- On this episode, we do a midnight
session in a ballpark.
(hip hop music)
- [Gary] You ask questions,
and I answer them.
This is The #AskGaryVee Show.
- Hey everybody, this is Gary Vay-ner-chuk
and this is episode 253
of The #AskGaryVee Show.
And we are here in AT&T Park,
San Francisco with Alexis and Hunter Pence.
- That's right.
- Alexis.
- We did it, we got you here.
- Yes you did.
- We are, thank you for being here.
- He was willing to come, this is awesome.
- That's true, you were willing.
Thank you for being here. - Your welcome.
So Alexis, why don't you tell everybody,
you know it's really funny, Hunter, obviously
you're a very famous baseball player
and we'll get into that in a little bit.
Brandon, my best friend is gonna read the questions
and Hunter, Brandon has you on his fantasy team right now
and tried to trade me you
during the Minor League Draft
for a draft pick of mine, but I held off
and did not trade a draft pick for you so,
you're gonna have to take that for the way it is.
- A couple games you're gonna pay for that.
- I'm gonna try to buy low right now.
Brandon's out of it.
- You might want to hit me, you might want to
keep it up, my low.
- He's gonna dump you in a couple weeks.
- Alright, that's cool, I know.
- But what's really interesting to me Vayner Nation is Alexis
is actually very much in our world.
- Yes.
- YouTube vlogger and more importantly,
and I want to talk about this a little bit
before we get into the questions.
You are a real gamer.
- Yes.
- You have a Twitch channel.
- I do.
- So why don't you tell the Vayner Nation a little bit
about yourself then and a little bit about that.
- Yeah, well I vlog on YouTube, Lets Get Lexi,
you guys want to follow it, subscribe
and there I do specialty coffee shop reviews with Hunter
when we travel and I do a lot of the day in the life ofs
'cause we live this crazy life.
- As in travel the cities during the baseball season.
- We travel the city, we move three times a year
and I show what it's like to actually be
in the baseball world.
We're like these traveling gypsies,
sort of like you, you know.
- I get it.
- And, yeah and I show that
and then I also Twitch stream, twitch.tv/--
- And what are you playing right now,
oh I'm sorry, go ahead.
- Oh yeah, twitch.tv/letsgetlexi.
- DRock, edit that up.
- Yeah, put that in there.
- Link the shit up.
- And right now I'm playing Kingdom Rush,
I really love this game, it's a tower defense game,
but we play anything from Smash.
Hunter comes on, Hunter also has his own twitch stream
and I stream, I try to stream two times a week,
like I said and I go for hours when I do.
And I stream Smash, I stream Kingdom Rush,
I'm always looking for new games, Cities Skyline,
I love anything strategy.
- You were telling me while we were watching the game,
that you were a gamer when you were a kid
but then in high school, college you stopped,--
- I stopped. - 'Cause it wasn't that cool.
- 'Cause it wasn't that cool. - You gotta do the girl thing.
- Girls aren't supposed to do it, yeah.
- In your early days, what were you playing,
like Super Mario?
- I was playing Super Mario, yeah, so like
when I was growing up, my parents were like
what is this gaming?
Like it wasn't... - Sure.
- You know like when it first came out they were like
we don't want you to do this.
All you're doing is sitting in front of the TV
and so I would say the first game I really got into
was something called Bass Masters Classic.
- Oh my god, I remember that.
- That's actually kind of fun.
- Yeah, SNES, we got an SNES and I bought the game
because I had to replay it now and I was like,
I can't believe I played this game for as long as I did.
That, and what was another one?
Tiny Toon Adventures.
- I gotta throw some super street cred her way though,
so we get to sometimes get to do little events
with different gaming companies and they'll mail me
the show, it's like awesome.
- Yeah.
- And we challenge all of the people that work
at these gaming companies in Smash Bros...
- And you dominate?
- And Alexis is nasty, they don't even know it,
so like whenever we get into these...
- Yeah they think I'm just like,
come in, just like you know.
- A girl.
- A girl, I don't know.
- We come in and like rip shop.
- It would be awesome.
- I hear you're a pretty legit player as well.
- I'm a gamer, like through and through.
- He is.
- Like so when you're done with baseball,
are you thinking about going into,
like are you going to have a double athletic career?
- Yes.
