WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.919
The Dodgers are in Pittsburgh, and
we're joined right now by tomorrow's starter from

2
00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:08.039
southern California, El Toro High School, Paul Skeins, who's pitching for the

3
00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:11.560
Pirates now, A champion of the
people, a champion of Orange County.

4
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.279
Thanks a lot for the time.
Yeah, thank you for having me man

5
00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.280
blown away being at P and C
Park and seeing that stash in full glory

6
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:20.960
here. Yeah. No, it's
a great place, and I'd like to

7
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:23.359
think of it as a good stash, So thank you. I know everybody

8
00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:27.359
thinks of you as a national champion
rightfully, so with LSU. But this

9
00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:32.960
started, this journey started in southern
California and specifically at El Toro High School.

10
00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.320
I talked to your high school coach, Coach Gonzales, today, and

11
00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:39.000
he kind of lets you know that
you were too big to be a catcher.

12
00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:41.759
How did that news go over?
No, I mean I kept doing

13
00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:45.759
it for a couple of years.
Yeah. The nice thing is, you

14
00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:47.799
know, for a long time,
I didn't really have restrictions. He let

15
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.399
me catch. I didn't really have
restrictions on what positions I could play,

16
00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:54.880
so caught for a while. But
obviously it's just pitching. Now. He

17
00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:58.600
told me, back in your junior
year, there was one playoff game where

18
00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:03.560
he pitched seven scoreless and that seemed
to be kind of the bridge to your

19
00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.079
senior year. Did you feel that
way too, Yeah, for sure,

20
00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:08.519
because I hadn't started in my high
school. I mean, I started on

21
00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:12.400
the freshman team my freshman year,
but after that I didn't start until that

22
00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:15.840
game I was I was a closer
that year, so yeah, I went

23
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.959
seven scoreless and then it kind of, you know, the riding was on

24
00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:22.879
the wall that I should probably start
the next year, and so that's kind

25
00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:26.159
of where my focus went. I
don't know if you want this out publicly,

26
00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.120
but he told me that back at
Eltora High School, the baseball team

27
00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:34.959
would have a Halloween night and you
dressed up as the coach from the Bad

28
00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:38.120
News Bears. Where did that come
from? No, we had a group

29
00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:41.400
that was my senior year, and
we had a group of probably four or

30
00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:45.719
five other guys who were players from
the movie, and so we just you

31
00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:48.760
know, made it a whole charade, just run around, brought him.

32
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:53.239
Probably shouldn't say this publicly, but
we brought a motorcycle and or like one

33
00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:57.319
of those like little I don't even
know, just one of the electric bikes

34
00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.760
or something like that. And yeah, so it was it was a fun

35
00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:04.920
game. Paul Skeens is our guest, as we get said, for first

36
00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:08.759
pitch here in Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Paul's pitching tomorrow against the Dodgers.

37
00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:13.759
Anything when you think about that,
a lot of people back home will be

38
00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:19.080
watching you face the Dodgers. Did
you have any fandom of the Dodgers growing

39
00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:21.680
up a little bit. I've been
to one Dodgers game in my life and

40
00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:24.039
it was at Dodgers Stadium and that
was, you know, a surreal experience

41
00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.639
with just to you know, watch
a game there. So you know,

42
00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:30.879
I paid attention to that. My
my grandpa was more of a Dodgers fan

43
00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:35.159
than I was, or my family
was. But no, it's gonna be

44
00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:38.280
cool. When you grew up as
a high school player, you know,

45
00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:42.520
you're you're pretty good. Was there
anybody that you try to emulate or at

46
00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.560
that point in time, are you
just yourself a little bit? Just myself?

47
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:50.319
But definitely seeing Otani do it do
what he was doing with the Angels,

48
00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.520
because I was an Angels fan seeing
him hit and pitch that kind of,

49
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:57.879
you know, gave me some some
inspiration to be able to do that

50
00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.719
at the next level. So just
kept working, you know, did that

51
00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.400
as long as I could. How
good of a hitter was Paul Skans in

52
00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:07.479
high school? I was good.
I was. I was a better hitter

53
00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.719
than I was a pitcher when I
was in high school. But I mean

54
00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:15.039
I didn't get drafted for a reason. Yeah. Yeah, Paul. Your

55
00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:17.919
family has a background in the military, right, you went to Air Force

56
00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:22.639
your first two years of college.
How much did you see in your future

57
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:28.080
maybe being a fighter pilot for the
Navy. That was the goal, you

58
00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.479
know, since I was probably like
a freshman or sophomore in high school.

59
00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:35.039
I just wanted to fly and kind
of saw baseball as a as an avenue

60
00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.120
to do that, you know,
as a way to get you know,

61
00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:42.280
an education and that kind of thing. But my goal was was to fly.

62
00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.599
Yeah, the Air Force Academy had
Paul Skins for a couple of years.

63
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.360
Did you outgrow that too, Yeah, I agree fighters. I could

64
00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:53.439
probably fight fly some other stuff,
but I agrew fly fighters. When you

65
00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.280
look back at just this journey,
how have you been able to handle the

66
00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:02.159
attention that you've gotten a seemingly every
step of your baseball journey. Just staying

67
00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:05.280
present, taking a day to day
and doing the work that I need to

68
00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:10.400
do to to go out there and
compete, you know, making it simple

69
00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:13.280
like that. It's has definitely helped
you. Mentioned O Tani was kind of

70
00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:18.079
your inspiration. He's very routine oriented. How much are you devoted to your

71
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:25.319
five day routine? Really devoted?
That's something that I think the Air Force

72
00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:28.920
Academy was really good for, not
just for baseball, but you know with

73
00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.720
life, just kind of instelling a
routine and and everybody who goes there.

74
00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:36.879
So yeah, that's that's that's a
big part of of you know, how

75
00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:41.680
I go about my business. You're
way past being a fan. So how

76
00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:46.240
much of the competitor inside of you
is looking forward to facing Otani tomorrow night?

77
00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:49.279
Yeah, I'm excited. It'll be
fun. The Japanese media swarmed you.

78
00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:50.920
What was that about. Yeah,
I don't know, that was a

79
00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:55.680
little bit of surprise. Thanks a
lot for the time. Great meeting you

80
00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.959
for the first time, and I
can understand why everybody at El Toro High

81
00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:00.439
School love Paul Scheme. So thanks
a lot for the time. Yeah,

82
00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:01.160
thank you very much,