Discover the transformative journey of Reggie Hollins, from player to revered coach and Tuskegee University Hall of Fame inductee and former head coach, alongside the wisdom of Coach Johnny Johnson of James Clemens High School that goes beyond the baseball diamond. This heartfelt conversation with two bastions of the sport illuminates not just the importance of self-belief and the storied legacy of Tuskegee University but also the way sports shape lives through teamwork, class, and teaching life's crucial lessons. As Reggie and Johnny unravel their stories, we see the deep influence of baseball on community, respect, and how the game fosters unity and resilience across different walks of life.
Coach Hollins shares how he's making a huge impact with minority baseball players across the country. He head up the Minority Baseball Prospects. An organization that has produced 55 MLB Draft Picks | 455 Collegiate Baseball Signees | 10,000+ Served in Free Youth Clinics
Amidst the cracking of bats and the cheers of the crowd, we delve into the pressing issues of modern youth baseball—the evolution from simple recreational leagues to the bustling world of travel teams—and how this impacts families financially. We shine a light on the Open Borders Sports Foundation and its noble pursuit to nurture the sport in underserved areas like St. Martin (Caribbean), providing not just financial aid but coaching and resources to young athletes hungry for growth. Our episode doesn't just celebrate the milestones; it's a clarion call to support the Open Borders initiative's and Minority Baseball Prospects dedication to elevating the raw talent and ensuring that the legacy of baseball remains as rich and inspiring as ever.
Discover the transformative journey of Reggie Hollins, from player to revered coach and Tuskegee University Hall of Fame inductee and former head coach, alongside the wisdom of Coach Johnny Johnson of James Clemens High School that goes beyond the baseball diamond. This heartfelt conversation with two bastions of the sport illuminates not just the importance of self-belief and the storied legacy of Tuskegee University but also the way sports shape lives through teamwork, class, and teaching life's crucial lessons. As Reggie and Johnny unravel their stories, we see the deep influence of baseball on community, respect, and how the game fosters unity and resilience across different walks of life.
Coach Hollins shares how he's making a huge impact with minority baseball players across the country. He head up the Minority Baseball Prospects. An organization that has produced 55 MLB Draft Picks | 455 Collegiate Baseball Signees | 10,000+ Served in Free Youth Clinics
Amidst the cracking of bats and the cheers of the crowd, we delve into the pressing issues of modern youth baseball—the evolution from simple recreational leagues to the bustling world of travel teams—and how this impacts families financially. We shine a light on the Open Borders Sports Foundation and its noble pursuit to nurture the sport in underserved areas like St. Martin (Caribbean), providing not just financial aid but coaching and resources to young athletes hungry for growth. Our episode doesn't just celebrate the milestones; it's a clarion call to support the Open Borders initiative's and Minority Baseball Prospects dedication to elevating the raw talent and ensuring that the legacy of baseball remains as rich and inspiring as ever.
Hello and welcome to athlete one, a podcast for athletes, coaches and parents. My name is Ken Carpenter, I'm your host. I've coached, played and officiated in 1500 plus games at the high school and college level and I want to thank you for joining me today as we are going to sit down with two great coaches Reggie Hollins, the head man for minority baseball prospects in Hall of Famer and former head coach at Tuskegee University. Also Johnny Johnson, chairman of the board of the Alabama high school baseball coaches association and head coach at James Clements high school, and both are on the board of the open boarder sports foundation. Next on the athlete one podcast.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the athlete one podcast. Veteran high school baseball coach, ken Carpenter, takes you into life's classroom as experienced through sports. Go behind the scenes with athletes and coaches as they share great stories, life lessons and ways to impact others.
