Episode 171 — Marc & Nate Wolpoff: Catching Memories, Home Run Derby Dreams, & All-Star Game Adventures

Marc and Nate Wolpoff are a father-son duo from San Diego. Together, they’ve visited all 30 MLB ballparks, attended multiple All-Star Games, and created lifelong memories centered around the sport.
Marc and Nate share stories of their favorite baseball experiences, including catching an autographed ball during a Home Run Derby and watching future stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Pete Alonso in Fall League ball. We also dive into their passion for minor league and collegiate games, and their memorabilia collection.
Watch Nate’s Top 10 play below!
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Read the full transcript
[00:00:00] Marc: that was one of our, like, we can’t stop going until we catch all during the run derby because this, uh, it’s just a fun thing to do. And certainly a fun thing to try. But if you watch the video, so, about two rows in front of me.
[00:00:14] Marc: I had bought a seat that was on the aisle and then he was on the aisle about two rows in front. And his reaction, he turns around, he sees me and he says, let’s go. You can see him in slow motion. it’s priceless to see his reaction of watching me catch that ball.
[00:00:41] Anna: What’s up. I get heads. Thanks for tuning in and welcome to episode number 171 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. This week, I’m thrilled to be joined by Marc and Nate Wolpoff, a father and son duo from San Diego.
[00:01:04] Anna: Marc and Nate had been on an incredible baseball journey together visiting all 30 major league ballparks, taking in countless minor league and collegiate games and attending all star week, year after year all, while making some amazing memories along the way.
[00:01:17] Anna: We chat about their favorite baseball moments, from attending all-star games to following future stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And Pete Alonzo, as they came up through the lower levels. Marc and Nate also share what it’s been like to travel the country on baseball themed road trips and how their passion for the game continues to evolve as Nate’s playing career progresses. Before we jump into the interview, I’d like to let you all know that after this week, the show will be on a hiatus during the off season. I plan to use the time to work on some exciting new site features and other things to help grow this awesome community of bucket heads. While the weekly show won’t return until just before spring training starts, I will still be releasing periodic episodes of our Extra Innings series, so keep an eye out for those. I also hope you’ll take this time to catch up on episodes you might’ve missed or revisit some of your favorites from our 180 episode archive.
[00:02:07] Anna: This interview with Marc and Nate was so much fun. I can’t wait to share it with you now without further ado. Sit back, relax and enjoy some baseball banter with Marc and Nate Wolpoff.
[00:02:18] Anna: Marc and Nate, thank you so much for joining us today on the baseball bucket list. How are things out there in sunny San Diego?
[00:02:25] Marc: Things are great. Playoff’s about to start. Padre’s looking good, playing good ball. We’re going to be hosting the wild card round this year. We’ll So excited for that and hopefully we can give a nice deep run this year and watch our Padres play well into October.
[00:02:39] Anna: Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s an exciting time for sure, for everyone. But you know, when you got a team that’s in the race, it’s just extra special. And then the day we’re talking, I mean, what a wild, wild day to, to kind of see what the, uh, the, the stuff was gonna shake out. Like, uh, the day that the Mets and the Braves played their double-headed with the, the Diamondbacks kind of hoping that there would be a sweep.
[00:03:03] Anna: But, um, man, I just, uh, I, I’m excited for y’all. It’s, it’s gonna be a blast for sure.
[00:03:10] Marc: Thank you. Yeah, I’m not used to this growing up as a Padres fan. It was a very special treat. Um, Nate’s been luckier. He’s, he’s had many years of Padres doing well and like, well, at least in the, in his lifetime, he’s seen the Padres make it to the playoffs and almost get to the World Series, which is pretty cool.
[00:03:26] Anna: Yeah, so fun. Well, we’ll get into all of that down the road But what I want to hear first and foremost is How is it that each of you became fans of the game?
[00:03:36] Nate: Um, my dad introduced me, like he just brought me into a baseball world,
[00:03:41] Marc: it’s funny because I never pushed him, but I always encouraged it because I love baseball. I’ve always loved baseball. And, you know, when I meet people or people that don’t know Nathaniel or Nate very well and they say, Oh, he plays baseball.
[00:03:55] Marc: He loves baseball. And I’m like, Oh, yeah. You didn’t have a shot, right? He was gonna, it was gonna be a baseball fan no matter what. Um, but no, I, I grew up, uh, in San Diego watching the Padres, Tony Gwynn and in the eighties and kind of, uh, appreciating just being at a baseball game, not necessarily expecting to win or any of that, um, you know, kind of normal little league and, uh, got to play high school ball, got to just enjoy.
[00:04:17] Marc: Baseball for what it was at the playing level and then, um, college and grad school kind of less important in my life as I focused on the academics and worked on getting a career going and then kind of revisited baseball as, uh, he was being born and really started getting into it. And, uh, took every opportunity to get involved.
