Episode 30: Interview with Bryan Smith: Minor League baseball player and GenXer: Part 2.

Welcome back to GenX Classic Sports, the podcast where we rewind the game clock and relive the golden era of sports through the eyes of Generation X.

In this episode of GenX Classic Sports, we finalize our discussion with Bryan Smith, a south Arkansas native whose baseball journey took him from south Arkansas to the Houston Astros organization. 

Bryan reflects on the experience of being scouted by several teams and being drafted by the Astros and spending two seasons in the minors. It’s a nostalgic look back at small-town grit, big-league dreams, and the classic era of late '80s baseball.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more nostalgia-packed content covering GenX retro sports, and the athletes who defined a generation. 

Production Credits:

Intro and outro music: Mason Enis

Narrator: Haylee Wolf

Copyright @ PineStreetProductions 2025. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action.

Transcript

Welcome sports fans to Gen X Classic Sports, where we bring the nostalgia of our sportsfilled youth into the present

day. Grab your favorite retro jersey, crack open a cold one, and let's stroll down memory lane together.

All right, everybody. Welcome back to what will now be episode 30. And this is part two of our discussion with Brian

Smith, former Elorado Wildcat, who went on to play some JO ball at Texirana

Community College and then got drafted into professional baseball by the Houston Astros. And we're going to now

move into more of his uh discussion about what happened to him uh in college

and in pro ball and some of his experiences. And it's a great great conversation and Brian did an excellent

job answering my silly questions. And so we appreciate you listening and if you enjoy what we do, as always, click like,

click subscribe, depending on your streaming app, and let us know that you enjoy what we do. Thank you. All right,

so you played two years at Texas. Obviously, you did well if you made an all-star game. You're batting in the fifth hole. You hit a few home runs.

You're stealing bases with the green light and all that. So, at what point over there was the pro in So, you told

me that certain teams were sending you a lot of information and stuff, but did you did you even consider going to a

four-year school after you got done at Tex or Arana, or were you pretty convinced that regardless of the round,

when I get drafted after year two, I'm gone? It it was probably more of a 7030, I was

going because what it was, I was drafted after my freshman year at Texas Cana and

um I decided not to sign and I went back and so Houston had the rights had my

rights up until the following draft that following year. So I was considered what they called a

draft and follow. And so I actually signed with Houston before the draft of

my sophomore year. I didn't go back through the draft. They had my rights. Okay. So, they drafted you after your

freshman They drafted you after your freshman year. Yes. And I didn't sign with them.

That's Do they still do it like that now? Is that an option nowadays? It is.

Wow. I didn't even Well, I was convinced you'd only played one year at Texas and got drafted and left. So, that explains

why I was so sure that you had gotten drafted after the first year you did.

No. So, it's funny. I I So, I'm I'm I actually should have been in your class.

I should have been in class of the 89. I went to college when I was 17.

So, yeah. You were young that Yeah. You were a young guy. Yeah. Yeah. So, I was actually drafted my first year when I was 18.

Wow. And I didn't sign. And I signed when I was 19. Okay. All right. So, do you think it was

was that a mutual decision or they preferred you stay and get a little more seasoning or where did that come from?

It was probably little of both. Um, of course, you can imagine if any kid that

that's wanting to play professional baseball and they have the opportunity, if the opportunity presents itself,

you're going to go, "Man, I'm going to take it." But after being drafted and talking to the scouts and the coaches,

um, we all agree that it would it would do me good if I went back to school for another year. And, you know, I kind of

agreed with them. That totally makes sense. I get that. So, all right. So, you had a a nice

sophomore season at Texar Cana, I'm assuming. And and now now you're done and it's time to go play

for the Astros. You're not going back into the draft. You're going to report. So, did you report to So, as soon as the

Texir Canada season's over, did you report to some kind of rookie league or single A or how did that go?

