Sean Casey (Transcript)
Robby Incmikoski: All right, Casey, the first thing I want to ask about in your tremendous career is Comerica Park in Detroit. You hit what appeared to be a base hit to left field and got thrown out at first base. Can you explain what happened there?
Sean Casey: What was crazy was, I had just gotten traded to the Tigers. Are you serious, or no?
Robby Incmikoski: I'd like you to tell the story because it's kind of funny—you've told it to me before.
Sean Casey: That's why you're one of the biggest douchebags in sports. You ask these kinds of questions.
Robby Incmikoski: Hey Kyle, did you ever see the video? You know what I'm referring to?
Kyle Fager: I have not seen that one, though.
Sean Casey: Kyle's never seen it. We don't need to bring it into Kyle's life.
Robby Incmikoski: He hit a base hit to left field.
Sean Casey: I had a ball to left. Here's the context of the real story: I had just gotten traded to the Tigers; I was there probably three weeks. I must have hit—I remember the reporter after a game saying, "This guy's lined out more than I've ever seen somebody line out." So early in the game, I hit a ball to left-center; it was really the number one play of the night. Brian Anderson laid out in the gap and caught it.
So next at-bat, John Garland throws me an outside sinker. I hit a rocket to Joe Crede at third; he jumps up and catches it. I don't know the last time, Robby, you ever hustled out of a lineout, but I never have. I've never lined out and then started running to first. I mean, I hit it, it looks like Crede caught it, so I start walking off. I kind of turn my head, spin around, and as I'm walking off, the crowd goes crazy.
What happened was, I hit it so hard that Crede caught it, then it went off his web and landed right behind him. From where I was, I couldn't see it, and it trickled into left field. Here's another part of the story: normally Scott Podsednik is out there, but because there was a lefty that day, Podsednik—who can't throw out anybody at first base—wasn't in left. Instead, Pablo Ozuna, who has an 80 arm and was a shortstop, was playing left field that day.
So I realize the ball trickled into left field. Pablo Ozuna comes in; I'm like, "Holy cow, Crede didn't get it!" I do what any good person would do: I put my helmet back on, I take off running. I'm like, "My God, I'm gonna get thrown out from left field." Pablo Ozuna barehands it—he doesn't scoop it with his glove—he barehands it, comes up, and throws a rocket from left. He gets me. Bang. Out. 5-7-3.
Then there was another one that happened... I think the first in history was somebody in Seattle who did the same thing. Thought a guy caught it, turned around, and got thrown out. So I'm one of two. Makes me feel better.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, dude, what's funny—I know we make jokes about this, but first of all, you played 12 years in the big leagues, you're a career .300 hitter, you got 1,500 hits in the big leagues, so I think your résumé speaks for itself. And if you had to put a dagger in it, like how many times have you hustled out a liner down the line, Robby? That would be zero times.
Sean Casey: No...
Robby Incmikoski: That's not why I like breaking your balls—because I love you, man—but that's a great story.
Sean Casey: It's funny. I do a lot of motivational speaking—I have a mental performance coaching program—and I bring that story in. I say, "If you're willing to do something great in life—if you're gonna go to the level that no one's ever gone to, if you're gonna go to a place in anything in life where the big boys play—at some point, you're gonna make mistakes, and you're gonna be embarrassed. And if you don't have the courage to make mistakes or be embarrassed, then don't. You're never gonna get to where you want to get in life."
So I use it now, and that's the truth. At the end of the day, I had 50,000 people boo me off the field. I had to come back for my third and fourth at-bats—I'd never been booed off the field before in my life, because I always prided myself on hustle. So yeah, it was a bad look, it didn't look right. But I came out for my third at-bat, lined out to right—so I lined out to right, got thrown out from left—then my fourth at-bat, cutter from Garland, bloop one over the pitcher, second baseman, in that Bermuda Triangle. I ended up going 1-for-4.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, he got you thrown out from left field, and you get an infield hit in the same game.
Sean Casey: I got my only infield hit of my career the same game. Let's go!
Robby Incmikoski: Hey, let me ask you a question—and Kyle, I want this for the front of the book, and I mean, we've talked about this before, Case. When you look back on your career now at age 50, you never got cheated on your effort. You weren't highly recruited coming out of Upper St. Clair, and you told the story about how, I believe, your dad was friends with the head coach at Richmond. Am I remembering that correctly? He sent you a letter and offered you, or he was coming to scout you, whatever it was.
