Conch Pride with Legend Victor Gallardo

This is a Conch Legend Episode. Join us for an inspiring conversation with Victor Gallardo, a Key West native and baseball legend, as he shares stories from his childhood, playing days, coaching career, and his deep love for Conch baseball. Discover the rich history, community spirit, and timeless lessons that define Conch baseball and its impact on generations.

Victor Gallardo’s stories are a testament to the vibrant culture, athletic excellence, and community bonds that define Key West. His life’s journey from childhood days on the water to mentoring future generations embodies the spirit of a true Conch. Whether sharing memories or inspiring others, Victor reminds us all that community, storytelling, and passion are what make life meaningful.

#baseball #KeyWest #ConchPride #community

Transcript

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Welcome To The Conchs

Joy Nulisch 0:00

Thanks for tuning in to the Conks, a Bring Joy Podcast. I'm your host, Joy Newlish. I'm a first generation conk raised by a fourth. What does that add up to? A whole lot of conch pride. And that's what this show is all about celebrating the incredible people of Key West and their stories from every corner of our conk community. So sit back and relax, cuz. Let's do this thing. Experience the beautiful backcountry of the Florida Keys through an adventure like no other. Our expertly trained crew will take you on the only true sailing excursion in Key West. Pie out their beautiful channels. And snorkel in the Wildlife Refuge. Then settle down with some refreshments and treats before the sun sets. Danger charters. Adventure awaits. Locals get 30% off.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Oh, oh. Thank you for supporting QS Kunk Baseball. Good Kongs.

Meeting Victor Gallardo

Joy Nulisch 1:14

How are we doing, Kung fans? I got a good one for you today. We're talking with Victor Galardo, a true Kung who loves Key West and baseball. That's my kind of guy. Welcome to the show, Vic.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Hey Joy, thanks for having me. It's an honor.

Joy Nulisch 1:28

I know we've been talking about it for a little while, and now we're finally doing it.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Yeah, I think I might have had some hair on, you know, on my head when we started all of this.

Joy Nulisch 1:38

Hey, but you know what? Some people may recognize you because this is your first time as a guest, but you made a special appearance back in November on the episode I did for Billy Wardlow.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Yeah, as you know, I'm I'm very close to Billy. And thank you for having me do that little spotlight on him. I'm so proud of that young man, uh, whether it be baseball or uh regular life, what he's done is is phenomenal. And for me to have played a small part in his life is

Childhood Key West Adventures

SPEAKER_00 2:10

awesome.

Joy Nulisch 2:10

It is good stuff. I really love that interview. But I wanted to start out talking about Key West. You're a true conk. You lived here during, you know, the glory days, as far as I'm concerned. So tell me about your Key West. What was it like growing up when you were a young kid?

SPEAKER_00 2:27

It was a carefree lifestyle, Joy. You know, I have these fond memories of playing stick ball with Ralphie, uh Louie Richie Pazo, TV Barrios in Louie's grandmother's, Richie and Louie's grandmother's uh backyard. Wayne Garcia uh did a beautiful wood carving for me that I treasure, and it is one of those games, and Eddie Roberts is poking his head up over the fence. Because that was the core group that we used to hang around with. We uh fished together. We had this little dinghy boat with a motor from Sears, and we'd go out off of um Smathers Beach, and the rule was if um one of the parents did a drive around the boulevard, they had to be able to see the boat. And um, we'd catch a bunch of fish, come back home, and go to Albert and Oldti's house here on Thompson Land, and Albert had this big skillet that covered all four units of the uh the stove. We'd fry grunts and she'd make grits and uh pork and beans, and we'd have us a good old time. Um it was that type of life. We never had to worry about anything, uh, unlike these kids today that you don't have to worry about so much.

Joy Nulisch 3:50

It is it is a different world, and that's why I say you it was the golden years for for you guys. You talk about even your parents being able to ride around the island and see you out on the water. You're lucky if you ride around Key West and even see the water now.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Well you rejoice. Well, you know, the the thing about it was back in the day too, Joy, we drive down Duval Street, and you had your hand out the window all the time because you knew you were gonna see someone that you recognized walking down the sidewalk. That doesn't happen today. Um, although I will say that um my buddy Mikey Stack, Sandy and I were walking down uh White Street one morning, and this car made a U-turn, and Sandy says, Who is that? And that young man jumped out of the car and said, Bick, it's me, Mikey. And that just made my day.

Joy Nulisch 4:41

You gotta love Mike Stack.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Oh, you know, what an incredible young man that is, and uh um I'm so happy for his success and um so glad to and honored to call him a friend.

Joy Nulisch 4:53

Same here. And that's that's a that's one of the ways that you know your home, right? When you're out in the streets and you hear, you hear your name.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Absolutely. You know, sitting on my mom and dad's porch, people would come by, blow the horn. Um, people would ride their bikes and wave. The conch trade would come by. We'd tell them that they were lying, that there's no such thing as nine chimneys on the rooftop, you know. But that was the that was the good old days. That was the good old days.

Family Influence And Early Fields

Joy Nulisch 5:23

And I'm glad you mentioned your mom and daddy. Um I was at um Mallory Square, actually the other day going to see a play and walking through Mallory Square and El Mason de Pepe, and your parents are memorialized, in my opinion, in the best way, dancing, uh having a good time. Tell me about growing up with your mom and dad.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Oh, um, incredible, incredible individuals. Um, you know, Joy, I think in my um my speech on Dinner of the Diamond, I mentioned that we didn't have so a lot, but I didn't lack anything. Um, they were there for me uh emotionally when the game put a lot of stress on me, when life, uh a breakup with a girlfriend, um, you know, my our house was always filled with people. My mom was constantly making Cuban coffee um that she sweetened with condensed milk, and people would just ring the doorbell and say, Chicky, you got any any coffee made? You know, and um my dad, uh a great man who, you know, blue-collar worker who worked in the fire department with your dad and uh George as well, um, but he would um wait for me on his days off when I got home from school, take me to Point Siena School, um, where we would practice, you know, and hone my skills in on that um pine cone-filled field out there. Um, you know, that was their playground in those days.

