On this episode of The Jimmy Rex Show, Jimmy sits down with MLB All-Star Dexter Fowler — the Chicago Cubs leadoff catalyst from the historic 2016 World Series run. They relive Game 7 in Cleveland, from Fowler’s tone-setting leadoff home run to the rollercoaster late innings, the rain delay, and Jason Heyward’s now-legendary clubhouse speech. You’ll hear dugout perspective on Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks, the emotions behind Rajai Davis’s homer, and why the Cubs played looser on the road.
Dexter also shares how he landed in Chicago, what Joe Maddon told him that changed everything, and why the post-title roster couldn’t stay together forever. Then it’s life after baseball: Dexter’s production company, sports & entertainment management, and wealth advisory work; investing (including a stake tied to Bournemouth in English football); and the mentorship lessons he’s picked up from business leaders and friends.
Along the way, Jimmy and Dexter riff on communication, team culture, and having tough conversations — the competitive edge athletes carry into business.
00:00 Introduction
02:43 Game 7 rewind: leadoff HR, momentum swing, rain delay & Heyward speech
08:24 Motivation story: the “Ace of Spades” bottles
09:43 Game 3 at Wrigley: pitcher duels, crowd energy, fan chaos
10:41 After the title: injuries, economics, and the Cubs’ breakup
12:18 Routine vs. noise: why they played looser on the road
13:52 Becoming the Cubs’ leadoff: Iowa preview & Joe Maddon’s trust
17:00 Life after baseball: companies, investments, mentorship & communication lessons
24:06 Outro
Dexter also shares how he landed in Chicago, what Joe Maddon told him that changed everything, and why the post-title roster couldn’t stay together forever. Then it’s life after baseball: Dexter’s production company, sports & entertainment management, and wealth advisory work; investing (including a stake tied to Bournemouth in English football); and the mentorship lessons he’s picked up from business leaders and friends.
Along the way, Jimmy and Dexter riff on communication, team culture, and having tough conversations — the competitive edge athletes carry into business.
00:00 Introduction
02:43 Game 7 rewind: leadoff HR, momentum swing, rain delay & Heyward speech
08:24 Motivation story: the “Ace of Spades” bottles
09:43 Game 3 at Wrigley: pitcher duels, crowd energy, fan chaos
10:41 After the title: injuries, economics, and the Cubs’ breakup
12:18 Routine vs. noise: why they played looser on the road
13:52 Becoming the Cubs’ leadoff: Iowa preview & Joe Maddon’s trust
17:00 Life after baseball: companies, investments, mentorship & communication lessons
24:06 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.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Today on the podcast, we sit down with MLB superstar
Dexter Fowler. What a pleasure this was, man, and Dexter
Fowler was the leadoff hitter for the Cubs in twenty
sixteen when they won the World Series, and I was
there for six of the seven games in that World Series.
Of course, I was cheering for my lovely Cleveland Indians.
And you know it's interesting Game seven. You can actually
(00:24):
watch this. There's a show. I think it's on Netflix.
It just Famous Game sevens or something like that. And
the very first batter, the Indians had our star pitcher
going wherever.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We thought we're gonna be good, and they hit a
home run.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It was Dexter Fowler, and it kind of set the
tone for the first part of that game. And the
camera immediately zooms to me and I'm so mad about it.
So it's a funatal history of Dexter and I together.
But this was just a fun podcast. He is one
of the most likable athletes I've ever met, one of
the easiest, going, funnest to talk to, and I really
enjoyed being able to sit down and talk about that
world series and other parts of Dexter's career.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So with that, let's get to the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Today's podcast is brought to you by Bucked Up Supplements.
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stay in shape, and so Bucked Up Protein.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
They come with me.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I actually found them at a gas station out there
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Speaker 1 (01:23):
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Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as you listen today's podcast, just remember that it
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for sold.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Every time there's a beef.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
What I said, every time there's a beef, I already
know what it is. It's like I have a beef
with you.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but well, you know what was funny,
but it had to happen Dody series.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So it's actually really funny.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
On the I'll pull it up after I'll show you
but on the actual telecast, you hit the home run,
you know, first batter of Game seven, and Clipper.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Had been so good, so we're going in.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
We've got our ask kicked in game six and we're thinking, Okay,
we got Clipper, we're going to be solid, and you
hit that home run and I'm like, oh, we're in
deep shit. I honestly think if you don't hit that
home run, the whole game is different.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Man.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
I would agree with that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It zooms in, so I'll show you afterwards.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
But right after the home run, I was there with
this girl and it zooms into me and I just
like pissed.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I'm sitting on the front road, dude.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
So I was like, yeah, so you hadn't even rounded
the bases, and the camera went to me as a fan,
and I'm just like so mad.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah. So anyway, well, dude, a.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Pleasure to be here with you, absolutely, Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So I mean going back to that twenty sixteen obviously,
that's probably got to be the highlight of all highlights
for your career.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Mat Yeah, I was just talking about it.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I mean, you won a World Series and it's like
the World Series, Like this is the best World series
that's I think this is to date, right, it's one
hundred and eight years that you know, we broke the curse,
and it's like, you know, like you always you're in
a backyard hit and you're like, oh, game seven, you
know whatever, you're actually playing in the game seven of
like both story franchises who haven't won in forever.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I think this is it was good for baseball in general.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, I mean I grew up a Cubs fan, just
watching WGN. And then when I was like tim, my
grandma was in Chicago, so we went to some games.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I met Harry carry the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And then I when I was probably eleven or so,
I just I fell in love with the movie Major League. Yeah,
and I became an Indians fan. I actually chose the
Indians because of their name and their logo.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I love it. And now you got to cancel them.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah, I'm like the only guy that I just refused
to call them the other name. I just called them
the Indians. But it was funny.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So when that World Series happened, it was like damn,
you know, and I had a chance to. I actually
went to six of the seven games. I sat front
row for all of them, like I was all in, dude,
this was the time when the Indians were gonna better
seat than me. I want to go back though, to
Game seven. I do want to talk about this a
little bit because it's just for I actually met ben
Zobris one time, and I same thing. I'm just like
(04:00):
these damn Cubs guys are also nice too, Like you know,