Hold on—just let me phrase the question, because I want this to go in the front; I want fans to read this and realize how hard the game is and how hard you have to work. But when you look back, you've got to be pretty proud, aren't you, of how you got the most out of your talent and cranked out 1,500 hits, a career .300 hitter? To do that, how would you explain the journey of what it took—being an under-recruited guy—to become a career .300 hitter in the big leagues?
Sean Casey: At the end of the day, life and baseball is a game of perspective. What's your self-talk look like, what's your self-confidence look like, can you be positive when the world's falling down around you? It's a tough game—baseball. At the end of the day, I have to know I'm putting in the work, I'm working my butt off, I've gotta build the resilience muscle, I've gotta build the confidence muscle, I've gotta build the perspective muscle every single day to believe in myself. Because when it's all said and done, if you don't believe in yourself, nobody else is gonna.
So for me, it was like, I just kept saying to myself, "Why not me play in the big leagues? Why not me play Division I baseball? Why not me be a career .300 hitter? Why not me go to three All-Star Games? Why not me hit .529 in the World Series?" Seriously, why not me? "You're too slow, you're this or that"—that's cool. I don't care what you think, because at the end of the day, it's me versus me. I have to care.
That's for all of us in life—you really have to find a way to love yourself and talk to yourself the right way about how special you are. You're one of one. I always say, no one else has your fingerprints, no one else has your footprints. You're one of one. No one else smiles like me, moves like me, has my personality. Same with you guys, Kyle and Rob—you're one of one. If you have that thought process, then no one can stop you from what you want to do. Only you can.
I always believed in myself, always believed in my abilities, and I always believed I was gonna put the work in. No one could outwork me, either. So at the end of it, I didn't want to walk away with any regrets. I look in the mirror to this day at the age of 50, I smile, and say, "Well done."
Robby Incmikoski: And just real quick, Case—you don't have to go into an elongated version, because this is about ballparks, but you're such an interesting case. You mentioned those All-Star Games, I mentioned the numbers—what they are—and you're a guy that really represents baseball on the national stage for Western Pennsylvania. You set examples with your work with the Miracle Leagues, what you've done with Mike Sherry in building Miracle League fields for kids with disabilities, that kind of stuff. How do you wear that responsibility, and how do you continue to wear that responsibility here in Western Pennsylvania?
Sean Casey: I think much is given, much is expected. I've always thought of that scripture. At the end of the day, I think we all have talents, and I think we all need to share our talents—whether it's writing books, being on TV, helping kids—whatever it is, like the charity work you do, too, Robby. Whatever your talents are, share them with the world.
I've always felt like one of my talents was being a leader. One of my talents was getting people together. One of my talents was creating community. So when I was done playing baseball and done in the clubhouse, I felt like there was such an opportunity to impact the community I grew up in, the city that I love in Pittsburgh. Baseball gave me an opportunity to really lead from the front, and that's one of the biggest reasons I do it.
Robby Incmikoski: How much is that—now as we transition into what we're talking about, celebrating the game of baseball—how much do examples like you, or what you just said, make stepping into a Major League stadium great, in your opinion? What do you remember about that from when you were a kid?
Sean Casey: I just think people love baseball because I think baseball is a family sport. It's a slower-paced sport, you can sit back, eat your popcorn and a pretzel, watch the game with your dad or mom or your buddies in the upper deck when you don't have any money as a teenager. It's a game that's played every night—162 games. It's passed down from generation to generation, like grandmothers and grandfathers even scoring in the stands and keeping score at home. It's a game we can all relate to; it truly is America's pastime. I think the fact that it's played every single night gives us all an opportunity to really love the game with our families while we do it.
Robby Incmikoski: Case, it's pretty cool. We talked to Doug Glanville yesterday—Doug's a good guy, grew up a Phillies fan, he played for the Cubs. Kyle enjoyed talking about his time with the Cubs, but Doug had the first hit in Houston at what was then known as Enron Field. I mentioned you and how we were talking to you today. Casey, I don't know that that's ever gonna happen again, just in this era of ballparks being so new—you were in on one. I really think you're the only guy to have the first hit in two ballparks. It could've been three—that would've been unbelievable.
