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<v Speaker 1>Well, thanks Tim. We are pinch hitting for Rick Monday

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<v Speaker 1>today because we are joined right now by Acclaim Sports

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<v Speaker 1>photographer Gene Fruth, who has done a remarkable job of

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<v Speaker 1>really bringing to light how women should be more part

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<v Speaker 1>of baseball. And there is a great documentary that is

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<v Speaker 1>going to debut on MLB Network between Games two and

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<v Speaker 1>three of the World Series. It's titled Women's Baseball Around

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<v Speaker 1>the World, See Her Be Her, And Gene is here

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<v Speaker 1>at Dodgers Stadium. Thank you so much for the time

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<v Speaker 1>and great to see you and Jeff Idelsent back at

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<v Speaker 1>Dodger Stadium.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, it's so fun to be back here and especially

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<v Speaker 2>talking about See Her be Her. You know, it's come

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<v Speaker 2>We work three years on this project and to be

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<v Speaker 2>here and now having it seen on the MLB Network

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<v Speaker 2>during the World Series. The only thing that could be

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<v Speaker 2>better is if we have the Dodgers playing in Games

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<v Speaker 2>one and two.

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<v Speaker 1>That would be beautiful. Gene, But I'm just curious what

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<v Speaker 1>inspired this because it is so global, this documentary. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not just a little mid West town. This is global,

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<v Speaker 1>from the United States to Canada to Uganda.

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<v Speaker 2>When I'm finishing up my second project, Grass Food's baseball

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<v Speaker 2>Route sixty six. I got a chance to shoot an

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<v Speaker 2>all girls baseball game. Never shot at all girls baseball

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<v Speaker 2>game and not softball baseball, and it was such an experience.

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<v Speaker 2>I've always shot one girl on a little league team

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<v Speaker 2>with all boys and people say, oh, there's the girl. Look,

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<v Speaker 2>you know there's a girl pitching tonight. Do you see

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<v Speaker 2>that girl in the right field this They were all

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<v Speaker 2>just athletes. It wasn't the girl. And the more girls

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<v Speaker 2>are growing in the sport, that just the more exciting

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<v Speaker 2>that this sport is becoming and why not? Why not girls?

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<v Speaker 2>And we're seeing all around the world, not just in

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<v Speaker 2>the United States, the sport girl for girls and women,

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<v Speaker 2>and girls are staying in the game longer, and they're

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<v Speaker 2>playing in high school and they're playing in college. So

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<v Speaker 2>just like all the other sports, women's sports are growing

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<v Speaker 2>and getting more popularity. Look at basketball, look at hockey, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>and soccer. So here's girls baseball and women's face.

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<v Speaker 1>I know you set out with a vision on this

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<v Speaker 1>documentary see her be her, But is there anything that

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<v Speaker 1>surprised you as far as putting this project together and

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<v Speaker 1>what you experience and what we may experience.

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<v Speaker 2>The big surprise to me was how big women's baseball

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<v Speaker 2>was in some of the other countries that we spent

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<v Speaker 2>time in. Japan has such a big presence in girls

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<v Speaker 2>and women's baseball, and they have professional baseball where women

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<v Speaker 2>getting paid to play baseball. South Korea, though they're not

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<v Speaker 2>getting paid, there are fifty over fifty teams now of

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<v Speaker 2>all women's baseball teams, and even countries like Uganda now

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<v Speaker 2>have eight excuse me, regions where women and girls are

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<v Speaker 2>playing baseball. So the sport is growing and that is

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<v Speaker 2>surprising and also really encouraging. So we're just really excited

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<v Speaker 2>to be able to just give these women visibility with

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<v Speaker 2>the hopes to provide more opportunities for them.

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<v Speaker 1>Gene Fruth is our guest. The documentary is titled See

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<v Speaker 1>Her Be Her. It's on women's baseball around the world,

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<v Speaker 1>and I just shared with you I am a proud

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<v Speaker 1>girl dad my daughter Adriana would love to play baseball.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you feel like this may inspire the next generation

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<v Speaker 1>of women and little girls?

