September 18, 2025 • 43 mins
On this episode of The Jimmy Rex Show, Jimmy sits down with Major League Baseball legend Steve Garvey—10x All-Star, NL MVP, World Series champion, Padres icon, and the National League’s Iron Man with 1,200+ consecutive games. Garvey shares the story of his first day in L.A., his pinch-hit debut at Dodger Stadium, and the mindset of consistency and leadership that defined his career on both the Dodgers and Padres.
They dive into Garvey’s 2023–24 run for the U.S. Senate, the community and faith principles that motivated it, and how he helped energize voters in California. Garvey also takes us inside his free-agency tour, the Ray Kroc meeting that brought him to San Diego, and the 1984 NLCS walk-off vs. the Cubs that changed Padres history. The conversation rounds out with the business of baseball—TV money, Garvey’s bid to buy the Dodgers, and why mega deals like Shohei Ohtani’s make sense—plus why baseball remains timeless, the true value of defense, and his Hall of Fame case.
00:00 Introduction
01:29 Why Garvey ran for U.S. Senate & what he learned
04:41 Called up by the Dodgers: first day in L.A.
06:17 MLB debut at Dodger Stadium: the pinch-hit story
08:30 Iron Man streak, showing up daily, faith & leadership
13:37 Dodgers vs. Padres: identity, rivalry, and legacy
14:30 Free-agency tour & choosing San Diego (the Ray Kroc meeting)
19:46 1984 Padres breakthrough: NLCS walk-off vs. Cubs
23:19 Inside the bid to buy the Dodgers & the rise of TV money
27:06 Mega contracts explained & Shohei Ohtani’s global impact
31:31 Baseball’s timelessness: pitch clock, 27 outs, and defense
33:54 Becoming a first baseman & the legendary Dodgers infield
41:12 Hall of Fame case, ballots, and what’s next
42:22 Outro
They dive into Garvey’s 2023–24 run for the U.S. Senate, the community and faith principles that motivated it, and how he helped energize voters in California. Garvey also takes us inside his free-agency tour, the Ray Kroc meeting that brought him to San Diego, and the 1984 NLCS walk-off vs. the Cubs that changed Padres history. The conversation rounds out with the business of baseball—TV money, Garvey’s bid to buy the Dodgers, and why mega deals like Shohei Ohtani’s make sense—plus why baseball remains timeless, the true value of defense, and his Hall of Fame case.
00:00 Introduction
01:29 Why Garvey ran for U.S. Senate & what he learned
04:41 Called up by the Dodgers: first day in L.A.
06:17 MLB debut at Dodger Stadium: the pinch-hit story
08:30 Iron Man streak, showing up daily, faith & leadership
13:37 Dodgers vs. Padres: identity, rivalry, and legacy
14:30 Free-agency tour & choosing San Diego (the Ray Kroc meeting)
19:46 1984 Padres breakthrough: NLCS walk-off vs. Cubs
23:19 Inside the bid to buy the Dodgers & the rise of TV money
27:06 Mega contracts explained & Shohei Ohtani’s global impact
31:31 Baseball’s timelessness: pitch clock, 27 outs, and defense
33:54 Becoming a first baseman & the legendary Dodgers infield
41:12 Hall of Fame case, ballots, and what’s next
42:22 Outro
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Jimmy Rex Show.
Today on the podcast, we sit down with Major League
Baseball legend mister Steve Garvey, and he is one of
the all time great Dodgers and Padres. He was a
ten time All Star World Series Champion with the Dodgers,
also won the nl MVP and it just he ended
up becoming one of the greatest offensive end defensive players,
(00:23):
first baseman to ever do it. Also ran for senate
in the state of California a couple of years ago.
And it's just really a person that pours into the
community and God and life and somebody that I had
the real honor to be able to sit down and interviews.
So this was a real treat for me. So I
grew up. I know, my brother and my dad really
cheered for him, and so this was a fun one
for me to do. And so with no further ado,
(00:45):
let's get to the podcast with mister Steve Garvey. Today's
podcast is brought to you by Bucked Up Supplements. You guys,
you know, doing these athlete podcasts it can be a
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(01:07):
and so Bucked Up Protein they come with me. I
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that it is sponsored by Bucked Up Protein. Anywhere bucked
Up products per sold. Well. See, yeah, I was just
(01:29):
saying I met you about a year ago. You're, you know,
gearing up for the Senate race and everything, and it's
interesting because even though you know, you didn't end up
winning the seat, which was almost an impossible seat to
win if we're being honest, but I mean, so much
of California shifted red and I really believe you made
a giant difference using your influence to for some politics
that really needs to happen here in for Well, thank.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You very much, and people come up every day and
say thank you for running.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
God bless you.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You know, we wonder why we didn't stand up before,
and we just woke up every day in this in
this beautiful state and looked outside and we thought, well,
it'll change, but it doesn't change. You know, we the
people have to stand up and challenge what we feel
is injustices. And I woke up, I think first part
(02:17):
of April of nineteen of twenty twenty three, and I
turned the TV on and it was a dysfunctional Washington
and snarkiness, and you knew the people weren't running for us,
they were running for power. And well, so I tapped
my wonderful wife, Candas on the shoulder and she woke
up and gave me a kiss on the cheek any
like any wife would its a significant other. And I said, honey,
(02:40):
let's run for the US Senate. And she looked at
me and she gave that cute little smile and she
just turned over and I thought, well, maybe it wasn't
right timing. Then she turned back I a ten fifteen
seconds later she says, don't you think you're a little young?
And I said, and then I thought of Ronald Reagan
and the classic line I overcoming youth in inexperience. And
(03:01):
we talked that day and it took us three months
to see if there was a pathway to at least
being competitive in this state, which is two to one
and registered voted, and we put a great team together
and fifteen months later, or even much quicker within a year,
we basically won the primary. Yeah, and then it was
a Republican Democrat going at it till November fifth, And
(03:26):
that's what you always want. But this state has been
limited to what they call a jungle primary, and it's
a top two vote getters, and that easily can be
can leave at one party and it's been the Republicans
for thirty five years.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Wow, well it's you know you said it so well,
everybody wants somebody else to do something about the problems, right.
I have a company where I run a men's coaching
program and it's called We Are the Day. And the
name of the group has called that because everybody always says, like, well,
why don't they do something about it? And I say,
there is no day. We are the Day. And so
just like you answered that call, and you never know
(04:02):
how much that shifted the entire thing. Because I woke
up this morning on Santa Monica, I went for a
walk down the pier and I got yelled at by
homeless people three times. I just wanted a peaceful walk
on the beach, so I booked my hotel by there
so that I could experience that, and instead I was
like you, I couldn't wait to just get back to
my hotel room, because that's Unfortunately. You can take the
prettiest thing in the world or the most beautiful place
(04:24):
like California, and it doesn't you know, it doesn't have
the same fill. It's really kind of sad to see
as an outsider, because you just want to come here
and experience what it was when you were a child, and.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
We want people to September first of nineteen sixty nine,
the Dodgers called me up along with Bobby Valentine and
Bill Buckner and Tom Prashock, and that was the first
day I had ever been in California. I was a
kid from Tampa, Florida. I went to Michigan State and
remember catching a taxi at Lax and twenty five minute
drive to Dodger Stadium and seeing the palm trees and
(04:59):
the landsc and knowing that the ocean was right there,
and then pulling up. As any Dodger fan or anybody's
been in Dodger Stadium knows, you come up to what's
now Vince Scully Lane Drive, and then all of a sudden,
you come up to the Cathedral Baseball Dodger Stadium and
I was just on. I told the taxi driver. They
(05:19):
told me to go to the back entrance. Somebody be
outside waiting. And we got there and I got my
bags and they took me into the clubhouse, the iconic
Dodger Clubhouse, and there was Nobi Kuwano, the clubhouse man,
who was just starting out when I was a bat
boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers and spring training back in
the fifties and early sixties. Longer story, but I always
(05:43):
say that day, I felt I got to the starting
line and that was my dreams of being a major
league player. And it was an auspicious day. We took
early batting practice, the four of us, and we're excited
and getting balls into the bleachers.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
And it was quite a quite a draft, and sixty eight.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
We started a conic grip to be called up with.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Oh yeah, and still it was Davey Lopes and Ron
say we're in the minors, and Billy Russell was up
and down. So I think eight or nine of that
draft rate over nine years in the majors, which is significant.