Joy Nulisch 6:56

Speaking of those fields, how about the new facilities that we have now when you come back home and you go and visit 17 and little Ralphie? What do you think of those new facilities?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Oh, it's it's just unbelievable. Um, I was talking to uh Jackie Niles the other day about the last time I had gone to Florida State and see what they have done since the days when I was there. Um, but going home now is like um it's mesmerizing. Um, you know, we always had beautiful facilities. Uh Rex Weech um was beyond great when it came to making sure that um the Rex was always pristine for when we practiced or when we played. Um in the Clayton Sterling facility down there. At that time, it was Peter Dopp Field. It was one of the most beautiful little league fields in the state. Um it had a concrete wall with all the sponsors painted on it, but the infield grass was uh pristine. Um the clay was perfect. Um so um I I really am overwhelmed by what the program is is going through now, but it's so wonderful. I didn't even have a batting cage um at Key West High when I played for four years. And now they're gonna have a state-of-the-art facility, uh, indoor facility on top of that, which is absolutely p phenomenal.

Joy Nulisch 8:30

I can't wait to see it all finish. It seems like every game we go out there, it's getting closer and closer to being done. Um, not to mention the fact you dropped some of the names. We're we're going to have a museum to be able to honor the great history of of conk baseball. Let's let's back up just a little bit.

Learning The Game In Little League

Joy Nulisch 8:50

Okay. You talked, you mentioned Peter Doffield, you dropped Clayton Sterner's name. Tell me where baseball began for you, where'd your love for baseball began? And you've been playing since you were a little guy. So tell me about some of those days.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Well, I'm I'm named after my uncle who signed a um contract with the San Francisco Giants the same day as the great Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. They were next-door neighbors in Puerto Rico, and they went through A-ball, double A-ball, triple A ball, and my uncle actually had a major league contract and was given a uh a demand by his then fiance, me or the game, and he chose her. Um, so my daddy uh named me after him. So at age five, um, I remember him uh rolling balls to me and uh playing uh catch with me, taking me out to the tomato league that was played out at the old Wickers uh field. Um so by the age of eight, we played what they called at that time a midget league. Um we didn't have T-ball. We went right into kids' pitch. And I there's a picture somewhere of me on the pitcher's mound, and Searstown is being developed. That's how long ago that was. Um and then from there I went to the middle league, the middle field, and at that time, the middle field was ages 10, 11, and 12. Um, and so I played against some um some pretty big uh kids in kids like uh Clinton Eppinger, who just threw the living tar out of the ball. Um uh Billy Joe Russell, who was a little older than him, than me, a phenomenal baseball player back then. But it I played for Clayton Sterling, and you know, his knowledge of baseball um and his work ethic, uh, we practiced almost daily. Out there at Point Siena Field, uh, Point Siena School on those pine cones. Um, you know, I'd get 100 ground balls a day and um really hone my skills and the knowledge he provided um got me going uh towards Pony League, where I only played one year. Um I played um at age 13. Um and that was at that time 13 and 14. I don't know what it is today. You talk about the pine cones. I'm thinking about a bad hub. Oh, we had plenty of them. You made sure you wore your protective gear, if you know what I mean. Uh because there were these little round pine cones um that looked like. Yeah, and um, you know, he didn't care. Uh Clayton didn't care. Him and Avalio Forns would hit you uh ground balls every day, all day. Um, and of course, that's where I got introduced to um his son Randy, um, who would come out and and and um help us. As um at those in those days, I pitched as well. Um so I learned how to throw my curveball for Randy.

Joy Nulisch 12:07

Uh I was gonna ask

Randy Sterling Stories And Legends

Joy Nulisch 12:10

you, I I've got I've got his name right here. I was gonna ask you, d do you remember seeing him play?

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Yes, I do.

Joy Nulisch 12:16

Give me a Randy Sterling story.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Oh, they were playing Killian um one day at at the Rex, and he hit this this kid with his breaking ball. And we thought the kid was dead. We really did. Um, because Randy would throw his breaking ball um almost as hard as he would throw his fastball. Um, but Randy, in my opinion, um I know you and I have talked about Boog, we talked about Brooks. I never saw anyone as good as Randy. Randy was a thing of beauty. I I try to emulate him anytime I pitched, um, but he was just spectacular. What they don't remember is Randy could hit too. I saw Randy take a lot of balls deep into that left center field gap back in the days when um my dad used to take me out to watch him play.

Joy Nulisch 13:14

I I love that. It's one of the reasons why I ask you because I don't think we tell enough stories about about Randy. Uh, you know I'm partial to Boog, right? And Brooksy, that yes, my guy. Right. But yeah, I I think we just need to tell more stories about Randy.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Well, you know, and the the the the great stories. Well, here's one from my mentor, Manny Crespo, um, who also um was uh Ralphie Jr.'s uh private instructor. Um Manny told me one time when he was at Miami High, and Manny was the number three pick overall by Boston in 1968. And Manny said, Vic, I remember facing Randy, and I had heard so much about him, and it was good morning, good afternoon, and good night. He said it was like zip, zip, zip. He said, I had never seen anything like that in my playing days at Miami High, and that's a man who was probably the greatest shortstop in the history of Miami before Aaron.

Joy Nulisch 14:17

Yeah, that's you're you're dropping names, and I I just can't wait. I can't wait to look at the transcript. It's gonna be popping like that.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Yeah. And you know, and then there's the story where Randy pitched back-to-back games in the um in the state title when um, you know, we won a title in our class division, and I don't know if it was a challenge or it was set up by the state where we played the next night against a higher rank or a lower rank class division, and he pitched that game as well. And back-to-back nights. I heard about like over over a hundred pitches too. Yeah, and and I mean, just uh uh an incredible feat. You know, you got guys today that go six innings. This guy's going a hundred pitches in two nights each

Remembering Bill Butler And Old Gym Nights

SPEAKER_00 15:10

night.

Joy Nulisch 15:10

Certain certainly was a different time. I'm gonna take you out of baseball for a minute. You got to see Randy Sterling. You also got to see now the late great Bill Butler, we lost um recently here in Key West, and you saw him play basketball, and I I know we're talking about baseball, but you're talking about the good old days, and not too many people could tell me stories about him. So, you got any Bill Butler stories?

