Meet The Kingdom Boys

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Great thing about Hold My Cutter here at the drawing room at the distillery is the guys that you meet, and we got Dennis Biggs and Mark Rawls here, who are How about that name?

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Dennis Biggs.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Both of them. Mark Lou Rolls. I gotta do one at a time. Mark's got the voice of Lou Rawls, by the way. Biggs coming through the lane, takes out Littles. But uh you you probably don't know their locker name. Fort McHenry. I don't know. I don't. He's in the he's in the broadcast business, and much like former players, they'll they'll talk without the mic in front. He's been doing it for 15 years. And he forgot to use the mic. We're all growing, Greg. We're all growing. The Kingdom Boys. Is there locker? Let's go. So we have the Kingdom Boys here. As guests on hold my cutter. Gotta listen to Thistle Kingdom Come. Oh, that's one of my favorite songs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Boom, boom, boom.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah, yeah. Did you hear that? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

Yeah. I walked out to it one year. Did you? Really?

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Very nice.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

See, way back, Greg.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Way back. Way back. These go way back.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Way back.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Wait, redemption. You familiar with redemption?

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Oh yeah. That's one of my favorite gym songs. Love that song.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Yep. So we had uh recently, Rachel Williamson from the River House.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

River House. Okay. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

General Manager at FNB Stadium. And she said to us, after we're done, she said, you know, I've done so many things in my life, but I finally got to check off being a guest on Hold My Cutter. She teared up. She did tear up. So we're just saying you got to say. We gotta live up to it already. We're not suggesting that you you would tear up, but the fact that you're on my cutter. I know this is very special for you guys to be on this program. Absolutely. And we interrupt your time here. All you want to do is get away. But these guys pull you over, sit you down. Come on, you gotta talk to us. I'll hold my cutter.

Coaching As Community Work

SPEAKER_00 2:29

But uh Dennis, talk about your career at Gateway.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Um I've been at Gateway for eighth year. Um, but prior to that, I mean I have over uh 20 plus years of whippy coaching experience. Um and you know, while while football's great and you know, sports is teaches you a lot of life lessons, um, it's really about community and cultivating children for me. Um preach. That's one of the things for for me. I've uh always strive to be an example for uh the kids that I come in contact with and really just giving them um an outward look of possibilities. And so uh that's why I still do uh, you know, people ask me all the time, why do you do what you do? And honestly, it's it's because I I love my community and I have a a high passion for seeing kids succeed in life.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

And you've started a this program. What's the name of the it's sowing seeds?

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Yeah, sowing seeds uh consulting. Um'd you come up with that? Honestly, it it it was just uh something that was placed on my heart. Um it was uh through a lot of prayer. Um and you know, uh the name just came in my head. You know, I I literally woke up uh out of sleep and it just came to my head. You know it's right. Yeah. And you know, and and my program is really based on um my own personal experience through uh my time as a father. I have two kids that uh play collegiately. My daughter played uh uh, well, she ran Division I track, and my son's currently uh playing uh Division II football. And, you know, my time as a father and learning the uh how to navigate the scope of, you know, the NCAA through, you know, the clearinghouse to going on recruiting visits, how to conduct yourself on those visits, speaking to coaches, following up with coaches, things of that nature. Um, I felt the need to expand that because a lot of kids don't have the the knowledge or the understanding of Especially nowadays. Yes, of what it takes, um, not only physically, but the business side of it and and and mentally preparing themselves for um that next level of being a collegiate athlete. And it's not about just the sport, it's about being a student athlete. So you gotta have the right grades, you have to understand that you have to do the right things outside of your sport, and then doing those things will excel you to um get to where you wanna be. And it doesn't always happen in the in the the line that you want it to happen. Everybody's journey is different, and so that's what sowing seeds uh consulting really helps them navigate is understanding that their path is a unique path, it's special to them, but at the end of the day, you're gonna get to where you want to be. And I just want to be that be that that help that that gets them to that that next level.

Building Sowing Seeds Consulting

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Mark, you you've gotten to know Dennis through what cigars?

SPEAKER_01 6:00

No, so we actually came together uh helping to, I don't want to say turn around the Gateway Youth Football Program. Right, but but taking that program to another level versus where it started at. Has it worked? I would say so. You know, yeah, before we before we came with the program, uh in what's now the Big East Youth Football Program, formerly called the KBL or Keystone Bantam League, been around Western PA about 40, 50 years. Yeah, uh, Gateway had not seen any type of championship uh level play at least 20 years before we'd gotten there. I'll say 15 years. Uh, and once once we got there and did some things in the program, we actually were consistently in the playoffs and winning championships uh for the past 11, 12 years.

SPEAKER_04 6:48

Winners win.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

That I'd like to think that that's where I ran into ran into to Dennis. And uh, you know, quite often in life you you gravitate to people who not necessarily share all your ideals, uh, but you know what they are about and the type of humans they are. Um, and that's what really connected myself, Dennis, and uh our other friend Kip, who's who's down here pretty often with us. So real good guy.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

What went into uh when you said you both had the vision of improving it? What went into it? How did you well that's a massive undertaking?

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Yeah, where was it at? You said it was kind of bottom tier?

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yeah, bottom tier, and I'll say, you know, as far as um what families were offered as an experience, what the children were offered, how they were coached, uh, not only life lessons learned, but actual football uh that they were learning. Um we were in need of coaches to teach them appropriate things. Um our equipment was a little downtrodden. Um and we were able to really go from the ground up, um, get rid of some things that weren't necessary that really weren't working for the program, and then build upon that. And the most important thing was we were able to earn the trust of parents and families to say, hey, when your children are with us, they're in good hands. Um and we're not just looking to promote ourselves or we did this, but to actually make sure the children are you know set right for whatever path they might be going on.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Yeah. Well, you must see the fruits of your labor then over the years. You must see these kids. I mean, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we have those are great examples of it.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Yeah, we've we've had several children, you know, um go on to play whippy high school football, yeah, um, go on to play collegiately, and it's always interesting having those kids come back and say, Hey, Coach Mark, Coach Biggs, what's going on? And you're looking like, wow, I I I guess I really was a part of this. It's just weird to think about as you start getting later in life and thinking about the people who played those impact roles in your life, to think, man, I really have the opportunity to play that type of role in that child's life. So it's been cool.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

And then additionally, one of the biggest things that we also do is um we try to do a reach back. So those individuals that went on to play collegiately, and we have some guys that played, they're actually in the league now. They're playing in the national football. No, no, no, no, they're playing in the national football league right now. So those young men now, um, anytime they're in town or they have an opportunity, they stop back down.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Because they want to.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Yeah, and that's where they came from. Yeah, they came from those same grassroots.

SPEAKER_03 9:20

Don't forget though.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Absolutely, absolutely. So it's it's it's great to see your fruits of the fruits of your labor, you know, come to pass and those kids really doing great with their lives right now.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Why do you think you two guys did

Rebuilding Gateway Youth Football

SPEAKER_00 9:35

this? Well, why you two any you stole my question? Sorry, go ahead, ask it.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Why do you think you two guys did this? Like, honestly, like from the very root of this, what made you go? Yeah, I'm gonna take on that challenge.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

You want to go first? Go ahead. Yeah, I'll go first. Um I believe that I don't believe in coincidence. I believe that God places in these positions for a reason. Uh, I believe that it was really our purpose to take what we had instilled within us and provide that to others. You know, the world.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

Where did that come from?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Where'd that come from?

