Bobby Minor: And welcome to Chasing Baseball Dreams. Today I've got Marcus Bonner with me. He is his son Landon just committed to OU. he's the number one, number one ranked player in the state of Texas by Perfect Game, number 11 overall, the Duke and Ball out for the 2028 class. And we're gonna talk, talk recruiting from the dad's side and talk about a few other things. But Marcus, I really appreciate you being here.
Marcus Bonner: Man, I definitely appreciate you having me, Bobby. Thank you.
Bobby Minor: it's funny because we actually met, I think back in July at Fenton Athletics showcase at Rough Rider Stadium out in Frisco, Texas. And we were standing around at the end and Marcus looked at me and he goes, he goes, Do you have a podcast? And the funny
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: thing is, I didn't have a podcast at that time. I was just posting on social
Marcus Bonner: Right.
Bobby Minor: media. So Marcus, I can go ahead and give you credit and say you inspired me to actually launch my podcast.
Marcus Bonner: Yeah, I appreciate that. I'm speaking into existence and here we are.
Bobby Minor: So Marcus, so landing to twenty twenty eight, okay? So junior,
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so he still has some time. So what what made y'all
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: decide to go ahead and commit to OU now instead of keeping his recruiting open to see maybe what might happen like next summer?
Marcus Bonner: I think OU definitely showed their interest in him. They were able to break him down as a player and was able to show what his skill set and what it brings to their team and what they're trying to build as a team. And his skills fit exactly what they do. He fell in love with the coaches, fell in love with the culture that was there. It was just for him, he can tell you, I it was just a no brainer, it just felt like home for him. And so why wait? Because they were really showing interest. And that's the main thing, you definitely wanna go to a school that's interested in you.
Bobby Minor: you want to go somewhere where they really want you. Not not
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: just, hey, we'll offer you a roster spot, but like where they really want you. if you find it and it everything else, you know, fits and it checks off all the boxes, like really like what is there to wait for?
Marcus Bonner: Right. You're right.
Bobby Minor: So what actually got him on Oklahoma's radar?
Marcus Bonner: I think just his play and the amount of work that he's put over the last couple of summers. He's, you know, had a lot of, played really, really well in high school, played really, really well during the summer circuits. And, you know, they were, which was interesting, OU wasn't one of the top schools that was on his list. But... Again, the interest that they showed for Landon that they wanted to recruit him as a player and as a person. And I think they fell in love with both and vice versa.
Bobby Minor: So August first, how many phone calls did he get on August first? Who was the first school to call him?
Marcus Bonner: man, his phone was going crazy. mean, we were, you know, listening to the phone calls, taking notes. I, to be honest with I couldn't even tell you how many calls he got. I mean, it was a lot of calls, a lot of voicemails that were left. And at that time, I mean, he did... have a list of schools that he was interested in. So we kind of knew who, but again, we weren't, you know, we're listening to everyone and listening to everybody. But, you know, was a top 10 that he particularly had. So we were able to, you know, take that list from 10 and narrow it down to five. And then, you know, we ended up making our choice from there.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. And for for parents out there listening, August first going into your junior year is the f the first day where Division I coaches can initiate conversations
Marcus Bonner: Correct.
Bobby Minor: and and communication with the prospect. So now prior to that though, did he have any contact or communication with any other coaches like from D two, NAIA, JUCOS or anything like that?
Marcus Bonner: not really. mean, here and there, we did talk to a few people that we, when we went to the Fenton camp. but, not really. It wasn't really any, any, any contact really initiated. And I don't want parents to get, nervous if they don't, you know,
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: get calls from. because believe me, if you can play and you've been in the different showcases and the different invitationals and different things, they know who you are. And baseball is so big, but it's such a small, small world. And a lot of people, a lot of agents, a lot of people talk like, who's the next person? Who's the next up and coming person in this area or whatever? they'll, if you're, just this day continue to just keep your head down and keep grinding and they'll find you.
Bobby Minor: Landon's a junior. When
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: did y'all start doing things specifically to get Landon recruited?
Marcus Bonner: Sure, so it started when he was around 13, 14 years old. But we just started, really it just started posting, know, posting his workouts, posting his at bats, posting him fielding. So just to be able to get himself out there that way, we also started, we also had really good... leadership from our organization that was able to help us to find out what tournaments will work best. That's gonna best benefit him and his skill set and how he was gonna get seen. you know, a lot of people just think, we're just gonna play perfect game or we're gonna play, you know, prep baseball and go to, but they all have tons of different events, but you wanna go to the right event that's gonna, you know, benefit your player.
Bobby Minor: So, okay, I mentioned he's ranked number one in overall in Texas, not just his position by perfect How much of his perfect game ranking do you think factored into the interest and love that he's gotten? Or do you just think He he has those rankings because that's the kind of player that he is and schools
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: are interested because of who he is as a player, not because they went to, you know, the PG website and saw, l Landon Bonner's the number
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: one r you know, ranked player in Texas. Like what are your thoughts?
Marcus Bonner: I think it really depends on his play and going into the different tournaments. He had some really good performances that I think that stood out to make him stand out with his skill set. And with those performances, you kind of saw the backing and the following, which in turn got him invited to other different invitationals. again, baseball is such a small, small world. When one person hears something, then now your name gets thrown around to other different people. it really takes off from there.
Bobby Minor: people out there may not realize, like so Landon's committed to Oklahoma, you
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: know, as as a junior. He's highly ranked. He's not six four two twenty. Landon is what, probably about five nine? Is that pretty close? Pretty five nine and a half with his clean spot.
Marcus Bonner: Right. Five nine, yeah, depending on what shoes he's wearing, Yeah.
Bobby Minor: With his cleats on, that's kind of a myth buster right there, where they think
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: like if you're gonna go, you know, go power four, things like that, that you gotta
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: be this big dude. So obviously Landon has tools.
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: but what would you say to that parent out there as a word of encouragement that maybe has a really, really good ball player
Marcus Bonner: yeah, and he still gets that a lot now, know, just, you know, they talk about his size, but his game is so much bigger than that, right? I would advice that I would give to a parent find out what is your players assets, what is his, you know, what is he good at and really and truly focus on that and you can build around that. Landon has a very, very good hit tool. He sees pitches very, very well. which helps him, you know, not just with the hitting part, but able to get on base. So now either he's hitting or he's getting the walk. You know, when he was younger, he used to hate the walks, but now he understands the walks are a great thing. So now he gets on base and now he's able to use his speed to terrorize pitchers and to... affect the game on a basis because the walk for him now he's on third base because he's still in second and third. again, knowing what your players skill sets are and continue to just to make those grow, help those grow.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. And doesn't hurt that he swings from the left side either. I was talking to to Coach Cooper. He used to be the coach at Grambling State University. Now he's a manager in the Yankees organization. And I asked him, I said, what are you looking for when you're looking at a high school player? And he said, Man, I'm looking at people that that can change the game with one tool. Whether it's a big power guy that's hitting, you know, doubles
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Bobby Minor: and bombs, whether it's a speed guy that gets on first and he's turning a walk
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: or a single into a double or a triple. That's that's what they look for. So okay, so Landon he had his top ten list.
