Jason: was tried to FaceTime us all again last night from the bar and the only one that answered was John Vanishek. He the only one up drinking at his own house. So I have no idea what they talked about. All I know is that it it entailed some cold play lyrics back to each other, back and forth. Isaac Sampen: Ha. Good. That's cool. Jason: what's going on, man? Isaac Sampen: a rainy day, got tryouts today. Yeah. Jason: Well, do you d are they indoors now? Isaac Sampen: No, we're doing outdoors. they start at one, so I'm hoping, you know, get the rain out. It's all turf, so as long as it's not, you know, raining too hard or lightning. We should be fine. So Jason: Okay. All right. So this has been I gotta turn myself down here. Hold on a minute here. I gotta turn we're like there we go. Okay. So this has been a long I don't want to say a long time coming, dude. But at the same time, actually I wanna switch this. my god, I gotta put my I gotta put my my shades on here. Where's my layout? layout boom boom There we go. Okay. so That was real in the moment. That just exploded everywhere. have you ever had these before? Yeah. Isaac Sampen: Little go go juice? What what is it? Jason: Bucked up. Isaac Sampen: yeah, yeah yeah. Was that the is that the bomb pop flavor or whatever? Yeah, it's it's good. Jason: Really? Yes, yes, yes it is. I'm new to it, but I'm learning to like it really, really quick. So, anyways, all right, back to what you're doing today. You guys have got tryouts today. Tryouts for who, tryouts for what, what age Isaac Sampen: So yeah, last last Jason: Okay. The older group. Isaac Sampen: tryout day. Jason: Okay. And this is to kind of solidify the final roster spots going into the fall and into the spring. What like what is today? Like are you guys looking for s like just specific positions and and and like attributes or or what what are you looking for? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, it varies a little bit, you know, age group to age group, team to team on what everybody's looking for. But yeah, it's a final look at guys that that want to come over, be a part of the program. And most most of our teams at this point are probably looking for a guy or two. You Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: know, it's pretty late for us. And it's we do like a full year, like it's not just fall or just spring. Like the way we operate's like, hey man, if you're playing with us, you're playing with us. Jason: Right. Right. Okay. Isaac Sampen: So, yeah. Jason: so just so everybody knows, I mean, obviously it's in the intro that you guys didn't hear until this in this moment right now, but I am joined today by our coach, HUD's new coach, Coach Isaac Sampin from the Keynes Midwest National Program. coach, we've had this one kind of on the shelf for what, two months, maybe? something like that. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, yeah. Jason: after we first met. Well, shit, before we first actually met, but we had gotten to know each other via telephone because that's just how the travel ball community works, until you get a chance to shake hands and and see somebody in person. But this was something that we wanted to do for a while, but out of respect for different things that the boys were involved in, we didn't we didn't want to pour salt on wounds or give mixed signals and and be respectful of the situation. So that's why we waited Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: until After PGI, after Cooperstown, and now we can kind of finally have our conversation because it is the direction that we're going that our family and and for my son and for others have decided to go into in the future. So with that being said, would you I know that this is uncomfortable. I know that you don't want to do this, but would you please explain to everybody a little bit about yourself? I and take this opportunity to brag on your dad. I don't care. And your brother. Yeah. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. yeah, so I've I'm obviously coaching thirteen U national next year. background, dad played for a while professionally. one Jason: Mm-mm. Isaac Sampen: of three boys. All of us played collegiately, youngest brother, Caleb was drafted by the Dodgers in twenty eighteen. I think that's right. Twenty eighteen. pitched for a while. Jason: Speaking of which speaking of which, last night Isaac Sampen: D. Jason: dude, dude. There's no chance there's baseball next year. There's no chance there's baseball next year. All right. So anyways, drafted by the Dodgers. Isaac Sampen: That's a whole nother segment, but No. Just shut it down. Yeah. Jason: Yeah, the most hated the most hated organization in professional baseball. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. later traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, finished there, got hurt. so, you know, baseball's kind of in the family in the blood. we originally started on the training side, the indoor facility side, training side, not on the team side. kind of migrated over to doing both, passionate Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: about it. so yeah, I'm just a washed up former player that's now a baseball coach. Jason: Okay, but well I I mean I listen, I respect and appreciate the the the humbleness, but you are extremely well known in the older ages. This is your first is this am I right? This is your first endeavor coming back this many steps to start over with thirteens because your seventeens will be graduating. Isaac Sampen: this will actually be my third time coming back to thirteens, so take at thir Jason: Okay. So did you have them at thirteen? Isaac Sampen: S yes and no. I mean not that exact same group. I did start at thirteens, the group evolved, but Jason: Okay. Okay. Isaac Sampen: some of them yes. Jason: Okay. Talk a little bit about that group. That it's a pretty special group. Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: I know that when we first met, that was one of the things that I immediately went to do my homework on you about was that group. it's kind of your I don't want to say it's your it's your business card, but it's kind of your calling card of like, this is what I'm involved with now. this is what I hope to repeat with this next group that you've handpicked to do with. Ex explain Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: to everybody how special this twenty twenty seven class is that you're watching graduate and sign on a daily basis. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. No, I mean really, really special group, fortunate to have I'd have to go back and look exactly like where we're at commit wise, but it's there's a ton of division one guys. I think we're up to close to thirty Division One commits, I think, in the class between a couple of our teams and, you know, other guys that are committing. So got guys that'll get drafted next July. you know, guys that have been up to a hundred. a lot of guys that throw it extremely well. So super talented group. And what made that group so cool is just how down to earth they were. They're they're so coachable. the families were great, the families were bot end, no issues there like at all. It was just a a really, really good group, talented group, great families, great kids. It just made it fun. That's what makes it fun. Jason: What what makes in your opinion, you know, you've you're watch you're you're you're going through this at the highest level in in the country when it comes to you're at the peak of travel ball. And travel ball is a it's a generic word, but you know what I mean. What what makes what makes the groups of families so special to you? Because I'm sure you've seen them some that aren't and you've seen some that are. So what to you makes them special? Isaac Sampen: I mean, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right? And so w when you when you have guys that are coachable, they don't make excuses, they they come ready to work, they come ready to play, like probably got a pretty good support staff, right? And that looks a little bit different for everybody and I understand that, but you you you've got a pretty good support staff at home or or wherever. you know you you watch one of our games, our our fans are pretty quiet. I think that's a that's a something that as you kinda climb through the travel ball ranks and guys get older, games tend to get a little bit quieter. You don't have some of the walk up music stuff. You don't have some of the pinatas or whatever the heck people got going on now, but so j just all that stuff and like you you know when when a family is bought in. Right, I mean it's pretty easy to see that. It's like they do what's asked of They don't do what's what's you know, stuff that we don't want to do or or whatever the case may be. And yeah, I just really fortunate to have that group. Jason: Okay. All right. So speaking of that group, don't you have a couple? I think I saw a couple that are have been invited to the All American Games out in Arizona. Is that correct? You have two? Okay, and who are they? Who are they? Who are they? Okay. And where's he from? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Yeah. one of was Cole Cheatham. Yeah, one of them's he's from Union County, Indiana. he's the guy that's the the big arm, one of the hardest throwers in the country. Great kid, unbelievable kid, unbelievable family, super talented. and then the other one I think you're referring to is Jackson Tucker, who Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: played for Coach McIntyre and then ended up joining us in the middle of the summer. But another really good kid, super talented kid. Jason: Coach Mac that I met? Isaac Sampen: Correct. Jason: Okay, Coach Mac that fell down the escalator? Okay. Has he he has he healed? The ego not. Isaac Sampen: That is correct. He has healed, the leg looks good. Ego is pr I I I no, he was a good sport about it. He really was. We we gave him hell for the better part of a couple weeks and he he took it on the chin, but yeah. Jason: First impressions, man. And when he walked up and he was a bloody mess, and you guys had used toilet paper to use as some sort of bandage to keep him alive from the airport trip to come and and you you were you were flying into East Cobb for your the WWBA and you had some Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: time, so you guys drove over to watch HUD, Gino, Willie, and Jonah with ZT at that game. And he comes walking in and they're introducing this is the first time you and me met meet. And Isaac Sampen: Right. Jason: it it and then you're like, you know, this is Coach Leo and this is Coach Mac and Coach Mack's just he's just hobbling over Isaac Sampen: Wimp it up. Jason: and nobody wants to say nothing because we don't know if it's di we don't know, you know, with all due respect, we don't know if it's diabetes, you know what I mean? We don't know if Isaac Sampen: Right. Jason: it's you know, cirrhosis of the liver. We have no idea. And then the story comes out about seven minutes later after we get comfortable with each other and like, boy, took a fall down the escalator and we had to literally life drag him out of the airport. So Coach Mac, I hope you're doing well and hope your ego recovers too. But okay, so he was with Coach Mac and then he came over to your squad. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, they they had some injuries. w we did too, so it it kinda worked out to where our teams sort of combined in different aspects different ways. So I got to be around Tuck for a few events and great kid, great player. Jason: Okay. Now are those two that are obviously highly gonna be drafted or their projections are draft picks right out of the gate or are they committed? Isn't one of those isn't isn't your thrower, isn't he committed to our school WVU? Okay. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, West Virginia commit. Jason: Okay. And how many how many other West Virginia commits do you have? Isaac Sampen: He's the only one. Jason: Okay. And then like just give us give the audience a little bit of insight. When you say division one commits, what are give me some household names as far as schools of you got you've got kids going to? And don't say the don't Isaac Sampen: Yeah, I mean shoot. Jason: say the word either. Like we can just bypass the word. Isaac Sampen: got several going there. yeah, I mean West Virginia, you know, Tuck's going to Oklahoma State. We got guys going to Louisville, you know, Michigan, several going to Wright State, TCU, shoot. Jason: So let's talk let's talk about that for a second because obviously that is one of the that's one of the key points, obviously, and one of the key attributes that parents are are searching for at this age, going into the big field. We're graduating from the small fields at 12U and now starts real baseball, in everybody's opinion, because apparently to the world out there, 12U and everything below doesn't matter. That's another whole topic, another whole conversation. So with that being said. do you guys do you would you say that your that your ecosystem for development and for getting the eyeballs on kids is truly a Midwest thing, or do you think it branches out beyond the Midwest? Like, are we talking like do you have do you have connections in Southern California? Do you have them in Florida? Do you have them in in you know in Southern in South Texas? Like, or is this something that like, hey, listen, we know. We know what where our dinner table is at, and that's where we eat. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. I mean obviously you're gonna you're gonna work with guys that are in your region a little bit more than a Southern California program, but I mean it's gotten to the point for us now where, you know, if if we call, they're probably going to answer and really the the the player does a lot of that for themselves, right? Like we we don't pretend here that you know we we get those guys committed. They you know They walk through the door, they close the door, but I mean, I I think we could pretty much contact anybody in the country and they've probably heard of the program or somebody knows somebody y you know, so it's gotten a lot Jason: Right. Right. Right. Isaac Sampen: easier to to do that stuff for sure. Jason: Okay. so now let's let's talk a little bit about the the notion and we just we have to keep it real, Isaac, and that is is that like growing up from nine U to 12U, when you see or hear the Cain's name, it doesn't it doesn't hold as much weight in the younger ages as it does now from 13 on into into high school. So where does the separation come when we're talking The national programs versus the regional programs. Is it all still under one umbrella or are you guys a completely separate entity? Isaac Sampen: I don't know all the ins and outs of all that stuff, to be totally honest with you. I'm I'm just a coach, but you know, we're we're the Midwest program. Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: we we still get guys from all over the place. I mean shoot, you know some of the guys that are on our roster that aren't technically within the Midwest or what I would deem Midwest, and I've had guys in the past that aren't either. so I I I don't know that I have a great answer to that, to be totally honest with you. Jason: Okay. Do you think so let me let me ask you in this way then, because like we have what I've seen is is obviously we have the Keynes Midwest National and then there's Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: Keynes South West or Southeast National. Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: and then is there a Keynes West National? At what point does that will that always stay like that? Or at what age does that do all of those fingers become one fist and it's just Keynes National or Keynes American? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, I honestly I don't know. I mean Jason: We don't know. Okay. Isaac Sampen: I'm I pretty much worry about our four walls, not what anybody else is doing, respectfully. it's not that I wish ill will, I just don't I couldn't tell you what programs two minutes down the road from us are doing. I have honestly no idea. I'm just we're Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: we're just so focused on our guys and our families and what we're doing and we feel like if we take care of that, we're gonna be in a pretty good spot. Jason: Yeah. Okay, so let's talk about our team. Let's talk about our squad. when you and I first got in contact together, I was told to answer the phone when you called, and I answered the phone when you called. And in about three minutes, I knew. Now, no disrespect like to anybody out there, but being fifty years old and going through the things in life that I've gone through, I'm I'm pretty good. Pretty good at at Knowing what is worth my time and what isn't worth my time. And what was gonna be probably a five minute conversation turned into probably an hour between me and you that first time. And it Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Yep. Jason: was just immediate where I was, I told you, I said, I am looking for maturity. I am looking for, I don't care about the trophies, I don't care about the accolades at 13 to 14. I care about 15, 16, and 17. That's what I cared about. That's what my son cares about because nobody's getting recruited at 13. Nobody's getting recruited at 12 and and 14. So it didn't take long for me to understand that you were gonna bring a certain, a certain sense of organized junior professionalism that we have been searching for, searching for. and this was in the infinite stages of this team because you did not inherit a team, you were building a team from the ground up. Correct? Yes. Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Correct. Jason: and so that's when it kind of really started because I had a few, I had a few options of things that we needed to to work through as a family and figure out what our next move was. And it was just very, very apparent very, very quickly, and and I was very transparent with you on this, that this was my heart was definitely going in this direction, which was not what I was expecting. But it was very easy to to go that route. let's talk about this group. You have, let's talk about how you have handpicked this group and what about this group you're so excited about as you go forward. And what few little pieces we're still looking to maybe tweak. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. yeah, so so didn't have a group that like I walked into. So I think right now we've got three guys from Indiana, we've got three from Ohio, two from Michigan, that's eight, one from Iowa, that's nine, one from Jason: What questions you Isaac Sampen: West Virginia, that is ten, one from Florida. It's eleven. I think I was short maybe on my Ohio number by one and that gets us to twelve. So we we currently have twelve, right? what what am I excited about? I'm excited I I love thirteen year old baseball. It's probably my favorite age just because it you get back to, you know, some more of the basics, some more of the fundamentals, some more of teaching the Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: game. Not that these guys don't know the game, like we've got really good players, but You have a little bit of a longer runway to kind of impact those guys and and teach stuff and it's a new group, so we get to implement some different things that I'm excited about doing. that they're probably not accustomed to. Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: but it's a versatile group, it's an athletic group, it's it's a physical group. and you know, I'm excited to go seek out the best comp that we can and see where we stack and then make adjustments and And go forward. Jason: So speaking of searching out the best competition that we can, that's happening right away because we got a bid for Beast of the East, which we were not sure Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: if that was gonna pan out or not. Because we're a new squad, we don't have a proven track record like a lot of other organizations. We don't have a proven track record as a team yet. Isaac Sampen: Right. Jason: but we got that bid. So it's time to put up or shut up, basically, for our group. So there's not a lot of downtime between what just happened and when we have to get rolling because you haven't even had everybody together yet a single time before we even get to Beast of the East. So let's what what does the fall look like for us? Like explain to me just as though you've never talked to me about this before, what does the fall look like for us? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. So weekend weekend one, I've kind of deemed that our boot camp weekend, if you will, where we'll get a chance to practice guys, implement some stuff. weekend one, try to get everybody on the same page without overloading them too much and then kinda get into some scrimmages. planning on scrimmaging my dad's group who who's fourteen, so have those guys push us and hopefully we can push them a little bit too. We get a good baseline of kind of where we're at and give me a chance to kind of to to feel guys out, test some different things that I want to test, experiment a little bit, but more or less get a baseline, you know. like you said, I haven't had this group together, so gotta get guys together and and try to figure it out and figure it out pretty quick. So once we move past our boot camp weekend, that's Labor Day weekend, you know I don't fight people on that. I've retired from doing that. Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: and then and then, you know, we're gonna have another five to six weeks of playing tournaments. I like to get guys on college campuses. you know, I think it's good for guy Jason: Explain that. Explain that because I I mean it was it was almost it was almost like you walked up and kissed me on the lips when you said that to me three months ago, two months ago. Like explain what that means. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. So when we do that, you know, it's a chance for our guys to get in front of of college coaches, interact with them. Jason: I hope you'll I just want everybody to listen very, very carefully, 'cause this is this is what sets programs like this completely apart from everything else. And this is exactly why I chose this direction for my son. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, so chance for our guys to interact with college coaches, you know, work with them a little bit, get feedback from them, get to see facilities and and kind of immerse themselves a little bit into an early look of hey, what is this gonna look like when I'm, you know, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen? and I to me I find value in that, not because, you know, X school is gonna recruit a thirteen year old now, they obviously can't do that anymore. But it's you're they're stacking days in that environment, they're stacking time where it's like, okay, I've already gone through this process, I know what these days look like, I know what they feel like. and so when the lights turn on, you know, hopefully they can kind of revert back to some of that prior experience and be as comfortable as they can be. Jason: Yeah. and they're this is also an opportunity to scrimmage. We're actually gonna have two squads, correct? We're gonna have a national squad, an American an American squad, correct? And they'll get to Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Yeah, that's our second team in the age group is is, you know, American. and so we'll get to scrimmage them a little bit, do some stuff with them a little bit, and then also my dad's fourteen year old group. I think it's important for us to to get in front of those guys a little bit to get to get pushed. They've gotta play sixty ninety. Obviously PG is heavy sixty ninety at thirteen. Other places aren't right and so you know I think our group's probably gonna be really heavy, if not exclusively sixty ninety. So need to play people that are playing sixty ninety. Jason: Yeah. What does what does our schedule look like for the spring and summer? Like what does it look like going into thirteen new for for a program of Keynes national level? What does it look like? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, probably gonna kick things off, obviously like at the Houston one thousand. you know, I I like to play. We don't do the you know, national events and then send everybody home to go play triple A or whatever whatever's local. I want my guys together. I think it's hard to impact guys if you don't have a relationship with them and there's not a trust level there, right? And so you know, we'll play twelve, thirteen, fourteen events spring and summer. we're gonna hit the big national ones and then do the best we can, you know, to kind of fill out some of those other weekends that don't have a national event or whatever with maybe we have to play some fourteen U or you know, we'll see what's out there. I don't I don't have the schedule in front of me yet, but you know, try to try to be a good steward of people's time, people's resources. I don't think we have to play in every corner of America every weekend. Right. We can get some stuff locally or regionally and and be just fine, but definitely wanna push our guys to go to, you know, Houston one thousand, PGI, WWBA, USA baseball, you know, those type of events, right? Jason: Okay, speaking of WWBA and speaking of USA baseball, let's talk about that for a second. this is kind of an important part for parents to listen to as they go forward and as they make tough decisions for their talented young man that's growing up. picking the right organization that leads to the right opportunities going forward. USA baseball is a huge part of that. And explain to everybody, or I don't even know if you have to explain, but one of the big parts for us was is that Canes National Program, they get an automatic bid to the USA baseball in Kerry, North Carolina. Am I correct? Okay. Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Yep. Jason: And explain to everybody what that event is. Like how important is that for some of these boys that have dreams and aspirations of playing on the next 15 new USA teams? Isaac Sampen: I think it's really important. I mean, I think it's you know, arguably the coolest event in the country. you get to be in front of the right people that are decision makers, you get to play, you know, some of the best competition in the country, beautiful facilities, all that stuff, right? So the event, the teams, the type of players, the people there kinda speak for itself. I mean, anytime you get to put USA on your chest too or or, you know, represent your country or get the chance to do that, right? Like that's that's pretty special. Jason: Yeah. and as far as the WWBA goes, how many how many woodbat tournaments will be will we be in this year at thirteen? Like do you try to implement that right away? Like do we need to get that that ball going? Isaac Sampen: I I I don't think it's like super important for guys at thirteen to swing w wood all the time. I'm not saying I'm I'm anti swinging wood, but wood at thirteen's a totally different game. I mean it's it can kinda be Jason: I explained. Isaac Sampen: it can kinda be a a little a little boring. Yeah. No, it Jason: Are you talking about like this is where the kids quit? Isaac Sampen: could It can be it can be if guys are throwing strikes, it can be quick in terms of you may you may play a game in hour and a half. you know, it's not super offensive. you know, it definitely the more fundamental team wins in terms of like, okay, like are you making routine plays, are you throwing strikes? are you getting bunts down? Are you moving runners? You know, that type of stuff wins those games, which I I do think is cool. I enjoy that. Like I I'm not like a a bunting typhoon, but I I do enjoy bunting and playing the game and forcing guys to make plays and understanding how to make those plays too on the defensive side. But it's definitely a a different game than what guys are accustomed to at twelve where it's a lot of lotta home runs, a lot of extra base hits, bats are hot, you know, you got guys at the top level throwing mid eighties. You put a bat on that, some of those hot bats, that ball's going. You know, Jason: Mm-hmm. Isaac Sampen: bigger field, so less hits available right with wood on sixty ninety. So totally just a totally different game. I ri and I again I I like it. I just I'm not sure I would sign up for a full summer of thirteen year old baseball sixty ninety with wood. Jason: When would you start that? Fifteen? Fourteen? Isaac Sampen: Doing doing wood exclusively? Jason: Yeah. Yeah. At what age? Isaac Sampen: a lot of my guys this year at seventeen swung Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: wood pretty much exclusively, even at events where it wasn't required. think it ver Jason: 'Cause I do know some fifteen I do know some fifteen year olds right now that are very high level baseball players that show up with wood at every event. And I was just curious. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Jason: I was just you know, and I'm I'm sure that's probably been advised to them, maybe by an advisor, that hey, just just put the put the compon put the BB core away and just get comfortable and be perfect the wood. No matter what happens, everybody I I'm just assuming that's then personal preference. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, probably. you know, I think I think it's smart for guys to swing wood, warm up with wood, train with wood. I mean if you can hit with wood, you can hit with anything. But you know, I think it I think it depends on the the player, the team, you know, are you physical, are you not physical? W know, I think I think guys I talk to, college recruiters, it's not that they don't enjoy seeing guys swing wood, but they're not swinging wood in college. You know, and so I think those guys generally speaking probably care more about, hey, can a guy swing aluminum? Jason: Any barrel. Right. Isaac Sampen: Like what does that look like? And it's great you can swing wood, but that doesn't they don't care. You know, you have to be able to swing al aluminum. So I don't know. To me it's a little bit of a catch twenty two. I think, you know, it's good for guys to swing wood, it's something different, something cool, a little change of pace, which I think is good. At times guys need that, but I think some of both is probably smart. Jason: Yeah. Okay. let's talk let's go back a little bit to our group. and talking about our group. I'm I'm ridiculously excited about this because it's not just my son and you, but it's you know, it's HUD, it's Gino, it's Willie, it's Jonah, it's Mason and other kids that I haven't even been able to see yet, but I I know who they are. I've heard their names. We've played against them in the past. So I'm extremely excited about this group going in as the projections. I really don't care about what 13 looks like because I know that if this thing's going to evolve. And once once you get a chance to mold these kids the way you think that they should be molded, they're gonna look completely different. And I'm just I can't wait to see what that looks like. So let's talk about this for a second as far as you know, you're not we're not coming into this thing with listen, HUD is a shortstop, Gino is a second baseman, Willie is a third baseman. Like we're coming into this where the the best dog's gotta go go eat. And these boys have got to go earn this. Nobody is nobody is given anything. we're gonna put the best kids and we're gonna put the best talent on the field because you believe that iron sharpens iron. Am I right or am I wrong? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, no, I we've we've that's a that's a typical question that comes up when I talk to parents and you know my my stock answer my my my Jason: That's why it's it's it's why I brought it up. Isaac Sampen: stock answer is yeah like the the the best guys are gonna play and I try to I try to walk that fine line of okay they're thirteen years old, right? Like I don't I don't care about a trophy, I don't care about a ring, I don't care about a ranking, like that stuff means absolutely nothing to me, like at all. Like my I my guys should. I want my guys to. They they better care about winning. Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: but I can't because I think it I think it affects how I would decide to do things and probably be I don't think it put me in a good space to to do what's best for kids, right? At the same time, guys have to learn to be winners. I think that that's a Jason: Yes. Isaac Sampen: skill. I think that's a learned habit. I think you turn into what you're around. And so I try to walk the line of, hey, they're 13, but we're also going and playing at events that we're not gonna have a ton of margin of air, right? Like you can go play, I mean no disrespect at all on this, but you can play some of these front of the mill, you know, PG events or whatever events, right? Where they're they're not Right. Like we all know that they're they they have that label, but they're really not top end events in Jason: Yeah, y it's yes, you're talking about like stuff like Incanton, Michigan and stuff like that, where Isaac Sampen: Right. Jason: yes, I understand what you're saying. Yes. You're talking we're not talking about super regionals or any of that stuff. No, no, no, no. We're talking about Isaac Sampen: No, no. Jason: the local stuff that that that buys the PG name to stamp on the side. Yeah. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, you can play in some of that stuff or even off the wall stuff that I probably don't even know what it's called. And you know, get away with bloody murder there. You can you can walk nine guys, you can, you know, not you Jason: Throw the ball around a couple of times. Isaac Sampen: you can make fifteen errors right and you're gonna you're gonna win the game. And I use win loosely 'cause I call that sucking less, not actually winning. Jason: It's called Isaac Sampen: But Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: you know, where we're playing it's it's not gonna ha we're not gonna have a bunch of margin of error. Right. And so I'm not gonna have the luxury all the time to hit twelve guys or thirteen guys and and you know, mix and match. Like there's there has to be an element of you have to go earn it, you have to go take it, which I think is why you do this. Right. Jason: I fucking love it. Yes. Yes. Isaac Sampen: And this is if you didn't want to do this, there's five billion options out there, all good. You could have you could have not done it, right? so Yeah, I think to me to me that's important. Again, I I try to walk that line of yeah, I want guys to play. they're thirteen, but we we we want you have to win to earn more games. I say all the time, I envy high school coaches because you can lose every game and then still be in a sectional or a regional, right? Like in the travel ball space, you have to win games to earn more games. Right? Jason: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Isaac Sampen: So it it it it's just From that standpoint I I envy high school coaches. It's probably about where that starts and stops. Jason: Yeah. Yeah. So where is the cap gonna be on our roster as far as number wise? Like what is in a perfect world, where are you at and how lenient are you on that roster number? Isaac Sampen: no more than thirteen guys I have to get any level of at bats. I've said that from the jump. open to having arms come in and help us out, like if if it fits, if it makes sense. But I how lenient am I on that number? Not like at all. Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: unless you you do that then we can have a convo, but yeah, not very lenient on it at all. Jason: Okay. What yeah, I get I mean there's really no follow up to that. There's a hard line and that's what it I listen, I appreciate that, but at the same time I also know like have do you okay, let's talk I let's talk about the America and the national because there's two groups. one is coached by Leo Tabasco, right? And then Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: the other one is and then then obviously the national team is coached by you. How does that operate? Because, you know, I know that we shadow each other in events, right? Now they won't enter every tournament that we enter, but most of them, especially in the region, correct? They will basically Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Jason: mirror us. But for those families that are on, I want to give a little bit of, I want to get a little bit of love to this group. This is why I'm bringing this up. Those families that are on that group, those kids that are in that on that team that have made that team, I believe he released that roster already online. Do they have an opportunity to prove themselves and and and and work their way up into our group? And does our group have the opportunity to not put the work in and get moved down? How do you guys operate that? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. it's a good question. It's probably a harder answer. I mean the the short answer is yes. I mean we we ultimately want to get the roster right. Like we want to do what's in the best interest of kids. sometimes, you know, we get stuff wrong. I'm very open and honest about that. I get stuff wrong. I've done that before. We've made adjustments before. sometimes, you know Families, kids want a little bit of a different opportunity. Sometimes it makes sense for there to be maybe a a move that that changes that opportunity a little bit for them. but we don't I don't like guys moving. Like we don't go into it like saying, Hey, we're gonna treat this like a you know, a triple A roster. Like we don't we we don't Jason: Okay. Okay. That's why I was going with that. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, we don't go into it with that intention like at all. Now, like obviously stuff happens, guys get hurt, you know, guys earn different opportunities. To me that it makes a little bit more sense for guys to move when they're a little bit older versus, you know, thirteen year olds, right? But if there's a guy where it's like, Hey, it we just we we got it wrong. I I mean, hand up, I got it wrong, we'll get it right. I mean I'm not Too prideful to do that at all. Jason: Sure. Speaking of getting it right and getting it wrong, Beast of the East, not everybody got invited to this tournament. There's a lot of teams and a lot of kids that are on the sideline for this. How open are you to a kid who his team has not hasn't been accepted, but he really wants to go and throw? I'm not saying play, I'm talking about throwers. We're just talking about POs right now, or a kid that maybe is a two-way player, but is Okay with being just a thrower for that event. How open are you? What did would your number change as far as roster number with POs for like that event and for like the PGI? Because the PGI is invitational as well. How does that work? If there's a kid on the sideline right now who is sitting there with nothing to do for Beast of the East, like are are we open? Like, are we open to taking arms? I'm sure I sure as hell hope you say the word yes right now. Isaac Sampen: Well you gave me no choice. But yeah. The the the the answer is yes. Jason: Yes. Isaac Sampen: my my thirteen number is guys I have to get any level at bat, right? Jason: For players. Yes. Isaac Sampen: I don't have an endless, you know, PO capacity, obviously, but much more open to that idea for those type of events that are invitational type events, longer events, that sort of thing, 'cause I'm not we don't we don't abuse arms here. So if there's If it makes sense, absolutely. Jason: Hey, you know what? This is that you just said something that I've been wanting to have a conversation about. And actually you got me in contact with some very smart humans that we have to have I have to connect back with now that Cooperstown is over with. But I want your opinion on the multi sport athlete, okay? because you have a ton of them on this 13U team. Because we're Midwest people and we have other things that we do. Between hockey and football, there's other things that we do. But your your take on the the multi sport athlete and keeping the mileage down on these arms. What is your how do you manage that and what do you encourage your group to do? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. totally good want, fine, whatever with multi sport guys. I mean if I at thirteen especially, if I don't have multi sport guys, I probably probably mess that roster up pretty bad. Right? I mean your better guys you're better Jason: Okay. Why do you say that? Isaac Sampen: g well, your better athletes are just gonna play multiple sports. That's just that is what it is. Specialization typically comes a little bit later when guys get into high school and Jason: I don't know. You're seeing a lot of it right now, Coach. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, y right. no, I know. It i it's it's happening earlier and earlier. It's not something that we that we encourage or let alone force like at all. I want I want guys to go be kids. I'll give you a good example, like Cole Cheatham, right? He Jason: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Isaac Sampen: played he played football for a long time into high school. I have guys that still play football and they're power for commits and they're they're not gonna play football in college, but they're still they're still playing. Jason: They're not giving up that huddle. Isaac Sampen: several of Mm mm. No. I mean we I've got my catcher is going to Boston College, plays football or played football, at least he did as a junior. I don't know what he's doing as a senior, but my center one of my center fielders who's in Michigan commits, playing football. I mean I could go on and on and on and on. I mean we we have a ton of examples of of guys that are powerful commits that play multiple sports that it didn't negatively affect them at all. Jason: Yeah. what about the arms? Because I know that you and I were talking, I don't know if it was last night or the night before. We folks, we'd literally talk I don't know, we you you and I talk a lot. Isaac Sampen: A lot. Yeah. It's it's Jason: A lot. Isaac Sampen: concerning really. Jason: So, anyways, one of the conversations that we were having, you were talking about how you didn't want to heat the arms up too early because we were talking about going like to Vegas or Arizona like over Christmas break, and you were like, Okay, but which is just so abnormal from what you hear in this in this space of like play all year long, and you're like, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, we'll warm the arms up right before we go to Houston. So talk a little bit about your experience with kids in this age because brother, I don't know if you're paying attention, but there's like an epidemic of elbow and shoulder issues at twelve Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: and thirteen years old with growth plates. And I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's the water we're drinking. I don't know what I don't know what's going on. But what is Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Jason: your experience of the the best path forward to taking care of these arms? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Well, if I if I had the perfect answer to all this stuff, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. But personal you know what I mean? So let me just state that. Jason: Right, right. Yes, yes. Right. Isaac Sampen: personal opinion, you know, when we get into the fall, we start to kind of you know, wane down guys' workloads. Like you're not gonna you're not gonna see me running a a thirteen year old, I don't care what game it is, out there for ninety pitches in the fall. It's just not it's not gonna happen. I don't even know how many of my guys at seventeen years old last summer even eclipsed ninety pitches like ever. I mean, very, very few on a weekend. I mean shoot, you could probably peel that back even further. But you know, we we start to kind of wane them down in the fall. I think it's important for guys to not pitch competitively. for a period of time. I don't think like playing catch or playing long toss or doing different things like that is is satanic to do in November and December. I think there's a lot of good things that come from keeping the arm loose, especially as guys try to get stronger. They're they're lifting. I think playing catch and and doing some of that stuff is is a good idea. But never been a huge fan of showcases. early in January, games early in January. I I just find it hard to believe that guys are actually ramped up and and ready to do that stuff. If they are great. I just don't think that that as a general rule is probably all that common. And I'll give you an example 'cause I hear it all the time where guys are ramping up for whatever high school ball or or or whatever the case may be, and they're throwing like thirty-five pitch bullpins for three months leading up to a start in mid mid-March, right? Well, Jason: Mm-hmm. Isaac Sampen: if you th if you're throwing thirty-five pitch bullpins, you're you're like Jason: Mm-hmm. Isaac Sampen: you can throw like half of an inning or like one inning if you're super efficient, right? Because by the time you count pregame pitches and then between game pitches and then in game pitches, like thirty-five is basically what your pregame bullpen You got like eight or ten pitches left, you know, for one inning. You're you're not ready. And so if that's super common, which I know it is, 'cause I hear it all the time, at the high school level, it's probably really common at the youth level and I just don't think guys are prepared to pitch competitively. I don't I don't think that they take the time to do it. Jason: Do you think that do you think at thirteen hold on a second, I just God dang it, Brooks. I don't know. I'll find it later. But do you think that it's important? Do you think that it's important at thirteen for everybody to pitch? Jesus Jones. People are gonna people Isaac Sampen: It's a that's a loaded question. I mean I I I Jason: are gonna think that they just lost their feed. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, no. I mean, I it depends, right? Like take what we're doing. That that level, right? Jason: Yeah. Yeah. Isaac Sampen: Can't can't do it. do I think that like at a lower level that it it's fine to kinda r do some Jason: What do you mean can't? Isaac Sampen: of that? it's gonna be really hard for me to find a time to pitch a kid that hasn't pitched in three or four years, right? In in a lot of the events that we're playing in. That's gonna be really hard. Jason: Especially when you especially when you have a stable full of stallions ready to go. Isaac Sampen: Right. Jason: Gotcha. Isaac Sampen: So comparing that to again, no issue with it, whatever, but but lesser group of guys or whatever, lesser team, double A team, whatever, those are two different answers for me. Like I think you probably have more leeway to do some of that there where where I don't, we won't. Jason: Okay. Okay. what does what does what does it look like? Because we get asked this all the time. In fact, I was just in Cooperstown and it was probably it probably got heard on the game changer broadcast because I was up on the hill and was a bunch of kids sitting around and there's a bunch of families sitting around that were out of the tournament and watching it and they were eating food and watching our team play. And if I didn't get asked ten times in three days I didn't get asked once. So how do y'all practice? Like, do you practice? Like, how do you like so for for for a family that's out there that would love to be part of this program but feel like they're too far away how do you how do you answer and how do you manage those of us that we do not live in on the west side of Indianapolis? We cannot come to practice three nights a week. How does this work Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: for you as coach? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, so w we deal with it a couple of different ways. try to get guys together before we play. Like if we go to a tournament, that's a whatever call it's a it's a Friday to Sunday event, I'll try to get a pool play game like on Saturday and not on Friday, and then use Friday night as an example to practice to get the guys together. That's one way we do it. the other way we do it is I think communication between me, the player, the family. of hey like the chances that we do get together when I see them play when we practice. Here's some feedback of what I think probably need to be points of emphasis for ex player for this period of time, right? I think it's my job if we're all doing this and I've got guys from everywhere, I gotta stay in constant communication with that player, their family eventually, probably just the player, but at thirteen probably both of This is what you gotta do. And then and then the other thing is, we do practice. And so like we we have winter practice time where we get guys together and we do team stuff. We're able to go over situational stuff, implement stuff. So we're not just show up and let it go, sort of a team. we do practice. you know, I think whenever I talk to families like, hey It do you value the two practices a week or is it time for you to do