SPEAKER_03 10:09

Did someone impact you and plant that seed that you wanted to give back? Like I always say, the game gave so much to me, I want to give back, but it's really the people in the game that gave to me.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Yeah, I think, you know, looking back on people, because I played a lot of Little League baseball, and I have a friend here with me now who uh he comes down there often with us, he played baseball with us, and I can think of at least 10 coaches who, whether it was giving rides to get to all-star games or making sure, because back in the day we didn't have these all you know, pretty bags and the bats that were owned. Completely nuts. You know, we were sharing those things, and those coaches helped to provide. And until I would say my first year of really getting involved into the nuts and bolts of it, realizing like, wow, okay, I'm spending hundreds of dollars of my own money that nobody's gonna give back. What were those coaches doing for me back in the day? And it just all starts coming full circle to understand, okay, hey, I'm in this position now. It's my job to carry the torch to make sure that the next generation's taken care of. So I would say that's probably where a lot of it came from.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

And I think that also, uh, when I look back at my journey, um my parents had a big role. They were always supportive, um, they always were at my games. Um, but the the biggest thing for me is being a servant leader. You know, a lot of people uh like to say what can be done. But a lot of people don't step up and utilize the tools that were given to them in a voluntary role to say, I'm gonna be that guy, I'm gonna be that woman. So serving leadership, you know, really plays a big part in that. Where, you know, sometimes you gotta come off the hill, you gotta roll your sleeves up, and you gotta say, I'm going to show these young men and these young women how to do things the right way. And it's not always gonna really go their way all the time. But or your way. Yeah, or or our way. Because sometimes, listen, you lose games, you you you don't make a tackle, you have a bad day. But it's about understanding that through the peaks and valleys that you can still progress. You can still be a better you. And and and that's why I think that servant, that servant leadership really comes comes into play because it's it's about this world and and and what what role do you play as a human being? We all have had experiences with people, like Mark said, that have been instrumental in our lives. But it's about pressing forward and allowing the next generation to be better. Really, it's it's about being better. And in in our society, in our world today, we look at social media, we look at all types of things that can really put a strain on these kids. But they need to have positive people that they can put a handout to. Can they call? Can they text? Hey, Coach Biggs, hey, Coach Mark, I'm having struggles with this, or can you help me on this? Or can you take me to this? That's why we do what we do. You know, you know, so I think that we're at a point now where I know we're no, we what we're two years now? Two years out. We're two years out of, we're retired now. So that that that well, well, well. So we are retired from what uh gateway uh midget football in cheerleading.

SPEAKER_03 13:47

We passed the torch.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

We passed the torch because we felt that it was the right time and that now we have the leadership in place to follow the template that we worked so hard to get to.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

That's gotta be cool. It is. Well, is it hard to do though, too, to step away?

SPEAKER_01 14:03

To a degree, there are times when when I can definitely say I miss it. Um But you could still kind of get it. I can still be, yeah, I can be around and be involved. And I and I was this past year, you know, with helping out with certain things and questions that people may have had. Uh I more so will say I miss the the daily interactions with the children. Um, because some some days, no matter how tough the task or how tough your day was, they 100% make your day. Um, what I don't miss.

The Parent Problem In Youth Sports

SPEAKER_01 14:31

I'm sure. Uh, you know, the part that I don't miss is a lot of the interactions with with today's parents and how they're Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. Yeah, it's been tough. I wanted to kind of touch on what he said. You know, servant leadership is really important, and I it it's really a misunderstanding in how adults believe that things like this happen. Like these great programs, I'm not saying our program was the best around, right? But a program that is is solid in foundation and well run. There's not fairies running and doing all these things to make this stuff happen. It's people like Dennis and myself running late at night at 10 o'clock to go to Walmart to make sure we have ice for concessions the next morning, or or showing up at a stadium at 6:30 at 10. Oh, absolutely all of it. From beginning, yes, beginning to end. Spending 12 hours of your Sunday or Saturday at a football field to make sure that child A, who is five years old and a flag cheerleader, is as well taken care of as your 12, 13-year-old football player by 6 p.m. in the last game. You know, all that stuff's just super tough. So that that's the part, you know, I wish I wish more parents had a deeper understanding of what that looks like and sometimes showed that appreciation. But um, it's all good. Again, everything for the children. And I I know, and I've I've ran into about two people in the past two days that I can just tell and felt the appreciation they had back or had given back to me. Uh, and I know it was all worth it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

The the parents or the kids of it, so you you see that the kids, the children. Do do some parents appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

And talk about those over.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Oh, thank you, thank you, Swank.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Um, dang it. Off um, talk about those overbearing parents. I I think there's a lot of coaches and a lot of people now that run away from it because of the parents. Because little Tommy is the best player, right? Everybody's little Tommy's the best player. He's going to the league, right? And it's hard to speak reality into parents. Like, hey, just let him be a kid. I don't know. There's probably a path, but let's just slow the roll a little bit. And they try to live through them, which is the hardest thing for me. I don't have children. God hasn't blessed us with them, it's been a struggle, but it's given me a lot of surrogates. I have a lot of kids I get to pour into, and I've been lucky to let's say Greg Brown says, Hey, mentor my son. I can tell him everything he's saying, but he listens to me because I'm not his dad, right? And that's the value, but a lot of parents will see that.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Right. Yeah, absolutely. I think I'm sorry, babe. Go ahead. Oh no, I was gonna say, I think of the quote from uh all-time great Whippy coach Bob Palco. And when he retired from West Allegheny, the first time both names in this football realm, outstanding.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Palco, come on. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Welcome back, Bob Falco. Welcome back. Back at West A. Absolutely. So the first time he left West Allegheny and decided to retire, I remember reading in the paper, he said, you know what? I could go on coaching for 40 more years if you gave me a team full of orphans. Wow. Team full of orphans? Yes. Truth. Yeah. And and honestly, thinking of some of it, and listen, we're talking about 10% of the 100, right? It's only those 10% that make it so difficult for you. But those diff, you know, the difficulties that they bring, as far as why is my son not doing this, and he should be doing that, and why aren't you, you guys don't know what you're talking about. Listen, all of us are getting paid the same amount of money down here to try to help foster your child to the best that they can be. Keeping in mind, the best that they can be might not be the best that person X could be. Everybody's on a different level. And guess what? Nick Saban's never sitting in the stands for a 12-year-old midget league football game. Right. Right? You go to the baseball field, Dave Roberts isn't, you know, grabbing a hot dog from concessions, waiting to see your kid back.

SPEAKER_04 18:20

He should be, though. He should be. Absolutely, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yeah. So it, you know, those those that definitely wears on you, especially if the game is going tough or it's a tough practice day, and you got a parent. We used Gateway, we have uh we have hillsides where like the practice fields are down below, and and the parents sit up top, and you just feel the visceral like like just gnawing down, or you're like, I don't want to go up this hillside today. But uh that that part is definitely tough. I really wish parents would just take a breath.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Hey, real real quick, by the way, the tea party in Boston, it was it was a 2% tax. So 10%'s a lot.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Yeah, listen, absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 18:58

So I got I got a friend who's a receiver coach, he teaches wide receivers all over Western PA. And me and him were talking about the other day. A lot of people label this generation of kids that's coming up as soft. And I think it comes more so from the parents than the actual kids. I think these kids want to be mentored, they want to be pushed, but they don't get

Let Other Mentors Coach Your Kid

SPEAKER_05 19:20

that at home. So, how do you guys how do you cross that barrier and like find a way to push these kids and make them want to be better?

SPEAKER_02 19:26

So, one of the biggest uh one of the most positive things that I can tell you in my experience as a coach, but more so as a father, is my son came through the program. Okay, and one of the things that I realized was I'm a parent, right? But I can't teach my kid everything. The best thing I ever did was to let take my hand off of him and give him to another male coach or male role model. It takes a village, it takes everybody. And so, you know. No, we're not called, right? No, we're polco. No, right? Peace out.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

I gotta go to death, you guys figure it out here.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

Yes, and so Damascus is called. And so one of the best things that ever happened was my kid was able to be coached by other men because they were able to push him, challenge him, and set expectations on him that dad couldn't do. You know, and and that's the one thing that I think a lot of parents need to recognize and realize is the best to come out of your kid can be pulled out from somebody else outside of your household. And that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

There's there shouldn't be an issue with that.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

Let me let me ask you this, and Greg, I want you to chime in. You're soon to be dad. Did that allow you guys to be the dad though? You know what I mean? Because it it's hard to wear all those hats, right? You're a husband, you're the worker, you're the broadcaster, you're the coach. Like when you do that, I feel it gives you the freedom to say, now I'm the dad. So he's coming to me asking, hey, Big Rick told me this. What do you think? Right? Or you ask him the question, why are you doing this? Well, I learned it from Big Rick, you know, because he's mentoring. And then you can kind of be the dad more, right? Because it's so hard when you overstep. Because I feel like the kid loses respect. It's like, just let me do it.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

The hardest thing that I had to realize is, or one of the hardest things that I had to experience is, like I said, I've been coaching over 20 years in a whipfield. Once Coach Mark coached my kid, he made it to high school. I had to coach him for four years. That was one of the most difficult things that I had to endure because I had to be harder on him to make it. Look like I wasn't being a dad. So our relationship, and I and if I'm being totally honest, our relationship was very difficult because I had to be harder on him. But those lessons and those things that the other coaches instilled in him always came to the forefront. He knew he had to be better. He knew he had to stand out because of it. You know, and I think that now he's seeing the benefits now that he's in college.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

