No Crying In Baseball

Patti 0:18
Hi and welcome to episode 435 of No Crying in Baseball, the Pattern of Admiration episode. My name is Patti. I'm here with my friend, Pottymouth. Hey, Pottymouth.

Pottymouth 0:26
Hey. How's it going on this long weekend?

Patti 0:29
It's good. I'm sorry that we're at the end of it. I'm really digging a long weekend. Thanksgiving was super fun. I had a good time chilling, and I'm not quite psyched up again to start regular, scheduled life stuff,

Pottymouth 0:40
absolutely, ditto. Yeah. It like we were saying right before the show that Friday felt like, Oh, wow. We have so much time. This is great. Everything's going well, and then all of a sudden, fuck, it's Sunday night. But luckily, we have this happy distraction of a podcast. Yeah, we do take us away, make us think happy baseball

Patti 0:57
thoughts, yes, for sure. So today we're really going to kind of cut down the episode to two main things. We're going to start off our boyfriend, our boyfriends, and we've got a special guest for you. So there's not going to be, you know, some extra police plot, or there's not going to be, you know, the what happened on the hot stove. So, you know, we'll report back later on about that. But we've got kind of a slimmed down version, because we've got a lot to say about a couple of things on today's show all new boyfriends. We're starting it off today. We've got the White Sox, and we've got the Rockies, including we've got podcasters and sexy defense, and even more fun, with AI, where we got the second of our series and interviews of women who have been drafted to the women's professional baseball league. And this is going to overlap with cross training with Clara rice, who's the catcher, and no one will ever be Clara rice in cross training. So cheers, cheers.

Pottymouth 1:45
That's for sure. We recorded, even though you guys are gonna hear it after our baseball boyfriend stuff, we recorded with Clara this morning, and it was so much fun I can't wait to share with you guys.

Patti 1:55
Hey, I finished my starter beer. What did I do? What I just

Pottymouth 1:56
Oh, right. So we as as part of the Thanksgiving festivities potty mouth JR and Mr. Potty mouth and I went to Port City Brewery in Alexandria, Virginia. And I've had their beer a bunch, but I hadn't been to their brewery. Very nice place. And we started off with a tamave, which is Mr. Potty mouth's favorite, classy sounding beer, which is a check dark lager, which was very tasty. It was delicious. And now we are hopping into,

Patti 2:26
we are leaning into, but yours is better. Yeah, we're hopping

Pottymouth 2:29
into the holiday season with tidings. And I had a momentary panic with tidings, so i Mr. Potty method and potty mouth Jr each got a mug of the tamave. They knew what they wanted. They got the big fun mug, and of course, I'm a little bit more indecisive, so I got a bunch of little tiny tasters, and I tasted this tidings and really liked it right before Mr. Potty mouth and the junior had to run out on an errand. And so I knew that when I bought my little tasting that there was one six pack left in the cooler, and they went out. And I was just Virginia, you don't they ran out. And I was thinking, Oh, shit. Like, what if somebody takes that before we leave? And, you know, it was one of those, how do you say Loaves and Fishes, things like. So I went down, and all of a sudden there was

Patti 3:18
Bible that you checked with me on a Bible, Bible situation.

Pottymouth 3:22
It had multiplied. It knew that I was stressed out about not having some happy tidings, and there was a whole bunch. So I was very happy. Got this six pack of tidings. And we haven't drunk, drink, drink, drunk bottles for a while. So we had our wicked piss a bottle opener here which it says it on it. This is a Massachusetts, um, you know, themed thing, and it's, what do you think? Did you try it?

Patti 3:43
I haven't tried it yet. I'm gonna be drinking this slowly, because, after we decided this was going to be our, our second beer, you noted that it's kind of a high. Yeah? ABB, so, and we're gonna drink this slowly, and I'm gonna ride home.

Pottymouth 3:55
It packs it packs a punch. It does all right. So, as you had said, we're gonna start with baseball boyfriends this weekend. This is very exciting, because in the off season, what we do on this podcast is we each pick one guy per team because there is something special about him, and it gives us the opportunity to look at a lot of teams more in depth than we normally would, and also to look at players that people wouldn't normally notice. And we call them our baseball boyfriends, because they're the guys that we want to just hang out with, have a beer with. We have something in common. We want to get to know them for some reason, hopefully they're also good at baseball, because at the end of this we make a fantasy team out of them, and last year, it didn't go so well for us. But you know what, there's always next year. What I

Patti 4:37
like about this plan that we have to profile, profile guys on every team is that it doesn't matter what baseball game I'm watching. I know something. I'm invested in at least one player. And now we've been doing this for so long, I'm usually invested in several players, but I like to realize how many sort of fun facts, how many things I know about that person that are. Just how they're doing right now in this game. Yeah, it's really pretty cool. I like that a lot.

Pottymouth 5:05
Oh, and especially when we go see live baseball, and that's Park, we always know something about the opposing team and can, you know, impress the folks around us and stuff.

Patti 5:13
Well, yeah, that's when, that's when our intern will, like, body block me and say, just let them have fun. Yes, don't give them any more information. They're not asking to be corrected. Just let them have a good time. Okay, fine. But I know things, it

Pottymouth 5:28
can be entertaining. It really can. So we start. We have to have an order. So we start with the worst performing teams, and Patty has calculated us out week by week, and one Al and 1l NL each. Oh, this is yummy. Sorry, isn't it good? So you tried the tidings, yeah, good tidings. Good tidings, too good. I'm so glad that that the you know, fishes, loaves, whatever, that there were a lot of tidings, because then we can get more later. Anyway, White Sox is you might have noticed didn't do so well last season. Holy cow, but there's hope. And I had a feeling from the get go that I would be picking Kyle teal, catcher, 23 years old, because he was in the Red Sox organization, and it was a big fucking deal when he got traded So December, this time last year, the Red Sox traded teal, who was the number four prospect at the Time, plus outfielder, Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase medraft and a right handed pitcher, wilkman Gonzalez, all for Garrett crochet that worked out great for both sides. Like, I love it when a trade has equal winners. Like, it's good for everybody, yeah?

Patti 6:36
Because usually everyone's looking at that saying, huh? Who actually did win this,

