Episode 164 — Terry McCutchen: Abilene as a Baseball Town, Connecting Over Catch, & The Wood Bat Boys of Summer

[00:00:00] Terry: As I sit there and watch them, most of those kids, they’re scraping every night, they’re doing their best. It can be a 12 to two game in the fourth inning, but they’re, they’re hustling. I’m sitting in my mind, I’m saying this is summer league ball in the grand scheme of things, a championship doesn’t really matter. This game doesn’t really matter. but it matters to them one mainly because they’re competitors, but they’re trying to get better, it kind of takes me back to just for the love of the game. And so I, I love that about it so, gosh, I’m, I’m going to sort of support them as much as I can. Uh, cause, cause I appreciate the sacrifice that they’ve made for us, for our entertainment.

[00:00:43] Anna: What’s up Bucketheads?. Thanks for tuning in and welcome to episode number 164 of the baseball bucket list podcast. I’m your host Anna DiTommaso, and each week on the show, I speak with a different baseball fan about their favorite memories, what’s left on their baseball bucket list and what the game of baseball means to them. 

[00:01:01] Anna: This week, I sat down with Terry McCutchen from Abilene, Texas. Terry has spent nearly his whole life in Abilene and the surrounding area. And growing up baseball was the primary sports focus in his family and the town as a whole. We chat about his journey from playing ball as a little leaguer to spending some time away from the game before the newly minted Abilene Flying Bison reignited, his love for the game. We get into the fun Terry and his wife have had over the collegiate wood bat team’s inaugural season what he loves about the game and what he’s looking forward to in the future. We also chat about Terry’s journey with #catch365 and what he’s learned along the way. 

[00:01:37] Anna: I love this conversation because it’s such a good reminder that amidst all of the craziness and fast paced nature of life, it’s hugely important to make time for relationships, quality time and laughter. 

[00:01:48] Anna: This one was a blast. I know y’all will love it. So let’s get right to it. Now without further ado. Sit back, relax and enjoy some baseball banter with Terry McCutchen 

[00:01:59] Anna: Terry, thank you so much for joining us today on the baseball bucket list. How are things in Abilene, Texas?

[00:02:06] Terry: Well, things are great here at Abilene, Texas. Other than the fact that it was about 110, 112 today, we have had no rain as normal in the first of August and our inaugural Uh, Abilene flying bison season is nearly over. Other than that, things are great.

[00:02:29] Anna: It has been miserably hot, like the last week or so here too, and, you know, today I pulled out my phone and I was just curious to see what the weather was gonna say, and it said feels like 114 outside, and those are the days where I just go, what am I doing here? You know? It’s uh, It’s crazy.

[00:02:50] Terry: Exactly. But those, that’s the reason that the Rangers put a roof on. So,

[00:02:57] Anna: That’s so true. So true. Oh, man. I know we got a lot to talk about. You mentioned the Flying Bison. We’re going to dive into that, but right out of the gate, I always get started with the same question. How is it that you fell in love with the game of baseball? . 

[00:03:11] Terry: Well, baseball has been my first off and on all my life. Anna, you, you were quoted at some point in time and as saying that baseball is like an old friend. You can always come back to, uh, and for me, that’s been the case with baseball. Um, as a, as a young child, uh, baseball was the only sport really, uh, that we had.

[00:03:37] Terry: Now I was a gym rat, if you will. Uh, my dad was a coach, a junior high coach here in town. Um, My, my mom was an educator as well, uh, but I was raised in the gym. I was raised around sports year round. Uh, my family is peppered with coaches on both sides. Uh, so I’ve, I’ve been around sports all my life. Um, but as far as a kid participating, baseball is the one option we had.

[00:04:01] Terry: Um, we didn’t even have you soccer here in town until I was probably older elementary. Uh, so if you played organized ball, it was better. Baseball until you got into school. Um, and then, you know, when you had friends or whatever, it was outside playing baseball. Uh, there were a couple of summers that my parents even ran the concession stand at the little league field.

[00:04:21] Terry: Uh, so it was baseball oriented games. My dad would play, fast pitch, softball tournaments on the weekend. So I would travel with him. I remember times of up all night, chasing foul balls for a nickel or a snow cone. Uh, so. Baseball, uh, or something like that was inundated my life. at some point in time, uh, I, in little league, I, I guess I couldn’t see, didn’t realize that at the time, but I needed glasses and, uh, I couldn’t hit, uh, so between not being able to hit, not being able to catch, I quit the game, uh, sadly.