Yeah, it takes time.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

It takes time because our relationship now is like this. Because all the things that Coach Mark and Coach Kip and all those other coaches uh instilled in him, and the things that I was so hard on him about now, he can definitely see why. And why I said the things that I said to him. And you know, Coach Mark had the same situation. You know, there were certain certain times where he you coached, you know, you coached your sons.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Yeah, and I'll be honest, I preferred not coaching my son. Yes. Uh, just because as a dad on the sideline, you your eyes are automatically destructed. You helped create that person. You love that person. Yeah, you're not going to not pay attention to what they're doing or or pick every minuscule detail. And I thoroughly enjoyed just being the dad because he knows and has an understanding. I'm a coach myself, son. So, whatever that coach is telling you, first you know you're going to go with that. And we can discuss and clean up anything on the back end, but your first, second, and third conversations that they need to be had aren't coming from me. You need to interact with that man as a respectful young man yourself and figure it out. And those are the lessons that gotta figure it out. Life is challenging, and there's not going to be anything much or much easy about it. You have to figure it out. Uh, and so I definitely much prefer, as you said, being able to step back and just be the dad. Um, and this is so this will be the last year I coach my middle son in anything because he's 17, so he'll be aging out of the uh I still coach American Legion baseball from Monroville. So this is the final year, he's aging out of that. Uh so you know, we'll we'll enjoy that as it is, but it'll be really great to finally say, you know what, you're complete, I've given you everything I've got. Like he said earlier, go learn from another man. Learn how to be better at whatever your craft is and whatever you choose to be.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Well, you, Greg, your son's awesome. He he came up with the name Hold My Cutters.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

That's right. He was holding my cutters. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah. But it's smart, but uh nope, you gotta do it. They're gonna be interested in the case. No, no, it's just a great side. No, no, it's just different. It's diff it's different for everybody. Uh but I like the idea. I I just try to teach him, I let exposed him to everything, all the sports, whatever he wanted to do, pushed him to do at least try them. Uh he he ended up playing baseball in high school, wasn't great at it. Um, and then after high school, I I told him my father, I'm one of seven kids. My father just did not believe in nepotism. Um you have to earn it. And I said, if you want to get into broadcasting, I'm not gonna help you one lick. In fact, I don't want Pete, and he took that. I said, I don't he ended up on his own sending out tapes. He did some college stuff up in Butler. He sat there in the bleachers by himself with the recorder. Uh people didn't know who he was. Then he went and did some independent baseball few years into it in Indiana, Evansville, Indiana. Oh wow doing independent baseball. Some kid said, you know, your your last name is Brown. This is crazy, but you almost sound like that announcer for the Pirates. Well, and and and so, but but so I my feeling is teach them to be we laugh about this in sports, and we have a lot of good guys over the years, this one being one great human right here. Vast majority of great people, but be a good human being. Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely. And as a kid, respect every respect every coach. Um, you know, back in the day, and I'm the old man, but back in the day when we went home and a teacher called my parents and said, one of your boys is acting up. They never called the teacher back, they got the belt out. Yeah, yep. Because you were being just something you did disrespected that teacher. Absolutely. Absolutely. When we played sports in you know, growing up, we never said anything bad about the coach. My dad didn't want to hear it. Yeah. Oh, I work harder to this day.

SPEAKER_05 26:44

Like I you could call whoever you wanted. The most terrifying person that in my life was my dad. Absolutely. I wasn't worried about the police, my teachers, or anybody because if my dad found out about it, it was a problem. So I wasn't flirting with danger with anybody else.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

No. I mean, there you have it. I mean, you just you just hit the really nail on the head because now that's one of the biggest things in sports is they always want to see what we did as coaches to deter their kid or what didn't we do to blame? Yeah, and and and you know, um by far, you know, there's things that as coaches and as instructors we can learn because we're all growing. We're all we're always we're ever we're always learning. Always learning. Even now, you know, um, but you know, we have to be able to have a good listening ear. Absolutely. And to understand and know your kid too. Know your kid, know who your kid is, know what his strengths are, know what his weaknesses are. But just like you said, whether it's sports, whether it's broadcasting, whatever walk of life that you want to uh, you know, try to achieve, um, that's what I try to tell them. Be the best you can be. Because at the end of the day, I mean, sports is gonna end. Father time is undefeated. So, you know, one thing I say in my in my uh sowing seeds consulting business is the fact that you use the sport as a vehicle. Use the sport as a vehicle to be fiscally, yeah, to be fiscally not in debt. That is the goal to go to school for free. Yes. However, it looks,

Reality Checks On Recruiting Dreams

SPEAKER_02 28:30

if it's 60 academic, 40 academic athletically, however, that looks to you, as long as you pay the least amount, that is your goal to get a free education, and then you can go off and do whatever you want to do. School's expensive.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

I mean, I'm gonna remind you. Yeah, I mean, and there are some kids that aren't. I mean, some kids don't get that. Exactly. Yes, through hard work after they're done. Like, yeah, so there's no free ride. No, literally, literally, no free ride. That's a big bill. Something. Um, I was thinking about this just now, and you guys are talking. There's we had a game today, and it's just human nature to think so parents think that their coaches have something in on their like they've an out for my kid. Like, why does that guy why why is it that he's not doing my kid right? Same thing as a fan with umpires. Today, there's a check swing and they appealed down to the the third base umpire, and I on the air said, What? Like what I say, like, what's he got against the pirates? He's just he's got him in on the hill. Um Pirate's trying to do the doggone hardest job in the world, trying to do the best he can for everybody.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

And if I ever told you my solve for that, pull a fan on the field, let him try. Tell me you get a right big dog. No, but we're all like that. I'm like that. Not just a fan.

SPEAKER_00 29:59

We're all no, but everyone's our nature. No doubt. Yes. But I think that'd be funny. And we've got to we have to temper the the somehow. I don't know if it's ever gonna happen again. It's been going on forever, that these parents, I guess maybe it's more recent, maybe it's the last 20, 30 years where parents feel that way, that you hear the vitriol from above, you know, passing over your shoulders. You're trying to coach, doing the best you can, and you're hearing it from the parents up there. Like, absolutely. Don't you understand? I'm trying to do the best I can.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

And social media has made it worse. I was gonna, yeah. Absolutely made it worse. Everyone wants to be able to broadcast their child as the best, and my kid is doing this at an earlier age than Johnny here. Um I'll do the other. Yeah, I'll do the other, and just wanting the again, wanting the spotlight and living through their child instead of letting their child live their life and become who they're going to be.

SPEAKER_03 30:45

Which is a tired act, I hate it. Um, you said 3%, and I want you to go back to 3% of high school, make it to college, 1%, I believe, out of college. Out of the pro, yep. Make it to pro. There is a reality that people have, and I I teach this a lot when I talk to students and athletes and such, and then there's a perceived reality. How do you guys break that barrier? Because, like, here's the reality. When they're 12, me, I was this size. I was a man child. It was unfair in anything I did. I could hang on a basketball goal. I was a freak. I didn't grow anymore. Right? There's a lot of kids. Luckily, I made it all the way to the big leagues. A lot of kids I was with were better than me at points didn't. And there's that reality. It's like it's if that kid wants it. I wanted it more than anything. Right. Nothing was gonna stop me. Not mom, not dad. It would take literally the hand of God that was gonna pull me away from the big leagues. How do you guys instill that? Hey, that doesn't have to be in sports, it doesn't have to be what you want for him. It could be being a janitor, he'd be the best darn janitor, all-star year after year MVP janitor, but he's in love with it. It gives him peace, right? How do you guys break that barrier? That's the barrier that's so hard right now because there is no real reality because of social media, because of mom and dads, because they want look what look what my guy did, right? And then when it doesn't go well, it's your ol's fault.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Absolutely. And what's funny, so I've I've uh kind of relate relatable kind of path for that. So I have two sons. My older son, uh, who's an actor who lives in Georgia now, he lives in Atlanta now. He Michael B. Jordan? No, I wish. No, no, no. Jason's good though. That's his name. But he uh ended up playing Division III baseball at Mount Union, was a very good baseball player all of his life. Um, and I took his team to the Cooperstown tournament when it's when those players were 12. Uh and I, you know, honestly told the parents as we were going through everything, and as they came up from nine through twelve, because that's when I had them, I said, listen, guys, as we got to the end, whether you believe it or not, of the 14 people we have on this team, two of you want to go on and play college of baseball. Five of you might play high school baseball. And I said, you know what, as your coach, Coach Mark, that's perfectly fine. Because some of you want to be great businessmen, you're gonna be accountants and financiers. And what we need to work on right now and understand is that the hard work we're putting in here is going to translate to something. And had this conversation with the boys and with the parents. And I said, listen, we just gotta be honest with ourselves, my kid included, I don't know what he's gonna do after this. Um, and that group of children took it very well, and most of them are successful for whatever they're doing right now. I coached my my younger son, who's 17 now, his team, when they were seven through eleven, they didn't take those conversations too well. Well, no, well, no, Johnny, he is he is gonna be great, and he's gonna be the number one prospect at at Gateway High School, and you know, no no no no, he plays for this travel team and they're the greatest I know. They're gonna Okay, hey, listen. Again, my name isn't Jim Leland, you know, I or Alex Corb, whatever you whatever you believe, but I'm just trying to be helpful and under helping you understand these are the realities of it. And at that point, I had already sent a kid to college and had been through the recruiting process and visiting schools and all the prep tournaments and all that stuff, and they just didn't want to listen to me and and understand the realities of what this looks like. Uh, and as those kids are about to have if you wanted to look at it. Yeah, you you you have to want to do it. Yeah, it's like are you sure? Yeah, it ain't gonna be easy. It's not gonna be easy, and and kind of what you touched on about yourself, there's a mindset that you know that these athletes have. So it's not just when you look on the field, oh, that's special. We've seen special, that's not it. Right. It it's it's the ability, it's your mental and it's availability, right? It's those three things are merged together.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