it's like I want to just not like you, but
you're already so likable, so no, I appreciate it, but
I uh, and so yeah, I remember Game seven. I'm
sitting there, you know, dude, that was by the way,
if you weren't there, I think you can't understand. The
whole stadium was silent, silent, and well the Cubs fans
started taking photos like that game was over six to two.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I remember thinking, like, how how did this happen?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Like, yeah, weird, dude, I got it too, I know
you gave it that weird pass ball and two runs
hit and then all of a sudden, dude, Raj Davis
hits that home run. I've never screamed like that in
my life. From your guys's view, dude, what's going on
with you guys at that moment.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I mean, I was on pissed. I was just like,
come on, you can't be serious.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Like we were up like this because there was a
lot of stuff that happened in a game and you're
just like, what are we doing? And then it's just like,
all right, well we got to lock back in, Like
is that is that point? I mean, there's what seven
outs to play with? Them had six outs? I was
I think there was two outs and eight four yeah,
four outs to play with, and it was just like,
(05:09):
all right, it comes out of this these four outs,
so let's let's figure it out.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I've always wanted this stupid ass speech that Hayward gave.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Was it really that? It can't be stupid as honestly? Honestly,
I'm gonna tell you this. So Jay has good clubhouse awareness,
like he's a great teammate. And Jay was the guy
who uh brought us all back to because everybody during
the randel, like everybody went it's like scattered.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Oh, like everybody was everywhere like just trying to find themselves.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah, everybody was just we were all some people in
the clubhouse, some people were like in the weight room,
some people were like it was just everywhere. Some people
were still in the dugout watch like, some people were
in the cage like and Jay Hay said, because everybody
was at the point at that moment, everybody was pissed.
Everybody was like, I mean, it's like they just came back.
We had the game.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
It was yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
So uh, he brought everybody in and we were in
the weight room right by the dugout, and everybody kind
of got everything off their chest, right, So, and we
realized that, like everybody said something, Jay started off, Lester Lack,
myself Areata, I'll see.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Riz like we all said that, we all spoke.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
We just got stuff of all our minds, right yeah,
so it will be everybody and kind of clear to air,
and realized that we still have a job to do
and we just got to wipe the slate clean and
act like a zero zero and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah, It's so interesting the the way that everything played out,
this twenty minute weird rain delay and you guys come
back out there.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
You know who was the I was on the Cubs
fans crying.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Bro.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It was a weird game. I understand weird games. You know,
it's kind of funny. I think I accidentally cursed the Indians.
I dressed up on my seat was front Road down
the left fielder line for Game six, So I purposely dressed.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Like Bartman for the game.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I thought I was going to be funny, and I
think I cursed my team because then we lost to
in a row. You know, I love it, I love it,
but you know, the unsung hero for the Cubs that
entire worst. I mean, you got every guy stepped up,
but like dude Arieta, the dude was so damn good.
Like I think he won his two games, and then
beyond that, you guys were scrapping at Hendricks too.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, he did well too.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Like Hendricks was.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Going crazy, like even like you don't think like you
got Lester Lackey Arieta and you know it starts game
seven Kyle Hendrix, Yeah, which is crazy, and I mean
he's throwing eighty eight miles an hour. It's like, I
mean they got like two hits and they were like
soft hits. Yeah, like nobody could hit him. And that's
(07:48):
why we were all confused when he got taken out
the game.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, it was that was a coaching mistake.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, we were sitting here and you know the games,
this speeds up for everybody.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I feel like that happens a lot in the playoffs now.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
The coaches way overthink it, like they take their starters
out the fourth on a lot of.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Analytics too, like you have like, yeah, you have the
front like, oh, this team is doing it.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
But I mean if you I meant a lot of
us feel it the game. But it's easier said after
the fact.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
And you know what I'm saying, if it would have
worked out, then we'd have been like, oh that was great,
like we did that, like but you know, obviously it
didn't hindsights twenty you know what I'm.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Saying, Yes, well, congrats on your World series.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
I appreciate you know, a few of us kind of
is uh so I had I had to talk with Nap.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Okay, so Mike Nap.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, yeah, he was good for us.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Yeah, he was great for us too.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
He motivated us because we go in Chicago or it
was in Chicago and after we lost, you know, we're
down three to one, and I guess he had bought
all the bottles of Asus Spades, like every bottle in
the city. Like he was like, oh, we're popping these bottles.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
We heard about it. We were like, okay, cool.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And then we would the Cleveland and all the bottles
were gone and I said, oh, so, like, Nap, you
really think y'a go with this? Like he literally bought
all of them. I said, I hope you still got him.
So I asked him, was that true? Because that's what
we heard, but we feel it was like, Nap, you
really got him because you know he worked for the Cups.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yeah, So we asked him that. He was like, yeah,
I did that that.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Yeah, we were all pigs. We were like, oh for real, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
And a couple of dudes they know Nap, like the
play with the obviously with the Red Sox, with with
the Boys and Leicester and yeah, Lester Lackey Rossy like
so they knew Nat and they were like, yeah, he
fucking bottled crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
My highlight of that series was Game three.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It was the first World Series game in Chicago and
regularly since the forties, and.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Uh we lost.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It was one nothing and we had that dude Tomlin,
remember his dad was dying or something, and just he
wrote up and nobody, you guys couldn't hit him every
the time he pitched to give up nine runs in
the first inning, but somehow I threw a complete game.
Shout out every time, and I remember it was the
last few outs. So I was sitting like third row,
me and this girl. We're wearing our Indian stuff. It's
bright red jersey and dude, the fans could not have
(10:10):
been more ruthless to me, like they hated. I was
the only Indians fan in the lower part. And I
remember one point yelling out. I was like, friendly confines
my ass. You first get you've had matter in eighty years.
