 Hey everyone, Jack Curry here, and yes we're here, and I'm joined today by Paul O'Neill and Paul. I have two quick questions for you. The most important one is how are you doing during the quarantining, but the second one after you answer that is I need to know what's going on with the painting behind your head. I've been quarantined in my zoom into my daughter's bedroom and as you will notice, this lady was looking at me last week. Now she's turned her back against me, she's had enough also, but we're doing well. The family is doing well. Same to you, everybody and you're so for good. Everybody's doing well, following all the rules and regulations that we have to follow, being smart, being disciplined, and hoping for the best for everyone, praying for those people who have had some issues within their family. Our thoughts are with everyone, but I wanted to have a baseball music conversation with you because we've had these conversations over the years. I'm going to start baseball and I'm going to start kind of at the end. I remember sitting in the press box, like game five, 2001 World Series, and Yankee fans as the game wore on started to realize this is the last time we're going to have a chance to show Paul O'Neill some love. They showered you with so much love and Paul O'Neill chance that I think I recall you saying that it was hard for you to concentrate on the game. It was weird because you're standing in the outfield and it's a World Series game and then in unison you start to recognize what's going on in the crowd and no player ever dreams of that. It was a remarkable thing and at the time you remember, we're losing the game. This is a World Series game, we're losing, so what are you going to do? Sit and do cartwheels and tip your head and right field while you're losing, but as it progressed and it went on it was unbelievable. But then the ending of that game even added to it because it was one of the most exciting games I was ever a part of and those three home games to me are what I remember in that World Series. I'm sure you reflect on a lot of moments in your career when you give yourself a chance to think back. Where does that one rank? You've won World Series titles, but to let 50,000 people sort of shower their love on you, very few players get that. I remember it happening with Mattingly in 95, but you got the similar attention. Yeah, it's something you're not ready for. I mean, I've always said everything you do on a baseball field is something you've practiced before, something that you've gone over a thousand times, whether it's hit a ball or whether it's make a catch or get a jump on a ball. The only time you ever practice that is when you're five years old in the backyard and you in your mind put yourself in the major leagues and people chanting your name. So I got to live something that I practiced for when I was four or five years old in Columbus, Ohio. I've loved the by play sometime in the booth between yourself and Michael K. When you talk about 1994. Now, obviously 1994 had a bad ending for everyone. The season was never completed, strike short and season. But during that year, you had a hitting season for the ages. You ended up hitting 359, but you carried a 400 average through the middle of June. There's actually the 63rd Yankee game of the season. That's a big chunk of the season to carry an average over 400. What was going so right for you that year? I just think that, you know, the year before I hit over 300. So in my mind, I was a 300 hitter at that point. And I had worked on a leg kick with Rick down. And I think everything just kind of came together. I got off to the phenomenal start. And it just, I just knew when I was going up there, I was going to have a great advantage that year. And I think you remember the stories time and time again. I hated to talk about hitting this or that because, you know, if you get too many things going on in your head, it just, I wasn't able to play. And I would always say, you know, hey, it's early, it's April, it's May. I said, let's talk in June. And I don't know if you remember, but I showed up in Anaheim. And all of a sudden I walked in and I looked over at my locker. I'm like, why is everybody at my locker? And it was June and I was still hitting over 400. And and I told Michael, OK, I really appreciate it because that after that, I went like over 22 or over 23. And it just, you know, like I said, I got too many things going on in my head other than what was working for me. And that was just going up and playing. I've got evidence of what you're talking about late May 1994. I'm not sure if you could see this. I printed this out. An article I wrote, the headline was 400 talk, O'Neill takes to walk. You didn't want to talk about it. You thought that talking about it didn't help you at the plate. And I actually respected that and appreciated that. Well, it just, you know, there are some players that can categorize their days and they can talk about the game. They can do that. Derek Jeter to me was probably the best of it. I mean, he could do a photo shoot. He could do a luncheon. He could do this, but it was seven o'clock. He was ready to play baseball. My whole day was like scheduled. I mean, I ate breakfast at the same time, lunch at the same time, dropped the kids off at school, did this, so I had a routine. And if I got outside of that routine, I was kind of messed up. And it was just easier for me to stay on that schedule and, you know, kind of get ready for the game because I used a lot of mental energy. You look back through those three hours of the game. You know, it's interesting, I dug up some other stories and about a week after the work stoppage, I called you and did a phone interview with you. And if the words could jump off the newspaper slash the page, you were so distraught. And I wanted to ask you about the fact, well, first of all, it's baseball coming back. But also, do you think you won a batting title? You had a two point lead at that point over Albert Powell. And you said, there's no season. You play to get to the playoffs. You play to win a World Series. And if we didn't finish the season, I'm not even sure that that is a batting title. I'm not