular season yet
and, uh, I get a call from theRangers.
I think it was actually maybethe first guy that had called me
was Jason Wood, who wasmanaging in Round Rock.
Jeez, another Woody and I wereteammates in Albuquerque with
(05:33):
the Marlins and they had had awhole slew of injuries Elvis
Andrews was hurt, rugna Nodorwas hurt, I think Will
Middlebrooks was in Round Rockthat year, doug Bernier, some
other guys, uh, and they justhad this whole rash of injuries.
So they were really shorthanded.
Um, you know, and, and I get aphone call and I said, yeah,
(05:54):
I've been working out all winter, I'm in spring training with
York, I've been playing, I'mready to go.
Just, uh, give me there.
So, um, yeah, they needed somehelp.
I went down to Round Rock andhad a good run down there.
I was there for a little over amonth or so probably, and
played really well.
But then the health startedreturning for those guys and
(06:16):
good for them.
They gave me a greatopportunity to get back into
affiliated ball.
But those Texas Rangersorganizations I thought were
really well run as well, um,really good people, and they did
right by their, by their guys,by sending me packing, you know,
despite how well I was playingat the time and and the guys
they had already committed tothey, they kept would be traded
(06:37):
to cleveland so I ended up yeah,I got traded to cleveland and
and that was where it all uhatedthere Spent the rest of the
season in Columbus.
Another great group of guysplayed for Chris Tremmey there,
ruglis Odor who's Rugnit Odor'suncle, I believe and Steve Carse
(06:58):
were on the staff there.
Great people, all great guysyou know, had a really good
experience in Columbus.
That's a fantastic town, wasthis in 17?
17.
?
So we played against each other.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Probably Randy there I was in Durham.
Okay, we had the best pitchingstaff in all of baseball you
probably played against them in17.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, I told you, we were like this who was the guy?
Was Archer You're doing?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
the weave Was Archer before that, or was he?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
probably already in the big leagues.
At that time, we had BlakeSnell.
Okay, so it was Snell.
Yeah, we had a really goodstaff.
Yeah, torino.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I can remember J Pierre and Seabia talking up
Blake Snell saying he was goingto be the real deal, really.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, he came down.
He made the team out of camp,came down.
He was like a science projectfor us.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We had to be pretty decent too.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Columbus team was yeah, a lot of fun.
Tyler Naquin.
Um Richie Schaefer Uh, you knowwe had, we had some, uh, some
good pictures there.
Um, eric Kratz was, uh wasbehind the dish there.
Uh, yandy Diaz boy, yandy Diazwas that guy.
He took the most unbelievableBPs and I mean that guy is all
(08:08):
biceps.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
I don't know if you've ever seen Yandy up close.
I mean, he is all biceps.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
He'd get in the gym after a game and it's just, I
mean it was triceps and biceps,I mean his arms were absolutely
massive and my goodness, hecould absolutely hit the snot
out of a baseball.
And then he'd get in the gameand it was all low liners and I
know he did something there andstarted lifting it and boy, he's
had a really good run.
But yeah, I mean Yandy wasgreat.
(08:33):
Eric Stamets was a shortstop, ayoung guy coming up, and
another really good defender,another guy who was a lot like
me, could pick it.
You could move him around.
Yeah, I had a great time.
I mean, columbus is such agood—the ballpark's great, great
.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Another good hitting ballpark.
Too Great place to hit.
It's a short porch.
He just nailed the hittingballparks, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I was very fortunate.
Awesome, not just goodballparks but good towns too.
I mean I really love playingthere.
The ownership there was great.
They treated players reallyreally well, took care of the
players.
I can't say enough good thingsabout Columbus.
That's maybe one of the mostfun places I've ever played A
lot of cities.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
This guy you too, Ford, I know you've played in a
lot of cities, not as many ashim.
I mean what Kane?
County, utica, portland We'vementioned a lot of them Portland
, jupiter, of course, whereverthe Charlotte club, is it?
Wilson or Zebulon, NorthCarolina.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Oh Zebulon, yeah, Carolina, there's Zebulon, yeah,
right outside Raleigh.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Albuquerque, colorado Springs.
You mentioned Pawtucket, reno,tacoma, gwinnett, round Rock,
columbus, Toledo, indianapolis,of course.
What an amazing run.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Did you have a favorite?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah, did you have a favorite town, you know?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
probably.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Minor leagues and big leagues.
Let's go both.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
The two places I had the most fun, probably
throughout my career, both onand off the field more on the
field, but with the teammatestoo.
But Carolina, raleigh is justboy, an unbelievable town for a
young 20-ish guy, with all thecollege and the nightlife.
And then we just hadunbelievable players.
(10:14):
We had Miguel and DontrellWillis I mean our team.
We won the championship therein 03, and we lost Miguel
Cabrera, dontrell Willis andAdrian Gonzalez off of that.
Those three guys were all onthat team.
They all, they all got calledup and Adrian got traded and we
still, we still won the Southernleague that year.
So I mean that was.
(10:34):
I mean we just had, we hadreally, really good players
there.
Um, so I mean that those yearsin Carolina, you know probably
about as as much fun as I'veever had as a player.
Um, and then Tampa, I meanthere's no, there's no better
place to play than St Pete.
Um, I lived on the beach.
Uh, I mean just this absolutelyphenomenal place could walk
(11:00):
over you know, jump in the golf.
Um, the Boca Ciega Bay wasright out the back window.
I could see right across overto Tropicana Field from over
there.
I mean you're on the beach andyou're in Florida and then you
go to the ballpark and there isno lower stress environment to
play in the big leagues thanTampa Bay.
There's just the media presencethere, almost none existent.
(11:23):
If you're the guy that has a badday there, you don't have to
answer questions after the game.
There's nobody coming to houndyou, you know, going hey, what
happened there?
You know why'd you do this?
Um, they go and talk to theplayers that had a good game
there.
Um, you know, at least for aguy like me, you know some of
the.
