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Speaker 1: Astro top phenom future third base slash, left field slash

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wherever you want to play. Cam Smith is with us

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on the program, lake Worth, Florida.

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Speaker 2: Is that correct?

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Speaker 3: Yes, sir?

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Speaker 1: Twenty five minutes from here, twenty five minutes. Mom and

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dad cook a good meal for you.

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Speaker 3: That's right, every night, every night. And I'm helping her

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out too, So I'm learning.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So here's a chef, here's the big he gets

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to keep all his travel money for the spring training.

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Speaker 2: Put in the piggy bang. Say that out him immediately.

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Speaker 1: Respect that, you know, is just the truth, since you'd

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be like, Matt, don't.

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Speaker 2: Tell anybody this.

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Speaker 3: It's true, No, it's true. I like, it's very nice.

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Speaker 2: All right, I've been asking all these guys.

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Speaker 1: You get the phone call, Yeah, you're going to play

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for the Houston Astros.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: What was your initial reaction?

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Speaker 1: And then how long did it settling before you're leaving

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that the Cubs organization to come play for the Houston Astros.

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Speaker 3: Yes, at first I was. I was definitely shook a

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little bit. I didn't honestly, I didn't know it was

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possible that that you could trade up player right after

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you draft them. But like I was like, I was

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talking to them. It's a business. And and once I

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got that call from Carda Hawkins telling me the trade happened,

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Dana Brown called me and welcomed me. And and after that,

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everybody else in the front office called me and welcomed me.

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So it felt good that that I was welcome with

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open arms, for sure. You know, it felt it felt warming.

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Speaker 1: It's kind of crazy, you know, that first round of

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the draft, they try to make it like the NFL

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and NBA Draft.

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Speaker 2: They take pictures of you. We're in the Cubs gear and.

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Speaker 1: All this can't wait to see you, and then months

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later you're wearing somebody else's gear, right exactly. Yeah, Well,

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I mean think about who you got traded for. I mean,

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you didn't get traded for chopped liver, right, so that's great. Yeah,

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and then immediately you're the number one prospect in the organization.

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That's gotta mean you worked your ass off for that.

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So take us through your life, because y'alls, you're built

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like a linebacker. You and Decenzo could be ends on

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the Houston Texas that had zero issue with that, right Yeah.

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Speaker 3: No, Dezenzo is huge, man, He's a he's a different animal.

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Speaker 2: Have you guys arm wrestled yet? No?

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Speaker 1: No, I don't plan on doing. And I think he

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got me you two arm wrestling. We'll do that after,

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but I don't want him to break my arm. They're

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not very strong, you know what of them are?

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Speaker 3: All? Right?

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Speaker 2: Shoot, the organization will be good, that's true. You give

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me a cut, Cay, you got good money coming your way.

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I know where I can find you easy money. That's right.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So, uh, tell us what Joe's told you so far,

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what Dana has, and what are your frankly expectations coming

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into camp this year.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, So, talking to Dana early on when I got

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here for the January camp, he mentioned right field to

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me and just taking reps there because he wants me

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to see how I move and how comfortable I am

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over there, because obviously there needs there's some holes that

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need to be filled. Right Talking to Joe, he he

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likes me at third base, that's why, Ben, he said,

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that's where I'm comfortable and he'd like to see me

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at third as well. So I'm gonna I'm probably gonna

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do a mix of both, you know, just to see

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what I can do at both positions.

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Speaker 2: We won't tell him, but were you most comfortable third base?

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Speaker 3: For sure? I've always been a short stop my whole life.

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Got to college in twenty two and became a third baseman,

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but I've always been an infielder always.

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Speaker 2: Who did you grow up watching? Learning the sport from man?

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Speaker 3: I watched a ton of a ton of players, But

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my favorite player growing up was Yasiel Puigue. Really interesting, Yeah,

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my all time favorite.

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Speaker 2: What made him the guy?

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Speaker 3: He was just ahead of his game. He was he

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was electric. I love the energy he brought. He was

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just swaggy, smooth like. I just loved watching him play. Man.

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Speaker 2: You gonna h so you're gonna pimp some home runs

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like yas Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I actually practiced it when I was young, to to

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do what he does and try to swing like he does.

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Speaker 2: Are you a bat flipper guy or a bat drop guy?

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Speaker 3: I would say drop there, Yeah, I would say drop.

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I like to like the slow drop. Yeah.

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Speaker 4: So you're here now, obviously you've had these conversations, uh,

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pressure for for somebody like you drafted in the first round.

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Speaker 2: Now you're here.

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Speaker 4: He mentioned top prospect in the system. What's that like

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for you to wanting to give it your all to

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to try your hardest, to work your hardest, but also

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maybe not be too hard on yourself and feel too

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much pressure either.

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Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, I've had all these coaches here behind my

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back and just telling me that you know, you've got

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this stuff. It's just all all it is now is

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just honing in on your craft and you'll get there

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with no issue. So it's just trusting that process. It

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sounds corny, but it's real. You know, to not rush anything,

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you know, don't be anxious in anything. But yeah, just

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go about it day by day, rep by rep, and

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and just trust that you'll get.

