 Yes, we're here and it's Jack Curry here and I get the opportunity to talk to today a very special guest and one of my favorite players to ever cover because I loved his tenacity I loved his honesty and that's Jorge Posada and Jorge first of all thanks for joining us and the first question I have to ask you is how is everything going with you and your family Laura, little Jorge, Paulina, how's everyone doing? Yeah, everybody's at home. We've been here since middle of March now and we've been trying to stay busy doing some little things. The kids are going to school during the morning hours absolutely you know with in the computer at home and we've been being allowed to try to do different things to try to stay busy. She's cooking a little bit more thank God she's a good cook and we're working out in the in the mornings and you know trying to stay a little bit busy inside the house. Yeah, it's important to have a routine so I'm glad that you guys have latched on to one. I know that you're not a player anymore and you're retired but have you thought at all what you would be doing right now if you were still playing just how you would try and deal with the uncertainty because these current Major League players Jorge they don't know when they're their next game or their next meaningful meeting with their teammates will be. Yeah, I would do a lot of cardio obviously you know try to find you know have a gym here at the house but not everybody has a gym at the house try to look for you know certain classes maybe live that are a little bit more cardio oriented and you know take away your mind a little bit of the everyday news that are not so they're not coming so so so good and try to try to keep it you know hitting it's gonna be hard throwing it's gonna be hard but you know try to keep your legs and your body ready to you know to when they you know they say go you are not you know falling behind I'm glad you referenced the everyday news because it is hard to escape and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is going through this right now and we're asking baseball questions because you work in baseball and I work in baseball but obviously the importance is on helping and hoping that everyone gets through this and I did want to ask you more than a year ago you jumped back in the pool so to speak special advisor to baseball operations with the Marlins obviously with Derek Jeter why was the timing right for you to jump back into baseball that well there was a few things you know obviously Miami is home for me now you know Derek being the CEO of the Marlins I thought the time was perfect you know the team is looking very promising a lot of great you know talent coming up great pitching coming up and wanted to be a part of you know of the organization of the growing and Gary Denbon and Derek gave me a call and you know what do you think about coming back and helping out you know a lot of the catchers and what we need to go from here that was last year last year obviously this year I came to spring training with the focus of trying to help out a little bit more on the catching side and Horell Farrell and you know all the catchers that they had there you know surveillance being in town now it's just a great experience of being being able to you know to give back a little bit and and try to help out Derek and in the organization or making this organization you know the the way they want to there wants to be you know hands-on and be a championship team as soon as we can. You mentioned that connection with Jeter obviously that's that's a deep friendship that goes back many years this summer he will obviously be rewarded at some point heading into the Hall of Fame you had a chance to watch him up close going back to the minor league days Horell there's talent but there's other parts of a game that make a player stand out what made Derek Jeter stand out in your eyes. Winning you know from day one you know Derek care about winning one number one his priority was to make this team or his teams win and you know when we sit down and we kind of discuss the game after the game or before the game what helped us win that day what helped us lose that game those were the conversation we had probably post and and and a lot more doing dinners after the games what made us lose where do we lose the game how come we didn't do this and you know when you analyze the game like that as a player it just helps out the team a lot more because if everybody's looking at what to do to win ball games and that's the way we were but Derek was just very special of you know not making excuses being there every day you know even when he was in pain he wasn't paying a lot he just didn't show it he wanted to be in the lineup and it just showed showed me a lot just wanted to be out there for for his teammates and for his you know for the organization. Horell when the Hall of Fame voting comes around it can be very cruel because players who have had superb careers don't sometimes get the percentage they thought they might get I want to reel off some of your numbers lifetime 273 batting average 374 on base percentage 474 slugging yet 275 homers 1065 runs batted in of the triple crown numbers the average the homerun of the RBI the only catchers in the Hall of Fame who can exceed all of those Yogi Berra Mike Piazza, Pajra Rodriguez yet you were a one and done on the ballot 5% under 5% I know you can't get