You're a whole bunch of dicads. I'm sure have made
it better. I probably deserved it whatever, whatever harassment, I
was getting, well deserved.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
That was a fun game, though, Man, yeah it was.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
It was great. It wasn't that fun. We lost. It
was fun for you.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
It was crazy about that is. I was convinced the
Cubs were going to win the next four or five
World Series. I mean they had such a young core.
You actually left, you got your big contract. I believe
that the Cardinals, right.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Yeah, yeah, they broke us up. I think we had
the talent to do it more and more.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But I think they made mistakes there.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I mean the economics just in lineup. Yeah, you have
too many guys that needed to get paid.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Yeah, yeah, it was weird.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
How like I mean, Chris Bryant ended up getting hurt,
you know, and.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Because he was that guy was I mean, he was
the one guy that want to see up to the
play game on the line. Was hurt, but he still
was dangerous. He's become he might be the MVP this year.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
I'm bloo. I'm happy for him.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And then Rizzo, he just killed the Indians. He beat
us last year in the playoffs with the Yankees.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
He hit a home run. You know, guy's always kissing
me off. Ten years later, here we are. This is
the podcast you were expecting.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Damn it, I went on the wrong one.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
No, it's cool, man, I know.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's really fun to chop it up though, because as
a fan that was I had made a deal in
nineteen let's see.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Sorry, two thousand and seven, we went to.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
The playoffs Indians did we beat the Yankees and then
we lost to the Red Sox who ended up beating
their Rockies, you.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Know, and I couldn't go.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I went to the Yankees game, but I couldn't go
to the Red Sox games.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I have enough money.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And so when I was twenty four or whatever, and
I remember thinking, like, okay, next time, Indians like get there.
I'm going to every game. I was sitting front, so
I dude, I was ready. I just went all out
for that series, man. And it was like it was
so much fun just being there, and so that that
even the game seven, as much as it sucked to
lose the game, it was like, that's as close as
you can possibly come into winning the World Series without
(12:09):
winning it, and like it was such an epic moment
and I'm like, and I'm still going to get to
have that first time when it finally happened, right now.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
You know what.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
The the thing about it is is like you play
a World Series at home and you're kind of out
of your like normal routine, right. So like we had
to get that out of our head in the beginning
because I mean, you know, the first two games were away. Obviously,
you just try to win one and you got the
home field advantage whatever, it'd be ideal to win both.
(12:40):
But you know, you come home and they're like, oh,
the President's coming, you got to come at this time.
But you're out of your routine. You can't take your
normal route. You got to go all the way around here.
And then it's like there's so much going on because you're.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
When you got family hitting you up, trying to Yeah,
but it's just so much you're at home. Yeah, you're
like you creaturesn't have its. You're going, you know, I
take my leave at this time. Now I got to
leave at this time, and.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I got to get ready and do this at this
games this much later, and it's just like you're so
out of your realm, which when you're away, you're at
the hotel, you just get on the bus, you get there,
and it's like yeah, yeah, So I think that's why
that's why we played better when we were in especially
being at the Cubs, like you know, World Series.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
It's like you know your home and you.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Have everybody there because it's the Cubs, right, like presidents
coming tonight, so like secret services that you got to scan.
I'm like, bro, like we're trying to play a game,
like you know what I'm saying, Like I get it,
it comes with it, but I think after you know,
you get kicked in the mouth twice, you're just like
all right, Like let's just shake all this out, like
(13:45):
we're kind of used to we're at home, we're kind
of used to do this, and there we go on
the road, which is kind of gifting a curse.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
So how did you end up on the Cubs?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Because I I remember like you were that guy that
just you were top of the lineup, I mean, leadoff hitters,
that guy you have to have a lead off to
get a team to really and you just propelled the
rest of that offense. How did you end up in
that position? Did they recruit you from another team? So
it was crazy.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
My hitting coach when I was with the Astros, he
was he ended up getting the job the head hitting.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Guy at at the Cubs. So I called him and
I was like, bro, actually go all the way back.
So the year before.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I asked, I had a rehab assignment and they were
playing the Iowa Cubs and so I'm playing against Chris Bryant,
so laire hobby. It just got called up Addison Addie.
So these dudes Manny was down there at the time,
but we faced him and like they killed us. Like
(14:49):
KB hit a ball six hundred feet right center. I
was like, and I'm playing center field, so hit me
one of the hardest balls I've ever seen hit, Like
you know what I'm saying, Like, I'm like, this is
a minor league A. So I go back and I
tell my hitting coach John Maylee. I told Males. I
was like, Males, I said, hey, cubs, they're about to
go crazy, like they're young, dudes are crazy. And then
(15:13):
he ends up fast forward at the end of the year.
He's like and he's from Chicago, so he's like, he's like, hey, bro,
I just got the job with with the Cubs.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I was like, bro, y'are going to be sick.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Bro, like these dudes are These dudes are getting getting
called up like they're gonna be nasty. And I go, man,
get me over there, and I was kind of just laughing,
like messing around. I was like, bro, you should get
me over like I would love to be over there.
He goes, bro, we're looking we need somebody you would
want to come, Like, hell, you don't want to be
over there, like like that'd be sick. So he was like,
all right, we'll shoot, like let's try to figure out something.
(15:47):
Like I was like, bro, let me know, like I'm
in right, And so I didn't get traded over there.
