You're talking to JB needs no introduction.
You know, homegrown guy.
We're we're so proud of you.
Well, welcome back to the
place where it all started for
you. And you know what?
You were significant in that because
you welcomed me into the fold.
And the fact of the matter,
the reason that I'm here,
I got to see it right up front.
Samara Martin.
Yeah, she taught me exactly.
Sandra Butler Jones told her back in the day.
And you know the positions better than me.
She said we got a basketball guy,
despite me looking like
I'm a football player.
Make him a broadcaster.
Sam pulled her hair out.
So when she called to say
Bruce needs you here,
you show up.
A basketball guy? Get out here.
You wanna greatest basketball
players ever come out of Washington.
But let me ask you this.
A lot of people don't understand you.
You're a minority owner with with the Nats.
What's that like?
How do you become a part owner
of a professional baseball team?
Wow. First of all,
baseball was my first love.
Bruce. Back when I was weighing
about £175 my uniform looked
like it was hanging on a hanger.
What would your best position? Outfield.
OK, but Morgan Wooten saw me playing
CYO baseball, knocking home runs.
He wanted me to come to
DeMatha to play baseball,
but when I went to his camp over at St.
John's High School,
his in Joe Gallagher, God bless him.
I never picked up a bat after that again.
So baseball was my first love.
My father and my uncle,
they used to go and watch.
The homestead graves played here in DC at old
Griffith Stadium and the Old ***** League.
Absolutely, absolutely.
And then my neighbors Mike and Harold
and Cardozo and Sonny and Tina,
Small developers,
they knew the Lerner family and
they introduced me to Mark Lerner.
We became friends and even though I was
involved as an advisor to the baseball team.
The Commissioner said no.
If you guys are going to put a team
together to compete for bringing
the franchise to Washington,
they need to have a financial
stake in it and be involved.
And we understand that the learners,
they are a family business.
So we got that.
And I wasn't looking to be
involved operationally.
You gotta have some skin in the game.
They didn't want to. Absolutely. Yeah. And
even though my skin in the game might
be the equivalent to per diem for the
learners, I've got skin in the game.
Everything's relative. It's big box.
You run a big Jack,
you run a big Jack. You know,
let's Fast forward this team, was what?
19 and 31 at 1.19 Amazon and Rizzo,
we're we're all calling for
maybe we made a mistake here.
Maybe we're going the wrong direction.
Maybe we fired the wrong coach
a while back when these guys
ever in danger being fired.
I mean, what was the ownership
thinking? I did have a conversation
or communication with Mark Lerner.
He said he never ever thought
about firing Davey Martinez.
And you know Bruce fans are such that
they look strictly at the numbers.
19 and 31 get him out of here.
There's so much more to it.
Anybody who knows what they're
doing when they hire A coach.
Or a manager or anyone needs to
look at the whole picture and how
Davey Martinez handle adversity.
Spoke volumes about him.
Hey look Chuck Noll with the
the the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yeah only three coaches in
50 years with the Steelers.
He was one in 13 his first year and
the Rooney said we've got exactly
the right man because they knew
how he would deal with difficulty.
Joe Gibbs with Washington was Owen five
when he started here with Washington.
But if you know a guy is bringing
the right elements to the table as
far as being a manager or a leader.
You stick with them because how
they handle adversity speaks
volumes to what kind of coach,
manager or leader they're going to be.
That's really good stuff.
So so when you look at this team,
what is it you like?
What do you see in this team
that convinces you they
could bring it all home?
Togetherness, Bruce.
And I've learned you and I've
been around for a while now.
A little while, yeah.
Any successful organization,
franchise, business.
At the end of the day,
all things being equal,
you bring talent to the table.
You can still deliver.
You've got contacts all around this area,
big respect, but it's the relationship.
People also like you.
You can have a conversation and you're
known for that as a broadcaster.
And I remember the many heated
conversations that you had with
the former mayor of Marion Barry,
God bless him,
who you respected, but you can.
Ask the tough questions.
You can lead a franchise if
there is a relationship.
I know people say, hey,
it's a trite expression,
but people don't care how much you know
until they know how much you care about them.
Davey Martinez, having been a player,
doesn't get up in their face.
It doesn't curse and berate them.
He knows the right buttons to put.
He never lost the locker
room, absolutely always.
And that's key because he's got veterans.
Look at the number of free
agents that they brought in.
Most teams are skewing young,
and I understand that.
But even as you and I were
talking before going on the air.
It is crucial when building the
franchise or a winning organization
of any type to have seasoned
people who've been there who know
what being a Pro is all about,
to show the youngsters how to be
a pro and they handle difficult.
I got you. I heard one of the commentators
say that the Nats have the oldest team.
Would we concentrate on the yard?
We've got a lot of veterans on that. They are
the oldest, averaging like 31.1,
so they are the oldest team.