[00:04:58] Terry: and so I didn’t play after my 12 year old season and I kind of got away from it. Um, I watched it still, uh, my age group, my contemporaries, my senior class, they ended up winning a state championship in high school. And I was fortunate enough to be a manager on that team. Um, but, so that was cool.

[00:05:19] Terry: Uh, we always had a big baseball culture here in town. Later on, uh, as far as coming back to it, when I got to college, I went to A& M, uh, A& M had a great program. Uh, I took a coaching baseball class down there. Um, the assistant coach, Bill Hickey taught the class. So I got to take that class on Olson field and, uh, followed the baseball team, uh, those years I was down there.

[00:05:46] Terry: That coincided with, uh, 88 89. If you look up the 1989, Texas a and m baseball team, Anna, uh, that was one of the best college baseball teams, but they didn’t get to qualify for the College World Series because Ben McDonald and LSU beat them on a hot Sunday afternoon in College Station, the regional, uh, two games, uh, to knock ’em out.

[00:06:11] Terry: So, um, back and forth. Um. As a child with Major League Baseball, that was kind of a pipe dream. We we only live two and a half hours away from from the Rangers, but my parents weren’t real big on experiences. So I think I remember going to the Ranger game one time as a kid. And so that wasn’t really a dream. My my our dreams as kids was, you know, high school ball. That was Cooper Cougar. We want to be a Cooper Cougar. 

[00:06:38] Anna: I want to, I want to stop you there because I want to, I want to take some time to kind of touch on some of the points you just made. First of all, I don’t blame your parents for not taking you out to Arlington Stadium very often. I mean, it’s, uh, you know, we just remarked on the Texas summers and the, the weather and the heat that that brings.

[00:06:56] Anna: And then you have to take into account too, the geniuses who put. Aluminum bleachers there. So, uh, it was a, it was a tough spot to catch a ball game in the, in the dead of summer. That’s for sure. But, you, you keep remarking about the town that you grew up in. I know you’re from Abilene now. I gotta assume that that’s where you were born and raised and have spent most of your life.

[00:07:19] Terry: absolutely. Yeah. I was, I was born and raised here. Um, and so I, I went through high school. Um, when I graduated, I went to A& M for a couple of years, came back. Uh, I did graduate from college here at McMurray university. Uh, and then I taught here, uh, at, uh, for about eight years. And then I got out and, uh, was in administration, teaching and administration, moving around the state a little bit, uh, and then, um, retired.

[00:07:44] Terry: About three or four years ago and moved back to town, back to Abilene where, um, you know, they, I guess they say, you never, never, never leave your hometown, uh, in your heart. So I’m, I’m back here in retirement.

[00:07:56] Terry: I, I do want to clarify, you know, you mentioned earlier, my not blaming my parents. I don’t blame my parents either at all. They were just neither one of them, especially my dad, we’re not big on experiences, That’s just the way it was. So

[00:08:09] Anna: Yeah. That 

[00:08:10] Terry: that’s funny. 

[00:08:11] Anna: Yeah. I just was, uh, uh, any excuse I get to remind folks that Arlington stadium was basically just a pressure cooker. I like to throw it in

[00:08:20] Anna: there. Um, you mentioned, I mean, you’re a little ways away from a major league team. You have the um, High school ball being a big, big part of your life, which is so Interesting to me because, you know, I, I live in Texas, we know this is a football state, but after you, left Abilene for a little bit and then you came back, um, you mentioned kind of having some sort of like a renaissance or a rekindling with the game of baseball thanks to this summer collegiate team that’s just wrapping up its inaugural season, Why don’t you kind of tell people who the Flying Bison are, and, you know, why they’re such a big part of your life.

[00:09:04] Terry: Absolutely

[00:09:05] Terry: The Abilene Flying Bison it is, like I said, a summer collegiate baseball team, and it is part of the Mid America League, which is also in its first year. And the Mid America League has six teams. is a team of. College eligible students, um, who have, most of them have completed at least one year of college play, but have eligibility still left.