[00:04:36] Marc: And then when he was young, we got Padre season tickets and started going a lot. And so for him, It’s been a special thing, uh, going to, to, to Major League Ballparks. Uh, for me, you know, when I was a kid, I really, I really only went to a couple my whole childhood for him. You know, he spent most of his childhood at a baseball game or planning to go to a baseball game.
[00:04:56] Anna: I mean, you don’t give a, you don’t give a kid a shot if you, if you rope them into, uh, season tickets for a team. They’re gonna be a fan of the game, and, and specifically that team. So, I mean, I love that. It’s just such a cool story, and what a great way for y’all to spend time together. We met earlier this summer here in Arlington.
[00:05:15] Anna: Um, we bumped into each other at the, the FanFest, uh, the Capital One Lounge. I think all three of us were, you know, hiding out from the heat of the day in the air conditioned space and just so happened to sit next to each other and got to talking and, uh, got just a little bit of y’all’s story in terms of, I know you’ve been to all 30 ballparks.
[00:05:34] Anna: I know that the All Star Game is a special thing for both of y’all, but, you know, you just. You gave us a little bit of a story of season tickets with the Padres always being a special team. How did it kind of grow into baseball and chasing parks and doing things outside of just the Pads?
[00:05:51] Marc: Yeah, great question. So I always, um, had a dream to be able to travel all over the United States. And, um, before Nate was born, uh, my wife and I had gone to, uh, Vermont and Montreal, which was the last year of the Expos. So we got to see an Expos game and we were like, that was really cool. You know, even though it had its drawbacks and, and, uh, the team was leaving and it was a small crowd and it was, you know, when you, uh, sit in your seats, the whole ground shook every time somebody walked, cause all the metal sheets were connected in the Olympic stadium.
[00:06:20] Marc: But, um, but we were like, this is cool. We should like, you know, see about going to ballparks whenever we’re in other cities, that would be fun. Yeah. But being in college and then grad school didn’t have a lot of time or money, um, and then, uh, really just kind of getting involved with, seeing him when he was young and just saying, I want to do this.
[00:06:39] Marc: Let’s, let’s spend our time as a family. Let’s go out and let’s travel, let’s see places. And, uh, and so it became our mission to kind of go to the different states, see the ballparks in the different regions. And of course, you know, that’s where the bucket list started.
[00:06:51] Anna: Yeah, I love it. Nate, what’s your favorite part about visiting all these different parks? I mean, I know you guys have been to not only the 30 major league ballparks, but you do a bunch of minor league collegiate teams. Um, what’s your favorite part about the ballpark travel?
[00:07:09] Nate: I just enjoy going there and enjoying the experience and watching the players do their thing. it’s really interesting. And I enjoy like, there’s a specific player playing that’s like supposed to be good in the minors or like the big name in the majors. Then it’s just really cool to watch them up close and not on a TV.
[00:07:28] Anna: Is there anyone that’s coming to mind that you saw play in the minor leagues that then went on to become like a big deal later on?
[00:07:38] Nate: I mean, I’ve seen like Vladdy, Pete Alonzo, Acuna, um, Tatis, all in a span of two years at like a Fall League game, not Mike Trout, right?
[00:07:50] Marc: I met Mike Trout when he was in single A, so that was pretty cool.
[00:07:53] Nate: Yeah, yeah, I wasn’t alive, he came
[00:07:56] Marc: Yeah, you weren’t there yet.
[00:07:59] Nate: There’s probably a lot more that I’m forgetting.
[00:08:01] Anna: Yeah, those are, I mean, those are some big names that you just rattled off. I mean, that’s, that’s quite the collection of future stars you, you saw live and in person.
[00:08:10] Nate: Like, like this summer, we saw Dylan Cruz three times, I think,
[00:08:14] Anna: Very
[00:08:14] Nate: because we followed the Rochester Red Wings.
[00:08:17] Anna: Yeah. I love that. That’s so much fun. Question for both of you is, you know, these different levels that you go to have you found kind of like a sweet spot? Like are you like hey, I love double a for some reason I can’t explain it or triple a or you know, collegiate whatever it is
[00:08:35] Marc: My goal was originally to get to at least one team from every league. So there’s so many different minor leagues, whether it’s the ranking of the league or even within the ranking, there’s different levels of A Ball and different locations of A Ball. And so I wanted to at least see one team in every level.
[00:08:51] Marc: there’s no like sweet spot other than, um, Minor leagues are a lot of fun. We’ve been to, you know, we’ve been to probably about 100 different either college, independent league, or minor league games all together, or different stadiums, and we always have a great time. So whether it’s AAA, and we’re like AAA is fun.
[00:09:08] Marc: We saw Joey Votto and Joey Gallo square off this summer, and I did not know Joey Gallo would be the one who would be making, you know, the majors again in September, Joey Votto.
[00:09:16] Anna: Yeah
[00:09:17] Marc: But, um, but, you know, watching games like that and then in the same game, we’re watching Dylan Cruz, who’s going to be the next big thing.