Speaker 1:Episode 91 of the athlete one podcast is powered by the netting professionals, improving programs one facility at a time. The netting professionals specialize in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball. This includes back stops, batting cages, bp, turtle screens, ball cards and more. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches and cubbies. Visit them today at 844-620-2707 that is 844-620-2707 and you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom, or check out nettingpros on Twitter, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. And now to my final episode of the 2023 year with Reggie Holland and Johnny Johnson. Hello and welcome to the athlete one podcast, a podcast for athletes, coaches and parents. I'm excited to have with me today for the last episode of 2023. Reggie Holland's minority baseball prospects, former head baseball coach at Tuskegee University and works with Open Border Sports Foundation. And alongside him I have Johnny Johnson, head coach at James Clemens High School and chairman of the board of the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association. Guys, thanks for taking time to be on the show.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Well, I guess I got to start off. Are you guys ready for the holiday break?
Speaker 3:I'm getting there. I can't tell you, I needed to come expeditiously because this has been a really wonderful year but, as you know, when you're programming for kids around the country and making change, it's taxing and it's exhausting. So I need that time down to recuperate so we can get ready for 2024 and so I can also spend time with my family so I don't get kicked out of the house. There you go Because he's got two little ones at home. That's right. Get ready for Christmas.
Speaker 4:There you go.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 4:We're wrapping up the semester, had finals today and a half day tomorrow, and then we'll take a little trip to Texas to see my family and spend the holidays with some family. And then, ken, it's going to be baseball season before we know it, so we'll be starting practice in January. So no rest for the weary. There you go.
Speaker 1:Oh, Reggie, I hear coaches talk about great players and they say he was just different. Not too many players go from Tuskegee University as a player to then become the head coach, and this past year you were put into the Tuskegee Hall of Fame. What made you different?
Speaker 3:Oh man, I think it starts with self-belief. One thing my father always instilled in my siblings and I is to believe in ourselves and understand what value we bring to the world. And then also just the value of helping others, and a lot of times when you find your way in helping others and not making everything about yourselves, yourself seems to be taking care of. So I think it hats off to my father for teaching us that early, and going from a player to a coach's transition and then ultimately going into the Hall of Fame has been unbelievable. Nothing I could have drawn up or concluded that would happen in my area of Tuskegee. So just hard work, dedication and a lot of sacrifice. Those are the things that went into this happening.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of prestige with Tuskegee and to be put in that Hall of Fame, that's very impressive.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you talk about the likes of Booker T Washington, george Washington Carver. The history there, just to walk around that campus is a certain or a certain presence that you have to have, and I always held myself to that standard. So excellence is what Tuskegee breeds and I wanted to just make sure I stayed in line and follow suit with those that found it the way.
Speaker 1:Well, Coach Johnson, after the Christmas break, you're going to be about six weeks away from starting your first game of the season and being down there in Alabama. What are your top priorities going into the 24 season?
Speaker 4:Well, I mean, I think the big thing is we just want to go out and compete, right, you know.
Speaker 4:I think that you know that's something that's lost a lot now and in sports is doing things with some class in the right way.
Speaker 4:It's kind of a rough way to put it, but I just watch what's going on in high school sports and sports in general and the kind of the I me, look at me situation that's going on.
Speaker 4:And you know, one thing we preach to these guys is, you know, we want it to be about us. We want to respect not only ourselves and our teammates and our community, but also who we're playing. And so just making sure we're going about every day competing in practice, competing in games and really passing on these life lessons that they don't get everywhere else, especially in the society. The way things are now is you know, as I grow old as a coach I guess I'm on that older side of coaching I see how much more important that stuff is when we get into practice than than really the wins and losses. All that stuff takes care of itself and it's cliche, I get that, but I'm really teaching these kids to understand how we, why we do them. We'll spend a bunch of time on that over the next, you know, two months heading into that game.
Speaker 1:Well, is it going to be one of those seasons where you're going to go and making a deep run?
Speaker 4:I like my group. We've got we've got 14 seniors that are that will compete for playing time, so that's a huge senior class. I mean that class has won a lot since they were middle schoolers and so you know there remains to be seen if we're championship level right, but definitely think we're going to be a problem for some people and make a good run. And I really liked the group. I've got got some good young talent to go with those older guys. You know, as always, we'll only go as far as the mound gets us. So I got some depth questions on the mound. So hopefully some young guys or some guys were not counting on or not counting on but haven't proven themselves yet We'll step up and if that happens, you know we could make a really good run.