[00:09:33] Terry: And, and they’re just, you know, trying to get some summer play. Um, it’s wood bat league. the teams, uh, you know, there’s four teams in Texas and then one in Fort Smith, Arkansas, one is Joplin, Missouri. Abilene had had, um, independent minor league, a couple of different. Uh, times, uh, in the late nineties, and then I believe in about 2012, 2013, um, but had been starved for summer baseball since then.

[00:10:01] Terry: And so this team coming back, uh, me being retired, my wife and I had decided we wanted to do everything we could to support them, uh, whether that was, you know, just season ticket holders, whatever we could do. And so I had reached out to them. Uh, back during the name, the team contest time back in November and said, Hey, you know, I had, obviously I had some suggestions or some ideas trying to try to win a prize or two free is free.

[00:10:26] Terry: He’s not always bad, but, uh, you know, it said, Hey, if there’s anything I can do, let me know. Um, and my personality is kind of a, I’m a, I’m a take charge personality kind of person. So, um, I also told them, Hey, tell me, shut up, back up, get out of the way too. If you don’t want me to help them, but. Anyway, I’ve, I’ve ended up helping volunteering with some group, uh, organizations calling groups, uh, to schedule group nights with them.

[00:10:56] Terry: But part of that process is I wanted to learn how minor league baseball works. You know, how did summer collegiate ball work behind the scenes? And so the only place I knew to go was to. Look at podcasts, look at websites. And I jumped in with both feet on that. And that’s how I came across you, Anna.

[00:11:22] Terry: That’s how I came across CurveBrimMedia. And, and so I would just listen to everything I could. And when I, starting out, I skipped to the ones that had personnel from teams, you know, and then I went back and listened to the other episodes when I got hooked with that. But, Yeah, I just wanted to learn and do everything I could.

[00:11:42] Terry: And so, so we’ve been seasoned ticket holders all year long. We’ve gone to all, but a couple of home games we’ve had to miss because of medical issues or whatever. And then just this last weekend, my son in law and I decided on Saturday to, to drive up to Fort Smith, Arkansas to, to watch a game. And we met Chris Storm and his family up there and we watched Saturday night and spent the night in a hotel and came back Sunday afternoon.

[00:12:09] Terry: You know, so that’s, it’s, it’s, it’s been a, it’s been a blast. So

[00:12:14] Anna: There’s sometimes an impetus behind kind of people, I mean I’ve told the story before of It being not uncommon for, for folks to kind of start with baseball at a young age and then life happens and, you know, it kind of falls off your radar for a little bit and then something happens in life, you know, with my dad and me, it was him getting a season ticket package for the Rays back in 2008 or, you know, it just so happens that a summer collegiate team pops up in your backyard.

[00:12:44] Anna: Of course, you’re going to take an interest in it. So, um, how fortuitous that that happened and that the bison were born. Um, what do you think it is about the summer collegiate? League that kind of captivates you because one of the things you and I had discussed before we got on this call here was that, you know, for whatever reason, you’re not necessarily drawn in by Major League Baseball the same way that you are to the lower levels of it.

[00:13:12] Terry: sure. for me, I think one is the kids here. They’re playing the game mostly for fun. you know, no knock on our players and they, a lot of them have dreams. I’m sure of being drafted because we have some division one baseball

[00:13:32] Anna: Mm hmm.

[00:13:33] Terry: You know, they’re not playing necessarily at, well, we have a few that are playing at sec schools, but most of them playing at, at, you know, smaller division one schools or, you know, D three or, you know, Juco players that are trying to try to get bigger scholarships.

[00:13:49] Terry: but I mean, they’re just trying to get better and. As I sit there and watch them, most of those kids, they’re scraping every night, they’re doing their best. It can be a 12 to two game in the fourth inning, but they’re, they’re hustling. Um, I can’t tell you the number of nights, Anna, that, you know, They’ll hustle, like try to leg out a ground, a base hit.

[00:14:14] Terry: Uh, they’ll try to dive for a ball, everything. When I’m sitting in my mind, I’m saying this is summer league ball in the grand scheme of things, a championship doesn’t really matter. This game doesn’t really matter. You know, nobody’s going to care about the wins or a loss later on, but it matters to them one mainly because they’re competitors, but they’re trying to get better, um, They’ve been away from home all summer long.