[00:09:23] Marc: And, you know, and then he’s, he’s out there showing us he’s going to take over the sport instead of some of the older guys who have been around and, you know, trying to get one last, uh, one last life in the majors up there. Um, so AAA is always kind of fun to, to look at the, I look back, we were at, One of Pedro Alvarez’s final games when he was in AAA trying to get to make it back up.
[00:09:42] Marc: And, you know, some of the guys like that, where you’re like, Oh, this guy’s been around forever. He’s still around. Um, even this summer we were, we saw, the, for Staten Island, they had, yeah, Pablo Sandoval was out there for the Staten Island team. We’re like, I didn’t know Pablo Sandoval was still doing baseball stuff.
[00:09:59] Marc: That’s really cool. So, you know, we just kind of look for opportunities like that. I think I enjoy just the double A, triple A, the speed of the game is a little bit closer to major leagues when you go to the lower levels. It’s a lot more of like, man, that guy has tools, but he’s not there yet. Um, you know, so kind of for him, especially Nate shaking his head saying, I would have made that play, right?
[00:10:22] Marc: You know, some of those grounders where he sees them. College is fun. College is a totally different experience too. Um, he got it. He got a chance to be involved with the collegiate program, which was really cool. He spent two years as kind of the bat boy and, kind of, uh, deeply involved in a college program.
[00:10:38] Marc: So we traveled around with them a lot and, and he did, um, he really got to know those guys and really see how they compete. But college is a totally different game. The starters don’t go very deep. The there’s no such thing as a defined role. If you’re a pitcher, you’re a pitcher and you better be ready every day.
[00:10:53] Marc: Um, you know, they’ll have their weekend, like starters lined up, but. Everybody else, it’s like all hands on deck and then, uh, you know, trying to, to just, yeah, the shortstop became the second baseman center field. It was catcher became the center field, like all sorts of things that are going to happen to try to win games as the season goes on.
[00:11:10] Anna: the college game is like something that I would like to get more involved in because I think it’s just, you know, there’s so much other baseball. I haven’t really focused much on it, but I feel like it would be so much fun. I mean, I know it is fun from the games that I have been to, but you mentioned Sandoval pitching, you know, seeing that here recently, and I think, the top of my bucket list now, being a Rays fan.
[00:11:33] Anna: If I were at a Minor League game where Brett Phillips came in and was like actually a legitimate pitcher and not just a, you know, we’re down by 13 runs type of pitcher, I would just be over the moon to see that, cause it would just, it’d be wild, I’m sure.
[00:11:48] Nate: Brett Phillips did have a really good pitching motion when he was a position player.
[00:11:51] Anna: Yeah, I know it was very surprising, wasn’t it? It was like, whoa, where’d that come from?
[00:11:56] Nate: Amazing.
[00:11:57] Anna: Yeah, Man, all right. So a lot of travel, a lot of years, a lot going on, you know, anything come into mind of like Stories that really just stand out as something special to y’all.
[00:12:08] Marc: Yeah, I think we were, uh, we were talking before about the all star games. And so 20, 2016, the Padres hosted, and that was, that was the turning point for us. That’s when we got hooked on the all stars. Um, it was convenient. It was here. He was, he was only about five years old, but they did the, the fan fest.
[00:12:23] Marc: And in San Diego, we have a really large convention center where they had a giant, like a oxymoron here, giant mini field, right? Where they could, uh, they could be kids out there, but also they had these celebrities. And so he was doing clinics with, I mean, Dave Winfield and Will Myers was out. He was kind of the ambassador of the team that year and some legends, you know, Rollie Fingers is, is, is out there.
[00:12:44] Marc: And. but he did, he did clinics with all sorts of, of legends from the, and I’m, and I’m, he doesn’t know he’s just, these are guys to him and I’m saying, yeah, but you know, he’s in the hall of fame or like that guy’s really, really, really, really good at baseball, like, you know, trying to tell us to a five year old and he just wanted to play.
[00:12:59] Marc: And so, um, the game itself and all that went by. You know, we were done with the home run derby. We actually walked back to the hotel that night with, um, Jim Leyland and, um, we’re just seeing guys on the street and, you know, talking to them about baseball and did you have fun at the event and this and that, and I said, Hey, these are really important baseball people, you know, they’re getting a chance to talk to them.
[00:13:20] Marc: Um, so, so really, then we were like, we want to do this again? 2017 was all the way in Miami. And so we said, why don’t we just kind of do the southeast? And so we started to chip away at some of the places out there we’d never been and ended up to time it to be in Miami. And then, you know, 18 was DC. So we had a great chance to go and spend some time out there.
[00:13:39] Marc: And, um, and when we do these trips, we typically spend about a month on the road. It’s not just all stars. We, you know, Yeah. the family, we’ve, we’ve had about a month long trip every year, except for 2020 during COVID, um, that was the year we didn’t do it, but, uh, for pretty much every other year, we’ve done a, about a month long trip where we’ve explored the country and, and basically centered around the baseball schedule where we can get to the events we want.