And then the eighth inning comes and I'm sitting on
the bench. And I was an only child. My father
(06:24):
was a bus on, a grayand bus driver, and he
always said sit in the front of the bus near
the driver. He's under control. And I transferred that to
sitting as close to the manager as possible. So I
was on the bench. Walter Alston was obviously the first
one there, and we were down by three runs to
the Mets, and he looks at me, he said, you're ready, son,
(06:45):
and I said, yes, sir, and I pinchhip for the
pitcher and I get up to the plate and I
wasn't nervous. It was just the magnitude of this little
bat boy at the age of eight, who now a
chance to put a Dodge uniform on. And I got
in the battles box. Lefty pitcher by him a Jack
(07:06):
de Laura, and he throws a little cutter inside and
I turned on it and I hit this long fowl
not ten feet to the left of the flag ball
of the fowl ball. Next pitch, what the lefties do,
turn one over outside? I slice it just missed the
foul pole the right and I set back and I'm thinking, wow,
that's so bad. I almost at two home runs. And
(07:28):
then he wound up and I thought I was going
to get a fastball up and he threw me but
the first screwball I'd ever seen, and I was way
out front, and they swung and the bat came out
of my hands and went over the third basement's head
and almost javelin in the outfield, and gosh.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Got three good swings in.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I went back and Walter Alson was kind of on
the top step and he said, well, Son, He said,
it was an auspicious beginning for you. He said he
almost had two home runs and you set a Dodger
Stadium record for bat throw fair and I said, well,
thank you said, you know, you'll probably get a couple
of thousand hits when it's.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
All sit and done.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And that was a Sunday, probably I think it was
three nights later in the Astronom, I got my first
hit off of Danny la Master. So that was the beginning,
and almost nineteen years later, I look back and you know,
it was the journey that was most significant and important.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Well, what a beautiful, you know, way to get to
experience life. I mean you get this dream that you
had from being a bat boy, and then a lot
of people don't know this about you, but well maybe
they do. But is you were the iron Man of
the National League. I mean you ended up you know,
talk about playing a lot of baseball. The rest of
you played it over twelve hundred straight games, the most
(08:44):
ever for a National League player.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Take a lot of pride in that. People say, what
are your most important achievements? And I say, well, for
a team sports player, it's winning the World championship. And
I said for an individual, it's consistency, durability, leader ship,
understanding that we're in the entertainment business. People don't think
about that very often. You know, subcategory sports, subcategory baseball,
(09:09):
and that you're there to entertain and people pay their
harder and money, take their families.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And we're in the memory business.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So the harder we play, the more opportunities we have
to create memories. And and and I look at the
players today, and when I talk to the young players,
I talk about that responsibility to the fans, to the game,
to your organization.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, I think that is so important. You know, it's
it's never it's a way to give gratitude. It's a
way to honor the you know that God gave you
this opportunity to entertain so many people as a living
right and as alive. And to me, it's you know,
people always ask me, all right, how did you build
your business or how did you build your podcast? I mean,
I've almost eight hundred episodes now, I've never gotten more
than a week without putting one out. And it's consistency.
(09:54):
It's just showing up every day because a lot of
people show up when it feels good. A lot of
people show up when everything's you know, and go and correct.
But what do you do on the days when everything's
fallen apart? What do you do on the days when
you know, I had a buddy the other day and
he didn't get back to me on a business thing
for a couple of days and finally wrote me back
and he's like, sorry, I had a close friend pass away,
but you know, and it's like I get it, and
I don't want to be insensitive, but that was three
(10:15):
days ago, and I've been needing to get some information
here for this deal that we're putting together, and it's
like I just kind of in the back of my
mind was like, I'm just I wasn't like judging him
for not being able to do it, but I was
grateful that no matter what, I've always been able to
get myself to show up and be consistent. Because I'm
sure you had things happen in your life where everybody,
(10:35):
every sane person in the world would have sat it
out that day. You showed up because you had that responsibility.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Well, and you ask about my idols and Peri rees
and go Hidges. So the boys this summer we're two
of my first idles, and then Louke Garrick in terms
of historical player that ultimately ended up playing first base ultimately,
you know, going on a long stretch journey of playing
every day, right. I mean I could have taken days
(11:02):
off because of you know, summach here my had migraine
headaches earlier in my career, hypertented elbow, hairline fracture, the finger,
you know, flew all those things. But it's Adrenaline's amazing,
you know, like you said, if you just get into
the game, if you wake up and just push yourself.
(11:24):
You know, I do a lot of motivational speaking, and
I talked to businessmen and women. You know you're having
a tough day. You get to the office, you just
can't get done. Pick up the phone, talk to some
brief whoever it is. Get yourself into.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
The momentum a little bit, right, the flywheel they call it,
actually got to start pushing it a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, And you know Louk Eric had the record the originally, yeah,
twenty three sixty games thing, but he had limbago a lot,
which is a very debilitating you know, backspasms and so forth.
And I think two of those times he just limped
up there and lo and behold, he gets a ball
(12:04):
in the gap and he ends up at second base,
bent over and he can't go any farther, and they take.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Him out of the game.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
But he got into the game and he swung and
the ball hit the bat. And I know twice I
had migraines and the trainer said, you know, you shouldn't
be out there, and I said, I have to go
out there because I can catch the ball and I
can swing the bat. And it's my responsibility as a
leader to go out there those days when you know
(12:33):
you couldn't. You could easily have an excuse and people would.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Probably buy it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You know, well, those things are tough, but that you
did it, I know, twice again with a migraine headache.
Same thing as Luke Eric, you know. And I read
his biography and I said, my God hit the ball
in the gap, ended up a third world spinning around.
The trainer has to help me off, you know. But
that I tried. I think that was the most important thing.
(12:59):
And you mentioned one thing that's a very important life,
and that's God. God gives us free will and choice.
He gives us responsibility, you know, to lead our life
in his spirit. And I think once you realize that
that's one of the big elements of my campaign was
the attack on Christianity over the last decade or so.
(13:23):
And we fought that and we we have the devil
to a standoff now, so to speak. But one of
those things go hand in hand with giving back.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah. Well, it feels like the title is turning on
that a little bit too.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Well, it's interesting you play for the Dodgers and the Padres,
which are these two teams that are really going after
it right now. It's kind of fun to watch as
a I'm a Cleveland fan, but you know, in the
national League. I just didn't want the Dodgers to get
so good that nobody can ever catch them again. And
then you see the Padres making moves and you had
the unique operating. You've got your number retired by the Padres,
and you're an all time Dodger, iconic player, won year
(13:59):
World Series, and I believe your MVP with the Dodgers. Yeah,
and so how does that rivalry work for Steve Garby.
I don't think anybody has more invested in both those
programs as far as a player than you did.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Well, you know, I had had the chance to play
for this iconic franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers aka Brooklyn Dodgers,
and to help perpetuate that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
History, and then.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
We couldn't get together November fifteenth, you know, nineteen eighty two,
and became a free agent, and I remember at that
time it was a different type of free agency. Five
teams could draft you to negotiate with you.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
So that's how it was.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah, well it was the Giants, it was the Cubs,
the Yankees, Houston and San Diego. So Jerry Cappstig my agent,
and I went on a tour and San Francisco, I
mean the owner, Bob Luia was wonderful. But playing at
Candlestick part eighty two games, yeah, it was. It was
(15:03):
tough enough playing nine games. Crazy how that in the
stadium was.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
But you know, I I seized it.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Every when everybody else was complaining and griping about playing there,
I said, I didn't wear long sleeves. They just went
out there, and I just said, they're griping. I'm gonna
up there and be aggressive, you know. And I think
I get three twenty four against him or something. But
and then I went to Chicago, Goo, I was going
to be a cub. After being there a day and
a half, one thing led to another, and I think
(15:29):
the President decided he wasn't getting enough pr The GM
was so the things were out of standstill.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
By the way. I bet he.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I bet he really regretted that one. When you hit
that home run off of the Smith and right.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
In hindsight, yeah, which is twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That was probably your most iconic moment of your career,
I would guess. I mean it was one of them.
I mean that was such a big effect to.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
The most people. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
But so I go to New York and George Stein
runners see, he said, I'd love to have it. I
already have three guys. American League guys got my on,
he said, But I'll talk it up.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
In the press. And I know what parody is for you.
That's kind of from my agency. But listen, George Gary
to Garvey, I mean you could play that up.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Yeah, And Don Mattingly was a young qua sure, yeah,
but he played the outfield too, so it would have
been interesting. But it wasn't destined. So I go to Houston.
Playing in the Dome is a pitcher's ballpark, and I
thanked him. And then I went to San Diego and
Ray Crai said, I want to meet with Stevie, call
me Stevie, just he and I tomorrow. And we were
(16:33):
running out of time, you know, we needed to make
a decision. So I went to his cliff top home
and he looked to the north and his la down
the coach. She looked to the south in Mexico. You know,
so at this pretty neat place, this is what big
Maxican buy you.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
And yeah, I was impressed.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
So the lady opened the door and she said, mister
Croc's waiting for you in his den. So it was
a big three thousand square foot.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Well I didn't realize he was the owner of the
Potters at that time.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Yeah, wow, how cool.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Okay, he bought them for some pittance of twenty million
or everything like that. And so he said, Davie, come
on in. And I came in at a large desk
and I sat down, and he had his little colfat
on a little cigar, and he was doing this and that,
and I said, mister Crock, what are you doing? He said,
(17:22):
oh see, I'm checking on the stores, checking on the
restaurants here.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I said, oh really, what other? And he had monitors
and I remember this.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Was eighty two now, wow, so the beginning of the
internet and being able to traffic. And they weren't very big,
and I'm quite sure they were black and white. And
I said, how are you doing San Diego? He said,
we're doing good. He said the better the team does,
the more people eating. I said, okay, and he looked
at me. He said, son, He said, I really want
(17:51):
you here. And that two years earlier, I had smoked
smoke at a Christian breakfast, Businessman's breakfast, and the Town
and Country and I talked about touching the bases in
the christian life first and second first, you know, learning
about being Christian in the second, practicing third, and then
(18:14):
coming home to be an influence. And he said, I
always remember that. He said, I want you, and I said, well,
mister cronk, you know you always want to be wanted,
you know. He said, I have one problem and I said,
what's that. He said, I can only pay in big
maxim French fries. And I said, well, can I have
him for a lifetime then, and he said yeah. He said,
(18:34):
but I can find a few dollars for you. And
he said, I want my son in law, who is
Ballat Smith, who's the president of the organization. And he said,
I want him and Jeremy Jeremy caps time my agent
to talk tomorrow and let's make you a Padrina morrow.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
And I said great.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So next day, five o'clock I get a call and
Jerry says, you know, this is what they're offering, you know,
four and a half million for five years and with
the opportunity to get a dollar ahead for all attendance
over over two million. Wow, which was a good negotiating
because they knew that I'd attract an audience a bigger
(19:14):
crown and he said, you can make a difference. I
knew what you can do on the field, he said,
but I know off the field how you believe in
getting involved in the community and your love of the game.