You know the James Shields andthe Casmeers and bj optin, and
you know those guys the carlospena.
(11:44):
You know those guys had toanswer the tough questions.
But you know, when you weresomebody like me that was a role
player.
Um, you know, they talked toyou when you did well and if you
had a tough game, you just, younever, you never got any of
that real negative energy.
Um, the fans there, you knowthey love you, no matter what.
Um, I mean, you know they.
You know Tampa is just, it'sjust an easy place to play.
(12:07):
You don't have these big crowds.
They're never going to boo you.
Now, that was 07.
Were they any good, you guys?
Well, you know we were young.
That team was really young.
We didn't win a lot of games.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
But you could see the talent coming.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I mean, they went to the World Series the following
year.
They made some moves and gotsome more guys in there, but
yeah, it was James Shields andKazmir, david Price and Longoria
were coming.
They weren't there yet in 07,but they were on the way.
Carlos Pena had broken out andjust had an absolute monster
(12:42):
year.
You know, bj, delman Young,some good names, some, some
really really good players,really really good.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
So how do they do it, josh?
Here's a.
Here's a former big leaguer,former ray, and a former scout.
How do the tampa bay rayscontinue to put out that talent?
Do you think what's thisformula?
Speaker 2 (12:59):
well.
You know they, they draftreally, they draft and develop
really well.
I mean, I don't think there'sany mistaking that they get good
players.
They had gotten a ton of goodplayers through the draft and
they developed them.
You know exactly how they didit.
The inner workings I don'treally know.
(13:19):
They definitely you know theanalytics and those type of the
new school things.
They definitely have theirthings that they like.
They've got their models orwhatever that help them compete
(13:40):
and acquire players that maybeother clubs don't want.
I have no idea what those are.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Prior podcast we talked about risk.
A lot of teams aren't willingto take that risk.
I feel like they're willing totake risks that most teams
aren't.
I feel like smaller marketshave to do that.
Do you feel that way?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Well, I mean, I think it makes sense.
I mean I think, just like fromthe player's standpoint saying
it's an easy place to play, Ithink it probably goes for them
too.
You're not going to get thebacklash you would get in Boston
or New York if things go wrong.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
All right, easy place to play.
Does that mean it's a goodplace to play?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
For sure.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I think for a player,the place where you can perform
your best is the place you wantto play.
You know there's probablyplenty of guys that are, you
know, brighter lights people andthey prefer to be in a New York
or Boston.
But as far as a low-pressureenvironment, I don't think
there's anywhere.
Especially for a player like methat kind of had the
(14:44):
introduction to the big leaguesthat I did, that a place like
that really helped me start tofeel that I belong there.
Ultimately, everybody wants towin, everybody wants to win a
World Series.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But if you're introduced to the big leagues in
that environment.
I've really never heard thattheory.
That's a really good one.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
I finished my career in Tampa Bay and they called me
in the offseason.
They really weren't on my radarbut they gave me an opportunity
I hadn't heard yet and that wasto come in.
Competing against Ricky Weekwas was inevitably not a good
thing for me because it's rickyweeks, but to be a bat off the
bench against left-handers.
They wanted to try to pull outmy ops, which was always high in
(15:25):
the minor leagues and wasalways high in the big leagues
when it came to an average majorleaguer.
They thought they could give memore bat.
So they had this whole grandscheme of plans.
So I was like, yeah, and thenwe signed an incentive-based
contract and then I came intospring training.
First week dominated and then Isucked.
I mean, I don't even know if Igot a hit.
The rest of the time Playedgood defensively, but they had
already marked me as just a bat.
(15:46):
So I didn't get to catch a lot,so I didn't get to do my
strength.
They sent me to triple a and Ihad an opt-out every month you
know how that goes and theywould call every month and ask
me what it would take to staywhether it was at bats was a
couple more dollars.
They even got to guarantee call.
They did everything they couldto keep me there to mentor their
players and I I knew where Iwas at my career.
(16:09):
I didn't know if I wanted tojump ship.
All the time we had an rv and Iwas really, was really happy,
just kind of being a part ofthis squad and mentoring these
guys and then was going toregroup.
But they did a really good job.
They were paying me a smallfortune in minor leagues to show
up every day, to love on theseguys, to be an extension of the
coaching staff.
That's what I think, brownie.
(16:29):
When you think about smallmarket teams you can correct me
if I'm wrong they go a littlebit above and beyond to make
sure, hey, we want you there.
This is why yeah and what is itgoing to take for you to feel
comfortable that we're nottaking advantage of you?
And a lot of teams will do that.
One gm loved me, one gm didn'tyou know.
One gm saw it as I'm just anumber and I wasn't putting up
(16:50):
the numbers I could but I wasn'tgetting the bats, wouldn't get
the opportunity, so, as I waslike I don't want to be here,
but they kept making me feellike no, you're a part of it.
I went through the playoffs,didn't play, got apologized to
and it was just a differentrealm.
And I think, because they didthat, I'll always speak highly
on them because they shot mestraight.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, you know, I mean playing there, playing
there is great, you know, andthere's a lot, of, a lot of
factors, but the organizationitself probably has to be.
You know, really, you know, themore important thing going on
there is just the way they treatpeople.
And yeah, I, I, I'd have to saythe same that you know, Joe
Madden is probably another bigreason why it was so easy to
(17:35):
play there, because Joe was aguy that just makes you feel
good every single day.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Every single day, no matter who you are, but you get
positive reinforcement all thetime.
Positive reinforcement.
You know where he stood too.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Probably you knew where I stood, honest with you
Honest, absolutely 100% honest.
I mean from the day I got thereI showed up as a waiver claim
and immediately come in theoffice and he, flat out, he told
me right there, hey, I don'tknow if I'm going to get you in
tomorrow or the next day or whenit's going to be, but he's like
, be prepared, you're going toget in there, you'll be, you're
going to be in the lineup.