SPEAKER_00 15:38

Well, you know what, Joy? Back in those days, if you didn't get a ticket to the JV game, you didn't get a seat at the varsity game. That's how packed the gym was in those days. And, you know, you have to understand that that team that Bill played on also had the great Ronald Harris, uh Mike Berger Raymond, um, also known as Toothpick, because Mike played with a toothpick in his mouth, um, Warren Marshall, Anthony Luther Mount, Gully Potier. That team was electric. Um, but of course, Bill was a centerpiece because at six foot-one, his jumping ability and his shooting ability was through the roof. Um, and um, you know, when they won that that um state title, um, I pretty sure it was against Curly. Um, Curly had a uh a basketball player named Sarah Baptiste, who was seven foot, and Bill would out jump him on the um on the opening toss. And um, he was not only uh a phenomenal basketball player, but he was a phenomenal human being. Um, you know, we mentioned my mom and dad earlier that um anytime he saw my mom and dad, he would hug them, tell them how much he loved them, how much he appreciated the support that, you know, my mom and dad gave him. Uh just an incredible, incredible um loss for our community at his passing, um, you know, earlier last month.

Joy Nulisch 17:22

I appreciate you sharing those stories. I remember as a kid, and I I mentioned this story a couple of times on different episodes, but you know, his reputation preceded him. My older sisters and brothers would say, Oh, you're gonna have Mr. Butler for a teacher. He's a great teacher. And then George would say, Well, he was even a better basketball player. And talking about him jumping and snatching the quarter and all the things off the rim.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

And so I actually saw that at at the school one day where he took it off the top of the backboard. You saw it. Yeah. It's not, it's not a myth. It's it's fact.

Joy Nulisch 17:55

Well, he he will be missed, and um, it's one of the main reasons why I wanna that I have this show is to be able to capture all those stories before before we forget, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Oh, um, you know, those days of Kunk basketball were phenomenal because, you know, I don't know if they still have it. I haven't been in the gym in so long. You know, in the in each corner there was like a like a big tower, and they'd have a band up there playing music like The Horse and 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago, and that place would get rocking. And I remember my freshman year, I was so small that if the seniors wanted a drink, they would pass me down. All the way down. I'd go get the drink, go back up. Yeah. And Mr. Archer would sit up. There was a glass booth um on one side of the court, and Mr. Archer would sit up there and keep an eye on us, make sure we didn't get out of hand.

Joy Nulisch 18:52

Oh, that's good. So you talk about Mr. Archer too. Um, so good.

Making Varsity At Fourteen

Joy Nulisch 18:58

So you talk about being a freshman in high school. Talk to me about making the Key West Corn baseball team. Tell that story.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Oh, um, you know, Joy, I I like as I said, I I played one year of Pony League, and um I finished second in the the batting title to my dear friend Richie Paso. Um I think Richie hit 500 and I hit 490. Um and I made the all-star team, and we make it all the way to state, but I don't get to play. I mean, I I got in one game in right field, and I I I was just very taken back by that. And my dream had always been to play a state championship in front of the Key West fans. Um, and I knew that at 14 the state championship was gonna be held in Key West. But my dad convinced me to go out for the JV team. So here I went. Um, you know, I go to the meeting. The f the the first meeting was in October, and uh um Otto says that uh the uh you know the first practice is the Monday after Christmas. We gotta have long pants, well, baseball pants. I didn't have baseball pants. So I went out with my shorts and a t-shirt and every week, you know, he had a cut list and he'd post it on his door, and sure enough, my name wasn't on it, my name wasn't on it, my name wasn't on it. And but the last cut list, if your name was on it, you had made the JV team. So, or the varsity. Um, so I go there and my name's not on the JV list, which is what I'm looking for. And as I'm walking away, the door opens, and uh there he stands, and I said, Hey coach, how are you? And I was brokenhearted, uh, probably had puckered lips and swollen eyes, and um he says, Congratulations. And I said, What do you mean? He says, You made varsity, and we have a meeting today at three o'clock. And that's the rest is history. Um so this skinny 14-year-old kid weighed 117 pounds, um, had uh gone out with blue jeans and uh a pair of old cleats from Sears and a golf from Sears and made varsity. Um and uh started every game I every game from there on.

Joy Nulisch 21:32

You mentioned Otto. So co Coach T, Coach Defingen was your coach.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Yes.

Joy Nulisch 21:37

Who else was part of that coach and staff and who were some of your teammates?

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Coach Fraga was the um the assistant coach. Um my teammates that year, um, my freshman year were uh people like Bill Spotswood, um, fame key west attorney, uh David Cohen, um um let's see. Jeff Holmes, a lot of older guys. Brooks was pitchered on the JV at that time. But then in my sophomore year, Richie came in. Richie Paso came in as a freshman and made varsity. Brooks came up to varsity. Then in my junior year, Louie Paso came in as well. You know, Terry Nelson, guy named Donald Brown. Great, great Stephen Greenwood. Great ball players that I was surrounded with. Did you play second base? I played second base. I was a shortstop through Little League and Pony League, but when I went to high school, I had a good arm, but not that good of an arm to get it across the diamond at that age. So I played second base and I

Miami Rivals And A Costly Regret

SPEAKER_00 22:52

stayed there.

Joy Nulisch 22:53

And who were some of the teams that you guys played back in the day? And did you have as many home games as we have now, or did you have a lot of bus trips?

SPEAKER_00 23:02

We took a bus trip about once a week. But we did have a lot of home games. But back then we were in the Greater Miami Athletic Conference, and we played schools like Miami High, Killy, and Carl Park, or Arch Nemesis was Miami Beach, because we were always battling for that number one seed because that was how you got into the playoffs. And my freshman year, we didn't make the playoffs. My sophomore year, we went all the way to the state finals losing in the state championship. Junior year we lost early. In my senior year, we lost to Heartbreaker in the semifinals to Leesburg of the state championship.

Joy Nulisch 23:45

You know, I said that recently. Some really great conk teams never won a championship.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

No, um, you know, it's often been said that the um the 70s is a forgotten decade because we didn't win one in the 70s. Um and, you know, one of my biggest regrets that I still live with today is in that semifinal game against Leesburg, um, we went in two to one with one out and a man on first, and I was told, get the out at second base. We had a routine ground ball that I would have turned a million times for a double play. I got the out. That guy steals second, an air and throw in the center field gets him to third, base it in the left, and the game's tied, and then we lose in in um extra innings. Um, and you know, I remember, you know, I know you like the stories. I remember calling my dear friend Janet Dawtry at that night and saying, I'm sorry. Um, because it wasn't about me, it was about the conks, the fans. I'm so sorry I didn't turn that double play. Um, but that's fate and that's destiny, you know, and um don't know what would have happened if I would have turned it. I know we would have gone to the state championship final, maybe we would have had 12. Um, but it's something that I I live with. And when I went on into coaching, I always told my players, you play the game no matter what happens. Um if you throw it away, you throw it away. I don't care. You play

Brooks Carey And Trust Infield Defense

SPEAKER_00 25:22

the game.