And he said, we're not far away, and I said, no,
you're not. This Tony Gwynn kid, you know, is pretty
good and Alan Wiggins and Kennedy and Templeton and mc reynolds.
(19:36):
So they had a great foundation of young young players
and good young arms. So I signed two days later
and that was the beginning of my journey five years
in San Diego, and my second year we end up
beating the Cubs with a home run the bottom of
the ninth that's been considered the greatest sports moment in
(19:57):
San Diego history, which I take a lot of prodect
but it was a team. But that second year in
San Diego, we also picked up Goose Gosters and Greg
nettleson the Yankees, who were experienced World Series players. And
of course I had played in four and Dick Williams
was the manager who had become a Hall of Fame manager.
It's interesting I may have the record I played for
(20:17):
three Hall of Fame managers. Wow, and it was Walter Auston,
the iconic manager from Brooklyn here twenty three one year contract,
and then Tommy Lisorta. I was called him the P. T.
Barnum of baseball and what a motivator. And Dick was
a drill sergeant. You know, he demanded you work hard
and got the signs and you know you wanted to
(20:39):
be a grinder like He was a tough one for
rookie pitchers too, but he wanted veteran guys to do
the leadership so he didn't have to do the extra
So so Gossage and Nettles, myself and Templeton was in
the middle of his career, Kennedy a little farther on,
so we actually were the leaders. And when you assume
that role, you do things like consecutive game stricks and
(21:03):
you play when you're hurt because it's an example for
the young guys. Yeah, and within within three weeks of
my first season, ironically, we came back to Dodger Stadium
and I tied the record on a Friday night. Billy
Williams said the consecutive record nationally and I broke it
on Saturday night, but it was at Dodger stadium and
(21:27):
everybody ever standing ovation, you know, I mean before the game,
before the Friday night game. I mean, the anticipation was unbelievable.
And I was on the otic circle, and I have
a picture that was taken when the announcer announced my
name now batting third for the San Diego Padres, number six,
Steve Garvey, and there was a spattering of booze, and
(21:51):
within about ten seconds it was a standing ovation from
fifty six thousand people, which I'll never forget. And lifted
my bat up and symbolizing that they were number one,
and went up there and Doug Harvey, who was the
Hall of Fame umpire, and Chris Mike Soshi was on
(22:14):
the plate and he said, Garu, good to see I said,
good to see you.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
And I stood in.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
The batter box and I looked out and for the
first time it was a sea of Dodger uniforms and
Jerry Royce was pitching my dear friend, and I had
to step back out. He said, okay, you want me
to brush the plate off. I said, it's perfectly white.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
We're going to be ticking. That'm emotional, and.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, it was just that moment of consummation of
my ears with the Dodgers and the birth of these
five years in San Diego, and like I said before,
perpetuating history and then with winning the playoffs for the
first time in Padre history and then go to the
World Series was the beginning of that one.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
So yeah, go out a pride.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
That's pretty special. Well, it's hard not to be romantic
about baseball because I mean, what a gift that you
got to experience that in Dodger Stadium, right and have
it be that's just how the thing works in amazing
ways that he does well. The game obviously has changed.
I know back in I think it was twenty eleven,
you made a bid, you were trying to buy the Dodgers,
and in the time sports teams hadn't gone crazy like
(23:25):
they are today. How close were you to putting that
deal together with the group that was trying to acquire
the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Well, what happened. The first economic change was a cable
television significant change where all of us who are subscribers
are actually paying the salaries of the sports athletes.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
And then it.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Gradually grew from late eighties, early nineties now into twenty
years of cable so it established, it was growing.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
We knew that a year, year and a.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Half or maybe two years after the sale of the
team to whomever there was going to be a new
contract that it would probably be twenty twenty five years
and be for what we thought was going to be
five five and a half billion. We had a good group,
I asked Hershiz, We had Real Bank of Canada, and
(24:26):
we had some emerging platforms that were looking for places.
And you know, live sports is the single most valuable
programming and yeah, well.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
It's the only thing that people don't fast forward the commercials. Yeah,
it's still unpredictable ones.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
But in the case of baseball, you have the live
game and then you have four showings of that game
afterwards within an hour afterwards, early morning, late morning.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Plus you have so many games, not like football, where
you are pretty limited to the number of games. You know, baseball,
you get it's a product that you can throw out
one hundred and sixty ten times.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Yeah, and you know, it was interesting. We got to
I think the final four groups and everybody was to
come to LA and make a presentation. Then Frank Whort
would you know, would pick it the first time that
an owner actually determined who the buyer was. In Major
(25:22):
League Baseball history, the Major League Baseball always helped make
that decision because they would vet the potential buyers. But
because mister McCourt went through bankruptcy, the bankruptcy judge said
that they.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Had gives the right interest it.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know, we raise probably about one point four one
point five billion, and the greatest business accomplishment of my life.
But you can't beat a Hedge fund, so google him.
Partner came in and they got a chance to meet
with him and offered him. I think it was two
point one five from in the ballpark, and I think
(26:03):
he had a certain amount of debt to cover.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
And you know, we were at one five.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Because we thought there was only going to be one
bid and that was probably going to be by I
think it was Time Warner maybe or some moving but
it turned about there was there was dual bidding, and
that always checks the price up.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
So lo and behold.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I always say when I am speaking, the greatest business
accomplishment my life to that point, I raised one point
five billion and came up seven hundred billion short, So
I mean millionship.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yees, seven hundred millions. Ye, you know, billions and millions
flow together.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I remember I did an article, a Playboy article when Timmy,
you know, the the interview, And remember they asked me,
what would be you know, your greatest accomplishment playing the game,
And I said, well, I mean obviously we pay play
for pay and making a.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Million dollars would be great, right and lower Bowl nowadays?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, I mean, could you ever imagine there'd be contracts
like the one that Shotani just signed seven hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, well, you know that it's supplying demand. He's so unique,
he is. Yeah, and SOO got something in the ballpark there.
But Showhay with his ability to play in the field
the h.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Well, and just that he's such an international international, right,
and I think the Dodgers make more money by having
him on the team than they pay him. Still, just
because of the extra fan base and all the revenue
that comes in from Japan.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
They probably gained anywhere from seven to ten new sponsors.
And NHK in Japan does each of the games, and
that's why they had two years in a row Asian
opening of the season games over there.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So yeah, but I had the chance to go to
Game five last year. You know, the Dodgers came back
obviously won that and won the World Series. Who do
you find yourself cheered for when they play each other? Oh,
you were getting to that before. Yeah, I just you know,
I'm kind of curious.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, my team's gonna win, I say to everybody you know,
and one of a Dodger stadium, which I will be
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
You know, people say who you're cheering for? And I said,
our team's going to win. And then I'm pick and
they said, our team's going to win.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
But you know, I think most people you know think
of me as a Dodger because of the fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Yeah, and then there is you know, there's still a
significant number who remember the years in San Diego. Is
transitional for the organization there. When they stepped up made
the commitment to sign me. As they told the fans
that were here to win, mister Kroc wants to make
the difference. And you know, it took a lot because
(28:52):
their market's obviously smaller than l I. They had to
go to their sponsors and ask them if they would,
you know, invest more money in the advertising to get me,
and they did so.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
I you know.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
It was like that, like I said before, somebody wants
you and willing to invest in you, and it was
worth every ever.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
The Padres are such a likable franchise. I really like
cheering for myself just because you know, Tatis and h
some of these other guys they have or they're just
fun and they're trying to win. Even at the trade
deadline this year, everybody thought they were going to sell
off some of their pitchers, and instead they went out
and gave away the number three prospect in baseball to
get a closer, you know, and it's I just appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Yeah, no, i'ore. I know.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
I think that it's first out and he threw one
hundred and four and Marte from the Diamondbacks hit in
leftfield bleachers. Crazy, yeah, but that's you know they did,
and the Dodgers picked up some nice piece.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Oh yeah, yeah, Dodgers are always going to be able
to compete going forward. I always say, I'm jealous. I
My brother j D is a diehard Dodgers fan. In fact,
one of my earliest memories is watching him run around
the house when Gibson hit the home run in eighty
eight Oh wow, and I think I was seven at
the time, but I remember as doing he was, I
was copying in and I remember what Hattie was wearing.
That's how significant that moment was. But and it's funny
(30:07):
because I've told him, I'm like, dude, your team is
going to make the playoffs. For the rest of your life.