Sean Casey: Yeah, yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: But how cool is that for a guy who appreciates, lives, and breathes the game professionally all his life—you brought your kids up in the game of baseball—to have that distinction of two ballparks, including your home city, to have the first hit?
Sean Casey: It's so cool, Robby, for real. I look back at my career, and that's one of my favorite stats of all—the fact that we opened up Miller Park in '01, and then two series later, we were at PNC Park.
Robby Incmikoski: Uh-huh.
Sean Casey: We opened up PNC Park. The one at Miller Park was really cool because I got the first hit ever. I was actually thinking about it before the season started. I saw that both those parks were new, and I was like, "Man, it'd be great to get the first hit at Miller Park," which I did—a line drive up the middle off Jeff D'Amico on a 1-2 curveball.
Then a couple days later, that's the one I wanted at PNC Park, because I grew up in Pittsburgh, grew up going to Three Rivers Stadium, and I thought, "That's what I want—the PNC Park one." I remember coming to the park that day, and I was hitting fourth, and I'm like, "Man, I always hit third. I never hit fourth." That day, I think Barry Larkin was hitting two and Dimitri Young was hitting three.
Robby Incmikoski: I'm gonna tell you—
Sean Casey: Dimitri was hitting three, I was hitting four. I remember thinking, "The first two guys got out—Larkin and Tucker." Dimitri ended up getting hit by a pitch. I was on deck thinking, "My God, how am I gonna get up?" Todd Ritchie tried to come in with a cutter, it hit Dimitri. I remember thinking, "Here it is—I've got the shot. I'm either gonna do it or not, but I've got the chance." I faced Todd Ritchie, got a cutter down and in, and I ended up golfing it out—there's the picture right there, can you see?
Robby Incmikoski: Which one is it? That's great—oh, that's all right, Case.
Sean Casey: I got a pitch middle-in, I connected. It's one of those moments when you homer, you know off the bat. I'm running to first thinking, "Holy cow, I'm gonna hit a homer," and it makes me the first hit and homer, which is incredible. It also makes me remember Milwaukee again, because I hit the last home run at Milwaukee County Stadium.
Robby Incmikoski: It's—
Sean Casey: So it's incredible—I was the last to homer at Milwaukee County Stadium, got the first hit at Miller Park, and then the first hit and home run at PNC Park, which is incredible. I remember rounding the bases—I'd left 70 tickets that day—and thinking, "The ball I hit bounced back on the field." Adrian Brown was in center, he goes to grab it, I'm yelling, "Throw the ball in!" He threw it to another guy in center. After the game, that guy said he was gonna give me the ball and he didn't. He wanted nine grand for it the next day, which I should've paid, but I said no.
I remember that whole day rounding the bases; I remember Lanny Frattare's call—I believe he said, "Upper St. Clair's own Sean Casey hits the first home run at PNC Park!" So it was a great day. And then after the game, Cooperstown grabbed my bat because they wanted it—they knew I got the first hit in both ballparks. I used the same bat.
Robby Incmikoski: Wait, the same bat for both hits?
Sean Casey: Both hits—Miller Park and PNC Park.
Robby Incmikoski: So is that in the Hall of Fame?
Sean Casey: I think Cooperstown, yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: That's amazing. Case, tying it into Pittsburgh—Willie Stargell died that same day. One of the greatest players in the history of baseball, clearly one of the top handful players in the history of the Pirates, he passes on the day PNC Park opens, and you do that. What kind of meaning does that have to you?
Sean Casey: It meant a lot because I love Pops Stargell. I remember being in my backyard doing the windmill, being Stargell, and thinking of what he meant to that '79 We Are Family team, one of the greatest players of all time, playing with Clemente all those years too. But Stargell died that morning. I remember during the national anthem we had a moment of silence for him; it was very emotional for me. I think all Pittsburghers felt that—he passed on the day they opened PNC Park in 2001. Yeah, it was an emotional day, Robby. It really was.
Robby Incmikoski: Casey, when you saw PNC Park for the first time, what do you remember about that day? Do you have any recollections about what it was like just getting to the ballpark and getting ready? Obviously, the big moment is hitting the homer, but do you have any other memories from that day—what it was like, the vibe around the park, that kind of thing?