[00:14:40] Terry: You know, they haven’t had a home cooked meal. Um, and so there’s scrap and there’s playing and it kind of takes me back to just for the love of the game. And so I, I love that about it and you know, fair, not fair. I’m, I’m really drawn to those kids that have been here since day one, especially since they, you know, they could have been in, they could have gone to play in Kansas or. Wisconsin or somewhere up North where it’s a lot cooler than it is here, but by gosh, they’re here and, uh, they’re playing and having a ball. And so, gosh, I’m, I’m going to sort of support them as much as I can. Uh, cause, cause I appreciate the sacrifice that they’ve made for us, for our entertainment.

[00:15:25] Anna: There’s something so pure about baseball in that form, you know, it’s it’s incredible to see these guys who are making 30 million dollars a year They’re the best in the world to do it, but you got to wonder it They wouldn’t be doing it if that paycheck didn’t exist, you know a lot of them So I think when you get to An opportunity to kind of sit back and appreciate a group of kids that are playing because they love the game so much because of what it’s done for them and their individual lives.

[00:15:57] Anna: It just, it, it’s a different feeling, right? I think the kids say it hits different. That’s the way they describe it. It’s a, there’s a different vibe to it. And, it’s one of the things I love about minor league ball and even lower levels is, you know, these kids, they’ve got a dream. And 99. 9 percent of them are not gonna be where they hope to be but man the lessons that they will take from these years and this camaraderie and these connections that they’re making will serve them well for the remainder of their lives and when you Get older yourself and you kind of have some perspective to step back and think about that It just makes what you’re watching so much more special 

[00:16:45] Terry: most definitely. And, and there’s probably some, you know, I’ve got, Old man yelling at my, at my at cloud syndrome a lot of times where, you know, I’m looking back reflectively at, at a lot of things and these guys have the future at their, at their fingertips, you know, but I’m like, yeah, I, I just, I just love it.

[00:17:05] Terry: It’s like you said, it’s pure and, and some of these guys are probably away for the summer. Maybe for the first time, you know, up until this time they’ve played on travel ball teams, uh, their parents have been there all along the way. And now, you know, their parents, some of them are there on the weekends, but a lot of them, they’re not, you know, and so, uh, they deserve to have somebody cheering for them still.

[00:17:26] Terry: And I mean, I think Abilene has supported them, um, We, we packed the stands, I think pretty good. Um, you know, we’re averaging probably 900, a thousand people a game, uh, and looking at the statistics for most summer ball, uh, most collegiate teams. That’s pretty good. Um, so. it’s meant the world.

[00:17:48] Terry: It’s meant the world to Abilene, uh, and. The league got a late start. We got a late start. I know, uh, the other teams in the league got an even later start than we did. Uh, and so it’s just kind of exciting to see what’s going to happen in the future, uh, with this. So

[00:18:02] Anna: Yeah, definitely. It’s going to be something to keep an eye on and I always am happy to see more baseball, especially in Texas, and eventually one day I will make it out that way. Um, you know, maybe next summer it’ll be in the cards, but I want to, I want to change course here for a little bit because I know another thing that you’ve kind of started here recently is Catch 365 and of course Ethan Bryan a tremendous friend of the podcast John Sukanek Just these guys who have who have really started a movement that I I love everything about and so Why don’t you give?

[00:18:40] Anna: Listeners a little bit of a breakdown as to how it was that you decided to start this catch 365 journey.

[00:18:47] Terry: listening to Ethan and John tell their stories, hit me in the feels, uh, as soon as I listened. Um, And I can’t remember which one that I heard first. Um, and it may have gone back to, uh, episode six with Adam Hazel, just kind of alluding to Ethan, uh, talking about his journey during COVID with his daughter.

[00:19:21] Terry: I’m not sure exactly. Uh, cause like I say, I listened to the, your episodes and out of order at first. but anyway. I lost my dad back in January. and so through the spring, I was, you know, kind of dealing with that and, and how, how do I honor him? And some things were going in my mind. you know, and we’ve always been a golf family talking about getting away from baseball.

