Episode 237 - Dancing to the Beet

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the You're Unfun Average podcast.
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I'm your host, Eric Prophet, coming to you from Wichita, Kansas, and with me as always, I have Johnny Bowlen, a late Charles Gumbo Gators fan.
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It's ironic, my nickname in high school was Sugar Beat.
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Now, I didn't know, you know, years later it- Just kidding.
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So Are you giving away a little- That was not my nickname, by the way.
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This is not a nickname game.
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Well, Johnny, I think you're giving away a little bit of who our special guest is.
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before we got going here, he said the last time he came on here was about 27 years ago, and it feels like not long ago, but we have Jeff Dobish with us.
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How are you, Jeff?
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I'm doing absolutely awesome, guys.
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Good to be back with you guys.
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We were just talking about how long it's been, uh, four or five years since we did the, uh, the Earn Fun podcast, and it, uh, it was awesome then.
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I was just getting into collegiate summer baseball ownership, and, uh, five years later, new city, new excitement, uh, new name.
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I mean, obviously we're the Sugar Beets, but, it's awesome getting back on with you guys.
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That means summer's only, what, seven months away?
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For sure.
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Well, it's still, like, 100 out around here- Right.
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so it still feels like summer, but- I'm in Florida.
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It's, uh, summer every day.
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We've got two or three days and, and, uh, just before spring training when it freezes up, but, uh, it's 100 degrees here in, in Tampa Bay.
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Yeah.
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Well, we, uh, talked a little beforehand.
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Obviously you were with the former team, but you're with the Sugar Beets now.
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So, uh, like we typically do, we start out with the favorite hats.
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I don't know if there's a specific hat with the Sugar Beets that you wouldn't mind describing or anything else.
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Well, our hats are all brand new.
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You know, we've got them in, uh, in production and design.
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Uh, the Sugar Beet, uh, our mascot, Well, our whole logo and, and, and motto is really c- called Taking Root.
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So the, the Sugar Beets themselves that are grown in the ground have deep roots, and, uh, so our mascot's name is Rooty, R-O-O-T-Y.
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And, uh, he's, uh, he's a pretty cute little fella.
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the, the color scheme is, uh, black, uh, the hot pink, a, like, a slate gray, and white, and they look spectacular.
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We've got some incredible companies working with us for the design, especially with the hats.
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But, uh, I'm just gonna go with the, uh, the batting practice hot pink Goering Sugar Beets with, uh, Rooty on the front of it as my, my favorite hat of the day.
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There we go.
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Appreciate that.
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Mr.
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Bowlin, what about yourself?
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I'm getting the vision, because I love the movie so much, that when he comes out the crowd'll just recreate the movie scene, right?
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Rooty, Rooty, Rooty.
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Yeah.
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The crowd there, uh, will just go crazy, recreate.
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That's a great nickname, by the way.
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I, I think- Thank you.
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Yeah, my, my, uh, my wife did that.
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It's, it's- We were sitting there.
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I wanted to call him Sugar, right?
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I wanted to call the mascot Sugar, for Sugar Beet, and we were sitting one night and my wife's a, She's a, uh, creative person, is an interior designer and decorator, and she was just sitting there and she goes, uh, I, I like Rooty." Like,"R-U-D-Y?" And she goes,"No, R-O-O-T-Y, for roots." I'm like- You got it Oh, good.
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Easy to remember.
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Yep.
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You have the movie, right?
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Rudy.
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Yep.
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Everybody knows that, that name and, and so.
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for tonight, this was recently sent to me by one Eric Profit Esquire of the greater Wichita area, representing tonight a recent guest on our podcast, those Dyersville if you build it, they will come- Mm-hmm Dreamers.
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So a little Dyersville Dreamers tonight.
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So really cool hat.
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Very, very cool hat.
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They've got some great logos, Seth.
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Yep, new, uh, Northwoods League team starting in 2027.
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So, for myself, about the last time we would've talked to Jeff would've been about the beginning of the Wichita Wind Surge.
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Well, as of two days ago at the time of this recording, the Wichita Wind Surge are no longer.
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Ooh.
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They have changed the name, so we had an alternate identity here in Wichita.
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They've been playing as the Wichita Turbo Tubs.
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And obviously for a lot of people, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it kind of goes back to the river troll statue we have here, and then the Wichita River Festival that's gonna celebrate the 56th year, I think, here coming up next year, 55th or 56th year.
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But it's kind of a combination of that, but they've been playing as the Turbo Tubs as an alternate last, mm, five years or so, and so they decided to go with that full time.
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So if you go on the website right now, Johnny, these hats,$5.
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Fitted hats,$10.
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So adjustable$5 hats, fitted$10 hats.
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So I got, let's see, four of them.
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Think I got four of them last week.
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So this is one of them.
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says Wichita Wind Surge, has a logo.
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It's blue with the red bill, snapback hat.
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So I got the, uh, Wind Surge$5 hat today.
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So I saw your tweet, and I went on, I went on the online store.
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Now, I noticed, and I was gon- I should've tweet- I t- texted you this the other day Are they doing a new Turbo Tub logo?
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'Cause Turbo Tub hats were also$5 adjustable.
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But I thought, well, if they're going with the name, but yet they're doing like a clearance sale, right,$5, are they rebranding the Turbo Tubs?
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did I unlock a mystery without trying to, Mr.
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Prop?
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Well, it's funny that you said that because- as of this morning, my brother text me and asked me the exact same thing.
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So I'm not really sure of that answer.
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They could just be getting rid of all the current inventory and just gonna bring in something real new, uh, all new stuff, or they could just be kinda revamping the logo a little bit.
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I am not sure, but it's funny you said that'cause my brother asked the exact same thing this morning.
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Yeah.
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I, I thought,"Well, why is the Turbos Tu- hmm." Are they doing a fresh But you're, you're right, could be just, hey, we're just getting rid of old inventory, and maybe they will do a refreshed, logo set for the Turbo Tubs.
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But, they've got some great deals.
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I was able to show some limited self-control.
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The fact that my wife was at the Ole Miss football game the very next day, I knew money would be spent there on her trip to Oxford.
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So that was a deterrent, right?
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For sure.
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Here's what I can guarantee about the$5 hats, gentlemen, and this is what I've, the conclusion I've come to in the last two, three minutes here is that at$5 a piece, nobody's making any money on those hats.
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Right.
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but easily, what, 32, 35 now for a cleanup, for a Tubbz cleanup.
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which are great hats.
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But yeah, I agree with Jeff.
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They couldn't be making any, No$5 unless the shipping's, uh,$75.
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Now, maybe they'll make it up on the I don't know what the shipping is, but- So I don't, I, I don't know what they're charging shipping.
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But yeah, I looked, Eric, when I saw your tweet the other night, ironically was watching Missouri.
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Was that the night of Missouri-Kansas?
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Which we won't talk about, football on Friday night.
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So just got on there and I thought,"Man, they got a ton of hats." I didn't even get into, like, the clothing, men's cloth- I just was looking hats.
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I've got one Turbo Tubbs hat where he's in the, you know, in the tub with the sail.
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It's navy blue.
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It's 47.
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So I had one, and I've got a couple I've got the Wichita State hat that you gave me that's wind surge, and then the one Brother Joe sent years ago.
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I've got that, hat a- as well.
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So I've got at least- Two, maybe, maybe a third one that's not coming to mind tonight.
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But, that's a heck of a deal.
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I know what I'm doing tonight.
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So Check the shipping.
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Check the sh- shipping, Johnny.
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Yeah, check the ship.
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You- that's good advice, Jeff.
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Well, Well Jeff, the, so the last time you were on here, we- you were in Caldwell- Yes with the Spuds, and then, was moving over to Casper to be the Casper Spuds.
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So wanted to tell a little bit about, so now you are, starting a team in Gering, Nebraska.
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Yes.
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Uh, so tell everybody a little bit about that and kinda what drew you to, Nebraska there.
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Well, I mean, uh, uh, very familiar with, with Gering and Scottsbluff County.