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: OU on his top ten list initially?
Marcus Bonner: It was towards the lower, the lower 10 yet. So he
Bobby Minor: Okay. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: wasn't in the top five initially.
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: But again, the relationship that they built with him. And then again, finding the right fit. have to find, that's so, so important is finding the right fit for your player that that team can use your talent.
Bobby Minor: I know you coached Landon when he was younger when he played for the Texas Scrappers. So this is a multi part question. How old was
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: Landon when he started playing baseball? How old
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: was he when he started playing Select baseball? And then when did you when did you start coaching him and stop coaching him and why?
Marcus Bonner: he started playing when he was five. Before, know, he was always swinging and we wanted to, okay, we see a talent, we see something that he likes here, maybe something here, let's get him into sports. So we're originally from Chicago, Illinois, so we moved here in Texas. when he was five and so we just wanted to find a local team so that we can join and just me being a dad just wanted to be obviously involved in being my son's I just decided to go ahead and just to help assistant coach. And it pretty much started from there. So we stayed in the rec ball area, I would say probably up to like eight or nine. And then we kind of started to demo and dabble with the scrappers in travel ball. And it was good because he was building a relationship with his friends, which is one of the most important things as well as continue to grow as a player. But I think in those years he really learned and honed in, you know, the hustle, the effort, you know, having the right attitude and being a team player. And he learned that in those years that helped him get to. to be able to go into travel ball. travel ball is, if you're not ready for it, it can eat you up. And it will eat you up and spit you out. I
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: would say 13, 14, we started to... do a lot of travel and start to play national tournaments and invitationals. And that's when I started to see the area where I kind of needed to step back because I saw him starting to take more control of his career,
Bobby Minor: Mm-hmm.
Marcus Bonner: of where he was going as a player. We obviously, we always have in hidden sessions and working out. We had different people that we use to help as far as hitting lessons, fielding lessons. But what I would do is I would actually go to the lesson, okay, let's see what it is that they're talking about. Okay, let's go spend some time on this particular thing that they talked about and we worked on that. I think some people just they continue going to lessons, going to lessons, going to lessons. will help, if you're not building or learning what they already taught you, how can you learn something else and implement that? You haven't even had a chance to implement what was already taught to you if you just continue and just keep going to lessons. They could be showing you the same thing over and over again in the lessons and you're
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: spending 40, 50 bucks doing those lessons. I'm like, no, let's, okay. They're showing you how to recognize or bad angles of inside or outside pitches. Let's work on that. And we'll work on that for a month. And it's so interesting because when Landon would say, dad, I'm in a slump. I'm like, a slump? I'm like, dude, you're old for 20, then we can talk about a slump. But we always go back to the basics. And going back to the basics is going back to the different lessons that people have taught us over the years. when I started seeing him take that step on his own to do that stuff on his own, and he would even tell me like, Dad, I got it. Or, you know, I would give him advice and he'd get upset. I'm like, what you getting upset? I'm trying to tell you. He's like, I got it. I'm like, and, you know, just being a parent, obviously you want to be there to be able to help, but it's also. It was a good thing to be able to see him mature as a player to let me know that he recognized and he got it. Because now they have to be able to make those adjustments on the fly. And you have to be able to make those adjustments and dad can't give them those adjustments from the stands. He has to be able to make those adjustments on his own in the game.
Bobby Minor: So after the scrappers,
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: when you were picking teams for Landon, what were you looking for that told you that this was the best fit for him where he's at right now?
Marcus Bonner: You know, as we were playing, we did, you know, we would play other, you know, really good teams. And what I used to tell Landon was, you know, hey, regardless of what, you know, if you play good and you play bad or whatever, make sure you go over to the other team's coach and shake their hand and tell them, great game. And we call it and shaking hands and kissing babies. But he was introducing himself to those coaches and they would say, hey, man, you're a great player. Who do you play with anybody else? you're building those relationships and he's actually building those relationships with coaches because he's doing it on his own. Now he fought a little bit because he didn't understand the mindset behind it. got a little bit older he actually understood that because now he started to get the different invites to to to guest play with other different travel teams going to you know some of these tournaments and We just so happened to hook up with the coach that really and truly like landed and just took a group of kids here locally and we started playing on a national stage and it really took off from there. It really and truly took off from there.
Bobby Minor: Okay. So what's the best money you spent on Landon's baseball and what made it worth it? What's the best best return on investment that you've gotten and what made it worth it?
Marcus Bonner: Let's see, I would say just. Finding the right trainer, a really good hitting coach is very important. Someone that you trust as a parent, but also I think the main important thing is that the kid feels comfortable with that he can relax and listen to their instruction. Because as a parent, and you probably know this from your son, you can give some instruction. and he'll go one in the ear and out the other and he won't listen. But if it's that one person that he truly really enjoys loving and being around, they'll tell him to do it. it's like, and it's just like, here we go. There it is. So I would say more so the hitting coaches, I thought that was very, very important for his development.
Bobby Minor: So who d who does Landon hit with? We can go ahead and give him a plug.
Marcus Bonner: right now, before he was, he was going to TPA, so going out to South Lake and he goes out there
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: and hit with those guys. right now his, his agent has a shop right now. It's a Helix baseball and he goes and hits there. so great trainers is training at his next Michael. and, he does a really, really good job of. of breaking his swing down, being able to show him the ins and outs of what he needs to do, how his tilt should be, and it really gets into those baseball terms. But a lot of that stuff really makes a big difference, and you see the finished product because he's not up there thinking. And he's just trusting what he's been working on. And I think that's the most important thing is the confidence that
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: a player has. cuz as a hitter, you can't go up there thinking. If you're thinking, you're sinking and striking out.
Bobby Minor: we know what you spent money on that was a great investment. What's something that you spent money on that you would say, man, this is a waste of money, or this didn't move the needle at all relative to Landon's goals and dreams?