You know, some point thisweekend we're going to, you know
(18:05):
, check the matchups or whatever.
And yeah, you were, you werealways, you were always informed
, you were always informed.
Joe, always, you know, shot youstraight.
He told you, you know.
He told you.
You know, it's kind of like theoracle, you know.
He told you what you needed tohear.
You know, to get the most out ofyou yeah, you know he's that,
that type of guy, he just youknow he was, he was going to do,
(18:26):
do right by you, to do right bythe organization, to to get the
most out of his players.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
You know, yeah coming your way here.
Uh, Burn by Rocky Patel.
Hold my Cutter.
In case you hadn't noticed,You're joining us in
mid-conversation with JoshWilson.
We're enjoying another stogiehere.
And, of course, some of ourguests received gift cards to
David Allen Clothing in MountLebanon.
Check out their showroom, theirshop on.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Washington Road.
David Allen what a story.
He's an amazing guy.
He's an amazing guy.
He has an amazing story.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You will love that place.
Josh, stopping by theirshowroom, who gave you the
nickname the Paper Boy?
Some suggest it was Ken Griffey.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Yeah, so I think I could say confidently
popularized by a guy named KenGriffey Jr.
But I think actually it wasMike Sweeney.
So Mike Sweeney is the one whoactually came up with it.
For reasons you may be able toguess, it still looks like he's
13.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
It's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Did you play Paperboy when?
Speaker 2 (19:33):
you were a kid, you know I did.
I used to love that game.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Yeah, me too, it was an absolutely fantastic game on
the old nintendo uh I wish I'dbring paperboys back.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
But terrible, I'm a terrible video game player, not
good um so it was a good game.
It's a great game I I lovetrying I love trying, but yeah
it was not good, yeah so so,sweeney, sweeney, another after
another.
Uh, you know, waiver claim whenI show up in seattle, and, and
you know, sweeney being afteranother waiver claim when I show
up in Seattle and Sweeney,being the character he is,
starts chirping.
(20:00):
Who's this guy in the cage?
Looks like the doggone paperboy.
So yeah, then a legend was born.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
So how about we've mentioned some of the managers?
We haven't all the big leaguemanagers, but you just talked a
little bit about Joe Mann.
We talked about Jack McKeon inanother episode.
Uh, a little bit of time withmanny octa.
Uh, was it wakamatsu?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
in seattle, don wakamatsu, um, you know, in
seattle, uh, I love playing fordon walk, another just super
positive guy, um, you know, Ithat that second year uh in
seattle, so that was 2009 and 10, and, uh, we had a good year in
09, 186 games, uh, and nobodyexpected that we were not, we
(20:46):
were not expected to do verymuch.
It was it was a very much anoverachievement, um, but we had
good players.
I mean, there's the same kindof a similar deal with with
tampa.
There were some good youngplayers franklin gutierrez and
jose lopez, um, you know, andthen you had, you had the star
players and the vets too, uh, tocomplement adrian beltre and,
uh, you know, and junior,obviously, sweeney, um, so that
(21:10):
year, uh, heading into 2010, youknow they made those big splash
signings and get, uh, miltonBradley, cliff Lee, um, you know
we already had Felix Hernandez,obviously, so I mean on paper,
you know, sean Fagans also, youknow they made some deals and
thought they, uh, you know ithad made the moves to to get
that team over the hump, um, andit just, it just didn't work
(21:32):
out and unfortunately, yeah, wokgot fired that year, which I
don't think was his fault.
I think Wok did a great job.
But when you're on those teamsand you're expected to win,
that's the nature of the game.
Now, it has always been thatway, I suppose.
But Wok was phenomenal, treatedme great Same thing, always
(21:55):
shot me great Same thing, alwaysshot me straight.
Was a great communicator, youknow, and I played pretty well
for him for the most part and,you know, really enjoyed my time
there, you know, with Seattle.
And then Darren Brown took overfor him, who was in Tacoma.
Brownie came up, who's another,you know, all-time great, loved
Brownie.
He finished up the season, sohe finished up as the big league
(22:18):
manager and then Eric Wedgecame in and was hired in the
offseason.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
He's the number two Brownie in our hearts.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
All right.
So you also played for BobMelvin, didn't you?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Played for Bo Mel yep , and so, yeah, I got to play on
two teams where I got managersfired.
Bo Mel, yep, and so, yeah, Igot to play on two teams where I
got managers fired.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Bo Mel was the other one Sure, it's all your fault,
you know, hey, you just don'twant to hang around me too long.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I can play bad enough to get you fired.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
No, no, no.
If you play long enough, you'regoing to see enough guys leave
yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
But I mean, you know, bo Mel, he's one of the most
respected guys in the game.
Beau Mel, he's one of the mostrespected guys in the game.
I'd have to say you know, he'sright up there at the very top
among the best managers in thegame.
And you know, I mean geez, hehad just won, he'd won a manager
of the year.
I think the year before, ormaybe it was two years before,
but you know he had already hadhis credentials and so, but
(23:13):
there was just was some musthave been, you know, some sort
of falling out.
Uh, I, I don't know the detailsof that, but um yeah, bowmel
bowmel was let go and aj hinchuh came on for his first uh
managerial experience.
So I got to play for bowmel andaj there and in arizona his
first season and uh yeah, it'slike he's playing crap.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I know crap, I know he keeps getting he may be
getting these guys fired, butthen they keep bringing in
better ones.
Come on, let's recycle, bringsomebody else in.
Yeah, yeah so that's real.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
I mean gosh, they might be the two best guys in
the game right now.
I mean and they were, you knowboth the 2009 D-backs manager.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Did you play for Ron Washington at all?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
And I played for Wash .
I played for Wash in Texas.
Another guy that.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Was there anybody you didn't play for?
I mean Leland.
I never got to play for Leland.
Did you play for Bud Black too?
A little bit I played for BuddyBlack.
And Clint Hurdle.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
And Clint Clint just in spring training.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, but it still counts.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, didn't get called A little bit of Brad
Ausmus, maybe too Brad.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Ausmus in Detroit.
