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Speaker 1: Zach cole hit with the weight room this offseason. Fellas,

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how are we doing?

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Speaker 2: Hey?

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Speaker 3: How are you doing? More importantly, I'm good heads. That's

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kind of cool.

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Speaker 4: Ross, I'm Matt, Matt. Yeah, we're going to be best

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friends this year. Hope you're gonna hit thirty bombs. Okay,

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you want that left field spot? I'm assuming correct.

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Speaker 2: I will take whatever they need me for me. I'll

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play any position and whatever whatever I can do it

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to help them win.

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Speaker 1: So what are you doing again?

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Speaker 4: It's been limited workouts, but I'm sure you've been here

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a couple of days at least leftfield, centerfield.

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Speaker 1: What have you been working on all three?

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Speaker 2: They told me early they wanted me to work in

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at all three spots to get as much work in

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as I could, And so I've been taking reps at

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all three, just trying to make myself versatile.

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Speaker 4: You got the call up late. Take us through that

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moment in time when you it was either a phone call,

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a text visit with your manager.

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Speaker 1: What was that like?

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Speaker 4: And then take us through the next twenty four hours

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of you're trying to get yourself into an Astro uniform.

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Speaker 2: That was an exciting time. I remember it was right

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after a double header. I had actually just spoke. We

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were in Round Rock when I was in Triple A.

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I had been there for I think it was just

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fifteen games and we had just played a double header

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on a Wednesday. Just saw my agent and he's like,

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I'll see after the season's over, you know, getting prepared

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because I was supposed to go to the Arizona Fall League.

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That's where they had lined me up. They had told

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me I was going there already when I was in

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Double A. So I was like, yeah, I'll probably see

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you there and I was like, who knows, maybe in Houston.

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And I crossed my fingers and it was a funny joke.

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And then I walked right in and thirty minutes later

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got the call and I had to call my agent

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back and I was like, hey, you might want to

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change your flight because I'm going to Atlanta. It was

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a really cool moment. But I met with my manager,

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Mickey Story in Triple A. Great guy he called. He

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He brought me in there and sat me down, and

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it was a it was cool. He asked me what

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day I wanted off that week because I had just

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played a doubleheader, and I was like, well, what's our

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schedule for the rest of the week. How about Friday?

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And he goes, no, it says, you're playing in Atlanta

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on Friday. And I was like what. And I was like,

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oh my. I was like, this has got.

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Speaker 1: To be a joke. But it was.

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Speaker 3: It was a dream come true.

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Speaker 2: Man. I held in the tears until I called Mom

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and Dad. Oh my god, how emotional is that? I mean,

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it was. It was such a win for them. I

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told them that we did it. It wasn't just a

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me thing. I know, I was the one getting to

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wear the jersey, but I mean, you can't do it

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without Mom and Dad.

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Speaker 1: I got so blessed.

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Speaker 2: There's such a blessing to me that they helped me

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through every stage of my career. And you know, my

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dad was the one who gave me the passion to

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love the game.

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Speaker 1: And did you play You played travel ball when you

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were a kid, right of course, Well, then of course

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they helped you out.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I have a travel daughter volleyball, so yeah, she

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makes it to big International.

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Speaker 1: The credit exactly half three quarters.

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Speaker 2: I gave the I gave the home run. I gave

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the first hit home run ball to Dad, and uh,

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it was a no brainer. It was the easiest thing

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I've ever done because it belongs to him. He's the one.

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He's the one that got me there. Mom and Dad

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are the ones that got me there, and I love

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them so much. After listening right now, I love your

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mom and dad.

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Speaker 1: Let me where they Where do they listening?

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Speaker 3: They live in Missouri.

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Speaker 2: They're not listening. It's okay, though. Here's the recording.

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Speaker 5: Maybe you can find Yeah, you can find it on

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any major podcast, right radio.

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Speaker 1: Cool. We're somewhat famous, so that's what I've heard.

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Speaker 4: No, you got a chance about the ego? I guess No,

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you got a chance to be major famous. Uh so

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you did not go to Arizona Fall League?