We we've actually probably interviewed probably 20 people in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 34:48

At least, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:49

At least common theme, yes. Wouldn't you say they said yes to everything?

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yes, and hard work, hard work. Hard work, whatever it takes. Yes, like there are no secret formulas in late life. I mean, it really comes down to that. It just really comes down to that.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Are you willing to work for it?

SPEAKER_00 35:05

You have to have a modicum of talent in whatever it might be, whatever field. Football would that's right, and you do. I tell people I have this much talent, but I get that much enthusiasm and passion hard work ethic. That's what got me here. It's that. Right. So anyway, it's just um and you're a word wizard. No, not true. Um how about just changing a little bit

Pittsburgh Sports Memories And Meaning

SPEAKER_00 35:30

uh before we go too far about your favorite event in Pittsburgh growing up in Pittsburgh. We t we talk about this to our guests. Either you were there uh in person, you watch it on TV, but an unforgettable Pittsburgh sports moment that stands out for you. That maybe you were there, you weren't there, you wish you had been there. I gotta I gotta go I gotta go deeper. Like, why are you taking it? I gotta go deeper.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen, you don't have any? No, I'm searching because I'm a lot older than him. Uh another one.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

You're not that much older than me. Seven years? That's a lot of that's a lot of years. Fair enough. Fair enough.

SPEAKER_03 36:18

Dude, that's second grader, man.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

That is auto. He said seven years is a lot of years. How about between you and me? You're gonna talk about a lot of years.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

What?

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Like, I fell off my I fell off my dinosaur the last time you've got to be. At least you wrote one. That's gonna be cool. At least I have that going for it.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

Yeah, yeah. No, I think for me, so favorite, so there's two events. So, favorite event that I was actually at would have been my first Steeler game, Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, 1994.

unknown 36:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

Guess what? I was already gone from the Bills. I was already I was already here in Pittsburgh, so close.

SPEAKER_01 36:55

Yeah, so that that was my first NFL game. Uh Jim Kelly obviously was playing. I love the Steelers, but I kind of like the Bills a little bit. But being in that environment and a Monday night game in Pittsburgh and being nine, 10 years old and walking into Three Rivers, I'm like, Whoa, this is your first time ever in the stadium, too? That was my first time ever in the stadium. Wow. Yep, yeah. That was that absolutely was it. I'm like, yeah, this is amazing. Uh and then the second event I didn't get to attend, but special story from that um was the All-Star game that was at Three River Stadium. So Ken Griffey, who is from Western PA, kind of, uh, my dad worked at Allegheny General Hospital. And so he had an in with somebody who knew him, and I was able to get an autographed baseball from my favorite baseball player time, Ken Griffey Jr. and his dad, of the official ball they used. Back then it was the uh intertwined blue and gold seams to commemorate the National and American League. Yeah. Um and it was signed by Ken Griffey. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 37:55

So it's did you actually go to the game first? I didn't get to go to the game. Oh, sorry, you said you didn't, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

No, but that was the event that again I have a special time that I always remember back to. So you certainly remember watching it then. Yeah, yeah. I remember watching the home run derby, watching the game. Yeah, that was a really cool. So those are two my two favorite, like immediate first sports moments.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

Coach Biggs, you're having trouble coming up with it. No, no, I got mine. I got mine.

SPEAKER_02 38:18

AFC championship game. Oh, you would Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Colts. Wow. That was that would be my top Pittsburgh moment. I was there. Where were your seats? We were in the nosebleeds. Oh yeah. Yeah. How'd you get the tickets? I honestly don't remember how I got the tickets, but it was on a humbug last minute. Um I believe it was still what? Three River Stadium. Yeah, it was still three river. Still, it's still old school Three River Stadium. Um, very cold. Um, but really feeling in the moment at that point in time. I was still young. Yeah. Um I was in high school, but I mean, I was crazy story. I was a basketball player my entire career until my senior year. Uh started playing football, fell in love with it. How about that?

SPEAKER_03 39:15

Um, so how did that happen?

SPEAKER_02 39:19

Literally, on a humbug.

SPEAKER_03 39:21

I mean, I I love that you're saying on a humbug. Yeah, because that's how it happened.

SPEAKER_02 39:25

I mean, it was it was, I mean, I would go to um basketball camps. I was part of AAU basketball. Um, a lot of you guys uh you might not know, but um you remember uh like Kennard and Ozenham, I was a part of those teams. Um up until my going into my 12th grade year, I was summer July of 1994, and I'm at my house. A bunch of guys came, was you know, asked me to come to football practice.

SPEAKER_04 39:56

Uh with you if I saw you.

SPEAKER_02 39:58

Yeah, yeah, really. Well, I didn't look like this back then. So um ended up going down to uh Couple Stadium right here on the south side, uh, caught some passes, ran, ran a few routes, and that's all she wrote. Ended up uh being uh All-City that year. Uh ended up uh being a nomination for the Big 33 game, and went on to play collegiate league. That's how that happened. But seeing that game was kind of like that spark. No kidding. To kind of be like, you know, this is like pretty damn cool. You know what I mean? The game, I I I fell in love with in with the with the game.

SPEAKER_00 40:40

Was that coach? Was that the game where uh the the last second pass in the end? It was up in the air.

SPEAKER_02 40:46

Yes. Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh. And I and you know, at first I was like literally devastated because when you first looked at it, you don't know. I thought he caught it.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Yeah, there was silence in this.

SPEAKER_02 41:00

Yeah, I was like, here's another one. Yeah, we lose another one. Yeah, because the year prior we lost to the charges. We lost to the charges the year before. That's right. So, you know, being there and experiencing that, and like I remember like the roar of the crowd after the guy waved his hand and complete. Yeah, hit the ground. Hit the ground. Yep. Yeah. And so my second moment, I would say, is this past year. I was in attendance to Crosby breaking the record. Oh my gosh. Yeah. At PPG. And that was my first hockey game ever. Somebody my first hockey game ever. So I got tickets uh with a a guy that I coach with, and uh, he said, you want to go to this hockey game. So we went down there. I mean, I'm walking in, you know, atmosphere is crazy. I'm like, damn, these hockey games are okay. Yeah, not knowing that that was the the day that he would he would break the record. That is cool. So it was pretty, pretty, pretty cool. Those are fun games to go to. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 42:10

Not not great. I mean, I shouldn't say that. It's like the made for TV sports, yeah, different. Impulse made for TV sports. Right.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

But it's totally different. And when you're there at a hockey game, it's way different. Seeing seeing those those athletes on skates and how fast they stop and maneuver. It's a special thing to see in person.

SPEAKER_03 42:28

There's so many ways to die in that sport.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. And fist.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

Yeah, yeah, and fist, yeah. Yeah, and hard ice.