Speaker 1:Well, coach Hollins, you're heavily involved in the minority baseball prospects, and if you could tell the listeners about that and if that's something they'd be interested in, how they could get involved.
Speaker 3:Yeah for sure. So I'm part part founder, if you would say, and then also the president of the company. So minority baseball prospects were formed in 2020 at the COVID baby and, you know, was founded by Alexander Weich. Alexander Weich spent 14 or more years in the high school sector, just as Coach Johnny, and not only are you a high school coach, but you're also a teacher in the school. So he saw some need and he saw some things that he wanted to address, and what better person than someone who spends the time with the kids on the ground to start a national company that can really serve.
Speaker 3:So what we do is go out and we have become a platform for minorities across the country to now seek more visibility, more, seek more development in those things and resources that they need so that we can continue to grow the game in those minority community. So, mvp, we have a platform on minority prospectscom that gives each kid that we come in contact with and kids who are not in our programs an opportunity to have profiles and showcase virtually in front of you know, every scout in the country and every college coach in the country. So we do arrange from you know, five years old, we get them in our fundamental camps, and then we also program up to professional players. So wide range, I think. Right now we're in 26 states and we have served 16,000 minorities.
Speaker 1:That's great to hear. A lot of high school players are benefiting from this, I'm sure. But talk about the MLB and the college signage. You have quite a bit of guys making that jump.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure, I think, college signage in these four years we have around 432 to be exact I just did some reports, so 432 to be exact that have signed collegiately. And then also we have right now in the draft, 55 prospects in the draft in four short years and then we have, you know, almost six first rounders. So this is a big deal. So when we talk about the pro and the college level, I think it goes hand to hand, more so nowadays because you know, in the last draft you had 80% of guys that were drafted to the major league baseball organization. They came from college. So we like to push more so that college wave. You know, not everyone's going to have that opportunity to be drafted or play in the majors or the minors. So we pushed a heavy sense of college and we promote college baseball tremendously.
Speaker 1:Well, coach Johnson, johnson is baseball, you know, you're at the high school level, and is it becoming a sport in the summertime for those that lack of a better word the wealthy, I guess, because those are the ones that are can afford to pay the travel team to be able to go to the hotels and travel all over the country and everything. And, you know, because I feel like there are a lot of really good athletes that are being left out because they just can't afford to start off and be six years old and travel to another state to play in a dagong tournament.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think there's no doubt that that's what's happening. I think you know, and just even in a community like mine in Madison, alabama, that's an affluent, you know, middle to middle upper class area, you know there's kids that still don't play baseball because of the cost of baseball. And so you know, and I think that's where you know, we'll get into open borders later. But, like what Reggie and those guys are doing with minority prospects, they are filling that vacuum, that need for the kid that may not have that those resources or people may not be coming into those communities to recruit, like they're getting that. They're filling that void right now and so well, and I think that's why they've been so successful so quickly. You know they've got a great product and and they've done a great job of filling that need.
Speaker 4:You know, look, travel baseball is a necessary evil in a lot of ways, you know, and unless there is a huge shift across the country to go back to the rec leagues, the American legions, the those kinds of things, it's not going away Like it's too far gone for the kids that are serious and all about playing baseball. The problem is there's got to be a breaking point with the money at some point, like the bubbles got a burst and and so finding that happy medium to where we can reach the kids that need to get out and be seen and still facilitate the kids that need to learn and grow. I think that that that big chasm between those two needs to be filled. And, you know, and and that's why, again, I think Reggie and those guys are doing such an outstanding job of of bringing a light to that and bringing a light to kids that may not get seen or get those opportunities.
Speaker 1:Well, coach Johnson, you and I are probably more of the came up through the Legion type program and Reg, I believe you're probably you're much younger than I am, so you may have been a guy who had a chance to do the travel. Is that correct?
Speaker 3:No, so I actually came up through the Legion Right.
Speaker 1:Oh, we're at Legion yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I came up through that system as well. I think we were right on the cusp of it changing, so it was more of a fall ball type deal for elite players.