Marcus Bonner: I would, I I think for us it was more so looking at some of the tournaments that we went to, the PG tournaments that we went to earlier when he was younger. I think we would have let him to be able to to work out more. And not necessarily spend that type of money trying to get him in those tournaments to be able to get the exposure. And a lot of it is, because as a parent you don't know. You don't know what you don't know. And you feel like you kind of follow the herd, everybody is, okay, this is what everybody else is doing. But. hindsight, you know, it's just really finding what's going to be best and work, you know, for your players. So for us, it was spending that money earlier going to showcases when he was like, you know, 10, 11, 12, because really, to be honest with you, mean, I mean, yes, it's great exposure, but in the end of the day, I mean. then coaches are not recruiting you at 11 or 12 years old.
Bobby Minor: Do you think a lot of parents, because they don't know what they don't know, do you think they start chasing exposure way sooner than they need to?
Marcus Bonner: Yes, I do. I see some of these non-TNU rankings and I just think it's interesting and it's kind of funny that kids are, and I get it, to see your name and your team name on that board, but. in the end game and I can honestly say just going through it. mean, a lot of the kids that you start out with, when you're younger, nine, 10, 11, 12, you're not probably gonna see them as you get a little bit older.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: because they end up other interests or they fall off. And I think a lot of parents get caught up in, well, they're doing this and they're doing that. Well, you need to find out what you need to do. And I think a lot of that was just me and my wife just doing our research and listening and talking to other parents and coaches and making sure you're in a good group of people that's around you that can help you along the path. And you guys are helping each other to the best decision for your kids.
Bobby Minor: I think it's really important that you have people that you can seek guidance from that are gonna
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not, because
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: they don't have any financial stake in the decisions that you make. Whether, you know,
Marcus Bonner: Correct.
Bobby Minor: you choose to play for this team or not play for this team, or you choose to go to this event or not go to this event. and it's really important to listen to people actually know what they're talking about because look, there's
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so many, in Facebook groups and things that are gonna
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: man, they s they talk a good game, but they don't know what they're talking about. I've interviewed like Dustin Pedroya, you know, okay, now it doesn't mean he knows everything about baseball. But
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: I've had people commenting, you know, on some of the the you know clips that I posted and like, I don't know if I agree with him or not. I'm like Bro, this is like somebody should be in the Hall of Fame. people type they talk very confidently, and you think, they know what they're talking about, but man, you got to do your research and do your due diligence and not do what everybody else is doing. So I know you know, Landon had a top 10. Oklahoma
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yes.
Bobby Minor: wasn't necessarily at the top of that list, but they,
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: you know, they obviously came out on top. Who like w who were a couple of the schools that you would have said, Man, these are the schools that Landon is really interested in?
Marcus Bonner: So the schools he originally was interested in was Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas, Arizona State, obviously Oklahoma was in there. And was a couple of other schools, but those are the ones that, he actually, you know, sit and watch baseball and watch those teams. And he's like, man, they have a really good, you know, pitching staff or, you know, I could see myself, you know, at this, you know, at this school because they do X, Y, Z. And, you know, he was looking to see what was going to be, what, what school was going to be a good fit for him.
Bobby Minor: when y'all were looking at schools, well like what mattered
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: most to Landon and then was there anything that you were looking for as his dad that maybe he wasn't thinking about?
Marcus Bonner: What he was looking for was a school that liked to run, a school that would like to play fast. And what we were looking for, were looking for, obviously, baseball is just a way that the transfer portal and all this stuff, where it's just... just so crazy and we didn't want to get just kind of caught up into all of that, right? Because it can get really, really crazy with how they're recruiting kids and bringing in other kids from other colleges and different things of that nature. So just being able to... to be able to see and watch what other teams are doing. We watch and see where school kids are coming from and who's heavy in the portal, who isn't heavy in the portal. And the main thing is what we broke down and looked at the list was who played freshman in their programs. So we had a list of those schools that actually did that. And okay, well, let's look at how many freshmen that they played in the last five years. So that was a list of schools that we looked at too as well. And where he's gonna be able to, the main real thing is where he's gonna be able to have a place to play. Where he's gonna work, what's gonna be the best fit for him. And that's really truly what it truly boils down to.
Bobby Minor: So how much did NIL factor into laying this decision?
Marcus Bonner: It had a, it did have a factor in the decision. Obviously, you know, there's, you know, a lot of, you know, money that's been thrown around and different things like that. But we didn't want to get caught up in into that because obviously with the high end, NIL comes those expectations, right? So, you know, you know, so it's kind of a gift and a curse because if they're going to invest this money into you and this was we've been telling Landon, like, look, this decision that you make is a bit business decision. Because these are businesses and organizations that are investing in you and if they're investing this money in you, you're going to have to come up there and you got to perform. You got to be able to do what it takes to try to get yourself on the field. Our main thing was just making sure that regardless of wherever you get, he had an opportunity to be able to try to get on the field. And we didn't want money to kind of cloud that decision. Not to say that it wasn't important, but it wasn't the main focus. The main focus was, you know, let's get on the field. you know, because you get on the field and you perform, guess what? That money that we were talking about now, it's two, three, four times what it is if you go out
Bobby Minor: Mm-hmm.
Marcus Bonner: and perform.
Bobby Minor: you mentioned it is a business. And even NIL aside, like if a school's giving a player thousands and thousands of dollars in scholarship money, like it it is a business. You know what I mean? And you do have
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yes.
Bobby Minor: to perform and like it can be it can be cutthroat, it can be ugly.
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so so as his dad, like what did you need to know about Oklahoma before you felt good about him making his decision that that's where he's gonna go?
Marcus Bonner: What I need to know is what was the plan for him and Oklahoma did a great job of breaking that down. mean, like we got in there and they had his last. two years of at bats up on the screen and they were able to break down his swing and what was his hot zones and what was his whiff rate and strikeout rate and miss rate and how it compared to what it was from, you know, the NCAA, you know, now and, you know, and gave different things that he could work on to get better now that will prepare him once he got to school because he still has two more years of high school. So, you know, if they're giving him, you know, tweaks and different things now to get him better, it's like, okay, well, once you get here, you know, it's, you know, we're just gonna take it to the next level. And I think that was the main thing that they actually sat down and had a plan for him. And that separated them from the other schools that we talked to.
Bobby Minor: let's go back to I guess when maybe when you were coaching him, maybe when Landon was our younger, even now. So when when Landon has a bad game,
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: or when Landon had a bad game, like how did you know when to say something and when to leave him alone? Like what was the car ride home like for you and Landon after
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: after a bad game?