[00:14:04] Anna: Man, that’s the dream right there. I think everybody listening is just kind of nodding their head and going like, yeah, that’s, that sounds pretty awesome. you rattled off a bunch of cities there, but you know, When you look back on that, and I know this isn’t a fair question because Favorite all star game is is maybe you know, there’s so many things that go into it But like was there a city that you felt like just got it right Obviously every all star game every all star week is magical.
[00:14:33] Anna: But like was there one that really stands out above the others?
[00:14:37] Marc: I don’t want to sound like a homer, but San Diego was the best. I mean, the convention center is right next to Petco Park. Everything you need is right downtown. It was, it was really good. Miami not as good spread out, you know bad weather. Let’s see. Yeah, la did a great job. I thought
[00:14:54] Nate: But it was like really far away.
[00:14:55] Marc: a little spread out but but I thought they were very well prepared Texas was really good They were well prepared and it’s just not as much stuff to do in in that little area as compared to like a downtown Of a bigger city But yeah for me, I mean San Diego was my favorite. That’s the one that got us hooked But, uh, you can’t expect every city to be as nice and set in the summer as San Diego.
[00:15:16] Anna: Yeah, exactly. Especially when you come to Texas in, uh, July. I mean, man, I, I think it was, it was one of those things where it was like the juxtaposition of the game being in the AC controlled environment next to the fan fest being in the old ballpark that does not have AC. I think, uh, Everyone who is complaining, including myself about, we didn’t need a new ballpark was like, okay, I remember now I’m, I’m back where I was, you know?
[00:15:45] Anna: So, um, I went to LA too. That was the only other all star game that I had been to and that was, uh, I, I found the same as what Nate said there that, you know, it was great, but it was like very spread apart and as someone who didn’t have a car, it was a little more difficult to kind of like get around to but, um, I look forward to doing more of them because I think it’s just such a cool week and you meet lots of awesome people there.
[00:16:08] Anna: You really do. It’s, it’s just a good vibe.
[00:16:10] Marc: Yeah, I don’t wanna sell Seattle short either. Seattle did a really nice job, so that was a nice one too.
[00:16:16] Anna: what do you think is next, right? Like, you’ve, you’ve done all 30. Like, what are, are we doing the All Star Games moving forward? Is that gonna be like a continued tradition? They’re both shaking their heads, like, emphatically. So, uh, let’s talk about that. Like, beyond the All Star Games, more minor league, more college, more, what, what are we looking at?
[00:16:35] Marc: It’s getting harder for us to plan the schedules because his playing career is really starting to be a little bit more time intensive, especially during the summers. This last summer, we had an amazing opportunity. He got to play in Cooperstown with his, uh, with his travel team, which was fantastic and, you know, wonderful week, really, truly baseball bucket list item that we were able to accomplish to be there.
[00:16:58] Marc: And not only were we there, we were actually there for the induction ceremony, uh, week as well. So. the schedulers didn’t do us any favors with the timing. So I had to get, I had to leave basically as it was starting, but I got to, I got to be there and see the, uh, the entire setup and then being, just being in the village during the whole weekend when they were doing the induction was really special.
[00:17:16] Marc: so that was pretty cool. So like this coming summer, we do plan on going to all stars for Atlanta and then kind of going from there. But. He’s going to start having more summer events. Um, his team’s planning on playing in Omaha this summer. And so kind of balance that part out. Yeah. It’d be there for the college world series would be, will be really neat.
[00:17:36] Marc: and then kind of take a year, year by year to see when his obligations are going to start conflicting with our ability to just kind of have that time.
[00:17:43] Anna: Yeah. Have y’all done the College World Series before, or will this be the first time? That’s cool.
[00:17:49] Marc: Now we’ve seen the stadium, but we weren’t there during the actual world series. So
[00:17:53] Anna: Yeah. that’s something I really want to get to for sure. I mean, that’s just the energy of that. It just sounds incredible. Um, Nate, what position do you play?
[00:18:03] Nate: Uh, play corner infield pitch.
[00:18:05] Anna: Okay. A little, uh, utility there, right? So he’ll be good in college when he has to move to the infield after he’s done pitching or something like that.
[00:18:16] Anna: Anything in particular come to mind if I ask either of you what your favorite baseball memory is?
[00:18:22] Marc: Absolutely. I’ll tell you a fun story. Um, my family has a, a neat connection. So I don’t come from a baseball passionate family, but my grandma’s cousin. was Harry Grossman. And Harry Grossman was the man who got to flip the lights on for the first night game at Wrigley Field. So I grew up knowing that that was a really important thing because my grandma’s from Chicago and Harry Grossman was her cousin.