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Speaker 1: Correct? Why was that the decision made?

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Speaker 2: Because I got called up? So they were They were

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obviously with the intention at the time, you know what,

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I make the forty man roster coming up that off season,

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and uh the play at the Fall League would determine that.

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But since I made it to the big leagues and

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played the last two weeks there, they felt that I

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didn't really need to go and do that anymore. So

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I got a I got the whole off season, if

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you will, But.

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Speaker 1: You mean you.

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Speaker 4: Honestly, you you got a lot of people impressed with you,

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we cause we don't know much about Johnnislely and then

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you came in and had a great September.

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Speaker 1: When you look back at it, was it just you

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were hit the ball.

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Speaker 4: Really well at that time that nothing, no matter who

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you were gonna go against, you were gonna hit the

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ball hard.

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Speaker 1: Or was it a case that you just you could

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try to slow.

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Speaker 4: It down because you just talked about the emotions of

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playing a doubleheader game and then trying to get family

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and friends to Atlanta and do it, and that kind

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of thing that had to been like a constant, like

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a stopwatch about how fast you were going to get

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from point A to point B.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I think about I think back on that

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time now too, with just all the emotions running high,

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and you know, we're here and we're there, and new

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experiences all at the same time, meeting new people and

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just trying to stay grounded. I take a look at,

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you know, the things that came to ground to Obviously,

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my faith was number one. You know, God brought me

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to the dance, so I'm gonna I'm gonna go home

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with him. I'm gonna make sure I stay true to him,

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and then obviously just relying on my close family and friends.

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We have so many great guys in our clubhouse that

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helped me through that, you know, stressful time as a rookie,

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especially you know, thrown right into a playoff race as

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well to some big games and situations. So to stay grounded,

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to just try to be myself and not do too much.

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You know, I don't need to come in and be

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a superhero every game, because some games you just got

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to do one small thing to help the team win,

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if that's a walk or moving a base runner or

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a bunt or making a play on defense. You don't

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always have to be the guy that steps up and

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hits the big home run or gets the walk off hits.

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So having guys like in our clubhouse like that that

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have been there, done that, with all the experience and accolades,

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it's such a it's such a comforting feeling for a

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rookie like myself, for such a young guy. But a

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lot of times I really was just piecing it together,

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just relying on what I knew that, you know, the

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god given ability I had, what I had worked on,

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what got me here just stick to those things because

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you know, if they bring me up, they liked the

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player that I was in Double A and Triple A, right,

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that's the guy they want in the league. So I

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don't need to try to do anything different. I can

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rely on what got me to this level. That's that's

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Unfortunately you know who that is.

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Speaker 1: I know who.

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Speaker 3: They can't hear it, but I have no idea why

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they were playing that.

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Speaker 1: But that's terrible timing.

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Speaker 3: We're testing with distracting distraction games.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, that it was really just piecing it together,

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just trusting my abilities, and you know, just just remembering

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this is the cool I've dreamed of this my whole life.

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But it is baseball. Baseball is the same game. Doesn't

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matter you know what jersey you're wearing or where you're

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playing it at.

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Speaker 3: It's the same game.

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Speaker 2: They got to throw the white ball over the white plates.

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So just trying to remember that and just trusting it.

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It's the same game. Just do what I've always done,

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go compete. It's interesting to me the timing of you

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got the short time.

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Speaker 5: You were so successful and then boom the season stops

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didn't make the playoffs unfortunately, to where you didn't get

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to kind of in a way, see how the story

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would have ended if you got to keep working. So

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what's that like for you hitting the offseason knowing how

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successful you were, but also trying to keep keep that going,

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knowing that there's gonna be tape on you, there's gonna

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be certain ways you're you're pitching, and kind of trying

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to figure that all.

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Speaker 1: Out during this off season.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, And you know that's what it's like every off season.

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Speaker 2: We want to we want to try and capitalize on

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on those things that we learned from the season. You know,

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I was there for a short time, but it was

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an excellent opportunity to get to go up there, you know,

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just just tip my feet in a little bit, just

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try to see like, Okay, this is what the big

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leagues are like, yep, this is what is expected of me.