Yeah, you start going bitchcoaches too.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You get weird.
Oh yeah, well, we'll stick tothese managers.
Josh and you've talked a lotabout Madden, a little bit about
Melvin.
Is there one common thread?
These are a lot of successfulmanagers with whom you've played
, but is's one thing that standsout about their managerial
abilities or their personalities?
Speaker 2 (24:40):
um or both you know, there's communication, for sure.
They, you know, is that numberone.
You know, I I think it's yesthat that's a separator, that
that ability to communicate, toplay or relate maybe it's to
relate to players, individuals,individuals because it's a lot
of personalities a lot ofpersonalities.
(25:00):
Um, yeah, and I think you knowjoe joe is maybe the best at
that ron washington.
Why was he the best in yourmind?
Because he was.
He came out every day.
He never, he never wasintrusive, he never came off as
disingenuous or fake.
He took an active interest inguys, not just what happened on
(25:21):
the field, but he made therounds.
There's just something abouthis presence.
It didn't seem forced, itdidn't seem selfish in any way.
It's probably how he treatedeverybody.
Didn't seem, you know, selfishin any way.
You know, when you were on.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
That's probably how he treated everybody.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
I'd imagine so.
I mean, when you were on hisclub, you know he'd come up,
even if it was just like, sayhow you doing?
I mean it felt like he did itbecause he wanted to, because he
knew it was going to help theclub, you know, and everything
that he did was going to be forthe benefit of the team, and
everything that that he did wasgoing to be for the benefit of
(25:57):
the team.
And you know, if you benefitthe individual, you benefit the
team.
I mean, that's, that's just howit's going to be.
And and Ron, ron was like thattoo.
Ron told you straight up, youknow he didn't mess around.
You know I loved Wash becausehe was brutally honest.
I went to Round Rock and gotcalled up there, you know, to
the Rangers.
Um, you know, and he told meflat out, he said you cannot
(26:19):
take anything for granted.
He said these guys are going todo the first.
You know the the first.
They're just waiting for areason to snatch you up is what
he said.
He said they are just lookingfor a reason, so don't give them
one.
You know, and you know he wasencouraging in that way, you
know, but he, he shot youstraight, but it does.
(26:40):
He's just going to be honest andtell you like, hey man, like
you know your role on the team,you know where you stand, you
know it's going to takeeverything you got to stick and,
and you know, to his credit, hewas going to do everything he
can to help you.
I mean you, you've all seen thelegit.
(27:00):
I mean he is, boy, one of thehardest working guys.
I mean he's out there for earlywork and spring training every
day, down on his knee, hittingthose fungos, getting his pad
out, getting you through thedrills, and he's running through
with everybody.
It doesn't matter if it's yourfirst big league spring training
or your Adrian Beltre, elvisAndrews, elvis Andrews.
You, you're Adrian Beltre,elvis Andrews.
You know Ozzy Albies now,whoever it is Like, it doesn't
matter, you are going to be outthere working with him and he's
going to get out there to makeyou better.
(27:21):
And you know, as a player, Imean you can't help, but just
respect the heck out of that.
You know that this guy is goingto get out there and get on the
dirt with you and try to help.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
That's where you gain a lot of respect for guys.
A hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And that's that's that's one where where all those
guys, um, you know and Washtakes it to a different level,
you know, in that regard, asbeing hands-on, as a manager,
you know but all all these guys,in their own way, we're going
to communicate.
I mean, bo Mel did the samething.
Um, you know what you were goodat.
He let me know I mean, he'dalways let me know that you know
, my defense was going to carryme.
(27:56):
Um, you know, he said I trustyou to go out there and catch
the ball.
I mean, he was going to let youknow the things that you did
well and the things that heneeded you to do.
Um, bud Black was was the sameway.
Um, you know that that's whatthese guys really do well.
Uh, you know, they relate toplayers.
They communicate with players,you know, and they, they do
everything they can to to getthe most out of you.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
The best player that you've ever played with or seen
with a uniform on you haveplayed with Miguel Cabrera seems
to be the obvious choice for myend, but Beltre was really good
.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I mean Griffey Ichiro , I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
I'm sorry, whoopsies, whoopsies, I forgot.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Hall of Famers.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
As far as the, most Baker does in Hall of Fame?
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Yeah, yeah, there's been quite a lot.
I mean even Justin Verlander onthe pitching side.
I mean there's guys that arejust unreal players.
I'd say the most dominant guy Iever saw was Miguel, when we
were in AA, right before he gotcalled up.
I've never seen a player justabsolutely control a baseball
(29:06):
game the way he did and he was20 years old.
I mean this guy was 20 yearsold and he's hitting
420-whatever 10 home runs andleading the league in RBI.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Did you say 420?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
He was hitting 429.
I think when he got called upon it was June 20th, the day he
got called up to the MarlinsWith power.
With power, I mean yeah, he was429.
He was leading the league indoubles homers OPS probably all
of it walks.
He's playing video games, justliterally playing video games,
and I mean, the Southern Leagueis not a hitter's league.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
That's the one place, and it's so hot.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
It's hot, it's humid, the ball's not carrying, it's
big ballparks and it's double Aand I mean that's really back
then and the game has definitelychanged a little in that regard
.
I mean, the the leaps now arebigger at the higher levels, but
you know it used to be to getout of a ball was a much bigger
deal.
Um, you know, and so back thenI mean you had, you had talented
(30:02):
guys, you had quality playersat double a.
Um, you know, and older players, veteran players, and not just
veteran players but good playersthat probably were going to get
some big league experience.
Um, you know, it wasn't justbecause you big experience, you
know, it wasn't just because youknow they needed bodies and the
guy got drafted and you knowyou had to put guys there.