SPEAKER_00 42:40

Yes, yes. We used to root for red ice, you know, they don't do that much anymore. But we used to root we used to root for red ice. Um I'm I went to games before Lemieux at the old uh civic arena. And you could get, I mean, I tell people Did you ride your dinosaur in? Yeah, I went by with my din my T-Rex. I actually went parked right now too. T-Rex, yeah. And that's big money back in the day. Yeah. BYOB. No, it wasn't PYOB. BY BYOD. Bring your own dinosaur. So so uh but but you could go to these games. Nobody, nobody played hockey in this town, nobody cared about hockey. No, they were terrible. And you could, I'd kind of jokingly say I'd get free tickets. I there's a girl at the at the penguins who she might still be there, but she would, you know, we'd have little, I'd get her pirate tickets and she'd give me and we'd go there and we'd have I'd sit right in the middle, you know, of the brink with an empty seat for my winter coat and empty seat for my beer.

SPEAKER_03 43:44

And your dinosaur.

SPEAKER_00 43:45

And my dinosaur. And uh but but we would root for red ice. Red ice was was fights. Right. Blood. So we'd come out, red ice, red ice, red ice. Um they don't fight as much in the NHL as they used to. But uh it's a great sport to go to see live. Absolutely. Great sport.

SPEAKER_03 44:03

What's your favorite game?

SPEAKER_00 44:05

My favorite game ever that I ever went to?

SPEAKER_03 44:07

Yeah, give me two because I think I know one.

SPEAKER_00 44:09

That I ever went as a fan. I'll tell you one of the one of the most incredible moments. I will I I haven't asked that for a long time. So I grew up in Mechanics, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Okay. All my buddies were Philly fans, flyer fans, Sixer fans.

SPEAKER_03 44:25

Boo.

SPEAKER_00 44:26

And uh, yeah, I wasn't much of an NBA fan, but uh we went to see the Sixers play, I want to say the Cavaliers, and uh at uh the arena Spectrum, the Spectrum in Philadelphia, which they tore down a few years ago. Well, no, they didn't tear it down, I think it's still there for small venues. Anyway, we're there watching this game, and Daryl Dawkins, you guys know. Chocolate thunder, yeah. He goes up there and he slams he dunks this ball and shatters the backboard. I still I still get chills. Wow, it completely shatters this backboard, destroys it. Back then you could do that, they they they they're unbreakable now, right? And the whole thing just glass goes everywhere, and like you're watching this thing, what do we just see? And the whole place just stops, and just and then everybody just just starts going crazy. Standing ovation, the game had to stop for like at least a half an hour. I ran back back then, pay phones, they didn't have cell phones back then. I ran back and I called my what I'm one of seven kids. I called my brother, I said, I just saw the most incredible thing I've ever seen a human do. He just destroyed this backboard. That was one of the greatest sporting moments I've ever seen in my life. Wow, it was incredible that you probably didn't think that was even possible. No, like how could another human do this? I also covered, we we had a boxing uh in in Buffalo. I was reporting for WGR radio, and we brought a boxing match into the odd, the auditorium in Buffalo, and I was to cover it, and I'd never been to a boxing match before. And we got Press Row, I'd never knew this before, is right below this boxing. And you guys will not remember this name as a lightweight or middleweight guy named Livingston, Razai Livingston Bramble was the the big part. But the undercard, he was a great boxer, Livingston Bramble. Look it up. Rosai Livingston Bramble. And but but the undercard were two heavyweights. And have you guys ever been to a boxing match? Yes. And we sat there, and I can't possibly describe the power of these humans. And every punch would explode the jaw and spit and sweat and blood. I'd get like what the and like right below. It's like you're being rained on sweat and blood is right there. It was unbelievable that the the power and the physicality and the speed of these guys, though, those are probably my two most incredible sporting events I've ever been to.

SPEAKER_03 47:18

I did not see that coming. Nailed it.

unknown 47:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

I was also at at um, you know, but for an announcer, I tell people this old story about a kid that grew up in Carrick. This is why sports in Pittsburgh are so cool. But John Wayner grew up in Carrick. Yeah, yeah. And Wayner tells a story about how he, you know, he should many of it many of his friends and relatives are either dead or in jail. Just and he, by sheer luck or the grace of God, he got through it. He went to Indiana University and got drafted. Long, you know, 10-year career, but just a an average career. Yeah, you know, and uh, but but good, good 10 years in. Uh, went and played for a World Series team. And I but toward the end of his career, he played for the Pirates again. He grew up a pirate fanatic, Philly, uh the Pirates, the Penguins, Steelers, loved them all. Yeah. Went to all the games. And he was at the last game, he played, started the last game ever in the history of Three River Stadium. Wow. He was not a starting player.

SPEAKER_03 48:20

He was at the You forgot, he rode the bus down here, snuck in the stadiums as a kid.

SPEAKER_00 48:26

He used to sneak into games at Three River Stadium to watch the Steelers. Yeah, couldn't afford it. But so anyway, the manager of the Pirates decided it's the last game ever in the history of Three River Stadium. I'm gonna start at third base this Pittsburger.

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:41

How cool is that, John Wayner? Yeah. So I went down before the game and I took a scorecard out. I never do this, but I asked all the starting nine to sign my card. And I went to John, who was a buddy of mine. I knew him in the minor leagues in Buffalo when he was going up and down. I was announcing in Buffalo. And I said, Would you sign at third base? Yeah. And he's very self-depreciating. And I said, Can you can you believe that you are starting the last game ever in the history of this stadium where you grew up watching these sports? He goes, he goes, I can't believe it. You know, John's very humble. He goes, Yeah, all these guys, my you know, these players are saying I should try to hit a home run. He kind of laughed about it. He hit a total of four home runs in ten years. In ten years, never hit home runs. I went upstairs to the press room, and Bob Walk, who's now an announcer and used to play with John in the early 90s, this is 2000, October 1st, 2000, the date. And uh I'm having dinner, and I said, I just went down and had Weiner sign my card. And uh he said, all the players are getting on, they wanted to hit a home run, and we're laughing, you're right. Now, fast forward, you were like the seventh inning of this game, 60,000 people going crazy. Last game ever at Dreover Stadium. And I'm in the TV booth doing the game with Steve Blass and Nellie King, a former pirate, they're reminiscing about the great days of the 70s. And you you athletes talk about that. I'm not an athlete, you guys talk about this, but about how when you're in the zone, how things slow down for you and it becomes quiet. And I'd never understood that. But these guys, you know, they're talking, reminiscing, because the game's meaningless. The pirates and the cubs, and they're very out of the race. But Wayner's coming to the plate here, and the team's down a couple runs. And as they're talking, I'm trying to describe the game, not interrupt their stories, but Wayner hits the ball, a line drive out toward left field. And that's when time stood still. All of a sudden the stadium got quiet. And this is my friend, John Wayner, who I know his story, it's kind of like mine growing up a pirate fan. And I'm thinking in the back of my mind, in in two seconds, racing through my mind, is does this have a chance to be a home run at this stadium at this moment? Sure enough, line drive over the wall, home run. Wow. The place goes crazy. I'm like screaming, I lose it, and I'm like, I'm crying. Like I cannot, I'm watching him float around the bases. That's awesome. And and between innings, I I take my headsaw off, like to compose myself. And who would come up running from the radio booth up the steps, but Bob walked. And I look and I see Bob and I jump into his arms, and we're like behind the booth there, like we just won the World Series. We're both crying. So that was the greatest moment I ever seen. That's an amazing story. That's an amazing story. Yeah. But that's sports. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 51:31

You missed one part that I didn't realize until Rock told me one day with you. Who do you see in the tunnel?

SPEAKER_00 51:39

Who did he? Willie Stargil. Oh, yeah, of course. Yeah, Willie was there because all they brought as many as they could, right?

SPEAKER_03 51:44

Who hit the first home or three rivers?

SPEAKER_00 51:46

Willie Stargil at the first home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:48

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 51:49

I was like, what?

SPEAKER_02 51:50

He's a you can't write a better story. Absolutely. He's like a he's literally, Wayne's like a god in Carrick. Oh, yeah. They still talk. And crazy story is my coaching career started at Carrick High School. No way. Yes. My first opportunity as a coach was at Carrick.

SPEAKER_00 52:13

We had Rachel Williamson here who's from Carrick, who's never heard of John Waiter. She's the only person from Carrick who's never called. She's not really from Carrick.

SPEAKER_03 52:22

You don't know John Waiter.

SPEAKER_00 52:23

She went to Carrick High School. Yeah, you can't be from Carrick Raider.

SPEAKER_02 52:26

On the outskirts. I was I would that was my first coaching opportunity. That's right. Carrick Raiders.