- Well I don't know if I'm going to be a professional gamer
'cause they're incredibly talented and on next level.
- Yes, but what are you best at?
- At which game? - Yeah.
- I'm the best at all, whichever I put my mind to,
I'm really good at.
- It's insane, I'm telling you.
- Like there was at time when I could have been professional
at World of Warcraft,
not that it's like a professional thing.
- [Alexis] It is a professional thing.
- Well it is. - Sort of.
- [Alexis] No definitely. - There was a time...
- Yeah like don't dis, WoW. (laughing)
- I would've been involved in potentially,
is like I love twitch streaming but I love tournaments.
- Yeah.
- So I'm hoping to run tournaments where we're opening
a coffee shop that's going to be like coffee shop,
board games, I love Magic the Gathering.
- New media, yeah.
- Did you collect Magic Gathering cards?
- I play sealed and drafts, so I have them.
- Just to collect, what a question.
- It is nerding up here in San Francisco,
of course, I grew up selling all this crap
to dudes like you.
Alright, let's go into the first question.
- [Voiceover] Andrew Conner asks, "How will professional
"sports change in the next 10 years?"
- How will professional sports change in the next 10 years?
Alexis.
- Hmm, I mean I think there's gonna be a lot,
a bigger, with eSports pretty much, I think eSports
is gonna be just a you know, a big competitor,
if not bigger to baseball, football, to the normal
main stream sports that we know now.
I just think that we're gonna consider it just as big
of a sport, eSports, anything in eSports
like fighting games and all that stuff.
- Hunter.
- Yeah, I definitely think eSports is gonna grow huge
'cause kids and I think that the live streaming of it
is gonna be a big deal.
- Yep.
- And I think you said it pretty much like
your phones are the new TV.
- 100%. - Yeah.
- It's gotten faster.
They're making great changes in baseball
and the sports like football, basketball...
- Yeah, they'll all still be around,
I just think it's gonna be...
- They're gonna grow but I think eSports
is growing to be on that level.
- Yeah.
- It's just, it's so fun to see a live event.
- 100%.
I'm gonna add that I think soccer will continue
to propel the Latino population in the U.S.
I think soccer, especially with the World Cup
coming to North America, and I also think UFC
will continue to grow and I think
that there'll be something 10 years from now
that none of us are thinking about.
- I hope it's croquet, 'cause I might
have a career in croquet. (laughs)
- I'm gonna go not croquet.
It might be like slime-making or like...
But I genuinely believe that in 10 years,
there'll be something emerging.
It won't be mainstream.
It'll be like eSports today, 10 years from now,
something that we can't think of.
The biggest thing I remind people is that in 1955,
baseball players literally had jobs during the off-season
in hardware stores to make ends meet.
The heavyweight champion of the world
in boxing was the most famous person.
Horse racing was on a huge pedestal,
and professional football was a joke,
like it was a nonexistent situation.
So, things always, always continue to change.
- It's not terribly long, like--
- That's right.
That's right, Brandon?
- [Voiceover] Michelle's Mat asks,
"What's the one dream career you would have wanted
"if you weren't doing what you are now?"
- Alexis, the one dream career--
- I'm doing what I'm doing.
This is an easy question
I'm doing what I'm doing.
- But if there was anything else you could do?
- There isn't.
I'm literally doing what I wanna be doing.
Yeah, I mean, unless I could maybe cohost a show with Oprah.
That would be my one dream job.
- Okay, well that's a good answer. Hunter?
- You know, baseball's pretty dang good.
It's pretty awesome.
- When did you wanna become a baseball player?
- About seven years old.
- Wow!
- I remember one time asking my dad.
I was like, "Dad, I wanna be a major leaguer," right?
And he was like, "I just hope you make it to college,"
and I was devastated.
(all laughing)
- You're like, "I hate you dad!"
Nah, I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
- What, of course I'm gonna make it.
- Did you have siblings?
- I did.
I have a brother and three sisters.
- And was your brother older or younger?
- Older. - And was he good at baseball?
- Yeah. - He was great at baseball.
- He made it to--
- He made it to the minors, like high A.
He blew out, he ended up having like a Tommy John.
- Yeah.
- It's his son that throws, what does he throw, 56?
- Yeah, at seven?
- His kids are all really good ball players.