Joe Mann was his first year, and I remember I
was struggling in the beginning. I was leaning off every
day and and Joe told me, he said, Dex, look
every day you come in, don't even look at the lineup.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
You're leading off every day.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
I don't care which, so don't don't worry about like
I'm a movie.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
You're you're hit.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
That's such a good coach, you know, install that confident, right.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I was like, oh killed it from there, because you know,
if somebody believes in you like that, you're gonna play
that much, you're gonna play that much harder. But you
also don't want him to look like a fool.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, well, in baseball is such a mental game. Start
thinking about that, man, like.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
It's my first Like these fans are gonna hate me. Like, bro,
just go out and play be you Wow. And then
he came up with you go we Go. He's like, Dex,
look at the look at look at the sheets. Every
time you get on and you play, we win. So
like you go we go. So that's why that's why
he came up with that. That's amazing, man, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
So I mean, once you got done with your playing days,
How do you how do you go from being a
major ague baseballer?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What do you even decide to do after that? Like?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
For you, what was I actually have a lot going on,
and I'm actually busier than when I played. I own
three companies and you know, I'm just all over the amazing.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
What are you doing? What are the companies?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I have a production company, I have a sports and
entertainment management company, and I have a wealth advising company.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
So it's a lot of it geared towards helping players
and athletes like kind of yeah, so that media route.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Yeah, yeah, you know, just trying to get guys in
the right rooms and guys to be around the right people.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Well that's a big problem with major league athletes, like exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
But I've been I've been fortunate to be around, have
a lot of great mentors, being a lot of running
great a lot of great people, the people that want
to help. And for me, it's just I'm trying to
get like my peers and people I trust and love
to have the same opportunities.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
That I have.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
What's the key thing? I mean for these guys that
you work with, Like what kind of stuff. Are you
specific helping them to do? It just depends. Like our
management team. My partner is actually my manager, so we're
just between her and I. We kind of arms length
away from everything and everybody, right, and so that's why
(18:16):
we kind of started it. And then my wealth management stuff.
It's like I got approached just because of the opportunities.
Like I'm part owner in a English Premier League team
in Bournemouth.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Yeah, because of my neighbor who is Bill Foley who
owns the Knights, and he's my business mentory. We I
sit on four bills boards like I do board work
for him, and but I mean we have a great
friendship and he's kind of between him, like Paul Hazen's like,
(18:48):
you know, those are my neighbors, like being a Felicia Horrowitz,
Like they're great people and like there's a lot of
opportunities out there, but not not a lot of people
have access. So I'm trying to give everybody access to
the stuff that I get.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Very cool. How did you find the right people to
kind of help you out?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Because so many athletes have an opposite experience or in opposite.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
So yeah, guys, you could tell them. I'm a people person.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, you're one of the easier guys I've I mean,
I've done the interviews now this, I've done this five
years in a row here and I've interviewed I don't know,
seventy athletes and you might be You're one of the
easiest ones I've ever meant to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
No, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I'm a people person, man, Like, I love having conversations,
and I just I think it's just been in the
right rooms and just I've been fortunate to be in
the right rooms, just have good conversations with people. And
I'm real energy driven, so like the energy in the room.
If it's not right, then I feel it and I'm
kind of like, you know what, I'm gonna get out
of this room. But a lot of rooms I've been in, fortunately,
(19:44):
like have been great people and they want to help,
and I've stayed in touch with them and learn from them.
And the sky has been a limit, which is it's
like you sit there and you I pinched myself all
the time because like I'm learning from the best the
people that's ever done it right. And it's like I
had these relationships, I had these relationships before I retired,
(20:07):
but now I am, I'm kind of like watering the
seeds so well.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
And I think one of the things that, you know,
I try to hire athletes all the time too, because
it's that competitive nature.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
So like when you're done, one of two things usually happens.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
They go into coaching, or they are really good at
being competitive at something so they go into like business
as long as they have the right mentor seems like
that's kind of the key is being around the right
piece exactly.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
My wife and I talk about it all the time.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
It's like people to play team sports like because they
get like there's so many personalities, there's so many like
and you want to win, but they know how to
have a conversation. You know, like a lot of the
guys because you're around the guys all the time, you
have to have conversations. You have to so many different personalities,
so you have to be able to talk to people.
And you know, people to play team sports are like
(20:51):
the people we always gravitate towards.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, you know, it makes it easier that way, especially
like there's just something about a guy that's been a
part of a team that just gets it right.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
It, you know, how to have conflict and not hold
it against each other for.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The rest exactly, let's move on, talk about it exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
And I found out, like, you know, the real world
is not always like that.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It's not it's tough, you know, gravitating back into the
you know, society, and nobody wants to have a conversation.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
You know, it's hard to communicate.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
A lot of people hurt, you know, hurt feelings, and
it's just like, you know, I'd like to sit down
and let's why didn't you tell me, let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
But I always say to you, I'm like, I just
love when people will have difficult conversations. My favorite qute
is the quality of your life will be directly proportionate
to the number of uncomfortable conversations you're with. And if
you're an athlete, you just know those conversations right your
coach as you've got to sit your teammate down, you
got to you're just having those tough conversations. And so
many people they'll go, you know, they'll hold grudges for years,
not knowing the person didn't mean to offend them or whatever,
(21:53):
because they don't have a tough conversation or in business,
you don't want to offend somebody, so you can't tell
them that you don't want to work with them or
whatever that might look like.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You know what, my I credit my parents all the
time attacked right and being able to have discernment like
and it's tough because like you, like you said, there's
so many different personalities, but you got to know, you know,
what makes guys click. When to talk to people like that,
that's a lot of it, Like how to talk to him,
(22:21):
but when to talk to him. I remember when I
was younger, my dad used to be like I'd be
like I talked to my coach. I'd be like, hey, Dad,
like I want to do this. He was like, well,
you got to go talk to him. I was like,
can you go talk to him? He's like, no, I'm
going to tell you how to do it. But you
go talk to him, because like, and you figure out
if he's telling you the truth. If he's not telling
you the truth, that's for you to figure out. But
(22:41):
I'm going to tell you how to say it. And
so you know, when you get older, it's like now
second nature. I can talk to anybody. I'm not afraid
or intimidated to talk to anybody.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Yeah, I had. I did in high school. I wanted.