You might not ever miss the playoffs again, which is
pretty special if you're a Dodgers fan. I mean, I'm
an Indians fan Cleveland. So like for me, it's like,
you've had we fight. We did pretty well. In fact,
we're the fifth best record of the last fifteen years.
I know, I can't even call him that. It's part
of that wokeness thing, you know, I just can't get
(30:27):
behind it.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah, and you're right, and unfortunately, you know, their number
of teams is so relative to the Indian nation so forth,
and some of that aren't. But you know, I think
the most important thing is you no matter what you
call a team, it's the city. It's Cleveland, it's New York,
it's Houston, it's Seattle, and you know, you know, baseball
(30:51):
is pretty local. And that's why with cable television and
eighty one home games and you know, those things. That's
why you know it's your base. You know, I've always
said that, you know, basketball is about the players and
control the game. Pretty much. Football is about the franchise.
(31:12):
It's about the Packers and the Bears or Rams, and
baseball is about the game because all of these one
hundred and fifty years now, the one true constant has
been baseball.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Whether it's been.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Famines or stock market crashes or world wars or whatever
it is, the games remain constant, and people think it changes,
but it really doesn't. You can add a pitch clock,
which what that does is bring back the timing of
when I played, which is interesting. You can widen the
bases and do all these things, but it's still twenty
(31:45):
seven outs and one more run. There's no clock, which
I think is the charm of it. And I know
there have been several games where we were down twelve
to one and came back to twelve to eleven, or
we were up ten one, and I remember one night
against Houston, hit batter single, two walks, homer and grand
(32:06):
slam three more and now you got base loaded.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Two out and ten to nine.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
And normally you know you're saying it so Lord please
don't let him hit the ball to me. I didn't
say that because you know, I always say hit the
ball to me and Doug. God if it didn't come
off the end of the bat of Caesar Sedania, I
think spinning and I go down and hits the dirt.
It comes up and I grab it and Mike Marshall
(32:36):
it's very athletic and I get it and I'm falling down.
I touch it to him and the first time I've
ever seen a picture do the splits and he catches
in a bang bang.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
We got the guy. And we both look at each
other like.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Well, people don't know this either, but I mean, you
were You're the only first baseman to ever go of
one hundred and fity or more games than a year
and have zero errors. That's pretty impressive. You, you know,
have a ball hit at you and you're the one
stress and it.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Was like a goalie, you know, you get all the
time there.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Did you know it would become such a good defender,
that's so, I mean, that's crazy, that's a crazy stop.
That's just this is an unbelievable well.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
And and I won one hundred and ninety three games
without an error, always take a lot of pride in it.
So many things can happen. But you know, I always
had good iron coordination, obviously, and I played third, good
strong arm until I got to Michigan State and I
got a partial shoulder separation my freshman year and a
(33:33):
football scrimmage, and I never quite threw the same. You know,
I never got on top of it. So it was
always here. And when you throw from here instead of
here from their base, you can all the problem to sink. Yeah,
And so all of a sudden nineteen seventy three, you know,
I'm probably a twenty fourth guy and a twenty five
man team don't really have a position. Ron Say was
(33:55):
coming up good, solid third basement, and I placed him
outfield spring training and played two games in the outfield
the first couple of weeks. But I start pinch hitting
because they'd gone out in the outfield and or early
take batting practice. And I'll never forget. It's June twenty third,
nineteen seventy three, And they're always defining moments in our life.
(34:18):
There there are moments, there are days, there are seasons.
There's a negotiation, and so I'm leaving league and pinch
hitting doublehead against Cincinnati. We're having trouble against lefties, and
we got one hit. It's the eighth inn. It's one nothing.
Reds In bald Austin, the skipper says, see if you try,
(34:44):
let' see if we can tie this up or get on.
So I get a single out of the enning. We
lose one nothing. I get one of the two hits.
I'm sitting in my lock and you usually get about
thirty five to forty menstring games, and I'm sitting there
and I hate losing, but that satisfaction of my job
now is to pinch hit, even at a relevantly young age.
(35:05):
And at least I got a hit. Now, maybe maybe
I'll get up again. And all of a sudden, wald
Austin comes down, walks by, starts to go by my
locker and he looks at me, and I've got this
turkey sandwich falling out of the bread, and he goes,
you ever play first?
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I said, oh sure.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I played one game in Little Lead and one game
in triple A when I had kind of a pulled
hamstring and we were in the first base dugout so
it was the easiest spot.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
To go to.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And he said we'll get a glove started first this game,
he said, they're throwing another lefty and get some bits.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Don't trip over the bag.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
I said, okay, and I borrought somebody's club, took the
batting that way, out played catch.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Game started. Second batter hits a ball in the hole.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Billy Russell gets it and throws it because he was
a great athlete. It's in the dirt. I go out
and I dig it out, and I'm looking and it's
in there. It was the snow cone, but not quite
but I dug it out.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Bottom of the second inning. I get a double in,
driving a run. The next inning, Davy Loops comes in
on a chopper, throws it to me and throws at
high and I come off the bag, catch it and
tag the runner, which.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
Was just instinctive. And I come in also and goes
you sure you only played little league?
Speaker 2 (36:27):
And I got another hit, two hit, start twoba, just
win the game. And I'm sitting there in those days
where it all comes together and I'm thinking, yeah, thank you,
And here comes Walled again.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
He doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
He just walks by, and you know he kind of
peaked to see if he's going to say anything. He
walks by and Stevie, you and I were here, You're
in there tomorrow. And I look at Steve. He's talking
to you or me? He says, Garbge, I think he's
talking to you, and and he was. I played the
next day, got a couple more hits, and that was
(37:05):
the beginning of fifteen and a half years at first.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
And I love to.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Tell the story, especially with kids and to just anybody,
you know, eight to eighty that if somebody says, can
you do this? Absolutely? Can you play a totally foreign
position because we need you.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
Absolutely? Can you lead this group? Absolutely? Can you do
a podcast made for it? Right?
Speaker 2 (37:30):
But if you don't try, you'll never know if if
that isn't your destiny, And that was my destiny was
a big, tall first baseman that was stereotypical, you know,
they put the guy that couldn't feel very well at first.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
No, it was five ten.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Ninety, but I was a defensive back, so I had
good joke with good nickness and good hands, so that
the rest of the sevens the ended up three or
five and then next year it was MVP and you
know that sweet spot of the next ten years where
we went to four World Series and then finally beat
the Yankees and eighty one, and I was really the
(38:09):
last piece of the iconic you know, say in Russell
and Lopes myself.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Which is arguably the greatest in field in history.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
I don't know, people say, well, so and so and
so and so they've played for three years or four years.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Think of what we did for eight and a half.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
You guys were together for eight and a half years
half years.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Wow, which will never be broken because just think of
four guys.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Oh yeah, I mean I think of the Cubs team
that won the World Series in twenty sixteen. It looked
like they'd be together forevery had Chris Bryant, Rizzo, Hobby
Bayez and Ads and Russell, all of them gone within
a year and a half. I looked like those guys
were going to do a ten year career together. It's
just it all.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Looked like Baltimore that had Brooks, Robinson and Blanger and the.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Reds had their guys, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Probably four and a half five years. Usually the second
basement is the one to go to want. But yeah,
and the number of games we played, we all average
over one hundred and forty games. Incredible and the goal
gloves and so forth ended up wenting four goal gloves
and took a lot of pride in saving runs, which
(39:09):
I ultimately was makes you a.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Very likable guy on the team. I mean, the pictures
love a guy that'll save him a cup of barnt.
And then you know the Cleveland They traded away Andre
Semenez this year, the second basement, who was the Platinum
Glove winner, and all the pictures were just like, man,
that guy dropped my ear.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Yeah right, no, but probably you know, you talk about
sabermetrics and war, and I talked to the Sabermetrics convention
a few years ago and I said to him, because
I've been on the Hall of Fame about several times,
and the one thing is they said, well, you didn't
have a high war. And I always say, you can
(39:49):
put in my place from seventy to ninety, right, But
I said, but you you couldn't manage the number of
times they dug a ball of the dirt and they
all ship their head. Nobody had a stat for that,
and that's probably the one thing that I did. I
remember in the World Series Padres in Detroit digging three
(40:10):
out of the dirt and one inning and two and
a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
So I took a lot of pride in that. Yeah,
I wasn't taught like Freddy.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Freddy Freeman and I very similar, you know, and patriarchal
to him because of how he plays the game's every inning.
I plays defense, hits the ball all field. But I
know he feels the same way about when he digs
the ball that you're saving a run. And I used
to say probably I probably saved two or three runs
(40:39):
a week.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Well, you don't appreciate that until you get someone over
there on first that can't dig the ball.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yeah, and then you really start.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
To see it. I mean, think about the World Series
last year. You know, they have that ball hit the
first and granted the picture didn't cover, but it was
the first base. There was just a little bit of
confusion there. Next thing, you know, all Hill broke loose
and you know you lose the World Series.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Yeah, but everybody loves offense, you know.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
And however, so you had the offensive numbers too, I mean,
over twenty five hundred career hits two ninety seven average,
you know, lots of home runs. What is the I
guess the thing that you think kept you out then,
because to me, your Hall of Famer. I look at
the mix of offense and defense and everything you did,
and the awards and the team awards. I mean, it's
the Hall.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I don't know. I wish I could figure it out.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
But I'll be on the ballot and a couple of
years again, and the irony will be that I believe
Pete Rose will be on the same ballot. It will be, yeah,
and I had always thought it would be because Pete
and I really respect each other. We were good friends.