Originally, um, I was scheduled to go to rookie league and I asked if I could

take a few weeks off. I didn't want to report right away. Uh, and they gave me

the okay to I think I took about three about three weeks off. Well, before reporting the rookie ball, they called

me and said, "Look, we decided we're going to send you directly to Aball short season." So, I ended up um going

to Auburn, New York in the pin league. Auburn, New York. Okay. I looked that up the other day

and I wasn't sure if that was New York or Alabama. Yeah, that's And that was a pen league

and that and that's where I started my professional career there in Auburn. What what round did they draft you in,

Brian? Oh, the the when I was drafted, I was drafted in the 46th round.

Okay. Um, and I had a great sophomore year and it was

projected that I was going from the 46th round that I would have been drafted.

I think they were saying between five and seven is is where my projection would have

been for my after my sophomore year. Now, hold up. That's a lot of money,

man. It It was back then. So, did you not I I'm really I'm trying to figure this

out. So, you didn't have any control over going back into the draft and and upping your your round, getting drafted

earlier? I did. That's That's the That's the leverage I had. Okay. Okay.

So, the leverage I had, I could have entered the draft or I could have told Houston, "Look, I'm going to college,

right? I'm going to Arkansas because the offer was still there from Arkansas, right?

So, I had a little leverage. So, does that leverage allow you maybe to get a little more money from the

signing bonus or something like that? I got a lot more. Okay. Okay. Now, now it makes sense.

Okay. And I'm not going to get personal. I'm not going to ask you what it was, but but but I was trying to figure out

who had the leverage. That's exactly the word I would I was trying to figure out how that how that went down. If you're

sitting here knowing you're going to go in the single-digit round, but somebody's got your rights for the 46 or

what? That didn't make sense. But now I got you. Yeah, they they they had my rights up

until the the f the day of the draft coming up. Yeah.

So, it was either com Yeah, I got you. Because really, I mean, you did have

options. So, that's what that's what uh helped you out a little bit sound. That's right. That's right. All right. Well, cool. So, let's talk

about you. All right. So, you've been in Tex County a couple years. You've been busing all over the country on this end

of the country at least playing some fall and baseball, but now you're going to New York

to play rookie or single A ball. How's that for a guy feeling homesick from

Union County, Arkansas? Was that was that an emotional

adjustment along with everything else? I don't know if it was an emotional because you know and again I'm so

excited right about getting started. Um

and and and the one thing the the the one thing that I regret that I didn't do

is that I didn't reach out to Vince before I left. I I think about that and

I I wish that I would have had the conversation with him to say Vince tell

me what I'm getting into and what to expect. And that's one of the regrets that I that I do have that I didn't do

that. Um, but you know, it it was a little different. You know, you're finally on your own and

you know, you're up here with with with the with a lot of guys, some guys that you've seen play on TV that's been at

these D1 schools, you know. Yeah. And um and then on top of that, I

find out I I go from hitting fifth in college to they're wanting me back at leadoff.

Yeah. And and that's where I started. I I started as as a leadoff hitter in center field. So it it was definitely an

adjustment. Well, here here here's my take knowing knowing you and and what you ran and all

that. And so best athlete on your high school team. I don't even have to ask. I

know that. And and then you said you were the fastest dude on your college team. So now you're in single A ball.

Are you at that point? Are you you're 19 years old, too, by the way? Right. Right.

Are you starting to look around and go, "No, wait a minute. This this dude over here's pretty fast." Or did you still feel like I'm the man like I I can

outrun these dudes. I can play center field better than this. Or did you see some actual real talent that was

eyeopening to you when you got there?

You can be you can tell me. You can be confident. Say say, "No, man. I was the best still." No, no, no, no, no. I'm I'm I'm I'm just

gonna say I was the probably the middle of the bunch as as as as far as the

the outfielders on on that particular team that I was on.

I was probably the fastest guy. Yeah. By not not by much, but I probably was.

But you had real speed around you. It sounds like for the first time, like good speed, right?