[00:18:48] Marc: That’s about all I knew. But, um, but anyway, he, she got in, she got me in contact with him and we became pen pals. And so I would write him letters and he would send me like promotional things that the cubs would give him. He got to do that honor because he was the longest tenured season ticket holder at the time.
[00:19:03] Marc: So he had stories and he would write to me and he’d be like, I’m going to the Cubs today, you know, root for the Cubs and this and that and the other. So I do have a few cool things. Um, unfortunately he never had kids. He never had, people that followed him. So we reached out to the Cubs when we were going to Chicago and I said, Hey, Harry Grossman’s, you know, he’s my cousin, he’s my grandma’s cousin.
[00:19:20] Marc: And they thought that was super cool. Um, and I thought it was amazing because. Uh, when you watch the pregame montage the video they play to get you ready for for the game He’s in it. And I said, that’s my cousin right there. I said, this is amazing And uh, you know, so they thought that was was wild because i’m you know We’re not specifically partial to the cubs, but it’s a special team for me knowing that my family was so so connected to that Um, so so that’s my story.
[00:19:45] Nate: I mean, there’s a lot of them that are really cool Like I don’t remember how old I was, but it was pretty young. I You Did like a clinic thing at the Rancho, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the single way for the Dodgers. And they did like a clinic where they just like hit you balls and stuff, and I made a diving catch.
[00:20:05] Nate: And it got to ESPN, and it was on the ESPN Top 10 Plays of the Day. so that’s a really interesting moment. Um, it’s cool.
[00:20:15] Marc: He uses that, by the way, as a trivia. He’s like, You know, I, do you think I had a, did I, you think I made a top 10 play already on SportsCenter and they’re like, no. And he’s like, oh, dad, show him your phone.
[00:20:27] Nate: I don’t know, There’s been really cool interactions with players, like one time we got field passes to, it was Bush, no, Bush, yeah, Bush Stadium, and it was against Cleveland, and we were on the field, and Yonder Alonzo walked by, and I’m like, Yonder, can you please sign my ball?
[00:20:46] Nate: Um, because he was a Padre previously and, you know, I’m like, he’s a Padre. I need, I want an autograph. Like, can you sign my ball? And he did, and he ignored me. And then I asked him one more time and then he said, hold up, give me a second. And then he waved me into the dugout. like gave me a high five, gave me a big thing of gum, which I think was my first time using chewing bubble gum.
[00:21:07] Nate: Um, and he gave me his bat and he obviously signed my ball, but. It was really cool being in the Cardinals dugout or the visitor dugout at Busch Stadium. and when I was in fifth grade, my team, my district did a thing that was really interesting and they let us sing the national anthem at Petco Park, which was very cool moment. So we were just out in the field. And I waved to Joe Musgrove because he was, he wasn’t pitching that day so I could interact with him. So that was another really cool moment. And yeah.
[00:21:46] Anna: Those are some cool moments for a kid with not a lot of years behind you yet, so I can only imagine, you know, what else is to come, but, I have to share this with y’all because, you know, just recently the Padres did like a first responders night or something like that and my uncle is, uh, he’s a lifeguard in Del Mar.
[00:22:05] Anna: And so he got to be one of the guys that like walked down onto the field with the, the players at the beginning of the game. So that was a pretty special moment for him, just recently. So, um, it sounds like the, the Padres do a lot of really cool stuff like that.
[00:22:20] Marc: They do. We were actually there that night, so we probably saw
[00:22:22] Anna: hey, there you
[00:22:23] Marc: we remember they had, they had fire, they had police, they had, um No, because we know a police officer. We know a police officer in San Diego, so we were like, Ah, it’s not him. Yeah, we were seeing if it was somebody we knew out there.
[00:22:33] Marc: But yeah, they did a really nice job. And especially, um, when he was younger and before they had as many, um, before they had as much interest as they do now, they, they had, he did a lot of cool things. He got one time, he got to deliver the ball to say, uh, to, to the pitcher to say, you know, here’s your, your first pitch ball.
[00:22:50] Marc: Um, one time he got, he was the play ball kid, you know, before the game, he gets to go on the field and say those two most important words. And, uh, you know, they’ve had, you know, Throughout the years, opportunities to play catch on the field or some years we even did like batting practice and things like that, which was really special.
[00:23:05] Marc: So yeah, they’ve done a great job with that.
[00:23:07] Anna: Yeah, y’all have checked off a lot of, uh, a lot of people’s top of the list there. I mean, batting practice on the field, a lot of people tell me they want to sing the national anthem. Like that’s a really common one. So y’all are just, uh, clipping through them, but what’s, what’s at the top, right? Like what’s the number one thing that you still want to do?
[00:23:26] Nate: I don’t know… Maybe meet someone that’s like amazing and like have like a conversation and then get out to our memorabilia collection.