I mean, you had to really earnyour way to double a and Mickey
was 20 years old and just I meanmaking it, making it look like
(30:22):
wiffle ball, like you said, Imean, and that's that's the most
dominant performance I'veprobably ever seen up.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
But, um, you know, go to go to belt trade, because I
had him in texas and, without adoubt, the lead ability he had I
don't know a better way to putit, but he could lead- a team
and yes, jeff bannister allowedhim to lead the team.
Yeah, I think that made thatteam a separator.
But like talk about thatpresence, because I don't know
if Miguel had that.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
No, definitely different personalities.
I mean, well, they both love tohave fun.
I mean, everybody's seen theantics of Elvis and Adrian on
the field and having their fun,and Miguel loves to have fun on
the baseball field talking toguys when they come to first
base and all that.
They're both characters.
(31:19):
But yeah, adrian was a littlemore, probably a little more, of
that vocal leader when he hadto be.
He could take on a little bitmore of a serious tone, I would
say.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
But both leaders A little scary at times too.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, very, it could be very scary.
I mean, he's a monstrous guy,yeah, yeah, and he could have.
He could get a look on his facethat you knew you didn't want
to mess with.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Yeah, like he may shift you yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Yeah, if Adrian was a little upset about something
certainly a guy you didn't wantto get on the wrong side.
Just by looking at him to geton on the wrong side, uh, you
know, just by looking at them.
But, um, yeah, there was.
Uh, the thing I'll say aboutAdrian too you know his, his
brand of leadership was also,you know, really by example, and
especially on the field, um,this is probably the toughest
(32:08):
human being I've ever seen.
Um, so the reason I had gottencalled up uh to seattle in the
first place because adrian wasstill there.
He's playing third base and, um, you know, adrian famously or
maybe not so famously didn'twear any protective layering you
know what I?
mean, um and so, uh, he had alittle injury and uh, you know,
(32:32):
the man parts got got beat uppretty good there and he had to
little injury.
And you know, the man parts gotgot beat up pretty good there
and he had to, he was out, hehad to go on the DL and this guy
stayed in the game though thatday, I mean, he stayed in the
game and he's playing, he hadbig cojones.
Yeah, no pun intended.
Yeah, and you know he justplayed through it and I mean,
you can imagine the pain thatyou know he might be in.
(32:52):
Yes, I can and just stayed inthere.
And then, you know, likewise,when I ended up playing with him
again in Texas, you know, Imean, you know it was like he'd
get to the second half of theyear, you know, and all of a
sudden both his quads are, likeyou know, half torn, and that's
when he started turning it on.
I mean it was like if his quadsweren't torn, you know, he
(33:14):
didn't start hitting until youknow, until then, and it was
like it was just double afterdouble after double, and he'd be
playing with these, you knowinjuries that would, you know,
put guys you know out for youknow, a month, most guys you
know or more, and he would justgo out and battle through it.
And you're like, this guy'sjust, he's a, he's a different
animal on the field, you know,and that that's another form of
(33:34):
leadership that just, I meanthat raises your whole team,
yeah, and when you see that guy,yeah, what can you can?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
The kick that cares that much.
No, well, yeah, what are yougoing to do?
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
You know, it's like just get out there, man up and
go play, you know, and that hadtheir run and were, you know,
going to World Series.
You know, just they took on,they took on that mentality.
You know, and that is so hugefor a club when you just got
guys that are just going to beselfless and give everything
they have to the last drop, like, like he would.
I mean that's, that's whenteams can get really special,
when you have the type of talentthat they did.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Did you play with Jack Wilson?
Yeah, I played with Jack.
Three different organizations.
So I played with Jack thespring training I spent with the
Pirates and then in Seattle,and then we spent a spring
together with Atlanta.
At the end so yeah, threedifferent stops Got to play with
Jack.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
So how would you describe your game and his game
defensively?
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Similar yeah, probably a little similar.
Jack was more athletic.
Jack had a lot more flash.
I think I don't know if I wasthe flashiest guy Jack could do
some things athletically that Ijust couldn't do, and he's
probably a little quicker, alittle stronger.
His body control just some ofthe playmaking ability Jack had.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yeah, he was a playmaker Was.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
I mean just unreal.
He's probably one of the verybest.
He and Alex Gonzalez you knowthe Marlins' Alex Gonzalez are
probably the two best playmakersthat I ever got to play with or
against.
You know, obviously Vizquel'sprobably just overall the best
guy that maybe has ever playedthe position.
He almost made it look too easy.
He just made it look too easy.
But as far as the arm strengthand the quickness and then the
(35:24):
body control and the ability tojust make plays all over the
field and play fast, I mean, boyJack was pretty close to being
as good as it gets.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Josh, we haven't talked yet about your first big
league homework.
Who was it?
Speaker 2 (35:39):
against.
My first big league homer wasin Camden Yards oh what a great
place to enter your first homer.
Yeah, first one dead centerfield, it was on the mound for
the Orioles.
It was Jeremy Guthrie.
It was like a 95,96-mile-an-hour heater, and
velocity was not my thing.
That was when I started tostruggle is when I started
getting the velo.
I could hit the sinker ballersand and do okay there, but those
(36:06):
guys got three.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
You know he had that good fastball and the high spin
at the time.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Yeah, and I don't know what happened.
I caught one right man and, uh,cory patterson was playing
center field and I think hemight have got a piece of his
glove.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
He ended up losing his glove over the center field.
Oh really, yeah, he almost.
No, no, no, you knocked hisglove off.
I mean knocked his glove off.
I mean, yeah, it was a rod.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
I mean I hit it pretty good.
It's probably about as good asI've ever hit one.
To be honest, what was it like,that feeling?
I mean I was sprinting, yeah.
I mean, yeah, I had no clue itwas going to leave the yard.
(36:46):
I mean you know the ball wasout and you know slowed it down
a little bit, but I mean it was.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
I mean you can't you know, so hard to describe it is
so hard to describe.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
You can't, you know, are there flashpoints.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I'm wondering third base coach, who was it?
You know, because there's thefirst guy to greet you.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
So our third base coach.