Sean Casey: I stayed with my mom and dad at the house I grew up in, almost like I was going to an American Legion game—you give a couple shoulder rolls and you're in your first at-bat. So I drove from my house like I would down to Three Rivers, but obviously it was PNC Park. I remember thinking, "This is incredible. I'm in the big leagues; I can't believe I'm in the big leagues, and I'm going to play a big league game at PNC Park. I get a chance to open it up."
I remember the first thing I did: I didn't even get dressed, I walked right down the steps because I wanted to see the park. I remember thinking, "They nailed it. They couldn't have made it more beautiful. They couldn't have situated it any better toward the city, with the river right there, the Clemente Bridge." I just remember thinking, "This is really a special place."
Another big moment for me was my hitting coach when I was 14, Frank Porco. I got him on the field that day for opening day to meet Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr.—all the guys on the team. He's a true Pittsburgher, just a great guy from Canonsburg. Having him on the field that day to see PNC Park before we played the first game was a great moment for me. It was just a great day all around. I remember thinking to myself, "They nailed this park. They couldn't make it any nicer."
Robby Incmikoski: What do you remember about Milwaukee that morning? Do you remember anything about that day as well? I love this—this is gonna get good.
Sean Casey: That was the first time I met George—George Bush threw out the first pitch that day.
Robby Incmikoski: Really?
Sean Casey: Yeah, and before the game, we had dogs coming through the lockers and stuff. I remember meeting George Bush for the first time; he came up to me and introduced himself. He's like, "Hey, I heard they call you The Mayor." I'm like, "Buddy, it's incredible," and he was like, "Nice to meet you." He was so freaking nice. I remember thinking, "What are you doing here, Mr. President?" and he said, "Throwing out the first pitch, Sean."
That was right before 9/11—April 2001—so the world was a little different then. But I remember just meeting George Bush, and it was a really cool moment for all of us. Just to know he threw out the first pitch that day, and then I got the first hit—it was a really cool thing in my life.
Robby Incmikoski: Case, if you don't mind, I gotta come to you or figure out a way—are you able to scan that picture and send it to me? Or I can grab it and scan it, because I want to—
Sean Casey: I can take a picture of it and send it to you.
Robby Incmikoski: I just gotta find a good quality, because I want to get a little thumbnail of that for the book to help.
Sean Casey: Yeah, yeah, you should. Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: Sorry, if that's okay with you, Case. I would love to show the photo.
Kyle Fager: Pretty good picture to fix. This should work on the website. At least we might need a high-res scan of it if it's going to go in the book, but it depends on how it turns out.
Robby Incmikoski: All right, I'll see if I can do it professionally. We've got months, so I don't have to worry about it right now.
Sean Casey: Okay. Perfect.
Robby Incmikoski: I'm trying to illustrate as best I can, because Case and TV photos help tell a story, you know what I mean? They help with this.
Sean Casey: Yeah. Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: That'd be great.
Sean Casey: Yeah. You should get that photo, too.
Robby Incmikoski: That's obviously a photo that might not be public. It's a great picture. I want both of them.
Sean Casey: You need to get the photo to me here.
Robby Incmikoski: Yes, I'll come to your house, I'll go to a FedEx Kinkos—whatever. I'll do a high-res scan and get them so we have them. Absolutely, Casey.
Sean Casey: Okay, perfect.
Robby Incmikoski: Let me ask you this. You also played the first game at Great American Ballpark as well, right? You were opening day there.
Sean Casey: Yeah. Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: So to play in three—did you play in any others? I'm trying to do the math...
Sean Casey: I'm trying to think. There were so many parks opening up at that time.
Robby Incmikoski: I looked at it. I tried to cross-reference, because there's no way on Stats—
Sean Casey: I think that's it. I was in the first game of three brand-new parks and got a hit in two.
Robby Incmikoski: Right. That in itself—that's my point: to play in three first games ever, as a guy who appreciates baseball—forget the money you made, forget the stats, the hits, everything—how priceless is that memory, doing that three times?
Sean Casey: Bro, I'm such a fan of the game, like I never lost that fan side.
Robby Incmikoski: Right.
Sean Casey: I was such a collector. I remember I collected bats—I have 180 bats that I collected—500 balls, holding guys on at first thinking, "I'm holding on Tony Gwynn. I can't believe I'm holding on Mark McGwire. This is incredible. There's Larry Walker. Holy crap, here comes Ken Griffey Jr." It was so good. To be in three games—the first games of those ballparks—I did realize what was happening. I was like, "This is incredible."