Marcus Bonner: Yeah. It's definitely evolved over the years. Obviously, when he was younger, for me, was tough turning off the coach and getting into dad mode, you know, because... Of course, you're like, man, what happened here? Did you not see this? So, you know, tell me what did you see? so, you know, younger, we had those. We did have those conversations. It wasn't, you know, just beating them up or anything like that. But, you know, just having those conversations in the car ride. I think now when I look back at it, I think I would have waited until he came to me and said something about it. Now, those conversations really, I could tell just by his body language because he's a thinker and when different things happen in the game, he's processing, he's trying to figure it out. I let him come to me or his mom and he'll let us know when he's ready to talk about it. And he's already broken it down in his mind and figured out what the next step is and what he needs to do. So it's definitely evolved over the years. Definitely didn't want to be that type of dad that
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: was beating your kid up and hey, why didn't you do this and da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
Bobby Minor: Yeah. people that you trust that would speak into you know, into into you and Landon's
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: life and say, Hey Landon Landon's special, he has a legit chance to play division one baseball. Not somebody that's just trying to sell y'all something, but like a legit
Marcus Bonner: Right.
Bobby Minor: chance. did you find it hard as a parent then, if he did have a bad game, to think like, man, he's screwing it up, he's blowing his chance. I see a lot of parents, I think they live and die
Marcus Bonner: Yeah. Yeah.
Bobby Minor: way too much on on one at bat, one game, even one tournament, and think that
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: that is gonna be the be all end all that determines ultimately what opportunities there are for for their son.
Marcus Bonner: No, and here's why. because I know the type of work ethic that Landon has and I know what he does when the lights aren't on and people aren't seeing him, what he's doing. just having a, know, baseball is a failure sport. And, you know, we've talked to him about that since he was younger. Hey, you you're choosing one of the sports that's the toughest to play because it's, you know, you can... you know, you're gonna fail seven times out of ten. You know, and you know, you could possibly still be a Hall of Famer, you know, because you're going to fail. And just learning how to control the mental game is such a big thing. And I would definitely advise parents to be able to help their kids understand that particular part of the game. Then understand that, you know, things are going to happen. You're going to have bad games. Guess what? You play again tomorrow or the next day. Let's figure it out. is and move forward. Just to have those that, you know, that, man, you totally messed up your career by this game. To have that mentality about it, I mean, I think that would turn a lot of kids away from the game if you're just putting all your eggs in one basket. You definitely want to, the game is going to have its ebbs and flows and you just want to ride along with it. You just got to ride that wave. It's going to be good days, it's going to be bad days, but just trusting your player and trust to know that if they've been putting in the work, you know they're going to come out on the other side.
Bobby Minor: Parents, I hope you're listening out there. Okay, you're from Chicago. My birth my birthday was in August and my wife and I went to Chicago to Wrigley to watch the Cubs. The Cubs and the White Sox. Is the game PCA hit a leadoff
Marcus Bonner: Okay. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay. There you go.
Bobby Minor: first pitch at the bottom of the first, hit a bomb and hit a walk off. So but my question
Marcus Bonner: Okay.
Bobby Minor: for you is, are you a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
Marcus Bonner: man, I've always been a white Sox fan, because I grew up on the South Side,
Bobby Minor: Yeah. Okay.
Marcus Bonner: but I also come to love the Cubs. One, because Landon started liking the Cubs because Javi Baez was his, that was his guy
Bobby Minor: yeah.
Marcus Bonner: when he was younger. Still is his guy, but that was his guy. But then also just to watch how the Cubs went through 2016 and won the World Series, that was huge for the city and just the way the whole entire city fell in love with the Cubs. And then now you got the White Sox, they're doing really, really well. So, you know, right
Bobby Minor: yeah.
Marcus Bonner: now, and it just, but again, it just shows you just how the game just evolves, right? You know, it just, continues to evolve just with different players and, you know, different situations.
Bobby Minor: Okay. Yeah, I I like both I mean I like the Cubs at the White Sox. So and it was incredible,
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: incredible energy there. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: it. If I do, I would say Wrigley Field is an experience and I would definitely, definitely recommend watching a game at Wrigley.
Bobby Minor: yeah. It's it's just the energy, the atmosphere. It's
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: unlike anything I've ever been a part of. All right, so this this is the last question I'm gonna ask you because there's a a parent of a ten year old out there right now about to
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: make a decision, either based on what somebody told them they need to do or they're afraid their son's gonna fall behind or You know, whatever whatever the machine's selling them. So if you could go back in time to when Landon was ten years old, what's one thing that you would do differently and why?
Marcus Bonner: one thing that I would do differently. hmm. I think it was the, again, trying to get him thinking that he needed to go to all these showcases to be seen at such a young age when he really didn't. and cause those are the really real formidable years of a player. that nine, ten, you want to let them be a kid. Let them have fun with their friends. Because it's going to come to a point and you will know your kid will pretty much tell you because this actually happened with Landon. It got to the point where we were with the Scrappers and he was just like, hey dad, I want something different. I want to play better. I want to play better competition. I want to push myself. And that's different when your kid is coming to you asking you that. And obviously you're going to do whatever it is that you want to try to help your kid to be able to prosper and grow. And so just listening, you know, to him, tell that to us and us, you know, walking through the steps to be able to try to find it. But I wouldn't put all my eggs in the basket at nine and 10, trying to get to those particular showcases and tournaments because I just think that was just money that was just kind of wasted to be honest with you because you get the little 10 cent ring and you know that that's really it you know nobody's recruiting you at those ages but but letting your But the most important thing is watching your player grow and seeing them want to continue to get better. And you're having those conversations with your kid to let them tell you that, like I said, they'll tell you what it is and what they truly. want to do now, you as a parent is just being able to have the resources to be able to go out to try to help him build his game, whether it's hitting coaches, if he pitches, coaches, fielding coaches, just learning how to be able to, that those are the things I would do different. That's what I would have done different.
Bobby Minor: I just thank you so much for taking the time. pure gold, a lot of wisdom in there. you're at the point
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: you know, like you're there, so you've been through a lot of this. I want parents to be able to hear from other
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: people that that are just gonna, you know, be open and honest and transparent
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: and say, hey, this is, you know, what it looked like on our journey. So man, I really appreciate you taking the time, till landing, good luck, and we'll have to keep in touch.
Marcus Bonner: Well, I appreciate you. Thank you for having me on. I just hope this can benefit some of the other parents out there because there's no book. There's no cookie cutter to say this is how you do this. A lot of this stuff we learn by trial and error and we're still learning by trial and error. So don't feel bad if it's something that you don't know, but look to your community. that you would to be able to find the answers and find the right people that's going to be right for your kid.
Bobby Minor: All right man. Thanks again and again till land and good luck.