inside the head of every voter but did that surprise you did you think that you got a fair look on the Hall of Fame ballot? Jag is tough it's really tough to you know when you're a player you you really don't think about being a Hall of Famer you know you you think about you know what can I do to be a good baseball player to be a winner to be a guy you know be back obviously I took a lot of pride of doing things behind the plate and being there for my pitchers and you don't think about what's gonna happen after you know you just play the game you do everything you can to you know to put up good numbers and you know the other day I can sit here and say they had a hell of a career and it's up it's up to the media to look at my numbers and and see and try to compare them to other players and it was tough it was really tough not to you know to go above 5% and but you move on and you know you hope that one day they can look at my numbers again and see what happens but I can't control that and that's the way I was always taught you can't control things and you just kind of move on well interestingly enough I was reading a story not too long ago a couple year a couple years old where you reference Ted Simmons and you kind of talk about how you had a similar career to Ted Simmons and we know what happened this year with Ted Simmons his career got another look and eventually with with one of the committees that can vote post career Ted Simmons will be joining Derek and being enshrined this year yeah I very comparable to Ted Simmons I think my numbers are very very similar to him so we'll see I mean hopefully the the committee can look at my case and you know and we'll see I just can't control it if he happens I'm very I'm gonna be very very honored but if he doesn't I had a hell of a career. Jorge you played eight games in 1996 and then obviously you were much more of an instrumental part in 98 99 2000 2009 how proud are you to be part of that Yankee history that Yankee legacy of winning. We were taught well Jack I think you know when you when you come up to the system you know the job they did for us as a minor league or they really brainwashed us winning was number one and the discipline that it took to be a winner you know they taught us you know obviously not to shave that to you know the hair and everything you know it becomes part of your discipline and you know the way you put on your uniform the way you supposed to carry yourself as a Yankee is very important I think when I look back when I was retired and all the things that I look back and I was upset you know because you know I wanted to wear my pants long you know top of my shoes like everybody else and you couldn't do it you know you had to wear you know your pants and show you know a certain amount of inches of blue and a certain amount of inches of white but it just makes you a player makes you understand what NY means what the Yankees means you know baseball for us in New York was winning first Mr. Standbrenner care about winning more than anything and he you know took it all the way down to to everybody you know winning was important and he took care of us he really did he took care of us and still to take care of those players you know to make them feel like they are part of this organization and this the way the organization goes about the business is about winning is number one that's number one priority and winning the minor leagues counts and I think it's important that everybody understand that the Yankee way was you know there was only one way and you needed to you know show up every day to go play one of the baseball cliches that we all latch on to is you need to be strong up the middle and when you reflect on those Yankee years it's you behind the plate it's Jeter it's shortstop you head out the center field it's Bernie Williams and then right there in the mound petted and Rivera and I'm not excluding any of the other players who were on the teams at that time contributed but those were the homegrown Yankees as you were coming up and I know Bernie was a step ahead of you guys are you sensing or even dreaming that you're building something that could become what it eventually became you know I'm glad you taught you on Bernie you know Bernie was that key guy that he was very successful and if he didn't pay out I don't think the jitters and the facades and the pettit or the Mariana reverse would have been there would have been gone when when Bernie starts playing good and he's coming from the minor leagues and he's you know showing what he can do you know obviously he opened the door for all of us and you know Bernie was a key you know he really was you know and then you brought in Andy and Moe there and then you know Derek and then me at the end but I think we we all graduated you know to that position you know Bernie did it first Derek did it you know with a tough spring training Mariano started and then he was reliever and Andy just you know got better and better and better every time he got there he started you know working out and getting better his body so we graduated to our position nowadays you have guys that are hending you know the position here you go this is your position and I don't feel like that's the way we should be you gotta and you gotta I mean that spot I think a lot a lot more fun when you are you know when you graduate and you win that spot for for the team when Mariano was enshrined