[00:19:47] Terry: You know, I was, I was kind of looking at some things with golf. And, um, so listen to the podcast. I was like, catch. Play and catch. Yes. So when I heard Ethan and when I heard John, like I say, I can’t listen to those episodes. I was listening to him today, kind of refreshing my mind to talk to you. And it brought me to tears yet again. When I heard that, I was like, okay, I can do that. That’s something I can do. I, I don’t know what it’s about. I don’t know what it’ll do, but I can do that. I can at least try to do that. You know, don’t know what it’ll do. You know, I may, I may fail, but I can fail trying. And so, you know, nothing else. I’m play play catch with my wife and my son in law and my daughter.

[00:20:38] Terry: So we’ll see. so started where I know, take that back. I thought about it and this was. You know, by, by the time I heard those, their stories, it was back in February, March, and I was like, ah, okay, I’ll. When do I, when do I want to start and kicked it back and forth, back and forth. And I decided, you know, I’m not going to start it.

[00:21:00] Terry: And the only way to start it is just to start. I’ve just got to do it. I’ve got to just jump in there and today’s the day. And you know, I said, you know what I posted on Facebook, this is what I’m going to do, but I knew we had a family reunion on father’s day weekend. And I wanted to do it that weekend because my, I knew my uncle was going to be there and I said, I’m gonna play catch with him.

[00:21:23] Terry: Uh, and cause I had talked to him before he, I knew he played baseball and fastball, softball and stuff. So I just. Posted on Facebook. Hey, this is what I’m going to do. And so show up at the family reunion and he’s there, but he’s wearing shorts and he’s always wear worn Wranglers. I’d never seen him in shorts before.

[00:21:42] Terry: He’s 90 years old. And, um, he tells me, he said, Hey, you look in, look at my pickup. And so I opened the back door of his pickup and there’s this zip up the plastic bag with this old Rawlings glove in it, and, uh, I took it out. And, uh, it was the glove that he had. Played with when he was in the Navy in the fifties, The actual glove he used in the Navy.

[00:22:06] Terry: And so anyway, I don’t know if I’m answering your question or not, but the first day we played catch was with him, uh, on father’s day weekend. So that’s how it started. Uh, and it was, you know, like I say, I’m doing it kind of in honor of my dad, just to, to see what happens, you know, and, you know, I know they said it’s about people, it’s not about playing catch, The fact, you know, the, the brain research that play, you know, you’ve got to focus, you’re, you’re activating all your mind, it’s positive endorphins. All that stuff is true. Um, and what I’ve learned so far, I’m about right at 60 days in probably now, is that, that all that is true. Um, you know, I thought it would be, you know, I’d meet some, People and I have, I’m not very good about what just walking up to strangers yet.

[00:22:59] Terry: Um, I struggle with that. Um, I have run into one of my former students. Um, I had a couple of. Former teachers that worked with me who came down for lunch one day, just, they called me and I said, well, that’s fine. So we ate lunch and then before they left, I said, by the way, uh, y’all want to play catch with me?

[00:23:16] Terry: So we played catch. Um, but the coolest thing is my son in law and I, we play catch just about every day and, uh, that’s just a wonderful time for us to be together and, and spend time together. And I think he, he looks forward to it about as much as I do. And so, um, If nothing else, Dallin and I have had some quality time together.

[00:23:39] Terry: Um, and so hopefully I get, you know, better about asking strangers and stuff like that, but it’s just been, it’s been fun. I enjoy it. And, uh, so that’s pretty cool, but, I don’t know if you’ve ever listened to the Jim Valvano speech when he, uh, won the ESPY back in 93, uh, about two months before he passed.

[00:24:01] Terry: But he said, if you do three things a day, all your life, you’ll be very successful. One thing is, uh, if you think, uh, one thing is if you laugh and another thing, if you’re brought to tears. And so, uh, when I listened to that, that episode, I’m brought to tears every time, that’s for sure.

[00:24:17] Anna: Yeah, there’s a lot of emotion behind it. And it’s, um, it’s one of the things that, again, you just, man, life moves so fast. Everything happens so fast. You’re so busy paying bills and doing laundry that, you know, you kind of forget how important some of these things are. And of course, One of the, the most famous lines in the movie The Sandlot is, you know, you, you just don’t really ever know when it’s going to be like the last time that you’re with all your buddies playing a game of catch or playing sandlot ball.

[00:24:51] Anna: And I think about that a lot as, you know, someone who grew up playing catch all the time and then one day it just stopped and I can’t really. Tie back why that was, or, you know, whatever it was. I’m, I’m, I know life just got busy, right? Like, you get older, things happen, life gets busy. But to make time to do something like that, which is something I’ve tried to work into my own life, again, here recently, is, uh, Man, it, it matters.