Speaker 3:And then that's where you know that travel system was built for elites and then now it got watered down Everybody's elite. So I think that's where you know, that's where it's changed. Yeah, absolutely, it was built for they lead. Let's just call it a spade of spade, right. And you know, then every then it became a business and so it kind of took over what it was intended for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've always felt that Legion was the legit Travel baseball, absolutely, you know right. But well, I wanted to ask in 2023, the two of you teamed up to form Open Border Sports Foundation along with two other gentlemen, and how did that come about? And explain what that is for someone that's not familiar with the open borders? And I don't know which one of you would rather jump on that first.
Speaker 3:But well, I'll tell you, definitely Johnny is going to jump on this first. But let me clear it, he's the, he's the founder of it, he's the brainchild you know, he gave me a call and I told him hey, I'm going to assist you, buddy, I believe in you. Anything you touch, I have, you know, you have my full support. So I'll let Johnny just kind of jump into how that started.
Speaker 4:I appreciate that. No, in all honesty. Back in I guess two years ago this month about this about almost two years ago to this day I got on a plane for St Martin to do a clinic. So one of our umpires, jamal Cummins, who is now on our board he's one of the guys that's on our board. He's from St Martin, originally moved here when he was young US Army veteran and now a college and high school umpire in our area, was two years ago was moving back to St Martin with his family and just told me hey, coach, you know, into the spring this is my last year. You know our last game I'm leaving. So we got the toss of man, I love it down there. I've been there on vacation, if you have. He said he's going to be involved in baseball and trying to grow the game. Let me know if I can help. So he calls me up and goes hey, would you consider coming down and doing a clinic? And I'm like, absolutely, I would come to St Martin to do a clinic.
Speaker 4:So two December's ago I went down and did a clinic by myself, with some help with people on the island and did about a 30 kid clinic and did one night with some coaches just sitting around talking baseball, and and then the following summer took some players to the Bahamas and played on team St Martin in a Babe Ruth tournament, and we've just had a tremendous experience in both places. The kids are eager to learn. You know the baseball there has a huge need for coaching and Athletic kids that need to be taught right. You know it's soccer is a huge deal. You know cricket is a kind of a big deal, but baseball has a history there. It's just a smaller history and they've seen some of the.
Speaker 4:What the other islands have done carousels and in Bahamas was with how they've grown. Baseball and kids have been successful. So this idea started of how can we do more, and so Open Borders is that Open Borders Sports Foundation. Saint Martin is one of the oldest open borders between two countries in the world. It's Dutch and French, half and half the island, and so that was the theory behind the name, and so I just thought man, we can raise money easier in the United States than we can in Saint Martin.
Speaker 4:And so Open Borders was like, okay, let's do something here. And when we decided to do that, I thought Reggie was a perfect guy to get on board. We were on the board together with our state coaches association. I knew what he was doing with minority prospects these kids are minority kids, you know, for the majority of them. And so I thought and I know Reggie's to the core is a good person who wants to help. You know he's a servant and so we got him. Jamal obviously was a good fit because he's back here in the states now. He's from there.
Speaker 4:And then I got my college roommate who was a ex-professional player and in the sales world and still does some pitching coach stuff, johnny Arnold. And so we just thought man, how can we help? And our big goal is not just send money, like we are not going to blindly send money. People need to know that they give. We are a 501c3, so it's tax exempt. But we want to send coaches down there to educate coaches, where those coaches that stay there are the ones making the real impact.
Speaker 4:Running clinics would be great in showcase type stuff to where we could showcase these kids and hopefully get them to the United States for education, and that is the ultimate goal Create better players, make things. Because a lot of those kids in the Caribbean think, man, when I turn 16, I got to sign pro or I'm not going to do anything. And there's a such a and I think the same thing Reggie's trying to do with minority prospects is there's such a bigger picture of them For sure, like we can get them here as exchange students to do a year of high school and play and be seen. We can get them here for summer ball in the summers to be seen and then get them in a junior college to start their education process. Then they get those degrees and go back and have a positive impact on the island of St Mark. So that's the ultimate goal is find the path to education through baseball and then have positive impact back in their communities.