Yes. And it was the first time that I had really ever played with other

outfielders that could throw as well as I could. Uhhuh.

You know, I had um I'm sure you've heard of Manny Moda. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Manny Motor Jr. was my right fielder. Okay. And it was really the first time that

I'd seen somebody that could throw just as well as I could from the outfield. These guys, they they had some special

talent, which statistically holds up. I mean, I I there was another podcast where I ran

the I looked up the stats on Google or whatever about the odds of making it, you know, from high school to college

and then from college to the pros and then to the major leagues from any level of the pros. And I mean, you're really

whittling down the guys who can play with that kind of physical ability by

the time you get there, I would assume, cuz I mean, you're you're seeing some rockets in the outfield. You're seeing some dudes that can fly. You're probably

seeing some dudes for the first time that can hit the ball over the moon, too. That's right. That's right. I mean,

these these guys can can swing it. And you know, once you start to get to that

level, everybody around you can run and throw and hit and it really becomes more

of a mental game once you get to that level because everybody's got all the physical tools, you know, and

yeah, talking about seeing guys, I I really thought that I was fast

until I was in my first spring training

and I'm up against guys That's when we had Kenny Loftton. Yeah. I looked that up the other night

and realized he was in that organization. Yeah. So, so, so Kenny was a year I

think a year or two ahead of me. So, in spring training, that's who I'm up. I'm I'm up against Kenny Loftton, a guy

named Brian Hunter, mind you. Hunter. Yeah. Yeah. I'm running the 647. These guys

are running 6'2 and 63. That's unbelievable. That is unbelievably fast. Yeah, I'd never seen

that in my life. I thought the clock was wrong. That's unbelievably fast.

So these guys are running 6'2, 63 and here I am as a 647. So I'm not the fat and I'm not even

close to being the fastest guy. So that's what I'm up against now and that's what I'm seeing every day.

Well, tell me about the pitching then because I mean you you hit for average in high school and college. did a good

job of of making contact and not, you know, too many strikeouts and so forth. So, and you you had you had it in your

head how to be a leadoff guy and you had it in your head how to be a fifth hole guy, it sounds like, too. So, man,

though, tell me about the pitching by then, cuz that that had to be different, right?

So, and and and Jo, you're you you think you're seeing everybody's number one.

Well, now in professional ball, you are seeing everybody's number one. Yeah, for real. They're they're blue

chip number one. Yeah. They're they're not only are they throwing 88 89 mid 90s, but they're

throwing that in their hitting spots. And so it's different. They're painting corners.

That's right. That's right. So it's it's it's totally different. So once you

start getting to that level, you're looking for one pitch cuz that's probably all you're going to get. And if

you miss that one pitch, you're in trouble. So that's that's where we are now. You

you've become disciplined, man. I would think you would not want to

get behind in the count on any of those dudes, especially the better ones. You know, you just can't get behind in the

count. You're just at their mercy on guessing because That's right. These dudes are now now they're throwing four pitches, right? Or three good ones

and okay fourth one, right? That's right. That's right. I mean, you're you're you're seeing these guys

and and a lot of these guys are are high how high draft picks, you know, and they

know what they're doing. So, it was definitely different for sure. As a as a I heard a guy say that was a a football

player one time and and somebody asked him about the competition he played against and he said, "Hey, those guys

drew a check every week, too."

That's right. Well, and well, Brian, you know, statistically, of course, man, at

at Single A, you're going to get the real studs. Let me let me tell you, maybe you'll relate to this, maybe not.