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Obviously they played in, uh, the Expedition League with the Spuds, and, uh, joined us with the ILB.
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you know, for, for Caldwell, just to touch on the Spuds, you know, founding that team, starting that team, growing that team from nothing.
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And, and back then when it was the Expedition League, we had 14 teams in the ILB.
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Uh, a bus trip from Caldwell to the Surris Valley, uh, or Minot or Dickinson, man, they were 18, 19, 20-hour bus trips.
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Mm.
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Uh, my first year in Caldwell our bus bill was$87,000.
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Uh, that's collegiate summer baseball with 34, 32 home games, and we played 32 or 34 at home, and then 32 or 34 on the road.
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So, uh, once stuff hit the fan with the Expedition League and, and, uh, all the layers of the onion were peeled off, the remaining owners of the ILB got together and said,"Hey, look, we wanna do this a certain way, in a certain fashion, and we have to condense our geography." to an owner, and, uh, everybody said,"Hey, we're not, We will this year, our first year in the ILB, but we're no longer, going to Caldwell." So we had to find a new home, and luckily enough, uh, you know, found Casper.
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the Horseheads, uh, had, rode their way out of town, and, uh, we were lucky enough to find some great partners there in Paul and Christy, uh, and another partner, Brad.
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And, moved everything and got it on a truck and moved it over to Casper.
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And Paul and Christy, uh, finalized the sale four months ago, five months ago, and now are 100% owners and still in the ILB, and a very strong franchise, and have turned around that entire baseball community.
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I think they're close to 800, uh, an average of 800 people a game.
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Wow.
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Which is incredible.
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Uh, they've done a great job.
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And, and I'm super proud,'cause when I see the, the social media, and the emails, and the posts, and I see Spudly, and, uh, I see what they've done and kept the, the pinstripes, the old Arizona Diamondback pinstripes from 1996, I think.
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Uh, they've changed some things up and, and got some new cool uniforms, but just super proud and impressed of what they did there.
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it was really been the last three years in looking for a place to go if I was gonna come back.
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In the last three years, I've become a grandfather for the first time.
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my three-year-old grandson is, is just absolutely the, the love of my life.
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We go to Tampa Bay Lightning games together all the time.
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We go to Bradenton Marauder, uh, baseball games together, and, uh, it's just really changed my life.
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And I got another one too.
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Uh, Emerson is one years old.
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Emerson is, uh, in the top 99.9 percentile, of babies.
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He's huge.
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He's wearing some of my clothes, and I'm 6'5", 280 pounds, and he borrows my jeans every now and again, but this kid is massive.
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Not ready to be mobile to go to a game yet, but, this Sunday night, uh, we'll be back at, uh, Benchmark Arena in Tampa, watching the preseason game with the Lightning and the, Carolina Hurricanes, so hockey's back.
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But when I looked at Garring and I looked at where it was geography-wise, because the ILB last year lost the Hastings Sos- Sodbusters and the Fremont Move, they both went to another league it fractured the IOB even more.
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In fact, we went down to three teams this year and a couple travel b- ball teams, knowing that we were gonna have to really shrink that geography.
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So Garin just made so much sense.
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One, the city in its heyday back in 2018 to uh, it was really the crown jewel of our league, uh, with the attendance, uh, they were a, a league champion, then in 2023 they made a decision that they were gonna go on their own and, and leave the IOB, and see if the, the grass was any greener elsewhere.
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And since then they've had no, no league, and the leases ran out, the timing was just right for me to get back in, in a full ownership situation, myself and my wife, and, uh, do what we do.
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And that's bring a first-class organization to a fantastic city that supports summer collegiate baseball, and uh, but wants to go out and see a, a good product that, can deliver on their promises and execute a, a really high-end family fun entertainment product and bring value to that stadium.
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And we're super excited about it and can't wait to get there.
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I appreciate you sharing that.
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Well- Yeah y- you obviously mentioned, uh, Bradenton Marauders, so I went- Yeah with some friends, and we met out in Tampa back in May and got to see the, there was two of us, we went,'cause we got there a little early.
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We went to- Yep a Marauders game, and I really enjoyed the ballpark.
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Mm-hmm.
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It was a nice little ballpark, Lecom ballpark.
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In the middle of nowhere.
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Bradenton, Bradenton.
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Just, you don't even know the ballpark's there.
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It's great.
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Excellent ballpark.
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Yeah.
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Got to see the Clearwater Threshers.
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W- did get to see a Tampa Bay Rays game, which I liked it.
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Nice.
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I'd never been there before.
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With the new roof, it's kinda lighter in there from- Yep what everybody mentions.
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I agree.
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So it was enjoyable, and got to go over to USF to see the Bulls play.
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They were playing the Wichita State Shockers, my hometown team.
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Nice.
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So we got to see them play, and got to see the Tampa Tarpons, so yeah, I had a fun time kind of in your area back in May.
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It's a great place for baseball.
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I mean, uh, uh, Lecom Field in Bradenton is, the grass is pristine.
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I, I, I like to sit right in behind home plate, row 1, the grass is unbelievable.
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In fact, last year when I went, former, uh, Spearfish Sasquatch, uh, Charles McAdoo, was in Pittsburgh playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Oh, that's right.
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And, uh, he played against us with the Spearfish when they came to, uh- Yeah Caldwell, and, uh, this guy- Would lay down a bunt and it would go 40 feet over the left field fence.
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Absolutely unbelievable.
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And everything you pitched to him, he hit out of the ballpark.
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And it wasn't like he was this unbelievable, like the Ken Griffey Jr.
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of, Little League baseball.
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Uh, he was just a So I got to talk to him, got to know him.
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Well, lo and behold, he gets traded to the Blue Jays and, uh, made his Major League debut this year for the Blue Jays.
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He's still up with the big club.
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I texted him the day he got called up, and I'm, I'm kind of getting goosebumps here because, uh, the Sasquatch have had 17 of their players sign professional contracts.
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Uh, the Spuds, I believe, have three now that have signed professional contracts.
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And, it talks a little bit about the quality of the organization.
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But, th- this area here, when you're talking about Lecom Park, it was, uh It's pretty majestic.
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I sc- I came down to Florida 25 years ago, I think I told you guys, to go to, Port St.
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Lucie, Florida, to go see the New York Mets.
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I ended up, you know, spending the summer, hanging out with all the New York Mets.
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I'd go there with a lawn chair and a 12-pack of Miller Lite Frosties, and I'd just sit at the park in the back fields talking with Mike Piazza and the pitching staff and, and, uh, like every day, just showed up.
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It was cool.
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If you've never been to spring training, I don't care if it's in Arizona, I've never been to an Arizona game, but, uh, in Florida, there's just something very majestic about going to a spring training game.
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Uh, the prices now have crept up to where they're beyond 2026 pricing at Major League ballparks, but, uh, it's pretty cool to go to a game.
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Well, I know that you and your wife are excited about the, the Gehring market.
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Yeah.
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Have you already thought about promotions, or is that still too far down the road about what kind of cool stuff would we like to do in our first season in this new market?
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Johnny, I've, I've never seen the field, and it's a beautiful- brand-new ballpark.
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So for me, the real keys are, is getting the lay of the land.
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Myself and my team are gonna go up, uh, in the next couple weeks, um, kind of working around everybody's back to school schedules and, and some of the guys on, uh, city council and working around their schedules.
00:14:56.835 --> 00:15:01.134
But once we see the ballpark, it's gonna allow us to get a better handle of what we can do there.
00:15:01.514 --> 00:15:04.475
We hear it's unbelievable, the feedback from the people that have been there.
00:15:04.485 --> 00:15:11.368
My son, who was coaching the Spuds that, uh, uh, went to, uh, Oregon Trail Park Stadium, said it's beautiful and what we can do there.
00:15:11.368 --> 00:15:21.057
But the, the biggest thing for us, uh, I think especially in the first couple, two, three weeks, is to really make sure that, people know the experience at the ballpark is different.