Pottymouth 6:40
yeah, yeah. And they everyone got something they needed. Yeah, and, and, I mean, the Red Sox needed crocheting last year. They need crocheting next year, like they needed to do this. However, it broke up the band. It broke up the boy band, it broke up the trio. It broke up the three musketeers, or whatever kind of, you know, analog analogy you want to give for these three guys, but Kyle teal and Marcella mayor and and Roman Anthony were the three guys who went, you know, got, got bonded through the miners together. They were selected for the futures together in 2024 in July, they were the three representatives from the Red Sox who went to the futures game. And then a month later, after they did well in the futures game in August, 2024 they all went to Worcester together. They all went to the woo socks. And, you know, it was just sort of expected that they would stay together. They'd come up to the Red Sox together. Fans were enamored of them all. And then to lose teal, I think, was hard for all of them. You know, we're scraping by but, but it's sad, but I'm happy to see that he immediately went to a place where he was needed right away. So he didn't have such a clear path to debuting as fast as he did with the White Sox. So he debuted with the White Sox last year. Might not have happened had he stayed with the Red Sox. He was a first round draft pick in 2023 so he had just a little over two years in the minors, but he raked in that time, 300 average, 857, ops, and then debuted last June, June 6 with the White Sox. And had a really solid rookie year, including a 20 game on base streak in August and September. So he tied Jose Abreu, who had, you know, got his MVP year when he was with the White Sox. For a White Sox rookie on base streak, he ended up the season 273, average, 786, ops with eight home runs. Not bad for a rookie. The tricky part now is the White Sox are currently carrying three catchers who all have potential to be on the roster. So there's Kyle teal, there's Edgar Cuero, who I actually came really close to picking as well, because I saw his first hit at Fenway Park. Last crap, I think it was April. It was his second career game, and it was at Fenway, and it was pretty cool. So I thought maybe this guy, but, you know, just too much connection with with Kyle teal and the boy band, and then my last year's pick for the White Sox Corey Lee is the third catcher. So, you know, I think that the scuttlebutt is a little bit in favor of Kyle, but he said, quote, I can't play GM, so I don't worry about that stuff. I'm here to play every day, and that's all I care about. Good for him. He has some solid baseball roots. His father, Garrett teal, played in the minors for five years. He was drafted by the Dodgers as a catcher. Also played 89 to 94 five of those years were actually playing. I think there was one that was off. And his mom played college softball at William and Mary. So growing up, he got to practice with both parents. And not only did he get to practice with both parents, but he got to practice at dad's TEALS Training Center in Wyckoff New Jersey. So dad owns a training facility, so he had plenty of opportunity to, you know, polish his skills as he was. Is getting ready to be drafted as a young age. But the cool thing is, despite all this, you know, baseball, softball influence in high school, he was also starting quarterback junior year, and so we talked to Claire a little bit about the importance of cross training and being involved in lots of sports. So it's really cool to see that even with so much baseball in his life and in his family, his senior year, 2020 even though he's in an absolute perfect situation to get scouted out of high school, he decided to go to college. He went to UVA, and he was responsible about this, and I love this maturity about him. Also, he wrote to every MLB team at that point saying that he intended to go to UVA, and he was actually going to go, so not only committed, but he's going to go so that they wouldn't waste their time scouting. He made, yeah, so super responsible. I'm guessing dad had something to do with that, but that's going to leave a good mark on the teams. He played on Team USA after freshman year, and then after sophomore year, ended up being starting catcher on Team USA junior year, of course, like, that's when the scouting happens. His average never dipped under 400 when he was a junior. He ended junior year with a 407 average. He started at catcher every game, and earned the Buster Posey National Collegiate catcher of the year, and then got drafted out of junior year. So there's always going to be something a little bit extra to make them the baseball boyfriend, like, what is it about the character of this guy that I want to sit down and have a beer with? And he's been noted as having boyish enthusiasm. I think I have boyish enthusiasm to tell you the truth. So we could, we could bond over that. And he has an infectious personality. I don't know if I can claim that, but I like being around people with infectious personalities. That kind of infection is just totally fine in the White House clubhouse. So Omer navayas, who had been, you know, the elder statesman passing along the knowledge last year, said about him, he's crazy. He's just different, but he's a great kid. He has a lot of energy and he just wants to learn. So I can totally relate to that. At times, I have a lot of energy, and I do like to learn.

Patti 12:04
I was amused that you picked a catcher at jump because I know in the past, you're like, okay, yeah, you are not wasting any time. I like that. You had other reasons for picking him also, but I was also, I was very much aware of, okay, don't forget this roster spot, right? This is key.

Pottymouth 12:21
I gotta start. And I think you'd be good. So, all right, I'm gonna open my tidings. I think,

Patti 12:25
I think you should, I hope you're, you have, you have good tidings as well as I just good call. I'm just saying very good call, nice. So for the White Sox, I picked Riley Brooks. Baldwin goes by Brooks. I listed his left field. Everything about him actually playing, hasn't playing second baseball. I think this is one of those things where I can't wait to see what. Yeah, what Yahoo says about them, like where I'll actually get to play him, and what the White Sox say he is, right. He's well, the White Sox so far, but been playing him a second base. Okay? So he is 25 and the first MLB news story I read says He looks young enough to get carded twice at any local establishment. So what does that mean? It's like, okay, I'm gonna card you and then I'm gonna forget that I carded you and I'm gonna card you again. I don't know what that means. So he's from Whiteville, North Carolina, which made me laugh just a little bit. His dad, Chuck was drafted. He played college ball and was drafted by Cleveland in 1987 so I'm a big fan of that. So there's a lot of things in Brooks's life that are meaningful to me, and that's one of them. And when I heard that his dad was a professional baseball player, I thought, hmm, Brooks, is he named for Brooks Robinson? I mean, a lot of people are named for Brooks Robinson, even though you know his dad, the other North Carolina drafted by Cleveland. I don't know, and I didn't see anything either way about where the name Brooks came from. So I followed your lead, and I said, I'm going to ask AI to tell me, Oh, hey, AI makes shit up. Yeah, they really do. Can I tell you? I read you the quote of what shit they made up? Yeah. It said, yes, yes. It starts with Yes. It appears that Brooks Baldwin was named for Brooks Robinson. As it is common for parents to name their children after athletes they admire. While there is no specific mention of this in Baldwin's own biographical information, other baseball players named Brooks, like Brooks Lee have been named in honor of Robinson. This suggests that the name choice for Brooks Baldwin likely follows this pattern of admiration.

Pottymouth 14:16
Yeah, you know, I What the hell? Right?

Patti 14:18
This Yes, it means no. And I hate when yes means no, which is

Pottymouth 14:22
and I did just, just as my own defense, I did double check AI that one time that I used it for the teams. I did try to use it this week also. Well, not for this episode, but I was looking at Red Sox, because you know, what am I going to do in my spare time you do so I asked AI, what they thought that the the roster was going to be next year, and it went position by position that was following, okay, until it got to DH and it mentioned David Ortiz. I was like, No, I don't think he's gonna

Patti 14:45
play No, no, yeah, that would be a hell of a comeback, wouldn't it? Wow. I'm guessing he would need a whole new exercise dietary thing. Yeah, happening there? Okay, so other things that attracted me to. To Brooks. Here is he was high school teammates with Mackenzie Gore, who is fantastic pitcher on the nets. And interestingly, Brooks, he hit 455, in high school, so a great right? But also he pitched. His record as a pitcher was 11 and Oh, with a 0.62 era. Wow. I don't know if Mackenzie Gore was the best pitcher on that team. I don't know. I just don't know. He went to UNC Wilmington, where I've got to say my brother is a professor, so I feel good about UNC. So all of these things right at UNC Wilmington, he was the colonial Athletic Association player of the year as a junior. He played in the Cape Cod league in 2021 2022 he was initially drafted in the 15th round by San Francisco in 2021 but he went back to finish school. So I think that was one of those things. Maybe I can get drafted higher also, and I can have have my degree, and all those things. So in 2022 the White Sox drafted him in the 12th round. So still not very high, but higher. And now he's also got his degree. So that's all good. So you know the usual, you know, make the rounds through the minor leagues. And so he ended the 2023 season at high a Winston Salem. And he started 2024 at jump from double A Birmingham. And then he went to triple A Charlotte. In July of 2024 when he went to AAA Charlotte, he home run off the first pitch. He saw, whoa. He went 10 for 29 he had three doubles and two home runs in the only eight games he had to play AAA before he got his call up. Wow, right? So tiny, little, very effective, very prolific offensively time in AAA. So you know how we get all these stories about, oh my god, where, you know you got those phone calls to get your call up. You know where he was. So he's from North Carolina, right? So he's playing at UNC Wilmington. No, I'm sorry, he he's playing in Charlotte at this point, triple A Charlotte. But, you know, he was in college there. He grew up kind of like between the two, so, which is kind of cool. You know, his parents can go watch him play no matter where he is he is, and also he can go home and help his mom shop at the hardware store, which is where he was on a Tuesday. You know, either at the hardware store, their dogs kind of trashed their screen door, so they needed to buy some parts to fix the screen door. So of course, your minor league ball player son is going to go with you to buy the things. And that's where he was when he got the call saying, hey, guess what? On Friday, you're starting for the White Sox in Kansas City. So that's very cool. So he got his very first hit in that very first game in the third inning. Got a single. He singled off the second pitch. He saw, Wow. The other cool thing about having his debut at Kansas City is when he was in college at UNC Wilmington, he was roommates and teammates with Mike Piccolo, who is the son of the General Manager of Kansas City. JJ Piccolo, so, JJ said, these are my friends. So he provided a suite for his family and friends to come to their stadium in Kansas City to see to see Brooks's debut. That's such a good deal. Which is very, very cool, very sweet. And then he was involved in a couple of breaking up streaks and things, which I kind of I liked. So this was mid July, right August 7, White Sox finally ended their record time. 21 game losing streak in Oakland and Brooks was one of the runs that scored. He scored off a wild pitch for one of the five runs that scored, wow, for the White Sox. It was our first win since July 10. This was August 7, and that time, they had been outscored 136

Pottymouth 18:30
to 50. Oh, that's so painful.