As a matter of fact, one of the biggest things that stands out is the vibe in the air on those days. Miller Park: people were so excited, the tailgates were huge. I remember pulling up in the bus and people must've been tailgating at six in the morning. Same thing with the Pirates at PNC Park—"We can't wait to see it; it's gonna be incredible." And obviously Great American Ballpark—everybody was so excited opening that stadium in 2003, and I think Pedro Martinez was pitching for the Mets that day. The vibe for opening a new ballpark was pretty incredible.
Robby Incmikoski: Another thing separate—Kyle, I don't know if you know this, and I don't know that a lot of fans know this: I've been very fortunate. One of the coolest things in my life, being a guy that's never hustled to first on a lineout, and a guy that spent 15 years full-time in baseball—I've worked three opening days in Cincinnati, and—
Robby Incmikoski: It is the most special opening day, I think, in the major leagues. Here's why: the entire city shuts down, and they have a parade, Kyle—
Sean Casey: It's great.
Robby Incmikoski: They have a parade that runs through the entire city and ends at the ballpark. How has that come to be, Casey? How did Cincinnati become such a great baseball city?
Sean Casey: Cincinnati—it's significant that the Red Stockings were the first Major League Baseball team ever. Cincinnati goes back to the beginning of this great game. Man, I'll tell you what: there's no opening day like Cincinnati's. I don't care where you are—I don't care if you say New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh—no, it's not. The number one opening day is in Cincinnati.
It used to be a tradition—I don't know if you know this—that Cincinnati was always the first game of the year. They stopped it a few years ago when they started opening up the season in Mexico and Japan and stuff. I'm still bummed that's not around because that was a long tradition. The Reds still always open at home like that.
Robby Incmikoski: Right. Amazing.
Sean Casey: That'll always be there, but that parade for opening day in Cincinnati—there's nothing like it. I was the grand marshal a few years ago—
Robby Incmikoski: We were there.
Sean Casey: Yeah, yeah, that was incredible.
Robby Incmikoski: I did a piece on you when you did it. Yep. What is the vibe around the city that morning? I think you start somewhere around Fountain Square. When I woke up, we stayed at that Westin, right? My hotel room overlooked Fountain—
Sean Casey: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: I swear to God, at eight in the morning—
Sean Casey: Packed.
Robby Incmikoski: Drums beating, music playing, people slugging beers—people were going nuts. I woke up like, "It's opening day—can I just sleep?" It's already crazy as it is, but I remember getting up, hearing all that, and I was upset. I opened the curtain and looked down at Fountain Square, and I was ready. I jumped in the shower—I was an hour early, which I never am. I don't know if you were in the game, but you just feel this energy. What is it like being in a little of that?
Sean Casey: It's incredible. It really is incredible. To tell you the truth, as a player, you don't really get the full magnitude of it—you get it because the crowd's incredible, but you don't get the full magnitude until I was grand marshal of the parade. I was like, "Wow, this is what people have been talking about for years." The streets are lined. It's a national holiday. It's the one day you can take your kids out of school—nobody cares. It's opening day in Cincinnati, so it's a national holiday, actually.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, as it should be. Did you have any—this is random, I'm just completely asking—was there a batter's eye that you didn't like among current ballparks? Any of them better than another? What's that viewpoint like for you, Case?
Sean Casey: I mean, Milwaukee's batter's eye was nice because of that big green background. I kinda liked that. I feel like they were all pretty good, for real.
Robby Incmikoski: Right. Yeah.
Sean Casey: I think they do a good job making sure there's that green background or whatever, so the ball's not just coming out of the sky. Most of them are pretty good. I don't really have a favorite.
Robby Incmikoski: Okay, that's fine. I was just fishing if there was one.
Kyle Fager: You have a standard place to hit, so...
Robby Incmikoski: I want you to break something.
Sean Casey: Yeah. I used to love hitting in San Francisco. I think I have the number one average there—I hit .476 in San Francisco—and I still think it's the top average in that park.
Robby Incmikoski: Wow.