- Yeah, it's insane. - It's crazy.
- Yeah, maybe to own the Jets.
- Yeah, my answer is definitely
to be the quarterback of the New York Jets, so I could
take control of the situation and win seven Super Bowls.
Once I realized, unlike Hunter,
around 4th grade, I realized I was more likely
to own the Jets than to play for them,
and that's what I've been focused on since.
- I love it. - Brandon?
- [Voiceover] Blake Masters asks,
"How many coaches tried to change your mechanics
"and how important was it to stay true to yourself?"
- Well, I guess this one's for you, Hunter,
so we'll just stand over here.
- Yeah, yeah!
- All right, Hunter, how many coaches have tried
to change your mechanics through the years?
- Pretty much every one of 'em.
- You gotta stand closer.
- The fact is I tried to change my mechanics
with whatever they teach me, and it's just
I don't really have the ability,
like the flexibility, like I'm trying to do what,
like feel versus real is a weird thing in baseball.
You feel like you're doing one thing,
but you're really not, and so, you know,
I just, whatever way they put me, like I've done stuff
like down here, up here, like I've done it all.
(all laughing)
- All right, Brandon, let's keep it going.
That was an easy one.
- [Voiceover] Ivan Bickett asks, "Gentlemen,
"in honor of Mother's Day, what is the number one way
"your spouses have helped you succeed?"
- Oh.
- Oh, I really like this question.
- You like this question, right?
Actually, let's start this way.
- Oh!
- Yeah, how about you answer that?
- I mean, obviously, Hunter's presence is huge,
so that's helped me get kind of a jump off a platform.
But also, Hunter is just super supportive off camera, too.
I really didn't believe that I could do it on my own,
but he's made me believe that I can and I'm doing it.
And even though I'm still in the beginning stages,
he still encourages me just as much
on my first day as whatever day I'm on now.
He's pushed me through some pretty hard times
where I do want to give up, and I'm like,
"Ah, YouTube," but then here I am
and I still have a passion for it,
and I think he reminds me of what I want in the end.
- Here we are talking to one of your favorite
social media people ever, living the dream right now.
- I mean, this is insane, you guys.
I was telling our friend earlier,
as Gary was watching the game, and I was like,
"This is a surreal moment that Gary is here."
I never thought you'd be here in real life.
- Real life.
(Alexis laughs)
- So I read a lot of different things, like mental things,
psychology things, spiritual things,
and I'm always studying to get better.
She's wonderful to bounce things off with
and she is so good at me not taking it
so seriously and being so hard on myself.
She's helped me.
Like I'm a whole new person because she's taught me
not to take myself so seriously,
and she'll remind me when I'm really down.
She'll be like, "You've always said you have
"to be carefree and you have to let go."
And so she like frees my spirit,
where when I get into this funk
where I tie myself up, I can let go.
- Do you...
Is it a situation where you'll get wound up
when you're in a hitting slump, more so?
Like fielding is kind of a different thing, right?
Like it's at the plate,
where you're, you know,
is that where you're getting into like a rut
and you start overthinking it?
- Yeah well you just get into ruts where,
like, you're not
even if you're hitting good,
if you're not getting timely hits
or the hits or the team's not winning.
- Sure, there's a lot of variables.
- And I feel like you find your greatest success
when you can like,
almost cut yourself off of like result oriented
and be like attitude, preparation
like everything is in tune.
I wanna be completely prepared,
I wanna have fun
and I'm gonna have the attitude
and expectation like
that I'm gonna get this done.
- For me it's pretty simple,
you know, Lizzie,
it's unbelievable to be able to live a life
where you're not worried about the other person.
You know it's really funny how I have Brandon here.
I would say that I have three clear people in my life
that have done that for me:
My mom, Brandon,
and my wife Lizzie,
which is literally
knowing 100% that
that person's intent is pure
and I never have to worry about their reactions.
Which almost makes you take them for granted.
You know the biggest thing.
- Right.
- You know Lizzie an I have been married now for 13 years
and like I'm always worried to even take her for granted
'cause she makes it so easy.
And I travel a lot
and we very much have an old school marriage
where it's divide and conquer, right?
- Right, right.
- I'm working, she's taking at home,
which is not the politically correct thing
in today's 2017 world.
- Right.