Joy Nulisch 25:22

I I do want to talk about you coaching, but I I want to go back to playing for a second because you mentioned a lot of teammates. Um, you told me a story about Randy. Um tell me a story about Brooksy.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

Oh.

Joy Nulisch 25:38

One that you can tell.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Brooks was um probably my favorite pitcher to ever play behind. Um, you know, he wasn't overpowering, but he was crafty. He could command either side of the plate, and he had confidence in us behind him to pitch the contact. Um, you know, there wasn't no doubt about it. You know, the the greatest compliment that I've ever gotten as a baseball player came from him when he told my son, Ryan, I played with the great Cal Ripkin. But when they hit a ground ball to your dad with two outs, I'll just walk off the field. And it it doesn't get any better than that, coming from the great lefty himself, because he was he was great. I can tell you a lot of stories I can't mention on this podcast, but that's a baseball story for you.

Joy Nulisch 26:41

Yeah, I was gonna ask you about the bus rides, and then I thought better of it.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Well, you know, I I was able to play with Brooks in um 1973 in the state championship um for Prep League that we won in um in Tallahassee. Um and then, you know, when I when I went to Florida State, um, I didn't even know how to get to my dorm room. These kids have these time slots and you know they they they ride up with uh U-Halls. I went to a paid phone at a hotel and called Brooks. Hey, Brooks, can you come get me? Because I don't even know how to get to Osceola Hall. And he did. Um and I, you know, I wish that I could have played another two years with him at Florida State, but again, it wasn't meant to be. Um and I was the last player cut that fall, and um it turned out

Miami Dade And Florida State Turns

SPEAKER_00 27:33

okay.

Joy Nulisch 27:33

I I would say so, and you did so you tried to mention Florida State because you did after uh QSI, you you went to Miami Dade and played there.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

Correct, correct. Played at Miami Dade for two years, um, went to the uh junior college World Series in 1976, lost in the quarterfinals. Um we just ran into a buzzsaw and they hit our pitching uh pretty good, and that's thin air up there in in Colorado, and the ball carried, and we lost. Um but um it was wonderful. We were number one in the country for the whole year, and I played with um, I'm sure you've heard Ralph uh mention the name Chino Catahia. He was the bench coach for the uh Royals. He was my first baseman. Richie was our shortstop. Um I played second. Um we had a guy named Isaac Sioni who went on to play in the Braves organization. This guy was our catcher, and he had a comb in his back pocket with comb his hair in between pitches. Yeah. I played with Elston Howard Jr., the great Yankees um, you know, uh catcher. I played with his um with his son Um Ellie Jr. He was our right fielder. Um, a kid named Steve Lerner, who pitched at University of Miami. Um, so it was a wonderful time at Miami, Dave. And at Florida State, uh, truth is I couldn't hit my my way out of a paper bag that fall. Everything I hit was was caught. Um and I had two All-American second basemans in front of me. But because of Brooks, Woody Woodward gave me an opportunity as a preferred walk-on. And um it didn't work out. I was running off the field, thought I had made it, he called me back. Um, but again, you know, it it's dark then, but now as you look back, you say, hey, it was meant to be. All part of your story. All part of the story.

Joy Nulisch 29:32

You mentioned Ralph, 17. Yeah. This would kind of work us back to coaching. He he was your teammate.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

Yes, he was. Two state championship teams, 69 and 73. Good catcher? Phenomenal catcher, phenomenal first baseman, too. Um, who could hit for power and had a a uh a rocket for an arm. Yeah.

Joy Nulisch 29:56

And I heard now um Rick Lopez earlier said that he just, I think, win number 438 or something like that. Crazy uh successful coach. When you finished um college, you came back home, you hung up your cute leads as a player, but but

Coaching Begins And The Black Widows

Joy Nulisch 30:15

you coached. Tell me about your coaching journey.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Well, you know, I started in Key West. Um I was up in the one of the offices at the bank that was right there next to George Myra's uh pizza huddle, and I was watching a young man named Mario Myra Jr. turn double plays, and his sister um was working there, and I said, he's gonna get hurt. You need to let me work with him. So I started working with him. Um, and the next thing I know, I was with Billy Wardlow, and then uh Russ asked if I would come out and work with the now infamous black widows. Um tell that story. Well, the well, the black widows, they all had black gloves. I had uh Darren Mills at third base, Billy had short, uh, Mary O'Mara at second, and uh a kid named Jeff, um, I don't remember his um last name, who went on to play at the Naval Academy. Well, they all had black gloves and they called themselves the black widows. So I wanted to make sure that everybody came out to see the black widows. So I took out a full-page ad in the back of the citizen that said, the black widows are coming. And um I'm sitting in the hair salon when I worked for David Goody, and oh, the police officer is getting his hair cut with David, and he says to David, David, did you see this thing about the black widows are coming? We've been talking down at the police station. We think this is gang coming in here. And David says, That ain't no gang. That's that fool over there. He's named his infielders the black widows, and he took that ad out for them. True story. Can't make that stuff up.