SPEAKER_00 52:33

So you you knew the legend of Waiter. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 52:36

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 52:37

And then again, it's it's we all have these moments that we we look back at in Pittsburgh and how important sports is. Um I was listening to a podcast with Charles Barclay, who's a big baseball fan, listened to it in spring training. And the host was asking him, why are you such a fan of all these sports? We've talked about all these sports. He goes, you know why? Because life is so hard. And especially with social media and all the stuff like real life and these sports moments, live sports for two and a half to three hours, gives you a moment to get away from that reality and watch this moment. And and the the humanity of it, the human sport is unlike anything else. So it's very cool. I think that's why as a fan I still hate Sid Bream to this moment. Everybody does. And I was in Buffalo when that happened, so I don't understand, I don't appreciate it as much as the people around here. They can't stand Sid for scoring. I'll never forget where I was. I've never met Sid.

SPEAKER_03 53:36

If you mad at me, you feel bad for even saying that.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

I've actually been, I've actually been hated events. Yeah. And he kind of gets like booed. Oh man. And I like, and then he gets up and speaks, and people like, after he speaks, they go, Oh my god, such a great guy. He's one of the greatest humans of all time.

SPEAKER_01 53:55

Yeah, I remember crying in my bedroom, well, being excited and crying in my bedroom as they rounded the base. I'm like, no, I hate you, I hate David Douglas, I hate everything.

SPEAKER_02 54:06

Francisco, Francisco Cabrero.

SPEAKER_00 54:09

Yeah, that was that was I'll never forget that night. That's what makes it so great. It's the uh uh agony of defeat that that makes the the joy of of winning so I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_05 54:19

No, I didn't know you're good.

SPEAKER_03 54:21

What's yours?

SPEAKER_05 54:21

My top moment? Yeah, I'm not from Twain, our producer. Um wow. So I saw the LeBron game winner against Toronto. I was there for that. Oh wow. That's a good one. Yeah, I was there for that one.

SPEAKER_00 54:34

Where were you in Cleveland?

SPEAKER_05 54:36

Yes, it was in Cleveland. That was unreal. I have a video of that. That's probably like one of the first videos.

SPEAKER_00 54:41

Again, you can't believe a human being is doing this. It just doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_05 54:44

He's one of those guys that yeah. I mean, you said Father Time's undefeated, LeBron's whooping his ass right now. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but I'd probably say that one is top. But dude, I mean, Sidney Crosby. I mean, it's it's like four times a year, he does something that's like, well, there's another record, there's something we've never seen somebody do, and he's 39.

SPEAKER_00 55:10

I'll say, you know, something this year. I'll say the Pirates sign a kid after he made his major league debut a week later. This is before they had signed him, but they bring up a 19-year-old kid who was in high school last week. And he gets up in front of opening day, sold-out crowd, and hits a double into the left center field gap to score a run. That is unbelievable. Oh, yeah. In a major league game, I mean Connor Griffin to do what he did.

SPEAKER_05 55:38

Uh keeping on the Pittsburgh theme, I mean, the Steelers just drafted a kid from Mount Lebo. The kid's got he went home in a in a time. He kicked my ass. That was wild.

SPEAKER_03 55:47

He kicked your ass.

SPEAKER_05 55:48

Oh, did he?

SPEAKER_02 55:49

Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh my goodness. He he can play. Uh he can play. Yeah. But he's been, I I I swear to you, he's probably the same size he was in high school. Oh my god. Um, but an uh just an overall great guy, very humble, but very, very focused and in tune with what he wants to do in life. Your friend coached him, right? Yes. Bringing it all together. Uh last week, um my good friend that I played college ball with had a proud coach moment because uh he is the snipes coach at the United States Naval Academy. Wow. And so he literally, for the last two years, uh has coached uh Eli. And so to see him have an opportunity to play here, and he coaches at the Naval Academy, but his wife is from Pittsburgh. Oh my gosh. And so uh, you know, he he he made it a point to say that he, you know, when when time permits, he will come and because there's no doubt in my mind, he's gonna make the team.

SPEAKER_04 57:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:02

I just I just really believe he's one of those guys. He's a mutter. He's one of those guys. If you need him to go down on kickoff, be one of those gunners, do whatever he needs to do, he's gonna be that guy. He's a football player. You know, and you know, they don't just let any Joe Schmo go into the United States Naval Academy. So you're choosing. Yes, and he's built different. So you gotta be a little bit, a little bit different than than your than your outsiders.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

I think I heard in an interview he said, I'm looking forward to just playing and worrying about football and like the the requirements of what he has to do in a day-to-day for the Navy and academics. This is actually going to be almost a break for him.

SPEAKER_00 57:46

Yeah, think about what he could do if he concentrates just on foot. Right, exactly. 100%.

SPEAKER_02 57:50

Yeah. So it was a great, great moment for my friend.

SPEAKER_03 57:54

You know, you say that a lot of those guys end up like gaining weight, getting stronger because they have to pass all those fitness tests. Oh, yeah, right? And it's all endurance-based. So there's no telling what he's actually capable of because I mean he's been taking hits at a lot lighter weight. Like all those linemen, I'm always like, man, I wonder what would happen if they did get that chance. None of those guys are drafted because they're tiny. But if they did, right? Because you know their form's impeccable, right? Because there's standards and everything from the military. We see that all the time with skeins. Yeah, it's a game changer, right? I think that's the coolest thing ever. I'm gonna be a big fan. And I love that dude with the hair. What's that guy's name? Oh, Jenny. Duncan Donuts is my favorite, man. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, yeah. Yeah, are we doing sports clip commercials? Uh best.

Western PA Grit And Late Bloomers

SPEAKER_05 58:40

I got a question for the football coaches. What is it about Western PA that produces so many late bloomers? Because I feel like like we're not a hotbed. We're not known as like a hotbed like a Texas or a Florida, but the Whipple keeps producing NFL guys. They don't all go D1, they go to their the mid-majors or wherever, but then like they get starting job. Like, what is it about? Is it the is that the Pittsburgh grit that everybody talks about?

SPEAKER_01 59:07

Or like I would say it's the Pittsburgh grit. We actually have this conversation all the time to where unfortunately it seems like there's less and less of those players in Western PA as the hotbed. Uh, but even though we still have a uh a large amount, it used to be more, but there's a lot more options for kids to participate in. So take, for example, all of your best athletes from you know 40s up until the early 2000s. If you're an athlete, you were playing football. Now, some of those children say, you know what? I'm gonna be done with football, I'm gonna play soccer, I'm gonna wrestle, I'm gonna do a full-time baseball. So you're not, your floor isn't as as high as it used to be. So, you know, the iron sharpening of the iron isn't quite as much with a you know the larger pool of athlete that you used to have. But we still, the the grit, I would say, to answer that question is where a lot of those kids get it from. We're not a Florida town where you know it's bright and sunny all year round, or uh California is the same thing. Uh Texas is warm all the time. We we can only go outside certain times of year, and it's really you know, internally what they decide to, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:14

Yeah, I feel like you see a lot of Western PA football guys, like they go that first year and they don't play a ton, but then years two and three, they're starters, they're contributing and like looking at draft stock. I think that's a common theme.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:27

Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:28

But they don't take it for granted. A lot of the kids in this area don't take it for granted.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:34

Yeah, they're trying to they're they realize I got a lot riding on my back for my for my family and myself, and I have I have to make it. Big uh big thing that Lamar Jackson from the Ravens says, you know, nobody cares, work harder. It's truth. And it's 100% true. Yeah, yeah. These kids who had the chance of making it, they don't care, they just work and work and work and work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:56

I got a cool stat for you. Third most big leaguers from any state, Pennsylvania.

unknown 1:01:04

Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:05

All time.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:06

Wow, I did not know that. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:08

The talent pool has been incredible.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:10

It's been it's been kind of wild recently to see a lot of these Western Pennsylvania kids playing baseball down the big leagues. Yeah, it seems like they're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:16

They're late bloomers. We play maybe 20 games in Tennessee. They play 50, so they a lot more opportunity to get seen. So they they get out of here, they're kind of fresh, right? So they go get developed in college. A lot of them go to division three and they move up, like Mason Miller. It's it's wild to watch. It is a hotbed of really good baseball players, yeah. Especially arms. There's so many good arms here, and they're really untouched because they're throwing 17 innings in in high school. So then they go to college, they're like, uh, we'll red shirt him, and then they grow, they get stronger, and then all of a sudden you're like, that dude's a first rounder. Little Tommy? That's nuts. It's wild. Like I'm in that scene all the time. The talent pulls off the charts and they all kind of just go dink, dink, dink, dink and jump. It's wild. I think it's gonna continue to do it. I hope the rules change because the rules here suck. Um, for those kids, they should be able to play more, but yeah, it's real.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:13