Let me tell you what Glover, uh, for those listening that don't know, we had

a mutual teammate, me for high school, Brian for summer ball, who got drafted by the Cardinals, uh, after our senior

year. Let me tell you what he told me when he came home for like homecoming or

whatever in the fall and I saw him. He said, he told me that he said, "Picture

a whole team of guys in rookie ball or whatever that are all more or less the best athlete

on their team in high school and more or less the best baseball player, too." So, some combination of the best baseball

player and the best athlete. He said, "Now, imagine they all played shortstop and pitched in high school." All of

them. That's right. He said now whether they're from the Dominican or wherever

America somewhere in America they get nine of them out there together and suddenly the guy that was his best the

best pitcher on his high school team is in right field and the best shorts stop on his high school is having to learn

first base and on and on and on. So he said, you know, he was simplifying it for me, but I understood he was saying

you got nine shorts stops out there having to learn new positions and you

got a pitching staff full of guys that are just wild as hell. They can't even hit the back stop, some of them, but

they and and so he was explaining to me, he said uh he said, you know, the team

that he played on was awful. He said they were all trying to learn what they were doing and so they were awful. And

he said just errors everywhere because infielders are trying to learn the outfield and so forth. So, and I always

think about that and think about how many guys at any level of the miners were that guy. They were the stud

wherever they came from. They might have been that pitcher or they might have been a shortstop or third baseman

because so many schools I believe put their best guys in those spots, maybe

center field or best athletes at least. And now they're all they're all mentally

trying to learn a whole new way to play baseball, I would think. And so then you put them up there against this kind of

pitching that you're seeing for the first time. So it man, it's got to be like you said, such a mental daily grind

to survive that. So that I think that's what people like to hear about is just the just the level that everybody was

around you and how you sort of had to deal with that. Man, Glover saw more of the when he was in

rookie ball. Yeah. Yeah, most of the guys in rookie ball are probably right out of high school. And

in in the aball where I was, I want to say I was the only guy that was from Jo.

All the other guys were D1. They had come from from D1 program. So they were

they're quality guys. They've pitched they I mean they've hit against quality pitching. They've had quality coaching. So these are some dudes on their way for

sure. So that that's really interesting. So, you know, what about the conditioning and your body and there?

You said you had a hamstring injury uh even before the years ago before that. How did how did that change? Did that

were you always really diligent about that or you said you wished you had talked to Vince. Was that one of the

reasons? Like what were some of the things that that I mean it I've always wondered about how the body just holds

up playing 175 games in a summer or whatever.

man. Can conditioning is when you're playing every day, uh you stay in shape.

Um if you go and a lot of people don't believe it, if you go three or four days

without not playing, I I believe you're out of game shape. And a lot of people don't believe that.

Um no, man. We we we stayed in shape. You're playing every day. Um, for for us

the routine, only thing that I knew is I had to be at the field every day at 4:30 for 7:00 game.

Yeah. You know, and there were days that I would lose track of what what day it was. I just knew I had to be at the park

at 4:30. And um, it just becomes a routine, you know. You you you play at 7, you're

probably through around 9:30, or 10, you eat, you go home, go to sleep. I

probably wasn't getting up to 10 11 o'clock in the morning and you start the day over again. So that was, you know,

that was the routine. Of course, the most famous thing about the minor leagues that you hear people talk about are those bus rides, man.

Tell me about that travel back then. Man, when when when you're on those bus rides and you're you're you're on there

for three or four hours and then you have to play that night. Um, you've got

to love it. Yeah. You got to love it because you don't start flying until you get to

double AAA. So, in the lower miners like I was in, you you've got to love it because you do have those long bus

rides. Now, the buses were nice. I will say that they did have better buses. Huh. That's

good. Yeah. Yeah. They were top-notch buses, but it was still a long ride. Yeah. There there's a guy I follow on YouTube

who talks about these kinds of things from the his minor league days and he talks about different organizations

having better budgets for the food and how sometimes you'd be starving man and the food selection was not great either.

The perdem was pretty low tell us how that went per DM might have

been um 20 or $30 a day or something like that. It wasn't a whole lot. Yeah,

even with 90s prices, that didn't buy a whole lot of food for a for a guy burning as many calories as you were.