[00:23:37] Marc: yeah. I mean, we just were opportunistic, so I don’t know that there’s anything left after we did the 30, we’ve done a lot of all star games. We want to go to as many as we can. So that’s a continual goal. Um, you know, we went to like world baseball classics have been amazing and we’ve done, uh, not too much international stuff, but we, you know, if we ever have a chance to do that, we’ll, we’ll certainly look into that.
[00:23:56] Marc: We, we tried to go to the Korea series, but it didn’t end up working out. Um, you know, things like that, that, so if we have those opportunities, it’d be great. But for me, it’s more now getting a chance to, to be a parent, watch him playing and see how that goes. And, um, you know, he, we were kind of joking, like, yeah, we’re going to go back to more ballparks, but he said, the next time we’re going to be here is when I’m on the field.
[00:24:18] Marc: Right. You know, like, it’s like, oh, sure. Yeah, absolutely. I’ll come back if you’re, if you’re playing here, why not?
[00:24:24] Anna: Yeah, that’d be fun. Man, you never know. I mean, you’ll blink and he’ll be like 30 years old. So, um,
[00:24:32] Marc: Well, you had that, you had that father son, um, guest combo before, and I, I listened back to their original one, and that’s, you know, they’re living in San Diego now, too, I thought that was wonderful, and then, and then I realized the generations were one, one step above us, and I said, well, they could have done this probably when they were this age, too, and, it would have been fun, but, uh,
[00:24:50] Anna: what do you guys do, um, as part of your trips? Like, do you do anything outside of baseball? I mean, I know you, you kind of focus in on a section of the country and spend, like you said, a month there. So I’m assuming you’re doing more than baseball.
[00:25:03] Marc: yeah, we do a lot of, a lot of history as well, so we go to museums, we go to state capitals, we go to a lot of science museums, we’ve gone to a lot of just, like, the regional history things to really try to Understand what is different in different places. We have such an interesting. history here in our country.
[00:25:19] Marc: Um, and so San Diego is far from everything, right? We’re in the bottom corner. So once we like leave our corner, we want to really kind of, uh, enjoy where we are and seeing different things. So, um, you know, sometimes you go to the, whatever the main tourist attractions are, but sometimes we just kind of, Look up what’s the coolest thing to do.
[00:25:38] Marc: And, you know, for, for kids or, you know, it depends on what age he was when we were in different places. Also, um, some places we can only experience as parents of a five year old versus, you know, now we can say, Hey, we’re, we’re going to do this other thing and you can handle not doing what you wanted to do today.
[00:25:54] Marc: Um, so, you know, Chuck E. Cheese is the same, no matter where you are, if you have a four year old, you just finding a Chuck E. Cheese is the most important thing you have to do. Um, so we’re, we’re over those days, thankfully, but, um, Yeah, and we uh, we try to we try to make the most of um of just being in those different areas
[00:26:12] Anna: I like it. Okay. Um, one more question I have for y’all and this news just dropped today. I was over the moon about it, but I want to know how you two feel knowing that you’ll be impacted by it about the return of individual team uniforms on the field for the all star game again.
[00:26:31] Nate: That’s returning?
[00:26:32] Anna: It is. They just announced it today.
[00:26:35] Nate: That’s good,
[00:26:36] Anna: Yeah.
[00:26:37] Nate: I like the uniforms like I would buy one of the jerseys as like, to wear.? But if I don’t know enough about baseball, I need to know what teams they come from.
[00:26:49] Marc: So one thing we didn’t mention was we also play baseball cards and of course he does a lot of Padres and various other players that he’s committed to.
[00:26:57] Marc: The one thing I really like is the cards that have like All Star Game memorabilia embedded into it and so that’s the ones that I go out there looking for. Um, especially for the years that we were at the game. It’s very special. Usually it’s the workout day jerseys, like the, the home run derby day. So we have like Jock Peterson’s sock from 2017 or 2018, 2019, sorry.
[00:27:17] Marc: And we have, you know, we have a base from 2017 in Miami. That was also 19. No, we have 17 at 19. So we have, you know, so we have, um, so the memorabilia that they collect from the all star games and put them into cards, that’s, that’s our other way of really trying to connect with, with it. That, um, So, yeah, but no, I’m all, I grew up watching them in their own teams.
[00:27:39] Marc: I thought it was a little bit silly when they all looked the same. So I’m happy that I’ll go back to, to represent.
[00:27:44] Nate: They were kind of cool to see like the stars all on one team, but it’s kind of unnecessary.
[00:27:50] Anna: Yeah. I agree. I think they would be cool for like, those should be like the workout day jerseys, right? Or like, you know, something, something like that. I like that they have their own look to them. But when I think of all star game in my head, I think of all the different jerseys. So, uh, but it’ll be interesting.
[00:28:07] Anna: I just had this thought to you know, the rays no longer have a gray jersey. There’s no road jersey. So If, uh, if a Ray makes the, uh, All Star game next year, I mean, at least one will, they won’t have a gray jersey, so that’ll be really weird. Like, how will they, how will they deal with that?
[00:28:25] Marc: they’ll figure out an alternate. be cool.