But people need to get out of the
mindset equating old with not being
valuable or having any more utility.
Are you kidding me?
In eastern culture,
they respect the seniors because they
bring wisdom to the table, right?
That's exactly what's played out here,
right? Do you have a
favorite player on the scene?
I like Howie Kendrick in
part because I never heard
of a black guy named Howie.
Like, hey, Howie,
what nickname would he have had in
the neighborhood if he had a name?
Like, how? I don't know.
But his real name is Howard.
Yeah, yeah.
And he's one of the old players.
I mean, this guy is
just bringing it.
I I love his game.
I love what he said when
he was named MVP.
He talked about the whole team.
Absolutely. But
that's being a pro.
The veterans that Mike Rizzo,
let's give him big credit, big props.
And Mark Lerner,
the managing general partner,
he let him stay in place.
Mike Rizzo is a lifer.
He knows it. Look, Bruce.
In businesses today,
so many people talk about analytics.
It plays a role, right?
Make no mistake about it.
But there's also a role for having
a finger on the pulse of your
organization's emotional intelligence,
knowing which buttons to push.
Tony Dungy, when he was coaching an NFL,
people were saying before
he got his first job,
when he thought he had his first job,
the owner said,
how are you going to motivate this team?
And he says, you know what,
I think the guys will show me respect
because I'm going to respect them.
Which by the way,
my high school coach Morgan Wooten
said is the best way to motivate.
John Wooden did it at UCLA.
The owner said you'll never
make it in this league.
You don't know how to curse.
He says I don't need to curse
and disrespect somebody somebody.
He didn't get that job.
Tony proved that his system
works by respecting guys,
tough grizzled NFL players,
said the one thing Warren Sapp,
and I can quote his name,
said the worst thing that he wanted to
hear from coach in a film session is
to stop the video and look at Warren and say.
What were you thinking?
Not getting up in his face, cursing
him just simply what were you thinking?
Hmm.
And that's what my Davie Martinez has
done. You know, this wasn't,
but we got a lot of new people that
have moved to the Washington Area,
Transit specifically.
You know, to to the district.
A lot of tension this this
baseball team in winning, you know,
you know, brings people together.
Let me ask you something.
As a native Washingtonian.
OK you you remember the senators you know,
we talked about. Absolutely.
What has this team done?
What does this team capable
of doing for the area?
And the people here,
nothing different than what winning
does with any organization.
There are cities around the country,
Boston being one.
They will call this as a Green
Bay calling themselves title town.
It lifts up the community at large.
There is civic pride.
Everybody wants to be
associated with the winner.
You look at the major colleges,
you look at the major colleges, Bruce,
around the country and those teams
that are associated with winning
applications go up for admission.
But George sounds absolutely right.
Absolutely.
Georgetown had that happen back
during the days of Patrick Ewing and
Alonzo Mourning and everyone else.
Absolutely.
John Thompson, I used to talk about
that. Absolutely winning. They,
hey, John Thompson's team put up a lot of
buildings there on campus at Georgetown.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
This is really great stuff.
Personally. The Pride you have in this,
do you have a favorite player by any
chance? No. You know what?
I like the entire team,
and I really mean that because it is team.
And that's the way it was
underscored by my mother and father.
God blessed them first and foremost,
and Morgan wood. And the reason
I say that not to be politically.
Elusive. Morgan used to say it
takes 10 hands to score one basket.
Five players on the floor.
On offense, it takes 10
hands to score one basket.
There may be the star,
but all the other players who
played the unsung role are
just as important as well too.
If I had to hazard and be pushed into that.
I like Ryan Zimmerman because I think
he is an awesome face of the team.
15 years,
he's still there and he's still delivering,
but he is the best type of leader.
How it clearly.
I'm excited about what's happened
with him because he's a good story
in terms of overcoming difficulty.
I love what you said about Zimmerman.
He's not just still there because he was
the first guy they drafted out of the
University of Virginia boys bringing it.
He's putting putting some some bat
on the ball and he's making some
incredible defensive place. Hey,
much like, you know, I'm not trying
to say he's playing the same role,
but that's why you give leadership,
Mark Lerner, Mike Rizzo and clearly Davey
Martinez credit because they realized
not only is he still bringing the bat.
Yes, he's got to perform.
That's a given.
But look at all the intangibles
that he brings to the team as
well to he's the perfect leader.
They're having fun too.
Ohh watches at the difference
I see in this team.
They're having fun.
These young guys they brought
in mixing in with the old guys.
Winners can have fun and winners do
have fun. There's no question about
it. Thanks Andy. Appreciate good stuff.
Ohh. Wow. That said, I wanted
to hang in for you with you another hour.
Yeah, great, man. We
love you. Thank you so much for this.
We really appreciate this.