00:15:21.067 --> 00:15:25.567
What I don't wanna do is make it, uh, flashy and shiny but not of any substance.
00:15:25.597 --> 00:15:31.375
I wanna make sure that, uh, the way they're greeted is different, uh, the way the games are, ran and operated.
00:15:31.504 --> 00:15:38.565
I mean, everything's scripted now anyways, not so like it's a, a Savannah Bananas game, but more so you're gonna do this here, this here, this here.
00:15:38.825 --> 00:15:41.965
we've just signed, uh, an incredible young broadcaster.
00:15:41.965 --> 00:15:49.211
He's a, uh, he's a senior, uh, at FMU, and, uh, or FAU, sorry, here in Florida, and he's got a tremendous background.
00:15:49.211 --> 00:15:53.691
So I wanted to make sure that that side of the television side and the product that, uh, we're putting.
00:15:54.010 --> 00:15:56.671
and first and foremost, for me, it's not about wins and losses.
00:15:56.691 --> 00:16:07.171
We're setting the stage and the culture for how Sugar Beach baseball is gonna be for the next 15 to 20 years, which is high character, high effort, and a huge community involvement.
00:16:07.230 --> 00:16:16.057
So if you're a player that wants to get away from mommy and daddy for the summer and, and don't want to be down in the basement, uh, waiting for, uh, Dairy Queen to open at 8:00, this is the wrong team for you.
00:16:16.307 --> 00:16:17.437
You're gonna come to town.
00:16:17.437 --> 00:16:19.301
You're gonna be, uh, treated nice.
00:16:19.301 --> 00:16:28.630
You're gonna get all kinds of, uh, cool stuff, from pregame shorts and shirts to belts to six different uniforms, and we're gonna travel on a luxury, uh, bus.
00:16:28.910 --> 00:16:42.461
But, uh, for us, first things first is setting the standard, uh, and that we're gonna live by as well as owners, as managers, as VPs of operations, and the stadium operations, ticket sales, and marketing on how we do stuff.
00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.071
probably gonna be number one goal for the summertime.
00:16:45.341 --> 00:16:54.081
In regards to events, fireworks shows, uh, stuff like that, we're gonna do, uh, uh, some celebrity, uh, slow pitch games to bring the fans out, raise some money.
00:16:54.345 --> 00:17:02.168
one thing we're working on right now, because we've got 100 different balls up in the air right now, but something that's near and dear to me is, is feeding, hungry children.
00:17:02.384 --> 00:17:14.204
and this time of year in the summer when everybody's not really thinking about Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners, food banks all across this country, in fact all across this planet, are empty in the summer.
00:17:14.318 --> 00:17:32.211
So- Mm-hmm uh, the biggest thing that we did in Caldwell, it was the most succe- successful promotion for us, was, the Battle of the Credit Unions, where we took four really cool people from credit unions, uh, bank managers, in exchange for, uh, a non-perishable food item, they could exchange that for a ticket to the game.
00:17:32.271 --> 00:17:48.378
So the whole Battle of the Credit Unions was these credit unions promoting to go to a Spuds game, bring a food item, and they got a, got them a chance to roll out their staff from tellers to managers to janitors, whoever was showing up with, uh, ICCU Credit Union.
00:17:48.378 --> 00:17:51.888
They were all in the field, and they got to say, hey, why they did this, how much food they raised.
00:17:52.318 --> 00:17:54.118
And it was funny because the more we did...
00:17:54.118 --> 00:17:58.759
The first one we did I think raised maybe 700 or 800 pounds of food, and then the next one was like 11.
00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.068
And we ended up raising three tons of food between these four banks.
00:18:02.201 --> 00:18:11.105
that is near and dear to me, uh, it was kind of cool to, to get with the food bank and donate the food and, that's one of the saddest things of, of leaving Caldwell, was the momentum that we built.
00:18:11.125 --> 00:18:12.825
But those are the kind of events I wanna do.
00:18:12.845 --> 00:18:18.001
Just doing the, uh, the free squishy ball giveaway, there isn't really a lot of substance to that.
00:18:18.001 --> 00:18:29.760
There will be some sponsorsh- sponsorship, uh, uh, nights and events, but, uh, for me, four Saturday nights, uh, to have Battle of the, Credit Unions is what I'm most looking for Oh, that sounds, that sounds amazing.
00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:30.201
Yeah.
00:18:30.211 --> 00:18:37.067
When you make that first trip to this new market, who are, are you going- how, how are you going to market or n- get to meet...
00:18:37.280 --> 00:18:38.941
You had mentioned the city council.
00:18:38.941 --> 00:18:38.961
Yeah.
00:18:38.961 --> 00:18:55.218
Will you be- you guys were going, like, Chamber of Commerce, going out maybe randomly talking to business owners that are near the ball- I was really curious about how, how your initial marketing was going to be once you see the ballpark and get there and, and have some time in the market.
00:18:55.401 --> 00:19:04.711
Yeah, for us in the market is, is really getting people to the ballpark, uh, and changing their paradigm of, of whether it was a good experience or a great experience, and showing them what we do.
00:19:04.961 --> 00:19:08.515
Uh, it's the, the best, uh, really sampler you can give to anybody.
00:19:08.525 --> 00:19:09.275
Here's what it is.
00:19:09.305 --> 00:19:12.490
We're changing the, the game times, uh, I think to 6:35.
00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:26.887
So, uh, you get off work at 5:00, grab the kids instead of staying home and making dinner, sitting on the sofa and going,"Hey, let's do this next time." Now we wanna make it so mom and dad can pick up the kids, the aunts, the uncles, the neighbors, come to the ballpark and get incredible food.
00:19:27.298 --> 00:19:31.917
Uh, it's not gonna be, uh, hot dogs boiled in a pot, put on a, uh, four-day piece of bread.
00:19:31.917 --> 00:19:34.520
It's gonna be upscale, great burgers.
00:19:34.540 --> 00:19:41.941
Uh, we were known in Caldwell, you know, as I think I talked to you guys before, we built a custom 24-foot food truck that had incredible food.
00:19:42.010 --> 00:19:56.240
Uh, Shamrock Foods, which is our partner in Caldwell, and they're gonna be our partner in Gering, uh, which is another cool thing, is a lot of those people that supported us in Caldwell, they were the first ones I called, and they got on the phone and phoned all their buddies in Gering, whether it be Pepsi or Shamrock Foods.
00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:05.045
And, uh, it was pretty cool to get inbound calls going,"Hey, I talked to Melanie out at Pepsi," or,"I talked to, Brian out at Shamrock." And so the food is, is super huge.
00:20:05.065 --> 00:20:06.424
Uh, it's combination.
00:20:06.744 --> 00:20:13.171
Uh, we're looking right now, through the, uh, plans and so forth that the city of Gering sent to us, as how we're gonna set up the kitchen.
00:20:13.181 --> 00:20:20.800
Fryers are essential to have fries and chicken fingers and some, uh, cool meals for the kids, uh, some good hearty meals so people can go,"You know what?
00:20:20.881 --> 00:20:28.500
That's a, that's a pretty, you know, burger and fries and a, and a soft drink is a pretty good deal." So, and being cognitive right now of, of the pricing.
00:20:28.760 --> 00:20:38.971
You know, pricing's gone through the roof all the way around for hotel rooms and buses and, uh, we're nowhere paying near, anywhere near where we were for jerseys and hats and, and, uh, merchandise.
00:20:38.971 --> 00:20:41.805
So to be very respectful and understanding.
00:20:41.815 --> 00:20:55.173
And, another thing I'm super excited about is we started, uh, uh, with a company called Vet Tix, V-E-T T-I-X And it is a military company that, uh, we slot a certain amount of tickets for every home game.
00:20:55.455 --> 00:21:00.326
veterans in the area can get in touch with Vet Tix and, uh, get free tickets.
00:21:00.536 --> 00:21:04.056
some of those are in the wheelchair section for those that were less fortunate and maybe injured.