I was not one of the better kids, but I
really wanted to.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Play high school baseball, and I knew I was on
the fringe whether I'd ever play or not. And I
would go at halftime of our basketball games. We had
this coach and he was pretty hard to like read
or to talk to, and I'd go sit with him
during halftime during every basketball game and just have these
terribly uncomfortable conversations. And my junior and his senior year,
he ended up playing me over a kid that was
probably deserved it more than me, but I know it
(23:18):
was because he appreciated that I was willing and that like,
so as I started my business career, I could always
go talk to, you know, the wealthiest guy or the
most you know guy knows want to talk to you,
because I taught myself is a thirteen, fourteen, fifteen year
old to just go have those uncomfortable conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Right you be you begin to be comfortable having those conversations,
you could tell somebody's uncomfortable having them. So it's like
there's that tech that you got to have and be
able to uh kind of turn the volume down.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, that's well said. Well, I appreciate you man, it's
it's fun to chop it up.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, good luck with everyone. I know you're going to
end up killing it man. You like you said the
energy thing. I think you can just read when people
have your best interest in mind, or they really are
trying to help you out or whatever.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
No facts, No, I appreciate it. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Yeah, 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.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's going to make it the most interesting.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Also, want to tell everybody about my podcast studio, The
Rookery Studios, now available in Salt Lake City and 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
(24:39):
post it for you. If interested in doing your own
podcast visit our Instagram and send us a DM Rookery Studios,
or go to our website, The Rookery Studios dot com
Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Jimmy Rex Show.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Today on the podcast, we sit down with MLB superstar
Dexter Fowler. What a pleasure this was, man, and Dexter
Fowler was the leadoff hitter for the Cubs in twenty
sixteen when they won the World Series, and I was
there for six of the seven games in that World Series.
Of course, I was cheering for my lovely Cleveland Indians.
And you know it's interesting Game seven. You can actually
(00:24):
watch this. There's a show. I think it's on Netflix.
It just Famous Game sevens or something like that. And
the very first batter, the Indians had our star pitcher
going wherever.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We thought we're gonna be good, and they hit a
home run.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
It was Dexter Fowler, and it kind of set the
tone for the first part of that game. And the
camera immediately zooms to me and I'm so mad about it.
So it's a funatal history of Dexter and I together.
But this was just a fun podcast. He is one
of the most likable athletes I've ever met, one of
the easiest, going, funnest to talk to, and I really
enjoyed being able to sit down and talk about that
world series and other parts of Dexter's career.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So with that, let's get to the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
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, and so Bucked Up Protein.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
They come with me.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I actually found them at a gas station out there
and took a few every single.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Day while I was doing these podcasts.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
So as you listen today's podcast, just remember that it
is sponsored by Bucked Up Protein Anywhere Bucked Up products
for sold.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Every time there's a beef.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
What I said, every time there's a beef, I already
know what it is. It's like I have a beef
with you.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but well, you know what was funny,
but it had to happen Dody series.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So it's actually really funny.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
On the I'll pull it up after I'll show you
but on the actual telecast, you hit the home run,
you know, first batter of Game seven, and Clipper.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Had been so good, so we're going in.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
We've got our ask kicked in game six and we're thinking, Okay,
we got Clipper, we're going to be solid, and you
hit that home run and I'm like, oh, we're in
deep shit. I honestly think if you don't hit that
home run, the whole game is different.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Man.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
I would agree with that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It zooms in, so I'll show you afterwards.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
But right after the home run, I was there with
this girl and it zooms into me and I just
like pissed.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I'm sitting on the front road, dude.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
So I was like, yeah, so you hadn't even rounded
the bases, and the camera went to me as a fan,
and I'm just like so mad.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah. So anyway, well, dude, a.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Pleasure to be here with you, absolutely, Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So I mean going back to that twenty sixteen obviously,
that's probably got to be the highlight of all highlights
for your career.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Mat Yeah, I was just talking about it.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I mean, you won a World Series and it's like
the World Series, Like this is the best World series
that's I think this is to date, right, it's one
hundred and eight years that you know, we broke the curse,
and it's like, you know, like you always you're in
a backyard hit and you're like, oh, game seven, you
know whatever, you're actually playing in the game seven of
like both story franchises who haven't won in forever.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I think this is it was good for baseball in general.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, I mean I grew up a Cubs fan, just
watching WGN. And then when I was like tim, my
grandma was in Chicago, so we went to some games.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I met Harry carry the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And then I when I was probably eleven or so,
I just I fell in love with the movie Major League. Yeah,
and I became an Indians fan. I actually chose the
Indians because of their name and their logo.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I love it. And now you got to cancel them.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah, I'm like the only guy that I just refused
to call them the other name. I just called them
the Indians. But it was funny.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So when that World Series happened, it was like damn,
you know, and I had a chance to. I actually
went to six of the seven games. I sat front
row for all of them, like I was all in, dude,
this was the time when the Indians were gonna better
seat than me. I want to go back though, to
Game seven. I do want to talk about this a
little bit because it's just for I actually met ben
Zobris one time, and I same thing. I'm just like
(04:00):
these damn Cubs guys are also nice too, Like you know,
it's like I want to just not like you, but
you're already so likable, so no, I appreciate it, but
I uh, and so yeah, I remember Game seven. I'm
sitting there, you know, dude, that was by the way,
if you weren't there, I think you can't understand. The
whole stadium was silent, silent, and well the Cubs fans
started taking photos like that game was over six to two.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I remember thinking, like, how how did this happen?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Like, yeah, weird, dude, I got it too, I know
you gave it that weird pass ball and two runs
hit and then all of a sudden, dude, Raj Davis
hits that home run. I've never screamed like that in
my life. From your guys's view, dude, what's going on
with you guys at that moment.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I mean, I was on pissed. I was just like,
come on, you can't be serious.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Like we were up like this because there was a
lot of stuff that happened in a game and you're
just like, what are we doing? And then it's just like,
all right, well we got to lock back in, Like
is that is that point? I mean, there's what seven
outs to play with? Them had six outs? I was
I think there was two outs and eight four yeah,
four outs to play with, and it was just like,
(05:09):
all right, it comes out of this these four outs,
so let's let's figure it out.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I've always wanted this stupid ass speech that Hayward gave.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Was it really that? It can't be stupid as honestly? Honestly,
I'm gonna tell you this. So Jay has good clubhouse awareness,
like he's a great teammate. And Jay was the guy
who uh brought us all back to because everybody during
the randel, like everybody went it's like scattered.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Oh, like everybody was everywhere like just trying to find themselves.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Yeah, everybody was just we were all some people in
the clubhouse, some people were like in the weight room,
some people were like it was just everywhere. Some people
were still in the dugout watch like, some people were
in the cage like and Jay Hay said, because everybody
was at the point at that moment, everybody was pissed.