into Cooperstown last summer he wanted to make sure that his buddies were there so you were there Derek was there and he pet it was there Bernie performed so he was there Tina Martinez was there you guys had some time to spend some alone time where there's no television cameras there's nobody taking notes if we could have been a fly on the wall and in that moment Jorge what is it like are you guys back in the clubhouse are you guys teasing each other just as you had 20 years earlier 100% 100% we are very tough on each other we give a hard time to each other obviously Mariano we gave him a hard time because his speech took too long he said it was gonna be short and he was a thousand degrees in in Cooperstown last year we were sweating we had suits on and but other than that we had a great time we wanted to be there for him you know I think he's important that that we were there for him and I think we'll do the same thing with Derek there are men and women who are 20 in their 20s 30s 40s right now who watched you play but let's let's go 50 years in the future and one of their grandchildren says to them they see a Jorge Pesada card they look at the numbers and they say hey grandma hey grandpa what was this player like what was Jorge Pesada like what would you like that grandparent to tell that grandchild he played again right you care about these teammates it care about about winning and it's all about heart it was all about hard I mean to the truth I you know I wasn't the best at anything but I had more hard than anybody you know what I thought about as I had the opportunity to talk to you and I think I've asked you this question but way back in the past do you ever think at night about how meaningful monumental it was that you switched from infielder to catcher and just how that triggered all of the changes that occurred in your career yeah I don't think I would have been a big leader maybe you know a little bit here and there if I would have played you know maybe somewhat of a bit of a first baseman or third baseman as a middle infielder I don't think I would have been a big leader but when I became a catcher you know everything opened up for me there's no catching the big leagues you know there's only a few there's only three or four and to be able to do it for that long as a position that I didn't play from the get-go is crazy it really is you know in New York to be playing you know to be playing in that position it just it takes a lot and I'm super proud from having interviewed your dad and knowing the influence that he had on your career I'm not trying to put words in your mouth but I think you would probably also say you wouldn't have made it to the major leagues with without his influence what was your dad's influence and in teaching your resilience and teaching you hard work and teaching you persistence to get to the point that you did get to yeah so in him he's a he was a hard worker you know and he you know brought he would come home late and you know doing four or five jobs to try to get us you know food in the table not that we were hurting for food but he was out there hustling and I saw it and and I think it helped me a lot because I became you know the hard worker that I was I'm still working hard I don't know why but you know it's just it's in me and you know I always wanted to prove myself and get better every year so I work harder at my craft every year and wanted to improve every year my numbers I think my dad was a big big example we can joke about this now because your careers are over and they have been successful it's some of your teammates used to talk about how you and L. Duque would have some very animated discussions when he was on the mound and you were behind the plate what was that like because you were both so animated and you both wanted to do things a certain way it kind of hurt my relationship with him you know because I wanted to bring the best out of L. Duque and a calm L. Duque was not a good L. Duque so I would make sure that he was pissed off before he pitched so I would throw the ball really hard at him I would throw it at his knees I would throw it even lower at his ankle he would look at me and I can tell you know if I had him just the way because of his expression of his face if he was very calm and everything was okay he started talking to everybody it was it's gonna be a long day so I needed to get him you know focus at me and maybe pissed off at me and and get him through the game that's the way certain players that work I couldn't do that to Andy I could have done it to David Wells Roger Clemens I could have done that you know getting you know fiery but some guys you know you couldn't do that too so you have to find you know certain ways to get the pitcher or the pitcher that's gonna be in the mound that day to get them through or get them into the game so that's an example of you kind of playing the mental side of things David Cohen used to say sometimes he always wanted this catcher to be a co-pilot but sometimes you needed to be a cheerleader sometimes you needed to scold him sometimes you need to be a psychiatrist and in that moment or moments with El Duque I guess that's what you were doing trying to get inside his head because you knew what made him tick no question no question and Duque was very mental very he would think a lot about things obviously didn't know the you know when he first came he didn't know