We were probably only two guys that went out every
year to get two hundred hits. That was our goal.
(41:44):
Mine was three hundred, three hundred average two hundred hits. Yeah,
and if I did that then yeah, be creating a
lot of a lot of offense. Yeah. So yeah, he'll
be on that ballot. I will be very interesting at
that time, cheering for you to get on. Oh thanks, Yeah,
Well I think I have the record. I've been on
the ballot more than anybody. So I hope they have
(42:06):
a new rule where if you're on twenty times or
more you.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Get a granted because it's if you have a percentage
of the votes you get to stay is that correct.
Is that how they keep you on the balid You
have to have x amount and they feel bad about it,
Well they'll do the right thing then, Steve. Such a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Thank you so much, Oh my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Thank you. Thanks, thank you again for listening to the
Jimmy Rex Show. And if you liked what you heard,
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(42:43):
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(43:04):
or go to our website, The rooker Studios dot com.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Jimmy Rex Show.
Today on the podcast, we sit down with Major League
Baseball legend mister Steve Garvey, and he is one of
the all time great Dodgers and Padres. He was a
ten time All Star World Series Champion with the Dodgers,
also won the nl MVP and it just he ended
up becoming one of the greatest offensive end defensive players,
(00:23):
first baseman to ever do it. Also ran for senate
in the state of California a couple of years ago.
And it's just really a person that pours into the
community and God and life and somebody that I had
the real honor to be able to sit down and interviews.
So this was a real treat for me. So I
grew up. I know, my brother and my dad really
cheered for him, and so this was a fun one
for me to do. And so with no further ado,
(00:45):
let's get to the podcast with mister Steve Garvey. Today's
podcast is brought to you by Bucked Up Supplements. You guys,
you know, doing these athlete podcasts it can be a
little bit draining sometimes because I usually do five or
six in a day. I go out to La and
take advantage of my opportunity to be able to get
these amazing guests. And when I'm doing it, I'm trying
to stay hydrated, but I'm also trying to stay in shape,
(01:07):
and so Bucked Up Protein they come with me. I
actually found them at a gas station out there and
took a few every single day while I was doing
these podcasts. So as you listen today's podcast, just remember
that it is sponsored by Bucked Up Protein. Anywhere bucked
Up products per sold. Well. See, yeah, I was just
(01:29):
saying I met you about a year ago. You're, you know,
gearing up for the Senate race and everything, and it's
interesting because even though you know, you didn't end up
winning the seat, which was almost an impossible seat to
win if we're being honest, but I mean, so much
of California shifted red and I really believe you made
a giant difference using your influence to for some politics
that really needs to happen here in for Well, thank.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You very much, and people come up every day and
say thank you for running.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
God bless you.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You know, we wonder why we didn't stand up before,
and we just woke up every day in this in
this beautiful state and looked outside and we thought, well,
it'll change, but it doesn't change. You know, we the
people have to stand up and challenge what we feel
is injustices. And I woke up, I think first part
(02:17):
of April of nineteen of twenty twenty three, and I
turned the TV on and it was a dysfunctional Washington
and snarkiness, and you knew the people weren't running for us,
they were running for power. And well, so I tapped
my wonderful wife, Candas on the shoulder and she woke
up and gave me a kiss on the cheek any
like any wife would its a significant other. And I said, honey,
(02:40):
let's run for the US Senate. And she looked at
me and she gave that cute little smile and she
just turned over and I thought, well, maybe it wasn't
right timing. Then she turned back I a ten fifteen
seconds later she says, don't you think you're a little young?
And I said, and then I thought of Ronald Reagan
and the classic line I overcoming youth in inexperience. And
(03:01):
we talked that day and it took us three months
to see if there was a pathway to at least
being competitive in this state, which is two to one
and registered voted, and we put a great team together
and fifteen months later, or even much quicker within a year,
we basically won the primary. Yeah, and then it was
a Republican Democrat going at it till November fifth, And
(03:26):
that's what you always want. But this state has been
limited to what they call a jungle primary, and it's
a top two vote getters, and that easily can be
can leave at one party and it's been the Republicans
for thirty five years.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Wow, well it's you know you said it so well,
everybody wants somebody else to do something about the problems, right.
I have a company where I run a men's coaching
program and it's called We Are the Day. And the
name of the group has called that because everybody always says, like, well,
why don't they do something about it? And I say,
there is no day. We are the Day. And so
just like you answered that call, and you never know
(04:02):
how much that shifted the entire thing. Because I woke
up this morning on Santa Monica, I went for a
walk down the pier and I got yelled at by
homeless people three times. I just wanted a peaceful walk
on the beach, so I booked my hotel by there
so that I could experience that, and instead I was
like you, I couldn't wait to just get back to
my hotel room, because that's Unfortunately. You can take the
prettiest thing in the world or the most beautiful place
(04:24):
like California, and it doesn't you know, it doesn't have
the same fill. It's really kind of sad to see
as an outsider, because you just want to come here
and experience what it was when you were a child, and.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
We want people to September first of nineteen sixty nine,
the Dodgers called me up along with Bobby Valentine and
Bill Buckner and Tom Prashock, and that was the first
day I had ever been in California. I was a
kid from Tampa, Florida. I went to Michigan State and
remember catching a taxi at Lax and twenty five minute
drive to Dodger Stadium and seeing the palm trees and
(04:59):
the landsc and knowing that the ocean was right there,
and then pulling up. As any Dodger fan or anybody's
been in Dodger Stadium knows, you come up to what's
now Vince Scully Lane Drive, and then all of a sudden,
you come up to the Cathedral Baseball Dodger Stadium and
I was just on. I told the taxi driver. They
(05:19):
told me to go to the back entrance. Somebody be
outside waiting. And we got there and I got my
bags and they took me into the clubhouse, the iconic
Dodger Clubhouse, and there was Nobi Kuwano, the clubhouse man,
who was just starting out when I was a bat
boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers and spring training back in
the fifties and early sixties. Longer story, but I always
(05:43):
say that day, I felt I got to the starting
line and that was my dreams of being a major
league player. And it was an auspicious day. We took
early batting practice, the four of us, and we're excited
and getting balls into the bleachers.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
And it was quite a quite a draft, and sixty eight.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
We started a conic grip to be called up with.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Oh yeah, and still it was Davey Lopes and Ron
say we're in the minors, and Billy Russell was up
and down. So I think eight or nine of that
draft rate over nine years in the majors, which is significant.
And then the eighth inning comes and I'm sitting on
the bench. And I was an only child. My father
(06:24):
was a bus on, a grayand bus driver, and he
always said sit in the front of the bus near
the driver. He's under control. And I transferred that to
sitting as close to the manager as possible. So I
was on the bench. Walter Alston was obviously the first
one there, and we were down by three runs to
the Mets, and he looks at me, he said, you're ready, son,
(06:45):
and I said, yes, sir, and I pinchhip for the
pitcher and I get up to the plate and I
wasn't nervous. It was just the magnitude of this little
bat boy at the age of eight, who now a
chance to put a Dodge uniform on. And I got
in the battles box. Lefty pitcher by him a Jack
(07:06):
de Laura, and he throws a little cutter inside and
I turned on it and I hit this long fowl
not ten feet to the left of the flag ball
of the fowl ball. Next pitch, what the lefties do,
turn one over outside? I slice it just missed the
foul pole the right and I set back and I'm thinking, wow,
that's so bad. I almost at two home runs. And
(07:28):
then he wound up and I thought I was going
to get a fastball up and he threw me but
the first screwball I'd ever seen, and I was way
out front, and they swung and the bat came out
of my hands and went over the third basement's head
and almost javelin in the outfield, and gosh.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Got three good swings in.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I went back and Walter Alson was kind of on
the top step and he said, well, Son, He said,
it was an auspicious beginning for you. He said he
almost had two home runs and you set a Dodger
Stadium record for bat throw fair and I said, well,
thank you said, you know, you'll probably get a couple
of thousand hits when it's.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
All sit and done.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
And that was a Sunday, probably I think it was
three nights later in the Astronom, I got my first
hit off of Danny la Master. So that was the beginning,
and almost nineteen years later, I look back and you know,
it was the journey that was most significant and important.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Well, what a beautiful, you know, way to get to
experience life. I mean you get this dream that you
had from being a bat boy, and then a lot
of people don't know this about you, but well maybe
they do. But is you were the iron Man of
the National League. I mean you ended up you know,
talk about playing a lot of baseball. The rest of
you played it over twelve hundred straight games, the most
(08:44):
ever for a National League player.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Take a lot of pride in that. People say, what
are your most important achievements? And I say, well, for
a team sports player, it's winning the World championship. And
I said for an individual, it's consistency, durability, leader ship,
understanding that we're in the entertainment business. People don't think
about that very often. You know, subcategory sports, subcategory baseball,
(09:09):
and that you're there to entertain and people pay their
harder and money, take their families.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And we're in the memory business.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So the harder we play, the more opportunities we have
to create memories. And and and I look at the
players today, and when I talk to the young players,
I talk about that responsibility to the fans, to the game,
to your organization.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, I think that is so important. You know, it's
it's never it's a way to give gratitude. It's a
way to honor the you know that God gave you
this opportunity to entertain so many people as a living
right and as alive. And to me, it's you know,
people always ask me, all right, how did you build
your business or how did you build your podcast? I mean,
I've almost eight hundred episodes now, I've never gotten more
than a week without putting one out. And it's consistency.