Speaker 1:Now, what do you think are some of the top priorities that these young baseball players need?
Speaker 3:No, I know just this journey that the top priority is resource and and, and not even just the financial resource, that the resource of having coach Johnny, who know a wealth of people around the country that can really help the kids and the coaches to develop. Because if you like he said, if you have no development for the coaches, what are they teaching the kids? You know open borders can come in, you know, four times out of the year, annual year, in program, but what are we leaving behind? You know, because the coaches on the ground are going to coach these kids every day. So it's really about that resource of having that, you know, not only financial but the wealth of knowledge to come in and teach these coaches so that they can teach the kids properly. And then now I think we can talk about visibility and exposure.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 1:Well, I go ahead coach.
Speaker 4:I was just going to say and there's some good baseball people on that island, like I don't want to make it sound like they're void of baseball people, because there are.
Speaker 4:There are some people that have been off and played some pro ball there's. There's guys in baseball on the men's side. They got a Pelican League down there. That's a men's league that a lot of these better player young players play up in that league, like there's a love for baseball there and there is some knowledge.
Speaker 4:But I think what we can help is OK, how do you program practices? How do you? How do you do the fundamental stuff like that we do every day right as coaches. We set up a practice, we have a drill set and we this is the progression of the fundamentals and how you build you know that kind of stuff and leaving that there for those coaches that really love the game and do have some playing knowledge They've got a playing background and set them up because they're the ones going to have the biggest impact. We're just providing, like he said, resources. But it takes money to send guys down there to do that right and it takes people given equipment for them to have the equipment to pull off a practice, you know, and facilities making sure the fields play a ball and all those things. So we just want to help on the development side.
Speaker 1:Well, it's funny you mentioned that because when I was on a vacation with my wife and son when he was younger, we went to Aruba and we checked into the hotel and the bellman Helped us with our bags and he saw that I had my high school team had on and he, we just started talking baseball and then he invited me to come watch him play in what would have been a league for with with older kids. And so after dinner one night, instead of the walk on the beach or whatever, I told my wife I said let's go watch some baseball. And she was like I thought that was the whole point of vacation. But she agreed she's very supportive and we went there and you know I, the stadium was just old, the whole field was dirt and but their love for the game was just amazing.
Speaker 1:And he came, we went to watch the, he jacked one out and I mean it was just, it was a great evening and I couldn't ask for a better vacation night than that. So and I said to myself and I go, if these guys are able to play this well with you know they don't have the best equipment, the facilities, the field. I mean that's why they excel when they do make it to the big leagues and stuff like that. Because it's amazing, I was blown away.
Speaker 4:Well, I can tell you two things. One, speaking of your wife, mike, the year I went on my clinic was happened to follow my 20th anniversary, so I took my wife and my son with me, so we kind of was an anniversary slash clinic. We can't get a baseball, but you know, those four kids I took to the Bahamas to play with Tim St Martin, I think they'll all tell you that's one of their best experiences in their life Because we were playing on some dirt fields, like you said, the grass was rough, you know, and it was so much fun because the kids were playing and loved it. They were the drums and the stuff going on in the stands, like the atmosphere, like you're playing for country and like it was so much different than showing up at Hoover and playing for your fifth tournament of the summer. Oh, and just the passion and the fun. And you see why those Latin kids and the Caribbean kids that are making it into Pro-ball are the show right. They're, they really like there's a fine line, right.
Speaker 4:I mean they're old, but they have so much fun playing because they're doing it for the right reasons. They're not chasing the scholarship at this point, or whatever.
Speaker 1:It's just, it's refreshing man, and that's what I feel in love going down there and why I want to help yeah my son played in the Florida Collegiate League for summer ball one summer and he had someone get in touch with him down there and he says we need a pitcher and my son was just a relief pitcher on the college team. And he goes. This guy says, hey, we need a pitcher for a game. He goes, you come down and throw for us. So he went down there and not one person on the team spoke English. And here he is, you know, and he said he came back from that, you know, he said that's the most fun he's ever had playing baseball.