the national thing? For me, my argument to do the national thing is like guys that are capable of playing that, they're working on their own. They probably have a hitting coach, they probably have this coach, that coach, they have access to a facility, whatever the case may be. Pra I think practicing's great. We have a lot of teams that practice. I mean, I'm sitting at our facility now. We have a ton of teams that practice twice a week. Like I think it's a practice is a a very necessary thing. I think there comes a point where it's like, okay, if you got a kid that's abnormal and he needs to go play top in competition all the time, your choice is practice twice a week with a team, right? Or nah, I want to go see low to mid eighties at twelve years old. or thirteen years old. Like w like which one do you value more, right? And some people may value the practice more. Cool. That's fine. Go do it. some people value the competition more. that's kind of where we're at, right? Like we're not gonna practice twice a week every week. We're gonna practice when we can and and stay in touch with guys and help that way. Jason: So and that's part of your whole hand picking process that you went through with this group of thirteens that they're coming up is that you already you picked them because they had shown you without them even knowing that they were showing you, that they were clearly putting in work when when nobody was watching anyways, because they wouldn't have been at this level. They're not all here just because they they were kissed by the baseball gods. They were here because they're here and they're they're picked by you because they've done work. that you clearly can see, correct? So you already know that there's a a track record of, okay, I can trust them to be ready and to know what we need to do before we see them. Obviously we have to get together a a few times over the fall and over the winter. But obviously you have to juggle football, basketball, and hockey and schedule it's just a Midwest thing. Don't you feel like that's definitely more a Midwest thing of the multi sport than you see it a lot on the border states? Isaac Sampen: I think so. Yeah. And I mean, I think the difference here is I mean the the weather component, right? Like you can't play year around here. It's super tempting when you're in you know, if you're de la cruz in Florida, it's like, shoot, man, I can I can play every weekend. Yeah, I'll just do baseball. You know. Jason: Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Isaac Sampen: Don't have that option up here. So yeah, I totally agree with that. Jason: Yeah. And it's not even just the option, but it the options are even more limited for full full field facilities that are indoor. Because I mean, we're talking, you know, we're talking what seven, six, maybe six or seven months out of the year. It's not even feasible to go outside. I mean, yeah, I mean it's just it just it it's it's frustrating, but it also makes it so much more rewarding and our guys are so much they're so biting at the bit to get to Houston. Like they are so ready to go and play by the time Houston 1000 rolls around because they know it's Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: warm weather and it is baseball time. So that's yeah, it's it's definitely something that it can work both ways. Like I think that there's a burnout effect that some kids can have by playing in in warmer weather states all the time, California, so you Florida and all that stuff. And then there's the case of the kids that man, they don't get it, and then when they get it, it's a hundred miles an hour, you know, full speed ahead. okay, so What are just in I guess in closing, what are some of the what are some of the missing pieces or do we have any missing pieces that we're that we're looking to fill before we get to Beast the East? Like what is there something very specific or are we are we open to just seeing how this thing develops before we're before we have to show up in Elizabethtown? Isaac Sampen: Yeah. arms. Reach out. I'm sure we can put my Instagram, your Instagram, whatever. Re reach out. We'll we'll find a way. Jason: Yep. That was yours. Yours. Not mine. Yours. Isaac Sampen: speaking of which I am behind responding to people. If you sent me a message, I'm sorry. I'll get to it eventually. try out season still. So Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: yeah, arms, you know, I'm I'm hoping that positionally we're Jason: say we're pretty good. I'd say we're pretty, I think we're doing just fine there. Just from the outside looking in. I Isaac Sampen: Yeah, there's Jason: mean yeah it's a it's a special group dude like I have I'm really excited about it. I'm really excited about the chemistry like already. And you know there is one there's one particular piece that is like we have the the piece of the puzzle in our hand and we're just Wait, no, like put it down on the puzzle. but Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: okay, you know what, I did want to ask you this because I am curious, and I don't know actually in all of our conversations that we've ever talked about it. how much will 13s be doing in the Midwest? Like, are we gonna do in how much are we gonna be doing at Grand Park? Isaac Sampen: how much are we gonna play the Midwest? I I mean they've got the new Linux facility south side of Chicago there. PG runs Jason: Have you been there? Isaac Sampen: there. Yeah. it's fine. Jason: I heard it's beautiful. Okay. Isaac Sampen: I think it's fine. That that would be like don't love certain things about it. It the fuels are kinda like I don't know, big rectangles where You can play multiple sports. It th they don't ha they lack a little bit of like a true baseball field, which again is fine. Something different. Jason: Well, I mean, they've gotta make their money in other ways too. So I get that. Isaac Sampen: Sure. Jason: Yeah. Isaac Sampen: Sure. Lotta walk in there. lot of walk in there. So bring Jason: Okay. Okay. Isaac Sampen: your walking shoes, but yeah, I think it's fine. Bring your wagon. Yeah. I may need to get a wagon. Jason: Bring your wagon. Okay. All right. All right. So what about what about Grand Park? Isaac Sampen: Super Select is a good event. ABC is a good event. MPL is a good event. Like those are kind of like the three headliners there. I have to see what conflicts those events have with some of the other stuff we're planning on plan to see if it works. Jason: Right. Right. Isaac Sampen: we also have the the option to play 14 there. You know, actually we'd probably We'd probably have to play fourteens if we're gonna do sixty ninety. So I think those are some options. Jason: Okay. Will we be doing any fifty four eighty? Isaac Sampen: I to be honest with you, I would prefer not like if we're gonna play sixty ninety, it's like play sixty ninety. And if it's if Jason: Let's just stay and let's just do it. Right. Isaac Sampen: it's rough at times, okay, but Jason: It's rough at times. Yep. Isaac Sampen: you know, the other ninety percent of well not ninety percent, but the other seventy percent of the countries probably play in fifty four eighty. That's way more common, right? And so it's like, yeah, we'll we'll get a head start, we'll play sixty ninety and we'll roll with the punches. Jason: Yeah. I mean, I would say that the core that you have, the core that you have of boys that are coming with you know with us, they're so used to this mentality of playing up, playing bigger. And so it's not I don't think you're gonna scare our group at all because that's just what they're used to doing. They're Isaac Sampen: No. Jason: used to they're used to to going through the rough patches of the season knowing that it's going to pay off in the end. So, which is probably a huge benefit for you. You don't have to explain to them, you gotta trust me. They've all been through this. They've been through it since they've been nine years old, either playing up to ten, especially when we come to to Indianapolis. We always had to play up when we come to Indianapolis, an age group. So, Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: what about Lake Point? Isaac Sampen: Yes. P VR Natty Jason: You said that like you were going home. Yes. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, I mean I I might as well buy a home there. But yeah, I I I love Lake Point. To me it's the cream of the crop. PBR natty's there, great event. just played there with the seventeens. Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: I don't know what else we would potentially play there. I'd have to l I'd have to go back and look at thirteens and I'm so used to like a seventeen U event in the schedule I gotta, you know, kinda remind myself a little bit, but yeah, would love to go there. Obviously we'll play East Cobb. could see what's at Hoover. Obviously we're going to Houston. So we'll we'll have a nice you know bag of different facilities and states and whatnot. Try not to kill people. Jason: Yeah. Okay. So the last thing that I wanna I wanna talk about, and it was something that I did and I forgot until we were just talking about this. It just kind of sparked in my head because that's how my ADD works. And that is is that I would there's something that you guys are very good at, and I know you know this, but it just doesn't get talked a lot about, and that is the exposure. The media side that Kane's national program brings to these these kids. how have you seen that change since you have been a head coach of any age? How have you seen the media side evolve from your standpoint? And are you I'm assuming you're way more comfortable with it now than you were when it first started? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, way way more comfortable with it. it's evolved a lot. I mean I remember being on the field and you'd see like maybe mom or dad with an iPhone, you know, trying to grab something. But now it's I mean it's really common for there to be somebody on our field, somebody in our dugout, somebody maybe on the other side too, grabbing Jason: Mike Isaac Sampen: video. Yeah, mic'ed up, w w whatever. It's part of it. you know it I initially was kind of like, man, is this gonna be a distraction? I don't think it is. I mean, guys are gonna have to deal with that anyways, it's part of it. I view it much more as like, hey guys, yeah, this stuff's gonna go on. Rise above it, figure it out, do your job, don't play to the camera, don't play to the microphone, don't don't do any of that stuff. The reality is if you've got a good group of guys, you're those people are gonna be around. Right. And so it's almost a little bit of a I don't know. a test for guys I think at thirteen, fourteen to to kinda get used to some of that stuff and maybe it prepares them for when guys come and watch. You know, I don't know if the two are correlated, but in my mind I kinda convinced myself of that. Jason: Yeah, but like as far as like and and I also mean like a lot of this stuff is coming from in house because the Keynes Isaac Sampen: Mm-hmm. Jason: national program has an incredible media team. the amount the amount of exposure that these kids are getting through the Keynes program itself is remarkable and is impressive and they are very, very talented. Are these interns, are these college kids who are the is are they contracted out? Do you know? Do you know who these like I mean, they're following you around, they're on the bus, they're shooting the guys getting off the bus. They're shooting, you know, all this stuff. The you guys are going to the bowling alley after tournaments, you know, and getting wings and stuff like that. Who who is this group that follows around the national teams? Isaac Sampen: Yeah, I don't I don't delve into that. I don't I don't know all of those. I'm assuming that they're hired or Yeah. Yeah, I mean they're they're really good. I mean I've seen their stuff, but obviously. Jason: They're contracted then if you don't know. Yep. Okay. Isaac Sampen: but I don't I don't know. There's times where, you know, we're there, they're there, they're somewhere else, they they come and go. So kudos to them. They do a really good job and they're all they're all really cool. Jason: Yeah. Speaking of we'll close with this. Speaking of media, that is our first official event is our media day slash get together. what the twenty August twenty ninth, right? it Isaac Sampen: Twenty ninth and thirtieth. Jason: right there where you're at today at that facility. could be Okay. Yeah. So I Isaac Sampen: Could be, could be somewhere else. Well to be determined. Jason: think he has a little bit of a surprise planned for the boys as far as some stuff and welcoming them to the Keynes family. So that's gonna be a really, really fun day. I'm excited about that because it's gonna be the chance that, you know, all the boys get to get together. You get to get together. Who else you know what? I didn't even ask you this. Are you the only coach or do you have an assistant coach? Isaac Sampen: No. We so so Yeah. Jason: Is it Vic? Is it Vic now the cruise? Isaac Sampen: Coach McIntyre, Phil McIntyre, who you met, the the Jason: Okay. Yep. Yep. Isaac Sampen: infamous survivor of the elevator fiasco. Jason: Yes. Yes. Isaac Sampen: he's he's helping me. Jason: Okay. Isaac Sampen: Steve Barizi who actually took a job at his alma mater at Lakota West, he's gonna help me. He's a high school coach, so want to figure that out a little bit, but he's got coaching experience and is gonna be of support to us too. So yeah, but me me and Mac should be there. Jason: Okay. And they'll all be there that day? Will they be there that day? Okay. Awesome. Awesome. Well listen, man. Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Yep. They're there, they're fired. Jason: doesn't matter. If Vic's there, he'll just slide right into that job. So that is yeah, Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Jason: that is which is not a bad thing to have a plethora of baseball knowledge at your fingertips and help when needed. so I just wanna let you know, man, I am I am I'm stoked. You know this. I'm I'm excited. I don't want this to get weird and cheesy and uncomfortable in the last few seconds of our of this podcast. But I am super excited about this. you do not have a kid on the team. You do have dogs. You are married. So those are all three plus. well, you're married. I mean, you're still married. I mean, so she must be a keeper. She puts up with the dude. I don't know. I mean, literally, it's been every day. It's every day. We went what? Isaac Sampen: yeah. Jason: We went we went like forty hours or something like that. And it was it was like we were it was like we were going through withdrawals. Isaac Sampen: Withdrawal. Yeah. I was getting total withdrawals. Yeah, I didn't know what I thought I thought you hated me. Jason: so I am really excited. I'm excited about this group. I'm excited about Media Day and getting down there or getting over there. I think I think Vanachek is planning on getting an Airbnb and having a barbecue. I we've actually talked about like should we just all split an apartment during the fall and during the winter? Like, should we just I don't even know? Like I'm not even sure. How we should do this, but we do need to get creative. because I think that we'll be coming over quite a few times during football season on the weekends or whatever, and then into the winter, just because I think it's important. I think it's important for the boys and for us to learn your curriculum. is kind of how I view it. You know what I mean? Like every coach is different, every coach has a different way. And you know, we we were able to early on learn, you know. The other organization's curriculum and then copy that at home. Well, we need to know what yours is. And the only way to know is to sit, watch, and listen. So I'm looking forward to it. thank you for taking time out of your day. best of luck with the tryouts today, even though it's raining there and nasty. I guess it's kind of fitting. I mean, it's the closing the chapter on your tryouts for for canes. So, Isaac Sampen: Yeah. Jason: and I'm sure as soon as we log off, it'll be about twelve minutes and we'll shoot each other a text. So thank you. Thank you for coming on and letting everybody know who you are and a little glimpse behind the canes curtain. Isaac Sampen: Yeah, no thanks for having me and excited to have you, your family, all of our families ready to get rolling. Let's do it. Jason: All right, buddy. All right, man. We'll talk after a while. Okay. Isaac Sampen: Okay. Bye bye. Jason: See buddy.