Patti 18:32
The other thing that I'm kind of amused about is we Dustin Mays has kind of had a had a time this past season, like, with, like, almost having this great game, and then, like, losing things kind of at the end on July 4 in 2025 Brooks broke up Dustin May is perfect game, with a single in the sixth, and then hit a two run homer off of him in the eighth. And they still say it was the best start of Dustin May's entire career, you know. And then also, except for the Brooks thing, because, win wins. Yeah, right. On July 22 he had a he had a three run homer in the second versus Tampa Bay, which, for the Rockies, got them to their season high, I'm sorry for the White Sox for their season high, four straight wins. Oh, that was the season high who at the at the time in July, four straight wins. He is engaged to his very long time girlfriend, Bailey. Now, remember, he's like 25 it looks like they have been together for eight years. On his Instagram, every year for eight years, it's happy birthday. I love you. Happy 18th, happy 20th, happy 21st so they're engaged now. So now it's like we've been together for eight years, one more till we're married. So they are, yes, so they are, cheers, very adorable. And in case you're wondering, his dad did, in fact, finish that screen door repair while Brooks kind of went off to the banks. Yeah, he got called to the show. So his dad did that. Did the work, but it got it got fixed. Don't worry,

Pottymouth 20:01
you didn't just wait for him to come back after right after his rounds. Well, cool. So we're on to the National League. And you might know that the Rockies were the last place finishers for the National League, and I am excited to talk about Troy Johnston, who either first base or outfield, 28 years old. And the coolest thing, I don't know there's a whole bunch of things that I was like, Okay, I gotta pick this guy. He's a podcaster, sure. So the cool thing about that, I mean, he's not, right, he's really good, like, he's I really enjoyed listening. I listened to a couple episodes. Oh, good. His podcast is called turn two, with Scott and Troy. And the Scott is Scott Kornberg, comberg, that's an M Yeah, who's a play by play announcer for the Jacksonville jumbo shrimp, which is the AAA for the Marlins. So that's how they got together, because Troy was on the Jacksonville jumbo shrimp. So I'm not quite sure what the future holds in store, but they did record after Troy was claimed off of waivers on my birthday to go from the Marlins to the Rockies. And so it was really cool to hear his reaction firsthand, because we talk about these guys all the time and what happens with trades, and to hear his voice talk about the experience was really cool. He was super positive about it. He said that he didn't even know he'd been released, and he had to, and, you know, I feel like I need to send him a little message to listen to no crying in baseball, because you explain all this stuff on the regular, like, what it means to be released, what a DFAS mean? What's the difference? Because he said he didn't know that. He didn't know he had to look all this stuff up. So educate the players, is what you're saying. Yeah, exactly like he didn't. He said, You know, you don't, it doesn't affect you until it affects you, until, like, you know, it's part of it. He didn't understand what had happened, but then he turned it into the positive. He's from Washington State. Denver is a lot closer to Washington than the Marlins is. And what I loved about it, and actually, I think his, his co host said, this is, like, this is the first move that the Rockies made in the offseason, and it was for you, and he was like, you know, that says something. He feels very wanted. That's some good framing. Yeah, I think that, you know, overall, he sounded really happy about it, which is amazing, because he's been with the Marlins organization, shit. I didn't write them the number, but it's like seven or eight years. I think I'll get there at some point in this, in my notes, he after graduating from high school, he went to Gonzaga in Washington State, wanted to stay close to home, and then was drafted by the Marlins after four years of college in 2019 while he was in high a in 2021 he ended up getting some mental health support Through Marlins organization, and since then, he's been very outspoken about the importance of mental health and mental health coaching, and he said that he wishes he had gotten it while he was in college, because the reason why he spent four years instead of the usual getting drafted after three is sophomore year, he broke his hand and missed the entire season, and he said that was super stressful. Ended up with a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, and he felt like he reached kind of like a breaking point. And he said, quote, I do want to tell anybody out there that if you think you need help, do not hesitate to go and get it. And he's learned a lot of positive things from, you know, reaching out and getting a little bit of help after reaching that breaking point, breathing techniques. He likes playing board games a lot. I think he's introduced cribbage into the he was, at least in when he was in the minors, into the clubhouse, and he likes escape rooms. And he talks about, like the board games and escape rooms as sort of just like slowing things down and being more purposeful with your thinking, you know, to get out of that kind of rat race, kind of anxiety feeling of how things get caught up so often during a game. The other sort of sign that I should pick this guy is his first home run was in Fenway Park. You know, he was a visitor, so it's not good for the Red Sox. But still, the in his podcast, he talks about that as being such a positive thing. And he said, you know, this is where Babe Ruth hit his home runs, where Ted Williams hit home run, and here I am hitting a home run in Fenway Park, and he said that his home run came like 30 rows before that. That red chair for Ted Williams, but, you know, puts it all in perspective. And he also had respect for the fans, because he said, as he was running around the bases, he heard the cascade of booze, and he really appreciated how invested. He said it was a solo home run in the sixth inning. They were losing anyway, but yet, the Red Sox fans are so passionate that they're going to boo the hell out of you no matter what his so that was an August, August 16, and then his second and third home runs came together in no in September 13 against Detroit, he got a solo home run, and then 11th inning walk off, two run walk off, which made him the first Marlin with a walk up as part as his of his first multi Homer game. He debuted in July, so this was his first season last year in 2025 with the Marlins, he played. 44 games, and I am hoping that this holds over until next season, and that Yahoo gives me lots of credit, because he played 11 of those games, left field, 13, right field, 16, at first base and four. DH, so hopefully he's got an infield, outfield thing that's gonna give me some credit. He ended the season 277, 751, ops. So I'm kind of wondering why the Marlins were so lackadaisical about him. So yeah, he was with them for six seasons in the minors. Over those six seasons, he had a 281 average 825, ops, with 81 home runs. He was 83 for 97 on stolen base attempts. He was the 2023 Marlins minor league player of the year, but they didn't protect him in the Rule five draft, either 23 or 24 and so despite all this success in the minors, he's not going anywhere. And this is what the Marlins so he went to the Dominican Republic. You know, what are you going to do if you're in that situation. He played in lead on last year, 2425 with the tortoise the last day, and he said, I thought going to the Dominican was my last stop, my last hurrah. I went down there, had a blast, and learned to love baseball again. Oh, beautiful. Had a 13 game hitting streak with the Toros, and then after playing 44 games with them in the season, and the Torres didn't go on to the playoffs. He was picked as a reinforcement for the Tigres de lis played with them in the semi finals. In the semi finals, he got 15 hits in 14 games and then went on to the finals. So, you know, I love that spirit and that energy, and also the winter ball experience. His dad's a history teacher, so extra teacher points there, and his mom's a speech therapist. And he is very close with his wife, Haley, who has been around and, you know, talking about, like, years together, definitely through all of his minors. So I'm wondering when they got together. I'll have to look that up. But their daughter, Tatum, was born this past September, so he's got very nice lot going on this year. Very nice.