sure you remember that conversation, but what were your feelings when everything was stripped away at that point? Well, I mean, you bring back some memories because I remember sitting in the living room and watching Bud Sealy's go on TV and say that the season has been canceled. Because when we went on on that break, we had total intentions and even Mr. Steinbrenner said, stay in shape this and that. I mean, the intentions were there to finish the season at some point and go on to the World Series. And to me, 94 was such a fun team because it was just starting to turn around. And, you know, we had a lot of things going on in the right direction. So yeah, that was one that was kind of taken away from us. And a lot of people were basing this year on that year because of the work stoppage. And but, you know, this to me this season will have an ending where that season had a great beginning but had no ending. Right. I remember how distraught everyone was when you packed your bags and left mid-August. It was either August 11th or August 12th, something like that. I just remember how upset everyone was. I wanted to transition right now into some music and I wanted to play a little game with you that a friend of mine played with me. Benny Horowitz is a drummer. He was a drummer for Gaslight Anthem, very successful New Jersey band. He's now in a band called Mercy Union. He had me on his podcast fall and he played this game with me and I'm going to play it with you. He said, take a baseball player and then who is that baseball player in the music world? I'm going to start out. He asked me Derek Jeter and I at first I was a little stumped and I said, I have to give this some thought, Benny. And then for me, a guy growing up in New Jersey, I said, wait a second. I've got it. For me, Derek Jeter would be Bruce Springsteen because it's a fellow Hall of Famer. It's an icon. It's someone who was beloved by fans. Jared Boschnak, our producer, who was a little younger than me, he said Jay-Z. So if I say to you, Derek Jeter, I know you're a music savant. Who is Derek Jeter in the music world to you? You know, it goes back to the first time. I remember, gee, we were in spring training and he was on deck. And, you know, he was very proud of the music that he picked out. And at that time, a Will Smith sing song came on and it was Get Jiggie with it. And I looked over at G and he was kind of grooving to it. And I'm like, gee, what does that even mean? Get Jiggie with it. So that remind me. I think G has a little more swag, a little more style than Springsteen. I know you're, you know, a Jersey guy, so you got to get Bruce in there. But to me, I would say that he's a little more up tempo. So I would kind of say like Will Smith and maybe even a touch of Justin Timberlake. How's that? I like both of those. Those are really good choices. And this is a fun game to play. I want to hit you with a couple more real quick. So Mariano Rivera, I'm going to give, I'm going to give mine first. I think Mariano has to be up on a mountaintop somewhere as high as possible because that's who he was in his career. So again, I was stumped and I started to think Elvis. But I said, wait a second. Elvis was all swagger and all movement and camera on me. That wasn't Mao. So then I came up with, and I think this is a good one, Carlos Santana. I like that. I like that. I was going to say, you know, when you think of music and you think of Mariano, you think of Enter Sandman and Metallica. But that does not go along with his persona and his personality. So I'm going to go more laid back. That boy's smile that he had and go like Bob Marley. Oh, now you're hitting me right here. I like, I like that a lot. I wish I had thought of that. I got one more for you and have a feeling you and I, we might be simpatico on this. I'm actually going to let you go first. Wait a second here. Now I haven't had a word like that in a while now. Same plane. We're thinking in the same lines. Don Mattingly, who would be your musical accompaniment for Don Mattingly? Yeah, that's kind of a given. I mean, he's an Indiana guy. I mean, it's, it's got to be Mellon Camp. And it's just John Cougar Mellon Camp. And, you know, we talked a lot about him and you just had that feeling when you hear a Mellon Camp song, you know, that's where Mattingly belongs. That would have been my choice as well. You've met, well, you've met Mattingly. You play with Mattingly. What was it like to have the chance to speak to Mellon Camp? And I think at one point, didn't you even get on stage? Yeah, I did. It was in a New Year's party and he told me you were playing the Encore and I thought he was joking and I ended up playing the Encore and broke a stick. But I got through the song, unbelievable thing. Another big music thing. Oh, I got to play a sound check with Billy Joel's band in Madison Square Garden. I'll never forget hitting my kick drum and just hearing that boom in Madison Square Garden. That was as cool as it gets. So this is a great segue and a great way for me to end this because Benny Horowitz is a drummer and I leaned on him for this. And I said, Paul is a drummer. Who would be your musical accompaniment for Paul O'Neill? And he gave me two people. He gave me Liberty DeVito plays with Billy Joel, which has to be perfect for you. But then he also gave me one apart from the drums. He said Bob Seeger. And I think that's a really good one because Bob Seeger is one of those guys. When you look at his career, you kind of forget how good a career he had. I think you're right in that same point with his career you put up. Well, I appreciate that because Bob Seeger is one of my go-tos. I mean, night moves, stuff like songs that you grew up to. And some of the drumming that goes along very basic and simple. But sometimes you'll get into a song where it's something a little more complicated. Kenny Arnop with Melanchempe is also phenomenal. But I appreciate the Seeger thing. Those are good memories. All right. I know how much you love music. I've now given you a game to play other than name that tunes, which we all played in Tampa as we were down there for Spring Train. Paul, this was a lot of fun. I'll talk to you soon. Jack, be well.