[00:25:18] Anna: It matters a lot. It really does.

[00:25:20] Terry: Well, I, we were talking about it one day, my son in law and I, and, When I, when I was first starting, I was like, I don’t even have a glove. I, I had given them to my, my son when he, when he went to college, so he could play intramural softball. And I didn’t, I didn’t have a glove around the house and hadn’t played catch since he was playing baseball.

[00:25:41] Terry: And I was like, okay, this weird, you know, cause my, my dad always had a glove all the way I remember as a child, but it’s just something that didn’t, didn’t have around the house. I knew I needed to rectify that. So,

[00:25:56] Anna: Yeah. I love it. I love hearing these stories. Every person I talk to who tells me they’re in the middle of this journey or just, you know, maybe not even necessarily trying to do the whole 365, but just being cognizant and making an effort to try to get out and play more. It makes my heart happy because I, I think those, those gentlemen for kind of, you know, spurring this movement to try to bring about some.

[00:26:22] Anna: Some things that, for whatever reason, have started to kind of disappear and, um, I wish they weren’t, and I’m glad to see that there’s a group of people, yourself included now, out there trying to spread the good parts of baseball, so, it just, it makes me happy to hear these stories every single time.

[00:26:39] Terry: well, I appreciate that. We had a conversation at work today. It has nothing to do with playing catch, but how, you know, back 20, 30 and more years ago, everybody’s front porch is where the activities were. And now when you build a house, You know, it’s the back porch and the, the privacy fences is where, where everything is.

[00:27:02] Terry: And so, you know, we don’t, a lot of people don’t even know their neighbors. And so that’s, like I say, I need to get better about, about incorporating more people and building that community and making connections.

[00:27:14] Anna: Yeah, but being aware of that is like a great first step, right? You know, a lot of people would would just not even think there’s anything to to improve upon. So Man, I love it. I love it so much. And one day, like I said, we’ll we’ll put it on the books I’ll be in Abilene. We’ll see a Bisons game and we’ll play a game of catch

[00:27:34] Terry: That’s perfect. Either that, or I’m going to come out. We’ll meet at friendly baseball

[00:27:37] Anna: we go. Now you’re talking now you’re talking What comes to mind if I ask you what your favorite baseball memory is? 

[00:27:45] Anna: Hehehe 

[00:27:46] Terry: My favorite baseball memory. I knew you’re going to ask this and I’m still not prepared for it. Really? Oh man. Uh, favorite baseball memory. Uh, one is like I say, being a manager on that state championship baseball team. Still, that was a cool memory. this year. The first game, and I wasn’t the first game of the season, but the first time we took our granddaughter, a three year old granddaughter, Bexley went with us, uh, to a game.

[00:28:10] Terry: And I was nervous about how long she would last. I was hoping she would last, you know, maybe three innings of the game. Uh, and she ended up making it the whole time. She loves it. But after the top half of the first, you know, they go to introduce Bomber, who’s our mascot and, uh, man. She just loved it. And so she she became Bombers fan and every time she’s there.

[00:28:34] Terry: She she wants to Bump bomber and get her picture and, and all that stuff. So anytime she sees him, she’s on her bomber, bomber, bomber. Uh, so much so that, um, when we were, we took her with us, uh, on our Kansas city trip, uh, and at both stadiums we were at, she was like, where’s bombers bomber going to be there?

[00:28:54] Terry: And we’re like, no, actually he didn’t go to these places. And so we had to figure out the name of those mascots and get those. Pictures and even, uh, she went, her, her parents took her to the Frisco game the other night and you know, she was wanting to know if bomber was there too. So anyway, but that’s, that’s one of my favorites as well.

[00:29:14] Anna: I love that so much. The mascots and watching, you know, young kids with them is, it’s always a treat. My, my nephew, there was a time several years ago where I threw the first pitch at a Frisco game. Um, and it’s not like I had done some outstanding service to the community. I had, I had purchased a ticket package in which this was, you know, part of the deal.