Patti 27:03
I went the way of sexy defense for my Colorado pick. I picked Brenton Doyle, center fielder, and a real center fielder. He's not messing around. And he's 27 he grew up kind of local to us, ish, Warrenton, Virginia. I know Warrenton, sure you do. So it was like, you know, 40 some miles. It's like, not right here, here, but the NATs are definitely the home team. And he grew up as a nats fan. And I love to be able to talk about people who grew up as nats fans, because the NATs started, you know, it feels so recent, and these are like players who have spent, like, a lifetime, sort of, you know, rooting for the Nats. When he was in high school. He said, My freshman to sophomore year, I probably grew from five, nine to six, two, whoa, freshman to sophomore, and then I grew one more inch from sophomore to junior year. He said, You see a lot of tall short stops, which is true, right? I mean, he cites Corey Seager. Said, Corey seekers as big as me, and he plays, he plays short and then, like, for us, you know, like, got our headers, there's a lot, of tall, short stops now, right? But then he says, but I come from a pretty small town, and in high school, they wanted the bigger guys in the outfield, so that's where I moved. They don't work for the best, excellent, right? So good for you. So he went to college in West Virginia. Went to shepherd, which is division two, which is going to be meaningful in a minute. He hit over 300 all three years. He had in 2019 his last year, he had a perfect fielding percentage. He had the team single season record of 98 hits, the team best 68 RBI, and he was successful in 22 out of 23 stolen based attempts. Right. Wow, fantastic, right? So 2019 draft comes along. The Rockies draft him in the fourth round. Their farm director said, if you went to a school that people had heard of, for me, he would have been a first rounder. Huh? Isn't that interesting? Who knows? Shepherded West Virginia, right? Division Two, whatever he said he that's, that's the type of tools he has. It's just that he wasn't in the on a bright, shiny team. So even though his stats were amazing, and he got scouted and he, I mean, for fourth, fourth round is good, but you know, first round is more clout, it's more money, it's more a lot of things, I thought that's kind of interesting to me. So okay, I was 2019 so you know, miners, miners, miners, take 2020, off because we have a pandemic going on in 2023 he starts in AAA Albuquerque and plays 12 games, and then gets his call up because both Chris Bryant and Jonathan have are injured. So you know, that's how people get their call ups, right? There's all of a sudden space on the roster for them. It's usually because somebody else is hurt. So he had his debut versus Cleveland, Oh, wow. And this is what I find super interesting. This first game that he played, he hit the ball to Ahmed Rosario, who then threw him out at well, he threw to first, and the initial call was safe, and it was overturned on review. So what would have. In his very first Major League Baseball hit was overturned upon review. Welcome to the Big League. Welcome to the Big League. So the next day, he had to make up for it. So he had three hits, including two doubles and his first RBI and two stolen bases. I like that. His first real hit was also to Rosario, Oh, wow. But it went by him funny. He didn't get it. But it was like, kind of in the same place. It's just that Rosario didn't get it this time. So in this first 12 games in the majors, he had five homers and eight RBI. So, you know, checking in with him in May, like three weeks in right? He His birthday is in May, he was the 14th player in Rocky's franchise history to hit a home run on his birthday. The next day, he had two homers and he doubled at his first at bat. So the 10 total bases and three extra based hits that he got were the most ever for a Colorado player batting out of a ninth spot, wow, in the lineup. So hello, welcome, welcome. I'm here now. I am here now. He said about his first three weeks, and it's a blast. Even bad days up here are good days, which I liked. In September of 2023 he they were playing Toronto. He had a line drive from from Vladi, and he got it. He threw it 105.7 miles per hour to home. So the runner on third started to go, and then thought better of it, which was good, because he would have been so freaking out. But the important thing about 105.7 is at the time, and still since then, is the fastest stat cast outfield assist since tracking began in 2015 105.7

Pottymouth 31:46
so from center field to home, no cut off

Patti 31:50
center field to home. So, of course, in 2023 he got the Gold Glove. This is his rookie year Gold Glove. Wow, his defensive run saved, which started with that. Tracking started in 2003 no Colorado Center fielder had more than six defensive runs saved in a year. Doyle had 1919, wow, 19, which is huge. So fan graphs has what they call an ultimate zone rating. For him, it was as a center fielder 24.5 which is almost three times better than the next best center fielder, which was blue jays, Dalton varshow at 9.2 that's humongous. That's gigantic. He says he got good at chasing down balls by his sister played tennis, and he used to like chase after, like during her tennis practice, bare handed, like go after all of the balls that she had. So his first episode, 2024 his first Career Grand Slam cover yours was versus Boston as one of used to one of the four Colorado home runs in the franchise record 20 to seven win over Boston. Excellent, but he was the National League Player of the Month for July 2024 here's how he got that. He led the majors in extra base hits with 19. He tied for the major league lead in homers, Major League, not just as, not just national, Major League lead in homers for the month, tied for second in RBI. Had his second and third multi Homer games. He had four straight multi hit games. Each of those included a double. That's huge. So, yeah, you could look, you know, you look at you your Player of the Month. Yeah, for the National League, he was the first Rockies player in franchise history to have at least 30 extra base hits, 20 stolen bases and 15 homers before the all star break. The only other players across the entire league that reached that those numbers were Bobby Wood, Jr, Ellie de la Cruz and Shohei Otani. You might have heard of those guys. This is his second year in the rock in the majors, right, right? So, another Golden Glove in 2024 I think he was the first outfielder to have back to back, like his first two years gold gloves. He did not get it in 2025 because Pete crow Armstrong is just like, you know, a superhero. So he got, he got edged out. He also got the heart and hustle award for 2024 which is sort of like the boyfriend award for us, for the Rockies, right for the Rockies. So playing Washington again, again, that was kind of his home team. So he says, When he comes to Washington, there are a lot of Colorado number nine jerseys, because his friends and his family are coming in to see him play. And he said, when he sees all that, I said, it's huge. I used to be that kid walking around with someone else's jersey. Nationals wise, it was Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond. Those were the top two. And of course, I had a Bryce Harper jersey. Do you love they had a Bryce Harper Jersey as a kid, that's a little wild. Isn't that crazy? Plays baseball, yeah, yeah. He said, to see kids and grown adults walking in. Mine is very cool. It's got a good, rewarding feeling behind it. So in 2025 terrible team, terrible record, right? He said. So this is where he's like the you know? Yay, we can do this. It's going to get. Better thing, he says. But the position we're in, we can play really free. We have nothing to lose. Like, okay, good attitude. So he's arbitration eligible. He was tendered a contract by the Rockies, who's got till January 8 to to either take it or go to go to arbitration. He is married to Shelby, Rose long time, and they have a daughter, Bray Lynn, and a Bernie's male dog

Pottymouth 35:21
named Duke. Yes, you know, I'm thinking, one of the podcasts that I, that I listened to from from Troy Johnston, was talked about the imposter syndrome, and that that when you debut and you're facing all these childhood heroes, you're on the field with these guys, like, you know, talking about the Bryce Harper thing, and you just have this imposter syndrome, like, what am I actually doing here? So cool to hear him, like, talk about it as a firsthand experience.

Patti 35:49
Yeah, no, no, for sure. Next week, we're going one up on the standing so we'll be talking about Washington and Minnesota,

Pottymouth 35:56
fun stuff. All right, we usually have a bunch of stuff that we talk about right now, but we just don't have time because we have a really cool interview coming up. So I'm going to put in a bunch of links in the show notes to what international players are doing in their free time right now with fun ball. So this past weekend was a sauce giving, which is the fifth annual by Eladio carrion, to benefit youth in Puerto Rico. So this was an actual benefit event with a home run derby and a softball thing. That's the way things go. Fernando tatis was there. Vladi was there. Acuna was there. Check it out. There's also the Venezuelan Home Run Derby, which happened on December 1, which is tomorrow for us and maybe yesterday for you. Last year, Eugenio Suarez, a previous Patty pick, was a defending champion. So we'll see what's happening this year. By the way, I mentioned Luis angelicunia Getting hurt last week. He's okay. He rebounded with a bunch of like, home runs and triples and shit. But the exciting part is, Williams, astudio is joining him. We love some tortilla the last Home Run Derby celebrity softball thing is going to be happening on December 13. So this is just a little bit like, watch it when it comes. Jose Berrios has a foundation, and this has been happening annually. I know we talked about it last year. I don't have the numbers yet, but we'll get there. And so it's his team against Edwin Diaz's team. They're the two team captains, so watch out for

Patti 37:23
links to all of those things, and hold on tight for our interview with Clara rice.

Pottymouth 37:29
All right, we have another special interview on this week's episode of no crying in baseball. We're continuing with our newly drafted members of the women's professional baseball league, and this week we have Clara Rice, who has also been drafted by Boston in the sixth round. And Clara, my first question for you is, I've seen conflicting reports on what your what position you're drafted at first base or catcher.