So when I was with Tampa, so itwould have been Tom Foley.
Oh my gosh, george Hendrick wasour first base coach, so yeah,
foley's over there.
Yeah, Foley's over there atthird Silent George.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Hendrick was your hitting coach.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
I mean, who knows?
I Silent George Hendrick wasyour hitting coach.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Who knows, I might have been around.
Third, I might not even likethat.
I was running so hard.
You got to pick up your speed,right.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know, I got in there.
Yeah, we had so out there inBaltimore.
The bullpens are out there inthe outfield, so our bullpen
corralled the ball.
They come in after the game.
Grant Balfour was one of ourbullpen guys, so he presents me
with the home run ball.
You know, I forget he ended uptrying to, you know, pull like
(37:50):
two pranks the first one, Ican't remember what the exact
one said, but he like drew awhole diagram of like where it
went.
It was like wind blown on it orsomething.
Oh, that's great, and I'm likelaughing, I'm like okay, you
know, it's like funny.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
So then he writes the next one and the next one he
like writes real you know, likereal nice handwriting, and the
date and he writes Craig Wilsonas the name you know first.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
First first home run and he's like no, he's like,
he's like what he's like well,you're not Craig, that's
tremendous.
Yeah, so they, yeah, so thoseguys, the bullpen guys, you know
, had a little fun with me andyeah, that was awesome.
I mean having good teammateslike that that are going to, you
know, give you a hard time and,you know, bust your chops a
little, that's another one ofthose things that makes a game a
lot of fun, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
When we talked about your first big league hit.
There's your first big leaguehome run.
Those two obviously stand out.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
And anything else you recall, so really being one of
the top moments.
If I have one record in the bigleagues, so it might be that I
hit a home run in old yankeestadium and I gave up a home run
in new yankee stadium.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
That is so I don't know.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
I don't know if anybody else has done that that
is cool.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
That may be my one claim to fame that against
another former teammate chrisyoung.
Chris young hit a home run,that's course it was against a
former teammate.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
That's crazy.
Well, you pretty much playedwith everybody.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Yeah, just about yeah .
There's like that six degreesof Kevin Bacon.
I'm sure it could probablyconnect to just about anybody.
Yes, wild man, you hit one at.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yankee and you gave up one at the new Yankee.
Yes, we will be bringing thatup the next time we play the
Yankees.
How about you?
Do you have a memorabledefensive play?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
I mean, I know there are a lot of them, but one in
particular A few.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
We're a couple.
You stole a couple hits from me.
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, I remember that one.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
That one.
No, I mean the one inparticular.
Oh yeah, the one in the gamewinner.
Not that one.
He robbed you.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Yeah, exactly Diving.
Stop up the middle behind thebag.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Absolutely Line drive bullet there were some of those
I tried I wasn't Jack.
I tried to put a little of thatflair on it when I could.
But no, I was no Jack Wilson.
But I had a couple triple playsIn, involved in two triple
plays yeah two Come on, and Ibutchered a third.
My chance at my first one.
I butchered.
I was playing third in TampaBay and former teammate Josh
(40:10):
Willingham hits me a chopper.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Who also you broke his bat.
Broke his bat.
Yep, it's signed, absolutely.
Blew him up.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Absolutely blew him up with like 87.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
Take that.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
I mean just cheese hammer, so up with like 87, I
mean just cheese hammer.
So there's a chopper to third,chopper to third.
I mean it's literally right ontop of the bag.
I mean I'm standing on thirdbase.
When I catch it.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
I mean this is like as tailor-made as it could
possibly and willingham is oneof the slowest slug players in
baseball can't run at allshortest arms and legs in the
history of the big leagues.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
That's for him.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Yeah, big time pop, though no speed, big power.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
I'm kidding, yeah, and so make the play.
Catch it.
Step on third.
Ty Wiginton's playing secondand I just spiked it.
I threw it straight in theground.
Oh, I mean, this would havebeen.
I mean this is Wow.
I mean this would have beenlike the easiest triple play
ever.
And I just threw it right inthe dirt.
Did you get two?
(41:04):
No, nope, Didn't even get thesecond out.
Yeah, Wiggy couldn't pick it,Short hopped him and yeah, he
didn't pick it up, so just aone-out play.
So the other two were one inDodger Stadium.
It was Casey Blake hit me a linedrive.
I think it was.
Uh, Casey Blake hit me a linedrive.
Uh, I think it was a three, twocount.
(41:26):
You're playing where I wasplaying short.
Um, yeah, three, two count with, I forget if it was the bases
were loaded or just first andsecond, but uh, yeah, the
runners were moving on the pitchon a three two pitch and Casey
Blake hit a line drive.
So it was, uh, yeah, easy, easytriple play.
Um, but yeah, the best one, oneand this is probably the most
(41:47):
memorable play.
Uh, not because of the tripleplay itself, but because the
play before.
So it was a.
We're playing the dodgers inmilwaukee.
And uh, I was playing secondbase this time and uh, matt kemp
is on first base and I can'tremember who the hitter was, but
it's a hit and run, it's a basehit to right field or center
(42:09):
field and I deked him, Went down, faked the ground ball and Kemp
didn't know where the ball wasand he stopped at second base.
So it should have been a firstand third.
But stopped Kemp with a dekeand got him to stay at second.
So we ended up having a chanceat a triple play.
And then next hitter is abackhand, up the middle
Backhanded it gave a littleglove flip to Uni Betancourt he
(42:33):
turns the double play and thenKemp, who's on second base, is
trying to round third and scoreand Prince Fielder completes the
double play play, turns, firesa strike to home plate to get
the third out.
So, um, there's a cool tripleplay.
But you know, more important tome as a defender and as a
teammate, it was the play beforegetting camp to stay at second
(42:55):
base and it really mattered onthat play that he should have
been on third base and it shouldhave been a run for him and
instead it turns into a tripleplay that's probably somewhere
around his mvp.