Everybody was like, I mean, it's like they just came back.
We had the game.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
It was yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
So uh, he brought everybody in and we were in
the weight room right by the dugout, and everybody kind
of got everything off their chest, right, So, and we
realized that, like everybody said something, Jay started off, Lester Lack,
myself Areata, I'll see.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Riz like we all said that, we all spoke.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
We just got stuff of all our minds, right yeah,
so it will be everybody and kind of clear to air,
and realized that we still have a job to do
and we just got to wipe the slate clean and
act like a zero zero and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah, It's so interesting the the way that everything played out,
this twenty minute weird rain delay and you guys come
back out there.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
You know who was the I was on the Cubs
fans crying.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Bro.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It was a weird game. I understand weird games. You know,
it's kind of funny. I think I accidentally cursed the Indians.
I dressed up on my seat was front Road down
the left fielder line for Game six, So I purposely dressed.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Like Bartman for the game.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I thought I was going to be funny, and I
think I cursed my team because then we lost to
in a row. You know, I love it, I love it,
but you know, the unsung hero for the Cubs that
entire worst. I mean, you got every guy stepped up,
but like dude Arieta, the dude was so damn good.
Like I think he won his two games, and then
beyond that, you guys were scrapping at Hendricks too.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, he did well too.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
Like Hendricks was.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Going crazy, like even like you don't think like you
got Lester Lackey Arieta and you know it starts game
seven Kyle Hendrix, Yeah, which is crazy, and I mean
he's throwing eighty eight miles an hour. It's like, I
mean they got like two hits and they were like
soft hits. Yeah, like nobody could hit him. And that's
(07:48):
why we were all confused when he got taken out
the game.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, it was that was a coaching mistake.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, we were sitting here and you know the games,
this speeds up for everybody.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I feel like that happens a lot in the playoffs now.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
The coaches way overthink it, like they take their starters
out the fourth on a lot of.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Analytics too, like you have like, yeah, you have the
front like, oh, this team is doing it.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
But I mean if you I meant a lot of
us feel it the game. But it's easier said after
the fact.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
And you know what I'm saying, if it would have
worked out, then we'd have been like, oh that was great,
like we did that, like but you know, obviously it
didn't hindsights twenty you know what I'm.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Saying, Yes, well, congrats on your World series.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
I appreciate you know, a few of us kind of
is uh so I had I had to talk with Nap.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Okay, so Mike Nap.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, yeah, he was good for us.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Yeah, he was great for us too.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
He motivated us because we go in Chicago or it
was in Chicago and after we lost, you know, we're
down three to one, and I guess he had bought
all the bottles of Asus Spades, like every bottle in
the city. Like he was like, oh, we're popping these bottles.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
We heard about it. We were like, okay, cool.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
And then we would the Cleveland and all the bottles
were gone and I said, oh, so, like, Nap, you
really think y'a go with this? Like he literally bought
all of them. I said, I hope you still got him.
So I asked him, was that true? Because that's what
we heard, but we feel it was like, Nap, you
really got him because you know he worked for the Cups.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yeah, So we asked him that. He was like, yeah,
I did that that.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Yeah, we were all pigs. We were like, oh for real, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
And a couple of dudes they know Nap, like the
play with the obviously with the Red Sox, with with
the Boys and Leicester and yeah, Lester Lackey Rossy like
so they knew Nat and they were like, yeah, he
fucking bottled crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
My highlight of that series was Game three.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It was the first World Series game in Chicago and
regularly since the forties, and.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Uh we lost.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It was one nothing and we had that dude Tomlin,
remember his dad was dying or something, and just he
wrote up and nobody, you guys couldn't hit him every
the time he pitched to give up nine runs in
the first inning, but somehow I threw a complete game.
Shout out every time, and I remember it was the
last few outs. So I was sitting like third row,
me and this girl. We're wearing our Indian stuff. It's
bright red jersey and dude, the fans could not have
(10:10):
been more ruthless to me, like they hated. I was
the only Indians fan in the lower part. And I
remember one point yelling out. I was like, friendly confines
my ass. You first get you've had matter in eighty years.
You're a whole bunch of dicads. I'm sure have made
it better. I probably deserved it whatever, whatever harassment, I
was getting, well deserved.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
That was a fun game, though, Man, yeah it was.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
It was great. It wasn't that fun. We lost. It
was fun for you.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
It was crazy about that is. I was convinced the
Cubs were going to win the next four or five
World Series. I mean they had such a young core.
You actually left, you got your big contract. I believe
that the Cardinals, right.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Yeah, yeah, they broke us up. I think we had
the talent to do it more and more.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But I think they made mistakes there.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I mean the economics just in lineup. Yeah, you have
too many guys that needed to get paid.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Yeah, yeah, it was weird.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
How like I mean, Chris Bryant ended up getting hurt,
you know, and.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Because he was that guy was I mean, he was
the one guy that want to see up to the
play game on the line. Was hurt, but he still
was dangerous. He's become he might be the MVP this year.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
I'm bloo. I'm happy for him.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And then Rizzo, he just killed the Indians. He beat
us last year in the playoffs with the Yankees.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
He hit a home run. You know, guy's always kissing
me off. Ten years later, here we are. This is
the podcast you were expecting.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Damn it, I went on the wrong one.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
No, it's cool, man, I know.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's really fun to chop it up though, because as
a fan that was I had made a deal in
nineteen let's see.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Sorry, two thousand and seven, we went to.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
The playoffs Indians did we beat the Yankees and then
we lost to the Red Sox who ended up beating
their Rockies, you.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Know, and I couldn't go.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I went to the Yankees game, but I couldn't go
to the Red Sox games.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I have enough money.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And so when I was twenty four or whatever, and
I remember thinking, like, okay, next time, Indians like get there.