Clara 37:54
I'm a catcher. I mean, my second position is utility. So, like, I could play first base, but I definitely tried it as a catcher. So all right,

Patti 38:01
well, good news. So the other thing that was confusing to us is every time we see your name, it lists a different place as your hometown. So what's real?

Clara 38:09
Um, I don't exactly have a hometown. Oh, more or less I grew up like moving around because my parents are in the military. So I've lived so many places, I think people just choose a random place that I've been and city. So it's very random. Can you give

Pottymouth 38:23
us, like, the top five? Like, what are the places you're in? The most top three?

Clara 38:28
Yeah, like that, I've lived in So overseas. I've lived in Italy, Germany, Bahrain and the UAE, and then I've also lived in Virginia, and then California, in the us all.

Pottymouth 38:38
Right, so where does Bethesda come from? Because that was listed on the wpbl,

Clara 38:43
yeah, I was born in Bethesda, so I just put the city I was born

Patti 38:46
in, so address of hospital.

Clara 38:49
That's essentially because I was like, You know what? That's a guest close enough.

Pottymouth 38:52
That's awesome. My kid was also born in Bethesda, so there's really good roots there in Bethesda. So So thinking about that. I mean, especially with this sort of global perspective, how did you first connect to baseball?

Clara 39:04
Um, so I first started playing when I was five in Virginia. So, like, I started playing like T ball, like most kids you did, you know, you know. And then I kept playing like through basically until college, all the way up until I was 18, but kind of getting leagues in which to play, and was kind of difficult the more I moved because it kind of doesn't exist in the same like realm, in like in every country.

Pottymouth 39:28
So sure, did it exist in all of the countries

Clara 39:33
to an extent? Okay, it's really big in Germany and then in the UAE. So the city I live in Abu Dhabi, that's the capital the UAE. They don't really have much baseball, but Dubai does, and Dubai actually just started like United baseball. So that's like a new professional league out there, right? I played for Dubai Little League, which is one of like the like other leagues, I guess, in the city, I guess as well. So I played for the UA team league, and then also the men's team out there.

Pottymouth 40:00
Yeah, oh, that's amazing.

Patti 40:02
So was it hard here? It's hard enough to have, you know, girls on what's traditionally, a boys team. How was that internationally?

Clara 40:10
Well, when I lived in Italy, it wasn't much of a problem because I was like, nine, and they don't really care yet, it's just wasn't old enough for them to even have a problem. So I don't know if they would have an issue or not. In Germany, it's a very big like, when you turn 12, you have to switch the softball. But like, before that, like, they don't care. So, like, my team actually had, like, I think I had, like, 30 kids. Like seven were girls, so that's like, a decent proportion of that. But then once I went to the you 15 League, I was the only one who decided to stay with it. Everyone else switched to baseball, the softball. So then I became, like, one of, like, 50. So, yeah, so that one was once you turned 12, you very much switched to softball. And that's like, that's the norm there. And then, um, in Bahrain, there really wasn't much. We kind of had to kind of use all age range because the city so Bahrain is a really, really small country, so already the population is really tiny, so there's not really many people to choose from, let alone people who want to play baseball. So there was kind of just do what you can play as much as you want, because there just isn't much there in Dubai. I was the first year I played, I was the only girl. The second year I played, there was three of us. And then the fourth the third year I played, there was two of us. So it was kind of differing every year for that.

Pottymouth 41:30
So I'm wondering, were they other international based players, or are you talking about any locals? Because there's a lot of you know, gender issues clearly, right in the United Arab Emirates, as far as what women are able to do?

Clara 41:45
Yeah, of course, I know that the two, the two, the two girls I played with my second year I was out in Dubai, they're both American as well. So the United Arab Emirates itself is very international, so like, only, like 20% of the population is actually like from the country. Wow. A lot of it is like expats from like the US or the UK or Canada and stuff. So there were definitely locals like playing in the league. But I would say it's mainly going to be made up of the expats that are there so, but I think, I think all the girls who wanted to play baseball were all not Emirati. I think they were all American or Canadian. I think

Patti 42:22
so it looks like you played softball in high school, in college.

Clara 42:26
I do. I so I currently play softball. Yeah. Okay.

Patti 42:29
So, so how, what was that like, the emergency backup sport? Because that was the only thing that was there. Or is it kind of like, you know, parallel tracks. I love softball, too. I love baseball. Like, you know, I'll do both. Like, how did that? How did that fall out for you?

Clara 42:40
Um, so I've played, I didn't start playing competitive softball until I got to college. Like, I played a little bit out in Dubai and then in Germany, but it was never to, like, a high skill level, I guess. So when I got here was like, a big change, but I looked at like, Well, I went to, like, a stats camp because I kind of wanted to get see, like, my stats and stuff for softball, because, like, I never played it, and I actually got an offer from more than one coach like to come play at their school. So I kind of just took that opportunity because out living in the Middle East, it's kind of impossible to get recruited for, like, any sport, especially if you're a female in, like, a male dominated sport, like you're gonna really struggle to get any coaches like to recognize you, I guess, in that like sense. So I think I kind of looked at it as I'm not going to get the opportunity to play baseball in college unless I started playing something else and then tried, while I was in the US, to then move on to like baseball. So I took the opportunity to play softball instead because I wanted to play sports in college. And I don't really think there was going to be another way for me to do that, I guess, in based off of where I was at, because also, no coach is gonna come to, like, fly 15 hours to the Middle East just to come watch you play like, one baseball game. Like, that's just not gonna happen. So, yeah, I kind of took that and I So currently I'm playing softball. And then I didn't really think I was gonna play baseball again. But then the league came out, and I was like, I've been playing for 13 years. Like, I want to keep playing. I want to see if I can have the opportunity to keep, like, continue that. So that's where, although I'm switched the softball path now I do want to continue with the baseball as well.

Pottymouth 44:13
So, yeah, that is amazing. So we first got you, like, connected with you through DC girls baseball. So in all that story, how did you find them, or how did, where was your connecting with, with DC girls baseball?

Clara 44:27
Um, so I played the three years I was, yeah, in Dubai, I played every summer. I played for baseball. For all I was, I think my mom was just on Facebook or something, and she saw some of that DC girls baseball was looking for guest players because they needed a couple. Because they needed a couple extra players for the U 16 team. And so we were like, I mean, I need, I need something to do for the summer. I kind of want to play baseball. Might as well take the chance, like, see what I don't really know what this organization is, because I've never heard of baseball for all before. Because, like, just not, never literally heard of in my life. I kind of just went out. Did it? I love play. With the DC force the first year I was there, so I played with them. The second year, the third year I was playing, they didn't have a u 18 team, and I was too old to play 3016 teams playing for evolution. My third year I was there. So, oh, wow, yeah. So basically, just some random, like they were looking for players. My mom saw it and was like, we might as well just go take the chance on it, I guess so.

Patti 45:19
Oh, that's fantastic. It looks like, though, in all of your free time, you were playing every single sport that exists, you know, the things I read about you, like, you know, a track and basketball and wrestling and really, all of this at once.

Clara 45:31
Yeah, so I technically did eight sports in high school, wow. And I played baseball outside of it. This is just eight sports I did for the school, I guess. Yeah, so, um, I play was a three sport varsity athlete. Like, every season I played essentially, and then there were a couple years because, like, my junior year, because it was covid, still, I was able to play four sports. So I did track and softball at the same time because of, like, some of the rules didn't exist yet for like, you can't do one sport at a time. And then my senior year, I did wrestling, like, in the winter, because it wasn't our conference sport, because not every conference had rest, not every school in our conference had wrestling. So then on their own conference, like, you could kind of still play do it while playing basketball, because that was a conference board, if that makes sense. So although I didn't ever competed for wrestling, I was on, like the team, and I practiced and stuff. I mean, can't say I did very much. Maybe went to about eight practices in the entirety of the season. But, you know, technically, was on the team. So I It feels

Patti 46:34
to me that out of all of those, that wrestling is probably the thing that helps you as a catcher the most. I don't know why I feel that. I just, I don't know. I'm thinking like the positioning and

Clara 46:41
all of that. And, I mean, I think I could agree with that wrestling, you need to be, like, very agile and stuff. So I think, I think I could agree with that. I mean, I also was a goalie in soccer, and I feel like that was very good with, like, hand eye coordination and, like, very much throwing yourself at the ball, so like, that kind of thing. I don't know. I feel like somehow, there's always a way that one sport that I played connected the other sports. So, like, I found that hitting really helped with swinging a golf club, so when I played golf, that was helpful. So, I mean,

Pottymouth 47:09
that's amazing. You know, there's this big debate, right? You mostly hear it with guys who are going through the ranks of baseball, whether to be a multi sport athlete or whether to focus, you know, how young Do you focus on that one sport and training for that one sport? How does that shake out for you? Like, how do you feel? Like, being a multi sport athlete has made you maybe a better baseball player, or is that where you know your your interests lie for the future, for sure?