Right. That's right. So, um,

what kind of things you you said it, so I'm going to drill in now. What kind of things what other things do you wish you

know you had known that Vince or somebody could have maybe shed some light on for you? I mean, you don't know what you don't know, right? You're

19year-old kid basically. You're you're you're all the way across the country

playing advanced big- time baseball. I mean, what kind of things were you not

ready for that's that you wish you had uh you know known more about? I guess it it was a more of um probably

the most important thing and it took me a while is taking care of your body.

You know, I'm the type of guy, man, I was still eating McDonald's and

Burger King and and and and then going out and playing. If if if id have known,

you know, take better care of your body, you know, it it it definitely affects how you play the game. It's little

things like that that I I wish I would have spoke with Vince about and say, tell me little things that I need to do,

you know, that's helped me out and help me advance. And it's it's things like that that I I I wish that I would have

reached out to him for guidance on, you know, tell me tell about how you how you dissect pictures. What are you looking

for, you know? Are you give me some tips that I need to look for when I'm playing the outfield, you know, cuz you got to

realize I'm still relatively new in the outfield. I've only played two two or three years,

so and and as you know, Vince was a hell of an athlete, man. and and um hell

Vince was drafted in the third round, you know. I know. And Vince could have played three sports in college had he wanted to also.

He was he was that kind of dude. He was. So just little things like that.

Yeah. Yeah. And you know, Vince was always, I thought, in phenomenal shape when we saw him in the late winter. He he'd come

play some pickup basketball at the gym and stuff. just a probably not the greatest idea looking back, but he back

then it might have been different. They probably, you know, anything to keep you active, but uh he was always, I thought,

in phenomenal shape. But the thing I want to ask about though is whether it's

having a slump or a couple of errors in the outfield or or an injury, there has

to be a tremendous amount of pressure that if I miss a day, some dude may take my spot. Is that the mentality? Is that

part of that grind you're talking about? Does that kick in at that point where you're it's kind of a fight for survival

in so many ways or do you even have time to look at it like that? No, brother. It's definitely cutthroat. You ever heard of Wally Pimp?

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, there were, you know, I

told you I had the cornea transplant, right? But I what I did know is at the

time I knew something was going on with my eyes, but I was afraid to say something

to the organization because I felt like if they found out that I was hurt,

I'm out of the lineup. Somebody's in there and then how am I going to get back in? Yep. And it wasn't until um I think it was my

second year in spring training that the doctors they finally called and they said,

"Look, we've got to tell the team." And I begged them not to say anything. And

they had to tell the team what was going on. And when you after realizing it,

man, I was basically playing with one eye. And and your eye closest to the pitcher

was the bad one. Is that what you said? Your left eye. That's exactly it. And and so you're not these drills all the time.

And you might have went through it, too. The baseball used to be numbered and they wanted you to call off the number.

Yeah, I could never do it and I couldn't figure out why. Yeah, it's because I was blind in my left eye

and didn't know it. I feel you, brother. I was shooting free throws in the gym just horsing around

and one of our coaches walked by and said, "Dude, I think you're blind. Your depth perception is awful." And I got to

thinking, that's probably not good for baseball whatsoever hitting and trying to catch fly balls.

That's right. But if you were as blind as you were, you're not seeing rotation on the ball like everybody else.

That's right. Which is which is so critical at that level, knowing how it came out of that hand and trying to see those seams and

all and what spins on the ball. I'm sure that's a millisecond decision you have to make when a dude's throwing heat like

those guys do and you don't have that. So, you know, that's I don't blame you for wanting to stay quiet about that.

Yeah. I'm being told that majority of the guys that make the big leagues Their

eyesight is 2015. My eyesight I'll bet. I bet that's true.

20 I think it was 2200 2300 whatever legally blind is whatever it is

considered to be legally blind is what it was. And um yeah I remember once they told me what it was

um I had to wait on a donor. And I remember out of the blue I got a call from the doctor and said we got a donor.

we need you here at the hospital within 24 hours. And that's how it happened. Is that that was when you were with the

Astros? They arranged all that. Yeah, it was after I left the Astros that I actually had the transplant.

Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, that organization, I mean, around I don't know if I've got all the dates

exactly right, but that organization Yeah. You had Kenny Loftton in it and and later on, not too much later on, I

guess at that time they had Ken Camoniti and Jeff Bagwell came along and Craig Beio was a catcher still back then.

There was a lot of talent in that organization, you know. So, so mind you, I'm in I'm in spring

training with all these guys. Yeah, I'm I'm there with with Camdi. I'm there with Bagwell. And ironically, um

I'm there with Beio. And the and the cool thing about that is that's during the exact time that Bio was making the

switch from catcher to second base. Yeah. Every day after our regular work, Bio

was we used to call it the six-pack because we had six fields. And that's when they were transferring

him from catcher to second base. So yeah, I was there with all of those guys for sure.

Camdi had a cannon for an arm, didn't he? Yes, he did. That's That's what it was.

That's what stands out about him when you see highlights is Camonetti backhanding stuff way behind the bag and

just turning around and hosing people. Man, that was impressive back then. He had a cannon. You're absolutely right. He did.

He's a big dude, too. He's He was a thick old boy, wasn't he? He was. He was. So So All right. So you played rookie I

mean uh I'm sorry, single A ball first in New York. Where did Where did you play at the same place the next year?

Did you go somewhere? Well, the next year I moved to Burlington, Iowa. Okay.

I tell you, being a old country boy from the south, our first game in Burlington,

Iowa was snowed out. You can imagine what I'm going through.

I'm not used to being in anything like that. That's what I played my second year.

Wow. You had some cold workouts. Yeah. And if you've ever got jammed with

a guy throwing 90 plus Yeah. in the cold weather, you'll remember it.

Hey, what about the wooden bat thing? Did that bother you? Did that transition bother you at all or is it just part of the deal and you just get over it

quickly or was that did that take a while? It took a little while. It did because you know the sweet spot is is a whole

lot different and and so that that that was definitely different. So I I definitely had to make

the adjustment there for sure. Yeah, I remember when Vince would come to practice, he had a an old army looked

like an army duffel bag uh slam full of wooden bats cuz you know you're going to break them eventually and he'd be home

for the whole winter and needed some. So he he I'm sure you did too, but he had his big I've got one of his bats

somewhere that he broke and taped it up and he kept trying to tape it up and you know he needed to make them last as long

as he could and it finally he gave up on it and I I took it and I've got it somewhere. It's not in here but

yeah, I got it. But um so

um you you did two years in the minors ultimately.

I did the third year I was actually headed to double A. Um

and I won't you know I definitely won't blame it on my eye but once they figured it out that I couldn't see you know that

was pretty much the end of it. But I was headed to double A when they didn't resign me.

Yeah. And Brian, the thing that I hear that you've already alluded to and whether it's especially D1 college or my

god especially pro ball is their attitude a lot of times is hey we got a line around the block of dudes that are

just like you. We'll we'll find I mean is that is it it's that cutthroat, right? It really is man. When I when I tell you

I ran a 647 I bet you they had 10 other guys that could do the same thing. See, that's hard to That is just so hard to

Well, and as it turns out, they had dudes faster, right? They had dudes faster. That's right.

That is so, you know, I don't know about you, but when I used to every now and then we'd go to pro games or college

games of whatever sport, but I'm the dude that gets early, I want to see a punter, how high they punt the ball. I

want to see a quarterback warm up. I want to see how high the receivers can jump and all that kind of stuff. So, I'm

fascinated with speed and arm strength and all that. And it is hard for me to

imagine people beating your time in the 60s like you're talking about the Lofttons and who whoever it might be.

It's hard to believe that people can run that fast and and and have a skill set

that translates to baseball and figure out the fielding and the and by the way, did you ever see anybody that you

thought, man, this dude can run and he can throw, but he's never going to hit at this level or was there some of that

going on too where they were being patient with guys maybe a little bit longer because they were so physically

gifted, but maybe you didn't see it as far as something about their skill set.