Speaker 1:And you know I said that that's what it's all about, you know, just getting out there and having to have a great, having a great experience. And you know, the thing I wonder about is what are some of the upcoming plans for what you're doing down there and saying is it saying? It's not saying what's that, st Martin?
Speaker 4:It's on which side of the island you're on. Is it St Martin or St Martin?
Speaker 4:St Martin, yeah you got both, no I think you know, obviously we're trying to put a team together right now. They're going to host an international tournament next June. So we're trying to put a team together to go down there and represent open borders and and and and kind of get the word out about what we're doing. They're trying to bring teams in from the other islands as well as the US. You know we've got we've NABF, national Association, what is it? National American Baseball Federation, nabf.
Speaker 4:Those guys have gotten involved with and they need to sit down there. So we're working on the shipping situation with that. Well, you know, just everyday equipment shoes, pants, those kinds of things. There's a, there's a field there we're trying to help get fixed up. Jose Lakefield, I've got a guy that's going to send them a new backstop net and then trying to, you know, help. You know they don't have bullpens, so we're going to try to get some bullpens built, those kinds of things.
Speaker 4:And then you know, the big deal is the clinics. Right, we want at some point to be able to send people down there to do clinics and that would be. And then the last piece of this, and then I'll let Reggie speak. I want to be able to help bring kids to the United States. I think that it's important that you know we there's some trying to come here for exchange programs. There's some trying to come to junior college, you know, and those things cost money, you know. So there may be something where we can help with offset the finances of a kid that is the right kid, you know that we help bring them here to get an education.
Speaker 1:Yes, I read your thoughts on your experience with with open borders.
Speaker 3:Oh man, I think this is what's needed. Um, because you have. You have countries such as the DR, right, they're like light years ahead of the international game. They get major support. Not, sam, major League Baseball does not support others because they do, but they get the major support with their academies that are there, right? So when you talk about the islands of St Martin and some of the other islands, they're not getting the same support. So to have you know, coach Johnny, start something that just open borders is going to be tremendous because we can kind of put our mark on it and ensure that they get that same love and support, because that's really all it, all that matters. If you show you care, we can really take these kids to the next level and help their situation.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, coach, you know you guys are doing such great things and, Coach Hollams, you're giving so much back to baseball. What is baseball giving you?
Speaker 3:Man, I you know, a lot of times man.
Speaker 3:I'm serious because I talked to young coaches about this all the time that I missed. They always talk about pay, right, but pay is the least that you can get from this game. First of all, this game has taught me how to survive from failure, right, and I think we all need that in every aspect of our lives. So that's the number one thing. But, just in general, the game has taken me some places and introduced me to some people in some networks that I never fathomed that I would meet, and these are some of the best friends that Coach Yannick is, some of the best friends that I will ever have in my life, you know. So I would not have these opportunities to share these moments with you Ken on his podcast if it was not for the game of baseball leading me here. So the networking and the relationships, for most has really come from the game of baseball.
Speaker 3:And here I am man, a kid, who dreamed to go pro. I did not make it to the majors, right, or the minors, but I am partnering and working with former minor league major league players that I idolize. They're my partners now. So I would not have those opportunities if it wasn't for the game. So you know, I tell these young coaches all the time it doesn't matter how you start off in this game, it doesn't matter what you can pay. Take every day serious, take every moment with value, because you never know what's going to lead you on the back end. Look at me, man. I'm running MVP. I'm then fortunate to go in the Hall of Fame in Tuskegee. I'm a prime prime member on open borders. We're getting ready to, you know, impact guys overseas. It's just, I don't know, man. I get excited when I hear about what the game is giving to me, because it's so much I can't even get it into one discussion.
Speaker 1:What about you, coach Johnson? What has baseball given you?
Speaker 4:Ditto. No, I mean, and I think that's the thing, it's the relationships. You know, I don't know Reggie Hollins if it's not for baseball. You know, I don't know Ken Carpenter if it's not for baseball. You know, and as I get older, I just think that I appreciate that so much more and I try to tell our younger coaches that I've got, like I love going to our coaches convention for the state.