Clara 47:34
Um, I've always loved doing multiple sports at once. I don't think I've ever done just like, one sport at a time. Like, even now in college, I'm a dual sport athlete. I don't really know why that's always been how it works out, but I think that you can always take something from one sport and transition that into another sport. Like there are always transferable skills, and even if it literally just Oh, teamwork like that is an essential skill, and like that communicates in it, but it comes, I guess, to light in different sports differently. So you can almost take skills from like up, like, teamwork from one skill, and put into the next sport. So, like, even if it's just a social skill like that, it still is transferable. But I do think being a multi sport athlete, you can definitely take so many different aspects of it, and it helps your game in some ways. I don't like personally, I think that you should be playing more than one sport. I don't think that you should be dedicating all your time to one sport, especially because I think if you've spent all your time in one sport, you're gonna, like, burn out from it. So having more than one sport, you can kind of, like, spread yourself out with it, and like, that way you're not overly focused on one thing, so you're not gonna get tired of it. That's at least my like perception of it.

Patti 48:38
Is there a sport you haven't tried yet that you really want to, oh, I saw anything left. I mean, I didn't hear you. Somebody's hockey. I'm just saying, like, you know, is poker sport, I don't think so. But, you know, it's water

Clara 48:51
polo one time, and I really liked it, but I never, like played it as an actual sport. I went to, like, a one day day camp. But if I could, I think I could do water polo.

Pottymouth 48:59
Okay, so you're currently a dual sport. What's the other current sport that you're focusing on besides, I guess it's softball for part of

Clara 49:07
your year at college, and I'm also currently in wrestling season right now.

Pottymouth 49:11
Is that gender based, or is that all gender how is the wrestling

Clara 49:16
there is it's gender based. So there's women and men's wrestling. So I think as it's continuing to grow, like, schools are dividing at men's and women's, and there aren't that many women's programs, but it's been continuing to grow like, I think last year, like, I think we got like, 50 new programs, and I know there's a lot more that are continuing to grow each year. So there's always more, like, tournaments and more teams. Well, they're like, some teams start with like, very few people, but like, so like, last year our team had five people, and this year our team has 20 people. So like, we're, like, expanding as a team, like, how it is, because we started, like, our team started last year, so it's hard to, like, grow from that, but that's, I think, where a lot of schools are, like, needing to be. So, like, they're just trying to build their programs right now for the women's teams, whereas all the men's have, like, established, like sports, like a. Not sport teams, sorry, um, but yeah. So it is gender based, but, like, men's are definitely more established and stuff, but the women's are definitely up and coming, and it's growing, and it's probably, I think, right now, like, the biggest like sport that it's growing in the nation right now. I think that's fascinating.

Patti 50:14
So Are schools, like, recruiting specifically, like women for wrestling, or you're coming to us?

Clara 50:21
I mean, I schools on, like, at least I know our school, like, was recruiting students specifically for women's wrestling, like, our coach went out and like, but it's the coach himself. Like, it's not like the school itself. Like, the coach, though, is like, going out and looking for women for our team. So, oh, that's really cool.

Patti 50:38
Well, back to baseball. So tell us how, like, what was your path to try it out for the Women's League? I think I

Clara 50:46
literally just saw it, and I was like, I kind of want to try this, and I honestly wasn't going to do it, because it was like, I was going to miss the first day of school classes. But then it ended up being in DC, and I have a house. My parents live in DC, so I was like, Oh, I might as well, like, go, because it's 20 minutes from my house. So kind of did that, and then I don't know. I kind of wasn't expecting too much. I don't know. I feel like I don't know. I don't because I don't play with women in baseball that much. I don't know where I lie in, like, the realm of it. So it's like I didn't really have that many expectations going into it. But I'm happy that I got all the way through and got drafted into the team, because obviously, that's, like the angle, that's what you want. But, yeah, I mean, it was a great experience and stuff. I just really didn't know what I was kind of didn't know what I was walking into, I guess.

Pottymouth 51:29
Was it a little bit like homecoming too, and that seeing old friends from baseball for all were you like, Oh,

Clara 51:34
you're here. I mean, I recognized a couple people, but I could tell you, I think I didn't know almost. I think I literally knew like, five people that was about it.

Patti 51:44
So what was it like walking into this, you know, this giant group of women played baseball. I mean,

Clara 51:49
it was great. I mean, I don't, it's definitely great to, like, see that many women playing on like, that scale and stuff, because you don't really see that anywhere else. So that was great. Obviously, the first, like, I didn't even see everyone, because the first day trials were, like, split into two days and then split into two days, and then split into groups. So I didn't even see everyone, but I know I was in a group at least 100 people. So I mean, in your group, and you know, there's at least, like, so many other groups, it's, like, exciting to see that there were that many people even interested

Pottymouth 52:11
in the sport itself. So, so then you leave tryouts, and then there's, like, all this time, and then there's the draft. What happened in between for you, what was like that middle time like,

Clara 52:22
um, I that was kind of just, I mean, getting into school and doing, like, getting it just for, basically, just getting back to, like, what I was doing beforehand, I guess because, like, since then, I've been, I've done basically my entire semester for school. I mean, I or in season for wrestling. I've done, like, a lot for that. So basically, just getting into life, you know, into life, you know, just trying, and then, yeah, basically just doing what I usually do, and then, but having that on like, the back of my mind, like, being like, Oh, I did this, and it's like, this is coming up. And it's like, you want, like, yeah, yeah. So it's basically just knowing that it's there, but like, kind of still going on with everything else you have.

Patti 53:00
So, so what was the draft itself like? Did you have initially, what was going to happen going in, or was it just, did you just get a call? Or what happens?

Clara 53:08
I mean, honestly, I didn't know. I didn't know what was going on initially. I basically just watched it. I mean, I saw my name come across. I didn't get a

Pottymouth 53:15
call or anything. Wow. So, so it's like, boom, you're going to Boston.

Clara 53:19
Basically, you know, you know, you just gotta watch until, unless, see if your face shows up on the screen. You know?

Pottymouth 53:24
Well, I've got to say that I am super excited. I mean, I know we talked to Paloma last week, and she's going to be in Boston with you. So that's pretty cool, like, having a connection for DC girls. I'm also Boston born and bred, and so I'm going to put this right out there, like, this is where Patty's like, Oh no, here we go. There we go. But, you know, I'm lifelong Boston fan, but my dad's still there, and my dad would be so excited to, like, host women players at any point in time. So if you're, if you're in Boston, I know, like, the first season is a little weird right now, but when you do end up in Boston, let me know. I'm gonna connect you with my dad, or with

Patti 53:56
anyone's a great guy. I've been in the guest room. It's a nice place, but

Pottymouth 53:59
you got, you got people there, but it's gonna be kind of a good feeling for not being too far from your parents, at least you're not in LA or

Clara 54:06
I mean, right now, it actually works out great because, because we're playing the first season in Illinois, I actually go to school in Illinois, and then I have a lot of my family's up in Illinois. So I mean, we're only like, three hours from me is Springfield. So I mean, if they're actually going to be playing in Springfield, then I don't got to go very far. So that's pretty nice.