Yeah, oh he was boy, he wasanother guy that was really
dominant at that time.
Oh, you couldn't get anythingby him could not get anything by
him, boy, and he could.
He was strong, he could hit theball out to all parts of the
(43:16):
field.
No movement that really easyinside out.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Yeah, just looked like he was ready to shoot you
the other way, but if you made amistake, I mean he was gonna do
a ton of damage I used to watchbatting practice and uh,
especially when I was younger,and I used to love watching him
take batting practice he just italmost like he'd scoop toss
balls out the right side, didn'tmatter what ballpark yeah,
that's scoop, that's I describedthis.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
That's like how his swing looked.
It was like yeah, it was like alittle flick and a little short
uppercut scoop.
It's unreal, it's unreal.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
You think you could get him up.
But if he could take that pitchand you had to come at that
belly button below, it was gameover, Game over.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Josh, when you decided after the 17 season you
were going to move on frombaseball, that had to be tough.
All the traveling you did, allthe years of playing
professional ball yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
So yeah, it hit 22.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I know that.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
I mean, yeah, jeez, yeah.
So I mean it had, uh, yeah, ithad gotten to the point where I
had spent at the time.
Um, you know, at the time I wasdone, I had spent more years in
the game, you know, than I hadout of the game beforehand.
So I was 18 when I signed anduh, you know, so, yeah it was 19
, 19 years in the game and, uh,you know, 18 years of life prior
(44:29):
.
So, um, yeah, I mean hard, harddecision.
Well, I mean, you know,officially I'm not retired.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Oh wait, a second Hold on the paper boy.
Yeah, so paper boy, I can stillcatch it.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
What a story this is going to be.
Read that paper.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
Josh Wilson goes to spring training in 2025.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
I'm sure I still can't hit and I can't run.
I can still catch it.
If I hit it, I think I canstill catch it, but no, I have
no desire to get back on thefield.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
I always say I didn't retire, I just don't play
professionally anymore.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
That's a good way to put it.
If Goldie calls, I'm in.
Speaker 3 (45:03):
That's it Independent .
Speaker 2 (45:05):
Leave the door open.
Yeah, leave it open, all doorsopen.
You never know, you never know.
Hey, like Julio Franco wasplaying when he was like 50.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That's true.
Did you ever think about doingthat?
Playing beyond the states?
Speaker 2 (45:16):
No no no-transcript.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Not really, they were looking for power, the middle
guys.
You had a hard time.
There weren't many of thoseguys that got jobs down there,
If you didn't pitch, catch orplay outfield, you probably
weren't getting by or hit bombs.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
You were going to have a tough time in those
leagues.
But, yeah, I worked out thatwhole offseason.
I mean, I was prepared to goplay in 2018.
I was looking for a job and,yeah, it just didn't come.
So, yeah, I was not ready tohang it up by any means, I
wanted to keep playing.
It just didn't materialize.
So, yeah, that's when I startedhaving to try to figure out
(46:11):
what was next.
I talked to some of the localscouts the guys that I knew from
the area from growing up and mydad being at Duquesne.
I had good relationships with aheck of a lot of scouts because
you know they were always aroundto, you know, watch his, his
players in the fall and duringthe season.
So you know I'd cross pathswith them and you know I knew
him from the time I was fairlyyoung and so I started making
(46:34):
phone calls and you know, by thetime I started doing that, the
season was already gettingunderway.
So you know there weren'treally opportunities, but you
know getting underway.
So you know there weren'treally opportunities but you
know, started throwing thosefeelers out there to let people
know that I was interested inyou know, some other aspects of
the game if I wasn't able toplay anymore.
Um and uh, you know the, the,uh, the fine people at it was
Fox sports at the time, you knowwere were nice enough to let me
(46:56):
come in and fill in for Fortwhen, uh, you know when, there
was a need on broadcast.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
That was my first year Yep, did you?
Speaker 1 (47:03):
like that Did you like doing it.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
I had a great time doing it.
I mean it was a blast.
Yeah, getting to like I said, Imean getting to go and watch a
baseball game.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
With Rob King.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
With Kinger Kinger.
Speaker 2 (47:23):
You know I got to do I think I got um, which was, I
mean boy.
You know I mean he is anabsolute legend.
Yeah, um, you know, so that wasthat was an incredible
experience.
Uh, just to get to hang aroundhim and you know, uh, do a show
with him was was a whole lot offun.
Um, yeah, but just, I mean any,any opportunity to be around
the game is amen, is unbeatable.
Um, and especially that when,when you get to show up, you
know watch, watch a ball game,break it down.
You know talk shop with theboys, talk shop with guys who
(47:48):
also love the game.
There's nothing better thanthat.
That's something that was fungig if you can get it.
Getting to show up to a majorleague ballpark in any capacity
is truly one of the biggestblessings of my life, and to get
(48:08):
to be around it for so manyyears now has been just a
complete joy.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Did you realize how difficult a job broadcasting is,
though of all the things youcould do in life, how hard I is
hard.
I don't think people realizehow tough it is.
I'll tell you to broadcast.
I mean a camera looking at youand trying to talk talking to
the camera.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
Man, it's a little stressful.
It does take getting used to.
I mean, I'll tell you that itis not uh, you know my nose is
already big.
Usually talking to a to aperson's, you know you're
talking to a friend or talkingto a teammate.
You know you're looking atsomebody in the eye.
It's easy.
But I'll tell you, the camerais a little different story,
does take a little getting usedto but we're spoiled, I'm, I'm
(48:51):
gonna throw you right out there.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
Your humility will make you crawl into a hole, but
you know, having guys like stanand greg brown and rob king and
the yeah, because you'reliterally just talking about
baseball.
Speaker 3 (49:03):
We did that for over a decade if not more.
You almost did it for two.
After a game you break it down.