Joy Nulisch 32:02

Oh, that's that's a legendary story, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:05

Oh, it is, it is. And um, I love those guys. And, you know, I've lost contact with all of them, with the exception of Billy, but um it was fun, and that's how I got started. Then I, you know, I moved up into um Boca Ratone. Uh and I worked with this one young man who um went to uh Syracuse University, and um he was a basketball player, he wasn't a baseball player, but he wanted to try out and uh had a great tryout, and um he didn't make the team. And his mother called me and she says, uh, you know, he's real down. And I said, give me his number. You know, in those days we didn't have cell number. And I said, um, his name is Eric. I said, Eric, you know, what's the problem? And he said, Coach, you know, I wanted to make this team so bad because I wanted an identity. I said, identity? You are gonna put on a lab coat one day that says, Dr. Eric Blazar, how much more identity do you need? And he said to me, Coach, you know, I never looked at it that way. And today he's a prominent orthopedic surgeon in the in the Boca Raton area. You don't need any more identity than that. And that's what kind of took me into up here. It was a crazy story

Centennial Years During Cancer Treatment

SPEAKER_00 33:30

because I was in the hair salon working, and I'm cutting this man named Larry Bradner's hair. And uh I asked him, I said, hey Larry, do you know, do you um have any kids? He says, Yeah, I have a son named John, and he uh, I said, Does he play sports? And he says, Yeah, he's a pitcher over here at this new high school called Centennial. And I said, Well, how are they doing? He says, Yeah, not too good. Um, you know, he he throws, but giving up a lot of unearned runs. I said, a lot of errors? He says, yep. I said, well, you need me. And he said, Who are you? And I told him who I was. He said, well, at that time I was going through um chemo and radiation treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma. And I said, Look, I'm I'm dealing with some stuff right now, but I'll come out under a volunteer pretense. I ended up staying for 11 years. Loved my time there, um, met a lot of wonderful young men. Um, and you know some of them. At least you know one of them for sure.

Joy Nulisch 34:28

Yeah, I was gonna I was gonna say maybe one of your most uh well-known players did not go on to play in Major League Baseball,

Mike McDonald And Letting Go

Joy Nulisch 34:40

but he went on to the NFL. Can we share that story?

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Absolutely, because it is it is to show you that you know what, we can't control the narrative, Joy. We are only in control of so much of our lives and of our destiny. The young man's name is Mike McDonald. And Mike McDonald is the head coach for the world champion Seattle Seahawks. Yeah. I never forget back in 2001, I was in the coach's office, and you got to understand, you know, I brought a lot of Key West with me when I came up to Centennial, and um we were kind of finagling how I could be the head coach uh of the JV without being a teacher. Um and I was in the office talking to a gentleman named Shelby Smith, who was gonna be on paper the head coach, even though I was gonna run the program. And he said to me, he said, Vic, I want you to meet Mike McDonald. I call him Mikey Mack. He will drink gasoline and run through that center field wall for you. And so I had the honor of coaching him for two years on the JV. Then he went up to varsity, and I went with him. And um one day I'm driving home and I get a call in my car, and it says, um, Coach Fake, this is so-and-so assistant head baseball coach at Harvard University. So Mikey was a very intelligent young man as well. And he asked me, he says, What can you tell me about him? And so I took Mikey to the moon and back. I mean, because he was that type of kid. And he said, Well, on your word, he's in. So I'm driving home in 2005 with my parents, because I think it was Wilma that put all the water into the city. Yeah. And I get a phone call. I get a phone call from my um pitching coach, Chuck Glusted, and he says, Vic, I got some bad news. And I said, What's that? And he says, uh, Mikey Mack blew out his knee playing uh football today. I said, but he had had a series of stingers and he was told not to play anymore. And um he said, Vic, if you look long and hard enough, someone will clear you. Someone did, and Mikey went out, and on the last play of practice, he destroyed his knee. So obviously I wasn't very happy. Um, I made a phone call where I was not too pleasant in my my verbiage. Um, and um Harvard was gone. So he went on to the University of Georgia and got a um uh a community coach job at one of the local high schools, was named Community Coach of the Year, knocked on my door one day at the salon and said, can you go to lunch? And we're sitting there and he unfolds this newspaper article where he's been named this community coach of the year, and he had dedicated the award to me. Obviously, I'm I'm I'm breaking down, crying. Um, and then he went on to become a graduate assistant under Mark Rick, and then he gets his internship program with one of the Harbaugh brothers at um the Baltimore Ravens. And I'm sitting there one day on my couch in my house in Roswell, and it hits me. I said, You damn fool. Mikey Mack was never supposed to go to Harvard. This is where he was supposed to go. So I picked up my phone and I called Mikey Mack, and I apologized. I said, I am so sorry, thinking that I can control the narrative of what was to be your destiny, and I am, I was so wrong. And he said, Coach, I knew you were only looking out for me. And uh today, here he is. Um, I got a very interesting text from him the other day where I um I asked him, I said, Hey, um, are you making sure you are doing the things off the field now that you've accomplished so much on the field with your family, um, and this and that. And he said, Yeah, coach, I'm actually on the plane flying back. Um, I just got through playing golf at Augusta National with Peyton Manning. So I think he's doing okay.

Joy Nulisch 39:03

He's doing all right.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

He's doing all right. Um, but he is he is a wonderful young man, and I only wish him the best. His dream job is to actually be the GM of the Boston Red Sox, and who knows, he's already accomplished so much in the NFL, that might be the next step. Um, but I'd be proud of him, just like I am of any of my kids that are working regular jobs, if he would have just gone into business, because he was that phenomenal of a young man.

Joy Nulisch 39:33

You know, winners win, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:35

Yeah.

Joy Nulisch 39:37

You know, people that work hard and determined and disciplined and like you say, you know, run through a wall. That mentality allows you to be successful in whatever path you choose.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

Yeah. You know, and I I um I never forget I got a phone call from him when he was with the Ravens. One of his defensive backs had been killed in a motorcycle accident in

What Conch Baseball Really Means

SPEAKER_00 40:02

Miami. And um he said, Coach, I don't I don't know how to talk to my players about it. I I need your help. That meant more to me than anything he had ever accomplished, that he would think that highly of me to ask me something so personal.

Joy Nulisch 40:21

That's really special. That reminds me of something that I shared on uh when I I did an episode with Jade and Jules Castillo. Yeah. And I said that the title coach is something that stays with you forever. Once you earn the title coach, it's it's like mom and dad, right?

SPEAKER_00 40:42

Exactly.

Joy Nulisch 40:42

You you don't ever stop being a mom and dad, you don't ever stop being a coach.