Pottymouth 54:23
Yeah, does this? I mean, you're a junior now, right? So that means you're going into senior year. Can you do that and be a pro ball player at the same time? Like, do you know how that's gonna shake out? Um, so not 100% so

Clara 54:33
basically, I know that because baseball is very much like, I think it's been established that baseball is different than softball in the NCAA, so it doesn't affect my amateur status with like, me playing sports or anything, right? So I can continue playing my sports and stuff. But, um, I think it depends on when they put the season, I guess, because I think, I think it could be in May and it could be in August. I don't think they ever established Exactly. Yeah, it was gonna be August.

Patti 54:55
Was the last thing that we heard in Springfield. But then we heard is there's gonna be barnstorming before that. But then, now I don't hear that anymore, so we don't know.

Clara 55:02
So I'm not 100% sure. I think if it's out in May, I mean, it might affect, like, the last couple weeks of I have, like, I have class through the last couple weeks of May. So, I mean, it's really just whether I can manage it with school and stuff. So like, if I get chosen to be on the, like, active roster, I mean, it's really just, how much does that affect my ability to, like, finish school, and then I guess the next year would be my ability to start school, if it does play in August. So, I mean, I right now I'm not sure of what, like, what exactly is going to happen because, I mean, there's not really much information to go off of, so I think I got to just wait until I get that information to figure out exactly what's gonna be happening with that.

Patti 55:42
So, yeah, that's still the other question, right? It's like, not everybody that got drafted is actually going to be on the active roster, and so you're not gonna know when you know even Exactly, yeah, oh boy,

Clara 55:53
that's and, like,

I don't even know if, like, the active roster is like, 100% like, set for all seven weeks, or, like, the whole season. Like, I don't know if that roster is continuously changing, or, like, what exactly that means? They just kind of said there is a 15 person active roster, and didn't really elaborate on that. So, like, you could be playing. Could never, you know, who knows, right? There's a lot to work out.

Pottymouth 56:12
Yeah, do you know? Like, what's the future communication with the league? Like, at this point, like, have they just said, Okay, you're on Boston, and just hang tight. We'll get back to you.

Clara 56:21
Or, essentially, yeah, so I'm just waiting to hear some more information, hopefully that comes out soon. So, you know, we can, like, I can figure out some more stuff.

Pottymouth 56:29
Well, definitely keep us posted on when you're going to be in Boston. Because the other thing I was super excited about Boston is, I was looking at the roster, and it's like, half International. Is what it looked like. There's, there's women from, what was it like? Six different countries, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, UK. You have the one, I think the only player drafted from the UK and Australia. Does that like, feel comfortable for you as as an international person yourself?

Clara 56:54
Like, I mean, I'd say, yeah, 100% I mean, I'm definitely, I love being a more diverse environment. I think it's just more in fun environment, honestly. So I'm definitely excited for that. I think it's also going to bring in, like, a lot more like unique perspective than if, like, all of our team was, like, coming from the US, like, this way we have like people, like, with their own training methods, their own understanding of the game and, like, their own perception of it. And this way you can have like, every different idea you have in baseball and kind of put into one team and see how that works out in like, the like gameplay.

Pottymouth 57:23
So that's so cool. I'm

Patti 57:25
picturing, like everybody in Springfield for a year, and it I keep thinking the word summer camp, it feels like, you know, a whole bunch of people just, you know, this, the same large group of people at the same place, playing games. I mean, what do you think? I mean, I kind of agree.

Clara 57:39
It kind of is, you're kind of basically just spending your summer there. I mean, it's kind of some random city, you know, they basically not, I guess it's not random. But, you know, middle of nowhere is kind of, because it's not really the biggest city in Illinois. So kind of just sending everyone out there, seeing, making it an environment, you know, just basically, just there to play baseball, so basically as a summer camp. I mean,

Pottymouth 57:59
that, like, it's wild, that's wild. I'm so looking forward to seeing it like and hoping that at least DC gets to be part of a barnstorming tour, and we will be there. Patty actually saw the tryout.

Patti 58:09
So, yeah, that was so, actually. So if your parents have a house here, did you go to a lot of nats games at all? Or, I mean, like, who's your team? We ever asked you if you have an Oh, yeah, that's your team.

Clara 58:19
My team is the Nats. So when I first started playing baseball, because I think it was because I was because I was in I lived in Virginia at the time, I think I kind of just strayed towards nationals, and even with, like, all the movie and stuff, I kind of just have always stayed with them, because I thought was the first team I went

Patti 58:30
with, so I got to stay with them. So, so then, how was it like trying out at nets Park?

Clara 58:36
I mean, it was great. Like, I mean, I've always, I've never been on the well, actually, I don't think I've ever been on the field. So, like, that was a new experience. I mean, I've always just, like, watched the game from up top, so I've never even sat that close, like, where we're having to sit to, like, watch the game. That was a new experience. We're normally up in, like, the higher sections, you know, we're the four

Patti 58:53
hundreds all the time. Yeah,

Pottymouth 58:56
that was great. Wow. And you were like, in the dugouts and behind the scenes, like, did you get to see the whole inside working of the of the ballpark?

Clara 59:04
I mean, yeah, we got to go, like, into the, what do we got into the dugout, and then, like, the back area, like, where the teams, like, warm up and stuff. So that was cool. And then I was, I was being the bullpen catchers. Like, I got to go out in the bullpen and, like, catch pitchers out there. Suppose I got to, like, see the entire field, because you got to cross it to get to the bullpen.

Pottymouth 59:22
That's amazing. And just thinking about, like being a catcher, that means that you kind of had to develop relationships with pitchers who are trying out. Did you like? How did that feel? And meeting pitchers from around, around the country, around the world, really,

Clara 59:38
I mean, I thought was cool. You know, I've definitely had to get used to catching all the different pictures and stuff like. It already had been, like, two years since I caught a caught someone throwing overhand. So that was really get used to that one and then. But I thought it was great. You know, every person has, like, their own pitches, their own spins and everything. But I think I love the fact that we all have, like, our. Little like bullpen signs. You know, it really helps out with, like, even if you don't speak the same language, like, you're still able to communicate in that kind of way with all these pictures and catchers, because everyone kind of knows that stuff. So it's like the nonverbal signs and stuff

Pottymouth 1:00:09
that help out with, like, communicating. That's amazing. So you guys didn't get to try out the pitch com,

Clara 1:00:15
unfortunately, not

Pottymouth 1:00:16
really. Maybe someday.

Patti 1:00:20
Well, I know that Pottymouth here has been talking a lot about baseball united.

Pottymouth 1:00:25
That's right. I'm a huge like, international baseball, like junkie, like, I love following leagues around the world, and so when baseball United started, I was really intrigued, but I felt like super mixed about it, because, a little bit because of the political atmosphere and where's the money coming from and all of that, and the environmental impact and and it's, I've kind of gone back and forth with it. It seems interesting that it's, you know, the idea of growing baseball in different places, and especially this like it looks like this season is increased actual local participation from India and Pakistan, at least. But I don't know about Dubai and Abu Dhabi is, it doesn't look like there's locals from there. Do you have any inside info on baseball united and what it's all about, and how you feel about the future?

Clara 1:01:12
I mean, I can't tell you. I don't know about much about it, because it started the year after I got I had left. So it's not I mean, I know that, like, they're like, they have the kids from like, DLL help out, like they were being like, the bad boys and stuff, and they were like, basically giving all the younger kids an experience, like, help out with the professional league and stuff. So I think that's like, a good environment. And that's like, basically showing them like, like behind the scenes and helping them get involved and stuff. I don't know much about, like, the teams themselves. I do think that the reason, like, maybe there's not that much involvement from actual locals. From, like, the UAE is because of how limited the actual population is. So, like, India and Pakistan, like, obviously, that population is mainly their own and not expats, so there isn't more to draw from. Okay, also, like, generally, I feel like the people who are Emirati are, like, really rich and so, like, they don't, like, really go out and, like, play in the dirt. I mean, I don't 100% know that. Like, they won't, but like, I think it's just a different, like, environment and like, it's just not like, within their culture, I guess, like to, like, go out and do that, but you will find people who do want to do that. And so although maybe you at the UAE Team isn't going to be like, as culturally like of not, sorry, the UAE might not have that many like, locals on it, but it still will be people who have lived in the UAE for, like, many years. And like, it still is, people who, I feel like, you could say are from the UAE. They're just not going to be necessary locals on like, like India and Pakistan's team. So that, I mean, helps like, to understand like, I think that, like, it's a great league. And I think it's really just showing that Dubai, not Dubai, but like, Dubai is a great, like, central location. And they're really showing that like, baseball is more than, like, just an American sport, just in like, I mean, really, it's like the US, like, I feel like Central America and like Japan and Korea, but like, nowhere else in, like, in the world. But like, I feel like they're definitely, like, emphasizing the fact that, like, people in the Middle East and people in like Africa, and as Africa and Asia, and they definitely want to play, and they need that opportunity, and they're giving them the opportunity to play.

