00:00Look, you've had an outstanding baseball life.
00:03I mean, a rookie of the year, championships, both as a coach and as a player.
00:07Anybody who's dealt with you knows what a great guy you are.
00:10I mean, we're going to claim you as one of our own New Yorkers.
00:15And yet what happened about 10 days ago or so, a week ago, is going to be probably what you're
00:22remembered for, which kind of – you know what's weird?
00:25Well, I was watching your game, and like the cameras weren't on it, and all of a sudden the announcer
00:31said, they're going at it.
00:32And I was like, going at what?
00:34And it came out of no – so Soler, just to set it up, so Jorge Soler of the Angels
00:38hits a homer early.
00:39He has owned Lopez.
00:41It was his fifth homer off of him.
00:42He's something like outrageous, like 16 for 23 all the time.
00:45He had been plunked the previous at bat, and he took one at least chin music area as a pitch,
00:51and he stares out.
00:52And then Lopez obviously says some stuff back to him and moves towards him, and the fight is on.
00:58And it is a – for usually what's a patty cake thing, it is a memorable fight.
01:02But what's most going to be remembered is you racing across the field and taking down Soler.
01:09Like, and again, I think you – like we saw how much Soler – Soler was part of your 21
01:13championship team.
01:14So you have a preexisting relationship with him.
01:16So it was not exactly like an opposing manager taking down a player, which would be the traditional thing.
01:23Take us through a little – like what – like it came out of – as someone who watched it,
01:27I wasn't expecting to go through it a little bit.
01:30Yeah, no, you're right.
01:33I mean, it was – the timing of it was awkward because it took a while after the pitch was
01:38thrown.
01:39And look, I understand where Soler was coming from.
01:42It didn't look good, right?
01:44Now, I will also say Ronaldo Lopez, there was no doubt in my mind, was not throwing at Soler.
01:55I think he was overthrowing because he's had a hard time getting him out.
01:59And so he was – you know, he was losing the ball arm side because he was trying to –
02:03he's trying to throw it as hard as he could and try to get this guy out.
02:06But look, it didn't look good, especially after the home run.
02:10And so I get it.
02:12But then there was a pause there, like you said, Joel.
02:15And then, you know, here comes Soler.
02:19And those things are – they're always chaotic.
02:22It's always dangerous because there's a lot of people and you never know what guys' intentions are in those things.
02:29I wasn't planning on doing that when I went out there.
02:32But, you know, here came Soler, you know, the scrum was coming toward me and I was running toward it.
02:38And I just instinctively thought that, you know, I need to get this guy off his feet or he's going
02:45to hurt somebody.
02:46That's a really big man and a mild-mannered guy.
02:51I'd never seen that side of Soler.
02:53But, yeah, he had snapped for sure.
02:56And so, yeah, my instinct was just I got to get this guy off his feet and put an end
03:01to this thing or somebody's going to get hurt.
03:03This is going to be your combine video.
03:06Again, we're trying to get you drafted.
03:08I'm not sure if you have eligibility left.
03:10You want to just –
03:11Certainly not.
03:14There's certainly no eligibility left, yeah.
03:16Okay, so, like, these guys are going at it.
03:18And all of a sudden, there you are.
03:21And look at that form tackle, man.
03:24Amazing.
03:25Incredible.
03:26If people don't know, I believe you're a black belt in Taekwondo.
03:32There's at least one famous story about your abilities to handle yourself in a clubhouse.
03:39And just take us – again, like, this is pretty good form.
03:43Did you play – you were at Suffrenheim.
03:45Were you, like, a strong safety or something?
03:48Yeah, look, I played football in high school.
03:51I coached football.
03:52But, yeah, I mean, I've trained for a long time in the martial arts, in the variety of arts.
04:01But it was more of a takedown than it was a tackle, more of a wrestling takedown.
04:07But so, yeah, and like I said, I hadn't planned on that.
04:13It just kind of happened.
04:15It was very instinctive.
04:17There was no really thought process to it other than, need to get this big man off his feet.
04:23You know, so those things – things happened really quick in those scrums.
04:28And like you said – like I said, it could be dangerous because some people, you know,
04:32have bad intentions in those things.
04:35And, you know, your head's got to be on a swivel at all times.
04:40Well, that was beautiful.
04:41I mean, for us, over 60, just incredible.
04:44We really admire it.
04:45And everybody took that – what was in your mind, which is that you diffused the situation.
04:52It actually really worked.
04:54So, congratulations.
04:55You and I texted a little bit about this, and I asked you if you were a linebacker.
04:58And I think you said you were actually a quarterback.
05:01But obviously, you could have been a linebacker.
05:04But I want to ask you – you're a black belt.
05:09I mean, if you're a – I'm sorry to ask this, but I'm really curious.
05:13You're a black belt.
05:14If you and Saler were actually in a fight and you weren't diffusing it, does that mean you would win?
05:19I mean, he's 6'4 and about 260.
05:22I know he's listed at 230.
05:24Come on, I'm 230.
05:25He's – you know, these lists are ridiculous.
05:28I mean, would that mean that you would actually win?
05:30That's number one question.
05:31Number two is, are you going to instruct Ronaldo Lopez on how to fight?
05:35Because he's still holding the baseball.
05:37That's not how you fight.
05:38I mean, you either throw the baseball at the guy or you throw your fists.
05:41Not combination.
05:44Yeah, look, I mean, I'm not going to make that claim that I'd beat up Saler.
05:49But I think, you know, I'd handle myself.
05:54I'd put it that way.
05:56And, yeah, Ronaldo, I mean, again, these things happen so fast.
06:00He probably didn't even realize he was holding the ball if I had to guess.
06:04Because all of a sudden, this thing is on.
06:07And, you know, it's – you're not prepared for those types of things on a baseball field.
06:11And so he probably just instinctively held onto the ball without – and didn't even realize he had it in
06:18his hands still.
06:18The one thing you had great form on, it was the hat coming off.
06:23You put that hat and you were like, I'm in.
06:27I'm in there.
06:29Yeah, again, I didn't know I did that either until I saw the video.
06:37Yeah, I guess I just didn't want to mess up my hair, you know?
06:40Yeah!
06:40You
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