00:21:04.262 --> 00:21:14.383
uh, another big thing for me that's near and dear, uh, is, uh, s- saluting our veterans, saluting our police, our fire, our doctors, our nurses, our EMT, our hospital workers.
00:21:14.383 --> 00:21:21.853
Obviously, you know, we're a, a couple miles out of COVID, but we worked right through COVID with the Spuds in, in Caldwell and in, in Casper.
00:21:21.853 --> 00:21:32.153
So, Vet Tix was a great partner, uh, back in 2021 and 2022, and the same guy I dealt with there, I gave him an email a couple weeks ago and was just like,"Hey, we're back." Same team.
00:21:32.153 --> 00:21:36.752
I've got the same marketing team here in Tampa that, that built the Spuds, uh, is now with the Sugar Beet.
00:21:36.752 --> 00:21:41.996
So as I was saying, uh, earlier, it's, uh, it's a lot easier when you know what's around that corner, right?
00:21:41.996 --> 00:21:43.986
So with, uh, in Caldwell, we had no idea.
00:21:44.066 --> 00:21:50.246
We got hit by a bus 50 different times by different things, and all of a sudden something was supposed to show up, and hey, it's not, it's stuck on a boat.
00:21:50.246 --> 00:21:52.556
We couldn't get baseballs our first year in Casper.
00:21:52.556 --> 00:21:53.586
They are In Caldwell.
00:21:53.905 --> 00:21:57.105
They were stuck on a, an ocean liner in the middle of San Francisco, right?
00:21:57.135 --> 00:21:58.405
Nobody could get baseballs.
00:21:58.405 --> 00:21:59.145
I mean, it was crazy.
00:21:59.486 --> 00:22:02.076
But as far as events, uh, uh, that'll grow.
00:22:02.086 --> 00:22:03.726
We'll have some pretty strong things going on.
00:22:03.726 --> 00:22:07.133
But for me, it's, it's honoring the military and feeding kids.
00:22:07.133 --> 00:22:09.762
It's, it's super important to me, and working with the local food bank.
00:22:09.772 --> 00:22:20.016
Those will be some of the coolest things we'll do to get the community and the team, and just take a, a little bit of that pain and that sting off of, uh, how they may have felt, how things went in previous seasons.
00:22:20.454 --> 00:22:21.454
Oh, well that sounds amazing.
00:22:21.474 --> 00:22:23.954
We went to a fun, talking about for a food bank.
00:22:24.214 --> 00:22:28.755
The Baby Cakes had a Cinco de Mayo- Oh, nice.
00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:31.661
How many jars of mayonnaise did they raise, uh, John?
00:22:31.671 --> 00:22:33.770
Bring a jar of mayonnaise, you got in for free.
00:22:34.141 --> 00:22:34.480
Yeah.
00:22:34.621 --> 00:22:38.780
Like a weeknight game, you know, so probably was gonna be kind of low, you know.
00:22:39.045 --> 00:22:46.421
And so we went down there with our three jars of mayonnaise, but it was going to a local food bank, and I thought, What a clever idea.
00:22:46.431 --> 00:22:53.790
Helping people, providing something, and yet You know, you're helping, but then we get the benefit, right?" Yeah.
00:22:54.015 --> 00:22:59.228
And then in the team in turn, that's an opportunity to sell concessions, merchandise.
00:22:59.278 --> 00:22:59.498
Yep.
00:22:59.721 --> 00:23:06.295
You're getting people into the ballpark- Correct and helping others at the same time, which I thought was really smart.
00:23:06.785 --> 00:23:10.384
I'm loving the colors that you said the, uh, Sugar Beats gonna be.
00:23:10.625 --> 00:23:10.944
Yes.
00:23:11.015 --> 00:23:16.827
Were there any other color schemes, this is my last que- any other color schemes- Sure for the Sugar Beats?
00:23:17.077 --> 00:23:17.978
just trying to think.
00:23:17.988 --> 00:23:22.438
You know, we, we hired, uh, Jason Stem from Stem Creator for our second time.
00:23:22.438 --> 00:23:28.835
As I said, he put the color scheme and Spudley together, i- it was his real first, mock, was these colors.
00:23:28.855 --> 00:23:42.972
And I remember seeing it when I watched a Banana Game one night, and, uh, it's not anything like we have, but it was the firefighter uniforms with the yellow, and it was just super cool, and I kind of went I promised the city that the brand is gonna be different, the colors are gonna be different.
00:23:42.982 --> 00:23:45.522
They're gonna know they're not in Kansas anymore.
00:23:45.522 --> 00:23:46.863
No disrespect to you guys.
00:23:46.863 --> 00:23:48.803
I know you guys know Kansas far better than me.
00:23:49.086 --> 00:23:55.467
being a, a former professional hockey player goon, my whole idea was I gotta pop somebody in the nose right away.
00:23:55.606 --> 00:24:01.140
So I wanted to make sure the nickname was solid, and I wanna make sure the colors were solid so that they know we're serious.
00:24:01.150 --> 00:24:09.603
So I'm really looking forward to that farmer in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska, pulling up in a pink Sugar Beets T-shirt.
00:24:09.653 --> 00:24:16.250
I, I mean, there's gotta be an event or some sort of, you know, night around, pink shirt farmer night.
00:24:16.250 --> 00:24:18.769
But we do have black ones and gray and white ones, so be careful.
00:24:18.769 --> 00:24:19.559
They're not all pink.
00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:21.809
But, We, we just kinda fell right out of the get-go.
00:24:21.849 --> 00:24:27.069
the, like I said, the same guys that, that founded Caldwell with me and got that started are still with me.
00:24:27.099 --> 00:24:34.237
You know, they've been with me for 10 years, uh, we all kinda looked at each other and, and we had done some research on, you know, the agriculture side.
00:24:34.237 --> 00:24:36.987
What was, uh, what was really the lifeblood of that area?
00:24:37.106 --> 00:24:38.707
And Sugar Beets, kept coming up.
00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:44.803
It was actually, uh, a friend of mine that, was one of the owners of the, uh, Sawtooth Sockeyes out in, uh, in Caldwell.
00:24:44.913 --> 00:24:47.123
Ironically enough, it all comes back to Caldwell.
00:24:47.163 --> 00:24:56.153
But, were out for dinner one night, we were talking about nicknames and spuds and potatoes and all that, and, uh, Casey had made mention of the Sugar Beets, and I just thought,"What a great name.
00:24:56.163 --> 00:24:56.603
I love it.
00:24:56.603 --> 00:25:00.053
There's so much you can do with it." But, Yeah, we didn't really, um...
00:25:00.257 --> 00:25:08.787
We looked around the league as what was in Spearfish, the light blue, the purple, you know, the Zapper are blue and yellow, uh, uh, you know, the Moo are blue and orange.
00:25:08.836 --> 00:25:13.027
we've got, uh, we've got some new franchises coming in, here in 2027.
00:25:13.076 --> 00:25:14.346
We'll be up to six teams.
00:25:14.376 --> 00:25:16.346
Uh, the start of 2028, we'll be up to eight.
00:25:16.356 --> 00:25:17.767
I can't release any of those names.
00:25:17.777 --> 00:25:17.807
Right.
00:25:18.237 --> 00:25:18.406
Right.
00:25:18.690 --> 00:25:25.730
you can look inside a map of, of the US and go from, uh, northern Colorado to Nebraska and kinda figure out where we're at.
00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:30.507
But, uh, no, we, uh, the, the pink and black, just hit, and it just kinda...
00:25:30.717 --> 00:25:37.710
I did have a gentleman today tell me that,"Did you know that sugar beets aren't red?" But it's only a little bit of Rudy's side of his face for an accent.
00:25:37.710 --> 00:25:38.539
I said,"No, he's white.
00:25:38.549 --> 00:25:39.000
He's white.
00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.537
He's not, he's not red." just kinda do some cool stuff.
00:25:41.636 --> 00:25:42.467
So it's, uh...
00:25:42.547 --> 00:25:43.807
Yeah, no, we're pretty excited about it.