- But we're aligned
and I guess she just allows me to breathe easily,
which has an enormous impact.
You know I grew up like any competitive,
kind of A-type,
which is like when you're 15, 14
you don't realize like what a spouse
that supports you--
- Really does. - actually means.
You know I look at a lot of my contemporaries
people I compete with in business,
or on my team and they don't have that
that lack of stress on their chest.
They're overthinking things.
- Right. - Yeah.
- They, they're dragged down because at home--
- It's a freedom. - It's a freedom.
- It's a freedom that you can't, yes,
and I think that's definitely something that we--
- Power. - Yeah.
- You're so good at it. - Yeah, so are you.
- You guys should high five again. That was really--
- I'm all about it. - Yeah!
I love it!
(Gary laughs)
Last one Brand?
Is this the last one?
- [Brandon] Last one. - Go ahead, who is it?
- [Brandon] Noelani asks--
- Who? - [Brandon] Noelani.
- Noelani. Okay Sorry sorry. Noelani.
- Noelani.
Who?!
Noelani.
- [Voiceover] Noelani asks,
"If you could tell your high school senior self
"only one thing from the future
"what would it be?"
- What would you have told your high school senior self
one thing for the future.
- Oh man.
One thing,
it would probably be to listen less to what
people have to say
and do what you want.
Do what you want
and don't be afraid to want to do it.
Even if it's something so stupid.
Just do it.
Just go and do it.
- Yeah I would just-- - Hunter?
- I would probably just like tell my senior self like
"Believe in yourself more."
'Cause I was, I was like super hard work.
Like it was all about the work
and I never thought I was doing enough
and sometimes I almost over did it,
where I would just be like
"Hey, believe in yourself, trust the process."
- I would have said listen Gary,
"I've got some great fuckin' news,
"you're gonna be a 100% right.
"It is all actually gonna happen
"and you're going to prove them all wrong."
- Hell yeah!
- I mean that's what happened I was,
Brandon knows, Brandon and I were literally in
the bottom 25 of our entire class.
Like we were shit students.
Like Brandon was terrible
and I made him look like an honor roll student.
- Really?
- Yeah I was a really bad student.
- What was your plan at the time?
- To fucking dominate and buy the Jets.
Like I knew I was an entrepreneur
long before it was cool. - Oh okay.
- Like we were making money,
like we were selling stuff.
Like we were in a different head space
and I just knew it.
And I think for everybody who's watching like,
that inside voice,
I totally agree like who would have thought back then
that gaming would be main stream.
Right like-- - Yeah.
- Like, like it's-- - You hid it, you hid that,
you wouldn't tell anyone you gamed.
- No. - No, of course not.
And so like really understand--
- Especially as a female I'd be like--
- Especially. - Just no.
- Yeah and so for me,
for me I think the question there to bring value
to everybody who is watching
and wrapping up is
you know you can always settle
into the norm.
- Yeah.
- Like when you're 18, if you're under 30 right now,
you have so much time for the rest of your life.
You can always get the safe job.
You can always go back.
You can never be back at this place
where you can take high risks
and do your thing and so I encourage it tremendously.
- Yeah.
- [All] Go for it.
- I like it. - Alright Alexis,
we're going to let you ask the question of the day.
Whatever you'd like, hundreds of comments.
- I know.
- On Facebook and YouTube. What's your question of the day?
- What gets you to subscribe?
- Oh, I like that!
- That's what I want to know.
- You went with a real right hook.
- I did. (laughs)
I want real answers!
- You want real, you want real insight!
- What is it that makes you want to subscribe?
- Subscribe, yeah. - I love it!
- Yeah I wanna hear from all you guys,
like what makes you want to subscribe to people anywhere,
on anything, on any platform.
- Hunter, toughest pitcher you faced in your career?
Little baseball inside talk.
Your perspective. - Tim Lincecum in his hay day.
- Wow, Timmy, cause of the hair was floppin'?
- He was throwing 100
and it was just running in
and it was a curve ball
he threw me a right handed left handed curve ball.
- You were just like, "What the fuck?"
- He was nasty.
- Yeah, my man.
- Thank you so much Gary. - My pleasure.
- Gary thank you for being here!
- So good to have you.
- This was awesome!
- Yeah this was awesome!
- You keep asking questions, we'll keep answering them.
(hip hop music)