[00:28:31] Anna: heh heh.
[00:28:32] Marc: nothing else, they’ll be creative in terms of how to make a new Jersey to sell.
[00:28:35] Anna: yes,
[00:28:36] Marc: confident in that
[00:28:37] Nate: they should just wear their city connectors.
[00:28:39] Anna: I love that idea.
[00:28:40] Nate: there’s one more story I want to share. Can I do that?
[00:28:43] Anna: yeah, let’s hear it.
[00:28:44] Nate: So we were in Chicago visiting the other team in Chicago’s fields with another Mervin. Um, so that was my 30th ballpark was the White Sox. So we already went into the stadium excited. And that was before they were terrible. So we were looking forward to a good game.
[00:29:03] Nate: and we found out it was the first day that they had the nets, like, blocking them from the fans, and so it was like the third inning or something, and there was a pop up right to us, and Curtis Granderson leaped on us, but, because we were in the first row. and he leaped on us, and like the net stopped him, and he made the out, and so, like, cause it was right after the all star break, so, it was weird, so like, before the all star break, like, he would’ve fallen into us, but, since the net was there, it was the first game with the net, it was, what’s the word, like, Abnormal for a player to have that
[00:29:46] Anna: Yeah.
[00:29:46] Nate: and so this guy Came to us like an ending later and he’s like, what’s up?
[00:29:52] Nate: I work for the new york times Can we write an article about you guys? So that’s a really cool baseball moment.
[00:30:01] Anna: Yeah, what’s the what are the odds that like the timing of that would would be like that? I was gonna ask if after that you went back and you listened to the broadcast cuz I’m sure I’m sure they were replaying it and you know talking about how a couple weeks ago. He would have just smashed into those guys
[00:30:18] Marc: What’s funny is I bought those tickets in the front row because I love getting the foul balls down the line. So when I bought them, there was no net and I was like, Oh, this is perfect. We could just reach over and get them all. And then we get there and I said, Oh, they put the net in already. Cause it was the first game after the all star break.
[00:30:33] Marc: But sure enough. Yeah. Um, it was an interesting time because the reporter, he was right on top of it and he’s like, he’s There’s a neat article about it in the New York times.
[00:30:42] Nate: Um, the other thing we collect, like, as a group, like as father son, is lineup cards from the game, like game use lineup cards. So we have a bunch of those, and there’s a few of them that stand out as like, whoa, you have those things.
[00:30:57] Anna: like what which ones
[00:30:59] Nate: it’s from the Fall League, so it was like before Like, these guys were in their majors, so it’s, there’s one where it’s like Vladdy, Acuna, and like Ozzy Albies against Pete Alonso, um, and like, Tatis or someone like that, not Tatis, but like, A lot of really good players.
[00:31:20] Nate: That generation of studs, um, and then those ones are like our only authenticated ones. So those ones are sick. And we also have an original Savannah Bananas one from the first year of their existence.
[00:31:35] Anna: that’s pretty cool. That’s pretty cool. When they were in the, uh, Coastal Plains League as a collegiate wood bat team, huh?
[00:31:42] Marc: Yeah, that was the, that was the 2017 when we were down there for, um, for Miami for the All Stars. We had started our trip farther north and when we got to Savannah, the bananas were so nice. And we were like, this is awesome. We had no idea what turned into what it is now, but they let him be out there for, he threw out the first pitch and he was, you know, talking, we were out there with the players and the owner and everybody, yeah, they made me get out there with jumper pants they threw bananas at from the roof and I was catching bananas in jumper pants.
[00:32:10] Marc: You know, we were just having a ball. My wife thought it was the best game she’d ever been to. This is hilarious. And, uh, and then, yeah, we finished the game and got a bunch of stuff from them and autographs and this, that, and the other. And then they, you know, and then we turn around and this last, last year we finally got to see them again do their banana ball.
[00:32:26] Marc: We went out to Arizona. They, they were playing in Arizona and, you know, They sell out the, the, the spring training stadium, but I understand they play at Major League Stadium now, too, and they can sell out Fenway Park now, and we were, you know, in Savannah, Georgia, saying, what is there to do, and they’re like, oh, there’s the Savannah Bananas, let’s go check them out, you know?
[00:32:43] Marc: Um, so it was really cool to see their success, and, you know, um, knowing that we’ve known about that for a while is, is, is kind of a neat thing.
[00:32:51] Anna: Yeah, you saw them before they were the bananas of today. So that’s, that’s really cool. Really cool. You got more stories? I see Nate’s wheels turning over there.
[00:33:01] Nate: well, there’s a bunch of other baseball memorabilia of notable players. Um, from the perfect game, perfect game, All American Classic, Dylan Lesko was the starting pitcher for the West team. He was later a first round pick for the Padres, then he got traded. but I got his game used hat, which was very cool.