I'm going to every game. I was sitting front, so
I dude, I was ready. I just went all out
for that series, man. And it was like it was
so much fun just being there, and so that that
even the game seven, as much as it sucked to
lose the game, it was like, that's as close as
you can possibly come into winning the World Series without
(12:09):
winning it, and like it was such an epic moment
and I'm like, and I'm still going to get to
have that first time when it finally happened, right now.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
You know what.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
The the thing about it is is like you play
a World Series at home and you're kind of out
of your like normal routine, right. So like we had
to get that out of our head in the beginning
because I mean, you know, the first two games were away. Obviously,
you just try to win one and you got the
home field advantage whatever, it'd be ideal to win both.
(12:40):
But you know, you come home and they're like, oh,
the President's coming, you got to come at this time.
But you're out of your routine. You can't take your
normal route. You got to go all the way around here.
And then it's like there's so much going on because you're.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
When you got family hitting you up, trying to Yeah,
but it's just so much you're at home. Yeah, you're
like you creaturesn't have its. You're going, you know, I
take my leave at this time. Now I got to
leave at this time, and.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
I got to get ready and do this at this
games this much later, and it's just like you're so
out of your realm, which when you're away, you're at
the hotel, you just get on the bus, you get there,
and it's like yeah, yeah, So I think that's why
that's why we played better when we were in especially
being at the Cubs, like you know, World Series.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
It's like you know your home and you.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Have everybody there because it's the Cubs, right, like presidents
coming tonight, so like secret services that you got to scan.
I'm like, bro, like we're trying to play a game,
like you know what I'm saying, Like I get it,
it comes with it, but I think after you know,
you get kicked in the mouth twice, you're just like
all right, Like let's just shake all this out, like
(13:45):
we're kind of used to we're at home, we're kind
of used to do this, and there we go on
the road, which is kind of gifting a curse.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
So how did you end up on the Cubs?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Because I I remember like you were that guy that
just you were top of the lineup, I mean, leadoff hitters,
that guy you have to have a lead off to
get a team to really and you just propelled the
rest of that offense. How did you end up in
that position? Did they recruit you from another team? So
it was crazy.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
My hitting coach when I was with the Astros, he
was he ended up getting the job the head hitting.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Guy at at the Cubs. So I called him and
I was like, bro, actually go all the way back.
So the year before.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I asked, I had a rehab assignment and they were
playing the Iowa Cubs and so I'm playing against Chris Bryant,
so laire hobby. It just got called up Addison Addie.
So these dudes Manny was down there at the time,
but we faced him and like they killed us. Like
(14:49):
KB hit a ball six hundred feet right center. I
was like, and I'm playing center field, so hit me
one of the hardest balls I've ever seen hit, Like
you know what I'm saying, Like, I'm like, this is
a minor league A. So I go back and I
tell my hitting coach John Maylee. I told Males. I
was like, Males, I said, hey, cubs, they're about to
go crazy, like they're young, dudes are crazy. And then
(15:13):
he ends up fast forward at the end of the year.
He's like and he's from Chicago, so he's like, he's like, hey, bro,
I just got the job with with the Cubs.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I was like, bro, y'are going to be sick.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Bro, like these dudes are These dudes are getting getting
called up like they're gonna be nasty. And I go, man,
get me over there, and I was kind of just laughing,
like messing around. I was like, bro, you should get
me over like I would love to be over there.
He goes, bro, we're looking we need somebody you would
want to come, Like, hell, you don't want to be
over there, like like that'd be sick. So he was like,
all right, we'll shoot, like let's try to figure out something.
(15:47):
Like I was like, bro, let me know, like I'm
in right, And so I didn't get traded over there.
Joe Mann was his first year, and I remember I
was struggling in the beginning. I was leaning off every
day and and Joe told me, he said, Dex, look
every day you come in, don't even look at the lineup.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
You're leading off every day.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
I don't care which, so don't don't worry about like
I'm a movie.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
You're you're hit.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
That's such a good coach, you know, install that confident, right.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I was like, oh killed it from there, because you know,
if somebody believes in you like that, you're gonna play
that much, you're gonna play that much harder. But you
also don't want him to look like a fool.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, well, in baseball is such a mental game. Start
thinking about that, man, like.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
It's my first Like these fans are gonna hate me. Like, bro,
just go out and play be you Wow. And then
he came up with you go we Go. He's like, Dex,
look at the look at look at the sheets. Every
time you get on and you play, we win. So
like you go we go. So that's why that's why
he came up with that. That's amazing, man, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
So I mean, once you got done with your playing days,
How do you how do you go from being a
major ague baseballer?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What do you even decide to do after that? Like?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
For you, what was I actually have a lot going on,
and I'm actually busier than when I played. I own
three companies and you know, I'm just all over the amazing.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
What are you doing? What are the companies?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I have a production company, I have a sports and
entertainment management company, and I have a wealth advising company.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
So it's a lot of it geared towards helping players
and athletes like kind of yeah, so that media route.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Yeah, yeah, you know, just trying to get guys in
the right rooms and guys to be around the right people.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Well that's a big problem with major league athletes, like exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
But I've been I've been fortunate to be around, have
a lot of great mentors, being a lot of running
great a lot of great people, the people that want
to help. And for me, it's just I'm trying to
get like my peers and people I trust and love
to have the same opportunities.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
That I have.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
What's the key thing? I mean for these guys that
you work with, Like what kind of stuff. Are you
specific helping them to do? It just depends. Like our
management team. My partner is actually my manager, so we're
just between her and I. We kind of arms length
away from everything and everybody, right, and so that's why
(18:16):
we kind of started it. And then my wealth management stuff.