I thought that initially about Kenny Loftton. Really? Yeah. I I I'm You know, I go back and I

and I Kenny played at Auburn the year before me and I go back and I look at our stats and they were similar.

They they gave Kenny more time because Kenny was a whole lot faster than I was and I'm thinking I personally believe

Kenny should be in the Hall of Fame. He was a heck of a player, man. And um

I'm thinking, man, if id have got the time that Kenny had, what kind of career could I have had if I'd have been able

to see? Yeah. You know, but yeah, I I I thought that initially about Kenny, but

after a few years, Kenny turned it on and man, Kenny could play and he learned to hit and he could hit well. Yeah.

Yeah. He was an all-around guy for sure, man. He was something else. Well, um,

is there anything else about the miners you want to add before I'm I got another quick topic? I've had you an hour 15 and

I apologize, but I there's something else I want to ask you about, but is there anything You're good.

Okay, let me let me ask you this, Andy. Did you ever Did you have kids that that played sports by any chance?

My daughter, she ran track. Okay. Um, but she never wanted to play

softball or anything, but Okay. She ran track and she was a cheerleader at the University of Arkansas. Yeah. But she

didn't. That's all she wanted to do. Okay. Well, the reason I ask is how much

of the current how much baseball do you watch since you play? I mean, do you do you see high school and college games

very often and program? I'm I'm just curious because do you watch all the time?

Yeah. Raise I watch Arkansas all the time. Oh, okay. All right. My son's a he's not a playing ball, but he's attending up

there. Um, so what how do you This is about Gen X. I mean, I'm talking to Gen

X guys. I'm talking to a Gen X pro right now. How do you

think the game? It may be a conversation for another day. There's so many things, but how do you think the game has

changed at whatever level um over the years since the 80s and 90s

when we were playing and you were a pro in the early 90s?

I think they're bigger than we were. Mhm. Um I think they're faster

than we were. Um, I'm not into all of the um

I know you see the k the catchers wearing the earpieces. Yeah. And calling pitches.

Me, too. Yeah. I'm not into to to all of that. Um, that's how I think the game is has

changed a little bit. Um, yeah. You see, I I I personally never face a

guy throwing a hundred. I never faced that. Now when you look on these college teams, there's probably two or three

guys throwing a 100. Now maybe you can tell me, do you think that's the radar

gun? I don't know. Oh, you know, I was watching the College World Series this year because Arkansas being in it and

I've got in-laws that are LSU fans and I watched a lot of baseball this college season and I was surprised how many guys

were throwing 99 and 100, like you said, multiple guys per staff when that used

to be sort of an exception. and you'd have a a a guy like that and now there's there's teams that can throw three guys

in a row out there throwing that from both sides, you know, and I don't I

don't know if you tell me is that a is that because the coaching is so much better and the condition because let me

tell you my experience with kids now have a personal coach that

trains them strengthwise and and flexibility and speed and pitchers have

pitching tutors and hitters have hitting tutors and they've Then they play high school ball, then they play travel ball.

They don't they specialize now. High school coaches, this has been my experience because, you know, Bryant had

a heck of a football program and my son played football there. But kids are so coached by, you know, by position, by

strength, by pitching versus they're so coached and then and then high school coaches will tell you that they're okay

with you playing multiple sports. I don't believe that for a second. I think most of them are lying about that. They

want you to play their sport year round. I've seen that and I I believe that's what's really going on. But I go to

these games and and I watch some online from local around here. And you know, there's no concept just just this is

just me. I'm being an old man. Get off my lawn. Turn the music down. But I don't I don't see any concept of

small ball. Like the teams will only bunt guys around when it's the seventh inning and they have to make a comeback.