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This is what it's going to be like, this is

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what I'm going to have to compete at the level.

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So we take a look at the things that I

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did well, we celebrate those early, We're thankful for a

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great season, very blessed, you know, God, you know, helped

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me so much, gave me so much. And then it's

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time to get to work right. We take a look

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at those things where you know I'm exposable, those take

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those things where I have weaknesses, and we try to

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correct as many of those as we can. You know,

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let's say, you know, if there's four four easy ways

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that I can get exposed at the big league level,

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let's try to knock off two of those this offseason

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and make myself a more complete hitter, a more competitive

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at bad because that at the end of the day,

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that's all I'm trying to do, is just be a

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more competitive out every time I step at the box.

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Speaker 4: So I call with us here on the Matt Thomas

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Show with Ross from West Palm Beach, everybody's fastball Triple.

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Speaker 1: A to major league, but it's ninety five gonna go.

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Speaker 4: When I talk to guys like yourself that are fresh

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the big leagues, it feels like to me, the off

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speed stuff is the stuff that separates they're really good

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triple A guys and the guys that do at the

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highest level agreed.

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Speaker 2: You know, obviously, the stuff we're seeing, especially the way

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the game is developed, you know, over the last twenty years,

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it's it's the best it's ever been.

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Speaker 3: There's no doubt.

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Speaker 2: I talk to guys like Bagwell who will say the

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same thing, you know, even guys like Korea who are saying,

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like the league has changed since I came up versus

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right now, it's the toughest it has ever been.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 2: Guys are throwing harder, stuff is moving more, and it's difficult.

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There's there's no other way to say it. But for me,

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the biggest thing that I noticed in the difference from

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the between the miners and the majors was just the

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way the pitchers and the catchers think the game. When

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you're on offense, you know, it's all chess, you know,

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the way they set you up, the way they you know,

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target your weaknesses, the pitches that they throw. It's all

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a plan that they have set up beforehand, and you

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have to try to make you know your counter move,

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you know, like, all right, if they're gonna keep throwing

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this pitch over and over again until I can hit it.

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As soon as I prove I can hit that pitch

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or lay off of it, here comes the next challenge.

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You know, maybe it's off speed away until I prove it,

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and then it's heaters in and then they're gonna keep

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trying to find ways, and then it's just you know,

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he evolves, you evolve, he changes, you change. So it's

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just this constant chess match. And you know, a lot

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of the times in the minor leagues, it's just, you know,

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guys are like, here's my stuff, this is what I'm

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good at.

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna go right at you. But in the league

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they know what you can do.

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Speaker 2: There's no secrets, so they're gonna try to exposure weaknesses

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for sure.

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Speaker 4: So you hit the home run on the very first

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at bat, very first pitch, too correct, something like that.

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Speaker 3: Oh, come on, you know he knows what was the

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pitch it was. I think it was a cutter.

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Speaker 2: It was a cutter, and I was just really really

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hoping I didn't swing and miss and.

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Speaker 4: Your hooks bros were watching it live as they were.

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How many text messages did you have when you look

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at your phone after the game?

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Speaker 2: Too many? Really, too many to read. I had to,

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I couldn't. I was and I was too. I couldn't.

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Speaker 1: I'm up with run weren't response and copy and pasted it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it was it was a lot.

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Speaker 1: I love you, bro, Yeah, keep it nice and simple.

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Speaker 2: But they were great man, getting to see that video

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and a lot of the guys are here right now,

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I'm getting to talk to him. I got to see

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him as everyone's getting back in this week and.

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Speaker 4: They're making more money than they are, right, I mean,

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it's truth. It's still a little bit. They're not making you,

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like buy dinners and stuff, are they You're not making

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great money?

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Speaker 3: No, no, no, they don't.

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Speaker 5: No.