Marcus Bonner: I will appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Bonnie. Have a good one.
Marcus Bonner: Man, I definitely appreciate you having me, Bobby. Thank you.
Bobby Minor: it's funny because we actually met, I think back in July at Fenton Athletics showcase at Rough Rider Stadium out in Frisco, Texas. And we were standing around at the end and Marcus looked at me and he goes, he goes, Do you have a podcast? And the funny
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: thing is, I didn't have a podcast at that time. I was just posting on social
Marcus Bonner: Right.
Bobby Minor: media. So Marcus, I can go ahead and give you credit and say you inspired me to actually launch my podcast.
Marcus Bonner: Yeah, I appreciate that. I'm speaking into existence and here we are.
Bobby Minor: So Marcus, so landing to twenty twenty eight, okay? So junior,
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so he still has some time. So what what made y'all
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: decide to go ahead and commit to OU now instead of keeping his recruiting open to see maybe what might happen like next summer?
Marcus Bonner: I think OU definitely showed their interest in him. They were able to break him down as a player and was able to show what his skill set and what it brings to their team and what they're trying to build as a team. And his skills fit exactly what they do. He fell in love with the coaches, fell in love with the culture that was there. It was just for him, he can tell you, I it was just a no brainer, it just felt like home for him. And so why wait? Because they were really showing interest. And that's the main thing, you definitely wanna go to a school that's interested in you.
Bobby Minor: you want to go somewhere where they really want you. Not not
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: just, hey, we'll offer you a roster spot, but like where they really want you. if you find it and it everything else, you know, fits and it checks off all the boxes, like really like what is there to wait for?
Marcus Bonner: Right. You're right.
Bobby Minor: So what actually got him on Oklahoma's radar?
Marcus Bonner: I think just his play and the amount of work that he's put over the last couple of summers. He's, you know, had a lot of, played really, really well in high school, played really, really well during the summer circuits. And, you know, they were, which was interesting, OU wasn't one of the top schools that was on his list. But... Again, the interest that they showed for Landon that they wanted to recruit him as a player and as a person. And I think they fell in love with both and vice versa.
Bobby Minor: So August first, how many phone calls did he get on August first? Who was the first school to call him?
Marcus Bonner: man, his phone was going crazy. mean, we were, you know, listening to the phone calls, taking notes. I, to be honest with I couldn't even tell you how many calls he got. I mean, it was a lot of calls, a lot of voicemails that were left. And at that time, I mean, he did... have a list of schools that he was interested in. So we kind of knew who, but again, we weren't, you know, we're listening to everyone and listening to everybody. But, you know, was a top 10 that he particularly had. So we were able to, you know, take that list from 10 and narrow it down to five. And then, you know, we ended up making our choice from there.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. And for for parents out there listening, August first going into your junior year is the f the first day where Division I coaches can initiate conversations
Marcus Bonner: Correct.
Bobby Minor: and and communication with the prospect. So now prior to that though, did he have any contact or communication with any other coaches like from D two, NAIA, JUCOS or anything like that?
Marcus Bonner: not really. mean, here and there, we did talk to a few people that we, when we went to the Fenton camp. but, not really. It wasn't really any, any, any contact really initiated. And I don't want parents to get, nervous if they don't, you know,
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: get calls from. because believe me, if you can play and you've been in the different showcases and the different invitationals and different things, they know who you are. And baseball is so big, but it's such a small, small world. And a lot of people, a lot of agents, a lot of people talk like, who's the next person? Who's the next up and coming person in this area or whatever? they'll, if you're, just this day continue to just keep your head down and keep grinding and they'll find you.
Bobby Minor: Landon's a junior. When
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: did y'all start doing things specifically to get Landon recruited?
Marcus Bonner: Sure, so it started when he was around 13, 14 years old. But we just started, really it just started posting, know, posting his workouts, posting his at bats, posting him fielding. So just to be able to get himself out there that way, we also started, we also had really good... leadership from our organization that was able to help us to find out what tournaments will work best. That's gonna best benefit him and his skill set and how he was gonna get seen. you know, a lot of people just think, we're just gonna play perfect game or we're gonna play, you know, prep baseball and go to, but they all have tons of different events, but you wanna go to the right event that's gonna, you know, benefit your player.
Bobby Minor: So, okay, I mentioned he's ranked number one in overall in Texas, not just his position by perfect How much of his perfect game ranking do you think factored into the interest and love that he's gotten? Or do you just think He he has those rankings because that's the kind of player that he is and schools
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: are interested because of who he is as a player, not because they went to, you know, the PG website and saw, l Landon Bonner's the number
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: one r you know, ranked player in Texas. Like what are your thoughts?
Marcus Bonner: I think it really depends on his play and going into the different tournaments. He had some really good performances that I think that stood out to make him stand out with his skill set. And with those performances, you kind of saw the backing and the following, which in turn got him invited to other different invitationals. again, baseball is such a small, small world. When one person hears something, then now your name gets thrown around to other different people. it really takes off from there.
Bobby Minor: people out there may not realize, like so Landon's committed to Oklahoma, you
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: know, as as a junior. He's highly ranked. He's not six four two twenty. Landon is what, probably about five nine? Is that pretty close? Pretty five nine and a half with his clean spot.
Marcus Bonner: Right. Five nine, yeah, depending on what shoes he's wearing, Yeah.
Bobby Minor: With his cleats on, that's kind of a myth buster right there, where they think
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: like if you're gonna go, you know, go power four, things like that, that you gotta
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: be this big dude. So obviously Landon has tools.
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: but what would you say to that parent out there as a word of encouragement that maybe has a really, really good ball player
Marcus Bonner: yeah, and he still gets that a lot now, know, just, you know, they talk about his size, but his game is so much bigger than that, right? I would advice that I would give to a parent find out what is your players assets, what is his, you know, what is he good at and really and truly focus on that and you can build around that. Landon has a very, very good hit tool. He sees pitches very, very well. which helps him, you know, not just with the hitting part, but able to get on base. So now either he's hitting or he's getting the walk. You know, when he was younger, he used to hate the walks, but now he understands the walks are a great thing. So now he gets on base and now he's able to use his speed to terrorize pitchers and to... affect the game on a basis because the walk for him now he's on third base because he's still in second and third. again, knowing what your players skill sets are and continue to just to make those grow, help those grow.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. And doesn't hurt that he swings from the left side either. I was talking to to Coach Cooper. He used to be the coach at Grambling State University. Now he's a manager in the Yankees organization. And I asked him, I said, what are you looking for when you're looking at a high school player? And he said, Man, I'm looking at people that that can change the game with one tool. Whether it's a big power guy that's hitting, you know, doubles
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Bobby Minor: and bombs, whether it's a speed guy that gets on first and he's turning a walk
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: or a single into a double or a triple. That's that's what they look for. So okay, so Landon he had his top ten list.