[00:29:35] Anna: But man, my, my family and my friends, they came and they showed out. And my nephew was, I think, probably three or four at the time. And, uh, the Rough Riders, they’ve got a big fuzzy mascot. His name is Deuce and Jaxon was Terrified of him, like you could tell he wanted to go see him and he was, you know, he was so curious, but then the closer he got, the bigger the, the mascot actually became.

[00:30:03] Anna: And, uh, yeah, so now he’s 10 and I, I give him, you know, a good natured ribbing about that, but. It’s one of my favorite, I mean, more than anything else that day, I think about that moment and I think about the moment he finally got over the fear and like went up and gave Deuce a big hug. So yeah, I can definitely see why that would be right up there for you.

[00:30:23] Terry: Right. And, and, and then of course last year’s World Series, um, was most definitely a, a great. Memory, um, paying for it this year, but of all the years we said, God, just give us one, please just give us one, but you know,

[00:30:42] Anna: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you never know. I mean, they’re right there. They’re there within spitting distance and it

[00:30:47] Terry: they’re not right there, Anna. They got three hit today. So they’re not just right there.

[00:30:54] Anna: I’m trying to be positive, Terry,

[00:30:56] Terry: I know you are. I know you are.

[00:30:59] Anna: Oh, um

[00:31:00] Terry: I guess I gave away the day. This was recorded probably because they nearly got no hit last night by Frambler Valdez.

[00:31:06] Anna: my goodness, man, I was, I was listening to that in the car because I was on my way home from bowling and, um, man, when, when Seager hit that home run, I think everybody in the entire Metroplex just went,

[00:31:20] Terry: Yeah,

[00:31:20] Anna: so, um, yeah, but, uh, you know, I don’t know. I, I think it’s a, a lot of fans would trade one World Series for a couple of years following that were maybe not the best, but I, I wouldn’t put it past him to make a run here late. I just, I wouldn’t do it.

[00:31:38] Terry: no, the personnel’s there, you know, I mean, pitching is just shredded right now. And so it’s, the odds are not there. There’s too many. I mean, you know, the Mariners have the talent and the Astros have the, the pedigree and they’re just used to winning. So the chances are, are not that you’re going to pass two teams.

[00:31:57] Terry: Uh, but I mean, they have the, the offensive ability to, uh, if they get hot at the right time, they gotta get, get hot quick.

[00:32:03] Anna: Yeah, yeah, 

[00:32:04] Terry: And it didn’t happen in the last two days.

[00:32:07] Anna: Right. But, I mean, we’ll see. We’ll keep an eye on him. But, um, what’s left to check off on the baseball bucket list? Like, what’s the number one thing you want to see, place you want to go, person you want to meet, something like that.

[00:32:19] Terry: Wow. Um, the place I want to go is I want to do the 24 hours of baseball in Wichita. I hope they, I hope that wasn’t just a one off because of the 90 90th anniversary. I hope they’re not waiting to do that for the a hundredth. Um, I know they say they’re going to do it again, so I hope they, they do. Um, that was, that sounds really neat.

[00:32:40] Terry: I do want to put, I’m definitely going to put it as a goal to watch a hundred games next year. Um, at any level, it can be any level. It can be little league, it can be high school, whatever. Um, I’ll try to do that. Um, and then complete the 365. I mean, I, this list is completely, is continuing to grow.

[00:32:59] Terry: Um, yes, I’d like to get all the stadiums and that kind of stuff too. Uh, but, and I, I, I mean, As the thing’s growing, I’d like to tag along with, with a bunch of the, the Twitter verse on some of those trips as well. So if I could be invited, so that, that sounds fun. So,

[00:33:19] Anna: man, the, uh, round the clock baseball, that was such a shock that it came back this year, kind of just out of nowhere with very little warning. And so, um, I hope like you’re saying, I hope that it’s around the following year, because I could definitely see a group of baseball, Twitter folks meeting up and doing the thing and just, you know, making a, uh, Making a couple days out of it.

[00:33:42] Anna: And what a story to tell and what a bunch of people to meet and what a bunch of baseball to see. So I really hope that the NBC puts that back together next year. Cause I think it would be really, really special.

[00:33:54] Terry: yeah, I agree. That was something I had no clue about. You know, I’d heard of the NBC before a little bit, but, uh, yeah, that, that around the clock thing is pretty cool. I mean, yeah, I really want to go to, uh, the, you know, Alaska. Yeah. Midnight sun game. Um, and got a, a nephew and his wife just moved to Alaska.