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Speaker 1: To where you want to get to think about this,

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Just get to the ball, make a decent throw because

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the guy at first base is gonna grab everything.

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Speaker 2: And he's almost out yesterday. He's like, it doesn't have

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to hit the middle of my chest every single time.

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Speaker 1: Now, you don't want to take advantage of that, but

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you know that you've got great backstep over.

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Speaker 3: There, the best, the best over there at first base.

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Speaker 1: And what advice is I mean you are you one

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of those guys say hey, how do you handle this?

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Speaker 2: Or are you just kind of letting things naturally come

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to you?

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Speaker 1: Right?

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Speaker 3: Now I'm just kind of letting, letting the thoughts come

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in my head and I'm purely watching instead of instead of,

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you know, being vocal for now. You know, I'm pretty new,

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but yeah, I'm just I'm just being a sponge. I'm

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listening to what everybody has to say.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna give you a little vice about Houston and

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sports fans.

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Speaker 1: They're gonna love you when they see you, whether it's

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on TV here or when you come to the big

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league team. But we have more folks that call us

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about minor league players than ever. So if you get

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off to a fast start, you're gonna I don't know

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if you check Twitter in very much, but people are

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gonna be asking you when you get in up here.

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Speaker 3: When you get up here, so.

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Speaker 2: Don't put it.

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Speaker 1: Don't let the social media streets put pressure on because

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the team's close and sugar Land, Yeah, I was gonna say,

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it's not a terrible drive, and you're not going to Fresne, California.

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You know what I'm saying. It's gonna be not bad.

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It used to be Oklahoma City before that and Fresnel. Yeah, yeah,

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you're a quick shuttle here. Uh what about your defensive

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game do you want to work on? I mean, we've

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never seen you play, and we've only seen the YouTube videos,

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and that's when we put the good things out there.

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So what are some nuances a third base that present

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not necessarily challenges, but thing you always want to work on.

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Speaker 3: I always want to work on a lout of a

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movement and and just moving my feet like kind of

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they say dancing like, you know, dancing out there the

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field being smooth. That's what it takes to stay at

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their base for a while.

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Speaker 2: I don't.

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Speaker 3: I don't really want to be a robot. I want

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to be flexible, Yeah, and and be able to get

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you know, some range, some good range.

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Speaker 2: Is there such a thing as in field chemistry? Do

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you believe in that?

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Speaker 3: One hundred percent? Yeah, one hundred percent, Because you know

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the ranges of your shortstop. The shortstop knows the ranges

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of the second basement, and same thing for the second

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basement in the first basement. So it's just like knowing

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each other and knowing what balls like you can get

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and what balls you should leave for the short style. Yeah,

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so you you the shortstop here, of course.

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Speaker 4: Jeremy Paynett gold Glover Alex Bregman raining Gold Glover. Now,

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of course with the Red Sox and so kind of

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a not necessarily to go back to the pressure well,

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but that the the the bar has been kind of

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set defensively here at the Astros organization.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent. They take pride in their defense.

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And that's what I love because that's what I want

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to improve on the most, and and they take pride

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in it. And you know, I'm just I'm being a sponge,

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like I said, I'm listening to whatever they say, and

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I'm all in, let's go.

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Speaker 1: All right, you're gonna ate your first home run at

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Dyke Park eventually. Where do you want to hit your

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first road home run?

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Speaker 3: Right center?

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Speaker 2: I mean park?

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Speaker 3: Oh, a certain park? Okay, I go over all that.

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Speaker 2: I don't care, I don't care what fins you go?

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Speaker 3: Okay, okay, yeah, Dodger Dodger Stadium, Dodger State.

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Speaker 2: They don't like the Astros there, you know that, right?

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Speaker 3: I understand that that's the right field. The Yankee Stadium

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pretty easy, Yeah, no, yeah, it's a short porch over there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. So Dodger Seaman Stadium one.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just like all the lights are on you

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all right.

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Speaker 1: Uh, as a third basement in the minor league ballparks,

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you probably hear the fans a little bit. Four, wrap

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things up, give me some good mature you've heard and

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something you're.

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Speaker 2: Like you have to shake your head and go, what

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are you talking about?

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Speaker 3: I don't know, honestly, I don't know even know if

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I can say it.

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Speaker 1: Oh, okay, we have a we have a specially show.

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Actually tell us during the preak and we'll we'll clud

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it up for the audience later.

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Speaker 3: That's funny. Yeah, because going to Omaha last year. Uh,

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those fans are in your ear man, the Tennessee fans,

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they're they're rough.

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Speaker 1: That's right, Hey, Camp, it was great visiting with you.

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We wish you nothing but the very best. Very excited

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and man, I'm so excited. But you have a great time.

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Hope it's a short trip down in sugar Land, yes,

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because it's gonna be like ninety five degrees outside.

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Speaker 2: I can't get the hell.

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Speaker 3: Out of here.

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Speaker 1: You're used that way? What am I talking about? You're

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used to Paul Bach? What are you talking about? It's

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you would here all the time. Yeah, he's lived in

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it all right. Jam Smith joining us here on the program.

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Thank you for we appreciate it. Short time out. It

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is twelve thirteen. Matt Thomas Show with Ross continues here

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on Sports Talk seven ninety