(09:54):
It's just showing up every day because a lot of
people show up when it feels good. A lot of
people show up when everything's you know, and go and correct.
But what do you do on the days when everything's
fallen apart? What do you do on the days when
you know, I had a buddy the other day and
he didn't get back to me on a business thing
for a couple of days and finally wrote me back
and he's like, sorry, I had a close friend pass away,
but you know, and it's like I get it, and
I don't want to be insensitive, but that was three
(10:15):
days ago, and I've been needing to get some information
here for this deal that we're putting together, and it's
like I just kind of in the back of my
mind was like, I'm just I wasn't like judging him
for not being able to do it, but I was
grateful that no matter what, I've always been able to
get myself to show up and be consistent. Because I'm
sure you had things happen in your life where everybody,
(10:35):
every sane person in the world would have sat it
out that day. You showed up because you had that responsibility.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Well, and you ask about my idols and Peri rees
and go Hidges. So the boys this summer we're two
of my first idles, and then Louke Garrick in terms
of historical player that ultimately ended up playing first base ultimately,
you know, going on a long stretch journey of playing
every day, right. I mean I could have taken days
(11:02):
off because of you know, summach here my had migraine
headaches earlier in my career, hypertented elbow, hairline fracture, the finger,
you know, flew all those things. But it's Adrenaline's amazing,
you know, like you said, if you just get into
the game, if you wake up and just push yourself.
(11:24):
You know, I do a lot of motivational speaking, and
I talked to businessmen and women. You know you're having
a tough day. You get to the office, you just
can't get done. Pick up the phone, talk to some
brief whoever it is. Get yourself into.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
The momentum a little bit, right, the flywheel they call it,
actually got to start pushing it a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, And you know Louk Eric had the record the originally, yeah,
twenty three sixty games thing, but he had limbago a lot,
which is a very debilitating you know, backspasms and so forth.
And I think two of those times he just limped
up there and lo and behold, he gets a ball
(12:04):
in the gap and he ends up at second base,
bent over and he can't go any farther, and they take.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Him out of the game.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
But he got into the game and he swung and
the ball hit the bat. And I know twice I
had migraines and the trainer said, you know, you shouldn't
be out there, and I said, I have to go
out there because I can catch the ball and I
can swing the bat. And it's my responsibility as a
leader to go out there those days when you know
(12:33):
you couldn't. You could easily have an excuse and people would.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Probably buy it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You know, well, those things are tough, but that you
did it, I know, twice again with a migraine headache.
Same thing as Luke Eric, you know. And I read
his biography and I said, my God hit the ball
in the gap, ended up a third world spinning around.
The trainer has to help me off, you know. But
that I tried. I think that was the most important thing.
(12:59):
And you mentioned one thing that's a very important life,
and that's God. God gives us free will and choice.
He gives us responsibility, you know, to lead our life
in his spirit. And I think once you realize that
that's one of the big elements of my campaign was
the attack on Christianity over the last decade or so.
(13:23):
And we fought that and we we have the devil
to a standoff now, so to speak. But one of
those things go hand in hand with giving back.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah. Well, it feels like the title is turning on
that a little bit too.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Well, it's interesting you play for the Dodgers and the Padres,
which are these two teams that are really going after
it right now. It's kind of fun to watch as
a I'm a Cleveland fan, but you know, in the
national League. I just didn't want the Dodgers to get
so good that nobody can ever catch them again. And
then you see the Padres making moves and you had
the unique operating. You've got your number retired by the Padres,
and you're an all time Dodger, iconic player, won year
(13:59):
World Series, and I believe your MVP with the Dodgers. Yeah,
and so how does that rivalry work for Steve Garby.
I don't think anybody has more invested in both those
programs as far as a player than you did.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Well, you know, I had had the chance to play
for this iconic franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers aka Brooklyn Dodgers,
and to help perpetuate that.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
History, and then.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
We couldn't get together November fifteenth, you know, nineteen eighty two,
and became a free agent, and I remember at that
time it was a different type of free agency. Five
teams could draft you to negotiate with you.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
So that's how it was.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah, well it was the Giants, it was the Cubs,
the Yankees, Houston and San Diego. So Jerry Cappstig my agent,
and I went on a tour and San Francisco, I
mean the owner, Bob Luia was wonderful. But playing at
Candlestick part eighty two games, yeah, it was. It was
(15:03):
tough enough playing nine games. Crazy how that in the
stadium was.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
But you know, I I seized it.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Every when everybody else was complaining and griping about playing there,
I said, I didn't wear long sleeves. They just went
out there, and I just said, they're griping. I'm gonna
up there and be aggressive, you know. And I think
I get three twenty four against him or something. But
and then I went to Chicago, Goo, I was going
to be a cub. After being there a day and
a half, one thing led to another, and I think
(15:29):
the President decided he wasn't getting enough pr The GM
was so the things were out of standstill.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
By the way. I bet he.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I bet he really regretted that one. When you hit
that home run off of the Smith and right.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
In hindsight, yeah, which is twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That was probably your most iconic moment of your career,
I would guess. I mean it was one of them.
I mean that was such a big effect to.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
The most people. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
But so I go to New York and George Stein
runners see, he said, I'd love to have it. I
already have three guys. American League guys got my on,
he said, But I'll talk it up.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
In the press. And I know what parody is for you.
That's kind of from my agency. But listen, George Gary
to Garvey, I mean you could play that up.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Yeah, And Don Mattingly was a young qua sure, yeah,
but he played the outfield too, so it would have
been interesting. But it wasn't destined. So I go to Houston.
Playing in the Dome is a pitcher's ballpark, and I
thanked him. And then I went to San Diego and
Ray Crai said, I want to meet with Stevie, call
me Stevie, just he and I tomorrow. And we were
(16:33):
running out of time, you know, we needed to make
a decision. So I went to his cliff top home
and he looked to the north and his la down
the coach. She looked to the south in Mexico. You know,
so at this pretty neat place, this is what big
Maxican buy you.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
And yeah, I was impressed.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
So the lady opened the door and she said, mister
Croc's waiting for you in his den. So it was
a big three thousand square foot.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Well I didn't realize he was the owner of the
Potters at that time.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Yeah, wow, how cool.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Okay, he bought them for some pittance of twenty million
or everything like that. And so he said, Davie, come
on in. And I came in at a large desk
and I sat down, and he had his little colfat
on a little cigar, and he was doing this and that,
and I said, mister Crock, what are you doing? He said,
(17:22):
oh see, I'm checking on the stores, checking on the
restaurants here.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I said, oh really, what other? And he had monitors
and I remember this.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Was eighty two now, wow, so the beginning of the
internet and being able to traffic. And they weren't very big,
and I'm quite sure they were black and white. And
I said, how are you doing San Diego? He said,
we're doing good. He said the better the team does,
the more people eating. I said, okay, and he looked
at me. He said, son, He said, I really want
(17:51):
you here. And that two years earlier, I had smoked
smoke at a Christian breakfast, Businessman's breakfast, and the Town
and Country and I talked about touching the bases in
the christian life first and second first, you know, learning
about being Christian in the second, practicing third, and then
(18:14):
coming home to be an influence. And he said, I
always remember that. He said, I want you, and I said, well,
mister cronk, you know you always want to be wanted,
you know. He said, I have one problem and I said,
what's that. He said, I can only pay in big
maxim French fries. And I said, well, can I have
him for a lifetime then, and he said yeah. He said,
(18:34):
but I can find a few dollars for you. And
he said, I want my son in law, who is
Ballat Smith, who's the president of the organization. And he said,
I want him and Jeremy Jeremy caps time my agent
to talk tomorrow and let's make you a Padrina morrow.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
And I said great.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So next day, five o'clock I get a call and
Jerry says, you know, this is what they're offering, you know,
four and a half million for five years and with
the opportunity to get a dollar ahead for all attendance
over over two million. Wow, which was a good negotiating
because they knew that I'd attract an audience a bigger
(19:14):
crown and he said, you can make a difference. I
knew what you can do on the field, he said,
but I know off the field how you believe in
getting involved in the community and your love of the game.
And he said, we're not far away, and I said, no,
you're not. This Tony Gwynn kid, you know, is pretty
good and Alan Wiggins and Kennedy and Templeton and mc reynolds.
(19:36):
So they had a great foundation of young young players
and good young arms. So I signed two days later
and that was the beginning of my journey five years
in San Diego, and my second year we end up
beating the Cubs with a home run the bottom of
the ninth that's been considered the greatest sports moment in
(19:57):
San Diego history, which I take a lot of prodect
but it was a team. But that second year in
San Diego, we also picked up Goose Gosters and Greg
nettleson the Yankees, who were experienced World Series players. And
of course I had played in four and Dick Williams
was the manager who had become a Hall of Fame manager.