00:25:44.042 --> 00:25:46.573
We are talking, uh, Jeff, about the color scheme.
00:25:46.702 --> 00:25:46.813
Uh-huh.
00:25:46.813 --> 00:25:53.505
As you were talking about the pink and black, I can only think in baseball You've got the Party Animals.
00:25:53.605 --> 00:25:53.865
Yep.
00:25:54.101 --> 00:25:57.080
And now they have pink in their color scheme.
00:25:57.340 --> 00:26:05.861
former guests as well, those Mid-State Melon Mashers, and I bought one of their hats and it's- It even sounds scary when you say that.
00:26:05.911 --> 00:26:09.861
You know, even being a big guy, I'm a little fearful right now when you say Melon Mashers.
00:26:09.931 --> 00:26:13.580
I, I knew a couple of those from the early 80s from my hockey days, yeah.
00:26:14.580 --> 00:26:24.355
Well, it's, uh- I might have been one of them, though it's a cowboy with a straw in his mouth hitting a watermelon- black and kind of a bright green and pink.
00:26:24.684 --> 00:26:25.214
Hm.
00:26:25.337 --> 00:26:30.444
those are the only two that I've, seen, but, well, I guess the Florence Flamingos.
00:26:30.505 --> 00:26:34.714
I think that would be, I guess, so you guys would be four, probably four- Yeah come to mind.
00:26:34.714 --> 00:26:39.595
I, I forgot about the Flamingos, but I really like the pink on the hat.
00:26:39.755 --> 00:26:39.775
Yeah.
00:26:39.775 --> 00:26:46.951
It's the only one, of the hats that I, that I have that has pink in it, it really pops, that bill pops.
00:26:46.951 --> 00:26:47.111
Yep.
00:26:47.111 --> 00:26:59.458
And then the back of the cap, it says Mashers, and it's, it's the green kinda looking watermelon-ish- Yep with outlined in that pink, and it just, pops off a black, hat.
00:26:59.468 --> 00:27:02.867
It, it r- We've got four hats right now on the, on the table.
00:27:02.867 --> 00:27:05.637
One is the solid pink with, uh, Rudy on it.
00:27:05.657 --> 00:27:07.248
That's gonna be our batting practice hat.
00:27:07.327 --> 00:27:13.010
And then we're gonna go with a black hat with the, the pink bill, which is gonna have, the Sugar Beets across it.
00:27:13.070 --> 00:27:17.000
And then f- on the road, there'll just be a solid black hat with Gehring on it.
00:27:17.290 --> 00:27:20.211
And then we'll have a, uh, there's another combination.
00:27:20.211 --> 00:27:24.587
I think it, might be the pink with the black bill that's gonna have, uh, the Sugar Beets on it as well.
00:27:24.587 --> 00:27:30.877
So four right now, and, Wow w- we'll have many more by next year, so, uh, and the jerseys are absolutely unbelievable.
00:27:30.887 --> 00:27:32.327
Triton does our, our jerseys.
00:27:32.327 --> 00:27:33.897
They're absolutely unbelievable.
00:27:34.248 --> 00:27:40.861
Uh, I'm wearing a pair of spud shorts right now, and even into the pockets, the different colors in the pockets, and, uh, they're just first class.
00:27:40.871 --> 00:27:44.327
So it was kinda, you know, that's what we did in, in Caldwell, was with Triton.
00:27:44.347 --> 00:27:45.928
Uh, they do a incredible job.
00:27:45.938 --> 00:27:47.857
But everything is just so well done.
00:27:47.948 --> 00:27:55.498
Uh, it's a, uh, it's a nice uniform, and, and this year for the Sugar Beets, the same jerseys we wear on the field are the ones we're gonna be selling in merchandise.
00:27:55.508 --> 00:27:57.557
It's not gonna be a, a one-off.
00:27:57.557 --> 00:27:57.577
Nice.
00:27:57.577 --> 00:27:58.798
It's gonna be the same one.
00:27:59.067 --> 00:28:01.871
and our pants, uh, they're gonna redo the socks.
00:28:01.871 --> 00:28:06.414
The, the socks are gonna be pink, uh, and h- have, like, uh, roots coming out of the socks.
00:28:06.424 --> 00:28:06.434
Oh.
00:28:06.611 --> 00:28:12.381
yep, and then the pants, the jerseys themselves, the pink ones coming up, uh, will have roots coming out of the belt area.
00:28:12.381 --> 00:28:13.891
It's g- It's super, super cool.
00:28:13.891 --> 00:28:17.721
So Taking Root is, uh, really our motto for, for 2027.
00:28:18.171 --> 00:28:19.020
That's so good.
00:28:19.030 --> 00:28:19.050
Yeah.
00:28:19.248 --> 00:28:21.198
Yeah, probably shouldn't tell them I'm a sock guy.
00:28:21.248 --> 00:28:23.538
That sounds awesome, those socks- with the pink out the roots.
00:28:24.077 --> 00:28:28.057
We first started one with the stripes around them, but the roots coming up from the feet, they look super cool.
00:28:28.057 --> 00:28:28.420
So good.
00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:29.978
And they're dye sublimation.
00:28:29.988 --> 00:28:32.157
Again, Triton does that stuff, and it's incredible.
00:28:32.188 --> 00:28:33.048
And it lasts.
00:28:33.048 --> 00:28:34.684
Uh, the quality's really good.
00:28:34.684 --> 00:28:36.914
But they can do anything you wanna do.
00:28:36.954 --> 00:28:41.265
Chris Ivey and his team over there, they used to do some really funky stuff with videos.
00:28:41.265 --> 00:28:46.085
So when you announce your new uniform, this guy would come out of smoke, and it was really cool.
00:28:46.134 --> 00:28:48.270
But, no, dealing with them's super easy.
00:28:48.270 --> 00:28:50.371
You give them the files, you give them an idea of what you want.
00:28:50.381 --> 00:29:00.785
All the mocks were done up by Jason, so it's just all of a sudden you're, you're talking to a designer for about four minutes, and he's like,"Okay, next week we'll have all your mocks ready to go." And I'm like,"What?" So yeah, it's pretty, uh, it's pretty cool.
00:29:00.785 --> 00:29:09.474
But people love that about independent baseball, about the minor leagues, about collegiate summer baseball, is, uh, there really is, is no walls.
00:29:09.525 --> 00:29:11.734
You can do whatever you wanna do, within reason.
00:29:11.805 --> 00:29:16.315
with talking with the city of Gering, uh, Gering, and they said,"Look, we want Gering in the name.
00:29:16.605 --> 00:29:21.484
That's how I wanna do it." I made a mistake going out to, to Idaho and making it Canyon County.
00:29:21.855 --> 00:29:23.065
Nobody knows where that is.
00:29:23.075 --> 00:29:29.505
So the Canyon County Spuds coming to Minot, North Dakota, means nothing to nobody, right?
00:29:29.515 --> 00:29:33.555
I wanna battle the Spearfish Sasquatch, who are in Spearfish, right?
00:29:33.575 --> 00:29:36.434
The Casper Spuds, who are in, you know, Casper, right?
00:29:36.434 --> 00:29:37.384
That's what we wanna do.
00:29:37.384 --> 00:29:46.807
And there's such a, rivalry between these cities, and it's even gonna get better when these two new teams are announced, here in'27 and'28, because it's just gonna tighten everything up.
00:29:46.817 --> 00:29:49.538
You're gonna get Spearfish fans coming to Gering.
00:29:49.548 --> 00:29:51.087
You're gonna get Spuds fans.
00:29:51.178 --> 00:30:07.381
believe it or not, our first two years in Casper, plenty of, Caldwell, Idaho, fans made the trek to, to Casper, and I couldn't be more blessed and more gracious, for those people that, out of all the heartbreak of leaving Caldwell, just make you feel that, that much better.
00:30:07.451 --> 00:30:21.615
Yeah, it really makes you feel proud that, had I had an opportunity to be in a true league that was run by the book and doing things the right way and cared more about the communities than they did about making money, uh, that we'd still be in Caldwell.