[00:34:18] Terry: So may have a need to visit them next summer as well. So

[00:34:23] Anna: Yeah.

[00:34:23] Terry: we’ll see.

[00:34:24] Anna: Yeah, that’s a good one too. It’s uh, that’s man that’s bucket list. It really is. So Terry I’ve enjoyed this so much. I can’t thank you enough for making time to chat baseball with me and Before I let you go. We got to let folks know we mentioned baseball Twitter a couple times now So, where do they find you online?

[00:34:43] Terry: Well, I can be found on Twitter, uh, it’s TB McCutchen and, uh, I’ll let you spell that out for everybody in the notes. Uh, and then I am on Instagram, Terry dot McCutchen. Um, don’t have a long history. I’ve been a member for a while, but just recently started posting them and trying to post, uh, my catch journey and, uh, hats as I accrue those that’s, that’s starting to grow as my library is growing as well.

[00:35:11] Terry: So.

[00:35:12] Anna: It always does That’s a that’s one of the downsides or upsides of of the the baseball social media world is getting an eye for all of the beautiful hats that exist. And then, you know, using people like Pat Larson as an excuse that your collection is not that big of a problem. So

[00:35:30] Terry: that’s exactly right. Yeah, mine’s just a, a small, small. Small deal. So, uh, anyway, I, 

[00:35:38] Anna: Yeah.

[00:35:39] Terry: I, I haven’t been in the new stadium.

[00:35:40] Terry: I’ve got, we’ve got to go. Cause.

[00:35:42] Anna: Oh yeah, yeah.

[00:35:43] Terry: Air conditioned roof,

[00:35:45] Terry: game changer. 

[00:35:46] Anna: You can go anytime and it won’t be rained out, you won’t be sweating, so, it’s a, it’s a good deal, 

[00:35:51] Terry: I never, I never, I never thought I’d hear people complain in the Metroplex that they didn’t open the roof.

[00:35:57] Anna: oh, yeah. It’s, it’s wild though, it’s like, I think they open it eight times a year and you wonder why they didn’t just, you know, seal it shut and save a couple million bucks, but,

[00:36:07] Terry: Yeah. So there was an opening weekend. They’re like, why, why aren’t they opening?

[00:36:11] Anna: Yeah, I have the answer to this, and I don’t know if I’ve ever said it on the air, so to speak, before, but from my understanding, the issue is not the heat, it is the condensation that accumulates from the humidity outside, and so what happens is that it becomes unsafe to open the roof because the concourse Is kind of this like, epoxied garage type floor that, uh, becomes a slip and slide with too much condensation.

[00:36:39] Anna: So they, uh, they’re trying to prevent slip and falls and it’s, it’s got nothing to do with how hot it is. So, yeah, that

[00:36:46] Terry: I’d always heard it. The players liked it better closed

[00:36:49] Anna: that could be true, too. That could be true, too. But, uh, yeah, who knows? Who knows the real reason? That’s what I was told. I don’t know if I believe it.

[00:36:58] Terry: okay. Well, Hey,

[00:37:00] Anna: Yeah.

[00:37:01] Anna: .

[00:37:01] Anna: Well, awesome, Terry. I can’t thank you enough.

[00:37:04] Anna: This was, this was a blast. And, um, you know, one day our paths will cross in person, and we’ll have our game of catch and catch a ball game together.

[00:37:12] Terry: Most definitely. Appreciate it, Anna. Thank you very much for, for spending some time with me. I enjoy talking to you and look forward to seeing you in person.

[00:37:21] Anna: And that will wrap up this episode of the baseball bucket list podcast. Special, thanks to Terry McCutchen for joining us today and sharing those stories and memories. If this sounds like something you’d like to do, if you think you might like to be a guest on the show, head to baseball, bucket list.com/podcast and fill out an application. 

[00:37:36] Anna: I’d absolutely love to hear from you while you’re there. Make sure to spend some time on the site, sign up for a free membership. Build your own baseball bucket list, track your ballpark visits and connect with other fans. And if you find yourself looking forward to the show each week, please take a moment to rate and review it in the podcast app of your choice. It goes such a long way in helping new listeners find the show. And I would really, really appreciate it. That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for listening. We’ll see you next episode.