Sean Casey: So I loved hitting there, and then I loved hitting in Montreal. I must've hit .630 in Montreal. I was so depressed when they left Montreal—I was like, "Get me back to Olympic Stadium." So I liked hitting there. I think I hit .330 at Wrigley in my career, so I liked hitting there, too.
Kyle Fager: Yeah, you remember—you were a top dealer for sure.
Sean Casey: Yeah, I used to love hitting at Wrigley. It was great, but I didn't love facing Kerry Wood all the time. When he wasn't pitching, it was okay.
Robby Incmikoski: What made you comfortable about San Francisco?
Sean Casey: I don't know. I have no idea. I just raked there for some reason. I have no idea. I remember I was with the Pirates, I was struggling at the time, and we were facing Matt Cain—he was a rookie. He just kept pumping me heaters, and I was like, "Rocket, rocket." I went 5-for-5. I remember he came in and asked Mark Sweeney, who was on that team, "What's up with this Casey guy? I can't get him out." Mark was like, "You can't keep throwing fastballs to Sean Casey—he's gonna get you." He was 98, 99, but I remember thinking, "I'm also in San Francisco—I just rake here."
Robby Incmikoski: Man, dude, that is tremendous. I think your All-Star Game in '04 was in Houston, right? Minute Maid in Houston?
Sean Casey: Houston, yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: How was that?
Sean Casey: It was incredible, man. One of the coolest moments of my life. I know for me, the moments that happened—'99, Ted Williams coming out, All-Century Team—were incredible. '04—
Robby Incmikoski: There's another one.
Sean Casey: I'm talking to Moisés Alou in the locker room, and everyone's kind of talking, and all of a sudden it goes dead radio silent behind me. I turn around—Ali had just walked in. I was like, "Holy cow, Muhammad Ali," and he had Parkinson's. He couldn't have been more generous and kind. Everything we asked him to sign, he was so nice about it.
I got one of the coolest pictures of my life. My son Andrew, who's 23 now, was two then, and he happened to be with me in the clubhouse. Before Ali left, I went over—this is what a fan I was; I was always looking for these moments—
Robby Incmikoski: Right.
Sean Casey: I thought, "I cannot let Ali leave this clubhouse without him holding my son for a picture." I had the camera ready and said, "Muhammad, do you think you could take a quick picture with my son?" He just held Andrew. Andrew looked at me like, "What the hell's going on here?" I didn't care if he pooped his pants or cried. I had to get this picture. He turns, Ali smiles, I took it, and it was one of the coolest pictures I ever had—Muhammad Ali with my son Andrew.
Robby Incmikoski: Do you still have it? I'll track that down.
Sean Casey: I think it might be in storage, but I'll find it somewhere.
Robby Incmikoski: I'm writing a note here for these pictures that I need to get. Here's another one too—
Sean Casey: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: I'm gonna let you roll, but this is so good, Case. I can't let it go because I've got you right now.
Sean Casey: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: I have your attention. We all were glued to the TV and remember Pedro coming up, striking out the side—so my former broadcast partner, who's gonna go in the book, Ron Coomer—he was an All-Star in '99 as well. He tells a great story about that. I believe it was—
Sean Casey: '99?
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, because he was there.
Sean Casey: Coomer was there.
Robby Incmikoski: Coom says he faced Trevor Hoffman, and he said, "Either one of two things is gonna happen: either I'm hitting a homer..." He struck out on three pitches. He goes, "I'm either hitting a homer—that's it. There's no in-between." Where were you standing as Ted was coming in on the golf cart? What do you remember about that moment on the field?
Sean Casey: It was one of the coolest moments of my career—of all the years, it was so cool. Ted Williams comes out, everyone's like, "Holy cow." The All-Century Team is on the field too, like Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays—all these guys, the greatest players of all time. We're all walking up to Ted Williams, and I'm about 20 feet away. I get a pat on my shoulder—I turn around and the guy says, "Hey, Sean, just want to introduce myself. I'm George Brett." He's like, "I really love your swing—you've got a sweet left-handed swing. I enjoy watching you play the game." And I was like—first time I was speechless—"Oh my God, George Brett, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron..." It was incredible.
One of the coolest things about that story is something I heard just a few years ago in 2014. I did the All-Star Game coverage and the red carpet with Greg Amsinger. We got Derek Jeter on there—his last All-Star Game—and we talked about all the great moments: five World Series, whatever. I asked him, "Of all the moments you had in your 20-year career, Derek, what was the coolest moment?" He said, "'99 All-Star Game." Incredible story.