00:30:21.625 --> 00:30:23.464
So, but, yeah, that's just a part of it.
00:30:23.515 --> 00:30:24.444
You get used to it.
00:30:24.444 --> 00:30:29.055
Like, I see things and, and, uh, the colors and colors put together, and you get excited about it, so.
00:30:29.362 --> 00:30:33.271
Johnny, since he's been a repeat guest, he knows us by now and knows exactly.
00:30:33.271 --> 00:30:35.132
I was gonna ask that exact thing, Jeff.
00:30:35.132 --> 00:30:41.791
So yeah, I was just curious, obviously, you know, you have team with the name Nebraska or a direction Western Nebraska.
00:30:41.801 --> 00:30:41.832
Yep.
00:30:41.842 --> 00:30:50.902
But you guys are actually going with Gering, so I was just- Yeah kind of curious about how and what that meant to be able to use the town or city's name with your guys' baseball team name.
00:30:51.241 --> 00:30:52.602
Yeah, it goes part and parcel.
00:30:52.602 --> 00:30:55.321
I mean, uh, the city of Gering, uh, has been awesome.
00:30:55.382 --> 00:30:59.041
They've been, uh, open, and we've had great conversations.
00:30:59.061 --> 00:31:02.731
for them, I think they had to do a tremendous amount of, of due diligence.
00:31:02.731 --> 00:31:08.548
They did a tremendous amount of digging, not only in, in Caldwell and Casper, but, just really everywhere.
00:31:08.628 --> 00:31:15.068
Uh, they could not afford to make a mistake in, in bringing in a new ownership group, a new brand.
00:31:15.311 --> 00:31:20.061
I'm super excited about it, the fact that, uh, Gering's gonna be o- over everything that we have.
00:31:20.092 --> 00:31:22.461
I'm gonna be super proud of seeing that.
00:31:22.521 --> 00:31:23.951
It's, it is still super cool.
00:31:23.951 --> 00:31:32.108
I get pictures all the time and texts all the time of, Canyon County Spuds hoodies at an airport or somewhere they'll see it and take a picture and, and we're gonna do the same.
00:31:32.169 --> 00:31:35.648
We're gonna, uh, make Gering, uh, the, the face of the league.
00:31:35.999 --> 00:31:42.159
Uh, we're gonna be a champion, uh, in not only trophy, but also a champion to the community and be proud of it,'cause it really...
00:31:42.459 --> 00:31:45.828
the team belongs to the, the city and Scottsbluff County.
00:31:45.999 --> 00:31:49.159
my wife and I are just the fortunate ones that are responsible, right?
00:31:49.568 --> 00:31:52.538
So responsible meaning when the bill comes, you just gotta pay it, right?
00:31:52.538 --> 00:31:54.719
But the, the city owns the team, right?
00:31:54.749 --> 00:32:08.011
They just wanted somebody to go,"Hey, look, somebody's gotta pay for all this stuff." And obviously, at the end of the day, your fruits of your labor are, uh, having a successful franchise that the city can be proud of, that you can walk around town and be proud of, build something super cool.
00:32:08.172 --> 00:32:13.971
And I'm hoping over the next little while that my, my three and my one-year-old grandson, can make trips up there.
00:32:14.075 --> 00:32:18.904
my daughter said, yeah, it's okay for the three-year-old to travel with me,'cause I'm trying to get him to a Seahawks game on the road.
00:32:18.904 --> 00:32:26.244
I said,"Is Atlanta too far or what?" They said,"No, no, they can, they can travel, but you're gonna be in a hotel with him for the night," which I've been on several cruises with him.
00:32:26.244 --> 00:32:34.777
He's been to seven different countries in the last two years, so- Yeah uh, hotel rooms and him and sleep do not go together she says,"Go ahead, spend the night in the hotel with him.
00:32:34.886 --> 00:32:37.846
You will not do it again." So, uh, but it's super cool.
00:32:37.846 --> 00:32:38.676
Yeah, it's, uh...
00:32:38.747 --> 00:32:46.623
It, it is, it kind of gives you a nice sense, even being in Apollo Beach, Florida, that it's, to have that and have that honor to say,"Hey, here's our name.
00:32:46.633 --> 00:32:58.319
Here's, here's what's, what's on our crest, and, uh, let's see what you can do, big boy." You do bring a really good point on that,'cause you obviously, if you have a team with a name like Atlanta whatever- Yeah any big cities.
00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:08.819
But you're right with, like, Johnny and I, if we have an, a team that's coming to us nearby our hometown and they're whatever county, yeah, you're right, it's not really gonna mean anything.
00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:12.680
But if you're saying- Right"Oh, here's a team from Gering, Nebraska," and then you're...
00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:20.789
Well, Johnny and I are gonna look more into that and be kind of- Yeah more connected to it, and maybe we're gonna be a fan of the team even though if we're not from that area.
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:20.819
Yeah.
00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:22.470
But hey, this is the town.
00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:23.869
We get to know a little bit about it.
00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:25.839
So yeah, you made a really good point with that, for sure.
00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:30.049
The lucky thing for us is that, you know, the Sugar Beets is SB, right?
00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:30.079
Mm-hmm.
00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:31.619
And Scottsbluff is SB.
00:33:31.619 --> 00:33:32.230
There you go.
00:33:32.230 --> 00:33:32.319
Yeah.
00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:35.130
And we're in Scottsbluff County, and Gering's on the name.
00:33:35.130 --> 00:33:40.063
So through a fluke or a genius, it's all blended together, right?
00:33:40.063 --> 00:33:48.009
So we're not gonna offend anybody,'cause, uh, they tell me Gering's right across the river from, or a bridge from, from Scottsbluff, and it's Scottsbluff County, so we...
00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:51.160
It worked out really well and, and I don't think it'll upset anybody.
00:33:51.346 --> 00:33:52.757
kind of worked out well there, so we'll see.
00:33:52.971 --> 00:33:53.590
Yes, definitely.
00:33:53.590 --> 00:33:57.590
Maybe we'll have, like, our first event as, like, a Scots Bluff versus Gering night, right?
00:33:57.590 --> 00:34:00.990
So bring a bunch of people out from- each city and, and have at her.
00:34:00.990 --> 00:34:02.611
But, uh, no, we'll do some fun stuff.
00:34:02.611 --> 00:34:04.711
I'm very fortunate that it, uh, it worked out that way.
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:11.490
Well, Jeff, one of the segments we do is the profit and loss, and I know it's kinda early in getting started with the team here in Gering.
00:34:11.510 --> 00:34:11.530
Yeah.
00:34:11.570 --> 00:34:17.231
But, uh, so far, kinda with what everything's going on, any profit or gain you can think of of having the new team in Gering?
00:34:17.507 --> 00:34:18.347
It's all gain.
00:34:18.407 --> 00:34:20.407
You know, there's, uh, for us, it's all gain.
00:34:20.436 --> 00:34:26.666
The excitement, uh, the people we talk to, the new people we got to meet, it is kinda deja vu for me going out to Caldwell where I knew nobody.
00:34:26.686 --> 00:34:28.097
I know nobody in Gering.
00:34:28.137 --> 00:34:31.936
I can walk through that town tomorrow, and nobody would know any different, right?
00:34:31.936 --> 00:34:34.186
So and that's gonna change, uh, drastically.
00:34:34.206 --> 00:34:45.690
Obviously, with, with, uh, shows like your guys' and getting the word out and talking about it with, baseball lovers, sports lovers, family lovers, people lovers, you know, that are trying to build this community, uh, uh, right across the country up.
00:34:45.690 --> 00:34:53.704
So, uh, the biggest gain for me is, uh, so far, uh, has been the new people that some of them that reached out early, like I'm...
00:34:53.733 --> 00:35:00.840
and I'm talking a couple weeks, with some negative, comments, not necessarily too negative, but just kinda made a comment about what happened there before.
00:35:01.036 --> 00:35:02.097
I'm right out front.