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Speaker 2: I'm just uh, I'm just I'm just happy to see

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him and uh, just to be able to Like you

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said that, that experience, you know, getting to see that

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video was was unbelievable. Like those guys, they truly, they

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truly cared about me, and to see their raw reaction

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after a moment like that, it was it made me emotional.

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It did, because I care about each and every one

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of those guys. And you grind with them and the miners.

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It's tough, man, and you go through the stuff.

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Speaker 4: Get up for what you run. Crawford Boxes presents challenges

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that left center feel.

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Speaker 1: That darts back. That's also a tricky spot.

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Speaker 4: You can I'm assuming you can practice that into your

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blue in the face, but you need to be in

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a live competition for that to become a part of

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your I got this part of my defensive game, right,

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I would say.

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Speaker 3: So, yeah, there's nothing better than doing the thing.

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Speaker 2: So we, like I said, we practice on it. The

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fields we actually have back here are replicas of DIYK

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and park mens wise to help us actually get accustomed

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to that. But obviously, yeah, if if left field is

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what they need from me, then I'll get as many

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reps I can there and get more comfortable with it

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for sure. But like I said, all three for me

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is what they told me. So I'm just working wherever

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they need me and trying to be as versatile as again.

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Speaker 1: All right, well, I mean you got the challenge in

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front of you. Now, what is it being like here

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in camp?

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Speaker 5: It's obviously a new experience for you being somebody who

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is expected to try and win a spot.

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Speaker 1: How is that dealing with that? Mentally? For me?

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Speaker 2: I love it because for me, at the end of

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the day, you know, this is just a game, you know,

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and we can go out here and there's always going

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to be competition. It's the name of this game, right,

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It's all performance, and unfortunately is a killer be killed

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type type world. And for me, you just can't focus

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on that you know, we have great guys in here,

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and obviously we all know what we're doing. Everybody's trying

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to go out there and win their spot, go out

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there and help the team win as much as they can,

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and we just focus on those things. We just focus

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on going out there and being competitive and trying to

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keep guys up because at the end of the day,

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a lot of these guys that you're competing with are

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gonna be your teammates. So we don't want to we

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don't want to create, you know, divides, you know, if

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you know guys are going for the same position. And

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for me, just being able to come out here and

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enjoy playing and show what I've been working off in

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the off season, it's just it's just so much fun.

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Speaker 3: I love being out here.

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Speaker 2: I love competing with the guys, I love coming out here,

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learning from the veterans, and just excited to become a

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better baseball player.

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Speaker 1: You are well beyond your years. It comes of interviewing skills.

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Speaker 4: You get a ten out of ten, we're gonna have

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you on like every other day, So every time you

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get a home run, you're gonna be on the show

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with us.

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Speaker 3: Hopefully it's at least thirty times this year.

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Speaker 1: Oh my god, at least you have good speed. How's

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your speed? You don't get some show fast?

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Speaker 3: I can run, are you, Jake Myers?

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Speaker 1: I can run. He's very very humble. Oh my god.

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Speaker 2: Allow, I'm not raised Jake. He's pretty quick. But uh

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he hit the cash string last year, right. Let him

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take it easy.

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Speaker 4: You are down there and tell him to turn that off.

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It was a huge favor. We can't run away for

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a couple of minutes, Zach. It was really nice to

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visit with you face to face. We will be talking

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to you a couple of times in the course of the year,

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maybe in the clubhouse as well. We wish you nothing

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but the very best, and you have been given a

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great opportunity and I hope you make the most to congratulations.

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Speaker 2: Thank you guys so much for having me on the show.

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You guys are you guys are awesome guys. Oh you

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don't know us that well? Oh no, we're nice now

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I can I can tell right away. You guys are

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good dudes. Thank you so much for having me and

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all the people out there listening. Uh, Golastro will see

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you guys.

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Speaker 3: A mom too, Mom and Dad will send a little podcast.

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Speaker 1: To him, Dad.

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Speaker 4: I love you all right, Zach Cole joining us here

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on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross. We tak a

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quick time out back with the second hour The Matt

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Thomas Show with Ross from West Palm Beach here on

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seven ninety