It's interesting I may have the record I played for
(20:17):
three Hall of Fame managers. Wow, and it was Walter Auston,
the iconic manager from Brooklyn here twenty three one year contract,
and then Tommy Lisorta. I was called him the P. T.
Barnum of baseball and what a motivator. And Dick was
a drill sergeant. You know, he demanded you work hard
and got the signs and you know you wanted to
(20:39):
be a grinder like He was a tough one for
rookie pitchers too, but he wanted veteran guys to do
the leadership so he didn't have to do the extra
So so Gossage and Nettles, myself and Templeton was in
the middle of his career, Kennedy a little farther on,
so we actually were the leaders. And when you assume
that role, you do things like consecutive game stricks and
(21:03):
you play when you're hurt because it's an example for
the young guys. Yeah, and within within three weeks of
my first season, ironically, we came back to Dodger Stadium
and I tied the record on a Friday night. Billy
Williams said the consecutive record nationally and I broke it
on Saturday night, but it was at Dodger stadium and
(21:27):
everybody ever standing ovation, you know, I mean before the game,
before the Friday night game. I mean, the anticipation was unbelievable.
And I was on the otic circle, and I have
a picture that was taken when the announcer announced my
name now batting third for the San Diego Padres, number six,
Steve Garvey, and there was a spattering of booze, and
(21:51):
within about ten seconds it was a standing ovation from
fifty six thousand people, which I'll never forget. And lifted
my bat up and symbolizing that they were number one,
and went up there and Doug Harvey, who was the
Hall of Fame umpire, and Chris Mike Soshi was on
(22:14):
the plate and he said, Garu, good to see I said,
good to see you.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
And I stood in.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
The batter box and I looked out and for the
first time it was a sea of Dodger uniforms and
Jerry Royce was pitching my dear friend, and I had
to step back out. He said, okay, you want me
to brush the plate off. I said, it's perfectly white.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
We're going to be ticking. That'm emotional, and.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
You know, it was just that moment of consummation of
my ears with the Dodgers and the birth of these
five years in San Diego, and like I said before,
perpetuating history and then with winning the playoffs for the
first time in Padre history and then go to the
World Series was the beginning of that one.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
So yeah, go out a pride.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
That's pretty special. Well, it's hard not to be romantic
about baseball because I mean, what a gift that you
got to experience that in Dodger Stadium, right and have
it be that's just how the thing works in amazing
ways that he does well. The game obviously has changed.
I know back in I think it was twenty eleven,
you made a bid, you were trying to buy the Dodgers,
and in the time sports teams hadn't gone crazy like
(23:25):
they are today. How close were you to putting that
deal together with the group that was trying to acquire
the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Well, what happened. The first economic change was a cable
television significant change where all of us who are subscribers
are actually paying the salaries of the sports athletes.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
And then it.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Gradually grew from late eighties, early nineties now into twenty
years of cable so it established, it was growing.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
We knew that a year, year and a.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Half or maybe two years after the sale of the
team to whomever there was going to be a new
contract that it would probably be twenty twenty five years
and be for what we thought was going to be
five five and a half billion. We had a good group,
I asked Hershiz, We had Real Bank of Canada, and
(24:26):
we had some emerging platforms that were looking for places.
And you know, live sports is the single most valuable
programming and yeah, well.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
It's the only thing that people don't fast forward the commercials. Yeah,
it's still unpredictable ones.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
But in the case of baseball, you have the live
game and then you have four showings of that game
afterwards within an hour afterwards, early morning, late morning.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Plus you have so many games, not like football, where
you are pretty limited to the number of games. You know, baseball,
you get it's a product that you can throw out
one hundred and sixty ten times.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Yeah, and you know, it was interesting. We got to
I think the final four groups and everybody was to
come to LA and make a presentation. Then Frank Whort
would you know, would pick it the first time that
an owner actually determined who the buyer was. In Major
(25:22):
League Baseball history, the Major League Baseball always helped make
that decision because they would vet the potential buyers. But
because mister McCourt went through bankruptcy, the bankruptcy judge said
that they.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Had gives the right interest it.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
You know, we raise probably about one point four one
point five billion, and the greatest business accomplishment of my life.
But you can't beat a Hedge fund, so google him.
Partner came in and they got a chance to meet
with him and offered him. I think it was two
point one five from in the ballpark, and I think
(26:03):
he had a certain amount of debt to cover.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
And you know, we were at one five.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Because we thought there was only going to be one
bid and that was probably going to be by I
think it was Time Warner maybe or some moving but
it turned about there was there was dual bidding, and
that always checks the price up.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
So lo and behold.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I always say when I am speaking, the greatest business
accomplishment my life to that point, I raised one point
five billion and came up seven hundred billion short, So
I mean millionship.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yees, seven hundred millions. Ye, you know, billions and millions
flow together.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Now.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I remember I did an article, a Playboy article when Timmy,
you know, the the interview, And remember they asked me,
what would be you know, your greatest accomplishment playing the game,
And I said, well, I mean obviously we pay play
for pay and making a.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Million dollars would be great, right and lower Bowl nowadays?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, I mean, could you ever imagine there'd be contracts
like the one that Shotani just signed seven hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, well, you know that it's supplying demand. He's so unique,
he is. Yeah, and SOO got something in the ballpark there.
But Showhay with his ability to play in the field
the h.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Well, and just that he's such an international international, right,
and I think the Dodgers make more money by having
him on the team than they pay him. Still, just
because of the extra fan base and all the revenue
that comes in from Japan.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
They probably gained anywhere from seven to ten new sponsors.
And NHK in Japan does each of the games, and
that's why they had two years in a row Asian
opening of the season games over there.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So yeah, but I had the chance to go to
Game five last year. You know, the Dodgers came back
obviously won that and won the World Series. Who do
you find yourself cheered for when they play each other? Oh,
you were getting to that before. Yeah, I just you know,
I'm kind of curious.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, my team's gonna win, I say to everybody you know,
and one of a Dodger stadium, which I will be
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
You know, people say who you're cheering for? And I said,
our team's going to win. And then I'm pick and
they said, our team's going to win.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
But you know, I think most people you know think
of me as a Dodger because of the fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Yeah, and then there is you know, there's still a
significant number who remember the years in San Diego. Is
transitional for the organization there. When they stepped up made
the commitment to sign me. As they told the fans
that were here to win, mister Kroc wants to make
the difference. And you know, it took a lot because
(28:52):
their market's obviously smaller than l I. They had to
go to their sponsors and ask them if they would,
you know, invest more money in the advertising to get me,
and they did so.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
I you know.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
It was like that, like I said before, somebody wants
you and willing to invest in you, and it was
worth every ever.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
The Padres are such a likable franchise. I really like
cheering for myself just because you know, Tatis and h
some of these other guys they have or they're just
fun and they're trying to win. Even at the trade
deadline this year, everybody thought they were going to sell
off some of their pitchers, and instead they went out
and gave away the number three prospect in baseball to
get a closer, you know, and it's I just appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Yeah, no, i'ore. I know.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
I think that it's first out and he threw one
hundred and four and Marte from the Diamondbacks hit in
leftfield bleachers. Crazy, yeah, but that's you know they did,
and the Dodgers picked up some nice piece.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Oh yeah, yeah, Dodgers are always going to be able
to compete going forward. I always say, I'm jealous. I
My brother j D is a diehard Dodgers fan. In fact,
one of my earliest memories is watching him run around
the house when Gibson hit the home run in eighty
eight Oh wow, and I think I was seven at
the time, but I remember as doing he was, I
was copying in and I remember what Hattie was wearing.
That's how significant that moment was. But and it's funny
(30:07):
because I've told him, I'm like, dude, your team is
going to make the playoffs. For the rest of your life.
You might not ever miss the playoffs again, which is
pretty special if you're a Dodgers fan. I mean, I'm
an Indians fan Cleveland. So like for me, it's like,
you've had we fight. We did pretty well. In fact,
we're the fifth best record of the last fifteen years.
I know, I can't even call him that. It's part
of that wokeness thing, you know, I just can't get
(30:27):
behind it.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah, and you're right, and unfortunately, you know, their number
of teams is so relative to the Indian nation so forth,
and some of that aren't. But you know, I think
the most important thing is you no matter what you
call a team, it's the city. It's Cleveland, it's New York,
it's Houston, it's Seattle, and you know, you know, baseball
(30:51):
is pretty local. And that's why with cable television and
eighty one home games and you know, those things. That's
why you know it's your base. You know, I've always
said that, you know, basketball is about the players and
control the game. Pretty much. Football is about the franchise.
(31:12):
It's about the Packers and the Bears or Rams, and
baseball is about the game because all of these one
hundred and fifty years now, the one true constant has
been baseball.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Whether it's been.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Famines or stock market crashes or world wars or whatever
it is, the games remain constant, and people think it changes,
but it really doesn't. You can add a pitch clock,
which what that does is bring back the timing of
when I played, which is interesting. You can widen the
bases and do all these things, but it's still twenty
(31:45):
seven outs and one more run. There's no clock, which
I think is the charm of it. And I know
there have been several games where we were down twelve
to one and came back to twelve to eleven, or
we were up ten one, and I remember one night
against Houston, hit batter single, two walks, homer and grand
(32:06):
slam three more and now you got base loaded.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Two out and ten to nine.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
And normally you know you're saying it so Lord please
don't let him hit the ball to me. I didn't
say that because you know, I always say hit the
ball to me and Doug. God if it didn't come
off the end of the bat of Caesar Sedania, I
think spinning and I go down and hits the dirt.