It seems like it's get a couple of guys on and pray for a home run. That seems to be the offensive strategy nowadays

because the kids are bigger and stronger and the bats are hotter and a million reasons, but it just it it feels like

the, you know, the the getting down and dirty and stealing bases and sac

sacrificing guys over and all that is kind of kind of gone. And I don't know,

I mean, cuz theoretically the guys that are coaching now are our age or not too much younger than us, a lot of them. But

I don't know. I just don't see the style of baseball that I grew up watching the Cardinals and Vince Coleman and Willie

McGee and stealing all those bases and and we were very aggressive and y'all were very aggressive and and I've heard

you talk about now Van Horn being aggressive and having a guy he trusted to steal. I don't see that much anymore.

I see, hey man, we got two guys on. This next guy better hit it over. I mean, that's that's kind of how I see

Man, you're spot on. I I I see the exact same thing. You know, if you listen to

it, all I hear now is lunch angle. Yeah, launch angle. And I don't even know if I really know what launch angle

means, but I know a lot of stats that I don't know

what they mean. I know. I know. And and it's it's it's it's a totally different game than when

you and I played. You know, you're I'm I'm used to getting a man on first. Either he steals or you bought him over

and then they have the next guy come up and try to hit him. That that does you don't see much of that now.

And and you don't wait till you have to have a comeback in the last inning to do that. We used to manufact I call it

manufacturing runs. We used to we didn't hope and pray on home runs. We had dudes that can hit them, but you know, we

tried to manufacture runs as early as possible in the game. And I don't see I just don't see much of that. You know,

you're in the state tournament and I've I've seen two to probably two up all the

way to 5A state tournaments the last few years here and there and it's just like, man, they're just hoping for a home run.

That's all they've got to throw out there, man. It drives me nuts. It's you're you're absolutely right,

man. It's it's it's definitely a different game than when you and I played it, for sure. Well, and these kids these kids are, you know, they're

they're lifting a lot more probably than than we did back then. And and so I don't know. I I guess it makes you

kind of lazy coaching if you got one kid that can smack it around that good. But that's that's just what I see. That's

the way it feels to me that that's what's going on. It's I I I remember having a coach with

um a conversation with Van Horn. It's probably been a few years ago. I was

there in Fedville and I go up and visit him from now and then and I said, "Man,

I remember you getting on me once for catching a fly ball with one hand."

I didn't catch it and I was drifting. And I said I said, "Now I notice all

your guys, they're reaching up with one hand, making a catch, and I don't see you saying anything." And he he kind of

looked at me and laughed. He said, "You know, Brian, the game has changed a little bit. things have changed. He said, "All I want him to do is catch

it and make an out, and I'm good with it." You know, so the game is a little different, man. And you know, I I say

that and and then how did we That wasn't the only play, but this year in the

College World Series. Yeah. You know, uh yeah, misplay ball here or there, you know,

the fundamentals of it. So, it it's a little different now. Yeah. It see it seems like even at the

highest levels occasionally there's a guy that is out of pos like he's in the outfield out of necessity I guess and he

doesn't really know how to judge line drives and fly balls and I'm not saying that's what happened in that one but you

do see some of that you're like well that was kind of a fundamental thing that they blew right there what's going on with that but

yeah and that guy kind of slipped too so he did that yeah he slipped so yeah but you do see some really

boneheaded stuff even at the highest level and you wonder about it. For sure. Well, I've kept you for an hour and a

half. I'm gonna wrap up the podcast recording right here, but I want you to stay on for like five more minutes. Is that cool?

Okay, I'm good, brother. Yeah, I'm good. So, Brian, on on behalf of the listeners, I really appreciate you

joining us and we're going to get two really good episodes out of this. And not only that, we're going to talk some

more in the future at some point or another. All right, brother. I appreciate the time, man. All right. Thank you. I'm gonna kill the

recording, but you hang on. Okay. Thank you, Brian, very much. That's Brian Smith, everybody. Thank you for joining us on Gen X

Classic Sports, where nostalgia meets the thrill of the game. Tune in next time for more insightful discussions and

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