SPEAKER_00 40:47

No. And there's so many, so many tentacles that reach out from that title. It's not just about what you do on the field. Um, there's so much more, and I I think that um more importantly is because Brooks Jerry once said to Ryan and I, the game comes to end for everybody, but the game of life goes on. So you have to coach these individuals to go on and become great citizens, um not just baseball players or not just softball players, because we all know how difficult that path is. You know, uh the epitome of a baseball player, in my eyes, was Ralphie Jr. And 10 years in the minor leagues trying to get there. But he's taken what he's learned from his dad, from mentors like Manny Crespo, and now he's passing it on to these young men. And I'm sure he'll he thinks the same way that if these young men go on to be great citizens, it's okay if they don't go on to be phenomenal baseball players at the next level.

Joy Nulisch 41:58

Kunk baseball is is lucky to have him for sure. Woo!

unknown 42:02

Yeah.

Joy Nulisch 42:03

Tell me, tell me, let's let's kind of switch gears and talk a little bit about konk baseball. And, you know, um, I've shared uh a few times I say conch baseball is the joy in my life.

SPEAKER_00 42:15

It it it uh You're the joy in their life too. You need to know that.

Joy Nulisch 42:21

Well, well, thank you for that. But I I don't I I feel good about it. I'm happy with that, right? Um, what kind of life am I living? This is good stuff right here. But one of the one of the reasons I say that is because of the community and the connections that that it brings us. And the icing on the cake for me is that you and I were reconnected at the dinner on the diamond several years back. You were asked to be one of the keynote speakers. Take me back to getting that phone call, you know, inviting you to come and be one of the keynote speakers, and then go back to that moment when you grabbed the mic and what was the message that you wanted

Coaching Against Key West High

Joy Nulisch 43:01

to deliver to those uh young Kunk players?

SPEAKER_00 43:04

Ooh, um, you know, Joy, it it was so wonderful and so uplifting to get that call. Um, because I've always considered myself to be a good ball player, a good um part of the history of Key West baseball. But here I was gonna be in the same limelight with all these greats, with Boo, with Randy, with Brooks. Um and I was gonna have the opportunity to pour what had been in my heart out to the community. Um so I rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed. Sandy would tell me she'd hear me two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning downstairs because I didn't want to read off of a paper. I didn't know if we were going. To have a podium. So I wanted to memorize it. I knew that little Ralphie had asked me to keep it at 15 minutes or less. So I wanted to stay in that time frame. But I had so much to be thankful for and so much that I wanted to cover. There were so many people, people like Papa Tony Davila, who would make sure that I ate when I was on the road because the school in those days gave you $1.25. And you went to Dayland Mall for lunch and for dinner. You weren't going to eat much with that. You know, my parents would give me whatever they had. I remember my mom taking her last $3 out of her purse one time and giving it to me. You know, a lot of times you skipped lunch and ate Burger King for dinner. But Papa Tony would always tell me, hey, Caroo, you make sure you eat. I got you. Vincent Catalau was another one. You know, he was a police lieutenant at that time. And as you know, the streets of Key West could be the streets of Key West. And they would call me every once in a while, and he would never let me answer. You know, Albert Pazo, one time I was struggling, and he, you know, took me out in his side yard there on Thompson Lane. He said, no, the way you're holding the bat, it's causing you not to get the barrel through the ball. Changed it, and I went on to have great success. Um, so I wanted to make sure that I thanked everybody, and I wanted to make sure how that everyone in that crowd knew how appreciative I was of them, um, of you guys that sit in those bleachers night after night and cheer us on. Um, you know, I I I remember one time in I was in uh Carl Park High School, we were playing an afternoon game, and I looked over on the bleachers, and there's James Bogoff, um, Scott Betancourt, uh, a guy named Jamie, and someone else. They had skip school and driven up to Miami to see me play. You know how much that means to you? And you wanna give thanks for that. Because it can't be about you. It has to be about

Legendary Fans And Community History

SPEAKER_00 46:24

them. And um, so that was a huge honor for me that night. Huge honor.

Joy Nulisch 46:29

It it was special, it was it was a great speech, and um I'm I'm I'm happy that I went to that event. Oh, listen, what I saw you.

SPEAKER_00 46:40

Oh man, I was like, wow, you know, look who's here. Um, and and that means the world now, the world to me that people would turn out to hear me talk. Um that uh, you know, that's that's that's touching. Um because again, it's not me, it's them that I want to talk about. Um, and then I want to thank.

Joy Nulisch 47:06

Yeah, it was so good. I I love that. We we've had that a few times. Um we we didn't have it more more recently, but since then we've been in communication. We haven't lost touch because we had lost touch for for many years. No, there was another guy there, I don't know if it was that night or the the year after, uh, Richie Garcia. He he spoke and I finally got his number and I dropped some uh the idea of him being on the show. Is there any chance that if I could get him on the show that you would co-host it with me?

SPEAKER_00 47:40

Absolutely. Absolutely. You want to hear something crazy. My mom used to babysit Richie Garcia.

Joy Nulisch 47:46

Oh, I didn't even know that.

SPEAKER_00 47:48

Oh yeah, oh yeah, and you know, I was the bad boy for the for the Sun caps, the the Kiwa Sun caps. And Richie was an umpire in the Florida State League at that time. And so I would run into Richie at a lot of, you know, uh a lot of games because I traveled with the team. Um, but Richie was the one who taught me, in those days, we used to rub the balls with a thing called Mississippi Mud. And it came in a can and it it took the film off the baseball. Um, and it it made it like this beautiful grayish color. Richie was the one that taught me how to do it in the old clubhouse there at Wicker Stadium down the, you know, which you at those days was right there on Kennedy Drive.

Joy Nulisch 48:35

That's good stuff. Well, remember, remember that story. So um, like I said, I finally got his number and I'm gonna reach out to him and uh I'll drop your name.

SPEAKER_00 48:43

Yeah, he um he's a he's a great umpire. Great umpire. I know he gets a lot of flack for that call with the Yankees, but um, you know, hey, you know how much you and I love the Yankees, so it's all right by me.

Joy Nulisch 48:57

Since the dinner on the diamond and that keynote speak, you you still very much a part of the program. You're in Atlanta now, but you still keep up with conch baseball. You're always listening on the radio. You've even traveled to make sure you can see them when they're close by. What is conch baseball? What does that mean? You you I mean, you know, you dance around it, but how would you define conch baseball?