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: OU on his top ten list initially?
Marcus Bonner: It was towards the lower, the lower 10 yet. So he
Bobby Minor: Okay. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: wasn't in the top five initially.
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: But again, the relationship that they built with him. And then again, finding the right fit. have to find, that's so, so important is finding the right fit for your player that that team can use your talent.
Bobby Minor: I know you coached Landon when he was younger when he played for the Texas Scrappers. So this is a multi part question. How old was
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: Landon when he started playing baseball? How old
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: was he when he started playing Select baseball? And then when did you when did you start coaching him and stop coaching him and why?
Marcus Bonner: he started playing when he was five. Before, know, he was always swinging and we wanted to, okay, we see a talent, we see something that he likes here, maybe something here, let's get him into sports. So we're originally from Chicago, Illinois, so we moved here in Texas. when he was five and so we just wanted to find a local team so that we can join and just me being a dad just wanted to be obviously involved in being my son's I just decided to go ahead and just to help assistant coach. And it pretty much started from there. So we stayed in the rec ball area, I would say probably up to like eight or nine. And then we kind of started to demo and dabble with the scrappers in travel ball. And it was good because he was building a relationship with his friends, which is one of the most important things as well as continue to grow as a player. But I think in those years he really learned and honed in, you know, the hustle, the effort, you know, having the right attitude and being a team player. And he learned that in those years that helped him get to. to be able to go into travel ball. travel ball is, if you're not ready for it, it can eat you up. And it will eat you up and spit you out. I
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: would say 13, 14, we started to... do a lot of travel and start to play national tournaments and invitationals. And that's when I started to see the area where I kind of needed to step back because I saw him starting to take more control of his career,
Bobby Minor: Mm-hmm.
Marcus Bonner: of where he was going as a player. We obviously, we always have in hidden sessions and working out. We had different people that we use to help as far as hitting lessons, fielding lessons. But what I would do is I would actually go to the lesson, okay, let's see what it is that they're talking about. Okay, let's go spend some time on this particular thing that they talked about and we worked on that. I think some people just they continue going to lessons, going to lessons, going to lessons. will help, if you're not building or learning what they already taught you, how can you learn something else and implement that? You haven't even had a chance to implement what was already taught to you if you just continue and just keep going to lessons. They could be showing you the same thing over and over again in the lessons and you're
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: spending 40, 50 bucks doing those lessons. I'm like, no, let's, okay. They're showing you how to recognize or bad angles of inside or outside pitches. Let's work on that. And we'll work on that for a month. And it's so interesting because when Landon would say, dad, I'm in a slump. I'm like, a slump? I'm like, dude, you're old for 20, then we can talk about a slump. But we always go back to the basics. And going back to the basics is going back to the different lessons that people have taught us over the years. when I started seeing him take that step on his own to do that stuff on his own, and he would even tell me like, Dad, I got it. Or, you know, I would give him advice and he'd get upset. I'm like, what you getting upset? I'm trying to tell you. He's like, I got it. I'm like, and, you know, just being a parent, obviously you want to be there to be able to help, but it's also. It was a good thing to be able to see him mature as a player to let me know that he recognized and he got it. Because now they have to be able to make those adjustments on the fly. And you have to be able to make those adjustments and dad can't give them those adjustments from the stands. He has to be able to make those adjustments on his own in the game.
Bobby Minor: So after the scrappers,
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: when you were picking teams for Landon, what were you looking for that told you that this was the best fit for him where he's at right now?
Marcus Bonner: You know, as we were playing, we did, you know, we would play other, you know, really good teams. And what I used to tell Landon was, you know, hey, regardless of what, you know, if you play good and you play bad or whatever, make sure you go over to the other team's coach and shake their hand and tell them, great game. And we call it and shaking hands and kissing babies. But he was introducing himself to those coaches and they would say, hey, man, you're a great player. Who do you play with anybody else? you're building those relationships and he's actually building those relationships with coaches because he's doing it on his own. Now he fought a little bit because he didn't understand the mindset behind it. got a little bit older he actually understood that because now he started to get the different invites to to to guest play with other different travel teams going to you know some of these tournaments and We just so happened to hook up with the coach that really and truly like landed and just took a group of kids here locally and we started playing on a national stage and it really took off from there. It really and truly took off from there.
Bobby Minor: Okay. So what's the best money you spent on Landon's baseball and what made it worth it? What's the best best return on investment that you've gotten and what made it worth it?
Marcus Bonner: Let's see, I would say just. Finding the right trainer, a really good hitting coach is very important. Someone that you trust as a parent, but also I think the main important thing is that the kid feels comfortable with that he can relax and listen to their instruction. Because as a parent, and you probably know this from your son, you can give some instruction. and he'll go one in the ear and out the other and he won't listen. But if it's that one person that he truly really enjoys loving and being around, they'll tell him to do it. it's like, and it's just like, here we go. There it is. So I would say more so the hitting coaches, I thought that was very, very important for his development.
Bobby Minor: So who d who does Landon hit with? We can go ahead and give him a plug.
Marcus Bonner: right now, before he was, he was going to TPA, so going out to South Lake and he goes out there
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: and hit with those guys. right now his, his agent has a shop right now. It's a Helix baseball and he goes and hits there. so great trainers is training at his next Michael. and, he does a really, really good job of. of breaking his swing down, being able to show him the ins and outs of what he needs to do, how his tilt should be, and it really gets into those baseball terms. But a lot of that stuff really makes a big difference, and you see the finished product because he's not up there thinking. And he's just trusting what he's been working on. And I think that's the most important thing is the confidence that
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: a player has. cuz as a hitter, you can't go up there thinking. If you're thinking, you're sinking and striking out.
Bobby Minor: we know what you spent money on that was a great investment. What's something that you spent money on that you would say, man, this is a waste of money, or this didn't move the needle at all relative to Landon's goals and dreams?
Marcus Bonner: I would, I I think for us it was more so looking at some of the tournaments that we went to, the PG tournaments that we went to earlier when he was younger. I think we would have let him to be able to to work out more. And not necessarily spend that type of money trying to get him in those tournaments to be able to get the exposure. And a lot of it is, because as a parent you don't know. You don't know what you don't know. And you feel like you kind of follow the herd, everybody is, okay, this is what everybody else is doing. But. hindsight, you know, it's just really finding what's going to be best and work, you know, for your players. So for us, it was spending that money earlier going to showcases when he was like, you know, 10, 11, 12, because really, to be honest with you, mean, I mean, yes, it's great exposure, but in the end of the day, I mean. then coaches are not recruiting you at 11 or 12 years old.