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<v Speaker 2>It really I have a lot of women who will

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<v Speaker 2>come over to me and say, hey, you know, my

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<v Speaker 2>daughter wants to play baseball. What do you think are

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<v Speaker 2>their opportunities and I say, please, please encourage her and

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<v Speaker 2>help her get those opportunities, because that's how the sport

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<v Speaker 2>is going to grow. Help her with her dream, allow

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<v Speaker 2>her to dream. And I really hope with this film

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<v Speaker 2>little girls will see it and they'll know that they

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<v Speaker 2>also can be it.

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<v Speaker 1>Gene Fruth is our guest and also part of this

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<v Speaker 1>documentary has a very special executive producer, and that's Dodger

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<v Speaker 1>co owner and one of the greatest tennis players we've

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<v Speaker 1>ever seen, Billy Jean King. How did she get involved

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<v Speaker 1>and what is her level of involvement.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, arguably, Billy Jean King is certainly probably the best

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<v Speaker 2>tennis player of all time, but I would say even

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<v Speaker 2>beyond that, more than being the best women tennis player

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<v Speaker 2>of all time, she is a crusader and she is

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<v Speaker 2>an advocate for women's sports and women's equality. And when

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<v Speaker 2>we said would you like to be involved in this,

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<v Speaker 2>would you help us read the word, it took her

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<v Speaker 2>all of two seconds to say yes. She's so behind

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<v Speaker 2>it and she just wants to see women's baseball grower

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<v Speaker 2>around the world.

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<v Speaker 1>So special in standing next to us is the former

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<v Speaker 1>president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jeff idelsin. You

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<v Speaker 1>guys have collaborated for a couple of books, and the

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<v Speaker 1>third book, Grassroots Baseball Series, is on the horizon. Tell

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<v Speaker 1>us about that exciting project.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes see Her be here also as a companion book

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<v Speaker 2>that goes with the film. And Billy g and King

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<v Speaker 2>wrote a wonderful essay in our book. Also cal Ripken

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<v Speaker 2>junior Claire Smith, longtime journalist. I'm sure yeah you know her.

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<v Speaker 2>And then also all of our shiros we call our

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<v Speaker 2>hero shiros. So we have a woman from Japan who

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<v Speaker 2>is the best woman baseball player in the world, a

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<v Speaker 2>Yami Sato, women in Cuba, in Canada, the United States,

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<v Speaker 2>South Korea. So you'll see the book hat shows women's

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<v Speaker 2>baseball and girls baseball all around the world. And there's

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<v Speaker 2>also a thousand Girls under an Umbrella Baseball for all

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<v Speaker 2>where girls are playing on her old girls teams. And

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<v Speaker 2>so Justin Siegel, the founder of that program, also does

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<v Speaker 2>a wonderful essay about women's baseball that's so awesome.

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<v Speaker 1>Man standing behind us is one of those sheiros, the

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<v Speaker 1>great Jessica Mendoza.

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<v Speaker 2>Jessica Mendoza has been a supporter of See Her Beer

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<v Speaker 2>from the very beginning. We're so excited to have her support.

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<v Speaker 2>She also wrote for the book, and she's been a

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<v Speaker 2>very big supporter. And I mean it's just the point

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<v Speaker 2>of someone like Jessica. She is a trailblazer, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>what these women are. They are the first, right, She's

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<v Speaker 2>a first and the idea is not to have a lass.

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<v Speaker 2>So when your daughter turns on the TV and sees Jessica,

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<v Speaker 2>she says, Dad, I want to do that. Look, a

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<v Speaker 2>woman's doing that. That means I can do it too.

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<v Speaker 1>So inspirational and being a girl, Dad, Now I feel

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<v Speaker 1>like I understand it even better. Thanks a lot for

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<v Speaker 1>the time, and thank you for putting together such a

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<v Speaker 1>great project, The Grassroots Series Part three that's accompanying See

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<v Speaker 1>Her be Her the documentary on women's Baseball, which we'll

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<v Speaker 1>debut between Games two and three of the World Series

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<v Speaker 1>on MLB Network. Gene Fruth, great to have you at

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<v Speaker 1>Dodgers Stadium, and also great to have Jeff Idelson here.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh it's such a pleasure. Go Dodgers. Have a great game.

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<v Speaker 1>Tonight, Dodgers. We'll see the Dodgers in the World Series

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<v Speaker 1>with Gene Fruth and see Her be here