SPEAKER_00 49:18

It's so, it's so um unique, Joy. I've always said that if you haven't lived it, you won't understand it. Um I can

Atlanta Life Salon Family Fishing

SPEAKER_00 49:29

give you an example. In 2006, Mike McDonald, which we mentioned earlier, um dedicated the indoor hitting facility at Centennial High School to me at a at the awards banquet at the end of the year. I have not stepped foot on the field at Centennial High School since my son Ryan played against them in 2010. So that's 16 years ago. Yet I listened to every conch baseball game there is. Um I have the the the great fortune to be uh dear friends with Wayne and Maria Davila. I actually escorted uh Maria Um for Homecoming our senior year. Um and of course, Augie, their grandson, is the starting shortstop. Um and then I'm also second cousin or third cousin to Cruz Holmes. His mom, Leslie, um, was Landy's uh daughter, and um we were second cousins. Um but it doesn't matter if I know them or not, they are the conks. They continue the story tradition of that program um with the great leadership of Ralphie and Ralphie Jr. And I was a part of that before. And I want that to continue until you know we're we're no longer here. Um because it is something so unique that it's it's it's hard to explain that a tiny little black dot on a huge map can produce the quality players that that island produces and do what we have done. Eleven state championships, and like I said, I lost two that I love to have back. You know, we probably could have 13. That's good stuff.

Joy Nulisch 51:27

To quote our dear friend Brooks Carey, Kong baseball is the straw that stirs the drink.

SPEAKER_00 51:34

It is, no doubt about it. You were talking about my my coaching. You know, one of the hardest things I I I had to do was in 2005, um, when that great Key West High team came up here on their spring break trip because they're on their spring break trip right now, and they played against um Centennial High School that I was I was uh coaching at, and there was no winning for me, Joy. I had been down to Key West in December. Um I had um thrown banning practice, I had hit fungos, I knew those guys, Desi, DJ, Blakey, Rako, Little Ralphie, all those guys. Um and it was so difficult that my players were asking me, hey Coach Vick, do you want us to win or do you want us to lose? Uh there was no winning for me. Um and we came out victorious in an incredible game, 10 to 9. Um, but I came home and just literally cried my eyes out because I, you know, I love this so much. And then I had those boys. Mike McDonald was my third baseman that night. Um most difficult thing I've ever had to do in the game uh was coach against my alma mater.

Joy Nulisch 52:54

Hey, I can uh I I know that you love big. A couple nights ago, I text you and I'm like, are you gonna watch the world baseball classic what's happening? I'm like, we got US against DR. Are you gonna watch? And of course, our friend Billy that we already mentioned, Billy Wardlow, the equipment manager for for the DR. And you say, no. No. I can't, I can't do that to myself. Well, he's on the DR and you got Team USA, but I I can't.

SPEAKER_00 53:23

That was that was that was tough. So as you know, I watched um TGL and listened to the conks.

Joy Nulisch 53:31

That's love. That's that's pure that's pure love right there.

SPEAKER_00 53:34

Yeah, it um, you know, you've you you've got these long-lasting relationships um that you've created on both sides of the of the of the of the fence. And it's like, God, if I pull this way, what are these people gonna think about me? If I pull this way, what are they gonna? And to stay in the middle, almost impossible. And I I know that someone posted a picture of uh Miss Joanne Mingo the other day. She was at that game, and boy, did she give me crap all night long. She would tell me I better get back in the box. And I, you know, I'd give it back to her, and I'm walking around the the the catcher's uh the batter's box here going to first base, and she said something that cracked me up so bad, she said, you know, I know a lot of stories about you that I could tell these people. And I was laughing so hard, I just went down there and just uh really, really, really laughed so hard. But um, you know, that was another great loss for our our our beloved community.

Joy Nulisch 54:42

Uh I'm I'm glad you mentioned her, and we talk about Kong fans. You can't um you know, she serves her own plaque in in that museum.

SPEAKER_00 54:51

She was a good one. Yeah, we mentioned it.

Joy Nulisch 54:53

You mentioned Papa Tony already, and then uh Ramona Johnson's another one that um we posted a picture up the other day. Um we've had some legendary fans in the world. Oh Eddie Diaz.

SPEAKER_00 55:04

Back when I was a kid, um he he had the the famous eat 'em up conch. Eat 'em up conch.

Joy Nulisch 55:10

That was his his um That was Eddie Eddie Diaz.

SPEAKER_00 55:14

Yes, Killy. Yes. Killy Diaz. Um, you know, Terry Daughtry was another one who wouldn't miss the games. I mentioned him in my speech at dinner of the diamond. Um when I hit that triple against Miami Beach High, he was standing there with both hands up in the air like that. And what I had just done did didn't mean anything because I was so happy for him. Yeah, so that's fans are, you know, you guys are the greatest.

What Brings Joy And Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 55:40

You are the legend now, in my opinion. There's no one better than you.

Joy Nulisch 55:46

Well, I'm having a lot of fun. Like I said, I can't believe this life I'm living. That's that's my job. That's that's my job, just to keep cheering for the cons. I can do that.

SPEAKER_00 55:55

Sandy and I were talking about um, you know, we need to get down there for a game. I said, I know where I'm going. I'm going to the cake corner.

Joy Nulisch 56:01

That's it. We got you, we got you a seat whenever you want.

SPEAKER_00 56:04

I'm ready.

Joy Nulisch 56:05

Reserve seating right there. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_00 56:07

I'm ready.

Joy Nulisch 56:09

Hey, tell me a little bit about you. Mentioned Sandy. We'll go ahead and kind of um work work our way out here. Tell me about Atlanta, tell me about your family, and uh, yeah, what what's going on when you're not listening and tuning into the conks?

SPEAKER_00 56:25

Well, you know what, Joy? I'm blessed. Um, I've my wife, we came up here, didn't know anyone in the world with our two kids, um, didn't know anybody up in in the Atlanta area except for one person, Johnny Myra, Sibba, Sibba's elders' dad. And we contacted him and he said, you know, you guys should move to Atlanta. And I said, not unless we either own a salon or I get to manage one. He said, Well, I know where there's one for sale. So we went over, we saw it. It was a tiny little hole in the wall. We made a verbal offer on a handshake, it was accepted. We went back to Boca Raton where we were living then. We put a for sale by owner sign in the yard, a household in three days. We moved up here, and today we now have over 40 employees. Um, that salon has given us great success. Um, but I'm blessed. Um I'm blessed with two great kids, uh uh a wonderful little sherished granddaughter, Blake, who just is the apple of my eye. Oh she got Papa Slick wrapped around her finger. Um, you know, and of course, last year we endured um Sandy's cancer battle, but uh thankfully she's doing wonderfully now. She's cancer free, and uh I I couldn't ask for anything more. Um, you know, but what do I do on my on my spare time? I fish.