It comes up and I grab it and Mike Marshall
(32:36):
it's very athletic and I get it and I'm falling down.
I touch it to him and the first time I've
ever seen a picture do the splits and he catches
in a bang bang.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
We got the guy. And we both look at each
other like.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Well, people don't know this either, but I mean, you
were You're the only first baseman to ever go of
one hundred and fity or more games than a year
and have zero errors. That's pretty impressive. You, you know,
have a ball hit at you and you're the one
stress and it.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Was like a goalie, you know, you get all the
time there.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Did you know it would become such a good defender,
that's so, I mean, that's crazy, that's a crazy stop.
That's just this is an unbelievable well.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
And and I won one hundred and ninety three games
without an error, always take a lot of pride in it.
So many things can happen. But you know, I always
had good iron coordination, obviously, and I played third, good
strong arm until I got to Michigan State and I
got a partial shoulder separation my freshman year and a
(33:33):
football scrimmage, and I never quite threw the same. You know,
I never got on top of it. So it was
always here. And when you throw from here instead of
here from their base, you can all the problem to sink. Yeah,
And so all of a sudden nineteen seventy three, you know,
I'm probably a twenty fourth guy and a twenty five
man team don't really have a position. Ron Say was
(33:55):
coming up good, solid third basement, and I placed him
outfield spring training and played two games in the outfield
the first couple of weeks. But I start pinch hitting
because they'd gone out in the outfield and or early
take batting practice. And I'll never forget. It's June twenty third,
nineteen seventy three, And they're always defining moments in our life.
(34:18):
There there are moments, there are days, there are seasons.
There's a negotiation, and so I'm leaving league and pinch
hitting doublehead against Cincinnati. We're having trouble against lefties, and
we got one hit. It's the eighth inn. It's one nothing.
Reds In bald Austin, the skipper says, see if you try,
(34:44):
let' see if we can tie this up or get on.
So I get a single out of the enning. We
lose one nothing. I get one of the two hits.
I'm sitting in my lock and you usually get about
thirty five to forty menstring games, and I'm sitting there
and I hate losing, but that satisfaction of my job
now is to pinch hit, even at a relevantly young age.
(35:05):
And at least I got a hit. Now, maybe maybe
I'll get up again. And all of a sudden, wald
Austin comes down, walks by, starts to go by my
locker and he looks at me, and I've got this
turkey sandwich falling out of the bread, and he goes,
you ever play first?
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I said, oh sure.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I played one game in Little Lead and one game
in triple A when I had kind of a pulled
hamstring and we were in the first base dugout so
it was the easiest spot.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
To go to.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And he said we'll get a glove started first this game,
he said, they're throwing another lefty and get some bits.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Don't trip over the bag.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
I said, okay, and I borrought somebody's club, took the
batting that way, out played catch.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Game started. Second batter hits a ball in the hole.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Billy Russell gets it and throws it because he was
a great athlete. It's in the dirt. I go out
and I dig it out, and I'm looking and it's
in there. It was the snow cone, but not quite
but I dug it out.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Bottom of the second inning. I get a double in,
driving a run. The next inning, Davy Loops comes in
on a chopper, throws it to me and throws at
high and I come off the bag, catch it and
tag the runner, which.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
Was just instinctive. And I come in also and goes
you sure you only played little league?
Speaker 2 (36:27):
And I got another hit, two hit, start twoba, just
win the game. And I'm sitting there in those days
where it all comes together and I'm thinking, yeah, thank you,
And here comes Walled again.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
He doesn't stop.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
He just walks by, and you know he kind of
peaked to see if he's going to say anything. He
walks by and Stevie, you and I were here, You're
in there tomorrow. And I look at Steve. He's talking
to you or me? He says, Garbge, I think he's
talking to you, and and he was. I played the
next day, got a couple more hits, and that was
(37:05):
the beginning of fifteen and a half years at first.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
And I love to.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Tell the story, especially with kids and to just anybody,
you know, eight to eighty that if somebody says, can
you do this? Absolutely? Can you play a totally foreign
position because we need you.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
Absolutely? Can you lead this group? Absolutely? Can you do
a podcast made for it? Right?
Speaker 2 (37:30):
But if you don't try, you'll never know if if
that isn't your destiny, And that was my destiny was
a big, tall first baseman that was stereotypical, you know,
they put the guy that couldn't feel very well at first.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
No, it was five ten.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Ninety, but I was a defensive back, so I had
good joke with good nickness and good hands, so that
the rest of the sevens the ended up three or
five and then next year it was MVP and you
know that sweet spot of the next ten years where
we went to four World Series and then finally beat
the Yankees and eighty one, and I was really the
(38:09):
last piece of the iconic you know, say in Russell
and Lopes myself.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Which is arguably the greatest in field in history.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
I don't know, people say, well, so and so and
so and so they've played for three years or four years.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Think of what we did for eight and a half.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
You guys were together for eight and a half years
half years.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Wow, which will never be broken because just think of
four guys.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Oh yeah, I mean I think of the Cubs team
that won the World Series in twenty sixteen. It looked
like they'd be together forevery had Chris Bryant, Rizzo, Hobby
Bayez and Ads and Russell, all of them gone within
a year and a half. I looked like those guys
were going to do a ten year career together. It's
just it all.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Looked like Baltimore that had Brooks, Robinson and Blanger and the.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Reds had their guys, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Probably four and a half five years. Usually the second
basement is the one to go to want. But yeah,
and the number of games we played, we all average
over one hundred and forty games. Incredible and the goal
gloves and so forth ended up wenting four goal gloves
and took a lot of pride in saving runs, which
(39:09):
I ultimately was makes you a.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Very likable guy on the team. I mean, the pictures
love a guy that'll save him a cup of barnt.
And then you know the Cleveland They traded away Andre
Semenez this year, the second basement, who was the Platinum
Glove winner, and all the pictures were just like, man,
that guy dropped my ear.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
Yeah right, no, but probably you know, you talk about
sabermetrics and war, and I talked to the Sabermetrics convention
a few years ago and I said to him, because
I've been on the Hall of Fame about several times,
and the one thing is they said, well, you didn't
have a high war. And I always say, you can
(39:49):
put in my place from seventy to ninety, right, But
I said, but you you couldn't manage the number of
times they dug a ball of the dirt and they
all ship their head. Nobody had a stat for that,
and that's probably the one thing that I did. I
remember in the World Series Padres in Detroit digging three
(40:10):
out of the dirt and one inning and two and
a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
So I took a lot of pride in that. Yeah,
I wasn't taught like Freddy.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Freddy Freeman and I very similar, you know, and patriarchal
to him because of how he plays the game's every inning.
I plays defense, hits the ball all field. But I
know he feels the same way about when he digs
the ball that you're saving a run. And I used
to say probably I probably saved two or three runs
(40:39):
a week.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Well, you don't appreciate that until you get someone over
there on first that can't dig the ball.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
Yeah, and then you really start.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
To see it. I mean, think about the World Series
last year. You know, they have that ball hit the
first and granted the picture didn't cover, but it was
the first base. There was just a little bit of
confusion there. Next thing, you know, all Hill broke loose
and you know you lose the World Series.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Yeah, but everybody loves offense, you know.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
And however, so you had the offensive numbers too, I mean,
over twenty five hundred career hits two ninety seven average,
you know, lots of home runs. What is the I
guess the thing that you think kept you out then,
because to me, your Hall of Famer. I look at
the mix of offense and defense and everything you did,
and the awards and the team awards. I mean, it's
the Hall.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I don't know. I wish I could figure it out.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
But I'll be on the ballot and a couple of
years again, and the irony will be that I believe
Pete Rose will be on the same ballot. It will be, yeah,
and I had always thought it would be because Pete
and I really respect each other. We were good friends.
We were probably only two guys that went out every
year to get two hundred hits. That was our goal.
(41:44):
Mine was three hundred, three hundred average two hundred hits. Yeah,
and if I did that then yeah, be creating a
lot of a lot of offense. Yeah. So yeah, he'll
be on that ballot. I will be very interesting at
that time, cheering for you to get on. Oh thanks, Yeah,
Well I think I have the record. I've been on
the ballot more than anybody. So I hope they have
(42:06):
a new rule where if you're on twenty times or
more you.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Get a granted because it's if you have a percentage
of the votes you get to stay is that correct.
Is that how they keep you on the balid You
have to have x amount and they feel bad about it,
Well they'll do the right thing then, Steve. Such a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Thank you so much, Oh my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Thank you. Thanks, thank you again for listening to the
Jimmy Rex Show. And if you liked what you heard,
please like and subscribe. It really helps me to get
better guests, to be able to get the type of
people on this podcast. It's going to make it the
most interesting. Also, want to tell everybody about my podcast studio,
The Rookery Studios, now available in Salt Lake City and
(42:43):
or in Utah. If you live in Utah and want
to produce your own podcast, we take all of the guests,
work out of it for you and make it so simple.
All you do is you come in, you sit down,
you talk, and leave. We record it, edit it, even
post it for you. If interested in doing your own,
visit our Instagram and send us a DM Rookery Studios
(43:04):
or go to our website, The rooker Studios dot com.
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