Yeah, that's real. Position players. I mean, we just had JJ Weatherhold here, uh Cole Young. Um it is wild though, those the arms. Bednar was a late-round pick out of laugh. Yet his brother Will was a first round pick by the Giants. Will Bednar. Yep, he's close. Uh Mason Miller who had to fight.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:31

Dan Alt Tavilla. Uh there's like eight of them we were with in the offseason. I just can't think of their names right now. Yeah, it's it's wild. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:40

I think there's a kid out of Franklin Regional who's beginning a lot of talk. Uh Luke Williams. Have you heard that name? He just had about 10 scouts kind of average at all of his games this past year from Franklin Regional in the Murraysville area. Wow. Yeah, so he he might be another one to look out for in that.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:59

Kirloff was a first round of the plum.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:02

There's a kid named Graham. He'll be a he's a junior going into senior year. He'll be a top 20 prospect going in exercise.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:11

But talk about a fighter is uh John Fedcoe's kid, Kyla Fedcoe. Yeah, really? He went to Vincentian and then UConn. And uh he's a triple A with uh the twins. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:22

But we have the kid from uh Gateway.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:25

Oh, uh Johnny Saunders at Pitt State. Johnny Saunders going to Penn State. Yeah, he's going to Penn State. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:30

I'm covering Penn State and Pitts game next week. Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:35

Nice. So he's going to Penn State. Yeah. So I mean, there's a lot of kids. There's talent here. Yeah. You just gotta want to work. And if you want it, you gotta go get it. Yeah, just like we said, that's the that's the full circle moment, right? Yeah, you want it, you gotta go get it.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:50

And I don't know if football's like this, um, but baseball, more than ever, like you can draw a path for kids. Like, hey, if you want to make it to the big leagues, yes, some things are gonna have to kind of iron out and fall into place, but you can literally say if you're hitting these things and these numbers and this, you can absolutely play because it's not a it's not a secret anymore. They can't tell you you're too small, you're too stocky. You can say, nope, my exit velocity is this, my hard contact creates this, I don't swing and miss in the zone, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:24

And they'll bet on you. Right? It's nuts. It's wild how that's shifted. Have you seen that football?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

I mean, you have, I mean, you have guys that, I mean, of course, there's you you're looking at you're looking at the body of work, but you're also looking at the pedigree too. You're looking at the kid, the stature, you know. Yeah, it's so it's all an opportunity for, you know, kids to excel at a high-level division one. I mean, we got some guys that have over the last couple years that have gone high-level um division one or whatever.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:00

Is it hard to evaluate? Because like I went to middle Tennessee State, it's a mid-major. And like, I couldn't have told you some of the guys that literally have great careers in the NFL, like, never saw that coming, right? But the same thing, like, I see guys at UT, they're ginormous, like that guy's gotta play in the NFL, and he doesn't. How do you like that's a weird like realm for me? Like that evaluation.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

You don't know. I mean, looking at looking at a kid in high and again, talking high school now and and checking the boxes on measurables, right? Like you can't teach height, you can't teach size, you can teach speed now, I would say, a little better than what we have in the past. Um, but it all comes down to how does that translate to now what system are you going to collegially? You know, can can you absorb information and then be in the right spot at the right time for a different system than you're used to working in? Right. Right? Can you adapt to people around you to make it work as one co host?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:01

When you guys mentor them, like do you help lead them into the right like schemes for them? Because that's something like I see a lot. Guys go somewhere like my NIL money, blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:11

That's part of the problem with parents. But that's a that's a big problem with, like you said, with the parents.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:15

So if you're if you're if you're going to Nebraska, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:18

Yeah, so I mean, if you're if you're a four, two, if you're a four, two, five scheme guy defensively, you don't want to go to a school that doesn't run that defensive scheme. Right. You know, you're not gonna fit. Because you're gonna be so far behind. You're gonna be behind. You're gonna be behind.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:32

Yeah, you don't have the size for it, maybe. Yeah, or you exactly you don't have the measurables to fit into that particular role that that school was trying to trying to run. Right.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:41

If you look at the Steelers, that's why we have so many guys from Wisconsin. Steelers keep getting guys from Wisconsin because they plug them right into our defense, they fit perfectly.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:51

Scheme. It's all about scheme. Makes sense, you know, and and it it has to be the right fit. And that's one of the things that goes back to being open and honest with kids.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:02

Like, hey, you might want to go to Ohio State. It might be a good fit, it might look good. Oh State might look good for you, but you might be a Wisconsin kid, or you might be an Indiana kid. Yep. Because you listen, I'll say this a lot of Western PA coaches are at Indiana University right now with Signetti. Of course. There's a ton of coaches that I know personally that are from Norwin High School that have been with Signetti since the uh JMU days. And so you gotta fit, you gotta fit the program.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:38

I feel like the Big Ten has a lot of the fuel right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:41

Yeah, a lot. Yeah. A lot. Big Ten. So you have, who do you have? You have uh Jay Timmins. He went to Pine Richland. Say Smith's at Penn State. Smith's at Penn State, yeah. I mean, but you got players like Jay Timmins is at Ohio State right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:55

Ohio, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

He was a Pine Richland guy. You know, there's a there's a lot of guys that are in the Big Ten because it's a, it used to be a ground and pound type of type of league. Um, but now you look at those those P4 organizations and they're like spread it out offensively, get the ball downfield, you know, um RPO type of offenses, but you need those type of defensive players to be able to combat that. You know, so it's all about where you fit, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:29

That's coming in baseball, Greg.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:32

Yeah. Relievers, defensive specialists right out of college. Yeah. It's this close. Oh, yeah, you can see it. Yeah, you can see it coming. I never thought it would. Yeah. Just the way the game's built. But yeah, that just opened up my mind that that's coming.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:44

The game's always the game will forever change. I don't care what sport you're in. Whether it's hockey, whether it's baseball, whether it's football, you're going to draft or you're going to uh give guys opportunities through your recruitment to fit your scheme. But eventually, I remember even, you know, me playing football, you were playing football. It was a running. You Western Pennsylvania was known for listen, yeah. Four yards in a cloud of dust. You better pound that rock. Grit, baby. But now, you know, we run, we run a you know, RPO. Everything's RPO, everything's spread them out, run in space, make opportunities. And you gotta you gotta have the.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:29

Is that just because of the trend of the game?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:30

Yep. Yeah. Because the game's changing. It'll switch back.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:34

Well, no, everything eventually does. Everything comes right. Any sport, it will always come back. Yeah, it'll be a pound and at some point.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:42

I mean, you think about this. In the let's go back, let's go back mid-90s, early 2000s. You had your you had your bussies, you had your Jerome Bettisses, you had your Eddie Georges, you had those guys. How many, how many big backs do you have now?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:57

Henry Henry. Derek Henry, that's about the only one I can think of.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:00

Nobody wants to hit a dumbass.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:01

I wake.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:02

You don't you don't have any other big, you don't really have any other big backs. Right, right. Uh Fournette.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:08

Yeah, he's not in the league anymore.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:09

But I mean, but uh those type of those type of. He was a big guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:14

But you don't really have those type of backs anymore. Yeah, you need those backs, or you need those athletes that can catch a ball off the backfield, play in space, make people miss.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:24

What do you think Darno Washington's going to do to football? Because now you're getting into that's a really good offensive lineman who can catch a football. Is it gonna turn into now we have really like yeah, he's a monster. You're gonna start seeing that across other positions too, where they're creating these hybrids that are doing other things, but he's not doing yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:46

I don't, I don't think you'll I for a while, I don't think you'll see another Darnell Washington. Probably not a Darnell Washington, but I think the the level of athlete that's been produced just in our population of humans in the past 15 to 20 years has changed. Yeah, right. Like these these kids look different now. I take, I mean, you know, Willie Stargil, Dave Parker, those were big humans too. But I take a look at like an Aaron Judge. Why are you why are you that big?