Joy Nulisch 58:07

I was gonna ask you, yeah, they how's the fishing up there?

SPEAKER_00 58:10

Well, you know what? My motto is who needs a boat? And I got that from my cousin Ruben and uh and Eddie Roberts uh fishing down there at the southernmost point with them fools. Um but I um have a client, we have a client in the salon who um has a very nice piece of property and it's got a nice pond on it, and I go there and have the key, uh the code to the uh the gate. I go in and fish, and if I catch some, fine. If I don't, I get in the car and I go home. Um but you know, the picture I sent you of the fish today, that was in Florida. That's in my at my sister-in-law's house um in in um Melbourne. Um and the bass are much bigger in Florida than they are up here.

Joy Nulisch 58:54

That was like one of those big mouth bass.

SPEAKER_00 58:57

That's largemouth bass.

Joy Nulisch 58:58

That's why it's called that?

SPEAKER_00 59:00

Largemouth bass. Yeah, yeah.

Joy Nulisch 59:01

All right, low mouth.

SPEAKER_00 59:03

In the in the area of eight to ten pounds. Um and um there, you know, I just I came up here. The crazy thing, Joy, is I had never fished with a rod in real. I had always fished with a traditional yo-yo handline in Key West, so I'm like, okay. So I got this little SEBCO they, you know, that the kids use, and I started with that, and then I I got this this reel call, a bait caster, and I I catch so much flack from everybody in Key West because I have a right-hand return. All the boys down there fish with a left hand return, and they fish with spinning rods. I can't fish with a spinning rod, but they can't fish with the bait caster. Because if you throw it and you don't throw it just right, it bird nests, and you've got a mess on your hands. So I have learned how to perfect that, and that's what I fish with.

Joy Nulisch 59:53

That's good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 59:54

Yeah, I um I love it. I'm enthralled with it uh because it's a mind game. I don't know, you know, we use artificial lures, we don't use real bait, you know, we don't use mullet or shrimp um or shiners. You know, we don't throw the the the the raya, the cast net. Um we just go out and and use artificial lures, and we don't know if they're hitting on red or green, if they're hitting on the bottom, or they're hitting in the middle. We don't know.

Joy Nulisch 1:00:21

So can you cook uh bass with the does bass and grits go together like grits and grunts? You know what?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:28

It's it's funny you tell that story. We had a a lake house up at Lake Hartwell in um South Carolina years ago. And we would always go up for the weekends, and of course, you know, the kids, you gotta love them. They come up, and as soon as it was time to go home, they haul butt back to Atlanta, and the old man's gotta clean up everything. So I'm out there cleaning the jet ski, cleaning the boat, and all my stuff was already packed away, and I saw a rod and reel laying there, so I flipped out the lure and talking to Sandy on the phone, I'm like, oh my God, the line takes off. So I reel it in, and this spotted mass that's got the hook stuck way down in his gills. And I'm like, oh man, I don't have my pliers. The house is about a hundred yards away. I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying. Finally, I get him loose. When he gets in the water, he goes down to the bottom. Well, the water there was only about four and a half feet. So I jump in, I get him, I try to revive him. I'm walking back and forth, and he's gone. So I called Sandy and I said, bring me the sharpest knife you got. And she comes down to the dock and she says, You still remember how to fillet a fish? I said, sure. So I filleted him. I took him into the house, put some olive oil in a pan, got some onions, some garlic, and joy, it was delicious. I I wouldn't eat one out of the pond, because God knows what's in that pond. But out of this big lake, yeah, I would.

Joy Nulisch 1:02:04

Hey, oh man, that's I you know what? I say you were a great storyteller. All I had to do was make sure the mic was turned on. And uh, that was good stuff. And then a a storyteller and a fish story, you gotta love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:19

Oh, yeah.

Joy Nulisch 1:02:20

Um so let me ask you one more question. Yes, sir. And we'll wrap this up. Okay. What brings you joy, Victor?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:29

What brings me joy is number one, good health, peace, and prosperity. And this right here. Being able to share the stories of the past, bringing smiles to people's faces, and knowing that whatever I give is to benefit them. I I heard a great quote the other day that said, when the light that shines upon you is greater than the light that shines within you. The light that shines upon you will destroy you. So you've got to make sure that this light right here is always radiating, radiating out there for good. To help people to do the right thing and not the popular thing. That's what brings me joy on a day in and day out. Um health is so important, Joy. You know, without it, we we don't have anything at all. Um, you know, uh, I um I sometimes wish that uh this fiction would have been around back in those days because I would have I I see things so so differently. You know, I'm a cancer survivor as well. Um Sandy, I've had open heart surgery. Um, but anytime I could help someone better themselves, that brings me a lot of joy. Because then I know that a small part of me lives within that individual.

Joy Nulisch 1:04:08

I know there's a big part of you inside of me.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:12

Well.

Joy Nulisch 1:04:13

And I'm I'm so grateful for our friendship. I really value you.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:17

Yeah, likewise, my friend. You know what? I think the world of you, I've known you since you were that little girl with that mess of hair running around. Oh my God. And, you know, you you have grown in and blossomed into what a lot of us wish we could be. Um, you are uh one quality individual. Um I never forget when John Martina went down to Key West when you were working with a school board, and then I ran into someone you know. I said, join Ulysses. I said, What? Yeah, I I've been cutting John's hair for 30 years. And when he told me that, I said, you won't find any better than that.

Joy Nulisch 1:04:59

It's a small world, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:01

It's a small world. It is a small world.

Joy Nulisch 1:05:04

Hey, well, I'm glad we're in each other's world, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:07

I am I am so grateful for our friendship, for our communication, you know, our love of the game, our love of people, and more importantly, our love of those conks. Go conks. Forever conks.

Joy Nulisch 1:05:21

I'm Joy Newleich, and I appreciate you tuning into my podcast. My purpose is to bring joy into my life and the lives of others. If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram or check my website at joynoolish.com. Now go bring joy to the people in your world. Until next time, much love.