Speaker 4:I love going to the national coaches convention, which I'll be going to in Dallas, like because just networking and meeting people, and not necessarily for selfish reasons, like hey, I want something from these people, but just to the baseball world is really small if you'll get involved and there'll be a day where you can help somebody else or they can help you.
Speaker 4:Like man, I, you know, I really need to find a way to get this done. You know what Reggie knows, a guy you know, or or Ken needs to get something done and he say, hey, can you help me with this? Sure, I can, man, because we're all just trying to help each other and those relationships. It's crazy if you really sit down and think how many people you really know through this and, and I think when you start one, the impact. Others, like minority prospects, like open border sports foundation, like that's when those relationships really pay off, because now it's not about helping Johnny Johnson, it's not about helping Reggie Hollins, it's about how can we help these kids, and I think people can get on board with that, you know. And so that's what baseball is to me is it's relationships and and finding a way to impact young people.
Speaker 3:I think. One one more thing, ken, if you don't mind. I'm sure Johnny can attest to this. Another thing that probably really pays us back from this game is seeing these kids succeed, and when I say that not just on the field but in their profession. Anytime I can look at a kid that I coached 10 years ago, he comes back and throws a donation to a program that I'm a part of or you know he's out. You know building a family. I know I did it right and the gamers brought that, that satisfaction back to me through those young men that are gone on. The better they're lost.
Speaker 1:That's probably what I hear from coaches more than anything when I do this podcast. Well, I like to. I know we're on a time limit here and I know you guys are very busy, but I do a little rapid fire here and you guys give me your best quick answer and we'll see how it goes. Reggie, who throws a better BP?
Speaker 3:You are, because Shonzin, I'm gonna take me all day. Can you remember? I told you my dad said you have to have that self-belief. No seriously, coach Jenny's probably a beast himself, but I throw a pretty mean BP.
Speaker 4:I don't come off 100 batters, 200, 300, it doesn't matter, and I've not seen Reggie throw BP, but I know I had Tommy John at 41 years old. I can do it from up short, but my BP is not what it wants for, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, just so you know. If you wanna see it, you can look it up. I found some BP tossing from Coach Holland's when I was a normal preacher Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, you found me, you spotted me. That's how it matters. That's right. That's right. It's all the internet. That's right. It's all the internet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, can't escape the internet.
Speaker 1:All right, coach, here we go. You have to. You got a choice to have these two groups on your team. You gotta pick one. All right, and the first team. Group A Hank Aaron, ricky Henderson, bob Gibson as your pitcher and Jackie Robinson. Or Group B Barry Bonds, lou Brock, satchel Page and Willie Mays. What group are you taking?
Speaker 4:Ah, he's doing the teeth. Can I take A today and B tomorrow? I mean, I don't know. I may A. I think I like A. I love Ricky because Ricky gives you speed and power. I love Bob Gibson because he was just mean and just intimidating, and the hammer and Hank, I mean he could do it all. I think I'd go A.
Speaker 1:There you go and Coach, if you remember the groups there, Reggie, you think.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna start with Johnny on this. That's the star study cast, not that B, isn't it? But I just think you know, when you talk about forming a team, I think the personalities, the character, that aligns too, and I think we could win a lot more games with A.
Speaker 1:If you would like to get involved with these two great organizations the first one, open Border SportsFoundationcom that's OpenBorderSportsFoundationcom. And the second one, minorityprospectscom that's MinorityProspectscom. Special thanks to both Reggie Hollins and Johnny Johnson for joining me for the final episode of the 2023 year on the Athlete One podcast, and also a shout out to our sponsor, the Netting Professionals, improving Programs, one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707, or visit them online at wwwnettingprosecom. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to check out our past episodes. We have 90 of them available for you to listen to, and if you'd like to be a guest on the Athlete One podcast, check out athleteonenet that's athleteonenet and fill out the form to be a guest on our 2024 season. As always, I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and thanks for listening to the Athlete One podcast. We'll see you next time.