Bobby Minor: Do you think a lot of parents, because they don't know what they don't know, do you think they start chasing exposure way sooner than they need to?
Marcus Bonner: Yes, I do. I see some of these non-TNU rankings and I just think it's interesting and it's kind of funny that kids are, and I get it, to see your name and your team name on that board, but. in the end game and I can honestly say just going through it. mean, a lot of the kids that you start out with, when you're younger, nine, 10, 11, 12, you're not probably gonna see them as you get a little bit older.
Bobby Minor: Yeah. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: because they end up other interests or they fall off. And I think a lot of parents get caught up in, well, they're doing this and they're doing that. Well, you need to find out what you need to do. And I think a lot of that was just me and my wife just doing our research and listening and talking to other parents and coaches and making sure you're in a good group of people that's around you that can help you along the path. And you guys are helping each other to the best decision for your kids.
Bobby Minor: I think it's really important that you have people that you can seek guidance from that are gonna
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not, because
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: they don't have any financial stake in the decisions that you make. Whether, you know,
Marcus Bonner: Correct.
Bobby Minor: you choose to play for this team or not play for this team, or you choose to go to this event or not go to this event. and it's really important to listen to people actually know what they're talking about because look, there's
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so many, in Facebook groups and things that are gonna
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: man, they s they talk a good game, but they don't know what they're talking about. I've interviewed like Dustin Pedroya, you know, okay, now it doesn't mean he knows everything about baseball. But
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: I've had people commenting, you know, on some of the the you know clips that I posted and like, I don't know if I agree with him or not. I'm like Bro, this is like somebody should be in the Hall of Fame. people type they talk very confidently, and you think, they know what they're talking about, but man, you got to do your research and do your due diligence and not do what everybody else is doing. So I know you know, Landon had a top 10. Oklahoma
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yes.
Bobby Minor: wasn't necessarily at the top of that list, but they,
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: you know, they obviously came out on top. Who like w who were a couple of the schools that you would have said, Man, these are the schools that Landon is really interested in?
Marcus Bonner: So the schools he originally was interested in was Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas, Arizona State, obviously Oklahoma was in there. And was a couple of other schools, but those are the ones that, he actually, you know, sit and watch baseball and watch those teams. And he's like, man, they have a really good, you know, pitching staff or, you know, I could see myself, you know, at this, you know, at this school because they do X, Y, Z. And, you know, he was looking to see what was going to be, what, what school was going to be a good fit for him.
Bobby Minor: when y'all were looking at schools, well like what mattered
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: most to Landon and then was there anything that you were looking for as his dad that maybe he wasn't thinking about?
Marcus Bonner: What he was looking for was a school that liked to run, a school that would like to play fast. And what we were looking for, were looking for, obviously, baseball is just a way that the transfer portal and all this stuff, where it's just... just so crazy and we didn't want to get just kind of caught up into all of that, right? Because it can get really, really crazy with how they're recruiting kids and bringing in other kids from other colleges and different things of that nature. So just being able to... to be able to see and watch what other teams are doing. We watch and see where school kids are coming from and who's heavy in the portal, who isn't heavy in the portal. And the main thing is what we broke down and looked at the list was who played freshman in their programs. So we had a list of those schools that actually did that. And okay, well, let's look at how many freshmen that they played in the last five years. So that was a list of schools that we looked at too as well. And where he's gonna be able to, the main real thing is where he's gonna be able to have a place to play. Where he's gonna work, what's gonna be the best fit for him. And that's really truly what it truly boils down to.
Bobby Minor: So how much did NIL factor into laying this decision?
Marcus Bonner: It had a, it did have a factor in the decision. Obviously, you know, there's, you know, a lot of, you know, money that's been thrown around and different things like that. But we didn't want to get caught up in into that because obviously with the high end, NIL comes those expectations, right? So, you know, you know, so it's kind of a gift and a curse because if they're going to invest this money into you and this was we've been telling Landon, like, look, this decision that you make is a bit business decision. Because these are businesses and organizations that are investing in you and if they're investing this money in you, you're going to have to come up there and you got to perform. You got to be able to do what it takes to try to get yourself on the field. Our main thing was just making sure that regardless of wherever you get, he had an opportunity to be able to try to get on the field. And we didn't want money to kind of cloud that decision. Not to say that it wasn't important, but it wasn't the main focus. The main focus was, you know, let's get on the field. you know, because you get on the field and you perform, guess what? That money that we were talking about now, it's two, three, four times what it is if you go out
Bobby Minor: Mm-hmm.
Marcus Bonner: and perform.
Bobby Minor: you mentioned it is a business. And even NIL aside, like if a school's giving a player thousands and thousands of dollars in scholarship money, like it it is a business. You know what I mean? And you do have
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm. Yes.
Bobby Minor: to perform and like it can be it can be cutthroat, it can be ugly.
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: so so as his dad, like what did you need to know about Oklahoma before you felt good about him making his decision that that's where he's gonna go?
Marcus Bonner: What I need to know is what was the plan for him and Oklahoma did a great job of breaking that down. mean, like we got in there and they had his last. two years of at bats up on the screen and they were able to break down his swing and what was his hot zones and what was his whiff rate and strikeout rate and miss rate and how it compared to what it was from, you know, the NCAA, you know, now and, you know, and gave different things that he could work on to get better now that will prepare him once he got to school because he still has two more years of high school. So, you know, if they're giving him, you know, tweaks and different things now to get him better, it's like, okay, well, once you get here, you know, it's, you know, we're just gonna take it to the next level. And I think that was the main thing that they actually sat down and had a plan for him. And that separated them from the other schools that we talked to.
Bobby Minor: let's go back to I guess when maybe when you were coaching him, maybe when Landon was our younger, even now. So when when Landon has a bad game,
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: or when Landon had a bad game, like how did you know when to say something and when to leave him alone? Like what was the car ride home like for you and Landon after
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: after a bad game?