[00:33:23] Nate: And that was the team that pitched a no hitter. Um, from the celebrity softball of 2024, Kane Brown hit a home run. And then I asked someone to go get it, so she got it for me, and then I got him to autograph it. So I have a Kane Brown autographed home run ball from the Celebrity Softball Game.
[00:33:43] Nate: That’s one of my favorite, um,
[00:33:46] Nate: technically not baseball, it’s still a baseball event.
[00:33:51] Marc: One thing that was really high on our list was to actually catch a ball during the Home Run Derby. We had gone for many years and misjudged. Yeah, I was so close to a number of balls and a number of times. The 2017 Derby ended with him literally just bawling. He was six years old at the time and we had gotten trampled because Miami, the concourse was too small and Aaron judge was hitting the back wall and we were standing as far back as we could get, but people were knocking him over.
[00:34:20] Marc: And so I just like had to pick him up and leave, but then it was thunder and lightning out and he was scared of the lightning. So I was like, which is more dangerous, this crowd of grownups trying to. Trampling for the balls or the lightning outside that he’s terrified. It was, it was kind of a ball. Can we, can we at least, you know, get them back here tomorrow for the All Star game situation.
[00:34:38] Marc: But, um, but after that, we’re like, okay, as he’s getting older, he can hold his own and then he can try to get a boss, but it made it. Made it more important to get better seats So we weren’t all the way in the back getting trampled on so in la. Um, so that was like our sixth try Yeah, la was like our sixth sixth try and I got a ball that Julio Rodriguez hit but it was a ground rule double So we were in the very front in the corner And it bounced and I jumped up and I was able to bring it down and I was so excited But it wasn’t it was a ball from the derby but not a home run ball So it was in Seattle.
[00:35:13] Marc: Um, Randy? Yeah, Randy Rosa. He was the first batter, and it was probably his like fifth swing. He hit one right down the left field line, and, and then people saw that, you know, I was right there, perfect spot and he had to be hit to the perfect spot. But I jumped up, I caught it, and it was autographed because they, they autograph the boss for the home run derby.
[00:35:32] Anna: I didn’t know
[00:35:33] Marc: So for the earlier. Each player autographs a number of them, and then when they run out, they just use regular ones. But if you catch one early, then you get the autograph on there, so. So I was like, okay, I caught a home run ball in the air during the home run derby, that was really cool. And then we went for really good seats in Texas, and then of course didn’t get anything there.
[00:35:51] Marc: We were close. We were close, but nothing there.
[00:35:52] Anna: the way that Left field is built out there. It’s it’s difficult, right? You have like the overhang and all this you kind of like up in there It’s a it’s kind of weird, but I had no idea that they autographed their early in the early rounds I mean like that’s super cool that kind of changes things in terms of
[00:36:10] Nate: I think we learned about it because some, a guy, a few people near us got J Rod balls in 2022, got J Rod balls, and I’m like, why is there ink on there? And then someone got, like, a Soto one, and then a Pujols one, and I’m like, they autographed these, I don’t get it. That’s crazy.
[00:36:30] Nate: Cause I don’t, I, I don’t think they did that in years past.
[00:36:33] Anna: I’ve not heard of that, yeah, so, it’s gotta be like, relatively new, but, I mean, okay, an autographed baseball from a home run derby that you caught is gotta be, I mean like, that’s gotta be like your prized possession, I would guess.
[00:36:49] Marc: It’s certainly one of them. Yeah, it was one that we, that was one of our, like, we can’t stop going until we catch all during the run derby because this, uh, it’s just a fun thing to do. And certainly a fun thing to try. But if you watch the video, so, um, our friends that were watching, he was about two rows in front of me.
[00:37:08] Marc: I had bought a seat that was on the aisle and then he was on the aisle about two rows in front. And his reaction, he turns around, he sees me and he says, let’s go. You can see him in slow motion. Um, it’s priceless to see his reaction of watching me catch that ball.
[00:37:24] Anna: I love that, oh man, that’s so cool, Marc and Nate, I can’t thank y’all enough for making time to do this. I, I genuinely appreciate it. Really enjoyed chatting with you.
[00:37:34] Anna: Enjoyed chatting with you in person here in Arlington and uh, will definitely be keeping my eye out for y’all at, at Home Run Derbies of the future. I know that now I know where to look, uh, on TV, but thank y’all so much. This was a blast.
[00:37:49] Marc: Thank you so much for having us. Definitely. And we’ve enjoyed listening to the show and look forward to. Uh, you know, more episodes.
[00:37:55] Marc: Thanks so much for having us.
[00:37:57] Nate: Thank you.
[00:37:57] Anna: And that will wrap up this episode of the baseball bucket list podcast. Special thanks to Marc and Nate Wolpoff 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, next season head to baseball bucket list.com/podcast and fill out an application. I’d absolutely love to hear from you.
[00:38:17] Anna: 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 enjoying 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.
[00:38:37] Anna: That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for listening. We’ll see you next season.
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