00:35:02.217 --> 00:35:05.297
I'm not gonna shy away from any social media comment, anything.
00:35:05.297 --> 00:35:07.597
I'm gonna be fully transparent, fully responsible.
00:35:07.856 --> 00:35:10.070
If we mess up, not a problem, you know.
00:35:10.070 --> 00:35:12.971
Phone me, text me, email me, whatever you gotta do, we're gonna fix it.
00:35:12.971 --> 00:35:22.681
Uh, we're gonna break our backs and work hard as a team, and I'm talking all 30, 40 people that are involved, whether you're a volunteer at the stadium or whether you're a paid employee in concessions or ticketing.
00:35:23.050 --> 00:35:29.333
There's a certain, conduct on how we're gonna hold ourselves, how we're gonna do business, how we're gonna be, really welcoming to everybody.
00:35:29.423 --> 00:35:30.233
I don't care.
00:35:30.293 --> 00:35:31.474
I don't want any politics.
00:35:31.474 --> 00:35:32.653
I don't want anything else.
00:35:32.664 --> 00:35:40.793
It's a night to go to the ballpark, forget about everything else, and let's see if, uh, if we can make some noise and, and get a win out of this and support our local troop.
00:35:40.804 --> 00:35:46.710
But, that's the biggest gain for me, is, uh, really the feedback I've got from, from people so far.
00:35:46.844 --> 00:35:47.503
it's pretty cool.
00:35:47.762 --> 00:35:48.072
Yeah.
00:35:48.072 --> 00:35:56.603
Well, obviously you said pretty much all a gain, but if there had to be a loss with that, you know, obviously you talked about having to leave the Caldwell community and then- Yeah Casper.
00:35:56.793 --> 00:35:56.963
Yeah.
00:35:56.983 --> 00:35:59.813
Anything else you can think of that might be a loss at this point?
00:35:59.922 --> 00:36:00.282
Yeah.
00:36:00.313 --> 00:36:03.842
Really a loss at this point is the, the turning of a chapter.
00:36:03.963 --> 00:36:05.913
So I'm no longer a Spud, right?
00:36:05.913 --> 00:36:18.925
So now the team that I started, that my wife and I got together after I sold my company, and named, and colors, and all that kind of stuff, even though it's sold, you know, part of our deal was to still be able to use my, my Spuds email.
00:36:19.146 --> 00:36:20.365
That's all gotta be given up.
00:36:20.376 --> 00:36:21.956
I don't want anything to do with the Spuds.
00:36:21.956 --> 00:36:22.956
Those guys are potatoes.
00:36:22.976 --> 00:36:25.476
Those guys are just a, a side dish, right?
00:36:25.476 --> 00:36:29.106
So for me, it's a matter of, uh, turning the page in my allegiance.
00:36:29.115 --> 00:36:33.275
I'm just really, really happy and thankful that I didn't get a Spuds tattoo.
00:36:33.346 --> 00:36:40.088
Otherwise every time I went to Casper- with the Sugar Beets, it would be,"Hey, come on, buddy, show us, show us your true pride." So, no.
00:36:40.088 --> 00:36:42.588
And it's, that's really the loss is having to turn it.
00:36:42.619 --> 00:36:47.798
I, in my office here in Tampa Bay, I have every single Spuds jersey that's ever been produced.
00:36:47.818 --> 00:36:50.759
Paul and Christie have been so awesome to send me the new stuff.
00:36:50.873 --> 00:36:56.353
so what happens is I just slowly over the last two weeks have started taking these jersey down, right?
00:36:56.353 --> 00:36:59.583
So maybe Johnny, maybe I can send you an old Caldwell Spuds jersey.
00:36:59.583 --> 00:37:00.882
So that's really it.
00:37:00.882 --> 00:37:04.248
I've gone from 30 jerseys in my office down to, uh, four.
00:37:04.481 --> 00:37:05.701
But we're building back up again.
00:37:05.971 --> 00:37:07.601
Is somebody cutting onions in here?
00:37:07.940 --> 00:37:09.838
Somebody, why, why am I tearing up all of a sudden?
00:37:09.838 --> 00:37:10.351
Why are you crying?
00:37:10.351 --> 00:37:10.820
Don't cry.
00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:12.130
Don't cry.
00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:15.010
I thought that was a Dallas Cowboys hat.
00:37:15.010 --> 00:37:16.971
I thought for sure you'd have a reason to cry.
00:37:18.150 --> 00:37:18.701
No, no.
00:37:19.903 --> 00:37:25.971
in this house it's black and gold, not Steeler black and gold, but them who dats from New Orleans.
00:37:25.971 --> 00:37:28.960
I, I've been a- Oh, wow fan for years.
00:37:28.990 --> 00:37:40.690
We moved there in 2000, and I told all my friends in Birmingham, I'm not gonna become a Saints fan." But I didn't realize, having never lived in a professional market, it's a year-round thing with NFL.
00:37:41.030 --> 00:37:41.570
Oh, for sure.
00:37:41.630 --> 00:37:43.400
And there was no basketball yet.
00:37:43.431 --> 00:37:45.740
The Hornets had not arrived yet.
00:37:46.061 --> 00:37:52.030
you had the Zephyrs, which were great, had a lot of fun at Zephyrs games, and you had the Saints.
00:37:52.280 --> 00:38:03.186
I didn't know they did spring mini camps, so it was constantly, and for a while we had the rabbit ears in our little roughly call it an apartment on campus.
00:38:03.496 --> 00:38:03.717
Yeah.
00:38:03.876 --> 00:38:07.336
So you're watching WWL and it's Saints and Saints and Saints.
00:38:07.556 --> 00:38:22.137
And so they had been somewhere for a couple years up north for training camp, and so they moved their training camp in 2000 to the hottest place on Earth, Thibodaux, Louisiana, to Nick State- Yeah, sounds sexy to have the training camp.
00:38:22.157 --> 00:38:22.567
Yeah.
00:38:22.927 --> 00:38:24.936
I saw that the other day on TV.
00:38:25.047 --> 00:38:26.967
And it was free to attend.
00:38:26.967 --> 00:38:29.186
It was about, about an hour or so.
00:38:29.313 --> 00:38:30.954
And my wife and I went.
00:38:31.034 --> 00:38:35.806
I had found a$4 Saints hat at the mall, like a Puma brand.
00:38:36.063 --> 00:38:38.074
What's with you and four or$5 hats?
00:38:38.074 --> 00:38:39.344
I don't quite understand it.
00:38:39.353 --> 00:38:58.934
Yeah, I, this was 26 years ago, so I wore the hat, and after that Jeff Hook- because, uh, you know, you w- it j- it's such a part of the culture there Yeah And I, like I said, growing up around Birmingham, you got Alabama and Auburn of course, but this was even Like, this was everybody's team.
00:38:59.144 --> 00:39:22.322
Whether you were a Tulane, LSU, whoever, everybody gravitated to the New Orleans Saints Yeah And it was just, it just really was And to see those guys in person, and to see grown men that look like pickup trucks- Oh, yeah moving, moving at lightning speed Yeah And then we went in 07, 08, uh, we of course had moved to Mississippi in'07.
00:39:22.574 --> 00:39:28.039
They came to Jackson to Millsaps College And so we, we went up there.
00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:29.599
I got to meet Drew Brees.
00:39:29.668 --> 00:39:35.568
I, I've moved so many times, I had a mini helmet with his signur- signature on it, Jeff, which kills me this day it's gone.
00:39:35.568 --> 00:39:36.692
I don't know where it went.
00:39:36.822 --> 00:39:38.351
just been a Saints fan.
00:39:38.505 --> 00:39:40.215
of course we got robbed by the officials.
00:39:40.295 --> 00:39:41.525
Uh, Eric knew that was coming.
00:39:41.711 --> 00:39:42.722
I don't, I don't know how you- Yeah fall backwards and that's an attempted forward pass.
00:39:42.722 --> 00:39:48.902
I'm like- All right, Jeff And I, I recorded it Sunday.