Marcus Bonner: Yeah. It's definitely evolved over the years. Obviously, when he was younger, for me, was tough turning off the coach and getting into dad mode, you know, because... Of course, you're like, man, what happened here? Did you not see this? So, you know, tell me what did you see? so, you know, younger, we had those. We did have those conversations. It wasn't, you know, just beating them up or anything like that. But, you know, just having those conversations in the car ride. I think now when I look back at it, I think I would have waited until he came to me and said something about it. Now, those conversations really, I could tell just by his body language because he's a thinker and when different things happen in the game, he's processing, he's trying to figure it out. I let him come to me or his mom and he'll let us know when he's ready to talk about it. And he's already broken it down in his mind and figured out what the next step is and what he needs to do. So it's definitely evolved over the years. Definitely didn't want to be that type of dad that
Bobby Minor: Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: was beating your kid up and hey, why didn't you do this and da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
Bobby Minor: Yeah. people that you trust that would speak into you know, into into you and Landon's
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: life and say, Hey Landon Landon's special, he has a legit chance to play division one baseball. Not somebody that's just trying to sell y'all something, but like a legit
Marcus Bonner: Right.
Bobby Minor: chance. did you find it hard as a parent then, if he did have a bad game, to think like, man, he's screwing it up, he's blowing his chance. I see a lot of parents, I think they live and die
Marcus Bonner: Yeah. Yeah.
Bobby Minor: way too much on on one at bat, one game, even one tournament, and think that
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: that is gonna be the be all end all that determines ultimately what opportunities there are for for their son.
Marcus Bonner: No, and here's why. because I know the type of work ethic that Landon has and I know what he does when the lights aren't on and people aren't seeing him, what he's doing. just having a, know, baseball is a failure sport. And, you know, we've talked to him about that since he was younger. Hey, you you're choosing one of the sports that's the toughest to play because it's, you know, you can... you know, you're gonna fail seven times out of ten. You know, and you know, you could possibly still be a Hall of Famer, you know, because you're going to fail. And just learning how to control the mental game is such a big thing. And I would definitely advise parents to be able to help their kids understand that particular part of the game. Then understand that, you know, things are going to happen. You're going to have bad games. Guess what? You play again tomorrow or the next day. Let's figure it out. is and move forward. Just to have those that, you know, that, man, you totally messed up your career by this game. To have that mentality about it, I mean, I think that would turn a lot of kids away from the game if you're just putting all your eggs in one basket. You definitely want to, the game is going to have its ebbs and flows and you just want to ride along with it. You just got to ride that wave. It's going to be good days, it's going to be bad days, but just trusting your player and trust to know that if they've been putting in the work, you know they're going to come out on the other side.
Bobby Minor: Parents, I hope you're listening out there. Okay, you're from Chicago. My birth my birthday was in August and my wife and I went to Chicago to Wrigley to watch the Cubs. The Cubs and the White Sox. Is the game PCA hit a leadoff
Marcus Bonner: Okay. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay. There you go.
Bobby Minor: first pitch at the bottom of the first, hit a bomb and hit a walk off. So but my question
Marcus Bonner: Okay.
Bobby Minor: for you is, are you a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
Marcus Bonner: man, I've always been a white Sox fan, because I grew up on the South Side,
Bobby Minor: Yeah. Okay.
Marcus Bonner: but I also come to love the Cubs. One, because Landon started liking the Cubs because Javi Baez was his, that was his guy
Bobby Minor: yeah.
Marcus Bonner: when he was younger. Still is his guy, but that was his guy. But then also just to watch how the Cubs went through 2016 and won the World Series, that was huge for the city and just the way the whole entire city fell in love with the Cubs. And then now you got the White Sox, they're doing really, really well. So, you know, right
Bobby Minor: yeah.
Marcus Bonner: now, and it just, but again, it just shows you just how the game just evolves, right? You know, it just, continues to evolve just with different players and, you know, different situations.
Bobby Minor: Okay. Yeah, I I like both I mean I like the Cubs at the White Sox. So and it was incredible,
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: incredible energy there. Yeah.
Marcus Bonner: it. If I do, I would say Wrigley Field is an experience and I would definitely, definitely recommend watching a game at Wrigley.
Bobby Minor: yeah. It's it's just the energy, the atmosphere. It's
Marcus Bonner: Yes.
Bobby Minor: unlike anything I've ever been a part of. All right, so this this is the last question I'm gonna ask you because there's a a parent of a ten year old out there right now about to
Marcus Bonner: Mm-hmm.
Bobby Minor: make a decision, either based on what somebody told them they need to do or they're afraid their son's gonna fall behind or You know, whatever whatever the machine's selling them. So if you could go back in time to when Landon was ten years old, what's one thing that you would do differently and why?
Marcus Bonner: one thing that I would do differently. hmm. I think it was the, again, trying to get him thinking that he needed to go to all these showcases to be seen at such a young age when he really didn't. and cause those are the really real formidable years of a player. that nine, ten, you want to let them be a kid. Let them have fun with their friends. Because it's going to come to a point and you will know your kid will pretty much tell you because this actually happened with Landon. It got to the point where we were with the Scrappers and he was just like, hey dad, I want something different. I want to play better. I want to play better competition. I want to push myself. And that's different when your kid is coming to you asking you that. And obviously you're going to do whatever it is that you want to try to help your kid to be able to prosper and grow. And so just listening, you know, to him, tell that to us and us, you know, walking through the steps to be able to try to find it. But I wouldn't put all my eggs in the basket at nine and 10, trying to get to those particular showcases and tournaments because I just think that was just money that was just kind of wasted to be honest with you because you get the little 10 cent ring and you know that that's really it you know nobody's recruiting you at those ages but but letting your But the most important thing is watching your player grow and seeing them want to continue to get better. And you're having those conversations with your kid to let them tell you that, like I said, they'll tell you what it is and what they truly. want to do now, you as a parent is just being able to have the resources to be able to go out to try to help him build his game, whether it's hitting coaches, if he pitches, coaches, fielding coaches, just learning how to be able to, that those are the things I would do different. That's what I would have done different.
Bobby Minor: I just thank you so much for taking the time. pure gold, a lot of wisdom in there. you're at the point
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: you know, like you're there, so you've been through a lot of this. I want parents to be able to hear from other
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: people that that are just gonna, you know, be open and honest and transparent
Marcus Bonner: Yeah.
Bobby Minor: and say, hey, this is, you know, what it looked like on our journey. So man, I really appreciate you taking the time, till landing, good luck, and we'll have to keep in touch.
Marcus Bonner: Well, I appreciate you. Thank you for having me on. I just hope this can benefit some of the other parents out there because there's no book. There's no cookie cutter to say this is how you do this. A lot of this stuff we learn by trial and error and we're still learning by trial and error. So don't feel bad if it's something that you don't know, but look to your community. that you would to be able to find the answers and find the right people that's going to be right for your kid.
Bobby Minor: All right man. Thanks again and again till land and good luck.
Marcus Bonner: I will appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Bonnie. Have a good one.