I mean, it's kind of part ofthe course it's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (49:12):
It's so much fun I mean being around the game and
especially I mean talkingbaseball, because there's no
pressure in talking baseball.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
You don't have to make that triple play.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
No, you don't have to be out there making sure you
catch the ball and make a goodthrow and turn around a good
heater.
I mean, it's a low-stressenvironment and you still get to
be around the game, which is,for sure, the best part.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Hey, Josh, a couple things.
First of all, this baseballtown.
It is a baseball town.
It's as good as any in thecountry.
I've said it forever it's awinner's town.
This is not blasphemy, it's thetruth.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
It didn't just accidentally become the city
champions.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
When teams win, it's like every city pretty much.
Speaker 3 (49:54):
When teams win, people support it.
Well, you talk about hisfavorite year.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
They won.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
They won.
I mean they were good.
I mean they were good.
I mean so, you know it was kindof really cool.
I mean the 2013,.
I mean those years, those 2013,when they had the resurgence.
You know I went to thoseplayoff games.
I came down, was at the Quadogame, you know the Cubs game the
(50:19):
following year.
You'd never seen anything likeit.
And from the time I signed, youknow, to up until that that
season, you know I'd come homein the off season and it was
just Steeler stuff and Penguinstuff.
You didn't see anybody.
You didn't see any Jolly Rogers, you didn't see any pirates
gear, nobody's flying thoseflags.
And I came home that year, um,let's see 2013,.
(50:40):
I would have come home from, uh.
Um, let's see 2013.
I would have come home from, uh, from reno I guess, and uh,
there's pirate stuff everywhere.
I mean it was unbelievable.
I mean it was the first timereally, like as an adult, um,
that I came home to a city thatwas in love with baseball again.
Um, and it's absolutely true,the, the people here love a win.
(51:03):
I mean they don't just love awinner.
I mean they love their teams ingeneral.
But when you perform on thefield, I mean, you are going to
get love unlike any other place.
Speaker 1 (51:11):
They embrace it so much, so much.
Speaker 2 (51:14):
And the atmosphere at those games I mean absolutely
tells the tale.
I mean we went down there acouple hours before those games
and I mean it's just a flood ofpeople.
I mean the Clemente Bridge isjust shoulder to shoulder
Outside the stadium.
You can't move.
Wear it all black.
I mean wear it all black.
I mean it's just it was.
The atmosphere was as cool asanything I've ever really got to
(51:38):
witness as a player.
At that point I was just a fan.
Speaker 3 (51:44):
Was that cool for you just being a fan because you're
playing?
Yeah, yeah, oh, for sure forsure.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I mean, you know the season had ended, I didn't, you
know I I hadn't gotten called up.
So, um, I was a free agent.
I had no, uh, no allegiances atthat point.
So I got to rock, rock someBuccos gear and head down to the
ballpark just as a fan againand cheer on the Buccos and that
was I'll tell you what man.
That Quato game was justsomething else, I mean it was
(52:12):
something else.
I mean, it's one of the coolestthings I've ever witnessed as a
baseball fan.
Speaker 1 (52:17):
I have people, including John Wainer and others
, say Wainer went there as a fan.
It was a radio-only game.
I think Walkie and I and TimNeverett did the game so John
could go with his family to thegame and he said of all the
games, he's a real yinzer now.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
We've argued this.
You're not.
Don Kelly's not, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (52:37):
Mount Lebanon, St Clair.
No, no, You're not Yenzer.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
We're going to have more.
We're going to bait what thatYenzer means.
Speaker 1 (52:43):
That's the Yenzer.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
But of all the events , all the Super Bowl, Stanley
Cups, there was nothing like it.
That event was unlike anythingthey've ever experienced.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
It was so cool Guys like Weiner it was unreal.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Well, it was a treat to have you, your dad, chip off
the old block here.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
Legend.
What a baseball man.
Super energy yeah, he'll have aheck of a lot of good baseball
stories from him.
He's been doing it a heck of along time and boy, he's done a
lot, from coaching in college tothe Fed League to helping out
with Team USA.
There's a whole lot of goodstories in him too.
Speaker 1 (53:17):
How about Duquesne not having baseball?
That was so sad, isn't it?
It's a little bit of a drag.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
It's a little bit of a drag yeah, used to be
resurrected, yeah, that would begreat.
It was great the run that theyhad and you know I got to work
out up there.
They used to put that bubbleover the football field.
I had a great advantage gettingto have a whole college team
and an indoor facility to workout with in Pittsburgh all
winter, that's amazing.
Fortunately there's some ofthose good spots now around
(53:45):
where guys can still get theirwork in in the wintertime.
But yeah, I had it really goodwith those Duquesne Dukes years.
Speaker 1 (53:52):
And Josh now has also experienced his greatest
podcast ever.
He's never been involved with apodcast.
Speaker 2 (53:59):
My first one.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
Hold my Cutter.
Speaker 2 (54:01):
Don't say that, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
This is your first of this week.
Speaker 3 (54:05):
You've been doing podcasts for years, but this
Hold my Cutter, we're first iswhat he says.
Yes, number one yeah, the best.
Speaker 2 (54:17):
You get the play on words right, hold my Cutter.
Speaker 1 (54:18):
You got it.
Speaker 2 (54:19):
Okay, I do like it, I need to throw it.
They didn't.
Speaker 1 (54:20):
That was what I tried to go to Chris and Hunter.
Speaker 2 (54:23):
You know, it was that , yeah.
Speaker 3 (54:24):
Well, it's okay If it makes you feel better.
I gave up a grand slam and athree on Homer.
Three on Homer is a PedroAlvarez Trying to throw a cutter
.
I tried the Quaito.
I'm shaking up top.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
Tried to go 78 at the top.
It didn't work.
My heat's not quite majorleague material.
What a treat.
What an absolute treat.
Speaker 1 (54:42):
Hold my Cutter with Josh Wilson Enjoying more coffee
here at Burned by Rocky Patel.
Like and subscribe, pleaseenjoy.
Hold my Cutter Pretty, pleaseyeah.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.