the the league so I was there to try to you know get him through the game and stuff like that but you know perfect example right let's go hit the home run of a curveball breaking ball he was I don't remember the count but obviously hit some run on a curve on a breaking ball so on the next time that I'm calling fast balls and change up and he's shaking me off and I'm like what is he doing so he wants a curveball I know he wants a curveball but I'm not calling it so here I go he's shaking me shaking me shaking me and he wants a breaking most I call breaking ball and he's another home run of a breaking ball third I'm bad and Duque obviously throwing very good I think the only runs he gave up those two home runs so the third I'm back with classical he comes up and I go I want to throw something inside and you know some change you up to stop and he's like no breaking ball and I'm like no no no Duque no no he see you to you know to two I'm not a two curve balls he goes break him up I throw him a breaking ball he pops it up to short and he starts screaming at him in Spanish so you're not that good in Spanish you're screaming out he's looking at him all crazy so that's that's the old duke and you love that from him that is a great anecdote a great story and as I wind things up with you here I want to do some word association well it's its name association I'm gonna say a name and if you had the first thing that comes to mind an anecdote story and I'm gonna I have to start with you your buddy your number one guy you already kind of talked about them but if I say Derek cheater what's the first thing that comes to mind leader a winner you know a guy that you want to your side how about Andy Pettit and he Pettit was soft soft spoken I mean not soft soft spoken quiet but when he was on the mound he was focused he was prepared and you know you want him you know begin number 42 Mariano Rivera great endeavor there's nobody like him he has so much confidence that you know there's nobody that can beat him when he was in the mound nobody this almost seems unfair to ask a catcher this question was he easy to catch he was the best he made my job so easy just number one you know a you know he started throwing the sinker later on in his career so we had a one or two and then we changed the sign you know it was so easy because he was you know this side or that other side so I knew he was going to throw you know either a cutter on this side or to see around that side he threw cutters on this side but we had different signs to you know so we'd have to you know give the only number one with the guy a second base how about Don Mattingly probably my my best hitting coach that I had he really I mean he was my idol that's the guy that I look up to when I was growing up and when I had him there and he was there every day you know look for me come here let's go to the cage you know at times I felt you know in spring training like I mean this is Don Mattingly I'm making me work too much and he's and he's like no no no I'm here for you I want you to get this I want you to he wanted me to get on top of the baseball and I mean he helped me so much I interviewed Jim Abbott about a week ago and he said when he first got to the Yankees his first spring training pitchers fielding practice was on a backfield in Fort Lauderdale the position players weren't even supposed to be there yet first day he showed up for PFPs Mattingly was the guy taking throws at first base and imploring the pitchers get to the ball and Jorge you and I have you've seen more than me but I've seen thousands of PFPs a lot of times the guy at first base is just a coach or it's just an extra player and there was Mattingly telling Abbott hey we're here to try and win let's let's do this drill the right way yeah I got a better better anecdote uh his locker was next to my locker was next to him in 1994 in Fort Lauderdale and I'll get there early but I could never beat him to the stadium so one day I'm like okay I'm gonna wake up I was like four o'clock five o'clock in the morning I wake up I go I don't eat I just go straight to and I hear I'm like I think I beat him and I see his jeans already hung and I'm like where is he so I'm looking for him you know because I mean he was my favorite uh so I will go out and he's catching pop-ups off the machine at five o'clock in the morning in shorts like he wanted balls over his head and I'm like this guy is ridiculous I mean that that told me so much about him five a.m pop-ups five a.m but if he was swing off the machine is crazy wow that that seems like a fitting way to end this because I don't think you're going to come up with a better story than that and Jorge we really appreciate you giving us this time and I hope you and your family continue to stay safe with I think we're all going to get through this if we keep making smart decisions but again as I said at the top of this it was always a pleasure to cover you and it brought back memories for me to get the opportunity to interview you one more time like this. Thank you Jack and I really I really am very humble on the things that we were able to to do as a team and it's not easy we made it look easy but you know you can see now you know how tough it was to you know to do that to do it back to back and to back and you know the off seasons were really short but we were looking forward to you know to for the run and it was a lot of fun a lot of fun.