Pottymouth 1:03:07
So, you know, that's key. I think, I think what you just said last is, like, sort of the key is, like, giving people another opportunity. And if there are people there with a boatload of money, why not put it into developing a site where it gives people an opportunity? And, you know, I was noticing that with even some of the Latin American players who are playing over there, it's just like, you know, if your career is kind of floundering and you need someplace else to showcase, there's another place to showcase, and especially Africa being, you know that a little bit closer and hopefully more up and coming players who are working, I

Clara 1:03:39
feel like the baseball for all might not, not Baseball. Baseball united. My bad, sorry. Baseball United probably isn't like, the same level as like any like the MLB. Obviously, it's definitely professional league, but it's not been the same scale as the MLB, but it gives them another platform for someone, I think, for people in the MLB to recruit from. And so they want to see people from, like, more diverse backgrounds, and see people and give them another opportunity. They don't now don't need to, like, draw from those, like colleges or like high schools in the US. They have, like, another opportunity, another lead to be looking at. And like, I think it could lead to, like, more diversity, maybe in the MLB, if they're giving a higher platform for them like to be seen, I guess. So. I don't necessarily know that's true, but I hope like it kind of leads to like that. So like that way more people have the opportunity to play in like, actual professional MLB, baseball. So sure, the more

Pottymouth 1:04:23
baseball the better. Why do I feel better

Patti 1:04:25
about it next? Yeah, we've been questioning it for a while. So thank you for that, that, for that. I appreciate that perspective. All right. So back to you. Okay, so you're playing two sports right now, but you also have to be ready to play baseball. You know, in the summer. Do you? Is there anything extra that you have to do on top of, okay, I'm in shape for wrestling. I'm playing softball all the time. Is there something extra to make sure you're ready for baseball?

Clara 1:04:47
I mean, I hope not. I mean, I think just sometimes maybe throwing in baseball is instead of softball. So like, the pitches are coming, like, I'm getting more used to, like throwing a baseball versus softball, because sometimes the grip, like, throws me off. If. I don't practice it too often. Or maybe if I can find someone who's like, willing to like pitch to me overhand. So that way I get used to like the RE spin from coming up top. So basically, just finding ways to implement baseball versus softball into like, what I'm doing daily. Like, obviously not taking away from the softball, but like, just adding a little bit extra. So that way it's I can kind of get used to going with like between the two, versus having to, like, completely readjust back to the new spin of like baseball versus softball.

Pottymouth 1:05:26
And also, wait, academics. Oh, right, yeah. What are you studying?

Clara 1:05:31
Physical education

Patti 1:05:33
If only you had experience playing other sports, so you can, you know, teach people about that. Basically, yeah.

Pottymouth 1:05:38
So where do you see, I guess, what does the future hold for you in your dream vision of yourself in five years, what do you see?

Clara 1:05:46
I mean, I'm gonna say, if the if the wins pro baseball league stays, like, a summer thing, like, if that's not gonna expand past summer for like, a next couple of years, I would love to be like, teaching, like, finish my degree, teach, and then in the summer be able to have that second job and be able to have the opportunity to play pro baseball in the summer. That's what I'd like to do. And I if the league is going to expand and I'm able to have the opportunity, I think I would like to take that chance. But, you know, obviously, we don't know how it's going to, like, play out and where that's going to go, so right now, I feel like you have to be able to have all the options, make sure you have the career that's there, but also be able to have the opportunity to play if you want to be playing, I guess so. Like, I do want to play, but I also do need a career. So, like, I want to make sure I can stage my academics. Have that opportunity is there, but know that I need to be practicing and have the have the ability to jump into baseball if that is going to continue to be there. So good.

Patti 1:06:36
Yeah, my mom heart is feeling good about this.

Pottymouth 1:06:40
I can say the patty stamp of approval, getting, like, all the things.

Patti 1:06:44
Yep, I love that. Well, okay, so What didn't we ask you that you wish we would ask you, what? What is there something else? He's like, Oh, God, you need to know this about me, or about baseball, or about the league.

Clara 1:06:53
Um, I don't, I don't know.

Pottymouth 1:06:57
Covered it well, then it can be sort of like a TV continued. So if you think of that, just like, hit us up, or also we, you know, after this whole league thing starts, we're going to be super curious about what you guys are actually doing, what the day to day is like being on the women's professional baseball league. So we might be hitting you up in the future. Is that all right? Of course. Good, yeah, okay, yeah. We get, we get the recording for the evidence. Of it. Thank you. Thank you

Patti 1:07:23
so much, Clara. We appreciate your time. This is great, of course. All right, hey, so Okay, so we got through Thanksgiving. We're all making plans for all of our holiday things. We've got boyfriends kicked off. We've got winter ball happening. This is all really kind of good

Pottymouth 1:07:40
stuff, yeah, and we have this exciting women's professional league, and there's a lot of you know, you could hear it with Clara, you could hear it with Paloma. The details aren't quite all out there yet, but it's coming, and the enthusiasm is there. And, I mean, we're two for two team Boston right now. This is, you know, not, not my planning, honestly, honestly, but I'm really excited to see what they're going to be doing. And we

Patti 1:08:04
are hoping to line up some more interviews. We'd love to get some more perspectives, for some from some more players, possibly some that aren't playing for Boston, not, but I don't, but I'll just come on show. No breath, right of Yes, absolutely. And also, you know what, there's mother women's sports you could be watching right now, to watch, watch women's hockey. It's on YouTube. Watch women's hockey when it comes to your town, because they're on tour, they're barnstorming a little bit to arenas. It's really very fun. Okay, next week we have got Minnesota and Washington boyfriends. So if you have ideas for who you think you'd like us to pick, please tell us on social media.

Pottymouth 1:08:38
Yes, join us on blue sky. All right, I'm toward the end of this tidings right now. So this is, this is recall at its best, that would be blue sky. What ncib podcast? That's right, and I'll check the Twitter messages on ncib podcast. Facebook and Instagram are no crying and B ball. You can definitely join us on Patreon. That's P, A, T, R, E, O, n.com/no, crying and bee ball, and for $1 a month, you can be in on our Patreon fun, and it honestly, just keeps us going. I want to give a little bit of a shout out of two of our Patreon shit. I didn't write down the names. I'm sorry, guys, I'm at the end of my beer, but a couple of you guys have joined at the level at which you can tell us to say something on the air. So that's the $5 a month level. And we get to say, like, if you're a Yankees fan, I will, you know, say whatever you want.

Patti 1:09:29
Wow, that's really putting that out there. There. You really got to think we should have veto power, but okay,

Pottymouth 1:09:34
you look for that, yeah. So a couple of you get to cash in on that. So I hope you're listening and know who you are, and everybody else just joined at a buck a month. So I don't have to say anything

Patti 1:09:43
nice about the Yankees. That is the only thing that could possibly go

Pottymouth 1:09:48
wrong, right, right? It's there's so so many opportunities. There is a veto power here, like we do have some standards that I challenge

Patti 1:09:59
those down in. Where I'm not sure that we have, okay, all right, my friends, so again, planning for the holidays and holiday travel. Please get boosted. If you can get boosted, fight the man. It's the right thing to do now more than ever, send your game balls to Meredith head until next week. Say goodnight. Potty mouth,

Pottymouth 1:10:13
Goodnight, Pottymouth