SPEAKER_03 1:11:13

Way in right field.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:14

Yeah, I mean, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:11:16

It goes back to what you said, the opportunity, right? Like back in the day, Aaron Judge ain't going to the baseball field.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:23

No, he's not.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:24

He's going to the court and he's going to the football field. That's it. Yeah. When I was in high school, they wouldn't let me play football. I wanted to, I had a really good leg in soccer. I grew up with the Colquits. I don't know if you know that name, punting family. Okay, yeah, yeah. I'm familiar with that. So they're like, you should punt. Get dual scholarship in college and a mid-major. Sit.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:41

Go to school, get paid for it. Walked in, linebacker, Michael McKinnon, beat it, nerd. I was near terrible football, but that's how it was. Yeah, right. And then they're like, you can't go catch bullpens. I was like, then I'm leaving. Yeah, this is crazy. Yeah. I want a kick for you. That's it. That's it. Yeah. It's it. Yeah, that back in the day it was just different, right? They wanted you all in in that in that moment. That's why I tell kids, I don't care if you play multiple sports, just be an athlete. Play flag football. Go go shoot ball, go to the rec, whatever. That's being a dual sport athlete because sometimes getting into it, they're gonna make you go all in. You're gonna forget what you're great at. Yeah. Right? And what you really love because they're making you something you don't want to do.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:20

But here's another thing to add to that is a lot of recruiting. Now they ask, what else do you do? You could be a great baseball player, what else do you do? You'd be a great football player, what else do you do? Do you run track? Do you play soccer? They do wrestling.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:37

Yeah, wrestling.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:38

Yeah, I mean, so I I mean, I don't know about baseball. Baseball is No, they're doing the same thing. Yeah, I mean, but but when it comes to down to recruiting, that's what recruiters are asking. What else?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:48

Let me let me be a devil's advocate. Me and Greg love doing this. More is more in anything, right? It takes 10,000 hours. That kid's running track, he's playing basketball, he's doing this. I'm banging away in the cage, right? Same talent level, my skill acquisition went through the roof. His stay stagnant. In baseball and any sport, I guarantee you, if you watch it, because it happens all the time at baseball, it takes those dudes so much longer to develop. Yeah. Because they haven't had the bats, they haven't had the grind of the practice, they haven't been put through the ringer, they just get thrown into games. So then all of a sudden it's like, oh, I gotta hit 400 baseballs to figure this out. They've never done it. Back locked up, right? They don't know what to do to play with that, right? It's it's completely shamboogle-ish, if that's a word. I don't know what it is, but that's a good one, man. Like at the end of the day, if you want to be an architect, what do you do? You draw a lot, right? Right. You can't go, uh I'm gonna draw cartoons, I'm gonna do this. You build a building, it falls down, right? Right? I I think that's nuts to me, right? When they always talk about it, yeah, like yeah, it probably helped Bubba Chandler be a better athlete. Didn't help him pitch any better, right? Right? It it's kind of wild to me sometimes when we talk about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:59

You don't agree with the idea that no an athlete's an athlete.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:03

Oh right, like if if LeBron James just played basketball and didn't play football, I don't think anybody'd be confused how good he was as an athlete and that he would be really good on the football field. Does that make sense? He didn't have to.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:13

And the adage is in recent times is that they want kids to play all the sports. Yeah, and you said the recruiters are asking that question now.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:21

And I think that reality comes back to what we've turned it into with the parents, the travel ball era. Yeah, the all the like showcases and footballs, the the sixes on six, seven and sevens, they just never stop.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:33

Well, it might have something to do with that, learning to be a good teammate. I don't know. Yeah, I think that could be that could good to have something.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:38

I think that helps a lot with coachability playing multiple sports because I mean, golf, it's like one of those things I relate it. I relate like anytime somebody comes and asks me for help with a golf swing, the first question I ask them is like what sport do you play? Like, what's your sport? And then I instantly try to relate it to a feeling that they know. And I feel like if you have more feel, especially in baseball, or those things, yeah, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:15:06

Because you can't make up time.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:08

Oh, no, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:09

You can't go play golf with my voice.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:11

Yeah, yeah, but it's are you being productive with it, or are you just going and playing with your voice?

SPEAKER_03 1:15:16

I think any I guess the level I'm talking at, you're that competitive. I can't walk, I I can't play cups, flip the cups, and not want to win.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:27

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:27

I mean, that's the reality.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:28

And I think baseball is special because baseball is a sport, right? That you have to be in rhythm at all times. Well said. And if you're not, you're you're immediately in trouble.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:40

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:41

And too, like you in in baseball, depending on where you live, like if you live in PA and you play football, basketball, and baseball, you're not gonna fail.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:48

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:49

But you leave here, you fail. Like, how many dudes I've met and they're at a D3 school and they set all these records and nobody knew they existed? I'm like, how? And they would tell me their story. I'm like, oh, they just got lost. Yeah, right, because they weren't seen. So there's like a give and take, and I that's one thing I I'm seeing more and more because the best five players going into next year's draft don't play another sport. Yeah, and it's not because they're the best athlete, it's the best skill acquisition type player. Like they do everything right, they know how to run the bases, they're not raw, right? Yeah, but yeah, like Connor Griffin, right? Everybody talking, he was really raw. Dude had high baseball IQ, yeah, right? And that's the thing. He still plays basketball, but he didn't play it competitively his last two years. So I just think that's overshot a little bit. What'd you say? But I was about to say, no, what'd you say?

SPEAKER_05 1:16:40

I was about to say, what about the NHL? Because if you've ever watched an NHL draft, that is the rawest of the raw talent. Like if you if you walk they'll do a bench press test, they do a pull-up test, and most times kids don't do a pull-up, right? Like they can't do one. Oh well.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:56

They do escape, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:16:57

Yeah, escape. So like all that comes later. And there, I think hockey players are the most skilled athletes on the planet. Yeah, strength, speed, skill, like all of it. I think they have it all. But when they get drafted, when they get picked at 18, they're literally some scrawny 145-pound kid. Yeah. And like people are taking a bet on them.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:19

I just learned that that sport and soccer, if you are a prodigy, you're in at 16. They'll grab you. And I think that's the coolest thing. Because they don't stop you, right? It's like go.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:31

Sydney Cross is special.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:35

Well, finally, uh, what what do you like about cigar bars? What do you like about uh this

Why Cigar Lounges Create Connection

SPEAKER_00 1:17:40

room? Besides what do you think about the drawing?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:41

Besides hold my cutter, right, Greg?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:43

Well, because you get to go on hold my cutter.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:45

But uh, what do you like about the drawing room? What do you what's your favorite thing about cigars and cigar bars?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:51

For me, the cigar bars, again, if you find the right one, it's it's the good conversation you can find amongst people that you may or may not have interacted with beforehand. Uh you can find it should be a commercial meatball. You you can find immediate commonality with someone by just sitting down and asking about the cigar, and then you see where that conversation takes you. Um, and you can find good networking, you can find, you know, again, just great conversations to find that commonality with another human and connect on a level with it. Uh sometimes you just can't in the everyday world. Great call.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:25

Coach Biggs, what do you think?

SPEAKER_02 1:18:26

I mean, I uh on the same lines, I think that that cigars are the great equalizer. I think that you can go into a humidor, you can come into the drawing room, and you can say, you know, what are you smoking? Why do you like, you know, why do you like this cigar? You know, what are you drinking on? Are you why do you like this bourbon? I think that it is a it is a draw to see what we did there?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:53

Ah yeah. It is a draw. We didn't have to announce it. We knew.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:58

It's fine, it's easy.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:00

Subtlety, Michael. Subtlety. That's another word.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:03

Subtlety. Enthusiasm, Grank. Enthusiasm, always.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:07

It is an environment that that draws people together. Yeah. And I think that it is, it is, it is great. I mean, we we travel, we go somewhere every year, and every every year we go somewhere, we always try to find a cigar bar. We just went to uh New Orleans. New Orleans. And you know, we were on the hunt. Find a good one? We did. We did. Down by the by you know, but but it's a it is a uh it is something that brings people together, you know, from all walks of life. Just like just like Mark said. Um we love it here. Um and honestly, this this place really sparked um something special in myself, Mark, and our uh our our partner Kip, um, where it's given us the opportunity to uh dream big and and and really uh hone in on each other's skill sets to continue to elevate each other and challenge each other. And that's that's one of the big big things about the drawing room that we love.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:18

It's great. And it's you know, it's so different because and and I like this because this is what to me, this is what cigar lounges are all about. Absolutely. It's it's not loud, it's you you're conversing, you're you're making friends, you're learning, and uh, and this atmosphere. And you get to see the greatest city on the view. Absolutely. Across the mine. Nailed it. So the Kingdom Boys, thanks for being guest on Hold My Cutter. Uh, the one thing this place has that no other cigar bar has in the country, hold my cutter right here. That's right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:52

Appreciate you. Appreciate you guys. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:54

Thank you so much. Keep doing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:56

Thank you guys for all that. Okay.