00:39:49.112 --> 00:39:54.369
I intentionally stayed off my phone so when I got home Sunday night I could watch it live.
00:39:54.619 --> 00:40:00.478
And I thought,"Man, this is not looking too good." Of course they were, I know Detroit- So you're saying the Saints got robbed, like, this last Sunday?
00:40:00.778 --> 00:40:03.869
Yes Are you currently wearing that mini helmet with Drew Brees on it?
00:40:03.878 --> 00:40:05.289
Are you currently wearing that right now?
00:40:05.289 --> 00:40:10.012
'Cause something's not letting your brain breathe it wasn't a forward, attempted forward pass.
00:40:10.012 --> 00:40:24.239
His arm never He was getting hit and it went, and he just sort of lateraled it back Okay We scoop it up, score a touchdown, play is under review, and they took the touchdown away, and we lost by- One point One point, 31- But he went for two though, right?
00:40:24.391 --> 00:40:27.353
They went for two and didn't make it at the very end- Yeah of the game.
00:40:27.353 --> 00:40:35.492
You know- I think the Seahawks went for two last year against the Rams, didn't they, that Monday night, was it Monday Night Football that, uh, they went for two at the end of the game and Saubert caught the I can't remember.
00:40:35.501 --> 00:40:43.291
I don't quite That's how you go for two, Johnny It was like 21-nothing with five minutes and something left in the third quarter.
00:40:43.539 --> 00:40:47.278
That's how bad we were getting drubbed, and all of a sudden- chip away at them.
00:40:47.472 --> 00:40:57.112
Course if we'd gotten that proper touchdown, Jeff, and no I'm not worth- I didn't even think about Dallas Gross I didn't even think about Seems I'm on the wrong podcast when I first got on here.
00:40:57.112 --> 00:41:06.373
I was gonna go grab some of my Seahawk stuff and- But- talk about, uh, I think it was Tony Romo, that wasn't he the placeholder f- for the, for Dallas and the Seahawks tackled another one?
00:41:06.373 --> 00:41:07.623
Yeah, I can barely remember that.
00:41:07.762 --> 00:41:07.782
Yeah.
00:41:07.793 --> 00:41:07.952
Oh.
00:41:07.952 --> 00:41:08.862
But it was something like that.
00:41:09.215 --> 00:41:14.608
Well, make sure you guys tune in next week to the Earn Fun Average NFL podcast- NFL podcast where we'll be breaking down these calls.
00:41:14.608 --> 00:41:15.746
Can I come back next week?
00:41:15.996 --> 00:41:16.635
Yes, for sure.
00:41:17.385 --> 00:41:24.675
Well, but then if that's the case, Jeff, then w- we're not gonna have you split out between, like, 12 years a- apart between your episodes.
00:41:24.675 --> 00:41:24.695
Yeah.
00:41:24.706 --> 00:41:25.596
If you come back next week.
00:41:25.606 --> 00:41:26.016
Yeah, no, no, we're...
00:41:26.168 --> 00:41:35.588
Well, guys, I've just got my schedule out for based on our, our current, uh, I've got you guys scheduled, uh, for same time in September, uh, 2032.
00:41:35.588 --> 00:41:35.739
Okay.
00:41:35.998 --> 00:41:37.119
You guys can book that.
00:41:37.179 --> 00:41:37.199
Yeah.
00:41:37.208 --> 00:41:40.458
Uh, I don't know where I'm gonna be then, you know, if things don't work out in Gering.
00:41:40.478 --> 00:41:41.809
I could be back in Caldwell.
00:41:41.878 --> 00:41:46.068
You know, the league could expand to 14 teams, and this could be just be some big, bad dream.
00:41:46.068 --> 00:41:56.443
But, uh, no, it's, uh, I, I appreciate you guys, uh, guys do a great job, and, uh, building what you guys do, and just sitting down and, and talking about, uh, what it takes to put these things together.
00:41:56.443 --> 00:41:58.048
And, it's a lot of hard work.
00:41:58.048 --> 00:41:59.039
It's a lot of people.
00:41:59.048 --> 00:42:00.568
Uh, it's a lot of money.
00:42:00.668 --> 00:42:03.059
it, it requires a lot of love, love for the sport.
00:42:03.099 --> 00:42:04.139
I never played baseball.
00:42:04.139 --> 00:42:04.748
My son did.
00:42:04.932 --> 00:42:07.268
Uh, I'm a hockey player, but, uh, I love the game.
00:42:07.268 --> 00:42:09.699
It's my favorite, uh, it's my favorite to watch.
00:42:09.789 --> 00:42:10.958
I like watching it live.
00:42:10.958 --> 00:42:12.088
I like getting out to the ballpark.
00:42:12.088 --> 00:42:19.833
There's nothing like the first time I went to Tiger Stadium, the old Tiger Stadium, walking through that concrete and that brick, and smelling the grass.
00:42:19.963 --> 00:42:21.733
I will never forget that smell.
00:42:21.762 --> 00:42:24.052
Now, there was some hot dog and popcorn mixed in there, too.
00:42:24.672 --> 00:42:26.592
But, it was absolutely unbelievable.
00:42:26.603 --> 00:42:32.873
So no, thank you, guys, for having me back, and, uh, starting page one of chapter one of the Gering Sugar Beets.
00:42:32.873 --> 00:42:36.282
I, uh, so very thankful, so very blessed to, to see you guys again.
00:42:36.532 --> 00:42:38.213
Yeah, it was great- Great seeing you again, Jeff.
00:42:38.213 --> 00:42:41.992
And if anybody wanted to go follow along, do you have the website for the Sugar Beets?
00:42:42.092 --> 00:42:42.443
Yes.
00:42:42.452 --> 00:42:48.353
Gering, G-E-R-I-N-G, sugar beets, B-E-E-T-S,.com.
00:42:48.472 --> 00:43:02.246
Uh, right now we've just got a splash page up there with some contact information, but we'll have our full, uh, season ticket reservations, sponsoring information, and, our online merchandise store, which is gonna be significantly smaller than what we'll have, uh, in Gering.
00:43:02.255 --> 00:43:06.166
But, uh, and you can find us on all the social media except for Twitter.
00:43:06.295 --> 00:43:18.278
Uh, we're on Facebook, we're on, uh, TikTok, Instagram, and, at, Gering Sugar Beets Facebook forward slash, Instagram forward slash, and you'll see, you can watch all the Gering Sugar Beets games on YouTube.
00:43:18.440 --> 00:43:19.539
uh, Goering Sugar Beets.
00:43:19.550 --> 00:43:26.217
So, uh, like I said, we're super excited about it, but www.goeringsugarbeets.com.
00:43:26.666 --> 00:43:26.697
Yes.
00:43:26.697 --> 00:43:27.456
It's the place to go.
00:43:27.556 --> 00:43:28.077
It's happening.
00:43:28.356 --> 00:43:28.927
There we go.
00:43:29.146 --> 00:43:33.407
And we're gonna be seeing Jeff do some TikTok dances on the Sugar Beets TikTok page.
00:43:33.407 --> 00:43:35.137
So looking forward- Yes to that as well.
00:43:35.322 --> 00:43:35.523
Yeah.
00:43:35.806 --> 00:43:38.766
Well, make sure you guys go out there and check out the Sugar Beets online.
00:43:38.987 --> 00:43:41.836
Get up to Goering to see a game here starting next summer.
00:43:41.836 --> 00:43:43.586
And then make sure- Yeah you guys follow us as well.
00:43:43.876 --> 00:43:45.976
We're Earn Fun Average, Average is AVG.
00:43:45.987 --> 00:43:48.016
We're Instagram, Twitter, Blue Sky, and Threads.
00:43:48.317 --> 00:43:50.637
And Jeff, one more time, really do appreciate you joining us again.
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Thank you so much.
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Hey, my pleasure, guys.
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We'll see you again.
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Go Beets.
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Go Beets.
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Totally.
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America, lower your standards.
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It's what these guys do best.