GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we talk with two former Florida Gators pitchers about how life without baseball is going during the cornavirus.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre are joined by Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo and Kansas City Royals pitcher Jackson Kowar as we talk with those guys about their daily routines during this off time from the game.
Andrew and Nick also talk with Shore and Singer about what life as a Gator was like and some of their favorites moments wearing the Orange and Blue.
TRANSCRIPT:
Andrew:                 What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, had some really good feedback off our last podcast of former Gators Brady Singer and Logan Shore, so we thought let’s go again. Today Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo and Kansas City Royal pitcher Jackson Kowar will be on the show. Pretty crazy. They’re teammates with the guys we just had.
Nick:                         Yeah. I remember Alex Faedo. Florida and Wake Forest were in a Game 3 of a Super Regional, and I think it was a rain delay. Alex gets drafted in a game that he wasn’t pitching, but ended up coming in and closing it out and kind of find out that you’re a Major League baseball player now. On the same night you get to punch your ticket at the College World Series. Jackson Kowar was the guy that 27th out to secure Florida’s 2017 championship. So, two good guys to have on there. Got to ask Alex about the little cup that they saved at the World Series and where that is. I know it was him and Milchin had it. I think I asked Milchin, and he said Alex still has it. We’ll find out.
Andrew:                 Somebody’s got it.
Nick:                         Maybe it was thrown away. That’d be the bad ending.
Andrew:                 I remember that whole deal. I believe he got to watch the moment though, right? Is that correct? He watched it during the …
Nick:                         No. I don’t think he watched it. We’ll ask him. I mean, the PC thing to say when I asked him about it after the game is I wasn’t paying attention to it. I was just trying to beat Wake Forest. I remember, I think it was a rain delay, because they brought his mom, his little brother, and his girlfriend into the room where like media is, and we had the Draft on. I have a video of it and was able to video his mom’s reaction to watching her son get drafted.
Andrew:                 For some reason I wanted to say that he did, but I don’t know. Maybe it was the video you’re talking about of his mom watching it or something. I don’t know. We’ll have to ask him about it. I remember that. It was a crazy time. It kind of brought the whole talks of should the Draft be held later when guys could watch it and all that good stuff. I mean, it’s only a rare occasion that it even happens where you don’t get to watch it, because most regionals are done by Monday, and the Draft usually starts on Monday.
Nick:                         There’s only, what, 16 teams playing.
Andrew:                 Yeah.
Nick:                         And then only a potential of half of those teams, so only a potential of eight teams are playing on Monday.
Andrew:                 Right. Yeah. We’ll talk to him.
Nick:                         It happened the very next year. Jonathan India got drafted. Before he was at bat, someone just goes, India, you were picked sixth by the Reds.
Andrew:                 He was probably, oh my God.
Nick:                         As he’s walking up for his first at bat of the game.
Andrew:                 He’s probably thinking, really? The Reds? Really? Yeah. Then Jackson is teammates with Brady Singer right now down in Kansas City. They were good friends. We’ll get into that more. They used to be roommates, until recently. We’ll have to get into that. Maybe get some good stories.