It's like I got approached just because of the opportunities.
Like I'm part owner in a English Premier League team
in Bournemouth.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Yeah, because of my neighbor who is Bill Foley who
owns the Knights, and he's my business mentory. We I
sit on four bills boards like I do board work
for him, and but I mean we have a great
friendship and he's kind of between him, like Paul Hazen's like,
(18:48):
you know, those are my neighbors, like being a Felicia Horrowitz,
Like they're great people and like there's a lot of
opportunities out there, but not not a lot of people
have access. So I'm trying to give everybody access to
the stuff that I get.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Very cool. How did you find the right people to
kind of help you out?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Because so many athletes have an opposite experience or in opposite.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
So yeah, guys, you could tell them. I'm a people person.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, you're one of the easier guys I've I mean,
I've done the interviews now this, I've done this five
years in a row here and I've interviewed I don't know,
seventy athletes and you might be You're one of the
easiest ones I've ever meant to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
No, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I'm a people person, man, Like, I love having conversations,
and I just I think it's just been in the
right rooms and just I've been fortunate to be in
the right rooms, just have good conversations with people. And
I'm real energy driven, so like the energy in the room.
If it's not right, then I feel it and I'm
kind of like, you know what, I'm gonna get out
of this room. But a lot of rooms I've been in, fortunately,
(19:44):
like have been great people and they want to help,
and I've stayed in touch with them and learn from them.
And the sky has been a limit, which is it's
like you sit there and you I pinched myself all
the time because like I'm learning from the best the
people that's ever done it right. And it's like I
had these relationships, I had these relationships before I retired,
(20:07):
but now I am, I'm kind of like watering the
seeds so well.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
And I think one of the things that, you know,
I try to hire athletes all the time too, because
it's that competitive nature.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
So like when you're done, one of two things usually happens.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
They go into coaching, or they are really good at
being competitive at something so they go into like business
as long as they have the right mentor seems like
that's kind of the key is being around the right
piece exactly.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
My wife and I talk about it all the time.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
It's like people to play team sports like because they
get like there's so many personalities, there's so many like
and you want to win, but they know how to
have a conversation. You know, like a lot of the
guys because you're around the guys all the time, you
have to have conversations. You have to so many different personalities,
so you have to be able to talk to people.
And you know, people to play team sports are like
(20:51):
the people we always gravitate towards.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah, you know, it makes it easier that way, especially
like there's just something about a guy that's been a
part of a team that just gets it right.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
It, you know, how to have conflict and not hold
it against each other for.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The rest exactly, let's move on, talk about it exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
And I found out, like, you know, the real world
is not always like that.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It's not it's tough, you know, gravitating back into the
you know, society, and nobody wants to have a conversation.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
You know, it's hard to communicate.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
A lot of people hurt, you know, hurt feelings, and
it's just like, you know, I'd like to sit down
and let's why didn't you tell me, let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
But I always say to you, I'm like, I just
love when people will have difficult conversations. My favorite qute
is the quality of your life will be directly proportionate
to the number of uncomfortable conversations you're with. And if
you're an athlete, you just know those conversations right your
coach as you've got to sit your teammate down, you
got to you're just having those tough conversations. And so
many people they'll go, you know, they'll hold grudges for years,
not knowing the person didn't mean to offend them or whatever,
(21:53):
because they don't have a tough conversation or in business,
you don't want to offend somebody, so you can't tell
them that you don't want to work with them or
whatever that might look like.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You know what, my I credit my parents all the
time attacked right and being able to have discernment like
and it's tough because like you, like you said, there's
so many different personalities, but you got to know, you know,
what makes guys click. When to talk to people like that,
that's a lot of it, Like how to talk to him,
(22:21):
but when to talk to him. I remember when I
was younger, my dad used to be like I'd be
like I talked to my coach. I'd be like, hey, Dad,
like I want to do this. He was like, well,
you got to go talk to him. I was like,
can you go talk to him? He's like, no, I'm
going to tell you how to do it. But you
go talk to him, because like, and you figure out
if he's telling you the truth. If he's not telling
you the truth, that's for you to figure out. But
(22:41):
I'm going to tell you how to say it. And
so you know, when you get older, it's like now
second nature. I can talk to anybody. I'm not afraid
or intimidated to talk to anybody.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Yeah, I had. I did in high school. I wanted.
I was not one of the better kids, but I
really wanted to.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Play high school baseball, and I knew I was on
the fringe whether I'd ever play or not. And I
would go at halftime of our basketball games. We had
this coach and he was pretty hard to like read
or to talk to, and I'd go sit with him
during halftime during every basketball game and just have these
terribly uncomfortable conversations. And my junior and his senior year,
he ended up playing me over a kid that was
probably deserved it more than me, but I know it
(23:18):
was because he appreciated that I was willing and that like,
so as I started my business career, I could always
go talk to, you know, the wealthiest guy or the
most you know guy knows want to talk to you,
because I taught myself is a thirteen, fourteen, fifteen year
old to just go have those uncomfortable conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Right you be you begin to be comfortable having those conversations,
you could tell somebody's uncomfortable having them. So it's like
there's that tech that you got to have and be
able to uh kind of turn the volume down.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, that's well said. Well, I appreciate you man, it's
it's fun to chop it up.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
Yeah, I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, good luck with everyone. I know you're going to
end up killing it man. You like you said the
energy thing. I think you can just read when people
have your best interest in mind, or they really are
trying to help you out or whatever.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
No facts, No, I appreciate it. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Yeah, 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.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's going to make it the most interesting.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Also, want to tell everybody about my podcast studio, The
Rookery Studios, now available in Salt Lake City and 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
(24:39):
post it for you. If interested in doing your own
podcast visit our Instagram and send us a DM Rookery Studios,
or go to our website, The Rookery Studios dot com
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