He goes, "We're on the field, Ted Williams just came out to throw the first pitch. As I'm walking up to Ted Williams..."—now remember my story, I'm walking from the National League side—he goes, "I get a pat on my shoulder. It's Hank Aaron." Hank goes, "Hey, Derek, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Hank Aaron. Love the way you play the game, never got the chance to meet you." Jeter said that was the greatest moment of his career, and I was having one of the greatest moments of my career right then with George Brett. Isn't that incredible?
Robby Incmikoski: Are you and Jeter talking after that like, "Holy cow, what just happened?"
Sean Casey: I mentioned it to him, but he was off and going. We didn't really get to talk about it.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, yeah. That's fine. Dude, that is incredible. That is unbelievable. '99, 2001—no, 2002 was Milwaukee. Where was the 2001 All-Star Game?
Sean Casey: It was in Seattle. Ichiro was MVP and a rookie that year. It was incredible. It happened in Seattle.
Robby Incmikoski: That's what I was going to say, because it was Ichiro's first year, right?
Sean Casey: First year. He had 240 hits. That was when Cal homered off Chan Ho Park, too—it was Cal's last All-Star Game.
Robby Incmikoski: Yep.
Sean Casey: Last All-Star Game.
Robby Incmikoski: How was that, just real quick? What do you remember about that day in Seattle?
Sean Casey: Just an awesome day. The Cal Ripken stuff was really cool. I remember the one moment where Vlad threw the bat down the third-base line and almost took out Tommy Lasorda.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, yeah.
Sean Casey: After that happened, Tommy came over to talk to us in the dugout—it was on camera. He came over to talk to me, Chipper Jones, Mike Piazza. There's a moment of Tommy talking to us, and I just remember that was so cool, talking to Lasorda right after he'd gone down. Bonds was there, too.
Robby Incmikoski: That's unbelievable. Dude, I could do this forever. Kyle, what do you got, man? I'm not going to keep you more, dude. You're the best.
Sean Casey: Yeah, no problem.
Robby Incmikoski: You're the best. What do you got, Kyle? Anything else? We could do this for another hour and the whole book will be Sean Casey, you know?
Kyle Fager: We're really good—we got a lot of these. This has been really great.
Robby Incmikoski: Who do we have next? Casey, do you know if it's Petronio, right? Taz? Vince? Radio guy—real good—
Sean Casey: Yeah, yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: He's a New York guy. We're interviewing him today, the day before the last game in Oakland. I watched it—
Sean Casey: Dude, what a shame that is, that whole thing.
Robby Incmikoski: Dude, I did. You played in Oakland, didn't you?
Sean Casey: Yeah.
Robby Incmikoski: What was that like? Now that it's over...
Sean Casey: I mean, it's been a horrible place.
Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.
Kyle Fager: Worse.
Sean Casey: I mean, that's the truth. But dude, the history of the Oakland A's... they should figure it out. It's a shame—politics, whatever's going on there—that the Oakland A's are going to move. Shame.
Robby Incmikoski: Terrible. Let me ask one question—I think I sent Kyle video or showed it to him. When you walk out of the clubhouse—you have to have been there to see this—in Oakland, you're sharing a tunnel with fans. How crazy is that?
Sean Casey: Dude, the lady's selling beers, nachos, popcorn right there. One day I grabbed a couple nachos on the way. I'm like, "Forget this, I'm gonna have some nachos before I—wait, what are we doing here?" We have to walk through this tunnel and then go through the fans. I remember playing with the Tigers in Oakland in '06. We opened up in Oakland for the Championship Series, and you're walking through a hostile crowd yelling—it's like you're a wrestler going through the fans. Incredible.
Robby Incmikoski: I took a video this year when I was there—I was with the Rangers on the last trip—and dude, I took a video because it was puddled at the bottom. I'm like, "There's the pretzel machine, the popcorn machine, the nacho machine. Players have to walk through the nachos to get to the dugout." Like, crazy.
Sean Casey: It's incredible. Incredible.
Robby Incmikoski: I don't know what that was like... All right, Casey. The best, brother. I'm only cutting you short because of the timer—I would do this for another hour.